WWF: Hulkamania era (1984-`1992)

[BruiserBrody]

I think there's a solid argument that Money Inc saved Dibiase and IRS from worse fates. Dibiase spent 91 feuding with Virgil and Tito Santana. Plus his semi aborted feud with Kerry VE.
With the roster shrinking, Dibiase probably has to move down the card since he worked Warrior/Hogan/Savage on national events already. His one feud left as a top tier is the Taker feud once Taker turns face.
He could work Bret. but they had a SNME match and a sprint at SSeries 90, so they were not totally fresh.
Otherwise, maybe he can have a midcard feud with Duggan in a duel of guys who are hanging around a little too long.
Will a babyface turn work for MDM?

IRS was just BLAH, so I do not need to sell his DOA status.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Yeah, Money Inc is my least favorite type of tag team. Two guys trying to elongate their careers by banding together. They were the Dirty Dogs of the early ‘90s.

@BruiserBrody wailing in pain at Money Inc being compared to a tag team involving current Dolph Ziggler.

 

[Valeyard]

If he won't I will. That's uncalled for. Money Inc. were too little too late as a team and honestly there is nothing for them to do as singles, just because Dibiase had no place and IRS was garbage. If anything Dibiase deserved better just because IRS on a status-level was slumming it for him. I know they tried him with Repo Man a couple times and I don't think that was much better even though character-wise it makes a million times more sense.

Dibiase's descent is unreal. Just going year to year from Wrestlemania is so dramatic.

 

[Hawk 34]

The missed opportunity was just putting Dibiase and Martel together as rich snobs yachting around.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Tbh, I would have preferred them sticking with the late capitalists super team of Ted DiBiase and Repo Man over Money Inc.

Most anything Mike Rotunda did in WWF outside of the Tag Team Titles match at WrestleMania I and mayyybe the IC Title match at Royal Rumble ‘94 could be used as a homeopathic sedative.

 

[Hawk 34]

IRS taking bumps off the tie in the Rumbles was always good shit pal.

 

[Valeyard]

Dibiase and Repo is just a super fun combination. Maybe a better team too. Honestly Repo is the one guy who could've benefited from the Corporation era too.

Dibiase, Martel, and Sherri being the 1% is fucking gold though

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Even DiBiase and HBK could have been better than Money Inc and it kind of would have made sense given the Sherri connection.

Honestly, besides a tag team, the only thing that makes sense for DiBiase creatively after the Virgil feud is a face turn. Idk if Southern babyface Ted DiBiase works in ‘92-‘93 WWF though. It seems like it’d be a marginally better version of Greg Valentine’s weird face run in ‘91.

Sorry it had been too long since I referenced Greg Valentine’s babyface run in ‘91.

 

[Valeyard]

Dibiase cannot be a national level face. Frankly I don't like him as a face anyway. Guy is too slimy and you hate him in the right way. You want him to get his ass kicked because he's a super villain. You don't turn Goldfinger.

After Virgil, just have him openly look for a new partner to both wind down the Virgil thing and start up a new team. Some great auditions from the gallery, ranging from Horowitz to Warlord, then land on either a new guy to give the rub to or a fellow misfit. Shawn needed to get established so he's out. I love the idea of Martel more and more. IRS is IRS. Repo is fine character wise. Jacques is around. Bigelow could come in early.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

More appropriate for the New Generation era thread maybe but I always thought it was a mistake not bringing up Bam Bam ‘s ‘87-‘88 run when he returned in ‘92. They could play him up as the former bright eyed , rookie sensation who was suddenly exiled to the hinterlands and has come back as an angry monster.

 

[alfdogg]

Even DiBiase and HBK could have been better than Money Inc and it kind of would have made sense given the Sherri connection.

Honestly, besides a tag team, the only thing that makes sense for DiBiase creatively after the Virgil feud is a face turn. Idk if Southern babyface Ted DiBiase works in ‘92-‘93 WWF though. It seems like it’d be a marginally better version of Greg Valentine’s weird face run in ‘91.

Sorry it had been too long since I referenced Greg Valentine’s babyface run in ‘91.

I'm envisioning a Money Inc. split where the IRS somehow causes him to lose all his money, and he disappears for a while, resurfacing in vignettes of him down on his luck, begging for forgiveness in the same vain as Sgt. Slaughter's "I want my country back" vignettes. But, as has kinda been said, I don't know that he has the babyface chops that Slaughter has or that IRS is a strong enough character to make the people get behind him

 

[BruiserBrody]

The office must have liked Rotunda though, as they tried to make him an agent in 95 before ATM Eric paid him a bunch of cash to jump instead.
--
If they (finally) convince Stan Hansen to come in and work a 3 month Hogan loop (post SSlam 91), then Stan could slide into a spot with his old AJPW partner Dibiase. Ted could even maybe switch into his Japan leather daddy Cowboy look and just blow off Mean Gene scoffing at trading in the designer suits for cowhide.
Road Warriors vs Dibiase/Hansen at WM 8 sounds fantastic.
This also allows Hansen a less taxing role for his aging body.

The world deserves Stan Hansen chasing the Bushwackers around after Luke steals his hat. New boom period.

--
Dan Spivey comes to the WWF in 1995 and reunites with Mike, however this time he's the tax collector strongman. A Repo Man for the New Generation.

That's good shit, pal!

 

[Valeyard]

I was trying to think of a way for Hansen to put in some appearances but I don't think he plays ball. There's no way he could get Baba money and Vince wouldn't be willing to let him work Japan. Him not wanting to be exclusive would kill it and there's nothing Vince would do to make it worth his while. I've thought about Bret/Hansen a lot too over the years and it's a shame.

Now if he threw money at the MVC to be murderous hillbillies? That's what's up.

 

[alfdogg]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1651810705899749377

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1651810705899749377

With Vince loving to embarrass his loyal employees, I wonder how Bucky Beaver escaped being subjected to more abuse.
--
I just heard on the Wrestling History Grenade pod that Vince actually paid Moolah off to claim the women's title in 1987. Moolah came back to do some jobs for Sherri, ending with Survivor Series and Moolah's wack "face" run.

Sherri was trained by Moolah to some degree, but broke away from her trope according to the host.

The talk made me realize how the WWF sort of wasted her for almost 2 years as Sherri wasn't used as a valet until April '89.
It's not like she wasn't doing the valet act in the AWA.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Oh boy.... the Wrestling Hand Grenade is still covering July 87 in the WWF. Host Ray Russell played a bit from Prime Time where Gorilla Monsoon tried to prove Heenan was faking his neck injury. So after weeks of badgering, Heenan produces a head and neck x-ray. Monsoon sees a calcium build up in Bobby's jaw and diagnoses a healed broken jaw. "You're going to have a lot of problems in that area later in life!"
Ouch.

 

[Valeyard]

Well he did. Gorilla was a real one.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Little Beaver got some shots as Hillbilly Jim's second in the summer of 87. When Heenan covered this on Prime Time Wrestling he quipped "The good thing about a midget funeral is you only need one paul bearer."

I'm guessing the WWF felt a little bad for Bundy supposedly legit injuring him at Mania and was giving him a "pity" run for his years of service.
--
Another clip shared on the Wrestling History Grenade involves which manager is going to sign Bam Bam Bigelow. Heenan slips and says he has "Boogalow" signed, not Slick. Monsoon catches him and says "You don't even know the man's name!" Heenan "I was calling him Boogaloo so Slick could understand."

 

[alfdogg]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1654093767169720320

If we ever got heel Warrior this is kinda how I picture most of his promos

 

[Valeyard]

He would've been an awesome heel if he had a brain in his head.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

No one…

Absolutely no one (except maybe me and @BruiserBrody )


Tony Atlas: https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/tony-atlas-i-have-shoe-fetish-it-s-non-sexual-it-humbles-me

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1654637600416620545

@BruiserBrody wipes away tears.

That’s hell of a promo to set up a mediocre talk show segment. I like to think this vignette is the thru line from Beefcake’s storyline from WrestleMania III to his storyline at WrestleMania IX.

 

[Valeyard]

That was amazing. Absolutely unnecessary to boot. I love Piper so much.

A straight up Piper/Dibiase feud would've been a hell of a good time.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1655553825892073472

 

[alfdogg]

If Dibiase were a sarcastic, happy-go-lucky babyface this would be both his theme song and headshot graphic.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Didn't he use Strike Force's theme in the first WWF game for NES?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

From the people who brought you “Andre The Giant once pooped so much in a hotel in Japan, he filled up a bathtub to its taps with his feces.”, it’s “Andre The Giant once popped so much on an airplane in Japan, he filled up a garbage bag with his feces and made all of the passengers sick.”

@BruiserBrody tries to make noise but can’t stop gagging due to smell.

 

[Valeyard]

I feel like Andre is the only person to perfectly walk the line between legit good guy and Horseman.

 

[BruiserBrody]

From the people who brought you “Andre The Giant once pooped so much in a hotel in Japan, he filled up a bathtub to its taps with his feces.”, it’s “Andre The Giant once popped so much on an airplane in Japan, he filled up a garbage bag with his feces and made all of the passengers sick.”

@BruiserBrody tries to make noise but can’t stop gagging due to smell.

Similar to the Adrian Adonis story told on Dark Side.

 

[Valeyard]

I'd still have loved to party with him.

Might say something about me, and let me preface this by saying both are fucking repulsive and shameful, but Andre's shit escapades don't gross me out as much as Johnny Valentine's shitting inside bedposts.