What are you watching?

[BillThompson]

Yeah, I'd say super talented. Not just for that match though, but for the way she's worked in pretty much every match I've seen her in, even the two minute nothing matches.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/survivor-series-showdown-1989-and-1990/#.VGSxFMmmXjI

Survivor Series is fast approaching, so let's look back at the 89 and 90 "Survivor Series Showdown" specials that promoted each event. Featured matches include Big Bossman vs. Earthquake, Tito Santana vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Macho Man vs. Hercules and The Ultimate Warrior vs. Tully Blanchard...plus action from Rick Martel, Bret Hart, Mr.Perfect and Kerry Von Erich!!

[PhilTLL]

Brian Pillman vs Bam Bam Bigelow, Power Hour 5/25/90:

 

Certainly watchable, but it's telling that I don't think I enjoyed this as much as any Pillman/Norman match I've seen. Maybe this belongs in the Most Disappointing Wrestlers thread, ha. There are some neat moments, Pillman gets in plenty of stuff, and for once I really liked a DQ finish: Bam Bam tosses Pillman, but he skins the cat...so they tussle until Bam Bam backdrops him over for the real DQ.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/survivor-series-showdown-9192-and-93/#.VGuPMcmmXjJ

I cover 3 years worth of the USA Specials that preceded the yearly Survivor Series PPVs. Matches include Virgil vs. Million Dollar Man, Bossman vs. Quake, Davey Boy Smith vs. HBK, Quake vs IRS, Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna and Marty Jannetty vs IRS plus recaps of some of the hot angles that surrounded the event such as Macho Man being bit by a snake, Hogan being buried on the Funeral Parlor, Mr. Perfect turning on Ric Flair and so on...

[goc]

I have watched about 4-5 weeks of USA Championship Wrestling. That's the Knoxville promotion that Ron Fuller started in 1988 after selling Continental to David Woods. It's really fun with a mix of Continental & Memphis guys with some old Knoxville stars like Mongolian Stomper & Ron Wright as the lead manager. Bill Dundee is the booker and it kind of feels like this is a bridge between Continental and SMW at times.

 

I'd like to say that Buddy Landel is the highlight of the promotion because he's been really fun on promos but he looks a little out of shape in the ring and Ron Wright has actually been the star to me on promos. The Bullet is also easily the best of the babyface bunch with Doug Furnas really struggling at times as they try and push him as one of the top babyfaces due to him being a local star in Knoxville.

 

I almost forgot that Mike Davis has been a revelation as part of the Rock N Roll RPMS. Just a fantastic heel promo and really outshines his partner Tommy Lane in that department. Haven't seen enough of them in the ring yet to really form an opinion but I love all their promos trashing "The Party Boys" Johnny & Davey Rich. Speaking of Johnny & Davey, there has never been a more miscast "ladies men" tag team in any wrestling that I've seen. Johnny makes Robert Gibson look like he deserves to be on the cover of Teen Beat.

[Tim Evans]

Nazi Ron Wright was the best. I also loved heel Hector Guerrero teaming with Buddy in that promotion. It didn't last long but that was a fun promotion. Have you gotten to the Miss USA Championship Wrestling contest yet?

[goc]

No I'm only through the first two weeks of April so far but that sounds like a reason to keep watching. Oh! I didn't mention how often they plug their wrestling school run by Buddy Fuller. $2000 for 8 weeks of training. I haven't heard of anyone ever coming out of this school and becoming a successful wrestler so I'm assuming they tired guys out at the gym for hours in the morning and then stretched them on the mat to try and make them quit in the afternoons.

[The Chief]

Watched the Macho Man bluray today and it's ok. Really somber tone throughout the whole thing. Also, they gloss over all of the angles outside of the REALLY big stuff (Steamboat, Mega Powers). No mention of the NWO, Flair fued, or even Sherri. It's more of a look at his life with wrestling talked about in broad strokes. There is some cool behind the scenes footage throughout. Fortunately the matches selected are things we haven't received a million times like Wrestlemania III, VII. Unfortunately there's no promos.

 

Mild recommendation.

[khawk20]

I've been watching 1990-91 ICW/IWCCW discs and cataloging them. Lots of fun stuff, but from what I've seen, the alignment with Kevin Von Erich in 1991 really took the promotion down a ton.

 

Keep in mind that this happened after a lengthy hiatus where they aired two months worth of a "Fifth Anniversary Special" (literally they ran their anniversary special for two months, showcasing matches from the past and a few current promos and matches here and there), and then the reboot in January of 1991 was done again with older matches from the year previous, so the promotion seems to have been mostly dead by then anyway, but it comes across as the ultimate treading-water situation.

 

I suppose it is more noticable watching the weeks roll by outside of real time, but anyone that was watching that promotion week-to-week at the time would probably have gotten pretty frustrated with it by early 1991 and jettisoned it from their TV itinerary.

 

Side note: This show seemed to run back to back with the AWA TV show, which was pretty much the same thing in terms of being on hiatus, but at least the AWA would stretch out a TV taping over a month or two and keep it at least looking "current".

 

It might be the ultimate death-knell block of wrestling TV ever when you think about it.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/the-monday-night-wars-april-8th-15th-and-22nd/#.VG4xlMmmXjJ

3 full weeks of the Monday night wars see Hulk Hogan end his feud with the Dungeon of Doom once and for all, the fallout of Brian Pillman's horrific accident, Yokozuna is destroyed by Vader in an awesome angle, Goldust ups the homophobia with sexual assaults on Savio Vega and the Ultimate Warrior, plus Luger/Sting battle Flair and the Giant and much more!

[Johnny Sorrow]

At this point I wish WWE would change their mind and release Emma. I'd much rather see her do her thing in SHIMMER, SHINE, or WSU than be stuck in two minute match hell on Raw.

I'm sure she and her bank account would hate this idea.

[BillThompson]

Good thing I don't care about her bank account.

[RazorbladeKiss87]

I just watched the Hardy Boyz/Young Bucks match from August. I went in expecting a decent match but it didn't really click for me. Near the end it picked up a bit and started to be a pretty fun match but the first half was fairly slow and in some ways was a chore to sit through. I haven't watched a ton of Young Bucks stuff but I've enjoyed everything I've seen and especially dig the back rakes.

 

The worst part of the whole match, to me, was the commentary. I've enjoyed Kevin Steen on PWG shows but he was unbearable here.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Good thing I don't care about her bank account.

So you'd rather have her making shitty money working indies than getting paid?

[BillThompson]

I'm not her

 

 

Good thing I don't care about her bank account.

So you'd rather have her making shitty money working indies than getting paid?

 

 

I don't know her, I'm not related to her, I really don't care how much she's getting paid or if she's getting paid at all.

[El-P]

I don't know her, I'm not related to her, I really don't care how much she's getting paid or if she's getting paid at all.

 

But you'd rather see her make no money working indies for your own little enjoyment since you mentionned you wished WWE would release her. Nice.

[BillThompson]

I don't really care, the business side of the business doesn't matter to me. That's not why I watch, that's not why I enjoy it, and it's not something that matters to me. That's the end result of this discussion with me.

[dawho5]

Just started on the Jumbo vs. Choshu feud this weekend. Jumbo is really not suited for the kind of match that this kind of feud needs in 1985. Choshu keeps trying to get him fired up and Jumbo....goes into a hold. I think that Yatsu gets legit pissed at Jumbo in the 2/1/85 match for in no way engaging on the level that Tenryu has been for a few matches. After the blade job on the floor it looks like both Joe Higuchi and Choshu are trying to rein him in, but he's just not having it. My feeling is that's the reason for the goofy finish.

 

Also, finished disc 1 of the AWA set. Brunzell is a revelation and the best match so far is Bock vs. Robinson. Although I will say Brunzell working a hold is by far his biggest weakness. Brunzell selling and making a fired-up comeback is great though.

[Shining Wiz]

I don't really care, the business side of the business doesn't matter to me. That's not why I watch, that's not why I enjoy it, and it's not something that matters to me. That's the end result of this discussion with me.

+1

 

When it all comes down to it, if it doesn't involve the actual wrestling and accompanying necessities, I don't REALLY care. The Punk interview and all the backstage stuff is fine and lovely, but in the end I want to see good wrestling matches. Everything else is superfluous.

[PhilTLL]

Power Hour, 7/6/90:

 

Buddy Landell obliterates and embarrasses Stanley Little Bear, which is not surprising as Buddy is a squash master. What is surprising is the level of real life Jim Ross brings to his comments, openly referring to Buddy's wasted potential and self-destruction due to "attitude problems." He almost goes full-blown office at one point: "Buddy says he is completely refocused, and we have to take him at his word." Weird.

[chrislatimer]

I just finished watching ecw November to remember 1998. It gets criticism even from ecw fans as a poor show but i found it on the whole entertaining. Terry funks show long build into a heel turn was well done. there was very good matches (storm vs lynn dudleys vs tanaka and balls) and a main event which had a lot of action and set the stage for the mvp of ECW to finally win the big one at the next ECW ppv

[PhilTLL]

I'm switching for a bit from my WCW rewatch that started with 1989 and is now at GAB '90 to 1995 so I can watch some of the Flair/Savage feud and other semi-hidden gems from this very mixed bag of a company-year.

Two things confused me immediately: (1) Why has Gordon Solie ramped up the enthusiasm so much? He opens Pro almost shouting at me. It is pretty endearing how excited he is to be with "the Pro Team!" - Solie/Dusty/Zbyszko is an inordinately loaded crew for the job. (2) Why is Blacktop Bully blasting an air horn like an unruly high school kid? Does that count as heeling?

(Flyin' Brian on Baywatch!)

[dawho5]

Both Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo matches in 86 are far better than the matches they had afterwards. Jumbo willing to brawl with Hansen is always a treat. The Funk vs. Choshu match from the same time period is a lot of fun with Funk really heeling it up and both bringing the fire and great brawling. The running punch through the ropes by Choshu was so sweet.

[iamthedoctor]

Just watched my second MSG house show in full that had Hogan/Orndorff as the main event.

[DMJ]

Slammy Awards 1994 on the Network (its just an episode of Mania).

 

A few thoughts -

 

1) This Monday, I'd love the show to kick-off with a musical number the way Todd Pettengill used to do it. Those were so, so cheesy, but probably funnier than anything the writers have done in years.

 

2) Can't wait till the Network starts featuring more of the B-shows of the 80s and 90s.

 

3) Why didn't they upload all the other Slammy Award specials?

 

 

EDIT - Also, they kept some of the advertisements from the sponsors in - which is excellent. The commercials for the Sega games and Magic Works toys are a real blast from the past.