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Post: #1071613
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This message was edited by garretta on February 01st, 2024 04:11 GMT
We begin the '86 version of this thread with three matches featuring Gino Carabello, who we'll examine in more depth in the '85 thread.
In his '86 opener, Carabello teams with Terry Gibbs to battle the British Bulldogs (with Captain Louis Albano):
1. This match was taped Tuesday, January 7, 1986, in Poughkeepsie and aired on Championship the weekend of January 25, 1986.
2, In this and other televised matches before they won the belts, there was a real sense of excitement when the Dogs stepped into the ring, mostly because they pulled off at least one move a match that either wasn't seen regularly on WWF television or wasn't executed as well as the Dogs executed it.
Once they won the belts and Dynamite's injuries started piling up, it was all they could do to execute a few basic signature spots (Dynamite's snap suplex and Davey Boy's powerslam, to name two), and get the matches over with. That may have been one reason that Matilda was introduced: to fill some of the time that their matches no longer could.
3. For some reason, Bruno loves to refer to Dynamite and Davey Boy as the "English Bulldogs", as if English and British were interchangeable (which, to be fair, they usually are). He did it several times over the years, and Vince never bothered to correct him.
4, The finish comes when Dynamite pins Carabello after one of the nastiest superplexes I've ever seen.
Instead of standing on the second turnbuckle like Ace Orton does, Dynemite goes up to the top with Carabello, which means that he's able to get more height on the move. Carabello is also standing, while Orton's victims are straddling the top turnbuckle.
The end result is that Carabello does a stretcher job, The referee is seen motioning for the stretcher, and Gibbs seems legitimately concerned as he hovers over Carabello. The tape cuts out before we see the stretcher enter the ring.
Time of the match: exactly three minutes.
5. Atter the match, the action continues in Piper's Pit, where Capper challenges Johnny Valiant to a match: Bulldogs vs. Dream Team, and the champs can choose whether to put the belts up or not.
With some urging from Piper, the match is eventually signed for the following week, with the belts not on the line. The Bulldogs get a clean pinfall win, and the road to WrestleMania 2 begins, Search "Piper's Pit British Bulldogs" on YouTube to find the Pit in question,
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Topics: 175
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Post: #1072351
PT: #2/71
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This message was edited by garretta on February 09th, 2024 03:24 GMT
Now let's watch Carabello in action against Corporal Kirschner:
1. This match was taped December 17, 1985 in Poughkeepsie and aired on Championship the weekend of January 4, 1986,
2. After being slapped in the face to start the match, Kirschner stumbles noticeably on a leapfrog attempt. He saves the sequence by slapping Carabello in the face as he (Carabello) turns around.
3, Kirschner shows some nice scientific skill with a double underhook suplex. The Iron Sheik, who was a frequent opponent of Kirschner's throughout his (Kirschner's) WWF run, was the only other wrestler in the promotion that I saw execute the move well.
Andre used a vaguely similar move that Gino (Monsoon) called a double underhook suplex a couple of times as a finisher, but it was a half -hearted attempt at a hiptoss more than anything else. He beat Bam Bam Bigelow with it to win the main event at the '87 Survivor Series, but that was the last time I remember seeing him use it.
4, Kirschner gets the winning fall with a Samoan drop at 1:33.
5, Vince plugs Kirschner's "peace match" with Nikolai Volkoff on the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event, which aired that weekend. It's one of the few SNME matches that I've never seen, so I'll check it out and talk about it the next time Kirschner appears in this thread.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Topics: 2521
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Post: #1072352
PT: #3/71
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Did Andre use that hip toss move to beat Hogan to win title?
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 PeteF3 |
February 09th, 2024 03:27 GMT |
 
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Post: #1072353
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Yes. He did a straight-up vertical suplex a bit, but he occasionally used that kind of underhook/half-hatch suplex even in his babyface days.
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Post: #1072354
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This message was edited by garretta on February 09th, 2024 03:34 GMT
Yes, he did, come to think of it.
You would think that if they knew Andre was coming off of back surgery and would be unable to lift people for a long while if not for good, they would have found another finisher for him. This one looked like garbage and probably left Andre in agony. It wasn't long after that they basically legalized the chokehold in his matches so he could have some offense,
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Post: #1073125
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This message was edited by garretta on February 20th, 2024 03:45 GMT
The first jobber we'll take a full look at in this thread is The Gladiator, which is the heel identity of face jobber Rick Hunter, In his opening bout, the masked man teams with Barry O against the Islanders, Haku and Tama:
1, This bout was taped Tuesday, October 28, 1986 at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, New York and aired on Superstars the weekend of November 15, 1986.
2. The feature match on this show was Captain Louis Albano's last full-time appearance as a manager. He would lead the Machines (Big and Super) into battle against Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy (with Bobby Heenan).
As the match we're looking at begins, Jesse asks Vince if he thinks Capper will really retire as promised. Vince says yes, which leads Jesse to say that his day is already brighter.
3. Haku uses a dropkick on Barry, which leads him to tag out. Seconds later, Gladiator gets what i call a headbutt sandwich: Haku comes off the ropes on one side, Tama comes off the ropes on the other side, and they meet at Gladiator's forehead. The height they each get is incredible.
4 Tama busts out a pretty fair version of the over-the-shoulder neckbreaker soon to made famous as the Rude Awakening. In this case, though, it's just another transition move,
5, We see a flying headbutt, a leaping shoulderblock, and a forward roll splash off the ropes from Haku. Three moves that deserve to be called by name and marveled at, and the best we get is two rather lukewarm "Whatta maneuver"s from Vince.
This is about the time he changed once and for all from Howard Cosell into......well, if you're a Looney Tunes fan, imagine Yosemite Sam doing play-by-play in a given sport and put that together with the Tasmanian Devil reading the promos for upcoming shows on the network the way Vince used to do promos for upcoming pay-per-views.
6. The Islanders get the win when Tama hits a splash off the top on Gladiator after a slam from Haku. Time of the fall: 2:07,
7 Another disturbing trend is in evidence, as we only hear from Bruno on the replay.
8, Bundy and Studd beat the Machines by pinfall at 3:01 when Bundy pinned Super. Not only did Albano retire after this, but the Machines went to the scrap heap, as Andre would reappear on television two weeks later.
Next: To be determined,
Thoughts?
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Post: #1073481
PT: #7/71
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This message was edited by garretta on February 25th, 2024 04:00 GMT
Now for some singles action, as Gladiator goes one-on-one with Koko B. Ware:
1. This bout was taped on Wednesday, September 17, 1986 at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland and aired on Challenge the weekend of September 28, 1986.
2. This was Frankie's debut on Challenge, and Heenan wastes no time saying that he should be in a bag of Shake 'n' Bake. Incidentally, Koko isn't introduced as "The Birdman" by ring announcer Mel Phillips.
3. This was The Brain's debut on Challenge as well. For the first taping, which covered the first three shows, Gino was in a three-man booth with Ernie Ladd and Johnny Valiant. Not only that, but Lord Alfred Hayes was the ring announcer (though he may have just been subbing for Mel),
Vince must have gotten negative feedback on the first two shows, which aired in most markets the weekends of September 7 and 14, because Heenan was in the booth for this show with no advance buildup, as I recall.
It was a change for the better, even though Gino and Bobby didn't click on this show quite like they did on Prime Time, mostly because there was less time for the verbal back-and-forth that they excelled at.
4. Gladiator has Koko in a side headlock. Koko shoots him off and drops down, causing Gladiator to stumble. Gino blames the mask, claiming thar masked wrestlers can't see as well as unmasked ones. If that's true, why in the world would any wrestler with a brain wear one?
I guess Gino was in the mood to bury someone, and Gladiator was a convenient target. Heenan, for his part, tries to pass it off as strategy.
5. Gladiator stumbles a couple of other times during the match. Maybe he had trouble keeping up with someone as quick as Koko, though that's hard to believe considering that he's a ring veteran.
6. Koko executes a Honky Tonk Man-style reverse neckbreaker, then hits the ghostbuster (Gino refers to it as the "birdbuster") for what might be the first time in the WWF. The masked man is done and dusted, and the three-count comes at 2:53.
7; Mel uses the "Birdman" nickname when announcing Koko as the winner.
8, Over Gino's objections, Heenan announces his departure from the booth, as he's going to ringside with Paul Orndorff in the next match. Paul pinned Virgil (who was wrestling as Lucious Brown) at 2:03. Valiant filled in on commentary. which in my book is the same as Gino working alone.
Next: To be determined,
Thoughts?
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Post: #1073483
PT: #8/71
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Regarding Lord Alfred Hayes being the ring announcer, I remember thinking it was quite comical that Hayes would always say" this match is scheduled for a 10 minute time limit" not sure why him phrasing it like that warmed my cockles but I always found it amusing
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Topics: 601
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Post: #1073488
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Quoted from: garretta, February 20th, 2024 03:38 GMTThe first jobber we'll take a full look at in this thread is The Gladiator, which is the heel identity of face jobber Rick Hunter, In his opening bout, the masked man teams with Barry O against the Islanders, Haku and Tama:
1, This bout was taped Tuesday, October 28, 1986 at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, New York and aired on Superstars the weekend of November 15, 1986.
2. The feature match on this show was Captain Louis Albano's last full-time appearance as a manager. He would lead the Machines (Big and Super) into battle against Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy (with Bobby Heenan).
As the match we're looking at begins, Jesse asks Vince if he thinks Capper will really retire as promised. Vince says yes, which leads Jesse to say that his day is already brighter.
3. Haku uses a dropkick on Barry, which leads him to tag out. Seconds later, Gladiator gets what i call a headbutt sandwich: Haku comes off the ropes on one side, Tama comes off the ropes on the other side, and they meet at Gladiator's forehead. The height they each get is incredible.
4 Tama busts out a pretty fair version of the over-the-shoulder neckbreaker soon to made famous as the Rude Awakening. In this case, though, it's just another transition move,
5, We see a flying headbutt, a leaping shoulderblock, and a forward roll splash off the ropes from Haku. Three moves that deserve to be called by name and marveled at, and the best we get is two rather lukewarm "Whatta maneuver"s from Vince.
This is about the time he changed once and for all from Howard Cosell into......well, if you're a Looney Tunes fan, imagine Yosemite Sam doing play-by-play in a given sport and put that together with the Tasmanian Devil reading the promos for upcoming shows on the network the way Vince used to do promos for upcoming pay-per-views.
6. The Islanders get the win when Tama hits a splash off the top on Gladiator after a slam from Haku. Time of the fall: 2:07,
7 Another disturbing trend is in evidence, as we only hear from Bruno on the replay.
8, Bundy and Studd beat the Machines by pinfall at 3:01 when Bundy pinned Super. Not only did Albano retire after this, but the Machines went to the scrap heap, as Andre would reappear on television two weeks later.
Next: To be determined,
Thoughts?
I remember thinking how old Rick Hunter looked when I saw him on TV as a kid. The WWF had a lot of quality enhancement guys due to the territories drying up.
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Post: #1073538
PT: #12/71
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Born on 3/1/36. He was in his 50s when he was with WWF from 1985 - 1990.
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This message was edited by garretta on February 26th, 2024 03:11 GMT
In our next match, the masked man teams with A.J. Petruzzi to take on The British Bulldogs (with Captain Louis Albano):
1. This bout was taped January 28, 1986 in Poughkeepsie and aired on Championship the weekend of February 8, 1986.
2. Earlier in the day, the space shuttle Challenger had exploded. I don't know if canceling the show was an option or not given the WWF's extensive touring schedule, but I certainly hope that there was an acknowledgement of the tragedy and a moment of silence for the victims.
If there was such a moment, it didn't make the air. If it had, it would have been on YouTube long ago.
3. The Dogs were introduced only as a team, not as individuals.
4. Bruno makes his customary reference to the "English Bulldogs". Either nobody involved had any problem with the team being referred to that way or they were afraid to correct him for whatever reason.
5. A.J.. gets a brief offensive sequence on Davey Boy, with the highlight being a nice hiptoss.
6. Dynamite tags in a few seconds later and blasts A.J, with a beautiful dropkick off the top that could have been the finish.
It's a damn shame that Dynamite was seriously hurt for so much of the Dogs' reign as champions. What we got was great, but what we [i]could[i] have had might have been historic.
7, A,J, manages to tag Gladiator, but the masked man soon wishes he hadn't.
After Dynamite stuns him with a high clothesline. he (Dynamite) tags Davey, who goes up to the second rope. Dynamite lifts Gladiator in suplex position, and Davey takes him by the legs and moves him to his (Davey's) shoulder. Once Gladiator's ready, Davey comes off with, in Bruno's words, "the powerslam to end all powerslams". Tine three-count's a formality and comes at 2:55.
8, To show how well Hunter could still work at this time, Mario Mancini was interviewed briefly at the beginning of this comp, and he pegged Rick's age in '86 as late thirties/early forties. If BR posted the right information above (and
he has no reason that I know of not to), Mario was off by approximately ten years!
Next: To be determined,
Thoughts?
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This message was edited by Eater of the Dead on February 26th, 2024 03:49 GMT
Quoted from: garretta, February 26th, 2024 03:06 GMTIn our next match, the masked man teams with A.J. Petruzzi to take on The British Bulldogs (with Captain Louis Albano):
1. This bout was taped January 28, 1986 in Poughkeepsie and aired on Championship the weekend of February 8, 1986.
2. Earlier in the day, the space shuttle Challenger had exploded. I don't know if canceling the show was an option or not given the WWF's extensive touring schedule, but I certainly hope that there was an acknowledgement of the tragedy and a moment of silence for the victims.
If there was such a moment, it didn't make the air. If it had, it would have been on YouTube long ago.
3. The Dogs were introduced only as a team, not as individuals.
4. Bruno makes his customary reference to the "English Bulldogs". Either nobody involved had any problem with the team being referred to that way or they were afraid to correct him for whatever reason.
5. A.J.. gets a brief offensive sequence on Davey Boy, with the highlight being a nice hiptoss.
6. Dynamite tags in a few seconds later and blasts A.J, with a beautiful dropkick off the top that could have been the finish.
It's a damn shame that Dynamite was seriously hurt for so much of the Dogs' reign as champions. What we got was great, but what we [i]could[i] have had might have been historic.
7, A,J, manages to tag Gladiator, but the masked man soon wishes he hadn't.
After Dynamite stuns him with a high clothesline. he (Dynamite) tags Davey, who goes up to the second rope. Dynamite lifts Gladiator in suplex position, and Davey takes him by the legs and moves him to his (Davey's) shoulder. Once Gladiator's ready, Davey comes off with, in Bruno's words, "the powerslam to end all powerslams". Tine three-count's a formality and comes at 2:55.
8, To show how well Hunter could still work at this time, Mario Mancini was interviewed briefly at the beginning of this comp, and he pegged Rick's age in '86 as late thirties/early forties. If BR posted the right information above (and
he has no reason that I know of not to), Mario was off by approximately ten years!
Next: To be determined,
Thoughts?
Regarding canceling the show, since this was a TV taping I don't think that would have been an option.... for TV tapings it was all business, all hands on deck, and they had to forge ahead because they were taping several weeks of TV in one night. WWF didn't even take the time to do the national anthem before TV taping events, even though they did it before other House shows
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