Joe Versus The World: WWF 1992 with Justin Shapiro

We’re back! Joe Gagne and Justin Shapiro return to break down the year 1992 in the WWF!!! Topics include trying to remember Naughty by Nature’s discography, Memphis comes to the WWF in more ways than one, tasteless angles, tasteless jokes, clowns, dummies, voodoo, random title changes, scandals aplenty, awesome (accidental) shows, and trying to remember old Raw theme songs. An adventurous but persistent two hours, all on the show that was MINE before it was YOURS, Joe vs. The World!

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right click to download here

Same rules as before – show is free, but if anyone wants to make a donation to the March of Dimes, I’ve provided a link below. Thanks so much!

https://www.marchofdimes.com/giving/support_general.html

To listen to this show, right click to download the mp3 file here, subscribe to the RSS feed @ http://www.thecubsfan.com/joe.xml, or add it to your iTunes Podcasts by clicking here.

Previous editions:
1992: WWF 1992 (06/29/2011)
1991: WWF 1991 (03/05/2011)
1990: WWF 1990 (11/25/2010)

63B: THE END [Part 2] (09/07)
63A: THE END [Part 1] (09/07)
62: Justin Shapiro [SummerSlam, Part 2] (08/21)
61: Justin Shapiro [SummerSlam, Part 1] (08/15)
60: Naylor and Bix [ICW/IWCCW] (07/27)
59: Mike Quackenbush [CHIKARA] (07/17)
58: Bryan Alvarez [f4w] (07/14)
57: Tanvir Raquib [Rap & Wrestling] (06/21)
56: Rob Naylor [everything] (06/14)
55: Mike Sempervive [japan] (05/30)
54: Matt Foy [ROH] (05/16)
53: Alex Koslov & thecubsfan [lucha] (05/13)
52: Justin Shapiro [the condemned] (05/06)
51: Dr. Keith Lipinski [everything] (05/02)
50: party time (04/22)
49: Rob Naylor & Bix [GWF] (04/11)
48: Dean Rasmussen [everything] (03/31)
47: Phil Schneider [Best of Japan Indies Results and more] (03/26)
46: Justin Shapiro & Matt Foy [WrestleMania, XI-XXIII] (03/22)
45: Justin Shapiro & Matt Foy [WrestleMania, I-X] (03/17)
44: Chris McLeod, Chris Dempsey, Alan Counihan, Kelvin Cabrerra, Llakor, Kid Zombie and Hobbes [potpourri!] (03/14)
43: Rob Naylor [everything] (03/07)
42: Mike Coughlin [MMA] (02/27)
41: Matt Foy [ROH] (02/21)
40: Mike Quackenbush [CHIKARA] (02/14)
39: Tanvir Raquib [WSX] (01/31)
38: Mark Coale [DVDs] (01/24)
37: Christopher Robin Zimmerman [a little bit of everything] (01/17)
36: Dr. Keith [a little bit of everything] (01/06)
35: Matt Foy & Rob Naylor [year in review, ROH] (12/27)
34: Justin Shapiro [year in review, WWE] (12/23)
33: Adam & Mike [year in review, Japan] (12/14)
32: thecubsfan [year in review, lucha] (12/07)
31: Sven Mascarenhas [wrestling video games] (11/27)
30: American Balloon (2) [wrestling in Japan] (11/23)
29: Scott Christ [TNA] (11/21)
28: Tom Feely [survivor series] (11/19)
27: Rob Naylor (2) [indy] (11/12)
26: Matt Foy (4) [ROH] (11/07)
25: Vince Verhei (2) [comebacks] (10/27)
24: Justin Shapiro (4) [the Marine] (10/21)
23: Bryan Alvarez (2) [everything] (10/10)
22: Ken Dreiling and Jesse “J-tron” Irwin [IWA-MS TPI] (10/05)
21: Matt Foy [ROH] (09/20)
20: Tanvir Raquib [09/11 RAW] (09/16)
19: Rob Naylor [News and tangents] (09/09)
18: Dean Rasmussen [DVDVR, life] (08/31)
17: Phil Schneider [Best of the 80’s Japan Indies DVD] (08/26)
16: CRZ [being CRZ] (08/17)
15: Justin Shapiro and thecubsfan [WON HOF, US, Mexico] (08/10)
14: Dr. Keith Lipinski and Mike Sempervive [WON HOF, Japan] (08/04)
13: thecubsfan [lucha] (07/24)
12: Matt Foy [ROH] (07/17)
11: Bryan Alvarez [being Bryan Alvarez] (07/12)
10: Mike Coughlin [MMA] (07/01)
9: Dr. Keith Lipinski [Japan, general wackiness] (06/27)
8: Tanvir Raquib [ECW, parallel dimensions] (06/17)
7: American Balloon [his career] (06/10)
6: Justin Shapiro [RAW, ROH] (06/03)
5: Albert Ching [Judgement Day, ECW] (05/28)
4: Vince Verhei [everything] (05/21)
3: Matt Foy [ROH] (05/14)
Bonus: Hogan Knows Best recap (05/08)
2: Justin Shapiro [WWE] (04/29)
1: thecubsfan [lucha] (04/22)

CHIKARA 06/24 in Chicago (“The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo”)

(cross posting this to the-w so someone might read it.)

I went to a wrestling show! And now I am typing about it. Clear geek move.

Show was at a packed Logan Square Auditorium. Standing room crowd, usually into matches. Though there was a weird bit, whenever it’d get too quiet everyone could hear the announcers doing the DVD commentary, especially Gavin Loudspeaker (living up to the name.)

As per tradition (?), the luchadors announced for the Chicago show no-showed. And BDK member Ares was off due to a family issue.

Stealing the results from the WON recap

1) The Batari (Obariyon, Kodamam, Kobald) b The Throwbacks (Sugar Dunkerton & Dasher Hatfield) and Matt Classic

First time I’d see the Batari, who were OK. Matt Classic’s persona is great and his partners did well. Finish was Matt Classic, not understanding CHIKARA’s tag rules (out of the ring also equals tag), arguing with Hatfield and both being beat by Batari members. Classic walked off on his partners, a reoccuring pattern. Fine opener.

2) Ophidian b Isais Velasquez

Replacement match #1 for the missing lucha tag team. I’ve seen Velasquez on lucha shows – though he’s not really a luchador, but an US indy style hispanic who gets lumped in – where he’s hasn’t impressed me, but he looked good here. Nearly an Ophidian showcase, he locked on his submission for the win.

3) FIST (Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor) b The Colony (Green Ant & Solider Ant)

Good indy style tag match. When I’ve seen him for DGUSA prior, Gargano came off as a guy trying too hard to get noticed (and a bit shoved too hard in that group.) He seemed much more confident and controlled here. Green Ant was posted on the outside and the FIST duo took out Solider for the win.

4) Frightmare b Hieracon

Night of tag partners in singles action (or night of hearing everyone’s music twice.) This was replacement #2, and I didn’t think it was quite as good. I’d heard strong things about Hieracon, he didn’t impress me much here. Willing to write it off by being a last minute match. Frightmare looked OK.

5) Sara del Rey b Icarus [12 Large Summit]

12 Large Summit is the league-style tournament they’re running all summer and until the end of the year to crown a CHIKARA champ. Interestingly, they said the first annual one. Heel vs heel matchup solved by Icarus being the world’s most loathsome male possible (within the limits of a “family friendly” show) before the match. Match looked like it was just going to be SDR punishing Icarus with kicks, which everyone would’ve been fine with, but then it turned into a good back and forth match. One of the better ones on the show, with Sara reversing a pedigree into a bridging pin for the match and the 2 points.

Intermission here. Having the ring announcers walk around and talk and promote things and be entertaining is a lot better than the usual wrestling intermission of “turn up bad music very loudly so no one can have a conversation, even with yourself.” Evil ring announcer (they have these now!) Jakob was also amusing, solemnly showing off his t-shirt no one was buying.

6) Claudio Castagnoli b Hallowicked [12 Large Summit]

Kind of disappointing. Maybe not the match to have right after intermission, because it was purposefully slow starting and it took a while for the crowd to get back into it. Never got going as much or as long as I thought it would either. Claudio took the win with I Don’t Remember How.

7) Ultramantis Black b Fire Ant [12 Large Summit]

Show stealing match – this was really the match I thought the last match was going to be, and I thought this match would be more like how that one turned out, if that makes any sense. These two were throwing bombs at each other and Ultramantis is much more interesting wrestler than I’ve given him credit for is another, clearer way of saying it. This was a Moves match and they were good Moves. Dunno for the rest of CHIKARA’s crowd, but this one was way behind UMB and would like to see the guy with the usual evil plans win something for a change.

8) Eddie Kingston b Colt Cabana

OK. This was Colt being Colt for the start, Kingston taking it into his match, Colt getting his comeback, and then the backfist to end it. The backfist did not look great from my angle, or maybe I was just totally not expecting it to happen at that point.

9) Da Soul Touchaz (Willie Richardson, Marshe Rockett, Acid Jazz) beat BDK (Tursas, Tim Donst, Jakob) – Jakob was Ares’ replacement, which worked out okay. BDK had taken out both of the Soul Touchaz two managers in their last match in Philly, this was the Soul Touchaz chance to get some revenge in their hometown, and the fans just wanted to see the BDK get thrashed. Jakob is good at being thrashed. Soul Touchaz jumped the heels and beat them around the ring until Donst clipped big man Richardson from behind. He was stuck in for most of the match, finally got in a big punch and made the tag to Rockett, who cleared everyone out and did a couple dives. Jazz & maybe Jacob were left in during the ensuing chaos. Del Ray returned to distract the ref on one side, while Claudio came thru the crowd the other side to hit Jazz with a pipe. C. Red – one of Da Soul Touchaz’s managers – ran in, grabbed the pipe from Claudio, tossed it to his team, and they laid out everyone from there. A big top rope drop on Jakob finished it. Everyone celebrated and danced and what not after the match.

There was a loud and long Please Come Back chant after the match; as long as they can find two other cities to stop at along the way, can’t imagine it’ll be another 3 year wait. I’ll have to go to Philly if it takes that long again and these shows are going to be as good as this one was.