Ricky Jackson

Ok, I'm officially back as a mega comic book fan after basically taking the previous decade off. The final nudge was signing up for Marvel Unlimited a few weeks ago. Holy fuck, what a service! I started by diving into the 70s, something I've thought about doing for years. I grew up in the 80s, and eventually read a ton of 60s Marvel, but the 70s was mostly a blind spot. Starting with Tomb of Dracula, Englehart's Captain America, Man-Thing, and Starlin's Captain Marvel (also reading scans of Kirby's The Demon). Having a blast! Also dipping my toes into some new stuff, although just the retro type books that have come out in the last year or so, like Fantastic Four: Grand Design (telling the FF story from the beginning as if everything had been planned out from start to finish from day one, with cool Kirby-style indie art by Tom Scioli) and Spider Man: Life Story (telling the story from 1962 forward with the characters aging in real time, so Spidey is in his 70s by the end). Anyone else reading these? I plan on trying out some of the series @SomethingSavage recommended, specifically ones featuring old faves like Thor, FF, Captain America, etc. Also listening to a ton of comic book history pods lately. Who needs wrestling?

I looked this up earlier - Taker's only had 25 matches since 2010, so he's basically been coming out of retirement for a decade already. Crazy how time flies

Yeah, count me interested

"He had a gang rape accusation on July 9, 1953. The alleged incident, involving a 15-year-old girl, took place at Sandy Beach on the South Shore of Oahu. Newspaper reports from the time list John Frances Walker, a gas station attendant at a Waikiki service station, being one of nine men involved a gang rape. It was a bad crowd he was hanging with, and something long forgotten about. Walker was arrested only for this rape, but four of the nine men were charged with another rape four days earlier of a 14-year-old and two others in rapes of two other teenage girls earlier the same day on Sandy Beach." Only one use of "alleged", for the record

That's interesting. I didnt know Steamer worked so high on the card pre-1977 and his big push in Crockett. This is likely in the HBO archives since they did play a brief clip of it years ago on, I believe, that show where Bob Costas interviewed Vince and he flipped out. Not sure if WWE would also have it

https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/international-house-of-combat-8-merrie-olde-england Kelly and Steve are back and this week they travel across the pond and to the 1970s for a look at pro wrestling from England! Viewed and commented upon... Johnny Saint & Steve Best (the Elites) vs Ian Gilmour and Jeff Kaye (the Barons) (1972) & Tibor Szakacs vs Terry Rudge (1974) The wrestling is first class and the halls are packed with ladies and gents, so sit back and enjoy a look at a very unique style and presentation. Watch along here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV6RCTo_Cd0Bo314nxGlwPp-IfC14LctC

Huge 70s star. Won wrestler of the year in the Weston mags in 1975 despite not being one of the major champions, which is quite rare in the history of the award even to this day. That shows you just how over he was. Major stardom as II didnt come until he was near 40 and had all but retired, before being coaxed to come back by Jerry Jarrett, who was booking Georgia at the time. Would love for some of his prime 70s years to surface some day. We do have this amazing segment, which everyone should watch https://youtu.be/IM9HKd7gHXw RIP

Episode 93 https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/world-cast-93 February 25, 1984 The boys review a somber David Von Erich tribute card from the Sportatorium... -The son of a legendary 60s manager debuts, as does the son of a legendary 60s wrestler -The ladies are here and, much like present day, they outshine a lot of the men -A big match between Iceman and the Link -And the hottest feud in the territory, Adams/Sunshine vs Garvin/Precious, keeps on going strong

World Cast's Johnny Sorrow 50th Birthday JYD Tribute Extravaganza!!! https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/world-casts-johnny-sorrow-50th-birthday-jyd-tribute-extravaganza It's Johnny's 50th birthday and the boys celebrate by discussing the career of the Junkyard Dog! Among the JYD highlights... -Early days in wrestling -Run in Stampede as Big Daddy Ritter -A superhero in Mid South -Participation in a weak-ass Dog Collar match in WWF -The touring attraction -And two great matches from Houston to top it off! Happy 50th Johnny, from all the friends of PWO(M) past and present!

Awesome. Thanks man

Wow, thanks so much! Yet another great history lesson! I think Steve and I need to revisit this feud on a future ep and look at some of the earlier matches

He stunk Is the same person also responsible for Rude getting atomic dropped and Regal getting his fingers stomped on gimmick accounts? If so, quite the empire they're building

Episode 92 https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/world-cast-92 February 18, 1984 (This episode of WCCW was taped before David Von Erich died, and for the most part the boys review it through that lens. The next two weeks will deal with the ramifications of David's death and pay tribute to the man and the wrestler) An all time classic WCCW match highlights an otherwise fairly mundane show... -Nobody wants to wrestle the Missing Link -Lucha stars make a rare appearance in Dallas -Mike Von Erich continues to be a polarizing figure -And Ric Flair vs Chris Adams for the NWA title in a super awesome main event! Also, look out for a special episode on June 5th - Johnny Sorrow turns 50 and the boys celebrate by paying tribute to the great Junkyard Dog!

No, ECW press. Same publisher of tons of great history books over the years. Andre bio is easily one of the best

Thanks so much, El Boricua! I was hoping I didnt completely embarrass myself with my lack of real prep on WWC. I feel like I was all over the place and not nearly as knowledgeable when discussing history on the latest ep

https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/international-house-of-combat-7 Kelly and Steve devote an entire episode to one of the most legendary, and (most importantly) bloody feuds in wrestling history: Carlos Calon vs Abdullah the Butcher, from Puerto Rico! Viewed and commented upon... Carlos Colon & the Invaders vs Abdullah the Butcher, Ron Starr & Chicky Starr, Carlos Colon vs Abdullah the Butcher (Vengeance match), Carlos Colon vs Chicky Starr (Cage match) (All Puerto Rico in, we think, 1986) After going bloodless last time, the crimson runs freely this week. Watch along here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV6RCTo_Cd0Bo314nxGlwPp-IfC14LctC

Wrestlingdata only lists two singles matches between Flair and Andre, one in Richmond, VA on 10/14/77 and the other in Florida in 1983. Results aren't 100% complete of course. No idea why that match got so much hype

Made the executive decision to go with 4/19/74 Jack vs Dory as 1974 match of the year on Wikipedia until better info surfaces

Haha...you know, just the usual complaints - he's on the road all the time, he'll be killed in the ring, etc

Ok, so the story is about the 4/19/74 Kiel match between Funk Jr and Brisco. That's good enough for me to say that this is the one that won match of the year. Although, they also went 60 in June at the Kiel, so there is a chance, like the rivalry they are often compared to - Flair vs Steamboat in 89 - there were multiple match of the year contenders between the two and the last big match was the one that won the award (going to assume the November Kiel match would've been too late in the year to be considered)

Holy shit. I literally have ONE old wrestling mag (I had a large collection when I was a kid but got rid of it many years ago) and it is that issue of The Wrestler!!! I picked it up for like $5 from a flea market a few years back. I'm going to check and report back!

Thanks dude! Yeah, I was doubting my claim about The Wrestler being the mag with awards results in the 70s and was just about to check if I had it right. Awesome you have the exact mags the awards were in! 1974 is definitely sounding more and more like a retcon. You make a solid case for 1975 being correct. That match is super heated and had incredible crowd atmosphere, with fans waving both Italian and Greek flags. If it was the most publicized of the three then it is likely the one that won match of the year. And like I said, 1976 could go either way, but they may have it correct based on Bruno breaking his neck being such an epic story. Based on a google search, I did find ONE site that listed the Shea match as the winner...a Turkish wiki page on Bruno Sammartino lol

Episode 91 https://soundcloud.com/prowrestlingonly/world-cast-91-announcement-of-david-von-erichs-passing February 11, 1984 The boys review the episode of WCCW where Bill Mercer announces the passing of David Von Erich at the very end of the show, preceded by a full wrestling card. The card is reviewed first and then the announcement is discussed. It is a controversial topic, with three different opinions offered on how it was handled. Kelly's mic unfortunately died at the start of the show, so his take was recorded solo at a later date. (and apologies for the quality of his audio) The boys will provide a thorough examination of the impact of David's death and his wrestling legacy in three weeks when they review the March 3 tribute episode

I know, obscure ass topic, but this has been bugging me lately. Anyway, I've been reading the great Andre the Giant bio by Hèrbert and Laprade and stumbled upon a bit of info that answered something I've wondered about for years: exactly which Andre the Giant vs Killer Khan match won PWI match of the year in 1981? Official online PWI records of past winners frustratingly only list the participants involved in match of the year winners, with no info on the date or place. Wikipedia for years gave the date May 2 and the location Rochester, NY for the Andre vs Khan match. However, and I've known this for years, that was a fictitious match, I believe originally invented on WWF TV as the match where Khan broke Andre's ankle, starting a legendary feud. In reality, May 2 was the morning Andre woke up and broke his ankle getting out of bed, perhaps the result of an injury suffered the night before during a battle royal in Florida. Andre and Khan had wrestled each other in Rochester, but it was on April 13 not May 2, so I think over the years the date of the match was confused with the date Andre actually broke his ankle. Nevertheless, according to Hèbert and Laprade, the Andre vs Khan encounter that was voted match of the year in 1981 was actually from August 24, a Texas Death match from MSG, NOT a match from Rochester. This makes much more sense, because big MSG matches often won match of the year in those days when footage wasn't available and the most publicized, not the most seen, matches would get the most votes. I think a lot of Wikipedia editors, when having to rely only on the participants involved and not having access to a true source, just use their best guess as to which exact match won in a given year. I was so excited about having this mystery solved that I actually made the correction on Wikipedia myself! But this has just led me down a rabbit hole of doubting the dates given to other match of the year winners on Wikipedia, specifically those from the 1970s. PWI wasn't published until the summer of 1979. Wikipedia lists award winners back to 1972. What gives? Well, for those who dont know, and Wikipedia doesn't explain this, another Apter mag (or more accurately, another Stanley Weston publication),The Wrestler, gave out awards prior to 1980. Like with Andre vs Khan, specific winners throw up a red flag. What I want to know, and hope somebody out there may be able to shed a light on, is which matches actually won match of the year. There are three in particular I question the accuracy of Wikipedia regarding date and place: -1974: Funk Jr vs Brisco (1/27, Osaka, Japan) Would a match from Japan that presumably nobody in North America would've seen at the time (this match is out there today, thanks to All Japan Classics) really have been voted match of the year? I actually dont know the pre-1980s voting process, so not sure if there was anything other than a fiat decision by one of the editors, but still, this seems suspicious and perhaps a retcon based on this match actually being available for viewing in North America in the present day -1975: Samnartino vs Arion (3/17, NYC) I question this simply because there were three Sammartino vs Arion matches from MSG in 1975, this one being the second one, a Texas Death match with an inconclusive finish. The next month they ran the blow off, the first ever Greek Death match (submission match). That match Bruno won decisively, and seems to me to be a more likely winner because it was the climax of a bitter feud. Did the person who provided the info on Wikipedia have a source for the date, or were they just guessing? 1976: Sammatino vs Hansen (4/26, NYC) Similar to the previous winner, I question the accuracy here. While this match is legendary as the night Hansen broke Bruno's neck, they had a match at Shea Stadium a few months later before 32,000 with Bruno out for revenge that may actually be the correct winner. This one could go either way, since both matches were huge in 1976, but I have a hunch the Shea match may actually be correct. The other 70s winners seem to be accurate, at least as far as what would've been highly publicized in the mags at the time. I guess I need someone with access to the actual issues of the The Wrestler to help settle this? @KrisZ are you still around?

Also just watched the Stampede. First AEW I've seen since Revolution. It was super fun. Loved the setting. This is probably the best way to present wrestling with no crowds allowed. I just can't watch every week, but that's mostly because I'm pretty burnt out on wrestling these days