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WWF Superstars of Wrestling December 13th, 1986

December 13, 1986

From the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center in South Bend, IN

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon

Tonight, we will see Adrian Adonis, Kamala, and the Can-Am Connection. Plus, an update on the condition of Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and a highlight package set to the song "Everybody Have Fun" by Wang Chung.





Pedro Morales & Tito Santana & Hillbilly Jim vs. Moondog Spot & Barry O. & The Raider

Jim overpowers Spot then puffs out his chest. Barry tags as Jim grabs a side headlock before tagging Santana. Tito takes Barry down with a flying headscsissors then dropkicks him before tagging Morales. The Raider also tags in and Morales catches him with a shot to the midsection. Tito tags and hits another dropkick before Morales rolls up The Raider for the win (1:57).

Thoughts: The six-man tags involving Santana, Pedro, and Jim were not particularly exciting. The crowd really only seemed to care about Tito at this point anyway as Pedro was washed up and Jim was never as popular as he was pre-WrestleMania I.


WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week's subject is Randy Savage, who is shown cutting a promo gloating about how he took out Steamboat and calls himself the greatest wrestler in the WWF. He then gives the throat slash gesture to Steamboat if he ever decides to wrestle him again.


Mario Mancini vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart

Before the match we are shown a promo from Piper who is insulting Adonis then tells him to "pay the Piper." Adonis backs Mancini into the corner and roughs him up. He elbows him in the back of the neck then takes him down with a shoulderblock. He chops him down then taunts the crowd as Vince probes Jesse about his investigation into Andre the Giant's investigation. Jesse says that he will be interviewing Bobby Heenan about that situation as Adonis puts Mancini away with the Good Night Irene (1:16). After the match, Adonis shoves flowers into Mancini's mouth.

Thoughts: They did a good job at continuing the Piper/Adonis feud here and on commentary they continued the story about how Andre got reinstated by the WWF.


Ken Resnick is with Savage, who will be facing Bruno Sammartino at the January 3rd Boston Garden show. The next "Saturday Night's Main Event" aired that night too. Savage calls Bruno a "has been" and promises to teach Bruno to respect the young. Great stuff by Savage, who was in the zone at this point.


Another Outback Jack vignette, who says that he is chomping at the bit to get over to the WWF.


Iron Mike Sharpe & Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Can-Am Connection

The crowd loves the Can-Am Connection. Funk and Martel start off the match trading off of on the arm. Martel uses his speed to his advantage and gets two with a hurricarana. He sends Funk to the floor with a dropkick as the crowd goes nuts. Sharpe tags and roughs up Martel for a bit. Martel is able to tag Zenk and they take down Sharpe with a double monkey flip. Zenk works the arm but Funk knees him in the back from the apron then tags in and roughs him up. The fans rally behind Zenk as he is able to crawl through the legs of Sharpe and make the tag. Martel is on fire then tags Zenk who slingshots in with a sunset flip for two. The match breaks down then Sharpe is in control until Zenk hits him with an atomic drop and Martel takes him down with a headscisssors. Zenk then dropkicks Funk off of the apron and catches Sharpe with a powerslam then slingshots in Martel with a splash to get the win (3:54). The crowd went crazy at the finish.

Thoughts: Awesome for a short TV match. The Can-Am's were instantly over. They had barely been with the company for a month and had the crowds going nuts for them. The girls loved their looks and the fans loved their fast-paced moves as they appealed to just about everyone. I have to imagine that the other white-meat babyface teams like the Rougeau's and the U.S. Express were getting worried about their spots on the card at this time.


Resnick is with Blackjack Mulligan as he will be part of the "Bunkhouse Battle Royal"match at the Boston Garden. They hype how you can wear whatever you want in this match, which is best known for Lanny Poffo wearing a suit of armor in the ring. Mulligan cuts a dull, rambling promo here.


We get another Blackjack Mulligan vignette on his ranch as he talks about the bull he got for $1,000. He then talks about his past bull as this went nowhere. Vince laughed like a moron when this ended. At least he was entertained.


Jack Kruger vs. Kamala w/ The Wizard & Kimchee

Kamala attacks Kruger with his mask before the bell. Kamala then hits him with some chops and kicks then slams him down. Kamala hits a splash then climbs up top and hits another splash for the win (0:38). Kruger is getting carried out on a stretcher as Vince calls him a "young man." Kruger was 40 years old here and looked even older than that.

Thoughts: The Kamala TV squash matches are starting to get stale now. When his house show against Hogan ended, there was not much else left for him to do in the WWF.


Piper's Pit with guests Butch Reed and Slick. Reed talks about how natural he is Piper mocks him for dying his roots black. Reed and Piper start insulting each other until Piper grabs Suzette the Federette and asks how she finds more attractive as she walks off with Piper. Reed then gets on the mic and flips out.


The "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" video is shown. Solid stuff as the WWF video packages at this time were generally good.


Okerlund is with Steamboat's doctor, who is amazed at Steamboat's progress. The doctor then states that another shot to his throat could even be fatal.


We are shown the interview by Jesse Ventura with Bobby Heenan about Andre the Giant's reinstatement. Jesse runs down Jack Tunney then asks Heenan what happened. Jesse chides Heenan for allowing Andre to be reinstated as Heenan surprises him by putting over his size and agility and says that there is no reason for him to not be reinstated. Jesse point blank asks him if he should be allowed to be back and Heenan says yes and that he does not have to answer to anyone. Awesome segment that kept everyone intrigued.


Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. "The Rebel" Dick Slater

Roberts got a lot more cheers than Slater to start the match. Vince goes off on Danny Davis, who is the referee for this match. Slater takes down Jake with a hiptoss to start. Slater knocks him down as the crowd boos then works the leg but Davis breaks that up as the crowd now boos Davis. Slater goes back to work on the leg as Jesse and Vince go back and forth about Davis. Slater still attacks the leg as this match is starting to drag. Roberts kicks Slater over the top rope but sells his leg and Slater is able to come back in a hit a swinging neckbreaker then an elbow smash from the top rope as Slater covers and gets the pin but Davis gets up and saw Roberts' had his foot on the ropes and orders the match to continue as Vince and Bruno talk about how once the ref counts to three the match is supposed to be over, no matter what. As Slater argues with the referee, Roberts gets up and hits him with a short-armed clothesline. He hobbles around then grabs his snake but Slater fights back. Davis then backs Slater into the corner but gets tossed across the ring as the crowd erupts then Davis rings the bell for the DQ as Roberts is the winner (4:32).

Thoughts: The match was okay but this was more about furthering the Davis storyline than anything else. Roberts sold his leg like a champ for this match. This was one of the last TV matches for Slater in the WWF. He would remain with the company for several more months too, usually wrestling on house show opening matches.


Resnick is with Bruno Sammartino, who says that Savage has done nothing but insult him then warns Savage that he is not after his title but will mop up the floor with him and even come after him outside of the ring if he tries to escape and save his title.


Next week in action, we will see Don Muraco & Bob Orton vs. The Islanders. Also in action will be Butch Reed and the Killer Bees.



Final Thoughts: An awesome show. They accomplished a ton of stuff in just one hour. They kept their two top feuds (Steamboat/Savage, Adonis/Piper) going strong and had a very intriguing segment about the return of Andre the Giant. Plus, they showcased a hot new act in the Can-Am Connection. You really couldnt ask for much more here and a lot of the main stuff on this show continued into WrestleMania III. Great long-term planning by the WWF here.



Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Saturday: RoH Frontiers of Honor 5/17/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/14/86
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/20/86
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/21/86


Comments

  1. I hope not; Craig has helped save the franchise from absurd Hell.

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  2. I can see one before the main event, not every match that has a story behind it. Ideally, WWE PPVs are three main matches and the rest is filler.

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  3. Well, I think one of Heyman's worst decisions was not switching to a slightly bigger arena in the Philly area (3-5k at least) when ECW was at its peak. I understand his loyalty to the ECW Arena, but from a financial standpoint it was time to upgrade. We all know he needed the money and would've had no problem filling the place.

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  4. And now they can't fill 15-20 seat venues.

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  5. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:05 PM

    I like him because he made Bond feel more human.

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  6. Tremendous match, maybe the best "off-month" PPV of all time.

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  7. Pac always does this before he fights some guy no one gives a shit about. He's going to do whatever Bob Arum says really.

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  8. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:07 PM

    A staple of any child who grew up in the '80's, RIP

    http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/14/choose-your-own-adventure-author-founder-dead-ra-montgomery-died/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aww...RIP indeed, dear scribe.

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  10. Agreed. Some of the minor league parks they were booking for house shows had more seats than the typical small-market WWE house show venue. Unless they got some sort of dirt-cheap deal, it is sheer stupidity.

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  11. This was the first major angle that blew up one I started reading RSPW. 50/50 on those that thought it was a work and those that thought it was a shoot.

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  12. 90s, too. Those books have a pop culture legacy. RIP.

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  13. Yep, one of the last rivalries in WWE to have very believable, old-school-esque and purely unadulterated disdain for one another.

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  14. Blade Runner: Fast Lane.


    (And that being my third Fast Lane as a movie title joke, it will also be my last.)

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  15. I hated babyface Shawn. Long boring promos. Self righteous. Never lost. Hmmmmmm....

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  16. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:13 PM

    Who remembers the Utopia one?

    There were 2 pages in the middle that described Utopia.

    The thing is - and I actually remember scrolling through each page to check - there are no choices that will actually take you to those pages. You just have to find them.

    http://io9.com/remember-inside-ufo-54-40-the-unwinnable-choose-your-o-1552187271

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  17. No argument here. That match is absolutely a forgotten classic. The events of WM X-7, followed by the next couple months kinda rendered this match meaningless, which is I guess why it's forgotten, but yeah, it was awesome.

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  18. It was the time. It was the first time Vince was "outed" as the owner of the company even though everyone knew.

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  19. HHH had some legit good matches of course, but the true genius in the character was the build up and acting as a heel foil to whoever the face was. So no one match of his is must see because a lot of the story took place before the match began....If that makes sense, also I might be remembering this wrong.

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  20. I haven't been a Torch subscriber in years, but, yeah I remember that was one of Keller's main deals on his podcast and website. I mean, he would be stupid not to self-promote, but geez dude, we get it. The Torch is great, great, great.

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  21. Blade Runner: Run Up 2 the Streets

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  22. If the fight game doesn't go well, maybe Manny will write some laws to give himself a nice pay day.

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  23. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:20 PM

    RIP: I loved his work.

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  24. THANK YOU. I like Al, but Smells Like Nirvana is nowhere near his best. And compared to I Got 5 on It? Come on.

    ReplyDelete
  25. My favorite was a baseball one from the late 80's, where you basically played manager.

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  26. Did you say Roger Craig?

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  27. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:24 PM

    Without him there's no "Jake's Booty Call."

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  28. He overacted a bit. He reminded me of Kramer when he hears the woman's voice from the TV that gives him seizures.

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  29. Why are they making scenes with blood black and white on the Monday night War episodes? I didn't know ECW was in BLACK AND WHITE???!!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:25 PM

    The Filipino government is already trying to put a lien on his property.

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  31. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:25 PM

    Yeah. It was filmed in the 1950's.

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  32. I never saw that one, but that's really cool.

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  33. I always thought they should have used the Terry Funk angle with Foley, where he asks the champion for a title shot, the champ says no, because he hasn't earned one, then boom! Attack, feud, etc.

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  34. Heyman couldn't afford color.

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  35. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonNovember 14, 2014 at 2:27 PM

    TNA couldn't fill a Honda Civic.

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  36. To the lead singer of 4 Non Blondes of all people.

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  37. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:31 PM

    And by color, you mean green.

    As in the color of money.

    HEYMAN NEVER PAID PEOPLE, is what I'm saying

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  38. If it makes you feel better, that's only on the stream. Plenty of blood in the archives in glorious Ultra Color.

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  39. STOP EDITING SHIT AND REVISING HISTORY YOU BUNCH OF NITWITS!!!

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  40. Which he'll admit, as soon as Styles admits that he brought home all of those T Shirts.

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  41. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:32 PM

    Right now, there are children in the 3rd world who think the loser of the Super Bowl actually won, and that they should "join the revolution."

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  42. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:33 PM

    But enough about the history books in our school system

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  43. That and the network

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  44. What, are you trying to tell me something crazy like USA isn't perfect and isn't the best country ever?

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  45. Don't forget Big Show!

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  46. Looks like a Dark Souls inspired game, if not worse. Dark Souls/Demon Souls wouldn't have gotten me to buy a PS3, so this one has about the same chance for the PS4

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  47. I thought Billy's injury may have been real too...until their wives came into the ring and ruined whatever realism they were shooting for.

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  48. Yeah, that's unfortunate timing. If it doesn't happen at one of the Big Four or MITB, it doesn't get remembered as fondly.

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  49. Is that the one where they hit their finishers right off the bat?

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  50. They also need a new formula for big matches.

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  51. Wrestling needs a new Native American character. WWE is already continuing the tropes of Samoans, Russians, etc.

    And they should call him Bravestarr.

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  52. "Kruger is getting carried out on a stretcher as Vince calls him a "young man." Kruger was 40 years old here and looked even older than that."



    So Carlos Colon wasn't the first "youngster" after all. Just the most famous... or would that be Steamboat? Was Steamer even called a youngster during that run as The Dragon?

    ReplyDelete
  53. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:53 PM

    And he should be a cartoon

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  54. You win a few, you lose many, many more.


    Well, Dougie does at least.

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  55. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:54 PM

    People who are physically able yet choose not to change out the empty drum on the water cooler, amiright?

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  56. They should die. Painfully.

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  57. Alvarez and Meltzer go straight into the news and then plug whats on the site for about 20 seconds at the end. I prefer that.

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  58. And have a talking humanoid horse.

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  59. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:56 PM

    Depending on how well it's placed on the tap, sometimes the little blue cap from the neck of the drum comes loose and floats in the water. Wigs me out.

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  60. Death to floaty caps!

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  61. There really needs to be another crazy ass leader/dictator that goes around naming towns and countries after themselves.

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  62. I'm surprised Putin hasn't changed the name of Russia to Putin-Land.

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  63. The Obsever is worth every penny. The Meltzer shows are great obviously, but the Todd Martin shows are always funny and really interesting debates, and Bryan & Vinny are hilarious. I probably listen to these guys every single day.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:58 PM

    Welcome to Loserville

    Population, me

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  65. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 2:59 PM

    Ahmadinejadfield

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  66. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:00 PM

    Single ply TP?

    Um, I don't think so

    ReplyDelete
  67. Triple that shit up, then pull out the appropriate amount.

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  68. (Doubling is acceptable, but risky.)

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  69. I need to find a book series to read. I'd like one that is currently ongoing. I have the Song of Ice and Fire series and might start reading that. I wish I could find a crime or cop thriller series to read though.

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  70. Fuck no. Just for that don't flush!

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  71. I have a bidet which I use in tandem. Never felt cleaner or more alive.

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  72. *Mulkey bros apply for loan to buy house there*

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  73. Nice to meet you, COMRADE RUSEV!!!!


    ...please show us pictures of naked Lana.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Is that a series? I'm going to look into it.

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  75. I'm not a massive crime fan, but I think Jo Nesbo's crime books are pretty good. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jo+nesbo

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  76. It's a standalone but there's a book that's linked to the same universe (Anansi Boys).

    ReplyDelete
  77. *Barry Horowitz decides to run for mayor. Loses in a landslide when his opponent, Frankie Williams, points out he BEAT SKIP BODYDONNA.

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  78. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:09 PM

    Sorry, but we don't want your kind here.

    You know what kind I mean.

    Awesome Crockett tag teams who never got their fair share

    ReplyDelete
  79. It's a shame Zenk nuked all his bridges as he was immensely talented.

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  80. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    Oh, you mean the thing that I use as a water fountain

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  81. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    Choose Your Own Adventure

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  82. OK. I'm going to get it. Gonna start reading it later tonight. Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Nice, a series. I wonder if they are anything like the Dreseden ones.

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  84. That was a fast selection! Hope you like it!

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  85. Say what you want about Dougie but at least his jokes are brand new!

    ReplyDelete
  86. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    In Soviet Russia, Lana shows naked pictures of you

    ReplyDelete
  87. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:14 PM

    The Ender series, plus the related Shadow series.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Steven Erickson garden on the moon

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  89. Seems like something I will enjoy reading. Plus, I looked it up and its getting a Starz TV series with the guy that directs Hannibal!

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  90. Halfway through Ender's Game lol

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  91. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:17 PM

    I hope you didn't see the movie 1st. As a movie, it's OK. As a book adaptation

    It stinks!

    ReplyDelete
  92. That is a really good book too. I love Neil Gaiman. Everything he writes is worth getting.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Some kid at my sister's school is wearing a Mark Sanchez Jets jersey. I thought all of those were burned in disgrace after the buttfumble.

    It's also one of the ones with stitched on numbers and shit so you know his parents paid over 100 bucks for this. Who pays 100 bucks for a Sanchez jersey!

    ReplyDelete
  94. Their mode of identification:


    "Lie on your back, looking at the sky. Okay, you're verified, Mr. Gambler."

    ReplyDelete
  95. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:21 PM

    That Dirty Sanchez

    ReplyDelete
  96. I wonder if that kid has an older sister. One recently graduated from high school...

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  97. I was surprised how solid the movie was; they could've fucked it up way worse.

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  98. If you haven't started A Song of Ice and Fire, get on that!

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  99. Yes, Mr Sherman, everything stinks.....

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  100. Gunther the Nasty LoserNovember 14, 2014 at 3:36 PM

    They didn't touch on his relationship with Val at all. Except for one brief scene.

    I will say this, though, either I'm a jeenyus, or Card did a really good job with his descriptions, but the Battle Room scenes were exactly as I'd pictured them in my head.

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  101. Niners fans will be bummed if it is

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  102. Agree. Did anyone in the business like that guy?

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  103. Well for starters, people actually WENT to house shows with Bret as champion, unlike Diesel. But since you never respond to any comments in regards to specifically THAT point, I'll just assume your trolling. Chances are I'm probably right about that.

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  104. San Francisco fans in general will be saddened. Not just Niners, but Giants.

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  105. My aunt liked him. They had a one night stand many, many years ago. By all accounts her bridge received a good nuking too.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Giancarlo Stanton's current deal:


    $325 million over 13 years, with no-trade and opt-out in five years. Damn.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Wow, they might be able to fill half the stadium now.

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  108. Is it a no trade clause or a no trade to everyone but certain teams.

    That is crazy money for him. Hopefully they keep something around him.

    When is Trout's deal up?

    ReplyDelete
  109. Stalin had that in the bag.


    I laugh when conservatives try to compare Obama to him.

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  110. They looked exactly as I had always pictured them too, right down to the formations.

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  111. Just seemed odd that Nash basically got over as much as he had ever been with his tweener/heel stuff just to leave the promotion. And even his final job matches Shawn made him look like a monster.

    Hall left with a whimper of course but Nash left having a good WM match with Undertaker and a classic with HBK.

    Not the way Vince normally buried people on the way out.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Doesn't Kruger get PROMO TIME (!) a week or two later? A jobber with a mic, that blew my mind as a kid..

    ReplyDelete
  113. Of course it's Dark Souls inspired, it's made by the same team.

    ReplyDelete
  114. But it made sense.If UT just squashes Kev, then there's no money in his match with HBK. But a competitive match that UT wins means UT gets to go over and Nash is still a viable contender for Shawn. Also, HBK squashing Nash just wouldn't have been believable. A great match that Shawn wins? Believable and helps HBK.


    It really made logical sense the way it went down.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Is it Bret's fault the rest of the company was largely terrible in 95? It's not Diesel's fault either, for the record.

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  116. It helped that as other Pete noted below, Nitro was being moved or pre-empted by the NBA playoffs. Also, Hogan was off TV for most of the spring.


    Counting those two factors, Raw should have consistently defeated Nitro.

    ReplyDelete
  117. I was 8 and yeah, I had the same reaction. I didn't have/know of the internet yet so I assumed it was all legit. Thought he might be seriously messed up.

    ReplyDelete
  118. Eh, Hogan's PPV numbers were still pretty good. I don't think WCW was getting nearly the return on the investment that they had hoped they would until the nWo formed, but he wasn't completely dead.


    Stale? Hell yeah, but he could still move the needle a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  119. I think he might have had a role in creative (Watts was the one that got him on the team), but his influence didn't start to become more apparent until 96 and he didn't start writing the television until April of 97.

    ReplyDelete

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