In this week’s newly-posted retro issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we go back to October 10, 2005, and the blowback and fallout from WWE’s release of ‘The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior’.
Dave Meltzer went into details on the internal and external reactions to the burial of the Ultimate Warrior, some of the truths told, some of the lies, and some of what laid in-between. There’s also a Dave recollection of a conversation with Vince McMahon about the Warrior that has to be read to be believed.
Dave also had some UFC/MMA notes and news from WWE, TNA, Mexico, Japan, and the rest of the wrestling world.
This week’s newly-posted retro issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is political in nature…in that it featured 2008 U.S. presidential candidates appearing on WWE Raw followed by an in-ring skit with parodies of those characters including Barack Obama (seen above).
Dave Meltzer covered that in addition to Georges St. Pierre regaining the welterweight title from Matt Serra in front of a raucous Montreal crowd at UFC 83.
Also, the Ultimate Warrior made his surprise return at a Spain indie show and there was a lot to discuss from that.
This was the issue that also covered Michael Hayes being suspended due to a backstage incident with Mark Henry, William Regal winning the King of the Ring tournament, and more.
Let’s have some fun on this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show looking back at a retro pro wrestling magazine.
These shows have proven very popular and this week, we are looking at WWF Magazine from September 1992 (31 years ago!) featuring Papa Shango on the cover. He is making life miserable for the Ultimate Warrior and WWF Magazine tells us all about it.
Other features include more neon than you can shake a stick at with Randy Savage, a new shady character has shown up in WWF, and we find out what is known about Razor Ramon plus looks at Curt Hennig, Rick “The Model” Martel, and The Undertaker.
WWE has changed courses again with the Jim Ross angle leading to Steve Austin’s first wrestling match since Wrestlemania on March 30, 2003.
On the 10/17 Raw from Sacramento, a match was announced with Austin vs. Jonathan Coachman for Taboo Tuesday on 11/1 in San Diego, where if Austin won, Ross would return as lead announcer on Raw, and if Coachman won, then Austin would be fired. It’s neither the first time Ross’ job has been at stake on a PPV, and it’s a repeat of the 2003 Survivor Series angle where Austin lost his job with the company as a result of his team losing a match.
Exactly where things are going is anyone’s guess. Everything on Raw was built to lead you to believe it’s a formality that Austin wins and Ross returns on 11/7. First, the very nature of Austin returning and facing Coachman, as well as the entire show being built around Ross, which makes no sense if he’s not coming back to announce. In addition, in Coachman’s first week as lead announcer, he did a horrible job, by design no less, in a role where his main focus was to parody Ross. In many aspects, the show came across as a disorganized mess, largely because you can see so many changes in midstream and more desperation booking reminiscent of the last years of WCW.
John LaRocca and I are back with the Fight Game Podcast.
On this week’s show:
I interview AEW superstar Jon Moxley about his new book (available for pre-order) that comes out on November 2nd. (A longer version of the interview will be on the Fight Game Media Patreon Friday.)
I ask John his thoughts on WWE signing Jimmy Smith to be their lead announcer for Raw. John was a diehard Bellator fan and thought Smith was the best color commentator in MMA at the time.
We then go over last Sunday’s A&E Ultimate Warrior documentary and our unique perspectives in watching his entire career.
Lastly, we review NXT, giving our likes and dislikes about what we both thought was a really good show.
Amid the ongoing health crisis, 205 Live’s typical match cards and structure were dropped this week. In its place was a new feature called “The Matches that Made Me.”
The Brian Kendrick acted as both the guest and host from what looked like his home while dressed in his entrance jacket. From this unusual setting, he answered questions regarding his relationship with professional wrestling.
“What was the match that made you fall in love with professional wrestling?” was the first question asked of Kendrick. He answered with the main event of WrestleMania VI, Hulk Hogan vs the Ultimate Warrior, and then proceeded to tell a brief story that led to his first viewing of the match. A typical childhood playdate transformed into a VHS WrestleMania watch party. After seeing the match, Kendrick concluded that being a wrestler is what he wished to do with his life. To put it in his own words Kendrick, “Wished to be the Ultimate Warrior.”
Hogan vs Warrior then played in full. It’s easy to see how this match, one of the most iconic in federation history, acted as a successful introduction to pro wrestling for a young Kendrick. The colossal men, who not only resembled Greek gods but also matched them in dramatics, came across that day as immortals. After seeing the farewell imagery of Warrior simultaneously clutching the bright yellow strapped intercontinental belt and the stunning winged eagle WWF Heavyweight championship, it is easy to see how boyhood Kendrick wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Following the conclusion of that match, Kendrick rejoined the broadcast. He was quick to address the next question of, “Which match that you competed in were you the proudest of?” He mentioned a pair of moments that he felt pride in, his reign as tag team champion with Paul London and his reign as cruiserweight champion following the birth of 205 Live, before coming to his emotional encounter with Kota Ibushi at the Cruiserweight Classic.
Following his middle-bracket loss at the event, Kendrick felt as if it might be the end of his time in the WWE. He said he was forced to look in the mirror following that match, a metaphorical action that in turn placed his career into perspective and ultimately led to his prolonged stay with the company.
Kendrick vs Ibushi then played in full. The high paced bout was equally dramatic and athletic. It perfectly played to the narrative laid forth by Kendrick in the prior segment. For every giant move delivered by Kendrick, Ibushi kicked out. Nothing Kendrick could do was enough and in the end, Ibushi came out on top. Being proud of this incredible match is easy, but using it as a tool for further improvement proves that Kendrick was and still is entirely dedicated to his craft.
This feature in place of 205 Live only scratched the surface of Kendrick’s long career. It could have definitely benefited from more of Kendrick, be it in the form of further thoughts on the matches showcased or voiceover in “watch-along” fashion. Though it wasn’t a thorough retrospective, rewatching these matches in the context provided by Kendrick was a satisfying change from the empty arenas.
Apparently, post-nuclear war, mankind will take off their shirts, dawn old football shoulder pads, and paint their faces. They may or may not have weird haircuts. Hockey masks may or may not be included. We will run around the planet chasing gasoline, but above all, else we will look really, really bad ass.
In the early 1980s the Mad Max movie sequel “The Road Warrior” spawned a huge number of dystopian renegade characters in wrestling.
First were Hawk and Animal as the Road Warriors, then Jimmy Hart introduced the lead heel in the movie, the Lord Humongous, then from there almost every territory introduced their clone or knock off version. As the Road Warriors gained more popularity the numbers grew.
The Road Warriors, Demolition, Lord Humongous, Sting, the Ultimate Warrior, the Powers of Pain, Madd Maxx & Super Maxx, the Terminator, the Black Assassin, and many more. Today, host Karl Stern takes a look at the weird gimmick of Power and Paint!
There are only 11 days left to get the 16gb Stern Stick Flashdrive full of wrestling history. Over 500 podcasts dealing with pro wrestling history and over 500 text and pdf files about wrestling including newsletters and more. Click here before it is too late. Free shipping world wide.
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On this look back at WWF SummerSlam 1992, Karl watches and reviews the entire show: Shawn Michaels, Rick Martel, The Natural Disasters, The Beverly Brothers, The Undertaker, Kamala, The Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage, The Legion of Doom, Money Inc, and the big main event of the British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental title and the honor of the Hart family!
Full review of the show with the following matches:
The Legion of Doom vs. Money, Inc. (LOD split up after this show and Hawk goes AWOL.)
Nailz vs. Virgil. (Nailz thought this match was so good he later attacked Vince McMahon over the payoff.)
Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel in a heel vs heel match with the love of Sensational Sherri at stake.
The Natural Disasters vs. The Beverly Brothers with Lanny Poffo in what is, shockingly, the third best match on the show.
Neon Crush vs. Demolition Smash in a Lone Ranger mask.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage for the WWF title with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect making the match worse.
The Undertaker in a mess against Kamala.
The British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental title with one of the worst promos ever and a career performance by Hart.
DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show: Mailbag question and answer part two. Second show of the week. On this show, host wrestling historian Karl Stern, answers more questions and addresses topics on old school classic pro wrestling history and more including:
WWF WrestleMania 8 and the two botched finishes on the show and the return of the Ultimate Warrior and fate of Sid Justice and Hulk Hogan.
We talk more about the hypocrisy of strong style wrestling and ECW.
Jimmy Valiant and Boogie Woogie Man’s place on the card and his crazy opponents.
What were The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) doing at WrestleMania 8?
The Massive difference between WWF and NWA (WCW) during that era and the Dangerous Alliance.
Plus a follow up on the topic of strong style wrestling and much more!
