Just a quick thought/question…there always seems to be no shortage of opinions on who was/is the most underrated wrestler…was wondering your view of the work of "Magnificent" Don Muraco in the WWF circa 179 to about 1984…I think his work, during this period, is vastly underrated…he was basically the #1 heel in the promotion until he was overtaken by Piper…his mic work – for the times – was top notch and he seemed to always draw serious heat…just curious as to your opinion?
Great heat, great promo, lazy as FUCK in the ring for most of the time I've seen him in that period. I mean, he did what he needed to do, but really the famous squash match where he's eating a sandwich while beating on a guy says it all in a nutshell about his work ethic.
If all I had to remember about the original "The Rock" was his matches, I'd file him in the Mantaur File, but I STILL have my Coliseum Home Video containing Fuji Vice AND Fuji General, the two greatest vignettes ever in WWE history as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteHere's a video of the match where Muraco eats a sandwich while wrestling, it's pretty funny.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCmGqN_M1Gc
Well, hard not to be lazy when you wrestle 1,805 years.
ReplyDeleteSo weird - I just started making an ultimate ic anthology compilation, and just doing that has turned me into a huge Muraco fan lately. I started watching in early 87, so I never saw much of heel stuff until this project began, but now I can't get enough of it. (Just wish I could find more.) If you've got the "Bloodbath" dvd, check out his interview right before the Snuka cage match. High, high, high quality stuff. Or, just go here...(6 minutes in) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBew1_Of3c8
ReplyDeleteActually, Snuka's is really intense & fun too.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome. There's a bit that needs to be stolen by someone.
ReplyDeleteI'd never even heard of the match, but that's a great gimmick.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a wrestler I'd be all over it. Being 2012 you could also squash a guy while having a conversation on a cell phone and accomplish the same idea.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite bit the last few years has always been when someone would sit out part of a tag or battle royal match doing commentary, then participate a bit, then keep going back. Rock did it, Austin did it, seems like one or two more.
ReplyDeleteAlso at about 1:28 in that video it looks like Willem Dafoe is in the crowd.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Muraco help Bundy injure Hogan? I think that may be the first memory I have of wrestling in my life.
ReplyDeleteLawler's done it at least once during the Royal Rumble/
ReplyDeleteAnd I believe "Oklahoma" did it during his 5 minutes with Vampiro after a match in WCW, where he did the whole bit while wearing the headset and commenting during the beating.
ReplyDeleteI remember that, it was something like a -**** shitfest.
ReplyDeleteA true main eventer. MSG sell outs; he packed them in. In another era, an obvious choice for a World Title run.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've uncovered of the two IC title runs, there's quite a few "big fight feel" matches that don't disappoint. Everyone refers to the Snuka feud, but the Backlund, the Morales, and particularly the Steamboat feuds are all awesome.
And I'm sure most are in agreement that ALL of his TNT stuff is 5 Star. I also can't help but feel short-changed that his feud with Wahoo in Mid Atlantic '82 went nowhere.
My favorite Muraco promo (even if it was intended to draw a heel reaction) is the one where he questions Steamboat's taste in skinny blondes, while he, Muraco, proudly gets down with the "big fat broads". Now, THERE is a guy I can connect with.
On a side note, Bundy injuring Hogan is my first memory/encounter-with-wrestling as well. It was the big water cooler talk that next Monday in kindergarten ("Did you see Bundy King Kong? He almost killed Hulk Hogan"), and sold me on watching Wrestlemania 2.
That gag hasn't been done in so long that it's way past overdue for a comeback. That would fit The Big Show perfectly.
ReplyDeleteEverything the devious one did pre-yoko was awesome.
ReplyDeleteGet it right.
The best part is around the 1:30 mark where Vince questions whether there's anything in the rule book against eating a sandwich during a match. Classic.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's hilarious. Of course, any foreign object is legal as long as you don't actually hit your opponent with it, right?
ReplyDeletesad but true: this small promo might be better than 2/3 of the promos held in the WWE in the last three years.
ReplyDeleteThe Morales and Snuka feuds were both great. This was the era in which I become a wrestling fan (WWF), and I don't think of anyone as having a great workrate. It was all about the angles.
ReplyDelete