Ask 411 Wrestling 1.17.07: Women of Wrestling, Montreal Fallout, TNA Jumps, and Much More!

I’m not one for long introductions, so let’s go to the meat and potatoes of this column.

You know, I may as well start with a softball to warm myself up. Thanks to HipHopShuvIt for providing one . . .

I always hear about shoot stuff in wrestling. What does shoot mean? And what is a mark?

I’m aware that most people reading the column probably know the answers to these questions, but I’m certainly not going to discriminate against young Mr. ShuvIt.

Anyway, “shoot” when used in wrestling means that something is legitimate. If I’m not mistaken, the term is derived from the old phrase “shooting from the hip,” which means that you’re being brutally honest with somebody. A shoot is something that happens outside of the storylines pushed on wrestling programs. For example, if two wrestlers were to really get in to a fight backstage at a taping of Smackdown, the fight would be considered a “shoot.” Similarly, if a wrestler were to give an interview to a newspaper in which he wasn’t in character, that would be a “shoot” interview. The term can be used as either a noun or a verb, so somebody who engages in a “shoot” will often be said to be “shooting,” while people who are trained in legitimate forms of martial arts or grappling are said to be “shooters.” The opposite of “shooting” is “working.”

It should probably be noted that, over the last couple of years, “shoot” has been misused a lot online. It will often be used to refer to an interview on a wrestling show that is part of the storyline but is at least in part based on something that has happened in real life. (For example, the Joey Styles promo prior to One Night Stand II in which he talked about Vince McMahon criticizing his announcing.) Events like these are not true “shoots” because they’re a part of the storyline that the wrestling promoter wants fans to buy in to. A more appropriate term for them would be “worked shoot.”

“Mark” has taken on several different meanings over the years. When I first saw it used, people explained that it described somebody who is not clued in to the fact that wrestling is fixed . . . somebody who believes that all of the things happening in front of them during a wrestling show are “real.” However, another popular school of thought says that “mark” simply refers to anybody who is willing to pay money to the wrestling business, regardless of what that person believes about the reality of the situations presented. The term comes from wrestling’s old connections with carnivals, as “marks” were the individuals that carnival barkers would try to sucker in to playing various (rigged) games of chance.

Sandeep wants to talk to me about a horrendously bad wrestling promotion of years past . . .

i used to dig WOW(Women of wrestling) back in the days. i know, it was mighty silly, but u just gotta love those incredibly outlandish gimmicks! and the best part was, most of them were blatant rip offs of WWE gimmicks! eg: Selina majors>kurt angle, thug>biker taker, caged heat>dudleys etc. there was even a xena ripoff! not to mention the owner himself who was a parody of the old, commentating Vince McMahon. I was just wondering if you could throw some light on what some of my favorites in WOW are doing now, and is there a chance of seeing them in the WWE anytime soon?

they are: jungle grrl, roxy powers, beckie the farmer’s daughter(i know!), thug, riot and caliente(mmmm!). I know that a few of them starred in the 1st spiderman movie, but nothing after that. It’d be really cool if you could dig somethin up. thanx.

Ah yes, WOW. For those who may not be as familiar with the company as Sandeep, here’s a little bit of background before we move on to the specific question posed:

WOW was an all-women’s promotion formed in 2000 by David McLane. McLane had previously run all-women’s promotions in the 1980’s, namely Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) and Powerful Women of Wrestling (PWOW). GLOW actually lasted for several seasons in syndication, though WOW was far less successful and only had one full season of episodes, followed up by a pay per view event entitled WOW Unleashed that is considered one of the worst PPV events of all time.

The performers that McLane used in all three of his groups were not trained wrestlers. They were primarily models and actresses who learned a few basic moves from whatever wrestler could be bothered to help them out. (I believe that Chavo Guerrero, Sr. may have been involved in getting the GLOW girls ready for the ring.) Some of those young ladies included the ones Sandeep asked about, namely:

1.) Jugle Grrrl – Jungle Grrrl’s real name was Erica Porter, and she was playing a character similar to Tarzan. Of all the WOW girls, she was the most involved in wrestling after the company closed. She went to southern California’s Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) for more training and won their Women’s Title. As Sandeep mentioned, she had a brief role in the first Spider-Man movie in 2002 as one of the valets for Bonesaw McGraw (played by Randy Savage). For more information on Erica, you can check out her website, though it hasn’t been updated in over six months. You can also see her wrestle on various DVDs that have been released by UPW, including Home of the Brave.

2.) Roxy Powers – Powers was an actress named Natalie Yeo, who was the other valet for Randy Savage in Spider-Man. There’s not much information about her online, though I understand that she also had a background in kickboxing.

3.) Beckie the Farmer’s Daughter – Beckie is another actress, and her name is Renee Madison Cole. Since WOW folded, she has been working pretty regularly in low budget films, including a biopic of serial killer Ted Bundy. She has also produced a few films and is currently working on “Project MyWorld,” a reality television show about MySpace.com. Yeah, that sounds thrilling.

4.) Thug – Thug was played by Peggy Lee Leather, who was one of the few veterans on the WOW roster. She also competed in McLane’s POWW in 1987, and she is still active on the southern independent circuit to this day, mostly wrestling against fellow POWW alum Brandi. She also appeared on a handful of WCW shows during the Monday Night Wars, acting as a jobber for the likes of Madusa and Molly Holly (known as Mona at the time). However, I wouldn’t hold my breath when it comes to seeing Peggy Lee in WWE anytime soon. Though she certainly has the experience, she doesn’t come close to having the look that Vince McMahon and his executives want to put on television.

5.) Riot – April Littlejohn was given the role of heavy metal enthusiast Riot. She never had a ton of wrestling experience. In fact, she’s a stuntwoman by trade, and that’s what she’s doing now as far as I can tell. Her most notable work includes appearance on episodes of television shows “Six Feet Under” and “Alias.”

6.) Caliente – David McLane liked gimmicks that were drawn on outdated ethic stereotypes, and Caliente the firey Latina was one of those. She was played by Rachel Iverson, a woman with a name that sounds decidedly un-Latina. She has primarily done television work in her time away from wrestling, including small parts on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Reno 911!” She has also done a few low budget films, including the sequel to Miss Congeniality.

For those of you who were WOW fans, you may want to check out the Best of GLOW, which was recently released on DVD. There is a second volume as well.

Hamid wants to talk about the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be . . .

I am the biggest bret hart mark and have recently read how Steve Austin sided with Bret and totally avoided Hulk Hogan at Bret’s induction into the Hall of Fame as well as reading about how the Rock didnt want to work with Shawn Michaels partly due to his antics back when Rock was starting out and how Bret really helped him out and as a gesture of respect sides with Bret. Other instances I have heard about is Undertaker stepping up for Bret after the montreal screwjob and rick rude also coming to his defense.

My question is are there any other well known wrestlers who have little respect for shawn and Trips due to their actions in the screwjob and did they do anything about it a la Rock refusing to fight shawn?

First of all, let me just say that the tension between Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan probably has little to no connection with Bret Hart. That goes back to WCW, where Steve Austin was a rising star in the early-to-mid-1990’s. He was pushed strongly, feuding with Ricky Steamboat over the United States Championship, and it looked like he was going to be in line for a World Title push sooner rather than later. That all changed when Hulk Hogan came in to the company. Hogan didn’t particularly care for Austin’s style and immediately used his political stroke to have him shoved down the card, including an embarrassing eight second United States Title loss to an over the hill Jim Duggan. That may have contributed to the tension more than anything involving the Hitman.

Tension between the Rock and Shawn Michaels also has roots other than Montreal. You’ll recall that Triple H and the Rock came in to the WWF at around the same time and were climbing up the roster in a similar manner. It’s been reported by a few different sources that Michaels would attempt to sabotage Rocky’s push so that Triple H could get more shots at the big time. Hart, meanwhile, sided with the Rock and worked against a lot of the HBK/HHH power plays. That may all tie in to Montreal, but there would certainly be reasons for animosity even if the screwjob had never taken place.

As far as actual Montreal fallout is concerned, obviously you saw some of it when Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog jumped ship to WCW as soon as possible after the incident. Like Hamid, I have also heard stories of the Undertaker not being particularly pleased with the events of Survivor Series 1997. Mick Foley and Owen Hart were also rather upset by the screwjob, and they missed a few WWF tapings because of it. However, neither man openly refused to work with Micheals or Helmsley.

For an excellent read on the buildup to and fallout from the Montreal incident, check out Dave Meltzer’s story on the situation, which is published on Bret’s official website.

On this day, Bram can see clearly . . .

Who is the voice in the beginning of Edge’s theme song? If I remember correctly, its been the same since he debuted.

Chances are good that this voice, like the majority of other voices in WWE-produced music, was just a studio singer.

RJEHV01 busts out a staple of Ask 411, the “Where are they now?” question . . .

What ever happend to Austin Idol And did he ever work for the wwe ?

The “Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol, for those not familiar with him, was one of the most popular professional wrestlers in Memphis in the 1970’s and 1980’s. He spent a large portion of his career feuding with Jerry Lawler, including beating him for the Southern Heavyweight Title, one of approximately 9,752 times that Lawler lost that belt. Modern fans can see Idol compete on the Wreslting Gold Series of DVDs. In the alternate commentary track for those discs, Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette refer to Idol as one of the few men to completely get out of the pro wrestling business without ever looking back. I don’t recall the exact occupation, but I believe that he works in sales now – either insurance or real estate.

Idol never worked for the WWF in any notable capacity.

John B. asks for my opinion on some things, which is great since I love pretending to be an expert . . .

In your honest opinion if Taz is released by WWE should TNA hire him to replace one of their commentators & if they release Paul Heyman, should he be hired by TNA and if they do hire him could Heyman, Russo & Cornette co-exist and if they do what would this mean for the ‘E?

also: if RVD & Benoit were to leave WWE for TNA how big of an impact would they make and how bad would it hurt the WWE?

Quite frankly, I don’t know what good Tazz would do for TNA. He’s a decent announcer but nothing spectacular, which is the exact same class that I would put Mike Tenay and Don West in. Plus they would most likely have to pay him more than either of those guys since he’s a “name” talent, and TNA needs to conserve all of the money that they can right now.

Heyman would certainly be a step up from Russo, though a lot of people question whether he still has the booking magic that he did during the days of the original ECW. Obviously the “new” ECW was not well received by fans when it was booked by Heyman, and his stint as head booker of OVW was also panned by the majority of critics. As far as co-existing with Russo and Cornette is concerned, I wasn’t aware of any heat between Heyman and Russo. Cornette despises Heyman, but, if he’s managed to get along with Russo, I don’t see why he couldn’t get along with Heyman as well. After all, Cornette currently has no creative role in TNA, so he wouldn’t have to be exposed to all that much of him.

And, when talking about the “impact” that a jumper from WWE would have on TNA, all you have to do is look at Kurt Angle. When he jumped, he was a far bigger star than Tazz, Benoit, RVD, or Heyman. What effect has Kurt Angle had on TNA? The answer is next to none. Television ratings moved up a few tenths of a point, though this also could be explained by the show’s earlier timeslot. His match with Samoa Joe lead to one pay per view buyrate that was higher than usual, but the buyrate the next month was right back down to normal levels. In short, Angle has had next to no impact on TNA’s popularity, and I can’t imagine that anybody who is less important to wrestling than he is would have any sort of larger impact.

I don’t even want to know why John M. is curious about this . . .

My questions are about a rather unpleasant subject: Big Dick Johnson. I’d like to know if he is a backstage guy or just an actor hired to play the part.

Big Dick Johnson – not to be confused with Big Dick Dudley – is played by Christopher DeJoseph. DeJoseph spends the majority of his time as a member of WWE’s creative team . . . so, in short, he’s a writer.

However, the question that I have about Big Dick Johnson is not who he is behind the scenes. My question is what the kayfabe explanation is for Big Dick Johnson constantly popping up on WWE programming. He’s clearly not a wrestler . . . so what is the reason for this same fat male stripper showing up in every city that WWE goes to? Is he traveling with the company? If so, why? Bill Watts would never have booked an angle with that big of a logic hole in it. Then again, Bill Watts also probably never would have booked an angle involving a male stripper, so maybe I’m splitting hairs.

It’s another John . . . another John B. in fact . . . and he’s got some questions about men who can go the distance . . .

I gotta give Props to everyone’s favorite to hate wrestling Canadian aka Edge who pulled Triple duty so about that i just gotta ask: Edge on RAW this past week did 3 matches: the Battle Royal,WWE Championship match and the 6 man tag match. has anyone else ever done 3 matches in the same night before?

For anybody who may have forgotten, John is talking about the Raw three hour special in December, during which Edge had three separate matches.

In response to John’s question, the short answer is “all the freaking time.” Wrestling three matches in the same night is not that unique of a feat, though it may seem that way to newer fans. I won’t be able to list every instance of this happening, but I can provide a few notable examples.

The biggest one involves lengthy TV tapings. Back in the 1980’s, the WWF would tape numerous hours of syndicated television (e.g. WWF Superstars, Wrestling Challenge, etc.) all on the same date in the same arena. That would result in many of the wrestlers competing several times throughout the night, most notably the jobbers. If I’m not mistaken, WCW had a similar setup for its Saturday Night program in the later days of the company. Over the course of the last year, TNA has also had a few nights in which it has taped three nights worth of television. Offhand I can’t recall anybody wrestling a match on three consecutive TNA episodes taped in the same night, but it’s a definite possibility.

There’s another common situation in which men wind up wrestling three times in the same night – tournaments! Most notable among these was the WWF King of the Ring, which regularly required wrestlers to compete three times in the same evening to make it to the tournament finals. Bret Hart did this in 1993, while Owen Hart and Razor Ramon did it in 1994. In 1995, Savio Vega actually wrestled four times in one night during the King of the Ring, as he had to win a “qualifying match” on the pre-show and then went all the way to the finals on the PPV itself. In 1996, the tournament format changed so that only the semi-finals and finals would be on PPV, eliminating the need to work three matches in the same night to make it to the finals. However, in 1999, the three match format returned, with Billy Gunn and X-Pac both going the distance. The same thing happened again in 2000 with Rikishi and Kurt Angle.

WCW also briefly had a concept entitled “Triple Threat Theater” in which two rivals were supposed to wrestle each other three times throughout one show in three different gimmick matches. This was first supposed to happen at WCW Souled Out 2000, though it had to be changed thanks to injuries suffered by Jeff Jarrett and Bret Hart. The planned Jarrett versus Benoit Triple Threat Theater got changed in to Triple Threat Theater pitting Billy Kidman against various members of a stable known as “The Revolution.” Kidman wound up taking on Dean Malenko in a “catch as catch can” match, Perry Saturn in a bunkhouse match, and the Wall in a cage match.

Triple Threat Theater was used one other time, and it featured SID VICIOUS of all people. Yes, somebody thought it would be a good idea for Sid to work three matches in one evening. On the February 2, 2000 episode of WCW Thunder, he faced Mike Rotundo in a submission match, Rick Steiner in a hardcore match, and the Harris Twins in a handicap “caged heat” match. (Caged heat being WCW’s knockoff of Hell in a Cell.)

Brandon L. wants to ask several questions about TNA, though his real distinction is being the first man to use the word “surmise” in an e-mail directed to 411mania . . .

I have become a huge fan of TNA in recent years and don’t understand some of the negativity I read/hear towards the company. First and foremost is the indication that admission is free. Is that truly the case? I surmised that individuals must pay a price for entry into Universal Studios, and perhaps TNA receives a percentage. Another theory I had was that Disney furnishes TNA with a free facility in order to boost attendance at Universal Studios.

Admission to TNA TV tapings is, in fact, free. You do not have to pay to enter the theme park and then enter the studio, as there is a separate studio entrance that you can go through with no admission charge. I know that they had charged admission to at least one of the pay per views held in Orlando, though I don’t recall if that ever became regular practice. Obviously the company charged admission when it held it recently traveled to Michigan for a PPV.

As far as TNA “boosting the attendance” of Universal Studios, that’s a pretty flimsy theory. The Impact Zone only holds a few hundred people, which I’m sure is a negligible number compared to the total amount of people visiting a major theme park on any given day.

However, I will have to say that the free admission is not a good reason to knock TNA, though many people try to use it that way. If they ever begin charging admission, they run the risk that people will just stop coming to the shows . . . and they need to have a full studio so that they look somewhat popular on TV.

I would think that pay per views are their top revenue, with merchandise a distant second. Is there any available information on TNA buy rates? With all the backlash about the $1,000,000 challenge to DX, one gets the impression that TNA is barely financially stable and the investor(s) continue to pour money in without the benefit of a return profit.

I have never found a good source that archives past PPV buyrates. However, I know from reading sites like F4W Online that TNA Genesis pulled in 60,000 buys, which was considered a major success. Turning Point, the very next PPV, got around 30,000 buys, which was a drastic dropoff and considered a poor performance for a show featuring the Angle/Joe rematch.

Lastly, what about TNA wrestler/official salaries? We have all heard that Sting received an annual $500,000 contract, but what about Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, etc.? I would image both of the latter were earning high dollar “downside guarantees” (i.e. at least $250,000 or more) in the WWE. What about wrestlers such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Kip James, and B. G. James? I understand that TNA employment only calls for several matches a month, at most, which allows for indepedent bookings.

Sting did receive a large amount of money for his one year contract, though keep in mind that amount was subsidized by SpikeTV and not entirely paid out of TNA’s pocket. I have not heard exact figures for the contracts of guys like Christian and Angle, though it was reported around the time of Christian’s jump that he was definitely taking a pay cut to work with the company. (Though it wasn’t that big of a deal to him since he had done a good job of saving money from his WWE contracts.) I know that lower card TNA wrestlers are paid per appearance, with no sort of “downside” guarantee.

NY Groover wins the award for best e-mail subject line ever, as he titled this little number “fat guys in wrestling who disappear” . . .

1. i always wondered what happened to bam bam bigelow when he disappeared for 3-4 years. I’m talking about the period between his wwf debute in the 80s when he was with humperdink up until he came back just after wrestlemania 9 with luna. where was he and what was the backstage reason? i always thought that was a weird absence because those years in between should of been his prime.

Bigelow may have disappeared from the WWF, but he certainly didn’t disappear from professional wrestling. His initial departure was due to a knee injury. When he healed up he did a brief stint in Jim Crockett Promotions before heading to Japan, where he really started to make a name for himself. He competed primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he teamed with Vader and generally acted as one of the large, scary foreign men that get over so well with the Japanese. Some footage of Bigelow in New Japan got commercially released in the United States on a tape titled “World Pro Wrestling from Japan: Bam Bam Bigelow and Friends!” A few copies of that tape can still be found on eBay or Half.com. There was a little bit of a gap between his departure from New Japan and his return to the WWF, which primarily consisted of working for WAR and some smaller Japanese companies that existed during the time.

2. same question for kamala, how come he kept disappearing from the wwe and wcw. he had a similar 4-5 year absence like bam bam.

Kamala was all over the place during his professional wrestling career. Before he even showed up in the WWF, he wrestled in World Class Championship Wrestling, Memphis, and Stampede Wrestling in Canada. In between his WWF and WCW stints, he would usually either return to Memphis or tour in Japan. Kamala still competes regularly on the independent circuit, and he has a website through which he is attempting to launch a career as a blues singer. (No, seriously.) The website is online here, and you can also purchase a great shoot interview with Kamala that details his career in the Ring of Honor store.

Lynx seems a little preoccupied with race and nationality, but he’s a nice guy otherwise . . .

1) How many african-americans have won major titles, and who are they? I know of The Rock (WWE, WCW), Booker T (WCW, World) and Ron Killings (NWA), but what others have actually won the top gold belts?

Well, this all depends on what you consider a “major title,” but the list is pretty short in any event. Obviously the three men that you mentioned count, though some might argue that the NWA Title was not “major” at the time that Killings won it. Here are a few more names to add to your list:

– Bobby Lashley (ECW World Heavyweight Champion in 2006 – 2007)
– Bob Sapp (IWGP Heavyweight Champion [New Japan’s primary singles title] in 2004)
– Ron Simmons (WCW Heavyweight Champion in 1992)

2) How many with a samoan background have won major titles? Again, I know Yokozuna and The Rock, but who else?

Unless you want to count Samoa Joe as the Ring of Honor Champion, that appears to be the entire list.

3) Being and Aussie, which Aussies (not New Zealanders) have picked up any title from major companies? I know this is a bit broader than the others, because you don’t really hear of Aussies in the major companies.

You’re right, Australians don’t make it to major wrestling companies all that much. However, there were two Australian gentlemen who made quite the mark on professional wrestling. I’m talking about Al Costello and Roy Heffernan, also known as the Fabulous Kangaroos. Younger fans probably haven’t heard of them, but they were revolutionary in professional wrestling in the 1950s and 1960s. They were one of the first tag teams to work together on a regular basis, have a joint look and gimmick, and travel together from company to company. They were fairly ruthless heels and three reigns as the United States Tag Team Champions in the Capitol Wrestling Alliance. The Capitol Wrestling Alliance would withdraw from the NWA in 1963 and rename itself the World Wide Wrestling Federation, which would later become the World Wrestling Federation, which would later become World Wrestling Entertainment.

We’ll close it out with Dan W., who tries to take me to the Serengeti, but I’ll have none of it . . .

What ever happend to the signing of Monty Brown from TNA. I thought they brought him in right after Angle jumped. Did he debut and I just don’t realize it?

Brown is under WWE contract, though he has not yet debuted on television. There was talk at one point of having him skip the developmental process to immediately go to Raw, though I think that this would be a mistaken given that the man can’t wrestle worth a lick at this point in his career.