Disc 1)
Grand Prix 1984 Part 1
Chris Pepper & Buddy Lane Vs. Sweet Daddy Siki & Cuban Assassin
Steve Casey Vs. UFO
Big Stephen Petitaps Vs. Lenny Montana (Moondog Ed Moretti)
Highlights of Ric Flair Vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (Japanese Language, I believe this was aired to build up Ric Flair's tour of the Maritimes defending against Pettipas)
Mike Blood & Danny War Eagle Vs. Bulldog Bob Brown & Mr. Pogo
Grand Prix 1984 Part 2
Killer Karl Krupp vs. TG Stone
Ronnie Rich and Ron Star vs. Sweet Daddy Siki and Len Montana
Disc 2)
Grand Prix 1985
Stephen Pettipas and Great Malumba vs. Rocky Delasara and Tiger Williams
Super Destroyer (I believe this is ET Stanton) with No Class Bobby Bass vs. Willy Tremblay
Sweet Daddy Siki with Len Montana vs. Ronnie Rich
Two Matches from Lutte International in Montreal from around 1986:
Abdullah The Butcher vs. Sheik Ali (Big Stephen Pettipas)
Re-match with Abdullah The Butcher vs. Sheik Ali (Big Stephen Pettipas)
Disc 3)
Grand Prix 1986 Part 1
The Cuban Assasin vs Bobby Crawford
Great Malumba & Gerry Etifier (Gerry Morrow) vs Rocky Delesara & Paul Peller
Leo Burke vs The Spoiler
Frenchie Martin vs Buddy Lane
Cousin Mike (Mike Shaw) & Sunny War Cloud vs Nikita Kalimekoff & Chuck Simms
Disc 4)
Grand Prix 1986 PART 2
Cuban Assassin Vs. Lou Garvin
Interview with Bobby Bass, Spoiler (Karl Moffatt) & Nikita Kalimakoff
Nikita Kalimakoff Vs. Ron Hutchinson
Sunni War Cloud Vs. Bob Crawford
Buddy Lane Vs. The Spoiler (Karl Moffatt)
Interview with Bobby Bass, Spoiler & Nikita Kalimakoff
Leo Burke Vs. Nikita Kalimakoff
Interview with Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin
Frenchy Martin Vs. Lou Garvin
Interview with Frenchy Martin & Bobby Bass
Ron Hutchinson Vs. Bobby Bass
Disc 5)
Grand Prix 1986 PART 3
Buddy Lane & Lou Garvin Vs. Bobby Bass & Bob Crawford
Sunni War Cloud Vs. Paul Peller
Interview with Bobby Bass, Spoiler & Nikita Kalimakoff
Ron Hutchinson Vs. Frenchy Martin
Interview with Frenchy Martin & Bobby Bass
Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin Vs. Spoiler & Nikita Kalimakoff (International Tag Team Title Match)
Interview with Cousin Mike , Sunni War Cloud, Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin
Man Mountain Moore Vs. Paul Gray (International Wrestling Quebec)
Cousin Mike Vs. Hercules Simms
Buddy Lane & Ron Hutchinson Vs. Spoiler & Nikita Kalimakoff
Gerard Ettifier (Gerry Morrow) Vs. Hurcules Simms
Interview with Gerard Ettifier, Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin
Leo Burke Vs. Frenchy Martin (International Title Match)
Interview with Frenchy Martin, Spoiler & Nikita Kalimakoff
Rick Patterson Vs. Iranian Sheik (Angel of Death)
Interview with Bobby Bass & Iranian Sheik
Sunni War Cloud Vs. Bobby Bass
Gerard Ettifier Vs. Hercules Simms
Bobby Bass & Iranian Sheik runs the upcoming tour.
Great Malumba Vs. Bob Crawford
Interview with Great Malumba, Gerard Ettifier, Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin
Cousin Mike Vs. Iranian Sheik (Angel of Death Dave Sheldon)
Disc 6)
Grand Prix 1986 PART 4
Killer Karl Krupp vs. Great Malumba
Bob Crawford vs. Michel Rougeau
Yvan the Terrible vs. Sunny War Cloud
Ron Starr vs. Hercules
Sheik vs. Hercules Ayala Cortez
Leo Burke and Cuban Assassin vs. Butcher Vachon and Nature Boy Sweetan
Gerry Etifier and Great Malumba vs. Rocky Delasara and Bob Crawford
Leo Burke vs. Chuck Simms
International Champion Frenchie Martin vs. Ron Hutchinson
Bobby Bass vs. Sunny War Cloud
Cuban Assassin and Mike Shaw vs. The Spoiler and Nikita Kalmikeff
Disc 7)
Grand Prix 1986 PART 5
Cousin Mike vs. Rick Patterson
Killer Karl Krupp vs. Ron Hutchinson
Interview with Leo Burke, Cuban Assassin and Hercules Ayala Cortez
Hercules Ayala Cortez vs. Rocky Delasara
Interview with Killer Karl Krupp
North American Tag Team Titles: Leo Burke and Cuban Assassin vs. Nikita Kalmikeff and The Spoiler
Interview with Bobby Bass, The Iranian Sheik and Frenchie Martin
Sheik vs. Buddy Lane
Disc 8)
Grand Prix 1987 PART 1
Paul Peller & Gordy Mills vs Buddy Lane & Sunny War Cloud
Bulldog Bob Brown vs Bobby Crawford
Rock & Roll Rebel Express vs Yvan The Terrible & Dr Zargarvo
Rick Patterson vs The Spoiler (Karl Moffatt)
Ron Starr vs. Gerry Morrow (match footage from Calgary Stampede Wrestling)
Disc 9)
Grand Prix 1987 PART 2
Bobby Hart (Biff Wellington) vs. Paul Peller.
Rick Valentine vs. Buddy Lane.
Ron Starr vs. Sunny War Cloud.
Bobby Bass vs. Rick Patterson.
The Rock & Roll Rebel Express vs. Ivan The Terrible & Nature Boy Sweetan.
The Great Malumba vs. Bulldog Bob Brown. Killer Karl Krupp causes DQ
Rasputin vs. Sunny War Cloud.
Bob Brown & Rick Valentine vs. Hercules (Steve Blackman) & Sunny War Cloud.
Michel Rougeau vs. The Masked Thunderbolt.
Butcher Vachon vs. Bob Crawford.
Bobby Bass vs. Rick Patterson.
Frenchy Martin vs. Sunny War Cloud.
Kid Dynamite vs. Paul Peller.
Bob Brown & Rick Valentine vs. The Rock N Roll Rebel Ecpress of Kid Dynamite and Dino Ventura
Disc 10)
Grand Prix 1987 PART 3
Leo Burke and Cuban Assassin v. Butcher Vachon and Masked Thunderbolt
The Beast vs. Nature Boy Sweetan
Rick Valentine vs. Buddy Lane
Frenchie Martin vs. Sunny War Cloud
Paul Peller vs. Kid Dynamite
Disc 11)
Grand Prix 1987 PART 4
Bob Crawford vs. Michel Rougeau
Sunny War Cloud vs. Yvan The Terrible
Interview with Leo Burke, The Beast, Cuban Assassin
Ron Starr with Peaches vs. Hercules (Steve Blackman)
Interview with Ron Starr
Sheik vs. Hercules Ayala Cortez
Disc 12)
Grand Prix 1987 PART 5
Nature Boy Sweetan (Vicious Verne Siebert) & Paul Peller vs Rock n Roll Rebel Express
Interview: R & R, Cuban Assassin & Bobby Hart
Nature Boy Sweetan & Butcher Vachon vs Rock n Roll Rebel Express
Hercules vs Ivan the Terrible
Ron Starr vs Bobby Hart (Biff Wellington)
Interview: Ron Starr & Peaches
Nature Boy Sweetan vs Cuban Assassin
Nature Boy Sweetan & Butcher Vachon vs Rock n Roll Rebel Express
Hercules Ayala vs Iranian Sheik (Angel of Death)
Nature Boy Sweetan & Buthcer Vachon vs Leo Burke & Cuban Assassin
Interview: Ron Starr, Peaches and midget Sky Low Low
Nature Boy Sweetan & Ivan the Terrible vs Rock n Roll Rebel Express
Nature Boy Sweetan & Ivan the Terrible vs Rock n Roll Rebel Express
Nature Boy Sweetan vs Leo Burke
Ron Starr vs Buddy Lane
Disc 13)
Grand Prix 1988
Leo Burke vs. Bulldog Bob Brown
With an appearance from Masahiro `Tòkyo`Chono
Grand Prix Wrestlers in Stampede:
Bret Hart vs. Leo Burke (1980)
Owen Hart vs. Makhan Singh (Mike Shaw) (1987)
Owen Hart vs. Gerry Morrow (1987?)
Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman vs. Rip Rogers and Kerry Brown (1988)
Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid vs. Cuban Assassin and Gerry Morrow (1988)
Disc 14)
Grand Prix 1989 Part 1
Leo Burke and Big Stephen Pettipas vs. Ron Starr and Pat Brady
Buddy Lane vs. The Spoiler (Don Jardine) with Frenchie Martin
North American Tag Titles: Cuban Assassin and Gerry Morrow vs. Phil Lafleur (Dan Kroffat/Phil Lafon) and The Beast
Frenchie Martin vs. Wayne Gillis (Buddy Wayne)
Pat Brady vs. Leo Burke
Cuban Assassin vs. Paul Peller
Eddie Watts vs. The Beast
Dynamite Kid vs. Gerry Morrow
International Championship: Steve Casey vs. Ron Starr
Eddie Watts vs. Paul Peller
Big Stephen Pettipas vs. Cuban Assassin
Steve Casey vs. Pat Brady
Gerry Morrow vs. The Beast
Disc 15)
Grand Prix 1989 Part 2
International Championship: Dynamite Kid vs. Bulldog Bob Brown (Leo Burke as referee)
N.A. Tag Titles: Wayne Gillis and Buddy Lane vs. Cuban Assassin and Gerry Morrow
Pat Brady vs. Phil Lafleur
Leo Burke vs. The Mongolian
Ron Starr vs. Paul Peller
Harley Race with Frenchie Martin vs. The Beast
Disc 16)
Grand Prix 1990 Part 1
The Alaskan Bear vs. Mike Lozanski
Butcher Vachon vs. Robert Messerall
Rip Rogers vs. Buddy Lane
Stephen Pettipas vs. Chi Chi Cruz
Interview with Leo Burke, Paul Peller and Bobby Kay
Continental Tag Titles: Diamond Timothy Flowers and Bobby Bass vs. Leo Burke and Bobby Kay
Disc 17)
Grand Prix 1990 Part 2
Mike Lozanski vs. Diamond Timothy Flowers
Robert Messerall vs. Butcher Vachon
Interview with Bulldog Bob Brown
International Champion Rip Rogers vs. Rick Baker
Interview with Rip Rogers
Bulldog Bob Brown and Chi Chi Cruz vs. Leo Burke and Bobby Kay
Interview with Big Stephen Pettipas and The Maritime Giant (Kurrgan)
Mike Lozanski vs. Butcher Vachon
Bobby Bass and Bulldog Bob Brown vs. Paul Peller and Robert Messerall
Interview with Bulldog Bob Brown and Penelope Paradise
Alexander The Great vs. Bobby Kay
Interview with Leo Burke, Bobby Kay, The Maritime Giant and a woman
Chi Chi Cruz and Diamond Timothy Flowers vs. Leo Burke and The Beast
Interview with Bobby Bass and Rip Rogers
International Champion Rip Rogers vs. Big Stephen Pettipas
Disc 18)
Grand Prix 1990 Part 3
Bobby Bass and International Champion Rip Rogers vs. Mike Lozanski and Robert Messerall
Rick Baker vs. Bulldog Bob Brown
Leo Burke vs. Diamond Timothy Flowers
Big Stephen Pettipas and Buddy Lane vs. Chi Chi Cruise and the Alaskan Bear
Bobby Kay vs. Butcher Vachon
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling- 1990
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling- 1990
Gair Maxwell and Bulldog Bob Brown on commentary, this show was taped outside at the exhibition in Riverside Albert, New Brunswick
1) Bobby Bass and International Champion Rip Rogers vs. Mike Lozanski and Robert Messerall
Lozanski came out of Calgary and would go on to wrestle in Mexico, Japan and briefly in ECW. He’s a young rookie here who looks great in the ring. I don’t know anything about Messerall, which I don’t know if I’m spelling right, but he’s announced from Moncton so I assume he was a trainee of AGPW. He takes the heat for most of the match, getting worked over by Bass and Rogers. Bass is moving good at this point and Rogers is just a superstar. He eventually takes the match after a DDT. Longer match then I expected but fun and there was a great promo afterwards where they are challenging tag team champions Leo Burke and Bobby Kay.
2) Rick Baker vs. Bulldog Bob Brown
I know nothing about Rick Baker. Rip Rogers was on commentary for this match, talking about his buddy the Bulldog who did a quick squash in this match. Bulldog was way up in years at this point but I remember him bringing a real presence to AGPW in its last couple years of its original run. He was all offense and took no bumps here and that’s ok. He finishes it off with a piledriver and a couple legdrops.
3) Leo Burke vs. Diamond Timothy Flowers
This match has Bobby Bass on commentary, who absolutely loses his mind when told that he and Flowers have to wait in line for a shot at the tag titles held by Burke and Bobby Kay. In a time capsule moment, they reference how Mike Tyson has to wait for a shot at Buster Douglas who will be taking on Holyfield first.
Flowers is much different from how I remember him. He was actually about 30 here and I would have thought he’d be older. They reference that before he “crossed over to the dark side” that he wrestled on the US Olympic team at the 1976 Olympic Games. A profile of him online says he was an alternate for the games. He’s pretty talented at this point, working smoothly with Burke and taking some of the better bumps I’ve seen in these shows. This was a fun match between two name guys with your traditional bad-guy beatdown followed by big Leo winning after rolling Flowers up with a schoolboy after Bass’s interference backfired.
4) Stephen Pettipas and Buddy Lane vs. Chi Chi Cruise and the Alaskan Bear with Bulldog back on commentary. I realized during this match that Bulldog sounds like Winnie the Pooh.
I remember Chi Chi from the Grand Prix comeback in the late 90’s and I saw him have a fantastic match in North Sydney with Joe E. Legend. He was a major babyface then but in 1990 he was a young heel associated with Bulldog. I checked out an article on him at http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBios/bolton_bobby.html and it looks like he did a lot of travelling in Europe and in the southern U.S. I think he could have done really well and it’s a shame he didn’t get the chance early to tour Japan, Mexico and Europe or he could have been up there with the other great names of his generation to come out of Canada. He bumps a lot, works hard and most importantly has awesome hair. He and Buddy Lane do the majority of the work in this match, mixing it up with the two veterans in what could be part of the formula that gave the Maritimes the reputation as one of the top places to learn. Pettipas goes wild at the end of the match, finishing off the Alaskan Bear with a Fisherman Suplex, a move made popular at that time by “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in WWF. There was a confrontation between Bulldog and Pettipas after the match, with Bulldog taunting Stephen, leading to a slap in the face for Bobby and an unaccepted challenge to take into the ring.
5) Bobby Kay vs. Butcher Vachon
My memories of Bobby Kay (brother to Leo Burke and one of the famous four Cormier brothers with Rudy Kay and The Beast) so this should be fun. This is not the famous Butcher Vachon, just the Maritime version, kind of like in the mid 90’s when people would get hyped for bands like “Road Apples” coming to town doing cover tunes of The Tragically Hip. Anyways, Bobby Kay is fun in the role of the aging veteran here and it’s like watching a comeback of one of the Harts in Calgary or one the Armstrongs in Alabama. Nothing wrong with this match, with the two of them going through their spots and then picking up the pace toward the end, with Bulldog escalating over the tag title situation on commentary until he got up and rang the bell, which of course always ends the match when done by the timekeeper but Bulldog did it on his own. Apparently this referee had no mind of his own since he declares the match a draw. Being bad guys, Timothy Flowers and Bulldog adamantly defend these actions, much like George W. Bush when no w.m.d.’s were found in Iraq.
Gair Maxwell and Bulldog Bob Brown on commentary, this show was taped outside at the exhibition in Riverside Albert, New Brunswick
1) Bobby Bass and International Champion Rip Rogers vs. Mike Lozanski and Robert Messerall
Lozanski came out of Calgary and would go on to wrestle in Mexico, Japan and briefly in ECW. He’s a young rookie here who looks great in the ring. I don’t know anything about Messerall, which I don’t know if I’m spelling right, but he’s announced from Moncton so I assume he was a trainee of AGPW. He takes the heat for most of the match, getting worked over by Bass and Rogers. Bass is moving good at this point and Rogers is just a superstar. He eventually takes the match after a DDT. Longer match then I expected but fun and there was a great promo afterwards where they are challenging tag team champions Leo Burke and Bobby Kay.
2) Rick Baker vs. Bulldog Bob Brown
I know nothing about Rick Baker. Rip Rogers was on commentary for this match, talking about his buddy the Bulldog who did a quick squash in this match. Bulldog was way up in years at this point but I remember him bringing a real presence to AGPW in its last couple years of its original run. He was all offense and took no bumps here and that’s ok. He finishes it off with a piledriver and a couple legdrops.
3) Leo Burke vs. Diamond Timothy Flowers
This match has Bobby Bass on commentary, who absolutely loses his mind when told that he and Flowers have to wait in line for a shot at the tag titles held by Burke and Bobby Kay. In a time capsule moment, they reference how Mike Tyson has to wait for a shot at Buster Douglas who will be taking on Holyfield first.
Flowers is much different from how I remember him. He was actually about 30 here and I would have thought he’d be older. They reference that before he “crossed over to the dark side” that he wrestled on the US Olympic team at the 1976 Olympic Games. A profile of him online says he was an alternate for the games. He’s pretty talented at this point, working smoothly with Burke and taking some of the better bumps I’ve seen in these shows. This was a fun match between two name guys with your traditional bad-guy beatdown followed by big Leo winning after rolling Flowers up with a schoolboy after Bass’s interference backfired.
4) Stephen Pettipas and Buddy Lane vs. Chi Chi Cruise and the Alaskan Bear with Bulldog back on commentary. I realized during this match that Bulldog sounds like Winnie the Pooh.
I remember Chi Chi from the Grand Prix comeback in the late 90’s and I saw him have a fantastic match in North Sydney with Joe E. Legend. He was a major babyface then but in 1990 he was a young heel associated with Bulldog. I checked out an article on him at http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBios/bolton_bobby.html and it looks like he did a lot of travelling in Europe and in the southern U.S. I think he could have done really well and it’s a shame he didn’t get the chance early to tour Japan, Mexico and Europe or he could have been up there with the other great names of his generation to come out of Canada. He bumps a lot, works hard and most importantly has awesome hair. He and Buddy Lane do the majority of the work in this match, mixing it up with the two veterans in what could be part of the formula that gave the Maritimes the reputation as one of the top places to learn. Pettipas goes wild at the end of the match, finishing off the Alaskan Bear with a Fisherman Suplex, a move made popular at that time by “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in WWF. There was a confrontation between Bulldog and Pettipas after the match, with Bulldog taunting Stephen, leading to a slap in the face for Bobby and an unaccepted challenge to take into the ring.
5) Bobby Kay vs. Butcher Vachon
My memories of Bobby Kay (brother to Leo Burke and one of the famous four Cormier brothers with Rudy Kay and The Beast) so this should be fun. This is not the famous Butcher Vachon, just the Maritime version, kind of like in the mid 90’s when people would get hyped for bands like “Road Apples” coming to town doing cover tunes of The Tragically Hip. Anyways, Bobby Kay is fun in the role of the aging veteran here and it’s like watching a comeback of one of the Harts in Calgary or one the Armstrongs in Alabama. Nothing wrong with this match, with the two of them going through their spots and then picking up the pace toward the end, with Bulldog escalating over the tag title situation on commentary until he got up and rang the bell, which of course always ends the match when done by the timekeeper but Bulldog did it on his own. Apparently this referee had no mind of his own since he declares the match a draw. Being bad guys, Timothy Flowers and Bulldog adamantly defend these actions, much like George W. Bush when no w.m.d.’s were found in Iraq.
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling: Somewhere Around June-July 1986
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling: Somewhere Around June-July 1986
1) Cuban Assassin vs. Bobby Crawford
This was a lot of Crawford working around the Cuban and doing armbars. A lot of armbars. Which is fine, really. The commentator noted that the Cuban Assassin had not as of yet been able to solve the riddle that is Bobby Crawford. Which apparently is a riddle that involved a lot of armbars. The match climaxed at the end when the Cuban put Crawford away with “a reverse brainbuster of sorts” which I guess is what you’d call the DDT he did a year before anyone in the Maritimes had seen Jake Roberts do it on WWF television.
2) Rocky Delasara and Stompin’ Paul Peller vs. Gerry Efifier (Gerry Morrow) and The Great Malumba
Gerry is probably the smoothest worker I’ve seen on either show so far. No wonder Lance Storm raves about him. Nothing seemed like it was just killing time. Malumba had more time in this match and was ok.
3) Leo Burke vs. The Spoiler
I was pretty sure starting out that this was Don Jardine, with the only thing making me think otherwise being what appears to be a red beard. But he’s huge and moves well. They also announce him as being tag champion with Nikita Kalmikov and Jardine’s title histories list that as being him. Fun match. Burke was working hard and these guys worked well together, including a sunset flip out of the corner that was impressive on someone as big as Spoiler. Disqualification ending when The Iranian Sheik (Angel of Death) ran in, speaking of huge guys. And it’s the Cuban to the rescue.
4) International champion Maniac Frenchy Martin vs. Buddy Lane
I can’t fathom Martin being anything other than a heel. He calls himself the “Republic’s Greatest Athlete” with the Republic being Quebec, at the time the heels of Canada. But then they gave us poutine and there was peace and love. Martin dominates the match with dirty heel tactics like choking Lane with tape. He finishes him with a shoulder-breaker, pins him and then drops a leg for fun. He grabs the mic and tells Leo Burke to “stay away from the madman, stay away from the Frenchman”.
5) Chuck Simms and Nikita Kalmikov vs. Sunny War Cloud and Cousin Mike (Shaw)
This match is most falls to curfew. It’s fascinating seeing a team of an American and a supposed Russian (which in pro wrestling means he was from Quebec or Northern Ontario) teaming in the Maritimes. Both are outside super-powers in that area. Sunny War Cloud is constantly doing his Native dance when he’s in the ring, he shows a lot of good energy Young Mike Shaw is fun, it’s a shame he didn’t really get to have a good heel run in the Maritimes a few years later as he’s a big guy who could move. He gets a fall over the heels and then they go back and forth a little more until curfew.
1) Cuban Assassin vs. Bobby Crawford
This was a lot of Crawford working around the Cuban and doing armbars. A lot of armbars. Which is fine, really. The commentator noted that the Cuban Assassin had not as of yet been able to solve the riddle that is Bobby Crawford. Which apparently is a riddle that involved a lot of armbars. The match climaxed at the end when the Cuban put Crawford away with “a reverse brainbuster of sorts” which I guess is what you’d call the DDT he did a year before anyone in the Maritimes had seen Jake Roberts do it on WWF television.
2) Rocky Delasara and Stompin’ Paul Peller vs. Gerry Efifier (Gerry Morrow) and The Great Malumba
Gerry is probably the smoothest worker I’ve seen on either show so far. No wonder Lance Storm raves about him. Nothing seemed like it was just killing time. Malumba had more time in this match and was ok.
3) Leo Burke vs. The Spoiler
I was pretty sure starting out that this was Don Jardine, with the only thing making me think otherwise being what appears to be a red beard. But he’s huge and moves well. They also announce him as being tag champion with Nikita Kalmikov and Jardine’s title histories list that as being him. Fun match. Burke was working hard and these guys worked well together, including a sunset flip out of the corner that was impressive on someone as big as Spoiler. Disqualification ending when The Iranian Sheik (Angel of Death) ran in, speaking of huge guys. And it’s the Cuban to the rescue.
4) International champion Maniac Frenchy Martin vs. Buddy Lane
I can’t fathom Martin being anything other than a heel. He calls himself the “Republic’s Greatest Athlete” with the Republic being Quebec, at the time the heels of Canada. But then they gave us poutine and there was peace and love. Martin dominates the match with dirty heel tactics like choking Lane with tape. He finishes him with a shoulder-breaker, pins him and then drops a leg for fun. He grabs the mic and tells Leo Burke to “stay away from the madman, stay away from the Frenchman”.
5) Chuck Simms and Nikita Kalmikov vs. Sunny War Cloud and Cousin Mike (Shaw)
This match is most falls to curfew. It’s fascinating seeing a team of an American and a supposed Russian (which in pro wrestling means he was from Quebec or Northern Ontario) teaming in the Maritimes. Both are outside super-powers in that area. Sunny War Cloud is constantly doing his Native dance when he’s in the ring, he shows a lot of good energy Young Mike Shaw is fun, it’s a shame he didn’t really get to have a good heel run in the Maritimes a few years later as he’s a big guy who could move. He gets a fall over the heels and then they go back and forth a little more until curfew.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling- August 20, 1985
Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling: August 20, 1985
1) Big Stephen Pettipas and The Great Malumba vs. Rocky Delasaras and Tiger Williams
Holy Crap, Pettipas is great. He’s a really big guy with a solid build and presence and he moves well. He throws good elbows, has good armdrags and does some good bumping and selling too. Wiliams was nothing too special, although the Newfoundland heel is a cool idea. But his work wasn’t that great. And at least at this point, Malumba was almost all gimmick but hey, it was an iconic gimmick for the Maritimes. The heels worked over Pettitpas for most of the match, with Malumba doing a couple stretches plus the hot tag. Pettitpas and Malumba Irish whipped the heels into each other with Pettipas catching Williams off the rebound into a small package. A little long but it was great to watch Pettipas, shortly after he won the International title from Super Destroyer.
2) Super Destroyer with Bobby Bass vs. Willy Tremblay
I’m quite sure this is Karl Moffatt and not Don Jardine. He’s bigger than Bobby Bass but not monstrous and seems built differently. Plus he works a little bit more of a dirty and chickenshit style rather than monster heel. This was a fun little match with Bobby Bass having great presence on the outside, taunting the crowd and poking Tremblay with a kendo stick. Destroyer won with his feet on the ropes.
3) Ron Starr and Bobby Bass vs. Buddy Lane and Rick Patterson
Ron Starr is fantastic here, doing some great mat wrestling and counter wrestling with Buddy Lane that is not dated at all. In fact, Starr and Lane would not look out of place on any show today and Patterson seems like a good young talent. Starr works most of the match, with Bass doing some work and showing some fun stuff such as a splash of the top rope onto his Patterson’s arm and a missed fist-drop in which he sells his fist afterward. Bass and Starr won over the young guys in a good ol’ time of a match.
4) Sweet Daddy Siki with Lenny Montana (Ed Morretti) vs. Ronnie Rich
Rich is in amazing condition. Siki plays up the “Black Gorgeous George” gimmick in taking a while to take his gloves off before the match and having Montana hold a mirror up for him. Siki also holds out his fist in front of the camera with brass knucks on and has Montana take them. Strangely, the knucks don’t get used again. Montana taunts the crowd through the match. Siki is older and slow but fun and Rich seems like he should have been a star, firing up and playing a fantastic babyface. Anyway, Montana interferes and gets Siki disqualified. They double-team Rich. In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In come Williams and Delasara to help the heels! In come ultra-babyfaces The Cuban Freakin’ Assassin and Man Mountan Mike aka Mike Shaw in shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops!!!
The babyfaces clear house. Mike cuts a promo talking about the Cuban being one of the toughest wrestlers in the world and suggesting that he ally himself with Mike, Pettipas and Rich. Apparently The Cuban had been playing Switzerland for a while. The Cuban shakes hands with everyone and leaves with Mike. Pettipas cuts a promo saying that he’s been in “battles and battles” with the Cuban Assassin and that Bobby Bass owes him a lot of money. Pettipas steadfastly encourages Bobby Bass to start trainin’. Rich cuts a promo then the Cuban cuts a promo “People say Bobby Bass got no class...last time I and Bobby Bass fly to Cuba by airline...next time I fly Bobby Bass way up in the air with right hand...you never gonna forgot, you know, the power that Cuban Assassin got in his right hand” (shakes his fist in the air). The Cuban suggests that they can fight in a street-fight in the middle of the ring, in the street, in the parking lot or in downtown in any town here in the Maritimes. Bobby Bass and the Cuban Assassin duking it out in downtown North Sydney, Nova Scotia would be great. And man, the Cuban had the greatest hair and beard in history.
So wow, a show with matches all leading up to a climax and interconnected storylines. Good times and I can’t wait to watch more.
1) Big Stephen Pettipas and The Great Malumba vs. Rocky Delasaras and Tiger Williams
Holy Crap, Pettipas is great. He’s a really big guy with a solid build and presence and he moves well. He throws good elbows, has good armdrags and does some good bumping and selling too. Wiliams was nothing too special, although the Newfoundland heel is a cool idea. But his work wasn’t that great. And at least at this point, Malumba was almost all gimmick but hey, it was an iconic gimmick for the Maritimes. The heels worked over Pettitpas for most of the match, with Malumba doing a couple stretches plus the hot tag. Pettitpas and Malumba Irish whipped the heels into each other with Pettipas catching Williams off the rebound into a small package. A little long but it was great to watch Pettipas, shortly after he won the International title from Super Destroyer.
2) Super Destroyer with Bobby Bass vs. Willy Tremblay
I’m quite sure this is Karl Moffatt and not Don Jardine. He’s bigger than Bobby Bass but not monstrous and seems built differently. Plus he works a little bit more of a dirty and chickenshit style rather than monster heel. This was a fun little match with Bobby Bass having great presence on the outside, taunting the crowd and poking Tremblay with a kendo stick. Destroyer won with his feet on the ropes.
3) Ron Starr and Bobby Bass vs. Buddy Lane and Rick Patterson
Ron Starr is fantastic here, doing some great mat wrestling and counter wrestling with Buddy Lane that is not dated at all. In fact, Starr and Lane would not look out of place on any show today and Patterson seems like a good young talent. Starr works most of the match, with Bass doing some work and showing some fun stuff such as a splash of the top rope onto his Patterson’s arm and a missed fist-drop in which he sells his fist afterward. Bass and Starr won over the young guys in a good ol’ time of a match.
4) Sweet Daddy Siki with Lenny Montana (Ed Morretti) vs. Ronnie Rich
Rich is in amazing condition. Siki plays up the “Black Gorgeous George” gimmick in taking a while to take his gloves off before the match and having Montana hold a mirror up for him. Siki also holds out his fist in front of the camera with brass knucks on and has Montana take them. Strangely, the knucks don’t get used again. Montana taunts the crowd through the match. Siki is older and slow but fun and Rich seems like he should have been a star, firing up and playing a fantastic babyface. Anyway, Montana interferes and gets Siki disqualified. They double-team Rich. In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In comes Pettitpas to help Rich! In come Williams and Delasara to help the heels! In come ultra-babyfaces The Cuban Freakin’ Assassin and Man Mountan Mike aka Mike Shaw in shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops!!!
The babyfaces clear house. Mike cuts a promo talking about the Cuban being one of the toughest wrestlers in the world and suggesting that he ally himself with Mike, Pettipas and Rich. Apparently The Cuban had been playing Switzerland for a while. The Cuban shakes hands with everyone and leaves with Mike. Pettipas cuts a promo saying that he’s been in “battles and battles” with the Cuban Assassin and that Bobby Bass owes him a lot of money. Pettipas steadfastly encourages Bobby Bass to start trainin’. Rich cuts a promo then the Cuban cuts a promo “People say Bobby Bass got no class...last time I and Bobby Bass fly to Cuba by airline...next time I fly Bobby Bass way up in the air with right hand...you never gonna forgot, you know, the power that Cuban Assassin got in his right hand” (shakes his fist in the air). The Cuban suggests that they can fight in a street-fight in the middle of the ring, in the street, in the parking lot or in downtown in any town here in the Maritimes. Bobby Bass and the Cuban Assassin duking it out in downtown North Sydney, Nova Scotia would be great. And man, the Cuban had the greatest hair and beard in history.
So wow, a show with matches all leading up to a climax and interconnected storylines. Good times and I can’t wait to watch more.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Fights For The Ages
In light of the upcoming Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture fight, I am reminded of my childhood.
Twenty-one years ago, I recall the anticipation felt by myself and all my twelve-year-old friends of the upcoming epic, the fight for the ages, the clash of the titans. We were waiting for Hulk Hogan to square off against Andre The Giant.
Andre was my favorite wrestler. Sure, I had hardly seen any Andre matches but there was a mystique to him that was unmatched. After all, he was the guy who had always stood by the fans and had never lost but still had never received a title match. I sympathized with the man and wanted to be second in line to slap Hulk Hogan upside the head. I thanked Roddy Piper for providing Piper's Pit as a forum to set this up.
Hulk Hogan was the unstoppable force to Andre's immovable object. He was the only world champion I had ever known. He was the reason I started to watch wrestling. I was enthralled when he played Thunderlips in Rocky III. I was in awe when he accompanied Ciny Lauper to an awards show, flexed to the crowd and my brother said "He's a real wrestler, you know". I sought him out and realized that I liked Andre better. But Hogan won all his matches right? Andre had never been bodyslammed but if anyone could do it the Hulkster could, right?
Most importantly, it was the first match between them and none of us knew what would happen. We talked about it at our Scouts meetings. I picked Andre. Jeff picked Hogan. And of course we were both right and noone could convince us otherwise.
Of course, there was a lot of myth in this. Andre had done plenty of work as a "bad guy" in Japan which I enjoy much more when I watch it as an adult. Andre had lost plenty of times, including to El Canek in Mexico. He had been bodyslammed by Harley Race, Killer Kowalski, and El Canek (that guy again). And he had faced Hogan in Japan, in Memphis and most importantly on the 1980 Shea Stadium card, a predecessor to Wrestlemania.
But we didn't know these things. And we didn't need to know them. I could have felt betrayed when I learned these things later but I'm glad we didn't know. What mattered was that we believed. And the day after Wrestlemania III the result was the buzz of the playground at school. Hogan won. Hogan bodyslammed Andre. When I got to see the show a couple months later, my family cheered as Hogan bodyslammed Andre, dropped the leg and pinned him. My father simply said "Yup, that's it, he's the best". It didn't even matter that the match kind of sucked, the hype and belief had captured our imaginations and put enough people in the Pontiac Silverdome that Vince McMahon could lie and say it was 93,000.
Fast forward to 2008. Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture are set to meet in the modern fight for the ages. And yes, they've both lost inside the octagon of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Those losses actually and vulnerabilities actually add intrigue and everyone is sure they know who will win.
The third fight between Randy Couture and Chuck Lidell drew me into starting to watch UFC again, much like Hulk Hogan in 1986. Randy is like Andre in this fight with the size difference reversed. He's the old soldier of Mixed Martial Arts, the man who perseveres against all odds. He has fought the greatest mixed martial artists inside the cage and bureaucracy of promoting outside it (whether you think he was right or not, he did fight). He is every thing that an Ultimate Fighter should be: a world class athlete who brought his specialty (wrestling) into MMA, learned other skills and tied it together with the most important thing, heart. He has probably been in UFC a comparable amount to what Andre had been in the World Wrestling Federation (eleven years compared to fourteen years).
And then along came Brock Lesnar. The amateur wrestler turned professional wrestler turned mixed martial artist. The man who was seen as a bland, Bob Backlund-type in pro wrestling but is a colorful personality and promo man in MMA. Not because everyone else is bland in comparison but because there is such an air of legitimacy to this once "fake fighter". There has never been anyone like him. He exploded out of the gates to attack former UFC champion Frank Mir in February at a pace never before seen before getting caught in a kneebar. Then in August he spent three rounds bouncing around former Pride fighter Heath Herring, looking like a tiger playing with its catch before sinking in the killing blow.
Randy has never faced anyone like Brock. Tim Sylvia was bigger but Brock will be cutting to 265 pounds of muscle and strength, like any of the lower weight class champions, just way bigger. Randy's advantage is often wrestling, a hard advantage to have over Brock. And Brock's aptitude for picking up pro wrestling faster than most has transferred to his ability to pick up MMA faster than most.
Brock has never faced anyone like Randy. Randy always figures out a way to beat his opponents. even if he doesn't win, he seems to know how. Randy has as much experience as just about any MMA fighter you'll find, at least any one that is still good. And Brock was just a "fake wrester".
Is Brock too young? Is Randy too old? Is Brock too powerful? Is Randy too experienced? Is Brock too good for Randy? Is Randy too good for Brock?
Everyone thinks they know the answers. And everyone is sure they're right. Me, I think Brock will win. The harcore fan in me thinks that it is the best thing for business long-term, for both MMA and pro wrestling as Brock's exposure could be capitalized on by wrestling promoters (which doesn't mean they will do it). But more important than any such analysis, I just think it would be really cool. Of course, I will still cheer to see Randy win, just like I did when my father said "Yup, that's it, he's the best".
None of us know for sure. And it doesn't really matter what we think ahead of time. What does matter is that we believe.
Twenty-one years ago, I recall the anticipation felt by myself and all my twelve-year-old friends of the upcoming epic, the fight for the ages, the clash of the titans. We were waiting for Hulk Hogan to square off against Andre The Giant.
Andre was my favorite wrestler. Sure, I had hardly seen any Andre matches but there was a mystique to him that was unmatched. After all, he was the guy who had always stood by the fans and had never lost but still had never received a title match. I sympathized with the man and wanted to be second in line to slap Hulk Hogan upside the head. I thanked Roddy Piper for providing Piper's Pit as a forum to set this up.
Hulk Hogan was the unstoppable force to Andre's immovable object. He was the only world champion I had ever known. He was the reason I started to watch wrestling. I was enthralled when he played Thunderlips in Rocky III. I was in awe when he accompanied Ciny Lauper to an awards show, flexed to the crowd and my brother said "He's a real wrestler, you know". I sought him out and realized that I liked Andre better. But Hogan won all his matches right? Andre had never been bodyslammed but if anyone could do it the Hulkster could, right?
Most importantly, it was the first match between them and none of us knew what would happen. We talked about it at our Scouts meetings. I picked Andre. Jeff picked Hogan. And of course we were both right and noone could convince us otherwise.
Of course, there was a lot of myth in this. Andre had done plenty of work as a "bad guy" in Japan which I enjoy much more when I watch it as an adult. Andre had lost plenty of times, including to El Canek in Mexico. He had been bodyslammed by Harley Race, Killer Kowalski, and El Canek (that guy again). And he had faced Hogan in Japan, in Memphis and most importantly on the 1980 Shea Stadium card, a predecessor to Wrestlemania.
But we didn't know these things. And we didn't need to know them. I could have felt betrayed when I learned these things later but I'm glad we didn't know. What mattered was that we believed. And the day after Wrestlemania III the result was the buzz of the playground at school. Hogan won. Hogan bodyslammed Andre. When I got to see the show a couple months later, my family cheered as Hogan bodyslammed Andre, dropped the leg and pinned him. My father simply said "Yup, that's it, he's the best". It didn't even matter that the match kind of sucked, the hype and belief had captured our imaginations and put enough people in the Pontiac Silverdome that Vince McMahon could lie and say it was 93,000.
Fast forward to 2008. Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture are set to meet in the modern fight for the ages. And yes, they've both lost inside the octagon of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Those losses actually and vulnerabilities actually add intrigue and everyone is sure they know who will win.
The third fight between Randy Couture and Chuck Lidell drew me into starting to watch UFC again, much like Hulk Hogan in 1986. Randy is like Andre in this fight with the size difference reversed. He's the old soldier of Mixed Martial Arts, the man who perseveres against all odds. He has fought the greatest mixed martial artists inside the cage and bureaucracy of promoting outside it (whether you think he was right or not, he did fight). He is every thing that an Ultimate Fighter should be: a world class athlete who brought his specialty (wrestling) into MMA, learned other skills and tied it together with the most important thing, heart. He has probably been in UFC a comparable amount to what Andre had been in the World Wrestling Federation (eleven years compared to fourteen years).
And then along came Brock Lesnar. The amateur wrestler turned professional wrestler turned mixed martial artist. The man who was seen as a bland, Bob Backlund-type in pro wrestling but is a colorful personality and promo man in MMA. Not because everyone else is bland in comparison but because there is such an air of legitimacy to this once "fake fighter". There has never been anyone like him. He exploded out of the gates to attack former UFC champion Frank Mir in February at a pace never before seen before getting caught in a kneebar. Then in August he spent three rounds bouncing around former Pride fighter Heath Herring, looking like a tiger playing with its catch before sinking in the killing blow.
Randy has never faced anyone like Brock. Tim Sylvia was bigger but Brock will be cutting to 265 pounds of muscle and strength, like any of the lower weight class champions, just way bigger. Randy's advantage is often wrestling, a hard advantage to have over Brock. And Brock's aptitude for picking up pro wrestling faster than most has transferred to his ability to pick up MMA faster than most.
Brock has never faced anyone like Randy. Randy always figures out a way to beat his opponents. even if he doesn't win, he seems to know how. Randy has as much experience as just about any MMA fighter you'll find, at least any one that is still good. And Brock was just a "fake wrester".
Is Brock too young? Is Randy too old? Is Brock too powerful? Is Randy too experienced? Is Brock too good for Randy? Is Randy too good for Brock?
Everyone thinks they know the answers. And everyone is sure they're right. Me, I think Brock will win. The harcore fan in me thinks that it is the best thing for business long-term, for both MMA and pro wrestling as Brock's exposure could be capitalized on by wrestling promoters (which doesn't mean they will do it). But more important than any such analysis, I just think it would be really cool. Of course, I will still cheer to see Randy win, just like I did when my father said "Yup, that's it, he's the best".
None of us know for sure. And it doesn't really matter what we think ahead of time. What does matter is that we believe.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Wrestler
From September 7, 2008:
"The Wrestler" from director Darren Aranofsky and starring Mickey Rourke saw its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight. Director Aranovsky was in attendance and spoke to the crowd, bringing the producer Scott Franklin on stage as well as Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Rourke's daughter in the film. The film was simply fantastic. It was amazing that twenty years WWE was part of producing a lame wrestling film called "No Holds Barred" and ten years ago WCW was part of producing a lame wrestling film called "Ready To Rumble" but it took until 2008 for a great wrestling film to be made. And it happened through the work of an intellectual director and fantastic method acting by people not previously connected to the business. If the people behind this film weren't previously fans they sure did their homework. As a wrestling fan, I realized how much some scenes such as his deathmatch with Necro Butcher must have seemed, a seeming work of fiction based all too much on reality. A concern I had going into the film was whether the wrestling world presented would try to pretend the wrestling was "real" or if they would try to portray as the "work" that it is. Unlike No Holds Barred and Ready To Rumble which tried to present wrestling as "real", this film took you into the locker room to see wrestlers discussing the layout of their matches with terms like "the heat", "the comeback" and "take it home". And it is this presentation which makes wrestling seem more real than any work of fiction previously has. You are drawn into the psychology of pro wresting and even moreso, the pain experienced is depicted as more real than anything in the epic wars of Hogan vs. Zeus or David Arquette vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Central to the film is the character study. Much like the simple title of "The Wrestler" camouflages the catharsis of the film, the seemingly simple presentation of Randy "The Ram" Robinson as a 1980's leftover continually trying to relive the past belies the insight provided into the human condition. Rourke brings this character alive with elements of Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and Jake Roberts as they all appeared in "Beyond The Mat". Add in a more contemporary version of a wrestler such as Eddie Guerrero pushing his heart to the brink through the use of steroids, or even Rick Rude in his attempted comeback. But although elements of these men are seen in the portrait of Randy, he is no more them than Robert Deniro was any of the taxi drivers he drove with in preparing for his role as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver". "The Wrestler" provides a wholly original portrait of a man dealing with his physical and professional mortality and using the high of performing as the motivation for the drugs he uses to get him there. The relationship of Randy with Marisa Tomei's character of "Cassidy" is fascinating in its use of juxtaposition. She is a stripper using her body to perform and pretend to be give her customers the acceptance they seek from her without accepting them outside the world of the strip club. Randy is a wrestler using his body to perform in order to receive the acceptance he seeks from the fans who do not accept him outside the world of wrestling, where is alone and has to work at a grocery store deli counter. Cassidy puts on her mask to provide for her son whil Randy puts on his mask which drives him away from his daughter. Cassidy wants to quit to have a life with her son but cannot get away. The last thing Randy wants is to quit, but being forced to for health reasons brings him temporarily closer to his daughter. Rourke presents one of the most likeable characters I have ever seen on screen. Cassidy's referencing "The Passion Of The Christ" paints him as a Christ figure. He is a man in search of his soul in this film and sacrifices himself for his fans. He uses a Chris Benoit-like diving headbutt, bringing him more adoration while it brings him closer to death, and you feel awkward cheering him all the way. But he makes a choice, realizing the the wrestling arena is the only place he feels home and somehow it is painted as understandable. The film does not poke fun at wrestling. It presents it as something that seems simple but is layered and complex in its catharsis, much like Randy and Cassidy and the film itself.
"The Wrestler" from director Darren Aranofsky and starring Mickey Rourke saw its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight. Director Aranovsky was in attendance and spoke to the crowd, bringing the producer Scott Franklin on stage as well as Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Rourke's daughter in the film. The film was simply fantastic. It was amazing that twenty years WWE was part of producing a lame wrestling film called "No Holds Barred" and ten years ago WCW was part of producing a lame wrestling film called "Ready To Rumble" but it took until 2008 for a great wrestling film to be made. And it happened through the work of an intellectual director and fantastic method acting by people not previously connected to the business. If the people behind this film weren't previously fans they sure did their homework. As a wrestling fan, I realized how much some scenes such as his deathmatch with Necro Butcher must have seemed, a seeming work of fiction based all too much on reality. A concern I had going into the film was whether the wrestling world presented would try to pretend the wrestling was "real" or if they would try to portray as the "work" that it is. Unlike No Holds Barred and Ready To Rumble which tried to present wrestling as "real", this film took you into the locker room to see wrestlers discussing the layout of their matches with terms like "the heat", "the comeback" and "take it home". And it is this presentation which makes wrestling seem more real than any work of fiction previously has. You are drawn into the psychology of pro wresting and even moreso, the pain experienced is depicted as more real than anything in the epic wars of Hogan vs. Zeus or David Arquette vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Central to the film is the character study. Much like the simple title of "The Wrestler" camouflages the catharsis of the film, the seemingly simple presentation of Randy "The Ram" Robinson as a 1980's leftover continually trying to relive the past belies the insight provided into the human condition. Rourke brings this character alive with elements of Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and Jake Roberts as they all appeared in "Beyond The Mat". Add in a more contemporary version of a wrestler such as Eddie Guerrero pushing his heart to the brink through the use of steroids, or even Rick Rude in his attempted comeback. But although elements of these men are seen in the portrait of Randy, he is no more them than Robert Deniro was any of the taxi drivers he drove with in preparing for his role as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver". "The Wrestler" provides a wholly original portrait of a man dealing with his physical and professional mortality and using the high of performing as the motivation for the drugs he uses to get him there. The relationship of Randy with Marisa Tomei's character of "Cassidy" is fascinating in its use of juxtaposition. She is a stripper using her body to perform and pretend to be give her customers the acceptance they seek from her without accepting them outside the world of the strip club. Randy is a wrestler using his body to perform in order to receive the acceptance he seeks from the fans who do not accept him outside the world of wrestling, where is alone and has to work at a grocery store deli counter. Cassidy puts on her mask to provide for her son whil Randy puts on his mask which drives him away from his daughter. Cassidy wants to quit to have a life with her son but cannot get away. The last thing Randy wants is to quit, but being forced to for health reasons brings him temporarily closer to his daughter. Rourke presents one of the most likeable characters I have ever seen on screen. Cassidy's referencing "The Passion Of The Christ" paints him as a Christ figure. He is a man in search of his soul in this film and sacrifices himself for his fans. He uses a Chris Benoit-like diving headbutt, bringing him more adoration while it brings him closer to death, and you feel awkward cheering him all the way. But he makes a choice, realizing the the wrestling arena is the only place he feels home and somehow it is painted as understandable. The film does not poke fun at wrestling. It presents it as something that seems simple but is layered and complex in its catharsis, much like Randy and Cassidy and the film itself.
Bigger Stronger Faster
I just finished watching Bigger Stronger Faster and it was a great documentary. I assumed I had seen a lot of the highlights that would be in the movie or heard about them already but there was still plenty to take in.
One of the things that struck me about the movie was the honesty, openness and balance displayed by Chris Bell. The viewer is provided with several opportunities to change their mind in the movie without always being told what your mind should be.
I was reminded of also being an overweight child wanting to grow up to look like Hulk Hogan or Arnold Schwarzennegger. For years I steadfastly refused to believe that they and the professional wrestlers I enjoyed watching were using steroids. Of course, when I was eleven years old I also refused to believe that the Giant Machine was Andre The Giant under a mask. "No way man, Andre wouldn't do that, he was suspended". Sadly, this was about as credible as believing that Hulk Hogan's muscles came from prayers and vitamins.
Chris Bell appears to have interviewed as wide an array of experts as could be expected for a film on steroids. Anti-steroid politician Henry Waxman is provided the opportunity to explain his side and comes off about as knowledgable as Nancy Grace saying that Chris Benoit was demoted from the Four Horsemen to Raw. Joseph Biden is in the film saying that the use of steroids is Un-American. Maybe it's the Canadian apathy regarding nationalism coming out in me, but shouldn't his concern be more about whether or not it is Un-Human?
I especially enjoyed that he interviewed Harrison Pope, a noted researcher regarding the use of anabolic steroids. One thing that wasn't discussed (and I realize that not everything could be) is that in 1993 Pope was responsible for defining what is often known as "muscle dysmorphia" as well as "reverse anorexia". He maintained that just as someone with anorexia nervosa (a type of body dysmorphia) would never think they are skinny enough and always perceive themselves as being fat, a bodybuilder with body dysmorphia would never see themselves as being big or muscular enough. Such obsessions would lead to harmful extremes taken to become more muscular, which would frequently include the use of anabolic steroids. After the death of Chris Benoit, I remember reading in Dave Meltzer's "Wrestling Observer" that Benoit would stay on steroids during two periods when he was out of WWE for six months as well as a year and that he would obsess about thinking his arms were getting smaller. Just as anorexia can occur in female models being pressured to be thin, Benoit often had difficulty being taken seriously in wrestling due to his size even though he was apparently a heavy steroid user. I imagine it didn't take much to convince himself he wasn't big enough when he was told this was the case.
Anyways, the film contains a non-mainstream presentation that there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the harmful effects of steroids. One of the arguments frequently presented by anti-steroid people when steroids were compared with alcohol and smoking is that alcohol and smoking are legal. In my opinion, this is a pretty weak argument given that for people who have died from the use of alcohol or tobacco, the fact that they are legal does not make them any less dead. The legality (or lack therof) of such substances is a human construction and the insides of one's body do not discriminate in their reaction based on the legality. I can have the gut reaction that steroids are bad and harmful to your long-term health, but this doesn't fly too far if I'm having that gut reaction while up-sizing my extra value meal at McDonald's (perfectly legal by the way).
One would almost come out of watching this film thinking that society should just give up and not worry about steroids. That does not seem to have been Bell's intent but the lack of previous emphasis on the pro-steroid argument (or at least the non-anti-steroid argument) makes it something unfamiliar and thus fresh and convincing. Certainly the deaths of professional wrestlers connected to steroid abuse would seem to be evidence against steroid use, but are steroid use and steroid abuse always the same thing? It has been said that an issue for pro wrestlers is using steroids year-round rather than in cycles. Another issue is the combination of steroid use with the use of painkillers and other drugs. Perhaps the concept of harm reduction, involving a reduction in substance abuse with a person's drug of choice while recognizing that complete abstinence is not possible for that person, could be introduced to wrestling. Unfortunately, the Vince McMahons of the world would likely use this as a rationalization to enable continued steroid use rather than to allow people to do the best they can.
I would highly recommend this film. Bell has a gift for comparing steroid use with other issues such as pilots using amphetamine and musician using beta blockers, asking why one is acceptable when another is not. Chris Bell also delivers messages that Canadians would be proud of, noting that American soldiers on "Go Pills" bombed and killed friendly Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and that Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic Gold Medal for steroid use while Carl Lewis was awarded the gold medal after his steroid use was covered up. It took courage for him to make this film and to highlight hypocricy.
Oh, and the bull with mega-muscles was really cool to look at as well.
One of the things that struck me about the movie was the honesty, openness and balance displayed by Chris Bell. The viewer is provided with several opportunities to change their mind in the movie without always being told what your mind should be.
I was reminded of also being an overweight child wanting to grow up to look like Hulk Hogan or Arnold Schwarzennegger. For years I steadfastly refused to believe that they and the professional wrestlers I enjoyed watching were using steroids. Of course, when I was eleven years old I also refused to believe that the Giant Machine was Andre The Giant under a mask. "No way man, Andre wouldn't do that, he was suspended". Sadly, this was about as credible as believing that Hulk Hogan's muscles came from prayers and vitamins.
Chris Bell appears to have interviewed as wide an array of experts as could be expected for a film on steroids. Anti-steroid politician Henry Waxman is provided the opportunity to explain his side and comes off about as knowledgable as Nancy Grace saying that Chris Benoit was demoted from the Four Horsemen to Raw. Joseph Biden is in the film saying that the use of steroids is Un-American. Maybe it's the Canadian apathy regarding nationalism coming out in me, but shouldn't his concern be more about whether or not it is Un-Human?
I especially enjoyed that he interviewed Harrison Pope, a noted researcher regarding the use of anabolic steroids. One thing that wasn't discussed (and I realize that not everything could be) is that in 1993 Pope was responsible for defining what is often known as "muscle dysmorphia" as well as "reverse anorexia". He maintained that just as someone with anorexia nervosa (a type of body dysmorphia) would never think they are skinny enough and always perceive themselves as being fat, a bodybuilder with body dysmorphia would never see themselves as being big or muscular enough. Such obsessions would lead to harmful extremes taken to become more muscular, which would frequently include the use of anabolic steroids. After the death of Chris Benoit, I remember reading in Dave Meltzer's "Wrestling Observer" that Benoit would stay on steroids during two periods when he was out of WWE for six months as well as a year and that he would obsess about thinking his arms were getting smaller. Just as anorexia can occur in female models being pressured to be thin, Benoit often had difficulty being taken seriously in wrestling due to his size even though he was apparently a heavy steroid user. I imagine it didn't take much to convince himself he wasn't big enough when he was told this was the case.
Anyways, the film contains a non-mainstream presentation that there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the harmful effects of steroids. One of the arguments frequently presented by anti-steroid people when steroids were compared with alcohol and smoking is that alcohol and smoking are legal. In my opinion, this is a pretty weak argument given that for people who have died from the use of alcohol or tobacco, the fact that they are legal does not make them any less dead. The legality (or lack therof) of such substances is a human construction and the insides of one's body do not discriminate in their reaction based on the legality. I can have the gut reaction that steroids are bad and harmful to your long-term health, but this doesn't fly too far if I'm having that gut reaction while up-sizing my extra value meal at McDonald's (perfectly legal by the way).
One would almost come out of watching this film thinking that society should just give up and not worry about steroids. That does not seem to have been Bell's intent but the lack of previous emphasis on the pro-steroid argument (or at least the non-anti-steroid argument) makes it something unfamiliar and thus fresh and convincing. Certainly the deaths of professional wrestlers connected to steroid abuse would seem to be evidence against steroid use, but are steroid use and steroid abuse always the same thing? It has been said that an issue for pro wrestlers is using steroids year-round rather than in cycles. Another issue is the combination of steroid use with the use of painkillers and other drugs. Perhaps the concept of harm reduction, involving a reduction in substance abuse with a person's drug of choice while recognizing that complete abstinence is not possible for that person, could be introduced to wrestling. Unfortunately, the Vince McMahons of the world would likely use this as a rationalization to enable continued steroid use rather than to allow people to do the best they can.
I would highly recommend this film. Bell has a gift for comparing steroid use with other issues such as pilots using amphetamine and musician using beta blockers, asking why one is acceptable when another is not. Chris Bell also delivers messages that Canadians would be proud of, noting that American soldiers on "Go Pills" bombed and killed friendly Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and that Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic Gold Medal for steroid use while Carl Lewis was awarded the gold medal after his steroid use was covered up. It took courage for him to make this film and to highlight hypocricy.
Oh, and the bull with mega-muscles was really cool to look at as well.
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