Tag: karl stern
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WON Hall of Fame ballot discussion show, pt. 2
I continue with part two of my popular annual look at this year’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballot. I break down the ballot and discuss my thoughts on each candidate. This year, there are a few rule changes (discussed in part one) and the addition of several tag teams. This episode, we continue…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Buddy Rogers vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
The next match in the DragonKingKarl GKT, aka the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament, is here! I discuss the lives and careers of the original “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and New Japan legend Hiroshi Tanahashi. Both men were among the best wrestlers and most charismatic stars of their eras. It’s the figure four leg grapevine vs. the…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A long-form look at March 1983
I am back with another long-form look at a specific month in pro wrestling, highlighted by Ric Flair circling the globe in a single day. In this look at March 1983, I use notes from the early Wrestling Observer Newsletter plus tons of research by many wrestling historians via When It Was Cool’s Ultimate History…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of pro wrestling at MSG continues
My series on the history of pro wrestling in Madison Square Garden picks up in the new building in New York City: Madison Square Garden II. William Muldoon is promoting suspicious boxing, suspicious wrestling, and mostly himself. Then, we get the arrival of possibly the most instantly over pro wrestler in history. You think Goldberg…
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DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: Lou Thesz vs. Bruiser Brody
The next match in the ongoing Greatest Kayfabe Tournament has been voted on by you, the listener. In this episode, we look at one of the greatest wrestlers in history in Lou Thesz and one of the greatest brawlers and wildmen in history in Bruiser Brody. The two have some history together, but Thesz was…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Gorilla Monsoon WON obituary
My rotation of classic pro wrestling history topics continues on this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. On a “From the Pages of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter” edition, we look back at Dave Meltzer’s biography on the death of Gorilla Monsoon which subscribers can read here. Not only was Monsoon a notable commentator during the Hulkamania era…
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DragonKing Dark: The death of Naomi Judd
We continue our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by looking at the recent death of country music star Naomi Judd. Judd was 76 years old and all of The Judds’ hit songs were behind them, so in terms of affecting pop culture, one might argue that this one doesn’t…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Pro Wrestling Illustrated from January 1983
In my rotation of retro pro wrestling podcasts on the DragonKingKarl Wrestling Show, I am adding old magazine reviews. The newsstand pro wrestling magazines were a staple of wrestling from the 1950s through the 1990s and especially peaked in the 1970-80s. Before the Internet and before newsletters were so widely distributed, the wrestling magazines are…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Yeti biography
I bet you didn’t expect this. Yes, Karl Stern vs. The Yeti. I saw the debut of The Yeti in WCW and am also a fan of giant tall wrestlers. I may be the only one, but this gimmick was something that straight out of Memphis wrestling, only it was on national TV. Ron Reis…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Ultimo Dragon biography
This week’s biography lands on one of my favorite wrestlers: Ultimo Dragon. I was already a big fan of his before he showed up on WCW television as a new international junior heavyweight. The photo of him as the J-Crown champion survives in pop culture as a meme of achievement. Dragon has had standout matches…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of pro wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens
On this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I take a look back at the history of pro wrestling at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Before the Tunneys, the Queensbury Athletic Club set the stage for one of the most famous pro wrestling venues in the world. This is their story.
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: One Man Gang/Akeem biography
The following is a free show. Just click below to listen. On a new biography episode of the DragonKing Classic Wrestling Show, I look back at the territorial era monster One Man Gang who later had his gimmick changed to the regrettable Akeem in WWF. Starting out with the outlaw promotions and then Angelo Poffo’s…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Earthquake/John Tenta biography
This is a free show. Just click below to listen. John Tenta (aka WWF’s Earthquake, WCW’s Avalanche and Shark) wrestled at LSU and then became a sumo competitor where he was a standout Westerner. But, he soon became disgruntled and switched to pro wrestling, first in Japan and then in the U.S., becoming a star…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: History of pro wrestling at MSG from 1880-1883
As part of my series looking at the history of pro wrestling at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” I conclude with all the wrestling events held at the first Madison Square Garden (Gilmour’s Garden) which featured the biggest act of the time in William Muldoon. It’s so amazing looking back on the New York wrestling…
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DragonKing Dark: The Harvey Weinstein scandal
My ongoing series examining 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues with a look at the movie scandal that spawned the #MeToo movement and the many crimes of producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was a powerful movie producer in Hollywood who is accused of numerous heinous sexual assaults against a large number of…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Owen Hart WON obituary
On this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, we take a look at Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter obituary for Owen Hart the week he was killed in a tragic fall in Kansas City, MO during the live WWE Over The Edge pay-per-view. Hart’s death still stands as one of the most tragic moments in the history of…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WWA Indianapolis retro review from May 1984
This week’s DragonKing Karl show focuses on some low-rent wrestling as WWA Indianapolis is about the dirt worst “major” pro wrestling show from the territory era I think I have ever seen. Dick The Bruiser literally gave zero sh*ts about his wrestling show. We have generic knockoffs of Abdullah The Butcher, Michael Hayes, and a…
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DragonKing Dark: The death of WCW
Continuing our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history, I return to the world of sports entertainment (pro wrestling) to find out how one company became the most profitable and successful wrestling company in the world and then sank over half of genre with it. The death of WCW is an amazing account of how…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Rick Rude’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter biography
In April 1999, 40-year-old Rick Rude was found dead in his home. Generally speaking, super fit 40-year-olds don’t just die of natural causes. So what happened to the former WWF Intercontinental champion? In this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I look at that week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter and how Dave Meltzer discussed the life, death,…
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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The longform history of pro wrestling in December 1982
On the new DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I talk everything that happened in December 1982 in pro wrestling. That list includes the infamous Jack Veneno vs. Ric Flair NWA title match; why a Jacques Rougeau by any other name is still Jacques Rougeau; Bob Backlund vs. “Superstar” Billy Graham redux, World Class Star Wars, Jerry…