PeteF3

Being in a multicultural environment didn't stop John Rocker from being a bigoted piece of shit, nor did getting older. I can only go by the facts, not speculation--and not empty "that wasn't who I am" boilerplate apologies, either.

He pledged support for a white-power band that sang about bringing about a second Holocaust and a member of which shot up that Sikh temple in Wisconsin. What more could you possibly need to see?

Yeah, no, not me either. I admit to laughing at some of what he said, but a majority of it was just the lamest hackiest shit imaginable. Ooh, Buddy Landel had a coke habit--what a refreshing take. Maybe that was edgy to say among sheet-readers in 1992 but here it came off about as sharp as a wet bowling ball. I dug in my heels and finished the show, but I'm with BigBadMick...maybe a quarter of a segment. Usually BTS is good at dialing back that stuff the following week, but Bix following that up this week with a minutes-long digression about a proper substitute word for "castration" wasn't one of the show's high points, either. Thank God for PocketCast's 30-second skip button. I know I'm a stick-in-the-mud on the subject because a little bit of Tom Green goes a long way with me too, and I know I'm in the decided minority on that.

I actually think it was somebody else--either Crow, Wolf, or Riggs of the tag team the Terminators, who were Eddie Sharkey guys who worked Windy City and a bit in Memphis.

Daddy is nowhere near Hogan's league as a worker. It's as big of a gap between Bret Hart and Mantaur, strictly in terms of between-the-bells work.

If it were that "clear" then he'd already be voted in. Not only is your narrative just as convenient and simplistic as the people's with whom you're arguing, but why *shouldn't* we emphasize work for an institution where work matters? Daddy is a much less skeevy Fabulous Moolah. Both bring zero positives or outright negatives as workers or influencers and their cases revolve entirely around the nebulous and tautological idea of already being famous. Daddy doesn't even have Hogan's resume of launching promotions to new heights--British wrestling had already peaked as a crossover phenomenon when his star exploded.

Halls of Fame bestow fame, they don't honor it in and of itself.

With Daddy, for me it comes down to: 1.) He was super-famous, but I don't feel he was as big of a draw as his rep--British wrestling as a whole was bigger in the '60s and '70s than it was in the '80s and certainly in the '90s. 2.) In the 3 major Observer HOF criteria--drawing power, quality of work, and positive influence--he's say a 9.5/10 in one category and a zero to negative in the other two. I fully agree that drawing in the UK is different than drawing in the US, but even if Daddy sold out Wembley Arena 185 straight times like Bruno's MSG legend I wouldn't see him as a HOFer, because his influence was universally negative (why would anyone want to hold *him* up as an example of what British wrestling was like?, and he ended up killing the golden goose anyway, or at least being a major contributing factor) and his quality of work was nonexistent. Only Tiger Jeet Singh compares in terms of sheer non-output over the course of so many years.

I'm comfortable putting Jake vs. Sawyer in the ****-****1/2 range. Sawyer is really good too, but this is a Jake masterpiece. He has all of those "little things" psychology-wise that everyone likes to talk about, but he also adds some pure viciousness and even some high-end offense to his demolition of Brett Wayne. The added drama from Ole, II, and Buzz all on the outside is great as well.

Sad news, as it appears Rassle Reel has gotten taken down. I don't know if he had anything ultra-valuable, but as a general reminder, save shit!

Cawthon had match times and finishes for most of that MSG card, including that match, so I assumed it was out some way or another.

Three of the four are out there already, but not exactly easy to just find on Youtube on a stable channel, at least. But an early Konnan dark match tryout against Art Barr of all people? Yes, please! Edit: Graham has Barr working the Juicer gimmick, which I believe is how PWI reported it at the time as well. That may be an interesting visual in a WWF ring.

A DANNY HODGE match??! Hodge footage is an absolute holy grail.

Not to mention the Last Battle of Atlanta turning up. Here's hoping Flair vs. Backlund is in there somewhere.