stro Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 https://legitshook.squarespace.com/strobogos-wrasslin-potpourri-reviews/first-annual-jim-crockett-sr-memorial-cup-1986 In watching the first annual Crockett Cup, I realized that what I was watching was the true peak of the Territory Era. Never again would there be so much star power from so many promotions working together on one show in the US. Instead of a simple write up, it turned into a sprawling, 10k word project detailing the careers of all the teams involved, with links on the site, and matches from all of them. In the ended, it took over a week to put together, with 30+ hours of footage from the 60s-90s, from the WWWF to AWA to JCP to Georgia to Florida to WCCW to Portland to Memphis to WCW to AJPW to NJPW, and more. It was a labor of love and couldn't have been done without the great Memphis set from here those years ago, as it turns out everyone worth a shit showed up in Memphis. Hopefully it works as a good primer for those who were not around for the territory era, or who want to educate themselves on it today. There's never been a better time with all the access to so many promotions, from the Network or Youtube. I hope a couple of you here get some usage out of it. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Crockett Cup '86 was pretty much the territory system going out in a blaze of glory, wasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Crockett Cup '86 was pretty much the territory system going out in a blaze of glory, wasn't it? Pretty much. Just about everything was dead or absorbed within the next 2-3 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 86 was really the best of the Crockett Cups in terms of both diversity and quality of the teams entered. I know 87 was also released on VHS because I had it, but did 88 ever get released? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisco Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Yes it was. www.amazon.com/Crockett-Cup-1988-VHS-Wrestling/dp/6301216571 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGFanJay Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Oh my God, that bump Buzz Sawyer took for Koko's dropkick was amazing. That WWE MSW set's music video for him, similarly, showed how you can take a simple thing and put your own twist on it to make it yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 This is a tremendous work of scholarship although I vociferously disagree with your opinion of thee Sheepherders. Watch more South Eastern Championship and emerge from your cocoon of childhood fears. I really really like when folks do a primer on rassling basic knowledge without condescension and this is on of the best presented and researched I have seen. Well done. It's is an overused idiom but a million, billion stars. long live The Commonwealth Army, RAF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 This is a tremendous work of scholarship although I vociferously disagree with your opinion of thee Sheepherders. Watch more South Eastern Championship and emerge from your cocoon of childhood fears. I really really like when folks do a primer on rassling basic knowledge without condescension and this is on of the best presented and researched I have seen. Well done. It's is an overused idiom but a million, billion stars. long live The Commonwealth Army, RAF Thanks. But fuck the Kiwis/Sheepherders/Bushwhackers. All versions. Terrible. I've seen footage of them from basically every promotion they ever worked for in North America and no one will ever, ever convince me they weren't awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MADCAP Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Also, Mid-South, Rat Pack Jim Duggan was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H. Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 A quick note on The Fabulous Ones history, for the second half of 1986 The Fabs were mainly competing in Florida feuding with Oliver Humperdink's stable (which included the Sheepherder's for the Fabs to feud with again). They split at the end of the year with Keirn staying in Florida and Lane debuting in Spring 87 with the Midnight Express. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 A quick note on The Fabulous Ones history, for the second half of 1986 The Fabs were mainly competing in Florida feuding with Oliver Humperdink's stable (which included the Sheepherder's for the Fabs to feud with again). They split at the end of the year with Keirn staying in Florida and Lane debuting in Spring 87 with the Midnight Express. James Where did the heel turn come from? They were clearly heel in Mid South, but I can't find any info on why they turned heel or what they did as a heel team. Seems really weird to turn the heartthrob team heel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H. Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I've never seen the heel turn myself. I remember their AWA run and appearance at Wrestlerock that year (by then they were working Florida regularly and did Wrestlerock a a favor for Verne, though they jobbed to Windham and Rotunda). I was unaware of their Mid-South run entirely. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I remember that one commercial video series in the 80s that had Watts/Boesch stuff and it had heel Fabs (wearing the snake skn trunks) vs face Hector/Chavo in a cage match i think from Houston. That was the first time i think i saw them as heels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I remember that one commercial video series in the 80s that had Watts/Boesch stuff and it had heel Fabs (wearing the snake skn trunks) vs face Hector/Chavo in a cage match i think from Houston. That was the first time i think i saw them as heels. They were definitely doing matches against the Guerreros as heels in Mid South around the time of the Crockett Cup. No one seems to know why or how they turned heel. It's weird. Even people who was around to watch it as it happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 If I remember correctly, the just arrived in Mid South as heels. Back then they didn't need to find a reason why. Unless you read the magazines, people weren't aware of what went on in another promotion. I'm sure someone on commentary said something about "Well, we've heard that these boys were good fellas, but apparently that's not the attitude they're taking now." And that'd be the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobholly138 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Read this last night when I couldn't sleep and loved it. In 86 the only JCP stuff I got to see was the syndicated show. In my area we got more of the WWF syndicated shows plus Mid South.Memphis,Florida,WCCW and Continental. Gotta disagree with you on the Sheepherders and Duggan. While I didn't care for either of them in WWF. I loved them in the other territories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H. Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Its weird in this discussion about the Fabs because I remember the Guerreros as heels in Mid South for some reason James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 Its weird in this discussion about the Fabs because I remember the Guerreros as heels in Mid South for some reason James The matches I watched from JCP/Mid South in the lead up to the Cup def had the Fabs as heels against Chavo. Specifically the Keirn/Chavo match with the loser getting painted yellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Its weird in this discussion about the Fabs because I remember the Guerreros as heels in Mid South for some reason James In the match i mentioned above, i seem to recall the Fabs choking the Guerreros with their own bandalleros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Face, heel ... can we at least agree that we're getting older? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 In Florida, the Guerreros were great lucha heels in the ring whilst doing near-comedic stereotype interviews. Chavo was in love with the weather girl from the local station who would do the CWF rankings and he would serenade her on mariachi guitar and eat hot peppers to prove his machismo. Mando would translate. I actually came here to post the Fantastics/TTaylor v. Sheepherders/JVictory Barbed Wired 2x4 Cage Match but this came up, speaking to stro from the past to his soul: BLOODY YANK, RAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I think I linked that match in the write up. Maybe. I didn't spend much time looking up Bushwhacker matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 If you watch the promo it's right there in the linked videos. EDIT: Watched it, never seen it before. My opinion: it's pretty cool that there was a W*ING match put on regional Louisiana TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Jesus, how did Tommy Rogers dive off the top of that rickety ass cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 Florida blazed more Sports Entertainment trails than many people remember and I think at this point it’s the best stuff WWE has that isn’t represented correctly. My old man swore Pak Song vs Dusty Rhodes was the best match ever and while I haven’t seen it yet, I’ve obviously read up it. Their matches were definitely wild at the time and I also obviously learned that Dusty in FL was the equivalent of Hogan in NY. The Kevin Sullivan feud just wow. I’d give anything for that comp. Matches with Terry Funk. And a midcard that included Windham, Muta, Lugar, all the good southern tag teams etc and a ton more. I haven’t seen the Crockett Cup 88 but it’s 1 unedited Holy Grail show I’m still hoping for. You could argue that it was the beginning of what we knew as WCW with Luger joining Sting at the last minute and them beating the Horsemen. Granted that’s an accolade that could be spun into a negative more than a few ways but I can’t wait to either see the show 1 day or see what’s out there. I was recently told that the edits were a rare case of WCW editing wisely and including the best matches. I haven’t seen the Sheephearders match that’s highly regarded either but I have seen some of their stuff. They weren’t technical masterminds or anything but they were wild brawlers who made fans think the faces were in real danger when they wrestled. Got heat, looked tough and got it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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