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July Wrestling Catch-All


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Dunno how much Total Diva talk has been going on around here since I just found this place again, but I'm curious as to how they're going to handle two of their top babyfaces dating bitchy heels within their storylines. I mean, they're really careful about how Cena comes across and I presume that the Bellas are playing heels on the reality show. It's just kind of fun meta shit because you're going to have the real world, the word of the reality show and their WWE Universe all kind of working at cross ends. Dating a heel fits in perfectly with Bryan's character so you can easily acknowledge that but since Cena's fanbase is mostly little kids it just seems like something that would be a bit off-putting.

 

It just seems like something that no one really has placed much thought in and it's going to have to be addressed. It reminds me of when Debra was acknowledged as Austin's wife on-air after being a heel most of her tenure (though I *think* she had turned babyface before leaving to help him through his neck injury.

 

To be fair, I've put in more thought to this than necessary. I just think it'd be hilarious if this show turns into some kind of insane Kardashian-style hit and completely kills Cena's character as a hero because he's fucking a despicable heel.

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Regarding Konnan's mic work in Spanish, I went to a WCW House Show in 1998, and Konnan had a match against Chris Adams.  He did his usual mic work before the match, but about halfway through, when he had Adams down, randomly crawled across the ring, grabbed the mic, and while still on his hands and knees, yelled "Yo Quiero Taco Bell!".  Got one of the loudest pops of the night.

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With the releases of D'Lo and DOC TNA should have King Mo return on the 8/14 Impact turning heel costing Sabin the title joining the Ace's and Eights then cut a promo about being slighted not being asked to join the Main Event Mafia how hes better then Rampage and how Bully Ray is the future of wrestling. A&8's need a shot in the arm and a new member and it would be cool to see them actually use King Mo and have him fued with Rampage would be cool. and they can hid his and Rampages limitations utting them in multi man tag matches.

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Here's another piece in the Chikara puzzle.

 

http://theashesof.com/

 

There was a line in there where the electrician guy makes an offhanded remark to Quack about getting the proper permits, and Quack said something like "Why would anyone have a problem with me bringing a business to this town?"....

 

I've experienced multiple facilities that were interested in hosting wrestling shows at their venue, because they either thought it would bring in new business to their facility, or they just plain needed rental revenue.  Yet after a couple of events, they found out that it is a lot more work having 250-300 people in your building than having none. 

 

Believe it or not, I have gone to municipal hearings because I was working "in the office" for a promotion that had been running a city-owned venue, but was kicked out because new management came in and didn't want wrestling there anymore because "it was too much work".  There was even a show once where the facility manager rushed into the ring to stop a match, and then called the cops when she was cursed at by one of the wrestlers.  This stuff went on despite the events often being the only steady source of revenue for the facility; Sometimes significant enough that when the regular wrestling cards stopped, the buildings were shut down from lack of funds.  RecCenters, Private Clubs, Gyms, Flea Markets, etc... it is just mind blowing how many people go out of their way to avoid money in order to avoid doing their job. 

 

/rant

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I'm pretty thrilled that Tugboat is still alive and seemingly healthy.

 

Posted Image

 

Also, per his wikipedia page, I might need  to track down this angle

 

 

By the late 1990s, he was wrestling primarily in Florida, where he competed for FOW and WXO. In WXO, he was given a gimmick where he was too big to get out of his own car.

 

 

I can't stop laughing at this post. Partly because I don't know whether the gimmick is that Tugboat was too fat for his car, or that he thought of himself as too big a star to open his own car door and required a valet. And partly because looking at that photo, I just realized that Tugboat is Phil Margera, and I'm picturing Bam beating the shit out of him while he takes a dump.

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I'm pretty thrilled that Tugboat is still alive and seemingly healthy.

 

Posted Image

 

Also, per his wikipedia page, I might need  to track down this angle

 

 

By the late 1990s, he was wrestling primarily in Florida, where he competed for FOW and WXO. In WXO, he was given a gimmick where he was too big to get out of his own car.

 

 

I can't stop laughing at this post. Partly because I don't know whether the gimmick is that Tugboat was too fat for his car, or that he thought of himself as too big a star to open his own car door and required a valet. And partly because looking at that photo, I just realized that Tugboat is Phil Margera, and I'm picturing Bam beating the shit out of him while he takes a dump.

 

 

I think he just went by Fred Ottman in WXO.

 

I swear I saw this one late night on t.v., but I don't remember exactly what happened and it doesn't seem to be on youtube.  I think it might have been a little convertible he was stuck in.  But I do remember that they acted like he was a big star and that the name Fred Ottman known the world over...which, of all the names he wrestled under...that wasn't one of them.

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I've always wondered about athletic commissions. What exactly is their role nowadays related to wrestling? What kind of paperwork does a promotion/wrestler need?

 

It's always struck me as weird that the athletic commission gets involved in what is essentially a piece of theatre rather than a sporting event.

 

It really depends on the state.  There aren't many states anymore that require wrestlers to be licensed, but I believe Missouri is one.  Two others are Kentucky and Virginia.  Most of the other states that have commissions only deal with the promoter end of things, with some of the toughest being Oregon & Maryland. 

 

For the most part, states that have commissions at all have them as remnants from the old days, when there was actual money involved, and wrestling promoters went along with the commissions to help kayfabe - the idea being that wrestling must be legit if it is overseen by the government/elected officials.  Keep in mind, in the old days, the commission helped the established promoters protect their territories, and to run outlaw promotions out of business.  There was no "indy wrestling".  So, as the '90s moved along and states went from having a territory running multiple shows within their borders multiple times a week/month, to the WWF/WCW running a few times a year, most commissions lost their teeth. But then when the late 90s boom period brought about a massive increase in indywrestling, some states still had their commissions in place, and it quickly became a source of revenue with very little work. 

 

For example, in a state like Pennsylvania, the boxing commission & the wrestling commission are the same thing.  So, they implement a ton of rules on wrestling promoters that make very little sense, but help generate revenue for boxing.  For example, the commission gets 10% of the gate, in addition to a license fee for each show.  If they send a representative to the show, you have to pay them a $200 fee, so they can collect the 10% in person.  You have to have a ringside doctor for the entire card, but he is not required to provide medical treatment, he is only there to "stop the match if one of the competitors is unable to continue".  The doctor's fee is NOT covered by the state, nor are they provided by the state.  Between Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Central PA & Erie events, there are 5-10 wrestling events these fees are collected for every week.  On the flip side, the commission pays for and provides boxing referees, judges, and medical personel, with only 4-5 professional boxing events each year. 

 

Ohio is a very hands-off commission - they require promoters to be licensed, and to obtain license for each event, as well as having a surety bond & spectator insurance.  The OAC often published information regarding shows in the state, and often they will grant show licenses to folks without promoters licenses, or licensed promoters will not obtain show licenses.  The commission has made it clear that they do not even want to deal with wrestling, and they want the wrestlers to patrol the business themselves.  However, unless the state legislature grants them a bigger budget or abolishes the commission, they can't really do anything either way. 

 

Really, there is no clear answer.  A commission doesn't weed out the crap, it doesn't help protect the wrestlers, it does nothing to help the business, because it is too much work.  Honestly, most of the strict commissions are strict because they WANT there to be few shows, so they do not have to deal with it at all - I'm looking at you Virginia.

 

I can say this for KY. When I started working in KY back in 2000 you had to fill out a form and pay $10 to get a card in the mail saying you were a licensed wrestler. The form was pretty silly... most of it was basic biographical info, although there was a section for "how long have you been a professional wrestler" and something like "explain why you feel you should be granted a license." I always figured nobody looked at any of that stuff and just cashed the check. The sucky thing was EVERYONE has to be licensed in KY in order to get in the ring. That means wrestlers, refs, managers, ring announcers, etc. Back in the day, you had to have a separate license for everything - so for example I reffed and managed, so that was two different deals. I also covered my butt by having a wrestler license "just in case." I was out $30 every year. Finally they changed it a few years ago to where its $20 a year for a license that covers everything.

 

The KY commission is weird though. They were very "hands on" 10 years ago. The two big rules were no brawling in the crowd (there had to be some sort of barrier between ringside and crowd) and no blading. Now they pop in every so often, maybe drug test a few guys, make sure everyone has their card... that's about it. 

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I've always wondered about athletic commissions. What exactly is their role nowadays related to wrestling? What kind of paperwork does a promotion/wrestler need?

 

It's always struck me as weird that the athletic commission gets involved in what is essentially a piece of theatre rather than a sporting event.

 

It really depends on the state.  There aren't many states anymore that require wrestlers to be licensed, but I believe Missouri is one.  Two others are Kentucky and Virginia.  Most of the other states that have commissions only deal with the promoter end of things, with some of the toughest being Oregon & Maryland. 

 

For the most part, states that have commissions at all have them as remnants from the old days, when there was actual money involved, and wrestling promoters went along with the commissions to help kayfabe - the idea being that wrestling must be legit if it is overseen by the government/elected officials.  Keep in mind, in the old days, the commission helped the established promoters protect their territories, and to run outlaw promotions out of business.  There was no "indy wrestling".  So, as the '90s moved along and states went from having a territory running multiple shows within their borders multiple times a week/month, to the WWF/WCW running a few times a year, most commissions lost their teeth. But then when the late 90s boom period brought about a massive increase in indywrestling, some states still had their commissions in place, and it quickly became a source of revenue with very little work. 

 

For example, in a state like Pennsylvania, the boxing commission & the wrestling commission are the same thing.  So, they implement a ton of rules on wrestling promoters that make very little sense, but help generate revenue for boxing.  For example, the commission gets 10% of the gate, in addition to a license fee for each show.  If they send a representative to the show, you have to pay them a $200 fee, so they can collect the 10% in person.  You have to have a ringside doctor for the entire card, but he is not required to provide medical treatment, he is only there to "stop the match if one of the competitors is unable to continue".  The doctor's fee is NOT covered by the state, nor are they provided by the state.  Between Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Central PA & Erie events, there are 5-10 wrestling events these fees are collected for every week.  On the flip side, the commission pays for and provides boxing referees, judges, and medical personel, with only 4-5 professional boxing events each year. 

 

Ohio is a very hands-off commission - they require promoters to be licensed, and to obtain license for each event, as well as having a surety bond & spectator insurance.  The OAC often published information regarding shows in the state, and often they will grant show licenses to folks without promoters licenses, or licensed promoters will not obtain show licenses.  The commission has made it clear that they do not even want to deal with wrestling, and they want the wrestlers to patrol the business themselves.  However, unless the state legislature grants them a bigger budget or abolishes the commission, they can't really do anything either way. 

 

Really, there is no clear answer.  A commission doesn't weed out the crap, it doesn't help protect the wrestlers, it does nothing to help the business, because it is too much work.  Honestly, most of the strict commissions are strict because they WANT there to be few shows, so they do not have to deal with it at all - I'm looking at you Virginia.

 

I can say this for KY. When I started working in KY back in 2000 you had to fill out a form and pay $10 to get a card in the mail saying you were a licensed wrestler. The form was pretty silly... most of it was basic biographical info, although there was a section for "how long have you been a professional wrestler" and something like "explain why you feel you should be granted a license." I always figured nobody looked at any of that stuff and just cashed the check. The sucky thing was EVERYONE has to be licensed in KY in order to get in the ring. That means wrestlers, refs, managers, ring announcers, etc. Back in the day, you had to have a separate license for everything - so for example I reffed and managed, so that was two different deals. I also covered my butt by having a wrestler license "just in case." I was out $30 every year. Finally they changed it a few years ago to where its $20 a year for a license that covers everything.

 

The KY commission is weird though. They were very "hands on" 10 years ago. The two big rules were no brawling in the crowd (there had to be some sort of barrier between ringside and crowd) and no blading. Now they pop in every so often, maybe drug test a few guys, make sure everyone has their card... that's about it. 

 

 

This is the first year in several years I haven't sent off for my Kentucky license because I'm not working for any companies that run in Kentucky right now.  It always felt like rolling up a 20 dollar bill and throwing it out the window.  The promotion I DID work for that ran in KY once a month though, they did everything by the book, including writing down everyone's license number each show, etc.  (They do everything by the book, this company,.....permits, insurance, even having guys sign for pay and giving out ax forms at the end of the year if someone made enough........no coincidence that they have been running successfully in this area for longer than anyone else around here has even hoped to.)  I don't work for them anymore, but highly respect them............the only reason I'm not mentioning the name is the same reason I'm not naming a specific name here in the following story; because I'm not trying to drag anyone through the mud.

 

But as Kaptain Kayfabe mentioned, they occasionally do pop in and drug test randomly at shows.  And sure enough, I have seen a guy fail a test for having pot in his system, and it turned into a big hassle for him.  He was stripped of his license and in order to get it back so he could wrestle in KY again he had to pay a fine and actually make an appeal in person to get it.  If I remember right, all things considered, it cost him a several bucks and kept him out of the ring in KY for a least 2 or 3 months. 

 

That was the only issue I ever saw come up.  As I said, this company did everything by the book, and as a result, the commission guys were always very friendly and never stayed for more than a half hour or so and probably stopped in once out of every 7 or 8 months, if that.  They just happened to test this guy who happened to fail, and they enforced a rule.  (A rule I find dumb, but a rule nonetheless.)

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The Missouri license required a physical every two years and a blood test for HIV, Hep B, and Hep C every 6 months. Plus another $50 for the license. Once my physical was rejected because it was done by an RN, not an MD. And since I didn't have health insurance at the time, that cost me huge.

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Lance Hoyt is a bit more convincing these days in Japan now he's been putting on weight. But yeah, Rock n Rave Infection era Lance Hoyt wasn't intimidating at all. 

 

Yeah, I bought a t-shirt from him at the Boesch tribute show back in April. He's not as tall as I thought he would be, but he's a lot beefier than I expected. 

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