I turned pro in January of 1963 just after finishing a football career at West Texas State University. In my first year I faced Sonny Meyers, Nelson Royal, Verne Gagne, Gene Kiniski, Iron Mike Dibiase and Pat O’Connor on the way to an NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match with Lou Thesz. My father and promoter of the Amarillo Territory Dory Funk Sr. always said, “You will never learn the business unless you have the opportunity to work with the best.” (Classic opportunity to learn the wrestling business)

Ticket prices were raised for the big match with Lou Thesz. Ringside were selling for $15, a big price for Amarillo, Texas in 1963. Prior to the show, I went by the wrestling office and asked my father to arrange for me to have two tickets for my Mother and Father In Law to come to the matches as that would be the first time they would have the opportunity to see me wrestle in person. I got the straight look from Dad as he said, “This is your first opportunity to show that you can draw money in the wrestling business. Promoters from around the country will be judging you by the official gate you draw with Lou Thesz at the Amarillo Sports Arena. Every dollar counts. If you want tickets for your mother and father in law, you will have to buy them yourself.”

In 1963, I shelled out $30 for ringside tickets for my wife’s mother and father. I was upset at the time but thankful now for my father’s wisdom and teaching.

After the match, a one hour time limit draw with the great Lou Thesz, I went upstairs to the wrestling office at the Amarillo Sports Arena. Dad handed Lou Thesz an envelope and said, “Lou, your pay is $750.” Lou looked at Dad and said, “Hey, that is money.”  Dad looked at me and said here you are and handed me an envelope and said, “Dory, your pay is $700.” You have to know I was happy after finishing a football career with a wife and two kids living on $50 a month food allowance with books and tuition paid and working in the off season after school pouring concrete for $2.75 an hour. (Good pay at the time)

Lou and I sold out the Amarillo Sports arena that night and word got around to the promoters of the National Wrestling Alliance. I was asked to wrestle in St. Louis for NWA President Sam Muchnick, The Dallas Territory for Fritz Von Erich, Florida Territory for Eddie Graham, Australia for Jim Barnett and many other NWA Territories. On February 11, 1969 I became NWA World Champion. One of many who backed me for the position was The Great Lou Thesz.

Dory Funk Jr. – Coach Funking Conservatory and Trainer of Developmental Talent for WWE – http://www.dory-funk.com

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Support Your Troops 46, “Turkey Shoot.”
3598 SW 74th Avenue Suite A Ocala, Florida
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Show time is 7:00pm, Doors open at 6:30pm
Tickets $10 in advance $15 at the door
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The event opened with Bill Apter disguised as a grandma who escorted Terry into the room and told stories about when they first met, Japan and how by dressing as a “grandma”, he had finally gotten even with Terry for things that happened years ago while Apter was singing Karioke (sp?).
 
Next up was comedian Ryan Mahar who opened the show and started what seemed to be an overload of jokes about Missy Hyatt’s sexual prowess, Terry Funk’s many retirements and  how Terry had also done movies and started with such luminaries as Sylverster Stallone, Patrick Swaize (sp?) and more. Then he went around the room throwing “shots” against almost every wrestler in attendance.
 
Next up was New Jack, who delivered story after story about his relationship with Terry Funk including the fact that Paul Heyman kept him off the first PPV and yet delivered a 28 minute tribute to him before the PPV. He then went on to talk about certain incidents that happened over the years including Mass Transit and through it all thanked Terry Funk for helping him when he was with Smokey Mountain and other territories.
 
Next was King Kong Bundy who started off with comedy before talking about he and Funk being in Texas and delivered some funny stories about getting started with the Funk Family.
 
Next up was Kevin Von Erich who told people he was not funny but delivered some great stories about the Funk and Von Erich family and telling people that as a kid, he used to hang with Terry and one day, while gigging for frogs, Terry steered him toward a 10 foot hold in the pond where Terry laughed while Kevin tried to tred water.
 
Next up was another comedian Sean Morton (who tried but rather than give a tribute to Terry, wound up almost getting attacked for shoots on New Jack). Security as well as Mick Foley handled the matter and it was quicky resolved without an issue.
 
After that was Florida Championship Wrestling’s Mike Graham, who like Kevin Von Erich, had some great stories about growing up with the Funk Family. Mike told the crowd right up front he was not very funny, but was indeed very entertaining to the crowd.
 
The leader of the 4 Horsemen, JJ Dillon went to the podium and told people that while everyone remembers him as a manager, he was indeed a wrestler who had been taught a lot by Terry Funk and brought up stories about Florida, Georgia and other territories.
 
Next up was Kevin Sullivan who told stories about ECW, WCW, Florida Championship Wrestling, Japan and more. Kevin Sullivan is a master story-teller and had the full attendion of everyone in the room.
 
After that, we had Dennis Stamp head to the podium who proceeded to tell what a great humanitarian Terry was, giving his time to children and those who were sick and showed the selflessness side of Terry Funk, that had tears in many eyes in the room.

Not to be outdone was Superstar Billy Graham who told stories about the different territories and how proud he was to call the Funks, not just Terry but Dorry Jr. & Sr. as well as friends and family. Graham mentioned how much time Micealangelo put into working on the Sisteen Chappen, dedicating 7 years of his life to the project and told Funk that he had his own dedication and presented a drawing of Terry (among his many retirements…that joke never got old).
 
After another comedian, Matt Bridgestone (with a so-so imitation of Randy Savage including presenting a Slim Jim to Terry Funk), it was time to let Missy Hyatt get her revenge on everyone and told stories about each and everyone who had attacked her during the night. Then she went and told a nice story about Terry and that he was one of the true gentlemen of wrestling.

Finally we had Mick Foley who told everyone about stories in Japan, WWE, ECW (November to Remember), and how he wanted to know how Terry could punch and make it look so good (the truth be told, according to Mick Foley is that the punches were real, which is why they looked so good).
 
After everyone had thier say, Terry Funk took the microphone and thanked everyone for coming to see him and showed an award presented to him earlier in the day. He also showed off the painting by Superstar Graham and went and told some remarkable stories about working with each and every wrestler in the room). He then talked about what the business has become today and not keeping it old school and keeping the business safe.
 
This is just a short synopsis of the Ring Roast 2 and the tape is available for ordering by contacting info@kayfabecommentaries.com

Posted by Goldenboy79 on OWW Genesis.

6 Years on: Remembering Mike ‘Hawk’ Hegstrand

——————————————————–

As the only team to win the AWA, NWA, WWF and All Japan tag titles, the Road Warriors- Animal & Hawk, were the highest drawing and biggest earning tandem in wrestling history. Along with Hulk Hogan, the Warriors helped to popularise the juiced up muscleman look that 75% of big name wrestlers had by the late 1980s. During their peak years from 1984-89, the Road Warriors were an awesome duo, destroying opponents with power moves, and had a huge following in the US & Japan who loved their no-selling, kick-ass ring styles and unique image. But for Hawk, his success and excessive lifestyle caught up with him in the end. The years of steroid and drug use (especially Cocaine) ended his ride for good on October 18th 2003 suffering a massive heart attack.

Mike Hegstrand was born on January 26th 1957, and made his pro wrestling debut in 1983 under the name Crusher Von Haig in Vancouver, Canada….. his stint north of the border was a short one, returning home to Minneapolis, Minnesota, his bigbreak was just around the corner. Mike and his pal Joe ‘Animal’ Laurinatis (who had also tried his hand at wrestling) were spotted by trainer Ed Sharkey whilst working as bouncers. Sharkeys gym would also give rise to such names as Rick Rude, Barry Darsow and Scott ‘Nikita Koloff’ Simpson.

It was Ole Anderson who can be credited with putting Mike & Joe together as a team, christening them Hawk & Animal: The Road Warriors, (influenced by the Mad Max movies), and the pair got over quickly in Andersons Georgia territory, with their leather attire, face paint, bizarre haircuts and destructive power offence. The spectacular finisher, Doomsday Device, clothesline from the top rope- off Animals shoulders was born, as was Hawks longstanding ‘Ohhhh What a Rush’ catchphrase.

The Warriors were guided onscreen by Paul Ellering, who later became their real life business manager, and skills at the bargaining table made the trio very wealthy men in the 80s. The Warriors were pushed with the oldest trick in the book, working short squash matches to mask their inexperience, in which their opponents would take major bumps to make them look devastating. The duo looked like unstoppable monsters who never lost clean, and no-sold their opponents offence. Hawk would even no-sell a piledriver (a sure finisher in the 80s) which drew large pops from the crowd, because no-one else was allowed to do it! Though they were supposed to be heels, the fans adored them, though less could be said of their babyface opponents who resented their popularity, selective selling and pushes without having paid their dues.

Worldwide fame and fortune also allowed Hawk to develop a huge ego, he and Animal were well known for bragging about their deafening crowd pops, to others in the dressing room, and Hawks outspoken nature got him into real life scraps with Randy Savage and Charles ‘Cold Scorpio’ Skaggs.

Nevertheless, the tandem left Georgia after 4 tag reigns, and were in such high demand, they juggled dates with the AWA, and JCP (in the times when promotions cooperated with each other). They hammered old timers Crusher & Baron Von Raschke for the AWA tag straps, and even when it was time to lose them 13 months later, outside interference was required, so not to damage their indestructible aura. The pair (with Ellering) debuted in Japan in spring 1985, earning a huge $10000 per week, (later upped to $16000) and (of course), won their matches in rapid order.

The Road Warriors then settled in JCP, and became prominent faces in the company. They won the first Crockett Cup in 1986, lifted the 6man tag belts (with Dusty Rhodes) and became so valuable to JCP, were offered $500,000 per annum contracts apiece, partly to dissuade them from jumping ship to Vince McMahons WWF. With the exception of Hogan Flair & Andre, it was more money that anyone else was making in pro wrestling at the time.

The Warriors were made to wait till late 1988 to land the NWA tag titles, as booker Dusty Rhodes liked to cast them as challengers (in typical Dusty Screwjob finishes), but by the time they defeated Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton to land the tag prize, Dusty had turned them heel (in a memorable spike attack on Dustys eye). However the heel turn was a mistake, the fans still loved them…. So they were turned face again after four months. After dropping the belts to Steve Williams & Mike Rotunda (in another screwjob finish to protect their aura) the duo meandered from one meaningless fued to the next….. had the pair seen better days? …. Jim Herd certainly thought so, and asked the Warriors to take a major paycut when their contracts were up for renewal. So offended at the offer presented, Animal & Hawk told Herd to stick it and negotiated a move to the WWF.

Known as the Legion of Doom (Vince didn’t want to confuse the Road Warriors with his WWF champion ‘Ultimate Warrior’) a fued with Demolition was the logical one to start with (Vince created a carbon copy Road Warriors tandem when he failed to sign the real thing years prior) though the fued came too late….. when original ‘Demo’ Ax was phased out with health problems, replaced by the inadequate Brian ‘Crush’ Adams…….and the ‘Real Deal’ swatted the pale imitators with ease.

Hawk & Animal made short work of Power & Glory at Wrestlemania 7, and downed the Nasty Boy for the WWF tag straps at the next PPV, Summerslam ’91. Though this completed the set of AWA/WWF/NWA tag titles (the only team to ever do so) , the Warriors were a slower, more ponderous team in the WWF. After dropping the Tag straps to Money Inc in early ’92, the pair returned at Wrestlemania 8 with Paul Ellering in tow ….. sadly the WWF creative team thought it was a good idea to align them with a Ventriloquists dummy (Rocko), which Hawk destested….. after a triumphant victory at Summerslam 92 in London, a disillusioned Hawk (whose outspoken attitude sourced his relations with Vince from day one) quit the WWF. Animal was understandably furious…. but was to take a wrestling hiatus to tend to nagging injuries, whilst Hawk toured Japan again.

Failing to find the same success without each other, the duo returned to WCW in January 1996 for a forgettable 4 months….. (leaving after a pay dispute with Eric Bischoff), returning for (yet) another run in Japan. Though Hawk left on bad terms in 1992, business was business (and a push from Bret Hart) the Road Warriors were brought back to the WWF in February 1997.

Many now saw the Roadies as being past their sell by date, yet they adapted to WWEs modern brawling style with commendable matches in a Chicago street match at WM13, a decent Summerslam match with the (abysmal) Godwinns, and featured in the breathtaking 10man tag finale at Canadian Stampede. They were rewarded with a 2nd WWF Tag reign in the autumn…. But were not impressed at dropping the belts a month later to Billy Gunn & Road Dogg (then seen as solo jobbers). Hawks tough guy aura was also broken when the ‘the New Age Outlaws’ shaved off his trademark Mohawk hair….. Hawk had never seemed more mortal.

The Roadies were repackaged with a new look and push (not that it ever changed much) at Wrestlemania 14 under the management of Sunny in a partnership that didn’t last…. nor did an attempt to fued them with Paul Ellering (who was looking after 4th rate Road Warriors impersonators D.O.A). The WWF were clearly running out of ideas for the ageing tag legends…. Vince Russo provided the kiss of death with the ‘Hawk is an alcoholic’ storyline (teasing Hawks real life struggle to battle the booze). For the first time a new LOD member (Droz) was brought in, though this made Hawk feel even worse…. Culminating in a storyline where Droz supposedly pushed a ‘Suicidal’ Hawk off the Titantron tower. A Hawk vs Droz fued seemed imminent, yet Hawk (who hated the angle and Russo) refused to take it further…. Resulting in LOD being removed off WWE screens for several months. They were given their pink slips in April 1999 when the Federation had its annual spring cleaning.

Living off their past accomplishments, the Roadies worked the Indie circuit….. Animal soon resurfaced in WCW at Sin 2001, Hawk was rumoured to follow, but WCW soon folded and the reunion never happened. The duo returned to the Indies, appeared for TNA and even Ted Dibiase religious promotion…… though their performances had slipped alarmingly, not helped by Hawks deteoriating health (he suffered a minor heart attack in 2000 and was later diagnosed with Hepatitis C). But Hawk continued to wrestle…. He had to…. Having blown a lot of his money during the good times. On May 12th 2003 LOD were given a surprise tryout in a loss to Kane & RVD… management were not impressed with their performance, nor were they happy that Hawk no-sold RVDs 5star Frog splash (old habbits never die).

During his career, Hawk was a hard-living Wildman who overdosed several times. He made an attempt to get clean towards the end… but it was too late. Feeling unwell, Hawk had decided to take a nap after spending the day packing and shifting boxes for a move to his new house. When his wife Dale discovered him hours later, he was dead. He was only 46. Like many of his peers, Rick Rude, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman, Terry Gordy, Curt Hening… Mike Hegstrands body finally succumbed to the excesses he indulged in for most of his adult life.

Its been 6 years now since Hawk passed away, though his, and the Road Warriors legend lives on, the most successful tag team in wrestling history and likely to remain so.

Mike Hegstrand 1957-2003

Order from:
http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com/crowbarpress/cbp-books/08-wcw.html

WRESTLING IN THE CANADIAN WEST is a celebration of more than 100 years of professional wrestling in western Canada.   Recognizing the efforts of promoters and wrestlers alike, the histories of the titles, Canadian wrestling trivia, and stories from the wrestlers who traversed the territory, this book offers a thorough insight into the legacy of the sport in one of the continent’s most oft-forgotten regions.

“Vance Nevada has done as much as anyone in the business as a writer, historian, and as a wrestler.   I’d say his contribution is as significant as the Harts or any of the top people in the business in Canada.   Having spent a lot of time in that country during my career, it was very interesting to learn some of the history.   This book was hard to put down once I started reading it.”
– Honky Tonk Man

“Wrestling In The Canadian West accurately describes what it was like for those of us who travelled the roads on a daily basis in this unique and spectacular area of professional wrestling history. The author clearly illustrates how the business over the years has now come around full circle, as he is living it himself, and dealing with the same trials and tribulations wrestling’s pioneers faced in this area more than a hundred years ago.”
– Moondog Ed Moretti

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- WHAT’S INSIDE? -
This book features:
- Profiles on more than 100 promotions over the past century
- Championship histories
- Statistical rankings for wrestlers and tag teams
- “A Day in Canadian Wrestling History” trivia
- Road stories from the wrestlers themselves, including J.J. Dillon, Moose Morowski, Kerry Brown, Paul Diamond, Tony Condello, Dean Higuchi [Dean Ho], Johnny Devine, Steve Corino, and more!!
- Features on women’s and midget wrestling
- A discussion about the relevance of wrestling commissions in modern wrestling
- “The State of the Business” in 2009.
- A directory of the top drawing wrestling events of all time in western Canada
- Statistics for more than 200 active Canadian wrestlers
- 101 photos
- Much, much more!!

For more information, including a press media kit in PDF format, go to:
http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com/crowbarpress/media/CanWest media kit.pdf

SLAM Wrestling interview with Vance Nevada
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/09/24/11090221.html

Audio interview conducted by Wayne Stanton on blogtalkradio.com
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wayne-stanton/2009/10/09/Vance-Nevada-Special.mp3?localembed=download

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Remember Gino Carabello? “No.” How about Brian Mackney? “Still nothing.” S.D. Jones? “Oh… I think I heard a murmur from the back of the room. What about Steve Lombardi? A few more hands…

What do those names have in common” Well, these men are some of the jobbers who could be found at WWF events back in the glory days of the nineteen eighties. “Jobber” is professional wrestling slang for, to put it bluntly, the loser. It’s more poetic origin is in reference to the fact that a “jobber” is not so much a wrestling superstar as he is a worker (just doing his “job”).

The reason some of you nodded when you saw the name Steve Lombardi (a.k.a: The Brooklyn Brawler), but looked blankly at the screen while reading Carabello’s name, is that some jobbers of the eighties (and earlier) had a slightly elevated status. For example, the Face (good guy; fan favorite) S.D. Jones would usually do some damage do his opponent before taking the fall, unlike the unfortunate Mackney who essentially played the role of practice dummy.

S.D. Jones and Steve Lombardi always offered more competition than did Gino Carabello and Brian Mackney. In fact, like many jobbers, Jones had briefly been a big name star, tag-teaming with “Mr. U.S.A.” Tony Atlas.

In the years just prior to and following WrestleMania (back before they were numbered), WWF on television consisted almost exclusively of Jobber matches. That is to say, big name heroes and villains like The Junkyard Dog, Tito Santana, Roddy Piper and The Iron Sheik would take on has-beens and never-were’s like Rene Goulet, Frank Marconi, Jose Luis Rivera and Bob Marcus. The program would sometimes end with a more prestigious match, but more often it would be one of the more capable jobbers closing the show in a match with a superstar.

What was the point of these walkover matches, and why did we put up with them” Well, it made many of us crave the major events that much more. We’d watch, for example, the highly-skilled tag-team The Killer Bees demolish Mr. X and Les Thornton on the same show that the ruthless Hart Foundation wiped out Scott McGhee and Rick McGraw and realize we HAD to see the Bees take on the Foundation live at the next main event in our state/province.

To be honest, some of my favorite wrestlers were the jobbers. Hamilton, Ontario’s “Iron” Mike Sharpe is definitely in my all-time top five. He was a tall, loud, Heel (bad guy; rule-breaker) who insisted that he was “Canada’s Greatest Athlete!” Sharpe was a jobber who I actually watched win a match once at a live show when I was a kid. Of course, this is one of the reasons I’ve always liked him.

Yes, jobbers occasionally won matches. Obviously, this was almost always a victory over another, lesser, jobber. However, once in a blue moon, a jobber would get one up on a big name superstar. The first incident of this that I can remember was when the Face jobber Ron Dee had a decision reversed in his favor over “Terrible” Terry Funk. Funk had defeated Dee with a sleeperhold – his finisher at the time – and then proceeded to “brand” poor Ron with the branding iron he brought with him to ringside. This was normal procedure for Terry, but for some reason after this particular match, he decided to then beat the hell out of Dee. The referee tried to stop Funk, threatening a decision reversal, then eventually followed through with his threat. I was thirteen years old at the time, and thought this was incredibly cool (I felt really good for Ron: “Right on! One for the little guy!”).

A much more famous example of a jobber pulling an upset over a big name wrestler is when “The Kid”, a WWF jobber in the early nineties, pinned big-name star Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and earned himself the name “1-2-3 Kid”. Sean Waltman has since gone on to considerable success as Syxx and X-Pac.

Speaking of jobbers in the nineties, by that time, the definition was beginning to change a little. The “punching bag” level of jobbing, where the loser would often make no successful attack at all during the entire match, was fading away. Since nineteen ninety-five, even if you know who the winner is going to be, you can usually be pretty sure there will be something of a fight first.

Gino Carabello and Brian Mackney couldn’t give us that much, but you know something” A part of me still kinda misses them…

by Derek K. ..

Steve H. wrote: I miss them too! Back in the days when I was a young fan getting into wrestling – and I still believed it was all real, I used to love the rare segments of a match when the jobber would unload a few punches, bounce a top-name superstar off the ropes, then miss a dropkick or clothesline and continue getting pounded! To make jobbers seem totally useless – I once recall a WCW match pitting Big Van Vader against two no-names in a handicap match. It was as good as over as soon as the bell rung, and I don’t remember a tag being made – but I seem to remember Powerbombs were dished out and Vader pinned both limp bodies simultainiously within minutes. And you’re right – it built up Vader’s heat and made me look forward to the day He’d have to fight someone like Sting. It was great to believe that one of these guys would one day steal a win over a big star and have their hand raised. And how I cheered when the cocky Ramon did the job for X-Pac Waltman…

Kilo Charlie wrote: Growing up in North Carolina I don’t recall much of the WWF matches, but I do have fond memories of the NWA Saturday night program. My favorite jobbers of the time were the Mulkeys. Every weekend you could tune in the see Bill or Randy get the snot beat out of them by Nikita Koloff, Magnum T.A., Arn Anderson, or any of the other stars at the time. There is nothing like seeing the blonde mullet’d Randy or Bill take a Russian Sickle and flip like a ragdoll. I do remember watching the one win they had against the Gladiators. Ah the memories!

Brian Folan wrote: Nice article, always good to see a testament to the unsung heroes of the business. Those guys went out and took their lumps every night, with no recognition. Coincidentally, I was watching SummerSlam ‘95 the other day (not sure why) and I saw jobber-extraordinaire Barry Horowitz take on Chris Candido (as “Skip”). The angle was that Horowitz had scored a win over Skip with some interference, then outlasted him in the re-match, for a time-limit draw. Skip was supposed to put this jobber away once and for all, but instead it was Horowitz picking up his only ever PPV win (I believe). Other than the Razor/HBK Ladder re-Match, this was probably the best worked match of the night, and it just goes to show that the best workers aren’t always the guys at the top of the card.

Tom Daley (S.D Jones’ #1 Fan!) wrote: Derek my man, you’ve just became my favourite columnist! Thank you for writing this article to pay tribute to those who “counted the lights” for us, so very often. I still hold dear in my heart, WM I, KKB VS. S.D @ MSG! The best “9″ seconds of my life!

James Redd wrote: Yes, I fondly remember those days when we would rest on Saturday afternoons instead of playing so that we could last long enough to see SNME and finally get to see the stars vs. the stars. I also believed it was all “real” at the time and remember “Iron” Mike and the Brooklyn Brawler (though I suspected something was up with them because jobbers never had nicknames). I also seem to remember the WWF debut of Shane Douglas, the first jobber I ever saw win a match (vs. I forget who). He then received a small push but (I think) soon left to take care of his father. Those were the days!

Martin Krezalek wrote: How can you forget about Tiger Chung Lee? Also, I would argue that there was actually a 3 tiered jobber hierarchy with top tier jobbers who actually did more than get the upper hand before losing. These guys were given character roles and were actually elevated to semi-star status for short periods of time before returning back to earth as stepping stones. I’m talking about Leaping Lanny Poffo, The Rebel Dick Slater, Paul Roma, Outback Jack, Corporal Kirschner. Can you think of anyone else”

Dave wrote: Thanks for the great article, Derek. It is about time that the Barry O’s of the wrestling world got a pat on the back from someone besides themselves. ;-)
Martin Krezalek’s feedback about a 3 tiered jobber hierarchy makes sense to me. I would suggest Hillbilly Jim, Uncle Elmer and Cousin Luke be added to the list. The had a somewhat elevated status, but in the end the were jobbers in the matches that pitted them against worthy opponents.

Eddie in SC. wrote: One of my favorite columns, ever. Took me back to my younger days. Growing up watching the NWA, I was always hoping that one of my favorite “upper tier” babyface jobbers (like a Johnny Ace, for example) could somehow pull out a victory against a top name heel. It rarely, if ever, happened, but there was always that chance. Thanks again for the memories…

Eric Conner wrote: The joy of rooting for “jobbers” (whom my dad would call PALOOKAS) was that every week, you came to know them and their own unique lack of skills. After all, during 80s wrestling, these jobbers took up just as much air time as the stars. I probably watched Jose Luis Rivera get put to sleep more than I saw the Cobra Clutch or Boston Crab. My best friend Ross and I would even come up with imaginary cards pitting one jobber against another. Would the hard head of SD Jones be enough to take down the unpredictable Rene Goulet” Then one day, the DREAM JOBBER BATTLE happened. FRANKIE WILLIAMS VS SALVATORE BELLOMO. (For those who do not remember these two warriors, imagine being able to watch Michael Jordan take on Wilt Chamberlain… or Muhammad Ali vs Mike Tyson) — But my eyes did not deceive me. The match we had imagined… no, that we had prayed for years to happen…. was a reality. And though we predicted this match would end with a tap-out at the opening handshake, it actually went on for several awe-inspiring minutes. In the end, Bellomo proved to the be the King of the Jobbers with a remarkably graceful sunset flip. Cut to years later. I no longer am an avid wrestling fan. But I got convinced to attend a live taping of Raw. And lo and behold, before the cameras rolled, there was a jobber with green leggings putting a new star over. He got pummeled so badly that the ref had to walk him back to the dressing room. It was glorious. And sadly, I didn’t even catch his name. Steve something.

Eric Connor wrote: The joy of rooting for “jobbers” (or, as my dad affectionately called them, PALOOKAS) was that each week, you came to know their own unique lack of skills. During the heyday of 80s wrestling, jobbers occupied as much air time as the stars. I probably watched Jose Luis Rivera tap out more often than I saw any of the champions. My best friend Ross and I even concocted imaginary cards pitting one jobber against another. Would SD Jones’s pulverizing headbutt be enough to take down the unpredictable Rene Goulet” Then one day, the DREAM JOBBER BATTLE happened. FRANKIE WILLIAMS VS SALVATORE BELLOMO. For those who do not remember these two warriors, imagine being able to watch Michael Jordan take on Wilt Chamberlain or Muhammad Ali vs Mike Tyson. After years of prayer, Frankie vs Sal was a reality. And though we predicted this match would end with a tap-out at the opening handshake, it actually went on for several awe-inspiring minutes. In the end, Bellomo proved to the be the King of the Jobbers with a remarkably graceful sunset flip. Years later, I attended a live taping of RAW. I thought that the Iron Mike Sharpes, Mr. X’s and Mulkeymanias were long gone. But lo and behold, before the cameras rolled, they announced a Jobber. Wearing green leggings and a mullet, this grappler spent several painful minutes putting a new star over. He got pummeled so badly that the ref had to walk him back to the dressing room. It was glorious. And sadly, I didn’t even catch his name. Steve something. Such is the life of the Jobber.

Harvey McCarthy wrote: I was surfing the net when the name “SD Jones” popped in my head. I found his wikipedia entry which linked your article. It has to be one of the best wrestling articles that I have read in years. I too remember the Mr. X, SD Jones, and Jerry Allens of the wrestling world. Even though I don’t consider him a jobber, Lanny Poffo was also a stable for many years on WWF Superstars. He was always called upon to put someone over until they packaged him as the Genius. I don’t think wrestling fans today appreciate what we had in the 1980s. I remember when Jim Powers and Paul Roma were repackaged into winners. They had a reverse decision over the Harts with the help of Mr. T. It was the start of the Young Stallions. Unfortunately, those two men didn’t get along and Vince broke them up. How about when PJ Walker pinned Mike Rotundo on Raw? He became Aldo Montoya not long afterwards. The fact that the “upset” could happen kept us tuned in through out all the other squash matches. Eventually, wrestling switched from pure jobbers to guys that promotions, especially WCW, wanted to bury. Tom Zenk is the best example of someone who many fans consider a jobber because of the way his career ended. He was brought into WCW to be a star. According to online interviews, he was supposed to have been a top five babyface. In the end, he was used to make other guys look good. Ironically, like Lanny Poffo in the WWF, they both started at the top of the card, but ended at the bottom when the bookers changed. Zenk, like Poffo, made good money but their careers stalled when they became “Jobbers to the Stars.” Oddly enough, like SD Jones and Iron Mike Sharpe, they had huge fan followings. Now, wrestling seems to be the same guys recycled over and over again. Why would I care that John Cena is going to face Shawn Michaels at Summer Slam, for example, when they have wrestled 20 times on TV already this year?

Ken Becker wrote:
I just read the article on Jobbers of the 80’s, and WOW! So many great names. I always loved Iron Mike Sharpe. He had that forearm problem/broken arm for 5 years. And he almost always used it to hide a foreign object. His attitude was incredible. And few people know he trained Mike Bucci aka Nova (ECW) aka Simon Dean (WWE). Mike Sharpe would often team with another Canadian jobber by the name of Johnny K9. One of my best friends always immitated his arms crossed in the air. The then WWF also had the great Jose Luis Rivera. A jobber, yes. But if I am not mistaken, he did hold the then WWF 6 man tag titles with Tito Santana and Pedro Morales. NWA/WCW had some wonderful jobbers, too. Agent Steele aka Brad Anderson, son of Gene Anderson (YES of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew Gene and Ole Andersons), The State Patrol of Sgt Buddy Lee Parker and Lt. James Earl Wright, Jumping Joey Maggs, and the VERY popular, but jobbing none the less Brad Armstrong (Brad James), son of Bullet Bob, brother of Road Dog/BG James: Brian, Steve and Scott Armstrong. Brad wrestled as Candyman Brad Armstrong, Badstreet (a masked Freebird), and Arachnaman. He also did a stint as part of Master P’s No Limit Soldiers, and who could forget “Buzzkill”, a blatant ripoff of his brother’s Road Dog gimmick in WWE? Really? That many forgot it?? Brad was a second generation, very talented wrestler. But he remained a mid-card jobber most of his career. Let us celebrate those who got over the “Superstars.” Without them, wrestling in the 80’s would have been a lot less enjoyable.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

This book features:
• Profiles on more than 100 promotions over the past century
• Championship histories
• Statistical rankings for wrestlers and tag teams
• “A Day in Canadian Wrestling History” trivia
• Road stories from the wrestlers themselves, including J.J. Dillon, Kerry Brown, Paul Diamond, Tony Condello, Dean Higuchi, Johnny Devine, Steve Corino, and more!!
• Features on women’s and midget wrestling
• A directory of the top drawing wrestling events of all time in western Canada
• Tons of photos
• … and much, much more!!

“Vance Nevada has done as much as anyone in the business as a writer, historian, and as a wrestler. I’d say his contribution is as significant as the Harts or any of the top people in the business in Canada. Having spent a lot of time in that country during my career, it was very interesting to learn some of the history. This book was hard to put down once I started reading it.”
- Honky Tonk Man

COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU!

Catch Vance in person and get your copy of the book signed when he appears at the following wrestling events across the west:

Oct 16
Gold Dragon Wrestling
Moose Jaw, SK @ Timothy Eaton Gardens

Oct 21
Power Zone Wrestling
Lethbridge, AB @ Bully’s South Pavilion
“Four Years of Glory” 4th anniversary show

www.powerzonewrestling.net

Oct 23
High Impact Wrestling
Regina, SK @ Victoria Hall
Details to be announced
www.hiwcanada.com

Oct 24
High Impact Wrestling
Regina, SK @ Victoria Hall
Details to be announced

www.hiwcanada.ca

Oct 25
Canadian Wrestling Elite
Winnipeg, MB @ Franco-Manitoba cultural centre
Vance appears on the “Simply The Best” supercard alongside Val Venis, Marty Jannetty, Wavell Starr, Jon Cutler, Shane Madison, and more!!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=572165595&v=info&ref=profile#/event.php?eid=135668197818

Oct 28
Lessons from the Squared Circle
Saskatoon, SK @ The University of Saskatchewan
Vance is scheduled as a guest speaker at a reception recognizing Canadian wrestling history
Also appearing: Legendary photographer and journalist Bob Leonard

Nov 2
Rockstar Wrestling Federation
Camrose, AB @ the CRE
Vance goes toe to toe with “Golden Lion” Gurv Sihra to kick off a five night tour with the RWF!!
Also appearing: WWE recruit Randy Myers, The Mauler, the Honky Tonk Man, and more!!

Nov 13
All Star Wrestling
North Vancouver, BC @ The Chief Joe Mathias Centre
Vance defends the All Star Trans-Canada title in a triple threat vs. Disco Fury & Johnny Obsession
Also appearing: Great Kasaki, Big Jess, Gurv Sihra and others!!
www.allstarwrestling.info

Nov 14
International Championship Wrestling
Cloverdale, BC @ The Alice MacKay Building
Vance steps in the ring with T-Bone (as recently seen on ECW television)
Also appearing: Kirk Melnick, Bobby Briscoe, Adrian Walls, Tim Flowers, & Honky Tonk Man.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=572165595&v=info&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=70452713239

Nov 25
Power Zone Wrestling
Lethbridge, AB @ Bully’s South Pavilion

April 2010
Cauliflower Alley Club
Las Vegas, NV

Vance has been selected as the 2010 James C. Melby Historian Award recipient and will be on hand to sign copies of his book in person.

“Wrestling In The Canadian West accurately describes what it was like for those of us who travelled the roads on a daily basis in this unique and spectacular area of professional wrestling history. The author clearly illustrates how the business over the years has now come around full circle, as he is living it himself, and dealing with the same trials and tribulations wrestling’s pioneers faced in this area more than a hundred years ago.”
- Moondog Ed Moretti

CAN’T WAIT?

Can’t wait for a tour date in your area and you want to get your hands on this book now?  You can buy your copy online today from the publisher, Crowbar Press at www.crowbarpress.com .

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Check out Vance’s official website for information on the book and about the author at: www.vancenevada.ca

Speaking on behalf of the Albano family, Wrestler’s Rescue is sad to report that Captain Lou Albano  has died at the age of 76.

Lou Albano carved out his place in pro wrestling history for, as best put by Bruno Sammartino, his inimitable “gift of gab,” all complemented by his trademark rubber bands and Hawaiian shirts. Albano enjoyed a rich career as both a wrestler and manager, gaining worldwide fame as Cyndi Lauper’s father in the smash hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

The family is currently in the process of planning funeral services; please respect their privacy during this tough time. Wrestlers Rescue will keep you updated as the family makes it available.

For more information, go to www.WrestlersRescue.Org?or email questions to WrestlersRescue@aol.com

AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will do a four show series of concerts over the next two weeks, followed by Leonard Cohen on October 22; Hall and Oates/Hooters/ Todd Rundgren on October 23; and a final four show series by Pearl Jam October 27-31 at the…forget the latest corporate name that no one ever referred to it by….the PHILADELPHIA Spectrum.

Why does any of that matter in a wrestling column unless you’re a fan of those acts?

Because these are the last entertainment shows of another local classic wrestling venue, the Philadelphia Spectrum… which is to be torn down for a retail/hotel combination, perhaps as soon as New Year’s Eve. The Philadelphia Spectrum has 26 years of wrestling history, and a total of 31 years of sports history to be remembered before it comes down.

W/WWF house shows and PPVs took place at the Spectrum for 21 years, with the first W/WWF show at the Philadelphia Spectrum took place on August 3, 1974 and the final show taking place on May 18, 1996.

The first match at the Spectrum had Larry Zbyzsko defeating Pete Doherty on that August 1974 show, with the final Spectrum match on that May 18, 1996 show being a title defense by then WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeating Diesel in a steel cage match.

Inbetween, the Spectrum hosted 2 PPVs, hosted 3 WWF tag team title changes, one Intercontinental Title change, and WWF world title matches involving Bruno Sammartino, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bob Backlund.

Title changes saw:

April 12, 1980 – The Wild Samoans defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Tito Santana and Ivan Putski when Afa pinned Santana with the Samoan Drop after Santana missed a top rope crossbody block

June 20, 1981 – Don Muraco pinned WWF IC Champion Pedro Morales to win the title at around the 15-minute mark after hitting him with a foreign object as the referee was “knocked out”

August 24, 1985 – Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine (with Johnny V) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo (with Capt. Lou Albano) to win the Tag Titles after Valentine pinned Windham when Beefcake stuck Johnny V’s lit cigar into Windham’s eye.

PPVs saw:

Summer Slam 1990 took place on August 27, 1990 with a crowd of 19,304. 18,703 paid; sell out) featuring a Tag Title change that saw Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Crush & Smash) to win the titles; with talent appearing including Paul Roma, Hercules, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Kerry Von Erich, Mr. Perfect, The Warlord, Slick, Tito Santana, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Demolition (Crush/Smash), Jake Roberts, Bad News Brown, Jim Duggan, Nikolai Volkoff, Orient Express, Mr. Fuji, Randy Savage, Dusty Rhodes, Randy Savage, Sherri Martel, Hulk Hogan, The Big Bossman, Earthquake, Jimmy Hart, Dino Bravo), Ultimate Warrior, Rick Rude, and Bobby Heenan

King of the Ring 1995 took place on June 25, 1995 with a crowd of 16,590 that saw Mabel as King of The Ring winner, with talent including: Savio Vega, Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, Jim Cornette, Mr. Fuji), Owen Hart, The Roadie, Jeff Jarrett, Bob Holly, Shawn Michaels, Kama, Ted Dibiase, Mabel, Mo, The Undertaker, Paul Bearer), Bret Hart, Jerry Lawler, 1-2-3 Kid, Diesel, Bam Bam Bigelow, Psycho Sid, and Tatanka.

World Championship Wrestling also ran a number of events at the Philadelphia Spectrum including house shows in July 1997, December 1998, and May 1999; as well as WCW Monday Nitro shows in April 1997, November 1997, March 1998, and a Nitro in October 1999 that saw a Tag Title chance that saw Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat), as well as WCW Thunder tapings in June 1998 and February 2000.

WCW’s time in the Spectrum also featured a notorious incident where Scott Hall disrupted the February 2000 WCW Thunder taping, starting with a backstage threat to legitimately attack Terry Taylor in the ring. I was at this taping that night and sat through a 35 to 40 minute delay in the Spectrum before Thunder was able to start taping. As all this went on backstage, WCW announcer Dave Penzer was left to kill time (since he’d gone out to the ring to begin what he thought was the start of the taping), actually forced to telling jokes to fill time, causing the crowd to give Penzer a helluva lot of crap for a delay he had nothing to do with.

Other events that The Spectrum hosted included concerts by The Grateful Dead (who played the Spectrum 53 times), Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Who, Guns N’ Roses, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Bob Marley, and Peter Gabriel .

The Spectrum housed the Philadelphia Flyers NHL and Philadelphia 76ers NBA teams, with the Flyers winning their first Stanley Cup at the Spectrum on May 19, 1974. The Flyers also became the first NHL team to defeat the then-invincable Soviet Central Red Army at the height of the Cold War in January 1976. The Flyers competed in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1974, 1975 (winning that year’s Stanley Cup at Buffalo), 1976, 1980, 1985, and 1987.

The 76ers played in the NBA Finals at The Spectrum in 1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983. Four All-Star games were played at the venue, with the NHL playing its All-Star game in 1976 and 1992, with the NBA playing its All-Star Games there in 1970 and 1976.

Other events included the NCAA Basketball Tournament/Men’s Final Four in 1976 and 1981; NCAA Basketall Tournament/1992 East Regional and the Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championships in 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995.

For those of us in Philadelphia of a certain age, we remember the Philadelphia Spectrum and professional wrestling because of the 10 year series of WWE house shows televised the day following the actual show by PRISM, a Philadelphia area sports/movie channel that aired on regional cable TV from 1976 to 1997. WWE house shows were normally held on Saturday nights and were aired on Sunday afternoons.

PRISM was shut down in 1997 by Comcast and replaced by Comcast SportsNet.

As a side note, the sister sports station of PRISM was Sports Channel Philadelphia, which televised ECW from its first shows at the ECW Arena in 1993 to 1997. This, in turn brought another connection to more modern days as local announcer Dick Graham served as announcer of PRISM/Spectrum Wrestling until the end of televised cards. He also briefly did commentary on the earliest days of Eastern Championship Wrestling shows held at Philadelphia’s Chestnut Cabaret on low-power Channel 7 from 1992 to 1993.

Send me any of your memories. I’d be curious to hear what anyone from the Philadelphia region remembers from the Philadelphia Spectrum.

More importantly, please remember to give to the American Red Cross’s International Response Fund to help the victims of the recent tsunami and earthquake disasters in Samoa and the Pacific, which can be done via the following links at here and here  both of which direct to secure links allowing for online donations.

Until next time….

If you have comments or questions, or if you’d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you’d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above.

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http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/m/mildred-burke.html

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