My First Time

Photo courtesy: @TheHistoryofWWE on Twitter

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Although I share a lot on this blog, I'm not going where you might think I am with the title of this post. I'm referring to the first live wrestling matches I ever attended.  Thanks to the power of social media, and @TheHistoryofWWE on Twitter, I confirmed the date.

December 27, 1984, my dad, brother, uncles, cousins, and friends headed to the famed St. Louis Arena for a night of WWF action.  Hulk Hogan defended his WWF championship against Brutus Beefcake, long before he became known as "The Barber." A vile "Rowdy" Roddy Piper locked up with the Junkyard Dog, with Lou Thesz as the special guest referee, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka battled Piper's main man "Cowboy" Bob Orton.

Looking back on the night, it was a who's who of the WWE Hall of Fame these days.  The notable absence being Andre the Giant, who I unfortunately never got to see wrestle in person.  But that night at the Arena was so much fun none-the-less.  I had been watching wrestling for just over a year at that point.  I had become a fanatic about it earlier in the year.  I was just buying into the whole "Hulkamania" craze, so, of course, we all went wild when the Hulkster defeated Beefcake in the main event.

We had floor seats at the show and probably sat about eight rows back.  Fans weren't as obnoxious back then as they are now, holding up signs and standing to block the view with every out-of-the-ring moment.  But since we were young marks, we'd run to the entrance side before and after each match, holding to slap hands with the greatness that was before us.  

Unfortunately, I did not bring a camera to this event and capture the action, but many of the moments are still burned in my brain.  Orton and Piper double-teamed Snuka and dropped him crotch-first on the top rope.  That prompted an angry JYD to run off the heels.  Beefcake hit a beautiful high knee (his finisher) in what we thought might end the reign of Hogan, but the Hulkster kicked out and mustered the strength to win.  I also remember feeling bad for SD Jones and watching him go down in defeat to the Spoiler.  I always had a soft spot for Special Delivery, may he rest in peace.  The night also featured a very young, Bret Hart as he wrestled soon to be manager Johnny V to a draw.

The action reaffirmed my love for wrestling and set me on the path of remaining an obsessed fan.  Who knew that night so many years ago would lead me to several more house shows, live WrestleManias, and even a chance to step inside the squared circle.  Thanks to my dad for taking me and sharing that special memory with my brother.  What a night.

The Original J.O.B. Squad

SD Jones
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Long before Al Snow, Bob Holly, and Duane Gill were part of the WWF's J.O.B. Squad, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of "enhancement talent" in the world of professional wrestling.  There are simply too many to name, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite "jobbers" from the 1980's.  Keep in mind, I'm sticking with that decade, and just looking at a handful that I found to be the most memorable.  Our friends on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page shared plenty of theirs already, so please do the same there or right here on this blog.

Special Delivery Jones may very well be the most memorable jobber to me for various reasons.  There was something about SD Jones that I liked.  He was certainly the underdog, rarely if ever winning on WWF TV.  My first house show, Jones was pinned by the Spoiler in the opening contest.  I can still remember cheering for SD, hoping his luck would be different in person than it was on TV.  I was wrong.  Probably the most memorable experience was his appearance at the first Wrestlemania.  If you listen to the WWF history, they say he was pinned by King Kong Bundy in nine seconds.  The match actually goes a bit longer than that, but none-the-less it burned a memory in my brain.  I also have a fond memory of SD being Andre the Giant's tag team partner the night Big John Studd and Ken Patera slammed the giant and cut his hair.  Jones got knocked out to the floor while the heels did their thing.

Me & SD Jones

He's the only jobber (at least that I define as a jobber) who had an LJN figure made in his likeness.  I still have mine, although I guess one could argue fellas like Ted Arcidi, Outback Jack, and Cpl. Kirchner all had figures too.  Finally, I had a chance to hear SD Jones speak at the 2006 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  He inducted long time friend Tony Atlas into the hall.  I never realized the two were so close, and had been a tag team years before either had signed with the WWF.  Sadly, SD Jones is no longer with us, but the memories of his matches and the effort he put forth will not be forgotten.

Paul Roma in the early days
Photo courtesy: WWE

Before Paul Roma was pretty or a member of the 4 Horsemen, he was a jobber in the WWF.  His career there started off in 1985.  He found himself on the losing end of most of his matches in those early days.  But Roma had a look about him that set him a part from most jobbers.  Paul was in good shape, athletic, and young.  He just needed a break.

In 1987, he was paired with fellow jobber Jim Powers. The two became known as the Young Stallions and actually made a name for themselves.  If memory serves me correctly, the beat the Hart Foundation either before the Harts won the tag team titles or in a non-title contest.  The Stallions and the Killer Bees were also the surviving teams in the big tag team elimination match at the first Survivor Series.

Roma eventually turned heel and teamed up with Hercules forming the duo Power & Glory.  The tandem was managed by Slick, but only had mild success, picking up perhaps their most notable win over the Rockers at SummerSlam 90.  Roma headed to WCW where he continued to climb the ranks, even becoming a member of the 4 Horsemen.  It was there, Roma would win gold by becoming a tag team champion with Arn Anderson and twice more with Paul Orndorff.  This team, Pretty Wonderful, was probably Roma's most successful run.

I recently saw Roma at WrestleCon in New Jersey.  He looked to be in great shape still.  He's one guy I always wondered why the WWF didn't do more with during his initial run with the company.  But I guess not everyone can be a champion, right?

Iron Mike Sharpe
Photo courtesy: WWE

Iron Mike Sharpe was always up to no good in the WWF.  His leather forearm cover always stood out to me as he tired in vain to hide something in there to get the upper hand.  It never worked though.  I'm trying to recall if I ever saw Sharpe win a match.  He seemed to be the guy who not only jobbed to the Junkyard Dog or George Steele, but also SD Jones and Paul Roma.

Actually, I stand corrected.  I just read some more details on Sharpe's WWF career and he actually pinned Boris Zhukov in the King of the Ring tournament in the late 1980's.  I'd say that's probably his biggest accomplishment in the WWF, but he did win titles in other promotions around the country.  He also comes from a rich linage of wrestling history.

These guys are just a few of the memorable jobbers from my childhood.  Like I said before, someone has to do it.  As Al Snow would say, "pin me, pay me."

Black History Month: S.D. Jones

Special Delivery Jones

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Of all the jobbers I watched in the 1980's, I think S.D. Jones may have been my favorite.  He only ever won a handful of matches (if even that many) when I started watching wrestling in 1983.  In fact, my first house show was a WWF event in late 1984, he was in the opener against the spoiler, and you guessed it, he got pinned.

But I liked SD.  Oh yeah, SD=Special Delivery in case you didn't know.  Anyway, I always felt bad for SD because I knew what his fate was going to be.  A few of my favorite memories of him include one in 1984 when he and Andre the Giant teamed up against Ken Patera and Big John Studd.  This was the infamous Andre haircutting incident.  I think the WWF was still on the Superstation TBS back then.  Jones got knocked out of the ring and hit the guardrail, while Studd and Patera double slammed Andre and cut his hair.  Since Jones was a jobber, there wasn't much he could do to help his fallen partner.

Then of course probably his biggest match of his WWF career came at the first Wrestlemania.  Howard Finkel, Gorilla Monsoon, and Jesse Ventura claim Jones was pinned in 9 seconds by King Kong Bundy, but the match is a bit longer than that (it's closer to 23 seconds)  No doubt the promos and ring entrances lasted longer than the match.  Poor SD.

SD Jones in toy form

But he must have had some fan appeal as he was the only true jobber the LJN made into an action figure.  And yes, I still own my SD Jones "wrestling doll".  Die hard fans will know that there are two versions of this figure, one with the red shirt and one in the Hawaiian shirt.

Sadly SD never climbed the ladder of success in the WWF, but he did an excellent job of making other wrestlers look their very best.  That's the role of a jobber after all.  I got to see him induct his friend and former tag team partner Tony Atlas into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2006.  It's something I'm glad I got to see as Jones died in 2008.  By the way, Atlas and Jones held the USA Tag Team titles, and Jones was a three time coholder of the NWA Americas Tag Team titles.  If the WWE ever does our idea for a jobbers wing of the Hall of Fame, Jones in my opinion should be in the first class of inductees.  Rest in Peace Special Delivery.