Old School Questions and Observations in 2025

[JN News]

Time to close down the 2024 thread and begin this year's thread.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

This isn't really an "old school" question per se, but it isn't specific to any particular promotion, and I didn't know where else to put it:

When's the last time someone was standing tall at the end of a go-home show, and then went on to win at the PPV?

 

[Epic for Springs]

Wikipedia is telling me that Jason David Frank aka the Green Power Ranger was originally supposed to referee to the Taker/Yoko Casket match at Survivor Series but was pulled and that allowed Chuck Norris to come in. Any truth to this?

 

[Valeyard]

Considering how all in they went with the Texas theme I'd be shocked

 

[JN News]

I have a question about the Ric Flair/Eric Bischoff lawsuit situation.

As we all know, back in 1998 in WCW, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair decided to skip an episode of WCW Thunder and attend an amateur wrestling tournament that his youngest son, Reid was competing in. Bischoff decided to send a message to everyone in WCW by making an example out of Flair by suing him. But the lawsuit was apparently settled from what I heard.

The question is, how was that lawsuit settled and how did everything lead to Flair's return to in-ring competition in WCW?

 

[Hawk 34]

Black Bart passed today at 76 after a battle of colon cancer.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Black Bart passed today at 76 after a battle of colon cancer.

Seemed to be one of favorite people of Dusty who he never really pushed too hard (84, Long Riders)

 

[snuffbox]

Should've been more than a jobber in WWF.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Should've been more than a jobber in WWF.

Kind of a victim of the times. A lot better talent to fill roles. If he came around in 92ish, he may have gotten some years in as a hoss heel.

His WCCW "World" title "win" (IIRC it was a phantom switch when Chris Adams was arrested or somesuch) was derided by the Apters in late 86.

Shoot interview GOAT though.

 

[Valeyard]

I never liked Bart much. Solid but never above mid card in any situation. That said he and Dutch would've been a welcome team in 1990.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Looks like Bart went from World Class to PWF (Dusty's indy) in early 89. Bart teamed with Bobby Jaggers, which isn't the worst southern brawling team. With the Sheepherders and such running from WCW, they would have been fine as the heel JTTS team until Doom, SST, Freebirds, Skyscrapers, etc could rebuild the division in 89.

I just happened to listen to an Oct 90 SNME review on F4W that mentioned Bart was one of around 20 guys canned due to the business tanking.

Bart worked a RAW dark match in Jan 98, beating Brawler. It would be on thing if this was in Texas or something and he got a payday while visiting some old friends, but this taping was in Pennsylvania. Who knows what Russo had in mind? A part of the NWA storyline? The lost Godwin cousin? Goldust's leather daddy with the whip?

 

[BUTT]

Observer says "Black Bart" was just Bart Gunn wearing all black. Lol

 

[JHawk]

That somehow makes both more sense and less sense at the time.

 

[Epic for Springs]

It's a shame we never got a full fledged Austin/Pillman feud in WWE. They flirted with it in '97 with Pillman costing Austin the world title against Taker in May and the two originally scheduled to fight at KOTR which got changed once Bret got hurt so they subbed in Shawn. They eventually did wrestle on Raw with the Hart Foundation cuffed to the ring posts but barely anyone remembers that match.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Had Pillman lived u have to think Austin would have made sure to give him a main event run, even if it was just a couple IYH.

 

[JN News]

Why did "Superstar" Billy Graham hate Abdulla the Butcher so much? I remember him wanting to be removed from the WWE Hall of Fame after they inducted Abby into the HOF.

 

[alfdogg]

He was bleeding in the ring despite knowing he had Hepatitis C, and there is at least one known instance of him transmitting it to another wrestler because he bladed him with the same blade he used on himself.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Would have been fun to see that unfold

I also learned there was a Goto/Akio Sato vs Condrey and Eaton match in Central states. which is almost a Midnight vs Orient Express match I didn't know I wanted to see.

November — All Japan Pro Wrestling sends its young wrestlers on excursions, as Tarzan Goto goes to Central States Wrestling while Toshiaki Kawada and Masamichi Fuyuki head to Texas All Star Wrestling. In Kawada’s first week in Texas All Star Wrestling, Nick Kiniski attempts to shoot on him “to teach him a lesson, and nearly had a lesson taught on himself.” [WON 1985-11-18] ​

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Did Heel Lanny Poffo ever have a match against a babyface high flyer?

 

[Hawk 34]

Did Heel Lanny Poffo ever have a match against a babyface high flyer?

He worked a few matches with the Rockers and tons and tons of matches with Koko and Snuka.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Did Heel Lanny Poffo ever have a match against a babyface high flyer?

*unzips pants*

 

[Epic for Springs]

I asked this in a previous thread and don't believe it was answered. Was the "Syracuse Nightclub Brawl" the only time an outside shoot fight was mentioned on WWE TV? It seems weird they wouldn't kayfabe a hokey injury for Shawn instead of outright saying he got jumped by 37 thugs.

No, all those shoot comments about scissors in Sid promos don't count.

 

[alfdogg]

Everything I can recall was along the lines of the Sid/scissor-type digs, and nothing I can remember on WWE. Like I know Bischoff took shots at Vader over the Orndorff fight, and I'm pretty sure he referenced the incident with the Nasties and Ken Shamrock as well.

 

[Valeyard]

They addressed the Bret/Shawn fight, didn't they?

 

[strummer]

Didn't TNA mention the backstage Nash/Samoa Joe fight?

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Wikipedia is telling me that Jason David Frank aka the Green Power Ranger was originally supposed to referee to the Taker/Yoko Casket match at Survivor Series but was pulled and that allowed Chuck Norris to come in. Any truth to this?

I call bullshit as an interview with JDF from the 2018 NY Comic Con (by WWE) didn't reveal any of this information and I feel like he would've mentioned it given his fandom. That interview also states his first WWE event was the 2017 Royal Rumble.

It wouldn't surprise me if there was interest from the WWF in getting them on TV (see Jonathan Taylor Thomas at WrestleMania after all) but the movie wasn't released until June 30th, 1995 and there are zero sources cited (nevermind it not even being common knowledge/known amongst wrestling fans back in the late 90s/early 00s).

 

[Valeyard]

I bet Saban demanded the Rangers go over or otherwise defeat someone and that nixed it, if there was ever a plan. That's why Howard Stern didn't get a WM appearance.

 

[BruiserBrody]

I asked this in a previous thread and don't believe it was answered. Was the "Syracuse Nightclub Brawl" the only time an outside shoot fight was mentioned on WWE TV? It seems weird they wouldn't kayfabe a hokey injury for Shawn instead of outright saying he got jumped by 37 thugs.

No, all those shoot comments about scissors in Sid promos don't count.

Terry Garvin shot lots of something.

 

[Epic for Springs]

Didn't TNA mention the backstage Nash/Samoa Joe fight?

I actually never knew about this one.

 

[alfdogg]

That 2017 con interview was probably the first time Vince had ever heard of MMPR.