On this episode of the longform history of pro wrestling series, Karl covers April and May 1981. The months include the quick switch in Georgia of the NWA World title between Tommy Rich and Harley Race. More on the filming of Rocky III, the origins
This is a massive show with tons of stuff — including a lot of things you might not know. Karl Stern covers the entire story of Ric Flair quitting WCW to jump to WWF in 1991 while still WCW/NWA World Champion. Karl discusses
Between this and my Saga of David Von Erich and the NWA World title I did recently at When It Was Cool, you’ll basically be an expert on the life and times of the Von Erich family. This is Dave Meltzer’s obituary for
American Gladiators was a weird hybrid athletics show that combined a game show with basically pro wrestling style entertainment. There were even crossovers between the two, and American Gladiators was clearly marketed toward pro wrestling fans. On this retro episode, Karl Stern takes
On the new DragonKingKarl Old Tyme Wrestling Hour podcast, host Karl Stern talks about pandemics both now and in the early 1900s and how they affected the pro wrestling business, or alternately titled, Mine Constitution is Superior to Thine. Plus, Karl answers some
In the final installment in my look at the history of the NWA World title, I cover the indie years and the era where the NWA title floated around among small time promoters. Note that this series was completed prior to the Billy
It’s time for match 22 in round 1 of the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament, a fun way to do some pro wrestling biographies. On this edition, we have a very close match-up: Antonio Inoki vs. Harley Race. Inoki was the ace (and founder) for
The fourth part of my historical look at the NWA World heavyweight title covers the legendary Ric Flair era with the belt. Who was really promised what? Why Ronnie Garvin? This episode looks at the most famous era of the National Wrestling Alliance World heavyweight championship including
Image: Scott Bowden Straight out of 1986-87, this week’s DragonKing Karl Classic Wrestling Show takes a deep dive into the Jerry Lawler vs Austin Idol hair vs hair match that took place in a steel cage. I had such fun putting this show
On the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I continued with the third part of the history of the NWA World heavyweight title. I take a look at the title from the time of Harley Race to the era of Ric Flair, how Race ended up
The spring of 1981 saw Harley Race continue his run as NWA World champion, Ron Fuller losing his smile and going home, Junkyard Dog cranking it up in Louisiana, Hulk Hogan battling Jerry Lawler in Memphis, a big name wrestler appearing on a game show,
In part two of my look at the history of the NWA World heavyweight title, I start with the decision in 1948 to form the National Wrestling Alliance, why Orville Brown was the first NWA World champion, why he was set to face
One of Dave Meltzer’s first mega obituaries is the subject of this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show. When Andre The Giant died while attending his father’s funeral in France, Dave wrote a near book length synopsis of his life in the
The history of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is rich and reaches back into the 1940s. During many of the last 100 years, the NWA World title was viewed as the most important championship in wrestling. Join historian Karl Stern on
On this brand new Old Tyme Wrestling Hour on the Dragon King Karl Classic Wrestling Show, I talk about something I have been working on for a couple of months: the secret history of pro wrestling. The history of pro wrestling isn’t what a
Match 21 in the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament sees two of the greatest wrestlers from different eras face off. From the 1920s-1930s, Joe Stecher takes on the man many say is the greatest pro wrestler of the modern era — NJPW’s Kazuchika Okada. Of course,
On the new, revamped, and improved Old Tyme Wrestling Hour, host Karl Stern discusses the Twitter feud between Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette, along with the the faulty misconception many old timers have and the insane tribal mentality that accompanies it. Karl is then joined
Have I got a special treat for you today: an episode of Joe Savoldi’s International Championship Wrestling from a winter 1986 TV taping. Watch along on YouTube. I call this episode “Daddy Issues” because it is full of sons and fathers and various issues.
We combine both the wrestling ring and a sitcom with a special retro TV review today. This is a review of the 1988 sitcom Learning the Ropes starring NFL star Lyle Alzado and the crew of Jim Crockett Promotions, including Steve Williams, Jimmy
We enter 1981 by looking at the Omni in Atlanta, Andre the Giant, Barry Windham, All Japan Pro Wrestling, the Sgt. Slaughter and Bob Backlund feud, AWA, Jerry Lawler back on top in Memphis, Harley Race battles Ric Flair in the Mid-Atlantic area,
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