Hey Scott,
Everybody discusses how the Honky Tonk Man had a great IC run blah blah blah... But a recent blog post about champs crowned due to the title being in held in abeyance raises the following technicality: Honky was the highest ranking WWE roster member after the title was vacated following Hogan-Andre II. Let me repeat: The fucking Honky Tonk Man was the highest ranked champion in the number one promotion in the Western world for over a month (early Feb. to late Mar. 1988). He was the Apex predator.
Steve
Holy cow, what if he had walked to JCP with the belt as threatened at the time? It might have torn a hole in the time space continuum or some shit like that.
DREAM MATCH:
ReplyDeleteHonky vs. Flair. Hart/Dillon, Horsemen/Hart Family... BOOK THAT SHIT.
Honky - Ole. I could not imagine how badly Ole would hurt Honky just for laughs.
ReplyDeleteReal booking cap on: find him a partner and go after the Rock and Roll Express.
However, in all seriousness, Honky would've been midcard at best in JCP... if he's leaving WWF as the IC champ, head to Memphis and headline against Lawler, EVEN THOUGH the two dislike/despise each other.
ReplyDeleteThey would have made a KILLING, even if it came at a price in the future from a pissed off Vince. (There's one hell of a What If? Possibly no Lawler in the WWF... not much from the wrestling side, but RAW would have looked quite different behind the desk.)
Well, if Honky left with the IC belt at the same time Vince planned to hold up the WWF TITLE, there would have been no singles champion in the company, which would have been awkward.
ReplyDeleteThis did happen in 1998 when HHH had to give his IC title up to an injury at the same time Vince had held up the World title due to Undertaker/Kane/Austin shenanigans s.
Why are you talking about the IC belt like it's important?
ReplyDeleteYes. I remember now. 1988 was a glorious time..
ReplyDeleteYou speak in sarcasm, but for those who take it seriously...
ReplyDeleteYes, there was a time when the WWF/E Intercontinental Championship was a coveted title, the final "stepping stone" to the WWF Heavyweight Championship.
Yeah when they ran the "B: shows the IC title would be the man event.
ReplyDeleteHe would have been a TV champ. (which suited his character.)
ReplyDeleteHe gets the one shot, squashed most likely (both due to his own admitted lack of wrestling and as a shot to Vince), and fades quickly.
ReplyDeleteHe comes in early 88... Rotunda's the TV champ.
ReplyDeleteRotunda for almost all of 88, swap with R. Steiner in Dec. 88 - Feb. 89, then Sting in March.
It could work, just have to make someone transitional, because neither of them would be face.
Honky saying he sold out MSG more times as IC champ than Nash did as World Champ... I know it's Honky, and therefore possibly untrue, but something tells me he's good on that one.
ReplyDeleteRotunda was Florida and TV Champ. He had a GREAT Match that put Steiner over.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely... I wouldn't put him in the "Best to never win a World Title" discussion... but he's definitely in the same zip code at least.
ReplyDeleteThis e-mail is silly. Just because the top title is held up it doens't immediately make the guy with the #2 title top dog. For instance, right now we don't see ADR as current top guy just because the WWE title is vacant and he holds the WHC.
ReplyDeleteThe Varcity Club gimmick is one that REALLY needs to be brought back. I thought Team Angle was a good knockoff.
ReplyDeletePaging Dr. Kay Fabe... Paging Dr. Kay Fabe... Please report to the front desk.
ReplyDeleteNot now... without JR (or someone similar) putting over WHY the idea is impressive/dangerous... it could easily devolve into Spirit Squad 2.0.
ReplyDeleteFuck, with the current crew (even if JBL tried his hardest), that might be the BEST possible result.
I can see that. This is why I thought he would be good TV champ material. People WANT to see him lose.
ReplyDeleteIT wouldn't kill Sting..but I think it delays things. To be honest he should challenge Sting as soon as he comes in. Flair was in "broomstick wrestling" territory and could put together a good match with someone else.
ReplyDeleteIt works in the 80's cartoonish WWF... in the "more realistic" NWA/JCP, his promo skill only gets him so far. When he's "exposed" in the ring, his value dies fast.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Nash as champ never sold out MSG. Since whenever they talk about the Clique Curtain Call they talk about it was the first time in forever MSG was sold out.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the would title is.
ReplyDelete"Kills" is definitely too strong a word in regards to Sting's momentum.
ReplyDeleteSo whilst the WWE title is vacant I suppose AJ is the highest ranked champion..... not like the other belts are worth squat and the total diva's show has made their belt the most lucrative and focused prize that currently stands.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he immediately challenges Flair. His whole sthick was that he (kayfabe) wasn't very good but sneaked his way to victory. I don't think anyone would have bought him as serious contender for the world title, just like no WWF fan at the time would have considered him to be a serious contender to Hogan.
ReplyDeleteYou're not paying attention the feud. If you listen the the babyface Divas and announcers, just being on Total Divas is a more lucrative and respected prize then being Divas champion.
ReplyDeleteI love Honky - he was a classic worker. He got people to pay because they wanted to see the face murder him. Honky and, uh, we'll say Eddie Gilbert against Rock and Roll would have killed.
ReplyDeleteI see him talking shit before the match and getting the crowd riled up. Then he'd put out an open challenge, someone would accept and they'd kick his ass only to barely escape the 10 minute time limit every week.
ReplyDeleteWhy downvote the '80's?
ReplyDeleteSet him up with Cornette and lather, rinse repeat the WWF gimmick. Honky can work the Southern style.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this email.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why you bring him in then, if not to totally shake things up.
ReplyDeleteIf there's any doubt to his claim of superiority, during this time The Honky Tonk successfully defended the Intercontinental title against Hulk Hogan in MSG.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the woman event?
ReplyDeleteCuz the good old days weren't always good.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow ain't as bad as it seems.
The wood title was held by Val Venis.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder if HTM totally bombed as a face, or whether it was a deliberate, brilliant head fake with the full intention of turning him heel from the start.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to know what THAT belt looked like.
ReplyDeleteReally? Isn't this the same promotion that booked Jimmy Valiant?
ReplyDeleteI think if we went back and watched all the promos and matches from the period leading up to his turn, it would be more obvious. Because we know what to look for now, in our old age.
ReplyDeleteA match from near the end of Honky's initial face run:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-_PGECB6ck
Mr. X was getting a Daniel Bryan face pop near the end.
The "greatest IC champion of all time" was a fuxking gimmick. I'm surprised people take that for truth
ReplyDeleteWell, here's his WWF debut match:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdprfp_honky-tonk-man-s-wwf-debut_sport
If they had Hulk Hogan cut a promo to try and get the fans behind him, then I no longer doubt that they were legitimately trying to get him over as a face.
Twenty-six years later, and I still can't believe Honky beat Steamboat. I saw that as a slam dunk for the Dragon, even though title matches were rare-ish on Superstars/Challenge. And what a downgrade- the man who beat Randy Savage loses to the Elvis impersonation? To tweak a song from "Piledriver"- if we only knew...
ReplyDeleteHe bombed as a face. Hogan desperately wanted him to be the big babyface star and it just didn't work. Even as the markiest of new marks in 86, I saw him debuting in WWF and thought "What the fuck, that's Honky Tonk Wayne from Stampede, I fucking hate that clown". Vince often gives no thought to prior territories and gimmicks when repackaging people, but he literally came in with the EXACT same gimmick as Stampede and they somehow expected everyone to forget and cheer him instead.
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah. The Jake/Honky thing was supposed to be a double turn... although I thought the turn had happened long before the match.
ReplyDeleteTiny, allegedly.
ReplyDeleteI know. I fixed it.
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize Steamboat ever got a rematch.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvsMdKak52Y
Technically, that made European Champion X PAC the top guy for a good minute in '98. Sleep well tonight kids!
ReplyDelete