Greetings.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a wrestling training seminar with veteran WWE trainer and talent scout Jerry Brisco and enjoyed being able to share perspectives on wrestling with a guy who’s so well versed in our sport and widely respected.
Like my brothers and myself, Jerry broke in during the era of the so-called “territories” and learned his craft from his brother Jack, who was NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, and old school promoters, Leroy McGuirk in Oklahoma and Florida promoter Eddie Graham, all of whom were staunch advocates of amateur wrestling being a precursor to pro.
I might add that many of the other major promoters back then, including my dad, Verne Gagne, Bob Geigel, Bill Watts, Vince McMahon Sr., and foreign promoters such as Antonio Inoki (Japan), George Relwyskow (England) and Steve Rickard (New Zealand) also stressed amateur wrestling as a pre-requisite for success as a professional.
It’s worth noting that a remarkable number of iconic, cutting edge “workers” were produced during that “golden age of wrestling,” including Billy Robinson, Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, Ken Mantell, my brother Bret, Dynamite Kid, Jumbo Tsuruta, Tatsumi Fujinami and Tiger Mask, all of whom had stellar amateur pedigrees, which they would artfully incorporate into their professional wrestling repertoires.
The style of professional wrestling would change dramatically however later in the 1980’s with the emergence of the WWF as the pre-eminent promotion in our business. Giving credit where credit is due, Vince McMahon took our sport from smoky arenas and regional circuits into major league stadiums and, using enhanced television and marketing schematics, would transform pro wrestling into a global phenomenon. In so doing, he would spawn a new era of superstars, such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, ‘Stone Cold’Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bret “Hitman” Hart, The Rock and John Cena, among others, who would transcend professional wrestling to become veritable household names.
While Vinnie Mac’s many marketing and “non-wrestling” concepts certainly advanced the WWF by leaps and bounds, the same, unfortunately, can not be said for main product itself – pro wrestling, which has, in the past couple of decades, all too often taken a back seat to the ill-conceived theatrics, gimmickry, wanton extremism and assorted other crap, which has turned off legions of traditional fans – many of whom have opted for things like mixed martial arts, if only because it’s construed as a throwback to what old school pro wrestling used to be.
n talking with Jerry, he tells me that the WWE seems to have, at long last, seen the light as far as getting back to old school wrestling precepts, which, if it’s true, is certainly good news. I might add, however, that making Wrestling the operative word in the WWE and not necessarily Entertainment, will be easier said than done, as it would not only entail re-educating a new generation of fans and wrestlers, but also would require those pulling the proverbial strings in Stamford, Connecticut to stay the course insofar as cutting back on theatrics, gimmickry, tits and ass, wanton extremism, catering to smart marks and assorted other unadulterated horse shit, which has compromised the integrity and quasi-legitimacy of professional wrestling.
It certainly appears that the WWE is headed in the right direction, with the resurgence lately of old school type wrestlers, such as Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte and Sasha Banks, however, it’s critical that the powers that be in the WWE need to be vigilant about “staying the course” as far as restoring old school elements and not go back to the non-wrestling bullshit, the first time a few smart marks start chanting “borrrring,” or one of the script writers in Stamford, who doesn’t know a wrist lock from a wrist watch, wants to deviate from conventionality again.
Like many of you, I’ll be watching with cautious optimism.
Not to digress, but I’ve been watching, with intrigue and, at times, disbelief and amusement, the knock down, drag ‘em out Royal Rumble that’s been ensuing lately between WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, for the real United States Heavyweight Championship.
Some of you may recall that, a while back, I was outspokenly critical of the WWE for seeing fit to induct Trump into the WWE Hall of Fame, while, at the same time, continuing to exclude far more worthy candidates, including: my late brother Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, the Dynamite Kid, Danny Hodge, Strangler Lewis, Toots Mondt and Luther Lindsay, among others.
Having said that, and after having watched Trump, in recent weeks: shamefully insult American war hero Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim, who paid the ultimate price for the United States; and continue to make countless other irresponsible and seemingly reckless remarks, I find myself having to retract my earlier remarks about Trump being a worthy candidate for the wrestling hall of fame. To my way of thinking, Trump is far more qualified to be a member of the WWE Hall of Fame than he is to be president of the United States. I thereby pledge my support for Mrs. Clinton to be the first female president in American history.
Go Hillary, go – Yes! Yes! Yes!
On that politically correct note, I’ll call this a wrap for now, but will look forward to hooking up with you all next week for my prognostications on Summer Slam and whatever else in the wrestling world.
In the meantime, keep the faith!
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