Off The Hook: Remembering A True Wrestling Innovator

Growing up a wrestling fan in the 1980’s, wrestling news was not easy to come by. I remember going to my local convenience store and picking up a couple of wrestling magazines like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and/or The Wrestler and others to get my fix of news outside of the WWF. While I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through the various magazines and reading about wrestlers and wrestling promotions across the country I never heard of, the truth was that the info was weeks and sometimes months in the past. It wasn’t until I discovered the magic of pro wrestling hotlines that I suddenly became a wannabe wrestling “insider.” One hotline in particular became an almost daily routine to call and that the “Coach Kurt” hotline.

Wrestling With A Grin The Brighter Side Of The Squared Circle Part IV

Brian Damage

Make no mistake about it, pro wrestling does have a dark side to it. There are hundreds upon hundreds of stories about the dark and sometimes sinister side as chronicled in my ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. This piece is a direct opposite of that. With every bad story I have shared…there are also positive stories. Stories of wrestlers making it above and beyond the ring. Positive stories to inspire. Pro wrestlers aren’t all drug addicts, scam artists and carny sideshows. They all don’t die at an early age, or are broke and need to wrestle till they die. They don’t necessarily have to get into acting like The Rock or Batista. They don’t have to necessarily switch over to MMA like Brock Lesnar or CM Punk. Some of these stories are just about hard work, dreaming big and doing whatever it takes to succeed. We’ve already covered some stories as chronicled in part 1, part 2 and part 3 With that said, let’s look at some positives…

Help Wanted! Job Opportunities: Al Snow

Brian Damage

Back in the 80’s and 90’s, it was very common to see some no name wrestler go up against a proven star of a promotion. Whether that be from the WWF, NWA/WCW, AWA or elsewhere, these nomads of professional wrestling were there to make the stars look great. They were known as enhancement talent, preliminary wrestlers or as many fans have come to know them…”jobbers.” While fans were clamoring to see big time match ups, these “squash matches” served a very important purpose. While perhaps not appreciated at the time, they were just as important as the stars themselves.

Wrestling With Sin: 343

Brian Damage

This is the 343rd installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Remember The Time…The Most ridiculous gimmick matches ever?

B. Dangerous

Remember the Time will take a nostalgic and opinionated look at ill-fated gimmicks, poorly conceived storylines, and forgettable moments in wrestling history. Now join me as we take a few moments to unearth that which should remain buried forever and do our best to Remember the Time…

Stacks of Facts: Loading Up on a Bunch of Useless Wrestling Facts

Brian Damage

Hello there people! Today on the blog, we return to giving you a whole host of useless pro wrestling facts, stats and other inane tidbits. Some of these facts you may very well know, while others perhaps will leave you in disbelief. In any case, these facts are all meant for fun. So kick back, relax and lets learn.

Wrestling With Sin: 267

Brian Damage

This is the 267th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Icons of Wrestling #32 – The WWE Hardcore Championship

Jamie Lithgow

Height: 10 inches
Weight: 6lbs
Hometown: Mick Foley’s house, probably
Glory Days: November 1998 – August 2002
Fun Fact: In total there were 240 separate Hardcore Championship reigns over the near four-year life of the title. That equates to an average of a title change every 6 days.

Top Five Unsung Stars of the Attitude Era

John Carberry, Benjamin Trecroci, Craig Wilson and Brian Damage

One of the most popular topics on this blog is, unsurprisingly, the Attitude Era. While the heroics of the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker and co are well documented. In today’s Top Five we wanted to take a look at some of the more unsung performers from that time period.