On this week’s Pro-Wrestling Super Show on Place to be Nation, Steven Graham is joined by Will (Special Event Recaps, Wrestling with the Past, Good Will Wrestling) and Parv (Where the Big Boys Play & Titans of Wrestling) for part 1 of this two-part snapshot on Ted DiBiase. There are some tangents, but they are relevant to the topic at hand, Ted DiBiase. A very fun episode and long awaited by Parv fans.

 

Here are the three matches that were watched for this episode:

1. vs. Pat Patterson (6/19/79), WWWF
2. vs. Mr. R (2/11/84), GCW
3. vs. Jim Duggan, Cage, Tuxedo, Coal Minors Glove, No DQ, Loser Leaves Town (3/30/85), Mid-South

 

http://placetobenation.com/pro-wrestling-super-show-the-wrestler-snapshot-7-on-ted-dibiase-part-1-july-15-2014/

In reference to the talk show segment names:

 

The Yacht Club with Ted DiBiase.

Here is the bowtie and braces pic I mention. Thanks again to Steven for indulging me. I'm told he has had to go on holiday to recover from 4 hours of DiBiase chat.

What is a Parv fan ? Is it like Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. Lol I'm looking forward to this. Could be epic or full of delusions of grandeur . Either way should be a fun ride .

I'm with you Pete. #TeamKelly

I'm about 29 minutes in, does Will ever realize that "braces" means "suspenders" in England?

PARV FAN.

I humbly request that the Parv Points Award be included in future end of show awards. That right there is pure gold.

Here's why JYD couldn't have been a touring NWA Champ. Each territory had to have their local hero fight the touring Champ and no one would have wanted to boo JYD.

Edit: the myopic view

There was an old Apter mag article about Iron Sheik's boots being mystical and passed down to him .

I'm about 29 minutes in, does Will ever realize that "braces" means "suspenders" in England?

 

Nope, had no idea. Point still stands either way... nerdy mother fucker.

As if I'd ever wear the braces you have in your teeth. In this country "braces" are what IRS wears, "suspenders" are what women wear as part of their kinky lingerie. I've just had to look it up but apparently you guys call women's suspenders "garter belts". Silly Americans Honestly, the difference in usage has never occured to me unitl just now.

 

I've been thinking about the JYD thing and I don't see how it could have worked. Who would he have faced in each town, the local villain? What if the territory didn't really have a top heel? That was the versatility of Jack Brisco, he could go in as the firey babyface or could play the subtle heel, depending on the context. Are you going to ask JYD to play the subtle heel?

 

The only way a babyface champ can work is through a national promotion a la Hogan in WWF. One champion for one roster. The NWA champ was one champion for multiple rosters.

 

The reason that Dusty never had the belt for long was for all of the above, and for the fact that he was better in the chase than being chased. AND for the more practical reason, of course, namely that he was a booker connected with either the Florida or the Crockett office and so couldn't take off on those trips because there was TV to write.

 

You can have a babyface travelling NWA champ, but it has to be one who can go "tweener" when the circumstance dictates it. If Lawler is your top face in Memphis, do you really want the NWA champ taking on whoever was being managed by Jimmy Hart at the time or do you want him taking on Lawler?

 

"Yeah but why not just go face vs. face?"

 

Because how many times can you run JYD vs. babyface Lawler before the novelty of seeing two heroes wears off? At the end of the day, the crowd wants to cheer someone. More to the point, you risk JYD being booed, and then your babyface champ is getting the wrong sort of heat. When it's Jack Brisco it doesn't matter so much, when it's JYD, the pop is all he has.

 

Agree?

As if I'd ever wear the braces you have in your teeth. In this country "braces" are what IRS wears, "suspenders" are what women wear as part of their kinky lingerie. I've just had to look it up but apparently you guys call women's suspenders "garter belts". Silly Americans Honestly, the difference in usage has never occured to me unitl just now.

 

 

I was actually wondering about this recently, what is the British term for metal things that straighten your teeth? (No cracks about British dentistry, please)

That's hilarious.

 

As for the NWA touring champ thing. I actually thought of a scenario to counter Parv's eventual response last night and I'll post it today.

 

 

As if I'd ever wear the braces you have in your teeth. In this country "braces" are what IRS wears, "suspenders" are what women wear as part of their kinky lingerie. I've just had to look it up but apparently you guys call women's suspenders "garter belts". Silly Americans Honestly, the difference in usage has never occured to me unitl just now.

 

I was actually wondering about this recently, what is the British term for metal things that straighten your teeth? (No cracks about British dentistry, please)

We call them braces (or train tracks).

We get Parv's point system, bringing a briefcase to school at age 11, it wouldn't surprise me if you had an invisible friend named Virgil too. This explains a lot Parv.

Good show lads. Any clues on matches for part 2?

Oh, by the way Parv, Cornette's podcast last week was with Matysik. Right up your street, I'd imagine (You'd be a lot mor use than Alice anyway..).

I thought this show was absolutely brilliant. So much fun.

Will was your history prof Dr. Phil Schneider?

Pete bringing the snark in this thread.

 

I loved this episode and thought Parv did an admirable job giving his reasoning for his adulation of Ted. I never have to agree with someone's point of view, just see where their reasoning comes from and this was conveyed here. Looking forward to part 2.

Will was your history prof Dr. Phil Schneider?

Dr. Mora Torres. I wasn't fucking around...

 

http://las.depaul.edu/departments/history/faculty/pages/juan-mora-torres.aspx

Now Will has anyone bought into your touring champ idea? Because I know Johnny and didn't buy it when you tried to push the idea to us.

Nobody... but you guys are stuck in an outdated paradigm.

Reading the 1977 book, Lawler had 1 or 2 title shots a year from the touring champ. Early on, he was a heel when Brisco would roll in. When Race rolled into town in 1977, he was a recently turned babyface. The first match went to a draw and the rematch had Valiant cost Lawler the title with Race making the save (according to the book).

 

With a little tweaking, you can have the local champ aligned with the world champ and have the local babyface get over as well or continue a feud.

 

Possible Scenario:

Announced NWA champ Jolly McHappy is coming to town. Local babyface, Happy GoodGuy is eager to prove himself against his good friend Jolly. Dastardly Von Evil comes out to bitch about Happy;s title shot, knocks him out, piledrives him from the bleachers, throws Polynesian salt in his eyes, burns him with Oriental fire, or hires Sinister Lenny to take him out by driving a forklift over him. Von Evil gets the shot instead, Jolly is fighting for his friend's honor and Happy comes out to make sure Von Evil loses and we keep the belt on Jolly. Jolly promises Happy a title shot next time he is in town. Von Evil is pissed and local feud continues as Jolly goes to another territory and rinses and repeats.

 

It isn't fucking rocket science.

But eventually the fans will want to see Jolly McHappy vs Happy GoodGuy. It can draw once, but what then? How do you book the 5th time the NWA champ comes to town? Or the 10th?

But here's the problem with your examples Will.

What sort of worker is Happy GoodGuy?

This sounds ridiculous, but it matters. If Happy Goodguy is a worker like JYD, then it's going to be difficult to keep coming up with scenarios like you've just outlined while keeping it interesting. Why? Because unless Dastardly Von Evil is a super worker in each and every territory, your main event is going to blow.

 

And then, if you do get to the Jolly McHappy vs Happy GoodGuy, face vs. face blowoff, unless Jolly McHappy is a very very capable worker, your big marquee match for the year is going to suck.

 

JYD worked in Mid-South because Watts was a master at promoting around him, at protecting him, at putting him in spots where his limitations were well hidden and where guys like DiBiase or The Midnight Express could bounce around the ring for him literally working the proverbial broomstick,

 

If, in your scenario, Happy Goodguy is a worker like JYD, then you need to count on EVERY promoter not only booking him as smart as Watts did, but also having the workers of the calibre of those Watts had at his disposal. Even if you assume the NWA President is booking the finish of the match, a lot of the time the details were left up to the night. If it's Ric Flair, he can work 60 minutes in his sleep with no plan. If it's JYD and his opponent is ... Bulldog Bob Brown, then ... oh. What if his opponent is Dusty? Oh. Suddenly the main events across the country are looking truly terrible from an in-ring point of view and you don't have a Bill Watts protecting him.

I actually forgot who I agreed with and who I disagreed with.