R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Vampiro

Posted on October 21, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. We once more find ourselves at the Rotten Ink Arena for a spooky “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update event as the Halloween season is a perfect time to take a look at horror themed wrestlers that scare and entertain fans, and who better to be in the main event than Lucha Libre legend Vampiro who has been a big draw in wrestling since the early 1980’s and is still around to this day. As you can see, the Arena has spooky decorations all around and they have vampire’s blood punch and creepy crawler finger sandwiches at the snack bar, so let’s grab a cup and find our seats as this is going to be one hell of a great event and I can not stress enough that this time of the year not only makes me think of horror films and horror hosts but also horror video games, horror novels and horror themed wrestlers, and I am very much looking forward to this update event as I have always been a big fan of Vampiro. But as you can hear, the music has started, so let’s find our seats and see what Vamp has in store for us this Halloween season.

Vampiro started his Pro Wrestling career in 1984 and was trained by Abdullah The Butcher. He would work as a jobber in International Wrestling out of Canada and would be in the business at the age of 16. He worked for International Wrestling from 1984 to 1991 before being signed to CMLL, the biggest promotion in Mexico at the time, and would then get the name Vampiro Canadiense. From the start, due to his look and being a vampire character, his popularity grew very fast and would become one of the company’s big stars. He would have big bet matches (Hair vs. Hair) as well as would take on some of the companies top stars like Perro Aguayo, Pierroth Jr., Blue Panther and Fuerza Guerrera, to name a very few. Vampiro, no matter if he was a Tecnico or Rudo, was being cheered by the fans and was building a strong female following. During this time as well he would work a few matches for Universal Wrestling Association as well as promotions in Japan. In 1996 he would leave CMLL and work for AAA and IWRG before returning to CMLL in 1998 for another brief run. During this time in CMLL, Vampiro would also start his real life feud with Konnan, who was one of the company’s top stars. This rivalry would continue off and on for many years and was about the popularity of both Luchadors as well as Vampiro being cast in a soap opera that was supposed to go to Konnan. His work in CMLL as well as appearing from other federations started to also get the attention of many American companies.

In mid 1998 Vampiro would make his way to WCW and would not fully become part of their roster until 1999 when he was booked as a heel and would be in a group called “The Dead Pool” with Raven as well as Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J, better known as rappers ICP and would have a small run together going after Konnan, Rey Myserio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero. From there Vampiro would turn baby face as he would have matches against Berlyn and his bodyguard The Wall, and from there he would feud with Dr. Death Steve Williams and would team with the punk rock band The Misfits. During this time as well Vamprio would have matches in WCW against other luchadors as well as solid mid-card workers and was getting over with fans in America who liked his brawling style and his horror themed look and attitude. In 2000 his biggest feud in WCW would take place as he would find himself teaming and then turning on Sting. The two would have all types of matches and Sting would even be set on fire by Vampiro who at this point had joined the group called The New Blood that was being run by head booker Vince Russo and would be the younger wrestlers of WCW who were sick of the legends that made up the main events and locker room. Vampiro would once more team with ICP and this time add The Great Muta to his group that would be called “The Dark Carnival” and he would go after The Demon and his lady Asya, that is until The Demon would join his twisted group and Vamp and his crew would continue to feud with Sting. Through the rest of 2000 and into 2001 Vamprio would find himself winning Tag Team Gold (the only title that he would hold in WCW) with The Great Muta as well as just floating around in odd feuds, including one with Mike Awesome. In 2001 WCW was bought by WWE, and they closed the company’s doors and Vampiro’s contract was not picked up by WWE, and this ended Vamprio’s time in WCW.

After the closure of WCW in 2001, Vampiro would head back to CMLL and as well would work for many other companies all over the world. While back in CMLL he would be a big draw and would be used for big matches and PPVs and would mostly have him teaming with Shocker. He would also work matches for All Japan Pro Wrestling at this time and would do only a one month tour. He would also in 2002 go to Puerto Rico and work for World Wrestling Council and would even during his short time there, capture the company’s Universal Heavyweight title. He would also appear in XPW off and on from 2001-2002 and would work a small run for Impact in 2003 where he would feud with Raven. But still during this time his main federation was CMLL, and he would have matches against many Lucha Libre stars like Atlantis, El Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Lizamark Jr., Super Crazy and Dr. Wagner Jr. But his run in CMLL would come to an end in 2005 as he would leave to join Mexico’s best promotion.

In 2005 Vampiro, as well as many other Luchadors, would leave CMLL to go work for AAA and would work for them off and on for years as even up to this update’s posting he can be found in AAA doing events and appearances for them. In 2007 he would leave AAA to work a very small run for CMLL before leaving them for good, but also that year he would work for Wrestling Society X, a short lived promotion that was produced by MTV, and in 2008 he would returns to AAA as well as to XPW again, and this would start his run on working for the indies with one of his two big runs being for Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) where he would become that company’s World Champion around three times. He would also work for Lucha Underground starting in 2014 and would stay with them until they closed up in 2018 and was a part time wrestler and a commentator. During his run in JCW, he would work with such wrestlers as Mad Man Pondo, The Powers Of Pain, Colt Cabana, Kongo Kong and 2 Tuff Tony, to name a few, and in Lucha Underground he had a iconic match with Pentagon Jr. that is considered one of the best matches in the promotion and that’s saying something. But over time Vampiro has slowed down working matches due to age and mounting injuries, but even that has not fully stopped him. Vampiro is a great worker who bonded with his fans and should be in both the AAA and WWE Halls Of Fame as he has truly made a big impact in the sport of Pro Wrestling. Over the decades Vampiro has been in movies, video games and music videos, has had his own bands, been made into action figures and has graced all types of other cool merchandise. And who knows were and when Vampiro will pop up next and who he will face in the ring.

I first found out about Vampiro when I was a youngster as his CMLL action figure for some reason was at a local Dollar Tree store, and he captured by attention as it was clear he was a mix of Luchador with Horror and Rock n Roll, and these were all things I was a fan of! B efore he made his way to WCW, I can remember seeing some of his matches on grey market tapes and I became a fan as I liked his mix of Luca Libre as well as Brawling American style. I should also mention I remember him being in many of the wrestling magazines that my brother and I had growing up. But when he came to WCW in the late 90’s is when I truly became a mega fan and have followed his career ever since. I mean he is the reason I made sure to watch Wrestling Society X on MTV when it aired. For me the thing about Vampiro is that he could have great matches against the cruiserweights but could also be a main event guy and be booked in matches against the top stars of the promotions he was in. I also find his history in AAA and CMLL very interesting as he had the reputation of being a pain to deal with and because he was a draw, they allowed him to get away with his behavior. I also find his real life heat with Konnan interesting, and I am glad that they two seem to have buried the hatchet as they are both icons and both deserve all the fame they have worked for in and out of Mexico. Vampiro also over the years has been very outspoken about his time in wrestling and has spilled the beans on wrestlers like Sting, El Canek, Paul Heyman and others for their behind the scenes behavior. He has also lead a very interesting life from being a bodyguard for pop group Milli Vanilli, to being involved in the occult and secret societies, having evil spirits that follow him around causing him to have to have a exorcism, dated many Latina models, hosted a show about the paranormal in Mexico, toured the world with his bands, worked as a wrestling booker and so much more very cool and unusual stuff. And while over the years much of what he says has been questioned by others, with many fellow wrestlers calling him out for his injuries and illnesses he says he has, I for one still find Vampiro to be a very entertaining guy who is a great worker and a cool personality that always makes him stand out in the world of Pro Wrestling.

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. But because this is a set about a Luchador, we will take a look at 10 matches. I want to thank Coliseum Of Wrestling & Boxing for having this set in stock and also want to thank Vampiro for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 Vampiro.

Best Of Vampiro

Match 1: Vampiro vs. Konnan

As Konnan plays up to the crowd on the microphone Vamprio attacks him from behind with a big clothesline that drops him to the mat. Then as Konnan tries to get up Vampiro unloads a series of kicks and then keeps his attack up on the injured Konnan who is struggling to get on his feet and make a comeback. Vampiro even climbs to the top rope and flings himself onto his opponent and then keeps kicking and stomping on him. At one point Vampiro points his finger into the face of the injured Konnan to talk smack as it’s clear these two have an issue that has carried over from Mexico to WCW. But when Vampiro misses a top rope splash, this gives Konnan a moment to catch his breath and unload some big punches and to make his comeback to take the momentum of the match for a moment. Konnan even hits a power bomb and gets a two count on Vamp. He then hits a DDT and is still only able to get a two count as the fans are really getting into this match. Konnan then hits a face buster, and Vamp rolls out of the ring. Konnan follows and the two start brawling. Vamp then grabs a chair and throws it at Konnan, and the referee has seen enough and DQ’s Vamp giving the win to Konnan by disqualification. After the match, Vamp continues to attack Konnan before leaving the ring. This is a great grudge match brawl that has both guys hitting some big moves and both clearly just want to hurt each other as they have great chemistry in the ring, and they are really telling a story of hatred, jealousy and history. Konnan, as always, does a fantastic job of selling as well as pulling off powerful looking moves as he gives a in my opinion very underrated clothesline as they look strong and like his opponents head might be knocked off. Vampiro is very quick in the match and his very aggressive and his anger comes out in his actions and makes him come off as a badass. Over all this is a great short match that helps build Vampiro as a heel and shows just how popular Konnan was in WCW.

Grade: ***1/2

Match 2: Vampiro vs. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams

Before the match starts, Williams’ manager Oklahoma is locked into a cage, and as Williams makes his way to the ring Vampiro jumps from the cage onto him taking him down with a surprise attack. Vampiro continues to attack outside the ring and is using his speed to keep his bigger and stronger opponent down. Once they get into the ring, Vamp continues his attack and uses punches, kicks, head butts to keep Williams injured, but then after a few moments Williams starts to make a comeback and the two exchange hits. Williams ends up hitting a series of football tackles to the knee of Vampiro, weakening him and then gets him into the corner and uses him as a punching bag. Williams misses a corner charge and this allows Vampiro to go on the attack once more and even hits a big backdrop on Williams that gets him a two count. But like before, the two end up just trading hits and holds, and Williams even hits a massive suplex from the top rope. At one point the punk rock band The Misfits, who are in Vampiro’s corner, try to get into the ring, and Williams takes them all down. But Steve Williams makes one big mistake when he attacks the refereem and this causes him to lose the match via disqualification, and by winning the match Vampiro gets five minutes in the ring with Oklahoma after Williams is forced to the back by security. This is pretty much a brawl that allowed Steve Williams to show off his power and for Vampiro to show off his skill, and while their styles clashed a little, they still did a great job of trying to make each other look good by selling hits and holds as well as each tried to showcase what makes them top stars. Oddly enough, this match was one of Williams last for WCW. Vamprio does a great job of using his speed and moves throughout the match to keep the heat on Williams, who in turn does a great job of hitting massive power moves that look very stiff and impactful. Over all this is a good match that featured two of my favorite wrestlers at the time. While it was not a smooth match, I would not want it any other way.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Vampiro vs. Juventud Guerrera

As the bell rings, Vampiro and Juventud start shoving each other, and then Vampiro floors Juventud with a kick. The two then exchange some chops before Juventud is able to take him down with his speed, but he is stopped when Vampiro hits a big power bomb and even gets a two count for it. Vampiro takes control of the match and uses big moves to keep Juventud grounded. Once they take the fight to the outside Juventud is able to hit a big dive that floors Vampiro. But once they get back into the ring, it’s the power of Vampiro that takes back control, even hitting some loud and powerful chops and at one point works over the knee of Juventud. Both guys fight back and fourth and each miss a high risk move, but in the end Juventud is able to hit the Juvi Driver on Vampiro and this gets him the win via pin. This is a pretty fast paced match that allowed both guys to take control of the momentum and for the most part they try and tell a good story in the ring. Their styles mesh well for the most part with Juventud doing his highflying moves and Vampiro doing a mix of Lucha and power moves. The fans in attendance also seemed to be into the match, and while they are on the side of Juventud, they also cheer Vampiro when he hits big moves. While some of the moves during the match clearly had some miscommunication moments, it really is a fun TV bout that showcased two great Lucha Libre stars who are now both legends. Plus I have to say that I was surprised when Juventud was able to get the win as he hit a perfect Juvi Driver.

Grade: ***

Match 4: Vampiro vs. Great Muta

As soon as the bell rings, Muta attacks Vampiro as well as ICP who are the mangers of Vampiro at the time, but as Muta sprays his green mist into the air Vamprio attacks him from behind and then unloads some chops before hitting a top rope spin kick. Vampiro tries for a top rope move and fails, and this gives Muta that chance to fight back against Vampiro and uses his speed to hit some impactful moves as well, Muta works over one of Vamp’s arms and uses his kicks to keep the momentum. Vampiro fires back with a Rock Bottom and is able to get a two count, but when Muta hits a moonsault, he is able to get the three count and win over Vampiro. This was a very cool match up that sadly WCW did not give lots of time when they really should have. These two worked very well in the ring together, and they both have a similar style that each made their own and putting them against each other just worked well. Muta is able to show his fast paced moves as well as why he was one of the best in the world to hit a moonsault as they are so smooth. Vamprio in the match does a great job of selling for Muta and as well does a great job of mimicking him in movements. This match should have been given more time as what little time these two had in this match was great stuff, and the fans in attendance clearly were behind Muta. Plus I would have loved to seen Muta hit Vampiro with the green mist. Over all a short but very cool match that should have been more.

Grade: ***

Match 5: Vampiro vs. Sting

This is a House Of Pain Steel Cage Match (the rules are you have to shackle both of your opponents hands to the cage) and at the start of the match, Sting climbs to the top of the cage and the fans go wild. Vampiro waits for him inside it, but Sting uses his baseball bat and busts out a section of the cages roof and drops in and attacks Vampiro and even hits him with a Stinger Splash in the corner, Then the two start brawling with each man throwing the other into the cage and exchange hits and holds. But when Vampiro gets the advantage, he tries his best to hurt Sting as the fans boo as clearly they want Sting to win this match, but Vamprio just keeps using his speed and kicks to chop down the Icon Sting. The tide once more changes when Sting hits a power bomb on Vampiro, who was leaping from the top rope for a drop kick. Sting hits a series of moves, and as Vampiro is dazed, he is able to shackle him to the cage and get the win. As Vampiro is handcuffed to the cage Sting beats him up some more and then leaves the cage as Vampiro smiles even though he lost the match. This is a very strange and sadly way too short of a match between these two as the idea of the two being locked in a cage with no referee and no rules was a great idea, but sadly the match pretty much was rushed as Vampiro dominates the start of the match and when Sting gets the advantage, it’s only for a short time and a small amount of moves before he locks Vamp up and gets the win. The other odd thing is that the winner was supposed to beat the heck out of his shackled opponent, and Sting hits a few splashes and leaves, and this is billed as these two hating each other. The top rope power bomb is the most impressive move of this match. While the match is a little of a letdown when it comes to action, the two have great chemistry in the ring, and they tell a good story that has the fans going crazy and for that I myself found it pretty entertaining.

Grade: **1/2

Match 6: Vampiro vs. Scott Steiner

As soon as the bell rings, Steiner uses his power to get Vampiro into the corner and unleashes punches on him. He then hits a big suplex and then press slams and drops Vampiro to the mat. Things are looking bad for Vampiro until he changes the tide with a big boot to Steiner’s face, and then he is able to land some hits of his own including his fast kicks, but Steiner is not down for long as he fights back and lands a powerful dropping elbow onto the chest of Vamp. Scott then tosses Vamp out of the ring and goes out after him throwing him against the guardrails as well as hits him with a chair and finally slams him on the commentator’s table and breaks it. Vamp is hurt but starts fighting back and even slams a chair over Steiner’s head. Then the action goes back into the ring as the two brawl with each other and even Steiner’s female mangers enter the brawl when Vampiro grabs his blowtorch and gasoline can and threatens to set one of them on fire until Sting comes out and smacks him in the head with his bat and then beats him with that bat all the way back to the ring where Steiner hits Vampiro with a belly to belly suplex and then makes him tap out to the Steiner Recliner, and with all that madness Scott Steiner is the winner. This is the clash of styles, and yet it worked very well in this match that pretty much is a brawl that is to showcase the power of Steiner as well as the crazy nature of Vampiro who tries to set a female on fire during the match. Oh and they also showcase his fast kicks. It’s crazy that the match did not end by DQ as they both smack each other with chairs and Sting shows up and beats the hell out of Vampiro with a bat. Over all a crazy match that for some reason just kind of worked in its madness.

Grade: **1/2

Match 7: Vampiro vs. Hulk Hogan

Vampiro attacks Hogan as soon as he gets in the ring and keeps up his attack even knocking Hogan out of the ring and then goes out after him and throws him into the guardrails as well as even hits Hogan with a chair. But Hogan shrugs it off and fights back and even smacks Vampiro with a chair several times returning the favor. Hogan keeps up his attack all around the ring and even once back in the ring, he starts hitting Vamp with his weightlifting belt and then starts choking him with it. Then Hogan keeps up his attack even dropping elbows, and the fans are going crazy for The Hulkster. Hogan even hits his Leg Drop finisher but does not go for the pin instead he just keeps on attack Vampiro, and this allows Billy Kidman to come out and hit Hogan in the back of the head with Vamp’s blowtorch. Kidman then drags Vampiro over to Hogan, and he gets the three count and the win via pin. After the match Vamp and Kidman are about to try and set Hogan on fire when Sting comes to his aid and runs off Kidman, and they then beat up Vampiro. This is another cluster match that is pretty much a brawl between Vampiro and Hogan that has Vampiro winning the match and Hogan for the most part dominating the momentum of the match. The match is just a sloppy brawl, but is entertaining because the fans in attendance are really into it and Vampiro does a great job of selling for Hogan. Plus for those who are Hulkamaniacs, you do get to see Hogan hit his finisher the Leg Drop. Over all another mess of a match that is over booked and yet was a fun watch as it was cool to see Vampiro in the ring with Hulk Hogan, and the right wrestler even won the match. And I have to point out that Hogan clearly does not know how to deliver chair shots and even at times throws some very odd punches. AKA this match reeks of Vince Russo as it’s over booked and is more of a “shoot brawl” then a wrestling match.

Grade: **1/2

Match 8: Vampiro vs. Van Hammer

As the match starts Van Hammer uses his power to slam Vampiro hard onto the mat, but then Vamp uses his speed to arm drag Hammer to the mat showcasing that he is just as strong. Vamp uses his speed to keep hitting moves on Hammer and even kicks him out of the ring and then dive out onto him. The two brawl on the outside with Hammer getting the better of the exchange and even once back in the ring Hammer keeps up his attack even hitting some big kicks and then gets him into the corner and unloads some big punches. Hammer continues to keep the momentum on his side and even tosses Vampiro from the top rope and then chokes him with the middle rope before the referee steps in. Once Vampiro is able to make a comeback he hits some thunderous chops as well as a headbutt and some quick kicks. Hammer is able to use his power to once more up his attack and even tries to hit big power moves, but Vamp is able to roll him up but the pin attempt is stopped when Hammer gets his foot on the ropes. The two exchange hits and holds until finally Van Hammer puts Vampiro into a chin lock and holds it for awhile, with this rest hold the loose the fans who go quite. After the hold is broke the two trade back and fourth again and then finally Vampiro gets the win via pin with a rollup. This is a odd matchup as it’s clear that Vampiro is slowing himself down in order for Van Hammer to keep up, and at first it seems that the fans are into the match but after Van Hammer’s rest hold as well as very awkward moves they loose them slightly. Vampiro does what he can with the stiff Van Hammer and is able to get a good match out of him. Vampiro is clearly the star of this match as he uses his kicks and moves to bring the impact to the match, and to be fair Van Hammer is really trying and does hit some passable power moves. Over all this is a standard match for TV and does a great job of building Vampiro, but it also is a little to long as it should have been around two minutes shorter as it was clear Van Hammer was slightly struggling to keep up.

Grade: **

Match 9: Vampiro vs. Ric Flair

The match starts off with the two of them trying to size the other up and then Vampiro is able to use his speed and takes Flair to the mat and is working over his knee, the hold is broke when Flair is able to get to the ropes. Vamp keeps using his speed and hits a pair of clotheslines and then a backdrop and this causes Flair to exit the ring to try and catch his breath. But even once back in the ring Vampiro keeps control of the match and even hits some very hard chops to Flair who he has backed into a corner. But Flair cheats and pokes Vamp in the eye and then puts him in the corner and lands some big chops, but after a big spin kick Vamp takes back control but losses it again when he misses a top move attack and this gives Flair the chance to work over the leg and knees of Vampiro, Flair keeps up his attack and even kicks Vamp in the stomach when he is down all the while the fans are cheering “Flair Sucks”. Vampiro is clearly hurt and Flair keeps up his attack working over his leg as well as getting cheap shots in when he can. But just as Vamp is about to make his big comeback Miss Elizabeth and Lex Luger make their way down to ringside and as she distracts the referee, Lugar hits Vamp with a baseball bat and this allows Flair to lock in the Figure Four and get Vamp to tap out. After the match both Flair and Lugar attack Vampiro. This is a really good match and both guys look great throughout the match and I have to say Flair does an outstanding job of making Vamp look like a main event star! Flair sells great for Vamp and also makes him look strong by having to cheat in order to win. Vampiro is able to show off his moves and speed and really does hold his own against a legend like Ric Flair. The two have great chemistry, the fans are really into the match and adding Lex Luger and Miss Elizabeth into the match makes it seem more epic as well makes Vampiro really look like a contender. A great match that I really enjoyed from start to finish.

Grade: ****

Match 10: Vampiro vs. Lex Luger

Lugar at the start of the match uses his power to back Vamp into the corner and then smacks him across his face, Vamp responds with his speed and delivers a kick and a chop that knocks Lugar to the mat. Vampiro keeps the heat on Lugar and gets him in the corner and chokes him before flinging him across the ring and keeps up his attacks and does not let Luger get a chance to get the match going for his side. When Luger finally gets the momentum going its because he cheats and then is able to hit a very powerful back drop and it’s his turn to keep the attack up and even press slams Vampiro just to show that he is the strongest in the ring. Vampiro is able to escape a Torture Rack attempt and makes his comeback on Luger with his speed, kicks and top rope movies. But Ric Flair comes down to the ring and Vamp has to fight them both off and when the referee’s back is turned, Lugar’s manager Miss Elizabeth hits Vamp in the back with a ball bat and this allows Lugar to get him in the Torture Rack and Lugar wins via submission. This is another case of Vampiro taking on a wrestler who is the opposite of his style that some how just works and delivers a very entertaining match. Vampiro has the fans behind him for this one and is able to really show off his speed as well as impactful moves that Lex Lugar goes a great job of selling and making Vamp look like a rising star in the company. And on the other side Vamp as well does a great job of selling and allowing Lugar to show off his power and strength and sells for him really well. The match is a good back and fourth with each guy getting their time to take control of the match and it also has a good ending that has Lugar having to cheat and get the help of his manager and friend in order to win the match. While the match does not have any show stealing moves it is a very cool match that’s interesting to see as these two pit against each other.

Grade: ***

Vampiro is a true legend in wrestling and as you can see that during his run in WCW he took on most of the companies biggest stars from Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting and so many others and was able to have great matches against them all showing that he could adapt to any style. I really do not think that Lucha Libre nor Pro Wrestling will ever have another like Vampiro as his attitude, style and personality can never be duplicated. And to me he is one of the best at being a horror themed wrestler, and he has always involved his look and style to the times and places he was working showing that he has a very creative mind. But as you can see, the house lights have came up and our spooky R.I.W update event is over so that is our cue to head to the exit doors, but before we do that let me tell you that our next update will take us to Willy’s Wonderland that rundown closed restaurant that houses killer flesh eating animatronics…won’t that be fun! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local indie wrestlers. See you next update, and let’s hope that Willy is not on the prowl as it will be the big Halloween update and he might be in a nasty mood.

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: Outback Jack

Posted on April 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Thanks for joining me once more at the Rotten Ink Arena as today’s R.I.W Wrestling Legends update is about a Superstar that took WWF in the late 80’s by storm but in a short amount of time fell down the card and his career fizzled away like dust in the Australian wind. And now that we have found our seats right here in the front row, I think our subject is in the opening bout and if you have not guessed it yet, we will be talking about the one and only Outback Jack, a grappler who had action figures, trading cards and shirts released by WWF and once he was let go they never spoke of him again. But I can hear his song playing now so let’s sit back and enjoy our time with this Wrestling Legend.

Outback Jack started his wrestling career in1986 after being trained by Les Thornton and started to work for Stampede Wrestling out of Canada and was quickly brought into the WWF that same year, as Vince McMahon wanted to bring the Australian superstar in to capitalize on the popularity of the film Crocodile Dundee and they quickly started airing vignettes of Outback Jack in the Australian Outback and had him doing all types of things from driving a jeep around to claiming he learned wrestling moves from the Aborigines. They brought him in and the fans seemed to love him as he got the cheers and he would get some big match wins over the likes of Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Mike Sharpe and Barry Horowitz. But while he was popular, he started falling down the card and started to be used a jobber to bigger stars as he would loss to the likes of Ron Bass, Killer Khan, Sika and Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, but all the while Outback Jack would still be getting wins over fellow enhancement talent it was clear that his days for WWF was numbered. The WWF was going to put Outback Jack in a tag team with Hillbilly Jim, and they were going to try and give the pair a major push, but they changed their minds as Outback Jack was let go in 1988 and that as well pretty much ended Outback Jack’s career as he would not have another match until 2019 as there has been a rumor he wrestled in a Tag Team match as a surprise for AWL (Australian Wrestling League).

Outback Jack was a wrestler who was over with the fans who was booked strong at the start but it’s clear the company lost interest and faith in him quick as he was starting to be used as a jobber to their Heel superstars in a pretty quick fashion. One would have to guess that Vince had lost interest in the Australian Outback culture that was made famous by the Crocodile Dundee film or that they just did not see the skill or superstar quality in Outback Jack. As a youngster I always remember being entertained by Outback Jack and remember some of his matches, but let’s be honest we wrestling fans remember his character more then we do his in-ring skill. I as well remember having his trading cards from Topps that was apart of the WWF series. I can also remember always wanting his LJN figure as it was a super cool toy and was always trying to trade with a friend on the playground who had it. One thing that I think works against Outback Jack for being a full Wrestling Legend is that he had a very short career and pretty much lasted only two years before retiring. I also have heard rumors that his time with the WWF was cut short due to the fact that he was not well liked by fellow wrestlers who found his personality to rub them the wrong way. He was also said to have been ribbed all the time by the British Bulldogs with many of the pranks being downright mean! While he might not have been the best in ring worker, Outback Jack was a great character in 80’s WWF that even with a very short run is still remembered and has fans to this day.

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 Outback Jack for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 Outback Jack.

Best Of Outback Jack

Match 1: Outback Jack vs. Rick Rude

After Rick Rude insults the crowd and posses for the ladies in the crowd the bell rings and he starts beating the hell out of Outback with some punches and forearms. Outback makes a small comeback but eats a boot to the face knocking him to the mat, and then Rude drives his face into the mat a few times before Outback tries once more to make a short comeback, but is cut off and Rick Rude gets Outback Jack into a back breaker submission hold and wins the match when Outback taps. This is a total squash match and Outback Jack is used as an enhancement talent jobber as he barely gets any moves in and when he does Rick Rude shrugs them off and continues to beat him up before easily making him tap out in seconds to a backbreaker. And as always Rick Rude is a great heel who gets great heat from the crowd as he is cocky and always has great insults to the fans. Outback Jack has the fans on his side and when he makes his small comebacks they cheer for him, its clear by this match he was not a major star in the WWF’s eyes but in the fans eyes he was a favorite. Over all a good squash match that highlights just how good Rude was in the ring.

Grade: **1/2

Match 2: Outback Jack vs. Butch Reed

As soon as the bell rings Outback Jack starts paying attention to Butch Reed’s manager Slick and that’s a big mistake as he is attacked from behind with a knee to the back, and then throws him into the ropes and makes him eat a nasty looking elbow, Outback is rocked but makes a small comeback before Butch makes him eat punches again and hits him with some powerful moves, and Outback attempts to fight back but is over powered and finished for the three count after Butch jumps off the top rope and nails him with a clothesline. This is another squash match as Butch Reed destroys Outback Jack and does so in quick fashion. Butch Reed looks like the powerhouse he was and uses big moves and strong looking hits, the fans also hate him and he feeds off that heat. Outback Jack looks like a total jobber as he starts the match paying attention to his opponent’s manager and then gets his butt kicked for the next two minutes before getting pinned. And worse, Outback looks weak as his comebacks are easily shrugged off and he is beaten down for his tiny efforts. A great match for Butch Reed to show his power and a bad one for Outback Jack who looks like a jobber.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Outback Jack vs. Frenchy Martin

As the bell rings they size each other up with each testing the water by pulling off small moves on one another. But as the match gets going its clear that the power of Outback is overwhelming Martin who is on the receiving end of some big moves. But Martin is able to make a comeback after he pokes Outback in the eyes and is able to land some big chops that knocks Outback to the mat and allows him to keep on beating on him. But Outback is able to comeback after reversing a whip into the corner and then is able to use his finishing maneuver the boomerang to get the three count. This is a very typical early on the card match that does a great job of building up the crowd by letting them see a fan favorite like Outback Jack as the fans are clearly on his side and are behind his victory. Outback wrestles a very brawling style in the match and plays off the crowd really well with his moves. Frenchy Martin does a great job of selling for Outback as well as does a great job playing the cheating heel when he is needed to get the heat. Over all a simple yet very entertaining match that proves Outback Jack could have been a really good mid-carder if they would have gotten behind him.

Grade: **1/2

Match 4: Outback Jack vs. Steve Lombardi

Hillbilly Jim makes the introduction for his friend Outback Jack as they two had just started to team up with each other, and when the bell rings Outback Jack overpowers Lombardi who gets frustrated over the power difference and takes his anger out by yelling at the referee, and his anger mounts as Outback Jack even out chain wrestles him! No matter what Lombardi does, he can not get the better of Outback who has a response for every move and hit he tries to pull off, that is until he kicks Outback in the gut and then starts biting him on the head and then uses cheap shots and eye pokes to keep the matching going his way. But after taking a beating for a short time Outback Jack takes back over the match and after some clotheslines and a running bulldog Outback gets the pin and wins the match. This is a match that allowed Outback Jack to look like a solid mid-card face as he was able to beat career jobber Steve Lombardi in a mostly one sided match, and Outback even is able to show off his strength by throwing around and over powering his opponent. And while Outback Jack was very limited in skills, he knew how to play off the crowd and did just enough in this match to be entertaining. And Steve Lombardi while a jobber always could get passable to good matches out of limited wrestlers.

Grade: **1/2

Match 5: Outback Jack vs. Ted DiBiase

Ted attacks Outback before the bell rings and even when it rings he keeps the assault going, but Outback with a massive clothesline turns the table and starts pounding on DiBiase who changes the tide with a boot to the face that rocks Outback. DiBiase then lands a middle rope elbow and then a drop fist to the downed Outback who is clearly in trouble now, as DiBiase drops another fist its clear that Outback is dazed. DiBiase continues to beat up Outback and with the Million Dollar Dream DiBiase gets the win as Outback is put to sleep and after the match gets the money shoved into his mouth. This is another squash match as Ted DiBiase makes short work of Outback Jack and puts him to sleep pretty easy and even makes the downed Aussie eat a hundred dollar bill. DiBiase looks great and hits all his signature moves and even does a good job of making Outback not look like a total jobber. Outback does a great job as the fans love him and by getting his butt kicked he helps get DiBiase even more heat as let’s face it, DiBiase was one of the best wrestling heels in 80’s wrestling. Over all a good match that was entertaining for a squash match.

Grade: **1/2

Outback Jack was a lower mid-carder who was originally brought in with bigger plans but his limited in ring work and the company’s faith in him dropping fast made him a fan favorite who did a great job of putting over the company’s heels, and having one of the companies catchiest songs at the time. But the event is over and I see that Joker and Mr. X, part of the cleanup crew, are coming out to sweep up the spilt popcorn so we should head out before the Rotten Ink Arena doors are locked for the night. But as we make out way out of here, I should tell you that out next update will have us meeting once more here at The Rotten Ink Arena as we will be watching Earthquake in action! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. Do you feel that? The tremors have already started!

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Waylon Mercy

Posted on October 21, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we are once again at the Rotten Ink Arena for another “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update and another in our countdown to Halloween and this one is going to be partly scary as we will be talking about wrestler Dan Spivey but mostly his Waylon Mercy gimmick that had him playing a psychopath who tormented opponents in WWF throughout 1995 and was a great heel. And as you can see, the Rotten Ink Arena is packed to the rafters as everyone wants to see what Waylon Mercy is going to do and also those at ringside want to see if they can get a handshake. So let’s grab something to drink and find our seats as this one is going to be a crazy time as Our Lives Are In The Hands Of Waylon Mercy…well at least our entertainment is.

Dangerous Dan Spivey started his in ring career in 1983. He was trained by Dusty Rhodes and would start working for Championship Wrestling From Florida and would wrestle under the name Eagle as part of the tag team “American Starship” and his partner was Coyote who was really Scott Hall. And this run would be very short as he would leave in 1984 and would find himself working Jim Crockett Promotions and NWA Central States for one year before leaving again this time he would find himself in the WWF and would now be wrestling as Dan Spivey he would take the place of Barry Windham in the tag team The U.S. Express teaming with Mike Rotunda and the two would stay together until 1987. After Rotunda left and the U.S. Express was no more, going under the “Golden Boy” Dan Spivey he would have a short singles run before leaving in 1988 and working All Japan Pro Wrestling that he would off and on until 1995. After his time in WWF he would return to Jim Crocket Promotions who was about to turn into WCW in 1989 and would be apart of The Varsity Club stable along with Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda and later that year he would be in the tag team The Skyscrapers with Sid Vicious and was managed by Teddy Long, the team would stay around for awhile but Sid would get injured and Mean Mark Callous would take his place. During his time in WCW he would also be working matches in All Japan, UWF and a few other NWA territories. Dan would leave WCW in 1992 and would continue working for UWF and would become the companies first and only UWF Americas Champion and he would stay with them until 1995. And during this part of his career he would capture some gold in Tag Team and Single runs.

In 1995 Dan Spivey was starting to show the effects of injuries but returned to WWF as Waylon Mercy, a psycho who would wear Hawaiian shirts, had jet black hair, talked with a calm creepy southern accent, had a dagger tattoo on his forehead was built with vignettes that had him warning the superstars that “Lives Are Gonna Be In Waylon Mercy’s Hands.” And from the start Mercy was fed enhancement talent and fans didn’t know what to make of this demented wrestler who acted like a gentlemen one moment and then would be super sadistic the next. He would use a sleeper hold as his finishing move and would looked wide-eyed and crazy as his opponent would pass out. And after stacking up wins and creeping out fans, he would find himself in bigger matches against the company’s stars and would even have a big match at the In Your House 3 PPV against Savio Vega. As time passed Waylon Mercy was gaining even a fan base as some fans started to cheer this crazed wrestler who would shake hands before the bell rang and acted as if he was a face when he was a total heel. But after a match against then WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel and taking two massive Jackknife Power Bombs Waylon Mercy would not be seen on TV again just like that Dan Spivey aka Waylon Mercy would retire from wrestling due to injuries that had built up over his career. But keep in mind that Dan Spivey did wrestle one match in 2015 for !BANG!.

Growing up, I was a fan of Dan Spivey when he was a member of The Skyscrapers as they are a great tag team that WCW should have pushed way more as they could have been a huge heel team that could have been dominating and been in the leagues of The Road Warriors and Demolition. But for me Waylon Mercy was the main gimmick that made me a fan of Spivey as his “Cape Fear” inspired character was crazy and had a Horror theme to it and was a wrestler that you had to like when he would destroy his opponent’s and shake hands of fans, referees and even his opponent all the while creeping out the fans and given the cameras the most crazed of stares and looks. I can remember when his vignettes aired both my brother and I was hooked as we both liked how he would be all gentlemen like and then all of a sudden he would turn sinister even smashing a worm on his arm in one. His catch phrase of “Lives Are Gonna Be In Waylon Mercy’s Hands.” was great and one, and when at school when talking about wrestling I can remember telling friends that I was a fan of Mercy as he was one wrestler that I was hoping would get a match against the likes of The Undertaker, but sadly that match never happened. And to now thinking about it if The Big Boss Man was still in the WWF in 1995 he would have had a great feud with Mercy as well. I also have to say his theme was also great and weird and was a piano piece that had an edge of insanity to the sound. I was so bummed with Waylon Mercy disappeared off TV and was never seen again in the ring as he was a great character that could have been such a great heel that could have had some great matches with many of the top faces in the company. It’s a shame that his injuries were so piled up that made him have to retire from the ring and end his run in the WWF. In more modern times I think WWE has dropped the ball by not having Waylon Mercy be part of the Wyatt Family and it’s clear that the cult leader with the same look and charm Bray Wyatt was a newer version of the character, and Mercy should have been added as part of the family in a manager role, but nope the creative team for WWE is too lazy for any ideas like that. Really looking forward to watching these matches again as all of these I saw when they aired so re-visiting them in modern times will be very interesting. And like so many other wrestlers we have covered on these R.I.W Wrestling Legends update as of this update he is not in the WWE Hall Of Fame and that’s so silly that they have not respected him with that honor.

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 Waylon Mercy for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 Waylon Mercy.

Best Of Waylon Mercy

Match 1: Waylon Mercy vs. Tony Roy

As the bell rings Waylon goes over to shake the hand of Tony and with a cheap shot he clotheslines him hard and they just starts hitting and kicking Tony and really unloads on him in the corner. Waylon then tosses Tony outside the ring and apologizes for doing so to the referee, but Waylon then goes outside the ring and hits Tony with a DDT knocking him out and he wins the by count out. After the match as Tony Roy is knocked out Waylon Mercy leaves the ring and steps on him by “accident” and once more says he is sorry as you can tell he enjoyed dealing the pain. This is 100% a squash match as Tony Roy was a jobber who never even gets one move off and is beating up and knocked out with ease and this match was a great way to build up and show the craziness of Waylon. The fans you can tell are a little creeped out by Waylon who in the match uses mostly kicks, punches, clothesline and a DDT to win the match in quick fashion. I also love that Waylon does some cheap and mean spirited stuff in the match and acts like he is sorry for his actions when you can see the glee in his face as he hurts poor old Tony. Over all this is a good match that did its job of building Waylon as a heel and buried Tony Roy as a jobber for life when it came to WWF matches. And the reason I am giving it this grade is cause I think in a short time it told a good story of who Waylon Mercy was and what fans and his opponents needed to fear from him.

Grade: **1/2

Match 2: Waylon Mercy vs. Jeff Hardy

As the bell rings, Waylon Mercy charges Hardy and pushes him into the corner and starts rocking him with massive punches and knees and then knocks him to the mat and starts kicking Hardy in the gut. Waylon Mercy dominates the match and uses suplexes and other holds like snake-eyes on the top rope to throw Hardy around and cause him pain, all the while Waylon has a smile on his face and fake apologizes on his lips. He then rubs Hardy’s face into the mat and after a side slam Waylon goes for the pin and then decides to not finish the match as he wanted to torture Hardy a little more, and repeats the big move and then go for a pin only to stop it a few times as he is really getting joy of tormenting Hardy. And finally the match ends when Waylon puts Hardy in a sleeper hold and the young wrestler passes out, as Waylon Mercy looks crazed. This is another squash match but is a fun watch as its one of young Jeff Hardy’s early matches in the WWF when he worked as an enhancement talent. Waylon Mercy once more is totally psycho and aggressive in the match and does not allow Hardy to land one move and just torments his opponent the whole time. The brain buster that Waylon hits looks great and his finisher the Sleepy Hold is great when you add his wide crazed eyes as it helps bring out his madness and adds to the fans fear and hatred for him. Hardy does a great job of selling for Waylon and Waylon does a great job of looking like a major threat to any and all faces that could be stepping in the ring with him. A fun and solid squash match that helped build Waylon and also was a great look at the early career of Jeff Hardy.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Waylon Mercy vs. Doink The Clown

At the start of the match Waylon tries to shake the hand of Doink who refuses and when Waylon charges Doink is able to hip toss him to the mat and do so a few times causing Waylon to role out of the ring in frustration, and when he tries to get back in Doink makes sure he knocks him back out and laughs out his psycho opponent. Doink charges to try and keep Waylon outside the ring and he dodges his charge and this causes Doink to fall out of the ring and hit the ground hard. Once back in the ring Doink gets Waylon into the corner and is able to land some kicks and punches before the referee steps in to break up the attack as Waylon is able to get his torso out of the ropes forcing the separation. Waylon is able to land a left hook when Doink was distracted by the referee and then hits a clothesline and takes control of the match making Doink pay for his attack early in the match. And then Waylon is able to lock in the sleeper hold and put Doink to sleep and win the match as many in the crowd cheer for his victory. This match was not a super easy win for Waylon Mercy as Doink The Clown puts up a big fight and also is the first that we have seen that has taken Waylon off his feet and able to land moves on! Doink was a great worker and did a great job in this match being entertaining as well as selling for Mercy and really helped put him over and gave him a bigger win under his belt. Waylon Mercy as well is great in the match and is cold and calculated and is able to beat up Doink all to the delight of the crowd who are on his side as they would rather have this psycho heel win then the goofy clown. Waylon Mercy’s sleeper and crazed eyes is on point again and this makes for a fantastic ending and it was cool to see the fans cheer for him. A great match that had Waylon take some moves, deal some moves out and win a match against a mid-carder that had a name.

Grade: **1/2

Match 4: Waylon Mercy vs. Diesel

This is the battle of two big men and when the bell rings the two shake hands and Diesel pulls Waylon in so that he can stare him down and as the two break the shake its clear that this is going to be a fight. And when the two lock up its Diesel that shows he is the stronger of the two, but the two exchange some punches just to let the other know that they are here to win as Diesel is the WWE World Champion and has been on a losing streak and Waylon could get this big win under his belt and could be in line for a title shot. And after a few hits Diesel dazes Waylon with a big boot to the face and Diesel throws Waylon from corner to corner and lands punches and knees and is rocking his psycho opponent. And while Diesel has the upper hand he is distracted when British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith comes down the aisle and Big Daddy Cool goes crazy and leaves the ring to brawl with Bulldog and gets himself counted out and gives Waylon the win by count out. After the match Diesel who is in a rage gets back into the ring and Jackknife Power Bombs Waylon and then starts punching his down opponent while WWF officials try and break it up. This was a quick match and while the two big men exchange a few moves and hits nothing really happens that sets the match apart from any other and the count out victory was a major letdown and Waylon Mercy seems like a second thought as the match was a way to showcase Diesel and build his upcoming title match against The British Bulldog. Not much more to say besides it was cool to see Waylon in a bigger profile match even if he didn’t get to showcase his crazed persona nor moves. The match is limited and quick with a lackluster finish and could have been so much better then what we got.

Grade: **

Match 5: Waylon Mercy vs. Bret Hart

As the bell rings Waylon Mercy and Bret Hart shake hands and from the start of the match Waylon has the upper hand and starts beating up on Bret and get him trapped in the corner, and Bret is able to make a comeback when Waylon charges into a corner and Bret moves and starts working over Waylon’s arm. But Mercy regains control and is able to start putting a hurting on Bret even landing a massive body slam, but Bret being a skilled technician in the ring takes back control and keeps working on the arm of Mercy. But once out of the move Mercy is able to through Bret out of the ring to get a breather and able to try and take back control of the match and starts pounding on the Bret once he is back in the ring. Waylon even drives Bret’s face into the mat and lands some axe handle hits to his back, and Bret is in trouble and Waylon even starts clawing at the mouth and jaw of Bret with a crazy look in his eyes. After getting beat up for a little longer Bret is able to make a comeback after a boot to the face and a clothesline from the second rope takes Waylon off his feet and gives Bret the time needed to get his breath and figure out a way to win the match. Bret climbs to the second rope and lands his elbow drop and is able to get a two count on Waylon, but the match ends in a DQ when Jean-Pierre LaFitte makes a run in and attacks Bret Hart coasting Waylon Mercy the victory, but also saved him from possibly being pinned as he was on the ropes. This is a really good match and Bret Hart and Waylon Mercy trade moves back and fourth and the fans are very much invested, as they so want Bret to get the win. Bret as always is great and puts on a top-notch performance and even works around the limitations of the injured Waylon Mercy who also works really hard and puts on a great match. The moves landed in the match look very impactful and the back and fourth of the match momentum is well done. This is a great match and shows that Bret Hart was one of the best workers in wrestling history and that Waylon Mercy could have been a major heel if he could have been well during his 1995 run.

Grade: ***1/2

Waylon Mercy was awesome and one of my favorite heels from WWF in 1995 as he was a psycho southern gentlemen who got pleasure in hurting his opponent and trying to act as if he was sorry for his actions of brutality. I have to once more say that I would have loved to have seen him have matches against The Undertaker as I think the two could have worked a good program together, and I stick by that I think he should be in the WWE Hall Of Fame and that he should have been brought back to be apart of the Wyatt Family. Well as you can see the Rotten Ink Arena cleanup crew have came out and they are sweeping up all the left behind popcorn so that’s our queue to head out so as we make our way out the doors I want to let you all know that our next update will be about the iconic Pennsylvania Horror Host Dr. Shock and this will be a truly fun one for sure to celebrate Halloween with! So until then, make sure to read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. See you on Halloween for a Spooky Shocking good time.

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Uncle Elmer

Posted on April 22, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Arena. As you can tell, this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update has a theme as the bales of hay are being used as seats and the fried pig parts are at the snack bar and all the people in overalls are square dancing. It’s not the Arena’s normal look, but it’s a perfect atmosphere for tonight’s main event star as the one and only Uncle Elmer will be making his way to the ring and will show us all a good old hillbilly good time! So I am not sure about you, but I think I am going to go buy some fried pig parts as well as a Mountain Dew to drink and then will find our seats as this is clearly one of those themed events that you have to take part in as where else can one eat such a great cuisine? The house lights are going down and the music has started, so let’s get to our seats and see what Uncle Elmer has in store for us.

Uncle Elmer started his in ring pro career in 1960 and would mostly work the Southern territories as the Country Plowboy and would be booked strong as he stood over 6’10” and weighed almost 500 pounds! Early on he worked for many NWA promotions and would not only wrestle as Plowboy but would also wear a mask and a stripped uniform and call himself The Convict and would work as a heel. And during this journeyman routine he wrestled many big names like Bobo Brazil, Gentle Ben The Wrestling Bear and The Satan Medics before having a good run as The Convict for NWA Hollywood and tangling with names like Ernie Ladd, Mil Mascaras and Chief White Eagle. He found his next big run in 1976 working for NWA Mid-America where he would team with Jerry Lawler as Plowboy Frazier and would be used by Lawer as a hired muscle. He would first be a heel until he found out he was being used and would turn baby face and feud with Lawler. In 1977 he would start working for CWA still as Plowboy Frazier and would stick around until 1980 before having a run in GCW (Georgia Championship Wrestling) before returning to CWA in 1981. Once in CWA again he would work under many names like Stan Frazier, Plowboy Frazier as well as Kamala II, The Giant Rebel and The Lone Ranger with the latter having him dress as a out of shape mask wearing hero. He would stick around CWA up until 1985 and would have matches against names like Tom Prichard, The Rock N Roll Express, Jerry Lawler, The Phantom, Mr. Onita and Gypsy Joe to name a few. He even got to wrestle in Japan as The Convict character. But being a man of many gimmicks and being over with fans and a big attraction wrestler due to his size and weight, it was only a matter of time before New York came calling. But keep in mind during his run in the NWA territories, he would win many Tag Titles!

Starting in 1985 and now going by Uncle Elmer, he would work in the WWF as a member of the stable called The Hillbillies that included Hillbilly Jim, Cousin Luke and Cousin Junior and he would wrestle the company’s top heels, dance in the ring and even eat from a giant bucket that read “Uncle Elmer’s Fried Pig Parts” and was well loved by fans who could not get enough of this mountain of a man. He would work the house shows at the start and would get wins over names like Tiger Chung Lee, The Spoiler, Moondog Spot and even Big John Studd! He would make it to TV as well and would be featured in matches as well as segments including getting married on “Saturday Night’s Main Event II” that aired in 1985. And during the marriage angle he would be made fun of by Jesse Ventura and as well Roddy Piper and this would find Elmer on the loosing end of many of the matches. He would then go on to have a match against Adrian Adonis at “WrestleMania II” in a losing effort and shortly after he would have his final match for then in early 1986 against King Kong Bundy on “Saturday Night’s Main Event VI”. During his WWF run he would have matches against the likes of Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, Rene Goulet, The Hart Foundation, Iron Sheik, Iron Mike Sharpe and Bon Orton Jr. to name a few. While in the WWF he was a super popular baby face whose good nature and big man brawling style made the fans cheer.

After leaving the WWF in 1986 Uncle Elmer would head back to Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) and would change his name to Giant Hillbilly Elmer and team with Jerry Lawler and would even win Tag Titles with him. He would stick around CWA until around 1988. While working in CWA he would be featured in some big matches but was not an upper-card draw as his health was starting to fade. He would however have matches against names like Austin Idol, The Red Demons, Bam Bam Bigelow and The Mod Squad. He would then start working for USWA after CWA and it merged and would stick around until 1989 before fully retiring from wrestling in 1991. And in the end of his career, he also had his own small promotion and would have a hand in training Bob Holly. Uncle Elmer who suffered from lots of health issues due to his weight as well as diabetes and on July 1, 1992 he would pas away from kidney failure at the age of 54. Over his career, Uncle Elmer would win many titles including the CWA World Heavyweight Title twice. He is not as of this updates posting put into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Uncle Elmer is a wrestler I remember as a kid and was never a big fan of as I found him to be boring in the ring as he wrestled a very slow and sloppy big man style and besides Hillbilly Jim I just was not much into the whole mountain folk country boy gimmicks that took place in that time in the WWF. But I should say that I did however enjoy Uncle Elmer and his Hillbilly family’s antics as their simple nature made for cartoonish good times. And while I do still laugh about his Fried Pig Parts bucket of food, I still could never get past just how very below average he was in the ring and yet some how he was booked strong and was beating guys way more talented then him! And I get that his massive sized made him limited in the ring and that he was more of a character then a worker, I just could never imagine why he was a bigger mid-card worker for awhile in companies like the WWF. While I mostly know him as Uncle Elmer his work as Lone Ranger, Kamala II and even one of his many Plowboy names is just as silly and as limited in his move set showing that he never made a effort to try and get better over his many years in the business and never learned how to use his size to his advantage to at least have good matches. There is also lots of bad stories about Elmer that include him selling bootleg products to even treating some different race workers badly, and it was also said that many of his opponents hated working with him because he was to sloppy and hard to work with. And while I was never a fan, Uncle Elmer had his fans and was a memorable Superstar who helped make the 80’s WWF what we all know and love, as I mean come on he got married on TV and the fans ate it up!

We are now at the point of this review were 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 Uncle Elmer for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 lets step into the ring with Uncle Elmer.

Best Of Uncle Elmer

Match 1: Uncle Elmer vs. King Kong Bundy

As soon as the bell rings the two lock up and neither get the advantage and they keep locking up and then breaking apart as Elmer flexes up. Bundy then hits the ropes and tries to shoulder tackle Elmer but it has no effect as he is just to heavy to move like that. Bundy tries again to hit the ropes and shoulder tackle him, but like before Elmer does not move. Bundy then racks the eyes of Elmer and this drops the big man and Bundy then starts pounding on him as well as chokes him…keeping Elmer on the mat. Bundy kicks Elmer in the face and the big country boy is hurt, he does try and make a comeback as he fires off some punches and his butt corner bumps but Bundy cuts it off after Elmer misses a corner splash. Bundy then hits a dropping elbow and gets the win via a three count. This is a hoss fight as Bundy does his best to work with the very massive, limited and slow Uncle Elmer who mostly just throws a few punches and hits his big butt bumps in the corner. Bundy’s elbow drop looks good and packs an impact and really Bundy carries the match and has to even work a slower move set than normal. The fans in attendance are kind of into the match as they pop for Elmer’s silly antics as well as his corner butt bumps, but over all they are not overly loud throughout. The match is what it is and if you like matches that are slow that pit two massive men against one another then this one is for you, for me it was just kind of around and an attraction match that was to showcase the power of Bundy and the size of Elmer.

Grade: **

Match 2: Uncle Elmer vs. A.J. Petruzzi

Before the match Uncle Elmer dances around the ring with Hillbilly Jim and the fans are eating it up, and once the bell rings A.J. hits the ring ropes and runs into Elmer and bounces off him. Elmer and A.J. then lock up and Elmer is able to turn the lock up into a headlock and he keeps the move on and works it. Elmer breaks the hold and bonk’s A.J. on top the head and also rams his head against his belly. Elmer then drops a leg drop and then goes for the pin and gets the three count and the win. This is pretty much a squash match and yet it was kind of entertaining as Elmer even with his limited moves as able to hit some moves that looked impactful like his leg drop and headlock and A.J. does a fantastic job of selling for his massive opponent. The fans seem to be into the match and on the side of Elmer. The bad in the match is Elmer’s hits and belly bump look very off and cartoonish in a cringe way. But while the match is not perfect it still did its job of entertaining me.

Grade: **

Match 3: Uncle Elmer vs. Bigfoot

When Elmer gets into the ring he chases Bigfoot out of it as the bell rings, Bigfoot gets back into the ring and they lock up and Elmer wins and knocks him to the ground. They next do a test of strength and Elmer shows he is the stronger of the two and even pulls Bigfoot into his belly and Foot ends up bumping. Elmer gets Bigfoot then into the corner and lands some big splashes, and Elmer even does a backdrop on Bigfoot. As Bigfoot is down on the mat Elmer drops a leg drop and gets the win via pin. This is another squash match that allows Uncle Elmer to use his power moves and brawling style to make quick work of Bigfoot who by the way is better known as Rip Morgan to wrestling fans. Elmer uses his size to hit moves like splashes, belly bump and leg drop. While Bigfoot gets no time to shine as he throughout the match just gets beat up and beat. This is a silly and goofy match that was used to promote and push Uncle Elmer and the fans really did get behind Elmer throughout it. I really think that they should have had Bigfoot join the Hillbilly Family as he would have fit in! Over all an ok match that is booked well to work around the limitations of Elmer.

Grade: **

Match 4: Uncle Elmer vs. Jerry Valiant

The Hillbilly Family come down to the ring and all dance around as the fans cheer, as the bell rings Jerry charges in and Elmer catches him and slams him to the mat and then goes for the pin and gets the win! This is 100% the definition of a squash match as Uncle Elmer gets the win in seconds and only hits one move a body slam in order to get the win, the fan in attendance loved this super quick match. The bodyslam while sloppy was effective from Elmer and we see nothing that Jerry brings to the table as he is able to do nothing. The fans love the quick win and the pop for his win making the match effective for the most part. This match did a great job of showing the power of Elmer as well as mask his limited in ring moves. Nothing special here but did its job for sure.

Grade: *1/2

Uncle Elmer was a massive man both in weight and height and because of this it made him very limited in the ring. He was like the second coming of Haystacks Calhoun when it came to his in ring work, but I feel Elmer did not have the personality of Haystacks who I think should have been part of the Hillbilly Family in WWF at the time as he could have been a cousin and the patriarch of the family. And with Uncle Elmer, you knew you were never going to get 3-5 Star matches out of him, but you did know that you would at least be entertained by his matches. Well this R.I.W Wrestling Legend update event is over and this also wraps WWF WrestleMania Month 2024 up so as we make our way to the exit doors, I would like to tell you that our next update will bring us back to the world of Horror Comic Books as well as Silent Horror Cinema as I will be talking about the 1925 film Wolf Blood: A Tale Of The Forest and the Blood Scream Comics adaptation of it! 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 update for a spooky good time with a Canadian Werewolf!

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: La Parka

Posted on April 2, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we find ourselves at the Rotten Ink Arena as it’s WWE WrestleMania month so that means we celebrate the legends of Pro Wrestling and Lucha Libre, and as you can see, today’s update event main event star is one that has packed the house as he has been a big draw in both Mexico and America as this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update is about the Chairman of WCW the one and only La Parka, a masked Luchador that has always been a favorite of mine and has been long over due as I need to cover more of my favorite masked wrestlers from South Of The Border. Starting off with La Parka for our celebration of the 2024 WrestleMania month was just the right choice. So let’s grab some nachos and a burger from the snack bar and find our seats as this is going to be one fun wrestling legend event.

Adolfo Tapia started in Pro Wrestling career in 1982 at the age of 16 and was trained by Alberto Mora and Raul Reyes. He would work for the indies in Mexico and would work under many names and masks including El Gringo, El Asesino De Tepito, Principe Island and Invasor Del Norte I and would even lose a bet match against El Hijo Del Santo, and he worked hard for years in the indies before being signed to AAA in 1992 and would become La Parka, the skeleton reaper, who was a rudo that got cheered almost instantly by fans who liked his style of brawling and high flying. And just like that, La Parka was a main event star and would have his first major feud against Lizmark and the pair would even fight for titles that they would exchange back and fourth. In 1994 La Parka would be in a six man tag match for the When World’s Collide PPV that had WCW and AAA coming together, in the match he would team with Blue Panther and Jerry Estrada in a loosing effort against Chris Benoit, 2 Cold Scorpio and Tito Santana. And from there La Parka would continue to be a huge draw for AAA and would even win and hold many of the company’s titles and his popularity with fans continued to rise. In 1995 he would even make an appearance at ECW and would team with Psychosis to take on Rey Mysterio Jr. and Konnan. But a big step in La Parka’s career was coming in 1996! During his first run in AAA, he would have big matches against many Lucha Libre Legends like Solar, Octagon, Super Astro, Lizmark Jr., Eddie Guerrero and Villano IV to name a few.

In 1996 WCW was expanding their Cruiser Weight Division and hired many Luchadors at this time including La Parka who quickly became a breakout star among the pack that was hired as his creepy mask and more silly and playful gimmick got him over with the American fans. La Parka was used as a mid-card draw and would find himself in matches against fellow cruiser weights as well as matches against bigger stars in order to put them over like Goldberg. La Parka would have a manager for a short time in Sonny Onoo and would also team with Psychosis at the time. This would be a short lived partnership but would find La Parka working on WCW PPV’s as well as their top three shows Nitro, Thunder and Saturday Night. La Parka would also gain more fans when he would be called “WCW Chairman Of The Board” as he would carry out a steel chair that he would play air guitar with as well as would dance on it. In 1998, he would become a member of the Latino World Order (LWO) a group of Hispanic wrestlers who came together under the leadership of Eddie Guerrero and would have members Juventud Guerrera, Psychosis, Silver King, El Dandy, Damien 666, Hector Garza and Villano IV & V, sadly this group would disband in 1999. Later in 1999 he would have a gimmick that would have him speaking in Spanish and would have a silly English dub would play over his interviews. This was toward the end of his WCW run as at this point, he was being booked more as a joke and sadly he seemed to be the butt of the jokes. He would leave WCW in 2000, but this run would be what helped put him into the mainstream for wrestling promotions worldwide. In WCW La Parka just never got the push he should have and always found himself on the lower card.

La Parka in 2000 would return to Mexico and work the indies as well as a few dates for CMLL before signing with them in 2003 to a full time contract…but with this came a lawsuit from AAA who claimed they owned the name La Parka, and while the original was in WCW, they had a LA Parka Jr. working events. When the original signed with AAA’s biggest rival, they took action and now he had to go by L.A. Park with Jr. now becoming La Parka. L.A. Park would work as a main event star in CMLL but for a short time he had to be kept off TV due to the legal issues with AAA, and oddly enough CMLL would only work L.A. Park in bursts and this allowed him to as well still work for the indies in Mexico. His biggest feud in CMLL at this time was against Dr. Wagner Jr. During this time L.A. Park would also work for Xtreme Latin American Wrestling starting in 2004 and would come back to them for a run from 2009-2010. And by 2008 L.A. Park would leave CMLL and after working the indies would find himself back in AAA for a three year run that would have him feud with La Parka over the name as he would say the other was an imposter. This run was well done and would have him take on such Luchadors as Heavy Metal, Cibernetico, Extreme Tiger, Jack Evans, El Zorro and Electroshock. L.A. Park would leave AAA in 2013 and would return for a very short run for CMLL in 2014-2015 all the while still working in the indies.

In 2018 L.A. Park would return to AAA and find himself once more at being one of the company’s top draws and is still working to this day for them as he has won some big matches and even was the one who took the mask of El Hijo Del Fantasma who is now known as Santos Escobar in WWE/NXT. And while he is getting older, his brawling style is still very much over with fans and is what helps make him remain as one of Mexico’s biggest wrestling stars around the world. In 2018 he also worked in MLW, an indie American company that he quickly became a main event star for them and would have feuds with such names as Sami Callihan, Mace Warner, Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix and Ross & Marshall Von Erich. L.A. Park would be fired from MLW in 2022 when he and his son El Hijo De L.A. Park attacked some fellow wrestlers with chairs in a off the rails attack that left two fellow workers injured. While L.A. Park is starting to slow down in the ring he still remains an icon of Pro Wrestling and Lucha Libre and during his run has won many titles from all types of companies from AAA to CMLL and even WWA showing that he was a big draw for companies and they know it. Sadly as of this update L.A. Park is not in the WWE Hall Of Fame, but once he retires he should be!

La Parka is a Luchador that I have been a fan of since I first saw in him in WCW and from that moment on, I followed his career as well as even started to look into his past and that meant his work for AAA. In WCW the thing that separated La Parka from the other Luchadors is his spooky skeleton look as well as the fact he would dance around and play air guitar and would wrestle a more brawling lucha style and was a little bigger than the others and this did allow him to work matches against none cruiser weight stars and kind of look like a contender. And while he know goes by L.A. Park to me he will always be La Parka and that is no disrespect to La Parka II who sadly passed away in 2020 after complications to an injury that happened in the ring, as he was a fantastic worker as well, it’s just that I grew up with the WCW La Parka and I am so used to calling him that. Back in the days of WCW I use to play as La Parka in many of the video games like WCW/NOW Revenge for the N64 and WCW Thunder for the PSX and it’s a shame that he has not been in any of the modern WWE games as a legend as it would be great to play as him again in a game. I have also been lucky enough to see LA Parka wrestle live in WCW and it was awesome to see the live crowd cheer him as he made his entrance, and I was one of the fans cheering my head off! I also find that La Parka’s mask is one of the most iconic masks in Lucha Libre and his legacy in wrestling will live on after he retires thanks to his son who doing the Jr. gimmick and this is great as I hope generations to come will get to see just how great La Parka is who as of this posting is still going strong in Mexico. I also want to say that La Parka took the # 6 spot for my Top 60 Luchador Countdown that you can read HERE.

We are now at the point of this review were 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. But because this is a set about a Luchador we will take a look at 10 matches. I want to thank Coliseum Of Wrestling & Boxing for having this set in stock and also want to thank La Parka for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 lets step into the ring with La Parka.

Best Of LA Parka

Match 1: La Parka vs. Chris Jericho

As the bell rings La Parka charges and misses a body bump that causes him to crash to the mat and Jericho goes for a side headlock that La Parka breaks out of and lands some big punches and chops, that is till Jericho throws him into the ropes and is dropped when La Parka hits a shoulder tackle and then does some karate movies to the air as the fans boo. Jericho is able to recover fast and hits a dropkick that knocks La Parka down to the mat, and when La Parka tries to make a comeback he is kicked in the face by Jericho who is now in charge of the matches pace for a second as La Parka uses the ropes and is able to keep Jericho on the defense as Parka hits big of the rope kicks and even gets a two count on Jericho. Parka hits a good power bomb and then starts working on the arm and neck of Jericho and once more gets a two count. Jericho gets a one count when he sneaks and rolls up Parka who is able to get to the ropes to stop the pin attempt. Parka unloads some more moves including a belly-to-belly suplex, but cannot keep Jericho down. After a little more of a beating Jericho has had enough and makes a comeback unloading hits and moves on Parka and beats him with a roll up that gets him the three count. This is a very competitive match between two of WCW’s top cruiserweights at the time and the two work really well together and make each other look very good in the ring, as both sell well for each other and allow each to showoff their speed and moves. It was great to see La Parka move fast in the match and his rope work is great stuff, and as always Chris Jericho looks great in his fast paced moves. And the rollup win is fitting for the pace of the match and still made La Parka look like a contender. The fans in attendance also seemed to be into the match and that was nice to see as it was clear both La Parka and Chris Jericho were semi new to the company and trying to make names for themselves. Over all a pretty fun and solid match that entertained me and I have to admit that I popped when La Parka did his martial arts spot.

Grade: ***

Match 2: La Parka vs. Ice Train

As soon as the bell rings La Parka attacks Ice Train from behind and starts working on the back of his knee trying to keep the big man down on the mat, but La Parka’s hits and kicks are having very little effect on Ice Train who is raging up and drops Parka with one big chop. Ice Train starts using his power moves to toss La Parka around and hits a big power slam that knocks Parka silly. Train then hits a leaping shoulder tackle and Parka is clearly in trouble that is until he is able to hit a head kick and a spinning kick off the top rope that knocks Train down and is able to only get a one count. And once more Train takes back over and lands another power slam on Parka and then flings him into the corner and delivers a splash. Parka makes a small comeback with a jawbreaker and some kicks and even knocks Train out of the ring and lands a dive onto him. Once back in the ring Train hits a massive clothesline another power slam and then his finisher The Train Wreck (a big splash) and gets the win via pin over La Parka. This match was clearly a match that was set to showcase Ice Train who WCW was building up as a massive Baby Face and they pretty much have him dominate the match and shrug off much of the moves of La Parka, and that’s a shame as La Parka was clearly the more skilled worker of the two as Ice Train could only hit power moves as he hits a power slam three times during this short match…as he was very limited in the ring and it was clear he was being pushed due to his massive muscles. La Parka does a great job of selling for Ice Train and makes the limited wrestler look a little better. Not much to say besides La Parka’s outside dive looked amazing and if trained a little longer Ice Train could have probably been a bigger name in the sport. Over all an average match that WCW used La Parka as enhancement talent for a wrestler who had a very short shelf life. And the only reason this match is getting two is cause the hard work La Parka put in to get a match out of Ice Train.

Grade: **

Match 3: La Parka vs. Juventud Guerrera

As the bell rings La Parka and Juventud start shoving each other and Parka tries to get Juventud into the corner but keeps missing his hits as the faster Luchador is able to dodge his hits and escape. And Juventud then slides around his opponent and then lands a jumping kick that knocks Parka to the mat. Juventud then tries to land a top rope body press but is caught by Parka who dances while holding him before setting him on the other corner to slap him across the face, this fires Juventud up who leaps from the rope and flying head scissors Parka who goes to the outside only for Juventud to dive over the ropes onto him. The fans are into this match as they have popped for both guys and are enjoying this fast paced cruiserweight match. Once back in the ring Juventud lands a missile drop kick and gets a two count on a pin attempt. Parka turns the tide of the match with a boot to Juventud’s face and then a big clothesline and then dives off the top rope onto Juventud and gets a two count. Parka keeps up the pressure hitting moves on Juventud as the fans just keep on cheering for the match, this time Juventud is outside the ring and Parka dives over the top rope and onto him. Once back into the ring Juventud takes back control of the match that is until Parka hits a top rope power bomb followed by a spinning body splash from the top rope and he is able to get the win via pin. This was such a great WCW Cruiserweight match that had both guys getting equal time to shine with the live fans being very much into the fast paced match. Both La Parka and Juventud did a great job of making each other look good, both sell well for each other and both are able to show off their highflying moves. Both of there outside dives also look fantastic and impactful adding to the story that’s being told in this match. La Parka looks strong and is able to get the win and even though he is the heel of the match fans cheer for his hard work. This is a very cool match and is why I loved the Cruiserweight Division in WCW!

Grade: ***

Match 4: La Parka vs. Ultimo Dragon

As soon as the bell rings Parka and Dragon run the ropes and each showcase their speed and land some flips and moves. Dragon gets Parka into the corner and lands some chops and keeps using his speed to takedown and trip up Parka. And when Parka tries to make a comeback Dragon unleashes a fury of fast kicks and lands a dropkick that knocks him out of the ring and then Dragon climbs the top rope and dives onto him. But outside the ring Sonny Ono the manager of La Parka attacks Dragon and this allows Parka to land some hits and moves and even get a two count after a power bomb on the Dragon. Parka stays in control of the match until he misses a corner splash and this allows Dragon to land a off the top rope Frankensteiner and then get La Parka in the Dragon Sleeper, but Sonny Ono distracts the referee and this allows La Parka to kick Dragon in the back of the head and then Ono botches as he by accident kicks La Parka and once more Dragon locks in the Dragon Sleeper and gets Parka to tap out and wins via submission. This is a very fun fast paced match that did a great job of showcasing why Ultimo Dragon is considered one of the best cruiserweights in the world and also shows La Parka as a threat for the mid-card titles. The speed and kicks of Dragon are very awesome to see and La Parka does a great job of selling and acting amazed by the feats of Dragon throughout the match, I also like that they make it appear as if La Parka just might win the match with the help of his manager. Over all a really fun and entertaining match as both guys have great chemistry in the ring and told a quick story.

Grade: ***

Match 5: La Parka vs. Glacier

La Parka starts the match waving a Mexican Flag on the top turnbuckle as the fans cheer, Parka then gets off the turnbuckle and makes fun of Glacier’s martial arts and the fans continue to cheer. Glacier has seen enough and the two exchange karate chops and Glacier’s strike hard and knock Parka to the mat, but Parka gets back up and lands some punches and then uses a shoulder tackle to go for a pin attempt and gets a one count and repeats these actions again. Glacier then hits a series of kicks that knocks Parka out of the ring and Glacier jumps over the ropes with a cross body. Once back in the ring Parka takes control of the match hitting some big moves and lands a big piledriver and then dances around before landing some more moves on Glacier including knocking him out of the ring and corkscrew diving onto him. Outside the ring Parka slams Glacier’s head into a chair and the two battle more outside the ring and even Parka crashes into the chair. Once back in the ring Glacier hits his Cryonic Kick finisher and gets the three count for the win. This is a pretty fun match as La Parka is on and is playing up to the live fans who clearly want him to get the win! La Parka goes a great job in the match and uses his speed and Lucha Libre moves to try and make the match exciting as Glacier mostly does his same “martial arts” style moves, but does pull off a very cool over the top rope dive. The match is very short and sadly in my opinion the wrong wrestler won, as clearly everyone in the arena wanted La Parka to get the victory and La Parka is way more skilled in the ring than his opponent. The two lacked chemistry in the ring but Parka did his best to get a fun match out of Glacier.

Grade: **1/2

Match 6: La Parka vs. Disco Inferno

As soon as the match starts La Parka throws a chair at Disco who in turn doges the charge Parka who crashes into the corner. The two exchange hits and Parka hits a power slam before getting up and mocking Inferno’s disco moves. Disco returns the favor and hits a power slam of his own, and Disco takes control of the match his hits and holds and La Parka fights back and even knocks Disco out of the ring and hits a corkscrew splash and the two brawl outside for a bit and Disco even drops Parka on the guardrail trying to hurt his opponent to secure the win. But once back in the ring Parka goes on the attack with some kicks and a chinlock and once Disco gets out of the hold Parka continues his attack thanks to his speed and hits some impactful moves, but is unable to get the pinfall over Disco. La Parka once more goes for a chinlock to slowdown the pace and to ware down Disco who gets out of the hold and starts unloading on Parka trying to take the match momentum, but the two end up just trading the momentum back and fourth with holds and hits but Disco with the help of a chair is able to hit his Chart Buster finisher and get the win via pin over La Parka. This is a pretty good match and for the most part is entertaining, with both guys getting times to shine in the match the only downside is that I feel that their styles did not mesh that well and caused for some moments that seem off. La Parka shows off his speed and some of his Lucha style, but does seem to slow down his moves and does less flips than he normally worked into his matches. Disco Inferno is also a very solid worker who I think often get overlooked for his work, but his style just did not click well with La Paraka’s and what we have here is a match that is good and entertaining but is just lacking something to take it to the next level. Both guys do well for selling for each other and that helps both guys look like a contender, the fans in the arena seem to be into the match as they do cheer for La Parka as clearly they are on his side and want to see him win. Also I should say that this was an odd choice as this was part of the WCW SuperBrawl VIII and is given around 12 minutes.

Grade: **1/2

Match 7: La Parka vs. Psychosis

As the bell rings Parka and Psychosis start to lock up and Parka takes a cheapshot and then lands a series of big chops and after some rope running Psychosis returns the favor of chops and then takes Parka down with some flying head scissors and Psychosis keeps his attack on La Parka even knocking him out of the ring and hitting him with a big dive. But La Parka is able to turn the tide when he is able to get back into the ring first and delivers a big kick to Psychosis who was entering the ring and now he deals out some hits and holds including a massive clothesline and a split legged moonsault. Every time Psychosis tries to make a comeback he is cut off my Parka who just deals out more of a beating. But La Parka makes a mistake by dancing on the top rope as this gives Psychosis time to recover and knock Parka down and racking him on the ropes and then deliver a Frankenstein to get a two count. Psychosis keeps up his attack with highflying moves in and outside the ring, and finally after La Parka makes a small comeback it’s Psychosis that gets the win via pin after hitting Parka with a guillotine leg drop. This was a pretty fun match against two of WCW’s best cruiserweights at the time and each man had their time to shine as well as show off their Lucha Libre moves. Psychosis was the faster of the two and is able to do more fancy rope work, but La Parka does hold his own and is able to play off the fans to draw them into the match. Neither guy is made to look like a jobber and while La Parka showboats and this helps lead to his lose it’s these moments that bring that extra entertainment to the match. La Parka’s split legged moonsault looked fantastic as did most of Psychosis’s dives. Over all this is just a great cruiserweight match that showcased why WCW had the best division in America at this time. Also I should say that Psychosis and La Parka have great in ring chemistry and that is why this matched worked so well for the WCW PPV Spring Stampede.

Grade: ***

Match 8: La Parka vs. Booker T

La Parka is a member of the L.W.O at this time and as soon as the bell rings he and Booker T size each other up and Parka makes a big mistake as he starts dancing to taunt Booker T who ends up making the masked wrestler eat a big clothesline and then tosses him out of the ring. But La Parka tricks Booker T when he makes his opponent come outside the ring to get him, and then jumps him before he can get back in with some punches and chops and keeps up the attack that is until Booker T once more drops him with a clothesline and then gets off a few punches before the two start trading hits and holds trying to get the upper hand over the other. And Booker T hits the Scissors Kick and is able to get a two count, but Parka is able to fight back and the two go to the outside and start slugging it out as the fans cheer. Once back in the ring La Parka brings in a steel chair and tries to use it but Booker T stops him who in turn tries to use the chair and is stopped by Parka. The match ends with Booker T winning the match via pin when he kicks the chair into the face of La Parka. The match is clearly one to showcase and build Booker T as a top star for WCW as he has more of the hard hitting moves and is in charge for most of this short match. The fans are clearly behind Booker T who hits some amazing kicks and does a pretty solid job of letting La Parka not look like an enhancement talent in the match by selling for his moves. La Parka does not get to showcase much of his high -lying moves in this match and pretty much just does a brawling style with kicks, chops and punches. This match is very short and while nothing super fantastic happens both wrestlers look good in the match and it’s clear that their styles clashed slightly but they were able to pull it together as both workers are outstanding talents. And I should also note that its shocking that no other member of the L.W.O didn’t come out and try and help La Parka win the match.

Grade: **1/2

Match 9: La Parka vs. Tank Abbott

As soon as the bell rings Tank punches Parka in the face and drops him, he then backs Parka into the corner and unloads a series of big punches as Parka tries to punch back it’s clear that he is being out striked by the former MMA fighter. Tank then throws some elbows and then picks Parka up and slams him hard to the mat. La Parka gets out of the ring and grabs a chair and as Tank comes out after him he smacks him on the head with the chair and Tank shrugs it off and rams Parka into the steel railing and then starts stomping on him. The referee has seen enough and throws out the match, but Tank takes a few more stomps on Parka and even attacks security before heading back to the locker room. This is a total squash match that has Tank Abbott who was just off working for the MMA company UFC totally destroying La Parka in a very quick match that has Tank dominating him. And Tanks punches and stomps look brutal as does his slam, and this was a great way to build Tank as the fans were behind him once they seen just how rough and brawling he was. I mean he shrugged off a chair shot to his head. Poor La Parka throws a few punches and gets off one chair shot and none of these even faze Tank, and while this match makes La Parka look weak it does a great job of building Tank and the brawl almost comes off real and that makes for one entertaining match! I also think the finish of the match being thrown out by the referee was the right way to end the match.

Grade: **1/2

Match 10: La Parka vs. Brad Armstrong

As the bell rings La Parka does his dance to taunt Armstrong who responds with a massive clotheslin then pulls off a series of arm drags and keeps the momentum going on his side as even if Parka tries to comeback Armstrong keeps having an answer for his moves. Parka is finally able to make his comeback with a power slam and then unleashes some hits and kicks on Armstrong before even landing a big missile drop kick that gets him a two count on a pin attempt. Parka then hits a corkscrew dive on a downed Armstrong and gets another two count. Armstrong is able to turn the tide of the match and gets off a series of big punches and La Parka during this bumps into the referee taking him out, but then Alex Wright and his bodyguard The Wall come into the match and as Alex attacks Brad Armstrong, The Wall attacks La Parka outside the ring and tosses him back in and Armstrong falls on top of Parka and the referee wakes up and makes the count giving Armstrong the victor over Parka via pin. This is a match that should have been fantastic but sadly is a quick match that is more of a way to build the feud between Alex Wright and Brad Armstrong and poor La Parka was just being used as enhancement to keep the feud growing. The one good thing about this short match is that La Parka does get to use some of his highflying attacks with his Missile Dropkick and Corkscrew Splash being well pulled off. Brad Armstrong does not get to showoff much of his highflying moves but does get to show off his more technical ones. It’s clear that these two would have had great chemistry in the match if they were given the chance to really work it before the interface. And the finish is a little odd as Alex Wright and The Wall end up helping their target win the match and almost seem happy to have done so. Over all it’s an ok short match that sadly ends very oddly and I wish that Parka and Armstrong had been able to have a full competitive match.

Grade: **1/2

La Parka has always been one of my favorite Luchadors, and along with the others that came to WCW in the 90’s is what made them the better federation for the longest time in my opinion, and to me seeing L.A. Park as he goes by now working in AAA has been awesome because at his age he is still working at the top of the card after all these years. Well as you can see, the “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update has came to an end as the arena staff have just turned up the house lights and the clean up crew is coming out to clean up for the next event as this is just the first of three wrestling updates in honor of WWE WrestleMania. Our next one will be about the legend Chief White Owl! And as we make our way to the exit doors, I want to say that if you have never seen a La Parka match, make sure to look some up on YouTube or find one on the Grey Market as you will truly enjoy them if you like Lucha Libre. Well until next time, make sure to read a comic of three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local indie wrestlers. See you next update as we will watch the master of the Tomahawk Chop in action.

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Haystacks Calhoun

Posted on December 5, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink Arena. The night’s wrestling card looks to be a good one. As you can see, we have a sellout crowd as the main eventer that will be the topic of this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update is considered by many to be one of the greatest Big Men of wrestling of all time, and when I say Big I mean Big! As tonight’s wrestler will be Haystacks Calhoun, the massive country boy who packed in fans and entertained them for decades. This massive hillbilly would be booked as an attraction and was a household name when active. To this day fans speak of his legacy. So in honor of Haystacks, grab some popcorn, some hot dogs and a double fist some soda and let’s talk about Calhoun!

Haystacks Calhoun started his pro wrestling career in 1955 working for a small indie promotion that was run by Orville Brown in Texas. Haystacks would turn pro in 1956, and he was an attraction out the gate as he stood at 6’4” tall, was a hillbilly weighing around 600 pounds and would travel the territories like Texas, Kansas and Canada and would even at this early part of his career would be featured on the variety TV Show “House Party” and amazed viewers as he could toss full bales of hay high into the loft of barns. Hence why he was called Haystacks almost his whole career. The fans loved Haystacks as the massive lovable hillbilly was always standing up for what was right and was a brawler who entertained them in matches. Promoters at the time would not book Haystacks into title bouts as he was used more as an attraction wrestler who would enter battle royals, fight in handicap matches and would be pitted against other massive wrestlers who was going at the time. While a very large man in weight, and somewhat limited in his skills Haystacks Calhoun worked past his limitations and proved to be one of NWA’s biggest draws at the time. While working for the WWF (then known as WWWF) in the early 1960’s, he would be booked into matches at Madison Square Garden against Happy Humphrey who weighed over 750 pounds and the two big men would put on some real slobber knockers, and over the many matches they had Haystacks would come out the winner of most matches, mostly wins by count out.

Haystack Calhoun would not stay in one territory for very long as he knew that he need to keep on the move in order to become a major attraction and not overstay his welcome with promoters and fans. In the early 1960’s he would have a feud with Nature Boy Buddy Rogers for the NWA United States Heavyweight Title and would try for the belt many times, but could never take it off Rogers. In one match Rogers dropkicked Calhoun into the ropes and the middle rope broke from his weight causing the massive Haystacks to fall out of the ring and be counted out. Also during this time, while he mostly would wrestle in America, he would make trips to Canada as well as Australia in order to compete in matches and entertain the fans. During this time he would also find himself winning some Tag Team Gold with partners like Don Leo Jonathan and Amazing Zuma. In the late 1960’s the WWF was having issues, as they were having a very rough time and the money was not coming in, but thanks to the returning Haystacks Calhoun and a handful of others they helped bring in the business and helped make the WWF one of the biggest and best territories. Haystacks would stick around WWF until 1979 and after leaving we would go back wrestling around the territories before retiring in 1980, and during his career he would win a few belts but was another example of a true icon of the sport that didn’t need a title to draw money and become one of the biggest well loved wrestlers of all time. And I should also note he did have some runs as a heel. Haystacks retired in 1980 due to his health declining bad and his weight was getting out of control, in 1986 he even lost his left leg from diabetes and sadly he would pass away on December 7, 1989 at the age of 55. After his death in 2017 the WWE (WWF) would put him into the Hall Of Fame.

Growing up a wrestling fan I knew the name Haystack Calhoun not just because of the old wrestling magazines and books my brother and I had, but because I remember by dad talking about him! And whenever fans who make lists of top big men of wrestling Haystacks is almost always on them, and help keeping his memory alive as well as making him be apart of my fandom. For me as well Haystacks Calhoun is one of the best Hillbilly characters to step in a WWF ring only rivaled by Hillbilly Jim and I loved that Haystacks would wear a horseshoe on a chain around his neck and Jim would do that same thing later in his career. Haystacks really was a larger then life wrestler who weighed over 600 pounds and was so massive that he was a sight to behold and he was smart as he knew he was limited and his style would wear thin fast if he stayed to long in one area so he made himself an attraction that fans would pay to see in action. Plus promoters and Haystacks was super smart as he would hardly loose matches cleanly and he was protected in order to keep his stock high in wrestling, and this also once more made him seem like a big deal in fans eyes. And during his career he would also only hold Tag Team Titles in the territories, as they never felt he could be the face that runs the place in any territory. One other cool thing about Haystacks was that he played himself in the 1962 film “Requiem For A Heavyweight” that was written by Rod Serling and starred Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Jack Dempsey and Muhammad Ali! And that’s one other thing about Haystacks as besides wrestling his appearances on TV Shows, Movies as well as other forms of media made him an even bigger star. While Haystacks might have been very slow, not technical in the ring, a massive human being and a over all a attraction wrestler he hands down is a true legend and icon of the sport and I think all wrestling fans would agree with me on that.

We are now at the point of this review were 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 Haystack Calhoun for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 lets step into the ring with Haystack Calhoun.

Best Of Haystacks Calhoun

Match 1: Haystacks Calhoun vs. Buddy Rogers

Before the bell rings Haystacks is upset that Roger’s manager is in the ring and makes the referee kick him out of the ring so the match can start. Once the bell rings Haystacks shows that he has the power, but Rogers shows that he has the skills and even angers Haystacks when he out maneuvers the big man. But once Haystacks gets Rogers into a headlock its hard for him to escape the bigger mans grip, he is finally able to break free once he stops on Haystacks bare foot. And then after some moving around Rogers is able to get Haystacks into a chin lock and tries to wear the big man down buy putting as much pressure as he can. When the referee is not looking Rogers will change the chin lock into fully chocking Haystacks as the crowd works themselves up over the cheating. And even when Haystacks tries to fight out of the lock, Rogers quickly gets the move back on him. Once the hold is broke both Rogers and Haystacks attack each other’s eyes, with Haystacks getting the better of the exchange and almost getting a couple of pin falls that are only broken up thanks to Rogers getting his foot on the ropes. In the end Rogers is able to dropkick Haystacks who falls into the ropes breaking the middle rope and getting counted out. This is a great match as both are very entertaining, and Rogers is able to work around the limitations of Haystacks and is able to make the big man look good as well as himself. This match is one of the most legendary of Haystacks career and while he lumbers around the ring and lands your typical big man moves, he still shows that fans loved him and that he was really an attraction in the ring that you paid to look at and his wrestling ability was secondary to his larger then life appearance. This is a solid match mostly due to the work of Rogers and because Rogers this match will get three stars.

Grade: ***

Match 2: Haystacks Calhoun vs. George Cannon

This is the battle of two big really big men as Gorge Cannon himself weighs almost 400 pounds making this a pure attraction as it becomes a “Big Splash” match and the pair exchange words in the ring and then a coin is tossed to see who splashes first with Haystacks winning the coin toss and as Cannon goes down to the mat for the splash he is attacked by Haystacks to drops a lumbering knee to his neck and then uses his horseshow chain to beat up his opponent. He then delivers two terrible looking splashes to Cannon and leaves the ring as this match is thrown out. This is TERRIBLE as the “match” is more of just a jumping and the moves that Haystacks uses look bad and his splashes are awkward and very poorly done. It’s clear that Haystacks is the heel in this match up and this is so bad that I am done righting about it. Nothing really good to say about this “match” at all besides Cannon is slightly good on the mic. and that Haystacks is clearly way past his prime as he looks bad and his in ring work is even super sloppy.

Grade: ½

Match 3: Haystacks Calhoun vs. Dick Cole

This match starts with Haystacks getting booed by the fans and when the bell rings he gets Cole tied up into the ropes and unloads kicks and punches on him knocking him silly. He then untangles Cole and bounces him off the ropes and hits him with a standing elbow, once Cole hits the mat Haystacks lands a big splash and gets the three count in this 100% one sides squash match. This is another match that clearly Haystacks is way out of shape and is having a very hard time moving around the ring as all of his kicks, punches and even his big splash just look really bad, so bad that at one point the commentator makes a remark that all his moves look like they are being done in slow motion. Dick Cole is clearly just a jobber who does his job well as he gets beat up and pinned. It’s a shame that this match I selected is another bad example of this classic big mans work.

Grade: ½

Match 4: Haystacks Calhoun vs. Bill Steele

Steele tries to start the match off by charging and then body slamming Haystacks and this does not work in his favor as Haystacks just goes off on Steele and starts pummeling him with kicks and punches. Haystacks then knocks Steele to the mat and sits on him causing the much smaller man much pain, and then Haystacks ends the match with his massive big splash for the pin. This is once more a total one sided quick squash match that is ended fast in order to save Haystocks the stress of a longer match as he was clearly not in the best of health and shape. But unlike the last two matches I reviewed he does seem to be getting around better and is able to make his moves and punches look more strong and powerful. I give Bill Steele some credits as he tried to do his best to put on a good TV match with Haystacks that was clearly just a throw away opening contest.

Grade: *1/2

Match 5: Haystacks Calhoun vs. Nicolai Volkoff

Before the bell even rings Volkoff tries to attack Haystacks and this only angers the big man as the bell rings Volkoff who is the faster of the two goes on the attack and the both of them exchange hits and brawler moves. And even though Haystacks is the way bigger man Volkoff is able to hold his own and even able to land some hits that rock the 600-pound hillbilly. But of course during the match Haystacks would use his weight to gain the advantage. In the end Volkoff backs Haystacks into the corner and hits him with punches and kicks to the face, but Haystacks dodges a charging knee strike and as Volkoff falls to the mat Haystacks lands a big splash and gets the three count. This is a pure brawling match that allowed both men to throw massive hits and neither looked super weak in the fight and Volkoff’s style masked the limitations of Haystacks ability. Most of the match is Volkoff working, but Haystacks does what he needs to do in order to draw the fans into the match. Over all while it was just a sloppy brawl it was very entertaining and was a fun watch.

Grade: **1/2

Haystacks Calhoun was a massive man who had a larger then life personality and was a perfect attraction for the Golden Age of wrestling, while he was not super skilled in the ring and by the end of his career was a shell of the superstar of his early day he still was a draw and fans loved to see him in action. He was loved as a baby face and was hated as a heel when he had a brief run as one and while if Haystacks Calhoun was around today he would be booed out of the building for his sloppy and limited move set, he is a great throwback attraction wrestler who was a star in the simpler days of wrestling. But the matches are over and the clean up crew have started their jobs so I think it’s time for us to leave the arena, but before we do I would like to let you know that for the next update we will be travel to the world of Marvel Comics and Tyco Toys and take a look at the super underrated Dino Riders! 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 as the war machines of dinosaurs will be coming our way as we countdown to Christmas Eve.

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Hillbilly Jim

Posted on November 15, 2023 by bloodlinematt

The doors to the Rotten Ink Arena are open, and today’s “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update is going to be a great one as our main event features a good old country boy who wore a horseshoe on a chain around his neck, would dance around the ring, was great friends with Hulk Hogan and Little Beaver, brought his family into wrestling, would promote the WWF Ice Cream bars, would sing his own iconic theme song and would also become a manager for a pair of hog farmers. And of course, I am talking about the one and only Hillbilly Jim, a true classic wrestler from the 1980’s WWF! So as you can see, they are serving some good old Kentucky Bar-Be-Que sandwiches and coleslaw at the snack bar so go grab yourself some as the matches are about to start.

Hillbilly Jim was trained by Bob Orton and started his pro career in 1975 and would work for Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) as a biker gimmick and went by Harley Davidson and teamed with Dirty Rhodes. He would stay with CWA as well as work for a few other NWA territories until around late 1984 when he would head to WWF and be Big Jim, a fan in the crowd who was a fan of champion Hulk Hogan, and decided that he wanted to be a wrestler and would be “trained” by the Hulkster after he turned down Roddy Piper who offered. And this is when Big Jim would become Hillybilly Jim, a goofy man from Mud Lick, Kentucky who was loved from the start by fans and would even have several tag team matches teaming with Hogan against the companies biggest heels. But Hillbilly Jim would get injured in early 1985 and this would cause him to bring in his family Uncle Elmer, Cousin Luke and Cousin Junior and become their manager while he heeled his messed up knee. Once he returned to in-ring action, he would team with his family members and sometimes Andre The Giant and have matches against the likes of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. His big feud at this time was with Mr. Fuji and while a major fan favorite, WWF would keep him out of the title shots as well as would not give him any serious storylines. His Family would seen also disappear from WWF, and he would find himself in a few big matches with one being Wrestlemania II and the other Survivor Series ’88, and while more of a comedy spot wrestler at this time, his fanbase kept growing as young and young at heart loved this dancing Hillbilly. By 1990 Hillbilly Jim’s push in WWF was coming to an end and even he lost a squash match to Earthquake at a Saturday Night’s Main Event, and by mid 1990, he would retire from full time in ring work. During his main WWF run he would have some big matches with names like Iron Sheik, Jesse Ventura, Roddy Piper, Adrian Adonis, Randy Savage and Dino Bravo to name a few. He also was part of the short lived cartoon “Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” as well as did a ton of commercials for stuff like Chevy trucks.

While no longer wrestling, Hillbilly Jim would stick around and would even be a host on the show “WWF Prime Time Wrestling” until the show was cancelled in 1993. He would be gone for a while and would return in 1995 as a special guest referee and then would also become the manager of The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I.) and that was until 1997 when the teamed turned heel and they fired Hillbilly Jim from being their manager. He would then show up in 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven as he was in the Gimmick Battle Royal, and he lost. From here he would travel around the WWF Axxess and public appearances. And from here Hillbilly Jim would only show up from time to time and was even a cast member of the reality show “WWE Legend’s House” and was put into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2018.

Growing up I can remember being a fan of Hillbilly Jim as were many of the kids at school as almost every kid I knew had the LJN figure of Hillbilly Jim. Being Hulk Hogan’s good friend, he was just a ready to cheer superstar who also was played off as a good hearted person and this made him a draw who never needed to win a title to become a legend and one of the most loved and remembered WWE Superstars. I can always remember that Hillbilly Jim was never an overly flashy wrestler nor did he have a look that set him apart from all the other Hillbilly gimmicks of the 80’s wrestling world, but what made him stand out from the pack was his massive size and just his over all character and attitude as he was always getting fans invested into his matches no matter how limited they were in spots. I also think its great that clearly Vince McMahon loved Hillbilly themed wrestlers as over the years he has created and booked so many, and I am wondering if that love came from the legend Haystacks Calhoun who his father use to book back in the Golden Age. It’s also clear that Hillbilly Jim would wear the horseshoe to pay respects to Haystacks, and as a kid I can always remember him kissing it for good luck. One thing that is crazy to think is that Hillbilly Jim’s career was not that long and that his WWF main run as a wrestler only lasted around six years and that he never even one a single belt during this time. And let’s be honest, out of the Hillbilly stable that was working in WWF in the 1980’s, Jim was the only one that had the talent and persona to pull it off and be remembered. To sum it up, growing up I liked Hillbilly Jim and even in these modern times and long removed from the ring he is remembered and well loved by fans, as he is generally a great person to his fans when they meet him in person.

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 Hillbilly Jim for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 chose 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 Hillbilly Jim.

Best Of Hillbilly Jim

Match 1: Hillbilly Jim vs. Jim Neidhart

As the bell rings, Hillbilly gets the crowd cheering and even tries to shake Neidhart’s hand, that the he rejects of course. And Neidhart soon learns that Hillbilly is just as strong as he is, and that these two are going to be evenly matched. And it’s a chop to the head that gets the crowd roaring and gets Hillbilly Jim in charge of the match for a second that is until Neidhart takes a cheap shot and the two powerhouses exchange hits and holds. Neidhart shows his power and drops Hillbilly throat first onto the ropes and this takes the breath out of him and allows Neidhart to beat up on him for a bit and even cheats and starts biting him on the face. Hillbilly Jim is able to make a comeback when he is able to big boot the face of Neidhart and then is able to even drop a powerful elbow on him and get a two count from it. Neidhart snaps and starts beating up Hillbilly Jim and also gets rough with the referee that gets him disqualified and gives the win to Hillbilly. After the bell rings Neidhart and Hillbilly keep fighting as the crowd erupts for the action. This is a great hoss fight that has two powerhouses beating the hell out of each other and telling a great story in the ring. Both men do not look weak in the match and both are shown to be super strong and their styles mesh well as both have a brawling mixed with classic style. I also like that both of these guys play off the fans and get them invested into the match and even add a dash of comedy to the match. Big Moves, Big Brawlers make for a fun match that is highly entertaining.

Grade: ***

Match 2: Hillbilly Jim vs. Boris Zhukov

Boris attacks Hillbilly Jim from behind and once for doing so Boris gets mule kicked and rolls out of the ring as Hillbilly gets the fans to cheer USA! The two trade punches and are trying to show that they are not going to go down as both want this win. Throughout the match Hillbilly keeps pulling off classic moves on Boris and the Russian is getting more and more frustrated and even when Boris goes on the attack Hillbilly is able to shrug it off and then starts working on Boris’s leg. And after a big boot to the face Hillbilly Jim is able to get the pin and the win. This match is entertaining and has Hillbilly Jim not only do some power moves but also does so classic movies in order to spice things up, he also adds a touch of comedy to the match and that helps bring the fans alive who really do love him and made him a big Superstar of his time. Boris Zhukov is a pure brawler heel in the match and does a great job off playing off the antics of Jim and while he looses the match and most of the time he is getting thrown around he don’t come off as a complete jobber. Over all the two have pretty good chemistry in the match and while it’s clearly an enhancement match it feels a little bigger then that.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Hillbilly Jim vs. One Man Gang

Before the bell rings, Hillbilly Jim has little person wrestler Little Beaver in his corner and they still One Man Gang’s manager Slick’s hat and once the bell rings Gang shows Hillbilly that he is the stronger of the two, but he also comes back to show that he is strong as well! And One Man Gang then goes for a massive headlock and his able to have the hold on for a while as every time Hillbilly is about to escape Gang pulls his hair and back into the lock. Finally Little Beaver has seen enough and comes in and punches Gang and the hold is broken, but this only buys Hillbilly a moment of rest as Gang is back on him with a test of strength that is draining his energy even more. And like before Little Beaver comes in and helps break up the move, Hillbilly makes a small comeback but soon is once more getting beaten up by Gang who is angered over the antics of Little Beaver. As the referee is distracted Slick as well now is cheating and landing cheap shots on the downed Hillbilly Jim. And after a few avalanche splashes and a falling elbow drop Gang goes for the pin, and once more Little Beaver enters the ring and breaks up the pin. Both men find themselves outside the ring fighting and with the help of Little Beaver One Man Gang is counted out and looses the match. After the match Gang beats up Hillbilly and then even big slashes Little Beaver. While this is a fun big man fight it’s also a very slow one as it has many long moments of rest holds and not a lot of even basic wrestling holds. While One Man Gang is shown to be the big threat and has Hillbilly Jim beaten down almost the whole match, it’s the comedy aspect of Little Beaver who keeps entering the ring and cheating right in front of the referee that will annoy almost an wrestling fan, in other words the over use Little Beaver in this already way to long match. While Gang looks good Hillbilly doesn’t, as he needs outside help to stay alive throughout the match. Over all a sluggish match with way to much interference from Little Beaver that brings the star rating down, but I do like in the end when Gang gets his revenge and crushes Little Beaver with a splash.

Grade: **

Match 4: Hillbilly Jim vs. Fuller Stevens

From the start Fuller Stevens tries to tackle Hillbilly Jim and learns that running into him is like hitting a brick wall as he crashes to the mat from the impact. Fuller then tries to body slam Hillbilly and cant, but Hillbilly slams him with ease. And from here on Hillbilly Jim toys with and beats up on Fuller Stevens who is angry that he looks like a total jobber. And after a big boot to the face Fuller falls to the mat and is pinned and this was a easy win for Hillbilly Jim! This is a total squash match as Fuller Stevens can not pull off one move and looks like a total jobber as he is thrown around, booted in the fast and then pinned without Jim even breaking a sweat. Not much to say besides Hillbilly Jim comes off looking great and strong as his opponent Fuller looks like a goof. And yes this match like most of Hillbilly Jim’s matches has a touch of humor.

Grade: **1/2

Hillbilly Jim was a perfect wrestler for the 80’s as he was a great sidekick to Hulk Hogan and was a wrestler that kids loved as he was a jolly mountain of a man who would dance around and do funny spots in his match. And while many of his matches was the same formula and even featured the same spots Hillbilly Jim is a true legend in and out of the sport. But as you can see the Rotten Ink Arena is closing down for the update so it’s our cue to head on out, but before we leave I would like to tell you that our next update will be our big Thanksgiving one and we will be having turkey with that B-Movie icon The Giant Gila Monster! 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 some Hot Rods and Big Creatures!

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Kamala

Posted on October 12, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Arena. As you can see, the Halloween decorations are hanging, the arena is packed to the rafters and the snack bar has candy corn, caramel apples and monster punch in stock as this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update will be all about our main event monster heel that was from the jungles of Uganda who gave the likes of Hulk Hogan, Kerry Von Erich, The Undertaker and Andre The Giant a run for their money throughout the 80’s and 90’s. A wrestler who was managed by the likes of Skandor Akbar, Freddie Blassie, Slick, Mr. Fuji, The Wizard and Kim Chee and by know I am sure you figured out that it’s Kamala we are talking about one of the best big men in the business and one heck of a monster heel who terrorized his opponents and fans alike as they were all unsure of what he was capable of! So let’s find our seats as this Halloween Countdown R.I.W event is in full swing, and let’s see what Kamala has in store for us this spooky holiday season.

Kamala started wrestling in 1978 and was trained by Bobo Brazil and Tim Hampton and would originally work under the name Sugar Bear Harris and would work the Southern territories and would also work in Germany and England and worked under names like Ugly Bear Harris, Big Jim Harris and The Mississippi Mauler. And in 1982 he would find himself in Continental Wrestling Association and here is were he would become Kamala a Ugandan headhunter and would be managed by JJ Dillon and would go after Jerry Lawler and his AWA Southern Heavyweight Title that he would win and hold for a small amount of time. Late 1982 he would leave Continental and would sign to Mid-South Wrestling and this time would be managed by Skandor Akbar and would be apart of the Devastation Inc. stable and would have a high profile match against Andre The Giant as well a Junkyard Dog. In Mid-South he would be one of the companies heel draws and would also scare younger fans as they thought he was going to get them as he played the Wildman part well and never broke character in public. In 1983 he would head to World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas and would even get a NWA World Heavyweight title shot against Harley Race and would have a long time feud with the Von Erich’s and would have big profile matches against Kerry, Kevin and David. And would even face The Great Kabuki at the David Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions in 1984. He would stay around in WCCW until 1985. But while a big heel and draw in WCCW he was still also working other territories and one being WWF were he would be built as a monster heel and would beat names like B. Brian Blair, Chief Jay Strongbow and Salvatore Bellomo and then would have a series of matches against Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight title! And after his run with Hogan he would have a feud with Andre The Giant and after a battle royal in late 1984 he would be done with the WWF for his first run. After WWF he would head to AWA and would be booked like always as a monster heel and would have matches against the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Jerry Blackwell and Rick Martel. In 1985 Kamala would find himself working for Jim Crockett Promotions and would take on NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A., and from their he would have small runs in All Japan Pro Wrestling and International Wrestling from Canada.

In 1986 Kamala would return to WWF and would be managed by Kim Chee and The Wizard and once more was booked as a major monster heel and would once more go after Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight title, and after not winning the title he would start a feud with Jake “The Snake” Roberts who found out Kamala had a fear of snakes. During 1987 The Wizard would sell Kamala’s contract to Mr. Fuji but shortly after this Kamala would leave the WWF once more. Starting in 1988 Kamala would once more work for WCCW and working with the Von Erich brothers and would stay until 1989 when the company would close for good. He would also head to All Japan again as well as would head to CMLL in Mexico and have big matches against Mil Mascaras, and would also work for other Japanese companies W*ING and Super World Of Sports. In 1990 he would work for USWA and once more would go after Jerry Lawler and this time would challenge him for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight title. Kamala would leave USWA in 1992 and would return to the WWF once more. Kamala would be managed by Kim Chee as well as Harvey Wippleman and would have big matehs against many of the companies top faces including Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart and Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich. And would have many matches against The Undertaker and would even loose a Coffin Match to the dead man. In 1993 Kamala would turn baby face and would be managed by Reverend Slick who was trying to teach him the ways of the modern world and that kindness was the way. While a face he would have matches against the likes of Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr. Hughes, Kim Chee and Papa Shango. The WWF would start working Kamala mostly on house shows and then would let him go in late 1993. After this WWF run Kamala would go into semi-retirement and become a truck driver and would pick up Indie matches from time to time as well as matches for USWA and would even travel to India to tag with Dusty Wolfe to become the IAW Tag Team champs.

In 1995 Kamala was talked out of retirement and would head to WCW to become a member of the Hulk Hogan hating team “The Dungeon Of Doom” that would be lead by Kevin Sullivan and made up of wrestlers who’s sole purpose was to stop Hulkamania once and for all. Kamala would get wins in WCW over the likes of Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Chris Kanyon and after The Dungeon Of Doom would loose to Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage at Fall Brawl 1995 his small run with the company would be over. After leaving WCW Kamala would find himself back working Indies like USWA, JCW and would even work a few matches back in the WWF as at WWF WrestleMania X-7 in 2001 as apart of the gimmick battle royal and in 2005 on WWF Smackdown Kamala would have a match against Randy Orton. Kamala’s last match would be for JCW as he would team with The Weedman and he would retire from wrestling in 2010. After wrestling Kamala’s health would turn for the worse and he would battle complications from diabetes and would end up loosing his legs. Sadly in 2016 he would be one of many wrestlers on the class action lawsuit over head injuries that was thrown out in 2018 and hurt Kamala into getting into the WWF Hall Of Fame. In 2017 he had to have emergency surgery to clear fluid from around his heart and lungs and was even put on life support at the time, he would recover. Sadly on August 5, 2020 Kamala would pass away from Covid-19 and diabetes at the age of 70.

Kamala The Ugandan Giant is a wrestler that I have been a fan of sense I was a kid as he was a great big man wrestler who played his gimmick well and when he would pat his belly, groan and even made surprise faces he would make me mark out and even laugh at times when he would run away from things that scared him. Plus his matches against The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan always seemed larger then life and came off as big deal matches, and that’s one other thing I liked is when Kamala would face other similar themed wrestlers like Papa Shango, Andre The Giant, The Great Kabuki, Kendo Nagasaki, Bruiser Brody and George “The Animal” Steele to name a few. And one thing that I think people never gave Kamala credit for is the fact he was very agile for a man his size and was also pretty fast and would not tire as easy as many of the wrestling big men at the time. Plus he was a true journeyman of wrestling as he worked all over the world and for almost every big promotion from WWF to WCW and was a top draw and a star every territory he went and while he was a heel most of his career he could even pull off being a loved baby face. When I was younger I can remember classmates of mine who watched wrestling being scared of Kamala and talking about how he was a cannibal and a savage and to me that fear he struck them with showed that he was doing his job and was great at it. Kamala was also a wrestler who won very little titles during his run, but he never needed them in order to be a draw as his matches always seemed like an attraction and a belt around his waist was not needed. One thing that always annoyed me as well as a kid was all the Kamala knock-off wrestlers who would dress, act and even sometimes steal his name, and no matter how hard they tried none of them could hold a candle to the real Kamala. And while Kamala might be on the bad side of the WWF over joining that lawsuit, it’s a shame that they have not inducted him into their Hall Of Fame as he is one name that should have been in years ago. Say what you will, but for me Kamala The Ugandan Giant will always be one of my favorite wrestlers from the 80’s and was one heck of a heel who played his gimmick well and did his job putting butts in the seats and selling the tickets when his name was on the card.

We are now at the point of this review were 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 Kamala for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 lets step into the ring with Kamala.

Best Of Kamala

Match 1: Kamala vs. El Silenico

As the bell rings Kamala goes after El Silenico and just starts hitting him with massive chops to the top of his masked head. Kamala then body slams him and just stays on him not allowing El Silenico to even try and make a comeback. Kamala knocks Silenico to the mat and delivers a series of big splashes to his back, crushing the masked man. He then goes for the pin and gets it. After the match Kamala goes after the mask of El Silenico and gets it off and takes it almost as if it was a trophy. This was a total squash match as El Silenico was there to get beat up by Kamala and in the end even get damasked. Kamala hits big power moves in the match with his chops and splashes being his trademark moves that seem to almost frighten the fans at ringside. El Silenico is a total jobber who does not even get one move off in the match and just gets beaten up and pinned. Over all a good squash match as it did its job to build Kamala up as a monster heel and a major threat to any baby face.

Grade: **1/2

Match 2: Kamala vs. King Cobra

As the bell rings Kamala charges Cobra who dodges his attack twice and even is able to land a dropkick that stumbles the big man. King Cobra tries to unload some punches on Kamala and he shakes it off and gets his hands on him and the beating starts. Kamala lands some of his big chops to the top of King Cobra’s skull hurting him and knocks him to the mat and starts choking him. And as Cobra’s on the mat Kamala lands a series of big splashes and goes for the pin and gets the three count and the win. While this is another quick squash match at least King Cobra tries to fight back and is able to land a few dropkicks that staggered Kamala and is even able to land a few punches even if they had no effect. Plus for enhancement talent you could see that King Cobra was a skilled worker even if he was paid to loose. Kamala like always comes off as a great monster heel as he hits big power moves and shrugs off the attack from his opponent. His splashes look like a finishing move and his aggressive in ring work really does make him a big threat. Over all a great quick squash match that helped build Kamala as a big star.

Grade: **1/2

Match 3: Kamala vs. Hulk Hogan

The start the match off running the ropes and bumping into each other in the middle of the ring and neither man budges, they do this a couple of times and its Kamala who ends up knocking down The Hulkster. The two lock up and Hogan does for a body slam but he is cut off by Kamala who clubs him in the back causing him to drop him and not land the slam and this allows Kamala to use his chops and clubbing hits to keep Hogan down. But Hogan is not down for long as he pops up from the mat and starts landing his big punches on Kamala, but when Hogan is distracted by Kamala’s manager he looses the momentum of the match as Kamala attacks him from behind and get a nerve hold on Hogan that takes him down to the mat. Kamala then breaks the hold and hits a big splash, and Hogan kicks out at one, Kamala keeps on attacking that is until Hogan starts Hulking Up and takes the fight to Kamala and lands a big boot, a body slam and the atomic leg drop! Hogan goes for the pin and gets the three count as well as the win. This is your normal 80’s Hulk Hogan wrestling a big monster heel match that has Hogan selling for the heel only to comeback from the beating and land his finishing move the leg drop and get the victory all the while the fans are loosing their minds as Hulk Hogan was the biggest thing in the world of wrestling. And that’s the thing while Hogan gets the win and at one point when he Hulks Up he no sells for Kamala he still makes the big man look great throughout the match and sells well for him. While the match is very paint by numbers and when I says it’s your normal Hogan match during this time I mean it. Best way to sum this match up is big moves, monster crow pops and Kamala getting a match with the world’s biggest superstar makes this a pretty good entertaining match.

Grade: ***

Match 4: Kamala vs. Yokozunna

This is a battle of two big men and when the bell rings the two charge and crash into each other with neither man moving, but Yoko is a little rocked as Kamala watches the big sumo wrestler rock on his feet, the two crash again and Yoko once more gets rocked and when he tries to hit Kamala he is able to dodge and kick Yoko in the gut. Kamala then uses his chops to attack Yoko who is still feeling the effects of the kick, but Yoko turns the tide when he uses a cheap shot to the throat of Kamala and then starts dealing out his own punishment and even knocks Kamala off his feet. Kamala is able to make a small comeback using his chops to Yoko’s head, but Yoko takes back over with a big splash in the corner and then lands the Banzai Drop and gets the pin and the win. This is a good match that was really just an enhancement match as Kamala was feed to Yokozuna who was the companies biggest heel at the time and it made sense to have him win the match as he was about to have a big match against Hulk Hogan and at this point Kamala was not being pushed at a big superstar. The match is pretty much just big man moves with both men selling for each other and making each other look good, and the fans are behind Kamala who was a baby face at the time. Yokozuna you can tell had respect for Kamala and he does a good job of not making this look like a squash match. And the Banzai Drop looks painful and Kamala sells the effects really good after the match. While the match is nothing special it does have a good pace and was a almost passing of the torch of monster heels. Also it was cool to see Mr. Fuji around as he was the manager of Yokozuna at this time and in the 80’s he managed Kamala.

Grade: **1/2

Match 5: Kamala vs. The Undertaker

As the bell rings Kamala rushes The Undertaker and it was a big mistake as Taker starts landing big shots on him causing him to fall back into the corner and starts choking him. The Undertaker then walks the rope “Old School” and works on the arm of Kamala and keeps up his attack, and at this point Kamala has not be able to get the match momentum going his way that is until he knocks Taker off the top rope. Kamala then starts landing some chops and punches of his own and knocks Undertaker out of the ring, Taker then goes after Kamala’s managers and this causes him to have to exit the ring to save them and Kamala starts beating up Taker around the ringside. Once back in the ring The Undertaker hits Kamala with a choke slam and a flying clothesline and just as he is about to get Kamala in the Tombstone Piledriver one of his managers Kim Chee jumps into the ring and strikes The Undertaker causing the match to be thrown out and The Undertaker wins by DQ. After the match Kamala attacks The Undertaker and hits him with big splashes and when The Undertaker sits up after the attack Kamala gets scared and runs away. This is a great match that features two of the WWF’s best monster style gimmicks against each other in a match that is big man paced and showcases the classic slow moving Undertaker style. And while the match is short under four minutes neither guy looks weak with both having moments to shine and each are able to hit some of their trademark moves. And the stuff after the match that has Kamala beating down The Undertaker and then being scared when the Dead Man sits up is classic Kamala stuff as he gets scared and runs away. While the matches end is a let down as it was a DQ I do understand why as they seen more life in the feud and wanted both men to come out with neither having a pin loss to the other. Great stuff if you are a fan of classic Undertaker matches and if you like the style of Kamala at this stage of his career, and keep in mind this match is not for everyone as it is very slow paced and is a typical big man match from the early 90’s, but I for one enjoyed it.

Grade: **1/2

Match 6: Kamala vs. Tito Santana

Kamala charges Tito as the bell rings but cannot catch him, as he is much faster and is able to dodge his attack, and even when Kamala is able to get his hands on him he is able to use his speed to get away. Tito is able to get Kamala in an arm bar and when the big man gets out of it Tito is able to land some big punches to his head and rocks him for a few moments and allows Tito to get the arm bar back on. Kamala breaks free and misses a big splash and this gives Tito a chance to once more lock in the arm bar. But Kamala is able to take the momentum of the match and starts using his chops to break down Tito and even locks in a massive bear hug that crushes the life out of Tito. Once out of the bear hug Tito tries to make a comeback but it is cut off by Kamala who uses a kick to the face to knock Tito down and then as he is going to big splash for the win he sees The Undertakers manager Paul Bearer wheel down a casket and this causes him to run away from the ring and get counted out, giving Tito the win. This match is filled with lots of rest holds as arm bars and a over long held bear hug brings down the pace of the match and it’s a shame as both super stars are way more skilled then what they show in this match. And the ending of Kamala getting counted out by running into the crowd to escape the casket also does not help the match that was already not that great due to all the rest holds. Kamala does well in the match but does not shine like he normally does, and while Tito Santana starts off with quick moves he quickly falls into using the arm bar for way to long multiple times. Not much to really say about this one besides it was kind of a letdown as I am a big fan of both superstars and they just did not have a good match, and more the most part the crowd as well seemed really dead for this one.

Grade: **

Match 7: Kamala vs. Great Kabuki

As the bell rings Kabuki spits the green mist into the air and Kamala looks unsure of what he has just seen, and as the two lock up its Kamala that gets the upper hand and starts hitting him with big chops. Kamala then grabs Kabuki by his neck and lifts him in the air chocking him and causes Kabuki to spew the green mist and this makes Kamala let him go. But Kamala stays on the attack but Kabuki is able to fight back with a spinning kick to his gut and then to the chin knocking the big man down. The two end up locking up in a test of strength that Kamala wins and turns it into a bear hug on Kabuki and holds the move on tight, and Kanuki is only able to escape when he chops the ears of Kamala at the same time. The two end up trading blows until Kamala once more goes for a nerve hold that takes Kabuki down to the mat. Kabuki is able to use his speed and kicks to escape and land some movies on Kamala hurting the big man. The two once more trade punches back and fourth and Kabuki is able to land a good kick to Kamala’s face rocking him and just then both wrestlers managers (Skandor Akbar and Gary Hart) enter the ring and the match is a double DQ. This was a really good match between two great “monster heel” wrestlers one who uses power moves and one who uses quickness and martial arts and their styles worked well together. Kamala uses his power to try and ground Kabuki and does a great job at keeping his kicks and green mist at bay. While Kabuki uses his kicks to rock and hurt his bigger opponent, and his quick kicks to Kamala’s face are awesome and look good. The crowd is clearly on the side of Kabuki for the match as they pop for some of his moves and in the end when he gets the last shot in the match. The downside is that the match does not have a winner as the managers entering the ring cause it to be thrown out and that stinks, as is the fact they have Gary Hart get a few kicks off on Kamala. A good match for sure that is ruined by a bad finish.

Grade: ***

Match 8: Kamala vs. Andre The Giant

Kamala attacks Andre right as he is entering the ring and is landing big chops to the giant’s skull, and Andre starts fighting back with big chops of his own across the chest of Kamala. Andre then hits a big headbutt that dazes Kamala who exits the ring and does not want to get back in with the angry giant, and when he finally gets back in the ring he second guesses himself and gets right back out. Kamala finally gets the courage and gets back in the ring only to be choked by Andre as well as clubbed on with his massive fists. Kamala once more flees the ring in pain, and when back in the ring Andre continues to beat up on Kamala even landing a big boot to his face. But Kamala is able to make a comeback when he starts landing his chops to the top of Andre’s skull once more knocking the giant into the ropes and causing him to get his arms tangled and this allows Kamala to really unload on him. Once free Andre uses the ropes to choke Kamala and give himself a moment to catch his breath. Andre once more starts beating up on Kamala who once more gets out of the ring and has to be forced back into the ring by his managers. Andre beats Kamala in a test of strength and then steeps on his toes with all his weight, Andre then gets Kamala into the corner and crushes him with his size and weight. Kamala is in trouble and his managers know it so they enter the ring and attack Andre and get Kamala disqualified and this gives Andre The Giant the win. This is a true battle of the Big Men and Andre being the biggest as he even makes Kamala look small! The match is your normal big man fight with no technical moves used and it was all big man brawling power moves that the two threw at each other. Both men look great in the match with Andre of course coming off the stronger of the two and he was being showcased as the man who made Kamala even afraid due to his massive size and power. Andre is slow moving in the match as Kamala is the one who does lots of the bumps and work in the match, and what is really surprising while they took lots of breaks in the Kamala out of the ring bits they did not over use rest holds. And while Andre is clearly the one being pushed in the match they do a great job of still making Kamala look strong and this is a time when a DQ finish is needed so neither man has to take a pin or submission loss. Over all a slow brawl that has two giant going to war with each other and is a good entertaining match that Kamala really does shine in by making Andre look even better in the ring.

Grade: ***

Kamala really was one of my favorite wrestlers growing up and was one that I knew I had to cover on one of these “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” updates as I had to share is story and matches with you readers and friends. As you can see, he was a wrestler who could work his gimmick and have some good to great matches with many of the times top wrestlers. But as you can see, the lights are going out and the clean up crew is coming out here at the Rotten Ink Arena and the staff knows that I could talk Kamala for many more paragraphs, but I won’t as I am sure they are wanting to leave and you guys as well have things to do, so as we make our way to the exit I would like to take a few moments to let you know that the next update will be another spooky themed one as our Countdown to Halloween continues with a look at a Horror Host that made his home in the basement of the Grand Ole Opry House and I am talking about Sir Cecil Creape! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. So you next time for a spooky good time.

R.I.W. Wrestling Legend: Bobo Brazil

Posted on August 14, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink as well as the Rotten Ink Arena. As you can see, it’s another sell out house as fans have come from all over the world to see this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” in action as he is a trailblazer and one of the biggest African American Superstars in the world of wrestling, a man who paved the way for many who followed in his footsteps. Of course this wrestling icon is Bobo Brazil, a man who worked for decades and was a huge draw for every promotion he worked for. So let’s head to the snack bar and grab a beverage and some popcorn and find our seats as I think this update event is going to be a great one.

Bobo Brazil started his pro wrestling career in 1951 and was trained by Joe Savoldi and would spend time working in Canada for MLW and was a big star from the start as people paid to watch him. He was a baby face that all races got behind. But before this run in MLW, he did have a few matches in small territories starting in the late 1940’s. Bobo would travel around the NWA territories and would wind up working for such companies as AWA, MLW, NWA St. Louis, CSW, WWF and many more and every place he worked, he was a big draw and would be placed in high profile matches and even at this time when racial tensions were still a thing, Bobo was so good that white wrestlers wanted to get into the ring with him as they knew they would have a great match as well as a big gate which meant a good payday. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, he would have matches against such names as Firpo Zbyszko, Yukon Eric, Great Togo, Killer Kowalski, Gorgeous George, Lou Thesz, Hans Schmidt, Mike Sharpe, John Tolos, The Sheik, Ernie Ladd and so many more. And also during this time Bobo would cement himself as being a main eventer both as in singles and as a tag team worker. And during this time as well Bobo would start winning belts including the WWF United States Title and would become one of the biggest baby faces in wrestling as fans got behind him as he worked big matches. And he would spend much of the 1960’s in matches against and for The Sheik and his Big Time Wrestling (BTW) promotion. And in the late 60’s, he would find himself in matches in Japan against Giant Baba among many other top stars. From the start of his career Bobo was a natural and a true wrestling star.

In the 1970’s Bobo continued his success and continued being a journeyman working for the NWA Territories in America and Canada. At this time he would also wrestle in Japan but it was clear that Big Time Wrestling was his home base as he worked many top matches for the promotion. And in 1973 he had a small run in All Japan Pro Wrestling and also started taking more work in the WWF, all the while still having small runs in other promotions like the AWA, but during the 70’s he would also fully become a huge star in Japan as he would be brought over for many tours and always found himself in main and big attraction matches. And starting in the 1980’s he still working hard and traveling, and while he found himself losing more matches, he still was always brought in as a main eventer and both fans and promoters respected his work. And in 1984 his last big run took place as he worked for the WWF and would have matches with such names as Roddy Pipper, Mr. Fuji, Greg Valentine, Big John Studd and Bob Orton. He would work for a few indies as well as once more would appear for WWF in 1987 as part of a Battle Royal at a house show that featured all legends including names like Killer Kowalski, Nick Bockwinkel, Chief Jay Strongbow and Sailor Art Thomas. Bobo Brazil would retire from wrestling in 1993 and in 1994 he would be inducted into the WWF Hall Of Fame. Bobo also ran a restaurant called “Bobo’s Grill” and it was in business for over 20 years, but sadly on January 20, 1998 Bobo passed away at the age of 73 after suffering a series of strokes. Even after his passing the legacy of Bobo Brazil lives on in the sport of wrestling and still to this day he is talked about fondly from fans and fellow workers.

Bobo Brazil is a true legend and icon in the world of Pro Wrestling and is a wrestler that I have been a fan of since I started watching wrestling as I can remember reading about him in the magazines as well as books and he always just seemed like a main event star even in his old age. And when you think about it, Bobo has wrestled almost every big name that worked in the 1960’s all the way to early 1990’s and worked in almost every big promotion going from the NWA-WWF and was a huge star in each and every one of them, and to be fair Bobo Brazil was really the first African American to win the NWA Heavyweight Title (before Ron Simmons who is credited as the first) as they did an angle that had Bobo win the title after an accidental low blow and he refused to win the belt that way and would lose in the rematch against Buddy Rogers. The thing about Bobo is that he was a great worker in the ring and his moves looked great and impactful and he turned a normal head butt into an opponent feared and crowd-popping move he would call the Coco Butt and when he would land them they looked like he was about to cave in the skull of the heel and truly the fans would cheer to see this. I would love for you readers to go and read more about Bobo and even look up some of his matches on YouTube as while I am proud of this update it does not fully do justice to this man’s career. And you cannot downplay how much of a positive impact he also had in the world of wrestling when it comes to African America superstars, and he really did break down race issues in the sport when he started. He was a trailblazer and a superstar that proved wrestling is for everyone no matter what their race, religious beliefs and gender is…in other words, wrestling is awesome.

We are now at the point of this review were 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 Bobo Brazil for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select 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 Bobo Brazil.

Best Of Bobo Brazil

Match 1: Bobo Brazil vs. Moose Cholak

This is two out of three falls match and as the bell rings the two lock up and Bono shows that he is the stronger of the two as he backs him into the corner, but quickly Moose and Bobo end up trading punches and each get the upper hand as they just really start brawling. Finally Bobo takes Moose down and starts working on his face trying to crush it, but Moose is able to break free and land some big hits on his opponent before Bobo once more takes over and starts putting pressure on Moose’s face. But Moose then gets free and starts landing some head butts that rock Bobo who in turn lands one of his own. Moose is finally able to shoot in and take down Bobo and starts working on his leg, but when Bobo breaks the hold he returns the favor and works over the arm of Moose. But after going back and fourth Moose ends up getting the pin and the first fall after a big splash. As soon as the second round begins the two start throwing punches again and exchanging holds and after a back flip Bobo gets the second fall by pin. The third fall starts with Moose being aggressive and even getting a wrist lock on Bobo and then locks him in leg scissors keeping him on the mat and trying to drain his energy. But once Bobo is back up he starts beating the heck out of Moose and the two go back and fourth again trading holds and hits. But the third fall goes to a time limit draw making the whole match end in one as each man had one fall each. This was a pure hoss fight and had two big men just brawling and exchanging hits and holds as the live crowd loved every second and clearly they wanted Bobo Brazil to win the match. Both men looked good throughout the three falls and they both sold for each other well with them also playing the gimmick of Moose wearing headgear to protect himself from Bobo’s famous head butts. Very good old school match and Bobo looks great in the match and his Coco Butts are awesome and I think ending the match was a good idea as they could get more matches out of this feud.

Grade: ***

Match 2: Bobo Brazil vs. David Price

As the bell rings the two lock up and Bobo shows that he is stronger and backs David into the ropes and from there lands some chops and moves that keeps David injured and with no momentum. Bobo locks in a chin lock and David is clearly in trouble, but racks the eyes of Bobo and continues to do so to keep the stronger man blinded. David’s attack does not last long as Bobo regains the match and floors David with an elbow and a knee lift and then Bobo starts working over his arm and it’s clear that David is just no match for Bobo as every time he tries to make a comeback its cut off and Bobo just makes him pay for it landing big hits and powerful moves. But David will bot give up as Bobo hits two side suplexes and each time he kicks out of the pin attempt, but when Bobo hits the Coco Butt he is able to keep David down for the pin. This is pretty much a one sided match that shows the power and skill of Bobo Brazil who dominates most of the match and lands some big hits and even uses his Coco Butt to keep his opponent down, and while it is one sided for the most part it is nice to see Bobo sell and let David Price at least attempt to turn the tide several times throughout. And I had to pop when Bobo busted out his finisher the Coco Butt to put his opponent away. Over all a good TV Match that pitted a legend against a young enhancement talent.

Match: **1/2

Match 3: Bobo Brazil vs. Ric Flair

From the start Flair does not want to lock up with Bobo and when he finally does he is able to back Bobo into the corner, and does so again before Bobo has had enough and unloads some punches on Flair who tries to get away and finally Flair gets out of the ring in order to get his barring’s. Once back in the ring Flair finds himself in a headlock, Flair breaks the hold with a punch to the gut and then throws Bobo into the ropes but instead of getting the match going his way he ends up eating a dropkick from Bobo and gets placed in a headlock again. Flair breaks the hold this time by hitting Bobo in the gut and both men are hurt, Flair drops a knee on the head of Bobo and injuries himself and this allows Bobo to regain the momentum and even hits a Coco Butt knocking Flair out of the ring. Once back in Flair takes back over with some punches and then keeps Bobo on the mat working on his arm as the fans are starting to get mad as Flair keeps injuring his arm, and even hits a big standing suplex and is unable to get a pin. Flair then body slams Bobo and goes to the top rope and takes to long as Bobo is able to get up and toss Flair across the ring. Bobo then goes on a move and punches rampage trying to keep Flair down, and finally Bobo is able to get the three count and wins by pin. This match has some parts missing as you can tell its via the master tape, but for the most part its all there and is a good match between Bobo and Flair that does a great job of building up Bobo as a massive Baby Face and that Flair is a Heel who tries his best to cheat to win. Both wrestlers look great in the match and Flair hits all of his trademark moves and bumps and the live fans was very much into the match. And Flair’s selling for Bobo’s Coco Butt is top notch as he flops himself out of the ring. Over all a good match and I wish the master tape flaws were fixed but over all very cool match and shows just how big of a star Bobo Brazil was in wrestling as he gets a pinfall win over Ric Flair.

Grade: ***1/2

Match 4: Bobo Brazil vs. Killer Karl Kox

As soon as the bell rings Bobo goes right after Kox with punches and even some Coco Butts and then whips him into the turnbuckles knocking him silly, it’s clear that Bobo does not like Kox and wants to hurt him before bringing an end to the match. Kox roles out of the ring as his bell has been rung by the turnbuckles and he needs a break, and out of anger Kox starts throwing chairs into the ring. Once back in the ring Kox cheats and pokes Bobo in the eyes and lands some massive punches, but he makes a mistake when he rolls out of the ring to grab a chair that allows Bobo to recover and atomic drop Kox on the chair, Bobo then hits Kox over the head with the chair. Bobo then lands a series of Coco Butts on Kox who is out on his feet swing wildly at the air. Bobo then starts choking Kox on the top rope and unloading more big hits on him, but Kox makes a comeback and hits a brainbuster on Bobo but only gets a two count. The two exchange hits and finally Bobo snaps and pushes the referee and lands a series of big Coco Butts on Kox who is really dazed, and the match is ruled a DQ win for Killer Karl Kox. This match is a brawl and a grudge match as it’s clear that both of these men do not like each other and just want to destroy one another and break the rules, cheat and in the end Bobo’s anger even gets him to loose the match. Bobo looks great in the match and his moves look impactful and he does a great job of selling for his opponent as well, and I like that Bobo even uses a metal chair in the match to try and scramble the brain of his opponent. Killer Karl Kox is a heat magnet and the fans hate him and so want to see him get beat up and hate when he wins the match, and while he is a great worker the only thing that I was against is how many Coco Butts he would take before he would hit the mat as it was almost as if he was downplaying the move at times. Over all this was great match that was clearly just a big brawl between two big names in wrestling at the time with one being loved and the other being hated.

Grade: **1/2

Match 5: Bobo Brazil vs. Crusher Blackwell

As the bell rings Blackwell refuses to lock up and makes the referee get Bobo away from him as he goes to the ropes, but once they do lock up Bobo is shown to be the stronger of the two. But Blackwell cheats and get the upper hand and even starts choking Bobo behind the referee’s back, but even when caught Blackwell keeps up the attack of choking, punching and even biting Bobo while he is down and injured. And even when Bobo tries to get up he is hit back down with clubbing smashes from Blackwell who has dominated the match this far. But when Bobo gets fired up he goes on the attack and smashes and rams Blackwell’s face into the turnbuckle and keeps ripping at his nose. Bobo gets Blackwell to the mat after beating up on him and places him into a sleeper hold, and once he lets go Bobo goes for the pin and gets a 2.5 before Blackwell kicks out. Blackwell then cheats and hits Bobo with a foreign object and then once more hammers away at the now groggy Bobo as well goes back to chocking him. But Bobo makes a comeback and lands a Coco Butt that floors Blackwell and Bobo is able to get the win via pin. This is a pretty slow paced match as it is clear that Bobo was working around the limitations of Blackwell as this match is filled with rest holds and just brawling moves over and over again as far as the action goes. The match goes back and fourth with lots of clubbing style smashes going on before Bobo ends the thing with his famous Coco Butt that makes Blackwell fall over like a chopped down tree. Blackwell is a good heel in the match as he cheats several times and the fans seem to dislike him, even though honestly they seem a little more quiet in this match then your normal Madison Squared Garden fans and only really come alive when Bobo lands his finishing move and gets the win, I am guessing they just could not get behind this brawling slow paced match. Over all it was entertaining but is one of the more lackluster matches on this set.

Grade: **1/2

Match 6: Bobo Brazil vs. Doug Gilbert

Doug attacks Bobo before he can fully get into the ring and as the announcer is given names, but once the bell rings Bobo goes crazy and starts smashing Doug who he has now forced into the ropes by his face and even Doug’s attempt at a comeback falls short as he backs away from the charging Bobo who hits two Coco Butts that cause Doug to fall out of the ring and he gives up and walks to the back as he has had enough and gets counted out and Bobo wins the match. This is a very quick pretty much squash match that has heel Doug Gilbert attacking Bobo before the match and ends up paying for it with a one sided butt kicking before running out of the match and causing himself to loose. Bobo looks like a true superstar as he beats the heck out of Doug and the fans are cheering for him like crazy, and of course his Coco Butts as always look good. Doug Gilbert does not get much time to shine and comes off as a very low carder as he does one of the biggest chicken shit heel moves of all time and that’s running for the match he is loosing. Over all a fun squash match that does a good job of showing why Bobo was a superstar and a draw.

Grade: ** 1/2

Match 7: Bobo Brazil vs. Big John Studd

As Studd pushes Bobo into the corner he shows that he is the stronger of the two, but Bobo unleashes some punches and this backs Studd into the opposite corner. The two exchange punches and Bobo even rams Studd chest first into the turnbuckle a few times hurting the big man. Studd fights back and even locks in the bear hug, but Bobo reverses the hold and locks in his own bear hug before Studd breaks it with an eye rack. Bobo then turns up the heat and lands a Coco Butt that knocks Studd off his feet and causes him to even roll out of the ring to shake off the effects. Once back in Studd and Bobo once more exchange hits and holds with Bobo hitting two Coco Butts, but Studd ends the match when he drops an elbow on Bobo and gets this win via pin. This was a great big man fight as both hit big punches, do some powerful moves on one another to try and get the advantage and win the match. Big John Studd even works in his bear hug and sells really well for Bobo and both look really great in the match. Bobo has the fans on his side and they pop every time he makes a comeback and really erupt when he hits his classic head butts. The match is very much a powerbase match and is more slow in pace, but it had the big match feel and both guys worked really well together and I for one enjoyed it lots as both wrestlers I am fans of.

Grade: ***1/2

Bobo Brazil is one of the all time greats when in comes to Pro Wrestling and over the decades he still is remembered and talked about as he is just such a memorial in ring worker who just had a way of connecting with the fans. And again I will say make sure to check out his matches and while it’s a brawler slower paces style it just has such a charm as the live fans and his ability to draw people in just make the matches great. But as you can see the matches are over and the staff at the Rotten Ink Arena are starting to clean up so that’s our queue to make our way to the exit, and as we do so I should take this moment to alert you that our next update will be about a Horror Hostess that was the talk of Manayunk and the Daughter of Desire as of course I am talking about Stella Desire! And for this update I will be turning Rotten Ink over to Juliet! So until we meat again read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. This next update should be a spooky good time.