Tag: Dragon King
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: February 1982 in pro wrestling
Ob episode 64 of the DragonKingKarl Longform History of Pro Wrestling series, we are covering February 1982. Jimmy Golden wins a van, the AWA World Champion tours Japan, something historic happens at the Kiel in St. Louis, WWF Champion Bob Backlund is feuding with Jesse Ventura, Jerry Lawler is feuding with Dutch Mantel, NWA Champion Ric Flair…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: John Cena vs. Sting
Image: WWE The Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues this week with one of our most interesting matches ever. John Cena vs Sting. From two different eras but two wrestlers very similar in many ways. Both were, at times, the franchise players for their promotions. Neither were technical masters but both were exceptionally popular with fans. You…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: CWA Memphis Bill & Buddy Show review
This week on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show we have another spotlight on Southern pro wrestling with a look at a TV show from CWA Memphis wrestling from April 5, 1986 where — much to the dismay of Jerry Lawler and Dutch Mantell — Bill Dundee and Buddy Landel took over the TV studio for…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The F4W diss rap
This week’s DragonKingKarl Show is not family friendly. Sorry, but sometimes I need to say something with an exclamation point. I’ve been around F4W Online before Dave Meltzer even arrived and now, we have a johnny-come-lately who has been passively aggressively messing with me for some time. After his latest little jab, I ain’t taking…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The life of Big John Studd
From the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, I take a look back at the obituaries, biographies, and history pieces written by Dave Meltzer. On this episode, I discuss the life and career of Big John Studd via Dave’s obituary from the March 27, 1995, Observer. He was a memorable TV character from the Hulkamania era…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WWC Aniversario 1985 review
Today’s episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show features a fun retro review of the 1985 WWC (Puerto Rico) Anivesario Show which recently appeared on YouTube. The show includes a wild barbed wire tag team match between The Sheepherders (the future Bushwhackers) and The Invaders. Plus, Abdullah the Butcher faces Carlos Colon, an NWA World…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: January 1982
This week kicks off our discussion of the year 1982 in pro wrestling by taking a look at January when Ric Flair was NWA World Champion, Bob Backlund was WWF World Champion, and Nick Bockwinkel was AWA World Champion. Additionally, 1982 kicks off a really strong couple of years for Southeastern Wrestling, Jerry Lawler was…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Funk Jr. vs. Vachon
Match number 27 in the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament takes place this week and pits two contemporaries against each other: NWA World champion Dory Funk Jr. vs. AWA World champion Mad Dog Vachon. The two actually met several times in real life and — surprisingly — it appears one is undefeated against the other. Let’s talk about…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Southern wrestling spotlight
Tuesday’s show kicks off a new series as I will be reviewing an episode of a classic southern pro wrestling promotion and what better place to start than with the first episode of Ron Fuller’s full-fledged Southeastern Championship Wrestling. Airing throughout Alabama and in parts of Florida, we get introduced to Fuller, Bob Armstrong, Eddie…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The death of Eddie Gilbert
From the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we go over Dave Meltzer’s obituary of Eddie Gilbert on today’s episode. Gilbert was a good southern style brawler wrestler and studied the wrestling business. By his late 20s he had already booked in Memphis, Watts’ UWF, Continental, WCW, and the early days of ECW. He was…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Mid-Atlantic retro TV review
This week on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show we take a look back at Mid-Atlantic Jim Crockett pro wrestling from May 1986. The episode features Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant, Hector Guerrero & Manny Fernandez as a tag team, Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) doing battle with The James Boys/Gang (Magnum…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of wrestling hillbillies
We continue our down home country month with Karl Stern taking a look at famous pro wrestling hillbilly gimmicks, including the incredible story of Elvira Snodgrass, a pioneer in women’s wrestling who partnered with her hillbilly husband Elmer. Elvira was married several times, had a car wreck. and literally cut her own arm off to…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: December 1981 in pro wrestling
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling show, we finish going through the year of 1981. NWA World Champion Ric Flair tours Florida, Bob Backlund battles Don Muraco in the WWF, and Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka win the annual All Japan tag team tournament. Plus, Sports Illustrated does a story on Andre the Giant,…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Death of Jerry Blackwell
Today we return to the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for another biography/obituary from Dave Meltzer. This time we look at the Mountain From Stone Mountain — Jerry “Crusher” Blackwell. Blackwell was a big star in the AWA and remained loyal to them for most of his career, though he did also have success…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The first WWF Buried Alive match
For your Halloween week enjoyment. let’s talk about a spooky match: the first-ever Buried Alive match at 1996’s WWF In Your House between Undertaker and Mankind. Mankind was being managed by Paul Bearer at the time and both men were exceptionally good…despite the match being ridiculous. The match itself also featured appearances by Hunter Hearst…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: ECW TV pilot review
Now for something really scary. Oh boy, maybe you were a fan of the counterculture ECW promotion back in the 1990s, I know I was. Well, be glad the original pilot episode never aired. It is very indierific. We have Sandman before he was a hardcore legend and was just a surfer dude, assorted northeast…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WCW Uncensored 1996 Doomsday Cage match
Now for something really scary! In 1996, Hulk Hogan, running on fumes with the red and yellow Superman gimmick, decided it would be a good idea to just destroy all the heels in one match and even import a few. So, Hogan grabbed partner Randy Savage and a three-story cage gimmick was built. The Dungeon…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Sid Vicious as Lord Humongous
We all know Sid Vicious. He looked like a million bucks, was as champion in both WWF and WCW, and was a major player during the 1990s. However, he began his career as one of the men to play the Lord Humongous character, starting in Memphis then going to the Continental Wrestling Association. On this week’s DragonKingKarl…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: AJ Styles vs. Booker T
The votes are in and you have chosen a winner in match 26 of round one of The Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: AJ Styles vs. Booker T in a clash of two modern era wrestlers. Styles started off in the Georgia indies, got a small break in WCW, but really came into his own in TNA.…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 2020 Observer HOF ballot discussion
It’s time for historically our most popular show of the year. Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) has been a voter in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame for over a decade and every year discusses the ballot on his podcast. If you’ve ever wondered about the wording, criteria, and structure of the ballot — all is…