khawk20

That cage match remains one of my favourites as well. Part of the dynamic of that match is the "Surprise" factor. I did not think for one second that Tito would be getting the title back, be it in that match or another...his time had passed as IC Champ, IMO. The end, with Tito all the way outside and kicking the cage back into Greg's face was stunning to me...I was trying to figure out how they could possibly screw Tito out of the belt when he was a quick drop away from winning it. And then...they didn't screw him, he won it. The "Valentine freefall" after the cage door hits him is one of my favourite moments in any match, because it solidifies the idea that Tito is actually going to win this thing. Excellent match all around ,one I can watch again and again.

Mad Dog Vachon, in his day, was not to be messed with.

The last seven minutes or so they showed of their first match in July is also like that.

Yeah, I agree, but that would have flown against the WWF philosophy that "Every match you are seeing is happening only here, for the first time" that seemed to pervade their telecasts. A description like the one you posted would fly in the face of that. The whole "Insular WWF Universe" of 1984-92 (or so) really worked at keeping people in the dark about things that happened outside of what you were seeing right now, or just saw a few weeks before on another TV show.

Verne defended against the following: Nick Bockwinkel Jerry Blackwell Jesse Ventura Billy Robinson Plus he had some tags with Vachon, as mentioned, against Ventura & Adonis. Oddly, his Retirement match in Chicago was not until November of 1981, where he beat Adrian Adonis. Verne winning the title back was a big ego thing for Verne, but it also capped a 5 year chase storyline that had seen Verne pursuing Nick and being denied title matches over and over, save for the occasional challenge designed to screw Verne and have Bock declare no more title matches...and on went the cycle. It was a good way for Verne to scale back his own wrestling and continue to be more of a special attraction.

I always enjoyed Heenan in the aftermath of that match, and for years after, basically being able to say "I told you so!" after 15 years of telling everyone how Hogan was a liar and a cheat.

Agreed. The Chi-Town Rumble Flair-Steamboat title change is my choice for the best I've ever heard.

By this time Ivan had dropped a lot of weight compared to his work in the early 70's. the number often thrown around is about 50 pounds (from around 300 to 250-ish). Would explain it, if true, and from the limited AWA I've seen of Koloff in 72-73, I'd say it is. Also the rematch I don't think is available right now. Damn shame since this match was the kind that made you really want to see a rematch.

Unclench your keester, Jerry. Diversions in conversations happen in real life all the time, a single-themed message board should expect the occasional change in direction like this. ...also who are "the overlords"? New tag team you discovered on a Vancouver All Star Tape?

There is some use of Super Slo-Mo on TV replays already in hockey. It is quite effective.

Cannonball Run 1 and 2 = kick ass movies.

In the arm wrestling one, when an exception occurs it stuns you more than any blindside attack would. I know of one example from Grand Prix in 1974 that was a straight-up arm wrestling challenge for $$$ contest that ended without incident.

One exception would be the Buck Zumhofe-Bobby Heenan series from the AWA in the early 80's. They had Bobby dominate the offense in several of their matches, with a stip that if Heenan couldn't beat Zumhofe in ten minutes he would get stuffed in a weasel suit. The gimmick that they sold (and, to their credit, consistently throughout the existence of the belt, the "didn't make weight" stip made many bouts non-title over the years to set up "at weight" rematches) was that Heenan weighed so much more than Zumhofe that it would make a significant difference in who would get the advantage in the bout. And, they booked it that way, with Buck being on the defensive against Heenan in their bouts, with Heenan throwing the kitchen sink at Buck trying to get the pin and avoid the Weasel suit. Heenan could actually wrestle so him showing off an offense was ok. He was a very credible wrestler. With most Managers this would not have worked at all. I agree with your initial assessment overall, Heenan-Buck is just an example of how an exception to the concept can actually work ok.

The Vachon one is ok, but they did it about 5 years too late. Mad Dog is slow and gets tired quickly. Compare that one to his Wrestling with the Past interviw segments from years back and some of his later speaking efforts and you'd see how he's aged a ton. At one point, whoever he's there with steps in and tells the interviewer that Mad Dog's answering questions a little funny because he's tired and he needs a rest (he was tired, you can see it). It's the sort of shit that should be edited out, but of course, that would require caring about the product you put out for the consumer and all that... I captured some of the highlights and the best parts on my Mad Dog Vachon set, you should buy that one instead.

Nick Bockwinkel comes to mind, especially applied to ending where Bobby Heenan's interference cost the face the match. Also matches where a manager like Albano are wrestling. The Face should dominate the contest since he's an actual wrestler, regardless of the outcome.

I always liked the Orton-Santana match from MSG circa June 1984. It was a 20 minute draw, but one of those ones you don't really see coming. Backlund-Orton I remember enjoying when I got the tape way back when, but feeling that the bouts could have been better. I'd have to go back and re-watch the bouts to give this more than a remembrance, however. I'll have to check Brick's 1982 set to see if they're on it (or one of them at least).

Andre vs. Mad Dog from the Montreal Forum circa 1972-74 is worth checking out.

Reminds me of a dog with a harelip.