Pro Wrestling History Thread

[DannyBoy1985]

I think Curt's AWA title reign more than anything else is a testament to how good he really was. The talent pool above mentioned that he had to work with was as shallow as a wading pool. No disrespect to the Baron or Wahoo but those were guys ten years past their prime when they were in top programs with Curt. Greg was outstanding as a tag team performer but as a single he just wasn't a viable top guy. DJ wasn't at that top level despite being IMO the guy who somehow slipped through the cracks and shouldn't have before he died.

The fact that Curt was on TV regularly having to have great matches with guys like Mitch fucking Snow of all people really upped his value and made him a guy very high up on the WWF/NWA radar. It showed he was capable of pretty much making any match an entertaining one no matter who he was in with. As Arn Anderson put it you could have Curt Hennig vs. a stack of bricks and get the best match of the night.

Well put. And if only Curt had had the kind of talent pool to work with that AWA had even just 2 or 3 years before, but like i said, he did the best with what he had.

They don't have a regular time slot unfortunately. Sometimes on my channel guide it'll say AWA Wrestling and instead they'll run Herb Abrams' UWF.

LOL, that happens with me as well. I wish ESPN Classic would start showing GWF also and bring back the classic wrestling show they had a few years ago.

 

[BrooklynBomber]

Well put. And if only Curt had had the kind of talent pool to work with that AWA had even just 2 or 3 years before, but like i said, he did the best with what he had.


LOL, that happens with me as well. I wish ESPN Classic would start showing GWF also and bring back the classic wrestling show they had a few years ago.

I have a real soft spot for the GWF. I was very young when the AWA stopped airing new episodes on weekdays at 3 and then for a little while we got USWA Texas(which I HATED) but I really enjoyed the GWF. It had familiar people there like Bad News Allen, Axis the Demolisher(Bill Eadie), John Tatum, Eddie Gilbert, and it had some new guys who you really wanted to see more of like The Patriot(who I had no idea was The Trooper till years later), Lightning Kid(X-Pac), the Ebony Experience(Harlem Heat), and a lot of other guys.

I lost some interest when The Patriot was gone as they never really seemed to get a top babyface to his level again and when you don't have that compelling character to battle all the heels its not as fun to watch. I would get incensed when they would play USWA Texas episodes instead of the GWF. I fucking hated everything about USWA Texas. Even Steve Austin stunk in those days.

 

[DannyBoy1985]

I have a real soft spot for the GWF. I was very young when the AWA stopped airing new episodes on weekdays at 3 and then for a little while we got USWA Texas(which I HATED) but I really enjoyed the GWF. It had familiar people there like Bad News Allen, Axis the Demolisher(Bill Eadie), John Tatum, Eddie Gilbert, and it had some new guys who you really wanted to see more of like The Patriot(who I had no idea was The Trooper till years later), Lightning Kid(X-Pac), the Ebony Experience(Harlem Heat), and a lot of other guys.

I lost some interest when The Patriot was gone as they never really seemed to get a top babyface to his level again and when you don't have that compelling character to battle all the heels its not as fun to watch. I would get incensed when they would play USWA Texas episodes instead of the GWF. I fucking hated everything about USWA Texas. Even Steve Austin stunk in those days.

Yeah, i really enjoyed GWF back in the day, and looking back now, i really like the roster they had.

So why did you hate everything about USWA Texas?

 

[BrooklynBomber]

Yeah, i really enjoyed GWF back in the day, and looking back now, i really like the roster they had.

So why did you hate everything about USWA Texas?

I thought the wrestling was just fucking horrid and they never seemed to have really strong babyfaces. I remember Eric Embry being one of the top faces and just saying to myself "Really, this guy?" They'd reference the Von Erichs yet they were never on the show and you were always stuck with some big untalented slug managed by Akbar or Gary Young and it was just Memphis booking in Texas so the crowd wasn't real good either.

 

[DannyBoy1985]

I thought the wrestling was just fucking horrid and they never seemed to have really strong babyfaces. I remember Eric Embry being one of the top faces and just saying to myself "Really, this guy?" They'd reference the Von Erichs yet they were never on the show and you were always stuck with some big untalented slug managed by Akbar or Gary Young and it was just Memphis booking in Texas so the crowd wasn't real good either.

Ok, i see where you're coming from. And speaking of the Flamboyant One, i was just thinking about him the other day, wondering what he's been up to. He had that car accident that ended his career in '92 and it seems like he just dropped outta sight afterwards, at least from wrestling. All ive really heard is that he still lives in Kentucky, once ran for sheriff and eventually opened up a pizza shop.

 

[Prime Shane Douglas]

I have a real soft spot for the GWF. I was very young when the AWA stopped airing new episodes on weekdays at 3 and then for a little while we got USWA Texas(which I HATED) but I really enjoyed the GWF. It had familiar people there like Bad News Allen, Axis the Demolisher(Bill Eadie), John Tatum, Eddie Gilbert, and it had some new guys who you really wanted to see more of like The Patriot(who I had no idea was The Trooper till years later), Lightning Kid(X-Pac), the Ebony Experience(Harlem Heat), and a lot of other guys.

I lost some interest when The Patriot was gone as they never really seemed to get a top babyface to his level again and when you don't have that compelling character to battle all the heels its not as fun to watch. I would get incensed when they would play USWA Texas episodes instead of the GWF. I fucking hated everything about USWA Texas. Even Steve Austin stunk in those days.

I used to rush home from school to watch GWF. I was hooked on their initial tournaments to crown their inaugural champs. The Patriot won the TV and NA titles. Chris Walker and Shaun Simpson, and the whole "Boss" angle that had Foley, Raven and Rip Rogers. My first exposure to guys like Bagwell, Harlem Heat, Waltman, Patriot, Lynn, Raven and Foley was from GWF. They used to also discuss other federations on their hotline as well. Great promotion that was fairly ahead of its time...

 

[Prime Shane Douglas]

I thought the wrestling was just fucking horrid and they never seemed to have really strong babyfaces. I remember Eric Embry being one of the top faces and just saying to myself "Really, this guy?" They'd reference the Von Erichs yet they were never on the show and you were always stuck with some big untalented slug managed by Akbar or Gary Young and it was just Memphis booking in Texas so the crowd wasn't real good either.

I thought Kevin Von Erich was in early USWA or am I not remembering correctly???

 

[flowwiththego]

Ok, i see where you're coming from. And speaking of the Flamboyant One, i was just thinking about him the other day, wondering what he's been up to. He had that car accident that ended his career in '92 and it seems like he just dropped outta sight afterwards, at least from wrestling. All ive really heard is that he still lives in Kentucky, once ran for sheriff and eventually opened up a pizza shop.

I heard he had a really large penis. No joke. Like bomber I didn't take Embry seriously as a star. He was basically a jobber until everybody took off for greener pastures.
He lost the junior heavyweight title to Cactus Jack-- lol, "junior heavyweight" when describing Jack.

 

[Big Burly]

I usually catch the 85-90 AWA on ESPN Classic at 11PM central time. They will run it at that time fairly regularly for awhile, then they will run that shitty Herb Abrams' UWF. Right now no pro wrestling is on ESPN Classic.

I wish they would show earlier AWA stuff, because the AWA was on ESPN before Stan Hansen won the AWA World Title in 1985. They used to have shows recorded at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. I remember a great feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Larry Zbyszko at that venue, for the AWA American title.

But they never show anything but 85-90 AWA, which was all down hill.

Hennig did a great job with the lack of top talent in the AWA at that time. Hansen was a GREAT champ, even though he was way more loyal to Baba than Verne (and rightfully so). Jerry Lawler was reasonable, but really his only good matches were with Kerry von Erich in the unification angle. Kerry had the prosthetic foot at that time, and it was obvious in how he moved in the ring. It is amazing that he could have pretty decent matches in the condition he was in at that time (even on all the pain killers).

 

[Big Burly]

I was never an Eric Embry fan. He was pretty good in the ring, but he was too small and too soft to be the main face or heel of a territory for very long. He really needed to be on the mid-card.

 

[BrooklynBomber]

I usually catch the 85-90 AWA on ESPN Classic at 11PM central time. They will run it at that time fairly regularly for awhile, then they will run that shitty Herb Abrams' UWF. Right now no pro wrestling is on ESPN Classic.

I wish they would show earlier AWA stuff, because the AWA was on ESPN before Stan Hansen won the AWA World Title in 1985. They used to have shows recorded at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. I remember a great feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Larry Zbyszko at that venue, for the AWA American title.

But they never show anything but 85-90 AWA, which was all down hill.

Hennig did a great job with the lack of top talent in the AWA at that time. Hansen was a GREAT champ, even though he was way more loyal to Baba than Verne (and rightfully so). Jerry Lawler was reasonable, but really his only good matches were with Kerry von Erich in the unification angle. Kerry had the prosthetic foot at that time, and it was obvious in how he moved in the ring. It is amazing that he could have pretty decent matches in the condition he was in at that time (even on all the pain killers).

ESPN actually holds the rights to Pro Wrestling USA broadcasts in addition to the older AWA broadcasts you mentioned. As a matter of fact they also could show their short run of WCCW broadcasts if they really wanted to. ESPN was smart enough to always gain the rights to rerun any first run programming they aired. So even thought the WWE owns those libraries because it was first run ESPN programming ESPN will always retain the rights to air it.

 

[DannyBoy1985]

I heard he had a really large penis. No joke. Like bomber I didn't take Embry seriously as a star. He was basically a jobber until everybody took off for greener pastures.
He lost the junior heavyweight title to Cactus Jack-- lol, "junior heavyweight" when describing Jack.

Well there's a bit of info about Embry that certainly makes us all better people for knowing....

 

[Francis Rossi]

I think Piper said in his book that Alfred Hayes was hung. He was stood there in the locker room talking to someone, and felt something in his hand. Hayes had snuck up behind him and placed it there...

 

[GSPSAKU]

I think Piper said in his book that Alfred Hayes was hung. He was stood there in the locker room talking to someone, and felt something in his hand. Hayes had snuck up behind him and placed it there...

Somehow I recall that story too lol

 

[DannyBoy1985]

In honor of Jerry "The King" Lawler:



I hope Jerry makes a full & speedy recovery. God bless him.

 

[Its Me Austin]

Was that before or after Lawler beat one of the Von Erichs for the WCCW title?

 

[DannyBoy1985]

Was that before or after Lawler beat one of the Von Erichs for the WCCW title?

Lawler's AWA World Heavyweight Championship victory over Curt Hennig was in May '88, Lawler didn't beat Kerry Von Erich for the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship (the 1st time & reign) until October '88. It wasn't until Lawler's 2nd victory over Kerry for the WCWA title & 2nd reign in December of '88 that the Unified World Heavyweight Championship was born.

 

[Its Me Austin]

Anyone here ever watch a lot of SMW? It kinda sucked at first but got pretty good in the last couple of years.

 

[BrooklynBomber]

Anyone here ever watch a lot of SMW? It kinda sucked at first but got pretty good in the last couple of years.

I wouldn't say a lot of it but I did get a pretty good amount of tapes. Aside from very few people in the early years like Ronnie Garvin and Paul Orndorff I thought it stunk. I always hated them using Tony Anthony as a top guy as I felt his work was extremely generic and his persona was non-existant. He looked like the guy who should have played TL Hopper without question.

When people like Candido, Tracy Smothers, Al Snow, Kane, the new Heavenly Bodies, Thrillseekers came along things were a lot better. SMW was very well booked for the most part and made the most of its talent, but the problem is that they just didn't have much talent. No matter how good the booking is you can't put a silk hat on a pig and expect people to all of a sudden change their attitude.

 

[Its Me Austin]

Don't forget Dirty White Boy as a tweener and the Gangstas.