RIP Rowdy Roddy Piper 1954 – 2015

The world of professional wrestling received sad news this past Friday as Rowdy Roddy Piper passed away in his home at age 61. I didn’t get into wrestling until 1988, during Piper’s hiatus from the WWF and after his big feuds with Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, and Adrian Adonis. However, my friends always talked about Piper and would fill me in on all of his past shenanigans.

Piper returned to the WWF at WrestleMania 5 in a special edition of Piper’s Pit. His guests were Brother Love and controversial talk show host Morton Downey Jr.

It was my first time seeing this wrestler that had been built up by my friends to legendary proportions. Continue reading “RIP Rowdy Roddy Piper 1954 – 2015” →

A Wrestle-less Christmas

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and I hope that continues as we enter the New Year. Christmas has come and gone and it took me a few days to realize this, but I didn’t receive a single wrestling related gift.

Let me explain.

In my circles, I’m known as the wrestling guy and when in doubt during any gift giving time of year, someone gets me a wrestling gift. I’m not nearly the collector I was in my younger years. My wife and I had a very relaxing Christmas but still, not a single WWF/WWE labeled item in my stocking or under my tree.

Maybe it’s some weird sign that I’ve finally grown up?

Nah!

Continue reading “A Wrestle-less Christmas” →

New WWE Title and a Rundown of My Favorite Championship Hardware

This past Monday on Raw, The Rock unveiled the new WWE championship belt. Some like it, but most seem to hate it. Truth be told, I will take anything over that awful spinner belt. Sure, the diamond encrusted center plate looks a little bedazzled and is a far cry from a traditional design. It will take some getting used to but I think people will grow to like it.

As a kid, I hated the Winged Eagle belt that Randy Savage won at WrestleMania 4. I was at WrestleMania 14 where Steve Austin beat Shawn Michaels in the last match contested for the title. The next night on Raw, Vince McMahon presented Austin with what became known as the Attitude Era belt which is my favorite version of the championship. Today, I’m fond of the Winged Eagle belt as I’m ushered back to my childhood whenever I see it

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as some belts look better than others and carry more prestige. Here are some thoughts the belt designs I’ve always enjoyed:

Continue reading “New WWE Title and a Rundown of My Favorite Championship Hardware” →

Vladimir The Wrestling Superfan Is #1

If you watched WWF in the ’80s and ’90s, then you probably recognize the person pictured above in the glasses. His name is Vladimir, aka the superfan. He was wrestling’s equivalent to Where’s Waldo as he was a permanent fixture in the front row of the major events from Wrestlemania to SummerSlam. I remember seeing him at all those shows and just being in awe of how he got such good seats at every event and how cool it must have been to witness all of those spectacular matches in person.

Continue reading “Vladimir The Wrestling Superfan Is #1” →