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Hearing Rogue Wave
Out of the Basement, Onto the Game: WWF Edition
Inspired by the new book Being There, I've asked sports bloggers/fans for their favorite in-person sporting moments. The contributions range from heartfelt and triumphant to absurd and mundane, and they're sure to put a smile on your face. Yesterday's post focused on the NBA, and today's looks at pro wrestling with other sports coming tomorrow and throughout the week. Stay tuned, and send your own Out of the Basement, Onto the Game moment to dcsportsguy@aol.com. It's almost sure to get posted.
Michael David Smith, Football Outsiders, FanHouse and Pro Football Talk
We've just passed the 20th anniversary of my favorite in-person sports memory: March 29, 1987. The Pontiac Silverdome. My uncle took my cousin and me, both 10 years old, to WrestleMania III. It was awesome.The early bouts went pretty much as expected: The Can-Am Connection beat Bob Orton and the Magnificent Muraco. Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules fought to a double count-out. And on it went.
And then the most incredible thing happened: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Macho Man Randy Savage went at it for the greatest 15 minutes in the history of wrestling, with Steamboat prevailing only after George "The Animal" Steele saved him from certain destruction: At one point the referee was knocked unconscious, and Steamboat was too, and Macho Man was ready to jump off the top rope and drive the ring bell into Steamboat's throat. Steele shoved Macho Man to the ground, giving Steamboat (and the ref) enough time to regain consciousness, and Steamboat ended up winning.
Half an hour later, Hulk Hogan body-slammed Andre the Giant. That was the main event, and it was great. But not as great as the Dragon against the Macho Man. That had been a wrestling match that would live in history. And I was there.
Big Daddy Drew, Kissing Suzy Kolber
When I was around 10 or so, my parents threw me a birthday party by taking me and a group of friends to a WWF match in Minneapolis (this was before the WWF became the WWE and raped my childhood in the process). Adorable Adrian Adonis was there. Dusty Rhodes was there. Jimmy Hart and the Hart Foundation were there. It was awesome.But what was even awesomer was what happened after the match was over. We were walking to the parking lot when a stretch limo rolled by. I said to a friend, "I bet Bobby Heenan's in that limo." So my friend yells out, "Bobby Heenan sucks!"
The limo stopped instantly, and out pops this fatass 22-year-old dude in a white suit, who shouts back, "Hey, you shut the f--- up! He's my DAD!". Then he gets back in the thing peels off.
You can have all your earnest "I saw the World Series with my Dad!" moments. I'll take upsetting Bobby Heenan's fat children any day.
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right before ppv was available, i remember my dad taking me to see a wrestlemania (I think III) on closed circuit tv at the sunrise musical theater in sunrise, fl. don't remember anything about the event except going somewhere to watch tv on a really big set of screens.
my favorite wrestling moment was with my dad, my brother and freshman year roommate. we went to a local wrestling show that had talent unseen anywhere besides the rougest bus stations. my brother is a few years younger than me and while he doesn't get into sports, he knows whats going on.
well, the night rolls on and we're treated a series of fantastically mediocre matches, culminating with a LUMBERJACK MATCH!
this is where my brother's knowledge of wrestling went to shit. we're watching the match and more wrestlers come from backstage and it's a full battle royale outside of the ring between the lumberjacks. noticing that he's not sitting next to me (he's about 14 or so), I look up and see him getting ready to hit one of the wrestlers.
the guy looks genuinely confused and grabs my brother and sends him to the ground with a combo push/fake punch. we're laughing hysterically and once he hits the floor, i grab him and pull him back to the seats.
he would have kept going and likely ended up as champion of the federation. -
Sneaking my way down to ringside at the Philadelphia Spectrum and giving the late John "Earthquake" Tenta a high-five as he came to the ring (as part of the Natural Disasters!) rates as one of my favorite childhood memories.
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I've seen a rogue wave before... you'd get them coming out of Boston Harbor when they were blowing stuff up during the Big Dig.... by the time they were off Duxbury, they were 10 feet or so... heading OUT to sea. Spooky.
Steamboat/Savage reminded me of Hagler/Hearns... each man took so much punishment during the match, they were both essentially shot after. Their careers died for our sins.
4/25/07 5:14 AM