Answered: 10/21/03
You can email us questions for this column
at ask1wrestling3@comcast.net.
I seem to remember a television sitcom that was either very short lived or
maybe just a pilot which was about a professional wrestler trying to raise a
family. It may have starred Roddy Piper. Am I remembering this
wrong? If you remember such a show, what was it called? And were
there plans to have other wrestlers appear in it?
Sounds like you are thinking of "Learning
The Ropes" starring former NFL great Lyle Alzado. The syndicated
show, which aired in 1988 for half a season saw Alzado play Robert Randall,
school teacher by day, and professional wrestler at night. His wrestling
name was the creative moniker "The Masked Maniac". The show
featured NWA wrestlers in cameos and match footage. Alzado's wrestling
parts were actually done by Steve Williams on the show. Most of the top
NWA stars of the time were in it, including Ricky Morton, The Road Warriors and
others. The episodes usually revolved around Randall trying to raise two
children while balancing his double life. However, Roddy Piper was
never part of the show. Sadly, Alzado died in 1992 of brain cancer, which
he publicly attributed to his years of steroid abuse in the NFL.
Do you feel Japanese wrestlers that do not have a command of the English
language can succeed in the United States?
Well, that depends on how you define
success. There are plenty of Japanese wrestlers who have attained a level
of success in the U.S. without doing interviews. If a wrestler has the talent,
then it is all up to the booker whether they succeed or not. The Great
Muta, Jushin Liger and Yoshihiro Tajiri all had the talent, and were given the
chance to show it to the U.S. audience.
D'Lo Brown has two finishers, the Sky High and the Low Down, but it seems
like announcers are always confusing the two. What are the actual moves
that match up with the names?
D'Lo Brown's Low Down is his version of the frog
splash. The Sky High is his spinebuster/sit-down powerbomb variation.
My friend recently joined the army and left me his collection of wrestling
tapes to watch over so his parents don't toss them in the trash while he is
away. Needless to say, I have been enjoying All Japan Pro Wrestling a lot
more than anything I see on TV Monday or Thursday. I was curious, who held
the All Japan Triple Crown title the most times? Also, who won the most
Real World Tag League tournaments?
Toshiaki Kawada and Mitsuharu Misawa, with five
title reigns each, have held the Triple Crown more than any other wrestler. Stan
Hansen comes in second with four title reigns, while Genchiro Tenryu, Kenta
Kobashi and Jumbo Tsuruta have held it three times each. Terry Gordy,
Vader and Keiji Mutoh have held it twice.
As far as the Real World Tag League tournament
goes, Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk, Terry Gordy & Steve Williams, and
Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue have all won the tournament three times
each. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta, Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu, and
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi have won the tournament twice each.
If you are asking which single wrestler has won the most, Stan Hansen has won
the tournament six times, with six different partners (Bruiser Brody, Ted
DiBiase, Terry Gordy, Genichiro Tenryu, Vader and Akira Taue). Jumbo Tsuruta is
second with five wins with three partners (twice with Giant Baba, twice with
Genichiro Tenryu and once with Yoshiaki Yatsu).
Do you think Vince McMahon will ever relinquish control of his company to his
children? I mean in real life, not in a storyline.
Honestly, I don't know. I could see Vince
McMahon keeping his hands on the product until he physically is unable to run
the company. He has allowed his children to have some control, but at the end of
the day, everything goes through Vince before we see it on television or at the
shows.
You can send me non-question feedback by clicking
my name, Buck Woodward
