"“Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness he is broken in half!”"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Undertaker_vs._Mankind
The whole match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x50cdbp
I don't watch now, it just changed too much in the early 2000s. But the late 80s to late 90s were fantastic.
That's the sweaty soap opera my idiot brother in law watches, isn't it?
It all went downhill after Stampede Wrestling.
Still the wildest thing ever. Close second would be a jeff hardy swanton bomb off the jumbotron.
I'll still say that's not even the craziest accident Mick Foley was ever involved in inside the ring, but definitely the most high profile. One hell of a night.
Then 2 years later Vince McMahon did the best and worst thing possible, by buying up ECW and WCW and ruining the rosters instead of holding all the dream matches fans would have loved to have seen.
Actually going to an Indy show next weekend, local promotion that specializes in death matches.
I watched that live, and thought for sure Mankind (Mick Foley) was dead. I wasn't far off!
I used to watch it as a kid in the 1960s and early 1970s. In Minnesota we had the AWA, owned by Verne Gagne. Back then the typical wrestler's shtick was a lot simpler and cornier than they are today, but I think it was a lot more fun as they weren't taking themselves so seriously. My favorite guy was The Crusher; he'd do his interviews with Gene Okerlund while smoking a cigar and holding a beer keg under one arm. 
BAH GAWD!
You spelled Wrasslin wrong.
stuart in mn said:I used to watch it as a kid in the 1960s and early 1970s. In Minnesota we had the AWA, owned by Verne Gagne. Back then the typical wrestler's shtick was a lot simpler and cornier than they are today, but I think it was a lot more fun as they weren't taking themselves so seriously. My favorite guy was The Crusher; he'd do his interviews with Gene Okerlund while smoking a cigar and holding a beer keg under one arm.
The claw used to do substitute teaching in prior lake. I was always in awe.
In reply to stuart in mn :
Double Minnesota esoterica:
"the E36 M3tymorph"
Pheller - my first thought as well. That sonuva....
I just want to thank y'all for what you do to your bodies...... It's still real to me, damnit!
pheller said:"the E36 M3tymorph"
This. I'm not a wresting fan at all, but I am a fan of amusing internet memes.
Wrestling's time line is like Starwars. Before the body slam and after the body slam.
Wonder how much he was paid to do that and how much Vince made after that.
In reply to Sine_Qua_Non :
He (Mick) was making a bit over $300k/year at the time full time with WWF. The throw threw the announce table was planned ahead of time. The chokeslam THROUGH the cage roof was an accident. It was the second hell in a cell match, nobody thought about the stress of 2 300lb+ guys on chain link.
I was and still am a huge fan of Foley, and just finished rereading his first book, Have a Nice Day, where he spends a good bit of time taking about this match.
Bonus trivia: the undertaker had a broken foot during this match, still climbed the cage twice and jumped down into the ring on it.
But it's fake!
Appleseed said:But it's fake!
Sure is, but I kind of miss the insanely dedicated kayfabe days. I think I remember one story about Nikita Koloff actually learning Russian to sell his backstory. Dude was from Minnesota!
He's on the top rope!
I don't watch wrestling on TV anymore, but still go to local indy shows. I have a much better time at the indies in a venue with 2-300 people than any large scale event I have ever been to.
At the time, I watched everything I could but missed that PPV live. One of my friends said I had to watch it. When I saw it I damn near E36 M3 myself.
slefain said:Appleseed said:But it's fake!
Sure is, but I kind of miss the insanely dedicated kayfabe days. I think I remember one story about Nikita Koloff actually learning Russian to sell his backstory. Dude was from Minnesota!
Indeed, that was Scott Simpson. A now retired co-worker grew up with Simpson, John “ Nord the Barbarian aka Berzerker”, Rick Rood “Ravishing Rick Rude”, Barry Darsow “Demolition Smash” and others. The stories were never in short supply.
I once saw Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby Heenan, and Hulk Hogan sitting at the same table in a pizza joint back when I was a teenager in the early 80’s. That was when kayfabe was in full force and to this day I still recall how that was amazing to see that. My parents were with then and my dad still talks about that day.
I use to get so mad at my mom every Sunday as she’d drag me off to church just as AWA wrestling was coming on tv. No vcr’s back then.
As for the HIAC match that was insane. I don’t think even Mr Mcmahon was expecting that much devastation of the real variety. I’ve taken my kids to a few WWE events here the past few years and I can certainly say the older pre 2000 era, especially the 80’s, was hands down my favorite time period.
I heard a interview with The Berzerker (John Nord) he had some crazy stories from the road. He has always been one of my favorites.
For those interested in road stories and wrestling history; Jim Cornette's podcast is great for all manner of crazy road stories, wrestling history and general commentary about the business.
He is such a great record keeper, that he should be Wrestling's official historian. He could tell you the attendance at a Tuesday night show in Biloxi from June of 1985, what the promoter made, how much each wrestler was paid, who wrestled who, what happened in the matches, where they went after the matches, what they ate, what motel they stayed at, who brought a Ring Rat back to their room and a 1-10 rating of the Rat.
I got on a plane one time flying from Minneapolis to Charlotte, North Carolina. Rick Flair was on the same flight. He got on the plane limping and wearing a neck brace, but when we arrived in Charlotte the neck brace was gone and he was walking fine.
Since this has turned into a Retro Wrasslin' Thread, check this out:
I got to hold the greatest megaphone of all time. The thing was cracked and damaged all over, and Jimmy knew where and when every crack and scratch came from. He cracked more than a few skulls with this thing over the years!
I was a wrestling geek from about '78 through '88. Hogan, Andre, Snooka, etc...
My kids watched for a few years around '11-'14 or so. It had changed dramatically...for the worse.
So...anyone taking odds on the revival of the XFL? Apparently, Vince McMahon is spending $500M on it.
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