Anonymous Autograph

A few weeks ago, I was told that prior to the PWX show there were going to be a few interviews filmed for the website and they asked that I dress up for it so I did, considering it was the only time they asked me to dress up for a show. I always dress up for the FNW shows and I figured it would be cool to dress up for a PWX show too. The interview that was filmed was only five minutes and I wondered why they asked me to get dressed up for a five minute interview, but after wards I went to the commentary table to start calling the show.

During intermission, I was talking to wrestler, Tony Hansen and his mom when alot of the younger kids that were getting wrestlers to sign stuff wanted to get my autograph. I started signing everything they asked, notebook paper, Hansen pictures that I wasn't, and even a few shirts. It was cool that someone wanted my autograph and it was fun signing for the fans. As I was signing, one of the fans asked, "Are you a wrestler?" I said, "No, I'm an announcer." At this point, it became obvious that despite asking for an autograph, they had no idea who I was, but it was still cool to sign an autograph.

I guess because I was wearing a suit they thought I was someone important and it's probably another reason I should have read books instead of watching wrestling.

Here's a clip of one of the matches that I did commentary for

The Greatest Manager of All Time

The wrestling manager used to be a fixture of any show and during the 80s, most matches would feature a manager, who had the role of doing the mic work for the wrestler they managed and would portray themselves as handling the wrestler's contracts. In reality, a manager’s job was to help the talent get over with the crowd and enhance a match or storylines. Specifically, villainous managers were used to help further storylines through mic work and getting involved in matches. Some of the most entertaining performers in the history of the business have been managers, but who is the greatest manager of all time? It’s almost unanimous that the answer is Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who has been involved in the business for over four decades and he started in the business in 1965 in Chicago.

Heenan would also wrestle, but was known for being a manager, which gave him the opportunity to work for the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota. After success there, he would go to the World Wrestling Federation in 1984 to manage the top talent in the company. During this time, Heenan would also become a commentator and he along with Gorilla Monsoon are known as one of the greatest commentary teams of all time. The wrestling industry expanded during the 80s and perhaps the peak of the era was Wrestlemania 3, where over 93,000 fans were in attendance in the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit to see Hulk Hogan battle Andre The Giant for the WWF title. Something that people might over look is that it was Heenan that was used to help set up the storyline that would lead to the title match.

After working in the WWF for nearly a decade, Heenan wanted to take some time off and would eventually sign with World Championship Wrestling in 1994 and would remain in the organization for five years before taking time off because of health problems.

Despite having several health problems the past few years, Heenan is still entertaining and his induction in the WWE Hall Of Fame as well as his follow up appearances to induct a few others, are considered highlights of the event.

Here is Bobby Heenan at the WWE Hall of Fame

The Origin of The Raging Bull

When I started working shows, I knew I needed a stage name and I wanted it to have some type of meaning, at least to me. I decided to use my real first name and to use a different last name. Martin Scorsese’s classic film, “Raging Bull,” which is based on the troubled middle weight boxer, Jake LaMotta, was what I used to decide to use the LaMotta name. As I said, I wanted the name to having a meaning and I think one of the main themes in the film is that Jake LaMotta, who was portrayed by Robert Deniro in the film, showed that you have to be able to take the obstacles in your way and make it through them. The real life Jake LaMotta was known for being able to take a tremendous amount of punishment and showed perseverance in many of his fights, which were shown in the film during some brutal fight scenes.

Some people might think that the film is based on violence, but it really depends of how you view the context of the film and it could be a metaphor for persevering through different obstacles in life. For example, I have spastic CP and it affects my leg muscles, but I still find a way to work wrestling shows being a commentator. The LaMotta name to me is that I didn’t let CP stop me from being involved in the wrestling industry.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining because everyone has problems to deal with and that’s why I think anyone reading this can take something from the post. You can either let things keep you down or you can overcome them. While situations can be frustrating, it’s important to keep trying to overcome them.

Here is a clip of the film

Audio Interviews

 This is a BC Steele interview and you can download it using the link

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6Q37MYO1

This is a Tony Hansen interview and you can download it using the link

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OLRPGRYW

Who's The Caveman in the background?

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you will notice that the once plain background has been replace with a neanderthal that appears to be bleeding in the photo. Frank Goodish, who is known around the globe as Bruiser Brody, is considered a legend in the United States, Japan, Puerto Rico, and many other places around the world.

Brody started training in the early 1970s and made his debut in 1975 wrestling in various territories in the United States. However, it was in the 1980s that Brody would become an international star as he toured Japan on a regular basis and has worked for every major wrestling promotion in the United States. His wild appearance and trademark chain were a draw for every promotion that he wrestled for during his career. He had alot of agility for a wrestler his size and also competed in many wild brawls. Some of the bloodiest and wildest brawls in wrestling history involved Brody and Abdullah The Butcher, a feud that was also showcased all around the world. During his time with All Japan Pro Wrestling, Brody would form a tag team with Texas native Stan Hasen, who was also known for being wild during matches and the team became an instant success in the promotion.  Brody is also one of the most influential wrestlers in the history of the business as many wrestlers including Mick Foley and The Necro Butcher have used some of his style in matches.

Tragically, Brody was killed in Puerto Rico on July 17, 1988 when Jose Gonzalez, who worked for the WWC promotion stabbed him in the locker room. The story behind the murder is that Gonzalez told Brody that he needed to talk to him and then ambushed him when Brody walked into the locker room. The reason behind this is said to be that Brody did not agree with some of the business decisions for the company. A trial that many believe was corrupt took place in Puerto Rico and Gonzalez was acquitted of all charges. As a result of the corruption, many wrestlers refuse to wrestle in Puerto Rico and wrestling there remains sub par even now.

Bruiser Brody is one of my favorite wrestlers and I have collected many DVDs of his matches. It's a travesty that someone that had contributed so much to the wrestling industry was killed and the person responsible for it was not brought to justice because of a corrupt trial. However, over two decades after his death, Brody's legacy lives on as two books were released about his career and the WWE produced an action figure just within the past few years so despite the corruption that took place, Brody is still known as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

Here are a few clips, including Tony Atlas talking about Brody's murder.

 

NEVER Stop at a Gas Station in Dayton, OH at 2 AM...

The next post of wrestling ridiculousness only partially involves a wrestling show and is more of an example of how filthy it is in the state of Ohio. November 30, 2008 was a trip where I and four other people packed into a car and left Pennsylvania to enter the disgusting state of Ohio to attend a Ring Of Honor show in Dayton that night.

After a four hour drive, we watched the show, including the insane green man, Delirious (pictured above) dive off of one of the scaffolds that was used for the lighting equipment. It was a decent show, but it was during a time when ROH was starting to struggle with booking so it wasn't exactly the best ROH show I've seen and even today, ROH still seems to struggle to maintain its draw being the top independent promotion, but still struggling in comparison to the multimillion dollar budgets that the WWE and TNA have to work with.

On our way back from the show, we stopped at a random gas station in the middle of no where so that we would have enough fuel to get home. We all went in to pick up something to drink and some snacks for the nearly three hours left of the trip. As I selected a Snapple ice tea to keep me hydrated for the ride back, I saw something that I doubt would even be a part of a movie script. There was a sign that said "Asian massage" with an arrow pointing down a hall way. Yes, an Asian massage at a gas station in Dayton, OH and to make things even creepier, it was nearly 2 AM when we saw the sign. Who knows the unspeakable things that have probably taken place down the hall way? But no one was brave enough to find out, which was probably a good decision.

This story has a rather ironic conclusion as a few months later, I was at an International Wrestling Cartel show in Elizabeth, PA and Delirious, the same insane, green man that dove off the scaffold in Dayton was booked for the show. I had met Delirious a few times prior to that so when I talked to him during intermission, I told him about the Dayton show and the creepy Asian massage incident. When I told him he immediately knew what I was talking about and agreed that it was extremely creepy that it was at a gas station.

So what does all this mean to you, the loyal readers of Tales From Ringside? #1 it's a public service announcement to avoid gas stations in Dayton, OH or just the entire state of OH. #2 Delirious is very polite so buy some of his merchandise at a show. Finally, #3 it's another example that I would probably have better grades if I wasn't a wrestling fan.

Hopefully you've found this disturbing story entertaining, but if not here is a clip of Delirious that will provide some entertainment.

RIP Larry Sweeney

I received a text earlier this afternoon informing me that independent pro wrestler, Larry Sweeney had passed away. Sadly, it’s usually not too surprising when a wrestler is gone too young, but I was extremely surprised when I was informed of Sweeney’s passing. At just 29, Sweeney began wrestling nearly eight years ago and was a main fixture of the PA indy circuit for years, appearing for both the International Wrestling Cartel here in the Pittsburgh area, the Chikara promotion around Philly, and even a stint in Ring of Honor at various spots around the east coast.

What made this particular death very tragic is that I’ve met Sweeney at several shows over the past few years and he was one of the politest wrestlers I’ve ever met. He was always really nice to anyone that would talk to him at the shows and the few people that I’ve talked to about his death have echoed the same statements. Sweeney was a tremendous entertainer and used an old school style. Weather it be as a heel or fan favorite, Sweeney could entertain a crowd.

Unfortunately, Sweeney had a very well documented battle with bipolar disorder over the past few years and it led to his appearances becoming sporadic as it caused him to leave ROH, make only a few appearances for Chikara, and only one appearance for IWC a few months ago. It seems as though Sweeney’s personal battles lead to the end of some of his working agreements, but sadly, it seems as though it was a battle that was too much for him. However, I think it’s important for the fans and people that knew him to remember the Larry Sweeney that entertained so many people in the past few years and not the Sweeney that was clearly suffering from a disorder during the final stages of his life. It’s an extremely sad situation that someone will so much talent did not live long enough to reach their potential, but a lesson that could be taken from this is that anyone that has any type of disorder should seek help.

Sincere condolences go to his friends and family.

Here’s a clip that will hopefully show how bright of a star Sweeney was in the ring.

Wrestlemania Review 27 Part 2

After the disappointing World Heavyweight title match, Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes was next and it was a decent match, but it was booked after a title match so it wasn't emphasized as much as it would have been if it was the opening match.

Following that, there was an eight man tag match and it was a three minute match. If a match is only getting three minutes of PPV time then why put the match on the show at all? More specifically, the Core has three titles, the IC and tag belts in the stable, but they were defeated in three minutes. Not only does it not make them into establish stars, it actually lessens the presentation that they are stars because they were defeated in a short match. I have to wonder, what was the logic of having a team with three titles be booked as basically jobbers on the biggest event on the WWE calendar?

Next up was CM Punk/Randy Orton and again, it seemed like a match that was booked between two debacles so it wasn't as emphasized as it could have been for the show. I've said it before and I will say it again, I'm not a fan of Orton and I think the pace of his in ring style is boring, but this was a decent match. Punk was defeated and it should be interesting to see if the WWE tries to put Orton back into the main event picture in the future.

The Jerry Lawler vs. Micheal Cole match was given way too much time and it certainly deserved the "boring" chant from the Atlanta crowd. The three minutes for the Core match should have been used here and the fact that it was given too much time really brought the show to a near halt in terms of momentum for the show. I understand that Cole's heel turn had months of build up, but it was Cole, who is an announcer and Lawler, despite being a wrestling legend is primarily an announcer.

The six person tag match that featured Snooki from the Jersey Shore was the celebrity involvement in the show, which is understandable because the WWE is trying to draw as many casual fans as possible, but this was another booking fumble.  John Morrison, who I think could be a main event star if given was push was in the match and had two moves during the bout. Snooki had more involvement in a match than one of the WWE's most talented young star, which doesn't make sense to me. However, I will give Snooki credit, the flip she did during the match was cool.

Wrestlemania 27 Review Part 1

Originally, I was going to post a complete review of the show, but as I started writing, I noticed that if I posted a complete review of the show, it would probably be too long for anyone to actually want to read the whole thing so throughout the week, I will be posting a review of each part of the show. I'll start with the opening of the show and the match that started the event.

The show began at 7 PM Eastern Standard time and after a video package introducing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he did a 15 minute in ring promo where he said everything that has already been said building to the event so I asked, why have 15 minutes of what people have hear on TV for over a month? More specifically, why cut the US title match, one that could have been one of the highlights of the show so that The Rock say a few catch phrases at the beginning of the show? You would think that after nearly 20 minutes of opening shanagains that we would get a match, right? No way, there still needed to be a Wrestlemania opening video package as the video package for The Rock wasn’t enough of a waste of time.

At 7:24 PM there was an opening bell and what match was it? The World Heavyweight title match. Yes, the WWE decided that one of the main championships in the company was so important that it would start the show and subsequently seem secondary to most of the other events that took place during the show. The Edge/Alberto Del Rio match was about 11 minutes, which is about half the time that the total Rock opening was given for the show. Keep in mind, Del Rio won the Royal Rumble back in January and in years past, the Rumble winner was usually given the main event spot. Also, it should be noted that Del Rio has been given a huge push since debuting a little over six months ago and seems to have all the tools to be one of the future stars of the company so this is an easy booking decision right? The younger, up and coming Del Rio wins the title from a declining champion, who has stated in interview that he will probably hang up the boots within the next two years.

Well, that’s not what took place as Edge defeated Del Rio and I have to wonder if the WWE pushed him for six months, only to have him job at the biggest event of the year, why give him a push at all? In my view, all the result of this match did was neutralize any progress the WWE made of establishing Del Rio as a star and it makes it seems as though he can’t carry the title as a main event star. How is the audience supposed to believe that Del Rio is a legitimate star or even a legitimate heel if he isn’t given the platform to do so? More importantly, where do they go with Del Rio from here? Even if he is kept in the title picture and eventually wins the championship, it will not do as much to establish him as a legitimate star for the company as a Wrestlemania win would have. The other side of the coin here is Edge, who has been involved in the title picture at Wrestlemania for the past few years at this point. What does retaining the title actually do for him? He’s already a star and didn’t need the win. He’s had several injuries over the past few years and as was mentioned earlier, he has talked about retirement in interview so why have him retain the title? Dropping the title doesn’t hurt his status and considering the wrestling business is low on star power, it seems to make sense to establish Del Rio as a main event competitor. However, the opening bout was only the beginning in a series of fumbles for Wrestlemania.