bloodbath

Hidden Gems: The Last Battle of Atlanta

6th September 2016 by Scott Keith

Finally, the most sought after match footage in wrestling history is available. The legendary “Last Battle of Atlanta” was released Tuesday by the WWE Network as part of their new “Hidden Gems” collection. The footage had apparently been in WWE’s possession for some time. The match, a culmination of a nearly two year feud between Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer, was the prelude for the Hell in the Cell, according to Shawn Michaels, as this was the first time we see the entire ring enclosed by a steel cage.

Rich was one of the most popular wrestlers in the country and Sawyer, one of the most hated. They spilled blood all over the old Georgia Championship Wrestling territory. This match would finally end it all. So, without further ado…

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Starrcade ’85 “The Gathering” – November 28, 1985

2nd September 2016 by Scott Keith

Continuing the chronological look back at the NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions’ run in the mid-late 80s, it’s time for Starrcade ’85 “The Gathering”. Our main event is a rematch from Starrcade ’84, NWA Champ Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes. However, perhaps the most anticipated match on the card is the I Quit steel cage battle for the U.S. Title between Tully Blanchard and Magnum T.A. Let’s roll…

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WWE’s future endeavor bloodbath

12th June 2014 by Scott Keith

Hey Scott,

1. I know it seems like WWE just cut a lot of dead weight, but do you think maybe they should have hung on to one or two of those guys? McIntyre seemed pegged to be THE guy at one point and probably could have been rebuilt with distance from 3MB (and some actual effort, so clearly I'm deluding myself). Camacho never really got much of a fair shake at all, and Brodus was screwed from day one by a comedy gimmick with a limited ceiling and then never got the courtesy of even getting to appear on TV to test the waters after the heel turn. Would you have given any of those three (or any of the others) a stay of execution, or were they all just too far gone to be reclamation projects?

2. Do you think we'll ever see any of those guys again? Personally, I think Bourne will likely receive a hero's welcome back to ROH, and McIntyre could be a top guy for Global Force when and if that's ever a viable option. Hawkins/Tatsu/JTG would all be solid hands in the X-Division if any of them want to get on TNA's sinking ship. Where do you think some of them will/should end up?

3. Even though none of these guys are tremendous losses to WWE, how are they going to cut McIntyre and Clay but keep useless slugs like Khali and Otunga employed? Or are there more cuts coming? I know if I were Zack Ryder or Justin Gabriel I wouldn't be sleeping very soundly for a while.

Thanks!

1. I think Brodus was doing well reinventing himself as the monster he was originally supposed to be, but clearly the NXT run was a short-term thing where he was going to put over Neville and then disappear. It's too bad, he had potential. Camacho was miscast from the start and should have been Haku Jr. and aligned with the Usos or something.

2. McIntyre will do fine in a second-level promotion like TNA or Europe once the stink of 3MB is washed off him. The writing was on the wall for Bourne a long time ago and clearly he wasn't a good fit, whereas ROH will be. The rest will probably do their indy shots and sign autographs at conventions and stuff.

3. Khali and Otunga are for specific purposes and are probably safe. I'd say Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd would have both been dead meat if it hadn't been for Total Divas to save Kidd, and even then he should probably turn his phone off for a while. I bet they're gonna purge the office too. The whole thing is exactly what I was worried was going to happen when the $350 million stock crash happened — a lot of people losing jobs to make up for the network's shortcomings. And there's probably more coming.

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