El-P

Well, I thought Yamazaki was the best worker in the second UWF (and probably in UWF-I too until Tamura matured), and I would point at Tamura's peak as being definitively during his RING years. It's not a big knock against Fujiwara, I thought he was still excellent then, and had several great matches.

To me Ross was pretty bad during the UWF days. I don't know if Watts put pressure on him at that time, but he was overselling everything, screaming like a madman like he would by the 00's in the WWF. Just bad stuff. Ross was at his best during Mid-South before it turned into UWF, then WCW, then the WWF stint from 96 to 98. I thought he stunk in the 2000's.

Seriously, I'm watching an excellent Brian Pillman vs Barry Windham match. And there we go, Ross go on a tangeant about Pillman never being the biggest guy on any athletic team he was part of. And he drops the line "He was the smallest kid on his little league team." For fuck's sake Ross. And then he goes on and on with the *entire* Pillman athletic credentials, complete with coach name and awards he recieved, while there's a wrestling match taking place. That kind of stuff is what annoy the shit out of me. It's not good announcing, plain and simple. It's not fun, it's not interesting. Ross is noticably worse when he's alone, because there's no Missy or Paul E. to distract him from college sports. Also, I realized it's a lot worse when you actually pay attention to it, which means this thread hasn't helped my watching lately. EDIT : and then later on the same show, during a Dan Spivey squash, from nowhere he talks about how the Atlanta Hawks could use a guy like this and goes on another tangeant... This on the same show. I mean... And then talks about yet another damn football team, during the same match !! Jeeez...

Oh, this explains that then. Like I said, I dunno what matches are the set, but since UWF wasn't running lot of shows anyway, I guess most of his biggest ones are there. I never thought Fujiwara was anything special as long as I stumbled onto his 90's stuff (save for PWFG which I haven't seen), but getting into UWF stuff and that was it, I was sold on him being great in his prime.

I'have been watching WCW 89, 90 and doing 91 these days, well, it has really annoyed me at point. Just a few minutes ago, during a freaking JYD match, Dog does a tackle, and here we go, Ross is talking about Dog's football credentials. Paul E. "It's wrestling Ross, it's not football." Ross "I know...".

PWFG is a void to me that I need to fill eventually. But I'm not convinced since I thought Fujiwara already wasn't as great in 1989 as he was before. The greatest Fujiwara matches happened in the first UWF to me. I agree the second UWF was a far more developped style.

There's a middle ground between the über goofy WWF stuff from that time and Ross obsessive ways of talking about real sports.

I'd say Fujiwara peaked in 84-86/87. I dunno, he seemed not as great in the second UWF as he was in the first. Still excellent, but just not as great to me.

Well, the issue is that people who watch pro-wrestling to begin with aren't skeptics. If Ross is trying to pray to the already converted, it's a waste of time. Wrestling fans don't watch wrestling to be told about college sports and reminded that pro-wrestler are "real athletes you know". We're wrestling fans, we know what the deal is. The skeptics probably don't watch to begin with, and they aren't your audience, why are you trying to convince people who aren't watching anyway ? But you're right, it came off that way, and that's why I say it sounded like there was some insecurity somewhere. "Hey skeptic people, I know you think it sucks because it's pro-wrestling, but these guys were real athletes in college you know, some even play for the NFL.". Yesterday I watched that Main Event episode with a Dan Spivey squash match, and Ross dropped the football reference about Dan Spivey, that he used to be one hell of a (whatever, don't ask me for any football term) back then for this team. What the hell Ross, this is psycho Dan Spivey killing a jobber, really, I actually find it kinda counterproductive to always get back at freaking "real" sports. Tell me that "Dan Spivey is a psycho monster who likes to hurt people, look at his face". Don't tell me that he was a pro-football player, it only makes him look like just another ex-football guy turned wrestler.

Well, if that didn't happen during Fujiwara's peak in the first UWF, or even during his comeback to NJ and then the second UWF when he was already past his prime but still excellent, I don't see how it would happen. I'm not sure what was on the 80's project, but I would guess most of his big matches were there. Really, basically, if the first UWF stuff didn't do it, well, don't hold your breath.

That would be pretty awesome. But only hardcore fans would get it.

Since I have less WCW TV for 1992 (only Saturday Nights), I may do WCW and SMW TV at the same time once I get there.

Well, I don't give a shit about "soccer" either. Actually I can't stand it.

I'm fairly indifferent to his inring work but I will forever love him for that episode of SMW where he did squats for the entire show. Sounds great. SMW TV is piling up on my hard drive, so, whenever I'm burning out on WCW...

That's easy. They're both overrated.

Yep, pretty much. At one point I'm like "Okay, I get the point, but he's a wrestler now. GET OVER IT ROSS."

I dunno, Fuchi stretching people is awlays welcome to me.

It was a lot worse with Steve Williams. Well, both Steve Williams I should say.

I get that, and I actually do see where you're coming from. "This isn't just a bunch of guys playing pretend - no, these guys are athletes, and this is serious business." Right, that's it. I can undertsand that, but Ross would just go overboard sometime and got into details of Simmons or Luger or Pillman's football career. I mean, a mention sometimes doesn't bother me, but at some point it felt like Ross was more interested about those acomplishements and rather talk about real sports than pro-wrestling. The worst was when Steve Williams was in the ring. That is true. That didn't bothered me. At point to me it was *really* annoying. Although I admit watching early 90's WCW TV these days made me enjoy Ross again after years of not even wanting to hear him after he became a parody in the early 00's.

Well, they already announce a real sport, so it's totally different. Pro-wrestling isn't a real sport.

Same thing, PPV free. First PPV they showed was Survivor Series 1991. It was showed in December, a few days before Christmas. They showed some Saturday Nights Main Event too, but it was mixed with some other stuff. The French broadcasts were a mish mash of Supertars, Wrestling challenge with some MSG channel & Mapple Leafs Garden competitive matches too.

Come on Masa Fuchi ! How come anyone not love Masa Fuchi ? He's such a sadistic dickhead. Masa Fuchi punching Tuyoshi Kukichi in the nose and making him cry is the greatest thing in wrestling ever.

Rip Rogers. I realize he's fun and all, but something just doesn't click with me. I'd like to enjoy him. I still don't care.

Not speaking for anyone else, but I've said it before, as a French guy, I was sold on WWF TV because of Eddie Carpentier and Guy Hauray. It would have been WCW TV, or any other kind of wrestling, they would have sold it to me because they were that much entertaining. I remember one of the first *big* angle I saw was the break up of the Bolsheviks. Thrilling isn't it ? And I pretty much didn't like Hogan from the get go. The announcers were the key to sold me that product and make it seem great to me (although it was 80% squash matches, we didn't get PPV at first). So, I don't see why the same thing couldn't apply with Jesse and Vince for some people.

Eh eh.