odessasteps Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 The only other orchestra I can recall is the Dutch/JJ match. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 If there is a Formal Attire Match the outcome will be a DQ because one of the wrestlers wore white after Labor Day and before Memorial Day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 47 minutes ago, odessasteps said: That's probably the best (and perhaps sometimes the worst) part of the Kakutogi boom for pro wrestling: Lets just do off the wall shit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 You gotta love Steve Corino yelling in Japanese at native Spanish speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 NJPW 1997 Kazuo Yamazaki VS Kazuyuki Fujita https://youtu.be/-RH9jNbsRC0?si=ADTGllfwb5BgZKun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 This popped up in my recommendations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 https://youtu.be/Xx3yN0leFCs?si=w0criBpH_bVEAwdC The November 15th, 1986 episode of UWF's main weekly television show, perhaps the most famous start-to-finish episode of the UWF-era of the Bill Watts-owned territory. All three championships - The UWF Heavyweight Championship, the UWF Tag Team Championship, and the UWF Television Championship - all on the line. A very newsworthy episode...but when taken in while watching the weekly TV in order, holy shit is there a TON of whiplash booking here. Spoiler Terry Gordy loses the UWF Heavyweight Championship to One Man Gang via forfeit due to suffering an arm injury at the hands of Dr. Death Steve Williams during a show-opening brawl that occurs when The Fabulous Freebirds - two of whom remember are booked to defend their championships during this episode - are also inexplicably booked in a six-man tag team match against Williams, Ted Dibiase, and Terry Taylor. Michael Hayes justifiably protests the booking of the six-man tag, leading to a brawl that occurs before the match could officially begin and Dr. Death getting revenge for the Freebirds injuring his own arm earlier in the summer. While the revenge angle is definitely a good pay off, the transition of the UWF Heavyweight Championship to One Man Gang is odd when watching the weekly television. As I mentioned in an earlier post, outside of a hot angle coming in where he costs Hacksaw Duggan the UWF Championship in the tournament to crown the inaugural champion, he has not been booked in a trajectory that goes to the UWF Championship, and the show-opening announcement by Skandor Akbar that One Man Gang is challenging for the title comes in cold with no buildup at all. Heck, the week before on UWF Television, OMG was last seen eating a superkick from the newly-turned face Savannah Jack in a multi-man Devastation Inc. vs. "faces of the UWF" brawl. On top of that, the main driving storyline of the UWF Heavyweight Championship up until this week was that Ted Dibiase had pinned Gordy clean inside a steel cage at the Sam Houston Coliseum but was not declared UWF Champion because he had stepped in last-minute to replace the injured Dr. Death and thus Dibiase himself did not have a contract for a championship match. One could argue that the forfeit loss to One Man Gang sets up the latter for rematches with Gordy AND sets up Dibiase as a challenger due to having a claim that while OMG is now the champion, Dibiase is the last man to PIN Gordy while he was UWF Heavyweight Champion, this is still a bit of a whiplash from where the title picture had been centered in previous weeks. Meanwhile, UWF Television Champion Buddy Roberts has had an ongoing feud with Terry Taylor over the championship in recent weeks, most recently scuffing up Taylor's face by grinding it into the mat. So of course, when it's time for Roberts to lose the UWF Television Championship this week, his loss is to the newly-turned-face Savannah Jack again with no real buildup. Savannah Jack hasn't really shown much as an in-ring performer, initially coming in as a pretty bland heel as part of what is the most rag-tag collection of wrestlers that Akbar has fielded in this territory under the Devastation Inc. banner, with One Man Gang as the main focus of the group, but rounded out by journeymen wrestlers like Bill Irwin, Leroy Brown, and initially Savannah Jack that don't really carry the same menace and presence that the group has wielded in the past. Akbar turns on Savannah Jack after losing a match to Hacksaw Duggan, and while as a face, Savannah Jack still doesn't really show much in terms of ringwork OR charisma, a storyline that plays out over several weeks positioning him as a "man alone" fighting back against Devastation Inc. does a great job getting him over with the Tulsa TV crowd, until he is finally saved from a four-on-one beatdown the previous week by Duggan, Chavo Guerrero, Iceman Parsons, and the newly-entered-the-territory Chris Adams (who Bill Watts on commentary this week matter-of-factly and hilariously says was a "World Champion" in another place until they "fabricated a match that didn't happen" to take the title off of him). And Savannah Jack's victory over Buddy Roberts - after Taylor comes to ringside to show support - gets a helluva pop from the live crowd as well, but still, given the issue heading into this week's TV had been Roberts vs Taylor, again, more whiplash. On the previous week's TV, The Fantastics finally had their final UWF Tag Team Championship run ended by John Tatum and Jack Victory in controversial fashion. Given that Tatum and Victory had been having a heel vs heel feud with Eddie Gilbert, Missy Hyatt, Rick Steiner, and Sting, one would think that was where the new champions would be heading. Instead, on the very next week's television, Tatum and Victory run into the brick wall of Devastation Inc., losing the belts to Bad Leroy Brown (who if he ever had a prime, was completely washed and barely mobile by this point) and Wild Bill Irwin (who was definitely a capable performer, but never managed to recapture the magic of his tag teams with this brother Scott Irwin, who would pass away from cancer the following year). The title change is completely heatless, with Brown and Irwin having had no juice at all heading into this match, and the heel vs heel dynamic here with no prior issues between the two teams and the enormity of the prior two title changes just kind of silences the crowd. Even if the belts were going to be switched to Brown and Irwin, it feels like having Tatum and Victory be single-week transition champions was an unnecessary complication in getting there, and just having The Fantastics lose them directly to Brown and Irwin would have gotten a much more heated reaction from this live crowd and played better on television. And of course, despite having already delivered three title changes, it wouldn't be an episode of UWF television circa 1986 if they didn't try to jam one more match into the final minutes of the show, announcing One Man Gang, the newly-crowned UWF Heavyweight Champion, in a steel cage match against Hacksaw Duggan. But of course, with five minutes left in the program, first we have to show a three-minute clip from the prior week's newly-rebranded Power Pro Wrestling, a second weekly show taped at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. In this clip, Duggan saves a jobber from getting repeatedly splashed by One Man Gang. But of course, now we have two minutes left in the program, and yes, wouldn't you know, a wild brawl ensues at the start of the steel cage match with OMG splashing Duggan repeatedly in the cage before WE'RE OUTTA TIME! In my previous post, I mentioned how into October 1986, this does not seem like a promotion that's going to be sold in six months just from watching the weekly television. It's still an exciting show, but almost likely clockwork, the very next episode of UWF television I watched the lighting on the crowd is completely dark except for the first few rows, and in some entrance shots you can see entire rows of seats ON THE FLOOR that are completely empty. Admittedly, it could be possible that switching the Tulsa shows to mostly exclusive TV tapings may have burnt out the crowd in that city, but the same thing is happening at the newly launched tapings in Fort Worth for the rebranded Power Pro Wrestling, which starting at the end of October 1986 is now essentially a second "TV Taping"-formatted show, but ultimately it ends up diluting the television product due to the UWF not really having a deep enough roster to support two weekly television shows and the format being essentially the same as the already-existing weekly show. And hey, WE'RE OUTTA TIME doesn't take long to rear its ugly head on the "new" Power Pro Wrestling either! But hey, I guess adding that show gave the UWF enough television affiliates to make itself an attractive purchase for Jim Crockett, who has noted in the interview he did with Conrad Thompson prior to his death that the TV affiliates was the biggest draw for him to go through with the purchase of the UWF, so I guess in the end the addition of "Power Pro"-specific tapings was a win? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 49 minutes ago, clintthecrippler said: The November 15th, 1986 episode of UWF's main weekly television show, perhaps the most famous start-to-finish episode of the UWF-era of the Bill Watts-owned territory. my notes from watching this Spoiler SNME-style interviews from Akbar and Hayes before the episode starts Jim Ross runs off a promo for like 7 big matches in an hour of TV, including noting the standby match before naming like 2 more matches There's a six man elimination match involving people wrestling later in the card which doesn't actually happen Joe Savoldi unleashing dropkicks before Rick Steiner puts down the Missing Link with Belly to Belly Suplexes, also both valets get ejected quickly "Everybody Wants You" is bump music 4 years after it came out Terry Gordy can't wrestle so the One Man Gang is now the champion, that's title change #1, we got a fan pop for the One Man Gang winning via forfeit even if it's a laaaaame way to switch a title Savannah Jack sure is stylish, at least. Gotta love how they might be using the same guardrails from Irish McNeil for these road show UWF tapings. Jim Ross is announcing like he's snorting trucker amphetamines before every match. Love the pin breakup of Hayes slapping Jack from the outside. Savannah Jack wins the TV title and that's title change #2. Well, that Superkick looked good. Jim Ross going all the way in on "we know this hour is gonna be awesome, folks". Having the least likely title change go third does leave doubt in minds about if they'd switch 3 belts in an hour. Especially since the challengers aren't exactly a long-standing team. An elbow drop and that's title change #3 This is being booked like the promotion just changed bookers. Hey Ernie Ladd made it back to the UWF in late 1986 after spending his time in the WWF in 1986. His hair makes him look even older than when he shaved his facial hair off. Gotta love a TV show where random luminaries just drop in like it's the middle of a PPV. Also I guess the format is that guest commentators just show up for whenever Jim Ross has to take a breath. Ernie talks about not having the vocabulary to describe this night before using the word "elaborate". Buddy Landel vs Chavo Guerrero feels like a bit of a come-down after 3 consecutive title changes. You can get discounted tickets from Popeyes, man business really did suck rocks in New Orleans in 1986. That was a very high moonsault bodypress by Chavo. We got time remaining for a steel cage match! The Fantastics are inviting us to join them in their quest for the tag team titles! Man this steel cage looks like it'd give you tetanus if you touched it. Last week Gang splash Gary Young and then Duggan fought the Gang. Meanwhile we got chaos, Gordy's arm is casually hit with the door. There's a brawl. This match doesn't really really happen and instead we get the Gang assaulting Duggan as the 1984 Mid-Atlantic TV music plays in the background and the show ends 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 2 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said: my notes from watching this Hide contents You can get discounted tickets from Popeyes, man business really did suck rocks in New Orleans in 1986. I TOLD YA! Man, UWF in 1986 is in an interesting case study of pre Russo let's book something significant to happen every 10-15 seconds or run a major angle between every match. I watched the 8/23 episode last week, and I needed a goddamn cigarette afterwards. And I don't even smoke. I cannot imagine a two hour version of THAT. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 9 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said: Jim Ross is announcing like he's snorting trucker amphetamines before every match. Yeah, J.R. is one of my favorite announcers of all time but the era of UWF taping TV in the arenas (well, Tulsa 90 percent of the time) definitely sees him ramping up always being in ALL CAPS mode, and there are plenty of matches during this time where that absolutely was not warranted, and in the tag team championship match on this specific episode, him being in "Screamin' Jim Ross" mode just ended up accentuating the lack of crowd heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I think the main story about the business sucking in New Orleans is that the prostitutes were also experiencing a local recession in 1986 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 They also had at least 3 bookers in 1986.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 from 1970 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Point Stance Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (22) ロードウォーリアーズ！リージョンオブドゥーム！当時のちびっ子はこんな設定も確かに本気で信じてた！最強のタッグ屋永遠に！ - YouTube Neat Japanese special on The Road Warriors, featuring three matches (that look complete, though so far I've only skimmed the video( Hawk & Animal VS. Earthquake & Typhoon (SWS, 12/1991) Hawk & Animal & Johnny Ace VS. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama & Jinsei Shinzaki (AJPW Giant Baba Memorial, 5/1999) Hawk & Animal VS. Killer Khan & Yoshiaki Yatsu (AJPW, 6/1985) The coolest bits seem to be the very wacky opening location VTR segment (in which Paul Ellering rescues the LOD from a life of killing and eating deer with their bare hands!) and the closing moments, in which Animal hangs out with Masashi Ozawa/Killer Khan in Ozawa's restaurant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Thank god Animal was the one who got behind the wheel of the limo... I'm gonna have to watch this all the way through later but that opening segment should be immortalized in the Hall of Wrestlecrap. Paul Ellering as Victor Quinones and Hawk and Animal as the Headhunters has to be seen to be believed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 ARE YOU GUYS HUNGRY 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Gotta love how because of Abdullah, the Japanese think that for monster wrestlers raw chicken is the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 That was well worth 45 minutes of your time. First there's the video which is a must. Then there's the Natural Disasters match which is a nice Clash of the Titans, Godzilla vs. King Kong battle. In front of the Warriors you see just how enormous Typhoon and especially Big John Tenta are. The cool thing about the Warriors in Japan is that they will actually sell and make their opponents look good. The Baba tribute show match is also really cool because of the talent involved. It's mostly a 'greatest hits' (literally) but Johnny Ace comes off as especially vicious. Hakushi is the guy to get the heat on and they actually work holds on him for a little bit! He also does something I've never seen before by basically doing a trust fall into a flat back bump off the apron; then later he does another deadfall into a headbutt off the top like he's Honma. Everyone lays it in and works hard. There's an earnest interview with them and Ace talking about bringing all the strongest gaijin into Japan and how WCW and WWF suck. Then there's a JIP clip of vintage Warriors with a bleeding Yatsu getting mauled before a clip of Animal and Khan joking around the dinner table with the press at Khan's restaurant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Okay, DVDVR, I need your help. My friend and I both remember seeing a promo on non-TNA TV (I'm thinking CWUSA maybe?) for America's Most Wanted, probably around 2003-2005. Lots of the two riding horses shirtless, very reminiscent of the Fabs promos. Does anyone else have any memory of this? We've gone so long never finding the clip that my friend is starting to believe that we imagined the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 9 hours ago, odessasteps said: They also had at least 3 bookers in 1986.. Dick Slater, Ken Mantell, and Eddie Gilbert, right? I think it's a reasonable guess that Slater stopped booking when he left the company as a whole (which if he booked his own exit, that's awesome because his final few weeks was an incredible exercise in a heel repeatedly getting embarassed on his way out of the company). Is there a solid timeline for the transition from Mantell to Gilbert? If so, what regime did the 11/15 episode fall under? And feel free to correct me if I missed anyone here. This exploration has been a fun ride, so always happy to ingest more information and/or be corrected if something I post on this era is off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Slater, Taylor, Mantell IIRC, Gilbert is not “booker” until after the sale, although obv he is contributing ideas, esp his own programs. Edited January 8 by odessasteps 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul sosnowski Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 45 years ago (yesterday) January 7, 1979 Houston TX NWA World Heavyweight Title Match Harley Race (c) vs Andre The Giant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnqNVmZf81g 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 https://archive.org/details/fantastic-story-in-tokyo-dome-and-fighting-spirit-93-world-pro-wrestling/ Inspired by Alan Boon's Blood and Thunder Vol. 2 book, I went looking for this NJPW vs. WAR 5-on-5 Elimination that looked like it might be as good as the original NJ ones to no avail, but instead found this. Some gotta-be-great matches on here including a full Choshu vs. Tenryu bout right in the middle of their promotional war (pardon the pun). You ever wanted to see Sting fight Hiroshi Hase? Here you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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