Autistic Dragon

Fulton with a huge upset. Unfortunately for him Gordy is a seriously bad loser. Benoit and Storm put on a clinic. Dibiase gives Hughes a hand. The Barbarian wins a brawling sprint. RVD wins a blistering affair to become the new TV champion. Flair continues to hold onto the Ten Pounds of Gold.

Valiant has a shot at a night on the town with Terri. Spivey seems to be cooking up something. The Lightning Express have a major opportunity. Hansen and Murdoch are on two entirely different bandwidths. Reed is on the hunt for the Nation. Terry may be driving Dusty over the edge.

NWA adds Al Green and Mad Man Kurrgan and I'll drop here.

Taped at the Huntington Civic Center before Main Event. Originally airing on 11/12/88 on the USA Network. On Commentary: Bob Caudle & David Crockett Jason the Terrible defeats The Enforcer with a diving headbutt. Buffalo Soldiers (Ranger Ross & Brickhouse Brown) defeat The Fallen Angels with the "Buffalo Stampede" on Angel #1. "Wildcat" Wendell Cooley defeats The Mongolian Mauler with a running bulldog. Main event. Hawk defeats NWA World Tag Team Champion Ole Anderson w/JJ Dillon by DQ when Brad Anderson broke up a pin following a top rope clothesline by Hawk. The Road Warrior flattened Brad with a powerslam as the show ends. In other news... Due to the brewing tension between the two groups, it's announced that the Stud Stable will challenge the Lawmen for the NWA World Six Man Tag Team Titles at Starrcade. After months of hatred and brutality it's announced the feud between Wahoo McDaniel and Joe Lightfoot will come to an end at Starrcade in a Indian Death match! No disqualification, no count-outs, falls count anywhere in the Omni floor and the loser will leave the NWA!

From the Huntington Civic Center in Huntington WV. Previously recorded & airing on 11/11/88 on the USA Network. On Commentary: Gordon Solie Interviews: Sean Moony Match #1 "Sweet Music Man Billy Joe Travis vs "The California Stud" Rod Price w/"The Mastermind" Ron Fuller Price certainly gave Travis some trouble hitting him with a number of power moves and clubbing blows. His inexperience proved his undoing however as he ducked down a little too early going for a backbody drop allowing Travis to hit the "Just a swingin" neckbreaker out of nowhere for the win. An irate Fuller nails Travis with a big boot and though Price lost, the Studs left with smiles on their faces. Match #2 The Beasts of Burden "Rip Morgan & Nord the Barbarian" w/The Assassin defeat Robert Tuttle & Don Pearlman with the double big boot to Pearlman. The Assassin leads his beast to join a nervous Moony. The masked man says that, while he personally has all the respect in the world for Ox Baker, he was wielding the Beasts with the bluntness of a sledgehammer. A weapon of this destructive potential needs to be used with intelligence and precision and he, The Assassin is the man most capable of doing just that. Make no mistake he says, under his precise and disciplined guidance the Beasts of Burden will march to the top of the tag team division. Match #3 "British Magician" Steve Wright defeats Nate Riddle with the "Octopus Hold" Match #4 NWA Heritage Champion "Pitbull" Kerry Brown & "World's Strongest Man" Bill Kazmaier vs The Paul Jones Army (The Super Destroyer & Kamala) w/"Number One" Paul Jones & Friday This was an all-out brawl that threatened to get thrown out on several occasions. Brown and Super D end up brawling out of the ring and up the ramp leaving Kazmaier to fall victim to "Air Africa". Match #5 Super Strong Machine defeats The Great Khan with the "Devil Windmill" suplex. A video plays detailing the rivalry between Wahoo McDaniel and Joe Lightfoot showing the violence these two have inflicted on each other for almost half a year now. Match #6 "Chief" Joe Lightfoot defeats "Rocking_ Robby Gibson by DQ when Wahoo McDaniel charged the ring and attacked Lightfoot. Chants of "let them fight" echoed throughout the arena as security pulled the two apart. Main Event. "Rugged" Ron Garvin vs "Tennessee Stud" Robert Fuller w/"The Mastermind" Ron Fuller Having gotten his win back against McDaniel last week, Garvin looks to tie up the remaining loose end from the Starrcade Series, his time limit draw against Fuller. Tully Blanchard joined Solie on commentary and spends the entire match running down Garvin. Though those listening will notice that at times his bluster seems to falter at times. Towards the end, Robert throws Garvin to the floor and Ron looks to be lining him up for a big boot while his brother distracts the ref. Before he can though, Billy Joe Travis runs down and breaks his guitar over Ron's back! A smiling Travis leaves through the crowd while Robert is screaming that he's gonna tan Travis' hide. He's so caught up threatening Travis Garvin is able to catch him in a O'Connor roll for the win. As Garvin's hand is being raised, Blanchard leaves the commentary desk and climbs in the ring with the World title. When Garvin turns around Blanchard goes to hit him with the belt but Garvin ducks just in time. Blanchard turns around to try again but the champ runs right into the "Hands of Stone" punch! The show ends with Garvin standing tall over the downed champion.

San Diego Battleground is here! Night 1. A win by Azul in a Light Heavyweight showcase definitely gets the fans fired up. The Animal takes down Tough Tony. Finlay makes a statement against the General. Silver shows Lynn why when you take a shot at the King you better not miss. Steamboat with the Perfect counter to Hennig's finisher. Regal brings the fight but the Beast still PCW' premier submission specialist. DDP and Adams may have just become the biggest heels in the Pacific by screwing Owen out of a job. The Midnights prove themselves the better cheaters against the Vampires. The Can-Am Express certainly put themselves at the top of the tag team contention by beating three other top pairs. Christopher with an act of ultimate disrespect to capture the Light Heavyweight Title. Rose shows he's still got a lot left in his tank but not enough to dethrone Pillman. Night 2. Candido comes out on top in a clash of former champions. Lee wins in a Wild brawl. Chono claims victory in the name of the Blood Syndicate. The Rainbow Warriors reunion is a success. There is going to be such a pop when Spicoli finally gets a win. Looks like Eddie and Barr are done as a duo. Wonder if this leads to either leaving the Wild Things. Bret gets his win back and some payback for his brother. Rhodes with a marque title defense. Tenryu can not be stopped. The DC are holding gold again. Hall is undoubtedly a made man in PCW. PCW tends to keep things simple so the ending of night 2 stands out all the more. A Dusty finish leads to Haynes snapping and poor Sunshine doesn't know what to do.

Looks like Reno, Baxter and Southern aren't on the same page as to who's teaming with whom. Bad time for dissention with the Cubans on the attack. A feud with the Nightmares would be huge for the Renesto Brothers. Michaels, perhaps unintentionally, repays Knighton with an assist against the Assassin. I'm sure Bert's announcement is much bigger than just giving RPG a hotdog.

PCW is up.

NWA takes John Kronus and Perry Saturn.

Between the tag match and the Different Style fight, I think it's safe to say that Chiba will be home to the UWF's most varied card yet.

Taylor's return is off to a good start. Kokina looks dominant and Gama sends a warning to Venomous. Stomper didn't want to wait for a official match, he wanted that money now. Brandi lifts the mood. Coast 2 Coast and Orndorff each look strong ahead of their respective title matches. Baby Doll's dismissal of those "dime store cowboys" comes back to bite her man Diamond. The Mean Machine has arrived and put the tag scene on notice babay. Though I'm curious how Oliver joining this growing faction effects his partnership with Jumbo. The Fantastics are fired up and ready to take on the Glamour Boys and Poffo. The Rose's score a big win over their rivals. But I'm sure the Wild One's aren't finished yet. Sarge & Nikita with one final exchange before they collide next week.

Smoky Mountain Wrestling TV. From the High School in Harriman TN. Taped on 11/4/96 before airing on 11/10/96. On Commentary: Bob Caudle & Dutch Mantell Ring announcer: Kevin Noe Interviews: Michael St John During their usual intro, Caudle announces that the main event of Thanksgiving Thunder has been decided. Dutch Mantell & Jim Duggan will each captain a team of give in what's being called the first ever "Smoky Mountain Turkey Trot". If Team Duggan wins Duggan gets one last shot at the Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Title but if Team Mantell wins Duggan will leave Smoky Mountain Wrestling! And if that's not enough, whomever loses the match for their team has to put on a turkey suit and dance for the fans! Match #1 "Sweet Music Man" Billy Joe Travis defeats Hardbody Harrison with the "Just a swingin" neckbreaker. James Mitchell cuts an intense promo where he declares "unholy war" upon the Rock n Roll Express as well as Brian Christopher. Says he doesn't know if it will be next week, Thanksgiving Thunder or perhaps in a back alley somewhere his disciples will unleash their fury upon these "infidels" and when they do the suffering that follows will be legendary even in hell! Match #2 The Tennessee Volunteers (Reno Riggins & Steve Dunn) defeat The Cyberpunks (Fire & Frost) with a double flapjack on Fire) Jim Cornette joins Caudle and Mantell completely unannounced. He says he was hoping to get the Heavenly Bodies their much deserved title shot "but it seems the champions had a meeting with their parole officer and couldn't make it tonight." He also says it's an outrage that he had to come out here of his own initiative because "if Bert Prentice had the sense the good Lord gave paste, Camp Cornette would be in the main event of every show Smoky Mountain Wrestling put on." After a bit more verbal sparring with Caudle Cornette leaves but not before inviting Dutch to lunch sometime. Match #3 "No Gimmicks Needed" Chris Candido w/Tammy Fytch defeats Mad Man Pondo with the "New Jersey Jam" Candido and Fytch join St John for an insufferably self-congratulatory promo in which they put over how "Inevitable" it is that Candido will be the Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Champion. When St John brings up last week's altercation with Debbie Combs, Fytch warns "that old biddy" to keep her nose out of their business. Main Event. "Superstar Bill Dundee defeats Cash Flo by DQ when Wolfie D and JC Ice broke up a pin after Dundee hit the big man with the "Bombs away". Flash Flannigan runs in for the save and the two sides are still brawling as the show ends.

I mean it's possible. They apparently approached Tony Khan about a ROH show last year so the NWA wasn't their first choice. I read somewhere that the CW executives specifically told Corgan they wouldn't be watching the PPV which is why he felt comfortable doing the spot.

Looks like the CW has been looking to get a wrestling show for longer than we thought. https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/report-cw-executive-approached-tony-khan-about-roh-deal-in-2022

We may be having fun with the Samhain coke spot but it seems some people within the company aren't enjoying themselves right now. https://whatculture.com/wwe/nwa-wrestlers-frustrated-over-billy-corgans-leadership

Benoit vs Storm and the TV title match are easily the standouts of this weeks Power.

I'm glad you noticed that! YouTuber Karen Watches Wrestling had a video detailing EVIL's heel run. Sadly her channel seems to have fallen victim to Bushiroad's merciless copyright enforcement but I remember her pointing out how his turn was actually being set up before the pandemic caused NJPW to shut down for a while. So I decided to keep that thread going because it's actually not a bad idea. Evil was the first to join Naito, a founding member of LIJ and what does he have to show for it? A Never title run that lasted as long as a cup of tea, he's a three time holder of the least valued belt in the company (the six man titles) and he's viewed as the third best Heavyweight at best within his own faction. The turn itself made sense, but the execution was bungled and Gedo seemed to try and make him too much like Jay as a smiley cheater instead of the brute he was built to be. I've been considering a post describing how I'd book heel EVIL and House of Torture where i'd go into more detail.

I don't know. The 80's were full of heels that got legitimate heat and it's considered one of the golden ages for wrestling. Same goes for the Attitude era. Though the latter saw the erosion of kayfabe and the rise of the cool heel which changed the way fans interpret wrestlers performances. Personally, if i see a heel that's able to draw legitimate heat i'm impressed because everyone being in on it now means heels have to work harder to draw their desired reaction.

It's interesting that each team has two captains. That's something that could go south quickly depending on the men involved. A little disappointed that Muta and Warrior aren't in the same match but I can wait a little longer for that collision.

And.... done! This has been a fun side game for me. Questions and comments are welcome.

March 31, 2020 Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo "Blue Justice" Yuji Nigata and Tencozy (Hiroshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) defeat Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) when Owens tapped to the Nagata Lock III. Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Douki & Taka Michinoku) defeat Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) when Suzuki pinned Makabe with the Gotch-style Piledriver. Bullet Club (Jay White, Kenta, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Hikuleo) w/"Master Heater" Jado & Gedo defeat Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano & Robbie Eagles) when Kenta pinned Yano with "Go to Sleep" Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi) defeat Bullet Club's Cutest Tag Team (Taiji Ishimori & EL Phantasamo) when Takahashi pinned Phantasamo with the "Time Bomb" IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match Drunken Outlaws (EL Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeat Roppongi 3k (Yoh & Sho)(c) w/Rocky Romero after Kanemaru caught Yoh with the "Satoshi surprise" then pinning him with "Deep Impact". NEW CHAMPIONS!!! After the match, Takahashi Bushi came to the ring and had a staredown with the new title holders. Never Openweight Championship match "The Dragon" Shingo Takagi(c) defeats "Aerial Assassin" Will Osprey with a "Pumping Bomber" followed by the "Dance of the Dragon". IWGP Tag Team Championship match Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr) defeat Golden Aces (Hiroshi Tanhashi & Kota Ibushi(c) and Cold Darkness (Evil & Sanada) when a miscommunication between the LIJ members allowed Sabre to pin Evil with the "Zack Driver" NEW CHAMPIONS!!! IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Championship match Tetsuya Naito(c) defeats "Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii with the third "Destino" of the match! After the bell, Kenta tried to recreate his Wrestle Kingdom stunt and ambush Naito again. The double champ saw him coming this time and a brawl breaks out between the two. Members of LIJ come out (with Evil noticably trailing behind) which summon Bullet Club reinforcements. Eventually security is able to separate the two groups. Naito gives the LIJ role call to send the fans home happy.

The Nashville Municipal Auditorium represents a serious upgrade for MCW. I think the Moonpup could use another course in obedience school. I imagine Combs hasn't seen a opponent like Luna before. Doesn't stop her from getting the job done though. The Wildside get their first win and Riggins shows solidarity.... for now. The Cubans had a busy night taking on the Wildside, Weiss & King, Riggins and Jed Grundy.

San Diego is gonna rock!

Oakland. Lynn & Adams start with some impressive showings. Silver King's star continues to rise. Camp Cornette finally turns on Steamboat but thankfully for him Adams still has his back. Hart with a hard-fought win on the road to Bigelow. Payne defangs the Vampire. Owen shines with another win. The NoE score another point on the Brigade. Back to back wins for El Rey. Haynes and Albright are heading to a series collision. Windham looks strong heading into San Diego. Fresno. Barr spooks Brookside. Regal needed a big win and he gets one over BT. Eddie could learn a lot from being in the ring with Adams. Neidhart takes the time to tell his hometown goodbye. The Destruction Crew have really found another gear under Page. Despite his previous luck with TV titles, St Clair comes up empty against Pillman.

The Assassin is after Knighton's head and I don't honestly blame. The Nightmares may be the biggest signees to Music City yet. The Cubans may have taken out Riggins but JT Southern steps up to help Baxter. Dark Journey looks to neutralize Mrs Kentucky and Bert obliges with a Lumberjack match.