Straight out of 1986-87, this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show takes a deep dive into the Jerry Lawler vs. Austin Idol steel cage hair vs. hair match which also included Tommy Rich and Paul Heyman.
I had so much fun putting this show together and I encourage not only fans of classic wrestling to listen to this show, but also modern fans who don’t understand why we keep harping on good promos and continuity today.
This show is a masterclass in how to do an angle right with some of the best promos you’ve ever heard in addition to peak Tommy Rich.
Velvet Sky opened the show with a neon light on attempting to talk seductively. I have no idea what this has to do with wrestling. She threw it to the first match.
Cyon defeated Garrison Creed
Creed and Cyon started brawling and went to the floor quickly with Cyon locking eyes with Austin Idol at the commentary desk as he beat on Creed. Joe Galli pressed Idol for more information about being Cyon’s father, but Idol refused to say more. Creed got some offense after snapping Cyon’s neck off the ropes.
Idol was clearly cheering for Cyon, so that seems to be an advancement in the story. Creed hit a vertical suplex and rolled over to hit a headbutt. Creed called for a killshot with a running knee, but Cyon hit a death valley driver for the pinfall. Cyon locked eyes with Idol again after the match.
– JTG and Dango were with Sky and she proposed that she would manage them, among other things. There were many awkward lines here.
Paola Blaze defeated Tootie Lynn
Lynn hit some kicks and a monkey flip on Blaze for a two count. Lynn transitioned into an armbar, but Blaze fought out after poking the eyes which Idol called technical wrestling. Blaze locked on a chinlock and later hit some forearms in the corner, but missed with double knees. Lynn hit a series of kicks and then an enziguri for a two count. Lynn hit a roundhouse kick that dropped Blaze, but Blaze pulled the referee in the way when she charged and rolled up Lynn with her feet on the ropes for the win.
– Sky was with JTG and Dango again and there were a lot more awkward lines.
– Aron Stevens was in the ring for a wrestling clinic with KC Rocker. Stevens demonstrated an armbar and apparently dislocated his shoulder. Stevens then cranked his neck with a cravat, switching accents as he spoke. He ended with the Mongrovian side choke. Stevens had an incredible amount of spray tan on. He choked him out with the Mongrovian side choke, driving his thumb into the neck of Rocker and hitting him with several elbows in the corner to knock him out to end the demonstration.
– Idol interrupted Sky’s awkward monologue and asked her what she was doing. She claimed that Idol ruined her moment and she threw it to the main event.
This was a heel vs. heel match, so that immediately messed with the psychology. Jeez hit a dropkick to Stanley’s stomach, but got driven back to the corner where Rudo tagged in and hit a corner clothesline. Rudo hit a back suplex on Jeez, but Jeez got up and hit some chops.
Jeez went for a sunset flip, but Stanley broke it up and tagged and stretched Jeez with an abdominal stretch. Jeez tagged out after hitting another sunset flip on Rudo and Rockett came in for a big dropkick and near fall on Rudo. Rudo hit an STO on Rockett for another near fall Stanley hit a back body bomb, but missed an elbow after a cocky pin attempt. Rockett hit a powerslam for a two count and Jeez hit a flatliner on Stanley for another two count.
Jeez sent Rudo to the floor with a low bridge and then hit a tope con giro while Rockett hit Stanley with a Booker T-style side kick to get the win.
The show ended with Idol and Sky arguing and she walked off, leaving the mic with Idol. He then claimed it was Idol After Dark now.
Final Thoughts”
I can’t recommend watching this episode at all. It was completely missable and not worth your time. No real story advancement, and just a ton of awkward, bad segments.
I had such fun putting this show together and I encourage fans of both classic and modern wrestling to listen to this one, especially those who don’t yet understand why we keep harping on good promos and continuity.
This show is a masterclass in how to do an angle the right way with some of the best promos you’ve ever heard as well as peak Tommy Rich.
Tommy “Wildfire” Rich became a near instant star in the early 1980s but almost as quickly as he shot to stardom, he fell from the top going from one of the youngest NWA World Heavyweight champions to a comedy figure in just a few years time.
So, what went wrong? Actually, Rich had a better career than most give him credit for. And in this show, Karl Stern will talk about that in detail, including Rich’s involvement in one of the best angles of 1987.
Fred Ward and Harley Race believed in Rich to such a degree that he had a short run as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion while being one of the hottest ever babyfaces in Georgia. Often moving back and forth between Georgia and Memphis wrestling, it seemed like Rich was building toward becoming one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and possibly beyond.
But it burnt out as quickly as it started. Though Rich worked a variety of places including Continental, AWA, and WCW, he never came close to recapturing that magic he had early on in Georgia.
But for a short time in 1987, he did. Along with Paul Heyman (Paul E. Dangerously at the time) and Austin Idol, he was part of one of the last great angles of the territorial era where the heels finally outsmarted Jerry “The King” Lawler. In the weeks leading to a big hair vs. hair match, Rich laid down a great series of promos and matches which helped build to the big surprise – when he came out from under the ring in a steel cage match and cost Lawler his hair for the first and only time in his career.
On the latest episode of our classic wrestling July marathon, join us in taking a look at “Wildfire” Tommy Rich.
The women’s pet and the men’s regret is the topic of today’s show, Jackson! Even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recognized the incredible promo skills of Austin Idol and raved about him on the mic. When you are recognized as a great promo by probably the greatest promo in the history of the business… well…that’s saying something.
The master of the Las Vegas Leglock was a cross between Superstar Billy Graham and Ric Flair but in many ways almost cooler. “The Universal Heartthrob” was a big star in several regions of the country including the Southeast, Memphis, and Georgia. He even survived a plane crash! As a babyface, he was the coolest guy in the room, leading Idol’s Army against the heels. Idolmania was running wild before Hulkamania was. As a heel, he was incredible. He was often a bigger heel behind the scenes than he was in the ring. He once legit cashed a kayfabe battle royal check.
Today, host Karl Stern talks about some of the greatest Austin Idol moments including the legendary Idol and Tommy Rich battle with Paul Heyman against Jerry Lawler. The July Classic Wrestling Marathon rolls on!
DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show: Biography Series – The Mongolian Stomper. I wanted to dedicate an entire biography show to the late Archie “The Mongolian Stomper” Gouldie. He was my first favorite heel character when I started watching wrestling. Normally, I would not expect a lot to be made of the Stomper’s death other than a mention here or there since he was not a giant international star. But to me, here in the deep southern United States and, I am sure, to many in Canada he was a very big deal.
Today I want to talk about the career of the Mongolian Stomper and talk about the angle that made him my favorite. He was well spoken in some areas, while in others he was a grunting brute. Yet, even when he played the brute, his angles were often sophisticated. He was part of a famous, very heavy, angle in Stampede wrestling that lead to the shows announcer quiting. He did a similar angle in Alabama.
On today’s show I will talk in detail about another sophisticated angle he did involving Ric Flair, Austin Idol, Buddy Rogers, and much more. Today, I am going to give the Stomper his due and I hope you enjoy learning about a relatively under rated wrestling star.
