Hey...we completely skipped November. Oh well. *fart*

Anyways, I watched the 4/21/97 Nitro and Raw. I think they must have skipped the 4/14/97 editions, as I'm pretty sure Raw was coming from South Africa that week.

Nitro kicks off with a pretty decent match between Dean Malenko and Yugi Nagata. It's the first match, but the crowd goes bonkers over Malenko. I'd forgotten how much Dean just OWNED back then. Seriously, he did some of the best in-ring stuff for WCW in 1996-1999. His character was sort of a loner/tweener... just some dude who wrestles. Probably the most believable character they had.

I don't get 24/7 anymore since I downgraded cable to save me $70 a month (Comcast ass-fucks people).

Anyway you can hook me up with a few shows every now and then? I'll give you money. :D

I religiously record Monday Night Wars, Old School House Shows, TNT, PTW, ECW and World Class. The other stuff is at my discretion.

So if you want any of that stuff, drop me a line every so often. I usually don't record/watch 'em until their final week of availability.

Thank you, God! I'd hate to miss the Monday Night Wars (sans You-Know-Who's stuff) and PTW's.

Here's a question for Scrooge: I'm watching a PTW from 12/22/92 and the Bushwhackers come out for a Very Special Podium Interview. Even though they're dressed as Santa Claus, my detective skills are able to pick up who they are. But what I can't figure out is the guy interviewing them. It's not Raymond Rougeau or anybody I recognize. He looks like a newscaster, with dark hair and sorta' resembles Alan Thicke. Older guy, probably in his 30's. Any ideas?

Anyways, in the "regular" order of PTW, from August 1987, they've been tossing out some weird commentary duos. Namely Lanny Poffo, Don Muraco (sounding like he's sloshed in every match) and Jake Roberts. Muraco/Roberts calling a Junkyard Dog/One Man Gang match may be the most tortuous thing I've had to endure on PTW...and I've endured ALOT.

Fuck I'm interested myself considering I have no idea who the guy is.

At the time I was watching EVERYTHING that the WWF was doing and I don't remember that guy in the least.

As soon as I heard the guy speak, I thought: "he probably got a real job". I'm checking around, but no luck. Went to no less than CRZ's old Prime Time archive and even he didn't have a name for the guy. Just "Joe ?"

I found that a "Joe Fowler" worked for the WWF in the mid-90's. But can't find a picture of the guy.

If I remember Joe Fowler he was there in 95 and looked like a cross between Ray Combs from Family Feud and Ray Rougeau.

Yeah, I see that Fowler was there in 1995...but not sure if this is the same guy. When the guys in the Prime Time studio throw it to him, it's impossible to hear them say the guy's name. If they said it at all.

To keep with the weird commentary teams, right now there's a Meadowlands house show from 1984 available. The team is Gorilla Monsoon and Howard Finkel. Fink's actually pretty decent as a commentator. Gorilla asks him about the debuting George Wells and Fink informs us that he's been wrestling for about 9 years in several regional promotions. Y'see, WWF...it wasn't so hard to mention that a guy had experience OUTSIDE of the area.

Fowler was only around from the spring through fall of 1993. He was pretty lame.

As for the guy in the podium interview, I have no idea. They had a few "one taping" kind of people, like a chick that was on for a month in May of '93.


Was the 12/22/92 episode on 24/7? If so, me wantie! And the 4/21/97 MNW's. :D

Yup, 12/22/92 episode is on 24/7 this week. Marty Jannetty vs. Papa Shango! Plus a "feature match" of Crush vs. Dwayne Gill! I swear that Gill does double-duty, in another match as the masked "Dark Destiny".

You wantie anything else? I can bundle up about 4 or 5 discs for you. Each with NO "secret surprise bonus matches featuring Hillbilly Jim or Norman Smiley".

I split the Monday Night Wars into separate discs. Two weeks of Nitro on one, two weeks of RAW on another. Each with no Michael Cole. Sorry.

Hmm... any Primetimes that aired since the one that had the main event of Bulldogs/Foundation from MSG. I think that was 8/10?

And what arena cards have aired in the Seasons Beatings so far?

Why are you apologizing? That's an improvement

Just a heads up for next month.

I don't know what "Black Saturday" is, but it sounds cool.

When the Briscoes sold their part in Georgia Championship Wrestling (including the 6:05 TBS timeslot) to the WWF. Mad Dog talks a little bit about it in his first NWA recap.

The Wiki Article on Black Sunday is a pretty good overview.

Definitely looking forward to it, as well. Just to see Vince McMahon walking around with that well-known "World Championship Wrestling" banner behind him.

Holy shit, they're airing Black Saturday.....that fucking rules.

The 4/28/97 Monday Night Wars wasn't too bad. On Nitro, Dean Malenko again has a decent match with...Prince Iaukea. Really, Dean is the frickin' man in this period. Too bad he jobs the US Title to Jeff Jarrett in a few weeks.

There's also a riff between Piper and Flair, which I didn't recall at all. The Outsiders and Syxx are beating the tar out or Flair, while Piper just stands in the ring. Even Michael Cole picks up on this. While Piper and Flair had a feud about a month later (due to the Horsemen bad mouthing Piper), I don't think this particular angle went anywhere.

RAW is...well, I'm sorry, but the new Hart Foundation had no business ever picking up a mic. They just can't do their required emotions without sounding like a fourth grade drama production. Yes, they're supposed to be crying crocodile tears, but it's just SO frickin' awful. Especially when Bret Hart tries to deliver his promos with all the seriousness of a war general. "You're all a bunch of lousy stinking losers!'. Oooo!

They're also doing some weird stuff with Brian Pillman as a deranged preacher of sorts. I don't remember this, either. I think it eventually led to Pillman's feud with Goldust/Dustin Runnels in the summer of 1997, after Goldust "came out" and ditched the gimmick.

New MSG houseshow from 12/27/87. opening bout is SD Jones vs. Iron Mike Sharpe. Sharpe wins after a...forearm shot. Thus evening their series at 6,019 to 6,019.

Me wantie that too, by the way. And Black Saturday.

Haven't seen Black Sunday available, yet... but maybe Santa Von Erich can find the time to send some goodies your way.

So here's something completely weird and random. I'm watching Starcade '98 from Washington DC. Right before the Chris Jericho-Konnan TV title match, they do a random crowd shot of some cute blonde chic, about 40 rows up, dancing to Konnan's "Wolf pac" music. Believe it or not, but it's Stacy Keibler, almost a year before she was discovered by WCW. That's just an amazing coincedence.