Magnum vs. Skyler II: Swan Song of a Carolina Legend

Wrestlers, like actors, are a rare breed of eccentrics.

Once the music hits, and they make their way to the ring, it’s all character. Whether it’s face or heel, the mask is on, and the audience prepares for the show.

But it’s those moments behind the curtains, when the music isn’t playing, when it’s the man behind the character pacing back and forth with headphones locked in or sitting in solitude on bleacher steps that show everything that goes into the show in the squared circle.

On this evening, I have the privilege of working backstage interviews for OSCW’s Tag Team Wars 6. It is the first time I’ve been booked for a show in years. Even though I am not wrestling, I’m still excited to don the sunglasses again and be my alter ego: Mr. Showtime.

I do my job before the opening bell sounds. I get to interview Bradford Steele and Brandon Paradise (OSCW’s tag team champions), their manager Reginald Vanderhoff, and even former WCW star Lodi, which is a personal thrill as one who was a teenager in the heart of the Monday Night Wars.

My first effort in the interview capacity with prop microphone and John Huston safari jacket is a limping performance. I know I can do better; much better. But I also get the opportunity to interview John Skyler, the self proclaimed “Southern Savior” with his OSCW Undisputed Title in hand.

It is that title and the man he aims his rant at, Josh Magnum, that I am really in Charleston on this Sunday in September. The return match to end all return matches in independent wrestling in the southeast.

…

It was in July they squared off last in a bout to unify the two singles titles they held for the local promotion. It was a match that went beyond the confines of ordinary fare and ended with a bloodied Magnum passing out to the Skyler’s Sharpshooter in the center of the ring.

Everyone could have easily taken that July bout in Hanahan as the Match of the Year and been satisfied if Magnum and Skyler never squared off again…. 

Fortunately that was not the case.

It was that same night that OSCW Commissioner Bob Keller immediately booked the return match between the newly crowned Undisputed Champion Skyler and Magnum for September.

But the stakes would be raised.

This time, Skyler would have to hold off Magnum in a ladder match, which in his career Magnum had never lost. And this would not be the one he would want to lose since his career would be on the line as well as the OSCW Championship.

September 16^th. For all of the marbles.

Magnum vs. Skyler II.

…

I catch up with Magnum after the huddle up Keller has with all of the talent about match lengths and expectations for the night.

He sits on a set of bleachers behind the entrance curtain, hunched over, resting his arms on his knees, head down. Between his duties as a roofer and the travel with his family to the event, he’s exhausted.

We catch up from the last time we spoke back in October at the Fall Brawl event at the Loose Cockaboose in Columbia. As tired as he may seem, it doesn’t take much to get him talking.

What I refuse to ask is if this is his last hoorah tonight, giving away the finish of his match with Skyler. As much as I know wrestling is a show with a decided beginning and end separated by a unique brand of physical improvisation in the middle, I still want to hold onto the suspense of the main event.

With his wrestling dates having slowed down, he talks about how busy his day-to-day job is. An eleven year veteran of the ring and the road, nowadays life has boiled down to the same base elements that inspire and put fear into all of us everyday: financial prosperity.

Magnum doesn’t miss wrestling shows and he doesn’t miss work, when either one might put him in such pain that he might be better off. When we talked in October, he talked about how lucky he was to escape series injury over the years and keep working.

He points to his knee and talks about a work injury that should have required surgery and extended time off from the ring. His response is this sort of Han Solo smirk and blatant confession that he defied doctor’s wishes and wrestled that very Saturday.

After awhile, I join him outside for a cigarette, and the fans that he’s close to come by to wish him luck and squeeze in a quick chat; like this tall Richard Harris looking gent that might be his own kind of Lebowski. Magnum puts on the good face and puts good stock into the match coming up later. He does the same with some of the other wrestlers that pop outside for a smoke. Like Burt Reynolds' character Hooper who always seems to be up for the next big stunt, even when he wonders how close he is to risking it all.

But there’s a cautious far off look in his eye. It’s not nerves because he doubts he can put on a good match. On the contrary, Magnum can work a variety of different matches that are high octane and risk taking or slowed down mat wrestling fares.

No, Magnum’s fear is like the classic stage performers that prepare for an unedited Shakespeare or a sprinted marathon Mamet performance. They know the dialogue. They know the blocking. But it’s all about being absolutely, positively above and beyond brilliant. That’s the bar they set.

It’s the same bar Magnum has set for himself tonight with standards that might be unattainable for anyone else but himself.

But nevertheless, he befits the image of Sam Magee from Robert Service’s poem. “Cool and calm in the heart of the furnace roar.” That’s what he projects with everyone he talks to.

Back inside, we sit on the bleachers again, but this time Skyler (who I must mention wears a Kurt Russell “Jack Burton” tank top from Big Trouble in Little China) comes into the scene and starts talking with Magnum about the other matches going on and eventually start working out some spots for their encounter later.

Even having worked a number of matches myself, the pace of their lingo is impressive and a language all on its own. It’s a treat hearing the two virtuosos trade ideas about how to use the ladder in their contest. They must spitball at least twenty different sequences, picking out the ones that stick and discarding the ones that stand to break their symphony of the brawl.

But after their back and forth session, it all boils down to one loud Magnum proclamation: “Ah fuck it, we’ll call it in the ring.”

Skyler walks back towards the curtain to get a look at the tag match going on. Magnum stays at the bleachers and once again keeps a quiet, stoic stair into the distance.

He starts into a mini monologue about how most younger wrestlers are all about making themselves look good in the ring and criticizes a lot of the selfishness found on the independent level. Looking at Skyler he says to me “That guy there knows how to tell one hell of a story. He knows how it works. He’s going to make it.”

…

Some of the wrestlers that finish up their matches head home not long afterwards. I can’t blame them. I have to make the three hour journey home myself. But I stick it out through the rest of the card and take a seat with the audience. A peephole through the curtain won’t cut it for Magnum vs. Skyler II.

A group of ladders are positioned in the entrance way, and the OSCW Undisputed Championship is hung from a wire between two poles set up at two opposite ring posts. The belt sags the wire, making the climb not terribly high to win the match, but it’s an easy obstacle for two performers of their caliber to overcome.

Their entrances don’t hold up the start of the match. They both sell the notion that the stakes are too high to start the match pandering to the crowd. Even Skyler, who notoriously gets under the crowd’s skin by prolonging his entrance to the ring, gets right into the action.

Reminiscent of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in their WrestleMania matches, Magnum and Skyler start with right hand exchanges until one of them yields. It quickly jumpstarts the crowd’s involvement in the main event.

What becomes apparent early on is that even with a ladder match with an unmated floor, both men take to the high risk between suicide dives to the outside and power bombs into the ladder, which are unforgiving in their impact. Nothing aluminum and collapsible here.

The ladders as well are uncooperative in being positioned at times that delays some spots and reworks others. But it doesn’t detract or look amateur. It actually becomes a couple of moments of comedy and other moments of unpredictability for Magnum and Skyler.

The pace becomes a consistent flow of two to three exchanges that are punctuated by a high impact spot and as the match gets beyond 30 minutes, the spots get higher and higher in risk and pop from the crowd.

It’s not often a crowd gets to its feet for a wrestling match on the independent scene, but everyone in Hanahan is standing and locked into how this bout is going to finish. Even Keller and the remaining wrestlers in street clothes are watching the match from the other side of the curtain. No peephole for them either.

The sickening thuds with each bump give everyone at least one cringing moment. From the superplex from the high ladder to a sunset flip that Magnum executes from the same height that folds Skyler like an accordion, the crowd applauds with each high impact in the squared circle.

But Magnum saves his coup de gras for the end. He positions Skyler on a ladder and goes to the top rope as he has done countless times throughout his career. He mimics Jeff Hardy and mimes two guns with his hands. Everyone knows what is coming next.

Magnum executes a perfect Swanton Bomb that Skyler avoids at the last minute. The only thing Magnum connects with is the ladder that cradled his opponent. His neck and back brace the fall. The crowd reacts in awe and horror.

With everything Magnum and Skyler have given thus far, it becomes apparent that this finish will have to be epic and fitting for what they’ve done in their first two and half acts.

A wayward ladder toss knocks referee Scott Grady to the floor. He’s responsible for declaring the winner even in this ladder match.

Skyler goes for his finisher off the ladder, “The Spoiler Alert,” but Magnum blocks it and gets in position to grab the belt, which he safely unclips. The crowd erupts for Magnum, still undefeated in ladder matches.

But the bell doesn’t ring.

Grady remains on the floor, unaware that Magnum has grabbed the belt. Skyler, the opportunist uses the moment to knock the belt away from Magnum and feign a dramatic seizure of the OSCW belt himself.

It’s the first image Grady sees when he gets back to his feet. It is then, he rings the bell.

It’s Skyler’s music that plays.

Winner and still champion.

The crowd erupts in boos as Brett Wolverton regretfully announces the referee’s decision. And it’s also on him to announce that the career of Josh Magnum has come to an end.

Skyler doesn’t savor the victory. He takes his title belt and quickly retreats to the back. It’s actually a very classy move by the champion. He gives Magnum the final moment of the night.

It would have been easy to overdramatize the moment and error on the side of melodramatic. But Magnum’s look and reaction are the opposite. He doesn’t even get animated to dispute the referee’s decision.

Instead, he leans against the rope and accepts the situation. The crowd applauds his effort, not only in this match but for the years he’s been the devil-may-care hero of OSCW; from Weekend’s Pub to the Hanahan Gymnasium. He waves back and limps to the outside of the ring.

The same knee Magnum was referring to earlier during our talk in the back looks to be giving him quite the hobble as he grimaces in pain with every step. His family is at ringside and he carries his little girl back into the ring for one final goodbye to the fans.

One final goodbye to Old School Championship Wrestling.

Maybe it’s fitting Magnum’s big moment in the match was the Swanton he missed into the ladder below. A Swanton for a Swan Song. And maybe his “take it on the chin” reaction to losing in such a controversial fashion was fitting because Magnum left it all in the ring anyway. Maybe he knew there was no way he could have topped what he did on this night with Skyler. Besides, wrestlers love to end their career coming up short in their final battle.

And wrestlers love even more to pass a torch in their final battle. 

On this night, it was a torch passed to one of the highest rising stars on the independent scene.  And just like Magnum said in the back, Skyler told a great story as Magnum’s adversary, giving him his moments and creating his own. The night, although a celebration and culmination of Magnum’s career, is also a celebration of OSCW’s future.

As the clear, battle tested OSCW Undisputed Champion, John Skyler represents where the promotion is headed in 2013. A stalwart heel that has the potential to be for Charleston what Jerry Lawler is to Memphis; the epicenter of professional wrestling in the Holy City.

In the days since the match in Hanahan as I walk my dogs past the apartment complex being erected, I look at the workers on the roof and think about my conversation with Magnum.

Even with the knee injury he might or might not have sustained, he probably made it back to a similar roof the following day to punch his timeclock and work another job, just like he always has. And at some point I wonder if he looks from the roof to the ground and thinks about the moonsaults, the 450’s, the planchas, and the suicide dives that would bring the crowd to its feet time and time again.

Maybe. But then again, maybe Josh Magnum also knows it’s nice to know he walked away on top even if it was on the losing end.

Regardless, “The Carolina Chugger” has earned a toast from all of us.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

John Skyler and Josh Magnum Deliver Match of the Year

Photo taken by Mike Mooneyham

The Hanahan gymnasium is a sweltering tin box. We all might as well be toast as we contort to near floor level on the bleachers. The heavy rain has left a musty thickness in the air, not to mention the humidity is the usual Charleston level of sweat. The old school wrestling fans would appreciate the lesser comparison to the famed Dallas Sportatorium that was like the Garden down South for many a wrestling event over the decades before its demise in 2003. The comparison only really exits in the peaking temperature of the building. No reports of infestation here, although I'm eagerly keeping my eyes open.

The combination of tobacco and taurine on top of plenty of beer from earlier in the day starts to take its toll before the event even begins. This is already on top of the 2am screening of The Wild Bunch that was hosted by Jim Beam and others where all of the aforementioned ingredients sans taurine were very much in play. The taurine is the result of two Monster energy drinks followed by a subsequent Rock Star energy drink I picked up when I gassed the car for the late night journey home. (A reserve Rock Star sits in the car to keep the midnight oils burning on the way back to Greenville.) I'm determined to burn out between the contrasting lack of sleep and overload of multiple -fines in my body.

All in the effort to see one main event that on a local scale is as anticipated as Flair and Steamboat. In any other part of the country, any sort of name recognition would fall underneath a blank stare; a confused look only qualmed by a brief run-down of local independent wrestling history and current crop of rising talent in the Lowcountry.

No such clarification needed in Hanahan.

They know who John Skyler and Josh Magnum are, and they know the show they're capable of putting on. Even a 24 hour deluge in the Charleston area wouldn't keep them from seeing the main event that no one else knows about. And it's certainly reason enough to journey three hours to witness in person.

...

Photo by Wayne Rush

November 2011

The locker room of Goose Creek High School is no different than my experiences in Hanahan. My choice of attire is poor. Three layers of shirts including my Walter Payton jersey. Unknown looks from many people. "Sweetness" is apparently forgotten in these parts of the Lowcountry. American tragedy.

That aside, my journey here is my own interview assignment with The Barbarian, who is in town to help headline the independent show OSCW is putting on. He's a great interview; witty and funny in an eccentric sort of way. He occasionally has someone speak for him, but when he does it's with a wad of tobacco that adds even more character to his staccato grunts. Truly the antithesis of the monster heel I grew up watching on WWE television. Honestly, he could not have been nicer or more inviting.

I could easily get back on the road once we're done and come away under par for the course. but sitting in the background is John Skyler, the other participant in the night's main event. As I've found my way to more and more of the independent shows in South Carolina, it's Skyler I keep running into with brief conversations and congratulatory remarks on his efforts. Truly he's becoming a stand-out in the wrestling scene down south.

It's one of those times when you just get that feeling that you might be in the presence of someone who just might make it to the highest level, and you'd at least be able to say later you took the chance to talk to him about his journey.

Skyler has the look of a young Shawn Michaels, and I know that doesn't bother him. It certainly doesn't bother him when he gets the comparisons to Michaels with his work in the ring. A ball cap with its brim bent into a perfectly broken-in upside down u-shape; his hair pulled into a pony tail. Light beard and a green flannel shirt. He's confident in his posture, but not arrogant in talking about his journey that started four years ago.

A humble beginning for a young man who in one night went from hawking cheap WWE merchandise to debuting against a monster in Bill Bain. Sure it was a squash match, but the memory remains with Skyler and began a career that saw many travels north and west; anywhere he could get on a card to gain more experience in wrestling.

Skyler works heel for the most part. (In Columbia, where he resides, he often garners a sizable tweener pop, though.) As polite and forthcoming as he is in an interview, Skyler has a remarkable talent for getting under the crowd's skin. Not necessarily by cheap heat. By mere avoidance. He keeps the audience angrily on the edge of its seat, seething at his non-committal actions as the babyface taunts him from the ring.

Our conversation goes the usual route of talking about what the future holds and what his goals are. They're exactly what you expect: make it to the national promotions. Get paid to wrestle for a living a nothing else. The quintessential benchmark for any independent wrestler scraping by with a maybe a twenty dollar bill for their efforts in a show.

Months later I catch up with Skyler, and it's almost no surprise the progress he's made. After working a timely show in North Carolina that had WWE executive John Laurinaitis in attendance evaluating the local talent, Skyler got to venture up to New York to work for Mikey Whipwreck's promotion, which became a timely contact that led to the biggest break thus far in Skyler's career: an invitation to work for Billy Corgan and Resistance Pro Wrestling out of Chicago.

Fast forward even further to June of this year when WWE came through South Carolina as part of their live tour. At the SmackDown taping in Columbia, he was picked to be one of the squash victims for Ryback. Squash match or not, it marked a significant achievement in the progression of Skyler's career.

What a difference a year makes.

...

Photo by Wayne Rush

October 2011

The Loose Cockaboose is flowing with booze as the epic Fall Brawl event reaches hour five. College students who have no bearing on the happenings of professional wrestling mingle with the die-hards who await the battle royal to crown the winner of the Lethal Lottery.

I've hunkered down at the bar, trying to keep my wits about me with spaced out rounds of beer. Many of the monsters lingering around the crowd appear to be too far gone to know the difference of what is going on.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a young man in street clothes and ball cap sneak to the back of the outdoor arena set-up. Near a brick hedge he lights up a cigarette and sips from a beer himself.

It's not often Josh Magnum is unassuming in the context of professional wrestling, but for a moment he blends in with the crowd.

Despite being a writer of little significance, I approach Magnum as a fan and introduce myself, expecting him not to put much stock in our conversation. But he's actually quite the magnanimous bastard, and as we trade wrestling stories. We even trade opinions on writing as we put down a couple of beers.

The most fascinating part about Magnum the wrestler is the genuine charisma he emotes and the rapport he instantly builds with the audience each show. There's no one who rivals the response Magnum gets from a crowd. As his entrance card reads, he hails from the last stool at the end of the bar, and that's exactly the character he embodies. But it's hard to separate Magnum the character and Magnum the man because he puts so much of himself into the wrestler he embodies.

He keeps you engaged in conversation with a raw charm that's like a Burt Reynolds character from a 70's car movie. He puts away beer like no other and can smoke like a chimney. And yet Magnum can fly around the ring with the same spry as someone who was completely straight edge.

That leads us to talk about the high-risk stunt he performed in the same Hanahan gym back in the spring where he leaped from the top of a twenty foot high steel cage to the hard wood below; a seminal moment for OSCW in 2011. (Not to forget as well his famed work in ladders matches, especially here with Xavier Knight in CWA.)

At least one other fan approaches while we talk, and Magnum takes the time to greet him as well, thanking him for his compliments. He's not far off from his wrestling idol Dusty Rhodes; a common man hero that everyone seems to live through vicariously. From kids to adults, the fanfare he generates on the independent level is very widespread.

And yet with the incredible popularity he maintains throughout the southern circuit of independent wrestling, Magnum comes across as a man worn out by wrestling. He puts on the good face for the fans who approach him and the ones he entertains in the ring, but as we talk more and more he shows more desire to walk away from the business and move on with his life.

Can one blame him? He has children; a family. Throughout his (now) eleven year career he has escaped major injury for the most part, despite taking his share of high risks. But in wrestling, that can change with the next spot in an instant. And as a working father in the roofing business when he's not on the road, he could never afford to be out of work due to injury.

But despite admitting a little bit of burnout, Magnum still gets the rush when the moment arises; when he walks out of an entrance way or comedically taunts his opponent and certainly when he goes for a high spot. Those are the moments that keep the engines firing.

The consummate entertainer.

...

I manage to get one more cigarette in before the main event is announced.

It's one of those five minute Theatre smoke breaks where you wish you had a .72, but have to suck down a full Marlboro so you don't feel like you've wasting. In the end, it's inconsequential. This is what what we've all gathered for.

The one element not entirely harped upon but certainly apart of the match in the background is the fact that both Skyler's OSCW Universal Title and Magnum's World Heavyweight Title are up for grabs; a unification bout to decide the one, great OSCW champion.

Skyler enters as the self-proclaimed "Southern Savior" and many of the Columbia faithful are in applause for the heel's entrance. Then again, maybe even Hanahan is wising up to the fact that great wrestlers can supersede the label of face or heel and should be applauded regardless.

Magunm's entrance gets the usual high pops from every demographic. And as usual he wears his title belt backwards and upside down with almost a slight stagger that he feigns for amusement.

Do they lock up immediately? No, smartly they don't. Skyler plays up his reluctance to enter the ring when everyone else tells him to do so. That will be on his terms.

When they lock up, they trade corner shots with chops and open hand slaps. The fight quickly gets to the outside where both Skyler and Magnum trade suplexes and other big bumps on the outside. My ribs shudder with each echo of body hitting unmatted floor.

Photo by Wayne Rush

Easily we get twenty minutes into this match with both wrestlers trading their signature maneuvers. Both showcase dropkicks that are hard to judge as one being better than the other. They both connect with the same high impact velocity coming off the Irish whip.

Magnum even goes to the high risk with a dive to the outside floor; still going for the big one every time he hits the ring. Not a lot has changed since October of last year.

As the nearfalls mount, more and more of the crowd is getting to its feet, and you can almost hear Jim Ross screaming "what's it gonna take!?" to end this match. Skyler scores with his variation of his springboard cutter from the one of the turnbuckles; a maneuver that has given him numerous victories.

Magnum kicks out at two.

Magnum regains the upperhand and scores with his second attempt at the 450 splash; a maneuver that has given him numerous victories over the years throughout the country.

Skyler kicks out at two.

The WrestleMania XVII feel is contagious in the air. Austin and The Rock trading finishers in 2001. The same is the case here in 2012. This third act has everyone guessing to who will win; the perfect moment in professional wrestling. When you completely forget it's all a work; a predetermined show where you can probably guess who will win. No one knows at this point whether it's Skyler's or Magnum's to win. The Hanahan faithful is ecstatic with jubilation and awe for the spectacle they are seeing.

Two incredible athletes. Mirror images of one another. One a veteran of eleven years, the other a rising star at only four.

The finale finally comes with the recreation of an iconic moment in wrestling history. The frustrated Skyler, using the no-disqualification clause to its utmost, drives a chair shot into Magnum's forehead with a heavy windup.

Photo by Wayne Rush

A rarity in OSCW, Magnum bleeds from the shot to his forehead. Not a pulsating stream that gushes everywhere but a noticeable rupture. Skyler seizes the moment and locks in the famed Sharpshooter on Magnum in the center of the ring. It's now WrestleMania XIV all over again. Bret Hart and Steve Austin's iconic moment live in Hanahan.

Magnum squirms, fights for an escape. But the pressure of the hold is too much. Only the final bit of his energy is what escapes. The bloodied Magnum passes out in the middle of the ring. The referee calls for the bell.

Skyler raises both belts above his head, the triumphant and undisputed king of OSCW. But the moment is quickly interrupted by OSCW commissioner Bob Keller who insists upon a rematch to take place in September that Skyler is reluctant to accept. But, of course, in every wrestling title situation there is the return match clause in the contract, and that's the power card to force a rematch the following month. The stakes are quickly escalated. A ladder match will provide the backdrop for the return bout. But also Skyler tucks in the clause that if Magnum loses, he must retire from wrestling. And according to Keller, Magnum has never lost a ladder match. Magnum agrees to the stipulation.

The foreshadowing for the September 16th show seems to be ominous based on the emphasis Keller puts on Magnum's undefeated streak when the ladder is in play. But it's not the time to be looking ahead yet. What's important is what we've seen. A thirty minute epic. The El Cid of independent wrestling.

And also a nexus in the sport.

To throw in one more WrestleMania comparison, it is like number twelve, where Hart and Michaels showcased a battle of the old guard versus the new. But if one was hard-pressed to answer which one had eleven years under their belt and the other only four just by watching Skyler and Magnum, their performances in the ring make it nearly a coin flip.

The rivalry that earned the 2009 Carolina Independent Wrestling Award for Feud of the Year lived up to the billing and for all intents and purposes exceeded it.

My three hour journey home in the darkness of I-26 while the rain is intermittent carries the replay of the match in my head. The song "Turn the Page" (Seger's original) becomes the perfect soundtrack for Skyler and Magnum's effort.

If September 16th proves to be the final installment, then it will be the ending of one of the most talked about series of matches in independent professional wrestling. Not one someone in Oregon, Kansas, Pennsylvania, or anywhere else outside of South Carolina will probably know about or understand.

But that's alright to the fans of Hanahan.

They understand what John Skyler and Josh Magnum mean to them.

Steel Edition 05.20.12 Steelers and Cowboys Renew Rivalry in 2012

The 2011 NFL post season has read more like the outline of a television drama series heading into summer sweeps. Ironically, it's getting closer and closer to reading exactly like the short-lived Playmakers television series that ESPN debuted in 2003, that although was highly watched was cancelled quickly due to outside pressure from the NFL and the portrayal of the league's image and players.

How laughable as time goes on.

In 2012, sensational has become the key word of description when examining the events that have transpired since the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. With news stories like Tim Tebow, night club incidents, concussion debates, Bounty Gate, player lawsuits, and Peyton Manning, the NFL's offseason has become more intriguing than some other sports' current season activities thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the NFL and the world wide media machine that can churn, spin, and spit a story far quicker than they ever could even ten years ago. You would almost think this was the brainchild of William Randolph Hurst and Aaron Spelling it's grown into such a dramatic media tabloid scrapbook.

And then like William J. Harding proclaimed in the 1920 presidential election, there was a "return to normalcy" in a way. The NFL released its schedule for the 2012 regular season. Not a massively suspenseful moment, but one that doesn't come with story lines or dramatic and haranguing debates among NFL pundits.

Who am I kidding? It's like dropping the firework into the toilet and then bolting. If anything, the releasing of the NFL schedule creates more discussion and raging debate amongst the story lines already circulating this off season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' schedule right off the bat marks their travel to Mile High Stadium where Peyton Manning in a Broncos jersey plays his first game since the end of the 2010 season. That's an instant ratings bonanza, clearly based upon the playoff loss the Steelers suffered at the hands of the Broncos last year as well as the renewed Manning saga of redemption after being cast away by the Colts.

But the most intriguing match up comes further down the schedule, all the way in week 15. Pittsburgh and Dallas. Steelers and Cowboys. It's like instant chill bumps. The history, the championships, the legacy, the fan bases. It's as stacked as Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales wrestling at Shea Stadium in 1972.

With a lot of attention in recent years focused on the renewed success of the Packers and Bears, the general feeling is that the NFC North carries the league's biggest rivalry of all time. You can grant them the fact that the league kind of began with their rivalry almost a century ago and their franchises have become iconic fixtures of the NFL.

Then again, so have the Steelers and Cowboys. More-so the latter of the above statement. On the one side you have Steeler Nation. You can google it and usually find some kind of bar or restaurant that caters to Steelers games in your area. It's everywhere. You can take a Sunday stroll through a crowded mall and someone is going to be decked out in the Pittsburgh garb.

On the other side is America's Team. At various points in NFL history the most beloved team in the country and others the most despised. As a child growing up in the 90's, I was privy to both at the same time. But with a new stadium, a quarterback on the cusp, and a constant sense of "this is the year," if anything the dichotomy of Cowboy fandom is as strong as ever.

Thirty times the Steelers and Cowboys have played one another, including the regular season and the three Super Bowls. Fifteen wins to the Steelers. Fifteen to the Cowboys. It doesn't get much closer than that.

From when the series began in 1960 through 1965, the Steelers held an edge on the Cowboys, with  seven wins to the Cowboys four. But by 1965, the combination of Tom Landry finding the right mix of players for his innovative 4-3 defense and the Steelers spiraling into the cellar of the league in terms of talent, the Cowboys won the next seven contests through 1972 (The '72 season saw Dallas win its first of five Super Bowls).

But the Steelers would turn their sour luck around after 1972, and with a roster that proves to be its own wing of Canton Ohio, the Steel Curtain began to not only dominate the entire league but take control of their series with the Cowboys. After their meeting in 1972, they would not play again until January 18, 1976. Super Bowl X. A game that featured the aforementioned (and defending champion) Steel Curtain and Dallas' famed Doomsday Defense. Terry Bradshaw throwing against Roger Staubach. Lynn Swann going catch for catch against Drew Pearson. Ed "Too Tall" Jones and "Mean" Joe Greene trading big hits. Arguably, up to its point, the most star studded Super Bowl in history. A game that came down to one last drive for the Cowboys and a last attempt to get the ball into the end zone. But Staubach's heave for paydirt designated for Percy Howard was tipped into the waiting arms of Steeler Glen Edwards, sealing Pittsburgh's second consecutive Super Bowl victory.

From 1976 on to 1982, the Steelers asserted their dominance over the Cowboys, and they would rematch in Super Bowl XIII in 1979; another nail biting finish that sometimes is more remembered for the catch that Jackie Smith didn't make for the Cowboys rather than the receiving display put on by Swann and John Stallworth for the Steelers. Once again, the Steelers were world champions. Their third of the decade. And they would go back to back again the year following.

The 1980's saw a transitional period for both teams as the decade would be dominated by the other franchises in the NFC and AFC. After the 1982 game, they would play again in 1985 and 1988, splitting both games.

By the end of the decade, Chuck Knoll and Tom Landry had been replaced by Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson and the both teams were on the rise… The Cowboys' rise just happened to be a bit more meteoric.

Behind the success of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, the Cowboys won back to back Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994 and had the Steelers' number through their four victories from 1991 through 1997. The game in 1996 would be their NFL record third meeting in the Super Bowl, which finally saw the Cowboys on the back of two unlikely Larry Brown interceptions upend the Steelers and capture their third Super Bowl in four years.

Seven years would go by and again the teams would transition. As Aikman, Smith, and Irvin would ride off into the sunset, the Steelers too would begin to assemble its next core of marquee players. By their meeting again in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger had ascended to the role of starting quarterback, Jerome Bettis was entering his final years as their backfield general, and Troy Polamalu and James Harrison were just beginning to redefine the revamped Steeler defense. The Steelers snapped their four game losing streak against the Cowboys, winning 24-20.

Their last meeting up to now would occur in December of 2008 at Heinz Field, which saw Tony Romo become a part of the storied Steelers-Cowboys rivalry, and he was greeted by three Steeler interceptions en route to a 20-13 Pittsburgh victory. The Steelers would go on to win Super Bowl XLIV over the Arizona Cardinals and move ahead of the Cowboys in Lombardi trophies, six to five.

And again, four years later, on December 16, 2012, six days before the entire world supposedly comes to an end, the Steelers and Cowboys will square off for the 31st time. The game to break the tie to be played in the "House That Jerry Built."  Some pundits point to this as a possible Super Bowl match up this year as well.

Regardless of whether that prediction comes true, the NFL and its fans will once again bear witness to a rivalry that will find new life with a mix of new blood and a little bit of old as well, carrying on the legacy of some of the all time greatest players and coaches from both sides.

If hold outs and injuries do not play a hand, Roethlisberger and Romo will again be guiding the offenses with their respective deep threats of Mike Wallace and Dez Bryant along with go-to tight ends Heath Miller and Jason Witten. Rashard Mendenhall and DeMarco Murrary will be coming out of the backfield, and the defenses will again feature the likes of Polamalu and Harrison against DeMarcus Ware and first round draft pick Morris Claiborne.

Twelve million viewers tuned into the game in 2008, and its expected to be even more with the game in Dallas this year. Maybe it's both good and bad that the Steelers and Cowboys play only once every four years. On the one hand, such a storied and historical rivalry should be a focus of every NFL season, but then again, playing once every so often makes each game that more special.

Two cities that couldn't be more different geographically, demographically, even stereotypically but both cloaked in gridiron success that has spanned generations of fans from both sides.

Pittsburgh-Dallas, 2012. Here we go again...

From Jackie To Jerry: The Passing of The Memphis Crown

By 1974, a new generation of wrestlers were beginning to take the Memphis territory over and carry on the legacy of previous giants such as Sputnik Monroe and Billy Wicks. With the television broadcast becoming a bigger tool in showcasing the talents of this next generation to more and more fans in the region, so did the action and the feuds become equally hotter and larger. The perfect recipe and the perfect storm for a young artist/disc jockey turned wrester to emerge as not only the next face of the Memphis wrestling promotion but also as a nationally recognized star in the business.

Jerry Lawler's origins and career have been lauded and praised by many over the years, and up to the point of 1974 he was on the verge, on the edge of becoming "the guy" in Memphis wrestling. Already a former NWA Southern Tag Team Champion with Sam Bass and NWA Junior Heavyweight champion, Lawler still needed something big to get him over completely with the Memphis fans.

Still circulating and working the territory was long time Memphis legend Jackie Fargo, who was not only known as "The Fabulous One" but also "The King" of Memphis wrestling. Having won well over twenty tag team championships, Fargo was also as renowned as a singles competitor both as a face and heel. Despite being in semi-retirement by the late 60's, promoter Jerry Jarrett coxed him out of retirement to bring fans back to the arenas.

And back to the arenas they came. During the summer of 1974, Fargo would challenge Lawler for his NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship in a match were not only eras collided but also when a pupil challenged his mentor.

…

Jackie Fargo (born Henry Faggart) debuted as a professional wrestler in 1955 at the age of 27. Fargo was first introduced to professional wrestling by an offer from a promoter that enjoyed his work as an amateur athlete. Fargo accepted the offer for $100 a week to work for the promoter and eventually was asked to work down in Florida for an increased sum. It was in Florida that his first wrestling nickname was bestowed upon him in the form of "Honey Boy" Fargo.

Fargo's flowing bleach blonde locks and deep southern drawl didn't hurt his new "Honey Boy" image. In fact it didn't hurt at all when he was picked to work matches for a five week span in Cuba, which during the 1950's was like going to beautiful resort. But unfortunately a draft notice from the US Government kept Fargo from making the trip and by the time his stint in the army was complete, Cuba was under the Castro regime and thus any kind of entrance into Cuba was forbidden.

But his run during the 1950's with his brother Don Fargo yielded great success for both as they would travel up north and sell out Madison Square Garden against Argentina Rocca and Miguel Perez. Dubbed "The Fabulous Fargos," the duo would become a mainstay on the tag team wrestling scene in multiple regions of the country throughout the 1950's as notorious heels.

The height of their arrogance as a wrestling tag team gave birth to the infamous "Fargo strut" which became a staple of Jackie throughout his wrestling career. It would start with an opponent working on Fargo through a series of moves, and then Irish-whipping him into the ropes. But instead of coming off of the ropes and into a clothesline or back body drop, Fargo would slow down and divert into a boastful strut, which would incite not only the crowd but get under the skin of his opponent as blatantly disrespectful.

(Wrestling fans can find many examples of others taking on the famous "Fargo Strut" as their own throughout the years, which has never bothered Fargo. "Often imitated, never duplicated," as he famously says.)

By the 1960's, Jackie would move into the singles ranks, which would take his popularity to another level. Settling down in the Memphis region, he continued on as a heel but quickly shifted into becoming a beloved face to the Memphis fans. Steve Johnson, co-author of both The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams as well as The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, points to Fargo as being "one of the first true villains in the squared circle to switch to good guy status, on route to becoming the biggest name int he wild-and-wooly history of Tennessee grappling."

Back in 2009, Jim Cornette wrote a lengthy and well-written critical analysis of the evolution (or maybe de-evolution) of hardcore wrestling were he points back to Fargo as being one of the forerunners of the "anything goes" style.

"Wild, bloody, chair and table-swinging brawls were Jackie's forte, and any type of No DQ, anything-goes matches where furniture and ring bells ended up in the ring were often called 'Fargo Matches' by those in the business in the area…. Fargo often did 'hardways' (taking full-force punches and being busted open for real) to protect the credibility of wrestling." - Jim Cornette, "The Slippery Slope of Hardcore Wrestling 05-20-09" (full article available here)

Despite working for the notoriously underpaying Nick Gulas, who ran the Tennessee territory for years, Fargo was the biggest draw, and arguably stayed in that role for fifteen years until he stepped away into semi-retirement. But it was during the later stages of his golden era run that Fargo began to transition to the role of mentor to younger talent that was up and coming in Memphis.

Jerry Lawler would be one of these younger talents to gravitate towards Fargo.

Actually, Fargo first became enthralled with the young Jerry Lawler, initially, because of his incredible artistic skills. Lawler had been submitting his drawings to Lance Russell, the commentator for the weekly wrestling show, since he was boy first going to the matches. Now much older, Fargo began to employ Lawler as a painter for his sign company that he worked on the side.

But Lawler's true curiosity and passion would grow towards being in the squared circle like his mentor Fargo. In his biography It's Good To Be Kind…Sometimes Lawler notes his hesitancy to approach Fargo about training with him. "Jackie says now that he knew I was bursting to ask him about wrestling, and he was waiting for me to make the first move."

HIs first foray into the wrestling world came when he played a trump card on booker Aubrey Grifftih, who worked wrestling shows in Arkansas. Griffith, hesitant to put Lawler on a card with no wrestling experience, had his mind changed with Lawler revealed he was a radio disc jockey for KWAM-990 in Memphis and could provide cheap publicity for his show.

The documentary Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' has Lawler talk in depth about that first show and how all he really wanted to do was take a bump to the outside like his favorite wrestling tag team, The Blue Infernos, would work with their opponents…. Except when Lawler went flying to the outside, he was knocked out for fifteen minutes.


But through Lawler's promotion on the radio and initial work in the ring, Fargo went to Gulas and earned him a spot at the next show in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It would not take long from those initial shows competing as a jobber before Lawler would quickly move up through the ranks to become a popular character in the Memphis territory.

…

The seeds for the Fargo-Lawler feud were planted when Lawler and partner Jim White won the NWA Southern Tag Titles from Fargo in a handicap match in 1973. By 1974, Lawler had won the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship from Tommy Gilbert, and promoter Jarrett primed the fans for an extraordinary feud for the summer of 1974 where longtime fan favorite and "King of Memphis Wrestling" Jackie Fargo would challenge Jerry Lawler for not only that coveted title but in a battle of a proven veteran against and a loud mouth up and comer.

Fargo and Lawler would have many battles for the title, trading reigns three times before their final epic battle on July 27, 1974. Not only was the title on the line, with Fargo at that point being champion, but also was the unofficial title of "King of Memphis Wrestling." It would be a final, end all-be all affair that would in the end cement the legacy of both men.


Over 11,000 fans at the Mid South Coliseum, a sell out for that venue, witnessed the ultimate changing of the guard as Lawler defeated Fargo for the newly renamed NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, and as he walked back up the aisle, fans were yelling that Lawler was the king.

And with a chance meeting with Bobby Shane at a show in Atlanta, Lawler assembled his trademark entrance robe and crown.

Jerry "The King" Lawler was born.

Where Lawler would rise to incredible heights not only regionally but nationally in his popularity, Fargo would also continue to be a successful mentor in the wrestling business, most notably in the early 80's when Jarrett and Lawler (co-owners of CWA in Memphis) brought him in to manage Stan Lane and Steve Keirn who were tagged up as "The Fabulous Ones." With Fargo mentoring the two up and comers, "The Fabulous Ones" became instantly popular in the territory as a revival of the Fargo brothers from their run during the 50's and 60's. By 1984, though, Fargo moved on from CWA, and the Jim Cornette emerged as the team's manger.

Earlier this year, Fargo was hospitalized with pneumonia and rumors of his death began to circulate. But those were found to be untrue, and no further developments have emerged concerning his health.

Ultimately, the legacy of Jackie Fargo carries the most resonance in the territory era of professional wrestling, but in so many ways, the persona he embodied; the flowing blonde hair, the trademark strut, the rapport with the audience whether face or heel, became a starting point for so many wanting to break into the the business. But the overall mark of a legend is being able to pass the torch to the next generation. Fargo's feud with Lawler got the young champion way over with the fans in Memphis and set him on the course to becoming the superstar he would become.

"Meaner than a rattlesnake and tougher than a $2 steak."


Of course this is also a plug for Memphis Heat as well, which is an amazing watch for wrestling fans. No doubt about it, it is one of the most compelling stories of how a region embraced wrestling whole heartedly and became a breeding ground for the next stars in the business.

One of the extras on the DVD has a section of the interview with Fargo that was left out of the feature, where he tells the story of going to the hospital to visit a child stricken with terminal cancer. Well before the days of Make A Wish, Fargo was asked to visit the young boy because he was his favorite wrestler. The hospital offered to have media on hand if Fargo wanted to have coverage of the event, but Fargo declined.

He gets emotional as he describes meeting the boy and how his face lit up when he saw the superstar in his room. The original diagnosis was for him to only live four or maybe five weeks, but Fargo continued to visit the young man, and remarkably he survived for a year despite his condition.

Fargo not only confesses his admiration for the boy being able to survive as long as he did, but he also states that despite all of the fanfare and the money and the glory, that time he spent with that young man was the best memory he has of the wrestling business.

Often imitated, never duplicated.

WrestleForce Showcases Reunion of Raven's Flock at Spring Fling 2012

An independent wrestling show can sometimes be a tough sell without having either a "name" appear on the card from a national promotion or a great main event draw. Fortunately the newly formed WrestleForce promotion based out of Columbia, SC is providing both this Saturday, April 21 at The Loose Cockaboose sports bar and grill.

Although the backing force of burgeoning promotion wishes to remain anonymous, Jon Malus is very vocal about the presentation WrestleForce has in store for the Columbia wrestling fans.

"The overall reception was that Fall Brawl was a success. And that it was going to be a challenge to make Spring Fling just as appealing as Fall Brawl was," Malus said recently. Indeed, the Fall Brawl show that The Cockaboose showcased in October of last year was as good an independent wrestling show as any that has been performed in this state. The main draw of the show was a Battle Bowl style tag team tournament that would lead into a late night battle royal between the winners of each tag team match.

Spring Fling, however, is being built around not only an eight man tournament to crown the first ever WrestleForce Champion but also a War Games style tag match within the confines of a steel cage. On one side, "The Insane Lumberjack" Timer leads Jay Batista, Salem Sinner Sixx, and former ECW star CW Anderson against "The Juggernaut" Malus with WCW stars (and former Flock members) Raven and Lodi along with former ECW star Axl Rotten.

But plenty of other independent stars will be appearing at the event as well including another former Raven's Flock member, Sick Boy, as well as Michael Frehley, Hoss Hagood (who was the winner of the Fall Brawl event last year), BJ Hancock, Jesse Windham, and many more.

The tournament to crown the first ever WrestleForce Champion includes the likes of recent Resistance Pro Wrestling signees John Skyler and Steven Walters as well as Chase Stevens, Zack Salvation, Vordell Walker, Shane Williams, Caleb Konley, and a replacement to be named later for the injured Aden Chambers.

Of course, never forget the quintessential statement regarding a wrestling show: Card is always subject to change.

Spring Fling will begin at 3pm with a meet and greet with the wrestlers competing at the event at The Loose Cockaboose located at 936 S. Stadium Rd., Columbia, SC, 29201. Bell time for the event will be at 4:15pm. Advance tickets are currently on sale at Kelly's Deli & Pub and The Cockaboose for $5. Tickets purchased the day of the show will be $7.

Also scheduled to appear after the wrestling has finished are local bands Space Coke and Mommy's Little Monsters.

Again, if Fall Brawl is any indication, Spring Fling, under the banner of WrestleForce will be not only a fun wrestling show to attend but a great getaway on a Saturday afternoon in Columbia, SC.

You can follow WrestleForce on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WrestleForce as well as on Twitter @WrestleForce.

Read more here: http://events.thestate.com/columbia_sc/venues/show/370684-the-loose-cockaboose#storylink=cpy

Going Broadway 04.03.12 All Comers: Bob Backlund's World Title Tour

Appearance-wise, there was nothing flashy about Bob Backlund. But when the bell rang, he proved he could go toe to toe with not only the WWF's finest but the best in the world, and in turn took a fledgling title and brought recognition to it.


In April of 1977, Superstar Billy Graham rose to prominence in the WWWF when he defeated Bruno Sammartino to become the company's new World Champion. Unlike previous heels Ivan Koloff and Stan Stasiak who held the title for less than a month, Graham would tear through 1977 and into 1978, selling out Madison Square Garden and astounding 19 out of 20 times and eventually becoming the forerunner to eventual stars Jesse Ventura, Hulk Hogan, and many others.

But there was another star on the rise during this time.

At 27 years old, Bob Backlund debuted in the WWWF in 1977 and within only a few months found himself one of the top contenders to Graham's World Championship. The complete antithesis of Graham's Superstar character, Backlund wore classic wrestling trunks and boots to the ring and shied away from poses to show off his physique. He had a sort of Ron Howard-Opie look or, as he was eventually monikered, a Howdy Doody look, and became a blue collar hero to the wrestling fans in the vein of Sammartino or Morales before him. And just like those names previous, Backlund could more than back it up in the ring.

...

Born in Princeton, Minnesota in 1950, Backlund was a multi-sport prodigy growing up, but it was wrestling he ultimately settled upon, which paved the way to junior college success as well as NCAA honors at North Dakota State, where he won the Division II National Championship at the 191 pound weight class in 1971.

In 1973, Backlund moved up to professional wrestling when he joined the AWA. Despite having bulked up to 240 pounds, Backlund was still regarded as undersized for the heavyweight ranks but more than made up for any lack of size with his technical savvy in the ring, which instantly got him over with fans.

As a professional, he was trained by the famed Eddie Sharkey, who was the mentor to such future stars such as Jesse Ventura, Rick Rude, The Road Warriors, X-Pac, Jerry Lynn and many others. (Side note: Eddie Sharkey worked at a bar called Grandma B's, where the bouncing corps included both Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal, as well as Rick Rude. Imagine causing a ruckus in that place?)

Besides his work with AWA, Backlund began traveling throughout the country, working various NWA promotions in different regions. With various tag team partners, Backlund was able to accumulate many tag team championship reigns during this journeyman days. But his greatest accomplishment during this time was defeating Harley Race for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship in April of 1976. It would not be the last time he would have a noteworthy bout with Race…

By late 1976, Backlund had dropped the Missouri title to Jack Brisco, and left the territory not long after to join Vincent J. McMahon and the WWWF.

…

Backlund and Graham had a series of memorable matches throughout 1977 and heading into 1978 with inconclusive results in each. Backlund would either suffer a count out loss or Graham would be the recipient of the count out loss. Either way, he was continuously falling short of finally toppling the dominant Graham and taking the WWWF Title.
 
On February 20, 1978 at Madison Square Garden, Backlund and Graham would clash again. Serving up a masterpiece performance like they had previously, the finish of this match, however, had Backlund executing his patented atomic drop on Graham and gaining a three count victory, despite the fact that Graham's leg was draped on the bottom rope (something the referee failed to see). Backlund was the new WWWF Champion. (Voted 1978 match of the year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated)

Backlund's victory was a return to the ultra baby face champion that Sammartino and Morales represented. But unlike his predecessors, Backlund was about to embark on an impressive and ambitious world title reign that included cross over, champion vs champion matches with multiple promotions.

Not even a week after defeating Graham, Backlund was slated to once again face his previous nemesis, Harley Race, who was the current NWA Heavyweight Champion. (To be fair, Graham competing against Race as well for both belts.) Their first encounter would go Broadway at the 60 minute mark, but they would face each other again at least three more times over Backlund's reign as WWWF champion and Race's reign as NWA Champion.

The promo and match below are from the September 22, 1980 bout between both men.

In March of 1979, Backlund took the WWWF Title to Toronto to face the AWA Champion, Nick Bockwinkel, who was the promotion's reigning champion for six years at that point. Bockwinkle, another very gifted mat wrestler, went toe to toe with Backlund for nearly 40 minutes before both men were counted out after battling outside of the ring.

Later in November of 1979, Backlund traveled to Japan to take part in what might be considered his most highly regarded series of matches with the great Antonio Inoki. A wrestling masterpiece in every sense of the word, the two grapplers traded advantages back and forth with an unlikely and controversial finish coming with Inoki getting the win after a belly to back suplex. The controversy stemmed from Backlund thinking he had just pinned Inoki after he landed the atomic drop. However, the referee did not count Inoki out, which left the distracted Backlund vulnerable to Inoki's finisher.


Backlund protested the finish, and a rematch was set for December 6, 1979, once again in Japan. The match was again a well executed affair, but this time it was Backlund who won the bout despite again controversy surrounding the finish because of outside interference from Tiger Jeet Singh. The WWF "President" Hisashi Shinma had the result thrown out, but Inoki, in turn, vacated the belt due to the circumstance. Backlund returned to the United States as WWF champion. The title change was never acknowledged, and some reports point to this being a total work and some point to it as being a screw job on Inoki because he supposedly vacated the title in order to have a follow up match in New York for the belt (which ended up being a match between Backlund and Bobby Duncum).

In 1982, Backlund once again was pressed into representing the WWF against the NWA with a bout against then champion Ric Flair, which was another contest that ended in a double count out at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.


From a wrestling fan's perspective nowadays, a unification match of titles between the WWWF/WWF, NWA, and AWA would surely never end in a definitive winner. Of course the result would be a push in some form, whether it is a time limit draw or a count out or a disqualification. The significance though of Backlund's World Title Tour was that it brought distinction to the WWF title, which was still needing validation as a prestigious championship.

Backlund held the WWF title for nearly six years when Vince McMahon made the decision that Hulk Hogan was going to be the new face of the company due to his undeniable charisma and massive commercial appeal. It's not surprising that Backlund was reluctant to drop the belt to Hogan due to his successor's lack of wrestling skills. This, therefore, set up the match between Backlund and The Iron Shiek on December 26, 1983 where Backlund famously never gave up despite being locked in the Camel Clutch. But it was his manager Arnold Skaaland who threw in the towel from Backlund's corner, forcing the referee to stop the match and declare The Sheik the new WWF champion. At least in his loss, Backlund could maintain he never actually submitted.

Three weeks later, Hogan leg dropped his way to the WWF Title and the rest for him and professional wrestling is history. Everything changed from there. Backlund, however, would only wrestle for the company for another year before leaving in 1984.

But eight years later, Backlund would return to the WWF, and looked like he hadn't skipped a beat. His entry into the 1993 Royal Rumble was testament to his incredible stamina as he lasted over an hour at age 43. But the Bob Backlund face character of the 70's and 80's didn't fit in this new generation of the WWF. In fact, even in the latter stages of his run in the 80's, the fans started to wain at his All American look and demeanor, frequently chanting "Howdy Doody" during his matches.

Backlund had refused a heel turn during the 80's, but took the character turn in 1994 and morphed into "Mr. Bob Backlund," a psychotic and sociopathic version of his former character, frequently demeaning the amorality of America had embraced and attacking other wrestlers with his Crossface Chicken Wing. (Jim Ross isn't a wrestler, but he received the same treatment as seen below. Don't know why the video repeats with no audio, though.)

Backlund's heel run produced many memorable, humorous moments of insanity, but it also produced one last great series of matches with Bret Hart. The famous "Towel Match" at Survivor Series in 1994 had a reverse deja vu moment when Hart's mother Helen threw in the towel as her son was locked in the Crossface Chicken Wing, giving the win to Backlund. The following Wrestlemania in 1995, they faced off again in an "I Quit" match, where Backlund famously, unintelligibly submitted to Hart's version of the Crossface Chicken Wing.

In between both matches, Backlund was once again WWF Champion (having won the belt as a result of his victory over Hart in the "Towel Match"), although his brief reign is more notorious for how long (or short) his defense was against Diesel, when he was power bombed and pinned in eight seconds.

Backlund ultimately left the WWF in 1997 again, but would resurface a couple more times over the years. In 2000, he reappeared as Kurt Angle's manager and passed down his Crossface Chicken Wing to the rising star. He would also make a guest appearance at the Monday Night Raw 15th Anniversary show as part of a battle royal and during the same year work briefly for TNA Wrestling.

But Backlund's legacy ultimately rests during that six year run he had as WWWF/WWF champion. While the groundwork had been laid by Sammartino and others, Backlund's reign maintained and ramped up the WWF heading into the era where wrestling would explode into a national phenomenon. Sadly, like Sammartino, Backlund is not in the company's hall of fame, refusing supposedly based upon the notion he thinks he can be the World Champion again.

I wouldn't doubt for a second that Backlund could still hold his own in a wrestling match with anyone in the company today at 62 years old. In fact, what an amazing and gratifying image it would be for old school wrestling fans to see Backlund lock John Cena in that Crossface Chickenwing right in the center of the ring.

That's Mr. Bob Backlund to you, John Cena!