He’s been touted as a superstar of the future. British sensation Paul Burchill, having plied his trade on the British wrestling scene since his debut in 2002, relocated to America at the beginning of the year when he was taken on by World Wrestling Entertainment. But how did the FWA’s “Rookie Monster” fare outside of Britain’s most hyped wrestling promotion? You can find out how in Figure Four Film’s “Premier Promotions: The Best of Burchill”.
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
NWF Kids Pro Wrestling: The Untold Story - DVD Review
It was in 1984 when, after the introduction of public access television in America, Shawn Crossen of Anoka, Minnesota, launched his own wrestling promotion, and within three years his television shows were being seen all over the country, and he was drawing sell-out crowds at his regular live events.
Nora Greenwald: Shooting The Crap - DVD Review
Perhaps the best American female wrestler of her generation. Nora Greenwald, the woman behind the Molly Holly gimmick, shocked the wrestling world by leaving the WWE earlier this year. With tons of rumours flying around as to just why she left, Nora attempted to set the record straight with her Shooting’ The Crap shoot interview DVD.
The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior - DVD Review
If you’ve been reading my columns for a while now, you’ll know that I am a huge mark for the Ultimate Warrior. He was one of the reasons I got back into wrestling in 1989, and I still consider his bout with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VI as one of the best ever.
NWO Back in Black - DVD Review
They are regarded by many as the greatest unit in the history of professional wrestling, but I couldn’t help but think that this thing came about a little too late.
NWF Superstars Spectacular '86 - DVD Review
A few weeks ago I reviewed the DVD release of NWF: Kids Pro Wrestling - The Untold Story, which told of how a fourteen year old promoted his own shows and gained national exposure on public access television. Now we’re going to take a look back at their first show at the Anoka Armoury in Anoka, Minnesota, Superstar Spectacular ‘86.
NWA Starrcade '89: Future Shock - Retro Review
This week's retro show review takes us back to December 1989, and the biggest show on the National Wrestling Alliance's calendar, Starrcade '89 - Future Shock. But this Starrcade was different, with two round robin tournaments to crown Iron Man and Iron Team champions, featuring the top stars of the NWA at the time. So here we go.
The Rise & Fall Of ECW - DVD Review
TBW Finally - DVD Review
It took them a while, but finally (pun intended), this past August, Jamie Worthing’s Total Brutality Wrestling presented their debut show, “Finally”, recently released on DVD, courtesy of WAR Productions.
FWA Revival - TV Review
This past Sunday I, along with millions of other wrestling fans in this country, saw something on television we had not seen since 1988, a British wrestling show on a British television channel.
The Ultimate Warrior - Video Review
With the WWE having done a great deal of Warrior bashing in the past few months, I thought it would be a good idea to go back a few years and look at a 1990 video release, entitled The Ultimate Warrior, a release which, to this day, is still the WWF/E’s biggest selling VHS release in Britain, proving that the Warrior had great drawing power in this country.
The Best of the USWA Volume 2 - Video Review
TNA Victory Road 2004 - Retro Review
Instead of stepping back in time a few years for my latest review, I'm going to step back in time a few months, to last November. Total Non-Stop Action took a massive gamble, and some would say a massive step forward, by ditching their weekly pay-per-views in favour of a monthly pay-per-view schedule, with their first three hour offering, Victory Road, taking place at the Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida last November, and after four months, I've finally gotten around to reviewing my copy of the show.
The Wrestling Channel International Showdown - DVD Review
This past March, The Wrestling Channel took a massive gamble by bringing over some of the world’s best wrestlers outside of WWE over to Britain. Stars from ROH, TNA and NOAH joined with those from the FWA for International Showdown, held in the Coventry Skydome before a crowd of over 3,000, and released as a two disc DVD set shortly afterwards.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Two Months at McColls
There’s been a paper shop on Mill Road in Cromer since the 1920’s. When Cromer High train station closed, W.H. Smith moved their shop there. A few years later, a gentleman by the name of Stanley Hayward brought the shop, and expanded a great deal. Stanley retired almost twenty years ago, selling the business to the Paper Chain group, who later sold the shop to the Dillons group, until the shop finally fell into the hands of the Martin McColls group towards the end of 2005.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Stop the Crossing Over!
Those of you who know me well will know that I am a huge comic book fan. As a youngster I used to collect tons of Marvel and DC comics. I have a cupboard with loads of these in, some of them dating back to the 1970’s, although these days I prefer to buy graphic novels rather than individual comics.
One thing I used to enjoy, and I still do, are the crossovers between the two companies. Spider-Man meeting Superman was THE event back in the late 70’s, and even recently, when the Avengers met up with the Justice League of America, it was an event, something to look forward to. It was an event because something like that didn’t exactly happen too often.
So why am I writing about comic books in an article that is meant to be about professional wrestling? Patience, my dear friends. You’ll soon find out why.
One thing I used to enjoy, and I still do, are the crossovers between the two companies. Spider-Man meeting Superman was THE event back in the late 70’s, and even recently, when the Avengers met up with the Justice League of America, it was an event, something to look forward to. It was an event because something like that didn’t exactly happen too often.
So why am I writing about comic books in an article that is meant to be about professional wrestling? Patience, my dear friends. You’ll soon find out why.
Two Broken Bodies
January 2003. In his first major pay-per-view match-up in nearly two years, Scott Steiner challenged Triple H for Raw’s World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble. Steiner had made his return to the WWE some three months earlier at the Survivor Series, and this was his first television match since his signing. Having overcome serious health problems including major nerve damage to his leg, this was perhaps Steiner’s last shot at the big-time.
And it stunk. Move after move was botched, and the crowd booed both wrestlers out of the building as Triple H was disqualified for using his trusty sledgehammer on Steiner. As one noted journalist wrote at the time; “Both men were built like tanks, and moved like tanks as well.” This match was definitely one of the worst of 2003.
Moments later, Kurt Angle defended Smackdown’s WWE title against Chris Benoit. In what was the polar opposite of the previous match, two of the world’s greatest ever wrestlers put on a wrestling clinic, with Angle winning and retaining the title after Benoit tapped to an ankle lock. As the Crippler leaves the ring, he receives a standing ovation for a match that was definitely one of the best of 2003.
And it stunk. Move after move was botched, and the crowd booed both wrestlers out of the building as Triple H was disqualified for using his trusty sledgehammer on Steiner. As one noted journalist wrote at the time; “Both men were built like tanks, and moved like tanks as well.” This match was definitely one of the worst of 2003.
Moments later, Kurt Angle defended Smackdown’s WWE title against Chris Benoit. In what was the polar opposite of the previous match, two of the world’s greatest ever wrestlers put on a wrestling clinic, with Angle winning and retaining the title after Benoit tapped to an ankle lock. As the Crippler leaves the ring, he receives a standing ovation for a match that was definitely one of the best of 2003.
Bigger Isn't Always Better
It was at the beginning of April that the WWE unleashed their latest monster upon an unsuspecting wrestling world. Hardly inspiring anyone with his performance, the 7’3” Great Khali attacked the Undertaker, and yours truly immediately began to get flashbacks to WCW and the WWF of the early 90’s.
Back then Ted Turner had a 7’7” Argentinean that couldn’t stand the pace of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, so he had to find something else for him to do, and what better place for him to go than his wrestling promotion?
An so El Gigante was inflicted on WCW fans. A lumbering joke, Gigante was matched up against the likes of Ric Flair, Sid Vicious and the One Man Gang, until he vanished from the scene in 1992.
Back then Ted Turner had a 7’7” Argentinean that couldn’t stand the pace of the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, so he had to find something else for him to do, and what better place for him to go than his wrestling promotion?
An so El Gigante was inflicted on WCW fans. A lumbering joke, Gigante was matched up against the likes of Ric Flair, Sid Vicious and the One Man Gang, until he vanished from the scene in 1992.
Was John Chapman a Victim of His Own Success?
Last September I had the pleasure to interview John Chapman, one of the new, young breed of wrestling promoters in Britain. It was just six months after his debut show, and not long after he’d signed a deal to become the official British affiliate to the legendary American Wrestling Association. In the ten months since that interview, Chapman Promotions, or AWA:UK as they became known, has signed deals to provide wrestling segments for Sky Sports’ popular Soccer AM show, and to provide programming for the new Fight network, due to launch in Britain later this year.
Yet just hours after holding a successful show this past Saturday afternoon, John announced that he was calling it a day, and that AWA:UK was closing down.
Yet just hours after holding a successful show this past Saturday afternoon, John announced that he was calling it a day, and that AWA:UK was closing down.
If It Wasn't ECW Would You Still Complain?
This past Sunday night I settled down in front of my television to watch the British premiere of a brand new wrestling promotion. The card was very entertaining, some great promos, a battle between two former world champions, a hardcore icon beating the hell out of a useless character, and a very entertaining battle royal.
Oh, and the promotion just happened to be called Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve learned that wrestling fans, internet columnists and magazine writers are indeed an impatient bunch, whose expectation levels are sometimes set way too high at times.
It seems that whenever people hear the letters E, C, and W put together into a cohesive sentence, they hark bark to the mid-nineties. They expect innovative booking, five star matches every day of the week, and they get a picture in their mind’s eye of a group of wrestlers flipping the bird to Ted Turner and Vince McMahon, telling them where they can stick their brand of professional wrestling.
Oh, and the promotion just happened to be called Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve learned that wrestling fans, internet columnists and magazine writers are indeed an impatient bunch, whose expectation levels are sometimes set way too high at times.
It seems that whenever people hear the letters E, C, and W put together into a cohesive sentence, they hark bark to the mid-nineties. They expect innovative booking, five star matches every day of the week, and they get a picture in their mind’s eye of a group of wrestlers flipping the bird to Ted Turner and Vince McMahon, telling them where they can stick their brand of professional wrestling.
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