Tag: Dragon King
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
On my run through various WCW Halloween Havoc pay-per-views throughout the month of October, we hit the 1990 edition of the classic fall tradition. If you missed it, listen to my look at the 1989 HH. This one is packed with hilarity. Various matches, storylines and headscratchers include Terry Taylor as the Black Scorpion, the Fabulous…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WCW Halloween Havoc 1989
The first of four WCW Halloween Havoc reviews for the month of October has arrived on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show. 1989 was the first WCW Halloween Havoc featuring the Midnight Express, Tommy Rich, The Freebirds, The Dynamic Dudes, Doom, The Steiner Brothers, Lex Luger, Brian Pillman, the Skyscrapers, The Road Warriors, and a…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1980 in pro wrestling, pt. 2
On this edition of the longform history of pro wrestling series, I continue my deep dive into 1980 including Verne Gagne not being able to give up the AWA world title and putting himself over Nick Bockwinkel, the continued rise of Hulk Hogan, the retirement tour of Jackie Fargo, Roger Smith and Don Bass, the Iron Sheik, The…
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DragonKingKarl From the Pages of the Observer: Deaths of Gene Anderson, Lance Idol & El Gran Davis
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, Karl Stern looks back at three short obituaries pulled from the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Gene Anderson was one half of the famous Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Ole Anderson and a well known name on the East Coast. You might have never heard of…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Annual WON HOF discussion
It’s time once again for the biggest show Karl Stern does every year — a detailed look and discussion of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ballot. Karl has been a Hall of Fame voter for many years, and this year’s ballot is interesting due to several names being put back on and a few…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Thesz vs. Stevens
The Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues as this matchup pits one of the most legendary in-ring wrestlers of all time (Lou Thesz) against one of the most influential wrestlers of all time (Ray Stevens). Who will win? You the listener voted and we have the winner. We also discuss the careers of both Thesz and Stevens, plus the…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Southeastern Wrestling 1982 TV review
This week’s episode takes a look back at the February 20, 1982 edition of Southeastern Championship Wrestling featuring Jacques Rougeau, Jos Leduc, Ric Flair, Ron Fuller, and an absolutely terrible match between Tony Charles and Les Thornton. It’s old school territorial wrestling for you this week on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show.
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Mid-South review from March 1986
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, host Karl Stern takes a look back at the March 3, 1986 edition of Mid-South Wrestling. This was the next to last show before the changeover to UWF. Dick Slater and Dark Journey throw the Mid-South TV title off a bridge, Jim Duggan is on fire,…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Start of 1980 in pro wrestling
We have hit the 1980s and there is so much more information that we can no longer cover an entire year per episode. So, today we take a look at the first few months of 1980 and talk Mr. Wrestling II, Tatsumi Fujinami, Ron Starr, The Wild Samoans, Dennis Condrey & David Shultz as a…
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DragonKingKarl: From the pages of the Observer – Deaths of Chris Von Erich and Ed Gantner
On this week’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show, we begin a new series looking back into the pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We will be, from time to time, looking back at Dave Meltzer’s obituaries and biographies. On this episode, we take a look at the deaths of Chris Von Erich and…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Strangler Lewis vs. Bret Hart
The Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues (not ironically while in the middle of the real-world G1 tournament). But what if the G1 featured literally the greatest wrestlers in all of history? That’s kind of the idea behind the GKT. We are up to match 16 of round one — and it is a clash of eras.…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The first time Heyman shook up a company
Host Karl Stern has a retro wrestling TV review on today’s edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. From May 1988, we take a look back at the first company that Paul Heyman was hired to turn around. Continental Wrestling was getting long in the tooth and had sold to a new owner. Eddie Gilbert…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Wrestling in pop culture, how can WWE be hip again?
Why is WWE so terminally un-hip? It wasn’t always this way. In the mid-1980s, the WWF was a pop culture house of fire and everyday people knew who Hulk Hogan was. MTV, Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, movies — it was a perfect story of pop culture relevance. In the late 1990s, DX and the NWO…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1979 in pro wrestling
On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, pro wrestling historian Karl Stern takes a look back at the year 1979 in pro wrestling. 1979 was a pretty epic year in wrestling, and Karl looks at Dusty Rhodes (who finally wins the NWA World title), Harley Race, Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, Tommy Rich, and…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: HBK vs. Giant Baba
The GKT — Greatest Kayfabe Tournament — continues, and we have a bizarre matchup this time. It’s a real clash of styles and eras as All Japan king Giant Baba faces off against the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels! This match would have been a train wreck in real life, but what did our voters say? Join host…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The greatest wrestler you never heard of
Who are the greatest pro wrestlers in all of history? You might immediately think of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Lou Thesz, Frank Gotch, or even Strangler Lewis. But perhaps the best wrestler ever might be someone who is basically an unknown. Let me tell you the story of Alexander Aberg, champion of the Brooklyn International…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Mystery of the assault of Paul Boesch
The mystery of Boesch vs. Washburn. In 1935, pro wrestler Jack Washburn was arrested for using a steel plate inside his knee pad against future legendary pro wrestling promoter Paul Boesch, who was a wrestler at the time. The judge found Washburn guilty. Was this a shoot? What was Washburn trying to accomplish by assaulting Boesch?…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: 1978 in pro wrestling
Karl “DragonKingKarl” Stern is back for another deep dive into pro wrestling history. On this episode, we take a detailed look at 1978 and cover such names as Superstar Billy Graham, Harley Race, the Funk Brothers, Stan Hansen, Ted DiBiase, Bob Backlund, UWA Mexico, Japanese tournaments, and the death of John Pesek. From the home…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Jack Brisco vs. Triple H
The GKT continues! It’s all about the game and how you play it…yeah, Jack Brisco probably isn’t listening to that nonsense, but how did the voters see it? This week, two eras collide when we look at the former NWA World heavyweight champion and one of the most respected (and legitimate) mat wrestlers in history…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: AWA All-Star Wrestling retro TV Review
On today’s retro TV review, Karl Stern takes a look at an AWA All-Star Wrestling episode from August 1981. It features The High Flyers, Hulk Hogan, an awful Johnny Valiant promo, the world’s most awkward wrestler Baron Von Raschke, Tito Santana, Jesse Ventura, Karl’s irrational hatred of Adrian Adonis, and mush mouth Andre the Giant.…