Reverse mohawks for days. A trove of kitschy goodness (awfulness). Exhibit A: the infamous 1993 debut of “The Shockmaster” (left). Everything went wrong which made it great. Live matches and telecasts allow for layers of detail. Fan signs, non sequitur (sequitur) heckling, weird fans throwing babies, trash talk in the ring, bantering commentators, pageantry, easter eggs in the rafters, pop culture references, and mock commercials/sponsors (items like Thighmaster, Flowbee, and Bedazzler). Nods to historical moments in wrestling (that hardcore fans will buzz about online), and larger than life, often ridiculous, characters. A rockstar lifestyle on steroids. Literally.
DEAD HEAT playlist. Video 1: Videography is my passion. The Portland territory’s show intro from 1989. Video 2: An interview segment on Memphis TV in 1987 showing more of that production value and bootleg-everything aesthetic. Video 3: Episode 3 of Southpaw Regional Wrestling. A parody of a late 80’s regional promotion by current WWE wrestlers. Video 4: some more over the top early 90’s wrestling characters. The supposedly horror themed Dungeon of Doom. Video 5: An episode of Tales from the Territories detailing some of the characters and wilder goings-on from that era. Video 6: a promo from The Viking in UWF in 1986. Video 7: The 1996 open to WWE Superstars on Saturday mornings. Video 8: The aforementioned Shockamster!