I've recently viewed the "Macho Madness" video for the first time, the "Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase" would be an apter title as it features SEVEN matches involving Dibiase.
Here are some questions that arose from my viewing:
1. Macho had a title defence agaisnt Virgil in 1988, how HUGE was Virgil back then?!!! My question is this: how on earth did Virgil transform from being that powerhouse to the semi-boxing jobber we all know and love? His physique is totally different, he looks darker and, at times, looks like a different man with a different face. Face Virgil from about 1991 onwards was a lot smaller but yet still had fully developed muscles - how did his body mass shrink when he seemingly had no fat to lose and lost none of his muscles?
2. The arenas that Ted and Savage were playing were all sold out and massive. What was happening in 1988? Did the fed sell out MSG every week for fun? There's a stadium in Boston that looked pretty full too.
3. That fan who jumped on to the cage - was it you? What happened to him afterwards, the security was pretty well manned.
4. How did the WWF get away with releasing 6 Dibiase vs. Savage matches on one tape??
The Mind is its own place and in itself/ Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n" - John Milton, Paradise Lost
1. As most people will probably end up saying: the answer is probably going off steroids. Virgil obviously didn't work out any less, but just didn't gain that extra mass and bulk that steroids maintain.
2.My guess would be that house shows were presented as a much bigger deal in those days. It's practically dead today because of TV exposure and the fact that until recently anyway, nothing of note ever took place on these shows.
Back then, however, it was the ONLY place to see the big blow off matches.
3. The thing that always stands out for me today was that phantom kick thrown by Virgil as the fan was being grabbed by security. He'd have been killed had that connected...
In a side note: one of my favorite wrestler rushing "stupid fan" moments was at International Incident in'96 when Davey Boy Smith and Ahmed Johnson just take two steps towards a kid that rushed the ring... and he bolts!
4. Probably a two-pronged answer. One would be that at the time of the video's release Savage had really only reached the half-way point of his reign, and DiBiase was really his only feud at the time. (Bad News Brown and Dino Bravo were yet to come)
And second? They were GREAT matches. Especially the one from Milwaukee County Stadium.
Thread ahead: Austin house show card 7/31, Regal and Benjamin return? Next thread: Opinions on Vengeance Previous thread: WM XX - 4 months and 1 day later