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Chad’s Throwback Spotlight: Magnum T.A.

Chad D. Aaron looks back at the quick rise of Magnum T.A., and compares his career to that of iconic WWE star Roman Reigns.

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Magnum TA Edit

Chad D. Aaron looks back at the quick rise of Magnum T.A., and compares his career to that of iconic WWE star Roman Reigns.

From the moment I saw him jump the guardrail for the first time, Roman Reigns stood out to me as a guy who just looked like a superstar. I knew nothing about the man’s wrestling ability, but he had the look, the presence, the it-factor that made an impression on me that day. And naturally, he reminded me of another star of yesteryear who had the look, the presence, the it-factor that had him tagged as a can’t-miss, main-event superstar in waiting.

I first saw Magnum TA in mid to late 1985 on NWA World Championship Wrestling on WTBS. He stood out to me immediately. He had the long curly blonde hair, the Tom Selleck mustache, and the black vest. He was just Cool. He talked with a fire, a passion, an intensity that let you know, this guy meant business.

Before arriving in the Mid-Atlantic area, he had worked as a top-level guy in Mid-South for a couple of years, winning both the Mid-South Tag Team titles and the promotion’s top prize, the North American Heavyweight Championship. Once he did arrive in Jim Crockett Promotions, he would go almost straight into a couple of legendary programs for the US Title.

Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard – I Quit Steel Cage Match – NWA Starrcade 1985

The first of these was with Tully Blanchard, one of the best pure heels in all of wrestling. Their feud culminated in the most vicious match I had ever seen at that point, a bloody I Quit Match in a steel cage at Starrcade 1985. The visual of a bloody Magnum raising a piece of broken wooden chair over his head and driving it down into Tully’s forehead is burned into my memory banks forever. When, almost thirty years later, the WWE Network was launched, this match was the first thing I watched when I subscribed.

Then, Magnum took on another legendary foe, “The Russian Nightmare” Nikita Koloff. During the build up to their first match, Magnum slugged NWA President Bob Geigel, a very heelish move from such a staunch babyface, but right in character with the no-nonsense style Magnum had. The NWA forced him to vacate the US Title and set up the classic Best of Seven Series that is still talked about today. Koloff went up 3-0, and we the fans were facing the prospect of the evil commie sweeping the All-American babyface. Magnum battled back, his back against the wall the entire way, to win match after match to even the series at three and set up the seventh and final match. Nikita would end up winning that match and the US Title, but not without help from his comrades Ivan Koloff and Krusher Kruschev.

The plan from there seemed to be an NWA World title program with Ric Flair.  Starrcade 1986 was only months away, and it seemed obvious that those two were destined to main event the show. Listening to shoot interviews from the players involved at the time, everyone seems to agree that Magnum was slated to become NWA Champion.

Fate, unfortunately, had other ideas. Magnum was in a horrific car accident in October of that year, leaving him paralyzed and ending his wrestling career in an instant. We never got that crowning moment for Magnum. Nikita Koloff was turned babyface to take the Starrcade slot opposite Flair, but it just wasn’t the same.

Magnum would go on to make sporadic appearances for the NWA and later WCW over the years as an announcer, host and manager, but his legacy was settled.

Of course, wrestling was a different entity back then. Magnum’s push was drawn out over a couple of years, with storylines building to one or two big events a year. Contrast that to Reigns’ era, with numerous big matches and a different pay-per-view event each month. Back then when the company got behind a guy and gave them a push, the crowds generally took the bait. Magnum was hugely popular with the fans, right up there with Dusty Rhodes and the Rock & Roll Express. Roman’s popularity never quite reached the heights the WWE wanted, and then his over-use caused the crowds to turn on him in droves.

By comparison Reigns’ push was fast tracked. He was pushed too hard and asked to carry the load too soon and too often, and the modern, smarter crowds turned on him in kind. He went from just one of the Shield members to a main event guy in the span of a less than a year, where Dusty brought Magnum along slowly, rather than hot-shot him onto the top of the card.

From the time Magnum entered Jim Crockett Promotions, you could tell he was going to be a top star at some point. He was also not the typical main eventer for Crockett at the time. Magnum was not a technical master like Flair or Dusty, he was much more the brawler and fighter than a work rate machine. To compensate, he was regularly put up against the top workers, usually veteran guys who knew how to get Magnum over. Reigns was handled much differently, called upon to carry the load when he was not ready for it, and the reactions he would go on to receive bear that out.

Magnum will forever go down as one of the great “What if” guys in wrestling history. He also stands out as a textbook example of how to take a young, good looking guy with presence and that it-factor and make him into a top star. Perhaps the next time a wrestling company needs to make a top guy, they will follow this blueprint instead. Just imagine if the WWE had used such patience with Roman Reigns.

Until next time, watch some wrestling this week, stay safe, and never forget to #UseYourHead.

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 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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