Tag Archives: 1980’s

Podcast

Episode 367: Rubber Chicken

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING, we party like it’s 1985 — because it is the 40th anniversary of the original Great American Bash! We break it down like Dusty Rhodes booking a scaffold match:

— Nikita Koloff was barely out of wrestling school. But thanks to Ric Flair he looked like a monster who’d been wrecking babyfaces since the Nixon administration.
— Buddy Landel had the talent, the timing, and a baby-girl pink robe that screamed “I’m better than Flair and I know it”.
— Around this time Arn Anderson ditched the beige and became must-see TV.
— Jim Crockett Promotions had a loaded card…and no national distribution. This show screamed closed-circuit, but Crockett missed the bus.
— Paul Jones: legend in the ring, meh as a manager. We revisit his heel turn in 1979 and ask the tough question: who would want his “army” on an actual battlefield?
— Magnum T.A. had one job: apply the belly-to-belly suplex to Kamala. But could he actually execute the move to this giant of a man? The suspense was real, and JCP actually nailed the buildup.

Plus Johnny Mac shares his tragic tale of not attending this legendary show- all that was missing was bad directions from a random North Carolina gas station attendant- so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 366: 1985 Wrestler Of The Year

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Episode 365: Just Put On The Tie-Dye

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Max Levy, who is known as the legendary “Tamalie” by the online wrestling community! We take questions from the STW Universe, including:

–Who were Bob Backlund’s missing challengers?
–Why did it take so long for women’s wrestling to get more spotlight?
–What might have become of Stan Lane had he not been selected to join the Midnight Express? –Did the stars treat the jobbers well?
–When Ken Patera was released from prison in 1987, should the WWF have given him a “Nailz” type gimmick?
–Did you ever want to become a professional wrestler?

Plus we take more shots at ChatGPT’s inaccuracies, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 364: Ushering In The Great Tag Team Era

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING it’s Part Two of our deep dive into the WWF of forty years ago, June 1985! We talk Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Bruno Sammartino, The Hart Foundation, Ken Patera, Fred Blassie, Jimmy Snuka, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Wendi Richter, Bob Orton Jr, Tito Santana, Brutus Beefcake, Magnificent Muraco, Nikolai Volkoff, King Kong Bundy, Barry Windham, Junkyard Dog, Captain Lou Albano, Jim Brunzell, Iron Sheik, The British Bulldogs, Ricky Steamboat, Big John Studd, Mike Rotondo, George Steele, Brian Blair, Lanny Poffo, Johnny V, Tony Atlas, Barry O, Johnny Rodz, and more!

Plus there’s lots of great rare audio of local promos from the top WWF stars, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 363: Normal People In Boston

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING, we turn the clock back forty years to June 1985 and dive deep into the WWF of that era. On the table for discussion:

–After nearly two decades in the WWWF, Johnny Rodz says farewell.
–Ken Patera is sentenced to thirty months in prison and seems genuinely blindsided.
–What really caused Roddy Piper’s sudden, weeks-long disappearance?
–He’s not on TV just yet, but Randy Savage has officially arrived in the WWF.
–Jimmy Snuka and the WWF part ways after three chaotic years.
–Jesse “The Body” Ventura debuts his “Body Shop” talk segment.

PLUS: Rare audio from this era that you won’t hear anywhere else, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today.

STICK TO WRESTLING—Give us sixty minutes, and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned, weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 362: Events That Don’t Exist

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING we put ChatGPT to the test! First, we asked it to book an NWA Supercard for June 8, 1985, at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Then, we had it counter with a rival WWF Supercard in the same city on the same night. The results? Let’s just say things got interesting.

On the discussion table:
–ChatGPT has its strengths, but we’re here to point out a few of its glaring weaknesses.
–Why Johnny Mac rejected Terry Funk as Ric Flair’s challenger for the NWA Title, and also said “no thanks” to Randy Savage challenging Hulk Hogan for the WWF strap.
–The computer booked a wild, bloody match that would have had the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission clutching their pearls.
–Credit where it’s due: ChatGPT booked a fantastic main event for the WWF card.
–The A.I. booker was insistent on featuring a match between two grizzled veterans and we’ll reveal who. –
-Magnificent Muraco’s got a rough night ahead. We’ll tell you who he’s facing.

Plus Johnny Mac whines about his upcoming 60th Birthday, so what so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 361: Memorial Day Mayhem

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING we review the results of multiple shows that took place on Memorial Day weekend, 1985!

–Ric Flair has a surprising challenger in a surprising place on this weekend. He also has an odd tag team partner.
–The Mid-Atlantic territory is keeping it’s crew busy, while World Class Championship Wrestling and Mid-South Wrestling exchange some talent.
–You’ll never guess who is in the main event at the Memphis Mid-South Coliseum.
–The AWA runs a big card that is hampered by some no-shows.
–Randy Savage is finishing up his run in Memphis, and you might be amazed about who he does the honors for on his way out.
–Canada may not recognize Memorial Day, but there’s a big show in Montreal regardless.

Plus we spend far too much time discussing Buzz “The Avalanche” Tyler, so what so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Episode 359: Pull Someone Else Over

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING we take a deep dive into the WWF of forty years ago, May 1985! We talk Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, Magnificent Muraco, Roddy Piper, The Hart Foundation, Wendi Richter, Randy Savage, Andre The Giant, Fred Blassie, Jesse Ventura, Barry Windham & Mike Rotondo, Ricky Steamboat, Big John Studd, Greg Valentine, Mad Maxine, Paul Orndorff, Rocky Johnson, Iron Sheik, Jimmy Snuka, Gene Okerlund, Jimmy Hart, Fabulous Moolah, Junkyard Dog, The British Bulldogs, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton Jr, Captain Lou Albano, Tito Santana, Mr. Fuji, Pedro Morales, Ken Patera, Nikolai Volkoff, Tony Atlas, The Missing Link, Dr. Jerry Graham, and more!

Plus there’s rare audio, discussion of “sold” wrestling shows, and Oprah Winfrey talk, so what are you waiting for? Download and listen to this wicked good podcast today!

STICK TO WRESTLING…give us sixty minutes (well, more than that this week) and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a rawboned weekly classic pro wrestling podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 358: Bald For Life

This week on STICK TO WRESTLING, we take a bodyslam back in time to the May 5, 1985 edition of World Class Championship Wrestling’s Parade of Champions! Strap in, folks — it’s hotter than Fritz Von Erich’s temper on July day in Texas. We dive into:

–Ric Flair vs. Kevin Von Erich for the NWA World Title! Would another Flair vs Kerry Von Erich rematch have been a better idea? Did we get the wrong Von Erich? Did Kerry’s dog die again? (Just kidding. You know better.)
–The match and payoff that caused Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express to peace out faster than you can say “tennis racquet”.
–“Son, you’re gonna kill him.” The NWA champ gets buried again in a World Class ring, and not in a subtle “he’ll bounce back” kind of way.
–An end of an era. We didn’t know it then, but this was one of the final times the NWA title would be defended in World Class.
–“Muh cur!” Kevin Von Erich’s new $25,000 vehicle gets “destroyed”.
–World Class is still bringing the thunder, drawing over 26,000 fans for this event. You’ll never guess how many fans the WWF drew in Dallas just four days earlier.

PLUS: Johnny Mac reveals his totally healthy, not-at-all-concerning video game habits, so what are you waiting for? Smash that play button with a steel chair shot and get ready for another classic pro wrestling deep-dive!

STICK TO WRESTLING: Give us sixty minutes, and perhaps indeed we’ll give you a wicked good, suplex-to-the-soul podcast that pulls zero punches (unless, of course, it’s a worked shoot).

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

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Episode 357: Verne Was Great, Vince Was…

This week on Stick to Wrestling, we dive deep into the AWA with special guest and AWA aficionado Brad Breitzman! We’re asking the tough questions:

–Could Hulk Hogan realistically have stayed in the AWA?
–What about the Road Warriors—was there ever a chance they’d stick around?
–How over was Otto Wanz during his run as AWA Champion?
–Should Ken Patera have gotten a shot at the top? If so, when?
–Was it smart to use Jumbo Tsuruta as a transitional champ?
–What would Rick Martel and Tito Santana have looked like as AWA Tag Team Champions?
–How should we feel about The Crusher and Baron Von Raschke winning the belts in 1984?

Plus, Johnny Mac unleashes a ton of thoughts on how the AWA could’ve survived into the 1990’s so what are you waiting for? Hit play and get ready for another wicked good classic wrestling deep-dive!

STICK TO WRESTLING: Give us sixty minutes, and we’ll give you a wicked good and rawboned wrestling podcast that pulls no punches.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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