Wrestling

[Dude#1279435]

I'm glad to see The Great Kabuki was inducted in 2020. I liked the green mist he'd blow into the opponents face. He'd use martial arts, and his hair would cover his painted face to give it that mystery. He had a trainer next to him to suggest he needed to be tamed. I also like the little twirl he would do after winning.

 

[davidscott]

I'm glad to see The Great Kabuki was inducted in 2020. I liked the green mist he'd blow into the opponents face. He'd use martial arts, and his hair would cover his painted face to give it that mystery. He had a trainer next to him to suggest he needed to be tamed. I also like the little twirl he would do after winning.
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Ah a fan of World Class Wrestling I assume? I watched Kabuki back in the 80s when I lived in DFW. The great Mutah also used the green mist.

 

[Dude#1279435]

Ah a fan of World Class Wrestling I assume? I watched Kabuki back in the 80s when I lived in DFW. The great Mutah also used the green mist.

I remember seeing Kabuki in the NWA, but now that you say it I vaguely remember him in TX.

I liked the small in-house atmosphere the best. You might only have a 100 in attendance, but they could make some serious noise. NWA, or the territories in the SE. It had a bit more realism to it. I'd have to do a search, but there was one territory that was really more physical than most of the others. On a separate note, Cactus Jack's real early stuff pre-WWE he'd be thrown into tables and chairs on the concrete floor LOL.

 

[Dude#1279435]

Da Crusher, or "The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous," has a statue. I remember 40 odd years ago watching the AWA on I believe Sunday mornings. It was pretty ritual. I think there was a promo where he came in with a keg just like this one on his shoulder. Or the time he used a tomato on a cage to demonstrate what he was going to do to the opponent LOL.

 

[davidscott]

Bruno Sammartino the longest reigning champion in WWF, WWE history. I was a kid when I grew up watching him.

 

[Dude#1279435]

Perhaps the strangest character with a manager (errrr tamer) was Kamala the Ugandan Giant with Friday. I imagine he was at his peak when Vince signed him. James Arthur Harris died in 2020. Gotta be inducted. Be crazy not to.

 

[Dude#1279435]

I loved it when Kamala would slap his gut.

 

[Dude#1279435]

I thought Flair was the greatest. No real surprise. Combination of promo and wrestling ability. The amount of effort he put into it was crazy. Here he looks like he's lost his mind.

 

[davidscott]

I really like the character of George the Animal Steele. Totally out of control used to bite through the turnbuckle padding. He really sold it but I understand he was actually a part time professor at Michigan State. One of my absolute favorites.

 

[Dude#1279435]

I really like the character of George the Animal Steele. Totally out of control used to bite through the turnbuckle padding. He really sold it but I understand he was actually a part time professor at Michigan State. One of my absolute favorites.

He was great. I also would LOL at the Missing Link. He would bash his head in the turnbuckle over and over.

 

[davidscott]

He was great. I also would LOL at the Missing Link. He would bash his head in the turnbuckle over and over.
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Yeah, I remember him.

 

[Dude#1279435]

I always like the heals. I liked the angle of being a traitor and jumping people, or be bought off. I remember one time Ron "Fists of Stone" Garvin knocked out Dusty Rhodes. He was carrying a suitcase with $50K LOL.

Another favorite was Jerry Blackwell, "the man from Stone Mountain, Georgia." I remember this skit where he was in the ring with a jobber and kept throwing him into the turnbuckle and then would splash him with his enormous weight over and over. They brought out a stretcher for the jobber. This was when I was a kid and didn't know wrestling was fake yet so it was especially funny LOL.

Another hilarious skit was when Wild Bill Irwin was facing a jobber and Tommy Rich was at ringside. The jobber was getting pummeled, but Rich distracted Irwin long enough for the jobber to sneak from behind and pin him with a cradle move hahaha.

Edit: if I remember right Jerry Blackwell could actually get off the ground and do a flying jump kick. That was impressive for a man that size.

 

[Dude#1279435]

The Great Kabuki (Akihisa Mera) is still alive. 77 years old. He ran a restaurant for 25 years and retired from wrestling around 2017. He currently lives with his wife and daughter. A fair amount of wrestlers don't live that long but he's still going.

 

[highfigh]

Da Crusher, or "The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous," has a statue. I remember 40 odd years ago watching the AWA on I believe Sunday mornings. It was pretty ritual. I think there was a promo where he came in with a keg just like this one on his shoulder. Or the time he used a tomato on a cage to demonstrate what he was going to do to the opponent LOL.
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Used to watch All Star Wrestling on Sundays, in glorius black & white. The bright lights caused terrible light flare in the video because the cameras couldn't handle it.

This is the reason we can't have nice things.....

18-year-old accused of smashing 'Da Crusher' statue in South Milwaukee

Police say 18-year-old James Dudgeon caused $1,200 in damage.

www.wisn.com

 

[j_garcia]

Used to watch All Star Wrestling on Sundays, in glorius black & white. The bright lights caused terrible light flare in the video because the cameras couldn't handle it.

This is the reason we can't have nice things.....

18-year-old accused of smashing 'Da Crusher' statue in South Milwaukee

Police say 18-year-old James Dudgeon caused $1,200 in damage.

www.wisn.com

Is it just me, or does it look like he got tattooed while drunk and passed out (or at least sharpied)

 

[Dude#1279435]

Before Cactus Jack was big in the WWE I had to look up the name of the company he was with before. It was the ECW (Extrene Championship Wrestling). I remember seeing Cactus being thrown over tables and on the floor. That was concrete though LOL. Obviously it's not real but still that's hard concrete your falling on. Probably steroids and 2-3 matches a week where your being body slammed and tossed out the ring it adds up over time.

I didn't know it till know but Harley Race died in 2019. Wonderful technical wrestler.

 

[highfigh]

Is it just me, or does it look like he got tattooed while drunk and passed out (or at least sharpied)

An 18 year old male from Milwaukee? Getting tattooed or drawn on while drunk? You actually think that could happen?

ABSOLUTELY!

 

[Dude#1279435]

Abdullah the Butcher (Lawrence Robert Shreve) is still alive at 85. I'd have never thought he'd still be around. Was in the hospital in Oct '25 due to serious health issues. He was known for his bloody matches LOL. I remember him and Bruiser Brody going at it out in the seats and the fans loving it.