They were in either POWW or GLOW, two women’s wrestling federations in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They had horrible, horrible syndicated shows which mixed lame-ass comedy bits with some of the worst wrestling you’ve ever seen. But they formed an important formative part of my puberty because some of the wrestlers were super, super hot.
Razor/Hall was great, but really ruined his own career with all his substance issues. It’s quite sad, as he really could’ve been great as a world champion but he pissed any hope of getting such a run away.
I remember watching him Saturdays when I was a kid.
Razor was headed for stardom until he became an Outsider. I quit following him because I was always die hard WWF.
Has Masato Tanaka been mentioned? He put on some brutal matches with Mike Awesome.
Oh man, I loved Chief Jay! His act got a little tired after a while, but he did it well. Hard to tell for sure, but apparently the actual Indian wrestlers didn’t mind an Italian guy playing one on TV. He was extremely adept at getting a crowd to rooting for him as he took a beating, only to break into his war dance and take out his opponent with a tomahawk chop or sleeper hold.
I tend to think that the mid-80’s wrestling was the Golden Age… you had hysterically entertaining wrestlers with great names and personas such as:
Ravishing Rick Rude
Brutus the Barber Beefcake
Kamala the Ugandan Giant
One Man Gang
Randy "Macho Man’ Savage
Ted “Million Dollar Man” DiBiase
Bret “the Hitman” Hart
Hulk Hogan
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Jake “the Snake” Roberts
It just doesn’t seem like the guys since have been nearly so entertaining or so good. I was always partial to Jake the Snake, Kamala and Hacksaw Jim Duggan myself.
ESPN’s E:60 did a great (read: heartbreaking) story on him and his abuse problems getting him where he is now.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat was always my favorite when I used to watch in the '80s.
I want a Jericho jacket. I’ve got use for it, haha. Really though…
I remember watching the AWA on UHF at my grandparents house. Nick Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne, Crusher, Baron von Raske, Crusher Blackwell, Dick the Bruiser, the Road Warriors, some guy from “Rocky 3”, Mean Gene, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and a young guy that looked to have a bright future by the name of Curt Henning. Gramps would tell everyone that it was fake and my Grandma would get so upset she would run out to the garage when the show was over.
The next fed I got into was WCCW. The first match I can remember had some guys from Georgia wrestling some guys from Texas and one of them wasn’t wearing boots. I remember yelling at the TV, “Step on his feet!” That was the last time I would cheer for the Freebirds over the Von Erichs.
Then one Saturday evening while waiting for dinner I discovered wrestling nirvana–World Championship Wrestling on TBS. All matches sanctioned by the NWA. Man, what a show! Ric Flair (WOOOO!), the Four Horsemen, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express, the Rock and Roll Express, hey, it’s the Road Warriors!, Nikita Koloff, the James Boys, Tully Blanchard and Magnum in the infamous “I Quit” match, Night of the Skywalkers, Starcade, Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat in a best of 3 falls match…so many memories.
Meanwhile, in the WWF, there’s a bulldog at ringside, a bunch of fat wrestlers named after natural disasters, and a barber. BORING!
Then ECW and the first time may of us saw talent like Chris Benoit (bastard), Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho and the luchedores. Good times.
Then that bastard Vince McMahon stole all of it and put everyone out of business. To paraphrase Paul Heyman, “While Doink the Clown was coming to ringside wearing a red nose and green wig, Stone Cold Steve Austin was drinking his first beer in ECW!” That’s when I stopped watching.
My all time favorite wrestler has to be Ric Flair. No one could bring the heat like he did, and he could take a broomstick to a 5 star match. Too bad he’s become a joke in his later years.
My current favorite? I started watching again after I heard about a blistering promo some kid from Chicago cut on Raw last year. And since then CM Punk has been the highlight of every show I’ve seen.
My least favorite? Randy Orton. That guy could save a litter of kittens from a burning house while helping to deliver a baby and killing Osama Bin Laden and I’d still think he was a piece of shit. No one who deserts from the military deserves to be cheered.
Sorry about the long post, sometimes I get a little over excited…
Sheamus
Chris Benoit… I don’t/can’t really watch wrestling anymore.
Baron von Raschke for sure. My brother and I in the 70s would take turns being him and do the whole act by taking a beat down, cross your eyes with a scowl, and chase the other around goose stepping with the “claw”.
Hillbilly Jim. Big John Studd.
Yeah Micheal PS Hayes lol..
Growing up i started on Chicago wrestling with Bob Luce.. The only promotion they had was a gas station food mart One Stop LOL
Dick The Bruiser was my guy then.. THen that stopped and we got AWA out of Minnesota (Vern Gagne) and my favorite guy was Nick Bockwinkel.. that guy could wrestle.. talk shit and all that.. he was in that Gorgeous George sort or mold..
Then I got Ric Flair and NWA.. man.. he changed it all for me. The four Horsemen!!! The Von Erichs were okay.. but I usually rooted for the Freebirds or Gentleman Chris Adams to whip their ass..
When Chris Benoit killed his fam and Eddie G died.. I quit watching.. I miss it though.. Vince’s production is too much chatter for me though.. I was a NWA guy.. Bishoff.. Flair.. Arn Anderson.. Tully..