Saturday Night's Main Event #12: Halloween Edition

Gangrel Vs. Edge

Gangrel (David Heath) and Edge are two of the last wrestlers that I can honestly remember from the late 90s, a time when performers actually needed a real diverse backstory to be successful instead of just a campy gimmick or a "good smile." In fact, these two in particular had a long-running plot line that would see the formation of one of my favorite trios (aside the original D-X) alongside Christian (William Reso) called The Brood. Through their bizarre out-of-the-ring rituals and "blood baths," the Lost Boys inspired "Brood" would add a much welcome taste of the macabre not seen since The Undertaker's first appearance.

Though the personas of Edge and Christian would later adapt to the ever-changing nature of fans, Heath's Gangrel would find the transition more difficult as he slowly faded into obscurity. Since his departure from the WWE, Heath has continued to perform on the independent circuit as the Vampire Warrior. In 2008, he had also apparently begun to explore opportunities in the porn business as a director.

Fun Fact:
Heath was at one time married to another WWE Superstar, Luna (Gertrude Wilkerson). The two were wed on October 31, 1994.

This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.

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Saturday Night's Main Event #11

Shawn Michaels Vs. El Matador (Wrestlemania VIII)

I'll admit it, I've always been a bit of a Shawn Michaels fan. Even despite him splitting up the sensational Rockers (Marty Jannetty's career never really did recover) Michaels has carried a charismatic presence that not only helped change the face of wrestling but continues to be felt in the WWF WWE to this day. Apparently, he's also never done anything low-key either with a solo debut at Wrestlemania VIII no less with El Matador (alongside the vivacious Sensational Sherri to boot!).

El Matador, perhaps better known as Tito Santana, is no stranger to the ring either with an impressive run as the Intercontinental Champion in the mid-80s which also led to a long-standing feud with "Macho Man" Randy Savage culminating in a series of hard fought no disqualification matches. After the feud with Savage ended, Santana struggled through the late 80s before re-emerging as El Matador with his first appearance being this very match.

Fun Fact:
According to Wikipedia, Santana "holds the unique distinction of appearing in the first nine Wrestlemanias," a merit carried by only one other wrestler... Hulk Hogan.

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Saturday Night's Main Event #10

Doink the Clown vs Mr. Perfect

I have to admit that I've been on a bit of a Doink the Clown kick ever since Jon D. Guerra made a comment about a recent match he has seen. The match didn't even involve Doink, but for whatever reason it made me think back on the character's heyday and just how effective of a heel he turned out to be. Of course, being a clown it's not too difficult to be scary, but Doink always managed to channel just the right bit of Bozo and Pennywise to make himself both entertaining and terrifying.

After some internet snooping, I found this bout between the aforementioned circus runaway and Mr. Perfect, himself a pretty consistent heel. Portrayed here by the original performer, Matt Osborne, Doink has perhaps always been one of the most underrated personas in the WWF WWE. Fortunately, Doink seems to be at the top of his top of his game here on Monday Night Raw with an arsenal of dirty tricks that truly proves just how dastardly effective "evil" Doink was before the character was "re-purposed" to be used solely for laughs (midget et al).

Continue reading...

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Toychest Time Machine: Hulkamania Workout Set

Train hard, say your prayers and eat your vitamins.

For those you who are fellow wrestling fans, did you ever dream of growing up to be as big and strong as Hulk Hogan? I know I did.

Sure wish I had stuck with this super cool Hulkamania Workout Set, makes me think how different life might have been... then again, I never was very photogenic. Probably better off anyway, I tend to like having the ability to do simple things like scratching my back or fitting through doors. I find crashing into walls counterproductive, despite it being a signature move of many of my cartoon heroes. Just for fun, though, let's imagine what a buffer, tougher Strange Kid might look like...

Continue reading...

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Saturday Night's Main Event #9 Part 2

Wrestlemania 13: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret "The Hitman" Hart (Submission Match)

As promised last weekend, I'm bringing you the second part in the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin in his first big rivalry against no less an opponent than Bret "Hitman" Hart himself. How's that for some excellence of execution?

All company politics aside, Bret Hart has acheived, in my eye, a level of perfectionism that few others in the industry can lay claim to (Dean Malenko and Sting being the few exceptions that come to mind though I'm sure there are others). Whether he was a heel or a babyface, its hard not to appreciate his technical precision and trademark bravo swagger. Hart also had some of the most memorable rivalries that I can remember watching against the likes of Shawn Michaels and even his own brother Owen Hart.

Continue reading...

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Saturday Night's Main Event #9 Part 1

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts

It's the return of Saturday Night's Main Event and what better way to kick things off than with a two-part series on the birth of one of wrestling's last true superstars (aside from The Rock): Stone Cold Steve Austin.

You see, Austin wasn't always the foul-mouthed, beer-swilling bad ass he is/was today. No sir, poor Austin actually used to go by another much less threatening moniker, The Ringmaster. Debuting in the WWF in the mid 90s after few years in both the WCW and ECW, Austin was initially introduced as a member of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation and even carried the honorary Million Dollar Championship for a short while. That is until a few months later when Austin "threw" a match against Savio Vega which resulted in the expulsion of DiBiase and marked the first stepping stone on the road of the "rattlesnake."

That brings us to tonight's match up which took place about a year later at 1996's King of the Ring elimination contest. It was the first time Austin began to use his trademark finishing move, the Stone Cold Stunner and to great effect against his competition in the event. Having made it past the semi-finals, Austin would go on to meet a "reformed" Jake The Snake Roberts at the final bout. Roberts at the time was just making his short-lived return to the WWF as a born-again Christian and his Bible-thumping gimmick proved to be just the right catalyst that Stone Cold needed to make his mark with his infamous catchphrase: "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!"

Check out this tide turning event (see above) and stay tuned next Saturday for the beginning of The Attitude Era as Stone Cold squares off against Bret The Hitman Hart!

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Saturday Night's Main Event #8

Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Having missed out on last week's Main Event, I decided that the stakes needed to be raised for this week's bout. Thus, we have one of the all-time greatest match-ups in Wrestlemania history courtesy of Macho Man and Ricky Steamboat (which is often unfairly overshadowed by the Hulk Hogan/Andre The Giant clash at the finale of Wrestlemania III).

The feud between Savage and Steamboat first began as the result of an Intercontinental Title Championship Match during an 1986 episode of Superstars of Wrestling after which Macho Man severely injured "The Dragon" with the ring bell. Steamboat made his return soon after and there was a back and forth between the two opponents, but never an official rematch until Wrestlemania III (see above and below).

Despite the internally driven political events that ensued after Wrestlemania, the match itself was a brilliant display by two talented athletes of technical ability and high-flying agility that, to this day, proves to be one of the greatest pro-wrestling brawls ever. Watch it for yourself and tell me if I'm wrong.

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Saturday Night's Main Event #7

Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs The Undertaker

Jake "The Snake" Roberts has always been one of those performers that is either a hit or miss. When he's "on," he brings a charisma and animosity to the ring that really wasn't replicated until Stone Cold Steve Austin a decade or so later. On the flip side, Roberts could be just as temperamental and unpredictable as his pet snake(s) Damien. In fact, this Wrestlemania VIII matchup with The Undertaker would unfortunately be his last of note within the WWF thanks in part to a real-life feud with Vince McManhon. Though he did return in 1997, it mostly served to fuel the career of the aforementioned Steve Austin and he quickly fell onto some personal roadblocks.

His feud with The Undertaker was actually a spin-off of his previous feud with Macho Man Randy Savage and served as a catalyst for Undertaker's babyface run. It was a shortlived storyline that is really only encapsulated in this first (and last) match. To be sure the highlight of the footage above is Paul Bearer's interview (he was so damn into that role)! So what will it be: a DDT to send the "Texas Red" back to rattlesnake country or a Tombstone Piledriver that will deliver Roberts to the deadman's doorstep? Let's get in on!

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Saturday Night's Main Event #6

Big Boss Man vs The Mountie (Jailhouse Match)

As mentioned previously this match takes place during Big Boss Man's run as a "babyface" or good guy shortly before his defection to WCW during the mid-90s. Though there was never any noteworthy feud between Boss Man and The Mountie, this 1991 Summerslam match-up remains pretty memorable in my eyes for one single reason... The Mountie became someone's b*tch that night (well that, and Roddy Piper's enthusiastic color commentary).

Though I don't honestly remember seeing much of The Mountie before or since that match, I do recall being scared as hell watching that intro footage of Boss Man cuffed to ropes as he was mercilessly zapped by The Mountie's trademark cattle prod. Sound effects aside, as an 8 year old boy the thought of being defenseless and tortured was horrifying to me (perhaps a side affect of all those horror films I consumed back then, haha). Anyway, the concept behind this match is that whoever lost would be put in the drunk tank overnight with all the resident creeps and weirdos NYC had to offer. I won't spoil the ending, suffice to say: "don't you love the way leather feels against your body." Haha.

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Saturday Night's Main Event #5

The Undertaker vs Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka

Snuka stands as one of the torchbearers of modern wrestling entertainment. Having garnered his glory days in the 1980s and 90s during which Vince McMahon first inherited the reigns of the franchise from his father Snuka was perhaps best known for his "extreme" high-flying acrobatics in the Steel Cage, a definite rarity in that day and age (at least in the WWF). He stood on the edge of superstardom several times, but issues both inside and outside of the ring prevented him from achieving that dream. He did, however, still get to appear in the Hulk Hogan Rock 'N Wrestling cartoon series and received his own action figure.

Meanwhile, The Undertaker was emerging in the late 80s to become a popular (if not altogether frightening force of villainy in the ring) alongside the sinister Paul Bearer and Snuka was just returning from a three-year absence. Like many other older performers at that time, Snuka wrestled a few high profile matches to help the new talent gain their presence and popularity. One of these matches in particular is tonight's Main Event which features both Snuka and Undertaker in a what appears to be a pretty even match-up... there should have been a cage, though.

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Saturday Night's Main Event #4

Legion of Doom & Big Boss Man vs Natural Disasters & IRS

A three-on-three elimination match billed for 1991's Survivor Series, this match involved a number of powerhouses including the Big Boss Man (now a "babyface" or good guy) alongside the Road Warriors Hawk and Animal versus Earthquake and Typhoon (known collectively as the Natural Disasters) and the tax man I.R.S.

The Legion of Doom (my all-time favorite tag team) were the tag team champions at the time and had just kick-started a feud with the Natural Disasters thanks to their intervention in a previous match with the Bushwackers (at which an injured Andre the Giant stood ringside). This match serves as the Natural Disasters' (led here by "mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart) first big shot as the championship and revenge.

Can the two ton titans and their crafty cohort defeat the tag team champs for the 1-2-3? In the words of legendary commentator Jim Ross, this one's going to be a "slobber-knocker!"

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Saturday Night's Main Event #3

Ultimate Warrior vs Papa Shango

When I was a kid, there was no other wrestler that could get me as excited for a match as the Ultimate Warrior. Surpassing even "the Hulkster" in terms of sheer, hyperactive charisma the Ultimate Warrior offered fans an exuberance that could literally be felt through their television sets. From the distinctively bright face paint to his high-energy ring entrance, the Warrior shone like a beacon of unbridled mania in every match he was in. His one weakness would have to be his horrible speaking skills, being that they were the equivalent of listening to Christian Bale's Batman reciting Dr. Seuss in reverse. Ugh.

On the other end of the ring, we have Papa Shango, inspired by voodoo mythology and shrouded in the same, strange schtick as the Undertaker (who happened to be a good friend of his). Essentially Shango would use "spells" and "potions" (complete with plastic skulls and dry ice) to jinx his opponents into submission. It made for a fairly interesting character, straddling the gap between offensive stereotype and tongue-in-cheek parody. One of the highlights of his tenure at the WWF was a feud with Ultimate Warrior, from which the bout shown above is a part.

So, the real question remains: can Shango's Voodoo Piledriver compete with the Warrior's Gorilla Press Slam? Let's find out...

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Saturday Night's Main Event #2

The Rockers vs The Twin Towers

Before Rey Mysterio or The Hardy Boys there was Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, two high-flying fellas known as The Rockers. Though I only caught The Rockers on the cusp of their tag team days, I can distinctly remember Michaels standing out as the more charismatic of the two. Unlike most of the athletes at that time who were larger and stronger, The Rockers achieved a strong of successful bouts because of their fast-paced, well organized acrobatic style of wrestling.

In tonight's match, however, they square off against the damage inducing duo known as The Twin Towers (Big Boss Man and Akeem). Akeem (formerly known as the One Man Gang) was an ill-conceived parody of black stereotypes managed by Slick, a similarly stereotypical "heel." Alongside the Big Boss Man, they fought a series of high profile matches against the likes of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man, Demolition and (of course) The Rockers. Can The Rockers high-flying trump the titanic raw power of The Twin Towers? Watch the video above and find out!

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Saturday Night's Main Event #1

Demolition Vs. Powers of Pain

Welcome to yet another new feature here on Strange Kids Club entitled Saturday Night's Main Event. Named after the classic WWF WWE program that premiered sporadically during the late 80s and again a few years back, Saturday Night's Main Event will be a weekly column in which I will feature a classic wrestling match-up.

Tonight's Main Event features the black-studded demons of the ring, Demolition (Ax and Smash) versus the towering titans, Powers of Pain (The Barbarian and The Warlord). Led by the deviously cunning Mr. Fuji who had only recently been Demolition's manager, the Powers of Pain are set to deliver on their namesake... or are they?

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