JKWebb

Great discussion this week. You guys hit the nail on the head with John Cena.

I really enjoyed diving in to the early 80's Portland stuff. Love all the Piper stuff there - great brawling/promos. He's over like the Beatles there. Love his match against Ed Wiskowski on 08/23/1980, and there is a great match with Rose and Wiskowsi vs. Piper and Martel on 08/02/1980. Check out: Buddy Rose vs. Rick Martel 04/26/1980. Martel is so awesome and so over in Portland too. Rose is the man. Oh yeah, and just to add... Martel/Piper vs. Sheepherders stuff is great too - 05/31/1980 is just great TV - Rose taking credit for all their success is just awesome during this feud and where it eventually goes... (Rose has some fun stuff against Brett Sawyer). I like the Curt Hennig Portland stuff, and The Assassin. I remember Hennig/Rose/Jack vs. "The Clan" of Assassin/Rip Oliver/Dynamite Kid being a good feud. Hope some of this is helpful.

Thanks!

I went down an early-1980 WWF rabbit hole yesterday. This is a rematch from their match in April of 1980. The match in April is really great, and it seems to be talked about a lot more than this one. But, for anyone that didn't follow-up with this one, I do think it's worth checking it out. There are lots of great callbacks to from the original bout including the finish, so it tells a really good story. Also, Backlund goes to work on Hogan's leg in this match, which Hogan sells really well throughout. Backlund delivers a pretty fired up performance, in particular while working on Hogan's leg during a pretty lengthy submission. Maybe it's not the great match we got in April, but if you enjoyed that one it's definitely worth your time.

Yes, this is cool to see. I have watched all of the MSG shows (I think), but I recently just started going through 1983 WWF TV chronologically. This makes we want to start a little further back...

Always enjoy the discussion on these GWWE Revisited shows -- I don't use Facebook, and I assume the link to the ballot is there like it used to be. Will the link be posted on the website or can it be shared here for EOY voting? Thanks! Sorry if I missed this information somewhere.

MOTY: 1999: Sting vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Monday Nitro 04/26/99) 1998: Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama (AJPW 07/24/98) 1997: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 01/20/97) or Hart/Austin 1996: Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/06/96) 1995: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 06/09/95) 1994: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 06/03/94) 1993: Stan Hansen vs. Kenta Kobashi - 7-29-1993 1992: Sting vs. Vader from Starrcade 1992 1991: Warrior vs. Savage WM7 1990: El Dandy vs. El Satanico - 12/14/1990 Wrestler of the Year: 1999: Steve Austin 1998: Steve Austin 1997: Mitsuharu Misawa 1996: Rey Mysterio Jr. 1995: Mitsuharu Misawa 1994: Vader 1993: Kenta Kobashi 1992: Randy Savage 1991: Randy Savage 1990: Mitsuharu MIsawa Promotion of the Year: 1999: All Japan 1998: WWF 1997: WCW 1996: WCW 1995: ECW 1994: WCW 1993: All Japan 1992. WWF 1991: WWF 1990: All Japan YB Rankings: 1. 1997 2. 1996 3. 1991 4. 1990 5. 1992 6. 1995 7. 1994 8. 1998 9. 1993 10. 1999

I remember watching this is 1999. I was really into this with Sting’s return the prior week, and now the build to the 4 corners match. This leads to a really fun show at Spring Stampede, and from my memory the nose dive starts after that. I know I pretty much gave up on WCW at the time after Road Wild 99. But going through this stuff now, April is a fun month for them (at least the highlights are).

All I can say is, WOW. ha

Speaking of the “huge” buyrate, it was reportedly 485,000 buys. That would make it the third highest in WCW history.

1999 - Final YB - I wasn’t thinking this when I started the Yearbooks, but I think this will end up topping 98. I’m looking forward to it. Jan. 1999 Favorite Matches: 1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 01/22/99) - MOTYC 2. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 01/07/99) 3. Sabu vs One Man Gang (ECW 01/23/99) - I'm not the biggest fan of Sabu. This might be my favorite Sabu match. 4. Scott Hall vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (Ladder Match) WCW Nitro 5. Hardy Boys vs Serial Thrillaz (OMEGA 01/29/99) 6. Kidman & Mysterio vs. Juvi & E. Guerrero (Nitro) - @ the time loves the Kidman/Rey team I had not been enjoying ECW as much in 98, but 99 is off to a good start. I love Sid in ECW. In the past, I wasn’t big on the 99 rumble, but had a lot of fun watching it this time around. I can't believe Memphis is still going! Feb. 1999 Favorite Matches: 1. The Rock vs Mankind (WWF Monday Night RAW 02/15/99) - I loved this. I think it's my favorite of the Mankind/Rock matches actually. 2. Rey Misterio Jr. vs Kevin Nash (WCW Monday Nitro 02/22/99) 3. Super Crazy vs Yoshihiro Taijiri (ECW Crossing The Line 02/12/99) - I lived for their matches at this point in 1999. I probably still have most of the 1999 ECW weekly TV on VHS from when I was kid. 4. El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr. (CMLL 02/26/99) 5. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko vs Horace & Brian Adams (WCW Thunder 02/18/99) 6. El Dandy vs Fit Finlay (WCW Saturday Night 02/20/99) - this was really fun and out of nowhere WCW is off the rails with all the Bischoff Flair stuff, Sasso, Flair/Hogan stuff - and, wildly enough they produced their third highest grossing PPV in their history in Feb. of 1999. I'm just not into the stories. During the Monday Night Wars, I was always a WCW guy. I do remember that changed after Road Wild 1999 - I switched to WWF at that point. The only time I went back was for Scott Hall's title shot at a random PPV down the line, and the final Nitro. One of my friends still loved WCW, and any time I would see it on, the Russo stuff was embarrassing. I'm hoping for some hidden gems as I wrap up the final YB. We get the Jumbo retirement ceremony in March. One of my favorites of all time and one of the GOATS. Enjoyed seeing the ceremony. March Favorites: 1. Steve Austin vs The Rock (WWF Wrestlemania XV 03/28/99) 2. Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama (AJPW 03/06/99) 3. Steve Austin & Mankind vs The Rock & Big Show (WWF Monday Night RAW 03/15/99) - Steve Austin is on fire during this match 4. El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs Scorpio Jr. & Bestia Salvaje (CMLL 03/19/99) 5. Rey Misterio Jr. vs Billy Kidman (WCW Monday Nitro 03/15/99) 6. El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs Scorpio Jr. & Bestia Salvaje - 3-12-1999 (I loved the intensity of this brawl) 7. Ric Flair & Goldberg vs Hulk Hogan & Kevin Nash (WCW Monday Nitro 03/15/99) - Nash is awesome in this 8. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Hiromitsu Kanehara (RINGS 03/22/99) 9. Hulk Hogan vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Monday Nitro 03/29/99) -- Seemed to be the best Nitro in ages - loved this main event. Had the Goldberg/Hart stuff too. Sting returned in the rafters. Seemed like a really fun show from what was cut out of it. 10. Raven vs Kaz Hayashi (WCW Worldwide 03/20/99) 11. Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn (ECW Living Dangerously 03/21/99) - spotz 12. Goldberg vs Ric Flair (WCW Monday Nitro 03/08/99) - I thought this was pretty paint by numbers fun - really entertaining 13. Rey Misterio Jr. & Billy Kidman vs Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (WCW Monday Nitro 03/29/99) The first quarter of 1999 is full of fun matches. Nitro gets its set change on the first April of Nitro, and that is the signal for me it’s getting close to where I switched fully over to WWF & ECW as a fan in 99. I really love Nitro at this time… Sting shows back up & on through Spring Stampede I got really invested in Nitro again (back then & now). But, as I recall… after Spring Stampede is the nose dive. The last WCW PPV I rented was Road Wild 99 and I switched to WWF/ECW fully at that point. I watched a Scott Hall title shot in 2000 & went to Superbrawl Revenge, but that’s it after that. Over the years I’ve seen most, if not all, of the PPVs, but looking forward to going through this chronologically (for all of the YB). April Favorites: 1. Sting vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Monday Nitro 04/26/99) - This is my favorite WCW Nitro match ever, and I've thought of this as the 1999 MOTY for a long time. I'm sure it still will be after I finish the YB. 2. Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama (AJPW 04/04/99) 3. DDP vs. Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan vs. Sting - 04/11/199 - Spring Stampede 4. Steve Austin vs The Rock (WWF Backlash 04/25/99) - This is a really fun match in their series that may be sometimes overlooked because of the greatness of their Mania encounters. But, it's tons of fun. May Favorite: Genichiro Tenryu vs Keiji Muto (NJPW 05/03/99) June Favorite: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 06/11/99) July Favorite: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 07/23/99) August Favorite: Hulk Hogan, Sting & Goldberg vs Kevin Nash, Sid & Rick Steiner (WCW Monday Nitro 08/09/99) - The crowd was on fire for this. They weren't able to keep the momentum going with the storyline. September: El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Blue Panther (CMLL 09/17/99) October: Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama. I enjoyed Goldberg/Sid and Goldberg/Sting at Halloween Havoc too. I was really into 1999 at the beginning of they year, but it went off the rails pretty fast and there isn't much that's held my interest. I felt the same way in 1999 watching it in real time. Russo, JJ - the storylines anywhere - nothing really clicking for me... not super high on any particular matches the last few months either. Everything Russo is the exact opposite of what I enjoy about wrestling. In my opinion, Russo in WCW ruined it more than anything else. The Nitro that closes out November 1999 may be the worst ever... maybe... November Favorite: Antifaz Del Norte, El Hijo Del Santo, Emilio Charles Jr., Felino, Negro Casas, Olimpico, Tarzan Boy & Tony Rivera vs Bestia Salvaje, Black Warrior, Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Rey Bucanero, Satanico, Ultimo Guerrero & Zumbido (CMLL 11/26/99) December Favorite: MOTC: Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Stan Hansen & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/03/99) I absolutely loved watching Hansen in this. He's such a bad ass. That Taue big boot into the German spot was awesome. And, holy shit, the finishing stretch! A fantastic match! I love the zoom in on Hansen's face at the start of this thing while he's leaning on the ropes... the grizzled vet... the man ... it reminded me of watching like the Unforgiven or something where the older Clint Eastwood is here to kick ass... so, watch out. 1999 Top 3: 1. Sting vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Monday Nitro 04/26/99) 2. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Stan Hansen & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/03/99) 3. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 01/22/99) 1999 started off great, but quickly fell. It didn't hold my interest like the other YBs, as I thought all of the companies at least slipped a little bit. WCW went off the rails, for me -- WWF felt like a parody of itself from the prior years and I didn't enjoy much of it, All Japan at least continued to be steady and deliver hard fought matches (so, it will be my favorite Promotion of the Year). The YBs were so much fun. They were the ultimate chronological viewing experience for sure. I'll probably continue through 2000 using the network and some other sources.

My friends and I were really into ECW during this time. We set our VCRs and taped all the shows. Sid coming to ECW was really over with us. Loved it. I was glad to revisit it today.

Flair mentions 40,000 in the arena -- that may or may not be accurate -- but, at this point how many segments and interviews have they watched? Between all the Goldberg stuff and long LWO segments - lot's of watching the monitor and interviews - then to end it the way they did? Yowza.

I have one more year left to wrap up the YBs. Here are my thoughts on 1998 and how it ranked against the other years for me: Top 5: 1998 MOTY/#1: Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama (AJPW 07/24/98) 2. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen (AJPW 12/05/98) 3. Steve Austin vs Dude Love (WWF Over The Edge 05/31/98) 4. Goldberg vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Halloween Havoc 10/25/98) 5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 10/31/98) Previous MOTY: 1997: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 01/20/97) 1996: Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/06/96) 1995: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 06/09/95) 1994: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 06/03/94) 1993: Stan Hansen vs. Kenta Kobashi - 7-29-1993 1992: Sting vs. Vader from Starrcade 1992 1991: Warrior vs. Savage WM7 1990: El Dandy vs. El Satanico - 12/14/1990 Wrestler of the Year: 1998: Steve Austin 1997: Mitsuharu Misawa 1996: Rey Mysterio Jr. 1995: Mitsuharu Misawa 1994: Vader 1993: Kenta Kobashi 1992: Randy Savage 1991: Randy Savage 1990: Mitsuharu MIsawa Promotion of the Year: 1998: WWF 1997: WCW 1996: WCW 1995: ECW 1994: WCW 1993: All Japan 1992. WWF 1991: WWF 1990: All Japan YB Rankings: 1. 1997 2. 1996 3. 1991 4. 1990 5. 1992 6. 1995 7. 1994 8. 1998 9. 1993

Kevin Nash beats the undefeated Goldberg-like Wrath earlier in the show, now Goldberg beats the Giant to show he can take out any super heavyweight. Good stuff!