Hi Scott,
Whenever people talk about past world champions, rarely does anyone mention Bob Backlund. Now, I can't say I've seen a lot of his matches so I'm not sure how he ranks with Flair or Race or Hogan or whomever, but considering he was champion for almost 6 years in the late 70's/early 80's, surely he had some ability and must have been over with the crowd to a degree? He's almost like the Rodney Dangerfield of former wrestling champs: no respect! How would you rank him as a wrestler and do you think I'm out to lunch and maybe he IS well regarded in wrestling circles?
Well, I was just watching a Legends roundtable (apparently an old one) on 24/7 with the old-timers discussing that very topic, and they seem to feel the same way. Patterson in particular was a staunch supporter of Backlund, and Mike Graham talked up what a surprisingly powerful worker he was during his days in Florida. I think part of the reason that Backlund got relegated to the "has-been" category was just his place on the pecking order -- he was the Old and Hulk Hogan was the New and the WWF was clearly no longer a place that held a prime spot for him. But I think that certainly anyone who has worked with him respects him immensely as a wrestler, and Cole & Foley gave him tons of love on the Shea Stadium show. Plus the Hall of Fame spot is there for him when he wants it.
So I think he's respected just fine.
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Tags: 24, 24/7, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, Legends, Mailbags, WWF
What’s awesome about that Legends show is Backlund’s reason he’s not in the Hall of Fame. It isn’t that he has heat with Vince, or that no one cares about his legacy. He’s got one more run left in him, baby!
If anyone’s seen his few shots with UWF (Japan not Mid-South) you really get to see how great he was.
His first run was a little before my time but I’ve enjoyed the little I’ve seen out of him on 24/7 and I always did like his early ’90s run and thought then, like I do now, that it was a shame that he dropped the title as fast and pathetically as he did to a hack like Diesel.
I never could stand Nash though, not from day one.
When he rejoined the WWF in 1993, i had no idea who he was as his previous spell was long before my time. I didn’t get him at all and couldn’t see what he brought to the roster, but he really grew on me over the next couple of years and it was a fantastic moment when he got one last run as World Champion (though his 3-second defeat to Diesel wasn’t exactly the most dignified way to lose it!)
He wasn’t part of the wwf boom in the 80s, and he was mostly seen as a territorial champion so most fans forgot about him by the time he came back in ‘92, and he soon became somewhat of a joke after that… If he had turned heel like Vince wanted him to back in ‘83 he would have been a much bigger star…
I don’t know if a heel turn would have made much difference in 1983. Heel or face, Vince was going the cartoon route, and at that point in his career I don’t think Backlund would have been able to pull it off. He could have gone to Crockett and played the “insane shooter who will hurt you” kind of character, but I don’t think the problem for Backlund was heel/face, it was “Rock ‘N Wrestling” in general.
But his crazy old man gimmick? GENIUS. This last week of the election, he should go on the stump for McCain playing that character again…
How helpful would it be for McCain, though, when crazy recite-the-names-of-the-presidents-for-an-autograph Backlund is still more sane than John “McPenguin”?
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/129540.html
Making fun of a guy for physical deformities and injuries suffered in a POW camp…classy.
The reason why he would make a perfect heel in the wwf at time WAS that he was the antithesis of “Rock’n Wrestling”… He would have been the perfect square heel to go up against Hogan or JYD.
I’m not saying he wouldn’t have been awesome. I’m saying, heel or face, Vince would never have given him a chance in the 80’s environment. Who got a chance to get over with no character? Even Ricky Steamboat had to be Bruce Lee 2.0, and Harley Race had to wear a crown. Sadly, “Bob Backlund” in 1987 sounds like a guy getting jobbed out to Hillbilly Jim every week on Wrestling Challenge.
I honestly believe that Backlund could do one more run in WWE.
Against guys like Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase? I believe it!
Backlund vs. Cena. Just because.
Actually, a technical match between Backlund and Finley would be quite good.
I think one of the reasons Bob Backlund’s name is largely mentioned in passing is due to his lack of charisma. For a time prior to Hogan’s arrival in the WWF, Backlund was depicted as a shy, unassuming, polite young man in an “aw, shucks” kind of way. He really was the “Howdy Doody” of pro wrestling (and according to Gary Michael Cappetta’s book, this irritated Backlund to no end).
While that may have made for a great babyface formula in the 70’s and early 80’s, things changed when the flamboyant and boisterous Hogan came on the scene. From there on out, WWF champions were larger than life characters. There was simply no room for stale, one-dimensional characters anymore.
Backlund, much like Stan Stasiak and Pedro Morales before him, instantly became a footnote in the annals of pro wrestling.
I, like many of the readers on this site, enjoyed the heel character in the mid-90’s. However, he failed to gain credibility with his title win vs. Bret Hart. This was due largely in part to Kevin “Diesel” Nash squashing him just a few days later. Therefore, Backlund was once again looked at as a fluke or flash-in-the-pan.
It’s sad because Backlund’s crazy character would have been awesome during the Hogan heyday. With an instant backstory replete with jealously and betrayal, Backlund could have reached levels of stardom that have always seem to elude him.
What’s interesting is that Backlund himself was a revolutionary wrestler in the WWF, in that he was neither an “ethnic” guy nor a plodding big man. He was the transition from the very dull (IMO) 70’s style of the WWF to a more modern style of wrestling.
That’s why Hulk Hogan is Hulk Hogan. McMahon Senior wanted him as an Irish wrestler.
I started watching the WWF back in 1982. I thought Backlund was a a good wrestler. I just think his character was kind of lame. The heel would kick his ass, make him cry, and then Backlund would win in the end.
The 90’s Backlun run was interesting for me in a lot of respects. The mid 90’s was not a good run for the WWF financially and creatively. The Backlund heel turn was just a stroke of brilliance for a time that brought us Duke Droese, Underfaker, Isaac Yankem, and T.L. Hopper. I also find it interesting because Backlund left the WWF in 1984 because of his refusal to dye his hair and turn heel. Always wondered why he changed his mind 10 years later. Was it the money or was it his chance to redeem myself for a bad decision that destroyed his career? Always wanted to know the reasoning for his decision.
In a sense, the 1984 Backlund was Bret Hart before Bret Hart, meaning he was an old school wrestler that didn’t understand that the business was changing. So Backlund made a bad decision like Bret, but Backlund did have an opportunity to right his wrong. A kick to the head from Goldberg didn’t give Bret the proper sendoff that Backlund got.