I never knew... Bobby Heenan, Jr. nearly happened

Brother Love, Bobby Heenan & The Brooklyn Brawler
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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A couple weeks ago I started a new feature, writing about things in the wrestling industry I didn't know about. As a fan for more than 30 years, I thought I knew just about everything. But there are some things that have happened that I missed or were never brought to the public. This entry is an example of that. The info for this blog comes from the Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard podcast.

Almost a Heenan jacket
Courtesy: dWn

On the Mr. Perfect episode, Prichard told listeners the story about how he nearly became known as Bobby Heenan, Junior. We all know Prichard donned a white suit, red makeup and larger than life glasses to play Brother Love. The character hosted his own talk show and even did some managing, including bringing in the Undertaker. But at some point, there was serious consideration to a complete gimmick change. 

Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan
Courtesy: WWE

The idea was for Prichard to bleach his hair blond and dress in the sparkly jackets, just like "The Brain."  Heenan was hurting after years of taking bumps from guys like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. It was time to rest and stay behind the mic. But somewhere along the way, Vince McMahon nixed the idea and the character change never happened.

Brother Love vs. Dusty Rhodes
Courtesy: WWE

I love Bobby Heenan. I love Brother Love (and Bruce Prichard). I'm glad the idea never took root. I understand wanting to capitalize on the popularity of Heenan. I don't know if fans would have bought into the idea. We know Prichard could take the bumps like Heenan did as he got tossed around and beat up by the top babyface Superstars in the company.

Way Back WhensDay: Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong
Oh the memories

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Growing up, three video games stand out to me the most.  I've written about one of them already, Pac-Man.  The other I will tackle today, Donkey Kong.  I'll save number three for a future post.

I still remember playing the arcade version of Donkey Kong at our local skating rink like it was yesterday.  Quarter after quarter, I tried in vain to get Mario up the platforms to the top floor to save a female character named Lady from the clutches of the angry ape.  Back then, Mario was known as Jumpman and players had to maneuver him up ladders and dodge flaming barrels that Donkey Kong would toss.

I remember there being a sledge hammer involved in the higher levels and parts of the floor opening up during the rescue attempt too.   When Jumpman would finally defeat the evil ape and find his love, Donkey Kong ended up upside down on his head.  It was reminiscent of King Kong falling to his death from the Empire State Building.

Eventually, Donkey Kong was available on the Atari and like Pac-Man, I played it all the time.  After saving Lady, it was time to find new adventures in the arcade world.  That's when a spin off game was created, Donkey Kong, Junior.

Donkey Kong, Jr.

This time the tables are turned and Mario plays the bad guy.  The player of the game controls Junior through a series of levels in an attempt to rescue his father, Donkey Kong. Junior climbs different vines and feasts on fruits and vegetables to maintain his strength through the journey.  After a successful rescue, the primates punt Mario into oblivion.

Because they were popular, there was Donkey Kong cereal, a cartoon, and trading cards.  It seems like anything back then that had success had plenty of marketing opportunities tied to it.  Those were fun times indeed.

I'm not much on the gaming world, I just have fun playing these more simplistic games.  Today, I'd say Mario and Donkey Kong have made amends, as they appear in Mario Kart and other video games together.  But no matter how the technology evolves, I'll always have a place in my heart for that old school version of Donkey Kong and Mario.

Boo: Live Monster Wrestling

Welcome to Kaiju Big Battel

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm going to blame this one on my friend and colleague Adam Testa (@RingPostsTesta on Twitter).  He sent me the following video about Kaiju Big Battel (yes that's how they spell Battle).  I know little to nothing about this company, but I know it looks entertaining as hell.  The official website describes the company as Live Monster Wrestling.

That's Dr. Cube
Photo from kaiju.com

The best I can tell it looks like Japanese monster movie meets wrestling in an MMA cage.  There are many colorful and disturbing characters that are a part of the show, and Chikara fans may recognize Dr. Cube and his involvement in Saget-Gate from years ago.  He's the apparent heel of the company and weighs in at 12,200 cc of poisoned lead.  He has a posse of evil doers, including Dino Kang, Junior.  This dinosaur creature is 48,000 Picachus in height.  We can't ignore Gomi-Man who looks to be made of trash from Dr. Cube's lab.  He weighs in at more than 9,800 banana peels, but he's not won a match so far.

Dusto Bunny
Photo from kaiju.com

Some of the heroes in the company including the pseudo presidential type, American Beetle.  The very creepy looking Dusto Bunny, who is billed with a height of one billion dust mites.  There's also the tag team of Los Plantanos, not to be confused with The Plantain Twins (who naturally feud with their fruity cousins).

Then roster is also made up of groups called The Rogues, The Space Bugs, and there's a section on the website (click here) called The Graveyard where you'll find past stars who have departed the Monster Battle.

Obviously there's a huge focus on the entertainment value here.  I thought Chikara was campy the first time I saw it seven or eight years ago, Kaiju has them beat.  But honestly, it looks like a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind getting to one of their shows in the future.