Matt D

My gut says this would never happen, at least not the "everything" bit, in part because WWE wants to be the entity that tells us what we want to see. They control the horizontal.

Buddy vs Jay Youngblood - 2/3 Falls - Title - Dec 27, 1980 So in the meantime, Wiskowski's come back, Oliver's crippled Embry and apparently the Army (in the form of the Destroyer) took out Lightfoot. Bonnema mentions how Rose took out Youngblood back in 77-78 again. As best as I can tell, this was set up by Youngblood winning a battle royal as Buddy had been dodging him. Oh man, Buddy prays in the corner before the match. For some reason I find that hilarious. He gets a ton of heat for it. He's blonde again too. Good for him. Buddy pushes him into the corner but Jay flips it around and starts unloading. I really like his standing double axe-handle but the crowd likes the jumping chop more. Buddy sells the migrane and escapes to the apron. Bonnema says he's the strawberry blonde playboy again and that he's basically ruled the roost for five years. When does he leave Portland? 85? That means he has an almost ten year run as a promotional Ace in a promotion with a weekly loop and that gives a lot away on TV. Buddy's back in and immediately working a standing armbar, putting his whole body into it and wrenching away, hammering to cut off Youngblood's attempt to fight back. Youngblood's selling is strong here, as each attempt to punch back causes him agony and allows Rose to hang on, grab the hair and take back over. Youngblood finally creates some distance and but Buddy eyepokes to take back over. After a few chops, he moves Youngblood into the corner and uses the ropes to grind down on the arm. Jay fights back again, making sure to sell huge when he accidentally punches with the bad hand. The subsequent hesitation allows for Buddy to get a cheapshot kick in and start to dismantle Youngblood again. The adrenaline finally kicks in and Youngblood starts to comeback, shrugging off the pain from the hand. His selling has been so broad up until now that it's weirdly acceptable because you know it was by design. He's not just randomly forgetting to sell to get his stuff in. It's part of the story. Buddy turns it around midway through the comeback and they start a big rope running sequence that ends with Buddy trying to go for the Robinson backbreaker but Youngblood riding through, rolling him up off the ropes, and bridging back to win the first fall. This wasn't spaced out exactly as I would have wanted but what they actually did do was all well done and the fans loved the finish. Second fall starts with Youngblood getting revenge on Buddy's left arm. There's only 7 minutes remaining here. Jay steps over and straddles the arm bar and really works it, waving it back and forth and jumping on it. He does two of the nicer looking legdrops onto an arm that you'll see and then starts hammering again. Buddy whiffs and gets wrenched more and pumphandled for his trouble. Jay's showing a fairly huge variety of nice looking armwork here. Buddy tries to fight back again but he gets tomahawk chopped and his arm clotheslined over the top for his trouble. Jay's in complete control here. Jay works a top wristlock and Buddy's facial expressions are great as ever. Buddy finally knees Youngblood out of the ring but Jay immediately grabs Buddy's arm on the apron and drags him to the pole, wrapping it around it. Buddy still manages to catch Jay coming in and in a beautiful exchange, he tries to replicate the roll up off the ropes that lost him the first fall. Jay rolls through, does a double leg trip from behind and drops an elbow on the arm. Great sequence. Jay starts clubbering the arm. Buddy tosses him off but gets put into a backslide off the ropes and this might be as excited I've heard Bonnema for a two count. Jay goes back to the armbar base, and Buddy is selling all over the ring. He clotheslines the arm over the top rope again, then goes up. Buddy tries to give him the old Flair throw off the top but Jay hangs on and rolls through for a nearfall. They're definitely pulling out some novel stuff here. Jay hits a doublechop and Buddy sloooooowly falls backwards. He's selling as if he's been through a war. Two-count, followed by another chop off the ropes for another two. The crowd is really hot for this. Buddy catches Jay with his legs as he bends over to pick him up, but can't roll him over and eats another two count. Another chop to the head. Buddy's late match selling here is awesome. He's selling the arm. He's selling the whole body. He finally hits the ground and at the announcement that there's a minute left, he starts to desperately jog around the ring, in and out to break the count, to stall the time limit out. What a dick! This might be the first time in Portland that I'd be worried about a riot. They call Jay the winner since he won the only fall and Buddy thinks he's going to keep the belt, but Barr goes into business for himself (and prevents the riot), by holding the belt up and making it so next Saturday Rose is going to have to win two straight falls as the match will continue. Yeah, I think I would have bought a ticket for that. Great promotional idea and the match itself was really good. I wish that Jay hadn't totally given up on the arm selling after the first fall but the story sort of shifted from arm selling to revenge arm work so I'm not going to complain too much.

I think they wouldn't keep teasing it unless there was going to be payoff at this point.

I don't know what to make of Cena suddenly adding the 'rana, power bomb, weirdo Edgesque lift neckbreaker thing, and flying body press all at once. Obviously it's a conscious thing since WWE posted this: http://www.wwe.com/videos/10-moves-from-jo...0-2013-26162347

"NaylorGate" should somehow involve Summer Rae and Fandango.

He reminds you of Johnny Sorrow?

Well, of course, Kris. It's not like Edge made it in.

Speaking of "We only have x amount of this? really?" 5:46 of Buddy/Lord Littlebrook/Tokyo Joe vs Boyd/Lone Eagle/Cowboy Lang - Dec 6, 1980 This is some time in and there is only six minutes left minutes in and there is no justice in the world. Lone Eagle is in the ring and it starts with him being somehow magically propelled into Buddy's knee (Rose is on the apron). Presumably he was tossed in by Lord Littlebrook but who knows. LLB and Joe do a double kick after the tag and then Joe does a big back body drop to Lone Eagle and goes for the pin. Lang does this awesome spot where he breaks up the pin by just stepping on it and keeps on going to hit Littlebrook on the apron. Joe gets to the corner and Buddy kind of directs traffic so he tags LLB, who runs in and prevents the hot tag. Even Portland midget wrestling had great tag team fundamentals. Littlebrook puts Lone Eagle into the bearhug and slams him into the heel corner. Buddy distracts Barr to allow for despicable heel choking. Boyd gets pissed off and chases Buddy through the ropes and in and out of the ring. They do this great little this way, that way thing. Man Buddy + Midgets vs Face Lawler + midgets would have been the best suvivor series match ever. Anyway, Barr tries to get Boyd out of the ring and Buddy does a cheapshot kick, before doing this awesome whooping taunt and dance on the apron. This has only gone on for a minute and I already wrote a paragraph. That's just how great Buddy + midgets is. Joe's in and thanks to Buddy's coaching he does a suplex bodyslam and a nasty knee to the throat. Joe tosses him off the ropes and Buddy's in to do a kneeling back body drop on poor Lone Eagle. then he does the whooping "Woo Hoo!" again. Lone Eagle had been working in hope moments pretty well and finally chops out and rolls to the corner but doesn't QUITE make it. Thankfully, he's just enough time to go the extra distance and make the last second tag to a red hot Cowboy Lang who then whips Joe into Littlebrook (who Bonnema randomly calls "Billy the Kid"). Back body drop and then Lang pulls Joe back away from the tag to Rose and puts him in the world's #1 and best possible atomic drop ever. This thing should be an animated gif. It really should. I feel like Lang did it on the AWA set too. Bonnema really wants a wrestler named Billy the Kid to be in this match. Anyway this all leads to a horribly demeaning but mindnumbingly awesome fight where Joe is Buddy's shoulders and Lone Eagle (I think) is on Boyd's and they got at it until Buddy and Joe tumble over. HA! And then Cowboy Lang puts BOYD up on his shoulders. Oh man, then Tokyo Joe tries to get Buddy up on his shoulders and you know how this is going to end. Hilarious. Once they get up Boyd is all over Buddy and the crowd is enjoying this more than you can imagine. Body slams and knee drops Buddy and then tags in Lang to legdrop him for a one count. Boyd puts his head down and gets kicked but makes a tag to Lone Eagle, who starts darting around the ring to avoid Buddy. Buddy keeps kicking Boyd and gets bitten from behind for his trouble. He starts chasing Lone Eagle around the ringside area. Buddy charges after him into the ring, runs right into a fist from Boyd in the corner. Boyd picks up Lone Eagle and uses him as a melee weapon against (let's go with) Tokyo Joe, and that's the three count. Post match Buddy gets his heat back by giving Lang the Robinson backbreaker after Boyd had left the ring. What a jerk. This was exceptional fun but man do I ever wish there was another 6 minute of it.

Is fame just a flat measure of recognition factor or something else? I know! We need star ratings. At his height, Hogan was 4 1/8 stars.

It's a clusterfuck, yes, and it's more about the historiography of wrestling than the history of wrestling.

I know, personally, I'm more interested in talking about work, which is one reason (of a few) I don't get so deep into these exchanges except for in asking questions I'm curious about or occasionally bringing up something that I think was missed (like whether or not Jimmy Hart's role in Summerslam 90 should matter).

I love how Axel can't even get a win when there's distraction. It's hilarious. I think he's the worst pushed guy in the last ten years. Who would be close?

If it's a WON HOF, then should the guy who Meltzer spent years calling the Junk Food Dog get in? Can he without making Dave look like a freaking putz?

I just realized I typed Greenwald because of Molly. Molly Holly = Nora Greenwald. Fascinating how the brain works. Julia Roberts is a huge freaking star. And Demi Moore used to be quite a big name too. Not even in the same boat. It was funnier before you explained yourself. I thought you were running a Chris Jericho gimmick.

I got such flack that month for saying I wanted to see what they'd do in a three way with Kane in it.

the 00s Hogan is what, Dog the Bounty Hunter?

Graham's site says: WWF @ London, England - Arena - October 10, 1989 (sell out) Debut in the UK Mark Rocco, Dave Finlay, & Skull Murphy defeated Dale Wolfe, Al Perez, & Tim Horner

I feel like I keep telling people to watch that Bulldog vs Nord sprint that's on youtube and no one ever does. Freaking everyone.

I definitely think he was the weaker part of that Harper match, though, especially towards the end of the match in his final comeback, so if they had to have one guy or the other I'm glad they have Brodie (and it's an interesting comparison since they were born a week apart apparently).

I feel like I went on and on last year about how many good matches we had. It might have been the year before though.

Man, i can't wait til they try to have my kid read the Scarlet Letter in school so I can tear them a new one.

This week had the 20 minute one.

How about Luke Harper in that Ohno match though? Huh? Huh? No one?

Yeah, Harley is action-packed. Parv didn't even mention his bumping.