Wrestling 20 Years Ago Blog

Larry Zbyszko - 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame Inductee

3/17/2015

Larry Zbyszko is in the 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame

Listen to our December 1997 WCW podcast, where Zbyszko faces-off against Eric Bischoff in the semi-main event.

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"I just believe in science over brawn." - Larry Zbyszko, 1978.

As we stand right now on the cusp of Wrestlemania XI, the business is in somewhat of a period of transition. Diesel, the chosen face of WWF's 'New Generation', is continuing to carve out his place for the future. He will be going up against his former associate, tag team partner and a man penciled-in as the wrestler of the nineties, Shawn Michaels.

In WCW, we await the return of Ric Flair to in-ring competition. Back in 1994, it was thought fans may never see 'The Nature Boy' compete again; but in his absence, we have seen the long-overdue return to the main-event stage of the man they call Vader.

Without a doubt, the company with the most understanding of what 'the future' should be, is Philadelphia's ECW. Shane Douglas seems to be an inevitable pick for one of the two national promotions, the company continues to take the over-looked and under-valued names of days gone-by and make them relevant to a new fan base and truly build a foundation for years to come.

But, while we await the arrival of the future, it should never be forgotten that there were once those who worked to build this industry for what it is and what it would become.

Back in 2015, the landscape has long-since changed from what we know it as twenty years ago. Some time ago, we reflected on the mesmerising absence of Randy Savage into WWE's Hall of Fame; which has now, thankfully, been addressed. However, it is now apparent that this year we should not simply be treated to the entry of a true legend who has sadly passed; but also another 'living legend'.

Larry 'The Lip' is one half of this writer's favourite tag team of all time. For a fan growing up in the years of the Midnight Rockers & the Legion of Doom, this may well be surprising; but together with Arn Anderson, 'The Enforcers' were something very, very special.

Double-A and the 'Living Legend' were never ones for cartoon gimmicks, technicolor or crash-TV. They were the embodiment of a by-gone era which, some would say, had no place in nineties wrestling. But, it could be said, this is a major reason why they made such an impression on a young fan of the "sport of professional wrestling", to quote ECW's 'Franchise'. For what this period of time had become, they were perhaps two of the few remaining bastions of something that was once known as psychology. In 1995, it was a dying art. In 2015, it is quite possibly extinct.

The last time the project saw Larry Zbyszko, it was against another young ring psychologist in Lord Steven Regal at WCW's Clash of the Champions. Whilst not the company's most memorable year for in-ring competition - particularly in the second-half of the year - this show was seen as one of the more solid outputs from Atlanta, and Zbyszko & Regal played no small part in this. Contrary to the year's appearances of the Honky Tonk Man and other 'names' which would pass through the door, the difference with Zbyszko was he could still go. And put on a terrific match. And get a young guy over. Quite an innovation, no?

But, for anyone unfamiliar with The Lip's portfolio, to see Larry Zbyszko at his uninhibited best, he must be looked at for his work as a heel. The man was not disliked or mistrusted. He was frankly despised and involved in an abhorrent series of actions throughout the majority of his career. This was in a day where the industry was much more protected and it would not be uncommon for the bad guys to be the subject to in-arena abuse and out-of-arena assaults. He was Jerry Lawler before there was a Jerry Lawler.

So, whether first seeing the twilight of his career in WCW; his time in NWA with Barry Windham; the AWA against Bockwinkel & Stevens or even back to the 1970's against former trainer and mentor Bruno Sammartino in the WWWF; if you want to see the lost art of being an insufferable ****; look no further than the 'Living Legend', Larry Zbyszko; WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2015.

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The "State" of Tag Team Wrestling In The Mid-90s

2/16/2015

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Stevie Ray and Booker T might have taken a while to find their "Harlem Heat" gimmick, but they came along at the right time in WCW

Listen to Volume III of our November 1994 podcast - we talk quite highly of Harlem Heat in this one!

Subscribe to the podcast via: iTunes | Spotify | Google | Youtube

I often hear about the "state" of tag team wrestling in 2015, people hark back to the old days and imply that the death of two on two combat is a relatively modern phenomena. OK, many people hark back to the days of the Legion of Doom and the Road Warriors, but in to the mid-90s wasn't really much of an improvement on anything we have now.

In the WWF it was an odd time for tag teams. As we picked up the project in the middle of 1993 we had probably two of the best tag teams in The Steiner Brothers and The Quebecers. Sean Waltman tweeted me a year or so ago calling The Quebecers one of the "last great bookend tag teams" (teams that look/dress alike).

As with a lot of discussions on the "strength" of a tag team division often it seems that if the guys at the top of the pile are doing it then people will call a tag division "strong" regardless of what's beneath. Remember Beer Money vs The Motor City Machine Guns in TNA? That great series of matches was an underlying point in the "great state" of tag wrestling not only in TNA but in America itself. Not that it was easy to follow, but part of the problem was that TNA didn't really have another team they could throw into that mix.

In the WWF it was sort of similar: the Quebecers split up, The Steiners left and we ended up with teams like The 123 Kid & Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels and Diesel & Yokozuna and Crush competing for the belts. WWF had more genuine tag teams around at the time: The Headshrinkers, The Bushwhackers, "Well Dunn", The Smoking Gunns and others - but these were all lower card guys, really.

Things were meandering in WCW too. Most teams were put together: Too Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell, Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma as “Pretty Wonderful”, the highly entertaining team of Maxx Payne and Cactus Jack, Bagwell again alongside The Patriot as “Stars and Stripes”. Make no mistake, in part, this wasn't like now in the sense that the tag champions weren't losing on TV every week – but whether the talent in the mid-90s was stronger than it is now I would contend with.

Fortunately for followers of this project there were a few rays of light. Two men in WCW debuted in late 1993 as “Cain and Cole”. Originally they were slated to play an incredibly racist gimmick of two slave/prisoners under the control of Col Robert Parker. Fortunately that never saw the light of day and the two would be thrust straight into the main event at Fall Brawl. Don't remember “Cain and Cole”? It would probably help if I told you they were repackaged as “Harlem Heat” - Booker T and Stevie Ray.

In ECW there is only one place to look – and that is at The Public Enemy. Paul Heyman put together the team of Flyboy Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge, a pair of Philly street thugs who perfectly represented what Heyman's vision of ECW was and would become. While guys like Terry Funk and Shane Douglas would be the men charged with setting the standard in the company, it was the Public Enemy that were the real epitome of what ECW were about. In a weird way, it's a testimony for how it all came together that the team couldn't find success outside of ECW.

But perhaps the most surprisingly bright spark in mid-90s tag teams comes from the most unlikeliest of sources. The Nasty Boys weren't great wrestlers, they weren't great talkers – they weren't really great at anything. But something just came together for the duo in 1994. First it was the face-off against Cactus Jack (and Maxx Payne/Kevin Sullivan) in the first half of the year. Both teams competed in what, by any standards, would be viewed as really, really good tag-team brawls. Put it into 1994 and you get something revolutionary – something that probably predates that style of match in ECW too.

While that would be the zenith (and unfortunate change of policy by higher ups in WCW/Time Warner meant the violent style of match would disappear as Spring became Summer). But a face turn thrust The Nasties back into the spotlight – headlining Fall Brawl 1994 in the War Games match alongside Dustin and Dusty Rhodes.

You'd have to look quite hard for tag team gold in the mid-90s (in the WWF you'd be lucky if you found it at all), but the standard then was a lot like it is now: there were no great teams but those given the opportunity to (cliché alert) accentuate their strengths and hide their weaknesses were capable of proving their worth. Find any Public Enemy promo from 1994, or either of the Nasty Boys matches from Spring Stampede or Slamboree 1994 – you won't be disappointed.

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Is The WWE In Danger Of Letting HIstory Repeat Itself?

2/11/2015

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We'll never get Seth Rollins vs Shawn Michaels in a match, but both men are in very similar positions twenty years apart.

Listen to our January 1995 podcast, reviewing a breakout night for Shawn Michaels.

Subscribe to the podcast via: iTunes | Spotify | Google | Youtube

If you were charged with creating a biopic of the WWF around the early-mid 90s casting current WWE performers, you'd actually find a number of quite obvious similarities. Number one star and still the top draw in the industry: Hogan and Cena. Wrestler probably the most popular with the fans, but reluctantly pushed by management when other options fail? Bret and Bryan. The chosen star pushed before he was ready for the top? Diesel and Reigns. The rising star that is having great matches and could ultimately end up as the main guy? Michaels and Rollins.

I've already written at length about the comparison between Reigns and Diesel, but the others are still worth exploring too. OK, Hogan wasn't in the WWF in 1995, he left two years previously, but in many ways the comparison between him and Cena is still valid. It's likely a look at what might have happened have Hogan never left - Vince still would've explored new stars (although the Lex Luger experiment never would have happened) and Hogan likely would've faded with dwindling interest in his character, a lack of fresh opponents and growing ambitions of an acting career outside of wrestling. Cena, it doesn't seem, will follow the final path, but the dwindling interest in his character is certainly true to a point and the lack of true big opponents is true now more than ever, even if it is at a time where Cena is being put in more feuds with up and comers like Bray Wyatt and Rusev, it seems like as much as a demotion for Cena as it is an elevation for his opponent.

Bryan vs Bret is a fascinating comparison. Both are probably the best worker of their generation (if we're kind enough to call Bret and Ric Flair in separate generations), both remained very popular despite managements best efforts to go with others, both are lacking in the promo department, and both have been thrown the ball when other efforts have stalled. Bret picking up the pieces after Lex Luger fell, and Bryan swept up the mess that could've became of the Wrestlemania 30 main event. Bret in this era likely would've been popular in the way Bryan is, the reaction to his loss of the title at Survivor Series 1994 and subsequent lack of victory over Diesel in the 1995 Royal Rumble would've been met with a very different crowd reaction in 2015.

As for Shawn Michaels and Seth Rollins, in both cases it's perhaps where the future may lie. Seth, like Shawn at the foot of 1995, seemed like a guy in a good place to pounce. Seth is a phenomenal performer, his breakout night may have been the Royal Rumble in 2015, Shawn's was at the Royal Rumble twenty years earlier. Both weren't overpushed, both were respected by the hardcore fans even if they perhaps preferred other guys. Seth, like Shawn, might have to wait for others to try and fail before getting his chance at the top, but the presence of a Money in the Bank contract may mean that opportunity comes sooner rather than later.

What do these comparisons all mean for 2015? Well, if we follow the same pattern it looks something like this: Reigns will be given the title at Wrestlemania, as Diesel was just after Survivor Series. Reigns won't face the same long term issue that Diesel did with a lack of quality opponents, but likewise he won't get 300+ days in the job if he faulters to the same degree. Equally, Seth Rollins will likely be used to cut Reigns off regardless of how well or badly he's doing, giving Reigns a chance of chasing the title as we head into the summer. This all assumes, of course, Reigns isn't turned heel in the near future.

Fortunately for the WWE now there are a number of factors in their favour. Firstly, while the light of John Cena maybe fading, he's still on the inside pissing out rather than on the outside pissing in. Secondly, the factor that within reason means the company can get away with whatever they like, is the total lack of competition. The third factor is the small (or rather large) matter of Brock Lesnar - a performer that the WWE are finally booking correctly, at a time when his contract is coming up for renewal.

But the company hit a financial nadir in 1995, and in 2014 lost more money than they ever have in their history. A lack of full time star power, a TV show that's too long and a creative direction pushing some guys too hard and other guys not hard enough means that history should not be forgotten. Armageddon seems unlikely, but Reigns, Bryan, Cena and Rollins all seem to have been cast in the remake of WWF:1995, let's hope they've not read the script.

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WRESTLING 20 YEARS AGO PODCAST

Larry Zbyszko - 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame Inductee

The "State" of Tag Team Wrestling In The Mid-90s

Is The WWE In Danger Of Letting HIstory Repeat Itself?

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