RIPPA Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 One day when looking around for inspiration - I was looking at the PWI 500 page on wiki. In their 1996 issue - they put Ahmed Johnson at #5. I am now left to debate if he is the worst wrestler they ever put in the Top 10. And trust me - you don't want to test me today and be all THE MIZ!!!! We all hate him and putting him at #1 was stupid but he is better than Ahmed Johnson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 1996 Ahmed Johnson OR 2007 Bobby Lashley(who placed 9th)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Miz is infinitely better on promos and also far less injury-prone, but I still dig Ahmed's dives. Here he wrestles one Danny Davis, who is neither the Nightmare nor the evil WWF referee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Jesus, there was no worse green guy in GWF to work than Moadib and the repackaging of Stevie Ray and Big T as Harlem Heat 2000 was the worst repackaging ever. I'm happy to see he went back to school and finally got his degree in Criminology after the kidney issues forced him to retire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I was not following wrestling in 1996, but whenever I did look over, I got the feeling that Ahmed was a BIG DEAL.It just seemed like he was going to be one of the next main eventers that was going to carry the company. That didn't have anything to do with his matches. I don't think I saw any. He just seemed believable in that role. Here's what I wrote a few months ago about the KOTR match. PWO's board reboot killed the formatting. Goldust vs Ahmed Johnson KOTR 1996: I'm a little worried about Dustin filling up 15 minutes with Ahmed. This is for the IC belt and the issue, in part, was over Goldust giving Ahmed mouth to mouth the month before. First few minutes are well put together and all about Ahmed trying to kill Goldust and Dustin just surviving. He bumps well for him, rabbits around the ring and ringside area and eats offense while Ahmed plays out of control intense well, including a scary early match dive. Transition comes when Ahmed misses a splash in the corner and Dustin follows up with a stairs shot (which is what Ahmed tried to kill him with earlier). The base for Dustin's heat segment is a grounded rear chinlock which is never the most interesting thing but he keeps it sort of interesting with kidneywork (butt drops and nice looking rabbit punches) and his little taunts/flourishes that get the crowd on him. Ahmed is sort of made to have high intensity comeback spots that go wrong. Grounding Ahmed makes a lot of sense from a logic point of view but it's not super compelling. Dustin does a pretty clunky blocked sunset flip as part of a more elaborate hope spot which I think is, in part due to the combined size of the two. His cut off is an awesome punch and followed up by even more awesome punches and a decent enough pile driver, which is something I'm not sure I can remember seeing Dustin use. They keep half losing the crowd but Dustin draws them back in with the theatrics and fondling and what not. They do a great job of drawing out Ahmed's hope spots. The first was momentary, the second a bit more extended (and hopeful) and in the third he actually got to hit a lot of standing corner clotheslines before Dustin cut it off. He also hit a great Dibiase style fist drop, but that's a little beside the point. Then, with the next hope spot, which between Ahmed's late match selling and the WWE feel of "blocked punches = comeback," you think it's time, but Ahmed misses a big dropkick for the cutoff. Dustin's frustrated he can't put him away but he finally locks on a sleeper which is sort of the logical conclusion to all the earlier chinlocks. Dustin breaks it at two to slap and taunt Ahmed more setting up a mouth to mouth spot (which is something I just actually typed and actually the entire point of the match) and an Ahmed choke counter. Ahmed goes nuts in response and the fans momentarily go nuts with him. Huge spinebuster. Pearl River Plunge and the finish. Fans erupt at the pin and title change. There was a tiny bit of a lull in the middle but weirdly it all played into the underlying story and the finish so I won't fault it. This was obviously a wonky story but Dustin executed it extremely well. I think it's actually a testament to him that he was able to make it work so well. I imagine people hated this at the time but if you actually break down the mechanics of it, I'm not sure anyone could have executed it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Ahmed Johnson vs Vader https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdIpMOYfEw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Jesus, there was no worse green guy in GWF to work than Moadib and the repackaging of Stevie Ray and Big T as Harlem Heat 2000 was the worst repackaging ever. I'm happy to see he went back to school and finally got his degree in Criminology after the kidney issues forced him to retire. Yeah, Harlem Heat 2000 was among the most uncoordinated tag teams of all time. Like the WCW Patriots, only more dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 1996 Ahmed Johnson OR 2007 Bobby Lashley(who placed 9th)? I don't dislike Lashley as much as most do but I can certainly see that argument being made. And you can find lots and lots of Ahmed Johnson - Bitter at the World clips on Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRGoldman Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Ever since I found out that Ahmed Johnson was called "Moadib" in GWF, I have never been able to think about or read any Dune stuff without picturing him as the protagonist. So he has that going for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Skip to 10:40 mark and its Ahmed Johnson "Moadib" vs Terry Gordy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StretchMediatedHypertrophy Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I can see why people have Lashley as better than Ahmed; the former got schooled by Finlay and others, and was able to work within a WWE formula. Ahmed came from a different time and obviously didn't get that kind of help, but he had an intensity that Bobby Lashley didn't. Mr Anderson was No. 7 in the 2011 PWI 500. A choice between watching him wrestle RVD (No. 11) at Victory Road that year and watching an Ahmed Johnson match is no choice at all. I'm not saying Anderson is a worse wrestler, but he sucked pretty bad that year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H. Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I remember really impressed when Ahmed slammed Yokozuna, that right there told me he was going ot be a big deal... or at least there were plans in that direction James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Ahmed Johnson IS Suge Knight in Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story. http://youtu.be/8nHxMDiMl_o Oops. (:30 mark) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StretchMediatedHypertrophy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I am embarrassed to say that I have seen the awful TV movie he was in; 'Witness To The Execution'. Eep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooseCannon Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 1996 Ahmed Johnson OR 2007 Bobby Lashley(who placed 9th)? Well, there's an obligatory Davey Richards joke in there, although the guy I like the least who placed that high is probably Rhino. Anyways, Ahmed Johnson was a guy who looked like what expected from a professional wrestler. I want to say that the vibe I got from him at the time was "black Ultimate Warrior". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'd take Rhino over all of the above, any day of the week. He could have good matches with practically anybody when he was at his peak; it's not his fault that he got booked to be That Guy Who Always Runs In And Then GOREGOREGORRRRRE. For such a relatively limited style, it sure as hell provided great chemistry with a bizarre array of opponents. Sandman, Tajiri, The Rock, Spike Dudley, Mike Awesome, Chris Jericho, Sabu, Christian, RVD, Taz; yeah, it's a whos-who of great talent, but think about all the stylistic differences between those guys. Rhino somehow made it work with all of them, and yet didn't even look out of place as Stephanie's own personal My Pet Monster. (And it was hilarious listening to Jerry Lynn and Kid Kash trading stories about Rhino botching promos and screaming "FUUUUUCK!" on live TV.) I dunno about Ahmed vs Lashley. I'm tempted to go Lashley, and not because I ever want to watch another Bobby Lashley match in my entire life; but that guy 1.was legit tough and had his athletic bonafides, 2.didn't (to my knowledge) bitch and whine about doing jobs, and 3.at least TRIED to be safe. I do wanna watch that Vader match when I have more time, just to see what happens when you get two big psychotic bastards who absolutely don't give a shit if they cripple their opponent. And what the hell was the deal with that Chuck Taylor falsetto screech Ahmed would occasionally let out as an alleged war cry?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I was at Cold Day in Hell in 96 when he ran the gauntlet with the NOD. Not the greatest matches but I remember the whole arena was really into Ahmed and wanted badly for him to win to disband the NOD. The place popped pretty big when he hit the PRP on Farooq. He couldn't cover right away due to exhaustion from the first two matches, took a half second too long and Farooq kicked out then hit the Dominator to win. Place was bummed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningBeard Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 The guy was pure excitement when I was a kid and there's no doubt in my mind he would've been the next big thing if he'd stayed injury free. His booking in that wild card Survivor Series match put him over huge, his offence was different and his finisher was amazing. Then Farooq put him out and it went to shit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumanChessgame Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Teenage me was really impressed when he slammed Yoko and proceeded to run roughshod over all his opponents. I really dug his style and being that young I didn't get that he was probably awful, or that he couldn't cut an intelligible promo. He just had that magnetism about him that made me really want to get behind him. Of course his push proceeded to go nowhere fast and by the time he went to WCW I was old enough to realize how not all that great he was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I still love the Chicago Street Fight from Mania 13, NOD vs Ahmed and The Road Warriors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I will say, when I was a kid the Pearl River Plunge looked like the most devastating finisher ever. Then, years later, I found out where it came from... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningBeard Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Yeah I guess my post lacks a bit of context - I was 9 when he was making waves in the WWF and in the UK at the time there was no other wrestling on TV and the internet was a non-entity. In the pond of the WWF he was the most exciting thing on the block, but in a wider wrestling context maybe not but that's the magic of youth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I nicknamed Ahmed "A Danger to Himself and Others." It seemed like if he wasn't murdering someone else, he would end up hurting himself so how. Didn't he end up going on the DL after ripping off a table top on the announce table and cutting himself on a nail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Skip to 10:40 mark and its Ahmed Johnson "Moadib" vs Terry Gordy I now want to see the tape submissions from the GWF Talent Search '94 almost as much as I want to see the cards and letters from the 'Win a Date with Buddy Landell' contest in Memphis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Skip to 10:40 mark and its Ahmed Johnson "Moadib" vs Terry Gordy I now want to see the tape submissions from the GWF Talent Search '94 almost as much as I want to see the cards and letters from the 'Win a Date with Buddy Landell' contest in Memphis. You have to love the geographical obliviousness of the average American wrestling fan. No one asks why a man from the Sub-Sahara is carrying a Chinese polearm. Only pro wrestling could make me pull for Terry Gordy wearing a Confederate Flag on his back over a guy hailing from Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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