Timestamps[]
0:05:20 – Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Annual Awards
TGBL: Yeah. That match is a match I’ve never enjoyed for whatever reason, from the -
Bix: Well, I can think of one big Canadian reason…
TGBL: (laughing) Yeah, Gene Kiniski “the big Thunder”, him. You know, from the camera angles which I thought were terrible, to the worst flying cross body of Ric Flair’s career by far. There’s a reason why guys always caught him and threw him – so he wouldn’t do what he did to Harley Race (laughing), and Gene Kiniski winning the Bronko Lubich award for “The Worst Job Counting to Three.”
- a discussion on the argument of having Harley vs. Flair at Starrcade '83 as WON Match of the Year for 1983.
0:30:10 – What is the most televised match of all time?
TGBL: My thought – the first three things that popped out to me were: Ric Flair against Kerry Von Erich at Texas Stadium, Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik title change – and of course that was the intro to Championship Wrestling for 2 years, so -
Bix: I wouldn’t count that though.
TGBL: No! But a lot of people who felt they saw the match before they saw the match, because it was in their face every week; and then, of course, the legendary IWCCW Vic Steamboat vs. Tony Atlas.
Bix: And I would also throw in "Jumpin' Joe Savoldi vs The Tazzmaniac.
- discussions on the infamously (bad) IWCCW promotion in the late 80's/early 90's northeastern United States.
0:43:50 – Bix and Brian’s memories of “The Mongolian Stomper” Archie Gouldie
0:51:13 - Heath McCoy on Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie's legacy in Stampede Wrestling
Heath: If you look at the clips – there’s a really famous sort of angle – that went absolutely out of control in the early 80s, where he was a tag team partner with Bad News Allen, and there was a whole thing where BNA turned on him and there was kind of a fake son that they brought in - Jeff Gouldie – that was in the ring with him and the whole angle was that BNA crippled the son, a big backstab in the ring sort of thing, and it was pulled off so well. The big announcer here in town, Ed Whalen, left the show – the media went crazy. Bruce Hart described it – Bret hart’s brother – as a War of the Worlds moment, it was just carried off so beautifully that everybody believed it and the media went into this frenzy and the boxing and wrestling commission took away Stu’s licence for the time, and part of it was it was just carried off so beautifully and a lot of that had to do with Archie Gouldie. He came into the ring after his son had supposedly being crippled and instead of ranting and raving and, you know, shouting at the camera like the usually did – it was a one on one interview with Ed Whalen and he was so somber and saddened that his son had been crippled, and everybody bought it. I think I was 13 years old at the time watching it and I remember I couldn’t believe that this had happened – I called my grandpa watching at the time and I said “I couldn’t believe that happened” – and everybody fully bought it. Stu lost his licence for a period there and they had to carry on their cards outside of Calgary at various Indian reservations, and they sorta turned into this big – it didn’t go as well as they wanted it to and it backfired on them and actually hurt the promotion and actually made them a little weak when WWF was knocking on the door and trying to take over the territory, but thinking back to that moment, so much of it had to do with the Archie Gouldie sold it, as well as BNA.
- on Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie's impact in Stampede Wrestling, emphasizing his promo skills and cadences as a talker.
1:35:11 – Beau James on The Mongolian Stomper's legacy in the Southern United States
Beau: But you know, he didn’t have to speak even if he didn’t have a manager, you know. Just put him on camera and let him make the faces that he made. Rick Conners – old time Knoxville wrestler-used to say Archie’s face is “Murder Incorporated” (laughs). He had these faces that he would make in the ring or he could make where I mean, he was not the most handsome man to begin with, but he looked like a monster. He had this evil looking face that he could make that would just scare you to death. That was just another – he was such a nice guy away from the ring, and such a helpful person to me and a lot of other people along the way over the years, you know. But he knew what he was selling: he knew his product and he knew how to take care of it.
Beau: It’s hard to tell people that’s only seen him as The Stomper as a murderer, about what a nice guy he was. He’d help anybody if they acted like the wanted to learn and work hard at it, he’d be right there to teach you, mold you, and take you along the way. The other side of that: he was not anybody that you ever wanted to mess with, period, because a young kid – some little town around Knoxville. I’d already wrestled before I’d managed him – I’m done. I’m just waiting to get paid, just sitting in the back, and in comes through the dressing room this young guy that was working with The Stomper and he’s running to get away. The Stomper comes in the dressing room and the young guy goes “I’m sorry sir, I’m sorry sir” and he’s backing up, and Archie’s going at him just like he would stomp across the ring going at somebody – like a bull. Nobody moves, nobody took a breath. The guy’s going “I’m sorry sir, I’m sorry.” He backs into the wall – he has nowhere to go. The Stomper gets to him and he has that "Murder Incorporated" face on him, and with his right hand, he reaches out with this pointing finger bent and his thumb. He grabs the guy by the Adams Apple and put him to sleep in a matter of seconds, and he lets go and the guy just slides down the wall. Nobody’s moved – nobody said a word. It’s like a church in there, it’s so quiet. The Stomper turns around and everybody’s in fear and he goes and sits down, and it seems like hours but it might have been a minute – then you hear him in that polite Canadian voice “All he had to do was listen. If he woulda just listened, he wouldn’t have had this happen…” (laughing)
- on his experiences with The Stomper and how kind he was to those that listened, and the opposite to those who didn't.
2:23:41 – Dennis Of The Week (with guest Al Getz, the Duke of New York)
Al: So I drove up – I actually stayed with Steve Corino – and we drove to the show together. Steve wasn’t booked but he just wanted to come hang out. We were horribly, horribly late – not; we got there before the show started but got there about 20 minutes before the show started – which for the first time, you definitely don’t want to do that. We walked in the door, I said my hello’s to everyone, introduced myself to most of ‘em, sat down, and the second I sat down I hear “where the fuck is Alan Berry?” Alan Berry being my real name. “Alan fuckin’ Berry, where you at?” I’m like “I’m here” and Dennis goes “Where the fuck you been? I’ve been looking for ya!” and I go “I was looking for you – nobody told me what I’m doing tonight!” and just totally made it sound like I’d been there for an hour trying to find him walking through the halls of the gym! (laughs)
- on getting booked on one of Dennis' shows for the first time, along with Dennis hiding in the bathroom for an hour before paying the guys for that night's show