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WWF Championship Wrestling January 11th, 1986

January 11th, 1986

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon

Tonight, the Junkyard Dog will team up with George “The Animal” Steele. Also in action are Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga, Terry Funk, King Kong Bundy, and Don Muraco. Also, Roddy Piper will be here to host “Piper’s Pit.


AJ Rizzo & Moondog Spot vs. Junkyard Dog & George “The Animal” Steele w/ Capt. Lou Albano

The faces attack the heels to start as the action spills outside, with Steele biting Spot. Albano pulls Steele away and the match settles down. JYD is in the wrong corner and Steele runs in and breaks it up then comes back in again very shortly after that as the match breaks down yet again. Steele beats on Rizzo and grinds his face into the mat then tags JYD, who works a neck vice. He then slams him and gets the win with a falling headbutt (3:22). After the match, Steele goes after Spot outside of the ring then goes back in the ring to dance with JYD and Albano

Thoughts: The match was all over the place but they are pushing Steele heavy, even more than JYD at this point. The crowd digs is crazy antics but remain bored during the matches.


WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week, he talks about the feud between Ricky Steamboat and Don Muraco. We are shown a clip of Steamboat beating a jobber with a flying body press.


Mike Saxon vs. Terry Funk w/ Jimmy Hart

The crowd starts an “asshole” chant aimed at Funk, which Vince no-sells on commentary by stating he cannot make out what the crowd is saying. Funk attacks Saxon as he takes off his jacket and stomps it before tossing that and Saxon to the floor. Saxon chases around Hart after he hit him but gets taken down by Funk. He chops him down as the crowd starts up another asshole chant. They go back inside the ring where Funk uses JYD’s crawling headbutts then slaps him around before putting him away with a sleeper (2:57). After the match, Funk brands Saxon.

Thoughts: Funk was loathed by this crowd and he heeled it up big time here. I loved the spot where he used JYD’s headbutts. It is such an easy way to get heel heat by stealing the moves of your enemy.


Gene Okerlund is with Tito Santana, who will defend his Intercontinental Title against Randy Savage in Boston tonight. Tito cuts a promo that is just terrible. He flubs his words and says that it will be a cold day in hell before he hands over his IC Title to Savage.


Another plug to vote for the Slammy Awards. Man, these were tiresome.


Tito Santana & Pedro Morales vs. Al Navarro & Steve Lombardi

Tito hiptosses Lombardi then stomps him as he attempted a monkey flip. Tito tags Pedro, who works the arm. Lombardi backs him in the corner but Pedro comes back with a backdrop and a slam. Navarro tags and backs Pedro into the ropes then breaks cleanly. Pedro works a hammerlock but Navarro backs him into his corner and tags Lombardi. Pedro suplexes him as both men are down but Tito tags first and runs wild then makes Navarro submit to the figure four leg lock (2:58).

Thoughts: The crowd still loves Tito but since he has been relegated to tag matches on TV, the IC Title started to feel de-valued. He really has not had a feud since regaining the belt from Valentine in the Summer.


Okerlund is with Bruno Sammartino, who will be teaming with Paul Orndorff to take on Roddy Piper & Bob Orton at the Boston Garden. Bruno talks about how Piper and Orton cannot hide then Orndorff storms on the set and shows of his cast as he rants about beating them tonight.  


Handicapped Match
Jeff Cripley & Paul Dose vs. King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan & Big John Studd

Both men attack Bundy but he brushes them off with ease. He beats the shit out of both guys then slams Cripley onto Vose then puts them away with a splash for the five count (1:57).

Thoughts: The mega-push for Bundy continues as they make him look dominant. This push will continue for a few months.


Piper’s Pit with guest Jimmy Hart. Jimmy is holding a bag and tells us that he has a surprise. He then brings out the new “Adorable” Adrian Adonis, who comes out holding his leather jacket with bows all over his hair. Piper asks him about his new look and Adonis says that he has been tough his whole life and can wear what he want. He then says that he has “jumped out of the closet,” with Piper repeating the line, and says that he is from New York City and can do whatever he wants. He says he is retiring his leather jacket and gives it to Piper, who is excited. Adonis closes by mocking the Rockettes and telling them to eat their heart out. And this was the big start of the “Adorable” character.


Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Joe Williams

Muraco beats Williams down then hits a suplex as the announcers make fun of Williams’ slight physique and inexperience. He then tosses him to the floor as the crowd starts a “beach bum” chant. Fuji knocks down Williams behind the referee’s back then Muraco brings him back into the ring for some more punishment until he finally puts him away with the tombstone piledriver (2:37). After the match, Vince questions if Williams will ever step foot in a wrestling ring again.

Thoughts: Muraco actually looked motivated here but his weight gain was massive, even to the point that Vince was calling him out for having “stretch marks.”


Yet another reminder to vote for the “Slammy Awards.”


Ron Shaw & A.J. Petruzzi vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & King Tonga

Tonga locks up with Petruzzi, who works the arm. Tonga breaks free then chops him down. He knocks him down again then tags Steamboat. The fans applaud Ricky who works an arm wringer. Petruzzi hits a slam but Steamboat goes back to work and the faces take turns working on the arm. Tonga hits a back suplex then Petruzzi rolls away and tags Shaw. Tonga headbutts him as Vince puts over his toughness and strength. Steamboat tags as Petruzzi hammers away. Steamboat fights back and tags Tonga, who hits a thrust kick then takes him down with a clothesline. He then tags Steamboat who puts him away with a flying body press (4:02).

Thoughts: They really tried to push Tonga here, giving him a majority of the offense. The announcers also put over his strength and toughness throughout the match but the fans still did not care and to be honest, Tonga did not have the charisma to pull off the babyface role the company wanted at this time.


Gene Okerlund brings out Roddy Piper and Bob Orton. The Cowboy says that Orndorff made a mistake by stepping back into the ring with them and calls him out for wearing a cast. Piper says the only thing he hasn’t touched upon with those two are their mothers and that they are just plain idiots for showing up in the ring to face them.


Next week, we will have an update about George Steele being in love with Elizabeth. Plus, we will see the “Peace Match” between Corporal Kirchner and Nikolai Volkoff from “Saturday Night’s Main Event. Plus, Ted Arcidi, Junkyard Dog, Bret Hart, and Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga.


Final Thoughts: A solid show. They dropped a bombshell with Adonis and began to heavily re-push other talents like Bundy and Steele. And with the pushes should come new feuds, as what they have going on now is starting to run out of steam.









Comments

  1. Stranger in the AlpsMarch 28, 2014 at 3:52 PM

    Is it Spee-rows or Spy-rows?

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  2. About to watch Wyatt's vs Shield from EC 2014, I hope it lives up to the accolades bestowed upon this match when it first happened.

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  3. Stranger in the AlpsMarch 28, 2014 at 3:58 PM

    FYI, just found out the Pro Wrestling Illustrated awarded Sammartino vs. Arion match of the Year for 1975.

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  4. Yes..that was the last time I watch WM9...and on to Raw after Mania.

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  5. I really don't know why they persevered with Sammartino as a commentator after already establishing how good Ventura was at it. Hell, Alfred Hayes was better at it than Bruno.

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  6. My side may hurt.

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  7. Hope I get some match.

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  8. The otters look like they seen better days.

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  9. TJ: anyone check out WWE.coms top 30 WM matches.

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  10. Wow...Roids free era Jim Powers is shocking.

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  11. Yeah, it'd be like Haku, the wrestling shoe salesman.

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  12. I'm sorry, but I just found their description of odds really confusing. Or is laying out odds in the format the UK is accustomed to (eg 12/1) just not a thing in the US?

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  13. Scott's math is technically all correct. 66 and 2/3s plus 75 is 141 and 2/3s. So that criticism of Steiner math as being incorrect is missing the point, it's fucking crazy, not wrong.


    The dude has a masters in it, I believe.

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  14. I believe Gerald Brisco bet a ton of money on Jericho to win the World title at Vengance. Then there wasn't much betting on wrestling for a while after that.

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  15. Hogan isn't on ANY Raw after WM IX until 2002.

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  16. Pretty sure that was normal back then. I'm 99% sure that HBK wasn't on the Raw after WM 12, it was mostly focused on the debut of Mankind and him attacking Taker.

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  17. He totally buried him. Bruno could have afforded the loss and made Spiros into an instant superstar... but noooo... Bruno can't ever look bad, can he??

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  18. Khali makes like 950 k downside. Let that sink in for a minute

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  19. The Love-Matic Grampa!March 28, 2014 at 5:00 PM

    "Entitled posters"? Hmm...


    I'm over the "blog otters" thing, though. It's still stupid, but what can you do? Besides, at the rate he's progressing Meekin's due for a Calibreakdown any day now, so this will all be moot. Those who don't learn from history yada yada yada.

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  20. It's just formatted differently. If something is +600, that means for every 100 bucks you bet, you'll win 600 (6-1).

    If it's -600, you need to bet 600 to win 100.

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  21. I hate that format. If I actually need to make an official conversion to understand it, then IT IS A BAD FORMAT (See also, Kilograms.)

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  22. Cena's actually the underdog here? So now he's even going to defy betting odds now too?

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  23. He played with toys at Elimination Chamber.


    For a $950,000 downside.

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  24. Yeah, I get that - and I have seen this style before (along with the decimal style) but I'm just so accustomed to the 12/1 format and instantly understanding what the potential winnings would be that I find it a little confusing.

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  25. I know but you see a guy like hulk and while you know he looks different you get used to him. I've been watching WWE chronologically on the network and Jim Powers, this muscle bound guy drops off PPvs and pops back on a Ep. of Raw in shape but just a twig of his former self.

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  26. I woke up from a rather insane all nighter of true detective, vodka redbull, and doobie, just now, to find this.


    Awesome.

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  27. Porn-Peddling Jef VinsonMarch 28, 2014 at 5:06 PM

    Why yes....yes I am.

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  28. Shirts coming Wrestlemania weekend! "I'm a Blog Otter Guy"

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  29. Did he even have a finisher? I think he had something called 'The Write Off' but I don't recall ever seeing it being used.

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  30. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha.




    you think I'm 'progressing'.

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  31. Porn-Peddling Jef VinsonMarch 28, 2014 at 5:11 PM

    I don't know about the D-bags part.

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  32. Porn-Peddling Jef VinsonMarch 28, 2014 at 5:13 PM

    /thread.

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  33. "Blog Otters 4 Life" tshirts

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  34. The Love-Matic Grampa!March 28, 2014 at 5:16 PM

    Paul, you're an okay dude and all, but you're falling into the exact same traps that Caliber, Charlie Reneke and others have fallen prey to. And it never ends well.

    Just drop the gimmicks and (by your admission) oversharing because you don't need that junk to gain acceptance or attention. Your work is strong enough to stand on its own, and you should feel confident enough to let it do so.


    Just one otter's opinion.

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  35. All the video games had it. It was the flying clothesline, the write off. Vince really had a bad knack for creating characters and giving them ZERO dimension. He still does that a lot today.

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  36. I hate that AND the lists where you have to click to the next page to see the next one. It takes forever on phones :(

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  37. Is that true? Why if that is true?? He's a gimp joke character that makes them zero money.

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  38. I have a feeling I will be able to join you guys for this for the first time... thankfully it is on a show with some VIOLENCE. I really miss the days when people in wrestling tried to make it seem like they were in a fight and wanted to hurt one another.

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  39. Yea, I actually think it's a tad higher actually, but just shy of 1 million.

    If i had to guess I'd say it's because they hoped he could be their bridge into a big potential Indian market.

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  40. 1992 royal rumble match

    Austin vs Rock WM 17

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  41. JR and King calling Rock v. HHH Iron Man match.


    Jim Ross is ON during HBK v. Taker. I JUST HAD AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE. No one can call a big match better than Jim Ross

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  42. Solid question. I love Heymans early wwe announcing work. Him and JR kill it for WM X7.

    For as much as we mock Vinces announcing, when he wanted to get something over, he was pretty good at it

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  43. JR and King's work in the 1998 HIAC match is absolutely fantastic, and almost as memorable as the bumps. The 1992 Royal Rumble is probably the best WWF announcing job ever.

    I'm a big fan of basically all of JR's NWA work. Call me a sucker, but I love the old style of announcing that played up the wrestling like an actual sporting event. I always dug Schiavone's old work for that reason too.

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  44. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighMarch 28, 2014 at 5:46 PM

    Great picks... To nitpick, it felt like heyman was hinting unintentionally at an Austin heel turn. Minor problem. Overall I love those two picks.

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  45. JR was way too hung up on the No DQ stipulation which at the time wasn't that big a deal for WWF main events

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  46. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 5:50 PM

    The announcing isn't something that really sticks with me enough that I could recall it. In general I quite liked JR until the mid oughts, but it was time to try someone new, even if that someone was Michael Cole.


    And I miss the old mentions of the winners purse and such.

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  47. Joey Styles was overrated. Jim Ross is the best ever.

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  48. I second the Michaels and Taker match.

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  49. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 5:52 PM

    How many Farenheits are in a kilogram, anyhow?

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  50. This an "I can't believe this hasn't gotten any upvotes" upvote.

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  51. And little random, but I think Tony Schiavone is fantastic during the Goldberg-Hogan match.

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  52. It's not a popular opinion, but when Cole plays it straightforward, I think he's pretty pretty good.

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  53. I may have to avoid this place for the next week. I couldn't get out of working next Sunday night, so all this talk of watching WM _LIVE_ is killing me.

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  54. I really enjoyed Cole and Tazz and Cole and JBL

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  55. BoDdydonnas? Should have Skipped that one.

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  56. Tj: getting a Smackdown thread?

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  57. Yea, I was never a huge Styles fan either. He obviously gets props for doing it solo but he never did alot for me.

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  58. I'll stick with Blog Otters.

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  59. Michael Cole > Joey Styles.

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  60. Best called match ever was the 1992 Rumble.

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  61. Monsoon & Ventura wm3 main event.

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  62. These two are the ones that stick out in my head immediately.

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  63. So many great lines in that match.

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  64. There is some guy Keller always talks about from I think Minnesota who used to do territory stuff that's really really good. I forget his name tho. Apparently it's who Heyman wanted as his original ECW guy but he couldn't afford to fly him in since he wasn't local.

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  65. It makes an hour feel like 10 minutes.

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  66. Royal Rumble match 07.

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  67. That and Flair doing everything makes this a ***** classic.

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  68. I think its generally accepted fact that Cole is a good announcer whos forced to wear the Headset From Hell(TM). I remember him doing this awesome commentary with Mick Foley, riffing on old school MSG matches a mile a minute, and vividly remember wondering if Michael Cole had been abducted and replaced with a competent body double with the same voice. Turns out thats actually Cole when free from dickheads screaming in his ear.

    This begs the question: How good is Jerry Lawler's colour work in reality?

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  69. "Folks,I'm afraind I can't be objective in this match"


    "When did you ever been objective?"

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  70. The Love-Matic Grampa!March 28, 2014 at 6:07 PM

    Styles loses a lot of his luster when you realize that Heyman was basically feeding him every line in ECW. His WWE stint proved that he's just not that good without that coaching.

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  71. Austin-Vince era Lawler might be the greatest heel commentator ever.

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  72. Can this be the temporary Smackdown thread.

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  73. Lawler was GREAT for awhile. He can still bring the goods every once in awhile, Jericho/Punk WM is one off the top of my head. He's unbearable tho at other times

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  74. He freaks out on the Austin/Vince cage match.

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  75. For me it added to the match. Paul Heyman, career heel, highlighting the desperate viciousness of Austin in that match and being super quick to accept Heel Stone Cold contrasted against Jim Ross ("COME ON, STEVE!") as he watched his good friend completely sell out was amazing television. Foreshadowing is a good thing, IMO.


    I feel the same way about Bobby Heenan's call of Bash 96. I thought it was just Heenan being Heenan, then HOLY SHIT HEENAN WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!

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  76. Cole on the DVD extras really does some great stuff. You wouldn't think he'd even be able to, but he calls stuff from the Super J cup excellent.

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  77. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighMarch 28, 2014 at 6:15 PM

    I like your line of thinking about WM17... That makes sense to me.

    You are right on heenan. That was awesome.

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  78. The only real nitpick I have besides the stupid humor is when they'll sell a move or spot as "oh, that's the finish."

    It never is and it's such a dead give away

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  79. 1,2.....no!

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  80. Tazz/Cole was the perfect version of Cole. Those guys felt like they were having a genuine conversation about the match rather than having fake inane conversations about ANYTHING BUT THE MATCH.


    Raw this past week may have had the worst instance of commentary I've seen in a long time that I don't remember being mentioned in the live thread:


    After the shield was beaten down on Smackdown by three heel tag teams and said heels were PAID OFF/REWARDED in a backstage statement by Kane, Cole spent multiple segments on Raw pitching the THEORY that Kane used the other heels to extract revenge on the shield. There was no grey area! They were paid off on a show COLE CALLED! Worse, he kept trying to get JBL to argue against him on this, and JBL just no sold it a few times, and finally was just like "Yeah...we saw."


    SHUT UP, COLE!

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  81. He's on the Showdown at Shea call with Foley as well.

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  82. Also worth mentioning: JR/Tazz was a pretty damn good pair that we only got a few instances of. 2004 Royal Rumble is the first one that comes to mind. A pity he either regressed or stopped giving a shit (or just did not have good chemistry with everyone else.)

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  83. Austin has been turrrible ever since he turned into a parody of his heel self (e.g. PUPPIES~!). As a face he's terrible. Really, Lawler needs a heel turn more than Cena in a lot of ways - he's sooo stale now.

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  84. I said this while I was watching it last week, but Tony and Bobby Heenan selling Dusty Rhodes turn at Souled Out 98 was pretty great.

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  85. You know zip about BoD nicknames.

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  86. This came up in another thread recently, but JR absolutely makes the Taker/Jeff Hardy ladder match. The commentary turns an above average match into something great. That gets my vote for "adds the most."

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  87. I can't think of a person who brings less to the table in commentary than Jerry Lawler at this point. Openly blindly cheering for the faces, and not really being a play by play OR a color man. He's just kind of there. Cole and JBL are way less infuriating without him on SD. I really loved a few years ago where Punk was on Commentary and said something to the effect of "I don't know why you let Cole Push you around. I'd have thrown a Memphis fireball at him a long time ago."

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  88. Tony was REALLY good at selling the heel turns. See the nWo formation as well as the Hennig turn at Fall Brawl 97 and his reaction the next night on Nitro

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  89. ^This. There is no other answer.


    Unless that answer is more Monsoon/Heenan.

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  90. to me this is revionist history. I watched the tag team ladder match from No Mercy 1999 yesterday and Lawlers commentary is horrible (JR tries to put over the importance of the match while Lawler is drooling over the thought of Terri).

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  91. Out of curiosity, how do people feel about Heyman's stint as commentator when he replaced Lawler? Personally, even though he and JR clearly didn't get along, I thought he was a breath of fresh air.

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  92. Second greatest announce team.

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  93. Liked It. Lawler was getting so stale at that point.

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  94. I think HBK did an in-ring interview to set up a match with Lawler the following week.


    In fact, I think the Raw after WrestleMania X was the first time they had a live show the night after the ppv, which would be the standard until they went live every week in 1997.

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  95. I absolutely hated Heenan asking "but whose side is he on?" when Hogan came out.


    I mean, I didn't need Heenan to blindly cheer for Hogan (because that wouldn't have made sense regarding their history and Heenans bias against him). but afair up to that point Hogan had shown no signs of turning against WCW. why would one of the commentators even assume it?

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  96. I remember watching and thinking "Woah, what's the ECW dude doing here" and being pissed off.

    I thought he was great though. I've been watching 2001 and I don't think the post Mania part of the year was as bad as mad out to be. Outside of Backlash, I thought all the PPVs were great.

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  97. In 1993, Raw wasn't the big show; Superstars was. The TV tapings after the ppv were still dedicated to the marathon TV tapings for Superstars and Challenge.

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  98. I think you're agreeing with exactly what I'm saying. Attitude era Lawler quickly devolved into a terrible parody of himself. He was practically impossible to listen to by late 1999.

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  99. Heenan is great in that match, too. "now finish him off! finish him off!"

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  100. only if Monsoon/Heenan and Monsoon/Ventura are tied for the number one spot.

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  101. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 6:56 PM

    I was into it. Lawler leaving seemed like a huge deal but Paul just picked it right up. Made me realize that Lawler was actually getting tired.

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  102. Heenan had actually used this joke before when Hogan had run in for a save. The joke being that it was so obvious that Hogan was running in to save the 'good guys' that Heenan even pretending he thought Hogan might be coming in to help Nash and Hall was ridiculous. Of course on this occasion Hogan *was* coming out to help the bad guys but hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

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  103. His horrible last few years soured me on his entire career for awhile ("Eh, Tony was never that good to begin with") but looking back I realize that's bullshit. Tony was very good, and in '91 and '92 I'd say he was better than Ross. Any Schiavone call up until at least the Hogan Era involving a classic Crockett guy was almost guaranteed to be gold.


    Believe it or not, Tony's best moment may have been right before the Luger/Windham cage disaster at GAB '91. A technical problem meant the announcers had to stall before the intros, and Ross is quite literally passing a kidney stone during the show. So Tony spends like 3 minutes speaking off-the-cuff about the entire history of Luger and Windham, from partners to the Windham heel turn to the build-up to the title match to what strategies each guy is going to use, and it's one of the greatest pure-sports-build bits of announcing you'll ever see. It's forgotten because it was in the middle of a disastrous show, but it was a spectacular bit of hosting nevertheless.

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  104. They were very good, but I am pretty sure they called SD together for a while in 2008sh.

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  105. Watching random Raws from '98--the early stages of the Austin/Vince angle--and I was stunned by how good Lawler was. He was truly awesome during the streak-breaker episode of Raw and the Austin vs. Vince non-match, kissing up to McMahon but not coming off as a cartoon clown act at ALL--he was legitimately channeling some of that old Memphis intensity. The promo he cut on Austin as he's roped (heh) into having an arm tied behind his back is glorious.

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  106. Yeah by 1999 he was cooked. His best stuff came from 93-98 easily. One of his last great moments was backstage when he was shooting the shit with Paul Bearer about banging Taker's mom.

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  107. Over the Edge was the apex. As someone else stated, butt-kissing without over doing it. "you can sit down king. Mr. Mcmahon saw you. Your raise will be duly noted."

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  108. "Get off our announce table! We're not Spanish!"

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  109. Cole & Tazz were fantastic together. Made it feel very legitimate with Cole deferring to Tazz to explain the strategy and psychology of the match. He used to set Tazz up with the perfect question and Tazz would always knock it down. It's sad what happened to Tazz, he was on track to a legendary color guy in 2003-05.

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  110. Love Tony pre-99 when he cashed out. Very underrated.

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  111. Mania X7 probably falls back a small step with Lawler. Heyman killed it at that event.

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  112. It came at the perfect time because Heyman was able to hype up the former ECW guys that had just joined the WWF and his partisan announcing during the Invasion weeks was one of the best parts of that whole fiasco.

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  113. Ross sometimes needs guys who'll kick him in the ass a bit, get him out of his comfort zone and jump on him when his usual talking points become cliches. Ventura (who hated Ross) did it in WCW, and Heyman did it in '01 WWF.


    That said, if I never hear "one second away! One second away from a new champion!" after any two-count in a title match again, it'll be too soon.

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  114. I loved Tony at HH 95 when Flair turned on Sting. Heenan had an awesome line. "I've double crossed people but nothing like this. I mean this is a 10." Tony's disgust at Flair's actions was awesome too.

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  115. Vince was phenomenal calling Austin/Hart at WM13. Compltely put over the craziness of the match and helped sell the double turn beautifully. A clinic.

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  116. Was listening to your WM 28 podcast today and the one guy makes a great point about JR calling the Taker/HHH match and trying to get the cage over as like an "entity." It was so over the top and uncharacteristically bad from JR

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  117. That's a fact, in my opinion.

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  118. Vince was best when he was getting the story over. During the Halftime Heat match he was okay when he was strictly about getting the story line over.

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  119. Yeah he always seemed to go a bit nutty pushing the HIAC and Chamber as demons from hell.


    Hope you enjoyed!


    Since it is on topic, did you hear KK's answer to your headset question?

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  120. I did like it. Good stuff.

    I didn't hear it actually. What podcast is it on? The one with Adam Pearce?

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  121. Yeah, I lumped it in with the twitter questions in the back half of the episode.

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  122. Ok thanks. I'll check it out

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  123. Ventura hated Ross?

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  124. Looks like I've seen better Sunny days.

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  125. KOTR 1994 by a landslide.

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  126. Totally agree. Monsoon and Heenan and Monsoon and Ventura are my favorite announce teams by a mile; especially the Monsoon/Ventura duo.

    Ross was amazing in WCW and did a great job in WWE, but after about 2004-05 Lawler/Ross got old, and tougher to listen too.

    However, I'd take them over Cole any day.

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  127. Looking at you, Vince McMahon...

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  128. One of my more recent favorites is HBK/HHH from SummerSlam '02. JR was fantastic in that match, as he was outraged over Triple H's behavior but at the same time he wasn't doing his usual over-th-top stuff, so it helped make it feel more realistic. And even Lawler, who still sided with heels at that point, was against Triple H and calling him a lowlife, which really helped sell what a scumbag he was, especially with the sledgehammer attack after the match.

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  129. He was very knowledgeable and was knew all of the move names outside of the Lucha guys.

    Madness can override anything though.

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  130. I loved how downright nasty he got about Bret at times, to the point where he and Lawler had rare moments of civility.

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  131. That's something so basic that really help sells an angle or a moment and they tend to overlook it at times: the face announcer being outraged over cheating or heelish acts

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  132. Heyman and Ross have both gone on record as saying they had no heat with each other. They just had wicked chemistry.

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  133. In terms of worst, Vince McMahon at the end of the Luger-Yokozuna Summerslam 93 match has to be up there.

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  134. I was completely unaware of that too. Maybe because Ross had such a different style than Monsoon.

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  135. He and Tazz were awesome, as Cole was allowed to just be himself and call the match almost like a legit sports commentator without all of the WWE shilling and manufactured catchphrases. And I loved when Tazz would get on him for saying something particularly dorky.

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  136. That's a show I need to watch again soon. Flair wrestling in khakis was great.

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  137. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 7:32 PM

    I've never heard it before but they are such extraordinarily different people that it's not hard to buy.

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  138. kbwrestlingreviewsMarch 28, 2014 at 7:33 PM

    So now Bayless is getting credit for everything. I see.

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  139. I absolutely agree. His mid-90s commentary is shockingly sharp compared to now. I think it's because when a lot of ex-wrestlers first get in the commentary booth, they're only a little bit removed from their wrestling days and so they're a little more vicious and at times wear some of their old grudges on their sleeves. I loved Lawler's commentary on Bret/Owen matches especially.

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  140. Also, how many mid-year reviews are you going to do with Kevin Kelly? Is 2002 going to happen?

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  141. Jim Ross at the end of the HHH/Cactus Jack match at NWO '00. "Kick out Mick, Kick out! DAMN!" Was the way we all probably felt watching it live. That's one of the few match ending calls that I was screaming the same thing, I was sucked into the match and hoped Foley would find a way to get up.

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  142. Pretty soon it will be the SmarK rants too lol.

    Nice work on your reviews also.

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  143. Yeah he was with the company into 2003, so at least three more. After that, we need to hit the drawing board (I was starting to bat around trying to wrangle Coach as a possibility but if he reups with WWE I don't see it happening).


    Not sure we will find anyone as open as KK that was willing to give us such a chance.

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  144. kbwrestlingreviewsMarch 28, 2014 at 7:43 PM

    Indeed. I like comparing notes with Scott. I always read his if I review a show he's done before.


    Much appreciated.

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  145. One of my favorites was during the lucha libre battle royal at Slamboree. Heenan picked Chavo Guerrero to win it and like 5 minutes later he was gone. Brain calmly said he knew they'd get rid of him. The other commentators were speechless.

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  146. One of my favorites

    http://youtu.be/2y_U91hlYdk?t=8m55s



    When the NAO pushed the dumpster over the stage, JR goes absolutely insane including "WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY ABOUT THAT....THERE'S PEOPLE IN THERE".

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  147. Greatest is obviously: "What the fuck are you doing?"

    - The Brain

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  148. Stranger in the AlpsMarch 28, 2014 at 7:56 PM

    The opposite of good commentary is Tony Schiavone in later WCW, when he stopped giving a shit. A guy hits the finisher and Tony is all "THAT HIS MOVE!".

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  149. Just about to say this. Without Ventura picking up the finer aspects of the match (like Marella possibly counting 3 when Andre had Hogan down), that match becomes a one-match feud. Instead, there was a logical reason to keep watching it when it continued for the following year, despite Andre wearing down in the ring.

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  150. Sidewalk Slam?

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  151. Never realized the context, but now that you mention it, it makes the commentary that much better. And "Hulk Hogan, you can go to hell" is a perfect line.


    I wish that Heenan could have been used in that nWo feud initially- if he had managed some WCW guys to get the belt back because he knew Hogan's weaknesses, that would have helped build credibility for the WCW side (which at times it SORELY needed).

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  152. Oh GOD yes. That angle could have been RED hot had they not run the bit at the end where Mick and Terry came back out. If they had held off on that, they could have gotten Savage/Steamboat-level heat in the pre-Internet days.

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  153. When Michael Cole is allowed to call the match, he is amazing. He and JBL hit a goddamn home run during UT/Batista.

    But also, some props to WM20 -- consider the two Divas matches. Cole and Tazz draw the lingerie match, they know it's a joke, they know WE know it's a joke, and they have fun with it. JR and Lawler draw the women's title match, and JR lets himself get sidetracked into a perv convo with Lawler -- for the deadly serious match. Big difference.

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  154. That's all Kofi makes? I know he's not a huge draw, but he's a damn reliable worker. I kinda thought he'd make more.

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  155. The Lesnar and Eddie match is perfectly called. I love hearing Michael Cole marking out at the end, "Come on Eddie! Come on Eddie!" right after Eddie DDTs Lesnar on the belt, while Taz is freaking out that Eddie cheated, then just gives up because the moment is too awesome.

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  156. I recall him admitting it happened in his first book, and that he saw it, but didn't want to name names because it would ruin careers. So he basically said it went on but wouldn't get others in trouble.

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  157. I loved the time Rock was in Milwaukee as a heel and started talking trash about all the fat and bearded pigs who lived there. The camera cut to a, *ahem*, husky woman who was going nuts in the crowd. Without missing a beat, Lawler goes "Oh! There's one now!" and JR goes full-on WOULD YOU STOP? in response. It's fucking hilarious.

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  158. Heatwave '98

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  159. Maybe "hate" is putting it strong, but they didn't get along and Ventura has almost no respect for him as an announcer. (Ross "kinda sucks," as he put it in what I think was a Torch interview, and he derisively referred to him as a Keith Jackson wannabe).

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  160. I'll go with two classic calls.


    -Flair/Steamboat at Clash VI, with Jim Ross on the call as Steamboat drops a shit-ton of elbows on Flair's knee (Sixteen, by Scott's count):


    "Well to say this will lessen Flair's mobility may be a drastic understatement."


    -Later in the year, after a lengthy feud between Ross' broadcast partner that night (Terry Funk) and Flair, they head to Troy, New York. And Gordon Solie says it all in a few words:


    "Two words. Five letters. I quit."

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  161. Ventura's "And look at this! LOOK AT THIS!" for Hogan/Warrior in the Rumble. Goosebumps. Everytime. Just hearing it in my head.

    JR's calls during Taker/Mick HITC.

    Tony Schiavone at the end of BATB '96. "You can go to hell, Hogan. Straight to hell."

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  162. Yeah, having them return from the hospital at the end of the segment, after they devoted nearly the entire first hour to them getting pushed off the stage, was very stupid.

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  163. I actually like McMahon/Heenan for that match. One of Vince's better called matches.

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  164. So stupid. Weren't they still in their hospital clothes with IVs attached to them when they came out?

    It was awful. I remember actually being into the feud tho. Got a TONS of build for WM iirc

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  165. My top 3 are Monsoon/Ventura, Monsoon/Heenan and then Ross/Caudle.

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  166. Good point, and I remember after that commercial break, they had Vince come out and "chew out" the Outlaws afterwards, and the face wrestlers were giving the NAO a hard time about what they did, it was a freakin' brilliant angle that they messed up because of what happened at the end.

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  167. "One word. Six Letters. Suplay."

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  168. I thought the ending was ridiculous when McMahon went over the top after Luger won on a count out. Imagine that happening today.

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  169. The old wrestling definition is basically an advance on future paydays... Vince had the advantage in that he could take it out of stuff like royalty checks.

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  170. He did seem to work a lot better with Tony in WCW. They were great together at Starrcade 93. I wonder why they felt so pressured to get Heenan when they still had Jesse.

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  171. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 8:40 PM

    He and Tazz and he and Layfield were both good teams for a time.

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  172. He mentioned him on his podcast with Powell this week. And.... I so forgot his name.

    Love that podcast though.

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  173. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 8:42 PM

    Totally agree. Taz and Cole were a good team for a while, and I thought that Taz would eventually be "the" colour guy for WWE.

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  174. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 8:44 PM

    I think I'll just stay an Otter.

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  175. How about blogizens then?

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  176. Mister_E_Studd_Got100ProblemsMarch 28, 2014 at 8:50 PM

    I totally dug the feud at the time. These legends of hardcore taking on the young up and coming shitheads.


    The IV run in was dumb though.

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  177. Austin - Hart from Mania 13 is perfectly called. Ross just absolutely puts Austin over huge and Vince sounds very concerned throughout the match. Ross stating " Austin's a stud" is the greatest forgotten Jim Ross call ever. Great match, and JR put it over the top.

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  178. Not trying to steal any of your thunder, but my birthday was yesterday. Turned 30.


    Happy birthday dude.

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  179. Thank goodness Vince never saw Married With Children, otherwise we could've have Hashoe, coming to the ring with an annoying red-headed valet.

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  180. Surprising that Undertaker didn't even have a match, considering they were pushing him hard and lining him up to face Hogan at Survivor Series. They couldn't have tossed some midcard face up against Taker for a five-minute squash?

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  181. Hardcore Heaven 2000 is really underrated. Some cool stuff on that.

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  182. And when Jesse was with Vince, the shows became lively and they had a good rapport right off the bat.

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  183. I wonder how I apply for that job.

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  184. As Bayless reminds me constantly, there's always the Tony Garea Memorial Battle Royal.


    Is that still a thing?

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  185. Nailed it in one. McMahon (and corporate in general) thought they saw big $$$$$ in India.


    Same as TNA's attempt with Ring Ka King a while back. To coprorations, India and China are the "Holy Grails", TONS of people, even though the vast majority are still trememdously poor.

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  186. According to reports he does make them some serious money in India

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