Peck 5,482 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Greg Oliver with a really nice story on Rusty Brooks, with some quotes from guys he trained like Norman Smiley and Gangrel. https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2021/02/11/beloved-wrestler-trainer-rusty-brooks-dies/ 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Peck 5,482 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Tom Cole, the ring attendant who accused the WWF of sexual abuse in the late-80s/early-90s, committed suicide at the age of 50. Link to post Share on other sites
odessasteps 14,162 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I now worry everytime this thread is updated that it will be about Terry Funk. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Curt McGirt 13,146 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Big Ovett has passed away. From cubsfan's blog: Spoiler Big Ovett passes away Big Ovett (Ovett Israel Montiel, 43) passed away Friday. He’d been hospitalized this week. Mas Lucha reports Ovett’s death was due to COVID-19. Ovett was a second-generation Mexico City/Mexico State area luchador since the late 90s, and he’d work for pretty much every indie at one time or another. He spent the 00s and 10s as part of Los Porros, a group of tough-guy brawling wrestlers including Angel o Demonio, Periko, and Leon Rojo. Despite the tough guy gimmick, Ovett was a friendly guy that everyone in the community knew and liked a lot. Ovett has three sons (Lunatik Extreme, Ovett Jr./Toto and Erwin) who have followed him into lucha libre. Ovett spent the vast majority of his career as an indie wrestler. His brief run in AAA has become a historical footnote. Ovett wrestled as Payaso Carrona, part of a trios of Payasos lasting just a few TV tapings. The idea was to recreate a long win streak the Coco clowns had in the 90s, but the matches were disappointing and the idea was dropped in months. Ovett’s partners were believed to be his fellow Porros, who publicly denied they were the characters. (Payaso Carrona had a tattoo that matched Ovett’s, giving away the game.) Los Porros later gave the Payasos gimmicks to others, so they could feud in indie matches and prove they weren’t the same people. AAA believed the general idea was solid but they needed different wrestlers and looks, tried the concept again just a few months later, and came up with Los Psycho Circus. Ovett spent most of his career typecast as a brawler; if US fans saw him, it’d be in something like the Zona23 shows. His remarkably played against that type in his last couple of years, while perhaps becoming as popular as he ever was. IWRG introduced Los Strippers BIg, a trio of plus-sized dancing men in suspenders. Big Ovett, Big Mike (a former ninja turtle), and Big Chico Che got over due to their enthusiasm for the characters, natural charisma, and a few bloody brawls. It peaked in a memorable appearance on AAA’s Guerra de Titanes 2019, as they celebrated with Big Mami after her hair match victory over Lady Maravilla. The AAA appearance seemed to be a one-off deal, but the Big Strippers team had strong momentum until the pandemic shut down wrestling. During that time, a clip of Ovett playing with action figures went viral. Ovett resumed wrestling when Mexico re-opened in the fall and was a regular part of IWRG until lucha libre was shut down for a second time in December. IWRG appeared to be building towards a Big Ovett & Big Chico Che versus Pasion Kristal & Jessy Ventura double hair match for one of their annual December anniversary shows until having shows became impossible. Ovett worked anywhere for anyone, so it would be no surprise if he had been working secret shows during this most recent shut down. Messages posted by his family say Ovett had been ill for a while and they’d been keeping the situation quiet until he went on a ventilator this week. The only news about his situation since had been slightly optimistic, and the announcement of his death still comes as a shock. Link to post Share on other sites
Curt McGirt 13,146 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Well damn. This is on Zero1 USA's Facebook. Quote It is with true sadness that we announce the passing of a passionately gifted colleague, friend and family member today. The Mississippi Madman has been a part of our family since the very beginning and his kindness, charisma, professionalism and showmanship were just a small part of this total package human being. Rest in peace Madman! We love you! #WhoseHouse RIP 1 Link to post Share on other sites
RIPPA 34,082 Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 Wasn't expecting to see this video show up today Link to post Share on other sites
overbooked 1 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Joseph Hudson passes away. Really sad news. His stuff as The Question Mark was a lot of fun. https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/nwas-joseph-jocephus-hudson-passes-away-334196 9 Link to post Share on other sites
kafkonia 942 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 5 hours ago, overbooked said: Joseph Hudson passes away. Really sad news. His stuff as The Question Mark was a lot of fun. https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/nwas-joseph-jocephus-hudson-passes-away-334196 That's too bad. He had some fun moments during the 10 pounds of gold era, and I enjoyed him and Aron Stevens together. Mongrovia will fly its flags at half-mast today. Link to post Share on other sites
twiztor 1,253 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 the nation of Mongrovia mourns. RIP Jocephus/Question Mark/Joseph Hudson. was surely a bright spot on the NWA revival. Link to post Share on other sites
Log 1,587 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I never saw much of Hudson’s work in the ring, but he’s in the music video for a song I really love. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
NikoBaltimore 5,164 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Man, this bums me out. I wasn't around for Jocephus but he had us in stitches as Question Mark. Though some of the commercials for him did seem Jocephus-like from what I heard about that character. Was always hoping after the pandemic he had a chance to do more with either character but that's sadly not to be. Link to post Share on other sites
Curt McGirt 13,146 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 RIP 6 Link to post Share on other sites
mattdangerously 6,970 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I only know Jocephus from the Tim Storm feud, but man, that was some good rasslin'. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jaedmc 7,513 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Back when Corgan was running a company in Chicago, Jocephus was one of the fresh faces that was brought in early, and he caught on pretty quickly with the crowd. I think by that point he'd only just started working, and while he was green in certain aspects, his personality was undeniable and made him fun the watch. There are some guys you can just tell they're having fun, like a kid in a candy store kind of thing. He was always very playful and engaging. When that company fell apart, I wasn't surprised that Billy brought him over to the NWA revival, and I was holding out hope that it would lead to something bigger for him. He seemed like one of those great utility guys that could take whatever you gave him and figure out a way to make contact. Awful news to hear of his passing. Much too young. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
RunningFromAmerica 1,468 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 I really loved this. Great stuff. RIP Joseph Hudson. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Stowell 6 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 “Jumping” Johnny DeFazio passed away today. He was a regular Babyface in the Pittsburgh territory that Toods Monde formed in 1960. They had an affiliation with the WWWF and a lot of national feuds that Bruno Sammartino had got a dry run in Pittsburgh. DeFazio was a multi time junior champion. He was also well known for his work with Labor Leader and county official. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2021/02/26/Longtime-Allegheny-County-Councilman-labor-wrestler-john-defazio-dies-shaler/stories/202102260162 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Mister TV 515 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 5 hours ago, Andy Stowell said:“Jumping” Johnny DeFazio passed away today. He was a regular Babyface in the Pittsburgh territory that Toods Monde formed in 1960. They had an affiliation with the WWWF and a lot of national feuds that Bruno Sammartino had got a dry run in Pittsburgh. DeFazio was a multi time junior champion. He was also well known for his work with Labor Leader and county official. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2021/02/26/Longtime-Allegheny-County-Councilman-labor-wrestler-john-defazio-dies-shaler/stories/202102260162 DeFazio still worked Civic Arena shows after the WWF took over the Pittsburgh region, he even tagged with Tony Garea against Piper & David Schultz in February 1984. The Studio Wrestling era was before my time but Yinzers love nostalgia so I heard a lot about it, with only four channels guys like DeFazio, “The Carnegie Cop” Frankie Holtz and “Cannonball” Chuck Martioni(who lived on the same street as my grandparents) were household names. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Peck 5,482 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 A little more detail from Meltz on DeFazio as well as a couple of other deaths: Quote There are three wrestling deaths to report of name wrestlers of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Jumping Johnny DeFazio of Pittsburgh, who Bruno Sammartino thought could have been a big star but he had a regular job in the city and didn't want to travel, passed away at 80. He was a union leader with the Steelworkers and later an Allegheny County Council President. Don Serrano, who worked all over the world for 34 years, passed away. He had to be close to 90. Art "Boom Boom" Michalik, who was an All-Pro NFL player and an Olympic hopeful in wrestling for the 1952 games, a name pro wrestler into the early 70s, and later a notable football coach at the high school level, passed away this week at the age of 91. At one time in the 60s, Don Owen had Michalik, Don Manoukian (who played for the Raiders), Curtis Iaukea (a star at Cal) and The Destroyer (a star at Syracuse) all together. Jim Otto, who was an NFL legend as one of the great centers of all-time , came up there to talk Manoukian into coming to camp and they ended up almost talking him out of going to camp with all the fun they had touring Oregon wrestling. They almost got him wrestling as a German heel. We will have stories on all three in next week's issue. All three have very notable life stories. Link to post Share on other sites
odessasteps 14,162 Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 He just came on the latest Charting the Territories pod about Akbar. RIP Link to post Share on other sites
hammerva 5,022 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 A guy probably deserving his own thread, it seems that Jim Crockett Jr has passed away today. An hour or so after 2 of its biggest stars in the territory was on AEW. 3 if you include Tony 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites
cubbymark 839 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 On 2/25/2021 at 5:41 PM, jaedmc said: Back when Corgan was running a company in Chicago, Jocephus was one of the fresh faces that was brought in early, and he caught on pretty quickly with the crowd. I think by that point he'd only just started working, and while he was green in certain aspects, his personality was undeniable and made him fun the watch. There are some guys you can just tell they're having fun, like a kid in a candy store kind of thing. He was always very playful and engaging. When that company fell apart, I wasn't surprised that Billy brought him over to the NWA revival, and I was holding out hope that it would lead to something bigger for him. He seemed like one of those great utility guys that could take whatever you gave him and figure out a way to make contact. Awful news to hear of his passing. Much too young. I wasn’t too keen on his Bruiser Brody knockoff gimmick, but he found his groove in NWA to be sure. Link to post Share on other sites
DreamBroken 2,670 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 RIP Crockett. I wanna see the AEW/NWA partnership put on the biggest and best Crockett Cup imaginable in tribute. Link to post Share on other sites
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