| Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling
They aren't the types of sordid stories that can be found on one of World Wrestling Entertainment's "historical" DVD releases. "Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death and Scandal" is comprised primarily of controversial free-lance magazine articles Irvin Muchnick has written over the past 19 years. Muchnick dishes dirt on alleged behind-the-scenes improprieties of well-known figures like WWE owner Vince McMahon, Jimmy Snuka, Hulk Hogan and the Von Erich family while also tackling such serious issues as the deregulation of pro wrestling by state athletic commissions and the rash of young-grappler deaths that have rocked the industry. "There are some things real serious fans already know about, but it's a useful historical document having them all in one place," Muchnick said this week in a telephone interview.
WrestleMania III re-release OK, but not extraordinary
It's been 20 years since the infamous (but not first) Hulk Hogan bodyslam of Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III and the WWE decided to make a few extra bucks hocking a re-release of the epic event. Only problem is that the two-disc DVD set, called the "Championship Edition," while the event itself was stellar, is a bit light in the "extras" department. Nothing is drastically changed in the DVD, aside from the theme music for Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Hillbilly Jim. Everything else is how it was originally released, with the odd "WWF" changed to "WWE." But in watching this, I realized how far WWE has come in the past 20 years. Several things stood out for me. For instance, when King Kong Bundy bodyslams and then drops an elbow on Little Beaver, the fans were appalled.
Keys to the Game 5.19.07: To Slay a Giant
The latest immovable object meets the current irresistible force this Sunday night at Judgment Day when John Cena Clashes with The Great Khali.
Giants have a long standing tradition in professional wrestling of being the ultimate challenge for a great champion. From Bruno Sammartino and Haystacks Calhoun to Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan let's get ready to break down the latest Champion vs. Giant gala of John Cena vs. The Great Khali THE PLAYERS Name: John Cena Height: 6'1" Weight: 240 lbs From: West Newbury, Ma Signature Moves: FU, STFU Career Highlights: United States Champion (x3), WWE Champion (x3), World Tag Team Champion, PWI 2006 Wrestler of the Year, WWE Magazine 2006 Superstar of the Year. Over the past few years, John Cena has experienced one of the most remarkable championship runs in professional wrestling history.
Save the drama for your mama
What happened to professional wrestling? There used to be a small amount of drama in the good old World Wrestling Federation (WWF), when original heroes like Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper came to fame. Pro wresting has always harnessed a touch of drama, but the focus used to be on inexpensive events in your hometown, not over-the-top soap operas for boys that require a digital cable subscription or costly tickets to watch.
The death of an era
The WWF is now called World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), following a civil suit from an animal rights group that shared the WWF acronym. In the mid-90s, there was much scandal for pro wrestling when it was revealed that the fights were staged and scripted--a scandal made much worse amid rumors of steroid use.
After a few years of dying a painful death, producers tried to breathe life back into pro wrestling by embracing the drama.
Buffalo Bills Fan Impersonates Hulk Hogan
Sometimes the headline says it all. This is a video of a Buffalo Bills fan impersonating Hulk Hogan, and it's really quite good:What better time and place and December in Buffalo to take off your shirt, pretend you're the Hulkster, and do a little rasslin' while you're tailgating? The impersonation was pretty good, although I would have preferred a body slam to the DDT. Hat tip: Slack LaLane. .
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