I guess I’m just not wired right. That’s about all there is to it. For some reason, watching two guys pretending they hate each other beat the living crap out of themselves is enjoyable to me. I liken it to the car crash syndrome. It might not be a pleasant sight to watch, but you’re not really able to turn away either. I was inspired for this one by watching some old ECW TV cards that I was able to track down.
Before I go further, I need to let you know that this month’s article is going to be a little bit different. I’m not going to do any video links. Instead I’m going to approach this column from a strictly literary direction. Part of the reason is because I kinda didn’t plan too well and ran out of time before my deadline. The other part of the reason is because I couldn’t figure out who to include. Back to the story…..
I was watching some of this old ECW footage and was reminiscing about how a lot of fans were convinced that ECW created “hardcore” wrestling. So many fans believe that modern promotions like FMW in Japan, CZW here in America and ECW were the originators of “ultraviolent entertainment”.
I’m not going to be too specific today, because I’m going to break this train of thought into several chapters over the coming months. Because it’s so near and dear to my heart, I want to focus on some of the performers from yesteryear who upped the ante regarding the violence associated with professional wrestling. My primary goal is to not just write about the old-timers with a nostalgic gaze, but I also want to shed some light on some performers who got lost in a gimmick and were truly violent.
The Sheik is of course going to be part of the conversation because for decades he terrorized the Detroit promotion (and the rest of the world as well) as one of the original fire throwing heels. Pencils and scissors tucked into boots were routine in his matches, so much so that most of the time if a wrestling hold were to be applied, it would’ve seemed out of place.
Abdullah the Butcher will also be looked at directly. Abby has long been my favorite pro wrestler. His autographed photo that I received as a gift a couple years ago is prominently displayed in my apartment. (Because I find that horror flicks and wrestling are often enjoyed by many of the fine readers here at TBL, I wanna give a shout out to my buddy Justin who gave me that photo. Check out this month’s edition {#303} of Fangoria hitting news stands and book sellers soon if it isn’t there already. He’s got a whole slew of articles including an interview with John Carpenter and an article about the horror classic “Christine”).
I digress.
Abby’s look and seeming disregard for the rules or the safety of his opponents has fascinated me. As another of the 5 decade brigade, The Butcher has been shedding blood across the globe since at least the early 60’s (if not the late 50’s from a few reports I’d seen).
Now my next performer, or I should say performers will probably surprise a lot of you. The Bushwhackers aren’t really thought of as hardcore legends or overly violent entertainers. Unless you count licking random people in the audience on the way to the ring, which could be pretty dangerous depending on the town. Seriously though, before Vince took any sort of respectability and believability out of the Bushwhackers, the Sheepherders were feared wherever they were booked. This was a real revelation to me when I heard about some of their exploits in scaffold and barbed wire matches. In doing some research, I took to the mighty Youtube to watch some of their footage. I was shocked at how different they were. Gone was the goofy walk and the family friendly persona. Instead what I saw was two guys working their asses off to get people to believe that they were lunatics and were liable to do anything in the ring. Intense is to their performances that I watched, kinda like cool was to Steve McQueen. Yes, it’s an accurate statement, but it’s pretty much a HUGE understatement.
So with that, I want to open the floor to you, my millions………AND MILLIONS of loyal readers. Who’s hardcore history do you want brought to the surface in a sordid and thoroughly entertaining (hopefully) expose? Who was a blood-letter beyond compare that caught your attention? I’d like to feature some wrestlers you would like to read about specifically if you have any suggestions, so by all means gimme a shout. I’ve got several in mind and have by no means shown my entire hand to you, but I’m always open for more material.
For those of you who were expecting something different from this month’s entry, I apologize, but I promise you, by giving more direct attention to these virtuosos of violence and giving a few examples of each, you’ll be left cringing and crying, all the while begging for more meat for the grinder.
Until next time, this is the Luce Cannon signing off.
I’m glad that you’re going to give both Abdullah and The Sheepherders some time in your future columns. They are both great examples of the hardcore history that is today’s professional wrestling.
What about writing a column about some hardcore moments in professional wrestling history? The Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum T.A. “I Quit” match was brutal for its time and was almost certainly inspired (in part) by the work of the hardcore wrestlers you’ll probably write about anyway. Just a thought.
I hadn’t thought of that to be honest. That’s a really interesting take. It’d be a good focus because there were some matches that were very violent that included wrestlers who may not have been in that same brawler vein, much like Tully and Magnum.
Another possibility to throw in there would be the Dog Collar Match between Greg Valentine and Roddy Piper. That match hurt just watching it.