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March 2023 Wrestling Discussion


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3 hours ago, Happ Hazzard said:

Yeah in reality Sid was going to be gone by the end of 1992 just like Warrior and Davey. 

 

That's definitely a high possibility no one ever brings up. 

It's mind boggling that they kept Flair off the SummerSlam 92 card not having a match. If Warrior or Bulldog got popped before the card then I imagine he be slotted right in either title matches as a replacement 

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Oh, I forgot to mention that around this time in 1994 that ROCKO GIBRALTAR is doing WWF tryout matches along with Bill Demott (guessing off the strength of his stuff in Puerto Rico cause Savio is already in and the infamous ECW match w/ Miguel Perez Jr vs. the Headhunters) and some other folks.

Duke Droese is here now, daddy. We found our next megastar.

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Here is the blurb from the 3/7/1994 Observer:

Quote

Bill DeMott (Crash the Terminator) and Rocko Gibraltar got try-outs both nights. DeMott had to put over John Paul both nights, and didn't get much reaction except when he missed the moonsault. Gibraltar, doing a garbage man gimmick, looked terrible the first night against Reno Riggins but looked okay the second night and had a hot looking finishing move which was a Scott Steiner tilt-a-whirl into a powerslam.

It's crazy that John Paul, who IIRC started in Memphis around the time Jeff Jarrett started and actually has a match with Jeff on Raw around this time, is pretty good for an enhancement guy. Riggins was pretty solid. They couldn't pair those dudes off and make a makeshift tag team for a tag team division in need of tag teams?

I am watching Well Dunn on SMW, and they aren't good. Like at all. How the hell did they get a second look (they already been in once) and not those two guys?

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It's seriously getting to the point where in a lot of these matches you're honestly wondering if the job guy is better than the guy he is jobbing to. I've seen Ace Darling all over these shows (as Mike Maraldo) to the point it feels like he's the break glass in case of emergency jobber. Scott Taylor shows up everytime they are in the New England area. PJ Polaco was all over these shows up until the Headshrinkers legit KO'd him on Raw back in July 1993. I only seen him once or twice since then. Maybe he had some PTSD from that.

It's clear though that they had confidence in John Paul and Reno Riggins to have actual matches with their the top guys.

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I was rewatching Survivor Series '96 today as I was doing some house work and let me say..    

1.  Bret-Austin still holds up, it's so damn good..  not quite as good as the WM match but really great  

2. I always found it funny how MSG shit on HBK.   Sid is really over and everyone is just thrilled at the outcome

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Oh shit speaking of poor Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, is there any harsher unintentional ether than JR during Austin's entrance during Survivor Series 1996 going, "he ain't no clown...he ain't no garbageman!"

That's how you usher in an era right there.

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21 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

Oh shit speaking of poor Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, is there any harsher unintentional ether than JR during Austin's entrance during Survivor Series 1996 going, "he ain't no clown...he ain't no garbageman!"

That's how you usher in an era right there.

AEW diehards give JR such a hard time but he's never had a hard time letting you know he wasn't feeling something.

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I don't know who will win between FC Ceausescu and Plovdiv Stalin, but I'll plonk down a bet.

I also don't know who will win between Joe Mirto and Barry O, but I'll plonk down a bet.

What, exactly, is the difference? Gambling is a mug's game regardless, with the house always winning, but as someone who gambles for fun, not profit, how is betting on predetermined results any more or less foolish than betting on, for example, Eastern European footyball? The fix is already in when I make my wrestling bet. They're not changing the planned Rumble winner just to fleece a few grand from the punters.

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10 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

AEW diehards give JR such a hard time but he's never had a hard time letting you know he wasn't feeling something.

And honestly, just to give context, he was mostly building up SCSA (his attitude, seeing him at the Sportatorium as rookie, etc.) before Vince cut him off.

That said, it was clearly him saying, "Shit...our bad! This is our make good for all the bullshit we made you sit through the last five years from wrestling monks to wrestling plumbers to wrestling dentists. This guy is the real deal." 

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23 minutes ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:

Tyrone Knox was my WWF 1994 jobber of choice. If he was a couple inches taller he could have been a main roster guy.

Bert Centeno, now that guy was a loser.

 

Dude...Chris Duffy. Look at this fucker. There was one getup he had where he had spraypainted his boots solid gold like a bootleg Goldust. However, he had a singlet with trunks probably made by Garanimals. It was HIDEOUS.

And guess what? He tagged with Bert Centeno.

The winner from this period is L.A. Gore though.

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51 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

Oh shit speaking of poor Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, is there any harsher unintentional ether than JR during Austin's entrance during Survivor Series 1996 going, "he ain't no clown...he ain't no garbageman!"

That's how you usher in an era right there.

I have this irrational belief that if Duke Droese had come in with any other gimmick, he could have been something. He had good size, could move, and had some fun offence for mid90s WWF. Get rid of the back brace thing he had to wrestle in and make him a no nonsense tough guy. You could even keep the coveralls, they work without the brace or gloves. Sort of a "I just walked in off the street and I'm here to fight" vibe. Kind of like a proto-Austin or Moxley.

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7 hours ago, elizium said:

I have this irrational belief that if Duke Droese had come in with any other gimmick, he could have been something. He had good size, could move, and had some fun offence for mid90s WWF. Get rid of the back brace thing he had to wrestle in and make him a no nonsense tough guy. You could even keep the coveralls, they work without the brace or gloves. Sort of a "I just walked in off the street and I'm here to fight" vibe. Kind of like a proto-Austin or Moxley.

I think he probably should spent a year or so more working before he got to WWF. I think they wanted to do something with him, but the fact he was kinda limited and the garbageman thing was death. There was a point (maybe for like a few weeks) where the fans at the syndicated shows at least were kinda behind him. However, he's a wrestling trashman.

I think the end for him was wrestling Hunter. Even though Hunter was kinda new and already was in there with Henry O. Godwinn (and Making a Difference Fatu IIRC) it felt beneath Hunter to be in there with yet another destined to be underneath guy. Then, they cut his hair and the way the feud went made him look like a huge dork (hmmm...). On top of that, his matches with Hunter showed he was extremely limited. Hunter is bumping all over the place and trying to make it look decent, and he can't really show any babyface fire. Right after Hunter beat him at IYH: Rage in the Cage, he should have disappeared right then and there and showed as someone entirely new several months later. Glen Jacobs got multiple chances under multiple gimmicks. They wouldn't fucking stop giving Bradshaw different gimmicks. Bob Holly had three or four different iterations of his name let alone gimmicks. 

I do think he deserved a second look, but wrestling garbageman was a nonstarter. I know in like 97 or 98, he came back and did at least one dark match, but I think nothing came of it.

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Performers who went an entire calendar year undefeated in WWE (min requirement of 3 wins and at least 1 on main roster TV/PPV):

2022: Cody Rhodes 25-0

2020: Becky Lynch 17-0, Jackson Ryker 5-0, Jinder Mahal 3-0

2019: Lars Sullivan 3-0

2018: Ronda Rousey 48-0

2017: Kurt Angle 3-0, 

2013: Hornswoggle 3-0

2007: Chris Jericho 8-0, Ron Simmons 7-0

2005: Akebono 3-0, Frankie Kazarian 5-0, Hulk Hogan 6-0, Roddy Piper 3-0

1999: Nicole Bass 4-0

1997: Mark Henry 15-0

1996: Brakkus 8-0, Furnas & LaFon 17-0

1995: Ahmed Johnson 38-0, Aja Kong 3-0, Travis of Tekno Team 3000 14-0

1994: Henry Godwinn 8-0

1992: Bob Backlund 34-0, Mr Perfect 3-0, Paul Ellering 8-0, Yokozuna 15-0

1991: Owen Hart 6-0

1990: The Undertaker 9-0

1989: Earthquake 21-0, Rockin Robin 35-0, Tugboat 29-0

1988: Mr Perfect 60-0, The Bushwhackers 4-0, 

1986: Cowboy Lang 7-0, David Sammartino 8-0, 

1985: Angelo Mosca Jr 5-0, Ted Arcidi 3-0

1984: Antonio Inoki 4-0, Buddy Roberts 8-0, Michael Hayes 17-0, Terry Gordy 14-0, Dynamite Kid 8-0

Edited by GuerrillaMonsoon
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Amazing how timely this thread is for what I’m also watching, with the 1994 WWE and Sid talk. DVDVR Hive Mind?!

I just had WMX on yesterday while cleaning and during the Bret/Owen recap prior to the opener, all I could think was “woah where did they film THAT!” at Owen’s go-home promo. It really was jarring to see visually…like studio wrestling because you have no choice but to do studio wrestling. You just never see WWF look like that, ever.

Edited by For Great Justice
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5 hours ago, Matt D said:

Late to the discussion but watch how over Sid is here in 92 right before the turn

Whether it was the plan or not, they made a mistake.

Just re-watching that... Well, credit to the jobber for taking a fucking helicopter bomb in 1992. (Kinda feels like Sid was beta testing a new finisher there...) And how Sid's finisher wasn't called the "Wheels of Justice"... missed opportunities all around.  

Sid should have powerbombed Hogan over the top rope onto the floor at the Rumble. Vince certainly kept his wagon hitched to Hulk way too long there. 

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If you have some time and want to have some fun go look up The Readers Page in older back issues of the Observer online and see how many names you recognize.

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15 hours ago, Ziggy said:

That's definitely a high possibility no one ever brings up. 

It's mind boggling that they kept Flair off the SummerSlam 92 card not having a match. If Warrior or Bulldog got popped before the card then I imagine he be slotted right in either title matches as a replacement 

Heck, they flew Piper over to this show just to play the bagpipes. 

When I watched this show again a few months ago, I argued this: I sort of want to re-book this card. If you're putting the World Championship match in the middle of the card, why not give a midcarder that you want to prime as a main eventer that spot? I would go with Warrior/Flair and Savage/Michaels on this card instead of Warrior/Savage with Flair and Perfect fuckery to protect both guys.

 

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1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

Huh, I remember Stan Lane being shockingly good on commentary from a match I saw posted on here once. 

Didn't WWF run high schools at that point? Some of those tapings, even for Raw, were TINY. And hey now AEW is running high schools...

There are places like Indiana where the high school basketball gyms that are bigger and nicer than some college arenas. 

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53 minutes ago, The Natural said:

So Bray Wyatt didn't appear at an MSG WWE house show. This return has been a right bust.

If Bray walked (again), here’s to hoping Lashley squashes Uncle Howdy like a bug tonight to end that nonsense and then they throw him a reward bone at Mania that is as far away from that stupid shit as possible. 

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