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Kamala's Random WCW Bullshit thread

I know. It just is nice they still gave a shit then. They probably could've had a title run in the WWF around then.

Fidel posts in the Portland Wrestling groups and seems like a nice but concussed guy.
 
When did WCW stop doing the over-the-top rope DQ? When Savage throws Scott Hall over the top rope near the end of the Bash at the Beach match in 96 it's referenced that the referee didn't see it. I figure it couldn't have been too long after that?
 
It was in early '98. I recall Tony casually mentioning it on commentary. They certainly didn't make a big deal out of the rule change.
 
Like he said, stupid. The danger was obvious...in fact, it could've been made more dangerous if, instead of a crutch for heels to sneak out with a belt(s) and look like wimps all the time, they threw babyfaces out on purpose from desperation and injured them.

Booking crutches like that aren't the worst thing automatically. But this one, like so many others, was so overdone. Use it as a title gimmick once or twice a year to revive a town, nothing national or on TV.
 
By that logic though, stuff like Memphis having a piledriver ban is silly since it is done in other areas. But in Memphis it was sold as homicide.
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I wonder how many times the NWA "No masked world champs" gimmick was used. I have to assume Mr W 2 had to have an angle in GCW with it. Maybe Masked Superstar at some point???? The only angle I know of is the Masked Rider in 1983 in Florida.
Maybe Mascaras got a random title shot in Houston or something?
If it carried over to Baba, the Destroyer might have had a shot.
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Does that mean Dr X in the AWA is the only masked World champ until Rey Jr?
 
I like the Memphis Rule but also in moderation. Most often it's a legal finisher, one of the most effective in wrestling. But every few years Lawler hurts someone, or gets hurt, or gets run over by a car Eddie Gilbert'd spraypainted "piledriver" on, and make a temporary rule change part of the overall feud.
 
When a piledriver happened, it was an important moment that at least intended to further stories. It wasn't so Greg Valentine has a reason to not let Brad Armstrong pin him on Worldwide. It was so stupid they ended up ignoring it.

The top rope thing was especially bad when your competition had zero qualms about people going over the top multiple times every show in matches that had finishes.
 
Reminds of me that short lived rule in WCW banning the powerbomb after Nash injured Giant with a botched one. I remember Kevin jackknifing Big Bubba and getting DQ'ed.
 
The top rope rule was a holdover from amateur wrestling, where the intentional removal of an opponent from the ring/mat is grounds for disqualification. The same rule exists in MMA (thanks, Tank Abbott).

It's not unlike the "no closed fists" rule for punches, but that one aided kayfabe more than anything else.
 
The WCW were so confident in that dumb top rope trope that they'd ban all moves off the top turnbuckle WHILE ramping up a light heavyweight division!

(I was going to edit 'people' behind WCW but now I'm leaving it with the typo as a tribute to Bret Hart)
 
The first time I ever heard the word “ass” on a wrestling show was in relation to that rule. Pillman had just gotten DQ’d for coming off the top and in hyping up the rematch (can’t remember with who) he said “I don’t need the top rope to kick your ass” or something to that effect.

(I didn’t technically “hear” it because it was bleeped but you get it)
 
Center Stage Chronicles from March 1991 dropped last week. I'm finally getting into it.
- Bookerman Dusty wanted to run stadiums for the GAB tour....despite that WCW can't draw in small arenas.
This could have been double hilariously bad if Flair and Sid both leave before the tour.
- Big John Studd was sniffing around for a job. The world was spared a El Gigante vs BJS nightmare match.
- Owen Hart was put in a tag team with Ricky Morton ALLEGEDY because the crowd couldn't figure out he was a face.

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This makes me a bit surprised BJ Studd wasn't brought in during the Hogan reign of terror in WCW 94-95 to intro Ron Studd as his "son" or protege to destroy Hogan. Studd was dying around this point though.
 
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Owen & Morton while being great workers obviously is such a personality shift that is it’s hard to grasp but if they clicked, the idea of them against Arn & Larry (or Eaton) and Southern Boys is tantalizing.
 
- Buddy Landell was fired after blowing mucus on a hotel manager. He had been dicking around with the York Foundation. Several taped angles with Landell air over the next few weeks.
- Bob Caudle was removed as an announcer. He will still work on some international WCW shows. I can't say I recall him being around in this era when I was watching it 30 some years ago. Maybe he didn't do anything on Worldwide, which is what I would have seen.
- Ricky Morton wrestled Stan Hansen at the Omni. That sounds like it could have been hella fun.
 
- Dusty felt Owen was lacking in babyface facials/fire. Apparently McMahon felt the same way and gave him the Mask gimmick as a work around.
- Mat Watch says Butch Reed was expected to head to the WWF. (Where does Reed fit in this post Mania 7 world?) Hammer? Dragon? A heel team to replace the down trending Power and Glory, Orient Express, etc?
- Tracy Smothers was being trolled by some heel fans at a TV taping and was so bothered he came out a bit later and challenged the fans to go outside and fight.
 
Dusty and Vince ended up being right about that. Owen would end up with snot or slobber or something and that deranged/goofy look almost every match.

I wish Butch Reed would've done something after Doom split up in 91. Of course, my first wish was Doom itself. That team had another year in it at least. I like those ideas, he would've had a range of options for opponents and tag team partners. But, with Flair coming in, WWF could've done something totally different with him. The Virgil-DiBiase feud was made bigger by Piper's involvement; he'd be transitioning to Flair via commentary by the winter. Reed arrives as a face saving Virgil from MDM, Repo Man, and Sherri. Tags and singles. Put him with Flair for a TV match and a house show tour. Put Berzerker over in a fun clubbering match at WM 8 and then a heel turn. I think he could have good matches with Bulldog, Duggan, Bret, Boss Man, etc well into 1993.
 
Owen could be a hell of a face in the right environment, but I feel like he only truly succeeds in that role in a smaller promotion.

Cast Reed as Nailz. Go for the gold
 
- The CCC crew covers Starrcade 91 - Japan edition
en.wikipedia.org

WCW/New Japan Supershow I - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
- According to JBL, Vader apparently stiffed Reed. Simmons told Butch to tag him in. He proceeded to spinebuster Vader with all his might, which made VADER of all people to say "Ron! It's a work!"
- The Dusty finish in the Flair/Fujinami match may have been done to prevent a riot as the angle was going to be a WCW ref and NJPW ref each declare a different winner but it was switched to the post match angle stuff backstage.
- Local papers said "WCW already ruined their company with these kind of decisions, we do not want that here" which was somehow kayfabe and true all at once
- Japan always had weird American heel/face teams but here they out Dusty and Barry Windham as the WCW power guys who (in kayfabe) demanded the physical NWA belt back from Dragon. Barry was still a Horsemen
 
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