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Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander

Posted
Posted (edited)

small notes from watching GAB85 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nqDfXv9GIY ) today:

I never really thought of Buddy Landel as a heavyhitter until seeing him exchange with Ron Bass

Ole probably has all sorts of little interesting features in the ring that could be easier to notice in a match with no commentary in an area where he's used to working his way

One of those impressive crowds where there's at least one camera angle that does not do the crowd size justice, like how World Class managed to have a camera angle for Kerry/Flair in 84 that showed the one part of the stadium where they didn't sell tickets

EDIT: oh man, the visual of Kamala being driven to the ring in a golf cart is unintentionally amazing

Also gotta imagine the concept of the ring being surrounded by grass is unique for large promotions

love that they kept in the ring announcer telling people to move their cars out of the way of the fireworks show

Don't have enough "champion enters from a news copter" entrances in modern wrestling

David Crockett dressed like he's golfing while refereeing this match

Flair taps a gnarly bladejob, a fan rushes the ring and the Charlotte cops have to get him out mid-match, the Russians having to wipe out random babyface doofs postmatch, having wrestlers making saves while in street clothes was a decision after there was a fan rushing the ring mid-match, apparently this was a very drunk crowd, awesome times

Edited by Cobra Commander
  • Like 1
hammerva

hammerva

Posted
Posted (edited)

Also funny how the announcer for Bash 85 was messing up a bunch of names.   Calling Arn Anderson Gene Anderson.  Calling Crusher Nikkita Koloff before realizing that didn't make sense.  I feel like he confused Buzz Tyler and Sawyer a couple times  

Liked how some wrestlers were so casual in leaving the ring after a match that it kind of looked bad.  Like Ron Bass (a babyface at the time) exiting the thing right next to the Andersons as they were entering it like it was no big deal.  

i assume this was a Network edit but I want to believe that the NWA hired a high school band in the Charlotte area to play that music Nikita Koloff came to the ring with.   We also should be lucky that Flair or someone told him of the huge roll up of carpet that was near the entrance or we would have had a Shockmaster thing 

Edited by hammerva
Casey

Casey

Posted
Posted

It would be great if they had Alundra versus Bull from the OsakaMania show but I'm not sure that anything beyond the fancam recording of it exists. I'd love it if they posted any of the Mania shows or matches from Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya or Yokohama.

Not counting her cup of coffee with WWF in the '86, Bull only ever wrestled Heidi Lee Morgan & Alundra Blayze. Two people across a basically one year run with them. That's insane. Not that the women's side was especially deep at that time or anything, but still. She leaves in April, and then they start bringing in all the joshi after that pretty much.

  • Like 1
Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander

Posted
Posted

Notes from watching the 86 Bash (7/5/86 Charlotte):

Quote

Who in JCP was so into skydiving that skydivers made appearances in back to back years?

The layout of the on-field seating is a bit less ambitious than the 85 Bash (23k for this card and appears a lot of them are in stadium seats). Although it's cool for them that the weather cooperated.

The fans are heated for the introductions of Denny Brown vs Steve Regal. Denny Brown has a Harley Race color scheme robe. Denny Brown looking just as scuzzy as Steve Regal. Steve Regal looking like Steve Corino did for a few years. My alternate explanation is that Steve Regal could have ended up in the Fabulous Ones if he was in the right place at the right time. Heels making false charges as a way to get time to rest is sort of a lost art, the best restholds are the ones where it's not obvious that it's a resthold. Hey, it's a time call that totally isn't giving away the finish. That fan in the red hat in the front row was waiting for this night for months. This Charlotte stadium really looking like the WPA project that it was. Joe Hendry just needs to grow out his hair to look like Mr. Electricity Steve Regal. I think you'd need to do timecalls for a month or two without a draw to reintroduce the concept without making people immediately think the match will be a draw. Red Hat fan is next to two guys in cowboy hats. We get a draw, HistoryOfWWE made the finish sound better than it was ("the match ended as Brown was repeatedly punching Regal in the face" is technically true, but the punches were jabs). Denny Brown and Steve Regal sorta had the dynamic of "Steve Regal dated Denny Brown's younger sister and cheated on her and Denny Brown is out for revenge" but not really quite that because Denny Brown is sorta "less interesting Marty Jannetty" in regard to how he looks and mid-80s American Jr. Heavyweight wrestling was still burdened with the curse of white guys not yet being able to jump.

Those cowboy hat guys must be thrilled to see Black Bart in person. Robert Gibson getting to slum it with Black Bart while Ricky wrestles Flair. Just imagine if Bray Wyatt got really into being Black Bart instead of being Kevin Sullivan. Could use some more side headscissors takedowns in 2025 wrestling just to mix it up. Gibson really selling hard for Black Bart. Wonder how much better/worse it is to walk on natural grass in wrestling boots compared to concrete. Black Bart's leg drop makes me think he would have had a killer senton if he had tried one. That clothesline was sorta hit from an unusual angle by Bart. Robert Gibson wins with a cross body but the match wasn't for Black Bart's Mid-Atlantic title because that title was close to the end anyways and the Mid-Atlantic Show was either done or about to turn into NWA Pro.

More cowboy hats, Dusty is in full control. Andersons taking on Sam Houston and Nelson Royal. You can see from his outfit that Nelson Royal is a cowboy, also by him doing the Bunkhouse Stampede video. Nelson Royal is challenging Johnny Weaver for "most Craig Sager looking dude on the roster". The sun setting really does wonders for making the place feel fuller. Ole and Nelson Royal looking like a fight in the parking lot of a bowling alley. With high enough definition, you can see that the Andersons aren't wearing the same shade of red as Royal/Houston. Well, a bicep claw is certainly the sort of move that would make sense of Ole to use which transitions into Ole groping Nelson Royal's left breast a little. Ole seems like he would have talked about some sort of pressure point in the bicep that he would dig a thumb into. Both Ole and Arn working over Nelson Royal's pectoral. Some good work by Ole to tag out and then walk over to block Royal from being able to reach Houston. That Sam Houston bulldog on Arn looked good. Heels win after chicanery behind Earl Hebner's back and Arn pins Houston. Nelson Royal looking like a high school football coach spending time with one of his former players.

Manny Fernandez. Baron with a robe and t-shirt. Paul Jones looking like a third world dictator. It's a bunkhouse match. Baron in a yellow t-shirt and jeans is a weird look for his gimmick. It'd be like if the Iron Sheik was working a bunkhouse match in jeans and a t-shirt with "IRAN" on it. I think one of Baron's jean legs is tucked into his boot but the other isn't. I guess it's a good thing Baron's t-shirt wasn't too authentic for the gimmick or else the Vault would have skipped this match in the upload. Baron with a stabbing object. I guess blood would be visible on a canary yellow shirt. So who was using the Weasel name first between Paul Jones and Bobby Heenan. Man, gnarly Manny bladejob. Wait, this bunkhouse match with no rules has a time limit. I think one of the McAdamPod episodes compared Dick Murdoch's look to Vernon Schillinger from Oz but Baron looks more like someone who would be in a Nazi prison gang on HBO.  Baron's jeans are falling down. Manny pulling Baron's shirt up like this is a hockey fight. Fortunately Baron is not as into spots showing his bare ass as Ric Flair was. Baron bleeding now. Manny just missing that crossbody and flying to the floor is a spot. I guess it makes sense that Baron's pants are falling off he took off his belt earlier. Manny Fernandez wins with a small package counter. If you think about it, shouldn't Baron's "come as you are" outfit involve him wearing gym shorts like a demented Bob Backlund and not long blue jeans.

Gorgeous Jimmy vs Wahoo in an Indian Strap Match. There is a lot of potential for this one to be good. Jimmy's stuff is so shiny. Precious prematch gesturing like she would call the cops if she saw suspicious looking people in the neighborhood. Good camera work to cut to Wahoo just staring as Precious and Jimmy kiss. Yesss Wahoo just walks up and straps Jimmy from behind to interrupt the romance. You see, the pace of this match is simple, Wahoo's gonna hit Jimmy hard with stuff over and over. Got some brawling around ringside and over the rail. Wahoo is bleeding. Jimmy is bleeding. Strap matches can be a little formulaic, especially when it's "touch all four corners" strap matches, so just bleed to make things seem less lame. Wahoo wins after touching the corners and we get a postmatch brawl before Jimmy bails out. Well, Jimmy Garvin is what he is as a worker and 1986 Wahoo pretty much is gonna just hit you hard and move slowly.

Tully Blanchard and JJ Dillon wandering through the field to the ring. Ron Garvin riding on a golf cart with Wahoo. This is a 10 round taped fist round. There must be some amazing "Heel gets hustled into signing a really inopportune match" content to explain Tully being in there with Ron Garvin in a taped first match. Ron Garvin feels like a guy who could have a fun match or two in CWA matches in Austria. And Tully gets knocked down and out prematch. Shouldn't JJ have farmed out the cornerman job, it's a bit beneath him. Tully flopping around like wild for Garvin as one would expect. Tully feels like he could have done the "No hitting in the face" match with Shawn Michaels just as well as Rick Martel did. Which is to say that Tully, on-screen, feels like the Horseman least equipped to handle himself in a fight. In reality is probably different. Tully gets knocked out during the rest period. Round-based wrestling outside of CWA/WOS feels like it always kinda stinks. Just imagine if the timing was right for Ron Garvin to be around during the heyday of toughman contests and they'd have goober Oklahoma looking dudes fighting Ron Garvin in worked toughman fights. Another bladejob (this time by Tully). The match switches quick from "fighting over a backslide" to "Tully gets knocked out before the end of the round again". Maybe my question about "walking on grass in wrestling boots" ignores that this looks like the setup for numerous wrestling shows held at county fairs. Ronnie Garvin finally in some peril during the 3rd round. Garvin knocked to his knees in the 4th and he starts bleeding and he's selling like he's angry about the whole thing. Hey we got a Tully pinfall attempt in a match with no pinfalls ("You can't pin the man!"). Wahoo hits an atomic drop to fling Tully into a Garvin punch. Tully in more trouble to end Round 4. More peril for Tully in round 5. Both men go down for a 10 count and the first man to their feet wins. JJ comes in to fan Tully like Lenny Randle trying to blow a fair ball foul. Wahoo splashes water on Garvin behind Tommy Young's back and Garvin gets up and wins. JJ points out that there's a giant fucking splash of water on the mat but Tommy Young isn't about to put two and two together. Tully did a pretty good job eating an extended beating and keeping it interesting. Tommy Young is so theatric walking over to prevent JJ from raising Tully's hand. Tully still getting "I Quit" chants 7 months after Starrcade 85. JJ showing Tommy Young an empty water bucket and tossing it at him and walking off.

Road Warriors vs Russians in a Double Russian Chain match. It would be unwieldy to have one chain that would have to be reattached after tags. Nikita is chained to Hawk, Ivan is chained to Animal. So you get spots with Ivan and Hawk or with Animal and Nikita where the pairing comes into play. Bunkhouse, Strap, Taped First, Chain match, all the breathers are in the parts of the card that got clipped out. Ivan is bleeding, someone claimed that there are 12 bladejobs on this card and I think Ivan is #7. Tommy Young dramatic ref bump to the grass. Road Warriors win after Ellering shoves Ivan into getting crotched on the top rope. Roadies probably got a pretty good "money made/minutes worked" ratio for this one.

Boogie Woogie vs Shaska Whatley starts off quick. Shaska with some blatant cheating on a pinning move. This is hair vs hair and the announcer just decides to announce it a few minutes into the match just in case you thought this wasn't important. Paul Jones is with Shaska as part of the endless Boogie/Jones feud. Maybe if Jones needed money badly enough in 1991, Paul Jones could have been Colonel Mustafa with Slaughter and Adnan. Boogie Woogie is bleeding (blood #8?). 1986 was a simpler time when letting Jimmy Valiant bleed on you didn't seem as dangerous as it was (and Jimmy had already had missed time hepatitis a few years earlier). Shaska selling getting punched in the stomach loudly. Shaska really going toe to toe with Boogie for theatric selling in this one. This match could sell out any county fair in a small North Carolina town. A shirtless Baron runs in before Manny Fernandez makes a save. Jimmy Valiant gets the evil Germanic black glove to knock out Shaska for the win. Various available babyfaces show up to help Jimmy shave Shaska's hair. Don't worry, the Jimmy Valiant/Paul Jones feud isn't over because Jimmy wants Paul Jones hair next. Baron is in anguish over the whole thing. Shaska does the "wake up and realize I don't have hair" spot which you may remember from 9 months later at WM3 when Adonis did it with a mirror. Baron is available to tell Shaska it's not so bad being bald.

We got a steel cage and the match is Dusty/Magnum/Baby Doll vs the Midnights/Cornette. Ring Announcer really enjoying saying "Baby Doll". It's "Six man and woman" tag team action because woke words like "person" don't exist in 1986. Cornette with a Lawler color scheme bodysuit for this one. Cornette trying to hide somewhere. It looks painful to touch the top (or any part) of the Crockett cage. Midnights bumping around for our heroes. Dennis joins the bladejob crew (#9?). Cornette gets in, misses an elbowdrop, Babydoll is tagged in and he flees. Magnum taps a gusher (#10). Baby Doll rushes in and hits Cornette and pins him. I don't think Bobby bled but I had to keep an eye on things. Upset of the century that there's a double digit number of bladejobs on a card with Dusty and Dusty didn't bleed until the postmatch with him and Bubba. So actually I think that the count of "12 guys bleeding' is gonna be wrong because it's gonna be 13 after Morton/Flair (Morton, Flair, Dusty, Dennis, Magnum, Valiant, Ivan, Tully, Garvin, Wahoo, Garvin, Manny, Baron).

So how long is that helicopter ride for Ric Flair to this stadium? Did they have 4 random dudes handling a red carpet when Charlotte Flair did this entrance? How much did the helicopter ride cost compared to the guys working the card. Lots of "local TV figures unaware that Flair is a heel now" energy to the Flair intro here. Ricky Morton's facemask is more stylish than the Aldo Montoya jockstrap. Ricky Morton rubbing Ric Flair's face into the mat for revenge and we get to see some of Ric Flair's bare ass. Lots of loud anguished selling from Flair. Flair finally rips off the faceguard to throw Ricky into the cage and Ricky is bleeding. This is sort of the Ric Flair in a universe where Ric Flair was as dedicated to violence as he is to styling and profiling. Tommy Young selling that figure four as hard as the wrestlers. The eventual WWE Vault Ric Flair mix tape is gonna be 10 hours long. Fiery Ricky come back and it's time for Ric Flair to bleed. So how many bladejobs can you have in a show before they run out of bandages or stitches. Flair selling having his face rubbed into a cage like he's having his beauty ruined. Love the uncensored "AWWW SHIT" Ric Flair selling. Flair wins after dropping Ricky on his balls on the top rope and pinning him with his feet on the ropes. I suspect that was a bit of a quandary about how to finish this match if that's how it ended. A bit of the Rock'n'Rolls success involved them pretty much having to remind fans once and awhile that they were also mean bastards and that was one display of that.

Don't see too many wrestling shows with postmatch fireworks shows.

More blood for the blood God.. I think some of these matches would fit in on the "Blood Sucking Freaks" thread..

  • Like 3
Curt McGirt

Curt McGirt

Posted
Posted
On 7/2/2025 at 4:45 PM, Cobra Commander said:

Tully Blanchard and JJ Dillon wandering through the field to the ring. Ron Garvin riding on a golf cart with Wahoo. This is a 10 round taped fist round. There must be some amazing "Heel gets hustled into signing a really inopportune match" content to explain Tully being in there with Ron Garvin in a taped first match. Ron Garvin feels like a guy who could have a fun match or two in CWA matches in Austria. And Tully gets knocked down and out prematch. Shouldn't JJ have farmed out the cornerman job, it's a bit beneath him. Tully flopping around like wild for Garvin as one would expect. Tully feels like he could have done the "No hitting in the face" match with Shawn Michaels just as well as Rick Martel did. Which is to say that Tully, on-screen, feels like the Horseman least equipped to handle himself in a fight. In reality is probably different. Tully gets knocked out during the rest period. Round-based wrestling outside of CWA/WOS feels like it always kinda stinks. Just imagine if the timing was right for Ron Garvin to be around during the heyday of toughman contests and they'd have goober Oklahoma looking dudes fighting Ron Garvin in worked toughman fights. Another bladejob (this time by Tully). The match switches quick from "fighting over a backslide" to "Tully gets knocked out before the end of the round again". Maybe my question about "walking on grass in wrestling boots" ignores that this looks like the setup for numerous wrestling shows held at county fairs. Ronnie Garvin finally in some peril during the 3rd round. Garvin knocked to his knees in the 4th and he starts bleeding and he's selling like he's angry about the whole thing. Hey we got a Tully pinfall attempt in a match with no pinfalls ("You can't pin the man!"). Wahoo hits an atomic drop to fling Tully into a Garvin punch. Tully in more trouble to end Round 4. More peril for Tully in round 5. Both men go down for a 10 count and the first man to their feet wins. JJ comes in to fan Tully like Lenny Randle trying to blow a fair ball foul. Wahoo splashes water on Garvin behind Tommy Young's back and Garvin gets up and wins. JJ points out that there's a giant fucking splash of water on the mat but Tommy Young isn't about to put two and two together. Tully did a pretty good job eating an extended beating and keeping it interesting. Tommy Young is so theatric walking over to prevent JJ from raising Tully's hand. Tully still getting "I Quit" chants 7 months after Starrcade 85. JJ showing Tommy Young an empty water bucket and tossing it at him and walking off.

I must've missed this; anyway, my review for anybody else is in the WWE News thread. You really really really should watch this match; I did twice already and could go another. I didn't notice how much actual cheating wrestling happens here from both guys at first, and the return of the bucket of water from the start to finish the match is some brilliant shit. Of course this "suffers" from the We Can't Count In Wrestling thing that every match involving rounds or time limits does, because there isn't a single actual 30 minute rest period in this; at least Tommy gets the ten-counts right, it seems. He also really serves the match with trying to keep this shit together. 

  • Like 1
Cobra Commander

Cobra Commander

Posted
Posted

I missed Dustin driving Garvin/Wahoo to the ring, even if I had seen that clip before, because I was wondering about why Wahoo was seen so quickly after his match had just ended

but as I already posted... there was an opening for Ron Garvin to do worked "toughman fights" as that was just becoming big at the end of Garvin's career, but wrestling may not have been aware of what was going on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FEG_iQxHw4

  • Like 1
Curt McGirt

Curt McGirt

Posted
Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Of course this "suffers" from the We Can't Count In Wrestling thing that every match involving rounds or time limits does, because there isn't a single actual 30 minute rest period in this

Good god, apparently I can't count either 😄 30 SECOND. (and yeah, I really can't count... I can't even long divide)

Edited by Curt McGirt
  • Haha 1
Curt McGirt

Curt McGirt

Posted
Posted

Oh man, the spot in that cage tag where Condrey is gonna piledrive Magnum and Magnum goes up for it then just falls back down to his feet while Condrey bumps on his ass is priceless. It's so goofy it would work in CHIKARA and so simple it could be done by a backyarder, would have always been good for a laugh, but I can't ever recall seeing it. 

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