Old School Observations/Questions 2022

[LaParkaYourCar]

Here's my review of ECW Hardcore Heaven '99.

https://classicwrestlingreview.com/2022/07/24/hardcore-heaven-99/

 

[King Kamala]

These are honestly pretty good for 1991 indie cards.

These were the shows that led to WWF punishing Greg Valentine by making him work 40-50 minutes in the ‘91 Rumble. I guess the “It takes him 20 minutes to warm up.” Line was an inside joke since he had crap cardio cause he was a cigarette smoker.

 

[Mental Lee ILL]

Does anyone here know as to Jesse Ventura had some sort of beef with his fellow WWE Hall of Famer, the late, great Dusty Rhodes? Also, why did Jesse think that Vince was a dictator and what was his reasoning for trying to form a union with the wrestlers in the WWF locker room? Did it have anything with how Hulk Hogan was being pushed?

So many questions here.

 

[King Kamala]

Jesse went into it on Talk is Jericho a few weeks back IRT the beef with Vince. He was upset that Vince told him that no wrestlers get royalties from WWF VHS releases and he later found out that Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, and Cyndi Lauper all got them.

He tried to form a union to try and improve the working conditions and pay for the wrestlers.

No idea about Dusty.

 

[Epic Springs]

Never thought id see "Paul Orndorff" and "Jamaica Avenue" on the same bill.

 

[Mental Lee ILL]

Speaking of the late Paul Orndorff, I know that he was managed by the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan TWICE. At least, that what I heard from other places. I do know about the 2nd time Heenan managed Orndorff. But when was the first time Heenan managed Mr. Wonderful?

 

[alkeiper]

What is a “controversial match?”

*sees iceman parsons vs colonel DeBeers*

Ok, that makes sense

 

[alkeiper]

Does anyone here know as to Jesse Ventura had some sort of beef with his fellow WWE Hall of Famer, the late, great Dusty Rhodes? Also, why did Jesse think that Vince was a dictator and what was his reasoning for trying to form a union with the wrestlers in the WWF locker room? Did it have anything with how Hulk Hogan was being pushed?

So many questions here.

I’d say the most likely reason was that Vince IS a dictator.

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1550810456880648192

 

[alkeiper]

Fun fact, the entire crowd was Rocky’s offspring.

 

[BruiserBrody]

If Jesse and Dusty had any heat, it had to be related to 1992-93 WCW stuff. I'm not sure they crossed paths in the territories.
--

Orndorff and Heenan https://ringthedamnbell.wordpress.c...ndorff-fires-bobby-heenan-not-once-but-twice/

Orndorff turning face in 87 because Heenan thought Rude's body was better wasn't exactly the stuff a babyface is made of.

 

[King Kamala]

Wanted some mindless entertainment for my day off so I threw on In Your House II.

Did Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie leave immediately after their match? I thought it was really odd that they had Dok Hendrix breathlessly describe them having a fistfight and not showing them actually getting into a kerfuffle.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1551610119624036353

Spiderman pointing meme?

 

[Mental Lee ILL]

What was the story with Marc Mero leaving WCW for the WWF back in 1996?

 

[Laz]

Money and booking.

According to everybody around back then, Vince saw a lot of money in Mero, and there's no way he'd have been given a chance to rise higher in WCW with the Hogan show still on top. Plus, he hated the angle with Kimberly Page, so going to a thinner roster made the most sense for hiS career.

In hindsight, I think Mero got a little shafted in the WWF, too. Once the Sable program was entirely done by September, what the hell did he even do?

EDIT: He walked with Sable following her departure over the various issues she had with the comoany in 1999. Can't blame him. It's just too bad he picked bad time after bad time to try to make returns in wrestling.

 

[strummer]

Yeah Mero was a born again Christian and did not like being associated with Kimberly on TV as a married man.

 

[BUTT]

The situation with Mero and Bischoff turned into the major topic of discussion as he quit the company Monday morning, and was then buried big-time on the air by Bischoff, who made comments about Badd blaming a woman for losing the TV title (in a match on 3/6 in Macon, GA which aired on 3/9 on WCW Saturday Night), saying he didn't feel up to showing up for his rematch with Lex Luger, and finally saying that Badd couldn't hang where the big boys play. Badd's TV title loss was not part of a burial because he was going to leave, as the situation all fell apart largely Monday morning after a few minor problems had developed earlier in the week.

The gist of the situation is that Mero was working without a contract, as his most recent deal, said by WCW sources to be in the $300,000 per year range, had expired on 2/28. He had been offered a two-year deal, rumored to be in the same dollar range, however there were other things in the contract that weren't settled. Among the items were the quarterly windows which allows WCW to fire wrestlers under contract and have no further obligation to them. According to those close to Mero, he went to Winston-Salem and wanted Bischoff to sign a paper which would guarantee him the amount of money he had been making (in the $6,000 per week range) while the two sides were in negotiations. Apparently he had been given a verbal agreement that would be the case, but was under the impression that unless it was signed, he would be making the same $150 per show that the lowest paid wrestlers in the company made. Those in WCW claim that what Mero wanted Bischoff to sign was a paper that would guarantee Mero the amount offered to him for its entirety (the rumored two years at $300,000ish) should Mero suffer a serious injury in the ring while the sides were negotiating the new deal. Mero also told Bischoff in the discussion that he had been negotiating with Titan Sports and said he had an offer on the table from them and apparently said the offer was in some ways a better deal and wanted to know from Bischoff what WCW's future plans were for him. Anyway, Bischoff refused to sign the paper and one thing led to another with Bischoff asking Mero to finish up that night after putting Luger over. Mero refused to work the show unless they had a written deal for the night and reportedly told Bischoff that he hoped he was leaving on good terms after five good years with the organization and Bischoff supposedly told him that he wasn't leaving on good terms at all.

As far as WCW was concerned, the situation came out of nowhere and we haven't heard any word on who will sub for Badd in the continuation of his (too) lengthy program with Diamond Dallas Page which included a gimmick match on 3/24 at WCW Uncensored as it was actually Page who interfered in the TV title switch match. Alex Wright, who was originally booked for a dark match on Nitro against Meng, subbed for Badd against Luger on the 3/11 Nitro card.

Because Mero's contract had expired, there is no waiting period so he theoretically could join Titan immediately, although he could not use the name Johnny B. Badd because WCW owns the name.

There were other problems over the past few weeks between Mero and Bischoff that may have aided in the split. Mero was asked to work in the pit crew for the Steve Grissom race on 3/9, which was the same day as his daughter's eighth birthday party. Mero is very well known within WCW circles for being very amenable to public appearances, but asked if they could get someone else to take his place. Bischoff called him the day before and was mad because he made the request to not do it saying a lot of people have had to miss their kids birthdays at times to build the company. When Mero finally agreed to go to the race, apparently he was called by Alan Sharpe of the WCW office who told him that Eric didn't want him anywhere near the race track. Mero had also asked recently that his angle involving being managed by Kimberly be dropped, blaming his deep religious beliefs and not wanting to be on the road affiliated with another man's wife even though it was all a role. The original angle was supposedly to be where Kimberly would be with him, then screw him (costing him a match, not figuratively) and things would go back to how they were. However, some felt the chemistry of the two in the ring entrances were strong and they were planning on keeping the two together over the long haul. The recent storyline deal where the two have been having problems was done at Mero's request because he wanted it broken up citing his religious faith. Bischoff apparently said that he didn't want to be in a situation where every time they booked him in an angle he'd not want to do it if Jesus Christ wouldn't approve of it.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Yeah Mero was a born again Christian and did not like being associated with Kimberly on TV as a married man.

Which makes how his wife became a millionaire a year later sort of darkly funny.

 

[mr. piggy]

Wanted some mindless entertainment for my day off so I threw on In Your House II.

Did Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie leave immediately after their match? I thought it was really odd that they had Dok Hendrix breathlessly describe them having a fistfight and not showing them actually getting into a kerfuffle.

Yes. The Dok thing was done on the fly. I believe they were to show Roadie and Jarrett argue but they left

 

[Valeyard]

Mero was great, but I kind of agree with what Cornette said one time: he was trained to be Johnny B. Badd more than he was as a wrestler. I get what he means.

 

[King Kamala]

I just listened to Mero on DDP and Jake Roberts' podcast the other and he literally only had 2-3 matches on the Georgia indies before he was signed to WCW. So in a lot of ways, he was the first product of WCW Power Plant.

In hindsight, I think Mero got a little shafted in the WWF, too. Once the Sable program was entirely done by September, what the hell did he even do?

Tbf, I think Vince did really like Mero but he was just a victim of horrible timing and luck. Out of the wave of '96 signings with him, Mankind, and Steve Austin, they initially thought they could make the most money off of Mero. In his first year, he was a very strong mid-carder. Then he tore his ACL in early '97 and had to drastically reinvent himself. When he came back, WWF was different but he managed to still find his niche but by that time, he was completely overshadowed by his wife.

 

[King Kamala]

Republican star Lauren Boebert spins fables about her childhood â but the real story is better

The strange saga of the gun-toting GOP congresswoman, her single mom, the pro wrestler and the corrupt phlebotomist

www.salon.com

Not sure how I missed this detailed article which more or less confirms that Stan Lane is Lauren Boebert's father (although Sweet Stan denies it. Don't blame him)

Her father is Stan Lane a former professional wrestler who at that time was a member of the tag team The Fabulous Ones. When Stan learned I was pregnant, he encouraged me to have an abortion and said that the child would be damaged because of the steroids he had taken. … Stan did end our relationship when he learned I was pregnant and soon fled the state of Florida.

Smartest man in wrestling.

 

[Tino Standard]

Still a banger.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553030707034873859

 

[Valeyard]

Graham/Kazmaier vs Liger/DDP is genuinely one of my personal favorite matches. Graham being able to hang with Liger despite them being completely different is so cool to watch. It made me appreciate Graham as a worker.

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553010942631354368

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553204985067761664

I wonder what Mike's payoff would have been as the C Team tag team w/Spivey vs headlining Florida in 1987? Rotunda was back in the WWF in early 87 after briefly leaving around April of 86.

WM 3 era Tag team roster
1- Hart Foundation
2 - Bulldogs- Faces
3- Can Am Connection- Faces
4- Demolition
5- Dream Team
6- Rougeaus - Faces
7- Sika/Kamala
8- Killer Bees - Faces
9- Sheik/Volkoff
10 - Islanders - Faces

 

[LaParkaYourCar]

Here's my review of WWF Over the Edge '99.

https://classicwrestlingreview.com/2022/07/31/over-the-edge-99/

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1553930515501252608

IIRC Hogan did the stretcher job after a 10 min bearhug in a six man and a month later Bravo vs Hogan drew 18K to Montreal.

Was the injury angle only shown in Montreal?
I wonder if Vince was pissed Hogan being carried out made Apter mag covers?

 

[King Kamala]

What was PWI's readership in its heyday? Even at its height, I assume it was probably dwarfed by WWF's ratings and I assume Vince just chose to ignore it.

If PWI's reporting was really bothering them and hurting their product, I assumed they would've made up with them before their respective products were going into sharp decline.

 

[BruiserBrody]

What was PWI's readership in its heyday? Even at its height, I assume it was probably dwarfed by WWF's ratings and I assume Vince just chose to ignore it.

If PWI's reporting was really bothering them and hurting their product, I assumed they would've made up with them before their respective products were going into sharp decline.

Well... WCW couldn't make the mag business work in 1990/91ish meanwhile the Apters kept PWI, Inside Wrestling and The Wrestler running for over a decade plus all at once.
I know when we'd head to town for a Fleet Farm run that I'd spend that hour reading all the mags instead of looking at fishing and hunting junk like Papa Brody would have preferred. I needed my 3 months late HOT NEWS.