What is going on Wrestling fans? This time around Im going with a match that is both unique and special in the history of pro wrestling for 2 reasons. For starters its a WWF title match taking place in Calgary, but its in an official Stampede Wrestling ring featuring one of Stampedes most popular wrestlers of all time. Thats pretty unique. Also, its the celebration of Stu Harts 80 Birthday, and as a consequence, wrestlers from around the world came to the event to both preform and also wish the legend a Happy 80th. This time around we will be enjoying Razor( Scott Hall) VS Owen Hart, for the intercontinental WWF championship. And this joint Stampede/WWF match is called of course by the legendary Ed Whalen, the voice of Stampede Wrestling for many decades. Worth noting at the beginning of the video Owen has a quick segment talking about his father, which is a very nice touch. Owen was playing the role of a heel at the time in the WWF. However, when in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, its pretty hard to have the crowd hate any former Stampede Wrestler as Vince McMahon would soon learn and capatialze on in the future with his Hart Foundation story-line. Also worth noting while watching the video is the top ring rope coming off and being quickly turned into a weapon. You will then notice a quick exit from the ring to draw the attention away from the rope being put back on. Finally worth noting is the “run in” by one of my least favorite wrestlers of all time. Here is a hint as to who he is ” I made a porn Movie with a Man/Woman and lived to tell about it”. Also, if these videos are getting your old school classic wrestling interests up, feel free to download our Stampede podcast .G and myself discuss all things Stampede wrestling including our run ins with the likes of Davey Boy Smith, Bad News Brown, Chris Benoit and Bret Hart when we were just kids! http://wonderpodonline.com/?p=2533 See you all next time !
Welcome to another episode of classic wrestling, Stampede Style! This time around I am featuring something a little different than my usual old school wrestling matches. Don’t worry, all the dungeon trained future super stars and Stampede alumni will return to wrestle it out for our enjoyment next time. Today, I am featuring a “strong man” competition, or powerlifting showcase if you prefer from 2 of Stampede Wrestlings most powerful men. Hell 2 of the WORLDS most power full men at the time. Legitimate “Worlds Strongest Man” winner Bill Kazmaier “mans up” against former power lifting champion Ted Arcidi. With new and younger powerlifters and strong men entering the scene, the decision for both men to become pro wrestlers was a complete no brainer and coincidentally both men found them selves in the Calgary promotion at the same time. Of course this was a great chance for Stu Hart to promote big matches between these massive muscle men in the future. Sure, these guys could not actually wrestle very well. However unlike the smaller guys in Stampede, they didn’t have to know all the wrestling holds and moves to be noticed, they just had to be in the ring beating the crap out of people. Because of their fame as strong men and their intimidating size, they automatically gained all the attention they needed to get a good days pay. lets watch the “Competition” unfold and of course because this is taking place in a Stampeded Wrestling ring, you can rest assured that things wont exactly go smoothly! Worth noting is the actions by Ted Arcidi later in the competition that, of course, sets up a big feud between 2 of Stampede Wrestlings strongest men to ever step into the ring.
Welcome again to another fun trip back in pro wrestling history. Today we will visit a match involving one of Stampedes biggest stars at this point time, Dr. D David Shultz. Although a star in places like AWA, WWF, Japan and Stampede Wrestling , Dr. D is probably most famous for his big mouth both inside and outside the wrestling ring. It was his “open had slap” assault on a network reporter who mentioned that “Wrestling was fake” that is what most people remember Dr. D for. Ironically, it was that very event that put a halt on his career in the big wrestling organizations as his actions were rumored to result in a costly law suit that followed. Dr. D’s opponent in this classic match is the AWA World champion Nick Bockwinkle who, like other AWA world champions, would venture to the Calgary promotion several times per year to take on who ever was at the top of the card at the time. I am not sure where this match took place as it is not in the usual Stampede pavilion venue that the majority of Stampede Wrestling events were televised , but appears to be a smaller venue. Stampedes territory stretched across western Canada and even into north western US, so it could have been anywhere really. The crowd was pretty hot for the match and that’s all that matters for the Wrestlers putting on a show and Ed Whalen was there for the TV taping. Worth noting this time around is the fans chanting Nick “Bullwinkle”. Enjoy the match and decide for your self if it was a 2.5 count or a 3 count at the end ! And if you like videogame podcasts, feel free to check out wonderpod episode 79 on i Tunes and also at our website www.wonderpodonline.com where you will find all sorts of fun stuff! See you next time !
Its that time again people, its time for some classic wrestling action. Welcome to another journey back in time as we explore Stampede Wrestlings great historic past. This time around lets watch a very good match between 2 former wrestlers from the Calgary promotion who were actually WWF employees at the time battling it out for the world tag team titles on the biggest stage of them all. However, in between their feud in the WWF, both men took time to return to their roots and lace up the boots in a Stampede Wrestling ring once again. Those 2 men were one half of the Hart foundation, Bret Hart, and his brother in law Davey Boy Smith who was of course one half of the British Bulldogs. Bret played the “Heel” in this classic encounter as Davey boy played the “Face” but lets face it, the crowd in Calgary loved both of these alumni. Worth noting is the appearance of the Dynamite Kid near the end of the video and of course and as always the classic commentary of Ed Whalen. Enjoy this great match and I will see you on the next episode of PatMan picks next time!
Wrestlemania 27 is in the books. My initial thoughts were it was pretty bad. Considering the fact it was Wrestlemania, that makes it pretty awful. It was like a double-stuffed Raw. And it wouldn’t have even been a good Raw. It conjures up a lot of comparisons to what most people consider to be the worst Wrestlemania – #9.
First of all, I loved the pageantry and the excess of it all. This is their spectacle. The WWE knows how to do big at Wrestlemania, and I think they should get the credit they deserve. The pyro, the big-ness of everything, the video packages (especially the Miz’), it had the feel of a big event, production values-wise.
I love The Rock. I really do (though nowhere near as much as my wife does). But having him there was completely pointless. When I think that Sheamus and Daniel Bryan had to cut their match short so The Rock could do his nonsensical promo, it makes me mad. Relax. I’m not one of those “You sold out” fans that think wrestlers should do nothing but wrestle all their lives. Dwayne Johnson has made a nice name for himself in Hollywood. I have moved on. He is not a wrestler anymore. I don’t want to see him in the ring, unless he’s talking. He showed up at the arena 2 times in a 6-week period. What in the Blue Hell has The Rock done to deserve that lengthy promo at the beginning? Recently? I think that is the biggest slap in the face to the Daniel Bryans and Sheamuses and the other wrestlers who have given everything. Hell, even The Great Khali did more to earn that promo than The Rock did. Instead of giving that time to The Rock, they should have been giving time to wrestlers who will become the next Rock. The focal point of this Pay-Per-View was somebody who hasn’t been in a wrestling ring since Ric Flair was active (Wait…).
Relax. I’m not a hater. I’m happy to see The Rock. I loved the Mae Young skit, and I loved the PeeWee Herman thing. How do you not? What I have a problem with is making a person who should no longer be the focus being the focus. Roy Halladay may retire as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. But if every time he is supposed to pitch, he is replaced by Steve Carlton, he will never be able to take the spotlight he deserves. Rock, you are the Great One. But somewhere in that WWE locker room could be the next “Great One.” WWE, get him out of the way.
(I would like to say in his defense that The Rock never held another wrestler “down.” The dude put over The Hurricane. I don’t see him holding a wrestler down here. I just see him being over-utilized.)
The first match had some really nice drama. I love the submission hold and the drama of “Is he going to tap?” I was waiting for the Christian heel turn that never came. It was fun watching them destroy the car, but really, shouldn’t that have been done on Smackdown!?
Cody-Rey was a decently done match. I wanted to see Dusty (but it makes sense that he not appear in Atlanta, as there is no way that Atlanta crowd would boo “The American Dream”).
All the skits were pretty funny. I loved Regal rapping. I marked out like a 13-year-old girl when I saw Rowdy Roddy Piper (There are 3 wrestlers I mark out for: Piper, Undertaker & Arn Anderson). I loved Mae Young pinching the Rock’s “candy ass” and wanting the “People’s Strudel.” And of course, Pee Wee Herman and Mean Gene were great. I like the Rock/Stone cold face-off, but as I said previously, I’ve moved on.
The 8-man with the Corre was insulting to those 8 wrestlers who have given everything.
Orton-Punk stole the show, in-ring wise. I hope this feud is over. There were some incredible athletic things that happened here. Neither person lost anything in this match.
The Cole-Lawler… “whatever you want to call it” was fine and had some entertaining moments. I loved Swagger throwing in the towel and Austin looking at it clueless and then wiping his head with it. The image of Cole against the glass was great, too. Loved how there were 3 stunners. And the best part was JR-King calling the rest of the night.
The Undertaker-Triple H match was everything we had hoped it would be. The entrances were phenomenal. The drama was sensational. There was no announce table still left standing. Nobody interfered (and goodness knows, between the two’s sins, anybody could have attacked either one and be justified). The drama of HHH grabbing the sledgehammer and Taker putting him in the rear naked choke. (Young wrestlers, you take a look at the drama that can be created through a submission hold like ADR’s or Undertaker’s. You don’t need to do a 1260 splash onto plates of glass to get a crowd going.) Triple-H tapped out at Wrestlemania. The cart was a nice touch. The people I was there with and my timeline on Twitter couldn’t tell whether Taker was ok or not.
The Snooki match was everything it should have been. The former cheerleader did her backspring thing and then pinned Michelle McCool. A lot of people were complaining about this match going on next-to-last. This was the best possible match they could have placed there. I remember a very wise blogger saying “There are going to be some very emotional matches at Wrestlemania. Triple H-Undertaker is going to be a very emotional match, as will Edge-Del Rio and whatever else they come across. There needs to be a moment the crowd gets to unwind from the tension and emotion. Whether we like it or not, this is going to be one of those matches.” Somebody had to follow HHH-Taker. Would you rather it be a legitimate match or the Snooki “match?” They got their TMZ moment.
The main event was really disappointing. The best part about those was the video packages before-hand. The Miz video package, for lack of a better word, was awesome. The John Cena package was well-done, but the music was way too religious for his character. I’m sure nothing screams religious connotations nothing more than the “5-Knuckle Shuffle” or the “STFU.” (<-heavy sarcasm) I loved the choir, though I really couldn’t figure out their purpose. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I think his background kinda looked like a Confederate flag. John Cena just cannot win. First he becomes the target for GLAAD after dropping some homophobic slurs which we know he did not write. Now he gets to walk out to the ring with a Confederate flag-like logo while a predominantly-Black choir sings. Next, I think for an encore, he will kick puppies. The match wasn’t mind-blowing, but the two did a very good job with their intensity. I did pop for Rock reading the email from the Raw GM. I have no idea where they’re going with The Rock’s interference. Right now, I don’t really want to know.
Greetings, all! Your friendly neighborhood Drowgoddess will now be providing you with reviews of the only hour of professional wrestling on Monday nights, Ring of Honor on HDNet!
I write this, just minutes after watching Shawn Michaels’ last match in a wrestling ring. With a defeat to the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI, Shawn Michaels’ career ended after 25 years.
Shawn Michaels was THE guy for me. Not Hulk Hogan. Not Ric Flair. Not even Steve Austin. But Shawn Michaels. He was that one guy growing up, that I knew would be my favourite, and that every time I heard ‘Sexy Boy’, I knew something fun and exciting was about to happen. Whether he was with Diesel, or D-Generation X. I was always entertained, and amazed, by HBK.
My…worship, of Shawn Michaels didnt just resort to the television. There were two video games in particular. WWF Steel Cage Challenge for the SEGA Master System, and WWF Royal Rumble for the Genesis. I don’t know how many times Shawn Michaels won the WWF Championship on these games, and it didn’t matter who else was on them, I was always the one character.
Everyone has that one person in the world that they idolize, that they worship. Whether it’s a family member, or a sportsman, or maybe someone in your favored profession? For me, besides family. There is only one idol. Shawn Michaels in my eyes, was someone who could do no wrong, even when he was the baddest. There was nothing he couldn’t do, in and out of the ring. He was brash, cocky, always so confident in his own ability, that he didnt even think of how good the other person was. In DX, he was cool. With Triple H, D-Generation X single-handedly fueled my love for the wrestling business. Partly for their attitude and behaviour towards everyone, but mostly, because Shawn Michaels was involved.
To this day, I still get giddy inside, whenever I see Shawn Michaels, or hear that ‘Sexy Boy’ theme. To watch his last match in 1998, before taking four years off. To that speech in 1997 about losing his smile. With all the returns and great moments that Shawn Michaels has had, nothing… nothing, has given me the same feeling that the end of WrestleMania XXVI gave me. I found it hard to move, hard to type, hard to do anything. It was like Pittsburgh fans watching Mario Lemieux’s last game, or Chicago Bulls fans watching Michael Jordan sink that final shot. You hoped it would never end, and when it did, you just didn’t know how to react. That’s how I felt about Shawn Michaels.
In my opinion, he will always be the greatest performer, and the greatest superstar in the history of wrestling. There will be no-one, who comes close to Shawn Michaels. There will be no-one, who comes close to winning me over, and making me a fan for life. The business may not be the same as it was, but I will always the great matches, and memories, that Shawn Michaels gave me. Thank You Shawn. You made this little wrestling fan who he is today.
BoredWrestlingFan.com is saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa during a match the other night. Rather than put it into words ourselves, we’ll let The Sun newspaper from the UK do it.
Your Empress of “Impact” has had major internet access problems recently, resulting in a lack of columnage. While my connection lasts, here’s a link to a review of this week’s show: http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/9462/105/
