WWE has announced another inductee into the Hall of Fame for the Class of 2017. It's former referee, manager and general manager Teddy Long. I must say the list so far is completely different from the "leaked" list I saw online earlier this year. Long is definitely worthy of going into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Johnny B. Badd & Teddy Courtesy: WWE
I remember Long from many years ago when he was a ref for NWA/WCW. But similar to what the WWF had done with Danny Davis, WCW moved Long from the stripes to a suit and made him a manager. His stable included guys like Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed), The Skyscrapers (Dan Spivey, Sid Vicious and Mark Callous) Johnny B. Badd and Norman the Lunatic. He enjoyed moderate success as a manager before heading to WWF in 1998 and once again becoming a referee. After a few years, he returned to his managerial ways, leading the charge for heels like Rodney Mack, Mark Henry and Chris Nowinski. He was managing in an era when managers were falling out of fashion and eventually transitioned into a general manager.
Teddy Long in action as GM Courtesy: WWE
Long was with the company for quite a while and has made plenty of great memories for fans from several generations. I'm happy to hear he's going in the Hall of Fame and honestly was an unexpected one who had kinda fallen off my radar.
By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter Updated at 4:30pm CST By now, you've probably seen the news that nine Superstars, one Diva, and one referee have been released from their WWE contracts. I'm not surprised by this, as the company has called up some great talent from NXT in recent months. And with the exception of Mason Ryan and Ezekiel Jackson, I don't think there have been many people let go in quite some time.
The latest round of layoffs includes: JTG Drew McIntyre Jinder Mahal Aksana Curt Hawkins Teddy Long Camacho Brodus Clay Evan Bourne Yoshi Tatsu Marc Harris (referee)
Brodus Clay
Photo courtesy: WWE
I'm not going to analyze everyone on the list, but there were some names that I'm disappointed are on the list. Of course, I feel bad for anyone who loses their job, but these three that I'm going to talk about impact me the most. I really wish that Brodus Clay would have been given more of a chance. I enjoyed the Funkasaurus character, but I think ultimately it ended up hurting the guy. He made the most of it, and it entertained me, but I always saw him as a monster heel type. Unfortunately when Tons of Funk split up, we never really got to see that beast get unleashed.
Evan Bourne
Photo courtesy: WWE
Evan Bourne hasn't wrestled in years at this point after facing suspensions and injuries. I really hoped they would have brought him back in, and reunited him with Kofi Kingston. Both always seem to get overlooked as singles competitors, but I really like the duo as Air Boom. They were bringing stability to the tag team ranks a couple of years ago, until Evan got suspended. I would have also like to seen Bourne work with the current NXT champion Adrian Neville.
Jinder Mahal & Drew McIntyre
Photo courtesy: WWE
I've liked Drew McIntyre since day one. I really think the WWE dropped the ball on him, and maybe he dropped it too. I shouldn't just blame the creative team. To me, Drew had so much potential in those early days. I think he became a victim of his own success and ended up like a lot of guys do when the company is hot on them for a short period. See Curtis Axel, Ryback, and Sin Cara and you'll understand that. I must also say I marked out pretty hard in New Orleans this year when we ran into to Drew while hanging out with some of the NXT guys. He approached our group of non-WWE guys and shook our hands and was quite cool to us.
I have no doubt that these talents will all find work on the independent scene. TNA may pick up a few, but I don't see them as a better alternative. I'd assume Bourne will go to ROH once he's healthy. Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling may grab some too. No matter what, I wish all of these stars the best of luck.
As much as I want this to be a blog about the popular 80's sitcom by the same name, it is not. The task at hand today is addressing the maze of management that currently reigns on WWE programming. I meant to tackle the topic last week, but got busy with other things.
The late, great Jack Tunney Photo courtesy: WWE
I'm trying to be less negative about my posts, but this blog will take me away from that goal. I miss the 80's and 90's when the "authority figure" was only on TV for special appearances. Jack Tunney only showed up a handful of times to lay down the law. Often times, his directives were read by the announce team or the back stage interviewer. He wasn't a part of the weekly show or pay per view. Even in the early 90's, when Roddy Piper and Gorilla Monsoon became "President" of the WWF, they very rarely were so involved in the story.
Triple H, Brad, & Steph Photo courtesy: WWE
Right now, there are no less than 5 people vying for the role on WWE programming. Brad Maddox is finding his way as the Raw General Manager. Vickie Guerrero is the new GM of SmackDown. Now, each week we're getting doses of Vince McMahon, the CEO, his son-in-law Triple H, the COO, and Vince's daughter Stephanie, Director of Creative (I think that's the title they've given her on air). Let's not forget the two men recently relieved of their duties, Booker T and Teddy Long. I suspect we haven't seen the last of them either. And did I miss something or is Alex Riley hanging out with Brad now too. Is he the assistant GM?
Past bosses Photo from Bleacher Report
The constant rotation of authority figures is nothing new. We saw the guest GMs a couple of years ago. Then superstars have come and gone and had their time back in the spotlight. It seems to me like it's a lazy way to work past stars or guys they have nothing for into some kind of on camera role. I can accept a GM. Maybe even an assistant. But is it necessary to have the McMahon-Triple H faction on weekly as well? I know this is all leading to some sort of power struggle between Vince and Trips, and Maddox and Guerrero are merely the pawns in the game. I'd much rather see the company continue to focus on the wrestling, like the series of matches Daniel Bryan went through on Raw. They were simply amazing.
I know it's the era of sports entertainment, but we're not all entertained by everything we see. I hate to hate on anything, especially the Divas, but that segment on Raw with Miz and Jerry Lawler and the stars of the new Divas show was one of the worst segments in recent memory to me. Many of these ladies are talented and need a chance to shine, not be part of a skit to promote a show on E! But again, I get that the days of "wrestling" have been replaced for the most part with "entertainment."
Okay, ranting over. Thanks for reading, I appreciate the support.
In the late 1980's, a lunatic was on the loose in the NWA. His name was Norman and he wrestled in the clothes he wore after escaping the psych ward. Norman's manager, Teddy Long carried a key to keep his man in line. The key served as a reminder that if Norman didn't do Teddy's bidding, the big man would be re-admitted to the insane asylum.
Finally of course, Norman did break free of Teddy's evil grasp. While still under Long's tutelage, fans would bring Norman teddy bears, which set Long off too. Even "Dr. Death" Steve Williams presented the lunatic with a bear. As a face, Norman (real name Mike Shaw) dropped the lunatic from his moniker and just wrestled as Norman. It was very similar to the George "The Animal" Steele face turn in the mid 80's in the WWF. He became that character fans could get behind and feel sorry for. Eventually, Norman got a job as a truck driver, which was a tribute to Shaw's dad.
A more lovable lunatic
In 1993, he would head to WWF, where he shaved his mangy hair and became Friar Ferguson. It was a gimmick that literally lasted weeks, before he became Bastion Booger. While he probably enjoyed his most success while in Stampede, he became better known after his stints in NWA and the WWF. Sadly, Shaw died in 2010 after suffering a heart attack. He was only 53 years old.
But let's remember the good times Shaw provide fans. While Norman may have never held gold during his run in the NWA, he definitely won the hearts of the fans after changing his ways and feuding with Teddy Long and Kevin Sullivan.
I've been watching wrestling for so long that I remember when Teddy Long was merely a referee in the old NWA (National Wrestling Alliance that is). But a couple of years after the WWF had turned referee Danny Davis into a heel, the NWA decided to try it with Long. But unlike Davis, Long became a heel manager.
His first charge would be Norman the Lunatic. Long soon added the Skyscapers to his stable too. Doom, the One Man Gang, and Johnny B. Badd were just a few of the men he managed. At one point during his stint in WCW, he turned face and managed jobbers like Jim Powers and Joey Maggs. In 1999, he headed to the WWF, but returned to his refereeing roots.
About three years into his run with the company, he started the heel managing gimmick again. D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, Rodney Mack, and Jazz were among the wrestlers he guided through the mat wars. In 2004 (I can't believe it's been that long ago) Long became the General Manager of SmackDown! after Kurt Angle was "fired" from the role. He turned face and worked to even the odds for the other faces in the company with the decisions he made each week.
(Yes, the Undertaker is in the video below, when he was "Mean" Mark)
Is he dead? No playa, he'll be fine (WWE)
Through the years, Long would be involved in different angles, including one that saw him have a heart attack on his wedding day to Diva Kristal Marshall (remember, wrestling weddings NEVER go as planned) While he was offer recovering, Marshall and her real life boyfriend Bobby Lashley left the company. In Long's absence, Vicky Guerrera was named the GM of SmackDown! and when he returned from his heart attack/coma, he was placed as her assistant.
Things didn't work out so well for Long, and he "quit" before being reassigned to ECW. Eventually, he'd go back to SmackDown! where he continues to serve as the GM. But with the recent developments on Elimination Chamber, it appears that the WWE is looking to consolidate the role of GM between Raw's John Laurinaitis and Long. Since Johnny Boy seems to be the focal point right now of story lines, I can't imagine Teddy will be around for (pardon me) very long.
I love his suits
I don't think getting rid of him as GM would necessarily be a bad thing, as I'd like to see him return to his role of a manager. There is clearly a void in that position in wrestling today. Since he has already been a successful manager in the past, I think it would be great to see him doing it again. There's is plenty of young talent on both rosters who could benefit by someone with Long's knowledge.
Perhaps this could be the return to an endeavor that once made Long a household name among wrestling fans. Only time will tell, but please let's hope there's no "wrestling" matches planned between Long and Laurinaitis anytime soon.
Halloween Havoc was a pay per view concept created by the NWA back in 1989. The event obviously aired in October, near Halloween and often featured some spooky, scary, or downright silly gimmicks, matches, and characters. I'll be writing about several of them this month. Today's submission though is a tag team that debuted at the first ever event: Doom.
Quick back story Nancy Sullivan, aka Woman back then, was managing the Steiner Brothers. Her gimmick was a bit of a nerd and she had a crush on Rick Steiner. The brothers took her in, as well as Missy Hyatt if memory serves me right. Woman eventually turned on the duo and said the Steiners would meet their doom at the first ever Halloween Havoc.
And that's when Ron Simmons and Butch Reed arrived on the scene. Both wrestled under black masks and wore long black pants. They were a tough team and beat the Steiners in their debut as a team. Not too shabby. I remember back then knowing it was Ron Simmons and Butch Reed, but still enjoyed the masked gimmick. Up until that point, I felt like Simmons had been kind of lost in the shuffle of the NWA. Reed had just had a less than stellar run as "the Natural" in the WWF. So this pairing helped reignite both their careers.
Tag team champions
The two would win the tag team titles, but lose their masks too. They also lost their Woman, and picked up Teddy Long as a manager. Doom was without a doubt my favorite WCW tag team at that time. I watched their St. Louis Street Fight with Arn Anderson and Barry Windham live in person at Starrcade 1990. The match ended in a no contest I believe, which I don't understand how a street fight ends without a winner.
Doom eventually disbanded though, and Simmons became the face. He soundly defeated Reed in several matches and continued to rise in the ranks. He eventually won the WCW world title in 1992. Reed meanwhile fell off the face of the wrestling earth for the most part. But there was a time in the late 80's and early 90's when the tag team scene was Doomed!
Thoughts? Post them here or like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
