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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 14:07:08 GMT -5
Million Dollar Man going out to Eat
Funny
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 14:11:52 GMT -5
Convincingly lived the gimmick, eh?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 14:47:24 GMT -5
Mr. Perfect bowls a Perfect 300
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 15:07:00 GMT -5
I remember those vignettes! He did others (darts, swimming, golf).
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 12, 2020 20:52:39 GMT -5
One of my favorite WCW wrestler and he was an original and has a tremendous will to fight. It's not the La Parka who wrestled in WCW (Adolfo Tapia). He was the original; but didn't become La Parka until he started working for AAA, in 1992. Before that he wrestled under his own name and a few masked gimmicks, before being given the La Parka gimmick, by AAA's Antonio Pena. When he was working exclusively for WCW, Pena created a new La Parka, since he owned the name and gimmick. He gave the outfit to another wrestler, Jesus Escoboza, and called him La Parka Jr. When Tapia signed with CMLL, Pena started calling Escoboza La Parka and took legal action to block Tapia from using the name in CMLL. Tapia changed his name to LA Park. People would call Escoboza "AAA La Parka" and call Tapia La Parka or LA Park. Eventually, Tapia and Pena made peace and they did an angle between Tapia and Escoboza, over the name. Escoboza was wrestling a match in October and did a suicida dive out of the ring and hit the concrete head first. he was paralyzed, but regained some feeling in his extremities, later, in the hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away. So, Adolfo Tapia, the original La Paka and later LA Park is still alive and wrestling. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 12, 2020 21:19:55 GMT -5
Also passing away was Kazuo Sakurada, who wrestled in the US as Kendo Nagasaki, and Canada as Mr Sakurada. He started out in sumo, where he spent 7 years and attained the rank of makushita 13. While there he met young Genichiro Tenryu. He switched to puroresu (Japanese for pro wrestling; literally, the phonetic sounding of "pro wrestling"), working in the latter days of the Japan Wrestling Alliance, before moving to the new All-Japan Pro Wrestling, under Giant Baba. In 1976, he started working in Calgary, for Stu Hart, as Mr Sakurada, along with Katsuji Adachi, as Mr Hito. He was one of the top heels there and was the principal trainer for young Bret Hart, as he details in his book. After leaving Stampede, he went to Memphis, where he was called Kendo Nagasaki, with the name swiped from the British wrestler (who was not Asian) and the gimmick from The Great Kabuki. he went from there to Florida, where he had a notable run, as both a single and as a tag partner to the White ninja, a masked gimmick for young Keiji Mutoh (aka the Great Muta). He was a major terrifying heel there and went from there to World Class, where he worked under his name and as White Ninja, partnered with Super Black Ninja (Muta, with a color switch). He was part of Gary Hart's J-Tex Corp stable in WCW, when the Horsemen turned on Sting. After he finished that run, he went back to Japan and worked for FMW and Super World Sports (the promotion that worked with the WWF, in the early 90s, with Tenryu, as their top star), before starting his own promotion, Network of Wrestling. He joined with the Great Kojika (an All-Japan wrestler and friend) and formed Big Japan Wrestling, which was part of the "garbage wrestling" fad in Japan (which included groups like FMW, IWA-Japan, WIN*G, and Big Japan). He left Big Japan in 1999 and worked sporadically, until fully retiring and opening a restaurant and snack shop. He died from a pacemaker malfunction, that sent him into cardiac arrest. (As Kendo Nagasaki)  (with Keiji Mutoh)  (with Mr Hito and Stu Hart. Sakurada is on the left)  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 12, 2020 21:29:47 GMT -5
ps Here's the British wrestler Kendo Nagasaki  who later unmasked....  This was The Great Kabuki (Akihisa Mera)  who wrestled in World Class, Mid-Atlantic and other promotions, with Gary Hart as his manager. he popularized spraying the "green mist" in the face of his opponent, which was also used by Kazuo Sakurada, as Kendo Nagasaki, and by the Great Muta. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 21:38:26 GMT -5
One of my favorite WCW wrestler and he was an original and has a tremendous will to fight. It's not the La Parka who wrestled in WCW (Adolfo Tapia). He was the original; but didn't become La Parka until he started working for AAA, in 1992. Before that he wrestled under his own name and a few masked gimmicks, before being given the La Parka gimmick, by AAA's Antonio Pena. When he was working exclusively for WCW, Pena created a new La Parka, since he owned the name and gimmick. He gave the outfit to another wrestler, Jesus Escoboza, and called him La Parka Jr. When Tapia signed with CMLL, Pena started calling Escoboza La Parka and took legal action to block Tapia from using the name in CMLL. Tapia changed his name to LA Park. People would call Escoboza "AAA La Parka" and call Tapia La Parka or LA Park. Eventually, Tapia and Pena made peace and they did an angle between Tapia and Escoboza, over the name. Escoboza was wrestling a match in October and did a suicida dive out of the ring and hit the concrete head first. he was paralyzed, but regained some feeling in his extremities, later, in the hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away. So, Adolfo Tapia, the original La Paka and later LA Park is still alive and wrestling. Thanks for clearing that up. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 12, 2020 23:04:49 GMT -5
Bit of commentary on the Ronnie Garvin NWA title win...
Jim Cornette...
and Garvon, himself...
Speaking as a fan, Garvin was the perfect kind of veteran to get a surprise win for the title. Forget Miss Atlanta Lively and that nonsense. Garvin was a massive draw in multiple territories, throughout the 70s and early 80s. He was the top draw in Knoxville, when they were red hot. He was a main eventer in Florida. He was a major figure in ICW, as the Southeastern Champion ( a title belt stolen from the Fuller Knoxville promotion) and as a contender for Randy Savage's World title. He was the top babyface in Georgia during Black Saturday and the Championship Wrestling from Georgia aftermath, before Crockett bought the WTBS timeslot. He was in the uppercard for many Crockett cards and was legit tough and a hell of a mat wrestler. Corny covered how good he was on the mat, in a shoot, and nobody this side of Wahoo McDaniel or Johnny Valentine chopped harder than he did. he and Flair beat each other into hamburger. When Garvin was in the ring, he could work and he could shoot. What undercut his reign was the way Dusty booked it, as if it were a fluke and Garvin only defended it a couple of times, before losing it. It put him into Tommy Rich territory, or Giant Baba. Garvin didn't care; but, Dusty asked him to do it and he did it, because he was a pro. As he said, he never cared about the title and didn't want to mess with the politics of winning it. As long as he could earn the amount that satisfied him, he was happy (and if he got time to hunt, fish, and play on his boat and plane). Garvin was one of the guys who really understood the business, for what it is, had a long successful career and transitioned to other things he enjoyed (flying) and lived his life on his terms.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2020 5:55:40 GMT -5
Okay, I bought this for my Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/Brutus-Beefcake-Struttin-Official-Autobiography-ebook/dp/B07B116QYYI was a big fan back in the day. Always rooted for him! I was quite shocked when he turned on Hogan in WCW, circa 1994. How could you, Brutus? That'd be like Robin turning on Batman! (It's a shame two lifelong friends couldn't have put together a better match at Starrcade 1994). I remember an Inside Wrestling magazine (early 1995), a kayfabe publication, where Brutus talked about his antagonism towards Hogan. It was mentioned how he got a bit bitter because, after his boating accident, everyone was going on about Hogan, Hogan, Hogan - even though it was Beefcake going through the surgery. Ah, kayfabe publications, I miss that era. This was the issue:  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2020 8:43:24 GMT -5
I've mixed feeling about Brutus and I find him a bit odd (not the right word here) and a hard time enjoying him. I rarely see any matches in his days of WWF/WWE ... but tons in WCW and suddenly like you I was sad when he turn onto Hogan.
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Post by dbutler69 on Jan 13, 2020 9:08:57 GMT -5
My friend got me into wrestling in the early 90's (basically just after I'd graduated college). We always rooted for the bad guys because they were far more interesting than the bad guys. Rowdy Roddy Piper (especially as a commentator), Mr. Perfect, Lex Luger (I was working out in the same gym as him in Buffalo once!!), and the Undertaker (I thought he was cool) were some of my favorites. I also admit to liking Doink the Clown and the Bushwhackers, and I thought that the Ultimate Warrior was cool looking.
Unfortunately, I haven't watched wrestling in many year now and have no idea who the current wrestlers are, but professional wrestling is just about the closest thing to comic books come to life. It's not a profession to get into if you want to live a long time, though.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2020 9:29:57 GMT -5
Professional wrestling certainly is close to comics, you're right. I can see many parallels, behind the scenes and in the product that is put out there. Wrestling certainly has some larger-than-life heroes. In recent decades, much like comics, the lines between heroism and villainy have been blurred. And like comics (this is a negative point), they don't listen to the old adage that "less is more". Just like Marvel thinks there needs to be 1,247 X-books a month, the WWF thinks 3 hours of Raw is what people want. Most don't, certainly not those I spoke to.
I did like Doink, too. I remember, prior to Survivor Series 1993, wondering who the Four Doinks were gonna be on the team facing Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger and the Head Shrinkers. I knew regular Doink would be there, but who would the other three? In a typical Doink manner, so befitting a clown, he didn't even show up, instead sending the Bushwhackers and Men on a Mission out in clown make-up. What a very Doink-like thing to do.
I do miss the gimmicks and larger-than-life characters in WWF (sorry, I have never been able to refer to them as their current acronym, it's never sounded right). I'm not saying we bring pig farmers and plumbers back to wrestle in hog pen matches, but so many now wrestle under their real name - or a name that sounds like a real name. Where are the gimmicks? In 2019, I wouldn't want pig farmers and plumbers, but I wouldn't mind a police gimmick or two. As long as they entertain, that is what matters.
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Post by dbutler69 on Jan 13, 2020 9:33:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I like the WWF acronym better than WWE, too. I haven't followed pro wrestling lately, but if they're using their real names instead of cool noms de guerre then that does take some of the fun out of it, and some of the comic bookishness also. A shame.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2020 9:40:35 GMT -5
Yeah, I like the WWF acronym better than WWE, too. I haven't followed pro wrestling lately, but if they're using their real names instead of cool noms de guerre then that does take some of the fun out of it, and some of the comic bookishness also. A shame. WWF ... Loved it WWE ... Hate it |
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