SteelChair Wrestling Magazine #6 by SteelChair Wrestling

Survivor series // legend tatanka // AIW

// ISSUE 6

THE PARADOX OF THE ICON

2015

STEELCHAIR MAGAZINE TOP 50 WRESTLERS 2015

SteelChairMag.com

WRESTLING

NOV

STEELCHAIR

BLUE PANTS! WE SPEAK TO NXT AND SHINE STAR LEVA BATES

STING // The gold(berg) standard remains strong //

WELCOME

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WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR ello and welcome to the latest issue of SteelChair. We’ve almost completed our first year so we’ve had a look back at the BEST WRESTLERS OF 2015. If you would like to join the the debate head over to Facebook or Twitter and include the #SteelChair50. If you agree or disagree get involved! We enjoyed looking back at the best of the year! We have interviews with TATANKA who just signed a WWE Legend’s deal and on the opposite end we have NXT star LEVA BATES AKA BLUE PANTS. After recently competing for the WWE World title and taking part in some talks, Liam O’Rourke has looked at the Paradox of Sting who we’ve chosen as this month’s cover star. There’s much more so hope you enjoy!

David Garlick @davidgarlick

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EDITORIAL David Garlick Editor / Design david@steelchairmag.com

Cover Photo: Olly Hanks

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HIGHLIGHTS

ENDVR 13 31

Copyright 2015 SteelChair Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of SteelChair Magazine. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@steelchairmag.com.

PAST MONTH MATCHES OF THE MONTH

BAYLEY V SASHA BANKS NXT RESPECT

In this historic womens match (First main event, first Iron-Man match) they delivered on drama, story moments and an emotional climax.

AJ STYLES V WILL OPSREY V MARTY SCURLL RPW UPRISING

In an awesome, action packed match packed with near falls and high spots, AJ Styles narrowly defeated both Will Osprey and Marty Scurll.

ETHAN PAGE V JOHNNY GARGANO

EVOLVE

In a violent I Quit match saw Garganno finally get one over on the cocky as hell Page. Page elicited huge heat, but Garganno got the win and took a major step forward.

REIGNS V OWENS V ZIGGLER V DEL RIO WWE RAW

To establish the top contender for the WWE title, four faced off in a frantic, hard hitting match that set up Roman Reigns as the new number one contender. The crowd went nuclear when it came down to just Owens and Reigns.

JOHNNY GARGANO + TOMASSO CHAMPA V JASON JORDAN + CHAD GABLE NXT

The NXT tag team division is buzzing and these two hot young babyface tag teams traded big moves, near-falls and all got over in what could have been a meaningless throw away match.

04 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

WRESTLER

OF THE MONTH

BAYLEY ayley currently has the unprecedented honour of winning the first ever, womenonly main event in a WWE Network Special. It was the first time the girls got top billing and both her and her opponent Sasha Banks proved why there is no reason this shouldn’t happen more often. It’s not been called a match of the year contender, it’s simply been called match of the year. A moment where finally women’s wrestling has been given the Respect it deserves. Bayley is at the forefront of women’s wrestling and a massive part of wrestling’s future full stop.

EVENT OF OF THE MONTH NXT RESPECT

NEWS

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RUSEV AND LANA GET ENGAGED (FOR REAL)

THIS MONTH

ICW SELL OUT.... LITERALLY

You can argue the toss for hours over who

In a move which seemed to end the whole Rusev, Lana, Ziggler, Summer Rae love square, Rusev and Lana announced that the were legit engaged. Since then WWE creative has killed off the whole angle, and killed off Rusev. With both Rusev and Lana out with injuries it might mean the two can come back stronger in a few months, whilst Tyler Breeze seems to have been promoted to new girlfriend of Summer Rae and will be feuding with Ziggler.

the biggest British wrestling promotion is right now, but ICW put there ‘fans where there mouth is’ and sold out the SECC. ICW’s Fear and Loathing show in Glasgow on the 15th November will now be one of the biggest UK promoted shows since the 80s when Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks went one on one. It’s going to be a huge card, with Mick Foley coming over to act as commissioner and try and keep things a little bit under control.

ALBERTO DEL RIO IS BACK

WWE have been without a top draw Hispanic star for a couple of months, and the rumour had been that the company were chasing after former man Carlito. Well looks like they went a different way,

JAMES STORM IS NXT TNA are losing talent at some rate, which as their current TV deals runs down might not be the worse thing to happen. The latest man to leave is ‘The Cowboy’ James Storm who made a surprise debut at Full Sail. The internet is a buzz with rumours of has he or hasn’t he signed a full deal with WWE, with TNA rumoured to be trying to lure him back. In the mean time fans can get two weekly doses of Storm on both TNA and NXT (it’s just like the 90s again).

as at Hell in a Cell the man who came out to take on John Cena’s US Open Challenge was non other than Alberto Del Rio who went on to score a clean victory against Cena, paving way for ‘Big Match John’ to take a couple of weeks off.

BRITS DO US PROUD AT BOLA AND KOT

The UK independent scene did British wrestling fans proud as Zack Sabre Jnr won the Battle of Los Angeles, and Will Osprey and Marty Scurll also making it to the semi-finals of the annual competition fuelling the fire that Sabre Jnr is firmly within WWEs sights. There was also a solid showing from Team Fight Club: Pro at Chikara’s King of Trio’s tournament with Moustache Mountain (Trent Severn and Tyler Bate) and Dan Moloney making it to the semi-finals only to be knocked out by The Bullet Club.

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 05

AIW AN INTRODUCTION TO

ABSOLUTE INTENSE WRESTLING WORDS: COIRÉ MC CRYSTALL | PHOTOS: ICHIBANDRUNK

hen people talk about

wrestling.

independent wrestling, or ‘indie wrestling’ if you want

In a wrestling landscape where nauseating

to save two syllables, there

independent promotions promise ‘WWE

are some stereotypes and

style action’, or the euro-centric (and

calling cards they’re usually referring to.

somehow even worse) ‘Real American

Those critical of independent wrestling

style wrestling’ on their clipart heavy

are quick to nitpick the physiques of the

posters, an independent promotion which

wrestlers, the quality of the presentation,

puts its wrestling forward for what it is -

the lack of relative storytelling in the

independent wrestling - is so refreshing.

matches. Either the wrestlers are not

Absolute Intense Wrestling is a promotion

athletic enough and have no business

like that, and what I’m putting forward

wrestling, or they’re too athletic and have

here is that AIWrestling is the archetypical

no ring psychology. There’s a high school

promotion like that.

gym trope, meant to somehow denigrate promotions that run out of such venues.

Absolute Intense Wrestling is an

I once listened to a promoter trash talk

independent wrestling promotion which

a venue they’d run a show in because

operates out of Cleveland, Ohio. Like most

the venue was used as a multi-purpose

promotions, it has its own stories and

rec-centre for children. It was a perfectly

championships but there’s more to the

reasonable area, and the show sold out

promotion than that - little quirks which

despite not being worth half the house it

make AIWrestling unique; especially in a

received. Yet the promoter was unsatisfied;

world where most independent promotions

because they felt their promotion was

are starting to look a little bit vanilla.

above performing in spaces like that.

There’s an earnestness and genuine flavour

For them, no lie, it was hotel conference

to AIWrestling which feels refreshing

rooms or higher! My point being that

compared to the average promotion. When

even independent wrestling promoters

other promotions are trying their best to

sometimes look down on independent

be mere copies of WWE, or even ROH or

06 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

AIW had a 10 man tag; the first time that active wrestlers from WWE, TNA, ROH and Lucha Underground have ever teamed

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 07

AIW Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Absolute Intense Wrestling offers a show that may look like many other independent federations, but knits so much creativity, fun and enjoyment into their wrestling that it gives the show a really unique feel. Cleveland has gifted wrestlers with some of the most talented wrestlers in the business, with guys like Dolph Ziggler, Abyss and The Miz calling the city their home. WWE Hall of Famer Drew Carey is also from Cleveland. His connection to wrestling is, admittedly, tenuous at best, but I’d be remiss not to mention it. Cleveland is a city that has produced great wrestlers and if you dip into Absolute Intense Wrestling even a little bit, it’ll become apparent that Cleveland is still doing just that. Most recently wrestlers such as Johnny Gargano, Raymond Rowe (of War Machine) and Matt Cross (who wrestles in Lucha

it almost exists in this kind of continuity that runs alongside the main promotions

Underground as ‘Son of Havoc’) have been popping up on NXT, Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground. Furthermore, Ethan Carter III captured the TNA Heavyweight Belt, and has been praised as one of the saving graces of the ailing promotion. If you tune in to AIWrestling, you can see these guys regularly. This leads to one of the most interesting aspects of AIWrestling - it almost exists in this kind of continuity that runs alongside the main promotions, as if these wrestlers that appear elsewhere, like ECIII and Raymond Rowe, appear elsewhere as a side job, but their existence in AIWrestling, more obscure though it is, is their real home. In AIWrestling there are these delightfully weird meta-stories. Brian Myers (WWE’s former Curt Hawkins) and Cliff Compton (WWE’s Domino) faced off earlier in the year to decide who was Smackdown’s best late-2000’s Tag Team champion. ECIII, who was world champion of the second largest promotion in the US for most of this year leads a stable of wrestlers who have found gainful employment on televised wrestling

08 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

AIW has played host to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan before they got called up

programmes consisting of himself, DJZ

waif enough to get the pin. AIWrestling

and AIWrestling proves to be the most

and Raymond Rowe called the ‘Dudes

adds context; it builds a structure

competent platform at utilising Gregory

on TV’. A tag team called ‘Hot Sauce

around what is offered in a sparser form

Iron.

Entertainment’ featuring Tyson Dux, a

elsewhere, and it does this in a fun and

purposefully boring wrestler who gets

irreverent way. Brian Myers and Cliff

That isn’t to say that all of AIWrestling

heat not wrestling, per se, but sports

Compton elsewhere could be booked

depends on talent with TV exposure,

entertaining - so jaded with independent

like a cynical meeting between two

imported or otherwise. Though the

wrestling is Dux that he disavows the

guys who used to be on TV. Instead it’s

promotion makes use of regular

whole notion of anything other than the

presented in a funny way that actually

stars who have made names at larger

‘WWE Style’.

made the match matter. One of the

promotions, and they import top names

best parts of AIWrestling is Gregory

and legends from around the world

This is the major selling point of

Iron, a wrestler who has cerebral palsy.

like Vader, Terry Funk and Grado, AI

AIWrestling - that it’s actually fun.

While most would book Iron as an odds

Wrestling has a very decent crop of

Oftentimes wrestling is boiled down

defying babyface, he has shown an

homegrown talent. AIWrestling has an

to little more than pretend tough guys

extremely versatile range in AIWrestling,

extremely capable roster, and at all

coming out and awkwardly deciding

by portraying a devious heel leading

levels on the card it’s possible that there

who is the most tough pretend tough

a faction called the Iron Curtain. Iron

will be some breakout stars who will

guy, or two waifs flipping at each other

has proven to be extremely entertaining

make it to larger televised promotions.

until one waif has flipped on the other

on both sides of the heel/face divide

Furthermore, AIWrestling has a

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 09

AIW

THE MAJOR SELLING POINT OF AIWRESTLING - THAT IT’S ACTUALLY FUN working arrangement with a Canadian

video, and they can be purchased at

Chikarason. Lighting wise, usually the

wrestling promotion called Alpha-

the AIWrestling webstore or on Smart

entire area is lit up with house lights,

1Wrestling, with which they share talent

Mark Video. The shows usually have

which isn’t really a problem as it feeds

and big matches. Independent wrestling

irreverent names, such as ‘I choo-choo-

into the aforementioned aesthetic.

is fraught with petulant and childish

choose you’ for their Valentines show

promoters who are either only too eager

and ‘Big Trouble in Little Cleveland’.

The matches are usually very high

to eliminate all nearest promotions or

The ‘high school gym’ aesthetic is

quality by independent standards - there

too insecure to realise that independent

present, but if anything it feeds the

is a lot of fast paced action and a load

wrestling’s greatest strength is in

atmosphere that this isn’t WWE or TNA.

of flippy stuff, if that’s what interests

teamwork. AIWrestling’s working

The wrestlers seem to be more able

you. Some of the spots are nonsensical,

relationship with Alpha-1 only benefits

to portray themselves naturally, and

and convoluted just for the sake of it, but

the fans.

there’s no idiotic commentator telling

it’s best not taken too seriously. In fact,

you that ‘this guy’s fun to watch’ or

that’s really just generally a very good

In terms of production quality, Absolute

yammering on about some stupid twitter

rule - if not taken too seriously, Absolute

Intense Wrestling is much better than

hashtag. Actually, the commentators are

Intense Wrestling is as enjoyable or more

most independent promotions. Running

extremely witty and very entertaining,

than any other promotion in the US, and

roughly one show a month, each show

with commentary being provided by

possibly the world.

is taped for DVD and downloadable

Matt Wadsworth, Aaron Bauer and LF

10 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

"Featuring interactive roundtable discussions on prowrestling, including the Monday Night War Timeline series, the SCG Trials, current events analysis and random topics a melting pot of opinion, wisdom and humour"

THE PARADOX OF THE

ICON

12 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

THE PARADOX OF THE

ICON WORDS: LIAM O’ROURKE | PHOTOS: OLLY HANKS

THE PARADOX OF THE

ICON

IN SIX SHORT MONTHS WCW BRANDED HIM A FAILED EXPERIEMENT

or years, he said he would never go.

Sting was open and honest about the way he saw the lay of the land, completely perceptive of the treatment his fellow WCW wrestlers had received. Not that that’s particularly difficult, Vince McMahon’s booking of them was about as subtle as a moose in a bathtub, but he seemed steadfast regardless. And therein lies one of the great elements of the fascinating career of Sting - upon examination, his WCW run is one of promotional contradictions, missed opportunities and surges of true greatness

14 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

hamstrung by the unique situations he found himself in. It is this reality that makes him a question mark for the Wrestling Observer Hall Of Fame this year, rather than a slam dunk candidate that you would expect a long term top guy to be. He was just a cool midcard wrestler when he went 45 minutes with Ric Flair at the first Clash of the Champions in 1988, a match that launched his popularity and put his career on the track to the top. Momentum built, regimes changed, and despite a serious knee injury, the long-term plan to shift Sting into the top spot came through when he pinned Flair for the WCW World

Title at Great American Bash 1990. But despite the company being so hell bound and determined to build everything around their new facepainted franchise, they didn’t bother to prepare for life with Sting at the top. With no hot challengers, they famously conjured up the Black Scorpion, house shows fell, and six short months later, he was passing the belt back to Flair and branded a failed experiment, as they turned to Lex Luger as the potential new hope. Sting maintained a high level of popularity, had a transitional run as WCW Champion in 1992 to stabilise things and held on to his position as a go-to top guy, but he was no

AFTER YEARS OF BEING TREATED AS A TRUSTY FALLBACK STING BECAME WCW'S HOTTEST STAR longer the stick that stirred the drink, as the company looked to others such as Ron Simmons, Davey Boy Smith and Sid Vicious as people to lead the company to the promised land. Somehow, some of the peaks of his career came at this point, when it was largely a given Sting wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the answer, producing a tremendous series of television matches with the Dangerous Alliance culminating in the best War Games match ever, tore the house down in his battles with Vader, and drew one of the better buyrates of the period against Jake Roberts at Halloween Havoc 92. But heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d failed when it mattered, and so he stuck around the top level while the revolving door of people in charge searched high and low for the ultimate difference maker. The arrival of that difference maker, Hulk Hogan, turned him into the number 3 babyface behind Hogan and Randy Savage, and while Hogan took to the main

events with Flair, Vader and the Dungeon of Doom, Sting languished in matches with Big Bubba Rogers and Meng. While he never lost his connection to the crowd, he played zero role in the success or failure of the company. And therein lies the ambiguity that some find troubling when trying to categorise Sting - he was a failure as the top guy, but sewed in so tightly to the identity of WCW, a company looked at fondly now given its success relative to today, but was seen as an underperforming, inept promotion for much of its existence. Times changed, the paint changed, and with the nWo angle came a much needed new lease on life for the man who would come to be known as the Icon. Sting shirts quickly outsold nWo shirts in early 1997, his brief appearances would take place to thunderous ovations, and after a failed first run and years of being >

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 15

THE PARADOX OF THE

ICON

STING HAS CONTINUED A CAPTIVATING COURSE OF CONTRADICTIONS, THAT HAVE DEFINED HIS CAREER

16 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

treated as the trusty fallback, Sting became the hottest individual star of WCW during the period their lead over the WWF was at its greatest. It is undoubtedly this run, culminating at Starrcade with his WCW title win over Hollywood Hogan, that cemented the legacy he has today. But again, on the big night, the paradox of Sting continued. The execution of the match was horrific, including Nick Patrick’s fast count that never was, and the follow up once again saw Sting, fresh off drawing the best buyrate WCW would ever do against Hogan at Starrcade, playing background vocals to the Hogan Vs. Savage feud in early 1998, before the title wound up back on Hogan. Starrcade on paper, much like Bash ‘90, was designed to be Sting ascending to his throne and beginning his true run of greatness that would forever entrench him amongst the greats. But in reality, both nights served as the tipping point at the top of a pyramid, and as

ROLLINS LOST 19 OUT OF 20 MATCHES. HIS ONE VICTORY WAS AGAINST STING soon as it was over, the downward slide began. Once again, as soon as Starrcade went to black, Sting went from THE top guy to A top guy, a position he stayed in until WCW’s last call. Not that any of this is directly Sting’s fault. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Certainly, Sting showed major league charisma, got great reactions, and at times had fantastic matches. But the pattern continued with his time in TNA, a company destined to hover around the same level forever, never gaining traction or showing signs of growth. It was in this situation that Sting put together the best body of promo work of his career by a wide margin. His fire was major league, his words were wiser and carried more gravity, and the pandering nature of his early 90s work was replaced by an experienced top guy willing to take the fans on his own ride with his mic skills. Indeed, if he were in an environment where a difference could be made, these were promos good enough to make that difference. After spinning his wheels in TNA for years, the built-in anticipation of the last WCW holdout finally coming to McMahonville had such incredible potential, particularly the dream match against the Undertaker that has been swirling in fans’ heads since Sting first donned the trenchcoat. And as far as timing goes, it seemingly couldn’t be better to finally appear. WWE has, over the past five years, become a prisoner of their own bad booking, as the wrestlers subjected to their television show every week are actually less over and smaller stars than those who rarely appear. As a result, on the big shows, WWE has turned to the special

attractions, and in most instances, have booked them favourably compared to the current crew. And yet, Sting is the exception again. The introduction of Sting, almost completely out of nowhere, and with Triple H as his foil in a pairing nobody was clamouring for, seemed to get over in spite of itself. Sting’s surprise run-ins and baseball bat antics got over as one would expect, but WWE ran video packages using a fake voice to cut his promos for him. They tried to create a new identity for him to “WWE-ify” the character, awkwardly dubbing him The Vigilante and giving him dull new theme music, and at the same time tried to shoehorn him as a symbol of WCW, despite he himself (in his one and only promo) saying that had nothing to do with it. And of course, unlike every other special attraction, he lost his first match in. Despite this, they still relied on him to draw against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions, where once again, the special attraction lost. At time of writing, Seth Rollins has lost 19 of his last 20 matches. His one win came at the expense of Sting. But since Sting can never be at the centre of anything typical, the audience resists this one. While people at large understand the principle elements of “passing the torch”, and nobody really thinks he should have beaten Seth Rollins (although a look at the Raw ratings would indicate a quick hotshot might be considered), many bemoaned when Undertaker would come back once a year to beat a top star, Rock beating John Cena at Mania 28, or Triple H staying at the forefront of television at a time new stars desperately need to be created. But the audience wanted a Sting moment of glory in the WWE, and outside of a couple of run-ins, he’s been denied,

and the overwhelming disgust with the booking of Sting only further continues this captivating course of contradictions that has defined him more than anything else. With the neck injury suffered at Night Of Champions, the future of Sting is uncertain. If that was his last match, one glance at his various runs can only make you shake your head at both how incredible his career is, and also how, for whatever the reasons were, the circumstances just never quite came together at the right time, in the right way, for Sting achieve his very best. No matter how difficult the feat, he shined through. No matter how predetermined the success, it never panned out all the way. And if he has wrestled his last match, truth has ultimately been proven in some of his most famous words. The only thing that’s ever been for sure about Sting, is that nothing’s for sure.

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 17

LOOK BACK

WORDS: DFF

FOOLPROOF FUEDS he end of 2015 is nearing

way match to conclude Raw, where the

Championship (he is technically the

but there is still plenty

winner would become the new Number

Number One Contender), this leaves the

of time for the WWE to

One Contender to Seth Rollins and his

door open for Ambrose to slide into the

make a splash before the

WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

picture as an underdog of sorts. Maybe

New Year. With Survivor

Roman Reigns won in an incredible main-

they face each other in the tournament

Series and TLC as the remaining PPVs

event and his stare down with Rollins to

at some point. Either Reigns wins,

of 2015, these shows need to help

end Raw was one of the better finishes to

and Ambrose later costs Reigns the

transition us into the Royal Rumble, and

a Raw this year.

championship in the finals as Dean turns

of course the Road to WrestleMania.

Since then, unfortunately, Seth Rollins

heel, or Dean and Roman square off for

The WWE Universe needs to be given a

suffered a serious knee injury while

the championship in the finals. Reigns

reason to want to continue watching.

on the European Tour and will be out

and Ambrose going at it is best for

Ratings and viewership are slipping and

between 6 and 9 months. A tournament

business after the news of Seth Rollins

are at an all-time low. Something needs

has been announced at Survivor Series to

injuring his knee. This is a feud that

to be done to change this, which means

declare the new WWE World Heavyweight

can last longer than a few months, and

storylines need to make sense and there

Champion.

possibly last going towards SummerSlam

needs to be a consistent focus on in-

Will Roman take the title going into

where Seth Rollins returns and we get a

ring wrestling. The best way to combine

2016? Will Roman be crowned champion

triple threat match for the WWE World

those two factors is to create feuds that

to avoid having to either win or lose

Heavyweight Championship between the

carry over into 2016; feuds that the WWE

the Royal Rumble match in some sort

former members of the Shield. Obviously,

Universe can care about, get behind and

of grand fashion? Or will someone else

we also need to keep an eye on Sheamus,

want to see culminate. While the end of

take it? There are so many Superstars

the Money in the Bank contract holder.

the year can be an excuse to not give it

that could be the next World Champion.

their all, WWE should use these last two

Most Superstars have justifiable reasons

months to create intriguing storylines

as to why they could be the champion

that will roll over into the first few months

going into 2016. What about Cesaro?

of 2016. Here is where we examine five

Brock Lesnar. Daniel Bryan. Bray Wyatt.

possible feuds that could help garner the

Undertaker. Kane. Dean Ambrose. The list

interest of fans that have either stopped

goes on. Feuds will also come from this

watching or are about to stop, and give

tournament.

them reasons to want to tune-in in the

Dean Ambrose is the wild card. While

forthcoming weeks.

his best friend Roman can be considered

the ‘favorite’ to win the WWE World

ROMAN REIGNS AND DEAN AMBROSE (SURVIVOR SERIES TOURNAMENT) The last Monday Night Raw of October saw Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Dolph Ziggler all win singles matches to propel them to a fatal four-

18 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

Heavyweight

DUDLEY BOYZ AND THE WYATT FAMILY The New Day has been white hot since the Dudley Boyz returned the night after SummerSlam to look to win the WWE Tag Team Championships for a tenth time. Because of this, the Dudley’s winning the titles may have been delayed. So instead of Bubba Ray and D-Von coming up short again, another group should get in the way of the Dudleys and their destiny. This is a perfect spot for some sort of combination of the Wyatt Family. Most likely Erick Rowan and Luke Harper would be the two beneficiaries. Bray Wyatt could talk about how the Dudleys just are not good enough anymore; that they are tainting their legacy by being greedy and assuming that they could

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easily win the tag titles again. Bray will

they deserve. This is why a second team

the attention is not on her, but rather

be feuding with another person at this

comes into play.

her teammate in Banks. If Naomi turns

time, but he could face the Dudleys at

Let’s finally see the main roster debut of

on Sasha, it will turn Sasha into the fan

some point in tag team action. Harper

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. The two

favorite that she already is. Banks doesn’t

and Rowan, and even Strowman need to

are quite a combo, but what they bring to

need to change her character in any

remain occupied after Survivor Series

the table can be limited at times. These

way which is the best part of this move.

and the Dudleys could be the perfect

two need to debut as soon as possible

Instead, more fans will get behind Sasha.

opponents, especially if Bubba and

before they are put on the back burner

These two can go at it for November

D-Von are to take part in a Survivor

by the NXT and WWE Universe. There’s

and December and maybe the winner

Series elimination match against the

so much each team could say about the

of their match at TLC determines who

Wyatt Family, presumably as part of

other and it would make for such great

is the new Number One Contender for

Team Undertaker. This matchup could

television. We can already see dollar

the Divas Championship. This could be

make everyone involved look outstanding

signs everywhere as both teams battle for

where we get Charlotte and Sasha for the

going into 2016 and give the Dudleys

supremacy. We could have Enzo and Cass

championship.

a break in their hopes for another tag

defeat New Day for the titles, allowing

team title reign. It is important to have a

New Day to grow as true heels, leading

secondary tag team rivalry, and this one

to an even longer and more creative back

could be epic, even leading to some sort

and forth rivalry. The WWE Universe will

of matchup at WrestleMania 32.

erupt the first time the music of Big Cass and Enzo hits.

THE NEW DAY AND THE USOS/BIG CASS & ENZO AMORE The trio of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods has been so impressive in the past few months. They turned an immediately failed gimmick into magic. They are now full on heels for the time being so now is the time for one of two specific teams to feud with them. One is the Usos. It seems like Jey Uso is fully healthy and the Usos could clash with the New Day in a battle of the two longest reigning Tag Team Champions in the past two years. The only dilemma with having these two team square off with one another is that the New Day may be so over with certain crowds (whether you like them or not) that the Usos may not receive the reception from the WWE Universe that

KEVIN OWENS AND NEVILLE Kevin Owens is a special talent. So is Neville. Neville has yet to have a match

NAOMI AND SASHA BANKS Team B.A.D. has been somewhat of an afterthought when we talk about the Divas Revolution. While the Divas Title picture will most likely include Paige challenging Charlotte for her title, there needs to be a secondary women’s feud that creates tension and eventually separates another team. Naomi and Tamina can turn on Sasha Banks, and it could turn into something special. There’s tons of talk as to who started the Divas Revolution but nobody talks about Naomi. She was always the good girl before she realized that those sorts of people almost never get their chance. In April, Naomi turned heel, taking Paige out of action in her hometown. Naomi realized that she needed to make a statement if she wanted to get opportunities at the Divas Championship. She was finally ready for the spotlight. But then came the import of women from NXT, stopping Naomi dead in her tracks. Sasha Banks is the talk of the town now, so Naomi should be upset that

on the main roster that matches his intensity from an average NXT match of his. Owens is booked to win in a tough and aggressive fashion…when he wants to. Owens is too often taking his championship to the back as he gets counted out or he cheats to win. Yes, those are fine when done on more rare and special occasions but Neville can bring out the best in Owens, and vice versa. Neville needs a reason for the fans to cheer him, other than his Red Arrow. If Neville can score an Intercontinental Championship victory over Owens, it could be the start of something good between both men. We need to see true wrestling and this rivalry would do just that. It gives both men a fun feud to be in to conclude the year and could continue on if one eliminates the other in the Royal Rumble. If there were to be another ladder match at WrestleMania like there was at Mania 31, then both of these men could definitely take part in that. This feud can elevate both Superstars and help cement the two as big time players in the WWE.

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 19

BLUE PANTS

LEVA BATES AKA BLUE PANTS

SHANE BAYLISS SPEAKS TO THE NXT AND SHINE STAR

Leva works for Universal Studios by day

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE A YEAR WILL TAKE YOU. I’VE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY APPEARANCES ON NXT AND OBVIOUSLY BROOKLYN WAS SUCH A MONUMENTAL AND SPECIAL MOMENT FOR ME

hey say that the man

because I never just sit at home and

YOU DEBUTED AS BLUE PANTS IN

defines the title, but what

rest.

NXT. HOW HAS THAT YEAR BEEN MAKING THOSE APPEARANCES? THE

they failed to mention was that sometimes the

FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER YOU WORK

HIGHLIGHT, I ASSUME, MUST HAVE

pants define the man

AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN THE WEEK,

BEEN TAKEOVER: BROOKLYN AND

(or woman) and in particular a specific

AND THEN DO YOUR WRESTLING AT

HELPING THE VAUDVILLIANS WIN THE

colour of pants (or trousers for all UK

THE WEEKEND?

NXT TAG CHAMPIONSHIP.

Pretty much yeah.

Technically, the anniversary of filming it

readers). Since last year, Leva Bates has found a cult following as the one known as ‘Blue Pants’ over on NXT. We caught

was two days ago. It was cool, someone

up with the lady herself to chat NXT,

SO NOT REALLY MUCH CHANCE TO

text me ‘happy anniversary’. So yeah

cosplay and coming to the UK.

HAVE A BREAK REALLY?

it really is a year, I think it aired two weeks later so technically in a week or

SO, HOW ARE THINGS?

I never have a day off. I don’t know what

so it’ll be the anniversary of it airing.

those are like so when taking Friday as a

I was actually looking back at the

I’m okay, now that the Skype’s working! I

legit sick day, I felt it best to just nurse

pictures, and at that first taping I look so

had to get the car done today, because I

myself. Physically I feel fine, but up top

different. Obviously it is the same outfit,

was going to do it Friday but I got really

I’m a little like ‘blah’. It’s just a matter

but I’ve started dieting more and I just

under the weather, so instead of doing

of getting it out of your system.

look different with the workout regime

all my running around then I decided to just take Friday off and just rest,

and everything. I’m like a completely IT’S ALMOST BEEN A YEAR SINCE

different person. It’s crazy what a year

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 21

BLUE PANTS stretch you as a performer. LOOKING AT SOME OF THE PROMO IMAGES YOU’VE RELEASED RECENTLY FOR SHINE, IT IS A LOT DIFFERENT. I KNOW YOU’VE QUOTED IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS YOUR RETURN TO SHINE. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN GONE FROM THERE?

FOR A GOOD SIX MONTHS I LOST EVERY MATCH THROUGH CHEATING, SOMEBODY ELSE CHEATING TO WIN AND THAT PRETTY MUCH MADE ME SNAP can do. You never know where a year will take you. I’ve lost count of how many appearances I’ve had on NXT and obviously Brooklyn was such a monumental and special moment for me because I went on a trip with WWE, which is so cool. They brought me in especially for that show, and I helped the Vaudvillians win the tag team championships on the PPV. It was such an honour and a great experience, if I do a show with them I feel like I learn a little more about this business. Not just WWE, every experience where you do a show you should try to learn from it and take that experience and apply it to other things. Hopefully fingers crossed they’ll keep wanting me back. BECAUSE TO SOME EXTENT YOU

22 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

The thing with Shine is seeds were planted I dare say a year and a half ago. I was tag team champion with Mia Yim, as the Lucha Sisters and we kept running into different plights and COULD BE CLASSED AS “ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES” IN THAT YOUR MAKING FAIRLY REGULAR APPEARANCES ON NXT, YET YOU ARE STILL MAKING YOUR APPEARANCES ON INDY SHOWS AND YOUR OLDER FANS FROM PROMOTIONS SUCH AS SHINE STILL GET TO SEE YOU PERFORM WITH THEM. It’s pretty cool, because I can do stuff with them and then keep doing what I’m doing elsewhere. I pretty much have a pay-per appearance thing, so I’m a free agent I can pretty much work wherever I need to, which is a new thing and it is pretty cool to be one of the first people doing this new thing with them. I can still do Shine, and with Shine I have a whole different storyline, persona and look. So I can do all that and play with the crazy promo ideas and the darker side of things, and then turn around and be Blue Pants. It is nice to have that versatility, that’s always something I’ve seen as key to being a performer and being able to keep stretching myself as a performer, keep learning and growing at every end of the spectrum. I do have a degree in Radio, TV and Theatre with an acting emphasis, so that’s kind of something I’ve always been big into. Its just finding those nuances and things that really

even though we were the tag team champions we would keep losing, and losing through cheating. So that started like planting seeds, for a good six months I lost every match through cheating, somebody else cheating to win and that pretty much made me snap, and that is kind of how this dark persona came about. The dark persona is kind of a vigilante and revolutionary leader, “if the powers that be and run this company just sit on their thumbs, and don’t take any action, I’ll have to stand up and do it” and so I’ve taken images from ‘The Purge’ and ‘Six Years Revolution’ and blended them with other pop culture and horror images. So I have followers and we all wear masks, and we are basically cleansing Shine of all the filth. So, it’s basically a really dark, yet good message, wrapped in a violent blanket. It’s kind of interesting, because I’m trying to push those boundaries and see where we can go with this and what I can do. Honestly, it is all about having a creative purpose. This kind of promo hasn’t been done by a woman, or possibly anyone before, and that’s how I look at it. This image, or this look, because of the whole cosplay side of it, because I’m cosplaying but I’m not cosplaying in Shine right now. There are characters that are drawn from

Blue Pants is a self confessed uber comic geek

things in pop culture, but I’m not necessarily dressing up as

and I love it. I think it is fresh and different to what they are

them, if that makes any sense? Where as other companies

doing with the Dollhouse. If I was a doll, I would be super

such as WSU, I’m a fully blown cosplay wrestler there. I’ll

creepy because I’m creeped out by dolls. Its really weird and

show up and I’m one hundred percent, head to toe Daredevil

awesome that we are both doing something on national levels,

or stuff like that, or a Dudley Boy. It’s kind of cool, because

that is so completely different and at different companies, but

each company I work for I’m a little different and obliviously,

then at Shine or Queens of Combat we can still get together

with the cosplay, I’m almost different every time. I love the

and be us, so that’s really cool.

challenge of “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, can I pull off a Captain Jack Sparrow character while I’m wrestling?” that’s

READING INTO YOUR EARLIER CAREER, I WASN’T AWARE

the challenge I set up for myself to keep myself interested

BUT YOU TRAINED UNDER MARK LOMONACO AND DEVON

and engaged.

HUGHES, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE DUDLEY BOYZ. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING UNDER SUCH LEGENDS?

WITH REGARD TO THE SHINE PROMOS THAT HAVE BEEN RELEASED, WOULD I BE RIGHT IN THINKING THERE

Absolutely worth it! A lot of people were like “is it really

IS A LITTLE BIT OF ‘POINT BREAK’ IN THERE, WITH

worth it?” Absolutely one hundred per cent. If you are

THE WHOLE DEAD PRESIDENTS?

going to learn from someone, you wanna learn from the best and who in the world of tag teams has been

Absolutely, that is exactly what that was.

more decorated and have more experience as Team 3D or the Dudley Boyz? They’ve done it all and

ON THE SUBJECT OF SHINE, AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH MIA YIM WHO PEOPLE MIGHT KNOW AS JADE IN TNA. HOW HAS IT BEEN WATCHING HER EMERGE AS PART OF THE ‘DOLLHOUSE’?

been everywhere, so it is absolutely worth the investment to study and train under them. They both bring something completely different to the table, and there is also a personal trainer there as well, so you get definitely the most for you money. I

It’s awesome, I love the fact that she is finally getting some kind of national exposure. It so funny she was like

actually started at a different school that Devon was helping out with, and he decided with Bubba that if you are going to

‘Leva, I have to be someone crazy. I’m totally

do a school you need to do it right, so they

channelling you’ which made me laugh a lot.

decided to have one of their own. So I kind

I’m so proud of her, and so happy for her. I love

of followed them, because you want to learn

Marti Belle as well, they’ve both worked really

from someone who’s done it and been there.

hard for this and one hundred percent deserve it

They actually give you that knowledge and

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 23

BLUE PANTS

A QUESTION FROM TWITTER THAT

FOR A GOOD SIX MONTHS I LOST EVERY MATCH THROUGH CHEATING, SOMEBODY ELSE CHEATING TO WIN AND THAT PRETTY MUCH MADE ME SNAP

WE WERE SENT THIS MORNING. IF YOU COULD WORK WITH ANY OTHER WRESTLER PAST OR PRESENT WHO WOULD IT BE? That I haven’t currently worked with? ANYONE YOU LIKE. One of them I always wanted to work with, and I actually got the chance to do Not only are they training us, they are training themselves. One thing I’ve learned from them, especially just talking to them, you never stop learning, you never stop growing. If you do you become stagnant, and that’s when you become irrelevant. LATE OCTOBER YOU ARE OVER HERE

information and say “I’ve been here,

IN THE UK DOING SOME SHOWS. IS

this is what they’ll want and expect

THAT ALL FINALISED, DO YOU KNOW

from you” and they also have their ear

YOUR AGENDA YET?

to the ground where they know what the current trends are, they know what the

I know a few of the shows, I think they

bigger companies are looking for. So it

are still getting worked out. I have a

definitely something worth looking into.

tour manager who is doing all that, and he kind of tells me as I get them. I know

THEY ARE THE TYPE OF GUYS WHO

I’ve been advertised and announced for

HAVE STAYED RELEVANT WHEREEVER

UPW and Fierce Females in Glasgow, so

THEY ARE, AND THEY’VE NEVER GONE

those two are one hundred per cent for

OUT OF STYLE OR GROWN STALE.

sure. I have a few other dates, but I wait till they announce it before I announce

Absolutely, if you look at them now they’re probably in better shape than they were ten or fifteen years ago.

24 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

anything.

a three-way match with her, was Daphne before she had to retire. She was one of the women, I really just admired her, especially during the Monday Night Wars because she was just so different to every other girl out there. She was goth, she was grieving, she was crazy. I mean she was beautiful, but it wasn’t about the beauty, it was more about the character and what she was doing, and that’s what drew me to her. So when I got to meet her for the first time I was at TNA doing the Kong Challenge, that was amazing, but then I actually got to wrestle her a few months later at a show, and it was a three-way match between me, her and Amy Love and that was kind of like “oh my god, I’m actually working with Daphne; this is so crazy”, and now years have passed we are really tight we talk almost everyday it is really cool. I’d love if there was anyway to make it happen or change things, because obviously for health reasons she doesn’t compete any more,

Leva has her own tshirt even though she isn’t signed to a WWE contract

but I’d love to have a one on one match with her, I think it would be really cool just our styles together would have been really cool. Another one, would have been Sherri Martel. Another woman I looked up to growing up because she was just so different. I love Elizabeth, but this woman had an edge, she had character, she had crazy makeup, over-the-top everything and she didn’t back away from scratching a guys eyes out or choking him. I just thought that was so cool especially in the eighties, because you didn’t see that many women wrestling on TV or doing anything except standing there looking pretty next to the guy. So with her getting involved, I thought that was so cool. I would have loved to have the opportunity to work with her as well. I guess I can sort of see a theme, taking a step back I’m like “wow, I’m learning something about myself here.” FINAL QUESTION I SUPPOSE IS, WILL BLUE PANTS BE BACK? THE LAST TIME WE SAW YOU ON NXT YOU LOST TO ALEXA? Actually an episode just aired this week where I came out and did a run in during the middle of a tag match because Alexa tried to cheat, and I came out to equalise the situation and I chased her around the ring, got her in the ring and tussled around, the she pushed me off her and the last thing you saw was me chasing her off into the sunset. So with that kind of set-up, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be back. THAT’LL TEACH ME TO BE A WEEK BEHIND ON NXT. Whoops, sorry about that! Spoiler alert, spoiler alert! BEFORE WE WRAP IT UP, ANYTHING

ELSE YOU WANTED TO SAY OR ADD? Or maybe they won’t! Last time they The next few weeks and month get

were like “your opponent will be

insane for me. We have Shine this

determined once we get out there”

coming Friday (2nd October). Shine 30,

and I’m like “okay, bring them on.”

which is just insane to me. I’ve actually

That’s part of having spirit, you don’t

done all thirty so far, I think that is kind

back down from a challenge. But

of a cool thing. I’m the only person

yeah, I’ve got a lot of cool stuff going

ever who has been on all thirty Shine’s,

on. I’m hoping to keep helping out

so check that out I should get a medal

the Vaudvillans as much as possible,

or something. The week after that is

maybe have another go with Alexa Bliss

Shimmer, and it is the 10th anniversary

if that’s possible. Again I am always

of Shimmer. So ten years of Shimmer

willing and available. We’ll see what

Women Athletes, so that is going to

happens to old Blue Pants in the future.

be bonkers I think. I don’t know who’s going to be there, but I imagine we’ll see some old faces, some new faces, all sorts of craziness going on so that is going to be an insane weekend. Then I get ready to make my way to the UK, I’m really excited I got lots of cool stuff

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lined-up. Then when I get back I have WSU waiting for me, and I get to defend my Spirit title. I’m not sure against who yet, but I’m sure they’ll tell me. THEY’LL LET YOU KNOW AT SOME POINT?

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 25

ROLLINS TO REIGNS

26 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

ROLLINS TO REIGNS

HOW DO YOU GET FROM ROLLINS TO REIGNS? WORDS: ALAN BOON

he cry of pain that no doubt howled around Dublin’s 3Arena as Seth Rollins’s anterior and medial cruciate ligaments decided to tear away from his knee was no doubt echoed in Stamford, Connecticut, where Vince McMahon was probably putting the finishing touches to the carefully-booked ascent of Roman Reigns to the WWE World Heavyweight title at Survivor Series. > With Rollins out of action for six to nine months, all plans to have Reigns dethrone him in Atlanta have had to be re-written, although the same end result may still warm up those boo boys usually in attendance at major pay-per-views.

ALL PLANS TO HAVE REIGNS DETHRONE ROLLINS HAVE HAD TO BE REWRITTEN

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 27

ROLLINS TO REIGNS

ROLLINS HAS BEEN MADE TO LOOK LIKE A WHINY BITCH The hasty end to Rollins’s title reign means it can be properly assessed, and it would be charitable to regard it as anything other than a failure. Rollins has largely delivered in the ring – although you might argue he does too much for a heel champion – but outside it he has been booked to be weak and annoying, hardly the stuff legends are made of. While his promo abilities are less than what you’d hope of someone at his level – and streets ahead of his probably successor – they’ve been lacking in the role he’s been handed, and resulted in the first twenty minutes of Raw being unwatchable on a regular basis. Worse still, he’s been made to look like a whiny bitch, and I mean no disrespect to anyone other than whiny bitches with that comment. There have been plenty of backpedalling, even cowardly heel champions over the years, but few in a territory like New York (which means that WWE doesn’t really know how to book for them), and few to the extent that Rollins has been portrayed as. Ric Flair begged off plenty, and used his stooges in the Four Horsemen to win many matches, but you never got the feeling that this was anything other

28 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

than a shortcut for him, that – if he really needed to – he could win these matches on his own. With Rollins, relying on The Authority and J&J Security for much of his reign, it seemed that was the only way he could win. But that’s behind us now, and we’ll have a new champion by the time Survivor Series finishes up, sometime around 4am UK time on November 23rd. It will be Reigns, of course, because Vince has been itching to put the belt on him for months, but the people who buy tickets to his TV shows just won’t have it. It might be time to just go with it, anyway, because it’s never getting any better. And that means finding the right opponent for Reigns to beat, someone the crowd cannot possibly cheer instead of him, and it’s a very, very short list.

WHAT THE FANS OFTEN WANT IS TERRIBLE FOR BUSINESS Right about now, the only one I think I could be sure of appearing on that list is The Big Show. The two had a decent contest at Extreme Rules earlier this year, and they could reprise that, but it would probably be a horrible match. Sheamus, too, would probably garner enough

“fuck you!” heat to make Reigns’s coronation a happy affair, although his participation is complicated by the ridiculous decision to give him the Money In The Bank briefcase in the summer. Beyond those two, it’s hard to see who might be hated enough to make Reigns likeable to the majority of those in attendance. It’s an odd position for Vince to find himself in, but by no means a unique one. He’s been there before – Lex Luger being the prime example – and he’ll be there again, and sometimes it’s no bad thing. Because you can’t give the fans what they want all the time. You have to give them what they think they want, but what the fans actually want is often terrible for business. Paul Boesch, the veteran Houston promoter, experimented in San Antonio, match-making on the whims of the fans who attended the shows, and found that the matches they demanded – often between the most popular area wrestlers – drew terribly, not even attracting the fans who demanded them! Having to book around this kind of conundrum keeps a promoter on his toes, and how Vince gets the belt on Reigns will be far more interesting than what follows. As for Rollins, an injury like this will give him time to refocus and work out what went wrong with his time at the top, assuming he is not one of the very few who regards it as a success. He’s from a generation that are students of the game and you’d hope he’s retained that on his journey to the top, enough that we’ll see a real architect’s vision for the future of professional wrestling. At the very least, he should stay off TV and watch some vintage Flair. Talent borrows, genius steals…

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33 50 STEELCHAIR

MAGAZINE TOPSAMI 50ZAYN WRESTLERS 2015

Words: SB, Shane Bayliss, AB – Alan Boon, HC – Howard Crossland, JD – John Duffy, DG – Dominic Griffin, RH – Richard Hart, LH – Lee Hazell, AJ – Anton Jackson, PL – Pierro LoStappo, Chris Moyse - CM

RYBACK yback has begun hitting something of a stride, finding a way to incorporate his goofy hoss personality and love of The Secret into his otherwise stale Goldberg tribute act. His matches are better and his promos are showing promise, but we’ll see how he fares now having dropped the IC Title to Kevin Owens. (DG)

emale wrestlers get a bad rap for being nothing more than mere titillation for a male fan base. Hearing the name Sexy Star you would be forgiven for jumping to that conclusion. But she isn’t Sexy Star for the men, but a star “for every girl out there who needs a hero”. Her matches show that she can easily run with the big boys. (LH)

ROCKSTAR SPUD o sum up Spud in one word, it would be passion. 2015 saw him take the Ultimate Underdog from being Dixie’s chief of staff to full roster mainstay. He’s held the X-Division title twice, headlined Wembley and fought Angle for the TNA title. Pretty long way for a scrawny fella from the West Midlands to go. But when you believe as hard as Spud, you get the crowd believing as well. (LH)

BRIAN CAGE he Fucking Machine” had a solid year, venturing into the world of lucha where he’s really found his wings as a heel. A jacked, douchebag white dude arriving at Triplemania wearing a Trump 4 Prez shirt is some next level villainy, and while Mr. GMSI continues to up his inring game, seeing him develop a real character is exciting. (DG)

46 TETSUYA NAITO ith his Los Ingobernables affiliation, Naito had the best slow heel turn. Nobody is painting a more fascinating portrait of loathsome apathy as the former Stardust Genius, presenting himself as the perfect foil for anyone he steps into the ring with. Naito’s always been an amazing performer in the ring, so now that he’s found a character that works for him. (DG)

Photos: Brian Cage by Sayuncle | Ryback by Miguel Discart | Tetsuya Naitō by ゾーヒョー

SEXY STAR

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

ENZO + CASS

MICHAEL ELGIN

015; the year that Enzo and Cass blew up. It’s only a matter of time before they are called up to the main roster. New Day V Enzo and Cass anyone?

ig Mike’s had a quietly powerful, outwardly middling year stateside, but his excursion into NJPW this summer for the G1 changed everything. Never has a man looked more at home within himself and with his audience. Elgin’s true calling is puroresu and if he returns to Japan, things can only go up from here. (DG)

SAWFT! (PL)

HIGHLIGHT: NXT Takeover Brooklyn

43 Photos: Enzo, Nikki by Miguel Discart | Michael Elgin by tabercil | Drew Galloway by Kimberley Bayliss

NIKKI BELLA

DREW GALLOWAY

ne of the most underrated performers in WWE, Nikki Bella – the longest reigning Divas’ Champ of all time, is one of the top heels in the company. Ironically, the best example of this came at Night of Champions, her last night with the belt. Her work in antagonising Charlotte was infuriating for all the right reasons. (LH)

sing momentum gained from his return to ICW in 2014, he made his ‘hesitant’ TNA début at the start of the year, allowing him to mix regular TV appearances with working for independent UK promotions such as ICW, Southside and PCW. With Galloway’s current push, could he be the man to topple EC3? (SB)

WOMEN AND DIVAS ARE INCLUDED IN THE TOP 50. WILL VAUDEVILLAINS BE OUT HIGHEST ENTRY?

41 KATSUYORI SHIBATA n the year since Shibata’s aura transforming performance against rival Tanahashi, “The Wrestler” has slowly become one of the most compelling workers in all of pro wrestling. His simple, but effective offense and new passion for selling have given him a renewed verve that made him one of the G1’s best combatants. (DG)

he goat faced indie darling made an aborted comeback in 2015 winning the intercontinental title at Wrestlemania. However his long running injury problems have kept him off TV since. (RH)

HIGHLIGHT: Winning IC title at WrestleMania 31

VAUDEVILLAINS y favourite entrance in all of NXT, goes hand in hand with two of its best characters. No one in wrestling (aside from maybe Bray Wyatt) has a look that goes so well with the persona. Their victory over Blake + Murphy at NXT Takeover:Brooklyn to finally pick up the NXT Tag Team Championships was one of the reasons the night felt so special. (LH)

38 SON OF HAVOC The hipster bearded indie darling and breakout star of Lucha Underground won over critics and fans alike with his exciting in ring ability and comedic prowess in front of both the passionate temple crowds or 16 people in Switzerland. This guy can flip, whip and high fly with the best of them while showing off a “big guy physique”. (JD)

< FULL INTERVIEW WITH GALLOWAY IN STEELCHAIR ISSUE 3

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Photos: Katsuyori Shibata ゾーヒョー | Vaudevillains - Discart | Bryan from WWE Video

DANIEL BRYAN

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

36 SAMOA JOE o yourself a favour, put away your preconceived notions of how you think business is done and understand we are re-writing the book.” These were the words Samoa Joe tweeted out when news of “The Joe Deal” hit wrestling news outlets worldwide. Joe is a big enough name and a good enough a wrestler to negotiate a contract with WWE to let him appear on their programming and not be exclusive. They made that concession for him. That alone nails Joe to this list. (LH)

ADAM COLE he former ROH Champ spent the start of 2015 on the shelf. His return as a semi-fan favourite was a pleasant surprise, particularly to see him reunited with his Future Shock cohort O’Reilly. As fun as that was, it would be short lived. He’s back to his best, as a heel, and ready to chase the gold again. He’s dearly missed out in PWG, but perhaps we’ll see him take an Elgin styled NJPW trip in the coming year? (DG)

35 Photos: Samoa Joe Tabercil | Rusev by Anton Jackson | Grado by Kimberley Bayliss

GRADO

RUSEV reat wrestlers can be measured in their ability to give great matches regardless of terrible booking. In that respect Rusev is a future hall of famer. But all these stumbling blocks will only serve to make his inevitable return to the main event all the more satisfying. (LH)

FULL INTERVIEW WITH GRADO, EC3 AND ROCKSTAR SPUD IN ISSUE 2 >

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HIGHLIGHT: WWE United States Champion

he Chubby Wee Chancer Fae the Tap End of Stevenson continues to grow the Grado brand, with 2015 seeing him go international with a successful run in TNA that saw him challenge for the X-Divison title. The remainder of 2015 sees him challenge the ICW World Heavyweight Title in November, a match which some may seem him as potentially winning. Bring on Air-Grado. (SB)

WE SPOKE TO EC3 BEFORE HE BECAME THE MAN BACK IN ISSUE 2, THE SETH ROLLINS COVER

SAMI ZAYN o great are Zayn’s performances that he made it in the Top 50 even though he’s been out since May. His moment of glory earlier in the year was short lived managing only a 2 month term as NXT Champion, being destroyed by Kevin Owens on consecutive Takeovers. But the memory of those matches, and with Neville will live large in the memories of NXT’s biggest fans. (LH)

30 PENTAGON JR

HIGHLIGHT: Vs Vampiro at Ultima Lucha

reDRAGON ne of the finest teams in the world right now, also happen to be comprised of two of the best singles grapplers around. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish have great chemistry together, cut hilarious promos, and work fantastic matches. Between their home base of ROH and a run in NJPW they’re two of the best going, but, both men are just as ready to kill it solo. (DG)

ETHAN CARTER III t the time of writing, EC3 is still undefeated and still TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Even if he isn’t, he’s got a long way to fall if he’s to be deemed undeserving of a spot on this list. The most dominant heel in the company has been on a rising ticket since his entrance as Dixie’s favourite nephew. (LH)

Editor note - EC3 isn’t world champion anymore!

HIROSHI TANAHASHI

ANGELICO

o put it mildly, rumours of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Folks started talking like maybe Tana had lost it, but between his stellar performance against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 9 and his jaw dropping G1 run, the air-guitaring icon reminded everyone the world over who really runs this shit. (DG)

he South African wonderkid was again another reason why Lucha Underground excelled, his death defying leaps and energetic style made the product a must watch experience for any wrestling fan. His AAA appearances already had Mexican fans in awe but his involvement in LU’s best storyline and Trios Title matches brought him, literally flying to western attention (JD)

Photos: Zayn by FD562 | Hiroshi Tanahashi by mark surume

he breakout star of a Lucha Underground that also included half a dozen others on this list, Pentagón Jr stormed his way into the hearts of believers everywhere by breaking arms and cutting intense promos about his mysterious master. (AB)

The new sensation that’s sweeping the nation is TagMeADate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Here at TagMeADate, our motto is: “Now wrestling night is date night.” As big fans of professional wrestling ourselves, we want to bring single fans together to meet their “tag team soul mates.” We have had tremendous support from wrestlers and fans alike. Our brand has sponsored many wrestling events in a year’s time and have a strong relationship with independent promotion Northeast Wrestling. You can join us and NEW’s own Vince Berry on our podcast “The WAR Report,” with the initials standing for wrestling and relationships. The sky’s the limit as we have many great features coming up, such as women signing up for free, changing our pricing structure, and search by location. One of the most unique features we have is the ability to create your own promo video, giving your possible matches a chance to view your personality. Your first month is free when you sign up for TagMeADate.com

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

Join the debate and include

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27 PAIGE as Paige been put in the shade by her fellow Diva Revolutionaries? This year has certainly seen much more of the press go to her former NXT roster mates. But now that she that she has a far bigger pool of superior competition, Paige just might live up to the hype she entered her first Monday Night Raw with. Her heel turn after Night of Champions, will no doubt see Paige facing Charlotte and Becky for the Divas title and rising up the ranks of lists like these with the kinds of performances we all know she’s capable of. (LH)

KOTA IBUSHI bushi made it four days into 2015 before racking up a five star rating from Papa Melty with his barnburner losing effort against Shinsuke Nakamura. Everything about that match promised a star making year for the DDT mainstay, but he’s yet to fully blow, despite a pair of insane matches with AJ Styles and some other great G1 bouts. His current chase for the NEVER Openweight Championship is a little blah after the heights of year so far, but we suspect something big is in store for him by the next Dome show. (DG)

JOHNNY MUNDO

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FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOHNNY MUNDO IN ISSUE 6>

Photos: Paige by Miguel Discart | Kota Ibushi by Temaki

n the great tradition of upper mid-card talents truly finding themselves after exiting the WWE, John Morrison’s second act as a cagey hotshot in Lucha Underground has been incredible. Great matches with Prince Puma, a killer feud with Alberto El Patron and a pitch perfect heel turn homage to Shawn Michaels and the barbershop window? Not a bad year for a guy some people counted out. (DG)

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

JAY LETHAL ethal’s return to his home in ROH continued the narrative that maybe he’d never be the guy long time fans hoped he’d one day blossom into. This last year’s run as ROH TV Champ into his current World Title reign have been nothing short of exemplary. Lethal’s found himself as an elite level main eventer marred by insecurity and hubris, doing the work of his career and then some. (DG)

Photos: Ospreay by Rob Brazier | Adrian Neville by Miguel Discart | Wyatt by Anton Jackson | Young Bucks by Michael Watson | Lethal by Lee South

NEVILLE

he fact that his performances drip with character in every syllable, movement and expression make him one of the most visceral storytellers and electrifying performers in WWE, as the consistent quality of his matches show. (LH)

fter a great NXT title run, Neville had some fun matches with the developmental brand. Since his RAW debut, he’s fared surprisingly well, being booked like a real competitor in some great matches (a stellar US title bout with Cena). We’ll see how much longer a guy his size can fit into Vince’s world, but he’s too fine a talent to leave languishing in a Stardust feud. (DG)

t’s been a breakout year for Ospreay. Winner of the inaugural PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 tournament and ending Jimmy Havoc’s 609day reign of terror as champion after hitting the 630 Senton. Add that to a show-stealing match against Mark Andrews at PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles, and at just 22, the future looks limitless for Essex’s Aerial Assassin. (HC)

BRAY WYATT

WILL OSPREAY

YOUNG BUCKS he Young Bucks have been are the most exciting tag team in the world for ten years. For the Jackson brothers, high-spots are their business, both in the ring and on lists like this. Their specialty, beating their opponents with two or three finishers in a row, remains the last word in wrestling overkill. (LH)

JIMMY HAVOC SPOKE TO SHANE BAYLISS AT DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL WHICH CAN BE READ ISSUE 4

18 JIMMY HAVOC J

19 BECKY LYNCH ynch won a triple threat match to become the number one contender for the NXT Women’s title against Banks. Fast forward to July 13 where she debuted on Raw starting the Divas Revolution. She set NXT on fire and we expect it won’t be long until RAW sees her (given the chance) incredible talent. With her journey just starting I expect big things from her in the future. (PL)

17 RODERICK STRONG ro-Wrestling Guerilla champion and a serious contender for Ring Of Honor gold, Roderick Strong brought his “shitty little boots” over to the UK for PROGRESS this year, too, making quite the impact in the Super Strong Style 16, and also took on Shinsuke Nakamura for Revolution Pro-Wrestling. He also went to a broadway draw with Jay Lethal for the ROH title, in a stunning encounter. (AB)

HIGHLIGHT: PROGRESS Wrestling Champion

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Photos: Havoc by Kimerley Bayliss | Lynch by Discart | roderick strong - Anton Jackson

immy Havoc’s theme music ‘I Hope You Suffer’ accurately describes his mantra that has catapulted him from his deathmatch roots into the best heel in the UK. There were rumours abound on Twitter several weeks ago that he was joining NXT; he isn’t (he was a fan on the front row at Takeover: Brooklyn), but it’s a testament to his success that it was considered feasible. Portraying the same character across promotions, it is in PROGRESS where Havoc has been his most sadistic. His defining story arc reached a fitting conclusion at Chapter 21, leaving to a standing ovation and a chorus of his name once more. Whatever his next step, you can be sure when that music hits, business is about to pick up. (HC)

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

15 BAYLEY

ZACK SABRE JR Photos: Zack Sabre Jr by Stuart Sunley | Bayley by Discart | Katsuyori Shibata by ゾーヒョー

ollowing on from her epic title win and defence against the equally outstanding, Sasha Banks; Bayley’s ascension is a fitting one, as well as being long overdue. Despite being an immensely talented wrestler and having both a unique character and presentation in comparison to her fellow female competitors; she had previously played more of a supporting role to her more serious contemporaries. But in 2015, Bayley battled and overcame the heel detractors who belittled her, gained the respect of her allies who didn’t treat her seriously enough; and has deservedly rocketed herself position as the centrepiece of NXT’s revamped female division. With her immense talent and huge likability, her main roster-potential and marketability is almost limitless. Hugs all around! No? Eh… Ok then. (GW)

ne of the best technical wrestlers in the world, the Isle of Sheppey’s Zack Sabre Jr. is always a man in demand. He spends most of his time with Japan’s Pro Wrestling Noah, but recently found fame stateside by winning PWG’s ‘Battle of Los Angeles’ tournament. Also a regular standout performer in PROGRESS and Germany’s wXw, he collects plaudits wherever he goes. And air miles. (HC)

14 KAZUCHIKA OKADA lad in a Ric Flair robe, the current IGWP Champion, and new face of NJPW, has had an exceptional 2015 so far, with two contenders for MOTY – first against Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 9, and then versus AJ Styles at Dominion, where he captured the IWGP title. Expect The Rainmaker to gain legendary status by the end of 2015, if he hasn’t done so already. (JD)

HIGHLIGHT: NXT Takeover Brooklyn, NXT Women’s Champion

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ARE THE CURRENT NXT WOMEN’S AND WWE DIVA CHAMPION’S THE HIGHEST ENTRY IN OUR TOP 50?

RICOCHET/PRINCE PUMA

CHARLOTTE

There’re better wrestlers, better talkers, and better all-rounders today, but no-one - and I mean fucking NOONE - makes it look as easy as Ricochet. In Dragon Gate, NJPW, or under a goofy mask as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground, he’s the most seamless, fluid highflyer in the world. It’s unreal how impressive he’s become. (DG)

osing the NXT title early in 2015 ironically proved to be Charlotte’s breakout moment. Working hard to exceed the expectations of her bloodline, her solid ringwork lead to her eventual debut on RAW this summer. Charlotte captured the Divas title in September, hopefully pointing the struggling division to a bright future. (CM)

10 BROCK LESNAR

From a joke babyface trio to the hottest heel three-man tag-team in the business, The New Day have proven that just being yourself can do something no amount of tightly scripted promos can ever manage. And they’ve managed to do it with a trombone and lots and lots of clapping. (AB)

he Beast, Brrrrrrock Lesnar is still the most dominant athlete in sports entertainment. His feud with The Undertaker has become an instant classic thanks to smart storytelling and his killer athleticism. But when you’re talking Lesnar, you have to mention the legendary Paul Heyman, the best talker in the business. (LH)

Photos: Charlotte/Brock-Miguel Discart | new day - Megan Elice |Meadows

NEW DAY

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

AJ STYLES

he King of Strong Style is over in NJPW but, for real proof of his appeal, take a look at any excursion he takes overseas. You’ll see a performer pop crowds who’ve only seen highlight videos on YouTube, and pirated bouts on DailyMotion, and wind them round his little finger. Swagsuke, indeed. (DG)

loppy-fringed AJ Styles has evolved in NJPW, and surpassed his own star status in the most demanding company on Earth. His matches against Okada (Dominion) and Ibushi & Tanahashi (G1 Climax) are all legit MOTY contenders. This standard of match on a regular basis shows how rejuvenated Styles is in 2015. (JD)

07 07

Photos: Shinsuke Nakamura - Temaki | Dean Ambrose - Discart | AJ Styles - Mike Kalasnik

DEAN AMBROSE he Lunatic Fringe is undoubtedly the breakout star of disbanded faction The Shield, as well as one of the WWE’s most popular babyfaces. Despite a series of losses at the start of the year, Dean Ambrose has used his charismatic presence, natural comedic talent, and exciting brawling style to keep the fans cheering for him throughout a string of solid performances. With his dedicated fanbase, rebellious persona and passionate determination, Ambrose is surely destined for championship glory in the future. (CM)

FULL INTERVIEW WITH RVD, JOHNNY MUNDO, BROOKE ADAMS AND VIRGIL

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JOHN CENA rowds are still split right down the middle when it comes to John Cena but there can’t be many serious students of the sport that can deny that the 2015 Cena is worthy of anything other than acclaim. A man in his position could – and would in times past – take it easy, hitting the big spots to pop the crowd and coasting on his merchandise-selling reputation but Cena has decided instead to match any workrate on any show he appears on, using his US title open challenge to earn the match of the night on any show he appears on. (AB)

#steelchair50

HIGHLIGHTS: US Title Open Challenge

CESARO I

Photos: Discart.|

t’s been another hotand-cold year for the undeniably talented Cesaro. He achieved moderate tag team success with Tyson Kidd around Wrestlemania time, but was often lost in the mid-card fog. A long-term injury to Kidd in June allowed Cesaro to fly solo once again, excelling in highprofile matches with John Cena and Kevin Owens. Seemingly gaining momentum towards the main event, a lack of a meaningful feud since Summerslam has frustrated his many supporters. The Swiss has proved he can be the man to grab that ‘brass ring’, if only they didn’t keep moving it. (HC)

PHOTO: MIGUEL DISCART

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

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SETH ROLLINS ret Hart recently said of Seth Rollins “He’s going to carry the company. His timing is impeccable and he does a lot of challenging, creative, complex stuff.” We’ll gloss over the fact that he also said he can’t call Seth a great wrestler because he broke John Cena’s nose and mistakes like that are amateur. I get the feeling many of our readers will disagree with Mr. Hart on that point.

But on that first point, he’s spot on. Seth has combined his unparalleled athleticism with his uncanny instinct for in-ring psychology to produce action that is technically impressive as well as narratively fluent. The reason his matches thrill with such consistency is because he can tell a story with his wrestling ability. This is a hard skill to master and Seth Rollins has achieved that mastery at 29. (LH)

HIGHLIGHTS: Cashing in the Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 31, Triple threat with John Cena and Brock Lesnar (Royal Rumble), holding the World and US Title.

PHOTO: CHRIS MARCIANO

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

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KEVIN OWENS here are people on this list who have had great years but few of them can match the stunning impact Kevin Owens has made on WWE in such a short time. From winning the NXT title just two months after his debut to beating Cena on his first night on the main roster, Owens 2015 has been phenomenal. He captured the Intercontinental title at Night Of Champions and has so far proven those who doubted he had the physique to make it on top in WWE very wrong.

Owens is the epitome of the “smash mouth” style – heavy hitting, quick out of the blocks, and always ready with a quick quip to further rile his opponents. Owens walks a line between out and out heel and fanfriendly anti-hero, but toes that line with a nous that few in that position ever develop. The doubters might continue to pour scorn on his chances of making it to the very top but with several top-line feuds already lined up beyond his current outing with Ryback, Owens looks to have 2016 “KO”d, too. (AB)

HIGHLIGHTS: NXT Champion, beating John Cena and Intercontinental Champion

PHOTO: CHRIS MARCIANO

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015

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SASHA BANKS he scariest thing about The Boss isn’t her ground game. Yeah, she’s a killer technician who probably makes Zack Sabre Jr lie awake at night staring at his fingers, but it isn’t that. It’s not that she’s so fucking good on the mic, either. She’s got a commanding presence more than deserving of her stage moniker and she makes anyone standing next to her on the stick sound like a first year drama student. It’s not that she’s as beloved by so called internet fans as she is reviled by the precocious children who cheer for rivals like Bayley. The scariest thing about Sasha is that she’s only 23.

WINNER

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With multiple 4+ star matches under her belt this year and a profile that just keeps rising, we haven’t even begun to see the full depths of her potential. We get to watch someone who might end up being the greatest female wrestler of all time grow and develop and continue to improve. It’s terrifying for the status quo, but I can’t think of a better time to be a fan. (DG)

HIGHLIGHTS: NXT Women’s Champion, Iron Man V Bayley, NXT Takeover:New York V Bayley

STEELCHAIR TOP 50 2015 WORDS: LEE HAZELL

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How did these guys not make the list? F

ive of the Hottest properties in wrestling that just didn’t make the cut.

ROMAN REIGNS

KURT ANGLE Cited by many of this generation’s professional wrestlers as the greatest of all time, Kurt Angle is a shocking absence from any best-of list. His performances in the last year haven’t been quite what they were in 2003, but his technical ability is no less proficient than it has ever been.

50 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

“RKO Outta Nowhere” was the wrestling meme of the decade and only made stronger by his instant classic with Rollins at WrestleMania 31. Randy Orton is better now than he has ever been, wrestling with more personality than at any point in his ten years at the top. But now he seeks to wind down his career, looking for the “Undertaker schedule”. Perhaps it has been his time away from the ring that has made his recent performances so overlooked.

THE ADDICTION

Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian wrestled in 2015. Therefore it was a great wrestling year for Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. That’s how good these two 20-year-plus veterans are. ROH Tag Team Champions for most of 2015, The Addiction may only be the latest incarnation of this awesome pairing, but if it is the last it’s one of the best.

MARTY SCURLL Marty Scurll entered 2015 as Rev Pro Wrestling’s heavyweight champion. Bear in mind many

#STEELCHAIR50

Talk about your underrated performers. Roman Reigns got himself a poisoned chalice upon his return from injury at the end of last year. His push was soundtracked by a chorus of boos that plagued his Rumble win and his WrestleMania main event match. Despite the internet wrestling community disparaging him for a limited move set, I still think that he possess a physical charisma that is perhaps only equalled by Bray Wyatt. Every gesture and expression oozes his persona and makes every performance as entertaining as hell.

RANDY ORTON

believe Rev Pro to be one of the hottest new promotions in the country, perhaps even more so than PROGRESS. His elevation is due to the fact that his new character “The Villain” makes for a much stronger main-eventer than “Party Marty” and the Bournemouth born lad took this new persona to the bank.

WORDS: LEE HAZELL

ENDVR 13

ENDVR 13 (OR HOW GOT MY LOVE OF INDIE WRESTLING BACK) or a writer in a wrestling

full time job. It was then that I decided

boys rubbing shoulders with the students

magazine, I have an

to get back into wrestling again. But dear

of the ProJo, Progress’s own wrestling

embarrassing confession.

lord is wrestling a time commitment.

school.

I’ve not been to an indie

Watching WWE alone is full-time job, on

Watching wrestling purely in the form of

show in a very long time.

top of my actual, paid full-time job and

heavily produced and tightly wrapped

In fact, the last time I saw a show with

that’s before I even begin to write about

packages made me forget what an

no WWE or WCW alumni in it was at a

it. Keeping up with all of the turns and

intimate event wrestling can be. The

family holiday in Butlins. I was two years

title changes, as well as the backstage

crowd are sat in a close-knit circle

off secondary school and had my picture

politics to keep my writing current knocks

around the ring – any suicida dives and

taken with the face. That’s how young I

out any hope of getting into most other

someone in the front row will wish they

was. I was one of the screaming tikes

forms of wrestling. Most US and UK

had paid for the cheap seats. When the

that made shows like that a nightmare

indie can’t get a look in on my schedule.

ring announcer enters to the sounds of

for any adult to watch, but I would kick

Japan? Forget about it. Ok so I might be

Funeral For A Friend’s Bullet Theory he

and scream until my parents laid down

able to squeeze more actual wrestling in

makes it very clear that he’s not there

the ten quid for the picture with the man

if I didn’t watch so many Top Ten Sexual

to talk at us, but with us. There are no

who looked like my He-Man had come to

Harassment Lawsuits In Wrestling videos

formalities, but there is a hell of a lot of

life; so the promoters would bend over

on YouTube, but I can’t cut them out. I’m

banter. It’s a jokey atmosphere, one that

backwards to please me.

a journalist goddamnit.

plays to the British sense of humour.

Since then, I became a teenager and my

So when one of the Steel Chair seniors

I don’t feel spoken down to by multi-

parents were less inclined to enable my

offered us a ticket to the latest Progress

millionaires or told what to like by some

temper tantrums with signed Polaroids

ENDVR show (and I was first on the scene

creative in love with his own work. I feel

of Stretch Armstrong. Fortunately, I had

to take it for once) I damned near bit his

welcome. Something that, as a mark, I

Sky in my room so I started watching the

hand off. Progress Wrestling is London’s

haven’t felt in a long time.

newly created Wrestling Channel. There I

biggest and most popular promotion.

These are the guys on the lower roster

saw Ring of Honor (God, I hate spelling

It oozes personality and sports a truly

trying to make a name for themselves

Honour without a “u”), old-school TNA

indie sensibility. Their punk-rock attitude

so I feel encouraged to like them, but

(the shows that were all PPV’s at the

and innovative execution have brought a

not forced. I feel it’s my own decision

time) and, of course, Frontier Alliance

hipsterism to British wrestling that has

to be positive; to pat them on the back

Wrestling (including the now legendary

both endeared it to the population and

for doing a dangerous job well. Take

Revival). This channel more than made

infuriated them.

Damon Moser vs. David Francisco. Not a

up for the fact that I had no income nor

ENDVR 13 is the thirteenth in the ENDVR

technical masterpiece by any stretch but

the tolerance for crowds that support

series (go figure). If you don’t know, think

a really good match and I cheer like I’m

ventures to the myriad of indie shows in

of ENDVR as Progress Wrestling’s NXT. A

watching a title change hands.

my native London.

set of high production dress rehearsals

It was also a reminder of the weirdness

I got that elusive income and lost that

that prepare their up-and-comers for the

of professional wrestling. Not the kind

agoraphobia, but only with the help of a

bigtime. But you will find some of the big

where three gospel choir members put

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 51

ENDVR 13 their index fingers on their heads and

not just during their crowd-baiting PDA’s

Robinson, a man of hardworking repute

pretend to be unicorns. No, I mean real

either. A couple of natural heels with wry

and an outstanding talent in the ring.

weirdness; the kind that WWE would like

smiles and a penchant for the sadistic.

Together, him and the man who looked

you to forget exists. Enter Jack Sexsmith.

Fine performances all round.

like the Jesus figure from the Kevin Smith

Sexsmith is a raging pervert from

They almost met their end when Sexsmith

film Dogma had a barnstormer only

the darkest corners of a Carry On

hit them both with a Double Mr. Cocko.

topped by the nights main event.

film. His introduction includes the

Oh, I’m sorry, allow me to explain. Mr.

It seems women’s wrestling fever has

phrase “Sexually frivolous and morally

Cocko is when Jack produces a condom

gripped more than just the world of

ambiguous.” There isn’t a person in

from his pants – like Mick Foley used to

WWE and NXT. Progress are now also

Progress’s employ that he won’t rub his

do with an innocent sock – and insert his

headlining their shows with their best

arse up against. Comedy is comedy but

hand into it – once again like Mick Foley

women’s wrestlers. Jinny is a right cow

there is a point where it just becomes

– and he would shove his hand… Look,

and an fashion elitist for whom looks are

just watch a Mick Foley video will you?

everything. She and her Italian assistant

Just writing this is giving me flashbacks.

Elizabeth are taking on the clear fan

Anyway, he loses. Looks like you need

favourites, Aussie sensation Toni Storm

more than a string of felonies to chalk up

and the brilliant Pollyanna.

a win in Progress. Getting yourself on a

This was the event that made the night.

A showstopper that the whole event was

Jack Sexsmith. Bloody funny though.

built around. Most shows these days

You would never get something so on

break the announcers table in the second

edge, so bizarre and so suggestive on an

match. Not at Progress. They understand

advertisement dependant programme.

that if you give the people all of the

Even the South Pacific Power Couple

spectacle right from the start, then by the

probably wouldn’t have half their shtick

end it means nothing. By refraining from

get past the sensors.

going into the crowd, the other wrestlers

Mind you though, one thing that wouldn’t

were showing these ladies the proper

happen at a mainstream show is a guy

respect the main event deserves. That’s

not turning up like he’s supposed to.

why when they were diving outside the

The Villain Marty Scurll was supposed

ring and into the audience it added that

to be answering Pastor William Eaver’s

extra edge to the match. It made it feel

challenge. But he didn’t show and the

like it had something the others didn’t.

compare suggested that was simply

The action was hard and the spots could

that he couldn’t be bothered. Whether

be brutal. Jinny is a top draw heel and

or not this is a show of kayfabe to

masters an age old gimmick. Pollyanna

keep up with his heel persona or not, I

carves a niche for herself by simply not

don’t know. But he certainly didn’t look

succumbing to any stereotype that female

sexual harassment. The poor ref look like

impressed. There’s simply no way that

wrestlers usually have to endure. She

was suffering from PTSD before the bell

a litigious happy corporation like WWE

wrestles, she’s a badass, she’s fantastic

rung. When I saw this was a mixed tag

would have let a thing like that happen

at what she does. That is it.

match I felt my heart go out to Livii, his

without that person knowing there would

It was an explosive finish to an excellent

partner. There was a girl who had enough

be consequences. I don’t know what

night and one that reignited a passion

to worry about from the fella on her side,

Progress’s legal department are like, but

for wrestling that mainstream companies

let alone the opposition.

I get the feeling that the only thing that

have failed to entice from me. Mark my

Speaking of whom, the opposition were

they can hurt here is Scurll’s reputation.

words disillusioned wrestling fans of the

Dahlia Black & TK Cooper, and together

It was a disappointment for me as Scurll

world. Get some mates, grab a few drinks

they are the South Pacific Power Couple.

is one of the biggest names on the roster

and find your nearest indie and hope that

New Zealand’s finest mixed tag, and if

and I was really looking forward to seeing

they are as good as Progress.

they aren’t I’d like to see the ones who

his character in person. Still, I was more

are. These guys had great chemistry and

than happy with his replacement, Paul

I FEEL WELCOME. SOMETHING THAT, AS A MARK, I HAVEN’T FELT IN A LONG TIME

52 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

e! in z a g a m v t d n a FREE music, film vulturehound.com AUGUST 2O15 STEELCHAIR 75

TATANKA

WORDS: BRENDAN MCELENY | PHOTOS: XXXXXXXXX

LEGEND OF THE RING?

TATANKA

Agree or disagree?

tweet us at @SteelchairMag

54 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

Tatanka is actually of Native American descent

often judge a wrestler on three parts; the first

his last match in WWF on the 19th March 1996 losing to Bret

being how well they can perform in the ring, the

Hart. Tatanka declined any contract from WCW or WWF and left

second being how developed and intriguing their

the mainstream wrestling scene to focus on his personal and

character is and the third strangely being, how

spiritual life.

well they interact with fans whom they meet.

Where is Tatanka now?

There is no doubt that whenever you meet a wrestler whether

Tatanka returned to the WWE in 2005 full time appearing at

it is one of your favourites or not, a certain stars truck feeling

various house shows before making his televised return at

hits you. On the lead up to deciding who this months Legend of

the 2006 Royal Rumble, despite being eliminated by Joey

the Ring would be I was fortunate enough to meet Sting, who

Mercury and Johnny Nitro , Tatanka was well received by fans

needs no introduction among any wrestling fan. That being said

and his return sparked a lot of interest. Returning as a face,

however prior to the meeting I took time to think back at current

a short lived tag team was formed with Matt Hardy in which

and past wrestlers I have had the pleasure in seeing up close.

saw an unsuccessful attempt at trying to capture the tag team

The last thing you want to happen when you meet a wrestler is to

championship from MNM. Before departing from WWE once

be disappointed but I’m fortunate to have had a great experience

again, Tatanka turned heel only this time he was on the back of

with all who I have spent time with. However there was a certain

a losing streak instead of his undefeated streak in the 90’s. One

legend I met who was genuinely glad to have met and spoke with

last win against Jimmy Wang Yang allowed Tatanka to exit WWE

me, a legend who you could tell was thankful for everything that

on a high note. The Native American would make another WWE

has happened in his career and is one of the most underrated

appearance at Old School Raw in 2011 however this is the last

wrestlers in pro wrestling history. He held a streak better than

time he has been on WWE television. Up until today, Tatanka

21-1 and also smoked a peace pipe with Rob Van Dam at the

has been working on the independent circuit for companies as

2006 Royal Rumble. Who better to discuss than the Native

well as attending various wrestling conventions to meet with

American sensation Tatanka.

past, present and future fans of his. Although he never held a major title in WWF, Tatanka has had his fair share of heavyweight

TATANKA: CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

championships on the independent scene and has travelled to places like Denmark and Scotland to display his tomahawk. There is no doubt that Tatanka is a legend. He brought the Native American character to the mainstream wrestling scene

A Hall of Fame worthy candidate no doubt, Tatanka was at the

and added his own spin to it. Many people have argued as to

heart of “The Golden Era” of the WWF. Making his debut for the

why he has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame and I still

WWF on the Febuary 1st edition of Superstars in 1992, Tatanka

ask that question. He may not have been the most popular

immediately became a fan favourite with his tribal influence and

wrestler or even accomplished wrestler during his time with the

war paint. A year long undefeated streak included rivalries with

WWE however there is no denying his work rate, passion and

Rick Martel and Shawn Michaels which led to Tatanka fighting at

humbleness for all that has happened to him. Let us not forget

WrestleMania VIII and WrestleMania XI. It was at WrestleMania

his memorable quote in the 1993 song “WrestleMania”: “Tatanka

XI where Tatanka would compete in his first televised title shot,

will be successful”. The memory of the Tomahawk keeps on

winning via count out which meant The Heartbreak Kid would

going to this date and will continue to follow through the whole

retain his championship. Tatanka’s undefeated streak would last

of the world into the hearts and minds of every single fan.

a whole 16 months and it would come to an end at the hands of Ludvig Borga which would then be followed by an attack by the then WWF champion Yokozuna leaving Tatanka out of action for three months. Upon returning, Tatanka was involved in a

WE SPOKE TO TATANKA

feud with Irwin. R Schyster who insisted that gift tax should be paid on the chief headdress Tatanka was given by Chief Jay

How does it feel seeing the support from wrestling fans

Strongbow and Chief Wahoo McDaniel. Yes, to start a rivalry

worldwide voicing their praise for you to be inducted into the

in the early 90’s all you had to do was mention gift tax. It was

WWE Hall of Fame?

at SummerSlam 1994 where Tatanka would turn heel, selling out to Ted DiBiase and his Million Dollar Corporation. A cage

First of all it’s overwhelming. I would never have dreamed of you

match loss on RAW would round off his feud with Lex Luger

know being in the same ranks as some of the greats that are

with whom he attacked at SummerSlam. Tatanka would have

inducted and it’s really just an honour for me even if I’m only

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 55

TATANKA being considered. Being in the Hall of

a ton of great matches with them, you

Fame would be an achievement but an

only have a bad match if you yourself

even bigger achievement is knowing

don’t perform as well as you should.

that fans think you deserve to be.

TOP 5 TATANKA MATCHES

In your opinion, how different is Apart from various guest appearances,

wrestling on television now than in the

it has been 11 years since you were

90’s when you were wrestling every

a full time roster member on WWE

week for the WWF?

programming. Do you ever plan on

VS. SHAWN MICHAELS WRESTLEMANIA IX, 1993

returning especially now that some

You know not a lot. There’s the obvious

veterans are active on NXT?

answers like fans and types of wrestling

Match of the night on the biggest show

but it’s still the same concept. I guess

of the year featured amazing back and

It might be weird to hear this but where

in the 90’s you had a lot more depth

forth action.

I’m at now in life is where I am, with

to your characters, guys like Hogan,

or without WWE I will still be Tatanka

Ultimate Warrior, Bret, Undertaker.

today. I see the guys who go to NXT

Wrestling was usually the hero vs the

and work a few matches, I’m 54 you

villain but now you can get away with

know if I went in the ring and worked

having a guy everyone likes wrestle

with the younger dudes then that’s

another guy everyone likes but back

when I would be really put to shame.

then that was a huge risk but a risk

NXT is fantastic, exciting and dynamic

they took which was good. I think as

matches and the facilities the guys

the fans’ wishes changed as to what

down there are working with are state

they wanted to see, the product had

of the art. Would Tatanka fit in with

to change massively to accommodate

all of it? I’m not sure, it would be an

that.

exciting project for sure but that’s really up to the likes of Regal and Hunter, you

Looking back on your career, is there

know they will look at guys like me and

anything you would like to have

determine whether or not I’m good to

changed or even hoped would have

bring newer guys up and help them in

happened?

VS. LEX LUGER SUMMERSLAM 94

A career changing match which saw Tatanka turn heel after an intense bout.

VS RICK MARTEL WRESTLEMANIA VIII

The ultimate mathc to introduce Tatanka to the WWF environment flawlessly.

the ring. I get asked this quite a lot and some The most memorable match of your

people will think I will say that I wanted

career?

to become a major champion in WWF or you know have a longer run with the

There are so many matches and

company but every time I’m asked I

moments that I’m thankful for. To be

always say nothing. I’m happy for the

put in with top performers every night

opportunities I received and I thank

is a privilege but I can say the best was

God that even in 2015 people still

the match I had with Shawn Michaels

talk about Tatanka and talk about you

at WrestleMania. We went out and had

know the entrance, the colours I wore,

an awesome time at Caesar’s Palace

lots of stuff. As long as I have built

and Shawn really is one the all time

up a good enough legacy that can be

greats you know he took me to my

passed to future fans then that’s all I

limit and I took him to his and I think

care about. I’m fortunate enough to

that’s how we connected and put on

still be wrestling on independent shows,

the best match of the night on such an

I’m fortunate enough to meet fans and

important show. I’m lucky enough that

share memories with them so looking

all my opponents have been world’s

back I’m happy with how the ‘Native

best, guys like Bam Bam Biggelow

American’ turned out and there really

,Yokozuna and Lex Luger I mean I had

isn’t anything that can top that.

56 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

W/ BAM BAM BIGELEOW VS. 123 KID & BOB HOLLY ROYAL RUMBLE, 1995

A phenomenal match for the tag titles which saw Tatanka and Bam Bam dominate throughout.

VS. OWEN HART KING OF THE RING, 1994

An overlooked match which had incredible energy right from the beginning and showed both men’s incredible talents.

BURIED MEMORIES

WORDS: DANIEL GLOVER

BURIED MEMORIES: SURVIVOR SERIES years ago The Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series being the mystery partner for the Million Dollar Team. The WWE are sure to capitalise on this big milestone, but there are some milestones from the historic event that the WWE will want you to bury!

This is the 25th anniversary of not only The Undertaker but also The Gobbledy Gooker. Who remembers that thing the came from the mystery egg at Survivor Series 1990? After much hype from what will hatch, the audience didn’t react well to Mr Hector Guerrero who was dressed up like as the Goobeldy Gooker, that it was forgotten about weeks later and is now only brought up for for a cheap laugh. When you think championships that are defended in the WWE, you think WWE Championship or maybe the WWE Tag Team Championships, but you would not think the Smokey Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championships. Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a promotion founded by Jim Cornette, and during the 1993 Survivor Series two tag teams from the promotion got a match. That being

The Heavenly Bodies and The Rock N Roll Express. The WWE until recent just want you to pretend that no other sports entertainment company exist. Lets move on! Shawn Michaels has many legendary names…The ShowStopper, The Main Event, The Headliner, The Heart Break Kid, but how about his 1994 Team Name…. The Teamsters. Its forgettable thats for sure.

30 seconds, 2 minutes and 3 minutes. This is not a highlight of what WWE could do in 1998. Lets finish with The Undertaker…. he will want you to forget The Undertaker vs Big Show in a casket match at Survivor Series 2008.

Lets stick with 1994, when Jerry Lawlers team faced Doink The Clowns team. Thats right, its The Royal Family vs Clowns R Us. Jerry Lawler with Sleazy, Queasy and Cheesy defeated Doink with Dink, Pink and Wink) Should I mention everyone, but Lawler and Doink were midgets. This defiantly isn’t a match worthy to be mentioned in the WWE Hall Of Famers career. Survivor Series 1998 was the first year to not feature any Survivor Series traditional matches. Instead it featured 18 matches non of which went longer then 10 minutes apart from the main event which got 17 minutes. Matches lasted 3 seconds,

SHARE YOUR SURVIVOR SERIES MEMORIES AT @STEELCHAIRMAG NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 57

LOOK BACK

WORDS: LEE HAZELL

LOOK BACK: SMACKDOWN

e’ve come a long way on this feature. Now we’ve

and exposes how sterile WWE commentary has become in

hit the first time that the first episode of a major,

comparison.

big-time wrestling show feels like a modern

The wrestlers too, have an intensity that only John Cena

product. This is wrestling how we know it today.

has the luxury of utilising in this day and age. The first and

It’s not as polished or as well produced, but I

lengthiest segment of the inaugural episode has Triple H doing

think you’ll find, if you read the remainder of the article, that

a great I-told-you-so routine. This show is the first time Triple

such an un-tempered tone isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

H walked into a WWE show of any description as the world

The year is 1999. It’s the heart of the Attitude Era and WWE

heavyweight champion. He had won the first of his many world

are far and away in the lead of the Monday Night Wars. The new

championships on the previous Raw, having pinned Mick Foley

blood of stars like ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Dwayne ‘The

for the belt.

Rock’ Johnson were proving to be bigger attractions than WCW’s

This isn’t the suit-wearing, pencil-pusher you see walk out to the

locker of veterans. Only a few years ago, those veterans provided

ring every night with Stephanie McMahon draped on his arm.

a winning ratings formula for Ted Turner’s sports entertainment

This isn’t the guy, who week-in-week-out, out shows no emotion

machine. It was so powerful, they added another weekly show

stronger than that of exasperation for Seth Rollins’ cowardice.

to their repertoire called Thunder (which you can read about

This is the young, hungry and pissed off Triple H. He’s soon

in issue 5). Eighteen months later and the tables have turned.

joined by The Rock, also an intense and electrifying presence. If

Vince McMahon would then pull the same trick on WCW that

you drank a shot every time the crowd joined in with one of The

Eric Bischoff pulled on them six-and-a-half years before. They

Rock’s catchphrases, you’d be off your face in five minutes.

would put on their own show, in their rival’s slot. This was the

Attitude is such the perfect word to encompass the period.

birth of SmackDown.

This is precisely what both superstars were perfect examples

The Attitude Era was a different time for the WWE and it still

of. Every movement and word is an expression of pure attitude,

lives in the shadow of that period’s success. Back then, the

every single gesture drips with aggression. It creates a

show was made for males aged fifteen to thirty-five, not five to

dangerous atmosphere that wouldn’t fly with the sponsors and

ten like it can so often appear today. Fans of a certain age, with

bean counters of modern day WWE. Their promos don’t have

disposable income, and the agency to buy themselves tickets

the wooden, overly scripted tone of today’s.

and travel to shows unaccompanied by an adult, could get

Shawn Michaels adds himself to the mix as the current WWE

excited about the product and the company as a whole. These

commissioner. Mankind joins the three of them for a little comic

days, they just choose certain wrestlers whose indie credentials

relief and reminds us why that era’s Mick Foley was one of the

they can get behind and hope to hell they get pushed.

most entertaining performers of his generation. So here we

As such, the average WWE crowd was a lot different back

have four of the Attitude era’s biggest stars giving the inaugural

then. The audience weren’t using their presence as a platform

edition of SmackDown an all-star feel. Too bad it’s soon spoiled

telling McMahon who he should and shouldn’t book. Good guys

by the presence of Shane McMahon.

were getting cheers and the bad guys were getting booed. The

You see I’ve been gushing so far about this episode being a great

atmosphere was one of unison instead of division. I’m not

example of all the great things the Attitude Era represented.

saying that it was better, but merely different. The excitement a

It’s also a great representation of all the things that made it

crowd member had to be in a WWE audience was genuine rather

bad. One such thing is McMahon’s growing ego leading to the

than the air of ironic hipsterism, or internet snobbery that can

increased presence of his wife and children on television, none

resonate from the smart marks of today.

of whom were camera trained performers.

As the show begins, the camera pans the crowd, gets deep

Now, Stephanie would go on to become one of the most effective

within a sea of homemade signs and the people are whooping

heels in company history and Shane did some spots back in the

and hollering for no other reason than they are about to see

day that not even the most reckless WWE roster member would

WWE live. Ah, to live in a world where you hadn’t yet developed

be allowed to do now; but having them appear in every main

the current level of cynicism. Jim Ross is yelling like no one

event angle for the next two years is a fatiguing prospect. Their

could hear him over the roar of the crowd if he didn’t scream

inclusion in most of the WWE’s top storylines only succeeded

like a rusty chainsaw. It adds so much to the atmosphere

in overcomplicating matters, as was the case here. Triple H

58 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

doesn’t need the authority of Shane McMahon backing him up.

surrounding this match though, is why anyone would think that

He certainly doesn’t need the Mean Street Posse fighting his

Jericho would need a lackey and why – of all people – would that

battles.

lackey need to be Howard Fink? It’s not like Jericho’s lacking in

So Shawn creates the main event of Triple H vs. The Rock

the personality department. The whole skit is stupid and serves

and – to keep Shane out of it – he matches him up with Mick

no purpose other than to delegitimise Chris as a performer.

Foley later that night. But the first contest of the evening is

The next segment involves one of the first instances where

Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. Mr. Ass.

a fresh-faced Stephanie McMahon has some mic time in the

Ah Mr. Ass. Yet another thing messed up about the Attitude

ring. My god, she looks young. Innocent too. Like butt wouldn’t

Era. In one corner of this fight, we have a man who defines

melt. How times have changed. Anyway, she’s accepting Test’s

himself by his posterior. In the other, we have a country music

proposal of marriage. Nothing too interesting here, except the

star flanked by two walking floatation devices. This is a shame

whole “before-they-were-maniacally-evil” angle.

because the fight itself is entertaining enough to stand on

Shane, none too pleased with his sister’s choice of betrothed,

its own without these unnecessary distractions. I don’t know

rushes down the ring with the Mean Street Posse (God bless

if it’s the PG era or a greater emphasis on maintaining the

those boys, they have been doing the work tonight in getting

wrestlers health, but the bumps looked harder back then, and

their asses beat) to break the two up. This leads Mankind to take

the punches had more snap to them. They even run to the ropes

to the ring and start their match a littler earlier than planned.

with a greater sense of urgency. To put it simply, it isn’t just the

Shane’s status as Vince McMahon’s son made his foray into

promos that feel like they had more impact back then, but the

wrestling a surprising career choice. But his chosen vocation

wrestling moves too. Actually, it might just be that the camera

as a hardcore wrestler was downright shocking. He did some

didn’t snap zoom in and out every time a wrestler hits the matt

stunts that seasoned veterans would have turned down. It was

like it does today. God, that camera shot is obnoxious.

enough to make some people forget that he wasn’t a wrestler.

After that, we have Al Snow pleading with The Big Boss Man to

But he wasn’t a wrestler. He was a sideshow at best. A car-crash

give back his beloved Chihuahua Pepper. Al Snow. Now there’s

entertainer you couldn’t look away from, and it’s hard to think

a man who you could go to with any angle and be secure in the

of this match as anything less than a waste of Mick Foley’s

knowledge that he would make it work. There he stands. A man

talent.

with the words “Help me!” written backwards over his forehead,

Next up we have the only women’s match on the card. A ball

wearing a J.O.B. Squad t-shirt and pleading with another man

gown match, where the loser is the one to be stripped down

to give back his tiny little friend. You gotta hand it to him and

to her bra and kickers. I only have four words for this. Viva La

his work ethic. In this promo he looks even more vulnerable and

Diva’s Revolution.

forlorn than the dog does.

Next up we have the hotly anticipated main event. This has a

The next match is a tag team triple threat match. Kane is

big fight feel to it. Two of the hottest properties in the industry,

teamed up with X-Pac, Bradshaw and Faarooq were then known

reffed by a legend, and going at it one on one on the debut

as the Acolytes, and Big Show and Taker are the defending

edition of the newest flagship show. It’s mostly a brawl. What

champions. But Taker hasn’t been impressed by his partner

some might call easy wrestling. Hardly any of the action is

recently, so he’s putting him through a trial by fire and making

inside the ring, and it mostly consists of strikes and running

him face the other four men alone. What does Taker do now that

each other into barriers and announce tables and the like. But

he has some down time on his hands? He joins the commentary.

no one brawls like Triple H. He made this style of match his

JR expresses his surprise that Undertaker isn’t helping his

bread and butter in the late nineties-early 2000’s. But ultimately

partner. That’s not the surprise. The surprise is that he’s doing

it’s a match made by the ancillary antics outside rather than the

commentary. And that he’s awfully chatty all of a sudden. This

action within. Just as The Rock gets the crowd really pumping

isn’t his American Badass phase either. Here, he’s still the

– and I mean Attitude Era pumping - Shawn Michaels reunites

Phenom. Memory has dictated that we think of The Undertaker

with his former stable mate and kicks The Rock right in the face.

as a silent threat; a man of few words and decisive actions.

SmackDown is the first time in this series where we look at

Hearing him talk of Big Show earning the right to his mystical

an episode that is right in the middle of the company’s glory

teachings suddenly makes them feel not so mystical.

days, rather than being a prequel to it. It shows a product in its

Chris Jericho’s first segment in WWE was a verbal showdown

heyday, at the height of its popularity and reminds us of how

with The Rock. Therefore it’s something of a comedown for

crazy-in-love with wrestling the rebellious Attitude Era made us.

his first physical showdown to be with “The Road Dogg” Jesse

It is up there with Hardcore TV as one of my favourite episodes

James. It does give the premiere episode of SmackDown

so far although, I have to say, as a first episode, WCW Nitro is

prestige to host the first match of a future undisputed

still king. Despite that, the first episode of SmackDown is one

champion, but it would have been more perhaps if his opponent

hell of a ride and a great look back.

could match him for success. The biggest question I have

NOVEMBER 2O15 STEELCHAIR 59

UNCLE LOUIE

WORDS: BY LOUIS “UNCLE LOUIE” GREGORY

THE GOLD(BERG) STANDARD REMAINS STRONG T

his week Forbes published an article that’s “on the money” about Bill Goldberg and the WWE, literally.

As a member of Team Goldberg, I couldn’t have wished for a more succinct and factual write up; not to mention it being in a well respected and mainstream publication like Forbes. There are lot’s of moving parts to the man that fans chant “Goldberg... Goldberg...Goldberg” for. Years of diligence and perseverance. Protecting his brand; a name that has become sought after the world around. Constantly reinventing himself and finding unilateral success on multiple platforms. Believe me, those are not easy things to accomplish. All while remaining a real life role model and portraying a steadfast resolve to respect women, teach children the right lessons and honor the troops. There is nothing fake or flashy about the Goldberg character or Goldberg the man. What you see is what you get.

60 STEELCHAIR NOVEMBER 2O15

I remain optimistic that the time will come for big Bill’s return to the ring but I am realistic in my acceptance that it will be when the time is right and when the planets align. I have to believe the planets are as close to aligning as they ever have been. But will they click into place? Forbes hit the proverbial nail on the head, dead center. As a publicly traded company, the question of WWE profitability beckons and hesitation impacts potential profitability which directly and adversely impacts the bottom line if not acted on. Business decisions cannot or should not be made with pride or emotions. That’s a lesson I have learned the hard way. There must be a balance of cost vs. revenue, fan reaction and how a decision can impact the future. Those are the questions that WWE should be asking itself while considering a future return of Goldberg. Time to break out the jackhammer and break through the past. That’s the only way the fans of today will get to see what a real Spear looks like!

Read the Forbes artlicle below: www.forbes.com/sites/ donaldwoodjr/2015/11/07/ wwe-must-embrace-goldbergswillingness-to-return-for-right-money