Old School Observations and Questions, 2024

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Hate to sound like too much of a smark but Flair/Vader at Starrcade is one of the best pieces of business WCW ever did and you guys are fantasy booking Sid replacing him in that spot...smh.

Yeah but ‘93 SID Vs Vader probably would have owned. It was already good in ‘96 when Vader was banged up and mentally defeated. Imagine it in Vader’s prime!

 

[alkeiper]

At some point you just run into the problem that Sid wasn't a great worker. I don't know if there's a universe where he headlines more than two big main events in a row where fans start tuning out. He headlined Wrestlemania 13 and most fans hate that match. I've never heard praise for the WM VIII match with Hogan. He had aura but you can't stretch that out for 20 minutes.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

It is just a matter of booking. Yeah, he consistently stunk when he was with big lummoxes (Vader aside) but put him with a workhorse and he usually could deliver.

Sid just didn’t have the patience or temperament to develop into a good worker like a Batista. Now I am imagining an alternate reality where SID is a successful actor.

How many ‘80s/‘90s wrestlers would have improved if they had to come up through a developmental system instead of the territories. Maybe SID was uncoachable. Idk what team sports background he has. Besides softball, which I assume doesn’t have hard ass coaches (at least on the men’s side).

 

[BruiserBrody]

How many ‘80s/‘90s wrestlers would have improved if they had to come up through a developmental system?

Grumble Grumble territories....grumble grumble Lord Humongous...grumble grumble

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Yeah, I meant to say developmental system instead of the territories. Now put down that Sprite Zero, Uncle Andy.

 

[Valeyard]

There's a big difference, though. Sid probably likes the business much more if he gets a less strenuous environment geared around making him better instead of just throwing him out there night after night before he was ready.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Wiki says his debut in Memphis (and wrestling in general?) was vs Lawler and Bockwinkel (teaming with Austin Idol as Lord H).

That's a wowza pair to break in against.

 

[snuffbox]

He had an incredible career despite dumb booking decisions like that to start. At least Nathan Jones had a couple years of limited experience, and the WWE changed its mind at the last minute, before almost being thrown into a Wrestlemania program.

 

[Valeyard]

I really do think Sid is underrated. Not good, but better than he gets any credit for. He's the worst Skyscraper but pulled his weight when he wanted.

 

[snuffbox]

You spelled best wrong.

 

[BruiserBrody]

September 1 – To quell rumors that Jack and Jerry Brisco are headed to Championship Wrestling From Florida and will remain with the NWA, the WWF airs an interview on WTBS from the Briscos. The belief was that new Florida booker Dory Funk Jr. was hoping to plan a Briscos-Funks feud and also bring Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody to the territory. [WON 1984-09-10] After the Briscos interview, the WWF airs an old match of the team in Georgia Championship Wrestling, which was apparently accidentally left behind and found by the WWF when they cleaned the office. [WON 1984-09-10]

Florida was almost amazing instead of dying.

 

[JN News]

In WCW, back in 1996, when they were doing the nWo angle, they were doing a Nick Patrick crooked referee angle where Patrick was trying to cover his tracks. Sometime during the angle, Patrick claimed that some other announcer in WCW questioned his integrity and that same announcer who did that was "no longer in WCW."

My question is, who was Nick Patrick talking about?

 

[BUTT]

Mean Gene was gone for a couple of months in '96 when he and WCW were working out a new contract. Depending on when Patrick made the comment it might have been about him.

 

[Valeyard]

See I'd have said Jesse since he always gave the refs shit and Hogan was more or less why he left.

 

[strummer]

Okerlund's last show before his contract negotiations was Fall Brawl 96. He returned on the Nov. 11 Nitro. So he was gone for about 2 months.

 

[snuffbox]

Only other one I can think of is Bischoff did any broadcasting post-powerbomb and before his own heel turn.

 

[BUTT]

Gene was giving Patrick a lot of shit in the period between Hog Wild and Fall Brawl, so I'd say it was definitely him.

 

[Gert]

Mean Gene being gone for two months is something I legitimately did not know happened.

 

[BUTT]

I was disappointed when he came back tbh. The sleazy hotline plugs ruined his credibility with me.

 

[alkeiper]

Man Mountain Dean: the pro wrestler who helped beat the Nazis - Sports Illustrated

He was Hulk Hogan before Hulk Hogan. He leapt to the big screen before it was the sporting standard. And for his final act? He worked in the shadows to help topple Hitler.

www.si.com

 

[Valeyard]

Now we need Sputnik recognition.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Real World Tag League 1988​

November 19 - December 16, 1988

1.​	Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (winners)​	17​
2.​	Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu​	16​
3.​	Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura​	15​
4.​	Abdullah the Butcher & Tiger Jeet Singh​	14​
5.​	Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada​	14​
6.​	Danny Spivey & Johnny Ace​	10​
7.​	Jimmy Snuka & Tiger Mask (Misawa)​	7​
8.​	Great Kabuki & Hiroshi Wajima​	7​
9.​	Shunji Takano & John Tenta​	4​
10.​	Jerry Blackwell & Phil Hickerson​	0​
11.​	Dick Slater & Tommy Rich​	0​

Does this mean there is a match with Tenta vs Washed Jerry Blackwell out there? Baba had to resort to booking guys off of Blackwell's indy to fill in the ranks, eh?

 

[snuffbox]

A roster that includes Misawa's Tiger Mask, Tenryu, Kawada, Tsuruta, Gordy, and Stan Hansen sounds pretty darn good to me.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

A tourny with peak Hansen, Tenryu, Jumbo, Gordy, Snuka and emerging stars Kawada and Misawa. Plus super solid to very good workers like Yatsu and Slater. I don't think anyone cared about an older worker being in to do jobs.

 

[Valeyard]

That's some of the best talent ever assembled. I'm overdue for some old puro revisits.

That Wajima had a hell of a head of hair, man.

 

[BruiserBrody]

It was a poorly worded comment on the death of the AWA, Mid-South, etc who would fill in the ranks prior to Vince sending everyone out of business. Baba was aligned with WCW at this point so the Road Warriors, Fantastics, etc could have come if schedules aligned. With Starrcade and what not about to happen, it would be difficult.
And as far as that goes, the Rock and Roll Express were free agents and only a year removed from being one of the hottest teams in the US.

AWA/WCCW was loosely tied to New Japan at this point, so I'll excuse Bad Company, the Samoans, the Von Erichs, etc

Brody had just died, so John Nord would have been an interesting option to partner with Snuka or something in Brody's honor.

 

[snuffbox]

Just one year after that phenomenal roster worked Japan, imo, WCW had the better year than WWF. As I'm not and never will be financially invested in these companies I just go by what I think had the better product (just like I'm not a movie producer or Hollywood person so I'd only judge movies by whether I actually enjoy them or not) and I think WCW's was better at that point.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Just one year after that phenomenal roster worked Japan, imo, WCW had the better year than WWF. As I'm not and never will be financially invested in these companies I just go by what I think had the better product (just like I'm not a movie producer or Hollywood person so I'd only judge movies by whether I actually enjoy them or not) and I think WCW's was better at that point.

Hopefully you mean 1989 WCW vs WWF and not 1990.
We can go tit for tat on both years, but WCW took 6 months into 89 to get their midcard in order. Steamboat vs Flair was on top a heap of trash.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Hopefully you mean 1989 WCW vs WWF and not 1990.
We can go tit for tat on both years, but WCW took 6 months into 89 to get their midcard in order. Steamboat vs Flair was on top a heap of trash.

Butch Reed vs. Ranger Ross is a classic, you swine

Spoiler

/s

 

[snuffbox]

I think I like 1990 WCW more too. Lot of fun nostalgia for me in both companies that year. I may have rewatched the Oktoberfest episode of SNME more times than any other wrestling show ever. But, for me, I think Doom tips the scale just slightly in WCW's favor that year.