Stop the presses! There is a new edition of “The Thompson Perspective” here at www.rronews.com. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after many weeks of “no shows” I’m back. Of course, I’ve helped Brian Tramel with the “Shootin’ the Shiznit” radio shows every Thursday, but as far a column I’ve certainly been missing in action for awhile.
Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a new trend.
First and foremost, let me join the Memphis and Mid-South in sending my condolences to the family, co-workers and friends of Brian Teigland. This is truly a sad situation. I didn’t know Brian personally, but he graced my television screen on multiple occasions throughout the week, delivering the current weather patterns in the Mid-South. From all accounts, he seems to have been a respected weatherman and a good person. Again, my best wishes to his family.
Now, let’s get down to some wrestling talk or, sticking with the theme of this website, “rasslin” talk.
Message boards seem to be a hot topic in this area at times. The board at www.hollywoodjimmy.com is always entertaining in one way or another. Brian Tramel also recently changed the format of the message board here at www.rronews.com.
In the grand scheme of our business, message boards have very little meaning.
However, as negative as they can be, they can also be an outlet for fans and workers alike to share interesting conversations.
The Rasslin Riot board currently has a discussion entitled “Favorite angle or spot.” A lot of good angles have been discussed on the board and I wanted to just add of angles I enjoyed thoroughly.
Both of these World Wrestling Federation (WWF) angles took place toward the end of 1991. I was 10-years-old at the time, turning 11 on Dec. 15, 1991.
The first angle of discussion involved Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Randy “Macho Man” Savage and took place in November 1991. These two were in the midst of a feud that started in August 1991 at the conclusion of SummerSlam.
That year’s “Biggest Party of the Summer” was built around two events that were billed the “Match Made in Heaven” and the “Match Made in Hell.” The heavenly event was the “marriage” of Savage to Miss Elizabeth. The other event was a 3-on-2 handicap match pitting WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior against Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa (aka The Iron Sheik) and General Adnan.
The pay-per-view, which was held at Madison Square Garden, ended with the Savage wedding. Following the live event, the WWF taped a “wedding reception” where Elizabeth opened a box, believed to be a wedding gift. The box contained a cobra, courtesy of Jake Roberts.
This led to several weeks of fans “begging” for the return of Savage, who couldn’t come back due to a WrestleMania VII retirement match he lost to the Warrior in March 1991.
Finally, there was a push for Savage to return at the SurvivorSeries, set for Thanksgiving Eve of that year. The weekend before the PPV, a scenario was set up involving Roberts and Savage. The “Macho Man” was goated into the ring and ended up fighting Roberts, who took advantage. Savage ended up tied up in the ring ropes and then Roberts pulled his king cobra out. He had the cobra bite Savage’s arm.
For 1991, and a WWF product that revolved around children, this was a brutal angle. There were great camera shots of fans with bewildered looks on their faces and children crying. The idea was that the snake was supposed to be devenomized, but knowing Roberts that might not truly be the case. This was one of those angles that you just can’t forget.
When I was first getting my foot in the door in the wrestling business, I was an internet columnist for the website www.prowrestlingdaily.com. It was operated by Shannon Rose, a ring announcer from Florida. In addition to writing columns and proofreading for Shannon, he also gave me an occasional interview assignment or two. One was an interview in late 2000 with Jake Roberts. Needless to say, it was an interesting interview that stretched out for several days. I asked Jake about the angle with Savage and he recalled it fondly. He talked about how good he and Savage were with bringing out an emotion.
Most people truly have a fear of snakes. I am not terrified of them, but I don’t want them slithering over me. This angle utilized those emotions.
A few months later, another memorable angle took place in the WWF. I think it was taped in December 1991, but didn’t air on TV until January 1992.
For several weeks, the breakup of The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) was teased on WWF TV. There were instances of miscommunication in both tag team and singles matches involving Michaels and Jannetty.
Finally, the issue was discussed during an interview segment called “The Barber Shop,” which was hosted by Brutus Beefcake. After a little back and forth, The Rockers agreed to move forward. Or so it seemed. They hugged and then raised each other’s hands only to have Michaels sucker superkick Jannetty. He then threw his tag team partner through a “plate glass” window. Jannetty clutched his head and blood poured through his fingers. It was a great visual and the beginnings of a push for Shawn. Ironically, the WWE tapped into that angle a few weeks ago on Monday Night Raw when Chris Jericho threw Michaels face first through an HDTV screen.
Those are two angles that stand out in my mind. Great angles usually involve great performers. They usually have a general direction, but a lot of the greatness comes from the ability of those involved to ad lib and not look “scripted.” I often think that today’s mainstream wrestling scene is over scripted. Sometimes it’s best to just let things happen.
That’s all for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the column. Feel free to discuss it at the RRO News message board or drop me a line about it at bptbookings@yahoo.com.
Until next time, take care all!
