WBF BodyStars! – May 16th, 1992

A curious Saturday evening addition, I was down the YouTube rabbit hole and came across a channel with some episodes of this show on. Vince McMahon’s third or so attempt to branch out that resulted in failure after Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde and No Holds Barred, he started up his own bodybuilding company too and put some WWF touches on it. As I got into wrestling in 1991 with the episode of Prime Time that was effectively a commercial for the WBF, with Bobby Heenan challenging a bodybuilder to a pose down and feigning an injury when he took his sweatshirt off to get out of it, I didn’t ever really know a WWF without the WBF, so watched these episodes and the second PPV that really now is just the source of the Vince and Gary Strydom meme (“Talk about a night out on the town!”) without any complaint. A sign that you’re into something you’ll watch anything.

Here we go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CeXTvYAR4

Joined in progress with a feature on Mighty Mike Quinn, with his own promo graphic with chains and spike, pacing back and forth yelling while ripping his vest off and images of his face launch at the camera, which is absolutely how Vince would’ve introduced him as a wrestler. He bursts through a door and then it’s a fairly boring interview with him about working out and how he does it. Much like comedy, bodybuilding is one of those things where I can appreciate the product, but the philosophy behind it is dull as hell. Lots of grunting like he’s passing a pineapple.

Back to hostess Cameo Kneuer, who’s alright but not significantly hot enough for ANYONE to be going “You remember how hot Cameo Kneuer was?!”. She’s with Lex Luger, who had to be a WBF star to run out his WCW contract before 1993. He announces his entry into the WBF Championship as a guest poser. He wouldn’t make it to the show due to a motorcycle accident, but would get a metal plate in his forearm to run as a gimmick for the rest of his career.

Cut to Vince with Mike Quinn and future Bart Gunn murder witness Vinny Paz. Mike is trying to do a cross between a Noo Yawk accent and sounding like Arnold. He stomps off, leaving Vinny to promote an upcoming fight and looking like the epitome of what you look like if you don’t take “ICOPRO” with a bum fluff moustache on top of that. He looks a bit like Doc Dean, actually.

To Dr. Fred Hatfield, Vince’s creative partner in this whole endeavour. Tips on food that includes weird stuff like the word carbohydrates being parsed as CARBO over HYDRATES on screen. Train regularly, eat well.

In a bumper, Berry De Mey and Danny Padilla playfully beef with one another over who’s gonna be the champ.

Feature on Evander Holyfield over the backing music used in WCW for PN News. He was too small to go from lightweight to heavyweight… wonder how he made the jump, hmmm? Run and stretch, he says. But how do you protect your ears?

Lex introduces the Future Jim Quinn and his “pansy” workout. Hell of a body, hell of a mullet. Not many who pose in Pit Viper shades either!

Vince and Cameo would like to remind us that all WBF stars are 100% tested grade-A prime beef. Tested doesn’t necessarily imply clean, though, Vince.

To the Iron Warrior Mike Christian in chain mail before Scott Steiner took it. See Christian, I’m kinda surprised that Vince didn’t sign future OVW washout David Nelson for this show. Mike seems a nice guy and gets to show off playing with his kid at the beach and talks about his wife.

And that’s apparently it, with a preview of next week’s show and then throwing to a clip from last year’s show of the Jet-Man Tony Pearson. Granted, it’s only half hour, but they put nothing into the show and rushed from one thing to another, so even without the intro it’s fifteen minutes of new and five minutes of old. Vince trying to do wrestling-style commentary over bodybuilding does not work and Tom Platz as the expert isn’t good enough to make up for it.

Melting it down: Yeah, there’s a reason why this has been consigned to the dustbin of history. Amusing, though.