I would like to start my first post of the new week to share a few thoughts on the horrific shooting that happened over the weekend in Arizona, killing 6 innocent people & injuring numerous others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
I'm not a political expert by any stretch- I am however, a registered voter, and I do vote in all important elections ( I usually skip the local mayoral races and so forth)
For what its worth, I feel an event like what happened in Tucson only shows further proof that there needs to be stronger regulation in regard to owning or possesion on firearms.
The biggest issue in regard to "gun control" is that there is a segment of this country that believes "regulation" means "disarment", and to that I say, "what part do you not understand?"
I'm not a gun owner- and I wouldn't be a gun owner; however, my father is, and my grandfather was....and that right was something that both believe(d) in vehemently. However, there is something inherently dangerous about those who have the mindset that, if theres any type of dispute, they take off for their weapons to "solve" the issue....Not everyone is mentally stable enough to handle such a responsibility....as was once again made obvious this past week in Tucson.
Taking things a step beyond just the standard "felon background check", for example: a standardized mental evaluation of anyone purchasing a firearm, required to be updated on a (annual ?) basis- if you have to renew a license once a year to carry a gun, why not a test? If gun ownership is so coveted, whats a basic evaluation going to hurt you? Wouldn't even owners feel better about psychopaths being "prevented" from toting a weapon?
Or, what about anyone who sells an illegal firearm to anyone who commits a crime with it, gets penalized with a stiff prison sentence for their involvement in a heinous crime? "All" that requires is a better "tracking system" of firearms.
Just my opinion...I hope none of you object to my thoughts to the point of making threats or attacks.....
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On a lighter note, unless something happens at tonights Tv tapings, or an unforeseen circumstance, the TNA World Heavyweight Title will be defended this sunday in my hometown, Hagerstown,Md, on the heels of Mr anderson winning the belt last night at TNA"s Genesis pay per view. This occasion would mark the first time that any version of the World Heavyweight wrestling title was defended in Hagerstown since 1971, when Pedro Morales, days after winning the WWWF title, defended at the Hagerstown Armory vs. The Black Demon.
Now, of course, the significance of this occasion is relative; one time of day, before titles were changed more frequently than wrestlers' trunks, this may have lead to a major increase in the house or a newspaper worthy story. However, in the rapid fire change era that is "sports entertainment" today, this is a blip on the local radar, if even that.
Hopefully, sometime today, the scheduled bouts for this sunday at the historic Maryland Theatre will be released, and in that event, I will likely post them here.
Until later.....
SSS
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Mr Wonderful
Been a busy Thursday, but I figured I'd take a shot at clipping off a quick one, since I will likely be unable to thru the weekend.
I personally would like to send out a "get well soon" to WWE Hall of Famer "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, who yesterday announced he was suffering from cancer. Orndorff was probably the single most intense competitor of his era, and during his prime, was one of Hulk Hogan's top opponents.
Orndorff definitely shaved years off his career during his run with Hogan in 1986, on the heels of a several month long build up that ultimately lit business on fire when he turned on HH during a tv tag bout vs. King Kong Bundy& the late Big John Studd.
Orndorff suffered severe nerve damage to his right arm early in the series of matches, but battled on regardless, during an era where there was really no "time off" for the guys, at least if they wanted to earn serious money.
And earn serious money he did- a outdoor live event at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto ( the predessor to the Skydome) vs. the Hulkster, several weeks after the tv tag match, brought out 68,000 fans, for a card that had no PPV,national build up or advertising.
After that 6 month long run with Hogan, which concluded with a national televised Steel Cage match in January 1987, Orndorff took a short time off, then returned briefly, having returned to the babyface side, before a long sabbatical, that lasted until 1990, when he returned for several months in WCW.
Orndorff was in & out of wrestling, mainly on the independents, until a surprising WCW return in 1992, after a few months in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where his work was still top notch, in particular an outstanding Falls Count Anywhere match vs. Cactus Jack at Superbrawl 3 in 1993.
Mr Wonderful also was a backstage agent for WCW in the following years, where a somewhat famous fistfight broke out between he & Vader, who outweighed PO by about 175 lbs. Regardless, the story goes that Orndorff, wearing flipflops, dropped Vader & put the boots to him until he was stopped.
He also returned briefly to the ring in the final, forgettable years of WCW, but finally hung his boots up for good after suffering a stinger to his neck in a match with, I believe, Mark Jindriak.
Best of luck to Mr Orndorff in beating a cruel & horrible disease.
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Simply put, the baseball writer who voted for BJ Surhoff & Tino Martinez, and NEITHER of this years MLB Hall of Fame entrees, Bert Blyleven & Roberto Alomar, should not only be stripped of his voting rights, but should be barred from writing write about his neighborhoods Little League games. You're a jackoff & a disgrace to your profession. Enough Said.
*******************************************************
For those of you interested, I will be returning to the ring for the first time since an unwelcomed 2 month break on sat, Jan 22 in Ranson,Wv, then on sat, Jan 29 in Keyser Wv......I hope to see you there!
So until next time.....
SSS
I personally would like to send out a "get well soon" to WWE Hall of Famer "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, who yesterday announced he was suffering from cancer. Orndorff was probably the single most intense competitor of his era, and during his prime, was one of Hulk Hogan's top opponents.
Orndorff definitely shaved years off his career during his run with Hogan in 1986, on the heels of a several month long build up that ultimately lit business on fire when he turned on HH during a tv tag bout vs. King Kong Bundy& the late Big John Studd.
Orndorff suffered severe nerve damage to his right arm early in the series of matches, but battled on regardless, during an era where there was really no "time off" for the guys, at least if they wanted to earn serious money.
And earn serious money he did- a outdoor live event at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto ( the predessor to the Skydome) vs. the Hulkster, several weeks after the tv tag match, brought out 68,000 fans, for a card that had no PPV,national build up or advertising.
After that 6 month long run with Hogan, which concluded with a national televised Steel Cage match in January 1987, Orndorff took a short time off, then returned briefly, having returned to the babyface side, before a long sabbatical, that lasted until 1990, when he returned for several months in WCW.
Orndorff was in & out of wrestling, mainly on the independents, until a surprising WCW return in 1992, after a few months in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where his work was still top notch, in particular an outstanding Falls Count Anywhere match vs. Cactus Jack at Superbrawl 3 in 1993.
Mr Wonderful also was a backstage agent for WCW in the following years, where a somewhat famous fistfight broke out between he & Vader, who outweighed PO by about 175 lbs. Regardless, the story goes that Orndorff, wearing flipflops, dropped Vader & put the boots to him until he was stopped.
He also returned briefly to the ring in the final, forgettable years of WCW, but finally hung his boots up for good after suffering a stinger to his neck in a match with, I believe, Mark Jindriak.
Best of luck to Mr Orndorff in beating a cruel & horrible disease.
******************************************************
Simply put, the baseball writer who voted for BJ Surhoff & Tino Martinez, and NEITHER of this years MLB Hall of Fame entrees, Bert Blyleven & Roberto Alomar, should not only be stripped of his voting rights, but should be barred from writing write about his neighborhoods Little League games. You're a jackoff & a disgrace to your profession. Enough Said.
*******************************************************
For those of you interested, I will be returning to the ring for the first time since an unwelcomed 2 month break on sat, Jan 22 in Ranson,Wv, then on sat, Jan 29 in Keyser Wv......I hope to see you there!
So until next time.....
SSS
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Welcome to Wednesday.....what else can be said?
To start off todays blog, we pay tribute to the WAY overdue induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame to Bert Blyleven, one of the top pitchers of the 1970s-1980s. Blyleven's career numbers were all too often brushed over by the Writers Association, for reasons that I have never been totally clear. A very deserving candidate got his button today, so congrats to Mr. Blyleven for joining baseball's immortals.
Also getting the call to Cooperstown today was Roberto Alomar, the preeminent second basemen of his time- without a doubt, a worthy entry, but in my opinion, definitely not the "no- brainer" the press has made him out to be- but if Ryne Sandberg is in.... ( just a small dig at my nephew here, the family Cubs lover)
Notable omission this year from enshrinement: Jeff Bagwell. While not a slam dunk, Bagwell had the career numbers for enshrinement. The next few years will prove to be interesting in regards to Hall membership, as the players from the "Steroid Era" come due & questions regarding their involvement with performance enhancing drugs loom overhead.
The fact of the matter remains that, whether proven guilty or not of steriod use, many players will be painted with the broad brush, & that is, simply put, an unfair reality of playing during baseball's darkest era.
****************************************************************************
TNA has a PPV this coming sunday and, as much of a fan of their live shows as I am, I can honestly say I find most of what I see on their TV ( the little I watch) unbearable. Therefore, I am no expert when it comes to predicting their direction, partly due to my impatience watching their tv show, and partly because I don't believe they even know their direction.
I have always been a huge proponent for TNA's success- the wrestling world is always more interesting when there is competition, the possiblity of the top players switching to the other side, etc.
In the 1980s, even after WWF(WWE) started operating nationally, there were other notable wrestling offices providing competition , most notably Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA) & the AWA. Both provided a different approach than that of WWF, which gave the wrestling fan their choice of products- if you didn't like the more cartoonish aspects of WWF, you could watch the grittier NWA, or the more traditional wrestling based AWA.
I still believe that ratings, PPV buyrates, etc would be stronger the whole way around if a viable alternate product was provided, different from the flash & glam, cookie cutter WWE. Yet, TNA, with a good tv network to work off of, still seems insistant on being a copy of WWE, using the same convoluted ideas with in many cases less talented players.
That is not to say TNA has no talent- on the contrary, that have quite a bit, but by not allowing that talent to do what it does best, & instead trying to a) imitate WWE & B) pretending its still 1997, they are shortcutting their hopes of reaching the next level.
Reality time: TNA cannot compete with WWE, but they are capable of creating their own niche, & have yet to capitalize on it. Think about this: weekly TNA ratings on SpikeTV average 1.0, which is approximately 1 million weekly watchers. You think that, in this entire country, their are only 1 million wrestling fans that do NOT care for WWE's presentation of the sport? Of course not.
Without trying to get to in depth with numbers, the facts are that there are alot of disenfranchised fans of professional wrestling in this country, & possibly even a greater number of potential fans for whom, after a quick taste of the current tv products, tuned out & turned away.
The big question is - how due you turn a non fan into a fan? Or a former fan into a current fan? This is a less than clear cut answer, but here are a few suggestions:
1) the "Crash TV" concept of the past doesnt work anymore- "angles" used to mean business- and why? because there werent 20 of them on every show- the human mind only has so much retention, especially for "shocking" moments; and once it doesnt shock you, its just something else on a tv show, and thats the LAST thing you want to happen.
2) the mainstream celebrity thing is always risky- and its been badly overdone this past year, mainly by WWE. Celebs rarely treat such appearances as anything but a paying joke, and minimize the potential to create the buzz the promotion is so desperate to obtain.
3) quit trying to tailor your show the "hardcore" fan with all the alleged "insider" knowledge- whether you realize it or not, they are already there; you can't cater to a fraction of a potential audience- it will stunt your growth
There is an abundance of talent that can be used,cultivated,& grown- it would be nice if TNA used this opportunity to grow its long term business & become a real alternative for fans everywhere.
Thoughts? Opinions? Think I'm full of shit? Let me know!
Until next time...
SSS
To start off todays blog, we pay tribute to the WAY overdue induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame to Bert Blyleven, one of the top pitchers of the 1970s-1980s. Blyleven's career numbers were all too often brushed over by the Writers Association, for reasons that I have never been totally clear. A very deserving candidate got his button today, so congrats to Mr. Blyleven for joining baseball's immortals.
Also getting the call to Cooperstown today was Roberto Alomar, the preeminent second basemen of his time- without a doubt, a worthy entry, but in my opinion, definitely not the "no- brainer" the press has made him out to be- but if Ryne Sandberg is in.... ( just a small dig at my nephew here, the family Cubs lover)
Notable omission this year from enshrinement: Jeff Bagwell. While not a slam dunk, Bagwell had the career numbers for enshrinement. The next few years will prove to be interesting in regards to Hall membership, as the players from the "Steroid Era" come due & questions regarding their involvement with performance enhancing drugs loom overhead.
The fact of the matter remains that, whether proven guilty or not of steriod use, many players will be painted with the broad brush, & that is, simply put, an unfair reality of playing during baseball's darkest era.
****************************************************************************
TNA has a PPV this coming sunday and, as much of a fan of their live shows as I am, I can honestly say I find most of what I see on their TV ( the little I watch) unbearable. Therefore, I am no expert when it comes to predicting their direction, partly due to my impatience watching their tv show, and partly because I don't believe they even know their direction.
I have always been a huge proponent for TNA's success- the wrestling world is always more interesting when there is competition, the possiblity of the top players switching to the other side, etc.
In the 1980s, even after WWF(WWE) started operating nationally, there were other notable wrestling offices providing competition , most notably Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA) & the AWA. Both provided a different approach than that of WWF, which gave the wrestling fan their choice of products- if you didn't like the more cartoonish aspects of WWF, you could watch the grittier NWA, or the more traditional wrestling based AWA.
I still believe that ratings, PPV buyrates, etc would be stronger the whole way around if a viable alternate product was provided, different from the flash & glam, cookie cutter WWE. Yet, TNA, with a good tv network to work off of, still seems insistant on being a copy of WWE, using the same convoluted ideas with in many cases less talented players.
That is not to say TNA has no talent- on the contrary, that have quite a bit, but by not allowing that talent to do what it does best, & instead trying to a) imitate WWE & B) pretending its still 1997, they are shortcutting their hopes of reaching the next level.
Reality time: TNA cannot compete with WWE, but they are capable of creating their own niche, & have yet to capitalize on it. Think about this: weekly TNA ratings on SpikeTV average 1.0, which is approximately 1 million weekly watchers. You think that, in this entire country, their are only 1 million wrestling fans that do NOT care for WWE's presentation of the sport? Of course not.
Without trying to get to in depth with numbers, the facts are that there are alot of disenfranchised fans of professional wrestling in this country, & possibly even a greater number of potential fans for whom, after a quick taste of the current tv products, tuned out & turned away.
The big question is - how due you turn a non fan into a fan? Or a former fan into a current fan? This is a less than clear cut answer, but here are a few suggestions:
1) the "Crash TV" concept of the past doesnt work anymore- "angles" used to mean business- and why? because there werent 20 of them on every show- the human mind only has so much retention, especially for "shocking" moments; and once it doesnt shock you, its just something else on a tv show, and thats the LAST thing you want to happen.
2) the mainstream celebrity thing is always risky- and its been badly overdone this past year, mainly by WWE. Celebs rarely treat such appearances as anything but a paying joke, and minimize the potential to create the buzz the promotion is so desperate to obtain.
3) quit trying to tailor your show the "hardcore" fan with all the alleged "insider" knowledge- whether you realize it or not, they are already there; you can't cater to a fraction of a potential audience- it will stunt your growth
There is an abundance of talent that can be used,cultivated,& grown- it would be nice if TNA used this opportunity to grow its long term business & become a real alternative for fans everywhere.
Thoughts? Opinions? Think I'm full of shit? Let me know!
Until next time...
SSS
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Welcome to Tuesday morning....the week just started, but progress is being made ...
"Great 2nd,3rd,& 4th Effort" award goes to none other than Vladimir Koslov, who literally had to be seen to be believed during last nights RAW match, which featured he & Santino Marella vs. The Uso Twins.....if you haven't seen it, look it up on youtube.....
The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, which ultimately, is the set up for Wrestlemania. Most years, the Rumble winner is pretty easy to predict, based on who the promotion is strongly behind in terms of tv direction & the stars that are most over to the audience. This year, however, is alot different-there is no clear cut favorite, due to a 2010 that focused largely on a group ( Nexxus) & no specific individuals truly "breaking out of the pack".
So, in the interest of starting an interesting conversation about the current scene ( which isn't that easy,honestly) I want to suggest a few potential winners. I encourage all of you who actually care enough to send your list of potential winners as well:
1) Triple H- absent since the summer, this is my strongest candidate; most likely a surprise entry to ensure a huge live crowd reaction, "The Game" is what they like in a Rumble winner: veteran main eventer, well known to the entire audience, & a geniune star. Nevermind that he needs this win like I need a bullet to the head....him winning actually hurts his ultimate grudge matches with Sheamus, unless the latter heads into Wm with the title...but they may not let that stop them here.
2) John Morrison- a tremendous athlete that is finally starting to get it all together ( still needs help with his promos) Morrison, a product of WWE's own training, is a risk taker that could be the prototypical "guy who starts early" in the match & defies all odds....a fresh choice. I may be more likely to favor him if he didn't just lose to his former partner,The Miz, last night on tv- that may have had some legs as a top match for WM.
3) Alberto Del Rio- the Mexican superstar has all the tools, as mentioned a few weeks back, & a match with him vs. SD champ Edge would be a somewhat fresh match for WM in Atlanta. Win or no, I think this match will happen at WM....
4) Jerry Lawler- obviously, the darkest of dark horse candidates. However, after the huge reaction his match several weeks back vs. Miz received, they have managed to continue to situate the two of them together...his absence from RAW this week got me thinking about this, and I find it to be the most compelling of all the potential matches for WM.
Those of you that are only familiar with Lawler as a announcer may think I'm completely insane, but those of you that are familiar with his 40 year career may see the promise in this match up. Now, The card would still need strong support but, and this is just my opinion, in 31 years of watching & studying wrestling, I believe that Lawler is the single best promo guy ever in a situation like this one.....which is a major part,obviously, of building up a money match. The King also possesses the most imaculate timing of any pro wrestler ever, in terms of when to sell, when to come back,etc.
Lawler has never even wrestled on a Wrestlemania card, and time is surely running out- as good as he looks & stills works when given the opportunity, Lawler is 61 years old. The old horse making a last run would make for compelling tv, if he was allowed to be "The King" & not over-exposed in the weeks lead up to the big bout....and as we know, compelling tv usually leads to stronger PPV revenue.... This one has my vote as a FAN( and has almost ZERO chance of happening)
Those are my 4......who else has thoughts? Chime in!
Until Next Time...
SSS
"Great 2nd,3rd,& 4th Effort" award goes to none other than Vladimir Koslov, who literally had to be seen to be believed during last nights RAW match, which featured he & Santino Marella vs. The Uso Twins.....if you haven't seen it, look it up on youtube.....
The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, which ultimately, is the set up for Wrestlemania. Most years, the Rumble winner is pretty easy to predict, based on who the promotion is strongly behind in terms of tv direction & the stars that are most over to the audience. This year, however, is alot different-there is no clear cut favorite, due to a 2010 that focused largely on a group ( Nexxus) & no specific individuals truly "breaking out of the pack".
So, in the interest of starting an interesting conversation about the current scene ( which isn't that easy,honestly) I want to suggest a few potential winners. I encourage all of you who actually care enough to send your list of potential winners as well:
1) Triple H- absent since the summer, this is my strongest candidate; most likely a surprise entry to ensure a huge live crowd reaction, "The Game" is what they like in a Rumble winner: veteran main eventer, well known to the entire audience, & a geniune star. Nevermind that he needs this win like I need a bullet to the head....him winning actually hurts his ultimate grudge matches with Sheamus, unless the latter heads into Wm with the title...but they may not let that stop them here.
2) John Morrison- a tremendous athlete that is finally starting to get it all together ( still needs help with his promos) Morrison, a product of WWE's own training, is a risk taker that could be the prototypical "guy who starts early" in the match & defies all odds....a fresh choice. I may be more likely to favor him if he didn't just lose to his former partner,The Miz, last night on tv- that may have had some legs as a top match for WM.
3) Alberto Del Rio- the Mexican superstar has all the tools, as mentioned a few weeks back, & a match with him vs. SD champ Edge would be a somewhat fresh match for WM in Atlanta. Win or no, I think this match will happen at WM....
4) Jerry Lawler- obviously, the darkest of dark horse candidates. However, after the huge reaction his match several weeks back vs. Miz received, they have managed to continue to situate the two of them together...his absence from RAW this week got me thinking about this, and I find it to be the most compelling of all the potential matches for WM.
Those of you that are only familiar with Lawler as a announcer may think I'm completely insane, but those of you that are familiar with his 40 year career may see the promise in this match up. Now, The card would still need strong support but, and this is just my opinion, in 31 years of watching & studying wrestling, I believe that Lawler is the single best promo guy ever in a situation like this one.....which is a major part,obviously, of building up a money match. The King also possesses the most imaculate timing of any pro wrestler ever, in terms of when to sell, when to come back,etc.
Lawler has never even wrestled on a Wrestlemania card, and time is surely running out- as good as he looks & stills works when given the opportunity, Lawler is 61 years old. The old horse making a last run would make for compelling tv, if he was allowed to be "The King" & not over-exposed in the weeks lead up to the big bout....and as we know, compelling tv usually leads to stronger PPV revenue.... This one has my vote as a FAN( and has almost ZERO chance of happening)
Those are my 4......who else has thoughts? Chime in!
Until Next Time...
SSS
Monday, January 3, 2011
Flashback: December 1982
December 1982: While shopping at Books n Things, a popular area newsstand, at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown, I remember almost peeing myself in excitement that pro wrestling was coming to Hagerstown, with what I thought was a huge card at North Hagerstown High School...the first time the sport of kings hit my area since I became a fan just a little less than 3 years earlier.
The show poster, which I still have to this day, featured 3 big bouts: Jules Strongbow, the junior member of The Strongbow Brothers tag team, at the time reigning WWF Tag Team Champions, would face the capable Bob Bradley; Jules' brother, the legendary Chief Jay Strongbow, would be face the nefarious Mr. Saito of Japan; and in the Main Event, Superstar Billy Graham would take on "Polish Power" Ivan Putski.
My Mom, my Aunt, my brother Shawn & I went to the matches that night, and the scene somewhat startled me. Mind you, this wasn't my first live event- a family friend took my brother & I to the Capital Centre in Landover during the summer of 1981, a huge sellout card of which I also have vivid recollections. But this seemed different- I guess it didn't seem poosible that so many people from our local area were wrestling fans ( in elementary school, I talked wrestling with about 3 other kids, so thats were I gathered my frame of reference)
In addition to the aforementioned bouts, I believe there were at least 2 others, but only one that I recollect: Puerto Rico's Pedro Torres, of whom I had never seen nor heard, facing none other than Jeff Craney of New York, with whom I was quite familiar.
Jeff Craney didn't exactly exhude "pro wrestler"- he was kind of short & non descript, with a very frizzy perm & big cheesy moustache- he kind of looked like a cross between Weird Al Yankovic & The Pringles Guy. He also wore a two strap black singlet, which also didn't help enhance his appearance. Craney was a somewhat hapless preliminary wrestler, which is the nicest way possible for me to say he never won, or for that matter, ever even looked competitive. I recall a particular match where Craney wrestled Greg Valentine on tv, and his punches didnt appear to even faze Valentine, who quickly and brutally punished him for a quick 2 minute victory.
These types of beatings were commonplace for Craney- I had taken to actually feeling sorry for him every time he popped up on tv, which means I felt bad for him every saturday morning & afternoon for about a year. Week in, week out, Craney got beaten- badly, brutally, & usually quickly, by pretty much every "bad guy" star that came thru the Northeast from 1981-1983.
This bout started simply enough- the traditional collar & elbow locked up, a few clean breaks on the ropes, a fireamans carry or two, perhaps an armdrag or so....just seemed like another contest between "up and comers"- testing each other out to feel their way to an advantage point- "catch as catch wrestling", it was often called. Then, at about the 5 minute mark,Craney refused to break clean on the ropes & nailed Torres with a hard knee to the stomach....the crowd so its disapproval instantly.
On this night, my opinion of Jeff Craney changed- thru some sort of baptism by fire or other otherworldly event, the usually mundane & pathetic Jeff Craney became the biggest heel in the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown, as, thru a combination of vicious tactics & screaming at the vocal hub city crowd, Craney became the evenings biggest star. He seemed to be enjoying this surprising turn of events, & with every dirty move he did, he shouted out his dominance of Torres, looking perhaps for approval, while those in attendence scolded him for his callousness towards his prone opponent.
I recollect Craney throwing Torres thru the ropes after a brief flurry of hope for the young Spanish star, then, against the referees instructions, followed him to the floor and gave him a bonecrushing bodyslam heard throughout the Hub gym. I was shocked at what I now felt: I thought Jeff Craney was the worlds biggest asshole! How did I ever pity this guy?? Too bad Valentine didn't break his leg with the figure four leglock, I was probably thinking.
Yet, in a moment that seemed to define that "good always beats evil", Torres nailed a small package on the gloating, over confident New Yorker to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat...as the Hagerstown crowd roared its approval. Craney did not leave with out protest, which fell on deaf ears to the referee, & didn't further endear him to the small town corwod of 1500 or so rabid wrestling fans.
I never felt bad for Jeff Craney ever again, and I did witness him get beat quite a few times after that cold winter night in Western Maryland....and as an aside, I met Pedro Torres during intermission, and he signed my program...the first wrestler autograph I ever got; and I never saw him again, on tv or otherwise.....
Any of you have a similiar story ? Chime in....love to hear about it
So until next time....
SSS
The show poster, which I still have to this day, featured 3 big bouts: Jules Strongbow, the junior member of The Strongbow Brothers tag team, at the time reigning WWF Tag Team Champions, would face the capable Bob Bradley; Jules' brother, the legendary Chief Jay Strongbow, would be face the nefarious Mr. Saito of Japan; and in the Main Event, Superstar Billy Graham would take on "Polish Power" Ivan Putski.
My Mom, my Aunt, my brother Shawn & I went to the matches that night, and the scene somewhat startled me. Mind you, this wasn't my first live event- a family friend took my brother & I to the Capital Centre in Landover during the summer of 1981, a huge sellout card of which I also have vivid recollections. But this seemed different- I guess it didn't seem poosible that so many people from our local area were wrestling fans ( in elementary school, I talked wrestling with about 3 other kids, so thats were I gathered my frame of reference)
In addition to the aforementioned bouts, I believe there were at least 2 others, but only one that I recollect: Puerto Rico's Pedro Torres, of whom I had never seen nor heard, facing none other than Jeff Craney of New York, with whom I was quite familiar.
Jeff Craney didn't exactly exhude "pro wrestler"- he was kind of short & non descript, with a very frizzy perm & big cheesy moustache- he kind of looked like a cross between Weird Al Yankovic & The Pringles Guy. He also wore a two strap black singlet, which also didn't help enhance his appearance. Craney was a somewhat hapless preliminary wrestler, which is the nicest way possible for me to say he never won, or for that matter, ever even looked competitive. I recall a particular match where Craney wrestled Greg Valentine on tv, and his punches didnt appear to even faze Valentine, who quickly and brutally punished him for a quick 2 minute victory.
These types of beatings were commonplace for Craney- I had taken to actually feeling sorry for him every time he popped up on tv, which means I felt bad for him every saturday morning & afternoon for about a year. Week in, week out, Craney got beaten- badly, brutally, & usually quickly, by pretty much every "bad guy" star that came thru the Northeast from 1981-1983.
This bout started simply enough- the traditional collar & elbow locked up, a few clean breaks on the ropes, a fireamans carry or two, perhaps an armdrag or so....just seemed like another contest between "up and comers"- testing each other out to feel their way to an advantage point- "catch as catch wrestling", it was often called. Then, at about the 5 minute mark,Craney refused to break clean on the ropes & nailed Torres with a hard knee to the stomach....the crowd so its disapproval instantly.
On this night, my opinion of Jeff Craney changed- thru some sort of baptism by fire or other otherworldly event, the usually mundane & pathetic Jeff Craney became the biggest heel in the history of pro wrestling in Hagerstown, as, thru a combination of vicious tactics & screaming at the vocal hub city crowd, Craney became the evenings biggest star. He seemed to be enjoying this surprising turn of events, & with every dirty move he did, he shouted out his dominance of Torres, looking perhaps for approval, while those in attendence scolded him for his callousness towards his prone opponent.
I recollect Craney throwing Torres thru the ropes after a brief flurry of hope for the young Spanish star, then, against the referees instructions, followed him to the floor and gave him a bonecrushing bodyslam heard throughout the Hub gym. I was shocked at what I now felt: I thought Jeff Craney was the worlds biggest asshole! How did I ever pity this guy?? Too bad Valentine didn't break his leg with the figure four leglock, I was probably thinking.
Yet, in a moment that seemed to define that "good always beats evil", Torres nailed a small package on the gloating, over confident New Yorker to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat...as the Hagerstown crowd roared its approval. Craney did not leave with out protest, which fell on deaf ears to the referee, & didn't further endear him to the small town corwod of 1500 or so rabid wrestling fans.
I never felt bad for Jeff Craney ever again, and I did witness him get beat quite a few times after that cold winter night in Western Maryland....and as an aside, I met Pedro Torres during intermission, and he signed my program...the first wrestler autograph I ever got; and I never saw him again, on tv or otherwise.....
Any of you have a similiar story ? Chime in....love to hear about it
So until next time....
SSS
The Formula of The Present vs. The Formula of the Past
Happy New Year to everyone! Hopefully, everyone was safe & had no run ins with law enforcement this season....
WWE finished up 2010 with a series of house shows in the Baltimore/DC area, events that were, based on reports, rather underattended, with a estimated 5,000 people in Baltimore this past Wednesday night.
Due to the injury to John Cena, that is apparently a "day to day" situation in regards to a return date, his place in the main event was taken by BIg Show, who upended Wade Barrett in the Steel Cage finale.
There are strengths & weaknesses to presenting wrestling as a Circus of the Stars or Ice Capades type presentation; the strength is you draw your crowds off of your brand name, without needing to focus too strongly on the personalities involved; the weakness is, without focusing on the talent or the current direction of tv, people are less inclined to believe that the local card is something they just can't afford to miss.
The nature of tv is alot different in 2011 than in 1981. For instance: 30 years ago,all the shows were distributed in syndication, in some cases to small stations ( easy definition: tv time bought from a local station, with advertising revenues during that time going directly to the station ; sometimes, a percentage of the local event revenue went to the station as well)
Localized interviews, plugging the upcoming card, and its matches, were a staple during this era; while the exact same show would be broadcast in all the markets, every town would not get the exact same live event. As such, getting "over" what 1) happened last card,when applicable & 2) what was gonna take place on the upcoming card, where of utmost importance.
References to local happenings & culture always enhanced these interviews; I remember Captain Lou Albano,Freddie Blassie, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Etc making reference to various area tv stars & so on during their promo time- it gave you the idea they knew all of the goings-on, and in my opinion, made you believe you just couldn't miss wrestling when it came back to town.
I particularly remember Piper doing an entire interview based around the recently departed Baltimore Colts, which was a real hot button issue in this area for years ( and remained that way until the Ravens moved to Baltimore, which gave it quite the shelf life)
A Clip from "last time" was a frequently used tactic, that likely helped the house; In the aforementioned interview, Piper knocked Baltimore,the Colts,Etc then went to a clip where The Rowdy One assaulted Junkyard Dog during a live Pipers Pit, which was the set up for their one on one battle at the Arena (then Baltimore Civic Center)
These days, with the product almost exclusively on cable, its considerably harder to plug local events, other than a quick commercial consideration- certainly, theres almost no value to plugging a match in Washington,DC to an audience watching nationwide, unless it s a PPV event.....
Another big miss for me is that, even when you see tv commercials or event posters, no actual matches are mentioned! Why? You can use the "things change" excuse, but thats always been the case- I was taught that the term "card subject to change" covers any unforseen events ( injury,travel issues,etc)
Fast forward to last week: I wasn't even aware WWE was running the area until about a week before! This would have been a no brainer Xmas gift for the kids; the last time WWE ran the week after Xmas back in '07, I bought the kids tickets ( just like I did this year for TNA in Hagerstown later this month) & went- its a great gift for a family that loves wrestling.....And a do recall a small push on local tv for 2 big matches that night....and not surprisingly, they building was packed- 11,000 strong to see Edge vs. Batista & a super heavyweight tag team tilt that featured Big Daddy V & The Great Khali vs. Kane & The Undertaker!
If John Cena is truly the biggest star in WWE, how could the live gate NOT be helped by advertising him locally in a STEEL CAGE match of all things, against Wade Barrett, whom his been his principal advesary since the summer?! Instead, the Circus formula was used....to mediorce results.
Now, I'm not implying that every event that happened in the past was a guaranteed sellout- but at least every measure was taken to insure that the building drew at much as possible, given the direction & the stars involved,local promotion,stronger interviews,etc.- which I don't feel they do today.
Obviously, based on the sparse attendence, I wasn't the only person who was unaware of the card....perhaps running on a Wednesday hampered them ( I'm not so sure).....perhaps its the overall direction...in any event, WWE certainly came up a bit short this past week in what was has been a traditionally strong wrestling market- & localized promos wouldn't have save them for sure, but I can't see how that, with overall better presentation of the product, it would not have helped.
As always, your questions & comments are always welcome! Please chime in!
Maybe more later....until then
SSS
WWE finished up 2010 with a series of house shows in the Baltimore/DC area, events that were, based on reports, rather underattended, with a estimated 5,000 people in Baltimore this past Wednesday night.
Due to the injury to John Cena, that is apparently a "day to day" situation in regards to a return date, his place in the main event was taken by BIg Show, who upended Wade Barrett in the Steel Cage finale.
There are strengths & weaknesses to presenting wrestling as a Circus of the Stars or Ice Capades type presentation; the strength is you draw your crowds off of your brand name, without needing to focus too strongly on the personalities involved; the weakness is, without focusing on the talent or the current direction of tv, people are less inclined to believe that the local card is something they just can't afford to miss.
The nature of tv is alot different in 2011 than in 1981. For instance: 30 years ago,all the shows were distributed in syndication, in some cases to small stations ( easy definition: tv time bought from a local station, with advertising revenues during that time going directly to the station ; sometimes, a percentage of the local event revenue went to the station as well)
Localized interviews, plugging the upcoming card, and its matches, were a staple during this era; while the exact same show would be broadcast in all the markets, every town would not get the exact same live event. As such, getting "over" what 1) happened last card,when applicable & 2) what was gonna take place on the upcoming card, where of utmost importance.
References to local happenings & culture always enhanced these interviews; I remember Captain Lou Albano,Freddie Blassie, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Etc making reference to various area tv stars & so on during their promo time- it gave you the idea they knew all of the goings-on, and in my opinion, made you believe you just couldn't miss wrestling when it came back to town.
I particularly remember Piper doing an entire interview based around the recently departed Baltimore Colts, which was a real hot button issue in this area for years ( and remained that way until the Ravens moved to Baltimore, which gave it quite the shelf life)
A Clip from "last time" was a frequently used tactic, that likely helped the house; In the aforementioned interview, Piper knocked Baltimore,the Colts,Etc then went to a clip where The Rowdy One assaulted Junkyard Dog during a live Pipers Pit, which was the set up for their one on one battle at the Arena (then Baltimore Civic Center)
These days, with the product almost exclusively on cable, its considerably harder to plug local events, other than a quick commercial consideration- certainly, theres almost no value to plugging a match in Washington,DC to an audience watching nationwide, unless it s a PPV event.....
Another big miss for me is that, even when you see tv commercials or event posters, no actual matches are mentioned! Why? You can use the "things change" excuse, but thats always been the case- I was taught that the term "card subject to change" covers any unforseen events ( injury,travel issues,etc)
Fast forward to last week: I wasn't even aware WWE was running the area until about a week before! This would have been a no brainer Xmas gift for the kids; the last time WWE ran the week after Xmas back in '07, I bought the kids tickets ( just like I did this year for TNA in Hagerstown later this month) & went- its a great gift for a family that loves wrestling.....And a do recall a small push on local tv for 2 big matches that night....and not surprisingly, they building was packed- 11,000 strong to see Edge vs. Batista & a super heavyweight tag team tilt that featured Big Daddy V & The Great Khali vs. Kane & The Undertaker!
If John Cena is truly the biggest star in WWE, how could the live gate NOT be helped by advertising him locally in a STEEL CAGE match of all things, against Wade Barrett, whom his been his principal advesary since the summer?! Instead, the Circus formula was used....to mediorce results.
Now, I'm not implying that every event that happened in the past was a guaranteed sellout- but at least every measure was taken to insure that the building drew at much as possible, given the direction & the stars involved,local promotion,stronger interviews,etc.- which I don't feel they do today.
Obviously, based on the sparse attendence, I wasn't the only person who was unaware of the card....perhaps running on a Wednesday hampered them ( I'm not so sure).....perhaps its the overall direction...in any event, WWE certainly came up a bit short this past week in what was has been a traditionally strong wrestling market- & localized promos wouldn't have save them for sure, but I can't see how that, with overall better presentation of the product, it would not have helped.
As always, your questions & comments are always welcome! Please chime in!
Maybe more later....until then
SSS
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