My 1-2-3 Cents

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm starting a new weekly feature here to talk more about foreign objects. Probably better known as international objects in this day and age. We, of course, all remember Jim Cornette's tennis racket, Jimmy Hart's megaphone and Mr. Fuji's cane. For this series, I am going to look at some lesser known objects used throughout the course of wrestling.

In 1985 one of my favorite tag teams was Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo. The U.S. Express had won the WWF tag team titles for a second time that summer and was defending them against Brutus Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. The Dream Team was a new duo at the time and still under the direction of both Jimmy Hart and "Lucious" Johnny V. Turns out the stogie-smoking Valiant would be a game changer in this contest.

The Dream Team
Courtesy: WWE

Toward the end of the match, Beefcake was handed Johnny's lit cigar. The future barber proceeded to use the cigar as a weapon and rubbed it in the face of Windham. The action was impactful enough to render Windham unable to continue fighting and he was pinned to the mat and new champs were crowned.

I don't know that any other title ever changed hands due to a lit cigar. Nor do I recall Valiant ever using any other sort of weapon during his time as a manager. But there are plenty of other unique objects that have been used to gain the upper hand in wrestling. What is your favorite? Stay tuned each Friday.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

A few bursts of inspiration

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

3 wrestlers I wanted to see in person

Andre the Giant & Bruno Sammartino
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I went all in with my wrestling fandom around age 10. My younger brother and dad had been attending matches regularly as the NWA would hold cards in St. Louis on a regular basis. My first live experience was in December 1984. There are a few Superstars I wish I could have seen wrestle in person.

The closest I came to meeting Andre

Andre the Giant wrestled Bruiser Brody at one point and my brother and dad were there. This was long before I had even considered watching wrestling, so I missed out. I was hoping he'd be on the card in '84, but he wasn't. I attended a few more WWF house shows before Andre retired, but he was never featured. One time I had considered going to a show in December 1987 where Andre and Rick Rude teamed up against Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff. I was in high school by then and really don't know why I didn't bug my parents for tickets. The closest I've come to Andre is posing with his statue at WWE Axxess during WrestleMania festivities.

"Bruno" and me

The same goes for Bruno Sammartino. Bruno was still somewhat active when I started watching. He feuded with Randy Savage and Roddy Piper briefly before hanging up his tights and focusing on commentary. Of course, when Bruno was in his prime and the WWWF Champion, I wasn't even a thought. I do consider myself lucky to have been at Madison Square Garden the night Bruno was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame. It's my only MSG experience, but I certainly hope it's not the last.

Wendi Richter
Courtesy: WWE

Wendi Richter quickly rose to the occasion when she arrived in the WWF in 1984. She was different than the other women of that era, like Moolah, Judy Martin and Leilani Kai. It's fair to say I had a crush on Wendi. Unfortunately, her tenure with the company was short-lived. But like Bruno, I was on hand for Wendi's WWE Hall of Fame induction. I consider myself fortunate in that regard.

Which Superstars are on your list of having wanted to see perform live? Share here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media pages.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Wrestling mysteries that were never solved

Owens wins
Courtesy: WWE

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

This blog is probably going to end up being more cynical than I planned, but I really don't have much to say about Raw from Monday (I haven't finished the show) and I am really making an effort to be more positive with my posts. This will stray from that, but I'll be back on course tomorrow as the blogging streak continues. Today I am looking at a few mysteries in wrestling that never seemed to be solved.

Why did Triple H help Kevin Owens win the WWE Universal Championship? There is still time to answer this, and I think had Seth Rollins not gotten hurt we might be an answer to that question in the near future. Sometimes as fans we get impatient and want to know details as they start to unfold. As we learned in 2013/14 the slow burn is worth the wait. And yes I know allegedly the original plan was not for Daniel Bryan to go all the way to the top at WrestleMania XXX.

The McMahons vs. Austin
Courtesy: WWE

Who was pulling the briefcase during The McMahons vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin? This ladder match was for the title of CEO of the WWF. The briefcase that hung above the ring could only be reached via a ladder and when Austin climbed to the top, the case suddenly got yanked away. This eventually allowed the McMahons to regain control, climb the ladder and retain control of the company.

Hummer collision
Courtesy: WWE

Who was in the white Hummer that nearly destroyed Kevin Nash? Before WCW folded, Nash was involved in a storyline with Randy Savage. Savage drove a limo that Nash was inside and parked it before someone in a white Hummer slammed into the luxury car several times. The Macho Man told viewers it was his new bodyguard that we would meet later, but guess what, we never did.

GTV is always watching
Courtesy: WWE

Who was behind G-TV? WWE fans watched as someone had set up a camera backstage and was spying on Superstars and Divas. The feed was played for months, but we never learned the mastermind. Bruce Prichard recently revealed it was supposed to be Goldust, but he departed the company before the payoff.

These are just a few things I've questioned as a wrestling fan. What storylines never had a resolution that you're curious about?

Monday, February 20, 2017

Hall of Fame self-high 5

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Diamond Dallas Page is the next inductee announced for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017. The timing seems perfect as I just finished watching the documentary The Resurrection of Jake The Snake Roberts. I believe Page is the reason both Jake and Scott Hall are still alive today. I had a lot of respect for DDP before the film, but that respect has boomed.

DDP w/ Curt Hennig & Diamond Doll
Courtesy: WWE

I remember DDP in his early days as a manager in the AWA. I always wondered why he wasn’t a wrestler. He certainly had the look and could talk on the mic. Then in WCW he managed Hall as the Diamond Studd and eventually put his manager duties to the side and stepped through the ropes to wrestle.

Regular readers of this know I am a wrestling fan, but always sided with WWE during the Monday Night Wars, however, the night Page appeared to be joining the nWo and instead gave Hall a Diamond Cutter after putting on the t-shirt was one of my favorite moments of the angle. That move alone helped propel DDP to another level.

DDP won the WCW World Title
Courtesy: WWE

He wrestled briefly with WWE after the buyout of WCW in 2001. Personally, I don’t think WWE creative utilized the former champion to his maximum potential, but he shined none-the-less. I was happy to see him make spot appearances in the Royal Rumble and other events. I knew it would be a matter of time before he’d finally get the call for the Hall of Fame.

Page’s work outside the ring also deserves recognition. He could easily be the Warrior Award winner at some point too. Not only did he save Jake and Scott, he’s working with Vader now as he fights for his life. Other wrestlers have benefited from the DDP Yoga plan and countless “regular” people have had success too. I myself have used and enjoyed DDP Yoga. Congrats DDP, this is a well-deserved honor.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Take charge of your health

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter