Mister TV Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Not sure this goes here, but was George "The Animal" Steele any good at any point? All I can recall of him was him eating turnbuckles with a green tongue in the 80's. In the late 60's/early 70's he was good enough to do great business with Bruno in Pittsburgh which got him runs at MSG and the other WWWF arena's against Bruno and then Strongbow. At that time his gimmick wasn't as over the top as he spoke clearly in promos and did a lot of mat work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H. Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I thought Steele was a also a draw in the Detroit area in the 60s? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 That was before the Steele gimmick, though. He worked under a mask as the Student or somesuch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Steele was an accomplished wrestler who understood the business, both inside the ring and out. He could get heat and put asses in seats. He was reliable, and a believable brawler for Bruno, Morales, Backlund and Hogan. He worked well with The Three Wise Men of the East. He adopted a gimmick that allowed him to work as he aged, and lucked into the child-friendly Hogan era which extended his ring years. He planned on becoming an agent (which he did do later) but he will admit that the Elizabeth angle extended his shelf life greatly. He retired after a conversation with Mr. McMahon over Steele's objections to the style that led into the Attitude Era. Also present at that meeting were Patterson and Brisco, who obviously had less qualms. Steele also had one of the best finishers EVER that no one else was able to duplicate. There definitely was a devolution to his character over the decades, but the man always was ringsmart. - RAF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grilledcheese Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Steele also had one of the best finishers EVER that no one else was able to duplicate. There definitely was a devolution to his character over the decades, but the man always was ringsmart. - RAF The Flying Hammerlock? What was so amazing and innovative about that? I realize that the vast majority of his matches revolved around armwork, so I get that part of it. Or was there something else that he used at some other point in time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LP Steve Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Steele also had one of the best finishers EVER that no one else was able to duplicate. There definitely was a devolution to his character over the decades, but the man always was ringsmart. - RAF The Flying Hammerlock? What was so amazing and innovative about that? I realize that the vast majority of his matches revolved around armwork, so I get that part of it. Or was there something else that he used at some other point in time? Yeah, certainly not unique. Dale Lewis was using that move in Florida in the late 60s-early 70s. And I'm sure there were others that aren't coming to my slightly drunk mind at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I forgot about The Professor's Lewis Lock! GSteele's version is more memorable in my mind since I saw it on TV as it was happening, as it were. It was over, and the squash matches built up to it perfectly. "Dislocating" Rick Bolton's arm certainly made an impression. I hesitate to have to qualify my love for the move, but it certainly helped to be there. Amazing? No, impressive. Innovative? No, effective. It was painful looking and booked brilliantly, and all the more dramatic coming from this bestial rassler. Not every move needs to be flippy or coming off the top rope or onto the apron... - RAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEN! Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Bolton's freaky arm: http://youtu.be/N0pl3o5Vee0 Steele really did end up getting Bushwhacker'd. I'm not even sure I ever saw him win a match when I was a kid. Just eating turnbuckles and lusting after Liz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charro! Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 So I was looking at WWF/WWE match results on Pro-Wrestling history and have a question about some of these attendances: July 19, 1986 in Pontiac, MI Silverdome drawing 5,000 This I assume is the same Pontiac Silverdome that was host to WrestleMania III, is this attendance correct and why book a 80,000 seat arena when only 5,000 fans turned up?? May 11, 1986 in New Orleans, LASuperdome drawing 3,500 July 5, 1986 in New Orleans, LA Superdome drawing 1,800 Didn't Bill Watts Mid-South/UWF sell out the Superdome on a number of occasions?, Hulk & JYD were on the May 11th show in a tag match so you'd have thought that a former Mid-South favorite like JYD would have been a big draw. In comparison, Mid-South did a 11,000 attendance in June & 13,000 in November, so I'm wondering why the WWF attendances were so low in comparison, where fans loyal to Watts & Mid-South or wasn't the WWF as popular in Louisiana at the time?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playa Shunna Ver 3.0 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Maybe the buildings had accessory arenas. Like MSG had the Felt Forum which was way smaller, but people still claimed as playing MSG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cool arrow Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Maybe the Mid-South fans weren't interested in sports entertainment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister TV Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 The Silverdome would have used their basketball set-up, during that time the Pistons played there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 So I was looking at WWF/WWE match results on Pro-Wrestling history and have a question about some of these attendances: July 19, 1986 in Pontiac, MI Silverdome drawing 5,000 This I assume is the same Pontiac Silverdome that was host to WrestleMania III, is this attendance correct and why book a 80,000 seat arena when only 5,000 fans turned up?? May 11, 1986 in New Orleans, LASuperdome drawing 3,500 July 5, 1986 in New Orleans, LA Superdome drawing 1,800 Didn't Bill Watts Mid-South/UWF sell out the Superdome on a number of occasions?, Hulk & JYD were on the May 11th show in a tag match so you'd have thought that a former Mid-South favorite like JYD would have been a big draw. In comparison, Mid-South did a 11,000 attendance in June & 13,000 in November, so I'm wondering why the WWF attendances were so low in comparison, where fans loyal to Watts & Mid-South or wasn't the WWF as popular in Louisiana at the time?. As someone who grew up in a Watts territory (OKC), there was definitely brand loyalty here and it took a long time for fans to truly switch over to the WWF. Even years after Mid-South ceased to exist and there was no other option, the house show attendance here was still pretty awful until the Attitude era (half full buildings at best even for shows headlined by Hogan.) Not to mention the marketing of house shows was so abysmal, going through the History of WWE site, I was shocked to find at least two house shows that happened here I never even knew about. BTW, as far as the Silverdome goes, the place had a separate set-up for basketball that only used a quarter of the building (18,000 seats or so) and blocked off all the rest. It wasn't as if 5,000 people were scattered around the entire stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charro! Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 The Silverdome would have used their basketball set-up, during that time the Pistons played there. Ah, that makes more sense now, thanks. As someone who grew up in a Watts territory (OKC), there was definitely brand loyalty here and it took a long time for fans to truly switch over to the WWF. Even years after Mid-South ceased to exist and there was no other option, the house show attendance here was still pretty awful until the Attitude era (half full buildings at best even for shows headlined by Hogan.) Not to mention the marketing of house shows was so abysmal, going through the History of WWE site, I was shocked to find at least two house shows that happened here I never even knew about. BTW, as far as the Silverdome goes, the place had a separate set-up for basketball that only used a quarter of the building (18,000 seats or so) and blocked off all the rest. It wasn't as if 5,000 people were scattered around the entire stadium. Interesting, thanks. Had a feeling that brand loyalty was important and Mid-South was a different more realistic style compared to the more glitz & glamour WWF. When Vince was hiring up talent & putting territories out of business did any other territories fans turn their back on the WWF where it wasn't a big draw even in the day of Hulkamania & the Attitude Era?. I'll take a guess at Georgia after the boycott when Vince bought Georgia Championship Wrestling & took their time slot on TBS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Georgia is definitely one. Crockett was still doing sell-out business in the Omni in 85 and 86, while the WWF struggled to put more than a few thousand when they'd run there. Memphis was another one whose crowds paled in comparison. One embarrassing Mid-South Coliseum show in 1987 drew 700 people. They even did a show catering to the Memphis fans in 1988 with a Randy Savage/Rick Rude main event and even that didn't do business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charro! Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thanks. I think the Savage-Rude match did 2,800 at the Coliseum in '88, but all things considered, that should have been a sell-out. A 1989 card did better with 6,000. I wonder whether Hogan and any main event talent(s) where on the 1987 card as can't seem to find match listings for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 The only person I know who was on that 1987 show for sure was Harley Race since Jerry Lawler sued the WWF before the show for calling Harley "The King" and actually got a court order that banned Race from being called "King" at any future Memphis show. I would assume that real life altercation was the basis for the Bret Hart/Jerry Lawler feud six years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tromatagon Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 They should have started calling him Emperor Race Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 They should have started calling him Emperor Race Master Race....and we later find out it would have been better suited for Hogan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomAct Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 They should have started calling him Emperor Race Master Race....and we later find out it would have been better suited for Hogan Whatever you say, Jack. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 The first time WWF referenced WCW on their programming? Did they mention them by name during Flair's initial run? Would have been like early 96 I imagine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyMax46 Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Flair's first WWF run was 91-93. They never referred to them by name. Always calling them "Turner" or "Atlanta" First time I remember them actually naming WCW was in one of the Billionaire Ted sketches. They took an ad in the New York Times claiming Turner misapropriated Turner Stock to fund WCW. They even showed the ad on a February 1996 Raw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolCB Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I'd assume it might've been when Vince would throw over to a Billionaire Ted skit. Could be wrong though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Flair's first WWF run was 91-93. They never referred to them by name. Always calling them "Turner" or "Atlanta" First time I remember them actually naming WCW was in one of the Billionaire Ted sketches. They took an ad in the New York Times claiming Turner misapropriated Turner Stock to fund WCW. They even showed the ad on a February 1996 Raw. Trying to recall when they even did that, re: Atlanta/Turner? Vaguely remember an odd inference during an interaction between Piper and Valentine in....a Rumble maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyMax46 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 It was usually during shows with Ross' commentary. Or they referred to them as "Down South" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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