I'm not making excuses, but kind of. This week is a crazy one for me as I work on a couple of big projects. But I don't want my brand to suffer as a result, so I've sought out some quotes from people I find inspiring and wanted to share their words with you. I truly believe 2017 will be a banner year for My 1-2-3 Cents. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and supports all my endeavors.
Growing up in the 80's lead to a Star Wars obsession for me. I was four when New Hope came out. By the time Return of the Jedi hit theaters, I was all in with my fandom. I had been collecting the action figures along the way and the bigger toys that came along too.
I can remember some of those big ticket items that were under the Christmas tree. While I loved all the Star Wars toys I had, three in particular bring back fond memories. Jabba the Hut is one of my favorite characters, so it goes without saying when I added his playset to the collection it was a good day. Jabba came perched on his stand that you could flip open with the turn of a nob on front of the toy. I'm sure there's an official name for these features, but I'm writing this from memory. It also included the annoying little sidekick Salacious B. Crumb and the hookah device Jabba used. I paired the set with the Rancor.
The Ewok Village was another favorite. This too was from the Jedi collection of toys. It included all kinds of features like a net to drop down on intruders, a built in slide and a hand operated elevator. This was a pretty large and elaborate toy that I spent hours on end playing with as a kid, along with all the Ewoks.
I also had an amazing time with the Dagobah playset. That was Yoda's home we first saw in Empire Strikes Back. The thing I remember most about this was the spongy area that served as quicksand, just like in the movie. You could push an action figure through it sending them to their death. There was also an area for setting up "duels" between action figures.
There were a ton of Star Wars toys that came through our house in the early 80's. I held on to them all for decades, until in 2006 I decided to sell the collection in an effort to feed my Wrestlemania habit. While I miss those toys, I'll always have the memories from a galaxy far, far away.
It's Valentine's Day. I told my tale of despair and hope on this holiday in yesterday's offering. Click here if you missed it. Today, I'm having some fun with Valentine's I found online. I stuck with the more family friendly versions, but there are plenty of good ones out there. Most of these come from the site Tumblr. Enjoy and Happy Heart Day to you.
"Underoos are fun to wear!" That was the slogan of the popular child's underwear of the 1970's and 80's. They were a pair of briefs and a tshirt with some sort of character printed on them. They often came in different colors and made the Fruit of the Loom tighty whities pail in comparison.
Comic book characters, superheroes, even video game icons were printed on the briefs and shirts. There were a handful of Underoos for girls too, which included Wonder Woman, Super Girl, and Daisy Duke. DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, and Hanna-Barbera worked with the maker of Underoos, Larry Weiss. Eventually, the underwear giant, Fruit of the Loom bought the product and kept the momentum going and adding sets with Star Wars characters, The Transformers, and The Real Ghostbusters.
Superman
When I was a kid I had several different pairs of Underoos. I remember becoming Aqua Man, Superman, and the all knowing Jedi, Yoda. Back then (and now still) I wasn't much into the superhero genre, but there was something about Underoos that made me feel invincible. I also had more traditional cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo. Sorry, I do not have any pics of me dancing around in them...
I don't know exactly when Underoos stopped being produced, but obviously they were fun to wear before hitting the teen years. Now as an adult, you can pick up briefs or boxers with just about any character on them. I've owned my share of Smurfs, Mickey Mouse, and even WWE boxer shorts through the years. Now fans of Duck Dynasty can even get underwear in honor of the show. Again, no pics of me stylin' and profilin' in those either.
Underoos were indeed fun to wear. What kind did you have?
Since it's Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You), I decided let my inner geek out even more so than usual. So I'm booking wrestling stars from the present against some of my favorite Star Wars characters. Keep in mind though, that most of my knowledge is with episodes four, five, and six.
Here's my Star Wars Wrestling Federation card:
Commentators for the night: Yoda & Jim Ross
Skywalker vs. Cena
Luke Skywalker vs. John Cena: Both seem to use "the force" to battle the odds and come from behind for the victory. Like him or not, Cena is still the company's biggest baby face in my opinion, so it only makes sense to put him in there with the original trilogy's ultimate good guy.
Darth Vader vs. The Undertaker: I was originally going to go with Vader vs. Vader here, but I decided to tweak my own rules and go with today's wrestling stars. Undertaker makes sense here as he's been such a dominate force for two decades. Although he's been a face for the vast majority of his career, when he was Big Evil, he reminded me of Lord Vader, getting into the minds and souls of his followers.
Solo vs. Punk
Han Solo vs. CM Punk: Two smart asses who are on a quest to show they're the best in the world. Both guys could also be "the top dog" if only they could step out of their counterparts shadow in Skywalker and Cena. I wonder how Punk would look in carbonite?
Princess Leia vs. Beth Phoenix: Two strong, independent women who know what they want. They have both kicked butt and taken names along the way. How could you go wrong?
Chewbacca vs. The Big Show: Two big guys who spend a lot of time playing second fiddle to the ones they're around. Both are strong and would by no means put on a technical showcase, but I think there would be a lot of fun had in a match between these two behemoths. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Ric Flair: Two legends go toe to toe. One of these guys knew when to hang it up though... Anakin Skywalker vs. Daniel Bryan: Yes, yes, yes! I'm aware that Anakin and Darth Vader are the same person, but for the sake of this blog they are two separate characters in the movies. Both started off (at least Bryan in the WWE/NXT) as baby faces and have since turned to the dark side.
C3PO vs. Jericho
C3PO vs. Chris Jericho: Stay with me on this one. The Droid who is fluent in over six million forms of communication against the wrestler who once claimed to be the man of 1004 holds. Plus, C3PO has his colorful, flashy droid buddy R2-D2, and Jericho has that awesomely flashy jacket. I smell instant classic. The Emperor vs. Hulk Hogan: Both seem to have a choke hold on their respective industries and refuse to let go. At least someone finally broke the Emperor's amazing grip. Anakin Solo vs. Randy Orton: This is set up to be a battle between two third generation stars. Solo has the Force on his side, Orton has the Cowboy. Padme Amidala vs. Natalya Neidhart: While I feel like Natalya is one of the best Divas on the roster, I think the WWE will finally recognize that too and she'll be a queen of the ring in the company's eyes. Both women have a lineage in their respective fields.
Lando Calrissian vs. Cody Rhodes: Lando was the coolest guy in the galaxy far, far away and in my opinion Cody is the coolest guy on SmackDown. It's the battle of two prima donnas in my view. Boba Fett vs. Dolph Ziggler: Both of these heels seem to be over with fans and have a cult following.
Jabba vs. Hawkins & Hatton
Jabba the Hut vs. Heath (Jay) Hatton & Ace Hawkins (Aaron Relic): Because 2 is greater than 1, duh.
Darth Maul vs. Sheamus: Darth Maul is a badass. So is Sheamus. And they're both red heads. (Sorry, I don't have much more here) Jar-Jar Binks vs. Kharma: Only booking this so we can watch Kharma destroy Jar-Jar and squash him with the Implant Buster.
Bail Organa & Mace Windu vs. Kofi Kingston & RTruth: I'll be honest, I'm not sure what kind of alliance Bail and Mace had, but let's face it, this is a WWE tag team title match, so The Max Rebo Band vs. The Batiri: If you're not a Chikara fan you won't get this reference. I'd suggest looking up them up. This could be an entertaining matchup to say the least.
Three Storm Troopers vs. The Colony: Another Chikara inspired match. The Colony is an army of ants, they'd fight hard to defend the honor of wrestling against Lord Vader's team of stooges. Wicket W. Warrick vs. Hornswoggle: This would be a feature match for the kids. Who doesn't love a cuddly little Ewok in their with a cuddly little Leprechuen?
Who would you put on your Star Wars wrestling card? Post here or on our Facebook wall. Don't forget to like us. May the Force Be with You!
