Matt D

See, I'm curious about the intersect between these two comments. When MJH is saying that, who is he talking about? The average person over 40, or the average person he talks to who is still really into wrestling. There's a difference and it matters. I don't think the average person who grew up with the WWF in the US when it was big nationally would mention Dynamite Kid or Ricky Steamboat before they got through guys like JYD and Duggan.

I guess my question is this: Was what Big Daddy did effective? Was it what he was sent out there to do? Was it effective over time? For what he was supposed to do, did he do it the way he was meant to? Did it WORK? Did it work over time? If he had changed it, would it have had an impact (this being supposition of course)? When we figure that out, then we can move on to whether or not we personally liked it or disliked it and the long term effects it had on British Wrestling and the business of it. I have a hard time holding it against a guy for doing what he was supposed to when it worked for a relatively long period of time, especially because it just doesn't conform to what our idea of good wrestling is. Not when we're looking at other metrics. But then I don't know enough about this. Which is why I'm asking.

So he's a more over Brody on the Blow Away diet?

Or something actually useful like Sheamus/Brock.

I always looked at him more like a Greg Gagne replacement since he teamed with Brunzell so much. Does that help? Well, he was feuding with Adnan, but then I guess they did the Brody attack on Gagne/Brunzell, too. And no, it doesn't help, because otherwise we would have gotten the boss Blackwell/Brunzell team. EDIT: What was the payoff for Larry the Ax getting pissed off at Race re: Curt? I know Larry and Harley were a big tag team but did they feud in the 70s?

Holy Crap. Tony Atlas is the world's worst possible Jerry Blackwell replacement when Blackwell was out after the turn.

Just for the hell of it i watched a few Big Daddy matches on youtube, and he comes off as a guy who played his role very well, between soaking up the admiration of the crowd on the way to the ring (and knowing how to return it effectively), to sort of being a big immovable object in the ring. I haven't seen nearly enough, though, and I have other things that are more of a priority to me right now. Did he at least "play his role" well, even if detractors for one reason or another find that role reprehensible and embarrassing?

That was one conservative PPV, especially for what's supposed be the second biggest PPV of the year. Not to say that's a bad thing, necessarily. Mainly, I'm annoyed Rey didn't get Miz in the eyes with his bat-ears. Also I would have LOVED to see Daniel Bryan vs 1985 era Mr. Fuji in a kung fu challenge.

Honestly there are a lot of youtube "Series" some of which posted by some of the fine people here, that will give you tastes. Just a few examples. - Eddie Gilbert's 1990 run - Randy Savage/Dutch Mantell feud from 84 - Billy and Buddy Show Midnight Rockers in Memphis and so on. But really, it's worth watching whole years' worth of TV.

That French match is the best ROH match I've seen all year.

Oh I think that's exactly the picture I wanted to answer your question.

Maybe my FAVORITE thing the AWA crowd does is when Saito's doing his little sumo thing before a match, they'll go "Ohhhhhhhh." to his foot stomp. It's awesome. http://youtu.be/FjH5RXhXsDo?t=7m45s

This is an interesting question too. I've noticed in a lot of the AWA matches I've been watching there's more of a sense for struggle. In some of them, guys don't just go over for arm drags, for instance, but there's a sense of real fight to them. The end result is that they're not as beautiful or quick or snappy looking in some ways, but they drew me into the match a lot more than a lot of the more cooperative looking wrestling we get now. I could see how someone could look at them and think that they aren't nearly as impressive or high impact than what we get now, however.

Wrestling is symbolic. It's just a matter of training the fans. Selling is WAY more important than "execution" absolutely. Look at Blackwell selling Crusher's little pokey punches.

Rocky isn't an idiot. He wrestled Bret Hart. He wrestled Owen. He wrestled Benoit. He knows how to put on a sharpshooter. He 100% did the leg hug sharpshooter on purpose. Why? I don't have a frigging idea, but I refuse to believe he didn't know what he was doing. I DO believe that SID had no idea how to put the Crippler Crossface on right.

I don't buy it. Hell Anderson basically had a feud where the central thrust was the fact his opponent had just mastered the STF. Cena knows what he's doing and does it for a specific dramatic reason. Maybe he wants it big and loose for some visual reason. Maybe he does it for a laugh. Maybe it's because it really doesn't matter and it's all symbolic anyway. I just don't buy that there's not some element of causality there other than "He never figured out that he had a shitty looking move."

Cena's not an idiot by any means. He apparently has Arn Anderson as his personal agent. To me, if he's still doing the STF that way, there's a reason for it.

Do we have any clue what's actually in there that's not already available? Not that it's going to come on the market easily or anything but still.

Patera vs. Rheingans I don't think would have worked because I've never seen Rheingans as having any sort of drawing potential. Patera vs. Sarge in the same setting, for sure. I think it could have worked specifically in 84 in a lightning in a bottle sort of way. Actually, I was 3 in 84, so I'm just guessing, but looking at AWA tv and what I watched of the olympics on youtube in the last week, the US Wrestling Golds seemed like a big deal to me. I just think Turncoat Olympian vs Former Olympian and Current Olympic Coach would have worked with that specific crowd. It practically writes itself. With Brad, did they really give him stuff to do or did they just toss him out there on the idea that his credentials would be enough to draw?

From what I've seen, Patera as a Sheik. AWA was such a patriotic territory (But in a way completely different than mid-south). With the olympic build, if he didn't jump we could have gotten a massive Patera/Rheingans feud. I think he could have potentially been a huge babyface in 84 in AWA, if he did turn instead of Blackwell.

Hippie!

Part of me wants to see a never ending Paul Jones vs Bill Dundee feud.

The Greg/Hennig vs Bock/Stevens match is just nuts.

I get the glove because of the missing finger. But he doesn't seem to be working a Wellington gimmick so I have no idea.