This. Randy couldn't be the 'transitional' champ only - he would have refused. Bob on the other hand was a) legit enough, b) over enough and c) old enough that Diesel squashing him would mean a lot. You also have to remember, they wanted the belt off of Bret and using Owen to get it means Bret is protected whilst it goes to a weak champion. It couldn't be any other heel as none were world champion material *and* squashable legitimately - which Backlund was. He probably was the only guy.
@@Arayig1982Yeah, Taker got the belt only so the belt would be in limbo for it to land on Flair so Hogan had a heel to chase with legitimate heat behind it. That's not what WWF went with unfortunately but I suppose since we got Randy vs. Flair rather than Hogan doing the same tired shtick he did at Mania 8 and 9, maybe we were lucky as Savage / Flair was great.
Yeah if u notice Vince tried to recreate Backlund, Shiek, and Hogan in 1984 with Hart Backlund and Diesel in 1994. Guys like Diesel and Luger weren’t gonna be more popular than Hart. Hart was the top guy from 92-96. They didn’t have a guy to take the torch from Hart until Shawn in 96.
In his prime, Bob Backlund was the best pound-for-pound wrestler. NCAA champion. Freakishly strong. Great technical wrestler and brawler. Look at his highlights from late 70s and early 80s. Ted should respect his history, the same as an aging star like Randy Savage at the time.
The Mr. Backlund character was by far....by far....the most entertaining thing about the WWF in that time. The fact that they built him up like they did just to cut his legs out from under him immediately was a HUGE mistake. Especially when you consider what a poor draw Diesel ended up being as champion.
For me he was just annoying back then… sorry to say this but yeah, for me as a kid he was boring and wrestler from the decade before Just only talking about him as a wrestler figure of course.
Diesel was white hot but when they made him a good guy it just didn't work. The business was the shits in wwf at that time it was cartooney and diesel was a 7 foot beast. 😊
@ my impression is a complete opposite cause as babyface he had the possibility to stand for him self - before it was always Shawn and then the rest (including diesel)
Nash was forced into a friendly role that didn't suit the Diesel character that was built on him being badass & anti-heroic in his matches and promos. Rather have Ted Dibiase or Owen Hart hook Bret and then drop the belt to Nash since that's the only thing missing from both men's careers.
Backlund was a veteran and knew how to get over. He was 5'10" and 45-years-old but made that character into a monster heel. I legit thought he was nuts and the promos still hold up.
Certainly where Vince got the idea to go this route. Wish he would have gotten just a little longer run with the title though. Maybe a month or two at least.
I think Backlund could have legitimately take out anyone on the 1994 roster. Solid amateur wrestler with ridiculous strength. He was Kurt Angle before Kurt Angle. Vince should have done the crazy heel Backlund angle against Hogan post Wrestlemania 3 after Hogan spent three years fighting monsters.
As a kid, that was so wild. Backlund wasnt't a former star to me. He was a jobber who made weird sounds when he wrestled. Snapping on Hart and then beating him was crazy then, and even more so thinking about it now. Love it.
I dont know why Ted goes after Bob like this. Bob was one of the most solid athletic champions of that era. He could work with anyone and he was able to put over heels for years in the WWWF as champion. Bob's role as champion was to make the show, not be the show. And he put over a lot of guys in his time who were not great in the ring. He made them look good when often they were not.
In his book Bob wrote that Vince's original plan was to have him run with the belt as a heel for about a year. That would have been gold, shame it didn't happen. Also a shame Mr. Backlund didn't stick around a bit longer for the dawn of the Attitude Era - he would have fit right in IMO.
I don’t buy that story there’s no way Bob Backlund would’ve ever held the title that long I think the more likely scenario was to hold onto it until Wrestlemania and then lose it to Bret Hart. But of course Vince scrap that and had him lose it in 3 days which was the dumber route.
That sounds like a Vince thing to say but like others have mentioned, he said the same thing to Bret when he first won the title. The only one he actually gave the title to for a year was Nash
Thanks for pointing this out. Him not getting a recognized run really tamed the story. Also, Andre should have laid down so Ted could pin him and the win was legit.
"Wait a minute, young man. First of all it's Mr. Bob Backland...and you are incorrect. I've been the champion since 1978. I never lost the championship. Tonight, I just regained the belt, and I beat the man that represents your society...."
He was a heel by being a face . He was polite , dud his homework before going out to play , he said the Pledge if Allegiance …etc…he would wig out but he knew that old school goodiness is a heat getter then and today
BB was like champ for 5 years in WWWF days when Vinnie Mac Sr. ran the place. Prob a call back to his previous run. I thought dude was a jobber cause in early 2000's he had a 4 second RR appearance.
Backlund was a legend even then and that's why it makes sense he became Champion again. For twenty years, the Championship has meant nothing since it changes hands almost weekly. I liked the Mr. Backlund character, and I'm glad he managed to get the title again before it became absolutely meaningless.
Yes, by that point maybe he wasn’t WWF championship material, but his nut-job character was amazing. that’s why it worked at Survivor Series. He got good heat.
No way Backlund was one the greatest champs of all time, with ali,flair,etc,,,greatest worker, great shape, a shooter as well, could talk, Backlund is the goat my brother
Backlund wrestled NCAA Division II at 190 pounds. He got 3rd nationally Freshman year, then 2nd and then 1st in his third year. Then he moved up in weight and was still in the top 5 at heavyweight. He was a legit great athlete.
Cross face chicken wing (when i was a kid i had a crawl space in my house so i assumed that was how it was pronounced) was legit one of the best submission moves ever
Bob Backlund was WWF champion for 6 years. So disrespectful and to be honest I think Ted was a great worker especially in the mid south days. That being said Bob Backlund in a shoot would out wrestle Dibiase or Savage any day of the week. As a technical wrestler Backlund was one of the best ever and competed against guys back when amature wrestling backgrounds was the norm and "Texas catch can" was used by most of the talent of that era. Now by the more cartoonish wrestler that Vince McMahon would introduce starting around the rock n wrestling era Backlund's style didn't fit in. Although Bret Hart used a similar style I think that is why Bob's match against Diesel was so short. Because Vince knew Diesel was dropping the belt back to Bret and that Backlund would wrestle a similar match against Diesel as Bret would in a longer match. So he did the squash match to protect Bret's match later on down the line. Speaking of which Bob was such a pro he sold the jacknife the entire time even crawled all the way back to the dressing room. If only more guys on todays roster could actually sell like that.
Bob Backlund was one of the best scientific wrestlers of all time. As a face he was a great role model for wrestling fans. I hated to see him turn heel. Although he was funny. He made himself look foolish. As a scientific wrestler he was great, you could watch his matches and pick up on different wrestling manuvers. Scientific wrestling was professional wrestling. It meant something to be a pro wrestler. The name of the game is wrestling give us real wrestlers like Bob Backlund.
I always felt like they gave the belt to Backlund as a make-up for the way they took the belt off of him the first time. It was obviously supposed to mirror it.
Winning the belt and jobbing to Diesel was the perfect job fir a guy in Bob Backlund's position. It would have hurt most other wrestlers, but they weren't trying to plan for the future with Bob, Who could take the L and keep his spot on the card.
it worked in the storyline with Bret and Owen in that match I didn't hate Bob becoming champion and Vince probably did it because his dad liked Bob and was his baby face champ it was more of a respect thing
You’re making it seem like Vince put the title on Backlund and he was gonna run with Backlund as the champion for a long period of time , well that didn’t happen. It was only for a brief moment. In other words Bob was a transitional champion.
But the original plan, according to Bob, was to have him run with the belt for a year. In hindsight it couldn't have been any worse than the disastrous title run of Diesel
Plans changed when Randy Savage left tge WWF a few weeks before Backlund won the title. With Savage gone and Hart taking time off they needed a new good guy. Thus the switch to Diesel and putting the strap on him immediately.
@lenwennerberg1631 Thing is, Bret also says in his book that Vince told him he wanted Bret to have the title for a year or two run. It just sounds like something Vince says to guys when he decides to put the strap on them 😂 Diesel was the only one who actually did get that
@@lenwennerberg1631 it doesn’t matter what the original plan was the point is he was only a transitional champion which I think was a mistake because the Mr Backlund Gimmick was brought to life as a heel and they should’ve let him keep the title all the way into wrestlemania drop it to bret hart ,in the meantime, start getting diesel ready because diesel was really green and they should’ve kept diesel a heel, not a baby face, so even though he didn’t draw as a champion in 1995 in theory it wasn’t his fault. It was the Office that dropped the ball.
I detect sone jealousy from Ted about Backlund's 94 run to becoming Champion. Just think in July of that year Backlund was basically a jobber and 4 months later he's WWF Champion. It was a hell of a run. He should've been given some TV time as WWF Champion. Vince could've had Diesel beat him at Royal Rumble 95 instead of 3 days later which was b.s.
Obviously the title going on Backland then was short term. Diesel was going to get it but not off Brett Hart. Backland was involved in a switch like that when Hulkamania was started. The Iron Shiek got the belt off Backland himself and transitioned it to Hogan. Unfortunately for Dibiase, he came along at a time where there were just too many actual better alternatives to put the belt on. Now, had Ted come along perhaps 5-7 years later they would have tried the belt on him. But having Hogan there, granted he wanted to go make movies, but Savage with his IC Champ runs along with how well his program with Honky Tonk and having Elizabeth, the attention his Wrestlemania 3 match with Steamboat got, Dibiase just wasn't the best choice and fans were just not cooked up into a frenzy enough to have a heel champion then. Dibiase had that great Million Dollar Man gimmick and he played that exceptionally well. Made Virgil a star, kept Andre in the mix after Wrestlemania 3, but putting the actual belt on Ted is like wasting to successful props on one guy, the Million Dollar gimmick and that top belt. I think Ted thinks he would have made a great champion then and I don't blame him. Guys like Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, Razor Ramone, even former world champs like Harley Race, and Ric Rude who got his title run when going to WCW, so many guys and some really good heels too, Bundy, Studd, Earthquake, Bossman, Orndorff, I know they put the belt on Slaughter to capitalize on that Gulf War heat that involved the Iron Shiek too. There were issues with the Warrior obviously, sales were declining, financial stuff, later even Sid Vicious came on board. Guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels came later, a young Undertaker too who later went over Hogan. I feel Dibiase was as good to put the belt on as Triple H or certainly Dave Bautista but it was all in the timing of when he came along and then he left to go to WCW and by then he no longer was wrestling in that short NWO stint he was involved in. In the case of Owen Hart it was too soon to put the belt on him and unfortunately that tragedy happened. He was certainly just as worthy as a guy like CM Punk or even Jericho. Vince was a very shrewd businessman.
backlund becoming WWF Champion in 1994....and deserving because he became the hottest heel with his " crazy " gimmick at the time ....bob was looking at no WWF contract renew and forgotten has been status forevermore ...BUT ...he embraced the gimmick and was a star forevermore ....they should have kept the title on him leading into wrestlemania that year with bret winning it back in classic tech match not a boring sub match
Can we get Ted a decent microphone setup? These amateur podcast producers hook themselves up with fancy equipment, then leave the star of the podcast to use ambient mics from the phone or laptop?
Backlund got the title simply because they wanted the belt on Diesel but didnt want Diesel to beat Bret at this point. Thats all it was. And they didnt have him win it cleanly either...he had the crossface on Bret for like 12 minutes or something whilst Bret wasnt submitting and it took Owen manipulating Helen Hart into throwing in the towel for Backlund to win
In this interview they put too much thought into Bob Backlund not looking like a champion and already being 45 years old. He was champion for a few days. In 1984 Backlund was angry at Skaaland for throwing the towel and losing the championship, which then went from Iron Sheil to Hogan shortly after. Now a crazy Backlund becomes champion because of a thrown towel, only to lose the belt shortly after to Diesel who should have been the leader of the new generation. It didnt work that well for Diesel, but thats not the point. The thing it was about was Backlund himself becoming what he fought against during his prime and history repeated itself.
This was why savage left. Vince says to savage hes too old but put someone older as champion. A big slap nj the face of savage. But savage still took roids as well bob was not. I believe thats why he kept savage down. Vince just beat the roid case that nearly put him away for 30 years.
I never understood the Backlund years in his second go in wwf. I thought his wrestling was terrible; Bret especially had run longest with him and talent wise Bob was nowhere near Hitman, Savage/Hitman would have been awesome
Lmfao you’re crazy if you think that. Bob Backlund style was VERY similar to Bret Hart’s. They both have an amateur background. They both have a technical side when it comes to pro wrestling. You obviously haven’t watched that much wrestling or the fundamentals of it if you think this.
I don't get how and why they would ever push Backlund as champion in any era. Very boring guy with no charisma. It wasn't like he was super good looking or had a great physique or anything either. I am sure he was a nice guy and all but even as a little kid watching wrestling I thought he was a complete bore. I am not sure what demographic he would appeal to. He just looked like an average middle aged dad.
@@darkestknight4159 I did and still thought he was pretty boring. Good technical wrestler though. I didn't say there wasn't a place for him, just wouldn't put the belt on him. Maybe in a grittier, smaller wrestling promotion he could be champ. Why WWF would push him is beyond me.
@@STONESGAM Dude it only made sense for him to win the belt because of the story of how he lost the title 11 years prior. It’s called long-term storytelling. And Bob Backlund was tremendously great as a wrestler and also his character in 1994 was tremendous and got extremely over as a heel. Jim Cornette acknowledged himself acknowledged that he was surprised how Bob Backlund was able to pull it off and had the charisma to make that character.
He wasn’t a real champion. It’s cool he got the belt back after all those years which was probably part of why they chose him as the bridge from Hart to Diesel.
bob backlund was the ultimate worst champion of all time..poor on the mic..poor wrestler and simply zero charisma..i was a fan back then and didnt understand how this guy was ever pushed
As a babyface I agree with you, but when he turned Psycho heel, that character was great. And he drew good heat with the fans with his conservative, judgmental, crazy old man gimmick.
@@jeff-ds2pr i just thought it was weird and for me didnt play well..he was neither imposing nor terrifying(like sid) it was really kooky in an uncomfortable i need to walk away kinda thing
Because in his 1st run he could out WRESTLE anyone and displayed freakish strength in every match. Plus he had that all American boy look that fans were into back then. His heel character was great as you could tell he could snap at any moment and there was no telling what he would do.
he outwrestled the so called best technical wrestler of that time Bret Hart who said there's a counter for every hold yet couldn't counter the chicken wing.
well, ted had a short stint wearing the winged eagle as well.. bob backlund really had no business wearing that belt other than why he did.. so bret didnt have to drop the title to diesel or shawn.
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
Bob Backlund didn't turn heel on the fans, wrestling turned heel on Bob Backlund.
Same with Bret in 1997
He was a transitional champion. It’s not like they were going to make him the face of the company. Psycho heel Bob Backlund was brilliant.
Sort of like taker in ss91 so flair would win RR92 and title.
This.
Randy couldn't be the 'transitional' champ only - he would have refused.
Bob on the other hand was a) legit enough, b) over enough and c) old enough that Diesel squashing him would mean a lot. You also have to remember, they wanted the belt off of Bret and using Owen to get it means Bret is protected whilst it goes to a weak champion. It couldn't be any other heel as none were world champion material *and* squashable legitimately - which Backlund was. He probably was the only guy.
@@Arayig1982Yeah, Taker got the belt only so the belt would be in limbo for it to land on Flair so Hogan had a heel to chase with legitimate heat behind it.
That's not what WWF went with unfortunately but I suppose since we got Randy vs. Flair rather than Hogan doing the same tired shtick he did at Mania 8 and 9, maybe we were lucky as Savage / Flair was great.
Yeah if u notice Vince tried to recreate Backlund, Shiek, and Hogan in 1984 with Hart Backlund and Diesel in 1994. Guys like Diesel and Luger weren’t gonna be more popular than Hart. Hart was the top guy from 92-96. They didn’t have a guy to take the torch from Hart until Shawn in 96.
@bobbyjohnson9409 Taker.
So, yes, they did.
In his prime, Bob Backlund was the best pound-for-pound wrestler. NCAA champion. Freakishly strong. Great technical wrestler and brawler. Look at his highlights from late 70s and early 80s. Ted should respect his history, the same as an aging star like Randy Savage at the time.
During interviews when Bob Backlund screamed accusing people of "eating marijuana", I would laugh so hard my chest hurt.😂
The Mr. Backlund character was by far....by far....the most entertaining thing about the WWF in that time. The fact that they built him up like they did just to cut his legs out from under him immediately was a HUGE mistake. Especially when you consider what a poor draw Diesel ended up being as champion.
For me he was just annoying back then… sorry to say this but yeah, for me as a kid he was boring and wrestler from the decade before
Just only talking about him as a wrestler figure of course.
Diesel was white hot but when they made him a good guy it just didn't work. The business was the shits in wwf at that time it was cartooney and diesel was a 7 foot beast. 😊
@ my impression is a complete opposite cause as babyface he had the possibility to stand for him self - before it was always Shawn and then the rest (including diesel)
Nash was forced into a friendly role that didn't suit the Diesel character that was built on him being badass & anti-heroic in his matches and promos. Rather have Ted Dibiase or Owen Hart hook Bret and then drop the belt to Nash since that's the only thing missing from both men's careers.
It's funny how different the memory of 94 Backlund is for you than for me lol
Backlund was a veteran and knew how to get over. He was 5'10" and 45-years-old but made that character into a monster heel. I legit thought he was nuts and the promos still hold up.
“That’s Mister Bob Backlund…You Plebeians!”
Psycho Bob was great. Remember this was just off the heels of George Foreman winning the championship at 50.
Foreman was also 45.
Certainly where Vince got the idea to go this route. Wish he would have gotten just a little longer run with the title though. Maybe a month or two at least.
Backline was definitely a top ten wc..wasn't flashy but could wresyle
Bob could also be a hell of a shooter when he needed to be . I think bob is definitely in the top ten of all time
I think Backlund could have legitimately take out anyone on the 1994 roster. Solid amateur wrestler with ridiculous strength. He was Kurt Angle before Kurt Angle. Vince should have done the crazy heel Backlund angle against Hogan post Wrestlemania 3 after Hogan spent three years fighting monsters.
As a kid, that was so wild. Backlund wasnt't a former star to me. He was a jobber who made weird sounds when he wrestled. Snapping on Hart and then beating him was crazy then, and even more so thinking about it now. Love it.
This is my favorite long term storyline. Bob Backlund was my favorite from 92-94
I dont know why Ted goes after Bob like this. Bob was one of the most solid athletic champions of that era. He could work with anyone and he was able to put over heels for years in the WWWF as champion. Bob's role as champion was to make the show, not be the show. And he put over a lot of guys in his time who were not great in the ring. He made them look good when often they were not.
He was getting great heat! Should have given him a longer title run!
In his book Bob wrote that Vince's original plan was to have him run with the belt as a heel for about a year. That would have been gold, shame it didn't happen. Also a shame Mr. Backlund didn't stick around a bit longer for the dawn of the Attitude Era - he would have fit right in IMO.
Bret was told a few years, Vince seems to lie to everyone.
I don’t buy that story there’s no way Bob Backlund would’ve ever held the title that long I think the more likely scenario was to hold onto it until Wrestlemania and then lose it to Bret Hart. But of course Vince scrap that and had him lose it in 3 days which was the dumber route.
That sounds like a Vince thing to say but like others have mentioned, he said the same thing to Bret when he first won the title. The only one he actually gave the title to for a year was Nash
Bob Backlund teaming with Kurt Angle would have been great
@@morrisvalentneflatlander4784 He DID very briefly in early 2000, before Kurt ditched him. Appeared as a surprise entrant in Rumble that year too.
2:31 Whether you recognize it or not. Ted was the WWF champion from 2/5/1988 -2/13/1988. He had several matches where he was introduced as champion.
Thanks for pointing this out. Him not getting a recognized run really tamed the story. Also, Andre should have laid down so Ted could pin him and the win was legit.
"Wait a minute, young man. First of all it's Mr. Bob Backland...and you are incorrect. I've been the champion since 1978. I never lost the championship. Tonight, I just regained the belt, and I beat the man that represents your society...."
Bob was a great amateur wrestler and strong as hell. Bob was over as the WWF champ before Hogan. He was a good successor to Bruno.
"I never had a problem with Backlund"
I loved backlund as a heel. He acted certifiably insane and it was great.
He was a heel by being a face . He was polite , dud his homework before going out to play , he said the Pledge if Allegiance …etc…he would wig out but he knew that old school goodiness is a heat getter then and today
BB was like champ for 5 years in WWWF days when Vinnie Mac Sr. ran the place. Prob a call back to his previous run.
I thought dude was a jobber cause in early 2000's he had a 4 second RR appearance.
Backlund was a legend even then and that's why it makes sense he became Champion again. For twenty years, the Championship has meant nothing since it changes hands almost weekly. I liked the Mr. Backlund character, and I'm glad he managed to get the title again before it became absolutely meaningless.
My friend Jimmy would stare at both his hands intensely and say "Why Bob? Why?" after he chickenwinged Brett Hart and wouldn't let go.
Yes, by that point maybe he wasn’t WWF championship material, but his nut-job character was amazing. that’s why it worked at Survivor Series. He got good heat.
No way Backlund was one the greatest champs of all time, with ali,flair,etc,,,greatest worker, great shape, a shooter as well, could talk, Backlund is the goat my brother
@@wrericdog Ali? You mix entertainment sports with real fighting? Uhm, no - definitely not.
Backlund wrestled NCAA Division II at 190 pounds. He got 3rd nationally Freshman year, then 2nd and then 1st in his third year. Then he moved up in weight and was still in the top 5 at heavyweight. He was a legit great athlete.
Bob was the only reason to watch WWF at that time.
If they wanted a transitional champion, it should've been Owen. 1994 was his year.
Cross face chicken wing (when i was a kid i had a crawl space in my house so i assumed that was how it was pronounced) was legit one of the best submission moves ever
Bob Backlund was WWF champion for 6 years. So disrespectful and to be honest I think Ted was a great worker especially in the mid south days. That being said Bob Backlund in a shoot would out wrestle Dibiase or Savage any day of the week. As a technical wrestler Backlund was one of the best ever and competed against guys back when amature wrestling backgrounds was the norm and "Texas catch can" was used by most of the talent of that era. Now by the more cartoonish wrestler that Vince McMahon would introduce starting around the rock n wrestling era Backlund's style didn't fit in. Although Bret Hart used a similar style I think that is why Bob's match against Diesel was so short. Because Vince knew Diesel was dropping the belt back to Bret and that Backlund would wrestle a similar match against Diesel as Bret would in a longer match. So he did the squash match to protect Bret's match later on down the line. Speaking of which Bob was such a pro he sold the jacknife the entire time even crawled all the way back to the dressing room. If only more guys on todays roster could actually sell like that.
Psyco Bob seemed like a prototype Kurt Angle. Imagine Psyco Bob working with Kurt Angle in the attitude era.
You're both crazy Bob was the best thing in WWF at the time
He looked 60 in the 80's.
He held it for a couple of days before losing it to Diesel in a house show.
Bob Backlund was one of the best scientific wrestlers of all time. As a face he was a great role model for wrestling fans. I hated to see him turn heel. Although he was funny. He made himself look foolish. As a scientific wrestler he was great, you could watch his matches and pick up on different wrestling manuvers. Scientific wrestling was professional wrestling. It meant something to be a pro wrestler. The name of the game is wrestling give us real wrestlers like Bob Backlund.
Ted Dibiase was also a great scientific wrestler. He played a great heel. Ted Dibiase should've been a champion as well.
Bob was one of the great villians
He’s done something Ted has never done…… TWICE!
He should’ve kept the belt until Wrestlemania
Why is everyone so hard on Bob. He was great, and as a heal he was even better.
Should of let Backlund run longer, preaching about that generation on and on could of been great tv.
Ted was WWF champion till they stripped him of it
In case anyone missed it Ted like Bob Backlund as a person.
I think everyone in the industry does. Very rare.
Bob got a pretty good pop when he showed up for the 03 RR. I think it was 03 anyways !!
Ted, Flair and Backlund. The same bracket. Especially in the 90s. Middle aged looking uncle brigade
I thought I was the only one who made that Terminator comparison.
Psycho bob had some of the best promos ever.
I enjoyed Backlunds in ring work.
I always felt like they gave the belt to Backlund as a make-up for the way they took the belt off of him the first time. It was obviously supposed to mirror it.
Winning the belt and jobbing to Diesel was the perfect job fir a guy in Bob Backlund's position. It would have hurt most other wrestlers, but they weren't trying to plan for the future with Bob, Who could take the L and keep his spot on the card.
backlund also broke ted's record for lasting in the royal rumble i think
Transitional champion. Vince just needed to get the belt off bret to diesel
it worked in the storyline with Bret and Owen in that match I didn't hate Bob becoming champion and Vince probably did it because his dad liked Bob and was his baby face champ it was more of a respect thing
You’re making it seem like Vince put the title on Backlund and he was gonna run with Backlund as the champion for a long period of time , well that didn’t happen. It was only for a brief moment. In other words Bob was a transitional champion.
But the original plan, according to Bob, was to have him run with the belt for a year. In hindsight it couldn't have been any worse than the disastrous title run of Diesel
Plans changed when Randy Savage left tge WWF a few weeks before Backlund won the title. With Savage gone and Hart taking time off they needed a new good guy. Thus the switch to Diesel and putting the strap on him immediately.
@lenwennerberg1631 Thing is, Bret also says in his book that Vince told him he wanted Bret to have the title for a year or two run. It just sounds like something Vince says to guys when he decides to put the strap on them 😂 Diesel was the only one who actually did get that
@@lenwennerberg1631 it doesn’t matter what the original plan was the point is he was only a transitional champion which I think was a mistake because the Mr Backlund Gimmick was brought to life as a heel and they should’ve let him keep the title all the way into wrestlemania drop it to bret hart ,in the meantime, start getting diesel ready because diesel was really green and they should’ve kept diesel a heel, not a baby face, so even though he didn’t draw as a champion in 1995 in theory it wasn’t his fault. It was the Office that dropped the ball.
@@Youdidnthearme I'm with you. Totally agree.
Ted has very low energy in all these clips I've watched.
Bob must have walked in on Vince doing something pretty naughty.
I detect sone jealousy from Ted about Backlund's 94 run to becoming Champion. Just think in July of that year Backlund was basically a jobber and 4 months later he's WWF Champion. It was a hell of a run. He should've been given some TV time as WWF Champion. Vince could've had Diesel beat him at Royal Rumble 95 instead of 3 days later which was b.s.
New Generation WWF champ Bob Backlund
Obviously the title going on Backland then was short term. Diesel was going to get it but not off Brett Hart. Backland was involved in a switch like that when Hulkamania was started. The Iron Shiek got the belt off Backland himself and transitioned it to Hogan. Unfortunately for Dibiase, he came along at a time where there were just too many actual better alternatives to put the belt on. Now, had Ted come along perhaps 5-7 years later they would have tried the belt on him. But having Hogan there, granted he wanted to go make movies, but Savage with his IC Champ runs along with how well his program with Honky Tonk and having Elizabeth, the attention his Wrestlemania 3 match with Steamboat got, Dibiase just wasn't the best choice and fans were just not cooked up into a frenzy enough to have a heel champion then. Dibiase had that great Million Dollar Man gimmick and he played that exceptionally well. Made Virgil a star, kept Andre in the mix after Wrestlemania 3, but putting the actual belt on Ted is like wasting to successful props on one guy, the Million Dollar gimmick and that top belt. I think Ted thinks he would have made a great champion then and I don't blame him. Guys like Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, Razor Ramone, even former world champs like Harley Race, and Ric Rude who got his title run when going to WCW, so many guys and some really good heels too, Bundy, Studd, Earthquake, Bossman, Orndorff, I know they put the belt on Slaughter to capitalize on that Gulf War heat that involved the Iron Shiek too. There were issues with the Warrior obviously, sales were declining, financial stuff, later even Sid Vicious came on board. Guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels came later, a young Undertaker too who later went over Hogan. I feel Dibiase was as good to put the belt on as Triple H or certainly Dave Bautista but it was all in the timing of when he came along and then he left to go to WCW and by then he no longer was wrestling in that short NWO stint he was involved in. In the case of Owen Hart it was too soon to put the belt on him and unfortunately that tragedy happened. He was certainly just as worthy as a guy like CM Punk or even Jericho. Vince was a very shrewd businessman.
Don't forget. Davey Boy Smith fell into the stairs and was unconscious. That was not mentioned.
Backlund in 1994 was ace.
backlund becoming WWF Champion in 1994....and deserving because he became the hottest heel with his " crazy " gimmick at the time ....bob was looking at no WWF contract renew and forgotten has been status forevermore ...BUT ...he embraced the gimmick and was a star forevermore ....they should have kept the title on him leading into wrestlemania that year with bret winning it back in classic tech match not a boring sub match
It was when George Forman returned to boxing. George was in his 40's and the media was talking about his age, so Vince was probably copying that hype.
Even back then I felt that title wins should have gone to Owen, not Backlund. Then drop it do Diesel.
The whole reason he got the belt was to get it off Bret and get it on Diesel.
Can we get Ted a decent microphone setup? These amateur podcast producers hook themselves up with fancy equipment, then leave the star of the podcast to use ambient mics from the phone or laptop?
Everybody’s got a price for the million dollar man. Ha ha ha ha. Money money money money money😃
Hmm.. interesting point: 10 greatest champions in WWWF/ WWF/ WWE? Sammartino, Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena, Triple H, Hart, Reigns, Angle, Michaels
His title reigns were pawns the first was hogan & then diesel😂
I liked heel Bob !!
I remember when he won in 1994! everyone was like... why?
Its still my favorite wrestling storyline
No they weren't. He was the top heel in the company at the time.
Hey Ted,your not better than Bob Backland.
Your entitled to your opinion.
Backlund got the title simply because they wanted the belt on Diesel but didnt want Diesel to beat Bret at this point.
Thats all it was. And they didnt have him win it cleanly either...he had the crossface on Bret for like 12 minutes or something whilst Bret wasnt submitting and it took Owen manipulating Helen Hart into throwing in the towel for Backlund to win
Bob Frontlund was the back side of Bob.
😂
In this interview they put too much thought into Bob Backlund not looking like a champion and already being 45 years old.
He was champion for a few days.
In 1984 Backlund was angry at Skaaland for throwing the towel and losing the championship, which then went from Iron Sheil to Hogan shortly after.
Now a crazy Backlund becomes champion because of a thrown towel, only to lose the belt shortly after to Diesel who should have been the leader of the new generation. It didnt work that well for Diesel, but thats not the point.
The thing it was about was Backlund himself becoming what he fought against during his prime and history repeated itself.
This was why savage left. Vince says to savage hes too old but put someone older as champion. A big slap nj the face of savage. But savage still took roids as well bob was not. I believe thats why he kept savage down. Vince just beat the roid case that nearly put him away for 30 years.
I never understood the Backlund years in his second go in wwf. I thought his wrestling was terrible; Bret especially had run longest with him and talent wise Bob was nowhere near Hitman, Savage/Hitman would have been awesome
Lmfao you’re crazy if you think that. Bob Backlund style was VERY similar to Bret Hart’s. They both have an amateur background. They both have a technical side when it comes to pro wrestling. You obviously haven’t watched that much wrestling or the fundamentals of it if you think this.
Loved psycho bob
I don't get how and why they would ever push Backlund as champion in any era. Very boring guy with no charisma. It wasn't like he was super good looking or had a great physique or anything either. I am sure he was a nice guy and all but even as a little kid watching wrestling I thought he was a complete bore.
I am not sure what demographic he would appeal to. He just looked like an average middle aged dad.
No charisma? Did you ever see his work as a heel?
@@lenwennerberg1631 Yes, I did. I guess we define charisma differently.
You obviously never saw his matches in his first run as champion when it was about wrestling not sports entertainment.
@@darkestknight4159 I did and still thought he was pretty boring. Good technical wrestler though. I didn't say there wasn't a place for him, just wouldn't put the belt on him. Maybe in a grittier, smaller wrestling promotion he could be champ. Why WWF would push him is beyond me.
@@STONESGAM Dude it only made sense for him to win the belt because of the story of how he lost the title 11 years prior. It’s called long-term storytelling. And Bob Backlund was tremendously great as a wrestler and also his character in 1994 was tremendous and got extremely over as a heel. Jim Cornette acknowledged himself acknowledged that he was surprised how Bob Backlund was able to pull it off and had the charisma to make that character.
He wasn’t a real champion. It’s cool he got the belt back after all those years which was probably part of why they chose him as the bridge from Hart to Diesel.
Don't Call Me Bobby! It's Mr. Backlund To You Ladies and Gentleman! And Don't Correct Me Either! I Don't Care! This Interview Is Over!
He was a Great Enemy to the WWF's New Generation. - the old man yelling at 🌥's
Wtf is the big deal he was only champion for a day or 2 his second run
Ted needs to put more cream and sugar in his coffee, because he’s bitter as hell.
I did not like when they had him running for president after he lost the WWF title in 1994 that was a waste
Thought he was dead
In 1994 him as champion was a joke. He looked 60 couldn't wrestle his way out of a wet paper sack and had no credibility left.
Bob doesn''t eat marijuana--LOL
Backlund was a great wrestler but terrible camera and mike skills!
bob backlund was the ultimate worst champion of all time..poor on the mic..poor wrestler and simply zero charisma..i was a fan back then and didnt understand how this guy was ever pushed
As a babyface I agree with you, but when he turned Psycho heel, that character was great. And he drew good heat with the fans with his conservative, judgmental, crazy old man gimmick.
@@jeff-ds2pr i just thought it was weird and for me didnt play well..he was neither imposing nor terrifying(like sid) it was really kooky in an uncomfortable i need to walk away kinda thing
Because in his 1st run he could out WRESTLE anyone and displayed freakish strength in every match. Plus he had that all American boy look that fans were into back then. His heel character was great as you could tell he could snap at any moment and there was no telling what he would do.
Bobs was a terrible worker especially for that time (94) but it worked because of the chicken wing submission and the character work.
he outwrestled the so called best technical wrestler of that time Bret Hart who said there's a counter for every hold yet couldn't counter the chicken wing.
@@darkestknight4159 Yeah, I don't know what that guy is talking about. Backlund was a tremendous worker.
A terrible mistake is what it was
Bob and Savage were not from the same generation lol !!!
well, ted had a short stint wearing the winged eagle as well.. bob backlund really had no business wearing that belt other than why he did.. so bret didnt have to drop the title to diesel or shawn.