Paid Members JNLister Posted August 25, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 25, 2012 The talk about this year's PWI 500 sparked off memory of a piece Rob wrote back in his Suckerpunch fanzine, which inspired me to scan in a bunch of stuff from then. To put it into context for younger readers, fanzines -- specifically guest column slots and the letters page -- were the main way hardcore/smark fans discussed and debated stuff back then, save for a convention/Sabu show every 18 months of so. Try to imagine the UKFF, but if whenever you clicked reply and made a post, it didn't appear until a month later. Â It's surprising looking back nearly 20 years ago just how many of the topics are still along the lines of stuff we discuss today: workrate/movez vs psychology/storytelling, hardcore fans being obsessed with who would win a shoot, the idea that stuff you think is good isn't always the best for business, how you keep on watching even when you hate the product, etc. There's also another piece that I didn't scan because it's mainly about the details of three legal cases (Vince steroids, Sid vs Arn, Lawler and a teenage girl) but makes the point that even "smart" fans fall prey to judging real life events based on their perception of a wrestler's character or their working ability. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted August 25, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 25, 2012 Awesome. Thanks so much. Rob Butcher was a great contributor to Power Slam. Hasn't been the same since he left. His Colour Commentary articles were great. Â I always imagine Butcher to be completely uninterested in wrestling now. I was listening to an interview with Bob Barnett recently and he was like "why would you even watch it now"? There's a lot of long time loyalist who have just given up completely now. You only have to see the UKFF's on topic section to see that. Nobody seems interested to the degree of a few years ago. Same with Ross Hutchinson. Is he still into it? I always imagine Fin Martin would have fucked it off if he wasn't editing a magazine about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted August 25, 2012 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 25, 2012 Rob got out of it for a while, mainly thanks to burnout (and getting up at 4am every day to change tapes that were being dubbed on his VCR) but was watching the odd tape from ROH, PWG and Dragon Gate. I don't think he follows it very closely, though I believe he may go to the PCW shows in Preston where he lives. Â I think Ross just watches the odd WrestleMania here and there, though he does follow UFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve_grand Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 That was a lot of fun to read through. I was too young / not enthusiastic enough to get past SoW then Powerslam, some Rob Butcher tapes etc. Â Those articles also pick up some stuff that makes me scratch my head when people are bringing out the hate for Powerslam. SoW (from the later issues) and PS were always cynical rags which would despair of the WWF product at various points and have obvious bias or legitimate complaint against certain wrestlers. That's why I loved it. I sometimes wonder if people have gone through a Daily Mail transformation and are imagining things being 'better in the old days'. The current Cena hate is just the modern version of the hate for Flair having the same match over and over again (I think it was PS who said that first not Bret Hart) or indeed the habit of WWF wrestler to phone it in on British tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWM Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 These are fucking tremendous. Thanks Lister! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Guapo Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Rob Butcher was a fine, fine wrestling writer - his report on AAA/WCW's When Worlds Collide was superlative. Â And outstanding trader too - nothing was too much trouble. He put together many compilations for me between 1994 and 1995 that I'd request match by match. Sometimes in LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britishwrestlinglegends Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Ross Hutchinson was a total tosser IMO. He ripped me off a small amount of money & when i confronted him he insisted he had every intention of sending me the stuff i had paid for......Never did! Â I later found out he got turned over by Sabu after he arranged to film St. Valentines Day Massacre. He paid for it all to be filmed professionally, Only to find out on the day that he would only get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted August 26, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Who are you out of interest BWL? You usually reference times you were in the BritWres game, but I'd like to put a face to your stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britishwrestlinglegends Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Who are you out of interest BWL? You usually reference times you were in the BritWres game, but I'd like to put a face to your stories. It is no secret. I am Paul Douglas & only really consider myself a fan, Although i have done bits 'n' bobs in "The business" & you are Sir? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bus Surfer Posted August 26, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 26, 2012 Thanks for posting these. Well worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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