The Wrestlemania Thread - 'It's Real Damn It!'

[Susan Foreman]

In addition to Paul E., Bull Nakano and The US Express, the WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2024 will include Muhammed Ali

Maybe I *DO* possess Suzewell's powers of prediction! I only made a post about him last week

[Susan Foreman]

In addition to Paul E., Bull Nakano, The US Express and Muhammed Ali, the latest name to be inducted in the 2024 HOF is Calude 'Thunderbolt' Patterson

[MrBarlow]

Dark Side Of The Ring: Buff And The Bagwells

Marcus Alexander "Buff" Bagwell grew up with a rich family that lost everything that Marcus became a stripper and discovered wrestling and made a career out of it before sustaining a injury. When WCW was bought by WWF and talent was signed Buff was then let go, starring in a tv show and addiction took over that started landing him in the news on DUI's and to getting clean.

Admittedly Buff Bagwell was not one of my favourite wrestlers Marcus made the character well and being arrogant and a show off but hearing him talk I have a lot of respect for him, hearing him have faults and admitting that that he could have killed someone and showing remorse.

Contributions bt Eric Bischoff, 2 Cold Scorpio, Steve Bagwell (Father) Judy Bagwell ( Mother: Archive Footage) Tonya Bagwell (Ex Wife), Judy Bagwell (Ex Wife), Mark "Slick Johnson, Missy Hyatt, Scotty Riggs.

Next Episode Terry Gordy: The Final Flight Of The Freebird.

There is a episode coming up on Brutus The Barber Beefcake.

[Susan Foreman]

At time of writing, HMV has a huge sale on WWE DVD's. Blu-Rays and computer games

Prices start from ?1:99 + P&P

Orders under ?20 (within 2-5 working days) = ?2 postage fee
Orders over ?20 (within 2 - 5 working days) = FREE*

[MrBarlow]

Dark side Of The Ring: Terry Gordy The Final Flight Of The Freebird.

Looking back at Terry Gordy who teamed up with Michael Hayes and became one of the best heel fractions then having Jimmy Garvin joining and taking on The Von Erichs in Texas. Terry went to Japan and became a top star there and suffered a accidental overdose and recovered. Teaming with Dr Death Steve Williams and suffered a overdose on a plane and slowly his downfall happened to never fully recovering.

Such a great person to watch as a heel with Hayes and how they would show off and get the crowds to really hate them yet the spent two years feuding in Texas and how wild they were outside the ring partying and the not so great meeting with Vince at WWF, then to get a contract and became The Executioner and his untimely death.

Contributions from Ray Gordy (son), Miranda Gordy (daughter) Richard Slinger (nephew) Mick Foley, Jim Cornette, Kevin Von Erich, Jimmy Garvin, Dr Death Steve Williams (archive).

Next episode to air is Saving Face: Brutus The Barber Beefcake Story.

[MrBarlow]

Dark Side Of The Ring: Saving Face, The Brutus Beefcake Story.

Ed Leslie went from the independent circuit to WWF and becoming a tag team partner with Greg Valentine then going solo with his famous gimmick "The Barber. July 4th 1990 he was involved in a parasailing accident and then returning to wrestling with WWF teaming up with Hogan that was short lived then joining WCW and going through gimmicks and then doing a normal job in Boston that caused problems and his falling out with Hulk Hogan.

How could anyone hate Brutus as a heel then becoming more popular with his barber gimmick and wanting him to cut people's hair. Everyone who followed wrestling knew about his accident but I never really knew how severe it was, this programme does show actual x-rays of his skull and discussion on how his face was rebuilt, going from a wrestling sensation to having almost nothing.

Contributions from Brutus Beefcake, Missy Leslie (wife), B. Brian Blair, Greg Valentine, Missy Hyatt, Brian Knobbs, Dr. Mutaz Habal, Eric Bischoff.

Next episode The Life and Legends of Harley Race.

[Susan Foreman]

Sport's Strangest Crimes returns to BBC Sounds with comedian Adam Hills on The Ballad of Bruiser Brody / BBC Media Centre

"Launching on BBC Sounds on Wednesday 27 March as an eight-episode boxset, Comedian Adam Hills tells the extraordinary story of the life, legend and death of Bruiser Brody, one of 1980s wrestling?s biggest stars and most enigmatic figures.

Frank Goodish was a larger than life character, in every sense of the word. Reputed to stand at 6ft 8 inches tall and weigh in at over 300lbs, with a shaggy mane of jet black hair and bushy beard to match, he was an imposing presence tailormade for professional wrestling.

Whilst Frank, better known as Bruiser Brody, was a monster in the ring and every inch the ?wrestling bad guy?, he was also a family man and loyal friend according to those who knew him well in the industry.

Professional wrestling, also known as sports entertainment today, enthrals millions of fans around the world every week. But in decades gone by it could be a secretive industry shrouded in mystery for anyone not in the business. But what happened on the small island territory of Puerto Rico on one hot night in 1988 is an astonishing tale, and indeed one of Sport?s Strangest Crimes.

We hear how the larger-than-life Bruiser became embroiled in a violent feud, which may have ultimately led to his death. It?s a tale full of both violence and kindness, truth and lies, impossible rumours and incredible realities.

The podcast investigates how what started out as a professional wrestling storyline feud or ?work? as it?s known in the business, ended in a bloody altercation that left one of wrestling?s biggest stars of the time, dying in the locker room backstage at a wrestling event on the island territory of Puerto Rico.

Talking about the podcast, Adam Hill says: ?This was a deep dive into a murky crime, made even murkier by the mystery and myth surrounding the outwardly glitzy world of professional wrestling. I hope we managed to tell the story of Bruiser Brody in a way that his alter ego, Frank Goodish, would have liked.?

Adam will speak with wrestlers and industry experts to unpack the reality of that tragic night and decipher the facts from what has become wrestling folklore. He asks what happened to the Bruiser?s attacker after that night, and looks at the ensuing trial that followed.

Adam said working on the series was rather eye-opening: ?I learned that wrestling is a lot like stand-up comedy - you're putting on a show, with a line-up of other talented people with big egos, and sometimes there are backstage disputes. In comedy though, it's very rare to be body-slammed.'"

Sport's Strangest Crimes: The Ballad of Bruiser Brody is available now on BBC Sounds, and weekly on RSS from Wednesday, 27 March.

[Susan Foreman]

In addition to Paul E., Bull Nakano, The US Express, Muhammed Ali and Calude 'Thunderbolt' Patterson, Lia Maivia is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

[MrBarlow]

Dark Side Of The Ring: The Lives And Legends Of Harley Race.

Harley started his wrestling career at 14 years old being trained by the Sybsko Brothers, then doing work for carnivals and finding his way to bigger promotions doing matches lasting a hour and then onto NWA. 1983 Race faced Ric Flair and his first encounter with Vince and that never went well and then onto WWF and being the first King Of The Ring. After a injury with Hogan sidelined his career and tragedy struck Race went onto wrestling again with WCW as a manager and opening his own wrestling school, being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame and passing away in 2019 aged 76.

From being a baby face and turning heel catapulted Harley's career to being one of the best heels, I never know there was many stories about him in his personnel life from tragedies to injuries and a big law suit, for me he is memorable for wrestling Junkyard Dog at Wrestlemania III with having the crown placed on his head by Moolah and JYD doing a little sarcastic curtsy.

Contributions from Evonna Hebvany Race (ex wife), Justin Race (son), Mick Foley, Jim Cornette, Danny Keever (childhood friend), Trevor Murdoch, Gerald Brisco, Eddie Sharkey.


Next episode Chris Colt: Welcome To My Nightmare.

[Susan Foreman]

WrestleMania XL has just been held

Day 1 results [Attendance: 72,543]

SPOILER:

• The evening kicked-off with a Singles match for the Women's World Championship which ended when Rhea Ripley (who was played to the ring by the metalcore band Motionless in White) defeated Becky Lynch (who was suffering with strep throat and a fever) by pinfall to retain the women's world title in a time of 17.05
• There were a lot of spots (but not much storytelling) in the second match, which was a Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. It ended after 17.25 with A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) winning the SmackDown championship and The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) winning the Raw championship. Also invloved in the match were The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest), #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) and New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate)
• Next was a standard tag team match which lasted for 11.05 and ended when Rey Mysterio and Andrade (with the LWO [Carlito, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and Zelina Vega]) defeated Santos Escobar and 'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio (with the Legado Del Fantasma [Angel, Berto, and Elektra Lopez) ]by pinfall when Rey-Ray hit a double-619 followed by a top rope splash on Santos
• The mid-point match, which also lasted for 11.05, was a standard singles match that ended when Jey Uso defeated Jimmy Uso by pinfall
• This was followed by a Six-woman tag team match lasting 8.05 where Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill defeated Damage CTRL (Asuka, Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai) when Jade gained the pinfall over Dakota
• The penultimate bout of the first night lasted for 15:30, and it was a Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship which culminated with Sami Zayn defeating Gunther by pinfall to win the title. This brought an end to Gunther's 666 day IC title reign
• The final match featured the highly anticipated return of The Rock where he, and his tag team partner Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman), faced Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a tag team match that carried the stipulation ?if Rhodes and Rollins won, all members of The Bloodline would be barred from ringside during the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at night two of Wrestlemania, but if the Rock and Reigns won, the match would be held under Bloodline [hardcore] Rules?. After a battle that lasted 44.45, it came as no surprise to anyone when The Rock pinned Cody

Day 2 Results [Attendance: 72,755]

SPOILER:

• Opening the second night was a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship which ended after 10.30 when Drew McIntyre gained the title by landing a claymore on Seth Rollins to get a pinfall. However, it wasn't over...
• ...Because Damien Priest cashed in his 'money in the bank' contract and pinned McIntyre (who had only held the title for 0.09 seconds)
• Bubba Ray Dudley was the special guest referee for the second proper match ? a Six-man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight between Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) [with B-Fab)] and The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar) [with Scarlett and Paul Ellering]. After 8.35 it ended when Ford put Kross through a table and gained the win
• The third match was the battle of the initials where LA Knight defeated AJ Styles by pinfall in 12.25
• Next to be contested was a Triple threat match for the WWE United States Championship which saw Logan Paul retain the championship following a pinfall on Kevin Owens. Also involved in the match, which lasted for 17.40, was Randy Orton
• The penultimate bout of the second night was a Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship where Bayley gained the title following a pinfall on Iyo Sky at the 14.20 mark
• The final match of the evening was the Bloodline Rules match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship between Cody and Roman. There was almost 20 minutes of build-up from the time the 'hype video' started until the actual match began! There were numerous run-in's during the fight ? The Rock, Jimmy and Jey Uso (who both went through tables), Solo Sikola, John Cena, Seth Rollins and The Undertaker all got involved in the action. After 33.25, the match ended when (surprise surprise) Cody hit three Cross Rhodes to end Romans 1,316 day reign as champion

With the demise of WWE products gaining physical releases, it is currently uncertain whether Wrestlemania XL will get put out on DVD / Blu-Ray or not. It would be a shame if it didn't, but who knows!!

At time of writing, there is no indication when and where WrestleMania XLI will be held. The next scheduled WWE PPV is due to be Backlash France, which will be held at the LDLC Arena in D?cines-Charpieu in Lyon Metropolis, France on May 4. This will be the first time that the WWE has held any kind of PPV or livestreaming event in France, and the first time that Backlash has been held outside of North America