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!

Going Broadway 02.28.12: Eddie Gilbert vs. Cactus Jack: The Punishing Feud of 1991

The story of two men spurned nearly at the same time by the same company that created an unforgettable series of matches that were influential in laying the groundwork for the Attitude Era.


By 1991, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and Mick Foley were both at a crossroads of their respective careers, although both might not have known it at the time. Gilbert, who had begun his career in 1979 had risen through the ranks of Mid-South Wrestling and UWF as both a wrestler and booker. By 1988, he had joined WCW, but his stability and status as a burgeoning main event star quickly withered as a result of (guess what) backstage squabbling and "cloak and dagger" tactics (which also caused him to lose the influence he had as a booker for the company). Not to say he didn't have quality matches during this period, such as his work with Brian Pillman, but Eddie Gilbert by 1990 had become a disillusioned mid carder whose marriage to Missy Hyatt was all but over. He left WCW and headed back to the Indys in an attempt to revive his career…

Foley, whose career had begun in 1983, was a journeyman, as well, throughout his first five years in the business. By 1988, he had debuted his character Cactus Jack for Championship Wrestling Association in Memphis, Tennessee, but was soon on the move to WCCW and eventually WCW where he actually competed at a Clash of the Champions event against Mil Mascaras. But Foley's first stint with the company was short lived even though his character of Cactus Jack had gained a considerable following in the wrestling community. Like Gilbert, Foley was a talent squandered by WCW and looking for greener pastures by 1990…

The parallel paths of Gilbert and Foley converged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that same year as part of Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (which later would become Eastern Championship Wrestling and eventually the notorious and legendary Extreme Championship Wrestling). Under the leadership of Joel Goodhart, TWA had brought a higher octane, more volatile style of hardcore wrestling to Philadelphia, which was in sharp contrast to the standard product of WWF and WCW they were used to at the time.

Goodhart gave the Philly fans what they had wanted for years in terms of a quality wrestling show that was unpredictable and very in-your-face. Most of the shows would be housed in small venues like high school gyms, but for the larger shows he would do quarterly, Goodhart would pack in the Philadelphia Civic Center.

During the course of their stints in WCW, Gilbert and Foley had already faced one another but with their distinctive hardcore, brawling styles watered down, the results were barely a footnote in the WCW record book. But in Philadelphia, the climate was different, and Foley could relish in his role as a "gloried stunt man" (as Ric Flair once insultingly referred to Foley) while Gilbert could utilize his roots as a southern brawler.

Gilbert, himself, was instrumental in booking his series of matches with Foley, but it was Goodhart, so impressed with their first match together as part of the September show of 1990, that he favored a series of matches between Gilbert and Foley throughout 1991. The first would be a Falls Count Anywhere match that would take place on March 2, 1991.

As Foley remarked in his autobiography Have a Nice Day!, he considered the Falls Count Anywhere match to be the best of his career up to that point. And Goodhart agreed, bringing both Gilbert and Foley back for a Barbed Wire match on May 18. Foley was excited despite the punishment that would result from such a match. As Foley also remarked in his book, he wanted the match to be special and stand out from the rest on the card. Therefore, he reached an agreement with Goodhart that there would not be any juicing before their Barbed Wire match that night. (Goodhart's shows were known for lots of juicing and blading throughout many, sometimes all matches on the card)

The night of the May 18th show, Foley sat in the locker room but was perplexed when multiple wrestlers were returning to the back with blood on their forehead. What Foley found out was that Goodhart had booked a ten man "Last Blood" battle royal, where the last guy to bleed would win.

"Immediately, I ran out and caught the last five minutes of one of the sorriest affairs I'd ever seen. Ten guys, some of them had never had match before, were fighting in and around the ring. They were trying to poke, prod, gig, hit, and bust one another and themselves in an attempt to draw blood." (Foley from Have A Nice Day)

Gilbert and Foley pushed their match to the absolute limit. Literally, the referee had to stop the match because Foley had become so badly entangled in the barbed wire that he could not compete any longer. Of course normally a Philadelphia crowd would riot over such a decision, but not this time. The effort given by Gilbert and Foley had earned their respect and admiration. Gilbert passed out in the back from blood loss and exhaustion, while Foley was greeted by his wife.

The Barbed Wire match had served its purpose for TWA. The feud between Gilbert and Foley was gaining not only local but national attention as well as one of the biggest of the year. Goodhart knew a third act had to eclipse both of the previous matches. Something that would solidify this battle between Gilbert and Foley as the feud of the year above all else: A Best of Three Falls match. Goodhart raised the stakes by making each match in the three a special gimmick match as well.

Gilbert and Foley worked out the specific gimmicks of each fall, settling on fall one being a Falls Count Anywhere match, fall two being a Stretcher match, and the deciding third fall (if necessary) a Steel Cage match.

The result on August 3rd was considered by many, including Gilbert and Foley, as the best match of their career…

…

1st Fall - Falls Count Anywhere: Time, approximately 10 minutes From the get go, Foley dominates in the ring, even scoring with the Double Arm DDT (great bump by Gilbert, by the way) within the first couple of minutes. Predictably, the action heads to the outside quickly. Foley takes one of his classic back body drop bumps on the floor to swing the momentum toward Gilbert. From that point, they tour the Civic Center, trading chair shots in the process. Gilbert is busted open quickly, but he scores with a suplex and a pile driver through a table. There's also a great moment in this fall where Gilbert grabs a tray of concession items and chucks its contents at Foley. (It always seems to be a badge of honor for wrestlers to take the concession items you've paid for and use them against their opponent. Everyone seems to enjoy it. Just once I'd love to see some miser who splurged for food and drink to take umbrage and be owned by a wrestler when they confront them.)

A great Foley spot is when he breaks out his diving cannonball flip from the apron to the outside floor. It's clear he's in the best shape of his life for this match, as he also wrote in his book. Gilbert scores two Hotshots to Foley (one on the guardrail and one on the top rope), but after the second he tries to follow it up with another pile driver, which Foley reverses with a back body drop to the outside floor. This sets up Foley for a diving clothesline from the apron which gives him the three count. Winner: Foley

Gilbert gives an impassioned Mickey Rourke-esque statement from The Wrestler that if he loses again, he'll retire that night from TWA.

2nd Fall - Stretcher Match: Time, approximately 10 minutes Foley makes his entrance quickly, but Gilbert's is delayed as he continues to get bandages from the doctors. Not a problem for Foley as starts the match near the entrance way. Gilbert is bleeding again within moments (so much for the bandages). Foley dominates the match early on, and eventually gets Gilbert back to the ring. He scores on multiple bulldogs and drives Gilbert back to the outside near the stretcher. The pivot in the match comes when he leaps from the second turnbuckle to the outside, but the angle of the video doesn't really show how much he connected with Gilbert or if he connected at all because it's Gilbert who gets up first and takes over. And when I say take over, I mean he goes into "whatever the fuck it takes" mode.

He takes a large trash bin Foley had been using earlier but doesn't stop with a couple of bashes to Foley's head. He empties the contents, finding a beer bottle inside which he clearly needs to find the other half of after breaking it over Foley's head (favorite line from Happy Gilmore). Gilbert uses the half of the bottle he still has possession of (since he couldn't find the rest of it) and jabs it into Foley's forehead, drawing a considerable amount of blood. He follows with a pile driver and a DDT on the outside floor, icing the assault with repeated bashes of the ring steps. Foley is carted off on the stretcher, giving the second fall to Gilbert. Winner: Gilbert

Gilbert once again grabs the microphone and proclaims there will be a third fall in this main event, which a Keith David-looking gent from Pitch Black is delighted to hear from the front row.

3rd Fall - Steel Cage Match: Time, approximately 15 minutes After the vicious beating he gave Foley in the Stretcher Match, Gilbert struts around the ring, working the mic to fill time before Foley's entrance. Gilbert quickly reverses his earlier proclamation of a third fall by saying there will not be a third fall after all because Foley will not be able to compete. (No visual of Keith David to get his reaction to this update)

Once the cage is fitted around the ring, Gilbert awaits Foley's entrance, but he doesn't emerge after repeated playings of his Steppenwolf theme music. Gilbert gets a lot of heat (and a lot of pops) during this time as he works the mic more and more. Finally, Goodhart comes on the mic and makes the official statement that Foley cannot complete in the cage match. But wait, oh wait. The Steppenwolf music plays once more, and Foley emerges with his head now heavily bandaged. He gets on the mic now, stating the doctors cannot license the match because he's too badly hurt to which one fan responds with a very audible "Bullshit!" But do not fear, sir. Foley has little regard for matters such as a doctor's consent or advice. He enters the cage, and the third fall begins. Once again, Foley gets the early advantage and introduces Gilbert to the cage walls more than a couple of times.

I won't lie, there seems to be a little bit of confusion regarding the rules of this cage match as it moves along. The traditional cage match has the winner escaping either over the top of the cage or if there is a door available in the design. Amendments to the rules added a referee to make pin falls or submissions as another path to victory as well. This match clearly has a referee, and it looks like the wrestlers are cognizant of the "escape" clause as evidenced when Foley scales one of the walls of the cage. He doesn't turn around like he's about to go Superfly style on Gilbert. He looks like he's about to escape or at least try to. But Gilbert halts his progress, and this is where something seems to be off in the match. He drop kicks the side of the cage, sending Foley crashing to the outside floor (a nice foreshadow to Hell In The Cell 1998). But the bell doesn't ring. In fact the ref on the inside and the ref on the outside look at each other as if to say "oh, shit." Was it a botch? Was it planned? I don't know. Even the commentator admits he's confused by the rules. But quickly the ref opens the door and the match seems to pick up where it left off. The commentator reassures us, as if someone just handed him a note, that the only way to win is by pinball or submission.

But Gilbert and Foley don't go back in right away. They fight on the outside and into the crowd again. (The Keith David fan can be seen at this point. He's traveled to another section of the arena.) But once they're back inside, Gilbert takes one of the chains from the cage and uses it to choke out and beat down Foley, who returns the favor when he gets access to chain as well. Both men are faces full of blood as there just seems to be no end in sight for the assault they carry out on one another. The commentator makes a comment that only a couple hundred fans remain in the crowd, exhausted from the mayhem that's ensued; some even calling for the match to be stopped. (This is not really audible on the video, though.)

The pivot in the match comes when Gilbert clotheslines the referee out of his shoes (a shot that reminds me of one of Stan Hansen's "fuck you" lariats) which allows Doug Gilbert to run out and join the fray. They beat down Foley for awhile until Bam Bam Bigelow hits the ring, forcing the brothers GIlbert to scatter. An announcement is then heard that the referee has ruled the match a double disqualification (?) with the fans becoming livid and chanting "bullshit" as a response (which is why I doubt the creditability of the above claim that fans wanted the match to be stopped). Winner: No Contest

…

The feud by the end of the night was a push; undecided in terms of an overall victor. But the fortitude displayed by both Gilbert and Foley put the Best of Three Falls match in a unique five-star match position. Of course when you compare it to Flair-Steamboat or even Hart-Michaels at Wrestlemania it pales in comparison. Nevertheless it succeeds in taking the audience on literally a three-act journey that was both brutal and punishing yet very accessible to the fans, which historically shows, in the bigger scope of the business, where wrestling was headed by the middle and end of the 90's: unpredictable, high octane violence sandwiched in between the occasional arm drag takedown and grapevine submission.

In terms of Gilbert and Foley, their series of matches throughout 1991, including the epic Best of Three Falls match, attracted the attention of the wrestling world, and WCW made offers to both men to rejoin their ranks. However, it was only Foley who would accept the invitation. Gilbert, fearing he would be relegated to the same mid card status he was before, declined. WCW had hoped to revive their feud from TWA on their larger stage, but Gilbert also feared that WCW would water down their quality of matches and diminish the legacy they had created in TWA.

Foley's second stint in WCW would elevate him into high profile feuds as a heel with both Sting and Ron Simmons (among others) as he continued his Cactus Jack character. But of course it wasn't until he was signed by the WWF in 1996 that he ultimately reach main event status, become World Champion on multiple occasions, write best selling books, and hawk ravioli. Since returning last year to the company, he is now poised to become a member of the Hall of Fame in years to come.

After the feud with Foley in 1991, Gilbert continued to bounce around between independent promotions while also working shows in Puerto Rico on occasion. Unfortunately he had developed a bit of a reputation for flaking out on shows and burned numerous bridges with promoters. One of his last big feuds was a revival of one of his previous wars with Jerry Lawler in the Memphis territory, which included some of the strongest promo work of his career (which many of it was borderline shoot) and helped bring new fans into a very historical promotion.

By 1995, after an unsuccessful stint in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, Gilbert resumed work in Puerto Rico with the World Wrestling Council; this time assuming a booking role as well. On February 17, Gilbert wrestled his last match, not against Foley or Lawler or even some no-name jobber. He wrestled a bear…

Afterwards he retired to his apartment, but sadly was found dead the next day of a heart attack. Eddie Gilbert was 33 years old. The combination of residual effects stemming from a 1983 car accident along with a strong dependency on painkillers contributed to the tragic, early demise of one of wrestling's most recognizable stars.

Although Gilbert never achieved main event status in the WWF or WCW, and Foley most certainly went on to have higher profile matches in the business, the work they did together in that transitional period of 1991 holds its own special place in the pantheon of professional wrestling. Two men from different backgrounds that had that unique chemistry that not everyone can have with an opponent.

Going Broadway 03.06.12: Bad News Brown: Baddest Man In The Whole Damn Town

During the 1980s, heels in professional wrestling were defined very distinctly by either being extremely arrogant or cowardly (or in many cases both). Some would insult the crowd. Some would cheat whenever they could. In the case of Bad News Brown, it was a combination of a loner's mentality and a bruising in-ring style that created created a prototypical heel that was years ahead of its time.


In 1988, Wrestlemania IV had the toughest act to follow to date in the history of the World Wrestling Federation after the record breaking showcase that was Wrestlemania III at the Pontiac Silverdome. Of course leading into the fourth installment of the pay per view, the feud between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had grown to new heights since the screw job finish that led to Hogan dropping the belt to Andre (who would then sell the belt to Ted Dibiase, later nullified by WWF President Jack Tunney.) That was the main draw in the decided 14 man tournament that would decide an undisputed World Champion.

However, a unique undercard bout was created by the WWF in the form of a 20 man battle royal that awarded the victor, simply, a trophy. Nothing more. Not a number one contendership to the later crowned WWF Champion. Just a big trophy.

With the show being billed as a "four hour spectacular," the battle royal itself only lasted roughly 11 minutes with the final two competitors being Bret Hart and Bad News Brown. At this point, Hart was a heel as part of the Hart Foundation and so was Brown, which almost created a unique situation where both men were willing to share the trophy as co-winners. Of course, a Ghetto Blaster from Brown secured a double-crossing victory that gave him the trophy… which was promptly destroyed by Hart in a fit of rage. Nevertheless, Bad News Brown was a superstar on the rise…

Long before the battle royal at Wrestlemania IV, Allen Coage (born 10/22/43, New York City) was an 18 year old making his way through the subway when he saw an advertisement for a Judo school. Fourteen years later and with over 100 national and international titles to his name, Coage, a fifth degree black belt, achieved his ultimate prize of a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

Given the nickname "Bad News" by his fellow competitors, Coage transitioned to professional wrestling when he realized despite his success in Judo that the bigger pay day was in the squared circle. Under the tutelage of Antonio Inoki, Coagle worked for New Japan Wrestling under the name of "Buffalo" Allen Coage for the next four years from 1978 to 1982.

During his run with New Japan, Coage began to harness a unique kind of heel status that did not seem to stem from the classic "cheating" or "retreating" heel, but rather from the kind of guy who would kick your ass, snarl, and kick it again for good measure.

But Coage was almost exclusively a Japanese-bred wrestler in training and execution. Inoki, hoping to season Coagle sent him to the states where he had a brief stint with Vince McMahon Sr. and the WWWF. It was there that his old nickname "Bad News" resurfaced and became his new moniker.

During this time period of back and forth shuttling between the United States and Japan, Coagle became famous (or infamous) for a confrontation with Andre the Giant that spawned from a drunken bus ride that saw Andre spout a racist remark that Coagle took so personally that he stopped the bus, walked outside, and demanded that Andre step out to fight him. Andre declined and later apologized. (Hogan tells a different version of the encounter while Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid corroborate it in their biographies.)

Speaking of Dynamite Kid, it was his insistence on Coagle joining Stu Hart's Canadian promotion Stampede Wrestling that became the ultimate turning point in Coagle's career. As Hart cites in his autobiography Hitman "News was a decent worker and a hard one, but he had no psychology: He just ate up anyone in his path… Most nights, in the middle of my comeback he'd scoop my legs out out from under me, grab me by the throat and tell me, 'If you touch my head again I'll kill you, mo'fucker.' Every match I went in looking like a nine and, after he was done, came out looking like a three."

Coagle, as "Bad News" Allen, exploded as a heel in Stu Hart's territory, aggressively carving a warpath through the baby faces of Stampede Wrestling all the way to the North American Heavyweight Championship. On one occasion, his attack with a fork on Jim Neidhart was so vicious and bloody that it caused the Canadian wrestling commission to levy a suspension on Coage.

When Stampede Wrestling was annexed by the WWF in the 80's, wrestlers such as Coage along with Bret Hart and others were also brought into the main roster as well. Coage, renamed again to "Bad News Brown," continued his run as a heel destroying jobbers left and right with his "Ghetto Blaster" finishing move.

The character of Bad News Brown was all the more fascinating on the WWF stage because in a time of bold, vivid baby faces and heels that were clearly defined, Coage was something of an anomaly. Granted he was a heel, but he walked alone and never seemed to buy into the trust of others as evidenced by his turning on Bret Hart during the Wrestlemania IV battle royal and during Survivor Series matches where he'd abandon his heel partners.
As a wrestler, Coagle likened his style of wrestling as to what he would do in a street fight, and frequently pummeled opponents with devastating attacks in the corner, bringing out some of his Judo training as well. In the 90's he would have been labeled a "technical brawler" when that became a popular description of wrestlers such as Steve Austin and Goldberg.Unfortunately, despite notable matches with Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Roddy Piper (who infamously painted himself half black in their Wrestlemania VI bout) Coage left the WWF in 1990 under less than amicable conditions. One reason cited for his leaving had to do with an unfulfilled promise at a World Title run that McMahon supposedly promised him. Other reasons cited indicate an overall unhappiness with the WWF.

From Coage's SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame article: "They never kept their word to me. It wasn't a fun time for me. You see, when I left there I was really happy. I was brought there under false pretenses. They never kept their word to me. I was just sick of the lying all the time… That was two and a half years of my life I really didn't enjoy."

After leaving the WWF, Coage spent the majority of the 90's working independent shows along with UWFi in Japan. By 1999, though, Coage's weakened knees forced him to retire as an active in-ring competitor. He shifted to color commentating for the revived Stampde Wrestling and even worked at running his own wrestling school in Calgary (while also working as a mall cop there as well).

But sadly, on March 6, 2007, Coage passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 63. He had been in the midst of recovering from hip replacement surgery only a few weeks prior. The wrestling community (or at least the one's from Coage's past) flocked to his funeral and later put up a Bad News Allen tribute wrestling show in his honor.

Although his career in the WWF was short lived and relegated to the mid-card level, Coage was a character about ten years ahead of his time. His black boots, black trunks look and bruising in-ring style combined with his combative microphone work (often referring to the crowd as "beer bellied share croppers") draws further comparison to Austin when he began his mega-star run in the late 90's. And Coage even had the on-air clashes with authority; his most famous being with Jack Tunney during a Brother Love segment.

But the 80's era of the WWF was not ready for that kind of character to take off. Not while Hulkamania and Macho Madness were in the high spots. Nowadays, of course, it's common place to have the anti-authority behavioral trait as a wrestler, but Coage was singular in that respect during his run. A man who epitomized the saying "what you see is what you get" and walked his own line all the way to the end.