Episode 115 - The Grandaddy

in ,

An original 1985 Starrcade VHS tape clam shell. Bought from the pages of PWI.

I’m always happy to welcome back Beau James (@kingofkingsport) back to the show. Just in time for Thanksgiving, we’re going to talk about the Grandaddy of them all, Starrcade. Well, the shows that were held on Thanksgiving by Jim Crockett Promotions, from 1983-1987.

We’re going to go over the cards on all five shows, spotlighting some underrated matches, as well as the ones everyone remembers: Flare for the Gold, The I Quit Match, the scaffold matches and more. We discuss some of the controversies on those shows, be it odd match selections, questionable booking and which show managed to kill two towns and a promotion in one night.

We also talk about the show Beau is running on Thanksgiving weekend in Kingsport and how people can help donate for folks in need this holiday season. If you can’t make it there live, you can donate on their website at https://donations.hungerfirst.org.

Happy holidays to those celebrating. Watch out for that tryptophan.

Episode Fifty-Six - Ursa Major

in ,
Ivan, Nikita and Don Kernodle.

Ivan, Nikita and Don Kernodle.

Wrestling Observer Live's Mike Sempervive (@sempervive) joins the pod to talk about the recent deaths of Ivan Koloff and George Steele. We discuss Ivan's historic win over Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title, his part in Ole Anderson's turn on Dusty Rhodes in 1980 and a long review of Ivan in Mid-Atlantic, from teaming with Don Kernodle to teaming with Nikita Koloff and Khrusher Khrushchev. We also mention some of his other career highlights, including the infamous "Russian Flag Burial" of Cowboy Bill Watts (my second favorite angle). We then discuss the passing of George "the Animal" Steele and his evolution or is that devolution from title contender to lovable "missing link" and his role in the Savage/Steamboat feud. There is also brief talk about the passing of Bruiser Bob Sweetan.

(1:00) - At the hour mark, we do some hockey talk. Mike talks about the playoff changes for the Rangers and the cataclysmic system for the Red Wings. We discuss the upcoming trade deadline, ways to improve it (many ideas borrowed from friend of the pod @jeffmarek), the success or lack thereof this year of the World Cup, ESPN's relationship to hockey and the NHl and more.