1.
Lexington, Tennessee
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Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying ten miles south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities, the population was 7,473 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County, the first county courthouse was built in 1823, Lexington was incorporated in 1824 and by 1830 had a population of 260. As the lead-up to the American Civil War began, Henderson County voted against secession, as the war progressed, both Union and Confederate regiments were recruited in the county. The area in and around Lexington was the site of a skirmish on December 18,1862, Union Colonel Robert Ingersoll sent his troops to destroy a bridge over the Beech Creek to disallow Confederate army to move into the area. However, Ingersolls troops did not destroy the bridge and General Nathan Bedford Forrests troops headed into Lexington, Forrests troops overtook the Union soldiers, taking over 140 men, including Colonel Ingersoll, and collected artillery and supplies left behind by Union soldiers who escaped. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 11.7 square miles. Lexington is six miles south of Natchez Trace State Park, as of the census of 2000, the population density was 640.4 people per square mile. There were 3,371 housing units at a density of 292.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84. 50% White,13. 07% African American,0. 14% Native American,0. 26% Asian,0. 03% Pacific Islander,0. 42% from other races, and 1. 60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 18% of the population,30. 4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was out with 24. 0% under the age of 18,8. 4% from 18 to 24,28. 3% from 25 to 44,22. 3% from 45 to 64. The median age was 38 years, for every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males, the median income for a household in the city was $29,725, and the median income for a family was $41,429. Males had an income of $31,558 versus $23,212 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,368, about 10. 2% of families and 13. 2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14. 9% of those under age 18 and 12. 8% of those age 65 or over. Lexington has one city school system, Lexington City School System, there are three schools, Paul G. Caywood Elementary School, Lexington Middle School and Lexington High School
2.
Isla Verde, Puerto Rico
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Isla Verde is a District of Carolina located east of Santurce next to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport above the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge. Isla Verde is also the name of the big island some 400 meters north of Punta Medio and it is the island that gave name to the district. The island falls within the Cangrejo Arriba barrio of Carolina, the district of Isla Verde is in fact the coastal area of Cangrejo Arriba. Isla Verde is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west by the San Juan area of Ocean Park, to the east by Loíza and to the south by downtown Carolina. Isla Verde, along with Condado, is one of the main tourist areas in the area of Puerto Rico, hosting various restaurants, hotels, casinos. For almost four years, the airport was given the unofficial Isla Verde International Airport title, as a consequence of the attacks, the spot was closed to the general public, due to the fact that it might compromise airport security. Because of the location in the Isla Verde area, some streets have had to be closed several times during visits by dignitaries and celebrities. The area has a multitude of restaurants, hotels and high-priced homes, many celebrities have lived in Isla Verdes affluent areas, including some former members of the boy band Menudo, including Ricky Martin. The Flying Saucer had a capacity of 800 people and over 10,000 were left outside opening night as DJ Orlando Torres del Pino had to force himself into the club. Isla Verde is also home to an important Cuban exile community centered on Casa Cuba, the public bus 5 and 53 which will take you from the Bus Terminal to Old San Juan in roughly 1 hour. The SITRAC bus is free but only stays in Isla Verde, the public bus costs 75 cents to ride. Available at all times, Taxis charge about $20 for a ride to the Condodo, Isla Verde has very wealthy areas but is not too far from the Islands largest public housing project, Luis Llorens Torres Residential Complex, which is actually within San Juan. Despite its closeness to this area, Isla Verde is very safe thanks to the police presence in the area
3.
Madusa
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Debrah Anne Miceli is an Italian-born American monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa and Alundra Blayze and her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she once held the AWA World Womens Championship. In 1988, she was the first woman to be awarded Pro Wrestling Illustrateds Rookie of the Year, the following year, she signed a contract with All Japan Womens Pro-Wrestling, making her the first foreign wrestler to do so. She later joined World Championship Wrestling, where she was a member of the Dangerous Alliance, in 1993, she joined the rival World Wrestling Federation under the name Alundra Blayze. In the WWF, she feuded with Bull Nakano and Bertha Faye, in her second WCW run, Miceli feuded with Bull Nakano and Oklahoma, and became the first woman to hold the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship. After training wrestlers such as Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, and Nora Greenwald at the WCW Power Plant, on March 28,2015, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, under the Alundra Blayze moniker. Miceli competes in the world of monster trucks and she drives a truck named Madusa, and won the 2004 co-championship at the Monster Jam World Finals for freestyle in the first-ever three-way tie. The following year, she was the only competitor in the Super Bowl of Motorsports. In 1984, Miceli trained with Eddie Sharkey in Minneapolis and began working on the independent circuit for $5 a match, in 1986, she started wrestling in the American Wrestling Association feuding with Sherri Martel as Madusa Miceli. After Martel left the AWA, she replaced her as Mr. Magnificent Kevin Kellys manager, in a tournament final, she won the AWA World Womens Championship over Candi Devine on December 27,1987. At that time Madusa also began managing the AWA World Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig and she later lost the title to Wendi Richter on November 26,1988. Hennig and Madusa joined the Diamond Exchange, a stable led by Diamond Dallas Page that included Badd Company, with Badd Company she faced the team of the Top Guns and Wendi Richter at the only AWA pay-per-view SuperClash III. Both Badd Companys Tag-Team Title and Wendi Richters AWA World Womens Championship were on the line, in 1988, Miceli was also the first woman to be awarded Pro Wrestling Illustrateds Rookie of the Year. Miceli wrestled a tour for All Japan Womens Pro-Wrestling at the beginning of 1989. She then began training in Japan, learning the Japanese wrestling style, as well as Muay Thai, kickboxing and she eventually signed a three-year deal with All Japan, which made her the first non-Japanese wrestler to do so. In addition, she worked for the TWA, feuding with Luna Vachon, Miceli and her partner Eddie Gilbert defeated Vachon and Cactus Jack, which resulted in Vachon having her head shaved. She then went to WCW and helped Paul E. Dangerously form his Dangerous Alliance and she acted primarily as Alliance member Rick Rudes valet. On October 25, Dangerously kicked her out of the Dangerous Alliance at Halloween Havoc and she, however, defeated him by count-out on November 18,1992 at the Clash of the Champions
4.
Professional wrestling
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Professional wrestling is a dramatized athletic performance that portrays a combat sport. Various forms of weaponry are sometimes used, the content – including match outcomes – is scripted and choreographed, and the combative actions and reactions are performed to appear violent without injuring the wrestlers. Before the 1980s, these facts were considered trade secrets, in the mid-90s, the presentation of scripted events as legitimate is known as kayfabe. Although the combative content is staged and communicated between the wrestlers, there are physical hazards involved - including permanent injury and death. While it has declined in Europe, in North America it has experienced several different periods of prominent cultural popularity during its century. The advent of television gave professional wrestling a new outlet, unlike in Europe, show wrestling has become especially prominent in Japan and in North America. In Brazil, there was a popular wrestling television program from the 1960s to the early 1980s called Telecatch. High-profile figures in the sport have become celebrities or cultural icons in their native or adopted home countries, although professional wrestling started out as petty acts in sideshows, traveling circuses and carnivals, today it is a billion-dollar industry. Revenue is drawn from live event ticket sales, network television broadcasts, pay-per-view broadcasts, personal appearances by performers, branded merchandise, pro wrestling was also instrumental in making pay-per-view a viable method of content delivery. Annual shows such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and formerly Bash at the Beach, Halloween Havoc, home video sales dominate the Billboard charts Recreational Sports DVD sales, with wrestling holding anywhere from 3 to 9 of the top 10 spots every week. Due to its persistent cultural presence and to its novelty within the performing arts, there have also been many fictional depictions of wrestling, the 2008 film The Wrestler received several Oscar nominations and began a career revival for star Mickey Rourke. Because actual events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines for the performers, special care must be taken when talking about people who perform under their own name. The actions of the character should be considered fictional events, wholly separate from the life of the performer and this is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers will incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and those who participated felt that it was necessary that spectators should be kept in a constant and complete illusion of a real competition to keep audience interest. For decades, up until the mid-1980s, wrestlers lived their lives as though they were their characters. Wrestlers, bookers and promoters all rigorously enforced the illusion and very few were allowed into the society of professional wrestling to maintain suspension of disbelief. The practice of keeping the illusion, and the methods used to do so, came to be known as kayfabe within wrestling circles. An entire lexicon of slang jargon and euphemism developed to allow performers to communicate without outsiders knowledge of what was being said, occasionally a performer will deviate from the intended sequence of events
5.
Jerry Lawler
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Jerry ONeil Lawler is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and color commentator, signed to WWE under the companys legends program. Lawler is known throughout the wrestling world under the ring name Jerry The King Lawler. Prior to joining WWE in 1992, Lawler wrestled in numerous territories, Lawler is a one-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion. He unified the titles by defeating Kerry Von Erich at Superclash III, forming the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, Lawler has held more championships than any other current WWE wrestler, though he has never won any championships in WWE since joining the company. In 2007, Lawler was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, while working in Memphis, Tennessee as a disc jockey, Lawlers artistic ability attracted the attention of local wrestling promoter Aubrey Griffith. The two made an agreement in which Lawler would give Griffith free publicity in exchange for free wrestling training, Lawler debuted as a wrestler in 1970 and won his first championship in September 1971 by winning a battle royal. He soon won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship under the service of Sam Bass with partner Jim White. In 1974, Lawler began feuding with Jackie Fargo, who had been his trainer and this led to a match for the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. On July 24,1974, Lawler was booked to win the belt, during 1975, Lawler teamed with a variety of partners such as Mr Wrestling II, Don Greene, and Bob Orton, Jr. He won the NWA Macon Tag Team Championship twice during this period, while Lawler began his career as a heel, he became a face after splitting from Bass at the end of 1974. On November 12,1979, while working in the Continental Wrestling Association, in 1980, his career was put on hold due to a broken leg, but he returned to the ring after several months. In 1982, Lawler began a feud with comedian Andy Kaufman. At the time, Kaufman wrestled women as part of his skits and had declared himself the Intergender Heavyweight Champion, on April 5, Lawler, who had taken exception to the skits, wrestled Kaufman in Memphis. During the course of the match, Lawler delivered two piledrivers to his opponent, sending him to the hospital, on July 29, Lawler slapped Kaufman in the face on an episode of Late Night with David Letterman. Kaufman responded by throwing his coffee on Lawler, years later, Lawler appeared as himself in the Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, the movie revealed that Lawlers feud with Kaufman had been kayfabe. Lawler later claimed not only was his entire feud with Kaufman staged. On March 7,1983, Lawler won the AWA International Championship by defeating Austin Idol and he defeated Ken Patera on July 25 to begin his second reign as the International Champion. Lawler became the NWA Mid America Champion on April 12,1984 when he was booked to defeat Randy Savage for the title, in 1985, Lawler traveled to Japan, where he won the Polynesian Pacific title on January 25,1986
6.
WWE
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Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American professional wrestling promotion and the sanctioning body for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and later World Wrestling Federation. Founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1953, Capitol Wrestling Corporation is the precursor to todays WWE, run by Jess grandson, Jess McMahon was a successful boxing promoter who began working with Tex Rickard in 1926. With the help of Rickard, he began promoting boxing at the third Madison Square Garden, a few years prior, professional wrestler Toots Mondt had created a new challenge of professional wrestling that he called “Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling”. He convinced wrestler Ed Lewis and his manager Billy Sandow to implement this new solution, after much success, a disagreement over power caused the trio to dissolve and, with it, their promotion. Mondt later formed partnerships with other promoters, including Jack Curley in New York City. Mondt eventually took over the New York wrestling scene, due to the fact Curley was dying, with the aid of several bookers, together, McMahon and Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. which later joined the National Wrestling Alliance in 1953. In November 1954, Jess McMahon died and Ray Fabiani, one of Mondts associates, both men left the company in protest following the incident and formed the WWWF in the process, awarding Rogers the new WWWF World Heavyweight Championship in April of that year. He lost the championship to Bruno Sammartino a month later on May 17,1963, after gaining a television program deal and turning preliminary wrestler Lou Albano as a manager for Sammartinos heel opponents, the WWWF was doing sell out business by 1970. Mondt left the company in the late 1960s and although the WWWF had withdrawn from the NWA, Vince McMahon, at the annual meeting of the NWA in 1983, the McMahons and WWF employee Jim Barnett all withdrew from the organization. By March 1979, for marketing purposes, the World Wide Wrestling Federation was renamed the World Wrestling Federation and that same year, Vincent J. McMahons son, Vincent K. McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. incorporated on February 21,1980, originally in Massachusetts. In 1982, Titan Sports Inc. acquired Capitols operations, effectively relocating its headquarters to Greenwich, in an attempt to make the WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, McMahon began an expansion that fundamentally changed the industry. In the end, the elder McMahon would never live to see his company grow from a promotion to what is now a worldwide organization. He died from cancer at 69 years old on May 24,1984. By 1985, Titan moved to Stamford, Connecticut then establishing a new entity in 1987 in Delaware which later merged with the old company in 1988. Titan later changed its name to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. before finally becoming World Wrestling Entertainment, list of independent wrestling promotions in the United States
7.
Bob Backlund
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Backlund was also an accomplished amateur wrestler for the North Dakota State University Bison from the late 1960s to early 1970s. He continues to work in the wrestling business in various capacities. In 2000, Backlund unsuccessfully ran for a Connecticut seat in Congress on a Republican ticket, Backlund was born in Princeton, Minnesota iIn 1949. During his freshman year, Backlund was an All-American in both football and wrestling while at Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, Iowa, during his sophomore campaign, Backlund focused on wrestling and once again earned All American Honors. Backlund was a wrestler at North Dakota State University, winning the Division II NCAA Championship at 190 pounds in 1971. In 1972 Backlund moved up to the Heavyweight class and finished 5th at the NCAA DII Nationals and he is a graduate of Princeton High School, where he was a state finalist in wrestling. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in physical education, Backlund was trained for professional wrestling by renowned trainer Eddie Sharkey and made his debut for the American Wrestling Association in 1973. Backlunds clean cut look and technical approach made him a natural face, after leaving the AWA, Backlund traveled the United States, working for the National Wrestling Alliance in its various territories. In 1974, Backlund wrestled in Texas, for Dory Funk, Jr. in March, he defeated Terry Funk for the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship. Backlund held it for two months, before losing it to Karl Von Steiger in May, in mid-1975, Backlund started working for Georgia Championship Wrestling. He teamed with Jerry Brisco to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship from Toru Tanaka and they held the championship belts for two months before losing to Les Thornton and Tony Charles. In 1976, Backlund left Georgia for Championship Wrestling from Florida, here he teamed with Steve Keirn to defeat Bob Orton, Jr. and Bob Roop for the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship. Backlund and Keirn lost the title to The Hollywood Blonds in October 1976, while working for NWA Florida, Backlund also wrestled in St. Louis, Missouri, for Sam Muchnicks St. Louis Wrestling Club. He defeated Harley Race to win the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship on April 23,1976, in early 1977, Backlund joined Vincent J. McMahons World Wide Wrestling Federation. He was managed by The Golden Boy Arnold Skaaland, less than four months into his WWWF run, Backlund received his first shot at the WWWF Heavyweight Championship against Superstar Billy Graham, but he lost by countout. On February 20,1978, at Madison Square Garden, Backlund finally scored a victory over Graham and won the title. He also won a series of rematches against Graham, including an April 1978 steel cage match at Madison Square Garden, three days after winning the WWWF Heavyweight Championship, Backlund clashed with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race in a rare WWWF vs. NWA title match. Both titles were on the line, but neither changed hands as the two fought to a 60-minute time limit draw, defending against other champions became a recurring theme in Backlunds run with the title
8.
Memphis, Tennessee
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Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the fourth Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf, Memphis had a population of 653,450 in 2013, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee. It is the largest city on the Mississippi River, the third largest in the greater Southeastern United States, the greater Memphis metropolitan area, including adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, had a 2014 population of 1,317,314. This makes Memphis the second-largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed by metropolitan Nashville, Memphis is the youngest of Tennessees major cities, founded in 1819 as a planned city by a group of wealthy Americans including judge John Overton and future president Andrew Jackson. A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian, and the Memphis region is known, particularly to media outlets, as Memphis and the Mid-South. Occupying a substantial bluff rising from the Mississippi River, the site of Memphis has been a location for human settlement by varying cultures over thousands of years. The historic Chickasaw Indian tribe, believed to be their descendants, French explorers led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto would encounter the Chickasaw in that area, in the 16th century. J. D. L. Chickasaw Bluffs, located on the Mississippi River at the present day location of Memphis, spain and the United States vied for control of this site, which was a favorite of the Chickasaws. The United States gained the right to navigate the Mississippi River, the Spanish dismantled the fort, shipping its lumber and iron to their locations in Arkansas. Captain Isaac Guion led an American force down the Ohio River to claim the land, by this time, the Spanish had departed. The forts ruins went unnoticed twenty years later when Memphis was laid out as a city, the city of Memphis was founded on May 22,1819 by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson. They named it after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River, Memphis developed as a trade and transportation center in the 19th century because of its flood-free location high above the Mississippi River. Located in the delta region along the river, its outlying areas were developed as cotton plantations. The cotton economy of the antebellum South depended on the labor of large numbers of African-American slaves. Through the early 19th century, one million slaves were transported from the Upper South, Many were transported by steamboats along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This gave planters and cotton brokers access to the Atlantic Coast for shipping cotton to England, the citys demographics changed dramatically in the 1850s and 1860s under waves of immigration and domestic migration. Due to increased immigration since the 1840s and the Great Famine, ethnic Irish made up 9.9 percent of the population in 1850, but 23.2 percent in 1860, when the total population was 22,623. They had encountered considerable discrimination in the city but by 1860 and they also gained many elected and patronage positions in the Democratic Party city government, and an Irish man was elected as mayor before the Civil War
9.
Ricky Morton
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On March 31,2017, Ricky Morton was in attendance as The Rock n Roll Express were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida the Friday night prior to Wrestlemania 33. Morton was trained by his father, Paul, and Ken Lucas before starting wrestling in 1978 and his first match was against Ken Wayne. He wrestled primarily for Mid-Southern Wrestling in Memphis, Tennessee, often teaming with Lucas, the Rock n Roll Express was formed by booker Jerry Lawler. He & Robert Gibson went on to Mid-South Wrestling in 1983 and they won the Mid-South Tag Team Title three times and feuded with the team that would become their archrivals, The Midnight Express of Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey. Because of his stature and good looks, he was usually made the Face in Peril. He was also the one that suffered a humiliation or injury to further the storyline the team would be involved in. Nowadays, this is referred to as Playing Ricky Morton. In the early 80s Ricky formed a tag team with Robert Gibson in Joe Blanchards South West wrestling territory feuding with The Grapplers. In 1985, both moved on to the NWAs Jim Crockett Promotions and became famous due to the national television exposure of TBS. Ricky and Robert had a feud with the Russians, Ivan and Nikita Koloff. They traded the title again with the Russians and lost them to their rivals the Midnight Express on February 2,1986 due to their manager. Cornette used his tennis racket on Robert to help his team win, in the spring of 1986, Morton was having an interview when NWA Champion Ric Flair came out and insulted his fans by calling them teenyboppers in their training bras. He gave Morton a training bra as a gift one of Flairs girlfriends and told Morton that he couldnt handle real. In response, Morton stomped on Flairs sunglasses and this led to a fight and then a series of matches, the most notable being their Steel Cage match at the 1986 Great American Bash. To help build Morton as a title contender, it was pointed out that he once went to a one-hour draw with then-AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel. Morton never won the title but he proved that he was of the caliber as Flair was in the ring. At one point in the feud with Flair, the Four Horsemen attacked him and rubbed his face on the dressing room floor and they also broke his nose in another attack. Arn Anderson would make fun of Morton, calling him Punky Morton, the term used to belittle Morton backfired when fans began to use it as a term of endearment
10.
Tommy Rich
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Thomas Richardson is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Wildfire Tommy Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and he primarily appeared in Georgia Championship Wrestling and Memphis throughout the 1980s, as well as World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the 1990s. Rich started wrestling in 1974 in the promotions in Tennessee after training with Jerry Jarrett. Throughout the 1980s, he alternated his time between Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama territories of the National Wrestling Alliance and he won dozens of NWA regional titles during this time. He is best known as one of the stars of the TBS wrestling shows from the 1970s and 1980s. On April 27,1981, in Augusta, Georgia, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and he dropped the belt back to former champion Harley Race four days later in Marietta. Race stated in a interview with RF Video that the title switch was to ensure a power struggle in the Georgia territory ended with promoter Jim Barnett victorious. He had a feud in Georgia Championship Wrestling with Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer for the NWA Georgia National Title. The feud lasted close to two years, culminating in the Last Battle of Atlanta, in 1983, which featured Sawyer and Rich in a fully enclosed, last man standing cage match. For years no video of this match was known to exist, however, Sawyer and Rich tried forming a team for a short period of time afterward to feud with a new team called the Road Warriors. Rich was later directed into a feud with Ted DiBiase and they had a loser leaves wrestling match that Rich lost. So, Rich put on a mask & came back as Mr. R DiBiase insisted that Mr R. was really Rich, then, on a TV match for Dibiases NWA National Title, Rich visited announcer Gordon Solie during the match. Dibiase unmasked Mr R to find that it was rookie wrestler Brad Armstrong, in all of the confusion, Armstrong pinned Dibiase to become NWA National Champion. Rich then returned to the Memphis area, where he formed a team with Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert known as Fargos Fabulous Ones, the previous Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn and Stan Lane, walked out on the territory. They held the AWA Southern Tag Team titles in 1984, then dropped them to Phil Hickerson, Gilbert, unaware his former partner was at the taping, badmouthed Rich, then the International Heavyweight Champion, until Rich came out to confront him. Rich immediately got the hand, running Gilbert into the steel ringpost several times. When Rich accepted Gilberts apology, Gilbert suddenly turned on him, after competing in Southeast Championship Wrestling, Rich would again return to the Memphis area in 1987 and contribute to one of the greatest feuds in wrestling history. Austin Idol versus Jerry Lawler went on for over a year, Rich hid under the ring for the entire event only to emerge during the cage match, causing Lawler to lose the match and his hair, which led to a heel turn for Rich
11.
Sting (wrestler)
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Steve Borden, better known by the ring name Sting, is an American retired professional wrestler, actor, author and former bodybuilder signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Borden is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Stings 14-year tenure with WCW and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions, began in 1987. Sting has been described as the WCW counterpart to the WWFs Hulk Hogan, against Hogan, upon the acquisition of WCW by the WWF in March 2001, Sting and his long-term rival Ric Flair were chosen to perform in the main event of the final episode of Nitro. He is the man to hold the NWA, WCW. His last ever bout, at Night of Champions in 2015, marked his sole pay-per-view main event, Sting headlined the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016 on April 2, where he announced his retirement. His induction renders him the first performer to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA Hall of Fame, as well as the man to be inducted while an active WWE wrestler, after Ric Flair. Sting held 25 total championships throughout his career, including 21 between WCW and TNA, readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated named him Most Popular Wrestler of the Year on four occasions, a record he shares with John Cena. In 2016, Sting was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, sports wrote that he holds a lofty level of prestige that few will ever touch. Steve Borden was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Southern California and he played competitive football and basketball in high school, and later embarked on a career in bodybuilding, once co-owning a Golds Gym health club. Borden is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Borden, originally wrestling under the ring name Flash, teamed with Jim Justice Hellwig as two members of Power Team USA in independent All-California Championship Wrestling. Power Team USA was a unit also featuring Garland Glory Donahoe and Mark Commando Miller. Hellwig and Borden later moved to the Continental Wrestling Association, a company based in Memphis, Tennessee. Fans were slow to respond to the hulks, so the team turned heel. The Freedom Fighters left the CWA after a run, the highlight of which was an angle in which they broke the leg of veteran wrestler Phil Hickerson. The duo surfaced in the Universal Wrestling Federation, a run by Bill Watts and based in Shreveport. Borden changed his name from Flash to Sting, while Hellwig became known as Rock. They soon joined Hotstuff & Hyatt International, a stable headed by Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert. Together with Russian wrestler Kortsia Korchenko, the Blade Runners became henchmen in Gilberts on-screen feud with Watts, Hellwig, who would later become The Ultimate Warrior in the World Wrestling Federation, left the promotion in mid-1986, leaving Sting without a partner
12.
The Ultimate Warrior
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Warrior was an American professional wrestler, who wrestled, among the others, under the ring name The Ultimate Warrior for the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1992 and 1996. During his 1998 stint in World Championship Wrestling, he was known as The Warrior, Warrior retired from professional wrestling in 1998 and embarked on a public speaking career, but wrestled one final match in Spain in 2008. Warrior died on April 8,2014, at the age of 54 in Scottsdale, over the preceding three days, he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX, and made his final public appearance on Raw. Warrior was born in 1959 as James Brian Hellwig, in Crawfordsville and he was the oldest of five children and was raised by his mother after his father left his family when he was 12. His father died at 57 and a grandfather had died at 52, the family moved to Indiana, where he graduated from Veedersburgs Fountain Central High School and attended Indiana State University for a year. Prior to his career in professional wrestling Hellwig was a bodybuilder, competing in a number of NPC contests. Hellwig started training with weights when he was 11 years old and has described himself as the small and he moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson, he decided to take up the sport. His first contest took place in Florida, where he placed 5th, later, while he was attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, he won the Junior Atlanta contest and placed 5th at the 1981 AAU Collegiate Mr. America. In 1983, he won the AAU Coastal USA, before taking the Mr. Georgia title the following year and his last bodybuilding contest was 1985s Junior USAs, which was won by future IFBB Pro, Ron Love. Warrior accepted the invitation and abandoned his career as well as his plans to become a chiropractor. Hellwig began his wrestling career as Jim Justice Hellwig of Powerteam USA. Later, they wrestled as The Freedom Fighters in Memphis Continental Wrestling Association under manager Dutch Mantel, Hellwig and Steve Borden, formed a tag team called The Blade Runners, Hellwig was Blade Runner Rock and Borden was Blade Runner Flash. They were quickly turned heel as The Blade Runners, the Blade Runners went on to wrestle for the Mid-South Wrestling promotion, which became the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1986. According to Joseph Laurinaitis, UWF owner Bill Watts created the Blade Runners and they were part of Eddie Gilberts Hotstuff International group, before disbanding in 1986 when Hellwig left the UWF. In 1986, Warrior debuted in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling promotion and he has stated that he adopted the ring name Dingo Warrior after a member of the WCCW locker room remarked that he looked like a warrior. After switching managers to Percival Pringle III, Warrior turned babyface permanently after an out with fellow Pringle proteges Buzz Sawyer. Warrior formed a tag team with Lance Von Erich, and the duo began competing for the WCWA World Tag Team Championship, on November 17,1986, Warrior and Von Erich defeated Master Gee and Matt Borne to win the title. They held the Championship until December 1 of that year, when they lost to Al Madril, in 1987, Warrior began competing for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, losing to Bob Bradley in a tournament final on January 12
13.
Iceman Parsons
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King Bailey Parsons Jr. is a former professional wrestler better known by his ring name Iceman King Parsons. Parsons started wrestling in 1979 after being trained by Nick Kozak, King started for the National Wrestling Alliance s Paul Boesch Promotion in Houston, Texas. Boesch contacted Don Owen and was successful in landing a job for King in the NWAs Pacific Northwest territory, both Don and Elton Owen promoted in Washington and Oregon. While in the promotion, he teamed with Rocky Johnson and won the tag team title, King moved to Barling, Arkansas and lived there while working for the Tulsa promotion and Leroy McGuirk circa 1978–79. King moved to Worland, Wyoming and wrestled for the Rocky Mountain Wrestling promotion for about a year, wrestling in Wyoming, Idaho, Bill Ash booked all the talent and the matches. In 1982, he moved on to Jim Crockett Promotions where he teamed with Porkchop Cash and feuded with Don Kernodle, in 1984, because of talents and booking agent changes in Charlotte, King then moved on to World Class Championship Wrestling. He feuded with the One Man Gang and Chris Adams, Parsons feuded with Freebird Buddy Roberts who cut his hair. They ended the feud with Parsons using the Freebird hair cream to render Roberts bald and he also formed Rock n Soul with Buck Zumhofe and they had a big feud with Bill and Scott Irwin. He wrestled briefly in the Texas All-Star Wrestling promotion in 1986 and formed the Dream Team with Tiger Conway and they feuded with Mike and Dizzy Golden. Iceman then went on to the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he was snubbed out of a tag title tournament in 1987. Parsons turned heel and feuded mostly with Adams and with Savannah Jack for many months, in late-1987, he joined Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts, after Michael Hayes left the Fabulous Freebirds, to help them get revenge on him. Hayes teamed with Kerry and Kevin Von Erich and they had a feud that eventually saw Gordy side with Hayes. Parsons was known as the Blackbird during this feud and formed a trio called The Blackbirds with Perry Action Jackson, in 1985, Parsons would win the WCWA American Heavyweight Championship defeating Chris Adams, later losing that title to Ravishing Rick Rude. In March 1988 Parsons defeated Kerry Von Erich for the World Class heavyweight championship in a controversial bout that actually saw the lights go out in the Dallas Sportatorium. Parsons and Jackson feuded with The Ebony Experience and he also worked for the United States Wrestling Association where he was managed by Skandor Akbar and Percy Pringle. After the death of friend Chris Adams in 2001 and suffering a back injury from a car accident. He is semi-retired, appearing from time to time with a few independent promotions in Texas, finishing moves Butt Butt Signature moves Jumping clothesline Piledriver Managers The Original Playa Lance Romance Percy Pringle III Harold T
14.
Dick Murdoch
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Hoyt Richard Dick Murdoch was an American professional wrestler. Murdoch was born in Waxahachie, Texas, frank Murdoch held the NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in his career. Murdoch attended Caprock High School, where he took part in amateur wrestling, after graduating, Murdoch attended West Texas State University. Dick Murdoch started wrestling in 1965 as Ron Carson in a tag team with Don Carson and he soon started wrestling under his real name. In 1968, he formed a tag team that would continue throughout the early 1970s with Dusty Rhodes called The Texas Outlaws, after splitting with Rhodes, he wrestled for Florida Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, and Mid-South Wrestling. His most noted work as a wrestler came in Mid-South Wrestling in the early 1980s, the pair was the most popular champions in the region, attracting the hardcore, working class white fans with his Captain Redneck persona and JYD drawing the support of the black fan base. Their feud with the Fabulous Freebirds was perhaps Mid-Souths most compelling storyline, in 1984, he went to the World Wrestling Federation and formed a tag team with Adrian Adonis that captured the World Tag Team Titles. He left the WWF in 1985 after dropping the title to The U. S. Express and wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling briefly before turning up in the NWAs Jim Crockett Promotions in 1986 and he feuded with Ric Flair and attempted to win Flairs NWA World Title. In early 1987, Murdoch joined Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov in their attempt to get Nikita Koloff and they feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner but could not win their title. Murdoch was the twenty-seventh entrant in the 1995 WWF Royal Rumble and he was eliminated by Henry O. Godwinn. Following his WWF appearances, he spent the rest of his wrestling on the independent circuit. Murdoch was married on September 21,1966 in Potter County, together, they had one child before divorcing on October 1,1973. Murdoch is the cousin of wrestler Killer Tim Brooks, over the years, many within professional wrestling who knew Murdoch have stated Murdoch was racist and was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. In a shoot interview, Bad News Brown accused Dick Murdoch of being a member of the Klan and this was also mentioned by Tito Santana in his autobiography, Tales From The Ring. Former WWE SmackDown head writer Alex Greenfield also related a story told to him by Dusty Rhodes about Murdoch driving them to a Klan party without telling him it was a KKK party beforehand, I said, you hit me one more time, Im hitting you back. He hit me, and I knocked him out, Murdoch appeared in 4 movies, The Wrestler, Paradise Alley, Grunt. The Wrestling Movie, and Manhattan Merengue and he also appeared on an episode of Learning The Ropes and an episode of The Jerry Springer Show
15.
Shane Douglas
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Troy Allan Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. Martin held a dozen championships between ECW, WCW and the WWF and is a world champion, a four-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, a two-time ECW World Television Champion, a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and he achieved the biggest success of his career in ECW, where he debuted in 1993 and captured the ECW Heavyweight Championship twice in his rookie year. He helped ECW into becoming the pioneer of hardcore wrestling and brought extremism to the company, within ECW, he adopted nickname The Franchise in reference to his status as the franchise player of the promotion. WWE, who purchased that organization, asserted, Without Shane Douglas and he headlined many events for the ECW including three editions of the companys premier pay-per-view event November to Remember in 1996,1997 and 1998. Martin was born one of six children, the son of a veteran of World War II and he graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1986 with a bachelors degree in history and political science. He is an alumnus of the Psi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi, after earning his degrees, he was offered to join the Saba University School of Medicine but declined in order to continue wrestling. Martin was trained by Dominic DeNucci in the Pittsburgh suburb of Freedom, Pennsylvania and he had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. When he started, he used the character of Troy Orndorff, in 1986, he wrestled Randy Savage at a WWF Superstars of Wrestling taping using his real name. He also wrestled Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff in the episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge. Later that year, he began wrestling as a fan favorite for the Universal Wrestling Federation using the name Shane Douglas, Douglas defeated Gilbert for the World Television Championship on August 3,1987, but did not rise above mid-card status. Douglas soon lost the title on September 2 to Terry Taylor, eventually, he signed with the promotion World Championship Wrestling, member of the National Wrestling Alliance. He retained his Shane Douglas ring name and was put into a tag team of skateboarders known as The Dynamic Dudes with Johnny Ace. Mick Foley has opined that since neither Ace nor Douglas knew how to skateboard, Jim Cornette, who was managing The Midnight Express at the time, decided to manage the duo to help them get over. When Eaton and Lane in storyline did not approve, they forced a match between the two teams with Cornette remaining neutral at ringside and he ended up turning on Douglas and Ace and the teams feuded for a couple of months. Cornette turn was to have established The Dynamic Dudes as a top fan favorite tag team, the Dynamic Dudes broke up in 1990 after Ace began competing progressively more for All Japan Pro Wrestling, which was breaking its ties to the NWA. Jim Cornette also states that the end of the Dynamic Dudes came when Douglas went over his head to Jim Herd about having a finish changed to him look stronger. Cornette, who was part of the committee, washed his hands of working with them afterwards
16.
Randy Anderson
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Randall Randy Anderson was an American professional wrestling referee and amateur wrestler who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance s Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. Anderson was a friend of Arn Anderson. He started out training for a wrestling career with Arn under the tutelage of Ted Allen. Anderson started working as a referee upon his graduation in 1978 in Mid-South Wrestling and he also refereed in Florida Championship Wrestling before arriving in the National Wrestling Alliance s Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985. He quickly rose up the ranks and was the referee for several main event matches. In 1988, when Ted Turner bought Crockett and renamed it World Championship Wrestling, Anderson was the referee in charge of the main event six-man tag match at Bash at the Beach 1996 which saw the heel turn of Hulk Hogan and the formation of the NWO. The most fame Anderson received was in 1997 when Eric Bischoff, immediately following this match, Eric Bischoff reversed the decision and fired both Jett and Anderson. Anderson continued as a referee in WCW until he was forced to retire in 1999 due to his battle with cancer, Anderson was an amateur wrestler in high school, winning a state championship in the 119-lb class. Anderson was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 36. He was diagnosed after recognizing his symptoms while reading a medical magazine, because of a malignant tumor, he had to have his left testicle removed. Anderson died on May 5,2002 as a result of the testicular cancer, Anderson was survived by his wife Kristy, daughter Montana, and son Chase
17.
Jim Crockett Promotions
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Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. was a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1931, the promotion emerged as a cornerstone of the National Wrestling Alliance, by the 1980s, Jim Crockett Promotions was, along with the World Wrestling Federation, one of the two largest promotions in the United States. The Crockett family sold a majority interest in the promotion to Turner Broadcasting System in 1988, Jim Crockett was a promoter of live events including professional wrestling, music concerts, plays, minor league baseball, and ice hockey. In 1931, he founded his own wrestling promotion, Jim Crockett Promotions. Crockett built JCP as a regional promotion centred on the Carolinas, although the business was always called Jim Crockett Promotions, it used a variety of pseudonyms as brand names for specific TV shows, newspaper and radio ads, and even on event tickets, themselves. Crockett joined the National Wrestling Alliance in 1952, and his territory covered Virginia, North Carolina, the name Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling became JCPs primary brand name in print, radio, and other advertising. Two years later, JCP introduced the Wide World Wrestling brand name, JCP used the Wide World/World Wide and Mid-Atlantic brands concurrently. The business was incorporated in the 1950s and he left JCP to his family, with his eldest son, Jim Crockett, Jr. taking over as chief executive. In 1981, JCP moved to the WPCQ-TV studios in Charlotte, the local shows hosted by announcers like Big Bill Ward and Charlie Harville gave way to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Mid-Atlantic was hosted by Bob Caudle Caudle was joined by a rotation of co-hosts, for a brief period, a secondary show, East Coast Wrestling, was taped at WRAL, it was basically a re-packaged version of Mid-Atlantic, and was announced by Big Bill Ward. In 1975, JCP premiered a new, syndicated B-show, Wide World Wrestling, the original host of this show was former Georgia Championship Wrestling announcer Ed Capral. Subsequent Wide World/World Wide announcers included Les Thatcher, George and Sandy Scott and it was also hosted by the team of Rich Landrum and Johnny Weaver. Rich Landrum and David Crockett appeared on Best Of, doing interviews for local arena shows. JCP gradually began to expand, running shows in eastern Tennessee, parts of West Virginia, in the late-1970s and early-1980s, JCP ran regular shows in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. Crockett and Scott also bought minority shares of Frank Tunneys Toronto-based promotion, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling also aired on a Buffalo, New York station, enabling the Tunney/Crockett/Scott enterprise to bring a full slate of shows to Ontario and upstate New York. In the 1980s, Crockett, Jr. began consolidating the Southern franchises of the National Wrestling Alliance, in August 1980, Crockett, Jr. was elected president of the NWA. In 1981, former Georgia Championship Wrestling booker Ole Anderson took over as Mid-Atlantics booker, in 1981, Anderson booked both JCP and GCW simultaneously. In 1982, Crockett partnered with wrestlers Ric Flair and Blackjack Mulligan to start a company out of Knoxville, Tennessee
18.
Continental Championship Wrestling
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Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1974 until 1988 and Dothan, Alabama, from 1978 to 1990, managed by Ron Fuller. When Fuller sold the promotion to David Woods, it changed name to the Continental Wrestling Federation, the territory had also promoted under the previous name of Southeastern Championship Wrestling prior to 1985. Nashville promoter Roy Welch had purchased the Mobile-Pensacola end of Leroy McGuirks Tri-State Wrestling, unlike McGuirk, who only promoted in the Mobile-Pensacola area on special occasions called spot shows, Welch decided to make promoting in Mobile-Pensacola a frequent attraction in the summer. However, due to his obligations in Nashville, his son Buddy Fuller was made booker for Mobile-Pensacola, at this point, the territory didnt even have a name, its own belts, or even its own wrestlers. They often relied on wrestlers and champions from Buddys and their Uncle Lester Welchs territory. He ran in places like Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, as well getting help from his father in Nashville, Tennessee and these early attempts would start to unravel when Buddy Fuller failed to make payments to the territory from his father Roy Welch. Buddys cousin Lee Fields would save the territory and gave it the name Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, so he sold it to his cousin Ron Fuller around 1977-1978. In 1974, Ron Fuller opened up Southeastern Championship Wrestling based in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a result, many of these defectors joined the Knoxville-based outlaw promotion International Championship Wrestling owned and operated by Angelo Poffo. After this, the Knoxville end of Southeastern experienced financial losses and this was an attempt on Ron Fullers part to compete with Vince McMahon. While the name Southeastern restricted the promotion to a regional feel. The promotion closed in December 1989, despite many huge angles over the years, this territory often has status as the lost promotion. This was to prevent the exposure to kayfabe and preserve the illusion of wrestling as a sport in this area, however, almost all of the Dothan portion of Southeastern along with the majority of Continental footage still exists. They are still owned by David Woods and Woods Communications, and has managed to be one of the few not to be acquired by WWE Libraries. Section is not based on original research, pertaining to The Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title. Interview with Cowboy Bob Kelly which provides more info on The Gulf Coast Years Interview with Nightmare Ken Wayne about The Continental Years
19.
Paul Heyman
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Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, writer, performer, marketer, promoter, advocate and commentator currently signed to WWE on the Raw brand. Heyman owned and was the force behind the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion from 1993 until its closure in 2001. Before running and owning ECW, he was a manager under the ring name Paul E. Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling and he is the co-owner of the Looking4Larry Agency in New York City, which was named one of Advertising Ages Top 100 Global Marketers. In WWE, Heyman has managed a record five WWE Champions, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, critics have praised his abilities at managing and on the microphone. Heyman has also competed sporadically in the ring, most notably when he participated in the WWE Championship main event match of the 2002 Rebellion pay-per-view. Heyman was born in Westchester County, to Jewish parents Richard S. Heyman, a prominent personal injury attorney and Sulamita Heyman, by age 11, he was running a mail order business selling celebrity and sports memorabilia from his home. While still a teenager, Heyman fast-talked his way backstage at a World Wide Wrestling Federation event at Madison Square Garden as a photojournalist and he was paid by the company for several of his photographs. He graduated from Edgemont High School, Heyman decided he wanted to work in professional wrestling when he saw Vince McMahon interviewing Superstar Billy Graham. Heyman began as a photographer when he was 13 and bought his own lab to take photos of pro wrestlers in New York. He published his own newsletter, The Wrestling Times Magazine, Heyman met Dusty Rhodes at a Jim Crockett Promotions taping, when he entered a production meeting. In 1985, Heyman was hired by New York Studio 54 as photographer, the same year, he became producer of Studio 54 and hosted the first Wrestle Party 85 show. He called Jim Crockett, who sent Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, the show featured Bam Bam Bigelows debut and an award to Flair. There, he joined forces with Kevin Sullivan and Oliver Humperdink, the Paul E. Heyman joined with Eddie Gilberts Hot Stuff Inc. stable. Behind the scenes, Gilbert was the booker of the promotion. Heyman was also the booker for Windy City Wrestling in Chicago. He settled into the role of an announcer, joining Jim Ross to call the matches on WTBS World Championship Wrestling, Heyman admitted he learned more working with Ross than from his previous mentors. While in-between stints in WCW, Heyman went to work for ICW as a writer, according to Heyman, he and Stone Cold Steve Austin learned their craft from Rude. Heyman led Rude to the United States title and the Anderson-Eaton tag team to the Tag Team titles, the Dangerous Alliance dominated WCW through most of 1992
20.
Financial News Network
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The Financial News Network was a finance and business news television network that operated throughout the United States during the 1980s. The channel was bought by and merged with CNBC in 1991, Financial News Network was founded in 1981 by two men, Rodney Buchser, who had been general manager of KWHY in Los Angeles, and Dr. Glen H. Taylor. The ticker ran across the third of the screen, with stock prices on the top band. After the first year of programming the SEC permitted just a twenty-minute delay, KWHY was the first West Coast TV station to offer daily market news accompanied by a digital stock ticker crawl at the bottom of the screen. Los Angeles traders and investors could stay on top of action without subscribing to an expensive stock quotation service. Computers at that time could not keep up with the full stock feed and as such, the first fully automated stock ticker to appear on television was in 1996 on the CNNfn network. In its early years, FMS Direct produced infomercials and direct response television spots which more often not, ran on FNN. FNN received its early private financing from Biotech Capital Corporation, which changed its name to Infotechnology. Biotech Capital was also one of the few publicly held Business Development Companies - governed by the Business Company Development Act of 1980. In 1981, shortly before its Initial Public Offering, led by the Paulson Investment Company, Mr. Taylor, then the Chairman, the networks principal audience were small investors. Merrill Lynch was one of the private investors in FNN. At first, the channel aired only during daytime hours on a mix of broadcast stations, over-the-air affiliates included, KSCI, Los Angeles WATL, Atlanta WPWR-TV, Chicago KJTV, Amarillo KNXV, Phoenix WSWS, Columbus, Georgia KTWS, Dallas WKID, Miami/Ft. WPTT-TV, Pittsburgh KAUT-TV, Oklahoma City WSTG-TV, Providence KGCT-TV, Tulsa KIDY, San Angelo In 1985, FNN severed ties with its broadcast stations, at night, it added SCORE, a mini-network that aired sports events and news. Also airing in the hours was Venture, a series of long-form speeches by business leaders, and TelShop. In the late 1980s, Infotechnology Inc, at its height, FNN was available on 3,500 cable systems, reaching a potential audience of 35 million homes across the country. FNN moved into newly built modern TV studios and production facilities in the Wang building in Los Angeles, in 1990—only months after beginning its biggest advertising campaign ever—FNN fell prey to two of the main topics of its broadcasts, a financial scandal and an accounting dispute. During that years audit, the auditor, Deloitte & Touche, discovered irregularities on the part of its chief financial officer. The irregularities were serious enough that Deloitte said its 1989 audit couldnt be relied upon, FNN launched an internal investigation and discovered what it called evidence of unauthorized payments that Bolen made to himself
21.
National Wrestling Alliance
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The National Wrestling Alliance is a professional wrestling governing body which has historically been the largest league of independent wrestling promotions in the world. The organization sanctions various NWA championship bouts within its member promotions, the NWA has been in operation since 1948. Prior to the 1960s, it acted as the governing body for most of professional wrestling, operating as a talent. Before the NWA was founded in 1948, there existed many regional professional wrestling promotions across North America, none of them, however, had backing or recognition outside of their own respective geographic base-areas. The concept of the NWA was to consolidate the championships of these companies into one true world championship of pro wrestling. In 1948, Paul Pinkie George, a promoter from the Midwest and this newly formed NWA Board of Directors wanted Brown to be the first-ever NWA World champion. This legitimized the NWAs claim that its title was a world title. The NWA members divided up North America, as well as Japan, into territories that each promoter would own, having a territory meant that no other NWA member could promote wrestling in that area unless special arrangements were made between the promoters involved. If non-NWA promoters tried to promote their show in an NWA territory, reportedly, threats of violence or physical retaliation were used against any promoters who disregarded the territory system. If any member territory broke the NWAs rules, it faced expulsion, for most promoters under the NWA umbrella, the benefits of membership were well worth the dues. Usually, the NWA Presidents territory was the territory of the entire alliance. Beyond the benefit of having other promotions to draw on in case of an intruder, the champion did not have a home territory as such, but instead traveled from territory to territory, defending the title against the top stars of each territory. It was not just the champion that would travel the territories, often, wrestlers from a different area would come into a territory, and run an angle or two with its top local faces. Also, if the local fans ever got tired of a wrestler, he could go to a new area and perform the same act for new audiences. This storyline was often advanced in the area from which the competitor was departing as resulting from the outcome of a highly promoted loser leaves town match. Upon becoming the booker for Lou Thesz in 1950, Muchnick, in the mid-1950s, serious disputes broke out within the NWA. There were antitrust problems with the government and there were a number of competing factions who wanted to replace Thesz as champion with different wrestlers, the antitrust case led to the infamous NWA Consent Decree of 1956 in U. S. v. National Wrestling Alliance. There were also disputes over the number of dates wrestled by the champion in various parts of the country, the first break within the organization occurred in 1957, when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn walked out of the August NWA meeting in St. Louis
22.
Ric Flair
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Richard Morgan Fliehr, better known as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler signed to WWE under its Legends program. Widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has cultivated a legacy over a career that spans 40 years, Flair is noted for his tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Since the mid-1970s, he has used the moniker the Nature Boy, PWI awarded Flair their Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Flair as the Wrestler of the Year on a record of nine occasions. According to Mick Foley, he had two stints as a booker in WCW, from 1989–1990 and again in 1994, Flair was the first titleholder of both the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. In being the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he became the first WCWs Triple Crown Champion, having already held the United States Heavyweight. He then completed WWEs version of the Triple Crown when he won the Intercontinental Championship, after holding the WWF Championship. Richard Fliehr was born on February 25,1949 in Memphis, in the opening chapter of his autobiography To Be the Man, he notes that his birth name is given on different documents as Fred Phillips, son of Olive and Luther Phillips. He was adopted, at the time of his adoption, as reported in the chapter of his autobiography entitled Black Market Baby. Shortly afterward, the family settled in Edina, Minnesota, where the young Fliehr lived throughout his childhood, as a teen, Fliehr took a summer job as a lifeguard at a local pool in Minnesota. He received his first exposure to the business when he met the Vachon brothers. He dropped out of college without receiving his degree and he then worked as a bouncer at a nearby club, where he met Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, who was preparing for a ring career at Verne Gagnes wrestling school. Patera introduced Flair to Verne Gagne, who agreed to him on as a member of his training class. Under the tutelage of Josh Klemme and Billy Robinson, Flair was friends with Ken Patera before entering wrestling, Patera had an association with Verne Gagne through his weightlifting career and with that relationship an opportunity arose for Flair to train with Verne Gagne as a professional wrestler. Flair attended Gagnes first wrestling camp with Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell, Iron Sheik, the intensity of Gagnes training camp, which spawned several champions including Flair, caused Flair to nearly quit the camp until Gagne persuaded him to continue. On December 10,1972, He made his debut in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Flair originally considered Rambling Ricky Rhodes, in tribute to Dusty Rhodes. Weighing nearly 300 pounds with brown hair, Flair scarcely resembled his future Nature Boy image. During his time in the American Wrestling Association, Flair had matches with Dusty Rhodes, André the Giant, Larry Hennig, Flair first competed in Japan in 1973 for International Wrestling Enterprise, due to a working agreement between AWA promoter Verne Gagne and the IWE. After Flair left the AWA for Jim Crockett Jr. s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in 1974, on April 27,1978, Flair challenged for the NWA United National Championship in a losing effort
23.
Ricky Steamboat
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Richard Henry Ricky Blood Sr. better known by his ring name Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, in the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Blood went to school in New York, and graduated in 1971 from Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. He was a two-time New York State wrestling qualifier and a Florida state champion, Blood debuted in 1976 as a babyface in the American Wrestling Association under his real name Rick Blood. He went from the AWA to Championship Wrestling from Florida, before his debut at CWF, Eddie Graham gave him the ring name Ricky Steamboat based on his resemblance to Hawaiian wrestler Sammy Steamboat. According to Steamboat, Graham thought Rick Blood was a name for a heel. In 1977, Steamboat entered the National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned Jim Crockett Promotions, matching him with his brash young counterpart, Ric Flair, was a natural fit. Steamboat stepped up to the plate during an interview on the syndicated Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling when Flair, Steamboat knocked Flair out with a backhand chop to set up a match between the two. Steamboats star making performance came when he pinned Flair after a double thrust off the top rope to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship at WRAL studios in Raleigh, North Carolina. Over the next eight years in JCP, Steamboat captured the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship three times and the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times and he also held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship singles crown twice and wore the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship straps four times. He also won the Television title a second time, after having creative differences with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes, Steamboat left the NWA. In 1985, Steamboat was offered a contract by Vince McMahon, shortly after his debut, Steamboat was given the gimmick of a babyface nicknamed The Dragon, Steamboats jacket-and-trunks attire was replaced by a keikogi and long tights. Steamboats mother is Japanese American, hence his Asian features which were crucial for his Dragon gimmick, Steamboat kept the nickname and gimmick for the remainder of his career. He appeared at the inaugural WrestleMania where he defeated Matt Borne in the match on the card. During a televised episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Steamboat and Muraco were scheduled for a match that never started after Muraco jumped Steamboat before the bell. Following the beat down, Muraco and Fuji then used Steamboats Karate black belt to him outside the ring from the top rop before Steamboat was finally saved by Tito Santana. On the November 2 edition of Saturday Nights Main Event, he defeated Fuji in a Kung Fu Challenge. On the January 4,1986 edition of Saturday Nights Main Event, his feud with Muraco ended after he
24.
Lex Luger
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He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation. Luger is a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion and he is also a five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who holds the records for consecutive days and total days as champion. Although he never won a championship in the WWF, he challenged for every title in the organization and was the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner with Bret Hart. Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1993, Luger attended high school and played football in Orchard Park, New York. He sat out the 1978 season as a transfer student in Coral Gables. In 1979, Luger played for the Miami Hurricanes, which featured future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, Jim Burt, Mitch Guittar, Fred Marion and Mark Richt. Upon leaving Miami, he played football for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League where he played in the 67th Grey Cup against the Edmonton Eskimos. He returned to the Packers training camp in 1983, but he was released before the season began. Luger wore number 66 for the Packers, the last player to do so before it was retired for Ray Nitschke, in 1984, Luger finished his football career playing in the United States Football League for the Tampa Bay Bandits, Memphis Showboats and Jacksonville Bulls. He was a teammate with future WCW rival Ron Simmons while playing for the Tampa Bay Bandits, roop arranged for Luger to be trained by Hiro Matsuda, who had previously trained Hulk Hogan and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. Luger adopted the ring name Lex Luger, being a fan of the comic book villain Lex Luthor and he was featured alongside Percy Pringle and Rick Rude. Luger began wrestling in the Championship Wrestling from Florida territory of the National Wrestling Alliance and he got his first victory on October 31,1985, against Cocoa Samoa and won the Southern Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel the next month. For a short time, he feuded with Barry Windham before they began teaming up against Sir Oliver Humperdink and his team of Ed The Bull Gantner, Kareem Muhammed, and The White Ninja. On September 1,1986, he fought NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair for the title at a show Battle of the Belts III, as a result, Flair retained the title. Towards the end of his run in Florida, Luger was involved in angles with Kevin Sullivan and he was also in a steel cage match with Bruiser Brody, where Brody stopped cooperating, leading to Luger climbing over the cage leaving the match. He was first booked as an associate to Ric Flairs Four Horsemen stable until Ole Anderson was kicked out and his first big feud was with Nikita Koloff, whom he defeated for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship on July 11,1987. Manager James J. Dillon threw a chair over the top of the cage while the referee, Luger knocked Koloff unconscious with it and then lifted up Koloff in the Torture Rack. A revived Hebner then dropped Koloffs arm three times with no response and awarded Luger a submission victory and he held the title until JCPs first pay-per-view event Starrcade in November, when he dropped it to Dusty Rhodes in a steel cage
25.
World Championship Wrestling
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WCW Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion, historically based in Atlanta, Georgia. Immediately after the buyout, the business was renamed the Universal Wrestling Corporation, WCW also developed a popular cruiserweight division. WCW eclipsed the WWF in popularity throughout the United States for much of the latter-1990s, however, numerous financial, Turner owned WCW until 2001, when selected assets were purchased by the WWF. Since 2001, WCW images and video footage have been distributed in WWE-owned media. Two separate subsidiary companies exist as successors to WCW, WCW, Inc. is the WWE subsidiary established in Delaware in late 2000, initially as W. Acquisition Company, which holds the rights to the WCW video library and other intellectual property. The former WCW entity, which retained liabilities not acquired by WWE, was renamed back to the Universal Wrestling Corporation, the name World Championship Wrestling was first used as a brand and television show title in 1982. Jim Barnett came to Atlanta in the 1970s during a struggle over Georgia Championship Wrestling. Barnett ultimately became majority owner of the promotion, and began using his previous name for his new promotions television program in 1982. The promotion was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions. However, it was not until November 2,1988 that an actual, National Wrestling Alliance -affiliated promotion called World Championship Wrestling appeared on the national scene and this entity was under the ownership of media mogul and cable-TV pioneer Ted Turner, based in Atlanta, Georgia. WCW went through changes in business and creative leadership during its existence. Once Bischoff was relieved of his duties in 1999, Vince Russo, the two, however, did not get along well and Bischoff soon resigned from the sinking company. It was only a few months later that Russo would also depart after suffering from a concussion at the hands of Bill Goldberg, following Russos departure, the creative needs of the WCW were handled by a booking committee which included Johnny Ace and Terry Taylor. From 2000 to 2001, Monster Jam had a series of trucks based on wrestlers names. These include nWo, Sting, Nitro Machine, Madusa and Goldberg, the first to go was nWo, which only ran for a season. Next, all but Goldberg, Nitro, and Madusa were retired after the WCW sponsorship was lost, Nitro then became Flashfire, and then was converted into Inferno. Madusa has stayed the same since its creation, because it is driven by former WCW wrestler Debrah Miceli, as for Goldberg, it was changed to Team Meents in 2002, then into Maximum Destruction, which debuted in 2003 and continues to compete in the series. WCW also had a presence in NASCAR from the mid-1990s to 2000, sponsoring the #29 team in the Busch Grand National Series full-time and the #9 Melling Racing team in the Winston Cup Series part-time
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WCW Wrestling
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WCW Wrestling is a wrestling video game that was released in April 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Japanese version was released in 1989 under the name Super Star Pro Wrestling and it was the first video game based on the National Wrestling Alliance. To date, the game has sold over 100,000 copies, each wrestler in WCW Wrestling has eight selectable moves, two Irish whip moves, and a finisher. WCW Wrestling differs from most wrestling titles in that the player selects his or her prior to the match. Each wrestler has a menu of eight moves, of which the player may choose four and these moves are performed by first initiating an Irish whip and then pressing either A or B when the opponent is near. Each wrestler has a different Irish whip moveset, each wrestler has his own finisher move. These must be performed in the middle of the ring and can only be accomplished when the opponent had two remaining on his health meter. The move is performed by pressing A and B simultaneously, finishers deliver significantly more damage than a regular move and are likely to end the match in a knock-out or submission. Super Star Pro Wrestling is a 1989 Japanese professional wrestling, or puroresu, game made by Nihon Bussan, released December 9,1989, the game features play for both one- and two-player modes. It was released a later in the United States as WCW Wrestling on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game featured several puroresu legends of the era, including Giant Baba, Antonio Inoki, there are some inaccuracies in the game, mainly with the birthdates of some wrestlers, and Big Van Vaders hometown and date of birth are not listed in order to protect his gimmick. The only two wrestlers to appear in both Super Star Pro Wrestling and WCW Wrestling are Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal, WCW Wrestling was the working title for at least two other WCW games. One was a game for the game. com handheld system. The other was a sequel to Electronic Arts WCW Mayhem, intended for release on the PlayStation 2 platform, a Japanese review for Superstar Pro-Wrestling, the basis for WCW Wrestling WCW Wrestling at GameFAQs
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United States Wrestling Association
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The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling Association, the USWA was founded as an attempt to create a third national promotion, alongside Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW, and the WWF. The USWA was created through a merger of the WCCW and the CWA and it originally promoted shows, usually headlined by Jerry Lawler, in both Tennessee and Texas. The Dallas promotion, which was 40 percent owned by the Von Erich family, according to Skandor Akbar, there were lawsuits involved, most notably when Jerry Jarrett was sued by Kevin Von Erich. That promotion reverted to the World Class name, but ceased two months later due to lack of revenue. Several of the former World Class and USWA Dallas wrestlers joined the new GWF, in 1992, the USWA began a talent exchange with the WWF, which saw Lawler sign on to Vince McMahons federation, while several high-profile WWF stars appeared in the USWA. Dallas wrestler Gentleman Chris Adams spent a few months in the USWA in an angle involving Brian Christopher and Toni Adams, the wrestling landscape changed in 1995 - the Monday Night Wars began, with WWF and WCW battling for cable television supremacy on Monday nights each and every week. As for the USWA, their biggest crowds came every Monday night at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, a move to Thursday nights did not help what was becoming inevitable - the demise of the USWA. The future of the promotion was being questioned, following the previous resignation of general manager Randy Hales. The Louisville and Nashville crowds had stayed consistent, but the Memphis crowds, in addition, the Big One pavilion was less than inviting, the zigzag roof of its original owner causing its major leaking problem. In a civil RICO trial, a Federal District Court jury in Cleveland, the jury determined that Larry Burton and his son Jason Bertman had engaged in racketeering and awarded XL Sports treble damages in the amount of $2,595,000. The jury also determined that Mr. Burton was liable for fraud and conversion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld all these judgments. de - United States Wrestling Association
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Kayfabe
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Kayfabe has also evolved to become a code word of sorts for maintaining this reality within the direct or indirect presence of the general public. In relative terms, a wrestler breaking kayfabe during a show would be likened to breaking character by an actor on-camera, in 1989, World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey state senate that wrestling was staged. The characters assumed by wrestlers can be distinguished into two alignments, faces and heels, faces usually win their matches on the basis of their technical skills and are sometimes portrayed as underdogs to enhance the story. Heels are villainous or antagonistic characters, whose personalities are crafted to elicit a response from the audience. They often embrace traditionally negative traits such as narcissism, egomania, unprompted rage, sadism, a wrestler may change from face to heel in an event known as a turn, or gradually transition from one to the other over the course of a long storyline. Matches are usually organized between a heel and a face, but the distinction between the two types may be blurred as a characters storyline reaches a peak or becomes more complicated. Indeed, in recent years, several wrestlers became characters that were neither faces nor heels, many storylines make use of kayfabe romantic relationships between two performers. Very often, both participants have other real-life relationships, and the relationship between the two is simply a storyline. However, more than once, kayfabe romantic relationships have resulted either from a real-life relationship, tag teams of wrestlers, who may or may not look alike, are often presented as relatives, though they are not actually related. Examples include The Brothers of Destruction, The Holly Cousins and The Dudley Brothers, brother tag teams were commonly utilized in years past as a means to develop young talent, by pairing them with a veteran wrestler and giving the younger wrestler a rub by virtue of the association. Sometimes wrestlers will sell a kayfabe injury by not appearing at the following show, other times, a real injury is sometimes used later on as a storyline. One way is for the injured to come back and blame someone else for injuring them, even when the feud was not initially planned out at all, to give a sort of closure to the injury time out. These returns are often given a date in order to increase viewership and ticket sales. Occasionally, though, a return will not even be advertised. Through kayfabe, wrestlers often quit, get fired, or lose challenges with their job at stake only to return at a future time. These types of matches are used when a wrestlers contract is up or to give them some time off to recover from a legitimate injury. There have been examples of breaking kayfabe throughout wrestling history. It is rare for kayfabe to be dispensed with totally and the events acknowledged as scripted, often the break may be implied or through an allusion and standards tend to vary as to what is a break
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Assault
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In criminal and civil law, assault is an attempt to initiate harmful or offensive contact with a person, or a threat to do so. It is distinct from battery, which refers to the achievement of such contact. An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm and it is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in either criminal and/or civil liability. Generally, the common law definition is the same in criminal, there is, however, an additional criminal law category of assault consisting of an attempted but unsuccessful battery. The term is confused with battery, which involves physical contact. Assault usually accompanies battery if the assailant both threatens to make unwanted contact and then carries through with this threat. Thus throwing a rock at someone for the purpose of hitting him is a if the rock in fact strikes the person. Aggravated assault is, in some jurisdictions, a form of assault. Aggravated assault can also be charged in cases of attempted harm against police officers or other public servants, Assault can also be considered in cases involving the spitting on, or unwanted exposure of bodily fluids to others. Consent may be a complete or partial defense to assault, in some jurisdictions, most notably England, it is not a defense where the degree of injury is severe, as long as there is no legally recognized good reason for the assault. This can have important consequences when dealing with such as consensual sadomasochistic sexual activity. Legally recognized good reasons for consent include surgery, activities within the rules of a game, bodily adornment, however, any activity outside the rules of the game is not legally recognized as a defense of consent. In Scottish Law, consent is not a defense for assault, Police officers and court officials have a general power to use force for the purpose of performing an arrest or generally carrying out their official duties. Thus, an officer taking possession of goods under a court order may use force if reasonably necessary. In some jurisdictions such as Singapore, judicial corporal punishment is part of the legal system, the officers who administer the punishment have immunity from prosecution for assault. What constitutes reasonable varies in both law and case law. Unreasonable physical punishment may be charged as assault or under a statute for child abuse. Many countries, including some US states, also permit the use of punishment for children in school
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Glossary of professional wrestling terms
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Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable nomenclature throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the nature of the business. In recent years, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms, many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to performance-related terms. A-show A wrestling event where a companys biggest draws wrestle, a-team A group of a wrestling promotions top stars who compete at an A-show. Abort To discontinue a feud, angle, or gimmick suddenly, usually without explanation or due to a lack of fan interest, ace A term typically only used in Japanese puroresu for a wrestler designated as the face of the promotion. Not necessarily the same as the top champion, examples of modern aces include Hiroshi Tanahashi in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Suwama in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Agent A management employee, often a former wrestler, who helps set up matches, plans storylines. Often acts as a liaison between wrestlers and higher-level management, referred to as producers by WWE and sometimes by other companies. Sometimes they help train and teach younger active wrestlers and give criticism, Alliance A cooperative relationship developed between two or more wrestlers, whether wrestling as a tag team or in individual matches. Alliances are often formed for the purpose of retaining titles between the members of the alliance, or to counter a specific foe or group of foes. The formation of an alliance can be a storyline of its own, an angle usually begins when one wrestler attacks another, which results in revenge. An angle may be as small as a match or a vendetta that lasts for years. It is not uncommon to see an angle become retconned due to it not getting over with the fans, Apter mag An old-style professional wrestling magazine that sticks to kayfabe articles. The term refers to the magazines at one time connected to journalist Bill Apter, B-show A wrestling event featuring the middle and lower-level talent of a wrestling promotion. Sometimes includes well-known wrestlers making a return or finishing up their career, b-team The group of wrestlers on a B-show. Babyface A wrestler positioned as a hero, who the crowd are typically cheering for in a match, often simply known as a face. Beat down A situation in which a wrestler or other performer is the recipient of a one-sided beating, blading A wrestler intentionally cutting themself to provoke bleeding
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