Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff

Media Man Profiles

Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff

Wrestling

In Pro Wrestling History (Credit: Wrestling Legends)

1914 - Walter Miller defeats Eugene Tremblay to win the World Lightweight Title in Fort William, Ontario, ending Tremblay's second reign.

1940 - Pantaleon Manlapig defeats Sandor Szabo in Salinas, California for the San Francisco Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title, ending Szabo's sixth reign.

1949 - Lee Henning wins his fourth San Francisco Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title, ending the 10th reign for Sandor Szabo in San Francisco, California.

1950 - Yvon Robért defeats Whipper Billy Watson to win the Toronto British Empire Heavyweight Title in Montreal, Quebec. This began Robért's third reign and ended Watson's ninth.

1951 - Tarzan Kowalski defeats Bill Longson in Kansas City, Kansas for the Heart of America (later known as Central States) Heavyweight Title.

1952 - Ivan Kalmikoff and Duke Keomuka defeat Miguel Gúzman and Rito Romero to win the vacant Texas Tag Team Title in Houston, Texas.

1954 - Wilbur Snyder and Sandor Szabo defeat Lord James Blears and John Tolos to become the first International Television Tag Team Champions in Hollywood, California.

1961 - Sam Steamboat defeats Dick Hutton for the Hawaii Heavyweight Title in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1963 - Buddy Rogers makes his first defense of the WWWF World Heavyweight Title, defeating Buddy Rogers in New Haven, Connecticut.

1964 - Dominic DeNucci defeats Ray Stevens for the San Francisco NWA United States Heavyweight Title in San Francisco, California, ending Stevens' fourth reign.

1965 - The WWWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results:
- The Golden Terror defeated Steve Stanlee.
- Don McClarity defeated Smasher Sloan.
- Sweet Daddy Siki defeated Luke Graham.
- Wahoo McDaniel defeated Boris Malenko.
- Dr. Jerry and Eddie Graham defeated Haystacks Calhoun and Miguel Pérez.
- Bobo Brazil and Gorilla Monsoon fought to a 20-minute time-limit draw.
- WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino and Bill Watts defeated
Gene Kiniski and Waldo Von Erich by disqualification.

1965 - The Mad Russian and El Shareef defeat Luther Lindsay and Pepper Martin to win the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title, ending Lindsay and Martin's second reign.

1969 - Stan Pulaski and Chris Tolos defeat Butcher and Mad Dog Vachon in Omaha, Nebraska for the Midwest Tag Team Title.

1969 - Assassin #2 (Tom Renesto) and The Professional (Doug Gilbert) defeat Alberto and Ramon Torres to win the Georgia Tag Team Title, ending the Torres' fourth reign.

1972 - Dean Ho and Fritz Von Erich defeat Thunderbolt Patterson and Johnny Valentine for the American Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas.

1972 - El Mongol wins his eighth A Georgia Heavyweight Title, defeating Buddy Colt in Macon, Georgia, ending Colt's third reign. At the same event, Flash and Rocket Monroe defeat Bob Armstrong and Bill Dromo for the Macon Tag Team Title.

1974 - The Wrestling Pro defeats Dick Dunn to win the Alabama Heavyweight Title in Dothan, Alabama, beginning the Pro's third reign and ended Dunn's third.

1975 - Bobo Brazil defeats The Sheik in Detroit, Michigan for his seventh United States Heavyweight Title, ending Sheik's seventh reign.

1978 - Championship Wrestling from Florida hosted the "Superbowl of Wrestling" at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, with 12,000 fans attending. The show was given its name because it took place just over a week after Super Bowl XII. It was headlined by a world title unification match between WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham and NWA Champion Harley Race. The results were:
- Keith Franks (Adrian Adonis, subbing for Black Angus) pinned John Ruffin
after a neckbreaker.
- Bobby Duncum pinned Don Serrano after a shoulderbreaker.
- Americas Tag Team Champion Chavo Guerrero pinned Tank Patton after a
neckbreaker.
- Joyce Grable won a ladies' battle royal. Also in the match were: Suzette
Ferriera, Leilani Kai, Pepper LaBianca, Wenona Little Heart, Tandy Rich,
Terry Shane, and Vicki Williams.
- Ivan Putski defeated Ox Baker by TKO with a full nelson.
- Rocky Johnson defeated Killer Karl Kox by reverse decision. Kox had won
the match by pinning Johnson after hitting him with a foreign object, but
Jack and Jerry Brisco came to the ring and informed the referee as to what
happened.
- Jack and Jerry Brisco defeated Florida Tag Team Champions Ivan
Koloff and Mr. Saito, when Jack pinned Koloff with a cradle, to win the
title. This ended Koloff and Saito's third reign and began the Briscos'
sixth.
- Southern Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales pinned Lars
Anderson with a cradle.
- Mike Graham and Steve Keirn defeated United States Tag Team
Champions Jimmy and Johnny Valiant, when Keirn made Johnny submit with a
sleeper hold, to win the title.
- NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Champion Dusty Rhodes defeated Ken Patera by
countout.
- WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham and NWA World Champion Harley
Race fought to a 60-minute time-limit draw in a two-out-of-three falls
title unification match. Gorilla Monsoon and Don Curtis were the
alternating special referees for the match. Graham defeated Race by
submission with a bearhug in the first fall, and Race pinned Graham with
suplex from the apron into the ring in the second fall. The time limit
expired during the third fall, just as the count was beginning for Race
having Graham covered after knocking him out with a sleeper hold.

1978 - The Dynamite Kid wins the British Welterweight Title in Preston, England, defeating Jim Breaks, ending his fourth reign.

1978 - The Black Avenger and Don Wayt defeat Gama Singh and Igor Volkoff in Vancouver, British Columbia to win the Canadian Tag Team Title.

1979 - The Angel and The Assassin defeat Dusty Rhodes and The Spoiler, after Spoiler turned on Rhodes, for the Tri-State United States Tag Team Title.

1982 - Roger Kirby and Jerry Valiant (Guy Mitchell) defeat Eddie Gilbert and Ricky Romero for the Central States Tag Team Title in Wichita, Kansas.

1983 - The Fabulous Kangaroos (Johnny Heffernan and Don Kent) defeat Ron Bass and Barry Windham to win the Global Tag Team Title in Miami, Florida.

1983 - Kwick-Kick Lee (Akira Maeda) defeats Wayne Bridges for the European Heavyweight Title in London, England.

1984 - Angelo Mosca, Jr. defeats Iwan Koloff to win the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in Shelby, North Carolina.

1986 - Jerry Lawler defeats Lars Anderson in Singapore for the Polynesian Wrestling Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight Title, ending Anderson's fourth reign.

1988 - The WWF held an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The results were:
- Scott Casey pinned José Estrada after a shoulderbreaker. This match
aired on the February 11 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Sam Houston pinned Danny Davis with a small package. This match aired on
the March 14 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- Butch Reed (with Slick) pinned The Junkyard Dog with a roll-up and a
handful of tights, after JYD chased Slick into the ring.
- Omar Atlas pinned Dusty Wolfe with a roll-up. This match aired on the
February 11 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- The One Man Gang (with Slick) pinned Don Muraco (with Billy Graham),
after Butch Reed interfered and hit Muraco with Slick's cane while the
refere was distracted.
- Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink) and WWF Champion Hulk Hogan
defeated Ted DiBiase and Virgil (with André the Giant), when Bigelow
pinned Virgil with a splash after Hogan hit the legdrop.
- The Young Stallions (Jim Powers and Paul Roma) defeated Barry Horowitz
and Steve Lombardi, when Powers pinned Lombardi after a powerslam.
- Jim Duggan pinned King Harley Race (with Bobby Heenan), by reversing a
crossbody off the top rope.
- Ron Bass pinned Hillbilly Jim with a double-underhook facebuster. This
match aired on the February 19 edition of Prime Time Wrestling.
- The Islanders (Haku and Tama) defeated The British Bulldogs (The
Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) by disqualification, when the Bulldogs
used a leash on their opponents that was originally brought to the ring by
Bobby Heenan.

1989 - Mighty Inoue defeats Joe Malenko to win the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan.

1979 - Seiji Sakaguchi defeats Johnny Powers in Okayama, Japan to win the NWF North American Heavyweight Title, ending Powers sixth, and final, reign with the belt.

1980 - Mr. Fuji defeated Invader I in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Title, ending Invader's second reign.

1985 - WWF ran three separate house shows in one night, which wasn't unusual for this period in the business. What was unusual was that WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan didn't headline, or even appear, on any of the show. One event in Vancouver, British Columbia was headlined by Andre The Giant & Blackjack Mulligan vs. Big John Studd & Ken Patera, a second event in Cincinnati, Ohio was headlined by Junkyard Dog & Ivan Putski defeating Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff, and a third event in Canton, Ohio was headlined by Tito Santana defeating Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine by countout.

1987 - At a WWF television taping in Tampa, Florida at the Sundome, The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) defeat The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Manager Jimmy Hart knocked out Dynamite (who was injured and couldn't wrestle) with his megaphone before the match, and heel referee Danny Davis paid no attention to the Hart Foundation illegally double teaming Smith before counting the pin following a Hart Attack. This ended the Bulldogs' only WWF World Tag Team Title run, and was Bret Hart's first WWF championship of any kind.

During the same taping, three editions of Piper's Pit were taped. In the first, Andre The Giant turned heel, revealing Bobby Heenan to be his new manager, and challenged Hulk Hogan to a title match, tearing off Hogan's shirt and crucifix. In the second edition, Hogan accepted Andre's challenge, setting up the main event to Wrestlemania III. In the third edition, Roddy Piper revealed that he would retire following his match with Adrian Adonis at Wrestlemania

Website

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Media Man Australia Profiles

Wrestling

In Georgia, a smackdown over wrestling safety, by Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times - 31st December 2007

Some fear the proposed regulations could put smaller arenas out of business in a state that reveres the sport.

ATLANTA -- Eddie "Iceberg" Chastain, a 385-pound wrestler with a shaved head and a red goatee, calls himself the Being of Inconceivable Horror.

In the ring, he wields a fork -- just like his mentor, Abdullah the Butcher. He pummels his opponents with cross-face forearms, levels them with clotheslines and crushes them with avalanche splashes.

But outside the ring he has begun to show a softer side.

"You know, it's not actually my intent to hurt my opponent," he said in a telephone interview last week. "I never actually stabbed anybody with a fork."

Chastain is worried about his future as a wrestler in Georgia. Officials with the state's Athletic and Entertainment Commission, citing health and safety concerns, have proposed a strict set of regulations governing bouts. A physician, two emergency medical technicians and an ambulance must be ringside at all times, a costly measure that promoters say would force many small operations out of business.

Many of the rules are also at odds with wrestling's most cherished traditions. Wrestlers would no longer be allowed to physically or verbally threaten the audience. They could not engage in "unsportsmanlike or physically dangerous conduct." They could not even rub their own bodies with lotion.

"It's as if the officials who drew up the rules don't understand the concept of wrestling," said Bill Behrens, bookings director for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. "Wrestling is fiction. It's a passion play of good versus evil. Rules that attempt to tell us how to stage our show don't make sense."

Drawing up rules for how colossal, muscle-bound men should pretend to tear each other's heads off is, it turns out, a delicate matter. About 70 wrestlers and promoters, including legends such as Claude "Thunderbolt" Patterson, filled a recent commission meeting in Atlanta to offer critiques of the proposed regulations.

Unlike boxing and mixed martial arts fighters, they said, wrestlers simulate a fight with a predetermined outcome. Some argued their performances were more akin to ballet, theater and pop shows.

"We should be subjected to no more regulations than Hannah Montana," said Rob Fields, a 299-pound ordained minister who wrestles as Rob Adonis, referring to the Disney show about a girl who leads a double life as a pop singer. "Sure, Hannah Montana is singing, and we're slamming. But it's all make-believe."

Although the fighting is staged, wrestlers do not always successfully dodge the forks, baseball bats, axes, sledgehammers, frying pans and folding chairs that come their way. Many have the scars to show it.

J.J. Biello, chairman of the state commission, says he has watched professional wrestling matches since he was 12, and that comparisons to Hannah Montana are ludicrous.

"Yes, it's staged -- but that doesn't mean it's not rough," he said. "I've seen blood."

Over the years, he said, bouts have become increasingly flamboyant and wrestlers more powerful. He has seen a wrestler hurl a folding chair into the audience and blood dripping from wrestlers' heads.

"The more violence, the more things that blow up, that sells more tickets," he said. "We're just trying to make it safe."

Georgia legislators have attempted to tighten wrestling regulations since 2001, but safety became a particularly hot-button issue in 2007 after Chris Benoit, known as the Rabid Wolverine and the Crippler, killed his wife, son and himself at their suburban Atlanta home in June. Tests showed he had about 10 times the usual amount of testosterone in his system.

Local wrestlers point out that Benoit, a Canadian who held the world heavyweight championship in both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, committed his crimes outside the ring. They fear the proposed rules -- which do not apply to operations with assets exceeding $25 million, such as World Wrestling Entertainment -- would mark the end of their shows in Georgia, long a hotbed of small-town wrestling.

During the 1970s and 1980s, communities across the state ground to a halt from 6:05 to 8:05 p.m. on Saturdays as residents watched Georgia Championship Wrestling on WTBS. Even former President Carter's mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, was reputed to have a favorite wrestler: Johnny Walker, aka Mr. Wrestling II.

"Not having wrestling in Georgia would be like New York not having baseball," said Bob Ryder, owner of www.1wrestling.com, who noted that the move reversed a national trend toward looser regulation. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon, chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, coined the term "sports entertainment" to differentiate the discipline from sports, such as boxing, and to avoid tighter regulations. Until then, most professional wrestlers tried to hide that their battles were staged.

Although about 25 states have some kind of wrestling regulations, Ryder said, the rules Georgia officials are proposing would be the most strict.

Wrestling experts reserve particular scorn for the language of Georgia's proposed regulations, which they say would treat the referee as the ultimate arbiter of the fight. Part of the mystique of wrestling, they say, involves the referee pretending not to notice when the bad guy breaks the rules.

Riling the audience, they say, is also a vital part of the show.

"When the crowd screams 'You suck! You big doo-doo head!' what is the bad guy supposed to say?" Behrens asked. " 'I respect you as an audience?' "

After hearing from wrestling legends from across the state, the commission decided to delay its vote on the rules until February. In the meantime, wrestlers and promoters have formed the Georgia Wrestling Promoters Advisory Committee to try to devise an alternative proposal for new regulations.

This close-knit community of professional wrestlers -- most of whom have day jobs as plumbers, mortgage brokers, heating and air guys, or delivery drivers -- say it is worth a certain amount of self-policing to save their shows.

Already they have begun to compile a list of rules, such as imposing regular mandatory drug tests and requiring that mats be clean to prevent staph infections.

"It's kind of like when your mama tells you to go out and pick a switch from the yard," said Jerry Palmer, a firefighter who owns NWA Anarchy, an independent professional wrestling promoter in Cornelia, Ga. "If you choose one that's too small, she picks her own. If it's too big, well, you'll get beat with it."

jenny.jarvie@latimes.com

Media Man Australia Profiles

Wrestling

WWE 2008 DVD release schedule, By ERIC GARGIULO - phillyBurbs.com - 31st December 2007

The WWE released their list of scheduled DVD releases for 2008. Keep in mind that this is all subject to change. However, an early look reveals some surprises, some obvious choices, some expensive collections, a lot of nostalgia, and maybe the biggest surprise of all.

The WWE will be producing documentaries on some of the current superstars. The list includes Triple H, John Cena, and Edge. All of the DVDs should contain some great matches from the three over the course of their careers. The Edge DVD in particular should be a must-buy for the TLC matches that will likely be included.

Every year the WWE showcases a historic superstar that is not necessarily on their roster. Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and the Ultimate Warrior have all been spotlighted whether they wanted to participate in the documentary or not. In 2008 WWE will be going down two roads that nobody had expected. For the first time one of their biggest stars ever will be acknowledged by the company. The other is a superstar that has never wrestled for the WWE and currently wrestles for their competition.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage has been persona non grata with Vince McMahon and the WWE since he left for WCW. The Savage mystery has been one that is talked about quite a bit by people within the wrestling industry. Vince McMahon seems to forgive everyone he has had any heat with, if it can benefit his company. At one time Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, and Roddy Piper were some of Vince’s biggest enemies. Yet when the dust settles, Vince always does what is good for business and buries the hatchet.

Randy Savage is one of the biggest stars that the WWE ever had. Randy Savage still has a lot of fans and there has been a demand for Savage to return to the WWE for quite some time. Rumor has it that Vince hates Savage so much that every time Savage’s name has been suggested for the Hall of Fame, Vince gives a dirty look and changes the subject. It is well known that it is never a good idea for any WWE employee to bring up the name Randy Savage in Vince McMahon’s presence.

There are some really juicy rumors as to Vince hates Savage with such a passion. Since nobody has ever confirmed any of those rumors it would be unfair for me to write about them. If true, you could almost understand and admire Vince for putting business second to his own feelings and morality.

It is unclear whether the DVD is the first step to an open door for the former WWF World Heavyweight Champion. I can guarantee you that there are a lot of fans out there that would love to see Savage back in the WWE culture. A Hall of Fame induction is long overdue for such an important part of company history.

WWE will also be releasing a DVD spotlighting former WCW World Champion and current TNA star, Sting. This is a strange one as I have no idea why the WWE would want to promote the biggest star of their rival. All the WWE has to do is wait a few years for Sting to retire and I am sure they could get him to be a part of a DVD. Doing it now makes me wonder if Sting really is going to re-sign with TNA after all.

Other highlights include DVDs on the Hardys, the Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, a 20-disc Summerslam anthology, and the best of Starrcade.

WWE has done a great job of assorting a collection that appeals to everyone. It is no coincidence that quite a bit of the DVDs will be marketed towards their nostalgia fans. Even the ex-WCW/NWA fans that have disappeared may have to come out hiding for these DVDs. 2008 looks like it is going to be a great and an expensive year for WWE DVD fans.

Eric Gargiulo writes about pro wrestling, MMA and more in his blog, The Camel Clutch. He can be reached by e-mail at egargiulo@phillyburbs.com. Eric's "Pro Wrestling Radio" airs on WBCB 1490 AM every Saturday from 12:05-1PM/EST and can be heard live online at http://www.wbcb1490.com

Media Man Australia Profiles

World Wrestling Entertainment

Benoit incident marred pro wrestling in '07, by Mike Mooneyham - The Post and Courier - 30th December 2007

The pro wrestling industry will not soon forget 2007.

Never before in the history of the business has one story garnered such mainstream attention as the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide in late June. It was a gruesome, grisly tragedy that far transcended professional wrestling, yet its link to the business added another dimension that made the story even more sensational.

The face of pro wrestling would forever change the day the 40-year-old Benoit, wife Nancy and 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their suburban Atlanta home. The wrestler, who had been universally respected for years as one of the most accomplished performers in the business, took his own life by hanging himself after strangling his wife and suffocating his son. Bibles were placed near the bodies. The horrific incident drew a staggering level of public interest in the days and weeks that followed.

The story opened the floodgates for serious discussion and action concerning a number of hot-button topics including steroids, painkillers, concussions and congressional hearings. Benoit's extensive use of steroids and prescription medication exposed loopholes in WWE's drug-testing policy and drew media scrutiny.

The ramifications of the Benoit rampage are still being felt, and most likely will for years to come.

A nasty legal battle is expected in the wake of WWE's recent rejection of a deal offered by Benoit's estate. WWE has adamantly insisted that it had absolutely nothing to do with the Benoit tragedy, and balked at paying $2 million to Benoit's two surviving children from a previous marriage. The Benoit estate would have renounced any future claims against WWE in exchange for the settlement.

Medical experts in September detailed the many concussions Benoit suffered over the years while performing. The tests showed that Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient. The research team claimed the damage was the result of a lifetime of chronic concussions and head trauma suffered while Benoit was in the wrestling ring.

Michael Benoit, overseeing his son's estate, alleges the WWE knew of the head injuries, but failed to provide treatment to any of their performers or much-needed rest. He believes years of head trauma his son suffered while in the ring contributed to the killings.

"Had the WWE taken the slightest interest in its wrestlers — before it became the object of the interest of district attorneys and Congress — there is little doubt that Chris Benoit and his family would still be with us today," Cary Ichter, Michael Benoit's Atlanta-based attorney, recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Despite the overwhelmingly negative publicity, WWE has weathered the storm, finishing the year strong with plans for major worldwide expansion in '08.

Among the many wrestling personalities we said goodbye to in 2007: Harry "Cowboy" Lang (Jan. 4, age 56); Cocoa Samoa (Ulualoaiga Onosai Tuaolo Emelio) (Jan. 9, age 62); Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow (Jan. 19, age 45); Bob Luce (Feb. 8, age 70); Jim Melby (Feb. 11, age 57); Mike Awesome (Mike Alfonso) (Feb. 17, age 42); Ray "Thunder" Stern (Walter Bookbinder) (March 6, age 76); Bad News Brown/Allen (Allen Coage) (March 6, age 63); Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd (March 11, age 68); Arnold "Golden Boy" Skaaland (March 13, age 82); Abe Coleman (March 22, age 101); Harold "Sonny" Meyers (May 7, age 83); Ferrin "Sandy" Barr (June 2, age 69); Sensational Sherri Martel (Sherri Russell) (June 15, age 49); Princess Tona Tamah (Tona Ford) (June 15, age 72); Nancy "Woman" Benoit) (June 22, age 43); Chris Benoit (June 24, age 40); Biff Wellington (Shayne Bower) (June 24, age 42); Moondog Nathan (Nathan Brian Randolph) (July 4, age 37); John "Eliminator" Kronus (George B. Caiazzo) (July 18, age 38); Ronnie P. Gossett (July 23, age 63); Tor Kamata (McRonald Kamaka) (July 23, age 70); Karl Gotch (Karl Charles Istaz) (July 28, age 82); Frank Butcher (Francisco Garcia) (Aug. 2, age 84); Bronko Lubich (Sandor Lupsity) (Aug. 11, age 81); Brian "Crush" Adams (Aug. 13, age 43); Dewey "Missing Link" Robertson (Aug. 16, age 68); Frank Fozo (Aug. 23, age 79); Karloff Lagarde (Carlos de Lucio Lagarde) (Sept. 1, age 79); Billy Darnell (Sept. 7, age 81); Enrique Torres (Sept. 10, age 85); Zack Murray (Sept. 23, age 61); Sean "Shocker" Evans (Oct. 2, age 36); Rey "The Great Kabooki" Urbano (Oct. 16); Lillian "The Fabulous Moolah" Ellison (Nov. 2, age 84); El Gran Markus (Juan Chavarria Galicia) (Nov. 15, age 68); Dave "Angel of Death" Sheldon (Nov. 24, age 54).

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.

The gurus of grapple, By Jon Geddes - The Daily Telegraph - 7th December 2007

THEY were the legends who thrilled and chilled Aussies with their antics in, and often out, of the wrestling ring for two decades.

Stars such as Mario Milano, King Curtis, Brute Bernard, Bulldog Brower, Spiros Arion, Killer Kowalski and the sinister Professor Tanaka - who threw salt in opponents' eyes - became household names.

And let's not forget our homegrown heroes Ron Miller, Larry O'Dea and George Barnes, who matched it with best of them.

Forget the glitz and showbiz associated with today's WWE. World Championship Wrestling was the real deal.

People of all ages religiously tuned into World Championship Wrestling, an institution on TCN 9 at midday on Saturdays.

"We did three TV shows a week and 300 live shows a year - which would average 15,000 a week," 66-year-old Miller said, who is retired and living at Tweed Heads.

"You would have 1000 people at the airport to meet you. We stayed in first class hotels and would get upgraded by the airlines."

On one trip to Tokyo, Miller and the other wrestlers were mobbed by 10,000 fans.

Miller said the big years for the WCW program were from 1964 to 1978 and the reasons it was so successful were the weekly TV show, the different nationalities, the characters and those fantastic language-crunching interviews.

There is no bigger character than King Curtis, who made a huge impact whenever he visited.

"For the last 26 years the King has had a hire company with surfboards and everything on Waikiki Beach, in his native Hawaii," Miller said.

"He was a really good professional guy and the master of the interview.

"In those days he was absolutely incredible. None of his rants were scripted. I don't know where he got it from. It just came to him from the top of his head.

"And then there was Mario Milano. He came to Australia in 1966 and never left."

After leaving the ring, Milano had a number of businesses including a pizza shop and travel agency and lives in retirement in Melbourne.

Killer Karl Kox became a prison warden. One day an inmate reminisced how he used to watch Kox all the time.

"Now I watch you all time time," Kox replied.

A former Australian champion himself, Miller has revived those halcyon days with a DVD called Ruff Tuff & Real, which provides an amazing insight into what really was a phenomenon in Australian life.

The DVD includes rare footage of the dark time Milano grew a moustache and turned bad guy, with referee Bob McMaster suggesting he may have been hypnotised or mesmerised by his manager.

And what about those sensational moves - the sleeper hold (Mark Lewin), the Texan brain buster (Killer Karl Kox), the coconut butt (Bobo Brazil) and the Indian death lock (Chief Billy White Wolf).

Commentator Jack Little - wrestling's version of Frank Hyde - would often warn the audience that a competitor had a "foreign object down his trunks".

There were also those mysterious wrestlers, often masked, who hailed from "parts unknown".

Miller and his long-time tag team and business partner O'Dea started their wrestling careers at a small gym in Wentworth Park.

"We did all the hard yards in the small clubs and gyms and learnt some hard lessons and how to respect the business," Miller said.

"By 1973 we owned it."

But WCW wasn't to last forever and it took something with the viewer appeal of World Series Cricket - which took its regular time-slot - to spell the end.

Miller and O'Dea remained close friends until O'Dea died in 1997.

These days Miller keeps fit by diving into the water rather than on to the canvas mat.

"I've got new knees and new hips. I'm like a mechanical man. Most of the guys are like that," he said.

And Miller told a story proving the old wrestlers really were a special breed.

He said Killer Kowalski, 79, got married for the first time last year to his blushing bride of 78.

When Killer was asked: "Why would you get married now?", he replied: "She told me she was pregnant so I had to do the right thing."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Ron Miller: Retired and living in Tweed Heads

King Curtis: Runs a beach hire business on Waikiki Beach

Mark Lewin: Living in the US and is married to a Tahitian princess

George Barnes: Ran successful trucking business

Spiros Ario: Retired and living in Greece

Ox Baker: Farmer, New York state

Killer Karl Kox: Prison warden

Professor Tanaka: Ran a fishing boat before passing away

Brute Bernard: Died playing Russian roulette in a bar

Skull Murphy: Committed suicide after a failed romance

Bruiser Brody: Stabbed to death in a dressing room in Puerto Rico. Nobody saw a thing.

Big Bad John: Fatally shot in Tennessee bar

Abdullah the Butcher: Runs a restaurant in Carolina. "He doesn't have a menu, he tells you want to eat," Ron Miller said

Steve "The Crusher" Rackman: Executive manager of a gym

Jan Jansen: Former Bondi parking ranger. Now in the fitness industry on the South Coast

Media Man Australia Profiles

Ron Miller

Wrestling

Local fans infuriated by decision to pull Flair from Raw, By Mike Mooneyham - The Post and Courier - 9th December 2007

The formula was to have been fairly simple for last week's Monday Night Raw at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Ric Flair, the greatest performer in the history of the business, would make his first live local wrestling appearance in more than three years. The moment would be even sweeter considering he had returned to WWE a week earlier following a hiatus of several months. His promo on that week's edition of Raw, which aired from his hometown of Charlotte, was the highlight of the show, and his non-title win over WWE champion Randy Orton drew one of the best numbers in months for the highly rated mat program.

Some local fans remained skeptical, however, recalling past WWE shows in which Flair was pulled at the last minute for storyline reasons (selling an injury) and off-camera circumstances (fallout over a highly publicized divorce and an alleged road rage incident in which charges were later dropped).

But this event, Flair followers reasoned, would be different. Vince McMahon's "lose and you retire" stipulation was the beginning of a can't-miss, Rocky-like storyline, with fans tuning in each week to see if the 16-time world champion could beat the odds. And while Charlotte may be the Nature Boy's hometown, Charleston ranks a close second, being smack dab in the heart of Flair country.

Even of more import historically was that last Monday night most likely would have marked the 58-year-old Flair's final match in Charleston, a town where he first laced up the boots back in 1974, making his appearance that much more special. With the plan calling for Flair to retire at Wrestlemania next March, another local showing before then would be highly unlikely.

There would be no early Christmas present for local wrestling fans Monday night. Flair, once again a victim of company politics and a contract dispute, was pulled from the show. Those in attendance at the North Charleston Coliseum were left wondering why in the world were they deprived — yet again — of seeing the beloved performer who helped define a generation of wrestling in this area.

Local response was fast and furious.

"I am incensed. I don't understand," said longtime fan Robert Ellington of Charleston. "We're in Charleston, South Carolina, and this is Ric Flair country. Why did we not at least even see Ric Flair get a chance to cut a promo or do a run-in? Anything with Ric Flair would have been fine. It didn't have to be a full match. We didn't even get to hear him talk. I just don't understand it. That was really a bad move. WWE needs to do better than that."

Ellington said he hasn't seen Flair in a live appearance since 2002 and was greatly looking forward to Monday night's nationally televised event.

"It was a decent show, but it could have been that much better with Ric Flair. The pop would have been amazing."

Greg Pitt of Charleston also voiced his displeasure with the decision to scratch Flair from the show. He harkened back to the days when Flair worked for WCW and often found himself the victim of backstage politics.

"When WCW — and mainly Eric Bischoff —were trying to bury his career, it made me extremely angry and sad. One year after WCW folded, it was great to see the Nature Boy back on TV, and this time getting the respect he so richly deserved. As usual, though, over time he's put in a mid-card role and putting younger talent over. It's tremendous for the younger talent because they launch their career by getting one over on the greatest professional wrestler of all time. On the other hand, year by year, Ric has done what's best for the business only to be put down and not given what he deserves — one final title reign."

Pitt also pointed to why Flair has had to play second fiddle to Hulk Hogan during their respective careers in WWE.

"Vince McMahon made the overrated, overpaid Hulk Hogan ... but he didn't make Ric Flair. Ric was already the best when he went to the WWF the first time. That's the only reason why Vince gives Hogan more liberty and Ric less. It looks as if Ric's last match will be at Wrestlemania. Unfortunately I probably won't see it.

"Shame on Vince McMahon and the entire WWE for not doing the right thing for tradition and the business ... No one can take away what Ric Flair means to this business, this part of the country and tens of thousands of fans."

It should come as little surprise that Raw's ratings, which held up nicely the previous week on the strength of Flair's return, dropped to a 3.2 for last week's lackluster show. A strong Monday Night Football game, combined with viewers tuning out after realizing there would be no Flair, the numbers suffered.

WWE is rolling the dice with this week's installment of Raw. The company is presenting a three-hour celebration commemorating Raw's 15 years on the air, advertising such past and present WWE luminaries as Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Bischoff and Lita (Amy Dumas). Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one of the biggest stars in the company's history, turned down an offer to appear on the show.

Flair is being listed for the special as part of an Evolution "one night only" reunion with Triple H, Batista and Orton.

--WWE has extended its contract with USA Network for two more years. Its current deal, which expires at the end of September 2008, was renewed until September 2010. The contract includes two specials per year on NBC.

--It appears that Scott Hall's short-lived stint with TNA is over. Hall no-showed the company's Turning Point pay-per-view last Sunday night. He claimed to have had food poisoning. No one bought the excuse, however, and Samoa Joe buried him in a promo during the event.

Hall, 49, whose career has been beset by personal problems, most likely squandered his last opportunity to work for a major wrestling promotion.

--Old School Championship Wrestling will hold a show tonight at Weekend's Pub, 428 Red Bank Road, Goose Creek. Main event will be an elimination match for a chance at "King of the Ring." Semifinal will be pit Josh Magnum against Roughhouse Matthews. Bell time is 6 p.m. Adult admission is $8 (kids 12 and under $5). For more information, call 743-4800 or visit www.oscwonline.com. X-Media Productions features wrestling commentary podcasts, including OSCW shows, at www.livefromthesunsetflip.com.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.

Woman behind U.S. banking rumble - Financial Post - 2nd November 2007

CIBC World Markets analyst Meredith Whitney

Duncan Mavin, Financial Post
Published: Friday, November 02, 2007

CIBC World Markets analyst Meredith Whitney, an outspoken television pundit who is married to a professional wrestler, delivered a body slam to the U.S. banking sector this week that has sent stocks reeling in markets around the world.

The champion stock-picker even talks a bit like Rowdy Roddy Piper.
"No one had the moxie to put in print, what I put in print," Ms. Whitney said yesterday.

She had earlier hit Citigroup with a downgrade when it was already hurting from weak profits.

"Is Citigroup's dividend safe?" she demanded in a tough report that followed a 57% drop in third-quarter earnings at the world's largest bank.
Ms. Whitney said Citigroup, one of the world's largest banks, is US$30-billion short of enough capital to keep up with payments to shareholders and its plans for growth during the current credit crunch.

Bank stocks fell sharply. Her report triggered the steepest tumble in Citigroup shares since September 2002, and it's not done falling yet, according to Ms. Whitney.

U.S. stocks were dragged down, with the Standard & Poor's 500 Index losing 2.6% on Thursday, destroying $369-billion in market value.
In Canada and elsewhere, bank stocks also fell. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Ms. Whitney's own employer, has seen 4% slashed off its stock price since her report was issued.

The CIBC analyst said yesterday that she has been inundated with attention from media and investors since making the call in a report issued in New York on Wednesday evening.

A spokesman for CIBC in Toronto said the bank has also had a high number of requests to get in touch with Ms. Whitney or to see her report.
"It's a very controversial call despite being a very straightforward call," Ms. Whitney said in an interview.

"I took this extremely seriously. The report is very thorough. But in my 14 years as an analyst this is the most straightforward call that I've made. It's black and white."

Despite her assuredness, the downgrade is widely seen as bold move. But as a regular guest on Fox News, Ms. Whitney has made a name for herself with forthright views.

On a Fox panel discussing the U.S. sub-prime mortgage crisis in July, she said, "I don't feel sorry for the teacher who's making $40,000 a year who squeezed herself into a $2-million dollar home and can't afford it."

On the same show, the 37-year old analyst said, "You have to have creative destruction to have a capitalist society. You have to let people fail."

Those words could also now be ringing in the ears of Citigroup chief executive Charles Prince, whom Ms. Whitney blames for the bank's declining fortunes.

"There's no question he has to leave,'' said the New York-based analyst.
Ms. Whitney is currently number two in Forbes magazine's ranking of capital markets analysts. She graduated with honors from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and married John "Bradshaw" Layfield in Key West in 2005.

Mr. Layfield is a former World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. champion and author of "Have More Money Now: A Common Sense Approach to Financial Management."

Known to his fans as JBL, Mr. Layfield apparently models his character after J.R. Ewing from the television show Dallas. His signature wrestling move is the 'Clothesline From Hell,' and his WWE Smack Down website profile warns, "Never challenge John Bradshaw Layfield to a street fight -- especially on Wall Street, or when he's offering valuable investment pointers to help bulk up your portfolio."

Like his wife, Mr. Layfield is a regular contributor to Fox News.

Ms. Whitney said her twenty-three page report on Citigroup which downgraded the bank from 'sector perform' to 'sector underperform' has been vindicated by an 11% drop in the company's stock price in the past two days.

"I had a lot of support [before issuing the report] from my firm and I've got a good track record. I lay the case out, they think about it and they trust me."

Analysts in the U.S. tend to be more aggressive with their ratings than their counterparts here in Canada, said Mario Mendonca, financial services analyst at Genuity Capital Markets in Toronto.

It is very unusual for Canadian bank analysts to give bank stocks a "sell" recommendation, though Mr. Mendonca was among a handful of his peers who did downgrade Bank of Montreal earlier this year. When he switched his recommendation on the stock to "sell" from "hold" based, the reaction to his downgrade was mixed.

"If you don't downgrade you are criticized for being too soft on the banks and if you do downgrade then people say you are wrong and missing the point of bank stocks," he said.

Meanwhile some observers in the U.S. have reacted in opposition to Ms. Whitney's report.

David Hilder, an analyst at Bear Stearns & Co., wrote in a note that "concerns about Citigroup's capital position and dividend policy raised by a competitor are over-stated."

Mr. Hilder, based in New York, maintained his 'outperform' rating on Citigroup and said the shares may climb to US$58 by the end of next year.
Anton Schutz, who oversees US$270-million as president of Mendon Capital Advisors in Rochester, New York, said the bank has too much cash to cut its payout.

"I don't believe that to be true, that they will need to cut the dividend," said Mr. Schutz, who owns Citigroup shares and said he has been buying as prices declined. "There's no doubt that there's a lot of uncertainty here, but overall this company generates a ton of capital and can certainly weather a storm."

Financial Post with files from Bloomberg News

Chris Benoit death leads to steroid crackdown - news.com.au - 2nd September 2007

WORLD Wrestling Entertainment has suspended 10 of its most popular stars for violations of a policy that tests for steroids and other drugs.

WWE said yesterday that it issued suspension notices based on information from the prosecutors investigating illegal steroid sales.

The clamp-down on performance enhancing drugs - which are believed to be widely used by wrestlers to bulk up - was prompted by the murder-suicide of star Chris Benoit.

Benoit killed his fellow-wrestler wife and seven-year-old son before hanging himself in June, in a murder-suicide believed prompted by his prolonged steroid use.

He and several other WWE wrestlers had been clients of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida.

Under a WWE drug-testing policy introduced last year, wrestlers face a 30-day suspension without pay for a first violation, a 60-day suspension for a second violation and dismissal for a third. The company has about 160 wrestlers, and they are tested at least four times a year.
Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said yesterday he hopes the company continues to lay the smackdown on performers who are using muscle-building drugs.

Sports Illustrated's website listed 14 wrestlers who were sent drugs through the mail. Three of those performers - Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Brian Adams - are dead. Ten are still with the WWE, which is facing congressional scrutiny following Benoit's death.

Johnson said he wasn't happy to hear that the industry in which he thrived before shifting his acting skills to Hollywood still struggles with steroids.

"These guys have to be armed with the knowledge and understanding of how bad these drugs are and the dangers of mixing these drugs with the lifestyles they lead," he said.

Johnson wrestled in the WWE earlier this decade at the same time as Benoit.

"I was blown away," Johnson said of the tragedy.

"I had a chance to work with Chris on many occasions. He was a great guy and I knew his wife very well. "The guy I knew wasn't the guy who committed these heinous crimes.

"I've stopped trying to figure it out because Chris had wiring that allowed him to do that where anybody who was sane couldn't fathom doing that."

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Pro wrestler, wife and son killed, by Dylan Welch - 26th June 2007 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Pro wrestler, wife and son killed, by Dylan Welch - 26th June 2007 - credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

The death of one of professional wrestling's most famous stars, Chris Benoit, is already proving as fantastic and bizarre as the world of pro wrestling itself.

There were no signs of gunshot or stab wounds, but the "instruments of death were located on scene'', Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department told an American broadcaster. Police were now considering it a "possible double-murder suicide'', he said.

US television station WAGA reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself sometime on Monday.

According to WAGA, the bodies were found in three different rooms.

Some however, would not accept that he may have harmed his family.

"He was very happy with his wife and he loved his son Daniel," Ross Hart, a friend of Benoit and member of the Hart wrestling family, told the Edmonton Journal.

"This would be very uncharacteristic of Chris to do anything self-destructive. I find it very hard to believe that he would end his life or his family's."

Benoit was scheduled to perform at a pay-per-view title fight on Sunday night in Houston, Texas, but was replaced at the last minute because of a "family emergency''.

It is now understood that his employers, worried about Benoit, asked police to check in on the former world heavyweight champion.

The bodies of the 40-year-old wrestler, his wife, Nancy Benoit, 43, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, were discovered by police at their Atlanta, Georgia, home at about 2.30pm local time on Monday (4.30am Tuesday Sydney time).

According to the Edmonton Journal, the house is in a secluded neighbourhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and a double-iron gate. On Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, along with two uniformed officers.

"The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre,'' Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballarde told local paper the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Benoit, 40, was a former world heavyweight champion for World Wrestling Entertainment as well as a intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles.

A Canadian native, he maintained a home in Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.

His wife was a former wrestling valet who wrestled under the name "Woman''.

In a further twist, this week's live Monday Night RAW program was supposed to have been a whodunit into the fictional death of Chairman Vince McMahon, whose limousine burst into a fiery explosion moments after he stepped into it after a bout two weeks ago.

That storyline was quickly scrapped and Vince McMahon instead appeared to explain about the death of Benoit. The company then aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit.

Lovestruck: Wrestling's No. 1 Fan, by George Palathingal - The Sydney Morning Herald - 5th April 2007

A portrait of an otherwise ordinary Melbourne woman whose devotion to the sport has had a profound effect on every aspect of her life.

Before non-fans of wrestling shift their attention elsewhere, it is important to note that this documentary is not really about that most ludicrous excuse for a sport. At its big heart, and as a more careful look at its title says, Lovestruck: Wrestling's No. 1 Fan is a portrait of an otherwise ordinary Melbourne woman whose devotion to the sport has had a profound effect on pretty much every aspect of her life.

Sue Chuter was in her 40s when the director Megan Spencer met her, by chance, in the mid-1990s. This was before Spencer acquired a certain level of fame as the eloquent, passionate film critic on Triple J and on SBS's revamped but ill-fated The Movie Show. Some might think Spencer's career may have added to the time it could have taken to make this film, but the 10 years following Chuter around quickly prove the key to her tale.

Chuter is, as you'd hope, a fascinating human being. Her diminutive stature, underdog aura and lack of glamour and pretension immediately draw you to her, along with her unmissable natural quirkiness. (One of the film's funniest, and most startling, moments involves a young wrestling fan apparently wearing the wrong T-shirt.)

We spend parts of the film meeting many of her wrestling heroes, as she makes numerous trips exclusively to see them all over the country and, via Chuter's own video diary, around the United States. However, it speaks volumes about her that these colourful, extravagantly named and dressed beefcakes are rarely as interesting as she is - especially when the film gets personal. The look into her life outside wrestling, especially at her relationships with friends and family, not only ensures she doesn't come across as some one-dimensional stereotype, but it also gives the film an important emotional centre.

With Lovestruck: Wrestling's No. 1 Fan, Spencer has put together a classy, insightful doco. The gorgeous title sequence over archival wrestling footage (courtesy of her Movie Show alumnus Marc Fennell), Philip Brophy's alternately moody and tender desert-country soundtrack, and Spencer's astute interviewing and real interest in her subject, are each as impressive as those seen or heard in more celebrated documentaries. But there are flaws, too.

As is often the case with dedicated fans of anything, viewers may have liked to know how Chuter can afford to indulge her obsession to such a degree, which brings us to a more obvious shortcoming - "short" being the operative part of the word. At 52 minutes, there was clearly time to at least mention the subject's financial situation and maybe expand on, or talk about, other things, but the film seems to come to an abrupt halt.

That said, when too many films seem to be half an hour longer than they need to be, maybe time isn't really an issue. On the whole, Spencer does justice to Chuter's story, packing in lots of compelling stuff without giving viewers a chance to get bored.

On The Ropes, by Genevieve Swart - The Sydney Morning Herald - 13th April 2007

It took Megan Spencer 10 years to make Lovestruck: Wrestling's No. 1 Fan. The result is a documentary with a punch to the heart as skilfully executed as anything The Rock might deliver.

"It's full of wrestling and testosterone," the director says, "but it's almost like a legitimised chick flick for men because I've had men walking out at the end of the film just bawling their eyes out."

Best known for her role as a film critic on Triple J and SBS's The Movie Show, Spencer, 40, has come full circle with this documentary - from filmmaker to critic and back again. And not without some anxiety about how her latest effort will be received by the media.

"But all's fair in love and film criticism,'' she says, laughing.

Lovestruck is about obsession, fitting in and family. It stars Sue Chuter, a 55-year-old Melbourne fan who has spent 35 years cheering pro wrestlers, from Australian strongman Mario Milano to Memphis wrestler turned commentator Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Chuter has posters all over her home, more than 4000 wrestling videos and DVDs, has several big stars as friends and phones idols in the US to wish them happy birthday.

It's not Spencer's first foray into the world of obsessions - she also directed Heathens (1994), about St Kilda supporters, and Strange Hungers: Mistress Ursula (2001), about a dominatrix.

Spencer was working at a Melbourne CD store while studying media arts at the then Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1995 when Chuter walked in. It was "Lovestruck" at first sight.

"She was wearing a T-shirt with a big wrestler on the front of it and I just pointed at it and said, 'Who's that?' And it was bang, instant."

The next week, Spencer arrived at Chuter's house to start filming.

Chuter is aware some people regard her obsession as "weird" but describes herself as "eccentric", Spencer says.

"Sue is a highly devoted fan and wrestlers recognise that. Jerry Lawler certainly does. They value her friendship, her expertise and knowledge - and the fact she is the greatest ambassador for wrestling that has ever walked the planet."

Spencer has some insight into wrestlemania: at age four, she began watching World Championship Wrestling on Channel Nine. She also collected about 30 muscle-bound wrestling dolls.

Her 52-minute doco was cut from about 60 hours of footage filmed over a decade, as well as archival material.

Lovestruck screened at last year's Melbourne and Perth film festivals and is on at the Chauvel. And it's not just for wrestling fans, Spencer says.

"I think Sue's story is universal.

That's ultimately the role of documentary: to give us a window on people's lives who we think are different to us. In the end, the good ones show we're pretty much forged from the same cells."

myspace.com/lovestruckthemovie

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