Apr 6, 2024
Welcome to episode 108 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, for my special Pro Wrestling Spectacular, I’m pitting the 1970s Christmas albums of pro wrestlers the Destroyer and Thunder Sugiyama against one another in order to determine which deserves the title of the Christmas World Heavyweight Champion.
This was a fun episode for me. I hope you enjoyed both wrestlers’ albums as much as I did. I watched a ton of wrestling when I was younger and went to the closed-circuit broadcasts of Wrestlemanias 3-6, watching all the action on the jumbo screens at Dayton’s Hara Arena. One of my fondest memories from my early teenage years was going to a TV taping to see Hulk Hogan during the height of Hulkamania. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet a bunch of wrestlers, including Koko B. Ware, Rob Van Dam, Taz, and newly-inducted WWE Hall of Famer, Paul Heyman. I don’t follow it quite like I used to, but I still enjoy seeing all the big events.
This episode was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. I’ve been doing research for it off and on for about two years. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of all the blogs and articles I read. There were several things I wanted to double-check, but I couldn’t find where I’d read them originally so I had to leave them out. As promised in the episode, here’s Thunder Sugiyama’s debut single, “Crossroads.” I’m also including a match from each of them, both of which feature their mutual friend, Abdullah the Butcher.
10.12.1975 - PWF United States Heavyweight title: The Destroyer (c) vs Abdullah The Butcher
12.11.1972 - Abdullah The Butcher/Ciclon Negro vs Masio Koma/Thunder Sugiyama 2 of 3 Falls
April is Jazz Awareness month, so join me next time for the 1998 album, “Jingle Jazz.” It has an unassuming and generic cover, but some of the finest Christmas Jazz you’re likely to hear. Then join me on the 25th for the 1986 children’s book and album, “Superman Santa.” It’s a lot of fun and one you won’t want to miss.
As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.
Remember, I've added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you'd like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!
