Ricky Jackson

Yeah, I think you would want to save Taker for a Mania when things are "back to normal" or whatever post-pandemic will be

Honestly, Piper vs Bad News should've probably been erased from history ages ago

At this rate I'll get to 2021 in probably two years or so and I'm fine with that

Done and done

Yeah, I was considering trying to sell my collection a few months ago, it's been mostly collecting dust for the last 20 years, but when I started going through it for inventory I fell in love with it again. It's not a huge collection or anything, at least by hardcore standards, maybe at most 1200 books. There are some going for decent money on ebay. If I do sell I'd like to do it in the least amount of transactions possible. We'll see, part of me wants to take advantage of the boom, but another is still too attached to the damn things

Also, attn folks out there with Marvel comic collections from, mostly, the 60s-80s, the back issue market is booming for the first time in forever. The success of the Marvel movies, but really accelerated by WandaVision and Falcon and Winter Soldier, is causing first appearance books to skyrocket. If anyone has any key Captain America issues associated with characters from Falcon and Winter Soldier, and you're not attached to them, now is the time sell

Ok, now it makes sense. I thought it was airing at the same time

Yeah, weird they decided to go head to head with WWE first night back Hope for the best but I'm not going to be along for this ride (I dont watch anything these days, but even if I was, I don't think I would've been throwing $ at this based on the lineup)

Updates... Monster of Frankenstein by Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog from 1973 sure looks great but the story is nothing special. And yes I know the first four issues adapt Shelly's novel. The main problem for me is the Monster is a tough character to like. Kinda hard to sympathize with your plight when you keep brutally murdering innocent people! The supporting cast is mediocre. The best issue was #5, with a werewolf story. Ploog is done after #6 and so am I for now. John Buschema takes over the art (briefly) and a 3-part Dracula story is coming up, so I'll probably resume at some point. Englehart's JLA run (139-150, minus issues 147-148) was good but nothing must read. I haven't read much old school JLA ever, although I'm relatively knowledgeable with a general overview of the 60s/70s history of the book. The consensus seems to be this run was a return to form after a very up and down previous dozen or so years. The extra pages afforded Englehart (about 10-12, per his request when he took over) the room to develop the characters in a way for the most part not attempted previously, basically imbuing the book with the spirit of the Avengers. The early issues in the run, dealing with the Manhunters (later adapted into a Justice League animated series multi-parter), a story featuring a cheeky appearance by a "character" from his Avengers run, and a secret origin of the JLA that definitely inspired New Frontier from 2004, were my favorites. Featuring a lot of Marvel-style arguing amongst team members, art by longtime JLA mainstay Dick Dillin that will not be everyone's cup of tea (I'm not a hater, but I'm also not a big fan), plus the return of Red Tornado and random appearances by the Phantom Stranger

Personally, I think if you have a comfortable level of knowledge/viewing of wrestling outside of WWF/WWE from, say, 1987 to present, then I wouldn't worry about feeling like you "haven't watched enough" or have "too many blindspots". Once you start feeling like you need to be a lucha expert, as well as a joshi expert and a shoot-style expert, and be able to go toe to toe with the most knowledgeable folks on this board, then it's no fun and the vote may as well be capped at 10 or so people with the most all-encompassing and eclectic wrestling knowledge

Wow, the remastered footage looks great. And yes, despite the appeal of Raymond screaming his way through the footage, often accompanied by random records playing in the background, sans commentary would be an improvement

Well, as someone on Twitter mentioned, Vince's choices for babyfaces around 86-87 weren't always sound, like Outback Jack, Ken Patera, Dick Slater...

Yep

You would almost think Vince planned on the rejection, considering the Honky Tonk gimmick was a heel everywhere else Ferris worked it, and the way it played out was great, but I guess he thought it screamed babyface for some reason

This match from MLG in particular is hilarious to watch for the pure crowd rejection of baby HTM

Could be it fell in between the Super Bowl and the NBA/NHL playoffs/start of the MLB season, and back in 1985 Vince wanted as much attention from the media as possible for something he was trying to take national. Over the years it became established at that time and there was no point to change it

Not sure, but based on his age in the pic, perhaps Fred Atkins, who helped train Baba https://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=2645&bild=1 Edit: Although looking at pics of Atkins, I dont think so. Looks like Baba and Tenryu were in the US in early 1977, Forida, St Louis, KC, Carolina's, etc, so probably somebody associated with those places

My prediction about halfway through (I should've posted it then) was 13-14, with me giving L's to Lesnar and Reigns. I understand why you were more forgiving on those. The Reigns match, with all the spectacle and post-match, is probably better than remembered, but it was at the end of an epic 7 hour slog that had me barely engaged by the main event. I doubt I'll ever rewatch to see if my opinion changes

Awesome!

I think a stumbling block for Vince as far as promoting Hogan vs Flair as a Dream Match is that, WWF being WWF, he couldn't promote it as a Dream Match. He couldn't acknowledge Flair's past accomplishments. He couldn't acknowledge the fan debate. He couldn't acknowledge Flair leaving WCW with the belt. He couldn't have anyone say "NWA" or "WCW" or explain the wider world of wrestling to his audience. He couldn't do all this because WWF was WWF and nothing else existed in that universe. So we got what we got, which was kinda read between the lines with Flair having the NWA/WCW belt, Heenan acting like Flair coming in was a huge deal, that Funeral Parlor promo where Flair confronts Hogan and subtlety aludes to his past, etc, but soon enough Flair was just another WWF bad guy, feuding with Piper, on a Survivor Series team, always wearing the robe, etc. WCW, coming from a position of desperation and a need to be seen as relevant, of course had no problem making Hogan vs Flair as big as possible. It was the biggest match they ever promoted to that time, whereas Hogan vs Flair in WWF was just a fall house show program, and not even big enough in Vince's eyes to main event the next Wrestlemania, or any PPV for that matter

Please tell me that whole game exists

Steamer vs Savage rematches post Mania 3 headlined one of the groups around the loop and didnt draw well, but post Mania shows didnt draw well in general in the early days

I think the simplest explanation is Vince envisioned Hulk vs Sid as the main event before Sid even debuted in WWF, and Hulk vs Flair had been run as a house show feud already. Back then, Mania was for fresh matches. Basically, Hulk vs Sid was always the plan and Hulk vs Flair was never the plan

I would give Steamboat's 11/25/85 MSG match vs Muraco a shot if you haven't before. Really good bloody brawl imo. I also remember digging the 2/17/86 "martial arts" match between the two, also at MSG, although I'm in the minority with that one

I know it happened during a time a lot of fans have difficulty caring about, but Steamboat's most successful and, besides Savage, most memorable angles happened in the late-70s with Ric Flair in the Carolina's. Two were so popular that they were repeated numerous times later on: Flair getting his suit ripped off by Steamer, and Flair rubbing Steamer's face on the cement floor in the studio, leading to "bruises" on the face of a young star very popular with the ladies. Those angles helped draw huge houses in not only the Carolina's but also Toronto, probably the best sustained run of business Steamboat was ever part of. I think you can find footage of at least the face rubbing angle out there. Also, when I think of Steamboat in WWF I also think of his feuds with Muraco and, especially, Jake Roberts, which both started with memorable angles. Muraco and Fuji hung Steamer on TV in a pretty violent angle for WWF. More famously, Roberts gave Steamer a DDT on the concrete floor on SNME