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Titans of Wrestling #57: WWF June to July 1982


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http://placetobenation.com/titans-of-wrestling-57-wwf-june-to-july-1982/

 

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The Titans reunite to see in the New Year and watch some WWF from the summer of 1982.

 

On the docket:

 

06-05 BOB BACKLUND vs JIMMY SNUKA WWF TITLE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

06-82 STRONGBOWS PROMO WWF TV

06-05 STRONGBOWS vs ADONIS/VENTURA MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

06-82 BLACKJACK MULLIGAN, ANDRE THE GIANT PROMO S WWF TV

06-05 ANDRE THE GIANT vs BLACKJACK MULLIGAN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

06-12 BUDDY ROSE vs BARRY HART WWF TV

06-82 LOU ALBANO/JIMMY SNUKA PROMO WWF TV

06-28 BOB BACKLUND vs JIMMY SNUKA WWF TITLE/CAGE MATCH MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

06-28 FUJI/SAITO vs STRONGBOWS TAG TITLE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

07-82 GCW: BACKLUND/FLAIR PROMOS AUDIO NOT IN SYNC GEORGIA CHAMP. WRESTLING

07-17 PEDRO MORALES vs MR SAITO WWF TV

07-24 FUJI/SAITO vs STRONGBOWS TAG TITLE WWF TV

07-31 FUJI/SAITO vs STRONGBOWS TAG TITLE PHILADELPHIA SPECTRUM

 

Highlights include:

 

- Enter Jules Strongbow ... (and did he get paid more that Johnny Rodz?)

- Ideas for Ivan Putski's Polish gimmick

- The strange and sinister domestic life of The Fabulous Moolah

- Ric Flair! Gordon Solie! Our boy Backlund heads down south for a promo

- Who are your favourite jobbers?

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THAT remark by Johnny Sorry. Wow. Just wow. If you're going to call me out for what you feel is undeserved amateur psychology of Vince McMahon, that was darn insensitive. I grew up watching my mother battle cancer twice.

 

I agree the Muraco-Snuka cage match isn't that great. I compare it a lot to Tiger Mask-Dynamite Kid matches, something that you dream about seeing and then you do and go "well great moment yeah, but that was IT?"

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Well first of all, I don't think there's anything that can't be joked about. And second, it really wasn't a joke, per se. Par mentioned that at this point Albano had all the top challengers and said "What did Wizard have?" And I said "Cancer." Which I think was true, and possibly was why he wasn't being used as much since he was in poor health.

And as far as me being " offended" by something I don't even remember to be honest, nothing offends me. At least as far as wrestling goes.

No offense, bro. 😀

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I'm wondering how much more WWF is left. My memories of watching 83 (not at the time) was that it was a real mixed bag, with Backlund getting almost no new challengers. I've heard various people theorize that was done on purpose to cool Bob off and lay the groundwork for Hogan, but I have my doubts there.

 

In either case we're about 18 months away from where the Titans originally intended to finish things off. Which probably limits the number of WWF based shows to, about half a dozen or so? That's a shame.

 

If it wasn't intended as a joke Johnny but a real point as to why the Wizard wasn't being used more, okay I understand. I think your delivery (and we're both stage actors) on Titans is that EVERYTHING is sort of a cool relax, just chilling Johnny Fever approach. Which is fine for a wrestling podcast, but when things like cancer or AIDS or lynchings or the Holocaust might be brought up, can very easily cause people (including your co-hosts, based on their clearly flabbergasted replies) to not get what you were going for.

 

I'd like to hear if any of you think Vince should have gone with Snuka instead of Bob in 83, ignoring Snuka's later mental and legal issues but as a draw. I don't think he would have, but I also don't think he COULD. My understanding is that Vince SR had control over the booking of MSG and the world title until the final payments were made and that wasn't until late 83 or early 84.

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On the Wizard, I'm not sure about how much Vince Sr or anyone knew that he was ill since he managed Slaughter and Masked Superstar right upto when he died.

 

I have noticed a period in the results from March 1983 where Grand Wizard seems curiously missing from shows, and I wonder if he was having time off then. He was managing Superstar Graham, but wasn't even making TV tapings that month according to Graham's results. He is mentioned on March 20th show.

 

He's back on the TV for this Championship Wrestling show, which I really want to watch:

 

4/9/83 - featured the Grand Wizard providing guest commentary.

 

Anyway, at least for a little spell, it looks like Wizard was working with a slightly reduced load, but then he gets Slaughter and Masked Superstar and he's back to normal so to speak up to his death.

 

------

 

As for life beyond Backlund, I have a vague plan of continuing doing MSG, Spectrum and Boston shows in 84 and 85 since they seemed to have existed in their own universe. And that universe was much closer to the old Vince Sr world.

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We are going to try our best to get things back to a twice a month sched. The last half of 2015 saw a bunch of different personal commitments converge for all of us, which limited the amount of possible recording time. Hopefully 2016 will be better.

 

If we do keep up a twice a month sched we will likely finish off Backlund's run around August or September. We could also slow things down and look at individual MSG and Spectrum shows again. I've often thought we wouldn't continue into the Hogan era, but I know Parv is at least interested in exploring 84-85, so who knows

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I think there's some potential in looking at WWF house shows from that period. To me, what we think of as the WWF didn't begin all at once. The talent roster shows up throughout 84-86, the PPV doesn't debut till late 85 (and is a footnote at best that year), the TV look we know doesn't appear until late 86. To me it's not really until WM III that you can point and say "THAT'S the WWF I remember. I suspect that's particularly true of Parv as well.

 

So about 16 Bob shows left and only about 16 months left with him as champion. Did not know there was that much quality footage of 83 out there. I look forward to it.

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84-87 is definitely more rough around the edges than 88-92 which is what I associate with Vince's "vision" for what his product should be.

 

You can see the difference in microcosm just be looking at Hogan himself. He's so much more raw and organic during the 84-87 stuff. By 88, he becomes very homogenised. Always in yellow and red. Much more formulaic in the matches and pared down in the move set.

 

From 1988, you see the way heels are brought in with the skits and ready-made characters and gimmicks. Everything is a lot more carefully man-managed.

 

84-87 has a lot more Vince Sr hangover stuff, and as well as ad-libbed stuff like the Piper's Pits, and stuff that just goes nowhere like the TNT skits, and so on.

 

It's something Kelly and I have discussed in the past.

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If you need someone else I'd be happy to help. I started collecting Coliseum Videos in the early 2000's and that later evolved into general collecting but my favorites are WWF house show matches from 84-87.

 

To your point about how homogenized things become look at how few other opponents Randy Savage has from WM IV - Summerslam 88. An SNME with Gang, Two Superstars matches, and that's about it. All one guy even though the feud had clearly run out of steam and was beginning to draw less.

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