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White Tiger
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The first inductee into the Inreview Wrestling Hall of Fame was the First real international Superstar of Wrestling: Andre the Giant.
At 7'4" and 500 pounds, Andre the Giant could have been famous for his size alone. His drive, talent and ambition, however, proved to be as big as Andre himself, and the wrestler became legendary for his achievements in and out of the ring.
Andre was born Andre Rene Roussimoff in Grenoble, France on May 19, 1946. His parents, Boris and Marian Roussimoff, and four siblings were of average size. Andre, however, suffered from acromegaly, a disease that results in an over abundance of growth hormones. Also known as Giantism, this disease caused Andre's body to continue growing his whole life, and by the time he was 17 he stood 6'7".
Due to his immense stature it seemed inevitable that Andre would excel in the wrestling world. He had just started to make a name for himself in the ring as "Monster Eiffel Tower" or "Monster Roussimoff" when French-Canadian wrestler Edouard Carpentier first laid eyes on him. Carpentier was impressed with Andre's raw talent and decided to bring him to North America. Andre began wrestling under the name Jean Ferre in Canada for Grand Prix Promotions. In a short time Andre went from the undercard to being a headlining name. Inspired by the movie King Kong he acquired the nickname, "The 8th Wonder of the World," which stayed with him for the rest of his career.
By the time Andre had performed in front of 20,000 wrestling fans in Montreal, his legend had reached Vince McMahon, Sr. at the World Wide Wrestling Federation's (WWWF) headquarters. McMahon would forever alter Andre's life. In 1972, McMahon signed Andre to wrestle for the WWWF and changed his name to capitalize on his colossal size. "Andre the Giant" became one of the most recognizable names in wrestling. Andre performed under his new name at Madison Square Garden, where he easily defeated his opponent Buddy Wolfe without breaking a sweat. Before long, Andre's venues were sold out and wrestlers lined up to perform in his shadow. As Andre's fame grew to stardom, he was featured in Sports Illustrated in the largest feature they had ever published.
In 1987 Andre drew the biggest crowd in WWF (formerly WWWF) history thus far. A record 90,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit, Michigan to watch Andre wrestle fellow legend Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania III. In all, Andre participated at six WrestleManias and faced some of the toughest opponents in the business, including Big John Studd and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. For many years he was known as the "Uncrowned Champion," until he found his place in infamy and held the WWF title for the shortest reign in history. This wasn't the only championship Andre captured - he also won titles in the (NWA), (IWA) and the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Andre's fame also opened the door to Hollywood. He made his acting debut in 1975 as "Big Foot" in The Six Million Dollar Man. Andre enjoyed the experience and went on to appear in television shows including B.J. and the Bear, The Fall Guy and The Greatest American Hero, and movies such as Conan the Destroyer, Micki and Maude, and Trading Mom. His favorite role, and the one for which he is best remembered, was the lovable giant "Fezzik" in Rob Reiner's classic The Princess Bride.
Andre's last television appearance was on a celebration of 20 years of NWA/WCW wrestling on TBS. Sadly, over the years the effects of acromegaly had continued to wear down his body. Eventually his immense size was just too much for his heart, and Andre the Giant died in Paris, France in his hotel room on January 27, 1993. His ashes were later taken home and spread over his North Carolina ranch.
Though professionally Andre will always be remembered as The 8th Wonder of the World, he is known and loved by fans across the globe as The Gentle Giant.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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03-22-2006 10:29 PM
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White Tiger
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The Second inductee into the Inreview Wrestling Hall of Fame is the man who, with Vince McMahon Jr, revolutionised the world of Wrestling: Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, was born Terry Gene Bollea, on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. Bollea is the youngest son of Pete Bollea, a construction foreman and Ruth Bollea, a homemaker and dance instructor. Bollea acquired an interest for wrestling in high school. He also had a love for music, skilled in both electric and bass guitar.. He went on to study at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. However, in spite of his education, his interests remained in the ring, and he never received his degree. Instead, he chose to devote his time to working out in a local gym, owned by wrestlers Jack and Jerry Brisco. Encouraged by these two brothers, Bollea spent a few months wrestling on some small circuits in the Southeast and in New Japan Wrestling.
In 1979, Bollea’s talent caught the attention of Vincent McMahon Sr., the legendary promoter/owner of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, then known as the WWF), the most prominent wrestling league in the Northeast. McMahon gave Bollea an opportunity to join the WWE - along with a new identity. Because of his massive physique (he stood 6’8” and weighed 303 pounds) and resemblance to the comic book hero the Incredible Hulk, McMahon suggested that Terry assume the name Hulk Hogan.
In 1980, Hogan had his debut bout against the fierce Andre the Giant. Hogan won the match, along with the respect and support of wrestling fans throughout the country. Actor Sylvester Stallone was so impressed by Hogan’s performance that he cast him as “Thunderlips the Ultimate Male” in his 1982 movie Rocky III.
In 1984, Hogan was awarded the WWE championship belt for his memorable defeat of the Iron Sheik and Hogan, along with the related phenomena of “Hulkamania,” rose to super-stardom. Hogan would hold this title for three more years during which his success continued to bolster public fascination with professional wrestling. Hulk Hogan and “Hulkamania” was running wild everywhere across the world. Hulk Hogan sold out the very first historic and infamous Wrestlemania3 in 1987. His match against Andre the Giant is still held as one of the greatest matches of all time. Wrestlemania3 still holds the attendance record with a draw of over 93,000 fans. No one could escape the question “Whatcha gonna do when “Hulkamania” runs wild on you?”
By 1985, Hogan had acquired tremendous popularity. His image was marketed to sell a multitude of products, and he began to take on leading roles in a number of films. In 1989, Hogan starred in a wrestling movie titled No Holds Barred. Hogan was seen in a number of box office films, which included Mr. Nanny (1993) and Santa with Muscles (1996). Hogan didn’t care about box office money, but quality entertainment for families. Children have always been Hogan’s main concern and love. During his career he has spent countless hours helping charities around the world.
The success Hogan enjoyed in the 1980s was counteracted by turbulence he endured through the early 1990s. Accused of providing anabolic steroids to its wrestlers, the WWE underwent a painful trial in which Hogan was called to testify against his former boss Vince McMahon Jr., (who succeeded his father as the WWE owner). Hogan’s admission of his steroid abuse put a major damper on both his wrestling and film careers. By the time this trial came about Hogan had cleaned up his act and gone legit. Many wrestlers if not all of them used steroids in the 80‘s/early 90‘s. At the time few knew the harmful affects of steroid use. Worn out and tired of the spotlight Hogan surprised the WWE fans one last time. At Wrestlemania8 he won back the title from Yokozuna (a last minute decision). This led many to believe that Hulk Hogan had decided to stay with the WWE and work through their problems. Unfortunately, it was the last time wrestling fans would see their invincible hero for quite some time.
Hogan surprised everyone by making a remarkable comeback to the wrestling arena in 1996 as his red and yellow character in Ted Turner's WCW. He later re-invented himself as “Hollywood” Hogan, established himself as a villain and, once again, secured his popularity among wrestling fans. Hogan joined the NWO, (New World Order) a wrestling team that paired Hogan with two other wrestlers, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. This infamous chain of events gained immense support from wrestling fans and, ultimately, returned Hogan to the success of his past. In the summer of 2000, Hulk Hogan was in midst of yet another controversy. At Bash at the Beach Hogan had appeared to be “fired”. This event is still debated as whether it was a work (fixed event) or an actual happening. After the infamous Bash at the Beach, wrestling fans were yet again left without their wrestling icon.
Miraculously, Hulk Hogan resurfaced yet again after a bold move by Vince McMahon. McMahon and Hogan held meetings and came to an understanding settling all past problems between the two. This act let fans see the reemergence of the bad boys known as the NWO. Hogan, Hall, and Nash rocked the WWE in February of 2002 at No Way Out. Hogan and the NWO’s first move was to destroy the current popular wrestler, The Rock. Hogan did manage to put The Rock out of action. However, The Rock returned right before WrestlemaniaX8 to challenge “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to a match. Hogan accepted and the rest is history. WrestlemaniaX8 put Hogan back on top with yet another historic wrestling confrontation. Despite Hogan’s heel status he was the fan favorite with overwhelming crowd pops during his match entitled “Icon vs. Icon”. He managed to do something unimaginable. He turned the crowd against The Rock. Although he didn’t win the match he did however solidify the fact that “Hulkamania” is forever. Hulk Hogan left the NWO and returned to the red and yellow (but with a Hollywood twist). With the crowd behind him once again, Hogan is proving that Hulk still rules and “Hulkamania” is running wilder than ever. Hulk Hogan truly is immortal in the hearts of all his fans around the world.
Hogan’s career as a professional wrestler has spanned over two decades, and he remains to be one of the sports's most recognized figures. He is most noted for his accomplishments in bringing the WWE to the public masses. He is also largely responsible for the immense popularity of wrestling as a form of family entertainment. Hulk Hogan and wrestling is one. There is no separation of the two. Hogan is married to Linda Bollea, and they have two children, Nicholas and Brooke. Hogan’s influence to return to the spotlight can be notably credited to his Son and Father. Hogan’s Father had a heart felt talk with Hogan before his passing and asked him to return and set his career straight. Father knows best.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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03-23-2006 11:39 AM
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White Tiger
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The Third inductee into the Inreview Wrestling Hall of Fame is, quite simply put, The King.
Jerry O'Neil (The King) Lawler (born November 29, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is a professional wrestler and wrestling commentator. He currently works for World Wrestling Entertainment as a color commentator for its RAW brand (with Joey Styles and Jonathan Coachman), and still infrequently wrestles for the promotion.
He is perhaps best known not for his considerable wrestling skills, but for a much-publicized feud with Andy Kaufman that was later revealed to be completely contrived ("a total work" in wrestling parlance). This feud included a widely-seen confrontation between the two on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Lawler unified the American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title (defeating Curt Hennig on May 9, 1988) with the WCCW World Heavyweight Title (defeating Kerry Von Erich on December 13, 1988), creating the United States Wrestling Association Unified World Heavyweight Championship. He was a co-owner, along with Jerry Jarrett, of the now-defunct promotion. From its start in 1989 to its end in 1997, Jerry Lawler held the USWA heavyweight title a total of 27 times. Of course, this statistic must be interpreted in the light of how professional wrestling operates. He left the Memphis-based USWA for the WWF (now WWE) in 1993.
Jerry Lawler has made history as being the wrestler with the most championship reigns of all time. He has had more than 200 titles in his career. This includes the USWA title.
In 1999, perhaps inspired by fellow wrestler Jesse Ventura's successful run for the governorship of Minnesota, Lawler ran for mayor of Memphis, finishing third in a field of 12 candidates.
Earlier in his career, like many wrestlers, Lawler took his turns as both face ("good guy") and heel ("bad guy"). Perhaps the best gimmick of this period was his on-and-off feud with an erstwhile tag-team partner, Aussie wrestler "Superstar" Bill Dundee. A celebrated "grudge match" between the two at Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum represented a rare example of theatrical make-up blood actually being found in use at a pro wrestling event, since the match was being taped for an NBC television program documenting the rise in popularity of pro wrestling. Most blood in professional wrestling has traditionally been real, the result of "blading."
Jerry Lawler is responsible for Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart entering professional wrestling. Lawler wanted to record a wrestling album with him singing and, since they had gone to school together, he called Hart and asked him to be a part of it. So close are the two men that on April 2, 2005, when Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Lawler performed Hart's induction.
Throughout most of his stay in World Wrestling Entertainment, he has served as a color commentator, first with the promotion's syndicated programs and later on WWE RAW. Like many professional wrestling color commentators, Lawler often roots for the heel wrestlers. However, there are several heels Lawler despises and often shows a code of morality in his commentary--that is, unless one of the WWE's valets are involved, in which case he often uses innuendo to hype the valet (e.g., "Puppies!") and has been nicknamed "Puppy Patrol." Lawler's commentary began as far back as 1988, while with the CWA, and during the time, Lawler was responsible for some of the most hilarious one-liners in recent wrestling memory.
His son Brian, who has previously wrestled in WWE, is now performing in independent promotions. His ex-wife Stacy "The Kat" Carter also made a few in-ring appearances.
For those of you who are interested this is Jerry the King Lawler’s titles list:
American Wrestling Association
1-Time AWA World Heavyweight Champion
2-Time AWA World Tag Team Champion (with Bill Dundee)
4-Time AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion
Mid-Southern Wrestling
36-Time Mid-Southern Heavyweight Champion
11-Time Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (with Jim White twice, Plowboy Frazier/Uncle Elmer twice, Bill Dundee 4 times, Jos LeDuc once, Austin Idol once and Big Bubba once)
3-Time Mid-Southern International Champion
2-Time Mid-American Heavyweight Champion
United States Wrestling Association
1-Time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion
27-Time USWA Heavyweight Champion
1-Time USWA Texas Heavyweight Champion
5-Time USWA Tag-Team Champion (with Jeff Jarrett 3 times and Bill Dundee twice)
2-Time USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion
World Class Championship Wrestling
2-Time WCCW Heavyweight Champion
1-Time WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
Continental Wrestling Association
1-Time CWA Heavyweight Champion
Winner of 1988 CWA Lord of the Ring
Maryland Championship Wrestling
1-Time MCW Tag-Team Champion (with Bruiser)
1-Time MCW Heavyweight Champion
Memphis Championship Wrestling
2-Time MCW Southern Heavyweight Champion
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
2-Time SMW Heavyweight Champion
Other Titles
1-Time Pacific Polynesian Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Power Pro Wrestling Tag-Team Champion (with Bill Dundee)
1-Time Southeast United States Junior Heavyweight Champion
1-Time JAPW Heavyweight Champion
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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03-24-2006 02:03 PM
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White Tiger
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The forth inductee into the Inreview Wrestling Hall of Fame is, to date, the only English wrestler in any wrestling hall of fame: Kendo Nagasaki
A true enigma of the British wrestling scene, the man known as Kendo Nagasaki was a part of the industry for nearly 40 years and, in that time, cultivated a legend that endures to this day. Hidden behind a red mask lined with white stripes to simulate the imposing visage of the headgear worn in a formal kendo match and maintaining a stony silence, Kendo Nagasaki was an intimidating sight to behold both in and out of the ring. This combined with a genuine understanding of the theatrical aspect of professional wrestling and a certain degree of athleticism made him an effective performer and a superb villain.
Actual details as to the identity of the man behind the mask of Kendo Nagasaki are exceptionally hard to come by as the aura of mystery surrounding the character has been well maintained over the years. Some sources claim that he was born on the 14 October, but they then strangely neglect to pin down the exact year or even the location in which the event took place. Some even name the man as one 'Peter Thornley', which is a perfectly average moniker, but add nothing more of the mysterious Mr Thornley's biography. And the man himself obviously never spoke, instead leaving the talking to his manager 'Gorgeous' George Gillette whose verbiage was more than enough for the pair of them together.
The duo of Kendo Nagasaki and Gillette went to great lengths to mystify their audience devising complex pre-match rituals echoing Oriental rites of purification and religious tribute. These rituals they would perform in the ring before the audience and the opponent, often assisted by hooded acolytes and tossing around powdered 'salt' much like the formalised preparations surrounding a bout of sumo wrestling (the same variety of 'salt' which has long been a favourite option for a villainous manager to throw in the eyes of the good guy when his charge is in imminent danger of losing the match). The masked wrestler also carried with him a Katana, the sword traditionally carried by Japanese Samurai warriors. In all it was a powerful combination of over-the-top pantomime and genuine intimidation.
One thing that can be documented however, is the exploits of Kendo Nagasaki in the wrestling ring. Nagasaki made his professional debut in November, 1964, in a match against 'Jumping' Jim Hussey at Willenhall Baths. Eight years later he crossed the Atlantic to work for the legendary Stu Hart (father of Bret 'Hitman' Hart and the late Owen Hart) in his Stampede Wrestling promotion on a tour of Canada and North America.
Like many wrestlers before and since, Nagasaki also made the transition from sports-entertainer to actor. Nagasaki played the role of 'Death Angel' in a drama penned by the Barnsley-born wrestler turned thespian Brian Glover titled The Wild Bunch produced by Granada Television. He again appeared on the small screen in a non-wrestling capacity as a guest on the edition of the long-running television show This is Your Life which paid tribute to his in-ring adversary Big Daddy.
One of the enduring themes of Kendo Nagasaki's career was, of course, his mask and exactly what lay beneath it. It has to be said that in general masked wrestlers in North American and European pro-wrestling have been as popular as Vaseline on toast. Unlike the luchadors of South America, whose masks form an integral part of their style and identity in the ring, a masked wrestler in the West usually has his face hidden away due to the fact that he is simply too mundane and boring to elicit any reaction from the audience without it. In the case of British wrestling in particular many promoters used to stick a mask over the head of a particularly nondescript wrestler after his first match of the night, give him a change of ring attire and send him out to work a second match as the mysterious masked grappler. Masked wrestlers like Mick Foley's Mankind character, Kane, The Hurricane and Kendo Nagasaki himself are few and far between.
The fact that Kendo Nagasaki was almost never seen without the mask was of course one of the most intriguing aspects of the character and as a result his matches often featured an attempt on the part of his opponent to remove it. Only Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks can boast of having actually achieved this feat. Big Daddy did so on TV in December, 1975; Giant Haystacks pulled off the mask in October, 1991, in an effort to relieve Nagasaki of the CWA world title.
But none were more aware of the insatiable curiosity as to what lay beneath the mask than Nagasaki and Gillette themselves. Playing on this in the late 1970s, the pair let it be known that the time had come for Kendo Nagasaki to reveal his face to the world. So in December, 1977, at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, the audience bore witness to an elaborate ceremony involving all the theatrics for which Nagasaki and his entourage were famous. Attended by hooded acolytes and to the backing of a droning chant, Kendo Nagasaki's mask was slowly removed to reveal... a man with the shape of a star tattooed upon his forehead and a top-knot of black hair atop a head which had been otherwise shaved bald. As for his face, this seemed perfectly average to a world which might have been expecting a scarred or otherwise terrible visage to be hiding behind the mask.
Maybe the unmasking failed to elicit the reaction that Nagasaki had hoped for, or perhaps he realised the importance of the mask to the character that he was portraying. Either way, Nagasaki wrestled for a short time without the mask, but eventually donned it once more and continued to do so for the rest of his career in the ring.
Like many other pro-wrestlers, Kendo Nagasaki announced his retirement from sports-entertainment only to be lured back into the ring more than once by the draw of the business. In the spring of 1978 Nagasaki retired on medical grounds and devoted his attention to the world of rock management. But he was back in the ring by December, 1986. He remained active in the ring until 1993 when he retired once more, this time to 'pursue his role in commerce'.
Still alive and well at the time of writing, Kendo Nagasaki began work on his autobiography in 2002.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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03-26-2006 11:30 PM
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White Tiger
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The fifth inductee into the Inreview hall of fame is pehaps the greatest champion to ever grace the squared circle: Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz. That name has been synonymous with professional wrestling since the late 1930’s. With over 19 world titles, 936 consecutive wins, and if you count the total number of days he held all of his world titles, it would be 4,938 straight days, a total of 13 years. The most in wrestling’s history. He was/is the youngest man to ever win a world title (21)......
Lou was born on April 24, 1916, to a Hungarian-dissented family. Lou made his wrestling debut in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 16. The legendary George Tragos first trained Lou; a wrestler with a large reputation for legitimately crippling people, who he felt didn’t shoe enough respect for the game. Later, Ad Santel, one the greatest pure wrestlers the world has ever seen, took Lou under his wing. It was with Santel, that Thesz would learn the art of hooking. Hooking is a style of wrestling where wrestlers apply certain ‘hooks’ to their opponents causing extreme pain, and can be potentially life threatening. In the pyramid of hierarchy in wrestling, a hooker, the man who is the master of the array of hooks, is on the top of the scale. But there were very few hookers, so the top was rather small. Most people get confused with the difference between a shooter and a hooker. Hookers are shooters, but not all shooters are hookers. It took a little more knowledge of crippling body maneuvers to become a hooker. Get it? They were the elite group of real wrestlers. Lou admitted that knowing these hooks got him out of many predicaments.
He was instantly a standout on various pro wrestling circuits and won his first title world in 1937. Ed ‘Strangler’ Lewis, the man whom Lou considered to be the greatest wrestler of all time, and who certainly is a top candidate, managed Lou early in his career. Lou would later go to win the NWA World title six times. A record at the time. In fact, a record until the great Harley Race broke it in the 80’s. Among those world titles, Lou would go on to win:
MWWA Heavyweight Title,
AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight Title,
National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title(2),
AWA (Montreal) World Heavyweight Title (3),
Texas Heavyweight Title,
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title(6),
AWA (Boston) World Heavyweight title,
AWA (LA) World Heavyweight title,
AWA (Ohio) World Heavyweight Title,
NWA International Heavyweight Title,
WWA (Los Angeles) World Heavyweight Title,
TWWA World Heavyweight Title,
NWA Southern Heavyweight Title(2),
Junior US Heavyweight Title ,
UWA World Heavyweight Title,
US Heavyweight Title(MI).. Including the world’s FINAL Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion.
During his reigns as NWA World Champion between 1949-1965, Thesz went on a quest to unify the different World titles being recognized at the time, with the idea of making the NWA title into pro wrestling's ONLY World Championship. He actually succeeded; he unified the AWA (Boston) title, the WWA (Los Angeles) version of the World Title, and the AWA World (Ohio) title.
Lou was also indirectly involved in the creation of the Worldwide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). When promoters refused to recognize Thesz's 1-fall victory over Buddy Rogers, they formed the WWWF and named Rogers the first champion. Of course, that’s only one side of the story about how the WWF (E) was formed. Years later, Thesz went on record stating in reality, the match with Rogers never took place! Another example of the frequent deception in wrestling’s history.
Lou last ruled the mats in the 1960’s, but did go on to wrestle in the 70’s and 80’s. In fact, Lou wrestled his last match in Japan on Dec. 26, 1990 at the age of 74! Losing to Japanese wrestler, and his own student, Masahiro Chono. On April 28, 2002, wrestling lost its most incomparable wrestler. Lou died after complications from bypass surgery, he was 86. Lou Thesz is record-holding champion, statesman, teacher, and pro wrestling legend; and arguably the greatest of all time. . .
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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03-27-2006 07:22 PM
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White Tiger
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The sixth inductee into the Inreview Hall of is a true great of womens wrestling: The Fabulous Moolah
Lillian Ellison, known in the ring as the Fabulous Moolah, is one of wrestling's pioneering veterans and heroines, both in and out of the squared circle. When wrestling first caught the attention of the public, Moolah had a ringside seat. Appearing on the scene in 1949 as a "valet" for some male wrestlers, she was introduced to the crowd as a "slave girl" dressed in revealing leopardskin. But the woman who got into the business for the "moolah" wouldn't remain a valet for long, and soon Moolah turned her humble beginnings into a successful and long-lived career.
Growing up in Tookiedoo, South Carolina, Moolah was the youngest of thirteen children -- and the only girl. Surrounded by twelve rambunctious brothers, she had to be tough from the get-go. After the death of their mother when she was just ten years old, Moolah and her father spent Tuesday nights at local professional wrestling matches. At first she was just excited to do something special with her father. But everything changed when Mildred Burke (one of the most popular "lady rasslers" of the day) came to town. After years of being surrounded by boys, Moolah had finally found a woman she could look up to.
From that night on, Moolah was hooked. She stayed in the ring throughout the 1950s and 1960s, even though technically women were banned from wrestling "for their own good." When the Women's Division of the National Wrestling Alliance was failing, Moolah started training girls at her home base in South Carolina, and by the late sixties the girls she had trained at Girl Wrestling Enterprises represented the single largest group of female wrestlers in the country. Soon the National Wrestling Alliance recognized her as the undisputed Women's Champ, a title she would hold for the next twenty years.
The Fabulous Moolah is friends the infamous Jerry Lee Lewis and had a marriage proposal from country-music legend Hank Williams Sr. Moolah dishes plenty of wrestling dirt as well and relates hilarious moments from her decades long friendship with her in-ring cohort Mae Young.
After more than half a century of wrestling, Moolah still trains girls for the ring and even manages to get into the ring herself now and again. She is a role model for strong women everywhere, and she will go down in history as one of wrestling's all-time greats.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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04-01-2006 01:54 PM
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lodgebo
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I would like to nominate Bob Backlund as the 7th inductee
When compiling a list of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen, it is essential to include Bob Backlund on that list. Growing up in Princeton, Minnesota, Bob first became involved in wrestling during high school and then later at North Dakota State University where he attended college. Although he played some football as well, Bob knew his future definitely involved professional wrestling.
Bob started off working for several independent companies in Missouri and Georgia, winning several titles including a tag team reign with the legendary Jerry Brisco and another with Steve Keirn in the Florida branch of the NWA. However, true talent could not be held back for long. In 1978 Bob got a call that would change his life forever. Vince McMahon Sr. got in touch with Bob and not long after, Bob was wrestling in the WWWF, the fastest growing and most well known company in the world. Bob can still recall the memory of traveling to New York City for the first time and being very intimidated. He was leaving his small town of Princeton and moving up to the "big time" where all his hard work would pay off.
It wasn't long before the fans were completely in love with Bobby Backlund. He brought forth a personal that appealed to fans across the country. He was an ideal American with the "boy next-door" looks. Backlund was the ultimate "good guy" and the fans loved everything about Bob, and McMahon realized it. On February 20, 1978, Backlund defeated "Superstar" Billy Graham to win the biggest prize in wrestling. Bob was crowned the WWWF Heavyweight Champion, perhaps the greatest and most memorable night in his illustrious career. Over the next 5+ years, Backlund defended the title night after night. Backlund set a tremendous streak by holding the title for approximately six years without being pinned. He defeated challengers such as Jimmy Snuka, Killer Khan, Adrian Adonis, and Jesse Ventura. Backlund was at the top of his game.
But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and that time came for Bob in December of 1983. Vince McMahon Jr. had taken over the company and decided it was time for a change. He wanted to take the WWF in a different direction, and the men who would lead it would be Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, and others. It was quickly becoming a "big man's" sport where the bigger and badder you were, the better. Backlund preferred to stick with his good-guy image and quickly found that he didn't have a place anymore. He lost the title in controversial fashion to the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden. With the camel clutch applied, Backlund's manager, Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel which resulted in victory for the Iron Sheik. The fans were stunned, and so was Backlund. It wasn't long before he disappeared from the wrestling world.
But nearly 10 years after his departure, the fans were stunned once more when Backlund, at the age of 43, decided it was time to make one more run at the business he loved so much. Backlund returned to the ring with the same ethic he had from the previous decade. He worked hard to please the fans and did it without any gimmick or silly cartoon character persona that many other wrestlers of the time had. He proved he was in great shape when he broke a record and lasted over 1 hour in the 1993 Royal Rumble. Bob competed in his first Wrestlemania that year as well, facing off against Razor Ramon. Bob competed against the likes of Doink the Clown, Rick Martel, and Shawn Michaels, doing very well and getting victories over them all. Bob competed in the 1994 Royal Rumble as well, but it wasn't long after that he disappeared from the scenes. He was actually training hard that spring for the match of his life against then World Champion, Bret Hart. The match took place in the summer of 1994, and it was a tremendous contest....easily a match of the year candidate. After the referee made a mistake, Hart managed to wrap up Backlund for the 3 count. Backlund appeared very frustrated after the match, and for the first time in his career, he snapped! He applied his patented "chicken wing" submission maneuver and refused to release Hart. Afterwards, Backlund looked at his hands in astonishment, apparently pleased at what he had done. After that, Backlund became the most hated heel the WWF had seen since Sgt. Slaughter earlier in the 90's.
And Backlund loved every minute of it. What pleased him the most was that he could get a tremendous crowd reaction and still preach the things he believed in so much. He told the fans to stand up straight, not to use swear words, and to carry their own dictionary around with them so they could understand the complex words he used in his speeches. The fans basically despised Backlund because he was telling them how they should behave, but not how they wanted to behave. The gimmick proved so successful that Backlund received a World Title shot against Hart at the 1994 Survivor Series. In one of the most memorable nights in his career, he defeated Hart with the chicken wing, capturing the WWF title at the age of 45....the same title that had been taken away from him a decade earlier. Fans were in shock as the man they loved to hate was now their heavyweight champion!
Although the title reign didn't last long, Backlund had once again made his mark in the wrestling world and attained his goal of reaching the top once again. Backlund remained active in the next year, competing at the 1995 Royal Rumble and facing Bret Hart in a classic match at Wrestlemania 11 in Hartford, CT. However, the WWF had other plans for "psycho" Bob as some called him. He began a campaign in late 1995 where he announced he would be running for the presidency of the United States the following year. The angle was perfect for Backlund, as the WWF made him out to be a lunatic running for the nation's highest office. He had campaign rallies and buttons all around the arenas.
The presidency angle ran its course the next year, which is when Bob went back to the drawing board. The WWF was in the process of repackaging Fatu, former Headshrinker. They shaved his head and called him the Sultan. Who would get the job of managing this madman? Who else but Bob Backlund and the same man who defeated Backlund in late 1983 for the World Title....the Iron Sheik! The trio didn't have any chemistry which made them entertaining to watch. Backlund and the Sheik tried to communicate to each other while at the same time barking out orders to the Sultan. He received an Intercontinental Title shot against Rocky Maivia at Wrestlemania 13, but was defeated and fell out of prominence afterwards. Backlund finally disappeared from the WWF scene after a solid 6 year comeback run.
As many fans know by now, Bob Backlund spent the following2 years brushing up on his education while preparing a run for a seat in the United States Congress. He went from coast to coast, campaigning and raising funds for his run in the First District of Connecticut. He even managed to squeeze in a quick WWF return as he helped Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle on his way to stardom. His hard work paid off as he ran in November of 2000 as a Republican. Despite strong opposition from the press and the heavily Democratic population, Backlund managed to garner 30% of the popular vote. Pretty impressive for a man with no previous political experience and who received very little press in newspapers. Bob is currently relaxing and enjoying some much needed time off at home with his wife and daughter. However, you can rest assured that it won't be long before Mr. Backlund is out making a difference. Whether it be in the wrestling ring, a television show, or your local elementary school, Bob Backlund attracts attention wherever he goes.
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04-01-2006 03:49 PM
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White Tiger
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The next indutee into the Inreview Wrestling Hall of Fame is..........The Nature Boy
Before the great Ric Flair donned the title of 'the Nature Boy' there was another, one whose name is still remembered today, the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers
Buddy Rogers was born Herman C. Rohde Jr., but later legally changed his name to Buddy Rogers. The son of German immigrant parents, Rogers was discovered by a local promoter and soon became a top wrestler using his real name around his hometown where he gained his first major win over the legendary Ed "Strangler" Lewis. He continued his career in Houston where he assumed the name "Buddy Rogers." Rogers would get his first major taste of gold in during his tenure there, winning the promotion's Texas Heavyweight title four times, one time from a man he would have an interesting history with, the legendary Lou Thesz. After his time in Houston he went to Columbus, Ohio and the final pieces of his character were added. He bleached his hair and was given the moniker "Nature Boy" by promoter Jack Pfeffer after the popular jazz song.
With the advent of television, Rogers' flashy look, great physique and bombastic personality instantly caught the ire of audiences. The first sign of Rogers' impact was his involvement in Sam Muchnick's opposition promotion in St. Louis, Missouri, a major wrestling market at the time. He was pitted against the well respected Lou Thesz as a draw. In the end, Muchnick's promotion was powerful enough with Buddy Rogers as its main star that the two promotions merged. Rogers continued control of the Midwest as a booker and wrestler, most notably in Chicago, frequently selling out the 11,000 seat arena. In the 1950's, Rogers also expanded into Vince McMahon Sr.'s Capitol Wrestling Corporation.
In 1961, the National Wrestling Alliance voted him NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He took the belt off of Pat O'Connor on June 30 in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park, the largest crowd for an NWA and a wrestling attendance record that would not be matched until Wrestlemania III at the Pontiac Silverdome. To many promoters, it seemed that Buddy Rogers favored northeastern promoters over other territories. Promoters and noted shooters Karl Gotch and Bill Miller confronted Rogers in Columbus and broke his hand. Another injury in Montreal in a match against Killer Kowalski kept Rogers on the sidelines. On his return, the heads of the NWA voted to switch the title back over to Lou Thesz, who made it public that he did not like Buddy Rogers. On January, 24, 1963, the match took place in Toronto. Promoter Sam Muchnick put used two safeguards to guarantee Rogers' cooperation. First, the match was only one fall, out of the ordinary since most title matches were two out of three falls until the mid-seventies. The second safeguard was his threat to give Rogers' bond away to charity. Thesz took the belt for his last run with NWA championship.
Northeast promoters, led by McMahon and Toots Mondt, withdrew their membership from the NWA and formed the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) since Thesz was not a strong draw in the area. Soon, Rogers was awarded the WWWF World Title as its first holder in April 1963. However, his reign was cut short by a mild heart attack that greatly hindered his endurance. He finally dropped the title to Bruno Sammartino on May 17 of that year in a match that lasted 47 seconds. Legend says that Toots Mondt dragged Rogers out of his hospital bed and forced him into the match, but it was obvious that Rogers could not take the burden of a world championship in his condition. By the end of the year, he was retired and only wrestled an occasional show for The Sheik's promotion in Detroit and Montreal.
In 1978, Rogers returned to wrestling as a babyface in Florida although he was in his late 50s. He later moved up to Jim Crockett Promotions in the Carolinas as a heel manager managing wrestlers like Jimmy Snuka, future WWE Intercontinental champion Ken Patera, Gene Anderson of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew and Big John Studd. His most notable achievement during his run in the Carolinas was his feud with the new "Nature Boy," Ric Flair. The two had a hot feud until Rogers was finally defeated on July 9, 1978. Ric Flair would use this legitimacy to further his career and follow in Rogers' footsteps, becoming the second and last person to win the WWE World title, which he would do in 1992, and the official NWA World title, Rogers' being the first. After his time in Mid-Atlantic, he moved back into WWF where he was a babyface manager and part time wrestler who also hosted the interview segment "Rogers' Corner." During a feud teaming his old protégé Jimmy Snuka against Lou Albano and Ray Stevens, Rogers broke his hip and retired from wrestling for good.
He was set to wrestle yet another "Nature Boy," this time Buddy Landell, in a comeback match early 1992 but the promoter went out of business and the match never happened. Later in the year, Rogers was weakened by a severe broken arm and suffered three strokes, two on the same day. He was put on life support and died a short time afterwards on July 6, 1992.
Rogers was not well liked during his prime years because he had a habit of taking advantage of opponents in the ring. With age he mellowed and became a very respected veteran. Rogers was considered the first total package wrestler. He had all the looks, physique, personality and ability promoters wanted. He is often attributed with developing the psychology that several heels went on to use with great success and inventing the "Figure Four Grapevine" (later renamed the Figure-Four Leglock). He had one of the longest consistent top drawing periods of any main eventer, 15 years, and the ability to draw in several different territories successfully. In 1994, he was posthumously inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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04-05-2006 08:29 PM
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White Tiger
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For the next inductee I have to go for the man of the hour, the man with the Power, too sweet to be sour, the Superstar Billy Graham.
Billy Graham, who grew up Wayne Coleman in Arizona, was not an amateur wrestler. He was a track and field star in high school, and he was training for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. He threw shot-put, discus and developed his awesome physique early in his life.
He had no real goals out of high school. He moved to Los Angeles, but he could never find a steady job.
He was never a real fan of wrestling. He watched it back in the 1950s, but he never thought of getting involved in the sport.
He remembered Sky High Lee when he was growing up. Lee used to take darts to his back on television. "Long before Mick Foley," Billy Graham said.
He found out after he met his wife, Valerie, in 1976 that Lee was Valerie's second cousin.
His first connection to wrestling came, though, while he was working in California during late 1969. Bob Lueck who played for the Calgary Stampeders asked Graham to come with him back to Calgary and give wrestling a try.
Graham had no idea who he was getting involved with when Stu Hart invited him to train in the infamous Dungeon.
"He had no fat and looked like he was holding regulation footballs in his arms," Stu Hart recalled. "He was the most impressive specimen I've seen in my life."
"I felt this was for me," Graham recalled about his first days there.
His first gimmick was more of a toughman. Coming from a weightlifting background, Graham was thrown into challenge fans in an arm-wrestling match. Anyone who could beat the Superstar would win $1,000.
Hart knew Graham had a future. "I've wrestled with a lot of strong fellows and never seen a fellow that muscular and that strong. I was impressed with his strength," Hart recalled of his brush with the Superstar. "He was officially the strongest man in the world at the time. He could benchpress 650 pounds and could lie on a bench and (lift) 350 pounds over his head. That was almost unheard of, no question about it."
When it was time from Graham to head into the ring for action, he started under his real name Wayne Coleman.
It was the summer of 1970 that he met a wrestler named Dr. Jerry Graham.
Graham, who was an established wrestler across the world, asked Coleman to become "a brother." Wayne Coleman then took the name Billy Graham based off Jerry Graham's last name and the famous evangelist Billy Graham.
The nickname Superstar came in 1972 based from the rock opera that was really huge at the time, Jesus Christ Superstar.
Fans watch Pat Patterson every week on WWF RAW, but too few know Patterson's rich wrestling history that dates back to the 1960s. Graham and Patterson teamed to defeat Ray Stevens and Peter Maivia (The Rock's grandfather) for the NWA Tag Team titles in July of 1971 in San Francisco.
That match was the first turning point in Graham's career and it really changed Graham's career.
"Patterson was my mentor," Graham said about his tag team partner. Graham learned a lot during his early days from the in-ring knowledge of stars such as Patterson, Stevens and eventually The Rock's father, Rocky Johnson.
Verne Gagne saw the power and ability of Graham and decided to get Graham to work for the AWA out of Minneapolis.
"I hated working against Verne Gagne because of his old school style of wrestling, and I was not a wrestler," Graham said about his stay with the AWA. "I was more methodical. It was physically difficult."
Graham did not complain about the crowds and money that came with his stay, but the coldness of the north really got to the Arizona native. He left the AWA for one reason -- the cold.
Verne Gagne expressed his displeasure and amazement in Graham's decision to leave. The choice was a wise one because an even bigger call came.
Vince McMahon Sr. called Graham up in 1975, and Graham was anxious to work for the WWWF. He was quickly accepted by the fans and by the wrestlers.
Bruno Sammartino had ruled the WWWF for fifteen years, and McMahon Sr. was looking for a man to give him a run for his money. Graham was his choice.
"It was the easiest match I could have," Graham said about his legendary bouts with Sammartino. Sammartino's strength and similar style really helped Graham-Sammartino matches go very smoothly.
March 30, 1977, McMahon Sr. has made the decision to give Graham the World title from Sammartino. The Baltimore crowd was split on who their favourite was, and a lot of confusion came when Graham used the ropes to pin Sammartino.
It was over. Billy Graham had become the WWWF World champion. But it was the interesting way in which the crowd reacted that made Graham an innovator. Graham become the first major "tweener" for the WWWF, and his model was the same way in which stars like Steve Austin and Degeneration X were split. No matter how evil, how much of a rulebreaker he was, the crowds were booing and cheering him at the same time.
Graham remembered getting motivation to carry this split fan reaction to a new gimmick. He wanted to have a feud with Ivan Koloff, the WWWF's biggest heel wrestler, and Graham believed that would get him over greatly with the fans. He was hoping for a long run as champion.
McMahon Sr. had a different idea. At the same time a young amateur wrestler was being pushed by the name of Bob Backlund. McMahon Sr. planned two years ahead to eventually give the title to Backlund.
Graham knew the day would come 10 months later to lose the title, but Graham had a very successful run. He sold out 19 of 20 New York City's Madison Square Garden main events he headlined, a percentage not met by any other wrestler in WWWF or WWF history.
Graham, along with many other wrestlers, was not sure if giving the title to Backlund so soon was the right decision. McMahon Sr. made what some say was a mistake. He had told Backlund and others of the decision to give Backlund the title. He could not back out.
When Graham did lose the title to Backlund eventually in early 1978, Graham was very discouraged with the sport. He had a bloody feud with Dusty Rhodes, but then Graham was gone.
"I got burnt out. I went back to Phoenix and I became a recluse."
His absence started rumours in the Philadelphia Enquirer that he had passed away. Graham admitted that Dusty Rhodes started that rumour as a joke.
Graham rejoined the renamed WWF in 1982 with a new look. He had a shaved head and martial arts pants. He immediately was thrown into a feud with Backlund, but the World title that Backlund held was never to come back to him.
"I shouldn't have used that (martial arts) gimmick," Graham said. The Graham name helped sell out arenas still, but Graham was sitting on a gimmick that was not working for him.
His own personal problems with his life and steroids were the main reason for the absence of another World title reign.
Graham moved to Florida to work for Kevin Sullivan, and then moved onto work for the NWA and the Crocketts.
Dusty Rhodes was the booker for the NWA at the time, and he invited Graham to work for them for a while. Graham worked huge stadium shows with the group, but he never got the push he felt he deserved.
It was when he was with the NWA that he dumped the martial arts gimmicks, bleached his beard, put on the tie-dye and felt pain.
He called Vince McMahon Jr., who had taken over as the head of the WWF during Graham's absence with the WWF, and offered his abilities for the WWF once again. McMahon liked the idea, and Graham was scheduled for his first match back with the WWF in Baltimore.
"I walked into the building limping," Graham said about his match back. McMahon Jr. saw this, and questioned if Graham was even in shape to wrestle. Graham said he was fine, and took some cortisone shots to get through the match.
The medicine wore off, and Graham knew it was not just a pulled muscle that was giving him pain. His hip socket was in amazing pain forcing Graham to undergo a $30,000 operation for the hip injury.
The WWF used the real surgery and recovery in an angle. The surgery was real. Graham had a titanium hip placed on his right hip.
Graham wanted back in the ring, mainly for the money.
"It was a big mistake."
He blames steroids. "Steroids made you both psychologically and emotionally intense. They make you feel you can never be hurt."
Managing Don Muraco, commentating and wrestling a few matches was all that was left in wrestling for Graham.
The last match was with Butch Reed in Madison Square Garden. The sell-out crowd saw a legend wrestle a bloody cage match.
Vince McMahon Jr. promised Billy Graham that there was always a job for him with the WWF. Graham's hip surgery and 1990 ankle fusing injury forced Graham off the road, and it also forced Graham out of his job with the WWF.
"I became bitter at that point, and after the ankle surgery," Graham said. "I began to tell the world about the dangers of steroids, the pain, suffering I was having because of use and talking about the people who use it."
Graham started a smear campaign against the WWF. He ridiculed Vince McMahon for allowing Dr. George T. Zahorian to sell steroids to wrestlers. He ridiculed Hulk Hogan following Hogan's infamous Arsenio Hall Show appearance where Hogan dismissed allegations he took steroids (something Hogan would contradict that statement in a 1984 trial).
"I was such in a state of rage," Graham said after watching Hogan's appearance. "I said, 'He is lying.'"
Steroids were part of Graham's life for over two decades. It was around 1965 that Graham was first introduced to steroids. The drugs were legal at the time.
The dangers were not very well known at the time. Graham knew of some dangers, but not all of the future complications were portrayed to him.
He followed with some unsuccessful lawsuits with steroids distributors and the WWF that he later called mistakes.
Superstar Billy Graham made an incredible impression on the wrestling world.
"I was a prototype for Hulk and Jesse Ventura and even today Scott Steiner."
Graham has had numerous surgeries in the last few years to the point where there seems no end. Two artificial hips and a fused ankle might be all Graham will take. He recently passed on the recommendation to have his other ankle fused.
Steroids may have killed his health, but his memory in wrestling will be immortal.
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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04-13-2006 08:28 PM
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White Tiger
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The next inductee into the Wrestling Hall of Fame is a legend of the Lucha Libre style of Wrestling, the great Gory Guerrero
Gory was born in Ray, Arizona but his family moved shortly thereafter to California where he went to an English school. His family moved to Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico and Gori used his language skills at a pottery shop. In Guadalajara, he joined the local "Box y Lucha" club and was trained by the legendary trainer Diablo Velasco as one of his first protègès. He made his debut shortly after in 1937 in Guadalajara.
Over the next few years, he would make important friends, learn more about the tricks of the trade and amateur wrestling. He made his debut for the Mexico City promotion Empressa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre in 1943. He quickly rose the ranks, being named "Rookie of the Year" and winning two titles in 1945, the National Welterweight title (which he never lost) and the National Middleweight title. His feud with Cavernario Galindo is considered to be one of the first true blood feuds in the history of professional wrestling. The feud later evolved into a tag feud with El Santo on the side of Gori Guerrero, forming the legendary tag team La Pareja Atómica, and Black Shadow teaming with Galindo.
He continued his success, defeating Tarzán López for the NWA Middleweight title and even wrestling a match with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz. He broke away from EMLL and worked as an independent in the mid-sixties, also beginning to branch out into booking. As he got older he was wrestling less and less until he retired in the 1980s. He passed away at the age of 69 in 1990 in El Paso, Texas.
Gori is best remembered for his aggressive technical style and he is credited with the invention of La de a Caballo (or "Camel Clutch" as it is known in the U.S. since it was used by Middle Eastern heels like The Sheik) and the Gori Special, a back to back stretch hold which has been modified into a facebuster move (Gori Bomb) or a neckbreaker/backbreaker (Widow's Peak). He was well respected by several generations of luchadores for his toughness and ability.
A key part of his legacy are his children, Chavo Guerrero Sr. (whose son Chavo Guerrero Jr. is also a wrestler), Hector, Mando, and the recently deceased Eddie Guerrero (1967- 2005). He also has two daughters, Cuqui and Linda. His wife Herlinda was the sister of Mexican wrestler Enrique Llanes (born Enrique Yañez). He was a born-again Christian and raised his children in the Baptist Church.
Titles/Accomplishments
1-Time Mexico National Welterweight Champion
1-Time Mexico National Middleweight Champion
1-Time NWA World Middleweight Champion
1-Time NWA World Welterweight Champion
1-Time Southwest Championship Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Champion
1-Time Texas Tag Team Champion (with Cyclon Anaya)
1-Time Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion (with Luigi Macera)
1-Time America's Tag Team Champion (with Chavo Guerrero)
1-Time Oklahoma Junior Heayweight Champion
2-Time NWA Light Heavyweight Champion
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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04-18-2006 07:50 PM
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White Tiger
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The next inductee is an old favorite of mine, Polish Power Ivan Putski.
WWF Hall of Famer Ivan Putski was one of the most popular wrestlers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His chiseled physique and great charisma made him a fan favorite for years. His Polish heritage made him especially popular with the immigrant population of the northeast parts of the country, where he wrestled for the WW(W)F for many years. Putski was born in Kraków, Poland, in 1941. His family moved to the United States when he was 9 years old. He originally aspired to be a football player, but an injury forced him out of that sport and helped open the door to his wrestling career. He started out in the wrestling business in the early 1970s, sporting a beard and a less impressive physique. While still extremely powerful, being mostly a power-lifter during these years, he did not sport the ripped body that he was known for later in his career. His strength gained him the moniker "Polish Power". He won several titles throughout the country earlier in his career, many of which were won by using his patented finishing move, the Polish Hammer.
He joined the ranks of the then WWWF in the late 1970s, winning the Tag Team Titles with a young Tito Santana on 22 November 1979. They held the titles for several months before losing them to the Moondogs in 1980. Putski then concentrated on his singles career, feuding with the likes of Ivan Koloff, Iron Sheik, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura during the next couple of years. He remained one of the WWF's most popular stars throughout the early 1980s. Though he never wrestled at any of the early Wrestlemanias, Putski did participate in the Wrestling Classic in the fall of 1985. This was the WWF's first Pay Per View, which was built around a 16 man tournament. Putski lost in the first round to newcomer "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who pinned Putski by illegally using the ropes for leverage.
Putski wrestled off and on during the years after his WWF career. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also included in a special magazine released by the WWE profiling the top 50 WWWF/WWF/WWE superstars of all time. His son, Scott Putski, also became a wrestler, wrestling for WCW in the late 1990s.
Ivan Putski is currently a security guard for Hays High School in Kyle, Texas, a suburb of Austin.
1-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Tito Santana)
1-time NWA American Tag Team Champion (with Jose Lothario)
1-time NWA Texas Tag Team Champion (with Jose Lothario)
1-time Southwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion (with Wahoo McDaniel)
1-time USWF Tag Team Champion (with Scott Putski)
Member of WWE Hall of Fame (inducted in 1995)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 170 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked # 92 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Tito Santana.
Putski won the PWI Tag Team of the Year Award in 1979 with Tito Santana
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"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry)) |
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04-24-2006 07:29 PM
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