Tag Archives: WWWF

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 85: Bruno Sammartino; Human Lawn Dart

This week’s Stick To Wrestling centers around the August 7, 1976 WWWF show from Madison Square Garden. We discuss:

–The reaction toward Stan Hansen after he broke Bruno’s neck.

–Vince McMahon’s as a straightforward 1970’s announcer.

–Why Bob Backlund was selected as the heir to Bruno Sammartino’s throne.

–A young Bruiser Brody’s obvious and immense potential

–Why state athletic commissions STINK.

–The great finish to the Bruno Sammartino vs Stan Hansen cage match.

–Was the year of 1976 the apex of WWWF wrestling in the 1970’s?

–The roles of guys like Johnny Rodz, S.D. Jones, Kevin Sullivan, Johnny Rivera, etc.

–How obvious it was that The Executioners were Killer Kowalski and Chuck O’Connor.

Plus Johnny Mac shares a silly and forgotten Stan Hansen angle. What are you waiting for? Download and listen to the WICKED GOOD BAD BOY.

Stick To Wrestling- give us sixty minutes, and perhaps indeed we will give you a RAWBONE podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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 39: Hulk Hogan’s A Stooge

John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are once again joined by popular guest Thomas Bane!

We take a look at:

–We discuss the passing of Dick Beyer, aka The Destroyer and what a huge role he played in creating wrestling in Japan. Yes, I said creating.
–We also have a long talk about the death and legacy of King Bong Bundy.
–Wait, Jesse Ventura tried to stage a walkout at Wrestlemania 2 so that the WWF would have to recognize the wrestlers as a union? And Hulk Hogan stooged him out? How could Vince have handled this? Hear the details on this episode.
–Bundy left the WWF right before Wrestlemania 4 in 1988. We question his timing.
–Was the NWA ever interested in bringing Bundy in after his WWF departure?
–What would Bundy’s Japan prospects have looked like?
–The origin of the Ric Flair vs Shane Douglas spat.
–Was Bundy better with Bobby Heenan or Jimmy Hart?
–Ted Dibiase, most disappointing manager ever.
–Who were the good babyface managers?
–Irish Terry Gunn…we actually talk about him.
–Should Killer Khan have been a bigger deal in the WWF?
–Why did Pedro Morales defend the Intercontinental Title against half of the tag champions? We have the answer.
–We do a deep dive into how the Sgt. Slaughter vs Pat Patterson started, and how they could have done it better.
–The Bob Backlund vs Stan Hansen Cage Match at MSG was a disappointment. What happened?

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 32: So Was The Legacy Tarnished, Or What?

We like this show! Sean and I just take random questions from our listeners. These are always among the best episodes of STICK TO WRESTLING!

–Johnny Mac talks about his 90’s AOL wrestling relationship with AEW Kingpin Tony “Don’t Call Me Killer or Madeline” Khan, who gets an open invite to Stick To Wrestling.

–What was Saturday wrestling like back in the day? Can it ever come back?

–Portland Wresting memories, comparing the Portland and Memphis territories.

–Did the stupid stuff the AWA did near it’s end tarnish it’s legacy?

–What was it like seeing Randy Savage for the first time?

–What was up with Bill Dundee going on TV and talking about “losing that fight”?

–What’s the best available Boston wrestling you should watch?

–If Vince doesn’t buy Georgia Championship Wrestling, what happens to the Georgia territory?

–Pro Wrestling USA…huh?

–When was peak Gordon Solie?

–What if Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express actually jumped to the WWF?

–What is the worst match you ever saw?

–What does the NWA title history look like if Ric Flair can’t return from the injuries in sustained in a plane crash?

–And finally, how Johnny Mac became a rabid Tennessee Vols fan.

It’s a very cool discussion. Actually, it’s wicked cool! Every week give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a bitchin’ 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.

Episode 23: Viewer Mail

This week Johnny and Seanny answer questions from you, the listeners!

-What was the biggest riot each of us have ever witnessed?

-Who do we think is the best manager of all time?

-How would you guys have re-booked the WWF title situation in 1997 in order to avoid having to screw Bret Hart?

-Who would have managed Abdullah The Butcher, Kabuki, Pak Song, Nick Bockwinkel, Gino Hernandez, The Grappler, Killer Karl Kox, and Dick Murdoch in the WWF during the Bruno / Backlund eras?

-What was the biggest work in wrestling history?

And more!

Tune in every week for STICK TO WRESTLING, the only WICKED COOL wrestling podcast!

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

Episode 22: A Heel Version Of The MegaPowers

John McAdam and Sean Goodwin’s weekly discussion features analyzing Madison Square Garden shows from late 1976. We dive not only into the details of the wrestlers and the matches but how the entire machine worked. Other things we talked about:

-The real legacy of the recently passed Jose Lothario and his feud with former protege Gino Hernandez.
-Did they cancel a scheduled Madison Square Garden show after Bruno’s injury?
-Superstar Billy Graham, Ivan Koloff, and Ernie Ladd forming a miniature union of sorts and how it should have impacted the tag team titles.
-Haystack Calhoun’s level of stardom in the WWWF.
-Hey, what was the deal with Ox Baker appearing on WWF TV in 1980?
-How hot the Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf team were in 1976 and the mistakes the promotion made that ended up making them ice cold.
-Plus John shares a (hopefully) funny story about meeting Johnny Rodz and Pete Sanchez in 1982. And more!

Tune in each week for STICK TO WRESTLING, the only WICKED COOL wrestling podcast!

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