Pier Six Brawler Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 According to folk on Wrestling Classics and F4W, Doug Furnas has passed away at age 50. Obviously the Rex King debacle the other week means that this has to be taken with a pinch of salt for the time being. The news is being credited to former wrestler Davey Rich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Joe Joe Jr Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Obligatory "I was JUST watching his match just this second" post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotlightmagnet1 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I think he suffered from Parkinson's disease, sure I read it in Powerslam. Best wishes to his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted March 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 3, 2012 Alzheimers, I think. Â I haven't watched much of his stuff, but he had an absolutely unbelievable dropkick. Used to crack people right in the face with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted March 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 3, 2012 I had a few weeks in 96 where I thought Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat were awesome. They weren't filled with personality, granted, but they had a few belters with Owen and Davey. Probably all they were hired for, if we're honest. Furnas was especially well put together. A good physique on him. They were around during my time as a fan where one flashy move would make me think they were the next LOD, so I have fond memories of them for a little bit. They were doomed in that time period though. The Outlaws became megastars soon after, and I dont think Road Dogg established a finishing move until early 99. Â Kroffat and Neidhart are now the last men standing of the Survivor Series 97 Team Canada squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobystag Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Incredibly sad news if true. I've been watching a lot of classic AJPW over the past several months and the Can-Ams were an absolute joy to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWM Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 My Doug Furnas tale then - my Dad didn't like to swear that much in front of me, but he once saw a split second of an ECW DVD I was watching accidently mumbled "f-kin hell", catching himself just in time to quieten it at the end. It was Furnas doing the powerhoist on somebody (could have been RVD, I don't remember). It looked well good. Â Other than that, who doesn't love their Survivor Series debut? Thought they would be a huge deal after that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted March 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 3, 2012 The semi-legendary match with a young Kobashi and Kikuchi: Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlAT7ggHYuY Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z0KXWHqolU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 While I have little experience of his matches, he is absolutely magic in EWR, and for that, I'm grateful. RIP. Condolences for his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted March 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 3, 2012 Other than that, who doesn't love their Survivor Series debut? Thought they would be a huge deal after that one. Â Same here. They just appeared from nowhere, put on a fantastic show and not long after they had gone. What a debut, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted March 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 3, 2012 Yeah, I thought Furnas & LaFon were going to be a big deal too. They DECIMATED poor Leif Cassidy and Owen with nasty looking suplexes (back when such moves were cool rather than stupid) and just generally looked a good unit. I thought it was a missed opportunity when they had such a lame finish with Owen & Smithers at Final Four, but in hindsight they hadnt really been pushed hard enough in the wake of Survivors, and using the match to add to the simmering dissension between the champions was the best thing they could have done looking back. Â It was a strange tenure, the pair of them disappeared not long after their heel turn in June (IIRC) of 1997 (during which time they actually recorded a win over the Road Warriors on Raw), reappeared to be on Team Canada at the aforementioned Survivors 97, and fucked off again. Still, they had crowd-pleasing matches in Japan, ECW and (briefly) the WWF, and I'd like to think left an impression on anyone that was watching pro wrestling (as a whole rather than just one company) during that time and has a soft spot for traditional tag team wrestling. Â RIP Doug, "Commerce Comet" certainly flew high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Guvnor Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 That match with Kobashi and Kikuchi is a classic, almost as much for the mental crowd heat as the wrestling. One of my favourite matches. The Can-Ams were an awesome tag team. Â I wonder how Phil LaFon is feeling. I know he was far from Furnas' biggest fan after the car crash. I don't think they were on speaking terms after that, if I remember correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freaky Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 the pair of them disappeared not long after their heel turn in June (IIRC) of 1997 (during which time they actually recorded a win over the Road Warriors on Raw), They were in a pretty serious car crash around that time. Sid was driving and Flash Funk was also in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pier Six Brawler Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 Breaking news audio update on the F4W site so I think it can be confirmed. Meltzer was good friends with Furnas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 While I have little experience of his matches, he is absolutely magic in EWR, and for that, I'm grateful. RIP. Condolences for his family. Â Years ago I had EWR, and Furnas was a mainstay of my fledgling organisation, playing a sadistic veteran brawler. His stats were absolute shit, but for some reason the fans loved him, and he was my go-to guy for building up a young face. Â Only seen one Furnas/LaFon match, but it was a cracker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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