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Matches You Didn't Think Existed
- Thread starter Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
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alfdogg
Alfdogg
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
I had no idea Action Zone made it almost 3/4ths of the way through 1996. It faded from relevancy sometime after WrestleMania XI. Although maybe Horowitz beating Skip happened on Action Zone? Even that'd still be a year of "This show is still on the air, era!?"
So it was replaced by the USA Network version of Superstars?
Valeyard
Retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
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The wrestling part of Action Zone left in mid-late '95, then it became Todd and Hendrix just recapping Raw. I want to say the in ring aspect ended around Shawn getting beat up by 39 ruffians in Syracuse.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
Watching Todd and Dok co-host a studio recap show seems like a punishment that would violate the Geneva Convention! One of them is bad enough but both together? 
Valeyard
Retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
- Messages
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They sucked every bit as much as you can imagine. I really liked it when it was a wrestling show because it breezed by. These two, though, I remember vividly because it was obnoxious no matter what. Had trivia questions that Dok always got wrong because it was funny, had Dok put over the soon-to-debut Ahmed Johnson in hilarious fashion ("Todd, I've seen him, he's BIG AS A HOOOUUUUSEE!"), and just being a PG-rated morning zoo radio show about how anything can happen in the WWF.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
I looked it up on Cawthon's and the last Action Zone exclusive was a Marty Jannetty Vs Duke Droese match where The Dumpster played the heel.
Fall of Epic
Epic Reine
One of the few Action Zone moments I remember is when, returning from commercial, Todd and Dok were stuffing their faces with Burger King for some cheap product placement.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
This will be my nerdiest post ever but excuse me, Vale. Phantasio's only TV appearance happened on a just about dead Wrestling Challenge not The Action Zone!
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
Fact that it's a slumming it JR and Gorilla Monsoon team calling the Phantasio match is really part of what makes it so memorable.
I think the dying days of Challenge was Gorilla's last (Stateside) commentary gig which is SAD. I still want to hear the international Attitude era C shows where Gorilla was a heel color commentator that was a Corporate toady.
I think the dying days of Challenge was Gorilla's last (Stateside) commentary gig which is SAD. I still want to hear the international Attitude era C shows where Gorilla was a heel color commentator that was a Corporate toady.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
BruiserBrody
Integral Poster
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Action Zone was Wrestling Challenge reheated, then the one bonus match that was star vs star.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
This is a dream match in a sense that if I ate a spicy sausage sub before bed and dreamt about an indy show, it'd be this match at a mostly empty high school football stadium during the middle of a pandemic.
snuffbox
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I saw Garvin job to Boris Zhukov at a Sept 90 house show. Not sure why they didn't use him on tv much at all after putting him over Valentine at the Rumble earlier that year.
That house show also had DiBiase-Dusty and LOD-Demolition!
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
I had a recent conversation with another rasslin fan about how bizarre it is that WWF brought Ronnie Garvin pretty much solely to feud with Greg Valentine. Bringing in someone just to feud with a top guy, I can sort of make sense of that but just to feud him with a midcard (and falling) guy like The Hammer? It doesn't make any sense. Then again, I'm drawing a blank as to who else would have been a good opponent for Ronnie Garvin in '89-'90 WWF? He stuck out a sore thumb in that era. Just seemed so dorky and old.
Yet in spite of that, I actually really like their match at Royal Rumble '90!
Yet in spite of that, I actually really like their match at Royal Rumble '90!
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
BruiserBrody
Integral Poster
- Messages
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- Points
- 293
It baffles me in hindsight how Snow was on TV in 1984 for the AWA as a jabroni and somehow didn't get used during the ugly down turn in business once mid 1986 hit. He was from Ohio, so he could have easily done a Midwest loop. Maybe his personality and ring work hadn't been fleshed out to the point where he could hang with Mitch Snow, Ricky RIce, Derrick Dukes, Steve O, etc as a scrawny guy on the undercard.
(If you want to dig in the weeds, once 1987/8 hit Verne was only taping in Las Vegas for ESPN, so Snow would have to afford to fly in each month since Verne allegedly had a "I'll book you on TV if you pay trans" policy at that point.
That said, Ohio is only a hop away from Memphis wrestling too and I do not believe he ever worked for Jarrett during that time either. Jarrett definitely was not afraid of booking smaller guys either.
snuffbox
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Their Rumble match is good.
Garvin was willing to put guys over and still had a little gas left in the tank. Matches with Bad News, Rude, IC champ Perfect, Martel, and even Dino Bravo would've been good. He should've been on the WM 6 card, too, maybe putting over the Warlord.
alkeiper
Welcoming our new insect overlords
Garvin strikes me as an acquisition just to fuck with NWA/WCW. Or maybe as a favor to one of the other Crockett guys. (Or maybe Savage from the ICW days?)
BruiserBrody
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*Checks notes*
The WON says Garvin was asked to lose matches at house shows (he was feuding with Dusty) in August 88. He was among the many who had payroll issues as JCP went bankrupt in the spring (talent had been bailing before the bottom fell out anyway). He told Crockett no money, no jobbing.
Hilariously Tim Horner of all people had the same complaint and quit too.
Garvin went on to work AWA and WWC for sure as he won belts in both places. Shockingly, he came back to the AWA to job the TV title to Greg Gagne AFTER already being under WWF contract. Garvin has to have some major integrity. Vince was actively trying to ruin the AWA joint PPV that match was occuring on.
Garvin was to team with Al Perez vs. Dusty and Murdoch at the next Clash. That turned into Dusty vs Sullivan instead (with Gary Hart being pinned IIRC)
Edit: Bonus info from my notes: Garvin had an issue with Crockett and then booker George Scott in JCP during the late 70s. This ended with Garvin attempting to attack them in a locker room. He was working for Ole when JCP swallowed up the shell of the Georgia area promotion in the spring of 1985. Garvin had no desire to work for the Crocketts, but Dusty pitched him a good role and Garvin made up with Jim Crockett.
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snuffbox
Integral Poster
- Messages
- 10,004
- Reaction score
- 1,390
- Points
- 253
Yeah, a televised stretcher job for Quake would've been another good use of Garvin. Maybe that's what should've happened at WM 6. Have Hercules work a double countout or something with Warlord.