On-Topic RIP

[Daaaaaad!]

On 5/6/2026 at 6:50 PM, SaitoRyo said:

And yet Vince McMahon probably had so many sleepless nights because o the evil Billionaire Ted.  

I've spent my entire wrestling fandom life in the WWE bubble to at least some extent that, when I saw @IANdrewDiceClay point out on Twitter the other day that there's only one potential witness who claims the "Vince, I'm in the wrasslin' business" phone call happened - and it's notorious liar, sex pest and all out monster Vince McMahon - it was like a lightbulb going off in my head. Like, of course he would say that. Of course he would! He spent so long grubbily sulking up at Ted that no wonder he wanted everyone to think they were equals. They weren't even really in the same league!

[SaitoRyo]

1 minute ago, Daaaaaad! said:

I've spent my entire wrestling fandom life in the WWE bubble to at least some extent that, when I saw @IANdrewDiceClay point out on Twitter the other day that there's only one potential witness who claims the "Vince, I'm in the wrasslin' business" phone call happened - and it's notorious liar, sex pest and all out monster Vince McMahon - it was like a lightbulb going off in my head. Like, of course he would say that. Of course he would! He spent so long grubbily sulking up at Ted that no wonder he wanted everyone to think they were equals. They weren't even really in the same league!

Had to laugh at Meltzer's WON Turner obit when he said Ted's opinion of Vince was that he 'considered McMahon a disgraceful small-time huckster who he didn't want to elevate by giving him public attention'. 

[davertfnewman]

4 hours ago, Daaaaaad! said:

I've spent my entire wrestling fandom life in the WWE bubble to at least some extent that, when I saw @IANdrewDiceClay point out on Twitter the other day that there's only one potential witness who claims the "Vince, I'm in the wrasslin' business" phone call happened - and it's notorious liar, sex pest and all out monster Vince McMahon - it was like a lightbulb going off in my head. Like, of course he would say that. Of course he would! He spent so long grubbily sulking up at Ted that no wonder he wanted everyone to think they were equals. They weren't even really in the same league!

I said to Ian that Vince's alleged "Well, I'm in the sports entertainment business" retort is the all-time worst comeback and the output of a man who likes the smell of his own farts. Smug, self-satisfied and totally delusional. As if Ted, the mouth of the South, was going to fall over backwards in his chair at that one.

[mim731]

https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/05/12/beyond-the-mat-director-barry-blaustein-dies-at-72/

Probably belongs here rather than off-topic maybe, given the Beyond the Mat connection. One of the greatest, if not the greatest wrestling documentary ever made. RIP. 

[Supremo]

First thing he encounters as he walks into heaven is Dennis Stamp banging on about not being booked.

[AshC]

He was agent for a bunch of guys as well, right? Goldberg and Jesse come to mind.

Oh sorry, Barry Bloom that was.

Beyond the Mat was a big deal, as I've seen mentioned today, it's endlessly quotable. The guy clearly had an eye (or an ear) for the memorable line.

In 100 years, if wrestling still exists, people will look to that doc as a great snapshot of one of the business' most successful eras, yet one where its dark underbelly was not too far away.

Edited May 12 by AshC

[Merzbow]

Does anyone know if the recent Blu-ray of Beyond The Mat includes the commentaries Barry did with Funk and Foley? I think there may have been a Jesse Ventura one on one version of the DVD too but I've only ever owned the VHS which wouldn't have had any of them.

Would love to rewatch for the millionth time with Barry taking about it.

Edit: To answer myself, it's just the Funk and Barry one. But there's a rip which has added in a couple of commentaries, one from Barry alone and one where a couple of segments have Foley talking.

Edited May 13 by Merzbow

[2Xtreme_lives]

6 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

Does anyone know if the recent Blu-ray of Beyond The Mat includes the commentaries Barry did with Funk and Foley? I think there may have been a Jesse Ventura one on one version of the DVD too but I've only ever owned the VHS which wouldn't have had any of them.

Would love to rewatch for the millionth time with Barry taking about it.

Yes looks like it does 🙂

Special Features:

• Up Close And Personal – Conversation with Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Mick “Makind” Foley and director Barry W. Blaustein
• Dinner With The Legends
• Audio Commentaries

[Merzbow]

Ah yeah, I mistook the up close and personal segment for a Ventura commentary. That's also up on YouTube.

 

 

 

[Chico Torres]

RIP Phil Hickerson, the kind of fat and ugly middle aged Southern wrestler who sadly doesn’t exist anymore. Was also “Japanese” PY Chu-Hi in those Best of USWA tapes that used to be everywhere here in the 90s with matches from Texas in the late 80s and early 90s.

Here he is feuding with a very green Ultimate Warrior and Sting in Memphis, telling them “the only thing you know how to do is pull them britches down and put them steroids in that booty”

 

[Arthur B. Funky]

CracktonMOJ

https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/jones/5302422

[LaGoosh]

Damn, another blast from the past. Sad year for old posters. I remember him being sound.

[Arthur B. Funky]

5 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Damn, another blast from the past. Sad year for old posters. I remember him being sound.

He did a couple of UCW shows as ring announcer for Gareth Humprheys back in the early 2000s, with Linus & his crew were also in the tag division there.

It was me to introduced MOJ to the Hump.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

There's a thread in Off Topic, if it helps anyone.

 

https://ukff.com/topic/145632-moj-has-passed-away/

[SaitoRyo]

Former AJPW and TNA star Joe Doering has passed away from brain cancer at the age of 44. 

I really liked Doering as a throwback, hoss-style wrestler in the 2010s. I think he was quite underrated, actually, and was happy to see him land the TNA gig five or six years back, before his health took a turn. Such a shame. 44 really is no age.

Lots of stories of him being one of the good ones and helping guys when they'd first go to Japan, too. 

RIP.