[1995-06-24-SMW-TV] Brad Armstrong vs Buddy Landell

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Quick clip of Brad Armstrong debuting in SMW and getting a win over Buddy Landell. Armstrong looks pretty huge in SMW. SMW is starting to look like a dying promotion, with lots of empty seats and less crowd noise, despite probably being better in quality than ever.

[Tim Evans]

Les keeps calling Brad "Bradley". I think he was the only one that did that?

[El-P]

Solid TV match. Brad looks absolutely great and pretty big in this setting. SMW does look like a dying promotion, and I don't see how its quality is better than ever at this point.

[Loss]

What would you consider the peak? I haven't really gotten the sense that you've liked much of it, which is why I ask.

[El-P]

Oh, I enjoyed SMW quite a bit, but 1995 is really really dragging to me. I would say the company peaked from 1993 to mid 94, something like this.

[PeteF3]

I'd say the second half of '94 right up until Cornette fireballing Armstrong was SMW's peak, though it was a remarkably consistent promotion at least when viewed in the Yearbook setting. There's been a sea change now, though--Cornette on top feels like same old, same old and the TV production has gone downhill. Caudle & Dutch to Ross & Thatcher to now Kessler & Thatcher is quite a big downgrade.

[ajtroma]

These tiny little crowds would become the takeaway of all the subsequent SMW TV tapings. Just think that a little over 2 short years earlier, that tiny gym was packed for the TV taping that included Arn Anderson's debut and the Sullivan-Kanemura Massacre. It appears that there are maybe 50 people in the joint here. The next taping in Jellico, same thing.