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IPW: Heard it Through the Grapevine - Bad News Let's start with the bad news and get it out of the way. Word out of the IPW locker room is that things have gotten so bad in the office that Rip Tyler, the IPW Commissioner, has not only left IPW but has left the state as well and headed home to Alabama. Tyler. who ran World Organization Wrestling just a year ago before the IPW enterprise, might be going home to dust off and reboot the WOW. Oliver Humperdink (and the ladies) who is chummy with Tyler might be joining him as the WOW promoted shows in Mississippi, Alabama and Humperdink's home state of Florida. - Good? While Memphis star Bill Dundee's Arkansas dates have been a positive for the promotion, house show dates beyond the next two weeks have been cancelled. Dundee's IPW tour was reduced to just two dates for television and shows later that evening. Word is that Bill wanted more dates to work with son Jamie, but the recent Memphis restructuring and shake up kept wrestling stars closer to home. - Ghost in the Machine, Part 2 The missing Bert Prentice's whereabouts have been found! The super promoter has been involved in talks in Memphis., along with Memphis Legend Jackie Fargo. Will he or they wind up on the Super Station? - Ulterior Motives? Jackie Fargo's appearance in IPW has been questioned as to what his motives might have been. Has he been trying to drum up some business to bring wrestlers back to the Memphis area or was it simply to be booked? His ties to a good portion of the roster that has passed through the Mempho territory might speak to the former rather than the latter. - From Bad to Worse In the things couldn't get worse department, it appears that television station KAIT Channel 8 in Jonesboro has severed ties with the wrestling promotion at the end of August. Saturday tapings for the 5th, 12th and 18th appear to be the final live tapings with whatever's to come following that is anyone's guess. No one is speaking about it from either side though several wrestlers were notified in advance to find bookings elsewhere following those dates.

Calhoun for me, Morrell for you works for me.

Memphis and I both have referee Jerry Calhoun on our roster.

Oops! My bad.

IPW signs Crash Holly.

As a fan of Cheetah Kid/Rocco Rock, I am loving this title run. As noted previously, the West Coast has the best and most competitive Junior division and the fact that he has beaten some of the best guys in the business for the next near 20 years is fantastic.

Some of my predictions fell short. Still, good show with lots of action.

Good go home show before WrestleFest that did exactly what it needed to do by drumming up last minute interest for Chicago. Yup, looks like a really stacked show which I believe will see the change of several titles.

Larry Z is the man! He knows what's up and what's up next is Nick Busick. Busick's already felt the wrath of Larry, get ready to go down once again. Gerry Morrow was very accepting of Norvell Austin's explanation. Not an ounce of doubt or hesitation from the COO. Is he in cahoots with Austin or is he just stupid? Johnny and Davey Rich reuniting is interesting but under the circumstances, I see trouble on the horizon as Davey doesn't sound so interested in redeeming the Rich name. Stubbs is out, Dream Machine is in and Gary Young is okay with it. I think Stubbs got the better of the deal here despite the beatdown.

Pre-taping Match Ken Jugan defeated the Masked Star. International Pro Wrestling Excited Voiceover: You are watching International Pro Wrestling from the KAIT Channel 8 television studios! Wrestling action whizzes by quickly over music, showing the stars of International Pro Wresting. Drop kick here, monkey flip there, big swinging neck breaker there. When the music comes to a stop, the camera pans the studio and the loud studio audience ready for some wrestling action! A lone Buddy Lee welcomes everyone to International Pro Wrestling's exciting "Power Half Hour. The fans cheer and whistle for the Memphis star come to Arkansas followed by Jackie Fargo and Tony Falk. The smiling Dundee waves and waits for the cheers to die down before talking. He says he's been hearing some things from friends Jackie and Tony going on here in Arkansas. He doesn't like funny business but that's what he's been hearing. UH OH! HERE COMES PLOWBOY FRAZIER AND HE DOESN'T LOOK ALL THAT HAPPY! Dundee says this is just the guy he wants to see. He pokes Plowboy in the chest and wants to know what's this he's hearing Jackie and Tony about the "Big Boy" not allowing Bruno to continue working with his son Jamie? Jamie suddenly not good enough? Sure seemed good enough when Plowboy and Bruno came to the house to eat and brother, let me tell you ... this man can eat! When Plowboy came to Dundee to train Bruno, the Dundee name was good enough then ... Plowboy tells Bill that he should get back in his car and head right back to Memphis and not stop until he's across the Arkansas border! This business is between him and Jamie ... Bill cuts him off and tells Plowboy if it's about Jamie, it's about him, too! If Bill wants to make it his business, then maybe he wants to get in the ring and settle it! Bill Dundee is steamed and is being held back by Jackie Fargo and Tony Falk as Bruno, Jamie and Dark Journey come out from the back to pull the two apart. Buddy Lee throws it to a commercial! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x Back from the break and Buddy Lee talks about the opening segment and the two men needing to be pulled apart before sending it to the ring! Match #1 Brian Knighton w/Bill Ash versus Johnny Weiss A lot of delaying with Knighton and Ash talking before jumping his opponent from behind. One sided match helped along by Bill Ash who trips up Weiss to break up any momentum and end the evening with a DDT. The two leave the ring happy with their work. Plowboy Frazier is back out and still not too happy. He talks about people needing to mind their own business. Jamie Dundee is a grown man, came to Arkansas on his own and has made decisions. He doesn't need Bill coming in and sticking his nose into things after getting "news" from Fargo and Falk! Buddy Lee asks if that applies to Bruno as well? The hard stare ends the questioning real quick and Bill Dundee marching out again ends the interview. Bill tells Frazier if he has something to say, he should say to his face. The two body up and start yelling at one another while jostling for position with Buddy Lee getting out of the way. Here comes Jamie Dundee, Bruno, Dark Journey, Jackie Fargo and Tony Falk again to pull the pair apart as Buddy Lee sends us to a commercial break! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x We return to the program with Buddy Lee having been joined by Commissioner Rip Tyler. With a restrained Plowboy and Bill Dundee being held apart, Tyler talks about already having a match already signed but when Plowboy Frazier and Bill Dundee demand something, you take notice. The fans cheer when Rip says that match will be on next week's program ... IF YOU BOYS WANT TO IRON OUT YOUR DIFFERENCES IN THE RING, BILL DUNDEE VERSUS PLOWBOY FRAZIER IS RIGHT NOW!!! The fans cheer loudly and Buddy Lee sends us to the ring. Match #2 Plowboy Frazier versus Bill Dundee Lots of jawing pre-match before the hard hitting starts and despite the obvious size difference, Bill Dundee holds his own against the behemoth. Buddy Lee is joined by Jackie Fargo, Tony Falk, Jamie Dundee, Bruno and Dark Journey. All the talk is about how this IS NOT how Jamie and Bruno wanted things. Part of the reason they came to Arkansas was to get away from all the meddling. Now, they have Jackie Fargo and Tony Falk who just have the boys' best interests at heart ratting them out. Bill Dundee over reacted! Plowboy Frazier over reacted! Bill works the arm but Frazier shrugs him off, sending him across the ring but on the return, Bill slides to the outside through Plowboy's legs. Bill takes a breather, pointing at his head while Frazier yells down at him for "being yellow". A few insults back and forth before Bill gets back inside and the two start trading shots. Having seen enough, Jamie and Bruno hit the ring and do their best to pull the two apart. Ref calls for the bell as Fargo calls for some help from the back to get them apart. Several wrestlers make their way out and we have pandemonium when Plowboy and Bill Dundee start swinging to try to get at one another. Buddy Lee with a big thank you and a reminder to join us next week for more International Pro Wrestling action!

Agreed ... no reboot. Too much good stuff planned.

Not too shabby. Not that it really makes all that much difference in the writing but I would say that I would mark out even moreso to the pics.

Some of the later Tazmaniac looks didn't even have the face paint, just the long hair.

I am looking for a Tazmaniac head for you!

I don't think you started any shit. It was a simple comment that took on a life of it's own. As far as the rules go, despite thinking the rosters are too big, I really have no problems with them as they are. I will just run things my way within the framework of the ruleset being used. My little corner of the world doesn't need to be bigger than what I have out there since starting. Things are clean and efficiently run and for the most part a nice set of writers who are friendly. Can't really ask for anything more than that. The "What If" scenario of allowing those who died in real life to continue on raises other questions. Sure, if history played out differently and David Von Erich missed his plane and didn't make his Japan tour dates, would he have still died? Don't know. I guess it would be possible or would it have gone down a different road where he became World Champion, made more money and became a bigger "celebrity" in the wrestling world which might have made his life spiral even more out of control? With the Crash Holly and Shane Douglas examples becoming their better known/more popular gimmicks earlier, I think the writers really miss out on having a go at their earlier history. Holly as the Green Ghost or his Leprechaun gimmick would take him in a different direction. Douglas as a skater/surfer teamed with surfer Sandman puts him in a whole different light. Taz taken right to Taz misses out on the Tazmaniac and his Kid Krush days. Granted, there are some guys out there that can and did make an instant impact but not many of them.

Hold on now ... some of us are! I agree that most promotions around this time period, only used a handful of top talent supplimented by enhancement guys and lower tier fill-ins. Personally, I think the rosters are too big and top heavy but that is just me. On top of the large numbers, the added use of enhancement guys that don't count, make it even larger numbers of guys being used.

As far as retirement goes, it really is kind of a crapshoot because 2 sites are largely used to determine one's activity when they for the most part don't have every appearance listed. Some of those "retired" guys were working the Indies for years off the beaten track. In some cases, there were dozens if not hundreds of guys getting regular work in this ('88) time period who aren't on the Free Agent list.

Shhhhhhh ...

Enjoyed the update. We keep up with what has gone on as well as the newcomers and what to expect in the very near future.

Brian Adias with the win as expected as well as Nikita taking the title off Bad News Brown. Was pretty sure those two wins were going to happen. Chicky getting slapped by Loni Anderson should be an AWA highlight shown often. That would surely rile up Chicky. Was surprised by Poffo winning over Austin Idol. Not a huge fan of either guy, just didn't think Poffo had it in him. Larry Z being Larry Z does again. In the end, no one will remember who won the match, just that Larry is still the Mid-American champ and that is all that counts. Super show and a well deserved break. Enjoy it. I would have blown out of there when the ref hit the mat for the three count in the final match to beat both the traffic AND REO Speedwagon.

Only 5 matches advertised so far for Wrestlefest at Wrigley but man, is that a stacked card. Matt Borne coming in really helps Duggan whether in singles, just watching Duggan's back or in tag matches. Just a matter of time, they clash with the Nasty Boys and/or Bam Bam Bigelow. Koko finds himself in good matches but unfortunately on the losing end of things.

Pretty good setup for Monday night which is how it should be. Idol and Dutch with their bases covered in case they were going to have to vacate the titles. They really took the air out of the studio when they were ready for Jerry Jarrett. Just imagine the response they'll get at the Coliseum should they lose to Dundee and Keirn. Shane with someone watching his back worked real well for him here on TV. Lots of shenanigans here because you have some dastardly heels. Jerry Jarrett really had to keep on his toes and his eyes open.

Scotty the Body is proving to be pure evil in dealing with Sunshine, though I don't think Tina Ferrari would have needed any help whatsoever. I stand by what I said about the light heavies here. Pullman/Owen just proves that.

Pre-taping Match In a non-title match, Bill Ash pinned The Ninja. Brian Knighton in Ash's corner got in a few shots as well. International Pro Wrestling Excited Voiceover: You are watching International Pro Wrestling from the KAIT Channel 8 television studios! Wrestling action whizzes by quickly over music, showing the stars of International Pro Wresting. Drop kick here, monkey flip there, big swinging neck breaker there. When the music comes to a stop, the camera pans the studio and the loud studio audience ready for some wrestling action! A lone Buddy Lee welcomes everyone to International Pro Wrestling's exciting "Power Half Hour. He is joined by Dark Journey. She talks about the roller coaster ride of the past weeks and following last week's program, she's done a lot of soul searching with a lot to be thankful for. The past few months were a real eye opener ... The fans cheer as Jamie Dundee and Bruno Spazzinsky make their way out. Dark Journey wants to say something before they say anything ... for opening her eyes and coming to her rescue when she needed it ... THANK YOU! To all the fans out there, watching from home, here in the studio and everywhere on the road ... for making her feel loved ... THANK YOU! One last thing ... and she understands if they would say no but if Jamie and Bruno would have her, she thinks they make a pretty good team and can go far together ... The boys look at each other, then to the fans who seem approving and answer in unison ... YES! The trio share a hug as the fans approve ... WAIT A SECOND! HERE COMES PLOWBOY FRAZIER AND HE DOESN'T LOOK ALL THAT HAPPY! Plowboy takes a minute to compose himself. He says for the past several months, he's sat back and watched these two "youngens" making there way here in IPW. He didn't say anything but offer a hand when needed and an inspirational word from time to time BUT now, he has to say something. He's been a friend to Jamie's father Bill Dundee for a very long time and his family has been close from before Jamie was born. Jamie's a man now and can make his own decisions but Plowboy thinks what he may be doing here is the worst mistake of his life! He hopes Jamie will listen to reason but there is no way he would ever allow kinfolk to "get in bed" with this harlot ... this Jezebelle! He grabs Bruno by the ear and drags him off to the back leaving Jamie, DJ and Buddy Lee scratching their heads before Buddy Lee throws it to a commercial! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x We come back from the break and Buddy Lee talks about the opening segment before apologizing for Bert Prentice who isn't here today. He talks about our first match coming up as Sean Baxter and Oliver Humperdink got at in a rematch. A few weeks back, Baxter got the win but Humperdink was able to exact a bit of revenge in Paragould on the 4th of July by winning a Best of 3 Falls, albeit with a little help from the ladies, Luna and Lock. Today, the ladies have been barred from ringside by Commissioner Rip Tyler! Match #1 Oliver Humperdink versus Sean Baxter Things are slow to start as Humperdink delays getting into the ring and the match. Finally, Baxter gets things going the hardway by yanking Humperdink into the ring by his red hair. He gets a quick two count as the discombobulated Humperdink is able to kick out before calling for a time out. Baxter wipes him out on the floor but the vet is able to rake the eyes to start the beatdown on the outside. Referee is able to get things back into the ring where Humperdink is able continue beating his opponent. He jaws with the booing fans, telling them he doesn't need any help with this guy. After being sent across the ring, Baxter ducks under the boot, hits the far side of the ring and comes flying off the ropes with a cross body block ... HE HOOKS THE LEG! 1! 2! 3! SEAN BAXTER HAS WON AGAIN! The fans cheer as Baxter hightails it from the ring, still trying to clear his eyes while Humperdink throws a tantrum. Cody Michaels comes out to a cheer and says he's here with a message from the American for the Cuban Assassin ... their war is far from over and while The American is healing from his war with the Assassin on the 4th of July, he's here to step in! When one soldier goes down, another steps in to take his place! Buddy asks about the vest Michaels is wearing, which was given to him by The American. Turning to show the back with a big "US1" emblazoned on it ... Cody US1 Michaels is here to take care of business! Buddy Lee sends us to a commercial break! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x We return to the program with Buddy Lee having been joined by Commissioner Rip Tyler. As usual, Tyler does not look all that happy and even less so when talking about Legend Jackie Fargo. He has barred Fargo from any and all IPW events. Whatever Fargo is up to is not good business for IPW here in Arkansas. Fargo is free to push whatever agenda he's peddling in Tennessee but Rip Tyler is not buying it! When asked of the rumors of Bill Dundee coming to IPW, Rip confirms that yes, Bill Dundee is coming in for a few dates with more details to come later. Buddy Lee sends us to the ring. Match #2 The Arkansas Terrors versus Plowboy Frazier and Bruno Spazzinsky Coming off their losing feud with Dundee and Bruno while also losing Dark Journey from their corner, the masked men find themselves once again embroiled in a match against familiar foes. Not exactly where they were hoping to be, facing the 6'10", 430 pound mountain of man. With a bit of aggression to work out, Plowboy took it out on the pair. Frazier with the heavy lifting and Bruno with the frog splash for the win ... The Arkansas Terrors never had a chance. Buddy Lee with a big thank you and a reminder to join us next week for more International Pro Wrestling action!

After making comments about WCW's claim to wanting to be the top dog in professional wrestling, eyes turn towards the one thing they lack - a solid Junior's division. That's where you come in. The best of the best of the smaller guys are on the West Coast. What kills you from being at the top (for me anyway) is the lack of a hierarchy as well as a reason to care for or to hate on any individuals. There has to be more than getting the entire roster work each week.