JRH

When did Challenge go to the Monsoon/Heenan team? I've seen clips of the earlier episodes and the broadcast team is Monsoon and Ernie Ladd and Johnny Valiant.

Stan Hansen being managed by Freddie Blassie in early 80s WWF. You had roughneck Hansen being managed by a guy in a glittey coat. Didnt fit together at all.

He did have a denim vest with a bunch of band logos for a very brief time, but they dropped it. Shame as I mark for wrestlers wearing band shirts (at least it's more believable than them wearing their own merchandise).

When I first got into it in 1990, the only wrestling in my market (New Hampshire) was Wrestling Challenge, ICW/IWCCW, and the occasional SNME special. When I got cable in 1993 I got most of the major stuff, as well as Superstars (since we also got the FOX afffiliate out of Boston along with the cable package). Prior to that I had to follow WCW and the other feds with PWI and visits to my Grandparent's house (who were early adopters of cable).

The WCW footage was pretty much B-Roll footage that they can use for documentary/news purposes. It's why Dark Side of the Ring is packed with WWE-owned footage.

How could I forget this, in the Simpsons episode The Day the Violence Died, Lionel Hutz's "surprise witnesses" include the McGuire Twins (no lines, it's just a throwaway gag). Granted, this assumes you consider them "wrestlers" in the first case.

How is that mocking Dusty? Bayley spoke highly of Dusty in that clip, it was the Bar who ripped up the bear.

The U2 video Even Better Than The Real Thing has a brief snippet of a wrestling match during the "channel changing" segment. I've always wondered who the two wrestlers in that match were and where it came from.

I think they should hire some of the production crew from WCW. They were able to make Nitro a legit threat to Raw with it's different, more modern look (as well as the sound, I've noticed that WCW shows from that period always sounded "louder"), and the same needs to be done for AEW, if it just looks like RAW (or worse, Impact) with different wrestlers, it'll just get old after a while.

Has Armstrong Alley been mentioned? Tons of 80s indies/territory stuff: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqPNCmgH5lH-KS8cejs-Aww/videos Another good one is Reliving Wrestling, mini-docs about various storylines, only 5 vids so far, but well done and with actual footage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-w984PAEwzucoVSrPqn_Iw

Since her father died earlier this week (for real, not his kayfabe death in 2002), I expect a very emotional speech from Torrie tonight.

They just dropped the rest of Thunder in 1999 (and the January 2000 episodes as well) to the Network, including the infamous Nash commentary episode.

Wonder if the Golga on that show is John Tenta. Tenta was still alive (and was still healthy) at the time so it's a possibility

The only match these two ever had, and that's a shame as they work well together. Good psychology from both Shawn and RVD as RVD works on Shawn's back while Shawn works on RVD's leg (after a leg screw). However, now we have to bring up the elephant in the room and that's the ending. I would have been satisfied with Shawn winning here and Hunter's attack happening after the match, so why mess up a perfectly good match by having HHH take out RVD and then attacking Shawn? Otherwise, excellent match ruined by the ending.

So the next thing coming to the Network is WWE Confidential: https://www.wwenetworknews.com/2019/02/14/exclusive-update-on-february-classic-content-documentary-series-to-make-official-wwe-network-debut/

I find that WWF and NWA/WCW had a different "formula" to their squash matches. The WWF squashes were performed as exhibitions that were just showing off all the moves that they could do (and the times they let the jobbers get offense was showing how they could make comebacks or counters). NWA/WCW on the other hand had the matches go under the pretense that it's a "normal" match, which means oftentimes they would work it like a normal match, including lockups and restholds. While that isnt neccesarily a "bad" thing, it leads to some very slow squash matches. By the 90s, they switched up the formula a bit and did have some more traditional squash matches.

On the subject of that era, I wonder if they'll induct Matt Hardy this year as well.

Looking at some of these shows, you can definitely see the WWF was going for a much lighter direction after the darker 1991. I mean, outside of the Nailz/Bossman beatdown and Berzerker trying to stab Taker, the angles seem lighter. I'm not saying they went full New Generation, but there's a big difference between Taker locking Warrior in a coffin and Shango making Warrior puke.

Speaking of Virgil, I seem to remember him having a decent match against Bret for the world title (Yes, VIRGIL got a title shot), is it included in this run?

Considering they kept in his "Roots 2!" line from the Orton/Mr. T incident (as well as other questionable lines at other moments). I doubt that.

Has anyone ever read Tito Santana's autobiography Tales from the Ring? The cheapest copy on amazon is 40 bucks, so it must be out of print, but if anyone has read it, is it any good?

Wasnt there a time in 07-08 when Shawn Michaels was using the crossface?

Just started re-reading Eddie Guerrero's autobiography. Not really "under-the-radar" but one that doesnt get talked about that much. Some good stuff in that book.

And the worst thing about KOTR 95 is that it's entirely skippable (unless you're marathoning ppvs) since NOTHING of consequence (outside of Mabel/Diesel) happened at that show. Even the main event is just a throwaway tag match. And on that note, throw the Hog Wild/Road Wild ppvs in there as well. Some decent matches aside (ie, Benoit/Malenko, Jericho/Juvi), those were essentially glorified house shows with free admission and nothing important happening (im tempted to put BATB 95 in there as well).

He was also one of the Wrecking Crew (i think he was Rage) in WCW in 1993.