Happy New Year to all of you…
As 2011 ends and 2012 begins, it’s time for the 15th annual AS I SEE ITYear-End Review. As usual, I should note that my selections are based on whatI’ve actually seen this year, either live, online, on TV, or via tape/DVD;which primarily means North American wrestling.
Written by Darbie Gatorade
When I am bored I often have to deal with an unsuspecting flow of creative juices. Someone recently challenged me to come up with some fantasy booking ideas and I sometimes get carried away. What started out as a fun little game ended up being a 42-match marathon. When you read down this list of matches, please remember that wrestlers are assumed to be in their prime.
In my mind this is the ultimate wrestling show (which would end up being a full blown weekend of incredible matches). In fact I have split the madness up into three nights, with three strategically booked cards, each with multiple epic main events. I took a lot of time organizing the cards so the shows would flow in a manner that would keep the fans attention. It’s not as easy as it looks, considering I set a rule that I could only use a wrestler once for the entire weekend. This my attempt at fantasy booking.
Look at each match, close your eyes, and imagine how the match would play out in your head. You might find your own creative juices flowing. You’re encouraged to leave comments at the bottom of the page. Please use your imagination when you read this article and enjoy yourself!
Promoting the Promoters
Originally published in August 2004
Written by Darby Gatorade
Vince McMahon Sr. & Jr.: The McMahons are undoubtedly the “cream of the crop” as far as Wrestling Promoters go. Vince Sr. got started in the Northeast with his partner Toots Mondt with a promotion called Capitol Wrestling. Vince Sr. eventually broke off from the NWA in 1963 and formed the World Wide Wrestling Federation; following in the footsteps of the AWA, which broke off in 1960. The New York territory was known as the place to be for American wrestlers, and it was the place to make the most money. Booking Madison Square Garden in a city like New York was beneficial to everyone involved! Of course Vince Sr. sold the WWF to his son, Vince Jr, who took the company to new heights and eventually put just about everyone else out of business. Despite that, Vince Jr. has done a lot for wrestling and single handedly brought it into the homes of a huge percentage of fans around the world. After many accusations of steroid abuses and exposes’, the Mcmahons renamed their organization – from WWF, World Wrestling Federation to WWE – World Wide Entertainment, (WWE).
Presented by Diva Dirt, the number one female wrestling website
SAN FRANCISCO, December 2nd, 2011— Just in time for the holiday shopping season, ChickFight and Diva Dirt (http://diva-dirt.com), the number one female wrestling website, have teamed up to present a brand new DVD filled with hard hitting women’s wrestling – “ChickFight: On the Road, Volume 1”.
“ChickFight: On the Road, Volume 1” is available exclusively through Amazon and, for the first time ever, compiles matches fought under the ChickFight banner in recent years. This marks the first ChickFight DVD release in nearly four years, and and the first DVD release from Diva Dirt!
Written by Shockage via the OWW Genesis Forums
We are all now well aware of the events that lead to the death of AWA. Bad choices in booking and promoting, the inability to follow the changing times, the need for older mat based only wrestlers being on top, and selfish demands on money all helped to destroy AWA. If one was to look at AWA, they had a big name of stars that were still there in AWA, and had the talent and ability to be huge. We will look at 1988; the last year that AWA had a chance to stay afloat had they made different choices.
Originally published on December 3, 2003
Written by OWW columnist Kenneth Coker
Editor’s note: This column is being republished in tribute to the 8th anniversary of the death of Larry Booker (aka Larry Latham or Moondog Spot in the world of professional wrestling) .
Larry passed from this life, on Novemeber 27th, 2003 at a building where he had performed probably thousands of times, The Mid-South Coliseum. He was only 51 years old.
It is certainly a sad day for not only Memphis Wrestling, but wrestling in itself, as one of the greats has left us. There are some things I’d like to point out about Spot, and his impact on my youth, and some accomplishments of his, as well.
Larry never really left his home base of West Tennessee. Despite all the success, he still called the Dyerburg community home, a place which my father and my family is from.
Years ago, when Vince McMahon bought out Stampede Wrestling, the seeds were planted for the future Hart Foundation stable. As part of the agreement for buying Stampede Wrestling, Stu Hart made sure that Vince McMahon also hired Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith to work in the WWE.
Almost Didn’t Happen
The stable (and much of wrestling history) would not have happened had Bret Hart followed through on his desire to quit the WWE early on his career. When Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart were first hired into the WWE, they were singles wrestlers. Jim Neidhart was managed by Jimmy Hart, while Bret Hart was given a cowboy gimmick. He hated the gimmick so much that he threatened to leave the WWE. Fortunately for everyone, the writers changed their minds and allowed Bret Hart to turn heel and form a tag team with Jim Neidhart.
If you missed the Tuesday November 15th edition of the OWW Radio with Alan Wojcik &Spug. Here are the highlights:
Our featured interview of the evening came from Women Superstars Uncensored which holds Breaking Barrier II Saturday November 19th on Go Fight Live iPPV. The main event is a WarGames Cage match featuring last week’s guests the Midwest Militia (Spirit champion Jessicka Havok, Allysin Kay & Sassy Stephie.) Our guests this week were Team WSU (World champion Mercedes Martinez, Grand Slam champion Alicia & former Spirit & Tag Team champion Brittney Savage.) In this interview the unified trio offered their thoughts on WSU’s continued growth, putting aside old grudges to fight the common enemy, promoter Sean McCaffrey and the new roster members, new commissioner “Prime Time” Amy Lee and stepping inside the steel cage on Saturday. You can check out www.wsuwrestling.com for the entire lineup and Follow the ladies on Twitter @TheBrittySavage & @AliciaDidit. Want to pre-order the iPPV, log onto www.gfl.tv and get it locked up NOW!!
With so many wrestlers abusing substances, getting injured, and dying young, one place to point the finger at is the tough road schedule that they endure.
Full Schedule
A lot of fans are unaware how many days their favorite WWE superstars work a week. Some assume that they only work one night a week based on the fact that they only see them once a week on television.
If you missed the Tuesday November 8th edition of the Online World of Wrestling Radio with Alan Wojcik, Spug & Kevin Scott as Jamal. Here are the highlights:
The show was opened with a recap of the passings of news commentator Andy Rooney, former World Boxing Heavyweight champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier & Hip-Hop music icon Heavy D. Also discussed were the recent horrors coming out of the Penn State child molestation/abuse.
The conversation moved to the Macon, GA based TNA Impact Wrestling taping that saw Bobby Roode win the World Heavyweight title from his former Beer Money partner “Tennessee Cowboy” James Storm. A preview of this Sunday’s Turning Point PPV was given as was a preview of what the guys think will happen in the coming weeks now that Ohio Valley Wrestling will be used as a developmental territory.
