When did Missy Hyatt become all insightful and stuff?

[Bix]

She's been sending informal columns to sites like WO and F4W for a few weeks and they're actually really good. The latest is my favorite so far, talking about how lucky she was to break in while there were still territories to learn in, flawed psychology she's seen at indy shows, and who young wrestlers should watch to learn from.

 

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/h...t.asp?aID=22397

 

Missy Hyatt talks storytelling, John Cena, Eddie Gilbert and more

 

It took me a lot of bad years in my personal and professional life for me to realize that I still love wrestling. A lot of workers forget what drew them to the biz. I grew up watching Georgia Championship Wrestling. I realized I wanted to be in the biz and learn how to work right from the start. I still remember watching my first angle as a fan. I was fortunate to be able to catch the tail end of the territory system [World Class, UWF, Memphis, WWC, Continental, and indys].

 

I learned the most by picking the brains of the veterans during the lengthy car rides. We would analize every aspect, due to the love of the biz and to stay awake during long car rides. On the car rides back home, we would analize what spots worked and didn't work. What spots needed to be tweeked, eliminated, or added to maximize our talents.

 

I was very fortunate to learn so much about psychology by being at ringside as a manager. You eventually get a grasp at what gets heat, when to get heat, and when its your moment to shine. I watch some of the current wrestling. I enjoy bits and pieces. I still believe in classic baby face VS. heel story telling. I recently watched a match on television where the champion and the challenger hit every move in the book, too bad they no sold everything. No story telling. That's where the art of wrestling is missing. We need more story tellers who can lead a match.

 

I was very fortunate to be around Eddie Gilbert who lived and died for the biz. I remember how he would spend every moment thinking about story lines. How to format a television show. How

to develop a new crop of wrestlers to carry the territory.

I remember Eddie would watch wrestling tapes all the time. He was always looking how to incorporate angles that were inspired from other territories in to his booking. He would look for new moves to incorporate in his matches. Eddie especially wanted to be up to date on current wrestling trends. I was also fortunate to sit through the WCW television production meetings and hearing how all the story lines would be outlined for the several wrestlings shows, specials, and pay per views.

 

I wish more wrestlers would watch some older wrestling for inspiration in story telling and psychology. I remember working a indy for SCW in Florida 2 years ago. There was a tag team match where the baby face was selling and desperately trying to make a tag [makes sense]. He than climbs to the top rope and does a dive on both his opponents on the outside [why did the heels stop getting heat and go to the outside?]. The face than gets back to the ring selling and tries to tag his partner [why do a dive, when you could have made the tag?]. My point is the baby face should have been selling to get a tag. Not sell, than do a highspot, than go back to selling. Unfortunantly some wrestlers don't know when to hit their big moves in the right context in a match. More emphasis should be on story telling. My advice to everybody, watch old tapes. There are hidden tricks in selling and getting heat by watching the top heels and faces in the 80's. Eddie Gilbert studied Jerry Lawler for interview and psychology.

 

I'm glad I still have passion for the business. My appreciation continued based on loved ones. I used to take my niece ["Shawn Micheals Mark"] to WWE shows at the Garden. I even tried to get HBK to come to her sweet 16. I took my guy to a indy show in Florida [We wanted to see Necro, but he no showed] and to a TNA T.V. taping. I would get on everybody's nerves, since I critique story telling, psychology, and crowd interaction. I don't consider non stop highspots, with lack of selling as a form of story telling.

 

I always appreciated the fans for their love and passion to travel to many different shows and conventions. I wish many wrestlers remembered their passion as a fan. Their desire to learn every facet about the business from the veterans. The anticipation and adrenalin rush when you make the long drive to a booking. The adrenalin rush that a rock star feels in the ring. The adrenalin rush driving home, while you recap the show in your head. If you never had any of those moments, than you never loved being in the business.

 

I'm glad that WWE uses some of the Florida old timers in teaching the wrestlers in developmental. Hopefully this will give the new crop of wrestlers a foundation in the fundamentals of psychology and how to stay fresh in front of the same weekly fans. But they still need some young blood that can integrate the modern moves and psychology.

 

Here is the unofficial Missy list for aspiring wrestlers on learning psychology and story telling from:

 

Rock N Roll Express/Fantastics: Text book classic baby face tag teams. Bobby Fulton and Ricky Morton were masters on selling and building towards the hot tag to their partners.

 

Midnight Express: Classic heel tag team. Can hit every flashy move, but still maintain their heat.

 

Jerry Lawler: Can hit every interview style. Heel, baby face, smart ass. He doesn't have to scream or have a script writer to get any of his points over. Total master of the interview.

 

Terry Funk: The greatest ever. I'm glad I told him that last year. Terry Funk is the master of being a crazy heel. His promos are a total contrast to him being such a great person.

 

Eddie Gilbert: Total master of heel psychology. He knew when to hit his bumps when the baby face made his comback. Promos and personality were so strong that he carried wrestlers who were weak promos and personality.

 

Jim Cornette: The greatest manager ever. He took a beating, but he kept his heat. He was such a great promo that he also carried wrestlers with weaker mic skills. He also knew not to over shadow his wrestlers.

 

Here is the unofficial Missy list of current wrestlers that I feel they tell great stories in the ring:

 

John Cena: I know all the hardcore fans are groaning at me. He knows how to get crowd interaction [cheer him or boo him, he draws $$$]. Decent promo. Classic baby face that draws the kids and women, he moves merchandise, tickets, and ratings. Average worker. He knows his strengths and knows how to maximize it. My personal favorite wrestler in WWE {I own a Cena figure and necklace]

 

Randy Orton: Great heel. Has great chemistry against almost all of the faces. So hated, that he can turn another heel face. Great psychology.

 

Jeff Hardy: Lets ignore his personal problems and focuss on the talent. For 11 years he still gets pops. Classic baby face teeny bopper. Crowd is in to all of his programs this past year. Gets the crowd behind him when he sells and builds towards his comback. Shows that the fans have emotional attachment towards Hardy.

 

HBK: No explanation needed.

 

I'm very sure every veteran has their own list of wrestlers that they recommend for required viewing. I'm just naming a few that I enjoy watching.

 

Over the last few years, I try to do as many wrestling conventions and autograph signings as possible. I love interacting with the fans and reliving memories with the other wrestlers. Luckily I was able to meet John Tatum last year at a UWF reunion for K & S and Bud Carson [great store]. I still keep in contact a year later with Tatum. I'm glad I met Gary Hart at a convention 3 years ago in Texas. His great booking mind was one of the many factors on why World Class was once the premire wrestling office. Gary was a great mind and a great person. I will definitely miss him. Gary was the brains behind Great Muta spraying me with the mist on WCW television in 1989. That angle got Muta big time heat. Very few man on women angles were done at the time. Many wrestlers from the World Class era would have never made it so big without the great minds like Gary, Fritz, and Ken Mantell who gave tons of fresh talent the forum to eventually become national stars at such a early age. I will always be greatful.

 

 

Don't forget to stop by at www.missyhyatt.net for all of your Missy needs. New videos and pictures are added weekly. My site is also a great place to purchase autographed Missy pictures and dvd's. Don't forget my weekly sales. I can be booked for wrestling bookings and autograph sessions at [email protected]

 

Missy Hyatt

1st. Lady Of wrestling

www.missyhyatt.net

The "bad years" in her "personal life" line makes me wonder if she's the Bridgitte Nielsen of wrestling: Someone who seems like an embarrassing idiot while deep into substance abuse but surprisingly intelligent when clean. This isn't the first time that she's come off well after a period of...not coming off well. After years of coming off as the definition of a bimbo on-screen and off (her "feud" with Steve Beverly being an example of off-screen issues), she came off as dignified for a period in the mid '90s with her lawsuit, the aftermath of Eddie Gilbert's death, and her AWF run as a serious interviewer. Then she went to ECW and never really looked back, giving bizarre interviews ("If anyone can get ahold of Bret Hart, tell him that I want his sperm, because I think he'd have really great sperm"), starting a softcore porn venture where she may or may not have swindled Tammy Sytch, failing to beard for RF, and passing out at indy shows, amongst other baggage. Now, after being off the radar for a while, she's coming off rational and with a better grasp of the business than most who tend to comment publicly about the inner workings and channeling her energy into abstract paintings. Here's to hoping she doesn't falter.

[sek69]

I think it's pretty hilarious that she's become the best writer on the site in a matter of weeks. All those guys who post heaps of badly formatted tl;dr essays on TEH BIZ must be going crazy.

[Guest Spunk]

This is where we have come to; where a SHOOT SLUT~ former addict has a better idea of what pro-wrestling is than 90% of the net fans and most of the promoters out there.

[Cox]

I think it's pretty hilarious that she's become the best writer on the site in a matter of weeks. All those guys who post heaps of badly formatted tl;dr essays on TEH BIZ must be going crazy.

To be fair, Missy Hyatt could send Dave Meltzer a picture of a turd every week, and it would be better than anything written on that site about wrestling, so the bar wasn't exactly set very high.

[tomk]

Yeah I think your bar for insightfull is set pretty low. And I'm pretty sure that she was saying similar things inbetween asking for Bret's sperm back in the day too, it's just that her wanting Bret's sperm is more entertaining than pointing out that the MX are a classic tag team.

[Bix]

Well, it's incredibly insightful by the standards of both Missy Hyatt and WO.com, and thus pretty surprisng.

 

I think she may have discussed some of this in the past online but not as much or without insanity breaking in.

 

Plus, "The Midnight Express had a lot of great highspots but still managed to get heat" is a good talking point that I hadn't seen before.

[Guest *FH*]

I learned the most by picking the brains of the veterans during the lengthy car rides.

That is some slang for a blowjob that I have not heard before.

[Bix]

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/h...t.asp?aID=22491

 

I hope everybody got Wrestle Mania out of their system. Now maybe I can get some attention this week. I worked on 3/29 for Big Time Wrestling in Danbury Conneticut. Conneticut might be the best undiscovered indy wrestling capital of the universe. I'm sorry, but Philly and New Jersey got too many groups running with the same talent so close to each other. The end result is fans pick a company that gives them the most names for their dollar, unless its a alternative or niche product.

 

The BTW group ran by Terry Allen [you forgot to introduce yourself to me] was very impressive. The promoter got a skating rink/family complex to house the show. When I pulled up to the building, there was a massive line out the door. I thought I got the wrong building. The group drew over 1,000 fans. That's very impressive. I later found out that the building itself sold 400 tickets. Thats a great relationship for a promoter and the building owner. Everybody benefits with that cooperation.

 

Terry [i'm not Magnum] Allen had a mix of old school WWF wrestlers [Doink, Tatanka, and Brian Knobbs], ECW originals [spike, Scorpio, Justin Credible, and myself] and great indy wrestlers [Alexa Thatcher, Amber, John Walters, and Wagner Brown]. There was something for everybody. Tons of kids. When you have kids, you have parents. When you have kids and parents, the wrestlers and vendors make a killing. Family shows are starting to become a lost product. Booking for internet fans is great, but it can limit your appeal to the masses. Children enjoy seeing wrestlers that they percieve as television stars. As long as a child enjoys the product, they will annoy their parents to take them regulary. Promoters are forgetting about drawing children. Its also easier for the younger wrestlers to learn psychology at family shows.

[Jkeats]

As long as a child enjoys the product, they will annoy their parents to take them regulary. Promoters are forgetting about drawing children. Its also easier for the younger wrestlers to learn psychology at family shows.

Man, that's definitely true. I remember my Dad taking me to the Boston Garden when I was younger. One of my favorite moments of the show was right before the main event when they would announce the matches "already/just signed" for next month. I'd bug my Dad "but we HAVE to come back...Roddy Piper is going to be there!!". He'd always pick up tickets.

[S.L.L.]

On one hand, she's really just stating the obvious.

 

On the other hand, a lot of people seem to have forgotten the obvious.

[Death From Above]

Isn't that always the thing with common sense? It's not nearly as common as it says on the label.

[tekcop]

I think a lot of people have forgotten this, but she's entirely right. How well does Memphis draw anymore? Anyone know? The shows around here usually draw about 300, and it's almost all families.

[Tim Evans]

I didn't think Memphis had shows anymore now that Corey Maclin lost his tv deal? Or he just stopped running shows.

[tekcop]

I'm pretty sure they still run shows pretty often. They just don't have TV anymore. They were here just two months ago.

[rovert]

Missy on the Observer HOF:

I was shocked and honored that I actually received a ballot for the Observer Hall Of Fame. Everybody can debate anybody's picks based on familiarirty, personal tastes, or how they recall a wrestler's historical signifigance. I always try to base my picks on longevity. There will always be innovative wrestlers that have a hard hitting style. But my big question is if they drew money and will be remembered way down the line? Some times the biggest draws were not five star workers. That's why drawing money is such a high criteria for myself. I also use the "Tommy Rich Measuring Stick Method". Rich was a big draw based off of Georgia Championship Wrestling. He was in demand outside of the Georgia territory based off of the T.V. This all occurred in '81-'83. Rich was beyond washed up after '83 and had no drawing power left. That's what I compare many regional wrestlers against for a Hall Of Fame nomination.

 

I'm actually picking Carlos Colon. I tried to seperate personal and business. Let me explain why I picked Colon. The man is probably the biggest wrestling icon on the island. His promotion has been in business for over thirty years. He has survived talent deflections, wrestling wars, the death of the territories, Brody's murder, and WWE taking over the island. I always found Colon to be considered a regional drawing wrestler. He's the king of his territory, but he means nothing outside of it. Colon drew large stadium crowds in the 80's. He was the wrestler that was the poster boy for his brand of wrestling. Even after the death of Brody, he was able to maintain a decent business. Keep in mind that all of the regional territories were dying at that time. I would not consider him a great worker. I would consider Colon as a average worker at best. But check out any video of his matches. Every move he did got over like crazy. He had a psychology that connected himself to his fans. There are not too many picks outside of Konnan and Vampiro that is on this years ballot that drew and maintained a following for that long period of time.

 

Carlos Colon was not the most ethical promoter on many aspects. But the wrestling business is not a business that frowns upon lack of morality. Many wrestlers had no problems doing business with Colon after Brody's murder. The wrestlers made a financial decision over a moral decision. The bottom line is wrestlers don't unite against anybody getting mistreated, stiffed, and even murdered. That's just how the wrestling industry is. It's tough to stomach, but it's the truth. We are coming up to the twentieth anniversary of Bruiser Brody's death. Jose Gonzalez is now considered a wrestling legend on the island. I highly reccomend getting Larry Mastrik's book about Bruiser Brody for more of a in depth look at the details pertaining to his murder and the aftermath.

 

My gripe with Carlos Colon was not expelling Jose Gonzalez from his promotion for the murder of Brody. This is why many insiders and hardcore fans will not give Colon any accolades. Colon finally did get rid of Gonzalez when it affected his personal business in 2000 [12 years after Brody's muder]. Gonzalez was against booking Carlos Colon's sons to the top. Colon has had a history of changing the corporate structure of Capitol Sports in order to remove business partners [ex. Victor Quinones & Gonzalez]. Colon survived a cut throat business by removing any threat to his promotion. No opposition has ever maintained a long term foot hold as the dominant company on his island. At least until WWE finally started making stops on the island.

 

I also find it disgusting how WWC stiffs or get behind on paying the wrestlers. Welcome to the wrestling business. I also thought it was beyond disgusting how Colon and his company did not help the monetary costs and administrative paper work in expedicting Eddie Gilbert's body back to the United States. They even kept his last two weeks of pay and didn't give it to the Gilbert family. For every defense that Colon was a big draw. I can come up with a million flaws on how he handled his business. I begrudgingly nominate Carlos Colon.

 

I picked Sting. From 1988-2001 he was one of the top stars of WCW. I would consider Sting as one of the main wrestlers that drew fans in the many lows and highs of WCW. He was one of the top sellers in the limited merchandising that WCW had until the wrestling boom. He had great matches with Ric Flair, Rick Rude and Vader nightly. He was capable of having decent to great matches with even Lex Luger. I'm very sure if Sting left WCW in 1990-1994, the effects would have been just as devestating as when Ric Flair left in 1991. Sting left a lasting impression as one of the top stars of NWA/WCW from 1998-2001. No matter what the level of business or interest was in the Turner owned company, Sting was one of the important franchise players in maintaining fan interests in the promotion. Sting was always a wrestler that can be placed in the spot as the top baby face and as a main event wrestler.

 

I can't see Vampiro being inducted in the HOF. I'm a fan of his work. Part of his package is his rock star looks. This helped him become a big star in the early 90's on Televisa. I never heard much about Vampiro being a big drawing card after '90-92. He was in and out of the business from '93 to the present. His name might have spiked attendance slightly on each of his returns. But eventually business would return to whatever the present state was at the time. I found him to be a average worker. He threw some cool kicks, but his bumps looked wrong to me.

 

Vampiro never meant much on the U.S. scene. Granted Vampiro worked in the political cluster fuck environment of WCW. Vampiro never even drew that many people to those tiny Lucha Libre shows in Southern California. I find this ironic, since he claims he was a bigger draw than El Santo. Vampiro's presence didn't mean much to the countless independents he worked for in the U.S. [MLW, XPW, early TNA, Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, etc.]. Vampiro was also just another foreigner in Japan for All Japan, WAR, Michinoku Pro, and IWA Japan. He did have some drawing power in his feud with Ricky Banderas in Puerto Rico for IWA.

 

I have to say no on considering Vampiro. The bottom line is he was a wrestler that got hot off of a major television boom in Mexico in '90-92 and has been living off that notoriety ever since.

 

I'm going to say yes about Konnan. His big drawing power was in '90-95. His top run was bigger than the most American wrestlers could only dream about obtaining in their own country. His feud with Perro Aguayo and Cien Caras drew big business in Mexico and even in California. He was drawing $$$ in the United States in such a bad wrestling recession. This made him at one point a better drawing wrestler than any top name in the U.S. in '93-94. He was a major figure in helping Antonio Pena in breaking away from CMLL to form AAA. He was a big reason why AAA was on fire in '93-95.

 

Konnan was always a average worker in my opinion. But he achieved such a level of popularity that he is still able to maintain status as a top star. Keep in mind that it also helped that he was a back stage power broker in keeping his spot as a top star for AAA. He's still in demand in AAA, despite his body being totally shot. The Konnan WCW years from '96-01 is nothing worthy of being a Hall Of Fame wrestler by any means. He was nothing but a popular mid card wrestler. Even after WCW, he was nothing to talk about on the U.S. indy scene. His accomplishments should only be based from his CMLL/AAA years from '90-95. Keep in mind that he was nothing without the booking and marketing of Antonio Pena. After WCW and before his current AAA run, Konnan was nothing of any signifigance internationally. If it wasn't for Antonio Pena taking him back, he would be nothing but another broken down and bitter wrestler.

 

I can't see Sabu at all. Sabu wrestled a revolutionary style. He even convinced many fans and insiders that he was a great worker. When i first saw Sabu in '93, I was blown away. When I saw more of him, I realized he had no psychology. If Sabu was not doing dives and going thru tables, there was no substance in his matches. Granted Sabu had great brawls with Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and others. But his matches do not hold up at all. I remember seeing his matches live. All he did was set up long lengthy spots. Some hit. Some missed. I found him to be nothing but a glorified stunt man. He influenced tons of indy wrestlers. But Sabu never left any mark on his own legacy.

 

Sabu was nothing but a mid card wrestler in Japan. His legendary ECW stint was all smoke and mirrors. His matches were heavily edited on TV to cover up blown spots and setting up his spots. Sabu was not a talker. He couldn't carry a opponent. Sabu was never a major draw in ECW. He was just part of the package for ECW. He was never a major draw on any level. His matches were not a artistic sucesss. They were nothing but sloppy spot fests. I would not call Sabu a great worker by any means.

 

I like Curt Hennig as a worker. His major wrestling run was in AWA in '87-'88. The territory was dead. He was one of the few bright spots that were left in the AWA at the time. He was one of the best WWF workers in '88-'91. But his big run against Hulk Hogan was not a financial sucecess. He was never the same worker after his back injury in '91. After '91, Curt lived off of the reputation as a great worker. He was just average at that point and was never a headliner. I have to say no on Curt.

 

I can't induct Owen Hart. He was a fantastic worker. He was a top draw in Stampede before it closed. But the territory was on its ass at that point. He was a low card wrestler in WWF on his first run in '88-89. He had the reputation as a great worker in New Japan. But he wasn't a headliner or made much of a difference after he left. His second WWF run in '92-'99 made his legacy. He was a headliner in '94 against Bret Hart. They supposedly produced decent matches at the time. After that run, he was a mid card to semi main event wrestler. He was a decent to great worker at times.

 

I would induct Paco Alonso. He had a monopoly in Mexico city for the longest time. His style of wrestling has survived talent raids, ecomomic recessions, and even against high priced WWE shows. He educated his audience on his style of wrestling. CMLL runs the most consistant business model that resembles the model of a weekly territory.

 

I can't see inducting Chris Jericho. I'm a "Jerichoholic", but I don't think he was ever a major headliner in WWE. Unfortunately it's probably too late to make him a top echelon wrestler that the media recognizes. This is the fault of WWE. Jericho is a great interview and worker without a doubt. But he lacks the big money run that backs up his immense talents. His run in Mexico in '93-'94 was not a main eventer. His WAR run was a mid card junior wrestler. Jericho was one of the many wrestlers that WCW dropped the ball on. WWE never booked him correctly as a main eventer. This was especially evident during his Heavy weight Championship run [does anybody even remember it?].

 

I considered Jimmy Snuka. Snuka was a fantastic worker on old 8mm Mid Atlantic house shows that I seen from the 1970's. He is best known for his big money run as a main eventer in '82-'85. Unfortunately personal demons ravaged Snuka's career. After 1985, he was living off of his reputation. There is alsio the dark cloud of the Nancy Argentino death.

 

People still remember his matches in M.S.G. This proves he made a long lasting impression on the WWE audience. His matches still hold up when I watch them on M.S.G. classics. He had decent runs in All Japan and New Japan as Bruiser Brody's partner. After 1985 he didn't have much drawing power anywhere. His WWE run in '89-'92 was to put others over. He had no memorable matches or feuds. He is still one of those legends that long time fans in thde North East recognize when he wrestles on independent shows. My argument is if he was such a Hall Of Fame caliber worker, than why are we still debating if he should be inducted? There is some variable that is missing for myself and others in making the induction.

 

I can't see inducting Rick Rude at all. Rick Rude was a great heel. He is best known for his WWE stint in '87-'90. His biggest money making feud was against Ultimate Warrior. Warrior-Rude feud probably didn't generate much money in 1990. Rude was able to make Warrior watchable. This demonstrates that he was a decent worker, until his back injury in '94. Rude was a great heel in WCW from '91-'94. He had great matches with Sting. I just don't see Rude as Hall Of Fame caliber.

 

The Midnight Express is a interesting choice. Dennis Condrey was a good worker, but his big run was teaming with Bobby Eaton from '84-'87. The Midnight Express incarnation of Eaton & Condrey drew big gates for Bill Watts in the 'Last Stampede' in 1985. They also had a big run against the Rock N Roll Express for Bill Watts and Jim Crockett Promotions. The matches were top notch. One of the big ingredients in that feud was Jim Cornette as the heel protagonist. Dennis Condrey never achieved much sucess with Randy Rose in the AWA or prior to teaming with Bobby Eaton. If I was going to vote for the Midnight Express, it would be more indicative of the talents of Bobby Eaton & Jim Cornette.

 

I found Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane to be the superior version. They didn't draw as much money as the incanation with Dennis Condrey. They were only a tag team from '87-'90. Keep in mind they were misused for most of '89-'90. Stan Lane was a big draw prior to the Midnight Express in Memphis as one of the Fabulous Ones. The Fabulous Ones were not much of a draw in the AWA, Florida, and outside of the Memphis territory.

 

Many wrestlers and fans recognize the Midnight Express as one of the greatest tag teams ever for work rate. I'm undecided. The main glue was the immense talents of Bobby Eaton. Bobby is highly regarded by many wrestlers for his work rate. He was a great tag team wrestler with Condrey, Lane, Koko, Arn Anderson, Chris Benoit, William Regal, etc. Unfortunately Bobby Eaton's placement on a line up was based on who was his manager. He was considered a great heel when he had Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman as a manager. Without a manager or a charismatic tag team partner, he was a colorless ring technician. I'm going to have to say no to the Midnight Express.

 

Rock N Roll Express I can't see them being in the Hall Of Fame. Robert Gibson has always been recognized as "the fifth ring post" or just standing on the apron. The charisma and work rate was all due to Ricky Morton. Morton's feud with Ric Flair in '86 wasn't much of a hit at the gates. This ended any discussions of branching Ricky Morton as a singles wrestler. They had big money runs against the Midnight Express in Mid South and Jim Crockett Promotions. Those big money years were from '85-'87. By 1988 they were boring and had no drawing power on a national level. Their return to WCW in 1990 was mediocre. They only had decent matches with the Midnight Express. They got stale very quickly.

 

SMW rejuvenated their charisma and drawing power on a smaller level. They were the cornerstone in the bigger programs that SMW promoted. They never drew much money after 1995, unless its on a independent show for a nostalgia show. This at least demonstrates they left a long lasting impression. I believe a great deal of their sucess can be contributed to having state of the art matches against the Midnight Express and Jim Cornette being a great antagonist.

 

I found the topic of having Chris Benoit removed from the Hall of Fame to be a interesting question. Granted the Observer HOF does not meet the same criteria as the baseball HOF. Wrestlers can't be removed for of HOF status for performing enhancing drugs, especially compared to other sports. It's a stapel of the wrestling business. Unfortunately wrestling always has very loose morals. Benoit lived and died for the business. No matter how many 4 star matches and how much he destroyed his body for the business, he is still ultimately a muderer. He will always have the dark cloud of being a double murderer that will overshadow his legacy. I don't care if he had too many concussions or was over medicated. The man killed Nancy and his son. He disgusts me.

[Guest PhilTLL]

Missy on the Observer HOF:

This is a WON/F4W update today, noted as "Name withheld by request". Yeah, I have no idea who it could possibly be.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

The funny thing is she posted that article last week under her own name and now her identity is a MYSTERYYYYYYYYYYY.

[sek69]

I'm guessing Dave got a ton of "you gave a ballot to WHO?" emails from people.

[Loss]

If I had to guess why, well, maybe Missy is like every other person who hasn't been part of the scene in forever who still thinks they're only one call away from a full comeback.

[rovert]

Kayfabe lives in 08

[Bix]

Missy on the end of WCCW's glory years.

 

Over the last few years, there have been numerous DVD's and articles that try to put in perspective the rise and fall of World Class Championship Wrestling. Usually they point the demise of the promotion based on the Von Erich tragedies. I point to the major decline of WCCW on the talent deflections to the UWF. Hopefully this article can explore other variables on what sped up the death of one of the most legendary promotions that was a hit for many old school wrestling fans.

 

Business in the spring of 1986 was decent for WCCW. The promotion just survived the death of Gino Hernandez in February. This death put the kibosh to a program of Gino against his former and recently turned partner in Chris Adams. Chris Adams was temporarily written out of the story line by being "blinded" by Gino. This was going to set up a major program with Gino VS. Chris. Chris Adams would have gotten over big time with this program. Gino was such a strong heel at the time. Plus Chris was one of the few wrestlers that can rival the Von Erich's in drawing ability and popularity.

 

The Freebirds were on their way out of the territory. The height of the Von Erich's VS. Freebirds has already been peeked. The Freebirds have already been baby faces and heels. They were already running the risk of getting stale if they stayed any longer in the Dallas market. The Freebirds eventually got a guaranteed contract with Bill Watts. Guaranteed contracts were rare in the 1980's on a regional level. The Freebirds would be fresh by returning to the Mid South area ran by Bill Watts. I wouldn't consider the Freebirds leaving as a talent raid, but broadening their appeal by playing to a fresh audience

 

The worst thing to do was stay in a territory past your peak. The fans eventually grow tiresome in seeing the same act and you are no longer perceived as being special. Moving to a new territory kept many wrestlers fresh. It allowed new talent to be elevated in to the top mix. While it gave another territory a new wrestler that can be a shot in the arm in new storylines and matches. I remember in WCCW that if you heard all of Bronco Lubrich's stories, than you stayed in the territory too long.

 

Several established WCCW acts decided to give their notice in order to move on to the bigger UWF territory. This was due to the promises of guaranteed contracts, more $$$, and UWF was planning to expand in to more markets. The talent deflections was out of financial reasons and not personal animosity towards Fritz Von Erich.

 

UWF made a major acquisition in acquiring Ken Mantell as their booker. Ken Mantell was one of the major bookers that was instrumental in the youth movement that was making WCCW appeal to a younger demographic. It was a very simple formula. Younger wrestlers that were perceived as rock stars/athletes that were within the same age as their audience. It made many of the wrestlers in to teen idols. The best comparison would be having multiple John Cena's & Jeff Hardy's on a roster.

 

There were many wrestlers that made the jump to UWF out of loyalty to Ken Mantell. Many of us felt it would be best to stay with the booker that had the best grasp on how to utilize our talent. WCCW would lose The Freebirds, Skandar Akbar, One Man Gang, Sunshine, John Tatum, Fantastics, Missing Link, and myself in a relatively short period of time. We all fulfilled our commitments and stayed for the major Parade Of Champions show.

 

Unfortunately WCCW could not replace so many established wrestlers in such a short period of time. I challenge any promotion with that scenario. The end result is stale talent is still being pushed. The promotion uses new talent that is not established and is thrust in to new programs. The talent roster also gets replenished with cheaper talent. The end result is a inferior product. People still need a few established wrestlers that they are familiar with. It will take many fans a period of time to get familiar enough with the talent in order to invest a emotional interest in to the new wrestlers. The end result is many fans start watching UWF television that was expanding its television penetration in to the Dallas market. Some of the long time WCCW fans started watching UWF for their old favorites in new story lines and feuds.

 

The end result is the WCCW house shows become less special. UWF started coming to the Fort Worth market with loaded line ups in order to compete with the WCCW market. Bill Watts would augment his invasion line up with Jim Crockett wrestlers. No weekly territory can compete against a promotion juggernaut that is combining UWF and Jim Crockett Promotions talent rosters. Most fans felt the weekly shows were no longer special against a UWF roster that came monthly.

 

UWF's first show in the Von Erich territory had Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Magnum TA, & The Road Warriors with the UWF talent. All WCCW could do to counteract that invasion was a meet and great with the wrestlers. Unfortunately that is not enough to persuade the local fan base to remain loyal to the WCCW weekly shows. Eventually the local fans would probably start adapting the mentality of waiting to see which promotion presents the best card for their money.

 

This was the line up on 7/27/86 for the first UWF show in Reunion Arena:

 

Road Warriors & Bill Watts VS. Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts

Dusty Rhodes VS. Ric Flair

Sting W/ Eddie Gilbert VS. Brett Sawyer

Koko Ware VS. Gustavo Mendoza

Magnum TA VS. Baron Von Raschke

Terry Taylor VS. Eddie Gilbert

Battle Royal

Fantastics VS. Jack Victory & John Tatum w/ MISSY HYATT

Midnight Express W/ Jim Cornette VS. Rock N Roll Express

Jim Duggan VS. Kamala

 

World Class was only able to counteract the invasion with a meet and greet session with Kevin Von Erich, Brian Adias, Lance Von Erich, & Steve Simpson to their Mesquite Rodeo Show on 7/27/86. They also had a main event of Abdullah The Butcher VS. Bruiser Brody with the standard WCCW regulars at the time.

 

Eventually with the UWF having television clearance in the Dallas/Fort Worth territory, the fans became exposed to a superior roster that was dueling with the diminishing WCCW roster. The UWF was already presenting one of the best television shows at the time period with their fast pace matches, soap opera story lines, and superior talent. They were also taping television at Billy Bob's in Forth Worth for the Power Pro Wrestling television show.

 

The UWF roster at this time period consisted of:

Freebirds, Eddie Gilbert, Sting, Terry Taylor, Jim Duggan, Steve Williams, Ted Dibiase, Fantastics, Brett Sawyer, Koko Ware, Missing Link, Dark Journey, Kamala, Skandar Akbar, One Man Gang, Sheepherders. John Tatum, Jack Victory, Rick Steiner, & myself

 

The WCCW roster at this time consisted of:

Chris Adams [who would be going to jail in a few months], Lance Von Erich, Kerry [out on the shelf from the motor cycle accident], Mike Von Erich [suffering from Toxic Shock Syndrome], Kevin Von Erich, Steve Simpson, Bruiser Brody [between Japan tours & indys], Brian Adias, Battern Twins, Mark Youngblood, Skip Young, Rick Rude, Tim Brooks, Grapplers, Buzz Sawyer, Matt Borne, Gary Hart, Dingo Warrior, & Abdullah The Butcher [betweem Japan tours & indys].

 

Unfortunately we can't gloss over "Von Erich Tragedy". I personally love the Von Erich family and try to never besmirch their reputations in interviews. I still have my first WCCW pay check framed and my booking sheets. I felt it was a honor to manage Lacey Von Erich last year on a WSU show, since I loved and respected her family. Kevin Von Erich was already drifting in and out of the business in 1986. Kerry who was a star that was coveted by every promotion, would get in to a motor cycle accident. The accident left Kerry on the shelf for over a year. Mike Von Erich was battling against toxic shock syndrome and his own personal demons. WCCW no longer had any Von Erich's left to main event their own shows.

 

The people saw right thru Lance Von Erich as a phony. Lance was nothing but some pretty boy that David Manning found on the golf course. Many of the fans knew he wasn't related. I heard he even refused a heel turn, since it would interfere with modeling gigs and his gimmick sales. This sucked, since you couldn't even have him feud with Kevin Von Erich over family jealousy. Eventually Lance jumped to Texas Lone Star Wrestling. Fritz would foolishly expose Lance as a fake Von Erich. This was foolish on so many levels. It exposed the Von Erich's as liars and it was a slap in the face to the audience that was lead to believe that Lance was a legitimate relative.

 

Bruiser Brody couldn't be the lone savior of the promotion. Brody was juggling high paying Japan tours, stints in WWC, and countless indys all across the country. Brody was in in and out of the promotion, based on his busy schedule.

 

Cable television also exposed the Texas area to way too much wrestling. I recently found a old WCCW/UWF program that was put out by Dennis Brent. It broke down all of the television that was available in the Dallas/Forth Worth market. Talk about over exposure, there were 2-3 wrestling shows on television per day. Eventually the Dallas/Fort Worth market was perceiving the WCCW television show to be inferior to the superior UWF & WWF televison shows that had their eyes on the Texas territory.

 

Here is day to day breakdown on all of the wrestling shows that were available in the Dallas/Fort Worth television market:

 

Monday: WWF Championship Wrestling [KDAF] & WWF Prime Time Wrestling [uSA]

Tuesday: USA All Star Wrestling From Gilleys [repeat] [KDAF], AWA All Star [ESPN], WWF Prime Time [repeat] [uSA]

Wednesday: WWF All Star Wrestling [KDAF] & WWF TNT Wrestling [uSA]

Thursday: UWF Power Pro [KDFI] & Mid South Classics [KDAF]

Friday: ICW [KDFI], NWA World Wide [KDAF], & WCCW [ESPN}

Saturday: WCCW [KTVT], UWF [KTXA], WWF Championship Wrestling [repeat] [KDAF], USA All Star Wrestling [KDAF], Best Of WCCW [KXTX], NWA Championship Wrestling [TBS], AWA [repeat] [ESPN], California Championship Wrestling [FNN], California [Tempo], USA All Star [Tempo], & UWF Power Pro [Tempo]

Sunday: WWF All Star [repeat] [KDAF], WWF All Star [KDAF], WCCW [KXTX], Best Of NWA [TBS], WWF All American [uSA]

 

I know my points can be disputed. But I always linked Ken Mantell & the talent deflecting to UWF to be the main reason for the death of WCCW. Ultimately WCCW ran out of talent to fill up their roster. We can also include Von Erich Tragedies as another component that destroyed the territory.

[stunning_grover]

Thanks for sharing the Missy Hyatt columns. I love reading them.

[stunning_grover]

Missy Hyatt on Eddie Gilbert's booking

 

 

Missy Hyatt talks about the booking of Eddie Gilbert

 

I just want to remind everybody that this week is the 14th Anniversary of the untimely passing of Eddie Gilbert. For anybody not familiar with Eddie's legacy, he was known as one of the most creative and underrated wrestling minds of the late 1980's thru early 1990's. He was very passionate about creating episodic television shows that would carry over to house shows. Eddie was also a player-coach that was instrumental in elevating many of the younger wrestlers in channeling their potential. I would like to remember Eddie as the guy who can turn around a territory when it was left for dead.

 

When Eddie got the book for UWF in 1986, he realized that it was vital for the industry to create new stars to be able to carry it. He was very passionate about grooming Sting for the superstardom that he rightfully deserved. Sting was placed in tag team matches with either Rick Steiner or Eddie as a partner. Eventually Sting became very comfortable with the ring mechanics and developed in to a find worker on his own. Eventually Eddie turned Sting babyface and everybody around at the time knew that Sting was instant $$$$. I remember Eddie being so proud of Sting when he had his 45 minute draw with Ric Flair. Eddie watched the match as if he was a high school coach that was watching one of his players finally making it to the Super Bowl.

 

I still say that Eddie Gilbert's greatest accomplishment as a booker was being able to turn around the dormant Continental territory in 1988. Eddie brought in new wrestlers and breathed in new booking in to a territory that was left for dead. Crowds were gradually building up for their 'Road To Birmingham' shows and the territory was picking up new towns. Unfortunately their was a falling out with management and no new booker could maintain the momentum that Eddie created.

 

Eddie used to love to use the phrase that he "Loved To Make Chicken Salad Out Of Chicken Shit". I remember hearing about how he and Dutch Mantell helped revitalize the WWC territory in 1994. Eddie threw a fire ball at Hurricane Castillo. They would feud over the whole summer. They would help draw a big crowd for the culmination of the feud in a fire match. Eddie was also instrumental in helping a young Glen Jacobs [Kane] at the same time period in Puerto Rico. If anybody got WWC footage of Eddie Gilbert, drop me a email.

 

I listed some of the best Eddie Gilbert matches and angles in my opinion. I still think the match quality and interviews hold up. Older wrestling fans will fondly remember these matches and highlights. Eddie Gilbert's stuff were very popular back in the tape trading days. I hope newer fans will take the time to watch the psychology of his matches and notice what a great promo that Eddie can deliver. Unfortunately I couldn't find the Eddie Gilbert VS. Terry Funk: Texas Death Match from 11/92 in New Jersey. I saw the match over ten years ago and thought it was one of the greatest matches that I ever seen.

 

One of Eddie's greatest matches was the legendary "Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl" with Ricky Morton against Masa Fuchi & Atsushi Onita. Many people credit this match as being the match that pioneered garbage wrestling, hardcore wrestling, ECW, FMW style brawls, etc. Considering the match occurred in 1981 and the match quality still holds up today speaks volumes of this match. Popcorn machines, mustard jars, plywood, etc. made this every hardcore wrestling fans favorite match in the 1980's. Eddie must have made me watch this match a million times. I probably think that it might have been his personal favorite match. I'm very sure that Atsushi Onita took some aspects of this match and incorporated it in to FMW in the 1990's. The match was so realistic that even the promoter's wife got involved. I would encourage every young fan to check out the match & determine if they think it still holds up against any current hardcore match.

 

Prior to Sting's legendary match against Flair, he had a tag team match with Shane Douglas VS. Eddie Gilbert & Terry Taylor. The match incorporated the wild Memphis brawling to the Mid South area. Unfortunately UWF was dying, but this match was one of the last bright spots to UWF. I think this match opened up many people's eyes on to Sting's talent. Terry Taylor was a excellent heel with Eddie Gilbert. I think if Gilbert & Taylor had gotten a push in Jim Crockett Promotions, they would had the potential in becoming a great heel combination. I'll just save that for Guest Booking ideas that never came to fruition. Once Sting and Eddie Gilbert started brawling in the back of the arena, any promoter would immediately have realized that they stumbled on to a hot feud in Sting VS. Eddie Gilbert. Jim Ross did such a great job announcing this brawl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVf2qyEfAPY

 

The Fabulous Ones [stan Lane & Steve Keirn] were the hottest tag team in the Memphis territory. Unfortunately they left the territory in their quest to make it big on a national level. They never recreated the same magic in the AWA or Florida. Memphis thought they could strike gold again by making Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert in to the New Fabulous Ones. The fans crapped on them big time. The best way to salvage Eddie Gilbert & Tommy Rich was to have them feud with each other.

 

Eddie starts the angle by saying how Tommy Rich thinks he is too big of a star to accept his tag team of the year trophy. Eddie even uses his warped logic [similar to Chris Jericho] by explaining why Tommy Rich thinks he is too big of a star. Tommy comes out and busts Eddie up big time. The feud is on!

 

Eddie comes out after the commercial break. He is apologetic and vows to forfeit all of his matches against Tommy, since he was wrong. Eddie comes across so sincere in explaining the error of his way. The crowd is buying Eddie's apology. Tommy comes back to accept the apology. Too bad it was a swerve! Eddie busts up Tommy big time. This is one of the biggest juice fest angles that I have ever seen. I'm very sure that every Memphis fan was determined to buy a ticket to see Eddie Gilbert VS. Tommy Rich for the next show.

 

Most of us have became immune to wrestling angles that feel like stunt shows. We have no emotional interest in exploding cars, guys falling from high levels on to crash mattresses, stuntmen getting hit by cars, etc. Jerry Lawler & Eddie Gilbert in 1990 did a angle on Memphis TV that was ahead of its time. Eddie Gilbert was going to run down Jerry Lawler on LIVE TV after being told he was fired. There were no rehearsals, no stuntmen, no retakes, etc. Eddie drove the car at a decent speed. Unfortunately Lawler didn't calculate how to properly jump on to the hood of the car in time. It was physically brutal, but it showed how much passion that Lawler & Gilbert would go to entertain the fans. The angle was so realistic that it caused many TV viewers to call 911. Unfortunately Jerry Lawler downplayed the effects of being hit by the car in order to avoid criminal charges on Eddie Gilbert. I still cringe when i see Lawler getting hit by the car on the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVf2qyEfAPY

 

I am a big fan of the self righteous heel that points out the character flaws in everybody [Chris Jericho]. Eddie Gilbert did "This Is Your Life" segment on Jerry Lawler. Eddie would air sound bites of bitter wrestlers that felt they were used or deceived by Jerry Lawler. Some of these wrestlers would confront Jerry Lawler in the segment. The best part was Eddie Gilbert trying to link Andy Kaufman's death to the pile drivers that he received from Lawler.

 

This music video of Dirty Deeds by AC/DC highlights the Jerry Lawler/Eddie Gilbert feud. I think very highly of Jerry Lawler and rank him as one of my all time favorites. Lawler & Gilbert had great chemistry in Memphis. They could do the crazy brawls and cut the best promos on each other. Every young wrestler should be studying the contrast interviews that Jerry Lawler & Eddie Gilbert can cut against each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OW2CWhaM50...feature=related

 

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Missy Hyatt

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