Legends Programming

[Promoter 0]

I didn't actually know that Orton was a face before that heel turn on Flair. So I guess that turn was the beginning of a long career as a toady for Bob Jr.

 

Having now seen the Legends show about Factions I have to say that Flair really seems to have sour grapes about the NWO. What he said is largely correct, but it's not like WCW couldn't have done something good after the NWO ran its course...they just didn't have a clue. By sour grapes here's what I mean: Flair seems bitter at the fact that the NWO, unlike the Horsemen, actually drove WCW to the #1 spot in the industry for a while. And to be honest, what does Flair think Vince would have done with the Horsemen that would have been so much better than Crockett? The Horsemen would have been heel fodder for Hogan, Warrior, Savage, etc. Arn and Tully might have won the tag belts but they did that anyway in 1989.

 

I missed this show you guys watched with Flair talking about the factions, but I'm not surprised at Flair's attitude toward the NWO. I remember rumors back then saying Flair was pissed at Hall and Nash because they mocked the horsemen like how HHH mocked the corporation. Then we know the whole mess with Bischoff and Flair. Flair was more disposable in those days than the previous years and it pissed him off imo.

 

It's true Hogan/Nash/Hall made wcw #1. What people also forget is the storyline that it was wwf invaders trying to takeover wcw in the monday night war. The majority of people LIKED the NWO and wanted them to wipe out wcw. THAT was the biggest problem imo, but they could have transitioned to Sting or Goldberg and pushed wcw more toward the end of 98 and 99.

 

If Ric Flair wants to know how Vince would have booked him during his real hey day he needs to look no more further than the Hogan/Dibase feud. Dibase was Vince's answer to Flair imo when you look at the high profile and stylin characters.

[Promoter 0]

I think we've all known that the Taker/HBK story is true and any attempt to say it wasn't has always been pretty weak because no details were given.

 

I always questioned this story although I heard it straight from Taker's mouth on OTR.

 

The reason being is HBK had a bad back. Why would he want to hold the title and not be able to wrestle? It doesn't make sense. His condition he had to lose the belt. You can tell in the match with Austin he was hurt.

The WWE belt is the One Ring?

 

huh?

[Promoter 0]

I think we've all known that the Taker/HBK story is true and any attempt to say it wasn't has always been pretty weak because no details were given.

 

I always questioned this story although I heard it straight from Taker's mouth on OTR.

 

The reason being is HBK had a bad back. Why would he want to hold the title and not be able to wrestle? It doesn't make sense. His condition he had to lose the belt. You can tell in the match with Austin he was hurt.

 

Yeah, he was all right the first few minutes but when he started bumping around, you could see how much pain he was in.

 

Not to mention that was his last match for years too. HBK was in pain doing that angle on raw too. The one where HBK puts the title belt in Austin's face. Earlier in the show when HBK tried to do the sweet chin music he see him pulling himself to restrain his back.

 

He was speaking like he was also on a higher politcal level than Hogan in that interview if I remember correctly and that's laughable since we know how easy Hogan returned and got the belt. Taker was trying to get across that he was the backstage leader in that interview and was talking shit imo. Russo has always said HBK was going to drop the belt. Russo is the one who wanted HBK to win alledgedly, but HBK and Vince said it was a stupid idea and plus he was injured.

[Guest Smues]

I have no idea if that story is true, but how would it surprise anybody that Shawn wouldn't want to job a title away? I mean christ, this was the guy who 'lost his smile' yet was clearly able to wrestle. Then won the tag titles shortly after, gave them up due to 'injury' and was again wrestling just fine soon after. In fact I don't recall Shawn actually jobbing away most of his pre 4 years off titles.

[Promoter 0]

Not surprised that HBK wouldn't want to job, but in this scenario it seems unlikely since he couldn't actually wrestle or do physically demanding stuff. He would have to be delusional to think Vince would want a champion who can't wrestle(and remember his match at Mania 14 was his first match since the casket match back at Royal Rumble). Then to add that he never showed up in the company again for years after that night makes it kind of strange that UT would have to force him to job the title.

 

The other times he dodged the title losses he was not injured with his back(unlike the "knee problem" where he made it known he was faking an injury by jumping on the knee at WM 13 AND making comments mockingly at the Slammys) and he wasn't avoiding a return job to a guy he hated in Bret Hart.

 

Now, if Taker meant he had to make sure HBK would SHOW UP to do the job that's another story. HBK could have simply ditched the match altogether if he wanted to avoid jobbing although the pay day would go down the tubes(as well as his goodwill with Vince although we all know there were times he wanted to jump ship). Add the money and the injury to this whole thing and HBK refusing to do the job under the situation seems kind of out there even for HBK.

 

However, the point is well taken about this being HBK though

[Ed Wood Caulfield 0]

I think we've all known that the Taker/HBK story is true and any attempt to say it wasn't has always been pretty weak because no details were given.

 

I always questioned this story although I heard it straight from Taker's mouth on OTR.

 

The reason being is HBK had a bad back. Why would he want to hold the title and not be able to wrestle? It doesn't make sense. His condition he had to lose the belt. You can tell in the match with Austin he was hurt.

 

Yeah, he was all right the first few minutes but when he started bumping around, you could see how much pain he was in.

 

I'm pretty sure that it was the Flair Flip gone wrong that made that match unbearable for HBK. You could actually hear his back slamming into the turnbuckles all over the arena. After that, he could barely walk.

[KingPK 0]

The Jerry Lawlor HOF profile features his empty arena match between him and Terry Funk. It's been on 24/7 alone but good God, Funk was all kinds of awesome. Nonstop cursing and screaming throughout the segment (with an hysterical, hyperventilating voice), Funk was definitely a sports entertainer before the WWF started using that phrase. I remember during the ECW One Night Stand two years ago people were wondering if he had really injured his eye. I knew he hadn't...his been doing that "MY EYE! OH GOD, GET A DOCTOR!" rountine for 25 years.

 

Funk going from a ranting, cursing lunatic at the beginning to a pathetic crybaby at the end was tremendous.

[cabbageboy 0]

Yeah that's probably the only good Lawler match they've shown thus far in Jan. The problem is getting his Memphis footage. Does anyone know for sure who owns that stuff? I know they showed a great Lawler/Bockwinkel match a while ago, but I can't recall if it was an AWA title match or maybe a Southern title match. If it was AWA title then Vince would own that (even if it was Memphis) but a Southern title match?

[Diamonddust 0]

Yeah that's probably the only good Lawler match they've shown thus far in Jan. The problem is getting his Memphis footage. Does anyone know for sure who owns that stuff? I know they showed a great Lawler/Bockwinkel match a while ago, but I can't recall if it was an AWA title match or maybe a Southern title match. If it was AWA title then Vince would own that (even if it was Memphis) but a Southern title match?

 

I've asked the same question before, and the best answer I've gotten is multiple people own portions of the "Memphis" library.

[KingPK 0]

I would think that Jerry Jarrett owns a lot of it.

[spman 0]

I'm pretty sure Bill Watts' ex-wife owns most of the footage and they've tried to get it from her in the past, but she won't sell or wants a ton of money for it. She has no problem licensing it for an endless amount of 99 Cent Wal-Mart DVDs and PPVs however.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I never would have guessed Watts's ex owned any of the Memphis footage.

[Diamonddust 0]

I'm pretty sure Bill Watts' ex-wife owns most of the footage and they've tried to get it from her in the past, but she won't sell or wants a ton of money for it. She has no problem licensing it for an endless amount of 99 Cent Wal-Mart DVDs and PPVs however.

 

The Mid-South footage (Watts' territory in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma) is different from the Memphis footage.

[cabbageboy 0]

Here's the dilemma about Memphis: Before 1989 it was another promotion (CWA) and then after that it was USWA. Those crooks from Cleveland bought the USWA but I have no idea if they bought the previous Memphis footage.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I've also been led to believe USWA has roots in the death of WCCW which I'm sure further confuses things.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ESoFCdq-wg

 

Terry Funk uncensored.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

The empty arena match is one of my favorite things that I've seen on 24/7, due mostly to Funk but in part to Lance Russell's blase attitude; he seems genuinely annoyed to be there.

[Darth Pipes 0]

The empty arena match is one of my favorite things that I've seen on 24/7, due mostly to Funk but in part to Lance Russell's blase attitude; he seems genuinely annoyed to be there.

 

How about his attitude in regards to Funk's injury? He's in no great rush to help him and seems bothered by the whole thing. It's pretty funny actually.

 

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Owen vs. Lawler is pretty boring (lots of Lawler stalling) but it picks up at the end. I do remember watching the match as a kid - a memory I think have purely based on Owen's wacky tights. I think my favourite part of the match was when Lawler sticks his hands in his tights, Ross quips, "Who does he think he is, Al Bundy?".

[Monty Burns 0]

^ Haha, loved that!

[cabbageboy 0]

The WCCW/USWA deal is more clear cut. As in there was a match with Eric Embry vs. PY Chu Hi where if Embry won then WCCW was no more and the promotion became the USWA. What does it say about the devalued World Class name that the fans popped for the promotion being taken over?

 

I would assume from that point forward whatever footage from Dallas that is USWA is lumped in with the Memphis USWA footage, whereas the stuff before 1989 is in the WWE's World Class footage.

[Enigma 0]

Haha, Trongard and Marshall went fucking NUTS when Hennig locked in the ABDOMINAL STRETCH~!

[Timmy8271 0]

The WCCW/USWA deal is more clear cut. As in there was a match with Eric Embry vs. PY Chu Hi where if Embry won then WCCW was no more and the promotion became the USWA. What does it say about the devalued World Class name that the fans popped for the promotion being taken over?

 

I would assume from that point forward whatever footage from Dallas that is USWA is lumped in with the Memphis USWA footage, whereas the stuff before 1989 is in the WWE's World Class footage.

 

 

In storyline, WCCW board of Directors was bought by Tojo Yamamoto and Skandar Akbar at the time. Max Andrews was the sole good guy that couldn't be bought on the board of directors. And if I recall in real life, USWA bought WCCW back in late 1988.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I suggest checking out the JYD vs. Jim Neidhart HOF match. It's from Stampede in 1979 and it's pretty wacky to see The Anvil in black trunks with no facial hair.

[heyguesswhatidid 0]

I love how Regis is at the HOF ceremony.

[Diamonddust 0]

Watched the latest roundtable this morning as the topic was famous African-American wrestlers. The panel got new members this time out as Teddy Long, Tony Atlas, and "Cowboy" Bill Watts joined Dusty and Jim Ross for the discussion. Teddy Long had some good stories, especially about how he broke into the business, as did Tony Atlas. Watts was pretty reserved and most of what he said has been said in his previous shoot interviews (Although he did manage to get a great crack in on Mark Madden, which I found pretty funny).

 

The program also confirmed Watts is going into the Hall of Fame by putting a graphic up the first time he was introduced on the program.

[heyguesswhatidid 0]

Holy shit!! On the Tony Atlas Vs. King Kong Bundy match, Bundy has a full head of hair, has a blue Onsie on and is known as Chris Kanyon!!!!!!

[Darth Pipes 0]

Watched the latest roundtable this morning as the topic was famous African-American wrestlers. The panel got new members this time out as Teddy Long, Tony Atlas, and "Cowboy" Bill Watts joined Dusty and Jim Ross for the discussion. Teddy Long had some good stories, especially about how he broke into the business, as did Tony Atlas. Watts was pretty reserved and most of what he said has been said in his previous shoot interviews (Although he did manage to get a great crack in on Mark Madden, which I found pretty funny).

 

The program also confirmed Watts is going into the Hall of Fame by putting a graphic up the first time he was introduced on the program.

 

JR wrote in his blog that Ron Simmons was originally going to be part of the panel but after he got released, Atlas took his place. Too bad Simmons couldn't have been there. He's a good interview and it would have been a total WCW reunion with him, Long, JR, Dusty, and Watts.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I love how Regis is at the HOF ceremony.

Regis Philbin had Fred Blassie on his program in San Diego all the time when he was breaking into television.

[Darth Pipes 0]

Just saw the new Legends of Wrestling and it was very, very good. Watts, Atlas, and Long were all good editions. Next episode will be History of Texas Wrestling. I would assume that will air before WM.