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Jim Crockett Promotions (1935-1988)

snuffbox said:
Magnum and JYD were very different people. This new internet thing about Magnum being the "Smoky Mountain Champion" isn't adding up. Without the crash, he'd have gone from main event level or pert near to a mysterious 6-7 years of...hands palm up emoji? He'd get fat for some reason?

And, yes, the Corino promo is legendary. Why did it hit so well in the moment and ever since? Because Magnum TA was still that over with wrestling fans some 14 years after his last match.
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There's another example that is more on the nose. Rock and Roll Express. They were massively over from 84-87 and then fell out with Big Dust and never made a splash after other than SMW.
Magnum debuted in Nov 84 and RnR's in July 85. Both got titles in short order.

The big difference here would be Magnum was a Dusty guy so if his career did falter his buddy was getting the book back in 91.

It is funny/sad that Rhodes got butt hurt that the RnR's out drew him at some arena and supposedly that was the catalyst for the backstage drama.

I think it's even more weird that Morton had the most heat and he's the one that came back to JCP by summer as Gibson dicked around in the AWA with Greg Gagne.
 
I don't think this has much mileage here if the only thing behind the "Smoky Mountain Champion" nonsense is just being contrarian.

Dusty being an emotionally fragile fatfuck doesnt change anything. Magnum was over, good in the ring, good on the mic, had the ultimate look, and would have remained at the top of the card (Rhodes and Flair could whine elesewhere just like what happened in real life anyway) if not for the car crash.
 
I wonder how Nikita's career changes if Magnum doesn't get hurt. Or even Sting for that matter.
 
Smokey Mountain tag team champions!

I think the ripple effects would have been fine for Koloff and even better for Sting than IRL. Assuming Magnum is put over by Flair, if not Starrcade '86 than by the summer of 1987, the promoters would've probably seen some of the same positives that New York had for decades with a babyface on top. Especially one with Magnum's dream 80s look direct from central casting. They might eventually turn Nikita anyway to keep that babyface money spigot a-flowing. Unless we can have some more reverse-car crash magic, his wife still gets sick and Koloff still steps away for a while. He could return in '91 just like it happened.

If they see the worth of longterm face run with the belt, Sting's booking would also improve.
 
Koloff fell off by 88 either way as his wife dying took the life out of him as well. They tried again in 91 with Dusty back in control but the actually drawing power he had in 85-86 was no more.
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Goldberg was a can't miss in 98 too and his career certainly went wonky. Wrasslin' is wild stuff.

Sting and Luger are new toys for the fans in 1987. Even the Road Warriors had lost their steam by 1988. There's lots of comps of big stars just going flat.

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Brunzell was JCP's champ in 79 and headlining across the midwest and dabbling in Japan. 85? Pin me, pay me.

Dick Slater was a multi champ in JCP and Mid South from 83-85. 1986? pin me, pay me.

Wrestling having so many variables, especially with Crockett's $$ issues and WCW's booker issues makes this impossible other than speculation.

As I wrote that out, I can actually see a scenario where TA gets the Steamboat run in 89 to finally get the belt on him. Unless he gets Rugged Ronnie's 40 day switcharoo. Depends if TA has turned on Big Dust by then or not.
 

Found the show I mentioned that opens with Magnum featured. He didn't have a match which makes it all the more obvious how important he was to Crockett's plans in 86 and beyond (that show is February 1986) to feature him in that way. It is reminiscent of SNMEs and such where, if Hogan wasn't wrestling, he'd definitely have a key segment on TV.

By the time Ted Turner buys out the Crocketts because Dusty was always going to book them into the ground, he'd be primed for appearances on TBS, TNT, movies, etc.
 
Snuffy bait RE: Magnum

Beau James talks on this week's Stick to Wrestling about how JCP planned to bring in big names from their past to put Magnum over in under 10 seconds. This did not end well.
Masked Superstar refused to do it. Crockett tried to plead to do it as a make good for all the money he had made with them,
Match starts and Superstar attacks TA, tosses him over the top and walks off with a DQ loss and quits.

They tried this with Harley Race and I'd have to check my notes for exact detail but Race didn't play ball either.

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Fun story from Beau RE: Landell. He refused to get up for TV after another party night (This we knew) so he was fired instead of being made National champ. This lead to Tully getting the belt and feuding with Rhodes when the plan had been for Dusty to work Landell.
Tully was supposed to feud with Boogie Man for the next 6 months so Boogie and Paul Jones had to extend their feud into a 3rd or 4th year. They came up with the hair cut gimmicks to freshen things up. Valiant did his part, and when it came time for Jones to do so, Jones refused unless he got a double payday. Since it was the blowoff at a big event, JCP agreed. Jones and Valiant then split the cash, as had been the plan for moment one.
 
If true, that changes nothing about Magnum's awesomeness and confirms how dumb Crockett/Rhodes could be. It is believable that they'd try that because one of Rhodes' final straws was trying to have Rick Steiner beat Flair for the belt in under a minute.

Cartoonishly stupid as it was, 30 years later McMahon did this. With a world title belt. At a Wrestlemania.
 
NWA US Champion Magnum TA fought the Barbarian (w/ Paul Jones) to a no contest at around the 12-minute mark; Harley Race joined the commentary team for the bout; late in the match, the referee was knocked to the floor, with Race then climbing into the ring and counting a pinfall for the Barbarian after Jones struck Magnum in the throat with his cane; moments later, Magnum attacked Race before he was double teamed and sustained a headbutt off the top rope from both the Barbarian and Race; Jones then assaulted Magnum with his cane until Jimmy Valiant, NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson ran out to make the save; after the match, Race spoke with the commentary team and noted Magnum attacked him and not the other way around;

JCP @ Greensboro, NC – Coliseum – January 4, 1986

Harley Race defeated NWA US Champion Magnum TA

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Race left JCP after this but a few weeks later headlined a St Louis/JCP show vs Flair and BEAT him in a non title match
 
Maybe they were trying for a New Original Midnight Express thing with the Horseman and Pistol Pez & TBAs (at least one of whom'd eventually be replaced by Jack Victory) but it didn't catch on.
 
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