When did the world learn to stop worrying and love the Earthquake?

[BigBadMick]

He seems very popular on this site. I'm remembering him being lambasted as a poor talent in Power Slam in the early 90s, and Meltzer didn't go out of his way to heap praise upon him at the time either.

 

What happened? Is it nostalgia? Hipsters? Was it that the overall talent was stronger back then and he didn't standout as much as he might now?

 

BTW I have watched some of his matches here and there recently and consider him perfectly acceptable.

[goc]

I don't think anyone here pimps him as a GREAT worker or anything, but he's one of those guys that the Scott Keith type of fan immediately writes off simply because he's fat. And of course all fat workers are slow and shitty and get blown up in 2 minutes and oh my god why aren't they working at 100 miles an hour and taking 50 bumps per match?

 

Basically he became a victim of a very stupid mentality that doesn't hold up when you actually go back and watch the matches. If this board is known for anything as whole it is that people go back and watch the matches, which might explain why he would have more of a positive rep here than anywhere else. Because people are judging him based on his work and not some dumb ass Scott Keith rant. As far as Dave, I don't remember Meltzer heaping praise on him but he definitely wasn't one of the guys Meltzer went out of his way to shit on like a Dino Bravo or an Ultimate Warrior.

[Matt D]

I've been on the Earthquake train for a while now, at least since I did my WWF rewatching in 09 or so. I didn't come in looking for anything. That's when I came out with my appreciation for Demolition and Earthquake. I think he's got the best match in both Summerslam 90 and 92.

 

I still think that values in at least part of our community have changed and moved away from workrate dogma to structure and pacing and selling and less flashy but more effective offense. Quake is a guy who (like Mark Henry) was good at knowing how much to give and when and basically everything he did looked hugely credible.

 

Wrestling didn't change so much as we changed.

[BigBadMick]

Yeah, looking back Power Slam definitely had a Keith-ist workrate mentality.

 

To be fair though, WWF seemed to really need dragged kicking and screaming out of the 80s and into anything faster paced in the 90s.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I became a fan once I saw him shoot on Kitao.

 

Held a lot of resentment prior to that as a result of him making me cry as a kid.

[Grimmas]

I've always been a big fan. Growing up, fat wrestlers are some of the wrestler I feel the most nostalgia for.

 

However, I really started to appreciate him while watching a bunch of Big Bossman matches and his series with Earthquake produced some really good matches. Watching those you start to notice how great Earthquake was at playing his role and all the cool little extra stuff he did in matches.

 

From slowing stepping on people to throwing them off and then flexing. Great stuff.

 

The love will continue as Tim and I will be live-watching a Earthquake match on each and every Pro-Wrestling Super Show! I may had come up with the idea to do it once, but Tim begged me to make it a fixture of the show.

[jpchicago23]

Quake/Hogan was the very first bit of wrestling I ever saw as a kid so he always holds that spot for me. I also loved his feud with Bubba in 96

[goodhelmet]

I have no nostalgia love for Quake. However, work rate wise, he held his own in All Japan in 1989.

[goc]

Quake/Hogan was the very first bit of wrestling I ever saw as a kid so he always holds that spot for me. I also loved his feud with Bubba in 96

Me too! That was a really fun undercard feud and it sucks that they pretty much quit using Tenta after it was over.

[BigBadMick]

Wasn't he rather dated looking by 1996?

 

And the idea of a feud with Austin in 1998, as suggested by Justin on Dangerous Alliance podcast, sounds preposterous to me. Really can't see the Attitude era WWF accepting him while mocking Hogan, Piper and Savage as over the hill.

[goc]

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

[Grimmas]

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

If I was in control I would had had Bossman/Tenta as the tag champs into of Shamrock/Bossman. Bossman & Tenta destroying everybody would had been awesome.

[goc]

 

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

If I was in control I would had had Bossman/Tenta as the tag champs into of Shamrock/Bossman. Bossman & Tenta destroying everybody would had been awesome.

 

If that means they never would have turned Shamrock heel then I'm all for it. I feel like Shamrock had a lot of upside that immediately disappeared when he joined The Corporation.

[BigBadMick]

 

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

If I was in control I would had had Bossman/Tenta as the tag champs into of Shamrock/Bossman. Bossman & Tenta destroying everybody would had been awesome.

 

I dunno Steven. I know you love your nostalgia but geez.....

 

Actually, another point - was there ever a time when mainstraem US wrestling styles changed as much in 7-8 years than say, 1988 to 1996?

 

I can't imagine any headliner from 2006-07 - or quite a bit earlier, having difficulty fitting in today - Jericho, Rock, HHH get away with it.

[Grimmas]

 

 

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

If I was in control I would had had Bossman/Tenta as the tag champs into of Shamrock/Bossman. Bossman & Tenta destroying everybody would had been awesome.

 

I dunno Steven. I know you love your nostalgia but geez.....

 

Actually, another point - was there ever a time when mainstraem US wrestling styles changed as much in 7-8 years than say, 1988 to 1996?

 

I can't imagine any headliner from 2006-07 - or quite a bit earlier, having difficulty fitting in today - Jericho, Rock, HHH get away with it.

 

 

Is Bossman/Tenta worse than Bossman/Shamrock?

 

 

83-90 was just as much. So was 73-80.

 

I think the better question may be was there ever a time with less change than 2003 and on?

[The Chief]

I think Quake would have been an awesome nostalgia entrant into the 2002 Rumble a la Mr. Perfect and Goldust. Has anyone seen his dark match from around that time? It saw it on YouTube a while back, not sure if it's still there.

[BigBadMick]

 

 

 

Tenta was only 35 in 1998 and hadn't been over exposed the way Hogan, Piper & Savage had. Plus he had the benefit of essentially being off TV for 2 years which would have made him somewhat fresh. He was too small to be Earthquake in 1998 though which is why when he did go back to WWF he ended up as the goofy Golga character. I don't think he would have been a good Austin opponent though.

If I was in control I would had had Bossman/Tenta as the tag champs into of Shamrock/Bossman. Bossman & Tenta destroying everybody would had been awesome.

 

I dunno Steven. I know you love your nostalgia but geez.....

 

Actually, another point - was there ever a time when mainstraem US wrestling styles changed as much in 7-8 years than say, 1988 to 1996?

 

I can't imagine any headliner from 2006-07 - or quite a bit earlier, having difficulty fitting in today - Jericho, Rock, HHH get away with it.

 

 

Is Bossman/Tenta worse than Bossman/Shamrock?

 

 

83-90 was just as much. So was 73-80.

 

I think the better question may be was there ever a time with less change than 2003 and on?

 

I agreed with Will on the podcast - Bossman was perceived as still being able to go in 1998. He didn't look out of place there. I think 'quake would have.

 

You're right - it's more about the lack of change since 2003.

[cheapshot]

I used to like it when he did this pose, always made me chuckle

 

[BillThompson]

The love will continue as Tim and I will be live-watching a Earthquake match on each and every Pro-Wrestling Super Show! I may had come up with the idea to do it once, but Tim begged me to make it a fixture of the show.

 

Did I miss it and Tim became a regular co-host?

 

As for Quake, the Scott Keith comments ring true for me. I've never denied that I grew up viewing Keith as a guiding light in my wrestling fandom. If he said a guy sucked then they sucked, there was no other possibility. If he said a guy was awesome then they were awesome, and even if I had my doubts, like with Shawn Michaels for instance, I convinced myself that I was wrong and Keith had to be right. Honestly leaving wrestling for a bit was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because I moved away from thinking of Keith as gospel. I realized that he and I were quite different, and that we were polar opposites in what we valued in wrestling, and wrestlers. I still shake my head at the fact that I missed out on so many good-great workers just because Keith said they were shit and I was dumb enough to follow him blindly.

 

Quake is definitely one of those guys. I respect the heck out of the guy now and find that in terms of making every second of a match count he is a great worker. He can meld his style to meet faster paced guys in the middle, and he really understands the importance of timing. His WWF work is really good across the board; except for the Golga stuff but I put most of that on the type of wrestling that era of WWF predominantly produced. Alan Counihan turned me on to a fantastic match from UWFI in 1994, Vader & Tenta versus Gary Albright & Kazuo Yamazaki. Vader and Alrbight are the stars of the match, but Tenta is really great in the match as well and shows off how well he understood the importance of timing and the moment.

[Matt D]

Bill, Steven, etc,

 

is this on your radar yet?

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv664s_mil-mascaras-ultimo-dragon-vs-earthquake-john-tenta-billy-gun-stan-lane-1993-japan_sport

 

It's surreal.

[BillThompson]

Now it is; seems very much like a WAR collection of motley fellows.

[goc]

How the heck does that guy think Stan Lane is Billy Gunn? lol

[Grimmas]

 

The love will continue as Tim and I will be live-watching a Earthquake match on each and every Pro-Wrestling Super Show! I may had come up with the idea to do it once, but Tim begged me to make it a fixture of the show.

 

Did I miss it and Tim became a regular co-host?

The goal is to get Tim on every episode and I try to work around his schedule. There could be a rare episode where he isn't there the whole thing and just joins me for the Earthquake match though. He's pretty busy in the summer.

[Grimmas]

Bill, Steven, etc,

 

is this on your radar yet?

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv664s_mil-mascaras-ultimo-dragon-vs-earthquake-john-tenta-billy-gun-stan-lane-1993-japan_sport

 

It's surreal.

Holy shit! Next episode!

[Al]

There was some Tenta interview in the early 2000s, I'm not certain where. But it was one of those things where he came off as such a decent person that people wanted to like his matches and low and behold, it turns out they were really good after all.