My 1-2-3 Cents : Vince McMahon

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

You never know what you're going to come across on the world wide web. I recently saw a post in a Facebook group I'm a part of called 'The Von Erichs' that stated Kerry Von Erich was one of three men considered for the role of Ivan Drago in the iconic film Rocky IV. I've been a fan of pro wrestling since the early 80s and had never heard this story. I did some searching and found that one of the other contenders for the role, Nikita Koloff confirmed the story.

The role eventually went to Dolph Lungren. But how cool would it have been for Kerry to have won the part? I'm a self-confessed KVE mark. It was his match against Ric Flair inside a steel cage in 1982 that helped hook me on wrestling. My fandom for him never wavered. I can admit Kerry wasn't the greatest on the mic. However to think that he could have been in my favorite film of the Rocky franchise would have been amazing.

In doing the research for this post, I found an interview with Koloff who explained why Kerry didn't get the role. Simply put, it sounds like he wasn't prepared at the audition. I find it interesting a wrestler from the NWA and World Class Championship Wrestling were under consideration and not a WWF Superstar. Remember just a few years earlier, Hulk Hogan was a small part of Rocky III. Some would argue that move is what helped put Hulkamania on the map.

I wonder how life for Kerry or Nikita would have changed inside the ring. Drago is an iconic movie villain. Rocky IV is the highest grossing film of the franchise, making more than $300 million worldwide. One would have to assume Vince McMahon would have loved that kind of publicity in his company, snatching up either Von Erich or Koloff much like he did with Hogan during the publicity for Rocky III.

We all know Kerry eventually went to the WWE but not until 1990. Koloff never made it up north, but he would have been a great foil for Hulkamania as the mighty Russian heel. I've fantasy booked Kerry in the WWF before so I won't repeat myself here.

Kerry did have a small role in the film Problem Child, something I learned years after the fact. He had the look but could he have done the role of Ivan Drago justice on the big screen? We'll never know but it's fun to think of where his career would have gone had he gotten the part.

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Friday, July 27, 2018

What if Hulk Hogan never existed?

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

First, credit where credit is due. Tom and Jason Skull tackle the topic of Hulk Hogan not existing and who would Vince McMahon have picked to lead the way for his expansion of sports entertainment. You can listen to all of their picks on this week's SkullBuster WrestleCast here. I agree with most of their ideas but when I saw the headline for the show one name stood out to me immediately and that's Kerry Von Erich.

Kerry vs. Flair (1982)

I've professed my fandom for Kerry numerous times here on the blog and on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. His 1982 steel cage match against Ric Flair is one of the moments that hooked me and made me a fan. Yes, he ruled Texas but could have ruled the world and taken pro wrestling to the next level. Here's why I believe that...

Kerry as NWA Champion

Back in 1984, Hulk Hogan beat the Iron Sheik for the WWF Championship. A few months later, Kerry pinned Flair at Texas Stadium to win the NWA World Championship. His reign only lasted 18 days. But fans clearly loved Kerry and voted him Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 'Most Popular Wrestler' that year. I believe those awards were legitimately selected by readers of the magazine (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). The match against Flair was also voted 'Match of the Year'.

The Hulkster

So that being said, there's no doubt McMahon and the machine could have propelled Kerry even further into Superstardom. Hogan had been back in the WWF less than a month when he pinned Sheik for the title. Kerry could have easily started at that same time frame and pulled off the victory. That's not to say Hogan only made his success based on McMahon's marketing. It was a team effort, coupled with the right mix of opponents for Hogan like Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton in the early days.

Kerry had the look. His physique was phenomenal. He was young. Had he beat Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden in January 1984, he would have been champ at age 23. Hogan was 30. Kerry's mic skills weren't great and he wasn't as large a personality as Hogan. However, I think some of those skills could have been taught along the way or even prior to the victory at MSG.

Kerry vs. One Man Gang

Kerry faced guys like Kamala, One Man Gang and Terry Gordy in World Class Championship Wrestling and slammed all of them. Hogan battled many of these same monster heels in WWF. Because I saw him first and became a fast fan, Kerry was always the bigger deal to me than Hogan. He could do no wrong, but I know that wasn't always the case.

Kerry had a problem with addiction. I never noticed it impeding his ability. Imagine had he had all of those problems in check how much more potential he would have had. Perhaps outside of Texas and under the WWF/Titan Sports umbrella he could have and would have gotten the necessary treatment.

Kerry vs. Mr. Perfect
Courtesy: WWE

Eventually, Kerry did make it to New York. As the Texas Tornado, he had a short run as Intercontinental Champion. I'm bummed it didn't last longer than that. But I'm grateful he had a chance to shine on the grandest stage of all for a brief period of time.

A few others I could have seen in the role of Hogan; "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. He was a bit older but wildly popular prior to Vince Jr. taking over the WWF. Sgt. Slaughter and Junkyard Dog fall into a similar category. I won't name the other guy because he was a surprise pick mentioned in the podcast, so go listen.

Who are your choices and why? Weigh in here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page.

Monday, May 21, 2018

3 best cage match endings

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Pro wrestling has a rich history of steel cage matches. The endings to these contests often stay etched in the memory of fans. There are many great ones, but I've narrowed it down to my three favorites. Yes, the headline says best. But it's really my favorite. (These are in no particular order.)

1. Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair, Christmas Day 1982. This match stands out to me for a couple of reasons. It features two of my all-time favorites. It's also the very first match I remember watching as a young fan. I was nine years old and the Modern Day Warrior quickly captured my attention.

Michael Hayes was serving as special guest referee. Terry Gordy stood guard outside the ring. Back then the Freebirds and the Von Erich brothers were allies. That changed on this night as Kerry could have taken advantage of Flair's misfortune with Hayes, Von Erich refused. This enraged Hayes and Gordy slammed the cage door on Kerry's face. This set up Flair to get the win and started one of the greatest rivalries in pro wrestling history.

Tie!

2. Hulk Hogan vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, January 1987. I was in eighth grade when this match happened on Saturday Night's Main Event. I was away for the weekend on a Boy Scout campout and could not wait to get home that Sunday afternoon to watch the show on VHS.

I had been a Hulkamaniac since first seeing Hulk Hogan burst on the scene. However, in my rebellious teenage phase, I turned my back on the Hulkster and wanted "Mr. Wonderful" to win. And I thought he was going to. This is the cage match where both men dropped to the arena floor at the same time. Even in the instant replay, it was too close to call. I loved this ending but it didn't take long for the Hulkster to come back and retain the championship.

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon, February 1999. One of the hottest feuds of all-time is the Austin-McMahon rivalry. The two hated each other with a passion and put their hatred to the test inside a cage for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre event. The ending of this match is iconic too (obviously or I wouldn't be writing this).

The debuting Big Show (aka Paul Wight) burst through the ring from underneath. He assaulted Austin and chucked the former champion into a wall of the cage. It came off and Austin slid to the floor to victory. It was one of the coolest finishes I can recall and it set up Big Show to be the newest monster on the WWE roster.

Obvious honorable mentions include Jimmy Snuka vs. Bob Backlund when "Superfly" leaped off the top of the cage. Big Bossman vs. Hulk Hogan and the superplex Hogan delivered on SNME. And Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff when Dusty came in to help Flair and the Horsemen turned on him and broke his ankle.

What are your favorite cage match endings? Share here and be sure to see more steel cage action this Saturday night (May 26) at Pinckneyville High School as Stride Goes Steel in the 'Ville.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Remembering Bruno

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

When I became a pro wrestling fan Bruno Sammartino was a part-time performer in the ring. He provided color commentary on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, a syndicated problem I watched each Sunday morning on KPLR. He would have occasional spats with Jesse Ventura as Bruno and the third man on the team Vince McMahon were clearly in favor of the fan favorites.

Bruno did still step into the ring from time to time. I remember specific feuds with Roddy Piper and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. His only WrestleMania match was in the Battle Royal in Chicago at the second installment of the event. He seconded his son David at the original WrestleMania. Admittedly I was a Hulkamaniac in this era, but I did recognize and appreciate what Bruno had done for the industry.

Hall of Fame induction

Then there was a huge dispute between Sammartino and McMahon. That estranged relationship lasted decades before Triple H seemingly mended fences and invited Bruno to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. This was exciting news to me as Chad and I had already made plans to attend WrestleMania 29 that year in New Jersey. What made the deal even sweeter was the ceremony was going to be held at Madison Square Garden, the building Bruno sold out time and time again. Several times that night I tried wrapping my brain around the fact that I was finally at MSG. I closed my eyes more than once and pictured the building being set up for the matches and could hear that infamous bell ring and Howard Finkle's voice on the mic that dropped down from the ceiling.

With the Bruno statue after it was unveiled in New Orleans

Bruno still holds the record for the longest reigning WWF (now WWE) Heavyweight Champion at more than 4,000 days. I'm glad WWE officials and Bruno were able to re-establish their relationship. While he didn't make many appearances after his induction, it's gratifying to know he did take his rightful place in the eyes of WWE and a new generation of pro wrestling fans have had a chance to learn something about Bruno. Plus there's the permanent memorial in the form of the statue unveiled in 2014.

May he rest in peace.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Royal Rumble winners

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's hard to believe the Royal Rumble has been around 30 years. So ahead of next week's show, I came up with some fun facts, mostly about the winners, but I had to stretch on some of them. Most of these I knew, but full disclosure, I had to look some info up.

1988 - Jim Duggan: First Royal Rumble winner

1989 - "Big" John Studd - Went on to WrestleMania 5 to be a special guest referee and not wrestle.

1990 - Hulk Hogan: First time a WWF Champion won the Rumble.

1991 - Hulk Hogan: First Superstar to win back to back Royal Rumbles

1992 - Ric Flair: The first heel to win the Royal Rumble and for the first time the WWE Championship was awarded to the winner.

1993 - Yokozuna: First Superstar to win the match under the stipulation that the winner gets a championship match at WrestleMania.

1994 - Bret Hart & Lex Luger: First (and only) co-winners of the Royal Rumble.

1995 - Shawn Michaels: First Superstar to draw number one and win the Rumble.

1996 - Shawn Michaels: Won the match a second time and had the same number of eliminations both years (8).

1997 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: First time a Superstar was eliminated from the match and came back to win the Rumble.

1998 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: Went toe to toe the night after winning the Rumble with Mike Tyson on Monday Night Raw.

1999 - Vince McMahon - First non-Superstar to win the Rumble.

2000 - The Rock: First time a Royal Rumble winner went on to WrestleMania to face three other competitors for the Championship.

2001 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: First three-time winner of the Rumble.

2002 - Triple H: First time the winner challenged for the "Undisputed WWE Championship".

2003 - Brock Lesnar: First winner of the Royal Rumble under a brand split.

2004 - Chris Benoit: Won the Rumble as a SmackDown! Superstart but switched brands to challenge the Raw Champion (Triple H).

2005 - Batista: Won the Rumble and for the first time, the second runner-up challenged the opposing show's champion (John Cena challenged JBL).

2006 - Rey Mysterio: First Superstar under 200 pounds to win the Rumble.

2007 - Undertaker: First Superstar to draw number 30 and win the Rumble.

2008 - John Cena: First time a Superstar no one could see won the Royal Rumble.

2009 - Randy Orton: First time the final two men in the Rumble went on to face each other WrestleMania. Triple H won the WWE Championship the next month at No Way Out in the Elimination Chamber.

2010 - Edge: Up to that time the Superstar who spent the least amount of time in the match to win the Rumble (7:19).

2011 - Alberto Del Rio: First Superstar to outlast 39 other Superstars.

2012 - Sheamus: Yes, Sheamus won. But this marked the first time all three members of the commentary team also competed in the Royal Rumble (Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole and Booker T).

2013 - John Cena: First year an NXT Superstar competed in the Rumble (Bo Dallas).

2014 - Batista: Eliminated Roman Reigns moments after the "Big Dog" set a new record for most eliminations in a single Rumble match (12).

2015 - Roman Reigns: First time a Royal Rumble winner was pinned in the Championship match by a Money in the Bank winner cashing in (Seth Rollins).

2016 - Triple H: First time the WWE Championship was defended in the match. Reigns came in as champ and lost the title that night, only to go on and regain it from Triple H at WrestleMania 32.

2017 - Randy Orton: Announced he was giving up his Championship match after Bray Wyatt won the gold at No Way Out, but it turned out to be a swerve by Orton.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

The Montreal Screwjob 20 years later

The Montreal Screwjob
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's hard to believe but on this night 20 years ago, one of the most talked about incidents in wrestling history went down. Vince McMahon "screwed" Bret Hart at the end of Survivor Series 1997 in what has become known as the Montreal Screwjob. You're reading this, so you're most likely a pro wrestling fan and up to speed on what happened that night. Today I'm just going to share some of my thoughts in the aftermath as well as those of some of the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook friends.

There are different stories floating around out there as to who truly knew what was going on that night. Some still believe the whole thing was a work. Others, like me, know that the incident was not part of a storyline and one of the most real moments ever. (Heck, it even inspired an adult film, at least that's what I'm told.)

Two decades later, I still feel bad to an extent for Bret. I know it's a business and according to many, Bret didn't want to cooperate that night with the plan. Vince McMahon had every right to protect what is his and he could not afford to have Bret show up on WCW Nitro the next night with the WWF Championship. In that regard, I don't blame he or Shawn for what went down.

Bret screwed Bret?
Courtesy: WWE

Had it not happened, the tide may have not turned into WWF's favor. The Attitude Era was just starting, but I wonder how strong it would have become without that heel authority figure Mr. McMahon coming to light. The Screwjob was the catalyst for that.

Bret Hart in WCW
Courtesy: WWE

I feel bad for Bret not so much for what Vince McMahon did, but with what WCW did with him once he arrived. His run there was nothing spectacular. For some reason, something just didn't connect with him and the audience. A similar case could be made for "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper too.

Shawn Michaels suffered a major injury months after the Screwjob. It happened at the Royal Rumble in 1998 and by the end of WrestleMania 14, he was physically done. We wouldn't see him wrestle again for four years. I'm not saying karma had any role in that, but I'm also not saying it didn't. Again, I don't blame Shawn for his role in the incident. Like Vince, he had to protect himself and his interests too.

I liked Bret Hart, but I wouldn't rank him in my personal top ten. Despite watching both Raw and Nitro, I was always a WWF guy first. Bret's departure in that regard hurt. He was another big name Superstar to jump ship and at that point, WWF wasn't seeing much of WCW's top talent crossing over. Six months or so later though that would change and WWF would take over again in the Mondy Night War.

Making up
Courtesy: WWE

So for my 1-2-3 cents, yes, I'm glad the Montreal Screwjob happened. I'm sorry that Bret got hurt as a result though, but I'm happy he and Vince and Shawn were all able to make amends so many years later. But had it not happened, who knows where the business would be today. Now for your 3 cents on the situation...

"I could never stand Bret. So I loved it when they screwed him over. Honestly, it made the attitude era even better. It gave us the evil Mr. McMahon character." - Joshua

"I've disliked Vince for several reasons, but agree with his statement that Brett screwed Brett. Brett was jumping ship to the competition. The infamous madison square garden incident could have been rivaled in infamy by Brett bringing the WWF strap to WCW. You had to understand the times back then to see things from Vince's eyes. WWF was in a decline to a rejuvenated and up and coming challenger which hadn't really happened to Vince at the time." - Michael

"Bret Hart was my favorite wrestler when I was in junior high and high school. I loved everything he did. I was obsessed with the Montreal Screwjob after it happened. I’ve watched Wrestling With Shadows several times, and still, own it on VHS and DVD.

After Montreal happened I was super excited to see Bret go to WCW. I loved the idea of seeing what Bret would do in a new company. Especially with as white-hot as the NWO was at the time.

And then he eventually showed up in WCW a few months later, and it was one disaster after another for Bret. WCW had no idea what to do with him. He should have been on Nitro the very next night and given a live microphone to air his grievances. Why on Earth would they not think that was the best idea possible? I’ll never understand. I believe they initially brought him in as the guest referee like three months after Montreal, but I could be wrong about that.

Bret’s two defining moments in WCW were his match against Chris Benoit after Owen died, and the night he wore the metal around his abdomen and made Goldberg knock himself out.

Bret in WCW was a major disappointment. Tragic really. The kick he took to the head from Goldberg set off a series of unfortunate events that Bret has never really recovered from. To this day Bret seems like a shell of his former self, and still extremely bitter regarding how his career turned out.

I could go on for an hour writing about Bret Hart, so I’ll just stop now." -Sam

"They did Bret Hart wrong. He wanted to go down as a legend on home soil. We all know the Macmahons only care about themselves!" - Matt

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Vince McMahon is NOT the Grinch

Santa & John Cena
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter