My friend David Marquez found this: an interview with Orson Welles about a performer connecting with and capturing his or her audience. And why folks who get in free to see a show are not an audience (hint: The TNA Impact Zone)
Farewell to the Baron
I’ve been jammed up the last couple weeks with non-wrestling stuff, but I wanted to just take a minute and note the passing of Baron Mikel Scicluna the other day. As I’ve said before, I grew up watching the WWWF in the late 60s and early 70s. The Baron was a mainstay during those years, and he was one of those wrestlers you see all-too-infrequently these days—-someone who could work prelims, mid-cards, and even main events, and get the job done everytime. Scicluna was a pro who understood how to work both a crowd and a match. One of my fondest early TV memories was watching The Baron and his tag team partner King Curtis defeat Karl Gotch and Rene Goulet for the WWWF tag team championship in a two-of-three falls match. The deciding pinfall saw Gotch catch Scicluna in a bridging german suplex (a move that amazed me, and almost caused me to break my neck trying to imitate!) only to have King Curtis come off the turnbuckle for a big splash on Gotch, leaving the Baron on top in the pinning position. It is too bad their title reign was relatively shortlived, and they did not stay together after losing to Chief Jay Strongbow and Sonny King. The two of them, with Lou Albano as their manager, conveyed a great sense of menace.
Anyway, thanks for listening to the trip down memory lane. Baron, you did it right!
Keep on keepin’ on
Another weekend and the NWA keeps bringing wrestling to the people. Friday night in Wisconsin with NWA-Unplugged, and then a huge Saturday, with cards in Tampa, FL, McKeesport, PA, Cornelia, GA, and Vancouver, BC. The North American singles and tag belts were defended, as well as the National belt.
I’m going to keep beating this drum people—-for those who like to act as if they are knowledgeable about professional wrestling and want to keep ignoring the NWA, well, you are simply ignoring reality. WE PROMOTE WRESTLING. WE ARE OUT THERE, BRINGING WRESTLING TO THE PEOPLE. Go see it—you won’t find a better value for your dollar.
Oh, and you also had me babbling on the Alliance-Wrestling Talk Radio broadcast on Saturday. If you’re in the mood, you can find it here: http://tobtr.com/s/940808
NXT. This jury is still out.
OK, my good friend David Marquez is just over the moon about WWE NXT. Other folks whose opinions I respect like the show. I remain firmly unconvinced. Let me elaborate a little as to why.
First, what I most assuredly DO like is the opportunity for Bryan Danielson to show a wider audience what he can do. All who know Bryan know how hard he works and what a truly good guy he is. I can’t think of anyone who is more universally respected and who deserves a shot more. Second thing I like is the overall concept of trying to make new stars. Both WWE and TNA are generally miserable at this, and even the attempt by WWE is welcome.
Other than that, though, the rest was mediocre, at best. The concept is derivative. Tough Enough, The Ultimate Fighter, have been down this road with varying degrees of success. The other “new talent”, on first blush, doesn’t look like much. Admittedly, there has been just the first episode, but the other newbies featured were singularly unimpressive. I can give you twenty guys off the top of my head working regularly on NWA shows who would be better. Yes, I need to be patient. But this was the first episode. You would think they would lead with their best. They did with Bryan, but the drop off after that was mighty steep.
Finally, I have little faith in WWE having the patience or commitment to really make new stars. They have shown little to no ability to do so in the recent past. Even what looks to be a promising early push for Danielson will bear watching. Matt Sydal, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, these are just three names that come immediately to mind of talented guys who WWE looked like they were going to push into main event status, only to fail to follow up and let them sink to mid-carders, or lower.
The WWE is trying something “new”: building a show around new talent actually wrestling. Pardon me for being unimpressed. We’ve been doing that in the NWA for over 60 years.
It’s the weekend. That means NWA Wrestling.
Once again, week after week, the NWA is nationwide, the NWA is worldwide. Tonight, you’ve got NWA on Fire in Lisbon, ME, with their champ “Golden Boy” Bobby Robinson, the unpredictable Samoan Warriors, and El Gran Apolo. Now, Apolo just lost the NWA North American title last week to the Middle East Madman, The Sheik. I feel bad for whoever has to get in the ring this weekend with a very angry Apolo. If you happen to be in Japan, our Japanese member, New Japan Pro Wrestling is currently on tour throughout the country. The Machine Gun Karl Anderson, and Prince Fergal Devitt, both NWA wrestlers to the bone, are two of the hottest properties in New Japan currently. Finally, Mach One Wrestling in SoCal is bringing its weekly Friday Fight Night, with Joey Ryan, Scott Lost and their always awesome crew.
Then, on Saturday, you can start with NWA Anarchy down Cornelia, GA way. Truitt Fields and Ace Rockwell v. Talent & Money, Caprice Coleman, Shadow Jackson, and, of course, the senses-shattering power of the NWA National champion “The Universal Soldier” Shatter.Or, you can head up to Rochester, NY and NWA Upstate, where the main event is former NWA National champ and current NWA New York champ Pepper Parks defending against “The Bull of Black Mountain” Gabrael Saint. NWA on Fire is in Gray, ME, with the aforementioned Bobby Robinson, Apolo, Robbie Ellis, and many more. And, finally, if you are Down Under, check out NWA EPW in Perth, Australia, for a loaded card featuring a tag team battle royal to find opponents for the current EPW tag champs, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste.
NWA Mountain State Wrestling was supposed to go tonight in WV, but weather has forced them to reschedule to next week.
So, again, over half a dozen shows, all over the country, all over the world. Week after week, who’s bringing you professional wrestling? The NWA, that’s who. Nobody else is in more places with more matches. Get out there and see it!
Same as it ever was.
“Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid”
Those Elton John lyrics sprang to mind the minute I heard that the ECW brand was being tossed. How many have come and gone? AWA was on ESPN, so was Global.They’re both gone.ECW was the product of the “genius” Paul Heyman, yet he put it in bankruptcy and Vince McMahon used it as an afterthought before putting it out of its misery. I can give you a list of wrestling companies, large and small, who are out of business. You know who’s still here? NWA, that’s who. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the supposedly knowledgeable insiders (amongst them the aforementioned Mr. Heyman) keep knocking the NWA—funny, how they knock it, but have to keep referring to it. It’s too old, it only plays to small crowds, it’s not on network TV. But they have to keep knocking us, because, despite all their knowledge, they’re gone, and we’re still here. Still running all over the country, 4,5,6,7 shows a week, running in the gyms, the armories, wherever, but RUNNING and getting pro wrestling in front of the people. So pardon me if I don’t shed too many tears about ECW ending up on the scrap heap. They thought they killed us years ago. But we’re still standing. And we’re still wrestling. Same as it ever was.
