Greetings From Allentown

In an effort to stop seeing an annoying thumbnail on YouTube, this week is a look at WWF Wrestling Challenge from May 13, 1990! - Evaluating the post-Wrestlemania "malaise" of 1990 compared with other years in the Golden Era - What Demolition was up to after Wrestlemania 6 but before Crush joins them - Why the Rick Rude training vignettes for his feud with the Ultimate Warrior failed so badly - Bobby Heenan mocks the Koko B. Ware theme song - Bolshevik Boris Zhukov's delightful nod to an infamous moment in Soviet history - The Genius and his off-kilter ratio of TV matches to total matches worked - Roddy Piper faces Rick Martel in the IC title tournament that had already been decided - Ted DiBiase's habit of spending money poorly - Who to root for in a Dino Bravo vs Red Rooster match - A final thought observation about Willie Nelson - YouTube Comment Theater! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

The Adams Division podcast is back! Steve Bennett (The Sports-Casters) and Peter Winson (Greetings From Allentown) reunite to once against discuss SummerSlam 1988 through 1998, but with a twist: Choosing ten matches from among the first 11 SummerSlam shows without using the same wrestler twice, only one match per SummerSlam, only one world title match, one IC title match, and one tag team title match! What matches didn’t make the list for those restrictive reasons? What matches did Steve and Peter prioritize and how did they factor in "fun" matches against "workrate" ones? And how in the world can you decide which Bret Hart match to use? Tune into find out! Subscribe to the Place To Be Nation Wrestling feed, home of The Adams Division Podcast

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about Best of the WWF, Volume 20 from Coliseum Video! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Will Keithie be forced to actually see King Haku drop the crown? - Various ceremonial roles at Duggan's coronation - Putting lyrics to Brutus the Barber Beefcake's instrumental theme - Marking time through Ted Kennedy's weight - Why Rick Rude could never work a program with Hulk Hogan - The relationship of Bret Hart and Tito Santana - Brooklyn Brawler's ring attire - The effective way of identifying Richard Charland in the battle royal - Describing the original opening theme sequence to the TV show Perfect Strangers - Ronnie Garvin and belts - A little too much Brother Love for anyone's taste - Who will get cake on their face? Lineup: Red Rooster vs Brooklyn Brawler 02-11-89 Philadelphia Brutus Beefcake vs Bad News Brown 04-22-89 Boston Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs King Haku 05-13-89 Superstars Coronation of King Duggan 05-20-89 Superstars 16

When in doubt, always consider going back to Jim Crockett Promotions from the mid-80s like this loaded edition of NWA Worldwide from August 23, 1986! - Baby Doll turns on Dusty Rhodes to join up with Ric Flair leading to some important questions about her motivations - An incredibly hot crowd in Charlotte - The pitfalls of being a referee in a Dusty vs Flair match - The decisive of the best of 7 series for the US Title between Magnum TA and Nikita Koloff: how it got to that point - Magnum TA as the badass babyface of the era - Why agreeing with Jimmy Valiant is the right thing to do - A Rock and Roll Express vs Midnight Express match as kind of an afterthought on this packed show - The return of YouTube Comment Theater! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

Back on familiar ground for some WWF Superstars from April 22, 1989! - Brutus Beefcake runs his mouth toward Sensational Sherri and pays the price, showing the danger of carrying scissors on a wrestling show - Jesse Ventura goes off when Vince McMahon suggests Big John Studd can double underhook suplex Andre the Giant - Ronnie Garvin vs Greg Valentine, chapter 1 of the "JCP Invasion Angle" - The lowdown on Danny Davis' reinstatement as a referee - Pondering the relationship between Mr. Fuji and The Warlord - Making the case that Rick Martel turning on Tito Santana was actually a shoot - Jimmy Snuka's vignette music - Comparing WWF and WCW through the prism of George South matches - Why Lanny Poffo's poetry at the start of his Genius run was better - Mad Men: a show to calm the nerves? Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about Best of the WWF, Volume 8 from Coliseum Video! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - More issues with the Figure Four - Taking the COVID "eye test" - Booking a comedy angle for time-travelling King Kong Bundy - Dan Spivey's cosplay as Barry Windham - Is there a "best" Big John Studd match? - Where Studd got his bathrobe - Terry Gibbs somehow getting two matches on this tape - An apology on behalf of Boston - Simultaneously following along with Goodfellas on cable Lineup: Hart Foundation vs Killer Bee 2-17-86 MSG Dan Spivey vs Terry Gibbs 11-25-1985 MSG Billy Jack Haynes vs Moondog Rex 6-27-86 Boston Junkyard Dog vs King Kong Bundy 6-14-86 MSG Jimmy Jack Funk vs Tony Garea 6-14-86 MSG Harley Race vs Lanny Poffo 6-14-86 MSG Big John Studd vs Jim Powers/Rick Hunter CW 6-14-86 King Tonga vs Big John Studd 6-14-86 MSG Ted Arcidi vs Terry Gibbs 2-17-86 MSG Hercules Hernandez vs Cousin Luke 11-25-85 MSG Adrian Adonis vs Pedro M

This week sees a return to Ag Hall in Allentown for a look at some WWF Championship Wrestling from August 14, 1982! - Playboy Buddy Rose's hype video: wrestling, sitting with babes on the beach, and playing hockey(!) - Trying to explain what Mighty Joe Thunder was and why he might have been there - Gorilla Monsoon's 1981 column on Billy Graham's "death" - Vince McMahon promotes the upcoming Spectrum show with a hilarious special referee reveal - The Great Pete Sanchez Push of 1982 that everyone forgot about - Mr. Saito and Japanese wrestling at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics - Johnny Rodz's approach to a 1 on 1 match with Andre the Giant - Pedro vs the Baron: More 1982 WWF or 1972 WWWF? - Dr. George Zahorian is not in the office on this day - Saved by the Bell characters vs 1995 WWF Kliq Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about Best of the WWF, Volume 4 from Coliseum Video! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Hecklers at golf events and baseball games - Is there a worse WM opener than Orndorff vs Muraco at WM2? - Fiji water and SmartWater - Plan B for the WWF if Hulk Hogan was unavailable in 1984 - A battle royal at the Philly Spectrum with an odd finish - Foreign objects in school yard fights - The WWF's escape the cage rules - Trying to improve the WM4 tournament - If only John Lennon were a big wrestling fan... - Upcoming Coliseum Video releases Lineup: Roddy Piper vs Paul Orndorff - 7-13-1985 MSG Hulk Hogan/Jimmy Snuka vs Bob Orton/Magnificent Muraco - 5-18-1985 Boston 20 Man battle royal - 6-26-1982 Philadelphia Andre the Giant vs Killer Khan (Mongolian Stretcher Match) - 11-14-1981 Philadelphia Andre the Giant vs Big John Studd - 9-24-1983 Philadelphia Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy - 9-23-1985 MSG Tito Santana/Ricky Steamboat vs

Rowdy Roddy Piper takes center stage with a hair match against Sheepherder Luke Williams and a tag match with Rick Martel against the Sheepherders in this double dip edition of Portland Wrestling from March 1 and 15, 1980! - The differences in Roddy Piper's character prior to his big runs in JCP and WWF - Figuring out the appeal of the hair vs hair match - How everybody won from Luke Williams losing a hair match - Playboy Buddy Rose multi-tasks by cutting an effective promo while plugging all the house shows - What Butch Miller does better than most wrestlers - Rick Martel as king of the injury angle - How carrying scissors is like carrying a gun - A weird iron law of NBA basketball Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about Best of the WWF, Volume 17 from Coliseum Video! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Ken Patera through the decade of the 1980s - King Haku's coronation, and which heels no-showed - The masterful selling of Rick Martel in the Demolition injury angle - What would happen to Matilda with a British Bulldogs heel turn? - Imagining a world where the entire wrestling business revolves around Montreal - A way to freshen up ladder matches at the WWE Performance Center - The big problem with the Brutus Beefcake-Honky Tonk Man feud - Discussion of The People's Court and other courtroom shows - The heel win/loss record on this tape Lineup: Dino Bravo vs Ken Patera - MSG 5-27-1988 Big Bossman vs Sam Houston - Philadelphia 7-23-1988 King Haku's coronation - Glens Falls, NY 06-21-1988 The Bolsheviks vs The British Bulldogs - Philadelphia 7-23-1988 The Fabulous Rougeaus vs The Rockers - MSG 7-25-1988 The Honky Tonk Man vs Brutus Beefca

Ric Flair makes a rare appearance at the Irish McNeil Boys Club to face the challenge of a battered Ted DiBiase on the November 14, 1985 edition of Mid-South Wrestling! - The simple but beautiful angle that leads to the hated DiBiase become a beloved fan favorite again - The ironic help that Ric Flair uses in the quest to take out challengers - Wrestling angles repeating with the same guy invovled - The strange rotation of Mid-South announcer teams - Two things Bill Watts has in common with Howard Cosell - A bandage somehow makes a cut on Jim Duggan's head look worse - The fan who wrote a fawning letter to Eddie Gilbert and the power of internet info - Wait, Oliver Humperdink is here??? - Jim Ross plugs an appealing match for the show that doesn't happen. Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about WWF Monday Night RAW from July 25, 1994! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Addressing the Ringo situation with Keithie - Jim Cornette's throat clearing in shoot interviews - Rebooking a Randy Savage Slim Jim ad - Degrees of the 1988 Survivor Series - Vince McMahon's weirdest burial ever - Solving the conundrum of "how does the heel/face get his/her stuff from the heel/face locker room after a turn?" - A perfect wrestling-related Zoom background - Dwayne Gill's look - More Tito Santana talk for some reason - Floating an idea for a new GFA Live project Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

Bob Backlund challenges Bret Hart for the WWF title in this one, the July 30, 1994 edition of WWF Superstars! - The oddity of having the Backlund-Bret match in this spot - What Backlund and Hart can do that someone like Shawn Michaels can't - Excerpts from both Bret and Bob's books about this match and angle - Shawn Michaels speaks in jibberish about the Samoans: bad idea - Jerry Lawler rips on the middle school-aged special ring announcer - Did anyone benefit more on a direct WCW to WWF jump in the mid-90s than Kevin Nash? - The fake Undertaker takes on the unbroken Matt Hardy - The sudden realization of who the voiceover man in the Live Event News is - Thoughts on Summerslam '94 - A Burger King commercial brings to mind an infamous promo from TNA - Why Fox getting the NFL was such a shock to the system of televised sports in the United States Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about ECW Hardcore TV from August 1, 1995! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Who is the face of ECW to you? - Mikey Whipwreck's unusual gear - Taz's "double Devil" outfit hanging out with the Steiners - Not being in school plays - Usage of the Singapore cane - Keithie's issues with The Sandman are brought to light - A new gimmick idea - Buying "wrong team" merchandise - The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

Taking it to the extreme this week with a look at ECW Hardcore TV from October 17, 1995! - Rey Mysterio and Psychosis return to the ECW Arena for a 2/3 falls match - Everything to do with Beulah's Box - Cactus Jack and his "spot" in the Pulp Fiction promo montage - The debut of Bubba Ray Dudley and thoughts on the Dudleys role in 97-99 ECW - Raven and Stevie Richards win the ECW tag titles...but not for long - Heel ref Bill Alfonso and Tod Gordon are at each other's throats literally - 911: The Jack Cust of professional wrestling Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

Long overdue is a look at the only WCW Monday night show that mattered, with a breakdown of the July 3, 1995 edition of WCW Prime! - Dusty Rhodes sings, talks about getting drunk with the Beach Boys, and screwing his wife - How Sgt. Craig Pittman would be looked at by aliens from another planet who only watched WCW C and D shows - The birth of the Taskmaster - A 1990 Royal Rumble rematch in the Moo Match of the Week - Babyface Jimmy Hart: not on my watch! - One problem with WCW Prime is revealed before the Blue Bloods match - Feeling bad again for the Renegade - Vader talks about his upbringing in South Central LA - Thoughts on MLB's return, beer gardens, and why Guy Fieri kicks the ass of wrestling in the ratings Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about WWF action taped at the Atlantic City Steel Pier from the summer of 1979! (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant as the proto-Megabucks in a very long tag match - The Quantum Leap theory of watching older wrestling - When turds turn green - Ivan The Terrible: it's all in his gimmick name - What Keithie's Andre the Giant impersonation really sounds like - The late rapper Tim Dog Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

In honour of Canada Day (July 1), this week features a look at WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling from September 22, 1984! - Angelo Mosca: women's wrestling commentator - Andre the Giant is extremely pissed off about the finish to his match with Kamala in Toronto - "President-Elect" Jack Tunney finds his way onto Piper's Pit - The tangled web of international relations: USSR-Iran, Canada-Iran, Canada-USA - Capt. Lou Albano addresses the French-speaking audience - Greg Valentine as more than just a workhorse - Hulk Hogan also happens to be a Real Canadian too - The busy WWF house show and taping schedule of mid-1984 - Taking a look at the bizarre lineage of the WWF Women's Tag Team titles Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

On this edition of GFA Live, Peter and Keithie talk about the 1990 WWF Summerslam Fever special (and some other stuff, of course!) Topics of discussion include: - Barry Darsow and his disguises - Gene Okerlund's deep tan - A Dusty Rhodes impersonation gradually melds into Scott Steiner - Debating Karate Kid 2 vs Karate Kid 3 - Sapphire waving off questions about the gifts she had been receiving - A rant about Dino Bravo - Sherri's cat makeup - Way too much Brother Love - More wacky conspiracy theory talk Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod

Same day, different promotion this week as it's back to Jim Crockett Promotions for a look at NWA Pro from May 7, 1988! - The Barry Windham heel turn a the beauty of paying off the planted seeds - The Stan Lane ZIP code challenge - Dr. Death's drug bust and how the law treated him very differently - What's Kevin Sullivan wearing now? - Al Perez: big fish in small ponds and small fish in big ponds - Forgetting all about mid-1988 Nikita Koloff - JJ Dillon seemingly commandeering the show Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/GFAllentownPod