From: hekunze@watmsg.waterloo.edu (Herb Kunze)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling
Subject: Wrestling TidBits   -   01/11
Keywords: NWA,WWF,AWA,Wrestling
Message-ID: <33117@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 11 Jan 90 22:12:06 GMT
Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu
Distribution: rec
Lines: 85
Posted: Thu Jan 11 23:12:06 1990


 { Well, I'm now using an id with my own name attached.  Thanks to Anu
   Pathria for the use of his id while I fought bureaucracy and tried
   every shady manouever to get back on the net.  Feel free to send
   comments to this id.  Now on with the news...                     }

 - The *big* question: How long can Andre the Giant possibly hold a title?
   It's well known that his massive frame prohibits him from extensive
   travelling, something that would seem mandatory for a champion.  It does
   not help much that Andre suffers from acromegaly, a sickness which gives
   its sufferer a life expectancy of 42 - Andre is fast approaching 44.
   Adding things together helps support the rumour that Andre and Haku will
   drop the tag team titles in WrestleMania VI, whereafter Andre will turn
   face again and retire before the end of the summer.

 - Caught the AWA ESPN show this week.  In the feature match, Larry Zbyskzo
   was to defend his world title against The Unknown Soldier.  But, the
   wrestler who appeared to face Larry was clearly not The Unknown Soldier.
   It turned out to be none other than Masa Saito, who was 'authorized
   to wrestle as the unknown soldier.'  The match went to a double-countout.
   In a post match interview, Larry went on to accuse Sgt. Slaughter of
   sending Nikita Koloff and Masa Saito at him.  This helps build up the
   Slaughter/Zbyskzo series that will no doubt begin when Slaughter returns
   to the AWA shortly.

 - Re: The whereabouts of some oldies.
     Sweet Daddy Siki was still active a few years ago, wrestling for
   International Wrestling out of Quebec.  Unfortunately, they folded after
   a WWF invasion, and Daddy has failed to surface anywhere else as far as
   I know.  He still runs a wrestling school in the Toronto area, though.
     Lord Athol Layton passed away a short while ago, if I'm not mistaken.
     I believe that Whipper Billy Watson has also passed away, some time
   before Athol.  Watson was always tremendously popular in Toronto and I
   recall seeing many newspaper articles saying he was in the hospital.
   Incidentally, one of my grade school teachers was the son-in-law of
   Whipper Billy, and he fiercely maintained that pro-rasslin' was a
   serious, legitimate sport.
     Gene Kiniski?  I'm stumped on this one.  He spent the twilight of his
   career wrestling semi-seriously in Vancouver.  A more teasing question
   is where are Nick and Kelly Kiniski these days?

 - Some more news on Stampede:  As previously reported, Stu Hart has decided
   to throw in the towel, claiming the organization has been losing bundles
   in the past few months.  Hart, 74, also wants some time to travel with
   and spend with his family.  He deserves the rest, having run the
   organization for the past 40 years.  Quoting veteran announcer Ed Whalen,
   "It's sad in the sense of the passing of an era but I'm happy because
   I've long urged him to get out of it."  We'll have to wait and see what
   replacement develops in Calgary.

 - British Bulldogs fans delight!  Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid
   competed recently as a team in a Japanese tournament.  A crowd of 14800
   fans paid $620000 to watch the tourney which was won by Stan Hansen and
   Genichiro Tenryu over Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu.  The Bulldogs
   finished in fourth place.

 - In a poll conducted by a Detroit-based wrestling hot-line, fans voted the
   Iron Sheik as the biggest stiff in wrestling today.  He was followed by
   Lanny Poffo and Andre the Giant.  The best women in the game were Missy
   Hyatt and Woman, with Elizabeth way down.  Starrcade: Future Shock was
   voted the best card, with the Music City Showdown coming in second.  Not
   unexpectedly, Ric Flair took the wrestler of the year award, followed by
   Roddy Piper.  Top comeback wrestlers were Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat.

 - Sid Vicious, out with a punctured lung, isn't expected to be back until
   April.

 - Gary Hart has indeed been fired by the NWA.

 - I guess the Rougeaus are back, what with their advertised match against
   the SheepWhackers at the Royal Rumble.

 - For anyone who was wondering, Haystack Calhoun died from a heart attack.
   This was the seventh heart attack he has had.

 - Jerry Lawler has lost the USWA title to King Cobra.

                                                         Herb...

***********************************************************************
* Herb Kunze                    *   "Whether you like it or not,      *
* Applied Math Department       *    learn to live with it, 'cause    *
* University of Waterloo        *    I'm the best thing going today!" *
* hekunze@watmsg.waterloo.edu   *     - Ric 'Nature Boy' Flair        *
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