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For a certain generation, usually those raised on the cartoony early-90s WWF who rediscovered wrestling later in the decade, staying up until 2 a.m. to watch ECW on public access was a ritual of entering manhood. More often than not, those late-night broadcasts came from the ECW arena, a tiny, dingy, wonderful little place in a deserted industrial neighborhood of South Philadelphia. A warehouse converted into a Mummer's meeting hall (yes, there was occasionally Bingo), the ECW Arena was magical in its ordinariness. This past Saturday, the venerable shithole hosted what was probably its last wrestling card, a small independent promotion that ended the night with a Sabu and Justin Credible scarring each other with screwdrivers. More »
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There goes any chance of Hulk Hogan staying off our wrestling and reality programming and retiring with dignity (dignity being a relative word, of course). The Hulkster is going to need more money, because his ex-wife took most of his. More »
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Former professional wrestler turned former action movie hero turned former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura is about to turn Mexican, the AP reports. Ventura is ticked off that he lost a lawsuit against the federal government (of the USA) on Thursday, alleging that airport scans and pat-downs amount to unreasonable search and seizure. In protest, Ventura said he would apply for Mexican citizenship. Because clearly there's no unreasonable search and seizure south of the border. Yeah, nobody is worried about pat-downs in Sinaloa. More »
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Back in the early 90s, wrestling was criticized as being for kids. Characters were cartoonish, issues were black and white, storylines were g-rated. Then the Attitude Era came, and realism and edginess were prized. In 2011, Beaker helps an Italian stereotype win a match. More »
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Once upon a time, you probably would have wanted to see Terri Runnels nude. If you came of age in the WWE's Attitude Era, she was up there with Sable and Sunny as one of the company's top sex symbols. Now? Not so much. Runnels is suing an ex-boyfriend for libel after he made disparaging Facebook comments about her drinking, pill-popping and STD status. She's also asking the judge to bar the ex-boyfriend from distributing sexually explicit photos he took of her. More »
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This intensely detailed poster is something of a throwback to a more theatrical time, when wrestling champions went by monikers more descriptive than Randy and Alberto. You can almost see the WWE's early 90s dartboard naming process at work. "An evil...dentist. A fighting...garbage man." [Pop Chart Lab] More »
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Above is (part 1 of) a compilation of wrestlers going through the WWE Spanish broadcast table. That poor plywood table, and to a lesser extent the actual announcers, have become a part of WWE mythology. Carlos Cabrera and Hugo Savinovich have had Mick Foley in their laps more than Mrs. Foley has. More »
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Hulk Hogan joined Richard Bacon on BBC Radio 5 today, and a weary nation eagerly awaited the comforting words of the Hulkster. If the 24-inch pythons can't get those looters to settle down and shape up, nothing can. More »
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From Japanese women's wrestling promotion Stardom comes this amazing match pitting Canadian Kenny Omega against Haruka, the tiny terror of the turnbuckles. And before you dismiss it as just a cute stunt, give Haruka a chance — she combines the technical skills of Dean Malenko, the high-flying abilities of Mistico, and the natural showmanship of Sailor Venus. More »
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There were some goings on at the WWE's "Money in the Bank" PPV last night (to catch up on the stakes, read the Masked Man's preview). Basically, CM Punk is "no longer a WWE employee," but left with the title after beating John Cena in the main event. More »
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As oftentimes happens when wrestlers fall ill or pass away, a Florida promoter put together a tribute show for Randy "Macho Man" Savage. These things are always fun: a bunch of old friends and co-workers show up, put on a fun little show in the memory of their buddy, and the gate receipts go to charity. Sounds good? The Macho Man tribute show was a horrible clusterfuck. More »
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Your morning roundup for July 12, the day we said goodbye to Stoner Avenue. Photo via BlackSportsOnline. More »
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Some grudges die hard. Happy Independence Day, from the Sheik. More »
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His entrance music is playing on the Grantland jumbotron, and he's strutting down the aisle. Check out his first piece over there, featuring a Father's Day WWE preview and the revealing of his secret identity. Don't worry, Dead Wrestler Of The Week will continue to have a home here. [Grantland] More »
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The Ultimate Warrior (legal name: "Warrior") is pissed at Hulk Hogan for something or other. That includes a handful of YouTube videos, recorded on his desktop camera in his den like so many American teenagers. I'm not sure exactly what he's mad about, because I'll be damned if I'm going to watch a 7 minute "preview" of an upcoming rant. Maybe I'll crowdsource this like the Sarah Palin emails. More »
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As if dealing with the passing of associate Randy "Macho Man" Savage wasn't weighing heavily on Ric Flair's mind, The Nature Boy found himself held in contempt of court this week "for failing to repay a loan and autograph photos for a wrestling merchandise company." More »
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Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: the Nature Boy reminisces about Wrestlemania, and launches the Macho Man's candidacy for the WWE Hall of Fame. More »
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And then John Cena holds up his championship belt, and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" starts playing over the speakers. Everything about this is perfect, right down to the guy shouting, "We won." [via @SherwoodStrauss] More »
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For no reason and in no particular order, here are a few score of old wrestling magazine covers, spanning the 1940s to the 1990s. More »
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Since the dawn of time, it's been mankind's dream to own the Sports Almanac from Back To The Future Part II. If one could know the result of a sporting event beforehand, one could make untold riches by gambling on it. While the Novikov self-consistency principle — or perhaps Calvinism — means this can't happen, what if you could wager on an event with a predetermined outcome? Welcome to the world of betting on pro wrestling. More »
]]> http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5788844&view=rss&microfeed=true Fox8's Wayne Dawson says Isis the Amazon is "the biggest and most beautiful woman I've seen in my life." Then, he flirtatiously compliments the hell out of the buxom 6'9" rassler until she slams him gently into the couch. More »
]]> http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5746557&view=rss&microfeed=true Both Hulk Hogan and Mean Gene Okerlund were impressed with Bart Scott's postgame promo. More »
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So, former pro wrestler Christopher "The Skunk" Antal, who lost a mayoral bid in Massachusetts and pretended to urinate on a Brazilian flag on his cable-access show, was just charged with punching a 59-year-old woman in the face. More »
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Watch this, and you might actually want to get married. Don't show it to your lady, though, or she might not want to marry you. More »
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In a 12-second video provided to "best friend" Bubba The Love Sponge, former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan tries to make the case that he didn't flash his junk seconds after his daughter Brooke was bump-grindin' in a hotel room. More »
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Neidhart was charged with possession and burglary after breaking into a neighbor's home to steal her Oxycontin and methadone. We hope he's retained The Mouth Of The South as his lawyer. [Tampa Tribune] More »
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Hey yo. Scott Hall (looking great these days, as his mug shot shows) was arrested in a Florida bar for, well, being a drunken belligerent mess. More »
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Yes, former WCW star Chris Kanyon was found dead yesterday. Yes, it was probably suicide. And yes, he might have been gay. But let's not overstate the importance of that last one. More »
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There's a minor controversy brewing in Ontario, where trustees have voted to name a public school after longtime wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh. Why all the fuss? It's not like he attacked audience members with his sword that many times. More »
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It's laughable that some American newspapers put pro wrestling in the sports section, but it could be worse. It could be in the news section, as it is for one Aussie paper that doesn't seem to understand it's fake. More »
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The Nature Boy is apparently a fan of South Carolina football and was not afraid to intimidate Ole Miss fans last week with his very expensive suits. Final score: 16-10, Gamecocks. WHOO! [SpursUp] More »
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After hitting the Powerball jackpot, Jay Vargas — aka J.V. Rich — used his winnings to start Wrestlicious, a pro wrestling/sketch comedy show featuring only women in bikinis. Actually, that's a better idea than some crap college fund. [WTSP] More »
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You're forgiven if you've forgotten that Kurt Angle was once a serious athlete. In addition to being a championship college grappler, he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. More »
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Mickey Rourke, ever in character, at the premiere of The Wrestler in Moscow today. I don't often advocate this, but look what Mickey's doing at crotch level. More »
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Pro wrestling is great, if you're 12. Otherwise it's kind of pointless ... unless the action is occurring in a parking lot, and the wrestler is launching real haymakers at heckling female fans. More »
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Randy "The Ram" Robinson ... er, I mean Mickey Rourke, to participate in WWE's Wrestlemania 25 in Houston on April 5. His opponent? Possibly Chris Jericho. [Access Hollywood] More »
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Meanwhile, that Benjamin Button drivel gets the nod over Dark Knight, which really chaps my hide. [Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences] More »
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The Top 10 pro wrestlers of all time. I have no earthly idea why. [SunSentinel] More »
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You might remember Sandman for his mid-'90s ECW feuds with Tommy Cairo and Raven, or the infamous Singapore Caning. But these days, James Fullington is branching out. He was arrested on Sunday night after a spree of drunken mayhem, which included throwing an entire tray of beer glasses at the police. They tend to frown on that. More »
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Remember the good old days, when boxers waited until they were old and washed up before turning up on the professional wrestling circuit? Of course then you don't make $20 million just for showing up, as Floyd Mayweather did on Sunday at WrestleMania XXIV in a completely legitimate not-at-all scripted battle with The Big Show. Judging by the following paragraph, a fun time was had by all: More »
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