Overrated/Underrated: Magnum T.A.

[TheOneBigWill]

I'm begging someone to help me with explaining what the appeal of this guy ever was. I've now seen two or three WWE produced DVDs that show this guy as the "greatest thing to never happen".

By now many of us either know the story, or have known the story. He was a rising star, set to become a big Main Event prospect and tragedy struck in the form of a telephone poll, as he wrapped his car around it and suffered a career ending injury. As a result, he never became as huge as everyone felt he would've become.

My question is simple. What was so great about him, to begin with? Where was the appeal? He didn't have any type of "unoriginal" look. He wore plain colored trunks, and had a mullet. That was the 80's fad. I could show you 5 other guys who looked JUST LIKE HE DID, and they never made anything of themselves beyond mediocre, either. So what was the overall greatness of Magnum T.A. that was suppose to be such a huge loss to the Wrestling world?

First and foremost, the guy (from the picture above) looks like he could've been on a fucking pedo list, located in your neighborhood. Secondly, I've seen several matches with him and I haven't seen anything overly great. He got a lot of cheers, but I guess it was one of those "you had to be there" types of things. Because I didn't get any sort of "holy shit, I gotta react to this guy cause hes fucking amazing" feelings.

All in all, I'm sick and tired of all the glory he's receiving for not even being a has-been, but instead a never-was. So, would someone please inform me why he was so great - and more importantly, why he was originally destined to become even greater. Do you feel hes overrated?

Please make sure to add as much opinion as you can. Explain why you feel the way you do. Thank You.

 

[jmt225]

He's overrated as shit. The guy has one good cage match, against a phenomenal worker, and all of the sudden he's on the verge of becoming the NWA's Hulk Hogan. Pssh.. give me a fucking break.

Was Magnum T.A. good? Sure, but I didn't see anything great in him like most workers from the eighties did. I mean, when I say people claimed he was going to be the Hulk Hogan for the NWA, they REALLY did say that. Not fans, but WRESTLERS. They are so positive that if he hadn't gotten hurt, he would have then beaten Ric Flair for the World Title and single handily made the NWA as big as the WWF, if not more. Seriously, what....the....fuck?

I think had he beaten Flair for the World Title, he would have ended up a lot like Barry Windham. You know, transitional champion, but known as a talented worker and someone who could get guys over. But that's it.

In about the 10/20 matches and interviews I've saw of him, I never saw anything that screamed "World Champion". He did have a cool Eighties feel to him and I do think he would've been a great babyface to chase after the title, but could he actually have carried the company? Ummm... no. And even if he did, the shtick would have gotten old by 1991, anyway, just like Hogan. However, unlike Hogan, it's highly doubtful that the guy would have ever been able to reinvent himself.

But like Will, I have an open mind about this. If you can show me something that proves Will and I wrong, then go right ahead.

 

[mattropolis]

I have not seen a wealth of Magnum matches so I wouldn't be able to comment with regards to genuine in-ring ability.

I feel this isn't the issue anyway. I'm not sure how old most people here are but I was a little kid when Magnum was tapped to be the next Hulk Hogan and would not see him until later. At any rate my point is it's probably difficult for us to understand in hindsight the appeal of someone so out of our time.

In an attempt to focus on the topic I won't name name's but there are wrestlers today touted as "the next big mega thing" or whatever and 20 years from now people are going to look back and think "wtf was that all about? He's so generic."

As far as I can tell he just had the look (of the day) and the push at the right time. I don't think it's fair to say he couldn't have accomplished anything as he was never given the chance but in short..I don't get it either.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

I was born right before Magnum took off, so let's give a little history lesson on the man real quick. He started in the Mid-South as Terry Allen (okay, quaint enough). He was taught by Mr. Wrestling II and in the middle of his teaching (which was greatly played out on television every week), he challenged for the Mid-South title. Mr. Wrestling II demanded that T.A. give him the shot instead and a feud began between teacher and student. T.A. won and went to the Croketts where he became Magnum T.A. and well...here goes.

The man was flat out awesome. He came around right when Hulkamaina started to catch fire so obvious the folks at the NWA wanted to market him as THEIR all American hero (sans Dusty Rhodes) since he had the look, decent mic skills and a killer belly-to-belly. Now, indeed he was basically fed to jobbers for the greater portion of a year and a half, especially on World Championship Wrestling, but during the house shows, especially against Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard and even Kamala (at the 1st Great American Bash), he held his own. What made him a star was his rubs with both Rhodes and Flair, especially his feud with Flair.

Magnum was set to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1986 and then feud with Koloff (to which I've heard rumors that Koloff would have breifly taken the title off him---which ironically would have been the 1st time since 1981 tht two men held the title back to back and one of them was NOT named Flair----so think about how history indeed changed that night in October 1986). Needless to say, that's where the story ends.

Sure, he had a tremendous best of seven feud with Koloff, but taking the U.S. strap off him was just the beginning of his push. So I think most people my age and older wonder what the height of his career would have been had he not foolishly drove that Porsh. So with that said...He's neither underrated or overrated. He was just good enough to be given consideration for the title (and NO, not because he was Dusty's friend), but just unlucky enough to not seen that come true.

 

[Tully]

Very over-rated. Not the best in-ring worker ever and I thought that slingshot suplex finisher was lame.

But 100% of NWA female fans loved his "Magnum PI" Tom Sellect look, thus the guy put meat in the seats, thus he got a huge push that only ended after his sadly-tragic car accident.

Had the accident not occurred, he would've been an early John Cena: Immensely popular with fans but not a great ring worker who just repeated the same sequence of moves every single match.

 

[TheBestThereNevaWas]

ME 09 said it best. Magnum can't be considered either overrated or underrated since he never had the opportunity to go far due to that accident. By today's standards, his moveset looks weak admittedly but they were indicative of that era. If the WRESTLERS, such as Ric Flair, felt the guy had the IT factor or the $$$ making package, who are we to say otherwise?

I don't think he would've survived the 90's with that gimmick, but by then perhaps he would've revamped his gimmick. If not...well, NWA would've already made mucho dinero off him in the 80's. With all the females he got in there...and where there's women, men are bound to follow.

I sure as heck don't believe for a minute he would've been as big as Hulk Hogan.

For the record, his finisher was a belly-to-belly suplex. The slingshot suplex was Tully Blanchard's I believe.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

So overrated it's pathetic, this is coming from a huge Magnum fan. Magnum T.A. was the epitome of what shouldve been, but also what was lacking. He did have the body, he did have the in-ring skills, but did he have the charisma? No, he got over on what Id like to call the Chris Benoit syndrome. A very talented worker, but is missing something. I think Magnum would have been great, he just wouldnt have been THAT great. Thank god a man by the name of Sting came along and had everything Magnum didnt have and then some.

Magnum is a helluva worker, but in the end he wouldnt have had what it took to take the NWA to the mainstream. Sting did.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Like some of the others said before hand, his career was ended very short so we really can't say if he was overrated or not. It's like the Rock, he only wrestled for 7 or 8 years, then left for the movies. All the women loved him, and sold a shit load of tickets. Was he overrated? I mean, he had the look, the charisma, and the ring skills, and ended early, and had the look at the time... Is he overrated? Didn't really have much of a career, but we can still make opinion can't we? Let's look at someone who had a career finished on their own terms, and decide if that was overrated. Let's look at guys like Flair, Bagwell, Ric Steiner, and look at their career, and see if they were overrated. You can't look at a guy who didn't even start, a say if he was overrated.

 

[hugeheffner]

I was born right before Magnum took off, so let's give a little history lesson on the man real quick. He started in the Mid-South as Terry Allen (okay, quaint enough). He was taught by Mr. Wrestling II and in the middle of his teaching (which was greatly played out on television every week), he challenged for the Mid-South title. Mr. Wrestling II demanded that T.A. give him the shot instead and a feud began between teacher and student. T.A. won and went to the Croketts where he became Magnum T.A. and well...here goes.

The man was flat out awesome. He came around right when Hulkamaina started to catch fire so obvious the folks at the NWA wanted to market him as THEIR all American hero (sans Dusty Rhodes) since he had the look, decent mic skills and a killer belly-to-belly. Now, indeed he was basically fed to jobbers for the greater portion of a year and a half, especially on World Championship Wrestling, but during the house shows, especially against Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard and even Kamala (at the 1st Great American Bash), he held his own. What made him a star was his rubs with both Rhodes and Flair, especially his feud with Flair.

Magnum was set to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1986 and then feud with Koloff (to which I've heard rumors that Koloff would have breifly taken the title off him---which ironically would have been the 1st time since 1981 tht two men held the title back to back and one of them was NOT named Flair----so think about how history indeed changed that night in October 1986). Needless to say, that's where the story ends.

Sure, he had a tremendous best of seven feud with Koloff, but taking the U.S. strap off him was just the beginning of his push. So I think most people my age and older wonder what the height of his career would have been had he not foolishly drove that Porsh. So with that said...He's neither underrated or overrated. He was just good enough to be given consideration for the title (and NO, not because he was Dusty's friend), but just unlucky enough to not seen that come true.

He actually started in Portland, then went to Florida. Then he went to Mid-South. He started using the name there.

 

[D-Man]

I disagree with most of you, but explaining my reasoning is going to be a tad diffcult. I'm going to rate Magnum T.A. overall by comparing him to a similar icon of a different generation. This person is pretty much split down the middle when it comes to popularity, in-ring skill, and overall persona. Depending on your personal feelings towards him, he is either the greatest thing since sliced bread or nothing more than a flat tire. So, I'll say this...

Magnum T.A. was about as overrated in the 80's as John Cena is in our present time.

Now, before everyone jumps down my throat, I'm going to give my take on John Cena. I do not think he is overrated. As a matter of fact, I believe he is exactly what is needed for this generation and era of professional wrestling. Cena is an icon with a great physique, a better-than-average moveset, a likeable personality, and a role-model type of persona that appeals to young children, adolescent kids, and some adults. Therefore, I feel the same way about Magnum T.A.

There are many things to remember when trying to figure out Magnum's appeal in the AWA and NWA. First of all, Magnum was a part of a different era of professional wrestling and was a star on promotions BESIDES the WWE. Therefore, he did not have the support, glitz, and glamour that superstars such as Hogan, Warrior, and Savage were given. Magnum mostly worked in dimly lit arenas with horrible television production. He wasn't given the tools to transcend into a worldwide juggernaut. However, he had an appealing physique, good looks, good microphone skills, tremendous personality and charisma, and an effective in-ring moveset. These are all of the skills that John Cena currently possesses.

So, if you believe that John Cena is overrated, then you'd feel the same way about Magnum T.A. However, I believe that Cena-haters need to take a step back and view his persona from as aspect of business instead of your personal feelings. Once you see his appeal with the audience, you'll realize that your definition of overrated may be incorrect. If a wrestler is putting butts in the seats and selling merchandise, they are not overrated. However, if they are pushed to the moon and not doing well for business, THAT makes them overrated. Therefore, since Magnum T.A. and John Cena sold tickets, appealed to crowds, and sold merchandise, you can't call either one of them overrated.

Magnum T.A. was the Hulk Hogna/John Cena of the 1980's for the NWA and AWA for all of the reasons listed above. If you look up his matches on YouTube now, you need to remember something first... you're viewing matches of a man that wrestled 20 years ago for a second/third rated wrestling promotion. Don't expect the matches to be anything near the level that they are today. The bar has been raised so high in the past 20 years that wrestlers of the 80's would never be able to keep up. Furthermore, if you view Magnum T.A. in the point of view that I described above, you'll realize that he deserves every accolade that he is given.

 

[X]

I'm not so sure if I'd go so far as to call Magnum the Cena of his time D-Man, mainly because Magnum was never the top guy in JCP. Dusty was always more over than him among others. He could have been the biggest thing to happen to JCP since Flair and Race, but we all know how his career was cut short by that car accident.

Personally, I tend to think Magnum T.A. is underrated in general, but probably overrated when it comes to the smarks and IWC, if that makes any sense. Most wrestling fans unfortunately don't know who Magnum is, or Tully for that matter, and have no idea of the history of the NWA. That's unfortunately what happens when the opposing promotion wins the war; your history is forgotten. Damn shame considering WCW was putting on shows that were usually MUCH better than what the WWF was doing at the time. Starrcade usually made Wrestlemania look like a joke in my opinion, but now that Wrestlemania is the biggest thing the wrestling business, most fans probably wouldn't realize that. Magnum unfortunately isn't known to most wrestling fans, which is another damn shame, because every wrestling fan needs to see the I Quit match with him and Tully Blanchard, it should be required viewing for every wrestling fan.

When it comes to some of us on the internet though and the other "smarks", I admit, he's become a bit overrated. He was damn good in his time, but some of us have been prone to hyperbole when it comes to his career, hyping him up as one of the biggest stars of the 80s, when that simply isn't true.

I voted for the option of underrated though. Because to most wrestling fans, he certainly is.

 

[Wrath]

I don't think he is overrated. How can he be he couldn't get his main event push which was really sad. Is he overrated by some fans ? Yes especially by smarks who think that he could be at the same level with Magnum T.A but he is also underrated by fans most of the fans don't even know who Magnum T.A is.

Magnum T.A deserved his ME push. He was one of the most over guys in the company at that time(Maybe only behind Rhodes) He sold tickets and people wanted to watch him. He had a great look and was very good in the ring. If you haven't watched his steel cage match with Blanchard you should absoloutely watch it. The match was one of the most brutal matches at that time and when Blanchard was trying to stab a part of chair to Magnum's eye crowd was hot as hell. He was what NWA needed that time a face with a great look. If he could've made he it he may've supprassed Flair but who knows.

So how can someone that people wanted to watch and support him be overrated. He maybe didn't have the best look,charisma and in ring skills but people loved him that was the only thing he needed just like Jeff Hardy right now. If Magnum T.A is overrated Jeff Hardy is overrated as well. He had what company needed for him that's why I think he isn't overrated but he is nowhere near Hogan or Savage for sure.

 

[samboisdead]

I guess you had to be there. Back then we belived what we saw and you didnt have to be able to work a match like Brian Danielson or Shawn Micheals. People who are young and got into wrestling around the attitude era dont understand that guys like me in their 30s and above really belived what we were seeing. Yea deep down we new their was a work to it but since it wasnt put out their like it is today we pushed that deep down inside and just forgot about it. Now Magnum was an incredible worker for the time as good as anyone and you have to rember he was very young like 26 I think when he got hurt so he would have gotten tons better. Their was just something about this guy, when he entered the arena you felt like the bad guy was about to get his ass kicked. Yea he had the 80s look I am sure you no his name is based on the Tom selleck charachter he looked alot alike. This was the look of the time, who is to say that his look wouldnt have changed with the times. Ric Flair used to walk around with feathered hair and i rember seeing Lex Luger wearing a Members only jacket on several occasion. Hell Sting had a rat tail for a decade. Anyway Magnum would have never been as big as Hogan for the simple fact that the NWA/WCW had no clue how to market people like Vince did, but he probably would have been on the same level of say Sting.

 

[smalltownfan]

Wow, a lot of Magnum TA haters in this thread. I, however, loved TA back in the day. He had some awesome matches with Tully Blanchard but especially with Nikita Koloff. He was a great mat wrestler and technician, very popular with the fans, and did good interviews. Jim Ross said TA succeeding in the WWE would have been a lay-up. In other words, his success would have come easily. Unfortunately, we'll never know because he was involved in that horrific car crash. A budding star's career cut too short but he made the most of it while he was active.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

I saw a few threads mentioning Sting. To be honest, fate had a tremendous hand in the overall destruction, if you will, of Magnum T.A. I mean, let's face it, about a year and a half later, here comes Sting. The man had the look, the drive, determination, he had limited mic skills (and to a point still does, let's be honest---why else you think WCW painted him black and white and had him hanging in the raffters for over a year???) and above all, he was the 2nd coming of Sting. Magnum was wayyyy over as a fan favorite, no doubt about it. BUT...Let's just say for laughs and giggles that Magnum had never gotten into that accident and he actually won the World title. Could he have turned heel like his mentor Mr. Wrestling II did when Sting arrived and feuded with Sting over the belt? Perhaps, and if so, would the whole landscape of wrestling had been changed?

 

[Tully]

For the record, his finisher was a belly-to-belly suplex. The slingshot suplex was Tully Blanchard's I believe.

Oops! I had my own handle's finisher on the brain!

 

[Pedro08]

Having started watching wrestling around the time Magnum got to the Mid-Atlantic region, I can say that he was hugely over with the fans. Remember, this was back in the days where wrestlers were built up slowly and titles had meaning. He was slowly built up to main event status with great feuds with Wahoo McDaniel and Tully Blanchard over the US title. He also got a rub from being with Dusty against the Four Horsemen and Ivan and Nakita Koloff. He had a charisma and intensity that played well with the fans so by the time he was set to feud with Flair for the title, you could believe that he was capable of winning the belt and be the top dog in the NWA.

Could he have been as big as Hogan? No. No one was, not even Flair. Hogan became a cultural icon. Could Magnum have carried the torch for the NWA/WCW, absolutely.

As for how he looked, Flair had the same basic attire, even the mullet. Stone Cold had as basic ring attire as one can get, and we all know how huge he got.

 

[MisterRob]

There is absolutely no way Magnum T.A. is overrated. Why? Because the fans loved him, and that's all that matters. Women absolutely loved Magnum T.A. and went crazy for him, men wanted to be Magnum T.A. and he was becoming the top face of the company and that wasn't about to change. A wrestler can be the best technical athlete and performer there is but if the fans don't give a crap about it then he doesn't matter, Magnum T.A. was the opposite. He was perfectly fine in the ring and had solid feuds with Tully Blanchard, Koloff and Flair.. he was solid on the mic.. and far more important he was over with the fans and if you're over and the fans are behind you then no matter what you do you can't possible be overrated because the fans opinions are the only ones that matter when it comes right down to it. They're the one's watching, they're the ones buying the tickets, and they're the ones you're wrestling for.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

This is a damn good question, Will. It's been a heated debate for years as to how over or under rated Magnum TA was. Well lets put this in perspective...

Magnum TA was someone who caught fire quick. It's been discussed in numerous DVD's about the Mid South, the Four Horsemen, and Ric Flair. Magnum was someone who was destined for a big run with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. It was set in stone that Flair was going to drop the belt to Magnum and give him a chance for a big run with it. THIS says it all. At the PEAK of Flair's run, the NWA brass felt that Magnum could give Flair a good rivalry. It speaks volumes.

His car accident and career being cut short is something that will go down as one of the biggest 'what if's' in pro wrestling history. IF he wasn't injured, who knows what kind of wrestler he would have been. He may have been a great champion and a legendary wrestling figure, or he could have flopped and been a jobber in the WWF by the early 90's. We'll never know truly if he was underrated or overrated. But as of his time in the ring, he was underrated a great deal.

 

[Theo Mays]

Through watching DVDs and reading up on past wrestling and watching it on the internet, I've learned a great deal about Magnum TA. And he has quickly become on of my favorite superstars from that era. I of course wasn't alive for Magnum (as I was born in 89), but every match I've watch of his has been good. His match with Flair on the Rise and Fall of WCW was a good, hard fought 10 minute match. I think if the accident wouldn't have cut his career short, Magnum would have went on to be a star and could have gone down as one of the greatest superstars the business has seen. He is underrated in my mind to the normal wrestling fan. But to those who know and have watched Magnum, he is held highly (as far as I know) and rated highly. I'm not saying overrated, I'm just saying that is rated right where he belongs from those who have watched and seen Magnum perform.