Greetings From Allentown

Climb aboard the Mothership for a look back at WCW Saturday Night from June 28, 1997! - The WCW midcard in 1997: a diverse playground with something for everyone - Nobility is out the window as The Blue Bloods explode - Jeff Jarrett has delusions of grandeur - Appreciating Meng’s theme and pondering a trip to Tonga - Ric Flair steals the one bit that Lex Luger was the best at - Categorizing enhancement tag teams - Konnan in wrestling purgatory - Playing the Mean Gene hotline promo guessing game Plus: - Introducing a wedding wrap-up show segment - Karate Kid 2: The WCW of the Karate Kid series? - Braves baseball on TBS roundup! - Sports moments of ’99: Pedro Martinez, Troy O’Leary, Eugene Robinson, Brett Hull, and an OT winner! - Vinnie Vegas Corner NFL Conference Championship Edition! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Prowestlingonly.com

This week is a salute to the late “Mean” Gene Okerlund with a look at his first WWF show Wrestling At The Chase from January 1, 1984! - How Okerlund’s arrival helps everyone in the company be better at their jobs - Hulk Hogan returns to the WWF as a true man of the people - A brief overview of wrestling in St. Louis - “Dr. D” David Schultz issues a subtle challenge to the rest of the heel locker room - The curious case of “Mad Dog” Maganoff - Tony Atlas drops a hint that maybe he isn’t crazy about his tag team partner - Adonis and Murdoch: what makes them different makes them great Plus: - Side Headlock-A-Palooza in St. Louis - How a dog food company screwed over an NHL team - Sports moments of ’98: Kerry Wood, Randy Moss, Bryce Drew, and a goalie “fight” - Vinnie Vegas Corner NFL Divisional Edition! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Prowestlingonly.com

On a unique Greetings From Allentown, this week features a look at the pilot episode of the 1988 wrestling-themed TV show “Learning The Ropes”, starring Lyle Alzado and featuring cameos from Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Ronnie Garvin! Plus: - Vinnie Vegas Corner: NFL Wild Card edition! - YouTube Comment Theater! - Sports moments of ’97: Farewell to the Whale, a non-call in the Super Bowl, Wade Boggs takes the hill, and Rick Pitino takes over Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Prowestlingonly.com

Learn all about unique ways to injure someone with a chair by checking out WWF Superstars from October 27, 1996! - Steve Austin attacks Brian Pillman: the last consequential angle ever on Superstars - Sunny Days are the end of days for the Smoking Gunns - Pondering how Psycho Sid could approach a presidential campaign - Examining Triple H’s 1996 Curtain Call “punishment” - An important distinction in the Rocky Maivia debut vignettes - Why The Undertaker had a long streak at WrestleManias - The benefits and honors of being a WWF hillbilly - Reworking the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony Plus: - What is wrong with Marty Jannetty? I mean, this time. - Analysis of the matchups in the 1996 Karate Fighters tournament - Brilliant game planning in Madden 18 - Ahmed Johnson: thoughtful AND eloquent? - Sports moments of ’96: A corrupt umpire, the FoxTrax hockey puck, Magic Johnson gets ejected Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Prowestlingonly.com

This week features a look at an oddly stacked episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge from February 24, 1991! - Sgt. Slaughter has fun with fire and beats the symbolism into the ground - The New Dream Team explodes and gets a visit from the Ghost of Dream Team Past - Gene Okerlund has a rough go at Toys R Us with the Big Bossman - How Macho Man vs Ultimate Warrior at WM7 would have suffered in the LA Coliseum - The inside scoop of why Gorilla Monsoon hates The Mountie so much - Rick Martel’s ’91 Rumble performance: a template for Flair? - Examining Animal’s promo style - Brawler Facts: 6 things about Steve Lombardi - Jim Duggan vs Pez Whatley for the soul of Greetings From Allentown - A plea for WWE to use nostalgia in a different way Plus: - Hulk Hogan accidentally invents a new kind of WrestleMania - Why Home Alone is NOT a Christmas movie - Speculating on the direction of the vigilante “Mariner” character - Sports moments of ’95: Cal and the Orioles, Hakeem and the Rockets, a national title for BU, and the Ha

We’re heading to Florida(!) for some PWF (Professional Wrestling Federation aka Florida Championship Wrestling) action from April 30, 1989! - Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk renew their rivalry with brawls, boxes, and hilarious promos defining a “Dusty” - The Nasty Boys plagiarize a once and future rival - A Florida edition of “According to Larry” - The appeal of wrestlers in the “before” phase - A musical tribute to Fred Ottman’s PWF character - Dick Slater as the perpetual “backup running back” to Terry Funk - Oliver Humperdink: enough is enough Plus: - Inventing a backstory for Drake Maverick and the Authors of Pain - Pondering WWF President Jack Tunney as the Event Center host - Sports moments of ’94: AC got OJ in the car, Nancy and the black stick, Cheney and Calipari, two point conversions, and Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes - YouTube Comment Theater! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Placetobenation.com/amazon

It was a brand new world for the WWF in January 1993 with the launch of a new show on the USA Network: WWF Mania from January 30, 1993! - Taking stock of Ric Flair’s overall WWF 1991-93 run as it comes to a close - Setting the tone for RAW with the Flair-Perfect match and how it differed from all prior WWF TV matches - How Todd Pettengill may have saved the promotion a ton of money - An era of change stunted by the return of Hulk Hogan - What happens when you call the 800 number of WrestleMania IX tickets? - Kamala forgets how to end matches as a babyface - Tatanka as a “moments” guy and rebooking his match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania - Sean Mooney takes a pun-based challenge - The Undertaker awkwardly chips in on behalf of Headlock on Hunger Plus: - Explaining why Savage went for a pinfall at the 1993 Royal Rumble on Yokozuna - George H.W. Bush yakking on the Japanese prime minister - Pondering a trip to London, England - Dustings of light racism litter the show - Rob Schneider SNL characters - W

This week it’s back to the early days of Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling with a look at NWA Worldwide from June 24, 1989! - The Great Muta vs Scott Steiner: Where the reality of the situation falls short of expectation - Attempting to improve the Dynamic Dudes - A Las Vegas based Sid Vicious at a locals casino playing the blackjack tables - Lex Luger cares not for your top 10 rankings - Calling BS on the geographical spread of WCW contest winners - Ricky Santana vs Wild Bill Irwin as the “who cares” feud of 1989 - Rick Steiner has some fun with Tommy Young - A neck brace keeps Ric Flair from doing his thing - Teddy Long’s bad evil heel laugh Plus: - Why Great Muta would mostly use the green mist - The unfortunate death of an enhancement talent - Proper consumption of Starburst - Career advice for Ricky Santana - Gripes about Rick Steiner’s real estate website - 1992 sports moments: the last great Indy 500, the Dream Team, and a terrible referee call - YouTube Comment Theater! GreetingsFromAll

Just in time for Turkey Day, the Adams Division Podcast (Peter Winson of Greetings From Allentown & Steve Bennett of the Sports-Casters) reconvene to the discuss and rank Survivor Series shows from 1987 to 1998. Including: a split on the enjoyment level of the ’95 show, how being at a show live helps to remember a show more fondly, good and bad booking, delightfully odd teams, and a lengthy discussion of Ax’s “performance” at the 1990 show!

The devil went down to Georgia and instead of stealing a soul, Vince McMahon presents the WWF on TBS from January 5, 1985! - A brief history of the WWF foray into Georgia with the bumps in the road and the hilarity of how they got bailed out - Drawing on a story from the Old Testament to seek meaning in the Andre The Giant haircut angle - Running down Hulk Hogan matches on weekly TV after winning the world title - Freddie Miller refuses to do multiple takes - Giving thanks for the many musings of Angelo Mosca on color commentary - The irony of the Moondogs finisher - Blackjack Mulligan and an unfortunate incident at the Boston Garden - A rare look at manager-less Greg Valentine Plus: - Tito Santana is worried about groceries - A glimpse at the “bawdy” version of your podcast host - The bizarre game choices of the NBA on TBS from that week - The WWF in the Atlanta Omni: 1,500 wrestling fans can’t be wrong! - Sports moments of 1991 featuring Rocket Ismail, Lonnie Smith, and Magic Johnson Email: Greetingsfrom

The show is again walking in Memphis this week with a look at CWA Memphis Wrestling from May 9, 1987! - Austin Idol vs Jerry Lawler in a cage: hair vs hair and the logical booking to build it up - Tommy Rich is off his rocker (and under the ring) - Poor Soul Train Jones can’t get out of the station - Exposing who stole Rocky Johnson’s line from his promo - “How To Work a 1 on 2 Handicap Match” by Mark Starr - Proto-Barry Horowitz dares to put his hands on the great Lance Russell - Steve Keirn is injured….or is he? - Paul Heyman has his first big star-making turn and predicts the future Plus: - A call for more Chicks - Bam Bam Bigelow has a list of confessions he wants to spill before heading to the WWF - A music video featuring the Midnight Rockers - How to deal with a crowd ready to riot in the Mid-South Coliseum - Looking back at 1990 sports moments from baseball, hockey, and college basketball - Connecting literally everything through the 1988 Survivor Series - YouTube Comment Theater! GreetingsFromAll

It’s time for the comfort food of 1991 WWF with a look at Superstars from September 28, 1991! - Ric Flair detours from his debut match to pick on Roddy Piper and damage is done to the commentary team - Randy Savage deals with his status being on probation - A new idea for rebooting Sgt. Slaughter post-Iraq angle - Jake the Snake explains his turn to the dark side - Bret Hart in Canada and the 1997 match we never got - Vince McMahon: King of the awkward plug - The peculiar case of Mark Thomas, enhancement talent Plus: - A proposal to replace Daylight Saving Time in the US - The craziest sports moment of ’89 for episode 89 - Ric Flair’s “edited” first promo in the WWF - Canada on a hot streak in 1991 - One of the all time great Hollywood casting stories - An honest to God 40 second Berzerker promo! GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/greetingsfromallentown www.prowrestlingonly.com

This week it is ’88 for 88 with a look at a historic episode of Continental Championship Wrestling from April 23, 1988! - “I’d like to talk to Tom”: breaking down the Tom Prichard/Dirty White Boy angle itself, how it was shot, and background of how it came to be - A quick history of Continental/Southeastern Wrestling and the big changes that came after this show - Gordon Solie tries to keep the show on track in spite of the craziness - What I think of when it comes to “Dirty” Dutch Mantell - Eddie Gilbert swiping tapes from the production team - The strangest “inset” promo cut you will ever see - The sad story of Detroit Demolition - Bill Kazmeier has self-esteem issues Plus: - Better days in ’88 for the Los Angeles Dodgers - An alarm clock snafu leads to a long Saturday - The risk in wearing a Jason hockey mask - YouTube Comment Theater! GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/greetingsfromallentown www.prowrestlingonly.com

Thanks to a random YouTube crackdown, the show takes an extreme turn with a look at ECW Hardcore TV from September 26, 1995! - ECW as the rest area of professional wrestling - A glimpse of the future Big Poppa Pump as Taz reaches a low point - Weapons, tables, and run-ins: the quintessential ECW match featuring the Pitbulls, Raven, and Stevie Richards - Steve Austin rolls in with a parody of everyone’s favorite balding blond wrestler - Rey Mysterio Jr. and Psicosis light up South Philly - 2 Cold Scorpio just lights up, period - Woman keeps repeating herself - JT Smith works an old comedy trope Plus: - A confession about a popular movie franchise - Why a big 1987 sports moment wouldn’t have happened in 2018 - Explaining Stevie Richards’ white cutoff jeans - How the theme to the Hardcore TV show became popular a couple of years earlier - Background of the term “shah” GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/greetingsfromallentown www.prowrestlingonly.com

Buckle up for the toboggan ride that is Jim Crockett Promotions 1988 style in the form of NWA Worldwide from February 6, 1988! - Sting introduces himself to the Four Horsemen, who just want to get drunk - Speculating on an infamous Dusty Rhodes angle that was aborted - The brilliant satire of the Varsity Club - A “mistake” from JCP that actually deserves praise - Barry Windham’s “50 home run season” - A very special episode of According to Larry (Z) - Taking issue with Bobby Eaton’s gear Plus: - How a joke on Twitter led to an unlikely interaction with “Big Dave” - A fantastic David Crockett blooper - Three great sports moments from 1986 - Dusty Rhodes as the Yankees pitching coach - YouTube Comment Theater! GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/greetingsfromallentown www.prowrestlingonly.com

Greetings From Allentown stays in 1999 this week for a look at the penultimate episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night from August 14, 1999! - The greatness and high expectations of Chris Jericho’s WWF debut - Jesse Ventura returns and it is like he never left - Cranky Michael Hayes delights on commentary - Edge: Is he the Canadian Ricky Schroeder? - Triple H embarrasses himself with a commercial tagline - Tough times for Chaz/Mosh and Ken Shamrock - Tag title switches aplenty - Droz’s pal Key makes his only televised appearance in a match Plus: - Developing a parody character of the Ultimate Warrior - Getting the two Headbangers mixed up like a confused commentator - Celebrating the return of the Body in song - An intergender SummerSlam main event? - A strange thought about hockey fans celebrating goals by the home team in the arena - YouTube comment theater! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown ProWrestlingOnly.com

Greetings From Allentown returns to da Mothership for WCW Saturday Night from April 10, 1999! - Overcoming prejudices against the phrase “1999 WCW” - The greatest thing Disco Inferno ever did in WCW - The life and times of Jerry Flynn - A personal issue against the new WCW logo - Perusing Rick Steiner’s Georgia real estate listings - The commonality of Konnan and one popular musician - Playing the guessing game for Gene Okerlund’s hotline shills - Norman Smiley and Ernest Miller fight the glass ceiling…and each other Plus: - The trials and tribulations of job hunting in 2018 - Dreaming of an afternoon on the links with Fit Finlay - How the Atlanta Braves fared against the Big Unit Randy Johnson - Prescient statements about Goldberg and Kevin Nash - Sports jerseys galore! - YouTube comment theater! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown ProWrestlingOnly.com

We head back to the 80s for some Golden Era WWF with a look at WWF Spotlight from January 3, 1987! - Saluting Andre the Giant to set up the big turn - Starting the meteoric rise of the Honky Tonk Man - Who was Jimmy Hart’s best WWF protégé? (No, not Neidhart) - Lanny Poffo vs Steve Lombardi: a chance for Gorilla and Lord Al to do all their comedy bits - Dennis Stamp gets booked! - A distinct Quebecois flavor permeating the show - Koko B. Ware as the great table setter - The Wizard needs to dial down the volume Also: - What’s the deal with Lord Alfred Hayes? - Similarities between two legendary championship teams of the 80s from different sports - Talking China at a brewery and DeNiro at a winery - The best baseball games on the original Nintendo - Commercials from 1987! Email: GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown PlaceToBeNation.com/Amazon

This week it is back to the Sunshine state for some WCW Worldwide from June 25, 1994! - Hulk Hogan arrives and makes changes to his Demandments even as change in WCW takes time - Brian Pillman’s lost 1994 in spite of a new contract - The limitations of Stunning Steve Austin’s in-ring stooging - A proper requiem for the late Frank Andersson - The future Road Dogg picks up an idea from Mr. Wonderful - A very special “According to Larry” - Babyface edition! - Critiquing the Guardian Angel gimmick and recalling a 2007 incident involving the Boston chapter - Kevin Sullivan cares not for non-regional diction Also: - A New Mexico travelogue: coffee, chiles, and the B-52s - WCW Worldwide audio bumpers: the greatest thing ever? - A rant about Nick Patrick’s hair - YouTube Comment Theater! Email: GreetingsFromAllentown@gmail.com Twitter.com/GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown PlaceToBeNation.com/Amazon

This special episode of Greetings From Allentown features a look back at three more heel turns covered on the program: The Megapowers explode, Sid Justice flips out on Hulk Hogan, and Pez Whatley is brainwashed and programmed to attack and cut Jimmy Valiant’s hair. Plus: The story of why this show came to be and how Ahmed Johnson is tangentially related to it! Email: Greetingsfromallentown@gmail.com Twitter: @GFAllentownPod Facebook.com/GreetingsFromAllentown Placetobenation.com/amazon