From: dannyp@sky.net (Danny Porter) Subject: RSPW FAQ [1/2] Date: 1996/01/31 Message-ID: <4emq1f$46f@alpha.sky.net> organization: Just a bit east of Hell newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling email: rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu Generated: July 14, 1995 Copyright This document is compilation copyright (c) 1995 by Dominic Macika and compilation copyright (c) 1993, 1994 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. Comments, additions, suggestions, and corrections are encouraged. Send them to rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu 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). Index 1. Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling 2. Other information sources 3. WWF 4. WCW 5. NWA 6. Other North American promotions 7. Japan 8. Mexico 9. Deaths 10. Injuries 11. Where Are They Now? 12. Wrestling Groups and Teams 13. Miscellaneous questions about wrestlers. 14. The Law and Pro Wrestling 15. Miscellaneous Contributors Index of Questions in Part 1 1. Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling 1.1. What is r.s.p-w? 1.2. My news software does not allow me to post, but I wish to contribute to r.s.p-w. How can I? 1.3. Where can I get a copy of this FAQ? 2. Other information sources 2.1. Are there any mailing lists related to r.s.p-w? 2.2. Are there any r.s.p-w FTP sites? 2.3. Are there any WWW sites related to r.s.p-w? 2.4. What other information is available over the internet? 2.5. Are any wrestlers or promoters reachable on via the net? |2.6. How can I subscribe to newsletters? 2.7. Are there many wrestling phone information lines? 2.8. Are there any books available on pro-wrestling? 3. WWF 3.1. What is the story behind the forming of the WWF? 3.2. When did the WWWF become the WWF? 3.3. Who currently owns and runs the WWF? 4. WCW 4.1. When did the NWA become WCW? 4.2. Who owns and runs WCW? 4.3. When Ric Flair left WCW in 1991, why did he take the title belt with him? 5. NWA 5.1. What was the NWA and how did it get started? 5.2. What is the NWA today? 5.3. What happened to the NWA? 6. Other North American Federations 6.1. United States Wrestling Association (USWA) 6.2. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) 6.3. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) 6.4. Championship Wrestling USA (CWUSA) 6.5. National Wrestling Alliance - New Jersey (NWA) |6.6. Michigan 6.7. National Wrestling Alliance - Dallas (NWA) 6.8. New England Wrestling Alliance (NEWA) 7. Japan 7.1. How did pro wrestling get its start in Japan? 7.2. What is AJPW? 7.3. What is NJPW? Is it different from IWGP? 7.4. What other groups are there in Japan? 7.5. What about the Japanese Women's groups? 7.6. What is Shootwrestling? 7.7. How do I get to see Japanese wrestling? 8. Mexico 8.1. What are CMLL, EMLL, AAA and the UWA? 8.2. What is Lucha Libre? 8.3. What's with all the masks in Mexico? 8.4. I don't know Spanish, what does [some_word] mean? 8.5. What's with all the midgets in Lucha Libre? 8.6. Lucha Libre confuses me, what are the rules? 8.7. How do I get to see lucha libre wresting? ------------------------------ 1. Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling 1.1. What is r.s.p-w? Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling (r.s.p-w or RSPW for short) is a usenet discussion group. The main topic of discussion is pro- wrestling, however, the group is loosely defined by its original charter and often includes related topics, such as other combat sports. For a more in-depth look at what pro-wrestling is, please read the Welcome to Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling message, posted periodically on the group. This post discusses what the group is about, and also gives pointers on netiquette. 1.2. My news software does not allow me to post, but I wish to contribute to r.s.p-w. How can I? If you have email access, 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 Please note the variances in punctuation between "." and "-" in the email addresses. 1.3. Where can I get a copy of this FAQ? If you know how to FTP, you can get a copy from the following location: site: rtfm.mit.edu location: /pub/usenet-by-group/rec.sport.pro-wrestling/ filename: [rec.sport.pro-wrestling]_FAQ_(part_0?_02) You can also get a current copy of this FAQ by sending e-mail with a subject of "get FAQ" to rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu Note: email requests for the FAQ and regular posting of the FAQ are currently done manually. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Other information sources 2.1. Are there any mailing lists related to r.s.p-w? Yes. There are two public mailing lists known to this editor. The first is for discussion of video tapes and video tape trading. For info on that list, send email with a subject of "help" to: majordomo@cc.gatech.edu The second is a moderated, information only mailing list. The moderator is Pete Barlow. This mailing list is designed for people who are not interested in reading the discussion that takes place on r.s.p-w, only in receiving wrestling related information from the group. To subscribe, send mail to: listproc@nextsrv.cas.muohio.edu with a message body subscribe RSPWINFO 2.2. Are there any r.s.p-w FTP sites? Yes. There is one known to the FAQ Editor. 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. Also, please observe the hours listed and do not abuse the resources. site: piper.swan.ac.uk hours: 24hrs/day with periodic downtime admin: j.hussell@swansea.ac.uk If you're from the U.S. use the following: username: USGUEST password: USA If you're from the U.K. use the following: username: UKGUEST password: GBR From any other part of the world use the following: username: WLGUEST password: WLD If you want to upload anything to the site, please get confirmation first by mailing J.Hussell@swansea.ac.uk 2.3. Are there any WWW sites related to r.s.p-w? Yes. Here are a few known to the FAQ editor. http://orion.it.luc.edu/~mlong/wrestling.html This site is maintained by Mark Long. http://www.missouri.edu/~c621097/wrestleweb.html This site is maintained by Steve Black. 2.4. What other information is available over the internet? Herb Kunze makes weekly posts to r.s.p-w under the subject heading "Wrestling Tidbits" which reviews top news stories in the wrestling world over the past week. These posts also contain details on upcoming major events in pro-wrestling. The following people keep -- and occasionally post -- the following lists and information. If you would like a copy of one of these lists, it is strongly suggested that you make the request through e-mail rather than posting a request directly to r.s.p-w. * Dominic Macika (macika@grumpy.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@grumpy.emich.edu so I can put you in this list. 2.5. Are any wrestlers or promoters reachable on via the net? Sure. However, due to a desire for privacy, most keep their email addresses private. A few notable exceptions post to r.s.p-w, including promoters Joe Pedicino, Dennis Coraluzzo and Ed Zohn and NEWA wrestler Liberty. We ask that you respect the privacy of those who do have an email address, but don't actively participate in r.s.p-w. 2.6. How can I subscribe to newsletters? There are a number of newsletters and fanzines (commonly referred to as "Sheets") published regularly about pro-wrestling. Topics include results, info, opinion, memorabilia and history, just to name a few. Like all else, some are good, some are not. For what it's worth, The Wrestling Observer has by far the largest circulation of all wrestling newsletters. (That's not a recommendation, just an observation.) Many of the publications offer trial issues. Write the publication for details. (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 The Wrestling Chatterbox Wrestling Then & Now Editor: Georgiann Makropoulos (monthly) 23-44 33th Dr. Editor: Evan Ginzburg Astoria NY 11102-3252 P. O. Box 640471 Flushing, NY 11364 Pro-Wrestling Torch Weekly Wrestling Lariet Editor: Wade Keller Editor: Dave Scherer PO Box 201844 PO Box 612 Minneapolis MN 55420 Marmora NJ 08223 email:lariet@aol.com 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 Wrestling Perspective 19 Oakland Road Ed: David Skolnick & Mumbles, Swansea Paul MacArthur Wales SA3 4AQ Box 351 UK Lyndon Center VT 05850-0351 Pro Wrestling Monthly Mat Marketplace (*) Editor: Greg Rufolo Editor: Sheldon Goldberg 5678 Speedwell Ave PO Box 2371 Morris Plains NJ 07950 Jamaica Plain MA 02130 | Western Ringside Report (*) Figure Four Newsletter | Editor : Stuart Kemp Editor: Bryan Alvarez | P.O. Box 31004 C/O Youth Wrestling Federation | St. Johns Postal Outlet Box 426 | Port Moody, BC V3H 2C0 Woodinville WA 98072 | Canada YWFChamp@ix.netcom.com Note: "(*)" indicates frequency of publication is unknown. 2.7. Are there many wrestling phone information lines? Listed below are many wrestling related phone-information lines. The cost listed is only the "900 line" charge. There may be additional tolls or long-distance charges. If you have any additions or updates to this section, please send them to the FAQ editor, to avoid distribution of disabled numbers. Hotline Name Phone Number Cost ---------------------- ------------------ ---- Baltimore area Axl Rotten's h/l 410 234-9762 free Chad Austin's h/l 410 385-9530 free CityLine WWF Info 415 512-5100 x6205 free Coach Kurt's h/l Chicago 312/708 976-6363 ?? Detroit ?? ?? New York (any AC) 976-6363 ?? ECW h/l 900-884-4ECW 1.49/0.99 M.L. Curley's h/l 313 252-2200 x0928 free Northwest Pro Wrestling 206 841-8178 Real Wrestling h/l 900 903-9030 0.99/0.99 Roanoke VA Times h/l 703 382-0200 x3028 free Seattle WA Times h/l 206 464-2000 x9619 free Southwestern Bell 512 416-5700 x6774 free Fingertip Facts WCW Wrestling h/l 900 909-9900 1.49/0.99 World TV Wrestling h/l 612 362-3608 free Wrestling Wrap Albany/Troy, NY 518-446-4000 x2024 free Halifax, N.S., Canada 902 425-2255 x3032 free? Modesto CA 209 575-7500 x2024 free Ottawa, Ont, Canada 613 721-1990 x2773 free YWF Wrestling 206 485-0384 Additional sources: many newspapers have information-via-phone services. Check your local paper if there's a pro-wrestling category. 2.8. Are there any books available on pro-wrestling? 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 or via email at: ax760@freenet.carleton.ca ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. WWF 3.1. 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, although he did return to the ring in 1967. 3.2. 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. 3.3. Who currently owns and 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. The most widely believed story is that 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 the 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 owns 100% of Titan. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. WCW 4.1. When did the NWA become WCW? In November, 1988, Jim Crockett sold Jim Crockett Promotions to WTBS. Crockett promotions had been the promotion most widely associated with the NWA. In order to distance itself from the NWA, which still existed as a paper organization at the time, WTBS began to change the name of its titles and television programs from NWA to WCW. The change took place in late 1990. By January, 1991, the WCW name was fully in place and the NWA name was all but dropped by the organization. 4.2. Who owns and runs WCW? WCW is owned by WTBS and Ted Turner. The position in WTBS most widely considered as being in control of the wrestling promotion is the Executive Vice President in charge of Wrestling Operations. This title is currently held by Eric Bischoff. In recent years Jim Herd, K. Allen Frey and Bill Watts have been in that position. 4.3. When Ric Flair left WCW in 1991, why did he take the title belt with him? Flair owned the NWA Heavyweight title belt that had been in use since 1986. When Flair's contract with WCW ran out on July 1, 1991, they were unable to come to terms on a new contract. Jim Herd wanted to cut Flair's salary and reduce his role in the company. When Flair arrived in the WWF in September, 1991, he billed himself as the "Real World's Champion" and used his NWA belt to back it up. 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 WCW bought the belt for a rumored US$28,000. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. NWA 5.1. What was the NWA and how did it get started? The NWA was and is the National Wrestling Alliance. In 1948, a group of mid-western promoters joined forces as the NWA with the idea of working together instead of working in competition. Orville Brown was named the first NWA champion on July 14, 1948. It should be noted that any attempts to trace the NWA World Heavyweight title back further than this are necessarily fictitious. The organization simply did not exist. Any attempt to trace a contiguous world heavyweight title back further than this is simply a combination of various world champions as recognized by a number of different promoters and commissions. The myth of a NWA title history dating back to 1905 was perpetuated in early NWA programs, which listed just such a title history, in an attempt to build credibility for the title. It should also be noted that that history also omits Orville Brown. The NWA's immediate predecessor as the most widely recognized world title was the National Wrestling Association championship which was held by Lou Thesz at the time of the formation of the NWA. A title unification match was scheduled for November 25, 1949 between Thesz and Brown and it is believed that Brown was scheduled to win that match. However, Brown suffered a career ending injury in a car accident prior to the match. On November 27, 1949, Thesz was awarded the NWA title. 5.2. What is the NWA today? Today, the NWA still exists, but in a very different form. The only relation it bears to the NWA of 1948 to 1985 is on paper. The NWA Board currently consists of Jim Crockett, Dennis Coraluzzo and Steve Rickard, although it has been rumored that Crockett has been served papers expelling him from the organization. Crockett until recently ran a promotion based in Dallas, TX. Coraluzzo runs a promotion in New Jersey. Rickard is from New Zealand, it is unknown whether or not he is currently running a promotion. However, the basic idea behind the original NWA is no longer adhered to. There is no cooperation between the promotions and there is frequent dissension. In August, 1994, a tournament was held in Philadelphia, PA, promoted by then NWA member Tod Gordon of ECW, to crown a new NWA champion. However, political in-fighting soured Gordon on the current state of the NWA, and the tournament winner, Shane Douglas, threw down the NWA belt in favor of the ECW title. In the aftermath, Coraluzzo announced that Douglas would not be recognized as an NWA champion and Tod Gordon announced that ECW was pulling out of the NWA. On November 19th, 1994, Dennis Coraluzzo held a tournament to again crown a new NWA champion. However, the tournament winner, Chris Candido, was not recognized by Jim Crockett, and Candido soon signed a contract to wrestle for the WWF. On February 24, 1995, Candido lost the NWA title in Erlanger, KY to Dan Severn. This was the first time the NWA title changed hands in the ring in nearly two years. 5.3. What happened to the NWA? The transformation of the NWA into its current state took place simply because the promoters stopped cooperating. Problems in the NWA can be traced back into the 1970's but the major changes came in 1985. In an attempt to turn into a national promotion, Jim Crockett obtained the WTBS wrestling time slot from the WWF in March, 1985. With this exposure, combined with controlling power over the NWA title, Crockett was able to strong arm the other member promotions into complying with his requests. Many of the other promotions ended up going out of business or being bought up by Crockett. Eventually, however, Crockett too ran into problems and sold his promotion to Ted Turner. The Turner controlled WCW continued, but with the exception of using the NWA name in a co-promotional effort with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the NWA essentially no longer existed except as a paper organization. In 1992 and 1993, a number of promoters applied for membership in the NWA and some were accepted. Among these promoters was Dennis Coraluzzo, who became an NWA board member and began demanding dates with the NWA champion. In the ensuing legal struggle, WCW resigned its membership, but kept the "NWA" title belt, which it had legal ownership of. Meanwhile, Coraluzzo and the remaining NWA promoters were left without any powerful members and without a champion. In addition, Jim Crockett began promoting again in 1994, using the NWA name, but without any connections with any of the other NWA promoters. The status of today's NWA can best be described by the following story, involving Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling. In early 93, Cornette had begun a working agreement with WCW, which quickly fell through. Cornette applied for NWA membership in mid-93, mostly to spite WCW by being able to call for dates on the champ. However, Cornette's application was tabled due to Cornette's involvement with the WWF. In 1994, during his fan week interview, Cornette was asked about possible NWA membership, to which Cornette replied: "What NWA?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Other North American Federations 6.1. United States Wrestling Association (USWA) The Memphis area has been a hot area for wrestling for decades. It first operated as the Mid-Southern area, then as the CWA, and finally, as the USWA since August, 1989. The area has thrived since the mid-70s on the performance of one man, Jerry Lawler. Regular stars include Lawler, his son Brian Christopher, Bill Dundee and announcer Lance Russell. Fred Deaton posts regular USWA TV show reports. Here is his description of the promotion: "A very unique local promotion with local 'stars' and local 'story lines'. Usually involves a Mega Heel-good guy combo persona garnering the attention, half cheers half boos; a time honored feud that never resolves; gimmick matches; a place for new rising or older stars to change their routine; and a 'local' rising young star moving up." 6.2. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Smoky Mountain Wrestling operates in the area including East Tennessee, East Kentucky, and the western part of Virginia and southern West Virginia. SMW debuted in January, 1992. The wrestling end of the promotion is currently operated by Jim Cornette and Brian Hildebrand (referee Mark Curtis). It is currently available on the Sports Channel America syndication package and on AIN satellite. Current stars include the Dirty White Boy, Buddy Landell, the Rock and Roll Express and the Heavenly Bodies. The promotion is a "traditional" southern style territory, with heavy empahsis on interviews. The wrestlers are expected to show skill in the ring as well. Dave Prazak and Jesse Money post semi-regular reports of SMW events and tv shows. 6.3. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) ECW began operating in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling. In August, 1994, the name was changed from Eastern to Extreme. It operates in Philadelphia, with spot shows in the surrounding Pennsylvania area, plus occasional tours into Florida. The wrestling operations are currently handled by Tod Gordon (who also finances the promotion) and Paul Heyman (manager Paul E Dangerously) It is currently available on the Sports Channel America syndication package and on AIN satellite. Current top stars are Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, the Public Enemy and more. ECW does not rely on the traditional face/heel structure. Instead, uses high-impact, fast paced action to get its wrestlers over. Regular ECW reports and updates are posted by Tom Misnik (Mr. ECW), MadDogJMF and Dave Scherer. Ed Zohn, an ECW promoter, is also a member of the net. The fans who attend live shows regularly and participate on the net are too numerous to list. 6.4. Championship Wrestling USA (CWUSA) CWUSA currently operates out of Vancouver, Washington. It formed in late 1992 after the demise of Don Owen's Pacific Northwest Wrestling. It is operated by Sandy Barr, who used to work for Owen. It originally operated out of Portland, OR, but moved across the river to Vancouver after running into trouble with the Oregon Wrestling Commission. 6.5. National Wrestling Alliance - New Jersey (NWA) This NWA, operated by Dennis Coraluzzo, runs irregular shows in New Jersey. It currently has no TV show. Current top star is Dan Severn. Dave Prazak and Marc Coraluzzo both post occasional NWA updates. 6.6. Michigan | Michigan is currently running a number of independant promotions, | many of which use the same talent and, except for the name on the | banner, may look the same to the casual eye. Esentially the scene | is divided in half. On one half is Midwest Territorial Wrestling. | MTW has been operating since January 1994, with its home base | being Taylor, MI. This promotion is run by Gary Woronchak and | carries a few nationally recognizable names, such as Al Snow and | Bruiser Bedlam. | The rest of the promotions in Michigan all use mostly the same | talent, headed by Dan Severn and Sabu. What differs is the | promoters and the name of the promotion. The main promoter is | Malcolm Monroe who runs MWCW. Also, Sabu runs an NWA group, Dan | Severn runs benefit shows, usually under the NWA banner and | occasionally Coach Kurt Schnieder will run a Motor City Wrestling | show. Additionally, running just across the Detroit river in | Windsor is Border City Wrestling. 6.7. New England Wrestling Alliance (NEWA) The NEWA is based out of Rhode Island and Massachusettes. The promotion began in 1992 and has been run by Joseph Dellsandro since 1993. They have a tv show on Dimension cable in RI every Saturday. Of special note is former NEWA Tag Team champion, Liberty, who has long been a member of r.s.p-w under his real name, Matt West. Matt posts occasional reports on NEWA shows and describes the promotion as: "The NEWA is a hybrid of older NWA and WWF... with a new influx of ECW & AAA styles." 6.8. Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (MEWF) The MEWF, promoted by Dennis Wipprecht, has been active in the Baltimore area since 1991. For the past year, the MEWF has run monthly cards at Bingo Bill's at 10 Stemmers Run Rd. in Essex, MD. The MEWF uses a lot of local talent, including Corporal Punishment, Mad Dog O'Malley and Morgus the Maniac, as well as bringing in a few name wrestlers, such as The Raven (Johnny Polo, Scotty Flamingo), Axl Rotten and Road Warrior Hawk. RSPWF regular Jeff Amdur works as timekeeper at MEWF shows and this is what he had to say about the promotion: The MEWF is the *only* promotion now regularly putting on shows in the Baltimore area, and draws both hard-core and family-type spectators in an area that was solid WWF for many years. It tries to present the type of cards that Baltimoreans were used to seeing before the "big two" sanitized its product beyond recognition. The fact that the MEWF is able to put on exciting matches and draw reasonably well in spite of the restrictions of the Maryland State Athletic Commission (no wrestling outside of the gate surrounding the ring, heavy fines for blading or other intentional blood) attests to its durability and popularity . 6.9. The National Wrestling League (NWL) The NWL, is run by Dick Caricofe, out of Hagerstown, MD. Dick runs cards from September to June in western Maryland and adjoining venues in Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. There are monthly cards at the livestock auction house in Boonsboro, Md. During the summer Dick runs cards at county and state fairs and other outdoor locations. Talent includes local stars, such as Neil "the Power" Superior and Shane Shadows, and has also included many bigger name stars from the independant circuit. RSPW regular Jeff Amdur has worked as timekeeper at NWL events. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Japan 7.1. How did pro wrestling get its start in Japan? Pro-wrestling in Japan dates back nearly as far as it does in the US. In 1883, former sumo, Shokichi Hamada, left to tour the US as the first Japanese pro-wrestler. In 1887, Hamada brought 20 American wrestlers to Tokyo for a series of shows. The first show sold-out, but subsequent shows failed to draw any crowds. Several attempts were made to spark an interest in wrestling in Japan, none of which were successful until the 1950's. Rikidozan, who retired from Sumo in 1950, became Japan's first big name male drawing card. He debuted in 1951. In 1953, he formed the Japan Wrestling Alliance. He continued to wrestle until his death in December, 1963. 7.2. What is AJPW? All-Japan Pro Wrestling is Shohei Baba's group in Japan. Baba, a former pro baseball pitcher, joined the JWA in 1960. In October, 1972, he left the JWA and formed his own group, AJPW. His group continues to promote today, with a television show on Nippon TV. The main titles are the Triple Crown (unified United National, International and PWF Heavyweight titles), the World Tag Team title (unified International and PWF tag team titles), the World Junior Heavyweight title and the Asian Tag Team title. 7.3. What is NJPW? Is it different from IWGP? Kanji Inoki, a japanese emigrant to Brazil, was scouted by Rikidozan in 1960, and brought to Japan to join the JWA. He later changed his name to Antonio Inoki. In 1966, Inoki made his first attempt at breaking away from the JWA and forming his own group, Tokyo Pro-Wrestling. In 1967, Inoki suddenly rejoined the JWA and Tokyo Pro folded. In 1971, Inoki was expelled from the JWA when it as discovered that he was planning a coup to take over the promotion. Inoki subsequently formed his second group, New Japan Pro Wrestling and ran his first card in March, 1972. The group currently has a show on TV Asahi. In 1983, New Japan created the International Wrestling Grand Prix titles, which are now the main titles of the group: the IWGP Heavyweight title, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and the IWGP Tag Team titles. 7.4. What other groups are there in Japan? There are numerous other groups in Japan. In 1994 it was reported that there were in excess of 30 wrestling groups operating in Tokyo alone. Two of the other major groups are WAR (Wrestle and Romance) with its lead star Genichiro Tenryu and FMW (Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling) with lead star Atsushi Onita. Other groups include the IWA, W*ING, Kitao Dojo, Michinoku Pro, Rings, UWFI and many more. 7.5. What about the Japanese Women's groups? The first women's shows were held in Japan in 1948. The women's groups caught fire in 1954, when Sankei Shinbun Newspaper promoted a show with Mildred Burke, billed as the first WWWA world champion, and six other American wrestlers and four Japanese wrestlers. They ran three consecutive sellouts at the old Sumo Hall. There are currently a number of Japanese Women's groups, including All-Japan Women, LLPW, JWP and Gaea Japan. 7.6. What is Shootwrestling? Shootwrestling is the idea of making wrestling matches seem as legitimate or "real" as possible. It got its start in 1984 in the original UWF group, with such stars as Akira Maeda, Super Tiger (Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask), Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Kazuo Yamazaki. Also in the group were Nobuhiko Takada and Osamu Kido. The original UWF was popular, but for various reasons did not succeed. The second Japanese UWF formed in 1988 with Maeda, Fujiwara and Takada as top stars. In 1992, this group split into UWF-Fujiwara Gumi (later PWF) RINGS and UWFI. Currently, there are a number of "shoot" groups in Japan, such as UWFI, Pancrase and Rings. UWFI has aired some of its shows in the US on PPV under the Shootwrestling name. 7.7. How do I get to see Japanese wrestling? There is currently no Japanese wrestling available on North American TV, including satellite. If you live in North America and want to see it, you have a number of options available. Many Japanese bookstores and shops in the US sell or rent tapes of Japanese TV shows. Check any similar shops in your area and ask if they carry it. Or, you can buy/trade for someone else who gets it. Another possibility is to find a friend who lives in Japan who is willing to tape it directly off of tv for you. New Japan is available in Europe on Eurosport. The show is called World Superstars of Wrestling. It airs Thursdays, 8pm UK time, with repeats on Friday at 10pm and Saturday at 11am. The shows are nine monthes to two years out of date. It is occasionally pre-empted or moved in favor of other shows. UWFI is shown in tke UK on Sky Sport. The show is called Bushido and airs on Saturday at 10pm UK time. The shows are approximately three years behind. It is also occasionally pre- empted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Mexico 8.1. What are the individual Mexican groups? * CMLL - Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre * EMLL - Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre * AAA - Asestencia Asesoria Administracion * UWA - Universal Wrestling Alliance * PROMELL * PRODEAR * PALL 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 EMLL is the oldest existing wrestling promotion, having run its first show on September 21, 1933. The UWA is a seperate promotion, that has run since 1974. Current top star is El Canek. PROMELL and PRODEAR are both owned by Antonio Pena and were formed in March of 1995. PRODEAR is run by Pena, while PROMELL is run by Fuerza Guerrera. The name of the promotion used on television is AAA. The Television station Televisa owned the AAA group until 1995. PALL is actually a United States group that wrestles the Lucha Libre style. It is based in Dallas and often uses wrestlers from AAA. Jesse Money regularly attends PALL shows and posts reports. 8.2. What is Lucha Libre? Lucha Libre is a phrase that describes the professional wrestling most commonly found in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Lucha Libre is usually used to describe Mexican wrestling, which incorporates high flying, acrobatic wrestling with a sense of live theater. Lucha Libre in Mexico is often characterized by tests of Machismo. The Mexican wrestlers will often apply what appear to be lame slaps to their opponent's chest and face not in an effort to "hurt" their opponent, but more so as an insult to his manhood. The phrase "Lucha Libre" is an idiom that best translates to English as "the free fight". Derived from Lucha Libre is the word "Luchadores", which refers to the men that wrestle the Lucha Libre style. 8.3. What's with all the masks in Mexico? The masks worn by the Luchadores are inspired by ancient Aztec traditions of masked warriors. The mask is considered the most precious thing a Luchador has. When a wrestler loses his mask, he has suffered the ultimate dishonor, the ultimate humiliation. Very few wrestlers will make it through their entire career without losing their mask. Only the true legends get to retire with their anonymity intact. El Santo (The Saint) is perhaps the most famous case of a Luchador retiring without ever being unmasked. When he died in 1984, El Santo was buried with his mask on. 8.4. I don't know Spanish, what does [some_word] mean? Obviously, there isn't room to define every word you'll hear if you watch a Lucha match. However, here are a few words which should help you figure out a little of what's going on: aficianados (ah-fee-see-ah-nah-dohs): fans. caida (ky-e-da, ky rhymes with tie): fall. Or, as it's known in the U.S., a 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 is generally believed to have originated in Mexico. malandrin (mawl-ahn-dreen): evil. pareja (pah-ray-ha): pair, as in tag team. pareja incredible (pah-ray-ha een-cred-eed-lay): a mixed tag team of a heel and a face. plancha (plahn-cha, plahn rhymes with lawn): a flying crossbody, generally delivered from the top rope. rudo (rue-dough): a heel (bad guy). Depending on the announcer, this may be repeated three times, very fast. senton (sen-ton, sen rhymes with when, ton rhymes with loan): a splash, only the back hits instead of the chest. Sometimes delivered from the top rope. tecnico (tek-knee-ko): a face (good guy). tope (toe-pay): literally "butt" or "stopper". In its wrestling sense, normally used to describe a headfirst dive into a standing opponent. trios (tree-ohs): three-man tag team, as in a trio of wrestlers. 8.5. What's with all the midgets in Lucha Libre? Midgets are very popular in Lucha Libre. Exactly why is unknown, but they usually work harder and have more high spots than their American counterparts. Also, it's very common to see midgets adopt the gimmicks, wrestling style, face/heel status, and costume as their larger counterparts. Further, midgets also adopt the name of their larger counterpart and transform it to the diminutive; for example the "big guy" is Mascara Sagrada and his midget counterpart is Mascarita Sagrada. 8.6. Lucha Libre confuses me, what are the rules? Well, there are many rules, differing with the type of match that is being wrestled (singles, tag, 6-man tag, special stipulations), but here are the basic rules for most Lucha Libre matches: * most matches are trios matches, which are known in the U.S. as 6-man tag matches * in trios matches, there are usually 2 referees. Generally, one is a heel referee and one is a face referee * most matches are 2 out of 3 falls * one member of each team is designated as the captain * when a wrestler is knocked out of the ring, one of his team members can enter the ring without tagging * a fall in a trios match is won when the captain submits or is pinned, or when the other two members of the team submit or are pinned. This frequently leads to falls ending when three wrestlers are pinned simultaneously. This might not make much sense to some non-Lucha fans but that's the way they wrestle Lucha style and they've been doing it this way for decades. Lucha fans don't even think twice about it. 8.7. How do I get to see lucha libre wresting? If you cable company carries the Spanish language station Galavision, then you get it now. At last report, a combined AAA/EMLL show aired Saturday nights at 6pm (EST). If you live in the southern portion of the United States, then you may be able to pick up the Mexican satellite transmissions. Also, one Los Angeles local spanish language station carries lucha libre. From: dannyp@sky.net (Danny Porter) Subject: RSPW FAQ [2/2] Date: 1996/01/31 Message-ID: <4emsao$46f@alpha.sky.net> organization: Just a bit east of Hell newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for rec.sport.pro-wrestling email: rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu Generated: July 14, 1995 Copyright This document is compilation copyright (c) 1995 by Dominic Macika and compilation copyright (c) 1993, 1994 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. Comments, additions, suggestions, and corrections are encouraged. Send them to rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu 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). Index 1. Rec.Sport.Pro-Wrestling 2. Other information sources 3. WWF 4. WCW 5. NWA 6. Other North American promotions 7. Japan 8. Mexico 9. Deaths 10. Injuries 11. Where Are They Now? 12. Wrestling Groups and Teams 13. Miscellaneous questions about wrestlers. 14. The Law and Pro Wrestling 15. Miscellaneous Contributors Index of questions in part 2 9. Deaths 9.1. Ilio DiPaolo 9.2. Other recent wrestling related deaths 10. Injuries 10.1. What happened to Rick Steamboat? 10.2. What happened to Cactus Jack's right ear? 10.3. Did Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson really get stabbed in England? 10.4. What's the deal with Brutus Beefcake's face? 11. Where Are They Now? |11.1. Who is the Ultimate Warrior and where is he now? 11.2. What happened to Tully Blanchard? 11.3. What happened to Rick Rude? 11.4. What happened to Missy Hyatt? 11.5. What happened to Curt Hennig? 12. Wrestling Groups and Teams 12.1. Who were the Four Horsemen? 12.2. Who were in the Midnight Express? 12.3. Who were the Legion of Doom? |12.4. Who were Power Team USA? 13. Miscellaneous questions about wrestlers. |13.1. Who was/is...? 13.2. Who is Doink the Clown? 13.3. Who is Steve DiSalvo? 13.4. Did [X] play organized football? 13.5. Are Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth really married? 13.6. Didn't the Ultimate Warrior and Sting wrestle together once? 13.7. Who are the Von Erichs? 13.8. Is Jesse Ventura really a mayor? 13.9. How are all the Samoan wrestlers related? 14. The Law and Pro Wrestling 14.1. Who is Charles Austin? 14.2. Did Vince McMahon get indicted? 14.3. Were there charges of sexual harrassment filed against the WWF in 1992? 14.4. Who is George Zahorian? 14.5. Who owns the rights to "Hulkamania", "Hulk Hogan" and "Hulkster"? |14.6. Why do many wrestlers change their ring names so often? 15. Miscellaneous 15.1. Who was the first World's Champion of professional wrestling? 15.2. How many times has Ric Flair won the World Title? 15.3. What is a wrestling ring made of? 15.4. Where can I get wrestling attire and related products? 15.5. Where are there schools that can train me to be a wrestler? 15.6. What does [X] mean? 15.7. What does kay fabe mean? 15.8. What are some examples of shoot matches? 15.9. How do I contact my favorite wrestlers or promotion? 15.10. How do I rate a match? ------------------------------ 9. Deaths 9.1. Ilio DiPaolo Ilio DiPaolo (D: May 10, 1995) - Ilio DiPaolo was struck by a car and killed in New York. [Editor's note: Unfortunately, I have no records of Ilio DiPaolo's career in any of my notes, regarding real name or anything else. I anyone has information on the career of Ilio DiPaolo, please contact the FAQ editor at rspw-faq@grumpy.emich.edu.] 9.2. Other recent wrestling related deaths John Minton aka Big John Studd, March 20, 1995, age 47. Wrestler and trainer. Thomas Edward Gilbert Jr. aka "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, February 18, 1995. Son of Thomas Gilbert, brother of Doug Gilbert. Jerry Blackwell, Janurary 22, 1995, Age 45. Wrestler and promoter. Arthur Barr aka Love Machine Art Barr, November 23, 1994, Age 28, Wrestler 1987-1994. Son of Ferrin "Sandy" Barr and brother of Ferrin Barr Jr. aka Jesse Barr aka Jimmy Jack Funk. Larry Simon aka Boris Malenko, October 1, 1994, Age 61. Wrestler and father of Dean and Joe Simon (aka Dean and Joe Malenko) Joey Marella, July 4, 1994, Age 31. WWF referee and son of Robert Marella (aka Gorilla Monsoon) George McCarthur aka "Crybaby" George Cannon July 1, 1994, Age 62. Wrestler and promoter. Ray Canty aka Ray Candy, aka Kareem Muhammad, May 23, 1994, Age 43. Wrestler 1971-1994. Don Ouderkirk aka Don Kirk, May 18, 1994. Wrestler 1943-1960. Mark Bodey, May 13, 1994, Age 26. ACW promoter, promoter of the first Terry Funk vs. Sabu match Ernie Hason aka Ernie Dusek, April 11, 1994, Age 85. Wrestler. Andre Rousimoff, aka Andre the Giant, January 27, 1993, wrestler. Frank Goodish aka Bruiser Brody, July 17, 1988, wrestler. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Injuries 10.1. What happened to Rick Steamboat? Rick Steamboat suffered a serious back injury during his August 24, 1994 Clash of Champions US title match against Steve Austin. Steamboat continued to work injured in main events against Austin until August 28. WCW fired Steamboat in November, 1994, citing an "incapacitating injury" clause in his contract. Steamboat subsequently announced his retirement. 10.2. What happened to Cactus Jack's right ear? It was accidentally ripped off on March 16, 1994 in a wrestling match in Munich, Germany against Vader. During the match, Cactus got his head caught between the top and middle ropes. The tension in the tightened ring ropes was enough to tear his right ear completely off and badly tear his left ear. Part of the right ear was iced and saved. The left required 12 stitches. Cactus continued the match for another two minutes before going to the planned finish. Cactus was in good spirits afterwards with little damage to his hearing and some trouble with his balance. Cactus returned to the ring April 17, 1994. Reports were that Cactus was planning to take a few months time off to have reconstructive surgery on the ear, however, to date, he has yet to take time off and is currently working for both ECW and SMW. 10.3. Did Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson really get stabbed in England? Yes. In fact, they stabbed each other. On Wednesday, October 27, 1993, Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious began squabbling on a bus while returning from a show in Cardiff, Wales. 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. 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. In the days following the stabbings, there were reports that several WCW wrestlers threatened to not work the upcoming Clash XXV, only two weeks away, unless Sid was fired and Arn was allowed to wrestle. As it turned out, the wrestlers who reportedly 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. 10.4. What's the deal with Brutus Beefcake's face? On July 4, 1990 Brutus Beefcake (real name Ed Leslie) 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. Since then, Brutus has undergone massive plastic surgery to rebuild his face. To date, Brutus still has several surgical steel reinforcing plates in his head. Brutus has been working for WCW until recently as "The Butcher" and now wrestles as "The Man with No Name" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Where Are They Now? 11.1. Who is the Ultimate Warrior and where is he now? The Ultimate Warrior is Jim Hellwig. Always has been. Jim Hellwig is still alive. | Stories are circulating that Jim Hellwig is scheduled to make a | return to wrestling on July 22, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his stints with the WWF, the Ultimate Warrior underwent several cosmetic changes, including getting his hair dyed, getting his teeth capped, gaining and losing weight, and changing the amount and style of face paint he wore. Despite the different "packaging", the Ultimate Warrior has always been the same person. The Ultimate Warrior quit the WWF without notice on November 8, 1992, 20 days before his scheduled Survivor Series main event teaming with Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Apparently, the Warrior was scheduled to wrestle Nailz in the matches following the Survivor Series, and apparently he was not happy with his planned role in the company. 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. In May 1994, one r.s.p-w'er reported that Hellwig was running the Ultimate Warriors gym in Scottsdale, AZ. Despite many rumors and "Warrior sightings" Jim Hellwig has not wrestled professionally in well over a year now. 11.2. What happened to Tully Blanchard? After getting suspended/fired from the WWF in November 1989, Tully Blanchard spent a few months in the AWA and then retired and became an evangelist. Depending on who you listen to, Tully was fired for failing a drug test (the WWF story), or Tully was tired of the WWF and failed the drug test on purpose, hoping to get released from his contract (Tully's story). Tully returned to wrestling on May 22, 1994 forWCW for one match at Slamboree '94 wher he wrestled Terry Funk to a DDQ. He began wrestling regularly for Jim Crockett's new NWA promotion in 1994. By the end of 1994, he had left Crockett's company and began making regular appearances for ECW. Reverend Tully can be reached at: Tully Blanchard Ministries P.O. Box 2724 Matthews, North Carolina 28106 11.3. What happened to Rick Rude? Rude left WCW in May, 1994, 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. 11.4. What happened to Missy Hyatt? 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). 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. 11.5. What happened to Curt Hennig? Hennig left the WWF shortly after his stint as guest referee at Wrestlemania X. Despite repeated rumors that he will be wrestling for WCW, he has yet to return to the ring. Due to a large sum of money from an insurance settlement, Curt has no financial incentives to return to the ring. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Wrestling Groups and Teams 12.1. Who were the Four Horsemen? Over the years 11 different wrestlers have been part of the Horsemen. They are: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Lugar, Barry Windham, Butch Reed, Kendell Windham, Sting, Sid Vicious, and Paul Roma. Both JJ Dillon and Ole Anderson have served as managers. The Horsemen name was first used in January, 1986, with the original group being Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson. 12.2. Who were in the Midnight Express? Randy Rose, Dennis Condrey and Norvell Austin formed the Midnight Express in Alabama in 1981. The group moved to Memphis in late 1981 and returned to Alabama in the summer of 1982. During 1983, Midnight Express, Inc. included at one time or another, Rose, Condrey, Austin, the Midnight Stallion, Ron Starr, Rick Harris, and Wayne Ferris. Condrey left Alabama and joined Mid-South in 1983, where he formed a tag team with Bobby Eaton, managed by Jim Cornette, also called the Midnight Express. The Alabama version disbanded in early 1984, while Condrey, Eaton and Cornette would go on to achieve fame in Mid-South, World Class and finally, the NWA in 1985. In April 1987, Condrey left and was replaced by Stan Lane. In 1987, Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose joined as the "Original" Midnight Express, managed by Paul E Dangerously. This group came to the NWA to feud with Cornette, Lane and Eaton. 12.3. Who were the Legion of Doom? The Legion of Doom was a originally a group of wrestlers managed by "Precious" Paul Ellering in Georgia in 1983. At one time or another, the group included Jake Roberts, the Spoiler, King Kong Bundy and Buzz Sawyer. The headline team of the group was always the Road Warriors. By 1984, the Road Warriors were the sole charges of Paul Ellering. After that, the name Legion of Doom was just used as another nickname for the Warriors. When the Road Warriors jumped to the WWF in mid 1990, they called themselves the Legion of Doom, but that was merely a marketing-driven name change from their NWA/WCW personas of the Road Warriors. |12.4. Who were Power Team USA? | Power Team USA was a group of bodybuilders formed by Red Bastien | in California in 1985. Bastien intended to train them to be | wrestlers, but soon abandonded the plan. Upon disbanding the | group, Bastien observed "they have great bodies, but they can't | wrestle a lick." The members of the group were Jim "Justice" | Hellwig (later the Ultimate Warrior), Steve "Flash" Borden (later | Sting), Mark "Commando" Miller and Garland "Glory" Donoho. Donoho | never returned to wrestling. Miller made a brief attempt to return | in 1988 as Iron Man Miller, at which time Dave Meltzer wrote of Miller: | "[Miller] has progressed to the he's almost as far behind Dingo as Dingo | is behind Sting... the worst 2:52 I've ever seen, and that includes | watching people in their first day of training center work." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Miscellaneous questions about wrestlers. 13.1. Who was/is [x]? Dominic Macika (macika@grumpy.emich.edu) maintains a mammoth listing of wrestlers' real names. | First of, in the current "Who is..." list: | * Kama - Charles Wright (aka Papa Shango) | * Savio Vega - Juan Rivera (aka Kwang) | * Dr. I Yankum - Glen Jacobs (aka Unibom in SMW) Here are a few of the more commonly asked "who was...?". * Battle Kat - first Brady Boone, then Bob Bradley * Gobblygooker - Hector Guerrero * Jerry Lawler's Knights at Survivor Series 93 o Black/Silver Knight - Glen Jacobs (aka Unibom in SMW) o Blue Knight - Greg "The Hammer" Valentine o Red Knight - Barry Horowitz * Photographer at King of the Ring '93 - Harvey Whipleman * Ultimate Warrior - Jim Hellwig and only Jim Hellwig 13.2. Who is Doink the Clown? That depends on which Doink 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 Lichicelli (aka Ray Apollo) * Butch & Luke (the Bushwhackers) * Mo, Oscar, and Mabel (Men on a Mission) The current Doink in the WWF is Ray Lichicelli. 13.3. 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!". The joke ran its course long ago, and is now more annoying than amusing. 13.4. Did [X] ever played organized football? The crossover between wrestling and football is high. Many current professional wrestlers played football in college, and perhaps professionally. First a few notes: The Manny Fernandez who played for the Miami Dolphins in the early 70s is NOT the same person as the wrestler Manny Fernandez. Manny the wrestler was in junior high when Manny the Dolphin was earning Super Bowl rings. Bronko Nagurski deserves recognition as the only athlete to be a member of the Pro-Football Hall of Fame and hold a World Heavyweight Championship in Wrestling. Nagurski was a tackle at the University of Minnesota, 1927-29 (All-American in 1929) and played Fullback with the Chicago Bears 1930-37 and 1943. He was one of the initial inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. [6'2 216-238] Nagurski held the National Wrestling Association title twice, from June 23, 1939 to March 7, 1940 (defeating Lou Thesz, losing to Ray Steele) and from March 11, 1941 to June 5, 1941 (regaining from Ray Steele and losing to Sandor Szabo.) Below is a brief list of current wrestlers with football background, clipped from a posting by Gary Will. Jim Duggan: Linebacker at Southern Methodist University. Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 1977 and spent the season on injured reserve list. Tried out with CFL Toronto Argonauts in 1978 or 1979 and may have played. Stan Hansen: Linebacker at West Texas State University; 11th round pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1972 but did not make the team. Lex Luger: Offensive tackle with Pennsylvania State University and the University of Miami. Played for the CFL Montreal Alouettes after being suspended from the Miami team. On the Green Bay Packers' reserves in 1982. Later played for the USFL Memphis Showboats (1983) and Tampa Bay Bandits. Jim Neidhart: Was on track team at UCLA but did not play football. Dave Scheid remembers him as a back-up nose guard for the Oakland Raiders in late 70s who may also have been with the Houston Oilers; other sources say he never played in the NFL but did attend a Raiders training camp. Paul Orndorff: Fullback at University of Tampa. Drafted by Kansas City Chiefs in 1973 but didn't make the team. Tried out for New Orleans Saints in 1974 and was again cut. Played for WFL Jacksonville Sharks in 1975. Brian Pillman: Middle guard for Miami University. Signed as a free agent by Cincinnati Bengals and played there in 1984. Tried out for the CFL Calgary Stampeders in 1986 and may have played there. Ron Simmons: Nose guard for Florida State University. All-American in 1982. Drafted in the 6th round by the Cleveland Browns in 1983 < but did not make the team. Played for the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits. Big Van Vader: Played at University of Colorado. Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and was on injured reserve for at least one season but never played. Steve Williams: Offensive guard with University of Oklahoma where he was All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-American in 1981. Signed with USFL New Jersey Generals in 1983, played little and was traded to the Denver Gold before the 1984 season, where he was cut. COLLEGE ONLY: Animal (LOD) Morehead State University Defensive Tackle Tully Blanchard West Texas State University Quarterback Ted DiBiase West Texas State University Ric Flair University of Minnesota Offensive Guard Terry Funk West Texas State University Offensive Guard Doug Furnas University of Tennessee Kevin Von Erich North Texas State University Fullback Erik Watts University of Louisville Quarterback 13.5. 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. 13.6. Didn't the Ultimate Warrior and Sting wrestle together once? Yes. Jim Hellwig (The Ultimate Warrior) and Steve Borden (Sting) trained together in 1985 under Red Bastien as part of Power Team USA. They received their first major exposure in Memphis, Tennessee in November 1985 wrestling 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: Rock (Hellwig) and Flash (Borden). They soon moved to Mid-South Wrestling. While there, Flash changed his name to Sting. 13.7. Who are the Von Erichs? To begin with, there are no "real" Von Erichs. The Adkisson family has used the last name "Von Erich" for their wrestling personas for years. The patriarch of the Adkisson/Von Erich clan is Jack Adkisson. He took the ring name Fritz Von Erich and wrestled in the 50's and 60's with a Nazi German gimmick, complete with goosestep and iron claw. Waldo Von Erich (real name Bill Sheppard) is not an Adkisson. He formed a successful tag team in the 60's with Fritz. Jack had six sons, five of whom were involved with wrestling. Jack's first son, Jackie, died of electrocution at age 6 in 1959. Kevin Von Erich began wrestling in the mid-70s. He rarely competed outside of his home state. His few trips out of Texas saw him compete in Japan, and in St. Louis. Kevin is currently wrestling for Jim Crockett's NWA promotion in Dallas. Kevin is the only of Fritz's sons still alive. David Von Erich (nicknamed "the Yellow Rose of Texas") began wrestling on June 28, 1977. David was the most successful of the Von Erich boys in the late 70s and early 80s, competing in St. Louis, Japan and Florida, as well as his home state of Texas. It is believed that David was scheduled to win the NWA title from Harley Race in November, 1983, but Jim Crockett came up with the idea for Starrcade, which postponed David's title reign until 1984. David was found dead in his hotel room in Japan on 84/02/10. His dreams of winning the NWA World title were never realized. Kerry Von Erich achieved the most national fame of the Von Erich boys. His pinnacle came on May 6th, 1984, when he defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World title in Texas Stadium, at a memorial card for David. This event made Fritz and Kerry the only father and son duo to hold World singles titles (Fritz had held the AWA title in 1963) Kerry lost the title back to Flair in Japan on May 24, 1984. Kerry's entire career was haunted by troubles stemming from drug use. His troubles only got worse when, on June 4, 1986, Kerry was involved in an automobile accident in which his right leg was severely damaged. It wasn't until after Kerry's death in 1993 that his family would confirm that he had lost his foot in the accident. He wrestled for the rest of his career with a prosthesis on his leg. He did not return to the ring full time until late 1987. On February 18, 1993, Kerry shot himself in the heart at his home in Sandy Shore, TX. He was 33. Mike Von Erich debuted in November, 1983. Months later he was thrust in the role of being David's successor, a role he never quite looked comfortable in. In 1985, on a tour of Israel, Mike suffered a shoulder separation on an exceptionally hard ring. During recovery, Mike contracted toxic-shock syndrome. His fever rose to a reported 106, but he recovered. However, Mike lost a lot of weight and strength during his layoff. He returned to the ring in July 1986. He died on April 13, 1987, at the age of 23, of an intentional overdose of Placidyl (depressant/muscle relaxant). Chris Von Erich, the youngest of Fritz's sons, began appearing at ringside for his brothers matches in the mid-80s. He was involved in a few angles. He finally made his wrestling debut in the late 80's. Chris died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on September 12, 1991. Chris was 21. In 1985, Fritz brought in Kevin William Vaughn, using the ring name Lance Von Erich, and billed as a cousin of the Von Erich boys, a son of Waldo. In reality, he was no relation to either Fritz's family or Waldo. Fritz's plan of creating a new Von Erich eventually backfired, after Lance left Fritz's promotion and Fritz admitted publicly that he actually wasn't related. 13.8. Is Jesse Ventura really a mayor? Not any more. Jesse Ventura was 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. He did not run for re-election. 13.9. How are all the Samoan wrestlers related? The original Samoans, Afa & Sika are brothers, real names Alofa and Sika Anoia. Yokozuna, aka Kokina Maximus, real name Rodney Anoia, is the son of Sika. Headshrinker Samu, aka Tahitian Prince, aka Samona #3, aka Samola, real name Samula Anoia, is the son of Afa. The Tonga Kid (Islander Tama, Samoan Savage, real name Sam Fatu) and Headshrinker Fatu (real name Solofa Fatu) are brothers. It has been reported that the Fatu brothers are either cousins to Samu and Yokozuna, or long-time family friends to the Anoia's. Both families are of Samoan descent and grew up in the San Francisco area. Headshrinker Sionne (Konga the Barbarian, real name Sionne Vailahi) is not related to either family, although he is of Samoan descent and also grew up in San Fransisco. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (real name James Reiher) is of Fijian descent and grew up in Hawaii. He has one brother who wrestled as Cocoa Samoa (Sabu the Wildman in Memphis ca. 84, real name John Reiher.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. The Law and Pro Wrestling 14.1. Who is Charles Austin? In December 1990, Austin and The Genius (Lanny Poffo) jobbed for The Rockers (Jannetty & Michaels) at a WWF television taping at the Sun Dome in Tampa FL. Before the finish, Jannetty executed the Rocker Dropper on Austin. 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. The match then finished when Jannetty rolled a limp Austin over and Michaels came off the top rope with a splash for the pin. At the time of the accident, doctors feared that Austin would be a quadriplegic (paralyzed from the neck down) for life. By mid 1994 Austin had regained some feeling in his arms and legs and can get around with crutches. Austin sued the WWF, Jannetty, and Michaels for US$3.8 million. Michaels was dismissed from the suit by a judge. On April 29, 1994, after a two-week trial and deliberation, a Hillsborough County FL jury awarded Austin US$26.7 million. The jury determined that Titan Sports was 90% responsible (US$23.5 million), that Jannetty was 5% responsible (US$1.3 million), and that Austin was 5% responsible. 14.2. Did Vince McMahon get indicted? Yes. On Friday, November 19, 1993, the Brooklyn, NY office of the U.S. Department of Justice handed down an indictment against Vince McMahon and Titan Sports Inc. The indictment contained charges of conspiracy, possession and possession with intent to distribute. No wrestlers were indicted. On July 22, 1994, after deliberating for 16 hours, the jury found McMahon and Titan Sports not guilty of the charges. 14.3. Were there charges of sexual harassment filed against the WWF in 1992? No. In 1992, former ring-boy Tom Cole, former referee Rita Chatterson and former TV announcer Murray Hodgekins came forth with allegations of sexual abuse by WWF employees. Specifically named employees included booker Pat Patterson, ring attendant Mel Phillips, booker Terry Garvin and Vince McMahon himself. Patterson, Phillips and Garvin were dismissed by the WWF as a result of the allegations. Patterson subsequently returned to his position. 14.4. Who is George Zahorian? Dr. George Zahorian was a physician appointed by the Pennsylvania state athletic commission to attend WWF shows in Hamburg, PA and Allentown, PA. In 1991, Zahorian was convicted in a Pennsylvania court for selling steroids and other controlled substances to pro wrestlers and to a college strength coach. Zahorian was sentenced to three years in federal prison. During his trial, Zahorian testified that between November 1988 and March 1990, he sold steroids to Vince McMahon and to many professional wrestlers, including two of the WWF's then-top draws: Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. Zahorian was released from prison in Febraury, 1995. 14.5. Who owns the rights to "Hulkamania", "Hulk Hogan" and "Hulkster"? Marvel Comics. Marvel came out with their Incredible Hulk comic book character long before Vince McMahon dreamed up Hulk Hogan. When the Hulk Hogan character was created, McMahon gave Hogan the title "The Incredible Hulk Hogan". Marvel objected to the use of their intellectual property. Specifically, Marveli objected to the use of all words derived from their "Incredible Hulk" comic book character. So, Titan Sports and Marvel Comics worked out a deal: Titan recognized Marvel as the owner of the Hulk-derived words and Marvel gave Titan an exclusive license to merchandise the Hulk-derived words. When Hogan joined WCW in 1994, WCW obtained a license to produce Hulk Hogan merchandise. Presumably the details were similar to the license the WWF had. |14.6. Why do so many wrestlers change names so often? | Wrestlers change name, appearance and style quite frequently, and | often it is a challenge just to keep up with who is currently | wrestling under what name. | While many times, name changes stem from attempts to get a better | reaction from the audience, there are times when a name change has | it's roots in a legal matter. For instance: | * Big Van Vader - When Leon White left New Japan Pro Wrestling | in 1993, New Japan claimed that it owned the rights to the | Big Van Vader gimmick, as well as the name. New Japan won a | minor victory, causing WCW to simply bill White as Vader from | then on. The courts ruled that due to the popularity of | George Lucas' Star Wars movies, New Japan couldn't claim | rights on the name Vader alone. Since Vader has recently | ceased working for UWFi in Japan he is once again allowed to | use the "Big Van" name with WCW. | * Demolition - When Demolition first appeared in the WWF in | early 1987, the team consisted of Axe (Bill Eadie) and Smash | (Randy Culley). Within a month, Culley was replaced by Barry | Darsow. A brief legal battle ensued, with Culley claiming | that he created the Demolition team and therefore owned the | rights to the Demolition name. Culley lost the battle, the | WWF retained the tag team name, and Culley was forced to give | up the Detroit Demolition name he had been using on | independant shows. | * Doink - A story has recent surfaced that the WWF is filing | legal action against Matt Osbourne. Osbourne was the first | wrestler to play the role of Doink in the WWF, and has since | used the same role on many indeendant shows. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15. Miscellaneous 15.1. Who was the first World's Champion of professional wrestling? That depends on what you recognize as a "World's" Champion. William Muldoon, who wrestled during the 1870s and 1880s, is widely considered to be professional wrestling's first World Champion. Muldoon retired in late 1891 after having held the Greco-Roman title since 1883. He was followed by George Hackenschmidt, who was first recognized as a "World's" Champion in 1901. Some consider Hackenschmidt to be a European champion and recognize Frank Gotch. Gotch defeated Hackenschmidt on April 3, 1908 in Chicago, IL and held the honors until his retirement in 1913. 15.2. How many times has Ric Flair won the World Title? That's depends on what changes you wish to recognize. In July 1994, Ric Flair said many times that he was an 11 time world champion. This number was come to by recognizing his 8 undisputed NWA title reigns, 2 WWF title reigns and 1 WCW title reign. However in addition to this, there have been a number of disputed or not widely recognized reigns, which are listed below. Adding in these reigns gives Flair up to sixteen reigns. On March 21, 1984, Flair was defeated by Harley Race in New Zealand for the NWA title. He regained it on March 23, 1984 in Singapore. This switch was never recognized in the US. On March 21, 1991, Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Flair in Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese referee for the match counted a pinfall, while the WCW referee for the match DQed Flair for tossing Fujinami over the top rope. Flair defeated Fujinami May 19, 1991 in St. Petersburg, FL to end the dispute. On April 17, 1994, Ric Flair and Rick Steamboat went to a double pin finish. On April 21, 1994, (aired on TV May 21, 1994) Flair defeated Steambaot to end the dispute. It was never officially announced that the belt was held up, although Flair gave the belt to WCW commissioner Nick Bockwinkel and said he wanted it held up. There are also stories that Flair did title switches with Jack Venano in the Dominican Republic and Victor Jovica in the Caribbean, similar to the New Zealand/Singapore title switch with Harley Race. 15.3. What is a wrestling ring made of? Wrestling rings vary more in composition than they do in size. The ring posts are usually hollow steel, about 8 feet tall, and about 6 inches to a foot wide at the base. Several layers of carpet or plywood are usually placed under the 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 a painted garden hose. The ring floor is usually a layered affair: a layer of canvas over layers of padding over plywood, all on some sort of structural support. 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. 15.4. Where can I get wrestling attire and related products? Ted Hobgood of r.s.p-w runs New Frontier Wrestling Gear. He makes custom masks and ring outfits. He will work from your design or from your description, and will work within your budget. Ted can be contacted via email at: NewGear@aol.com For a catalog, send an SASE (two stamps please!) to: New Frontier Wrestling Gear 4600 University Dr. #607 Durham, NC 27707 For those interested in championship belts, Joe Marshall (Beltster@ix.netcom.com) runs the following shop: From the maker of the NWA worlds title and UFC title belt currently held by Dan Severn and many other indy titles. J-Mar Championship Belts 7671 Eastwood Street Reynoldsburg Ohio 43068-2626 or 8-9PM EST 614-863-4699 And other related shops: B & A Boot Shop-Bill Ash-owner 37 South Elm St. Paris AK 72855 (SASE for inquiries) K & H Wrestling Wear PO Box 447 Johnstown Ohio 43031 (SASE for inquiries) Bizare Bazzar - Exotic Adrian Street - owner PO Box 6188 Gulf Breeze FL 32561 (zip code uncertain) Baby Doll's Gimmick's - Nikla Roberts (Baby Doll) - owner PO Box 1763 Lubbock TX 79408 15.5. Where are there schools that can train me to be a wrestler? There are a number of schools and camps run by current and former wrestlers. Below are listed a few. If you have any to add, please contact the editor. Spoiler's Wrestling Academy - the original Spoiler 3615 W. Waters-Box 110 Tampa FL 33614 Ivan Koloff Wrestling School P.O. Box 23360 Charlotte, NC 28227 Walter "Killer' Kowalski PO Box 67 Reading MA 01867 Institute of Professional Wrestling 10 Stemmers Run Rd. Essex MD 21221 Body Slammers Wrestling Gym - Al Snow PO Box 1472 Lima Ohio 45802 Slammers Wrestling Gym/Slam U. P.O. Box 1602 Studio City, CA 91614 Phone: 818/897-6603 Pacific Coast Sports Home of the Superstars Pro Wrestling Training Camp 21063 Cabot Blvd., Suite 1 Hayward, CA 94545 (510) 785-8396 - Main number (510) 888-2454 - ALL PRO WRESTLING Fundraiser Hotline "School Of Hard Knocks" Wrestling School Operated by Jesse Hernandez and Bill Anderson 3265 North "E" Street San Bernardino CA. 92405 (909) 886-5201 Mike Shaw (aka Bastien Booger) P.O. Box 200 Skandia MI 49885 Phone:(906) 942-7255 Hart Brothers Pro Wrestling Camp run by the Hart brothers in Calgary Knoxville - There is an SMW associated school, I believe run by Robert Gibson. Toronto - Ron Hutchinson and Sweet Daddy Siki operate a school in Toronto. 15.6. What does [X] mean? The following is a list of commonly used terms in this newsgroup. BLADE verb. To cut onesself intentionally in a match in order to bleed. FACE noun. & adj. [Babyface] A good guy. HEAT noun. Enthusiasm, a sustained crowd response. The WWF uses a heat machine. The response can be positive (cheering) or negative (booing). See Pop. HEEL noun. A bad guy. INTERNATIONAL OBJECT noun. Foreign object, something not allowed in the ring. Derived from an order not to use the word "foreign" by the Turner Broadcasting Companies. JOB noun. A staged loss. A clean job is a staged loss by legal pinfall or submission without resort to illegalities. v.i. To lose a match. Sometimes combined with a descriptive adjective (stretcher job, rope job, tights job.) JOBBER noun. An unpushed wrestler who loses regularly for pushed wrestlers. JUICE noun. Blood. v.i. to bleed, usually as a result of blading. To juice hardway is to bleed unintentionally. noun. Steroids. (Juicer - a steroid user). MARK noun. *Note this definition is the topic of much debate, what follows are the most popular meanings* - any fan who spends money on wrestling, whether they know it is a work or not. This leads to some people adding adjectives describing what promotions people are marks for. Ex: someone who refers to themself as a WWF mark is someone who is willing to spend money on the WWF product. - a fan who believes that wrestling is legitimate, ie. not a work. OUTLAW PROMOTION A promotion that would try to run against another established promotion in its home area. Refered to as an outlaw because it was attempting to "steal" fans. POP noun. A loud fan reaction to a wrestler. Pop is used to describe a more individual reaction, while heat tends to refer to a sustained reaction (Ex: A crowd will pop for a good move, while an enitre match will be described as having good heat or no heat) PUSH verb. to give a wrestler a series of matches that will improve his standing in the fans eyes. SCREW-JOB noun. adj. A match or ending which is not clean (definite) due to factors outside the "rules" of wrestling. SELL v. t. To make an opponant's move look legitimate. SHOOT noun. The real thing, i.e. a match where one or more participants are really attempting to hurt one another, or the participants stop working cooperatively. A legitimate match. Opposite of a work. STIFF noun. A jobber. adj. Connecting harder with blows and moves to make the match look more legitimate. noun. A wrestler who doesn't move well. WORK noun. an event with a predetermined outcome. (Ex: The match was a work.) v. t. to participate in a wrestling related event (Ex: to work an interview or match or show) WORKRATE noun. The approximate ratio of action to non-action in a wrestling match 15.7. What is Kay Fabe? The term Kay Fabe comes from ancient carnival talk, appropriate as professional wrestling has it's origins in the carnivals. Kay Fabe practices were old tricks, from three card monte to cure all elixers and, of course, magic acts. A kay fabe violator exposed the secrets behind these practices. In wrestling, the term has come to mean not exposing that the business is worked. In the 80s, Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, wrote a book entitled Kay Fabe, exposing many secrets of the business. 15.8. What are some examples of shoots? Listed are some well-known shoots in pro-wrestling: * 25/04/15 - Stanislaus Zybysko defeated World Champion Wayne Munn. * 36/03/02 - Dick Shikat defeated World Champion Danno O' Mahoney * 85/04/27 - Road Warriors vs. Larry Hennig & Jerry Blackwell. Hennig and Blackwell rough up the young Road Warriors, who, until that time, refused to sell moves for thier opponants. * 85/09/02 - Akira Maeda and Super Tiger (Satoru Sayama) wrestled to a Double DQ in 18:57. The ref stopped the match because he felt both Sayama and Maeda were getting out of hand. * 86/04/29 - Andre the Giant vs Akira Maeda (New Japan) Andre refuses to cooperate with Maeda and Maeda takes him down with several vicious kicks to the legs. * 87/01 - Bruiser Brody vs. Lex Lugar (Florida) Brody stops cooperating with Lugar, who gets himself DQed. * 87/11/19 - Riki Chosyu, Masa Saito & Hiro Saito def. Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada & Osamu Kido. (New Japan) Maeda delivers a hard kick to Chosyu's face, which breaks 3 bones in his cheek. * 91/04/01 - John Tenta vs. Koji Kitao (SWS/WWF) Tenta and Kitao, two former sumos, stop cooperating but never come to blows. 15.9. How do I contact my favorite wrestlers or promotion? Since most wrestlers would prefer not having their home addresses published, you can attempt to contact them through the promotion they currently work for. Listed below are addresses for some promotions. If you have any additions or corrections, feel free to send them along to the FAQ editor. WCW WWF 1 CNN Center 1241 E. Main St. Atlanta GA 30348 Stamford CT 06902 Phone: 404 885-7174 Phone: 203 352-8600 Press Info: 203 353-2891 FAX: 203-352-8699 Smoky Mountain Wrestling ECW P.O. Box 1279 101 S. 10th Street Morristown TN 37816-1279 Philadelphia PA 19107 ticket info: 610-544-0421 offices: 215-928-9772 merchandise: 800-357-8393 Midwest Territorial Wrestling Motor City Wrestling P.O. Box 4428 PO Box 1483 Dearborn MI 48126 Warren, MI 48090-1483 American Commonwealth Wrestling P.O. Box 549 New England Wrestling Alliance Dauphin PA 17018 1664 Cranston St. [Inactive] Cranston, RI 02920 Phone: 401-943-2534 15.10. How do I rate a match? When rating a match, or reading match ratings, it is important to consider what exactly is being rated. Some people prefer to rate matches based on how much they enjoyed the match, others rate matches based on the workrate involved in the match. The most popular way of rating matches is through the 5-star system, originated by Norm Dooley and Jim Cornette. It was originally designed to rate the workrate of a match. Here's how Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, has described the 5-star rating system ***** Match of the year candidate ****1/2 An almost-perfect match **** Excellent ***1/2 Extremely good *** Good **1/2 Better than average but nothing special ** Average *1/2 Below average but not atrocious * Pretty bad, but at least some action 1/2* Terrible, but at least a high spot in there somewhere DUD Of no value -stars Not only terrible, but completely offensive to the ticket-buying public In the end, any form of match ratings is *always* a matter of personal opinion. One person's match of the year is another person's snoozer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contributors Thanks to all who have contributed, (listed in alphabetical order): Peter Akers, Jeff Amdur, Ideen Barimani, Chris Bertholf, Caroline Bunce, Jason Campbell, Mark Carlton, William Comer, Fred Deaton, Curtis Desjardins, Mark Duell, Ray Duffy, Rick Duggan, Ted Edwards, Bryant Farley, Maurice Forrester, Charlie Gavinelli, Greg Gershowitz, Sheldon Goldberg, Paul Herzog, Otto Heuer, Christopher Hilker, Steve Hooper, Rob Hoffmann, James Hussell, Rodney Hutchings, Cal Jewell, Ron Knight, Herb Kunze, Dominic Macika, Joe Marshall, Andy McDonel, Robert McMullen, Tom Misnik, Jeremy Nelson, Dave Prazak, Andy Patrizio, Stephen Patterson, Oliver Postlethwaite, Bob Rusbasan, Sean Ryan, Dave Scheid, Dave Scherer, Theo Seiz, Anthony Shubert, Nick Simicich, David Sipila, Jeremy Soria, Chris Stamper, Jason Steeves, Hisaharu Tanabe, Timothy Walker, Mike Wallace, Matt West, Gary Will, David Worrell, Christopher Robin Zimmerman My apologies if I inadvertently omitted your name from the list.