tomk

So I've never any of this Albano pimping before. My impression was that for 70's era WWWF managers, he was always thought of as less than the Grand Wizard, or Blassie. Carried the heel side of the WWWF for a decade? Most effective manager of all time? Top five of all time? I mean the original HOF inductees included Heenan, Cornette, Wild Red Berry, and Blassie. So I assume those are the other four in top five of all time? jdw was around when the other four were discussed. Did number five come up at time?

Wouldn't the history of wrestling mags pre-Apter just be the same as history of boxing mags (Police Gazette to Nat Fleisher to Stanley Weston). I assume there also was some crossover in your early pulp detective mags too( again Police Gazette and Stanley Weston, I don't think I've ever read anything about Fleisher being involved in detective pulp). If Moolah is going in, I could totally see making the argument that Stanley Weston probably did as much for creating modern American women's wrestling.

Some of the early year might not go 10 deep. But I can take a look if I remember tonight. There's no real results for 1980 and 1981, so they should be left off. He does actually have a vote in 1982 on. My guess is that all of the Top 10 would be HOFers, and probably most of the Top 15. John I would assume so too. But I remember there being I want to say one or two years where Butch Reed was in top 5, and there being guys who surprised me slotted in places that surprised me (or maybe I'm thinking of yearbook rankings and not the awards rankings). Curius to see aggregate numbers.

The Cena PPV match did all right. Before 05, he didn't have as much time on top as you would figure. He had the Cena match at SummerSlam in 05, but that was below Hogan-HBK. There was the 01-02 title run that didn't work. I'm blanking on any others. That Summerslam 05 match doesn't mean much. Two matches were given time and those were the only two that mattered: Eddy v Rey (after which I'd say about 11% of audience getting up and going home--which blew my mind) and Hogan v Michaels. Everything else was interchangeable.

Does someone have the 80s year books. I'm not sure why he can't do this for the 80s, but hoping someone else would. Kind of curious who that top 15 would be.

How so? I think I agree with you, but there are a few different ways that could be read. I think of a HOF as having the best/most important figures. There is no need for someone who is representative of 90s WCW, 2000's New Japan, or 2000s AAA, or 2000's WWE. I get the sense that there is an argument being made that you need someone to rep a period/promotion even if that person wasn't significant (interchangeable).

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n15/steven-shapin...last-cream-puff Neat recent review from the London Review of Books on French cuisine and how the cooking world has changed in last decade or so. I don't know if anyone here other than jdw's is interested in this type of thing. But I think the discussion of dog shows and horse races is worht thinking about in the context of wrestling HOF. I see it as a horse race, it's not clear to me if that's the way it's currently understood.

I think the Benoit murders may have balanced things out the other way. As I get the sense that the U.S. voting is getting stricter (who is so important that even if he killed a six year old and a woman, you still couldn't have a wrestling hall of fame without him). If Hogan slaughters his family and a Jewish community center, you still can't have a HOF without him. That's a tougher standard. Get the seense that it is too tough for Meltzer's taste...but still.

I don't put much value in the online polls at the Observer page. That said there is some ridiculous disingenuous stuff in current Observer pushing for current guys. Among other things: Is the AWA run a big part of Beyer, Graham, Stevens, or Wahoo's candidacy? How much did it influence Heenan's? I mean Michaels was in the AWA too, I don't think it lead to any HOF votes. You don't need to wait until retirement, but what exactly is the danger in waiting longer? There is nothing that I can imagine Hogan, Flair, Dory, Terry , Mil or Abby doing know that would make them weaker HOF candidates. Great Kojika, Gypsy Joe. Porkchop Cash, and Brett Wayne Sawyer are all still wrestling too. I imagine Dennis Stamp will take a booking too. I doubt anything they will do after they turned 50 will make them HOF worthy (outside of training). I don't understand the urgency to get Edge into HOF. Why no urgency to get Bearcat Wright, or Enrique Torres?

The population of Puerto Rico is close to 4 million, while there are about 20 million folks in Mexico City alone. I think Colon belongs in but the comparison of Puerto Rico to Mexico is a bad one.

My impression is that the Obama support came from a combination of being married a more cosmopolitan woman and the excesses of the Bush years. Many of his initial pro-Obama pieces used some of his old racial tropes---see here this is a good one, he isn't a thug who just wants to rape your woman and demand reparations.. and well when he saw Obama detractors try to throw those racial tropes at Obama, he was quick to identify it. I don't think the term racism has been bastardized. But there is a huge social stigma attached to confronting racism. Oh and if people want positive thoughs on matches and wrestlers I'd suggest the summer of segundacaida. http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/ about one post a day since Mid May normally on a positive tip.

There was a point where Noble started working with Shawn to make him more contemporary and was Pat Pattersoning some of his matches.

And Danielson is booked for Gathering of Juggalos along with kind of awesome group of West Coast rappers (Spice 1, Brother Lynch Hung, above the Law, TechN9ne, etc).

The Cook argument (as I remember ) wasn't that his time in Mexico changed Mexican wrestling. Rather that Rey's time in the U.S. has changed international wrestling. That when you watch contemporary Japanese wrestling, Rey's influence is strong. For better or worse you souldn't be talking about lucha-resu anymore but rather Americanizedlucha ( a U.S. style with lucha roots that is far more Rey than Juvi based)-resu as predominant style. And his U.S. run has been really influential in Mexico as well. [Cook made all these arguments pre-Jamie Noble reteaches Shawn Michaels how to work a "contemporary" "epic" main event and I could see someone making the argument that what was contemporary was AJ as processed through Rey v Juve. I wouldn't make that argument at all but...] I don't care for Mistico, Marafuji or Tanahashi so maybe not historical influence in a "positive manner". But that was the crux of Cook argument. Honestly, for great in ring performer and historical influence on the mainstream contemporary style I'd really like to see Hamada go in. Although part of me thinks that Steve Williams getting in is the only way we might finally get that bio.

When Meltzer acted as judge for the UFC did he judge rounds based on who was more effective fighter or who felt like the bigger money fighter that round?

Would that be if Eazy, Cube, and Dre left "Straight out of Compton" NWA or if they left "NWA and the Posse" NWA?

Any questions about his relationship with Tiamak of the Last Dragon fame?

So I've seen the commerically released DVD of Vince Russo's Ring of Glory. Is that the only footage of him doing Christian wrestling or is there anything else out there in tape trading community?

The blaming worker for getting overzealous in the moment has been a wrestling and WWF/E public relations spot for ages. I'm sure jdw could come up with a longer list than Bret blading in a planned spot or Stacy "the Cat" exposing her breasts in a planned spot. Its the way the biz works.

Maybe I'm a cynic but "who mysteriously left Undertaker in a vegetative state?" feels like an opening for another Kane v Undertaker match.

I watch too much current lucha and am burned out by invasion angles. Still... Mpro ran a long time built on punk rookie kids disrespecting Gran Hamada and other established stars. It seemed credible. Michaels is retired. Undertaker is out for a while, as is HHH. Unless one of those guys shows up next week, WWE doesn't currently have the kind of selfish megastars that will no sell a Natural Born Thrillers angle. I have no faith in WWE's followup and assume that this whole thing will get blown in two weeks. But there is no structural reason that would force them to blow it.

Well there is a lot of stupid. But I will briefly ignore the stupid and pay attention to the comforting. As someone who was born and raised in DC, I should say that Meltzer's statement is really comforting. For the last decade and a half being a Redskins fan has been really depressing. All this time I was pissed that I have to pay a toll to cross the walkway between the parking lot and the stadium to watch competitive games where the home team collapses at the end. But that's just cause I have been watching from the wrong perspective. The Redskins are the highest grossing team in the NFL, and that's what it's all about anyway. NUMBER 1!!! WE'RE NUMBER 1 ! HAIL TO THE REDSKINS! HAIL FINANCIAL VICTORIES!!

Kaientai was post Yokozuna. My understanding was that they dropped the Hirohito Jr gimmick because of concern for how it would affect foreign tours not because of Japanese political groups in the US.

Who has that Phil Hickerson v Jarrett match?

Ok so I haven't read RIm in ages. Luchabritania?? So recent WWE world champ Sheamus started in a burlesque latex fetish and self mutilation act fed?