Welcome back to another Stampede Wrestling classic encounter as we once again travel back in the pro wrestling time machine and return to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This time around I have discovered what could very well be the first ever televised ladder match. The ladder match is of course a very popular event made very famous in the WWF. However unlike what some younger pro wrestling fans may think,Vincent Kennedy McMahon did not invent the ladder match. This type of match had been done long before it ever made its way to that big time federation. It was actually Stampede legend Bret Hart himself who suggested the ladder match type should be used in the WWF. So,when was the first ladder match, you ask? The first ever ladder match is up for some minor debate, but most “wrestling historians” strongly suggest that Dan Kroffat, way back in 1972 , invented the first ladder match in Stampede Wrestling. Kendo Nagasaki has also been mentioned, by some, as perhaps inventing the match around that same time but less confedently. In either case, no televised account of either match seems to exist but I do remain hopeful that there is some evidence of the first ladder match somewhere. I do, however, have one of the first ever internationally televised ladder matches. It involves Bert Hart and his opponent Bad News Allen ( Brown), two men who had been feuding for some time in the Stampede territory. Of course in the years to come they would continue this feud in the WWF. Enjoy this classic ladder match, possibly the first on TV, and I will return next time with more Stampede Wrestling classics! If you want more “PatMan picks” or you like video game podcasts, chech out www.wonderpodonline.com !
Well I’m back from vacation and like everyone else, it wasn’t long enough but life must go on and while things don’t seem to be slowing down here in BWFland, I must continue to give you what i do!
Welcome, welcome, welcome. When the big events come, they call in the big guns. The Howard Finkel of BWF, if you will. I’m back, for my first appearance since Jan 4th. See? What’d I say about Big Time events? With superstars like Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and the Undertaker appearing, you’d think it was 1997. But, it’s 2010, and we are LIVE from Phoenix, Arizona.
Tune in, after the turn, for LIVE, unedited, uncensored, and Pro-HBK coverage of WrestleMania XXVI. Oh, and a quick note for Jack Korpela. Why do you have a job?
In a recent interview, TNA President Dixie Carter stated that the biggest challenge facing the business was “making new superstars.” The interview in its entirety can be read here:
http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/1575/84/
What a week. And we’ve still got The Bash coming up tomorrow!
Even as I type this column, I’m distracted by the television, where there’s a clip of Michael Jackson’s performance on the Motown 25th Anniversary special, a special that is famous for one thing – Jackson debuting The Moonwalk. I’d talk more about Michael Jackson right now (for the record, this isn’t his first BWF allusion – I quoted the “BAD” video a couple weeks back in a SmackDown review), but I did that already on my official website.
B. Brian Blair was arrested on allegations of child abuse last weekend. Maybe he liked the alleged run-ins with the Iron Shiek back in the day and wanted to relive those moments in prison?
Samoa Joe turned heel at Slammiversary to the surprise of, well, pretty much everybody. Except for me. Earlier in the night, Kurt Angle cut a promo saying that King of the Mountain would be all about he and Joe, and that when it was over, “WE will be standing tall.” That’s when I got the feeling that Joe would turn, which proved correct. For the record, if you didn’t catch Slammiversary, you should. It was an excellent show.
Not only was RAW commercial free on Monday, WWE refunded the tickets of those who attended the event. Why doesn’t that ever happen in Buffalo?
Speaking of RAW, despite the fact that Cena brought up his match with Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand a few years ago where the fans continually threw his shirt back to him when he threw it into the crowd, a fan was ejected from RAW for throwing Cena’s hat back to him. To be fair, it was an ugly hat. When did John Cena become John Deere anyway?
Cena also confirmed that he’s getting married “in the near future” on the Bubba The Love Sponge radio show.
Speaking of Bubba The Love Sponge, Hulk Hogan was on the show and mentioned that the reason we never saw a big time feud between himself and Jake “The Snake” Roberts is that Hogan didn’t hear the fans react to his Hulking up and pummelling Jake. Here’s a homework assignment for the BWF readers – go to your local rehab clinic, and if you find Jake Roberts, ask him his side of the story.
I’m kidding, Jake!
Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes are no longer to be called Pricele$$. They’re now only to be refered to as Legacy. I guess that’s alright. Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson weren’t The Brain Busters when they were in the Four Horsemen either.
And before you point it out in the comments, Green Teabagger, I know that they were only the Brain Busters in the WWF.
Torrie Wilson finished second on “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.” I have no idea who finished first. (It was Lou Diamond Phillips, apparently)
Michael Cole was arrested this past week. No, not that Michael Cole. A guy whose real name happens to be Michael Cole who wrestles under the name Mikael Judas was arrested for assaulting National Championship Wrestling promoter Donovan Loftis after Loftis allegedly made derogatory comments towards him on an internet message board.
Matt Hardy may have injured his abdominal muscles. He denied the reports on his twitter page, but we all know Matt Hardy has nothing better to do with his time than trying to work the internet fans. Ok, listen Matt. Complaining about losing your job when Amy Dumas and Adam Copeland were in the wrong and not yourself is one thing, and yeah, your internet fans probably got you your job back, but give this “working the internet” shit a rest. If you’re hurt, dude, we’re not gonna be mad at you for telling us the damned truth for once.
Apparently, CM Punk going to a Rancid concert is newsworthy, with the headline “CM Punk Attends Punk Concert.” OMG, you mean, CM Punk likes punk rock? Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me that The Headbangers like heavy metal, or that Disco Stu likes disco music!
Lastly, on a sad note, Billy Red Lyons, who I remember seeing on the WWF’s Maple Leaf Wrestling program when I was little, passed away this week. BWF’s condolences to his friends and family.
and now… GREAT AMERICAN BASH PREDICTIONS!
Carlito & Primo vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase – Unified Tag Team Championship
Cody’s rumored to be working with a bad neck, but if it were a serious injury he’d probably already be out for surgery. Since Primo and Carlito have their little mini feud going with The Hart Dynasty, and there’s a definitive lack of face tag teams for Legacy to defend against, The Colons should retain here.
John Cena vs. The Miz
Are you kidding? After the way Cena verbally buried The Miz on RAW (“you’re not a reality show has-been, you’re a WWE never was.”), The Miz needs this win. Needs it. The problem, of course, is the WWE likes to humiliate The Miz on occasion. Since they’ve actually been pushing for us to take him seriously, I’m going to go way out on a limb here and actually predict victory – by hook or by crook – for The Miz.
The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler – No Disqualification Match
Khali. Ziggler’s way out has been to get Khali counted out or disqualified, but all the chairs in the world won’t help Ziggler beat Khali in a no disqualification match.
Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio – Intercontinental Championship vs. Mask match
I’m a global entertainment company. I have a guy performing for me who is beloved by my younger audience members. This guy happens to wear a mask, which we sell replicas of at $50 a pop. The audience is always filled with kids wearing these masks. Am I really going to make the guy lose his mask? What am I, WCW? Look, Vince McMahon did not become a billionaire by dropping hot selling products while they’re still selling. That’s why John Cena is still a face, and it’s why Rey Mysterio will not be losing his mask this Sunday. Mysterio will be carrying gold next Friday night.
Melina vs. Michelle McCool – WWE Women’s Championship
McCool made Melina look like her bitch this past Friday on SmackDown. Melina won’t take that lying down. I just can’t see Melina dropping the belt on Sunday.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry – ECW Championship Scramble
I like the Scramble match. Last year’s PPV where they had three of them was awesome – especially because we got to see The Brian Kendrick as the WWE Champion for a few moments. This one should be good, and it’s sort of unpredictable, seeing as how three of the four challengers are former ECW Champions. Finlay has been beating everybody down lately, but Henry had the last laugh this past Tuesday night. The problem with Finlay and Mark Henry is, they don’t feel like they’ve been groomed for a run with the ECW Championship. I’m going t o give this one to Dreamer.
Randy Orton vs. Triple H – Three Stages of Hell for the WWE Championship
First fall is a regular match, second fall is falls count anywhere, and the third fall, for some ungodly reason, is a stretcher match. I have this sinking feeling in my gut that it’s Triple H getting the win here.
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy – World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk needs the World Heavyweight Championship right now. If he doesn’t have it, the slow heel turn doesn’t work as effectively. He somehow steals the victory at The Bash.
That’s it guys, enjoy The Bash. I’ll have coverage up at some point on Monday, depending on how long it takes to get my car repaired.
Hey what’s up people from the land of ice and snow (or so it seems). Not much this week because I’ve had a really rough week but let’s see what I can come up with: (more…)
