Shane Posted September 3, 2020 Posted September 3, 2020 Was the PWF just a rebranding of Florida Wrestling or a completely separate company? Who was the President, Randy Roberts? Money mark or a name from Florida wrestling past? Found a few episodes of the tv on YouTube and started watching. Seems like a better roster than late-era Florida, but DDP is all over this first show. At this point, his promos are still more annoying than good. He’s definitely working out the kinks.
odessasteps Posted September 3, 2020 Posted September 3, 2020 You mean the post-JCP, pre-WWF Dusty version?
Shane Posted September 3, 2020 Posted September 3, 2020 Yes. This first show is from early-‘89, building to the Dusty vs. Big Steel Man match at Homecoming.
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted September 6, 2020 Posted September 6, 2020 On 9/2/2020 at 11:19 AM, Infinit said: To continue the Black Scorpion talk in the RAW thread, how could it have been booked better? I think it would have been remembered as a brilliant angle if they had done it one year later to introduce Rick Rude and kickstart the Dangerous Alliance, targeting US champion Sting. Ole watches No Holds Barred and gets Peter Weller to do it.
colonial Posted September 6, 2020 Posted September 6, 2020 On 9/2/2020 at 11:53 PM, Shane said: Was the PWF just a rebranding of Florida Wrestling or a completely separate company? Who was the President, Randy Roberts? Money mark or a name from Florida wrestling past? Found a few episodes of the tv on YouTube and started watching. Seems like a better roster than late-era Florida, but DDP is all over this first show. At this point, his promos are still more annoying than good. He’s definitely working out the kinks. Dusty mentioned in his autobiography that Roberts was a friend of his who was a casino executive who also "specialized in startups" (Believe Roberts was a higher up for Caesars for a time, and ran their hotel/casino in Lake Tahoe). IOW, a money mark who also had a knack finding other money marks. Read somewhere that DDP got the Florida job by doing a Dusty impression over the phone. By all accounts, Dusty really wanted the PWF to replace the AWA as the "third national wrestling company," but the investors quickly tired of it and Dusty signed with WWF.
sydneybrown Posted September 6, 2020 Posted September 6, 2020 1 hour ago, colonial said: Dusty mentioned in his autobiography that Roberts was a friend of his who was a casino executive who also "specialized in startups" (Believe Roberts was a higher up for Caesars for a time, and ran their hotel/casino in Lake Tahoe). IOW, a money mark who also had a knack finding other money marks. Read somewhere that DDP got the Florida job by doing a Dusty impression over the phone. By all accounts, Dusty really wanted the PWF to replace the AWA as the "third national wrestling company," but the investors quickly tired of it and Dusty signed with WWF. You're not wrong about quickly since Dusty was fired from Crockett in January 89 and was in WWF by early-June. 1
Shartnado Posted September 7, 2020 Posted September 7, 2020 If WCW really wanted Rude as the Black Scorpion, it could have been possible at least in theory, since Rude left WWFsometime before Survivor Series and Starrcade was in late December. They would have to bring him in the minute he became available, but they could have pulled it off. Really interesting idea. I wonder if Luger never wins the world title in '91, if Rude is already there to step in as the top heel, when Flair is fired? A topic for the What If thread, I guess?
Brian Fowler Posted September 8, 2020 Posted September 8, 2020 Did WCW have a plan for who the Black Scorpion was supposed to be when they started it, or did they literally just wing the big angle around their new champion with no idea?
MidnightRider Posted September 8, 2020 Posted September 8, 2020 Talking of Sting-adjacent angles... it only recently struck me how strongly he resembles (physically and in promos) Max Headroom. It makes me wonder if he waited 20 years too late to mimic a wacky pop culture star in the Joker when he could've gone heel in the early 90s (let's say if WCW put Lex on top as a babyface). He could've stuck with his same irreverent, vaguely nonsensical promos that made him too cheesy a face and instead been an overly slick sycophant satire of Hogan - call it a dayglo nWo. Has anyone ever done anything remotely Headroom-esque in the world of faux-fisticuffs?
Eoae Posted September 8, 2020 Posted September 8, 2020 8 hours ago, Brian Fowler said: Did WCW have a plan for who the Black Scorpion was supposed to be when they started it, or did they literally just wing the big angle around their new champion with no idea? Probably the former. Ole claims he suggested the angle to Jim Herd as. a joke and Herd unexpectedly loved the idea and ran with it.
Hagan Posted September 11, 2020 Posted September 11, 2020 I know this is a question better for Wrestling Classics but then I have to register and all. Anyway: any good histories/articles/books on the Gulf Coast Wrestling territories. I'm out in the Gulf Coast of Florida and would love to find more of the history of this region outside of just random Cornette/Fuller shoots.
twiztor Posted September 12, 2020 Posted September 12, 2020 On 9/8/2020 at 2:21 AM, MidnightRider said: a dayglo nWo. i am both intrigued and horrified at this idea.
Infinit Posted September 20, 2020 Posted September 20, 2020 I'm not sure if I asked this before...but did the Sunday Night Edition of World Championship Wrestling on TBS have first run matches or notable angles on it or was it a clip/recap show?
odessasteps Posted September 20, 2020 Posted September 20, 2020 9 minutes ago, Infinit said: I'm not sure if I asked this before...but did the Sunday Night Edition of World Championship Wrestling on TBS have first run matches or notable angles on it or was it a clip/recap show? In the WCW era, it started with new matches and eventually changed. I think in the GCW era, it was often the latter. 1
Infinit Posted September 24, 2020 Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) I have another question Re: NWA WCW shows. Is there anywhere that translates the relatively big ratings of World Championship Wrestling and Clashes in actual/approximate viewer numbers? I hear Cornette throw around impressive sounding ratings numbers on his pods but do they equal big viewers numbers, given cable availability in the mid to late 80s? Edited September 24, 2020 by Infinit
odessasteps Posted September 24, 2020 Posted September 24, 2020 I thought I heard someone say the torch has them.
Happ Hazzard Posted October 18, 2020 Posted October 18, 2020 The classic WWF locker room background(with the lockers and a payphone) that Mean Gene etc would interview the wrestlers in front of, was that just a green screen thing or a physical prop they'd bring to events? I suspect the latter just because the green screen for stuff like Vince and Jesse introducing the shows in front of the live crowd is blatantly obvious when looking nowadays whereas the locker room isn't. Also, was the Shockmaster going to wrestle in a mask that he'd wear under the Stormtrooper helmet? Obviously he wasn't wearing a mask on that fateful night and he didn't wear one when he eventually wrestled in the Wargames but did they originally plan for him to wear one in the ring? Because they had to realise that the fans wouldn't take the former Tugboat seriously as a new character.
elizium Posted October 18, 2020 Posted October 18, 2020 I've always assumed that it was a physical set they'd bring with them, like the Brother Love or Barbershop sets. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a permanent set in Stamford or something too, for pre-taping purposes. A lot of the SNME interviews are clearly not shot at the same time as the SNME cards (there are periodic continuity errors on clothing wrestlers are wearing, like Hulk wearing a shirt ripped in a certain place in the interview, but coming out for his match seconds later with a slightly different rips).
tbarrie Posted October 18, 2020 Posted October 18, 2020 11 hours ago, Happ Hazzard said: Also, was the Shockmaster going to wrestle in a mask that he'd wear under the Stormtrooper helmet? Obviously he wasn't wearing a mask on that fateful night and he didn't wear one when he eventually wrestled in the Wargames but did they originally plan for him to wear one in the ring? Because they had to realise that the fans wouldn't take the former Tugboat seriously as a new character. They realized nothing. 1
The Green Meanie Posted October 19, 2020 Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) 19 hours ago, Happ Hazzard said: The classic WWF locker room background(with the lockers and a payphone) that Mean Gene etc would interview the wrestlers in front of, was that just a green screen thing or a physical prop they'd bring to events? I suspect the latter just because the green screen for stuff like Vince and Jesse introducing the shows in front of the live crowd is blatantly obvious when looking nowadays whereas the locker room isn't. Also, was the Shockmaster going to wrestle in a mask that he'd wear under the Stormtrooper helmet? Obviously he wasn't wearing a mask on that fateful night and he didn't wear one when he eventually wrestled in the Wargames but did they originally plan for him to wear one in the ring? Because they had to realise that the fans wouldn't take the former Tugboat seriously as a new character. 7 hours ago, elizium said: I've always assumed that it was a physical set they'd bring with them, like the Brother Love or Barbershop sets. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a permanent set in Stamford or something too, for pre-taping purposes. A lot of the SNME interviews are clearly not shot at the same time as the SNME cards (there are periodic continuity errors on clothing wrestlers are wearing, like Hulk wearing a shirt ripped in a certain place in the interview, but coming out for his match seconds later with a slightly different rips). I believe it was a physical set as well, as there was at least three different color variants I can remember: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X6IXkS91JGU/maxresdefault.jpg Edited October 19, 2020 by The Green Meanie 1
Infinit Posted October 19, 2020 Posted October 19, 2020 Was Flair injured during the Summerslam 92 period? Weird that they would have him in a match during the show, even if he took part in the Warrior/Savage match. 1
Eoae Posted October 19, 2020 Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Infinit said: Was Flair injured during the Summerslam 92 period? Weird that they would have him in a match during the show, even if he took part in the Warrior/Savage match. Yeah, He was injured by the Ultimate Warrior right before he dropped the World Title to Bret in October. According to Flair, the injury was the reason for the title switch. Warrior dropped Ric on his head and he (Flair) suffered some sort of "inner ear problem" which game him vertigo. Flair worked a couple of dates afterward but couldn't work at much more than half speed and the office decided to have him drop the title right away. He was out of the ring for about six weeks, irrc, which took him through SummerSlam. In his book, Flair said he went back in the ring but still had issues with balance and double vision that lasted almost a year. Edited October 19, 2020 by Eoae 1
odessasteps Posted October 19, 2020 Posted October 19, 2020 Didn't we discuss the inner ear injury here not that long ago?
ChesterCopperpot Posted October 20, 2020 Posted October 20, 2020 On 10/18/2020 at 12:41 AM, Happ Hazzard said: The classic WWF locker room background(with the lockers and a payphone) that Mean Gene etc would interview the wrestlers in front of, was that just a green screen thing or a physical prop they'd bring to events? I suspect the latter just because the green screen for stuff like Vince and Jesse introducing the shows in front of the live crowd is blatantly obvious when looking nowadays whereas the locker room isn't. 2
paintedbynumbers Posted October 20, 2020 Posted October 20, 2020 13 hours ago, Eoae said: Yeah, He was injured by the Ultimate Warrior right before he dropped the World Title to Bret in October. According to Flair, the injury was the reason for the title switch. Warrior dropped Ric on his head and he (Flair) suffered some sort of "inner ear problem" which game him vertigo. Flair worked a couple of dates afterward but couldn't work at much more than half speed and the office decided to have him drop the title right away. He was out of the ring for about six weeks, irrc, which took him through SummerSlam. In his book, Flair said he went back in the ring but still had issues with balance and double vision that lasted almost a year. pretty sure i have the fan cam of this. Back in the day I would buy a bunch of WWF, WCW, NJPW, and AJPW on crazymax from a guy named Mike who lived in NYC (if anyone remembers him) I know one of them has a Warrior-Flair match. If I recall it was garbage with a lot of Flair bumping for Warrior.
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