Yo Jim Cornette one of the best promos ever against Dusty "When your daddy is out plumbing, every man in Austin knows what his bedroom looks like" lmfao.

I love Cornette, but props to Brian for defending Backlund’s reputation. The narrative of him not being over or a draw seems to be a bit of revisionist history….mostly by people who were not at the WWF arenas from 78-83, read about it, or weren’t even into wrestling yet. Obviously this does not apply to Jim lol. I have big respect for him and his knowledge. Let’s look at Backlund’s major runs…1978, all return matches with Graham, and who else did they feed him? Luke Graham, Bulldog Brower, Spiros Arion, Animal Steele, and maybe Stasiak….does anyone think Dusty would have sold out MSG or The Spectrum against any of those guys except Graham? That would be no. 1979 saw Backlund have a historic 4 match run at MSG with Pat Patterson, a 3 match MSG run feud with Peter Maivia, Greg Valentine, Bob Duncum, Koloff, Hussein Arab(Iron Shiek)and a few lesser oppnents(insert a Valiant Brother, etc). All of those major defenses also ran in all of the major arenas in the northeast….and no Bruno or Andre in 1978 or 79. To claim Backlund needed undercard support at this time is absurd…having a tag title match or Strongbow feuding with Valentine on the same night is hardly “stacking the card”. 1980 starts out with major runs with Backlund vs Patera, Hogan, Slaughter, Race, Zbyzsko, Kahn….and then a bunch of underwhelming defenses against various Samoans, The Hangman, etc. Again, is anyone going to sell out MSG in a WWF title defense against Samoan Afa? No. This was the first year that Andre and Bruno were on undercards in runs with Hogan and Zbyzsko respectively. Is it stacking a card to have a feud running in a territory simultaneous with a championship match? When Flair was NWA champ in the early 80s, you had Rich vs Sawyer, Wrestling II vs Masked Superstar, all kinds of Freebirds, Road Warriors, Midnight Express tag feuds on the same card at The Omni….it wasn’t a Flair, Race or Dusty title match and a card full of jobbers. Why does Backlund get singled out on this? 1981 you had Backlund in runs with Hansen(3 MSG matches), Muraco, multiple Valentine matches, and more lesser opponents like Mosca, Steele again, etc. Bruno is basically gone, having finished his run with Zbyzsko in 1980, Andre has a run this year with Kahn, and Patterson runs with Mosca and Patterson this year. Muraco/Morales have their feud, and the typical tag match title runs with Moondogs/Martel and Garea. Not a lot of card stacking going on unless you think Backlund vs Mosca should sell out MSG on its own, which is ludicrous no matter who the champion is. 1982 into 1983 again saw no Andre in the area except for a run with Studd in 83. No Bruno. So so much for the idea that those two were always supporting weak Backlund draws. They were not around for the majority of the Backlund title reign. In these final two years of Backlund, he had major runs with Snuka, Graham, Slaughter, Muraco, Studd, Valentine, and minor runs with the likes of Adonis, Ventura, Steele, Koloff, Buddy Rose, Masked Superstar, Bob Orton, Iron Mike Sharpe, and ultimately Iron Sheik. Most of these were return visits that people has seen multiple times already, the most exciting new run was the Snuka one. Backlund crying on TV when Graham destroyed his belt, the singlet (Cornette saying it made him look like he was 12! True! 😂)the over the top excitement Snuka brought in, and an epidemic of Backlund getting fast counts on opponents especially in his last year and a half(done on purpose to turn fans against him? This is when I started to notice the boos at house shows)…all of this led to the end of his run. It was time. But he was a major hero of mine as a kid, and he WAS over, especially in those first 4 years. His runs with Patera, Hansen, Patterson, Muraco, Valentine stand up to any title run in any other territory hands down. And the fact that he would not hurt his daughter or me as a young fan by turning heel says a lot about his character. I think Graham would have made a great babyface champ but was too unreliable. A short run would have been the real Hulkamania IMO. Dusty would also have totally owned it for a short run…but again, if you fed him sub par opponents, he would not sell out MSG on his own either.

“Superstar” Billy Graham vs Dusty Rhodes was a monumental feud

Backlund's 94 heel run was lightning in a bottle and the Fed had no idea. What a brilliant story: A previous world champion who has been forgotten returns and demands respect. He *looks* like a nobody but he's a legit badass who could have tied up anybody on the 94 roster like a pretzel. Points out he never lost and demands his respect from the perfectly-timed New Generation. The bodyscissored chickenwing was the most over submission at the time. He might be "old" but give him half a chance and it's over. Could have and should have been brilliant but they went goofy on it.

This is a thousand times better than talking about modern wrestling. And a billion times better than any politics.

“As bland as non-sugared oatmeal” that is such an amazing line.

I was too young to see Backlund's OG title run. When I started watching wrestling as a kid was just before or right after Wrestlemania IV, but I LOVED the Mr. Backlund gimmick when it came along. I remember just smiling, laughing, and yelling "Chickenwing him, Bob!!!"

35 minutes on Dusty? This will be good. I looking forward to numerous Dusty impersonations, if you will.

Brian gets it. The economy stunk pretty much Backlund's entire title run. He still drew and was still over. The act might have gotten tired the last year or so but crowds were wanting something different. Chief Jay was getting tired late too and those guys were pillars for a while.

Love Travis's attention to detail with Dusty's splotch.The only thing missing would be the scar tissue/broken blood vessels on the Dream's upper right arm.

29:00 Discussion on who could have beaten Backlund, besides the Iron Shiek...Nikolai Volkoff. USSR 1984

According to Dustys book he says that when Vince Snr was ill before he died dusty would call vince snr on the regular to check in with him and on this day Vince snr had deterioted so dusty spoke to vince then vinces wife got on the phone and explained vince was really ill then vince gets back on the phone and says .."U can stop him Dusty you have the power to stop it" then hung up ...Dusty believed he was referring to vince junior and his plan to go national and take over...I think this conversation got back to vince junior and he had resentment to Dusty and thats why he called Ted Dibiases valet Virgil which is dustys real name and when dusty came back in the early 90s he put the polka dots on him..Vince Snr died a couple of days after that phone call

Damn it Corny, you got me at work trying not to laugh out loud. . . Keep the Ads coming!

There's a very detailed "What if?" online about Kerry Von Erich accepting Michael Hayes' help during that cage match against Flair which started the Birds/VE fued.

Love Dusty doing the Superstar Billy Graham pose

Backlund vs Dusty in Japan was a phenomenal match

Would be great if you guys did "What If segments" and how they would have effected wrestling forever

Dusty would have probably ended up in Pat Patterson's role as right hand man to Vince Jr, and the de facto booker of the WWF during the expansion years.

Backlund had so many great feuds and matches: Sgt Slaughter, Ken Patera, Hulk Hogan, Ivan Koloff, Killer Khan, Adrian Adonis, Greg Valentine, Antonio Inoki. Bob was great!

I thought Travis illustrated Dusty Rhodes as a merman here. "Atlantic Dream," BEH BEH!

Corny's ads are hysterical. Code Academy. If there is a script, JC goes so far off of it, yet it is entertaining. Brian's reactions are our reactions. And just when you think they have lost a sponsor, he pulls it back in and makes it work. Pure genius.

Around the 28 minute mark Brian says next week theyre going to talk about what if Dusty had won the title but they still havent done that 3 weeks later.

Dusty would have had to wrestle with a shirt on.

17:18 Brian Last describing Bob Backlund's physique, "He's almost like Brock Lesnar, but "natural."

I missed the Backlumd era by a couple years, but enjoy watching the old tapes. He was an absolute HOSS. Still probably is lol. Great comparison by Brian, a clean Lesnar, that’s no joke. He tossed bigger men around like rag dolls. I totally agree he’s up there with the greatest athletes to ever take the ring. And his heel turn was magnificent, as corny mentioned.

These clips are always the best. Better me having to laugh at WWE or AEW. Just serious narration from a guy that really knows his history.

I've heard many historians debate the merits of Backlund, but these two still made it interesting.

I wasn't around for Backlund in the 80's don't think you could even watch WWF here in England then. Him against Razor was the first I saw of him it wasn't good. But his heel run was amazing!

We need to film these Codecademy promos as a news editorial. With Corny behind the desk, of course...already laughing 😃 😀 😄....

love when jim talks abt wrestling history

Backlund was one of the best technical wrestlers of all-time. The matches during his title first title run were amazing. He’s very underrated. His heel run in 1994 was fantastic.

This is the Cornette I want , not the one reviewing modern wrestling.

It was a tough time hulk Hogan Dusty Rhodes instead of iron sheik the angle they went with was perfect for the time

Bob Backlund is my spirit animal, man. Backlund deadlifting Hulk Hogan looks and is so damn impressive.

I miss Dusty I miss the 80's which is probably why I listen to Jim

Dusty would’ve at the very least matched hulk hogans charisma. I’d bet on it

We had Dusty and Superstar in 72 in Minneapolis. Greatest matches I ever saw. Loved the movie the Wrestler they filmed in the spring of 72.

I actually put together the whole Northeast Graham Florida connection. At the start of the 1980s I started asking my father to take me to wrestling at the Eddie Graham Sports Stadium in Orlando. He immediately recollected going to the garden in the Mid-late 1950s and seeing the Graham Brothers.

What if....? Hogan had KEEPS?!?

Starting my morning with a Walk and Corny these days, thanks Brian & Corny for doing these 🙏🏼

Graham did a face turn in the AWA and brought in Rhodes to be his partner. One of the most popular teams in AWA history, but it didn't last very long as they both headed to Florida shortly after.

They would kicked me outta school,showing up with my grandpas' bullrope,cardboard cut-out of the WWWF title in my glittered up bathrobe and my uncles' pimp hat.Listening to Dustys' promos at that time,they were so Ali-like you couldn't help but root for this fella,which me and all the rest of my fellow 9yr old lil' bits did here in Texas.R.I.P. Big Dust and yes,we're still living that dream.

One reason Superstar drew so well is that fans at MSG really believed most of his opponents could win. And who does not want to see a title change? I think Pedro got the belt in 1971 because WWWF flagship was Ch. 47 a mostly Spanish station. If WWWF had a better station, like WOR-9 I don't think Pedro gets the belt. The idea of an All-American WWWF champion was a great idea to elevate the status of the title. Backlund looked like a world champion. He looked like someone who could represent the US in the Olympics. I think he elevated the status of the WWWF title. One thing that gave Bob Backlund a big boost here in NYC/Metro area in 1982, WWF cleared a Saturday morning timeslot on WOR-9 and business picks up. In fact, this Saturday morning timeslot in NYC was unprecedented in the market, and is the springboard for over a dozen consecutive sellouts at MSG.

I think dusty in New York during disco era would have been huge. Dusty in studio 54?

1:43 in and we get a Dusty impersonation life is good. I remember reading about those Graham Rhodes matches epic times. Love these wrestling history videos. I was a big Backlund fan as a kid and got his autograph without having to list the president's 😂😂. It's so interesting to do the what ifs. I'd like to hear a what if Magnum TA didn't have the accident and how if he was to be NWA champion how that would have went.

Corny's Code Academy promo at the end was excellent.

Dammit Jim...That Code Academy ad got me...It got me good! xD

Excellent segment ! I have looked at every match available on Dusty's stay in the WWF and every match available on Superstars title reign and to me there are no greater mistakes then taking the belt away from Billy Graham . The Superstar had grown into the most popular wrestle in the world and Dusty Rhodes was top draw already ! The belt could have been dropped at a later time - no problem. But not at that time. Vince Sr lack of foresight is the cause for the NWA incredible successes of the early 80's . And to our full enjoyment ! It gave us Slick Ric , The Midnight Express , The Rock & Roll Express , Nakita , Magnum , The Four Horsemen just to name a few.

as kids, my brother and i loved mr backland. cross-face chicken wing always entertained us

Heard a rumor 10 years ago or so that Vince wanted Snuka as champion instead of Hogan. Then the Nancy Argentina incident so Vince went with Hogan Hence, why Snuka was still in Hogan's corner at WM1

I am so glad that the fantasy tag team of Dusty Rhodes and Billy Graham was mentioned

Fun fact: Superstar Billy Graham first told Bob Backlund to get into the business.

Backlund probably would have got the NWA belt for a period of time.

Man I can't wait for this "What of" show and hopefully it's the first of many

If Dusty had become champ instead of Backlund, I expect the extent of Backlund's career would be a couple of short Tag Team Championship reigns with Tony Garea.

Backlund's strengths didn't really come through on the WWF's dull-ass tv. He would have been well served it they showed filmed highlights like they did on Florida wrestling. He always showed you something interesting in the ring. What I rarely hear mentioned is how powerfully he connected with the crowds at the matches. He defended that belt on behalf of everybody, like it really mattered. It didn't come through with Vince and a cameraman. And surrounded by Freddie Blassie & Lou Albano's goofball goons, Backlund's earnestness made for a pretty fresh gimmick.

Jim loves the word "gesticulating"

Dusty would have been champion for a year than never came back

These kinds of segments are why Jim Cornette is the best pro-wrestling podcaster in the world.

Technically it was New Jersey and not New York where Eddie Graham's Florida wrestling aired. On a Spanish language station out of Newark. I know because when I was trading tapes I got one that had a Dusty Rhodes match where a WNJU Newark graphic flashed on the bottom third. I had to pull out an atlas to make sure there wasn't a Newark in Florida.

Love the Don Rickles reference😂

I think of Backlund like I think of The Patriot. Great wrestlers, they gave us great matches. Much more could have and should have been done with them. But they lacked flavor, personality, narrative, etc.. When gum loses its flavor you spit it out. Hogan and Flair were like some sort of gum that could regain the flavor. Backlund was not. He was great otherwise.

Yes Jim you're right Bob backlins still lives in connecticut. Sometimes you can see him jogging through glass and Berry Connecticut all the way down to East Hartford Connecticut and back! By Badland is still a nice guy till this day you stop and talk to him and he's got the time of day for you especially if you're talking about wrestling and I don't mean professional wrestling I mean like high school college but he is a nice guy.

Bob gave some legitimacy back to wrestling he was believable anyone who's ever been in a fight knew flair and dusty were bullshit but there were still alot of people who cared about the athletic sport and not the pomp

This video started playing I didn't know what it was and I heard you guys talking about Dusty Rhodes and I remember when I was little watching him And one of the main things that popped in my head when I always thought about Dusty Rhodes was that big brown spot on his side and that's what I was thinking about when I heard you guys talking and I looked up and saw your cartoon image and I lost it lol what is that anyway a birthmark? Lol

Where do I send my Questions to Sir Jimmy Cornett??

Bob Backlund is like what would happen if you toned down Brock Lesnar and gave him his cross faced chickenwing which was the Kamora Lock of its day that really hurt people. Backlund was an upper midwest guy from South Dakota who was brilliant gold in a time when WWE was really tanking to WCW. If you go watch Backlund and his old trainer who threw in the towel to force him to lose the WWE championship, the payoff is when he puts the guy on a stretcher with his crossface chickenwing he uses for anyone who gets in his way making him a total off the chain nutcase which really helped his career at the end by making him a legit threat to anyone who got mixed up with him.

All those fancy words sounded like a Keith Lee promo 😂

I've heard Corny talk about "Ma daddy inna garden" a few times but I don't get the reference? I thought I tuned into all these episodes but I've obvs missed it. That, and the "da people, da people" is another one that escapes me Anybody shine any light? I'd be awfully grateful 🙏

The night before Billy dropped the strap to Bob he didn't like him very much and was going to lay down for Sammartino but last moment they listened to Vince Senior.

They even drew the tummy splotch. Wow eye to detail.

Dusty Rhodes Vs Macho Man would have been a totally different series of matches had Rhodes been Vince Jr's choice instead of Hogan.

Backlund had great matches with Greg Valentine and great feuds with Sgt. Slaughter and Don Muraco. He was 100% over with the fans and his in-ring was excellent. His match with Harley Race NWA vs WWF in MSG is one of the best wrestling matches anywhere from the 70's. He could have good matches with anyone and outstanding matches with top workers. The worst run he had was his program with Kung-Fu Billy Graham, because Billy had tons of heat but could barely bend at the waist. If Dusty had won, he would be defending against Ivan Koloff and Ernie Ladd, who both drew buckets of $$$ and he had huge feuds with in the NWA. Patera (who had been discussed as champion, according to him), Valentine, Stan Hansen and the Valiant Brothers would also be early challengers, if we follow who Backlund was booked against. Add in the champ vs champ match with Race, Texas Death and bull-rope matches and tag team ups with Andre, you would have at least three years of full houses and bloody magazine cover photos. Dusty would have had a legendary run as WWF campion.

It took me about 20 years after backland was unseated as champion, to really appreciate bob’s work. As an athlete he was in the same category as Bruno, harly, bockwinkel, flair, steamboat, snuka, orndorff, rocky Johnson or anyone in the business. So I now really appreciate him a lot more than I did back in the day.

This was a great topic.

How many things would it change? YES!

Bob Backlund is Ope Taylor in tights.

Cornette is just wrong here....Backlund was WAY OVER during his title run.

Could we match up the dates on when Vince Jr. took over and when Bob started to wear a singlet? Or better yet, when Bob refused to turn heel and when Bob started to wear a singlet? Bob's transformation was not gradual. He was one way for several years and then he changed very close to the end. It was like someone was intentionally burying him to get him out of the way.

I saw Backlund wrestle as a jobber in GCW, and then a few years later I pick up a wrestling mag in the store and glance at the cover. There was a photo of 2 rasslers in the ring, and the headline said “WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund,” and I thought “WHAAAAA???” He couldn’t beat a bowl of batter in GCW. lol

What if my aunt had balls? She would my uncle

I've heard Backlund himself say that he didn't really understand the business until his 90's heel run.

At least Dusty wouldn't have been spouting crap about taking his vitamins

Backlund was great as the crazy heel

I always wondered if Vern put the title on Hogan what would’ve happened.? it would’ve been like back to the future 2

When the hell was Dusty Rhodes in shape? I’ve only seen pictures but the ones from the 70s he was still a fat guy.

Take a look at some of Backlunds matches and you'll see one of the strongest wrestlers ever. He was too quiet and bland in promos but his comeback as a heel was legendary.

It always cracks me up when Brian loses his shit when Corny is doing their product promotion

They could have waited and kept the belt on Gram and he could have dropped it to Hogan. It would have been a long run, but Hogan gram may had sold. Just a thought.

Virgil "Dusty Rhodes" Runnels didn't need to win the title to be over. He was like the Undertaker. He could hold the belt occasionally, but it wasn't a requirement. I mean, he was Dusty Rhodes. A legendary wrestler and booker. Unless it made sense thematically, he didn't have to be champion. Flair and Borden didn't have to be champion all the time either. But when they did, they tried to make it count. Before you worry about who has the belt, you have to make sure that the belt actually means something to whoever wins it and it helps solidify a wrestler or culminate their push to the top. If you have to keep going back to guys like Flair, Dusty or Undertaker, that's probably an indication you don't have much in the way of main event talent. Those guys were way over for most of their careers. When Hogan had the WWF belt constantly, it started to mean less and less because except for Warrior and Savage, they weren't getting many guys over, especially as babyface main eventers. It wasn't until the steroid scandal that Vince was forced to change course and push more athletic, more believable talents like Bret, Shawn and others to the main event scene. The problem with a bad or mediocre booker is that they tend to ride the hot hand into the ground. Once they have a superstar on their hands or a moneymaking stable, those guys hog the belts and nobody else gets over. What I admire about Flair was that he'd actually do jobs for people he felt deserved the push. Bret did the same thing. He brought in Steve Austin and helped make him a star. It wasn't just about him. HBK never got anyone over except himself. The best wrestlers can go in the ring and prove they're the best, while elevating new guys and growing the business as a whole.

Dustymania would be runnin wild, beh-beh

Still the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, THE AMERICAN DREAM DUSTY RHODES!

Just hearing Orndorff's name brings a smile. Wish he had a world title run

People used to sleep on backlund That man was a shooter if they had turned him into like a real rugged shooter style Wrestler kind of like promotions did with Bob Armstrong .I think they could have used him in way more angles. I love also the Mr. Backllund heel

Worked this out, leads to 1988 WWF champion Brooklyn Brawler is the top draw of that era

Wwe fans and younger fans cannot fathom how over dusty was in the early 80s. He was the guy back then. Great cross over appeal

lmao listening to cornette plug code academy

Vince Sr. had no interest in another wildly popular champion topping his card - Dusty, Graham, Bruno, none of them. Not after paying through the nose for Bruno those last four years. This was a change in philosophy. To prevent getting held up (from his view) like he'd been with Rogers and Toots and Bruno, he was going to book like Eddie Graham. He was going to sell the card and put a pure athlete on top that he could control. There was nothing Superstar could do to keep the belt. There was nothing Rhodes could do.

The rebuilding haha

I love the mental image of 70s Dusty Rhodes hanging out with Andy Warhol and his crew