MeeThinks 8.01.06: Nice Guys Finish First
Posted by John Meehan on 08.01.2006
A MeeThinks tribute to the *real* good guys of pro wrestling!
Hi everybody and welcome back to your weekly dose of interwebz optimism. This week, we're taking a bit of a break from our normal "debate the controversy" format to show some love and shed some light on a softer, and often overlooked corner of the wild, whacky and wonderful world of professional wrestling.
Since this is a special edition and all, I figured it wouldn't make too much sense to pile all of the good stuff in with the rest of the usual fare. As such, this means less "original" text from Mee this week (so no glossary entries or reader-e-mail… sorry folks), and more in the way of photos and links to let some real "good guys" share their inspiring stories in their own words. Think of it a tribute to some of the *true* (and unexpected!) "babyfaces" that are so rare in this sport of kings, if you will.
Now what, exactly, are we talking about?
Here's a hint:
It involves a Genius, a Russian, a Horseman, an Animal, and a Mountie…
But you'll just have to read on to find out more!
Anyhow —
Big thanks in advance to StephenCUA2001, bmcleod, and Patrick Robinson for correctly identifying last week's Samuel L. Jackson quote as being from his character Frozone in The Incredibles!. Since I'm breaking from my usual format this week, however – no cryptic snakes photos and no new Sammy Jackson quotes this time around. But again, once you get into the meat and potatoes of this thing you'll see why I opted to let what's there stand for itself (well, I hope so, at least!).
Just one more reminder —
This column will also be my last one for two weeks, as next week I'm off to the sunny shores of Emerald Isle, North Carolina, for a weeklong stint with the lady-friend and her extended family. When I get back (August 12), I'll be out of the frying pan and into the fire as I hit up the Verizon Center for WWE's Smackdown! and ECW "super (B) show!"
Should be good times.
Now then – to this week's column!
Rock & roll.
Our Story So Far…
In a world where backstage politics gets you ahead and a vile full of "performance enhancer" is often the difference between a main-eventer and yesterday's news, it's easy to see how so many professional wrestlers' lives (and careers) ultimately take a turn for the worse after a lifetime in such an unforgiving environment.
Even after they've "hung up the boots" and walked away from the squared circle for the very last time, it's no surprise to see that many of these headliners of yesteryear simply can't find a niche outside of "the biz," and thus they are forced to fall back on the only craft they know and perform years (if not decades) past their prime in independent shows and small-town carnivals across the country.
Some — such as The Iron Sheik and The Honkey Tonk Man — sink to an even *lower* level, choosing to meld their history with professional wrestling with the smut and degradation of the adult entertainment industry in ventures such as the disturbingly-named "Porno Pro Wrestling" promotion.
Others, such as former champions like Bill Goldberg, The Ultimate Warrior, and Bret Hart have found (moderate) success in a life outside of the ring, but have each frequently been compelled to remark on the state of the industry in a series of interviews and columns. Though their comments are probably as well-founded as they are scathing, the fact remains that each of these men (and many like them) often come across as bitter and delusional as a result of their post-wrestling commentaries.
And for those few old-timers who just *can't* walk away…
For every one certifiable "legend" (like Hulk Hogan) that can return to semi-active competition after the age of 50 and STILL walk away with a sizable payday to show for his efforts, there are just as many (if not ten times as many more!) "stars" of yesterday who find themselves crippled with debt, injuries, legal or family problems, or drug and alcohol addiction years after their star has faded.
Bam Bam Bigelow, Tom Billington, Jake Roberts, Ricky Morton… the list goes on.
And this is to say *nothing* of the ranks of former pro wrestlers whose addictions, demons and health issues drive them to an early grave before they can even reach middle age.
Curt Hennig, Davey Boy Smith, Dino Bravo, Brian Pillman, Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand, Miss Elizabeth… and so many more.
As you can see, there's more than a number of ways that former wrestlers can find themselves on the "wrong" road or the one that hardly warrants any sort of commendation. And yet… every so often, a former star of days gone by makes good on his or her tenure away from the squared circle. Every now and again, we see a semi-star of yesteryear succeeding in a second career… even to the point where they're giving back to their community, a feat that bears witness to those former "legends" that have overcome the "hard times" trend that claimed so many performers who'd come before them (and since).
This week, MeeThinks would like to take the opportunity to honor five such cases.
MeeThinks?
Before we get started with these men's profiles, by way of coincidence I thought it was interesting (and most definitely worth noting) that all of the "heroes" profiled in the lines below spent much (if not the bulk!) of their professional careers performing in the rule breaker, the "heel," and "the bad guy" role.
Just goes to show you… appearances can be deceiving, no?!
Alright —
Let's get started with one of the biggest and baddest "baddies" of them all. Ladies (both of you) and gentlemen, I proudly present to you…
Nikita Freakin' Koloff.
Once the biggest and baddest Soviet wrecking machine this side of Ivan Drago, Koloff terrorized the NWA for the better part of two decades as he spent the 80's and early nineties laying waste to fan favorites like Sting, Magnum T.A. and Dusty Rhodes. After a career in football lead him to the hallowed rings of professional wrestling, Koloff barely uttered so much as one word of English as he tore through the ranks of the NWA's finest — living his "Russian Nightmare" persona both in and out of the ring for the better part of a decade.
In November of 1992, Koloff stepped into the ring against Leon "Big Van Vader" White for what would be his final match. After receiving a wicked clothesline to the back of the head, Koloff's left arm went numb and he knew something was wrong. After a team of seven medical professionals offered a grim prognosis of a hernia and serious neck atrophy, Nikita knew his days as an active professional wrestler were behind him.
After leaving the ring, Nikita found himself reinvigorated with a love for the Lord — and after a profound conversion experience, Koloff began a wrestling-based ministry in the mid 1990's. Working along fellow born-again Christians like Ted DiBiase, Nikita took an active role in the promotion and organization of UWA, the "Ultimate Wrestling Alliance." Though the organization is small and regional, Nikita has parlayed his involvement with the promotion into a platform for Christian outreach so that he might share the message with all those whom he encounters.
More information about Koloff for Christ Ministries and the life of Nikita Koloff can be found at his personal website, which is available right here.
A rule-breaker turned soul-saver. Whoda' thunk it, right?!
But Nikita isn't alone in his turn to faith, ya' know…
Though perhaps not as dominant in the singles ranks as Koloff, there were *clearly* few men more feared than Tully Blanchard in the NWA throughout the 1980s. And whereas Nikita's raw size and brute power proved to be *his* greatest allies in tackling the likes of Wahoo McDaniel, Magnum T.A., Dusty Rhodes and the rest of the NWA-elite… Blanchard's strength came in numbers — particularly in the number "Four," to be exact.
Born into a wrestling family (son of AWA promoter Joe Blanchard), Tully Blanchard learned the game early when he began selling programs at AWA shows in the early 60's. From there, Tully went on to West Texas State University where he learned the tricks of another trade — college football — alongside fellow future wrestling standouts like Ted DiBiase and Tito Santana. Once his glory days of college football were over, Tully once again donned the tights and stepped right back into the "family business" of professional wrestling, taking the SouthWest Championship Wrestling and the NWA Mid-Atlantic tag ranks by storm.
Tully's brightest days as a professional wrestler, however, *clearly* lied in the mid-eighties. In January of 1986, Tully — alongside Ric Flair, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (OIe and Arn Anderson), and manager J.J. Dillon — would go on to form the single most influential faction in sports entertainment history: The Four Horsemen. As dominant as wrestling stables come, The Horsemen would terrorize the WCW ranks for three years to follow.
All was not perfect for Tully, however — as the "high life" of the Horsemen (both inside and outside of the arenas) began to catch up with the man as the 80s drew to a close. After failing a surprise drug test in 1989 (just prior to his release from the then-WWF), Tully fell on hard times and found himself on the outs *both* with the WWF and his former running buddies in the NWA.
After hitting rock bottom and bouncing around between two promotions with little tolerance for drug infractions (this is at the peak of the steroid scandal, mind you) — Tully became a born-again Christian in 1989 and retired from full time wrestling in order to focus on his newfound career, that of a Christian preacher with a particular gift for prison ministry — a profession that Tully continues serving in to this day.
From heel-Horseman-hellraiser to second-chance-success-story, Tully Blanchard is perhaps one of the greatest examples of how a one-time wrestling tragedy was turned into a real-life happy ending.
But not every modern-day "good guy" needed to fall as far as Blanchard before coming around to a life of altruism, ya' know.
Though this next fella' *did* spend one rather memorable night in a county jail, if you'll recall…
Perhaps one of the best "gimmick" wrestlers of WWF's better-forgotten "New Generation," Jacques Rougeau — a.k.a. "The Mountie" — was *easily* one of the best heels in the ‘Fed's upper midcard throughout the early part of the 1990's.
After debuting on WWF television and teaming with his real-life brother Ray Rougeau throughout the 1980's, Jacques was re-born as "The Mountie," a cattle-prod-wielding Canadian mounted policeman under the supervision of "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. Instantly, Jacques earned WWF fans ire as he zapped good guy after good guy in his quest for Federation superstardom — ultimately landing himself in a memorable feud with fellow Federation lawman Ray Traylor (a.k.a. – "The Big Bossman") over who between them could lay rightful claim to law enforcement supremacy.
Some years later, Rougeau would re-emerge in WCW — just prior to the company's closing in 2001 — once again teaming with longtime ally Pierre-Carl Ouellet (formerly WWF's pirate-pal Jean Pierre Lafitte) before ultimately retiring from full-time competition in the late 90's. Interestingly enough, Jacques Rougeau is one of a select few men to ever have cleanly pinned Hulk Hogan in The Hulkster's long and illustrious career. His last match — a non-televised event at Montreal's Bell Center — saw Jacques cleanly defeating The Hulkster in front of an ecstatic Canadian crowd.
Following his retirement, Jacques once again teamed up with brother Ray as the two opened a wrestling school in their native Montreal. When he's not working between the ropes, the former "Mountie" serves as a spokesperson for SOS Suicide Jeunesse, a Canadian suicide prevention organization that handles over 4,000 calls each year and assists in providing counseling and support for persons contemplating suicide. The Rogeau brothers donate a portion of each of their wrestling show's profits to this organization.
For more information about Jacques Rougeau, check out his website, available both in English and French.
The Rougeaus might have been a family of two languages, alright… but this next legend made a career out of being a man of few words!
George "The Animal" Steele… funny when you think that the dapper and clean-cut Batista now dons the same "Animal" nickname, no?
Appearances are certainly deceiving when it comes to "George ‘The Animal' Steele" — better known to his family and friends as Jim Myers, amateur wrestling coach turned health and personal wellness instructor. Perhaps surprisingly, "The Animal" also just so happens to hold a Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Science Degree from Central Michigan University.
For years, George "The Animal" terrorized the independent wrestling circuits as a wildman savage of a heel. With his freakishly hairy appearance, his dripping green tongue, his hunched back and his unorthodox in-ring behavior (destroying turnbuckle pads was just the beginning!) — Steele ran roughshod over any good guy foolish enough to stand across from him for the better part of twenty years.
In the 1980's, "The Animal" would go on to an unexpected bit of fan favoritism as he found himself warring with "Macho Man" Randy Savage over the hand of the lovely Miss. Elizabeth. Though the fans had warmed to George's cuddly-at-heart demeanor, they'd certainly not done much to temper his grizzled and ursine appearance — as the big man continued to devour turnbuckle padding and slobber all over the ring in an almost uncontrollable fashion.
Some years later, George again found a bit of fan acceptance as he paired alongside of fellow "freakshows" like Giant Silva, Golga (the late John Tenta, a.k.a. "Earthquake"), and more in the short-lived "Parade of Oddities" stable. Though The Animal was clearly a fan favorite here again — the character was undeniably still marginalized as nothing more than one of wrestling's latest band of sideshow freaks.
Following his retirement in the late 90's, "George ‘The Animal' Steele" — now just plain old Jim Myers — turned his life towards "pinning" the devastating affliction known as Crohn's Disease (a horrible intestinal aliment that can cause extreme sickness and, in some cases, death), as well as speaking up for what he calls "The Gift of Dyslexia" (a "gift" that just so happens to be shared by yours truly). These days, "The Animal" spends his days as a personal health and wellness coach — offering advice and motivation for those in the face of adversity and drawing from the same "freakish" sort of strength his wrestling alter-ego once used to overcome such real-life obstacles as Chrohn's and Dyslexia.
For more information on George The Animal Steele, visit his website, which is very well maintained and really nicely done!
Last (but certainly not least!), we'll jump from one of Randy Savage's greatest in-ring opponents to one of his strongest real-life allies.
That man?
You guessed it…
"The Genius" himself… Leapin' Lanny Poffo!
Perhaps the single most beloved comedy-heel character in the past thirty years of professional wrestling (sorry Eric Young), "The Genius" was an out-and-out hit with fans and opponents alike as he made his way to the ring delivering pre-match poems and pseudo-brainy formulas as to how his superior intellect would ensure victory over so many of his more well-heeled foes (for who could forget the timeless equation of "6 ft 8 in 310 lb < 250 IQ = HULK DOWN"?).
Anyhow…
After several years of notoriety in the midcard ranks of the mid-eighties WWF, Poffo faded into wrestling obscurity for a time before signing with WCW in the mid nineties (though he was never used on WCW television) and quietly settling into retirement from the ring some years later.
His wrestling life now behind him, Poffo turned his attention towards a more noble pursuit — the completion of what he called his "lifelong dream" to publish a children's book warning kids against the dangers of tobacco usage. In his years away from the squared circle, Lanny has published poems on clean living, alcohol and drug awareness, and commemorative verses for the Special Olympics and the Jerry Lewis Telethon. In 2004, Lanny's 335-poem collection "Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!) was recently named the winner of the 2004 Jarsonbeck Award for Excellence in Children's Literature.
An excerpt of Lanny's poetry appears below…
Special Olympics
It's called the Special Olympics,
There's something about that name,
It's taking people off the bench
And putting them back in the game.
No one should ever be denied
The chance to grab the centerstage
Or share an honest open smile
With other boys and girls their age.
For personal satisfaction
Or just having a little fun,
The spirit of competition
Is the birthright of everyone.
It's a very special moment
When they pass that torch and run.
In the words of Charles Dickens:
"God bless us everyone!"
For more on Lanny Poffo or to read additional selections of his written works, check out Lanny's website.
That'll do it for Mee this week. So if you feel like dropping a line, shoot Mee YourThinks and I'll post your thoughts when I get back in two weeks!
In the meantime…
Thanks once again for reading, take a minute to check these guys and their websites out, and always stay positive!
