The Classic Wrestling Thread

[Dr. Zoidberg]

A thread for wrestling from the 20th century.

[Bandit]

Amongst the highlights of Heyman's anecdotes/responses to fans questions were:

- Paul revealed that he had an opportunity to go to WWF in early 1992 when his WCW contract was expiring.

The offer pitched to him by WWF was to come in as Bobby Heenan's protege, billed as 'Executive Vice President of the Heenan Family'. After a run with Heenan, the idea pitched was Heyman would steal the 'Heenan Family' from him, turning it into the 'Heyman Family', turning Bobby Heenan babyface with Heenan retiring from managing to become an announcer. I'm not sure about these timelines as Heenan had already retired as a manager in summer 1991 to focus on announcing, but this is what Heyman said.

Heyman was planning on taking up the WWF offer when then-WCW boss Kip Allen Frey asked Heyman what it would take to get him to stay. Heyman replied, "Give me Turner Broadcasting employee status" and to Heyman's surprise, Frey obliged, resulting in Heyman staying in WCW

[Big Boss Man]

Paul E being with Bobby would have fun, especially since at the time he was doing the Mad Yuppy gimmick with the cellphone. The storyline they had planned sounds cool too. But in a what-if scenario, if Paul did take the WWF's offer, that would have meant no Paul E Dangerously going to Eastern Championship Wrestling and taking over turning it into Extreme, meaning no Attitude Era boom period and who knows without the boom period of Austin, Rock, Foley et al in the WWF and the nWo in WCW I wonder what the current state of the business would be now, or even, if the wrestling business would still be relatively mainstream or whether the steroid trial fallout would have had USA Network drop the WWF, Ted lose interest in WCW and Eastern would just have been another indie. So although Corny, Bisch and his detractors would say otherwise, Paul Heyman has had a tremendous impact on professional wrestling post -1993/1994, both directly with ECW and indirectly with Vince, Russo & Ferrera emulating ECW for the "Attitude Era".

[Bandit]

Yeah, no ECW sounds like it was a good thing he didn't go. Like It's A Wonderful Life decision.

Although maybe it means Paul would be in the Russo spot in 1996. Although Watts brought Russo in and he never would have asked Heyman to come to Vince's house since he hated him. But Paul was smooth so he probably could have talked Vince into it with his cult leader powers and Vince's desperation.

And a world where the Attitude Era starts in January 96 and Russo only writes magazines sounds pretty great.

[Big Boss Man]

I don't know if Vince would put that much faith in Paul to put him in a position where he's dictating the direction of the WWF and storylines. I'd imagine Vinny Ru and Ed made their proposals to Vince in such a way they made them out to be like he though of them himself and they tapped into his sophomoric sense of humour with the Mark Henry and the Hand, this is your life skit etc. I mean as soon as you take the Vince Jr filter away in WCW they sunk like a lead balloon. To me it seems that Paul E would get under Vince's skin if they worked together too closely and he's somebody with a wealth of ideas and he came from not Gen X itself but tapped into it and I'd imagine Raven came up with a ton of stuff, he let Cactus do his thing, Sandman just became an extension of himself, Tommy broke himself in half to please the fans etc so whilst Paul E was the twisted genius behind ECW he had the talent help guide the way. I mean for me, ID have Paul, Raven, Jake on creative as you can imagine the type of angled they'd come up with. But no way they'd fit into a WWE PG framework. Also without ECW pushing WCW and WWF forward I think the business tanks because fans will switch off and we go back to a territory based promotion system. WWF were reeling against the ropes, Bischoff nearly got a KO blow when he went talent raiding and took Hogan, Savage et AL. In another what if, say Bisch puts Vince out of business, would he still have went with the nWo angle?. I would have imagined we'd have seen Hogan still on top of the card main eventing with his buddies for the foreseeable future. WCW would have trundled on and maybe Kellner keeps WCW on TNT and TBS but most likely he'd have dropped WCW so we have a scenario where there's no ECW, WWF are either running small shows or Vince has called it quits and WWF talent go to the WCW and WCW have no TV deal and have to let a ton of talent go so it makes the real 2001 scenario a silver lining. I think WWF needed ECW as a way to innovate and they borrowed concepts which worked like Stone Cold became like a amalgamation of Dr D and Sandman, Mankind make his character more 3 dimensional, Rock had more scope to break away from the tired Baby face gimmick which belonged in 1985, we got DX which also was a huge part of the Monday Night Wars. All roads lead back to Paul's ECW where you had a more adult orientated product which more real life type characters. 1994/95 WWF was still more cartoon character based and I don't think they would have let Paul create a ECW style product because they couldnt really risk a sink or swim scenario where it could have tanked as WWF didn't have a Sandman, Sabu et AL and Paul was all about hiding weaknesses and maximising strengths which is why the list of talent who succeeded outside of the ECW realm is slim to none. Austin, Foley, Benoit, Mysterio, RVD and Jericho but they honed their skills in WCW, Mexico and Japan. Plus when WWF did try to outdo ECW with the Ruthless Aggression Era we got HLA, Katie Vick and other nonsense. So even if we put Paul in the Russo place and Vince gives him the go ahead to go Extreme it wouldnt be th same as ECW was all about being counter culture the then WWF of Waylon Mercy, Duke the Dumpster, Mantuar etc going extreme would be laughable. Or them breaking kayfabe and trying to be The Sandman etc is just humourous. So Paul needed Sandman, 2 Cold, Franchise, Raven, Tommy et AL to make it all work, if you substitute them with what Paul had to work with at the time, it would tank big time. HBK or the Hitman throwing the WWF belt down and picking up a EWF belt wouldn't be the same. ECW worked because it was breaking from tradition and was doing something which pro wrestling fans haven't seen before. You can't reinvent the wheel twice so that's why today if a upstart company tried to be ECW it wouldn't work because it's all been done before.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Big Boss Man]

BRUTI~!

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE~!

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Andre trending in 2016. And The Cure!

Andre the Giant's drinking and Dusty Rhodes' singing: A conversation with one of the Brisco brothers

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Fox Sports: WCW salaries between 1996 and 2000 revealed, with Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman big winners

OVERALL WCW PAY TOP 20, 1996 TO MID-2000 (PLUS BEST ANNUAL SALARY)

1. Hulk Hogan $13,171,042 ($4,610,062 - 1999)

2. Bill Goldberg $8,899,460 ($5,191,132 - 1999)

3. Bret Hart $6,754,074 ($2,694,857 - 1998)

4. Randy Savage $6,102,133 ($1,927,932 - 1997)

5. Sting $6,045,809 ($1,969,089 - 2000)

6. Kevin Nash $5,960,868 ($1,864,062 - 2000)

7. Lex Luger $4,753,880 ($1,380,139 - 2000)

8. Scott Hall $4,178,446 ($1,423,194 - 1998)

9. Diamond Dallas Page $3,274,710 ($1,422,028 - 2000)

10. Roddy Piper $2,690,428 ($718,196 - 1999)

11. Scott Steiner $2,371,285 ($853,271 - 2000)

12. Booker T $2,040,285 ($743,747 - 2000)

13. Ric Flair $1,954,313 ($780,259 - 1998)

14. Konnan $1,724,489 ($510,055 - 1999)

15. Dennis Rodman $1,674,814 ($1,174,814 - 1999)

16. Rick Steiner $1,621,087 ($621,263 - 2000)

17. Stevie Ray $1,608,427 ($641,665 - 1999)

18. Sid Vicious $1,525,990 ($892,459 - 2000)

19. Buff Bagwell $$1,381,589 ($407,167 - 2000)

20. Curt Hennig $1,343,802 ($485,595 - 1999)

[Dr. Zoidberg]

WWE Network Allegedly Finds the Most Rare Footage in Wrestling History: The Last Battle of Atlanta

The Last Battle of Atlanta Has Been Found!

Over the ages there have been wrestling shows lost to the hands of Father Time, but for more than thirty years there has been one event regarded by many historians to be some of the rarest unseen footage in wrestling history – The Last Battle of Atlanta.

Throughout the late ’70s there were two stars in the southern territories whose rivalry went beyond hatred. In one corner there was “Wildfire” Tommy Rich, the blonde, charismatic heartthrob that stole the hearts of women across Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. In the other corner was “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer, the brutal Florida native that had bled Rich dry over 18 months; one of the longest, most personal, violent feuds in pro wrestling history.

The two collided in a true spectacle – a blood bath that featured both men locked inside the first ever roofed-in steel cage, with Sawyer’s manager Paul Ellering locked in a separate cage 20 feet in the air. The match was cited by Shawn Michaels as the inspiration for the first ever Hell in a Cell match that would hit WWE 14 years later.

While footage of the many battles between Wildfire and Mad Dog are accessible, footage from their final encounter – The Last Battle of Atlanta – has long since been lost to time. WWE.com even did a feature on the event in 2012 and mentioned the following:

Very little, if any, video footage of The Last Battle of Atlanta exists. No one knows what happened to it. There are rumors that a Georgia Championship Wrestling official may have erased the footage by mistake. Every now and then, rumors pop up online of a mysterious tape trader who got hold of the footage, but nothing ever comes of it. All we have that confirms the match took place are a few photographs. Otherwise, one of the most brutal bouts in wrestling history is lost in time.

And now for the good news… According to WWENetworkNews.com, WWE will be adding The Last Battle of Atlanta to the WWE Network on September 6th as a part of their “Hidden Gems” collection showcasing rare footage. If the news is true and WWE really did unearth the rarest footage in wrestling history, in just a few days fans will get a chance to see a match that an infinitely small percentage of people have ever laid eyes on.

Source: Wrestlezone

Full Content Listing For Upcoming Hidden Gems WWE Network Collection

Ever since we announced the “Hidden Gems” collection was coming a couple of days ago, it has become perhaps the most eagerly anticipated content in the WWE Network’s two years of existence. Especially once people caught wind of its official description:

Journey deep into the archives, and dust off these Hidden Gems in a collection available only on WWE Network. Whether it’s Lou Thesz facing Ray Gunkel from the 1950s, or Bret Hart taking on Terry Funk in a rare ECW match, this collection has a little something for everyone. From the early days with Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Kiniski, and Andre The Giant, to modern day rarities with Seth Rollins, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and more, experience a potpourri of forgotten classics.

Well, WWE Network News can now bring all the speculation to an end, as we exclusively reveal the complete “WWE Hidden Gems” collection (which is set to land on Tuesday, September 6th) content listing:

05/30/1951 – Texas Rasslin’: Thesz vs Gunkel
Journey back in time to see Lou Thesz defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ray Gunkel in a 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match.

09/23/1964 – Gagne-Metrics
Learn a different way to get in shape and feel great with Gagne-Metrics, courtesy of the Verne Gagne Foundation for Physical Fitness.

03/16/1961 – Gino ‘Gorilla Monsoon’ Marella
The dominance of the late Gorilla Monsoon is on display in this hidden gem, as Dave Ruhl tries to defeat Gino Marella for a monetary prize.

02/11/1969 – NWA Title: Funk, Jr. vs Kiniski
Witness Dory Funk Jr. establish his legacy when he battles the legendary Gene Kiniski for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

01/12/1976 – Andre The Giant Feat Of Strength
Discover why Andre The Giant earned the moniker of The Eighth Wonder of The World through these impressive Feats of Strength.

06/12/1976 – McMahon Interviews Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali uses his extraordinary charisma to show his determination to dominate the wrestling world in an interview with Vince McMahon.

07/07/1982 – Roddy Piper vs Jack Brisco
Will the dirty and underhanded tactics of Roddy Piper cost him when he challenges Jack Brisco for the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship?

09/22/1980 – Champs Collide: Race vs Backlund
Styles clash when NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race collides with WWE Champion Bob Backlund to see who is the Undisputed Champion.

10/23/1983 – The Last Battle Of Atlanta
In this historic confrontation, Buzz Sawyer and Tommy Rich battle inside a Steel Cage while Paul Ellering is confined to a cell of his own.

01/20/1987 – Ric Flair vs Barry Windham
The allure of championship gold leads Barry Windham to push Ric Flair to the limit in this classic bout for the NWA World Heavyweight Title.

08/19/1995 – Brothers Of Destruction
Before waging war with Kane in WWE, The Undertaker traveled to Smoky Mountain Wrestling to go one-on-one with Unabomb.

09/14/1996 – South Africa: Austin vs Bret
Far from their battle at Survivor Series ’96, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart lock up in this rarely seen encounter from South Africa.

09/11/1997 – ECW: Bret Hart vs Terry Funk
Go beyond the mat to relive the first of many ‘Retirement Matches’ for Terry Funk when he faces off against WWE Champion Bret Hart.

10/11/2000 – Samoa Joe vs William Regal
In a sign of things to come, Triple H travels to Ultimate Pro Wrestling to witness William Regal face future NXT Champion, Samoa Joe.

04/29/2012 – FCW Champion: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins proves he has the heart of a champion early in his career by defending the Florida Heavyweight Title against Kassius Ohno.

For those wondering, this collection easily breaks the record for containing content previously unavailable on the WWE Network. For the people who see collections as mostly pointless duplication, this listing will be a very welcome sight.

As a reminder, the “WWE Hidden Gems” collection will be available on the WWE Network starting Tuesday, September 6th.

Source: WWENetworkNews

[Bandit]

Dave on what if Magnum TA didn't retire



Yeah, it means a chance Sting doesn't main event until it was too late for him to be what he was and Luger might have gone to the WWF in 1989.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Bandit]

Poor Tommy Young.

[Ocelot]

The most horrifying thing about that is that I owned the original VHS tape of Starrcade 86. Watched that match a million times. Never noticed that.

Now I can't unsee the lil' russian nightmare.

[Bandit]

Me either, I wonder if it was edited out on Turner Home Video. It was so obvious I can't believe I wouldn't notice it.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I wonder if it was edited out on Turner Home Video.

At one point in the match Ric Flair gives Nikita Koloff a vertical suplex. Nikita hits the canvas flat on his back and his penis comes out of his trunks. Fast acting NWA official,Tommy Young,quickly pulls his trunks over to cover it. It had to be embarrassing for Nikita. The bad thing about it, I have the original tape I ordered from Crockett Promotions and they didn't even edit it out. I know you guys who have the tape are going to dig it out now and see. Just watch for Flair's vertical suplex,then watch Nikita land,you will see a flash,then Tommy Young will adjust his trunks.

The VHS version was on Youtube but WWE took it down.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]