The Following Contest

Like, Rey Mysterio level tiny. Look, I know, it shouldn't matter. He just had a great match on the ROH PPV. He's a great worker and he's in ridiculously good shape. But... even next to Jericho. It's amazingly noticeable. Possibly limiting even in 2016 WWE.

The Patterson-Backlund MSG cage match is very good with some very convincing near escapes. The ending is clunkier than what Backlund remembers in his book, but still effective. I find all of the stuff from the 1984 St. Louis tapings to be super heated and lots of fun. WWF for sure though.

Hornbaker's new book "Capitol Revolution" does a great job detailing wrestling in the northeast from 1880-1984. It pays particular attention to the period before the formation of the NWA and the coexistence/competition between McMahon and the cartel. Highly recommended.

Austin vs. Lesnar - unfinished business. Reigns vs. Sheamus - WWE Title. Sasha vs. Bailey - Women's Title. Undertaker vs. Finn -UT's retirement match, HoF induction the night before. Owens vs. Zayn -IC Title. Holly Holm/The Rock vs. Triple H/Steph. New Day vs. Those "SAWFT" dudes in NXT - Tag Title. The usual filler, Bullshit battle royal etc. Daniel Bryan vs. Shawn Michaels - crippled gimp Olympics or some horseshit

Finn needs to go to Dallas, in front of the 93,184 fans, and beat Undertaker clean. Taker retires.

I went to a WWF House Show in June of 1993, just before Hogan dropped the title. It was at Maple Leaf Gardens and it was a Duggan-Yoko main event with a carny style Ted Dibiase contest running throughout the show: "anybody who can slam Yoko gets $1000 of my dollars!" Ted chose three guys from audience, all awkwardly put their hands between Yoko' legs. It was fucking brutal. 3,000 people, maybe, in an arena of 16,000 seats in a city of 4 million people, in the best Hulk Hogan market on earth (see WM18 for evidence). Point being: Bret, Luger, Yoko, title or no title, the house show business was as dead as George Hackenschmidt in 1993. So BrainFollower is right, if Hogan was supposed to be a house show saviour... he certainly wasn't doing much saving.

Re: ECW. I remember my dad's friend giving me an Apter mag he bought because Sunny was on the cover, summer of 1996. (I had been an exclusive WWF Magazine guy until then). In it were photos of Shane Douglas vs. Sabu in a tiny arena. That's when I read the initials ECW for the first time. I'd seen the t-shirts in the crowd and wondered. Even went to a Vader-Warrior WWF House Show in Hamilton, On in May of 1996 and saw guys in ECW t-shirts and wondered what the hell they meant. ECW was certainly permeating the mainstream wrestling fan by '96, certainly because the product had become so terrible from late '91 until the nWo.

See, no disrespect, but that Taker-Nord stuff was to me exactly the goofball, ridiculous, over the top junk that was so far from cool. That's exactly why I think the period was losing viewers. I want serious, not soap opera. That was soap opera at its worst IMO.

I was the perfect demo for Hulkamania. I was 7 when WrestleMania 3 happened. Hook, line sinker, I was in from then until probably mid-late 1992 when My interest began to wane. - I always loved Paul Heyman's way of putting it: wrestling was still hairbands even in the age of Nirvana. It just wasn't as exciting, important feeling or cool as it was. - The crowds seemed dead (canned heat a HUGE part of that), the characters seemed lame, and so many in my key Hulkamania demo were beginning to find competitive sports, girls and music.

Yep, Austin podcast. He said Jesse was kept in check by McMahon and that his "I may just have to come out of retirement and beat Hogan" stuff was more prevalent with Gino or Shiavone. Agreed... but still part of what made Jesse awesome.

Kerwin Silfies has said that Jesse went into business for himself too often, but I think his putting himself over was part of his overall heel cred. Watch how often, during stand-ups and bumpers, he blatantly disagrees or disregards what McMahon says. If Vince was trying to get a guy or angle over a certain way, then Jesse certainly undermines that for reals. And THAT is what made hims so great. he doesn't seem like a Jerry Lawler style goofy heel or a Bobby Heenan style funny heel, he seems like a real heel, like a guy who doesn't like McMahon or any of the face wrestlers, like a guy who is proudly a rebel and not going along with the program. I think he's the only heel commentator in history. The only one. And that's why he's the best ever.

Hell, I'll admit it: I was newly turned 13 and I loved this like a tubby kid loves fudge. I was sold on the idea (as was Vince I might add) that a second golden age was about to begin and the flirtation with "nobodies" like Bret and Yoko was over. Today, looking back as an overweight, fudge-loving, 35 year old, I see how completely counter productive it was... unless Hogan was willing to put over Bret or Yoko clean. Since he was clearly willing to do neither, and he was all pissy when he went to Japan and put-down his own title at the presser, the whole thing looks like an odd and uncharacteristic short-sighted move by Vince and Pat. Maybe pending federal prison time for the Vin-Man was beginning to get to them.

I thought the show was solid. The wrestling in the main event was good... but dare I say not as good, nor as cool or dramatic, as the most recent NXT main event. Could it be that NXT is now the best big leaugue North American alternative to WWE?

Opening tag. These Hardy Boyz rip-offs with their "super kick party" catch phrase have annoyed their way into X-Pac heat territory with me already. First ROH PPV I've ever seen. Taking a flyer and hoping to see some All Japan type stuff.

Even in the era before google, how do you confuse a Yetti with a Mummy? Did nobody at Turner own an encyclopedia?