Your Guide To WWF WrestleMania IV!

As of press time it is exactly thirty-five years to the minute since WrestleMania IV began. If you enjoyed the previous blog entry then you already know of my love for the show and its significance. A highlight of the golden age of the World Wrestling Federation and an underrated one at that. Today, on the actual anniversary day, we're taking another look. This time we're diving through the media guide from the event. Will it be more hype? Will we uncover something new and exciting? This ain't Al Capone's vault and I'm not Geraldo -- we're gonna find something!

If you've read my previous tales of the coveted WrestleMania press kits you know that I have a belief: not every item was packed into every kit. Some may have had more press releases than others. Some may have more photos. Others may have had a unique lineup sheet or other item. This wasn't a science and as long as the WWF was getting the word of their event out they didn't really care who got what. As big and global as the WWF was getting, wrestling was still not the MLB or the NFL. Heck, no one even wrote about these kits until I did over a decade ago and I must say that I'm proud of that. One thing is for certain and that's that the media guide was only packed into kits given out to press members on WrestleMania weekend.

The front and back covers of the guide have the exact same graphics as the press kit folder itself. It has a plastic black binding that allows easy page turning. WrestleMania V has a very similar guide. The first page closely resembles the much used WWF corporate stationary of the time and features a welcome note from Michael Weber, WWF Director of Media Relations. A fact sheet page sets the scene as to what rooms the press was able to use during the event and where certain news conferences would be held. Despite the Boardwalk Hall facility being very old and rather cavernous looking in the arena itself, most everything else was going on just behind the curtain that you see on the show. Even the "locker room" was right back there.

A second page to the fact sheet lists all of the ways that WrestleMania will be distributed including closed circuit (still truly the bread and butter as far as viewing outside of the arena), pay-per-view, International broadcasts and the VHS cassette (no mention of the double set) to be released on May 11, 1988. A page detailing the television equipment notes that sixteen cameras, thirteen recorders (more than ABC used for Super Bowl XXII), three mobile production trucks, miles of cable and over 125 technicians would be used. More than $20 million worth of equipment in all.

We get a short page of WrestleMania history (only three to talk about at that point) and then we get to my favorite, the "WWF Television Network." I've said it before, but I'm sure that I'm not the only kid who, back then, thought that I was missing out on some sort of all-WWF, all day channel any time that the "network" phrasing was used. It makes sense, now, that they were referring to a "network" of shows and outlets on which to watch WWF programming, but it wasn't obvious then. I'm sure the illusion was something that they strived for. Listed are various ways to watch standard WWF programming in the Atlantic City area.

We get several pages dedicated to the card itself. While these pages regarding the matches don't divulge anything new, it's fun to see just how detailed they were. Weights, hometowns and even managers are all listed. All of the battle royal participants get acknowledged as well. When a battle royal miraculously makes it these days the wrestlers don't even get introduced on television. The last page of the card rundown is the most special. We get a listing of "Celebrity Guests" and "Other Participants" and it is here that we learn that none other than Vince McMahon was originally scheduled to welcome us to the show and introduce Gladys Knight. As we all know, this task eventually fell to Mean Gene Okerlund. McMahon, who introduced us to WrestleMania 2 and III, would not end up on camera at "the big show" again until X in 1994. No, that terrible pre-tape at VII does not count. I'm not sure who "Jessie Ventura," "Jim Koderas" and "Joey Morella" are, but they somehow made it onto the page. I guess getting the celebrity names right is more important than actual company folk.

Before we wrap it up with a look at the tournament bracket on the last page we get a "M E D I A   A D V I S O R Y" page (hey, that's how it's spelled out...) which details how highlight packages will be released post-show. Mean Gene will narrate this package and ONLY this footage can be used. Five seconds of video courtesy credit MUST be given in the form of "Courtesy: World Wrestling Federation." Don't you DARE just use "WWF."

Well, that was fun. The guides just don't show up often. Sellers often like to gush and overprice the WrestleMania-branded promo photos, but they aren't that uncommon. They're out there. Get you a media guide and you're in business.

Join us next year for V?

Wrestling MarketWatch: More Of What The World Was Watching!

While not the very first edition of Wrestling MarketWatch, it was well over a decade ago that we looked at items that “The World Was Watching.” These were figures, magazines and other collectibles that emanated from the time period that many consider to be “the golden era” of the World Wrestling Federation. Seeing as that this year is the 35^th anniversary of one of the prime shows of the era, WrestleMania IV, I’m sure that we’ll be discussing this period more in the near future. As for now, let’s look at what classic items of the day recently sold for at auction. As always in Wrestling MarketWatch, prices are for unsigned items even if the photo shows otherwise.

*Seeing as that it is in fact the “coral jade” anniversary of WrestleMania IV, we may as well kick it off with an item from that show. I’ve been pleased to see that more and more people have admitted loving the show in recent years. For a long time, it felt as if I were the only one. I’m sure that I’ll rant more about that in the coming months. None the less, I would say that this show really has the most branded items of the first few WrestleMania events. With both the WWF and the Trump marketing machines behind it, it isn’t hard to understand why. One of the focal points of the show was “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his somewhat underhanded quest to become WWF Champion. After all, he was the catalyst for the tournament happening to begin with. The WrestleMania IV branded promo photo of DiBiase, along with bodyguard Virgil, recently sold for $30.

*WrestleMania IV had the perfect follow-up with WrestleMania V. While you could throw a few other duos into the argument, I would say that no two WrestleMania events are better connected than these two. Not only does the title story begin and end between the two shows, but the overall look and feel of the shows are forever intertwined with both being held at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. The WrestleMania V program has a wide range of recent selling prices going anywhere from $20 to $75. Even the difference of the newsstand edition against the one sold at the event (the photo included illustrates) has zero effect on price. Condition is usually key, but even that seems to have gone by the wayside. I can recall a time when the early WrestleMania programs sold for little more than common magazine issues of the day. Not so much now.

*One item shown in the first MarketWatch under the “The World Was Watching” theme is the LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars Vince McMahon figure. Here he is again and boy has that price changed. At the time it was rather surprising that the figure was selling for nearly $100 carded. The price has now gone up to between $300-$600. I’m still grateful that, nearly thirty years ago, I picked one up for $25 as part of a “warehouse find.” Even loose examples are skyrocketing. The man who took wrestling to places it had never been, especially in this era, still holds clout. The huge shoulders and cleft chin remain a staple in anyone’s LJN collection.

*In the tag team ranks I’m not sure that any twosome is better remembered from this period than Demolition. Ax and Smash are my own favorite tag team and around these parts we don’t even entertain the notion that they’re some sort of ripoffs of the other guys. May they have started that way? Possibly. But the advantages of Demolition over the Road Warriors can be seen by any knowledgeable fan. Everyone should respect what the L.O.D. did, but Demolition did their own thing and didn’t overstay their welcome. One of their drinking glasses recently sold for an average of $25. The prices of wrestling cups and glasses are definitely on the rise. In this particular one you can fill it with your favorite fruit juice and get your daily act of…nutrition.

*You can’t talk “What The World Was Watching” without mentioning The Hulkster. In fact, one of the many ways that fans could watch him and the rest of the WWF Superstars was by laserdisc. For a short time, anyway. Coliseum Video released four of their titles on the long defunct platform and one of which was the first released titled “Hulkamania.” Many of you will be familiar with it from its VHS release, but the laserdiscs are so much cooler to collect. It’s both a blessing and a curse that only four saw print. The Hulkster recently sold for $50 in this format. This is a nice set of early home media relics that can be quickly completely.

Monday Night Raw may be coming up on its thirtieth anniversary, but that just doesn’t hold the nostalgia for me that the ‘80s stuff does. I know many of you are the same way. It isn’t even our ages. There was just simply a magic in that Hulk Hogan – Randy Savage – Andre the Giant era that could never be duplicated. Even watching the shows back now, it’s evident that perhaps the world had become two cynical for magic like that. The grandeur was replaced by grit, or at least a manufactured version of grit. The company evolved as the tastes of the world changed. I’ll stay back when life was fun, thank you…

Wrestling MarketWatch: Bring Home All The Action!

LJN Wrestling Superstars. Still, in my opinion, the most recognizable wrestling figure line ever made. Everyone remembers "those big rubber wrestlers." If you were a kid of any age in the '80s, you knew someone who had a few even if you owned none yourself. You remember that Hulk was the ultimate hero, Andre had varying lengths of hair, and King Kong Bundy really hurt. Really. That was one hefty hunk of rubber. It's no wonder that so many are falling off of the card when you stumble upon one that's even partly attached.

Carded examples of these figures are less often remembered. As kids we wanted to play with these guys. While many kids, such as myself, kept the packaging to look at over and over again, in general we just ripped these superstars wide open. Today we're looking at the other end of collecting LJN. It's a look at the ones that remained on the card over three decades later. We'll also quote some of the recent auction prices for five of the more memorable characters, for better or worse. As always, prices quoted are for unsigned examples.

*No chance in Hell? Years before Vince McMahon became the top heel in the company, the swaggering chairman was simply a bright-blazered television announcer. The LJN figure of "Vince McMann" (so proclaimed the sticker) reflects that era perfectly with the impeccably-tailored and coiffed Mr. McMahon in a perfect pitchman's pose. Fun fact: I remember around twenty-five years ago when Figures Inc. (now known as Figures Toy Company) acquired a warehouse find of Vince LJN's and sold them for the modest price of $25 each. Most recently this figure sold at auction for an additional four-hundred dollars at $425. I wish I'd ordered more.

*One man who loves being an LJN figure is Ted Arcidi. Mr. Arcidi's figure is one that often became "the jobber" among kids playing with their figures seeing that his WWF run was short and unmemorable, despite competing in the famous WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal, The Big Event, and having a few O-Pee-Chee trading cards. Nonetheless, when Arcidi signed my LJN figure of himself several years ago he couldn't have been more pleased. He even asked if I would text him the picture of us holding it. I more than happily obliged. The strongman recently sold for $142 at auction, though there was significant wear to the card.

*An early favorite in the line was Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Although The Steamer isn't quite as colorful as some of the other Wrestling Superstars figures, the pose is unbeatable. In another fun fact connected to the LJN line, Ricky and then-wife Bonnie actually collected the line while on the road with the WWF. They sold their collection in the early 2000's to help aid son Richie in his hobby of car racing. I'm proud to say that both the carded Miss Elizabeth and Dynamite Kid figures in my own collection were originally owned by the Steamboat family. Ricky's own figure recently sold for $400.

*Three of my five all-time favorite wrestlers are represented in the LJN line. Rowdy Roddy Piper is one of them. Another is our fifth and final segment in this entry. The third is right here and is also undeniable royalty. "The King" Harley Race is a beautiful looking figure and, to me, seems to have been designed with both his "King" and "pre-King" looks combined. His jacket is made to look like the cape that he wore in real-life, but also resembles the jacket that he used in the WWF before winning the King of the Ring tournament. I'm not the only one who loves this figure seeing as that it recently sold for $675.

*As with any good WWF spectacle of the 1980's we're ending with The Hulkster. There were three different Hulk Hogan figures in the Wrestling Superstars line. This newly sculpted "shirted" version was also the first to be released on a fabled "black card." While this figure is designated as a "Collector's Edition," the black coloring would later be revived for the final series in 1989, aptly named "Wrestling Superstars ''89." Though we all love the original Hogan LJN, this later version does a much better job capturing a classic dynamic pose of The Hulkster. He recently sold for an equally dynamic price of $1,251.

It's a good time to sell most wrestling figures, not just LJN's. Perhaps due to all of the gloom in the world at the moment, people want toys and are paying top dollar. It's somehow comforting to know that even with all of the advancements in action figures since the days of LJN, the Wrestling Superstars are still bringing home all the action, just as the commercial said.

The Territory Photo Albums--WWWF 1976

Before the Internet, how did you see the rosters of your local wrestling territory? If you were lucky, your promotion put out a photo album or yearbook! Usually for a nominal fee, plus postage and handling, these publications could be the key to any fan becoming an expert on the stars and champions of any number of promotions. Some areas kept up better than others at maintaining these guides, but most put out at least a few that are known to exist today.

Bruno Sammartino featured heavily in the five Tri-State Wrestling photo albums put out by the Pittsburgh wrestling office in the 1960's. It's no surprise that "The Living Legend" also made the cover of the 1976 World Wide Wrestling Federation album. Officially titled "Championship Wrestling Yearbook," Sammartino is shown on the cover in a fierce battle with longtime nemesis "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff. Of course, Koloff is also the man who ended Sammartino's first World Heavyweight Championship reign.

Also on the cover is the famous Madison Square Garden logo. These were likely sold at the Garden, though the inside cover shows that these were also marketed through the mail. Just $2.00 ($1.50 for the yearbook, .50 for postage and handling) was all that this forty-page treasure cost 42 years ago. As with so much shown on this blog, if we only had a time machine...

The yearbook features two page spreads on the top stars, while others get single pages (including one each on "The Three Wise Men of The East") and many other get a single photo. All in all we've got Sammartino, Superstar Billy Graham, Ivan Putski, Koloff, Louis Cerdan, Tony Parisi, Buggsy McGraw, Andre the Giant, Fabulous Moolah, Gorilla Monsoon, Spiros Arion, Bobo Brazil, Lou Albano, Freddie Blassie, The Grand Wizard, Haystack Calhoun, Dominick DeNucci, Pat Barrett, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Chief Jay Strongbow, Ernie Ladd, Francisco Flores, Manuel Soto, Pete Sanchez, Johnny Rodz, Black Jack Lanza, Black Jack Mulligan, Jimmy Valiant, Johnny Valiant, Kevin Sullivan, Crusher Blackwell, Dave O'Hannon, Pete Reeves, George Steele, Bob Duncum, Butcher Vachon, Waldo Von Erich, Tony Altimore, The Wolfman, Tony Garea, Dean Ho, Pedro Morales, Taro Tanaka, Susan Greene, Toni Rose, and "The WWWF," which we'll get to.

The many misspellings above are intentional. Those are the misspellings used in the yearbook itself, so I repeated them here for historical accuracy. Most of the photos match up, even if you'll be thrown for a loop at just how young and different the man later known as "The Taskmaster" looks here as regular Kevin Sullivan. It should be noted that the picture used for Toni Rose is actually her tag partner Donna Christanello. The two were often mistaken for each other in photos, and I always enjoy seeing my late friend Donna show up. She is sorely missed.

The last page, listed in the table of contents as "The WWWF," features the brass. The head honchos. The office. Shown are Willie Gilzenberg, Vince McMahon, Arnold Skoaland, Phil Zacko, Angelo Savoldi, and television announcers Vince McMahon Jr. and Antonino Rocca. It's amazing that only Skaaland was misspelled. Of everyone on this page, only Vincent Kennedy McMahon is alive today, though Savoldi just passed away a few years ago and made it as one of the longest living wrestlers on record. If anyone knew where the bodies were buried, it's these seven men.

It's always a blast to look through these publications. Back then, they were a fun look at the stars of the wrestling world as it was in your area. Today they're a time capsule of a bygone era with men and women who are now legends. Featured here were the stars of what the wrestling world knew as "New York." They filled the Garden to capacity and then moved onto the next town, no matter how big or small. The promoters were happy with an ass every eighteen inches, the wrestlers were happy with a decent check and a six-pack.

May those days be remembered forever...

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--2001 WrestleAmerica Guide To Professional Wrestling

What in the world happened where 2001 is suddenly fifteen years ago? It's true. It feels like yesterday. Some of you reading this may barely remember 2001 if you're young enough. It was a notable year in many respects. For me personally, the year had been ingrained in my head since 1987 when I was in pre-school. That is where I first remember hearing that my group would be the "high school graduating class of 2001." Who knew that the year would end up housing one of the most infamous days in world history? No, I'm not referring to the day that Shane McMahon showed up on Nitro, although that is the direction in which we're heading. We're about to dive into the WrestleAmerica 2001 Annual that features "Your Guide To Professional Wrestling."

If you had any interest at all in wrestling in 2001, you needed this magazine. Sure, the Internet had plenty of info, but here were 125 American wrestling promotions bundled in one place with a generous profile included for each. Sure, most were small independent promotions that shared similar rosters and "name" wrestlers doing one-shots, but this was wrestling fifteen years ago. In many respects, it's the same today. The cover may say "Unraveling WWF/WCW/ECW," but in reality they were all one at this point. And who does that cover feature? Shane and Stephanie McMahon, the stars of Smackdown and Raw. In 2001. And 2016.

It's a lot of fun to look through the pages just to see who "made it" and who didn't. In 2001 if you were talking independent wrestling and proverbial "Internet darlings," you had to be talking Reckless Youth. Nicknamed "The King of the Indies," Reckless Youth had quite the following and seemed destined to be a name that went down in wrestling history. Despite much press and a stint in WWE Developmental, Youth is now long out of professional wrestling. He is featured in several promotion profiles in the magazine along with names like Samoa Joe, Alexis Laree, Low-Ki, Michael Shane, Colt Cabana, and Phoenix who all would go on to some degrees of fame.

There are also legends like Jerry Lawler, Brian Blair, Honky Tonk Man, Jimmy Snuka, and Jacques Rougeau who were still plying their trade on the indy scene. In the case of those cousins from Tennessee, they're still at in 2016! Lastly, there are those who look like they stumbled out of the nearest bar to play "champion" in their nearest indy on weekends. I won't name any names, as they all deserve respect for at least getting into the ring at some level. And how about this Prince Justice guy shown as the champion of NWA Wildside? Guys like him often disappeared into a veritable abyss, never to be seen again.

The magazine also features "The Indy 30: The Top Prospects In Wrestling." Shall I list them? Air Paris, Scoot Andrews, Chad Collyer, Nova, Qenaan Creed, Christopher Daniels, The Island Boys (later Umaga and Rosey), Billy Fives, Russ and Charlie Haas, Tony Kozina, Randy Orton, Michael Modest, Donovan Morgan, Onyx, Brock Lesnar, Nick Dinsmore, Hotstuff Hernandez, Horseshu (later Luther Reigns), Adam Pearce, The Prototype, Jason Rumble, Mike and Todd Shane, Damien Steele, Trent Acid, Shelton Benjamin, Rico Constantino, Minoru Fujita, Dalip Singh (later The Great Khali), Lance Cade, and Jayson Reign. I guess teams count as one. What an interesting list full of highs, lows, fame, and tragedy looking back on it all these years later.

We end with a Book of Lists. "Wrestling's 10 Most Powerful People" is really the only one interesting enough to explore. We have Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, Antonio Inoki, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Motoko Baba, Jim Ross, Triple H, Steve Austin, and Paul Heyman. In 2016, the McMahon's are still in power, though Linda has taken a step back. Inoki, long out of New Japan Pro Wrestling, barely makes a ripple. Motoko, widow of Giant Baba, doesn't seem to be involved in much anymore, at least to the extent of puroresu that comes to my attention. Ross, Austin, and Heyman all have their own ventures but their voices are still heard loudly either in or regarding the business. As for Triple H? Some would say that he is more powerful than Vince, others would disagree. If you look at the changes in WWE over the past several years you could make a pretty good argument that in 2016, HHH tops this list.

There's too much fun stuff in this issue to show it all here. It isn't a rare magazine by any means and can be found for under $20. It's definitely a time capsule of a time when the business, and the world, was changing. Will we do this again in 2031? There may not be a magazine to show us exactly where the business was, but I fully believe that there will still be a wrestling business to showcase. I'll see you there.

WWWF Wrestling Action #3

A new World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion helps us celebrate Wrestling Action Vol. 1 No. 3! Bob Backlund, in all his wholesome, straight-laced glory, graces the cover of this issue complete with an American flag background and the nickname "All American." Due to the Yukon Lumberjacks being shown and touted as being the WWWF Tag Team Champions, we can determine that this issue was printed in mid-1978, long after the last. As we'll soon see, the magazine was open and honest about problems with publication.

We open the cover with several announcements. Escalating costs are cited as to why this issue is not the full-color spectacle that the previous installment was. The staff still hopes to be able to return to that format in the future. Another notice indicates that the magazine will not be published bi-monthly, but subscribers will receive their balance. Limited back issues of the first two editions are available for just $2.50 each. Can I take a dozen? The "As I See It!" column this month is penned by Vincent Kennedy McMahon, who is actually referred to as "Vince McMahon Jr." here.

The main features begin with a half-color, half-black & white story on the new champ himself, Bob Backlund. One of the images included was obviously used the cover art reference photo. Following that is a question that many of us are still asking to this day, "What Happened To Victor Rivera?" Back in 1978, the question was why Rivera, a popular Puerto Rican star, had aligned himself with Fred Blassie. Since the late 1980's the question has been just where the man has gone. Rumors of various nefarious activities, time in prison, and even death have surrounded Rivera, but no one seems to have concrete evidence as to exactly where he is.

A bit on Superstar Billy Graham's work out routine is followed by a feature on the good deeds of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Juvenile Diabetes, Muscular Dystrophy, and the Big Brother program are all listed as some of The Dream's charitable causes. All in all, Dusty is quoted as saying that making us, the fans, happy makes his dream fulfilled. You did just that, Big Dust. You did just that and much, much more...

The next several pages give us black and white photographs of The Dream as well as various ring villains of the day. One great photo depicts Dusty, flanked by a young Vince McMahon Jr. and Howard Finkel, receiving an award from the Big Brother program in New Haven, CT. The Fink has a great comb-over going on. I'm assuming that the gentleman between McMahon and Finkel is from the Big Brother program. Despite similar attire, it is not Fred "Rerun" Berry.

We get even more American Dream goodness in this issue's centerfold. In an absolutely classic pre-match photo, Andre the Giant is pictured with his buddies Rhodes and "The Man of 1,000 Masks" Mil Mascaras. Dusty is wearing his cactus robe which made various program and magazine covers over the years. There's definitely no box under the feet of Andre, and he looks positively massive regardless. As of this writing, only Mascaras remains with us in this life.

Features on Chief Jay Strongbow, Ivan Koloff, Dino Bravo, and Tony Garea fill the remaining pages, but perhaps the coolest article covers the aforementioned Yukon Lumberjacks. Pierre and Eric, managed by Captain Lou Albano, held the WWWF Tag Team Championship for several months in 1978. The rough-and-tumble duo wrestled the titles away from the popular tandem of Bravo and Dominic DeNucci, the latter previously known for his association with Bruno Sammartino and now remembered as the trainer of Mick Foley. Yukon Eric was better known as Scott "Hogg" Irwin. Irwin would later team with his brother Bill as "The Long Riders" in the AWA before tragically passing away from cancer in 1987.

We're now over halfway through the Wrestling Action run. This is the first issue to not feature Bruno Sammartino. The WWWF was looking to a new era with Bob Backlund at the helm. We now know that it would end up being a Helluva run for the "All-American Boy." A different division takes center stage in the next issue, along with five new cover stars. The "wrestling action" of the WWWF continues here next week!

WWWF Wrestling Action #2

Seeing as that Superstar Billy Graham was the WWWF Heavyweight Champion at the time of publication, it's fitting that he decorated the cover of the first Wrestling Action magazine. That leaves only one man to star on the second issue--"The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino. Since Sammartino already had his famous nickname at this point, the man that some consider to be the greatest of all-time has been a "Living Legend" for four decades now! On a personal note, this was the first issue of Wrestling Action that I was able to get autographed and also one of the first signatures that I ever obtained from Pittsburgh's favorite wrestling champion.

The inside cover contains information regarding the magazine including notices that six more pages have been added since the debut issue and that Wrestling Action will be published bi-monthly. Gorilla Monsoon gets the pen in the "As I See It!" column in this issue. The tidbits certainly read as if written by the beloved star, including a note that the WWWF will "bring the best in wrestling action to your local arena."

The first article is a three-page feature questioning the future of Bruno Sammartino in the wrestling ring. Not only are great color photos of Bruno battling Ken Patera, Baron Von Raschke, and Stan Hansen included here, but the entire issue is in color. This was a definite change from the other wrestling titles of the time. Following the Bruno story is a look at the non-wrestling hobbies of Chief Jay Strongbow and Tony Garea. Considering their individual ages at the time, it's not surprising that Garea was into running and hiking while Strongbow is shown to be "The 'Arnold Palmer' of wrestling."

Next up is one of the classic photos of Superstar Billy Graham and his manager The Grand Wizard. An accompanying article questions whether or not Graham will be able to fend off all of the fan favorite challengers gunning for the championship. Graham is shown battling Ivan Putski and High Chief Peter Maivia, but mentioned in the article are Dusty Rhodes, Mil Mascaras, and, of course, Bob Backlund. Graham's colorful array of tights is noticeable here, as purple, red, and green are all shown in the individual photos.

Speaking of "The American Dream," we turn the page to a small feature on Dusty Rhodes. This is his first feature in Wrestling Action and seems to have been after his first Madison Square Garden clash with Graham. Rhodes is certainly built up in the article. "The Cosmic Cowboy," as he's dubbed here, is noted to be an accomplished wrestler despite only recently debuting in the WWWF. His battles for the NWA championship as well as his Florida Heavyweight title win are mentioned, well before other areas and organizations stopped being recognized by "New York."

Flipping to the centerfold, we have the classic pose of Andre the Giant hoisting his tag team partner Chief Jay Strongbow into the air. If Northeast wrestling in the 1970's could be depicted in one photograph, this shot would definitely be in the running. While I'd venture to guess that George Napolitano snapped this particular photo due to his involvement with this title, it was also captured by Bill Apter and used for the Stanley Weston publications such as Inside Wrestling.

Stories on Mr. Fuji and Professor Tanaka capturing the WWWF Tag Team Championship as well as a blurb on Ivan Putski come before a feature on "The Man of 1,000 Masks," Mil Mascaras. Though his high-flying maneuvers are overshadowed these days, in the 1970's nothing like it had been seen before in the area. Mascaras also had a presence that many of today's high-flyers lack. No matter what has been said about his actions behind the scenes, Mascaras was unlike anything seen before and hasn't been fully duplicated since.

We end this issue with stories on Ken Patera and Bob Backlund. Patera was still the brash, blond former Olympian who absolutely terrorized fan favorites such as Monsoon, Strongbow, Garea, and Billy White Wolf. His act was completely different from the milquetoast babyface that many fans of the late-1980's grew up with. The Backlund article continues the subtle "push" that the WWWF was obviously trying to plant in the fans minds. Included is a shot of Backlund being interviewed by a young Vincent K. McMahon on the ring apron. This interview can still be seen on one of the Madison Square Garden shows taking place before  a Backlund match.

Wrestling Action sees changes from the debut issue, but the Bob Backlund build carries on. It has always been told that Backlund was planned to be champion well in advance by Vincent J. McMahon. Features in both this and the debut issue help to cement those tales. Will he be champion before the next issue rolls around? We shall soon see. How about Mil Mascaras and Dusty Rhodes? What impact will these "outsiders" play on the World Wide Wrestling Federation?

Tune in next week...

Monday Night Raw Bats 1,000

Did you know...that WWE celebrates the 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw next week?  Of course you did.  You also knew that Monday Night Raw is the longest running episodic prime time show in the history of television.  To Hell with the fact that all of the "trailing" shows like Gunsmoke and The Simpsons don't run every week like pro wrestl...err...sports entertainment does, but why let facts get in the way of WWE truths?

Nonetheless, Raw Episode #1,000 is upon us.  While I still wonder if a few early telecasts that opened with Rob Bartlett in an empty Manhattan Center announcing that highlights from previous episodes (essentially reruns) would be shown in lieu of a new episode actually count, it's an impressive feat regardless.

I can still remember when I first heard of Monday Night Raw.  It was on a late-1992 episode of Prime Time Wrestling.  Vince McMahon was at the helm of the long table which was the central part of PTW in it's final form.  I'm not sure if it was the exact same episode, but it was right around the time that Bobby Heenan introduced Jerry "The King" Lawler as the newest member of the table discussion as a replacement for the recently babyface-turned Mr. Perfect.  In the episode that included the Raw announcement, Vince spoke "via satellite" with the newest tag team to join the World Wrestling Federation, that being The Steiner Brothers.  It was an exciting time to be a WWF fan.

Although excited, I didn't quite comprehend the concept all at once.  Due to Vince's passion-infused voice, I misheard his announcement as "Monday Night Rawl."  I didn't know what a "Rawl" was, nor do I to this day, but who really knows what a "Raw" is, either?  Fast forward to the first episode and while I finally got that the title was "Raw," I had no clue why Woody Allen and Mia Farrow would be battling it out in a cage match the following week.  Yes, as some sort of joke, that was indeed announced for the second episode, complete with accompanying graphic.

While those two never made it to Raw, it's amazing just how many people from both wrestling and other forms of entertainment have.  In a world where wrestling telecasts have often been looked upon as low brow entertainment, Raw has become a cultural mainstay.  People know Raw.  People know that it's on Monday Night.  While the winds of change blew that mainstream mentality to WCW and Monday Nitro for a few years in the 1990's, Raw has stood the test of time.

The upcoming 1,000th episode celebration should be memorable, if anything.  Apparently quite an impressive list of past talent is being assembled for the show.  While most will probably only have cameo appearances lasting a few seconds, it's always nice when those stars are remembered.  The 10th Anniversary special of 2003 was sorely lacking in that area in a time when the "Attitude Era" was pretty much the only "past" still being celebrated.  The 1000th episode guest list will also be interesting as to see if there is any "Raw" criteria at all being considered.  Taking into consideration that many of the Legends and other past superstars often used by WWE today had little or nothing to do with Raw, we may see an entirely different group of stars than is the norm.

Whether or not we get to see the cameos that we want, the show will still evoke many Raw memories.  My own personal favorite would be the very first broadcast that I had the opportunity to attend live.  It was July of 1997 and while the "Attitude Era" seeds had definitely been planted, the bloom was not yet in full force.  It was a full event with matches for Shotgun Saturday Night being taped before and after the actual Raw episode.  There was even a dark match main event featuring a triple threat involving three of WWE's biggest stars of all time: The Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.  The episode itself featured the infamous Hart "enema" promo as well as his pinfall loss to The Patriot.

Other memorable Raw moments for me would include the late-1993 Intercontinental Title Battle Royal (and Ramon-Martel "final" the following week), The Price I$ Raw, the return of Lawler and Ric Flair in late-2001, the final wrestling event at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (Raw 5/10/10), the debut of The Radicalz (also here in Pittsburgh), the subsequent 10-man tag team match involving the Radicalz with a ridiculously hot Dallas crowd, the 2001 Austin/HHH-Benoit/Jericho match, the Eddy Guerrero-Rob Van Dam ladder match...the list goes on and on.

With only a few segments announced for the 1,000th episode, it is anyone's guess what we will see this coming Monday Night.  It's Vince McMahon's variety show, and I'd speculate that with three hours and a plethora of surprises, variety is exactly what we will get.  The question that I have been posing is one that I have wondered if WWE itself has even thought of:  "Do we get to do it all over again in January for the 20th Anniversary?"

Uncut.  Uncensored.  Uncooked.