You mean it's NOT !? Since When?? (Pro Wrestling EXPOSED!)

[Riddick]

Excerpted from headlineplanet.com:

The company previously known as World Wrestling Entertainment formally announced Thursday that it has changed its business name to WWE, Inc. These initials now carry no meaning, similar to a move Kentucky Fried Chicken once did when formally becoming KFC.

As has been reported, the move stems from WWE's continued desire to escape the stigma of the word "wrestling." WWE wants to be portrayed as a global entertainment business, and it has slowly been removing all references to 'wrestling' from its business items, merchandise and television shows.
...
"The new business model of the company better reflects what WWE is all about, being a global entertainment company," stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO, WWE. "We will always be loyal to our core business that made WWE a globally known entity, however, the future of WWE will be the addition of new entertainment content opportunities beyond the ring."

In a press release on the change, WWE announced two key focuses going forward: "the active pursuit to acquire entertainment content companies and the outsourcing of WWE's core competencies - television and film production, live event production and licensing."

"As part of the new business model, the company will also focus on the development of new television products including scripted, non-scripted and animated programs, as well as the launch of a new WWE network in the next 12-18 months," added WWE in the statement.

WWE's new branding initiative includes the slogan "Bigger. Badder. Better."

---------------------------------------

Is the "Wrestling" stigma all there is to it?
Stay tuned to see if THE HEAD OF WWE
can escape the sitgma of something else...

[Riddick]

5/19/1946 - Andre Rene Rousimoff was born in Grenoble, France. Under his ring name of "Andre The Giant," he would go on to become, arguably, the world's most famous wrestler of all time.

See a biography, photo gallery, list of lifetime achievements and more at
http://andrethegiant.com

[Riddick]

6/16/59 - Jim "The Ultimate Warrior" Hellwig, now known as simply (and legally) Warrior, is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

A face-painted muscleman who ran to the the ring and spoke to his hands and the heavens about things we mortals can't understand, Warrior is remembered fondly by his fans. His power and intensity made him one of the world's most popular wrestlers for a time.

In 1987, Ultimate Warrior entered the WWF and within a few months took the Intercontinental Championship from the Honky Tonk Man, holding the title for 8 months before losing it to Ravishing Rick Rude. Regaining the belt a few months later, he went on to compete for the World Title then held by Hulk Hogan.

At WrestleMania VI, Warrior beat Hogan to become WWF Champion. His reign lasted for 9 months until he lost the title to Sgt. Slaughter due to Randy Savage's interference. He got revenge against Savage later by beating him in a 'loser retires' match. After that point, the story of the Warrior became very strange. He was locked in a coffin, buried up to his neck, and bitten by a cobra during an attack by Jake Roberts & the Undertaker. Then he was gone.

At WrestleMania VIII the Warrior returned to the surprise of fans. He then had a voodoo curse cast on him by Papa Shango that forced him to vomit and have an ooze come down his face. After winning his feud with Shango, he was supposed to main event Survivor Series '92 but was gone again. He came back almost four years later, had a feud with Jerry 'The King' Lawler and was gone once more.

During the Monday Night Wars, he signed up with WCW after a legal battle with WWF that resulted in him being awarded the rights to the Warrior name. In his most memorable WCW appearance, Warrior and Hulk Hogan stunk up the arena in a match featuring Hogan not being able to light up a piece of flash paper.

A conservative with a successful speaking career, Warrior has appeared on C-Span and also tours colleges. In addition, he espouses his own philosophy on life with words he's created like destrucity and foke.

[Riddick]

This Day in Pro Rasslin' History: ROAD WARRIORS Win Their First World Title



On 8/25/1984, The Road Warriors (aka The Legion of Doom) defeated The Crusher & Baron Von Raschke for the AWA World Tag Team Title in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hawk & Animal would hold the belts for over a year, dominating the AWA tag team scene.

Moving on from the AWA and after a series of overwhelming victories on the All Japan Pro Wrestling circuit in '85 and '86, the pair made their presence exclusive to the NWA where they won the inaugural Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, and beat The Midnight Express for the NWA World Tag Team Championship on October 29, 1988 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Also in 1988 came another "Tag Team of the Year" nod from Pro Wrestling Illustrated, the fourth time the magazine's readers bestowed the honor on the team since their 1983 debut.

But WAIT, there's MORE! At the Summerslam PPV seven years and a day after winning their first world title, The LOD defeated The Nasty Boys at Madison Square Garden to win the WWF World Tag Team belts, making Hawk & Animal the only team ever to have won world tag team titles in all three of the top promotions of the 1980s.



From day one when the duo first burst onto the pro wrestling scene accompanied to the ring by their manager, Precious Paul Ellering, no matter what sobriquet they went by Hawk (Mike Hegstrand) & Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) influenced the world of sports entertainment like no other team before or since.

Famously decked out in spiked shoulder pads and making their entrance to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", the fearsomely face-painted grapplers took the weekly TV "squash matches" of that era to a new level, their various hapless victims served up on a silver platter to be rudely and roundly massacred in short order, to the delight of fake violence lovers everywhere.



Both astonishing agile for their size, the furiously fast muscle men were intense competitors who gave no quarter and expected none; to punctuate this, they would tell the audience "We snack on danger and dine on death" - their answer to those detractors who would protest their extreme ways and maneuvers (such as their off-the-top rope finishing move, the 'Doomsday Device') being "You don't like it? We don't care!"

Despite displaying all the qualities of wrestling heels, the hard-hitting high-impact pair gained a fervent following among mock mayhem enthusiasts all around the globe as, beyond the squash (mis)matches, Hawk & Animal were no less merciless in their determination and drive to punish their opponents and come out on top against any and all main-event tag-teams such as The Koloffs, The Horsemen, The Varsity Club, The Steiner Brothers, The Samoan Swat Team, The Skyscrapers, The Brainbusters, The Hart Foundation, The Rockers and others.



So wildly popular did the duo become they've been often imitated (glaringly so, as evidenced by the total knock-offs The Powers of Pain and also to a somewhat less obvious extent Demolition) yet have never successfully duplicated here or abroad, then or since...

Although the team along with their manager Paul Ellering were finally inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame this year, you can be sure The LOD/Road Warriors Hawk & Animal had already had long gone down in the books of many an old-school wresting fan as the GREATEST TAG TEAM of ALL TIME!




100K WMV | Dialup

[Riddick]

11/22/1990: The Undertaker's Debut at Survivor Series



"Prior to the World Wrestling Federation's 1990 Survivor Series, a mystery partner for The Million Dollar Man's 'Million Dollar Team' was announced by Ted Dibiase Sr. himself. That mystery man would turn out to be none other than THE UNDERTAKER, and his introduction 21 years ago left a lasting impression in the minds of fans everywhere.

Arguably the most important debut in the entire course of WWF/WWE history, it was immediately apparent this huge, ghoulish figure was awe inspiring. Not just in the grim look of the reaper, but in his impressive in ring ability and flat out talent. There were many that felt a 7 foot dead zombie who not only beats you, but takes your soul was a ridiculous gimmick that was laughable at best and would never work long term.

Well, it's over two decades later now and the Undertaker is a pro wrestling legend. A future hall of famer and multiple time world champion. Arriving as a challenger from the shadows, the Undertaker has overshadowed all opposition he's come in contact with!"

[bobbo]

I don't get the point here/the message?

You start with xxxxxx well--ok--only the implication that it is fake. So, going to your link that explains it all========

its "kayfabe." or totally FAKE and scripted. From your link, this cracked me up: "However, simply calling wrestling "fake" is like calling an action movie fake. " //// Yes-exactly.

The thread caught my attention because it parallels the main stream media doing much the same thing with our politcal system. Its mostly fake. Each side scripting its presentation to the public but like this thread==while the media from time to time says its kayfabe==most of the time they promote it as if it was real.

Just like this thread.

I can tolerate that regarding wrestling. Interesting: wrestling turned into wrestlemania into Entermania.

And news into Infotainment.

The Circus has nearly displaced the reality behind the curtain?

[Riddick]

Jesse Ventura Likes His Beer! (1984 local TV ad)

[Riddick]

Randy Savage Likes His Slim Jims! (A little too much...)

[Riddick]

Hulk Hogan Likes His Raw Eggs 4 Times a Day Total Workout!




"SATURDAY NIGHT'S RETRO MAIN EVENT"
HULK HOGAN and "Mean" Gene Okerlund
VS George "The Animal" Steel & Mr. Fuji

[voguy]

Riddick.... we need some Flying Fred Curry and Bo Bo Brazil!

[Riddick]

[Riddick]

From 1957, a "YOU BET YOUR LIFE" Old Time Radio Classic:

Wrestler Wild Red Berry trades barbs with Groucho Marx

LINK

[Riddick]

Hulk Hogan on "The Tonight Show" — 1982

[Riddick]

This Day in 'Rasslin' History: Hulk Hogan's 1st World Title Win



1/23/84: "Super Monday", perhaps the most important event in WWF history, was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 26,292 fans jam-packed the arena, with an additional 4,000 watching downstairs in the Felt Forum.

The show featured Hulk Hogan's world-shaking and history-making victory against the reigning WWF World Heavyweight Champion, the ignobly infamous Iron Sheik (managed by the treacherously traitorous Freddie "Ayatollah" Blassie), fulfilling his Hulkamania promise as an apple-pie red-white-and-blue blooded 100% 'Real American' to "bring the belt back home to the USA."

The Match


Post-Match Interview with the Hulkster

[Riddick]

Hey now folks, as regards the previous post a comment I've received elsewhere noted cause to reflect on how, while events such as his first title win can seem not-so-far off in memory, seeing a much-younger Hulkster in action can be a jarring reminder that time indeed still does march on for us all -

In that vein would you believe days short of 18 years & 3 months later Hulk Hogan would be capturing the World Title again for the LAST time? Here's a short clip from the end of his match with Triple H (even though the Undertaker interfered in the match in favor of the Hulkster, Hogan closelined Taker out of the ring and gave Triple H an atomic legdrop FTW):



Nearly a decade later, Hogan's title picture days are well behind him - even so, after numerous back and knee surgeries the 58 year old still will compete in the ring occasionally, with the last time being in October against another wrestling icon, Sting, for control of TNA Wrestling. Here's the last part of that brawl & the aftermath: