Jul 26, 2021 21:38:40 GMT UT said:

1. Baker is using yinz too - 🤯 must be stopped.

2. Looking forward as much as I can to the Doink/JJ stuff. As much as I can because Doink is involved.

B'more is essentially the OVW for Pittsburgh's WWE.

So you're calling Baker a farm league jabroni?

Yinz need to fight now.

Jul 26, 2021 21:53:56 GMT UT said:

So you're calling Baker a farm league jabroni?

Yinz need to fight now.

What I'm saying is Baker-man is the Brock Lesnar to my Kane.

Jul 26, 2021 22:46:20 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 26, 2021 21:53:56 GMT UT said:

So you're calling Baker a farm league jabroni?

Yinz need to fight now.

What I'm saying is Baker -man is the Brock Lesnar to my Kane.

BULLSHIT! MEGA POWERS EXPLODE! :lol:

Jul 26, 2021 22:46:20 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 26, 2021 21:53:56 GMT UT said:

So you're calling Baker a farm league jabroni?

Yinz need to fight now.

What I'm saying is Baker-man is the Brock Lesnar to my Kane.

Meh more like Isaac Yankem.

Which I’m really looking forward to as well.

Jul 27, 2021 1:50:15 GMT UT said:

Jul 26, 2021 22:46:20 GMT 🤯 said:

What I'm saying is Baker-man is the Brock Lesnar to my Kane.

Meh more like Isaac Yankem.

Which I’m really looking forward to as well.

Hey... If anything, I'm Fake Diesel!

Jul 27, 2021 1:50:45 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 27, 2021 1:50:15 GMT UT said:

Meh more like Isaac Yankem.

Which I’m really looking forward to as well.

Hey... If anything, I'm Fake Diesel!

LMAO - I legit had Fake Diesel typed in there and erased it and put in Yankem.

Jul 26, 2021 21:38:40 GMT UT said:

1. Baker is using yinz too - 🤯 must be stopped.

2. Looking forward as much as I can to the Doink/JJ stuff. As much as I can because Doink is involved.

1. I resisted temptation for as long as possible before finally giving into the dark side. Woo woo woo yinz know it.

2. That's what's so great about this Jarrett angle! Trust me. You'll see.

I'm higher than UT on the rest of Jarrett's career. He was one of those teflon wrestlers for me. Loved his 1999 IC Title run and feud with Chyna. That's probably the peak of his career from an 'overness in the big time' standpoint. He was also one of the big draws in early TNA for me. I was constantly defending him against the barbarians. And he was literally the only wrestler in dying day WCW I cared about enough to follow his exploits online. As if I would actually watch that crap... But those first two WWF runs (counting his brief comeback in late 95-early 96) were the peak of my Jarrett fandom. JJ was usually a Top 10 fave...Top 5 even, but the only time he was ever my #1 guy was during his IC Title run in the first half of 1995. Love me some Double J. 

Damn. You guys are good. I was just about to chime in with a "Fake Diesel!" post after UT cruelly and unnecessarily dissed 🤯 by comparing him to Isaac Yankem. Then I continued scrolling down and see both of you already beat me to it. Great minds...

Jul 27, 2021 1:55:26 GMT Baker said:

Jul 26, 2021 21:38:40 GMT UT said:

1. Baker is using yinz too - 🤯 must be stopped.

2. Looking forward as much as I can to the Doink/JJ stuff. As much as I can because Doink is involved.

1. I resisted temptation for as long as possible before finally giving into the dark side. Woo woo woo yinz know it.

2. That's what's so great about this Jarrett angle! Trust me. You'll see.

I'm higher than UT on the rest of Jarrett's career. He was one of those teflon wrestlers for me. Loved his 1999 IC Title run and feud with Chyna. That's probably the peak of his career from an 'overness in the big time' standpoint. He was also one of the big draws in early TNA for me. I was constantly defending him against the barbarians. And he was literally the only wrestler in dying day WCW I cared about enough to follow his exploits online. As if I would actually watch that crap... But those first two WWF runs (counting his brief comeback in late 95-early 96) were the peak of my Jarrett fandom. JJ was usually a Top 10 fave...Top 5 even, but the only time he was ever my #1 guy was during his IC Title run in the first half of 1995. Love me some Double J. 

Maybe if I get that far in rewatch I can be turned but my fondest memories will be the whole JJ aesthetic. TNA he seemed like HHH- lite which is cliche at this points but sometimes they are cliches for a reason.

UT, I'm slacking! I doubt I'll ever catch up to you. Anyway, from "smack dab in the middle of National Pest Control Month" it's...

SUPERSTARS | S07 E25 | 06/20/1992

Jobber to the Superstars: Chris Hahn
Who is this guy!? Before his name was announced, I thought it was Scott Taylor. He gets the nod here for being the first jobber I've ever seen come out second and get to walk the aisle. His scrawny build, literal babyface, baseball cap, and towel around his neck make me feel like this dude is straight outta some junior varsity high school baseball practice. Anyway... He also gets the nod for being Papa Shango's voodoo curse fodder with his BARE FUCKING HAND CATCHING ON FUCKING FIRE!!! Who did they pull that stunt off without injury?!?!

Runnerup nods go to Red Tyler, whom I popped for, and Rock Werner. Red gave the returning Sarge a decent squash in a battle of the red, white, and blue. Feel like Sarge's wristbands belonged on Red considering the rest of Red's ring attire. Meanwhile, Rock is his blue singlet looks exactly like what pro wrestler 🤯 would've looked like had I gone into the business straight outta high school... Just sub my buzz cut for Rock's mullet.

Squash of the Week: The Undertaker vs. Duane Gill
Simple but effective showcase of Taker's entire arsenal. Crush vs. The Brooklyn Brawler is runnerup, held back because I struggle calling Brawler a straight-up JTTS for the same reasons I struggle with "Jimmy P" Jim Powers. It's hard to think of a guy as a total ham-and-egger when he's appeared on PPV(s).

Anyway... I liked Crush/Brawler because of Perfect actually putting over the head vice in a way that I can actually buy into. Perfect goes the Gorilla-inspired anatomy route by citing the concentration of capillaries in the temple region, and how the pressure from the application of the head vice can wreak havoc on the victim's blood flow to the brain and induce instant migraine-like pain.

Now more than ever before am I wishing WWF had run with UT's blood capsule idea for heel crush.

Match of the Week: N/A
Didn't apply this week. Honestly, might kill this as a recurring category and only bust it out when a match on the level of Warrior/Nasty or Flair/Sarge happens again as a special highlight.

Interview of the Week: WWF Champion Macho Man Randy Savage
Despite being a re-airing from last week, this was still head and shoulders above everything else. Flair's response was relatively meh in comparison.

Meanwhile, Shawn's podium interview with Mean Gene was rough enough it had me wondering if Shawn might've been under the influence.

Other Random Thoughts:
- Perfect wishes Ax a happy Father's Day, which must've confused fans who maybe thought half of Demolition was Perfect's dad. Thankfully albeit oddly, Vince gushes about Larry Henning to clarify which Ax we're talking about. Because he's Vince and has daddy issues, Vince can't end the bit without suggesting Perfect is a disappointment to Ax and Ax doesn't love his son.

- Second ICOPRO sighting!

- This week's Razor Ramon vignette is better than last week's, but it's still so hard not to see this all more through adult eyes as such a cheesy Scarface rip-off. Thank goodness I was introduced to Razor first as a kid. Otherwise, I wonder if I would've been as drawn to the Bad Guy or not.

- Every time I see an LOD squash, I can't help but think what Hawk & Animal singles pushes would've looked like under Vince.

- Money Incorporated need a double-team finish. Anyone got any ideas!?

- Barry Darsow is such an underrated talented.

- Favorite commentary transaction between Vince & Perfect:
Vince: You look like an Iriwn
Perfect: Is that a compliment?
Vince: I... don't know...

Glad you noticed something with Shawn around this time as well , I mentioned it a few times but he was still really awkward on the mic. It goes on for a few more years as well.

Also save that Money Inc. though for about 20 - 25 minutes.....

Jul 28, 2021 13:20:22 GMT 🤯 said:

Jobber to the Superstars: Chris Hahn
Who is this guy!? Before his name was announced, I thought it was Scott Taylor. He gets the nod here for being the first jobber I've ever seen come out second and get to walk the aisle. His scrawny build, literal babyface, baseball cap, and towel around his neck make me feel like this dude is straight outta some junior varsity high school baseball practice. Anyway... He also gets the nod for being Papa Shango's voodoo curse fodder with his BARE FUCKING HAND CATCHING ON FUCKING FIRE!!! Who did they pull that stunt off without injury?!?!

I had to watch this.

Man, Papa Shango....what a character! Love the shots of little children hiding their faces in fear from pro wrestling's premier voodoo priest. Baltimore's own Chris Hahn looks like a cross between Owen Hart and every stoner/rock fan in a late 80s-early 90s movie. Loved this segment. Sports entertainment gold.

My only issue with Papa Shango is he sucked eggs once the bell rang. My 2nd favorite wrestler of 1992 wrestled like a limited version of any old normal heel rather than a voodoo priest. To be fair, I'm not exactly sure how one does wrestle like a voodoo priest, but Undertaker did manage to pull off effectively wrestling like a zombie, so I suppose there had to be a way.

What WWF SHOULD have done is not have him wrestle at all on tv. Just do crazy voodoo stuff like this in all his tv appearance. Limit his actual matches to pay per views and I suppose the occasional big house show. Make him a big time special attraction. 

I think I have to cut this down to just random thoughts unless something stands out in particular. Otherwise my pace will continue to be TRASH™...

SUPERSTARS | S07 E26 | 06/27/1992

Mostly fascinated with jobservations.

Nick Danger is a buff version of Michael P.S. Hayes, just shaved clean from the nose down. Maybe the slightest sprinkle of early Jesse Ventura?

Then there's Rick Johnson, looking like an early hybrid between Ron Reid and Heidenreich. What's with all these tall jobbers?

Virgil with a Misawa head drop on Glen Ruth. Virgil feels so green, I feel like the JTTS he's paired with must have to hand hold him through squashes. Also, are you really a JTTS if you're doing the J.O.B. to Virgil?

Bruce Mitchell looks awfully tall as well for being billed at only 234... but then that height quickly disappears as soon as Berzerker gets in the ring. Feel like Zerk has been MIA for a minute?

Rocco the puppet debuts... Didn't realize he was found in a pile of bombed out rubble apparently representing LOD's hometown/childhood home. Rocco was Animal's therapy doll who somehow also taught LOD the meaning of teamwork. Despite how well they're selling this bullshit, I can see why LOD & Ellering were none to pleased with this nonsense.

Nails murders the literal love child of Vader and Mark Callaway. Unfortunately I didn't catch the jabroni's moniker. But it wouldn't surprise me if he was billed as The Man They Call Mark.

Kamala impressively leapfrogs John Blade, who looks like the little brother of Marshall from How I Met Your Mother and Jim from American Pie.

In some ways, it's really feeling like Superstars is starting to stall out as the WWF bides its time until SummerSlam. Making it feel clear they needed a late May/early June PPV to help bridge the gap.

My favorite part of 🤯 Superstars reviews are the Jobber Report.

Nick Danger! What a name! That's like the wrestling version of Max Power. I'd have given him a Secret Agent gimmick and pushed him to the moon just because his name was Nick Danger.

John Blade is a pretty sweet name too. He can be the Robin to Nick Danger's Batman.

I wonder if Bruce Mitchell was a rib on the old PW Torch writer like that time Herb Abrams had a jobber named Davey Meltzer? Hopefully it was. I never did like Mitchell.

I neglected to mention it in my recent Match Review because I had a narrative to sell, but Virgil looked better than IRS at the 'wrestling' aspect of wrestling in their match I watched last week, though IRS carried it from an entertainment standpoint with his heeling. Both guys really contributed equally in different ways.

Rocco being found in what looked to be a bombed out wasteland is the only thing I really remember about that stupid angle.

Finally back in the saddle today after a bit of a hiatus.

Raw off to a fun start noticing D-Lo as one of the dudes carrying Lawlers throne.

Also this Raw features Hart/Kwang which is one of the most random matches I vaguely remember watching as a child.

LOL - They dropped Lawler!!

So I have my answer to when wrestling changed. It’s fucking Bret Harts fault.

As the WWF champion him having competitive matches with everyone who stepped in the ring with him whilst proved his ability as a technician - kind of dropped the title down in relevance. Not everyone should be able to take the champ to the limit. Kwang shouldn’t be that close to beating Hart - nor should Adam Bomb and others.

Squash these fools!



Also Vinny Mac had to have said Martial Art Specialist at least 42 times in that match. And that’s conservative.

Yikes Macho Man just dropped a pretty heinous Magic Johnson “joke”.

Ironically Magic is still alive and Savage isn’t.

It’s trash day!

Duke Droese in da house!

Aug 3, 2021 16:01:27 GMT UT said:

So I have my answer to when wrestling changed. It’s fucking Bret Harts fault.

As the WWF champion him having competitive matches with everyone who stepped in the ring with him whilst proved his ability as a technician - kind of dropped the title down in relevance. Not everyone should be able to take the champ to the limit. Kwang shouldn’t be that close to beating Hart - nor should Adam Bomb and others.

Squash these fools!



Also Vinny Mac had to have said Martial Art Specialist at least 42 times in that match. And that’s conservative.

Martial Arts Specialist is so painfully bland too. He could've at least gone with Karate Master or Kung Fu Guru!

Aug 3, 2021 16:01:27 GMT UT said:

So I have my answer to when wrestling changed. It’s fucking Bret Harts fault.

As the WWF champion him having competitive matches with everyone who stepped in the ring with him whilst proved his ability as a technician - kind of dropped the title down in relevance. Not everyone should be able to take the champ to the limit. Kwang shouldn’t be that close to beating Hart - nor should Adam Bomb and others.

Squash these fools!



Also Vinny Mac had to have said Martial Art Specialist at least 42 times in that match. And that’s conservative.

Don't worry, the other night I was watching a LOD vs Rockers match and Vince and Perfect used "tag team specialists" for the Rockers 45 times.

Aug 3, 2021 16:09:20 GMT UT said:

Yikes Macho Man just dropped a pretty heinous Magic Johnson “joke”.

Ironically Magic is still alive and Savage isn’t.

Aug 3, 2021 16:13:30 GMT UT said:

It’s trash day!

Duke Droese in da house!

Wait, Randy Savage and Duke Droese coexisted in the WWF at the same time? I always thought of Droese as a 1995 guy, I barely remember him in real time.

Glad UT is back at it. I enjoy everything about this project other than the IRS hate, but I get a special kick out of his enthusiasm for guys like Sparky Plugg, Well Dunn, and The Dumpster. Keep us updated on whether or not The Dumpster is *ahem* TRASH.

Shootist Don't feel bad. I was a big fan of this era and even I have trouble remembering exactly when a lot of these bottom of the barrel characters started- Well Dunn, Holly, Dumpster, Kwang, and Aldo (apparently still to come) just to name a few. I was a good 6 months off on Holly & Kwang, while Well Dunn could have come in any time from 92-94 for all I knew. Guessing Aldo has to show up soon. Even HOG & Hakushi started a few months before I "remembered."

Three Dumpster moments stand out for me...

1. The Helmsley feud which actually produced several pretty cool moments. So I guess The Duke of Droese had more like six standout moments.

2. A good angle with Jerry Lawler that can't be more than a few months away.

3. His "return" to Superstars in late '95. I didn't even know he was gone! But they made a big deal about Duke "The Dumpster" Droese returning like he was this old friend of the program coming back from conquering the world. Now I'm curious to find out exactly when this took place. It was definitely late 1995, but let's see if I can narrow it down further...

Hmm...Tough call. Could be the 10/14/95 episode of Superstars. He had been off tv since July. Or it could be 12/2/95. He hadn't been on tv since October. It's no wonder I didn't even realize the guy was gone. A month or three is nothing! Especially when it comes to a forgettable character like The Dumpster.

Aug 3, 2021 18:22:59 GMT Shootist said:

Aug 3, 2021 16:01:27 GMT UT said:

So I have my answer to when wrestling changed. It’s fucking Bret Harts fault.

As the WWF champion him having competitive matches with everyone who stepped in the ring with him whilst proved his ability as a technician - kind of dropped the title down in relevance. Not everyone should be able to take the champ to the limit. Kwang shouldn’t be that close to beating Hart - nor should Adam Bomb and others.

Squash these fools!



Also Vinny Mac had to have said Martial Art Specialist at least 42 times in that match. And that’s conservative.

Don't worry, the other night I was watching a LOD vs Rockers match and Vince and Perfect used "tag team specialists" for the Rockers 45 times.

Aug 3, 2021 16:09:20 GMT UT said:

Yikes Macho Man just dropped a pretty heinous Magic Johnson “joke”.

Ironically Magic is still alive and Savage isn’t.

Aug 3, 2021 16:13:30 GMT UT said:

It’s trash day!

Duke Droese in da house!

Wait, Randy Savage and Duke Droese coexisted in the WWF at the same time? I always thought of Droese as a 1995 guy, I barely remember him in real time.

It’s Dukes first vignette so unless Macho leaves soon then I guess so.

Aug 3, 2021 19:24:33 GMT Baker said:

Glad UT is back at it. I enjoy everything about this project other than the IRS hate, but I get a special kick out of his enthusiasm for guys like Sparky Plugg, Well Dunn, and The Dumpster. Keep us updated on whether or not The Dumpster is *ahem* TRASH.

Shootist Don't feel bad. I was a big fan of this era and even I have trouble remembering exactly when a lot of these bottom of the barrel characters started- Well Dunn, Holly, Dumpster, Kwang, and Aldo (apparently still to come) just to name a few. I was a good 6 months off on Holly & Kwang, while Well Dunn could have come in any time from 92-94 for all I knew. Guessing Aldo has to show up soon. Even HOG & Hakushi started a few months before I "remembered."

Three Dumpster moments stand out for me...

1. The Helmsley feud which actually produced several pretty cool moments. So I guess The Duke of Droese had more like six standout moments.
2. A good angle with Jerry Lawler that can't be more than a few months away.
3. His "return" to Superstars in late '95. I didn't even know he was gone! But they made a huge deal about the return of Duke "The Dumpster" Droese like he was this old friend of the program coming back from conquering the world. Now I'm curious to find out exactly when this took place. It was definitely late 1995, but let's see if I can narrow it down further...

Hmm...Tough call. Could be October '95. He had been off tv since July. Or it could be December '95. He hadn't been on tv since October. It's no wonder I didn't even realize the guy was gone. A month or three is nothing! Especially when it comes to a forgettable character like The Dumpster.

PJ Walker wrestled JJ on this episode so technically Aldo is here , but not really.

I love these goofy characters. They are fun spark of nostalgia - even if they’re trash in the long run.

Aug 3, 2021 19:29:45 GMT UT said:

Aug 3, 2021 18:22:59 GMT Shootist said:

Don't worry, the other night I was watching a LOD vs Rockers match and Vince and Perfect used "tag team specialists" for the Rockers 45 times.



Wait, Randy Savage and Duke Droese coexisted in the WWF at the same time? I always thought of Droese as a 1995 guy, I barely remember him in real time.

It’s Dukes first vignette so unless Macho leaves soon then I guess so.

Wow, I found a Duke vignette from May of '94 six months before Mach left and before I stopped watching (nothing to do with Mach leaving), weird.

Aug 3, 2021 16:01:27 GMT UT said:

So I have my answer to when wrestling changed. It’s fucking Bret Harts fault.

As the WWF champion him having competitive matches with everyone who stepped in the ring with him whilst proved his ability as a technician - kind of dropped the title down in relevance. Not everyone should be able to take the champ to the limit. Kwang shouldn’t be that close to beating Hart - nor should Adam Bomb and others.

Squash these fools!



Also Vinny Mac had to have said Martial Art Specialist at least 42 times in that match. And that’s conservative.

Ric Flair was doing same stuff for years earlier. One of my favorite matches and where I first really “got” wrestling was Flair-Eaton at Clash of the Champions XV. I KNEW there was no way that Beautiful Bobby Eaton was going to be the WCW World Champion. Knew it in my bones. But somehow Ric Flair convinced me he was outclassed, that Eaton was going to hit an Alabama Jam and leave behind his time as a tag team specialist with an awful mullet and become the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

I don’t know if they pushed Eaton after that match to anything, but Flair made him look like a million bucks.

Bigger problem for Hart - why’s he wrestling those guys every show anyway? Hogan barely showed for matches or segments on the smaller tv shows. Bret Hart defending the title on syndication isn’t helpful for the belt.

Well some of them , or a lot of them are non title but Vince puts over the fact that if Sultan (or whomever) beats them than it would put them in line for a title shot. Regardless though it’s kind of weird considering Brets moniker as a baby face “fighting” champion.

Also Bobby Eaton is still a different class than the Sultan or Adam Bomb. Perhaps more in line with Brets upcoming match with 123 Kid though.

For christs sake though too , Bret had a competitive match with Brawler. That should never happen.

Aug 4, 2021 17:20:45 GMT UT said:

Also Bobby Eaton is still a different class than the Sultan or Adam Bomb. Perhaps more in line with Brets upcoming match with 123 Kid though.

For christs sake though too , Bret had a competitive match with Brawler. That should never happen.

Going to disagree on Eaton versus The Sultan or Adam Bomb. Historically maybe, but his position in 1991 want that different than how they positioned those two.

The Jobs Report for...

SUPERSTARS | S07 E27 | 07/04/1992

Joe Milano looking like a shriveled, pale version of Blackjack Bradshaw... Yet he and Bob Bradley give High Energy an entertaining squash in the opener

Jason Knight looks like stud. Likely jobber of the week just based on look. But he gives Martel a solid squash, so there's clearly more than look working here. Name sounds familiar. Is this the same Jason from ECW? Just realized Jason is wearing "knight" boots. Nice touch!

Kerry Davis looking like such a Barry Hardy wannabe schlub that he gets an ICOPRO shoutout from Vince on commentary.

Speaking of Barry Hardy, the WWF's First Hardy Boy gives Sarge a cromulent squash. Also, realizing it's the July 4th episode, makes sense to feature Sarge. The post-match shit-canning is an interesting move for a face.

Joe McMullen looks like Paul Giamatti took on a pro wrestler acting gig. He gets to sell a voodoo curse from Papa Shango that gives him a sore knee before the bell. Guess this was an acting gig after all!

Kerry Von Erich... Pro wrestling's biggest what-if slash what-coulda/woulda/shoulda been? For me he's feeling like it.

Can't wait for the WBF to fold up shop.

Never mind. Barry Horowitz wins the Jobber of the Week award every time he appears. Excellent ring jacket, Barry! I wonder how competitive of a match he'll have against Bret. Nope. It was the exact kind of entertaining squash it should be.

We get Razor's fruit stand vignette that finally makes me understand all those early Carlito comparisons. Seeing all the real life people in the background gathering to stare at Razor in shoot awe makes Razor look all the more impressive. Also, Razor looks so huge here. At least Hogan big, if not maybe bigger.

Scott Taylor & Phil Apollo job to the Beverlys. Apollo is future bad face version of Doink, right? Here he looks like a pre-bleached deflated Dino Bravo. Why they picked him as Doink over a multitude of other candidates is beyond me.

Based on these Superstars episodes up to this point, I would've expected the SummerSlam 1992 card to look like this (with me adding the gimmicks only because I can never leave well enough alone):

Feather on a Pole Match: Tatanka vs. Rick Martel

Tow Rope Match: The British Bulldog vs. Repo Man

Frankie on a Pole Match: High Energy vs. The Nasty Boys (w/ Jimmy Hart)

Shock Stick on a Pole Match: Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Mountie (w/ Jimmy Hart)

Behind Bars Match: Big Boss Man vs. Nailz

Rocco on a Pole Match: The Legion of Doom (w/ Paul Ellering) vs. The Beverly Brothers (w/ The Genius)

Sword on a Pole Match: The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. The Berzerker (w/ Mr. Fuji)

IC Title Ladder Match: Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels (w/ Sensational Sherri)

No Gimmicks Needed Tag Title Match: Money Incorporated (c) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Natural Disasters

Voodoo Curse Match: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Papa Shango

Elizabeth's Dignity on a Pole World Title Match: Randy Savage (c) vs. Ric Flair (w/ Mr. Perfect)

Definitely glad they gave us fresher tag matches IRL as well as pivoted to Bret/Bulldog... but I'd be hard-pressed to say Savage/Flair II, Shango/Warrior, and Taker/Zerk wouldn't be better than Savage/Warrior II, Taker/Kamala, and no Flair.