Instead of Garvin, how about Windham

Barry Windham & Ron Garvin as U.S. Tag Team Champions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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In 1986, Magnum TA was a star on the rise. Most wrestling fans thought he was a sure pick to beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. I was among those who thought Terry Allen was next in line to 'be the man.' However, a tragic car accident in October of that year nearly cost TA his life. His career in the ring did come to an end.

Magnum TA

Obviously, I don't know what the backstage plans were, but it seemed like, besides Magnum, Dusty Rhodes was the only other top babyface contender for the championship. He and Flair had traded the belt earlier in the summer. I had fully expected Magnum to pick up the win sometime in 1987. 

Ronnie Garvin as champ

It felt like Crockett was struggling for a hero not only to replace Magnum TA but also to not fall back on Dusty again. Nikita Koloff seemed to be that guy as he united with Rhodes and fought in Magnum's honor. But by fall of 1987, Ronnie Garvin was deemed the heir apparent and beat Flair for the championship. I liked "Hands of Stone", but he never struck me as a world champion material, especially in the Ric Flair era.

JR & Barry Windham

However, Barry Windham is one of the all-time greats to never win the NWA (or WWE) Heavyweight Championships. I'd been a fan of Windham's since his Florida days and right before his first run in WWF where he and Mike Rotunda won the WWF tag team titles. It was that experience and his overall look and work in the ring that always made me think Windham should have been considered for the run Garvin had.

At the same time period, Windham was toiling on the mid-card and defending the Western States Heritage Championship. Remember that title? He eventually dropped that to Larry Zybszko and then pursued "Dr. Death" Steve Williams' UWF Heavyweight Championship.

Horsemen

However, Windham had the pedigree as a second generation wrestler. At that time I don't think he'd really been tested with Flair, but the two would have some classic matches prior to Barry joining the Four Horsemen in 1988. Still, a run as NWA Heavyweight Champion was on my shortlist of 'wants' when watching pro wrestling back in the day.

What are your thoughts? Let me know here or head over to the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page and weigh in.

Previous 'Instead of' blogs

Instead of Diesel, how about Bulldog?

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Foreign Object Friday: Johnny V's cigar

Johnny V and his cigar

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I'm starting a new weekly feature here to talk more about foreign objects. Probably better known as international objects in this day and age. We, of course, all remember Jim Cornette's tennis racket, Jimmy Hart's megaphone and Mr. Fuji's cane. For this series, I am going to look at some lesser known objects used throughout the course of wrestling.

In 1985 one of my favorite tag teams was Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo. The U.S. Express had won the WWF tag team titles for a second time that summer and was defending them against Brutus Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. The Dream Team was a new duo at the time and still under the direction of both Jimmy Hart and "Lucious" Johnny V. Turns out the stogie-smoking Valiant would be a game changer in this contest.

The Dream Team
Courtesy: WWE

Toward the end of the match, Beefcake was handed Johnny's lit cigar. The future barber proceeded to use the cigar as a weapon and rubbed it in the face of Windham. The action was impactful enough to render Windham unable to continue fighting and he was pinned to the mat and new champs were crowned.

I don't know that any other title ever changed hands due to a lit cigar. Nor do I recall Valiant ever using any other sort of weapon during his time as a manager. But there are plenty of other unique objects that have been used to gain the upper hand in wrestling. What is your favorite? Stay tuned each Friday.

Remembering the Dream

RIP Dusty 

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Just got the horrible news that "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes has died.  He was 69 years old.  Apparently he fell at home and  according to an article on TMZ, he had several complications that eventually claimed his life.

Bionic Elbow
Courtesy: WWE

Dusty is one of the first wrestlers I remember seeing on TV.  He graced the cover of numerous wrestling magazines, many times wearing a crimson mask or preparing to drop his famous Bionic Elbow.  His feuds with the likes of Ric Flair and the various forms of the Four Horsemen, and the Koloffs were legendary when I first started watching the NWA.  

Dusty vs. Flair
Courtesy: WWE

Dusty stood out for so many reasons.  He didn't look like a typical wrestler.  His forehead looked like a road map, scarred from years of bloody and brutal battles in the ring.  He tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds.  And his voice, so unique and probably the most imitated in the business.  Whenever anyone on a wrestling podcast tells a Dusty story, they do it in the Dream's voice.  

The champ!
Courtesy: WWE

I have so many memories of Dusty that I could write for days.  We all know he was special will leave behind a legacy of great matches, promos and of course his two sons Dustin and Cody.  I watched the Dream win the NWA World heavyweight title three times.  He was a tag team champ, U.S. champ, and multiple time winner of the Bunkhouse Stampede. His resume includes countless other title victories. Dusty was the king of promos too.  His "Hardtimes" one was recently replicated by Maria Menounos at the WWE Hall of Fame red carpet special.

Some of my favorite moments include the match between Flair and Nikita Koloff and Dusty came out to save The Nature Boy when the Russians attacked.  It was an unlikely partnership that ended quickly when the Horsemen hit the ring and broke Dusty's leg.  He'd eventually align with Koloff and form the Superpowers, winning the annual Crockett Cup tournament.  I also have a vivid memory of Ronnie Garvin sucker punching the Dream and turning heel and the Road Warriors planting a spike into his eye on the Superstation TBS.  

The Dream in the WWF
Courtesy: WWE

Because I was a WWF mark growing up, seeing him arrive in New York was a real dream (pun intended) come true.  I was too naive to realize the gimmick was a rib on Dusty.  He embraced those polka dots and cheesy vignettes like a pro.  Remember the butcher shop?  "You can't beat my prices, but you sure can beat my meat!"  

Dusty's time in WWF was short, but he had some classic matches against Big Bossman, Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase.  One of his biggest victories in the company came at Wrestlemania 6 when he and Sapphire teamed up and beat Savage and Sherri Martel.  Elizabeth was in the faces' corner.  Sadly now, all five people involved in that match are gone.

WWE Hall of Fame induction
Courtesy: WWE

Dusty helped groom both Dustin and Cody for the ring.  In 2007, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  He worked to train the men and women at FCW/NXT.  In one of his last appearances on TV he delivered a Bionic Elbow to Dean Ambrose.  Earlier this year, he was on Raw trying to convince his sons to reconcile.  The storyline ended soon after.  

Long live the Dream.  He may be gone, but his legacy goes on forever.  He was definitely more than just a common man.

  

Throwback Thursday: U.S. Express Rolls In

Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

This week is a significant one for title changes through the years in wrestling.  The Royal Rumble hitting this time of year plays a big factor in those stats.  This week also marks the 29 year anniversary of Hulk Hogan winning the WWF title from the Iron Sheik.  I've blogged about the significance of that moment before, so I'm going to write about another big title change from back in the day.  At least it was a big deal to 11 year old Kevin.

It was January 21, 1985.  Even though I'd been watching wrestling for about a year, I still considered myself new to the sport, especially the WWF.  My favorite tag team at the time was the up and comers of Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo.  The two were dubbed "The U.S. Express" and were quickly making a name for themselves among the other tag teams.

I remember watching in almost shock when the duo beat tag team champions Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis.  This was the era of no Internet, so I had no clue the title change was about to take place.  I remember seeing the match on Tuesday Night Titans (I think it was TNT, as Prime Time Wrestling wasn't around yet)  As a kid and a huge mark for the baby faces, I was satisfied with the new tag champs.

Windham and Rotundo had added Capt. Lou Albano as their manager at some point too. This helped the champs as they geared up for their high profile defense against the Iron Sheik and Nikoali Volkoff at Wrestlemania.  Despite Albano's presecence, the champs lost their belts after Windham was nailed by Freddie Blassie's cane.  Again, this loss came as a huge surprise to me, as it was probably the biggest upset of the night (at least in my pre-teen mind).

It didn't take long for the U.S. Express to get on track again and regain their gold.  They held the titles for most of the summer before dropping them to the unlikely duo of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine.  This time it was Johnny V's cigar that cost the champs the belts.  Windham and Rotundo split a short time later and Windham headed back to the NWA.  Their partnership was brief, but memorable to me.  I had always hoped LJN would release them in action figure form, but it never happened...

Health Updates

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

The last couple of weeks have been rough on the world of wrestling.  Several former superstars are recovering from potentially life threatening ailments.  And we lost one retired wrestler this week.

Kox

Killer Karl Kox died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 80.  I don't remember actually seeing Kox in action. He was big in the 1960's and 70's, long before the wrestling bug bite me.  I did find a lot of pictures of him and stories.  Apparently he wrestled some big stars of the past, including Dusty Rhodes as you see in the picture.  And judging by the photo, it's easy to see where he got the "killer" name from.  

Brisco

I'm happy to report that WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Brisco is on the mend.  The former "stooge" to Vince McMahon had a stroke recently, and according to Jim Ross' blog, Brisco is recovering.  He will be undergoing more tests to figure out the source of his series of strokes.  Hopefully Jerry will be back to 100% in the near future.

Canterbury (HOG)

Mark Canterbury, better known to most of us as Henry O. Godwin, faces a long road to recovery as well.  He was severely injured in a car accident early this week.  The former WWE tag team champion suffered a broken leg, at least 12 broken ribs, and needed to have his appendix and spleen removed.  I haven't seen any updates today, but JR has been keeping fans updated on his Twitter account.

Windham

Barry Windham is also recovering after what appears to be a heart attack or a stroke.  The former NWA heavyweight champion is at a facility now learning the basics.  According to his father, Black Jack Mulligan, the WWE is helping to pay for a portion of Windham's treatment.  Windham, who is 50, nearly died.

Kamala

One of my all time favorite gimmick wrestlers, Kamala, lost his foot earlier this week.  Reports on line indicate that the Ugandan giant had to have his foot amputated due to complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.  Chris Hero mentioned this in one of his tweets Thursday evening.

I personally wish all of these men speedy recoveries and happy, healthy futures.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all their families, and to the family of Karl Kox.  Rest in Peace.

Boo: Double Vision

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

By the time the second installment of Halloween Havoc rolled around, a lot had changed in WCW. At the 1989 pay per view, Sting and Ric Flair teamed up as the company's top two baby faces.  Flair was the champ.  But it didn't take long for him to turn on Sting and drop the WCW title to the Stinger.

Flair was sidetracked in a tag team title feud with Arn Anderson, challenging Teddy Long's team of Doom.  Sting was set to defend against Anderson and Flair's fellow Horsemen  member Sid Vicious.  Sting was also being tormented by The Black Scorpion while this match was being set up.

The show started off with good ol' JR and Paul E. Dangerously dressed in costume.  The opening contest was an upset victory for Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich over the Midnight Express.  The Southern Boys did run interference and helped the faces win.

Look out Sting!

Next was an extremely cheesy vignette with Sting and Black Scorpion.  JR and Paul E. oversold this skit, with Paul being borderline annoying.  It's the one with the female fan and Scorpion disappearing and reappearing.  Lame sauce.

Renegade Warriors, Chris and Mark Youngblood made their WCW PPV debut on this show against Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, the Freebirds.  Little Richard Marley was in their corner.  (He was once Rocky King)  The Birds won this one with some help from LRM.

An interview with the Horsemen minus Barry Windham... interesting.  Of course if you've seen this show you know why that is.  We'll get to it, be patient.  Love classic Flair and AA.  Woooo!

Third match, and it's the third tag team matchup.  The Nasty Boys challenging for the U.S. tag team titles.  Remember when there were enough tag teams to have two different titles.  This is another moment, I don't remember the Nastys being in WCW PRIOR to their WWF run.  I knew they wrestled in the AWA.  I thought they jumped from there to the WWF.  Anyway, the Steiners retain with a sloppy Frankensteiner, but that move is still really awesome.  Scott Steiner was so much better in my opinion before he became "Big Poppa Pump." Right after the match Scott was attacked during an interview by the Nasties who were dressed like concessionaires.  How did they change so quick?

Fourth match is ANOTHER tag team match.  This one is the world tag team title match.  Horsemen vs. Doom.  Anderson was the TV champ then, forgot that too.  Interesting they sidelined Flair for a tag team title feud.  SmackDown! General Manager Teddy Long is accompanying Doom for this one.  This match quickly went from wrestling to fighting and ended in a double count out.  This of course took us to Starrcade for the St. Louis Street Fight between the two teams.  Although Flair would be "hurt" and replaced by Barry Windham that night.

Stan Hansen and his mouth full of tobacco threaten Lex Luger.  Dude, he's as bad as Skinner.  Gross.  Hansen was a man of his words that night and beat Luger.  Back then I knew little of Hansen and was disappointed that he won the title.  I do recall his run as AWA world champion, so I knew who he was.  Yes, I will admit it, I was a Lex Luger fan back then.  Ref bump and a cow bell from Dan Spivey helped Hansen here, although he pinned Lex cleanly.  Luger ended up regaining the belt two months later at Starrcade.

Title match is set to begin, with Missy Hyatt joining the broadcast team.  I just realized I'm watching this on a DVD where some of the matches are cut, so ignore the comments about all the tag team matches.  There were several singles matches, most of which I question why there were on PPV, and understand why WWE left them on the cutting room floor.  No offense Brad Armstrong, J.W. Strong, or Moondog Rex.

Sid is pretty much a brawler, nothing too exciting out of this match.  Actually a weak main event in terms of wrestling. Sting did a good job.  I always liked the Beach Bum version of the character more than any other.  The action spilled out of the ring several times.  Flair and Anderson distracted the ref as Sting and Sid fight to the back.  Then they return and Sid pins Sting when Sting can't bodyslam the big man.  Sid is even introduced as champ.  But the celebration is cut short when the real Sting returns to the ring with ropes tied around him.

Sting splashes Sid and pins him.  But before all that, WCW did a fireworks display and dropped a bunch of orange and black balloons.  I think it was premature because it all happened BEFORE Sting one.  Of course it was revealed that the Sting who was pinned was actually Sid's fellow Horsemen Barry Windham.  It was an extremely sloppy execution.

Barry "Sting" Windham

They never really said it was Barry that night, JR speculated that it was.  With all the Black Scorpion hype and the tag line "Terror Rules the Ring" I didn't find anything other than Sid's performance and the lame finish terrifying.

Other notes from the show, Kevin Nash was a part of the pay per view.  He was kind of like Glenn Jacobs searching for the right gimmick.  At Halloween Havoc he was "Steel" and one half of the Master Blasters.  It's one of many gimmicks he played before finding success in the WWF as Diesel.

Fire up the grill, we're having Southern Fried Butcher at the 1991 installment of the show.  That review is coming up soon.

Unnatural Gimmicks

"The Natural" Butch Reed

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter
(The photos in this post are courtesy WWE)

The world of professional wrestling has had some pretty out there gimmicks.  Sometimes they work (I'd say Goldust is a good example of that), others leave the fans asking "Why?"  Today, a just a small sample of guys who got saddled with some ridiculous gimmick, that probably ended up hurting their stock.

Not so natural...

"The Natural" Butch Reed actually inspired the title and the writing of this blog.  I remember watching just plain ol' Butch Reed on World Class Championship Wrestling, Central States, and Midsouth Wrestling.  He was a bad ass.  A tough guy who could get it done in the ring.  I'm pretty sure Slick was managing him in Central States prior to their jump to the WWF.

But then when he arrived there sometime in 1986 he had bleach blond hair and was going by "the Natural".  Of course this was "unnatural" for a number of reasons.  Some say it was a tribute to Sweet Daddy Siki.  While the gimmick didn't necessarily hurt Reed as a wrestler, I don't think it helped to get him over with the fans.

He basically hovered on the midcard, feuding with Tito Santana, former world champion "Superstar" Billy Graham, and the Magnificent Muraco.  Reed beat Koko B. Ware at Wrestlemania 3, but didn't have any other significant wins during his run (at least in my recollection) He lost to Randy Savage in round one of the WWF Title Tournament at Wrestlemania IV.

Of course this was all in a time when WWF pushed the babyfaces and the heels were just kind of there.  With only a couple of pay per views a year and no Raw or SmackDown! it was tough to have more than just the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Ultimate Warrior at the top of the card.  In this era the WWF gave a damn about the tag team division.  Maybe Reed could have been paired up with a partner and dominated those ranks.

Ron Simmons became Farooq

Which leads me to his eventual tag team partner in WCW, Ron Simmons.  Farooq became his persona in the WWF when he arrived in the company in 1996.  Simmons had a run in WCW and ECW.  He even held the WCW world title briefly in 1992.

In the WWF he came in dressed like some sort of American Gladiator with a bad attitude.  I did not care for this at all.  Ron Simmons was a natural athlete, much like Reed.  He had plenty of name recognition back in his earlier days, but at this point in the game, Vince McMahon was into changing everyone's name when they arrived in his company.

APA to the rescue

The Farooq character evolved through the years, dropping the Black Power gimmick and becoming more of a bad ass, thug for hire type guy.  He and Bradshaw (JBL) teamed up as the Acolytes, then simply the APA.  While I didn't necessarily hate the original Farooq gimmick, I thought the costume was insanely bad.  And I do think the character was below Simmons.  They could have focused on his athletic background and made him one of the top stars in the company.  But that would have probably been boring. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Ron ever held a singles title in the WWE, just the tag titles with JBL.

The Stalker

The Stalker was another one of those gimmicks from the mid to late 90's that I didn't understand.  Barry Windham was a well established star by this point in his career.  He had already been a WWF tag team champion with Mike Rotunda.  He wrestled in the NWA/WCW and held several titles there.  Windham was a member of the 4 Horsemen.  He wrestled some great matches with Ric Flair.  The son of a WWF legend Blackjack Mulligan.

But when he returns to the WWF in 1996 (I think) he becomes some hunting fanatic with his face painted and lumbering around in camo.  It just didn't work for him.  He was basically a face version of the early 90's Skinner character.  While I'm on the subject, I didn't care much for "The Widowmaker" gimmick either.  I think mostly because they never really pushed him in that persona.  Like I said, I loved Barry's first run with Rotunda, and his time in WCW.

The New Blackjacks

Shortly after the Stalker gimmick flopped, he and JBL formed "the New Blackjacks" tag team.  Again, a fail as far as I'm concerned.  I'm not a fan of recreating the original.  Windham would eventually leave the WWF and return to WCW as just plain ol' Barry Windham.  Yes, he was plain, but sometimes I like plain vanilla ice cream over some crazy concoction that takes away my original desire to eat ice cream.  I think you guys get the point I'm trying to make.

Of course, these are just 3 of many, many "unnatural" gimmicks.  We could write a couple of books on the subject.  But I want to hear your thoughts.  Which gimmicks do you deem unnatural to the wrestler who was doing them?  Post here or on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.  And don't forget to like or subscribe to those pages too!

New Name, New Look

Photo from: Bleacher Report.com

By Kevin Hunsperger

Remember a couple of weeks ago when Husky Harris got punted in the head by Randy Orton on Monday Night Raw?  Apparently the kick knocked some sense into the rookie, and he's changed his name.  Again.   At least for now.

Husky returned to the Florida Championship Wrestling ring over the weekend with a new look and a new moniker.  He's now known as Axl Mulligan.  For those who didn't know, Axl is the grandson of WWE Hall of Famer "Blackjack" Mulligan and the son of Mike Rotunda (IRS).

I actually like his real name, which is Windham Rotunda.  How many superstars can say they have the same name as a legendary WWF tag team?

While I applaud the fact that he is embracing his heritage with taking his grandfather's name, I don't quite understand the mask.  As you can see, it looks a bit like something Hannibal Lecter would sport.  Not quite sure where the gimmick is headed...

Husky Harris' profile remains on the WWE Raw Superstars website, and Axl's hasn't emerged on the FCW talent page, yet.  Not sure if that means anything or not.  Personally, I liked Husky Harris.  I'd say other than CM Punk, he's my favorite member of Nexus.

The name change goes back to something I posted earlier today about Alberto Del Rio embracing his past as Dos Caras, Jr.  I wish more of these guys who have a legacy in the business, would get booked that way.   What do you think?  Should legacy superstars be promoted as such or do they need to find their own niche under a different name?  It worked for Barry Windham.

Thanks for reading.  Follow us here and on Facebook.  And don't forget to subscribe to My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube.

Four Wooing Horsemen

The best version of the 4 Horsemen, IMO

Day 4 of the Wrestling Christmas and of course I couldn't ignore the 4 Horsemen.  Perhaps the best stable in the history of wrestling.

The version in the picture (courtesy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) was in my opinion the best foursome.  Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and Ric Flair under the guidance of James J. Dillon.  It didn't get much better than that.

Anderson & Blanchard were the NWA tag team champions.  Windham was the U.S. champ, and of course Flair was the World champion.

Through the years we've gotten plenty of versions of the Horsemen, but Flair was always the staple.  Even when the WWE tried to reinvent the faction with Evolution, Flair was a big part of the group.



The original group, which formed in 1986 consisted of Flair, Blanchard, Anderson and his "cousin" Ole Anderson.  Dillon was the manager.  The concept was hardly new, having a stable of wrestlers.  But there was something different about the Horsemen.  I think it's the Flair factor.  The man was the best talker back then.  And he could back it up in the ring.

Of course all the other members contributed to the success of the group, but through the years, others would rotate in and out.  Ole Anderson was replaced with a younger, stronger Lex Luger.  He would eventually be replaced by a two timing Barry Windham.

For a time the Horsemen gimmick came to a halt, as many of the members, in fact all but Flair, had left for the WWF.  But in the world of wrestling, change is constant and Arn Anderson would eventually make his way back to Atlanta.

This time group reformed but as faces, and they added an up and comer named Sting to the group.  Ole Anderson was also invited back into the fold, but I think he mainly served as a manager, as Dillon was still working in the WWF's front office.  In true Horsemen fashion, they'd turn on the young, naive Sting and become the company's villains again.   Shortly after that Barry Windham left his Widowmaker gimmick in New York and came back to be a Horsemen.  The monsterous Sid Vicious was also a new member and Ole began fulltime management of the foursome.

Sid would leave about a year or so later for the WWF and Flair was soon to follow after his termination from WCW.  So that was the death of the Horsemen again.  But like a cat, the group seemed to have nine lives.  Or close to it.

When Flair returned to WCW in 1993, he got the "band back together" so to speak.  He and Arn Anderson and the unlikely third member, former WWF jobber to the stars Paul Roma.  Now it was just the 3 Horsemen.  I'm pretty sure this run was as faces too, as they feuded with the young cocky Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman) who hazed Flair and Anderson about their age.

This formation didn't last long either though and Flair and Anderson eventually went back to their rule breaking ways and invited Brian Pillman and Chris Benoit into the group.  This was another good version of the Horsemen.  Youth, speed, agility, and experience melded well together here.

Dean Malenko, Curt Hennig, and my least favorite Horsemen of all time Steve "Mongo" McMichael would all become members at some point before the group finally disbanded.

Horsemen reunion for Flair's "retirement"

That was in 1999.  Then in 2008, something truly awesome happened.  My friend Chad and I had just witnessed Ric Flair's storied career come to an end.  We had planned to stay in Orlando on Monday (we had tickets to Universal Studios) but we had no plans to go to Monday Night Raw.

We had gotten back from a day at the park and Chad read online that the Horsemen (Tully, Arn, Barry, and JJ) were going to be at Raw for Flair's big send off.  We immediately decided to head to the arena and try to get tickets.

Not only did we get tickets, but we had awesome seats.  We were just off the floor and on the opposite side of the camera.  So if you own the Ric Flair Definitive DVD collection and you watch that retirement ceremony, you can see Chad and I in the crowd.

Anyway, I never had a chance to see the Horsemen wrestle live as a group, but seeing them in the ring and reuniting was the next best thing.  So here's a Woooo! and a "diamonds are forever and so are the 4 Horsemen" for you.

For those keeping score...
A Red Rooster in a Wrestling Ring
2 Turtle Jobbers
3 French Canadians
4 Wooing Horsemen

Hall of Fame: WCW Style

The 2010 HOF Ceremony in Phoenix

In a recent post I listed a group of superstars I feel should be in the Hall of Fame now.  Many of them I doubt will actually be inducted as a part of the class of 2011.  Part of my reasoning is the fact that Wrestlemania 27 is in Atlanta and many are speculating this ceremony will be  a more WCW driven induction.

So here is a list of WCW (with some WWE experience) hopefuls for the class of 2011.

Spoiler alert:  you won't find Sting on this list.  He is probably the one guy you'd most likely associate with WCW, but since he's still in TNA, I don't think the WWE would induct-yet.

Please not again, most if not all these photos, expect the one above, are from WWE.

Lex Luger

1. Lex Luger:  Love him or hate him, Lex Luger was one of the biggest stars in the history of WCW.   He held the world title, U.S. (on several occasions), and the tag team titles.  Early in his career he was pegged as the guy to beat Ric Flair and take the title.  And as many times as he tried, he always seemed to come up short.  It wasn't until Flair left WCW for the WWF, that he finally got the gold belt. 

While he may not have been the best champion, Luger was leading the company at a time when they'd lost their biggest star.  That's a tough role to fill.  I don't know if the pressure got to him or Vince made him an offer he couldn't refuse, but he soon left Atlanta for the promised land of the WWF. 

There he competed as the Narcissist.  A role that seemed to fit him perfectly.  But then in an attempt to fill the void made by Hulk Hogan's departure, Luger became a babyface patriot, and seemed to be the man who would defeat the giant Yokozuna for the world title.  His attempts failed again, and it seemed that Luger was expected to be someone he wasn't.  He floundered and finally went back to WCW.

He wore the world title again and feuded with the nWo.  In more recent years, Lex has been in poor health after suffering from a stroke.  He's had his share of legal problems too, but that all appears to be behind him now.  Luger is a born again Christian and has made great strides as he recovers from his near crippling stroke.



Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson

 2.  Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard:  These guys could actually go in separately, but they were also on the best teams in WCW in the late 80's.  They were great on their own too.

Tully wore the NWA TV title and U.S. title and had several great matches with the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A.  In fact, thinking back to my childhood and watching the old NWA shows, I think TA may have been his greatest rival.  I remember a classic cage match between the two in which both men were bloodied and battered. 

Arn was also a TV champion and dubbed the Enforcer of the Horsemen.  Besides Flair, he was the group's other constant.  Arn had some great individual matches with Dusty too.  He and his "cousin" Ole Anderson were the original team in the horsemen, but when Ole got kicked out, he and Tully started teaming up.  I think that was a good move, as the two had some classic matches against the Rock n Roll Express, Road Warriors, and the Midnight Express.

The pair left the NWA in 1989 for the green pastures of the WWF.  They had some great matches there, most notably against the Rockers and the Hart Foundation.  Dubbed the Brain Busters and managed by Bobby Heenan, the two beat Demolition for the WWF tag team titles.  They eventually lost them back to the faces, and quickly left the WWF.  Arn went back to the NWA, Tully headed for the AWA.  It wasn't long after that he retired from wrestling.

Arn kept wrestling and was a part of the Monday Night Wars and reprised his role in the 4 Horsemen.  The Enforcer is still active with the WWE as a trainer.  It's a role that Tully held briefly a few years ago.  Either way, both of these guys deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

3.  Magnum T.A.:  I often wonder, what if? when it comes to Magnum T.A.  Older fans know what I'm talking about.  Terry Allen was at the top of his game back in 1986 when he was nearly killed in a car accident.  The wreck left him unable to walk, much less wrestle.  Through rehab and hard work, he did walk again, but with assistance of a cane.

In the mid 80's T.A. was one of the most sound wrestlers in the business.  He gave Ric Flair a run for his money and many thought he'd be the World champion one day.  He had already been the U.S. and TV champions, feuding with Nikita Koloff and Tully Blanchard. 

Besides the great matches with those two and Flair, another memory of TA I have is from the Great American Bash (I think) and he was wrestling Kamala.  The Ugandan Giant was on the attack, but was subdued by the champ's patented belly to belly suplex.  I was amazed a guy of Magnum's size could do that to such a big man. 

"Sweet", "Loverboy", "Beautiful", & Jim Cornette

4.  The Midnight Express AND Jim Cornette:
When I saw the Midnight Express, I'm talking about the four guys pictured.  Although they weren't all together all the time, I think all of them are HOF worthy.

My first memories of "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey were in World Class.  They teamed up with their obnoxious, tennis racket wielding manager Jim Cornette.  They embroiled in a feud with the Fantastics and had some stellar matches in the territory over the tag team titles.

It wasn't long before they jumped to the NWA and had a natural rivalry with the Rock n Roll Express.  The duo also went head to head with two of the toughest guys on the block, the Road Warriors.  They engaged in that memorable scaffold match at Starrcade.  Who's idea was it to put a scaffold over the ring anyway?

Eventually the Loverboy would be replaced with a younger, more athletic "Sweet" Stan Lane.  While I think Condrey and Eaton worked well together, I think Lane and Eaton were the better version of the ME.  They would eventually turn face and win the tag team titles from Arn and Tully.  A heel version of the Road Warriors would then claim the belts.

What can I say about Cornette.  He's one of the best managers in the history of the business.  A classic heel who lead the way for many men in the business, including Big Bubba Rogers, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, and the British Bulldog among others.  Let's not hold The New Midnight Express against him though.

Cornette's not on the best of terms with the WWE right now, so I don't know how likely it would be for him to get in, but at some point he and his team deserve a spot in the hall.

The Great Muta

5.  The Great Muta: Muta made a big impact on the NWA back in the late 80's.  I remember him getting involved in the Ric Flair-Terry Funk feud.  Besides sparking a rivalry with Flair, he also battled Sting and beat him for the TV Title.

Muta was a great addition to the roster back then, as he did moves that a lot of American fans weren't exposed to before.   I can't really explain it, but he raised the bar for wrestling here in the United States.   He continued to wrestle in Japan and the NWA/WCW for years.

Barry Windham

6.  Barry Windham:  Barry Windham jumped between NWA/WCW and the WWF several times in his career, but I think it's safe to say his most success was in the NWA.  I mean come on, two of his three stints in the WWF he was saddled with the silly name "Widowmaker" and "The Stalker".  And don't forget about "Blackjack" Windham (that came after the Stalker gimmick fell flat)

Anyway, Barry Windham gave Flair a run for his money back in the mid to late 80's.  Many thought he might even win the world title (myself included)  And while he never got that strap, Windham was quite successful.

He won several of the secondary titles and did have a run as NWA "world" champion.  He beat Muta for that title.  But I never really viewed that title as the world title.  At that time, there was the WCW world champion, so I never understood how you could have two world champions in the same company and on the same show.  It's not quite the same as the whole Raw and Smackdown world champions we have today.  But I digress...

Windham's impact on wrestling was quite significant and he did have success in the WWF too as a world tag team champion with Mike Rotunda.

Damn! It's me and Ron Simmons

7.  Ron Simmons: A fan just tuning in to wrestling today, would only know Ron Simmons as the guy who comes out and shouts "DAMN!" when something bizarre is happening on screen.

But Ron Simmons was quite the star back in the day.  Even before heading to the WWF and getting that crappy Faarooq Asad gimmick, (remember that hideous gear he wore?) Simmons was an established star.

After a successful run as a college football standout and some time in the pro's, Simmons turned to professional wrestling.   He spent the early days of his career in the NWA/WCW, where he won the tag team titles with Butch Reed as a part of Doom.  He also wore the U.S. tag titles with Big Josh (who became Doink the Clown).

But Simmon's biggest accomplishment was winning the world heavyweight championship.   He was the first African American to hold that title.  His reign didn't stand out as he was booked in some crappy matches with the likes of the Barbarian (a world title contender, really?) He lost the title back to Vader about five months after winning it.

But I'd say he made an impact on wrestling history with his work in WCW and in the WWF, and should at some point be inducted into the HOF.

Obviously, this is a short list there are plenty of others who wrestled in WCW who are worthy of induction.  Some that I left off but should be considered include Vader (who I think will go in at some point), Nikita Koloff, and his "uncle" Ivan (who is a former WWWF champion).  The Rock n Roll Express, Goldberg, and J.J. Dillon will all someday be considered for induction some day too.

So if you had to cast a WCW Hall of Fame, who would you chose?