Is this accurate? Did it originate from here?

No! Liger vs Pillman at SuperBrawl 2 was the first time I remember seeing it (and they didn't invent it). It was a huge part of the Guerrero-Malenko matchups too. In fact, at Hostile City Showdown, I think Joey Styles literally says, "And we have a stalemate" after one of them.

Kilgore beat me to it and one upped me in the process. Was going to write "Eddie & Dean did it 4 years earlier in ECW and I'm sure it didn't originate with them either. But I do feel like they're the ones who popularized it." They do it twice here in this 1:26 clip...

Ah, Joey says stand off, not stalemate, which is better, anyway.

February 29, 1992

We'll find earlier examples, but here's the earliest for the time being

Went to the birth of modern wrestling (Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid) thinking if stalemates existed back then, surely it would emerge in that match. And an interesting spot happens.



There's a fraction of a second stalemate that they don't milk like a similar sequence would now. It immediately goes back into action. They have a similar moment just before this, as well. So don't think the modern stalemate was in play yet, had to be a little later. Someone else figured out to milk that moment. 

Tiger Mask vs. Eddie Gilbert (November 25, 1982) is the earliest I'm going to find tonight.

Went down a World Of Sport rabbit hole mainly focusing on Dynamite Kid until I found this:

Rollerball Rocco vs Marty Jones from November 1978:



More or less a prototype of what would come later. Not as frantic with the action as in later examples.

Also watched some workrate stuff from the WWF Golden Era (Steamboat vs Muraco, Orton, Jake, Savage, Bret) and Bret vs Dynamite but no dice.

Think this dude just makes up shit seeing other videos of his.

We have a new winner. This is from a 1957 French match...

Mar 25, 2024 22:32:15 GMT Baker said:

We have a new winner. This is from a 1957 French match...

How the hell do you find this stuff? 

Mar 25, 2024 22:47:47 GMT iron maiden said:

Mar 25, 2024 22:32:15 GMT Baker said:

We have a new winner. This is from a 1957 French match...

How the hell do you find this stuff? 

Normally I'm just good at sleuthing. This one was admittedly more of a happy accident. You want the full story? Of course you do!

Felt like watching a Bill Dundee match. Typed "Bill Dundee vs." in the Youtube search engine. Then I went to "most recent." First entries were a bunch of uploaded 80s Memphis DVDs. Ended up clicking on the uploader to see what other goodies he had. It was just the Memphis stuff and the video I got the gif from. Watched the gif video. Remembered this thread. And here we are.

I never did get around to watching a Bill Dundee match though For I am easily distracted by shiny things.

I love the idea of this thread getting bumped every few months with another HOW going

RVD/Lynn? Not even close

*posts some caveman nonsense*

The ultimate game.

Mar 26, 2024 0:27:15 GMT Baker said:

Felt like watching a Bill Dundee match. 

Y'know I just remembered there's a Dundee/Rich 'technical' match from 1980 that just might have an indie standoff. I'll check after posting about fast food and summer songs. 

Mar 26, 2024 0:36:07 GMT Baker said:

Mar 26, 2024 0:27:15 GMT Baker said:

Felt like watching a Bill Dundee match. 

Y'know I just remembered there's a Dundee/Rich 'technical' match from 1980 that just might have an indie standoff. I'll check after posting about fast food and summer songs. 

lmao. Yep. This happens within the first 15 seconds...