Wahoo McDaniel

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[KrisZ]

The Chief stands tall in my eyes for being one of the toughest SOB's to ever step inside the wrestling ring and a man who could have a great match in any setting whether it was a straight match in a studio like against Sgt. Slaughter or Johnny Valentine, World Title matches against Bockwinkel or Flair, or a Steel Cage Match against Magnum TA, or a Indian Strap Match against Curt Hennig, or even a Russian Chain Match against Boris Zuhkov.

 

Wahoo's believability was maybe his strongest suit because he was a guy who while not in the greatest of physical shape was a guy you knew as a fan could kick your fucking ass at the drop of a hat.

[fxnj]

Do any of the Johnny Valentine matches exist on tape?

[JerryvonKramer]

Wahoo is a guy whose name I find it hard to ignore on a lot of the old 70s and early 80s footage I'm trawling through for other purposes.

 

There are lots of his matches buried on old Maple Leaf Garden shows, and places like Southwest or even in the middle of Mid-Atlantic shows that aren't that easy to find just on Youtube.

 

Wahoo is probably going to be a guy that I take a comprehensive look at down the line. I am predisposed to like him a lot: his chops are among the stiffest ever, he was a real asskicker who knew how to work. And here's the best thing at all: he wasn't Chief Jay Strongbow.

[topropepodcast]

Wahoo is someone who I've only seen his later work and I've never really liked it. What are some bouts I should check out to get a better picture of him?

[elliott]

Wahoo is one of the top handfuls of wrestlers I would love for a mountain of prime footage to suddenly became available. Everyone knows Wahoo was a stiff badass who could bleed with the best of them but he has an innate charisma that made everything feel bigger and more important. Based on the footage we have, he's not on the level of Tenryu/Hashimoto/Choshu types but I think Wahoo has the same sort of aura those guys have. I'd have to be talked out of putting him on my list.

[Jetlag]

Wahoo hasn't been discussed much, so I will bump this. With the NWA Classics service making some of his matches easily available, and a plethora of footage on YouTube, I think there's no way around Wahoo. The tough, ex-football player who throws the hardest chop in the world is a great character of course, but Wahoo has something beyond that. Sure there's lots of guys who hit really hard, and then there's also some guys who can bleed, but few of them feel like a force of nature the way Wahoo does. The man is able to turn simple moments, such as getting tossed out of the ring or hitting a guy on the apron into epic visuals. His body language is amazing. The Spoiler match is a textbook class on how to build an epic match around simple strike based offense and timing. The Flair match at Battle of the Belts is a classic long title match with that extra bit of violence and grit Wahoo adds. The guy shows up in so many places, even Puerto Rico and japanese garbage indies, washed up 70s tapes and studio fights, and never stops looking like fucking Wahoo. The Hashimoto comparison hits the nail on the head.

[elliott]

I ranked Wahoo 74th in 2016 and I blew it with that one. Wahoo suffered by a tendency I had to downplay my favorites in a stupid attempt to feel more objective. Fuck that. Wahoo is one of the most awesome wrestlers ever and should be in the top 50. I had it right the first time comparing him to Tenryu/Hashimoto/Choshu. I could watch him bleed and chop the shit out of people all day. Few people are as naturally charismatic and compelling as Wahoo McDaniel. Love him in the Houston footage...that Spoiler match. Love him in the AWA. Love him in JCP. Love him wherever I see him. Wahoo just draws me in. I grew up with the weekly Mike Mooneyham articles in the local paper and occasionally you'd see a reference to Wahoo and the old days and he always just felt like a bigger deal than everyone else even just reading his name in the paper with other old names. That legitimacy never left him and the camera managed to capture it. 

[WingedEagle]

How much Wahoo is available?  I feel like I've heard about a few matches arising from the Houston footage along with bits & pieces from the AWA but do we have anything extensive beyond clips from elsewhere?

[elliott]

There's a pretty decent amount of Wahoo out there from the looks of things. It seems like his mid 80s Crockett run where he's well past his prime but still pretty awesome is what we have the most of, so we don't have the full picture you'd hope for. But you could say that about a lot of nominees.