Ricky Jackson

Excellent, perhaps even definitive, analysis on Rose.

Ricky, as a fellow Canuckian, I'd argue that attitude emerged far, far earlier than that time period. Look at the Guess Who's "American Woman", for instance. Hell, I still remember the first Jays World Series when someone in Atlanta was holding a Canadian flag that happened to be upside down. If you heard people discussing it at the time, you would've thought Bush Sr. threatened to bomb Canada or something. No, that (immature, obnoxious) attitude has existed for a long time and still does today? Did you know the U.S. has no fans of hockey whatsoever and that they should move the New York Rangers to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan? It didn't start at the time of the Hart Foundation angle, although that's the kind of egofuck Bret would love. Not to derail this with a bunch of non-wrestling Canadian talk that most around here don't give two shits about, but I didn't mean to suggest that the Canada vs USA feud was the catalyst for a surge in anti-American feelings in Canada or anything. I just meant that the explosion of modern Canadian patriotism began, from my perspective, around the same time. It was partly sports-related, like you mentioned with the 92 World Series, but more so because of hockey-related slights (of course, it's all we care about after all), like Canada losing the 96 hockey World Cup to the States, Winnipeg and Quebec City's NHL teams moving to the States, a streak of American teams winning the Stanley Cup, etc.

Funny, but now I can add Cabana to this list, as my wife fell in love with him at the ECCW show we went to last Saturday.

The whole "Canadian Pride" attitude Bret displays in the second quote is something that emerged in my country in the late-90s or so, around the time of the Canada vs USA feud, and I find it beyond obnoxious in 2013. In some circles, praise of America and criticism of Canada is akin to advocating Muslim extremism, and I'm only slightly exaggerating. And I'm pretty sure Bret didn't invent the ladder match concept. It came from Stampede, but was first used around 1975, long before Bret started wrestling.

Most of the crowd at the show I went to on Saturday would have thought that was a pretty cool looking move and popped for it. Also, at that show I realized "PWO style" wrestling talk doesn't make much sense to the average 90s bred wrestling fan.

My God.

I can't really conceive of a realistic scenario where the WWE will ever radically change. Even when Vince is dead and gone. They are Disney, the NFL, McDonalds or Wal-Mart. They may add some new items to the menu (new shows, apps and other social media shit), but their essential formula will never be tampered with.

That match is widely available. It's the 60 minute draw on the card before that's never been released. Pretty disappointing set list. John Well somebody should hurry up and upload the TDM to YouTube or Dailymotion then. As far as the broadway between Bob and Don goes, it was on one of the non-televised MSG shows. I've asked this before, but have any matches from non-televised MSG shows ever turned up in trading circles or on WWE dvds? Was the match even filmed? While on the subject, John or anybody, what's the story with Bob/Koloff 4/25/83? Monsoon and Patterson provided commentary for the match, and a brief clip of the ending was shown on I believe WWE.com, but I've never known the match to be available in full. Other matches from the card are out there.

Wow, I had high hopes for this set but the selections blow. Mild VQ upgrades on a couple of matches and that's about it. I was hoping for the Backlund/Muraco 1981 Texas Death myself--never seen that one before. And do they really need to put the fuckin Hogan/Sheik title change on yet another DVD?

Week 70 is about where I tapped out back in 00. So horrible.

Wasn't Bruiser a babyface in his Indianapolis promotion? I thought he was a heel for most of the 60s before turning face late in the decade, like Blassie in LA, but looking at some of the info out there, it looks like he was a babyface in Indy, or at least a tweener, since 1964 or so. He did have a long run as top heel in Detroit from the mid/late-50s to about 1963.

California in the 60s had heel aces in San Fran (Ray Stevens) and LA (Freddie Blassie), and that worked out pretty well. Rose was heel ace of Portland for 7-8 years and was pretty successful. The Sheik, Bockwinkel, Buddy Rogers, Dick the Bruiser--it used to be fairly common. In the 90s heels became babyfaces, and really the whole structure was changed and has never been reversed.

Since Bix started it, I believe the discussion of LEAST prestigious titles actually starts and ends here my friends...

I'll always have a big soft spot for heel Doink. One of the favorites of my youth. RIP

Outside of the big matches and a few others, I'm far from an expert on 80s Crockett, but whatever... The Loss award for "Best ring apparel" Ric Flair Best personal hygiene Lex Luger seems like a pretty clean guy Best woman Missy Hyatt Best ref Tommy Young Best manager JJ Dillon Best Announcer (play-by-play) Jim Ross Best Announcer (colour) Bob Caudle Best Feud Ric Flair vs Terry Funk (close second: Steamboat/Youngblood vs Slaughter/Kernodle) The Total Billy Graham Award for worst wrestler (+ next 4) Sid Vicious, Dan Spivey, Johnny Ace, Shane Douglas, and Billy Graham Most Improved Wrestler Sting Best Tag Team Midnight Express (both versions) Top 20 matches I'll give you ten 1. Flair vs Funk, Bash 89 2. Flair vs Steamboat, Clash VI 3. Flair vs Steamboat, Chi-Town Rumble 4. Fantastics vs Simmons/Gilbert, Clash IV 5. Flair vs Luger, Starrcade 88 6. Steamboat/Youngblood vs Slaughter/Kernodle, Final Conflict 7. Piper vs Valentine, Starrcade 83 8. Flair vs Sting, Clash I 9. Blanchard vs Magnum TA, Starrcade 85 10. Flair vs Koloff, Bash 85 The Ric Flair award for best wrestler Ric Flair (really, a more interesting discussion would be who was the second best wrestler. I'll go with Tully) Best Face Ricky Morton Best Heel Tully Blanchard

We are always going be disappointed if we expect the WWE to book like one of the old territories. They usually don't.

Genius

Hart. He wrestled Hogan (Sterling Golden) in Georgia circa 1979.

I don't know, but I would like to think Vince Sr saw that Bob was a very good worker and was highly regarded by other promoters Vince Sr respected. He thought Bob had a chance to be a big star, which he became, despite many fans refusal to accept this fact. I'm actually really fascinated by the whole debate over Bob's legacy as 6-year WWF champ. Has anyone ever had to justify their track record as a great draw and worker as much as Bob has? I think a lot of the dismissal of Bob comes from fans who came to wrestling after 1984 and have a hard time accepting the fact that someone who looked so "average", yes, even dorky, as Bob was ever a big star, especially when compared to the steroid freak look of Hogan and the Road Warriors that came to dominate. Surely it doesn't help Bob's cause that the only pre 90s match most fans have seen of him in action is where he dropped the strap to the Iron Sheik, coming at a time when he had developed an extremely unflattering and unimpressive look for a major world champ, with the crew cut, singlet, and loss of muscle due to a change in workout routine. Meltzer and other smart fans of the 80s also set the tone for the future by dismissing his major accomplishments by praising the undercard and the heel challengers as the real reason the WWF drew so well, on top of writing Bob off as a poor worker to boot. True, Bob's style of work isn't for everyone, but many fans will always dismiss anything pre 90s anyway as too boring. I think his reputation will only continue to improve, but most fans will probably only stick with the surface-level impression and continue to be baffled that he lasted so long as champ in NYC.

I wear my fandom on my sleeve, almost literally, as I have several Randy Savage pins on my winter jacket. Everyone who gets to know me beyond the small talk stage knows I'm a fan of wrestling. I've even told co-workers about PWO and that I do wrestling-themed podcasts in my spare time. I've attempted to convert several people over the years. Unfortunately, I hardly know any wrestling fans in real life anymore. I also used to watch Days with my mom when I was a kid. I even went through a stage in my early-20s where I taped it while I was at work and watched it when I got home. I haven't watched it in years, but I'm still a mark for Stefano DiMera.

Everyone needs to see Sgt. Al Tomko at least once in their lifetime. Listen closely for the fan yelling "You stink Tomko!" right after the bell rings. Tomko was the top babyface at the time (also the promoter, booker, and the man usually blamed for the downfall of Vancouver wrestling). Otherwise, this is horrible.

That is the first time I've ever read anyone pimp 80s Vancouver as something to watch.

There is so much trash in pop culture these days, and so many people with "bizarre" interests, that I'm not sure if admitting to being a wrestling fan is even an embarrassing revelation anymore.