The Steel Cage

From the AP wire:

EVERETT, Mass. (AP) — Pro wrestling pioneer Walter “Killer” Kowalski has died from a heart attack. He was 81.
Kowalski died Saturday after his family decided to have him taken off life support. Kowalski had been in critical condition at a hospital in Everett, Massachusetts, since the heart attack on Aug. 8.
The death was announced on Kowalski’s Web site.
The 6-foot-7, 285 pound Kowalski earned his nickname in 1954 after dropping opponent Yukon Eric during a match in Montreal. He became famous for various moves, including a stomach vice grip called the “Killer Clutch.”

Even when I was covering the Town of Huntington for Newsday way back when, I was still finding ways to convince my editors to let me write about pro wrestling. One of my more creative endeavors was this Part II cover story on Foley's first foray into fiction writing.

With Foley in the news, I thought I'd revisit this story, in which I spent an afternoon with Mick and his family at their Saint James home. As I recall, it was my day off, so I didn't even get paid for my troubles. But what did I care? I was hanging out with Mick Friggin' Foley.

He was quite hospitable and I remember fondly visiting his famous "Christmas room," flipping through the stack of notebooks in which he wrote his books, and just chit chatting with him at his kitchen table about the cover art for "Teitam Brown." He showed me an alternative version which, we both agreed, was way cooler.

I called him after the story came out, and he was really happy with it, but for my choice to include the dig by Publishers Weekly.

A colleague of mine recently ran into Foley at a minor league ball game somewhere and mentioned my name, and sure enough Mick remembered me even five years later, or so my colleague says. Anyhow, if you're reading this Mick, pick up a phone.

Ex-Lord Of The Ring; After 15 years of pounding as a professional wrestler, Mick Foley finds his new passion - as a fiction writer

By Alfonso A. Castillo. STAFF WRITER

On a Monday night last month at Madison Square Garden, a group of professional wrestlers stood in the ring and, before an audience of thousands, paid tribute to the man known as "The Hardcore Legend."

Continue reading "Newsday Story on Foley from Five Years Ago" »

One of the big headlines coming down this week has been TNA’s signing of Long Island’s own Mick Foley. As many fans know by now, Mick was reportedly unhappy with the treatment he had received during his most recent WWE stint as color commentator on Smackdown.

Although it’s still not clear exactly in what capacity TNA will use Foley, there is no question that he will be valuable addition to the company – in any role – and brings with him a reputation as a legitimate legend and one of the most recognizable stars coming out of one of wrestling’s most successful periods in the late 1990s.

But while some observers are predicting – and I’m sure Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett are praying – that Foley may be a big difference maker in ratings, I just don’t see it happening, for a combination of reasons.

Continue reading "What "Impact" Will Foley Have On TNA?" »

Long-Island based independent wrestling promotion FTW is coming to Lindenhurst on September 13th with its “Rise Against” show. The action will take place at Lefty’s Bar & Grill at 543 W. Hoffman Avenue with a 4 p.m. start time. Tickets are $15 on FTW’s official website, which you can access here.

FTW officials tell me they pride themselves on delivering a product that’s high on production value and star power, as evidenced by their upcoming show, which features such recognizable names as Brutus “The Barber” Beefake, The Sandman, and Balls Mahoney.

I caught up with Mr. Mahoney [I’m not sure Newsday editorial style allows me to print his first name too often] and he sounded excited about working for FTW, as well as the unique stipulations to his upcoming match.

In this extensive interview, Mahoney also talked about the cirsumstances behind his WWE release, his future aspirations in WWE, TNA and even ROH, his thoughts on the new ECW, being left out of the “ECW Originals” angle, the dangers of chairshots in pro wrestling, and portraying one of the most peculiar wrestling characters of all time – Xanta Klaus.

AC: Do you like working the indie scene? I imagine that’s a pretty crazy pace.

BH: I enjoy having the freedom of creativity. And I enjoy being able to be myself and have more interaction with the fans. Like in the last couple of weeks, two of my shows have been canceled, and that kind of hurts the paybook. I mean you go from WWE back down to the indies. Yeah, I’m making a lot more money, but I have a lot more expenses. I have a son now.

Continue reading "Interview With Balls Mahoney" »

When John Cena suffered a torn pectoral last fall that threatened to keep him on the sidelines for up to a year, the news hit WWE like a ton of bricks. WWE had been reeling from a plague of injuries that had affected many of its top stars for much of the year, and losing Cena - the company's top act and Raw's world champion at the time - seemed like a near-crippling blow.

Fast forward less than a year, and again WWE is facing the prospect of losing Cena indefinitely with a serious neck injury. Yet, this time I'm guessing WWE is not fretting nearly as much as they last fall. And that's a good thing.

Continue reading "A WWE Without Cena Will Be Just Fine" »

I had a good time at the Madison Square Garden house show I attended on Saturday night. Although I wrote last week about how much I looked forward to watching an MSG house show free of the Titan Tron, pyrotechnics and other glitz that usually comes with TV tapings and pay per views, WWE had a far bigger production than I anticipated – complete with entrance videos on the garden’s big screen, a Raw logo animation playing on video screens that covered the perimeter of the arena, a fairly elaborate entry way, and plenty of pyro. But no matter how you dressed it up, it was an MSG house show, and it was long overdue.

I also wrote last week that I hoped that it wouldn’t be another three years before WWE returned to the Garden for a house show, especially considering the fact that they were near monthly fixtures in the building for about 30 years. Well, the wrestling gods must have been listening, because Tony Chimmel announced Saturday that WWE is returning to the Madison Square Garden on Sunday Dec. 28 for another non-televised event. I believe tickets go on sale this Saturday.

After going three years without a house show, it’s amazing that WWE would run two in the building in four months. WWE officials must have been happy with the turnout for Saturday’s show. The place was packed and looked to be a legit sell out. It’s amazing how many kids are coming out to WWE shows these days. I don’t think I’ve seen so many children at a WWE show since I was going to them myself in the mid-1980s.

It should also be noted that the Dec. 28 house show comes just a day after Ring of Honor plays just across the street from MSG at the Hammerstein. It’ll be a big weekend for wrestling in New York.

Here’s a quick rundown of Saturday’s card, and some thoughts on the matches:

Continue reading "WWE at MSG House Show Results & Thoughts" »

So I'm watching some of the monthly programming on WWE 24-7 when I come to an episode of Stampede Wrestling from back in the day.

OK, I think, should be interesting -- I've never actually seen an episode, though I've read some pretty incredible things.

It's a fun show, ridiculous themesong notwithstanding -- the ring action isn't terrible, there's a promo from a very young Brian Pillman promoting his first Stampede match and there's build-up for a big title match between Owen Hart and Makhan Singh.

And then they come to a Makhan Singh promo in the ring.

You may know Makhan from one of his other personas -- Norman the Lunatic, Friar Ferguson or Bastion Booger, among others. As Makhan, he was quite a physical presence, and, I must say, he cut a decent promo.

But this is one promo you have to hear to believe.

Makhan is in the ring with several others, including the massively muscled Ted Arcidi, who apparently was feuding at the time with the also massively muscled Bill Kazmaier in a series of matches that no doubt won Match of the Year honors that year.

Anyway, Singh's cutting a promo on Kazmaier -- and mid promo, he pulls out a needle and basically says that Kazmaier's muscles are all injected! And then, he says that Arcidi's muscles are all natural, which announcer Ed Whalen questions!!!

Yes, this is a promo on an 80s wrestling show where the guys are turning steroid use into a storyline -- being replayed by a company that's been trying to shake the steroid thing for decades!

I did a double-take when I heard the thing. More like a triple- or quadruple-take.

Isn't anyone screening this stuff before it goes on the air?

One half of WWE's world tag team champions, Cody Rhodes, was still six years from being born on the night his old man captured his first world title by defeating NWA Heavyweight Champion Harley Race on August 21, 1979 in Tampa Florida - 29 years ago today.

I couldn't find the actual match, but here's some footage of the American Dream celebrating in the locker room moments after winning the championship. The SuperBowl victory-like atmosphere is a sight to behold, and something that we unfortunately don't see that much of in pro wrestling these days. I enjoyed watching C.M. Punk's interview after his win, where he thanked his family and fans, but unfortunately, it was mostly a backdrop for an angle with JBL.

WWE, and all wrestling promoters, would be wise to watch Rhodes' celebration closely. Nothing gets a championship over like having a wrestler make a hell of a big deal when he wins it.

So here’s the good news. I spent my Saturday night a couple weeks back at the release party for Midway’s new videogame, TNA iMPACT! Eager to bring to you interviews with the many TNA stars that were on hand for the event, I made the trek all the way to lovely Princeton, NJ, hauling the latest in Newsday digital video recording equipment, and, on camera, pressed the likes of Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles with some of the toughest questions they’ve ever been asked!

But, unfortunately, the microphone didn’t work.

I kicked around the idea of bringing you the video interspersed with Charlie-Chaplinesque title cards that would communicate to you the gist of our conversation. But they don’t make those cards big enough to capture my long windedness.

So, I decided to go with Plan B, and from memory, try to recall and paraphrase for you some of my discussions with the many wrestlers who were kind enough to speak with me Saturday night.

I should note that everyone at the party seemed to be really enjoying the new iMPACT! videogame, which was set up on a couple of monitors in a ballroom of the Princeton Hyatt. It was all I could do to pry A.J. Styles away from it for just five minutes. The game really does look impressive, and does an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of the TNA product – right down to the amazing “Ultimate X” mode in which players precariously hang off of the cable set up above the ring. The graphics are among the best I’ve seen for a wrestling game ever. Midway and TNA both have high hopes for the game, and having seen it up close, they have good reason.

Here’s some highlights, as best as I can remember, from my conversation with Kurt Angle:

Continue reading "Interview With Kurt Angle (Sort Of)" »

I've gone to a ton of wrestling shows this summer - everything from the Great American Bash at the Nassau Coliseum, to Ring of Honor at the Hammerstein to TNA Hard Justice in Trenton. But no show all summer has me as excited as one coming up this Saturday.

We all know that Madison Square Garden has long been the Mecca of many of WWE's greatest moments. And at least once a year, WWE is sure to make a stop in the "World's Most Famous Arena." But despite the close relationship between MSG and WWE, the Garden has not hosted a house show in more than three years.

Indeed, the Garden has hosted its share of Monday Night Raws and live pay per views in recent years, including this year's Royal Rumble. But there's something about watching a house show at the Garden that just makes you feel like your both witnessing history, and traveling back in time.

I recently wrote about the magic of the house show experience and how, despite the evolution of wrestling over the last three decades, house shows have managed to keep their intimate charm. No pyro, no elaborate stage set. Just a ring under some lights.

A Garden house show takes it a step further. Anyone who grew up watching Garden house shows each month on the MSG Network knows what a special place they have in wrestling history. Before the era of regular pay per views, or even blockbuster weekly shows like Raw and Smackdown, the Madison Square Garden house show was as big as it got. Eight WWE world championships changed hands at MSG house shows, including Bruno Sammartino's defeat of Buddy Rogers in 1963, Hulk Hogan's win over the Iron Sheik in 1984, and Diesel's championship victory in 1994.

When I became old enough to ride the Long Island Railroad on my own, Garden house shows became a nearly monthly fixture for me and my buddy G-Man, who would regularly watch main events featuring the likes of Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett.

Watching a WWE house show in a dimly lit Madison Square Garden - the ring dwarfed by the massive vaulted roof of the iconic building - is an experience every wrestling fan should have.

Sadly, big time house shows have long fallen by the wayside. But whenever fans are lucky enough to have a non-televised live event come to the Garden, WWE still takes some steps to make it feel extra special. The last time a WWE house was held in the Garden, Triple H and Batista squared off in a steel cage match preview of their WrestleMania 21 main event.

This Saturday, the steel cage will once again be erected in the Garden, as C.M. Punk defends his world heavyweight championship against C.M. Punk. Batista also takes on John Cena in a rematch of their SummerSlam battle.

I can't wait to be there and witness the continuation of one of wrestling's most storied traditions. I only hope WWE doesn't wait another three years to host another house show at MSG.