LastStopTour

I'll drop the claim on Raul Guzman because I only found a couple matches for him. Tony Divito wrestled into 89 that I could find. He was a Chicago area guy - lots of video here https://www.youtube.com/@ArmstrongAlley/videos under Chicago Championship Wrestling. Real name Vito Brancato - he wrote and produced the Chicago Championship Wrestling stuff. Started in 1983 and career lasted at least 9 years.

IPW adds: Johnny Weiss Prissie Purcell (Female) Raul Guzman Tony the Razor Divito (Not of ECW fame)

I am with you there. I couldn't stomach WWF when I lived up north. Wasn't until a move to Texas and Southwest Championship Wrestling that hooked me in.

Reading this back to back with WCW, what sticks out is the huge difference in roster between the two and how well both fit their territories. Lots of pieces here that might not fit in as well on the east coast or have as high a place on the food chain in say, WCW but all plug and play well together. You also have a little bit of everything from really good wrestling to a more hardcore style if needed. You also have one of my faves in the Cheetah Kid so you can't go wrong there.

Have to ask ... what came first? The figures or the roster? How many do you have? Triumph had a big show feel to it and an importance to the matches. Really good stuff. Next up ... the aftermath! I'm sure Dusty has something to spray ... err, I mean say to Dan Spivey. Would not want to be Dan Spivey right about now.

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! International Pro Wrestling 3-25-1988 Pine Bluff Convention Center Pine Bluff, Arkansas Match #1 Cody Michaels versus Brian Knighton. First match for the two here in Pine Bluff with Michaels getting the nod once again. They shake hands afterwards. Match #2 Plowboy Frazier versus Mountain Lou. Battle of the big guys. Slower than the previous match, the veteran has enough mass to push Lou around to get the win. Plowboy invites the kids into the ring to celebrate the victory. Match #3 Ken Jugan versus Pat Rose. Rose coming off some big wins before getting his title match next Friday finds himself in against a very game Jugan. Giving everything he has is still not enough against a veteran like Rose. Intermission. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice talk to Rose following the match. Last time here, they talked to Bill Ash who promised to be the IPW Champion, now they talk to the man who is going to face Ash for the title. Rose talks about his hour long match against Bill Ash last week. He talks about Ash being a top notch wrestler but he's taking on a whole different creature in Pat Rose. He's put the time in the ring and in the gym, he believes he has what it takes to pin Bill Ash to the mat 1! 2! 3! Match #4 The Ninjas versus Dancing Wolf & Reno Riggins One of the top teams here in Arkansas does not fail to deliver, pinning both Ninjas to close it out. Tojo Yamamoto and the New Guinea Headhunter hit the ring and attack Reno and Wolf but are driven off following a short brawl. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice with the promise that IPW will return to Pine Bluff! They sell the March 31st card next week Friday in Jonesboro at the ASU Armory!

Champagne Slam has shaped up nicely to be a HUGE card that should have something for everyone. Titles on the line, hot feuds, new debuts, literally something for everyone. The big one has to be Brown vs. Colon though I am looking forward to the Battle of the Cripplers. That should be a fun one. I am thinking Richard Charland is being served up on a plate to the Warrior.

Ohhh ... the Steiners opposite of each other in a tag title match. Now, that is interesting. This could go in so many different ways. Looking forward to that for sure. I'm thinking Luger and Reed in a Lumberjack match might be a better way to control the interference. Was there something missing from the JYD/Murdoch interview? It ends with an "and" then nothing before moving on to a commercial break. Inquiring minds want to know!

Pre-taping Match Heavyweight Title Tournament Match Pat Rose with the victory over the New Guinea Headhunter. 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! Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice welcome everyone to International Pro Wrestling's exciting "Power Half Hour"! Bert is excited as today, we begin the IPW Heavyweight Title Tournament. Pat Rose with an exciting win over the New Guinea Headhunter before we came on the air moves on to the finals and will face the winner of Bill Ash and Time Renesto that we will see later in the program. The two winners move on to the finals and will face each other in Jonesboro March 21st! Bert brings up the hour long match between Rose and Ash just the other night in Arkadelphia where they went to a 1 Hour Time Limit Draw but Pat Rose had Bill Ash in all kinds of trouble and had the match been just seconds longer, Pat Rose would have won. Buddy says this is a different night and a different match where anything can and probably will happen! Our hosts are joined by Jamie Dundee and another brutally skinny man. Jamie talks about his match today against the Arkansas Terror #1 and because taking on #1 also means he's got to deal with #2 and Dark Journey, he's brought along a little "company". He introduces his long time childhood friend, Bruno Spazzinsky who is here to watch his back. An animated Spazzinsky has to switch to decaf for sure, talking about today's match and a warning for Dark Journey to stay out of the match! Buddy Lee throws it to a commercial! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x We go to the ring for our first match of the evening ... Match #1 Arkansas Terror #1 w/Dark Journey & Arkansas Terror #2 versus Jamie Dundee w/Bruno Spazzinsky. Jamie is up to the challenge and has an answer to everything thrown at him. Of course, Dark Journey serves as a distraction but the other Terror has remained on the outside. With #1 down, #2 acts and switches places while Jamie climbs the ropes and Dark Journey distracts the referee. This didn't go unnoticed ... SPAZZINSKY TO THE RESCUE! Charging into the ring, he drops an elbow on #2 and slides to the outside as Jamie comes flying off with the BOMBS AWAY! We get the fist drop and a three count! Jamie Dundee gets the win! After the match, Dundee and Spazz vacate the ring to celebrate on the outside. Inside the ring, Dark Journey grabs the referee and shakes him before she storms off and joins our hosts, A little back and forth between DJ and Prentice who thinks her men got exactly what they deserved! x-x-x-x-x COMMERCIAL BREAK x-x-x-x-x We return to the program with Bert and Buddy discussing the match we just saw. Bert thinks Dark Journey got exactly what she deserved and when the referee was distracted by Dark Journey, Bruno Spazzinsky did exactly what he said he was going to do. Buddy Lee thinks this is far from over as Dark Journey does not seem like the kind of person to just let this go. Bert Prentice reminds everyone ... TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! IPW returns to the Pine Bluff Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Doors open at 6 and bell time is 7 sharp! The stars of International Pro Wrestling will all be in action! Match #2 Heavyweight Title Tournament Match Tim Renesto versus Bill Ash The winner of the match moves on to the finals and faces Pat Rose for the IPW Heavyweight Title next Friday! Renesto lights up Ash and has him reeling in the very early going. Renesto is a ball of fire with Buddy Lee and Bert discussing his history as a second generation wrestler, his father, Tom Renesto Sr. who had much success as one of the Assassins. Bert talks in hushed whispers as to how feared Tom Renesto was before retiring. Calling for a time out draws the ire of the fans and "Sissy" chants when he begs the referee for a break. Arguing with the fans earns him nothing more than a knock upside his head from Renesto for not paying attention to his opponent. Ash is able to slow things down, first by complaining about his hair being pulled, then turning around and yanking Tim down by his long locks several times. The two trade near pinfalls before Ash is able to take Tim down with the Arkansas Whiplash and his feet on the ropes for added leverage. Bill Ash moves on to the finals and is booed as he celebrates his victory in the ring. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice with a big thank you and a reminder to join us next week for more International Pro Wrestling action as well as one last plug for next Friday night in Jonesboro! DON'T MISS OUT ON THE ACTION! GET THOSE TICKETS TODAY!

Thanks for the kind words, I do appreciate it. I have had a blast doing this!

It has been fixed.

That certainly made me laugh out loud. Maybe he's scoping out banks for Ranger Ross? Love some of the names here. Carolina Reaper - I bet that was a hot match with Commando Boone. Medical Bill - lucky that Bruiser Brody didn't slash him in half.

Arena Report from Pro Wrestling Illustrated March 1988 Issue Boys & Girls Club (Jacksonville, AR) Tim Renesto beat Brian Knighton ... In a handicapped match, The Arkansas Terrors beat Mountain Lou ... Pat Rose beat the Ninja by submission ... Reno Riggins vs. Tojo Yamamoto ended in a double disqualification.

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! International Pro Wrestling 3-21-1988 Arkadelphia High School Arkadelphia, Arkansas Home of the Badgers Tuesday night as IPW comes to a town near you, bringing the best in wrestling action! Hosts Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice welcome everyone to the show, promising exciting wrestling action! Match #1 Brian Knighton versus Cody Michaels. Continuation of the friendly match-ups with Michaels winning yet again. Knighton has a long discussion with the referee after the match. Match #2 Plowboy Frazier versus the Arkansas Terror #1 w/Dark Journey & Arkansas Terror #2. It's the big man versus the much smaller masked man. Interference from both DJ and #2 but Plowboy takes care of them, with a belly buck that sends them both off the apron. Corner splash for the win and the big guy invites the kids to come into the ring and celebrate with him. Match # 3 The New Guinea Headhunter & Tojo Yamamoto versus Dancing Wolf & Reno Riggins. A little bit of everything that sees a ref bump and Reno Riggins left a bloody mess after taking a kendo stick shot between the eyes. Wild and wooly one with Tojo and the Headhunter getting the victory when Riggins passes out to the Headhunter's nerve hold. This one is far from over. Intermission. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice talk to Bill Ash who goes on a rant about the upcoming Heavyweight Tournament, telling the fans they are lucky getting Bill Ash, THEIR Champion in this cruddy town. Ash goes on to say there is no one in IPW that is as technically sound or is as athletic as him. NO ONE! To prove it, he challenges his opponent to go 60 minutes with him! The fans cheer when Pat Rose walks out from the back and joins our trio. He says he was listening in the back that Bill Ash is "The It" of IPW. That Bill Ash is the most technically sound wrestler and the most gifted athlete in all of Arkansas. Is that what he's hearing? Bill Ash nods in agreement. Then if Pat Rose was a smart man, he'd best turn right around and go back into that locker room and call it a day. Again, Bill Ash agrees. Pat Rose: You know, Bill ... I have never been called the smartest man in the world, so I'll accept your challenge. Sixty minutes it is! The fans start cheering as Ash starts to protest but Rose hops into the ring and holds the ropes open for his opponent. Match #4 Bill Ash versus Pat Rose. These two go hold for hold, move for move for the entirety of the 60 minutes. Several near pinfalls and exciting escapes for both men that gets the fans cheering, booing and on their feet. With the time ticking down, Rose has Ash in a world of hurt with the fans on their feet and stomping away on the gymnasium floor. To a deafening roar, inside cradle and Rose rolls Ash to his back! The referee drops and slaps out the count ... 1! 2! 3! The fans explode into cheers and Rose pops to his feet with his arms in the air ... Not so fast! Ash is complaining and the referee is waving his arms in the air. Moving to Rose, the referee pulls his arm down and is furiously waving off the three count. WHAT?!?!? The cheers turn to boos as the referee heads to Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice who is obviously upset over the discussion. Buddy Lee: Ladies and gentlemen, the time limit had expired before the last count. The referee has ruled this match a TIME LIMIT DRAW! Bill Ash and the referee hightail it to the back, the whole time pelted with cups and programs with the very unhappy fans. Bert Prentice is beside himself, leading the boobirds. Buddy Lee thanks everyone for sharing their Tuesday evening here in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and to drive home safely!

Pillman forcing Dean to tap is an accomplishment. Bret and Buzz in a Dog Collar match on free tv is big. Would like to see these two revisit this or other stipulation matches down the road. Win or lose, Bret is going to know each time he has been in a war. Bret has the finesse and wrestling ability while Buzz has power and the "crazy" going for him. While a contrast of styles, I think this is a money maker. Buddy Rose has certainly been doing his work with a pretty big 6-man victory in my opinion. Can they do that again if needed or was it a fluke?

And please, don't take my criticism as "bad work or booking". Quite the opposite, as it is well written. What I am having trouble with is who is the main guy or couple of guys? Who is the focus or who is the main feud. I understand Buddy Rose not being the focus here, you do have top guys to rally around. Even some of the younger guys aren't too bad because by and large, the roster is pretty young. 1988 Bret Hart isn't a bad choice to be a focus. Even though Buddy Rose might not be the physical specimen he was a few years before, he could be the mouthpiece and occasional worker alongside some of the younger pieces. I'm new here, so I missed a lot of what went on before so my sampling is small, so this is based on what little I've read.

The first show was a highlighting of the tag division, giving a great look as to what is going on and who is involved all in one place at one time. I think where it suffers is that there are so many people involved, there is no real focus on any one person or feud. That top performer or feud isn't seen by everybody or almost everybody. For example, Texas and the Von Erichs in the early to mid-80s. There was a Von Erich on just about every show, even some of the small out of the way house shows because they were the top draw. That is who everyone wanted to see. If you didn't get all of them, you got one of them almost all of the time. And when you didn't, you got a "Friend of the Von Erichs" like Brian Adias.

At least Doll didn't take a chair shot to the "Money Maker" (his face). I am sure that made a lot of people happy.

Oh how far has Dirty Dutch fallen? The rough and tumble hairy guy is "afraid" of "America's Next Serial Killer" Shane Douglas? He needs Jeff Gaylord as his bodyguard? He might want to rethink this union because it didn't work out so well for him the first time around. Ron Wright needs a plate to pass around through the audience. Someone might take pity on him and drop a few bucks for new hips and knees. Then again, maybe not. Nice to see Rip Rogers is staying in the area for the people. They really need to see how the other half lives. He's doing the territory a service by being here for al the ugly people. Brad and Tim might need a little help now dealing with the Russians and Whatley. Three on two odds are not good not matter who is involved. Eventually it catches up to you.

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT! International Pro Wrestling 3-18-1988 ASU Armory Jonesboro, Arkansas Saturday night packed house in Jonesboro! Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice welcome everyone to the show before bringing out Mr. Rip Tyler. Looking more like a truck driver or someone out of the audience rather than the Commissioner, Tyler talks about a tournament to crown a champion on next week's television program with the finals slated for the following week, Friday March 31st right here in Jonesboro at the Armory. Tickets are on sale right now for the "Hottest Ticket" in all of professional wrestling! Match #1. Cody Michaels versus Brian Knighton. Another friendly match-up between the two that sees both take near pinfalls and clean throughout without any strikes. Cody ts the better of the youngster once again, this time with a backslide. After the match, a disappointed Knighton kicks at the ropes but shakes Michaels' hand when offered. Match #2. The Arkansas Terror #2 w/Dark Journey and Arkansas Terror #1 versus Jamie Dundee. Dundee with more to reckon with than just his masked opponent, is able to knock #1 from his perch on the ring apron and gets a helping hand from their manager when she hits #2 with her shoe by accident, leading to the easy pinfall. She reads both men the riot act as Dundee slips out to the floor when the going is good. Match #3. The Enforcer versus Tim Renesto. Masked man with the Pearl Harbor before the bell is able to use the early advantage and nearly end the match. Renesto fights his way back into the match. Flying cross body and Renesto gets the win. Intermission. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice are joined by a hot under the collar Bill Ash. He can't believe the indignity of having to go through a tournament when everyone knows "The Headliner" is going to win it all anyway. Why doesn't Tyler just come back out here and hand over the belt rather than waste everyone's time? Here comes Rip Tyler and he doesn't look all that happy. He wants Bill Ash to understand one thing about Rip Tyler. Rip Tyler is very easily annoyed and while he may be the Commissioner he would rather be a Hand's Off kind of guy and let the "Rasslers" settle it in the ring. So Tyler doesn't know how they do things in New York City but right here in Arkansas, you still have to earn it. Bill Ash wants that title belt all shiny and around his waist, then he's gonna have to earn it! Match #4. Bill Ash versus Mountain Lou. The big man, cheered on by the fans, beats Ash around the ring. Put on his back several times, Ash is able to escape at the last instant. Leaving the ring for a breather, he gets into it with ringside fans before Lou grabs him and slides him back into the ring. Several shoulders to the midseciton catches Lou getting back into the ring. Hooks him up for a suplex and after several tries is finally able to get the 300 pounder back in via suplex from the apron. Able to power out of it, Lou turns the tables with a Test of Strength which has Ash begging. "Sissy" chants for "Mr. MSG". Several times, Ash tries pulling something from his tights but is unable to thanks to a diligent referee. Unable to use it himself, he is able to hand it off to Mountain Lou before hitting the mat like he's been shot. Seeing Bill Ash flat on his back on the mat and Lou standing over him with a chain in his hand has no recourse but to call for the bell, disqualifying the big guy. Bill Ash is awarded the victory. Needless to say, the decision is not a popular one with the fans as Mountain Lou pleads his innocence but to no avail. Match #5. Reno Riggins & Dancing Wolf versus Tojo Yamamoto & the New Guniea Headhunter. Meeting once again turns out to a real barnburner as both teams brawl in and out of the ring. Several times things get out of hand with a chair brought into the match and a waffled Reno Riggins. Dancing Wolf with the flying tomahawk chop takes out the Headhunter with Riggins cutting off Tojo from breaking up the pinfall. Clean win by Riggins and Wolf but it is Tojo standing tall at the end as he takes out both opponents with his Singapore cane. The unhappy fans pummel Tojo and the Headhunter with cups and wadded programs as they make a run for it. Buddy Lee and Bert Prentice with the promise that IPW will return to Jonesboro!

Thanks for the kind words. I do appreciate it. Lots more to come out of Arkansas!

Pro Wrestling Illustrated's ratings ...

Champagne Slam looks big. Lots of good match ups. Looking forward to it. Here's hoping Larry Z takes Austin Idol's stupid looking hat, twists it up and puts it where the sun don't shine. To make it just a little bit better, he walks out as a double champion. Peterson and Kelly are on the same page for now but how long will that last before their past rears it's ugly head again and they are at each other's throats. Is Vinny Valentino strong enough to keep it all together. Question? Does Valentino manage barefoot just like he wrestled? The real Crippler is back in town which does not bode well for Stevens. I can see Oliver sending Ray Stevens off into retirement.