WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER

EDITION NUMBER 10

23RD APRIL 2001

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www.oocities.org/wrestlingglobe

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Nick Wright has left the Wrestling Globe Newsletter, moving on to explore other things, and we wish him the best for the future.

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IN THE WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER THIS WEEK

LATEST NEWS

RUDO RAMBLINGS

THE PURORESU RUNDOWN

"HE'S HARDCORE, HE'S HARDCORE" - PART TWO

REBELLION: BECAUSE ALL IS WRONG IN THE WRESTLING LAND

T & A (Trivia and Answers)!

THE DANGER ZONE

WRESTLING HUMOUR - LINGO DICTIONARY

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LATEST NEWS - by Matt Singh

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RUDO RAMBLINGS - by Martin Walton

It's been a relatively quiet week in Mexico this week, but I do have a few news tidbits. Vampiro's agent, Bob Barnett, has confirmed with the Globe that Vampiro will be starting with EMLL on May 18. Vampiro is looking to start a program with long time friend, Shocker. Former WCW luchador Lizmark Jr. has been working main event matches in the last couple of weeks so it seems he's back in the good books with management after a falling out several weeks back.

In some AAA news, the original Pentagon character (AAA is currently using a fake version of Pentagon after AAA boss Antonio Pena had a falling out with the original one) has returned from Japan, and has commented that's he doesn't want to work for AAA again and that he is quite content to work the Mexican Indy scene. He also voiced his disapproval of the injury that longtime friend Charley Manson suffered around 2 weeks ago; many blame Pena for booking such a dangerous match. AAA have announced that they will be using a 6 sided ring for their upcoming Mania 9 show which sounds like a ridiculous idea. AAA announced over the weekend that they will running a show in Los Angeles at the Olympic Auditorium on May 18.

El Dandy is set to face IWRG heavyweight champion, Scorpio Jr. very soon, many seem to think that El Dandy will end ending Scorpio JR's long reign as champion.

There is a big Indy card scheduled for May 4 in Tijuana, the line up looks like this (it looks a great card):

MAIN EVENT: Rey Misterio Jr., Nicho El Millonario (Psicosis) and El Hijo del Santo vs. Scorpio Jr., Juventud Guerrera and making his TJ debut...El Hijo de Pierroth. (Who is the son of longtime top rudo, Pierroth Jr.).

La Parka, Super Porky, Mr. Niebla vs. La Famila de TJ: Rey Misterio, Damian, Halloween.

Martial Arts Title: Kato Kung Lee vs. El Hijo del Diablo.

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THE PURORESU RUNDOWN - by Andrew Evans

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"HE'S HARDCORE, HE'S HARDCORE" - PART TWO - by Matt Singh

"He's Hardcore, He's Hardcore"

Japan is well known for it’s garbage promotions and it’s performers, but there are a few grapplers who stand out from the crowd when it comes to crazy stunts and bumps.

Mitsuhiro Matsunaga isn’t as well known as Atsushi Onita, but Matsunaga is possibly the nuttiest performer of his generation. The originator of the balcony dive, in fact the first time he did the dive he actually managed to miss his intended target, the Headhunters. Matsunaga has proven he will do anything to gain the garbage spotlight, which includes having his head hit by a fireball thrown by Mr. Pogo in a Barbwire Baseball Bat match. As if that wasn’t dangerous enough Matsunaga would be involved in another first, a tussle with an Alligator in which Matsunaga battled amateur style with the Gator. Granted, the gator was heavily sedated, but the danger was still there, and the ‘bout’ still should commend a place on any wrestling fans “must see” list. However, from the mid-nineties onwards Matsunaga’s crazy stunts have been emulated to death and he is now just another garbage wrestler.

Someone else who is willing to take a large amount of punishment is Shoji Nakamaki. The willing participant of scores of Barbwire gimmick matches, Nakamaki has shown he too will do almost anything to get the all-important respect from the masses. He was of course one of the entries into the infamous death match tournament for IWA in 1995, which featured a quarterfinal match between Nakamaki and Hiroshi Ono, who would do battle in a Thumbtack Box match. The match was brutal and witnessed the sight of Ono being viscously Powerbombed into the tacks before being driven face first into the them en-route to a loss. Nakamaki then went onto the semi-finals to face Cactus Jack, in which the two would duke it out in a Barbwire Boards, Bed of Nails match. The match was brutal and witnessed the sight of Foley sailing of the ring apron with his elbow spot, which landed on Nakamaki who was lying outside the ring, and also just happened to be placed underneath a bed of nails. Nakamaki has been nicknamed “The Danger Man”, and rightfully so, as he continues to take ferocious beatings on a regular basis. Nakamaki has also done battle with other high profile garbage wrestlers, including a six-man tag match in which he joined forces with Terry Funk and Leatherface to battle Mick Foley and the Headhunters, in a Barbwire Base Ball Bat and Barricades match (at the Tokyo Dome). 

Someone who is widely acknowledged for inventing, and pioneering the broken table gimmick is Sabu. Like his uncle, the Sheik, Sabu decided to take route named juice jobs and scars, as witnessed by his entire upper torso, which is covered with Barbwire scars. Indeed from 1992 to 1993 Sabu participated in no less than 50 Barbwire matches for Atsushi Onita’s FMW promotion. Having made his name in Japan, Sabu decided to return to America where he would work the Indy circuit, before accepting an offer from ECW. People who already knew of Sabu’s work were expecting a lot from him, and he delivered. Upon his debut, he left scores of other grapplers in a pile of broken tables, including Terry Funk, Chris Benoit and Cactus Jack. His first initial feud was with another fellow ECW new comer, Taz. The program wasn’t a rousing success, but Sabu soon turned his attentions to a team that stealing “his” invention, breaking tables. The Public Enemy had burst upon the scene and started leaving their opponents in a pile of metal and wood. Sabu and Taz then teamed together to vanquish The Public Enemy in a brutal double tables match. Make no mistake about it, Sabu has suffered a hell of a lot for his trade, in addition to the aforementioned barbwire, Sabu seems to have constant pain from his jaw, and not forgetting the time that Chris Benoit (accidentally) dumped Sabu on his neck, fracturing his vertebrae.

Another grappler who has compiled an impressive/stupid amount of injuries is non other than Mick Foley. An obvious pick for obvious reason’s, whether it be Cactus Jack, Mankind or Dude Love, they have all absorbed a large amount of pain to the all-allusive respect. Having already gained a reputation as a hardcore wrestler, Foley (then as Cactus Jack) entered a feud with Eddie Gilbert in TWA. Kicking off at TWA Winter Challenge II, the two engaged in a hard hitting Falls Count Anywhere match which proved to be just the beginning for this now legendary feud. Upping the ante more, the two did battle surrounded by barbwire at TWA Spring Spectacular in which the match came to an end when Foley is hung between the top and middle strands of wire, the result of which is a no-contest. The climax of the feud proves to be inconclusive, as Cactus and Gilbert battle to another no contest inside a steel cage at TWA Summer Sizzler when Eddie's brother Doug and Bam Bam Bigelow run in and cause the no contest. Moving to WCW, Foley then entered a program with Vader, which would cost him most of his right ear, along with scores of injuries. On April 6^th, (1993) Vader and Cactus tangled in a brutal encounter in which Foley suffered a concussion, a cut above the eye (which requires 20+ stitches), a swollen jaw and a broken nose. However, a mere 15 days later Foley is injured again, when he receives a Powerbomb from Vader onto the concrete floor which pins Foley to the sidelines for five months. Having recovered from the said injuries, Foley/Cactus heads to Germany to face Vader once again, this time in a European Cup quarterfinal match. During the bout, Foley/Cactus ends up hung between the tightly fixed top and middle ropes. The resulting struggle to get free is successful, but not without losing most of his right ear. Incidentally, when heading back stage after the match Foley said “Bang Bang, I lost my fu*king ear” to ring announcer Gary Cappeta.  Foley was of course the King Of The Death Match, in which he would compile yet more injuries, scores of stitches and a nasty burn on his right arm from the C4 explosives to name but a few.

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REBELLION: BECAUSE ALL IS WRONG IN THE WRESTLING LAND - by Tim Padgett

I'm going to start off this week's column with a thesis statement, Vince McMahon is not a genius, it's just that most everyone else in the wrestling business are hopeless morons.

There is this common myth in the wrestling industry that was most likely started by the WWF that in the mid-1980's Vince McMahon's product was just so much better than everyone else's product that he put them out of business. This is just not true.

In some ways it probably is true the WWF did in fact have a better product, but most of the territorial product just wasn't very good, even though it could have been. If anything the national expansion of the WWF should have pushed promoters to increase the quality of their product. But they didn't.

This made it all the more easier for Vince to crush them. He of course did that very well. Promoters had their chance though. The WWF's rise could have easily counter-acted if the top promoters of that time, Jim Crockett, Bill Watts, Verne Gagne, and Jerry Jarrett, were able to work together. Attempts were made, but nothing ever came of it. Gagne and Jarrett even co-promoted a PPV. In the end, Crockett bought out Watts, Gagne's once powerful AWA folded, and Jerry Jarrett was only able to experience regional success.

Then came the Turner empire. Surely a company like this would be able to crush the WWF, right? Not when morons are in charge.

It started with Jim Heard. Heard had a good idea here, and a good idea there, but much more bad than good. His two most grave mistakes, which he has later admitted to, was A) re-hiring Dusty Rhodes as booker and B) letting Ric Flair walk out the door to the WWF.

For a brief interval Kip Fry ran WCW and actually did some good, but he was only an interim. Bill Watts was brought in to take over WCW. One of his first moves was to bring in Jushin Liger from New Japan, one of his second moves was to ban jumping off the top rope in WCW. Stuff like this existed throughout his reign and led to his ultimate downfall.

Then came Eric Bischoff. The only man to beat Vince, all be it for a brief period of time. Everyone knows Bischoff's mistakes and there is no need to run over them again. Earlier this year when it looked like Bischoff was coming back to WCW Vince could have been in some trouble. Some sources say that Bischoff had some really good ideas that he was going to put to use. Unfortunately we will probably never know what they will be.

The moral of the story is this, Vince isn't invincible, he has made his share of mistakes, 1996 anyone? Someday, someone, somewhere will beat him, or at the very least equal him. And the pro wrestling business will be better off because of it.

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T & A (Trivia and Answers!) by Andrew Evans

1. Name the three members of the "Million Dollar Team" that were eliminated via disqualification at the 3rd Annual (1989) WWF Survivor Series.

2. Who were the last WCW United States Tag Team Title holders?

3. Chris Wright is the real name of which ex-ECW wrestler?

4. True or False? Ultimo Dragon and Jinsei Shinzaki were born on the same day.

5. The AWA held its only PPV show in what year?

6. What WWF title did Pat Patterson win approximately 3 months before he became the first ever WWF Intercontinental Champion?

7. Tracey Smothers and Steve Armstrong made up what tag team in WCW?

8. Which wrestler provided colour commentary throughout ECW Heatwave 1998?

9. Yasuhiro Kojima was the real name of which late Japanese wrestler?

10. The "Kati Hajime" is better known as which submission move?

ANSWERS ARE GIVEN AT THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER!

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THE DANGER ZONE - by Martin Walton

In less than a week's time, the WWF will present Backlash, with the general feeling that in The Rock's absence, due to film commitments, that the WWF must push some it's mid card guys into a top face position. The only established top faces available were The Undertaker, Kane and Chris Jericho, which meant that the WWF needed new faces up top. The top candidates were Chris Benoit, Test and The Hardy Boyz. All the signs were encouraging when the WWF picked The Hardy Boyz who took Austin and Triple H to the limit in a tag match on Raw, and in particular Jeff Hardy, who upset Triple H to win the IC title on the following edition of Smackdown! It seemed that The Hardy Boyz were heading straight to the top.

Unfortunately, the Hardy Boyz were viciously yanked back within a matter of one show, a one sided Triple H victory over Jeff Hardy, and a vicious after match beating on Raw lead to The Undertaker and Kane emerging for the save, which basically declared loud and clear that the Undertaker and Kane were the real stars in this scenario. Just as they took one step forward with the push of The Hardy Boyz they immediately took two steps backwards by dumping The Hardy Boyz in favour of an Austin/HHH Vs Taker/Kane match for Backlash.

Past history indicates that tag team main events for PPV's lead to poor buy rates (Fully Loaded 98: 0.6, Bash At The Beach 99: 0.32). They are almost certainly going to draw a lesser buy rate this month compared to previous PPV's this year so surely they should have stuck with The Hardy Boyz in the main event and give them time to develop into a legit main event draw and build for the future instead of going back to the old guard.

You've got to think that the WWF panicked after initial Hardy Boyz main events drew poor ratings (although surely they were expecting that). It takes the fans a few weeks (even months) of good build up in order for fans to perceive a newcomer to the top tier as a legit threat to the established main eventers (something they failed to do with Kurt Angle). This is exactly the kind of booking that resulted in the downfall of WCW in 1999. The WWF tested the waters with new guys at first, but soon switched back to the regular main event draws, which resulted in business taking a huge downfall. We can only hope the WWF doesn't fall into that trap after all the good work they've done in the last few years in juggling their main event roster successfully.

I may have been critical of the main event booking, but I must say that the main under card matches look rather good. Angle Vs Benoit in a 30 Minute Submission match could be the vehicle that Benoit needs in order to establish himself as a top tier face. Although I thought that the Wrestlemania match was good I had the feeling that there was more to come from these two, come Sunday I fully expect Angle and Benoit to deliver the goods. In other matches, Jericho is booked against William Regal in a "Duchess of Queensbury" which should be fought over a rounds system. Unfortunately, the rounds gimmick is a horrible idea in today's current climate, however, the two are talented enough to work round it, plus Jericho simply has to turn out a strong performance in order to prove the doubters in the WWF front office wrong after his disappointing performance against Regal at Wrestlemania. All in all, Backlash looks a solid card, but it revolves around the same suspects in the same spots. For the WWF's sake, I hope they mix it up in the next few months.

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WRESTLING HUMOUR - by Marc Lessard

Angle - Short term used by wrestlers to refer to fishermen. (Vince McMahon created a great angle in his son Shane.)

Work - The pushing of the undeserving. (Big Show likes to work.)

WARNING: THIS IS PURELY HUMOROUS, MEANING, A WORK OF FICTION.

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TRIVIA ANSWERS by Andrew Evans

1. Zeus and the Powers of Pain (Warlord and Barbarian). 2. Dick Slater and Barbarian. 3. C.W. Anderson. 4. True - 12th December 1966. 5. 1988 - 13th December. 6. WWF North American Title. 7. Young Pistols. 8. Shane Douglas. 9. Hiro Matsuda. 10. Tazzmission.

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