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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 2:25:44 GMT -5
Watched the latest NWA Powerrr........
Show opens recapping things and then James Storm demanding a shot at the World Champion, Nick Aldis. Colt Cabana comes out and wants a shot to regain the National title. Eli Drake comes out to stir things. Aldis comes out and offers a proposition: a 6-man tag match, if Storm's team wins, he gets his shot at the World title. If Aldis' team wins, Colt gets his shot to reclaim the National title. Aldis also added the stipulation that if Storm wins and gets his shot, he has to vacate the National title, so he will have incentive to win the World title. Storm agrees, match is the main event at the climax of the show.
Trevor Murdoch fights Jocephus in a good brawl with some wrestling mixed in and a surprise finish. Jocephus gets more heat and some payback.
Aron Stevens is out running his mouth when Ricky Starks comes out to mock him, then slap him, to set up their match.
Recap of Wild Card vs Kingston & Homicide and the Dawson brothers' interference.
Fake commercial for The Universal Heartthob Austin Idol's Kayfabe Cocktail. Just the thing when you want to get it on, with the person of your choice!
Video feature for the Rock N Roll Express, set to appear soon.
Dawsons vs Kingston & Homicide in a wild, no-DQ brawl, which sees Wild Card interfere with both teams.
Marti Bell vs Ashley Vox, with Women's champion Allysin Kay watching. Still need a lot of work on their psychology. Too many spots in the corner. Thunder Rosa comes in at the end.
More from Tony Falk's Waffles & Tire Irons. Buy three waffles, get 4 tire irons; that's one per wheel! Hey, all tire irons are painted gold!
Stevens vs Starks. You can tell Stevens isn't on 'roids. Good match. Stevens has worked for the WWE (as Damien Sandow) and TNA/Impact (as Aron Stevens). Gold solid wrestler, entertaining talker. Starks is of the flippy persuasion but executes well. Needs more psychology. Good look, good talker. Get some more experience under his belt and he's a star.
Main Event: 6-man tag match-great old school match, Aldis with Colt Cabana and Ken Anderson (former Mr Kennedy and Mr Anderson) vs James Storm & Wild Card (Royce Isaacs and Thomas Latimer)- good psychology, excellent tag-team wrestling, Colt pulls out some Dusty fists and bionic elbows. Excellent match. Isaacs & Latimer are a good heel tag-team, with good teamwork. Storm would have been a top heel, in the day, has been a top star for TNA/Impact, brief time in WWE. Aldis continues to excel, very believable as world champion. Not quite a Flair-level of charisma; but, looks like a champion, wrestles like a champion, acts like a champion. He's defending the title all over and looks credible doing it. Trained in England, then with Harley Races World League Wrestling school. One of the Ten Pounds of Gold episodes features he and Harley meeting up again, with both holding the belt, together (while Harley also holds a replica original belt).
Corgan is really doing the right things with the NWA. The blet is being defended by a touring champion, at promotions all over the US, the UK, Japan, China, and Australia. Old school tradition with new generation wrestling, but with old school personal angles and sports presentation. Notice that several previous challengers for the title are working for AEW, including Cody Rhodes, Jimmy Havoc, and Jack Hager.
This is everything I miss about old school wrestling.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 10:02:03 GMT -5
Aldis had a column in the magazine Fighting Spirit (which ceased publication months ago). He clearly came across as a person dedicated to his craft - and making the product believable.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 10:11:17 GMT -5
Ric Flair 1991 WWF/WWE Debut Back in 1991, I watch Prime Time Wrestling very regularly and seeing Bobby "The Brain" Heenan coming out carrying Ric Flair's WCW World Heavyweight Championship Belt is the MOST SHOCKING THING that I ever seen in my life. Then, he aligned himself with Mr. Perfect and these three were the ultimate heels of that time and always be. Those three made the Macho Man very angry and poor Miss Elizabeth being tormented and that's led a rivalry unparalleled and a feud that I'll never, ever forget. Macho Man vs Ric Flair!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 10:14:58 GMT -5
Aldis had a column in the magazine Fighting Spirit (which ceased publication months ago). He clearly came across as a person dedicated to his craft - and making the product believable. I totally agree with this. I considered him a class act and to me he's what a champion should act and I wished he was in WWE an I felt that his time in TNA Impact totally wasted. If he join AEW ... that's would be a MAJOR Addition to that roster. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 10:46:12 GMT -5
I prefer him to stay outside of the WWE or AEW. I think he is someone the NWA can build around, as they are. Corgan's vision is for the NWA World title to be defended everywhere. They've worked with Ring of Honor, Oriental Wrestling Entertainment, Pro Wrestling Noah, House of Hardcore, dozens of indie promotions here and in the UK and defended at All-In, which was the launch pad for AEW. It is conceivable that Aldis could defend the title in AEW, if they wanted to work together. They have worked with Impact, to do a match between Jocephus and Tim Storm, to become No. 1 Contender, for the NWA title, in 2018. That's got a lot of potential to help usher in a real wrestling boom. I do wish they would go with a different design for the National title, though. It's TOO old school and looks like a home craft exhibit. I'd rather see them use the old eagle design...  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 11:38:04 GMT -5
As much as I wish them luck, I think wrestling has lost a lot of magic since it became more and more open in the 90s.
The likes of Earthquake and Warrior (to name just two) had a mystique. In the pre-social media age, they were larger-than-life characters who retained that mystique. Nowadays, even a heel might have a Twitter account - where he posts a picture of himself at a barbecue. Could you imagine Earthquake, Undertaker or Mr. Perfect letting us have that peep behind the curtain?
Even at autograph signings, a lot of wrestlers kept in character.
So when did this loss of magic start? I know Vince acknowledged wrestling's predetermined status in the late 80s (wasn't it something to do with deregulation/taxes in New Jersey?). The "Bret Screwed Bret" interview also showed us that we watching a predetermined, scripted product. And as the years went by, wrestling personalities openly talked about "storylines". On DVDs, a wrestler might talk about the time they were a heel.
It just would have been unimaginable years ago. Could you have imagined Warrior and Rude breaking character to talk about their feud on a Coliseum Video tape?
Yes, wrestling has always been predetermined. Even as a kid, I knew it was showbiz. But they presented themselves as real. A good example of this is the WWF pleading with fans to write in and support Hogan after Earthquake hurt him on "The Brother Love Show". Wrestling is neither fish nor fowl so one cannot compare with films, but like a film, they should present themselves as real. For 2 hours of your life, Tobey Maguire makes you believe he has been bitten by a radioactive spider. For two hours of your life, what goes on in the ring should present itself as real even though, deep down, we know it isn't.
In the modern age, what are these up-and-coming promotions doing to try and regain that magic (if it can be regained at all)?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 11:40:04 GMT -5
Regarding Mecha's Savage/Flair points, was it fair for the WWF to allow Flair to carry the NWA belt to the ring?
If, years later, Bret Hart had shown up on Nitro with the WWF Championship, would that have been payback/comparable? Or a different kettle of fish?
I don't know.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 12:07:21 GMT -5
Watched the latest NWA Powerrr........ This is everything I miss about old school wrestling. Where you get NWA Powerrr ... is this a cable tv show or something else. I'm really curious about it. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 12:16:09 GMT -5
Regarding Mecha's Savage/Flair points, was it fair for the WWF to allow Flair to carry the NWA belt to the ring? If, years later, Bret Hart had shown up on Nitro with the WWF Championship, would that have been payback/comparable? Or a different kettle of fish? I don't know. If Bret did that showing up on Nitro with the WWF Championship ... Vince McMahon would NEVER, EVER forgive him and would had banned him on all future WWE/WWE events and may not be able to go to the WWF/WWE Hall of Fame. On a personal note ... I would not watch WCW after that incident and remove myself from Nitro and Thunder and would not even watch a PPV at all. My wrestling exposure will be practically non existence because I did not watch much WWF/WWE programming when he left that promotion. With that in mind ... I would only watch ECW exclusively until that went off the air in 1996. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 14:31:14 GMT -5
Watched the latest NWA Powerrr........ This is everything I miss about old school wrestling. Where you get NWA Powerrr ... is this a cable tv show or something else. I'm really curious about it. Right now, it's on Youtube and on Facebook. You can also watch it from their website. The show debuts new episodes every Tuesday, at 6:05 pm Eastern (an homage to the TBS Saturday World Championship Wrestling show). You can pull up all 4 episodes on Youtube. The Ten Pounds of Gold web series is also there, in its entirety, which kind of gives you a story of how they have developed the NWA world title, back to a traveling championship, with lots of interest. It's not as flashy as WWE or AEW. It's old school, studio look, much like World Championship Wrestling, in the 80s. So, depending on what your tastes are like, that may be a good thing or a bad thing. If you are really into the big arena look and big entrances, like WWE and AEW it may look kind of down market. The show is an hour long and they keep it pretty exciting, so you don't have the long matches of AEW and you don't have the long promos and backstage skits of the WWE. Personally, I like that. I don't know how much a younger generation, conditioned by the WWE might; but, they do have a lot of young talent working there, who do the acrobatic stuff, mixed with more seasoned guys, who are more mat-based, with more psychology. If you want to check it out, try the first episode, as that will give you the backstory to Aldis & Tim Storm, the former champion, then introduces many of the major players. At this stage, they are not trying to challenge the WWE or AEW; they are providing a real alternative. So, if Lucha Underground or New Japan isn't your thing, and you aren't enjoying WWE, it's worth checking out. I haven't see Ring of Honor; but, from what I have heard, they have similar features, with a bit of Impact, but with more of an old school attitude. If it's not your thing, the other groups are out there, on cable and streaming. The one exciting thing right now is that there are some really good alternatives, depending on your tastes, plus more chances for a home-grown thing in many parts of the country. I'd like to see everyone prosper, so that there are more places to work, more alternatives for fans and better product all around. Vince was always better when he had competition. It would be nice to see some supercards, like in Japan, with matches from several promotions. That's the kind of thing you used to get with the NWA, AWA and WWF, in the 70s and early 80s. Japan had bitter rivalries, too; but, in the 90s, they put on big shows with top matches from multiple promotions. Title vs Title was done sparingly and usually ended with no titles changing hands; but, they were exciting matches. That's what I'd like to see, in the future. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 14:40:31 GMT -5
Regarding Mecha's Savage/Flair points, was it fair for the WWF to allow Flair to carry the NWA belt to the ring? If, years later, Bret Hart had shown up on Nitro with the WWF Championship, would that have been payback/comparable? Or a different kettle of fish? I don't know. Technically, Flair owned the physical belt, as it was made for him by Crockett. He was also the last champion to have to put up the $25,000 bond. When Flair left WCW, the NWA board still recognized him as champion, which is part of why WCW had their own belt created. However, after he appeared on WWF tv, the Board exercised their rights and stripped Flair of the title and sent a cease and desist order to the WWF, barring them from displaying the belt on tv, since they had a trademark on the image. That is why they started blurring it on tv, until Flair sent back the belt and they used one of the tag belts for tv shots, before they put the WWF title on Flair. Now, with Bret, they couldn't do the reverse with the belt. Vince would have likely hit them with an injunction, barring them from showing the belt on tv, which Bischoff knew, and never asked Bret to pull a swerve and appear on tv with it. With Madusa, that belt hadn't been used in several years and the WWF wasn't planning on starting a women's division (at that point); so, Vince didn't really care. He was ticked off about the ratings; but, was smart enough not to make a big deal about it to give WCW publicity. Fake Razor & Diesel and the Billionaire Ted skits were about as far as he went acknowledging WCW. Then, the NWA Invasion angle, with Cornette bringing in Dan Severn, the Rock N Roll Express and making Jeff Jarrett the North American Champion was a rib on Cornette, orchestrated by Vince Russo, to make fun of Corny always pushing logic and traditional angles. Corny went along with it because Vince asked him to do it; but, it was part of what pushed him to leave to set up developmental, with OVW. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 14:53:38 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan: Real American was released on VHS in the late 80s. It was one of the first WWF tapes I had bought for me at Xmas. It's now on the WWF Network:  You'd have to have been a Hogan fan to enjoy this 60-minute tape. Four matches are included, plus a Hogan workout (with generic music, but the original VHS had Jake Roberts' theme music playing). The first bout features Hogan VS Andre the Giant (from WrestleFest 1988) in a steel cage. An interesting spectacle, I suppose. Hogan VS Nikolai Volkoff from a 1986 SNME episode is pretty solid - and heated. Hogan VS Haku is what it is. I always thought Haku was a good opponent for anyone. He was a good threat to all the faces, but could also take a lot of moves convincingly. The tape ends with a pretty good 1987 match between Hogan and Ted DiBiase. Worth mentioning here is the commentary team: Mike McGuirk (who is very good in the role), Bruce Prichard, and Pete Doherty. Interesting to hear Prichard as a face, I remember him mainly as Brother Love. Doherty is a little over-the-top but in a good way. At one point, Virgil jumps on the ring apron but Hogan grabs him. Doherty shouts, "There's no reason to do that to Virgil!" Prichard replies, "There's no reason for Virgil to be on the ring apron." Great back and forth between face and heel commentators. McGuirk seemed most natural in the role as a commentator. I wish she'd done it more.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 15:36:44 GMT -5
codystarbuck ... I subscribed to that YouTube Channel and will get notifications and email when a new video comes up. Thanks for the tip! Watched the first show and it's 300% better than Raw and Smackdown combined!
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 18:36:13 GMT -5
codystarbuck ... I subscribed to that YouTube Channel and will get notifications and email when a new video comes up. Thanks for the tip! Watched the first show and it's 300% better than Raw and Smackdown combined! Glad you liked it. Like I say, it's old school; but, in a good way. I wondered about it being too nostalgic; but, to me, it feels like if Crockett had continued with the Saturday WCW show, with a new generation. It feels a bit old fashioned, but it is still exciting because it has good stories going on and some good matches. I like high flyers; but, a lot of the modern guys don't seem to know how to connect their spots into something logical, while guys like Tiger Mask, Dynamite Kid, Jushin Liger and Ultimo Dragon knew how to do that part and tell a story. I will say, at this point, it seems like they have far more experienced guys than women, as even Allysin Kay, in her match, seemed a bit green, compared to some of the women working out there. She was more of the physical monster type, fitting closer to some of the Japanese women, like Aja Kong or ump matsumoto, without the spectacular moves. The younger women are big on spots but don't really look like they had much training in psychology and haven't worked with experienced people to learn it. That is the problem for women on the indie scene. unless they go to Japan and learn r pick it up from some of the male veterans, there really aren't many veteran women working the indies. Most seemed to have moved on to other things. It's too bad Sherri Martel is gone because I think she would have been a great mentor for some of the women out there. The former women's champion, Jazz, is probably the most experienced out there, aside from Selina Majors, aka Bambi and I haven't heard of her doing anything in several years. I'd love to see Lisa Moretti (Ivory) get involved as a coach for them. Really be cool to get Tessa Blanchard in there (not sure why she hasn't been signed for the WWE, other than possibly wary, thanks to what happened to her dad. Tully's involved with AEW, so I kind of expect her to turn up there, though Magnum TA is her stepdad and he was involved with the NWA 70 show and Crockett Cup. A lot of the indie workers out there are very green and many weren't trained properly; but, they seem to be using some of the best ones, not already signed to deals elsewhere. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 30, 2019 18:47:02 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan: Real American was released on VHS in the late 80s. It was one of the first WWF tapes I had bought for me at Xmas. It's now on the WWF Network: You'd have to have been a Hogan fan to enjoy this 60-minute tape. Four matches are included, plus a Hogan workout (with generic music, but the original VHS had Jake Roberts' theme music playing). The first bout features Hogan VS Andre the Giant (from WrestleFest 1988) in a steel cage. An interesting spectacle, I suppose. Hogan VS Nikolai Volkoff from a 1986 SNME episode is pretty solid - and heated. Hogan VS Haku is what it is. I always thought Haku was a good opponent for anyone. He was a good threat to all the faces, but could also take a lot of moves convincingly. The tape ends with a pretty good 1987 match between Hogan and Ted DiBiase. Worth mentioning here is the commentary team: Mike McGuirk (who is very good in the role), Bruce Prichard, and Pete Doherty. Interesting to hear Prichard as a face, I remember him mainly as Brother Love. Doherty is a little over-the-top but in a good way. At one point, Virgil jumps on the ring apron but Hogan grabs him. Doherty shouts, "There's no reason to do that to Virgil!" Prichard replies, "There's no reason for Virgil to be on the ring apron." Great back and forth between face and heel commentators. McGuirk seemed most natural in the role as a commentator. I wish she'd done it more. Do a brawl and Haku is your man. Volkoff was always a solid and believable, if unexciting worker. He had great heat, in Mid-South, in the early 80s, especially when Barry Darsow turned traitor and became Krusher Kruschev, before going to Mid-Atlantic and joining Ivan and Nikita. Mike McGuirk was second generation; daughter of wrestler and promoter Leroy McGuirk, who ran Oklahoma and Louisiana, before Bill Watts bought him out. Supposedly, she was sexually assaulted by Vince McMahon, though she has refuted those stories. I have a feeling that the truth is somewhere in the middle, that there may not have been rape or attempted rape, but there was sexual harassment or at least an attempt at an affair. She also did ring introductions, before Lilian Garcia. Hogan had good matches; just not many long ones or anything like he would do in Japan. He had a really good SNME match against Lanny Poffo and his matches with Orndorff were always great. DiBiase never had a bad match in his career. Still say he should have had a real go with one of the titles (preferably the NWA). He didn't need it, by that point; but, still, if anyone deserved the title World Champion, it was Dibiase. Would have been great to have him as the rich, arrogant heel champ when Dusty was there, as the common man against the rich man, for the belt, a decade before Mcmahon and Austin. Would have done massive business, too. But, Vince was never going to push Dusty at the top, just because Dusty had been a thorn in his side, under Crockett. Also, Dusty was a true national star that Vince couldn't claim to have created. Dusty helped Vince a lot, later; but, he still had his blind spots then. |
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