WWF: Hulkamania era (1984-`1992)

[Valeyard]

He looks awesome with the belt. Man, a 1991 where he and Bossman trade the belt until Perfect gets it back would've been what's up.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1591496377422733312

I was randomly thinking last weekend of a fantasy booking where Heenan's pre WM 6 purchase of the Barbarian is built up for weeks as Heenan teasing that he found the man to take down Warrior or Hogan.
Once Warrior wins, Heenan builds up Rude under the same guise as they did IRL, expect the July SNME is the blow off of that angle. Meanwhile Barbarian is being built up as a murdering machine of the midcard. That can build to Summerslam, where Hogan/Quake is the draw anyway.
Barb is "fresh" in the role, can work and move to make Warrior look decent and has the bulk to make the fans buy in.
Post Summerslam Barb is now built up more for a run with Bossman over Heenan's mom jokes and Heenan can move Warrior on to Perfect as in real life.
Barb vs Kerry could be a fun IC title feud too.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1592004079915790337

I was pretty surprised to see Vince being there live for Haynes VTR. You would think that in late 84 Vince had too many irons in the fire to do such things.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1593323725394481160

 

[alfdogg]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594384829344231424

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1594384829344231424

Pretty sure this made a CHV?

Piper working dark matches during his "injury" period really blew my little mind when online results started becoming common on this wacky internet thing,

 

[alfdogg]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1595222851459551232

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1595887480884035589

No wonder the Freebirds bailed so quick.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1596168906712158209

I wonder who got rocked harder their first time in Providence- Mick Foley against the Bulldogs or @Laz at his first GWAR show at Lupo's?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Thanksgiving Night 1984. WWF has a one hour long steel cage gauntlet match at the Hartford Civic Center. It was originally scheduled to be a steel cage battle royal but the Connecticut State Athletic Commission wouldn't allow it.

 

[BruiserBrody]

In the paywall WM 3 edition of Between the Sheets pod Bix and Kris read several news articles about how Macho Man punched a 7 year old kid in the stomach on the way to the ring after the 65 lb touched Liz' hair and tried to high five the IC champ. This was several weeks before Mania.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1596551858625167364

Is it a fair guess that this SNME had a super weak supporting line up as they thought Savage/Andre was going to draw no matter what else was on?
I guess Hogan's segment w/ Slick would have led people to expect Bossman to appear and create conflict? (Bossman/Hogan was a dark match live)

I'm curious if Super Ninja was mentioned before the show aired? Historyofwwe only has him listed within the confines of the show, but that doesn't mean his match w/ Warrior wasn't plugged on voiceover commentary I would guess?

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1597214475211472896

I wonder what a shrink would say if I told him I teared up watching this while eating my mashed potatoes just now.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Pfft. A wrestling zombie? This gimmick will never last.

 

[BruiserBrody]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1598334857792303104

I figured this line up was in response to a JCP Philly show, but it appears JCP didn't run Philly until 1985. Flair does mention the Spectrum on TV in a post Starrcade interview.
Flair is actually spending time for Watts in early Dec and the closest thing to a big show in WWF land is this:

GCW @ Baltimore, MD - Civic Center - December 4, 1984
Ron Slinker defeated Mr. Ito
Bob Roop fought Ron Ritchie (sub. for Brad Armstrong) to a draw
Rip Rogers & Ted Oates defeated Jerry Oates & Frank Lang (sub. for Jacques Rougeau Jr.)
Jimmy Valiant defeated the New York Assassin
Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich, & Ole Anderson defeated the Road Warriors & Paul Ellering
Ron Garvin fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a double count-out

Maybe Starrcade did a Philly closed circuit a week earlier and WWF wanted to kill it?

 

[alkeiper]

Windham vs Rose had real potential to be great

 

[Valeyard]

So what was it that kept Tonga Kid from breaking out? He had the hardest push that wasn't Hogan it feels like and he just dropped off the map for like three years.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

IIRC, it was mostly maturity issues. I think he was still a teenager during that push. He was only gone for a little over a year and a half between the Tonga Kid push and start of the Islanders

 

[BruiserBrody]

So what was it that kept Tonga Kid from breaking out? He had the hardest push that wasn't Hogan it feels like and he just dropped off the map for like three years.

He quit the WWF in the middle of headlining everywhere to sold out places, then went to the AWA/Pro Wrestling USA.
He cut a promo on Roddy Piper on Pro Wrestling USA TV that Verne didn't edit off.
He made one major AWA show (teaming with Brunzell IIRC) at Starrcage- then quit there too.
He eventually no showed Hawaii's stadium show "Hot Summer Night" as well as the Japan tour he was to start right after.

An independent group has a show 1/31 at the University of Alaska-Anchorage with Brad Rheingans vs. Gene Kiniski; the Tonga Kid vs. Bobby Duncum; Debbie Combs vs. Despina Montaguas; Samoan Afa vs. Steve O. Apparently Steve O and Rheingans will no longer work for Gagne, nor will Billy Robinson.

Texas All-Star: The Super Bowl Spectacular drew about 2,000 in San Antonio—which is a good crowd there—for the one-night tournament involving something like 24 wrestlers. Bruiser Brody won the final, beating Chris Adams in what I’m told was a pretty good match, using a piledriver on a chair…Several World Class guys like Iceman King Parsons, One Man Gang, etc. were there along with locals, plus the Tonga Kid, Samoan Sika and another Samoan said to be Sika’s fat son, who weighs more than Leroy Brown they tell me…I’m told the Tonga Kid looks excellent, and it’s from someone who would know. I do know he’s getting over big…Austin Idol won the U.S.A. Heavyweight Title from Big Bubba (Fred Ottman) in a match that never took place…The Junior Heavyweight Title is no longer mentioned since Dale Veasey left and took the belt with him…With Shawn Michaels leaving, the Tag Team Titles were quickly given to Zulu (egad, it’s Ron Pope—as a tag champ even!) & Al Madril, who beat Michaels & Paul Diamond.

Lars Anderson and his Polynesian Pro Wrestling flew everyone into the US again for a show in San Jose on 4/20 and “drew nearly 50 people, 25 paid” to see such stars as Lars, and some random Samoans. One of them was “Son of Samoa”, who is the younger brother of Tonga Kid and said to have great potential. Younger brother of Sam Fatu = Solofa Fatu = Rikishi. So yes, that was true.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1592250002277273601

Kimchee was robbed of a World Title shot!

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Lost because it was during an appearance on a KISS podcast reviewing a Sammy Hagar album but Bret Hart told Chris Jericho the story behind the fake Sammy Hagar appearing at MSG in 1986. Apparently, The Hart Foundation met the fake Sammy Hagar and Jim Neidhart brought him backstage to MSG as a rib. Vince had no idea who Sammy Hagar was but somehow agreed to let him be introduced in the ring.

Story is at the one hour, twenty minute mark.

 

[Valeyard]

Vince's constant of being behind the times with pop culture is one of my favorite things. Like from what I gather time stopped a little before he outright bought the company because he seemed to at least know of movies and bands from the era.

 

[geniusMoment]

VKM wanted to be a rock and roll promoter before buying the WWF. So I imagine prior to 84 he had a pretty good idea of pop culture.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Vince McMahon did own the Cape Cod Coliseum in the late '70s/very early '80s and operated a minor league hockey team and promoted rock concerts there.

Spoiler alert: Not a HUGE market for year round entertainment on Cape Cod. Me and @Laz would have been able to tell VKM that if we had been born in the late '70s/early '80s.

 

[Valeyard]

He would have been a shit rock promoter long-term.

 

[Super Leather]

According to online acquaintances who saw the Clash play at the Cape Cod Coliseum circa 1982, it was a terrible place for a concert. Abysmal sound that was like listening to a band playing in an aircraft hangar. Apparently a bunch of people passed out from heat exhaustion that night; the show took place in August with no AC in that furnace.

Color me surprised that a venue owned by Vince McMahon turned out to be a total cheapskate dump.

 

[Valeyard]

I remember reading somewhere that Vince was a Clash fan but I was almost sure I was making it up.

 

[Valeyard]

I wanted him fucking dead.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Me and @Laz would have been able to tell VKM that if we had been born in the late '70s/early '80s.

If we were just born then we'd be babies/toddlers, and no promoter should listen to anybody who actively poops their pants.