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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Feb 21, 2022 23:10:49 GMT -5
I also seem to remember a story about the guy who worked as Vladimir Koloff introducing himself to someone (I want to say Bobby Fulton of the Fantastics) as "Vladimir Koloff, Ivan's nephew." Bobby (or whoever) called him a stupid son of a bitch and walked away from him. I'd be surprised if it was Bobby. Bobby is a very nice, kind man, I'd be surprised if he said that to someone though if he said it to Ivan that would be great. I do remember the story of someone calling him out on it. But the thing I remember most about Vladimir is BOTH my grandmother and aunt getting me his signed 8x10 and I was totally disappointed each time. This guy was a nobody! The thing was Ivan had been doing autograph signings at Wal Marts for the Children's Miracle Network. At some point he started working with the guy known as Vladimir and they did it together. When Ivan stopped doing it, Vladimir kept on doing it but I bet he wasn't doing it for charity. Arn was always terrible for this. It's one thing when a super out there character is keeping the act going, or during your career, but long afterwards when you had a pretty basic character, it doesn't really work... ironically. Arn's book was all in kayfabe too, I believe. I got screwed by someone years ago on an official Arn site who was selling Arn signed 8x10s and accepting mail order items for signing for a charity called "Scoring For Children." The autographs I got weren't signed by Arn. I doubt he had any involvement in this but I wish I could find out why this happened. I do also think someone should have put a stop to Slaughter's kayfabe. I think a true military service is one thing that should be untouchable to wrestlers keeping kayfabe. Bobby is definitely a good dude, and it may not have been him in the story. I could see it being him just based on his love and respect for the business and seeing Vladimir's introduction as insulting.
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Post by Slingshot Suplay on Feb 22, 2022 20:44:43 GMT -5
Kerry von erich showering with a boot on to kayfabe his missing foot.
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Post by Feyrhausen on Feb 22, 2022 20:54:33 GMT -5
People love to say that no one believed, but the fact that stabbings and shootings continued as late as the '80s says otherwise. It's fine to not understand how that was possible, but it is indisputably real. I always loved the story about Kamala, who may have still been Sugar Bear Harris, winning a $500 battle royal on TV one morning, working the show that night, pulling into his driveway late that night, and being met by his excited wife who just wanted to see that $500. Kamala, who had already forgotten about the battle royal that morning, said he didn't have any $500. His wife, thinking he had blown the money (probably with another woman) grabbed a gun. Kamala fled across the road to a lumber yard where he spent the night. The next morning, he had a long conversation with his wife about what was real and what wasn't. I believe Percy Pringle was managing him at the time. I read a story on his website how he used to abuse Sugar Bear on TV and Bear would catch hell from his wife for it. Pringle said after the battle royal incident he went with Bear to help smarten up his wife.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,477
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Feb 23, 2022 14:40:16 GMT -5
Even now some people believe it is real. 2 years ago at a BIW event I was filming and my father motioned for me to come over."See that guy back row? He is pissed at King Rob Love and keeps reaching for the knife in his back pocket."
Now Rob Love is a huge heel in BIW. And BIW draws a lot of rural folk to the shows. So I went and told a buddy doing security what was going on. And the rest of the show if Rob was out there one of the members of security was there near the guy with the knife.
But then it is also at BIW shows where I have had people in the crowd tell me "You know if it was a real fight Goldberg could beat Brock Lesner."
But then had a friend that thought Stephanie Mcmahon could beat Rhonda Rousey in a shoot.
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Post by TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out on Feb 23, 2022 15:07:44 GMT -5
Kerry von erich showering with a boot on to kayfabe his missing foot. That wasn't to keep kayfabe as much as it was to ensure that hostile athletic commissions wouldn't bar him
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msc
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,462
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Post by msc on Feb 23, 2022 15:09:09 GMT -5
One thing that dosen't add up though is the fact that the general public knew, at least on some level that it was fixed. It was even documented in pop culture such as that "I Love Lucy" comic book and an episode of Woody Woodpecker where he shows one of the performers the script on what to do. I can understand not wanting to give away certain secrets(such as blading), but the cat was already out of the bag. Who were they trying to fool? Hell the first big "Wrestling isn't real" news story came from like the 30's... so it wasn't like it was even a secret that it was a show all that long. (It is generally accepted that it started getting staged in the 20s.) Actually, I find this fascinating because we don't really know for sure when the line between amateur sport and pro-wrestling we know actually happened. For example, the Hackenschmidt/Gotch matches were at one point referred to as legit contests. And by today's standards, they could have been. But there was certainly a carny aspect even then, as the two would exchange falls to make their matches more exciting and thus increase the payoff! There was also the time Gotch allegedly took advantage of an injured opponent by shoot pinning them in quick succession so he looked good, having told them he'd look after them out there beforehand! I wish I still had that book on early 20th Century wrestling, it was full of fascinating stories. Like the one where Gotch (I think?) was promoting a match only for his opponent to attack him and throw him into an orchestra pit to the horror of the public. Before the infamously tedious Stecher/Lewis fight during WW1, the line between shoot and arranged was a thin one. In the 1890s there was a wrestler caleld Yusuf Ismail who made it big on the circuits as The Terrible Turk, and made a lot of money on a US Tour as an evil foreigner following a gimmicked run. However, he kept kayfabe on his gimmick to the nth degree, to the tragic point that the ship he was travelling on sunk and he kept his gimmick to the point of dying. In Europe, catch as catch can developed at the funfairs and carnivals and so its exact travel from sport to work is murky (though it was in use at the 1904 Olympics and the Olympics lot tried to remove the more showy elements to make it a sport again!).
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Feb 23, 2022 15:32:35 GMT -5
Heard this story on a podcast... Ron Fuller ran a promotion called Continental Championship Wrestling, and one day he bought a new boat, and then decided to use the boat as a prize for a Battle Royal match (presumable to be able to write the boat off as a business expense, but he intended on keeping the boat). Ron Garvin won the match, then went to court to get possession of the boat. Fuller didn't want to admit in court that the match (and wrestling) is not a legitimate contest, so he had to sign the boat over to Garvin. Baller move by Ronnie. He had to have known Fuller would have kept it kayfabe if he sued.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Feb 23, 2022 15:39:12 GMT -5
The Original Sheik in his 60s doing autograph signing in gimmick, not speaking, having his wife do personalizations for the fans and him slamming a sword on the table when it time for a photo op with the fans. I believe he also refused to talk to anyone on the phone if they called him by his real name.
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The Ichi
Patti Mayonnaise
AGGRESSIVE Executive Janitor of the Third Floor Manager's Bathroom
Posts: 37,304
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Post by The Ichi on Feb 23, 2022 15:49:17 GMT -5
There was a clip on IG of MJF actually being quite nice to a young fan until he realizes a camera is on him. More cute than anything.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,127
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Post by Mozenrath on Feb 23, 2022 16:07:53 GMT -5
There was a clip on IG of MJF actually being quite nice to a young fan until he realizes a camera is on him. More cute than anything. It's always kind of funny with him. I also remember him and Allie Katt breaking kayfabe a bit when someone was making wild accusations about their breakup, but it's been a while.
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Post by Hit Girl on Feb 23, 2022 18:15:18 GMT -5
Ric Flair - "Baby, I fly on private jets, I buy expensive jewellery, I drink champagne and drive only the fastest cars, and I spend money like there's no tomorrow, woooo!"
Me - "Great gimmick!"
Ric Flair - "What gimmick?"
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Post by sungod2020 on Feb 24, 2022 8:57:26 GMT -5
Weren't their stories running around that Tony Norris got confused between distinguishing himself and Ahmed Johnson(the character he was portraying)?
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,267
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Post by agent817 on Feb 24, 2022 10:31:37 GMT -5
Even now some people believe it is real. 2 years ago at a BIW event I was filming and my father motioned for me to come over."See that guy back row? He is pissed at King Rob Love and keeps reaching for the knife in his back pocket." Now Rob Love is a huge heel in BIW. And BIW draws a lot of rural folk to the shows. So I went and told a buddy doing security what was going on. And the rest of the show if Rob was out there one of the members of security was there near the guy with the knife. But then it is also at BIW shows where I have had people in the crowd tell me "You know if it was a real fight Goldberg could beat Brock Lesner." But then had a friend that thought Stephanie Mcmahon could beat Rhonda Rousey in a shoot. Not to try to derail the topic, but I had a co-worker who thought it was all real. I kid you not. Since this was back in 2013, he would be talking about how "CM Punk will win the title back and then face John Cena at Wrestlemania!" I had told him that he won't and that the plan was for Rock and Cena to have their rematch. But he would keep saying that he knows that CM Punk will win it back, whether it was at Elimination Chamber that year or on an episode of Raw. He didn't get what I meant.
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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Feb 24, 2022 17:50:39 GMT -5
I've seen the Sheik mentioned and it reminded me:
Bobby Heenan told a story about a show being visited by an anti-Arab defamation group who was unhappy about the way the Sheik was portraying Arab people.
Sheik found them, pulled a strait razor out if his trunks, and charged.
They didn't stick around.
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 6, 2022 13:14:12 GMT -5
I would say Virgil. He has done everything in kayfabe for years. Even when he did a local card show and my father was a dealer right next to him he was all in kayfabe with me. Every show he does he puts on the big time act. It's a shame, as a wrestler he had that humble way about his gimmick so I wish we could just see a shoot or a fan video where he just acts normal. I also always wondered what he was like as a teacher. A guy like Tito or Bill Eadie who were or are teachers command respect because they act respectfully. If Virgil does his gimmick in class, he'd be eaten alive by teenage kids.
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Timeless Hayterade
Dennis Stamp
Rhea's the Tribal Chief now. ACKNOWLEDGE MAMI!
Posts: 4,675
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Post by Timeless Hayterade on Mar 6, 2022 23:22:38 GMT -5
One I recall hearing about was Sabu punching a guy in the face for calling him by his real name. What he didn't realize was that it was someone that knew him personally.
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 9, 2022 12:07:57 GMT -5
Someone posting in the names thread with Bob Backlund makes me think him. He's done a few virtual signings where he's pretty calm but for the last 27+ years he's almost entirely in kayfabe, even in public like airports. I met him a few times, like others at autograph signings where he's ranting and raving and flailing his arms and putting people in chicken wings but I did meet him once where he was very subdued but it was most pre show with the wrestlers, friends and agents. He's always been a guy whose fascinated me especially the last few years. But his stock rose when he became the crazy unhinged Bob Backlund. Pre heel turn I doubt he'd be doing much as far as legends reunions on Raws and autograph shows.
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Post by "Playboy" Don Douglas on Mar 9, 2022 13:35:37 GMT -5
Someone posting in the names thread with Bob Backlund makes me think him. He's done a few virtual signings where he's pretty calm but for the last 27+ years he's almost entirely in kayfabe, even in public like airports. I met him a few times, like others at autograph signings where he's ranting and raving and flailing his arms and putting people in chicken wings but I did meet him once where he was very subdued but it was most pre show with the wrestlers, friends and agents. He's always been a guy whose fascinated me especially the last few years. But his stock rose when he became the crazy unhinged Bob Backlund. Pre heel turn I doubt he'd be doing much as far as legends reunions on Raws and autograph shows. I met Bob at a signing several years ago. He put me in the chicken wing before I could say, "Hi," glared at the camera like a loon for the photo op, and went back to smiling Midwestern man. It's one of my favorite photo ops.
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y4j1981
Dennis Stamp
Rowsdower
Posts: 4,653
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Post by y4j1981 on Mar 9, 2022 14:13:31 GMT -5
Even now some people believe it is real. 2 years ago at a BIW event I was filming and my father motioned for me to come over."See that guy back row? He is pissed at King Rob Love and keeps reaching for the knife in his back pocket." Now Rob Love is a huge heel in BIW. And BIW draws a lot of rural folk to the shows. So I went and told a buddy doing security what was going on. And the rest of the show if Rob was out there one of the members of security was there near the guy with the knife. But then it is also at BIW shows where I have had people in the crowd tell me "You know if it was a real fight Goldberg could beat Brock Lesner." But then had a friend that thought Stephanie Mcmahon could beat Rhonda Rousey in a shoot. Not to try to derail the topic, but I had a co-worker who thought it was all real. I kid you not. Since this was back in 2013, he would be talking about how "CM Punk will win the title back and then face John Cena at Wrestlemania!" I had told him that he won't and that the plan was for Rock and Cena to have their rematch. But he would keep saying that he knows that CM Punk will win it back, whether it was at Elimination Chamber that year or on an episode of Raw. He didn't get what I meant. Knew someone during TNAs first few years who claimed he was a "total insider'. And knew secretly that Bret Hart owned TNA and was being funded by Vince/WWE. And always came to work with the weirdest and most made up news that anyone with a brain cell could tell was made up, like he believed the multiple Warriors thing, Kane was the same guy who wrestled as Taker. But I ask what bout when they faced each other: "its all fake, they use split screens". Stuff like that
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 9, 2022 22:56:27 GMT -5
I met Bob at a signing several years ago. He put me in the chicken wing before I could say, "Hi," glared at the camera like a loon for the photo op, and went back to smiling Midwestern man. It's one of my favorite photo ops. That reminds me of the second time I met him and he was eating a jar of brussle sprouts. Not sure how many he ate but the size was about a quart or larger can. He gave me one I was excited to take home to my father but he didn't want it. He was normal then but for the photo op he's got the evil look on his face. He's someone who always has a crowd of fans or other wrestlers so not much time to really see him out of character but I would have loved to spend a little time with him with fewer people around to see what he's really like. If someone does recite the presidents or misses a few he will climb on the chair and shout they got them all or half etc... With him doing drywall work in 1985 and selling oil on one hand while being Mr. Backlund on the other or post WWWF champ has always fascinated me. I do have a short handwritten note from him on a bow tie letterhead from when I sent him $10 for an autograph while he was campaigning. I thought that was classy. I was paying for the 8x10 but also got the note.
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