Let's try this little "test" from WWE.com guys...

[Guest Downhome]

I saw this over at WWE.com and thought I'd present it for all of us to look at, talk about, answer, and just basicly have a great thread based around it. First, read this...

 

From the desk of Dr. Tom Prichard  

 

All right, Kevin Kelly and I have been talking about it for the last couple weeks on Byte This!

Here it is:

 

This is only a partial list of influential people in professional wrestling/sports entertainment. Why would these names mean anything to someone who wants to make this business their life? I feel that a lot of guys in our developmental stage can learn from what got guys over in the past as well as learn from their mistakes. This is an ever changing business but one thing that will NEVER change is the dedication and passion that comes from within those who can't fathom doing anything else. If looking these names up becomes boring and tedious, never mind. If you find yourself getting lost in their lives and stories, then you're on to something. Not everyone on this list was a top name. But I'll venture to say everyone on this list had the passion, dedication and love for the business. I hope the guys we sign now and in the future will remember who blazed the trail for them and understand how grateful they should be to the ones who came before them.

 

I gave this list to our developmental talent in Louisville (OVW) before the Christmas break. At first I thought it should be easy looking up these names and write two sentences to a paragraph about each person. Most cut and pasted from the Internet; Not what I was looking for. Two sentences to a paragraph..........Period! In your own words! If you can do that and answer all 101 names and the extra credit questions correctly, you could receive a special gift from WWE.com.

 

Some names will be more difficult if you're a fan who started watching in the 80's. No problem. The object HERE is to see how much you think you know. Let me know if you thought this was too simple, too hard, too stupid, whatever...

Good luck!

       

In no particular order:

 

 

Extra Credit:

 

Who were The Midnight Rockers?

 

What is George Hackenshmidt famous for?

 

Who was Frank Hickey?

 

Who was Danny McShain and what is he famous for introducing into the business?

 

What name did Frank Hester and Pepe Lopez use as a tag team? Who was their manager? What is their infamous “claim to fame”?

 

Name The Gold Dust Trio and explain their approach to doing business.

 

Who managed Jerry Lawler during his famous match against Andy Kaufman in Memphis Tennessee’s Mid South Coliseum and what was the outcome?

 

Name the famous arena where Stunning Steve Austin made his debut.

 

...now, I am not asking for all of us to do this, but rahter, how about we do it as a group? There are no rules, let's work it something like this. You reply, and you comment on any of the guys on the list, and you answer any of the questions you want. You can comment on a guy, even if someone else has done so before you. Make sure you put what the number is of the guy you comment on, just to keep things easier. I just thought I'd start this up, and see if any of you were interested. So...

 

...who will begin this project?

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest bob_barron]

The Midnight Rockers were HBK and Jannetty.

 

Two sentences on Steve Keirn:

 

Steve Kiern was a former AWA wrestler (I think) and moved to the WWF as the wrestler 'Skinner'. He had two high profile matches on PPV- He lost to Bret Hart at TIT and Owen Hart at Wrestlemania VIII. He later went to WCW in 1993.

[Guest Lord of The Curry]

Two sentances on Stan Hansen.

 

" Stan Hansen is one of the best big men in the history of this business and is still to this day one of the biggest if not the biggest foreign star in the history of Japan."

 

" Vince Macmahon Sr. marketed the nickname "The Lariat" for Hansen claiming he broke Bruno Sammartino's neck with his clothesline. He actually dropped him on his head with a botched bodyslam attempt."

 

Oh yeah, and Stan Hansen is always drunk in the ring. And the surliest motherfucker in pro wrestling history.

[Guest Lord of The Curry]

WHAT!? No Giant F'n Baba on the list?!

 

FUCK YOU PRITCHARD!!!

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

I'm a little busy with writing for the SWF to do all I could do, but I'll fill in a couple names.

 

7. Dennis Condrey- Condrey got started in the late seventies in the Southeastern NWA territory. He was part of the Midnight Express group there, which included Randy Rose and Bobby Eaton among others. He and Eaton eventually went to Mid-South under the Midnight Express banner as a tag team and after that to Crockett promotions in Georgia. Condrey left Eaton and was replaced by Stan Lane. He reappeared less than a year later with former partner Randy Rose under manager Paul E. Dangerously. They were known as the Original Midnight Express and feuded with Eaton and Lane over the name. They lost the feud and left the territory.

 

8. Randy Rose- Wrestled for years in the Southeastern territory as part of the Midnight Express group with Dennis Condrey among others. Rose stayed in the Southeast after Condrey and Eaton went to mid-South, but would reteam with Condrey in Georgia as the Original Midnight Express to fight with Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton over the name. Rose left Crockett promotions upon losing the feud.

 

69. Bobby Eaton- Eaton started out in the Southeastern territory as part of the Midnight Express group with the likes of Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose among others. Condrey and Eaton eventually left the southeast to wrestle as the Midnight Express in Mid-South and later Georgia under manager Jim Cornette. When Condrey left the team, he was replaced by Stan Lane. This version of the Midnight Express had some legendary feuds with the likes of the Rock 'n Roll Express, the Original Midnight Express (a reteaming of Rose and Condrey), the Dynamic Dudes and the Southern Boys before breaking up. Eaton continued on in the WCW in several short lived tag teams and a brief stint as the TV champion. Eaton today works as a trainer and was even with the OVW for a brief time (I believe he's no longer there).

 

78. Don Muraco- Muraco was a native Hawaiin who became enamored with pro wrestling as a kid and started out floating around several territories in the seventies, including the AWA and Vancouver. His greatest fame came in the WWF where he was Intercontinental Champion and had some legendary feuds with the likes of Jimmy Snuka and Hulk Hogan. Muraco was partnered with manager Mr. Fuji and starred in a series of hilarious sketches for the old Tuesday Night Titans show centered around them bucking for Hollywood movie careers. The sketches had names as "Fuji Vice" and "Fuji General." Muraco was later managed by Billy Graham before his retirement in the early nineties. He lives in Hawaii today and works as a longshoremen.

[Guest razazteca]

Gary Hart was a manager of Gino Hernadez and Manny Fernadez in territories of the South and Texas.

 

El Santo has become a national treasure to Mexico, not just in the ring but also in movies as he and other Luchadores faught the Evil Doer and super natural villians.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

Gary Hart also managed the Great Muta, The Dragon Master and Terry Funk in the WCW in 1989 feuding with Ric Flair and the face faction of the 4 Horsemen.

[Guest TheHulkster]

Eddie Gilbert: One of the greatest minds in the business at one point, he was not only a wrestler who could draw amazing heat, but could book great wrestling programs. He has wrestled pretty much everywhere and was responsible for the creation of ECW with Todd Gordon. Growing up, he idolized Jerry Lawler and, in his prime, he actually got to wrestle and feud with his hero (including trying to run over him with a car). He died in Puerto Rico in the mid 90's of a heart attack.

 

Bruiser Brody (!): The wild man from New Mexico (Texas really) tore up rings and drew money in nearly every major promotion on earth. He inspired many wrestlers in Japan and the US and by many Japanese he is viewed as the greatest Gaijin to have ever lived. Not to mention that he's widely regarded as the greatest brawler to ever step into the ring. He was a bad motherfucker.

 

The Crusher: Always chomping on his trademark cigar, the Crusher was one of the biggest draws in the history of the AWA. He wrestled mostly a brawling style and he was great on the stick. He was one of the most popular babyfaces in the AWA during his heyday.

 

Buddy Rogers: Pioneered a new kind of character in wrestling: The arrogant, pompous, asshole heel. While Gorgeous George's whole heel act ended when the first bell rang, Buddy worked the entire match trying to get the fans to hate him. Everything from the way he moved, to the way he looked at people, to the way he applied an armbar was built to make the fans want to see him die before their very eyes. Nobody had really worked that kind of style before him, so he influenced a lot of wrestlers.

[Guest alkeiper]

Gary Hart I saw wrestle a few times on ESPN Classic, from the 60s. He actually had a full head of blond hair.

[Guest Doyo]

Steve Kiern was a former AWA wrestler (I think) and moved to the WWF as the wrestler 'Skinner'. He had two high profile matches on

 

Yes, he wrestled in the AWA and elsewhere in a tag team with Stan

Lane called the Fabulous Ones.

 

Rick Morton - He and Robert Gibson wrestled as the Rock N' Roll Express;

quite possibly the most popular tag team ever. Current star Sean O'Haire

names them as his favorite. A master of ring psychology. Had classic

singles bouts with Ric Flair. Making a comeback in NWA TNA.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

101-Ric Flair. Regarded by many as the greatest wrestler to get in a ring. Debuted in 74, was voted Rookie of the Year in PWI. Broke his back in an infamous plane crash only a few years into his career. He came back, and wrestled in high profile feuds in the NWA with such talent as Ricky Steamboat and Harley Race. He was also very active in the various territories, such as mid-atlantic, mid-south, and World Class. Noted for his "broomstick" matches, where he comes into a territory and has a fabulous match with a local babyface. Famous also for his "Whoo" catchphrase, an icon for pro wrestling in every sense of the word.