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Re: The Wrestling thread
Last night I watched the Von Erichs episode of Dark Side of the Ring.
It sucked. It's serviceable for young/casual wrestling fans who don't know about them.
I'm wondering if the story can even be properly told in such a format. It warrants a deep dive.
They glossed over too many areas. Kevin's participation was great and basically a requirement but it's a double edge sword...he can't/won't be completely honest. He's getting better than he used to be...but I want the story warts and all.
The chapter on Mike's sudden and quick downfall is covered in the span of a few minutes. That's not good enough. It was THE sign that the family was not what they were shown as on TV...and fans started abandoning them in droves.
The family had blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality and they should've pushed this dysfunction.
The Von Erichs story always deserved to be a movie.
Dark side of the ring always feels less than satisfying to me. Mostly rehashing shit i already knew and the narrator annoys me. Same monotone voice no matter what’s being discussed.
Re: The Wrestling thread
Here's his title run in 1996. It's funny, he mentions the Vader match and points out his behavior was really the point people turned against him.
Yea people really don’t hide how they feel about Shawn in interviews. For a guy to be on top during the least popular era in pro wrestling (other than now) you’d think would lead to a bit of humility.
I watched the 1995 survivor series yesterday for shits and giggles...
They had a women’s elimination match and there were some pretty awful spots but they actually looked like wrestlers not models masquerading as wrestlers.
It’s interesting because Shawn is already a good guy here and this was half a year before he wins the title. It’s always been curious to me bc he didn’t really change his character...he seemed the same no matter what.
Back stage around this time he was politicking to screw over a new guy named Dean Douglas who i believe also went by the name Shane Douglas. The guy was there and gone in the span of 6 months. While that isn’t necessarily abnormal, the circumstances surrounding it are certainly that. Another guy who was going to get pushed and eventually work with top guys is forced out bc Shawn doesn’t like him. They humiliate the guy on this particular card by booking and hyping a match only for him to go out and basically forfeit.
Anyway...who can argue with his greatness? I’d watch a Shawn match any time. But he must’ve been easily threatened with how often he’d go out of his way to torpedo people.
Re: The Wrestling thread
The Dean gimmick was really bad, but Shane had a habit of starting a war with everyone he worked with. He did it with Flair when he was in the NWA/WCW as the Dynamic Dudes. It ended up okay because he became the face of ECW.
Another wrestler is dead, Brody Lee. He was 41. Not real familiar with him, but what I was I liked. Poor guy. Feel bad for his family. 
Re: The Wrestling thread
Yea people really don’t hide how they feel about Shawn in interviews. For a guy to be on top during the least popular era in pro wrestling (other than now) you’d think would lead to a bit of humility.
It’s interesting because Shawn is already a good guy here and this was half a year before he wins the title. It’s always been curious to me bc he didn’t really change his character...he seemed the same no matter what.
Back stage around this time he was politicking to screw over a new guy named Dean Douglas who i believe also went by the name Shane Douglas. The guy was there and gone in the span of 6 months. While that isn’t necessarily abnormal, the circumstances surrounding it are certainly that. Another guy who was going to get pushed and eventually work with top guys is forced out bc Shawn doesn’t like him. They humiliate the guy on this particular card by booking and hyping a match only for him to go out and basically forfeit.
Anyway...who can argue with his greatness? I’d watch a Shawn match any time. But he must’ve been easily threatened with how often he’d go out of his way to torpedo people.
I can tell you why HBK was like this....
He was insecure. His career trajectory was odd and his success was not guaranteed.
He was a nobody in World Class. Made it to the AWA and smaller NWA territories as the Midnight Rockers with Janetty.
They were nothing but a B grade Rock N Roll Express clone. Verne Gagne sees no potential in them. Gagne famously out of touch with pop culture....he said, "What's a Midnight Rocker?"
Anyways...he was half right in his assessment. They had little potential in the AWA as it was about to nosedive to irrelevancy. However, the WWF was a different story. While their tag team roster was strong, it was lacking a Rock N Roll Express style team. McMahon gave them the push they needed.
Once he broke out as a singles star, he didn't want to risk dropping back down the card. In most cases, once you drop down the card, you don't go back up. He was also there during Hogan's reign and saw how whatever Hulk wants, Hulk gets.
While Hogan didn't have a clique, he did play favorites.
The Dean gimmick was really bad, but Shane had a habit of starting a war with everyone he worked with.
He was the type who has an oversized ego that doesn't match up to his talent level. These types will either implode their careers or simply not live up to any potential they had. Jeff Jarrett is another example.
Re: The Wrestling thread
Watched the Nitro where Scott Hall shows up out of the crowd and announces a war. Man, I really miss those days.
Yup...there's just something about the way it's all presented. Something about it makes you buy in more.
It's kayfabe if i had to put it into one word.
Jake Robert's said it best in my opinion. He said, 'you have to believe in what your doing or it'll never work.'
When everything is scripted for you and everything you do is controlled down to a micro level, you'll never come off genuine.
Re: The Wrestling thread
Those days will never come back. Kayfabe is dead and so is the "fun" aspect of wrestling. The irony here is that there are probably better wrestlers these days but the matches are kinda boring without the "spectacle/over the top" aspect gone.
Re: The Wrestling thread
misterID wrote:Watched the Nitro where Scott Hall shows up out of the crowd and announces a war. Man, I really miss those days.
Yup...there's just something about the way it's all presented. Something about it makes you buy in more.
It's kayfabe if i had to put it into one word.
Until it got ridiculous, it was like a mid 90s update of early-mid 80s NWA & Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Adding Hogan as a heel was genius...a tad similar (but bigger in scope) to Ole's turn in Georgia.
As soon as Vince saw it, I bet he wishes he had turned Hogan in 88-89.
The Megapowers feud just begs for Hogan to be the heel. Every point Savage made was valid....
He wanted Elizabeth
Jealous of Savage being champ
Had McMahon been willing to risk pissing off the Hulkamaniacs or losing viewers, you can have Hogan do the turn on SNME.
Those days will never come back. Kayfabe is dead and so is the "fun" aspect of wrestling. The irony here is that there are probably better wrestlers these days but the matches are kinda boring without the "spectacle/over the top" aspect gone.
Wrestling the past 15 years or longer is unwatchable. It's garbage.
The NWO era and Attitude era rejuvenated it in the early period of the death of kayfabe but when that winded down, there was no recovering from it.
I love watching 80s wrestling. The crowds are insane. The storylines are great. Couple days ago I watched the August, 23rd 1986 episode of NWA World Wide Wrestling.
Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express
Ric Flair vs Dusty where Baby Doll turns
Magnum TA vs Nikita Koloff
Doesn't get much better than that.
