In Episode 58 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Seasonal Variances, Greg:Takes a look at the Mid South Wrestling Association for Sept. 1983. Compares five years of MSWA to the TV show The Wire, and discusses how we look for the one we like less. Says goodbye again to Ted DiBiase. Laughs at Bill Watts use of the Road Warriors. Welcomes Jim "the Hammer" Neidhardt and Nicolai Volkoff, as one of them bid a not-fond farewell to Boris Zurkoff. Hypes his appearances on Stick to Wrestling and ...

In Episode 57 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, The Professor Talks JYD, Greg:Welcomes his first guest to the show, New Orleans native and JYD original fan, the Professor Ricardo Coleman. Greg and Ricardo talk about the historic nature of Sylvester Ritter's wrestling career.They explain how wrestling differed in New Orleans before and after JYD, especially where in town the matches were held and who was in the audience. They look at the unusual personalities of Bill Watts and Ern...

In Episode 56 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Morris Sigel for the WON HOF, 2024 Edition, Greg:Takes a second look at the Hall of Fame candidacy of Houston promoter and Texas Booking Agency head Morris Sigel. Traces his journey from hardware accountant to head of Houston Wrestling and his formation of the Texas wrestling circuit. Notes the names of the top wrestlers he either discovered, started or helped find their stride: Verne Gagne, Buddy Rogers, Argentino Rocca and Gor...

In Episode 55 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Talks more about the Hall of Fame candidacy of Sylvester Ritter aka the Junkyard Dog. Picks up at the beginning of Year One and talks about the timing of when Ritter must have trained. Wonders if there are still earlier matches than Ritter's first known match of Nov. 11, 1976 vs Mike Boyette. Talks about how Ritter's trainer Sonny King left him behind in Carolina, but Ritter still found a way into the business. Fo...

Episode 54: The College EditionIn Episode 54 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Talks about the Junkyard Dog and his candidacy for the Wrestling Observer Newletter's Hall of Fame. Looks at Sylvester Ritter's life before wrestling, including his two year trying to break into professional football. Finds an ad for the earliest known match for Sylvester Ritter, only to learn someone else had tagged the ad first. Learns about and laughs about the wrestling history term, ...

Episode 53: The Cheese Stands Alone In Episode 53 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Looks at the August 1983 in the Mid South Wrestling Association. Talks about Ted DiBiase's two-year MSWA run, which comes to a close in August.Wonders if the top heel leaving has anything to do with the slowdown in fall of 1983. Discusses the use of more arena footage rather than longer TV tapings. Welcomes Barry Darsow and his Daisy Dukes to MSWA. Discusses Magnum TA's push and...

Episode 52: 1949, Part TwoIn Episode 52 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Looks at two programs from November 1949 Houston Wrestling, which feature Billy Varga challenging for NWA titles.Lucks into a piece of history as the second program features a preview of the Argentina Rocca vs Lou Thesz grudge match with huge out of the ring implications. Traces the bad blood between Rocca and Morris Sigel and his Houston office.Celebrates the second anniversary of the show with an old schoo...

Episode 51: 1949In Episode 51 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Revisits the subject of his earlier Houston Wrestling programs with a look at two issues form 1949. Talks about the start of TV in Houston and note how close we are to the Texas Wrestling War. Looks at the debut of Verne Gagne and marvels on the hair young Verne has. Thanks Young Billy Varga aka the Count for keeping such a great collection. Praise the book, The Six Pack." This episode of Greg Klein's Old School Rassl...

Episode 50: Brick by BrickIn Episode 50 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Looks at July 1983 TV for the Mid South Wrestling Association. Talks about the building of Magnum T.A. as a babyface and Butch Reed as a main event heel. Notes the girls in the crowd screaming for TA and Johnny Rich. Welcomes Doctor Death back to MSWA. Says a fond farewell to Mr. Olympia. This episode of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk is sponsored by the Christmas in July fundraiser for A Cooperstown C...

Episode 49: The fall of Fall In Episode 49 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Gives his no longer hot take on The Iron Claw. Compares November attendances figures for the Championship Wrestling Extravaganzas vs the LSU-Tulane football games. Unearths two 1986 shows that made him pop. Looks at an article from the national World War II Museum in New Orleans about wrestlers who served. This episode of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk is sponsored by the Christmas in July fund...

Episode 48: The Atomic Drop In Episode 48 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Looks at June 1983 in the Mid South Wrestling Association.Talks about the final turn of early 1983 as Butch Reed has decided he has had enough of friendship. Considers what word JYD called Reed before the big split. Discusses the National Title situation in Georgia as Mr. Wrestling II shows up with a belt he has not won yet. Finds a new favorite Boyd-ism in, "how big is big, how tough is tough....

Episode 47: Double Main Go! In Episode 47 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg:Explains his favorite new/old-time wrestling term, the Double Main Go. Finishes looking at the McGuirk/Watts/Crockett Championship Wrestling Extravaganzas at the New Orleans Superdome.Reviews the lowest drawing Superdome shows. Source: http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/misc/midsouth/cards.htmlRuns the numbers of the shows pre-Junkyard Dog, during the Junkyard Dog era and post-JYD.&nbs...

Episode 46: Walkin' Tall In Episode 46 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at the May 1983 in the Mid South Wrestling Association.  Remarks how over Hacksaw Duggan is as a new babyface and how hated his counterpart Ted DiBiase still is, a year after turning heel. Gives a nod to the early success for King Kong Bundy and his five-count gimmick, leading to speculation as to how Bundy "dumbs himself out of position."  Laments the arrival of Boris Zhukov as it pertains to...

Episode 45: Issue No. 1 In Episode 45 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at the Mid South Wrestling Association's first program. Talks about the backstory of Cowboy Bill Watts' 1970s pathway to becoming a wrestling promoter and why he split with Leroy McGuirk. Remarks on how Mr. Wrestling II's popularity in 1982 and 1983, isn't out of nowhere. Discovers the storytelling behind the North American title and the new tag team titles at the start of MSWA. Dives in and...

Episode 44: Turn, Turn, Turn  In Episode 44 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at the Mid South Wrestling Association's TV for April 1983.  Wonders how MSWA got away with the Duggan hates Akbar angle and then guesses why the lapse in logic did not matter to Duggan's babyface turn.  Says goodbye to Matt Borne and Tiger Conway Jr.  Talks about how and why Mr. Wrestling II is getting a lot of the babyface shine that spring.  Flags an interesting quote from Cowboy Bill...

Episode 43: The 1950s Texas Wrestling War In Episode 43 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Pays his respects to Ole Anderson, wrestling's favorite grumpy Uncle.  Goes deep into the 1950s Texas Wrestling War, with more than 25 newspaper articles gathered from newspapers.com. Explores what Jim and Brian got right and what they got wrong from their Guess the Program segments on Cornette's show.  Points out the first attempt by Dallas to gain booking control from Houston and how...

Episode 42: To Every Season ... In Episode 42 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at Mid South Wrestling Association TV for March 1983.  Talks about the long-term episodic booking going on with a six-month Mr. Wrestling II vs Mr. Olympia build-up and the recent tease of Hacksaw Duggan turning face.  Laments the missed moves and short MSWA run of Tiger Conway Jr.  Follows Ted DiBiase's March schedule to figure out what he gets an "unpaid vacation" in the middle or the...

Episode 41: The Super Bowl of Wrestling In Episode 41 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at the Super Bowl of Wrestling, or as many Super Bowl of Wrestling cards as he could find. The journey apparently begins in 1972 in Cleveland, with a show deemed a dud. However, over the next decade promoters ran Super Bowl of Wrestling shows in cities large (Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, Irving, Texas, Miami) and smaller (Paduca and Bowling Green, Kentucky, El Paso and Abilene,...

Episode 40: A Giant Slam In Episode 40 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Goes back to Mid South in 1983, this time Feburary, for one of the final visits to MSWA from Andre the Giant.  Wonders again about 1983 MSWA booking and the limited wrestling schedule for Ernie Ladd that year.  Looks at three great tag team matches/angles, as the tag team champs, Ted DiBiase and Matt Borne, take on Mr. Wrestling II & the Junkyard Dog and Tony Atlas & Andre and then JYD & II...

Episode 39: Christmas Gifts In Episode 39 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Gives Gene Petit aka Tom Steele his Reunion Arena Star Wars due.  Researches the Parade of Champions show and traces it back to Buffalo in 1939.  Looks at the various, sometimes changing, figures for the Buffalo super shows found in a bunch of clips from the Buffalo Evening News.  Pulls out a Christmas edition out of his Houston Wrestling program collection, from Dec. 22, 1972, with a triple main...

Episode 38: Did You See What Boesch Saw? In Episode 38 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Moves into 1983 with his viewing of his beloved Mid South Wrestling Association. Explores the odd conversation of Paul Boesch and Boyd Pierce as they discuss Mr. Wrestling II beating Tully Blanchard down to a bloody mess.  Talks about how Bill Watts is continuing to position the Southwest stars as lesser than the MSWA talent and how this is a crucial time in the brewing war between San...

Episode 37: The Summer of '69, Part Two In Episode 37 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at a Houston Wrestling program from Sept. 19, 1969.  Revisits the Wrestling Observer HOF Class of 2023 and outlines a strategy going forward to work for Morris Sigel and Sylvester Ritter to make the HOF. Follows up on the Tracy Smothers-Adrian Street alleged incident mentioned in Tracy's book, "If You Don't Buy This Book Everybody Dies."  Talks about the Houston program's two weeks...

Episode 36: Snowflakes & Superheroes In Episode 36 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at a Houston Wrestling program from Oct. 24, 1975.  Talks about  the upcoming Halloween 1975 show the program advertises.  Predicts the Wrestling Observer HOF Class of 2023.  Looks at how WON HOF ballots track differently than MLB HOF ballots. Explains why he is now confidant Sylvester Ritter will get into the WON HOF and why how and why the Morris Sigel for HOF work will...

Episode 35: Boyd's No Snitch In Episode 34 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, Greg: Looks at December 1982 in the Mid South Wrestling Association, including three tapings in one and a year in review.  Talks about Boyd Pierce's refusal to testify in the case of DiBiase vs. Lee.  Picks a MSWA wrestler and match of the year.  Looks at Mr. Olympia's first MSWA run and his 90 days away.  Laments how little we got to see of the Legion of Masked Superfriends.  Comments on a Houston...