R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Crypt Keeper

Posted on August 4, 2025 by bloodlinematt

The Halloween season is almost upon us, and as you can see, we are once more here at the Rotten Ink Arena for a spooky “R.I.W Wrestling Legends” update that is sue to chill your blood as well as gross you out as today’s subject is a hardcore death match wrestler who is truly a horror themed wrestler as his name is The Crypt Keeper (or Crypt The Keeper), and he is based on the Tales From The Crypt host of the same name. He terrorized the federations of Japan, and now he is the main event update for this countdown to Halloween update. So let’s head to the snack bar and grab some witch’s punch to drink and maybe some candy corn to munch on, and then let’s get to our seats as I can hear his sinister laugh echoing all around and that’s the sure sign that this event update is about to start. Try not to get to scare.

Jose Estrada Jr. started his Pro Wrestling career in 1986. Hould work for World Wrestling Council (WWC) in Puerto Rico as Super Medico III and would team with his father Super Medico I as the Super Medicos, and they would even capture the company’s tag team titles. In 1991 he would find his way to Japan and would start working for FMW as Jose Estrada Jr. and would have hardcore street fights against the likes of Atsushi Onita, Tazan Goto and Ricky Fuji. Jose would also go back to working under the Super Medico III for a short time in FMW as well as in WWC where he would be apart of a tag team called Solid Gold. But in 1993 he would become the wresting horror grappler named Crypt Keeper who wore a TV show Crypt Keeper mask as well as a skeleton mask. He would work for WING and became a hardcore wrestler who did death matches and would have battles with Jason The Terrible, Crash The Terminator, Leatherface, The Headhunters as well as Shoji Nakamaki. During this time as well Crypt Keeper would also make small stops in Mexico even working for CMLL. And in 1994 he even would even return to work some matches in Puerto Rico. Crypt Keeper quickly became a heel that fans feared and opponents knew that they would be involved in a brutal match. In 1995 Crypt Keeper would start working for more federations in Japan including IWA and BJW as well as would work small shots in America as well as more matches in Mexico’s CMLL and would wrestle against the likes of El Canek, Arlantis, Dos Caras, El Rayo de Jalisco Jr., El Dandy and Silver King. In 1996 he would head to FMW and become one of the company’s biggest heel stars and was considered a draw and would also start working for them under the ring name Halcon Negro and would start using that name more often from them. In 1997 he would have a house show tryout match for the WWF losing to Miguel Perez, and when working for FMW at the time he once more changed his name to Black Hayabusa. And while he worked under many names and gimmicks, his most well loved in Japan was Crypt Keeper.

Jose Estrada Jr. would then leave Japan and head to WWF to become a member of the Savio Vega lead group Los Boricuas and would feud with The Nation Of Domination as well as The Disciples Of The Apocalypse starting in mid-1997. His run with the WWF would mostly see him teaming with his stable mates Jesus Castillo, Miguel Perez and Savio Vega, and they would have matches against the likes of The Legion Of Doom, The Head Bangers and The New Age Outlaws. And while Jose Estrada Jr. would get some wins, he and his fellow Los Boricuas members found themselves falling down the card and racking up more losses. During his solo matches in WWF he would lose matches against the likes of Goldust, Edge, The Godfather and El Hijo Del Santo (on the short run show WWF Super Astros), and by late 1999 Jose would be out of WWF and find himself retired for a few years. But around 2001 he started working the indies around the world again and would work as The Crypt Keeper again off and on for many hardcore matches. Today while he is pretty much retired, he can from time to time be seen at conventions. Over his years as a wrestler he would capture some gold mostly in Puerto Rico but would be a two time WING World Heavyweight Champion. He is not in the WWF Hall Of Fame, and sadly I do not think he ever will make it in.

I was a big fan of FMW when I was a teenager and one of the wrestlers that stood out to me was Crypt Keeper as he was a brawler who wore a HBO Tales From The Crypt mask (or sometimes just a skeleton one) and would team and even fight the other horror themed wrestlers in the company in matches like barbwire, coffin and death matches. And when Crypt Keeper would cackle and laugh he became even more awesome to me as it added to his creepy, spooky persona. You could see that he was trying to do something a little different with his version of the character and this was also seen in his wrestling attire as it was very baseball themed and made him standout, but I will also say I liked when he would also wear the back suit. And like many masked wrestlers, during his run some knock off wrestlers using the gimmick popped up and worked the indie’s around the world pretending to be him or just straight up stealing the gimmick. While Jose Estrada Jr. was a good worker in the WWF during his run, I have to say I enjoyed his time as Crypt Keeper way more as I found it to be way more interesting. And I know that he was not as hardcore as most of the other horror themed wrestlers of that time, but dang it, he was an entertaining one who seemed to get into scaring the fans as well as being as “hardcore” as he could get in the ring. From the first time I saw Crypt Keeper in the ring, I always thought it would be cool to see him join the WWF and have a run against The Undertaker as it would have been great to have him pop out of a coffin and go after Taker with a barb-wired baseball bat! I mean Crypt Keeper could have fit well into the Attitude Era and could have been a great addition to the Hardcore Division. While the Crypt Keeper gimmick didn’t last all that long in the world of wrestling, it did leave its mark and was the best thing Jose Estrada Jr. did in wrestling in my opinion as I find it very memorable.

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, sadly I only have 3 solo matches of his on my best of DVD. I want to thank HyperDevil for having this set in stock and also want to thank Crypt Keeper 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 Crypt Keeper.

Best Of Crypt Keeper

Match 1: Crypt Keeper vs. Keisuke Yamada

As the bell rings, Keeper is the aggressor and starts hammer Yamada with hits in the corner and then hits a clothesline as well as some well places stomps and repeats this attack in another corner until Yamada is able to escape his attack and with a backslide gets a two count and then starts beating up Crypt with hammering hits and knocks him out of the ring and then dives out on him. Once back in the ring Yamada remains in control even locking a step over toe hold on Crypt trying to get him to tap, Crypt gets to the ropes but still takes a beating for a bit by Yamada the two start smacking the hell out of each other until Crypt makes a mistake and finds himself in a arm lock on the mat, and like before once out of the move Yamada keeps up his attack. The fans are clearly behind Keisuke Yamada as they cheer him on as Crypt Keeper rolls out of the ring to shake off the butt kicking he has been getting, and once back in he continues to get beat up on that his until he is able to hit a big boot and a running bulldog, and now Crypt is in control, and goes for many pin attempts. Crypt keeps Yamada on the mat and works over his limbs trying to get him to quit and even trying to get the quick pin. The two once more exchange punches and moves Crypt hits a massive power bomb and it did not keep Yamada down, nor does a top rope fameasser. But after Crypt Keeper hits a power slam he is able to get the win via pin. This is one of those odd matches from Japan that has bursts of hard hitting impactful moments that is then slowed down with rest holds and it makes for a fun and yet some what dragging match. Keisuke Yamada looks good in the match as he is in control for most of the match and even comes of aggressive and his chops are loud and brutal looking. Crypt Keeper hits some really hard hitting moves but does not showcase his more hardcore death match style moves. The two’s chemistry was a little off and at times the match come off a little botchy in spots, but the live fans seem to enjoy it and even with those moments its an average entertaining match.

Grade: **1/2

Match 2: Crypt Keeper vs. Jason The Terrible

This is a spiked nail death match that pits two horror themed wrestlers against each other! Crypt attacks Jason as he is making his way to the ring and the two fight into the fans and Crypt knocks off Jason’s hockey mask and rams his face into the bed of nails and tries to push the nails deep into the flesh of Jason, and does it again as Jason starts to bleed. Once in the ring Crypt keeps the beating up and tries to knock Jason out of the ring and onto the bed of nails. Jason fights off the attempts and while he is getting beat up he just keeps coming after Crypt who is clearly the more aggressive of the two this far and keeps trying to toss Jason out and onto the nails. When Jason finally gets the upper hand he as well tries to toss Crypt out of the ring and onto the nails and both at this point are using mostly brawling moves to do so and from here the two go back and fourth with taking the momentum and failing to toss the other onto the nails. Jason during this time does hit some big choke slams that get’s the fans to pop. And it’s Jason who is finally able to knock his opponent onto the bed of nails as Crypt lands hard on them after being knocked out of the ring and with that Jason wins the match. This was a very slow paced Spiked Nail Death Match as most of the time is spent with them trying to toss or kick the other out of the ring and onto the nails, and besides a few cool movies like the choke slams from Jason and the fameassers from Crypt the match is pretty much just punches, kicks and stomps and I know that is pretty normal for these types of matches but at times these two seem like they are moving in slow motion. The match also only has Jason bleeding and it’s a shame that the hockey mask is removed right from the start as it takes a little away from this monster vs. monster match. Over all an ok death match that sadly was nothing that special, and it did seem the live fans did enjoy it for the most part.

Grade: **

Match 3: Crypt Keeper vs. Shohji Kakamaki

This is a coffin match where you have to get your opponent into a coffin for a 10 count. As soon as the bell rings Crypt Keeper goes on the attack and rips at the injured head of Shohji and starts kicking him in the head and causes him to bleed. Crypt keeps up a fast paced attack landing a big power slam and then tossing him into the coffin, Shohji escapes and goes after Crypt who takes big head butts that rock him. Shohji takes him outside the ring and beats Crypt up in front of the fans with punches and knees and Crypt fights back with a chair. Once back in the ring Crypt is now in control and with a laugh he pile drives Shohji into the mat and back into the coffin he goes for a nine count, Crypt makes him pay for getting up with a big drop kick. Crypt beats him up some more and back in the coffin Shohji goes for once more a nine count, this angers Crypt even more who turns up the beating and power bombs him onto the coffin lid before tossing him back into the coffin and letting out his trademark laugh. Shohji cannot escape the coffin this time and looses the match given the big win to Crypt Keeper. This was a very entertaining coffin match that for the most part had Crypt Keeper in charge and allowed him to pull off some basic and yet impactful moves like his drop kick, power bomb and pile driver, and while being dominate most of the match he still allowed Shohji to look like a fighter and even sold really well for him. The coffin was made of very cheap pressed wood and from the moment it comes into the match it is falling apart, and this added to the enjoyment of the match. The fans in attendance also seemed to really be into the match and cheered and clapped when needed and my favorite moment of the match is the pile driver due to not only it looking impactful but also the fact that Crypt Keeper is doing his crazy laugh! Over all this is a fun match and while not the best coffin match I have ever seen it is one that entertained me lots.

Grade: ***

The Crypt Keeper was a wrestler that scared the fans as he would cackle with evil laughter as he attacked his opponent with his violent brawling style, and while in America he never did find his place, in Japan he was a feared mid-card heel who could draw. And while WING and FMW were his home federations, I will say it again, it would have been great if they would have brought him in to the WWF as this gimmick and not just a generic henchman for Savia Vega in the team Los Boricuas, as I feel a feud with The Undertaker and or Kane would have been great…or even making him a member of the Ministry Of Darkness back in 1998 as this masked menace could have been great alongside The Brood, Viscera, Acolytes and Mideon as he cackled his way into the feud with The Corporation. But the lights are flickering and the Jack-O-Lanterns are blown out, so that is our cue that this spooky update event is over and it’s time for us to head out of the Rotten Ink Arena, but before we head out into the cold night air I would like to tell you that the next update will take us to the world of cheesy horror films as we will be talking about Sharknado 3! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. See you next update as the sharks are flying and the chainsaws are revving.

R.I.W Wrestling Legends: The Zombie (ECW)

Posted on September 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Arena. As you can see, Xmortis and his crew are starting to hang Halloween decorations, and they are serving a spooky Ghost Punch as well as a pork brain sandwich at the snack bar as tonight, as we countdown to the Halloween season, we have a creepy “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update event for you. If you look around the arena tonight, I am sure you have noticed all the ECW shirts and signs as our main event features a strange character that haunted Extreme Championship Wrestling for one night only back in 2006. I am talking about the horror themed wrestler The Zombie or also known as The ECW Zombie! So let’s grab cup of Ghost Punch and a pork brain sandwich with extra hot sauce and find our seats as the casket music is playing and that can mean only one thing, The Zombie is here!

The Zombie made his debut in 2006 at the first ECW show under the ownership of WWE, and he was in the first match against The Sandman! The fans did not know how to take this shuffling, dirt covered undead wrestler who once in the ring would grab the microphone and grunt with anger. Most fans seemed to be confused and even laughed at The Zombie. And after his loss, he disappeared from ECW…but this was not his final match as The Zombie would find himself working the indies mostly in the New Jersey and New York area and would become a big draw and even a fan favorite as people would pay to see him wrestle. The Zombie would play up his undead gimmick for the fans and even would scare kids a little with his spooky appearance. He would work for companies like Pro Wrestling Syndicate, National Wrestling Superstars, Victory Pro Wrestling and Warriors Of Wrestling to name a few. He would have matches against names like Jason Static, Salvatore Sincere, Danny Demanto and The Boogeyman and would mostly be on the winning side of the matches. While The Zombie would not capture any titles during his run, he did capture the respect of the fans. The Zombie’s last match would be in 2014 as he would be in a six-man tag match for Victory Pro Wrestling. Say what you will about The Zombie, he took a very brief silly spooky ECW appearance and made it work on the Indies.

Tim Arson was the man who was the ECW Zombie. He started his career in 2001 and was trained by Johnny Rodz and worked the indies federations like USA Pro Wrestling, New York Wrestling Connection and Impact Championship Wrestling, and while working the indies he would find some success and would start building up a fan base. During his early days he would have matches against such names as Kid Kruel, The Rednecks From Hell, Grim Reefer and Damian Dragon. But in 2005 Tim would head to WWC in Puerto Rico and truly find his calling in the ring as he would rack up some big wins as well as would have some big matches including one against Sabu and would even capture the WWC Tag Team Titles with partner Rico Suave in 2006. In 2006, he would also work a match for WWE against Matt Striker that would air on WWE Heat. This is also when he would be the ECW Zombie in his one and only ECW appearance. After his brief micro run in WWE, he would head back to WWC and would stay there until around mid 2007. During this time he would head back to America and would work for many indies under his name as well as The ECW Zombie and would even go back and work in Puerto Rico. While never a big star, he was a solid worker and really did get the respect from fans who watched him, and yes Tim mostly worked as a heel. On January 7, 2015 at the age of only 38 Tim Arson passed away of an undisclosed clause.

The Zombie is a wrestler who clearly was booked in ECW for one match to get beat up, booed, laughed at and put into the match really so the company could prove a point to the Sy-Fy Channel (that was airing ECW) who wanted more Horror and Science Fiction wrestlers on the roster, that those type of gimmicks didn’t have a place in ECW as it was the house of Extreme…well a watered down WWE version of Extreme at least. And while The Zombie was supposed to be a throw away and forgotten, he is still talked about and remembered to this day showing that he at least made an impact! You have to give Tim Arson lots of credit as he took what would have been a bad gimmick and embraced it and made it work on the indies and by all accounts turned it into a fun wrestler who built up a fan base and brought horror to the events. I can remember when The Zombie appeared on ECW and can remember flashing back to the old days of the WWF and when The Zombie would have been a foe that was going after The Undertaker, and thinking wow, this is really cheesy and yet I did wish he would have stayed around a little while in ECW as a jobber to the stars. I really do like the idea The Zombie worked for years in indie federations in New York and New Jersey and got himself over with the fans who really would pay to see him wrestle. Not much more to say besides its cool that Tim was able to become The Zombie due to a wrestler that was supposed to play a martian no showing and Paul Heyman coming up with the wrestling zombie idea. I also liked the fact that he would cover himself in dirt so when he was hit or slammed a cloud of dust would come off him looking like he had just come out of the grave…nice touch and it’s a shame that The Zombie is no longer with us as it would have been cool to see him work some indie matches here in Ohio as well as seen him tour the conventions. And just in case any one was wondering, yes, I have an autograph picture of The Zombie that I bought second hand that hangs in my living room. Oh and I also need to say I like that on his debut, they do show two kids in the crowd who seemed to be a little scared of The Zombie.

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 B-Videos 101 for having this set in stock and also want to thank The Zombie 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 The Zombie.

Best Of The Zombie (ECW)

Match 1: The Zombie vs. The Sandman

The Zombie makes his way to the ring and cuts a growling, grunting promo and is cut off by The Sandman who makes his way to the ring via the crowd guzzling beer the whole way as well as smacking his own kendo stick against his head. Once in the ring and the bell rings, Sandman beats Zombie with the kendo stick over and over and then uses it to Russian Leg Sweep the undead wrestler to get the three count and win the match via pin. This is 100% a squash match as The Sandman just uses the kendo stick to beat the hell out of the Zombie and then use one move to put him away, and the poor Zombie does not even get to land one move and just takes the beating. Not much of a match at all and is pretty much just a way to get The Sandman even more over with the WWE now owned ECW fans. The Zombie sells well and the dirt dust that poofs off of him during the beating was a nice touch. Over all a throwaway match that is just to showcase The Sandman and his brawling style.

Grade: *

Match 2: The Zombie vs. The Equalizer

After the bell rings the two lock up and The Equalizer is able to knock Zombie back into the ropes and the after they break apart Equalizer smacks him across the face. The Zombie is mad about this and responds with a massive spear that takes Equalizer to the mat, the two roll outside the ring and exchange some punches and The Zombie even starts biting the head of Equalizer who breaks free and runs around the ring with Zombie following close behind. Once Equalizer rolls back into the ring Zombie tries to follow but is greeted with stomps and the Equalizer takes control of the match and lands a big side slam and only gets a two count. Zombie then bounces off the rope and hits a back elbow that floors Equalizer and then the Zombie hits a press slam. Equalizer rolls out of the ring to catch his breath as the Zombie paces the ring and once outside the Zombie grabs a board and starts hitting Equalizer with it and around the ring the two brawl and Zombie even uses a chair and continues to even once back in the ring. After a low blow and a bulldog headlock Equalizer turns the tide and puts down thumbtacks that backfires as both he and Zombie go into them. The two brawl some more and Zombie misses a moonsault from the top rope, and Equalizer then misses a top rope move and this allows Zombie to grab a chair and leap and twist from the top rope with it and get the win over Equalizer via pin. The match is pretty slowed paced and is a weird brawling hardcore match mixed with Zombie hitting some pretty good classic style moves, and while his press slam was a little sloppy, it still was nice to see him get to work in a match. Both wrestlers brawl and do their best to try and get the fans into the match, and at times it’s clear the two did not have good chemistry together as many moves and moments just seem a little off. Not much more to say besides it was cool seeing two ECW guys from different eras having a match in a small indie federation. Not a great match but also not the worst I have seen and if you are a fan of either wrestlers, it might be one that piques your interest.

Grade: * ½

Match 3: The Zombie vs. The Musketeer

Before the match even starts, Musketeer does not want to get into the ring with the Zombie but is forced into the ring and the match starts and Zombie throws Musketeer across the ring and then hits a back body drop and then a few big clothesline and even a dropkick and gets a two count. The Zombie then chases Musketeer’s manager to the back, give Musketeer a moment to shake off the attack. The Zombie comes back out wearing a Musketeer hat and when the referee tries to get him back on track The Musketeer attacks the undead superstar from behind and starts stomping him on the mat and keeps the pressure on him even hitting a strong clothesline, but the Zombie makes his short comeback with a back elbow but is stopped when Musketeer hits a jawbreaker and tries to get Zombie to summit with a chin lock, Zombie gets out of the hold but is rolled up and Musketeer gets a two count, Zombie then fires back with some moves and gets a two count himself. Musketeer misses a move and racks himself as his manager enters the ring and attacks Zombie who knocks him away and then starts biting the head of Musketeer and once more his manager tries to save him and this causes the referee to DQ Musketeer and this gives The Zombie the win. This is a strange and basic style match that mixes in a dash of comedy wrestling, and while no major moves are used the basic stuff Musketeer and Zombie do looks good and makes for an entertaining match. The Musketeer does a great job of selling for The Zombie and acts like he is in major pain when hit. Not much else to be said about this match besides it very basic and fun for what it is, and I would have rather had a clean finish then the DQ is the major flaw with the match.

Grade: **1/2

Match 4: The Zombie vs. Boogeyman

Before the bell rings Boogeyman spits on the Zombie and the fans are grossed out by this, and as the bell rings the two stare at each other and Zombie rolls out of the ring as he does not have a game plan yet on how to attack Boogeyman who meanwhile is shaking all around the ring as the young fans in the crowd chant his name and then he throws worms into the crowd. The Zombie then attacks Boogeyman from behind and lands some big forearm smashes to his back and neck, Boogeyman fires back with some kicks to the gut of Zombie and then tosses him out of the ring and then stalks the Zombie who walks around the ring looking for brains. As they both get back into the ring Zombie catches Boogeyman and starts stomping on him and then bails out of the ring when Boogeyman starts making his comeback. The two start exchanging hits and moves outside the ring and even fight up the bleachers and Zombie even bashes Boogeyman with a trashcan who in turn does the same thing back. Zombie then uses a chair on Boogeyman trying to inflect as much damage as he can, but he misses his big shot and this allows Boogeyman to start beating the heck out of Zombie who is trying to crawl away and then like before the two exchange hits and trade the momentum back and fourth and this continues when both get back into the ring. Boogeyman ends up winning the match after he hits a choke slam that gives him the three count. This is a gimmick match as both Monster Themed wrestlers play up to the fans and mostly brawl to the delight of the young fans who are 100% behind Boogeyman and are eating up this match. Both guys pretty much just punch, kick, stomp and hit each other with objects the majority of the match and both guys for the most part do a great job of selling for each other and work around each others limitations and understand each others gimmicks. Some of the outside the ring brawling is hard to see as the crew did not have the proper lights to make it work. Over all a silly and fun match that did what it was suppose to do and that’s entertain the viewers no matter how sloppy and basic it was it did just that. Also Boogeyman makes Zombie eat worms after the match and them brings kids into the ring to dance like him.

Grade: **1/2

Match 5: The Zombie vs. E.J Risk

The Zombie chases E.J around the ring as the fans cheer as the bell ring E.J lands a few punches but Zombie shrugs them off and then tosses him across the ring and no matter how hard E.J tries The Zombie has an answer for his moves, but after trying to leave the match in fear and being forced back in he pulls the ropes down on the Zombie who tumbles out of the ring and E.J goes out after him and starts his attack and even continues to hit his moves once they make it back to the ring and hits a shinning wizard that knocks the undead wrestler out and this allows him to flip with a corkscrew elbow onto Zombie causing even more damage. E.J misses a splash in the corner and Zombie takes this chance to rack him on the ropes and lands a swinging neck breaker. And E.J tries to make a comeback but is cut off by Zombie who slams him into the turnbuckle and then hits a spine buster after an Irish Whip into the corner, E.J cheats with a low blow behind the referees back but after a failed top rope movie E.J is caught and Zombie hits his finisher the CKO and wins the match via pin. This is an okay match but sadly is riddled with botches mostly from E.J Risk as it seemed that the two had a very old chemistry together as at times the match was smooth while others it was a little rough. But with that said the fans seemed to really be into the match and were behind Zombie who they wanted to see win the match. I have to give E.J credit as well as he does his best and does pull off some impressive moves and even does a great job of selling for Zombie. Meanwhile Zombie wrestles his normal style that is a mix of basic moves and brawling tactics and like before it has a dash of comedy wrestling thrown in. Over all this was an okay match that brings an entertaining match to viewers and showcases that while the Zombie was limited in his own gimmick he still got fans hyped and behind him.

Grade: **

While The Zombie is not the most scary or skilled of monster-themed wrestlers in the business and when working many of the indies he had a big kid following who cheered him on, he still made his mark in pro wrestling just for being in the first match for ECW when WWE took over. I do want to once more say, it’s a shame that Tim Arson aka The Zombie passed away at such an early age. Well as you can see, the fog has dissipated and the house lights are now on so that is our cue that this update is over with as the clean up crew is now out sweeping up the dropped candy corn and the spatter of the pork brain sandwiches that made their way to the floor. As we make our way to the exit, I want to let you know our spooky countdown to Halloween 2024 continues as we will next be chatting about the 1943 Bela Lugosi classic Ape Man, that’s right, from a wrestling zombie to half ape human! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror-themed wrestling match or two and as always ,support your local wrestlers. And see you next update for a creepy From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update.

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: The Texas Hangmen

Posted on March 13, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we find ourselves once more at the Rotten Ink Arena as we have another “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update event planned and this one will feature a tag team that mostly made a name for themselves in Puerto Rico but did have a good run in the AWA and while they did not last that long as a team, they did capture some gold and built up a reputation of being a brawling, rough and tough masked menacing team…and this team is The Texas Hangmen and as you can see, they are the main event for this update. So let’s head to the snack bar and grab a drink and some chili to snack on and then find our seats as this will be a quick and hard hitting update event.

The Texas Hangmen was a masked outlaw cowboy team that started working together around 1988 in Windy City Wrestling under the names Hangman # 1 and Hangman # 2 and could not find their groove mostly losing to more established teams before leaving the company and finding their new home in the AWA that they started working for in 1989 and found some more traction and started going under the names Psycho and Killer. They worked matches against the likes of The Guerrero Brothers, The Tokyo Bullets and John Nord and Scott Norton. They were hated heels and fans loved to boo these brawling masked men who would challenge for the AWA Tag Titles but never could win them. The Hangmen would stay in AWA until around 1990 when they went out of business. The Texas Hangmen then traveled to Puerto Rico to work for WWC and would become a big team that feuded with many of the company’s top teams and stars from The Medics, The Invaders and even Carlos Colon. The Texas Hangmen would also capture the WWC Tag Titles twice during this run and would stick around until 1991 before returning to the states to work for USWA. Once in the USWA, they found themselves a top team for the company and would quickly capture the Tag Titles as they beat Jeff Jarrett and Eddie Gilbert (who was filling in for Jerry Lawler). But even being the Tag Team champions, Texas Hangman were being booked very oddly as they ended up losing to many of the companies top stars at the time like Bill Dundee and Steve Keirn. They would stick around USWA for a short time and would break up for a time and would get back together for one last run in WWC in 1997 that would have them win the company’s Tag Title and by the end of the year The Texas Hangmen were no more. While The Texas Hangmen never made it to the big companies like WCW and WWF, they did make their mark in AWA and WWC and would find their marks later when they disbanded. I should say a version of The Texas Hangmen had a small run in WCW as a jobber team.

Frank Vizi was the wrestler behind the mask of Psycho and he was trained by Tom Stone and started his Pro Wrestling career in 1984, and is known as Bull Pain, a wrestler who worked for ECW, WCW and JCW. He would end up retiring in 2012 and was a mid-card heel that fans loved to hate. Mike Morgan was Killer, and he started his Pro career in 1982 and was trained by Jake Milliman and Rocky Stone and would best be known as Mean Mike, a member of the WCW tag team Disorderly Conduct, and part of a similar team called Texas Hangmen that were a jobber team. He would as well retire in 2012. While The Texas Hangmen or even Disorderly Conduct are not household names, and Bull Pain is only with diehard ECW fans, these guys made their mark in the world of Wrestling and over their careers had captured titles as well as did a great job of entertaining fans all over the world. At this point The Texas Hangman are not in the WWE Hall Of Fame, and I doubt if they ever do make it.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s Tag Team wrestling was very big and teams like the Road Warriors, Demolition and The Powers Of Pain were the ones that brought fans into arena as they had a look of face paint, flashy gear and a badass wrestling style that made them feel like true tough guys and like they could snap their opponents’ necks. I feel like The Texas Hangmen are a team that traded the face paint for masks, as well traded in the apocalyptic fashion for western gear and used names like Killer and Psycho to show that they meant business. They also would bring out nooses to show that they truly were Hangmen as I can remember them getting a little heat from people when they used the nooses to hang and choke Invader # 1 and this single act is what made them big names in Puerto Rico and made them feared by fans as they came off as true madmen. Growing up I remember The Texas Hangman from the AWA and seeing them on ESPN and wondering why they were not working for WCW as their look and style would have fit right in and they could have had some great matches with the likes of Steiner Brothers, Road Warriors and even Doom. The crazy thing to think about is that as a team they only stayed together for a few years and when disbanding the team the each tried to make their own paths in the business, and while they both did find small amounts of success I would have liked to seen them stick together and try to make runs in WWF, ECW, CMLL, New Japan and WCW. They are also a team that I am pretty sure got their gimmick stolen as Texas Hangmen or teams with similar looks and names would pop up in small indie federations. Another very interesting thing about The Texas Hangmen is that their background as a team is very all over the place with many saying the started in AWA and others saying it was for the smaller indies before landing in AWA, but one thing is for sure they were a entertaining team that I would love to see have a match at Rock Star Pro Wrestling in Dayton, Ohio against a team like The Hooligans or even The Bad Dudes.

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. Sadly on a side note I could only review 3 full matches. I want to thank HyperDevil for having this set in stock and also want to thank The Texas Hangmen for their hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will be breaking down the match and will be rating the matches on a 5 Star rating system. 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 The Texas Hangmen.

Best Of The Texas Hangmen

Match 1: Texas Hangmen vs. Carlos Colon & T.N.T

The Texas Hangmen and Carlos and T.N.T start brawling before any of them even get in the ring and the fans are going crazy as they keep throwing punches all around as it’s clear that these teams have a hatred for each other. Carlos even rips one of the Hangman’s mask as he is trying to make the masked man bleed with big punches. T.N.T gets one of the Hangmen into the ring as Carlos rams the others head into a plate as the ring is set up in the middle of a baseball field, once they all get back to the ring the match becomes more of a normal tag match and Carlos and T.N.T take control of the match landing hits, holds and even using what looks like a fork on the heads of The Texas Hangmen. For a short time the Hangmen make a comeback but it quickly turns into both teams brawling and they take it outside the ring again and the match it thrown out as the two teams keep on fighting and even the locker room empties to try and break them up. This match is pretty much mostly a brawl with both team just exchanging punches and kicks in and outside the ring and the fans were really into this match as it was clear that they love Carlos Colon and T.N.T as for most of the match they are in charge. The match also has blood and The Texas Hangmen prove that they are brawlers and can take a beating and dish out a beating and still seem like contenders. The match ending in a brawl and being thrown out was very fitting as it was clear that fans would come back for a rematch between these two teams. Over all, while it’s nothing super special when it comes to moves, the story they tell in the ring as well as the chemistry between the two teams is good and that is what makes this match a great watch.

Grade: ***

Match 2: Texas Hangmen vs. Invader # 1 & T.N.T

As soon as the two teams get into the ring they start brawling, and Invader even takes one of the Hangmen out of the ring and uses a chair on him and is delivering big punches while in the ring T.N.T is beating up on the other Hangmen and these beating continues for a while even at one point T.N.T chokes one with a belt and Invader smashes the other over the head. The teams end up taking the brawl into the ring again and it turns into a normal tag match with each team exchanging holds and mostly punches back and fourth. The referee ends up getting knocked out, and The Texas Hangmen try and use their bull rope to hit Invader # 1 with but T.N.T saves him for a moment, but one of the Hangmen uses the rope to choke Invader who is in deep trouble. The match is thrown out as The Texas Hangmen leave the ring and head to the locker room as T.N.T and Invader # 1 pose for the rabid cheering fans. This is another brawling match that pretty much follows the same formula as the last match that is pretty much the baby face team brawling with the heel team all around the arena as the fans cheer and once they get it back into the ring the match goes back and fourth and in the end a brawl erupts and the match ends with a no contest. No big moves are thrown, the brawling looks great and the hanging spot looks good as his the reversal of the hanging. Over all just another brawl that is entertaining and both teams look good throughout the match. The fans in attendance are really into this match as well, and I am not sure but at one point I think a fan throws a smoke bomb around the ring…a wild match.

Grade: ***

Match 3: Texas Hangmen vs. Invader # 1 & Bronco # 1

The Texas Hangmen are the tag champions, and as they head to the ring, they taunt the fans who really hate these guys. Bronco # 1 has seen and heard enough and goes out after him and gets them both in the ring and Invader # 1 starts dealing out some punches. When the Hangmen roll out of the ring, they return only to taunt the fans some more. And every time the match is about to start and Invader # 1 gets any momentum the Hangmen roll out of the ring. Once the match really starts Invader and Bronco take the momentum and use fast tags to keep the match in their favor, Bronco even works over one of the Hangmen’s arm as the fans cheer, but shortly after The Hangmen take control of the match and use their brawling style to cause pain. The two teams then take turns going back and fourth with momentum and several times Invader # 1 tries to go for the pin but it’s always broken up by the other Hangman. But after a big punch Invader # 1 is finally able to get the win via pin and the fans go wild as they have just won the Tag Titles. This match starts off way to slow and I get that The Texas Hangmen were getting heart from their taunting and slowing down the action, but when watching at home it sadly comes off bland and uninteresting. But while it starts off not great, I think the match speeds up slightly and the tag team chemistry between Invader # 1 and Bronco # 1 was good as they did fast tags and used double team moves to keep their two monster heel opponents down. The Texas Hangmen are doing their normal brawling style, but also use lots of rest holds throughout the match. The finish is a little odd as well as such a simple move ends a title match. At times I also have to point out that when Bronco # 1 would do off the rope moves he seemed very awkward and stiff. But much to say besides it was an ok match between four skilled workers that the fans seemed to be into for the most part, I was entertained but was also slightly bored at times.

Grade: **1/2

The Texas Hangmen was a pretty cool tag team that worked all around the world and clearly was big draws as heels in Puerto Rico as the fans really did seem to hate them. And it really is a shame that they never got a full chance to show their talents in one of the two major companies WWF and WCW as I really do think they could have been a solid mid-card heel team that could have helped put over the companies top baby face teams as well as get win over some of the mid and lower card ones. Teams like The Texas Hangmen are a product of the past as you just don’t see teams like them on TV anymore. But as you can see, the matches are over and the house lights have came up and the cleaning crew are out so that’s our clue to leave and as we make out way to the exit doors I would like to tell you that our next update will take us away from the squared circle and back into the world of Western themed media as we will be talking about the iconic cowboy Red Ryder and his comic books as well as his B.B. Guns! So with that until next time read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local wrestlers. Oh and remember the phrase “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out Kid” as Red Ryder and it go hand and hand.