WWE Old School

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

For ongoing discussion of the house shows featured in Big Ones. We either don't talk about them at all, briefly mention them in the schedule / random banter thread, or start a thread that gets 2 replies. Screw it, we're doing an Old School mega thread.

 

I mark out in a nostalgic way for shows from Maple Leaf Gardens with ol Billy Red Lyons. When I started watching wrestling back in 1991 he hosted the live event news on the Canadian version of the weekend syndies on CHCH, always telling us "Don't ya dare miss it!".

 

I thought I saw this show on 24/7 before because I recall the Andre/Kamala main event being shown, but as I don't recall "Brett" Hart vs Paul BUTCHER Vachon~!, I think the Andre/Kamala match was a Shortie of some sort.

 

Edit: It was a different Andre/Kamala Maple Leaf Gardens match - a month after this show, they had a cage match. This is not a cage match.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Woah, a not yet British Bulldog "Davey Boy Smith" vs some guy named Goldie Rogers! I enjoy seeing guys on shows before their big gimmicks took place.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I saw the 10/84 MLG show w/ Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (not dubbed The British Bulldogs) against Goldie Rogers & Bobby Bass. Awkward as fuck when the heels had the advantage if I remember right. But yeah Lyons/Reynolds are a fun old school commentary duo.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Now Dynamite Kid (with a CAPE~!) is wrestling Jerry Valiant. Same red style tights as Davey Boy (but wacky lightning designs) but no mention of a connection between the two yet, so I guess they hooked up as a team sometime in the next few weeks?

 

Dynamite does that front handstand flip after the match - I always thought it was really cool when Bulldog did that during his mid 96/97 heel run but didn't make a DK connection.

[Darth Pipes 0]

How about the Andre/Kamala match?

 

Andre actually losing a match via count-out. He goes on to ***** about it worse than Hogan did whenever he lost.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Audible "bullshit" chant from the crowd, too.

[Darth Pipes 0]

Yeah. You know, they went to see an Andre match and didn't expect that result. Although it was the correct one.

[Bix 0]

Sheik-Slaughter is insanely disappointing but Volkoff vaulting into the ring at the end (he was one athletic dude when he wanted to be) was pretty awesome.

[Darth Pipes 0]

That's surprisng about Slaughter and Shiek. There MSG series was excellent and the two had good chemistry together.

[landy1987 0]

Has anyone watched the new Maple Leaf Gardens show from 1989? From reading the lineup with a Hogan/Savage and Perfect/Bret match it seems like one of the better house shows they've shown

[heyguesswhatidid 0]

Has anyone watched the new Maple Leaf Gardens show from 1989? From reading the lineup with a Hogan/Savage and Perfect/Bret match it seems like one of the better house shows they've shown

 

I haven't watched it yet, but there's also a DiBiasi/Roberts match and a Blue Blazer/Valentine match, so those sound promising also. Though, I read the result of the Brain Busters/Bushwhackers match and it sounds like the dumbest ending ever.

 

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Boris Zukoff singing the Russian anthem is something else. Hogan mocking Sherri was pretty funny too.

 

Mr. Perfect's tights are neat with that odd stripe pattern.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

I just started my subscription Tuesday night (the night that a lot of stuff was ending, including the WCW Japan Supershow). I'm watching the Roberts/DiBiase match, and this bit of commentary jumped out at me.

 

(On wrestlers being comfortable working the right and/or left side of their opponent)

Gorilla: It's very important to go both ways in wrestling-

Hayes: Yes.

Gorilla: Especially here in the World Wrestling Federation.

Hayes: (suppresses a laugh) Yes!

 

A comment directed towards Pat Patterson and the like? Maybe JR didn't start the tradition of ribbing Pat's lifestyle choice on commentary. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. By the way, if there's anyone who is reading this and is on the fence about getting 24/7, do it immediately. I'm blown away by how great it is, and besides, next month is Flair Month.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

There have also been multiple comments on various house shows and Prime Time episodes about wrestlers training at the Terry Garvin and Pat Patterson School of Wrestling or things of that nature.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

They've shown this one on 24/7 before, haven't they? I'm almost positive I've got it on DVD from someone who had 24/7 long before I did.

 

The Valentine/Blazer match is a disappointment. Hammer controls far too much of the match and it's a lethargic happening from bell to bell. I've only made it midway through the Hercules/Bravo match. I had to turn it off because it was so boring, even though I was only half watching it.

[Darth Pipes 0]

There have also been multiple comments on various house shows and Prime Time episodes about wrestlers training at the Terry Garvin and Pat Patterson School of Wrestling or things of that nature.

 

I think Heenan said one wrestler passed all exams "written and oral."

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Decent MSG show. The Bezerker looks like Jim Henson dressed as Bruiser Brody.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Monsoon cracked me up when he was running down Ric Flair's Survivor Series team ("All the Warlord is interested in is Dominos Pizza!") but his best line was saying Virgil is a good tag partner for Piper because "he knows how to take orders". I laughed.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

If there's anything worse than a really slow match, it's a really slow match that's sloppy. Tornado and Bully moved in slow motion and there were still a ton of awkward spots.

 

Heenan's reaction to Hayes praising Davey Boy Smith being on his own so far away from home is great. "He's not some kid at camp! He's a grown man. He's only alone because no one wants to hang around him."

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Monsoon cracked me up when he was running down Ric Flair's Survivor Series team ("All the Warlord is interested in is Dominos Pizza!") but his best line was saying Virgil is a good tag partner for Piper because "he knows how to take orders". I laughed.

 

Semi OT but I loved Monsoon/Heenan's commentary during the Mustafa/Skinner/Berzerker/Herc entrance at SurSer91.

 

Monsoon: Mustafa on the way w/ Adnan

Heenan: GENERAL Adnan

Monsoon: Oh sorry

Heenan: COLONEL Mustafa

 

Monsoon: Look at that filthy slob Skinner, all that junk just running down his chin.

Heenan: He's just having a little dip, a little chew.

 

Heenan: There's the Berzerker, this is his type of match, over the top to the floor (finally realizing that it's not a battle royal) OR pin a man!

 

Heenan: There's Hercules, what a powerful man he is.

Monsoon: Still speak fondly of him? All that money you stole from him.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Monsoon never fails to mention Heenan "selling Hercules down the river" no matter what year or face/heel alignment Herc has. I love it everytime.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

What's everyone think of the IRS/DBS match? IRS's matches generally bore me, because of the amount of rest holds he goes for regardless of match's duration. But this seemed like a near legit 20 minutes of wrestling. Not much stalling, minimal rest spots, and Davey didn't look like he was too blown up at any point. I might have to watch it again, but on first viewing, I'd say it's one of Rotunda's better matches under that character.

[Guest]

I thought it was really, really good. Rotunda's matches generally bore me as well, so I was quite surprised. I'd give it ***.

 

The rest of the matches

 

Tornado vs. Big Bully Busick

 

Bad. Really, really bad. Not the worst match on the show, though. * and I'm being nice.

 

Jim Neidhart vs. The Mountie

 

Worse. Still not the worst. 1/2*. Neidhart is brutal as a singles wrestler.

 

Ric Flair vs. Roddy Piper

 

The reception Flair got was great. The match was awfully light, but I liked it anyway. ***1/2.

 

Col. Mustafa vs. Big Bossman

 

I hate the Mustafa gimmick. H.A.T.E. *.

 

The Berzerker vs. Bret Hart

 

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS. Oh wait, it's a pretty good match. I can't believe it. **1/4.

 

You can stop here. It's for the best.

 

Hercules vs. El Matador

The worst. DUD. I don't give a DUD to very many matches, but this, this is a DUD.

 

The Natural Disasters vs. The Legion of Doom

 

Also bad. Not the worst, but the second worst. 1/4*. Never want to see it again.

 

 

 

Everything after Bret vs. Berzerker is worthless. Not anything to laugh at, it's just real boring. Three matches worth a crap makes this not a very good show.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I know WWE is not known for being on the up and up with a wrestlers win-loss record (especially around 1991, as in the build to Survivor Series when Undertaker was being called "undefeated", my cousin said that he saw Taker lose to Warrior a few months prior), but I found Monsoon's claim during the IRS/DBS match that IRS was undefeated a bit dubious as I've always remembered him as a JTTS until Money Inc. formed. Then I realized that it was not entirely impossible the IRS character was never beaten on TV (what, was PJ Walker going to get a fluke roll-up on Superstars?) so I was slightly amused to see that on the PTW episode from September 91 that IRS indeed has a televised match that he does not win.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

IRS is the laziest wrestler to get a push the WWF had in the early '90s. I have never seen one great singles match with him involved. His matches follow the same pattern: stall a lot, work the abdominal stretch in there, and use at least one other rest hold for a long time. I'm not impressed by him seemingly being a part of every time limit draw the company had in the early '90s. It's a result of tons of stalling and rest holds.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I almost hate it when Heenan and Monsoon call a show. I find it necessary to not fast forward through matches and to listen to their banter.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

It's always a hoot how whoever is announcing have to introduce themselves and where they're at before every match in case it gets used for Primetime or Spotlight.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Yeah, on this show it was odd listening to Heenan and Monsoon kind of lap themselves in Mania hype. They were also quite adamant that Mania was "less than one week away" despite the fact this show was on March 23rd. I assumed these matches were used on the Prime Time the Monday before Mania.

 

Upon reading that this show featured a match with Bret Hart teaming with the Bushwhackers, all I wanted to see was Hart do the Whacker Walk. He does, but it looks really off. However, Luke and Butch to the HITMAN STRUT~! and it's amazing.

 

I am not a fan of how the main event ended.

 

Edit: The matches aired weeks / months later on PTW, so I guess Monsoon and Heenan were just bad at math.

[Darth Pipes 0]

As I recall, this would be the last MSG card to air on MSG in years.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I almost hate it when Heenan and Monsoon call a show. I find it necessary to not fast forward through matches and to listen to their banter.

 

Same here. I made it through the entire 9/91 show without doing any fast-forwarding, though I did skip the main all together.

 

My only gripe here is Heenan using a lot of material he used during Wrestlemania VIII. I actually find him a bit redundant with certain lines at times. That's tough for me to admit, since he's my all-time favorite wrestling personality.