Mattsdmf

Here's 83-87: http://placetobenation.com/where-the-big-boys-play-43-jim-crockett-promotions-80s-tv-special/ And 88-89: http://placetobenation.com/where-the-big-boys-play-44-jim-crockett-promotions-80s-tv-special-part-2/

I noticed that the first 24 episodes are no longer available.

I know it’s a weird thought process and would never happen but every time I hear “real sports presentation” I always imagine WOS/RINGS/BattlArts meets UFC specials. However, I’m rooting for AEW to be a success.

Believe it or not but this was the very first wrestling show I ever watched. As a 12 year old, this was mind blowing and I can still remember every second of this segment as it stamped such a major impression on me. This made me a wrestling fan.

I’m very happy to oblige! I too had been searching everywhere for any kind of list as it’s nearly impossible. Listening to the Exile on Badstreet podcast helped along with Between the Sheets. Pouring through the match review part of the board and scouring my own collection and YouTube has worked wonders. I’m far from an expert on Crockett and this list is also a learning experience for me and thought this could help others too. I’m also hoping to hear about even more matches. I just watched a Midnights/RNR Express house show match from 2/2/86 and that was quite something. I’m thinking it’s in the *** 1/2 range if I was to give it a rating. The heat for the RNR Express is off the charts! There’s a moment where Cornette hits Morton with the tennis racket and it sounded like there’s a mini riot about to break out. The overall crowd noise and the teams just going full throttle just as Ricky & Robert enter the ring to the very end and the nuclear crowd heat is worth watching alone.

Just to let you know that I posted the list in my Crockett Appreciation thread.

This is the list of matches I was able to come up with. If there are anything of note that I missed out on, please mention them. This list will be editable and I kind of see it like one of Ohtani's Jacket lists (like his European or Lucha recommendations). I will note anything that can be found on a WWE dvd or the Network.

I’m watching some 85 Crockett and there was more heat for Sam Houston in a Worldwide match against Flair than anyone on today’s WWE roster.

I’ve been really digging deeply into 80s Crockett and collecting matches and the tv. I’ve been putting together a list of matches for myself and my brother who has seen very little of it ala DVDVR 80s set style. What I wanted to pick everyone’s brains, I know the big matches has been talked to death but what smaller matches are there to really check out. For instance, I saw Ron Garvin vs Black Bart in a Loser Leaves TBS match on the WCW show on 6/8/85 and thought it was a great brawl with a weak finish. But the body of the match was great. The more I watch of Crockett, the more I love and think it might have been the best U.S. promotion in the 80s besides Memphis and Mid-South.

I was talking to my brother about 80s wrestling and he said that he had seen very little Crockett footage besides a few matches on various WWE DVDs. So I decided to put together a set for him of a bunch of matches as well as angles and promos. So far I got 225 matches lined up and thinking about doing a bunch of bonus footage in the form of the DVDVR 80s sets.

I know I’m late to the party but I don’t watch WWE tv but I do read these weekly threads. The Bray Wyatt vignette came across my YouTube feed this morning and I had to watch. I’m not sure if anyone mentioned it but I got a total Channel Zero: Candle Cove/Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared/David Lynch vibe from it. I really like the bizarre “Happy go lucky” look but something severely rotten just under the surface.

Here's my ballot. I had a hard time figuring out a list for the longest time so what I did was create 2 lists (one in which was my ranked 5* and 4 3/4* matches and the other is my personal favorite matches) and then combined the 2. Not the most scientific way but it was a good medium between my personal favorites and what I think are "the best".

I thought this was an incredibly fantastic match. I've always been hesitant to watch the Inoki/Fujinami series of matches as I had it in my head that it wouldn't be interesting and too dry. While it is slow, yes, but it doesn't make it any less interesting or even exciting throughout. I think the work in the match, while very rooted in the previous era, had meaning, grit and struggle. So with all that, it actually made any highspots (chop exchanges, throws, top rope dropkicks) so much more lively and memorable. More high-end Inoki that I watch, the more I realize, when he's great and on, he's one of the best. Fujinami isn't one to sneeze at as I do think he's one of the handful of the very best in the world at that time period in wrestling. I love when Fujinami is running offense, he's bringing a barrage of moves to offset Inoki who had the majority of the match as the offense. The crowd in this was absolutely molten and really helped put the match into all time great territory. Had it been a more sedate crowd, I think it would have hurt the match although not too terribly as the work is still amazing. It's a match I believe the rewards patience but if you can get yourself in the mindset that you're in for a long haul and for really interesting mat exchanges, you'll get a lot of out of this. Highly recommended.

I’ve been looking forward to seeing this match as I’m a fan of everyone involved. I finally got to see it and wasn’t disappointed. I feel this is more of a borderline classic than a stone cold classic but still highly highly recommended. Scorpio Jr was clearly the highlight of the match imo. He was such a prick but not cowardly. Great blood, hate, awesome punches and a fantastic finish! One of my favorites of 2000.

I really loved this match. Right from the start, this wasn’t going to be overly graceful or even sportsman like match as Ishikawa prickishly goes after Nagai with some just nasty punches after feeling insulted by Nagai’s jeasture at the very beginning. I do love Iskikawa’s both cocky wry smile when he thinks he has Nagai’s number to the absolute panic on his face when he was being bested on the mat. Nagai was really great at having Ishikawa’s number and showing him up when it came to grappling and applying holds. The struggle at the very end for the leglock that Ishikawa barely got out of was just great. I also love the near reckless abandon in this match as both, when striking, were going for some wild kicks and punches. It really added to the near out of control atmosphere that I picked up on this match. I’m very happy this came across my radar. Such an awesome match! Love me some Bat-Bat!

This was the best I’ve seen Delphin so far. Murahama keeps impressing in Osaka Pro. I think had this match gone on longer, it would be a stone cold classic. As it is, it’s still a tremendous match that I still highly recommend. I love the different takedowns that Delphin goes for throughout and shows he is also very adept on the mat as well. Murahama is a wonderful asshole at the end of the match and postmatch garnering boos from the crowd. Great great match!

This took place on my 9th birthday that year. Neato. Anyway this was a first time watch and I absolutely loved this match. Akira Hokuto was always a favorite of mine going back to watching joshi for the first time. Her entrance and opening attack on Toyota was awesome and set a great pace for the match. When she was in control, she really laid in some stiff shots. Not Aja Kong or Kandori stiff, but enough where it looked like it made a mark. I don’t see this as a spotfest but a game of oneupmanship and a total bombfest as Zenjo put it. Toyota was pretty great in this and I really liked her growing frustration towards the end. She had enough of Hokuto’s taunts and digs and just hits her with every major bomb in her arsenal, particularly those two nasty Northern Lights Suplexes. Yeah, this match ruled.

I haven’t had any interest in the WWE in several years. The last show I watched was WrestleMania and that was out of curiosity and talk about a drag of a show. I have little to no interest in any current wrestling besides Lucha Underground so the only reason I kept the Network for was for the classic content. Recently, my interest in wrestling has been waning and I don’t even see a point in keeping the Network as I have many DVDs and YouTube to suffice if I want to watch wrestling. This issue was pretty much the cherry on top for me to cancel my subscription, knowing that it would have less then a drop in the bucket for the WWE. So no, I won’t be watching.

I’m glad that I decided to unsubscribe to the WWE Network. If or when I become interested in wrestling again, there’s other places I can check it out without giving that company a dime.

I really enjoyed this match! When I saw the lineup, I knew I was in for something good. I love prick Liger here and how the Toryumon crew, especially CIMA, got to shine in this. I cringed pretty hard at the near TKO moment that Fuji got from Takaiwa during the match. Ohtani and Kanemoto were really great as the surly vets serving up New Japan justice to these Indy juniors. So so good!

Nowadays, my interest in wrestling basically lives and dies on trying to find as much old comps or complete episodes of older television. Every time I tried to tune into Raw, Smackdown or a PPV the last few years, I end up not being able to finish it. There’s no excitement, there’s no real promos anymore, wrestlers are all cookie cutter and the overall product being sterile. The last time I was excited for something was the CM Punk “pipebomb” and when that got botched, I basically wrote WWE off. Up until that time, any time they had something interesting building, nothing came of it. I’m just happy to have my old territory tapes and old WCW to watch.

This was a very fun match that I enjoyed quite a bit. While not a classic by any means but with the nice pace, the look of the gym and a crowd that’s having fun, I couldn’t help but have a good time while watching this. I’ve been digging Gran Apache in 2000 and unfortunately he wasn’t in this too much but I liked what he did while he was in there. Collyer did stick out like a sore thumb but he was serviceable in his role.

The Infernales may be my favorite trios ever and this incarnation is pretty great! While this didn’t hit any great heights, the action in this was still very good with the Infernales just dominating the first fall and the Villanos and Niebla getting their comeback in the next. Everyone was bumping like a madman. I thought the ending with Guerrero unmasking himself to get the DQ win was pretty inspired and them cutting a big promo afterwards makes me want to see a rematch. I so love lucha!

This was a ton of fun. I really like the use of both rings that they would use in the Battle Royal later. Gino was easily the MVP but Kerry was great as well and Lothario was great as the no nonsense vet. Kerry’s five across both rings is possibly the spot of the match and he showed great fire throughout. The showdown between Gino and Conway was very heated and got a big response from the crowd. The post match breakup of the heels was great too and I would love to see a Gino vs Markus match as well.