The Rise of the Dragon: An Altered History of the World Wrestling Federation
- Thread starter The Walkman
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I liked how Ricky Steamboat seemed like he was gonna take the offer and then swerved it; him vs. Ted DiBiase, when both are at their primes? Should be up there with Steamboat-Flair, IMO (and it's classic storytelling, too: the good guy champ vs. the evil rich guy...)…
Waiting for more...
Waiting for more...
Well a young Punk from Chicago is going be happy with the ice cream bars. Seriously though great update also if your still doing the Million Dollar Man trying to buy the WWF Title does that mean he's going to end up bringing in Andre? Also have a great Thanksgiving.
I re-read the entry made about Dragon Ball catching on here in North American ITTL and, also prompted by my addition with Maple Town on this thread, started thinking.
Akira Toriyama is known all over the world for Dragon Ball. But the creation that made him famous in Japan was a manga titled Dr. Slump (Dr. スランプ). Running in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984, it spawned eleven animated films, many video games and even novels but also gave us a 243-episode anime that ran from 1981 to 1986.
Dr. Slump is about a robot resembling a little girl named Arale Norimaki and her builder, a mad scientist named Senbei Norimaki. The series takes place in Penguin Village and involves adventures with the many denizens of the village, Senbei's crazy inventions and Arale's superhuman strength. As of the end of the 2000s, all volumes of the manga have been translated into English but the anime has yet to be dubbed. Some have wondered if a dub is possible given the very surreal humor of Dr. Slump.
So now comes my question to our thread creator - does Dr. Slump hit the USA television market ITTL? Harmony Gold actually did dub the first (and ONLY the first) episode, running it in a few television markets, but lost the rights after it failed to make a splash. The Dr. Slump characters do a crossover with Dragon Ball during the Red Ribbon Army story arc so it stands to reason that American viewers would be familiar with the characters ITTL.
Here's a clip of the Harmony Gold dub of Dr. Slump:
Akira Toriyama is known all over the world for Dragon Ball. But the creation that made him famous in Japan was a manga titled Dr. Slump (Dr. スランプ). Running in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984, it spawned eleven animated films, many video games and even novels but also gave us a 243-episode anime that ran from 1981 to 1986.
Dr. Slump is about a robot resembling a little girl named Arale Norimaki and her builder, a mad scientist named Senbei Norimaki. The series takes place in Penguin Village and involves adventures with the many denizens of the village, Senbei's crazy inventions and Arale's superhuman strength. As of the end of the 2000s, all volumes of the manga have been translated into English but the anime has yet to be dubbed. Some have wondered if a dub is possible given the very surreal humor of Dr. Slump.
So now comes my question to our thread creator - does Dr. Slump hit the USA television market ITTL? Harmony Gold actually did dub the first (and ONLY the first) episode, running it in a few television markets, but lost the rights after it failed to make a splash. The Dr. Slump characters do a crossover with Dragon Ball during the Red Ribbon Army story arc so it stands to reason that American viewers would be familiar with the characters ITTL.
Here's a clip of the Harmony Gold dub of Dr. Slump:
Dunno in usa but sailor moon succeded because was very good.
Maybe now we have Even more Goku x usagi Doujin
Next update is in the works, and should be done very soon!
Until then: yikes, I have a big backlog of comments to get to!
Thanks for the kind words!
It actually boggles my mind that I've been at this timeline for so long. I don't know if I'm dedicated, obsessed, or a combination of the two. But as long as people seem to like what I'm doing, I'll keep chugging along!
As you said, the "Three Musketeers" (Mutoh, Hashimoto and Chono) are about to form in Puerto Rico at about this point, and they have an upcoming match in July which I'll probably cover once the time comes.
Muta's arrival in the U.S. remains to be seen, but I can tell you he'll definitely end up in one of the major wrestling promotions sooner rather than later, but it won't be the WWF. (Also, little mistake: he was billed as the Great Kabuki's son, if I remember right.)
As for Gary Hart, he's employed by WCW right now, where he manages Al Perez, and he'll definitely be involved in future storylines with the company. Keep your eyes peeled!
The butterflies have definitely been hitting Japan, but they're in very small gusts. For instance, there's a character in TTL's Pro Wrestling game called "Blood Vapor", who closely resembles Ricky Steamboat (his last-minute inclusion actually forces the game's release to be delayed by a few months). But in a few months, we're going to get a decent amount of changes in Japan--keep reading!
I've already hinted at Lioness Asuka being part of the WWF ITTL, if you look hard enough. As for the other ladies you mentioned...wait and see.
Debra Miceli is currently part of the "Badd Company" stable in the AWA, along with Paul Diamond, Pat Tanaka, Curt Hennig (for now!), and of course, their manager Diamond Dallas Page. She's definitely still rough around the edges, but a lot can happen between now and the turn of the decade.
As for Chyna? It's tough to say: young Joanie Laurer had a lot of troubles in her early life, and her path to pro wrestling was a very convoluted and confusing one, so we sadly may not see her ITTL.
Oh, we'll be hearing about the steroid scandal once we reach the '90s.
Bill Watts is currently not signed anywhere, but he may end up as a booker in WCW ITTL in the future.
As for Sting, he features prominently in the next update, so look out for that...
Tenryu is still employed by All Japan at this point, and is doing extremely well. His feud with Stan Hansen still happens, but it remains to be seen whether we'll get a classic out of them come July. Keep reading...
Also: yes, yes he does rule.
It remains to be seen if Rosanna Arquette's younger brother (who is 16 years old at this point and, indeed, a wrestling fan) decides to get into the business in any way ITTL.
Not exactly. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends becomes a sleeper hit on NBC, and the network approaches Marvel for the rights to more animated adaptations of their characters. The show debuts in 1987, before Pryde of the X-Men is ever conceived. You can read more about it in this thread if you want more info!
And it's only going to intensify. Now that Hogan has turned, DiBiase is being built up as the major hated heel in the company, and pitting his nefarious antics against the pure white meat Steamboat is going to be turned up to eleven, as you'll soon see!
No Andre in the Steamboat-DiBiase feud, but that doesn't mean someone from the OTL Hogan-Andre-DiBiase narrative won't show up in it ITTL!
Indeed. I don't know if it's possible to butterfly away his eventual Alzheimer's, unfortunately. However, his death IOTL was such a freak accident that it's almost certainly butterflied away here, so hopefully that can at least be comforting...
As anime goes, that's certainly a deep cut!
Dr. Slump will probably still get dubbed by Harmony Gold ITTL, but it never makes it to air in the US, no doubt causing some confusion with kids when the crossover with Dragon Ball airs in the States...
Don't you mean Zero x Serena doujin?
Until then: yikes, I have a big backlog of comments to get to!
Thanks for the kind words!
It actually boggles my mind that I've been at this timeline for so long. I don't know if I'm dedicated, obsessed, or a combination of the two. But as long as people seem to like what I'm doing, I'll keep chugging along!
As you said, the "Three Musketeers" (Mutoh, Hashimoto and Chono) are about to form in Puerto Rico at about this point, and they have an upcoming match in July which I'll probably cover once the time comes.
Muta's arrival in the U.S. remains to be seen, but I can tell you he'll definitely end up in one of the major wrestling promotions sooner rather than later, but it won't be the WWF. (Also, little mistake: he was billed as the Great Kabuki's son, if I remember right.)
As for Gary Hart, he's employed by WCW right now, where he manages Al Perez, and he'll definitely be involved in future storylines with the company. Keep your eyes peeled!
The butterflies have definitely been hitting Japan, but they're in very small gusts. For instance, there's a character in TTL's Pro Wrestling game called "Blood Vapor", who closely resembles Ricky Steamboat (his last-minute inclusion actually forces the game's release to be delayed by a few months). But in a few months, we're going to get a decent amount of changes in Japan--keep reading!
I've already hinted at Lioness Asuka being part of the WWF ITTL, if you look hard enough. As for the other ladies you mentioned...wait and see.
Debra Miceli is currently part of the "Badd Company" stable in the AWA, along with Paul Diamond, Pat Tanaka, Curt Hennig (for now!), and of course, their manager Diamond Dallas Page. She's definitely still rough around the edges, but a lot can happen between now and the turn of the decade.
As for Chyna? It's tough to say: young Joanie Laurer had a lot of troubles in her early life, and her path to pro wrestling was a very convoluted and confusing one, so we sadly may not see her ITTL.
Oh, we'll be hearing about the steroid scandal once we reach the '90s.
Bill Watts is currently not signed anywhere, but he may end up as a booker in WCW ITTL in the future.
As for Sting, he features prominently in the next update, so look out for that...
Tenryu is still employed by All Japan at this point, and is doing extremely well. His feud with Stan Hansen still happens, but it remains to be seen whether we'll get a classic out of them come July. Keep reading...
Also: yes, yes he does rule.
It remains to be seen if Rosanna Arquette's younger brother (who is 16 years old at this point and, indeed, a wrestling fan) decides to get into the business in any way ITTL.
Not exactly. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends becomes a sleeper hit on NBC, and the network approaches Marvel for the rights to more animated adaptations of their characters. The show debuts in 1987, before Pryde of the X-Men is ever conceived. You can read more about it in this thread if you want more info!
And it's only going to intensify. Now that Hogan has turned, DiBiase is being built up as the major hated heel in the company, and pitting his nefarious antics against the pure white meat Steamboat is going to be turned up to eleven, as you'll soon see!
No Andre in the Steamboat-DiBiase feud, but that doesn't mean someone from the OTL Hogan-Andre-DiBiase narrative won't show up in it ITTL!
Indeed. I don't know if it's possible to butterfly away his eventual Alzheimer's, unfortunately. However, his death IOTL was such a freak accident that it's almost certainly butterflied away here, so hopefully that can at least be comforting...
As anime goes, that's certainly a deep cut!
Dr. Slump will probably still get dubbed by Harmony Gold ITTL, but it never makes it to air in the US, no doubt causing some confusion with kids when the crossover with Dragon Ball airs in the States...
Don't you mean Zero x Serena doujin?
He was billed originally by Gary Hart as the son of Kabuki because of the mist, but I believe that was dropped at some point. Muta's first big feud was with Eddie Gilbert (he's in WCW also right now, or still UWF?) Wonder if Al Perez gets more notice ITTL- he was underrated in ring but did need a manager.
One funny irony would be if Sting ended up with the Vader gimmick (which was originally offered to Warrior before going to Leon White)
One funny irony would be if Sting ended up with the Vader gimmick (which was originally offered to Warrior before going to Leon White)
Doh! Definitely Kabuki and not Sasuke.
The Vader point is really interesting, and I always liked Perez. Definitely underrated.
Was he billed as the son of Kabuki because of the mist, or did he have the mist because he was billed as the son of Kabuki? I thought the whole Great Muta gimmick came from WCCW trying to replicate Kabuki's gimmick in a new generation, so without a chance to replace Kabuki, would Mutoh ever have any part of the gimmick at all? Or did he use parts of the gimmick pre-WCCW?
The Vader point is really interesting, and I always liked Perez. Definitely underrated.
Muta himself had a run in WCCW OTL- he was the Super Black Ninja. He didn't use the mist there, that was when he went to WCW. I think the Kabuki thing was due to gimmick similarity, and because fans knew Kabuki. WCW knew they had something special. Kabuki did have runs in Georgia and Mid-Atlantic, so he was familiar to WCW fans.
Cornette claims WCW wanted Muta to have a babyface run, but Gary Hart sabotaged that because he didn't want to lose his meal ticket (that may or may not be true, but I can see it- Gary Hart was good to his managed wrestlers- handling stuff for them, but also was out for himself bigtime)
In Japan- there was a match with Mutoh, Kabuki, and Tajiri all using mist once.
Cornette claims WCW wanted Muta to have a babyface run, but Gary Hart sabotaged that because he didn't want to lose his meal ticket (that may or may not be true, but I can see it- Gary Hart was good to his managed wrestlers- handling stuff for them, but also was out for himself bigtime)
In Japan- there was a match with Mutoh, Kabuki, and Tajiri all using mist once.
TheWalkman, sorry to double post but.....
Have you considered making a pack about the timeline in Fire Pro? I would subscribe instantly
Have you considered making a pack about the timeline in Fire Pro? I would subscribe instantly
TheWalkman has been talking about how anime exports to the USA will change in the 1990s. I have been formulating theories about how this may happen.
The first is something happening in Japan, most likely the collapse of their bubble economy in the early part of the decade.
The second is legislation enacted by the US federal government. It could be a trade agreement of some kind that knowingly or unknowingly affects media (like television and film) or it could be the 1990 federal law, the Children's Television Act.
The Children's Television Act was a direct response to the Reagan deregulation and the many merchandise driven shows of the 1980s; it effectively killed shows like He-Man, Transformers, GI Joe by toughening advertising restrictions and requiring a certain amount of educational programming on American broadcast television (cable and satellite channels are exempt). This law is still enforced even today; in fact, back in the 1990s, the WB got hit with hefty fines because Pokemon and Yugioh were found to have violated the advertising restrictions under the act.
My guess is that if the Children's Television Act is the culprit for causing anime's decline on American broadcast television, it's either because of the aforementioned restrictions...or perhaps ITTL some legislator slips a clause into the law that restricts or outright prohibits foreign programming on broadcast television.
So am I right in my predictions? Or will we be kept guessing for now?
The first is something happening in Japan, most likely the collapse of their bubble economy in the early part of the decade.
The second is legislation enacted by the US federal government. It could be a trade agreement of some kind that knowingly or unknowingly affects media (like television and film) or it could be the 1990 federal law, the Children's Television Act.
The Children's Television Act was a direct response to the Reagan deregulation and the many merchandise driven shows of the 1980s; it effectively killed shows like He-Man, Transformers, GI Joe by toughening advertising restrictions and requiring a certain amount of educational programming on American broadcast television (cable and satellite channels are exempt). This law is still enforced even today; in fact, back in the 1990s, the WB got hit with hefty fines because Pokemon and Yugioh were found to have violated the advertising restrictions under the act.
My guess is that if the Children's Television Act is the culprit for causing anime's decline on American broadcast television, it's either because of the aforementioned restrictions...or perhaps ITTL some legislator slips a clause into the law that restricts or outright prohibits foreign programming on broadcast television.
So am I right in my predictions? Or will we be kept guessing for now?
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If the second part of your idea happens, with the ban on foreign programming (and I think that would be rejected by SC on 1st amendment grounds)- you'd see things like the American redesign of Sailor Moon (the one that was half live-action with Sailor Jupiter in a wheelchair), or Robotech-like shows.
You'd also see an underground market develop for the real shows, given that folks already had a taste of anime. The college anime club scene explodes in the 90s, and might even combine with pro wrestling- with Taka Michinoku being like a 90s version of Naito in terms of coolness.
I can just imagine a young 6-yr old Kenny Omega salivating at some of this, especially if Canada doesn't have these restrictions.
You'd also see an underground market develop for the real shows, given that folks already had a taste of anime. The college anime club scene explodes in the 90s, and might even combine with pro wrestling- with Taka Michinoku being like a 90s version of Naito in terms of coolness.
I can just imagine a young 6-yr old Kenny Omega salivating at some of this, especially if Canada doesn't have these restrictions.
May 1988: Sting's Swansong...and Some Actual Songs
May 2, 1988
WWF
The WWF has returned from their Wrestlemania break, and TV tapings were done last weekend … The main focus is a Steamboat-DiBiase feud for the World Title, which should be running through the summer …
Major housecleaning is expected in the next two months. Hillbilly Jim was expected to be on the list, but apparently he won’t be, since he’s working some openers against Bad News Brown.
Speaking of costcutting, the WWF is trying to save money by no longer having managers travel to house shows, only TV tapings. They may make exceptions with Heenan and Elizabeth, though, since they’re such key parts of the show … They have also cut back on dates greatly. A year ago, they were running 20-25 shows a week, but now they’re down to about 10-15. This is probably good in the short-term, because I hear that the live shows are much better lately.
Dave Hebner’s twin brother Earl has been hired as a referee. He’s not worked any shows yet, but they’re going to do an evil twin angle with Dave once he makes his debut. (I’m kidding, of course…I hope.) [1]
NWA
The 3rd Jim Crockett Sr. Tag Team Tournament drew about 4,500 on 4/29 in Greenville, SC and about 6,300 on 4/30 in Greensboro, NC [2] … This was the least-hyped and least-talked about tournament I’ve ever seen Crockett do … On the other hand, I give them credit for the very surprising finals, with A) the Fantastics’ victory in the finals being a great breath of fresh air and B) Rotunda and the other Horsemen turning on Barry Windham, who was kicked out of the Horsemen in the process [3] …
Early word is that Windham will continue to feud with the Horsemen in a program planned to run through the Great American Bash on 7/10. As of now, no matches have officially been announced for the Bash.
It looks like Sting has re-injured his shoulder while in therapy last week. It’s tough to say, but this could set his return back several months …
There’s more bad news, as the NWA is in danger of losing the Nassau Coliseum. Nassau wants to go back to the WWF, who pulled out after they started running Crockett’s shows. The proposed 6/24 show there is in jeopardy. If they do get kicked out, it’ll be held at the Westchester County Center, which will be more accessible to New York fans than Nassau, but probably won’t draw as well because it’s considered a “minor league” arena.
AWA
The 4/23 TV taping in Las Vegas drew 1,900 fans, and interest was boosted slightly by the AWA debut of the Rock and Roll Express. They defeated Bad Company in the penultimate match of the night … Diamond Dallas Paige (sic) [4] did alright managing Bad Company, but it’s the oddest sight: at 6’4”, he towers over every other wrestler in the promotion, especially Tanaka, who he manages …
Curt Hennig has a match against Greg Gagne at the next TV taping, where Hennig is putting his job in the AWA on the line. Can anyone see the good news and bad news here?
Riki Choshu and Masa Saito are scheduled to appear at an upcoming TV taping, but I don’t think they’ll actually be wrestling, unfortunately.
STAMPEDE
Crowds are still good, but this writer thinks they’ll lose steam once Owen Hart leaves to either tour Japan (like he might be doing) or join the WWF (which he’s more likely to do).
AJPW
Yoshiaki Yatsu, broken leg and all, wrestled Bruiser Brody in the main event on 4/4 to see who would go on to face Genichiro Tenryu in the unification match on 4/15. Yatsu took a big shot of painkillers which lasted for a good while, and he went 15 minutes against Brody before losing via count-out. Yatsu is now sidelined again, but give that man an award for his dedication. [5]
OTHER
Former longtime Atlanta promoter Paul Jones, who promoted in the days of Ed “Strangler” Lewis, passed away on 4/22 at age 86. When this was announced at the WCW taping, the fans cheered because they thought it was Paul Jones, the manager from the NWA. [6]
May 9, 1988
WWF
Everyone expected to be cut is still around (for now).
Owen Hart, Terry Taylor and Curt Hennig are officially heading in soon. It was suspected that both Hart and Hennig were to be on their way once they finished up in Stampede and the AWA, respectively, but Taylor’s hiring sort of came from out of the blue … [7]
Brutus Beefcake hasn’t been on TV for a while, and word is he’s being repackaged soon.
NWA
The biggest story of the week is Crockett’s release of Sting. Sources confirm that on 5/5, Jim Crockett cut him for “numerous reasons”, which this writer suspects translates into “we don’t know what to do with him, and we don’t want him injured all the time” … We’ll have further info on Sting’s release, as well as his injury and recovery, as we get more details.
Along with Sting, two more cuts were made by Crockett on 5/5 – Chris Champion and Pez Whatley were also released. Both weren’t being used on TV that much …
Harley Race was hospitalized, and had to have a foot of his intestine removed. He’ll be out of action for several months.
The Great American Bash PPV is scheduled for 7/10, and will be headlined by Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff.
AWA
Adrian Adonis almost broke his foot during a live show on 5/1 when he stepped into a hole in the middle of the ring. He and Wahoo McDaniel had to finish their match prematurely so the hole could be fixed before the main event, which prompted about 50 fans to walk out before the show was over …
Magnificent Mimi is being brought in as a rival to Madusa. I’m told Mimi is of GLOW caliber, but then again, Madusa isn’t that much better.
Rod Trongard actually said on TV last week that Wahoo McDaniel is so athletic, he could run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. Rod is absolutely the worst announcer in the business, and that includes Marc Lowrance.
WCW
The show on 4/31 was dominated by the semifinal matches to determine the new WCW World Champion … Jerry Lawler defeated Eddie Gilbert in a reported ***½ match …
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Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II is an album released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in early 1988. It featured vocal performances from several of the wrestlers themselves, along with Robbie Dupree, Rick Derringer, and heavy metal band Loudness.
The original vinyl LP release of Piledriver featured a group of WWF wrestlers in hard hats working in a construction site. [8] In addition to the album, a videocassette version was issued by Coliseum Video in 1988, which featured music videos for most of the songs.
Some of the wrestlers featured on the album, such as King Kong Bundy, had been released from the WWF after the album’s actual release, while some, like the Honky Tonk Man, were let go soon afterward.
The album reached #92 on the Billboard Album Chart in early 1988, and the song “Dragon” would go on to reach #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Loudness’ highest-charting single on the Pop charts. “Dragon” was also featured on Loudness’ EP Jealousy, released later in 1988.
Several of the songs on the album would be used as entrance themes for the wrestlers. Ricky Steamboat has used “Dragon” as his main entrance theme in the WWF from 1988 until the present day, Team Victory used “Girls in Cars” until their split in 1989, Koko B. Ware used “Piledriver” until 1990, “Jive Soul Bro” was used as Slick’s theme (and some of the wrestlers he managed) until 1990, and “Crank It Up” was used for the Midnight Rockers (a storyline was created in which Hart wanted to use the song for the Fabulous Rougeaus, but the Midnight Rockers “stole” it.) [9]
Track Listing
1. Loudness – “Dragon” – 3:29 [10]
2. Koko B. Ware – “Piledriver” – 2:55
3. The Honky Tonk Man – “Cool, Cocky, Bad” – 2:09
4. Rick Derringer – “Demolition” – 3:14
5. Slick – “Jive Soul Bro” – 3:35
6. Jimmy Hart – “Crank It Up” – 2:42
7. Robbie Dupree & Team Victory – “Girls in Cars” – 3:34
8. Vince McMahon – “Stand Back” – 3:02
9. Rick Derringer & Mean Gene Okerlund – “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” – 3:40
10. The WWF Superstars – “If You Only Knew” – 3:18
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Lyrics to “If You Only Knew” [11]
TED DIBIASE: I’ve heard a lot of idle chatter…
HONKY TONK MAN: That really doesn’t matter to me!
SLICK: A lotta you guys wanna see me in agony!
BOBBY HEENAN: But the measure of a man…
HERCULES HERNANDEZ, RICK RUDE AND KING KONG BUNDY: Understand!
BOBBY HEENAN: Is more than your common patter!
HULK HOGAN: It’s the way I’ll make you eat those words that matters!
JIMMY HART: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you!
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only kneeeeeew!
RANDY SAVAGE: I got some real bad news…
MISS ELIZABETH: And it may involve your body…
HILLBILLY JIM: You’ve been talking too much, too long, too loud…
KOKO B. WARE: But you ain’t scarin’ nobody!
JUNKYARD DOG: You see, talk is cheap…
JAKE ROBERTS: When you can’t keep your promise of destruction…
BRET HART: I think you’ll see…
JIM NEIDHART: Because of me…
RICKY STEAMBOAT: You’ll need reconstruction!
KOKO B. WARE: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ outta here as fast as two feet could carry you!
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only kneeeeeeew!
EVERYONE: Please realize!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: Look in my eyes! You’ll be on your back…
TITO SANTANA & RICK MARTEL: Out flat!
TED DIBIASE: Hit by a Cadillac!
EVERYONE: If you only knew!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: Jack, all the money in the world couldn’t buy me out!
TED DIBIASE: Yeah, everybody’s got a price!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: We’ll just see about that!
TED DIBIASE: Yeah? See Virgil!
EVERYONE: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you,
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you,
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you… (repeat as song fades out)
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Notable entrance theme songs of numerous WWF wrestlers
Bret Hart: “Hart Foundation Theme/Hitman” (1985-present)
Brutus Beefcake: “Beefcake” (1986-present) [12]
Demolition: “Demolition” – Rick Derringer (1986-present)
Hercules Hernandez: “Mighty Hercules” (1985-present)
Hillbilly Jim: “Don’t Go Messin’ With a Country Boy” (1984-present)
Honky Tonk Man: “Honky Tonkin’” (1986-87), “Cool Cocky Bad” (1987-present)
Hulk Hogan: “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor (1983-84), “Real American” – Rick Derringer (1984-87, 1988-present), “Ravishing (Instrumental)” – Bonnie Tyler (1987-1988) [13]
The Islanders: “Islander Theme” (1986-present)
Jake “the Snake” Roberts: “Snake Bit” (1986-present)
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart: “Hart Foundation Theme/Hitman” (1985-87), “Anvil” (1987-present) [14]
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka: “Superfly Theme” (1984-88)
Junkyard Dog: “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen (1984-86), “Grab Them Cakes” (1986-present)
Koko B. Ware: “The Bird” (1985-88), “Piledriver” (1988-present)
Outback Jack: “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” – Rolf Harris (1986-88)
The Outlaws: “Outlaw Shuffle” (1987-present) [15]
Randy “Macho Man” Savage: “Pomp and Circumstance” (1984-present)
“Ravishing” Rick Rude: “Striptease” (1986-present)
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat: “Sirius” – The Alan Parsons Project (1984-87), “Dragon” – Loudness (1987-present)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper: “Piper’s Theme” (1983-present)
Slick: “Jive Soul Bro” (1987-present)
“Superstar” Billy Graham: “Jesus Christ Superstar Remix” (1979-1983) , “Bad to the Bone” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers (1986-present)
Team Victory: “Girls in Cars (Instrumental)” – Robbie Dupree (1988-present)
“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase: “It’s All About the Money” (1987-present)
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[1] TTL’s Meltzer has no idea he gave a rave review to the very same thing that went down on the premiere of The Main Event IOTL.
[2] IOTL, these shows were held a week earlier, on April 22nd and 23rd, 1988.
[3] IOTL, it was the other way around: Barry Windham turned heel on his partner Lex Luger and joined the Four Horsemen, forcing Luger to find a new partner for the tournament, who would turn out to be Sting. Luger & Sting ended up the winners of said tournament by beating Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard in the finals. The Fantastics made it to the semifinals IOTL, but lost to Arn & Tully. Here, the finals see the Fantastics beat Arn Anderson & Barry Windham after a double-cross from the Horsemen on Windham.
[4] Meltzer is still misspelling Page’s name, but I think this is better than him mistakenly calling the guy “Dallas Diamond Page” like he did IOTL.
[5] Amazingly, this badass story is as OTL!
[6] Unfortunately, this is as OTL, except the booing took place at a TV taping for Jerry Blackwell’s short-lived Southern Championship Wrestling in Marietta, GA (which is butterflied away due to WCW’s existence).
[7] And now you know the three hirings that were hinted at in Post #336. All three also debuted for the company in 1988 IOTL, except Hennig and Taylor didn’t show up on TV until around August. All three would also get very memorable gimmicks in their run, but whether Mr. Perfect, the Blue Blazer, and the Red Rooster exist ITTL remains to be seen.
[8] As opposed to OTL’s Piledriver, which featured a hard hat-wearing Hulk Hogan on the cover (see above).
[9] A similar storyline was done IOTL, where Jimmy Hart accused the Young Stallions (who used “Crank It Up” as their theme, for some reason) of stealing the song that he wanted to use for the Hart Foundation. Also, "All American Boys" unfortunately doesn't exist ITTL (yet!)
[10] As hinted at in an earlier post, the WWF bring in the most famous Japanese rock band (as a matter of fact, the ONLY famous Japanese rock band) to cut a new theme for Steamboat in late 1987. The song replaces “Waking Up Alone” (a love ballad sung by Hillbilly Jim, of all people) on Piledriver, and becomes the lead-off track.
[11] I couldn’t resist! The song is as OTL, but more than a few wrestlers’ lines are changed in the song. Check out this performance from the ’87 Slammys to see which lines and singers are changed.
[12] An original song to TTL. If I had to describe it, it's a cross between Rick Martel's "Model" theme and Jimmy Snuka's "Superfly".
[13] I must give credit to Igeo654 for the suggestion for Hogan to use “Ravishing” as his entrance theme during his heel run against Steamboat.
[14] “Anvil” is a retooled version of this song used by Greg Valentine in the late 80s/early 90s. Valentine doesn’t use any music ITTL.
[15] This song, original to TTL, is similar to the Smoking Gunns’ theme, but slightly harder.
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As we enter the summer of ’88, we’re planting the seeds for the main event of Summerslam, and Sting suddenly becomes one of the hottest free agents in wrestling right now. Now, Crockett’s loss could be WCW’s, AWA’s, or even the WWF’s gain. I also hope you guys enjoyed a peek at the world of music in the WWF!
Coming up next: the inaugural WCW Champion is crowned, a new Hogan enters the world, and the NWA could be under new ownership…
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