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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 19:06:57 GMT -5
I think the Green One is my favorite ...  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 19:09:21 GMT -5
Correct answer! And that's the one I chose when I bought the DiBiase Hasbro figure.
I loved DiBiase's feud with Jake Roberts, it was so credible, so engrossing, a reminder of a time when we could suspend disbelief:
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2020 20:05:47 GMT -5
Correct answer! And that's the one I chose when I bought the DiBiase Hasbro figure. I loved DiBiase's feud with Jake Roberts, it was so credible, so engrossing, a reminder of a time when we could suspend disbelief: Add the fact that they knew each other in Mid-South, while Jake was getting experience and ted was one of the best workers in the business. Jake became a master of psychology; but Ted was an all-rounder, who could work on the mat and in the mind, and cut a great promo. Jake had the promo and ring psychology; but, if you watch his matches, he's a bit limited in what he can do. He was smart in how he would use his skills to play to his strengths; bu, DiBiase could make anyone look great and be massively over himself, babyface or heel. Jake was never that believable as a face, compared to his heel work. he was another case of fans enjoying his work and making him a babyface, despite his natural inclinations, much like Flair. Flair preferred being a heel, but reached the point where fans cheered everything he did. Same with Jake. DiBiase could still generate heat, when he wanted to. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 20:13:18 GMT -5
Yeah, DiBiase was a great all-rounder.
I agree about Jake's skillset being limited. What I like about him is that he could squeeze so much out of so little. One kneelift from him meant more to me than 200 moves from a wrestler during a spot-fest. Just an armlock for Jake had me either cheering for him or booing against him.
I'm glad these two got to wrestle.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 8, 2020 20:25:19 GMT -5
ps I can't pick a favorite Million Dollar Man outfit, as I always preferred Ted like this...  It ain't Ted DiBiase without the black glove. Little history. Dibiase came back to Georgia in 1983, after having worked there previously, as a babyface. He had been part of a legendary angle where the Freebirds ambushed him and used a piledriver on the concrete. He went to Mid-South as a babyface, then turned on Junkyard Dog and remained a heel, with the Rat Pack. He came back to Georgia as a heel. Watch how they welcome him back, and Gordon Solie points out the changes in him, though he isn't an outright heel yet. DiBiase was soon full heel and feuded with Tommy Rich, beating him in a loser leaves town match. Rich returned under a mask, as Mr R, chasing after DiBiase (who had the National title). The NWA had ruled that if Mr R were shown to be Rich, in violation of their previous match stipulations, he would be banned from the NWA. DiBiase tried to unmask him. Eventually, DiBiase put up the title, on tv, against Mr R, who came to the ring, in a track suit, looking smaller and thinner. He wrestled differently. Eventually, he is unmasked as Brad Armstrong, while Rich comes out, pointing at his head and laughing. Armstrong rolls up Dibiase and wins the National title. DiBiase would be the lead heel, until Black Saturday, then soon returned to Mid-South, before eventually going to the WWF. I always preferred his Mid-South and Georgia work; but, then. I saw it first. Million Dollar Man was too cliched, for me, though DiBiase did it well. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 8:10:46 GMT -5
Does anyone know how serious the WWF was about Andre the Giant returning to the ring in 1991?
I know his health had deteriorated. But he was advertised as a participant in the 1991 Royal Rumble (even cutting a promo where he mentioned Hulk Hogan, Earthquake and Legion of Doom as being casualties in the match). That never happened.
I did read, although I don't know how true it is, that there were plans for him to return as a heel and team with Earthquake, but when an in-ring appearance became impossible, Tugboat instead became Quake's partner (as Typhoon).
Hard to know what is true in old magazines, newsletters, etc. As Andre's health had deteriorated, it's hard to imagine the WWF wanted him back (I presumed the planned Rumble appearance was going to be a one-off novelty). And I'd have been astonished if he'd turned heel, only having turned face back at WrestleMania VI.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 8:58:16 GMT -5
Does anyone know how serious the WWF was about Andre the Giant returning to the ring in 1991? I don't know a thing about it and he died in 1993 ... and that's would be bad publicity stunt by WWF back then and I would be disgusted about it ... period. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 9:11:04 GMT -5
He seemed to be in a lot of pain prior to 1991. He looked quite immobile in the 1990 Royal Rumble. He barely wrestled in the tag match at WrestleMania VI. One magazine reported that he was in a lot of pain prior to his WrestleMania III bout.
So a 1991 comeback would have been ill-advised.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 9:36:19 GMT -5
Rock and Roll Express - Robert Gibson and Ricky MortonThis team just won their 9th NWA Tag Team Titles and did it at age of 61 (Gibson) and 63 (Morton) and still wrestling today and I'm totally baffled of how well they performed after watching that tag team match recently and these guys are in excellent shape and I'm been watching some their matches in the early days and have a profound respect for them of the ways they conduct themselves in the ring. Most people retire around 65 and looks like they got another year or two left and I hope they will have continual success of whatever they do in their professional life of wrestling.  Recent Picture after winning their 9th NWA Tag Team Titles Gorgeous Belts too.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 9:53:12 GMT -5
I've seen a lot of their matches, thanks to First Independent's videotape releases (1990s), the WWF Network, DVDs, etc.
Great, great tag team.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 9, 2020 13:28:32 GMT -5
Well, Morton & Gibson pretty much stuck to the ground and traditional bumps, with the double dropkcik being their main high spot. They weren't injury prone, which helped a lot. The key to their matches were the quick tags and moves, before settling down into Morton selling like crazy for the heels and the last desperate tag to Gibson, who cleaned house before they hit the double dropkick. Gibson used to do the Gibson Leglock (popularized by his older brother Ricky), which was a reverse Figure 4 variant, where he did a backbridge, over his opponent, after locking the legs. On his podcast, Corny commented that he wasn't really able to do that anymore in their short stint in the WWE, as part of the NWA invasion (a horrible angle, with Russo's fingers all over it).
Here's a Mid-South match, with Ricky & Robert and Robert's older brother, Ricky Gibson, in a six-man, where Ricky uses the Gibson Leglock as the finisher.
Note: Rob Riechsteiner is Rick Steiner's real name, which he used when he first broke in.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 13:51:16 GMT -5
But could the Rock 'N' Roll Express have beaten The New Rockers?  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 14:49:48 GMT -5
But could the Rock 'N' Roll Express have beaten The New Rockers? I don't think so ... I think the experience of the Rock and Roll Express would beaten them ... Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy form the New Rockers in the late 90's and I really don't know Leif that well ... but the New Rockers had youth and excitement and I just don't think they can win ... they could win 3 or 4 out of 10 matches ... but the Rock and Roll had everything going for them and that's why were so successful. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 15:16:08 GMT -5
Don't worry, I was joking. Rock 'N' Roll Express vs New Rockers is a 3-minute squash match - with a Rock 'N' Roll win... |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 9, 2020 15:45:18 GMT -5
But could the Rock 'N' Roll Express have beaten The New Rockers? I don't think so ... I think the experience of the Rock and Roll Express would beaten them ... Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy form the New Rockers in the late 90's and I really don't know Leif that well ... but the New Rockers had youth and excitement and I just don't think they can win ... they could win 3 or 4 out of 10 matches ... but the Rock and Roll had everything going for them and that's why were so successful. Leif Cassidy was Al Snow. He was also Avatar and Shinobi, under a mask. They did an angle in the Attitude era where he was losing it and came to the ring in a mixture of old gimmicks. Rock N Roll would eat the New Fakers alive!  Seriously, the Rock N Roll ripoff teams were never as over as the originals (who actually eclipsed the Fabulous Ones, who they were created to mimic, as the B Show team), though the Midnight Rockers (Rockers, in the WWF) were one of the best attempts at it. Verne dubbed them, in the AWA, and they got over as well as they could, in that environment; but, were hurting for good opponents for matches. However, both were complete trainwrecks behind the scene, which got the fired, by Verne, when he desperately needed new blood. So, of to memphis, then back to the AWA and then the WWF. Janetty and Michaels made a great team, as both were fantastic workers, with Jannetty the more experienced of the two, though Michaels was developing fast. I saw them, separately, in Central States, when Janetty was one half of the Uptown Boys (the KC ripoff of the RNR), with Tommy Lane (who was using the name Tommy Rogers, before the Fantastics Tommy Rogers was in the big territories) and they were feuding with the Grapplers (Len Denton & Tony "Dirty White Boy" Anthony, both of whom wrestled as the Dirty White Boys in memphis and Mid-South), while Michaels was a promising rookie on the undercard, in singles and tags (similar to how he was used in Southwest). Lane went off and ended up in the Rock N Roll RPMs, with Mike Davis, working the remaining Southern territories, as a cheaper version of the RNR, though usually working heel. Jannetty and Michaels clicked well and had great double-team spots. Problem was, both were part boys and attention-seeking punks, which got them into all kinds of trouble. They got into a fight with each other in the WWF which so bruised their faces they were taken off tv and lost a run with the tag titles. Shawn was the flashier guy; but Marty had much better psychology; but, was crippled by an even worse substance problem than Michaels (which is saying a lot). Finally they split them and launched Shawn as a heel singles; but did a great angle for one of the early RAWs, where Jannetty reappeared and kicked Shawn's ass, for the IC title. Marty's substance problems reared up again, though. Marty and Al just didn't work and derivative teams rarely did. Fans usually dumped all over "the New.....(fill in blank)" Cornette hated the New Midnight Express and only went along with it because he was a pro. That just buried Bob Holly and Bart Gunn. The New Fabulous Ones (Tommy Rich and Eddie Gilbert) was crapped on by Memphis fans, so they split them and had them feud with each other. LOD 2000, later versions of the Horsemen, etc....it never works. Rock N Roll Express knew how to get over, anywhere, and would have probably gone over both original and New Fakers....Rockers, though they were slowing down their travel by the time the Rockers came along. Now, I would have loved to have seen the Rockers work against the Midnight Express. That would have been a hell of a match (if the Rockers could keep their heads on business). |
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