What are you watching?

[PeteF3]

Is there any truth to Harley Race's story about defending the title against Robot C-3 and then having to shoot on him?

[pantherwagner]

I have never heard that story. It sounds awesome, though. Where did you hear/read it?

[PeteF3]

It's in Harley's book from '04. Could be something his ghostwriter completely made up, but I want it to be true.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Still catching up on PWG and finished Untitled II this morning. Thought Strong/O'Reilly was pretty great.

[SomethingSavage]

I thought the whole angle played out perfectly from start to finish. The parallels began at the beginning, with Roddy winning the right to be #1 contender on the same night that Kyle captured the title. Both guys are babyfaces.

 

Fast forward, and Roddy starts subtly taking jabs at Kyle on commentary. When Kyle volunteers to work BOLA (but not put the belt on the line), Strong criticizes him for it - calling him easily distracted, not taking title defenses as serious priorities, etc.

 

Both Roddy and Kyle advance in the tourney. When the brackets for the next round of BOLA come out, it turns out that Kyle and Strong are set to lock up. But Strong ambushes Kyle and sidelines him with an injury. Roddy advances by forfeit.

 

Eventually Kyle and Strong meet up in the match you're talking about. And yeah. It's pretty great. The Guerrilla Warfare rematch is top-notch stuff, too. There's some good stuff in that one. The strikes are crisp, the submissions are snug, and even all the weaponry shots function as either callbacks to previous points of their feud or build to the finish. I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

 

And it felt like one of those instances where - here are these two guys working a program together, and they've both been getting this hype & buzz around them lately. So they're simultaneously hitting their stride at the same time around this period.

[Mad Dog]

Freebirds vs. Tenryu/Ishikawa. I'm not sure of the date but it's January 1984 in All Japan. I really enjoyed this match. Tenryu and Gordy parts were really good.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I thought the whole angle played out perfectly from start to finish. The parallels began at the beginning, with Roddy winning the right to be #1 contender on the same night that Kyle captured the title. Both guys are babyfaces.

 

Fast forward, and Roddy starts subtly taking jabs at Kyle on commentary. When Kyle volunteers to work BOLA (but not put the belt on the line), Strong criticizes him for it - calling him easily distracted, not taking title defenses as serious priorities, etc.

 

Both Roddy and Kyle advance in the tourney. When the brackets for the next round of BOLA come out, it turns out that Kyle and Strong are set to lock up. But Strong ambushes Kyle and sidelines him with an injury. Roddy advances by forfeit.

 

Eventually Kyle and Strong meet up in the match you're talking about. And yeah. It's pretty great. The Guerrilla Warfare rematch is top-notch stuff, too. There's some good stuff in that one. The strikes are crisp, the submissions are snug, and even all the weaponry shots function as either callbacks to previous points of their feud or build to the finish. I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

 

And it felt like one of those instances where - here are these two guys working a program together, and they've both been getting this hype & buzz around them lately. So they're simultaneously hitting their stride at the same time around this period.

Got around to the Guerrilla Warfare match last night and loved it. "I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, you're shitty little boots will fall off."

 

Strong's being able to actually heel on the Reseda crowd is great. Loved how they did the whole travel difficulties storyline, too.

[SomethingSavage]

 

I thought the whole angle played out perfectly from start to finish. The parallels began at the beginning, with Roddy winning the right to be #1 contender on the same night that Kyle captured the title. Both guys are babyfaces.

 

Fast forward, and Roddy starts subtly taking jabs at Kyle on commentary. When Kyle volunteers to work BOLA (but not put the belt on the line), Strong criticizes him for it - calling him easily distracted, not taking title defenses as serious priorities, etc.

 

Both Roddy and Kyle advance in the tourney. When the brackets for the next round of BOLA come out, it turns out that Kyle and Strong are set to lock up. But Strong ambushes Kyle and sidelines him with an injury. Roddy advances by forfeit.

 

Eventually Kyle and Strong meet up in the match you're talking about. And yeah. It's pretty great. The Guerrilla Warfare rematch is top-notch stuff, too. There's some good stuff in that one. The strikes are crisp, the submissions are snug, and even all the weaponry shots function as either callbacks to previous points of their feud or build to the finish. I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

 

And it felt like one of those instances where - here are these two guys working a program together, and they've both been getting this hype & buzz around them lately. So they're simultaneously hitting their stride at the same time around this period.

 

Got around to the Guerrilla Warfare match last night and loved it. "I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, you're shitty little boots will fall off."

 

Strong's being able to actually heel on the Reseda crowd is great. Loved how they did the whole travel difficulties storyline, too.

 

 

Yes. This. A thousand times this.

 

I totally forgot about the little throwaway line about Roddy missing his flight or whatever, but that was a clever little piece of the puzzle.

 

And the "shitty little boots" shtick has truly taken on a life of its own. ("Shitty little socks!" had me going hysterical.) It's one of those things that makes the Reseda crowd so endearing, even if they hit a tipping point & take it too far every now & then.

 

Roddy's reactions to the chants and his interactions with the crowd are what help to set him apart though. Steen could go a step further, but he liked to get too cute about it too often. Strong has mostly just kept this dick-ish attitude intact and REALLY given them a reason to despise him, because he never drops the illusion that he can't stand them either. Good stuff.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Yeah, I always thought that Steen, the Bucks, etc. were/are winking through being heels in PWG most of the time. It was much more amusing than effective.

[Steenalized]

Finally getting back to watching Memphis after a several month delay. I'm at the Bam Bam Bigelow run in 86 right now and loving it. I don't care if he never really improved, Bam Bam looks amazing for someone so green.

[alexoblivion]

There’s a Headhunters/Cota vs Casas/Dandy/Plata trios leading up to the hair match that I wish was worked with more intensity. It’s alright, and I guess it furthers the narrative of the Casas/Mota feud with Casas faking a foul to steal the victory. There is one crazy moment with Cota covering Casas’ mouth and nose while the Headhunters are choking him, which in the year 2015 stands out to me as particularly violent.

[Mad Dog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUvd29F7hlo

 

Some of my old AJPW TV has the commercials still attached and I ran across this one which I thought was interesting.

[goc]

I am watching a Fabulous Ones comp right now. They are awesome, I know they get their due around here but I think overall they aren't given enough credit for how good they are and how hot their act was during it's peak.

 

The New Fabs was just a terrible idea though. You weren't going to re-create that act and Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert weren't a good fit either because they didn't have the rugged tough look of Stan & Steve. Tommy couldn't even grow the beard and was flabby looking while Eddie was just too small. I did love their feud with the PYTs and the New Fabs break-up. Listening to Tommy cut a promo about the fans not liking The New Fabs and basically pleading for the fans to stop booing them was also hilarious to me.

[cheapshot]

Watched Tony Scarlo vs. Dynamite Kid from 1977 for the first time the other day. A fun bout that's worth checking out if you haven't already.

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lnmrh

[Parties]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPkZ5sTFuPQ

 

Been watching some peripheral Butch Reed at the bookends of his career. WCW 1990 is strange: the wheels have totally fallen off as they cling to guys like Ross and Cornette to try to keep it together. The Long and Cornette stuff wouldn't fly in 2015, but the exchange of membership cards is still hilarious in a "smh" kind of way.

[goc]

I am watching a little bit of late 70s WWWF TV and I really understand the Backlund hate now watching some of his promos. I mean Ivan Koloff & Lou Albano cut a great promo on him and his response is like the modern day boring as shit MMA interview "Well I don't fear anyone in wrestling but I do respect everyone and I respect Ivan Koloff and I feel that he should respect me that way." After having to stand there and hold the mic for Backlund to cut those promos for so many years, it's no surprise how fast he was gone once Jr. took over.

[alexoblivion]

Has anyone else watched this match between Zaratustra and Ceinfuegos? According to the intro it took place in Arena Isabel in 1993. The music that was added will taste your patience, but it was worth watching.

 

https://youtu.be/HMNlcumDJwk

[khawk20]

I watched some old WWC last night from 88-89. Ron Garvin vs. Bob Orton Jr and Garvin and Colon for the Universal title in a good long match were both pretty fun. Also Jason the Terrible vs. TNT...Jason won both matches via pin basically with headbutts from his hard-plastic hockey mask. How the hell did they explain why wearing that was allowed?

[Migs]

Watching WWF and NWA from 1988, which is when I started watching.

 

WWF - Interesting to see how much the WWF at that point was revolving around Hogan-Andre. Dibiase comes off well here, too. After a Hogan-Rude match in Boston, Dibiase attacks and gets a huge blade job from Hogan off a belt shot. If I was an adult at this point and watching the inane Islanders-Bulldogs angle based around the Islanders stealing a dog, I'd have been driven nuts.

 

NWA - January was a pretty hot month for them, with the Horsemen going to war with Luger, Windham, and Sting. Hard to figure out why the Bunkhouse Stampede card is so terrible, though, given how hot the promotion is.

 

Mighty Wilbur's hospital bed promo where he tries to put over the Bunkhouse Stampede match is wonderful unintentional comedy.

[Migs]

The NWA was also using some awful green screen to try to make it seem like some promos were at ringside.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/wcw-clash-of-the-champions-27-hello-hogan/#.VaDeTflViko

The first WCW megacard with Hulk Hogan under contract. Can you guess who gets all the hype in between Sting battling Flair, Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan brawling with the Nasty Boyz, Steve Austin grappling with Johnny B Badd, Lord Steven Regal testing the mettle of The Living Legend plus more action. Some interesting WCW backstage notes from the period are covered as well!

[Mando]

Dustin Rhodes and Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair and Total Package - WCW Thunder 2/16/00

The star's of the '80's (and Dustin Rhodes, gallant in leather pants that see him continually adjusting his junk) invade the 2000's in this "star-studded" main event. The 5,500+ in attendance at the Spectrum were in for a "teat" as they suckled from the mammary gland of Russo and company. Flair looked surprisingly spry and fit especially in contrast to his TNA run where he looked like 200 pounds of sand poured into a trash bag. Funk on the other hand moves with the stealth and speed of a zombie or roadside possum after an encounter with a semi-truck. Terry dishes out some left hands that make me yearn for the combat stylings of The Miz. With black bandana and in need of a decent shave Rhodes is clearly on the tail-end of a three-day cocaine bender. I'll never tire of the way Luger sells basic back bumps by flailing backward like someone's grandma seeing the specter of her lost love the war took from her. Elizabeth sliding a bat into Lex's hands eerily calls to mind him sliding pills into hers as he assisted in her death. Total Package clobbers Dustin in the head with the bat (likely permanently erasing the memory of the past night's prostitute and diner dinner of corned beef hash) and even though Rhodes is unconscious Flair adds insult to injury by applying the FIgure Four while Rhodes' shoulders are counted to the mat.

[khawk20]

Watched World Pro Wrestling's Comm release of WWC matches they did (Volume 3) on the weekend. Had a Rick Martel vs. Abdullah the Butcher match I had not previously seen that I liked. Nothing out of the ordinary, Abby gets DQed after shoving the ref IIRC. Design was to keep Abby over as a crazed monster (like they needed to reinforce that in 1987 or so, but whatever), while Martel did the crazy frenchman thing at the end after the DQ so it doesn't look overly one-sided at the end of the day. The Martel-Abby Montreal matches from late 83-early 84 are the opposite as you would expect with Martel looking very strong (figuratively and literally, slamming Abby in both matches!) and Abby having to rely on Jery Blackwell to make the save to avoid a pin defeat in the second encounter.

 

I enjoy watching matches like that between two guys in different territories when one is strong in one territory and the other equally strong in another territory. The change in dynamic is fun to see if they can make it work, and in this case I think they did.

[LariatMMBOPPO]

 

Dustin Rhodes and Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair and Total Package - WCW Thunder 2/16/00

The star's of the '80's (and Dustin Rhodes, gallant in leather pants that see him continually adjusting his junk) invade the 2000's in this "star-studded" main event. The 5,500+ in attendance at the Spectrum were in for a "teat" as they suckled from the mammary gland of Russo and company. Flair looked surprisingly spry and fit especially in contrast to his TNA run where he looked like 200 pounds of sand poured into a trash bag. Funk on the other hand moves with the stealth and speed of a zombie or roadside possum after an encounter with a semi-truck. Terry dishes out some left hands that make me yearn for the combat stylings of The Miz. With black bandana and in need of a decent shave Rhodes is clearly on the tail-end of a three-day cocaine bender. I'll never tire of the way Luger sells basic back bumps by flailing backward like someone's grandma seeing the specter of her lost love the war took from her. Elizabeth sliding a bat into Lex's hands eerily calls to mind him sliding pills into hers as he assisted in her death. Total Package clobbers Dustin in the head with the bat (likely permanently erasing the memory of the past night's prostitute and diner dinner of corned beef hash) and even though Rhodes is unconscious Flair adds insult to injury by applying the FIgure Four while Rhodes' shoulders are counted to the mat.

 

This reads like a bad Scott Keith clone.

[goc]

I enjoy watching matches like that between two guys in different territories when one is strong in one territory and the other equally strong in another territory. The change in dynamic is fun to see if they can make it work, and in this case I think they did.

This does a good job of summing up why I mostly just jump around my collection. Sometimes I might see a match I like from one territory that I know I have on tape from another and now I've suddenly gone from watching Southwest to watching Portland.