#175 – 1987 Slammy Awards
On the 175th episode of the Old School Wrestling Podcast we discuss the classic 1987 Slammy’s and the WWF Piledriver record! Joining us on the show is Mike Pace, the resident OSWP music expert and composer of our theme song! Please support the show and pick up our new SEASON 4 BOX SET including two unreleased episodes of reviews for the 1987 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team tournament and the documentary “Heroes of World Class Wrestling” available on DVD or for direct download. Please support the Old School Wrestling Podcast by visiting oldschoolwrestlingpodcast.com where you can find links to all of our great products. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you…..at the matches!
Now normally, I’m much too lazy to comment on episodes. But with the emphasis on theme music and the Piledriver album, I just had to share some thoughts and bits of trivia.
First of all, the 1987 Slammy Awards actually ARE on the Network. Hidden under the “In Ring” section, you will find a Slammy Awards option with a variety of videos, including the 1994 Slammy Awards. The 1986 Slammy Awards that you mention are not available, possibly due to rights issues with MTV? I wonder if there may have been a few music edits on the Network version, but the Schlitz Malt Liquor, Milk, Halls and Oxy 10 logos are all present! Also, why aren’t the song music videos produced for the Piledriver release available on the Network? I know that there is a Piledriver video buried within an episode on Saturday Night’s Main Event (October or November 1987), but I know that others were produced. I definitely remember a Jive Soul Bro video. And now, having just checked YouTube, it seems that there were a number of others. Maybe they’ll get around to those eventually…
Probably my favorite thing about the 1987 Slammy Awards is how at the end, during If You Only Knew, all of the wrestlers are kind of swaying and dancing during the chorus. However, Virgil, standing in between Ted DiBiase and Hulk Hogan, as any well paid bodyguard would, is standing completely still, with his arms crossed, staring at Hogan. Just a great moment of Virgil staying in character. I applaud whoever made that decision.
Do you remember when Paul Orndorff and Hulk Hogan were having their feud? During 1986 at The Big Event and then culminating, I believe, with their steel cage match in January of 1987 on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Paul Orndorff had “stolen” Hogan’s Real American theme music (who had previously stolen it from The US Express, Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo, as you mention). So, Real American would begin playing when Orndorff came down to the ring and then continue when Hogan came out. Orndorff was apparently using this to try to get into Hogan’s head, or something. Throw him off his game, if you will! Well, let’s jump ahead to late 1987. When the masterminds at the WWF decide to resurrect this idea and give it to Paul Roma and Jim Powers, The Young Stallions! Only this time, The Young Stallions have stolen Jimmy Hart’s song, Crank it Up, off of the Piledriver album as their theme music! Oh, no! Remnants of this minor feud can be seen during the October 1987 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event and, I believe, the 1988 Royal Rumble. Of course, It was played up a little more on lesser shows from the time, like Superstars of Wrestling.
I was much to naive, at the time, to realize that Vince McMahon owned the WWF. In fact, I don’t think that I was truly aware of that until the publicity involving the steroid trial, a few years later. So, I really have no idea what I thought of Vince McMahon having a song on the Piledriver album. The announcer has a song? Okay. But…then the music video for Stand Back, made it seems as though the song was a tribute to Andre the Giant. And Andre isn’t going to sing his own song, right? In my youthful mind, I suppose that it made sense. To further the Andre connection, in the original Nintendo Entertainment System video game, WrestleMania, a Nintendo era chip music version of Stand Back was used for Andre’s theme music in that game.
And one more thing, to continue the video game nerd out. You mentioned I.R.S. Well, I don’t believe that he ever had any actual theme music until he teamed up as Money Inc, with Ted DiBiase. They would simply use The Million Dollar Man’s familiar theme. BUT, I believe Dre mentions that it would be funny if they just used adding machine sounds for I.R.S. And in a few of the video games from that time frame, they actually did! I’m pretty sure that they do in WWF WrestleMania Steel Cage Challenge for the Nintendo and a few of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games, as well. It just kind of sounds like a typewriter typing. Which is pretty amusing.
Oh, yeah. Since this comment, WWE seems to have removed the Slammys from the Network. I swear that they were there! I watched them ON the Network! Way to make me seem like a liar, WWE! I’ll get my revenge by completely ignoring Roman Reigns…who? What? Huh?
They were completely on there. You are not losing your mind. I think there was even one hosted by Todd Pettingill on there at one point.
How could you forget about Bob “Spark plug” Holly as a car mechanic gimmick? Or have you just wiped that from your memory?
In other news … I was more a fan of Koko’s later birdman song.
Great job on the Slammy Awards review. I saw this when it first aired and had it recorded on VHS which I would watch repeatedly(don’t judge me).
Just to clear up one item, the award that Mean Gene and Jesse presented that you weren’t sure was for, was for the “greatest hit” of 1987. There was a video montage that was played to the song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar. It was mostly clips of various finishing moves and other physical altercations. When the video ended, that’s when Duggan and Race broke through the video screen.
Keep up the good work.
Hi guys. Great job reviewing the Slammy Awards. I watched this when it first aired and had a VHS copy recorded that I watched repeatedly(Don’t judge me).
There is one item I hope I can clear up. The award that you weren’t sure of the name of, was for the “greatest hit” of 1987. Just before the award was to be presented, a video montage to the song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar aired. It included mostly various finishing maneuvers and other physical altercations. Just as the video finished on the video wall is when Duggan and Race tore through and continued their fight.
I hope that helps to clear that up for you.
Sorry for the double posting, I didn’t think my first comment got through.
Hey guys love your podcast but one thing y’all talked about was no album being released after those 2 other then maybe theme music CDs. Surprisingly there was a cd released in 1993 called Wrestlemania the album. It features superstars singing such as macho man randy savage,big boss man, and Brett Hart and others it was not nearly as good and if you want to hear a horrible song YouTube never been a right time to say goodbye by Bret Hart oh my goodness it is awful.
If this was the 37th annual slammy awards who do you think was the winners of the first awards in 1951