Collectibles Corner: The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff

In honor of the recent passing of former World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight champ Iron Sheik, I want to share this picture of two action figures from my collection:

I got the Sheik loose last year, and his tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff (also deceased) is a recent find. Laurie got this one for me. It was packaged and beat up but still less than many similar loose figures go for these days (probably because the box was so dinged). The Shiek and Volkoff were the big heel tag team when I first started watching the WWF, so iconic (and, well, cartoony)  that they earned spots on the Hulk Hogan's Rock and Wrestling cartoon on CBS.

These are both good figures, but the headgear really makes them, huh? Both now reside on my Eighties shelf of decade-related memorabilia and toys.

Happy birthday, Jason Hervey!

Happy birthday to Jason Hervey, who turns 50 today! He is best known as irritating older brother Wayne Arnold on The Wonder Years, but perhaps his most important role was as one of the ringside judges during the main event at Clash of the Champions I.

Happy birthday, Ric Flair!

It's amazing that the Nature Boy is still here after years of hard living and health setbacks in recent years, but whether you like it or you don't like it, learn to love it because it's the best thing going today.

Show Notes: Episode 3-12 Saturday Night's Main Event

*Saturday Night's Main Event began May 1985 after the first WrestleMania. This episode aired on NBC at 11:30 P.M. Saturday, October 5, 1985, but was taped two days earlier at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. This episode is on the WWE network but has music edits.

*The so-called "Apter mags" were actually published by Stanley Weston and included Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, and Inside Wrestling. Bill Apter was a ringside photographer and on-camera face for the mags in various wrestling programs, often conducting interviews, presenting awards, etc.

*The WWF debuted on MTV on July 23, 1984, with The Brawl to End It All, with Wendi Richter (accompanied by Cyndi Lauper) pinning Fabulous Moolah to capture the WWF Women's Championship. In February of 1985, WWF returned to MTV with The War to Settle the Score, with Hulk Hogan defending his championship against Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Each of these events were from Madison Square Garden in New York, but only the main event was shown on MTV, supplemented by interviews.

*Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N' Wrestling aired Saturday mornings on CBS from 1985 to 1987, with reruns only from Fall 1986 until the end in summer 1987. DIC Entertainment produced only 26 episodes. The show was on the WWE Network until Hulk Hogan's scandals made the company yank it.

*The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, closed for business in 2015 but was home of the Nets and the Devils, plus monthly WWF events, for years.

*"Obsession" by Animotion reached #6 on the Billboard Pop chart, and "Take on Me" by A-Ha was #1 in 1985. Phil Collins' "Take Me Home," used as the closing theme for SNME in the early days, peaked at #7.

*I'm pretty sure the card I remember seeing at the D.C. Armory is this one from October 1989.

*Brandon Tartikoff was NBC's head of programming at the time.

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...