What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – February 10, 1990

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Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura call today’s action and kick off a new round of television tapings at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida.  According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on January 22 and drew a crowd of 15,063, 10,500 of which paid to attend.

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Joshi Spotlight: JWP Stars on Tour

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JWP IN 1994 (Sept.-Dec.):
* 1994 is by far JWP’s best-represented year on YouTube, owing to Rico Kasai’s channel. 1995 and on are barely there at all, so this might be the last big update. We start off with a pair of interpromotional matches with GAEA Japan, as Chigusa Nagayo was on good terms with JWP, and a stop at an interesting-looking small arena that features one of Devil Masami’s first title defenses as JWP Openweight Champion, as she recently beat Dynamite Kansai (as reviewed here: https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2019/12/11/joshi-spotlight-devil-masami/ -the YouTube clip has since been taken down, however) while in her “Super Heel Devil Masami” persona (wrestles like Taker, looks like Demolition Crush).

CHIGUSA NAGAYO & KAORU (GAEA Japan) vs. CUTIE SUZUKI & HIKARI FUKUOKA (JWP):
(Sept. 1994)
* And so Chigusa Nagayo, biggest star of ’80s Joshi, is returning to full-time, but is having disagreements with AJW management (who, to be fair, don’t need an extra person clogging up shows), and is so working for JWP as she prepares to start up GAEA in early 1995. Already my mind is blown because Chigusa is wearing black and GREEN. I have literally never in my life seen her wear anything that didn’t have red in it. She wore that in the goddamn WWF! KAORU’s in black, Cutie’s in white & gold, and Hikari’s in the Tarzan gear. The expressions in the staredown here are great, as KAORU has this “fuckin’ right us vets are gonna kill you kids” death glare, Chigusa’s very calm and serious (with a taped arm), and the idols are doing this big “I’m nervous and I respect you, but I’m trying really hard to look confident and defiant”.

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AEW back on the road in July

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https://mobile.twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1391766455067111426


First 3 shows in Florida & Texas so I assume they could have full crowds if they want.

This is pretty exciting I must say. As someone who is fully vaccinated, I cant wait to go back to an AEW show when they come near me again. 


Wrestling going to surge when crowds are back, don't you think? 

Surge with more cases of Covid probably.  I just don’t feel like it’s time yet.  Maybe if the tinfoil hat nutcases in those states would take the fucking vaccine I’d feel better about the idea.  

Royal Rumble performances

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Disqualifying Chris Benoit, for reasons of murder, who has produced the best individual performance in a Royal Rumble match?

Depends what you’re after.  For best work, Flair obviously.  For getting over I’ve gotta go Austin in 97 or Diesel in 1994.  

When should these Reigns end?

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Good morning Mr. Keith, hope the family is safe and well. As riduclous the title count some companies have, there are a few reigns/championships that i think still have value and hope the time and energy is taken into account when its time for them to switch hands.  Your thoughts on who should conquer the few i still think are important out there:

WALTER: this is the hardest for me to figure out, and it should wait until the crowd can witness it:

Roman Reigns: even if they get a Rock match at WM, he won't or shouldn't be the one to dethrone him.

Kenny Omega: storyline dicates Hangman Page one day but i feel thats a long way off based off where theyre at now.

Will Ospreay: i didn't agree making him champ but if your gonna make a hated champ, then you better have a feel good blow off, and Shingo shoulda been it but theyve already blown through that match.

They still don’t need to take the belt off WALTER.  There’s no point. 
I still don’t see anyone who could justify beating Roman yet either.  I think when it happens it’ll be a three way deal so they don’t have to beat him.  
Omega should definitely be Hangman Page but they’ve gone so deep into this belt collecting gimmick that they almost need to start getting belts off him soon.  

Primes

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Hey Scott,

I’m on my 3rd lockdown being a service industry kinda guy. So if you could humour me, I’d be interested to know if you could pick any 10 wrestlers in their “primes” to start a promotion—-who would they be?

1987 Savage

1994 Bret

1996 HBK

1997 Austin (…..pre-Summerslam)

2000 HHH

2000 Rock

1985 Piper

1989 Flair

1995 Sunny (…….)

1998 Vince

Those are my wacky picks.

That's a good list.  I'd actually switch out Vince and Sunny and HHH put in 1982 Sgt. Slaughter and 1983 Jerry Lawler and maybe 1979 Terry Funk, but I can't argue with the rest of it. 

What If’s Galore!

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Good day, Mr. Keith,

Here are a couple of “What if's” that I thought might make for some fun blog discussion. Feel free to split them into separate blog posts if you prefer.

What if…

1) …Thunder in Paradise had become a runaway smash hit, stayed on the air for 12 seasons and Hogan never goes back to wrestling, but retires in 2006 with truckloads of syndication money in his pocket? No nWo, no WWE nostalgia run, no Rock-Hogan / Shawn-Hogan… What's the wrestling world like with no Hogan anywhere after King of the Ring 1993?

2) …Yokozuna manages to keep his weight in check, lives a longer life and remains an active wrestler? He finished up at Survivor Series 1996, right before the Attitude Era took off, but I was surprised to realize that he was actually only released from his WWE contract in May of 1998. So, without his weight issues, where do you see his place in the Attitude era/during the Monday Night Wars, up to possibly well into the 2000s? Would he have fit in anywhere? Does he go to WCW instead?

3) …Vince had already been true to his “I won't ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself” adage in 1999, and he subsequently had tried the harness jump before asking Owen to go through with it…and the harness had snapped during the practice run the afternoon before Over the Edge? What would've happened to WWE if Vince had tragically died in May of 1999 instead? Who takes over? How does the wrestling world change? Would WWE still exist today?

4) …WCW had succeeded in putting WWE out of business in 1996-1997? What would the wrestling landscape be like today? Do you think WCW would still be there today? Would it have benefitted ECW somehow? And where would WWE's wrestlers end up? 

5) …Ric Flair had listened to the doctors after the infamous plane crash and ended his wrestling career in 1978?

6) …Shawn hadn't injured his back in 1998?

7) …Bret and Shawn don't become mortal enemies, Bret stays with WWE through his 20-year contract, and the Montreal Screwjob simply never happens?

8) …Trish Stratus hadn't retired in 2006 and kept going for another 5-10 years? How would it have impacted the “Women's Wrestling Revolution”?

9) …Kurt Angle had chosen ECW when he was visiting there in 1996? Or alternatibvely, what if he had chosen UFC instead of wrestling? Do you think he would've become an MMA superstar?

10) …Brock Lesnar had made it into the NFL in 2004-05 with the Minnesota Vikings instead?

11) …Wrestlemania I hadn't been a success? Would they really have had to close up shop in 1985? I've always found that claim to be a tad exaggerated. Surely there would've been a way to keep going, given you've got cash cow Hogan on hand?

12) …Becky hadn't gotten pregnant? Who'd she have feuded with over the last year? Would she have kept the title for 2 years?

13) …COVID hadn't happened? What would the 2020 wrestling year have looked like in WWE? Would they still have pushed the same people and done the same storylines? What would WM 37 have looked like?

That's all I got for now. 🙂

Cheers!

Honestly the mailbag selection has been pretty ass this morning so I'll put this up and see if it'll generate some discussion. 

Super market brawl

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Went down the YouTube rabbit hole last night and watched the Austin Booker T super market brawl. Still pretty funny. Curious, any reason they never followed up with a ppv match or blow off? They did that ( and apparently spent 12-15k on it ) and then nothing.
Always thought that was weird too, and I don't have any good answer for you. 

Sunday Night Reset: May 9, 2021

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Tonight’s ESPN Baseball game is Philly at Atlanta.  However, MLB television has all of today’s games available for free on their app, so my night is filled up.

Happy Mother’s Day to all your moms, but especially to our own mother Princess.

Assuming you’re actually here to chat and not taking care of your mother and/or wife, enjoy the night.

Damn

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I had tickets to go see WWE in Johannesburg, but I couldn't make it. 

I missed Roman Reigns down in Africa.

Take your upvote.  

Daily News Update – 05.09.21

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Happy Mother’s Day!

WALTER says “WWE was never a goal” for him

https://cultaholic.com/posts/walter-wwe-was-never-a-goal

Major creative changes occurred on post-WM RAW

https://cultaholic.com/posts/report-major-creative-changes-occurred-on-wwe-raw-post-wrestlemania

Throwback Smackdown sees big viewership increase

https://cultaholic.com/posts/wwe-smackdown-sees-sharp-viewership-increase-for-throwback-show

 

Smackdown – December 8, 2006

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Smackdown
Date: December 8, 2006
Location: Florence Civic Center, Florence, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re on the way to Armageddon and the big story is that Raw World Champion John Cena will be joining forces with Smackdown World Champion Batista to face King Booker vs. Finlay. That could make for a big house show match, though they are going to need something a little bigger to make the card work. Would an Inferno match and a Last Ride match be enough? Let’s get to it.

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ECW on Sci Fi – December 5, 2006

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ECW on Sci Fi
Date: December 5, 2006
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re officially done with December To Dismember and for all intent and purpose, done with the original version of the relaunched ECW. This is now the third brand instead of something that has any kind of unique feeling to it and that is going to make for a pretty interesting change going forward. Bobby Lashley is now ECW Champion so let’s get to it.

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