September 2023 Wrestling Discussion

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

1 hour ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

I think it was telling that from 1997 on whenever they interacted up until Bart was working in Japan on a regular basis that the WWF just totally dropped the former Smoking Gunns were brothers. They just happen to be two dudes who happen to share the last name Gunn. It also didn't help midway Billy dropped the dark hair and moustache so instead of looking somewhat passable at best as brothers they just like look two dudes really into cowboy cosplay.

Not really enthusiastic about getting into this period of WWF TV rewatch but whatever came of that weird Billy/Bart match on Raw when one of them faked a neck injury, they all put on Owen voices while the EMTs came out and put him on a stretcher and then the fake family came into the ring and started yelling at each other?

I can't remember if it was before or after that awful Survivor Series match where they fucked up the eliminations and had to improvise but I'm guessing it was a case of "ehh fuck this, no one cares about the Smoking Gunns"

[Elsalvajeloco]

11 minutes ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:

Not really enthusiastic about getting into this period of WWF TV rewatch but whatever came of that weird Billy/Bart match on Raw when one of them faked a neck injury, they all put on Owen voices while the EMTs came out and put him on a stretcher and then the fake family came into the ring and started yelling at each other?

I can't remember if it was before or after that awful Survivor Series match where they fucked up the eliminations and had to improvise but I'm guessing it was a case of "ehh fuck this, no one cares about the Smoking Gunns"

Nothing came of it really other than it just signaled the end of the Smoking Gunns. JR would mention Billy suffering an injury but it only be in passing. It was like it never happened.

[zendragon]

3 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

I think it was telling that from 1997 on whenever they interacted up until Bart was working in Japan on a regular basis that the WWF just totally dropped the former Smoking Gunns were brothers. They just happen to be two dudes who happen to share the last name Gunn. It also didn't help midway Billy dropped the dark hair and moustache so instead of looking somewhat passable at best as brothers they just look like two dudes really into cowboy cosplay.

Cowboy cosplay going into MR. ASS to Cute Kip (he really should have brought back that character to AEW) 

 

[Zimbra]

Jos and Paul Leduc both looked weird in pretty much the same way.

[BrianS81177]

Weren't Matt Cardona and Brian Myers portrayed as brothers when they signed with WWE?

[The Natural]

7 hours ago, zendragon said:

@The Natural

Cheers, mate xxx.

[Eivion]

8 hours ago, zendragon said:

@The Natural

As great as the Sheamus and recent Gable matches are people really should check out the second Ricochet match, the Rey match, and the Braun match. They Ricochet and Rey matches were just great, and that Braun match was nice & different from what you might expect with Gunther actually having Braun on the defensive. 

[The Natural]

25 minutes ago, Eivion said:

As great as the Sheamus and recent Gable matches are people really should check out the second Ricochet match, the Rey match, and the Braun match. They Ricochet and Rey matches were just great, and that Braun match was nice & different from what you might expect with Gunther actually having Braun on the defensive. 

Second all this.

My top three Gunther WWE Intercontinental Championship defences:

3. Gunther vs. Ricochet. Smackdown, 16th December 2022. ****3/4.

2. Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre. WrestleMania XXXIX. *****.

1. Gunther vs. Sheamus. Clash at the Castle 2022. *****. My 2022 MOTY.

Edited September 8, 2023 by The Natural

[Nice Guy Eddie]

1 hour ago, BrianS81177 said:

Weren't Matt Cardona and Brian Myers portrayed as brothers when they signed with WWE?

IIRC, they were originally billed as The Major Brothers.

[zendragon]

[Shartnado]

10 hours ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:

Not really enthusiastic about getting into this period of WWF TV rewatch but whatever came of that weird Billy/Bart match on Raw when one of them faked a neck injury, they all put on Owen voices while the EMTs came out and put him on a stretcher and then the fake family came into the ring and started yelling at each other?

I can't remember if it was before or after that awful Survivor Series match where they fucked up the eliminations and had to improvise but I'm guessing it was a case of "ehh fuck this, no one cares about the Smoking Gunns"

How were the eliminations fucked up in that match? I mean this was pre-internet for me, so the cat wasn't 100% out of the bag yet, but I seem to have found it weird that Billy didn't win that match, when it was obvious that he was the one they hoped would break out as a singles star? Things like getting a push wasn't in my vocabulary at the time. I mean, I understood the meaning of all those words, but...

[Shartnado]

3 hours ago, zendragon said:

Also, a little known fact is that he was so bright as a kid that he actually started school a year earlier than others. So, this is basically his 1st grade photo!

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

1 hour ago, Shartnado said:

How were the eliminations fucked up in that match? I mean this was pre-internet for me, so the cat wasn't 100% out of the bag yet, but I seem to have found it weird that Billy didn't win that match, when it was obvious that he was the one they hoped would break out as a singles star? Things like getting a push wasn't in my vocabulary at the time. I mean, I understood the meaning of all those words, but...

Bradshaw was supposed to win it but Tim White counted to three when his shoulder was up so they improvised on the fly 

[Zakk_Sabbath]

14 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

All this talk of folks like (Ronnie) Garvin and others has led me to ask: Who are the most believable kayfabe brothers in wrestling history and who are the least believable?

Maybe recency bias since we were just talking about them in another thread, but I thought Edge and Christian were pretty believable when they both had the long hair (and especially early in Christian's WWF tenure when they were with The Brood, and dressing in the same shirt).

On a side note, I remember really hoping at the time that Christian's Light Heavyweight title win would elevate the belt's status to that of WCW's Cruiser division because they were killing it so hard at the time, but it was not to be

[(BP)]

I’m pretty sure at the time I believed E&C were brothers more than I believed it about Matt and Jeff. Especially with early Hardys, I thought they put a brunette and blonde kid together as a Veronica or Betty thing for teenage girls. And their real names being Hardy? Get outta here. 

[For Great Justice]

I know Ted DiBiase was born in Omaha, but I associate him with Mississippi and he played an outstanding Gordon Gekko

Edited September 8, 2023 by For Great Justice

[Zakk_Sabbath]

5 minutes ago, For Great Justice said:

I know Ted DiBiase was born in Omaha, but I associate him with Mississippi and he played an outstanding Gordon Gekko

This is a weird one but we always liked DiBiase in my house because 'He's Italian' - despite the character having absolutely nothing ethnic about it. We always watched Columbo as a family for the same reason.

[Curt McGirt]

You gotta love Arn's floating ball cap, Dick Murdoch-style 

[Cobra Commander]

1 hour ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

This is a weird one but we always liked DiBiase in my house because 'He's Italian' - despite the character having absolutely nothing ethnic about it. We always watched Columbo as a family for the same reason.

Also Ted DiBiase was adopted by Mike DiBiase and originally named Theodore Willis.

On the other hand, a Ted DiBiase vs old man Bruno match in 1988 would have been something

[Elsalvajeloco]

AFAIK (Ted) DiBiase kinda grew up all over the place. Then, once he went to Mid-South, obviously he settled down in the area cause his kids were born and raised in an area where that territory was.

[odessasteps]

IIRC, Ted lived with his grandparents in Arizona after his dad died and then he went to HS back in Omaha and then went to West Texas State in Amarillo.

[Cobra Commander]

I think the WWF only interviewed Hulk Hogan’s very Italian-looking parents once (on the 1/23/84 Garden show) but it’s interesting how many top WWF/WWE guys were Italians not doing ethnic acts. Hogan, Randy Savage, John Cena. You could do a Sal’s Wall of Fame of Italian pro wrestlers with some surprises as local patrons ask why no black wrestlers are on the wall.

[Curt McGirt]

Then Buggin' Out totally flips when he finds out about Chief Jay Strongbow's real heritage? 

[Cobra Commander]

He finds out why Chief Jay Strongbow is on the Italian Wrestlers Wall of Fame

Edited September 8, 2023 by Cobra Commander

[Mister TV]

26 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said:

I think the WWF only interviewed Hulk Hogan’s very Italian-looking parents once (on the 1/23/84 Garden show) but it’s interesting how many top WWF/WWE guys were Italians not doing ethnic acts. Hogan, Randy Savage, John Cena. You could do a Sal’s Wall of Fame of Italian pro wrestlers with some surprises as local patrons ask why no black wrestlers are on the wall.

 It looks like Hulk is a mixed bag of white ethnicities with his paternal grandfather being the only Italian, but from the North of Italy so not sure he'd make Sal's wall.