Tag Archives: John McAdam

Episode 161: We Want Flair, We Get Oz

STICK TO WRESTLING is once again joined by popular guest Randy Smith, who attended the 1991 Great American Bash with John McAdam. We discuss the Bash from thirty years ago and we hit on the following points:

–The fans in Baltimore were mad at the promotion, far angrier than it came across on TV.

–There was a wrestler named Oz who was managed by someone named The Wizard. No, really. But Oz would go on to make millions in the wrestling business.

–Scaffold Matches were an odd combination of being both very boring and extremely dangerous, and on this night the company wasted three elite talents in such a match.

–Diamond Dallas Page was as big and tall as Scott Hall, which means he’s too big and tall to be a manager.

–The second coming of The Yellow Dog was a complete travesty. We explain why, and provide the history of the gimmick.

–The Rock & Roll Express rarely had a bad match, but they did on this night: against each other. Robert Gibson was still only 32 years old here, but he looked completely washed up.

Plus Johnny Mac spends much of the hour kicking around the booking tactics of Dusty Rhodes, 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 rawboned and wicked good podcast.

Produced by Lou Kipilman

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

Episode 159: Giant Preying Mantis

On this week’s STICK TO WRESTLING we have a “mailbag” issue where we take questions from the listeners, including but not limited to:

–When should have Crockett moved on from Dusty as booker and who should have replaced him?

–Which wrestling magazines were the best, and which were the worst?

–What wrestling that you remember loving in your youth did you re-watch as an adult and realize “maybe I should have left that as a memory”?

–Did exposure to the Wrestling Observer and other inside news sources immediately change the way you enjoyed pro wrestling?

–What stars from the 70’s and 80’s would not last in today’s era and why?

Plus Johnny Mac talks about all of the sitting around the wrestlers had to do back in the 80’s, 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 158: Muraco Becomes A Superstar

This week STICK TO WRESTLING features a popular returning guest, The King of Baltimore himself, John Fell! We discuss two important shows that occurred on the weekend of June 20 and Jun 21, 1981 and we commemorate the 40th anniversary of:

–Dusty Rhodes winning the NWA title for a second time.

–Magnificent Muraco winning the Intercontinental championship.

–Ken Patera winning the Georgia championship.

Plus we talk Harley Race, Bob Backlund, Sgt. Slaughter, Terry Gordy, Bruiser Brody, Ted Dibiase, Jimmy Snuka, The Andersons, Pat Patterson, Pedro Morales, Blackjack Mulligan, Butch Reed, Curt Hennig, George Steele, Mike Graham, Tommy Rich, Angelo Mosca, The Moondogs and more, 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 156: …Of The Apocalypse

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Matt Mann, and we celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the week the Four Horsemen were formed! On the podcast this week:

–The events that led up to the formation of the Four Horsemen, which actually started almost a year prior to the actual formation of the group.

–In their first official act as a faction, the Horsemen destroyed the Road Warriors. That had never happened before.

–Arn Anderson calling himself, Ric Flair, and Tully Blanchard “the three horsemen of the apocalypse” months before the faction was formed.

–Would Gino Hernandez have become a Horseman had he not passed away?

–Lex Luger making his Horsemen aspirations known upon his arrival in 1987.

–Dusty Rhodes as a member of the Horsemen in 1989? Hear about how that was the plan at one point.

Plus Johnny Mac talks about working with a girl who played Roller Derby, 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 155: Hanging At The Mall With Lord Al

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Neil Shochet! Neil grew up in watching WWF and NWA wrestling in Baltimore, and he and John have some cool stories to share.

–David Schultz making things uncomfortable for Jerry Lawler (and everyone else) at Cauliflower Alley.

–Prank calling Ronnie Garvin.

–Prank calling Kevin Von Erich

–Rip Rogers playing high school football on the same team as John Mellencamp.

–Bruno Sammartino having a bad day.

–A scary airport encounter with Ken Patera

Plus Johnny Mac talks about why he’s never getting on an airplane again, plus we talk Shawn Cassidy,  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 154: Just Push Your Wife Into A Bloody Ivan Koloff, Dan

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by the late, great, Dan Farren! Dan grew up in San Bernadino, CA and went to the matches there every Sunday night in the 70’s, so you know he has some stories. We discuss:

–Dan’s encounters Dory Funk, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Edouard Carpentier, John Tolos, and more.

–The death of the Los Angeles based Mike LeBell promotion.

–The story of a very persistent autograph hound.

–An interesting Mil Mascaras vs Ivan Koloff match.

–What it was like visiting the Olympic Auditorium.

–The greatness of the Black Gordman and Goliath tag team.

–Attending a AAA show in Los Angeles when the promotion was red hot.

Plus Dan talks about seeing David Letterman, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, and more at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, 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 153: That’ll Be $6,000, Macho Man.

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by David Taub as we discuss the history of pro wrestling in Fresno, California. David writes professionally for gwire.com and shares the following with the Stick To Wrestling Universe!

–David reports on a 1986 incident in Fresno where Savage takes a swing at a fan who threw an object at him. Savage missed and knocked out a fourteen year old girl.

–Then David shares his investigative report of a legendary story involving the late night antics of Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr, and Magnificent Muraco. It was a crazy night in Fresno, that’s for sure.

–David then opens up about the history of wrestling in Fresno, going back to the Mike Lebell and Roy Shire, and how the WWF eventually ended up having shows there.

Plus Johnny Mac gives out misinformation that he got watching the 1988 California Raisin Bowl, 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 152: Misty-Eyed Mud Match Memories

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is once again joined by popular guest Chris Tabar as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the 1986 World Class Parade of Champions! We discuss:

–This was truly the end of the glory days of World Class Championship Wrestling. This show drew over 23,000 fans. They would never come close to that number again.

–Why “something for everyone” is a bad marketing strategy in wrestling.

–Strange booking takes place as The Great Kabuki tries defeating four stars in a row.

–Was Rick Rude ready to be pushed as a real world’s heavyweight champion?

–This show was missing something. That something was Ric Flair.

–The injuries seem to be taking their toll on Kevin Von Erich as his bad shoulder was re-injured to the point where he couldn’t wrestle in his Dad’s promotion’s version of the Super Bowl.

Plus Tabe and Johnny Mac talk about how radically the wrestling scene changed during the Spring of 1986, 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 151: Catsaboulis The Welcher

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined by Mike Mills, co-host of the http://midsouthpod.com/! Mike is a Mid-South Wrestling fan and historian (and a really cool guy) and we talk:

–What if Bill Watts got on national cable early enough?

–The Junkyard Dog’s rise to fame, demise, and defection to the WWF.

–The Freebirds return in 1986 and their “Million Dollar Contract”.

–Ted Dibiase’s heel and face turns.

–Jim Cornette’s 1984 persona was the greatest wrestling manager of all time.

–The UWF painfully swirling down the drain after being purchased by JCP 1987.

Plus Johnny Mac and Mike Mills share memories of their favorite promotion, 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 149: Let’s Discuss A Forty Year Old List

This week STICK TO WRESTLING is joined once again by popular guest Brad Breitzman, as we discuss a Top 50 list put out by Wrestling World in the Spring of 1981. We talk about:

–Gene Kiniski, who had been in semi-retirement for twelve years, being ranked #43.

–How do you rank a wrestler like Andre The Giant?

–They didn’t include the NWA, WWF, or AWA champions, and Nick Bockwinkel was ranked #1. Was Wrestling World tipped off that Nick was about to regain the AWA title?

–Who was egregiously missing from this top fifty?

–Why is the Pacific Northwest / Portland territory excluded?

Johnny Mac and Brad probably probably put more time discussing this list than the author did creating it, 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