Classic Wrestling Discussion: Part III & Wrestler Poll

[These Are The Days]

Continuing with Mania 19. More matches need to end the way Michaels vs Jericho did. A sudden, clean finish that doesn't involve a finisher and you just know the match is ending. Otherwise, the burying of Chris Jericho continues. No man ever fell further from grace. There's little worse than a heel run full of 5 star matches and always being on the losing end


Also holy crap it's a Sylvain Grenier sighting

 

[These Are The Days]

It took 3 Rock Bottoms and a Stunner for Austin to finally lose a match clean to anyone else but Kurt Angle. It is an unbelievable to end your career for Austin. But as someone who has taken years in this watch through, this just feels like one last ridiculous F U from the Rattlesnake all the way from 1998. Back then he'd have survived all 4 finishers, jumped from a plane, whooped Undertakers ass too and downed a pack of Steveweisers all before hitting the ground.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Fired up Halloween Havoc 93, and once we get past the horrendous acting of Tony Schiavone in the opening skit with trick r' treaters, we are "treated" to an opening match of Kane and Kole of Harlem Heat joined by The Equalizer, taking on the mishmash of the Shockmaster, Charlie Norris, and the late great Ice Train

It was clear that Jesse Ventura knew he was in for a long night

 

[Unholy Diver]

I was a bit unfair with my quick assumption about Halloween Havoc 93 as it actually turned out to have a pretty solid card

Paul Orndorff vs Ricky Steamboat

Lord Steven Regal vs the British Bulldog

Stunning Steve Austin vs Dustin Rhodes

Nasty Boys vs Bagwell and Scorpio

Sid vs Sting - this would just be a few days before Sid and Arn Anderson would have their little Scissoring issue

Flair vs Rick Rude

Vader vs Cactus Jack in a Spin the wheel make the deal - Texas Death Match

 

[These Are The Days]

I've been too busy to pick up on Mania 19. Finishing it now. It's crazy to think what Smackdown would have been like if Angle didn't break his neck. Lesnar apparently wasn't supposed to win the title and Angle was gonna be champ all year long. I don't see how that works without beating Lesnar twice. I guess that's why we had Big Show for a month. They didn't want Angle beating Lesnar at Mania and Survivor Series both.

I am trying to imagine the spring through summer itinerary. Lesnar probably feuds with Heyman and Big Show anyway but I don't know who else besides another title program with Angle that he wins after a year. Angle on the other hand probably goes at Taker, Benoit and said program with Lesnar

Dear God 2003 would have been crazy. It would have spared us that completely unnecessary, shitty heel turn by Lesnar going from killing Taker clean to only beating the likes of Spanky and a one legged Zach Gowen and having to go full Eddie Guerrero against anyone else

 

[EpochLink]

WWE is outing out quality stuff on their WWE Vault channel, absolute gems.

 

[Bondurant]

 

[CDJ]

Watching WWECW and I forgot that Test was on the most steroids in the history of steroids

 

[Unholy Diver]

Watching WWECW and I forgot that Test was on the most steroids in the history of steroids

maybe he took his ring name from the thing he feared most in the world

 

[BostonBob]

maybe he took his ring name from the thing he feared most in the world

Spelling ???? Math ????

 

[Unholy Diver]

Spelling ???? Math ????

IQ

 

[BostonBob]

IQ

He might not have been able to spell it either.

 

[Bondurant]

Enjoying the Lions on Turkey Day with a podcast episode about The Sheik and Big Time Wrestling.

Season 6 - Episode 1: The Sheik and Big Time Wrestling - The Detroit History Podcast

The Sheik (real name: Edward Farhat) was the most feared bad guy in Detroit wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s. He threw fire. He cut his opponent. He bit them, often winning with his “camel clutch.” His business model was simple: to behave in such a vile manner that people would pay money to...

detroithistorypodcast.com

 

[CDJ]

The Heidenreich/Heyman vignettes are hilariously creepy

 

[Jussi]

Comment section:

@StoryTimewithDutchMantell

I brought Mr Abyss to Puerto Rico - great guy!

 

[EpochLink]

Classic match!

 

[The Marquis]

Come the new year every year, I go through a territories phase, where I watch my considerable collection of DVD's and VHS from the old territories. Looking forward to it more than usual this year.
I always do a bunch of Portland Wrestling, which I will again, but I think I'm going to largely skip my usuals of World Class, LA, Houston, Southwest, WWWF, Maple Leaf and Mid-Atlantic (though I'll watch a little of them) and go heavier on AWA, Mid-South, Memphis and Detroit.

Probably also a little Stampede, which I don't usually watch, and maybe... just maybe I'll watch a little Vancouver (All-Star), Winnipeg (West Four) and Maritimes (Atlantic Grand Prix) territories which I rarely get to. Gotta see some classics from "The Natural" Don Callis.

I'll also probably put on a show each from Florida, Georgia, Southeast/Gulf Coast/Continental, WWA (Indianapolis), Central States and San Francisco.

Might comment here on the shenanigans I see.

 

[The Marquis]

Threw on an episode of Memphis Wrestling from November 1978. Jimmy Valiant sings an entire song live. It was a lot better than I expected.

There also a promo from Lawler where he compares himself wrestling a bear to Heather Feather wrestling a man after she already wrestled a bear. Good show haha.

 

[The Marquis]

Oh boy! And Lawler calls Valiant the 3 letter F-word. Different times.

 

[Masked]

Probably also a little Stampede, which I don't usually watch, and maybe... just maybe I'll watch a little Vancouver (All-Star), Winnipeg (West Four) and Maritimes (Atlantic Grand Prix) territories which I rarely get to. Gotta see some classics from "The Natural" Don Callis.

Don't do it. I can't speak for Winnipeg but Vancouver and the Maritimes are among the worst promotions you'll see. International out of Quebec is a much better option than either of those two.

 

[The Marquis]

Don't do it. I can't speak for Winnipeg but Vancouver and the Maritimes are among the worst promotions you'll see. International out of Quebec is a much better option than either of those two.

I’ve seen plenty of all three. I have a dozen DVD’s from the Maritimes and I think 3 from the others. You’re right about Vancouver, it’s BAD, but had its moments. Around the early 80’s there were some positives as a lot of the very stacked Portland roster made trips up north at that time, including Piper. Most of what’s on my DVD’s is from that period, but I also have the last show they ever did and it show with abundant clarity why that promotion wasn’t going to survive another day.

As for the Maritimes, from the stuff I have seen, it seems pretty fun. Sure it lacks the names and the wrestling isn’t stellar but it has some good storylines to carry the shows. I’ve watched probably 2 of my dozen ish discs and enjoyed them both. That was a few years back.

Now Winnipeg has the names, like Don Callis, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Roddy Piper (very very young, and I have no footage of this), Baron Von Raschke, Jim Brunzell, Bulldog Bob Brown, but really lacks in the storytelling unless it involves Callis, who is good enough to carry a bad story on his back. He’s good at promos even back then. The wrestling is decent, but all of the footage I have is pretty terrible quality. I might try and find some online.

I have never found any footage of the Quebec territory or the North Bay territory, but I haven’t looked in a few years. Maybe some got loaded to YouTube. I’ll have to check it out.

 

[Masked]

I’ve seen plenty of all three. I have a dozen DVD’s from the Maritimes and I think 3 from the others. You’re right about Vancouver, it’s BAD, but had its moments. Around the early 80’s there were some positives as a lot of the very stacked Portland roster made trips up north at that time, including Piper. Most of what’s on my DVD’s is from that period, but I also have the last show they ever did and it show with abundant clarity why that promotion wasn’t going to survive another day.

As for the Maritimes, from the stuff I have seen, it seems pretty fun. Sure it lacks the names and the wrestling isn’t stellar but it has some good storylines to carry the shows. I’ve watched probably 2 of my dozen ish discs and enjoyed them both. That was a few years back.

Now Winnipeg has the names, like Don Callis, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Roddy Piper (very very young, and I have no footage of this), Baron Von Raschke, Jim Brunzell, Bulldog Bob Brown, but really lacks in the storytelling unless it involves Callis, who is good enough to carry a bad story on his back. He’s good at promos even back then. The wrestling is decent, but all of the footage I have is pretty terrible quality. I might try and find some online.

I have never found any footage of the Quebec territory or the North Bay territory, but I haven’t looked in a few years. Maybe some got loaded to YouTube. I’ll have to check it out.

My memories of All Star from Vancouver are from the mid to late 80's when they'd feature guys like JR Bundy or the team of The Frog & The Atomic Kid and filmed in the most low budget tv studio.

My memories of Atlantic Grand Prix are from around the same time period. It was a better promotion but it still wasn't great. It seemed to feature a lot of guys who were jobbers elsewhere in Canada.

There's some International stuff here -

 

[Jussi]

A lot more ECW content has been uploaded there recently. Seems like that channel is being built up as the Network replacement.

 

[boredmale]

I have never found any footage of the Quebec territory or the North Bay territory, but I haven’t looked in a few years. Maybe some got loaded to YouTube. I’ll have to check it out.

I know you can find the Montreal(ie Quebec) territory in Youtube in it's later years. When most of the top talent left them, They came to my City a few times(Thunder Bay). My city was so wrestling starved the first time they came(I believe 1986ish) that they sold out the hockey Arena(~5000) people. After that though they came a couple times more getting closer to 2000-3000