peachchaos

It belongs in a museum!

Stacked.

You're probably right, Grimmas. Though at this point, not sure if the F5 qualifies as a finisher since he hasn't beaten anyone with it in years. Taker kicking out of 3 of them was still overkill in this setting. Like, just do ANY other power move.

Makes no sense to book the WM12 ending for Brock/Taker unless they wanted to turn Brock face. Good match up until that point. It's not just that you book Brock to look like a face, even if you have Taker win by some kind of a screwy finish, you don't have Brock lose by submission EVER. So lame. Owens/Cesaro and the Shield tag were both really good. What a surprise. As good as Sheamus and Randy Orton can be in the ring, something their stuff just doesn't click with the audience and especially against each other it's a black hole. I would have booked Owens to go over Orton and let Sheamus and Cesaro kill each other for our enjoyment.

Great find. I hope to be able to watch the whole thing tonight. Looks right up my alley.

I was just reading some Rip Rogers comments on Portland YouTube videos. Seems like a stand-up guy.

Approved.

Terry Funk vs. Nick Bockwinkel (7/12/1983) New upload with entrances included and better video quality, which is much appreciated in both instances. Bock comes out to the Star Wars theme song. Terry Funk coming out to "Spinning Toe Hold" in All Japan is probably a Top 5 Ring Entrance for me, so any performance of his from AJPW seems incomplete without it. We still lose the first few minutes of the match and cut right to them working on the mat. Seems like Bock got Funk in an armbar and Terry escaped by getting at Bock's leg. So Bock prepositions and grabs a wristlock, with Funk again wrapping his legs and the two guys roll around and try for some early pins. They roll to the ropes and get back to a standing base. A more aggressive mat sequence gives Bock the edge. Bock takes over in a standing collar-and-elbow tie up and works Funk down with a headlock. Funk tries to grab the leg and Bock has no choice but to go back to a standing headlock. Funk almost works his way out, but Bock changes his footing and maintains the hold and eventually takes Funk back down to the mat. Funk looks exhausted but works his way up to try for an atomic drop, but gets Bock's leg instead to get out of the headlock. Funk twists Bock's ankle with an inverted ankle lock and then into a leg stretch. Bockwinkel trying to support the leg being worked on by pushing it with his free leg is a nice touch. Of course Terry grabs the free leg and pushes it away and then sits down on the leg he's stretching to torture Bock some more. Bock works out and works Terry's leg, so Terry grabs a headlock of his own, which Bock turns into a backdrop suplex. Funk rolls outside to recover. Funk comes back in and Bock immediately takes him back to the floor with some knees. The king of the hill game serves to wake Funk up a bit and he comes back in with clenched fists but to no avail. Bock isolates Funk's leg, wrapping it in the ropes and kicking his knee to effectively ground him. Bock's control segment is all knee work and results in an Indian Death Lock, which Funk actually sells like Death. Funk is able to punch his way out and drops and elbow in a moment of desperation, but Bock goes right back to the hold. Funk makes the ropes but Bock holds on to the leg, so Funk hits a side Russian leg sweep in another moment of desperation. Funk knee drops Bock with his good knee, which of course also hurts his bad knee. Bock with a leg takedown and Funk kicks him off. Spinning Funk Toe Hold is blocked. Terry hits a mean headbutt on the mat as both guys are worn. Back to a standing base and Bock grabs a headlock and this time Funk gets the back drop suplex for a two count, the first pin attempt. Funk picks Bock up for a high HIGH vertical suplay, but collapses with Bock falling on top for his first pin attempt. Two count only. Funk with another big headbutt. Texas cloverleaf~! Bock makes the ropes. He recovers quickly and gets a figure four leglock! Bock reverses and they eventually roll to the ropes and then roll to the floor. Funk tries to get back in first, so Bock attacks his knee on the apron. Funk pulls Bock to the floor and makes it back in just before the ten count. Both guys are worn down. Funk approaches Bock, who takes a step back, but Funk extends his hand and Bock shakes it like a true professional. The ending is maybe a bit of a letdown in terms of the drama the match built up, but full context is appropriate in this case. This is an instance where neither guy could lose clean, and certainly not by submission as Bock was the AWA World Champion and Funk was working a retirement tour angle. A high quality match nonetheless, just not an all-time-must-see-classic. ****1/4

Would have been interesting to see them in WWE after ECW closed down. I can see them somehow getting over without the song or the chairs and being a really fun midcard baby face team. Hell, they fit right in to the TLC matches that were the craze at the time. They didn't do much of note together in ECW, but the aforementioned 6/17/99 match with the Dudleys is in contention for the best match in ECW history and nearly as good as anything Foley did in WWE in terms of high-end hardcore stuff. I haven't watched it in a few years, so I can't comment on the specifics, but in my mind it's worked similar to the Triple H-Cactus Jack Street Fight where the violence escalates perfectly in terms of the use of weapons, which is certainly a rarity in ECW and 90's Big Three hardcore wrestling. I don't think this one particular match is enough to make a case for the team, but it certainly helps Spike Dudley's case.

Terry Funk vs. Alexis Smirnoff (7/26/1983) I'm posting this because I think what these uploads emphasize more than anything is the greatness of Terry's All Japan baby face run. Here we have a throwaway TV match in the "final stages" of Funk's career against a guy who is not Brock Lesnar or Stan Hansen, but damn sure looks like a beast when Funk is selling for him. Just an incredible performance by Funk, featuring some of his sickest looking over-the-top bumps outside of his hardcore stuff. Judging by the crowd reaction, you'd think this took place in America with all the buildup of Rocky IV, but this is the Terry Funk we never really see in the States. The match builds to the point where I think they're gonna actually go all out with blood and turn this thing into an epic, but I'm almost thankful they didn't go that far. Instead, we get something I didn't think I'd see which is coming across in spades thanks to these uploads: Terry Funk in All Japan working TV matches like John Cena. Alexis def holds his own as well, but it helps having someone like Funk who will let him really lay in with his punches. And he does lay in the potatoes, goodness. Some of that 90's AJPW stiffness to his punches in this one. When Funk gets Smirnoff in the abdominal stretch - a move I absolutely loathe, mind you - and the crowd rises to their feet in excitement because they know the Rolling Leg Split is coming, my Grinch heart grew 10 sizes. I liked this better than the Blackwell match, for what it's worth. ***3/4

when does the podcast interview drop?

"There was a time, about ten years ago, when I could write like Grantland Rice. Not necessarily because I believed all that sporty bullshit, but because sportswriting was the only thing I could do that anybody was willing to pay for. And none of the people I wrote about seemed to give a hoot in hell what kind of lunatic gibberish I wrote about them, just as long as it moved. They wanted Action, Color, Speed, Violence.... At one point, in Florida, I was writing variations on the same demented themes for three competing papers at the same time, under three different names. I was a sports columnist for one paper in the morning, sports editor for another in the afternoon, and at night I worked for a pro wrestling promoter, writing incredibly twisted "press releases" that I would plant, the next day, in both papers. It was a wonderful gig, in retrospect, and at times I wish I could go back to it — just punch a big hatpin through my frontal lobes and maybe regain that happy lost innocence that enabled me to write, without the slightest twinge of conscience, things like: "The entire Fort Walton Beach police force is gripped in a state of fear this week; all leaves have been canceled and Chief Bloor is said to be drilling his men for an Emergency Alert situation on Friday and Saturday nights — because those are the nights when 'Kazika, The Mad Jap,' a 440-pound sadist from the vile slums of Hiroshima, is scheduled to make his first — and no doubt his last — appearance in Fish-head Auditorium. Local wrestling impressario Lionel Olay is known to have spoken privately with Chief Bloor, urging him to have 'every available officer' on duty at ringside this weekend, because of the Mad Jap's legendary temper and his invariably savage reaction to racial insults. Last week, in Detroit, Kazika ran amok and tore the spleens out of three ringside spectators, one of whom allegedly called him a 'yellow devil.' "Kazika," as I recall, was a big, half-bright Cuban who once played third-string tackle for Florida State University in Tallahassee, about 100 miles away — but on the fish-head circuit he had no trouble passing for a dangerous Jap strangler, and I soon learned that pro wrestling fans don't give a fuck anyway." - from "Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl" (Rolling Stone)

Wow. I had no idea there is footage of Ed Lewis available. I've been meaning to take a pilgrimage to see the historical marker dedicated to him in his home town, which is only a few hours away from me.

So we have an entry point. Very cool.

Stampede Wrestling presents Wrestling At The Corral August 19, 1983 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta (aired 8/20/83) Ed Whalen opens the show and announces that Stu Hart is giving Jerry Blackwell a chance to recover Jimmy Hart's $10,000 in a 15 Man Battle Royal featuring Andre the Giant and the Junkyard Dog this Thursday night at the "Supercard in Vancouver"! NWA Ambassador Gene Kiniski joins Whalen for a few additional announcements concerning the big event. First, the National Wrestling Alliance Board of Directors will not allow Stampede Wrestling to promote a match featuring AWA Superstar Hulk Hogan, so it looks like we will not see Hogan's big main event match with Abdullah the Butcher. However, Kiniski says the match will take place AFTER the show ends and this will be a Lights Out match with No Disqualifications! We see some clips of Abby and Hogan in bloody matches from New Japan as this announcement is made. Kiniski also wants to reiterate that Terry Funk has been banned from appearing in North America by the NWA Board of Directors, but that the clerical work necessary to instill such a ban is being tied up in red tape. He does know that last week, Funk issued a challenge to fight Bret Hart anywhere, anytime, but Kiniski says if Funk should step one foot in the building, he will be arrested. 1. Jerry Blackwell vs. Mike Blood Blood gives it a good go but he's overpowered and dominated by The Mountain in short order. Huge splash should end it, but Blackwell stops a 2 count and hits another splash for good measure. Winner - Jerry Blackwell @ 4:10 Afterwards, Blackwell cuts a promo on Stu Hart and Andre the Giant. He says he's not intimidated by the Giant or the fact that there will be an army of Stu's friends in there. He says he'll have his own friends in the Battle Royal. Guys like The Bounty Hunters. Guys like Bruiser Brody! He'll throw Andre out and win the 10 grand, no problem. 2. The Tokyo Hurricanes (Hiro Saito, Shunji Takano w/ KY Wakamatsu) vs. Bulldog Bob Brown & Pitbull Kerry Brown The faces take over fast and rough and are able to control the heels through good double teaming. Eventually, Wakamatsu throws salt in Bulldog's face and they are able to take control. Pitbull gets the hot tag and looks to win it, before Takano sneaks a roll up after not getting a legal tag and hooks the tights to win. Winners - Saito & Takano @ 8:34 Commercials. Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Mr. Hito come out for an interview. They say if Jerry Blackwell thinks they're going to be intimidated by Jerry Blackwell and Bruiser Brody, they've got another thing coming. They've already injured Mr. Hito and broken up the Dungeon Masters. With Jimmy Hart's help, they tried to steal $10,000 from Stu Hart. But it ends in Vancouver. Neidhart is officially entering the Battle Royal. He says he knows the Giant will finish off Blackwell, and he's got his eyes on Brody. Bret starts to talk about his title defense against Ted Dibiase, but is cut off by Terry Funk! Funk is out in the parking lot standing by one of Stu's Cadillacs. He says he knows the NWA has banned him from wrestling in North America, which is a joke because the Funk Family created North American wrestling! But don't worry, he doesn't want to come in there and wrestle Bret Hart. He said last week, he will fight Bret Hart anywhere EXCEPT a wrestling ring. He says if that yellow-bellied redneck pig faced kid of Stu Hart's has any guts, has anything besides a huge yellow streak running down his back, he'll come out and fight him right here in the parking lot! Bret wastes no time accepting his challenge and races out of the building. 3. Parking Lot Brawl: Bret Hart vs. Terry Funk Funk is waiting for Hart as Bret tackles Funk to the ground and they lay into each other. Funk gets on top and really nails Bret a few times. Both guys are wearing jeans and cowboy boots, and it isn't long before Funk rips Bret's t-shirt off and chokes him with it. He slams Bret's head into the Cadillac until he's a bloody mess. Big suplex onto the car almost cracks Bret's back in half. Funk gets on the car with Bret and looks to pile drive him through the windshield! Bret reverses and Funk gets back body dropped from the car onto the gravel. Bret recovers and has Funk grounded. Terry kicks Hart hard with a low blow. Funk pops the trunk of the car and gets a tire iron out. He swings at Bret, but misses and breaks the glass on the driver's side window. Funk dropped the tire iron, so Bret picks it up and wacks Funk with it, sending him onto the hood of the car. He slams Funk's head a few times and draws blood. Bret rakes Funk's cut with the tire iron. Funk is just screaming bloody murder. Hart drops the tire iron and slowly walks away, leaving Funk a broken and bloody mess. Winner - No Contest @ 10:00 Commercials. 4. British Rules Match (Three Rounds, Five Minutes): David Morgan vs. Davey Boy Smith A very splendid and competitive romp. Most impressive indeed! Morgan takes the first round but Davey gets his wits about him and bests him for the final two rounds to win the match in splendid form. Winner - Davey Boy Smith @ 13:45 Dynamite Kid joins his partner and congratulates him on the victory. They say they've been working hard, training for their match against the Hurricanes in Vancouver, and they know without a shadow of a doubt they are the best team in Stampede and will destroy the Japanese wannabees in short order. Dino Bravo cuts a pretaped promo about his upcoming Canadian title shot against Rick Martel. He says he's been severely slowed down since getting attacked before his match last week. He swears he didn't see anybody and has no idea what happened, but that he suspects it was Matt Borne because Matt Borne used the attack to his advantage and then cheated his way to win the match. He says from now on, he'll have eyes in the back of his head and he doesn't trust Matt Borne. Commercials. 5. Sudden Death Match (10 Minute Time Limit - There Must Be A Winner): The Cobra vs. Junji Hirata These two have been in heavy competition in recent weeks, only to have their matches disrupted by outside interference several weeks in a row. As such, Cobra's title is not on the line here, and Hirata has 10 minutes to pin him in order to receive a title shot. If Cobra doesn't pin Hirata, he'll forfeit the title. Hirata explodes with offense but Cobra is able to match him with counters. Finish comes as the two try multiple falls in succession with no success, but Cobra ground Hirata and misses a moonsault, only for Hirata to hit a moonsault of his own to win the match just as time expires. Winner - Junji Hirata @ 9:56 The Great Gama cuts a pre-taped promo from his home as belly dancers fan him in his pillow bed. He says he has tried out many different partners from many different countries of the Earth. Now, he knows, the partner he is looking for is not of this Earth. In Vancouver, he will make Bulldog Bob Brown and his fat nephew pay for embarrassing him. Ed Whalen runs down the full card for Supercard in Vancouver: Non-Sanctioned Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Abdullah the Butcher $10,000 Battle Royal featuring Andre the Giant, Bruiser Brody, Junkyard Dog, Jerry Blackwell, Jim Neidhart and more! NWA Stampede North American Championship: Bret Hart vs. Ted Dibiase NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship: Rick Martel vs. Dino Bravo The British Bulldogs vs. The Tokyo Hurricanes Matt Borne vs. Curt Hennig NWA Stampede Light Heavyweight Championship: The Cobra vs. Junji Hirata Bulldog Bob Brown & Kerry Brown vs. The Great Gama & a Mystery Partner Plus...Circus Clowns, Midgets, and a special $3.00 per ticket Meat Raffle! Jim Neidhart and Mr. Hito come out. They says they don't want to wait for the Battle Royal in Vancouver, they want Bruiser Brody and Jerry Blackwell RIGHT NOW! The heels oblige and come out bearing weapons for a showdown with Whalen telling everyone to join us in Vancouver for the Supercard as we leave the air. 6. Dark Match Main Event: Bruiser Brody & Jerry Blackwell vs. The Dungeon Masters (Mr. Hito & Jim Neidhart) Winners - Bruiser Brody & Jerry Blackwell @ 13:18 when Blackwell pinned Hito. Terry Funk spend the afternoon taping a few additional segments which will air at a later date.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 8/18/83: Mike Hammer def. Bounty Hunter # 1 @ 2:20 The Cobra def. Davey Boy Smith @ 16:35 The Tokyo Hurricanes def. Kerry Brown & Bulldog Bob Brown @ 13:29 Junji Hirata def. Hubert Gallant @ 7:29 Dynamite Kid def. Matt Borne @ 20:28 Gama Singh def. David Morgan @ 4:19 Texas Tornado Tag Team Match: Jim Neidhart & Mr. Hito def. Jerry Blackwell & Archie Gouldie @ 23:19 Stampede North American Championship, No Time Limit: Bret Hart def. Dino Bravo @ 45:20

Does anyone know the date of this segment?

Somebody stop this guy! He just put up a Funks-Malenkos match from 1990.

I am working on a 1982 set. PM me for details.