Two things:

 

1. Does anyone have any info on AJPW commentators from the 70s, 80s and 90s? Who were they? When were they changed etc?

I know that Akira Fukuzawa was the screaming 90s AJPW commentator. [/size]

 

I kind of want to know who were guys were before him. There's one from the 80s who usually does play-by-play with Baba on colour. I was trying to work out if it's the same guy in the 70s.

 

Basically, I am trying to work out if there's a AJPW equivalent of a Gordon Solie or Bob Caudle who Mr. Orgasm replaced.

So watching all the Nitros on the network caused me to wonder, when exactly did the original Big Gold belt get damaged? The very top is bent in slightly, and it never got fixed until Hulkster took his ball and went home after the Russo incident. I always thought it made WCW look so minor league that they would throw money at any jobber that ever had a match in the WWF but couldn't be bothered to do a minor repair on their world title belt.

RIP Ricki Starr

 

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/39202-legendary-ballet-dancer-turned-wrestler-ricki-starr-passes-away

 

Interesting and unique performer, and I'd like to some day research him more. Not a ton of footage out there, but here is a match from the Chicago Archives:

 

I'm a little surprised he was still alive. Kind of a gimmick wrestler, a good performer from the little I've seen. Probably pissed off the purists, but guys like him make wrestling fun.

So Corey Graves is in the WWE2K15 game despite being out of action pretty much all year due to concussions, which reminded me of something. Wasn't there some sort of issue with guys in NXT getting career ending injuries in training that kind of got swept under the rug? I recall Dave tip-toeing around it a few times on various radio shows, If I recall correctly there were a few people who were alleged to receive buyouts/payoffs to keep quiet, and anyone who makes a peep about what went on in training seems to get dogpiled immediately.

 

Was there something to that, and if so why would any of the usual reputable news places not say anything about it?

To be honest I'm a bit of a ha-do-ken merchant and then if someone comes close do the classic jumping fierce, standing fierce, dragon punch triple combo.

I legit beat the SF2 on low and mid kicks. Just stuck to trapping them in the corner then low kicking them to death.

So Corey Graves is in the WWE2K15 game despite being out of action pretty much all year due to concussions, which reminded me of something. Wasn't there some sort of issue with guys in NXT getting career ending injuries in training that kind of got swept under the rug? I recall Dave tip-toeing around it a few times on various radio shows, If I recall correctly there were a few people who were alleged to receive buyouts/payoffs to keep quiet, and anyone who makes a peep about what went on in training seems to get dogpiled immediately.

 

Was there something to that, and if so why would any of the usual reputable news places not say anything about it?

A few of them got jobs working behind the scenes. I know Graves still works there as a behind the scenes guy.

Yeah I wonder if these behind the scenes jobs were given as thinly disguised hush money so word doesn't get out that Bill DeMott is killing people in developmental. Wasn't that the reason they have cameras everywhere but in the shitters now?

Everyone knows that Guile's four fierce combo is the king of old-school SF2 combos.

 

Also, I will play Parv for any amount of money in ST, A2, A3, 3S, CvS2, MvC2, and UMvC3.

This might have been covered before but Bill seems like such a RANDOM choice to have as a head trainer. Why him? Why SPECIFICALLY him? Maybe I'm just a mark, but if I was running a program built on developing the future of my company...Bill would be the LAST person in the world I would ever consider. So why keep him around? If he were to step down, who would replace him? Smiley? Noble?

So Corey Graves is in the WWE2K15 game despite being out of action pretty much all year due to concussions, which reminded me of something.

Corey is in the game as 2K took the scans of the Wrestling either at NXT Arrival (February 2014). Corey Graves suffered a really serious concussion in a match at WWE Fan Axxess Wrestlemania weekend a month or so later.

 

Wasn't there some sort of issue with guys in NXT getting career ending injuries in training that kind of got swept under the rug? I recall Dave tip-toeing around it a few times on various radio shows, If I recall correctly there were a few people who were alleged to receive buyouts/payoffs to keep quiet, and anyone who makes a peep about what went on in training seems to get dogpiled immediately.

 

Was there something to that, and if so why would any of the usual reputable news places not say anything about it?

There's a lot to that. The talents sign Non Disclosure Agreements. Graves gets interviewed all the time and there's no mention of him being injured even. Assume Corey tells the interviewer he can't legally mention it.

 

I talk to a few people in NXT even operating on that limited basis of knowledge believe me that's a lot of stuff that really gets kept under wraps. The type of stuff that if I was to post online that would change the perceptions of wrestlers/trainers there that would result in a flood of abuse or in me being aggressively pursued to prove it. Which I can't as it would reveal who got the information from. WWE does amazing job keeping the public perception of NXT as positive and bouncey.

 

A few of them got jobs working behind the scenes. I know Graves still works there as a behind the scenes guy.

Yep Graves works in Creative, is the sound guy at Live Events and apparently is training to be a commentator.

 

Yeah I wonder if these behind the scenes jobs were given as thinly disguised hush money so word doesn't get out that Bill DeMott is killing people in developmental. Wasn't that the reason they have cameras everywhere but in the shitters now?

That was the case in Deep South Wrestling at least.

 

This might have been covered before but Bill seems like such a RANDOM choice to have as a head trainer. Why him? Why SPECIFICALLY him? Maybe I'm just a mark, but if I was running a program built on developing the future of my company...Bill would be the LAST person in the world I would ever consider. So why keep him around? If he were to step down, who would replace him? Smiley? Noble?

I think people have got it wrong when it comes to the Head Trainer role. Bill does very little hands on training. It is more of a management position. Why Bill Demott replaced Tom Pritchard was that Triple H wanted one of his guys, Tom took the side of talent over management, Triple H wanted drill instructor type training and Bill had better computer skills than Tom.

 

I don't know who would replace Bill to be honest.

My best games were Mortal Kombat II, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter & Killer Instinct. Also, to tie this in with pro-wrestling, WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game by Midway. I used to rock people with Doink.

 

Those were the ones that I bothered to get decent at, anyway. I have high expectations for Mortal Kombat X & will be getting a new generation console just to play it. Probably will buy an arcade stick so I don't have to play it with a controller too.

Best of WWF Vol 20 - Just before Hogan v Rude, that's Kevin Dunn in the skit arguing with Sean Mooney over the 'party', isn't it?

 

Brian Christopher has released an album (available to stream on Spotify) featuring guest vocals from Rikishi and Jerry Lawler.

And I thought the Hayes stuff was embarrassing… Nice Paint atwork too.

Heard it is as good as the new Flying Lotus record.

I have listened to 35 seconds of Christopher's album and can confirm it is as every bit as good as any seminal work of music you can think of.

So I happened to see this match listed on some St. Louis footage: Crusher Blackwell vs Tom Malley & Dewey Robertson. Assuming that Dewey Robertson is The Missing Link, that would be one of the only times I can think of a guy who has been on BOTH sides of a handicap squash match. Can anyone think of any other examples?

I've been looking out for this since it aired and I've finally stumbled across it: Madusa, Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper and Sting on Bill Maher's Politially Incorrect.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SFrlIVJdBg

My favorite wrestler appearance on Politically Incorrect is still Macho Man Randy Savage's appearance on there.

 

Bill Maher asked the "is it fake?" question.

 

Macho's response: "When I win, it's for real...when I lose, I'm taking a dive!" with a giant grin on his face.

Starting in 2000 I've noticed that when Triple H is given the first entrance in a match he often attacks his opponent as soon as they hit the ring; not letting them do their pre-match shtick. If Triple H is the second entrance though, he gets all his shtick in because the ref holds back Trips opponent from attacking him. It's little things like this that made it so easy to hate Trips for all the wrong reasons back in the day.

Along those lines, I noticed starting in late 1998 that a staple of Vince Russo match layouts was guys rushing entrances to brawl. It's one of those things that is cool in small doses to get over a feud as especially heated, but really dumb week after week.

Starting in 2000 I've noticed that when Triple H is given the first entrance in a match he often attacks his opponent as soon as they hit the ring; not letting them do their pre-match shtick. If Triple H is the second entrance though, he gets all his shtick in because the ref holds back Trips opponent from attacking him. It's little things like this that made it so easy to hate Trips for all the wrong reasons back in the day.

By all accounts The Rock was the least paranoid, over-protective star in the locker room and he's the one who went on to have the most incredibly successful in-ring and post-wrestling career. I just find it fascinating.

Being secure in yourself is a great trait to have in the wrestling business.

I've been looking out for this since it aired and I've finally stumbled across it: Madusa, Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper and Sting on Bill Maher's Politially Incorrect.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SFrlIVJdBg

 

Thank you for finding and sharing this. I can't believe I've never seen it before.