My 1-2-3 Cents : Rick Rude

Happy Halloween everyone. Each year I ask for your pics as it relates to the holiday. This year did not disappoint. Enjoy the selections and be sure to post your Halloween (or cosplay) photos next year.

"Rowdy" Ax Allwardt

"Ravishing" Billy Wilson

Chris Slammer's guns trump the knife

Jake Montalvo will always believe

They're here...
The Karafa Family

The Mouth of the Northeast (and Scotland)
Martin Endersby

You will always remember the name of...
Nathan Goolsby

'Stubby J' and his crew are ready to settle the score

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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Instead of 14 men, how about 8

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Thirty years ago, Hulk Hogan lost the WWF Championship in controversial fashion to Andre the Giant. The Giant surrendered the title to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, who was then stripped of the belt by WWF President Jack Tunney. That, of course, led to the championship tournament at WrestleMania IV and the crowning of "Macho Man" Randy Savage as "the man" in WWF.

I'm not suggesting changing the ending of the tournament or the title run for Savage by any means. In my 1-2-3 cents, the buildup and implosion of the Mega Powers are one of the greatest storylines in the history of professional wrestling. Instead of 14 men in that tournament though, how about just eight competitors?

Tournaments involving more than eight Superstars are usually too many. While I love guys like Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Don Muraco, I knew none of them stood a chance in this tournament. A year earlier, I would have believed in Steamboat, but I digress. So here's how I would have done the tournament some 30+ years after the fact.

Hulk Hogan

Andre the Giant

Randy Savage

Ted Dibiase

One Man Gang

Bam Bam Bigelow

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

Savage wins
Courtesy: WWE

Opening round: Hogan beats One Man Gang. DiBiase gets a win over Jake, Andre beats Bam Bam, and Savage pins Rude. Then DiBiase beats Hogan by count out and Savage wins against Andre by disqualification. This still sets up the finals for DiBiase and Savage, with Savage winning the gold and the celebration goes on as it originally did.

A smaller tournament would have allowed for longer matches. The 14 man concept meant quick matches. The remaining six men, Muraco, Steamboat, Duggan, Greg Valentine, Butch Reed and Dino Bravo could have been injected into the battle royal. Again, I'm not minimizing their contributions, but in hindsight, it was clear none of these Superstars was going to win the gold.

This scenario would have also given us Savage and Rude on pay per view. I don't recall these two ever wrestling in WWE nor WCW. Plus Roberts and DiBiase would have torn it up in the opening round. So much potential there, but of course I'm biased since it's my idea.

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Previous 'Instead of' blogs

Instead of Bundy, how about Brody?

Instead of Debra, how about Luna?

Instead of Slaughter, how about Jake?

Instead of Hart, how about Von Erich?

Instead of Garvin, how about Windham?

Instead of Diesel, how about Bulldog?

Thursday, June 29, 2017

My managerial Mt. Rushmore

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this post, let's address the 600-pound gorilla. My inability to edit photos. I do not know how to do Photoshop, but it is on my list of things to learn sooner rather than later. I made the beautiful pic before you thanks to Snapchat. Now on to my managerial Mt. Rushmore. In my 1-2-3 cents Bobby Heenan, Jim Cornette, Paul Heyman and Jimmy Hart are the creame of the crop when it comes to managers.

Various Heenan Family members
Found on allhiphop.com

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is not only my favorite manager of all-time, but he's on my top 5 of all-time performers in the wrestling business. His timing was perfect whether it was taking a bump or cutting a promo. Even though he was leading guys into war against Hulk Hogan, I could never boo Heenan himself. Sure I disliked King Kong Bundy, "Big" John Studd and eventually Andre the Giant. But I always loved the man behind the Superstars.

In 1998 I had the great honor of meeting Bobby Heenan when he was with WCW. He was just as amazing in person as he had been on TV all those years. My favorite Heenan memory has to be him unveiling the WCW World Championship on an episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge and teasing that Ric Flair would soon be coming to the World Wrestling Federation.

Heenan and the big gold belt
Courtesy: WWE

I'm focusing on his work in the WWF, but of course, Heenan was successful long before his arrival in New York. He managed AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel. He helped "Ravishing" Rick Rude become Intercontinental Champion. Heenan's Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) and The Colossal Connection (Andre and Haku) won tag team gold. Other standouts include Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff and "The King" Harley Race. Bottom line, Bobby was the best.

The Midnight Express
Courtesy: jimcornette.com

Jim Cornette caught my eye when he and the Midnight Express arrived in World Class Championship Wrestling. I had read about him in the Apter magazines before that debut in Texas and despite his antagonizing tendencies, I appreciated the work he was doing. Corny's work on the mic was fantastic and like Heenan, he wasn't afraid to take a bump. The most famous one being (at least that I remember) was at Starrcade '86: The Sky Walkers. Cornette fell from the scaffold and Big Bubba Rogers was supposed to catch the manager but missed.

Cornette, Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji
Courtesy: WWE

Other memorable Cornette moments for me include the screwing over of the Dynamic Dudes in WCW, the creation of Smoky Mountain Wrestling and his tenure in WWE with Yokozuna, Vader, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and the NWA gang. I liked the idea, however, it was crushed out of the gates, no fault to the players involved. I love the fact that I can listen to Cornette twice a week now on his podcasts as he shares memories and a plethora of wrestling knowledge.

The Dangerous Alliance
Courtesy: WWE

I'm definitely a Paul Heyman guy. Even when Paul E. Dangerously was walking around with a Zack Morris-style cell phone, I liked the guy. But not at first. I didn't like his time in the AWA, but once he arrived in WCW and built the Dangerous Alliance I was on board. Rick Rude, "Stunning" Steve Austin, Madusa, Arn Anderson, Larry Zybysko and Bobby Eaton were the best thing going in the company after Ric Flair left and the Four Horsemen dissolved.

Paul and Brock
Courtesy: WWE

Of course to be a good manager one has to be good on the mic. Heyman demonstrated that through the years, eventually creating ECW. I popped like crazy when CM Punk dropped Heyman's name on Monday Night Raw in 2011 and then a short time later the advocate arrived back on the scene. He's done many great things and has added some flavor to Brock Lesnar. Heyman's presence when Brock isn't around is exactly what wrestling fans need.

The Mouth of the South
Courtesy: WWE

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart rounds out my Mt. Rushmore. Hart is another manager I had seen in the Apter mags. But when he showed up in the WWF in 1984 I became a fan of his. The megaphone and the loud suits set him apart from the other managers in the company. He lived up to that Mouth of the South moniker and drove fans insane.

Jimmy Hart and I in 2006
Courtesy: My 1-2-3 Cents

Hart's successes include leading the Hart Foundation to tag team gold. The world was shocked when his charge, the Honky Tonk Man pinned Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the IC Title. Not only did Honky win, he went on to become the longest reigning IC champ ever. That's a record that holds up some 30 years later. The Nasty Boys, The Natural Disasters, Money, Inc., Greg Valentine, The Mountie and the Funk Brothers are just some of the notables he managed. His face turn and run with Hogan and Brutus Beefcake was less desirable to me as a fan, but I never stopped liking what Hart was doing. I also had a chance to meet Hart in 2006 at a WrestleMania Axxess event. I'm also working to get him the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast. And don't discount his work behind the scenes, creating and composing theme songs through the years.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on each of these incredible managers. I appreciate what they've done through the decades to make pro wrestling even more enjoyable. Without them, the business would not have been the same.

Monday, April 17, 2017

WWE's history at the Show Me Center

Cheryl Roberts vs. Rick Rude (Show Me Center)
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Easter Sunday 2017 WWE returned to the Show Me Center. Because of my work schedule, I was not able to make the hour-long drive to Cape Girardeau to see Randy Orton retain the WWE World Championship against AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt. But by attending Southeast Missouri State University, I attended several WWE house shows in the early and mid-1990s.

My first WWE show at the Show Me Center
December 1991

My first show I watched Roddy Piper battle Ric Flair. I've seen Bret Hart defend the WWE Championship against Papa Shango and Randy Savage face Razor Ramon. I witnessed Shawn Michaels retain against Mankind, Sid battle Goldust and an up and coming Steve Austin in the curtain jerker against "The Stalker" Barry Windham. More recently my son and I watched the likes of John Cena, Triple H and The Big Show do their thing in southeast Missouri. I even met and interviewed The Miz at the SMC prior to a live event in 2010.

Cheryl and Rude
Courtesy: WWE

However, one of the most memorable storylines from the late 80s was actually recorded in Cape Girardeau. It wasn't until I moved to southern Illinois and talked with some friends who were there that I realized the incident happened here. It was 1988 and in the post-WrestleMania IV era of wrestling.

Cheryl says "no"
Courtesy: WWE

"Ravishing" Rick Rude had just beaten an enhancement talent and a beautiful woman in the crowd caught his eye. He wanted her to accept his "Rude Awakening" which involved a kiss in the middle of the ring. The woman objected, which had never happened before. When pressed as to why she explained her husband was a WWF Superstar. Rude balked and grabbed the woman by the wrist. That's when Jake "The Snake" Roberts sprang into action and protected the honor of his wife.

This lead to a great feud between Rude and Roberts. Cheryl Roberts became the centerpiece for the battle and gave Rude a snap to the face a time or two during the war. I find it very cool that this all happened in a small town (comparatively) speaking like Cape Girardeau. I never knew WWE did TV tapings at the Show Me Center. That building holds an iconic part of wrestling history.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Rumble Ramblings: #10 The Super Posedown

Super posedown
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since the 2017 Royal Rumble is right around the corner, I've decided to countdown to this year's event with my 10 favorite non-Rumble Royal Rumble matches.

Number 10 isn't really a match. But it led up a huge feud between the two participants. It's the Super Posedown from 1989. The Ulitmate Warrior was the reigning Intercontinental Champion. "Ravishing" Rick Rude wanted a shot at the gold. So instead of putting these two in the ring to wrestle, or have them in the Rumble, it was decided they'd have a SUPER posedown instead.

Warrior!
Courtesy: WWE

These two Superstars were the most physically gifted at the time, and we all remember Vince McMahon's love of bodybuilding, so the showdown makes sense. The crowd reaction was to determine the winner and in not so shocking news, The Warrior was over big time.

I love that Jesse "The Body" Ventura continues to defend Rude despite the fact that the fans were firmly behind the Warrior. He even went so far as to say Warrior's hair was too long and you couldn't see his traps, which is why he was siding with The Ravishing One.

Despite his best efforts, Rude and his manager Bobby Heenan got frustrated and attacked Warrior. Heenan squirted baby oil (you can't have a posedown without oil) in the Warrior's eyes. The Warrior, however, no sold the dousing and Rude nailed the champ from behind with a flex bar. He continued to beat on Warrior before leaving the ring.

These actions resulted in the signing of an IC title match between the two at WrestleMania V. In what I considered a huge upset at the time, Rude pinned Warrior and became the champion. The bad blood returned the following year when Warrior won the WWF Championship and feuded with Rude again.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Famer Friday: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is the greatest wrestling manager of all time. When I put together a list of my five favorite wrestling personalities Heenan is on that list. I can't say enough about the Brain.

A few of my favorite Heenan moments (too many to really list) include the night I met my idol. It was January 1998 and I was about two months into my career as a journalist. I was able to cover a WCW Thunder show happening in Huntsville, Alabama. Before the show started the WCW marketing team hooked me up with some talent to interview. When The Brain came out to the interview area I nearly lost it. I only wish I didn't sound like such an idiot during our talk, but Bobby was great and made me feel at ease.

Hogan vs. Heenan
Courtesy: WWE

Watching Bobby in and out of the ring as a manager was always a good time. My brother and I would laugh at how Heenan would start something with the good guy and then try to run away. He was almost always caught and suffered a beating at the hands of good guys like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan or The British Bulldogs.

Tying Warrior's boot

In 1989 Heenan's first family member in the WWF, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, won gold. Rude pinned the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania V and captured the Intercontinental title. Re-watching the show, The Brain was clearly trying to tie the lace on Warrior's boot while he was suplexing Rude back into the ring. A few months later The Brain Busters would capture the tag team titles. Heenan was on a role and even stepped through the ropes battling Warrior in a series of weasel costume matches. I'll let you figure out who won those contests.

Comparing ice cream to horse manure
Courtesy: WWE

During this time he was doing color commentary too. He and Gorilla Monsoon made a great team, in large part thanks to Heenan's quick wit. In 1991 one of my favorite moments in all of wrestling happened. I still get goosebumps when I watch the clip of Bobby holding the WCW Heavyweight title and announcing the "real world's champion" would be coming to the WWF.

Heenan stuck around a couple more years after that, mostly doing commentary on Raw and pay per views. His managerial days had come to an end. Then in December 1993, then WWF President Gorilla Monsoon tossed Heenan out of the building during Monday Night Raw. It was more than a decade before he'd be back with the company (WrestleMania XX and his Hall of Fame induction).

The new Heenan Family

I still enjoyed Heenan's work in WCW, but he was obviously a WWF guy. He's had a handful of serious health problems over the past few years. I'm glad I've had the chance to not only meet, but also interview one of my all-time favorites. I attempted to honor him with my costume at WrestleMania 27. The Brain is truly one of a kind, a legend and someone I still look up to today.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Famer Friday: "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

Meeting Mr. Wonderful in 2012

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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In 1987 I thought for sure "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff was going to win the WWF Heavyweight Title from Hulk Hogan. The two had been feuding for months and things culminated on a Saturday night in January. I had been on a camping trip that weekend so Sunday afternoon when I got home I popped the tape into the VCR and watched Saturday Night's Main Event. Since I was using a VCR this was obviously long before the internet was around to spoil results.

Cage match
Courtesy: WWE

I watched in excitement as Orndorff climbed up the big blue steel cage and down the other side. But Hogan was doing the same thing across the ring and the Superstars' feet hit the arena floor at the same time. It was a tie. Arugebly that would be the closest "Mr. Wonderful" would ever get to winning gold during his tenure in the WWF.

Being a "rebellious" teenager, I parted ways with the Hulkster and had a new hero in Orndorff. What wasn't to love? He had the patented pile driver, awesome sequined robes and the greatest manager of all time in his corner; Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

Courtesy: WWE

Not only did Orndorff not capture the title that night, but he essentially disappeared from the company for months. He wasn't a part of WrestleMania III which always baffled me until recently. He told Ric Flair during a podcast he was injured at the time. It was weird because his absence was never explained and just months earlier was a half step away from winning the gold. But he did re-emerge and feuded again with Heenan after the Brain acquired the contract of "Ravishing" Rick Rude.

Pretty Wonderful

His time in WWF was limited and he headed off into the sunset for a bit. Eventually Orndorff arrived in WCW, winning the TV Title and tag team championships with Paul Roma. The team was known as Pretty Wonderful and they were, as was Orndorff's career in general. I'm glad to hear the cancer he had been battling is in remission.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Taking off the gloves: Ali belongs in WWE Hall of Fame

Some of the stars of WrestleMania

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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