Oct 11, 2020 12:09:02 GMT Big Pete said:

Popped hard for the Gambler stepping up and taking one for the big man. Also doesn't surprise me that somebody who mastered the art of parlor tricks can also read tarrot cards and has an amazing eye for the future. Does Gambler's clairvoyancy mean his whole gimmick is a lie? Or is it just a Rainman level knowing the odds at all time? A sixth sense and he's merely carrying out god's will?

The crazy thing is, the rest of the show was filled with just as many surprises. The Nasty Boys going over the Hollywood Blondes? On PW? The balls! I also had my own premonition and feel Promotion 3 is going to get that Undertaker vs. Sting dream match we've always wanted. But what becomes of Luger? The Hammer? And Jannetty?

I had to go do a double take to see how on Uranus I could've possibly missed Baker-man sneaking Greg Valentine into a prominent spot on a 1993 card. LOL, silly me!

I'm predicting Marty goes on a murder spree, with Lex playing a role in setting Miss Elizabeth up as one of his victims.

Meanwhile, Van Hammer experiences a The Wrestler meets Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. storyline wherein he learns he's the bastard son of "The Hammer" Greg Valentine and temporarily rebrands as Van "Hammer" Valentine.

Oct 11, 2020 12:09:02 GMT Big Pete said:

Popped hard for the Gambler stepping up and taking one for the big man. Also doesn't surprise me that somebody who mastered the art of parlor tricks can also read tarrot cards and has an amazing eye for the future. Does Gambler's clairvoyancy mean his whole gimmick is a lie? Or is it just a Rainman level knowing the odds at all time? A sixth sense and he's merely carrying out god's will?

Having made his living through gambling, it should come as no great surprise that The Gambler has dabbled in tarot (and half a dozen other proposed prophetic paths). Anything to get a leg up on the competition. Alas, the tarot cards, and those more dubious methods, ultimately proved futile. The Gambler wrote them off as nonsense years ago after continually breaking even.

But The Gambler dreams the dreams of the just. And those dreams are vivid. Now a lesser person might write these dreams off as nothing more than the commonplace detritus of every day life all jumbled together in weird and novel ways. But The Gambler is psychically hypersensitive. And The Gambler remembers...

You may be surprised to discover the Gambler rarely dreams of his high stakes card games. His success in that area is down to skill, and perhaps just a little bit of luck. He never dreams of past or future opponents. But he does have one recurring dream relating to his original profession...

The Gambler often dreams of holding three 9's, a 2, and a 3. This is, of course, The Dick Hit, named after the hand Dick Brownie (son of Tom Browning) used to defeat the legendary Casino King. The Gambler never sees his opponents in these dreams. Just the cards. Three 9's, a 2, and a 3...

How does this dream relate to the man who dreams it? Well, some mysteries are not meant to be solved. There are some things man was not meant to know. But there are theories...

Some say The Gambler is a grown up Dick Brownie continuously reliving the greatest moment of his life. Others claim The Gambler was The Casino King and now he is doomed to forever repeat his one defeat. I, of course have my own theory which I am unwilling to share. It is, after all, just a theory...

Anyway, The Gambler is more likely to have a wrestling dream than a gambling dreams. Here are the ones which relate to our story....

1. The Gambler dreams of walking to the ring while Kenny Rogers stands in said ring singing the song that shares The Gambler's name. An adoring crowd chants his name. They wear Gambler shirts and jackets. Many of them hold up playing cards. Some of those cards have The Gambler's face on them. These people clearly adore The Gambler. A giant arena-sized calendar hangs in the background. A colossal "1996" is written at the top of this oversized calendar.

2. The Gambler sees his good friend Diesel holding a World Championship belt while the capacity crowd cheers and chants his name.

3. The next one is always a little hazy. Diesel and two people The Gambler can never quite make out stand in the ring being pelted with trash. Then it morphs into Diesel wearing a black shirt covered in 3 white letters he can never quite remember. Then he sees other wrestlers (also in an out of focus haze) wearing this same black shirt with 3 letters written in white. Thousands of fans in attendance also wear this shirt. The Gambler instinctively knows Diesel has changed the wrestling business in the same way all of us instinctively know things in our dreams. He wakes up with a smile because he is confident that his good friend will one day strike it rich.

4. This one features an older Diesel performing in front of dwindling, indifferent crowds. It varies from time to time, but it never ends well for his former friend. Sometimes the big man moves slowly and painfully while fans jeer, or look on in boredom. Other times he collapses. Then screams in agony. Always in this dream he clutches his quad while writhing in pain on the mat. The fans laugh. Many times he is pinned by various foggy figures. But always the big man flips his exquisite head of hair, or runs his fingers through that thick mane, before the ignominious incidents take place. Again, The Gambler instinctively knows his friend will one day become famous for his hair.

I intended on posting the Draft Finals tonight- 1993 Champ vs. 1996 Champ. It ain't happening. I got way too carried away with 1993's card. And will likely be the shorter of the two! So now I'm hoping to post the Finals tomorrow. But don't be too surprised if it's not up until Thursday night.
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For weeks I've been toying around with the idea of extending this little draft game. It's lead to nothing but headaches. I'll share my thought process. Then I'll take suggestions. But I will make no promises. Thought process... 

1995- Despite some earlier struggles, I figured this would be the easiest remaining year to do. Especially once we get to September on. But then I thought it would be too similar to 1996. So I moved on...

99 or 00- Thought it would be a fun idea to usher in the new millennium with a draft. Then I remembered I can no more write an authentic Attitude Era show than I can fly to the moon simply by flapping my arms. Writing an AE show just goes against every instinct I have. Plus I'm not too familiar with 99-00 WCW. Nor can I imagine anybody wants to read about shows featuring Steve Bradley, Maxx Justice, and Christian York in borderline prominent roles. So I moved on...

89 or 90- Ushering in a new decade is the next best thing to ushering in a new millennium. But I soon realized a lot research would be required since I can't remember exactly when a lot of WWF & AWA stuff transpired (this is not a problem with NWA). Plus I'm not sure I could get too deep with this one. Moving on yet again...

1987- Gave up on this one in like 2 minutes due to the same research & depth problems as above. Next!

04 or 05- Depth wouldn't be a problem here. Thinking I might even be able to go 8 promotions deep. But the drafting itself would be a major chore. So few wrestlers really stood out as Superstars during this era. Even with 8 promotions I got the impression everyone picked in the first four rounds would be pretty interchangeable. Meaning little difference between a Round 1 pick and a Round 4 pick. 

So right now I'm leaning towards not continuing beyond the 1993 vs. 1996 Finals. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Baker-man, isn't 1997 your favorite year in pro wrestling? Or am I confusing you with Kilgore yet again? Regardless, seems like a good and deep year and perhaps still pre-AE enough?

I would be keen for more, but only if you're inspired. These have been fun think pieces and like Pro Wrestling, the cream always rises to the top. I'd say an early 2000s draft would be my preference but that's just because I've zeroed in on that era.

However if you need a little break from it that's cool too.

I'm looking forward to this Superbowl. I don't know if it's even possible to out-do these past couple of shows, but there always seems to be an ace up your sleeve.

Baker-man, another idea to give you a quartet... What about 2002? WWE has its mega roster fueled by nostalgia and The Greatest OVW Class, and ROH and TNA come online as hot little tickets. A show with Hogan or HBK at the head of the roster is likely to be just as appealing as one with Brock or Low Ki at the head of the roster. Et cetera!

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I'll take them into consideration...

If I decide to resume this project at a later date. My heart isn't into it right now. I've even hit a wall in regard to the Finals. One show is about 90% complete, but I've barely begun the other. I'll still return to give you guys the Finals you deserve....I'm just not sure when that will be.

🤯 I did have 1997 WWF at #1 when we did our Favorite Promotion By Calendar Year countdown, but if we take all of wrestling into account, I'd have to go back a little earlier to approximately August/September 95-August/September 96.