Professional wrestling

[Monello]

Any old-time fans out there?

Back in the days of 13 channel TVs, I had to turn the dial to the U and then fiddle with the lower dial to get the poorly transmitted UHF channels. The Friday night wresting was broadcast in English but it was on the Spanish language channel where I lived.

The matches were always entertaining but you could tell from the intros who was going to win. Lots of colorful characters and soap opera story lines.

I don't watch it any more. It seems the sport went too Hollywood. I'm sure the old time wrestlers worked hard each night for a few bucks. Even though everything was choreographed, flying bodies tend to get hurt. I was amused to learn that the guy who they billed as Chief Jay Strongbow from Oklahoma was actually some Italian guy playing the part. He even did a war dance as part of his act.

 

[Misfit]

I grew up watching it. I actually went to pro wrestling school when I was in my twenties. Boogie woogie Jimmy Valient's Boogie Woogie Camp. I can talk about old school pro wrestling all day.

 

[Merlin99]

I grew up watching it. I actually went to pro wrestling school when I was in my twenties. Boogie woogie Jimmy Valient's Boogie Woogie Camp. I can talk about old school pro wrestling all day.

I remember Jimmy or sometimes Charlie Brown from outta town, he was big in South Carolina.

 

[Hank]

Jimmy Superfly Snuka was the man!

 

[Blister]

At the old Upper Marlboro race track(now the Equestrian center) I remember seeing Bruno Samartino, Haystacks Calhoun, and I will never forget "Crybaby" George Canyon, who always lost and cried in the middle of the ring afterwards. I was very young then, and remember an Indian Chief, not sure if he was Chief J or not.

 

[Larry Gude]

. I was amused to learn that the guy who they billed as Chief Jay Strongbow from Oklahoma was actually some Italian guy playing the part. He even did a war dance as part of his act.

I LOVED Saturday TV wrasslin' when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories was of a match Strongbow was in and I don't remember who against but, the heels (for the uninitiated in the old days it was always good guys v. bad guys and the good guy was the 'baby face' and the bad guy was the 'heel', in this match Strongbow was the baby face good guy) manager was Lou Albano whose arm was broken really bad by Strongbow sometime prior and when the Chief did his 'recovery' war dance after being beaten near to submission by the cheating heel, Albano, knowing his guy was in BIG heap trouble, as the Chief nearly always won after doing the recovery dance, jumped in and started beating the Chief silly with his cast even to the point of the cast coming off and Lou still hammering him with it while the hell held him back, beating him bloody. Of course, the bad guys run off, the chief, bruised and bloodied, wins by count out in some dingy municipal arena somewhere maybe 20% full, lots and lots of outraged grandma's who were known to stab heels with anything they could get their hands on, hair pins, sewing needles, pencils, you name it.

Ah....the good old days.

 

[Larry Gude]

I grew up watching it. I actually went to pro wrestling school when I was in my twenties. Boogie woogie Jimmy Valient's Boogie Woogie Camp. I can talk about old school pro wrestling all day.

Dude. You have got to come party with me and my wrasslin pals some time!!! We would buy the drinks ALL night to hear those stories!!!!

 

[Monello]

You always knew who was going to fight Sammartino in the title fight. That person would be on for about 2 months straight. They always had some special finishing move. The pile driver, the iron claw or some sort of gimmick. They'd set the table for some big event with the feature bout being for the belt. Sammartino had a really long run as champ then it was Pedro Morales. I don't know who took the title after that as I lost interest and found better things to occupy my time.

 

[Misfit]

At the old Upper Marlboro race track(now the Equestrian center) I remember seeing Bruno Samartino, Haystacks Calhoun, and I will never forget "Crybaby" George Canyon, who always lost and cried in the middle of the ring afterwards. I was very young then, and remember an Indian Chief, not sure if he was Chief J or not.

Maybe Wahoo McDaniel? I remember watching Roddy Piper, Macho Man, Paul Orndorff, Mr. T, Curt Henning, The Rock 'n' Roll Express, Iron Mike Sharpe, Eddie Gilbert, Demolition and an unforgettable Ric Flair vs Terry Funk match all live at the Rochester War Memorial in the 80’s. I’ve met the Smoking Guns Billy & Bart Gunn, Hulk Hogan & Jimmy Hart. Those old NWA/AWA matches were great stuff too, watching Abdullah the Butcher vs Bruiser Brody or The Legion of Doom cripple some poor jobbers are good memories. I was excited when the ECW came on the scene but pretty much stopped watching when Vince took over the WCW. TNA had a mediocre run but there’s nothing but bad skits and constant high spots in matches today. I remember Hogan’s leg drop was considered a finisher back in the day.


I forgot to mention I met Jesse Ventura.

 

[vraiblonde]

My true love, Bret the Hitman Hart.

I always loved wrestling, from when I was a little kid up until they started with all the adult themed story lines in the late 90s- early 00s. Then it no longer was family entertainment and I finally outgrew it.

 

[Misfit]

My true love, Bret the Hitman Hart.

I always loved wrestling, from when I was a little kid up until they started with all the adult themed story lines in the late 90s- early 00s. Then it no longer was family entertainment and I finally outgrew it.

My first wife's stepmother had a sister who was an absolute knockout in the late 80's. Would that have been my aunt? Now I feel dirty. Anyway, she boasted at a new years eve party I was at that Brett and Jim the Anvil Neighthart came Into her work and she slept with Brett. I never asked, but I guess she must have worked at a brothel.

:shrug:

 

[SandieGarry]

I used to work with a guy that was one of the MoonDogs. Boy did he have stories to tell. I forget who it was but he was new and wanted to impress. You know how they stick a pieces of a single edge razor blade in their hand wrappings to "blade" themselves ? Well, he used a big piece for better effect. Said he cut himself so bad they had to stop the match and rush him to the ER. oh yeah, the guy is still huge and in pretty good shape.

 

[SG_Player1974]

...she boasted at a new years eve party I was at that Brett and Jim the Anvil Neighthart came Into her work and she slept with Brett.

I guess she thought he was the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there Ever will be!

 

[Larry Gude]

I always loved wrestling, from when I was a little kid up until they started with all the adult themed story lines in the late 90s- early 00s. Then it no longer was family entertainment and I finally outgrew it.

Yeah, can't let a little T 'n A interfere with good old family time tradition of watching people beat the hell out of one another.

 

[Misfit]

I friend of mine years ago took on a Magnum T.A. gimmick. He wrestled mostly Southern territories and had a photo book of his brief career. He had a picture of him working a match with Buddy Rogers back in the day. Anyway, he said he met Ric Flair and Ric had told him that he never out right cut his forehead. He said he'd brake off a small corner of a razor blade, tape the piece under his fingernail and when it was time for him to bleed he'd tap his finger to his head real quick a few times, that way he wouldn't get the scars you see on some of the other guys.

 

[Larry Gude]

I friend of mine years ago took on a Magnum T.A. gimmick. He wrestled mostly Southern territories and had a photo book of his brief career. He had a picture of him working a match with Buddy Rogers back in the day. Anyway, he said he met Ric Flair and Ric had told him that he never out right cut his forehead. He said.he'd brake off a small corner of a razor blade, tape the piece under his fingernail and when it was time for him to bleed he'd tap his finger to his head real quick a few times, that way he wouldn't get the scars you see on some of the other guys.

Flair wrote a book that gives a rather warm but chilling look at the 'old' days, how these guys were on their own. Travel, injuries, working together. Wild, wild west stuff. It's a wonder any of them lived through it.

 

[Misfit]

Flair wrote a book that gives a rather warm but chilling look at the 'old' days, how these guys were on their own. Travel, injuries, working together. Wild, wild west stuff. It's a wonder any of them lived through it.

I read it when it first came out. It was a pretty good one if I recall correctly. He buried a few guys in it but you learned a lot about the wrestling business. That reminds me Larry, I'm a chapter away from finishing "This music leaves stains" The untold story of the Misfits. If anyone wants to feel better about their career choices or just their life in general I suggest reading it.

 

[Monello]

Then there is this nugget of information about the sport

FYI

The death of the Ultimate Warrior was just the latest grim reminder that professional wrestlers continue to drop dead from something other than old age at an alarming rate.

The pinnacle of the Warrior's career was WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990, at SkyDome in Toronto. Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan in the main event to win the championship. Warrior is the 12th wrestler who competed at WrestleMania VI to have died -- one-third of the card's working roster. The oldest was just 63.

As a point of reference, of the 44 starting players from that year's Super Bowl between the 49ers and Broncos, only one has died: Denver defensive end Ron Holmes, who was 48 when he passed away in 2011 from diabetes and coronary issues

tap out

 

[Larry Gude]

FYI

Lotta people wanna live hard and fast and die young. While they're young and on top of the world. The, you hit 30 and it's all you know and you've got bills. Then, it's too late to change. Then, it's just too late.

 

[Larry Gude]

I That reminds me Larry, I'm a chapter away from finishing "This music leaves stains" The untold story of the Misfits. If anyone wants to feel better about their career choices or just their life in general I suggest reading it.

I never 'got' them for some reason. Good read, huh?