What are you watching?

[Zoo Enthusiast]

PWG Neon Knights, whilst sitting in O'Hare.  What a dandy, other than ZSJ/Gordon (the latter's fault).  Wanted to run around the airport screaming after Riddle/Lee.

[Memphis Mark]

I got the 10 day free trial to Powerbomb TV . I watched the SCI 2017 and am watching the 2018 NOVA Commonwealth cup. The SCI was really a great event . Still watching the other show. I am  really shocked that larger companies have not picked up Gunner Miller, Joey Lynch , Arik Royal and Alexander James . These 4 talents really stood out. All would be a big boost to either ROH or Impact. I would include Darby Allen and Anthony Henry   on the list  but  they are  . tied  down to Evolve . Both Henry  and Darby are made for ROH/ NJPW  . I would throw Austin Theory on  list on another young  WWN talent that I would like to see work ROH / IMPACT , MLW or NJPW .

 

 I would recommend that you check out the SCI 2017 if you have not seen the event. Really enjoyed the tourny.

 

 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Watching the 2018 SCI now that it’s up on Powerbomb.

[Memphis Mark]

I watched the 2018 SCI. Once again impressed with Joey Lynch . Ike Cross is raw but has a huge upside . Cross is at least  6' 5"  , has a great build  and moves around the ring like a jr .  Cross could turn into a main event guy  if he continues to develop .

[griff]

Hello everyone (first post here). I've finally just finished watching the G1 Climax. I thought it was yet another great year for it, even if it was a little heavy on the Tongan interference!  

[peachchaos]

October 1991 Double Feature: Halloween Havoc + MSG 10/28/91

- Dustin vs. Austin!

- Flair vs. Piper!

- Chamber of Horrors?!

along with the rest of Disc 25 from the 1991 Yearbook:

Six Man Tag Arena Clips / Eric Embry Promo + Tom Pritchard Interview (USWA 10/26/91)

The Enforcers + Fabulous Freebirds (WCWSN 10/26/91)

Eddie Gilbert vs. Kevin Sullivan (TWA 10/26/91)

Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes + The Enforcers (Havoc 10/27/91)

Chamber of Horrors (Havoc 10/27/91)

Steve Austin vs. Dustin Rhodes (Havoc 10/27/91)

WCW Phantom + Paul E. Dangerously (Havoc 10/27/91)

Ron Simmons Vignette / Lex Luger vs. Ron Simmons (2/3 Falls) (Havoc 10/27/91)

Ric Flair vs. Roddy Piper / Ric Flair Interview (MSG 10/28/91)

Yoshinari Asai vs. Bestia Salvaje (SWS 10/29/91)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu (SWS 10/29/91)

Genichiro Tenryu vs. George Takano (SWS 10/30/91)

Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera (CMLL 11/1/91)

Dynamite Kansai vs. Harley Saito (JWP 11/2/91)

Hulk Hogan Promo (Superstars 11/2/91)

Funeral Parlor: Undertaker (Superstars 11/2/91)

Bret Hart + The Mountie (Superstars 11/2/91)

Jerry Lawler Interview (USWA 11/2/91)

Van Hammer Interview (WCWSN 11/2/91)

[Coffey]

I just watched & live-tweeted (with pictures) the WARGAMES match from Fall Brawl 1994. What a tremendously fun match! Everyone in the match was really great. The backstory to the match was a lot of fun too. Dustin Rhodes was teaming with Arn Anderson & then Arn Anderson turned on Dustin. Dusty Rhodes stepped up & said he wanted to replace Arn because nothing is stronger than the bond of blood. Dusty Rhodes then went to a biker bar to recruit The Nasty Boys. Colonel Rob Parker had been having heart/chest issues. They find out Parker has to wrestle instead of Meng. And the finish is Parker in the Figure Four while both Nasty Boys take turns dropping elbows on his chest until he surrenders. It was a really good match. A fun brawl. Surprisingly no blood. Terry Funk before getting in the match took off his boot to use as a weapon. He then proceeded to get beaten with his own boot by every member of the babyface team. He also took a Piledriver in-between the two rings & wound up stuck in the hole between them. It was great. Bunkhouse Buck was really good too. He took a mean Piledriver. Sags gave him a running Powerslam into the cage. It was just a really fun all-around wrestling story & match & watching it made my boring Monday more enjoyable. 

My one complaint is that before the match they announced that Hogan/Flair at Halloween Havoc would be a cage match & then spent considerable time during the Wargames match talking about Hogan instead of the eight men in the Wargames match. 

[Mrzfn]

Watching through a lot of WWF '93 stuff. Obviously some stuff is not great but lots of fun little things hidden in the mix. Just watched a Mr Perfect/Blake Beverly match that was a whole lot of fun. Also, original Doink rules.

[Gutenberger]

I finally subscribed to WxWnow today, and watched the first night of 16 Carat '06 today.

Apart from Rocky Romero being in the opener, seeing Tommy End (Aleister Black) at 21 years old, being lean and not muscular and having no tattoos at all was a strange thing to behold.

Apart from that, it took place in one of the clubs I used to visit almost weekly, was filmed with one cam that was a bit shaky from time to time, and it just seems... So rough and anarchic. Had a real good time watching it.

[Viking Hall]

Been watching the WWF PPV's from 1996. A real transitional year but a lot of good - great matches in there. Shawn Michaels the character is grating to say the least, but watching without the TV filler shows just how good he was in-ring at that time as nearly all of his matches end up being match of the night. 

[Coffey]

I've been watching a lot of Terry Funk, Harley Race & 70's-80's wrestling lately. I just watched the Flair/Race World Title match with the Bob Orton/Dick Slater run-in at the end. Really enjoyed it. That Piledriver Flair took was gross!

I definitely have a style & era that I prefer. Race, Funk & Flair, despite how serious they were, could still stooge with the best of 'em. Funk with his wobblely-legged sell, Flair of course with the Flair Flop & Harley's great rope teeter-totter. Enough to be entertaining, funny but not too over-the-top or killing of credibility. They're so good. X4. 

[Memphis Mark]

 Just watched a whole lot of Georgia . The series of matches for the National TV Title between Ronnie Garvin and Jake Roberts was  great. I did not know Jake was capable of such great mat work , but he was a great all around worker.  Garvin and Roberts were the perfect opponents for each other.

Also watched the Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer wars . Some of the best brawling ever . 

 

[Memphis Mark]

I been watching some World Class a.k.a. USWA  from 88/89. Jerry Lawler  was the perfect heel. He just tormented  the Dallas fans. Great stuff.

[KB8]

After having it sitting in a drawer for I don't even know how long I started going through Will's Four Horsemen set. 

I've mostly had it on as background noise while I do stuff for work and haven't paid full attention to every match, but so far - keep in mind I'm a disc and a half in - I'm loving Ole Anderson. He's quiet and understated but he looks like the kind of guy who'd stand on his porch with a shotgun and the shotgun wouldn't merely be for show. He's someone who believes in his own bullshit, but his bullshit might not actually be bullshit. He's menacing and you can absolutely buy it, basically. Him and Arn have just paired up to win the national tag belts. This is early '85 before the real formation of the Horsemen; they're certainly a ways away from referring to themselves as that and the interactions between the four of them so far have mostly been down to heel camaraderie and whatnot. Arn is already a fun as hell promo and has quotables out the wazoo, but it's interesting how much of the southern drawl he had then. He sounds a ton like Steve Austin, with the gravelly voice and tone. He's also still using the southern wrestling promo stable - "daddy." He'd drop that later on, but I don't know if there's ever been a wrestler who did his thing in the south for any period of time who didn't say "you can bet your life on that, daddy" in a promo. 

Tully and Baby Doll are just the best. Tully is a crooked-toothed wee weasel bastard but he's every girl's dream. Baby Doll is not particularly attractive and I don't say that to sound like a chauvinistic asshole because the fact she ISN'T makes the act even better, and man is she fun in her role. She's a perfect 10 and all the men in the NWA want to be with her, including - and maybe especially - Dusty and Magnum TA. It's so carny and great.

Flair's promos through the first couple months were pretty samey, in that he's mostly hyping the greatest sport in the world today, professional wrestling. He's hyping the NWA and the world title, which he owns so naturally he's hyping himself into the bargain. He sort of puts over a few other big names from different territories - Race, the Von Erichs, Carlos Colon, Wahoo - but none of those guys have what he has and their names aren't on the marquee. He's mostly pretty respectful, but also condescending, and he doesn't have much time for Magnum TA who's just a jeans- and leather-wearing, motorcycle-riding goof. Flair's never worn a pair of jeans or driven a motorbike in his life because he's custom made from head to toe and drives a Mercedes Benz. His interviews aren't filled with too much hubris yet and he isn't going off on any coked up rants. He'd still ad lib here and there by telling some girl in the crowd to be quiet or she'll never get in line, or a fat guy to shut up or he'll be the one in the figure four. Those are some of my favourite Flair moments so I obviously pop when he does it. I think once he started staying with Crockett full time (or close enough) he got more wild. In those early promos he still felt like the touring champ, even if Crockett was still largely his home base. 

Then around May the feud with Magnum picked up and he went up a level. There's an AMAZING bit from the 5/11 episode of World Championship Wrestling between the two. The week earlier Flair challenged Magnum to an impromptu match (after ripping him about his clothing and choice of transport), but when Magnum got in the ring Flair just walked away. This week Magnum's out doing his promo about being the US champ and therefore the #1 contender for the big belt. He's not boasting, he's not bragging, he's just answering Crockett's questions and saying how it is. Flair comes out and starts mouthing off about how Magnum needs to learn some respect and not be making stupid challenges he isn't ready for (then chews out a fan for saying something and also drops "daddy" because this, in case you have forgotten, is the SOUTH, DADDY). Magnum reminds Flair that it was HE who made the challenge and Magnum simply obliged. Flair tells him he walked away because he was doing Magnum a favour by not embarrassing him on TV, poking him in the chest and talking about the rinky dink chain Magnum's wearing. Magnum's only been in the greatest sport in the world for five minutes and has to earn his shot at the belt. Magnum says it doesn't matter because he's the US champ and that alone means he's next in line for a title shot. Facts is facts. So Flair just turns to the camera, slicks back his hair and flexes his pecks. "That looks like a world champion to me, daddy." And walks away. Fucking ruled. 

There've been a few nifty matches so far as well. Arn and Manny Fernandez have had a couple, and while they've been fairly basic they've gotten decent time and worked in some fun stuff. Neither of them work an arm like Ronda Rousey but that's neither here nor there. Tully v Don Kernodle was red hot and Tully gave Don like 90% of a twelve minute match (I'm almost certain Matt D loved this). Ended on a crummy DQ but it did set up beef afterwards with Tully and Magnum. I don't remember how they transition all the way from Tully/Dusty to Tully/Magnum, but it already feels like they're in the process of doing it (Tully and Dusty have been feuding over the TV title for a while by this point in April-May '85). The booking at the top of the card with Flair, Magnum, Tully and Dusty is pretty great, actually. One week you'll get some Tully/Magnum, then the next it'll be Flair/Magnum while Abdullah the Butcher shows up to attack Dusty on Tully's behalf. There's a lot of crossover but it never feels messy or haphazard from the booking standpoint. Magnum is a good promo, btw. Understated, sounds authentic, comes across as a genuinely sound dude. He absolutely feels like a potential top guy. Arn, Ole and Bob Roop v Buzz Sawyer, Italian Stallion and Pez Whatley from TV was a fun six-man. Really fast and hectic like you'd figure from a studio tag, then it settled into an extended heat segment on Stallion. Ole worked the arm in nasty ways even if none of it was flashy. Roop in 1985 looked like an outrageous amalgamation of Donald Trump and Jon Voight. It was quite jarring. Tully v Buzz Sawyer from the 5/25 episode of Worldwide was really fun, too. Buzz is so awesome, biting Tully in the legs and arms, never giving him any peace as Baby Doll is almost in tears at ringside. 

Flair v Sam Houston from the 5/18/85 World Championship Wrestling was an excellent segment and maybe my favorite thing so far. I'm at the point in my life as a wrestling fan where I've seen enough lengthy Flair arena matches. They don't hold that much interest to me because I feel like I've seen most of what I need to see and that chapter is closed. I'd much rather watch him work the studio or TV now. Here he came out in a brilliant mood, absolutely brimming and already looking forward to whatever spot he was hitting up after the show. "This is five hundred thousand dollars worth of robe, two million worth of good looks in a ten million dollar body." Magnum came out to join Schiavone and Crockett on commentary and that seemed to please Flair all the more. The match itself started out with Flair knocking Houston around and acting like a prick, which is maybe my favourite kind of Flair. He was backing Houston into the corner and breaking clean, then he'd just slap him as if nothing Houston could do would matter in the end. The match got some decent time and Flair probably showed more ass than I was hoping (though it was hardly unexpected), but by the end he'd made his point and there was nothing screwy about how he did it. He even ripped Sam's boot off and went back to the figure-four, I guess to force that point even further home. Magnum then got in the ring and wanted a fight, but Flair had made his money for the night and so he was off to the showers. Later on he came back out and cut another promo, and a lot of these interview segments are starting to blend together a bit but I wish I could remember some of what he said in it because it was fucking great. This builds to the first physical altercation between them a week later where Flair cheapshots Magnum while still wearing his freshest $800 gators, then the week after that he comes out to apologise by offering Magnum a brand new custom made suit (on his dime, of course). Magnum tears it to bits and hits the belly-to-belly, Flair is livid and tells David Crockett to wipe the smirk off his face...most of us have seen the angle before, but it's even better when watched in context.

It's been forever since I've seen most of this stuff. It was good, you know.

[KB8]

I'm up to August '85 now and the booking continues to be stellar. Everything surrounding the Horsemen - still largely wrestling as individuals in Flair and Tully's case, with Arn and Ole being a team unto themselves - has been great TV. I had pretty much no recollection of the Flair/Nikita feud but it's been tremendous. The angle to set it up with Nikita giving Crockett the Sickle on TV ruled, then Flair getting more and more animated on interviews every week has continued to be great. I also like how he's only really babyface against the Russians while still largely being Slick Ric (bit of an asshole) with everyone else. Also like that it's more than just those evil Russians v Flair the American and Flair's spouting way more than your standard "this is AMERICA, JACK!" rhetoric. David Crockett and Flair might be completely different types of people and Dave might not agree with how Flair conducts himself a lot of the time, but they were in a fucking plane crash together so if nothing else there's a bond there. Flair's fighting for a guy he respects as much as anything. The GAB match was clipped up but looked really fun, even if the finish was a total mess (a fan jumping the ring to get at Nikita wouldn't have helped matters, certainly). Then the match from the Omni was just super fun and I liked it a bunch. There's really no part of Flair's career that I feel like I need to revisit at this point; that book is closed, I've seen hours upon hours of footage over the last fifteen years and I know where I stand on him. But babyface Flair still somehow managed to feel kind of fresh and he was a blast in this, even though he honestly didn't change up THAT much in his approach. It was still Flair v your prototype Big Hoss, but there was a babyface energy to it and his strutting and wooing was infectious. 

The Dusty/Tully feud is full of great mic work like you'd expect, but man. I know the 80s were different and all, and I know Dusty was beloved, and I know Tully was a cheating little weasel, but Dusty has been nothing but a prick to Baby Doll through all of this while Tully has almost entirely been a gentleman (I get that Baby Doll hasn't exactly been innocent, but still). "Baby Doll is now Dusty's" is a hell of a way to pay off that stipulation for the GAB cage match. He calls her a jezebel on the regular and verbally abuses her for doing anything without his say so, drags her around by the wrist and a couple times by the hair, has a few of his ham n egger babyfaces grab her when she tries to run away initially and folk are just losing it for everything. At times it's sort of disturbing. There was an awesome segment where he was making her shovel horse shit at his ranch (while his dog sat there staring at her in I guess bemusement), then got her to saddle a horse so he could show his friend how well he'd trained her or some nonsense. The shit-shoveling she wasn't into but she likes the horses and has clearly taken a shine to this one. She saddles up, gets on and demonstrates how well she's able to ride now. She rides around the yard a few times as Dusty's telling his daft wee buddy that he'll make a proper Texas lady of her yet (isn't she actually from Texas anyway?). And then she just speeds off clean out the yard on horseback! Just fucking steals the horse and bolts! Dusty's like "that damn lady just stole my horse" in disbelief and Baby Doll is flat out gone. It was so great. Tully on TV sort of hints that it may have been planned, but of course you'll never hear him admit it publicly. He's also just won the US title from Magnum with help from a mysterious blond-haired security guard. Tully says it was just a regular security guard who happened to lose herself in the heat of the moment and give Tully a kiss on the cheek, and that gave Tully a second wind. Schiavone asks Tully outright if he had something in his hand when he struck Magnum and Tully asks Tony how the greatest announcer on TV could possibly think that of him (on a side note, I love how the Horsemen are largely respectful of Schiavone. Flair seems to genuinely like him). Tony is diplomatic about it but says it looks like something may have flown out of his hand after the punch, but Tully assures us it was just because some fans started throwing money at him. He is fucking sensational. 

[peachchaos]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:21 PM, KB8 said:

It's been forever since I've seen most of this stuff. It was good, you know.

Some really good posting and writing about rasslin' there. I've never read anyone go thru that particular set, so it's a very cool read. Are you still going on with the set? 

[peachchaos]

Working my way through 1984 Mid South Wrestling on the Network. I've only seen the highlighted matches from the DVDVR set and a few of the angles all out of chronology. Being able to see the weekly TV only enhances the obvious in-ring greatness on those discs.  Some of the footage was in pretty rough shape, so being able to watch this crystal clear & blown up on an high def screen is really nice too. Plus I'm supplementing the experience with all the matches from Houston, almost like a monthly Network special. Can't understate how much this adds to the experience. The Midnight's feud with TA and 2 feels like a more complete journey as we're able to see the set up match and the blowoff that leads right into the next chapter. Special moments with insane heat we didn't even know existed 5 years ago like the aftermath of the Duggan-Volkov caged finale. Previously Memphis was my favorite TV, but this moment in time of that style of booking on high heat blended with what I knew already was the best in-ring US work wins the pony.

Currently in May 1984. Right up there with Horsemen era Crockett, easily some of the most entertaining professional wrestling top to bottom I've seen. 

[Robert S]

I am somewhere in spring 82 Mid South. Even though the territory is not nearly as hot as it would be 2-3 years later, the shows are very enjoyable. There are a bunch of really good workers (Orndorff, DiBiase, Mr. Olympia Jerry Stubbs, Bob Roop, Ladd is just coming back, Dick Murdoch etc.), even the enhancement guys seem to be quite solid. In-ring it's that no-nonsense stuff that Watts is so famous for. There are some talented young guys around or passing through at this point, like Buddy Landel (with dark hair), Tully Blanchard, Jesse Barr or Wayne Farris. Jim Ross also is just starting out and Watts has began hyping some college stud called Steve "Dr. Death" Williams.

[KB8]

On 2/10/2019 at 12:56 AM, peachchaos said:

Some really good posting and writing about rasslin' there. I've never read anyone go thru that particular set, so it's a very cool read. Are you still going on with the set? 

I took a break from it not long after the point where Baby Doll's thirty days of hell with Dusty comes to an end. I've gone on to a few different sets since then, but I'm watching a bunch of wrestling right now and will very likely cycle back around to it soon. 

[Captain Redneck]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 7:32 AM, Memphis Mark said:

 Just watched a whole lot of Georgia . The series of matches for the National TV Title between Ronnie Garvin and Jake Roberts was  great. I did not know Jake was capable of such great mat work , but he was a great all around worker.  Garvin and Roberts were the perfect opponents for each other.

Also watched the Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer wars . Some of the best brawling ever . 

 

Neither Rich or Sawyer ever recovered from those matches. It was the pinnacle of their careers. 

[Captain Redneck]

On ‎12‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 7:21 PM, KB8 said:

I'm up to August '85 now and the booking continues to be stellar. Everything surrounding the Horsemen - still largely wrestling as individuals in Flair and Tully's case, with Arn and Ole being a team unto themselves - has been great TV. I had pretty much no recollection of the Flair/Nikita feud but it's been tremendous. The angle to set it up with Nikita giving Crockett the Sickle on TV ruled, then Flair getting more and more animated on interviews every week has continued to be great. I also like how he's only really babyface against the Russians while still largely being Slick Ric (bit of an asshole) with everyone else. Also like that it's more than just those evil Russians v Flair the American and Flair's spouting way more than your standard "this is AMERICA, JACK!" rhetoric. David Crockett and Flair might be completely different types of people and Dave might not agree with how Flair conducts himself a lot of the time, but they were in a fucking plane crash together so if nothing else there's a bond there. Flair's fighting for a guy he respects as much as anything. The GAB match was clipped up but looked really fun, even if the finish was a total mess (a fan jumping the ring to get at Nikita wouldn't have helped matters, certainly). Then the match from the Omni was just super fun and I liked it a bunch. There's really no part of Flair's career that I feel like I need to revisit at this point; that book is closed, I've seen hours upon hours of footage over the last fifteen years and I know where I stand on him. But babyface Flair still somehow managed to feel kind of fresh and he was a blast in this, even though he honestly didn't change up THAT much in his approach. It was still Flair v your prototype Big Hoss, but there was a babyface energy to it and his strutting and wooing was infectious. 

The Dusty/Tully feud is full of great mic work like you'd expect, but man. I know the 80s were different and all, and I know Dusty was beloved, and I know Tully was a cheating little weasel, but Dusty has been nothing but a prick to Baby Doll through all of this while Tully has almost entirely been a gentleman (I get that Baby Doll hasn't exactly been innocent, but still). "Baby Doll is now Dusty's" is a hell of a way to pay off that stipulation for the GAB cage match. He calls her a jezebel on the regular and verbally abuses her for doing anything without his say so, drags her around by the wrist and a couple times by the hair, has a few of his ham n egger babyfaces grab her when she tries to run away initially and folk are just losing it for everything. At times it's sort of disturbing. There was an awesome segment where he was making her shovel horse shit at his ranch (while his dog sat there staring at her in I guess bemusement), then got her to saddle a horse so he could show his friend how well he'd trained her or some nonsense. The shit-shoveling she wasn't into but she likes the horses and has clearly taken a shine to this one. She saddles up, gets on and demonstrates how well she's able to ride now. She rides around the yard a few times as Dusty's telling his daft wee buddy that he'll make a proper Texas lady of her yet (isn't she actually from Texas anyway?). And then she just speeds off clean out the yard on horseback! Just fucking steals the horse and bolts! Dusty's like "that damn lady just stole my horse" in disbelief and Baby Doll is flat out gone. It was so great. Tully on TV sort of hints that it may have been planned, but of course you'll never hear him admit it publicly. He's also just won the US title from Magnum with help from a mysterious blond-haired security guard. Tully says it was just a regular security guard who happened to lose herself in the heat of the moment and give Tully a kiss on the cheek, and that gave Tully a second wind. Schiavone asks Tully outright if he had something in his hand when he struck Magnum and Tully asks Tony how the greatest announcer on TV could possibly think that of him (on a side note, I love how the Horsemen are largely respectful of Schiavone. Flair seems to genuinely like him). Tony is diplomatic about it but says it looks like something may have flown out of his hand after the punch, but Tully assures us it was just because some fans started throwing money at him. He is fucking sensational. 

The best part of the Flair/Nikita feud is obviously the cage match in which Dusty comes in to help Flair and the Anderson's attack and then Naitch joins in for the hell of it. It was just seamless booking.

[Captain Redneck]

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 4:54 PM, Robert S said:

I am somewhere in spring 82 Mid South. Even though the territory is not nearly as hot as it would be 2-3 years later, the shows are very enjoyable. There are a bunch of really good workers (Orndorff, DiBiase, Mr. Olympia Jerry Stubbs, Bob Roop, Ladd is just coming back, Dick Murdoch etc.), even the enhancement guys seem to be quite solid. In-ring it's that no-nonsense stuff that Watts is so famous for. There are some talented young guys around or passing through at this point, like Buddy Landel (with dark hair), Tully Blanchard, Jesse Barr or Wayne Farris. Jim Ross also is just starting out and Watts has began hyping some college stud called Steve "Dr. Death" Williams.

Tim Horner, the Grappler, Marty Lunde and Tony Anthony were pretty aces as well.

[KB8]

33 minutes ago, Captain Redneck said:

The best part of the Flair/Nikita feud is obviously the cage match in which Dusty comes in to help Flair and the Anderson's attack and then Naitch joins in for the hell of it. It was just seamless booking.

Their match from the 7/21 Omni showed ruled as well. It's a rare opportunity to watch Flair work as pure babyface World Champ during his absolute peak and the match was a total blast.

I somehow didn't make the connection that it was during the Flair/Nikita cage blowoff where they did the angle with Dusty. I knew they did that angle during *a* Flair/Nikita cage match, but for some reason I figured that angle came a bit later and assumed there was another Flair/Nikita match down the line or something. I actually watched this on the set and it really is one of the all-time best angles. You hear some of the old timers talk about how wrestlers used to get REAL HEAT back in the day and if you were good you could almost start a riot, and sometimes it comes off as being carny as fuck, but this crowd was legit ready to jump the ring and cops were almost being squashed up against the cage trying to keep them out. Also, Tully mentions on one of the WWE-released DVDs from years back (probably the Four Horsemen one) that Flair always had pockets of fans in the crowd even when he was heel because of how cool he was (and watching everything leading up to that angle, he was the fucking coolest). If you've seen enough of him you know it's true. He says after the Dusty angle, though, there was way more animosity towards him and he started getting even more heat. I haven't gotten very far past that point yet, but even on TV the week after the angle Flair is different, as are fans in the studio and the way they react to him. He's not just the jet-flyin', limousine-ridin' son of a gun anymore; he's one of the thugs who broke Dusty's leg and no amount of swag will change that. Flair's first promo on TV is absolutely incredible as well. Crockett says Dusty should've left him there for the Russians and Flair just cold as ice puts him in his place. It was such an awesome retort  (and I'm so lame) I even took a note of it on my phone: 

"David, what I like about you is that you've always got something nice to say about me. But next time you have an opportunity, talk to your accountant and see who built the building your office is in."

I should hop back on this. 

[Robert S]

On 2/14/2019 at 12:03 AM, Captain Redneck said:

Tim Horner, the Grappler, Marty Lunde and Tony Anthony were pretty aces as well.

The Grappler has appeared in the mean time, the other three have not. Other recent sightings: Jim Duggan and Nightmare Ken Wayne (wrestling as Kelly Wayne, I am pretty sure it's the same guy, blond hair, announced as being from Memphis, TN).

Two funny things that happened this week related to Mid South watching:

(1) I was watching the opening match battle royal of the Giant Baba 20th anniversary memorial show and one of the older-than-dirt guys was 71-year-old Kim Duk. On the same day I was watching a Mid South TV show where the same Kim Duk made his Mid South debut.

(2) On NXT they announced that Rachael Ellering signed with WWE. The very next Mid South segment I watched as a Precious Paul Ellering spotlight (with him doing push-ups while Buddy Landell was sitting on his back).

[KB8]

Picked up again with the Horsemen set. 

They're really putting over the severity of Dusty's injury on tv, doing some interviews with his doctor, one on tv with Dusty himself, another where David Crockett interviews both Dusty and the doctor from a rehab clinic. I'm thinking they hired an actual doctor to do this, or at least consulted an actual doctor and got him to tell whoever's playing the doctor what to say, because it's way more...sophisticated, I guess, than most stuff like this in wrestling (certainly from the era). They run through a bunch of different rehab options from the clinic, speak in depth to the doctor who talks about potential repercussions, etc. In the segment where Dusty comes into the studio to talk to Schiavone, Arn and Tully come out and Tully kicks Dusty's crutch out form under him while Arn steals the TV title. Each week after that Arn has been coming out with the belt and declaring himself the TV champion, even bringing Tully with him one week for consultation regarding TV title etiquette. Arn's becoming a better promo by the day and was already comfortably great by late 1985, which isn't necessarily surprising but if nothing else it's confirmation. There's a PWI scouting report segment hosted by Bill Apter in which Dusty does a live interview from his home while Flair is in the studio. Flair says Dusty is a has-been and there's no way he'll be fit for Starrcade, so he can stay at home sitting on his couch with his leg up. Dusty's part is fucking great and, after he talks about himself being the biggest box office attraction in the world of professional wrestling, he treats Flair with a sort of dismissive disdain. He's said all he's willing to say to Flair and that he's lost respect for him, calls him a fraud and a fallacy, refers to him repeatedly as "kid," and you can see Flair getting more and more annoyed. Eventually he just kicks the chair away and starts shouting into the TV, but by that point Dusty's feed has gone so he's left yelling at the wall, which makes him look sort of crazy and clearly rattled. Flair v Dusty isn't a match-up I have a ton of interest in revisiting, but the build has been excellent, going from the animosity that was always in the background even through the Flair/Nikita feud, to ramping it way up after the big angle in the cage. 

Tully/Magnum is also red hot and I'm hyped to rewatch the match at Starrcade for the first time in about twelve years. They have the massive pull-apart on Worldwide when Baby Doll gets in Magnum's face, which obviously leads to Magnum kissing her and Crockett shouting "SHE LIKES IT!" like a giddy wee weirdo. Magnum wants an I Quit match but Tully isn't interested and says Magnum's time as challenger for the US title has come and gone. Of course the match is made anyway and the next week Tully cuts one of his best promos to date, talking about how an I Quit match is unmentionable and that he'd have wrestled him in any other match bar that. He also says Baby Doll cried for three days after Magnum's stunt last week and he'll be going to his lawyer, the governor, even the President if he has to! He even needs to get Baby Doll to hold to the mic by the end because he's so animated, convinced Magnum and probably Dusty paid off Jim Crockett to have the match made into an I Quit *after* he'd already signed the contract. 

Arn v Wahoo from the 10/26/85 WCW was pretty pedestrian. Had some big chops, but also some listless arm work and the worst chin lock you ever did see. Arn trying to steal Wahoo's southern heavyweight belt at the end was pretty amusing at least, and it also leads to Magnum coming out and and brawls ensuing between him/Wahoo and the Andersons. 

Some outstanding promos on the 11/2/85 episode of World Championship Wrestling. Flair is still convinced there's no way Dusty will be able to come back when it's being projected, and he knows this for a fact because he's an intelligent match - college educated, WOO - with a father who's one of the most respected physicians in the state of Minnesota. But if Dusty wants to come back early and do himself more damage, Flair will be there laughing, gloating and partying. How can someone with one leg compete with the jet-flyin', limousine-ridin', kiss-stealin', wheelin'-dealin' son of a gun with TWO good legs? Crockett looks visibly disgusted and one of my favourite parts of these Flair promos is how he'll basically tell Crockett to shut the fuck up any time he tries to get chippy and interrupt him. Arn and Ole are similarly sceptical of Dusty's health: "Dusty Rhodes, you may be long on guts but you're short on brains. It's a medical and physical impossibility for ANYBODY to heal that quickly." Ole is such an awesome promo. "You don't have that belt (TV title), you don't have these belts (tag titles) and it's come to our attention that you maybe don't have too many brains either." If Dusty does show up in Atlanta, Georgia in the same arena as the Andersons and Ric Flair, they'll take great pride in re-breaking that leg. Tully still isn't down for this I Quit nonsense and so he's taken his issue to NWA President Bob Geigel. They run a clip with Geigel basically granting Tully's appeal to have the match scrapped, stating that the level of hatred between Tully and Magnum has gone so far that this kind of match would just be too dangerous to go ahead. Tully, of course, is positively beaming. "It's time for you to go back to the farm, big boy. You thought you had some clout in professional wrestling, but this is where the real clout is." BUT. Jim Crockett comes out later and says that he has the signed contract, and in the NWA bylaws it states that he has control over any stipulations if it's in the best interests of the company. And so an I Quit cage match between Tully and Magnum will indeed go ahead (I guess they added the cage match part right there). Ole's rant later is great and Magnum better surround himself with police until Starrcade, because four weeks is a long time.