|
|
|
|
|
Submitted by BC on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 6:33 AM EST
 Hawk 1958 - 2003 The reason I begin with Hawk is simple. My tenure as a wrestling fan began with him... and Animal, of course. The Road Warriors were the first pro wrestlers I ever saw. As a child, when first I spotted two men with enormous spikes jutting forth from their shoulders, I immediately had two questions: where are they going... and what are they going to do when they get there? Luckily, Animal and Hawk were on their way to a wrestling ring for a match, sparking a curiosity that hasn't just existed since but has grown and flourished, even inspiring the very piece you're reading. While it's obvious that the whole of The Road Warriors was clearly more than the sum of their parts, Hawk had a few brief singles runs that were quite impressive in their own rights, as well as his Hellraisers team with Kensuke Sasaki. Still, The Road Warriors are now, and likely forever, the kings of tag team wrestling, an art form that quite frankly hasn't been the same since they left it behind. Although my favorite, and first, memory of The Roadies is a simple Saturday morning squash, today I look back at Starrcade '87's battle against Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson as a prime example of what made them so great. Even in a losing effort, they maintained an aura of dominance that nobody, save for possibly The Undertaker, has ever even come close to touching since. Hell, how many wrestlers can boast a term devoted to their crowd reaction? Many have gotten cheers, but few have elicited the all-too-rare "Road Warrior pop". Something tells me had I channel surfed past a Demolition match that Saturday so long ago, this column and the passion which fueled it's creation may have never existed. For that at least, I remain eternally grateful to Hawk.  The Junk Yard Dog 1953 - 1998 Not long after finding the sport, I was fortunate enough to supplement my Saturday morning fix with a wide selection of tapes from Mid-South Wrestling. Like many of the time, I soon grew to love The Junk Yard Dog. Even while being eclipsed by Hulkamania across the WWF landscape, Dog managed to attain an incredible degree of popularity as a babyface. Still, JYD will always remain a favorite of a bygone era. Part of my affection for JYD comes from the "brilliant in it's simplicity" feud he had with The Freebirds, in which he was "blinded". The storyline proved so successful it was revived by both ECW (Raven/Sandman) and the WWF (Jake Roberts/Rick Martel... then later Nidia/Jamie Knoble), albeit with a much more suitable blow-off stipulation in the form of a dog-collar match. Call me a sadist, but advertising a dog-collar match pretty much ensures my interest. All the claustrophia of a steel cage match with none of the obstructed view... count me in. Perhaps it was Hayes' brilliant cowardice, rushing for safety only to be dragged back into the battle by his throat... or maybe it was Dog's innate and undeniable charisma... or maybe it was simply the fact that it was an original concept, but it certainly stood out from it's predecessors, none of which failed to entertain on their own merits, but simply couldn't match up to the past incarnations.  Public Enemy Rocco Rock 1953 - 2002 Johnny Grunge 1966 - 2006 Before Rob Van Dam was the face of ECW, Taz was... and before Taz, it was Sabu... and before that, Shane Douglas... before that, Raven... Sandman... Shane Douglas, the first time... but the first face of ECW, the face that ushered it from Eastern to Extreme Championship Wrestling, was that of the Public Enemy. The introduction of this duo was the first real indication that ECW was truly going to be about something different than the norm, something revolutionary that deserved attention. At it's core, the team was at best "sports entertainment", which has become modern-day code for nonsensical. I mean, two white guys extolling the virtues of rap? Ridiculous would be a compliment. However, unlike modern concepts that could be measured as a failure, Rock and Grunge's aloof take on the subject made not just babyfaces, but lovable ones at that. Yes, they were ridiculous... but that was part of their charm, something The Gangstas couldn't emulate, nor understand... which made for some great battles. The PE/Gangstas rivalry set new standards for violence in North America in the early '90s, creating a model for a new era tag-team eventually completed via hybrid by Team 3D to terrific success. Every time Brother Ray and Brother Devon, or anybody else for that matter, breaks out the hardwood, it's not hard to picture Rocco and Johnny carrying one to the ring with them, more often than not bearing their graffitied signature.  Brian Pillman 1962 - 1997 For the duration of the 1980's, wrestlers in the NWA could measure their careers two ways: before wrestling Ric Flair and after wrestling Ric Flair. Something about standing across the ring with the "Nature Boy" in those days meant, win or lose, fans were going to look at you differently. Pillman certainly made the most of the new-found attention, establishing himself as the rookie to watch. From there, his impact on the newly-forming and evolving WCW was nearly immeasureable. In an effort to emulate the success of New Japan Pro Wrestling's junior heavyweight division, as well as further differentiate themselves of the heavyweight-heavy WWF, WCW introduced the light heavyweight division, which Pillman was a pivotal figure. More accurately, he was the face of it, head and shoulders more popular than the Mortons, Badds, Ligers and pre-Ravens that populated the division, each equally responsible for the great quality of wrestling. Had the WCW Light Heavyweight division, the first real attempt to market smaller athletes in North America, failed... I shudder to think what the current landscape would look like. Pillman proved to be equally entertaining as a Horseman in WCW, a Hart Foundation member in WWF, a fan-hater in ECW and a loose cannon in all three... but my personal favorite incarnation of his was as one-half of the Hollywood Blondes with Steve Austin, the team that set WCW ablaze in the early '90s. Seeing Austin's career progression following that point and how closely Pillman's mirrored it, I sadly can't help but wonder what would have been if not for his untimely passing.  Owen Hart 1965 - 1999 Despite the return to WCW of Ric Flair and the sheer dominance of WWF's Yokozuna, in 1994, wrestling as a whole was truly craving a big angle, a spark to ignite some kind of excitement. It came in the form of the dramatic heel turn by Owen Hart at the Royal Rumble. Owen viciously clipped his brother's leg with a kick, then stepped forward out of his brother's shadow, becoming the breakout star of a year that sorely needed one. From there, Owen rarely stepped away from the WWF main event scene. After hanging in against his brother, Owen engaged in semi-main event tag team programs with several partners including Yokozuna, Davey Boy Smith and Jeff Jarrett, all of whom received major rubs from the teams. Sadly, the falling out between management and the Hart family hindered him from progressing further, but even while being lowered down the card, he still retained his heat as a heel. It's unfortunate that far more will remember how Owen died that how he lived, but WWF's emotional RAW Is Owen broadcast peeled back the curtain and allowed fans to see exactly how Hart had touched the lives of his co-workers, giving everyone a sense of who the man behind the wrestler truly was. It's unfortunate to cite that as an Owen memory, but it's one many share as the sense of loss involved in his tragic demise was truly felt, evidenced by those who felt it more than most.  Gorilla Monsoon 1937 - 1999 I'm far too young and geographically distant to have appreciated Gorilla's wrestling career, but anyone who ever saw his interaction with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan on Prime Time Wrestling remembers them as the most cohesive, if not the best, broadcasting team the WWF ever had to offer. Their voices often added to the significance of an unimportant match, far from the norm of a commentator's ineptitude ruining a well-built match. Monsoon's voice will forever be linked by many great memories, echoing in my ears as I recall, or better yet, rewatch many of the classic matches from the '80s. Gorilla had a smart yet colorful take on play-by-play and held his own on the color side as well, even when backed up by a more than capable colleague such as Heenan or Jesse Ventura. With each great memory he lent his voice tol he indelibly imprinted himself on it, adding to the magic the in-ring performers created.  La Pareja Del Terror Art Barr 1966 - 1994 Eddy Guerrero 1967 - 2005 What can I say about Eddy that hasn't been said a million times since last November? He was simply the greatest wrestler on Earth the morning he died. Period. Sadly, his former partner, Art Barr, received nary a fraction of publicity that Eddy's did. The Barr/Guerrero tag team was red-hot in Mexico in the early '90s, gaining interest from ECW after headlining the 1994 When Worlds Collide pay-per-view. The show took place a little over two weeks before Barr's passing, effectively ending the series of tag team dream matches ECW could've promoted. After Barr's death, Eddy adopted the frog splash as a finisher, a move he'd later use to claim the SmackDown! Championship. Watching Guerrero's ultimate victory come during tribute to his partner, I remember wondering to myself how things might have changed had the two been introduced to North America as a tandem. In some twisted irony, both Rey Misterio Jr. and Christian Cage have assumed the role of World Champion while adopting a frog splash... this time in tribute to Eddy.  The Von Erich Family Fritz Von Erich 1929 - 1997 David Von Erich 1959 - 1984 Mike Von Erich 1964 - 1987 Chris Von Erich 1969 - 1991 Kerry Von Erich 1960 - 1993 Anyone following wrestling in Texas knows of the Von Erichs and the tragic legacy they left behind. There is no greater example of the frightfully high mortality rate that is all-too-closely associated with wrestling than the numbers listed above. Patriarch Fritz had to bury four of his five sons who chose to enter the industry, the oldest of which survived to 33. 1984's David Von Erich Memorial Show was a clear indication of how revered this family was by the Texas fans. Before a crowd of more than 40,000, Kerry defeated Ric Flair for his first and only NWA World Title, dedicating his win to his older brother. Meanwhile, Fritz stepped out of retirement to battle at his sons' side against World Class' hottest heels, The Freebirds. Seeing the image of "The Texas Tornado" as World Champion is a memorable image, made even more poignant by the unfortunate hindsight of the tragedy that soon followed.  Davey Boy Smith 1962 - 2002 Anyone who's seen Davey's matches with Dynamite Kid from Canada and Japan, both as partners and opponents, can tell why The British Bulldogs are regarded so highly as a team. Unfortunately, much of my personal exposure to those matches is with long hindsight. The Smith I remember was substantially larger and more powerful, yet still something of a physical underdog within the construct of the WWF. My favorite Bulldog memory is easily his SummerSlam '92 victory over Bret Hart. Barring the fact that it was a tremendous match, I was absolutely stunned by the finish, watching in disbelief as Davey took the big step up to the Intercontinental Title for the first time. Despite being before a hometown sell-out crowd and given the main event spot, I truly never saw it coming. From much of the rest of his career, Smith worked as a heel, never really being given another moment such as that. Sure, there was the European Title which in it's early days seemed tailor-made for his waist, but WWF stopped trying to get fans behind him as they'd done before. He had a few solid WWF Title matches against Diesel and Bret, actually surpassing the aforementioned effort, but never really managed to capture the spotlight as he had that one summer in his homeland. But what a summer it was. For all those listed as well as all those who were omitted, my gratitude goes out to anyone who helped perpetuate the industry that I, along with so many others, love by spending a portion of their lives away from family and friends and devoted it to creating memories for wrestling fans the world over. It will not and should not ever be forgotten. Thanks to Chris Candido (1972-2005), Crash Holly (1971-2003), Miss Elizabeth (1960-2003), Russ Haas (1974-2001), Louie Spicolli (1971-1998), Eddie Gilbert (1961-1995), Bruiser Brody (1946-1988) and all of the other performers who would spend the majority of their short lives providing us with entertainment. Thanks to the likes of "Sailor" Art Thomas (1924-2003), The Sheik (1923-2003), "Classy" Freddy Blassie (1918-2003), Stu Hart (1915-2003), Lou Thesz (1916-2002), Johnny Valentine (1929-2001), Gordon Solie (1929-2000), Buddy Rogers (1921-1992) and others who helped prove that a life in the wrestling industry doesn't necessarily need to end in tragedy. I implore you to take a brief moment out today and reflect on your own memories of those no longer with us. Next week, Volume One will be back with a double-size spectacurama. J-Man, Jules and Zuma return for the semifinal round of The Elimination Chamber, devoted to WWE's ECW One Night Stand. Will the J-Team advance on to a friendly final round or will Zuma make it to the finals for a second time? You know better than I. Plus, next Tuesday is the ominous June 6th, 2006 (6/6/06), and according to some sects of Christian mythology, it marks the beginning of the Antichrist's rise to power. The IWC at large has long debated the identity of the Antichrist. Next week, I seek to bring about the apocalypse by revealing his identity to you all. Stock up on bottled water. THE FOREIGN CAPITAL OF THE WEEK continued... In addition to La Paz, Bolivia also lays claim to the capital Sucre, comfortably placed in the south central region of the South American nation. Hope it was worth the wait. Later! *NEW GALLERY* The Hardy Boys X-Mas PARTY with TNA/WWE Stars! Must See!!
|
|