March 31, 2003
- We open this week with the death of Hiromichi “Kodo” Fuyuki, who bounced all over Japan for years and was a star in AJPW, FMW, WAR, and more. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year and against doctors orders, he kept trying to work shows and do big angles to promote future matches. Just a week or so before his death, he shot himself full of painkillers so he could appear at the Zero-One show to shoot an angle for a retirement match he had planned for May against Shinya Hashimoto. But everyone there could see there's no chance the match would ever happen, and indeed, he passed away only 8 days later.
- Dave recaps Fuyuki's career, starting in AJPW, jumping to SWS with Tenryu in 1990, then to WAR and then FMW where he eventually became the booker during the final years of the promotion (and Dave notes many blamed Fuyuki's booking for killing the company, but there were other factors, notably the huge debts, the suicide of FMW owner Shoichi Arai, and the company's biggest star Hayabusa getting paralyzed). After FMW folded, Fuyuki started promoting his own shows under his WEW banner and was still doing that and milking the FMW name until his death. Dave promises a more lengthy obit next week.
- The medical examiner's office has ruled Curt Hennig's death was the result of "acute cocaine intoxication" but the medical examiner was careful to point out that it was not the same as a cocaine overdose. Basically, the cocaine he took caused his heart to beat too fast while constricting the blood vessels and causing a heart attack. So it's not that he took "too much" cocaine necessarily, just that his heart couldn't handle the amount he took, I guess? Feels like we're splitting hairs on what an "overdose" is at this point, but what do I know? Anyway, the police have been investigating because it's believed someone tampered with the scene before police were called (sounds to me like someone flushed his remaining drugs). They're also attempting to find who supplied Hennig the cocaine. Dave notes that cocaine has played a contributing factor in the deaths of Buzz Sawyer, Brian Pillman, Eddie Gilbert, Gino Hernandez, Jay Youngblood, and now Curt Hennig. Dave talks about the history of cocaine in the business, which was a big thing in the 80s. The WWF started testing for it in 1987 after Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik were arrested riding in a car full of drugs together. In the mid-90s, WWF quietly dropped all drug testing and cocaine has long since been replaced by painkillers as the drug of choice for most wrestlers these days.
- When Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar meet at Wrestlemania, it will be the highest profile match of NCAA champions in pro wrestling history. 6,700+ words. That's how much Dave is about to write on the history of decorated amateur wrestlers turning pro dating back to the 1920s. Fuck me, man. From Leroy McGuirk to Danny Hodge to Brock Lesnar to everyone in between and a dozen names I've never heard of. Anyway, long story short, headlining a major pro wrestling show with guys as legit as Angle and Lesnar is the kind of thing that still gives Verne Gagne a boner.
- NJPW's upcoming May 1 & 2nd Tokyo Dome shows look to be interesting. Yes, plural. The show on 5/1 is sort of a "pre-show" if you will, while the main show on 5/2 will be headlined by NOAH world champion Kenta Kobashi vs. Masahiro Chono in a first-time ever dream match. The other big match on the show (which ended up being the real main event) will be Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshihiro Takayama to unify the IWGP and NWF titles, respectively. Dave expects Takayama to win (yup). Plus a bunch of Vale Tudo rules shoot fights allegedly. Not really sure what this pre-show thing is other than some Inoki dojo guys facing NJPW wrestlers apparently.
- We got another obituary this time, for "Sailor" Art Thomas, who died at 79 and Dave recaps his career in-depth, which is always wild to me when it's someone I've never heard of and Dave is like "Oh yeah, I know everything about this guy's life and career, here ya go." Anyway, big muscle man guy, worked the territories for years after getting a late start in wrestling, black guy who naturally had to deal with all the typical racist bullshit in the business at the time. Another great read as usual.
- The go-home Raw for Wrestlemania was a ratings bomb. It ended up being the lowest rated Raw since the end of the NFL season. Internally, the blame is being placed on news coverage from the ongoing U.S. invasion of Iraq that just launched this week but that ignores the fact that ratings started ok and plummeted as the show went on, which is a sign that fans just didn't like it and tuned out as the show progressed. Smackdown, however, different story, since it was pre-empted for news coverage of the war in many markets, so they actually have a good excuse there.
- The latest ROH show saw Samoa Joe defeat Xavier to capture the ROH World title. (And thus beginning the longest and arguably greatest title reign in ROH history.) Xavier wasn't much of a champion anyway, so this is a clear step up. Dave expects him to feud with Christopher Daniels soon, which should be fun. Elsewhere on the show, Raven & Colt Cabana faced CM Punk & Ace Steele in a match where Punk kept running from Raven, and culminated in Cabana turning heel on Raven as well.
- WATCH: Samoa Joe vs. Xavier - ROH World title (2003)
- Steve Austin did an interview this week and acknowledged he's still got serious injuries and that he's winding down his in-ring career. His contract actually expires in June, but he's negotiating with WWE on a renewal right now, but most of it would be in a non-wrestling capacity (all of it, as it turns out). He defended his comments in the recent Raw Magazine issue where he talked about walking out, saying he meant every word of it and that some of the people he mentioned that he had problems with in the company got left out due to editing. He says that he still has back issues from when Booker T debuted and threw him over the announce table in 2001 as well as ongoing neck issues and he says the injuries were a big part of why he walked out last year as well.
- Dave reviews Raw, mostly talking about how the storylines for Wrestlemania have mostly worked backwards. His interest in Rock/Austin and Triple H/Booker T has both been lessened by the weak build-ups, while of course Angle/Lesnar is going to be terrifying for all the wrong reasons. Shawn Michaels/Jericho is the only match that has been built up in a way that makes Dave excited to see what they deliver (and boy do they).
- Notes from Smackdown: the only really notable thing was a backstage segment in which Kurt Angle basically turned himself babyface by alluding to his real-life health issues. He went into Lesnar's dressing room and talked about being satisfied if WM is his last match because he accomplished all his goals. Lesnar acknowledged that Angle had guts and he respected him (in kayfabe, it was for coming into his dressing room to face him, but the obvious allusion was Lesnar respects Angle for working the match). Fans cheered Angle a lot when it was over. Show closed with Cena debuting his new finishing move, the death valley driver (soon to be renamed the F-U) on Rikishi of all people, which stunned the crowd. This Cena kid's gonna be a star.
- Chris Nowinski has been out of action with nasal surgery from the injury suffered when Edge landed on his face at the Royal Rumble (he would return in a couple of weeks and continue wrestling for a few more months, but he was suffering post-concussion issues the entire time. Eventually led to his retirement and Nowinski is obviously famous for his work in concussion research ever since).
- Kevin Kelly, who had been with the company for 8 years both on-screen and behind the scenes, was released this week. His current role at the company was researcher for TV (primarily the Confidential show) and they eliminated the role. Kelly was well-liked and his release has some people who thought they could get comfortable a little nervous.
- Funny note, Dave talks about how the OVW TV show and the TNA weekly PPV were airing at around the same time on TV. Over on the TNA show, Jim Duggan (for whatever reason) was there and cutting a promo. In OVW, the APA had reunited (Bradshaw is there working off ring-rust for his upcoming return) and Bradshaw was cutting a promo also. And what were both Duggan and Bradshaw doing in their promos? Trashing the Dixie Chicks. Man, for those of you too young to recall what that post-9/11 first-term Bush era was like, shit was weird. This dumb ass story has a whole Wikipedia page about it for those unfamiliar.
- Rock's next movie, formerly named Helldorado has been renamed Welcome To The Jungle (still nope). Anyway, should be out in September.