COLUMN: TOSSING SALT WORLDWIDE NEWS
Doug Maynard 11/30/2003
What up all and welcome to the latest edition of Tossing Salt, straight from the Dojo of Info that is my little office/spare room here in the 'Burg. I'm Doug M, the Wrestling Informer's resident degenerate and occasional Sensei of Spices, and I'm the ringmaster of this little "Dark Carnival" of wrestling news. To start off with, I want to apologize to all the Informants out there. I promised in my last column that I'd try to be back on Friday with a new column. Well, it's late Saturday night right now, so obviously I didn't quite make it. Between the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday (and a early AM trip to Wally-world), and some personal matters, writing a wrestling column has been the last thing on my mind. But I've (finally) managed to get some free time, so here I am, ready to toss some salt and attempt to inform/entertain. I've got all sorts of news from all over the globe, as well as some Japanese wrestling results. The Time Warp is here, as always, plus the wit and
wisdom of the Brain, Bobby Heenan. And I've got a top ten list of who I consider to be the 10 most underrated wrestlers ever. It's a full load. So, let me do the disclaimer thingee and we'll get this show on the road.
ASSORTED SPICES:
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Is Going To China: Howard Brody, Slim Baucom, and Rikki Nelson have put together a tour of mainland China for the end of this year. This will make Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling the first ever US wrestling company to run shows inside the communist nation. The plans for now are to run three shows between 12/28/03 and 1/04/04 in Guangzhou, China. According to a press release, one of the shows will be held at a 40,000 seat venue and broadcast live on the state-run TV network. The same press release also stated that MACW plans to run between 30 -40 shows in China in 2004. Booked so far for this first historic tour are "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Terry Taylor, "Colorado Kid" Mike Rapada, Chris Hamrick, Jeff Bradley, Frankie Capone, Lex Lovett, Jeff Justice, Andrue Bane, and Rikki Nelson. Shane Douglas was approached about also being on this tour, but his travel schedule wouldn't allow it.
On behalf of the entire Wrestling Informer staff, I'd like to offer my prayers and sympathy to the friends and family of "Dangerous Women of Wrestling" performer Chick Diesel who passed away earlier this week. No details were available.
The UK Wrestling Channel will be testing out the new "Wrestling Channel" on UK Friendly TV channel Sky Digital channel 268 during the month of December on a limited schedule. The promotions expected to be aired during this time will include Frontiers of Honor, Classic Wrestling from Memphis, Florida Championship Wrestling, as well as TV & house shows from CZW, ROH, Pro Wrestling Noah, Irish Whip Wrestling, and Frontier Wrestling Association. The Wrestling Channel will reportedly start airing regular programming in April of 2004.
"The Dragon" Ricky Steamboat is reportedly very interested in possibly doing a match for WWE's Wrestlemania XX coming up in March. Steamboat, who was forced to retire due to back injuries, reportedly feels that he may have one more good match left in him. The WWE is also seemingly very interested in having Steamboat make an appearance at Wrestlemania XX, even though a match is not definite. If this happens, the most likely opponent will be Ric Flair, who has had hundreds of great matches with Steamboat, and is one of Steamer's best friends in the business. Steamboat, when he last left the WWE, did not leave on good terms with WWE owner Vince McMahon, but time and dollar signs heals all wounds, and given the interest in a Steamboat-Flair match-up, any past problems will seemingly remain buried in the past.
Another possible returnee to the ranks of the WWE is Dennis Knight, aka Mideon. He's been telling friends that the WWE is considering bringing him back to be a part of the expected upcoming Kane - Undertaker feud. What role Knight would play is not known yet , but Knight was (is) a very popular figure in the WWE locker room, so his return is highly likely in any case. I just hope that this time around, he keeps his clothes on. "Naked Mideon" is not something I'd be interested in seeing. "Naked Ivory - well, that's another story all together. Heh! Heh!
Mid-Atlantic Legends.com has added another big event to the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Convention & Fan Fest, scheduled for Charlotte, NC on January 31 - February 1, 2004. "The Rock" Ole Anderson and his co-author of the book "Inside Out - How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling", Scott Teal will be having a 2 hour Q & A session with fans. Bill Apter will host the event. This is in addition to a 2 hour Q & A already scheduled with Jim Cornette. This event is a must for any fan of the old Mid-Atlantic wrestling days. I'm planning to attend, since Charlotte is only about 2 hours away from my home. For more information, go check out http://www.midatlanticlegends.com. This event is going to be huge.
Happy 26th Birthday to my nephew, David Shawn Gantt in Kannapolis, NC.
Happy (Belated) 14th Birthday to Parker "James Dean" Paige
BOBBY "THE BRAIN" HEENAN QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"Once you wrestle Rikki Atakki, an hour later you want to wrestle him again".
ADDITIONAL SEASONINGS:
NEW JAPAN 11/26/03 Ibaragi, Japan Mito Citizen Gym
Naofumi Yamamoto defeated Akiya Anzawa in 4:53
Heat & Tiger Mask IV wrestled Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi to a 15:00 draw.
Mayasuke Naruse beat El Samurai in 7:06
Hiro Saito stopped Toru Yano in 9:53
Katesushi Takemura, Gedoh, & Jedoh defeated Wataru Inoue, American Dragon, & Jushin Liger in 11:29
Tadao Yusuda, Ryushi Yanagisawa, & Mitsuya Nagai won over Tatsutoshi Goto, Takashi Iizuka, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan in 11:47
Yuji Nagata & Hiroshi Tanahashi stopped Osamu Nishimura & Blue Wolf in 16:53
Shin'ya Makabe, Shadow, & Scott Norton beat Yutaka Yoshie, Josh Barnett, & Manabu Nakanishi in 11:18
NEW JAPAN 11/27/03 Fukushima, Japan Shirakawa City Central Gym
Ryusuke Taguchi over Naofumi Yamamoto in 8:41
Wataru Inoue beat Hirooki Goto in 6:25
American Dragon stopped El Samurai in 13:30
Shadow defeated Toru Yano in 8:19
Jadoh, Getoh, & Katushi Takemura beat Heat, Masayuki Naruse, & Tiger Mask IV in 15:45
Blue Wolf & Yutaka Yoshie beat Hiro Saito & Manabu Nakanishi in 13:26
Tadao Yasudo, Ryushi Yanagiswawa, & Matsuya Nagai stopped Osamu Nishimura, Josh Barnett, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan in 13:54
Yuji Nagata & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Shin'ya Makabe & Scott Norton in 13:53
ALL JAPAN 11/27/03 Kyoto, Japan KBS Hall
Ryuji Hijikata beat Taichi Ishikari in 9:30
Shigeo Okumura & Mitsu Airai Jr. stopped Kendo KaShin & Yaz Urano in 10:01
Taka Michinoku & D-Lo Brown beat Gigantes & Buchanan in 12:16
Toshiaka Kawada & Nobutaka Araya beat La Parka Original & Parka Guerrera in 8:56
Arashi, Keiji Mutoh, & Masayuki Kono defeated Tomoaki Honma, Kazushi Miyamoto, & Hi69 in 21:37
Jamal & Justin Credible beat Satoshi Kojima & Kaz Hayashi in 13:14
BOBBY HEENAN QUOTE OF THE NIGHT # 2
Brain: "Do you know what Koko B. Ware's mom's name is?"
Gorilla: "What, Brain?"
Brain: "Tupper".
TOP TEN LIST OF THE NIGHT:
I was thinking about this earlier today - how some wrestlers have all the talent and all the ability, but just don't get their just dues or the proper respect. I decided to list who I think the top 10 are who are very under-rated. These are just my opinions, and I know I left out way way many, but I went mainly with my personal favorites who don't get the proper due or respect.
Top Ten Underrated Wrestlers:
10. Bobby Eaton - Bobby gets plenty of credit as a great tag team wrestler, but he was quite the singles competitor as well. Want proof? Clash of Champions on June 12, 1991 when Bobby (who was the reigning NWA Television Champion) went toe to toe in a 2 out of three falls match with Ric Flair. Eaton lost the match, but he quickly gained much respect in my eyes.
9. Disco Inferno - Call him Disco, Disco, Glen Gilbertti, or whatever you want. Disco is a hell of a wrestler and entertainer. Want proof? How can you find a lamer character than his? (With the exception of "Red Rooster" and the "Bushwhackers")? He kept that character going and kept it interesting for more years than I can recall. You know when Disco's on the scene, things are fixing to pick up. Besides, he carried around a plastic duck, and was still over. That's something to think about.
8. Triple H - I know. I know. He's the Game! He's been World Champion about a zillion times. How can he be underrated? As of late, all people seem to think about with Hunter is he's married to Steph, he's a backstage politician, he buries this guy and that guy. And this is all true. But HHH is also a fantastic wrestler and performer. Even if he wasn't involved with Steph, he would still be one of, if not the top dog in the WWE. Believe it or not, he is "that damn good!".
7. Bill Eadie - Maybe you know him better as the Masked Superstar. Or as a part of Demolition. He was even one of the Mongols. Eadie has played many characters over his long career. And each character was unique and totally different in style and mannerisms than the other ones. Good on the stick. Good in the ring. If he had stuck primarily to just one identity over his career, he'd be a household name and a world champion. Instead, he's just a wrestling legend.
6. The Bushwhackers - .....OK - stop laughing. I said Cousin Luke and Cousin Butch. Most people see them and see the arms moving up and down, the bad grammar and hygiene, the whole "Bushwhacker" gimmick. I look at them and see Luke Williams and Butch Miller, the New Zealand Sheepherders. Two of the meanest and most ruthless SOB's to ever set foot in a wrestling ring. As the Sheepherders, they could go toe to toe with any team, and more often than not, come out on top. As the Bushwhackers, they were just a bad joke by Vince McMahon.
5. Doug Gilbert - the younger brother of the late "Hotstuff" Eddie Gilbert. He's not as polished or refined as his brother was, but the talent is there. He is a phenomenal performer who can play either heel or face with remarkable ease and grace. Why the WWE hasn't signed this guy yet, I don't understand. I believe some personal heat between he and Jerry Lawler may be involved. Plus Gilbert is way too "southern" for the WWE. There are no hiding those Tennessee roots. Which is a shame, because he's the best kept secret in Memphis, and would really be a treat for wrestling fans everywhere if he was to be signed to one of the major promotions. Are you listening, Vince?
4. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. - One of the toughest hombres ever to step into a wrestling ring. And a truly nice guy as well. Greg held every major title there is, except a World Championship. And don't even get me started about the angle where the WWF held up the WWF following a match between Valentine and Bob Backlund. Valentine deserved a run as WWF Champion. He was truly the consummate wrestler's wrestler.
3. The "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko. All the dude did was retire Nick Bockwinkle and Bruno Sammartino, for goodness sakes. He was a two time AWA World Champion. But usually, all people see when they see Larry is a big mouth and one of those rants about the "game of human chess". Well, in the game of wrestling, the Legend's mouth has more often than not overshadowed his accomplishments in the ring. But if you ask anyone who's taken a trip to Larryland, they'll tell you he got that moniker, the "Living Legend" the old fashioned way - he earned it.
2. Scott Hall - A good performer in the ring. Excellent on the mic. A great mind for all aspects of the sport of wrestling. But his personal life has overshadowed his professional life, and he seems stuck as just a footnote, destined to remain in the shadows of his "friends" Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan. He was the "wrestler" of the NWO. The majority of the booking ideas for the NWO came from Hall, (although Hogan would try to take credit for most of them). When he's not dealing with his personal demons, Scott Hall is probably, pound for pound, one of the 10 - 15 top wrestlers in the world. As far as interview and mic skills, he's definitely in the top 10. Survey says: Bring Back Scott Hall - it's one mor time for the bad guy!
1. Arn Anderson - We see Double-A and we see the "Enforcer" of the Four Horsemen. We see Ric Flair's buddy and confident. We see a man of average height, skills, etc, who had a pretty good career. We should see more. This is Arn Anderson. He's a 4 time TV champ. He held tag titles with 5 different partners. In the course of about 2 months, he pinned both Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in the middle of the ring. Injuries forced the man to retire, but his presence is still being felt as part of the WWE team of road agents. But he will always be viewed as an extension of Ric Flair, and that's sad. He's as good as anyone and better than most. He's the "Enforcer". He's a Horseman. And to steal a line from HHH, he is "that damn good!"..
BOBBY HEENAN QUOTE # 3:
Jim Ross: "Back in Oklahoma Bobby, we called a match like this a slobber knocker!"
Brain: "I thought that's what they called the waitress down at the Tip Top Cafe in Downtown Tulsa."
LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!
LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!
NOVEMBER 30TH
1979 - Tokushima, Japan - Antonio Inoki defeats Bob Backlund to capture the WWF Championship. The title change is never acknowledged in the United States.
1975 - Greensboro, NC - Paul Jones defeats Terry Funk to capture the NWA United States Championship.
Happy Birthday to Billy Idol (48)
1998 - Chattanooga, TN - On a episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Bret Hart defeats Diamond Dallas Page to capture the United States Championship.
1998 - Baltimore, Maryland - the Big Bossman defeats Mick Foley to capture the WWE Hardcore Championship.
1997 - Monaca, PA - ECW holds a PPV called "November to Remember". In the main event, Shane Douglas defeats Bam Bam Bigelow to capture the ECW Championship.
1991 - Singer Rob Pilatus (Milli Vanilli) commits suicide at age 27
1981 - Porn Star John Holmes arrested by Federal agents on fugitive charges.
1998 - Chattanooga, TN - Konnan defeats Chris Jericho to capture the WCW World Television Championship..
Happy Birthday to: Tom Zenk, Jimmy Del Ray, & Bart Sawyer
And I guess that does it for now. I hope everyone had a happy Turkey day and didn't eat too much. Remember, if you have any comments, questions, or just want to talk wrestling, drop me a line at either:Doug28352@yahoo.com or DougMaynard@wrestlinginformer.net. Well, that's all for now. Until next time, I'm Doug M., this is the Wrestling Informer, and I'm just 'Tossing Salt'.. Take it light.
11.30.03
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