Greg "the Hammer" Valentine

[SammyPops]

I was a huge fan of his as a kid. The elbow, the figure four … the dogcollar match with Piper, destroying the IC belt in the cage. Fantastic!

Share your Hammeories.

 

[D.R.H.]

He played backup guitar for the Honky Tonk Man.

 

[SocraticMethod]

He played backup guitar for the Honky Tonk Man.

HTM: Hair grease?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Rhinestone jacket?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Guitar?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Pants?
Hammer: ....

 

[SammyPops]

HTM: Hair grease?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Rhinestone jacket?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Guitar?
Hammer: Check!
HTM: Pants?
Hammer: ....

He played backup guitar for the Honky Tonk Man.

Better IC champL the Hammer or honky?

 

[Pittie Petey]

Valentine destroying the belt after he lost to Tito Santana was mind blowing to me and my young friends, it's all we could talk about for days afterwards

The big unveiling of the new IC title belt on WWF Superstars a few weeks later is what set me on my path to being a big time belt mark to this day

 

[SocraticMethod]

Better IC champL the Hammer or honky?

Hammer's reign was just a little before my time. I vaguely remember Tito as IC champion, but Savage is really the guy I remember as champion when I first got into wrestling. Hammer was a better wrestler than HTM. HTM was a great heel champion, though. He was great at making you hate him.

My earliest memories of Valentine are of him and Beefcake as the Dream Team, an excellent heel team. I went nuts when the Bulldogs beat them at WM2.

 

[ThunderL1ps]

He was about to put the figure four leg lock on Jacques Rougeau in 1986 at my very first WWF house show I went to, looked out to the crowd for recognition and my friend and I jumped up and went "yeah!"

I know he saw us.

 

[sleepwalk]

He broke Wahoo's leg!

Valentine destroying the belt after he lost to Tito Santana was mind blowing to me and my young friends, it's all we could talk about for days afterwards

The big unveiling of the new IC title belt on WWF Superstars a few weeks later is what set me on my path to being a big time belt mark to this day

Yes! I was a big mark for both of those guys. I still remember the feud and, on all those WWE Wrestling Challenge and All-American Wrestling broadcasts, both Gorilla and Heenan would put him over.
"Built like a fireplug."
"The longer this match goes, the more it turns in the favor of Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine."
Dude had a sparkly robe and bleach blonde hair but the second he brought his hands up, it looked like a tough, ugly, working-class Polack getting ready to throw down in a bar.

 

[Big Burly]

Greg was one of the best heels in the Mid-Atlantic territory. He worked for Vince Sr and Jr several times. He had good runs against Backlund when he was champ, and was a good contender for Hogan and whomever had the IC strap.

He had the legendary feuds in the Mid-Atlantic with Roddy Piper (the Dog Collar Match!) and with Wahoo and also teamed and feuded with Flair.

He was a solid heal wrestler. He could cut a realistic promo, but wasn't bombastic on the mic. I always enjoyed his work.

 

[El Dandy]

Ronnie Garvin was able to nullify a figure four with the Hammer Jammer leg brace.

 

[Falsedawn]

 

[44nutman]

One of my favorites.
I will also never forget him putting the figure four on Flair during a Royal Rumble. I think it was 1990 Royal Rumble.
I remember thinking, you do know you have to throw him over the ropes to win. Now you have made it harder by weakening his legs.

 

[The GR81]

He's no Bob Backlund

 

[Emang8]

He just said "you nasty black person" and didn't miss a fucking beat. It's hard to imagine a society where this is completely acceptable these days. At least mean gene looks pretty appalled.

 

[Based God]

He was one of my favorite heels as a kid. Saw him wrestle Earthquake at my very first live wrestling show ever in 91

 

[MMAGA]

He just said "you nasty black person" and didn't miss a fucking beat. It's hard to imagine a society where this is completely acceptable these days. At least mean gene looks pretty appalled.

He was nasty (lived in a junkyard), and was black. Not sure where the dilemma is...

 

[skysolo]

He played backup guitar for the Honky Tonk Man.

"played" in quotation marks.

 

[BoTyson]

He looked like Mama Fratelli from the Goonies

 

[Goatenstein]

I cried when he lost to Quake at The Mains 7.

 

[My Spot]

Valentine destroying the belt after he lost to Tito Santana was mind blowing to me and my young friends, it's all we could talk about for days afterwards

The big unveiling of the new IC title belt on WWF Superstars a few weeks later is what set me on my path to being a big time belt mark to this day

And then Savage ruined the new belt with Brasso.