March 07, 1995
- Promotions throughout North America paid tribute to Eddie Gilbert this week. Not WWF or WCW of course, but all the rest pretty much did. USWA, ECW, and SMW all held in-ring ceremonies this week for him. USWA and ECW also aired video tributes and WWC in Puerto Rico did as well. Indie shows throughout the country also dedicated shows to his memory. Eddie's younger brother Doug Gilbert is reportedly taking the death incredibly hard and hasn't returned to work in USWA yet, where he is one of their top heels.
- Dave says we can't ignore the reality of his death: it's well known that Eddie Gilbert had a serious drug problem. While Dave makes clear that there's no evidence yet that drugs led to Gilbert's heart attack, it should still be an eye-opener about how bad drugs are in the wrestling industry. Wrestlers use painkillers for the pain, they use uppers to get through day after day of constant travel, downers to go to sleep at night, and they use steroids for all the reasons that have been known for years. Dave notes for the first time that the coroner in Oregon finally came to the conclusion that Art Barr's death was a result of mixing alcohol and prescription drugs and he asks, on any given night, how many other guys in the business do the same? The wrestling industry tries to pretend it's not happening but that doesn't stop the inevitable.
- Phil Mushnick wrote another article this week, mostly about Eddie Gilbert and noted how many wrestlers in the last decade have died at a young age. Dave comes to the conclusion that the only way for drug use to get better in wrestling is for the promotions to change. No more rewarding roided-up monsters with main event pushes. Less extensive traveling would give guys better chances to rest and heal. Legitimate drug testing and treatment for those who need it. etc. etc. Basically, Dave was calling for WWE's modern day Wellness Policy 20 years ago.
- Dave notes that the next 7 weeks may be the busiest in wrestling history in terms of major shows, with WCW's Uncensored, WWF's Wrestlemania 11, Inoki's North Korea show, UFC 5, AAA's TripleMania 3, NJPW's Fukuoka Dome show, FMW's Onita retirement show, and several other major shows in Japan and elsewhere all happening within the next several weeks. Dave gives each show a paragraph of hype. Of note, he says he expects Diesel to retain the title at Mania, "even though almost everyone recognizes Shawn Michaels is the real star of the promotion." The North Korea shows will be 2 shows on consecutive nights and will likely break the Hogan/Andre all-time attendance record. And finally, Jushin Liger will likely make his return at the NJPW Fukuoka Dome show (nope).
- Dave says the rumors of Lawrence Taylor's payoff being $500,000 to work Wrestlemania are false. I'm not sure if the real figure ever came out, but it's been reported as $500K still to this day. I'd be curious to know the truth.
- Business-wise, the Vader/Hogan feud has the potential to be the most successful in WCW's history so far. The buyrate for SuperBrawl is reportedly just below the record-setting buyrates that the Hogan/Flair angle did and the live attendance to the show was the biggest in company history. Now Hogan and Vader have since worked a few house shows and are doing big business on those too. The numbers are even with or maybe only slightly below what WWF does on a regular basis. That being said, all of the matches are pretty much ending in DQ because neither man will do the job.
- Vampiro has been getting heavily booed in Mexico lately, even though he's a babyface. Doesn't seem to be any real reason, just fans got tired of his act apparently.
- Dave gives 5 stars to a Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada match that went to a 60 minute draw in AJPW. He said it easily surpasses Flair/Steamboat as the best 60 minute match he's ever seen and says that if this match doesn't somehow end up as the best match of 1995, he'll be shocked (spoiler: it didn't).
- Rob Van Dam has been impressive working the recent AJPW tour and is expected to become a regular for that promotion soon.
- In USWA, they're doing an angle with the real-life mothers of Tommy Rich and Wolfie D of PG-13. It looks to be leading to a match between the two moms. Tommy Rich's mom cut a great promo, saying that the best day of her life was when Tommy was born, but when Wolfie D's mother gave birth to her son, she was immediately arrested for littering.
- To give an idea how SMW is doing these days, last year's first annual Sunday Bloody Sunday show drew an SMW-record 4,000 fans. This year, the show only drew around 1,100. At the show, Chris Candido lost a loser-leaves-town match to Boo Bradley and he's now WWF-bound along with Tammy Sytch.
- ECW's show on Feb. 25th is being hailed by many as the best show in the history of the promotion so far, highlighted by the surprise return of Terry Funk to start a feud with Cactus Jack. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko won the tag titles from Sabu and Taz in one of the best matches in ECW history and many said it established Benoit as the best worker ever in the promotion. Ian Rotten beat Axl Rotten in a barbed wire baseball bat match that some said crossed the line and was sickening in its brutality. They're expected to face each other in a match next month where they each glue broken glass to their hands (that one became pretty famous).
- Jake Roberts has announced he is retiring from wrestling and cancelled all his upcoming dates. He's apparently "going into the religion business" (he ended up taking a year off and returned to WWF in 1996 with the religious babyface character, which of course led to the birth of Austin 3:16, but we'll get there...).
- The latest on John Studd is that his cancer is in remission. He actually had 2 forms of cancer and underwent chemo and later a bone marrow transplant (sadly, this one was not quite accurate. He'll be dead within a month).
- At a recent indie show, a fan sprayed Sabu in the face with mace. It wasn't part of an angle or anything and Sabu had to get his eyes flushed out.
- Jacques Rougeau has been advised by his lawyers to stop trying to work with WCW until his WWF contract expires in July. Once that's done Rougeau still plans to try to help promote WCW events in Montreal.
- Jesse Ventura told a newspaper that he wasn't working in wrestling anymore, saying the business had become too politically correct. He said he was verbally handcuffed during his time in WCW and says that's why his performance there was below his usual standard. Dave's response: "Since when does having to prepare for a broadcast and learn storylines and characters have anything to do with being politically correct? I'm sick of people using that term in wrestling when there is no application of it as an attempt to excuse failure and/or deception."
- A few weeks ago, after Van Hammer was arrested, WCW claimed he hadn't worked there for 2 years. Since then, Dave has taken every opportunity to gleefully point out how Van Hammer is still on WCW TV every week. Few things seem to bring Dave joy like pointing out WCW's hypocrisy and lies.
- Tony Schiavone will be undergoing neck surgery soon but shouldn't miss many shows.
- Toys-R-Us has decided not to carry any WWF or WCW merchandise due to outside pressures from all the scandals that continue to plague the business.
- Eric Bischoff is schedule to have a meeting with the head of K-1, the martial arts organization, to discuss a possible future PPV together.
- Erik Watts got a tryout as part of a tag team at the latest WWF tapings, because Jim Ross made it happen. Glenn Jacobs also worked another tryout match.
- Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch debuted together at the WWF tapings and Dave says it was a total disaster. They came in as babyfaces named Chris and Tammy Spirit, with Tammy in a poorly-fitting cheerleader outfit and Chris in an outfit with a cape (ala Mighty Mouse), trying to get the fans to cheer but the crowd hated it and booed them.
- Shane Douglas reportedly did the tryout for WWF color commentator this week and word is the company is also interested in bringing him in as a top babyface wrestler down the line. So far, Douglas hasn't accepted the deal.
- Bret Hart appeared on the Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous this past weekend.
- The letters "section" this week is just one long letter from someone who attended Eddie Gilbert's funeral and talks about it. Terry Funk, Lance Russell, Dave Brown, Joe Pedicino, Boni Blackstone, Jerry Lawler, Tommy Rich, Bill Dundee, and many other names in the business all attended.