Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Loss

Admins
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    46439

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Loss

  1. Loss
    While I see the point, I think that we see guys as all-time greats because they got the opportunity and exposure. I can think of really good wrestlers that never broke through that might have had success -- Billie Joe Travis is the first that comes to mind, but I'm sure there are others. In the post-monopoly era, it took Danielson a decade to get signed by a major company despite being arguably top two or three in the world at different points. I'm sure there are plenty of other guys who were very good who just never got the opportunity.
  2. Loss
    That doesn't really apply to the Rock & Roll Express though, does it? They were stars in the NWA, a promotion that aired nationally.
  3. Loss
    But you are questioning the Rock & Rolls status. The WWF and WCW runs you refer to happened about a decade after their peak. I think it's only fair that if you're going to make criticisms against the Rock & Rolls, that you focus on Mid South and the NWA from 1984-1987, or even the quality of their work in SMW. Again, I'm not going to use Flair's matches at 56 years old to make the argument that he was never really that good. They worked SMW because the WWF was not a company that really promoted wrestlers of their style at all. I think the mismanagement of WCW during the time period SMW was around is pretty well known. It's worth noting, though, that in the appearances the Rock & Rolls had in WCW in 1993, they were consistently good and got a superstar reaction for almost every showing. I challenge the idea that the creme always rises to the top. As someone said earlier, it's not a meritocracy. People find work or don't for all sorts of reasons. Not singling you out with this, but criticizing wrestlers for where they work instead of how they work seems a little elitist. I have to ask why it's a bad thing to stick to face-in-peril. It works. It's how tag team matches in the U.S. have always worked. It predates the Rock & Rolls. In fact, I would say the biggest problem with some of the teams I've seen mentioned is that they drift away from the formula too much. What is this "everything" you speak of? What did the Harts do besides wrestle? Oh, there was that great angle when ... um ... no. Or how about that promo where ... um ... no. Well, they wore neon pink and used a megaphone for a weapon, Danny Davis helped them win the tag titles, and they were no more or less over than any other tag team in the company during the period they were around. So I guess that encompasses "everything". With the Rock & Rolls, I can point to Morton being piledrived on a table by Randy Savage, having his face rubbed in concrete as part of a main event program with Flair and wearing a noseguard when they went around the horn, which only added to the already huge heat. I can point to them leading Mid South to their most profitable year ever by coming in with the Midnights and popping the territory. I can point to them being one of the teams that got over through the advent of music videos in wrestling. I can point to Morton being overwhelmingly popular with women because he was sympathetic, despite not being all that good looking a guy. I can point to Morton getting a reaction that only a few guys in the NWA were getting at the time. I can point to him being tarred and feathered on TV. Going back further, I can point to his participation in things like Tupelo Concession Stand brawls, which were hugely influential and involved Atsushi Onita, without which there would be no FMW. I can point to the Rock & Rolls getting over as a headlining tag team despite being such small guys. Scaffold matches, cage matches, 30-40 minute matches on free TV ... if anything, factoring in "everything" only strengthens the case.
  4. Loss
    It's really something where he should just end the speculation and ASK someone in WWE who would know. I'm sure he has, but he has the power to kill this rumor if he cared enough to find the answer.
  5. Loss
    The Rockers also had their roots in Southern tags before coming to the WWF.
  6. Loss
    Urge to kill rising. Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway, heel team offense isn't going to look all that great unless it's sold properly, right? There is absolutely nothing more important in wrestling than selling. A wrestler who can sell who can't do anything else will make it farther with me than someone who can do lots of other things really well, but can't sell. I'm not really sure how to explain the appeal of the tag team formula and the Rock & Roll Express without sounding like I'm explaining wrestling's appeal to someone who has never watched. You answered your own question regarding Morton's appeal. Regarding the other teams you mentioned: (1) The next traditional tag match I see from the Dudleys that actually has a face in peril and a build to a hot tag will be the first. Not saying it doesn't exist, but they built their fame on falling off of things and breaking tables. (2) Everyone likes the Steiners, it's just a question of degree to which everyone likes the Steiners. They were exciting to watch and had some terrific matches. But I'm confused by you bringing them up when you also say that the appeal of tag team wrestling is heel offense, yet the Steiners didn't gain fame as heels. (3) Where are the great Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs matches? I would even rank the second-tier NWA teams like the Russians and Windham/Garvin ahead of them, mainly because I can point to a single match that stands out for both of those teams, but I can't do that for anything involving the Harts or Bulldogs. I have seen some stuff from the Harts and Bulldogs that I have enjoyed, but nothing that I'd really qualify as show-stealing, exceptionally memorable or heated beyond how your typical polite 80s WWF crowd responded to any other midcard match. By comparison, your average squash on Worldwide involving the Rock & Rolls was pretty insanely heated. I think we can easily say all of these teams were good, but tag team wrestling in the WWF just wasn't as good as tag team wrestling in the NWA.
  7. Loss
    I think the idea was that he would miss a nice WM payoff, but I agree that it would have been better use of Vader.
  8. Loss
    Talk about it here.
  9. Loss
    Last few minutes of what is pretty good action, with Hansen and DiBiase taking the tag titles. Not sure what led to DiBiase's jump from the WWF, but it's one of the few promotional jumps on the set.
  10. Loss
    Gilbert is a great interview. Gilbert in ECW was overexposed, pushed himself too hard, and did a lot of pointless stuff with the King of Philly gimmick.
  11. Loss
    They aren't an elite team, but I do think the Jumping Bomb Angels compare favorably to PG-13 too. I'm not sure how their WWF stuff looks now, but I have enjoyed what 80s AJW I have seen of them.
  12. Loss
    I still enjoy seeing Gilbert matches, but I groan a little when I see Gilbert promos because I know they're going to go long and feel like kind of an ego wank. He's a good talker and I'm glad it's on the set, but the reason I'm glad it's on because it shows how overdone his push was in Philly at this point.
  13. Loss
    Hansen does a great old school promo hyping Ultra Clash teaming with Funk. Awesome stuff done like a local promo.
  14. Loss
    I think I'll defend the excess that this match gets criticism for, because it wasn't something being done on a regular basis in 1993, so I think it looks worse in hindsight than it did at the time. This wasn't the best Kobashi match of '93, but it's in the top handful and it's a great performance from both. Kind of wrestled as a battle of the bulls, with some awesome power spots and even some surprisingly athletic big guy stuff. Doc's handspring elbow is a big odd looking, but he did one. Looking forward to the Triple Crown match which I'll be hitting soon.
  15. Loss
    Regarding the talk of fundamentals, look at Steve Austin. Not a flashy worker, not a guy with great offense, but terrific in the ring because he was really GREAT at fundamentals and everything he did looked good, connected and was timed well. Setting aside any talk of his gimmick, those are the things people like about Steve Austin as a wrestler, right? If not, I'm not sure what it is that people do like.
  16. Loss
    Why they would give him this degree of push and not give him the title to go with it is beyond me. A well-produced video hyping up Luger as a big deal, but it was all for naught since they wouldn't go all the way. This is a terrible song by the way.
  17. Loss
    Last few minutes. Not much to say here except this was an incredibly dumb finish. Luger wins by countout, apparently not aware after wrestling for 8 years that the title doesn't change hands on a countout, and celebrates like it's the biggest win of his life.
  18. Loss
    This was all so brilliantly booked. A bait-and-switch that turned out to be a bait-and-switch in and of itself, making it not a bait-and-switch at all. I think of this as more an angle than a match, but it's a classic angle. This was the first time I'd actually seen this in full.
  19. Loss
    Another disappointing match for these two, put on the set to show how this feud really failed to live up to the hype, both on house shows and PPV. You'd think these two would have better chemistry than they do.
  20. Loss
    Cena most definitely had a hot streak, but it seems like it's been ages since he's had any good matches. Maybe it's just that I'm overlooking it.
  21. Loss
    I kinda like the Bodies WWF theme music. This was an AWESOME tag. Felt a little rushed, but they made great use of the time. One of the best WWF tag matches I have ever seen, honestly, in terms of hot tag cut offs, exciting offense and crowd heat. Glad this made the set.
  22. Loss
    Clips of a cage match where Bret seems to be channeling Savage as a heel. Bret seems really comfortable in this role, even giving Lawler an awesome looking set of piledrivers. For someone who hates the style so much, he totally gets it. Probably the best match these two have had together, since it's really the only one where Lawler wasn't a cartoon character. I wish the whole match was available. Owen Hart tries to climb the cage and interfere, but Jeff Jarrett comes out to stop him. Then, Giant Gonzales gets the key and to make this really weird, Bret and Gonzales double team Lawler. Gonzales ends up hitting Bret by mistake, giving Lawler a pinfall. (I guess since it's a cage match, it's no DQ.) Bret continues the heel beatdown after the match, putting Lawler in the sharpshooter. Bret doesn't need his case strengthened, but what we get of this match is seriously a worthy addition to some of his best performances, mainly because he paces the match so well and his stuff all looks really good.
  23. Loss
    Flair tries to talk to Rude about wrestling, but Rude is staring off at Fifi the whole time. He was upset with Fifi for not calling him when he gave his phone number. Flair tries to take up for her, and Rude tells him not to tell him how to conduct his love life. He grabs Fifi and kisses her and she slaps him. Flair tries to calm things down and gets attacked for his troubles. This felt very hollow and contrived, even though Flair and Rude were both good.
  24. Loss
    Cornette is laying all bandaged up in a hospital bed while the Bodies try to cheer him up and Cornette is grumpy. "Gimme warmer ice!" They also make clear the promo is in Cornette's house, in a room with a pink comforter and pink walls. Subtle. The promo goes a little long, as he's explaining the lineup for quite a few upcoming shows, but it's a really good one. Then we cut to a Terry Funk promo. Funk is wearing something on his head that makes him look like a hippy, but it's a classic rambling Funk promo. I love that the TV graphic says "I'll see you pukes in Knoxville" and for some reason, the promo is interspersed with lightning graphics. He calls the Armstrongs a bunch of bastards with no talent looking for an easy buck. Finally, we wrap up with a Bob Armstrong promo. All of these interviews do a masterful job of explaining things while getting over the hate and stipulations -- this stuff should be shown in wrestling school.
  25. Loss
    Lawler does a great promo against a Caged Kings airbrushed backdrop to hype Bret/Lawler at Mid South Coliseum. Lawler tries to explain being a heel on WWF TV and a babyface on USWA TV as best he can. Another terrific promo from the best interview of '93.
×
×
  • Create New...