THE ONE AND ONLY "HOT STUFF" EDDIE GILBERT

Once upon a time, there was a wrestling talent named Thomas Edward Gilbert, Jr., better known to the fans as Eddie Gilbert. The son of a very good wrestler and referee, Tommy Gilbert, Eddie grew up watching and learning the intricacies of the sport from childhood. By the time he was 10, he knew what he would do with his life and was already planning for it. Most of his “education” took place in Memphis, home of Jerry “The King” Lawler and some of the wildest, most raucous and frequently over-the-top wrestling performances to be found anywhere.

The youngster entertained dreams of one day appearing in the same ring with Lawler. He learned from observing his father, at that time one of the top heels in the south. He also read all of the magazines and talked to wrestlers as often as he could convince the old man to allow him into the dressing rooms. This led to Eddie sending in contributions to the magazines of the day, both in text and photos. He was relentless in his goal, and everyone that met him saw the fire that burned so brightly.

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ARRIBA! ESTA ES LUCHA LIBRE!

Much of what we see nowadays in WWE, TNA, the independent circuit and pro wrestling in general originated with the Mexican style of performance combat known as lucha libre. Literally translated, the term means “free fight.” Which, given the latitudes of pro wrestling, is probably the most accurate description of the art form. While at first glance lucha libre appears to be identical to the U.S./Canadian catch-as-catch-can version (and there certainly are great similarities), there are also striking differences.

The history of lucha libre is traceable back to the early 1930s. Salvatore Lutteroth, the man who would become known as “the founding father of lucha libre,” was also its first true promoter. After seeing wrestling for the first time in El Paso, Texas, he returned to his native country and learned that it existed in random and disorganized regional pockets. He gathered the dozens of small promotions throughout Mexico and formed one large organization, known as Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL).

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MEN UNDER MASKS

Back in the days when North American pro wrestling was divided up into territories, many areas had one or more individuals that worked under a mask. Invariably, this was almost always a tip-off of a villainous character. Those who plied their trade in anonymity bore names like Mephisto, Mighty Atlas, Mr. X, Dr. X, Masked Marvel and Hangman.

Most of these mystery men shared similar character traits. With the exception of masked babyface rarities such as Mr. Wrestling (both I and II) and The Midnight Rider, they would use their camouflage as an aid in pulling heelish stunts. For instance, many masked individuals were known to conceal foreign objects inside the upper part of their hoods and then headbutt their hapless opponents. (Something that seemed inconsistent about that action was the fact that the recipient of the collision was always knocked into a semi-or-unconscious state, while the masked man rarely felt anything at all). Of course, by the time the referee began suspecting that something wasn’t kosher, the offender would have removed the small steel plate, which remained undetected. All of which got the desired response … it raised the ire of the crowd and strengthened their desire to see the masked man’s face uncovered. No less than his abject humiliation would do.

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THE SAGA OF BRIAN PILLMAN - PART II

In January of 1993, a new WCW tag team was formed. Known as The Hollywood Blondes, Brian Pillman and Steve Austin (years before the creation of his hugely successful WWF Stone Cold persona) were the very definition of arrogance and cockiness. At long last, the wild and crazy Pillman was permitted to rise to the forefront. Fans that had once adored him now found his new approach irritating, as Pillman’s hoarse laugh filled the arena every time he and Austin pulled a fast one. The Blondes quickly rose to the top of the heap, and when they defeated favorites Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas, they became WCW tag team champions.

In retrospect, it’s unfortunate that the team didn’t last very long. Pillman and Austin were fluid, worked together well and drew good heat. They got the fans involved through their constant use of underhanded tactics, all of which were committed with an air of haughty superiority. Still, even with so much going for them, they dropped the belts a mere three months after taking them. While there was still much that could have been done had WCW continued to push the team, management committed one of its many blunders by splitting them up. The one positive aspect was that their eventual matches against each other were well received. The interest among the fans was building steadily when the matches between the duo came to a premature end; Brian Pillman managed to re-injure his problematic ankle and was forced to take time off.

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THE SAGA OF BRIAN PILLMAN - PART I

Most everybody that tuned in regularly to any one of the prominent wrestling companies of the 1990s saw a young man explode onto the scene. Brian Pillman was his name, and long before he adopted the well-earned nickname “The Loose Cannon,” he was making a substantial mark on the landscape, literally grabbing it by the throat.

The phrase is appropriate, especially in view of the fact that the infant Pillman was born with throat cancer. The baby was subject to some 30 operations over the first few years of his life; this continued until, at long last, he was given the “all clear” by the doctors while in his teens. By then, he’d had more than 40. Rather than losing his ability to speak entirely, as the early prognosis suggested, he was given an artificial larynx. Brian’s voice would retain a raspy quality for the remainder of his life. And so, the child was to know adversity and obstacles from his earliest days, forever in a battle of one type or another until the end of his life.

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ROLLER MAYHEM!

This week, we’re taking a short break from the world of professional wrestling to cast our eyes in the direction of another worked sport. Once upon a time, Roller Derby and Roller Games rivaled pro wrestling in some areas when it came to drawing a large and passionate following. From the early 60s into the 70s, the two leagues drew healthy attendance figures, ordinarily from 800 to several thousand per show.

Originally conceived during the 1930s Depression Era, Roller Derby came about as an idea from Chicago movie theater owner Leo Seltzer. An offshoot of the dance marathons (which were a sometimes deadly form of endurance-entertainment in and of themselves), Roller Derby first began as a race between couples. Over time, it would become a more stylized form of competition between teams of men and women, with rules and a method of scorekeeping.

In its original incarnation, the first Roller Derby contests saw a man and a woman working together as a twosome. Because so many people were out of work and desperate for money during the Great Depression, Seltzer had little difficulty finding couples willing to enter his competitions. The “Transcontinental Roller Derby” was what he called it, and the concept was not hard to follow. For as many as 12-hours-per-day, the pairs would skate around a large indoor track until one of them became the first to complete the equivalent of a 3,000 mile journey, quite literally from coast-to-coast.

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RIC FLAIR AND THE END OF AN ERA

Sunday, March 30, 2008, was a date that signified the end of a career and an era. Ric Flair’s last match occurred on the highest profile stage the business has known, WrestleMania. His last opponent was his good friend, Shawn Michaels. Now that it’s over and done, it can be said that Ric Flair was, in his prime, among the very best ever to be seen in a professional wrestling ring. That much was made abundantly clear on the next night’s live telecast of RAW, when World Wrestling Entertainment saw fit to give Ric a send-off that is unparalleled.

In a rare display of class, the WWE devoted the final 30 minutes of the program to celebrating the man. As well, by virtue of the fact that he stayed in the background and didn’t insert himself into the proceedings, Vince McMahon displayed an elegance ordinarily found wanting. Just how genuine the emotion truly was between Flair and the myriad number of wrestlers that came out to pay their respects may be debated. However, his profound effect on the sport cannot.

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