The Mighty LC

How did WCW introduce Okerlund and Heenan?

Okerlund...I can't remember. His first major show would have been something like Starrcade 93, or possibly the Clash before it. Heenan, I actually do remember. Basically, Okerlund was doing the show opener to the January 94 clash (can't recall the number, but it had a great main event of Sting & Flair v Vader & Rude). Anyways, Heenan basically just walks out behind him, with Okerlund saying something like "how in the hell have you followed me here". Heenan made a humourous comment, and then spent the next six years going through the motions...

Very surprising to me were the relatively low positions of Jonny Storm, Robbie Brookside and Darren Burridge - all of whom I expected to see in the top 5 or just outside.

Maybe it says something about the top competitors in this country at the moment that those great talents aren't contending for the top spots. Or, in the Storm case, something about familarity breeding contempt?BTW, Pac would be a more than worthy winner for this for me. Just got done watching his IPW:UK Liverpool match against El Generico. It wasn't even the best match between them, but was still a bloody cracker (and I think he's got Danielson in ROH at some point this weekend as well). I know it's maybe a style thing (and I'm not one for the flippy types in general) that divides people on him, but I'm not sure if there's anyone who's putting on consistantly jaw-dropping matches at the same level he is anywhere in this country (and you might even argue, anywhere in the world)...

Has Taka Michinoku ever came over and wrestled for a British fed?Thanks.

I don't believe so. A bunch of Michinoku Pro workers did a very brief tour for All-Star in 1996 (two shows, IIRC), but he wasn't part of them...

What happened to the idea that this years draft was meant to be an entire month?

Benoit, perhaps...?

Dunno whether you would consider it, Hat Guy, but it would be interesting if you would note beside every entry who voted them the highest in their individual ballot.This was something that the Smarkschoice forum did when they did their countdown of the best wrestlers ever, and I found it quite interesting. For example, Steve Grey might be #49 in the overall ranking, but someone may have voted him #1 or #2 in their list, and that would be a nice addition to the countdown to be able to see that. Perhaps you think the voting should remain anonymous - but it's just an idea.

While you're here, I totally suggested to UKHG the other day that there should be a $&M tie-in with this whole thing somewhere...somehow. Not that I want his ginger ego being over-inflated after that ridiculous piece in Fighting Spirit, mind...

What is Jimmy Rave's ROH theme called?

His current one is House of the Rising Sun by The Animals...

Can anyone answer me a question about ring generalship please?I've had this discussion with Freaky quite a few times over the years but in the end we come down to opinion and speculation more than hard fact.How is it "decided" (if it is decided at all) who is the ring general? I've heard that a more senior or technical wrestler will be ring general but also heard that it's usually the heel.So if say Taker was to fight a heel HHH who would be ring general? (ie WM X7)Or say a heel Kurt Angle who was new in 2000 vs a senior but non-technical wrestler, say Big Show? (ie Backlash 2000)Would this rule be changed for say an Iron man match where a lot of different spots/mini stories have to go into a match? Will the duties ever be shared?

There was a funny story on the $&M show about this lately...might have been the Ricky Knight one. It basically amounted to Davey Richards tells Zebra Kid that he'd be running the show during their match at the KOE tournament because he was the four-year veteran. Zebra just kinda laughed at him, as you'd imagine from a Knight family member (who can probably take flat-back bumps in the womb )...

Frontiers of Honor with the FWA at York Hall and Frontiers Of Honor 2 with FWA and IPW:UK. I think that was in Orpington.

It was actually in the utter shithole that is Swanley, and was the first time that IPW had run a show there. Considering the talent involved it was a really rubbish show (not AWA Summer Legends in Ware shit, but just not that good)...

This tarnishes all of us...all of us.

 

It's hard enough to be a wrestling fan as it is. "What, you like that WWF stuff? It's not real you know". We all know it's hard enough to explain why we love wrestling, and know it's going to be even harder now that they'll all be branded as drug addicts and murderers.

 

People have said the reaction wouldn't be as bad if it was, say, Snitsky or The Great Khali who did this. And they're right. Because no-one really gives a shit about them, in the same way that people loved Chris Benoit. He was many, many people's favourite wrestler, or at least in their top five. Whether he was your favourite or not, he was always one of those people that you could point to and say "that's why I love professional wrestling". He looked like a hard man, everything he did in there looked real, felt real even. While it became a little hokey in recent years, there was a reason why he got standing ovations from crowds every night. He was always someone we could be proud of as wrestling fans.

 

Not anymore.

 

Because whatever the reasons why, and maybe we'll never know, he has taken the lives of two people, including a defenceless 7-year-old boy, before killing himself. He will forever more be known as a murderer. Not a person we as wrestling fans can be proud of, but a murderer...a child killer. Why did he do it? Because he was dosed up on steroids, a roided-up muscle-head intent on doing harm? True? Who knows? Whether toxicology reports come back and prove this or not, this is the way he's going to be regarded by the general public from now on.

 

And from that point of view, this is what we as fans will now be regarded as, at least for a short time. "Why you watching that wrestling, it's all full of druggies and killers?". Yes, maybe a little extreme, but try convincing Joe Public...if you even want to defend wrestling right now.

 

Will wrestling take a hit from this? I can't see it not. One can point to other high-profile wrestling deaths not adversly affecting the business too much. But most of them were the usual thing from a public point of view - massive steroid-user dies young...hey, hum. In the most previous high-profile death, Owen Hart, it was an accident, in a stunt that wasn't really a wrestling stunt. And in all of those previous deaths, other people didn't directly suffer harm as a result of it. Here, we have two others dead. If you're a parent, are you now going to let your kids watch such people, on TV, on DVD, at live events? I'm not sure I would. WWE could ill-afford many more blows to its domestic business as it was. This won't kill them...I'm not really sure what could right now. But any hope of another boom-time any time soon is now gone, long gone...

Apter was just scary. He completely dimissed the idea that steroids are commonplace among major stars and implied Benoit just liked working out a lot. How anyone can with his experience in the business can call themselves a journalist and then say something like that is baffling.

Self preservation.

Maybe he thinks he still works for PWI or something. Didn't do anyone any favours, though every indication is that Apter was a friend of Benoit's - perhaps a case of not wanting to believe the obvious or something, heart over head and all that...

Apter on FN now...

RIP Chris Benoit and Woman...

He started off in a small promotion called IWF (I think) in the north-east, worked in 3CW, IPW:UK and elsewhere after that. He's made an appearance in CHIKARA I believe, not sure about elsewhere.

I do believe he's tag team champion (with Roderick Strong) in PWG at the moment, and has had several talked-about matches with El Generico there. His first eye-opening performance before a relatively big crowd was for the first Main Event Wrestling show in late-2005 (so say what you want about Dan Fitch, but it's possible Pac might not be where he is now without being booked by him)...

I believe ROH simply felt their other Philadelphia venues were better financial deals and, unlike many promotions, didn't think the prestige of running ECW Arena was worth losing out financially.

It might also be a size thing, because the National Guard Armory is much bigger than than the New Alhambra Arena, without being too much bigger (having bleechers that extend quite a way back). It's a damned shame it's such a f**king pain in the arse to get to, but I suppose I'm sort of just name-dropping in a way now...

Well you are a bit of a big deal...

You're darn tootin...

I believe ROH simply felt their other Philadelphia venues were better financial deals and, unlike many promotions, didn't think the prestige of running ECW Arena was worth losing out financially.

It might also be a size thing, because the National Guard Armory is much bigger than than the New Alhambra Arena, without being too much bigger (having bleechers that extend quite a way back). It's a damned shame it's such a f**king pain in the arse to get to, but I suppose I'm sort of just name-dropping in a way now...

Whatever happened to Ice Train? I've been watching 1996 Nitro's (what a bag of shit, but that's besides the point) and he had a teeny bit of potential as a big man, although he pales in comparison with Big Scott Norton. When and why did he leave WCW and what did he do after that?

I can't remember the exact time, though it may have been during the New Blood-era, but he eventually became the wrestling chauffer (sp?) Biggs. The guy had plenty of charisma, though very little he ever did in the ring impressed me. I do seem to recall that he got plenty of work in Austria/Germany for Otto Wanz...

Mr Biggs was Clarence Mason's lawyer gimmick in WCW around the same time. You're thinking of MI Smooth.

Shucks, you're right! Jeez, WCW really was something of a case of throwing a lot of shit at the wall and hoping some of it sticks...

Whatever happened to Ice Train? I've been watching 1996 Nitro's (what a bag of shit, but that's besides the point) and he had a teeny bit of potential as a big man, although he pales in comparison with Big Scott Norton. When and why did he leave WCW and what did he do after that?

I can't remember the exact time, though it may have been during the New Blood-era, but he eventually became the wrestling chauffer (sp?) Biggs. The guy had plenty of charisma, though very little he ever did in the ring impressed me. I do seem to recall that he got plenty of work in Austria/Germany for Otto Wanz...

when ric flair took the WCW belt with him to WWF, who became the next WCW champ and how?biggie

Lex Luger, by piledriving and pinning Barry Windham at the Great American Bash 1991 in a Cage.

The actual belt he had for a while (and definetly the one awarded to him upon winning the title) was I believe a tag team championship, that had shitty badge affixed to it. He would eventually get a proper new title belt around Aug/Sept time...

Was she a lezza then?

I wouldn't have put it in such vulgar terms, but that's my recollection. I could easily be wrong, though, as time has scarred me...

In Foleys first book he states that he had "a brief fling with a female wrester who most of you should know", any idea who that could be?

He also mentioned about the romance in his moest recent book, and think said something along the lines that the woman was around 12 years older than him, my first thought was Susan Sexton (I can't remember if he said she was Australian or it is just me), but that is nothing more than speculation on my part.

I might be remembering things very wrongly, but I'm fairly certain it wouldn't have been Susan Sexton. Mick wouldn't quite by her type, if you know what I mean...

Having just watched Survivor Series 88 on tagged classic - the event was very cut down and only lasted about an hour and 45 mins, was just wondering if anyone knows the reason for this??Does it happen on many other tagged's??Re: taggeds - i LOVE DOUBLE DOUBLE F

All of the old WWE PPV's, from around 88-91, are clipped. Just due to time constraints I guess.

Someone may be able to expand upon this but I believe a lot of wrestling events in the 80s were only 2hrs on tape because it was cheaper to produce 2hr tapes. Something to do with NTSC tapes being pricy, and putting out three hour tapes were expensive...

two questions1st- just been watching the bret hart dvd extras and at in your house 1 when bret faces hakushi as bret comes out there seem to be loads of letters in the enterance way. why where they there i guess they where letters from fans

I can't say for certain but it's probably due to the fact that WWF ran a competition on this ppv that someone (a viewer I believe, though it may have been an audience member) would win a house. I would assume all the letters were from people who entered the competition...

Does anyone know the date of the episode of Raw when Triple H and Chris Benoit had an iron man match ?

July 26th 2004 on Raw at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Not as great a match as it would seem on paper, though I believe the commercial breaks didn't help that much...

Flash.

Ironic, as he's the least flash wrestler ever. I think the nickname goes back to his days as a champion arm-wrestler...

When/Why was the "Saturday Night Shotgun" show cancelled

I think it became "Jakked" sometime in late 1999. I think that became Velocity when they did the brand split in 2002. I'm asumming the name change in 1999 was probably so that they wouldnt be associated with gun crime etc.EDIT: I just found "Jakked" results from 1999-2002 here if anyones interested in themOWW-Jakked Results. They have some pretty weird tag teams and some relatively well-known jobbers in there.

If what you're asking is the reason why the original Shotgun Saturday Night live broadcasts ended, the reason was they decided to go to two hours of Raw each week (live every second week), and they couldn't really spare the manhours to do Shotgun live. The matches that would be taped for Shotgun were on Jakked in the States, while we got it here as "Metal". IIRC it was first run on Sky One on Saturday afternoons...