As time has proven to us many times over what is old somehow becomes new again. As generations come and go things cycle back and become chic again. In today’s wrestling climate where the next major breakout star has become the equivalent of a hen’s tooth wouldn’t it be time to bring back the wrestling manager. I could be biased since I have for many years been a wrestling manager but I think the facts are simple. It is clear that the era of girls being a part of events is not a ratings bonanza or attracting big crowds at the arena. In reality the creative team at WWE books their girls to fail. If you look at TNA they have done a better job with their woman’s division. Is that because they found that one hen’s tooth out there? They have Awesome Kong who certainly isn’t the “traditional†diva should stood up and made people take notice.
I would say that the answer is clear at this point since you can’t find the person to lead the company then why not make changes and adjustments with the people that you already have. Is it possible that there is a current WWE Superstar that could benefit from a mouthpiece who could really take another piece of talent to the next level? I wonder how many guys aren’t given a chance because someone has deemed them unable to cut a promo. I am sure that it would be much easier to find people to fill the role of heel manager.
You would have to begin the reeducation process of the fans but with the right talent this could work out well. If I was TNA I would quickly grab Armando Alejandro Estrada give him a new name and let him manage someone. If you are WWE you also have an endless list of people to choose from. In their own dressing room they have Downtown “Harvey Whippleman†Bruno. If needed they could work with and groom the managers they have Double A “Arn Anderson†one of the best promo men ever. The possibilities are endless and once the heat was really built up it would be time to bring back “The Nature Boy†Ric Flair to assist the baby faces. I don’t know what Flair would have to do other than a beheading to turn heel these days. It’s a simple concept either get something fresh or reinvent what you have. Sometimes it’s worse to do nothing than to make a bad decision.
I am in Boston tomorrow preparing for the www.supermegafest.com autograph show on Nov 22nd and 23rd. I will be attending the event which will have Bruno Sammartino, Tammy “Sunny’ Sytch and “The Mouth of the South†Jimmy Hart will be signing autographs. The show has several other wrestling personalities attending and is headlined by the appearance of Leslie Nielsen of Airplane and Naked Gun fame. There will be other wrestling personalities attending as well Traci Brooks, So Cal Val, Stacey Carter, Lance Storm, Justin Credible and others. I believe that this event could give another gauge of the economy and the fear going through people’s minds.
It is with great pleasure that I tell you all right now that I am going to re release the Bruno Sammartino autobiography. I am doing this in conjunction with Brian Tramel and www.rasslinriotonline.com. I had the book edited by Brian Thompson a contributor to the Rasslin Riot site also. The Sammartino story is one that is very compelling and hard to put down. It should be a must read for everyone not just wrestling fans. The hardships that the Sammartino family had to live through just to come to America are very hard for someone like me to even comprehend. This is really not a wrestling book it is a story about the love of a mother for her children and her never ending desire to survive. If you aren’t a wrestling fan the story should still affect you at many levels. If you are a wrestling fan you will enjoy hearing the path that Bruno took in getting to be one of the greatest attractions Madison Square Garden and arena’s all over the world has ever seen. Be looking for the announcement of the books release within the next few weeks. It will be available at rasslinriotonline.com.
I remember my one and only time working in the old Boston Garden. It was for Jim Crockett Promotions and I owe the opportunity to the “Russian Nightmare†Nikita Koloff. He is one of those that left the business too early and I believe could still be a force in the business today if he were to come back. It was a big event the local promoter was Gary Juster. The two primary company referees (Tommy Young and Earl Hebner) were there already and I believe long time referee Dick Kroll was there as well. I could tell that Gary had no idea that I was coming. I had never had any issues with Gary and I had worked with him before. He walked over to Dusty and asked who Sal was working for. I heard Dusty indicate that I was working for the office. At that point it was ok since it wasn’t coming out of Gary’s personal pocket. It was a great show the NWA was hot as a firecracker at that time. The crowd in Boston was excited to have the NWA in WWF country.
The card was headlined by “The Nature Boy†Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham in a steel cage. I worked a few undercard matches on the show. In one of them the ring announcer Gary Michael Capetta was getting ready to announce Kevin Sullivan. In those days Kevin announced himself as being from Singapore but on this night he could feel the buzz in the air. I saw him walk towards Gary and say Boston, Ma, Boston Ma, Boston, Ma. So Gary went ahead announced Kevin from his hometown of Boston, MA the crowd erupted and on that night the crowd was really into the undercard match and the heel quickly became a fan favorite.
That night also stays in my mind because I made an interesting mistake. I wasn’t paying much attention and saw someone from behind and I said “Hey Lex†and the guy turned around and said I’m not Lex. It was the man I will be leading to the ring in Charlotte NC with his longtime partner Bobby Eaton when they reunite for the first time in a long time. The events will be on Dec 5th and 6th and information can be found at www.highspots.com. In those days Sweet Stan Lane and Lex Luger looked somewhat alike from the back. So on that night in nineteen eighty twenty years ago I met a guy that would become a lifetime friend. When you return to places it’s nice to revisit those memories.
I want to send a birthday wish out to my mentor and trainer Afa “The Wild Samoan #1†Anoai. He is also proud to announce that he is now a great grandfather. I couldn’t imagine when I first met him that I would be announcing that one day.
I won’t be posting an article next week as it is Thanksgiving. I wish you all a happy holiday and will be back the following weekend at some point. I might be delayed due to the shows I will be doing with The Midnight Express. I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes.
The picture with this article is of me and Afa at a spot show when he and his brother were tag team champions. Ah the memories of the good old days.
