Greetings to all! As we sit upon the cusp of yet another brand new year,I'd like to take a few moments to make mention of the highlights ( and lowlights) of 2010.
Losing a loved one is always as tough pill to swallow, even when that loved one had been hurting & suffering for a long time. I always thought of my grandfather, Dukes Dayton, whom we lost this past year, as a charismatic, funny,ornery guy with a great love for his family. While I wasn't as close to him as other members of my family, I did love him very much & enjoyed listening to his stories about a wide variety of experiences....He helped entertain me for 38 years, and when I look at myself, I see alot of him in me- and that can't be all bad. We miss you, Pap.
For any of you who ever had the chance to meet Bobby Keller's dad, Mike, you already know what a fun loving,generous, & funny guy he was- I never once saw Mike & he didn't ask me How I was or how my family was-He was that kind of guy; you knew he actually cared, and wasn't just making conversation. I know my buddy is struggling this season, his first without his dad, and I'd just like to remind him that guys like his father are NEVER forgotten.
2010 had its highs & lows, like any other year, and now, that I've paid proper respect to those losses, I'd like to mention a few others:
Wrestling Version
1) the friendship & loyalty of my dear friends Doug,Gene, Doc,Buddah, Patrick & Bobby- the times we have spent together have created memories I will never forget. Thanks for another year,boys!
2) getting the opportunity to really get to know a few guys who have proven to be the kind of guys who are honest, above board, loyal, & completely selfless: so a tip of the cap to Billy DeFalco, Tony Lowe, Mike Noland, Brian & Becky Noonan.
3) having the chance to see that everyone isn't appreciative of what you have helped them accomplish- I appreciate the eye opening experience ( no names necessary)
4 ) the chance to become associated with some tremendous young talent, Jesse Wilkes & John Skylar in particular. I truly hope you guys are amongst the guys who lead wrestling once your time comes.
5) the promoters that allow me to live out the dream of a 8 year old kid- special thanks to John & Erin Keck, Dudley Baker,Dick Caricofe, Mike Dimuzio & Derek Huffman in particular.
6) Jimmy Valiant- a great talent & great guy. The favor you did for me is wrestlings highest, and I appreciate it immensely
Family Version
1) Kari- a broken,battered man appeared at your door one night, and, you have saved him.... I love you sweetie!
2) Jeff,Ashlyn,Dylan,Dalton,& Donavan- I love you all. I'm So lucky to have you, and have the relationship I have with each of you.
3) Mom & Dad- for all the love & understanding two people could POSSIBLY muster...
4) Shawn,Cherie,Rachel,& Ryan- I love you all; thanks for always being there, especially when I've been kicked down
NON- Family version
1) Iron Joe,Jamie, & Nat- my three oldest friends- my best to you & your families; I hope to see you all very soon
2) Paulie- the funniest bastard alive-and the toughest too
Celeb version:
1) Sarah Palin,Bristol Palin, & Kate Gosselin- your stupidity has provided me hours of entertainment; watching you all has given not only myself, but millions of other talentless morons hope that, with whining,bad quotes, hair extensions & ballroom dancing, we too can also reach celeb-hood.
2) Oprah- starting tomorrow, we can all watch an entire network dedicated to your big fat ass, er , ego.
I can hardly wait for "The Color Purple, Part 2- Oprah's Ankles" coming this summer
3) Brett Favre- another favorite target of mine; actually, Brett was slated to "guest - blog" for me today, but, remarkably, changed his mind. Probably for the best- I'm a little concerned what type of pictures may have ended up on here....
4) Cab Calloway- no particular reason, I just loved his performance in the Blues Brothers....heidi heidi heidi hi!
Now, if I've missed anyone, I truly apologize, from the bottom of my heart...that should at least slow up any hate emails or nasty texts....:)
So until next time, or next year......
SSS
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Cena Injured, & Thoughts on WWE Going Forward
Thanks to all of you who have started the dilligent task of making this blog become "worldwide"....your efforts will not be forgotten!
BIG NEWS: JOHN CENA INJURED LAST NIGHT! Reports have come from last night RAW event in Wilkes-Barre,Pa that, during his cage match against Wade Barrett, Cena's knee (not sure left or right) was injured, to the point that, after the bout, while speaking on the house mic,he mentioned something to the effect of " I may be taking some time off now, after tonight", and was helped to the dressing room by EMTs.
The effect of this, if the injury is fact serious, could be far reaching, possibly to Wrestlemania & beyond, and doesn't bode particularly well for a company that a) has a serious depth problem on top & b) has few interesting prospects for its biggest show of the year.
There is an inherent problem with injuries in a physical business such as wrestling, but, if the promotion properly pushes & elavates new talent, the issues doesn't need to effect overall business. Example: In 2000, Steve Austin had a variety of serious injuries that took him out of commission for practically the entire year-YET, WWE had its most successful finanical year EVER, riding the coattails of an overall stronger creative process, and building its business around several well groomed & protected talents ( Mick Foley,Undertaker, Triple H, & The Rock most notably)
Fast forward to 2010: Are there 4 top talents who can fill the void created by a long term Cena injury? And lets face it, like him or not, Cena is the face of WWE & is, by a wide margin, its biggest star. Certainly Randy Orton to a certain extent can carry some of the load, but he is prone to injury himself- what if he goes down as well?
The biggest issue, that historically almost every promotion ignores, is that this business is driven by fresh new faces, who, get over to the audience as the "hot new thing", which drives business upward....and the best time to get these future players ready is when your current crop is still drawing- yet, it almost never happens.
The easy fix, of course, is already waiting in the wings: a imminent Triple H return. But, putting the load on HHH is akin to putting a bandaid on a knife wound- staying with the older stars too long only re-enforces the idea that "we have seen all this before"....which is true, of course. And nostalgia only has a certain shelf life...
Wrestling is essentially the same/similiar scenerios being played over & over- the idea is that, if you rotate your top talent every few years, you play out the same or similiar matches & so forth with fresh guys, it draws for you over again..and again.
Think about it- wrestling has been doing lumberjack matches, strap matches, cage matches, etc for years- and, if you examine them somewhat closely, what do you find? Thats right- they are all pretty much the same as the last such match you watched. But what the difference? How hot your talent is when they are put in such matches- THATS what sells tickets, PPV's, and so on.
But when you take the approach that your group is just the pro wrestling equivalent of Ice Capades, and that you basically maintain the same guys as the "Stars", when one of those stars falls injured, you're only kidding yourself to believe that business won't be effected.
WWE has alot of very talented young guys who are the budding future superstars- but, by holding them down & making them look foolish or weak, you not only hurt their chances to break out, but you hurt the promotions chances of them rising to the occasion when the guys above them fall injured.
Just my thoughts.....please share yours!
BIG NEWS: JOHN CENA INJURED LAST NIGHT! Reports have come from last night RAW event in Wilkes-Barre,Pa that, during his cage match against Wade Barrett, Cena's knee (not sure left or right) was injured, to the point that, after the bout, while speaking on the house mic,he mentioned something to the effect of " I may be taking some time off now, after tonight", and was helped to the dressing room by EMTs.
The effect of this, if the injury is fact serious, could be far reaching, possibly to Wrestlemania & beyond, and doesn't bode particularly well for a company that a) has a serious depth problem on top & b) has few interesting prospects for its biggest show of the year.
There is an inherent problem with injuries in a physical business such as wrestling, but, if the promotion properly pushes & elavates new talent, the issues doesn't need to effect overall business. Example: In 2000, Steve Austin had a variety of serious injuries that took him out of commission for practically the entire year-YET, WWE had its most successful finanical year EVER, riding the coattails of an overall stronger creative process, and building its business around several well groomed & protected talents ( Mick Foley,Undertaker, Triple H, & The Rock most notably)
Fast forward to 2010: Are there 4 top talents who can fill the void created by a long term Cena injury? And lets face it, like him or not, Cena is the face of WWE & is, by a wide margin, its biggest star. Certainly Randy Orton to a certain extent can carry some of the load, but he is prone to injury himself- what if he goes down as well?
The biggest issue, that historically almost every promotion ignores, is that this business is driven by fresh new faces, who, get over to the audience as the "hot new thing", which drives business upward....and the best time to get these future players ready is when your current crop is still drawing- yet, it almost never happens.
The easy fix, of course, is already waiting in the wings: a imminent Triple H return. But, putting the load on HHH is akin to putting a bandaid on a knife wound- staying with the older stars too long only re-enforces the idea that "we have seen all this before"....which is true, of course. And nostalgia only has a certain shelf life...
Wrestling is essentially the same/similiar scenerios being played over & over- the idea is that, if you rotate your top talent every few years, you play out the same or similiar matches & so forth with fresh guys, it draws for you over again..and again.
Think about it- wrestling has been doing lumberjack matches, strap matches, cage matches, etc for years- and, if you examine them somewhat closely, what do you find? Thats right- they are all pretty much the same as the last such match you watched. But what the difference? How hot your talent is when they are put in such matches- THATS what sells tickets, PPV's, and so on.
But when you take the approach that your group is just the pro wrestling equivalent of Ice Capades, and that you basically maintain the same guys as the "Stars", when one of those stars falls injured, you're only kidding yourself to believe that business won't be effected.
WWE has alot of very talented young guys who are the budding future superstars- but, by holding them down & making them look foolish or weak, you not only hurt their chances to break out, but you hurt the promotions chances of them rising to the occasion when the guys above them fall injured.
Just my thoughts.....please share yours!
What I Understand About Women's Actions,Behaviors, & Feelings
....................
Alright, that about covers it!
SSS
Alright, that about covers it!
SSS
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
How To Get Free Beer & Hot Women! Details Inside!
Got your attention, didn't I? Sorry to have to mislead you, but in times like these, you do what you have to do to ....
Thanks to everyone that makes up the HUGE readership that makes up this blog- and hello to all first timers! I want it to be known that, while I do appreciate those of you who stop by to take a gander at whatever it is I'm blogging about that particular day, it has already became pretty obvious that drastic steps are necessary to increase readership. You see, I'm just not a run of the mill, content to blab non-stop about anything & everything type guy...I have a dream, a vision if you will.
After stumbling upon a tracking device that tells not only who has read my blog, but where they're from, I have set a new goal for myself- I want to be read on all continents!
Having already nailed down the "North America" fraction of this undertaking, I have no choice but turn attention abroad, in an effort to bring a true international flavor to http://www.sshaneshadows.blogspot.com/ ( hey, the plugs are free here, so why not use them?) that I feel it so richly deserves! After all, it isn't just anywhere that you can read about such pressing news & gripping stories, told practically in front of the fireplace, by the very voice of experience himself.....
I don't necessarily have a gameplan on how to make this happen, however- the best to my knowledge, I do not know anyone living on the following continents: Africa, South America, Australia, & Antarctica, and only possibly know anyone living on these continents: Asia & Europe.
This is where, my valued readership, I ask for your help! I'm reaching out, trying to circle the wagons, so to speak, to bring the rag,er,blog, to its rightful position as the "most meaningless blog read on all 7 continents"...
Lets be honest here: this is no easy shakes; the likelihood of achieving this goal isn't high; the deck may in fact to stacked against us; but, I'm hoping that if we stand tall, fear no man, &leave no battlefield without casualties, WE can, ultimately, thru our sheer will & perseverence, snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat, conquer our demons, & plant our flag on all soils, without regard to race, color,creed,religion, language, food preference, World Cup wins, or political alliance.
If you are the first person who can prove he/she provided information regarding this blog on another continent, and that person(s) checks in, I will provide a menu of prizes, of which you will be able to choose!
Free stuff- all for contributing to MY dream! Lets the emails begin!
Thanks to everyone that makes up the HUGE readership that makes up this blog- and hello to all first timers! I want it to be known that, while I do appreciate those of you who stop by to take a gander at whatever it is I'm blogging about that particular day, it has already became pretty obvious that drastic steps are necessary to increase readership. You see, I'm just not a run of the mill, content to blab non-stop about anything & everything type guy...I have a dream, a vision if you will.
After stumbling upon a tracking device that tells not only who has read my blog, but where they're from, I have set a new goal for myself- I want to be read on all continents!
Having already nailed down the "North America" fraction of this undertaking, I have no choice but turn attention abroad, in an effort to bring a true international flavor to http://www.sshaneshadows.blogspot.com/ ( hey, the plugs are free here, so why not use them?) that I feel it so richly deserves! After all, it isn't just anywhere that you can read about such pressing news & gripping stories, told practically in front of the fireplace, by the very voice of experience himself.....
I don't necessarily have a gameplan on how to make this happen, however- the best to my knowledge, I do not know anyone living on the following continents: Africa, South America, Australia, & Antarctica, and only possibly know anyone living on these continents: Asia & Europe.
This is where, my valued readership, I ask for your help! I'm reaching out, trying to circle the wagons, so to speak, to bring the rag,er,blog, to its rightful position as the "most meaningless blog read on all 7 continents"...
Lets be honest here: this is no easy shakes; the likelihood of achieving this goal isn't high; the deck may in fact to stacked against us; but, I'm hoping that if we stand tall, fear no man, &leave no battlefield without casualties, WE can, ultimately, thru our sheer will & perseverence, snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat, conquer our demons, & plant our flag on all soils, without regard to race, color,creed,religion, language, food preference, World Cup wins, or political alliance.
If you are the first person who can prove he/she provided information regarding this blog on another continent, and that person(s) checks in, I will provide a menu of prizes, of which you will be able to choose!
Free stuff- all for contributing to MY dream! Lets the emails begin!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Learn to Walk Before You Run-The Legend of Bonebuster Jack Stevens
Since I have been in & out wrestling dressing rooms since I was 20 years old, I have had the unique pleasure of meeting a wide variety of wrestlers, managers, referees,valets, & a few guys & gals who were trying to find a place in our sport, but hadn't yet.
When I first started, I had alot of ideas on how I would get myself over ( to make myself known & popular to the fans), and earlier today, I got to thinking about them and how I could tie the into a blog. Lucky you, huh?? lol
My first idea was to call myself Bonebuster Jack Stevens, a mecenary/ bounty hunter type not unlike Dog, the Bounty Hunter himself. Now, the bounty hunter idea was hardly fresh stuff in wrestling, but I thought the name was pretty cool, so I was pricing a big cowboy duster, leather biker boots,etc- I even priced photos with infamous "WANTED", Wild West style framing & color scheme- anything that would lend itself to the character, as is the more common term today. I wanted to establish this name as a real dangerous, renegade type guy; a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional wrestling.
Never mind that, at 20 years old, I was about 185 lbs..... tall & thin ( I wish thats was the case today....:)
I had a mullet which, as time has proven to us, doesn't exactly scream "dangerous renegade"......and, as part & parcel of being tall & thin, I wasn't particularly powerful with respect to my wrestling style- a guy with such a gimmick should be 1)physically intimidating, 2)be a good brawler & 3) show above average power- and of the 3 key elements, I had zero. I had, however, a real good looking leather vest & hat, so I was ready to move forward with the Bonebuster idea.
I proudly took this idea to Neil Superior, my wrestling instructor. As he listened to the idea, and looked at the detailed run down of the gimmick I jotted down on paper, he looked at me & asked me a very simple question: "do you even know who YOU are yet?" The question initially hurt my feelings & instantly made me defensive about the validity of my idea, but, as he was prone to do, he explained what he meant.
Basically, Neil was telling me that,while my idea may be good, it may not be good for ME- in other words, everything doesn't always fit a particular individuals style & skills; and that I needed to learn who I was as a wrestler- I didn't even have a dozen matches under my belt yet!
All too often, in meeting young guys & girls getting started, they have already decided that they are someone, and some of them don't even have as much experience as I when I approached Neil all those years ago....and sadly, its alot easier to try to do it your own way then follow someone else advice- and as most of us know, experience teaches you that it wasn't always the right way to go.
I recall a young guy some years ago who came to us for a try out match- right away, he explained that his character was that of a psycho ward inmate, and that he would, at one point in the match, would grab his head & start shaking violently- this, he told us that this was the voice of grandfather talking to him, trying to get him to do things that he ordinarily would not. "You see, he continued, my grandfather told me me hurt & torture these small animals as a child, which lead to my incarceration, which brought me to what I became- an patient at an insane asylum". Real likeable,huh?
He then proceeded to do every single spectacular wrestling move know to man at the time, high flying all over the ring as we all wondered a) what he would do next & b) how this all tied into his "character".
Afterwards, after we told him he was quite the impressive athlete, we ask how what he did in the match lent itself to his very explanation of who he was- and his response, which I will never forget, was " I guess some people get it, and some people don't...." Exactly.
When I first started, I had alot of ideas on how I would get myself over ( to make myself known & popular to the fans), and earlier today, I got to thinking about them and how I could tie the into a blog. Lucky you, huh?? lol
My first idea was to call myself Bonebuster Jack Stevens, a mecenary/ bounty hunter type not unlike Dog, the Bounty Hunter himself. Now, the bounty hunter idea was hardly fresh stuff in wrestling, but I thought the name was pretty cool, so I was pricing a big cowboy duster, leather biker boots,etc- I even priced photos with infamous "WANTED", Wild West style framing & color scheme- anything that would lend itself to the character, as is the more common term today. I wanted to establish this name as a real dangerous, renegade type guy; a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional wrestling.
Never mind that, at 20 years old, I was about 185 lbs..... tall & thin ( I wish thats was the case today....:)
I had a mullet which, as time has proven to us, doesn't exactly scream "dangerous renegade"......and, as part & parcel of being tall & thin, I wasn't particularly powerful with respect to my wrestling style- a guy with such a gimmick should be 1)physically intimidating, 2)be a good brawler & 3) show above average power- and of the 3 key elements, I had zero. I had, however, a real good looking leather vest & hat, so I was ready to move forward with the Bonebuster idea.
I proudly took this idea to Neil Superior, my wrestling instructor. As he listened to the idea, and looked at the detailed run down of the gimmick I jotted down on paper, he looked at me & asked me a very simple question: "do you even know who YOU are yet?" The question initially hurt my feelings & instantly made me defensive about the validity of my idea, but, as he was prone to do, he explained what he meant.
Basically, Neil was telling me that,while my idea may be good, it may not be good for ME- in other words, everything doesn't always fit a particular individuals style & skills; and that I needed to learn who I was as a wrestler- I didn't even have a dozen matches under my belt yet!
All too often, in meeting young guys & girls getting started, they have already decided that they are someone, and some of them don't even have as much experience as I when I approached Neil all those years ago....and sadly, its alot easier to try to do it your own way then follow someone else advice- and as most of us know, experience teaches you that it wasn't always the right way to go.
I recall a young guy some years ago who came to us for a try out match- right away, he explained that his character was that of a psycho ward inmate, and that he would, at one point in the match, would grab his head & start shaking violently- this, he told us that this was the voice of grandfather talking to him, trying to get him to do things that he ordinarily would not. "You see, he continued, my grandfather told me me hurt & torture these small animals as a child, which lead to my incarceration, which brought me to what I became- an patient at an insane asylum". Real likeable,huh?
He then proceeded to do every single spectacular wrestling move know to man at the time, high flying all over the ring as we all wondered a) what he would do next & b) how this all tied into his "character".
Afterwards, after we told him he was quite the impressive athlete, we ask how what he did in the match lent itself to his very explanation of who he was- and his response, which I will never forget, was " I guess some people get it, and some people don't...." Exactly.
Greetings! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas- it was a great year for myself & my family, and I hope it was for yours as well! Now, PLEASE turn on a regular radio station!
A few things of note I'd like to comment on, now that things are back to normal.....
WWE/ KAVAL: WWE & Kaval (aka Low Ki, real name Brandon Silvestry) parted company on Xmas eve, with the story being Kaval asked for his release when "creative" said they had "nothing for him".
Kaval is, in his own way, a victim of what I consider WWE's disdain for its own audience: being the fan chosen winner of season 2 of NXT ( basically, an introductory tv show to bridge the gap between "developmental" talent & "main roster" talent) Kaval represented everything the WWE hates: a performer that gets over to audience due his uniqueness and not his size. Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of his work: friends of mine,who have worked with him in the ring in the past, have noted his stiffness (excessively hard hitting) & sometimes less than stellar professional attitude. That said, and I'm sure those issues were addressed with him, and watching his recent tv bouts before his release, I noticed an improvement on those issues.
In recent years, WWE has developed a pattern of hand chosing a few "top guys" and, whether or not the fans get behind them, jam them down the audiences' throat, with no regard for the talent that the fans have chosen to be the next top stars- a point I'm sure NEVER gets brought up during meetings where the topics of discussion are" the ratings are lower than we want" & "the pay per view numbers are way down" & "why aren't these guys getting over??" Notable: Jeff Hardy 2008, Kofi Kingston 2009 come to mind right away without thought.
Now, I'm not suggesting that Kaval was in their company in terms of crowd acceptance; all I'm saying is that, if the talent all works for your company, why would you purposely hold down guys that the fans are supporting, by puting them in no win situations & having the announcers criticize their every flaw? I think we have all heard of "self fulfilling prophecies", have we not? If given the choice between being "right" & making more money, what would you choose? Maybe Vince just has too much money to care.....
************************************************
The history of pro wrestling is something in which I have always took a great interest , and as this project has continued to develop, the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md, in particular, has become quite alot of fun. For me, its kind of exciting to see how much has happened in my hometown, which was always "WWWF/WWF" country, due to its geographical location.
Today, we focus on the years 1967-1969: research shows only one event in '67 in Hagerstown; which, based on the 1963-1966 totals, its almost as though the town fell offf the map!
April 5, 1967, Hagerstown Armory: full results unavailable: Midget tag match, Tank Morgan vs. The Ox ( Ox Baker???) Gorilla Monsoon & The Kentucky Butcher vs. Antonio Pugliese &Spiros Arion
1968 doesn't improve much, with only 3 events on record:
Oct 1,1968: Armory: complete results unavailable: Betty Boucher & Toni Rose vs. Joyce Grable & Doris Ponds, Spiros Arion vs. Cowboy Rocky Fitzpatrick ( aka Bob Orton Sr.)
three weeks later, the caravan rolls thru again....
Oct 23,1968, Armory, complete results unavailable: Baron Scicluna vs Arnold Skaaland, Rocky Fitzpatrick vs. Earl Maynard, Victor Rivera vs. Apache Bull Ramos, Gorilla Monsoon & Kentucky Butcher vs. Haystacks Calhoun & Spiros Arion
Dec 27,1968-Armory: complete results unavailable: Midgets- Sky Low Low & Lil Brutus vs. Irish Jackie & Little Beaver, Johnny Rodz vs.Pete Sanchez, Baron Scicluna vs. Dom Denucci, Spiros Arion vs. Kentucky Butcher
1969 saw a increase in live events- my understanding is that, overall, business was down during this period, which may necessitated an increase in "spot show" towns like ours to help the overall balance.
March 5,1969-*Armory:complete results unavailable: Skaaland vs. Tom Brandon, John L Sullivan ( Johnny Valiant vs Lou Albano,Sky Low Low & Cowboy Bradley vs. Lil Beaver & Irish Jackie, Haystacks Calhoun vs. Killer Kowalski
April 25,1969-Armory*- CRU- Skaaland vs. Mr. Fuji, Duke Savage ( Dutch Savage??) vs. John L Sullivan, Midget tag match, Haystacks & Victor Rivera vs. Bulldog Brower & Crazy Luke Graham
May 16,1969-Armory-* + CRU: Carlos Colon vs. Buster Gordon, John L Sullivan vs. Baron Scicluna, Crazy Luke Graham vs. Bulldog Brower, Haystacks vs. Prof Toru Tanaka, Battle Royale
June 10,1969-Armory -CRU: Arnold Skaaland vs. Lou Albano, Carlos Colon vs. Duke Savage, Midget Tag, WWWF Title: Baron Scicluna vs. Bruno Sammartino
August 11,1969-Armory-CRU: 2/3 falls Ladies Tag: Betty Boucher & Patty Nelson vs. Fabulous Moolah & Vivian Vachon, 2/3 falls mens tag: Haystacks Calhoun & Victor Rivera vs. Mitsu Arakawa & Prof. Toru Tanaka
notes: the *notation indicates I have the showbills from these events, all but one in quite impressive condition, considering they are now 41+ years old.... the + notates a obvious grudge match set up, as on 4/25, the team of Graham & Brower faced Calhoun & Rivera, then on 5/16, Brower took on Crazy Luke in what was billed as a grudge match! I wonder what in fact took place to set up battle of lunatics on North Potomac Street! .... 8/11 marks the first card I'm aware of that featured only 2 bouts, both 2/3 falls, which both a mens& Ladies tag team tilt....interesting . 1969 also featured the return of Bruno Sammartino, after a several year absence, to defend the title vs. Baron Scicluna on 6/10...and I'm reasonably sure, given his upcoming championship match the following month, that the Baron laid quite a beating on the future Luscious Johnny Valiant on 5/16!
So until next time....
SSS
A few things of note I'd like to comment on, now that things are back to normal.....
WWE/ KAVAL: WWE & Kaval (aka Low Ki, real name Brandon Silvestry) parted company on Xmas eve, with the story being Kaval asked for his release when "creative" said they had "nothing for him".
Kaval is, in his own way, a victim of what I consider WWE's disdain for its own audience: being the fan chosen winner of season 2 of NXT ( basically, an introductory tv show to bridge the gap between "developmental" talent & "main roster" talent) Kaval represented everything the WWE hates: a performer that gets over to audience due his uniqueness and not his size. Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of his work: friends of mine,who have worked with him in the ring in the past, have noted his stiffness (excessively hard hitting) & sometimes less than stellar professional attitude. That said, and I'm sure those issues were addressed with him, and watching his recent tv bouts before his release, I noticed an improvement on those issues.
In recent years, WWE has developed a pattern of hand chosing a few "top guys" and, whether or not the fans get behind them, jam them down the audiences' throat, with no regard for the talent that the fans have chosen to be the next top stars- a point I'm sure NEVER gets brought up during meetings where the topics of discussion are" the ratings are lower than we want" & "the pay per view numbers are way down" & "why aren't these guys getting over??" Notable: Jeff Hardy 2008, Kofi Kingston 2009 come to mind right away without thought.
Now, I'm not suggesting that Kaval was in their company in terms of crowd acceptance; all I'm saying is that, if the talent all works for your company, why would you purposely hold down guys that the fans are supporting, by puting them in no win situations & having the announcers criticize their every flaw? I think we have all heard of "self fulfilling prophecies", have we not? If given the choice between being "right" & making more money, what would you choose? Maybe Vince just has too much money to care.....
************************************************
The history of pro wrestling is something in which I have always took a great interest , and as this project has continued to develop, the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md, in particular, has become quite alot of fun. For me, its kind of exciting to see how much has happened in my hometown, which was always "WWWF/WWF" country, due to its geographical location.
Today, we focus on the years 1967-1969: research shows only one event in '67 in Hagerstown; which, based on the 1963-1966 totals, its almost as though the town fell offf the map!
April 5, 1967, Hagerstown Armory: full results unavailable: Midget tag match, Tank Morgan vs. The Ox ( Ox Baker???) Gorilla Monsoon & The Kentucky Butcher vs. Antonio Pugliese &Spiros Arion
1968 doesn't improve much, with only 3 events on record:
Oct 1,1968: Armory: complete results unavailable: Betty Boucher & Toni Rose vs. Joyce Grable & Doris Ponds, Spiros Arion vs. Cowboy Rocky Fitzpatrick ( aka Bob Orton Sr.)
three weeks later, the caravan rolls thru again....
Oct 23,1968, Armory, complete results unavailable: Baron Scicluna vs Arnold Skaaland, Rocky Fitzpatrick vs. Earl Maynard, Victor Rivera vs. Apache Bull Ramos, Gorilla Monsoon & Kentucky Butcher vs. Haystacks Calhoun & Spiros Arion
Dec 27,1968-Armory: complete results unavailable: Midgets- Sky Low Low & Lil Brutus vs. Irish Jackie & Little Beaver, Johnny Rodz vs.Pete Sanchez, Baron Scicluna vs. Dom Denucci, Spiros Arion vs. Kentucky Butcher
1969 saw a increase in live events- my understanding is that, overall, business was down during this period, which may necessitated an increase in "spot show" towns like ours to help the overall balance.
March 5,1969-*Armory:complete results unavailable: Skaaland vs. Tom Brandon, John L Sullivan ( Johnny Valiant vs Lou Albano,Sky Low Low & Cowboy Bradley vs. Lil Beaver & Irish Jackie, Haystacks Calhoun vs. Killer Kowalski
April 25,1969-Armory*- CRU- Skaaland vs. Mr. Fuji, Duke Savage ( Dutch Savage??) vs. John L Sullivan, Midget tag match, Haystacks & Victor Rivera vs. Bulldog Brower & Crazy Luke Graham
May 16,1969-Armory-* + CRU: Carlos Colon vs. Buster Gordon, John L Sullivan vs. Baron Scicluna, Crazy Luke Graham vs. Bulldog Brower, Haystacks vs. Prof Toru Tanaka, Battle Royale
June 10,1969-Armory -CRU: Arnold Skaaland vs. Lou Albano, Carlos Colon vs. Duke Savage, Midget Tag, WWWF Title: Baron Scicluna vs. Bruno Sammartino
August 11,1969-Armory-CRU: 2/3 falls Ladies Tag: Betty Boucher & Patty Nelson vs. Fabulous Moolah & Vivian Vachon, 2/3 falls mens tag: Haystacks Calhoun & Victor Rivera vs. Mitsu Arakawa & Prof. Toru Tanaka
notes: the *notation indicates I have the showbills from these events, all but one in quite impressive condition, considering they are now 41+ years old.... the + notates a obvious grudge match set up, as on 4/25, the team of Graham & Brower faced Calhoun & Rivera, then on 5/16, Brower took on Crazy Luke in what was billed as a grudge match! I wonder what in fact took place to set up battle of lunatics on North Potomac Street! .... 8/11 marks the first card I'm aware of that featured only 2 bouts, both 2/3 falls, which both a mens& Ladies tag team tilt....interesting . 1969 also featured the return of Bruno Sammartino, after a several year absence, to defend the title vs. Baron Scicluna on 6/10...and I'm reasonably sure, given his upcoming championship match the following month, that the Baron laid quite a beating on the future Luscious Johnny Valiant on 5/16!
So until next time....
SSS
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Flashback:1987
Hello to the faithful readers of this diatribe! I decided to come to work today to avoid what was sure to be another boring day at home- no kids (school) no girlfriend (work) & no signifigant projects to do ( laziness)
Today, as I continue to write about the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md, I'm going to detour from the format of publishing results & sharing my opinions about bouts that took place during the 1960s to focus on the events of a particular card I attended, one of many, as a teenager in the Hub City. I hope you enjoy the story- a few of you reading may have been at this card, and a few of you reading may have been there WITH me at this card!
The date: September 7,1987. The place: the always venerable Hagerstown Fairgrounds, with its huge grandstand that stood 40 feet high at least. The card was promoted by a group referring to themselves as "USWA Championship Wrestling", with no known affiliation to the Memphis group operated by Jerry Jarrett & Jerry Lawler, whom at that point, were not using that name. The USWA that stampeded thru Hagerstown that night was operated by Bob Raskin of New Jersey, who promoted several "outlaw" or "independent" wrestling events up & down the east coast using a variety of different names.
I recall spotting the poster for the event at the Sheetz Conv. Store on the Dual Highway ( still at same location to this day, however a different building has been in place the late 90s) I'm sure that I purchased the tickets there, as they were listed as an outlet ( something that would never happen today).
Several very familiar names were slated to appear: veteran WWWF/WWF star Domenic Denucci, former WWF Tag Team Champions The Moondogs, notably. But the two names that jumped off the cardboard showbill at me, guaranteeing my attendence that night ( I wasn't likely to miss it anyway, but..) BRUISER BRODY VS ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER!!!!
Brody & Abdullah epitomized the flavor of the "outlaw" promotions of the day: blood, guts, & violence, 125 proof. These two warriors had a feud for the ages, hitting 18,000 seat arenas in Tokyo,Japan to baseball stadiums in Puerto Rico, to horse barns in rural Kansas, and all points in between! Now, Hagerstown Fairgrounds was gonna get a taste of the bloodshed!
The balance of the card was augmented by, as I would learn later, students of DeNucci's wrestling school in Pittsburgh, most notably a young man called Cactus Jack Foley, whom would later become one the biggest stars in wrestling history under his real name, Mick Foley, and his aliases, Mankind,Cactus Jack & Dude Love. Also filling out the underneath were a few known performers from Philadelphia, King Kahlua & Larry Winters, both of whom made several appearances on ESPN's AWA Championship Wrestling, when they were taping their show at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
The weather conditions were unseasonably cold & rainy that September evening, keeping the attendence down well below capacity ( looking back, 23 plus years later, I'm gonna say there were less than 250 in attendence- a miserable figure for this area; the previous year, an appearance by Sgt Slaughter,Wendi Richter, & Superstar Billy Graham* drew approximately 2000, by my estimation,which is less than scientific)
*Graham no showed, on his way back to the WWF for the final run of his career
The Fairgrounds set up was unique, in that, in addition to the huge, both in height and capacity, grandstand, it also had an approximately 30-40 yard separation from the grandstand to a huge concrete stage in the middle of the property-which had a roof-and due to a 6 ft high metal fence the whole way around the property, it required the wrestlers to walk thru the crowd & across the infield to get to the ring.
About 500 folding chairs were place in between the stage & the grandstand, which were virtually empty & very wet- most of those whom chose to attend took refuge in the grandstand- however, my next door neighbor Greg Church, friend for life "Iron" Joe Miller, a friend of Joe's whos name escapes me, and myself chose to sit on the "infield" seats- at least initially. Conspicious by his absence was my brother Shawn, whom was probably at home attending to my nephew Ryan, who wasn't even 2 months old.
Denucci kicked things off this miserable September night against The Polish Prince, whom fittingly, hailed from Poland. For those unfamiliar, Denucci was a big man, standing about 6'4, 265 lbs, while the PP was probably closer to 6 ft, while weighing in at approximately 285lbs. Denucci was a big star in his time, having toured the world, making several stops in multiple locales ( even holding a version of the world title in Australia, during the biggest boom period in that countries wrestling history) However, at this point, Dom in his early 50s, and his movements, while never particularly crisp, were quite sluggish. With that in mind, after a hard fought victory over the Prince, on his way thru the throng that cluttered the exitway ( all 10 of us) Greg Church looks squarely at Dom and bellows "hey, you really suck!" The look on Dom's face was one I remember to this very day: he had a "what can I say?"expression that told me he knew the bout was less than stellar. Brutal.
Tag team action was up next, as Foley & Man Mountain Miller took on the Moondogs. Right away, it was obvious to knowledgeable wrestling fan that these WEREN'T The Moondogs we knew from years of being on television: these were two knockoffs, in the form of two blonde fat guys wearing torn jeans,rope belts, & carrying huge bones. Miller was a big man, probably 6'6 & 300 lbs. The 'Dogs pulled off a hard fought victory, via use of their heavy bones to Foleys head while the referee was distracted. Foley exhibited none of the trademark moves or bumps that would make him famous later, but worked a hard and solid match.
As The Moondogs were leaving the ring, the rain picked up noticably, and the four of us sitting together ( Greg,Joe,Myself, & mystery guy) decided to take our chairs and move up on the stage.... this attempt to stay dry lasted about 5 minutes, as Promoter Raskin banished us back out in the rain.
Without fail, every pro wrestling event had to feature some type of patriotic symbolism during this time period, and on this night it reared his head in the form of the United States Ladies Champion, Misti Blue Simms facing none other than Comrade Orga, coming to us from Moscow,Russia. The crowd in attendence showed strong support for its freedom fighter and, although it seemed for awhile that the US Ladies belt may end up on the mantle of the menacing Soviet, Misti retained the title to preserve American ideals!
A brief intermission was then called, as everyone headed towards Misti to obtain an autographed photo, and others as well. It was during this period that one of The Moondogs approached us and ask us if we REALLY wanted to sit on the stage! We were all somewhat flummoxed; we were not sure if this menacing blonde unkempt looking man intended to put us in our place, via Raskins instructions! As it turned out, it was his ring, and he offered us stage seats for the rest of the evening,under one condition: we helped tear down the ring afterward! To say that we jumped at the chance would be saying that the Earth is just another planet...we were thrilled at the opportunity to perform manual labor; it guaranteed us a chance to be in the ring & get photos!
Intermission ended, and as the action recommenced ( with 4 teenagers creating a new row of ringside seats) Kahlua came to the ring & insulted Hagerstown (I don't recall what he said, but I'm sure most of it was true) which brought out Larry Winters to defend out the towns honor ( even though he was from Philadelphia) and excellent bout took place between the two, with back and forth, high flying action taking place for the next 10-12 minutes.
Winters took absolute control of the bout at this point, with Kahlua begging for mercy & forgiveness, as the crowd roared; the roar would turn to shrieking however, as, out of the darkness that was the Fairgrounds infield that night, Abdullah hit the ring, unannounced, and attacked Winters from behind! Abdullah pulled out his trusty fork & opened Winters' head, and he hit the mat, rithing in pain. Kahlua regained his senses and he & The Madman from Sudan viciously double teamed poor Larry, as the crowd screamed, horrified at the sight.
Help was on its way, however, as Bruiser Brody stormed thru the crowd, swinging his chain, making a beeline towards his hated rival, looking to play the dual role of avenger & revenger; Brody hit the ring & was quickly double up upon by the Butcher/Kaluha tandem; this advantage would be brief, as an attempted double clothesline to Bruiser backfired, and Kahlua was thrown from the ring, where Winters, having regained a form of composure, fought with his rival well in the darkness & beyond the crowds view.
It was center stage time for Brody & Abby, and the two warriors rose to the occasion: to say these men fought like their lives were on the line would be an understatement of great magnitude. It started in the ring, spilled out, went back into the ring, & spilt out again! The blood almost literally shot out of Brody's head as though it was shot from a hypodermic needle; Abdullah bled heavily as well. The action almost ended up on our very laps, as they two titans fought outside once again. Scared as I was ( and I was, I have no shame in admitting) I did manage to snap a photograph of these legendary stars as they battled no more than 2 feet away from me! The fight went down the steps, out thru the infield, up the grandstand, & finally back to the dressing room. At that point, promoter Raskin, who doubled as ring announcer, called this match a No Contest.
With our hearts still pumping, we began to help tear down the ring, but not before getting a variety of snapshots on the tiny little camera my mother allowed me to borrow that night. While the action shots, dark as they were, turned out to what could be charitably referred to as poor quality, the posed pictures in the ring did not. Not that it matters- the memory of this night is burned in my brain, 23+ years later.
Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors- I have proofread this about 6 times, and I can't any longer- I actually have to go work!
SSS
Today, as I continue to write about the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md, I'm going to detour from the format of publishing results & sharing my opinions about bouts that took place during the 1960s to focus on the events of a particular card I attended, one of many, as a teenager in the Hub City. I hope you enjoy the story- a few of you reading may have been at this card, and a few of you reading may have been there WITH me at this card!
The date: September 7,1987. The place: the always venerable Hagerstown Fairgrounds, with its huge grandstand that stood 40 feet high at least. The card was promoted by a group referring to themselves as "USWA Championship Wrestling", with no known affiliation to the Memphis group operated by Jerry Jarrett & Jerry Lawler, whom at that point, were not using that name. The USWA that stampeded thru Hagerstown that night was operated by Bob Raskin of New Jersey, who promoted several "outlaw" or "independent" wrestling events up & down the east coast using a variety of different names.
I recall spotting the poster for the event at the Sheetz Conv. Store on the Dual Highway ( still at same location to this day, however a different building has been in place the late 90s) I'm sure that I purchased the tickets there, as they were listed as an outlet ( something that would never happen today).
Several very familiar names were slated to appear: veteran WWWF/WWF star Domenic Denucci, former WWF Tag Team Champions The Moondogs, notably. But the two names that jumped off the cardboard showbill at me, guaranteeing my attendence that night ( I wasn't likely to miss it anyway, but..) BRUISER BRODY VS ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER!!!!
Brody & Abdullah epitomized the flavor of the "outlaw" promotions of the day: blood, guts, & violence, 125 proof. These two warriors had a feud for the ages, hitting 18,000 seat arenas in Tokyo,Japan to baseball stadiums in Puerto Rico, to horse barns in rural Kansas, and all points in between! Now, Hagerstown Fairgrounds was gonna get a taste of the bloodshed!
The balance of the card was augmented by, as I would learn later, students of DeNucci's wrestling school in Pittsburgh, most notably a young man called Cactus Jack Foley, whom would later become one the biggest stars in wrestling history under his real name, Mick Foley, and his aliases, Mankind,Cactus Jack & Dude Love. Also filling out the underneath were a few known performers from Philadelphia, King Kahlua & Larry Winters, both of whom made several appearances on ESPN's AWA Championship Wrestling, when they were taping their show at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
The weather conditions were unseasonably cold & rainy that September evening, keeping the attendence down well below capacity ( looking back, 23 plus years later, I'm gonna say there were less than 250 in attendence- a miserable figure for this area; the previous year, an appearance by Sgt Slaughter,Wendi Richter, & Superstar Billy Graham* drew approximately 2000, by my estimation,which is less than scientific)
*Graham no showed, on his way back to the WWF for the final run of his career
The Fairgrounds set up was unique, in that, in addition to the huge, both in height and capacity, grandstand, it also had an approximately 30-40 yard separation from the grandstand to a huge concrete stage in the middle of the property-which had a roof-and due to a 6 ft high metal fence the whole way around the property, it required the wrestlers to walk thru the crowd & across the infield to get to the ring.
About 500 folding chairs were place in between the stage & the grandstand, which were virtually empty & very wet- most of those whom chose to attend took refuge in the grandstand- however, my next door neighbor Greg Church, friend for life "Iron" Joe Miller, a friend of Joe's whos name escapes me, and myself chose to sit on the "infield" seats- at least initially. Conspicious by his absence was my brother Shawn, whom was probably at home attending to my nephew Ryan, who wasn't even 2 months old.
Denucci kicked things off this miserable September night against The Polish Prince, whom fittingly, hailed from Poland. For those unfamiliar, Denucci was a big man, standing about 6'4, 265 lbs, while the PP was probably closer to 6 ft, while weighing in at approximately 285lbs. Denucci was a big star in his time, having toured the world, making several stops in multiple locales ( even holding a version of the world title in Australia, during the biggest boom period in that countries wrestling history) However, at this point, Dom in his early 50s, and his movements, while never particularly crisp, were quite sluggish. With that in mind, after a hard fought victory over the Prince, on his way thru the throng that cluttered the exitway ( all 10 of us) Greg Church looks squarely at Dom and bellows "hey, you really suck!" The look on Dom's face was one I remember to this very day: he had a "what can I say?"expression that told me he knew the bout was less than stellar. Brutal.
Tag team action was up next, as Foley & Man Mountain Miller took on the Moondogs. Right away, it was obvious to knowledgeable wrestling fan that these WEREN'T The Moondogs we knew from years of being on television: these were two knockoffs, in the form of two blonde fat guys wearing torn jeans,rope belts, & carrying huge bones. Miller was a big man, probably 6'6 & 300 lbs. The 'Dogs pulled off a hard fought victory, via use of their heavy bones to Foleys head while the referee was distracted. Foley exhibited none of the trademark moves or bumps that would make him famous later, but worked a hard and solid match.
As The Moondogs were leaving the ring, the rain picked up noticably, and the four of us sitting together ( Greg,Joe,Myself, & mystery guy) decided to take our chairs and move up on the stage.... this attempt to stay dry lasted about 5 minutes, as Promoter Raskin banished us back out in the rain.
Without fail, every pro wrestling event had to feature some type of patriotic symbolism during this time period, and on this night it reared his head in the form of the United States Ladies Champion, Misti Blue Simms facing none other than Comrade Orga, coming to us from Moscow,Russia. The crowd in attendence showed strong support for its freedom fighter and, although it seemed for awhile that the US Ladies belt may end up on the mantle of the menacing Soviet, Misti retained the title to preserve American ideals!
A brief intermission was then called, as everyone headed towards Misti to obtain an autographed photo, and others as well. It was during this period that one of The Moondogs approached us and ask us if we REALLY wanted to sit on the stage! We were all somewhat flummoxed; we were not sure if this menacing blonde unkempt looking man intended to put us in our place, via Raskins instructions! As it turned out, it was his ring, and he offered us stage seats for the rest of the evening,under one condition: we helped tear down the ring afterward! To say that we jumped at the chance would be saying that the Earth is just another planet...we were thrilled at the opportunity to perform manual labor; it guaranteed us a chance to be in the ring & get photos!
Intermission ended, and as the action recommenced ( with 4 teenagers creating a new row of ringside seats) Kahlua came to the ring & insulted Hagerstown (I don't recall what he said, but I'm sure most of it was true) which brought out Larry Winters to defend out the towns honor ( even though he was from Philadelphia) and excellent bout took place between the two, with back and forth, high flying action taking place for the next 10-12 minutes.
Winters took absolute control of the bout at this point, with Kahlua begging for mercy & forgiveness, as the crowd roared; the roar would turn to shrieking however, as, out of the darkness that was the Fairgrounds infield that night, Abdullah hit the ring, unannounced, and attacked Winters from behind! Abdullah pulled out his trusty fork & opened Winters' head, and he hit the mat, rithing in pain. Kahlua regained his senses and he & The Madman from Sudan viciously double teamed poor Larry, as the crowd screamed, horrified at the sight.
Help was on its way, however, as Bruiser Brody stormed thru the crowd, swinging his chain, making a beeline towards his hated rival, looking to play the dual role of avenger & revenger; Brody hit the ring & was quickly double up upon by the Butcher/Kaluha tandem; this advantage would be brief, as an attempted double clothesline to Bruiser backfired, and Kahlua was thrown from the ring, where Winters, having regained a form of composure, fought with his rival well in the darkness & beyond the crowds view.
It was center stage time for Brody & Abby, and the two warriors rose to the occasion: to say these men fought like their lives were on the line would be an understatement of great magnitude. It started in the ring, spilled out, went back into the ring, & spilt out again! The blood almost literally shot out of Brody's head as though it was shot from a hypodermic needle; Abdullah bled heavily as well. The action almost ended up on our very laps, as they two titans fought outside once again. Scared as I was ( and I was, I have no shame in admitting) I did manage to snap a photograph of these legendary stars as they battled no more than 2 feet away from me! The fight went down the steps, out thru the infield, up the grandstand, & finally back to the dressing room. At that point, promoter Raskin, who doubled as ring announcer, called this match a No Contest.
With our hearts still pumping, we began to help tear down the ring, but not before getting a variety of snapshots on the tiny little camera my mother allowed me to borrow that night. While the action shots, dark as they were, turned out to what could be charitably referred to as poor quality, the posed pictures in the ring did not. Not that it matters- the memory of this night is burned in my brain, 23+ years later.
Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors- I have proofread this about 6 times, and I can't any longer- I actually have to go work!
SSS
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
History of Pro Wrestling in hagerstown: 1965-66
I'm currently on vacation,and since I have limited computer access when not at work, my blogs may be several days apart.
Stopped today by the office for our annual Xmas buffet, which for some unusual reason, is taking place on Tuesday afternoon- I can only assume there was some type of price break.....
In any event, I have compiled a few results from the Hagerstown Armory from the mid-late 1960s, and, as I continue to blog about the history of professional wrestling in my hometown, I will provide "expert" commentary & analysis
January 6,1965-Hagerstown Armory
Bruno Sammartino & Bobo Brazil vs. Crazy Luke & Dr. Jerry, The Graham Brothers
March 9,1965-Hag Armory-complete results unavailable
Smasher Sloan vs Steve Stanlee, Arnold Skaaland vs Tony Newberry (aka Geeto Mongol),Wahoo McDaniel vs. Golden Terror, Bobo Brazil vs Gorilla Monsoon, Cowboy Bill Watts vs. Don McClarty, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Waldo Von Erich
May 27, 1965- Armory: Arnold Skaaland b Smasher Sloan, Chief White Owl b Waldo Von Erich-dq, Gorilla Monsoon b Don McClarty, 2/3 falls tag team main event: Bruno Sammartino & Wahoo McDaniel b Dr Jerry Graham & Golden Terror in 24:00
1966
Feb 15,1966 (my mothers 17th birthday; I'm sure she wasn't in attendence) Baron Scicluna b Ron Etchison, Pete Sanchez b Angelo Savoldi*, Prince Iaukea ( King Curtis) b Johnny Carr, 2/3 Falls Tag: Arnold Skaaland & Antonio Pugliese ( Cannonball Tony Parisi) b Smasher Sloan & Hector Serrano, WWWF title: Bruno Sammartino b Big Bill Miller-DQ
March 8, 1966-Hagerstown Armory-1500 sellout(!)- Argentina Apollo b Ron Etchison, Baron Scicluna b Chief Big Heart, Arnold Skaaland b Johnny Carr, Johnny Valentine & Antontio Pugliese b Smasher Sloan & Prince Iaukea, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammaertino b The Beast - DQ
April 5, 1966-Hag Armory- Ron Etchison b Angelo Savoldi, Arnold Skaaland d Magnificent Maurice,Chief Big Heart b Mike Loren, 3/5 Falls 6 Man Tag: Jonny Valentine,Antonio Pugliese, & Argentina Apollo b Baron Scicluna,Prince Iaukea,& Smasher Sloan
August 6,1966- Armory: complete results unavailable; Prince Iaukea vs. Antonio Pugliese, Johnny Valentine vs. Smasher Sloan, Louis Cerdan ( Gino Brito) & Rick Sexton vs, Bill Miller & Dr Jerry Graham, Arnold Skaaland vs. Pete Sanchez, Miguel Perez vs. Johnny Rodz
Sept 30,1966-Armory : Complete results unavailable : Louis Cerdan vs. Smasher Sloan, J. Valentine vs. Sonny Myers, Pugliese vs. Bulldog Brower
Dec 27,1966-Armory: complete results unavailable: Armand Hussien vs. Lou Albano, Midget bout: Little Beaver vs. fuzzy Cupid, WWWF title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Tank Morgan
Notes: The quality of the shows, as compared to 1964, in terms of name value ( not necessarily match quality; we will never know how good ANY of these bouts were) dropped considerably as time wears on; this may have something to do with the town, already "secondary" in terms of size & population, taking another step back with the addition of Pittsburgh & Boston,respectively ( I mentioned this in a previous blog)
A few surprise names on the list: Wahoo McDaniel springs to mind: this would have been during the period where Wahoo was wrestling summers, while playing for the New York Jets.....after the 1960's,however, Wahoo never again appeared on a WWWF/WWF/WWE event until 1994, in an segment to try to get Tatanka over.....glad that worked :)
Angelo Savoldi is another surprise here: I'm not sur eif this is "Old Angelo", who was a office guy for the WWWF, or if its his son "Young Angelo", who was a northeast mainstay as both a underneath worker and, eventually, the main promoter for his family under the name "ICW" and later "IWCCW"....of whom I have a a funny story from my earliest weeks in the wrestling business. Either way, the Savoldi name always make s me laugh, and I will share the story in an upcoming post.
From looking at the results, I'm not so sure that Smasher Sloan didn't live here: he's been on virtually every card that I've found so far. He clearly is a reliable hand, as he works underneath or semi final, with one main event, on practically every area event.
I'm also a little surprise at the frequency of Bruno Sammartino's appearances, given the size of the venue; his sellout at the Armory (1500 on 3/8/66; I previously blogged that I thought the Armory would likely hold no more than 800-900; I was incorrect) One has to wonder why Bruno was brought in 6 times during 1965-66, unless the town was hurting attendence wise, which seems unlikely
Upcoming: 1967-68 at the Armory: The events become less & less frequent, as the WWWF gets yet bigger...
Stopped today by the office for our annual Xmas buffet, which for some unusual reason, is taking place on Tuesday afternoon- I can only assume there was some type of price break.....
In any event, I have compiled a few results from the Hagerstown Armory from the mid-late 1960s, and, as I continue to blog about the history of professional wrestling in my hometown, I will provide "expert" commentary & analysis
January 6,1965-Hagerstown Armory
Bruno Sammartino & Bobo Brazil vs. Crazy Luke & Dr. Jerry, The Graham Brothers
March 9,1965-Hag Armory-complete results unavailable
Smasher Sloan vs Steve Stanlee, Arnold Skaaland vs Tony Newberry (aka Geeto Mongol),Wahoo McDaniel vs. Golden Terror, Bobo Brazil vs Gorilla Monsoon, Cowboy Bill Watts vs. Don McClarty, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Waldo Von Erich
May 27, 1965- Armory: Arnold Skaaland b Smasher Sloan, Chief White Owl b Waldo Von Erich-dq, Gorilla Monsoon b Don McClarty, 2/3 falls tag team main event: Bruno Sammartino & Wahoo McDaniel b Dr Jerry Graham & Golden Terror in 24:00
1966
Feb 15,1966 (my mothers 17th birthday; I'm sure she wasn't in attendence) Baron Scicluna b Ron Etchison, Pete Sanchez b Angelo Savoldi*, Prince Iaukea ( King Curtis) b Johnny Carr, 2/3 Falls Tag: Arnold Skaaland & Antonio Pugliese ( Cannonball Tony Parisi) b Smasher Sloan & Hector Serrano, WWWF title: Bruno Sammartino b Big Bill Miller-DQ
March 8, 1966-Hagerstown Armory-1500 sellout(!)- Argentina Apollo b Ron Etchison, Baron Scicluna b Chief Big Heart, Arnold Skaaland b Johnny Carr, Johnny Valentine & Antontio Pugliese b Smasher Sloan & Prince Iaukea, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammaertino b The Beast - DQ
April 5, 1966-Hag Armory- Ron Etchison b Angelo Savoldi, Arnold Skaaland d Magnificent Maurice,Chief Big Heart b Mike Loren, 3/5 Falls 6 Man Tag: Jonny Valentine,Antonio Pugliese, & Argentina Apollo b Baron Scicluna,Prince Iaukea,& Smasher Sloan
August 6,1966- Armory: complete results unavailable; Prince Iaukea vs. Antonio Pugliese, Johnny Valentine vs. Smasher Sloan, Louis Cerdan ( Gino Brito) & Rick Sexton vs, Bill Miller & Dr Jerry Graham, Arnold Skaaland vs. Pete Sanchez, Miguel Perez vs. Johnny Rodz
Sept 30,1966-Armory : Complete results unavailable : Louis Cerdan vs. Smasher Sloan, J. Valentine vs. Sonny Myers, Pugliese vs. Bulldog Brower
Dec 27,1966-Armory: complete results unavailable: Armand Hussien vs. Lou Albano, Midget bout: Little Beaver vs. fuzzy Cupid, WWWF title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Tank Morgan
Notes: The quality of the shows, as compared to 1964, in terms of name value ( not necessarily match quality; we will never know how good ANY of these bouts were) dropped considerably as time wears on; this may have something to do with the town, already "secondary" in terms of size & population, taking another step back with the addition of Pittsburgh & Boston,respectively ( I mentioned this in a previous blog)
A few surprise names on the list: Wahoo McDaniel springs to mind: this would have been during the period where Wahoo was wrestling summers, while playing for the New York Jets.....after the 1960's,however, Wahoo never again appeared on a WWWF/WWF/WWE event until 1994, in an segment to try to get Tatanka over.....glad that worked :)
Angelo Savoldi is another surprise here: I'm not sur eif this is "Old Angelo", who was a office guy for the WWWF, or if its his son "Young Angelo", who was a northeast mainstay as both a underneath worker and, eventually, the main promoter for his family under the name "ICW" and later "IWCCW"....of whom I have a a funny story from my earliest weeks in the wrestling business. Either way, the Savoldi name always make s me laugh, and I will share the story in an upcoming post.
From looking at the results, I'm not so sure that Smasher Sloan didn't live here: he's been on virtually every card that I've found so far. He clearly is a reliable hand, as he works underneath or semi final, with one main event, on practically every area event.
I'm also a little surprise at the frequency of Bruno Sammartino's appearances, given the size of the venue; his sellout at the Armory (1500 on 3/8/66; I previously blogged that I thought the Armory would likely hold no more than 800-900; I was incorrect) One has to wonder why Bruno was brought in 6 times during 1965-66, unless the town was hurting attendence wise, which seems unlikely
Upcoming: 1967-68 at the Armory: The events become less & less frequent, as the WWWF gets yet bigger...
Saturday, December 18, 2010
In an off season full of big trades & signings, my beloved Boston Red Sox signed two outstanding relief pitchers, in an effort to bolster their bullpen from its lackluster 2010 status, as the boys from Beantown signed Tampa Rays middle man Dan Wheeler &, in the bigger of the two moves, inked up Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks.
The moves here are obviously huge- the biggest issues the Sox had last year, besides the injury plague that hammered New England, was the lack of depth behind the brilliant set up work of Daniel Bard- now, with a stronger supporting cast, hopefully the team will bolster its win total, and make a return to the World Series.
Sorry to report the death of Paul Morton, the father of our friend of Rock n Roll Express fame, Ricky Morton. No additional imformation was made available. Paul was a longtime referee for both the Jerry Jarrett/Jerry Lawler promotion, based in Memphis, and its predecessor, the Nick Gulas promotion that, up until the mid 1970s, encompassed all of Tennessee,Alabama, Kentucky, & parts of North Carolina, at the very least.
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Thanks to all who have provided feedback, in particular those whom have enjoyed the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md that I did a few days ago.....I intend to throw more your way, as I have already reviewed results from 1965-1968. Just yesterday, I drove by the the old Armory on North Potomac St, and it occured to me that it would be great to photograph the place,outside and, if allowed, inside, to give any of you interested in what the place may have looked like 45 years ago, when the giants of wrestling rolled into town. Obviously, the place has surely been upgrade since the last time I was inside 91986-87), but the outside basically looks the same. Now this may seem like a less than challenging task for most, until I remind you of my inability to even download a photo of myself onto this page....
Am I the only person who finds Alberto Del Rio incredibly entertaining and effective? I look at him & Rey Mysterio squaring off, and it just feels, already, like a classic rivalry. Del Rio has done such a good job on Smackdown the last couple of weeks, that I have entertained thoughts of ordering the upcoming WWE PPV Tables,Ladders,& Chairs. Despite my affinity for the squared circle my entire life, I am no easy mark when it comes to PPv ordering- I usually order two or three per year-Rumble,Mania, & Summerslam.
A big part, in my opinion, of Del Rio's work is, of course, his pedrigree- this is no "WWE find"- this young man is the son of legendary luchadore Dos Caras, & the nephew of the "Man of 1,000 Masks" Mil Mascaras. The pose & mannerisms he uses not only in the ring, but on the microphone, are traits that cannot just be taught- the are instinctive, and growing up in a family of wrestlers doesn't always guarantee the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but it helps keep it close, of which Dos Jr is proof. His ring work is way above average, his facial expressions are spot on, & his ability to garner a strong negative reaction is quite impressive,especially considering his limited time work in the States, as opposed to Mexixo, where interview skills are so much more necessary.
I don't think, however, it quite his time to take the title in the "traditional" pro wrestling sense, mainly because he hasn't gotten over "all the way" yet ( though hes definitely on his way) however, as I discussed a few blogs ago, "sports entertainment" is a little different, so its possible ADR could get the title this Sunday.
Perhaps more tomorrow morning...take care! remember feedback is always welcome!
SSS
The moves here are obviously huge- the biggest issues the Sox had last year, besides the injury plague that hammered New England, was the lack of depth behind the brilliant set up work of Daniel Bard- now, with a stronger supporting cast, hopefully the team will bolster its win total, and make a return to the World Series.
Sorry to report the death of Paul Morton, the father of our friend of Rock n Roll Express fame, Ricky Morton. No additional imformation was made available. Paul was a longtime referee for both the Jerry Jarrett/Jerry Lawler promotion, based in Memphis, and its predecessor, the Nick Gulas promotion that, up until the mid 1970s, encompassed all of Tennessee,Alabama, Kentucky, & parts of North Carolina, at the very least.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks to all who have provided feedback, in particular those whom have enjoyed the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown,Md that I did a few days ago.....I intend to throw more your way, as I have already reviewed results from 1965-1968. Just yesterday, I drove by the the old Armory on North Potomac St, and it occured to me that it would be great to photograph the place,outside and, if allowed, inside, to give any of you interested in what the place may have looked like 45 years ago, when the giants of wrestling rolled into town. Obviously, the place has surely been upgrade since the last time I was inside 91986-87), but the outside basically looks the same. Now this may seem like a less than challenging task for most, until I remind you of my inability to even download a photo of myself onto this page....
Am I the only person who finds Alberto Del Rio incredibly entertaining and effective? I look at him & Rey Mysterio squaring off, and it just feels, already, like a classic rivalry. Del Rio has done such a good job on Smackdown the last couple of weeks, that I have entertained thoughts of ordering the upcoming WWE PPV Tables,Ladders,& Chairs. Despite my affinity for the squared circle my entire life, I am no easy mark when it comes to PPv ordering- I usually order two or three per year-Rumble,Mania, & Summerslam.
A big part, in my opinion, of Del Rio's work is, of course, his pedrigree- this is no "WWE find"- this young man is the son of legendary luchadore Dos Caras, & the nephew of the "Man of 1,000 Masks" Mil Mascaras. The pose & mannerisms he uses not only in the ring, but on the microphone, are traits that cannot just be taught- the are instinctive, and growing up in a family of wrestlers doesn't always guarantee the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but it helps keep it close, of which Dos Jr is proof. His ring work is way above average, his facial expressions are spot on, & his ability to garner a strong negative reaction is quite impressive,especially considering his limited time work in the States, as opposed to Mexixo, where interview skills are so much more necessary.
I don't think, however, it quite his time to take the title in the "traditional" pro wrestling sense, mainly because he hasn't gotten over "all the way" yet ( though hes definitely on his way) however, as I discussed a few blogs ago, "sports entertainment" is a little different, so its possible ADR could get the title this Sunday.
Perhaps more tomorrow morning...take care! remember feedback is always welcome!
SSS
Thursday, December 16, 2010
History of Pro Wrestling in Hagerstown,Md- 1964
As the weather continues & the work day rolls (crawls) slowly on, I looked up some information as a follow up to my earlier piece on the history of Pro Wrestling in Hagerstown,Md.
Mind you, not all results are complete- but it is, in my opinion, a fascinating look into a mid sized small town and its importance to the WWWF's overall business in those early years. I will post results, & include some analysis at the end, based known facts, my opinion & from reading "in between the lines" from the results....Thanks to the great "historyofwwe.com" website for the bulk of this information.....
1/28/64 : Hagerstown Armory, North Potomac St: results not complete, but the line-up was as follows: Argentina Apollo vs. Tony Nero*, Klondike Bill vs. Chris Jelevarou, Ladies Tag: Fabulous Moolah/ Dot Carter vs. Brenda Scott/Lynn Carter, Pedro Morales vs. Dr. Jerry Graham
*Tony Nero would also compete as The Golden Terror, & The Black Demon as years went on....
2/26/64 :Hagerstown Armory: Gorilla Monsoon b Jerry Miller, Pedro Morales b Tony Nero, Dr Jerry Graham b Arnold Skaaland, Bobo Brazil b Rocky Cookson, WWWF TITLE: Bruno Sammartino b Klondike Bill
4/1/64: Hagerstown Armory: full results not available, Argentina Apollo vs. Spaceman Frank Hickey, Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd vs. Boris Malenko, Bobo Brazil vs Klondike Bill, The Grahams ( DR. Jerry & Crazy Luke) vs. The Kentuckians
5/6/64: Hagerstown Armory: full results not available, Duke Miller vs. Pedro Rodriquez, Cowboy Bill Watts vs Crazy Luke Graham, The Kentuckians vs.Boris Malenko & Magnificent Maurice, Bobo Brazil vs Dr. Jerry Graham
6/3/64: Hagerstown Municipal Stadium: Crazy Luke Graham b Duke Miller, Bill Watts D Dr Jerry Graham,The Kentuckians b Killer Kowalski & Gorilla Monsoon
8/26/64-Municipal Stadium-att 1,500 - Arnold Skaaland b John Fonti, Darling Dagmar b Diamond Lil in 2of 3 falls Ladies Midgets match, Waldo Von Erich b Tomas Marin, Bobo Brazil b Klondike Bill,WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Dr Jerry Graham
10/7/64 Hagerstown Armory: Gene Kiniski b Carlos Milano,Bill Watts b Smasher Sloan, Billy The Kid/Farmer Pete b Sonny Boy Cassidy/Cowboy Bradley in midget tag action, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Dr Jerry Graham
11/11/64 Hagerstown Armory: Jim Hady b Steve Stanlee,Arnold Skaaland b Boris Malenko, 2/3 falls tag bout: Gene Kiniski & Gorilla Monsoon b Pedro Morales/ Don McClarty, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Freddie Blassie in 28:00
11/28/64: full results not available, Magnificent Maurice vs. Baron Scicluna, Steve Stanlee vs. Johnny Powers,Betty Spencer vs. Sweet Georgia Brown, Haystacks Calhoun vs. The Golden Terror
Notes:It pretty clear to see, by looking at the results & the frequency of his appearances (7 out of 9 events that year) what an attraction Dr. Jerry Graham was for the early McMahon promotions. Long considered a master psychologist, Dr Jerry would headline for the McMahons from the late 1950s- thru circa 1968. As valuable as he was, he was reportedly quite a handful outside the ring; he would be brought back intermittently by the elder McMahon thru the late 1970s, but weight & alcohol problems cost him his career.
Boris Malenko, a huge star throughout the country during his career, never reaches much above preliminary status in the Northeast
Gene Kiniski at this point, is 2 years away from upending Lou Thesz to start a two plus year run as NWA World champion. As crazy as this seems 40+ years later,certain members of the NWA Board, who decided the champion, were concerned that Kiniski lost too many bouts to Bruno the year before his title win, and thought it would "Devalue" the title.
Bill Watts is only a few months away from his program with Bruno, which, by his own admission, would launch his career as a wrestler, and later booker & promoter. Watts "turn" on Bruno was Sammartino's first major "program" where a friend attacked him, which, when done infrequently, is the most tried a true staple in wrestling booking.
The cards, in my opinion, got stronger as the year wore on- most likely, due to wanting the summer shows, all at the venerable Municipal Stadium (which is still open; home of the Hagerstown Suns) to draw stronger crowds to to the increased venue size (having been in the Old Armory, I don't think it could possibly seat more than 800-900) It seemingly worked- one of Sammartino's title defenses vs. Dr Jerry drew 1,500.
There was another date 9/2/64 that had ANOTHER Bruno vs. Dr Jerry bout listed as having taken place in Hagerstown, but showed no other underneath matches.....however, if this is true, Bruno Vs. Dr Jerry had to have been a hot program locally! It does,however,seem to be an awfully quick return-only 6 days- so likely that was submitted in error.
In closing, whom amongst us have ever witnessed a midget ladies match, much less a 2 of 3 falls midget ladies match??? Other than the Bruno title defenses vs. Dr. Jerry & later Blassie, I would have like to see this one above all others, just due to its rarity!
Comments always welcome! See you next time!
Mind you, not all results are complete- but it is, in my opinion, a fascinating look into a mid sized small town and its importance to the WWWF's overall business in those early years. I will post results, & include some analysis at the end, based known facts, my opinion & from reading "in between the lines" from the results....Thanks to the great "historyofwwe.com" website for the bulk of this information.....
1/28/64 : Hagerstown Armory, North Potomac St: results not complete, but the line-up was as follows: Argentina Apollo vs. Tony Nero*, Klondike Bill vs. Chris Jelevarou, Ladies Tag: Fabulous Moolah/ Dot Carter vs. Brenda Scott/Lynn Carter, Pedro Morales vs. Dr. Jerry Graham
*Tony Nero would also compete as The Golden Terror, & The Black Demon as years went on....
2/26/64 :Hagerstown Armory: Gorilla Monsoon b Jerry Miller, Pedro Morales b Tony Nero, Dr Jerry Graham b Arnold Skaaland, Bobo Brazil b Rocky Cookson, WWWF TITLE: Bruno Sammartino b Klondike Bill
4/1/64: Hagerstown Armory: full results not available, Argentina Apollo vs. Spaceman Frank Hickey, Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd vs. Boris Malenko, Bobo Brazil vs Klondike Bill, The Grahams ( DR. Jerry & Crazy Luke) vs. The Kentuckians
5/6/64: Hagerstown Armory: full results not available, Duke Miller vs. Pedro Rodriquez, Cowboy Bill Watts vs Crazy Luke Graham, The Kentuckians vs.Boris Malenko & Magnificent Maurice, Bobo Brazil vs Dr. Jerry Graham
6/3/64: Hagerstown Municipal Stadium: Crazy Luke Graham b Duke Miller, Bill Watts D Dr Jerry Graham,The Kentuckians b Killer Kowalski & Gorilla Monsoon
8/26/64-Municipal Stadium-att 1,500 - Arnold Skaaland b John Fonti, Darling Dagmar b Diamond Lil in 2of 3 falls Ladies Midgets match, Waldo Von Erich b Tomas Marin, Bobo Brazil b Klondike Bill,WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Dr Jerry Graham
10/7/64 Hagerstown Armory: Gene Kiniski b Carlos Milano,Bill Watts b Smasher Sloan, Billy The Kid/Farmer Pete b Sonny Boy Cassidy/Cowboy Bradley in midget tag action, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Dr Jerry Graham
11/11/64 Hagerstown Armory: Jim Hady b Steve Stanlee,Arnold Skaaland b Boris Malenko, 2/3 falls tag bout: Gene Kiniski & Gorilla Monsoon b Pedro Morales/ Don McClarty, WWWF Title: Bruno Sammartino b Freddie Blassie in 28:00
11/28/64: full results not available, Magnificent Maurice vs. Baron Scicluna, Steve Stanlee vs. Johnny Powers,Betty Spencer vs. Sweet Georgia Brown, Haystacks Calhoun vs. The Golden Terror
Notes:It pretty clear to see, by looking at the results & the frequency of his appearances (7 out of 9 events that year) what an attraction Dr. Jerry Graham was for the early McMahon promotions. Long considered a master psychologist, Dr Jerry would headline for the McMahons from the late 1950s- thru circa 1968. As valuable as he was, he was reportedly quite a handful outside the ring; he would be brought back intermittently by the elder McMahon thru the late 1970s, but weight & alcohol problems cost him his career.
Boris Malenko, a huge star throughout the country during his career, never reaches much above preliminary status in the Northeast
Gene Kiniski at this point, is 2 years away from upending Lou Thesz to start a two plus year run as NWA World champion. As crazy as this seems 40+ years later,certain members of the NWA Board, who decided the champion, were concerned that Kiniski lost too many bouts to Bruno the year before his title win, and thought it would "Devalue" the title.
Bill Watts is only a few months away from his program with Bruno, which, by his own admission, would launch his career as a wrestler, and later booker & promoter. Watts "turn" on Bruno was Sammartino's first major "program" where a friend attacked him, which, when done infrequently, is the most tried a true staple in wrestling booking.
The cards, in my opinion, got stronger as the year wore on- most likely, due to wanting the summer shows, all at the venerable Municipal Stadium (which is still open; home of the Hagerstown Suns) to draw stronger crowds to to the increased venue size (having been in the Old Armory, I don't think it could possibly seat more than 800-900) It seemingly worked- one of Sammartino's title defenses vs. Dr Jerry drew 1,500.
There was another date 9/2/64 that had ANOTHER Bruno vs. Dr Jerry bout listed as having taken place in Hagerstown, but showed no other underneath matches.....however, if this is true, Bruno Vs. Dr Jerry had to have been a hot program locally! It does,however,seem to be an awfully quick return-only 6 days- so likely that was submitted in error.
In closing, whom amongst us have ever witnessed a midget ladies match, much less a 2 of 3 falls midget ladies match??? Other than the Bruno title defenses vs. Dr. Jerry & later Blassie, I would have like to see this one above all others, just due to its rarity!
Comments always welcome! See you next time!
"Pro Wrestling" vs. "Sports Entertainment"
As I sit here at my desk, watching the first signifigant snow of our winter, I feel the urge to continue to deliver ( plague?) my "readership" with my thoughts and opinions on my particular area of knowledge (such as it is), professional wrestling.
My close friend Bobby Keller ( the name dropping continues!) posted a plug for this blog on his Facebook, calling this "a must read for anyone in wrestling" & that I "have one of the best minds in the wrestling business". Great compliments to be sure, and while I appreciate the words, I would definitely stop myself short of such acclaim.
Pro Wrestling is a funny thing-it has a different meaning to different people, and no two promoters interpretation of the game are identical. In the last few weeks, I have definitely drawn a line between the most common ways of "booking" (putting together a wrestling event, start to finish) and that divide is between the "sports entertainment" style that is commonplace amongst promoters whom have started operations within approximately the last 5-10 years, and the "pro wrestling" style of those whom were involved in promotion pre-2000.
Mind you, I'm not saying one side or the other is wrong- ultimately, the particular fan base should dictate to the promotion what they prefer to see; In many cases, the "SE" promoters actually believe they are promoting a "PW" style (frequently refered to as "old school") So, in an effort to help anyone reading of what I think the major differences are philosophically, allow me, as the resident "best mind in wrestling", to share my observations regarding both styles.
Sports Entertainment Style:
1) a high premium on "microphone interaction" (not promos, theres a difference, and I'll explain later) between talents, sometimes as often as 5-6 different times per event
2) alot of "gimmick" bouts, usually kind of just thrown out there without a strong build up to the particular match
3) matches that often look more like "performance" than "competition"
4) musical introductions for "surprise" appearances ( run ins)
5) match finishes set up for pops( response) as opposed to building business
Pro Wrestling Style:
1) a clear, definable line between good & bad
2) promos building towards a match(matches) to increase crowd interest & awareness
3) a generally more believeable style of match, where the object of "winning" is apparent
4) finishes that either a) set up a return match or b) conclusively ending
5) "gimmick matches" that have generally been thought thru ahead of time, to build the interest in a particular match.
Now, that we have the basic differences established, allow me to define what I feel the differences are between "Microphone Interaction" & a "Promo". A "Promo" is, simply put, a way to garner interest in a match- they participant(S) will a) speak from the heart b)speak the truth or the truth as they see it c) talk about the opponent d)why they want this match e) what they think will happen in this match
"Microphone Interaction" while the intent is the same, usually is geared towards a) comedic elements or b)over wrought ideas, which often confuse the audience as to whom is good & bad, and why they should care.
Believe it or not, these two cousins, different and yet similiar, often interwine.....which sometimes works out wonderfully, but most often don't. In my interpretation of pro wrestling ( you now see what "side" I'm on) the audience needs to have a real emotional attachment or investment in the wrestler(s).....in essence, its the same as rooting for your favorite football,baseball,etc team.....you hurt when they hurt, you're hopeful as they struggle, you're excited when they rally, you're heartbroken when they lose,& estatic when they prevail- and the ups & downs of it makes you want to return next time, to see what perils your favs may be in, and how they persevere.
Once those elements are removed, its merely an "exhibition"-"Sports Entertainment", if you will- and, I have to admit, I've seen some outstanding exhibition or "SE" wrestlers over the last 18 years- guys who move for move, hold for hold, in the back & forth exchange, are quick & exciting- yet, to most fans, its largely a flurry of activity that is very hard to follow, much less invest in emotionally. Frequently, once the match ends, no one remembers the names of the guys they just watched- in comparision, its like watching the circus, or the Harlem Globetrotters- you may have been entertained, but once its over, you don't need to see it again for a long time, if ever.
I have alot of opinions of these matters, but I must conclude for now.....however, I strongly urge anyone reading to give me feedback-the floor is open, and I love a intelligent debate; all thoughts are welcome on the subject
SSS
My close friend Bobby Keller ( the name dropping continues!) posted a plug for this blog on his Facebook, calling this "a must read for anyone in wrestling" & that I "have one of the best minds in the wrestling business". Great compliments to be sure, and while I appreciate the words, I would definitely stop myself short of such acclaim.
Pro Wrestling is a funny thing-it has a different meaning to different people, and no two promoters interpretation of the game are identical. In the last few weeks, I have definitely drawn a line between the most common ways of "booking" (putting together a wrestling event, start to finish) and that divide is between the "sports entertainment" style that is commonplace amongst promoters whom have started operations within approximately the last 5-10 years, and the "pro wrestling" style of those whom were involved in promotion pre-2000.
Mind you, I'm not saying one side or the other is wrong- ultimately, the particular fan base should dictate to the promotion what they prefer to see; In many cases, the "SE" promoters actually believe they are promoting a "PW" style (frequently refered to as "old school") So, in an effort to help anyone reading of what I think the major differences are philosophically, allow me, as the resident "best mind in wrestling", to share my observations regarding both styles.
Sports Entertainment Style:
1) a high premium on "microphone interaction" (not promos, theres a difference, and I'll explain later) between talents, sometimes as often as 5-6 different times per event
2) alot of "gimmick" bouts, usually kind of just thrown out there without a strong build up to the particular match
3) matches that often look more like "performance" than "competition"
4) musical introductions for "surprise" appearances ( run ins)
5) match finishes set up for pops( response) as opposed to building business
Pro Wrestling Style:
1) a clear, definable line between good & bad
2) promos building towards a match(matches) to increase crowd interest & awareness
3) a generally more believeable style of match, where the object of "winning" is apparent
4) finishes that either a) set up a return match or b) conclusively ending
5) "gimmick matches" that have generally been thought thru ahead of time, to build the interest in a particular match.
Now, that we have the basic differences established, allow me to define what I feel the differences are between "Microphone Interaction" & a "Promo". A "Promo" is, simply put, a way to garner interest in a match- they participant(S) will a) speak from the heart b)speak the truth or the truth as they see it c) talk about the opponent d)why they want this match e) what they think will happen in this match
"Microphone Interaction" while the intent is the same, usually is geared towards a) comedic elements or b)over wrought ideas, which often confuse the audience as to whom is good & bad, and why they should care.
Believe it or not, these two cousins, different and yet similiar, often interwine.....which sometimes works out wonderfully, but most often don't. In my interpretation of pro wrestling ( you now see what "side" I'm on) the audience needs to have a real emotional attachment or investment in the wrestler(s).....in essence, its the same as rooting for your favorite football,baseball,etc team.....you hurt when they hurt, you're hopeful as they struggle, you're excited when they rally, you're heartbroken when they lose,& estatic when they prevail- and the ups & downs of it makes you want to return next time, to see what perils your favs may be in, and how they persevere.
Once those elements are removed, its merely an "exhibition"-"Sports Entertainment", if you will- and, I have to admit, I've seen some outstanding exhibition or "SE" wrestlers over the last 18 years- guys who move for move, hold for hold, in the back & forth exchange, are quick & exciting- yet, to most fans, its largely a flurry of activity that is very hard to follow, much less invest in emotionally. Frequently, once the match ends, no one remembers the names of the guys they just watched- in comparision, its like watching the circus, or the Harlem Globetrotters- you may have been entertained, but once its over, you don't need to see it again for a long time, if ever.
I have alot of opinions of these matters, but I must conclude for now.....however, I strongly urge anyone reading to give me feedback-the floor is open, and I love a intelligent debate; all thoughts are welcome on the subject
SSS
FELLER, & A SHORT HISTORY of PRO WRESTLING IN HAGERSTOWN
Good morning everyone! I hope everyone has a great day, so, in the immortal words of my friend Rob "The MAESTRO" Kellum..."Happy Thursday".
BTW.....is this name dropping thing getting on anyones nerves? I kinda think its catchy & wanna use it as my gimmick, but I don't want to annoy the "fan base" that may read this daily.....I received some advice from my old friend Ike Turner years ago - "don't be a name dropper", but I've found it amusing- at least to myself.
I guess the biggest news this morning is that Cleveland Indian great/MLB Hall of Famer Bob Feller passed away last night at the age of 92.
Feller credentials speak for themselves- 266 wins, 2500+ career strikeouts, 3 no hitters; the first pitcher to have won 20 games before the age of 21; never pitched a game in the minors; won 17 games his rookie year, when he was 17 years old; the list goes on. More impressively, Feller was the first MLB player to enlist in the Navy, the very day after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941- he subsequently lost the next 4 years of his career while fighting for our country in the biggest war in history.
I have but vague recollections of it now, but I met Mr Feller at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown,Md at a special autograph signing, circa 1982. If memory serves, my brother Shawn was in the car, suffering from a stomach ailment, and I walked inside with my mother to obtain an autograph- I believe it was a picture; whatever it was, I'm sure Shawn has it in his treasure trove of books,media guides,& autographs. I seem to recall Mr Feller as a bit gruff, but as I have aged, I have learned that is just the manner of many from his generation...RIP Mr Feller, may you always be remembered for your greatness on the field, and your selfless contributions to your country. ( a tip of the hat to CBSsports.com for much of the information provided)
******************************************************************************
Color me excited that TNA WRESTLING is making a tour stop in Hagerstown,Md. on January 16,2011 at the historic Maryland Theatre.
I have lived in Hagerstown,or its surrounding area, my entire life....and as a wrestling fan and later, a wrestler, I have first hand knowledge of most of this areas professional wrestling history, and am glad TNA is adding to a rich tradition next month.
TNA's appearance in Hagerstown marks the first time one of the "Major League" wrestling organizations have been to Hagerstown since July 1989, when approximately 5,000 fans (myself included) converged upon the venerable Hagerstown Fairgrounds to witness "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes face "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Demolition defend the then WWF (WWE) Tag titles vs. the Twin Towers ( Akeem/ One Man Gang & Big Bossman) & The Barbarian vs. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart in the evenings top bouts.
( As an aside, to show what a hot market Hagerstown was at that time, another card was held about a month later at the Fairgrounds, promoted by my late mentor Neil Superior & his father, Tricky Dick Caricofe, & drew approx 3,800 for a card featuring "Olympic Strongman" Ken Patera vs. "Ugandian Giant" Kamala, The Original Wild Samoans vs. "Rock n Roll Express" Ricky Morton & Big Sohn Studd, and The Brothers Superior (Neil & Doug) vs. The Cream Team as the headliners. BTW, I have camcorder footage of the aforementioned bouts, still in outstanding condition)
During the 1960s-early 1970s, Hagerstown was a frequent stop for the WWWF ( now WWE), using the Hagerstown Armory on North Potomac St for monthly bouts.....an wrestling aquientance sold me several posters from that era, and my research showed me the bouts took place from 1967-1971....such legendary performers as Pedro Morales,Killer Kowalski, 601 lb Haystacks Calhoun, Chief Jay Strongbow, Domenic Denucci, Dick "Bulldog" Brower and others headlined or appeared at the Armory during this period as well.
Going back a little further, the greatest champion of them all, Bruno Sammartino, verifiably defended the WWWF Title at the Armory as well during the early to mid 1960s, one time facing the infamous "Hollywood Fashion Plate" himself, Freddie Blassie! A 1966 title defense against the big man from the Isle of Malta, Baron Mikel Scicluna, also took place at the Armory.
As the years wore on, bigger towns ( Boston, Pittsburgh, New Haven) were added to the WWWF loop, wrestling appeared less frequently in small towns like Hagerstown, as bigger money was to be made, obviously in cities with bigger populations.....
Tomorrow, perhaps I can dig out my old programs & photograph old show posters...I'm not a wizard on a computer by any means, so downloading photos might as well be the Boston marathon, but I can provide results & publicity from a forgotten time.....
So until next time....
SSS
BTW.....is this name dropping thing getting on anyones nerves? I kinda think its catchy & wanna use it as my gimmick, but I don't want to annoy the "fan base" that may read this daily.....I received some advice from my old friend Ike Turner years ago - "don't be a name dropper", but I've found it amusing- at least to myself.
I guess the biggest news this morning is that Cleveland Indian great/MLB Hall of Famer Bob Feller passed away last night at the age of 92.
Feller credentials speak for themselves- 266 wins, 2500+ career strikeouts, 3 no hitters; the first pitcher to have won 20 games before the age of 21; never pitched a game in the minors; won 17 games his rookie year, when he was 17 years old; the list goes on. More impressively, Feller was the first MLB player to enlist in the Navy, the very day after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941- he subsequently lost the next 4 years of his career while fighting for our country in the biggest war in history.
I have but vague recollections of it now, but I met Mr Feller at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown,Md at a special autograph signing, circa 1982. If memory serves, my brother Shawn was in the car, suffering from a stomach ailment, and I walked inside with my mother to obtain an autograph- I believe it was a picture; whatever it was, I'm sure Shawn has it in his treasure trove of books,media guides,& autographs. I seem to recall Mr Feller as a bit gruff, but as I have aged, I have learned that is just the manner of many from his generation...RIP Mr Feller, may you always be remembered for your greatness on the field, and your selfless contributions to your country. ( a tip of the hat to CBSsports.com for much of the information provided)
******************************************************************************
Color me excited that TNA WRESTLING is making a tour stop in Hagerstown,Md. on January 16,2011 at the historic Maryland Theatre.
I have lived in Hagerstown,or its surrounding area, my entire life....and as a wrestling fan and later, a wrestler, I have first hand knowledge of most of this areas professional wrestling history, and am glad TNA is adding to a rich tradition next month.
TNA's appearance in Hagerstown marks the first time one of the "Major League" wrestling organizations have been to Hagerstown since July 1989, when approximately 5,000 fans (myself included) converged upon the venerable Hagerstown Fairgrounds to witness "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes face "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Demolition defend the then WWF (WWE) Tag titles vs. the Twin Towers ( Akeem/ One Man Gang & Big Bossman) & The Barbarian vs. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart in the evenings top bouts.
( As an aside, to show what a hot market Hagerstown was at that time, another card was held about a month later at the Fairgrounds, promoted by my late mentor Neil Superior & his father, Tricky Dick Caricofe, & drew approx 3,800 for a card featuring "Olympic Strongman" Ken Patera vs. "Ugandian Giant" Kamala, The Original Wild Samoans vs. "Rock n Roll Express" Ricky Morton & Big Sohn Studd, and The Brothers Superior (Neil & Doug) vs. The Cream Team as the headliners. BTW, I have camcorder footage of the aforementioned bouts, still in outstanding condition)
During the 1960s-early 1970s, Hagerstown was a frequent stop for the WWWF ( now WWE), using the Hagerstown Armory on North Potomac St for monthly bouts.....an wrestling aquientance sold me several posters from that era, and my research showed me the bouts took place from 1967-1971....such legendary performers as Pedro Morales,Killer Kowalski, 601 lb Haystacks Calhoun, Chief Jay Strongbow, Domenic Denucci, Dick "Bulldog" Brower and others headlined or appeared at the Armory during this period as well.
Going back a little further, the greatest champion of them all, Bruno Sammartino, verifiably defended the WWWF Title at the Armory as well during the early to mid 1960s, one time facing the infamous "Hollywood Fashion Plate" himself, Freddie Blassie! A 1966 title defense against the big man from the Isle of Malta, Baron Mikel Scicluna, also took place at the Armory.
As the years wore on, bigger towns ( Boston, Pittsburgh, New Haven) were added to the WWWF loop, wrestling appeared less frequently in small towns like Hagerstown, as bigger money was to be made, obviously in cities with bigger populations.....
Tomorrow, perhaps I can dig out my old programs & photograph old show posters...I'm not a wizard on a computer by any means, so downloading photos might as well be the Boston marathon, but I can provide results & publicity from a forgotten time.....
So until next time....
SSS
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A FINAL BOOGIE WITH A FRIEND
Back for a second blog today, since business is soooo overwhelming....Thanks to Mike "Battlin' Bob" McKain for a plug on his hysterical "Grumblings & Rumblings" blog. Mike has been a friend for about 20 years; he was the best man at my first wedding ( aka "The First Big Mistake") & is truly one of the funniest people I've ever met. Check out his stuff, you won't regret it.....
A week before Thanksgiving, in front of about 125 people in Keyser,WV, I had the opportunity to wrestle one last time with one of the greats in pro wrestling, when WWE Hall of Famer "Boogie Woogie Man" Handsome Jimmy Valiant laced up his boots "one last time" & showed the enthusiastic fans of West Virginia what an old pro can really do.
It was a very special occasion: Valiant retired in 2004 after a 40 year career, which,beginning in 1964, included over 10,000 matches; multiple championships,awards,& accolades,both as a solo & as part of the 1970s most villanous tag team, the Valiant Brothers; endured three marriages, 4 children (he & I are alot alike..lol) and 4 million miles, by his estimation, driving on US highways getting to those matches.
Jim told me last year that he was going to "come out of retirement" in 2010, to celebrate 6 decades in wrestling (60s,70s,80s,90s,2000s,2010) and, due to our long association & friendship, wanted to make CPW one of his tour stops-one of only 6 matches he would do as part of this celebration. To say I was honored would be an understatement.
They say that the best wrestlers are the guys who take their real personality traits and amp them up several notches; in most cases, that is true, but Jim is the exception to that old proven rule: when hes not in the ring or on camera, he is low key,soft spoken,& extremely mellow. But when the lights come on , BOOM, the BOOGIE MAN FEELS GOOD! MERCY DADDY! lol
I have shared the ring with him on well on over a dozen occasions since we met & became friends back in 1997, and his work never gets old for me; sometimes,I laugh out loud standing on the apron watching him,and I look at the faces of little kids, mine in particular, who never experienced him in his day & would otherwise have no idea who he was, light up when he does his stuff.
One of my favorite bouts was a tag team bout we did together in that very building in Keyser back in 2004, when he and I faced The dreaded Masked Assassin & Luscious Johnny Graham. Sometimes, your memories of a match are rosier than what was real; everyone wants to think everything they did was perfect & the crowd was going nuts, etc. So, about a week before this last match together, I popped in a DVD of this match, and my memory was pretty correct: this was an exciting match that provided the Keyser crowd with what they want to see, based on their reactions, and a surprising finish that brought the crowd to their feet! And isn't that what its really all about?
First and foremost, I'm a wrestling fan at heart, and to have had the chance to work with, and subsequently, become friends with, someone whom I admired & rooted for as a kid is no small thrill, and being the emotional guy that I CAN be, I had a special surprise I told no one about.
At the end of out tag team bout a few weeks back, which also featured my close friends Gino Samartino & Bobby Keller as Boogie & I's partners in an 8 man tag team bout, I told Jimmy that he had one more match to do, and it was against me! I then laid down flat on my back, for him to "pin" me, as a show of respect to someone I'm so fond of, and so that His last match with us was against yours truly.
But in true Valiant fashion, he went to lay on top of me, then pulled me on top of him, and ordered the ref to count him out.....afterwards, as I hugged him , I asked why he did that, and he replied, in that laid back mellow tone, "Cuz your the man,kid".
No Jimmy, YOUR the man, and you proved it to me,and everyone in Keyser that night, yet one more time....
A week before Thanksgiving, in front of about 125 people in Keyser,WV, I had the opportunity to wrestle one last time with one of the greats in pro wrestling, when WWE Hall of Famer "Boogie Woogie Man" Handsome Jimmy Valiant laced up his boots "one last time" & showed the enthusiastic fans of West Virginia what an old pro can really do.
It was a very special occasion: Valiant retired in 2004 after a 40 year career, which,beginning in 1964, included over 10,000 matches; multiple championships,awards,& accolades,both as a solo & as part of the 1970s most villanous tag team, the Valiant Brothers; endured three marriages, 4 children (he & I are alot alike..lol) and 4 million miles, by his estimation, driving on US highways getting to those matches.
Jim told me last year that he was going to "come out of retirement" in 2010, to celebrate 6 decades in wrestling (60s,70s,80s,90s,2000s,2010) and, due to our long association & friendship, wanted to make CPW one of his tour stops-one of only 6 matches he would do as part of this celebration. To say I was honored would be an understatement.
They say that the best wrestlers are the guys who take their real personality traits and amp them up several notches; in most cases, that is true, but Jim is the exception to that old proven rule: when hes not in the ring or on camera, he is low key,soft spoken,& extremely mellow. But when the lights come on , BOOM, the BOOGIE MAN FEELS GOOD! MERCY DADDY! lol
I have shared the ring with him on well on over a dozen occasions since we met & became friends back in 1997, and his work never gets old for me; sometimes,I laugh out loud standing on the apron watching him,and I look at the faces of little kids, mine in particular, who never experienced him in his day & would otherwise have no idea who he was, light up when he does his stuff.
One of my favorite bouts was a tag team bout we did together in that very building in Keyser back in 2004, when he and I faced The dreaded Masked Assassin & Luscious Johnny Graham. Sometimes, your memories of a match are rosier than what was real; everyone wants to think everything they did was perfect & the crowd was going nuts, etc. So, about a week before this last match together, I popped in a DVD of this match, and my memory was pretty correct: this was an exciting match that provided the Keyser crowd with what they want to see, based on their reactions, and a surprising finish that brought the crowd to their feet! And isn't that what its really all about?
First and foremost, I'm a wrestling fan at heart, and to have had the chance to work with, and subsequently, become friends with, someone whom I admired & rooted for as a kid is no small thrill, and being the emotional guy that I CAN be, I had a special surprise I told no one about.
At the end of out tag team bout a few weeks back, which also featured my close friends Gino Samartino & Bobby Keller as Boogie & I's partners in an 8 man tag team bout, I told Jimmy that he had one more match to do, and it was against me! I then laid down flat on my back, for him to "pin" me, as a show of respect to someone I'm so fond of, and so that His last match with us was against yours truly.
But in true Valiant fashion, he went to lay on top of me, then pulled me on top of him, and ordered the ref to count him out.....afterwards, as I hugged him , I asked why he did that, and he replied, in that laid back mellow tone, "Cuz your the man,kid".
No Jimmy, YOUR the man, and you proved it to me,and everyone in Keyser that night, yet one more time....
HULK WEDDING NEWS & AN ANTECDOTE
I'd like to take a moment to thanks those of you who have left messages & comments regarding my return to the "blogosphere".....as for the advice passed onto me by my brother to have fun, I absolutely will- I cannot see myself writing everyday out of a sense of obligation to the dozen rubes who might reading this on a daily basis....lol
Sorry to hear about the death of 1960s wrestling star Hans Mortier. Mortier, real name Jacob Grobbe, was a native of The Neatherlands, and was one of the top and frequent challengers of WWWF ( now WWE) kingpin Bruno Sammartino during Bruno's remarkable 8 plus year run as WWWF Champion.
Rumor hill has it that a huge brawl broke out at Hulk Hogan's wedding to Jennifer "She looks alot like my daughter, brother" McDaniel earlier today . Apparently, a photographer was trying to get a photo for some rag ( not for this blog,as was suggested by a friend; I would have just called Valentine, whos likely in attendence lol) when a employee intercepted him & bedlam ensued.
The jokes are just too plentiful here, but knowing HH's reputation, I instantly thought this smells like some type of business....
On a related topic, there has been no confirmation as of yet that the Hulkster's best buddy, Ed "Brutus the Barber Butcher Booty Man Beefcake" Leslie will get to do the "honors" with the immortal Ones new wife, since HH just recently had back & hip surgery......but, knowing The Man With NO Talent, he'd probably miss the finish, if you know what I mean.....
TRUE STORY: many years ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I had the "Privilege" of working with the aforementioned Mr Leslie at an event in Clear Spring,MD. Actually, my good friend Switchblade was to face him in the main event that night, and I was to "manage" Blade. SPOILER: if you still think pro wrestling is "REAL", please stop reading now! I don't want to ruin anything for you that hasn't been uncovered weekly for the past 15 years.......
........
........
Ok, now that everyone except the highly informed are gone, I can finish....anyway, we approached Bruti to go over a few things regarding the match, and, to our surprise, he was a absolute prick; he literally waved us away, as though we were bothering him with wanting to put on a good match ( maybe he didn't know thats what we wanted, since he had never been in one) Anyway, about 10 minutes before we go to the ring, he comes to us with his ideas....and upon listening, it sounded like pretty much everything I had ever watched him do...which is cool, theres nothing wrong with that at all-its not uncommon for the "stars" to have a stock & trade bout they do every weekend while they are on the Independents- its easier & safer for them, since they most likely aren't familiar with the guy(s) they are working that night.
The surprise here, even though these were A) his ideas B) he told us a mere 10 minutes before we walked out before 400 people & C) we had all seen this stuff before, Ol' Dizzy couldn't remember ANY of the stuff that he wanted to do. It was so bad, that I literally smacked my hand AT LEAST a dozen times on the mat, to let him know he was supposed to stomp my hand, per HIS instructions!
The BEST part, however, was when the match was over, he came back and chasized us for messing up! Unbelievable! and that, my friends, is why I have told everyone that Beefcake is the biggest dickhead in the history of the wrestling business! And theres only one other close candidate- but I'll save that for another day.
Thats all for now- maybe more later, depending on how busy work is today!
SSS
Sorry to hear about the death of 1960s wrestling star Hans Mortier. Mortier, real name Jacob Grobbe, was a native of The Neatherlands, and was one of the top and frequent challengers of WWWF ( now WWE) kingpin Bruno Sammartino during Bruno's remarkable 8 plus year run as WWWF Champion.
Rumor hill has it that a huge brawl broke out at Hulk Hogan's wedding to Jennifer "She looks alot like my daughter, brother" McDaniel earlier today . Apparently, a photographer was trying to get a photo for some rag ( not for this blog,as was suggested by a friend; I would have just called Valentine, whos likely in attendence lol) when a employee intercepted him & bedlam ensued.
The jokes are just too plentiful here, but knowing HH's reputation, I instantly thought this smells like some type of business....
On a related topic, there has been no confirmation as of yet that the Hulkster's best buddy, Ed "Brutus the Barber Butcher Booty Man Beefcake" Leslie will get to do the "honors" with the immortal Ones new wife, since HH just recently had back & hip surgery......but, knowing The Man With NO Talent, he'd probably miss the finish, if you know what I mean.....
TRUE STORY: many years ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I had the "Privilege" of working with the aforementioned Mr Leslie at an event in Clear Spring,MD. Actually, my good friend Switchblade was to face him in the main event that night, and I was to "manage" Blade. SPOILER: if you still think pro wrestling is "REAL", please stop reading now! I don't want to ruin anything for you that hasn't been uncovered weekly for the past 15 years.......
........
........
Ok, now that everyone except the highly informed are gone, I can finish....anyway, we approached Bruti to go over a few things regarding the match, and, to our surprise, he was a absolute prick; he literally waved us away, as though we were bothering him with wanting to put on a good match ( maybe he didn't know thats what we wanted, since he had never been in one) Anyway, about 10 minutes before we go to the ring, he comes to us with his ideas....and upon listening, it sounded like pretty much everything I had ever watched him do...which is cool, theres nothing wrong with that at all-its not uncommon for the "stars" to have a stock & trade bout they do every weekend while they are on the Independents- its easier & safer for them, since they most likely aren't familiar with the guy(s) they are working that night.
The surprise here, even though these were A) his ideas B) he told us a mere 10 minutes before we walked out before 400 people & C) we had all seen this stuff before, Ol' Dizzy couldn't remember ANY of the stuff that he wanted to do. It was so bad, that I literally smacked my hand AT LEAST a dozen times on the mat, to let him know he was supposed to stomp my hand, per HIS instructions!
The BEST part, however, was when the match was over, he came back and chasized us for messing up! Unbelievable! and that, my friends, is why I have told everyone that Beefcake is the biggest dickhead in the history of the wrestling business! And theres only one other close candidate- but I'll save that for another day.
Thats all for now- maybe more later, depending on how busy work is today!
SSS
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A Helpful Tip
As most of you know, I have been involved in pro wrestling in one way or another since 1992. I was trained by the late Neil "The Power" Superior, whom was himself trained by AFA, of the legendary Wild Samoan wrestling family.
Now, I make no claim to be on the level in terms of wrestling knowledge as those who did this as their full time living ( tip of the hat to a few friends here whom may be reading- Boogie, Budro, etc) but I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two over all these years, having wrestled approximately 1,200 matches in that time frame.
The question that I used to get asked all the time was "how do I get started?"; however, that question has been replaced by "how do I get booked (put on a card) with (fill in name of promotion)?
I can't speak for everywhere, but in my home promotion (CPW) the way to do so is simple, yet most refuse to participate: we ask that, if we are unfamiliar with you, unless you have a reference, that you show up a few hours early and work out for us. Now, this isn't one the infamous Anderson Brothers "try outs" that so many fell victim to back in the 1970s ( quick rundown: pay $XXX dollars, do 1000 squats, 1000 push ups, run the ropes for 30 minutes, get in the ring and get pummeled, get sent home,broke AND broken)
We simply want to see a few things: 1) are you a danger to yourself and 2) are you a danger to your opponent. All too often, young guys will try to impress you with the latest and greatest "cool moves", while not even showing they know the basics. And the basics start from the time you get out of the car.
Ettiquette is a big, BIG part of wrestling, and if you do not know it, it can effect someones impression of you; and sadly, alot of guys havent been taught, because their trainers didn't know it themselves. So, heres a few helpful tips for the young, aspiring, & up and coming grapplers who will one day rule our sport!
1) introduce yourself- to EVERYONE! Just your luck, the guy you blow off because he doesn't look like anyone is the guy you need to impress the most. You need to make the effort-its not anyones job to know who you are, its your job to let them know who you are!
2) take a seat in the dressing room- and keep quiet. Everyone is waiting to rip you if you start shooting off at the mouth-save yourself the aggravation!
3) DO NOT take someone elses chair- a real "no-no"! I see this one ALOT-and whether you realize it or not, this is a big "F YOU" to the guy who was there first! I usually just pick on a guy who does it to me, but I have seen guys get slapped around ( I'm not kidding)
4) find out, thru asking or reading the line-up sheet, what match you are, and what is expected.
a) do not act disinterested in what the boss is saying; b) do not try to change the instructions
5) ask a "Veteran" wrestler to watch your match, and to offer advice afterward
(this one goes a LONG way; it shows you don't think you invented the armdrag)
6) afterward, shower, get changed, thank EVERYONE involved, and DO NOT hound the promoter for money! Believe me, he knows you're there!
7) find a place somewhat secluded, a watch the rest of the matches
( another good sign that you want to learn; remember, you can learn from even the worst matches)
These a just a few pointers, if you want to wrestle regularly for certain groups.....the more you wrestle, the better you get; the better you get, the more you wrestle.....( I should put that on bumper stickers! Available soon at a gimmick table near you....ahh, that'll be my next blog: "How to work the gimmick table"...stay tuned!
Until next time.....
4)
Now, I make no claim to be on the level in terms of wrestling knowledge as those who did this as their full time living ( tip of the hat to a few friends here whom may be reading- Boogie, Budro, etc) but I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two over all these years, having wrestled approximately 1,200 matches in that time frame.
The question that I used to get asked all the time was "how do I get started?"; however, that question has been replaced by "how do I get booked (put on a card) with (fill in name of promotion)?
I can't speak for everywhere, but in my home promotion (CPW) the way to do so is simple, yet most refuse to participate: we ask that, if we are unfamiliar with you, unless you have a reference, that you show up a few hours early and work out for us. Now, this isn't one the infamous Anderson Brothers "try outs" that so many fell victim to back in the 1970s ( quick rundown: pay $XXX dollars, do 1000 squats, 1000 push ups, run the ropes for 30 minutes, get in the ring and get pummeled, get sent home,broke AND broken)
We simply want to see a few things: 1) are you a danger to yourself and 2) are you a danger to your opponent. All too often, young guys will try to impress you with the latest and greatest "cool moves", while not even showing they know the basics. And the basics start from the time you get out of the car.
Ettiquette is a big, BIG part of wrestling, and if you do not know it, it can effect someones impression of you; and sadly, alot of guys havent been taught, because their trainers didn't know it themselves. So, heres a few helpful tips for the young, aspiring, & up and coming grapplers who will one day rule our sport!
1) introduce yourself- to EVERYONE! Just your luck, the guy you blow off because he doesn't look like anyone is the guy you need to impress the most. You need to make the effort-its not anyones job to know who you are, its your job to let them know who you are!
2) take a seat in the dressing room- and keep quiet. Everyone is waiting to rip you if you start shooting off at the mouth-save yourself the aggravation!
3) DO NOT take someone elses chair- a real "no-no"! I see this one ALOT-and whether you realize it or not, this is a big "F YOU" to the guy who was there first! I usually just pick on a guy who does it to me, but I have seen guys get slapped around ( I'm not kidding)
4) find out, thru asking or reading the line-up sheet, what match you are, and what is expected.
a) do not act disinterested in what the boss is saying; b) do not try to change the instructions
5) ask a "Veteran" wrestler to watch your match, and to offer advice afterward
(this one goes a LONG way; it shows you don't think you invented the armdrag)
6) afterward, shower, get changed, thank EVERYONE involved, and DO NOT hound the promoter for money! Believe me, he knows you're there!
7) find a place somewhat secluded, a watch the rest of the matches
( another good sign that you want to learn; remember, you can learn from even the worst matches)
These a just a few pointers, if you want to wrestle regularly for certain groups.....the more you wrestle, the better you get; the better you get, the more you wrestle.....( I should put that on bumper stickers! Available soon at a gimmick table near you....ahh, that'll be my next blog: "How to work the gimmick table"...stay tuned!
Until next time.....
4)
HELLO ALL
Almost two years ago, I started writing a blog- I largely covered topics in which I have some knowledge, told few stories, made a few observations, made several bad jokes, etc. Then, do to a variety of circumstances that many of you close to me are all too aware, I stopped blogging. Now, mind you, the world didn't turn black or anything, but its hard to truly give a shit about what was happening in the world of wrestling or baseball when your entire life is flipped upside down.
Now, all this time later, I've decided to give this thing a whirl again....and why not? Every other longwinded gasbag has a blog, spouting off his/her opinions, so why shouldn't I? I've been told quite a few times that I'm the biggest gasbag anyone has ever met, so who knows? This thing might just take off! After all, if the Texas Rangers can make it to the World Series, almost anything can happen!
A few acknowlegments: first,my brother Shawn, whos excellent blog (thoughtsofrs.blogspot.com) is required reading for anyone who wants to read a excellent analysis of almost every major sport; my good friends over at Anheuser-Busch ( they have done nothing- I'm just looking for a few free cases this holiday season) & last but not least, my beautiful girlfriend Kari, who has helped restore alot of my confidence & self esteem. I love you sweetheart....
Now, all this time later, I've decided to give this thing a whirl again....and why not? Every other longwinded gasbag has a blog, spouting off his/her opinions, so why shouldn't I? I've been told quite a few times that I'm the biggest gasbag anyone has ever met, so who knows? This thing might just take off! After all, if the Texas Rangers can make it to the World Series, almost anything can happen!
A few acknowlegments: first,my brother Shawn, whos excellent blog (thoughtsofrs.blogspot.com) is required reading for anyone who wants to read a excellent analysis of almost every major sport; my good friends over at Anheuser-Busch ( they have done nothing- I'm just looking for a few free cases this holiday season) & last but not least, my beautiful girlfriend Kari, who has helped restore alot of my confidence & self esteem. I love you sweetheart....
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