The Reverend
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Posts posted by The Reverend
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14 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:
Are there any wrestler autobiographies that are reliable? Most belong in the fiction section and some like Hogan's belong in the fantasy section.
Weirdly I suppose Dynamite's. Everything in it you can take as mainly gospel I suppose as he makes no hiding of the fact that he was a 5* c**t.
His appraisal of other wrestlers is fairly spot on, praising the likes of Bret, Terry Funk and calling out Hogan in his lack of ability (but still praising him for his persona)
He does praise himself too, but to be fair I guess he was an innovator and great worker.
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1 hour ago, BomberPat said:
I actually haven't encountered him yet - do you of any (ideally work-safe!) places I can find out more about him?
I'm trying to avoid spending too much time on the Krays and gangland stuff, though it becomes inevitable. I don't want to be the kind of wanker that treats violent criminals as glamorous celebrities, so I'm trying to reduce their part in all this to background colour, but it's a big meandering mess of a story already, so who knows how it'll end up.Mike kindly let me write a piece on him for a magazine before he passed, but it doesn't touch on his wrestling. Adrian Street's autobiographies (Volumes 2 and 3) both feature a bit more about Mike and wrestling as the two were friends and trained together (as well as doing some other business activities)
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46 minutes ago, Your Fight Site said:
What happened to him in the ‘70s…?
That's when he was doing 10 years for the stabbing charge.
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On 5/3/2024 at 5:08 PM, BomberPat said:
I am writing something at the moment about wrestling connections to Soho, and there's a few wrestlers that were involved in protection rackets, and some that claimed closer connections to the Krays, but how much of that is genuine and how much is typical old London bullshitters doing the, "you knew where you stood with their lot, they were proper villains" routine is unclear.
Be good to read this when it's done. One chap I personally knew who was linked to both was Mickey Muldoon aka Mike Freeman. He trained at Dale Martin's gym regularly before becoming the most prolific pornographer in Soho in the 60's and 80's - and stabbing one of the Kray's enforcers 89 times in the process!
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Although it may seem a silly subject for a thread, I am being serious. Has the world of organised crime crossed over into wrestling? With how big it was in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s I’m surprised that wrestling in New York never caught the eye of, also Big Apple based, the five families of the Mafia.
Considering it’s murky history, dodgy characters, and also huge profits, I can’t believe that there hasn’t been more of a criminal element involved in professional wrestling. I know of the Yakuza being fans in Japan, and may be even having some involvement. I remember reading an old Apter type mag that alleged that Bruno Sammartino may have had Mafia backing ala Frank Sinatra (although I’ll take it with a pinch of salt due to the source), and I’ve also heard that due to it being so profitable in the UK during the 60’s that the Krays had some interests in British wrestling. I seem to recall they may have used some wrestlers to work the doors at the clubs – makes sense I guess.
With its involvement in everything from the recording industry to porn, I’m surprised organised crime hasn’t been involved more – but perhaps that says more about wrestling, that it’s (was) so dirty, depraved and full of corrupt characters even gangsters wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole!
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I have an extra copy of the book 'Katie Bar The Door' the history of Portland Wrestling for sale.
Brand new and never read, it's at the price of just £12 (or very near offer) - and I'll even throw in free recorded post.
Payment via Paypal, throw me a DM if interested.
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Selling a couple of the Walmart exclusive WWE Superstars figures. Roddy Piper and Bam Bam Bigelow. Brand new and sealed. Hard to find in the UK.
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1 hour ago, SuperBacon said:
Vote Binface.
And hopefully, although he isn't a previous winner, the Big Boss Man - cos next year is definitely his year for the Rumble.
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20 hours ago, Magnum Milano said:
It's been a long time since I read it but I really enjoyed it when I did. I don't know it I ever mentioned it, but I sent Jeanie a bunch of DVDs from her time in Dallas and WCW as she didn't have anything and she sent me a copy of the book as a thank you.
I was one of the authors of the book and Jeanie is a class act. Such a lovely lady and I was glad that she managed to survive the industry that almost dragged her under.
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I think everyone may be reading a little too much into this. I'm not saying it's an impossibility, but Wrestlemania just generates far too much money for US cities. As we know they actively bid for it because of the amount of revenue it generates. I can't see London throwing that sort of money at it.
London has a large number of hotels, but nowhere near the amount that US cities have. I regularly travel to the US for work and I see new hotels being built all the time. It interested me as to why they were doing it, and a local councillor told me it's because unless these cities have bed-space, concerts and sports events will bypass them in favour of other cities who can provide for out of towners. A lot of the time these hotels are pretty much sitting empty, but when an event comes into town that's when they make their money. London just doesn't have the same type of set-up in accommodation. It would mean people having to take rooms miles out of the city.
Like I say, I don't think it's impossible, and in fact now it's more likely than ever because her whole time zone hang-up really isn't an issue, but I can't see that the finances and infrastructure in London would add up.
And let's be honest, Sadiq is just trying to appeal to a new demographic - the NBA yes, already the MLB and NFL have had success on these shores, but he's just taken the biggest sports events in the US (and UK) and thrown them out there to make himself look hip and cool. The real key was mentioning the Superbowl - that piece of Americana is never going to be anywhere other than the US.
I think Trips response is just a bit of fun - plus it gets Wrestlemania and WWE trending.
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Tito Santana as World Champion. Heard this from several sources including Pritchard and Tito himself. It was supposedly going to happen in late 1991 because Vince wanted to expand into the latin markets.
Utter bollocks if you ask me - they didn't add any extra latin stars in 1991 (or 1992 for that matter) and the only thing they did was make Tito more of a stereotype with the El Matador thing.
With the talent they had in late '91 (Hogan, Savage, Undertaker, Flair etc.) I can't see this ever would've happened.
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Well worth a read. Jeanie reveals the truth behind quite a few big names.
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Apparently as of the last hour or so - all of Vince McMahon’s remaining shares of the company are now listed for sale.
Sounds like something may be coming.
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Can you put on an exact list of what you have please?
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One of the reasons may also be to do with the history of Memphis wrestling.
In 1977 Memphis wrestling had a huge internal war with Nick Gulas and Jerry Jarrett, when Gulas insisted on pushing his useless son George as a top name. Jarrett broke away from Gulas, and Lawler went with him, creating the CWA and making the promotion on of the best.
I would think as it turned into such a huge battle because of the nepotism, Lawler probably didn't want to then look like he was doing the same.
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Warning - boring old man alert. I'm of an age and so my choices are somewhat vintage!
First WrestleMania watched?
I think either 3 or 7. If 3 had been released by Silvervision by Spring '91 then it was that one, if not it was 7 borrowed off a mate at school.
- Favourite WrestleMania?
8. Height of my fandom, height of the wrestling boom in the country. Fairly shit matches, but Piper vs Hart and Savage vs Flair made up for it. All about the spectacle though really. The Hoosier Dome looked cool, all the big name and colourful characters in attendance plus all the little extras. LOD interview introducing (well to a new audience) Paul Ellering, Lex Luger popping up, Shawn Michaels first proper PPV match in his new persona, return of the Warrior etc. Like I said, mainly crap matches, but oh boy to go back and watch it through innocent eyes with all the excitement and hype.
- Have you ever been to WrestleMania?
No - but I think I will (please bring it to the UK as I'm old and lazy) but I'm regularly in the US for work so would combine it. I think just the event though. All the Raw, HOF etc. may be overkill. I'll just settle for the buzz of the event itself.
- Best/Worst WrestleMania matches
Favourites - Warrior vs Hogan, Steamboat vs Savage, Hogan vs Savage, Hart vs Piper, Savage vs Warrior, Austin vs Hart, Triple H vs Sting.
Worst - too many to name
- Best/Worst WrestleMania moments
Savage winning the title at 4, Warrior at 6, Demolition winning at 6.
- Favourite WrestleMania theme and/or intro?
Soft spot for 6. The stars in the galaxy etc. Vince sounding like a madman, drawings turn into Hogan and Warrior, big colour, that music hits and the classic logo flys in. Nostalgia!
- Favourite WrestleMania announcer call? ("The boyhood dream has come true" etc etc)
The Irrepresible Force meets the Immovable object from Gorilla at 3.
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6 hours ago, Vegeta said:
I read your post really quickly in work and thought it said written by Simon and garfunkel 🤣
I believe in the revised edition (illustrations of various on the front instead of the original lone Kendo Nagasaki cover) there's an additional chapter in which Simon Garfield attends the British Wrestlers Reunion (I think) but in it he mentions one of the board of the reunion, ex-British champion Wayne Bridges, who hosted the event for years at his pub (The Bridges - natch) in Kent.
Apparently ol' Wayne didn't much like the original book (protecting Kayfabe long after its demise) and wants a word with who he refers to Garfield as 'Simon Garfunkel'
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May not have been too talented in real life, but I bet that he was top-end in more than just my figure fed. That Hasbro figure of his was out-fucking-standing. Probably one of the best sculpts.
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News coming in that the greatest Million Dollar champion of all time, Virgil has passed away.
A strange character in the wrestling world, but a man who deserves his place in the history books just because he was so unique.
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19 hours ago, TibBo said:
I hate how you barely ever seen hasbro/galoob figures at carboots now, and when you do the seller thinks they are worth 15 quid despite the fact their dog has been chewing on them for 20 years.
Never had much luck in charity shops for wrestling stuff
I was thinking this last year when I did a couple of car boot sales last year. Crazy thing is, that I always forget, is that Hasbros and Galoobs are nearing 35 years old!!! Mad to think that seeing people coming along with 1970's Action Men on those antique shows on TV, that give it another 15-20 years and someone will pop up on the Antiques Roadshow showing off their mint Repo Man Hasbro.
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Although not formally named as yet, the buzz on social media is that the shooter in this tragic story overnight is none other than former wrestler Billy Jack Haynes: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.koin.com/news/portland/shelter-in-place-in-lents-neighborhood-during-shooting-investigation/amp/
Not surprising unfortunately due to Billy Jack having become more and more volatile in the last few years.
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I do wonder if this cross to Netflix and the demise of the Network may be linked to the horrendous allegations about Vince. By eradicating the history of the Vince era, they're free to run with a new era which is free of Vince's involvement.
Sound dramatic? Well yes, we all know you can't just re-write history (although it doesn't mean people don't try - the WWE certainly has. Look at Benoit and even Hogan during his wilderness days after his racist views).
They know that history is there and isn't really going away, but it doesn't mean you have to publicise it or make it accesible via your official channels. And let's be honest, how many fans (particularly young fans) are going to be complaining they can't see Wrestlemania 2? They could still show clips, have the occasional PPV from the archives, but I think this will be the perfect chance to draw a line between the eras. After all if more comes out, or Vince does time then there's so much they'd need to re-edit, re-commentate etc. The BBC did with TOTP and Savile, but that was removing the links - to do it with WWF/E programming would be near impossible. Imagine 97/98 without Vince? It's easier just to consign it to the dustbin of history.
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Not wanting to put a downer on things - but where does the archive sit in the heart of the WWE? There are certain things which are now questionable, there's certain music rights which are troublesome and did the Superstars name situation ever get fixed?
It's just for a lot of us dinosaurs (me included) we'd just want to watch the archive, not the new stuff - but we're probably in the minority. Shocking as it seems there's a whole generation out there who would probably be bored shitless watching Royal Rumble '92 - where us few would watch it on repeat.
With less new uploads of older material on the network, coupled with the demise of the home video market for the WWE could it be that they're looking to put the past well and truly behind them and close down the archive.
After all then they control the narrative and the history. Let's face it - new fans are where the money is (plus they're not complaining it isn't the attitude era anymore) and I doubt they're bothered about the legacy of the product, so will it be that the archive will be dropkicked into the cupboard?
Saves money, saves time and saves potential problems. It doesn't mean they can't still use clips and matches here and there - but full episodes of Primetime wrestling and Saturday Night's Main Event? That could be a thing of the past. May be worth hanging onto those DVDRs!
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I would say Chris Adams would be a good shout. Especially with the current buzz around WCCW with the film out. He certainly lived a fucked-up life (especially in the tail end of it) and of course has the links to Austin.
Anyone in the UK who could be featured?
UKFF Questions Thread v3
in UK Fan Forum
Posted
For a team as good as the Harts, their Wrestlemania run from 2 until 7 is pretty fucking awful. About the only good match in that is the six man at Wrestlemania 3. It’s shocking how underused they were. Saying that though, their Summerslam matches 88-90 aren’t too bad.