TGAAB-Verse Central

[The Final Countdown]

The Golden Age and Beyond

 

 

Related Threads:

 

 

WWF: The Golden Age...and beyond? by The Final Countdown (March 1987-present)

 

JCP 1988 - The Alliance Fights Back (a TGA... and Beyond Diary) by Ritchardo (April 1988-December 1988)

 

JCP: The Race To The Top [TGAAB] by Anderz (December 1988-present)

 

Awards Index:

 

Wrestler of the Year:

1988: Ted DiBiase (WWF)

1987: Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW)

 

 

Company of the Year:

1988: World Wrestling Federation (WWF)

1987: World Wrestling Federation (WWF)

 

 

Tag Team of the Year:

1988: Ted DiBiase and The Undertaker (WWF)

1987: Devil Masami (Unemployed) and Yukari Omori (AJW)

 

 

Match of the Year:

1988: Ricky Steamboat over Ted DiBiase in a Two out of Three Falls match at Rampage in September (WWF)

1987: Riki Choshu over Stan Hansen during the Day Zero Tour in December (NJPW)

 

 

Show of the Year:

1988: WrestleMania IV (WWF)

1987: SummerSlam (WWF)

 

 

Young Wrestler of the Year:

1988: The Undertaker (WWF)

1987: Lioness Asuka (AJW)

 

 

Veteran Wrestler of the Year:

1988: Antonio Inoki (NJPW)

1987: Antonio Inoki (NJPW)

 

 

Female Wrestler of the Year:

1988: Yukari Omori (AJPW/Independent)

1987: Devil Masami (Unemployed)

 

 

Most Improved Company of the Year:

1988: Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)

1987: United States Pro Wrestling (USPW)

 

 

Independent Wrestler of the Year:

1988: Yukari Omori

1987: Killer Khan

 

 

Manager of the Year:

1988: Miss Elizabeth (WWF)

1987: Miss Elizabeth (WWF)

 

 

Announcer of the Year:

1988: Lance Russell (CWA, USPW)

1987: Gordon Solie (CCW, WWA)

 

 

Color Commentator of the Year:

1988: Jim Cornette (WWF)

1987: Jesse Ventura (WWF)

 

 

Referee of the Year:

1988: Tim White (WWF)

1987: Tommy Young (AWA)

 

 

1987 Awards

 

'88 Year End Awards, '88 Power 100, Best of '88

[The Final Countdown]

TGAAB: An Overview

 

 

In March of 1987, the WWF was on the cusp of putting on the most anticipated wrestling spectacular of all time, WrestleMania III, headlined by the long-awaited showdown between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Mere weeks before the big event, WWF head Vince McMahon sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling business by relinquishing control of the day-to-day operations of his company to young backstage worker James Hill so he could direct the bulk of his attention to expanding his empire into other forms of entertainment.

 

WrestleMania III was perhaps not the critical success the WWF was hoping for, but it was extremely successful commercially, drawing a record crowd of over 93 thousand to the Pontiac Silverdome and doing huge business on Pay-Per-View. Sensing an opportunity for huge profits, the WWF began holding big PPV events on a monthly basis. That wasn't the only change instituted by Hill, however. The WWF stopped relying so heavily on Hulk Hogan to draw viewers in and built an impressive roster of new main event-caliber stars, with "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase leading the way. The WWF did not lose a beat with McMahon focusing his efforts elsewhere, only widening the gap between themselves and every other promotion in the business.

 

The NWA had been reeling from the rapid expansion of the WWF, but things started to change when Ole Anderson replaced Dusty Rhodes as the head booker for Jim Crockett Promotions in March of 1988. Ole arranged a brazen stunt in which a group of NWA talent jumped the guardrail and interrupted the WWF's premiere event of the year, WrestleMania IV. It was a sign of things to come with the fiery Anderson at the helm. JCP started to build some momentum throughout the year, receiving a major boost when they bought out the AWA and inherited some of their talent, including former NWA mainstays Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. It all led up to a fantastic showing for the NWA's biggest show of the year, Starrcade, a smash hit that critics ranked above an excellent Survivor Series show the WWF held days later. Some say it might rank above even WrestleMania IV as the best show of the entire year.

 

On the heels of Starrcade, most experts feel JCP is on the verge of being able to compete with the WWF on a national stage. But can they truly stand toe-to-toe against the goliath that is the WWF?

[Anderz]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

 

OLE OUT

 

After reporting last week that relationships were strained backstage, word has now reached us at the Observer that Ole Anderson has stepped down from his position of NWA head booker. Early reports suggest that Ole has stepped down after the latest television taping and informed the locker room of his decision. Anderson is to remain with the company in his capacity as manager of the Four Horsemen but will no longer be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

 

Rumours from the locker room suggest that Ole gave an impassioned speech before thanking the boys for their efforts on making Starrcade the great show that it was. He then took a seat with the rest of the boys and awaited Jim Crockett’s announcement of his successor.

 

RACE TO THE TOP

 

Within hours of receiving word that Ole had stepped down, Jim Crockett reportedly introduced Harley Race to the rest of the locker room as the new head booker. After recently returning as the on-screen Commissioner of the NWA, many believe that this case of life imitating art was the plan all along. It is reported that after his run with the WWF came to an end – Race has been looking for an excuse to step away from the ring and take up a position backstage.

 

With Anderson remaining in the company the transition to Race will no doubt be seamless with insiders suggesting that both men sat down with Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard to discuss their plans for both the future of the Four Horsemen and the NWA as a whole.

 

CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS

 

In his role as on-screen NWA Commissioner, new head booker Harley Race is set to formally reveal more information regarding December’s NWA pay-per-view “Clash of the Champions”. We at the Observer only know that the event will take place on Christmas Eve and will not be the same as a regular NWA event – we will find out more at the same time as our readers; on TBS this Friday night.

[The Final Countdown]

December 12th, 1988

 

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Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling has only been open for a week, but they're already generating headlines. 31-year industy veteran Sandy Barr of Pacific Northwest Wrestling, father of Art and Jesse Barr, has been appointed as head booker for the startup group. Barr is known mostly for being the senior referee of PNW, but he's held a variety of roles in the business, including that of promoter.

 

WCW also reached a deal with Cablevision to air their monthly big events on PPV across the US. Cablevision is also the US PPV provider for JCP, so the provider will have plenty of wrestling on their schedule year-round. The fact that WCW could secure such an important deal before they have even a single wrestler under contract is an indication of just how much weight Ted Turner's name (and bank account) carries.

 

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NJPW owner Antonio Inoki recently announced his intention to find someone to replace him as head booker of the company. It didn't take him long to find his man, as Kunimatsu Matsunaga was recently introduced as the new man in charge. Matsunaga was long one of the major players in women's wrestling in Japan, but with AJW having gone out of business early in 1988 and the joshi scene in a severe slump, he's broadening his horizons. It should be interesting to see how Matsunaga adjusts to not only booking men instead of women, but running one of the two biggest promotions in the country.

[The Final Countdown]

December 21st, 1988

 

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As Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling gears up for their inaugural event, their roster is beginning to come together. We'll take a more thorough look at WCW's roster before their first show, but at the moment the biggest names they've signed are Paul Orndorff, Buzz Sawyer, the Junkyard Dog, One Man Gang and Manny Fernandez.

 

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NJPW held their first major show of the Kunimatsu Matsunaga era on December 20th in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,000 fans in the Sendai City Gymnasium. The show, titled Combat Velocity, was of a generally high quality. It wasn't among the very best shows New Japan has put on this year, but it was right in their average range, scoring an 84 overall on our index. Match of the night honors went to the main event tag match in which Stan Hansen and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Riki Choshu and Masa Saito.

 

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All Japan's annual World's Strongest Tag Team League recently wrapped up with a big show on Dec 17th. Akira Maeda and Toshiaki Kawada defeated the Road Warriors to win the tournament in the main event, but the best match of the night was Hawk and Animal's victory over Genichiro Tenryu and Hiro Saito in the semifinals. We gave an 83 grade to that match, and an 80 to the show as a whole.

 

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Rumor has it that the WWF is very displeased about the Road Warriors' upcoming appearance on the NWA's Clash of the Champions Pay-Per-View on Christmas Eve. Many believe that it was the WWF who convinced AJPW to sign Hawk and Animal to exclusive contracts last year, thus depriving the NWA of their services. It's also been suggested that the WWF intend to make offers to the Road Warriors when their AJPW contracts expire during 1989 and were hoping that they'd be able to promote it as their return to the States after years of dominating Japan. There is a general feeling among some in the company that their appearance on the NWA's show will negatively impact the drawing power of a full-time return to America if they do sign with the WWF, especially if they're made to look weak during their match against the Fabulous Freebirds.

 

Here's the complete breakdown of the WWF's live event from the Ishibe Rain Mountain Gym in the Kinki region of Japan, held on December 19th:

 

Bruiser Brody over Kamala (B-)

Matsumoto over Candi Devine to retain the Women's Championship ©

Hashimoto over Jim Brunzell (C-)

Post-match confrontation between Hashimoto and Bob Backlund (D+)

Terry Funk pre-match promo (A)

Razor Ramon over Terry Funk (B-)

Andre the Giant over Alexei Bakarov (B)

Vader post-match assault of Andre (A)

 

Sam Houston and Baby Doll recently informed their friends within the business that they have filed for divorce after over two years of marriage. The strain of frequently being apart due to working for different companies is said to have been a factor (Houston wrestles for World Class, while Baby Doll works for the UWF in an on-screen capacity.) Houston is the half-brother of reigning WWF World Champion Jake Roberts.

[Anderz]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

 

FIGHTING DIRTY

 

In the early hours before Clash of the Champions aired on pay-per-view on Saturday night, eyewitnesses reported an altercation in the lobby of the hotel used by the NWA wrestlers. Reports confirmed that Dick Murdoch and gotten into a scuffle with a fan after being provoked. Our eyewitness claimed that the fan had gotten off lightly with a single punch from Murdoch and then being escorted from the hotel by security.

 

Upon arriving at the Joe on Saturday afternoon, Harley Race reportedly had words with Murdoch – telling him, in no uncertain terms, that hitting a fan was unacceptable. Our reporter believes Race went easy on Murdoch as the fan had it coming to him; but was firm enough to get the message across. Murdoch responded well by all accounts and word from the locker room is that Race handled the situation well.

 

THE DIAMOND FREEBIRD

 

A new member of the Fabulous Freebirds debuted on Saturday night. That man is the relatively unknown, unless you frequent the Florida night club scene, Diamond Dallas Page. DDP’s gimmick is that of a trashy fast talker who, as demonstrated at the Clash of the Champions, managed to talk his way into being the Freebird’s manager. Page is expected to split his time on the apron and in the ring – but you can expect him to take more beatings at the hands of the Freebird’s rivals than he hands out.

 

JCP TO HAWAII

 

A Jim Crockett Promotions press release today has confirmed that the promotion will be hosting a show in Hawaii on January 7th 1989 titled “Hawaiian Rumble”. This show is the second in the series of “flagship” house shows that the NWA began running in early November. The group announced that the “Battle by the Bay” would be the first of many and this Hawaiian special continues the trend. Harley Race is reportedly keen to visit smaller territories around the US as the NWA continues its push to become a fully National promotion. Early reports suggest that the NWA will be holding a similar event in Puerto Rico towards the end of February/early March.

 

No matches have been announced so far, apart from a twenty-man battle royal. Don Muraco is also heavily featured on all promotional material so you can expect The Rock to feature prominently. Tickets are available from all local distributors and remember to buy early as this event will not be available to view anywhere outside of the arena.

[The Final Countdown]

December 29th, 1988

 

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With the WWF having just run their final PPV event of 1988 the company's focus has naturally shifted to the Royal Rumble, which many see as the unofficial starting point for the serious build to WrestleMania V. There has been a great deal of speculation about who will headline the biggest show of the year. When Ricky Steamboat took the world title off of Ted DiBiase back at SummerSlam, many assumed that the plan was for Steamboat to resume his old feud with Randy Savage leading into WrestleMania, and the event would serve as the coronation of the Macho Man as the top guy. It had previously been believed that the plan was for Savage to take the belt off of Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania IV, but then he got suspended near the end of 1987 and everything changed, and he instead worked a midcard program with Bruiser Brody at the big event. He hadn't had any further incidents though, hence the rumors that it would be Steamboat/Savage at WrestleMania V.

 

Savage getting suspended again this November for another alleged failed drug test threw a wrench into that idea. Whatever the plans may have been for Savage, it's hard to imagine them trusting him with the headline spot on the biggest show of the year, much less the title itself. Just days after Savage's suspension Steamboat dropped the title to Jake Roberts. Most observers quickly concluded that the new plan was for Hulk Hogan to return, win the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row and headline Mania by picking up where he left off with Roberts this past summer before he left to film No Holds Barred. The recent announcement that Hogan will return to wrestle Roberts at the Royal Rumble PPV seems to throw that into question however. Unless they work some kind of elaborate storyline that inserts either Hogan or Roberts into the Rumble match itself, it would appear that only one of them will be in the main event spot at Mania. But who will it be, and who will be their challenger? With the winner of the 30-man Royal Rumble match going on to challenge for the title at WrestleMania, we should have a much clearer picture of all of this come January 22nd.

 

In other WWF news, there is expected to be a considerable exodus of some notable names in the first half of 1989. Part of this is down to the WWF wishing to make room for some of their younger talent, but there is also a feeling that more than one big time star will choose to leave the company of their own accord when their contracts expire. With the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions striving to truly take their product national and Ted Turner's startup WCW trying to make their own splash, there should be plenty of opportunity available for anyone who leaves the current top dog.

 

There have been a pair of retirements over the past week. Firstly, Abdullah the Butcher has hung up his boots (or set down his fork) after a memorable thirty year career. Abby has travelled all over the world, with his last significant run being a stint in World Class that came to an end this past March. His last match was against Bob Sweetan at a local independent show in early September. Abdullah is currently unemployed, but we hear he's put feelers out to see if anyone is interested in bringing him in as a road agent.

 

Another retiree was Great Goliath, though that was more a formality than anything else considering he hadn't wrestled in a couple of years. Goliath did well for himself in his native Mexico, and also became one of the first luchadors to successfully cross over into the United States via his work with partner Black Gordman in the Southern California territory. Like Abdullah, he is said to have interest in remaining in the business as a road agent.

[The Final Countdown]

December 31st, 1988

 

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Not a great deal to report on the WWF as we close out 1988, aside from a couple of contract extensions. Alexei "Nikita Koloff" Bakarov and Jim Neidhart have both re-upped with the Federation. Bakarov's Red Army tag team with Nikolai Volkoff has never really gotten off of the ground, and quite a few people expected Bakarov to depart the company and perhaps make a return to the NWA. His re-signing comes as a bit of a surprise, but perhaps it's a sign that the company intends to give him a bigger push. Or maybe they just want to keep him out of the hands of JCP (or WCW.)

 

Neidhart is sticking around too, but it's a short term contract from what we understand. While Bret Hart has gone on to become a big star, The Anvil has done very little since the Hart Foundation split up aside from a program with Bret's younger brother Owen Hart. With the way he's been booked plus the potential for greater opportunities in the future with the rise of JCP and creation of WCW, the shorter nature of his extension might have been at Neidhart's request.

 

 

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After spending the month of December signing talent and preparing for their debut, WCW finally held their first show, BattleBowl, at the end of the month. They drew an impressive 14,099 people to the Omni in Atlanta, but the critical response to the show was a bit less rosy. It wasn't a bomb exactly, but it wasn't superb either. They were allegedly going to crown the first champions for all three of their titles, and that had been one of the biggest selling points in the show's advertising. Instead, Sweet Brown Sugar and Super Ninja wrestled to a double DQ in the main event for the world title, and Scott Irwin and Scott Casey had a double countout for the North American title. The tag titles were the only belts actually decided, as Team Bandit (Eric Embry and Kareem Muhammad) defeated Jim Lancaster and George Wells. The best match on the show, and by a pretty wide margin, was the 61-rated semi main event in which Manny Fernandez beat Buzz Sawyer. The group's top star, Paul Orndorff, did not have a match but did appear on the show in a brawl with Fernandez. The show got a 53 grade overall.

 

For some perspective, here's a look at the complete WCW roster as of BattleBowl:

 

In-ring workers:

Al Madril

Barry Orton

Big Red

Bill Irwin

Brian Adias

Bryan St. John

Buck Zumhofe

Buddy Landel

Buzz Sawyer

Charlie Cook

Chicky Starr

David Sammartino

David Schultz

Don Diamond

Ed Wiskowski

Eddie Mansfield

Eric Embry

George Wells

Iceman King Parsons

Jim Lancaster

Joey Rossi

Jose Luis Rivera

Junkyard Dog

Kareem Muhammad

Ken Wayne

Len Denton

Luke Williams

Manny Fernandez

Mark Youngblood

Mike Davis

Mike Miller

Moondog Rex

One Man Gang

Paul Orndorff

Randy Rose

Rick Link

Rip Rogers

Salvatore Bellomo

Scott Casey

Scott Irwin

Super Ninja

Sweet Brown Sugar

Ted Oates

Terry Gibbs

The Snowman

Thunderfoot II

Tom Jones

Tom Prichard

Troy Graham

Verne Siebert

Wendell Cooley

 

Non-wrestling personnel:

Bruno Sammartino (road agent)

Curtis Iaukea (manager)

Dick Woehrle (referee)

Jerry Calhoun (referee)

Jerry Usher (referee)

Pedro Morales (color commentator)

Sandy Barr (road agent/head booker)

Steve Stack (announcer)

The Crusher (color commentator)

 

They also have over a dozen other people under contract who are finishing up previous bookings before joining the company. Chief among them are retired former WWF wrestler George "The Animal" Steele, legendary announcer Gordon Solie and manager Oliver Humperdink.

[Timber]

That WCW roster is, awful. Egads, no wonder Battlebowl tanked.

[K-Nection]

There is not alot of room for them to grow since Anderz and TFC hold all the cards all WCW can do is poach and outbid when contracts come up.

[The Final Countdown]

That WCW roster is, awful. Egads, no wonder Battlebowl tanked.

 

There is not alot of room for them to grow since Anderz and TFC hold all the cards all WCW can do is poach and outbid when contracts come up.

It is indeed awful; as K-Nection said, it's a byproduct of WCW starting as a brand new company rather than inheriting the JCP roster. Plus my ridiculously stacked roster, of course. I tried to help them out by going into the editor and making a handful of my guys available for them to "steal", but they didn't make an offer to a single one of them.

[Hashasheen]

Considering your roster, you could lose maybe ten guys and not miss a step besides having a coupe of managers with less clients. Hell, you'd probably do better if you dumped some of the older guys like Valentine. Though he is really good in this dynasty, I believe.

[The Final Countdown]

1988 YEAR-END AWARDS

 

 

Wrestler of the Year: Ted DiBiase (WWF)

 

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No surprise here. Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man character was an instant hit upon his WWF arrival in March '87. His character got so over so quickly that he was given the honor of ending Hulk Hogan's three and a half year reign as world champion that August at the inaugural SummerSlam. He was on fire for the rest of the year, and that momentum did not stall once the calendar hit 1988. He put on a string of excellent matches as champion. Most figured he would drop the title back to Hogan at WrestleMania IV, but he shocked everyone by prevailing in a steel cage match.

 

He would hold the belt for another five months, during which time he had a fantastic match against Bret Hart at Bashed in the USA that was the first to ever receive a perfect 100 score since we instituted our scoring system at the start of 1987. He finally lost the title at the very event he won it the year before; Ricky Steamboat toppled the Million Dollar Man just one day shy of a full year as champion. The match itself fell well short of expectations, and was in fact the worst defense of DiBiase's entire run as champion. The two men more than made up for it the following month, having another 100-ranked match. These are the only two matches we've given the 100 score over the past two years, so this should give you an idea of just how great a year DiBiase had.

 

DiBiase has been out of the title picture since losing his rematch but it hasn't done much to slow him down. He has continued to put on tremendous matches, including being part of an 8-man tag at the Survivor Series that just barely missed out on a 100 score and ranks as the third best match in the WWF this year. It's hard to imagine DiBiase topping his incredible 1988, but we wouldn't be shocked if he's in the running for this award again in 1989.

 

 

Company of the Year: World Wrestling Federation (WWF) (x4)

 

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The WWF is far and away the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and they solidified their spot on top with perhaps their best year ever. They maintained a remarkably high standard for their PPV events; the lowest-ranked WWF PPVs of the year according to our scoring system were the Royal Rumble and Anarchy in the UK, both of which received a grade of 89. With that kind of consistency it's no wonder that the WWF continued to grow their brand around the world. They have also built up a tremendous crop of young and talented stars who could step in to a main event role and headline PPVs with no issue. As we enter 1989, we have to wonder if anyone out there can seriously compete with the juggernaut that is the World Wrestling Federation.

 

 

Tag Team of the Year: Ted DiBiase and The Undertaker (WWF)

 

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If you need any further proof as to the kind of year Ted DiBiase had, here it is: he and The Undertaker are far from a full time team, and yet they were so impressive in the few tag matches they worked that they won this award. Among their highlights as a team were a tremendous 99-rated match with Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at Valentine's Violence to further the build for WrestleMania IV, a 93 against Ricky Steamboat and Bret Hart on The Main Event shortly before SummerSlam, and a 97 against the Hart Brothers at WrestleFest. With the WWF teasing dissension between the two it doesn't seem likely that they'll have a chance to win this award again next year, but they certainly produced at a very high level whenever they worked together during 1988.

 

 

Match of the Year: Ricky Steamboat over Ted DiBiase in a Two out of Three Falls match at Rampage in September (WWF)

 

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What a difference a month makes. After a surprisingly disappointing outing at SummerSlam (at least by the high standards set by these two), Steamboat and DiBiase tore the roof off of the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Steamboat won the match and proved himself worthy of being in the main event. As for DiBiase, after previously recording a 100 rated match against Bret Hart, repeating that feat here all but locked up Wrestler of the Year for him. Both men are now on the outside of the title picture looking in as we enter 1989, but either one could believably slide right back into a headline spot at a moment's notice.

 

 

Show of the Year: WrestleMania IV (WWF)

 

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Despite drawing an amazing 93,000 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome, WrestleMania III wasn't the overwhelming critical success the WWF had been hoping for. WrestleMania IV was a different matter entirely. The 71,000 who packed into The Vet in Philadelphia were treated to a fantastic show. Ted DiBiase shockingly retained the world title in a steel cage match against Hulk Hogan in a 99-rated main event, a far cry from the 75 Hogan and Andre the Giant had managed the year before. Some awkward chemistry between Roddy Piper and Jake Roberts led to a lower-than-expected 79 rating for the semi main but there was plenty else to like on the rest of the show, including a 97-rated Two out of Three Falls match in which Ricky Steamboat regained the Intercontinental title from Bret Hart and a 96-rated brawl between Randy Savage and Bruiser Brody. The show as a whole received a 99, which is the highest grade we've ever given out. WrestleMania V will have a lot to try and live up to.

 

 

Young Wrestler of the Year (under 24 years old): The Undertaker (WWF)

 

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Few young wrestlers have ever been thrust right into a situation like the one Mark Callous was when he debuted in the WWF as The Undertaker, Ted DiBiase's right hand man, at SummerSlam 1987. That connection started the same night DiBiase became the world champion, and as the Million Dollar Man's stock soared, so did Undertaker's. The 23 year old (24 in March) was a complete unknown upon arrival, but his gimmick and association with DiBiase helped take him on a meteoric rise throughout 1988. In addition to some stellar tag matches alongside DiBiase (see above), Undertaker's highlights for the year were a pair of great PPV singles matches against Bret Hart, a victory over Andre the Giant in his WrestleMania debut, and a post-Mania feud with Hulk Hogan. Standing alongside DiBiase may have helped him get over, but most would agree that Undertaker is now every bit the star that the Million Dollar Man is. Might we see him break away from DiBiase and go solo in '89?

 

 

Veteran Wrestler of the Year (over 42 years old): Antonio Inoki (NJPW) (x2)

 

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The owner of New Japan claims this award for the second year in a row. Much like in 1987, he was not just the best wrestler of this age group--he was one of the best, period. His best two outings of the year were as part of a tag team with Riki Choshu, including defeating the Extinction Agenda (Kuniaki Kobayashi and Osamu Kido) to win the Super Grade Tag League in November. He also had excellent singles matches against both Nobuhiko Takada and Stan Hansen. Having recently turned the booking of NJPW over to Kunimatsu Matsunaga, the 45-year old shows no signs of slowing down and would appear to be the early front-runner to win this award for the third year in a row.

 

 

Female Wrestler of the Year: Yukari Omori (AJPW, formerly Independent)

 

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1988 was a bleak year for women's wrestling after JWP closed in December of '87 and All Japan Women's followed the next month. With no organized groups to work for, it was hard for even the best of the supremely talented women's wrestlers in Japan to find regular work. Omori gets the award for her work on the independent scene as well as in All Japan Pro Wrestling after they created a women's division in October, but even her highs were well below what she'd accomplished in '87. Here's hoping that we'll see a resurgence for the females in 1989.

 

 

Most Improved Company of the Year: Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)

 

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The flagship promotion of the NWA had quite a memorable year. It really all started when Ole Anderson took over the book and was the mastermind behind a real-life invasion of the WWF's WrestleMania. That set the tone for the NWA's efforts to fight back against the WWF behemoth. The company experienced real growth under Ole's direction, but the pivotal moment was when they acquired the AWA. That led to a tremendous storyline revolving around the returns of Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson and their fractured relationship with Ric Flair. That major storyline plus the influx of talent from the purchase all culminated in a home run at Starrcade, which narrowly beat out the WWF's excellent Survivor Series just days later in our ratings. Harley Race is now the man in charge, and he's looking to pick up where Ole left off as JCP pushes for national recognition.

 

 

Independent Wrestler of the Year: Yukari Omori

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/YukariOmori.jpg~original

 

As noted above, Omori is now in AJPW as part of their women's division, but she spent most of the year wrestling on local independent shows throughout Japan against some of the other women left out in the cold when AJW and JWP closed.

 

 

Manager of the Year: Miss Elizabeth (WWF) (x2)

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/MissElizabeth.jpg~original

 

Elizabeth may not have the verbal skills of a Bobby Heenan or Jimmy Hart, but there's a reason she's won this award two years in a row. She does a great job playing the innocent damsel at ringside, and her chemistry with real-life husband Randy Savage is undeniable. Still, with the constant uncertainty surrounding Savage we have to wonder what the future holds for her, and whether she'll be around enough to have a chance at this award again next year.

 

 

Announcer of the Year: Lance Russell (CWA, USPW) (x4)

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/LanceRussell.jpg~original

 

For the second year in a row, this award goes to a veteran announcer outside the confines of the big companies. Russell has long been the voice of Memphis wrestling, but he's also the voice of USPW (the WWF's developmental territory.) These two companies may not be in the upper echelon of our rankings (16th and 10th, respectively), but Russell's broadcasting enhances every match he calls.

 

 

Color Commentator of the Year: Jim Cornette (WWF)

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/JimCornette.jpg~original

 

Jesse Ventura is the lead color man for the WWF, but Cornette does an excellent job each week on the Federation's B-show, Wrestling Challenge, alongside James Hill and Paul E. Dangerously. Rumor has it that the WWF is so impressed with Cornette's work that they're considering adding him to the Gorilla/Ventura pairing and trying it out as a three-man team.

 

 

Referee of the Year: Tim White (WWF)

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/TimWhite.jpg~original

 

Tim White has called some of the biggest matches in the biggest company in the world, and always does a great job. That's reason enough, right?

[Anderz]

Not surprised by any of the big awards; and exceptionally written up - provides a great recap for the year!

[Timber]

I'd pay good money to see Ricky Steamboat and Ted DiBiase go for the big belt. It's awesome to see Ted win the big one and hold it for a long while.

[K-Nection]

I really hope Jake has half as good a run as DiBiase did. I'm really marking out with "Jake's new attitude". But I really can't wait for 1990 where there is a "Stunning" individual that will debut. I wonder if he can win Young wrestler of the year like he did in RL winning rookie of the year that year.

[The Final Countdown]

THE 1988 POWER 100 RANKINGS:

 

1. Ted DiBiase
   
2. Ricky Steamboat
   
3. Bret Hart
   
4. Tatsumi Fujinami
   
5. Riki Choshu
   
6. Hulk Hogan
   
7. Jumbo Tsuruta
   
8. The Undertaker
   
9. Genichiro Tenryu
   
10. Akira Maeda
    
11. Jake Roberts
    
12. Roddy Piper
    
13. Rick Rude
    
14. Antonio Inoki
    
15. Stan Hansen
    
16. Owen Hart
    
17. Kuniaki Kobayashi
    
18. Toshiaki Kawada
    
19. Nobuhiko Takada
    
20. British Bulldog
    
21. Bruiser Brody
    
22. Ric Flair
    
23. Hawk
    
24. Jim Neidhart
    
25. Animal
    
26. Mr. Perfect
    
27. Andre the Giant
    
28. Tito Santana
    
29. Tully Blanchard
    
30. Greg Valentine
    
31. Masa Saito
    
32. Don Muraco
    
33. Larry Zbyszko
    
34. Masanobu Fuchi
    
35. Bad News Allen
    
36. Randy Savage
    
37. Seiji Sakaguchi
    
38. Hiromichi Fuyuki
    
39. Brutus Beefcake
    
40. Hercules
    
41. Shawn Michaels
    
42. Dick Murdoch
    
43. Shiro Koshinaka
    
44. Rick Martel
    
45. Koko B. Ware
    
46. Tiger Mask II
    
47. Kensuke Sasaki
    
48. Junji Hirata
    
49. Dos Caras
    
50. Vader
    
51. Bob Orton Jr.
    
52. Dynamite Kid
    
53. Arn Anderson
    
54. Keiji Mutoh
    
55. Bobby Eaton
    
56. Brian Pillman
    
57. Giant Baba
    
58. Sgt. Slaughter
    
59. Kengo Kimura
    
60. Honky Tonk Man
    
61. Terry Funk
    
62. Yoshiaki Yatsu
    
63. Steve Williams
    
64. Jim Duggan
    
65. Harley Race
    
66. Jimmy Snuka
    
67. Jerry Lawler
    
68. Perro Aguayo
    
69. Barry Windham
    
70. Ax
    
71. Michael Pulitzer
    
72. Dusty Rhodes
    
73. Smash
    
74. Hiroshi Wajima
    
75. Kerry Von Erich
    
76. Blue Panther
    
77. Villano III
    
78. Osamu Kido
    
79. Mando Guerrero
    
80. Kevin Von Erich
    
81. Ricky Morton
    
82. Sting
    
83. Isamu Teranishi
    
84. Robert Gibson
    
85. Fuerza Guerrera
    
86. Sangre Chicana
    
87. Paul Orndorff
    
88. Kendo Nagasaki
    
89. Terry Gordy
    
90. Stan Lane
    
91. Shinichi Nakano
    
92. Fishman
    
93. Shunji Takano
    
94. Razor Ramon
    
95. Jimmy Flush
    
96. King Kong Bundy
    
97. Akio Sato
    
98. Hiro Saito
    
99. El Hijo del Santo
    
100. Chavo Guerrero
     

 

<hr noshade size=3>

 

If you'd like to know the ranking of anyone who you don't see among the top 100, just ask.

 

Considering your roster, you could lose maybe ten guys and not miss a step besides having a coupe of managers with less clients. Hell, you'd probably do better if you dumped some of the older guys like Valentine. Though he is really good in this dynasty, I believe.

You can definitely expect to see the WWF roster get a bit slimmer in 1989. Part of the reason I'm trying something new for this round of my prediction contest is that my usual prize was picking someone to hire, and I don't want my roster to get any more bloated. There will also be several departures, including some pretty major headliners. I'm not sure if my roster will shrink by ten, but I'd guess it'll get smaller by half a dozen at least.

 

Not surprised by any of the big awards; and exceptionally written up - provides a great recap for the year!

The only one that really surprised me was tag team of the year, mainly because I don't think of Ted & UT as a team. Heck, I never even formed them as a team within the game! Other than that I wasn't sure which of Ted's 100 matches would get MOTY. The game considers Ted vs. Bret the best match my user character has ever booked.

 

I'd pay good money to see Ricky Steamboat and Ted DiBiase go for the big belt. It's awesome to see Ted win the big one and hold it for a long while.

Me too; that would've been great! DiBiase was initially only supposed to be a temporary champion who would hold the belt for like 3 or 4 months, but his title reign took on a life of its own (and Randy Savage keeps getting suspended!)

 

I really hope Jake has half as good a run as DiBiase did. I'm really marking out with "Jake's new attitude". But I really can't wait for 1990 where there is a "Stunning" individual that will debut. I wonder if he can win Young wrestler of the year like he did in RL winning rookie of the year that year.

I'm not sure where Austin will end up, but he won't be eligible for young wrestler of the year; he'll already be 25 by the time he debuts.

 

How Austin develops is going to be fun to watch. I'm not sure if I've noted this before, but before I started this game I set every single yet to debut worker's potential to Random. Austin's the first huge star to debut, so it'll be really interesting to see how far he can make it.

[Anderz]

AROUND THE ALLIANCE

December 1988

 

Title Changes

 

Akira Maeda & Toshiaki Kawada defeated the Road Warriors to win the AJPW World’s Strongest Tag Team tournament

World’s Strongest Tag Team League – Grade: 80

 

Tony St. Clair defeated Kendo Nagasaki for the ASW British Heavyweight title

ASWUK Hit Rock Bottom – Grade: 80

 

Brad Rheingans defeated Wendell Cooley for the NWA Southern US Junior Heavyweight title

CCW Love To Burn 2 – Grade: 59

 

Gary Young & Jeff Jarrett defeated Brazo de Oro & Shane Douglas to win the vacant UWF Tag Team titles

Universal Riot – Grade: 58

 

Earthquake Ferris defeated The Grappler to win the vacant NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title

PNW Danger Zone 2 – Grade: 56

 

Vinnie Valentino & The Warlord defeated Ken Timbs & Earthquake Ferris for the NWA Central States Tag Team titles

CWS Lost In The City – Grade: 46

 

The NWA Southeast Continental Tag Team titles were vacated

 

The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles were vacated

 

 

 

 

Big Events

 

NWA Clash of the Champions 1988

Main Event: Honky Tonk Man defeated Don Muraco to retain the AWA World Heavyweight title [85]

Grade: 81

 

World’s Strongest Tag Team League 1988

Main Event: Akira Maeda & Toshiaki Kawada defeated the Road Warriors in a tournament final [80]

Grade: 80

 

CMLL Finale De Dias

Main Event: MS-1 & Pirata Morgan defeated Siglo XX & Mascara Ano 2000 [74]

Grade: 73

 

ASWUK Hit Rock Bottom

Main Event: Tony St. Clair defeated Kendo Nagasaki for the ASW British Heavyweight title [80]

Grade: 71

 

CSW Lost In The City

Main Event: Bulldog Bob Brown defeated Bill Dundee to retain the NWA Central States Heavyweight title [58]

Grade: 64

 

CWA The End Is Near II

Main Event: Tommy Rich defeated Chic Donovan to retain the AWA Southern Heavyweight title [61]

Grade: 60

 

Universal Riot

Main Event: Matt Borne defeated Buzz Sawyer [59]

Grade: 58

 

CCW Love To Burn 2

Main Event: Tom Zenk defeated Hercules Ayala [55]

Grade: 54

 

PNW Danger Zone 2

Main Event: Ricky Santana, Cocoa Samoa & Abbuda Dein defeated Billy Two Eagles, Luke Graham & Tyler Mane [51]

Grade: 52

 

 

 

 

Wrestler Spotlight

 

Jerry “The King” Lawler

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i304/Anderz_Baz/JCP/JerryLawler89_zps24395a2f.jpg

 

Current Employer: Continental Wrestling Association

 

39 years old (19 year pro)

 

Best Match of 1988: Jerry Lawler & Larry Zbyszko defeated Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard

at AWA SuperClash III, May 1988 [89]

 

1988 Record: 23-5-1

 

Notable Championships and Achievements:

AWA Southern Heavyweight (x42)

AWA Southern Tag Team (x8)

AWA World Heavyweight

CWA/AWA International Heavyweight (x3)

NWA Mid-America Heavyweight (x2)

1986 Power 500: #29

1987 Power 500: #36

1988 Power 500: #67

 

Jerry Lawler, “The King” of Memphis, is perhaps best known for his notorious feud with comedian Andy Kaufman in 1982. The feud’s most infamous incident occurred when Lawler slapped Kaufman in the face on an episode of Late Night with David Letterman; Kaufman responded by throwing coffee on Lawler. Aside from this feud, Lawler is known for his multitude of championship wins all over the United States.

 

In recent years, Lawler has been the man behind the booking in the Memphis territory Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) a member of the NWA. Lawler was also a mainstay in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) right up until the company was purchased by the NWA; even wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions after the sale. It was here that The King feuded with the Honky Tonk Man which culminated in a Loser Leaves Town match at the 1988 Great American Bash.

 

Since leaving the NWA’s main promotion, Lawler has been taking it easy and focussing on his booking duties in the CWA. He returned to the ring after two months off at September’s CWA Into The Void and defeated Jeff Jarrett. 1989 looks to be another strong year for Lawler after once again being ranked inside the Power 500 and he begins a feud with Tommy Rich over the AWA Southern Heavyweight title.

 

 

 

For more information about the NWA's flagship promotion; follow JCP: The Race To The Top here.

[Anderz]

As I was a fan for 11 months of the year and a contributor for just 1; I have to say that the top 3 of the Power 500 are certainly no surprise. But I would've expected Jake, Flair and Tully to all be a little higher.

 

Maybe that's because the two promotions that are constantly in the spotlight are the WWF and JCP but I was a little surprised that at least one of those three didn't make the top 10.

 

I guess I just need to pay more attention to Japan in 1989.

[BlueStar]

As I was a fan for 11 months of the year and a contributor for just 1; I have to say that the top 3 of the Power 500 are certainly no surprise. But I would've expected Jake, Flair and Tully to all be a little higher.

 

Maybe that's because the two promotions that are constantly in the spotlight are the WWF and JCP but I was a little surprised that at least one of those three didn't make the top 10.

 

I guess I just need to pay more attention to Japan in 1989.

 

Get Lawler into JCP. Really! I won a prize, I give you one.

[The Final Countdown]

January 9th, 1989

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/WWF88.jpg~original

 

A trio of wrestlers finished up with the WWF at the January 3rd TV. Terry Funk and Nikolai Volkoff both went out live on The Main Event, putting over Hashimoto and the Allied Forces tag team respectively. Funk chose to leave on his own from what we understand. There aren't said to be any hard feelings; Funk just decided that he'd been there long enough and it was time for him to move on. Jim Crockett Promotions is said to have contacted him upon hearing he would be leaving, only for him to turn them down as well. A return to Japan would seem likely, but perhaps WCW will pursue the Funker.

 

As for Volkoff, the WWF has been looking to trim some of the fat off of their massive roster, and allowing Volkoff's deal to expire makes sense considering he has been spinning his wheels for months, if not years. This will also allow Alexei Bakarov to try and get over on his own.

 

Also leaving the company was woman's wrestler Vicki Williams, who lost to Matsumoto on the Wrestling Challenge taping. Williams, who had only been utilized to put some of the heel women over, was not offered an extension when her contract came up for renewal.

 

You may have noticed that the "diamond" vignettes the company was running abruptly stopped, and no mention was made of the fact that "the diamond" was allegedly going to debut on the first Main Event of the new year. We can confirm the rumor that the vignettes were intended to be a spoof suggesting that Ric Flair was on his way to the WWF, only for "the diamond" to ultimately be Paul Diamond. The idea was dropped for whatever reason, and Diamond debuted without fanfare with a loss to Koko B. Ware on the final Wrestling Challenge of 1988.

 

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss322/FCDiary/TFCTGA/NJPW.jpg~original

 

New Japan held their first big show of the year (cleverly titled "New Year Show") on January 8th in front of a sellout crowd of 10,000 fans. Several WWF wrestlers were featured on the undercard as part of NJPW's working relationship with the #1 company in the world. Here's the breakdown of the event:

 

(Pre-Show) Devil Machines over Butch Reed and Osamu Kido (66)

(Pre-Show) The Barbarian over Dean Malenko (60)

Masahiro Chono over Akira Nogami (65)

The Unholy over Black Cat and Arakawa (72)

Shinya Hashimoto over Sting (71)

Steve Williams over British Bulldog (79)

Takada and Kimura over Mutoh and Bundy (84)

Tatsutoshi Goto over Owen Hart (64)

Brawl between Stan Hansen and Antonio Inoki (86)

Takashi Iizuka over Mark Rocco (76)

Brawl between Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu (88)

Shiro Koshinaka over Solar to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title (70)

Stan Hansen over Hiromichi Fuyuki (83)

Tatsumi Fujinami over Antonio Inoki to retain the IWGP Heavyweight title (89)

Overall: 86

 

<hr noshade size=3>

 

For the big events from AI-controlled companies, would you rather see a full rundown like this or just a brief bit that mentions that the best match and main event? Feedback would be welcome and appreciated.

 

As I was a fan for 11 months of the year and a contributor for just 1; I have to say that the top 3 of the Power 500 are certainly no surprise. But I would've expected Jake, Flair and Tully to all be a little higher.

 

Maybe that's because the two promotions that are constantly in the spotlight are the WWF and JCP but I was a little surprised that at least one of those three didn't make the top 10.

 

I guess I just need to pay more attention to Japan in 1989.

Jake being where he was didn't surprise me; he spent the first four months of the year feuding with Piper, who he had bad chemistry with. He really didn't have much opportunity to have great matches the first half of the year, and it was only when his feud with Hogan got going that he did. Almost cracking the top 10 is pretty good for him, all things considered.

 

I didn't necessarily expect Flair or Tully to make the top 10, but I was expecting them to be a bit higher than they were as well. It's tough though, when my roster is so stacked and the elite Japanese guys have so many opportunities to have great matches.

[Anderz]

NWA HAWAIIAN RUMBLE

Special Report

 

Jim Crockett Promotions held a special one-off live event at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii on Saturday night January 7th.

 

The show was headlined by the in-ring return of the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who overcame the challenge of the self-proclaimed “Real American Hero” Sgt. Slaughter. The duo went back and forth for 20 minutes before Flair locked in his Figure Four Leglock to seal the victory. Earlier in the night, Slaughter’s arch nemesis – the United States Heavyweight Champion, Don Muraco – successfully defended title inside a steel cage. The hometown hero rekindled an old rivalry with “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka – but the end result was much different from the last time these two faced off inside a cage as Muraco retained his title.

 

The other big highlight of the night was a 20-man battle royal; many of the NWA’s biggest stars were involved but the final participants were Dusty Rhodes, Terry Gordy, Larry Zbyszko and Honky Tonk Man. Bam Bam Bigelow was also a big factor, scoring the most eliminations until the AWA Champion sent him packing. Gordy and Rhodes eliminated each other before Zbyszko went one step closer to redemption and sent Honky out of the ring to get the win.

 

All four members of the Four Horsemen were in action in an eight-man tag team match; as they were victorious over the Fabulous Ones and Totally Fantastic. Jushin Liger defended his World Cruiserweight title against the youngest Guerrero brother – CMLL’s Eddie Guerrero. The British Bruisers overcame Buddy Rose & Doug Somers whilst the night opened with six-man action as Dustin Rhodes led his team to victory. Rhodes paired with Kendall Windham and Brian Blair to beat The Masters of Pain and the Terminator.

 

Results in full:

• Dustin Rhodes, Kendall Windham & Brian Blair d. The Masters of Pain & The Terminator in 8:23 (D+)

• British Bruisers d. Buddy Rose & Doug Somers in 9:54 (C+)

• Jushin Liger d. Eddie Guerrero to retain the NWA World Cruiserweight title in 11:21 (D+)

• The Four Horsemen d. The Fabulous Ones & Totally Fantastic in 11:51 (C+)

• Four Horsemen promo on Ric Flair and Totally Fantastic (C-)

• Larry Zbyszko won a 20-man battle royal in 24:36 (B-)

• Ric Flair promo on Tully Blanchard (B+)

• Don Muraco d. Jimmy Snuka to retain the NWA United States Heavyweight title in a Steel Cage match in 16:38 (B-)

• Don Muraco argued with Sgt. Slaughter (B)

• Ric Flair d. Sgt. Slaughter in 19:50 (A)

• Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair brawled to close the show (B)

 

Overall Show Grade: B+

[Dawn]

I certainly missed a lot of stuff on this save while I was out with no internet. This just keeps getting better and better, mates. I'll get my rum and start reading everything that I missed and I will continue following this for sure until its very end!

[Anderz]

I certainly missed a lot of stuff on this save while I was out with no internet. This just keeps getting better and better, mates. I'll get my rum and start reading everything that I missed and I will continue following this for sure until its very end!

 

IF you were up to date before Ritchardo left and the long break then you should only be 5 in game weeks behind. That's how long I've been involved as JCP.

 

Hope you enjoy catching up!

[Dawn]

Damn, it feels like I lost a year though bro, haha.

 

Thanks, I'll catch up to your part right now.