The Baseball Bat Incident

[ecwjr3549]

I miss the days like this when a wrestler would be "Suspended" and a "new" wrestler would come in wearing a mask who seems to act like the "suspended" wrestler... Those were the days where good long storylines would occur...

[daw162]

Business in the front, party in the back.

[TheMachineX2]

now thats was tv , thats a wrestling show.

[StygianNight]

Call me crazy, but I think Dusty Rhodes might have been the Midnight Rider, lol. God, I miss the old NWA.

[Live4Ever329]

and thats the bottom line.... cos the dream said so!

[MyNephewIsTough]

Is this the incident that got Rhodes "suspended" and thus he returned as the Midnight Rider?

[earloliver]

@MyNephewIsTouopugh - Perhaps you should watch the entire clip and find out...

[MyNephewIsTough]

@earloliver I remember this now. It was around the time of the nWo storyline.

[earloliver]

@MyNephewIsTough - No - the nWo happened in 1996 - this was in 1988.

[MyNephewIsTough]

@MyNephewIsTough Oh, okay. I thought this was part of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash invading WCW, but I was wrong. Didn't Dusty eventually join the nWo in 1999?

[thedarkchild86]

hey .... wait a minute .... I think that the midnight rider is .....DUSTY RHODES

[moggy1231]

dusty was the boss his real name is virgil runnels if you look at the ending credits they even show it.

[pbrick6301]

"Out of any viable profession"

[wrestling782]

I dont vare what people say the midnight rider was the best gimmick ever i wish wwe remade this character but they are too stupid to know what people want

[theknightrain]

JJ helped Magnum take the bump. I'm pretty sure this was after Magnums wreck.

[Spamazoid]

man he looks so much like Jake The Snake but blonde. or rather Jake looks so much like Magnum

[MrJoelyroberts]

back when wrestling was wrestling

[notta3d]

haha, when the boss went down everyone said to hell with Tully.

[mechamaster14]

we need nwa dvd anthologys

[belldn3]

That's how you write a story line.

[Thumper17]

lmao "You tell em Magnum!"

People got so into this.

[smoothpants]

- Damn! This is so good...it's almost looks like a shoot.

[seaniekay]

magnum ta looks jake the snake

[moggy1231]

dusty was the boss he was the main booker at the time

[moggy1231]

tully blanchard great at playing jerks

[raydog699]

Choking up on that thing like a banjo-hitting, pencil-necked, utility infielder. John Roseboro and Juan Marichal diyd iyt better.

[XOtericate]

I loved how Dust named his alter-ego after my favorite Allman Brothers song!

[devilsholic]

this looks kinda real LMAO

[fff1313]

HE LOOKS LIKE JAKE THE SNAKE!

[MrEvilpanda69]

Dusty comes in swinging that bat like Berry Bonds.

[TheVerge2011]

LMAO @ 2:25, Dusty goes insane with that bat!!!!!!!!!

[palmettoparrots]

You have to remember that The Horsemen had "broken" Dusty's hand with a baseball bat just a year or so earlier. Plus, Dusty was in control of booking so he wrote himself into EVERY SINGLE ANGLE they put on TV.

[aktatiracanal]

What I liked about the AWA and WCCW (With the Von Erichs) was they seemed like they were broadcast on public access tv with a shoestring budget.No barricades to speak of.Fans sitting on folding chairs.No fancy ramps or pyro and anyone could interrupt an interview at anytime and a fight would start..

[21sttnmemphis]

Never remember this one. That's the most badass move Dusty did.

[pdaddymike]

"Bidness will be taken care of in....Public, if you will".  Dusty at his best.. I loved this period.

[seaversaga]

THANKS A LOT!! People like you keep real wrestling and nostalgia ALIVE. I'm a fan since Hogan Warrior in second grade, and I love seeing wrestling and stories I missed. Now I get to see Dusty Rhodes and other wrestlers I missed. P.S. when I was in 2nd grade my wrestling name was Dusty Highway when we WWF'd. I was so cheesy in 2nd grade!!

[frythedeliveryguy]

Damn I miss these days.

[powerlinegf]

was that a snuff can in dusty's back pocket?

[FinalTallgeese]

I keep hearing about Magnum T.A. He reminds me of a sober Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

[BigDamnBrowncoat13]

@FinalTallgeese They had him set to be the next World Champion then his car wreck ended his career.

[FinalTallgeese]

@BigDamnBrowncoat13 Damn...thats messed up. Its to bad. I am sure he would have been a good champion.

[GhostSpectre]

@FinalTallgeese Doesn't deliver on the mic as well as The Snake.

[MrNYCman530]

LOL@the crowd screaming like it was a shoot! Obviously, Rhodes was about to take a vacation, not a suspension.

[Bystander81]

@MrNYCman530 But back then people didn't know so much about the business, there was no internet or podcasts or even a viable market for somebody on the inside to write a tell-all book like there is today. Most people when they saw this "board meeting" probably thought it was real, that is what set JCP and early WCW apart from the rest of the pack, they were the first promotion to show that kind of stuff on tv. The average wrestling fan didn't know any better.

[pulitzer5]

Hey, I know it's scripted and all but it looked like Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA really hated Tully Blanchard and vice versa

[32rodrick]

He just knock down Vincent McMahon Jr. chairman of New World Order Wrestling.

[BradNC11175]

Was this after Magnum's car crash that ended his career? If so was he legitimately trying to make a come back or was this just an angle for a story? Did Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard have real heat behind the sceens back in the day? Man, the 4 Horsemen vs. Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA and the Rock & Roll Express, Road Warriors and a few of those other guys back in the day were the most intense rivalries I've ever seen in wrestling bar none. There had to be SOME real tension with some of those guys.

[scarney717]

@BradNC11175 This is actually after the accident.

[BradNC11175]

@scarney717 Wow I don't even remember this incident. I recall Magnum trying to make a goal as a broadcaster after the accident but don't recall him being involved in any kind of action in any way shape or form. Thanks for clearing that up.

[LouisianaKid08]

now this is when wrestling was at its best

[DragoSteelers]

I was born a year after this, but God is it ever more entertaining than the generic crap on TV the past 9 years.

[ed2kou1]

@DragoSteelers If you like this check out the Freebirds vs Ted Diebase, when they pil drove him on the concrete.. It happend in 81! Classic. I was a kid and thought it was real lol

[christopheruchia]

in pulic, if ya will. lololol

[smithmarcus91]

Dusty was a badd ass back then

[danspivey91]

Magnum T.A. had the coolest mullet ever, similar to DDP's 1991 effort but far superior.

[JoeyPencils]

@danspivey91 that's dangerously close to just being long hair

[danspivey91]

@JoeyPencils its close but its short at the sides and the front which puts it in the mullet catagory

[aregon34]

the whole press conference, the interviews, man this was classic wrestling! Miss this!

[chriskoob]

the phillies need to put dusty on the starting line up for spring training

[TGCReborn]

man dusty cant disguise his identity for nothing

[notta3d]

Wow, that Midnight Rider sounds just like Dusty Rhodes ;

[MrSickofstupidity]

@notta3d you're a stupid mark.

[arkie74]

this was rasslin'......

[sammys70]

Didn't Dusty first become the mdnight rider back in 83,after he lost a loser-leaves-town match to Kevin Sullivan in Florida Championship Wrestling?

[soliewrestlingII]

@sammys70 - Actually it was a Loser Leave the State match - which can be found at by searching the channel using the terms "Loser Leave the State"

[jedijazz]

@sammys70 yes he did!

[tinsoldier8]

Tully Blanchard was awesome!

[MrCarl220]

@tinsoldier8 I wish Magnum could have came back so they could have one more match! Just sad that a young career was cut short!

[bobzilla2011]

now if Dusty would of swung like that he still would be with the Oakland A's

[Mrslammie]

I remember this very well!

[Polishjazzman]

Awesome! Listen to the roar of that tiny tiny crowd in the studio. Vince, that's how you do it. I love how Dusty THROTTLED that little turd. J.R. was right, you can't have a great hero, without a great antagonist; and Tully was really one of the best ever! Tully and Arn for Hall of Fame!

[Cerrano18]

@Polishjazzman Damn, your psychic :)

[ScyberPsylock]

Wow.. I remember this! The best days of the NWA right here!

[ClassicRockfan79]

@ScyberPsylock thats true. i loved those days.. i remember this story line, and ive seen it before, but i just noticed something. When Tully hit Magnum did you notice JJ Dillion.? He was really trying to brace Magnum before he fell, he kept his arms around Magmum and helped him fall in a slower safe way to protect his back, but they still made it look 100% real..

[palmettoparrots]

@ClassicRockfan79 I noticed JJ protecting Magnum too but I didn't notice it when it aired. Unless you taped the show and rewound you thought JJ was holding Magnum so Tully could hit him.

[ClassicRockfan79]

@palmettoparrots yea they made it look real. you can only see what jj is really doing if you watch carefully and think about it. but still a great classic story line..

[pbrick6301]

Dusty shirt untucked again.

[Northwro]

The people in the studio are more jacked up and making more noise than the lame ass "WWE Universe" crowd at a Monday Night Raw show.

[Koolazzmike]

@Northwro I always said the average NWA Crockett crowd was louder than the biggest WWF crowd to me.

[MrStonecold71]

@Northwro Well in fairness to that "WWE Universe" crowd, with the shit that they're given they dont have anything to cheer or make noise about. Thats the problem. WWE has gotten so Hollywood it seems like the people are watching a movie instead of attending a wrestling show.

[flipgood89]

@MrStonecold71 ....times change.

[flipgood89]

@Northwro ...different time...different era

[marathonriverrat]

another 6 to 8 inches dusty woulda killed Barry Windham.

[MichaelBSheets]

In front of a jam-packed capacity of 57 people! lol

[zybeco]

@MichaelBSheets It was a T.V. taping . Limited capacity

[MNWreckingCrew]

He laid his ol' tired ass out!

[NubianPrince1965]

I remember this is classic

[nightwolfe28]

awesome dusty 

[shizeninho]

dusty is batshit insane

[JChurch84]

Magnum looks so stoned.

[gonzomoya420]

Magnum's accident was the end of the NWA. Nikita had to turn face, JR came in, Ric Flair stayed champ, it all went to hell........

[Carloscda40]

You can see Dillon grab TA and gently put him down.

I don't know that looks damn close to real hits with that bat?!

[chriskoob]

thats about a 6 pack can of whoop ass that dusty opened up

[SallyLulu885]

it was too bad that dusty got stripped of the title but at least he got the shots on blanchard.

[MrHoopsFanatic]

wwf may have the big arenas for tv but nothing messed with the emotional studio crowds ofmemphis and nwa back in in the 80s

[tyf46]

JR ? :O

[90038jhon]

there is no way magnum should have been involved physically. sad sad sad



[yardlet6]

@90038jhon C,mon,Dillon was there to help him down.

[taylordav1]

@90038jhon I agree

[VideoCesar07]

Thanks for this. I only saw the meeting part where Dusty was being suspended and stripped of the title but I never saw the incident leading up to this.

[flipgood89]

dusty almost hits magnum with the bat @ 2:37

[volksman2332]

Thank you for going to the trouble of saving this old footage and putting on for all to see. It sure does bring back lots of memories of stuff I forgot about over the years. Thanks again.

[BMFRaw]

You know it was totally crazy for Jim Crockett himself to run out there and grab Dusty.

Fans of today's "wrestling" think it's always been scripted and story lines, but there was a lot of genuine heat back in the day.

[curtisjones400]

@BMFRaw I agree there was a lot of realism in this video Dusty Rhodes was pissed off- i don't believe that was part of script for Dusty to attack Tully with that baseball bat i think Dusty was mad for real not part of the script

[cbaldwinjr]

@curtisjones400

Really? Are you high? He would've faced legit legal troubles if Tully stated it was legitimate. That was just scripted...as most EVERYTHING in wrestling is. The reason why things like the Montreal Screwjob are so legendary are because they are RARE. Dusty and guys from that era took their craft to the edge to create the allusion of reality...but in NO WAY did he just assault Tully Blanchard on television out of real spite. C'mon man!

[artmeth]

@cbaldwinjr the montreal screwjob was just as scripted as everything else... just done very very well. 

[BMFRaw]

@carl22069 I believe that the WWF would not have grown into the travesty that it became if Magnum didn't have that crash. I feel confident that the sport was really headed toward Magnum and Kerry taking up the torch after Flair.

[cbaldwinjr]

@BMFRaw

Wrong wrong wrong. Kerry was busy snorting himself out of any real business other than his dad's promotion. Magnum would have had a moderate run, but the NWA was Flair's domain. He was dependable, epic on the mic, and a recognizable champion everywhere. Magnum would've eventually ended up in the WWF like all faces not named Sting. And he probably would've gotten some silly gimmick and languished as a mid-carder. Revisionist history is nice, but Hogan and Flair were huge for a reason.

[leche1230]

I still get goosebumps seeing this!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the post!!!

[22GoldenMega]

@leche1230 ur not the only 1.... this was classic wrestling at its best.....

[MegaYouri13]

Listen to that crowd mark out! LOL... priceless!!!

[JUGGALOMETAL80]

@MegaYouri13 thats cause there was plenty to mark out for not like the fag cena of today

[Abyono]

@MegaYouri13 We NEED more fan reaction & crowds like that these days, dammit!!......

[theraVen27]

@Abyono

We NEED something worthy of this kind of reaction these days...

[Derby14]

I remember being at a wedding reception when I was 12 in the summer of 1988 and talking to an uncle about the Midnight Rider...

[kirkwanglers32]

Nice wone Dusty, Beet the Crap out of a trash taking peice of garbage.

Arsehole good for you dude.

Dusty Kick the crap out of this trash Talking son Bitch.

Nice one Dude.

[kirkwanglers32]

Nice wone Dusty, Beet the Crap out of a trash taking peice of garbage.

Arsehole good for you dude.

[buttercremehonda]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: JJ Dillon and Bobby Heenan are the gayest, fattest, ugliest, palest, most worthless and most despicable twin lovers the world has ever seen.

[Koolazzmike]

@buttercremehonda To each his or her own, but Dillon and Heenan are my two favorite managers of all time.

[DefLeppardVanHalen]

I wished he never had that accident...Magnum would've made a great World Champion.

[eslubin]

2:23 Anyone who doubts Tully Blanchard's toughness: he took 12 shots with a bat before he went down. Now that's a man.

[WillHear432]

@eslubin Tully was as tough as they come, and a damn good ring technician as well. No, he didn't have a Road Warrior type of physique but he was in top notch condition. Try wrestling 60 minute matches 7 days a week. Tully did it for a living.

[JonathanVonErich]

Ridiculous, only Dusty could come up with ideas like that. I mean I like Dusty...but that angle was really bad. Really, really bad.

[north5880]

He even hit Jim Crockett with the bat! I think he didn't think about everybody else when he was hitting it at Tully Blanchard and everybody else! His confrontation with JJ Dillon and the Horsemen was crazy!

[benigntumor]

I loved Dusty's "Midnight Rider" character. Thanks for uploading!

[butchie84H]

and that s the bottom line cause dusty rhodes said so lol

[gannable]

clips like this are an example of why Tully was one of the best heels ever. he was such a d@ck, in my opinion he was the biggest reason why someone would hate the Horseman. his entire character was such sneaky, little, cocky jerk

[eslubin]

@gannable that wasn't a character lol

[Yoni123]

@gannable a dack?

[braker1969]

@gannable I loved to hate that version of the 4 Horseman

[CombatSportFan]

Yeah, you hit your boss with a baseball bat I'd say that's a suspension...