WATTS 80's Project Stock Picks

So Kris, Tomk and I have been barreling through hours and hours of Mid-South/UWF footage to prepare for the next 80's project DVD (god bless Goodhelmet, he has been amazing at compiling and distributing footage and is the main reason the project isn't dead, go buy his comps), and here are some general thoughts about the era

Stock Going Up:

Magnum TA- Here is a guy who is clearly being protected when he arrives in Crockett, but he is pretty damn good pre-Crockett in Mid-South. The entire Wrestling II angle is pretty great, although I haven't seen a ton of it yet. He has two very good matches with DiBiase (which isn't always a given) and the Tag Title cage match with Butch Reed/Jim Niedhart v. T.A./Wrestling 2 is easily in my current top 5.

Jake Roberts- When it is all said and done, I think this project will cause a real revaluation of The Snake, he was one of the MVP's of the WWF set, and is spectacular here. Whether he is playing a nasty heel, or a super babyface he is consistently great and his Slater series is going to be front and center on the set. With all of the Rock and Roll Express stuff which will make it, maybe my favorite R+R's match so far is their match with Roberts/John Nord and it ain't cause of John Nord.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan- He basically only does one thing. STANDING TALL brawling babyface, but he is spectacular at that. Great looking punches, super timing, big bumps, blood and as much charisma as anyone in wrestling ever. Pretty much a guarantee of a good match with virtually anyone, as long as they were evil.

Fabulous Freebirds- Everyone knows they are awesome, but the UWF run really had the best in ring stuff I have ever seen from Micheal Hayes, and Buddy Roberts looked at times like the best wrestler in the UWF. Gordy is Gordy of course.

Stock Going Down

Ted DiBiase- Way too many pedestrian matches for a guy with such a big rep. I think he will come off better on the set, then he does watching all the available footage (I call it the Takada effect) , as he has some huge high end matches (v. Duggan, v. Sweetan with Doc v. Freebirds and Rock and Rolls), and the real dull DiBiase by the numbers stuff won't make the DVD, but it is there trust me. Tons of matches where he is clearly killing time waiting to load his glove. He may the first recipient of the technical worker booking meme as he was booked so long as a "great wrestler" that he fooled people into thinking he was actually great. For a guy who got into the WON hall of fame based on work, I don't see any point where he was a top 5 guy in Mid-South or UWF.

Midnight Express- Pretty much the gold standard for tag team wrestling, but the Rock and Rolls consistently have better matches with other teams (Dirty White Boys, Snake/Barbarian, Guerrerros) as do the Fantastics ( Dirty White Boys, Tatum/Victory). It isn't that they aren't good, its just that their rep is so high that they shouldn't be outshined by so many other guys.