"Dr. Death" Steve Williams

the first time I saw the pictures of Steve Williams from December of this year I didnt even recognize him. I had a feeling he didnt have long.

CANOE -- SLAM: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams

Wrestling's top stories of 2009

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - SLAM! Wrestling's top stories of 2009

World Wrestling Entertainment has lucha libre on the ropes

From the USA Today. The WWE is making inroads in Mexico and pushing the traditions of Lucha Libre out of the ring.

Read it Here.

R.I.P "Dr. Death" Steve Williams 1960-2009

Today we lost a legend in the sport, Steve Williams aka "Dr. Death".

He had a long and successful career with his greatest success coming Japan in both singles and tag teams. He lost his battle against throat cancer today but left a legacy of toughness from Oklahoma University to the Tokyo Dome.
Here is an interview and story from 1986 and given the events of the day some of his comments are now very ironic.


Here is a clip of the Doc when he was part of the Kevin Sullivan led Varsity Club. He teamed with Mike Rotunda to win the NWA World tag team titles. They are facing the late Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner. As Steiner comes into the ring area he is given something by a girl that as we found out later was associated with Kevin Sullivan. Its his then real life wife Nancy (aka Woman) who would later gain notice as the ill fated wife of second husband Chris Benoit. At the end of the match the Road Warriors join the scene to give us at least 6 wrestlers who are Hall of Fame caliber talent.


Here is the team of Williams and Gordy in Japan vs Bam Bam Bigelow and Davey Boy Smith
Sadly all 4 men are now deceased. Such a tragedy, they are all gone too soon.


And one last bit of trivia on Dr. Death. When Stone Cold Steve Austin came on the wrestling scene he wanted to use his real name of Steve Williams but because there was already a well known wrestler of Steve Williams he went with Steve Austin after the "Six Million Dollar Man" fame.

Its on for January 4th

courtesy Wrestling-Radio.com:

Vince McMahon confirmed just now on Monday Night RAW (12/28) that Bret Hart will indeed return to WWE after a 12 year absence and host RAW on January 4, 2010 in Dayton, Ohio. McMahon showed a video package including Survivor Series '97, McMahon went on to play heel against Hart.RAW will be going head to head with a special Live 3 Hour TNA iMPACT! in which Hulk Hogan makes his return.

Dec 26th In Wrestling History

Today back in 1983 marked the end of an era in pro wrestling. It was the end of the WWF as a regional promotion and embarking on a national level. Vince had to get rid of the somewhat bland champion Bob Backlund and make way for his hand picked champ that would lead the way for the WWF. So tonight in 1983 Vince chose the Iron Shiek to dethrone an "injured" Backlund for the WWF heavyweight title in Madison Square Garden.
The Shiek would drop the belt in January 1984 to Hogan in the same MSG and thus a new era was at hand and pro wrestling would never be the same.

George Michael Sports Machine

Today we lost legendary sportscaster/reporter George Michael to cancer. George always gave pro wrestling the respect it never got on any other sports program and in 1985 he did a special peice on the Von Erichs for his Sports Machine.
As tribute to George here is that report

Funny

Breaking News! Bret Hart Signs with WWE

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

According to a WWE source who would have full knowledge of the situation, Bret Hart has indeed signed a short-term talent contract with World Wrestling Entertainment,
The WWE Hall of Famer signed the this past week and it will cover the period from 1/1 to 4/10, or through WrestleMania and about two weeks after the 3/28 show at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
Hart simply told a reliable source that he wasn't going to lie about anything and thus wasn't going to comment on this story.
It was said that Hart wanted his signing to be kept quiet and his return to be a surprise, but that WWE couldn't help itself but all but announced it publicly on the first RAW after the ink was dry.

CANOE -- SLAM: K & S December to Remember WrestleFest in Carteret, NJ, Saturday, December 12, 2009

CANOE -- SLAM: K & S December to Remember WrestleFest in Carteret, NJ, Saturday, December 12, 2009

After looking at these pictures I guess we should be glad that Steve "Dr. Death" Williams is still with us. He is still fighting cancer and seems to be holding his own.

The 2009 Slammy Awards

Tonight WWE RAW is 3 hours and starts at 8pm. Guest host tonight will be Dennis Miller and they will give out the Slammy Awards over those 3 hours.

Via the Wrestling Online Network:
The categories and nominees for the Slammy Awards, taking place tonight
were announced yesterday. Nine categories in total were revealed and these
are: "Superstar of the Year" with nominees John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk
and The Undertaker; "Breakout Star Of The Year" with nominees Yoshi Tatsu,
Drew McIntyre, Sheamus and Abraham Washington; "Tag Team Of The Year" with
nominees D-Generation X, Chris Jericho & Big Show, Hart Dynasty and Legacy;
"Guest Host Of The Year" with nominees Seth Green, Bob Barker, Shaquille
O'Neal and The Osbournes; "Extreme Moment Of The Year" with nominees Kofi
Kingston lands a Boom Drop on Randy Orton at MSG, Big Show choke slams John
Cena into arena spotlight at Backlash, Jeff Hardy jumps from ladder onto CM
Punk at SummerSlam and Triple H invades Randy Orton's home; "Shocker of the
Year" with nominees Batista turning on Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton DDT's
Stephanie McMahon, Jeff Hardy retires thanks to CM Punk and Sheamus drives
Mark Cuban through a table; "Match Of The Year" with nominees Jeff Hardy vs
Edge in a Ladder match at Extreme Rules, Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at
WrestleMania XXIV; John Cena vs Randy Orton in an I Quit match at Breaking
Point; Team RAW vs Team Smackdown at Bragging Rights; "Oh My Moment Of The
Year" with nominees Chris Masters performs special dancing pecs routine for
Osbournes, Shawn Michaels superkicks little girl in cafeteria, Michael Cole
vomits on Chris Jericho at Smackdown's 10th Anniversary and Santino Marella
accidentally nails Vickie with a pie; "Diva Of The Year" will also be
announced with all Divas eligible to win the Slammy. WWE fans will be
deciding who will win this award on WWE.com.

WWE TLC Results

Via the OnLine Wrestling Network
SHEAMUS BECOMES THE NEW WWE CHAMPION
- A new WWE Heavyweight champion was crowned yesterday at the TLC
pay-per-view as Sheamus successfully defeated John Cena in a tables match to
become the champ just a few weeks after he was named the number one
challenger for the title; The Undertaker managed to retain the World
Heavyweight title after pinning Batista following the Tombstone piledriver.
Batista had the match won after a low blow and a chair shot but Smackdown GM
Teddy Long restarted the match because of the low blow; In the main event of
the evening, Shawn Michaels and Triple H became the Unified Tag Team
champions for the first time ever by defeating The Big Show and Chris
Jericho in the only TLC match on the show; In other matches from the show,
Christian retained the ECW title defeating Shelton Benjamin in a Ladder
match. The match was halted after Christian bled hard and later restarted;
Drew McIntyre defeated John Morrison to become the new Intercontinental
champion; Michelle McCool defeated Mickie James to retain the Women's title;
Randy Orton defeated Kofi Kingston.

The Baron

Baron Von Raschke is being inducted into the

St Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame tonight.

Alex Marvez has brief little article on the The Baron in Scripps News.

read it here.

Family matters in pro wrestling

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Family matters in pro wrestling

Great article

Brock Lesnar update

UFC President Dana White said during a press conference today that Brock
Lesnar may need major surgery stemming from his diverticulitis: "They
figured [the illness] out, so the question now is, he’s either going to
need major surgery or he’s not and we won’t know for the next couple
months... Obviously, I’m hoping that’s not the case, as I’m sure all of
you are, but we’ll see what happens."

What a bad year for the Gagne family

the troubles continue with the granddaughter of Vern Gagne being arrested.

read the story Here

Hogan interviewed....again

Thanks to the Online Wrestling Newsletter
Hulk Hogan being interview on Canada's Off The Record
Watch the short interview here.

He was making the rounds in Canada to promote his book and his signing with TNA.

Andy Kaufman

Here is the link to an interview with Bob Zmuda, a friend of Andy Kaufman. He is releasing a new book Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts.

I cannot wait to read this book and its quite an interesting interview.

Enjoy, go here to the LAist website

Memphis

here is the trailer for the upcoming documentary on Memphis Wrestling.
Its based on Ron Hall's book Sputnik, Masked Men & Midgets: The Early Days of Memphis Wrestling.



I hope someone is taking notes so they can do the same for Indianapolis wrestling someday soon.

Moondog Rex still howling at the moon

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Moondog Rex still howling at the moon

Funny

Hulk Hogan and TNA

thanks to Wrestling Online.com:

The Monday Night wars is coming back - at least for one week only. Hulk
Hogan along with TNA President Dixie Carter and Eric Bischoff were present
during yesterday's UFC The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas, NV., and
the Hulkster announced on live TV that on January 4, TNA will go head to
head with WWE's RAW as Hogan makes his official debut on TNA. Hogan was
interviewed by UFC commentator Joe Rogan during the first part of the show
and mentioned that he and TNA are going to war!

> CARTER SAYS TNA IS FIRING FIRST SHOT AT WWE
- On January 4, TNA Wrestling will present a three hour TNA iMPACT! live
starting at 8PM EST. The company issued a press release saying that this
will be the first time that TNA and WWE will broadcast live head-to-head
since the Monday Night Wars ended in the beginning of 2000 between WWE and
WCW. The show will be live from the home of TNA, Universal Studios in
Orlando, FL. "I knew when I signed with TNA, that it would be important to
make a statement with the first episode. Going head-to-head on January 4th,
makes the statement loud and clear: Game on!" Hogan said. Dixie Carter
added, "TNA is kicking off 2010 in the biggest way possible with the biggest
name in the history of our sport. Hulk Hogan is a pop culture icon, and his
arrival will change not only TNA, but the entire professional wrestling
landscape. We're firing that first shot."

TLC matches

Legends of the Past

Our legend today is the late "Pepper" Gomez.
Born Joseph Gomez Los Angeles California in 1927, he would go on to be famous in pro wrestling as "the man with the cast iron stomach".
I became familiar with him as a kid watching him on "All Star Championship Wrestling" in Indianapolis as he teamed up with Wilbur Snyder, Dick the Bruiser, Moose Cholak and others for many stints as WWA Tag Team champions.
He had legendary fueds with Bobby Heenan in the 70s and he fueded with Wilbur Snyder and Dick the Bruiser in his early days.
He would always set up a feud by challenging someone to jump off a ladder onto his stomach to prove how great his abdominal muscles were, which is how he earned his "cast iron stomach" moniker.
Of course being quite young when he was having his heyday I fully believed he had a stomach made of cast iron! He was barrell chested and was built like a house of bricks.


Pepper passed away May 6th 2004 in Oakland, California.
Read the full obituary here

R.I.P. Eddie Fatu (Umaga) Updated

Via the Wrestling Globe Newsletter:

The wrestling world is tonight mouning the death of former WWE star Umaga.

Umaga, 36, whose real name is Edward Fatu, was found by his wife last night at his home in Texas, unable to breath and bleeding from the nose, according to a family member. He had fallen asleep in his chair while watching television.

He was rushed to a Houston-area hospital after suffering what doctors believe was a massive heart attack. They did manage to restart his heart but he was taken off life support late this afternoon after being declared brain dead.

Fatu is probably best known for headlining Wrestlemania 23 against Bobby Lashley in a match where Vince McMahon put his hair on the line against the hair of Donald Trump, with Steve Austin as guest referee, which drew the biggest buy rate in the history of professional wrestling.He was a member of the famous Anoa'i Samoan-wrestling family that included the likes of Afa, Sika, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Samu, Rikishi, Rosie, The Tonga Kid, and many more.

By all accounts, he was well liked and nobody had a bad word to say about him. Friends in the wrestling business have been left devastated by the news of his untimely passing, most of all, Ken "Mr. Kennedy" Anderson, who worked Fatu's final match last weekend on the Hulk Hogan tour of Australia. In an eerie coincidence, Anderson also worked Eddie Guerrero's last match before Gerrero's well-documented untimely death in a Minneapolis hotel room in 2005. "Ecki's (Umaga's) death is an appalling tragedy," one major name WWE wrestler told me this evening. "He was an immensely talented performer, we were good friends, and (I will) miss him. My thoughts are with his entire family right now. I can't imagine the loss they are feeling."

On its website, the WWE expressed its "deepest condolences to Mr. Fatu's family, friends and fans on his tragic passing."

In arguably a PR move, the WWE statement also read:

"Mr. Fatu was under contract with WWE at various time periods and most recently performed under the name Umaga. Mr. Fatu's contract was terminated on June 11, 2009. "

This was in reference to a second Wellness Policy violation and his subsequent refusal to enter rehabilitation which led to his firing earlier this year.

Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, who resides a few miles away from the Fatu family home, said she had been praying all day for a miracle. Last year for her birthday, Fatu had given her an English Bulldog called Uce as a present. Uce means "brother" in the Samoan language.

Tributes from friends and fans have poured in tonight through social networking website Twitter."My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Eddie Fatu," said Eric Bischoff. "He was a great performer and a wonderful person."

TNA's Pope D'Angelo Dinero, said: "This is rough, very rough. My heart and prayers goes out to Umaga's wife, his boys, and family."

Another message, from Christopher Daniels, said: "RIP Eddie Fatu. I'm glad I got to know you in the short time you were here."

TNA Knockout Tara, Lisa Marie Varon, said: "Rest in Peace Umaga We will love you always and we will all miss you."

Long-time WWF ring announcer Howard Finkel also wrote a touching blog on the WWE website. He said: "Like Yokozuna who preceded him, Eddie’s bloodline made him a part of the legendary Anoai family. The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) certainly set the bar high for their family members who aspired to follow in their footsteps, with Eddie being one of them. And not withstanding his early WWE tenure as a member of the tag team known as Three Minute Warning, Eddie finally had something to run with when he became Umaga.""...And with no disrespect intended, I felt that he turned out to be the most talented member of the family. He was deliberate, fierce, and smartly methodical in his ring style, but could instantly become as quick as a cat in no time flat. For a man of his size, he definitely put the A in agility."

Edward "Umaga" Fatu (March 28, 1973 - December 4, 2009)

Read an article here

Umaga

Via the Wrestling Globe Newsletter:

FORMER WWE WRESTLER IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Former WWE wrestler Umaga (Edward Fatu), 36, was rushed to hospital last
night in Houston after suffering what was described as a massive heart
attack.
His wife told a family member that she found him not breathing and
bleeding from the nose and mouth.
He is currently on life support and family members are traveling to
Houston to be at his side.
Fatu was released from his WWE contract in June for a second Wellness
Policy violation and his subsequent refusal to enter rehabilitation.

Tag Team Spotlight

This week we put the spotlight on a rarely seen in the heel team of Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr, Los Gringos Locos (The Crazy Americans).
Sadly both men have passed on but their legendary run in Mexico and the Southwest US lives on. Art Barr was known as the American Love Machine and like Eddie was the son and brother of well known pro wrestlers and was himself one of the best to step foot in the ring.
Art did a brief stint with WCW in 1990 as "The Juicer" a poor attempt by WCW to capitalize on the movie "Beetlejuice".
His run with Eddie Guerrero as Los Gringos Locos was headed for ECW and fued with Public Enemy, but that never materialized due to his untimely death on thanksgiving day 1994.

there is little tape on the internet but here is a good example of their work.


Here is the TV add for the PPV "When Worlds Collide" that would be the last match for Los Gringos Loco.

TNA Genesis

Here is the PPV poster for TNA Genesis

So Long ECW?

From Wrestling Radio.com:

The news wire is abuzz with the news that there are MAJOR changes coming for the ECW brand in 2010. Sources have indicated that the ECW brand will be dropped and re-branded in its current timeslot. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com has confirmed that WWE have had a number of meetings with Syfy regarding a re-branding and the ‘ECW’ letters may be gone in 2010. A new brand would almost certainly focus on the younger talent filtering through from FCW which has become the case over the past year.

TNA New Year's Eve Special

Again via the Wrestling Globe Newsletter:

Spike TV will air a four hour TNA special on New Year's Eve from 7pm
until 11pm, including a countdown show of the ten best matches of 2009
as voted by fans on the TNA website. Hour two of Impact that night goes
head to head with WWE Superstars on WGN.

TLC PPV

Thanks to the Wrestling Globe Newsletter, the current lineup for the TLC PPV on December 13th in San Antonio:

The Undertaker vs. Batista for the World title in a Chair match;
John Cena vs. Sheamus in a Table's match for the WWE title;
Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin in a ladder match for the ECW title;
Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. DX for the tag titles;
and not confirmed yet but likely is Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James for the Women's title

Happy Birthday Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler turns 60 today
Here is a little video retrospective of his career

Starrcade 1985

Once again we step in the time machine and go back to this day, November 28, in 1985. This was the day that the then NWA held its annual Starrcade supercard. In 1985 it was held in Greensboro NC and the Omni in Atlanta GA.
The highlight of the night turned out to be one of the most brutal matches in NWA history and also one that is still talked about to this day and set the standard for "I Quit" matches to come.
It was Tully Blanchard and Magnum T.A. for the US Heavyweight title and to maybe settle their fued.
This really changed opinions people had about Magnum and his good looks overriding his ability and his toughness. He showed the world just how tough and how good he could be in the ring with an old veteran like Blanchard. It garnered a lot of newfound respect for both men.

Your Smackdown recap for 11/26: Climbing to TLC

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Smackdown: Climbing to TLC

WCW World War 3 1995

On this day in 1995 WCW held its World War 3 PPV in Norfolk, VA.
the first video clip is the buildup to the 60 man Battle Royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title.
The second video is the actual battle royal and the line up is a who's who of deceased, never weres and has beens.
The Yeti was Ron Reis, who originally supposed to be "the Giant" but he didnt have the ability shown by Paul Wight, so Paul Wight got the push as "The Giant" and Ron Reis was cast as one of the worst gimmicks EVER, the Yeti and even though you cant see it here, his lack of talent was obvious to anyone watching.

WCW World War 3 1995 (Part 9)
Uploaded by idimegra. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

TLC Promo Video

Starrcade 1983

Today is the anniversary of the first Starrcade Supercard, subtitled "A Flair For The Gold". Held in Greensboro NC and seen only on Closed Circut tv and not PPV.
Here is the match listing for the event:

The Assassins beat Rufus R Jones & Bugsy McGraw (8:06) when Assassin #1 pinned McGraw.

Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin beat Scott McGhee & Johnny Weaver (6:38) when Lewin pinned Weaver.

Abdullah the Butcher pinned Carlos Colon (4:27).

Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr. beat Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel (13:50) when Orton pinned Youngblood.

Charlie Brown (Jimmy Valiant) pinned The Great Kabuki (13:33) in a "no DQ, no time limit" match to win the NWA TV Title.

Roddy Piper pinned Greg Valentine (16:06) in a "dog collar" match.

Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack & Jerry Brisco (12:48) in a "no DQ" match to win the NWA Tag Title when Youngblood pinned Jerry. Angelo Mosca was the special referee.

Ric Flair pinned Harley Race (23:46) in a "steel cage" match to win the NWA World Title. Gene Kiniski was the special referee.

Here is the video from one of titles up for grabs, the NWA TV Title. "Charlie Brown" vs the Great Kabuki. Well you take one look at Charlie Brown and its no secret that its the legend Jimmy Valiant.

Brock Lesnar update

Via Online Wrestling Newsletter:

Brock Lesnar underwent intestinal surgery this past week in Bismark, ND.
He is currently convalescing at his home in Alexandria, MN and is
scheduled to undergo a battery of tests next week at the Mayo Clinic.
According to his chiropractor, Larry Novotny, Lesnar will not make any
decision regarding his career until he recovers from his various
ailments. However, Lesnar's longtime friend and Jiu-Jitsu coach Rodrigo
Medeiros, told media that Lesnar is getting better and wants to fight
again in six months. Medeiros was quoted as saying: "I can just say that
the heavyweights can stop laughing and get ready to start crying because
the champion will be back soon." Dana White has confirmed plans to
schedule an interim championship fight during Lesnar's UFC absence.

Survivor Series 2009 Preview

Here via The Bleacher report is a preview and predictions for Survivor Series 2009.

WCW Mayhem 1999

Today is the 10 year anniversary of WCW's first PPV in Canada.
They held MAYHEM at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario. The main event of course featured the two top canadians in WCW at the time, Bret Hart and the late Chris Beniot battling for the vacant WCW Heavyweight Title.
The semi main event was Goldberg vs Sid Vicious in an "I Quit" match. Well what should have been a good, not great, but a good match turned into a joke and the fans let them know about it. When Goldberg puts an armbar on Sid he dislocates Sid's right shoulder, you will notice the swelling as they try to continue the match. Not a classic by any strecth of the imagination but as always with Sid you get an injury to remember.

Before the Undertaker

Here from Clash of The Champions 10, Feb 6th 1990 we see the legendary Legion of Doom, The Road Warriors meet up with a new team. The new team called The Skyscrapers, consisted of Dangerous Dan Spivey and a newcomer to WCW, Mean Mark Callous. We all know Mark Callous now as The Undertaker. Its fascinating to me to see him as just a wrestler and not "the Phenom" as JR has called him for years.
I remember him and saw him in person as my earlier post showed pictures of that, but no one had any idea of the talent that was there. He became well known in the locker room of WCW for standing up to "Maddog"Buzz Sawyer who was known to bully all the young talent for his amusement. He called Sawyer out and when the time came for them to meet up in the streets to settle the score, Sawyer was nowhere to be found, thus the legend of Mark Callous began. This was also the start of his reputation as a locker room leader and straight shooter.

"Dangerous" Danny Davis: A profile in black and white

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - "Dangerous" Danny Davis: A profile in black and white

we all remember him don't we?

New WWE DVD

Here are the match listings for the new dvd "History of the World Heavyweight Championship" and a picture of the cover.

Tag Team Spotlight

We put the spotlight on 2 teams from 1993, one that was on top and one that was on the verge of becoming a huge success before being disbanded by the powers that be.
The team on top was Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Shane Douglas, the WCW World Tag Team champions. The opponents are "Stunning" Steve Austin and "Flyin" Brian Pillman, soon to become the Hollywood Blondes. This is a non title matchup from WCW Power Hour.
The Austin/Pillman tag team would become very popular in a heel way and the fans ate up the antics they brought to the ring, but others in WCW saw them as too much of a threat to their nice cushy spot and managed to get them broke up thus ending what could have been the biggest team in WCW ever.

Survivor Series 1996

Today is the 13th anniversary of the 1996 Survivor Series from Madison Square Garden.
To me the main event was this match between "Hitman" Bret Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This was before the Hitman checked out of his career and before Austin had his nearly career ending neck injury so they are at the height of their game. Enjoy

Reviews: "Unreleased" Hogan DVD great if not exactly true

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Reviews: "Unreleased" Hogan DVD great if not exactly true

The only reason to get this is for the matches that werent included on previous releases.
You can buy it from Amazon and see the match listings provided in the Review section here

WWE Raw

WWE signs for more years on USA Network

WWE Monday Night RAW Host

This week November 16th, the host for Monday Night will be....


Rowdy Roddy Piper!!!

Survivor Series 1998

Today is the anniversary of the Survivor Series in 1998. Titled "Deadly Games" the main event was a tournament final for the WWE Championship between Mankind and The Rock.
Here is a hightlight reel from the PPV.

December 2009 PPV Poster

Here is the poster for the December 13th PPV called "TLC", Tables,ladders and Chairs. Doesnt seem right without the Hardyz and Edge/Christian and The Dudley Boys.

Bruiser's Home is on the market

Former wrestler's home to go up for auction - WTHR |

Tag Team Spotlight

Today's spotlight is on a great bloody brawl from January 9th 1984.
The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn/Stan Lane) vs The Moondogs (Spot/Rex).
From the MidSouth Coliseum in Memphis TN and it was "No Holds Barred/No DQ"

Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko scores TKO win vs. Brett Rogers

Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko scores TKO win vs. Brett Rogers - SI.com - Mixed Martial Arts

this was a great fight! I thought Fedor was going to get upset but he came back in the second round and dropped Rogers with a wicked left hand.

Here is the video of the fight but for some reason the audio is ahead of the highlights.

The Solie Chronicles/Tells the life of greatest wrestling play-by-play announcer of all time

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - iThe Solie Chronicles/i tells the life of greatest wrestling play-by-play announcer of all time


I cannot wait to read this book. Gordon Solie is a legend and this should be a great read.

Thanks

Thanks to my followers and all my friends, I hope you will keep enjoying my post here and feel free to let me know what you would like to see and if you have any request for videos.

Jim

Classic movie Night and the City/Captured wrestling's murky fascination

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Movies: Classic movie INight and the City/I captured wrestling's murky fascination

Of course I have added this to the top of my Netflix list and hopefully will see it this weekend

El Gigante/Giant Gonzalez

Brief article updating the life of Jorge Gonzalez, better know as El Gigante in the WCW and Giant Gonzalez to the WWF fans. Sad state for a giant man.

NWA World Title Oct 31st 1979

It was 30 years ago today that Shohei"Giant" Baba won the NWA World Heavyweight Title from Harley Race in Nagoya, Japan.
This would be 2nd of 3 short title reigns for the Giant Baba. He won the first from Jack Brisco in 1974. The next 2 times he would defeat his friend Harley Race, in 1979 and again in 1980. All 3 title reigns were a week in length and he would drop the belt back to the man he won it from before they returned to the United States.
These were the days when winning the World Heavyweight Title meant something and you can tell by the reaction of the fans, how elated they were to see their man become THE World Champion.
Here is the 2nd of those titles wins.

Movies: Montana was wrestler before he died so well in The Godfather/He Sleeps with the fishes

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Movies: Montana was wrestler before he died so well in IThe Godfather/i

Hulk Hogan interviewed on Larry King Live

If you are interested in see the first 2 parts of Hulk Hogan's interview on Larry King Live from October 27th of 2009 you can check it out at my other blog The Completeist.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Chris Benoit and Nancy Daus (Sullivan) Benoit: Muchnick's Benoit book a flawed but valuable resource

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Chris Benoit and Nancy Daus (Sullivan) Benoit: Muchnick's Benoit book a flawed but valuable resource

Posthumous Gary Hart autobiography one of the best ever

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Reviews: Posthumous Gary Hart autobiography one of the best ever

Big TNA Signing

From the Wrestling Online Network
HULK HOGAN SIGNS WITH TNA WRESTLING
Dixie Carter announced today during a press conference at Madison Square Garden that TNA Wrestling has signed Hulk Hogan. In a press release sent out literally minutes ago, Carter was quoted as saying: "Hulk Hogan is one of the world’s top pop culture icons and the biggest superstar in the history of professional wrestling. We are truly excited to welcome him into the TNA family. Our goal is to become the world’s biggest professional wrestling company. Hulk defines professional wrestling and we look forward to partnering with him in a variety of ways as we continue to grow TNA globally.""I’m thrilled to be jumping back into the world of professional wrestling," said Hogan. "My fans have been asking me to return to the business for many years on a full time basis, but the timing or the opportunity has never been right until now. TNA Wrestling is a great company with an already excellent fan base, business and broadcast partner. I firmly believe now is the time for some change at TNA as they are positioned to jump to the next level in their development and I’m here to work with Dixie to help make that a reality."
Eric Bischoff is also TNA bound along with at least two other notable names we can't reveal right now. Bischoff has inked a TV developmental deal with TNA with a view to develop new programming extensions of the TNA brand.
Given how Hogan has said he would never do business with TNA while Vince Russo is running creative this should be a very interesting story to follow.

My thoughts : I dont care for Hogan but I see why they are signing him, the name recognition and drawing power. He was one of the greatest ever at drawing a crowd but with the crowds now being older and smarter he doesnt have that same hold that he had on the kids in the 80s. Now after his slow deconstruction of WCW it wont be long before he starts convincing the powers that be at TNA that the younger guys arent good enough or havent paid their dues. He will slowly make sure anyone not on his "team" will be depushed and relagated to crappy matches at the beginning of the show. The clock is running on how long before his old cronies join him and try to recapture their glory days on the backs of the good young talent. How long will it last? no one knows but there will be carnage and it wont be pretty.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Gallery: WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Photo Gallery

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Gallery: WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Photo Gallery

lots of pictures from last night's PPV. Didnt watch it but from what I have read it was very entertaining.

Jim Ross update

ROSS UNDERGOES MRI AFTER THIRD BELL'S PALSY ATTACK

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross posted another update regarding his conditionyesterday and was very optimistic about the MRI results that should be outtomorrow. Ross had an MRI done on his brain and inner ear two days ago tosee if there was any permanent damage after his third Bell's palsy attackearlier in the week. Ross still has problems with his right eye with blurredvision and has sensitive hearing on certain tones. "The right side of myface isn't sagging as bad as my two previous bouts of Bells palsy. Still, my"leading man" status is in jeopardy," joked JR. As far as returning to work,JR said that doctors cannot provide a timeline so far but will return soonerthan later.

Halloween Havoc 1992

Today is the 17th anniversary of the end of the wrestling career of Nikita Koloff. The end came at the hands of Big Van Vader at this Halloween Havoc. Unbeknownst to the wrestling public at the time but during his match with Vader this night, Koloff suffered a herniated disk after a Vader clothesline. He later aggravated that injury by trying to powerslam Vader. This injury ended the brief and stellar career of "The Russian Nightmare".

Happy Birthday

Today is the 30th birthday of Stacy Keibler, enjoy

Halloween Havoc 1994

Today is the 15th anniversary of the Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan "Retirement Match". The loser had to retire from wrestling (yeah right!).
Mr. T was the special guest referee, he was probably on Hogan's speed dial.
This also is proof of why Bobby Heenan is sorely missed at the announce table.
Here is Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4 (Postmatch) Bobby Heenan is just tremendous in this segment!

Jim Ross update

From the Online Wrestling Network:
JR SUFFERS BELL'S PALSY ATTACK, NOT AT TONIGHT'S SMACKDOWN- In a blog update, WWE Hall of Famer and Smackdown announcer Jim Rossannounced that he suffered his third Bell's Palsy attack while on the flightfrom Oklahoma to Columbia, the site for tonight's Smackdown tapings. Rosssaid that he still planned to call tonight's Smackdown with his oldbroadcast partner Jerry Lawler who is replacing Todd Grisham howeversomething changed and in another update Ross stated that he was on his wayback to Oklahoma to see a neurologist tomorrow. "Life is about facing thechallenges we encounter so I am going to do all I can to get better and backat the announce desk asap. I wish I had more answers but I simply don't atthis time," JR said. He added that he wants to be part of the BraggingRights pay-per-view but it depends on his physical condition. "WWE has beentremendously supportive of my situation of which I am very grateful," Rosscontinued. RAW announcers Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler will be callingtonight's show as Grisham got married over the weekend and was given theweek off. This is JR's second week off Smackdown as last week he got the dayoff due to his wedding anniversary.

Sting loses but doesn't retire, capping off night of ups and downs at Bound for Glory

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Sting loses but doesn't retire, capping off night of ups and downs at Bound for Glory

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Big WWE News

In case you haven't heard yet, Shane McMahon has submitted his resignation with the WWE.
Here is the story from WrestlingOnline:
> SHANE MCMAHON ANNOUNCES SHOCKING RESIGNATION FROM WWE- In a blockbuster announcement that came out of nowhere, Shane McMahon, theExecutive Vice President of Global Media for World Wrestling Entertainmenthas announced that he tendered his resignation effective January 1, 2010.The announcement was made via a press release which was sent today. "It hasbeen an incredible experience to help build WWE into a global phenomenon.However, having been associated with this organization for the majority ofmy life, I feel this is the opportune time in my career to pursue outsideventures," Shane said. Throughout his WWE tenure, Shane held severalresponsibilities within the company, starting in his teenage years includingstocking the company's warehouse and then eventually becoming a member ofthe ring crew, a referee and a ring announcer. After Shane graduated in1993, he worked for the WWE TV production, sales, marketing, andinternational business development divisions, before he helped form thecompany's digital media department in 1998. Since July 2003, Shane hasserved as Executive Vice President of WWE Global Media overseeing WWE'sinternational offices and TV distribution. "Even though I am personallysaddened by Shane's decision to leave the company, I am proud of theenormous contributions he has made. He will unquestionably bring passion,commitment and extensive business experience to any endeavor he pursues,"said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO
Here is the followup letter Shane wrote on WWE.com
Shane McMahon's departure along with his mother Linda's resignation to runfor Senate has left a big hole inside the WWE, leaving just Vince and hisdaughter Stephanie as the only two McMahons running the ship. After theresignation was made public, Shane wrote a letter to the WWE Universe whichwas posted on WWE.COM. The 39 year old McMahon said that his resignationcomes with great sadness and he never thought he would consider a futureoutside WWE. "However, sometimes life takes an unexpected turn and while itis the most difficult decision I have ever made, it is time for me to moveon," he said. McMahon then proceeded to thank his father for giving him theopportunity, the Superstars for their passion, pride and dedication and toall WWE fans for their support. "I will always love this business and willremain a fan forever." The letter was signed with just Shane. You can readthe full letter at http://www.wwe. com/inside/ news/shanemcmaho nresigns

All in all, HUGE news out of the McMahon family. Now comes the interesting part, what will he do now? rumors have him promoting MMA or starting a new MMA promotion to challenge the UFC. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Remembering Captain Lou Albano

Here are some great pictures of Captain Lou Albano from SlamSports Wrestling.

CANOE -- SLAM: Remembering Captain Lou Albano

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Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Captain Lou Albano passes away at 76

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Part 2 of the Hacksaw Jim Duggan Q&A

#

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The Hacksaw Jim Duggan Q&A: Part 1

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - The Hacksaw Jim Duggan Q&A: Part 1

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Happy Birthday American Dream and the Lariat

Today's birthday wishes are shared by Stan "The Lariat" Hansen and "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
Dusty turns 64 and Stan hits the big 60.
Here is one of those matches that in the States would have done huge business if they could have had the promoters agree to it. We see Dusty Rhodes and Antonio Inoki taking on the team of Stan Hansen and Hulk Hogan! this would have been Starrcade main event worthy or now Wrestlemania in a large Dome setting would be a sell out just for this match.

New Book on Gordon Solie

Mike Mooneyham give a nice long story on the new book about legendary announcer Gordon Solie. The book is The Solie Chronicles.

PPV Name Change (again)

from the Wrestling Globe Newsletter

After 11 years the No Way Out PPV in February has been renamed as Elimination Chamber. The show is usually built around Elimination Chamber matches. No venue or city has been announced at press time.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - School's in: An educational look at gimmicks

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - School's in: An educational look at gimmicks

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Birthday

Today October 9th would have been Eddie Guerrero's 41st birthday. RIP.

Hell in a Cell 2009 CM Punk vs The Undertaker

here (set to crappy music) are the highlights of the World Championship Match between CM Punk and The Undertaker for the most recent WWE PPV.

Brian Pillman

It was 12 years ago today that Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room in Minnesota, the same day as the WWF ppv Badd Blood, which featured the first "Hell in a Cell" match.
I was traveling for work and I heard of his death on the radio and that truly was a surreal experience thanks to the cold rain that night it made it seem just creepy. I guess because he was so young and really the first of the active big names to die during the big boom era of pro wrestling it made for a weird evening. Watching the PPV later I noticed that things were just a tad off for the whole crew, I am sure they were all just numb or dazed from hearing the news just a few hours before the show.
However, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker put on a tremendous main event that night.
Here is a very good tribute video to the "Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman.

New Movie

Here is the trailer for the new movie due out in January 2010 starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Its called "The Tooth Fairy" It does look funny

Eddie Guerrero

Last night on Smackdown!, it was the celebration of A Decade of Smackdown! and among the clips and videos was a tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero.

Survivor Series 2009

here is the poster promoting this year's Survivor Series PPV.

New wrestler Blog

Dutch Mantell has entered the blogosphere with his new blog about his life in pro wrestling.
Check it out HERE.

The Way Back Machine

These are pictures I took around 1988 when the NWA (WCW) visited the Indiana State Fair

This is Terry Taylor in the red vs Mean Mark Callas, better known today as The Undertaker! he was unknown to everyone at the time and Taylor was making is first appearance for the NWA/WCW after leaving the WWF where he had been the "Red Rooster". He got a big ovation as he was a suprise and not listed on the program.
Here is the late Brian Pillman ready to face off against the Midnight Express of Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane. Jim Cornette was of course at ringside in the red jacket.

Here is the Nature Boy Ric Flair in a 6 man match with Sid Vicious and Buddy Landell as his partners.

the ring introductions for the 6 man match with the team facing Flair, Vicious and Landell being Lex Luger (then U.S. Champion) Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff and the NWA World Champion Sting!

World Champion Sting getting ready to gorilla slam the Nature Boy.

The crowd was HOT for Sting's Team this night.

Ric Flair Lottery Tickets

The North Carolina Education Lottery now has Ric Flair lottery tickets. Its amazing how popular Ric Flair still is in NC. I liken it to Dick the Bruiser in Indianapolis.
Here is the tv commercial for the Flair Lottery tickets. One of the strangest things I have seen in a long time.

Happy Birthday "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin

Jimmy Garvin turns 52 today and he is still happily married to Precious and now is employed as an airline pilot. He was born Jimmy Williams in 1957.

He won his first pro title, the NWA (Mid America) Southern Tag Team titles w/Bob Ellis defeating Dennis Condrey & Phil Hickerson on July 4, 1977.

Lets celebrate with this great match that Jimmy had against Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight title and it was on WCW Saturday Night. It was one of those moments where you wondered if he really blew his knee out but it was all designed to let Jimmy lose and still save face and get Flair over as even meaner and dirtier. It helped Jimmy get a bigger profile as a babyface as he teamed with his "brother" Ron Garvin.

Actually Ron Garvin was Jimmy's stepdad, let that sink in for a minute.
I was unable to embed this video but you can watch it here.

Well I got taken in too

From the WrestlingGlobe newsletter:
The Karl Afflis story that ran everywhere last week appears to have been a hoax. Somebody thought it would be a cool prank to fake his death, and even his ex wife and kids thought he had passed on until he turned up alive and well on Monday. Afflis is the son of Dick the Bruiser.

In Your House: Mind Games

Today is the anniversary of IYH 10: Mind Games. Held at the Core States Center in Philadelphia on September 22 1996. It featured the main event of WWF Champion Shawn Michaels defending the belt against Mankind. That match has been called one of the best matches in WWF/WWE history and with the peformers of Michaels and Foley, chances are it may be the best ever. I couldnt find that match but I found a highlight reel of the whole card.
The only belts to change hands were the WWF Tag Team Titles as the team of Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith beat The Smoking Gunns.

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - PPVReports: AJ Styles wins title at No Surrender

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - PPVReports: AJ Styles wins title at No Surrender

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Son of the Bruiser

it is being reported today that the son of Dick the Bruiser, Karl Afflis, has passed away in Florida. He spent time as a wrestler in Bruiser's WWA promotion in Indianapolis. He wrestled as Leroy Redbone.
I remember this assinine character and hated him because of course he was a heel but also because he just seemed to be a jerk.
Now it is being talked about on some message boards that he was in a trouble with the law quite a bit. I dont know about that nor was able to find anything about him, so maybe in the next few days someone might have something on his past.

Survivor Series 1990

here is a brief clip of the finale of Survivor Series from 1990. Team Hogan with Hulk Hogan,Tito Santana and Ultimate Warrior vs Ted Dibiase,The Warlord,Rick Martel,Hercules Hernandez and Paul Roma.

Anarcy Rulz 1999

Here is a clip from the ECW ppv "Anarchy Rulz" from this day in 1999. This is pretty much a great overview of ECW and what it offered, and Jack Victory is the brother of Road Warrior Animal and now the head of talent relations in the WWE,

Ric Flair Website

I found this today and its not much but the Nature Boy now has a website.
He also has a twitter account and a facebook fan page.

Fall Brawl 1996

Today is the anniversary of the WCW PPV Fall Brawl from Sept 15 1996. This again was a WAR GAMES ppv with Team NWO vs Team WCW. Well that went as expected but I thought we should watch a better match from that PPV, Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit.
WCW had no clue of the incredible talent they had here and in Japan this would have headlined and rocked the house. They gave it all in this match for a receptive crowd but as usual the WCW honchos had no clue what to do with them.
The sad part is that the announcers were too busy hyping all the other matches to come that Heenan had to keep dragging them back to the match.

UFC 106

LESNAR VS CARWIN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED FOR UFC 106- It was officially announced that former WWE Heavyweight champion and thecurrent UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will be defending his goldagainst Shane Carwin at UFC 106, taking place live from the Mandalay BayEvents Center in Las Vegas, NV., on November 21. "Brock Lesnar has beentearing through everyone over the last year," said UFC President Dana White."But in Shane Carwin, he's not only fighting someone as big as he is, he'sfighting someone who has ended all of his fights in less than three minutes.This is literally the biggest heavyweight title fight ever and may also bethe most explosive." Lesnar said he is looking forward to face Carwin and hewill be the man who ends his undefeated MMA run. "He's undefeated and I'mthe man who is going to put an end to that," Lesnar said.

Your WWE Monday Night Raw host next week

From the Wrestling Online Network:

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER HOST OF NEXT WEEK'S RAW- Next week's RAW guest host is Cedric Kyles, better known as Cedric TheEntertainer. Cedric is probably best known for his role as Eddie in theBarbershop films and the Big Momma's House movie. It was believed thatLilian Garcia would be the host of next week's RAW as it is her last nightwith WWE but obviously there is something else planned.

CANOE -- SLAM: WWE Breaking Point * Sunday, September 13, 2009 * Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

Pictures from WWE Breaking Point PPV

CANOE -- SLAM: WWE Breaking Point * Sunday, September 13, 2009 * Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec

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CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - PPVReports: Montreal fans 'screwed' again in Breaking Point sham

sounds like the Orton vs Cena match had a joke finish!

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - PPVReports: Montreal fans 'screwed' again in Breaking Point sham

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Road Warrior Hawk

Today would have been the 52nd birthday of Road Warrior Hawk (Mike Hegstrand).
Sadly Hawk died Oct 19th 2003. He had battled addictions to pain pills and alcohol for years but lets remember him with this video clip from NWA World Wide Wrestling in 1987.
An 8 man tag team match with The Four Horseman vs Dusty Rhodes/Nikita Koloff and The Road Warriors.
What memories this brings back. Enjoy

Flyin Brian Pillman

Here is Flyin Brian's debut in ECW. This was March 1996 during the ECW PPV Cyberslam.
This is awesome!! and proves Pillman was one of the best on the microphone.
***(Be warned, this was PPV so he doesnt hold back on the language)***

New Hulk Hogan 3 Disc DVD Collection

Here are the match listings for the new "Hulk Hogan's Unreleased Collector's Series" DVD. To be released Nov 17th.

Here is the Amazon listing.

Jeff Hardy News

This isnt good news for someone who has had his past issues with controlled substances and substance abuse
Here is the story of the lastest problems for Jeff Hardy, who just left the WWE on good terms.

PWTorch - WWE News and Pro Wrestling Coverage Since 1987

This highlights how bad the WWE is right now.

PWTorch - WWE News and Pro Wrestling Coverage Since 1987

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WWE PPV Update

This is the for the October 4th PPV "Hell In A Cell"

It replaces No Mercy in the PPV calendar of the WWE.

This is the poster for the October 25th PPV "Bragging Rights". This replaces Cyber Sunday on the PPV calendar.

This is the poster for the September PPV "Breaking Point" with the always present HHH.

Here is the latest match listing for the September PPV "Breaking Point" in which all main events are submission matches:

(subject to change)
It is obviously subject to change as Rey Mysterio will be suspended effective Wednesday:

1-"I Quit" Match/WWE Championship- Randy Orton (c) vs. John CenaUltimate Submission

2-World Heavyweight Championship- CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker

3-Unified WWE Tag Team Title Match- Chris Jericho & Big Show (c) vs. MVP & Mark Henry

4-WWE Intercontinental Title Match- Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph ZigglerWWE

Breaking Point will take place on Sunday, September 13th from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Really?

from the Wrestling Online newsletter today:
KHALI, BIG SHOW INVOLVED IN BACKSTAGE FIGHT- Mike Johnson over at PWInsider.com is reporting that The Big Show and TheGreat Khali got into a fight backstage after their six man tag team matchduring the weekend at the Manuel Iguina Coliseum in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.Big Show apparently threw the first punch according to Johnson which funnyenough Khali blocked and then the two brawled until Show slipped and wentdown like a ton of bricks. Khali took advantage of Show being on the floorbut several Superstars who were backstage broke the fight off, keeping thetwo monsters away from each other. The whole argument according to MikeJohnson was that Show felt that Khali was using moves which should be"reserved" only to the Big Show. As the veteran, Big Show should've knownbetter than to start a fight. It will be interesting to see if any of themwill be punished for their childish actions.

This was probably funnier than anything serious because as we have seen neither of them move with any grace or speed.