By Troublemaker
WrestlersRamblings.com
wrestling news

The highlights were few and far between in what my generation refers to now as the “Golden Age of Wrestling.” Doesn’t everybody have their own version of this point in time? Now don’t get me wrong here - the period between 1983-89 did change wrestling forever with the ushering in of the Rock n’ Wrestling Connection as well as the demise (unfortunately) of the independent regional promotion. It’s just that on a week-to-week TV-taping-basis the viewer was rarely thrown a bone in the form of a competitive match. Remember this was before the onslaught of monthly professional wrestling pay-per-views. Back then, the weekly wrestling programs were used as a tool to promote monthly house shows and not multi-million dollar mega cards. That phase came to fruition when cable television became the sole alternative for wrestling viewing. *Troublemaker Tidbit – At this time having grown up in the sticks – probably my original reason for becoming infatuated in a sport where men wear European swimsuits – my fandom was stifled by not having access to cable. Anyway, on the rare occasion a strap did change hands or a story line took on a new twist at a house show, we - the Saturday or Sunday morning viewer - would usually be treated to the last few minutes of the bout.* The following Top Five is a list of venues in which I wish I had the chance to catch a live show between the years 1983-89.

TOP FIVE WWF/WWE VENUES TROUBLEMAKER MISSED

5. Boston Garden – The highlights of Randy Savage downing Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Title were some of the best ever and revealed that as great Savage was Santana was no slouch himself. The match that effectively launched “Macho Madness� was the first of many gems to follow. I do have to be honest here though: The Troublemaker would pay good money to see a coin flip at the old Gahden.

4. Joe Louis Arena – I remember some great dark footage of a bout between Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff just after “Mr.Wonderful’s� infamous heel turn. Although the WWF eventually moved many of its house shows to the brand new Palace of Auburn Hills – a great venue where I did catch a few cards – it’s the downtown flavor of the Joe and the heat of that old school crowd that I wish I could have witnessed.

3. Philadelphia Spectrum – One of the more memorable title changes of this era occurred at the Spectrum when Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine bested Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo (or is Rotunda?) on June 17th 1985. A knock down, drag out affair between two great teams ended when “The Beefer� rubbed manager Johnny V’s lit cigar in the eye of Windham.

2. Maple Leaf Gardens – The one time home arena of the late great “Whipperâ€? Billy Watson, the Gardens were easily identifiable by the ramp leading from the dressing room to the ring. It was in this Toronto hockey barn that Ken Patera and John Studd shocked the wrestling world by cutting the legendary Andre the Giant’s hair. If memory serves The Troublemaker was aghast at this display of utter disrespect for his fellow man’s dignity.

1. Madison Square Garden – The “Mecca� as Gorilla Monsoon aptly named it years ago has probably been home to more memorable WWE moments than any other venue. The place where Wrestlemania blew the lid off the sports entertainment world, my memories run more to the weekly wrap-up show that usually featured at least one semi-squash match from this locale. Although electric atmosphere many times permeated the Garden, I remember getting a kick out of hearing fans chant b-o-r-i-n-g for the first time.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to register to here on Wrestlers Ramblings,com to be eligible for all our great contests and prizes!! Thanks for visitin’!

ATTENTION OLD SCHOOL FANS: TAKE A LOOK AT OUR RANKINGS OF TOP FIVE WWF 1980S JOBBERS! CLICK HERE!

photo used with permission of WrestleFanFest.com

By Troublemaker
WrestlersRamblings.com
wrestling news   

It wasn’t just Vince McMahon and his famous “grapefruits” who completely revolutionized wrestling around the mid-80s. For those growing up around that time, the introduction of the so-called “Rock n’Wrestling connectionâ€? was every bit as important in the development of sports entertainment as we all know it today. As I recall it all began with Hulk Hogan thundering to the ring to defend his belt while the strains of the Survivor anthem Eye of the Tiger blared over the PA. Had that song not been replaced by the now famous Rick Derringer ditty, Real American, the list I am about to compile could look a lot different. So with apologies to the WWE and all their efforts in recording ring entrance music, the following Top 5 list will only reflect for the most part, real music performed by real musicians.

TOP FIVE EIGHTIES RING ENTRANCE MUSIC

5. The Road Warriors – OK admit it, who else out there used to stay up until 2 a.m. waiting for Black Sabbath’s Iron Man and a chance to see Hawk and Animal storm the ring and execute one or two moves before cruising to another easy victory? And to think sometimes I actually wonder why I never had a high school sweet heart. (NOTE: I sure don’t. - Mr. Mal)

4. Kamala – A painstaking search recovered no name for the menacing chant that accompanied the Ugandan Giant to the ring. One of the few songs the WWE didn’t shelve in favor of their own, Kamala’s walk to the ring was made whole lot more intimidating by this primal number.

3. Eddie Gilbert – If I didn’t know better I’d swear Donna Summer had the late, great Gilbert in mind when she came out with the song Hot Stuff many, many years ago. Another spine-tingler.

4. Randy Savage – Although it was actually Gorgeous George who first entered the ring to Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, it was the “Macho Man� and his “manager� Elizabeth who I obviously identify with on this one. Had I attended my high school graduation I would have insisted on this march upon accepting my diploma.

1. Ric Flair – Long before the WWE butchered it, 2001 A Space Odyssey was the gold standard in ring entrance music. As the Nature Boy majestically “walked that aisle,� you knew as a fan you were about to get your money’s worth from a true master of his craft. Even the stripped down version gave me goose bumps at WrestleMania.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to register to here on Wrestlers Ramblings,com to be eligible for all our great contests and prizes!! Thanks for visitin’!

ATTENTION OLD SCHOOL FANS: TAKE A LOOK AT OUR RANKINGS OF TOP FIVE WWF 1980S JOBBERS! CLICK HERE!

By Union of Jack
Wrestlers Ramblings.com wrestling news  

Hey all, Jack back again with another Top Five list. To stop the inevitable arguments about the finishing maneuvers that I have left out, I’ve decided to only count moves that are used regularly and by wrestlers who are still in the WWE at this very minute. So what makes a finishing move better than somebody else’s? Can a champion become a great champion without a distinct finishing move? Get comfortable and all will be made clear . . .

TOP FIVE BEST WWE FINISHING MOVES

5. Randy Orton – RKO - When figuring out what order to put these moves into my top 5 I had to take into consideration a number of factors, the originality, how well it’s performed and of course the effectiveness. Although Randy scores high on his effectiveness the move is a modified “cutter� which has been used more famously by Diamond Dallas Page. The main reason why Orton gets into my list is because whilst using the move he became the youngest World Champion in the history of the Company. The move which takes little or no setting up can be hit at any time, meaning that Orton’s competition have to be constantly prepared.

4. Batista – The Batista Bomb - There’s no doubt that Batista has been a fantastic performer for the WWE and even when the crown was against him, he’s proven his ability. His version of the Powerbomb, the sitout Powerbomb has proven to be very effective in winning him the gold on numerous occasions. With pure strength being Batista’s only form of attack it’s crucial to have a dominant finisher that as soon as he hits it, the crowd no that the match is over.
Expect to see The Animal utilize his finisher to full effect through 2007 as I back him to retain the gold.

3. Edge/Bobby Lashley – The Spear - A move that is famous in all forms of professional wrestling, possibly made famous by Paul Heyman shouting GORE GORE GORE!! whenever now-TNA star Rhino would hit his high impact spear. The move is simple but effective, two keys characteristics that make a good finishing move. Edge and Lashley have both used their moves in winning the WWE championship and the ECW title respectively. The one time that using the spear stands out the most is last year when Edge faced Mick Foley at Wrestlemania 22, the most memorable moment of the night happened as Edge speared Foley through a flaming table!!

2. HBK – Sweet Chin Music - The showstopper’s finisher comes in at number two and over his career Shawn has used it to win Royal Rumbles and WWE Heavyweight gold. Already this year he has won the match of the year against Cena by reversing the FU into the Sweet Chin Music and finds himself well in the frame to win the Gold in the near future.

1. The Undertaker - Tombstone - The best move in the whole damn business without a shadow of a doubt, the tombstone piledriver. Its official that Takers’ move outclasses every other competitors finisher, very rarely has anybody even looked like kicking out of the tombstone. The move gets a huge pop from the crowd as Taker eyes his victim and signals by moving his thumb across his throat, and after the pinfall with his possessed face. His decade and a half of destruction has recently seen him use it to win the heavyweight title at Wrestlemania 23 in Detroit.

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