Professional Wrassling

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Information for your perusal.
Malach has been a on and off again fan of Pro Wrestling since being a kid. Generally, Malach gets interested for 5 years, then stops watching for 5, and then begins watching again. It is a vicious cycle. I am currently on a off cycle and have been for 5+ years, and don't see myself going back anytime soon. OK, I lied a bit, I have been watching some YouTube wrestling videos recently, but I will get to that later.

I like most pre-teens got into early syndicated wrestling, the WWF (WWWF, WWE) of the late 70's early 80's. Snuka, Backland, Piper, The Iron Sheik, Andre the Giant, Don Moraco, etc, etc. Of course back then, wrestlers never broke character, and continuely claimed the sport was "real". Back then you never saw the big stars wrestle each other, or title matches or title matches on TV. It was always squash matches, stars squashing jobbers. Something made me stop watching WWF. That something was the advent of cable, and access to stuff like the old NWA and AWA. World Class Championship Wrestling out of Texas, Georgia Championship Wrestling and the early WCW out of Georgia, and of course the AWA out of Minnesota, offered a more "realistic" style of wrestling, where the WWF led by Hulk Hogan became a cartoony super hero show. I can still remember Saturday nights, and the Malach family watching the old WCW, eating homemade pizza. Flair, the Four Horseman, the Road Warriors, Tommy Rich, Dusty Rhodes, had a stiffer, more bloody form of wrestling, and some intense interviews. And you would see title matches.

The basic show was a small crowd, in a studios with a ring. Gordon Solie doing the ringside. Lots of run ins, dressing room fights, and cheating. Fun stuff. Here is the first of our You Tube vids. A Fave of mine, "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer, circe 1983.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB8ppzaRj9A

Unforunately the embedding has been disabled on this one. We also had some faves in the WCCW (Talk about a blood bath federation). Bruiser Brody (RIP) being the big one. Tell them like it is Brusier



It was some good times. I slowly lost interest in wrestling all together as the terrortories slowly went bankrupt, or were absorbed by Vince McMahon and Ted Turner. Soon, the only thing left on TV was a rediculous brand of cartoon wrestling brought to you care of the WWE. Stopped watching.

Then something happend in the mid 1990's. Violent technique wrestling came back in vogue. Because the WCW was siphoning away the older stars from WWF, the WWF changed direction and had a edgier, stiff, more violent style. I began to watch again. Not only the style change, but the type of wrestling personalities (influenced more by Flair than Hogan) began to rule the roost. The HHH, The Rocks, the Steve Austins. This was influenced by some stuff of the early 90's And then there was an even more major shift.

Beginning in Japan, there was this more extreme style of wresting. It has many names, Hardcore, Garbage wrestling, Deathmatches. W*NG and FMW. I saw a FMW tape in 1995 or so. King of the Death Matches. It starred some of the former NWA wrestles I enjoyed, especially Terry Funk, and Cactus Jack (Mick Foley). I saw this tournament, and how nuts it was. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. This is the final match of the tournament. Remember, both Foley and Funk had fought two previous matches of similar styles to advance to this one. This is the final match (highlight) of FMW King of the Death Matches, Foley vs. Funk Exploding Ring, Barbed Wire match (warning graphic). This is why Mick Foley is a God.



And Terry Funk is a shade over 50 in this video. Disturbing yes, but the Japanese have this bloodlust and they pay their stars huge money. Mick foley comments about the exposions in these matched in his auto biograpy, evidently they are done with a small amout of c-4 explosive and he got some pretty bad burns from them. The Japanese even to this day put on some crazy matches. Here is one with a nutcase Mr. Pogo (Again, not for the squeamish).



This in turn ECW, and things got even more violent in the states. Regularly scheduled barbed wire matches (two of the best I have ever seen were ECW, unfortunatley the WWE which now owns the brand an library are tightwads with the stuff). Guys like Mick Foley, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, who were "too stiff" for the bigger promotions became famous there.

Well Malach hasn't seriously watched any wrestling now for about 5 years. After WWE took over ECW, WCW, it again became boring. I will occasionally find WWE or TNA (TNA is kind of interesting) while flipping through and watch it for a few minutes, but it never hold my attention. I have become much more enthralled with Mixed Martial Arts.

I do engage in wrestling talk on one of the forums I am on, and discuss it occasionally with Otis and Choas Dragoon. Recently, I stumbled on a new financially healthy independent that has peaked my interest . . . CZW. These guy are nuts, headed by John Zandig, these guys have become what the ECW was, only more extreme. They some insane matches, including the yearly Tournament of Death, and Cage of Death. Here's a nice montage of the Cage of Death (Very violent).



And something from the Tournament of Death:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o320irfZLKE&mode=related&search=

I wonder, why these guys would put themselves through something like this. Granted CZW pays OK, but still? Many of these hardcore dies, are done by the time they are 35. I have one last video for you, this one is BAD. This is a bump Jun Kasai took through some light tubes at a CZW show, and the aftermath in the dressing room. Not for weak stomached.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVxFrZrM_18

I am Malach, and I ain't that crazy, unless you talking a million bucks.