Scottish Smarks

In 1992, WCW was in a bit of a down period while the northern juggernaut of the WWF was forging ahead into the New Generation Era. In this time frame, Flair had ventured north, and Sting was the main man for WCW, and in the summer of 92 he would lead a team into the dreaded War Games match against Paul E’s Dangerous Alliance. 

This week on the Scottish Smarks, Chris and Tony break down WrestleWar 1992, discussing the hidden gem that is this war games main event, the fantastic match between Flyin Bryan and The Z-Man, and the sadly underwhelming undercard. 

There’s also chat around why Greg Valentine featured so heavily in this era, the lack of superstar promos in early 90s WCW, and did the company see parallels between Richard Morton and Shawn Michaels? 

All this and plenty more on the first officially Locked Down episode of The Scottish Smarks. STAY SAFE OUT THERE FOLKS! 

In 2002, after the demise of WCW and the end of many of the long standing guaranteed contracts, fans of both WWF and WCW were treated to many crossover matches that they thought they would never see. None bigger than the “Icon vs Icon” match, the guy who defined the classic Era, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, vs the man who would go on to be one of the biggest household names in entertainment, The Rock. Let that sink in, Hulk Hogan vs The Rock. And it happened at Wrestlemania X8 

This week on the Scottish Smarks, Chris and Tony practise social distancing and self isolation, as they have done for every other episode, but this time with a purpose. We weigh in with our thoughts on the Coronavirus Crisis, and then move on to the good stuff. 

Covering Mania X8, we discuss RVD’s early run, the addition of nu-metal stalwarts Salva and Drowning Pool to the card, one of the greatest promos ever put together by The Rock, and the art of re-invention. 

There’s also some chat around the pros and cons of Scott Hall, and was Steve Austin going stale in the spring of 02? 

All this and plenty more on this week’s episode.

P.S - STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY OUT THERE FOLKS! Follow the advice where possible and use common sense to get through this. 

Survivor Series 1990 is one of those shows that has a bit of lore and mystique surrounding it because of two debuts. One debuting superstar would go on to last 30 years in the WWF/E, and the other wouldn't last 30 days. Welcome to The Undertaker....and the Gobbledygooker! 

This week Chris and Tony are joined by Gilly from the History Bhoys Abroad podcast, to discuss Gilly's first ever WWF show on VHS, that brought him to the wrestling table and ensured his fandom would last until this day. There is discussion around the comparison between WCW and WWF in 1990, the time period in question being the height of the gimmick era, and why Sgt Slaughter had a limited shelf life in the early nineties.

We also dive deep into the reasons why Gilly wasn't the biggest Hogan fan, the perfection of a certain Mr Perfect in one of the greatest elimination matches ever, have a triple threat mark out over Bret Hart, and try to fathom what the hell The Ultimate Warrior was actually saying in any of his promos on any given night...   

Also, as usual, Chris & Tony mark out for AEW, and sell Gilly on the benefits of watching Dynamite. Did we convert him back into watching modern day wrestling? Check out this bumper edition of the Scottish Smarks to find out! 

P.S - search History Bhoys Abroad for all good Celtic History related content. Even if you're not of the green and white persuasion it's worth a listen, as the content is informative, interesting and engaging! Check them out wherever you get your podcasts. 

“Good God Almighty, Good God Almighty, They’ve Killed Him. As God As My Witness, He Is Broken In Half!” 

In 1998, the landscape of professional wrestling was changed in one swift motion, and in the space of about 7 seconds we experienced one of the craziest spots of all time and probably the most famous moment of wrestling commentary in history. Of course, we’re talking about when Mick Foley crashed through the announcer’s table from the top of the Cell at the King of The Ring pay per view. 

Join Chris and Tony as they break down this show in full. We spend time on the obvious talking point of Mankind vs Undertaker, but we also go through the rest of the card, focusing heavily on Ken Shamrock, his style and how well he grasped the wrestling business, what happened to the Nation of Domination, and Mick Foley’s contribution to the business. 

There’s also discussion about Vince McMahon’s classic heel status at this stage and how he handles it superbly well. Plus a tip of the cap to Pat Patterson during a difficult time in his personal life. 

Well well well, what can we say? 

The Royal Rumble 2020 represents a watershed moment in Scottish, and British, wrestling history. Drew McIntyre has done it! A Scotsman will headline Wrestlemania for the first time ever (no, we know, Roddy Piper was Canadian...)

Join Chris and Tony on a special edition of the Scottish Smarks podcast, delving into the latest WWE pay-per-view, and trying to express how proud we feel as our fellow countryman finally reached the upper echelons of professional wrestling. In this episode we discuss why Stone Cold Steve Austin is relevant in 2020, the strength of the WWE women's division and what they could potentially do better, the incredible performance of The Beast, and try to figure out who the hell watches Miz & Mrs. 

There's also a discussion about Wrestlemania, the size of the card, and how it could potentially be split over two nights. 

OH FLOWER OF SCOTLANDDDDD....etc   

The 2015 Royal Rumble is one of those shows that sometimes flies under the radar but could potentially be one of the most interesting shows of all time. It was the first Rumble of the WWE Network era, the results of which led many people to #cancelWWENetwork because, in the words of Vince McMahon, “Santa Claus didn’t come”. 

In episode 28, Christmas comes extra early, as the Scottish Smarks delve into what has been described as the worst Rumble match of all time, as well as the lacklustre undercard, with the exception of the fantastic heavyweight title bout. 

We discuss the brilliance of Damien Mizdow, the fact that Billy Gunn may compete for all eternity, Stardust, the JBL vs Mauro Ranallo debacle, and why the kickoff panel is a really bad idea. 

There’s also a tangent involving the “three week PPV” cycle and what AEW are doing right to combat WWE in the Network-era. 

But mostly, it’s a lot of anger and swearing. Parental Advisory : Explicit Content 

In 2006, the Ruthless Aggresion era was in full swing and the brand split was in full effect. The Raw roster was boosted by the reformation of De-Generation X and some of today’s household names were just starting out on their main event level careers. In September, the Raw brand presented Unforgiven, headlined by two future hall of famers, Edge and John Cena. 

Join the Scottish Smarks as they take in a pay per view from an era that is sometimes neglected. Chris and Tony discuss their differing opinions on the Rated R Superstar and the landscape of the WWE product in 2006, particularly in the tag team division. 

There’s also some chat around Umaga’s character build, why certain heels don’t need a mouthpiece, Jeff Hardy’s progression as a singles competitor, and why we fucking LOVE The Highlanders (biased opinions incoming!) 

In the mid to late 80s, the competition between the WWF and WCW was represented by the figureheads of each company, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. However, on the 7th July 1990, at The Great American Bash, there was a passing of the WCW torch from The Nature Boy to one Steve Borden aka Sting. 

Join Chris and Tony in the first episode of 2020 as they cover a lacklustre show from the first summer of the 90s, which saw a brand new world heavyweight champion crowned, propelling Sting into the stratosphere. 

We dissect the Ric Flair character and in-ring repertoire, discuss the attraction that was El Gigante, balk at the hypocritical nature of Jim Cornette and digest a quadruple helping of Gordon Solie. 

Welcome to the new decade! Start it off in style with the Scottish Smarks 

It’s a special Christmas 2019 edition of the Scottish Smarks, a BONUS episode! 

Instead of our usual Pay-Per-View review format, we will be taking 5 underrated talents each, explaining our reasons why we feel they are underrated, and give our match recommendations. 

Hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas folks! 

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