Wrestling with the Total Solar Eclipse

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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On Monday much of the country will be watching as the Total Solar Eclipse happens. It's the first time the U.S. has experienced a Total Eclipse since 1979. I live in southern Illinois, which is where the Eclipse's totality will be the most. It's been the buzz here for months now, so I figured why not look at some Eclipse related wrestling gimmicks through the years.

NXT Superstar Ember Moon most falls in line with the phenomenon. Not only does her name fit, but so does her finishing move, the Eclipse. It's a diving corkscrew stunner. The move is quite impressive. So is Moon. I really thought she was being groomed to be the one to end Asuka's impressive streak and historic NXt Championship reign. Even though she didn't capture the gold at NXT: Takeover, in my 1-2-3 cents Moon will be a major player on the main roster in the near future.

Konnan & Paul Diamond as Max Moon
Courtesy: WWE

Max Moon, no relation to Ember, was an out of this world Superstar who hit the scene in the early 90s. Konnan originally played the character, but after a contract dispute, Paul Diamond filled the role. Probably his biggest claim to fame was wrestling Shawn Michaels on the very first Monday Night Raw in 1993. By the way, that costume cost about $1,300 to make. The leather was equipped with electronics and pyrotechnic gun.

Sunny
Courtesy: WWE

Sunny has had her ups and downs in the wrestling world. But it's hard to ignore her contribution to the business. When the internet was born, so was Sunny's stardom. She held the distinction of being AOL's most downloaded woman of 1996. Sunny helped blaze the trail for other women in the business. Yes, she's had some controversial moments through the years, but the Hall of Famer made a difference in the business.

The Heavenly Bodies, Jimmy Del Ray, Jim Cornette & Tom Prichard
Courtesy: WWE

Another 90s creation I'm highlighting today: The Heavenly Bodies. Stan Lane and Tom Pritchard are the originals for this team. Jim Cornette was the force behind them at Smoky Mountain Wrestling. There have been several incarnations through the years and the team even ventured into WWE but Jimmy Del Rey had replaced Lane by then. The duo was good but never won the tag team gold, despite great matches with teams like the Rock 'n Roll Express, The Steiner Brothers and the Smoking Gunns. 

The Moondogs
Courtesy: WWE

Finally, the Moondogs get the nod in this Eclipse themed blog. Like the Heavenly Bodies, there have been several versions of the Moondogs. King and Rex were the originals and won the WWF tag-team titles in 1981. However, King left the company and was replaced by Spot. Eventually, the duo was used to put over other talents in the company. Their trademark tattered jeans and giant bones helped put them on the map too. 

These are the Eclipse related talents I came up with. Did I miss anyone? Comment here on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page.

Former WrestleMania guest to perform in southern Illinois

Ozzy & Capt. Lou Albano
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Earlier today (Feb. 15, 2017) I had the pleasure of being on hand for the announcement of a huge concert here in southern Illinois. Ozzy Osbourne will be performing at Walker's Bluff's MoonStock 2017 on Aug. 21. It's part of a HUGE celebration for the total solar eclipse. For those of you not from southern Illinois, this area will be one of the best spots in the country to view the eclipse this summer.

The official announcement
Courtesy: Ashley Smith

Walker's Bluff is a winery that is celebrating with a four-day festival. Ozzy is the main event if you will. After breaking the news on News 3 This Morning on WSIL, there have been hundreds of shares of the story and thousands of people have seen the post. Ozzy is a legend and people here wanna see him perform.

Growing up, I was well aware of Ozzy. My uncle had plenty of Black Sabbath albums. My younger brother was a superfan and attended an Ozzy Osbourne concert in the late 80s. However, I never became obsessed with his music. I liked hits like Mama I'm Coming Home, Crazy Train along with Randy Rhoads and his duet with Lita Ford, Close My Eyes Forever. I know hardcore Ozzy fans are probably screaming at the screen right now.

The British Bulldogs, Capt. Lou & Ozzy
Courtesy: WWE

Here's something else I know and love about Ozzy. He was a guest at WrestleMania II. The Prince of Darkness donned a pink suit (maybe it was salmon) and was the guest cornerman for my favorite tag team The British Bulldogs. Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid were managed by Capt. Lou Albano, but with Ozzy in their corner they ended up capturing the WWF Tag Team Titles from Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. I don't know the reason, other than they wanted celebrities there and both Ozzy and the Bulldogs are from England.

DX & Ozzy
Courtesy: WWE

Ozzy and his family became household names years later with their reality show. In 2007 he performed on Friday Night SmackDown. And two years later, he and wife, Sharon were guest General Managers of Monday Night Raw. Ozzy is a wrestling fan and that gets points with me. 

But I digress... If you want to learn more about MoonStock, Ozzy's performance and the special Solar Red wine to commemorate the event, click here.