SURVIVOR SERIES: Favorite team number 2: Team Macho Man

Team Macho Man 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I'm counting down to the 30th annual Survivor Series by looking back at my ten favorite teams in the history of the event. Survivor Series ranks among my favorite events every year and if you've read this blog in the past you know I'm a fan of the traditional elimination matches. 

The fall of 1987 was an awesome time to be a wrestling fan. It was the post-WrestleMania III era of WWF. Hulkamania was still running wild after beating Andre the Giant. But a new force was emerging: Macho Madness. Randy Savage had turned good while pursuing the Intercontinental Championship from the Honky Tonk Man.

Around this same time, a new pay-per-view concept was being introduced to compete with the NWA's Thanksgiving night event, Starrcade. Survivor Series made its debut Thanksgiving night 1987. Although there was plenty of buzz around the main event of Team Hogan vs. Team Andre, it was Savage's team that stood out to me.

Team Macho Man was filled with some of the most talented Superstars on the roster at that time and in the history of the company. Savage, of course, was the captain and led former IC champ Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Honky Tonk's team was thinner on the talent and included Hercules, "The King" Harley Race (a legend who was winding down), "Outlaw" Ron Bass and "Dangerous" Danny Davis. 

Team Honky Tonk Man

The good guys dominated the match, only losing Duggan via a double count-out with Race and Beefcake was pinned by HTM. That left Savage, Steamboat and Roberts as the survivors. I do remember thinking it was odd that these three co-existed given the brutality of the feuds that had already been engaged in against one another. 

It was a great time to be a wrestling fan and Team Macho Man was the torch bearer for great teams for this new PPV concept. (Side note: Andre's team was indeed a strong one too with Rick Rude, Butch Reed, King Kong Bundy and the One Man Gang.)  

Top 10:

Team 3: The Legends: Survivor Series 1987

Team 4: Team Andre the Giant & Dino Bravo: Survivor Series 1988

Team 5: Four Doinks: Survivor Series 1993

Team 6: Team HBK: Survivor Series 1995

Team 7: Team Piper: Survivor Series 1991

Team 8: The All-Americans: Survivor Series 1993

Team 9: Team WWF Survivor Series 2001

Team 10: New Day, King Barrett and Sheamus: Survivor Series 2015

The new 3 R's: Reading, writing and wrasslin'

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Over the last year or so here in southern Illinois more educators are stepping through the ropes and learning how to wrestle. It's in part due to a lack of funding on the state level. Teachers and administrators are wrestling at benefit shows for their schools, putting their bodies on the line in an effort to overcome shortcomings from state coffers.

Jerry Travelstead vs. Tony Flood
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

I've talked with Jerry Travelstead before on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. He's the superintendent at Pinckneyville Community Consolidated School District 204 and has taken his love of wrestling to the next level. He and teacher Josh Plumlee are trained wrestlers who have gigs on weekend wrestling shows around the region. Jerry is hosting a fundraising show November 5 that will feature WWE Hall of Famer Bushwhacker Luke. Other local favorites like Heath Hatton, Ax Allwardt and Tony Flood (who battles Jerry for Stride Pro Wrestling's new Legacy Championship.

Tshirts for Saturday's event

Another superintendent in southern Illinois, "The Singing Super" Mike Gauch, makes his in-ring debut October 15. He teams up with the Honky Tonk Man to battle HTM's former manager Jimmy Hart and Disco Inferno. Brian Christopher will be a part of the show clashing with Dalton Diamond (also of Stride Pro Wrestling) Jerry Travelstead teams with Heath Hatton to battle Daniel Eads and Chris Hargas. "Colorado Kid" Mike Rappada also wrestles against Desperado. This show is being held at Harrisburg High School. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.

Come out and support not just the independent wrestlers and legends in the ring, but the students, faculty and staff impacted by budget problems in Illinois. I salute these educators who are taking a stand to help their schools and the communities they serve.

Famer Friday: The Honky Tonk Man

IC champ
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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It's way too early to start speculating about the Class of 2017 for the WWE Hall of Fame, but here I go. When I first started doing the Famer Friday posts it was to advocate for the men and women of the mat wars that I feel deserve to be inducted. Then I changed it up to reminisce about current inductees. Today I'm back to someone I think should go in sooner rather than later.

The Honky Tonk Man was one of the first bad guys in wrestling that cheered. When he first appeared on WWF TV in 1986 he was a good guy. I barely noticed him and actually thought he was kind of goofy. Apparently millions of others felt the same way and soon HTM became a cool, cocky and bad heel. He was paired with manager Jimmy Hart.

Swinging at Savage
Courtesy: WWE

The two were perfect together and Honky took the Elvis impersonator gimmick to a whole new level. Not only did he shock me when he beat Jake "The Snake" Roberts at WrestleMania III, but also when he pinned Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental title. I thought for sure it was a fluke win and the Dragon would soon reclaim the gold. That didn't happen and HTM fought off challenges by "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. He went on to become the longest reigning IC champion of all-time and still ranks among my favorite former champs.

Arm wrestling contest
1997

There's another reason I like Honky Tonk Man. He is the first wrestler I ever met in person. It was 1997 and I was out with a reporter at the TV station KMOV in St. Louis. HTM was playing the role of good will ambassador for WWF and handing out tickets for the upcoming In Your House: Badd Blood pay per view. We chatted briefly before I beat him in an arm wrestling "match" to win a free ticket. It was an awesome experience.

2012

Fifteen years later I met him again at WrestleCon in Miami. This time I was dressed like Vince McMahon and Chad was Jesse "The Body" Ventura. It was a much shorter encounter, but fun none-the-less. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of interviewing HTM for my podcast. He says he has a good relationship with the company and thinks he'll one day go into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm hoping it happens in the near future.

Slithering Into the Hall of Fame

Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

The WWE is two for two in its announcements of Hall of Fame inductees for the Class of 2014.  First, the Ultimate Warrior, and now Jake "The Snake" Roberts.  It's an honor that has been a long time coming for Roberts.  His career has had plenty of ups and downs, and I'm glad he appears to be in control of his life and is taking his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.

My first memories of "The Snake" date back to his days in World Class Championship Wrestling.  I had heard of him before, likely from the Apter magazines of the mid-80's.  He showed up in WCCW as an evil, cold blooded figure, teaming up with Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams as that duo had been waging war with the very popular Von Erich family.  I cringed the day Jake pinned Kerry Von Erich during a six-man tag team title match to win the belts for his terrible trio.

Jake wasn't in WCCW for long, at least I don't remember him being there for a long period of time.  I watched him on Mid South and UWF programming before he headed to the WWF in early 1986.  He was the same cold and calculating man, only with a more updated look.  He wore tights with snakes on them, along with snake skin boots.  Something else new for Jake, once he finished his opponent off with the DDT, he'd wrap a large python named "Damien" over their lifeless body.  He was pure evil in that first year or so in the company.

Courtesy: WWE

Eventually, he turned good, but still used Damien after matches.  He scared the life out of top villains like Andre the Giant, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, and The Honky Tonk Man.  Jake feuded with all of those guys and plenty more including "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Bad News Brown, and Rick Martel, but he may have met his match in Earthquake. In 1991, the big man delivered his Avalanche to Damien as Jake was tied up in the ropes.  'Quake then cooked up the snake and served "Quake Burgers" the next week on Prime Time Wrestling.

That move marked the beginning of the end for Jake's days as a good guy.  He turned on the Ultimate Warrior and then unleashed a cobra during "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Elizabeth's wedding reception.  He smacked Liz later on Superstars and let that same cobra sink his teeth into Savage's arm.

We met Jake!
Courtesy: My 1-2-3 Cents

Jake would eventually leave the WWF and return a few years later, a changed man.  He wasn't as fast on his feet or diabolical like he'd been before.  I think years of drugs and alcohol had finally caught up with him.  He faded away and probably nearly died on more than one occasion.  Chad and I met Jake at WrestleCon 2012 and he was in great spirits.  He has a very funny sense of humor, I picked up on that in the few minutes we talked with him.  I think he was just about to start getting his life in order at that point.

Happily, he reached out to Diamond Dallas Page, or Page reached out to him and saved the Snake's life.  I'm glad he did it, as Roberts clearly has a new lease on life.  I think getting clean and sober saved Jake's life and has given his career a fresh start.

I'm excited to see Jake "The Snake" Roberts get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this spring.  His work in the ring and on the mic are incredible and I think others in the business could learn a thing or two from him.   Trust me...

RIP Survivor Series

Survivor Series 1987
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In 1987, I was a freshman in high school.  In the fall of that year, the announcers on WWF Superstars started hyping a new pay-per-view called The Survivor Series.  It would air on Thanksgiving night (against the NWA's Starrcade event) and feature teams of five taking on each other in elimination style matches.  Heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan would captain a team against his Wrestlemania III challenger Andre the Giant in the main event.  It was a concept I was in love with before ever seeing the show.

Because it was the 80's and there was no Internet and I didn't have the ability to watch the show live, I waited patiently until Monday afternoon at lunch after the long holiday break to find out what had happened.  I had a friend named Bobby who watched the event and described how Hogan's team lost.  I was shocked by this to the point that I didn't believe it.  It wasn't until that following Sunday when the results were announced on Superstars again.  I couldn't wait for the WWF to release the show on Coliseum Home Video, which was how I watched most big events back then.

Tag team elimination
Photo courtesy: WWE

I was captivated by the action.  The fact that there were 10 tag teams to participate in the tag team elimination match is something that blows my mind considering today's environment.  There were 10 women wrestlers competing in their own match.  The Intercontinental champ The Honky Tonk Man led a team into battle against the "Macho Man" Randy Savage.  I loved EVERYTHING about the show (except Hogan's team losing, but I was a mark back then).

Each Thanksgiving the WWF would serve up another exciting Survivor Series pay per view.  The card remained stacked with elimination matches.  Yes, some of them started to feature guys who you wouldn't normally see on PPV, but I still loved the concept.  The team sizes dropped to four, but there were more matches added to the card. Then in 1991, the company added its first singles match to the show.  Hulk Hogan lost the WWF title to the Undertaker.  Again, another shocking evening, but I think that match set a new precedence for the Survivor Series pay-per-view. One that I do not like.

Survivor Series 1992
Photo courtesy: WWE

In 1992, not only did the WWF move the PPV to the night BEFORE Thanksgiving (which I don't begrudge them as I would imagine the wrestlers, announcers, referees, managers, and crew members would rather have the holiday at home), but the company dropped the elimination match concept.  The main event featured Bret Hart defending the WWF title against IC champ Shawn Michaels.  Razor Ramon and Ric Flair teamed up against Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect.  There was just one elimination match, which was incredibly lame as The Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys beat Money Inc. and the Beverly Brothers.  

Survivor Series 1993
The "Doinks"
Photo courtesy: WWE

I rejoiced in '93 as the team concept returned (even with the "Doinks" on the show).  There were no singles matches, just one traditional tag team match that featured the Rock 'n Roll Express against the Heavenly Bodies.  Up until 1998, the Survivor Series featured a couple of non-elimination matches, but for the most part, the event lived up to my expectations.  It was 1998 where there were NO elimination matches.  The concept was replaced with the Deadly Game tournament to crown a new WWF champion, which ended up being the Rock.

The elimination matches returned a year later in 1999, and that concept stuck around, but the singles and traditional tag team matches outweighed the usual Survivor Series matches for many years.  In 2008 and 09, there was an even number of elimination matches and traditional matches, but things shifted again in 2010 in favor of just one or two elimination matches.

The King's Court
Photo courtesy: WWE

Another change I didn't care for was the changing of team names.  The cool team names from the early days like The Dream Team (captained by Dusty Rhodes), the Visionaries (captained by Rick Martel), and the Enforcers (captained by The Big Boss Man) simply became Team Triple H, Team Randy Orton, and Team Umaga.  Boring...

As I write this on November 12, there have been no announcements of elimination matches for the 2013 Survivor Series.  John Cena is defending the World Heavyweight Championship, Randy Orton is defending the WWE Title, and a few minutes ago I got a WWE text message saying the Wyatt Family would be taking on CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.  I'm going to remain positive and tell myself that there will be at least ONE traditional Survivor Series style match at the pay-per-view with the same name.

I understand wanting to have title defenses and other matches on the show.  But in my opinion, the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble were those two pay per views every year where the unpredictable could happen because you never knew for sure who was going to end up in the ring together.  I think the WWE could keep the current storylines in play and just have the element of the elimination match thrown into the mix, so Survivor Series isn't just like every other pay-per-view or episode of Raw or SmackDown!

Your thoughts?

Throwback Thursday: Favorite Survivor Series Teams

The Warriors
Survivor Series 1990
Photo by WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In 1987 when the Survivor Series pay per view was born it brought something new to the landscape of wrestling.  The concept was simple, "teams of five strive to survive."  That was the motto in the early days.  I miss those first four years of the event.  Tag teams, women, and even the world champion was involved in the five on five or four on four elimination matches. (Although in '91 Hulk Hogan defended the title against the Undertaker)  The first two years, it was five tag teams vs. five tag teams.  I think in 1992 when they basically gutted the concept they hurt the Survivor Series forever.  I don't believe it's been the same since then.  But I digress.

Ready for battle

Today I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite memories/teams from the early days of the Survivor Series.  The WWE recently named "The Warriors" as the greatest Survivor Series team ever.  I don't know if they were truly the best ever, but I did mark out for them.  I am still to this day a huge fan of Kerry Von Erich, who was the Texas Tornado during his WWF tenure.  But in World Class Championship Wrestling he was "The Modern Day Warrior".  The WWF teamed him with World champion the Ultimate Warrior and the Legion of Doom (Road Warriors) in 1990 against "The Perfect Team" of Mr. Perfect and Demolition.  The Warriors won with the Ultimate Warrior being the sole survivor for his team.  That helped him advance to the bonus Survivor Series elimination match in the main event.  The baby face survivors teamed up against the heel survivors from the undercard matches. This match saw Hogan and Warrior pick up the win as the sole survivors.  Their partner Tito Santana had been eliminated earlier in the match.  This was also the year the Gobbledy Gooker was hatched.

Savage's team
Survivor Series 1987
Photo from WWE

The first year of the Survivor Series featured a very well balanced team of Randy Savage, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.  This five man team wrestled circles around their competitors which included The Honky Tonk Man, Danny Davis, "Outlaw" Ron Bass, Harley Race, and Hercules.  Savage, Steamboat, and Roberts all ended up surviving.  I don't know why, but those five were one of my favorite units in Survivor Series history.

Mr. Fuji gets demolished

As I mentioned earlier the first two years of Survivor Series featured five tag teams taking on five tag teams.  That is something that would never be possible today, but again, I digress.  In 1988 things got a little fuzzy at the end as the heel tag team champions Demolition where looking to put away their baby face challenges of The Powers of Pain.  Just as it looked like champs (and their other partners, the Conquistadors) were about to win, Mr. Fuji, who was Ax and Smash's manager, caused his men to get counted out.  The POP helped Mr. Fuji back to his feet after Demolition slammed him outside the ring. They went on to win the match and turn heel while Ax and Smash became beloved fan favorites.  I think I liked it so much because I never saw it coming.

Piper's Team vs. Flair's Team

One final blast from the past, and I pick this just because it involves my all time favorite wrestler, Ric Flair.  He lead his team (Ted DiBiase, The Mountie, and the Warlord) against Roddy Piper, Virgil, Bret Hart, and British Bulldog.  Flair's team won, but only after everyone got counted out at the same time.  You really had to suspend your belief in wrestling logic on it, but my guy won so I guess that's all that really matters.  Flair went on to help Undertaker beat Hogan for the WWF title later in the show.

In closing, besides the lack of elimination matches at the Survivor Series, I also miss the cool team names.  Team Orton, Team Foley, Team Ziggler are just not creative at all.  The Rude Brood, Roddy's Rowdies, and The Enforcers at least showed a little creativity from the writers.

What are your favorite moments from this November tradition?

Throwback Thursday: WWF Trading Cards

Part of my WWF Trading Cards collection

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

For about 30 years now I have watched professional wrestling.  I started at age nine and have been hooked ever since.  Most kids at that age are collecting baseball cards and trading them with one another.  Not me.  I had a few growing up, but sports was never really of any interest to me.

In the mid to late 80's when the WWF introduced their own line of trading cards, I was all in.  I bought as many as I could, looking forward to which superstars I'd be adding to my collection.  Each pack including a handful of cards, a sticker, and that rock hard piece of pink bubble gum.

Some of the sillier cards

I believe the cards debuted around the time of Wrestlemania III, so many of the cards feature shots from that event.  There were cards with superstars posing and their bio on the back, very similar to baseball and football cards.  Some of the cards featured what I thought at the time were funny little captions, but reading them today I didn't really even crack a smile.  For example, on the Jimmy Hart and Honky Tonk Man card Honky is saying "I think the fans are mad at me."  And Hart responds with "I told you, when they boo, they like you."  *Groan*

Looking through my collection brings back a lot of memories.  There's Randy Savage and Elizabeth, Dynamite Kid, and even Koko B. Ware's bird Frankie.  My sticker collection includes Outback Jack, Kamala, and George "the Animal" Steele.

How many of you collected the cards?  I've still got mine, but remember, I'm a pack rat.  Thanks for reading.

Throwback Thursday: Piledriver the Wrestling Album

Piledriver on vinyl and cassette
Photo courtesy: My 1-2-3 Cents

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I've been inspired to start a new weekly featured called Throwback Thursday.  And since the WWE is talking about the 25 year anniversary of Piledriver: The Wrestling Album, I thought it only made sense to start the series off with that.

First, I can't believe it's been 25 years already.  I was a freshman in high school when the album was released.  Here's something else that's hard to believe, I still have the LP.  I'm a pack rat though, so people who know me may not be shocked by this.  When I was in college my roommate gave me a cassette version of it too.  I have LP and CD versions of the original Wrestling Album as well.  Man, I'm a dork.

No doubt the success of the Wrestling Album lead to the birth of Piledriver.  Cheesy as it may be, there are a lot of catchy tunes on it.  I think overall my favorite one is "If You Only Knew."  It's a compilation of all the WWF stars throwing a verse or two down.  Granted many (okay most) couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, I still find this song enjoyable.  It's faces and heels in the video in separate studios doing a "We Are the World" type chorus throughout.  I had forgotten the British Bulldogs are a part of this song too.

Vince McMahon makes his singing debut on Piledriver with "Stand Back."  It's another catchy tune that has been used to mock McMahon in recent years in his feud with son-in-law Triple H and his DX sidekick Shawn Michaels.

Jive Soul Bro by Slick

Slick's "Jive Soul Bro", although possibly borderline racist, is a fun song that many of his wrestlers used as theme music back in the day.  I also enjoyed Honky Tonk Man's self-titled hit as well as Jimmy Hart's "Crank it Up."  The interesting note on that song was that it was used by the Young Stallions and not Hart's team of the Hart Foundation.  The storyline was that the Stallions' stole the song and made it their own.  Yes, there was a feud (mini one) over the song.

Koko B. Ware sang the title track on the Piledriver album.  Honestly, that's probably his biggest claim to fame in the WWE.  I'm not knocking his ability in the ring, but Koko never won a title or a big match in my recollection.  The song was pretty good as well, but I thought the video was quite entertaining.  I remember staying up to watch its premiere on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.

I definitely wore out the vinyl on that album, playing it constantly and for those too young to remember, back then you had to put a needle on the record and sometimes you'd get some scratching.  But there was plenty of white noise and popping as it played on my record player night after night.  The challenging part was when I would have matches with my LJN figures and try to play theme music for them as they entered the ring.  Kids today have it so easy with their iPods.

Look for more walks down memory lane each Thursday.  Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, @my123cents.  Here's a throwback memory from the YouTube channel too.  Enjoy.

Character Flaws

Photos from WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Growing up in the 80's, I'm probably a little biased when I say that was the greatest decade ever.  Movies, TV shows, and music.  It was all better back then.  It also seemed that wrestling was even better back then. I'm trying to decide if that's because I was a kid and not smart to the things that were happening back stage and that curtain hadn't been pulled back yet, or if it's because things really were better.

Wrestling in the 80's, especially in the WWF was full of crazy characters.  It was like a real life cartoon.  Heck, at one point, wrestling was a cartoon.  (Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling show).  The WWF roster was full of over the top characters.  This also carried over into the early 90's.  It seemed like there were no "real people" involved.  Or maybe they were real guys, who took their job outside the ring way too seriously. Everyone seemed to have a gimmick.  Brutus Beefcake was a barber.  Ray Traylor was a prison guard.  Kevin Kelly was a prison.  There was a model, a Mountie, a repo man, a tax man, and even an undertaker.

Admittedly, the Undertaker's gimmick has evolved a lot over the last 21 years.  He doesn't stuff his victims in a coffin or a body bag anymore.  But the gimmick is still alive (at least for now).

The mid 90's things started to change up.  The cartoonish image started to fade a bit (not withstanding the likes of the Blue Blazer and Doink the Clown), but the focus seemed to hit more of the "real" guy image.  Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Diesel started their ascension into the spot light.  There were still some silly career gimmicks like the forgettable Goon, TL Plopper, and Duke "the Dumpster" Droese.

Nation of Domination (from WWE)

It really wasn't until the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars that we started seeing more of these real guys emerging.  While they still had some sort of gimmick to help get them over (the Nation of Domination, DX, and Stone Cold Steve Austin) these characters broke the mold of the silly gimmicks of guys carrying hedge clippers, or snakes, or pet birds to the ring.

Fast forward even further now and most everyone in the WWE is more of a "real guy."  Just off the top of my head, I can't think of any really gimmicky guys left with the exception of the rarely used Goldust and Hornswoggle.  Maybe that's part of the problem with today's product.  There's too much realism involved.  It's hard to suspend your sense of reality.

I think that's what I liked about wrestling in the 80's.  Guys like the Ultimate Warrior, Kamala, and the Honky Tonk Man were all larger than life.  The silliness made wrestling fun.  I miss that.  And don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting a total step back in time to the crazy, silly, goofy gimmicks.  But I wouldn't be upset if they tired a few just to see if it sticks.

Me with one of my favorites, Honky Tonk Man 

What are your thoughts?  Post them here, on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.  And please tell your friends about My 1-2-3 Cents!

RIP Randy Savage

My Macho Man action figure from 1986

By Kevin Hunsperger

May 20, 2011 is truly a sad day in wrestling.  One of the all time greats has died.  "Macho Man" Randy Savage apparently suffered a heart attack and crashed his SUV into a tree.  He was only 58 years old.

Media outlets (including TMZ, Fox Sports, and MTV) are reporting the crash happened in Largo, Florida.  Savage's wife was in the SUV and suffered minor injuries.  His brother, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo says Savage had a heart attack behind the wheel.

Twitter and Facebook are already buzzing with tributes to the former world heavyweight champion.  My heart is very heavy as I write this.  As some of you know, I work at a TV station, and just this morning, we were talking about Macho Man.  In fact, my producer, who is a wrestling fan too had played Savage's famous "Pomp and Circumstance" theme during a commercial break and ran video of Macho Man on the green screen behind me.  I mimicked Savage's movements during the break and belted out a loud "Oooohhhhh yeaaaahhhh!  Dig it!"  This was just hours before the accident.

I have a lot of great memories of Macho Man.  But with as many live shows I've seen, I only got to see him in person one time.  He wrestled Razor Ramon in the fall of 1992 in Cape Girardeau.  It was the main event of the house show.  Ramon won the match  I believe via countout.  This was obviously towards the end of Savage's WWF career.  His early days with the company were outstanding.

Courtesy WWE

Several moments really standout to me.  His Intercontinental title match against Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 has withstood the test of time nearly 25 years later.  His face turn with Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation attacking he and Elizabeth only to be saved by Hulk Hogan was another favorite moment of mine as a kid.  Of course, probably his biggest moment was winning the WWF title at Wrestlemania 4.  Savage beat Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, the One Man Gang, and Ted DiBiase all in the same night to claim the company's top prize.

Then there was the Main Event when Savage turned on Hogan and the MegaPowers exploded.  This led to Savage dropping the title back to Hogan.  His heel run and time as Macho King were memorable due to the coronation ceremony and the flashy "royal" garb he wore from then on.  Savage would retire, reconcile with Elizabeth, and get bitten by a cobra all in the same year.  He went on to win the WWF title a second time, beating Ric Flair in a classic match at Wrestlemania 8.  Savage lost the belt back to Flair, feuded with a handful of others before leaving for WCW, where he also won the world title.

Photo from WWE

Savage made a brief appearance in TNA back in the mid 2000's and retired from the ring before doing some acting.  He was also known by the main stream media as the spokesman for Slim Jim's.  I believe he has a place in history as one of the top stars of all time.  He was a favorite of many and loved by fans worldwide.

I hope with the passing of the Macho Man, Vince McMahon puts whatever existed between the two of them to rest and does the right thing by inducting Savage into the Hall of Fame next year.  It's something the fans wanted while Savage was still alive, now it's too late.

War of Words

By Kevin Hunsperger

The social networking website Twitter is a modern day soap box for all of us to vent and post our points of view.  In recent months, and in particular the last few weeks, it's became a battleground for wrestling legends to wage a "war of words."

A few months ago Sean Morley (Val Venis) and Matt Hardy were going at each other on Twitter and YouTube.  Honestly, I don't even remember what the feud was about.  Some called it a work.  Really though, who cares about either of these guys still?

That takes me to the most recent war of words.  Last week, Bret Hart opened a virtual can of whoop ass on Hulk Hogan.  He even went so far as to call him a Richard Cranium.  That just seemed to add fuel to the fire for the Honky Tonk Man, who has been taking shots at Hogan, Dixie Carter, and Eric Bischoff on Twitter too.  I know he's got heat with those three, but I don't really understand why.

I'm currently reading Bret Hart's book, and I will offer up a full review on My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube as soon as I finish.  I can understand his frustration with Hogan.  But of course, this is just the Hitman's side of the story.  I'm really waiting for a tell all by Vince McMahon, but I don't look for that to happen anytime soon.

I've started following Bret, Honky, and Hogan on Twitter just to see how the back and forth will go.  The last day or two has been quiet, but I expect things to heat up again.  At least I hope it does.  I need a life.

Thank You, You're a Beautiful Audience

Me vs. HTM in 1997

My job has helped get me behind the scenes of several wrestling shows and meet some of my favorite superstars.  It's been a big perk.  My first such meeting was 13 years ago, almost to the date.  The Honky Tonk Man was doing media for the upcoming In Your House: Badd Blood PPV in St. Louis.  This was the one that featured Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in the Hell in a Cell.  

Anyway, I was a production assistant at a TV station in the Lou at the time.  The morning anchor informed me that after the show, she'd be interviewing the Honky Tonk Man.  She invited me to go along.  I was so incredibly excited.  I rushed home and got my camera and promptly returned to the station.  We were meeting HTM at Union Station where he'd be "arm wrestling" fans for a chance to win a ticket in the nose bleeds to the PPV. 

Little did HTM know, I already had my ticket (thanks to my friend Rick).  I just wanted the opportunity to meet one of my favorite wrestlers.  In 1987 HTM shocked the world and won the Intercontinental championship from Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat.  Even more shocking, he held that title for more than a year, and is still on record as the longest reigning IC champ.

Anyway, as you can see in the pic, Honky and I did in fact arm wrestle.  He looks to be in pain, which is all a part of the act.  He put up a little bit of a fight at first, but in a matter of moments, he let me win the bout.  My first battle with a WWF wrestler, and I won.  Ha ha.  

The reporter did her story, previewing the upcoming show.  It was a surreal experience, one that I thought I'd never be able to duplicate.  But as time goes on, I will post more stories about my experiences with some of wrestlings most interesting personalities.  Some of them were brief encounters, others were interviews and conversations that latest longer than a couple of minutes.

Until next time...