In memory of "Yokozuna" Rodney Anoa'i

*Rodney Anoa'i*

(2nd October 1966 - 23rd October 2000)

• Early Career

Rodney Anoa'i was a member of the famous Anoa'i family where The Rock, Rikishi, Samu, Rosey and Umaga all were among his cousins, and Afa and Sika (The Wild Samoans) were his uncles. The Wild Samoans were also the ones who trained Rodney Anoa'i from an early age.

Anoa'i (Rodney) began his wrestling career in Japan under the name of Great Kokina. He also spent some time in Mexico learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a star in professional wrestling. His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as Kokina Maximus, a Samoan superstar managed by Sheik Adnan El Kassey (General Adnan). His biggest achievement at that time was breaking of Greg Gagne's leg and ending his career (scripted). At the time, Anoa'i weighed less than 400 pounds.

• WWF

In 1992, Anoa'i was contacted by Vince McMahon who offered Anoa'i with a new gimmick, Yokozuna. The term 'Yokozuna' refers to the highest rank in japanese professional sumo wrestling. Although the "Yokozuna" character that Vince presented was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoa'i had never competed as an actual sumo wrestling.

Managed by Mr Fuji, Yokozuna debuted in October 1992, and was announced as a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag (despite his samoan origin). His first notable victory came at Survivor Series 1992, when he squashed the much smaller Virgil.

Yokozuna's career took off immediately and he headed into the 1993 Royal Rumble billed as a potential favorite. Eventually, Yokozuna eliminated Randy Savage to win the Rumble, cementing his movement towards main event status. Soon after, Yokozuna further solidified his villainy by crushing the American hero "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan with 4 Banzai Drops, the 4th being done with a American flag draped over Duggan.

• WWF Champion

At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna faced off against Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the Bret Hart's face. Blinded, Hart was then pinned by Yokozuna, who won the WWF Championship, causing a major upset. As Yokozuna and Mr Fuji celebrated, Hulk Hogan came out to protest against the decision. Mr Fuji then arrogantly challenged the Hulkster for a match against Yokozuna right on the spot, offering to put the title on the line as well. Hogan accepted the challenge after Hart gave him his blessing. Fuji then tried to blind Hogan with salt but the move backfired, leading to Yokozuna being pinned in less than a minute. This gave Yokozuna as the 2nd-shortest title reign in WWE history.

At King of the Ring 1993, Yokozuna, whose billed weight increased from 505 pounds to 550, challenged Hogan for the title. Hogan seemed to be in control of the match but the champion underestimated the deceitful tactics of Mr Fuji. A "Japanese photographer" (Harvey Wippleman) posing as a member of the legitimate Japanese wrestling press by the ringside, aimed his lens at Hogan shot a blast of fire into his face. This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with Hogan's own leg drop and reclaim the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with a Banzai Drop. Soon after, Hogan left the WWF to pursue other interests, which left Yokozuna and Fuji claiming that they had ended "Hulkamania".

As a celebration, Yokozuna held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USS Intrepid on Independence Day. Many wrestlers and athletes alike tried to slam Yokozuna, with no success. As Yokozuna thought that there would be none left to challenge him, Lex Luger flew in by helicopter, stepped forward, and slammed him on the deck. It was claimed by announcer Bobby Heenan that the move pulled by Luger was a hip toss rather than a bodyslam as Yokozuna was running at Luger when he slammed him, despite the claim the slam was ruled legitimate. This made Luger the next major challenger to Yokozuna's title reign.

At SummerSlam 1993, Yokozuna and the newly-reborn patriot Luger fought it out for the WWF Championship. Luger took control late in the match, scoring on Yokozuna with a bodyslam and flying forearm. Luger had metal plates put into his arm (scripted), making it a formidable weapon. It was stipulated that Luger must wear a protective pad over it, but it was torn off in the course of the match and Yokozuna was knocked out of the ring, unconscious, and lost via countout but able to retain his title. Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series 1993, where both men chose a team of allies for an elimination match. The match was billed as an All Americans (Lex Luger, The Undertaker and Steiner Brothers) vs. Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Quebecer Jacques, Ludvig Borga and Crush) contest. Prior to the match, Yokozuna and The Undertaker stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those 2 facing each other. The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. When the Undertaker entered he beat down on Ludvig Borga but was knocked down by Yokozuna. Yokozuna then gave the Undertaker a Banzai Drop, but the Undertaker sat up when Yokozuna went for a 2nd Banzai Drop. The 2 then brawled outside the ring, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely overmatched. They were both eliminated by double countout. The match ended when Luger defeated Luvig Borga to win the match for the All Americans and making himself the sole survivor of the match.

Yokozuna feuded with The Undertaker next and both men faced off in a casket maych at Royal Rumble 1994. All the odds looked to be in the Undertaker's favor. However, after a lengthy match, Mr Fuji called out a dozen of heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. After some struggling, the group managed to shove the Undertaker into the casket and closing it, giving the win to Yokozuna. In the actual 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last 2 competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the #1 contender to Yokozuna's title, it was decided that both wrestlers would get a shot at the title at WrestleMania X.

By virtue of winning a coin toss, Luger got to wrestle Yokozuna first at the event. The winner of that match would go on to face Bret Hart later in the evening with the title on the line. Bret Hart on the other hand will take on his brother, Owen Hart, before facing the eventual winner of the Luger/Yokozuna contest for the WWF title. To obviate the risk of outside interference, both title matches were scheduled to have special guest referees. Mr Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout and Roddy Piper for the Bret Hart's title deciding match.

In the Luger/Yokozuna match, Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with the bionic forearm in the middle of the ring. He also knocked out Mr Fuji and Jim Cornette, who tried to enter the ring. However when Luger went for the pin, Perfect occupied himself with the unconscious Fuji and Cornette who were still lying on the ring apron. When Luger got angry and pushed Perfect and was enventually disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the winner.

Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart. At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop. However, he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Hart capitalized and got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days.

After the loss, Yokozuna's main-event status soon began to fade away, as he never again fully challenged for the WWF Championship. He began tagging briefly with Crush and the duo failed to capture the WWF tag titles against The Headshrinkers at King of the Ring 1994.

Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker and both men faced off Survivor Series 1994. To prevent any outside interference from taking place, actor/karate expert Chuck Norris was appointed as the special enforcer to keep the other heel wrestlers away from ringside. Although Irwin R. Schyster did successfully interfere on Yokozuna's behalf, it wasn't enough to prevent the Undertaker from knocking Yokozuna out with a chokeslam and rolled him into the casket to win the match. This was Yokozuna's last main event run in the WWF for a time, as he wrestled only briefly on the mid-card before taking some time off.

• WWF Tag Team Champion

In April 1995, Owen Hart promised that he would have a great tag-team partner to face off against The Smokin' Gunns at WrestleMania XI for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At the event, Yokozuna was revealed as his partner, and the surprisingly diverse tag team managed to take out the Gunns and win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

The 2 would remain a tough tag team for a few months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith), the Smoking Gunns and others. Still, by this point it was obvious that Yokozuna was no longer in great shape, having gained too much weight. He was estimated to be at around 700 lb (320 kg) at this point, although he was billed at 641 lb by WWF.

At In Your House 3, Yokozuna teamed up with Davey Boy Smith to take on Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Davey Boy Smith was a substitute for Owen Hart because Hart was supposedly with his wife as she gave birth to one of their children. Diesel's WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels' WWF Intercontinental Championship and Owen/Yoko's WWF Tag Team Championship on the line. During the match, Owen Hart came to the ring, only to be pinned by Diesel. The next day, due to protests from the team and the legal help of Clarence Mason, President Gorilla Monsoon reluctantly returned the belts to Yokozuna and Hart, since Hart was not an official part of the match. However, their 2nd reign was much shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts.

• Late Career

Yokozuna had little continued success in 1996. He competed in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, managing to eliminate Bob Backlund, King Mabel, and Swat Team member #2 before being tossed out by Shawn Michaels, the eventual winner. Although Cornette had tried to make peace between him and new acquisition Vader, many observers felt Yokozuna was being relegated. After several run-ins, Yokozuna left Cornette and began a short babyface stint. He spoke English to the fans and had Mr Fuji wave an American flag during his matches.

It was during this feud with Vader that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts in a 6-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. The feud took a painful turn a few months later, when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, supposedly breaking it. A forklift had to come down to ringside to lift Yokozuna out, showing how his weight had gotten out of control.

He returned at the Free for All just before SummerSlam 1996, facing off against a heel Stone Cold Steve Austin. Yokozuna took the advantage near the end of the match but when he went for the Banzai Drop, the rope broke, sending him crashing back down. Austin took advantage of the situation and attained sn easy victory. It is interesting to note that during that match, neither man used the top rope in any way during the match due to the one turnbuckle being rigged to break.

The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship. Despite using his massive weight and size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. He would appear on one last WWF pay-per-view, still going after Vader at the Survivor Series 1996, but that match ended with all remaining wrestlers being disqualified.

Yokozuna stayed on the WWF roster for a while afterwards, as he worked to lose the weight that he had put on. Despite dropping a reported 100 pounds (45 kg), he still could not lose enough weight to satisfy the WWF officials. He was unable to pass a physical required for professional wrestlers by the New York State Athletic Commission and was eventually released from the WWF in 1998, although rumors persisted for many years that he would be brought back if he lost enough weight.

• Post WWF

After his WWF career ended, Anoa'i performed for various independent promotions. The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view, where he looked massively overweight compared to his WWF days. At the event, Yokozuna tagged with Jake Roberts against the team of King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart.

• Death

Tragedy struck on October 23, 2000, Anoa'i died of fluid in his lungs while in his room at the Moat House Hotel, Liverpool. It was reported that his death was caused by a heart attack or heart failure. Anoa'i died at the age of only 34 and weighing of over 600 pounds.

Despite being a fearsome and ruthless competitor on camera, Rodney Anoa'i was regarded by many of his friends and colleagues to be a genuinely friendly and heartwarming man who was a true professional in the ring. Superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and Hulk Hogan have spoken highly of Anoa'i in various interviews about his professionalism in and outside the ring. Anoa'i was also close friends with The Undertaker, despite their on screen rivalry.

Links:

1) Rare clip of Kokina Maximus wrestling in Mexico

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAzaYB5eoU (Thanks to DarkAtlantis)

2) Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart (Steel Cage Match)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x360za_bret-hart-vs-yokozuna-steel-cage-ma_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

3) Yokozuna vs. USA (Independence Day Bodyslam Challenge in 1993)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x2u297_bodyslam-challenge-yokozuna-vs-usa_sport (Thanks to Stinger1981)

4) Yokozuna and Owen Hart vs. The Allied Powers

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x36vl4_owen-hart-yokozuna-vs-allied-powers_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

5) Yokozuna vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Summerslam 1996)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x4yw7l_stone-cold-vs-yokozuna-1996_sport (Thanks to Shermie_Carnival)

6) Yokozuna Tribute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXTmVFe0hx4 (Thanks to CubsBulls0898)

In memory of "Big Bossman" Ray Traylor

****************************************************

*Ray Traylor*

(2nd May 1962 - 22nd September 2004)

• Early Career

Ray Traylor was a former prison guard in Cobb County, Georgia. He made his wrestling debut in 1985, initially working as a jobber. He was brought into Jim Crockett's World Championship Wrestling promotion as a bodyguard for Jim Cornette, who along with the Midnight Express, was feuding with the James Boys (Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A.).

In 1987, Traylor wrestled under the ring name of Big Bubba Rogers and won the Universal Wrestling Federation title from One Man Gang, who was dropping the title after signing with WWF.

• WWF (1st run)

In 1988, Traylor himself joined the WWF and was given the ring name of Big Bossman. Bossman enjoyed a good deal of success in the company and made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam defeating Koko B. Ware. In October 1988, Bossman made a huge impact when he attacked Hulk Hogan on Brother Love's interview segment ("The Brother Love Show"), giving Hogan quite a beating with his nightstick.

On the May 27, 1989 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he and Hogan faced each other in a memorable steel cage match for the WWF Title in which Hogan superplexed the 350 pound Traylor off the top of the cage.

As a heel, Bossman also teamed with Akeem, the former One Man Gang to form the Twin Towers with Slick as their manager. The Twin Towers beat The Rockers at WrestleMania V and feuded with Demolition for the WWF Tag Team Championship.

Bossman then turned face in early 1990 on The Brother Love Show after refusing to give Ted DiBiase his Million Dollar Championship Belt back after DiBiase had paid Slick off for Bossman to retrieve the belt from Jake "The Snake" Roberts' bag that contains a python. Bossman refused to take a payoff and returned the bag with the belt and snake to Jake Roberts and proceeded to shove his manager Slick down, telling DiBiase that he couldn't be bought.

At Survivor Series 1990, Bossman teamed with Hulk Hogan along with Jim Duggan and Tugboat defeated the team of Earthquake, Dino Bravo, Babarian and Haku. Bossman would then feud with the Heenan Family after Heenan made remarks about Bossman's mother. Bossman defeated Heenan's wrestlers such as The Barbarian at the 1991 Royal Rumble. This included a memorable encounter with Mr. Perfect at WrestleMania VII for the Intercontinental Title which Bossman won by disqualification. Bossman also feuded with his former tag team partner Akeem, defeating him in less than 2 minutes at WrestleMania VI.

In 1991, Bossman defeated The Mountie in an infamous Jailhouse match at SummerSlam with The Mountie having to spend a night in jail. Another memorable Bossman feud was with Nailz in 1992 with Nailz attacking him with a nightstick which kept him out of action for several months. WWF use Traylor's real life background as a prison guard by bringing in Nailz, a former convict who believed Traylor had wronged him (scripted). When Bossman returned, he went after his enemy and defeated Nailz in a Nightstick on a Pole Match at Survivor Series. Bossman lost his final pay-per-view match against Bam Bam Bigelow at Royal Rumble 1993.

• WCW (2nd run)

After leaving the WWF in 1993, Traylor had a brief stint in AJPW before returning to the United States to work for WCW. Traylor was originally known as The Boss, but the WWF legal department determined the character to be too similar to the one that Traylor had portrayed in WWF and forced WCW to change it. As a result, Traylor was renamed the Guardian Angel. He feuded with Big Van Vader for most of 1994. Soon, Traylor returned to his original Big Bubba character in during the pre-WWF days and managed a victory against Sting at Uncensored in March 1995.

Big Bubba joined the Dungeon of Doom faction before defecting to the nWo. Eventually, a loophole in Bubba's contract forced him out of the nWo. As a result of this, Bubba turned face once again and began competing under his real name - Ray Traylor. He began feuding with the nWo, defeating several nWo members such as Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, and Vincent.

• WWF (2nd run)

Traylor would return to the WWF in October 1998. He was once again under his Big Bossman persona, but wearing a SWAT-style uniform instead of his old police outfit. His gimmick was changed from a "cop" into a bully-type personal security officer or bodyguard-type character, willing to do anything for a price. He was immediately established as a top mid-card performer. He was introduced as a member of The Corporation, a group of wrestlers controlled by WWF owner Vince McMahon to feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin as well as D-Generation X. As The Corporation's "personal security", Bossman would have several matches with Austin.

On December 14, Bossman and fellow Corporation member Ken Shamrock defeated the New Age Outlaws for the WWF Tag Team Championship. The duo held the titles until January 25, 1999, when they lost to Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart. When The Corporation feud with the Undertaker and his newly formed "Ministry of Darkness", Bossman took on The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at Wrestlemania XV. Taker eventually defeated Bossman and left Bossman "hanging" about 15 feet in the air, motionless.

Bossman returned to win the WWF Hardcore Championship from Al Snow. While he was still the hardcore champion, Bossman would still go on to feud with The Big Show over the WWF Championship. This feud is infamous for a promo where Bossman showed up at Big Show's father's funeral (scripted) and proceeded to steal the funeral casket by rigging it to the back of his car and drove off. The Big Show jumped onto the coffin as it was being towed away, riding atop the coffin for a few yards until he lost his grip and tumbled off. This feud ended with Bossman being crushed by Big Show at the Armageddon pay-per-view.

Bossman would participate in Royal Rumble 2000 and helped 6 other superstars to eliminate Rikishi. He would go on to eliminate Chyna and Farooq before Bossman himself was eliminated by the The Rock, who went on to win the Rumble. Bossman had the third longest overall time in the Rumble. On the March 19 edition of Sunday Night Heat, Bossman introduced protégé Bull Buchanan, a wrestler who dressed similar to Bossman. They formed a tag team and defeated defeated The Godfather and D'Lo Brown at WrestleMania 2000 and beat the APA the following month at Backlash. However on 5 June edition of Raw, after a loss to the Hardy Boys, Buchanan and Bossman began to argue which led to shoving and eventually Bossman knocked out Buchanan with his nightstick when Buchanan's back was turned. The team then split up.

In the summer of 2000, Bossman disappeared from mainstream WWE TV and wrestled mainly on Jakked and WWE Heat, primarily feuding with Crash Holly. When Traylor returned from an injury in late 2001, he was given a role as the tag team partner of Booker T. Bossman served as an enforcer again, only this time for Booker T under the order of Vince McMahon. The team quietly split in late January 2002. From there on Bossman wrestled mostly on Jakked. In April, he formed a short lived tag team with Mr. Perfect after both were drafted to the Raw brand. In June 2002, Traylor was then assigned to train new wrestlers in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) before ultimately being released from WWE in 2003.

During his final run in the WWF, Bossman was a 4 times hardcore champion and a 1 time tag team champion. Bossman also holds the record of the longest reign WWF Hardcore Champion as he helded the title for slightly more than 3 months.

• Death

On September 22, 2004, Traylor's spouse Debbie found him laying motionless on the sofa in his home in Paulding County, Georgia. Traylor died from a massive heart attack.

Links:

1) Big Bubba Rogers vs. Ole Anderson (NWA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8LX7qpAht0 (Thanks to soliewrestling)

2) Big Bossman WWF face turn on The Brother Love Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsK_EJuE_a4&feature=related (Thanks to inspecttor)

3) Big Bossman vs. The Mountie @ Summerslam 1991 part 1 (Jailhouse match)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCqeuL_mLec (Thanks to fungusmcphee)

4) Big Bossman vs. The Mountie @ Summerslam 1991 part 2 (Jailhouse match)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4tHcYWS7TE&feature=related (Thanks to fungusmcphee)

5) Ray Traylor vs. Scott Steiner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57yHcmK4UY (Thanks to wcwretro)

6) Big Bossman vs. Big Show @ Armageddon 1999

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FUD0dQsboY (Thanks to wwebigshowwwe)

7) Ray Traylor Tribute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIN6KdWiqbI&feature=related (Thanks to crackman164)

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Do you still remember Skinner?

• Early days

Steve Keirn spent much of his early wrestling career as part of a tag team. While wrestling in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), he held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Bob Backlund, Jimmy Garvin and Brian Blair. Keirn enjoyed enjoyed his greatest success in the promotion when he teamed up with Mike Graham, together the duo won the tag titles 9 times. In addition, the pair won the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship together 3 times.

In 1980 and 1981, Keirn focused on his career as a singles wrestler. He won many titles in Florida and Georgia, including the NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chavo Guerrero. Keirn also won the NWA National Television Championship twice, defeating Terry Funk and Kevin Sullivan.

• The Fabulous Ones

In 1981, Keirn began wrestling with the Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). He was successful as a singles wrestler, winning a tournament to claim the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He also held the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship on two occasions.

Keirn found his greatest success in the tag team division. He held the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship for astonishing 17 times, including 14 of which as a member of the famous tag team of The Fabulous Ones with Stan Lane. The team is considered one of the first teams to adopt the “Funloving Pretty Boy” gimmick later used by teams such as The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Fantastics and the Rockers. Keirn and Lane also combined to win the CWA World Tag Team Championship twice.

Keirn continued to team with Lane in various promotions over the next decade. In 1984, the team won the Southwest Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship while wrestling in Australia. In the United States, Keirn won the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship twice more, both times with Stan Lane as his partner. In 1991, the pair wrestled in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), defeating Tony Anthony and Doug Gilbert to win the USWA Tag Team Championship.

• WWF

In the summer of 1991, Keirn signed for WWF and debuted as Skinner, an alligator hunting, mountain man from the Florida Everglades. He was portrayed as a generally nasty individual, always chewing on tobacco and sometimes spitting it on his opponent. He also always carried an alligator claw with him, which he would often use as a weapon against his opponents.

He competed in the 1991 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Virgil in the 1st round but lost to Bret Hart in the 2nd round. Bret went on to win the tournament. Skinner then challenged Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at This Tuesday in Texas on December 3, 1991 but lost by submission when Bret locked him in the sharpshooter. At WrestleMania VIII, Skinner was defeated in 1 minute and 11 seconds by Bret's brother, Owen Hart.

While in the WWF, Keirn also portrayed Doink the Clown. At WrestleMania IX, Keirn helped the original Doink defeat Crush by dressing as another Doink and attacked Crush during the match.

• WCW

Without much achievements, Keirn left WWF and signed for WCW in 1994. Along with Bobby Eaton, Keirn wrestled in a tag team known as "Bad Attitude". They enjoyed little success, losing dark matches to Brian (B.G. James) and Brad Armstrong at Bash at the Beach 1994 and Fall Brawl 1994. While in WCW, Keirn was also involved in an angle in which masked men attacked Hulk Hogan. Several times in October 1994, Keirn wore a black mask to attack Hogan during and after his matches.

• Retirement / WWE

On May 24, 2004 he was re-hired by WWE as a Producer for the SmackDown! Brand. Since the early 1990s, Keirn has run a wrestling school to train wrestlers. Originally located in Tampa, Florida, Keirn's "School of Hard Knocks" is now located in Brandon, Florida. Keirn has worked with many wrestlers, including Mike Awesome, Dennis Knight (Mideon), Diamond Dallas Page and Dustin Rhodes (Goldust). The school has since been incorporated into the WWE's developmental territory, renamed Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). Keirn oversees as head trainer along with Dr. Tom Prichard & Dusty Rhodes.

As for Skinner, he was named the 9th wildest superstar in WWE history by WWE.com. On the WWE Raw 15th Anniversary Spectacular special on December 10, 2007, Skinner participated in the 15 men Battle Royal featuring wrestlers from the past 15 years. He was one of the final 3 competitors before being eliminated by Sgt. Laughter.

Links:

1) The Fabulous Ones vs. The Road Warriors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHFQPyQSEUQ (Thanks to surefoot1970)

2) Skinner vs. The Ultimate Warrior

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wwf%2Bskinner/video/x4v4ig_the-ultimate-warrior-vs-skinner_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

3) Skinner vs. Owen Hart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akA7NysL2Uk (Thanks to IRS1995)

4) Bad Attitude WCW debut match

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/steve%2Bkeirn/video/x774nb_bad-attitude-in-action_sport (Thanks to Stinger1981)

5) RAW 15th Anniversary Legends Battle Royal part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-fWXf1LhX4 (Thanks to rockyrack1)

6) RAW 15th Anniversary Legends Battle Royal part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79rYJU3Hp8s&feature=related (Thanks to rockyrack1)

Do you still remember Man Mountain Rock?

• Early days

Darryl Peterson became involved in wrestling in grade school when he transferred from football to amateur wrestling as result of a personality clash with the football coach. However his amateur career was halted by a motorcycle accident in his junior year of high school. Paterson then decided to return to amateur wrestling after spending 2 years in the construction industry. Peterson was introduced to professional wrestler Red Bastien by his wrestling fan who then decided to train him.

• WWF / NJPW

While training, Peterson started working for WWF in 1986 and even put together the steel cage used in the main event at WrestleMania 2. When his training was completed, Peterson travelled to Japan to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he trained in the New Japan Dojo alongside Chris Benoit for 5 months.

In 1988 Peterson developed the character of Max Pain (short for Maximum Pain), a sinister, grungy, heavy metal guitarist. The character had a neo-noir look and feel, as far the live theater of professional wrestling would allow. His original idea was Lucifer Payne, but he felt that the name was too foreboding.

• UWF / CWA

Following a short stint with the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), Peterson debuted in the Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). He quickly began pursuing the CWA Heavyweight Championship and on February 8, 1988 in Memphis he defeated Jerry Lawler to capture the title. Peterson then went after Lawler's more prestigious title, the AWA World Heavyweight Championship but the attempt was unsuccessful. Peterson forfeited his CWA title to Brickhouse Brown but won it back soon after, however his second reign ended when he was defeated by Phil Hickerson.

After leaving CWA and returned to Utah, Peterson opened his own wrestling promotion. However, his employees began to leave the territory and soon after Peterson received a phone call from Benoit, who invited him to join an upcoming tour of Germany. He then spent 6 months in the German Catch Wrestling Association as Buffalo Patterson, and won the vacant CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship when he defeated The Warlord in Bremen. He vacated the title the following year when he returned to America.

• WCW

Then WCW booker Bill Watts was impressed by Peterson's amateur credentials, and hired him in 1993. Peterson wrestled as Maxx Payne and made his 1st WCW pay-per-view appearance on SuperBrawl 1993, when Maxx Payne played the National Anthem on his guitar before challenging Dustin Rhodes for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. After Rhodes locked him in an abdominal stretch from which he was unable to escape, Peterson pushed the referee over rather than submit and was subsequently disqualified.

At Clash of the Champions, Peterson shot Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) in the face with the "Badd Blaster" (confetti gun), scarring him so badly that he had to wear a mask and forcing him to forfeit their scheduled match. This led to a match at Beach Blast, which Peterson lost. They faced one another again in a mask versus guitar match, with Peterson putting his beloved guitar on the line in order to unmask and therefore humiliate the mutilated Badd. Badd won once more and took Peterson's guitar.

Peterson formed a tag team with Cactus Jack towards the end of the year. At Starrcade 1993 they defeated Tex Slazenger (Mideon) and Shanghai Pierce (Henry O. Godwinn). They then faced the Nasty Boys for the WCW World Tag Team Championships, in a Chicago Street Fight at The United Center at Spring Stampede 1994 but were defeated in a brutal brawl.

During their feud with The Nasty Boys, Peterson had become increasingly unhappy with their stiffness and insistence on controlling the match. During their brawl at Spring Stampede 1994, Brian Knobbs (of Nasty Boys) and Peterson did not cooperate on a fall and Knobbs broke his shoulder as a result. After the match, Then WCW President Eric Bischoff shouted at Peterson for hurting Knobbs, and Peterson responded in kind. Peterson was subsequently buried by WCW and was fired soon after.

• WWF

The morning after he was released by WCW, Peterson was contacted by Rick Rude, who convinced WWF owner Vince McMahon to hire him. Peterson was renamed Man Mountain Rock by the WWF. The rocker character was considerably more upbeat and less gritty than the popular Maxx Payne character but did not achieve the same success like it used to be.

Debuting on an episode of WWF Superstars, Man Mountain Rock played a large electric guitar which was shaped like the WWF logo. He would come to the ring during a commercial, with the arena going pitch black and the ring announcer saying "Ladies and Gentleman, Man Mountain Rock!" Rock would then play his electric guitar while pyro burst off. Man Mountain Rock would say "If it's too loud, then you're too old!" Vince McMahon, then a on-screen commentator, would often comment that Man Mountain Rock "rocked the house".

Peterson had suffered several injuries during his amateur wrestling career, and had hoped to secure a backstage position with WCW. When he moved to the WWF, he asked to be made an announcer, but his request was denied. His career in the WWF met with several disruptions, including a serious hernia, an addiction to pain pills and downers in additional to Marijuana habit, which ultimately led to his release in 1995.

While working for the WWF, Peterson filmed several hours of behind-the-scenes footage with a video camera which he often carried. Peterson often claimed that he would release a documentary called "The Thing that Should Not Be" or "The Real Maxx Payne" based on the footage, but never did. The footage reportedly contained scenes showing substance abuse and solicitation.

• Retirement

Peterson worked briefly for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Mississippi in 2000, and on October 7 he defeated Bob Serio for the NWA Mississippi Taped Fist Championship. He later vacated the title.

In 2004, Peterson addressed an audience in the Schubert Theater at the Western States College for the Performing Arts in Gooding, Idaho, talking about professional wrestling. Peterson continues to be involved in film projects.

Links:

1) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce (Starrcade 1993)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQHYsdA-kb0 (Thanks to delikadir1977)

2) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Nasty Boys part 1 (Spring Stempede 1994)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiSBeTXM5f4&NR=1 (Thanks to DYLANO15)

3) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Nasty Boys part 2 (Spring Stempede 1994)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw5FvSBytpQ&feature=related (Thanks to DYLANO15)

4) Man Mountain Rock vs. Jean Pierre Lafitte

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IpGZSyULyQ (Thanks to paulglory)

5) The Real Max Payne (Trailer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlkbAlKL2QM (Thanks to SaveHolmes)

Do you still remember Ludvig Borga?

• Early days

Tony Halme earlier career in show-fighting and boxing have given Halme a "tough guy" image, enhanced by well-publicized instances when he defended himself in bar brawls. Halme was trained by Charlie Gergan in boxing and Verne Gagne as a powerhouse professional wrestler. He made his professional wrestling debut for Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) on October 29, 1990 as The Viking. In his first match, he defeated The Patriot.

• NJPW

2 months later, Halme debuted in Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) defeating Shinya Hashimoto in a boxer vs. wrestler match and barely 4 months later Halme defeated Seiji Aoyagi in a boxer vs. karate match.

He also competed in the NJPW Super Grade Tag League II teaming with Masa Chono scoring 8 points with 4th position. Finally on November 22, 1992, Halme managed to capture his first wrestling title when he teamed up with fellow powerhouse Scott Norton to win the IWGP World Tag Team Championship from Steiner Brothers. However the joy did not last long as the duo lost the IWGP World Tag Team Championship to Hell Raisers (RoadWarrior Hawk and Kensuke Sasaki) less than a month later. Halme then got his 2nd shot for the IWGP World Tag Team Championship when he teamed up with Matthew Rambo against the champions Hell Raisers but the attempt to re-capture the titles was unsuccessful.

On June 17, 1993, Halme wrestled his last match in NJPW where he teamed up with The Barbarian and lost to John Tenta (Earthquake) and Haku.

• WWF

Halme returned to America and signed for WWF. On July 6, 1993, Halme debuted as Ludvig Borga and began a streak of squash match victories over jobbers. He had the heel gimmick of a finnish powerhouse who disliked America because of pollution and his entrance music was Maamme, the Finnish national anthem.

At SummerSlam 1993, Borga achieved his first notable victory by defeating Marty Jannetty. On September 28, 1993 edition of WWF Superstars, Borga ended Tatanka's undefeated streak of nearly 2 years, pinning him with one finger (after hitting him with a steel chair while the referee was distracted).

At Survivor Series 1993, Borga participated in the main event, teaming up with Yokozuna, Quebecer Jacques (The Mountie) and Crush as the "Foreign Fanatics" against "All-Americans" consisting of Lex Luger, The Undertaker and the Steiner Brothers. Borga and Luger were the final 2 remaining participants and Borga was later eliminated by Luger after a running forearm smash hence pinning him for the win for the "All-Americans".

On December 14, 1993, Borga defeated Razor Ramon at a house show to win the Intercontinental Championship after pinning him following a clothesline. However, the contest was ordered to continue because Razor's foot was on the bottom rope during the count of 3. After the match restarted, Shawn Michaels interfered and hit Razor with a fake Intercontinental title belt. Borga then pinned Razor again to win the title. However, the decision was reversed due to the interference, making Razor the winner and retaining the title.

On January 17, 1994, Borga injured his ankle in a match with Rick Steiner. This injury was so bad that forced the WWF to cancel all the plans for Borga, including his scheduled appearance at Royal Rumble 1994. Borga left the WWF soon after.

• CWA

After some recuperating, Halme wrestled for Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) in 1995. It was here that Ludvig Borga won his 1st and only singles title on 20 December when he defeated Rambo for the CWA World Heavyweight Championship. After holding the title for over a year, Borga lost it back to Rambo on 21 December, 1996.

After professional wrestling, Halme went on to fight in the RINGS and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), though without appreciable success.

• Political Career

Halme does not hide his nativist views and tends to speak in a rash, direct manner, which tends to catch the public ear. He had once suggested that Finland should send drug dealers to Russian prisons as this would result in considerable cost savings, and a prison term in Russia would be a more effective deterrent.

During his parliamentary career, Halme raised controversies. The day after the elections, Halme referred to president Tarja Halonen as a lesbian in a radio interview. Halme stated that if a lesbian can be president of Finland and he can be a member of Parliament, anything seems possible. A huge uproar ensued as much of the Finnish media treated the statement as a personal attack on Halonen; Halonen herself made no comment. Halme later apologized for his actions.

In July 2003, a handgun was fired inside Halme's apartment, probably after a domestic quarrel. Nobody was hurt but the handgun was unlicensed. Halme had been in a boxing match only days before the incident and was using prescription medication because he was in pain. The dangerous combination of drugs and alcohol was a decisive factor in the incident. His blood contained trace amounts of amphetamine and illegal steroids were also found in his apartment. Halme was charged and in January 2004 his trial was shown live on television. Halme received a 4 months suspended sentence and a fine but continued to serve as Member of Parliament.

In early March 2006, Halme was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, reportedly due to delirium caused by excessive alcohol use. Earlier in 2006 he had been diagnosed with alcohol-related cirrhosis and acute pancreatitis. After being on sick leave for almost the entire year of 2006, he went on disability pension at end of the Parliamentary term.

Links:

1) Tony Halme & Scott Norton vs. Steiner Brothers part 1 (NJPW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjjNygWiczE (Thanks to pgi86)

2) Tony Halme & Scott Norton vs. Steiner Brothers part 2 (NJPW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHb5Y0pqjpI&feature=related (Thanks to pgi86)

3) Ludvig Borga vs. Marty Jannetty (Summerslam 1993)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/ludvig%2Bborga/video/x2sy3a_ludvig-borga-vs-marty-jannetty_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

4) Foreign Fanatics vs. All-Americans part 1 (Survivor Series 1993)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/ludvig%2Bborga/video/x5wrvn_the-foreign-fanatics-vs-the-all-ame_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

5) Foreign Fanatics vs. All-Americans part 2 (Survivor Series 1993)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Foreign%2BFanatics/video/x5wsqe_the-foreign-fanatics-vs-the-all-ame_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

Do you still remember The Public Enemy?

• Early days

Despite the Dudley Boyz often being credited with popularizing the table match in mainstream professional wrestling, The Public Enemy were actually the first tag team in ECW history to use the tables on a regular basis in their matches.

Rocco Rock (Ted Petty) and Johnny Grunge (Mike Durham) had a long standing feud on the independent circuit. In addition, the 2 wrestled each other under their former ring names the Cheetah Kid and Johnny Rotten in a dark match at the first TV tapings for WWF Monday Night RAW, 8 months before they would debut as a tag team in ECW.

• ECW

The Public Enemy made their ECW debut on Ultra Clash in 1993, as then ECW booker Paul Heyman gave them the gimmick of white guys who embraced and loved the growing hip hop culture of America.

The team quickly became one of the more popular acts in the company; their wild brawling style, complete with a myriad of foreign objects and the inclusion of tables, made them one of the most feared teams in the company and it wasn't long before they won their 1st of 4 ECW Tag Team Championship.

As The Public Enemy was embraced by the majority of fans, Heyman was inspired to bring in The Gangstas to feud with The Public Enemy. The Gangstas immediately began a long and bloody feud with The Public Enemy which was most often cited as "classic ECW".

• Memorable moments in ECW

The Public Enemy was also involved in some of ECW's most memorable moments. On one occasion, during a tag match against Cactus Jack and Terry Funk, Terry Funk turned to the crowd and asked the fans if he could have a chair to use. A fan immediately threw a chair into the ring, and not long after many other fans followed suit. Eventually the ring was filled with steel chairs with both members of The Public Enemy completely buried in.

In another incident in Tampa, Florida, towards the end of their run with ECW, The Public Enemy asked the fans to come into the ring to dance with them one last time. As more and more fans piled in and onto the ring, all dancing and celebrating, the ring eventually collapsed.

• WCW

In 1996, after their success in ECW, The Public Enemy opted to signed for WCW rather than WWF. When they arrived in WCW, they continued acting as they did in the manner that made them so popular with fans in ECW. Although the majority of the WCW fanbase was unfamiliar with the ECW product at the time, they still carried tables to the ring. However due to the lack of the rest of their style, they seemed out of place and floundered in WCW. Despite so, their tenure lasted for 3 years, and they even won the WCW World Tag Team Championship once when they defeated Harlem Heat in 1996 for the title.

At ECW's House Party 1999, The Public Enemy (still under contract with WCW) made a long-awaited and much-hyped return to the ECW Arena, in order to answer the challenge of the Dudley Boyz. Following the showdown, Johnny Grunge grabbed the microphone and claimed that the past 3 years had been a "rollercoaster ride" for the team, and that "if you opened up our chest and looked at our hearts, there's only one thing stamped on it, and that's ECW!"

Grunge further thanked the Dudleys for house-sitting "the house that the Public Enemy built" while they were gone, and then invited everyone in attendance to join then in the ring for a post-show celebration.

• WWF

The Public Enemy then signed for WWF but they weren't accepted "backstage" by veteran WWF wrestlers and backstage personnel, due to animosity over the fact that The Public Enemy chose WCW over the WWF when they had the chance earlier. Rocko Rock was also forced to change his name and go by the shortened name "Flyboy" Rocko, in order not to cause confusion with The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).

The Public Enemy made their WWF debut on the February 22, 1999 episode of RAW is War. However, their stay in WWF only lasted 2 months with their only feud was against the APA; following the feud and The Public Enemy's subsequent released.

• Final Appearances

The Public Enemy briefly returned to WCW after leaving the WWF, with both men involved in the WCW Hardcore Junkyard Invitational at Bash At The Beach 1999. Neither member returned to WCW programming afterwards, and the Public Enemy made one last appearance on ECW (on TNN), which was their last exposure on mainstream television.

The Public Enemy then returned to the independent circuit after both WCW and ECW folded. They made appearances with the X Wrestling Federation (XWF) as The South Philly Posse and also appearing in ECW-nostalgia promotion Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW).

• Deaths

On September 22, 2002, Ted Petty (Rocco Rock) died after suffering a heart attack following a wrestling event as a singles wrestler. Every year the IWA-Mid South professional wrestling promotion memorializes him by holding the Ted Petty Invitational tournament. Previous winners include AJ Styles, Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne), Low Ki (Senshi) and Ace Steel.

Following the death of Rocco Rock in 2002, Grunge teamed with his "brother" Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy throughout August 2003. He also made appearances with 3PW, and participated in a memorial segment for deceased ECW wrestlers at Hardcore Homecoming on June 10, 2005. Grunge was also a neighbor of Chris Benoit and regularly helped Benoit cope with Eddie Guerrero's death in November 2005. He was preparing for a comeback in 2006. Jason Ray, a wrestler for Big Japan Wrestling, had gotten him slated for the upcoming Spring 2006 BJW tour.

However On February 16, 2006, Mike Durham (Johnny Grunge) died in his home after suffering from complications from sleep apnea. A friend tried to get Durham to the hospital in time but by the time they arrived at the hospital, Durham was pronounced dead on arrival.

Links:

1) The Public Enemy vs. The Gangstas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kFD0PziZMw (Thanks to KidKnick)

2) Memorable ECW Moment: You asked for a chair eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmm_icx8Bc&feature=related (Thanks to wrestling7fan)

3) The Public Enmey vs. The Nasty Boys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7MfsxkSz9c (Thanks to luckychucky77)

4) The Public Enemy vs. The Brood (TPE's WWF debut)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wwf%2Bpublic%2Benemy/video/x2tsva_public-enemy-vs-edgegangrel_sport (Thanks to Stinger 1981)

Do you still remember The Underfaker?

• Early days

Brian Lee appeared in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) from 1992-1995 as "Prime Time" Brian Lee. Lee was a 2-time SMW Heavyweight Champion and twice won the SMW Tag Team Championship with partner Chris Candido. Lee was the 1st ever SMW Heavyweight Champion and was also the first wrestler to ever be managed by Tammy Sytch (Sunny).

• WWF (1st run)

In 1994, Lee briefly joined the WWF to perform as a fake Undertaker. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase announced that he brought the Undertaker into the WWF and claimed to have done it again following his disappearance after Royal Rumble 1994 when Undertaker lost to Yokozuna in a casket match.

However Ted DiBiase's Undertaker, who competed for several weeks, was not "guided by the urn" but by money. At this point, Undertaker's manager Paul Bearer accused DiBiase of lying and claimed that he "had made contact" with the real Undertaker (Mark Calaway).

At SummerSlam 1994, Bearer brought back his Undertaker (real) for a match against DiBiase's Undertaker (fake). Towards the end of the match, DiBiase's Undertaker used the Tombstone Piledriver on the real Undertaker, only for the real Undertaker to sit up. DiBiase's Undertaker would proceed to try for another Tombstone, but the real Undertaker reversed this one and proceeded to hit Dibiase's Undertaker with 3 consecutive Tombstones before pinning him for the victory. After the match, DiBiase fled from ringside while the real Undertaker rolled the impostor into a casket that was carried away by druids.

After SummerSlam '94, Lee returned to SMW and also competed in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). It was in the USWA that Lee first teamed with his real life cousins, Ron and Don Harris, then known as the Bruise Brothers.

In 1996, Lee appeared in the Bollywood film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi under his "Undertaker" name. The film also featured Brian Adams as The Crush.

• ECW

In 1996, Lee began competing in ECW. While there, he went by the nicknames of "Bulldozer" (or Bulldozer for Hire) and "Killdozer" and was allied with Raven as a hired bodyguard for his Raven's Nest stable.

Brian Lee and Tommy Dreamer were involved in a very violent and personal feud, which began through Dreamer's feud with Raven. At the ECW event Fight The Power, during a 6 man tag match, Brian Lee chokeslammed Dreamer from the ECW balcony through 3 tables, then pinned Dreamer for the win. At Hardcore Heaven '96, after losing a singles match to Dreamer when Dreamer's valet Beulah McGillicutty got involved, Lee again chokeslammed Dreamer off a balcony through 3 tables.

At Heat Wave 96, during a 3 on 3 "Rage in the Cage" tag team cage match, Lee again chokeslammed Dreamer, this time from the top of the cage through 3 tables set up on the outside by Raven's henchmen. Finally, at Ultimate Jeopardy 1996, during a tag match also involving Sandman and Stevie Richards, Lee once again chokeslammed Dreamer from the ECW balcony, this time through 4 tables set up below.

The feud culminated at ECW's High Incident event, in the match Lee is most remembered for from his ECW tenure. During his Scaffold Match with Tommy Dreamer, Lee took a major bump from the scaffolding high above the ring through a series of tables stacked up inside the ring.

Lee later began a feud with Funk, which lasted until 1997. Lee also became a part of the revived Triple Threat stable with Douglas and Chris Candido.

• WWF (2nd run)

In 1997, Lee returned to the WWF as Chainz, a member the biker faction Disciples of Apocalypse (or DOA) led by group leader Crush, along with Skull and 8-Ball (the Harris Brothers). The foursome feuded with Los Boricuas, the Nation of Domination and the Truth Commission during the WWF's "Gang Warz" storyline. Lee remained in the WWF until the summer of 1998 before being released once again.

Ironically, Mark Calaway would also adopt a biker gimmick in later years.

• TNA

After several years out of the spotlight, Lee debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2002, teaming with Slash as the Disciples of The New Church, under the leadership of manager Father James Mitchell. It was during this time that he won the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Slash, when they defeated America's Most Wanted, thereby ending AMW's undefeated streak.

Lee left the company later in the year and has only appeared from time to time on smaller independent events since.

Links:

1) Ted DiBiase brings back "The Undertaker" on Heartbreak Hotel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMszMuerW5w&feature=related (Thanks to lee1302)

2) Underfaker RAW debut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju4cTF2Hx1k&feature=related (Thanks to lee1302)

3) Ted Dibiase and Underfaker on King's Court

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDPwXelvfBA&feature=related (Thanks to lee1302)

4) The Underfaker vs. The Undertaker part 1 (Summerslam 1994)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWZWyd4NGs&feature=related (Thanks to rssuarez)

5) The Underfaker vs. The Undertaker part 2 (Summerslam 1994)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZT4i80LkkE (Thanks to JaredSmithVideo)

6) The Underfaker in bollywood movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEnGDtmY4Ao&feature=related (Thanks to samick559)

7) Brian Lee vs. Tommy Dreamer (ECW High Incident)

(WARNING! Violence graphics might not be suitable for minors!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYQ8z7b_7aQ (Thanks to WWEECWVIDEOS)

8) Chainz vs. Faarooq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dawvSYd3Qu0&feature=related (Thanks to RockyFan99)

Do you still remember Renegade?

• Early days

Richard Williams began wrestling in 1992 after a stint as a male stripper. He went by the name Rio, Lord of the Jungle but achieved no real success on the independent circuit.

• WCW (Ultimate Surprise)

Williams's career peaked in 1995 when he was hired by WCW. In early 1995, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were involved in the main-event feud with the Dungeon of Doom. For a big upcoming tag team match, Hogan and Savage began claiming that their mystery partner would be "the Ultimate Surprise" and showed a silhouette of a man with long hair and tassels tied to his arms, implying that the Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) was the man in question.

When the day finally arrived, fans saw a very familiar-looking man to very familiar-sounding theme music. Billed by Hogan as "the man that's gonna bring Hulkamania into the 21st Century", the mystery man is known as The Renegade, wrestled in the exact same style as the Ultimate Warrior.

• WCW (World Television Champion)

Managed by Jimmy Hart, Williams was soon pushed heavily and overran many heels in WCW. He eventually won the WCW World Television Championship from Arn Anderson at The Great American Bash. The Renegade would also successfully retain his title against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff at Bash At The Beach and Clash of the Champions.

By this stage, the real Ultimate Warrior had appeared in several wrestling magazines, dispelling the belief of some fans that Williams was the Ultimate Warrior. As Renegade's fanbase quickly evaporated, he dropped the Television Championship to Diamond Dallas Page on the November 6, 1995 edition of WCW Nitro.

• WCW (Renegade's decline)

Renegade was buried on TV by a heel Jimmy Hart when Hart "re-possessed" the gimmick saying: "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain Rick!" He then receded into the background.

Over the next 2 years, Williams was steadily de-pushed, eventually languishing as a jobber on the "b-shows" of WCW Thunder and WCW Saturday Night where he was put in a feud with former tag team partner and jobber Joe Gomez that went nowhere. Williams was also used as a stunt double for the real Ultimate Warrior when he joined WCW for a short period in 1998.

• Death

WCW opted not to renew Williams's contract when his contract expires in late 1998. Severely depressed, Williams killed himself with a gun on 23 February, 1999.

Arn Anderson, who initially put Williams over, would lament his death in an interview saying that too much was expected of Williams by WCW being where he was in his wrestling career to be pushed to the level of Hulk Hogan.

Links:

1) Renegade vs. Arn Anderson (The Great American Bash 1995)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x4ahe5_arn-anderson-vs-the-renegadewcw-tv_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

2) Renegade vs. Paul Orndoff (Bash @ The Beach 1995)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x6l8v9_the-renegade-vs-mr-wonderful-paul-o_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

3) Renegade vs. Goldberg

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x6hulp_the-renegade-vs-goldberg_sport (Thanks to smithjoe)

Do you still remember Alex Wright?

• Early days

Alex Wright is known for his distinctive pre-match dancing as well as his technical in-ring ability that would ultimately lead him to WCW championship gold. Alex was trained by his father Steve Wright, a British professional wrestler. Alex Wright wrestled his 1st match back in 1991 in Germany when he was only 16 years old. He wrestled in his hometown during his early career and also worked in Japan.

• WCW (Das Wunderkind)

Wright was discovered by WCW in mid-1994 during a German tour of WCW. He then signed a contract with WCW and trained there in WCW Power Plant (WCW academy). He originally wrestled as a face and was known as "Das Wunderkind" (The Wonder Kid) Alex Wright. His first feud was with Jean-Paul Levesque (Triple H), whom he defeated at Starrcade 1994, in both men's pay-per-view debut.

In his early career, Wright remained undefeated against several WCW superstars before losing to then World Television Champion Arn Anderson at Slamboree 1995 for the championship. Due to WCW's partnership with NJPW, Wright was sent to Japan to take part in NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors Tournament and finished 3rd in the tournament. After he return to America, Wright eneounters with upcoming WCW stars such as Brian Pillman, Diamond Dellas Page, Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko.

At World War 3 1995, Wright took part in the first ever 3-ring 60-man battle royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which Randy Savage won. At Starrcade 1995, WCW wrestlers faced NJPW wrestlers in a World Cup of Wrestling. Wright represented WCW against NJPW's Koji Kanemoto (for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship but WCW never announced it such) but ended up losing the bout. At World War 3 1996, Wright participated in yet another 60-man battle royal, with the winner getting a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. However, the battle royal was won by The Giant (Big Show).

• WCW (Heel turn)

Wright was pushed as a heel in the summer of 1997. On July 28 edition of Nitro, he defeated Chris Jericho to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Wright began a feud with Jericho at the point. He made a successful title defense against Jericho at Road Wild 1997 but lost the title back to Jericho on August 16 edition of Saturday Night.

However, five days later, he defeated Ultimo Dragon at of Clash of the Champions 1997 to win the WCW World Television Championship. Wright started dancing during his entrance to mock his arch-dancing-nemesis at the time, Disco Inferno. At Fall Brawl 1997, Wright successfully defended his WCW World Televison title in a rematch against Ultimo Dragon but eventually lost the title to rival Disco Inferno on September 22 edition of Nitro.

• WCW (Dancing Fools)

Wright would then patched things up and paired with former rival, Disco Inferno in 1998 to form a moderately successful tag team called the Dancing Fools, which at times also featured Japanese wrestler Tokyo Magnum in the role of a tag-a-long who regularly attempted to imitate their dancing styles.

After a brief feud with The Public Enemy, Wright began to claim that he was the best WCW wrestler to come out of Europe. British Bulldog however, disputed Wright's proclamation. Wright and Inferno began a feud with Bulldog and Jim Neidhart and at Fall Brawl 1998 but the duo lost to Bulldog and Neidhart. After suffering losses, Wright and Inferno split and began singles careers again.

Wright feuded with another European wrestler, Fit Finlay. Wright blamed Finlay for ending his father's career and he managed to take his father's revenge from Finlay by beating him at Halloween Havoc 1998.

• WCW (Berlyn)

At the beginning of 1999, Wright was kept off WCW television for an extended length of time until May, when promotional spots began appearing on WCW television featuring Wright as a surprising new Rivethead-style character named Berlyn, with a black Mohawk and goatee replacing his blond hair and movie-star looks. He was clad entirely in black with a long trench coat and arrogantly refused to speak English.

The promos coincided with the aftermath of the Columbine school massacre, which threw a hitch in WCW's plans. Sensing the unintentional similarities in dress between Berlyn and the teenage killers, WCW delayed the debut of Berlyn for several months. Despite the shock value upon his debut, Berlyn never really got over with fans.

This was due in part to his debut match in which he was booked to defeat Buff Bagwell, but Bagwell had refused to lose to Wright and even going as so far to miss a flight in order to avoid having to. Jim Duggan substituted for Bagwell, at Fall Brawl 1999 who then no-sold all of Wright's offense and threw him around like a ragdoll even though Wright picked up the win in the end. Although Berlyn went over Bagwell in the end and defeated him the next night on Nitro, irreparable damage had already been done to the character. WCW would then push The Wall, the bodyguard Berlyn hired, leaving Wright to flounder in the midcard. After a few feuds with Vampiro and The Wall, Wright disappeared from WCW television again.

• WCW (Boogie Knights)

After some time off from wrestling, Wright returned to wrestling on September 27, 2000 edition of Thunder with a bald head during a match between former partner Disco Inferno and Konnan. Wright helped Disqo in getting the victory and the duo reunited as the Boogie Knights.

Boogie Knights began a feud with Filthy Animals, while they also feuded with Natural Born Thrillers, who were the WCW World Tag Team Champions at the time. At Halloween Havoc 2000, the 3 teams participated in a Triangle match but Natural Born Thrillers eventually won the match.

On Millennium Germany on November 16,2000, Boogie Knights were scheduled to take on Natural Born Thrillers in a match for the titles but Disco was sidelined with an injury, so General Rection substituted for him and the duo successfully captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship. However 4 days later, on Nitro, Wright and another substitute Elix Skipper lost the titles to Chuck Palumbo and Shawn Stasiak.

Wright started an angle where he kept KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) as his bodyguards to squash other cruiserweights. At Mayhem 2000, Wright and KroniK faced Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio . in a 3-on-2 handicap match. KroniK then betrayed Wright by leaving the match and abandoning Wright which lead to their loss. Disco eventually returned from injury and the Boogie Knights gimmick lasted until WCW was purchased by WWF in April 2001.

• Now

Wright fell out of the spotlight after the folding of WCW, and has not appeared on American television since then. In the years following Wright has stayed away from active competition, only wrestling on rare occasions in Germany. Through out his 7 years of active wrestling career in WCW, Wright was a 1-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion, 1-time WCW Television Champion and a 1-time WCW Tag Team Champion.

Today Alex Wright is working as a banker and fitness instructor in Nuremberg, in addition to opening a school called "The Wright Stuff" in Germany.

Links:

1) Das Wunderkind vs. Jean-Paul Levesque (Starrcade 1994)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/alex%2Bwright/video/x2q66a_alex-wright-vs-jeanpaul-levesque-hh_sport (Thanks to Stinger1981)

2) Alex Wright vs. Lord Steven Regal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtC8mbicFXc (Thanks to TestingPACV2)

3) Dancing Fools vs. nWo Japan (Masahiro Chono & Great Muta)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQD-Ak1jWAI (Thanks to MarshmallowHedgehog)

4) Berlyn vs. Buff Bagwell

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/berlyn/video/x6vzv7_buff-bagwell-vs-berlyn_sport (Thanks to Singer1981)

5) Boogie Knights vs. Air Raid (AJ Styles and Air Paris)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zedJYPlkoRk (Thansk to WrestlingPolishFan)

Do you still remember The Beverly Brothers?

Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom were best known as The Beverly Brothers in the WWF in the early 1990's. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the AWA and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 in the WCW.

• AWA

Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom started out in 1989 in the AWA. Sporting matching ring attire and carrying sledgehammers to the ring, they were known as The Destruction Crew and was managed by Johnny Valiant. The Destruction Crew's entrance theme in the AWA was the highly popular Queen song "We Will Rock You".

The Crew defeat Greg Gagne & Paul Diamond to capture the AWA Tag Team Championship in a title tournament on October 1, 1989. They also faced Rheingans and Paul Diamond and in a steel cage match were the former was locked out of the cage only to have his partner decimated by The Destruction Crew. They finally lost their Tag Team titles on August 11, 1990 to The Trooper & D.J. Peterson.

The fans voted The Destruction Crew as the 1989 Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated, making them the only tag team to win this award.

• WCW (1st run)

While still AWA World Tag Team Champions, the Destruction Crew joined WCW during the summer of 1990. In WCW they wrestled under masks as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 and were managed by Ole Anderson who was part of the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew. They attempted to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from The Steiner Brothers during a brief feud but was unsuccessful.

After AWA folded, the Destruction Crew went to Japan and compete in a series of matches in the NJPW including an unsuccessful title match against then NJPW tag team champions Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta) and Masahiro Chono.

• WWF

In May 1991, the team went to the WWF and were transformed into Beau (Bloom) and Blake (Enos), The Beverly Brothers. They were originally managed by Coach (John Tolos), then by The Genius. The team was promoted as a force to be reckoned with and launched into feuds with the Legion of Doom, The Bushwhackers and The Natural Disasters, the latter of which revolved around the WWF World Tag Team Championship.

However, by the later part of 1992, the Beverly Brothers would be used primarily to put over other tag teams. The Beverly Brothers were seldom promoted as serious players in the tag team division, making only a few PPV appearances between 1991 and 1993.

Bloom left the WWF in April 1993 and semi-retired from the sport while Enos, still wrestle as Blake Beverly, remained with the company for an additional 4 months as a singles competitor, primarily putting over other talent.

• WCW (2nd run)

The team had a brief reunion in WCW in 1997 for a few matches, but the announcers never made any comments on their past history. They remained low-card performers, and after a few matches together, the team finally disbanded for good without much fanfare. Bloom retired permanently in 1999 and Enos retired from wrestling in 2000 after working on the WCW weekend shows and smaller independent shows.

Links:

1) The Destruction Crew vs. George Anderson & Tony Leone (AWA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipBpyhPO55s (Thanks to surefoot1971)

2) Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom vs. Keiji Mutoh & Masahiro Chono Part 1 (NJPW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBhWbQfisJs (Thanks to Deltoidon)

3) Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom vs. Keiji Mutoh & Masahiro Chono Part 2 (NJPW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Tb-gmmsmQ&feature=related (Thanks to Deltoidon)

4) The Beverly Brothers & The Nasty Boys vs. The Rockers & Bushwackers Part 1 (Survivor Series 1991)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/beverly%2Bbrothers/video/x3zois_nasty-boys-beverly-brothers-vs-rock_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

5) The Beverly Brothers & The Nasty Boys vs. The Rockers & Bushwackers Part 2 (Survivor Series 1991)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/beverly%2Bbrothers/video/x3zot5_nasty-boys-beverly-brothers-vs-rock_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)

6) The Beverly Brothers vs. The Natural Disasters (Summerslam 1992)

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/beverly%2Bbrothers/video/x5ue7a_beverly-brothers-vs-natural-disaste_sport (Thanks to dwalk316)