Matt D

I think you're also overstating the importance of the 91 Summerslam main event. He wasn't there as a force by any means. He was just one of Slaughters cronies in the match. The fact that it was 3 vs 2 means that he was basically half a guy. The real story was all centered around Hogan getting revenge on Savage, Hogan and Warrior working as a Unit and what Sid would do. Sheik is in there as basically a cipher. I can't imagine he got that much better a payday than the babyfaces in the six-man tag opener for instance.

How badly did things fall off with Sting? Would they have the Starrcade buys yet?

Re: Stevens, Wasn't his deal almost entirely the athleticism? I'm not going to compare him to RVD, but more like heel WWF Hennig where the near entirety of what made him so special to people were the bumps and since we have so little from his prime, we just don't see that. Instead, maybe an over-reliance upon that as a tool meant that he never had to develop the ring general toolset? That's mostly guesswork though tied in with my insane "athleticism as a crutch" pet theory.

Why did they put the belt back on him at the beginning of 91 instead of keeping it on Sting? Was it to build towards Luger getting it finally or what?

I really do want the classical Orton cashes in, becomes corporate Champ, Bryan is screwed out of his rematch and has to win the Rumble to get a match at Mania storyline. I want this to be Austin/Rock in 98-99 almost exactly. i also want Orton's Rumble opponent to be Christian to play up what happened a few years ago when we had the real life version of this but that might be asking too much.

I don't even think I saw more than a couple. For my purposes, I got the picture pretty quickly.

Adnan is weird to me. If someone told you in, let's say 1988 that Adnan Al Kassie was going to be in the main event of Summerslam in 91, that would be weirder to me than saying Mustafa would be.

My major windows to watch wrestling that fits into my life are when I'm on the exercise bike for maybe 4 hours a week and to watch old TV shows while at work. For the former, I have my laptop set up by the bike where I'm a captive audience and can maintain concentration on what I'm watching. For the latter, old memphis works great that way as do Superstars/Wrestling challenge/etc. I'm working through 84 memphis tv and 94 WWF tv at work that way. I haven't watched things with people regularly since college ten years ago but this works pretty well for me.

I have Youtube. And the AWA 80s set. And a Dangerous Alliance set. And Youtube.

How is Bryan as a draw compared to those guys?

Also were Hardcore fans ever into Dusty? At least past, I don't know, Florida? If you frame it that way, I don't think you have an argument.

Except for Doctor Who

That was considered pretty hilarious at the time.

Lots of good stuff all around. I'm a little sad you didn't have a paragraph about the Warrior to ECW rumors though. He commented online about those at the time and it was pretty hilarious.

World's worst Bill Watts.

There was a guy posting things on justin.tv a few years back and he kept to a schedule and a lot of my watching fell on that schedule until I ended up getting way behind.

I'm going with Viscera. They had a 3 minute match. Angle ate Viscera's offense really well. The transition was good. His entire offense was three nice looking dropkicks. and it had a Steve Blackman cameo. That's about all I want from a Kurt Angle match.

I do think you can look at his GM run as an example. He was getting heat on everyone without any real benefit to it to anyone.

I also think there were some marketable elements to Ranger Ross.

Austin knew how to garner sympathy as a babyface and keep things interesting during a match as a heel. That's a hell of an advantage Hunter didn't have. He also was pretty good at keeping his act fresh except for, maybe, when he was the GM.

I jotted off some thoughts of that match to Dylan. I am not in a mental state to edit them, so I'll just toss them here: ------------------------ I feel like what people say about Race isn't that off. Due to his lack of prolonged selling, any long face limbwork just becomes "control." which I like with Demotiion as a counterpoint to shitty 80s WWF heel in peril wrestling and because Eadie is so good at making people work for it, but in a match like this it's just frustrating. He sells in general and he lets things matter in general, but it's sort of meaningless selling. Better than Angle, worse than real greats. Things have weight but not necessarily meaning. He sold after he won the fall but didn't during the action itself. He sort of sold when it didn't matter at all. I do think that Bonnema really sold the "control" aspect, which I rarely have ever seen an announcer do. It's literally the only way to look at that match and explain the story of it, so good on him.

I wonder if that pissed Moolah off.

I like (well not LIKE, you know what I mean) the idea that Flair was trying hard to turn Cena into a boozer so he could be a proper main eventer.

Buddy Rose vs Martel - 2/3 Falls - First Fall Only - 2/9/80 I was worried we weren't going to have this at all. As it is, it seems like I just have the first fall to watch here. Bonnema brags that they have a main event to show them since most territories never show a main event. Martel won the belt the previous Thursday in Salem in two falls so Buddy is the challenger here. They actually shake to begin. Great stuff to begin with some wrestling/reversals followed by an awesome quick paced rope running and ending with a Martel 'rana for a near fall. Martel could keep up with Buddy better than anyone else in the territory at this point. Buddy takes a powder and comes back into a headlock, followed by a tease of the rope running, a great drop toehold and a really good Martel reversal to start armwork, which, as we all know by now, is a definite strength of Martel's. Here it's just a hammerlock but Martel really works it and Buddy's as good as always in selling and trying to get out. Really unique attempt to get out through going off the ropes. I've seen hang-on spots but never this particular one before. They switch it into wing lock (with Martel doing a great standing knee into the elbow too). It really looks like he's trying to wrench Buddy's arm off here. Buddy kicks out, but misses an elbow and gets armdragged into Oregon before they go back to another armlock, almost a cross arm breaker, but with Martel jamming his knee into Buddy's shoulder, allowing for just brutal looking selling from Buddy. Great facial expressions. This is really an extended version of the Buddy-Getting-Outwrestled-No-Matter-What shtick he uses sometimes but it's really turned up to 11. Martel has sort of a reverse top-wrist lock and he just grinds it making it look really nasty. Buddy is trying to escalate his way out of this including believably going for a flying head scissors! Martel doesn't let him get him over and really looks like a champion here. Buddy goes for the nose but ends up pinned and has to let go. This has been almost ten minutes of Martel working Buddy's arm but it's been incredibly compelling and well-worked. Rose FINALLY gets an edge, tossing Martel over the top but he steamboats back in and hits a dropkick as the crowd erupts. Buddy goes for it again, Martel hangs on. Buddy's ready for it, but Martel headscissors him out. Buddy runs in, reverses a corner whip. Martel goes for a flash second rope body press, but Buddy ducks it. He starts in almost immediately on the now hurt ribs, making sure to sell just how battered he is in the process. Buddy honing in on a body part is a work of beauty. He does a slingshot where Martel's ribs go into the ropes and he ends up with his back draped over Buddy's knees. Martel fights up but ends up almost pinned. Buddy does it again; this time Martel makes it to the ropes but Buddy goes right back onto the back. Buddy does a great shoulder thrust into the shoulder, but goes for it again and Martel sunset flips him for a near fall. Buddy goes for the inside backbreaker. Martel blocks. Martel goes for it. Buddy blocks. Buddy goes for it. Hits it for the three count. I wish that Buddy had sold the arm JUST a little more because he usually does but it almost didn't matter since the last few minutes were so good. He also might have gone back to it in the later falls, which I don't have here so I don't know, maybe it paid off later. This was great. If it's just a taste to come for what they have later in the year, I'm excited. Buddy Rose vs Frank Dusek - 2/3 Falls - 2/18/80 Set up for this is great. Dusek is a lower card journeyman heel. Rose comes to the ring during a match of his vs Dutch Savage and starts coaching him. Dusek wants nothing to do with it and eventually gets pissed and unloads on Buddy to the fan's (and Dutch's delight). Then we get a promo saying that he found out Buddy was keeping him out of the top of the card and that he doesn't care what the fans think but he's going to go after Buddy. Good, compelling stuff. Pre-match Dusek helps to get over with the crowd by saying he doesn't care about money (Buddy had just flaunted money in a DB Cooper promo) and tossing it into the crowd. He just wants Buddy. Anyone vs Buddy is pretty over but the a lot of the fans have taken a shine to Frank. This is for the title and he puts it around his waist before the match as a taunt, not letting Buddy get it back. Hopefully someone took some pictures of Dusek with it on so he had something to remember this moment. Dusek has some big offense early but also completely misses on an elbow drop, maybe the worst I've ever seen. Regardless Buddy is making him look great. Finally, he heads out for a break. Awesome, awesome spot. Buddy refuses to get in and is hanging by the ringpost, and Dusek just punches the fingers causing Buddy to fall off. I've never seen that before. Buddy takes over for a minute but then runs shoulder first into the turnbuckle and eats a really clumsy suplex out of a pile driver pick up. I don't know if Dusek was nervous or just not used to this sort of role but while he has good energy and has the fans behind him, there's definitely some question about what he's doing in there. Story early, in part is that Dusek wants him so badly that he keeps breaking the count and lets Rose rest as long as he wants. Finally Dusek had enough and grabbed a chair. Buddy runs back in first Dusek drops the chair and then slingshots Buddy out, following it up with an elbow from the apron. Despite the clumsiness this is pretty good stuff. Rose finally makes it back in but uses Sandy Barr as a shield. He ducks and Rose eats a punch to the nose. Dusek hits a back suplex and lifts Buddy up at 2. He pays for a moment later by missing a fist drop off the ropes. Buddy tosses him over the top. Buddy follows him out to slam his head on the apron, but Dusek reverses and they tease a pile driver, but Buddy reverses it. Big moment. Buddy rolls him in, does some huge knees to the spine, before hitting the inside backbreaker. He doesn't pin him though. Instead he hits a knee drop, insult to injury and takes the pin. Very good first fall as Buddy was good enough to mask the sloppiness. Second fall starts with Dusek hurting on the outside from eating punishment between falls. Buddy does a great billy goat butt while he's on the apron to knock him out again. He gets back in and but can't mount any offense. Buddy smothers him with a front facelock on the mat and the fans do a decent enough "We want Frank" chant, for Frank Dusek that is. Buddy does a good job of working the hold, with hope spots and enough moving about to keep it interesting. It's a pretty smart segment considering Dusek's apparent limitations. He finally gets a low knee to get out but Buddy's back on top of him with a good chinlock. Dusek gets out with an eye gouge. This is a solid heat segment with Dusek doing a very good job of trying to fight back in the most vulnerable way possible with very short, ineffectual hope spots and Buddy just giving him a beating but being unable to put him away. Finally Dusek gets his knees up on a splash and a shot in before reversing a whip into the corner. Buddy goes for the inside backbreaker but Dusek floats around, hits a hangman's clothesline off the ropes and slaps on the Cobra Clutch. Buddy fights but can't get out and that's the second fall. Really good stuff. Third fall has some position, fighting til a Dusek russian leg sweep knocks them both down. Rose get sup first, goes for a slam but can't hold him and gets pinned. Tries for another but gets rolled up and then ends up in an abdominal stretch, a nice one too as Dusek punches the ribs. It doesn't last long before Buddy hip tosses him out. Very even here. Buddy gets a kick during a back body drop attempt by Dusek. Buddy goes for the inside backbreaker but, in the first time I've seen this in the portland I've been watching, Dusek kicks Barr accidentally. Buddy goes up to the top for another knee drop but Piper runs out (they were teasing a hair match between them) to push him off the ropes. Dusek snaps on the Cobra again, but Bass runs out and drags him out. Barr counts out Rose for the win. They set up Rose/Dusek vs Bass/Rose post match. I really liked this. Great performance by Buddy in a very smart match, overcoming either jitters or just clumsiness from Dusek.

Kinda like how he honestly and earnestly tried to help Brock Lesnar, only to get ignored, so he turns on him for Big Show? It's what the guy does. He doesn't give a shit about anybody that won't let him completely control them. We all knew the second Brock Lesnar showed up to attack Punk that Heyman turning would be the other shoe dropping on Punk. Let's not read too much into it. I read too much into everything else. Why not this too?