KrisZ

Exactly plus with the advent of DVD's a lot of people that were underground started converting stuff to DVD and brand new collections became available. Stuff like that and the phenomenon known as You Tube among others has helped the renaissance of 80's wrestling. Plus you had the fact that Friedlander & Lynch were underground as shit. Dylan brought up how not being talked about....the theory that Lawler was one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time was almost foreign until more stuff became available.

Friedlander, Lynch, & McAdam were the main sources for the old stuff and the first two charged over $20 per tape at times. And here are John McAdam's prices circa February 1, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010201053500/...johnmcadam.com/

Footage being more easily available makes a big difference, not to downplay what you guys have done. The idea that I'd watch 150 AWA matches (and probably double that with all the extra watching I did) would have been outlandish five years ago. He has less positive things to say about Robley since he was brought up. The footage was available the problems were they cost too damn much. Pre-DVD buying VHS tapes were brutal and us old-timers can remember that. You had to be selective in what you bought because of the prices.

The deal about Robley was he helped popped Mid-South with Birds/JYD but as a whole his runs weren't as good as Hart's and he rode Brody's coattails for years.

Well to be honest how much of the old stuff was being talked about online before say 10 years ago.....most of your forums was Japanese or current wrestling centric. Wrestling Classics & Kayfabe Memories were around but it catered to a niche audience. Not to pat ourselves on the back but the 80's project has been very key in getting discussion going about non-WWF/WCW American wrestling back in the day on forums non-WC or KM. James Beard speaks on Gary here and if you look up Gary Hart stuff on WC you see a lot of the same in other posts. http://wrestlingclassics.com/cgi-bin/.ubbc...ic;f=9;t=074110 Like I said I never read Hart's book but I did read Watts' and he glowed about him.

Death does that to a lot of celebrities...especially in sports. There have been many guys in the MLB & NFL HOF's that didn't get in until after they died. When it comes to the ballot hell look at the plight of Jimmy Hart.

I never read Hart's book so I wouldn't know

Well for one they are in different categories. Ole had success as a booker no doubt in GCW & JCP but he stayed in his comfort zones and didn't travel around like Gary did plus the biggest difference was Ole was actually wrestling and booking while Hart managed so Ole had more of a direct contact with his plans. We can't discount Gary's creative mind in all of this as well and Ole well he created the Road Warriors but that's about it. Ole's booking stigma was he had a lot of failure post-1982. The promoters trusted Gary like very few especially guys like Eddie Graham, Bill Watts, & Jim Barnett who were power players.

Ken Mantell got to book the bulk of the run but it was Gary Hart who put them there and it was Gary who booked the Christmas night turn that sparked the business. Gary had successful runs in Australia,CWF, GCW, JCP, & WCCW where he created the American Dream, The Great Kabuki, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, The Samoan Swat Team, & The Great Muta gimmicks and helped season guys like Pak Song, Bob Orton Jr., Dick Slater, The Spoiler, Gino Hernandez, & Al Perez. When he was in GCW in 1975-76 he was red hot managing Abby, Orton & Slater (who were one of the best teams in the world at this time), Brute Bernard, The Spoiler, Nikolai Volkoff and that was fresh from helping transform Florida the year earlier before the plane crash. Hart also managed Rip Hawk & Swede Hanson when they were kings of the tag scene in Jim Crockett Promotions in 1970-71. Hart's relationship with Mark Lewin spanned many territories and years and was very successful as well. Before going to Florida, Hart & Spoiler helped Bill Watts start his new territory and the Watts/Spoiler feud made his territory giving it the chance to succeed which Watts said in his book that he owed mostly to Gary. Hart also booked JCP around the time of the first Starrcade helping put that show together with his friend Dusty. Just a few things about Gary.

Hart was a successful manager/booker in all the biggest territories except WWF. I think he should be in no doubt.

Yeah he should take away his winning share of the purse.

Watch the 2nd one it's better because this man is a bad guy.

Smokey & The Bandit gave Jimmy Valiant promo material for two straight years...also Cannonball Run II is one of the greatest movies ever and I will not hear anyone spew nonsense saying otherwise.

Wrestling is fake

This is great

No Manny means more than Dariusz but at that time when it came to RJJ he was his Manny.

Floyd hasn't ducked anyone but Pacquiao. He fought everyone else that was put in his path. He was the anti Roy Jones Jr. who ducked Dariusz Michalczewski for years until Dariusz lost a fight and then declared that he wasn't good enough to face him.

Man I was hoping Titus would get his move in because the fans were going nuts barking

AWESOME ending to RAW

Scott didn't think he would get fired....and there is already storyline stuff on Twitter about Road Dogg

Armstrongs & Rhodes now with common ground

Well that is a creative way to strip him of the title.

Bullet Bob on RAW would rule my world

BUT they never acknowledged it which is very interesting since the last time they did that with Jericho it was mentioned immediately

Fast count!!!!