Professional Wrestling 1985ish - 1992ish

[M.S.G.]

I'm 44, so I grew up in a unique time of sports entertainment. Does anyone remember when WCCW (the precursor to WCW) was on ESPN in the afternoons? It boggles my mind that it was allowed, it was SO BLOODY, barbed wire matches like crazy..

I tapped out of WWF/WCW when I went to college in the mid 90s, and many would say the peak happened after that, but I disagree.

I mentioned this in another thread, but I recently went down the rabbithole of Prime Time Wrestling, which was the show before Monday Night Raw was created. I enjoyed the 80's more than the 90's, as Gorilla and Heenan would just send us out to grimy matches from house shows. What a time to be alive, relived the rise of Hulkamania and saw stars like Macho Man, Jake Roberts blow up..

My biggest takeaways were: Ted DiBiase was actually an incredible technical wrestler - and Honky Tonk Man was the greatest IC champion of all time.

Share your memories, start debates, let's talk about that time period!

 

[Deepster]

Roddy Piper smashing a coconut on Superfly Snukas head was a top ten sports moment of my youth.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Roddy Piper smashing a coconut on Superfly Snukas head was a top ten sports moment of my youth.

True story and 40 years later one of my older sisters still loves to tell it.

When that happened, I left the sofa and put my face up to the TV to see if I could look up and behind the red X's.

 

[John]

I remember Bob Backlund

 

[storrsroars]

Didn't really watch wrestling after HS. but from 1985-1992 I worked at 999 Summer St. The WWE was right next door. Used to run into a bunch of them at the convenience store two doors down, and would run into Vince Jr. at least once a month during Friday night bar hopping. He especially liked the Mexican place that used to be at the end of Summer near where Sally's is now. But I always found it stupid and could not understand the appeal to anyone claiming to be an adult.

 

[M.S.G.]

The snake actually biting the out of Macho Man was craaaaaaaazy..

Miss Elizabeth was a 10/10 maybe a 100/10

 

[hardcorehusky]

My early recollections of wrestling were WWWF on Saturday mornings. Andre the Giant, Baron Miguel Secluna from the Isle of Malta, Haystack Calhoun, Bruno Sammartino. I remember they put a big red X on the TV when Killer Kowalski applied the abdominal claw. Stan the Man Stasiak and the Heart Punch. Tony Garea and either Dean Ho or someone else against Mr Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka and throwing salt in their opponents eyes. Great stuff.
80's great stuff. In the 90's I was losing interest until I saw this crazy wrestling at 1am. ECW was amazing. Story lines, etc. So many OMG moments. They incorporated tables, lucha style, etc with crazy characters.

 

[hardcorehusky]

I'm 44, so I grew up in a unique time of sports entertainment. Does anyone remember when WCCW (the precursor to WCW) was on ESPN in the afternoons? It boggles my mind that it was allowed, it was SO BLOODY, barbed wire matches like crazy..

I tapped out of WWF/WCW when I went to college in the mid 90s, and many would say the peak happened after that, but I disagree.

I mentioned this in another thread, but I recently went down the rabbithole of Prime Time Wrestling, which was the show before Monday Night Raw was created. I enjoyed the 80's more than the 90's, as Gorilla and Heenan would just send us out to grimy matches from house shows. What a time to be alive, relived the rise of Hulkamania and saw stars like Macho Man, Jake Roberts blow up..

My biggest takeaways were: Ted DiBiase was actually an incredible technical wrestler - and Honky Tonk Man was the greatest IC champion of all time.

Share your memories, start debates, let's talk about that time period!

The territory system was coming to an end in the mid 80's to 92. Wrestling on TBS with Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors was incredible stuff too. So, for arguments sake, Flair over Hogan!

 

[M.S.G.]

WOW! I don’t hate calling him #2 of all time, but why do you think he is #1?

 

[Deepster]

My early recollections of wrestling were WWWF on Saturday mornings. Andre the Giant, Baron Miguel Secluna from the Isle of Malta, Haystack Calhoun, Bruno Sammartino. I remember they put a big red X on the TV when Killer Kowalski applied the abdominal claw. Stan the Man Stasiak and the Heart Punch. Tony Garea and either Dean Ho or someone else against Mr Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka and throwing salt in their opponents eyes. Great stuff.
80's great stuff. In the 90's I was losing interest until I saw this crazy wrestling at 1am. ECW was amazing. Story lines, etc. So many OMG moments. They incorporated tables, lucha style, etc with crazy characters.

Every summer I go to the races in Saratoga with my best friend we drive through Malta, NY. Every year we say “From the isle of Maltaaaaa, Baron Miguel Sciiiiicluuunaaaa”. Good times.

 

[Deepster]

SD Special Delivery Jones
The Unpredictable Johnny Roz

Two palookas.

 

[dvegas]

Went to Wrestlemania 1 broadcast at the HCC with my 5 housemates from our party house in West Willington. Met buddies from SCSC who were bodybuilders and knew lots of the WWWF guys from World Gym in Hamden. Ridiculous amounts of liquor and substances. Can't believe we were so into it, or who drove home, not me, I'd still be in prison. Last time I cared about rassling. Always 5hits and giggles to see Sargent Slaughter pimping around in his camouflage Lincoln Continental in Stamford in the early 90's. Occasional Hulk Hogan sighting also, they lived in the condos across from Jimmy's Seaside on Cove Road

 

[Chin Diesel]

Loved the WCCW with Von Erichs and Freebirds.
NWA with Rock and Roll Express and Midnight Express.
Was an early fan of Barry Windham. Guy could work all night.
Road Warriors in AWA and NWA.
Really wish I was a few years older and could appreciate the Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufmann storyline.

As a kid my dad would take me with the church group to HCC and Springfield Civic Center. Springfield was first place I ever smelled weed.

The Don Muraco and Jimmy Snuka feud was awesome.

I now live in Panhandle of Florida where the original Wild Samoans, Muck Foley, Bob and Brad Armstrong, Uso brothers, Roman Reigns, Yokozuna and Rikishi amongst others lived, grew up or trained. Everyone who grew up in this area has stories.

 

[Deepster]

Every time Chief Jay Strongbow would come on, my old man would say "He's no Indian, you know. He's a ginny garbage man from New Jersey."

There was no internet back then. I just assumed somehow he knew something. A few years ago, I was telling that story and checked it out. Sure enough, he's italian and from New Jersey! No idea if he was a garbage man or not, but at this point, I have to believe my old man there! LOL

 

[M.S.G.]

One of my buddies dad's was a professional wrestler Yukon Jack from northeast CT.

Also learned recently of the phrase "enhancement talent" which is a nicer way to call a guy a jobber.

Barry Horowitz and Brooklyn Brawler were amongst the goat jobbers

 

[dbmill]

The territory system was coming to an end in the mid 80's to 92. Wrestling on TBS with Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors was incredible stuff too. So, for arguments sake, Flair over Hogan!

I started watching professional wrestling off and on when I was a teenager in the 1970's, and while I was a student at UConn in the late 1970's into the 1980's. I remember going to a WWF match at UConn while I was a student there that I believe was held at the field house.

I continued watching professional wrestling even more consistently once I graduated from UConn, and continued watching until around the turn of the century, when I finally lost interest in it. Mainly watched WWF and WCW on TBS, but some other wrestling leagues as well. During that time I really enjoyed watching this stuff, and certainly saw many of the wrestlers mentioned in this thread.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

The evil identical twin referee was the high water mark for me.

 

[M.S.G.]

Living in Eastern CT growing up, we got TBS through Charter in like.. '90 or so? seeing WCW on TBS opened by eyes to the WWF alternatives. Obviously WWF was always the king but it was very cool to see the territories kind of coming together on WCCW and AWA which led to WCW as we knew it.

 

[hardcorehusky]

I used to see the wrestling magazines in the store and see covers of guys like Tommy "wildfire" Rich bleeding. In the late 70's, that is how I knew what happened outside the WWWF.

 

[hardcorehusky]

WOW! I don’t hate calling him #2 of all time, but why do you think he is #1?

Flair worked like 350 days a yr. Hogan's matches were all the same. Get beaten down, survive, Hulk up, leg drop and win.

Flair had chops, flip over the corner buckle, strut and the figure floor plus an assortment of low blows and pulling the tights. Both were money. Flair had Dusty and the 4 horsemen. Hogan to me, didn't mKe anyone else better. Flair did. I guess that is what they call getting someone over.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Flair worked like 350 days a yr. Hogan's matches were all the same. Get beaten down, survive, Hulk up, leg drop and win.

Flair had chops, flip over the corner buckle, strut and the figure floor plus an assortment of low blows and pulling the tights. Both were money. Flair had Dusty and the 4 horsemen. Hogan to me, didn't mKe anyone else better. Flair did. I guess that is what they call getting someone over.

Flair and Ricky Steamboat had some epic one hour matches.

Also really liked the Steiner Brothers before Scott got completely 'roided out. Steiners vs. Nasty Boys were some great matches.

 

[AreBee1969]

I have you buy 10 years so these may pre-date you, but WWF was fantastic in the '80s.

Great personalities like the Macho Man, Jimmy "Super Fly" Snooka Jake the Snake, Paul Orndorf.

Great villains like Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ric Flair, Adrian Adonis, The Iron Sheik, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

Even better were the managers. Jimmy Hart, The Grand Wizard, Lou Albano and my favorite was Classy Freddy Blassie.

It was also the golden era of Tag Teams too. Saito and Fuji, Tony Garrea and Rick Martell, the Moon Dogs, British Bulldogs, Strongbow Brothers.

And don't forget the referee Danny Davis, banned for 99 years! LOL!

 

[hardcorehusky]

If you folks ever get the chance, watch videos on YouTube of the old territory system that lasted until the early 90's. All those loser leaves town matches were designed as exit matches to go to the next territory.

 

[Dove]

Growing up, wrestling was on Saturday mornings. Great times. My boys were Roddy Piper, Super Fly, Adrian Adonis, Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man. Killer Khan scared me.

Recently was talking to someone and they said that Hamden was the place to see the 80s guys because the WWE trained guys in that area.

Stopped watching when The Rock and Stone Cold ebbed.

 

[hardcorehusky]

During Covid I started watching again after probably 15 yrs. The Bloodline stuff is really good and had been a storyline of over 2 years!

 

[M.S.G.]

I have you buy 10 years so these may pre-date you, but WWF was fantastic in the '80s.

Great personalities like the Macho Man, Jimmy "Super Fly" Snooka Jake the Snake, Paul Orndorf.

Great villains like Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ric Flair, Adrian Adonis, The Iron Sheik, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

Even better were the managers. Jimmy Hart, The Grand Wizard, Lou Albano and my favorite was Classy Freddy Blassie.

It was also the golden era of Tag Teams too. Saito and Fuji, Tony Garrea and Rick Martell, the Moon Dogs, British Bulldogs, Strongbow Brothers.

And don't forget the referee Danny Davis, banned for 99 years! LOL!

Great post! Another huge observation is how intensitive or downright inappopriate some of the gimmicks or things that were said in interviews during this time. Holy moly, in hindsight.. The 80's were a MUUUUUUUUUCH different time

 

[Deepster]

It had to be like 1983/84, WWF came to the Civic Center and my friend's dad got us good floor seats. Maybe 10 rows back but right on the velvet rope where they'd enter in from the corner, so they all walked right by us.

When Andre the Giant came out, it was an absolute spectacle. Seeing a human that big? I was maybe 14? We were awestruck. And then, across the aisle, this little elderly Italian woman flipped him off with a double bird, then SPIT ON HIM. She was maybe 5'1", 100 lbs and he literally could have eaten her in one bite.

 

[B1GEast]

A cousin of mine fought Sargent Slaughter, he was never a well known fighter. We were shocked when they announced his name. My mom cried when Sarg put him in the Cobra Clutch.

 

[dvegas]

Recently was talking to someone and they said that Hamden was the place to see the 80s guys because the WWE trained guys in that area.

World Gym East. Pretty sure it was in the industrial park where Space Ballroom is now, and was owned by Mike Katz. If MSG is the mecca of professional wrestling, World Gym was the mecca of steroids.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

If you subscribe to the Peacock network app which I think is $5/month, it includes pretty much every Wrestlemania ever. I used to go to shows at the New Haven Coliseum every once in a while and watched it every Saturday morning when I was a kid. Now my son it into it so we went to the Raw 30th anniversary show in Philly a few months ago. It still is a big adrenaline rush in person even though I’m getting over the hill.

Later than 1992 but Pete Gas (of the Mean Street Posse) is a friend of mine and is a super nice guy. Played football at UConn and got into wrestling by way of his neighbor who he was best friends with…Shane McMahon.