STW - Greg "The Hammer" Valentine [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today Bruce we’re talking about one of the all-time greats in Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Greg was born into this business on September 20th, 1951 so he’ll be turning 70 in a few weeks. The Hammer’s father was Johnny Valentine. For those listeners who don’t know Bruce...who is Johnny Valentine?

Did you get to watch Valentine when you were growing up?

Greg was born in Seattle, Washington before moving to Texas where Johnny was a mainstay at the time. Supposedly Johnny attempted to deter him from entering the business but Greg dropped out of college and his dad relented and sent him to be trained by Stu Hart. So Greg is a product of the Hart Dungeon which isn’t mentioned much. Did you ever talk to Greg about his training there?

His debut match was in Calgary against Angelo Mosca in 1975 and did not debut as the son of Johnny Valentine wanting his own legacy named himself Baby Face Nelson. After 6 months in Calgary he moved onto Detroit and completed his training under Ed “The Sheik” Farhat. With his pedigree in being Johnny Valentine’s son and being trained by Stu Hart & The Sheik...is it any surprise The Hammer became successful?

From Detroit he becomes Johnny Fargo...brother of Don Fargo in Buffalo & Cleveland before going to Texas. Did you see him at that time in Texas?

He heads to Florida and becomes Johnny Valentine Jr before settling on Greg “The Hammer” Valentine so his father isn’t perceived as being too old and not a physical threat. He gets to Japan in the mid 70s before his world is turned upside down. His father is part of the infamous plane crash with Ric Flair and David Crockett and is paralyzed. Do you remember hearing about this crash?

Greg is brought to Mid-Atlantic to replace his father and his career is jumpstarted. He retires Johnny Weaver and teams with Ric Flair to become NWA World Tag Team Champions. It’s funny to see in the Royal Rumble 1992 Flair and Valentine trading chops when they were tag team champions in 1976 don’t you think Bruce?

Greg makes his biggest mark in 1977 defeating Wahoo McDaniel for the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title and breaking his leg. The classic “I broke Wahoo’s leg” shirt is born and thus that shirt has been emulated ever since. Is it a surprise to you that Greg never ascended to being a NWA Champion at this time?

Valentine has a brief stint in the WWWF continuing the leg breaking gimmick including Chief Jay Strongbow. Did he have a thing for breaking the legs of wrestlers portraying Indians?

The Hammer returned to Mid-Atlantic and fueds with Ric Flair again over the breaking up of their tag team before going back to the WWWF and working on top with Bob Backlund. In one of the most contested title matches of Backlund’s at the Spectrum Valentine loses but the dazed referee hands Valentine the title instead of Backlund so the title is held up. Did you ever ask about this and the story behind it?

Backlund regains the title that is “upheld” and Valentine heads back down to MACW to renew his feud with Wahoo and then after winning the US title begins his legendary feud with Roddy Piper that results in Starrcade 83 and the infamous dog collar match. Bruce I’m sure it’s been a long time but were there more physical matches at that time than these two?

Now before you arrive in the WWF Valentine re-joins and defeats Tito Santana to become Intercontinental Champion. Is Valentine the epitome of “the worker’s champion” in 1985?

He gets to face JYD at the first WrestleMania in MSG, before he goes on to drop the title back to Santana and ends his 285 day reign in a steel cage match in Baltimore. Valentine destroys the title afterwards and so introduced is the new title which was the same title forever that we covered on Title Chase on adfreeshows.com. Do you remember seeing some of his defenses?

Was he too plain for the national expansion that Vince had in mind?

Valentine moves on to become the Dream Team with Brutus...the fucking Barber...Beefcake and they become World Tag Team Champions over the US Express of Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham. They dropped the titles at WrestleMania 2 to the British Bulldogs. They are a tag team for another year and at WrestleMania 3 they win their tag match but Valentine walks out on Brutus because of a missed move. Valentine formed the New Dream Team with Dino Bravo but the rumor and innuendo was that Valentine did not enjoy teaming with Dino Bravo. Can you speak to that?

So supposedly the WWF comes up with an idea for Valentine & Bravo to kidnap the Bulldogs mascot Matlida and Valentine balks at it and walks out. What do you remember of this?

The Islanders end up getting the angle instead and Valentine is brought back. How does this all go down and what is Greg’s attitude like at the time?

As 88 begins Valentine is programmed back again with the fucking Barber and he’s still managed by Jimmy Hart. How good was the pairing of Jimmy and Valentine and did you think Jimmy was necessary for any success of Valentine?

At WrestleMania IV in the first round of the heavyweight title tournament Valentine defeats Ricky Steamboat. It’ll be the last time Ricky is seen in the WWF for 3 years. Did you guys know going in that it was going to be Steamboat wrapping up at this date?

Valentine would go on to lose to Randy Savage in the second round before Savage would go on to win the title. Was it important for Randy to get a win over Valentine for credibility's sake?

In one of the more memorable moments Jimmy Hart announces that due to an injury Greg Valentine will now have to wear a shin guard on his left leg and Jimmy calls it the “Road to the Gold.” Who’s idea was the shin guard and why was something like this so effective in 1988?

Greg Valentine defeats prelim wrestler Ricky Ataki and continues to hold onto the figure four after the match is over which brings out “Superstar” Billy Graham to help save him and Valentine takes out his leg and puts the figure four on him as he had a plastic hip. Was Graham up for this with his body in the way it was?

Don Muraco attempts to stick up for Billy Graham and they begin to feud with Valentine and Hart but it abruptly ends when Muraco is let go. Do you know what happened here?

Valentine has claimed in interviews he begged and pleaded not to let Muraco go. Why do you think Greg went to bat so hard to keep Muraco?

Ronnie Garvin is brought into the WWF and begins to feud with Valentine. Why Ronnie here?

At the end of 1988 you do a Brother Love segment with Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine & Jimmy Hart. Was there already thought of putting these two together as a tag team?

A tag match for WrestleMania V is set up with Valentine & Honky to face the Hart Foundation which the Hart Foundation end up winning. What did you think of Valentine & Honky’s chemistry together?

Coming off Mania Valentine is looking to conclude his feud with Garvin and challenges him to a retirement match which Garvin accepts. On Superstars on April 29th Valentine gets the win and Garvin is forced to retire. Garvin would become a referee. Who’s putting this creative together? You or Pat?

Valentine & Hart get Garvin fired from refereeing and he transitions into being a ring announcer and at Summerslam of that year Garvin is quite the entertaining ring announcer. Valentine comes out to Garvin’s introduction for his match against Hercules and Garvin announces Valentine is Hercules “so called opponent” and at 249 pounds “overweight by thirty pounds” among other things. Valentine cheats to win and Garvin announces Hercules as the winner and it’s a brawl after the match between the 3. Valentine and Hart demand Garvin be reinstated and they get their wish. This suspension reinstated angle was something that was used a lot back in the late 80s, early 90s. What was so good about it that you kept going back to it?

Who came up with the idea of Ronnie Garvin using a shin guard of his own calling it the “Hammer Jammer?”

It’s built to a Submission match at the Royal Rumble 1990. From the Observer:

“Ron Garvin beat Greg Valentine in 16:52 with the scorpion deathlock in a match where the only way to win was via submission. Actually they should have called it a sudden death match rather than an I Quit match, because the minute the thing started, the crowd, which was really up for the previous two matches (Bushwhackers vs. Rougeaus and Beefcake vs. Genius), just died on the spot. It had nothing to do with the match, but fans were into neither personality. They worked a real slow pace, but stiff and it was the closest thing to a good match on the undercard. I couldn’t figure out why both guys kept going for pins when it was a submission match. Valentine went for a figure four at six minutes and Garvin laughed at him (brace was protecting him from the effects of the move) so the move had no effect. After a collision, Jimmy Hart stole Garvin’s shinguard and Valentine put the figure four on. Garvin reversed it but sold the knee big time the best of the way. Both guys could barely move at the end because Valentine especially isn’t used to actually wrestling for more than one move or two per night, let alone 17 minutes of slow-paced but straight wrestling. Anyway, Garvin got the brace off Valentine and hit him in the jaw with it and put on the scorpion for the finish. **”

Lot to unpack there Bruce. You got pins in a submission match. Meltzer is critical of Greg and his working abilities but really the match was long and wasn’t all that great. What say you?

After this we transition back to Greg & Honky and they’re officially put back together as Rhythm and Blues. Who’s idea was it to go back to this and do you think this had any legs?

There’s a story out there that Jesse “The Body” Ventura kept telling Greg he had to dye his hair black but for almost 8 months Valentine resisted until finally doing it. Is that how you remember it?

Who came up with “Hunka, Hunka, Hunka, Honky Love?” How did DDP end up being their chauffeur at WrestleMania VI?

Did Valentine fit being with Honky? Gorilla Monsoon on commentary would say every time Greg Valentine got on the microphone, “if you hung The Hammer for being a good singer you would hang an innocent person.” Was Greg even built for this role? I get that he’s a heel and that’s the gimmick but it’s not the best fit.

Rhythm and Blues are lost in the tag team shuffle under the Legion of Doom and mainly fueding with the Bushwhackers. Are Honky & Greg both unhappy at this point?

They begin a feud with the Hart Foundation in September but it doesn’t really go anywhere. They’re part of the Undertaker’s debut at the Survivor Series on his team with Ted DiBiase and Valentine is pinned by Bret Hart. Are they more or less treading water at this point?

The last match of Honky Tonk Man happens on December 16th, 1990 in the Meadowlands where he teams with Valentine and Power & Glory to lose to the Bushwhackers & the Hart Foundation. What happens with Honky?

Valentine turns babyface after Honky quits at the end of the year at MSG when Jimmy Hart’s interference backfires against SABA SIMBA but all of a sudden Valentine shows up at Herb Abrams UWF taping to continue his feud with Honky. Did Valentine leave or was he just not on a full time deal?

Valentine is back for the Royal Rumble and there’s this interesting tidbit from Meltzer: “Valentine went out at 46:00--which means he was in the ring for 44 minutes. As the story goes, this was his punishment for working the Herb Abrams dates in New York. The company, since Valentine wasn't under contract, couldn't stop him from working indies, but they weren't too happy he worked for McMahon's enemy Mr. Abrams.”

Dino Bravo and Valentine begin a feud as Valentine’s babyface push kind of starts but in reality he’s just working mid card matches. He loses to Earthquake at WrestleMania and then IRS at SummerSlam. Was Valentine just lured back to the WWF to fuck over Herb Abrams?

Royal Rumble 92 is one of his last appearances before he leaves again. What was the opinion of Valentine do you think in the office? Good, reliable hand but not really a guy that can be pushed?

He moves on to WCW before reappearing back at the Survivor Series 93 as one of Jerry Lawler...well Shawn Michaels’ knights as the Blue Knight. Why Valentine here?

He does a guest spot in the 94 Rumble where he lasts 20 minutes and then does a couple house shows against Bob Backlund in the summer and that’s it. Greg isn’t seen again until he’s inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 2004 and various shots afterwards. Is Greg a Hall of Famer in your book?

What is Greg’s legacy to this business?

Do you think he could’ve been the WWF champion after the national expansion?