Blehschmidt

Can't tell you about Redbubble, but everything I've ever gotten from PWTees has been good quality. Once in a blue moon they will run a little on the small side, but otherwise they are quality shirts.

Who was under the mask of The Texas Long Rider in Texas All-Star Wrestling?

So, I know I don't have a bit of say in this thing anymore, but I am still reading shows and paying attention when time permits, and I have to ask..... What the hell are you doing? William Regal didn't step foot into the United States until 1993. Robbie Brookside several years after that. Both of them were just getting started in the business, and certainly wouldn't have been touring the U.S. in 1985 Dan Severn was still competing in the Olympic trials during this time frame, and certainly wasn't jeopardizing that by competing in pro wrestling. Damian 666 just began his career in 1985, but didn't become Damian until 1992, and again likely wasn't leaving Mexico unless maybe it was something just across the border in Texas or California. Foley, Douglas, Sabu, Snow, Ottman, Virgil, and Steiner would be working on the lowest level shows imaginable at this point in their careers and would at best be doing jobs on Television. Maybe Houston, Twin States, or St. Louis would use them as more than enhancement talent. I thought the purpose of this exercise was to try and keep things realistic. It's one thing to look the other way when the guy has at least been in the business a couple years and starts getting over pushed like a few have in this game, or when someone gets a variation of a gimmick a few years early..... but Shit, the fact that you like someone doesn't change reality. William Regal is in my Top 3 favorite wrestlers of all time, but he is at least 5 years away from any kind of real push anywhere, and in reality wouldn't have enough of a name to leave the U.K. for at least 10. (I am not singling out the person that picked Regal, just using him as an example) None of these guys should even be on the radar, let alone taking up space on the roster of a fed with the level of talent that anyone but Houston, St. Louis or Twin States has in 1985. Again, I know that I have no dog in this fight anymore, so you can kindly tell me to Fuck Off. But I feel like a lot of good work has been done in this game, and for the most part it has stuck to being fairly realistic. I'd hate to see it go off the rails now.

This. Not to mention what Vince and Dunn would think of him since he isn't built and has a gut, but at the same time isn't big and fat....which would either lead to a quick release, or worse yet a comedy gimmick since he can actually talk.

I shudder to think what Eddie Kingston in NXT would look like.

if we are talking for PS4, I don't know the answer. I just see it pop up among the sale stuff some times, but I don't bother to pay attention since I already have it. If you are looking at the PC version. 35% off is pretty average. Sometimes it is a little less at 25, and sometimes when they have one of their Holiday Sales, it can go a little bigger, maybe up to 50%. When it comes to the DLC's.... Entrance Craft is probably the biggest waste of money. It does give you a couple new arenas, but the ability to make entrances for guys, when the entrances only last like 15 seconds, really isn't worth the 20 bucks for the DLC. The Takayama DLC don't come with a whole lot, but the money from them is going straight to helping Takayama with his recovery, so for 6 bucks, a new move, a couple rings, some shirt parts, and Takayama himself seemed worth it. The Bundle with Parts Craft, Fire Promoter, Fighting Road, and the 3 NJPW DLC's while pricey is a good start, as it will give the story mode, the promoter mode, all of the New Japan guys, and unlock a ton of CAW parts and moves that you will probably find on the CAWs that you would be looking to download. The Stardom DLC's include a bunch of Stardom wrestlers, and more moves and parts. You may come across wrestlers you are trying to download that use these parts or moves, and without the DLC, you are shit out of luck. The Stardom 1 DLC has been on sale for 50% off multiple times. Stardom 2 has never been more than a couple bucks off, but it is still one of the newest pieces of DLC. Move Craft is free, and is amazing.

I could be totally wrong on this, but I swear I remember someone saying that the career mode is pretty intensive. Not overly hard, but fairly long. Another thing that Fire Pro has done is they recently released the final piece of DLC (for free) which allows for the players to make their own moves, and people are putting out some amazing stuff. Pretty much all of the modern day finishing moves that weren't in the game are being made. But people are also doing the simple stuff, like hammerlocks, standing wristlocks, and things like that to help balance out movesets. Someone put up Curt Hennig's Rolling Neck Snap the other day, and I couldn't have been happier. Also, if people are considering buying Fire Pro. You might keep your eye open for Steam sales if you are planning to purchase the PC version. They pretty regularly put the main game and all of the DLC (except for Stardom 2 and Parts Craft, the two newest ones and the Takayama charity DLCs) on sale at pretty deep discounts. I feel like the PS4 version is on sale pretty regularly too.

If you are going to look into EWR, let me throw another link at you. EW Battleground is a long running forum, and they have a section for EWR. You will be able to find links to several real world updates for the game including modern day, and I am sure classic era's.

When it comes to being able to have all of the guys you could ever possibly want, Fire Pro is definitely the answer, at least the PC version, not sure about the PS4. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone that hasn't been created short of one off jobbers from random tv shows. You want Mike Von Erich, they got him. You want Zan Panzer, they got him. You want Ta-Gar, Lord of the Volcano... I've never checked, but I would bet money someone has created him. Hell, you want Gandhi to wrestle Adolf Hitler in a Barbed Wire Explosion Match..... you can do that too! I honestly have more fun watching Fire Pro matches than playing them. The engine can produce some pretty exciting match ups. It does have a promoter mode that is DLC, but I will be honest with you, I have never played around with it. But from what I understand about it, I do think it checks off most of the things you were asking for in #1. You could probably check out the forums at Critical Club for all the information you could possibly want.

Well, that was fucking stupid.

How much of the KTVT footage of Dallas/World Class survived? Not asking where, or how to get it. Just genuinely curious what is known to be out there, and what is known about it. (Like does WWE own it, or does the station)

Any company boasting a roster with Fat Fuck Barrel Boy and the Hornswogglin' Hillbilly is #1 in my heart

Really enjoyed the show last night from top to bottom, but man, someone needs to tell Sonny Kiss that he doesn't have to hold his arm up in the air before every fucking move.

In the late 80's, potentially into the early 90's, I remember most days at 4PM (eastern) there was wrestling on ESPN. Sometimes it was AWA, sometimes WCCW, sometimes a ladies promotion (I think it was GLOW, but it could have been LPWA), and I feel like there may have been another, but I don't remember what it was. I don't remember if that continued until Global started, but I am pretty sure GWF was on at least 4 days a week when it began and all of the other wrestling went away. Although at some point they did air the Herb Abrams UWF as well, but I am fuzzy on that timeline.

In my experience working no name indies as a ring announcer, you would occasionally see a manager here or there. But in most cases it was A) The guys girlfriend, B.) An old dude who had been around the area forever, or C) Some fat kid trying to be as obnoxious as possible who was likely working for no pay and/or was supplying someone on the card with drugs. Sydney Bakabela and Selina de le Renta are really the only two that I am aware of that have any kind of name.

All of this talk just makes me so sad that Larry Sweeney is gone. What a character and manager he could have been for AEW.

My favorite part of that dream is that if there was a real story about Kerry Von Erich putting a Labrador in a washing machine to clean it off, you wouldn't think twice about it, you'd just shake your head and be like "God Damn, those Von Erich's were a mess."

Canada's Greatest T-Shirt If you are so inclined!

Not to mention that his followers are nearly fanatical at this point and will defend everything he says with absolute hate no matter how utterly absurd, impossible, or wrong it is. Of course, now Trump is busy attacking an African American Nascar Driver because he apparently has absolutely nothing better to do while being the President of the United States of America than harass minor celebrities.

Burgundy just said it much better than I could have.

Really? Between the star ratings you've been throwing around, calling Drew Gulak boring, defending Seth Rollins, and now this "amazing" take... I'm not sure this is the board for you.

LIVE.......FROM.... THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION PRESENTS: A rowdy 18,972 people have filled Madison Square Garden to near capacity and they are loud as Howard Finkel steps to the microphone and welcomes them to Wrestlemania! He then introduces a very special guest to sing "America The Beautiful", the lady who was the musical guest the night Andre the Giant hosted Saturday Night Live...Tina Turner! After a wonderful rendition of the song by Miss Turner, we cut to ringside where Vince McMahon,Gorilla Monsoon, and Lord Alfred Hayes are on the call. Vince McMahon: Hello Ladies and Gentleman, and Welcome to WRESTLEMANIA!!! I'm your host Vince McMahon joined by Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes, and what a night of action we have in store for you! Gorilla Monsoon: You can say that again. I was backstage a little earlier, and you can cut the tension with a knife. All of the men set to compete here tonight are ready to go. Lord Alfred Hayes: The tension has been building for weeks, and these rivalries have become quite personal. Scores will most certainly be settled here this evening. 1 Fall, 15 Minute Time Limit -"Magnificent" Kevin Kelly w/Jimmy Hart vs DJ Peterson The opening contest of Wrestlemania featured two of the up and coming talents in the World Wrestling Federation. They battled back and forth, both trying to get an advantage over the other, and at different times both looked to have things in control, but then the opponent would come battling back. Eventually the stalemate, would lead to the time limit expiring just as looked like DJ Peterson might finally have things in hand. Winner: Time Limit Draw in 15 Minutes 1 Fall, 15 Minute Time Limit -The Super Destroyers (#1/#2) w/Jimmy Hart vs The Scufflin' Hillbilles (Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke) A fairly standard back and forth tag team affair for the opening portion of the match. The Super D's laid quite a beating on Cousin Luke for a while, but when he finally made a hot tag to Hillbilly Jim, the big man came in and cleaned house on both of his masked opponents. We then got a good bit of Jim laying a whipping on the smaller Super Destroyer. The end came when Jimmy Hart jumped up on the apron and both Hillbilly Jim and the referee went after him. The Super Destroyer that was on the apron slipped a foreign object into his mask, quickly entered the ring and rolled his partner to the floor, then took his place laying on the mat. When the unsuspecting Hillbilly Jim came back and pulled his opponent off the mat, he was cracked with a headbutt, and then covered for the one, two, three. Winners: The Super Destroyers 1 Fall, 15 Minute Time Limit -"The Southern Gentleman" Robert Fuller w/Fidel vs "The Black Superman" Tony Atlas Before the match could begin Fuller attempted to offer Atlas a bribe in order to lay down in the center of the ring and allow himself to be pinned. Atlas looked to the crowd who were boo'ing and screaming "NO." Atlas appeared to be considering the offer, before blasting Fuller with an uppercut that took him clear off of his feet and landed him on his back. Atlas then clotheslined Fidel who was looking in shock at the fallen Fuller, sending him out of the ring. Tony Atlas then pulled Fuller to his feet, hoisted him over his head in a huge Military Press Slam and dropped him in the center of the ring. Atlas then covered Fuller for the One, Two, Three in less then twenty seconds!! Winner: Tony Atlas 1 Fall, 30 Minute Time Limit -The Islanders (Haku/Tama) w/Sunshine vs The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton/Tommy Rogers) A fantastic tag team encounter that would go on to become heralded as a classic among tape traders. For nearly twenty four minutes these two teams would go back and forth with The Islanders working over The Fantastics with brute force, stiff looking chops and kicks, and high impact offense while The Fantastics would use their tag team maneuvers, quickness, and most importantly unmatched selling to have the crowd on the edge of their seats the whole time. The end came when it looked like Tommy and Bobby had finally managed to get the momentum fully in their favor, hitting Tama with a double dropkick that sent him out of the ring, and then sending Haku into the ropes and hitting him with a double back body drop. As the referee was trying to get Rogers out of the ring, Fulton went to the top and prepared to come off on Haku. It was then that Sunshine finally made her presence felt, jumping onto the ring apron and shoving Fulton off the turnbuckle. Bobby crashed to the mat, and Tama who had climbed back onto the ring apron on the other side of the ring scaled the ropes and sailed three fourths of the way across the ring with a flying splash onto Fulton. Rogers tried to charge back into the ring, but was met with a standing side kick from Haku that sent him to the floor. Tama rolled out of the ring, and Haku covered Fulton for the One, Two, Three. Winners: The Islanders 1 Fall, 60 Minute Time Limit -Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs Ken Patera- WWF Intercontinental Title The early stage of the contest saw several lock ups as Valentine kept trying to go after the legs of Patera, but he found himself shoved down by the strength of the Olympian several times. A frustrated Hammer eventually bailed out to the floor and had a conference with The Brain. A change in strategy saw Valentine take control after faking for the legs, and then drilling Patera in the face with an elbow. "The Hammer" then grabbed his leg, tripped Patera and went to work. Valentine was relentless, dropping elbows, wrenching the knee joint, and grinding the leg of Patera until the Intercontinental Champion could hardly put any weight on it. Finally when it looked like Patera was all but finished, he got a second wind and as Valentine was holding his injured leg in the air, Patera began to fire away with punches while balancing on one leg. Right hand after right hand staggered The Hammer. He finally let go of the leg he was holding and tried to protect himself, but Patera was beyond pain and reached in, scooping Valentine up and planting him with a huge bodyslam. When Valentine got to his feet, Patera blasted him with a clothesline that sent him back down. It was about this time that Bobby Heenan got onto the apron and began wagging his finger at Patera. The referee went to Heenan first, but Patera took the bait and began to limp toward The Brain. He grabbed two handfuls of Bobby Heenan's jacket, but before he could knock The Brain out, Valentine chop blocked the bad leg and sent him to the mat. The Hammer wasted no time cinching in the Figure Four Leg Lock and much to the chagrin of the MSG crowd, after fighting valiantly, Patera passed out from the pain. Winner, and NEEEWWWWW Intercontinental Champion: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine 1 Fall, 45 Minute Time Limit -The Iron Sheik & The Red Scare (Nikolai Volkoff/Boris Zhukov) w/"Classy" Freddie Blassie vs Sgt. Slaughter & The Gunslingers (Scott Casey/Johnny Mantell) - Coward Waves the Flag This was pretty much a wild brawl from the moment the bell rang and all six men started fighting. Eventually the referee got them separated and got four of them out of the ring, which left Johnny Mantell and Nikolai Volkoff in the ring. The early part of the match saw The Gunslingers using frequent tags to work the big Russian over, but eventually Nikolai rocked Mantell with a clothesline and tagged in Zhukov. From that point, the Blassie Trio kept Mantell in there corner, made frequent tags of there own, and threw in some good, old fashioned cheating to wear Mantell down to the point that it looked to be over several times. Finally after what felt like forever, Mantell flipped over The Iron Sheik on a backdrop attempt, and instead of actually trying to get the pin on the sunset flip, he jumped up and tagged in Sgt. Slaughter! Slaughter came in like a man possessed, and took it to the Sheik, took it to Volkoff, and Zhukov as well. The end came when he nailed both Russians with a huge double noggin knocker and then clotheslined both of them out of the ring. He turned around just in time to see The Iron Sheik getting to his feet, and plowed him down with a Slaughter Cannon lariat. The Gunslingers leapt off the apron and attacked the Russians on the floor, while Slaughter locked Iron Sheik in the Cobra Clutch. Sheik tried to hang on, but when he gave it up, the place went nuts! Winners: Sgt. Slaughter & The Gunslingers (Scott Casey/Johnny Mantell) After the match, Slaughter handed the American Flag to a still groggy Sheik. Mantell and Casey, as well as Slaughter were pretty much surrounding Sheik to make sure the deed got done, and while he looked as though he would rather swallow a hand grenade, The Iron Sheik waved the American Flag as the three men stood saluting. As this was happening, Blassie and the two Russians left ringside and were shaking their heads. -Intermission- 1 Fall, 30 Minute Time Limit -Kazaharu w/Jimmy Hart vs "Superstar" Billy Graham "The Superstar" was met with a rousing ovation from the MSG crowd, while they absolutely didn't know what to make of Kazaharu. This one started off very tentatively as Kazaharu slinked around the ring striking martial arts poses instead of locking up with Graham. When they finally did lock up, Kazaharu struck him with a short punch, and Graham audibly said "Okay, let's do this!" Graham then dropped into a martial arts stance, and the two men exchanged a series of strikes while the crowd went crazy. It ended in a stalemate, but after that we ended up with a more traditional wrestling contest. Both men controlled the match at different times, and the end came when Graham whipped Kazaharu into the ropes and caught him in his patented Bear Hug! Graham wrenched on the hold and just when it seemed that Kazaharu would have no choice but to submit, the Japanese warrior unleashed a spew of green mist into the face and eyes of the Superstar! Graham released the hold and began clutching his face as the referee called for the bell. Winner, by Disqualification: "Superstar" Billy Graham Kazaharu unleashed a sidekick into the jaw of Graham much to chagrin of the MSG crowd before leaving the ring. 1 Fall, 30 Minute Time Limit -"Dr. D" David Schultz vs Tito Santana - Street Fight These two didn't even wait for the bell to ring and started brawling as soon as Santana hit the ring, nearly knocking Howard Finkel on his butt! It was just an exchange of punches for the opening minute of the match, back and forth, back and forth, until Schultz had enough and bailed out of the ring. Santana was quick to follow, and the two of them continued at it on the floor, tossing each other into the ring apron, the barricades separating the crowd from ringside, and then finally Schultz slammed Santana face first into the ring post drawing blood. Schultz battered Santana all over the ringside area for several minutes after that, including tossing him over the timekeepers table. The tides changed when Schultz took a bunch of time pulling up the mats at ringside. He then positioned Santana for a piledriver on the concrete, but Tito was able to reverse it and back dropped Schultz hard to the concrete. A fired up Santana began to pound away on Schultz who was trying to crawl under the ring to get away from him. Schultz made it about half way under, but Santana drug him out by the legs. Santana grabbed two handfuls of Dr. D's hair and pulled him to his feet, only to be blasted in the face with a wrench that Schultz had pulled out from under the ring. Santana dropped like a rock, and Schultz just smiled with blood streaming down his face. Dr. D lifted the unconscious Santana up, rolled him into the ring, gave him a piledriver for good measure, then covered him for the three count. Winner: "Dr. D" David Schultz 1 Fall, 30 Minute Time Limit -The Giant Machine vs Andre the Giant The ovation for Andre the Giant was nearly deafening, and the ass beating that he proceeded to deliver on The Giant Machine was nothing short of spectacular. Andre sold virtually nothing, and the shots he was delivering to the masked man looked particularly stiff on this night. A series of shoulder rams in the corner, followed by a clothesline dropped the masked man, then Andre dropped all of his weight on his chest for the One, Two, Three. Winner: Andre the Giant As Andre was celebrating his win a hush fell over the MSG crowd as a man came walking down the aisle toward the ring. A monster of a man with wild hair and an unkempt beard, he was dressed in a black, sleeveless kind of jumpsuit that was covered in what looked like a bear pelt across the shoulders. Lord Alfred Hayes: Oh My Goodness. I don't believe it. Vince McMahon: Who is it Alfred? Who is this monster![/b] Lord Alfred Hayes: He's called Giant Haystacks. He tips the scales at over six hundred pounds and he has been undefeated in Great Britain for as long as I can remember..... As Giant Haystacks stepped into the ring he came and stood nearly eye to eye with Andre, and easily looked to outweigh him. The two men stood eye to eye exchanging words and looked to be seconds away from coming to blows when a swarm of officials and referees came to the ring and got between them. 1 Fall, 60 Minute Time Limit -The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith/The Dynamite Kid) w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs The Von Erich's (Kerry Von Erich/Kevin Von Erich)- WWF World Tag Team Titles Kevin Von Erich began this match by looking for a handshake, and The Dynamite Kid responded by slapping him hard across the face. Kevin responded with a right hand that knocked Dynamite Kid on his ass, and that set the tone for the rest of the match as both teams fought angry. The Von Erich's controlled the opening minutes of the contest using frequent tags and constantly frustrating Dynamite Kid who couldn't seem to get a rhythm going. Eventually he tagged in Davey Boy who used his raw strength to over power Kevin, and The Bulldogs were finally able to gain control. They cut the ring in half and kept Kevin in their corner, using frequent tags, double teams, and as much cheating as they could sneak in behind the back of the referee to break down Von Erich. When they finally felt like they had done enough, Davey Boy hoisted Kevin onto his shoulders and Power Slammed him hard onto the mat. He then tagged Dynamite Kid who ascended to the top rope and sailed off with a Diving Headbutt, but Kevin Von Erich rolled out of the way at the last possible second, causing Dynamite to crash and burn!! Both men then began the slow crawl back to their partners, and it was Dynamite Kid that made it first. Smith came rushing in and stopped Kevin inches away from tagging in Kerry. Davey Boy yanked Kevin to his feet by the hair, and was shocked when Von Erich came up with the momentum and planted two bare feet into his chest with a dropkick! Davey Boy went down, and Kevin used his last bit of energy to tag in Kerry! Kerry Von Erich hit the ring like a Casa En Fuego, and blasted the recovering Davey Boy with a huge right hand. He then dropkicked Dynamite Kid off the apron, and then planted another dropkick on Davey Boy who'd gotten back up! The crowd was going nuts as Kerry cleared out the ring!! The Bulldogs were trying to regroup on the floor, but Kerry wasn't having it, rolling to the floor himself, and giving them the double noggin knocker, before tossing Smith back in! He then took a moment and chased away Bobby Heenan who tried to grab him from behind. Kerry rolled back into the ring, but the time he spent chasing Heenan had given Davey Boy a moment to recover and Smith dropped a knee into the back of Von Erich. Davey Boy pulled Kerry up and whipped him into the ropes. Davey Boy went for a clothesline, but Kerry ducked it, put on the breaks, and blasted Smith with a huge Discus Punch!! Davey Boy crashed to the mat and Kerry quickly covered. Dynamite entered the ring, but Kevin vaulted over the top rope and tackled him just before he got to Kerry as the referee's hand was counting three!! Winners, and NEEEWWWWW WWF World Tag Team Champions: Kerry and Kevin Von Erich!!! 1 Fall, 20 Minute Time Limit -King Kong Bundy w/Bobby Heenan vs "The Candyman" Ray Candy The two big men stared one another down, and then came to a stale mate on the lock up, unable to budge one another. Bundy then charged into the ropes for a shoulder tackle, but The Candyman stood his ground. Bundy then dared Candyman to do the same, and the result was the same. This happened several times, until finally The Candyman, sidestepped and took Bundy down with a drop toe hold! The MSG crowd got a kick out of seeing Bundy humiliated, but it served only to piss the big man off. The tone of the match changed after that as Bundy went after Candy with a ferocity and began to wear him down quickly. Clubbing forearms, big clotheslines, and knees to the midsection served to weaken The Candyman. Then Bundy stunned the crowd by picking up The Candyman and bodyslamming him in the center of the ring. Bundy came off the ropes and dropped the Big Splash onto Candy and that was the end of it. Tonight, Bundy didn't ask for the Five count, apparently just happy to take home the victory. Winner: King Kong Bundy 1 Fall, 60 Minute Time Limit -Bob Backlund vs Bruno Sammartino- WWF World Heavyweight Title The cheers for Sammartino were nearly deafening as he made his way to the ring, and the look of anger on the face of Bob Backlund would be used on WWF Television intro's for years to come. When the bell rang they locked up, and Sammartino used his strength to throw Backlund to the canvas. Backlund was quickly back to his feet, and the locked up again, only for a repeat as Sammartino powered Backlund down to the canvas for a second time. This time Backlund came to his feet with a look of annoyance and took a moment to compose himself. Backlund moved in for a third lock up, then shot the leg at the last second and took Bruno to the canvas. Backlund was quick to go to work on the arm and head of the champion and slowed the pace considerably as Sammartino fought to regain his footing. Backlund used his superior amateur ability to keep the match grounded for some time, continually using holds to wear down the head and arm of Bruno. Finally after several minutes, while Backlund had his legs scissored around the head of Bruno and was stretching out his arm, Sammartino rolled over so that he was laying face down. He then got his knees under himself, and amazingly with all of the weight of Backlund on his head and shoulders first got to a kneeling position, then stood up as the Garden went ballistic! Bruno tried to shake Backlund off, but the Champion wasn't letting go, so Sammartino did the first thing he could think of and turned the move into an airplane spin! That was enough to loosen the grip of Bob Backlund, and Bruno dumped him to the mat, then dropped onto him with an elbow. That got a count of two! Bruno got back to his feet and pulled Backlund up as well. He whipped Backlund into the ropes, and went for a clothesline but Backlund ducked it and came up behind him. Backlund quickly grabbed Bruno's arm and hooked the Cross Face Chicken Wing! Leaping onto the back of Sammartino, Backlund was trying to use his weight to drag Bruno to the canvas, but Bruno was doing everything he could to remain standing. Sammartino was standing with his legs spread apart, using a wide base to stop Backlund from pulling him to the ground. Backlund meanwhile had the head and arm cinched in, and his legs wrapped around the waist of Sammartino. He was pulling for all he was worth, but just couldn't get Bruno to budge. Finally, Sammartino threw himself backwards, crashing down with all of his weight on an unsuspecting Backlund, who released the hold and was gasping for air on the canvas. Sammartino was first to his feet and pulled Backlund up off the mat and locked in a Bear Hug! Backlund was writhing in pain and doing everything he could to escape, but Bruno kept wrenching on it and wrenching on it and it looked like Backlund was going to be all finished. But Backlund jammed his fingers into the eyes of Sammartino which caused Bruno to drop the champion and clutch at his own face. After drawing a few quick breaths, Backlund charged at Bruno from behind and again applied the Cross Face Chicken Wing. This time he was able to drag Sammartino to the mat, but what he wasn't expecting was for Bruno to push up onto his tippy toes, pushing the weight of both men backwards, driving Backlunds shoulders down onto the mat. The referee dropped and count the One, Two, Three! WINNER, AND NEEEWWWWW WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: BRUNO SAMMARTINO!!!! Gorilla Monsoon: This place has gone bananas!! Lord Alfred Hayes: My Word! Bob Backlund is on the outside of the ring pounding on the floor like a crazy person, meanwhile Bruno Sammartino is the new WWF Champion!! Vince McMahon: Ladies and Gentleman, we are nearly out of time, but you've just seen history made as Bruno Sammartino has once again become the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. What a night here at Wrestlemania! What a night for the World Wrestling Federation! Happy Independence Day! Thank You for joining us for WRESTLEMANIA!!!!

If you can find it, Thatcher/Walter vs Shingo Takagi/Ilja Dragunov from PWG is well worth checking out.

I know I am gone, but in the interest of people not ending up in two places at once, all four of the released guys are still booked for WrestleMania on Saturday, which I will be posting.

I can see Ilja Dragunov, and the two Imperium guys who aren't Alexander Wolfe remaining employed as well.