Just S'pose... 12.17.06
Posted by Ron Gamble on 12.17.2006
Wishful thinking is an unhistorical trap and one we can do without. – Robert Cowley
You're probably wondering where I've been the past few weeks, right? Well, it turns out I was due for my annual "my computer hates me" forced hiatus. I really hope I have things worked out, at least on a temporary basis. I still need to work on it, but for now, things should be okay.
Well, football season is almost over for me. Brooke is out of the playoffs, Pitt lost their last five games of the season, and Da Stillers are now 6-7 with three games to go. Their last two games, against Tampa Bay and Cleveland, showed how the team should have been playing all season, winning 20-3 and 24-7. This Sunday, they take on fellow underachievers Carolina before closing out against Baltimore and Cincinnati. The best they can do is 9-7, not good enough to make the playoffs in the AFC. Man, Just S'pose they were playing in the NFC South…
As for my fantasy football team, my team made it into the playoffs. I owned a team with another guy, and together, we put up the second-best record in the league. Unfortunately for us, we were in the same division as the team with the best record. We beat that team twice this season, by the way.
So, first round of the playoffs. Most of the starting lineup decisions were no-brainers, but there was one that took some thinking: Steelers defense vs. Cleveland, or Eagles defense vs. Washington. We went with Pittsburgh. The Steelers scored six points, while the Eagles scored 16.
Naturally, we lost 129.1 to 120.8. If we would have gone with Philadelphia, we would have won by 1.7 points instead of losing by 8.3 points. Life stinks.
Okay, enough stalling. On to the newest goodness!
ROCKIN' ROBIN WILL HAVE COMPANY AT FAMILY REUNIONS
Terry Allen drove to his hotel room in Atlanta, exhausted. He had a big match ahead of him in the next show, and just wanted to sleep for a few hours. He would wrestle against Ric Flair tomorrow in the main event of Starrcade ‘86, and he needed to get in shape for what he hoped would be a long run with the NWA World title.
In the reality we know, on October 14, 1986, Terry Allen, also known as Magnum T.A., crashed his Porsche into a utility pole in Charlotte, NC. The fifth cervical vertebra in his back exploded, and it was expected he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life. After extensive surgery and physical therapy, he does walk again with assistance, but his wrestling career is over. But, Just S'pose Magnum T.A. didn't crash. What might have happened?
The next night, November 28, 1986, Magnum T.A. beat Ric Flair to become the 35th champion in National Wrestling Alliance history. He found out quickly what was expected of him as champion when he beat Flair again three nights later in Tallahassee, FL. He defended the title all around Florida for the next week, then traveled to the Midwest for title defenses in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, against all four members of the Four Horsemen. His toughest match in this swing was a cage match against Tully Blanchard in St. Louis. While it wasn't as vicious as their "I Quit" cage match at Starrcade '85, blood did flow freely.
On January 17, 1987, in New Orleans, LA, Nikita Koloff beat Magnum T.A. to become the 36th champion in National Wrestling Alliance history. Koloff beat T.A. the next night in Metairie, LA, and three nights later in Houston, TX. On World Championship Wrestling on WTBS the following Saturday, the world saw highlights of the match in New Orleans, while Nikita's "uncle" and spokesman, Ivan, told the audience, "My nephew Nikita will hold this World title for the next ten years. No one will be able to beat him. Together, we will show you stupid Americans that you are no match for the superior Soviet training system!"
As he said those words, Magnum T.A., Dusty Rhodes, and Sam Houston ran out to the interview set and attacked the Koloffs and Krusher Khrushchev. Later that evening, Magnum pinned Khrushchev in a six-man match main event. As the show ended, David Crockett screamed to the audience, "The Americans win! The Americans win!"
In early February, Nikita was forced to relinquish his United States championship, and a sixteen-man tournament was held over the next few weeks to decide the new champion. On April 4, 1987, Magnum T.A. beat Arn Anderson to win the US title for the third time. He was once again a champion, but he was not the champion. He was told by promoters that he would be given three matches against Nikita during the upcoming "Great American Bash 1987" tour, but when he asked about the possibility of winning the title again, no one could give him a straight answer.
On July 2, in Landover, MD, Magnum had his first title match against Nikita Koloff in six months, and won by disqualification. On July 4, 1987, in Atlanta, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., the Road Warriors, and Paul Ellering beat Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, and JJ Dillon in the first-ever "War Games/The Match Beyond." One week later, on July 11 in Greensboro, NC, Lex Luger beat Magnum to win the US title. On July 18 in Charlotte, NC, he beat Nikita by disqualification again. The next night in Chicago, they met for the third time in a Russian Chain match. This time, Nikita won after some interference by Ivan Koloff. On July 31 in Miami, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., the Road Warriors, and Paul Ellering beat Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, and The War Machine in a (mostly) rematch of "War Games/The Match Beyond."
On August 3, 1987, Magnum T.A. signed with the American Wrestling Association. He chose the AWA over the WWF because he saw more of an opportunity to win the World title there. After all, the WWF had Hulk Hogan as their champion. He knew Vince McMahon and the rest of WWF management pushed big guys, and figured the best he could ever do was win the Intercontinental title. If he wanted the second biggest title, he told friends, he'd stay in the NWA.
The AWA, however, welcomed wrestlers with substance over style. He had plenty of style; he wasn't called "Magnum T.A." because he liked guns, after all. However, AWA owner Verne Gagne had a history of letting smaller men win the World title. For proof, one simply had to look at current AWA World champion Curt Hennig. He was positive a match between himself and Hennig could make money, and a future World championship reign was not far off.
Terry Allen made his AWA debut on September 6, 1987, beating Doug Somers at a television taping in Las Vegas. He had a couple more matches on house shows with Somers, then beat Greg Carson three weeks later on television. After the match with Carson, Allen grabbed the microphone from the ring announcer.
"You know, all these other guys are good opponents, but I didn't come here to beat Doug Somers. I came here to win the AWA World title. There's only one way for me to win the title, and that's for me to wrestle the champion, Curt Hennig. Do you hear me, Curt? I'm coming for you!"
Announcers Larry Nelson and Nick Bockwinkel started to discuss who would win a match between Curt Hennig and Terry Allen when Hennig ran from the dressing room and attacked Bockwinkel. Allen ran out to stop the attack, but as he approached the announcer's table, he was smashed in the head by a chair, swung by Hennig ally Larry Zbyszko. He collapsed in a heap, and Zbyszko and Hennig jumped on him, slicing open his forehead. Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels ran out to help Allen, forcing Zbyszko and Hennig to back off. The next week, Hennig and Zbyszko challenged Allen to find a tag team partner and meet them in the ring next week.
On television the next week, Hennig and Zbyszko walked to the ring and repeated their challenge. Allen walked toward the ring, then stopped and grabbed the mic.
"You want a tag team match? You're on! There's someone else who wants a part of each of you, and he's right here!" Allen pointed to the announcer's table. "Nick Bockwinkel, are you ready?"
With that, Bockwinkel stood up, removed his headset, then walked from behind the table, revealing he was wearing his wrestling gear under his suit jacket and shirt. He shook Allen's hand, and the two of them jumped into the ring to attack their foes. Allen pinned Hennig to end the match, and Larry Nelson screamed that should be enough to make Terry Allen the number one contender.
In November 1987, Allen got his first singles matches with Hennig, and won by disqualification after interference by Zbyszko. He had several more matches throughout November, December, and January 1988, when he finally beat Hennig in Denver, CO, to win the AWA World title on January 26.
In his first defense on television against Paul Diamond, Allen went for his finishing move, the belly-to-belly suplex. Diamond was not prepared to take the move and instinctively threw his arms back. Unfortunately, both men landed on Diamond's right wrist, shattering it in the most disturbing injury since Joe Theismann. Instead of deciding Diamond took the move incorrectly, Allen was blamed by Greg Gagne for not taking care of his opponent. He lost the AWA World belt on March 1 to Larry Zbyszko in Minneapolis, MN. Allen was furious he was being blamed for something over which he had no control, and immediately after the match against Zbyszko, he walked over to Verne Gagne, said, "I quit," and left the arena.
Later in March, he began a six-week tour of Japan, with matches in Tokyo, Yokohama, Sapporo, and other major cities. He also had matches in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries he had never wrestled in before.
In October 1988, on World Championship Wrestling on WTBS, Dusty Rhodes made a challenge to Ric Flair. Five minutes later, Flair came to the podium to decline the challenge. "You see, Dusty," he screamed into the camera, "I've beaten you too many times to count already! I have beaten you in every state in the union, and many other countries on top of that! I am through with Dusty Rhodes!"
Dusty returned to the podium, shaking his finger. "Oh, no, baby. I never said the match was against me. I'd love the chance to beat you all over the place, but it's not me. I have someone in the back, a young man, who would love a shot at you. He's been gone for awhile, it's been a couple years since he's wrestled against you, and he's learned a thing or two since then. He figures the best way to measure how much he's learned is by wresting you again. So, what do you say, Ric? Do you accept this challenge?"
When Dusty said "a young man," Flair smiled. He was imagining the many ways he could torture some kid while showing off why he is The World Heavyweight Champion. "You say this… young man… wants to find out how much he's learned?" Flair put his arm around announcer Tony Schiavone and laughed. "Tony, I wasn't going to wrestle today, but I brought my gear, and it's in my limousine. I'm going to let you decide for me. Would you like to see me wrestle today and give some young kid a chance?"
Schiavone shrugged his shoulders. "I always enjoy seeing the world champion wrestle, no matter who he is."
Flair looked at the announcer with a quizzical look, as if he was trying to figure out what he meant by "no matter who he is," then looked at Rhodes. "Bring this punk on," he said, poking his index finger in Rhodes' chest. Flair then turned to leave, when Dusty smiled.
Later in the show, to open the second hour, Ric Flair went to the ring, berating the fans the entire time and demanding his opponent show himself. Rhodes walked out to announce his opponent, while Flair yelled at him to produce a victim.
"Ric, baby, you want him? You got him. Magnum, get out here!"
With the word "Magnum," the audience erupted. Flair and Magnum had a twenty minute match, which ended when Flair walked out of the ring and back to the dressing room. Magnum chased him and fought him in the back, and it took people from both dressing rooms to break up the fight.
At Clash of the Champions IV on December 7, 1988, Magnum and Dusty beat Ric Flair and Barry Windham when Magnum pinned Windham. Three weeks later at Starrcade 88, Magnum beat Flair to become a two-time NWA World champion.
This time, Magnum was allowed to hold the title a little longer, and he defended it against Flair, Windham, Luger, Steve Williams, Mike Rotundo, and others. At Great American Bash 1989, in a match against The Great Muta, Magnum was about to get the pin when Muta's manager Gary Hart pulled the referee out of the ring and hit him, getting Muta disqualified. After the match, Muta spit green mist into the face of the champion, then hit him with two karate thrusts into the throat. Magnum was carried out of the ring on a stretcher.
Magnum made his return three weeks later, jumping Muta while he was entering the ring. At their match in Spetember at Clash of the Champions VII, Magnum beat Muta, but was attacked after the match again. Muta and Magnum took turns attacking each other for the next few weeks until a match was signed for Halloween Havoc 1989. It was billed as an "I Quit Cage Match," in which the winner would force his opponent to say, as Gordon Solie so famously put it, "Two words, five letters: I Quit." After twenty-seven minutes, Magnum put Muta in the Indian Deathlock, forcing him to quit. This match was named "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Magnum would continue to hold the title for another four months before finally losing it to Lex Luger in Washington, DC. He never won the World title again, but did have a couple runs as NWA and WCW Tag Team champions with Brian Pillman in 1991 and 1992. He eventually left WCW in 1993, and wrestled around the country at independent shows. He also made annual trips to Japan until his retirement in 1999.
NEXT WEEK?
I'm not sure what to do next week. Even with this break, next week will still be my last column for 2006. That also means my annual list of some of my favorite things. However, I also have a good idea for a new Just S'pose. So, it's up to you. Do I go with tradition, or do I stick with the general theme of this column? Click below and let me know.
