Legends of Wrestling is an original series made specifically for the Classics service. The program features various "legends" of the business, for their work in and out of the ring, having a roundtable discussion about specific topics, persons, or occurrences in the history of wrestling. The show was originally hosted by WWE commentator Jim Ross–with former interviewer Gene Okerlund filling in for him on a few occasions–until Okerlund took over hosting duties completely with the shows fourth panel.
The series has been divided into unofficial "seasons" of hour-long episodes (each with a short intermission) featuring the same panels.
| Host | Guest #1 | Guest #2 | Guest #3 | Guest #4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Ross | Mike Graham | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Dusty Rhodes |
| Roddy Piper & Terry Funk; Bob Backlund & Hulk Hogan; The Iron Sheik & André the Giant; Jerry Lawler & The Junkyard Dog; Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter | ||||
| Jim Ross | Eric Bischoff | Mick Foley | Michael Hayes | Jerry Lawler |
| Greatest Rivalries, Part 1; Greatest Rivalries, Part 2; Heatseekers; The Monday Night Wars | ||||
| Jim Ross | Mick Foley | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Tazz |
| Badasses of Wrestling; The Territories | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Mick Foley | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Dusty Rhodes |
| Wrestlemania; Worst Characters | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Ric Flair | Mick Foley | Jim Ross | Tazz |
| Factions; Important Moments | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Michael Hayes | Dusty Rhodes | Jim Ross | Bill Watts |
| Texas Wrestling | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Jim Ross | Sgt. Slaughter |
| Patriotism; Giants | ||||
| Joey Styles | J.J. Dillon | Jimmy Garvin | Michael Hayes | Jim Ross |
| The Lost Art of the Manager; The Culture of Southern Wrestling | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Nick Bockwinkel | J.J. Dillon | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson |
| Tag Teams; The 1970s | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Ted DiBiase | J.J. Dillon | Jim Ross | Sgt. Slaughter |
| Wrestling Families; Overachievers/Underachievers | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Bret Hart | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Jim Ross |
| Rivalries; Canadian Effect | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | J.J. Dillon | Michael Hayes | Kevin Nash | Jim Ross |
| nWo; In Through the Outdoors. | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Michael Hayes | Diamond Dallas Page | Roddy Piper | Jim Ross |
| Renegades and Outlaws; Celebrity Effect | ||||
| Gene Okerlund | Road Dogg | Michael Hayes | Pat Patterson | Jim Ross |
| The History of Raw | ||||
A special Black History Month episode titled "Soul of Wrestling" premiered in February 2009. For it, host Jim Ross and the panel of Theodore Long, Dusty Rhodes, Tony Atlas, and Bill Watts discussed the legacy and impact of African Americans in professional wrestling, including that of Long and Atlas.
In January 2009, a DVD box set of three episodes: Sgt. Slaughter/Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler/the Junkyard Dog, and "Heatseekers"—about wrestlers who have a reputation of "causing trouble" backstage—along with bonus matches involving the stars. Best Buy exclusives episodes Bob Backlund/Hulk Hogan, Iron Sheik/André the Giant, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper/Terry Funk were also released. The episodes come from the first season, with the exception of "Heatseekers", which is a second-season episode.
Read more about this topic: WWE Classics On Demand
Famous quotes containing the words legends of, legends and/or wrestling:
“Legends of prediction are common throughout the whole Household of Man. Gods speak, spirits speak, computers speak. Oracular ambiguity or statistical probability provides loopholes, and discrepancies are expunged by Faith.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
“a child’s
Forgotten mornings when he walked with his mother
Through the parables
Of sunlight
And the legends of the green chapels
And the twice-told fields of infancy”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“There are people who think that wrestling is an ignoble sport. Wrestling is not sport, it is a spectacle, and it is no more ignoble to attend a wrestled performance of suffering than a performance of the sorrows of Arnolphe or Andromaque.”
—Roland Barthes (1915–1980)