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It’s time once again for the biggest show Karl Stern does every year — a detailed look and discussion of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ballot.
Karl has been a Hall of Fame voter for many years, and this year’s ballot is interesting due to several names being put back on and a few being dropped off. Among the names discussed in this massive show are CM Punk, Edge, Sgt. Slaughter, Junkyard Dog, Kerry Von Erich, Bearcat Wright, Dr. Wagner Jr., Jim Crockett, Big Daddy, and many others.
This week’s episode takes a look back at the February 20, 1982 edition of Southeastern Championship Wrestling featuring Jacques Rougeau, Jos Leduc, Ric Flair, Ron Fuller, and an absolutely terrible match between Tony Charles and Les Thornton.
It’s old school territorial wrestling for you this week on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show.
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, host Karl Stern takes a look back at the March 3, 1986 edition of Mid-South Wrestling. This was the next to last show before the changeover to UWF.
Dick Slater and Dark Journey throw the Mid-South TV title off a bridge, Jim Duggan is on fire, the rise of Sting, “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, Ted DiBiase, and much more! An outstanding edition of Mid-South Wrestling.
We have hit the 1980s and there is so much more information that we can no longer cover an entire year per episode. So, today we take a look at the first few months of 1980 and talk Mr. Wrestling II, Tatsumi Fujinami, Ron Starr, The Wild Samoans, Dennis Condrey & David Shultz as a tag team, Ric Flair, Harley Race, and more!
On this week’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, we begin a new series looking back into the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We will be, from time to time, looking back at Dave Meltzer’s obituaries and biographies. On this episode, we take a look at the deaths of Chris Von Erich and Ed “The Bull” Gantner and see what Dave wrote at the time and what we have learned since.
Host Karl Stern has a retro wrestling TV review on today’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show.
From May 1988, we take a look back at the first company that Paul Heyman was hired to turn around. Continental Wrestling was getting long in the tooth and had sold to a new owner. Eddie Gilbert and Heyman were hired to shake things up. This is an example of what they did — and you can see the seeds of ECW and WWE in it.
Featuring Sid Vicious, Shane Douglas, the infamous beer bottle angle between Dirty White Boy and Tom Prichard, Danny Davis, Austin Idol, and much more. Plus, Gilbert beats up a mark from the stands (sort of).
Why is WWE so terminally un-hip? It wasn’t always this way. In the mid-1980s, the WWF was a pop culture house of fire and everyday people knew who Hulk Hogan was. MTV, Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, movies — it was a perfect story of pop culture relevance.
In the late 1990s, DX and the NWO heated pro wrestling up again. NWO and Austin 3:16 shirts were everywhere. So, how did we get from there to here? Is there anything that can happen to make wrestling — particularly WWE — relevant in pop culture again?
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, pro wrestling historian Karl Stern takes a look back at the year 1979 in pro wrestling.
1979 was a pretty epic year in wrestling, and Karl looks at Dusty Rhodes (who finally wins the NWA World title), Harley Race, Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, Tommy Rich, and the whole Bob Backlund-Antonio Inoki-Bobby Duncum WWF title change debacle. Plus, some follow-up notes, additions, and corrections from 1978!
Who are the greatest pro wrestlers in all of history? You might immediately think of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Lou Thesz, Frank Gotch, or even Strangler Lewis. But perhaps the best wrestler ever might be someone who is basically an unknown. Let me tell you the story of Alexander Aberg, champion of the Brooklyn International Tournament, who met a sad and tragic fate.
The mystery of Boesch vs. Washburn. In 1935, pro wrestler Jack Washburn was arrested for using a steel plate inside his knee pad against future legendary pro wrestling promoter Paul Boesch, who was a wrestler at the time. The judge found Washburn guilty.
Was this a shoot? What was Washburn trying to accomplish by assaulting Boesch? Was it a 1930s wrestling angle gone wrong? We examine all the available evidence on this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show
Karl “DragonKingKarl” Stern is back for another deep dive into pro wrestling history. On this episode, we take a detailed look at 1978 and cover such names as Superstar Billy Graham, Harley Race, the Funk Brothers, Stan Hansen, Ted DiBiase, Bob Backlund, UWA Mexico, Japanese tournaments, and the death of John Pesek. From the home of the Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling project, this is the longform history of pro wrestling in 1978!
On today’s retro TV review, Karl Stern takes a look at an AWA All-Star Wrestling episode from August 1981. It features The High Flyers, Hulk Hogan, an awful Johnny Valiant promo, the world’s most awkward wrestler Baron Von Raschke, Tito Santana, Jesse Ventura, Karl’s irrational hatred of Adrian Adonis, and mush mouth Andre the Giant.
It’s a fun show (by AWA standards) with some interesting stuff!
NWA JCP retro TV review from July 13, 1985
What a grand show this was as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express battled and won the NWA World Tag Team titles from The Russians (Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khruschev — the future Demolition Smash). Plus, appearances by Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Nikita Koloff, and David Crockett loses his mind. An awesome and non-embarrassing pro wrestling program from the past!
We continue our longform history of pro wrestling series today by looking back at the year 1976, which had several historically important moments.
We look back at the rise of Bob Backlund, Bruiser Brody in WWWF, Bruno Sammartino, a tragedy in Tennessee, and the famous Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki MMA fight and the shows stateside that went along with it. Another great audio installment of pro wrestling history.
On today’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, Karl Stern looks at Continental Championship Wrestling from November 22, 1986.
The show features Gordon Solie on commentary, Ron Fuller and his battle against Kevin Sullivan and the New Guinea Headhunters, Roy Lee Welch, Tom Prichard, The Nightmares, and Jerry Stubbs & The Dirty White Boy as a tag team!
