progress live
//
the new era?
STEELCHAIR
WRESTLING JOHNNY MUNDO
TOP 5 MANAGERS OF ALL TIME
DISCUSSES WWE, LUCHA UNDERGROUND + MORE! GANGREL: LEGEND OF THE RING?
BARELY LEGAL A LOOK BACK AT ECW’S FIRST PPV
SteelChairMag.com
back the wWE Women’s Championship
// ISSUE 09
// Welcoming
2016
MUNDO
jun
JOHNNY
//
e n i z a g a m v t music, film + vulturehound.com
WELCOME
SteelChair is now the wrestling section for magazine VultureHound.com
WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL David Garlick Editor / Design david@vulturehound.com
John Duffy VultureHound Online Editor Shane Bayliss Interviews Editor
W
elcome to the NEW ERA of SteelChair Magazine! Actually we’re in the same era as the last issue. We haven’t yet named this era, but WWE have named theirs so we look at what’s going on with the New Era. (I miss the Attitude Era...)
Continuing the same old era, we stick with a big name interview. This issue? We speak to Lucha Underground’s Johnny Mundo. We look back at the first ECW pay perv view Barely Legal and the latest WWE Extreme Rules.
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PAST MONTH
NEWS: SHANE BAYLISS | MATCHES: JOHN DUFFY
MATCHES OF THE MONTH
1
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA V SAMI ZAYN NXT TAKEOVER DALLAS
From the entrances to the exits this is easily the best match WWE & NXT have put on in years. Super strong, super stiff and f**cking fantastic. A must watch and our match of the year.
2
CHARLOTTE V SASHA BANKS V BECKY LYNCH
OSPREAY V RICOCHET EVOLVE 59
Two of the most exciting and breathtaking wrestlers on the planet pulled everything out of the bag to give all that saw it a phenomenal show. Ospreay proved why he is the best of British (sorry Zack) and Ricochet why he is the best in the world today.
4
RICOCHET & SYDEL V ROPPONGI VICE INVASION ATTACK
A show stealing effort from the IWGP TagTeam division’s elite. Sydel in the shape of his life, Ricochet surfing the tide of superstardom and Trent Beretta and Rocky Romano as the super-over ring general heels doing what they do best and put on a brilliant and breathtaking spectacle.
5
OF THE MONTH
SHINSUKE Nakamura
WRESTLEMANIA 32
Easily ‘Match of Mania’. They were given the time and given the chance and boy did they take it. In their prime and on point these wrestlers proved that gender no longer matters and the revolution has been televised.
3
WRESTLER
OKADA V NAITO INVASION ATTACK
On sheer shock value alone this match is the list. Okada is the man in NJPW and Naito seemed to have missed his shot but recent departure have seen a need for a solid and entertaining heel. A role in which Naito gladly filled. Solid, stiff, entertaining with an enthralling finish. A main event at its best.
04 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
hat can we say? This dude has made an impact from day one in NJPW, and effortlessly continued his trend into NXT, with the easy MOTY against Sami Zayn at NXT Dallas. His latest NXT matches have been everything we wanted and “Kinshasa” is our favourite new shout. And that theme tune? Best ever. This guy is over as f**k.
W
EVENT OF
THE MONTH LUCHA UNDERGROUND GRAVE CONSEQUENCES
NEWS
SteelChair is now the wrestling section for magazine VultureHound.com
NEWS THIS MONTH
1 TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR.. AGAIN Although no details have yet to be announced, we do know one thing the brand extension will be back as of July, and there will be a draft. With rumours circulating that it could mean the end or dialling back of NXT, the brand split will more than likely mean further call ups from the Performance Centre and maybe even more acquisitions from the independents. Only time will tell what or who the face of WWE will be come July!
REDESIGN, REBUILD, RECLAIM
He’s back! After a match full of interferences, after reclaiming the WWE Title Roman Reigns had his thunder stolen by the return of Seth ‘freaking’ Rollins who made a clear statement, he’s ready to take back the title he never lost and power though to have his Wrestlemania moment in Orlando next year.
2
REACH FOR THE STARS CODY
Following the annual trimming of the fat post Wrestlemania, including the likes of Damien Sandow, Alex Riley, Cameron and Zeb Colter, their was another superstar who was release from their contract with Cody Rhodes deciding to call it a day on
IS GOLDBERG GOING TO SUPLEXCITY?
his WWE career and attempt to reignite his career elsewhere. Posting a list of goals including the likes of Adam Cole, Trevor Lee and the Young Bucks, his first match will be against Olympic Hero Kurt Angle.
The marketing campaign for WWE2K17 has begun ahead of its October release, and the big news this year is that Bill Goldberg will available as DLC, and there is a whiff of a return to WWE in the air. In the first trailer for the game, the reflection of a sign for “Suplex City” is seen in the reflection on a car window, are the WWE are just really teasing us or is there something more substantial planned?
3
THE GREATEST PASSES AWAY
A legend of the boxing ring, Muhammed Ali had his Wrestlemania moment at the first ever Showcase of the Imortatls back in 1985 refereeing the main event alongside Pat Patterson in a match between Hulk Hogan and Mr T verses the team of Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Ali changed the world, and his influence will be sorely missed in the boxing, wrestling and wider world, and despite fighting Parkinson’s for the past 30 years stayed strong and vocal until the end. www.parkinsons.org.uk
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 05
PROGRESS
PROGRESS WRESTLING CHAPTER 29: PRACTICALLY PROGRESS IN EVERY WAY WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT / PHOTO: DAVID J WILSON
ROGRESS Wrestling ‘Chapter 29: Practically
P
Progress In Every Way’ at The Electric Ballroom in Camden, London on April 24th 2016 was another sell out show that featured the PROGRESS Championship match, two of the
CRUISERWEIGHT SERIES QUALIFIER – ZACK SABRE JR VS FLASH MORGAN WEBSTER
three European WWE Cruiserweight Classic qualifiers, as well as
As PROGRESS is an adult wrestling promotion and more often
continuing their Atlas Tournament Group Stage matches.
than not fans are prone to swearing, Co-Owner Jim Smallman allotted the crowd “10 solid seconds of swearing” to get that
ATLAS CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT GROUP B MICHAEL DANTE VS ‘THE BEAST OF BELFAST’ DAMO O’CONNOR
feeling out of their system before the match began as the Global Cruiserweight Series qualifiers were to be ‘PG-friendly’. This only heightened the importance of the Qualifiers to the future of PROGRESS. ‘The Greatest Technical Wrestler in the World’ Zack Sabre Jr. demonstrated exactly why he has been given that title and why it is very well earned, he took control of the match early on and
Back in Chapter 27 it was announced that PROGRESS would
Webster was at his mercy at several points. But Webster also
be adding a third title, the Atlas Championship. A division for
excelled in this match showing the crowd why he is a premier
wrestlers who weigh over 205lbs, matches with a 15-minute
talent in the UK and that if WWE signs Sabre Jr. in the near
time limit and two blocks of four wrestlers that will compete in
future, Webster certainly won’t be far behind. The two dazzled
a round robin format from April to September 2016, with the
the fans with their high flying offence and technical abilities
winner from each group facing off in a final match at Chapter
but it would be Zabre Jr. who took the win with the ‘Young Boy
36 to decide the inaugural champion. Back in Chapter 28 at
Killer’ submission to advance in the Cruiserweight Classic. The
Manchester, fans witnessed the start of the format and on this
sad news afterwards was that Webster suffered a dislocated
night it continued with a furious match between one half of the
shoulder and torn ligaments in his ankle.
Sumerian Death Squad, Michael Dante against the destructive Damo. Within minutes Damo had thrown Dante into the first, second and third rows on the outside, and this set the tone for this match. Both during the bout disproved the rule that ‘big men’ can’t be agile as Damo connected with his mammoth dropkick and a lot more as Dante unleashed attacks from the second turnbuckle to draw “This is Awesome” chants. In the end it
WWE GLOBAL CRUISERWEIGHT SERIES QUALIFIER – JACK GALLAGHER VS ‘THE BRUISERWEIGHT’ PETE DUNNE Pete Dunne is a phenomenal talent in the UK who returned to
would be Dante who would get the win and gain valuable two
PROGRESS in Manchester the previous month, and it was no
points.
surprise that he had been selected to face equally one of the very best in the UK, PROGRESS favourite Jack Gallagher.
WWE GLOBAL 06 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
Both men showed exactly why they had been chosen with Dunne
WWE’s inaugural Global Cruiserweight Series at Progress were the first two of qualifiers of that tournament
attempting to counter Eaver until falling victim to the Crucifix Bomb and then the Clothesline From Heaven allowing Eaver to win the Natural Progression Series and earn a PROGRESS Championship match at any time of his choosing.
PICK YOUR OPPONENT’S PARTNER – DAHLIA BLACK & ELIZABETH VS POLLYANNA & JINNY Prior to the Pick Your Opponent’s
cranking his intensity to 11 and Gallagher upping his game in his technical abilities to combat his relentless opponent.
Partner match, Dahlia Black shocked the crowd when she
Dunne throughout the bout bullied the small fan favourite but
announced that Pollyanna’s partner would be the lady who
this fantastically built match drew to a close when Gallagher
she feuded with last year, the venomous Jinny while Pollyanna
overcame the persistent counters to lock Dunne into an Ankle
equally left the crowd dumbstruck when she chose Jinny’s PA,
lock to get the submission win.
Elizabeth as Dahlia Black’s partner. The match was fast paced and developed a lot of the fantastic
NATURAL PROGRESSION SERIES FINAL – PASTOR WILLIAM EAVER VS DAMON MOSER
feuds between all four women also in turn showing that the
Jim Smallman announced that the Natural Progression Series
ATLAS CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT GROUP B – ‘IRON MAN’ JOE COFFEY VS RAMPAGE BROWN
4 will be a tournament to determine their first Women’s Champion to bring cheers from the PROGRESS Crowd and their fan base over social media. Previous Winners of the Natural Progression Tournament
Women’s Division in PROGRESS is definitely not one to miss. The match saw inferences from TK Cooper and Jack Sexsmith but all four women shone in this bout with a finale that had Elizabeth surprisingly getting the pinfall win over Jinny that is sure to have repercussions for both’ .
included Mark Andrews and Morgan Webster which shows how important and what a statement it makes to win the
The Atlas Tournament had already shown just how destructive
tournament. Both finalists took difficult roads to get to the
it could be early on and this match continued the trend with
finals, with Eaver defeating Tyler Bate and Damian Dunne while
Coffey and Brown basically destroying each other in a stiff,
Moser beat Jack Sexsmith, Shen Woo and Ashton Smith, and it
tough and raucous fight. Wrestling at a fast pace throughout
all came to this night at the Ballroom.
the match that drew more than one “THIS IS AWESOME” chant, but 15 minutes was not enough time to separate the fantastic
The match showcased exactly how much both men have grown
wrestlers as both fought to a time limit draw gaining one point
this year thanks to their efforts in the PROGRESS Wrestling
each but even when the match ended officials still had to try
School and the final built up to a fantastic finish with Moser
and separate the two.
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 07
PROGRESS
8-MAN TAG TEAM – F.S.U (‘WHITE LIGHTNING’ MARK ANDREWS & ‘THE PRIDE OF WALES’ EDDIE DENNIS) & THE LONDON RIOTS (ROB LYNCH & JAMES DAVIS) VS THE ORIGIN (‘THE SHOWSTEALER’ NATHAN CRUZ, ‘THE MEXICAN SENSATION’ EL LIGERO, ‘THE BASTARD’ DAVE MASTIFF & ‘LIVERPOOL’S NO.1’ ZACK GIBSON) BY PINFALL This was one of best matches in PROGRESS this reviewer has ever seen. Methodical, brutal, entertaining and emotional, eight of PROGRESS’s best in one furious tag team match. The Origin is easily one of the promotions most hated factions in its history and their matches separately with their tag team opponents are must see events. During the course of the match The Origin had started to separate the fan favourites, injuring Eddie Davis early on then doing the same to James Davis, leaving Mark Andrews and Rob Lynch to face the four men who had antagonised everyone who has crossed their path. The match had amazing highlights including Davis returning to the fray and suplexing Nathan Cruz from the top turnbuckle onto everyone outside the ring. It continued to be a tour-deforce that wouldn’t quit until everyone was exhausted including the fans (who were loving every minute.) It was the Riots who managed to score the pinball meaning they shall receive a PROGRESS Tag Team Championship match.
PROGRESS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – ‘THE VILLIAN’ MARTY SCURLL VS ‘ANTI-HERO’ TOMMY END At Chapter 28, Tommy End answered PROGRESS Champion, Marty Scurll’s Open Challenge and surprised him with a knock out win earning himself a shot at the Championship Title. The challenger is continually a fan favourite with the PROGRESS fans and they all looked forward to seeing him end the outspoken Champion’s Title reign. This was a fantastic match, when you have the talents of Tommy End and Marty Scurll you don’t need anything else, and End continually done everything he could to leave Scurll vulnerable after a blistering assault of explosive kicks and blows but the Champion was calculating in his response by slowing down the pace of the match. From there, the two continued to trade the advantage until in a fantastic finale, End attempted a moonsault from the top turnbuckle only for Scurll to counter it with a hard kick directly to the face but Tommy End responded with his own attack with a brutal roundhouse kick looking like he would gain the win until the lights suddenly went dark and there stood Mikey Whiplash chair in hand. Fans wondered what was next and Whiplash cracked the weapon over Marty Scurll screaming “It was my Time” meaning End lost by Disqualification and from there as the Champion retreated the two men fought all over the ring closing an amazing match and show.
36 STEELCHAIR JUNE 08 AUGUST 2O16 2O15
THE NEW ERA
WORDS: LIAM O’ROURKE | PHOTO: MIKE KALASNIK
hese are interesting
T
times in WWE. 2016 has been captivating between the unique signings, the return of
Shane McMahon, and a WrestleMania with some truly puzzling booking. But watching Raw, it’s become very clear that post-Mania, they’re looking to rebuild the current landscape with fresh matches, new dynamics and intriguing directions. The AJ Styles push and Bullet Club teases are top stories, Roman Reigns is playing a more diverse character than what we’ve seen for the past six months, some debuts on the main roster have given us fresh combinations, and the lack of a heel Authority presence on the show has been a massive breath of fresh air. And it’s about time. It’s not perfect, but change has been needed, and tracking Raw on a weekly basis is fun for the first time in ages. Results won’t be immediate, but that’s fine. WWE and fans themselves can sometimes
THE NEW ERA?
forget that Steve Austin was top babyface on Raw for almost a full year before ratings made a real turnaround, even if merchandise figures made it clear early it was the right way to go. Point is, patience is a virtue when it comes to making new stars that make a difference to ratings, if that’s where the priority happens to be. But it does bring up memories and comparisons to other times the company has, for whatever reason, had to go back to the drawing board and start anew. One in particular worth considering, particularly if you’re feeling blue about the outlook for 2016, is when Hulk Hogan’s departure in 1992 forced Vince McMahon to change the face of the WWF. To many fans who fell in love with the WWF during the 80s, Hogan WAS the
>
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 11
THE NEW ERA World Wrestling Federation. Even if he wasn’t everybody’s
Yokozuna to the moon at the same time, putting both men on
favourite, he was the biggest star, and easily the one guy
a slow burn collision course for WrestleMania 9.
who made the biggest difference to the numbers throughout the decade. As the 90s began, Hogan began to lose some
But there was a problem with this - the roster was such that,
of that pull, and amidst a litany of bad press dating back to
with everybody at the same level and needing to get over, Bret
the Hogan Vs. Sgt. Slaughter Gulf War angle in early 1991,
Hart wasn’t elevated with high profile victories over existing
that would go on to incorporate sex scandals and steroid
stars. Instead, he was given wins over the likes of Papa
controversies, it was time for Hogan to disappear and wait for
Shango (long after he was a priority), The Mountie, Virgil, the
the heat to die down.
Bezerker and a Razor Ramon that was so new to the company that he was only starting to get over himself. Yokozuna at
Vince was left with a product clinging to the dying embers
least was able to steamroll everybody in the Rumble, but
of what had worked before, building around Randy Savage
you only have to take one look at the field of entry in the 93
and the Ultimate Warrior, as well as cartoon heels like Papa
Rumble to identify the crux of the problem. Despite their best
Shango and Nailz. Numbers plummeted. Randy Savage
efforts, there were very few people in the WWF to really care
turned out to not be the answer for the decline, which only
about any more.
became more pronounced as time when by, and McMahon clearly soured on Ric Flair as the top heel over the summer.
Vince saw the problem too, and when it came to crunch time at WrestleMania 9 in Caesar’s Palace, Vince choked and went
With Savage failing, combined with the Ultimate Warrior and
backwards again, sacrificing Yokozuna in seconds to Hulk
British Bulldog both needing to be fired due to a paper trail
Hogan, and making Bret look secondary to a fault. But things
connecting them with Growth Hormones at a time when the
didn’t turn around. Hogan flaked again, Yokozuna’s second
WWF couldn’t afford to turn a blind eye to such antics, the
reign was awful, and the attempt to recreate Hulk Hogan with
WWF had to go forwards rather than backwards. Their lack of
Lex Luger was another tick in the “L” column. Ultimately, the
depth and star power had grown into such an issue that there
belt went back to Bret, right where it started at the beginning of the rebuild, while they planned for their next project to spearhead.
THE LACK OF A HEEL AUTHORITY PRESENCE HAS BEEN A MASSIVE BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
Let’s bring all this back to the present day. Rather than looking for a solution, WWE have their guy in Roman Reigns. And until recently, the roster was very similar to 1993 (despite being vastly more talented on a per wrestler basis) in that very few of them were truly over, due to the 50/50 nature of the booking, treating wins and losses as unimportant and keeping everybody in the middle. If there is one advantage to the current landscape, it’s that bringing in hot acts from the outside (or NXT) can energise the audience and bring new hope to the
was no choice but to go all the way with some fresh blood.
television show that is void when filled with a troupe that have almost all been through the rising star/Money in the Bank/
Bret Hart got the nod to be the man. Proving that old habits die hard, McMahon elected to push new monster heel
12 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
title win/de-push churn.
PHOTOS: WWE VIDEO
THE STOP-START NATURE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IS CERTAINLY REMINISCENT OF THE LEX EXPRESS.
So with more potential directly under the top spot, it brings
happens. But the reality is, in this instance, he’ll almost
us back to Reigns. Comparing him to Bret Hart or Lex Luger
certainly stay the course, because they seem to care less
of 1993 and the rebuild previously discussed is interesting.
than ever before about the week to week numbers.
In essence, he’s certainly closer to Luger, in that in his initial push he was treated like a rehash of the previous top star
Vince McMahon used to live and die by ratings, house show
(Hogan to Luger, Cena to Reigns) with all the same core
attendance, Pay-Per-View buys and merchandise sales. But
attributes. Additionally, the stop-start nature of the Roman
Reigns will remain on top for the same reason Rollins did
Empire is certainly reminiscent of the Lex Express, the only
when Raw ratings tanked on his watch. Simply put, there
difference being they pulled the trigger in the end. But how
is very little pressure coming from anywhere to pick up
appropriate that on the second go around, with WrestleMania
ratings, other than internally. While Raw ratings have fallen,
looming, Dean Ambrose seemed so more organic and felt
the USA Network average has sank far more dramatically,
like the people’s choice, just like the fans cheering Bret and
and thus the value of WWE to their television partner is still
booing Lex at the 94 Royal Rumble.
significant. House shows are steady, the Network number is below par but not low enough to warrant concern (especially
But in terms of positioning, Reigns is comparable to Bret
as it’s in its infancy and is very tough to gauge), and they’ve
in late 92, since they were and are the leaders of their
voluntarily killed their own PPV business. So long as the
respective rebuilds. The problem Bret faced was not turning
numbers stay at this average level, and that no pressure falls
things around quickly enough, and Vince McMahon panicking,
on Vince to improve ratings (which are likely to fall again this
going back to the past as a result. Which begs the question,
year), Reigns as the top guy is almost certainly safe.
if Reigns fails in his role, and with the impending return of not only John Cena, but Randy Orton and Seth Rollins as
Unlike 1992, the WWE has such an infrastructure that it’s
well, will Vince react the same in 2016 and deviate from his
harder to fall to the depths it once sunk to in its darkest hour.
dictated direction?
Similarly, those same built-in mechanisms make it harder to achieve the sustained peaks we’ve seen in its glory days.
History has shown that Vince doesn’t really learn from what
Indeed, WrestleMania will be a success, usually regardless of
>
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 13
THE NEW ERA PHOTO: WWE VIDEO
BRINGING IN HOT ACTS FROM THE OUTSIDE CAN ENERGISE THE AUDIENCE
YES the attraction, but it also has little to
But a potential roster consisting of
the message here is that 2016 is
no bearing on the rest of the year.
Roman Reigns, John Cena, Randy
promising. Rebuild periods are often
Orton, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose,
fascinating for one reason or another,
But that doesn’t have to be doom and
Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens,
and if nothing else, I don’t expect we’re
gloom for this rebuild. To the contrary,
Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Rusev, The New
in for a boring year at all. And despite
the fact they have made the changes
Day, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura,
the nature of the wrestling fan to be
and signings they’ve made this year is
American Alpha, Cesaro, Chris Jericho,
cynical and pessimistic at times, it’s
already encouraging, and the potential
the Four Horsewomen and Asuka? Who
been a while since the future has had a
for a vibrant product is greater than
wouldn’t take that?
chance to look this bright.
it has been in years. Comparing the superstar potential and world class
Perhaps the real fear should be how
talent of WWE 2016 and WWF 1993
much Triple H and Stephanie will
is like comparing Universal Studios to
push to be the focus at a time when,
your local county fair. What Samoa Joe,
very obviously, the company needs to
Shinsuke Nakamura, Bayley, Asuka and
pass them by. Or maybe it’s that with
American Alpha are doing wrestling in
a three hour show every Monday, the
front of 300 people by choice when
overexposure of that talent is such that
Raw is doing low numbers and needs
it’s hard to ever want more. Concern
talent to shore up the shows is a great
could linger regarding how much what
debate for another time. But as much
happens now matters after the example
as NXT is a ‘nice-to-have’ to please a
set at WrestleMania, and how brazenly
minority of the audience, it shouldn’t
the WWE prioritised its former stars.
be the priority at times like this. All legitimate gripes, but despite this,
14 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
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WOMEN’S TITLE
WORDS: JOHN DUFFY | PHOTOS: WWE VIDEO
BYE BYE BUTTERFLY AND THE TRUE WOMEN’S REVOLUTION restlemania 32 was a monumental event that
W
and stole the show by putting on not only match of the night
saw over 100,000
but the best women’s match in
people take to the
Wrestlemania history.
Dallas Cowboys’ Death Star size AT&T Stadium.
But it was monumental on two further occasions both of which involved the promising women’s division. The first being the show-stealing potential of the triple threat title match between Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. The second being that the title they were to fight for was no longer the aesthetically appalling and belittling Kinder Surprise Butterfly Divas Title but the newly unveiled and rebranded
THE DIVAS’ REVOLUTION THAT WAS PROMISED LAST YEAR HAS ARRIVED
WWE Women’s Championship.
This welcome and frankly long overdue gesture brought well deserved recognition to a division that over the years has been nothing more than a sexist and misogynistic afterthought. It was 2010 when the WWE re-branded the women as Divas at a time when the division was nothing more than swimsuit models and eye candy. Now this is not taking away any of the achievements the women of the Diva years accomplished, I mean AJ Lee, Paige and even Nikki Bella
Re-launching the Women’s
represented the title with the highest
Championship on the huge stage of Wrestlemania 32 shows
of honour during a time when respect and acknowledgment
how seriously women’s wrestling is being taken by the “higher
was at an all time low.
ups” in WWE. This epic movement was solidified when Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch did what they do best
16 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
Wrestling’s second boom period of the 1990s known as the
Did you know that Chatlotte’s father was also a wrestler in his day? WOOOOO
Attitude Era, despite
Thanks to companies such as Shine,
strongest it has ever been and the WWE
having the Women’s
Shimmer, ROH’s Women of Honor and
must not squander this opportunity.
Championship
NXT we have seen a resurgence of
Never before has there been such
title and legitimate
legitimate women wrestlers who have
attention paid to female athletes and
competitors such as
broken down the barrier and earned the
the biggest wrestling company in the
Aggression Era” that
respect and admiration of their peers
world has finally caught up and binning
featured further top
and fans alike. It is now official the
the Butterfly was the only way to go.
heavy models who
“Divas Revolution” that was promised
The “Divas’ Era” is well and truly dead,
resembled strippers
last year has arrived and dropping the
yes we still have the likes of the Eva-
rather wrestlers. Again I do not want to
unnecessary and frankly degrading
Marie, Lana and Summer Rae but NXT
take anything away from what the women
“Divas” label was the only way to
features an abundance of extremely
did in the ring but rather draw attention
legitimise the movement. In a press
exciting and talented wrestlers that will
the portrayal of woman by WWE during
release, WWE announced that women
not only add to the thriving division
this time. It was this overtly bigoted and
were now to be referred to as “female
but take it even further. Asuka, Bayley,
chauvinistic outlook that lead to the
WWE Superstars”, competitors who are
Emma and Alexa Bliss are the obvious
creation the Divas Title.
professional wrestlers and “exceptional
contenders but the use of “indie” stars
athletes and role models, who are
like Deonna Purrazzo, Santana Garrett
WWE does not like the word “wrestler”
idolized and admired around the world.”
and Tessa Blanchard, are all testament to
hence the label “WWE Superstar” but
For every female participant in WWE from
the growing respect and appreciation of
this honour was only extended to the
Mae Young, The Fabulous Moolah, and
women’s wrestling.
male portion of the roster. While “Diva”
Sherry Martell to Alundra Blayze, Luna
was the moniker bestowed upon the
Vachon, and Jaqueline to Trish Stratus,
This new era of women’s wrestling has
females complete with a belt that looked
Lita and Ivory to AJ Lee, and Paige it is
brought forth a refreshing change in
as if came out of a Christmas cracker
something they had strived for for years
attitude, in a predominantly male led
only goes to prove how the WWE wanted
and there is no better way encapsulate
and dominated industry, which has seen
their female competitors perceived. They
who these women are and what they
the rise of legitimate, serious, athletic,
were highly strung, overly sexualized and
have done for the business of women’s
strong, powerful, independent women
scantily clad brats who filled time and
professional wrestling.
whose performances and matches often
Lita, Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Ivory, and Chyna it was inundated with Bra and Panties matches, Pillow Fights, mud wrestling, Playboy covers and Sable with handprints on her tits. Oh and King screaming “PUPPIES” like an over excited kid finding the hidden toy in the cereal box, every time they appeared on stage. Next was the “Ruthless
the wank banks of the desired 18-35 year-old male demographic.
outshine their male counterparts. This The amount of serious female talent on
true revolution has been a long time
show in the WWE’s main roster is the
coming and long may it continue.
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 17
LOOK BACK
WORDS: LEE HAZELL
LOOKBACK:
ECW BARELY LEGAL CW had 24 Pay Per Views in its relatively short lifespan. This was the first. Originally supposed to air on the 30th of March, the show was held back to April after the infamous ‘Mass Transit Incident’. A scandal involving a seventeen-year-old wrestler (who lied about his age to get booked) after he was hospitalised because New Jack bladed him too deeply. It was a huge setback for a show that would have been a gigantic step towards the legitimacy the company were so desperately trying to achieve. On April 13, 1997 it finally happened. It didn’t reach the audience that creative lead Paul E. Dangerously (currently known as Paul Heyman) would have liked – due to the content of the show being too taboo for some cable operators – but it still reached an audience in excess of 100,000 wrestling fans, making the show a huge success for the promotion. However, when trying to compete with the big boys of pro wrestling – and Heyman is always gunning for the biggest target – in this case WWF and WCW, you need to make sure that you can match them for production. Now I’m not talking about filling out an arena with 60,000 fans – the intimacy of venues like the ECW Arena and the Hammerstein Ballroom were part of the company’s all-important personality – but make sure the mics are working when Joey Styles speaks. If you want this – the opening image of your first ever PPV – to say that “We are here, we are the equal of our two more financially backed rivals,” this isn’t the way to do it. When the screen lights up and all you can see is Joey Styles mouthing something you cannot hear while he gets hastily faded up by the incompetent sound guy, what you are actually saying to your audience is “We
E
18 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
cannot tell our arseholes from our elbows; how can we possibly compete with national television?” It does not inspire confidence that the night will go as planned. Oh, and if you thought I was being harsh on the sound guy, that isn’t his only cock up of the night. He lets Pitbull #2’s music play for a full 45 seconds after the bell rings. He’s high on the Kool-Aid and needs to get the sack. The first match of the night doesn’t say a lot for their ability to pull off a high profile event either. They open up with the Dudley Boyz (Champions) vs. The Eliminators for the tag titles. Total spot fest. Worse than the kind TNA would put on in the height of its X-Division overindulgence. No cohesion between moves. No inring mechanics what-so-ever. In two consecutive pinfall attempts by D-Von Dudley, his brother Bubba Ray just stands there patiently waiting for his downed foe’s tag partner to make the save. At least when Bubba is in trouble D-Von has the good sense to stay on all fours and look at the matt like he’s dazed. The Eliminators (Perry Saturn and John Kronus) cannot set up a move in this match that doesn’t look as staged as a school play. You can almost hear Saturn yell the words “I will now perform my next trick! Are you ready Brother D-Von?” as he moves from spot to spot. You can almost hear D-Von shout “Ready!” in his reply. The Eliminators win clean and the Dudleys just about get enough offence in to not make this title loss not look like a squash. This match was so low on urgency that I had to look at the card just to remember it was for a championship. Couple of things occur to me during this opener. Firstly, I know that for Joey Styles – ‘Voice of ECW’ and lead announcer – performing his duties solo is a point of
PHOTO: MIKE KALASNIK
pride, but I don’t get the one man act. I’ve always felt commentary needs a conversational style to help the flow of the announcing. It helps the audience feel like they are being talked to rather than talked at. Plus, once The Eliminators hit their finisher ‘Total Elimination’ – on Sign-Guy of all people – he goes straight for the scream. First wrestling move of the night, he screams. No wonder WWE told him to keep a lid on it. Second thing I wanted to mention; as Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley make their way down to the ring they get booed. How crazy is that? In this day and age, smart marks like me feel so precious about our favourite wrestlers, even the most despicable heels get cheered, just because we know their pushes are so fragile. We can’t risk showing any negativity towards them, even when the negativity might be positive, just because we’re so afraid they’ll be put on the shelf like so many before them. The Dudley’s are beloved ECW players, integral to the hardcore iconography the company built itself around. Yet, even ECW smart marks – the snarkiest smart marks in the business – had the respect to boo these guys as heels. We could learn a thing from them. Or maybe I’m remembering it wrong and they were genuinely hated. Memory is a funny thing. Even more bizarre than The Dudleys getting booed though is the booing that RVD receives. Yeah that’s right. Rob Van Dam gets booed at an ECW Pay Per View. Even worse? He was a last minute replacement for Chris Candido, who injured his bicep. Given how we view ECW as a whole, the idea he barely made it onto the card of the first ECW PPV is kind of mind bowing if you haven’t thought about ECW for a while. He doesn’t work as a heel either. The
THE MAIN EVENT IS A TESTAMENT TO PAUL E. DANGEROUSLY’S MASTERY OVER THE MEDIUM. crowd reaction to him is negative, but it’s a lukewarm negativity at best. His opponent is Lance Storm who seems to have the respect of the crowd. But when he starts picking up weapons, he does Rob a huge favour. He looks so uncomfortable with them. He only picks them up out of obligation to
the promotion paying his check. He hits Rob with three of the worst chair shots I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if I’m pleased Van Dam doesn’t have to take the concussion creating chair hits or embarrassed for him that he has to sell them. The crowd immediately turn on Storm for his perceived cowardice.
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 19
LOOK BACK
YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. ROB VAN DAM GETS BOOED AT AN ECW PPV
He immediately turns all of the heat on its head. He starts getting booed and Mr. PPV (as Rob would later be called) starts getting cheers. Personally though, I admire Storm’s bravery. He went on a Pay Per View, hosted by Extreme Championship Wrestling, the home of the hardcore lifestyle, in front of the most bloodthirsty fans in the world (literally baying for blood, by the way. At one point in the night they chant “We want blood!” Told ya) and say “I’m not going to hit my opponent with a chair. I don’t care how bad it makes me look or how much you might turn on me, I’m not going to do it.” That is a man of convictions. My admiration isn’t shared however as Rob immediately hits a Van Daminator on him, connecting the chair properly with Lance’s skull and getting the pin immediately. He proceeds to cuss Storm out afterwards. Morals do not get you over in ECW. The next match is probably the highlight of the night. A cross promotional six-man tag with Michinoku Pro Wrestling, it saw the Japanese arm of the Blue World Order (Taka Michinoku, Terry Boy, and Dick Togo) go head to head with The Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada and Masato Yakushiji. ECW often had trouble holding onto talent. Every time they would introduce a new style of wrestling to the promotion, the freshness of it would immediately attract the attention of WCW and WWE, who were quick with big cash offers. This meant that ECW were always on the lookout for the next thing to help spice up their promotion. And for ECW’s first ever PPV this group of Strong Style Lucha Libres were it. The action was well orchestrated and exciting, and while there were botches, there were botches galore throughout the night, so I can’t hold that against them. One of the crucial reasons that this tag match worked better than the opener was that it was conducted under traditional tag team rules. ECW in its ever present attempt to provide a harder hitting style of action, usually have both members of their tag teams in the ring at the same time. This leads to very little tagging in their tag bouts. By obeying traditional rules, this match has an opportunity to tell a far more cohesive story. The Eliminators vs The Dudleys had too much in it that didn’t make sense, what with all four competitors being in ring at the same time. It
20 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
has always been my belief that it is matches like this – matches exhibiting the variety in style and the freedom the performers enjoyed – were the real attraction of ECW, not the overly macho, stubbornly libertarian hardcore lifestyle. Speaking of the hardcore life, the man who was at the epicentre of its creation, Shane Douglas, is up next, taking on Pitbull #2 for the ECW Television Title. The feud between them started with Douglas breaking Pitbull #1’s neck and the stipulation is that if Douglas wins then a masked man who has been plaguing him will be unmasked. Which is a relief because for a second there I thought we were in danger of getting convoluted. The fight begins with incredibly
high energy as the incensed Pitbull goes on the attack after Shane. Once both men have blown their loads (what? This is an ECW PPV, we’re supposed to be vulgar) on the opening minute and a half, the match crawls to a halt with a series of headlocks designed to have an edge because of Pitbull’s desire to break his opponent’s neck while his injured tagmate looks on. This is the most 90s fight of the night (the only possible competition it has is the Raven main event later on). A sexy woman hands the heel a series of weapons, and there are run ins and interference everywhere. An overboard, if well told, story that
Terry Funk was 53 when he stepped into the ring at ECW Barely Legal
compliments the hard hitting action in the ring. Shane retains and the masked man turns out to be Ric Rude, surprising absolutely no one. Sabu vs Tazz is preceded with a great promo by the Human Suplex Machine, which is confoundingly undermined by Bill Alfonso. The superior, smug expression on his face does nothing but distract. Alfonso is a manager whose look and personality bears no relation to that of his client, a man who has never needed a mouthpiece. Built up for an entire year, this is ECW’s Rock vs. Cena. You know how I said that the six man tag was probably the highlight of the night? Well this is definitely the highlight of the night. Tazz is a technical showman and Sabu is a risk-taking highflyer extraordinaire. That collision of styles made for an awesome back and forth between two of the best wrestlers in the ECW legacy. The match even ended with some drama as the winner Tazz is betrayed by his manager after an emotional handshake with his opponent. Our second main event of the evening is the one that got the most build up prior to the show. It is a three man dance for the No.1 Contendership for the ECW Heavyweight Title. The winner will immediately face title holder Raven for said championship. Throughout the night we got the chance to talk to all of the contenders and the champion himself. It has all built up to this. Now as you could probably tell throughout the article, I don’t share the same sense of nostalgia for ECW that others do. Personally, I loved ECW for the talent it fostered and the matches that they wouldn’t be able to have anywhere else. But for most of its rabid audience, ECW has created a legacy of doing the things that others never dared to try. They were the most masochistic, the most relentless, the most barbaric organisation of them all, and it is a badge of honour they wear with pride. But the bloody matches, the sadistic stipulations and the hard gritty edge was something I never really got. Case in point, The Sandman. Never has a wrestler so perfectly represented the company or its fans. Even if he does so to a massive fault. The Sandman does everything you aren’t supposed to do as a professional wrestler. He dresses in normal clothes, he’s clearly let himself get fat, he drinks on his way to the ring spilling beer down his shirt, and of course, he hits himself on the entrance ramp making himself bleed in the process. He’s bloody before the match even begins. He looks genuinely inebriated even before he downs three (very real) cans of beer in between his music starting and the bell ringing. I know this is his gimmick. It makes him unique among wrestlers. But it also means you can’t differentiate him from anyone else in the crowd. I’m sorry
but he just looks like a lowly drunk. If I were his opponent I would refuse to get in the ring with him. His opponents in the three way dance (where the last wrestler to be pinned or submit is the winner) are Stevie Richards (or Big Stevie Cool as he was named back then) and Terry Funk. Spoiler alert: this is Funk’s story. It is his time. The middle aged and crazy bastard was 53 when he stepped into that ring. And after fighting two of the biggest names in hardcore, he would then have to face a fresh champion and all his cronies. The match is an ECW special. It doesn’t have the grappling excellence of Tazz/Sabu, but it is a hard hitting slobber-knocker. Creative use of weapons, unforgiving strikes and driving slams. Everything that a spectacular hardcore main event needs. Plus the right winner at the right time. Funk takes it. Now he has to face Raven. Trouble is, his opponents have just taken him to hell. He’s bleeding all over the canvas. He can’t make it to his feet. This has to be quick or it will end with him leaving the arena in a body bag. Now, I can see people thinking that this match has far too short a time to be the title match at your prestigious, first-ever PPV. And as a result we see far too little of the champion. But the story of Terry Funk beating Raven straight after winning a brutal three way is a hell of an underdog tale and one that is befitting of the legendary wrestler it will benefit. Tommy Dreamer joined Joey Styles at the start of the No.1 Contender’s Match. He is there to see his mentor Funk wear the belt. He has promised Terry that he will not interfere. Terry has to do this on his own. But Raven won’t. Once Raven’s Nest ascends the ring they taunt Dreamer, who refuses to move repeating his promise. Finally after being ambushed by Big Dick Dudley, he has had enough. He charges at the ring and sets his father figure up for the victory. It is a powerful image and a heart rending scene. Seeing Funk’s blood run down his already scabbing face as he struggles to tell a doctor how many fingers he’s got up is a potent kick to the gut. Yes it is unbelievable that this half-century old, concussed, profusely bleeding man could stop Raven’s 100 day plus reign (even with Dreamer’s help), but convincing you of that is just testament to Paul E. Dangerously’s mastery over the medium. It is this moment that makes the event really feel like a special night. It took a while but they got there. There will be other PPVs, but few of them will reach this level of emotion or euphoria. This is why people really loved ECW. Not the blood or the violence. But the heart and the soul.
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 21
PBW
PREMIER BRITISH WRESTLING:
BREAKING LIMITS WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT / PHOTO: DAVID J WILSON
W
Premier British Wrestling (PBW) began
to the PBW fan base of what he thought of them and on this
operations in 2006 and has become one of the
night he took the mic to share them once again. Not endearing
top wrestling companies in Europe today. During
himself to the crowd, they were solidly behind Ridgeway who
this time they have held sell out shows all over
had made a favourable impact on PBW audiences last year.
Scotland and on April 30th they celebrated their
Thomson was ruthless in his attempts to ground Ridgeway who
10th year anniversary with ‘Breaking Limits’ in Greenock Town
has shown that he is as dangerous in his aerial assaults as he is
Hall, a night filled with drama, excitement and celebration.
on the mat, but despite the fan favourite valiantly attempting to get the win it would be the ‘Bad Boy’ who took the victory.
‘IRON MAN’ JOE COFFEY VS ‘THE BEAST OF BELFAST’ BIG DAMO
PBW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: GRADO & KENNY WILLIAMS VS RAMPAGE BROWN & ‘THE PRIMATE’ JASON PRIME
In this opening bout Coffey and Damo demonstrated why they are two of the most respected powerhouses in the industry today. Both matched each other with running shoulder blocks, stiff clotheslines and a lot more in an attempt to gain the advantage. As the match progressed Damo would use his size and strength to gain a series of near falls on a vulnerable Coffey
Fans were overjoyed to see their Tag
after connecting with a back splash before
Team Champions defend their PBW
standing on his opponent but Coffey fought
Titles against the monstrous team of
back using his speed to hit several running
Jason Prime and Rampage Brown.
splashes trapping Damo in the corner and
This was a bout of two contrasting
impressively hitting his deadlift german
team styles: Grado would entertain
suplex on his larger opponent. The hard
the crowd with his comic antics, along
hitting match drew to a close with
with Williams who would leave them awestruck with his dynamic abilities, against the duo of Brown and Prime who would force
Coffey rebounding from Damo’s Flipping Electric Chair finisher
any opponent into submission with their brute force and raw
by striking him with his Discus Lariat to get the pinfall victory.
power. In a superb match that saw the Champions overcome their toughest challenge yet, it was clear from the fan’s reaction
‘BAD BOY’ LIAM THOMSON VS CHRIS RIDGEWAY The entertaining Thomson has always made his feelings clear
22 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
to all four men that they definitely would want to see a re-match as the challengers have clearly made an impression in this tag team division.
PBW Breaking Limits was first held 10 years ago on 31.3.2006
CHAMPIONSHIP: BT GUNN VS JACK JESTER It was time for the main event, a feud that had been building within the promotion for over 6 months. BT Gunn had been trying to gain a title shot against the devious Jester and at every turn the Champion had found a way of robbing him of said challenge. However
DAVEY BLAZE W/ CHARLES BODDINGTON VS WOLFGANG Wolfgang was always going to be outnumbered when Blaze arrived with his Manager, Boddington who has made it a habit of getting involved in every one of his client’s matches, and it was clear right from the beginning of the match that this would be the case again. The fan favourite Wolfgang battled hard against the powerful Blaze in an evenly fought match and looked to gain the victory until time and time again Boddington would interfere, either by grabbing his leg or by throwing dust into his face to blind him. The consistent interferences looked to have taken its toll as Blaze in an incredible feat of strength hit a crucifix driver from the second turnbuckle to get the win.
8-MAN TAG TEAM, OVER THE TOP ROPE ELIMINATION – ‘THE REAL DEAL’ MARK COFFEY, STEVIE XAVIER, DYLAN ANGEL & LUCHA DS V TJ
RAGE, LOU KING SHARP, AARON ECHO & SAQIB ALI One of the main things that sets PBW apart from many different wrestling promotions across the country is their Wrestling Academies that currently operate in Barrhead, Airdrie and Greenock, and it shows with the consistent influx of new talent that flows into the mainstream of UK wrestling. This match was a perfect example of this with local boy, Lucha DS, picking up the win for his team in what was a highly entertaining 8 man elimination tag team match that saw stand out efforts from Dylan Angel, Aaron Echo, Lou King Sharp and Saqib Ali. Based on this match alone it is clear that the new generation of wrestlers are ready for more.
PBW HEAVYWEIGHT
on that night in a match that would leave fans divided on who to cheer for, BT Gunn finally got his chance. As soon as the bout started it was clear that the ring could not hold their fury and within minutes the war between the two spilled to outside the ring, over the barricade then to the merchandise stand and all over the Town Hall. Both men would not let each other even think that they had the advantage in this bout as the action reversed that quickly between the two. In a breathtaking finale, that even saw chairs being used and Jester hit his standing Tombstone as he seized his challenger from the top turnbuckle to gain a near fall but it would be BT Gunn who managed to capture the PBW Championship after hitting a furious brain buster to get the three count to become a two time Premier British Wrestling Heavyweight Champion to end a fantastic night celebrating 10 years of PBW.
JUNE 2O16 STEELCHAIR 23
JOHNNY MUNDO
WORDS: SHANE BAYLISS
JOHNNy
MUNDO 24 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
PHOTOS: LUCHA UNDERGROUND
"Lucha Underground feels like the best opportunity that I've had in my career"
INTERVIEW: JOHNNY MUNDO f you are like me and aren’t into illegal streaming and all that jazz, then you will only have heard rumours of ‘The Temple’ and wrestlers such as Angelico, Son of Havoc and Sexy Star. One name you will have heard of though is John Hennigan formally known in his WWE days as John Morrison and Johnny Nitro. Now wrestling as Johnny Mundo, Hennigan is one of the faces of the high-flying Lucha Underground promotion.
I
I wanted to start with the news that broke last night, which is that Chyna sadly passed away. You during you career have had a couple of very strong women in your corner. What are your thoughts on Chyna and the part she played in changing the face of the game for female performers? Oh man, I can’t say that I knew her very well but I did meet her a couple of times and she was very nice to me, and behind the scenes she was a very sweet woman. She really ushered in a new age for female > wrestlers, and was the first woman in modern WWE that was wrestling with guys and made it acceptable for women to bump guys. As far as empowering women in the squared circle, she was a trend setter. If
>
JOHNNY MUNDO
"The roster at Lucha Underground is hungry".
you look at what’s happened since, Lucha Underground has followed that! Stuff like this is really tragic man, and it has happened to too many wrestlers at too young of an age, I was really shocked by this one.
In terms of Lucha Underground, you’ve got a very cult appeal because the product isn’t readily available yet. Despite that, you have a vocal UK fan base. What are your thoughts on why you are 26 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
doing so well not just in the UK, but also at home in the US? I think Lucha Underground is the evolution of wrestling; it’s a combination of Lucha Libre wrestling, America pro-wrestling, and the gritty grindhouse style of Robert Rodriguez. There has never been a wrestling show produced in the same manner as Lucha Underground. Then you’ve got the top talent from around the world in my opinion; guys from Mexico and AAA. Guys like Fenix, Pentagon and Aneglico, and then
the top independent talent too in my opinion, Son of Havoc and Killshot, and then you’ve got guys like me and Rey Mysterio who have had time with WWE and left for their own reasons. The roster at Lucha Underground is hungry, and I feel like we’ve all got a chip on our shoulder but in a good way. We want to prove that we are the best in the world and it shows when you are watching the programme. The type of action you are seeing is at a faster pace and higher level than any other show.
PHOTOS: LUCHA UNDERGROUND
The third thing in this equation is the world we have created in Lucha Underground. It is more protected and constructed than any other wrestling promotion; with that I mean it is a world that is fully fleshed out with supernatural characters and ancient history harking back to Aztec mythology with characters like Johnny Mundo and Rey Mysterio where everyone knows where we’ve come from. The world is constructed in such a way that it makes sense, and the characters come from somewhere that people understand. Also, it is a tight hour of television that respects people’s time, a lot of wrestling shows are three hours but you can watch it in twenty minutes with your TiVo. People who watch Lucha don’t need to fast forward their DVR, because of all those factors. It is paced differently, because it’s for a different generation.
You mentioned the pacing. I’m not sure how much Robert Rodriguez is involved but is that pacing something that he brings to the table? Of everyone in my circle of friends, Robert is by far the busiest, he’s super busy but he advises and watches. He gives as much input as he can and he works closely with Kick Punch Films – who handle the vignettes – and
they have a very similar editing style. Those guys are geniuses, man and that’s why the vignettes look like they do. I think as far as how the matches go, the art direction and the grit that you see in The Temple stems from the grindhouse feel of a lot of Robert’s films.
Was Rodriguez something that swayed your decision to join this project, because I imagine you had plenty of offers following WWE. Yes, him and Mark Burnett! I was a film major, also. I didn’t do my dissertation on him, but I wrote papers on his films. When I was first contacted about Lucha Underground I was a little sceptical, because you are always sceptical about this stuff. But when I got the call about the set, “this is the set, Robert Rodriguez and Mark Burnett are both in on this” and there were a lot of people that I knew and respected, and it didn’t hurt that the arena was ten minutes from my house. I was born and raised in Los Angles, and I’ve wanted to be a part of something in Los Angles for a long time.
Looking at the history, LA isn’t somewhere that usually pops up as having a cultural wrestling heritage. I think what has happened is that a lot of the history books have been written about the territories by American pro-wrestling historians, so those guys are going to write about the guys that produced American stars. But at a lot of the stuff at the LA Colosseum was Lucha Libre. Chavo Guerrero’s father was wrestling at the Colosseum forty or fifty years ago. They say that history is selected memories, and it is cool to be part of a show that is bringing about a revival of Lucha Libre and telling stories with characters that are second and third generation Luchadors. We are going to revive that part of wrestling history.
It feels like Lucha Underground is wrestling in its purest form, because at the end of the day wrestling is storytelling, and it’s the storytelling that gives it this epic feel. I think you can reduce any form of entertainment down to simply emotions. TV, movies, wrestling; the whole point of any of it are the emotions. As a member of the audience, you go to feel something, and stories are what hook you in and make you relate to the characters.
JUNE 2O16 STEELCHAIR 25
JOHNNY MUNDO
At its core, great wrestling is storytelling, and it is definitely what Lucha Underground has been about since day one, telling stories in this cool comic book universe.
You’ve mentioned the brilliant roster that Lucha Underground has, what is morale like within that roster, because Lucha Underground is arguably in a position to soon become the ‘other’ promotion on TV.
"A lot of wrestling shows are three hours but you can watch it in twenty minutes with your TiVo".
28 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
I think the whole Cruiserweight Tournament is a response to Lucha Underground, I think that a lot of the stuff that Triple H and Stephanie did in the WrestleMania entrance was similar to the art direction of Lucha Underground. We are on their radar. Their superstars have been addressed not to acknowledge anyone on our roster, but I think as far as the production of shows go, Lucha Underground is new, it is fresh, and it’s something that has never been seen before in the world of professional wrestling, using stars that are more talented than any other wrestling promotion. If you look at something like WWE, a lot of their top stars are hanging around still, because they never made any new stars. The whole time with WWE they had their Cena, their Undertaker but they never made any new young stars. And the stars that they did make? Look at like guys like Daniel Bryan who was one of the most talent and nicest guys in the business. Unfortunately for him right as he was at the peak of his success he
Johnny Mundo regularly does live improvisational comedy in LA
"I think the UK Indy scene might be the strongest in the world right now"
got hurt. Then you’ve got CM Punk, who broke through the glass ceiling and they weren’t treating him like you treat a top guy. What we’ve got is a roster of young and hungry lions that are more talented than any other roster in the business, with more to prove than any other roster in the world.
You want to be entertained, and you want to be treated with respect. You don’t want and I don’t want, when we’ve invested time in a TV show, for a storyline to change without explanation half way though, and then changed again a few weeks after that. Because then it feels like ‘why am I even bothering watching it?’
Vince said on the Stone Cold podcast that his problem with his current roster was that too many people were afraid to try and fail, so they don’t take chances. But the principle with Lucha Underground seems to be, that if it doesn’t work you just try again until it does.
You’ve got a few UK appearances coming up, what are your thoughts on the UK independent scene? It is arguably the biggest it has ever been right now. Is it something that a lot of the American wrestlers are aware of, and want to be a part of?
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve failed a lot. I’ve messed up opportunities and I’ve fallen down a lot. But this opportunity I have right now with Lucha Underground, feels like the best opportunity that I’ve had in my career, and the proof is in the fact that we are doing this interview right now. I can go to a country where Lucha Underground isn’t even on TV, but still people are finding it on YouTube or elsewhere on the internet and are just raving about it. Like, I went to Sudan and people in Sudan were talking about Lucha Underground.
Absolutely. Personally, I think the UK Indy scene might be the strongest in the world right now, there is more talent, more shows, more promotions in the UK, running better shows than any other area in the world. Guys like Will Osprey, Noam Dar and Marty Scurll! Everybody is doing really well, it is innovative and interesting.
We are in an age where fans are savvy and know what is happening backstage, but we still want to be entertained.
Huge thanks to the team at Lucha Underground and Johnny for the time. You can get a hold of Lucha Underground through iTunes.
JUNE 2O16STEELCHAIR 29
MANAGERS
WORDS: COIRE MCCRYSTALL
THE 5 BEST EVER MANAGERS IN WRESTLING hether you call them a manager, an agent or
W
managers to ever grace the side of their client.
a coach, wrestling has had managers for a very, very long time - and to great success! Sometimes they do the talking, acting as the hype man of their charge. Other times they
5) PAUL HEYMAN
might get in on the action, committing some nefarious deed like distracting the referee or sliding their man a weapon.
Paul E? How could it be? So far up the list? Yes, while many
Whatever the purpose, the best managers always find a way to
would see today’s most visible mouthpiece as the finest
make themselves useful.
example of professional wrestling management known to man, the recent non-Lesnar’ charges of Mr. E. Dangerously
During the WWE’s “Attitude Era”, the role of the manager
have not been as successful. In recent years, the pairings
has become less and less important in wrestling. Perhaps it is
of Heyman and Curtis Axel, or Ryback, or even Cesaro have
because the personality-driven stars of that time were better
not set the wrestling world on fire - but hey, no one bats a
able to serve as their own hype men, and as such the manager
thousand. Where Heyman has been successful is in bringing
nearly went the way of the ringside photographer. However,
the wrestling manager back to the fore, by cutting passionate
though the practice has gone out of vogue in the past few
promos, completely outclassing anyone else in the WWE. Aside
years, the manager has seen a resurgence in popularity of
from Lesnar, Heyman has worked with 5 WWE Champions Kurt
late. The wrestling landscape is now populated with new and
Angle, the Big Show, Rob Van Dam and CM Punk. This number
interesting pairings where, if this article is revisited again in
jumps to 7 if you include Heyman’s WCW time with ‘Mean’
10 or 20 years, we could have a whole new list. Okada & Gedo.
Mark Callous, who would later become better known as the
Jay Lethal & Truth Martini. Dalton Castle & his Boys. There
Undertaker, and ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin, though I think it is
is much hope for wrestler/management partnerships going
safe to say neither man had his best days under Heyman.
forward. That said, here is an entirely subjective list of the best
Though those are the biggest success stories, the list of “Paul
30 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
PHOTOS: WWE VIDEO, JOHN JEWELL (BEARER), JOHN MCKEON (HEENAN)
Heyman guys” is a long one indeed, and one only needs to go
fat man in a suit to pull of laughably cheesy than a seven foot
back to Heyman’s ECW days to see his best work. Even in the
tall monster. Bearer was the explanation to the Undertaker’s
early stages of his career, Paul E had all the makings of a great
mystique - he added context to the Undertaker’s character
heel manager. Slimy? Check. Manipulative? Double check. Could
where none could be given without undermining said character.
cut a heck of a promo? Triple check. However, it was his time
This act was solid for the better part of 10 years, and even after
running Smackdown in the early 00’s where Paul Heyman’s
the Bearer/Undertaker double act dissolved, there were several
genius really began to shine. Though not strictly related to his
years of Undertaker vs Bearer, which saw Bearer manage the
management work, Paul Heyman was able to take what many
likes of Mankind, Vader, and Kane. Bearer also managed an
considered the B-show and make it more entertaining than
ill-fated character called ‘the Executioner’ around this time,
RAW. Unfortunately these halcyon days weren’t to last. For one
portrayed by Terry Gordy, however this character was not as
reason or another, the WWE brass removed Heyman from his
successful as Bearer’s other clients.
successful position, and we can see from Smackdown today how successful that was. Regardless, Heyman deserves a place on
In the last decade of Bearer’s management tenure, WWE
this list, if only for his perfect vocal accompaniment of Brock
developed a morbid habit of having the character ‘killed off’
Lesnar’s physical talents, and everything aside from that can be
in gruesome ways. The first time this happened, Bearer was encased in concrete. Six years later, the trend would continue, with Bearer being pushed from a great height, and frozen to death, respectively. On the one hand, returning from these events helped to cultivate an eery atmosphere around Bearer, though this was never used to such an extent that it could form a part of the character. However it is uncomfortable, especially now that Moody has passed on, to see how the character was treated on television. Still, Paul Bearer remains a beloved manager, and that’s why he features on this list.
considered a bonus.
4) PAUL BEARER Though a manager of many different talents, William Moody’s most famous role was that of ‘Paul Bearer’, the manager of The Undertaker. In case you have never realised (and you’d be surprised how many haven’t), ‘Paul Bearer’, is a play on the ‘pallbearer’, or one of the people who carries a casket at a funeral. With such a ‘built-in’ character, Bearer was all but consigned to managing wrestlers with a ‘spooky’ bent. Yet even still, it’s truly amazing how much Bearer got out of a character with such an intended use. During Bearer’s run in WWE, his career relied on the Undertaker’s career. The Undertaker is not known for his amazing promo work, though - in fact, ‘Taker’s character rarely said more than a few words for the first decade of his career. Even today, when the Undertaker talks, with a less storied and respected wrestler the verbiage would be laughably cheesy. This is where Bearer was so useful - it’s much easier for a short,
3) BOBBY ‘THE BRAIN’ HEENAN If ever there was a manager to match wits with the best of them, it would be the Brain. Bobby Heenan is an interesting example of a manager, because as the manager of Nick Bockwinkel, he is one of the earlier examples of a manager for a wrestler who was already considered to have strong promo skills. Brain could have easily seemed superfluous, and yet
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 31
MANAGERS
PHOTOS: MEGAN ELICE MEADOWS (VG), MIKE KALASNIK (JC)
added to the act in a way that no other managers could. This
were often predicated on a romantic relationship between
type of work would inspire the partnership of Paul Heyman and
her and her charge, who would see Guerrero’s relationships
CM Punk. In such a character driven climate in the 1980’s.
with heel wrestlers as a perversion of her relationship with Eddie. However, as time went on, Guerrero proved herself as
As noted before, much of a manager’s work was to cut promos
being more than capable of garnering a fantastic amount of
for their client and generally be the ‘brains of the operation’,
heat independent of any relationship to Eddie Guerrero. Her
which makes it no wonder why Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan
signature catchphrase “excuse me” became a call and response
is considered the creme de la creme of mic-men. Bobby
for the audience’s hatred. An axiom: as soon as she said those
Heenan’s most high profile client would probably be André
words, the fans booed. Though many might say this seems
the Giant. Following Mr the Giant’s famous heel turn leading
like a very high place to put Guerrero, it cannot be overstated
to his Wrestlemania III in 1987, Heenan was the voice of the
how talented Guerrero was to get the fans, who by all logic
‘other side’, able to provide a coherent argument for why André
should have adored Vickie, to hate her, and how successful her
would turn down the adulation of the fans. Another notable
charges were. By the end of her management career, Vickie
programme in Heenan’s WWE career would be the infamous
had settled into a niche where the fans genuinely were ready to
‘Red Rooster’ saga, in which Heenan managed Terry Taylor,
love her character. She obtained a small measure of revenge
then one of the most talented wrestlers in the United States,
on Stephanie McMahon (which is the most anyone ever gets on
as a man made up like a Rooster. The entire angle is quite bad,
this McMahon; because of pride and awful storytelling), and then she left to pursue a life outside of wrestling.
1) JIM CORNETTE James E. Cornette (sidenote: what is it with managers having the middle initial ‘E’?) is quite possibly the most committed manager in all of wrestling. Few if any wrestler can say they have went to the lengths Cornette has went for his boys, all for the entertainment of the fans. Cornette is most commonly associated with the old-school Southern style ‘wrasslin’, which emphasised commitment to ‘not exposing the business’, and but it is made better by the talents of Heenan.
an unwavering dedication to the sanctity of the craft.
2) VICKIE GUERRERO
As their role is largely supposed to be non-physical, violence towards managers is more shocking, and more aggressive. It takes us out of the wrestling mindset, as the people being
In 2006, Vickie Guerrero was the widow of one of the most
assailed upon this time aren’t trained wrestlers, but usually
beloved wrestlers the world has ever seen. How strange it is
those who are much closer to the viewers; at least as far as
then that Vickie would, in several short years, become one of
appearances go. Many managers will take a punch for their
the most effective heels that the WWE has ever seen. No one
client. A few will even take a bump or devastating finishing
in their right mind could possibly have seen casting Eddie
move. Jim Cornette however, is willing to go above and
Guerrero’s grieving widow as an unlikable, shrieking banshee a
beyond for his clients, and to let the audience see him get
genius move, yet through sheer talent, and possibly some flair
his comeuppance. A good example of this is Starrcade ‘86,
for the business picked up from being married to ‘Latino Heat’,
which pit his most well-known clients, the Midnight Express
Vickie managed to play her role with aplomb.
against the Road Warriors in the rarely seen (and for good reason) ‘Scaffold match’. A scaffold match is as stupid as it
Throughout her WWE tenure, Guerrero would manage a
is dangerous. Basically, there is a scaffold in the ring, and the
collection of different wrestlers. The two most famous
first guy thrown off the scaffold loses. You’d be right in thinking
of these stars would be Edge, and Dolph Ziggler, both of
that this is quite a spectacle of a match, but if you’re asking
whom would get a taste of WWE gold, directly related to her
yourself how a human body hitting the ring after plummeting
managing. Vickie’s heelish relationships with other male stars
from a scaffold could possibly be faked in the ‘scripted’ world
32 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
Vickie Guerrero is a fully qualified Medical Administrator
of professional wrestling, I’m afraid you probably aren’t going to find any answers here, or at least, no shenanigans in this
Though I have spoken highly of Heyman and Heenan’s abilities
particular match. And the fall guy here was to be Cornette
to cut promos in this article, Cornette was every bit on the top
himself.
of that mountain with the two. His ability to speak a mile a minute without anything being lost in his fast-talk was legendary,
Cornette was initially supposed to have his fall broken by
and his temper tantrums were the delight of audiences
another wrestler (who many of you may know as ‘The Big
everywhere. Cornette’s antics remain one of the few saving
Boss Man’), but unfortunately the two were not sympatico on
graces of the majorly panned ‘New Generation’ era of the WWE.
timing and where Corny would fall. Upon hitting the ground
Though in recent years his opinions have been criticized as ‘old
Cornette’s knees buckled and were completely destroyed. It’s
fashioned’, and his Twitter spats with many popular wrestlers
always painful to watch wrestlers injure themselves - they are
who do not quite share his reverence for the ‘believability of
professional athletes, and are used to taking more punishment
wrestling have become talk of the ‘net, there is no denying that
than the average person, but they aren’t invincible. Managers
the ‘Louisville Slugger’ is a highly effective performer, whose
though are, as said before, much closer to the average person,
tennis-racket based antics made a lot of people very happy,
and so seeing them get hurt doesn’t quite have that same filter
garnering our top spot on this list.
that seeing a wrestler injure themselves does.
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 33
GANGREL
PHOTOS: BRENDAN MCELENY | PHOTO: TABERCIL
L E R G N A G
ING? R E H T F O D LEGEN
34 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
hile watching the Edge and Christian
W
show I could not help but laugh at the appearance of Gangrel. It has been a while since we had seen the vampire on WWE television
and his guest appearance on the network show got me thinking about Gangrel’s time in WWE and how much impact he had on the rise of both Edge and Christian. Despite only a three year run in WWE, Gangrel has had a unique part to play in the Attitude Era with his dark and gothic style gimmick he showed fans The Brood, who were one of the many unstoppable factions in WWE in the late 90’s. A wrestler who perhaps did not live up to his full potential in WWE there is no doubt that Gangrel was still seen by many as one of the most underrated gimmicks of all time.
Career Highlights
2006, Heath was re-signed as a potential for WWE’s newest brand, ECW, to appear in a vampire stable with Kevin Thorn and Ariel. However, WWE held off from reintroducing him to the main roster due to his ongoing weight problems. At the September 21st Deep South Wrestlingevent, he made an appearance
Gangrel appeared on WWE television in 1998 with a vampire
wrestling Tommy Suede. He continued to wrestle in DSW while
gimmick that would spread fear among his victims for a few
he waited to be called up to one of the main rosters. On January
short years. With his trademark goblet of blood in hand, Gangrel
18, 2007, an article on WWE.com reported that Gangrel had
made his onscreen debut on the August 16 edition of Heat,
been released from World Wrestling Entertainment. On the 15th
which would see him start a few months of an undefeated
Anniversary WWE RAW special on December 10, 2007, Gangrel
streak. It was with Edge and Christian he would find his fame in
participated in a 15 Man Battle Royal and was eliminated by Al
wrestling, with the trio creating The Brood. The group became
Snow.
famous for their blood baths where they would cover wrestlers in blood. Shortly after the Brood were created, the three joined The Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness faction. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, in a losing effort, Gangrel faced X-Pac for
Where is Gangrel Now?
the European Championship. He would then go on to compete in the Rumble match itself and again in the following year. The
Gangrel now wrestles for North American Wrestling (NAW)
Brood then split from the Ministry of Darkness and entered into
under the name “Vampire Warrior” and lives on the California
a feud with the Hardy Boyz, which resulted in Gangrel turning
coast. Since his departure from wrestling Gangrel as started to
on Edge and Christian in favour for Matt and Jeff renaming
direct pornographic movies. Gangrel still wrestles for All Star
their group the New Brood. The Hardy Boyz would go onto hire
Promotions in the United Kingdom and is said to be moving to
Teri Runnels as their manager thus ending their all Ingleby with
England as he prepares to wrestle for All Star Promotions full
Gangrel leaving him on his own. In 2000, he brought his real life
time. Since leaving WWE, Gangrel has settled, like many former
wife Luna Vachon to partner him until she was fired from the
stars, on the independent scene and will probably continue to
company. Gangrel was then released from the company himself
wrestle from city to city until he finally decides to hang up his
reportedly due to weight problems. The years between 2004 and
boots. There is no doubt though that Gangrel’s gimmick included
2007 saw Heath bouncing back and forth between WWE and the
one of the best entrances in WWE history and it is thanks to him
independent circuit. He made a couple appearances for WWE
that we had Edge and Christian to see on television. Without
in 2004, returning to have a short feud with The Undertaker,
Gangrel, Edge and Christian would not have had the fiery start
but nothing came of it. Following that, he and Luna wrestled
to their career that they did have. It is debatable if we can call
many tours all over the world. The pair did a lot of wrestling
Gangrel a legend but his passion for the business certainly
with the United Kingdom-based All Star Promotions. In 2005,
deserves praise and here’s hoping the blood baths will continue
Heath was given another WWE contract and appeared in Ohio
for many years.
Valley Wrestling, the primary developmental territory of WWE. However, he was again released before anything came of it. In
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 35
ANDY WILLIAMS
Y D A N MS
A I L L I W E I D I E M I T EVERY very Time I Die guitarist Andy Williams, shocked the internet when he jumped the barrier at Download and power-bombed Jimmy Havoc through a table. A lifelong wrestling fan, we were lucky enough to get time to chat to Andy about pretty much everything wrestling related.
E
Growing up, was wrestling something you wanted to do, and music just fell into place first? Or is it something that is quite a new idea? I’ve played guitar since I was fourteen. I’ve played drums since I was eleven. I started watching
36 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
wrestling when I was six years old. I remember being friends with a dude who actually ended up becoming a wrestler because he had the NWA Nintendo video game. I remember specifically talking about it, and I knew that you could be ‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert in it. So I got to be friends with this guy, so I could play that game. I remember I used to walk seven or eight blocks as a child to play this NWA video game because you could be Flair and the Road Warriors. I didn’t grow up on WWE. I have no idea how that happened. I remember my older sister had this boyfriend and his best friend was the captain of the wrestling team. He would come over and be like “hey, watch this,” and we would play NWA and
he would give me his old wrestling magazines. I fell in love with Ric Steiner. He was my first favourite wrestler. I’ve just always been obsessed with wrestling. I first went to (wrestling) school when I was nineteen to train, and ended up blowing my knee out, which was the catalyst for me picking up a guitar, taking it seriously and starting ETID. So when I knew wrestling was gone, I was like “well now I’m going to really apply myself to this.” Then, years later, when Punk announced he was going to retire from WWE and join the UFC – this guy was thirty-five at the time – I said “well fuck that, I’ll take my body seriously and I’m going to give it a go.”
S
Then I can say, whether I wrestle one or two matches, or if I wrestle for the rest of my life, I did it. Now, I’ve got a tag-team match under my belt and my first solo match. I’ve got two dudes in the band with children. When they go off to be Dads, I get to be the guy who hangs round in Lycra suits and throws people around.
You’ve mentioned your début solo match. You were at Smash Wrestling in the last few days and got attacked? Before Jimmy Havoc, I had some problems with this guy. Toronto is only an hour away from us, and Smash had me up there for this ALS benefit show. This guy Tarik came out and interrupted me. Him and Matt Cross ended up having match later, and he was going to hit Cross with a chair. So I jumped in and choke-slammed him.
So this is going back eight or nine months then? Same thing recently. They had me out there; they wanted to interview me again; he came out; I had him for the choke-slam, and he kicked me in the balls and then kneed me in the back of the head.
So it’s on in terms of your first foray into singles competition? Yeah!
What is your training regime for this, because I saw a picture of your with Pepper Parks and Cherry Bomb. Are they the guys you train with? I train at this place in Buffalo, called Grapplers Anonymous. It’s ran by this guy called Mikey Everynite. Basically, I’m with him all the time and then Cherry and Pepper will come in and refine my psychology. It’s cool. It’s like three days a week. I could go five days a week but I don’t think my body would hold up to that. But I try to do three days and on top of that I have to write songs. Right now my time is so thin; I go from holding a guitar for five or six hours, to wrestling on a mat for five or six hours, and then I have to go to the gym for three hours. By the time I get home, I’m wiped and then the next day it’s the same thing.
I was going to ask how long you go to the gym for, because you not a small guy by any means. You can tell you put the work in. That’s the thing man. When I said that I was going to do this, I wanted to do it to the best of my ability. I don’t want to slack at all, because – obviously – that’s how people get hurt and stuff. So I want to make sure my body is in the right shape. I’m not even looking to be PWI’s number one wrestler on the planet; I just want to have quality matches and I want people to be stoked to wrestle me.
You mentioned being in shape to not get hurt, but to be safe you’ve got to be in good shape. There is this idea that Eva Marie (WWE) isn’t putting in the work and thus doesn’t potentially have the trust of people like Paige who’ve been in the business for years? You said Eva Marie right? I hate the word mark, but I sound like a mark. I’ve loved wrestling my entire life and I think like guys like Roderick Strong or Adam Cole; those dudes grew up loving wrestling. It wasn’t something that came about in their late twenties where they were like “oh cool, wrestling!” They’re not like the guys who just show up from a failed NFL run.
It’s not just an industry where your physical prowess matters. You’ve got to put the work in, because at the end of the day somebody else’s livelihood and health is in your hands. If someone isn’t confident in your abilities, there is the prospect that that person could – in the worst case – end up paralysing or killing you. You can equate it back to music as well. I hate jaded people, and I try and stay as open minded and not jaded as possible because I’ve been doing the music thing for so long. A lot of people in my position just don’t listen to music the way they did when they were twenty years old. I try to listen to music like that, so if someone tells me about a band, I’ll one hundred percent go into it open minded and then make my judgement. With wrestling and music, there are fans of music and then there are students of music. In wrestling, it is the same exact way. The fans of wrestling, they don’t get
JUNE 2O16 STEELCHAIR 37
ANDY WILLIAMS it. But the students of wrestling, they try to refine it and make it better. So on the other end, it is the mirror opposite. Usually, music students think everything is owed to them and they do everything by the book, and fans of music are the ones that make real music. The guy that can tell you the bass player on the second ‘whatever’ record? They are just stoked they are writing music. With ETID, it’s five dudes who are fans of music, not students. Going back to wrestling, I am trying to be a student of wrestling. I’m trying to not fan-boy, but I still love wrestling and I’m not going to be jaded with it. I just really want to do it to the best of my ability. If it’s just me working Mid-South matches, trying to get heat, I’ll do Rock ‘n’ Roll Express all day long. Or if… Actually, scrap that. I’m never going to say I wanna have a deathmatch with Jimmy Havoc. But if it came down to that, I guess I would do it, but it scares the shit out of me. I had my first death-match experience. I went with Pepper to a CZW show and the card was amazing. CZW is an amazing promotion where Matt Tremont and DJ Hyde had a death-match. I just couldn’t hang. I felt bad watching it, and growing up I used to watch FSW stuff from Japan with Mt Pogo going up against Cactus Jack. By the end, they are just covered in blood and barbed wire and stuff. It is completely different to watch than it is to be there, because you can just hear and see, it’s just a weird environment.
After Download, NXT had the whole Corey Taylor and Baron Corbin altercation. Do you think there was any influence from your feud with Jimmy Havoc? What did you think of that?
WIL
Fuck I hope man. That would be awesome if somewhere, Andy Williams was ingrained in the history of the WWE. You’ve got to remember wrestling promoters are still promoters and there are certain people that will get attention. Any promoter should do that. It’s finding a guy that will take that seriously. Corey is one of those dudes that is a showman, so that it is the perfect guy in the perfect situation. Dude’s gone and hit a home run. That thing was great.
You mentioned Jimmy Havoc. You had a bust-up with Jimmy in the summer at Download. How was that? How was working with Progress? Is it something you’d consider doing in the future if It was a good slap. they asked you over? Yeah, and Baron is the nicest guy in the world and he Yeah, one hundred percent. The environment is great at Progress and that’s one of the reasons I do things for Smash too. They are open and they are just cool. They want to take chances and I like that shit. I like the fact that I don’t get looked at as “here’s this rock ‘n’ roll guy.” It’s like “oh wow, this guy really wants to do this seriously, let’s give him a shot,” and not play the “you want to come out with a guitar in your hand?” you know what I mean? There are two different people, there is me on stage and then there is me in the ring. I like the fact that Progress allowed me to come out and say “here’s Andy Williams from ETID, but tonight he’s going to come out and do this!” They didn’t throw any stupid gimmick, they just let me go in there and beat ass and that’s it.
38 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2016
fucking loves music. That probably meant more to him than anything did. One of his favourite singers slapping him in the face, you know what I mean?
Do you keep up with WWE? You’ve mentioned you grew up on NWA. Have you stuck to the Indies? Yeah, almost all my favourite wrestlers are in the WWE somewhere. You’ve got fucking Steen, you have Claudio Castagnoli. For anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about, that’s Kevin Owens and Cesaro. Fergal is there as Finn Balor. They have Sami Zayn. And now they have Nakamura! There are some smart choices. The
If he’s going to do that punch, he can’t do any other punches with his right hand. Show is good at putting people over, and that’s what he does.
LLIAMS thing is, Vince needs to just listen to Triple H. Sometimes, you have to let the guys take the ball. And sometimes, I think things are written a little too much. These guys have matches of the year; most of these guys have wrestled each other for the last twelve years. Let them go; let them do some stuff, you know? You are doing things with guys like Ryback. Those dudes are basically Hercules, and you use that guy to propel one of your younger guys. If you have a power guy and a guy that is good – like Cesaro – you put them in the ring and let them have a total power battle. The baby-face is always going to go over with Ryback, or that bad-guy, or whatever. They give that guy too many chances. He’s not terrible, but I think there are just too many cooks in the kitchen. You have one guy telling these guys to do one thing, and one guy telling them to do another. Ryback should just go out there, make mean faces and flex like a mother-fucker; then do four really good moves, and that’s it. The Big Show, he’s a freak. That’s what Vince likes; those really freaky wrestlers. Have him go out there and work those old matches. He’s got an awful punch and that’s his finisher. Nobody is telling him he can’t throw a punch!
Yeah, and you need people like that. Just don’t give him these huge spots. He can’t do that anymore! They give him these big spots and it just looks clumsy. They should just streamline him down and say “You do these five things really well. Let’s keep going back to them.” What an interview! We are going into the major psychology of wrestling! I will say this. When I’m in England, there is a Progress show like four days after the tour. There is a Progress show after you play Hatfield Slam Dunk. Depending on what time you are playing, will you be making an appearance? I don’t know!
Last question, is there a long term goal in your head? I don’t know. The band is my number one and this is my number two, so I don’t know. I did an interview with WWE and they were like “so your plans is?” I’m thirtyeight, you don’t want me, I’m old. That’s the thing. If cool stuff – like if I got to wrestle a match with Jimmy or just continue to do stuff with Matt – I’d be stoked on that and that’s really it. I don’t want to put too much on myself, because I don’t know. If I ever get to wrestle anyone who wrestled in the ECW, I could probably retire after that. If Tommy Dreamer is in Buffalo and Pepper can set it up that I get to wrestle Tommy Dreamer, I’ve succeeded. I’ve wrestled Tommy Dreamer! I want to get a few matches under my belt and then see where I can go booking wise. I would take a CW Anderson spine-buster. Check out VultureHound.com where we talk with Andy about his plans to hit the studio and get back on the road.
JUNE 2O16 STEELCHAIR 39
EXTREME RULES
WORDS: BRADLEY TIERNAN
WWE EXTREME RULES REVIEW t has to be said that Extreme Rules certainly
I
raised the bar from the low standards we have come to expect from WWE in recent years. I always look to criticise where I can but this pay per view did not leave much room for me to pick
faults. On the day that Cody Rhodes was granted his release I take a look at the few surprises and a whole lot of great matches this extreme night had to offer.
KALISTO V RUSEV - US TITLE Very happy to see the US Title finally getting the push it deserves. Over the last few PPVs, including WrestleMania, the matches for the US Championship, featuring Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara’s lovechild and the Goldberg guy, have been reduced to the pre show. What a way to finally legitimise the championship by having another non American win the gold. I bet Ryback
BIG CASS VS THE DUDLEY BOYZ
must be having a blue fit considering the match outcome.
I like Cass. He’s every bit the wrestler that gets Vince McMahon
how Ryback should have beat Kalisto at Payback. Logical
even weaker at the knees. Managing to take on two men at once
progression for this feud would see it centre around the former
is no easy task, especially when these men are as extreme as
League of Nations members. It may seem quite obvious but
they come, the Dudley Boyz. However, I worry that the Dudley
sometimes the best material is right in front of you.
Seeing Rusev dominate his diminutive opponent was exactly
Boyz may now be all too happy to job out to young up-starts and feel it’s too soon to give Big Cass a push as a singles competitor. He’s proving he can go it alone but it’s possibly too soon in his career. I don’t want to see him crash and burn before the end of his partnership with Enzo. But then again maybe that’s why he’s being given a push; if he fails then he can just slot back into a partnership with the certified G and bona fide stud that is Enzo Amore.
BARON CORBIN VS ZIGGLER
TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH Like always The New Day were in fine form with their intro. Being the childish fiend I am I thoroughly enjoyed the remark about putting “a couple of (garden) hoes in the ground”. We usually get Big E paired with Kofi but this time, as is demanded by the freebird rule, each member has to defend in turn. Woods stepped in for Kofi and I couldn’t help but feel something wasn’t quite right. Despite the match itself being great I got the impression, continuing on from last weeks Raw, that Big E’s
There really isn’t much to say about this. I just couldn’t fathom
attitude towards Woods shtick could cause an eventual split for
any logical scenario where Dolph Ziggler would win. What would
the New Day. It’s a thought that brings a lump to my throat but
be the point in burying the Lone Wolf so soon? He’s not the
it’s something we must consider going forward. I am more than
greatest of NXT graduates but he’s surely going to make a stir.
happy to see the New Day carry on with the tag titles forever
Maybe even at Money in the Bank.
but I think they’re so popular that it doesn’t really matter if they have the titles or not. They’re just great value for entertainment.
THE CLUB VS THE FAMILY I’m not too sure how ‘extreme’ a tornado tag is but these
INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE
two factions put on a great performance last night. Anderson
Amazing stat the announce team pulled out during Owens intro
and Gallows frequently look dominating and the Usos match
to the ring. Maggle Cole interestingly announced that KO has
it surprisingly well using quick bursts of momentum. I was
featured in every PPV match card in his first year on the main
pleasantly surprised by the wrestling in this match. The Usos
roster. Only one other man has done that in WWE history is
get a lot of stick because of their association with Reigns but
The Undertaker. Huge boots to fill. Speaking of boots, what a
credit where it’s due they put on a good show with Gallows and
helluva kick to start the match! This title match was possibly
Anderson. Side note: Gallows kind of looks like a baby. A very
the most thrilling of the night. I found myself being excited
angry baby at that
for any one of the four men to win the match. They all bring
40 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2016
something great to the table in what was a complete win-win
Boy’s outburst last week was not only embarrassing but also
scenario. It was like my mom had just picked me up from
showed everyone why his time with the company should reach
school with pizza and ice cream waiting; a fun and exciting
its well overdue curtain call. Largely out of touch it’s high time
prospect all round. Owens is just the perfect heel. So much
he let his daughter fight her own battles. After all, she is the
so that he even managed to prevent what would have been the
Women’s champion, she should at least be acting like one. In
spot of the night when Cesaro was about to superplex Sami
terms of the wrestling itself both women displayed a great
Zayn with Miz on top! But Cesaro had sweet redemption when
amount of athleticism and technical ability that fully deserved
he managed to superplex all three of his opponents. The match
it’s place as the second to last match on the card. It was no
portrayed all of the men perfectly. Miz, the desperate champion
surprise, however, that Charlotte once again prevailed due to an
trying to do anything to retain his title. Cesaro, the strong man,
interference. Much to everyone’s surprise Dana Brooke was the
proven with his ability to shove all three of his opponents over
one to interfere. I found it bizarre but also intrigued to see how
at once. Owens, the ultimate heel. Seriously, he’s entering
this one develops. Is “little naitch” going to start fixing matches
Jericho territory for his levels of commitment. Sami Zayn, the
for Dana too? Only time will tell.
plucky underdog, who never quite has his share of the luck. This match actually had it all. Zayn’s sunset flip power bomb was one of the best things I’ve seen in quite a while – spot of the night, with Maryse screaming whilst being dragged into the ring coming a close second. Truly stunning. The crowd loved it and so did I. Surely these four men, if not the three challengers for the title, are going to be the future of the WWE.
REIGNS V STYLES - WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Going into this match I had high expectations that something major needed to happen to keep the feud going or else it faces the risk of burying Styles along with Reigns. I have such a
AMBROSE V JERICHO- ASYLUM MATCH
lack of confidence in Roman Reigns that I became genuinely concerned for Styles safety after he hit him with a running
This match up between Ambrose and Jericho was billed as
knee. I guess the fact Styles came out unscathed shows us
something entirely unique. Two hot headed superstars, one a
that Reigns does deserve a little bit of credit for being able
face and the other a heel. It’s every bit of the classic match up
to wrestle. Both men gave it their all and it fell just behind
but with the added twist of an “asylum” which was essentially
the IC match in terms of greatness. Considering Reigns isn’t
a steel cage with some props around it. The accessories had
everyone’s cup of sour grapes I felt my world turning upside
to be used. You can’t promise your child sweets and then not
down when I had the sudden realisation that he isn’t as bad as
come through with the goods. Even when we’ve been good
we think he is. Okay, he’s boring to listen to; I’d rather listen to
little boys and girls just waiting for that sweet reward of Chris
Byron Saxton’s memoirs than listen to his “I’m the guy” speech
Jericho landing straight onto some thumbtacks. It was more of
one more time but he’s actually good enough to wrestle in
a fun house than an asylum as the use of the props bordered
the WWE. Albeit not as the Heavyweight champion but I think
more comical than insane. It couldn’t have been more comically
he’s earned enough respect to be in the top half of the roster.
insane even if Pat Sharp climbed in to help pull out the
Despite a highly entertaining match I was left disappointed
thumb tacs from Jericho’s back. A great development in Dean
once again in the fact there wasn’t any major developments in
Ambrose’s lunatic illusion was his surprisingly good knowledge
terms of character – what of AJ Styles? We got the extreme we
of the nunchucks. That’s actually great character development,
needed and I was left feeling disappointed by the ending when
adding to his mysterious past and insanity. I did enjoy this
suddenly it happened… The return of Seth Rollins!!!! It was 4 in
novelty match and would have been happy with either wrestler
the morning and I screamed the house down with excitement.
winning. Dean Ambrose sealing the victory on this occasion has
Are we finally going to get the long awaited face turn of Seth
helped further himself as the “lunatic fringe”, ironic considering
Rollins?
he is rapidly losing his hairline.
So what next? We’ve reached the natural conclusion to the New Day’s feud with the Vaudevillians so we could see a return of
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP In what has been the best developed feud, not only the women’s division but in the WWE as a whole, Charlotte looked to defend her title against Natalya without the assistance of
Enzo and Cass on Monday night. There’s plenty of questions that need answers after Extreme Rules. Is Becky Lynch going to come to Natalya’s aid? Will Styles still want the club around? And will Chris Jericho still be covered in thumb tacks? Only Monday Night Raw could provide all the answers.
her daddy, the slobbering hall of famer, Ric Flair. The Nature
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 41
SETH ROLLINS
HE’S BACK! 42 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2016
ADVERTISEMENTS
PHOTO: WWE VIDEO
ALPHA OMEGA
INTERVIEW: CHARLES NELSON RILEY OF ALPHA OMEGA WRESTLING
A
lpha Omega Wrestling (AOWUK) is an award
place on that iconic building so to bring history full circle is a
winning family friendly professional wrestling
special feeling for all involved.
company in Morecambe in England. Formerly
All of our shows are 100% non profit and we give money to
Known as FWA, XWA, and Paid Promotions their
the “Friends of the Winter Gardens” a charity of volunteers
new name is Alpha Omega UK. We were lucky
dedicated to the restoration of the building.
to have an exclusive talk with Charles Nelson Riley of Alpha Omega Riley.
Morecambe wrestling has gone by many names in the past FWA, XWA, P.A.I.D. with various degrees of success and now Alpha Omega UK represents wrestling in Morecambe, what differs AOW from the past?
The current Alpha Omega Wrestling Champion, Stixx has remained undefeated in Morecambe for the better part of a decade, defeating Big Damo, Craig Kollins, Johnny Phere to name a few, what do you think is his secret to his success in Morecambe? We all watch Stixx have intense hard hitting main events
Alpha Omega has taken the tried and tested method of family
and we can all see how good he is. But at the same time the
friendly crowd interactive good vs evil shows and made it
passion he brings to every feud and every match is returned by
accessible to fans of all ages and from all generations with
the Morecambe faithful. I believe they are as much part of his
new exciting wrestlers and old school British style wrestlers all
success as his phenomenal ability.
mixing it up with the only characters that Morecambe fans love.
Alpha Omega Wrestling brought wrestling back to The Morecambe Winter Gardens for the first time in 40 years, why has AOW selected that building specifically to host their shows? We selected the Winter Gardens as it is a beautiful building that had fallen into disrepair. 80 plus years ago wrestling took
44 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
Something that has made Alpha Omega Wrestling special has been the Women’s Division, something that has continued ever since last year when the company was known as P.A.I.D Promotions, what are your thoughts on the resurgence of Women in Wresting and what AOW does to help that? Women’s wrestling has been given a chance to be seen as
WORDS: CRAIG HERMIT | PHOTO: TONY KNOX
equal to men’s over recent years. I think the way people see
crowd in the country. We will continue to raise money for
women’s wrestling in WWE makes them feel differently about
the beautiful Winter Gardens and hopefully break the crowd
seeing it on local shows.
attendance record for Morecambe wrestling at the same time
We have brought in the very best from around the UK and identified women who the Morecambe fans connect to. They have more than stepped up. And it’s only a matter of time until a women’s match is main eventing an Alpha Omega show.
Greg Lambert has always played a pivotal role in the Championship picture for many years, either associated with the Champion or being a Manager of the Champion's adversary, and his connection with the Morecambe fans is unparalleled, how has he remained such a presence in Morecambe and wrestling?
UK wrestling has many different wrestling promotions at the moment, various fanbases, what seperates your events from the others? Alpha Omega brings family friendly shows into the 21st century by having every character you see on every show involved in their own story. Instead of “here’s a match, here’s another” we have a show full of intertwining story arcs where every match has consequences for each participant. That aspect brings the emotion level up every show and the Morecambe fans show how much they care every time. Also our shows aren’t recorded for dvd so there’s no video
Again with Greg it’s that passion. He has always put in 100%
cameraman blocking your view and the only way to experience
to either bring the fans exactly what they want or exactly the
our shows is to be there and feel it live!
opposite. You can tell when someone is passionate about what they do. In a very similar way to Paul Heyman, you can tell Greg loves what he does. The Scottish Force known as The Referendum has gained multiple unique reactions from the fans, your thoughts on the
As mentioned earlier, there are various different wrestling promotions in the UK, what are your thoughts on the current UK Wrestling scene?
crowd reactions towards them and the group’s success within the promotion?
The UK industry is booming. The are more companies than I can count and it seems more are popping up every day.
In modern day wrestling it’s increasingly rare to find legitimate
Some fans in some towns (such as London Manchester &
bad guys. Legitimate villains who aren’t trying to be “cool” or
Newcastle) are spoiled for choice with shows every other week or
get cheers while acting evil. The Referendum come out every
so.
show and get constant boos. The crowd response to Laird
With more exposure for British wrestling online and on TV more
Grayson specifically is so loud you can’t hear the sound system
people will be aware that there is wrestling just a short drive
over them when he tries to speak. The Referendum love to be
away and be more inclined to support their local promotion.
hated and they most certainly are.
Alpha Omega Wrestling in the last year has produced some great shows and shocking moments, your thoughts on those?
What new talents within Alpha Omega Wrestling do you think are the ones fans should be looking out for? There are so many young stars coming up that I can’t possibly
Personal highlights for me have been bringing wrestling back
name them all.
to the Winter Gardens. (Including modifying the ring to fit on a
Personally just from the former XWA academy there is Ryan
sloped floor!)
Hunter - @RyanHunter_1, Andre Dekker - @RealDekker , Ethan
The crowd reaction when Stixx finally became champion in
Berry - @RealEthanBerry, and Benny Munroe - Facebook.com/
Morecambe.
BennyMunroeWrestler have come on in leaps and bounds and
And most recently getting such a large crowd we had to get extra
2017 looks bright for all of them.
seats out from storage! As for what is to come, more new faces rising up will be given a chance to show off their skill in front of the most passionate
JUNE 2016 STEELCHAIR 45
REVIEW
ERIC BISCHOFF: SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE DVD REVIEW
“Y
ou know looking back at the time I hated Eric, but now I see he had a lot of pressure, a lot of responsibilities, a lot of leeches that were just sucking as much as they could out of him” – Chris Jericho.
This is an in-depth documentary and collection of greatest moments from the career of one of the most polarising and influential figures in the history of sports-entertainment. Including candid interviews from the man himself, plus stories and memories from the Superstars who knew him featuring Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page and more. It charts the whole journey of “Easy E” – his time in AWA, to his rise to power in WCW, and becoming the man who would almost defeat WWE in the Monday Night War. Eric Bischoff comes across as a very likeable individual in this new interview, from his home in Minnetonka along with a WWE camera crew, he appears relaxed and open to discuss any topic. On this new documentary he tells his story of growing up in Detroit, owning a landscape company, his time involved in Martial Arts, working in Sales, being a Model and moving into sportsentertainment. It then explores the rapid strides he took to advance his career, why he did everything he could gain control of WCW and his plans to put WWE out of business. “It is hard to watch something like that, listening to those comments but unfortunately some of it doesn’t accurately reflect what was really going on, it does reflect what they saw, what the talent saw from their perspective when they would show up once a week, for a
46 STEELCHAIR JUNE 2O16
day, so from their perspective it was how they felt – Eric Bischoff regarding criticism on WCW. This documentary opens the doors to the harsh realities that would cause the demise of WCW and a lot of it appears to be the internal struggles with the concept of wrestling within the offices of TNT and the corporate side of the business. Afterwards it targets his time in WWE, something he looks on with great fondness as well does other Superstars like Steve Austin and Chris Jericho. “Vince was very gracious when he called me…he said not word for word but the essence was, if things would have turned out differently and you would have come out on top of this thing, I’d like to think you would have thought about me and picked up the phone and gave me an opportunity to get back into this.” – Eric Bischoff on the telephone call with Vince McMahon. It then tells the story after his time in WWE, nothing from his period in TNA but involving the Bischoff/ Hervey Entertainment company he set up with Jason Hervey and the reliable partnership between the two. To any wrestling fan who wants to learn about one of the most controversial people in wrestling or learn more about his role in WCW and latter in WWE, this is a must have release. Engaging and honest this Blu-ray compilation combines an 18-chapter documentary, 15 “stories” cut from the feature, and more than 40 extras made up of all-new interview segments with Bischoff, moments and matches from his career, along with his recent WWE Network appearances.
"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"