Tag Archives: Greg Valentine

Episode 135: The WWF MVPs, Part Two

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Steve Generalli, a knowledgeable longtime WWF fan. In the second segment of a two part series, we talk about the Most Valuable Players of the Bob Backlund era, year by year. We cover:

–Captain Lou Albano, and how if managers qualified for the MVP he might have won it in 1982.

–Magnificent Muraco’s arrival in 1981, and how he looked like the next Superstar Billy Graham.

–Pedro Morales becoming the rock-solid number two babyace in the WWF.

–1983 feeling like reruns with tried and true stars like Sgt. Slaughter, Magnificent Muraco, The Samoans, and more coming back.

–Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito being absolute heat machines in the territory.

–How Greg Valentine’s return in 1981 looked like the end for Bob Backlund.

And more, plus Steve and I give you the top five on our WWF MVP ballot for 1981, 1982, and 1983, so what are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a rawbone podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 134: The WWF MVPs, Part One

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Steve Generalli, a knowledgeable longtime WWF fan. In the first segment of a two part series, we talk about the Most Valuable Players of the Bob Backlund era, year by year. We cover:

–Bob Backlund, and how he was a huge success as Bruno Sammartino’s successor.

–Bruno Sammartino, as he disappears when Backlund wins the title and re-appears when the time is right.

–Ivan Koloff, and why he was so valuable as a challenger.

–Peter Maivia, and the turn that made him a main eventer.

–Greg Valentine, and how his first WWWF run made both he and Bob Backlund bigger stars.

–Pat Patterson, and how his four match series vs Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden was so brilliantly booked.

Steve and I give you the top five on our WWF MVP ballot for 1978, 1979, and 1980, so what are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO this wicked good bad boy!

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed, we’ll give you a rawbone podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 117: Artificial Charisma

This week Steve Generalli returns to Stick To Wrestling and we talk the year of 1979 in the WWWF, which became the WWF that year. We dig into:

–Victor Rivera returning as a heel.

–The return of Bulldog Brower after a “team of doctors” declared him stable enough to compete.

–Greg Valentine’s debut, and him introducing the figure four leglock to the Northeast and breaking Cheif Jay Strongbow’s leg with it.

–The oddball pushes given to Roddy Piper and Bad News Allen Coage.

–The Valiants adding a third brother to the mix.

–A preliminary guy named Bob Fulton who would go onto big things.

And much, much more! Plus Johnny Mac goes on a non-wrestling related rant, so what are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO this wicked good bad boy!

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 79: Inspirational Wrestler Of The Year

This week John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are joined by popular guest Thomas Bane as we present Part Two of our look back at the 1979 “Apter Mags” awards as published in the Spring 1980 Sports Review Wrestling magazine. This was the last year before the awards were permanently moved to Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

–Did they get it right by naming Greg Valentine as Most Hated Wrestler?
–Comeback Wrestler of the Year did not yet exist, but who would have gotten it?
–Who was the Most Improved Wrestler by Apter Mag standards?
–How did a guy who finished third in the Rookie of the Year balloting in 1977 actually win it in 1979?
–Arnold Skaaland as Manager of the Year? If you say so.
–Of course, we take Inspirational Wrestler of the Year as seriously as one can.

There’s more as we reflect on the career of Junkyard Dog, and we take a look at Starrcade ’89. What are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THIS BAD BOY!

STICK TO WRESTLING- give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a WICKED GOOD podcast every week!

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 77: Seventy Years Of The King

Stick To Wrestling welcomes Shawn Heimberger as this week’ guest, since one guy on the show with that name apparently isn’t enough.

It’s Jerry Lawler’s 70th birthday and we celebrate The King’s legendary career! Jerry had two no questions asked Hall of Fame careers, first as a Memphis wrestler and then again as a WWF commentator and personality. We talk about some of the highlights of Lawler’s career, and also:

–Jim Cornette resigns from NWA Powerrr, his top ten one liners of all time, and his heat with Baby Doll.

–WWE Survivor Series, and the decline of The Fiend.

–Did Bob Backlund draw houses in the WWF, or did they draw in spite of him?

–Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee: real life rivals.

–What is our favorite Jerry Lawler match of all time?

–What is our favorite Jerry Lawler angle of all time?

–Did the 1982 Pedro Morales vs Greg Valentine feud get the right push?

Plus Shawn talks about Bob Backlund evolving into a nerdy gym teacher.

What are you waiting for, DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THIS RAWBONE BAD BOY!

Stick To Wrestling- Give us sixty minutes and we will give you a WICKED GOOD PODCAST!

Produced by Lou Kipilman

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network

Episode 68: Sittin’ By The Campfire With Ric

This week the STICK TO WRESTLING podcast has Tyler Judd as the guest. Tyler grew up in rural Virginia and he speaks with first hand expertise of what was going on in the Mid-Atlantic promotion during the Fall of 1984! The times they were a changing for this promotion in 1984, and we get into the details of:

–Dusty Rhodes becoming the new face of the promotion.
–Wahoo’s turn and subsequent run as a babyface. Boy oh boy, Tully Blanchard was a bad influence on that guy.
–We tell you who walked out despite having a major babyface push planned for him.
–What was the plan for Barry Windham in JCP during this time? We tell you.
–What was it like seeing such a huge transition, with Mid-Atlantic losing guys like Greg Valentine, Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, The Briscos, Bob Orton Jr, etc?
–We talk about an absolutely bizarre and hilarious skit featuring Ric Flair and Blackjack Mulligan.
–Mike Rotondo was born ten to fifteen years too late.
–What should the main event of Starrcade ’84 have been?
–Now that Dusty’s here, everyone’s gotta be a cowboy.
–Don Kernodle and his strange 1982 – 1984 odyssey.

Plus, Sean Goodwin shares a brilliant observation about Starrcade ’84 that’s never been discussed before (We know ALL of the discussions. Trust us).

What are you waiting for? Get off your duffs, then DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THIS BAD BOY!

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 62: Stop Your Sobbing

On this week’s Stick To Wrestling podcast we continue our Summer Series as we take a look at the Summer of 1979 in the WWF as John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are joined by fellow old school WWF fanatic Randy Barrier. On the table this week:

–Pat Patterson wins the North American title, and then “wins” the Intercontinental Title.

–Swede Hanson gets a main event in Madison Square Garden, Pat Patterson gets an unprecedented four match series against Bob Backlund, and Roddy Piper gets the shaft. John shares his theory of how Hanson got that spot.

–“Millions Sob As Volkoff Attacks Bruno”. That really was on the cover of “The Wrestler” magazine after Volkoff did exactly that in the Summer of 1979.

–The Greg Valentine vs Chief Jay Strongbow feud, which started with Strongbow writhing in agony with a broken leg at ringside while the matches went on as scheduled with the heels taunting him.

–The Valiant Brothers main evented Madison Square Garden in 1974 and 1975, then finally returned in 1979…but things just weren’t the same. What went wrong?

Plus, Randy provides a firsthand account of Jimmy Valiant turning on Chief Jay Strongbow in 1971.

What are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD THIS BAD BOY! STICK TO WRESTLING! Give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a wicked good podcast.

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 38: Binghamton, NY Knows Too Much About Greg Valentine

John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are once again joined by longtime WWWF / WWF fan Steve Generalli, who is perfect for this show since we focus on 1981 WWF Wrestling, among other things!

We take a look at:
–The Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine one hour draw that was recently released on WWE Network, a match many of us have been dying to see for over forty years. We have differing opinions on the quality of this bout.
–Remembering the late, great Pedro Morales.
–Sam Muchnick yelling at Vince McMahon Sr.
–A look at Hulk Hogan’s first run in the WWF.
–Were Tony Atlas and S.D. Jones supposed to win the WWF tag titles?
–A general look at the greatness that was early Sgt. Slaughter.
–Stan Hansen finally returns after an absence of almost four years.
–The Moondogs…we didn’t like them.
–Bulldog Brower…we didn’t like him either.
–The Hulk Hogan vs Tony Atlas feud.

Plus, a story about the time Larry Sharpe tried to pull a dine and dash on one of us and John McAdam is finally acknowledged as the king of bringing up people’s wonderful personal qualities.

It’s a very cool discussion. Actually, it’s wicked cool! Every week give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a sweet podcast – STICK TO WRESTLING!

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 36: The Hammer

It’s Valentine’s season. We talked about Johnny Valentine on the last show so why not talk about Greg Valentine this week?

John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are once again joined by longtime Carolinas fan Mike Gunter who provides tremendous first-hand perspective on Greg Valentine’s career.

We discuss:

-The Greg Valentine vs Wahoo McDaniel feud and how it tied into Johnny’s feud vs Wahoo.
-Greg Valentine’s run in the WWF in 1979. His run against Bob Backlund and his feud vs Chief Jay Strongbow.
-The start of the Ric Flair vs Greg Valentine feud and how Valentine brutally breaks Ric’s nose for real.
-Greg Valentine’s run in the WWF and how John thought Greg WOULD have won the WWF championship in 1981.
-The legendary Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper feud that led to not just the brutal Dog Collar match at Starrcade ’83 but the series on the road afterward.
-The ad on TV that said Hulk Hogan was coming in to see his buddy Ric Flair win the title!
-Greg’s arrival as a superstar back to the WWF in 1984 and his decline to “just another guy” status.
-Greg as a member of the Four Horsemen in 1988? WHAT? This was a real possibility.
-But wait! An amazing and hilarious story about Greg Valentine buying stereo equipment and accessories from Mike at a strip mall in 1979!

It’s a very cool discussion. Actually, it’s wicked cool! Every week give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a heart-stirring podcast – STICK TO WRESTLING!

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Episode 30: The End Of An Era

This week on Stick To Wrestling John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are joined by noted wrestling humorist Scott Cornish, who was a WWWF fan from the start of the Bob Backlund until the end.

We discuss:

–Why did Bob Backlund lose the title to Iron Sheik? This is the big one, we discuss the details.
–How would we have booked Bob Backlund’s title loss?
–Bob Backlund winning the WWF title in 1978.
–Iron Sheik WON THE WWF TITLE? We give our reactions.
–The 1981 Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine series, what we expected to see from it, and the completely weird finish to their October 1981 match at Madison Square Garden where the title was held up.
–The decline of Bob Backlund, starting in late 1982.
–How Hulk Hogan was introduced and immediately put in the position as WWF champion.
–What a one man tidal wave Hulk Hogan was and how the WWF transitioned from a regional company to a national powerhouse. –What did Arnold Skoaland ever do?
–If Backlund’s WWF title reign was a slice of watermelon, Sean Goodwin got stuck with the rind at the end.
–Bob Backlund as WWF champion was Al Pacino in The Godfather. Yes he was.
— Gonna be a Man In Motion, y’all.
–All of this plus Johnny Mac driving a car from Orlando, FL to Nashua, NH in 1981, St. Elmo’s Fire, John’s annual violation of Vermont’s driving laws, and what he was doing as a sixteen year old at 4:00 AM on October 21, 1981, all wrestling related because we STICK TO WRESTLING!

Stick To Wrestling: Give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a wicked good wrestling podcast.

Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.