Topic: The Pro Wrestling Thread

[Curly Van Dyke]

I used to Love the Old WWWF shows from Hamburg,PA. in that cheesy arena.
Such greats as Vince McMahon and Antonino Rocca broadcasting-Great Refs
such as Dick Wurley, Lou Super and Dusty Felbamer  . Joe McHugh the announcer and
The Doctor in Attendance-Dr. George Zaharian.

[Toast5884]

By and large I haven't watched much of WWE though their Women's Division has been grabbing my attention. Becky Lynch's feud with Shayna Baszler and Charlotte Flair's feud with Rea Ripley going into Mania both feel like old school Jim Crockett feuds.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I've been impressed thus far with what Billy Corgan has been able to do with the NWA. NWA Power has been a lot of fun to watch and Nick Aldis is a solid champ for them to have.

Also, the Cody Rhodes/MJF feud in AEW has been great. That cage match on Dynamite against Wardlow was amazing.

[metaldams]

By and large I haven't watched much of WWE though their Women's Division has been grabbing my attention. Becky Lynch's feud with Shayna Baszler and Charlotte Flair's feud with Rea Ripley going into Mania both feel like old school Jim Crockett feuds.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I've been impressed thus far with what Billy Corgan has been able to do with the NWA. NWA Power has been a lot of fun to watch and Nick Aldis is a solid champ for them to have.

Also, the Cody Rhodes/MJF feud in AEW has been great. That cage match on Dynamite against Wardlow was amazing.

I really should try watching some wrestling again.  From the mid 80’s to the mid 2000’s, I was a major fan but am clueless on current wrestling.  I was admittedly a huge Chris Benoit fan, my favorite wrestler.  I was starting to lose interest before the murders, but that weekend pretty much delayed me getting back into wrestling for a long time.

It’s been the past five years or so where I watch the old stuff again, on YouTube.  I heard Cody and Dustin Rhodes supposedly had some cool old school match recently.

[Toast5884]

I really should try watching some wrestling again.  From the mid 80’s to the mid 2000’s, I was a major fan but am clueless on current wrestling.  I was admittedly a huge Chris Benoit fan, my favorite wrestler.  I was starting to lose interest before the murders, but that weekend pretty much delayed me getting back into wrestling for a long time.

It’s been the past five years or so where I watch the old stuff again, on YouTube.  I heard Cody and Dustin Rhodes supposedly had some cool old school match recently.

Yeah, that Cody/Dustin match was last May I think. Both definitely did their father proud! Cody's new company, AEW, is pretty solid. It can come off as a little too indie at times but I think that's just smoothing the edges out. Plus having Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone on commentary is like a dream team to me. Feels like a legit throwback to Nitro with it being on TNT as well.

[metaldams]

Yeah, that Cody/Dustin match was last May I think. Both definitely did their father proud! Cody's new company, AEW, is pretty solid. It can come off as a little too indie at times but I think that's just smoothing the edges out. Plus having Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone on commentary is like a dream team to me. Feels like a legit throwback to Nitro with it being on TNT as well.

I have next week off, so I’ll be doing some NWA and AEW searching then.  Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone is a cool combo, though I miss Heenan.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Well, a lack of real "competition," seems to be what many think is one of the major problems with WWE, although for me, Raw and Smackdown have been really good the last few weeks.

Must make a mental note to watch AEW Dynamite on TNT at some point...

[Toast5884]

Well, a lack of real "competition," seems to be what many think is one of the major problems with WWE, although for me, Raw and Smackdown have been really good the last few weeks.

Must make a mental note to watch AEW Dynamite on TNT at some point...

Well that's been the main point fans have been saying like a mantra since WCW and ECW closed it's doors. AEW ain't there yet but they're playing it right by focusing on themselves and not having any Vince Russos or Atittude Era Relics in their midst who are only out for themselves. And they're backed by actual millionaires who believe in the product and the product has been good enough to get a five year tv deal. Hopefully they can just play it smart and build their brand. NWA Power has been exclusively on YouTube and is just old school studio wrestling ala Jim Crockett Productions and has been working off and on with Ring of Honor. Both have been differentiating themselves enough to stay out of WWE's path, which is great because it's giving fans variety. You have WWE, ROH, AEW, NWA, even New Japan, who are trying to have more of a North American presence.Looking at things right now, it's a good time to be a fan.

[Shemp_Diesel]

I'm really digging this AEW right now...

[Shemp_Diesel]

Considering how bad Raw & Smackdown have sucked the past few weeks, it sure is refreshing to watch a show like AEW where they just fucking "Wrestle," not 30 minute "Sports Entertainment" segments to start the show before a fucking match.

Hate to sound like an old codger telling kids to get off my lawn & the good old days of real competition when it was WCW vs. WWF, but AEW might hopefully be something that will eventually revive a business many are saying is dead already (rant over)...

[HomokHarcos]

Getting the WWE Network really brought back my interest in wrestling. I'm not too much of a fan of current WWE (and having 7 hours a week is way too much to keep up with), but I love watching the WWF from the 1980s-early 2000s. I also like watching old WCW, and occasionally Japanese wrestling. I was liking AEW, but no crowds has put a damper on the product for me. Strangely, being born in 1998 all the wrestling I like to watch is either from before I was born or am too young to remember.

[metaldams]

Getting the WWE Network really brought back my interest in wrestling. I'm not too much of a fan of current WWE (and having 7 hours a week is way too much to keep up with), but I love watching the WWF from the 1980s-early 2000s. I also like watching old WCW, and occasionally Japanese wrestling. I was liking AEW, but no crowds has put a damper on the product for me. Strangely, being born in 1998 all the wrestling I like to watch is either from before I was born or am too young to remember.

I was born in 1978.  Most of my interests I feel I was born in the wrong era.  As a wrestling fan - definitely not.  I saw Hulkamania, the Ric Flair title runs, the beginning of Wrestlemania, the Monday Night Wars,  even old AWA and WCCW matches on ESPN.  The era I grew up in as a wrestling fan I would never change.

[HomokHarcos]

I was born in 1978.  Most of my interests I feel I was born in the wrong era.  As a wrestling fan - definitely not.  I saw Hulkamania, the Ric Flair title runs, the beginning of Wrestlemania, the Monday Night Wars,  even old AWA and WCCW matches on ESPN.  The era I grew up in as a wrestling fan I would never change.

1978 is exactly the year I wish I could have been born in. By the time I turned 20 I would have grown up with: Hulk Hogan era, the beginning of WCW and the Monday Night Wars, NWO and the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin in wrestling. In video games I would have grown up with the releases of the NES, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, original PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. (Although growing up with the PS2 was pretty good as well).

[HomokHarcos]

I guess in the 1950s being a bald woman meant you were called the ugliest in the world. I've had some fun watching 1950s and 1960s wrestling on YouTube recently. The original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers, is probably my favorite from that era.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Sometimes (a lot of times) in spite of their questionable management decisions, I really miss WCW....

[Shemp_Diesel]

[HomokHarcos]

What a stacked roster they had in this match: British Bulldog, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Sgt. Slaughter, The Iron Sheik (as Colonel Mustafa), The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. The only notable absence was Bret Hart, who didn't wrestle any match on the card.

[metaldams]

What a stacked roster they had in this match: British Bulldog, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Sgt. Slaughter, The Iron Sheik (as Colonel Mustafa), The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. The only notable absence was Bret Hart, who didn't wrestle any match on the card.

The reason why Bret didn’t wrestle that night because in the storyline, he had a massive fever.  That set up The Mountie winning the IC title from Bret which in turn, set up up Piper winning the IC belt this night and Piper and Bret’s match at Wrestlemania.

Indeed this is a classic Rumble.  Great line up and manna from Heaven for a Flair fan.  The best thing about this match though - Heenan’s commentary!  Hysterical.  I watched this match as it happened.

[Shemp_Diesel]

[HomokHarcos]

Funny that they made a storyline involving Bret not being able to compete due to a fever knowing the real Vince McMahon (before COVID) would not consider illness a legitimate reason to miss work. The Heenan commentary was funny,. My favorite part was when Ric Flair gave British Bulldog a cheap shot and Bobby said that he would do that to his own grandmother if he had to. Since I started watching classic comedy I've begun to realize that Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan effectively are a comedy duo with Heenan as the comic and Monsoon as the straight man.

Thanks for sharing that Sting and Ric Flair match. I saw their great match at the first Clash of the Champions, but not this one before. Most of the internet wrestling nostalgia seems to be geared towards the Attitude Era, but I found I'm having more fun watching 1980s and early 1990s WWF, Jim Crockett and WCW. I'm also really liking the Memphis clips I've seen from the 1970s to the USWA.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Aside from the new content of AEW, most of my wrestling viewing comes from the Glory Days of the 1980s and 90s. There's some good stuff from the 2000s, too--if you know where to look. And--of course--there's always the question if modern day wrestling will reach the glorious heights of the stuff from the past...

[Shemp_Diesel]

[metaldams]

I saw that when it aired.  It was shocking at the time because WWF never mentioned a wrestler from NWA/WCW as being accomplished like that.  Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race were treated as newcomers.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Yes, I think Vince McMahon had a real knack for shitting on the top established stars from the old NWA/WCW & unfortunately, Sting was the last one on Vince's hitlist. But, Sting's in a better place now, so I'm over it...

[HomokHarcos]

Dusty Rhodes was given that polka dot gimmick, and some believe that the Goldust gimmick was supposed to be a rib on Dustin Rhodes.

[Shemp_Diesel]

A couple of reasons I like this: 1) I think this was one of Bret's final days as a "face" in the WWF, before he essentially kicked off the Attitude Era by snapping on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Pity I can't remember the exact date, but I'm sure it happened in March, before that epic match with Steve Austin at WM13...

And 2) I always loved that "Winged Eagle" championship belt. The WCW Big Gold will always be #1 for me, but the Winged Eagle is a close 2nd...