Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling From: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Subject: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling] FAQ (part 01/03) Message-ID: Followup-To: poster Summary: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling Keywords: FAQ RTFM Sender: usenet@maunakea.Data-IO.COM (The News) Supersedes: Nntp-Posting-Host: skagway Reply-To: rspw-faq@Data-IO.com (rspw FAQ Comments address) Organization: The r.s.p-w FAQ Cabal Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 18:47:07 GMT Expires: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 18:47:01 GMT Lines: 1281 Archive-name: pro-wrestling/faq-part01 Version: $Id: body.n,v 4.23 1994/09/29 22:17:01 jewell Exp $ Editor: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Posting-frequency: approximately every three weeks Previous-editor: jnelson@iastate.edu (Jeremy Nelson) Original-editor: a0cb@cc.pdx.edu (Chris Bertholf) Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling part 1 of 3 Generated: October 3, 1994 Copyright This document is compilation copyright (c) 1993, 19934 by Cal Jewell. It may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety as long as this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated into commercial products without the editor's written permission. [Compilation copyright means that you can freely use individual sections of this document, but any significant collection of sections is subject to the copyright.] Please read this document before posting to rec.sport.pro-wrestling. If you don't want to see this posting anymore, please add the subject line to your kill file. Given the dynamic nature of the professional wrestling world, the information in this document should be considered "volatile". That is, the probability that something in this document is incorrect or outdated increases with time. Comments, additions, suggestions, and corrections are encouraged. Send them to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com Changes are marked with a preceding "|" (a pipe). You can skip to them by typing g^| in most newsreaders (e.g., rn, trn). Note: this FAQ has been formatted as a digest. Many newsreaders can skip to each of the major subsections by pressing ^g (CTRL-g). Contents of the FAQ: 1. Upcoming Events 2. Deaths 3. Injuries 4. Where Are They Now? 5. The Law and Pro Wrestling 6. NWA 7. WCW 8. WWF 9. Japan 10. Mexico 11. Miscellaneous 12. More Information 13. Tape Trading Contents of part 1: 1. Upcoming Events 2. Deaths 2.1. Joey Marella 2.2. Larry Cameron 2.3. The Ultimate Warrior is NOT dead 2.4. Kensuke Sasaki is NOT dead 2.5. Andre the Giant 2.6. Kerry Von Erich 2.7. Dino Bravo 2.8. Bruiser Brody 2.9. Adrian Adonis 3. Injuries 3.1. What happened to Vince McMahon in 1994? I heard he had surgery? 3.2. Why did Jim Ross leave the WWF in early 1994? 3.3. Did Chris Adams pull Rod Price's hair weave out? 3.4. What happened to Cactus Jack's right ear? 3.5. Did Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson really get stabbed in England? 3.6. Is there really a metal plate in Lex Luger's forearm? 3.7. What happened between Cactus Jack and Big Van Vader in April 1993? | 3.8. What's the deal with Brutus Beefcake's face? 4. Where Are They Now? | 4.1. Who is the Ultimate Warrior and where is he now? 4.2. What happened to Demolition? 4.3. What happened to Tully Blanchard? 4.4. Where is Sgt. Slaughter? 4.5. Where is J.J. Dillon? 4.6. Where is George "The Animal" Steele? 5. The Law and Pro Wrestling 5.1. Who is Charles Austin? 5.2. Why did The Big Bossman change to The Guardian Angel? 5.3. Why did Jesse "The Body" Ventura sue the WWF in 1993? 5.4. Did Vince McMahon get indicted? 5.5. What caused the federal investigation of the WWF? 5.6. Who is Dr. George Zahorian? 5.7. Did Jerry "The King" Lawler get indicted for statutory rape? 5.8. Who owns the rights to Hulk-a-mania, Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, etc? 5.9. Did Ken Patera really spend time in jail? 5.10. Why is it just "Vader"? What happened to the "Big Van"? 6. NWA 6.1. What happened to the NWA? 6.2. How many Four Horsemen have there been? 6.3. Who were in the Midnight Express? 6.4. Other than the Road Warriors, who else was in the Legion of Doom? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to all who have contributed, (listed in alphabetical order): | Peter Akers, Ideen Barimani, Chris Bertholf, William Comer, Curtis | Desjardins, Mark Duell, Ray Duffy, Rick Duggan, Bryant Farley, | Maurice Forrester, Charlie Gavinelli, Greg Gershowitz, Paul Herzog, | Otto Heuer, Christopher Hilker, Steve Hooper, Rob Hoffmann, James | Hussell, Rodney Hutchings, Cal Jewell, Ron Knight, Herb Kunze, | Dominic Macika, Andy McDonel, Robert McMullen, Jeremy Nelson, Andy | Patrizio, Stephen Patterson, Oliver Postlethwaite, Bob Rusbasan, | Sean Ryan, Dave Scheid, Dave Scherer, Theo Seiz, Nick Simicich, | David Sipila, Jason Steeves, Hisaharu Tanabe, Timothy Walker, Mike | Wallace, Gary Will, David Worrell, Christopher Robin Zimmerman My apologies if I inadvertently omitted your name from the list. ------------------------------ Subject: 1. Upcoming Events This section lists the upcoming major events and cards. WCW PPV 23 Oct 1994 Halloween Havoc Detroit MI WCW Clash 16 Nov 1994 Clash XXVIII (XXIX?) ?? WWF PPV 23 Nov 1994 Survivor Series San Antonio TX WCW PPV 27 Dec 1994 Starrcade ?? WWF PPV 26 Mar 1995 WrestleMania XI Atlantic City NJ Note: regular house shows are not listed for space reasons. ------------------------------ Subject: 2. Deaths 2.1. Joey Marella Joey Marella, son of WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon (real name Robert Marella), died instantly when he was thrown from the car he was driving. Marella was 31. After having worked a tv taping in Ocean City, MD, Marella and Harvey Wippleman (real name Bruno Lauer) were driving to Newark NJ on the New Jersy Turnpike. About 2:55 in the morning, Marella apparently fell asleep at the wheel. Somewhere near Namsfield Township NJ, the car crashed into a guard rail and hit a tree. Lauer, who was wearing a seat belt, escaped with minor cuts and bruises. Marella, who apparently died instantly of head injuries, was not. 2.2. Larry Cameron Larry Cameron died in Europe on December 1?, 1993. He took several hard bumps in a match with "Superstar" Tony St. Clair and passed out in the ring during a break in a wrestling match. At the time he was wrestling for the Catch Wrestling Association, one of the more popular wrestling promotions in Europe. After passing out, Larry was was carried to the dressing room, where he died. Reportedly it took the ambulance over a half hour to arrive. Several of the American wrestlers on the European circuit left the tour and came home in disgust. Although there were concerns that the bumps killed him, it is believed that the cause of death was an asthma attack. 2.3. The Ultimate Warrior is NOT dead See the "Where Are They Now?" section for more information. 2.4. Kensuke Sasaki is NOT dead Japanese professional wrestler Kensuke Sasaki is still alive. He was NOT shot dead in Tokyo on the weekend of January 8, 1994. The rumors started when another Japanese professional wrestler, Kacoi Sasaka, was shot dead in Tokyo. 2.5. Andre the Giant Andre the Giant (real name Andre Rene Roussimoff) died in his sleep on January 27, 1993 in Paris, France. He died of natural causes (heart attack). At the time of his death, Andre was 46, weighed 555 pounds, and was 6' 10" tall. 2.6. Kerry Von Erich Kerry Von Erich (real name Kerry Adkisson) died on February 18, 1993 in Shady Shore, Texas. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the heart. His suicide is believed to have been prompted by a warrant for his arrest on drug charges the day before. He was 33 and was survived by his wife and 2 children. r.s.p-w'er Charlie Gavinelli relates the following story, as told by his friend Pete Theophall in the November 1993 issue of the Wrestling Chatterbox, a wrestling fanzine: [Note: this took place at the Weekend of Champions wrestling fan's convention in Queens NY on Saturday, October 23, 1993. Pete and wrestler Scott Putski were talking when Kerry Von Erich's name was mentioned.] "Scott Putski lives in Dallas...[H]e said that [he and Kerry] were good friends....[A]bout a month before Kerry's [suicide] ... Scott said Kerry made the comment that he (Kerry) was so vain about his appearance that if he ever killed himself, he would do it by shooting himself in the chest so as not to destroy his facial features...." 2.7. Dino Bravo Dino Bravo (real name Adolpho Brescino) was murdered in Laval, Quebec, Canada on March 11, 1993. He was found at home, shot 17 times (combination of .22 and .38 caliber). Although unsubstantiated, his death was rumored to be connected with the bootleg cigarette business in Canada. 2.8. Bruiser Brody Bruiser Brody (real name Frank Goodish) died as a result of failure of the blood to clot and bile poisoning in Puerto Rico on July 17, 1988 as a result of a three stab wounds to the abdomen, including one stab to the liver. He was stabbed (some say murdered) by Jose Huertas Gonzales (aka Invader #1). It should be noted that Gonzales was acquitted of any wrongdoing, claiming that the stabbing was done in self-defense. Several of the North American wrestlers who were in the locker room at the time (including Tony Atlas, Dutch Mantel, and the Youngbloods) were not able to testify at the trial because they did not receive their notifications to testify until AFTER the trial had finished. It is generally believed that Gonzales killed Frank Goodish in cold blood and got to walk away from it a free man. 2.9. Adrian Adonis Adrian Adonis (real name Keith Franke) died in an automobile accident on July 4, 1988. The accident took place on the Trans Canada Highway near Lewisporte, Newfoundland. The accident involved a mini-van which contained Adonis, Dave "Wildman" McKigney, and the Kelly Twins (Pat and Mike, real names William and Victor Arko). The van swerved to avoid hitting a moose in the road and plunged down a 10' to 15' embankment into a pond. Adrian was 34. Adonis, McKigney, and Pat Kelly were killed. Mike Kelly had his legs crushed in the accident and hasn't returned to wrestling. Adonis had just come off a Japan tour, his first since leaving the WWF, and was working for McKigney while waiting to start for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The fact that they swerved to avoid hitting a moose should not be questioned. There are more people killed by hitting several tons of moose than are killed by missing them. ------------------------------ Subject: 3. Injuries 3.1. What happened to Vince McMahon in 1994? I heard he had surgery? Vince McMahon had surgery for a herniated disk on June 13, 1994. McMahon, a long-time weightlifter, apparently suffered from a condition that is common among older weightlifters who have done lots of heavy lifting. During the operation, bone was removed from McMahon's hip and moved to his neck. The injury forced McMahon to miss the 1994 King of the Ring PPV and several of the tv tapings following the KotR. WWF signed Jim Ross to replace McMahon while he was recovering. During his recovery from surgery, McMahon and the WWF were also involved in their steroid trial (see related question). McMahon wore a neck brace to court, leading some to speculate that he was doing so to draw sympathy from the jury. 3.2. Why did Jim Ross leave the WWF in early 1994? Former WCW and WWF announcer Jim Ross left the WWF in early 1994 because he contracted Bell's Palsy, which is a suddenly-occurring facial paralysis that is presumed to be caused by viral-induced swelling of a facial nerve. At first, he took a medical leave of absence. But his absence quickly became a permanent separation from the WWF. Before Ross was striken with Bell's Palsy, the WWF wanted to change Ross into a J.R. Ewing-like heel announcer. Ross wanted no part of that, fearing it would damage his image and credibility. The WWF fired Ross for not being part of the WWF's future direction. At the time of his departure from the WWF, Ross' career prospects didn't look good. He had just left the WWF and his chances of returning to WCW didn't look good because of political differences (office politics and personal dislikes and rivalries). All this left Ross in an unfortunate situation: he was looking for work, but his condition left him unfit for the sort of work he was looking for. Luckily for Ross, Vince McMahon was sidelined in July 1994 as a result of surgery and Ross was hired for 2 months to take McMahon's place in the broadcast booth. At the time the contract was first mentioned in the wrestling press, it was believed to be a temporary stint, not a fulltime job. Ross returned to the WWF on the July 11, 1994 Monday Night RAW show. Apparently still suffering from Bell's Palsy, the left side of Ross' face appeared to be less mobile than the right side of his face. 3.3. Did Chris Adams pull Rod Price's hair weave out? Yes, during a GWF match in Dallas TX between Price and Adams in May 14, 1993, Adams ripped the surgically implanted hair weave out of Price's head. The May 24, 1993 Observer wrote that, "...an incredible amount of blood ... and gobs of flesh came out with the hair...." After the incident, Price ran screaming past the locker room and into a friend's car, where he was taken to the hospital. Reports on the number of stitches required to close the wound have varied, but most put the number at somewhere between 100 and 200 stitches. Apparently, Price was bleeding so badly that towel Price used to cover his head was drenched with blood before he got to the car. Later, the towel along with Price's weave (with parts of his scalp still clung to it) were reportedly found in Adams's locker with a note saying "Payback is a bitch". The only question that remains is, was it an accident? Adams said it was an accident, but at the time wrestlers in the GWF weren't sure he was telling the truth. Oddly, Price and Adams were scheduled to have a First Blood the next week, but Price didn't show. Editor's note: I'm told that the strength required to pull out a surgically-implanted hair weave makes Adams' claims that it was an accident highly unlikely. 3.4. What happened to Cactus Jack's right ear? It was accidentally ripped off on March 16, 1994 in a wrestling match in Munich, Germany. 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 Ring announcer Gary Cappetta took Jack's severed right ear and iced it, however, doctors were only able to save about 1/2 of the lower part of the ear. Jack's left ear required over a dozen stitches. Amazingly, Jack continued the match for another 2 minutes, making a big comeback before doing the planned job for Vader. Reports following the incident had Jack in remarkably good spirits with little damage to his hearing but having some trouble with his balance. Perhaps even more amazing is how WCW made fun of the incident in their in-house newsletter. The newsletter reportedly called Jack "Vincent Van Jack" and said that "Jack did his best Vincent Van Gogh imitation." Jack returned to WCW in a wild tag team brawl with the Nasty Boys at Spring Stampede (April 17, 1994). Following Spring Stampede, Jack had planned to take time off for reconstructive ear surgery, but that was postponed when Jack was asked to sub for Dave Sullivan, who had blown blew out his knee. 3.5. Did Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson really get stabbed in England? Yes. In fact, they stabbed each other. Here's what is known to have happened and what is believed to have happened: The Facts: On Wednesday, Oct 27, 1993, Arn Anderson (real name Marty Lunde) and Sid Vicious (real name Sid Eudy) began squabbling on a bus while returning from a show in Cardiff, Wales. At the time, Sid and Sting were feuding over who was the WCW "franchise". Reportedly, Sid took the angle too seriously, boasting that it was time for him (Sid) to step into the WCW spotlight and for old men like Arn and Ric Flair to retire. Sid reportedly also heckled Arn about Sid's pay raise and the pay cut Arn took in 1992. Later that evening, somewhere between 2:30AM and 4:30AM, Vicious and Anderson got into a fight in/outside Arn's room at the Moat House Hotel. During the fight, Arn was stabbed 20 times and Sid 4 times. As a result of the stab wounds, Arn reportedly lost 1.5 pints of blood and almost lost an eye. Fellow WCW wrestler 2 Cold Scorpio (real name Charles Skaggs) is credited with separating the two, and possibly with saving Arn's life. Arn's story: Sid knocked on Arn's door. When Arn answered the door, Sid hit Arn with a chair. In self defense, Arn grabbed pair of scissors and attacked Sid. Sid took the scissors from Arn and attacked Arn. Sid's story: Sid went to Arn's room to apologize for the heckling earlier in the day. Arn attacked Sid with the scissors. In self defense, Sid took the scissors from Arn and attacked Arn. The results: Both were taken to the hospital following the incident. None of the wounds were serious as the scissors were blunt (ie, most wounds were less than 1/2" deep). Following treatment, both were deported. Both were suspended from WCW. The first reports following the incident had Sid and Arn involved in a bar fight. Less than a week later, those stories were proven to be false; apparently the bar fight story was planted by WCW in an attempt to coverup the incident. Not only was this incident a potential public relations disaster, but it also threw a monkey wrench into WCW's plans. They had planned to turn Sid face and give him the WCW World Title by the end of 1993. Obviously, this incident forced WCW to recast their plans. To make matters even more interesting, in the days following the stabbings, there were reports that several WCW wrestlers threatened to not work an upcoming Clash unless Sid was fired and Arn was allowed to wrestle. (Remember, the stabbings took place only 2 weeks before Clash XXV.) As it turned out, the wrestlers who threatened the boycott were at the Clash. Sid and Arn weren't. The following week, Sid and Arn were phased out of WCW's plans, with Sid being dropped for the long term and Arn put on the shelf temporarily. By January 1994, Sid was officially gone from WCW and Arn was about to return. In late February 1994, Sid's return was brought up at a WCW meeting and it was overwhelmingly rejected. As Dave Meltzer said in the May 26, 1994 Observer, "Sid Vicious will return to WCW when Hell freezes over. In wrestling, that happens with a lot more frequency than in real life." Part of Hell apparently froze over on July 4, 1994 as Sid returned to a regular wrestling promotion when he interfered in a USWA match between Jerry Lawler and Tommy Rich in Memphis TN. 3.6. Is there really a metal plate in Lex Luger's forearm? There was. Lex injured his arm in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 1992. The plate was removed in June 1993, right before his face turn in the WWF. 3.7. What happened between Cactus Jack and Big Van Vader in April 1993? In April 1993 WCW ran an angle involving Big Van Vader and Cactus Jack, the build-up of which was designed to span two matches. The first match aired on TBS on April 17 and ended with Jack winning via countout. During the match, Jack apparently suffered a broken nose and other injuries, and required 24 stitches. In the rematch, which aired on TBS on April 24, Vader won via countout when Jack was unable to return to the ring after being powerbombed on the concrete floor by Vader. The powerbomb was supposed to set up an angle where Jack would be "injured", enabling him to take a few months off to recuperate from the real injuries he'd already suffered and had been working nightly on. According to some reports, even though Vader attempted to protect Jack on the powerbomb, Jack's head hit the floor hard, causing a severe concussion and loss of feeling in his hands. Until late June 1993 there continued to be some question about the severity of Jack's injuries and whether this was an "angle gone wrong" or a very clever bit of booking, or both. The best guess is that it was a little of both: there was an angle planned and Jack got beat up a little more than was planned. While Cactus was taking time to recover, WCW started running a series of "Where's Cactus?" segments in late June and early July. The much maligned segments featured a female reporter (Cathryn White) looking for Cactus Jack. In late June 1993, reports surfaced that Cactus was not happy with the way WCW was bringing him back. The segments were dropped and Cactus was brought back at the August 1993 Clash. |3.8. What's the deal with Brutus Beefcake's face? On July 4, 1990 Brutus Beefcake was involved in an accident that smashed his face. He was on a lake in Tampa FL, when a parasailer crashed into his head. The force of the impact collapsed part of Brutus' skull. On the way to the hospital, the paramedics (and fellow wrestler and friend B. Brian Blair) had to hold Brutus' skull in place by the roof of the mouth. Since then, Brutus has undergone | massive plastic surgery to rebuild his face. As of October 1994, Brutus still has several surgical steel reinforcing plates in his head. In the spring of 1991, Vince McMahon wanted to bring Brutus back to the WWF. The idea was to build a gimmick around Brutus' head full of steel, but his doctors dissuaded Brutus on the grounds that severe damage could result if he were to receive a blow to the face. Undeterred, Vince brought Brutus back (albeit unannounced to the fans) for a short stint in summer 1991. Brutus, working under a furry mask, made several run-ins, beating on heels each time. Nothing became of the "furface" angle, but shortly thereafter, Brutus resumed doing the "Barber Shop" interview segment. Brutus finally returned to the WWF on February 1, 1993 when he was interviewed by Vince McMahon on Monday Night Raw. This was Brutus' first announced appearance in the WWF since WrestleMania VIII (April 1992). Brutus returned to the ring on February 15, 1993 and was attacked by Money, Inc. Hulk Hogan and Brutus teamed up (as the Megamaniacs), took on Jimmy Hart as their manager, and faced Money, Inc. at WrestleMania IX (April 4, 1993). ------------------------------ Subject: 4. Where Are They Now? |4.1. Who is the Ultimate Warrior and where is he now? The Ultimate Warrior is Jim Hellwig. Always has been. Jim Hellwig is | still alive as of October 1994. The person who debuted in WCW in early 1994 as Jungle Jim Steele is NOT Jim Hellwig, just a lame imitation. During his stints with the WWF, the Ultimate Warrior underwent several cosmetic changes, each of which started a new round of rumors. The changes included getting his hair dyed, getting his teeth capped, gaining and losing weight (mainly through muscle gain/loss), and changing the amount and style of face paint he wore. Despite the different "packaging", the Ultimate Warrior has always been the same person. Vince McMahon suspended the Ultimate Warrior from the WWF after SummerSlam '91 (August 29, 1991) when he demanded more money. There are reports that the Ultimate Warrior hit McMahon -- or at least took a swing at him -- but they remain unconfirmed. The Ultimate Warrior did not reappear in the WWF until WrestleMania VIII (April 5, 1992). Shortly after returning to the WWF in April 1992, the Ultimate Warrior became unhappy with his pay and with what Vince had planned for him. (Side note: when he returned in 1992, the Warrior weighed about 40 pounds less than in his previous stint with the WWF.) Apparently, the Warrior was scheduled to wrestle Nailz in the matches following the Survivor Series (November 28, 1992). The Warrior was not happy. On November 8, only 20 days before the Survivor Series, the Warrior quit the WWF without giving notice. Fifteen seconds into the November 16, 1992 "Prime Time Wrestling" show, Vince McMahon announced that the Ultimate Warrior would not be in the Survivor Series. Since then, the Ultimate Warrior's name has not been mentioned in the WWF. The Ultimate Warrior started working the independent circuit as "The Warrior". In September/October 1993, Jim Hellwig reportedly changed his name to "Warrior", presumably so he would be able to use the Warrior name without having to worry about the WWF's lawyers suing him. Reports have also surfaced that he is advertising Warrior-related merchandise out of Bill Apter's wrestling magazines, (Pro Wrestling Illustrated, etc.). In May 1994, one r.s.p-w'er reported that Hellwig was running the Ultimate Warriors gym in Phoenix AZ. 4.2. What happened to Demolition? They split up. Here's what they've been doing: Ax (real name Bill Eadie) reportedly left the WWF because of a heart problem. He has worked in many different promotions under many different (but similar) names, including: Axis the Demolisher; Ax of Demolition; Demolition Ax; and teaming with Blast as New Demolition. Eadie also worked with the GWF on their production staff until January 1991. Smash #1 (real name Randy Culley, aka Moondog Rex, aka Dead Eye Dick) only worked a few early dates as Demolition Smash. He is mentioned here only for completeness. Smash #2 (real name Barry Darsow) picked up where Smash #1 left off and ended up wrestling 95%+ of the matches that Demolition Smash was involved in. When Demolition broke up, Darsow left the WWF and worked a stint in the indies before returning to the WWF as Repo Man. In November 1993, some reports had him selling cars while other reports had him (ironically) selling car alarms. Crush (real name Brian Adams) left the WWF and wrestled in Portland under his real name and in Japan as Crush of Demolition. Currently, Demolition Crush is hailing from Kona Hawaii and wrestling as Crush in the WWF. So, unless Smash #1 is wrestling as Blast, which is not believed to be the case, there are/were actually 5 members of Demolition: Ax, Smash #1, Smash #2, Crush, and Blast. 4.3. 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). There have also been reports that Tully had failed a drug test quite some time before he left the WWF. The results were held as a sort of trump card. Later, Tully was scheduled to job for the Ultimate Warrior at the Survivor Series '89 pre-show and in the Survivor Series itself. Tully was not pleased and he didn't follow the script at the pre-show. At a result, the WWF hauled out the results of the old drug test and used them as an excuse to fire Tully. In the process, the WWF got rid of Tully and saddled him with a "drug rap". Tully was supposed to return to WCW at Slamboree '93 (May 23, 1993) but apparently Tully and WCW were not able to agree on the terms of his return. Tully finally returned to WCW at Slamboree '94 (May 22, 1994) and wrestled Terry Funk to a DDQ. Reverend Tully can be reached at: Tully Blanchard Ministries P.O. Box 2724 Matthews, North Carolina 28106 4.4. Where is Sgt. Slaughter? Up until September 1993, the Sarge (real name Robert Remus) was reportedly working for the WWF in an unspecified front office job. In late September 1993, he reportedly left the WWF. Why he left and under what circumstances is unknown. In June 1994, reports surfaced that the Sarge would be returning to the WWF in summer 1994. 4.5. Where is J.J. Dillon? J.J. Dillon, former manager and advisor to the Four Horsemen, is working in a front office job (Vice President of Administration) with the WWF. Story has it that J.J. got the WWF job by promising to bring in all kinds of NWA talent with him when he left the NWA for the WWF. As V.P. of A., Dillon works with the business and promotional side of Titan, and really isn't involved with the wrestling side of it. 4.6. Where is George "The Animal" Steele? George "The Animal" Steele (real name James Meyers) has been reported to be a high school teacher in Michigan and working in a front office job for the WWF. He's been reported as the football coach at Detroit's Madison High School through the 1985 season. He's also been reported as a road agent and booking agent for the WWF. Some reports also had him in Britain for SummerSlam '92. ------------------------------ Subject: 5. The Law and Pro Wrestling 5.1. Who is Charles Austin? Until April 29, 1994 he was a nobody in the wrestling world. Fans didn't care about him. Wrestlers & promoters barely knew who he was. Austin's ascent from anonymity began in December 1990 when he 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. As planned, Austin leaned forward and bent at he waist as if doubled over, and Jannetty leapt up and dropped his leg across the back of Austin's neck. Austin was supposed to take a face-first bump, landing on his stomach and face. Unfortunately, Austin did not take the face-first bump. Instead, he attempted a forward roll and wound up landing on his head. Austin broke his neck. Reportedly, the move looked so nasty that the wrestlers watching backstage on monitors feared that Austin had been killed. The match 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, but he still cannot control his bodily functions and his hands and legs constantly sting. Austin sued the WWF, Jannetty, and Michaels for US$3.8 million. Michaels was dismissed from the suit by a judge. During the trial, the defense argued that wrestlers assume a certain amount of risk every time they step into the ring. Austin's attorney countered that wrestlers should assume the risk of what they have the experience level to perform, arguing that Ausin, who had only six months of training and a handful of matches under his belt, was not at the experience level necessary to pull off a dangerous move of that type without a high risk of injury. On April 29, 1994, a Hillsborough County FL jury awarded Austin US$26.7 million. The jury awarded Austin US$4.2 million for medical bills and rehabilitation and US$16 million for pain and suffering. Austin's wife was awarded US$5.5 million for her suffering and Austin's two sons were each awarded US$500,000 for the loss of a fully functional father figure. 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. The WWF's share is covered by insurance. Jannetty's share is not. As was expected, appeals were filed almost immediately. Editorial, based on a column in the May 9, 1994 Observer: If this case did nothing else, it highlighted one of professional wrestling's most troubling problems: the lack of credibility. Not of its matches and angles, but of its wrestlers and promoters. Promoters might be skilled at promoting a show and developing angles, and they might be skilled at manipulating their public image, and they might be able to hire powerful lawyers, but apparently they still have yet to learn that what works in the ring does not work in court. Maybe it's arrogance, maybe it's ignorance, nobody knows. But, you can't work a jury like you can work a mark in a wrestling audience. 5.2. Why did The Big Bossman change to The Guardian Angel? When The Big Bossman (real name Raymond Traylor) appeared in WCW in early 1994, he wrestled as The Boss and used the same law and order gimmick that he had used while in the WWF. He also wore the same ring costume (black pants, blue shirt, Sam Browne belt) and carried the nightstick and handcuffs, just like he had done in the WWF. Titan Sports, the WWF's parent company, considered the name Big Bossman and the associated costuming to be its intellectual property. So, after being threatened with legal action, WCW had commissioner Nick Bockwinkel strip The Boss of his nightstick and handcuffs. A few weeks later, Traylor reappeared. This time, he was still using the law and order gimmick but was dressed like a Guardian Angel, complete with the white t-shirt bearing the Guardian Angel logo and red beret covered with pins. Editor's Note: the Guardian Angels really do exist and are be described as citizens patrolling their neighborhood, looking out for bad guys. 5.3. Why did Jesse "The Body" Ventura sue the WWF in 1993? Ventura filed suit in November 1991 to recover royalties he felt he deserved for WWF merchandise sold bearing his likeness and for WWF video tapes sold on which he did commentary. Ventura argued that the WWF misrepresented the royalty splits they had given to other WWF performers and that he had signed the contract with the WWF under duress. The case went to trial in early April 1994 in St. Paul, MN. In the end, the jury did not agree with Ventura's claim that he deserved more royalties from the sales of action figures. But they did agree that Ventura deserved more royalties from the sales of 90 different video tapes on which he announced. As compensation, they awarded Ventura US$809,958. Ventura had asked for US$1.2 million for his work on the videos while Titan had countered with US$150,000. 5.4. 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 4 counts (charges), as follows: -Conspiracy. McMahon & Titan. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. Titan. On or about April 13, 1989. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about April 13, 1989. -Possession. McMahon & Titan. (this is the count where the government staked its claim to since Titan facilities.) No wrestlers were indicted. As the indictment was originally written, Titan and McMahon faced fines of up to US$1.5 million. McMahon himself faced a maximum 5 years in prison on the conspiracy charges and 3 years for his personal distribution charges. In addition, the government also sought to seize Titan's assets, including Titan Towers, the WWF's US$9.5 million headquarters. However, in December 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that made it more difficult, if not impossible for the government to seize Titan's assets. In April 1994 the government amended the indictment and dropped the claim to Titan's assets and added two new counts. The new counts, one against McMahon and one against Titan Sports, are similar to other counts in the indictment and charge McMahon and Titan Sports with possession with intent to distribute steroids on April 13, 1989. -Conspiracy. McMahon & Titan. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. Titan. On or about April 13, 1989. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about April 13, 1989. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about October 24, 1989. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about October 24, 1989. The shuffling of counts in the indictment changed the worst-case scenario for McMahon and Titan, increasing the maximum prison time from 8 to 11 years and upping the potential fine to US$2 million. Then, in late May 1994, U.S. District Court Judge Jacob Mishler, acting on motions by both the prosecution and the defense (McMahon/Titan), dropped two of the five counts against McMahon and Titan. In his decision, Judge Mishler reasoned that because McMahon owned 100% of Titan, McMahon could not be charge with distributing steroids to Titan (in effect the government had charged McMahon with distributing steroids to himself). When the case finally went to trial, McMahon and Titan were left with three counts to defend against: -Conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and the Food & Drug Administration, to "deliver into interstate commerce" prescription drugs, to knowingly distribute drugs (steroids). McMahon & Titan. -Possession w/intent to distribute anabolic steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about April 13, 1989. -Possession w/Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids. McMahon & Titan. On or about October 24, 1989. As the trial opened, McMahon/Titan's worst-case scenario was US$1 million in fines and 11 years jail time for McMahon. On July 22, 1994, after deliberating for 16 hours, the jury found McMahon and Titan Sports not guilty of all remaining charges. In an attempt to distance himself from the WWF, presumably because he knew an indictment was coming, McMahon turned over control of the WWF to his wife Linda McMahon in May 1993. Although doing so made Vince just another WWF announcer, he remained in control of Titan Sports, the WWF's parent company. Following the initial indictment, McMahon's initial statements denied any wrong doing. Further, Vince's public defense (as opposed to the legal one he'd use in court, if the case ever goes to trial) was a very clever bit of public relations. Vince gave the impression that he was the victim of some sort of ex post facto prosecution, that he was charged with doing things that were legal at the time he did them. Much to the contrary, the indictment charged McMahon with actions that were very much illegal at the time. Specifically, there are a bunch of different State and Federal laws governing the dispensing, use, and redistribution of prescription medications (such as steroids). These laws have been on the books for many, many years. In particular, steroids have been prescription drugs for quite some time and their use in anything other than treatment prescribed by a licensed physician in an on-going doctor-patient relationship is illegal. Period. By publicly refuting charges that were never made and by remaining silent about the charges that were made, Vince McMahon gave the impression that he was refuting the charges against him. Very slick. Reminder: an indictment is merely an accusation, not a conviction. From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: "...[to indict is] to charge with the commission of a crime; especially, to make formal accusation against on the basis of positive legal evidence: usually said of the action of a grand jury." As much as some (many?) people would like to see Vince railroaded into jail, he remains innocent until proven otherwise (or until a whole bunch of other legal stuff happens). 5.5. What caused the federal investigation of the WWF? Although it is unknown exactly what started the investigation into the WWF, the reasons probably fall into 3 broad categories: sexual abuse and harassment (of both minors and adults), illegal drug sales and use (mainly steroids, but possibly some cocaine), and illegal business practices. When the investigation that led to McMahon's 1993 indictment began is unknown, but reports have it starting in mid 1992. At various times during the investigation, the following WWF employees have been rumored to have been interviewed by the Feds or to have talked to the feds: Marty Jannetty, Honky Tonk Man, and the Ultimate Warrior. Almost certainly, McMahon's legal troubles began (or, at the very least, got worse) in 1991 with the trial of then WWF physician Dr. George Zahorian. (See related question.) Then, in the spring of 1992, several current and former WWF employees came forward with charges of sexual misconduct/abuse (former ringboy Tom Cole, former referee Rita Chatterton) and drug abuse (mostly steroids, as mentioned by many former WWF wrestlers). In fact, it was discovered in May 1994 that the government may not be done with Vince McMahon and the WWF. During the pre-trial wrangling, Sean O'Shea, the government attorney prosecuting the case, revealed that the government was presenting additional information to a grand jury. Whether this means the government is still looking into the steroid case or whether the government is looking into another case is unknown. 5.6. Who is Dr. George Zahorian? In 1991, Dr. George 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. Before being charged with selling steroids, Zahorian was an attending physician for WWF matches in Pennsylvania. When word of a federal investigation into Zahorian's activities leaked, the WWF warned Zahorian of the investigation and attempted to distance themselves as much as possible from Zahorian. 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. Also, evidence was presented during the trial that showed hundreds of shipments from Zahorian's office to wrestlers and others. Prosecutors claimed the shipments contained steroids. 37 of the shipments were sent to WWF and Titan Sports headquarters and 9 of those bore Vince McMahon's name (presumably as the recipient). It is believed that the evidence and testimony gathered during this trial provided was the impetus for the opening of an investigation into whether Titan Sports and Vince McMahon had distributed steroids illegally. What followed was an indictment. See related question. 5.7. Did Jerry "The King" Lawler get indicted for statutory rape? Yes. On Friday, November 12, 1993, Jerry Lawler was indicted in Kentucky for allegedly raping and sodomizing a 13- and a 14-year-old girl in the states of Indiana and Kentucky. No charges were filed in Indiana. It was claimed that, at Lawler's suggestion, the girls came to his hotel room and they engaged in various sex acts. The charges came at a time when Lawler was involved in one of the headline matches at the upcoming Survivor Series (November 24, 1993). The Monday following the filing of the charges, on the November 15, 1993 Monday Night RAW show, Vince McMahon mentioned that Jerry Lawler had been suspended from the WWF for "legal reasons" and that Shawn Michaels had been reinstated and would take Lawler's place at the upcoming Survivor Series. No further mention of Lawler or his legal problems was made. Lawler did not show at the Survivor Series and did not return to the WWF until April 1994. The case took many twists and turns, more than could be covered here, that some referred to it as a real-life soap opera. One of the more important developments involved Lawler being charged with harassing a witness (one of the complainants). In December 1993, less than two weeks after the filing of charges, the 13-year-old recanted her story. The second girl, the 14-year-old, recanted her story in a January 24 letter to the presiding judge. Here's an excerpt from that letter: "I told the detectives what I had already told John (Segevan). I told them that on the morning of May 26, 1993, a friend of mine... and I met Jerry Lawler at Louisville Gardens and went with him to the Days Inn in Selersburg, IN. I told them that both (the friend) and I performed oral sex on Lawler. I was not telling the truth...I was afraid and the police detectives told me they wanted me to tell them what I had told John. That's why I said this and I know what I did was wrong. We did go over to Lawler's room, though, and he did take us out to eat at Taco Bell...and back to the Louisville Gardens." The case continued, with some back and forth legal wrangling by both sides, until it was finally settled on February 23, 1994 via a plea bargain. In the agreement, Lawler plead guilty to harassing a witness. In return, the prosecutors dropped the four counts of statutory rape and sodomy against Lawler. Lawler received a suspended 12 month sentence, no fine, and two years of unsupervised probation for the guilty plea. 5.8. Who owns the rights to Hulk-a-mania, Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, etc? 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. Look at a box for one of the older (ie, pre 1993) WWF videos. You'll find that almost everything is TM or R (trademark or Registered trademark) and that the Hulk stuff is TM or R Marvel Comics. 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. 5.9. Did Ken Patera really spend time in jail? Yes. Patera spent 2 years in jail, primarily for assaulting a police officer early in the morning on April 7, 1984 in Waukesha WI. Patera and fellow AWA wrestler Masa Saito had wrestled that night (April 6) in Watertown WI and went drinking afterwards. Later that night they went to McDonalds (in Waukesha?) but were being too loud and were asked to leave. Patera got upset and threw a rock through a window in McDonalds. The police were called and they caught up with Patera and Saito at the Holiday Inn in Waukesha. In the process of being taken into custody, Patera and Saito roughed up the two arresting officers (one male, one female). The female officer received the brunt of Patera's anger; she walked away with a broken jaw and several missing teeth. It took a dozen policemen to subdue and arrest Saito and Patera. Apparently Saito's wrists were to big for the handcuffs. Both Patera and Saito served time in jail: Patera for two years and Saito for a shorter period. (Saito was not only given a shorter sentence, he also was given time off for good behavior.) Upon his release, Patera returned to the WWF (which he had jumped to shortly before entering prison) and had a lively feud with Bobby Heenan and the Heenan family. Patera left the WWF and returned as "a reformed man" to the AWA where he feuded with the Destruction Crew (aka the Beverly Brothers, aka Minnesota Wrecking Crew II). If you are good at research, you might want to dig through syndicated columnist Mike Royko's columns from this time. Apparently Royko was incensed at the light sentences Saito and Patera received and wrote a column about the incident. 5.10. Why is it just "Vader"? What happened to the "Big Van"? In September 1993, New Japan Pro Wrestling took Vader (real name Leon White), who was then WCW World Champion, to court. New Japan claimed that the name Big Van Vader and the associated costuming was their creation and thus their property. In addition, New Japan claimed breach of contract when White, who was under long-term contract to New Japan, signed with and wrestled for UWFI. The court ruled that since the name "Vader" was trademarked by George Lucas (of Star Wars and Darth Vader fame), New Japan couldn't stop White from using the name "Vader". However, the court ruled that New Japan did own the name "Big Van Vader" and that they could stop White from wrestling under that name. It is unknown how the court ruled on the costuming, but Vader's costume has changed little since the legal action was taken so presumably the court ruled against that portion of New Japan's claim. The breach of contract was dropped because New Japan had stopped booking White prior to his signing with UWFI. ------------------------------ Subject: 6. NWA 6.1. What happened to the NWA? The National Wrestling Alliance was formed in 1948 as an association of local promoters from several cities in the US who agreed not to compete against each other and to recognize a common world champion who would make occasional appearances in all of the member territories to defend his title against local contenders. Original members were almost all from the mid-west, and represented the promotions in St. Louis, Des Moines, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Columbus, OH. Dozens of promoters from across the US and around the world were affiliated at one time or another with the NWA. The NWA was the dominant force in pro wrestling for 35 years, but things began falling apart in the early 80s. The Los Angeles promotion, which had been run into the ground by Gene & Mike Lebell, closed at the end of 1980. A year later, Roy Shire's San Francisco promotion folded. Cable TV changed the whole face of wrestling in the early 80s, as promoters could now get simultaneous national exposure for their shows. Ole Anderson, who controlled Georgia Championship Wrestling, was the first to try to take advantage of cable TV by promoting outside of his own territory into areas. He ran shows throughout Ohio and Michigan, as well as in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other areas. The promotion changed its name from Georgia Championship Wrestling to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and for a while in 1983 gave up the rights to the Georgia territories to try to promote nationally. In the summer of 1983 it was rumored that WCW was pulling out of the NWA after they chose not to announce that Harley Race had defeated Ric Flair for the world title on June 10, 1983. Eventually they did recognize Race and continued within the NWA, including a planned copromotional effort with Jim Crockett into the northeast -- the heart of WWF territory. Despite Ole's mismanagement, WCW was doing pretty well competing against the other group that was trying to go national: Vince McMahon's WWF. But the competition ended in May 1984 when Jack & Jerry Brisco -- investors in Georgia Championship Wrestling who must have been frightened by the direction Ole was taking the promotion -- sold control of the company to Vince McMahon. The WWF took over the TV spot on TBS. Very few of the wrestlers from Georgia agreed to work for McMahon, and Anderson formed a new group, which came under the control of Jim Crockett by March 1985. Crockett paid McMahon US$1 million to get back the rights to the TBS time slot. Toronto had featured Jim Crockett's wrestlers since October 1978, making it the first territory to bring in talent from Mid-Atlantic. But by 1984, Crockett did not feel that he could spare his wrestlers for any shows in Toronto, and the quality of the Toronto cards plummeted. With his area starved for talent, Jack Tunney had little choice but to make a deal with Vince McMahon -- taking one of the hottest areas for wrestling out of the NWA and into the WWF. Later in 1985, Jim Crockett announced that he would no longer allow NWA champion Ric Flair to accept more than 2 dates per week outside of Crockett-promoted shows, and that from that point on, promoters would have to pay a guaranteed amount, rather than the 8% of the gate that was traditionally paid to the NWA champion. Crockett would also insist that he supply the wrestlers for the top half of the card for any show on which Ric Flair appeared. This pretty much marked the end of the NWA as it had existed since 1948. In February 1986, Jack Adkisson (aka Fritz Von Erich) -- who was trying to take World Class national at this time -- pulled his promotion out of the NWA and recognized his own world champion. Later in the year, Crockett took over the St. Louis promotion -- the flagship of the NWA since 1948 -- and brought in his own wrestlers for shows there. He also briefly took control of Bob Geigel's Central States promotion in Kansas City. Geigel tried to start up again in February 1987 and briefly recognized his own world champion before the promotion folded in 1988. Crockett bought out the Florida territory in February 1987, and a few months later took control of Bill Watts's UWF (which had not been a part of the NWA). By the end of the year, all of the territories has been homogenized into a single Crockett-controlled entity, which still ran under the name NWA, but really had little to do with the group that had existed for the preceding 40 years. The only former NWA territories that still operated in the US were Don Owen's group in Portland, and the promotion in Alabama, which no longer claimed ties to the NWA. Turner Broadcasting bought control of Jim Crockett's promotion in November 1988. This group still referred to itself as the NWA, but began to put more emphasis on the name World Championship Wrestling, until they finally dropped all references to the NWA on January 1, 1991. After buying back Ric Flair's championship belt, WCW brought back the NWA name in 1992 for both a singles and a tag team title. So far, the only promotions to use the belts are WCW and New Japan. The NWA still exists on paper, and several small independent promotions have recently joined the NWA, but they have not been able to arrange for any appearances by the NWA champion, even though that is supposed to be guaranteed to them by their membership. 6.2. How many Four Horsemen have there been? Well, they've always been called the Four Horsemen but over the years 11 different wrestlers have been Horsemen. In addition to the original Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson) the following wrestlers have at one time or another been a member of the Four Horsemen: Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious, Sting, Kendall Windham, Butch Reed, and Paul Roma. Supposedly, Kendall Windham and Butch Reed were Horsemen for 1 week in January or February 1989. Here is a rough (and incomplete) chronology of who was a Horseman: 86/01 First reference to "Four Horsemen" RF, AA, TB, OA, JJD 87/02 Luger joins & Ole turns RF, AA, TB, LL, JJD 87/12/02 Luger turns and leaves the group RF, AA, TB, JJD 88/04/20 Windham turns on Luger and joins RF, AA, TB, BW, JJD 88/09 Blanchard/Anderson leave RF, BW, JJD 89/02 Dillon leaves --Horsemen inactive-- 89/12 Arn Anderson returns RF, AA, OA 90/01/02 Sting joins RF, AA, OA, S 90/02/06 Sting kicked out RF, AA, OA 90/04 Sid Vicious joins RF, AA, OA, SV 90 Ole retires, Barry Windham joins RF, AA, SV, BW 91/04 Vicious leaves WCW --Horsemen inactive-- 91/07 Flair fired 93/05/23 Flair returns, Roma added RF, AA, OA, PR 93/07 Ole fades away RF, AA, PR 93/12 Roma turns heel RF, AA --Horsemen inactive-- Tully Blanchard was supposed to rejoin the Horsemen at Slamboree '93 (May 23, 1993) but he and WCW were unable to agree on a price. Instead, WCW brought in "Pretty" Paul Roma to be the fourth Horseman. 6.3. Who were in the Midnight Express? The Original Midnight Express was Randy Rose, Dennis Condrey, and Norvell Austin. They originally worked out of Alabama. At the end of 1981, Condrey, Rose, and Austin went to Memphis as the Midnight Express and wrestled there until the summer of 1982 when they returned to Alabama. In 1983 they wrestled in Alabama as "Midnight Express Inc." and had several other members: including the Midnight Stallion (aka the Mongolian Stomper), Ron Starr, Rick Harris (aka Black Bart), and Wayne Farris (aka Honkytonk Man). Condrey left Alabama in 1983 and teamed up with Bobby Eaton in Mid-South, where they were joined by another guy from Memphis: Jim Cornette. In this form -- "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey, and Jim Cornette -- the Midnight Express moved on to the NWA/WCW where they won the NWA World Tag title. Condrey left and was replaced by "Sweet" Stan Lane. Eaton and Lane held the NWA US Tag title three times. In fall 1991, Cornette had a falling out with WCW Executive Vice President Jim Herd. Cornette left WCW to work in the independents. Shortly thereafter, Cornette convinced Stan Lane to join him. Bobby couldn't join them because he needed a steady income (to support his family) and wasn't guaranteed that outside of WCW. In early 1992 Jim Cornette and Stan Lane teamed with with Tom Pritchard as the Heavenly Bodies in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Eaton joined Lane and Pritchard for some 6-man tag matches, but not under the name Midnight Express. In May 1993, Jim Cornette, by then a major player in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and Lane had a falling out. Lane left SMW and was replaced by Jimmy Del Rey. In November 1993, Lane appeared in the WWF as a color commentator. Note: some confusion seems to stem from an angle WCW ran in the mid/late 80s which featured the Midnight Express (Rose & Condrey, managed by Paul E. Dangerously) vs. the Midnight Express (Eaton & Lane, managed by Jim Cornette). 6.4. Other than the Road Warriors, who else was in the Legion of Doom? Using a concept similar to the Four Horsemen (all for one and one for all), the NWA/WCW version of the Legion of Doom consisted of the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal), Jake "the Snake" Roberts, "Precious" Paul Ellering, and King Kong Bundy. Genichiro Tenryu joined the Road Warriors for 6-man tag action, but it's unclear whether he was part of the LOD. Finally, depending on whom you talk to, Ted DiBiase was also a member of the LOD. 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. In the WWF, the LOD moniker referred only to the tag team of Hawk and Animal. ------------------------------ End of rec.sport.pro-wrestling FAQ part 1 of 3 ********************************************** -- Send suggestions/comments/etc. to: | "Those who cannot remember history rspw-faq@Data-IO.com | are doomed to repost it every month, or | with diffs marked with change bars." ...!pilchuck!rspw-faq | -- Ed Vielmetti Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling From: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Subject: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling] FAQ (part 02/03) Message-ID: Followup-To: poster Summary: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling Keywords: FAQ RTFM Sender: usenet@maunakea.Data-IO.COM (The News) Supersedes: Nntp-Posting-Host: skagway Reply-To: rspw-faq@Data-IO.com (rspw FAQ Comments address) Organization: The r.s.p-w FAQ Cabal References: Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 18:47:15 GMT Expires: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 18:47:01 GMT Lines: 964 Archive-name: pro-wrestling/faq-part02 Version: $Id: body.n,v 4.23 1994/09/29 22:17:01 jewell Exp $ Editor: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Posting-frequency: approximately every three weeks Previous-editor: jnelson@iastate.edu (Jeremy Nelson) Original-editor: a0cb@cc.pdx.edu (Chris Bertholf) Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling part 2 of 3 Generated: October 3, 1994 Copyright This document is compilation copyright (c) 1993, 19934 by Cal Jewell. It may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety as long as this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated into commercial products without the editor's written permission. [Compilation copyright means that you can freely use individual sections of this document, but any significant collection of sections is subject to the copyright.] Please read this document before posting to rec.sport.pro-wrestling. If you don't want to see this posting anymore, please add the subject line to your kill file. Given the dynamic nature of the professional wrestling world, the information in this document should be considered "volatile". That is, the probability that something in this document is incorrect or outdated increases with time. Comments, additions, suggestions, and corrections are encouraged. Send them to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com Changes are marked with a preceding "|" (a pipe). You can skip to them by typing g^| in most newsreaders (e.g., rn, trn). Note: this FAQ has been formatted as a digest. Many newsreaders can skip to each of the major subsections by pressing ^g (CTRL-g). Contents of the FAQ: 1. Upcoming Events 2. Deaths 3. Injuries 4. Where Are They Now? 5. The Law and Pro Wrestling 6. NWA 7. WCW 8. WWF 9. Japan 10. Mexico 11. Miscellaneous 12. More Information 13. Tape Trading Contents of part 2: 7. WCW 7.1. Why did Rick Rude leave WCW in May 1994? 7.2. Why did Ric Flair leave WCW? What was the "Real World's Champion" belt? 7.3. Why did 2 Cold Scorpio leave WCW in April 1994? 7.4. Why did Missy Hyatt leave WCW in February 1994? 7.5. Why did the Davey Boy Smith leave WCW in December 1993? 7.6. Why did Lex Luger leave WCW in February 1992? 7.7. Is Jesse Ventura really a mayor? 7.8. Who has had the shortest NWA/WCW title reign? 8. WWF 8.1. Why did Bobby "The Brain" Heenan leave the WWF? 8.2. Did Hulk Hogan use steroids? 8.3. Who runs the WWF? 8.4. Who is Yokozuna? Where is he from? | 8.5. Who is Doink the Clown? 8.6. Who was Battle Kat? 8.7. What is the story behind the WWF 'King'? 8.8. Did the WWF really gross US$1.7 billion in 1992? 8.9. Why did Sid Justice/Vicious leave the WWF in 1992? 8.10. What was the WWF's first Pay-Per-View? 8.11. Who had the shortest WWF title reign? 8.12. Who won the first Royal Rumble? 8.13. Is Bret Hart the first person to hold all 3 WWF titles? 8.14. Why did the Legion of Doom leave the WWF in 1992? 8.15. Why did "Ravishing" Rick Rude leave the WWF in 1991? 8.16. Are Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth really married? 8.17. Did Pat Patterson win the first WWF Intercontinental Title? 8.18. What is the story behind the forming of the WWF? 8.19. When did the WWWF become the WWF? 8.20. Are Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake really brothers? 8.21. Are "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo related? 8.22. Was Adrian Adonis really a homosexual? 8.23. Is Lord Alfred Hayes really a Lord? 9. Japan 9.1. The All Japan Triple Crown comprises what three titles? 9.2. Are Keiji Muto and The Great Muta the same person? What's with Keiji Muto and "The Great Muta"? 9.3. What's the story behind Jushin Liger? Or is it Jushin Riger? 10. Mexico 10.1. What are CMLL, EMLL, and AAA? 10.2. What is Lucha Libre? 10.3. What's with all the masks in Mexico? 10.4. I don't know Spanish, what does mean? 10.5. What's with all the midgets in Lucha Libre? 10.6. Lucha Libre confuses me, what are the rules? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: 7. WCW 7.1. Why did Rick Rude leave WCW in May 1994? Rude left because he wasn't getting booked the way he wanted to and because he wasn't going to be able to go out the way he wanted to (Rude's story). Rude left because he wasn't cooperating with WCW management and because he had been a general disappointment (WCW's story). Prior to May 1994, Rude had been working injured (back and knee). His performances at major shows had been sub par and WCW officials had expressed their displeasure over Rude's poor work. As WCW officials saw it, Rude was getting paid big money and, despite the injuries, was not performing up to expectations. On May 1, 1994, Rude won the WCW International Title (the old NWA World belt) from Sting at the Fukoka Dome in Japan. The plan had been for Rude to win the title and then defend it (and presumably drop it) against Vader at Slamboree (May 22, 1994). There was also talk of Rude sticking around until the July 17 PPV and jobbing for Hogan, Flair, or Sting. In the 21 days between when he won the title and Slamboree, Rude apparently changed his mind and flatly refused to put Hogan, Flair, or Vader over. This reportedly led to a heated argument between Flair and Rude before Slamboree. Rude wanted to do an interview that would give a credible explanation for him being stripped of the WCW International title. Flair wanted Rude to a different interview, but Rude didn't like it and he walked out a few hours before the show. So, at Slamboree, after announcing that Rude had won the belt illegally (use of a foreign object and an illegal knee drop off the top rope) at the Fukoka Dome, the WCW International Board of Directors gave the title back to Sting. When coupled with his departure from the WWF in 1991 (see related question), Rude's departure from WCW meant that he had little chance of returning to the "big two" in the near-term. 7.2. Why did Ric Flair leave WCW? What was the "Real World's Champion" belt? The short answer to why Ric Flair left WCW is money and respect. In early 1991 Jim Herd, then the WCW Executive Vice President, decided to cut Ric's salary as part of an ongoing cost cutting plan at WCW. Herd wanted to cut Flair's salary from US$780,000 to US$350,000 a year. Ric was understandably furious and began negotiations with the WWF. Ric left (or was fired, depending on who you talk to) WCW on July 1, 1991. He left holding (and owning) the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. Flair's contract with the WWF started on October 1, 1991 and was for a reported US$1.0 to 1.25 million for two years. When he arrived in the WWF, Flair proclaimed himself the "Real World's Champion" and used the NWA belt to back up his claims. Interestingly enough, Ric Flair was still recognized as the NWA World Champion by many NWA-affiliated promoters and by many independent promoters. This changed when WCW, under the direction of Kip Frey, put pressure on the NWA to get Flair's belt back. The ownership of the belt and the right to be called the "NWA Heavyweight Champion" was taken to court. Flair and WCW eventually settled the matter out of court in spring 1992. The exact terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but it was rumored that the NWA/WCW bought the NWA belt back for US$28,000. 7.3. Why did 2 Cold Scorpio leave WCW in April 1994? Scorpio (real name Charles Skaggs) was fired from WCW for having reportedly failed a non-steroid drug test. In the weeks following the firing, it was reported that rather than having failed one drug test, Skaggs had failed as many as 5 drug tests. 7.4. Why did Missy Hyatt leave WCW in February 1994? She was fired, apparently for going over Eric Bischoff's head (to Bob Dhue) regarding a contract dispute. Missy's contract was due to expire at the end of February 1994 and, depending on who you listen to, she was fired (her story) or her contract was simply not renewed (WCW's story). Her firing came at an awkward time for WCW. They had planned to make Missy the manager of the Nasty Boys. In fact, WCW had already taped several months of TV with her as the Nasty Boys' manager. Further, WCW had planned to bring in Sensational Sherri Martel to feud with Hyatt. On March 29, 1994, Missy Hyatt (real name Melissa Ann Hiatt) filed a claim with the Georgia Equal Employment Opportunities Commission claiming that during her 5 years at WCW she was frequently harassed by supervisors, cameramen, and wrestlers, and that she was paid substantially less than her male counterparts (ie, other announcers and managers) who had no greater talent. Reportedly, the centerpiece of Missy's complaint is a photo taken of her (believed to be from Starrcade '93) jumping into the ring. In the photo, one of her breasts had fallen out of her ring outfit. The photo was blown up and hung in the studio where several employees could see it. Hyatt's attorney claimed to have evidence of several of Missy's WCW supervisors making demands for sex. Missy says she endured the abuse for the money, US$75,000 per year, which was about US$100,000 less than some male announcers and managers. Editorial Comment: Missy didn't have a job with WCW because she was a great manager or because she was a great interview. Rather, she had a job with WCW because of how she looked and because of the roll she filled (a sexy manager/valet type). For her to complain about talented counterparts getting more money rings somewhat hollow, but if the photo story is correct, she has a legitimate case. 7.5. Why did the Davey Boy Smith leave WCW in December 1993? Smith's departure from WCW in December 1993 stems from a bar fight in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Apparently, Smith was involved in a barroom brawl on July 25, 1993. The fight ended with the other guy (Kody Light) suffering numerous injuries, including a fractured skull, loss of hearing in one hear, loss of the ability to speak clearly, and intermittent memory difficulties. At the time of the fight, Smith was working for WCW. When Smith's left WCW in December 1993, the initial explanation was that Smith had been fired for missing two consecutive tv tapings. Although WCW officials claim to have fired Smith for missing the tapings, the impending legal charges against Smith, and the negative publicity associated with them, were most certainly a factor in Smith's dismissal. Shortly after the fight, police in Calgary, Alberta issued a warrant for the arrest of Davey Boy Smith on charges of aggravated assault. In January 1994 the Calgary police began extradition proceedings to bring Smith, who was working in in England and living in Florida, back to Canada. On January, 13 1994 Smith said that he will return to Calgary and turn himself in after finishing his tour in England. 7.6. Why did Lex Luger leave WCW in February 1992? Lex Luger's disappearance from WCW in February 1992 had a lot to do with his lack of love for the business. WCW's contract with Luger was a three year deal that ran through March 1993. The contract guaranteed Luger an annual salary and specified a maximum number of dates Luger had to work. This second part (maximum number of dates to work) is not uncommon. Nobody at WCW anticipated Ric Flair jumping ship in July 1991. When that happened, WCW had to choose between Luger and Sting to succeed Flair as champion. Sting's run as champion in 1990 was not as financially successful as WCW had wanted, so they went with Luger. Suddenly Luger was working more dates. By the end of 1991 Luger had already worked the number of dates specified in his contract. So, he had every legal right to refuse to work any more shows. Further, WCW still had to pay him his salary through March 1993. If he had any love for the business or some interest in his future or the future of WCW, he might have been a little more flexible. As it was, he refused to work any more dates: no TV tapings, no Clashes, no Pay-Per-Views. Nothing. Luger further told WCW that he wouldn't mind leaving when the second year of his 3-year contract ran out in March 1992. WCW negotiated with Luger and reached a settlement wherein Luger agreed to work one final show (SuperBrawl II, February 29, 1992) and drop the WCW title to Sting. In return, WCW agreed to let Luger leave the company (perhaps with a cash settlement, but that is unknown) with the proviso that he couldn't wrestle for any other North American wrestling promotion until March 1993. Luger took a few months off and then popped up in the WBF, Titan Sports' now defunct World Bodybuilding Federation, in the summer of 1992. Luger "debuted" in the WWF at Royal Rumble '93 on January 24, 1993. Note: he just "debuted" at the Royal Rumble; he didn't wrestle. 7.7. Is Jesse Ventura really a mayor? Yes. Jesse Ventura is the real life mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Brooklyn Park is a suburb of Minneapolis and has a population of 56,000. Jesse was elected in November 1990 to a 4-year term as mayor. Ventura considered running for re-election as Mayor but formally announced his intention not to run on June 14, 1994. During his speech, he was quoted as saying: "I rode into town, I ran the bad guys out of town, and now it's time for me to ride into the sunset with a hearty Following his decision not to run for re-election as Mayor, Ventura said he'd decide by the end of July 1994 whether he'd run for the U.S. Senate. Ventura mentioned that if he did run, he'd probably run as a third-party candidate. 7.8. Who has had the shortest NWA/WCW title reign? If you count negative title reigns, then the Fabulous Freebirds have the shortest reign in wrestling history: -6 days. The Freebirds lost the NWA/WCW Tag titles to the Steiner Brothers on February 18, 1991. Six days later, on February 24, 1991, the Freebirds beat Doom for the titles (the same titles the Freebirds lost 6 days before). Of course, the title change was aired in normal sequence on TV (ie, the Freebirds won the belts at a live PPV and then lost the belts at a subsequent TV taping). ------------------------------ Subject: 8. WWF 8.1. Why did Bobby "The Brain" Heenan leave the WWF? Best information is that Heenan left the WWF in December 1993 in a dispute over working conditions. Apparently, Vince McMahon wanted Heenan, who lives in Florida, to move to Stamford CT, home of the WWF. Heenan, who flies to and from Stamford several times a week, said no. When Heenan's contract with the WWF expired in December 1993, McMahon chose not to renew it (ie, it was a "pocket firing"). Around the time of Heenan's departure from the WWF, there was mention that Heenan left because of the legal cloud hovering over the WWF: namely, McMahon's indictment on conspiracy to distribute steroids. While that may be part of Heenan's motivation, it is believed to be tangential at best. Heenan's last appearance on a WWF show was the December 6, 1993 episode of Monday Night RAW. At the end of the show, we saw Gorilla Monsoon throwing Heenan out the back door of the arena. Heenan's first appearance for WCW was at the January 27, 1994 Clash. 8.2. Did Hulk Hogan use steroids? Yes. He admitted so during the Vince McMahon steroid trial in June/July 1994. Some r.s.p-w'ers derisively refer to this when they mention a wrestler being on Hulk Hogan Chewables (a slam on Hogan's familiar mantra of "say your prayers, believe in God, and take your vitamins"). 8.3. Who runs the WWF? Good question. Since the WWF is a privately held company, we have no way of knowing their exact internal structure. Regardless, most 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. Linda McMahon became Titan's President in late May 1993. Reports suggest that Vince Jr. stepped down as Titan's President in late May 1993 partly as a result of the U.S. government's indictment of the WWF and Vince McMahon. See related question. 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. Specifically, McMahon Sr. divested his Capitol Wrestling Corporation (under which he promoted the W[W]WF) in late 1982/early 1983. McMahon Sr. then incorporated Titan Sports as the WWF's new parent company and gave half of Titan's stock to his son. Vince Sr. also gave 1/6 stock each to Arnold Skoaland, Phil Zacko (who was his figurehead promoter in Philadelphia and surrounding regions) and Robert Marella (aka Gorilla Monsoon). Upon receiving their shares of Titan stock, Skoaland, Zacko, and Marella promptly sold them to McMahon Jr. for $100,000 each, primarily out of their uncertainty of Vince Jr's business skills. In return, Vince Jr. gave Skoaland and Marella guaranteed 10-year jobs with Titan. In May 1994, it was confirmed that Vince McMahon still owns 100% of Titan. 8.4. Who is Yokozuna? Where is he from? Yokozuna (real name Rodney Anoia) is not Japanese, either by birth or by ancestry. Rather, he is of Samoan descent and is from San Francisco. To the best of the net's knowledge, he has never been a sumo wrestler at any level. Further, since his introduction in the WWF, he has always been announced as being from the Polynesian Islands and not from Japan. Before joining the WWF, he wrestled in the AWA as Kokina Maximus. By the way, Yokozuna means Grand Champion and is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a sumo wrestler. |8.5. Who is Doink the Clown? That depends on which Doing the Clown you are talking about. Since Doink the Clown debuted in the WWF, the following wrestlers have appeared at least once as a Doink: Matt Osborne (aka Big Josh, aka "Maniac" Matt Borne) Steve Keirn (aka Skinner) Steve Lombardi (aka Brooklyn Brawler, aka Kim Chee) Ray Apollo Butch & Luke (the Bushwackers) Mo, Oscar, and Mabel (Men on a Mission) The original Doink (the one who attacked Crush) was played by Matt Borne. The second Doink that appeared at WrestleMania IX (April 4, 1993) was Steve Keirn. By November 1993, Lombardi had wrestled as Doink (the Doink with the "fluffier" green hair) at some TV tapings and at some house shows. Borne left the WWF prior to Survivor Series 1993 (Nov 24, 1993) and was replaced by Apollo as the "regular" Doink. (Note: there is controversy over whether Apollo wrestled as the "regular" Doink in the early part of 1994.) Butch, Luke, Mo, Oscar, and Mabel -- all of which appeared at the Survivor Series 1993 -- were one-shot deals as Doink. The week following SS 1993, the WWF introduced Dink (aka Tiger Jackson, aka Macho Midget), a midget version of Doink. The Doinks are sometimes referred to as JoshDoink, GatorDoink, BrawlerDoink, ApolloDoink, etc. Two Doinks never wrestled as a tag team until June 25, 1994 when JoshDoink and GatorDoink defeated Knuckles Nelson & Suicide Samson on a Century Wrestling Alliance card in Melrose MA. Finally, to the best of the knowledge of the FAQ Editor and the rest of r.s.p-w, neither Roddy Piper nor Jim Powers has wrestled as Doink | as of October 1994. 8.6. Who was Battle Kat? Brady Boone, then Bob Bradley. Battle Kat was to be Brady Boone's first "pushed" gimmick. The week Battle Kat was to debut on WWF's Wrestling Superstars, Boone left the WWF. On Superstars, a brief mention was made that Battle Kat wouldn't be on the show. Bob Bradley became Battle Kat to fulfill Battle Kat's booking dates but never appeared as BK on TV. The Battle Kat gimmick was scrapped and Bob Bradley was relegated back to jobber status. 8.7. What is the story behind the WWF 'King'? The answer depends on which WWF Ring (KotR). The first King of the Ring (KotR) tournament was held in 1985 and was won by Don Muraco. Harley Race won the second tournament in Foxboro, MA on July 14, 1986, and was thereafter called the King of the WWF. Note: this is the only point the KotR and the KotWWF have in common. Race's victory was used as an excuse to call Race the KotWWF.) Race was still called the KotWWF after Randy Savage won the 3rd KotR tourney on September 4, 1987 in Providence, RI. Note: the tournament normally receives about zero publicity outside of the city it is held in. In 1993, the KotR Tournament became the WWF's fifth PPV, replacing the WBF Championship. The winners of the WWF King of the Ring tournament have been: 85/07/08 Don Muraco Foxboro, MA Defeats Iron Sheik in final 86/07/14 Harley Race Foxboro, MA Defeats Pedro Morales in final 87/09/04 Randy Savage Providence, RI Defeats King Kong Bundy in final 88/10/16 Ted DiBiase Providence, RI Defeats Randy Savage in final 89/10/14 Tito Santana Providence, RI Defeats Rick Martel in final 90 NOT HELD 91/09/07 Bret Hart Providence, RI Defeats Irwin R. Schyster in final 92 NOT HELD 93/06/13 Bret Hart Dayton, OH Defeats Bam Bam Bigelow in final 94/06/19 Owen Hart Baltimore, MD Defeats Razor Ramon in final Back to the King of the WWF: when Harley Race left the WWF, they announced he was hurt in a match against Hulk Hogan (despite wrestling later at WrestleMania IV). After weeks of hype and suspense, Bobby Heenan announced that he had chosen Haku to be the next KotWWF. To cement the passing of the crown, Haku faced and defeated Harley Race at the Royal Rumble on January 15, 1989. Haku started "defending" the crown as though it were a title. He lost the crown to Jim Duggan on April 25, 1989. Duggan subsequently defended the crown before losing it to the Macho Man, Randy Savage on August 30, 1989. After winning the crown Savage started referring to himself as the "Macho King". Savage faced the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII (March 24, 1991) in a "loser retires from wrestling" match. Savage lost and retired from the WWF, taking the KotWWF's crown with him. The Kings of the WWF: 86/08/05 Harley Race Foxboro, MA 88/06/21 Haku Houston TX 89/04/25 Jim Duggan Des Moines, IA 89/08/30 Randy Savage Portland, ME 91/03/24 In late 1992 Jerry Lawler arrived in the WWF and declared himself the King of the WWF. Lawler has been using the "King" gimmick for many years now (since early 1973). Lawler's angle was more a continuation of his old "King" persona rather than a rebirth of the old WWF "King". 8.8. Did the WWF really gross US$1.7 billion in 1992? No. Or, more accurately, very likely not. The WWF is a privately held company and, as such, is not required to disclose their finances to the public. Thus, there is little or no chance that we will ever know how much the WWF makes. Knowledgeable sources report that the WWF makes a lot of money (probably a couple of hundred million US$ in 1992), but definitely not the US$1.7 billion the WWF claimed for 1992. 8.9. Why did Sid Justice/Vicious leave the WWF in 1992? Sid Eudy (aka Sid Vicious, aka Sid Justice) was suspended from the WWF in May 1992 for using somebody else's urine concealed in a Visine bottle to pass a drug test. According to some reports, including the May 4, 1992 issue of Arena Report, Sid used Harvey Wippleman's urine. Persistent rumors also attribute Sid's frequent drops off the face of professional wrestling's map to his love for softball. It seems that Sid has a penchant for playing softball (and not wrestling) in the spring and summer. 8.10. What was the WWF's first Pay-Per-View? The answer depends on how you define "first" and how you define "Pay-Per-View". WrestleMania I (March 31, 1985) was distributed on a same-day tape-delay basis primarily via closed-circuit TV (ie, it was shown at 1PM in all U.S. time zones). Reports also have WM I available as a PPV in a select few markets (such as Honolulu). Also, due to technical difficulties with the closed-circuit broadcast, WM I was shown on local TV (ie, free) at a later date in a few markets, including Pittsburgh. Shortly after WrestleMania I, the WWF held "The First Annual Wrestling Classic" on November 7, 1985. The Classic was aired as a Pay-Per-View. The Classic took place at the Rosemont Horizon near Chicago and was widely distributed as a PPV, hence it's designation as "the WWF's first PPV". 8.11. Who had the shortest WWF title reign? Andre the Giant, followed closely by Yokozuna. Andre beat Hulk Hogan for the WWF title on February 5, 1988. Shortly after winning the title, Andre gave/sold the belt to The Million Dollar Man (Ted DiBiase). The following week, WWF President Jack Tunney declared that Andre vacated the title when he gave it to DiBiase. Thus, Andre held the WWF title for a mere 105 seconds. Yokozuna beat Bret Hart for the WWF title at WrestleMania IX (April 4, 1993). Upon winning, Yokozuna's manager Mr. Fuji challenged Hulk Hogan, who accepted after asking Bret Hart's "permission". Hogan and Yokozuna wrestled for the title. Yokozuna lost the title, holding it for 128 seconds. 8.12. Who won the first Royal Rumble? Jim Duggan won the first Royal Rumble on January 24, 1988 in Hamilton, Ontario. The first RR was not a PPV, rather it was a special card that was televised on the USA network on cable TV. The widely held belief that John Studd won the first Royal Rumble is incorrect. Studd won the first PPV Royal Rumble, which was held on January 15, 1989 in Houston, TX. Interesting side note: the first Royal Rumble was designed as direct competition for the NWA's Bunkhouse Stampede PPV. The strategy worked. The Bunkhouse Stampede was a flop. 8.13. Is Bret Hart the first person to hold all 3 WWF titles? No. Pedro Morales has also held all 3 WWF titles: WWF World title in February 1971 WWF Tag title (w/ Bob Backlund) in August 1980 WWF Intercontinental title in December 1980 and November 1981 Technically, Pedro held the WWWF (and not the WWF) Title. So, if you wanted to, you could split hairs and say that Hart was the first to hold all three WWF titles. 8.14. Why did the Legion of Doom leave the WWF in 1992? Depending on who you listen to, you'll hear different reasons. But their breakup and subsequent departure from the WWF is widely believed to be related to two things: drugs and their perceived future in the WWF. The breakup started in February 1992 when Hawk was suspended from the WWF for drug use (not steroids). Hawk wanted to quit the WWF and Animal wanted to stay. Vince agreed to bring in "Precious" Paul Ellering, the LoD's former manager, if they both stayed. Hawk and Animal were reunited with Ellering at WrestleMania VIII (April 5, 1992) and were soon worked into an angle where they were talking to Rocko, a ventriloquist's dummy from their childhood (or so the story went). Rumor had it, the LOD were not happy with the Rocko angle. It could have been worse. Shortly before the Rocko angle was unleashed on the wrestling world, there was talk that Bob Backlund was the original choice to be the dummy/puppet/whatever and would have been named Freckles. An article in the September 1992 issue of Penthouse magazine revealed that Hawk had failed a drug test. When Hawk read that, he was reportedly *furious* since the test results were supposed to be kept private. Hawk immediately quit the WWF. To replace Hawk, the WWF teamed up Crush and Animal as the Legion of Doom. This didn't last long as Animal soon quit. 8.15. Why did "Ravishing" Rick Rude leave the WWF in 1991? Rick Rude was fired from the WWF over a money dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon. The dispute stemmed from a neck injury Rude received while wrestling for the WWF. Although he was unable to wrestle, the WWF did not tell the fans about the injury and continued to use Rude's name to draw fans to the arenas. When the fans were told of Rude's leaving the WWF, they were told that he was suspended because his manager, Bobby Heenan, had been insulting the Big Bossman's mother. In the WWF, if you don't wrestle, you don't get paid. To compensate for his lack of income, Rude thought he deserved a percent of the gate proceeds from shows where his name had been used as the draw but where he did not wrestle. Vince didn't agree and Rude ended up with nothing. Vince would not schedule Rude for matches and he would not let Rude out of his contract. As a result, Rick didn't wrestle until his WWF contract lapsed in late 1991 and he joined WCW. Interesting side note: it has been reported that Rude has legally changed his name from Richard Rood to "RAVISHING RICK RUDE" (including the capitalization). 8.16. Are Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth really married? Not any more. They were divorced in 1992. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo) and "Lovely" 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. 8.17. Did Pat Patterson win the first WWF Intercontinental Title? Yes and No. Pat Patterson was the first holder of the WWF Intercontinental Title but he did not win the title in a tournament in Rio de Janeiro as the WWF claimed on TV. Instead, he was simply given the title in September 1979. Pat was the WWF North American champion at the time, so the WWF basically just renamed the N.A. title the Intercontinental title. The tournament victory was a convenient way to introduce the new title and the new champion. 8.18. What is the story behind the forming of the WWF? Buddy Rogers lost the NWA title to Lou Thesz in Toronto on January 24, 1963. The promoters in the Northeast U.S., led by Vince McMahon Sr., did not agree that Rogers should drop the title to Thesz so they decided not to recognize Thesz as champion. Their decision led to the forming of the WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation), the forerunner of today's WWF. As it turns out, McMahon was the business manager of Rogers during his title reign and he felt that Rogers had incredible potential as champion. Potential that extended well beyond the time that the NWA had given him to be champion. 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. Some reports have Rogers almost had to be wheeled into the ring, due to his weakened condition. Rogers retired after this match and, as wrestling retirements go, he didn't return to the ring until 1967. 8.19. When did the WWWF become the WWF? The best information available suggests that the name change took place on April 9, 1979. The change was purely a cosmetic one. 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. 8.20. Are Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake really brothers? No. Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake are just friends, not brothers. The confusion stems from the time they spent wrestling together as a brother tag team. They worked as Terry & Ed Boulder and as Hulk and Dizzy Hogan. 8.21. Are "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo related? Yes. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo) and Lanny Poffo (aka The Genius) are brothers. Their father, Angelo Poffo, was a pretty good wrestler in his day. Angelo was the promoter for International Championship Wrestling in Lexington, Kentucky, where Randy and Lanny held several titles. 8.22. Was Adrian Adonis really a homosexual? No. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (real name Keith Franke) was a happily married heterosexual. 8.23. Is Lord Alfred Hayes really a Lord? No. Alfred Hayes does not have a peerage granted by the government of Great Britain, or any other monarchy in existence. ------------------------------ Subject: 9. Japan 9.1. The All Japan Triple Crown comprises what three titles? - The Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) title -- PWF was the original major title when Shohei "Giant" Baba started All Japan. - The United National title -- A title from the old Japan Wrestling Association which actually began as a Los Angeles-based title in the early 70s. - The International title -- Previously the NWA International title, which is also connected to an old JWA title. 9.2. Are Keiji Muto and The Great Muta the same person? What's with Keiji Muto and "The Great Muta"? Generally speaking, when outside of Japan, Keiji Muto wrestles as The Great Muta, and when in Japan he wrestles as Keiji Muto, his real name. However, to muddy the waters, Muto has also wrestled in Japan as The Great Muta. It has also been reported that New Japan Pro Wrestling ranks Muta and Muto separately (ie, treats them as different people). Furthermore, since 1992, Muto has used the Muta gimmick at every major card he's wrestled in New Japan. He reportedly doesn't use the Muta gimmick at smaller house shows. While there is no set-in-stone delineation between the two wrestling personas, Muto generally wrestles as a babyface and Muta wrestles as a mysterious heel. Interestingly, Muto wanted to kill the Muta gimmick (and even announced that he was done with it) but New Japan booker Riki Choshu decided to keep the gimmick around. 9.3. What's the story behind Jushin Liger? Or is it Jushin Riger? Jushin Liger (real name Keiichi Yamada) started his wrestling career in early 1984, wrestling under his real name and primarily working prelim matches. In the fall of 1988, the Jushin Liger cartoon show debuted on TV- Asahi. Satoru Sayama (aka Tiger Mask) had quit New Japan five years earlier and New Japan decided they needed another character like that to attract children. The Jushin Liger cartoon became very popular and the idea of getting a wrestler to play the character seemed natural. Yamada was chosen to play Liger. In December 1988, Yamada left to go to Europe with an announced absence of two years. He left because Japanese promoters believe that you can't repackage a wrestler as a star after having him work prelims for so long. Thus, they usually send a wrestler on a tour of other areas and then promote the wrestler differently when he returns. During the absence, Yamada designed the Liger costume. Five months later, on April 29, 1989, Jushin Liger debuted defeating Kuniaki Kobayashi in the Tokyo Dome in front of 53,000 fans. The name "Jushin Liger" is widely explained as follows: Jushin is a Japanese word meaning "god of beasts" and "Liger" is a combination of the English words "LIon" and "tiGER", so the name is supposed to mean "God of Lions and Tigers". Jushin Riger is derived from how the Japanese pronounce "Jushin Liger". In Japanese, there is no distinction made between the "R" and "L" sounds, thus the name has been mistranslated and mispronounced as Jushin Riger. For what it's worth, the wrestler spells it "Jushin Liger". And, to complicate matters, Yamada is known as Lyger when he wrestles in Mexico. His last name is also listed as Lyger when printed on the screen for New Japan Pro Wrestling. So, go with whatever suits you: Liger, Lyger, Riger, or Ryger. ------------------------------ Subject: 10. Mexico 10.1. What are CMLL, EMLL, and AAA? CMLL - Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre EMLL - Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre AAA - Asestencia Asesoria Administracion They are all wrestling promotions located in Mexico, kind of. The EMLL wrestlers hold the CMLL titles. The CMLL is the "world governing body" that EMLL is a part of. In reality, EMLL and CMLL are run and owned by the same people. For what it's worth, EMLL translates loosely to Mexican Wrestling Empire or Mexican Wrestling Company. CMLL translates loosely to World Wrestling Council (not to be confused with the Puerto Rican WWC). The Triple-A is straightforward: its wrestlers hold the AAA titles. 10.2. 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. 10.3. 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. 10.4. 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 (especially if it's done in Spanish :-). However, here are a few words which should help you figure out a little of what's going on: caida (ky-e-da, ky rhymes with tie): fall. Or, as it's known in the U.S., a pinfall. 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 it generally believed to have originated in Mexico. malandrin (mawl-ahn-dreen): evil. 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 it's wrestling sense, normally used to describe a headfirst dive into a standing opponent. 10.5. What's with all the midgets in Lucha Libre? Midgets are very popular in Lucha Libre. Exactly why is unknown, but they usually work harder and have more high spots than their American counterparts. While midgets in American wrestling are generally used as comic relief, the midgets in Mexico are generally part of serious matches. That's not to say that there isn't comedy in Lucha midget matches, but it's not as prevalent as it is in America. 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. Also, there's Octagon and Octagonito. As you may have guessed, appending "ito" to a word stem transforms that word into the diminutive case (ie, it refers to a smaller version of the word). Editor's Note: I've been told that Antonio Pena is the one who introduced the idea of linking midget wrestlers with their larger namesakes. He came up with this idea when he was working for EMLL. I'm also told that there aren't any midget wrestlers in the Mexican promotions that are not named after a full-sized wrestler. 10.6. 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 (not really a rule, just a general observation) -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 (again, more of an observation than a rule) -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. Most Lucha fans probably don't even think twice about it. ------------------------------ End of rec.sport.pro-wrestling FAQ part 2 of 3 ********************************************** -- Send suggestions/comments/etc. to: | "Those who cannot remember history rspw-faq@Data-IO.com | are doomed to repost it every month, or | with diffs marked with change bars." ...!pilchuck!rspw-faq | -- Ed Vielmetti <emv@msen.com> Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling From: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Subject: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling] FAQ (part 03/03) Message-ID: <rspw-faq3_781210021@Data-IO.COM> Followup-To: poster Summary: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling Keywords: FAQ RTFM Sender: usenet@maunakea.Data-IO.COM (The News) Supersedes: <rspw-faq3_780270724@Data-IO.COM> Nntp-Posting-Host: skagway Reply-To: rspw-faq@Data-IO.com (rspw FAQ Comments address) Organization: The r.s.p-w FAQ Cabal References: <rspw-faq1_781210021@Data-IO.COM> Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 18:47:23 GMT Expires: Sat, 29 Oct 1994 18:47:01 GMT Lines: 1090 Archive-name: pro-wrestling/faq-part03 Version: $Id: body.n,v 4.23 1994/09/29 22:17:01 jewell Exp $ Editor: jewell@Data-IO.com (Cal Jewell) Posting-frequency: approximately every three weeks Previous-editor: jnelson@iastate.edu (Jeremy Nelson) Original-editor: a0cb@cc.pdx.edu (Chris Bertholf) Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling part 3 of 3 Generated: October 3, 1994 Copyright This document is compilation copyright (c) 1993, 19934 by Cal Jewell. It may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety as long as this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated into commercial products without the editor's written permission. [Compilation copyright means that you can freely use individual sections of this document, but any significant collection of sections is subject to the copyright.] Please read this document before posting to rec.sport.pro-wrestling. If you don't want to see this posting anymore, please add the subject line to your kill file. Given the dynamic nature of the professional wrestling world, the information in this document should be considered "volatile". That is, the probability that something in this document is incorrect or outdated increases with time. Comments, additions, suggestions, and corrections are encouraged. Send them to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com Changes are marked with a preceding "|" (a pipe). You can skip to them by typing g^| in most newsreaders (e.g., rn, trn). Note: this FAQ has been formatted as a digest. Many newsreaders can skip to each of the major subsections by pressing ^g (CTRL-g). Contents of the FAQ: 1. Upcoming Events 2. Deaths 3. Injuries 4. Where Are They Now? 5. The Law and Pro Wrestling 6. NWA 7. WCW 8. WWF 9. Japan 10. Mexico 11. Miscellaneous 12. More Information 13. Tape Trading Contents of part 3: 11. Miscellaneous 11.1. Who was the first World's Champion of professional wrestling? 11.2. What is the oldest still-active wrestling promotion? 11.3. Who had the longest reign as NWA, WCW, WWF, or AWA champion? 11.4. How many times has Ric Flair won the World Title? 11.5. What were the top ten wrestling cards of all time? 11.6. Who was...? 11.7. How big is a wrestling ring? 11.8. What is a wrestling ring made of? 11.9. Who is Steve DiSalvo? 11.10. Where can I get wrestling clothes and boots? 11.11. I've got a satellite dish, what wrestling is available? 11.12. Didn't the Ultimate Warrior and Sting wrestle together once? 11.13. Have any wrestlers held world belts in the AWA, NWA/WCW, and WWF? 11.14. Is Sgt. Slaughter a real sergeant? 11.15. Is Big Boss Man a real prison guard? 11.16. Who was the Missing Link? 11.17. What is an "outlaw promotion"? 11.18. What is a shoot? What are some examples? | 11.19. Who are the Von Erichs? 11.20. Is Lance Von Erich really a Von Erich? 12. More Information 12.1. Where can I get more information about <X>? 12.2. How many people read r.s.p-w? 12.3. Are any wrestlers or promoters reachable on via the net? | 12.4. Where can I get a copy of this FAQ? | 12.5. How can I subscribe to these wrestling sheets? 12.6. What wrestling hotlines can I call? 12.7. Bibliography 12.8. Where can I get match results? 12.9. Is there an r.s.p-w FTP site? 12.10. Where can I get archived r.s.p-w posts? 12.11. How do I contact my favorite wrestlers? 12.12. I can't post. Is there an e-mail address I can use? 13. Tape Trading 13.1. How do I rate a match? 13.2. Where can I talk with other tape traders? 13.3. Have female wrestlers done porn movies? | 13.4. What are these compilation tapes I keep hearing about? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: 11. Miscellaneous 11.1. Who was the first World's Champion of professional wrestling? 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 Frank Gotch, who is considered the greatest wrestler of all time. Interestingly, many wrestling historians consider Gotch to be the most overrated wrestler of all time. Gotch retired in 1911 and again in 1915, and died in 1917. Muldoon retired undefeated. Gotch retired undefeated as world champion, but had lost a few matches earlier in his career. 11.2. What is the oldest still-active wrestling promotion? According to the May 26, 1994 issue of the Wrestling Observer, the oldest still-active wrestling promotion is EMLL (Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre), which debuted in September 21, 1933. 11.3. Who had the longest reign as NWA, WCW, WWF, or AWA champion? Bruno Sammartino held the WWF World title for 2803 days: May 17, 1963 to January 18, 1971. Lou Thesz held the National Wrestling Association (later the National Wrestling Alliance) Heavyweight Championship for 2795 days: July 20, 1948 to March 15, 1956. Verne Gagne held as AWA World title for 2625 days: August 31, 1968 to November 8, 1975. On the women's side, Mildred Burke held/claimed the Women's World Title from 1937 to 1954. 11.4. How many times has Ric Flair won the World Title? That's depends on how you want to look at it. To help you draw your own conclusions, here is a list of the times Flair has won or recaptured a world title: Note: In July 1994, Ric Flair said many times that he was an 11 time world champion. He specifically included his 2 WWF title reigns. Editor's Note: This question is a real hornet's nest. In May/June 1994, the readers of r.s.p-w devoted a large chunk of bandwidth to this subject. NWA World Title 1 81/09/17 defeats Dusty Rhodes Kansas City MO (Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes) defeats Flair in Tampa FL, 83/02/09, but returns belt when forced to demask by NWA President Bob Geigel) 2 83/11/24 defeats Harley Race Greensboro NC 3 84/03/23 1 defeats Harley Race Singapore 4 84/05/24 defeats Kerry Von Erich Yokosuka Japan 5 86/08/09 defeats Dusty Rhodes St. Louis MO 6 87/11/26 defeats Ron Garvin Chicago IL 7 89/05/07 defeats Rick Steamboat Nashville TN 8 91/01/11 defeats Sting East Rutherford NJ 9 91/05/19 2 defeats Tatsumi Fujinami St. Petersburg FL (Flair stripped of belt by NWA when he leaves for WWF) 10 93/07/18 3 defeats Barry Windham Biloxi MS WCW World Title 11 94/02/20 defeats Vader Albany GA (Flair vacates over displeasure over how he defended belt against Ricky Steamboat on 94/05/07) 12 94/05/14 4 defeats Ricky Steamboat Atlanta GA 13 94/06/23 5 defeats Sting Charleston SC WWF Title 14 92/01/19 wins Royal Rumble Albany NY (eliminates Sid Justice) 15 92/09/01 defeats Randy Savage Hershey PA Sources: Wrestling Title Histories, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Notes: 1 Flair lost the belt to Race just 2 days earlier in Wellington, New Zealand. The quick title swap between Flair and Race was not recognized in the US (ie, not mentioned on TV). 2 Flair lost the belt to Fujinami on 91/03/21 but following his win, Fujinami never defended the title in any of his matches before Flair won the belt back on 91/05/19. 3 Windham didn't really hold the NWA title, just the belt that once was the NWA World bet. The NWA had cut all ties with WCW and the title was referred to as the WCW International title, and also as The World Title. Flair unified this title with the WCW World Title on 94/06/23 by beating WCW World Title holder Sting. 4 This title change is questionable. Flair never really lost the belt in any sense, he just asked that it be held up for a rematch the following week. 5 Flair beat Sting to unify the WCW World Title and the WCW International Title. 11.5. What were the top ten wrestling cards of all time? From the February 7, 1994 Observer: Size Date Site Main Event ---- ---- ---- ---------- 90,873 3/29/87 Silverdome Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant 75,000 8/29/92 Wembley Stadium Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage 69,300 8/28/86 Exhibition Stadium Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff 64,500 3/21/91 Tokyo Dome Ric Flair vs. Tatsumi Fujinami 64,287 4/1/90 Toronto SkyDome Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior 63,900 2/10/90 Tokyo Dome Inoki & Sakaguchi vs. Hashimoto & Chono 63,500 1/4/93 Tokyo Dome Tenryu vs. Choshu 60,000 11/29/89 Tokyo Dome Maeda vs. Wilhelm 60,000 1/4/92 Tokyo Dome Choshu vs. Fujinami 58,000 1/4/94 Tokyo Dome Inoki vs. Tenryu 11.6. Who was...? Inevitably, soon after a masked wrestler appears in a wrestling promotion, folks will start to ask "who was that masked man?". Here are a few of the more commonly asked "who was...?". Dominic Macika (LT_ST434125@emuvax.emich.edu) maintains a mammoth listing of wrestler's real names. (hint hint) WWF Big Machine - Blackjack Mulligan Black Phantom - Vampire Warrior in USWA (real name Brian Heath) Black/Silver Knight (SummerSlam 1993) - Glenn Jacobs, not Jeff Gaylord Blue Knight (SummerSlam 1993) - Greg "The Hammer" Valentine Brother Love - Bruce Pritchard Cannonball Kid, Kamikaze Kid - 1-2-3 Kid, Lightning Kid Gobblygooker - Hector Guerreo Kwang - TNT (WWC) real name Juan Rivera Masked Superstar - Demolition Ax (real name Bill Eadie) Photographer at King of the Ring '93 - Harvey Wippleman/Akio Sato Red Knight (SummerSlam 1993) - Barry Horowitz Repo Man - Demolition Smash (real name Barry Darsow) Rio (Reo) Rogers - Bruce Pritchard Super Machine - Demolition Ax Ultimate Warrior - James Hellwig (real name). Period. Nobody else. WCW Black Scorpion - Ole Anderson (voice overs) & many wrestlers (when masked) & Ric Flair (when unmasked) Midnight Rider - Dusty Rhodes Nitron - Big Sky, not Kevin Nash Oz - Vinnie Vegas (aka WWF's Diesel) (real name Kevin Nash) Second Los Dos Hombre - Brad Armstrong (tv & house shows) then Tom Zenk (Slamboree '93) Terra Ryzin (and other spellings, 1994) - Paul Levesque The Patriot - The Trooper (AWA) (real name Del Wilkes) Other Handsome Strander (GWF) - Marcus Alexander Bagwell (WCW) 11.7. How big is a wrestling ring? Rings vary in size, but the "standard" size (or at least the most common) is 18' x 18'. Perhaps the next most prevalent ring size is 20' x 20'. The WWF reportedly uses a 20' square ring while the WCW uses a 18' square rings. Despite how it appears on TV, the squared circle is indeed square. 11.8. 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 ringposts 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 and painted garden hose. The ring floor is usually a layered affair: a layer of canvas over layers of padding over some sort of structural support. One r.s.p-w'er reports having setup the following ring: "The padding consisted of 2 or 3 layers of very dense foam. The plywood sheets used were marine-grade plywood for durability. I remember 2 layers: the bottom layer consisted of 10 sheets, with a smaller number of larger sheets (maybe 4 or 6) used on top of that." Under the padding is some sort of structural support, two types of which 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. 11.9. Who is Steve DiSalvo? Steve DiSalvo has wrestled all over the world, including as "Strangler" Steve DiSalvo in Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, as Steve Strong in Montreal, and as the Minotaur in WCW. He really exists. For a short while Steve DiSalvo was an "in joke" on r.s.p-w. It started in mid 1991 when Sean Ryan mentioned that the WCW's Diamond Studd (really Scott Hall) resembled Steve DiSalvo. Not knowing any better, other r.s.p-w'ers took Sean's remark to be the explanation for the different looks of Scott Hall. Shortly thereafter, "The Diamond Studd is not Scott Hall... It's Steve DiSalvo" posts began showing up on r.s.p-w. What began as an honest misunderstanding quickly mutated into r.s.p-w'ers answering "Who is...?" questions with "It's Steve DiSalvo!". By early '92 the Steve DiSalvo "joke" had run its course, rearing its ugly head every now and then. For some reason, in mid 1993 the "joke" popped up again. This time, many newbies made DiSalvo "jokes" in the hope that invoking DiSalvo's name would make them look cool. By most accounts, the attempts backfired. Editorial comment: As many other r.s.p-w old-timers will attest, the joke has run its course and is now nothing more than an annoyance. 11.10. Where can I get wrestling clothes and boots? From many places. One location that is known to the Editor of the FAQ is a shop in Gulf Breeze FL run by "Exotic" Adrian Street. The name of the shop is Bizare Bazzar and it sells all sorts of wrestling tights, boots, masks, and lots of other wrestling gear. For more information, or for a catalog, write to: Bizare Bazzar PO Box 6188 Gulf Breeze FL 32561 (zip code uncertain) Baby Doll (yes, the Baby Doll of managerial/valet fame) runs a store that sells ring wear. She was quoted in the September 1992 issue of Wrestling Then And Now as saying, "I design and make any type of ring wear such as tights, trunks, robes, masks, etc." She also mentioned repair and customization of tights and robes. Baby Doll's gimmick's PO Box 1763 Lubbock TX 79408 11.11. I've got a satellite dish, what wrestling is available? If you have a satellite dish you'll find that there is a bunch of wrestling available to you. For the best, most up-to-date information, check a satellite programming guide. Most satellite programming guides list various sporting events by sport. Look under "Wrestling" for more information. 11.12. Didn't the Ultimate Warrior and Sting wrestle together once? Yes. They received their first major exposure in Memphis, Tennessee in November 1985. Jim Hellwig (aka the Ultimate Warrior) and Steve Borden (aka Sting) wrestled under their real names as The Freedom Fighters. They were originally a face tag team but they turned heel after about 3 weeks. Toward the end of their 2 month stint in Memphis they wrestled as the Blade Runners: James "Rock" Hellwig and Steve "Sting" Borden. They soon moved to Mid-South Wrestling. After this, they split up and Hellwig wrestled as the Dingo Warrior in World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas before moving to the WWF. After a few months in the WWF as the Dingo Warrior, Hellwig received his new identity: the Ultimate Warrior. Sting hung around Mid-South (later Bill Watts' UWF) and then moved to NWA/WCW. 11.13. Have any wrestlers held world belts in the AWA, NWA/WCW, and WWF? Yes. Only three wrestlers have done it since 1977. The Legion Of Doom (Hawk and Animal -- The Road Warriors): AWA Tag in August 1984 NWA 6-Man Tag on 3 different occasions, starting in May 1986 NWA Tag in October 1988 WWF Tag in August 1991 Larry Zbyszko: WWF Tag w/Tony Garea in November 1978 AWA World in February 7, 1989 WCW Tag w/Arn Anderson in September 1991 11.14. Is Sgt. Slaughter a real sergeant? To the best of the net's knowledge, Sgt. Slaughter is not and has never been a real sergeant. 11.15. Is Big Boss Man a real prison guard? Yes, at least he was before he started wrestling professionally. And yes, he really is from Cobb County, Georgia. 11.16. Who was the Missing Link? Dewey Robertson. He started wrestling in 1965/early 1966 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He wrestled as the Crusader in the mid- 70s -- wearing all-white trunks and mask and declaring he was crusading for the return of "scientific" wrestling. Back under his real name, he was the top wrestler in Toronto in 1979/early 1980, winning the Canadian title tournament and cleanly defeating AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel and NWA US champion Jimmy Snuka. He also held the Mid-Atlantic tag team title a few times in this period and went on to be one of the top guys in Bob Geigel's Central States promotion before becoming the Missing Link. It should be noted that the Missing Link did not wrestle as Damien Demento. 11.17. What is an "outlaw promotion"? It was a promotion, usually an independent promotion, that ran against the grain. Back when regional promotions were the heart of the wrestling business (ie, before the 1980s) promoters agreed to work certain promotional areas and they actually worked with each other. When a promotion tried to start up in an established promotion's area, all of the other established promotions would send in their top stars and run megacards to kill the outlaw promotion. 11.18. What is a shoot? What are some examples? "Shoot" can mean many things, but it generally refers to when a wrestler stops cooperating with other wrestlers. A shoot can be the real thing, i.e., when a one wrestler is really trying to hurt another wrestler. A shoot can be when a wrestler changes the ending of a match. A shoot can be when a wrestler stops cooperating with the other wrestler(s) in a match just to make the other wrestler(s) look bad. Sometimes the booker will tell a wrestler to make a match a shoot to teach another wrestler a lesson. Two of the most significant "let's go at it for real" shoots took place on April 15, 1925 when Stanislaus Zbyszko defeated champion Wayne Munn and on March 2, 1936 when Dick Shikat defeated champion Danno O'Mahoney. In both cases, the match was for the world title and in both cases the champion was supposed to retain the title but didn't. Both Zbyszko and Shikat won the title by legitimately out wrestling their opponent. A "try and hurt the other guy" shoot took place on September 2, 1985 when Satoru Sayama (aka the original Tiger Mask) faced Akira Maeda. Maeda was dq'd in 18:57 when the referee stopped the match because he felt it was getting too dangerous. The match turned from a stiff wrestling match into a genuine shooting death struggle, i.e., both wrestlers were kicking the crap out of each other and it got out of hand. Interestingly, Sayama and Maeda were co-presidents of the UWF and each wanted to take the company in a different direction. Perhaps this shoot resulted more from their business differences than anything else. Perhaps the most (in)famous shoot took place on November 19, 1987 during a match that featured Riki Choshu, Masa Saito, and Hiro Saito vs. Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, and Osamu Kido. About 12 minutes into the match, Choshu had Kido in the scorpion deathlock. Maeda walked over and viciously kicked Choshu in the face, legitimately breaking 3 bones. Choshu lunged after Maeda but the other wrestlers keep them apart. Barely a minute later Choshu (his face horribly swollen by now) pinned Takada and went after Maeda again. But again they were kept apart. By now the crowd was aware of what was happening and started chanting MA-E-DA and SHOOT since Maeda had been developing into something of a cult hero. Maeda was suspended and ultimately fired. This match is on JoMosh's first tape. Many consider Maeda's shoot kick (and his post-match taunting of Choshu) to be one of the low points of Japanese pro-wrestling. A shoot kick is a kick that is not pulled; it's the real thing. An example of a "teach them a lesson" shoot took place on April 27, 1985 when the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal -- relative newcomers to professional wrestling) wrestled Larry Hennig & Jerry Blackwell (two veterans) in Madison, WI. The Roadies weren't selling any of H & B's moves (i.e., they were making H & B's punches/kicks/etc. look ineffective). H & B got upset and tempers flared. H & B ended up beating the Roadies up in the ring. The differences were eventually patched up but the lesson was learned. The Road Warriors now sell their opponent's moves. An example of a "teach him a lesson" shoot took place on April 29, 1986 when Andre the Giant wrestled Akira Maeda. Partway into the match, Andre stopped selling Maeda's moves. Many believe that this was a setup by the New Japan front office to teach Maeda a lesson. Maeda was known for throwing "shoot kicks" in his matches and the promoters wanted to get a message to Maeda. This shoot is widely believed to have backfired on New Japan. Instead of teaching Maeda a lesson, the shoot made Maeda look good and further enhanced his growing reputation as a wrestler known for shooting on his opponents. Another example of a "stop cooperating" shoot took place on April 1, 1991 when John Tenta (aka Earthquake) wrestled Koji Kitao at a SWS/WWF combined show in Kobe, Japan. Kitao and Tenta were not the best of friends. Both were former Sumo wrestlers. Kitao was a Grand Champion while Tenta was just "okay" as a Sumo and had actually fled Japan when faced with the demands of the sport. Tenta also had a poor reputation as a pro-wrestler from a previous stint with All Japan Pro Wrestling. To Kitao, it was somewhat of an insult for him to job (lose) for Tenta. A few days before their April 1 match, Kitao had jobbed for Tenta at a show at the Egg Dome in Tokyo. At the Egg Dome show, Kitao was heavily booed while Tenta was heavily cheered. This was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. At their match in Kobe, Kitao had been told to do another job for Tenta. Kitao was not happy and did not want to. The match took place anyway and it quickly got out of hand. A few minutes into the match, Tenta started swearing a blue streak at Kitao, who had started shooting. This match is on Herb's first tape. Not surprisingly, the stories about what happened differed. Tenta said that Kitao did a shoot takedown on him and Kitao then refused to co-operate. Kitao said that Tenta had been instructed by the Great Kabuki to "teach Kitao a lesson" and that he (Kitao) was only defending himself. This match got a lot of mainstream attention because Kitao, who already had a bad boy superstar image, grabbed the house mic after the match and said that pro-wrestling was fake. Of course, his comments weren't shown on TV. An example of a "stop cooperating" shoot took place in January 1987 when Lex Luger was wrestling Bruiser Brody. Luger was in his last week with the promotion and he had already agreed to work for a rival promotion, which angered some wrestlers in the dressing room. A few minutes into the match, Brody stopped selling Luger's moves. A scared Luger quickly got himself DQed and left the ring in a hurry. This match is on Herb's first tape. |11.19. 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. Jack Adkisson (aka Fritz Von Erich) wrestled in the 50's and 60's with a German gimmick, complete with goosestep and claw hold. He enjoyed quite a bit of success, including winning the AWA World Title in July 1963. Waldo Von Erich (real name either Bill Sheppard or Bill Siebert) is not an Adkisson. He wrestled around the same time as Fritz, forming a tag team with him. Waldo won the WWWF US Tag Title w/ Gene Kiniski in 1964. Jack had six sons, five of whom were involved with wrestling. Jack's first son, Jackie, died of electrocution at age 6 in 1959. David Von Erich (nicknamed "the Yellow Rose of Texas") began wrestling on June 28, 1977. David enjoyed great success in Texas and the NWA. Like Kevin, he held many belts in WCCW, and he also held the Missouri Heavyweight title. In 1982, he traveled to Florida where he wrestled as a heel and held the Southern Heavyweight championship, the North American Tag Team title w/ Dory Funk Jr., and the Florida TV Title. This could be the only case where one of the Von Erich sons wrestled as a heel. According to resident r.s.p-w historian Gary Will (ax760@freenet.carleton.ca), David was scheduled to beat Harley Race for the NWA title in November 1983. But the Crocketts, who were very influential within the NWA at the time, came up with the idea for Starrcade. Jack Adkisson (aka Fritz Von Erich), who was on the NWA board, agreed to postpone David's title reign until 1984. David was given the Missouri title instead, beating Ric Flair for the belt in September 1983. By all accounts, David was well on his way to being a major star in the NWA. Sadly, David died in Japan on February 10, 1984. The official cause of death was listed as an intestinal infection, but it is widely believed that David died of an overdose of barbiturates and alcohol. David was 25. After beating Kerry Von Erich for the NWA World Title on May 24, 1984, Ric Flair held the title for over two years. Had David been alive, he almost certainly would have traded the belt with Flair during that time. Mike Von Erich's first match was on November 18, 1983 in San Antonio, where he beat Buddy Roberts. His "official" debut was 6 days later at the annual Thanksgiving "Star Wars" supercard in Reunion Arena, where he beat Skandor Akbar. He won the WCCW American Title on August 4, 1984, defeating Gino Hernandez. Mike enjoyed moderate success in WCCW, but never wrestled elsewhere. Mike died of a Placidyl (depressant/muscle relaxant) overdose on April 13, 1987. Mike was 23. Chris Von Erich began wrestling in the late 80's, and never held any titles. Chris died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on September 12, 1991. Chris was 21. Kerry Von Erich began wrestling in late 1977. Like his brothers, he also enjoyed great success in Texas, plus major success in the two big North American federations: the NWA and the WWF. On May 6, 1984, Kerry defeated Ric Flair for the NWA title at Texas Stadium, at a memorial card for David. This made Kerry and Fritz the first father/son duo to hold world championships. Kerry lost the title back to Flair on May 24, 1984 in Japan. On June 4, 1986, Kerry Von Erich's right leg was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. As would be later revealed by Fritz, Kerry lost his right foot and wrestled the rest of his career with a prosthesis on his right leg. Kerry feuded with Jerry Lawler for the AWA title in 1988. This feud resulted in the creation of the Unified title, which was supposed to unify the WCCW Heavyweight and AWA Heavyweight. Kerry lost the unification match to Lawler in December 1988 at the AWA's one and only PPV event. In July 1990, Kerry joined the WWF and almost immediately was given a shot at the WWF Intercontinental belt, held by Curt Hennig. Kerry defeated Curt Hennig in just over five minutes for the WWF Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam 1990 (August 27, 1990). Kerry lost the title back to Hennig on November 19, 1990. Some reports have the WWF taking the belt away from Kerry because they were concerned with his health. Reportedly, he had been experimenting with a new drug and he caused the emergency landing of a plane when he threw up all over himself. The WWF was afraid that Kerry would kill himself from this drug and didn't want the publicity of a dead champion. After losing the title to Hennig, Kerry disappeared from the WWF in late 1992, party due to his being arrested for forging a prescription to obtain drugs in Texas. Kerry went through rehabilitation and eventually returned to the ring, but he never quite kicked the drug habit. Kerry died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the heart on February 18, 1993 in Shady Shore, Texas. Kerry was 33. Kevin Von Erich began wrestling in 1976 or 1977. He enjoyed great success, but rarely competed outside of Texas. In Texas, he held a whole slew of belts on many different occasions throughout the mid- 80's, including just about every belt in the World Class promotion: the North American title, Texas title, American Tag Team title, Texas Tag Team title, and the 6-man Tag title. He also won the Missouri Heavyweight title in November 1979. Kevin is currently wrestling for independent promotions. | Of Jack's 6 sons, only Kevin is still alive as of October 1994. 11.20. Is Lance Von Erich really a Von Erich? No. Lance Von Erich (real name Kevin William Vaughn) was brought into WCCW as a "cousin" of the Von Erich boys. Lance enjoyed some success, including winning the WCCW 6-Man Tag Title with Kevin and Mike Von Erich on May 4, 1986. Later, when Lance left to work elsewhere, Fritz publicly announced that Lance was not really related to the Von Erichs. Fritz's attempt to ruin the Lance Von Erich name worked, at least as far as wrestling circles go. In addition, after Lance Von Erich was forced out of the Von Erich family, he temporarily used the name "The Fabulous Lance" while wrestling in Texas. Unfortunately for Fritz, the buildup and ties he had made to Lance were not forgotten by the fans, and it really pissed them off. Both announcements about Lance's real lineage were stated by Fritz on WCCW broadcasts. ------------------------------ Subject: 12. More Information 12.1. Where can I get more information about <X>? 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. Dominic Macika (LT_ST434125@emuvax.emich.edu) - Real names of pro-wrestlers. Gary Will (ax760@freenet.carleton.ca) - Listing of deceased wrestlers Rick Duggan (duggan@cc.gatech.edu) - Wrestling Relations Byron C. Howes (bch@uncecs.edu) - Glossary of wrestling terms If you keep track of an "official list" for r.s.p-w, please send e-mail to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com so I can put you in this list. 12.2. How many people read r.s.p-w? Nobody knows. But, the best information available suggests that almost 60,000 people read r.s.p-w worldwide. 12.3. Are any wrestlers or promoters reachable on via the net? Undoubtedly, yes. However, their e-mail address are generally a closely guarded secret. Dutch Mantel, Missy Hyatt, Joe Pedicino, and Craig Johnson have all been spotted on Prodigy. Reportedly, Dutch Mantel has been on Prodigy for quite some time. Pedicino has also been spotted on Compuserve. Other than that, not much is known about the availability of wrestlers and promoters on the net. But, you can be sure that as the net grows and evolves, and as more people get access to the net, more people from the wrestling world will read r.s.p-w and will be reachable via e-mail. Don't expect to see a WCW or WWF web site any time soon though. Editor's Note: Please don't ask the rest of r.s.p-w for more information. Not many people know and those that do probably won't tell you. Think about it. If you are Ric Flair or Vince McMahon do you want you e-mail address known to the world? Finally, it was reported in April 1992 that Bill Hurlock, a broadcast engineer for Titan Sports, ran the Fidonet nub for southern Connecticut. Since it's very easy for a Fidonet hub to pull in a Usenet news feed, it could be possible for Titan to have a direct line to r.s.p-w. Whether this is still true, or was ever true, is unknown. |12.4. Where can I get a copy of this FAQ? If you know how to FTP, you can get a copy from the following locations: site: rtfm.mit.edu location: /pub/usenet-by-group/rec.sport.pro-wrestling/ filename: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling]_FAQ_(part_0?_03) site: cactusjack.health.ufl.edu location: / filename: rspw-faq.zip You can also get a current copy of this FAQ by sending e-mail with a subject of "get FAQ" to rspw-faq@Data-IO.com | Note: As of October 1994 the FAQ is sent out manually. |12.5. How can I subscribe to these wrestling sheets? There are a bunch of newsletters and fanzines that cover pro- wrestling. Like everything else, some are good, some are bad, and some are marginal. For what it's worth, The Wrestling Observer has by far the largest circulation of all wrestling newsletters. (That's not a recommendation, just an observation.) Many of the publications offer free trial issues. Write the publication for details. Note: the publications are listed in no particular order. (weekly) (monthly) Wrestling Observer Newsletter On The Mat Editor: Dave Meltzer Editor: Gary Langevin PO Box 1228 124 Maple St. Campbell CA 95009-1228 Newport VT 05855-1418 FAX 408 378 6562 Lucha Libre Weekly The Wrestling Chatterbox Editor: Steve Sims Editor: Georgiann Makropoulos 1427 West Dickens Ave 23-44 33th Dr. Chicago IL 60614-3003 Astoria NY 11102-3252 Pro-Wrestling Torch Weekly Chairshots (twice a month) Editor: Wade Keller Editor: Barry Rose PO Box 201844 200 Leslie Drive Minneapolis MN 55420 Apt. 717 Hallandale FL 33009 Wrestling Down Under (*) Editor: Craig Reedy Piledriver (*) PO Box 988 Editor: Lazarus Dobelsky Bayswater, VIC 3153 PO Box 34 Australia Glenhuntly, VIC 3163 Australia Pro-Wrestling Update Editor: Jimm Hussell Arena Report (weekly update available) 19 Oakland Road Editor: Dave Wright Mumbles, Swansea 87 Duddell Road Wales SA3 4AQ Smallthorne UK Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST6 1LS Suckerpunch (monthly) England Editor: Rob Butcher 17 Eastlands Wrestling Perspective Leyland Ed: David Skolnick & Paul MacArthur Lancashire PR5 3XS Box 351 England Lyndon Center VT 05850-0351 | Western Ringside Report (*) Pro Wrestling Monthly | Editor : Stuart Kemp Editor: Greg Rufolo | P.O. Box 31004 5678 Speedwell Ave | St. Johns Postal Outlet Morris Plains NJ 07950 | Port Moody, BC V3H 2C0 | Canada Note: "(*)" indicates frequency of publication is unknown. 12.6. What wrestling hotlines can I call? Important note: there may or may not be long distance charges (in addition to the hotline cost) associated with calling a hotline. Hotline Name Phone Number Cost Quality ---------------------- ------------------ --------- ------- CityLine WWF Info 415 512-5100 x6205 free 2 Coach Kurt's h/l Chicago 312/708 976-6363 ?? 1-3 Detroit ?? ?? 1-3 New York (any AC) 976-6363 ?? 1-3 M.L. Curley's h/l 313 252-2200 x0928 free 2-4 Real Wresltling h/l 900 903-9030 0.99/0.99 4-5 Roanoke VA Times h/l 703 382-0200 x3028 free 2-4 Seattle WA Times h/l 206 464-2000 x9619 free 2-4 Southwestern Bell 512 416-5700 x6774 free 1-3 Fingertip Facts WCW Wrestling h/l 900 909-9900 1.49/0.99 1-2 World TV Wrestling h/l 612 362-3608 free 3-5 Wrestling Wrap Halifax, N.S., Canada 902 425-2255 x3032 free? 3-4 Modesto CA 209 575-7500 x2024 free 3-4 Ottawa, Ont, Canada 613 721-1990 x2773 free 3-4 Note: h/l=hotline; Quality - 1=markish, 5=insider Additional sources: many newspapers have information-via-phone services. Check your local paper if there's a pro-wrestling category. Remember, depending on where you live, there may or may not be long distance charges (in addition to the hotline cost) associated with calling a hotline. 12.7. Bibliography There is a very good book available called "Wrestling Title Histories" written by Royal Duncan and Gary Will. You can get information about ordering this book by writing Gary at Wrestling Title Histories c/o Gary Will PO Box 40005 Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2J 4V1 You can also reach Gary Will via e-mail at ax760@freenet.carleton.ca 12.8. Where can I get match results? For day-to-day results, you'll have to rely on the folks in r.s.p-w and on the sheets, some of which are listed in this FAQ. 12.9. Is there an r.s.p-w FTP site? Yes. There are two that are known to the FAQ Editor. As with other net.resources, these sites will go away if abused. Be polite, don't be a hog, and don't be an ass. If you are not familiar with FTP, or if you are new to the net, ask somebody at YOUR SITE for help. Please, don't pester r.s.p-w with "how do I FTP" posts. Remember, set type binary when FTPing. site: cactusjack.health.ufl.edu. hours: 5PM-8AM EST Mon-Fri (EST is GMT -5) admin: jackt@dean.med.ufl.edu notes: the FTP server is his work machine. Do NOT access between 8AM-5PM EST Mon-Fri. (EST is GMT -5) download: username: anonymous password: your e-mail address upload: username: upload password: rspw site: piper.swan.ac.uk hours: 24hrs/day with periodic downtime admin: j.hussell@swansea.ac.uk download: username: mail j.hussell@swansea.ac.uk for username password: mail j.hussell@swansea.ac.uk for password 12.10. Where can I get archived r.s.p-w posts? Nick Simicich (scifi!njs@uunet.uu.net or uunet!bywater!scifi!njs) has set up wrestlesearch, an automated archival and retrieval service. Nick has been with r.s.p-w since its inception and has archived almost every r.s.p-w post. Chances are, if it's been posted to r.s.p-w, Nick's got it (somewhere :-). Actually, due to disk space considerations, Nick can only keep about 1 year's worth of r.s.p-w posts on-line. This may change as the volume in r.s.p-w increases. Please keep the following in mind when contemplating using wrestlesearch: -If the file is more than 10,000 lines, only the last 10,000 lines are sent. Keep your requests short and make them precise. -Nick pays for connection time out of his own pocket. Keep your requests short and make them precise. -Nick has set wrestlesearch up as a service, not as a toy. -Like all other services on the net, wrestlesearch will cease to exist if you abuse it. Be reasonable in your request. Keep your requests short and make them precise. -Nick runs wrestlesearch from a UUCP site, which means that you can expect transmission delays of upto a few days. For more information, send e-mail with a subject line of 'help' to scifi!wrestlesearch@uunet.uu.net 12.11. How do I contact my favorite wrestlers? Short of writing to them at their home address, you can send mail to the organization they are wrestling for and it will (probably) get passed along. 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 Smoky Mountain Wrestling ECW P.O. Box 1279 511 Sprague Rd. Morristown TN 37816-1279 Penn Valley PA 19072 Midwest Territorial Wrestling American Commonwealth Wrestling P.O. Box 4428 P.O. Box 549 Dearborn MI 48126 Dauphin PA 17018 You could also use the above addresses to send complaint letters or inquire about merchandise or video tapes. 12.12. I can't post. Is there an e-mail address I can use? You can post to r.s.p-w by mailing your article to one of the following addresses: rec-sport-pro-wrestling@cs.utexas.edu rec-sport-pro-wrestling@news.demon.co.uk rec.sport.pro-wrestling@news.demon.co.uk rec.sport.pro-wrestling.usenet@decwrl.dec.com ------------------------------ Subject: 13. Tape Trading 13.1. How do I rate a match? Short answer: anyway you want to. There are many ways to rate matches and there many criteria for rating matches. One of the more common methods of rating wrestling matches is the 5-star match rating system, which has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. It is included here in the hopes that we can all get along. :-) For the unaware, a long, drawn out flame war/discussion took place on r.s.p-w in late summer 1993 and featured a lot of "is to"/"is not" arguing. Here's how Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, has described the 5-star rating system (which was reportedly originated by Jim Cornette and Norm Dooley): ***** 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 Remember, there are many ways to rate a match. Keep this, and the ancient tale of the blind men describing an elephant, in mind when discussing/arguing match ratings on r.s.p-w. 13.2. Where can I talk with other tape traders? The folks at Georgia Tech have been kind enough to set up a mailing list, named rspwtape, to help us talk about trading professional wrestling video tapes. To subscribe to the mailing list, to be removed from the mailing list, or for more information, send e-mail with a subject of "help" to majordomo@cc.gatech.edu Note: requests along the lines of "I don't have any tapes but I'd like some of your stuff" are frowned upon. Several r.s.p-w'ers have also reported success at finding Japanese wrestling tapes at their local Oriental grocery store. Also, Smoky Mountain Wrestling sells tapes of their TV shows. Contact them at the above address for a catalog of available tapes. 13.3. Have female wrestlers done porn movies? Yes. One-time GLOW wrestler Tiffany Mellon has done porn movies under the name Tiffany Million. Perhaps the most readily available porn movie done by a female professional wrestler was produced around 1987 and featured Misty Blue, and was titled "Alley Cat". Supposedly, Missy Hyatt and Toni Adams have done porno movie but that is unconfirmed. |13.4. What are these compilation tapes I keep hearing about? Over the past few years, several r.s.p-w'ers have put together "best of" tapes and offered them for sale. There is little or no overlap between the tapes and they all contain high quality wrestling from the U.S., Mexico, and Japan. For a match list, or to find out how to order a tape, contact the person that made the tape. | As of October 3, 1994, the following tapes are known to be available | (and are listed by who made them, and NOT in the order they were | made or in the order of quality): Herb 1 (hekunze@jeeves.uwaterloo.ca) Herb's 1981-1983 Japan Herb's 1984-1987 Japan Herzog Best of Lucha Libre 1 (pdherzog@aud.alcatel.com) Herzog Best of Lucha Libre 2 Herzog Best of Lucha Libre 3 JoMosh 1 (v058kchy@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu) JoMosh 2 JoMosh 3 JoMosh 4 Scherer 1 (dscherer@acy.digex.net) Scherer 2 Scherer 3 Scherer 4 Scherer 5 In addition, several people have made available complete (or semi-complete) lists of their tape collections. The lists can be found on the r.s.p-w FTP site(s). Editor's note: I've seen almost all of the above-listed tapes and they are all very entertaining. The wrestling is, for the most part, top notch, and the variety of the matches and wrestling styles is hard to beat. ------------------------------ End of rec.sport.pro-wrestling FAQ part 3 of 3 ********************************************** -- Send suggestions/comments/etc. to: | "Those who cannot remember history rspw-faq@Data-IO.com | are doomed to repost it every month, or | with diffs marked with change bars." ...!pilchuck!rspw-faq | -- Ed Vielmetti <emv@msen.com>