Open Threads

The Day Thread (2/29) Prepares For Lethal Leap Year

Once upon a time, there was a plucky upstart pro wrestling company called Southpaw Regional Wrestling. It came and went without much consequence, based on the complete lack of footage of it anywhere on the internet.

Your distinguished hosts of this fine weekly professional regional wrestling program.

However, hidden deep in WWE’s comprehensive, deep library of vintage wrestling was one tape. One tape of Southpaw Regional Wrestling’s existence – footage of shows from February 1987.

It is February 1987, and this plucky underdog organization is setting up its big closed-circuit/PPV event, Lethal Leap Year. It is set for February 29, and several feuds have been brewing. These include…

You can’t get anywhere in this business without charisma, son!

…the reluctant world champion, so much so he forgets the belt wherever he goes, must defend his belt against a horde of challengers. And he doesn’t have the charisma to explain his actions.

…an evil banker has bought the farmland of Big Bart, and now have agreed to a chain match for the rights to that property.

…and most significantly, the longtime war between former partners Tex Ferguson and Chad 2 Badd has reached a boiling point.

But alas, it is later found out that there is in fact no February 29th in 1987, and therefore Lethal Leap Year is canceled. And with that, Southpaw Regional Wrestling fades into obscurity forever.

Hopefully, at least by the pictures I posted above, you realized this was made up. Or you at least recognized John Cena up there doing a weird Gordon Solie impression.

But Southpaw Regional Wrestling was, in fact, a short video series created by WWE talent during their downtime. The first season is really the only one you need to see, as it’s the most unfiltered look at a bunch of nerds having a blast reliving their memories of territory wrestling shows they likely watched when younger. (The other seasons were given “creative input” by WWE, and hence are not remotely as great.)

The “roster” of Southpaw Regional Wrestling even made an appearance as downloadable content for WWE2K20, a game as cursed as Southpaw’s brief existence.

You can view all the “seasons” on YouTube at your leisure. For many of us, this will make NO sense since full enjoyment requires a silly amount of vintage pro wrestling knowledge, but maybe you’ll find it cheesy enough.

Take care of yourselves and have a good day thread!