R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Earthquake

Posted on April 22, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we find ourselves once more here at the Rotten Ink Arena with another “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update event that has a true monster heel in the main event and that wrestler is Earthquake, who worked for the WWF as well as companies like WCW, All Japan and CMLL and was a draw for many of them as a top star. The snack bar is packed tonight, and Mr. X has the Old Grave Digger as back up as they are selling some Quakeburgers and I heard they are made out of python meat! So let’s grab a burger and a drink and find our seats as the ground is starting the shake with tremors and the house lights are going down and that must mean the matches are about to start. So let’s grab our snacks and get our seats as this is going to be one heck of an event.

John Tenta started his Pro Wrestling career in 1987 and was trained by Giant Baba, Terry Gordy, Jumbo Tsuruta and Great Kabuki. Due to his past in Sumo Wrestling, he was a Baby Face from the start and for a man his size, he could work quickly around the ring. Tenta would find himself working for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1987 and would stay with them until 1989 and was a big draw as he was booked strong from the start and would team with names like Giant Baba, Tiger Mask and Great Kabuki and would have matches against names like Tiger Jeet Singh, Jason The Terrible, Brady Boone, The Moondogs and The Road Warriors, to name a few. In 1989 Tenta would sign with the WWF and would become the monster heel known as Earthquake (first called Canadian Earthquake) and would be managed by Jimmy Hart. The Earthquake would also team with Dino Bravo and would quickly rise up the card as one of the company’s monster heels and would have feuds with the likes of Ultimate Warriors, Jake Roberts and Hulk Hogan, even at one point crushing Damien, the snake of Jake Roberts and then cooking it as hamburgers! During this time he would get shots at the WWF Heavyweight Title and would also send many of his opponent’s to the back on stretchers. In 1991 Earthquake would join forces with Typhoon (formerly Tugboat) to become the massive heel tag team called The Natural Disasters that would later turn baby face and would win Tag Team Gold and would have some great matches against teams like The Rockers, Road Warriors and Money Inc. By late 1993 Earthquake would leave WWF for a short time and work briefly for CMLL in Mexico and WAR in Japan before returning again to WWF in 1994 working as a baby face against the likes of Yokozuna, Adam Bomb and Bam Bam Bigelow before leaving once more that year to return to WAR.

Later in 1994 Earthquake would find himself signed to WCW and would go by the named Avalanche and be a member of the heel team The Three Faces Of Fear along with Kevin Sullivan and The Butcher. During this time he would feud with Hulk Hogan, Sting and Randy Savage! He would then become The Shark and be part of the stable called The Dungeon Of Doom whose main goal was to end the career of Hulk Hogan and he would be joined by such names as Kevin Sullivan, Meng, The Zodiac and Kamala to name a few. In 1996, The Shark would be no more and he would go back to work under his real name John Tenta and would become a baby face and would have matches against the likes of The Giant and Big Bubba Rogers. It was clear at this point Tenta’s star was starting to fade as he would find himself sinking lower down the card and losing matches to the companies top and mid-card heels. By 1997, John Tenta would leave WCW and would only wrestle for them one more time in his career in 1999 in a dark match against Lash LeRoux. But in 1998-1999 Tenta would return to the WWF and be the masked wrestler Golga, who was part of the stable called The Oddities that were sideshow performers and would be managed by musicians ICP and he would carry a South Park Eric Cartman plush to ring when the group went from heels to baby faces and would have a feud with the companies heel teams like The Headgbangers. And the reason John Tenta was Golga and not Earthquake during this return is cause he had lost lots of weight. After leaving WWF in 1999, John Tenta would find himself working the indies, and in 2001 he would work two matches for the WWF and would end his in ring career in All Japan Pro Wrestling. During his career he would win some titles and would be a draw as well as a good solid mid-carder as both a baby face and a heel. Plus his star never faded in Japan as all the way up to his retirement he was a main eventer. Sadly John Tenta would pass away on June 7, 2006 at the age of 42 from cancer. And as of this update’s posting John “Earthquake” Tenta is now in the WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2025 and that’s really were he should be.

Earthquake was a great monster heel in the WWF during his first run as his massive size and speed made him seem very dangerous to his opponents that he would squash with his sitting splash. Two things that Earthquake did during his time with the company that stand out is when he crushed Damien who was in a bag and the look of sadness and horror on Jake Roberts face was great story telling. I also remember his feud with Hulk Hogan when he squashed Hogan on the set of the Brother Love show. Oh and let us not also forget when Earthquake attacked Andre The Giant and broke his leg or when he would stomp around his downed opponent and the commentators would call it Tremors…classic stuff! So as you can see, Earthquake was a great heel that was still great when he and Typhoon first started teaming up as the Natural Disasters. I was never a fan of when Earthquake would turn into a baby face as I feel he was just lost in the shuffle of all the big names in the WWF during that time, and let’s be honest his run in WCW as both heel and baby face was a little lacking as I feel they just did not know how to book him right and did not use him to his full potential of being a good heel. In the late 90’s when he would be Golga at first I was wanting to see what they would do with this masked man who was part of a group of misfits, but quickly they turned him into a generic baby face who carried around a doll and was aimed towards kids to cheer as he danced around. I think the WWF also really missed the boat by not having Earthquake feud with The Undertaker as I think it could have been an interesting series of matches, and it would have been cool to see The Dead Man rise after taking an Earthquake Splash. In fact if they had kept The Oddities as heels, it would have also been cool to see them go after The Undertaker as they could become obsessed with him and want him to join them. And I am not the only one that when looking at Earthquake thought he was much older than he was right? When people talk about some of the best Big Men in wrestling names like Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow and Andre The Giant are spoken about, but I feel that Earthquake is often over looked and should be on that list of hard working guys who put asses in the seats and feuded with some of the industry’s top names. I was really bummed when I heard of Earthquake’s passing in 2006, but while he is gone, his matches live on thanks to the WWE Network, Home Media and Grey Market sets.

We are now at the point of this review where we will be taking a look at the DVD set and reviewing some of the matches on the discs, like always between 4 to 8. I want to thank Coliseum Of Wrestling & Boxing for having this set in stock and also want to thank Earthquake for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly selected matches from this set and will be breaking down the match and will be rating the matches on a 5 Star rating system. I also only choose from single matches, as I want to break down his matches that showcase his style. Here is what the stars mean ½ Means a really terrible match, * Means a bad match, ** Means a below average match, **1/2 Means a good average entertaining match, *** Means a good match, **** Means a great match, ***** Means an epic match. So if you are ready, let’s step into the ring with Earthquake.

Best Of Earthquake

Match 1: Earthquake vs. Koji Kitao

At the start of the match the two start to lockup in a test of strength but Earthquake is able to grab Koji into a headlock, once out of the hold the two finally lock up in the test of strength that ends with Earthquake getting Koji into a reverse bear hug and then gets him into a takedown move that makes Koji roll out of the ring and throw a table around. Once back into the ring after locking up Koji starts to work on the wrist of Earthquake who breaks the hold by smacking him in the face, tensions are high as they smack off each others move attempts and then just stare at each other both with anger in their eyes. The two then end up throwing kicks and punches at each other before the referee breaks them apart. Koji tries to poke both or Earthquakes eyes and ends up getting kicked in the leg for his troubles before once more they square up ready to start throwing punches, but then stand and stare at each other while Earthquake yells at his opponent. Koji then kicks the referee hard causing him to fall and ring for the bell as Earthquake wins the match by DQ. This is a match that turns into a shoot as Koji starts stiff kicks and tries to go for the eyes of Earthquake who defends himself with some kicks and slaps. This is pretty much a brawl and is more of a contest that falls apart and has two wrestlers in the ring ready to throw down staring daggers at each other, and oddly it is kind of entertaining as it seems like the tow have mega heat with each other and the fans in attendance seem to be really into it. The DQ ending also is fitting as I am sure neither guy would have wanted to loose this shoot.

Grade: **

Match 2: Earthquake vs. Executioner

When the bell rings Executioner hits the ropes and tries a pair of clotheslines that do nothing, Earthquake then hits a clotheslines and sidewalk slam style move that floors Executioner. Earthquake then tries to take the mask off Executioner then pokes Earthquake in the eyes and quickly climbs to the top rope and is then thrown across the ring by Earthquake who then walks over and hits a belly to belly suplex on Executioner and then hits a leg drop on the downed masked man. Earthquake then hits a power slam, a dropping elbow and then his Earthquake Splash finisher to get the win via pin. This is pretty much a squash match as Earthquake tosses and smashes Executioner in the ring as the fans cheer, and while Executioner tries to fight back, he is just over powered and out skilled by his much bigger opponent. Earthquake for his size is very fast moving and hits some big power moves that end this match fast. Over all a good jobber match that entertained me and the fans in the crowd as this really was the execution of the Executioner.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Earthquake vs. Yokozuna

The two big man size each other up as the bell rings and then a shoving match breaks out as they each are showing that they are a big man. Earthquake takes the momentum at first with some jumping kicks and then a headlock and then hits a series of clotheslines that knock Yokozuna down to one knee, but Yoko changes the tide quickly with a back elbow and a shoulder tackle that takes Earthquake down to the mat and then hits a leg drop. Earthquake is in big trouble as he struggles to get to his feet and when he does he eats some chops and a big splash in the corner and when Earthquake is down on the mat Yokozuna climbs the ropes and hits the Banzai Drop and gets the win via pin. This is the battle of two of the WWF’s biggest men at the time that was a great way to build up Yokozuna as the monster heel that was climbing the card and heading towards World Title shots. And while clearly Earthquake was being used as an enhancement talent in this match, they still allowed him to take the lead of the match early own showing his power and strength, and I feel Earthquake did a great job of selling the beating from Yokozuna who was able to showcase his size and power. The Banzai Drop at the end is a move that could put any superstar away and this was a match to prove that to the fans and his future opponents. Over all this is a good quick match that both guys did a great job of entertaining the fans as well as telling the story of the rising Yokozuna.

Grade: **1/2

Match 4: Earthquake vs. Tito Santana

As the match starts Earthquake uses his power and size to throw Tito off him every time he tries to lockup and even after getting Earthquake in a headlock he is just picked up and tossed. Tito is finally able to use his speed and fast punches to land some good hits on his more massive opponent and then starts working over his arm. Tito cannot keep up the pressure as Earthquake takes the momentum with a body slam, but a missed elbow drop gives Tito the chance to fight back and once more goes to work on the big mans arm. But Earthquake quickly shakes it off and continues to beat up on Tito and locks him in a massive bear hug, once free the two exchange hits and holds and Tito even hits his Flying Forearm and only gets a one count. Earthquake slams Tito and then drops and elbow and starts to go for the Earthquake Splash but Tugboat comes from the back to stop it and then Dino Bravo, The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine enter the ring and start beating up on the baby faces that is until Hacksaw Jin Duggan comes out with his 2X4 and chases off all the heels. The match ends in a no contest as the match got so out of hand by the end with run-ins. This for the most part was a very slow paced match with lots of rest holds and moments of sizing each other up and both use pretty basic moves. It was nice to see that the match was not a total squash as it was clear they were building Earthquake as that monster heel as he shrugs off many moves and hits, but they still allowed Tito to seem like a contender, even though his signature move the Flying Forearm barely phased the big man and at no point did it seem like he was going to win the match. The finish was a little silly as before Earthquake could hit his finisher Tugboat comes lumbering out to get the match thrown out, but in reality Earthquake should have won by DQ. Over all an ok match that was entertaining but not the best match these guys could have had and because of the terrible finish I have to Grade this match a little lower.

Grade: **

Match 5: Earthquake vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Right as the bell rings and Jake enters the ring Earthquake goes on the attack and only after a knee to the head is Jake able to get distance between them. Every time Jake goes after the arm of Earthquake the big man breaks the hold with a smashing forearm and as Earthquake poses Jake turns him around and lands many punches to the big man’s face and continues his attack with some knees in the corner, but Earthquake uses his size to knock Jake to the mat and then stomps on him until Jake falls out of the ring. Earthquake goes after Jake’s new snake Lucifer and Jake saves his pet with a knee that rocks Earthquake and he continues his attack on the big man once they get back in the ring unleashing lots of knees, but Earthquake is able to take back over the momentum by going after the knee of Jake and works it over for a bit. Earthquake goes for his finisher sit down splash but Jake rolls out of the ring, Earthquake goes back after Lucifer the snake and before he can splash the animal Jake is able to trip him and it causes Earthquake to crash onto the mat hard. Jake then lets the snake out of the bag and Earthquake leaves the ring and the referee give him the win by DQ. This is a true grudge match as this takes place after the killing of the snake Damien and Jake unleashes lots of punches and knees to his opponent, but do to the size of Earthquake the match goes south for the baby face as the big heel works over his knee and keeps him down and weak on the mat. This is pretty much a brawl and the story told in the ring is good as the fans were really into it as Earthquake kept acting as if he was going to squash the new python. It’s strange as no big moves are thrown and lots of selling and staling takes place, but yet it is an entertaining match and ends with a DQ so that the WWF could keep this feud going and it makes sense as the emotions of Jake Roberts would be out of control.

Grade: **1/2

Match 6: Earthquake vs. Hillbilly Jim

Before the bell rings Earthquake tries to sneak attack Hillbilly Jim who dodges the big man’s charge and lands some hits of his own including ramming his head against the turnbuckles. Earthquake turns the tide when he rakes the eyes of Hillbilly and then lands some punches and shoulders but Hillbilly starts fighting back and this causes Jimmy Hart the manager of Earthquake to distract Hillbilly by trying to steal his lucky horseshoe and this causes Earthquake to be able to hit a big corner splash and then a dropping elbow before hitting the Earthquake Splash and this gives him the win via pin. Even after the match Earthquake keeps hitting splashes and elbows as Jimmy Hart laughs and the referee is powerless to stop the attack, and after the beating stops Hillbilly Jim is taken out on a stretcher. This is a very quick match and does a great job of showcasing Earthquake as a rising heel as he defeats Hillbilly Jim and then after the match destroys him and uses him powerful impact moves. And during the match Hillbilly Jim does not look like a jobber as he takes control of the match throughout its short runtime, and if not for him paying attention to his opponent and being more focused on his horseshoe he was in charge of it’s pace. This is of course more of a brawling match and is by no means a technical masterpiece, but I will say it was a entertaining match that does it’s job of building Earthquake and was one of the final full time matches for Hillbilly Jim.

Grade: **1/2

Match 7: Earthquake vs. Top Gun

The masked man Top Gun rushes Earthquake before the bell rings and hits him with some big forearm smashes, Earthquake shrugs off the attack and makes Top Gun pay for this as Earthquake hits him with an atomic drop, clothesline and then a dropping elbow. Earthquake before he can hit his sit down splash gets distracted for a moment when Big Bubba Rogers and Jimmy Hart try to break his attention from the match, but Earthquake does not take the bait and hits his splash and gets the win after the three count is made. This is a very short squash match that took place in WCW and Earthquake was of course wrestling under his real name John Tenta and hits all his classic moves from the dropping elbow and the sit down splash and he looks like he has gained some weight but is still moving fast. Top Gun does not stand a chance as his forearm smashes are all he is able to fire off and those do no damage and he quickly finds himself counting the lights. This is a short squash match and for some reason I enjoyed as the masked Top Gun is a great jobber and seeing Earthquake being the monster wrestler was cool, so over all this was entertaining for me.

Grade: **1/2

Match 8: Earthquake vs. Ultimate Warrior

Earthquake attacks Warrior before the bell rings and is hitting him in the back with axe handle blows, the Warriors moves around the ring and then tries to run the ropes and clash into Earthquake who does not budge, but after a shoulder tackle Earthquake is taken off his feet and has to roll out of the ring and Warrior follows him as he goes after Jimmy Hart, this gives Earthquake the chance to attack Warrior from behind. Once back in the ring, Earthquake keeps his attack going on Warrior even kicking him in the back and getting him into the corner to choke him as well as knee him and keep him hurt and weakened. Earthquake keeps up the attack and then starts trying to injure the back of Warrior even getting him in a bear hug that he holds for a long time. Earthquake tosses Warrior to the mat and then drops an elbow and then hits his finisher the Earthquake splash and goes for the pin and Warrior kicks out at two and then fires himself up by the cheers of the fans and the power of the warriors. Warrior then hits a series of clotheslines, a shoulder tackle and then body slams Earthquake and is able to get the win via pin after a big splash. This is a standard Ultimate Warrior match that has him getting beat by the heel only to get the power of the warriors to bring him back into the match and this allows him to hit his finishing combo moves the clotheslines, shoulder tackle and splash in order to get the win and while he does a good job of making Earthquake look good he also at the same time ruins the monster heel build of Earthquake as he kicks out of his finisher and then beats him in seconds after doing so. And it was clear at this time that Ultimate Warrior was being built for the top of the card and Earthquake was finding himself as an upper mid-card heel who was slated to help get over Warrior even more. And while this is a paint by numbers Warrior match I for one am a fan and enjoy his matches and while I wish they would have made this match feel a little bigger I still found it entertaining as did the fans in attendance who were 100% behind Warrior and cheered very loudly for him throughout.

Grade: **1/2

Earthquake is one of those wrestlers who really did make his mark on the sport as he had many very high profile matches and feuds and even had a good tag team run with his partner Typhoon and was an icon in Japan. It’s a shame he passed away at such a young age as who knows what he would have gone on to do and where he would have wrestled. And as the house lights come up and the clean up crew are coming out, this marks the end of this update event and also marks the final in our WWE WrestleMania Month. As we make our way out of the arena, I would like to take a few moments to let you know that our next update will take us out of the Squared Circle and into the world of DC Comics as we will be talking about Plastic Man! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. See you next time for a stretchy silly good time.

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: The Missing Link

Posted on May 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink, my micro part of the web, where I share my love for media, from comic books all the way to horror hosts and even sports mascots! One thing that I feel I have been lacking in for my blog is my love for wrestling even though over the 10 plus years that I have been doing this blog I have covered wrestlers that have had comics like The Road Warriors, Kevin Nash, King Kong Bundy, Chyna and Sunny The California Girl as well as my love for Lucha Libre with my Top 60 countdown and even delivered my first “Indie Luchador” update that was about El Incredible Hulk earlier this year! And now I want to present a new update series that I will be calling “R.I.W Wrestling Legends” and will be like my “Horror Host Icon” updates showcasing a wrestler that I have gotten a Best of DVD set of. I will mostly be talking about the wrestler themself and not their personal lives as these update will be all about the squared circle grapplers, will be semi-short and sweet and will highlight why they are a wrestling legend. I will also be covering some modern superstars as well as indie guys and even jobbers! And all of the updates of course will be brought to you from the Rotten Ink Arena that is right next door to the Rotten Ink Theater, both of which are across the street from the Rotten Ink Stadium and a few miles away from Rotten Ink Ranch. The first wrestler I have chosen is one that has always captured my imagination and one that I have always been a fan of, the one and only Missing Link! So let’s find our seats and sit back and relax and talk about this should-be WWE Hall Of Famer ,the green face painted, own hair pulling, head butting madman himself Missing Link.

Dewey Robertson started training for wrestling in the 1960’s and was trained by Jack Wentworth and Al Spittles. Like all wrestlers of his time, he started working in the territories, mostly in Canada, and was well liked by fans as he was very much a classic baby face and wrestled that style. Dewey would make his mark on Canadian wrestling and would start a run in America and Australia for a year before returning to Canada as The Masked Crusader whose mission was to make the world of wrestlers have to wrestle a scientific style and was anti brawling and would start a feud with The Sheik who would unmask him and this would also cause Dewey to team with Billy Red Lyons to form the team The Crusaders. In the early 70’s he started to work for federations that had ties to the NWA and would even win NWA Tag Team Gold with partner Dennis Stamp who is known for being the “Not Booked” guy from the documentary Beyond The Mat, and would also later get more gold with partner Billy Red Lyons. Dewey would really have a great run being in tag teams as he was a draw and the crowds seemed to enjoy his style and this would also allow him to wrestle in Japan. Dewey’s career started to gain steam and he would go on to wrestle in Jim Crockett Promotions and would be involved with matches for not only the NWA but also the AWA, Mid-Atlantic and Central States Wrestling and had many great matches with names like Nick Bockwinkel, Harley Race, Ken Patera, Mr. Fuji, Jerry Valiant and Manny Fernandez. But in 1983, Dewey would have a major change to his career and this change would also bring the world of wrestling a true Wildman!

In 1983 Dewey changed his gimmick to a crazed man that acted weird and was calling himself “Max The Missing Link”! But when he would go to WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) in Texas, the territory that was ran by Fritz Von Erich, he would drop the Max from his name and just call himself The Missing Link and would be managed by the dastardly Skandor Akbar and would feud with the Von Erich’s and would be totally booed as the Wildman would try to bring down the likes of Kevin, Kerry and Mike. During this time with WCCW is when his career really started to grow as the area was a hot bed for wrestling, and by becoming The Missing Link, he stood out from the other heels in the territories he would wrestle in. After his stay in WCCW, he would go for a while to wrestle in Championship Wrestling In Florida and once more was a draw due to his odd behavior and crazy look.

In 1985 he would be signed to WWF and was a heel again that was managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The amazing part is that his debut was at Madison Square Garden where he beat S.D. Jones in a squash match building in the fans eyes that this Wildman was a threat to all their fan favorite wrestlers. But WWF lead by Vince McMahon had other ideas for The Missing Link as he would spend most of his time beating up jobbers and when he was placed in a bigger match he was on the losing end of it, showing that the WWF used him as an attraction but had no real plans to push him as a mega star as they just didn’t see it in him. He did have matches against an older Bruno Sammartino as well as George “The Animal” Steele with his Bruno match almost getting the WWF banned from Buffalo, New York after Missing Link broke the chairs that the commissioners were sitting in! In late 1985 Heenan would trade The Missing Link and Adrian Adonis to Jimmy Hart in order to get King Kong Bundy under his Heenan Family Stable and he would only stay around for a short amount of time with his last story being that a bounty was on the head of Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff and Jimmy Hart and The Missing Link went for it and lost, and just like that The Missing Link was gone from the WWF. It’s said that he was Future Endeavored due to a real life drug issue.

After being let go from WWF The Missing Link would return for a short time to WCCW and would be managed by Percy Pringle who WWF fans would know as Paul Bearer and would later turn Face and feud with the likes of The Great Kabuki and Rick Rude. In 1986 The Missing Link would then wrestle for Universal Wrestling Federation for a short time and then would also go back to WCCW as well as World Wrestling Council and would “retire” for a short time. Missing Link would not give up his in ring career and from time to time would still wrestle a match for indie federations and would also be at wrestling conventions meeting and greeting with fans. He would also write a book, do a few Shoot Interviews, get clean from drugs and alcohol and would travel around speaking about the power of God as well as being drug free. Outside of the ring they say that Dewey was a strange man who enjoyed smoking pot, was a nudist, had a violent temper, tried to stab a booker and later in life had very bad things to say about the WWF. Dewey “The Missing Link” Robertson had been battling lung cancer for a while and sadly lost his battle on August 16, 2007 at the age of 68.

The Missing Link is one of those wrestlers that to this day wrestling fans talk about as he made such an impact on fans who grew up watching this Wildman in the ring. Growing up I knew of Missing Link thanks to the old wrestling magazines my brother Bryan had as well as all the young reader books based on wrestling that were released at the time, and he had always caught my attention as his wild look and green face made him standout. Wait, I almost forgot that he was also featured on the WWF Wrestling Album that we had as kids as well! And sadly back when I was a kid, YouTube was not a thing and in order to watch matches of Wrestlers you had to find old VHS releases or track them down on the grey and trade tape market, and that’s how I first seen a very small amount of his matches when I was a teenager as I was a tape collector and use to buy so many wrestling tapes, and guys like Missing Link and Tiger Mask were on my buy and trade lists. The thing that always made me a Missing Link fan is that for the most part he was a horror themed wrestler who acted like a crazed wild man in the ring, but also could wrestle with the best of them as he was super skilled and a topnotch performer. I feel that Missing Link does not get the credit he deserves when it comes to his in-ring work as I think he could get a good match out of just about anyone and yet could also have brawls with the best of the brawlers. It’s a shame that in real life Missing Link lead a life of drugs and alcohol and made him very bitter toward the WWF. After you read this update, do yourself a favor and head to YouTube and look up Missing Link matches and you will see what I am talking about.

We are now at the point of this review where we will be taking a look at the DVD set and review some of the matches on the discs like always between 4 to 8. I want to thank Coliseum Of Wrestling & Boxing for having this set in stock and also want to thank Missing Link for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly selected matches from this set and will be breaking down the match and will be rating the matches on a 5 Star rating system. I also only choose from singles matches as I want to break down his matches that showcase his style. Here is what the stars mean: ½ means a really terrible match, * means a bad match,** means a below average match, **1/2 means a good average entertaining match, *** means a good match, **** means a great match, *****means an epic match. So if you are ready, let’s step into the ring with Missing Link.

Best Of Missing Link

Match 1: Missing Link vs. Mike Jackson

The Missing Link looks crazed and is jumping around the ring and poor Mike Jackson looks like a lamb lead to the slaughter as when the bell rings Link goes after him causing him to have to dodge the attack. And Mike Jackson then goes on the attack landing some amazing drop kicks and causes Missing Link to roll out of the ring in frustration, but once back in Missing Link goes on a rampage and manhandles Mike who tries to mount a small comeback before Mike eats two diving head-butts and is pinned in what clearly was a squash match. This match was clearly a way for Mid South Wrestling to put over Missing Link and showcase his crazy brawling style as well as to allow his character to grow in the eyes of the fans, as they kept bringing up that Missing Link has never been locked up in a asylum! Over all, a fun quick match that had Link make quick work of a jobber.

Grade: **1/2

Match 2: Missing Link vs. Rip Rogers

When the bell rings both Missing Link and Rip Rogers look ready for a fight, but sadly for Rip Rogers he is no match for Missing Link who dominates the start of the match and is wrestling both as a brawler as well as landing some very classic holds and moves. Rip tries to make a comeback with punches and elbows, but its short lived as Missing Link quickly takes back the match and ends it by putting Rip Rogers in the camel clutch and causes him to tap out! Another squash match to showcase the skill and character of Missing Link, this match besides talking about him never being in an asylum they also talk about him never being in a cult…weird.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Missing Link vs. Junkyard Dog

This big feel main event TV match has Missing Link having to test his power against the fan favorite Junkyard Dog who is jumped from the start before the bell even rings by the Wildman. Missing Link unloads on JYD hitting him with his flying head butts and even puts him in the camel clutch trying to end the match and put as much damage on the Dog as he can. But Junkyard Dog still has plenty of fight in him and the pair exchange hits and movies before JYD gets the tide to change in his favor and uses his head butts and power moves to hurt and keep Missing Link at bay. When Link gets the match back in his favor he makes a big mistake when he misses the second rope diving head butt and JYD uses that mistake to hit his finishing move The Thump and gets the three count and the win. A very slower paced match with lots of rest holds and mat work, but one I really enjoyed as it held a classic wrestling feel. I would also say that Missing Link does most of the work in this match and their styles clash really badly, but I feel that is what makes this match so interesting. I will say I do wish for less stalling.

Grade: ***

Match 4: Missing Link vs. Magnum T.A.

Another big feel match as Missing Link takes on Magnum T.A. and the match starts very technical with both showing each other their classic skills and neither are getting the upper hand. Finally the Missing Link nails a dropkick that also allows him to use his falling head butt to hurt Magnum, but as Missing Link climbs to the second rope to deliver his flying head butt he is caught in midair and slammed by Magnum T.A. who gets the three count! This is a short match but is really good as both Link and Magnum showcase their skills and both are very technical in the match. Little shocking on how fast Missing Link looses, but its clear Magnum T.A was being built up as a top star. I would have given a higher star count if the match had been a little longer.

Grade: ***

Match 5: Missing Link vs. Mr. Wrestling II

The two start off at a very slow pace and exchange holds with Mr. Wrestling II doing many stall movies like headlocks and sizing up his opponent as Missing Link tries to push the pace the veteran keeps the speed that he wants and that’s slow and gets the Link in more rest holds. Much of the match is also Mr. Wrestling II threatening to hit Missing Link with his Knee Lift finisher and Link acting scared of it and being frustrated by Mr. Wrestling II’s antics. And even when Link gets the upper hand Mr. Wrestling II is able to turn the tide back to his favor. Finally Missing Link hits an atomic drop and after missing the head butt from the second rope, Mr. Wrestling II nails Link with the Knee Lift and gets the three count. This was a strange match that was filled with lots of rest holds, a wrestling legend moving in slow motion, a wrestling legend doing almost comedy spots and Missing Link doing the job when he should have won, what a weird slow match.

Grade: **

Match 6: Missing Link vs. Kerry Von Erich

The match starts with Kerry and Missing Link exchanging moves with Kerry dropkicking Link out of the ring and once back in they exchange moves again with Kerry always slightly getting the upper hand. Kerry is showing that he is the more skilled wrestler as even when Link deals out some damage, he is able to fight back as the crowd lose it and cheer for everything Kerry does. Finally Missing Link is able to hurt one of Kerry’s knees as he head butts it over and over and this gives the heel a chance to work it over and cause Kerry pain and puts him in danger of loosing the match. As Kerry fights back, Missing Link’s manager Percy Pringle III smacks Kerry with his cane and causes a DQ and after the bell Kerry hits the Link with a tornado punch and knocks him out of the ring and Link and Percy head to the back. A great WCCW match that was a way to showcase the power of Kerry Von Erich as well as the strangeness and raw power of Link and a finish that didn’t make either look bad. I think Link and Kerry’s styles worked well together and seeing Link take the Tornado Punch as the end was really cool. Solid TV match for sure and I would like to see more matches between these two.

Grade: ***

Match 7: Missing Link vs. Jack Victory

Jack Victory tries to start the match off hot by throwing massive hits at Missing Link who does not feel the effects and makes Jack pay for his attack and man handles him throwing him around and landing big hits. Jack is able to make a small comeback and lands some big moves on Link that stuns him for a short bit but a head butt turns the tide in favor of Link once more. The Missing Link lands a great jumping dive onto Jack and then lands a great head butt that knocks Jack out of the ring. Link wins the match after a second rope diving head butt. But after the match, Link’s former manager Percy Pringle III and Rick Rude attack him as he is out of their stable and they want him to pay for leaving, Link is saved by valet Sunshine. This was a squash match that was a way to show the turn of Missing Link from Heel to Face and the crowd are really behind him. Jack Victory does a great job of selling for Link as well lands a few great moves showing that he was not a total jobber. Plus I think Link and Jack worked well together even if it was a throwaway match. Good stuff and WCCW clearly knew how to book Missing Link right.

Grade: **1/2

Match 8: Missing Link vs. Rick Rude

This match is a total grudge match as Missing Link has Sunshine in his corner and his ex-stable mate and world champ Rick Rude has Percy Pringle III and all sides want to win! When the bell rings Missing Link takes it to Rick Rude and does a great job of keeping Rude on the defense as he lands massive hits and moves to the champ. But Rude only takes the beating for a short time before taking control and unleashing a flurry of punches and moves on Link. Once Link is able to find his energy the two exchange blows and the tide goes back and fourth with each getting the upper hand on each other for small bits of time. Rick Rude is able to get some chin locks on Link and this is draining the big man of strength, but thanks to the fans cheering and Sunshine’s support he is able to break free and start to fight back. But Percy interferes with the match and causes Rude to be disqualified and Missing Link is given the victory. After the bell Link and Rude fight as Percy tries to attack Sunshine, but in the end Link and Sunshine stand tall as the crowd goes crazy for them. What a great match as Rude and Link had great chemistry against each other and they had the fans rabid by the end of the match. Link showed that while he is a Wildman he still can wrestle a very solid match with the right opponent, Rude is great as a heel as his in-ring skill was top notch and his heat with the fans is how all heels should be booed and hated. Great storytelling as well with Sunshine being the beauty that is help taming the beast, only downside is the DQ finish as they should have allowed one to score the pin. To sum this one up a great match and another example of why World Class Championship Wrestling was a great company and is truly missed today by fans of wrestling.

Grade: ***

The Missing Link, as you can see, was a great wrestler with a great gimmick who would have been a great opponent for the likes of The Undertaker, The Fiend, Kane and Abyss in more modern times. I mean imagine a match at a Wrestlemania that would have The Undertaker taking on Missing Link with the streak on the line that would have been a great one as both men could show that they could wrestle behind the personas. Missing Link also was a great one to start off my “R.I.W Wrestling Legends” updates as he is a wrestler that I have wanted to talk about for a while but never had the chance to. And this will be the first of many of these updates to come as I have been hard at work selecting who is to come in future updates and there are some really fun ones coming up. For me The Missing Link will always be a great wrestler that I am a fan of and as I have said before in this update, WWE needs to wake up and put him into the Hall Of Fame. Well the Rotten Ink Arena is closing and it’s time for us to leave, but before we do I would like to let you know that our next update for Rotten Ink’s Ten Year Celebration will be a look at a Horror Host Icon that is known as Baron Daemon! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers.