- Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling
- Other
information sources
- WWF
- WCW
- NWA
- Other
North American promotions
- Japan
- Mexico
- Deaths
- Injuries
- Where
Are They Now?
- Wrestling
Groups and Teams
- Miscellaneous
questions about wrestlers.
- The
Law and Pro Wrestling
- Miscellaneous
Contributors
1.1.
What is r.s.p-w?
Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling
(r.s.p-w or RSPW for short) is a usenet discussion group. The
main topic of discussion is pro-wrestling, however, the group
is loosely defined by its original charter and often includes
related topics, such as other combat sports. For a more in-depth
look at what pro-wrestling is, please read the Welcome
to Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling message, posted periodically
on the group. This post discusses what the group is about, and
also gives pointers on netiquette.
1.2.
My news software does not allow me to post, but I wish to contribute
to r.s.p-w. How can I?
Contact
your network administrator and ask to make sure your news software
is configured properly. In the past, there have been email to
news gateways, but I have been unable to find any working gates
recently.
1.3.
Where can I get a copy of this FAQ?
If
you know how to FTP, you can get a copy from the following location:
site:
rtfm.mit.edu
location: /pub/usenet-by-group/rec.sport.pro-wrestling/
filename: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling]_FAQ_(part_0?_02)
You
can also get a current copy of this FAQ by sending e-mail with
a subject of "get FAQ" to
dmacika@provide.net
Note:
email requests for the FAQ and regular posting of the FAQ are
currently done manually.
2.1.
Are there any other newsgroups related to pro-wrestling?
Yes.
There are two other pro-wrestling newsgroups in the rec. hierarchy.
One is rec.sport.pro-wrestling.fantasy, which is for discussion
of fantasy wrestling and fantasy wrestling groups. The other
is rec.sport.pro-wrestling.info, which is a moderated group
for the purpose of posting information only.
2.2.
Are there any r.s.p-w FTP sites?
Yes.
There is one known to the FAQ Editor.
Site:
auhussell.swan.ac.uk
anonymous logins only
wrestling information is in the /Wrestling directory
admin: j.hussell@swansea.ac.uk
If
you want to upload anything to the site, please get confirmation
first by mailing J.Hussell@swansea.ac.uk
2.3.
Are there any WWW sites related to r.s.p-w?
Yes.
There is one site that is considered the "R.S.P-W Homepage".
It is maintained by Mark Long. The URL for the site is: http://www.adscape.com/ wrestling
There
are many other wrestling related web sites out there, including
sites run by wrestling organizations and many sites maintained
by individauls.
2.4.
What other information is available over the internet?
Herb
Kunze makes weekly posts to r.s.p-w under the subject heading
"Wrestling Tidbits" which reviews top news stories
in the wrestling world over the past week. These posts also
contain details on upcoming major events in pro-wrestling.
The
following people keep -- and occasionally post -- the following
lists and information. If you would like a copy of one of these
lists, it is strongly suggested that you make the request through
e-mail rather than posting a request directly to r.s.p-w.
- Gary
Will (archeus@golden.net) - Listing of deceased wrestlers
- Rick
Duggan (duggan@cc.gatech.edu) - Wrestling Relations
- Byron
C. Howes (bch@uncecs.edu) - Glossary of wrestling terms
Also,
the following lists are posted to the newsgroup by the FAQ editor
along with the FAQ:
If
you keep track of an "official list" for r.s.p-w,
please send e-mail to dmacika@provide.net so I can put you in
this list.
2.5.
Are any wrestlers or promoters reachable on via the net?
Sure.
However, due to a desire for privacy, most keep their email
addresses private. We ask that you respect the privacy of those
who do have an email address, but don't actively participate
in r.s.p-w.
2.6.
How can I subscribe to newsletters?
There
are a number of newsletters and fanzines (commonly referred
to as "Sheets") published regularly about pro-wrestling.
Topics
include results, info, opinion, memorabilia and history, just
to name a few. Like all else, some are good, some are not. For
what it's worth, The Wrestling Observer has by far the largest
circulation of all wrestling newsletters.
A
large (although not nearly complete) listing of sheets is posted
as a separate file semi-regularly by the editor.
2.7.
Are there any books available on pro-wrestling?
A
number of books have been published about pro-wrestling, both
by wrestlers and fans of the sport. For more information on
a few that have been published by r.s.p-w members, visit The Pro Wrestling Reference
Books Web Page or write to or email Gary Will at
PO
Box 40005
Waterloo, Ontario,
Canada N2J 4V1
3.1.
What is the story behind the forming of the WWF?
As
NWA champion, Buddy Rogers' bookings were controlled by Toots
Mondt, promoter in the Northeast. The other NWA promoters were
dissatisfied because Mondt rarely let Rogers defend the belt
outside the Northeast. Mondt and Vince McMahon Sr. wanted to
keep Rogers and the NWA title, but Rogers didn't want to lose
his $25,000 deposit on the belt. So Rogers lost the NWA title
to Lou Thesz in Toronto on January 24, 1963.
Rogers
was not recognized as the first WWWF champion right after losing
to Thesz. Instead, Rogers was awarded the WWWF title in mid-April
1963, with the explanation that he has won a (fictitious) tournament
in Rio de Janeiro. He lost the title to Bruno Sammartino a month
later on May 17, 1963. Rogers would have likely had a longer
reign as champion, but, he suffered a heart attack shortly before
the match with Bruno. This explains both the brevity of the
match (47 seconds) with Bruno and the subsequent disappearance
of Rogers from the ring. Rogers retired after this match, although
he did return to the ring in 1967.
3.2.
When did the WWWF become the WWF?
The
name change, a purely cosmetic one, took place in mid 1979.
Ownership and front office personnel remained unaffected. About
this same time, the WWF phased out their North American title
and replaced it with what is today known as the Intercontinental
title.
For
the sake of clarity, all WWWF and WWF titles mentioned in this
document are referred to as WWF titles.
3.3.
Who currently owns and runs the WWF?
Since
the WWF is a privately held company, we have no way of knowing
their exact internal structure. However, reports have Linda
McMahon (Vince's wife) as President of Titan Sports (the WWF's
parent company) while Vince McMahon Jr. remains CEO and Chairman
of the Board of Titan Sports.
Vince
Jr. was given control of the WWF by his father, Vince Sr. Although
Vince McMahon Sr. died in May 1984, he had turned over control
of the business to his son sometime around late 1982 or early
1983.
4.1.
When did the NWA become WCW?
In
November, 1988, Jim Crockett sold Jim Crockett Promotions to
WTBS. Crockett promotions had been the promotion most widely
associated with the NWA. In order to distance itself from the
NWA, which still existed as a paper organization at the time,
WTBS began to change the name of its titles and television programs
from NWA to WCW. The change took place in late 1990. By January,
1991, the WCW name was fully in place and the NWA name was all
but dropped by the organization.
4.2.
Who owns and runs WCW?
WCW
is owned by WTBS and Ted Turner. The position in WTBS most widely
considered as being in control of the wrestling promotion is
the Executive Vice President in charge of Wrestling Operations.
This title is currently held by Eric Bischoff. In recent years
Jim Herd, K. Allen Frey and Bill Watts have been in that position.
4.3.
What is the NWO?
The
NWO is the New World Order. It is a gimmick organization made
up of WCW wrestlers who conspire to take over WCW. It was created
as a vehicle to turn Hulk Hogan heel.
5.1.
What was the NWA and how did it get started?
The
NWA was and is the National Wrestling Alliance. In 1948, a group
of mid-western promoters joined forces as the NWA with the idea
of working together instead of working in competition. Orville
Brown was named the first NWA champion on July 14, 1948. It
should be noted that any attempts to trace the NWA World Heavyweight
title back further than this are necessarily fictitious. The
organization simply did not exist. The NWA's immediate predecessor
as the most widely recognized world title was the National Wrestling
Association championship which was held by Lou Thesz at the
time of the formation of the NWA. A title unification match
was scheduled for November 25, 1949 between Thesz and Brown
and it is believed that Brown was scheduled to win that match.
However, Brown suffered a career ending injury in a car accident
prior to the match. On November 27, 1949, Thesz was awarded
the NWA title.
5.2.
What is the NWA today?
Today,
the NWA still exists, but in a very different form. The only
relation it bears to the NWA of 1948 to 1985 is on paper. The
NWA Board currently consists of Jim Crockett, Dennis Coraluzzo
and Steve Rickard, although it has been rumored that Crockett
has been served papers expelling him from the organization.
Crockett is not currently promoting wrestling. Coraluzzo runs
a promotion in New Jersey. Rickard promotes in New Zealand.
Also, Howard Brody runs an NWA affiliated group in Florida.
5.3.
What happened to the NWA?
The
transformation of the NWA into its current state took place
simply because the promoters stopped cooperating. Problems in
the NWA can be traced back into the 1970's but the major changes
came in 1985. In an attempt to turn into a national promotion,
Jim Crockett obtained the WTBS wrestling time slot from the
WWF in March, 1985. With this exposure, combined with controlling
power over the NWA title, Crockett was able to strong arm the
other member promotions into complying with his requests. Many
of the other promotions ended up going out of business or being
bought up by Crockett. Eventually, however, Crockett too ran
into problems and sold his promotion to Ted Turner. The Turner
controlled WCW continued, but with the exception of using the
NWA name in a co-promotional effort with New Japan Pro-Wrestling,
the NWA essentially no longer existed except as a paper organization.
In
1992 and 1993, a number of promoters applied for membership
in the NWA and some were accepted. Among these promoters was
Dennis Coraluzzo, who became an NWA board member and began demanding
dates with the NWA champion. In the ensuing legal struggle,
WCW resigned its membership, but kept the "NWA" title
belt, which it had legal ownership of. Meanwhile, Coraluzzo
and the remaining NWA promoters were left without any powerful
members and without a champion.
6.1.
United States Wrestling Association (USWA)
The
Memphis area has been a hot area for wrestling for decades.
The area has thrived since the mid-70s on the performance of
one man, Jerry Lawler. Regular stars include Lawler, his son
Brian Christopher, Bill Dundee and announcer Lance Russell.
Fred
Deaton posts regular USWA TV show reports. Here is his description
of the promotion: "A very unique local promotion with local
'stars' and local 'story lines'. Usually involves a Mega Heel-good
guy combo persona garnering the attention, half cheers half
boos; a time honored feud that never resolves; gimmick matches;
a place for new rising or older stars to change their routine;
and a 'local' rising young star moving up."
6.2.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)
ECW
began operating in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling. In
August, 1994, the name was changed from Eastern to Extreme.
It operates in Philadelphia, with spot shows in the surrounding
Pennsylvania area. The wrestling operations are currently handled
by Tod Gordon (who also finances the promotion) and Paul Heyman
(manager Paul E Dangerously) It is currently available on the
Sports Channel America syndication package and on AIN satellite.
Current top stars are Shane Douglas, Terry Funk, Sabu, and more.
ECW does not rely on the traditional face/heel structure. Instead,
uses high-impact, fast paced action to get its wrestlers over.
Regular
ECW reports and updates are posted by Tom Misnik (Mr. ECW).
The fans who attend live shows regularly and participate on
the net are too numerous to list.
Additionaly,
ECW maintains it's own WWW site at: http://www.cybrsports/ecw/
6.3.
Other regional groups
The
Dark Cheetah maintains a web site cataloging many other independant
promotions. It is at http://www.photon.co.jp/sections/f_staff/nCo/indy/indy.html
7.1.
How did pro wrestling get its start in Japan?
Pro-wrestling
in Japan dates back nearly as far as it does in the US. In 1883,
former sumo, Shokichi Hamada, left to tour the US as the first
Japanese pro-wrestler. In 1887, Hamada brought 20 American wrestlers
to Tokyo for a series of shows. The first show sold-out, but
subsequent shows failed to draw any crowds.
Several
attempts were made to spark an interest in wrestling in Japan,
none of which were successful until the 1950's. Rikidozan, who
retired from Sumo in 1950, became Japan's first big name male
drawing card. He made his debut in 1951. In 1953, he formed
the Japan Wrestling Alliance. He continued to wrestle until
his death in December, 1963.
7.2.
What is AJPW?
All-Japan
Pro Wrestling is Shohei Baba's group in Japan. Baba, a former
pro baseball pitcher, joined the JWA in 1960. In October, 1972,
he left the JWA and formed his own group, AJPW. His group continues
to promote today, with a television show on Nippon TV. The main
titles are the Triple Crown (unified United National, International
and PWF Heavyweight titles), the World Tag Team title (unified
International and PWF tag team titles), the World Junior Heavyweight
title and the Asian Tag Team title.
7.3.
What is NJPW? Is it different from IWGP?
Kanji
Inoki, a japanese emigrant to Brazil, was scouted by Rikidozan
in 1960, and brought to Japan to join the JWA. He later changed
his name to Antonio Inoki. In 1966, Inoki made his first attempt
at breaking away from the JWA and forming his own group, Tokyo
Pro-Wrestling. In 1967, Inoki suddenly rejoined the JWA and
Tokyo Pro folded. In 1971, Inoki was expelled from the JWA when
it as discovered that he was planning a coup to take over the
promotion. Inoki subsequently formed his second group, New Japan
Pro Wrestling and ran his first card in March, 1972. The group
has now grown to be the largest and most popular wrestling group
in Japan. It currently has a show on TV Asahi.
In
1983, New Japan created the International Wrestling Grand Prix
titles, which are now the main titles of the group: the IWGP
Heavyweight title, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and the
IWGP Tag Team titles.
7.4.
What other groups are there in Japan?
There
are numerous other groups in Japan. In 1994 it was reported
that there were in excess of 30 wrestling groups operating in
Tokyo alone. The other groups include the IWA, W*ING, Kitao
Dojo, Michinoku Pro, Rings, and many more.
7.5.
What about the Japanese Women's groups?
The
first women's shows were held in Japan in 1948. The women's
groups caught fire in 1954, when Sankei Shinbun Newspaper promoted
a show with Mildred Burke, billed as the first WWWA world champion,
and six other American wrestlers and four Japanese wrestlers.
They ran three consecutive sellouts at the old Sumo Hall.
There
are currently a number of Japanese Women's groups, including
All-Japan Women, LLPW, JWP and Gaea Japan.
7.6.
What is Shootwrestling?
Shootwrestling
is the idea of making wrestling matches seem as legitimate or
"real" as possible. It got its start in 1984 in the
original UWF group, with such stars as Akira Maeda, Super Tiger
(Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask), Yoshiaki Fujiwara
and Kazuo Yamazaki. Also in the group were Nobuhiko Takada and
Osamu Kido. The original UWF was popular, but for various reasons
did not succeed. The second Japanese UWF formed in 1988 with
Maeda, Fujiwara and Takada as top stars. In 1992, this group
split into UWF-Fujiwara Gumi (later PWF) RINGS and UWFI. Currently,
there are a number of "shoot" groups in Japan, such
as Pancrase and Rings. UWFI aired some of its shows in the US
on PPV under the Shootwrestling name, but the group folded in
1995.
7.7.
How do I get to see Japanese wrestling?
There
is currently no Japanese wrestling available on North American
TV, including satellite. However, if you live in North America
and want to see it, you still have a number of options available.
Many Japanese bookstores and shops in the US sell or rent tapes
of Japanese TV shows. Check any similar shops in your area and
ask if they carry it. Or, you can buy/trade for someone else
who gets it. Another possibility is to find a friend who lives
in Japan who is willing to tape it directly off of tv for you.
8.1.
What are the major Mexican groups?
There
are two major wrestling groups in Mexico: the EMLL - Empresa
Mexicana de la Lucha Libre and AAA - Asestencia Asesoria Administracion.
EMLL
translates loosely to Mexican Wrestling Empire or Mexican Wrestling
Company. The EMLL is the oldest existing wrestling promotion,
having run its first show on September 21, 1933.
AAA
is run by Antonio Pena and owned by Mexican television station
Televisa. It was formed in 1992.
8.2.
What is Lucha Libre?
Lucha
Libre is a phrase that describes the professional wrestling
most commonly found in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Lucha Libre is
usually used to describe Mexican wrestling, which incorporates
high flying, acrobatic wrestling with a sense of live theater.
Lucha Libre in Mexico is often characterized by tests of Machismo.
The Mexican wrestlers will often apply what appear to be lame
slaps to their opponent's chest and face not in an effort to
"hurt" their opponent, but more so as an insult to
his manhood.
The
phrase "Lucha Libre" is an idiom that best translates
to English as "the free fight". Derived from Lucha
Libre is the word "Luchadores", which refers to the
men that wrestle the Lucha Libre style.
8.3.
What's with all the masks in Mexico?
The
masks worn by the Luchadores are inspired by ancient Aztec traditions
of masked warriors. The mask is considered the most precious
thing a Luchador has. When a wrestler loses his mask, he has
suffered the ultimate dishonor, the ultimate humiliation. Very
few wrestlers will make it through their entire career without
losing their mask. Only the true legends get to retire with
their anonymity intact.
El
Santo (The Saint) is perhaps the most famous case of a Luchador
retiring without ever being unmasked. When he died in 1984,
El Santo was buried with his mask on.
8.4.
I don't know Spanish, what does [some_word] mean?
Obviously,
there isn't room to define every word you'll hear if you watch
a Lucha match. However, here are a few words which should help
you figure out a little of what's going on:
aficianados
(ah-fee-see-ah-nah-dohs): fans.
caida
(ky-e-da, ky rhymes with tie): fall. Or, as it's known in
the U.S., a pin fall.
Primera
caida = first fall.
Segunda caida = second fall.
Tercera caida = third fall.
castigo
(cass-tee-go): punishment. Depending on the announcer, this
may be repeated three times, very fast.
cuadrilatero
(sp?) (kwa-dri-la-te-roh) the wrestling ring, as in the quadrilateral
that is the squared circle.
enorme
(e-nor-may): terrific.
espaldas
planas (ess-pahl-dahss plahn-ahs): literally, shoulders down.
A pin.
hurricarana
(hurri-ka-rahna): a Frankensteiner when performed by a descendant
of Hurricane Ramirez. Otherwise the move is known as a rana.
By the way, Scott Steiner did not invent the move, it is generally
believed to have originated in Mexico.
malandrin
(mawl-ahn-dreen): evil.
pareja
(pah-ray-ha): pair, as in tag team.
pareja
incredible (pah-ray-ha een-cred-eed-lay): a mixed tag team
of a heel and a face.
plancha
(plahn-cha, plahn rhymes with lawn): a flying crossbody, generally
delivered from the top rope.
rudo
(rue-dough): a heel (bad guy). Depending on the announcer,
this may be repeated three times, very fast.
senton
(sen-ton, sen rhymes with when, ton rhymes with loan): a splash,
only the back hits instead of the chest. Sometimes delivered
from the top rope.
tecnico
(tek-knee-ko): a face (good guy).
tope
(toe-pay): literally "butt" or "stopper".
In its wrestling sense, normally used to describe a headfirst
dive into a standing opponent.
trios
(tree-ohs): three-man tag team, as in a trio of wrestlers.
8.5.
What's with all the midgets in Lucha Libre?
Midgets
are very popular in Lucha Libre. Exactly why is unknown, but
they work a differant style than their American counterparts,
who generally just work comic relief matches.
Also,
it's very common to see midgets adopt the gimmicks, wrestling
style, face/heel status, and costume as their larger counterparts.
Further, midgets also adopt the name of their larger counterpart
and transform it to the diminutive; for example the "big
guy" is Mascara Sagrada and his midget counterpart is Mascarita
Sagrada.
8.6.
Lucha Libre confuses me, what are the rules?
Well,
there are many rules, differing with the type of match that
is being wrestled (singles, tag, 6-man tag, special stipulations),
but here are the basic rules for most Lucha Libre matches:
- most
matches are trios matches, which are known in the U.S. as
6-man tag matches
- in
trios matches, there are usually 2 referees. Generally, one
is a heel referee and one is a face referee
- most
matches are 2 out of 3 falls
- one
member of each team is designated as the captain
- when
a wrestler is knocked out of the ring, one of his team members
can enter the ring without tagging
- a
fall in a trios match is won when the captain submits or is
pinned, or when the other two members of the team submit or
are pinned. This frequently leads to falls ending when three
wrestlers are pinned simultaneously.
This
might not make much sense to some non-Lucha fans but that's
the way they wrestle Lucha style and they've been doing it this
way for decades. Lucha fans don't even think twice about it.
8.7.
How do I get to see lucha libre wresting?
If
you cable company carries the Spanish language station Galavision,
then you get it now. At last report, a combined AAA/EMLL show
aired Saturday nights at 6pm (EST). If you live in the southern
portion of the United States, then you may be able to pick up
the Mexican satellite transmissions. Also, one Los Angeles local
spanish language station carries lucha libre. In Canada, the
Telelatino network carries lucha libre from 3:45pm to 5:30pm
EST on Saturdays.
9.1.
Dr. Jerry Graham
Jerry
Graham (real name either Jerry Graham or Roger Reed) died January
24, 1997 due to complications from a stroke. He was 76 years
old.
Jerry
Graham was a headlining heel throughout the US for many years.
Some of his greatest success came in Madison Square Garden,
where he had a huge feud with Buddy Rogers in 1956, and was
one quarter of the infamous tag team match along with Dick the
Bruiser against Argentina Rocca and Eduardo Carpentier that
caused a riot in Madison Square Garden. Graham spent his later
years attempting many comebacks as a wrestler and manager before
falling into ill health.
9.2.
Recent wrestling related deaths
Ken
Farber, age 72. Referee.
Juanita Wright aka "Sweet Saphire". September 10,
1996, age 61. Wrestler and Valet.
Neil Caricofe (aka Neil Superior) August 23, 1996, age 33.
Wrestler and Trainer. Orville Lee Carlson (aka Cowboy Carlson)
July 11, 1996, age 73. Wrestler. Floyd W. Eckert (aka Ray
Eckert) July 7, 1996, age 79. Wrestler. Hart Richard Murdoch
(aka Dick Murdoch) June 14, 1996, age 49. Wrestler. Edward
Bruce (aka Ivan Kalmikoff) June 9, 1996, age 78. Wrestler
and Manager.
George Temple, May 27, 1996. Wrestler.
Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, May 3, 1996, age 60.
Wrestler
Dr. Bernhardt Schwartz, February 22, 1996, age 81. Ringside
physician.
A. J. Christianson (aka Ivan the Terrible), February, 1996,
age 97. Wrestler.
Edward Welch (aka Buddy Fuller), January 15, 1996, age 71.
Wrestler and promoter. Father of Robert Welch(Robert Fuller,
Col. Parker) and Ronald Welch (Ron Fuller).
Humberto Arellano (aka Elegante Blanco), January 13, 1996.
Wrestler.
Benjamin Ramirez, (aka Benji Ramirez, The Mummy) December
20, 1995, age 63. Wrestler.
Jerry Arotsky (aka Jerry O, Jerry Allen), December, 1995,
age 32. Wrestler.
Eddie Blanks, November 18, 1995. Referee.
10.1.
What happened to Cactus Jack's right ear?
It
was accidentally ripped off on March 16, 1994 in a wrestling
match in Munich, Germany against Vader. During the match,
Cactus got his head caught between the top and middle ropes.
The tension in the tightened ring ropes was enough to tear
his right ear completely off and badly tear his left ear.
Part of the right ear was iced and saved. The left required
12 stitches. Cactus continued the match for another two minutes
before going to the planned finish. Cactus was in good spirits
afterwards with little damage to his hearing and some trouble
with his balance. Cactus returned to the ring April 17, 1994.
Reports were that Cactus was planning to take a few months
time off to have reconstructive surgery on the ear, however,
to date, he has yet to take time off and is currently working
for both ECW and SMW.
11.1.
What happened to Tully Blanchard?
After
getting suspended/fired from the WWF in November 1989, Tully
Blanchard spent a few months in the AWA and then retired and
became an evangelist. Depending on who you listen to, Tully
was fired for failing a drug test (the WWF story), or Tully
was tired of the WWF and failed the drug test on purpose,
hoping to get released from his contract (Tully's story).
Tully
made a brief comeback in 1994 for WCW for one match at Slamboree
'94. He continued to wrestle briefly in Texas, ECW and Japan,
but soon retired again to continue to devote his time to his
ministry along with his wife Courtney.
Reverend
Tully can be reached at:
Tully
Blanchard Ministries
P.O. Box 2724
Matthews, North Carolina 28106
11.2.
What happened to Rick Rude?
Prior
to May 1994, Rude had been working injured (back and knee).
Since he wasn't able to fulfill his contract, WCW fired him.
Rude has since filed a lawsuit with WCW over the reason for
his injuries and royalities.
12.1.
Who were the Four Horsemen?
Over
the years 14 different wrestlers have been part of the Horsemen.
They are: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard,
Lex Lugar, Barry Windham, Butch Reed, Kendell Windham, Sting,
Sid Vicious, Paul Roma, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit and Steve
McMichael. JJ Dillon, Ole Anderson and Hiro Matsuda have all
served as managers.
The
Horsemen name was first used in January, 1986, with the original
group being Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson and Arn
Anderson.
12.2.
Who were in the Midnight Express?
Randy
Rose, Dennis Condrey and Norvell Austin formed the Midnight
Express in Alabama in 1981. The group moved to Memphis in
late 1981 and returned to Alabama in the summer of 1982. During
1983, Midnight Express, Inc. included at one time or another,
Rose, Condrey, Austin, the Midnight Stallion, Ron Starr, Rick
Harris, and Wayne Ferris.
Condrey
left Alabama and joined Mid-South in 1983, where he formed
a tag team with Bobby Eaton, managed by Jim Cornette, also
called the Midnight Express. The Alabama version disbanded
in early 1984, while Condrey, Eaton and Cornette would go
on to achieve fame in Mid-South, World Class and finally,
the NWA in 1985. In April 1987, Condrey left and was replaced
by Stan Lane.
In
1987, Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose joined as the "Original"
Midnight Express, managed by Paul E Dangerously. This group
came to the NWA to feud with Cornette, Lane and Eaton.
12.3.
Who were the Legion of Doom?
The
Legion of Doom was a originally a group of wrestlers managed
by "Precious" Paul Ellering in Georgia in 1983.
At one time or another, the group included Jake Roberts, the
Spoiler, King Kong Bundy and Buzz Sawyer. The headline team
of the group was always the Road Warriors. By 1984, the Road
Warriors were the sole charges of Paul Ellering. After that,
the name Legion of Doom was just used as another nickname
for the Warriors.
When
the Road Warriors jumped to the WWF in mid 1990, they called
themselves the Legion of Doom, but that was merely a marketing-driven
name change from their NWA/WCW personas of the Road Warriors.
12.4.
Who were Power Team USA?
Power
Team USA was a group of bodybuilders formed by Red Bastien
and Rick Bassman in California in 1985. Bastien intended to
train them to be wrestlers, but soon abandoned the plan. Upon
disbanding the group, Bastien observed "they have great
bodies, but they can't wrestle a lick." The members of
the group were Jim "Justice" Hellwig (later the
Ultimate Warrior), Steve "Flash" Borden (later Sting),
Mark "Commando" Miller and Garland "Glory"
Donnoho. Miller never wrestled after the disbanding of the
group. Donnoho wrestled briefly in California as "The
Myth"
13.1.
Who was/is [x]?
In
the current "Who is..." list:
- TJ
Hopper - Tony Anthony (The Dirty White Boy)
- Rocky
Maivia - Dwayne Johnson (son of Rocky Johnson)
- The
Goon - Barney Irwin (Wild Bill Irwin)
- The
Stalker - Barry Windham
- Double
J - Brian James (The Roadie, Brian Armstrong)
- The
"New" Diesel - Glen Jacobs (Dr. I Yankum)
- The
"New" Razor Ramon - Rick Bogner (Big Titan)
- Leif
Cassedy - Al Sarven (aka Al Snow)
- Six
- Sean Waltman (1-2-3 Kid)
13.2.
Did [X] ever played organized football?
The
crossover between wrestling and football is high. Many current
professional wrestlers played football in college, and perhaps
professionally.
First
a few notes:
The
Manny Fernandez who played for the Miami Dolphins in the early
70s is NOT the same person as the wrestler Manny Fernandez.
Manny the wrestler was in junior high when Manny the Dolphin
was earning Super Bowl rings.
Bronko
Nagurski deserves recognition as the only athlete to be a
member of the Pro-Football Hall of Fame and hold a World Heavyweight
Championship in Wrestling. Nagurski was a tackle at the University
of Minnesota, 1927-29 (All-American in 1929) and played Fullback
with the Chicago Bears 1930-37 and 1943. He was one of the
initial inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and
is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. [6'2
216-238] Nagurski held the National Wrestling Association
title twice, from June 23, 1939 to March 7, 1940 (defeating
Lou Thesz, losing to Ray Steele) and from March 11, 1941 to
June 5, 1941 (regaining from Ray Steele and losing to Sandor
Szabo.)
Below
is a brief list of current wrestlers with football background,
clipped from a posting by Gary Will.
Jim
Duggan: Linebacker at Southern Methodist University. Signed
as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 1977 and spent
the season on injured reserve list. Tried out with CFL Toronto
Argonauts in 1978 or 1979 and may have played.
Stan
Hansen: Linebacker at West Texas State University; 11th round
pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1972 but did not make the team.
Lex
Luger: Offensive tackle with Pennsylvania State University
and the University of Miami. Played for the CFL Montreal Alouettes
after being suspended from the Miami team. On the Green Bay
Packers' reserves in 1982. Later played for the USFL Memphis
Showboats (1983) and Tampa Bay Bandits.
Jim
Neidhart: Was on track team at UCLA but did not play football.
Dave Scheid remembers him as a back-up nose guard for the
Oakland Raiders in late 70s who may also have been with the
Houston Oilers; other sources say he never played in the NFL
but did attend a Raiders training camp.
Paul
Orndorff: Fullback at University of Tampa. Drafted by Kansas
City Chiefs in 1973 but didn't make the team. Tried out for
New Orleans Saints in 1974 and was again cut. Played for WFL
Jacksonville Sharks in 1975.
Brian
Pillman: Middle guard for Miami University. Signed as a free
agent by Cincinnati Bengals and played there in 1984. Tried
out for the CFL Calgary Stampeders in 1986 and may have played
there.
Ron
Simmons: Nose guard for Florida State University. All-American
in 1982. Drafted in the 6th round by the Cleveland Browns
in 1983 but did not make the team. Played for the USFL Tampa
Bay Bandits.
Big
Van Vader: Played at University of Colorado. Drafted by the
Los Angeles Rams and was on injured reserve for at least one
season but never played.
Steve
Williams: Offensive guard with University of Oklahoma where
he was All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-American in
1981. Signed with USFL New Jersey Generals in 1983, played
little and was traded to the Denver Gold before the 1984 season,
where he was cut.
COLLEGE
ONLY:
Animal (LOD) Morehead State University Defensive Tackle
Tully Blanchard West Texas State University Quarterback
Ted DiBiase West Texas State University
Ric Flair University of Minnesota Offensive Guard
Terry Funk West Texas State University Offensive Guard
13.5.
Were Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth really married?
Not
any more. They were divorced in 1992. "Macho Man"
Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo) and Miss Elizabeth (real
name Elizabeth Hewlett) were officially married December 30,
1984 in Frankfort, KY. Their "Match Made in Heaven"
was just a gimmick Vince McMahon used as a draw for SummerSlam
'91.
13.6.
Who are the Von Erichs?
To
begin with, there are no "real" Von Erichs. The
Adkisson family has used the last name "Von Erich"
for their wrestling personas for years.
The
patriarch of the Adkisson/Von Erich clan is Jack Adkisson.
He took the ring name Fritz Von Erich and wrestled in the
50's and 60's with a Nazi German gimmick, complete with goose
step and iron claw. Jack had six sons, five of whom were involved
with wrestling.
Waldo
Von Erich was Bill Sheppard, no relation to the Adkissons.
He formed a successful tag team in the 60's with Fritz.
Kevin
Von Erich began wrestling in the mid-70s. He rarely competed
outside of his home state. His few trips out of Texas saw
him compete in Japan, and in St. Louis. Kevin is currently
wrestling for Jim Crockett's NWA promotion in Dallas. Kevin
is the only of Fritz's sons still alive.
David
Von Erich (nicknamed "the Yellow Rose of Texas")
began wrestling on June 28, 1977. David was the most successful
of the Von Erich boys in the late 70s and early 80s, competing
in St. Louis, Japan and Florida, as well as his home state
of Texas. David was found dead in his hotel room in Japan
on February 10, 1984. His dreams of winning the NWA World
title were never realized.
Kerry
Von Erich achieved the most national fame of the Von Erich
boys. His pinnacle came on May 6th, 1984, when he defeated
Ric Flair for the NWA World title in Texas Stadium, at a memorial
card for David. This event made Fritz and Kerry the only father
and son duo to hold World singles titles (Fritz had held the
AWA title in 1963) Kerry lost the title back to Flair in Japan
on May 24, 1984.
Kerry's
entire career was haunted by troubles stemming from drug use.
On June 4, 1986, Kerry was involved in an automobile accident
in which his right leg was severely damaged. It wasn't until
after Kerry's death in 1993 that his family would confirm
that he had lost his foot in the accident. He wrestled for
the rest of his career with a prosthesis on his leg. He did
not return to the ring full time until late 1987. On February
18, 1993, Kerry shot himself in the heart at his home in Sandy
Shore, TX. He was 33.
Mike
Von Erich debuted in November, 1983. Months later he was thrust
in the role of being David's successor, a role he never quite
looked comfortable in. In 1985, on a tour of Israel, Mike
suffered a shoulder separation on an exceptionally hard ring.
During recovery, Mike contracted toxic-shock syndrome. He
recovered, but he had lost much weight and strength during
his layoff. He returned to the ring in July 1986. Mike died
on April 13, 1987, at the age of 23, of an intentional overdose
of Placidyl (depressant/muscle relaxant).
Chris
Von Erich, the youngest of Fritz's sons, began appearing at
ringside for his brothers matches in the mid-80s. He was involved
in a few angles. He finally made his wrestling debut in the
late 80's. Chris died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to
the head on September 12, 1991. Chris was 21.
In
1985, Fritz brought in Kevin William Vaughn, using the ring
name Lance Von Erich, and billed as a cousin of the Von Erich
boys, a son of Waldo. In reality, he was no relation to either
Fritz's family or Waldo. Fritz's plan of creating a new Von
Erich eventually backfired, after Lance left Fritz's promotion
and Fritz admitted publicly that he actually wasn't related.
Recently
in Texas, local wrestler Rick Lerebeus has been wrestling
as Mark Von Erich.
13.8.
How are all the Samoan wrestlers related?
The
original Samoans, Afa & Sika are brothers, real names
Alofa and Sika Anoai. Sika has two sons in wrestling, Rodney
Anoia (Yokozuna, Kokina Maximus) and Lloyd Anoai (Tahitian
Warrior). Alofa has one son in wrestling, Samula Anoai (Headshrinker
Samu).
The
Tonga Kid (Islander Tama, Samoan Savage, real name Sam Fatu)
and Headshrinker Fatu (real name Solofa Fatu) are brothers.
The Fatu brothers are cousins to Samu and Yokozuna.
Headshrinker
Sionne (Konga the Barbarian, real name Sionne Vailahi) is
not related to either family, although he is of Samoan descent
and also grew up in San Fransisco.
Jimmy
"Superfly" Snuka (real name James Reiher) is of
Fijian descent and grew up in Hawaii. He has one brother who
wrestled as Cocoa Samoa (Sabu the Wildman in Memphis ca. 84,
real name John Reiher.)
14.1.
Who is Charles Austin?
In
December 1990, Austin and The Genius (Lanny Poffo) jobbed
for The Rockers (Jannetty & Michaels) at a WWF television
taping at the Sun Dome in Tampa FL. Before the finish, Jannetty
executed the Rocker Dropper on Austin. Instead of taking the
planned face-first bump, Austin attempted a forward roll and
wound up landing on his head, breaking his neck. The match
then finished when Jannetty rolled a limp Austin over and
Michaels came off the top rope with a splash for the pin.
At the time of the accident, doctors feared that Austin would
be a quadriplegic (paralyzed from the neck down) for life.
By mid 1994 Austin had regained some feeling in his arms and
legs and can get around with crutches. Austin sued the WWF,
Jannetty, and Michaels for US$3.8 million. Michaels was dismissed
from the suit by a judge.
On
April 29, 1994, after a two-week trial and deliberation, a
Hillsborough County FL jury awarded Austin US$26.7 million.
The jury determined that Titan Sports was 90% responsible
(US$23.5 million), that Jannetty was 5% responsible (US$1.3
million), and that Austin was 5% responsible.
14.2.
Did Vince McMahon get indicted?
Yes.
On Friday, November 19, 1993, the Brooklyn, NY office of the
U.S. Department of Justice handed down an indictment against
Vince McMahon and Titan Sports Inc. The indictment contained
charges of conspiracy, possession and possession with intent
to distribute. No wrestlers were indicted.
On
July 22, 1994, after deliberating for 16 hours, the jury found
McMahon and Titan Sports not guilty of the charges.
14.3.
Were there charges of sexual harassment filed against the WWF
in 1992?
No.
In 1992, former ring-boy Tom Cole, former referee Rita Chatterson
and former TV announcer Murray Hodgekins came forth with allegations
of sexual abuse by WWF employees. The group made the talk-show
circuit, but never filed legal charges. Specifically named
employees included booker Pat Patterson, ring attendant Mel
Phillips, booker Terry Garvin and Vince McMahon himself. Patterson,
Phillips and Garvin were dismissed by the WWF as a result
of the allegations. Patterson subsequently returned to his
position.
14.4.
Who is George Zahorian?
Dr.
George Zahorian was a physician appointed by the Pennsylvania
state athletic commission to attend WWF shows in Hamburg,
PA and Allentown, PA.
In
1991, Zahorian was convicted in a Pennsylvania court for selling
steroids and other controlled substances to pro wrestlers
and to a college strength coach. Zahorian was sentenced to
three years in federal prison. During his trial, Zahorian
testified that between November 1988 and March 1990, he sold
steroids to Vince McMahon and to many professional wrestlers,
including two of the WWF's then-top draws: Hulk Hogan and
Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Zahorian
was released from prison in February, 1995.
14.5.
Who owns the rights to "Hulkamania", "Hulk Hogan"
and "Hulkster"?
Marvel
Comics. Marvel came out with their Incredible Hulk comic book
character long before Vince McMahon dreamed up Hulk Hogan.
When the Hulk Hogan character was created, McMahon gave Hogan
the title "The Incredible Hulk Hogan". Marvel objected
to the use of their intellectual property. Specifically, Marvel
objected to the use of all words derived from their "Incredible
Hulk" comic book character.
So,
Titan Sports and Marvel Comics worked out a deal: Titan recognized
Marvel as the owner of the Hulk-derived words and Marvel gave
Titan an exclusive license to merchandise the Hulk-derived
words. When Hogan joined WCW in 1994, WCW obtained a license
to produce Hulk Hogan merchandise. Presumably the details
were similar to the license the WWF had.
14.6.
How come so many wrestlers change names so quickly?
Wrestlers
change name, appearance and style quite frequently, and often
it is a challenge just to keep up with who is currently wrestling
under what name.
While
many times, name changes stem from attempts to get a better
reaction from the audience, there are times when a name change
has it's roots in a legal matter. For instance:
- Big
Van Vader - When Leon White left New Japan Pro Wrestling
in 1993, New Japan claimed that it owned the rights to the
Big Van Vader gimmick, as well as the name. New Japan won
a minor victory, causing WCW to simply bill White as Vader
from then on. The courts ruled that due to the popularity
of George Lucas' Star Wars movies, New Japan couldn't claim
rights on the name Vader alone.
- Demolition
- When Demolition first appeared in the WWF in early 1987,
the team consisted of Axe (Bill Eadie) and Smash (Randy
Culley). Within a month, Culley was replaced by Barry Darsow.
A brief legal battle ensued, with Culley claiming that he
created the Demolition team and therefore owned the rights
to the Demolition name. Culley lost the battle, the WWF
retained the tag team name, and Culley was forced to give
up the Detroit Demolition name he had been using on independent
shows.
- Doink
- A story has recently surfaced that the WWF is filing legal
action against Matt Osbourne. Osbourne was the first wrestler
to play the role of Doink in the WWF, and has since used
the same role on many independent shows.
15.1.
Who was the first World's Champion of professional wrestling?
That
depends on what you recognize as a "World's" Champion.
William Muldoon, who wrestled during the 1870s and 1880s,
is widely considered to be professional wrestling's first
World Champion. Muldoon retired in late 1891 after having
held the Greco-Roman title since 1883. He was followed by
George Hackenschmidt, who was first recognized as a "World's"
Champion in 1901. Some consider Hackenschmidt to be a European
champion and recognize Frank Gotch. Gotch defeated Hackenschmidt
on April 3, 1908 in Chicago, IL and held the honors until
his retirement in 1913.
15.2.
How many times has Ric Flair won the World Title?
That's
depends on what changes you wish to recognize.
In
July 1994, Ric Flair said many times that he was an 11 time
world champion. This number was come to by recognizing his
8 undisputed NWA title reigns, 2 WWF title reigns and 1 WCW
title reign. Flair has since held the WCW title twice more,
bringing the undisputed total to 13. However in addition to
this, there have been a number of disputed or not widely recognized
reigns, which are listed below.
On
March 21, 1984, Flair was defeated by Harley Race in New Zealand
for the NWA title. He regained it on March 23, 1984 in Singapore.
This switch was never recognized in the US.
On
March 21, 1991, Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Flair in Tokyo,
Japan. The Japanese referee for the match counted a pinfall,
while the WCW referee for the match DQed Flair for tossing
Fujinami over the top rope. Flair defeated Fujinami May 19,
1991 in St. Petersburg, FL to end the dispute.
On
April 17, 1994, Ric Flair and Rick Steamboat went to a double
pin finish. On April 21, 1994, (aired on TV May 21, 1994)
Flair defeated Steamboat to end the dispute. It was never
officially announced that the belt was held up, although Flair
gave the belt to WCW commissioner Nick Bockwinkel and said
he wanted it held up.
There
are also stories that Flair did title switches with Jack Venano
in the Dominican Republic and Victor Jovica in the Caribbean,
similar to the New Zealand/Singapore title switch with Harley
Race.
15.3.
What is a wrestling ring made of?
Wrestling
rings vary more in composition than they do in size. The ring
posts are usually hollow steel, about 8 feet tall, and about
6 inches to a foot wide at the base. Several layers of carpet
or plywood are usually placed under the ring posts to protect
the floor of the venue.
The
ring ropes are usually steel cables or rope covered with a
rubbery plastic coating, or colored duct tape, or painted
rope, or a painted garden hose.
The
ring floor is usually a layered affair: a layer of canvas
over layers of padding over plywood, all on some sort of structural
support.
Two
types of structural support have been reported. One type is
a very large and very heavy center piece, usually made out
of steel and semi-solid, which usually (but not always) contains
a spring of some sort in the center. The other type is similar
to a deck with 20ft long 2x10s or 2x12s resting on joists.
All
in all, a wrestling ring is very similar to a boxing ring
except that in a wrestling ring the ropes are much tighter
and that the floor is generally more heavily supported.
15.4.
Where can I get wrestling attire and related products?
Ted
Hobgood of r.s.p-w runs New Frontier Wrestling Gear. He makes
custom masks and ring outfits. He will work from your design
or from your description, and will work within your budget.
Ted can be contacted via email at: NewGear@aol.com
For
a catalog, send an SASE (two stamps please!) to:
New
Frontier Wrestling Gear
4600 University Dr. #607
Durham, NC 27707
For
those interested in championship belts, Joe Marshall (Beltster@ix.netcom.com)
runs the following shop:
From
the maker of the NWA worlds title and UFC title belt, currently
held by Dan Severn, and several of the current WCW belts.
J-Mar Championship Belts
7671 Eastwood Street
Reynoldsburg Ohio 43068-2626
And
other related shops:
B
& A Boot Shop-Bill Ash-owner
37 South Elm St.
Paris AK 72855
(SASE for inquiries)
K
& H Wrestling Wear
PO Box 447
Johnstown Ohio 43031
(SASE for inquiries)
Bizare
Bazzar - Exotic Adrian Street - owner
PO Box 6188
Gulf Breeze FL 32561 (zip code uncertain)
Baby
Doll's Gimmick's - Nikla Roberts (Baby Doll) - owner
PO Box 1763
Lubbock TX 79408
15.5.
What does [X] mean?
The
following is a list of commonly used terms in this newsgroup.
-
- BLADE
- verb.
To cut oneself intentionally in a match in order to bleed.
- FACE
- noun.
& adj. [Babyface] A good guy.
- HEAT
- noun.
Enthusiasm, a sustained crowd response. The WWF uses a heat
machine. The response can be positive (cheering) or negative
(booing). See Pop.
- HEEL
- noun.
A bad guy.
- INTERNATIONAL
OBJECT
- noun.
Foreign object, something not allowed in the ring. Derived
from an order not to use the word "foreign" by
the Turner Broadcasting Companies.
- JOB
- noun.
A staged loss. A clean job is a staged loss by legal pinfall
or submission without resort to illegalities.
v.i. To lose a match. Sometimes combined with a descriptive
adjective (stretcher job, rope job, tights job.)
- JOBBER
- noun.
An unpushed wrestler who loses regularly for pushed wrestlers.
- JUICE
- noun.
Blood.
v.i. to bleed, usually as a result of blading. To juice
hard way is to bleed unintentionally.
noun. Steroids. (Juicer - a steroid user).
- MARK
- noun.
*Note this definition is the topic of much debate, what
follows are the most popular meanings*
- any fan who spends money on wrestling, whether they know
it is a work or not. This leads to some people adding adjectives
describing what promotions people are marks for. Ex: someone
who refers to himself as a WWF mark is someone who is willing
to spend money on the WWF product.
- a fan who believes that wrestling is legitimate, ie. not
a work.
- OUTLAW
PROMOTION
- A
promotion that would try to run against another established
promotion in its home area. Referred to as an outlaw because
it was attempting to "steal" fans.
- POP
- noun.
A loud fan reaction to a wrestler. Pop is used to describe
a more individual reaction, while heat tends to refer to
a sustained reaction (Ex: A crowd will pop for a good move,
while an entire match will be described as having good heat
or no heat)
- PUSH
- verb.
to give a wrestler a series of matches that will improve
his standing in the fans eyes.
- SCREW-JOB
- noun.
adj. A match or ending which is not clean (definite) due
to factors outside the "rules" of wrestling.
- SELL
- v.
t. To make an opponent's move look legitimate.
- SHOOT
- noun.
The real thing, i.e. a match where one or more participants
are really attempting to hurt one another, or the participants
stop working cooperatively. A legitimate match. Opposite
of a work.
- STIFF
- noun.
A jobber.
adj. Connecting harder with blows and moves to make the
match look more legitimate.
noun. A wrestler who doesn't move well.
- WORK
- noun.
an event with a predetermined outcome. (Ex: The match was
a work.)
v. t. to participate in a wrestling related event (Ex: to
work an interview or match or show)
- WORKRATE
- noun.
The approximate ratio of action to non-action in a wrestling
match
15.7.
What is Kay Fabe?
The
term Kay Fabe comes from ancient carnival talk, appropriate
as professional wrestling has it's origins in the carnivals.
Kay Fabe practices were old tricks, from three card monte
to cure all elixirs and, of course, magic acts. A kay fabe
violator exposed the secrets behind these practices. In wrestling,
the term has come to mean not exposing that the business is
worked. In the 80s, Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask,
wrote a book entitled Kay Fabe, exposing many secrets of the
business.
15.8.
What are some examples of shoots?
Listed
are some well-known shoots in pro-wrestling:
- 25/04/15
- Stanislaus Zybysko defeated World Champion Wayne Munn.
- 36/03/02
- Dick Shikat defeated World Champion Danno O' Mahoney
- 85/04/27
- Road Warriors vs. Larry Hennig & Jerry Blackwell.
Hennig and Blackwell rough up the young Road Warriors, who,
until that time, refused to sell moves for their opponents.
- 85/09/02
- Akira Maeda and Super Tiger (Satoru Sayama) wrestled to
a Double DQ in 18:57. The ref stopped the match because
he felt both Sayama and Maeda were getting out of hand.
- 86/04/29
- Andre the Giant vs Akira Maeda (New Japan) Andre refuses
to cooperate with Maeda and Maeda takes him down with several
vicious kicks to the legs.
- 87/01
- Bruiser Brody vs. Lex Lugar (Florida) Brody stops cooperating
with Lugar, who gets himself DQed.
- 87/11/19
- Riki Chosyu, Masa Saito & Hiro Saito def. Akira Maeda,
Nobuhiko Takada & Osamu Kido. (New Japan) Maeda delivers
a hard kick to Chosyu's face, which breaks 3 bones in his
cheek.
- 91/04/01
- John Tenta vs. Koji Kitao (SWS/WWF) Tenta and Kitao, two
former sumo wrestlers, stop cooperating but never come to
blows.
15.9.
How do I contact my favorite wrestlers or promotion?
Since
most wrestlers would prefer not having their home addresses
published, you can attempt to contact them through the promotion
they currently work for. Listed below are addresses for some
major promotions. If you have any additions or corrections,
feel free to send them along to the FAQ editor.
WCW WWF
1 CNN Center 1241 E. Main St.
Atlanta GA 30348 Stamford CT 06902
Phone: 404 885-7174 Phone: 203 352-8600
Press Info: 203 353-2891
FAX: 203-352-8699
ECW
101 S. 10th Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
ticket info: 610-544-0421
offices: 215-928-9772
15.10.
How do I rate a match?
When
rating a match, or reading match ratings, it is important
to consider what exactly is being rated. Some people prefer
to rate matches based on how much they enjoyed the match,
others rate matches based on the workrate involved in the
match.
The
most popular way of rating matches is through the 5-star system,
originated by Norm Dooley and Jim Cornette. It was originally
designed to rate the workrate of a match. Here's how Dave
Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, has
described the 5-star rating system
***** Match of the year candidate
****1/2 An almost-perfect match
**** Excellent
***1/2 Extremely good
*** Good
**1/2 Better than average but nothing special
** Average
*1/2 Below average but not atrocious
* Pretty bad, but at least some action
1/2* Terrible, but at least a high spot in there
somewhere
DUD Of no value
-stars Not only terrible, but completely offensive to
the ticket-buying public
In
the end, any form of match ratings is *always* a matter of
personal opinion. One person's match of the year is another
person's snoozer.
Thanks
to all who have contributed, (listed in alphabetical order):
Peter
Akers, Bryan Alvarez, Jeff Amdur, Ideen Barimani, Chris Bertholf,
Crystal Bollinger, Caroline Bunce, Jason Campbell, Mark Carlton,
William Comer, Chris Corridan, Dark Cheetah, Fred Deaton,
Curtis Desjardins, Mark Duell, Ray Duffy, Rick Duggan, Ted
Edwards, Bryant Farley, Maurice Forrester, Charlie Gavinelli,
Greg Gershowitz, Sheldon Goldberg, Paul Herzog, Hesham, Otto
Heuer, Christopher Hilker, Steve Hooper, Rob Hoffmann, James
Hussell, Rodney Hutchings, Cal Jewell, Ron Knight, Herb Kunze,
Dominic Macika, Joe Marshall, Andy McDonel, Robert McMullen,
Tom Misnik, Jeremy Nelson, Dave Prazak, Andy Patrizio, Stephen
Patterson, Oliver Postlethwaite, Bob Rusbasan, Sean Ryan,
Dave Scheid, Dave Scherer, Theo Seiz, Anthony Shubert, Nick
Simicich, David Sipila, Jeremy Soria, Chris Stamper, Jason
Steeves, Hisaharu Tanabe, Scott Teal, Timothy Walker, Mike
Wallace, Matt West, Gary Will, David Worrell, Christopher
Robin Zimmerman and many, many more
My
apologies if I inadvertently omitted your name from the list.
|
