Wrestling News

[Will E Worm]

John Hill, man of many faces, dies at 68

"There's another Valiant brother!" the covers of national wrestling magazines screamed in 1979. What they failed to add was that there was another Heenan brother, another Stomper, another Mad Man, and on and on.

All of those characters, and more, were wrapped up in one person, the unassuming John Hill, a character actor of a wrestler, who died March 11 in Indiana at the age of 68.

No matter what role the versatile Hill played, he fit it like a glove, according for former grappler Pat Blake, who called him "fantastic ... he could work either way." Veteran manager Percival A. Friend called him "good wrestler in the ring. He knew his stuff."

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[Will E Worm]

Tommy Rich returns to Atlanta for fan fest

It takes "Wildfire" Tommy Rich a while to get going, especially when the interview is before 9 a.m. But before long, he's cooking, cutting a promo like the old times.

Rich is a part of the Legendsmania fan fest this weekend, March 12-13, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.

Do you still enjoy meeting with the fans?

"Oh yeah. It's just good somebody remembers little ol' me," Rich drawled in his southern accent, starting out slow.

Do you still get recognized a lot away from the reunions?


"Quite a bit, especially around here in Georgia," he aweshucked.

But by the end of the interview, having touched on some interesting subjects and been reminded of some good times, he's off and running, trying to get the proverbial asses in the seats.

"Hey, it's going to be a big reunion on the 12th and 13th of this week, coming up, it's this weekend. The big bash is coming down. I'm going to get to see a lot of my old friends. There's going to be a lot of old-school rasslin' fans there, and I hope the ones that are new school that are watchin' this stuff are gonna come down and meet some old-school rasslers, because it's going to be a big deal," he promised.

The event is the first major fan fest in Atlanta, which was the home base for Rich during most of his career.

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[Will E Worm]

Father and son wore Hart name proudly

Whenever the Hart name is brought up in pro wrestling circles, attention is immediately focused on Stu Hart's brood in Western Canada but the careers of a transplanted Hollander named Frankie Hart and his son Bobby Hart deserve equal scrutiny.

At about the same time that Stu Hart was carving out a career and fathering a stable of future wrestling stars, Frankie Hart quietly went about establishing a respected reputation in the ring and raising a large family in Northern Ontario. Whereas most of Stu's sons took to the mat as naturally as oil flows in the Calgary fields only one of Frankie's sons followed him into the squared circle when Bobby pursued a career. Another son Dave married the daughter of wrestler Benny Trudel. The two Hart families were not related.

Franciscus Johannes Hart was born in Groningen, Holland in 1909 and learned Greco-Roman wrestling while serving a term in the Dutch cavalry. He developed a sound skill in gymnastics and later immigrated to Canada where he settled in Toronto.

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[Will E Worm]

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I guess Helms will show up in TNA like Shannon Moore.

They both can job to Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed. :tongue:

Backstage News: Helms' WWE Firing - TNA Star Involved?

Though it has not been confirmed, the feeling among several WWE sources is that Gregory Helms sealed his fate with the company when he was arrested for public intoxication in Kentucky in late January. He was brought back to television shortly after the incident, but was the victim of a beatdown angle and never appeared in a WWE ring again.

"He gave them an excuse," said one insider with knowledge of the situation.

Helms developed a reputation as a party guy within the company by posting notes on Twitter about drinking contests and parties he took part in. Though it initially seemed harmless, a few eyebrows were raised when he posted a message regarding a drinking contest that he and Christopher Daniels were having last August, which was proceeded by the TNA star being arrested on charges of driving under the influence just miles from Helms' North Carolina residence.

On a side note, most expect Helms to wind up in TNA once his no-compete clause expires.

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"Most expect Helms to wind up in TNA once his no-compete clause expires."

:hatsoff:

 

[Will E Worm]

Mat Matters: Still intimidated by The Lariat

With a bullrope in hand and tobacco drooling down his chin, Stan "The Lariat" Hansen both frightened and fascinated me as a child.

In February 1985, I traveled with my cousins by train to the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, NJ for a Pro Wrestling U.S.A. event called Star Wars. It featured stars of both the NWA and AWA, including everyone from Ric Flair, Harley Race, Sgt. Slaughter, and Nick Bockwinkel to Bob Backlund, Dory Funk Jr., Jerry Lawler, and The Road Warriors. In every way it was an unforgettable night of wrestling. Still, I would have traded it all to attend the Pro Wrestling U.S.A. event that came to the Meadowlands later that year, because Stan Hansen won the AWA World Title from Rick Martel.

You see, Stan Hansen was one my all-time favourite wrestlers when I was growing up. That's why I jumped at the opportunity this past month to interview him for an article I wrote for SLAM! Wrestling about him inducting his long-time rival and Japanese cultural icon Antonio Inoki into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010.

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[bengallxxx]

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"Most expect Helms to wind up in TNA once his no-compete clause expires."

:hatsoff:

I'm pretty damn sure Helms will join TNA. Despite bringing in former WWE superstars, TNA isn't going anywhere. TNA stroylines are pretty shitty altho i liked the Main Event Mafia storyline. Do you really think Hogan can expedite TNA's ratings?

 

[Will E Worm]

Chris Kanyon dead at age 40

Former WCW and WWE wrestler Chris Kanyon dead at age 40

Chris Kanyon (a/k/a Christopher Klucsaritis) was found dead of an apparent suicide on Friday night. Although details are still sketchy, it is believed that he was in New York at the time of his death. A longtime friend reports that a pill bottle and several notes were found close to the body.

Kanyon also worked as the Mortis character in WCW and also had a run with WWE starting with the Invasion angle. He made headlines after his WWE run concluded by going public with his homosexuality. He appeared on the Howard Stern radio show several times as a result of his admission. Although he retired from wresting at one point, he had returned to the ring again recently and worked a couple of matches this year.

Powell's POV: Kanyon has battled severe depression issues over the years. He told one friend as recently as Monday that he was having problems and was contemplating suicide. The friend is said to have contacted one of Kanyon's family members to express his concern despite the fact that he and several of Kanyon's friends have heard similar statements over the years. One friend said this morning that he's expected this type of news for years, yet it was still surprising and clearly painful for this person. My deepest sympathies go out to Kanyon's friends and family.

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[Will E Worm]

'The more popular I got, the more miserable I got,' wrestler says

Chris Klucsarits is the real name of Chris Kanyon, a pro wrestler who’s shined under the national spotlight since 1995. Kanyon has worked for the three major domestic federations: now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).

He had a six-digit salary for years, a luxurious home in Atlanta and worldwide fans and fame. During the summer of 2001, he was the WWE’s United States Champion and, simultaneously, the WWE World Tag Team Champion (with Diamond Dallas Page). Kanyon was leading the good life, a rare champion with two titles at the same time.

But Klucsarits’ real life was hell. He was gay, closeted in an ultra-macho profession, an emotional wreck.

Klucsarits recently revealed his homosexuality and, in his first interview, talks with Chicago-based writer Ross Forman about his closeted past, his suicide attempt and a promising future as an only openly gay male athlete. (Professional wrestling is more sports-entertainment, but the athleticism needed to excel in pro wrestling certainly is real.)

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First I have heard about this.

 

[PinkPanther21]

Man, that's too bad about Kanyon - good guy - he was the guy that WCW had given the authority to bring in the cruiserweights - Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Jamie Nobles, etc. Those guys provided the best wrestling in the company at the time.

 

[Will E Worm]

Third generation a big part of Hart and Soul DVD

The promotional bump for the new WWE DVD, Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology, is pretty careful not to just focus on the big names of Bret and Owen Hart. And, unlike perhaps on TV, the Hart Dynasty, made up of third-generation stars David Hart Smith and Natalya Neidhart, are featured prominently on the three-disc set -- in the documentary, with a match, and as hosts.

"We actually did help host the DVD. We did some interviews for the DVD. It was a really, really well done DVD," Natalya recently told SLAM! Wrestling.

The documentary portion of the DVD stretches details the early days of Stu Hart as a wrestler, and meeting Helen Hart in New York, into the advent of the Stampede Wrestling promotion (then known as Wildcat Wrestling). Later come the army of kids -- 12 Harts in all -- and the well-known stories of triumph and tragedy.

Well, perhaps not so well known, said Natalya. "Watching it, I actually found out things that I never knew. Watching David and Tyson [Kidd] speak, I discovered things, like, 'Oh, so this is how they feel about that.' We had never talked about that before. But you'll see things like that on the DVD, things that are revealed."

David Hart Smith concurs with his cousin that it is an excellent DVD.

"It was a great opportunity to be a part of it," he said. "They had some good matches on there, good stories. I would say -- not to be biased or anything -- but I would say it's the best DVD out of all the families and bios that they've done on everybody thus far."

Smith went on to explain that he is a bit of an anal-retentive when it comes to his own footage, and looks forward to perhaps having a DVD of his own one day.

"I take a lot of pride in being organized," he said. "I record all my matches for my DVD through my DVD-R. I keep all my matches from Japan, I keep all my matches from Stampede Wrestling, because you never know what you could use out of everything. You forget about certain matches, and you go, 'Oh wait, oh geez, oh yeah, that match.' ... I keep a lot of anything to do with WWE in a big Tupperware container, so I'm pretty organized."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Watch for a review of Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology in the coming days on SLAM! Wrestling.

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[Will E Worm]

Lance Storm reads...

Book Recommendations:
I've decided that instead of occasional book recommendations, I'm going to simply post what I'm currently reading, with a brief comment. I'll just keep adding to the list so there will be a running list of what I have read this year with a few notes, where applicable.

Good Reading,
Lance Storm

What I'm reading in 2010

The Silent Man, Alex Berenson My current read.

• Separation or Power, Vince Flynn Another Mitch Rapp, good not great.
• The Third Option, Vince Flynn Another Mitch Rapp, great stuff.
• Transfer of Power, Vince Flynn The start of his Mitch Rapp series; Excellent.
• American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson Craig's Autobiography, very funny.
• 61 Hours, Lee Child: A not yet released Jack Reacher novel, AWESOME.
• Split Image, Robert B. Parker: Latest Jesse Stone novel. Very good.
• Jack: Secret Circles, F. Paul Wilson: 2nd young Repairman Jack. Excellent!
• Disturb, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able novel or avail on Kindle.
• Shot of Tequila, J.A. Konrath: Available on Kindle.
• Origins, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able novel or avail on Kindle.
• List, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able novel or avail on Kindle.
• Planters Punch, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able short or avail on Kindle.
• Suckers, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able short or avail on Kindle.
• Serial, J.A. Konrath: Free download-able short or avail on Kindle.
• The Busy Body, Donald Westlake: A very old book but a lot of fun.
• Untitled, Marcus Wynne: A yet unpublished Wynne novel. This guy is GREAT!
• The First Rule, Robert Crais: The 2nd Joe Pike novel. Joe rules!
• A Twisted Ladder, Rhodi Hawk: Wasn't crazy about this one.

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[Will E Worm]

Phil Lafon returns to the ring

This past March, after a five-year absence from the ring, veteran Phil Lafon made his return to the squared circle at a Monster Pro Wrestling event in Edmonton. Lafon was inspired to return to the ring to help a close friend out.

"I wanted to return to the ring to help out my good friends over at Monster Pro Wrestling. I'm 49 years old so I can't do a lot anymore in the ring, but I try to offer whatever I can," Lafon told SLAM! Wrestling.

Monster Pro Wrestling promoter, Nelson Mayer, was really excited about the involvement of Lafon at the event. "It's tremendous to have a legit legend like Phil Lafon involved at all with Monster Pro Wrestling," he said. "We are very excited to have him wrestle for us after his five-year layoff. He is a great talent, and a true gentleman in this sport, we are honoured to have him wrestle for us."

Phil Lafon, who also worked as Dan Kroffat, Rocky Ventura and Phil Lafleur, was a solid worker best known for his tag team with Doug Furnas in WWF known as the Can-Am Connection. Lafon also had a brief stint in ECW and had great success in Japan.

The story of how Lafon made it to the WWE is an interesting one that involves stops in the infamous Hart Dungeon in Calgary, a stint in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling where he first formed his team with Furnas when Giant Baba put them together, a brief stint in the renegade promotion before eventually making it to the number one promotion in the world, WWF. Lafon's run in WWF would have been more memorable if it wasn't for a tragic car accident that unfortunately shortened his career.

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[Will E Worm]

The colourful career of Goldie Rogers.

Dave Sherwin was Goldie Rogers right from the start, at least style wise. "No Class" Bobby Bass first met him at Toronto's Sully's Gym, where they both trained as wrestlers, and can vividly remember the wild outfit Sherwin wore.

"I'll never forget, when he walked in, he had purple pants on, white belt with a white shirt with red things all over it, and white cowboy boots," recalled Bass (Dennis Baldock). "The character would develop with him. As far as I know, he was the first Macho Man, then Randy [Savage] came along. He called himself Macho Man Goldie Rogers."

Preening about the ring -- "arrogant, with my nose always up in the air" -- dressed in shiny pinks and purples, with honkin' huge sunglasses, hair (and occasionally a beard) dyed white, he cut quite the figure.

It was fun to play his gimmick up, said Rogers.

"You just have to live it, you've got to live who you are," he told SLAM! Wrestling. "I was the same inside and outside the ring."

He's careful to stress that he wasn't effeminate, but rather "gorgeous but rough, just like Buddy Rogers. Gorgeous George was always a little bit on the soft side to me, but Buddy Rogers was strong and tough. I made my gimmick basically after Buddy Rogers."

His voice, low and growly, scratching out of his throat, was never girlie. It's still the same today. "I think I started it when I started wrestling and became a heel, doing interviews. I didn't want to sound like the rest of the guys. I did it so much it became a habit, I guess."

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[mrtrebus]

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/04/06/gay-wrestler-chris-kanyon-found-dead/

 

[Will E Worm]

Tommy Dreamer extremely busy with post-WWE ventures

Ask Tommy Dreamer what he loves, and he’ll say his family and wrestling. Lucky for him, his schedule has been full of both since leaving WWE earlier this year. In Ontario this weekend for a three-day run with Maximum Pro Wrestling, Dreamer was happy to share his thoughts on both of his loves with SLAM! Wrestling.

“Things have been going really, really well,” he said in an exclusive phone interview earlier this week. “With all the shows I’ve been doing, my love for professional wrestling has continued."

Dreamer has been taking so many independent bookings lately, he compared his current travel schedule to his WWE days. Which is not to say he’s complaining -- in fact, the opposite is true.

“It’s great,” he said plainly. “I love doing these shows. I get to see a lot of guys and girls that I haven’t seen in a long time. As well, I’ve been able to see a lot of talent that I’ve never seen wrestle before. A lot of them have stood out to me.”

More importantly, though, working on independents lets Dreamer give back to the business. As a name wrestler, Dreamer’s appearance on an indy show helps draw fans to shows and expose them to younger wrestlers who are looking to make their own name in the business.

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[Will E Worm]

Till death do wrestlers part
By TIM BAINES

Another wrestler has died.

And, of course, whenever a wrestler dies, it makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. We think of steroids, substance abuse — negative things.

What we don’t think of so much is the abuse that’s being done to the body — the wear and tear of having your head driven into a ringpost, or your back hitting the mat. Everything requires such precision, such teamwork. A couple of degrees off the mark and a move that’s been rehearsed over and over again becomes dangerous.

A stiff chairshot to the head, all too often used gratuitously because promoters have gotten into their skulls that wrestling fans “expect it,” can lead to concussions, maybe permanent damage.

I don’t know what killed Christopher Klucsaritis (who wrestled as Chris Kanyon and Mortis). He was found dead in his Queens, N.Y. apartment last Friday.

It was quickly written off as suicide. The New York Daily News said pills were found near his body.

In 2004, Kanyon announced to the world he was gay. And this wasn’t Billy and Chuck. It wasn’t a gimmick. I don’t know what killed the guy. And I don’t know if this could have been prevented.

I do know that we are pushing the bar higher and higher. Too much is expected of these guys. The psychology of wrestling isn’t enough. It’s about creating a “Holy S--t” moment. The body count just went up by one. And it won’t be the end.

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[Dean Henneberg]

http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/09/10/tim-sylvia-to-compete-in-japanese-pro-wrestling/

Tim Sylvia to Compete in Japanese Pro Wrestling

9/10/2010 4:10 PM ET By Matt Erickson

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will try his hands at the professional wrestling game later this month in Japan – and will be joined by fellow heavyweights Josh Barnett, Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp. Barnett and Sapp both have wrestled professionally in Japan; Lashley was a pro wrestler for WWE and TNA before taking up MMA.

A source close to Sylvia's camp told MMA Fighting on Friday that a deal is in place for Sylvia to take part in two fights, with the first coming in two weeks – and that first bout is likely to come against Barnett. The source also said Lashley and Sapp will compete for the same promotion.

Sylvia made a vague reference to the deal on his Twitter account on Friday, saying: "O ya japan in 2 weeks pro wrestling."

Exact terms of the deal, as well as which promotion, were not disclosed to MMA Fighting, but it is believed Sylvia's two fights will each be one three-minute round.

Lashley began his pro wrestling career for WWE before moving on to the ECW and TNA promotions. He recently was upset by Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston, his first MMA loss.

Barnett, still considered to be one of the top heavyweight fighters in the world, most recently beat Geronimo dos Santos at Impact FC's debut event in Australia. Also a former UFC heavyweight champ, Barnett was stripped of his title after testing positive for steroids after beating Randy Couture at UFC 36.

Barnett then began to dabble in pro wrestling, finding plenty of success on the New Japan Pro Wrestling circuit.

Sapp, a former NFL lineman, has an on-again, off-again career as a professional wrestler. He has wrestled in Japan, also for New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as South Korea.

Sylvia beat Andrei Arlovski at UFC 59 to win the heavyweight title and defended it twice before losing it to Randy Couture at UFC 68. After a win over Brandon Vera at UFC 77, Sylvia's MMA path hit a rocky stretch. A loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, along with a contract dispute, chased him from the UFC.

He signed with Affliction for its first MMA event, losing to Fedor Emelianenko in just 36 seconds. And his fight career seemed to hit rock bottom when he took an MMA fight against boxer Ray Mercer at Adrenaline MMA 3 – and was knocked out in nine seconds.

But since that loss, he has rebounded with three straight wins over Jason Riley, five-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski and, most recently, former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Paul Buentello at War on the Mainland. After that win, it was announced he would defend his new War on the Mainland heavyweight title against Pedro Rizzo.

Professional wrestlers have found mixed success becoming MMA fighters, with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar the most prominent. Lashley is 5-1 in his MMA career, and Sapp is 11-6. Rarer is the MMA fighter who crosses over to pro wrestling. Most notable in that category is Ken Shamrock, who left the sport for several years in the WWF before returning to MMA.

 

[lame_excuse]

Did anyone catch Verano de Escandolo from AAA? Does Dr. Wagner really prefer Silver Cain over Wagner Jr.? Discuss!

 

[bil]

will lesnar ever return?

 

[shayd]

will lesnar ever return?

No.