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Post by MadStepDad on Jun 25, 2012 14:57:34 GMT -5
In honor of the legendary Triple Threat Title Unification bout being presented by XPW Remixed on January 28th at "(Another) New Years Revolution", the Wrestling News Network is bringing you an exclusive Mash-Up Wrestling biography on each of these three great participants. First, the reigning XPW Remixed (East Coast) Champion....BRUNO SAMMARTINO 3x XPW Remixed Champion
2x WWWF Champion (with reigns totaling 10+ years)
Former NWA (Triplehermit-version) championRECORD IN XPW SINGLES COMPETITIONWIN: 15 LOSS: 1 NC: 1 Bruno Sammartino is one of the most colossal names in all of fantasy wrestling. He is to the 60s and 70s as Hogan was to the 80s, Austin & Rock to the 90s and John Cena to the 2010s. A steadfast crusader of old-school traditions and Italian pride, Sammartino stands proudly defiant of the raunchy filth and drug abuse that runs rampant in new millennium fantasy wrestling. Sammartino became the first XPW Remixed champion in company history when he defeated two other men at the inaugural “New Years Revolution” event. He defeated the scourge of the Cannibal Cartel when he blasted their capo Vic Grimes to Hell in an exploding ring match (see “Halloween in Hell”). He defeated the Black Army and regained his title from Ezekiel Jackson (2012) at “Night of Champions”, and he beat “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in a disputed decision at “Liberty of Death” that actually led to the fracture of the XPW Remixed championship."SCRAPES, SHOOTS & SHENANIGANS"* Since the inception of “fantasy wrestling”, Bruno Sammartino has had his share of scrapes, shoots and shenanigans. But some of the illest incidents have been the REALEST incidents. One time, Sammartino faced Chick Garibaldi in an afternoon match at the Sunnyside Gardens in New York. During the match, Sammartino bodyslammed Garibaldi and immediately noticed his opponent's eyes roll up inside his head. By the time the ref checked on the fallen wrestler, he was dead in the ring. It was later determined that Garibaldi had died from a heart attack. In the movie Legends Never Die, Sammartino stated that it took him many years to get over that incident. * During this time, Bruno was involved in a shoot with Dr. Bill Miller. In a tag match with Tony Parisi against Miller and Baron Sicluna, Miller( who had a long amateur wrestling background) decided he would shoot on both Parisi and Bruno. After taking a beating in the ring, Parisi tagged out to Bruno. When Miller attempted to shoot on him, Bruno immediately snapped on a front facelock until Miller bled from his nose and passed out in the middle of the ring. Afterwards, Miller approached Bruno in the dressing room, shook his hand and profusely apologized. * While in Japan, Bruno had a confrontation with an up and coming Antonio Inoki in an Osaka tag match. At the urging of noted "shooter" Karl Gotch, Inoki attempted to slap a real submission hold on the World Champion and make him quit. Bruno immediately powered out of the hold, pounded Inoki unmercifully and pitched him out of the ring. Inoki ducked Bruno for the rest of the match. "BROKEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING"After tiring of low payoffs and broken promises, Sammartino left Vincent McMahon Sr.'s Capitol Wrestling Corporation to join a rival promoter and former McMahon Sr. Partner Joe “Toots” Mondt, who was operating “Broken City Championship Wrestling” at the time. Mondt’s hold on Fantasy Wrestling ultimately weakened because of shiesty business dealings, gambling debts and even murder allegations. Sammartino did jobs for big names like Triple H and Batista, but was never fully contracted with BCCW or received the push he deserved (or was promised).
Sammartino found himself with even fewer dates and payoffs than the first time he wrestled for McMahon. He gave notice to Mondt that he was going to San Francisco, and its large Italian population, to wrestle for promoter Roy Shire. Very soon after arriving, Sammartino was informed by the local athletic commission that he was suspended. Unable to find work across the country (because every state athletic commission honors suspensions given by other state athletic commissions), Bruno headed back to Pittsburgh to work as a laborer. Sammartino found out that his suspension was due to his skipping a match he was booked for in Baltimore. He was also booked to wrestle in Chicago that same night. In his autobiography, Sammartino states that he believed McMahon & Mondt set him up, by double-booking him and not informing him of his match in Baltimore, as a way of punishment for leaving WWWF and BCCW."ROAD TO XPW REMIXED"Eventually, promoters Toots Mondt and McMahon Sr. cleared up Sammartino's suspension by paying his $5000000 fine (Bruno says they took it out of his future purses). After many weeks of phone calls with McMahon trying to lure Bruno back, Sammartino demanded a title run (and thus his unrivaled 7 year run as WWWF champion began). On the advice of wrestler Yukon Eric, Bruno contacted Territory Wars NWA owner TripleHermit hoping to take advantage of their large Italian population. Despite McMahon & Mondt trying to blackball him there as well, TripleHermit decided to take a chance. Bruno made his Triplehermit NWA debut and very quickly, with the help of self-promotion in local newspapers and radio programs, became an attraction. His ability to speak Italian also ingratiated himself with that immigrant population. He beat Triplehermit’s NWA champion Harley Race in a thrilling 70+ minute match at their first Starrcade. But feeling unfulfilled with TripleHermit’s NWA, and with the travel wearing on him, Sammartino was considering retirement from Fantasy Wrestling for good. Until old enemies the Gold Dust Trio Inc reappeared in Los Angeles with “XPW Remixed”. Sammartino suddenly found the fire to right all the wrongs of the past, and overtake XPW Remixed before it could destroy fantasy wrestling forever. He has now held claim to the XPW Remixed championship a record-setting 3 times. Sammartino defended the belt all over the world, including Australia, Spain, Mexico and Japan. He was also honored with a private audience with the Pope in the Vatican during this period. BRUNO vs ROGERS vs THESZ (the prelude)• During his tenure in Toronto, Bruno wrestled and beat the (then) National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Champion Buddy Rogers for the title. Rogers was unable to continue after being accidentally butted in the groin while attempting a leap frog. Sammartino refused to accept the title under the circumstances.
• Sammartino also wrestled NWA Champ Lou Thesz twice in Canada. One match ended in a draw and the other with Thesz scoring a fluke pin after a collision despite Sammartino controlling the 20 minute match from the beginning. Thesz recounted the matches as nothing special. Bruno has said in interviews that noted "shooter" Thesz did not try to take any advantage of him (as he often did in matches against wrestlers he did not like), but that he was prepared to respond in the event he did.
• Sammartino was so popular that in 1965 he was picked by the National Wrestling Alliance board to wrestle against the legendary Lou Thesz in a match for both the NWA and WWWF titles. Sammartino, already working an extremely busy schedule, refused the title match opportunity for fear that winning the title would make his schedule even more hectic.
• Sammartino collided with Rogers & Thesz once before in a Triple Threat #1 Contenders match at BCCW’s “L.O.W. Down & Dirty: Legends of Wrestling” PPV. That match was won by Buddy Rogers, but the win/loss records between all three men against each other are a mixed bag.
** CUT **
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Post by MadStepDad on Jun 25, 2012 14:58:09 GMT -5
In honor of the legendary Triple Threat Title Unification bout being presented by XPW Remixed on January 28th at "(Another) New Years Revolution", the Wrestling News Network is bringing you an exclusive Mash-Up Wrestling biography on each of these three great participants. Next, the reigning XPW Remixed Midwest Champion....LOU THESZCurrent XPW Remixed Midwest Champion
Multi-time Real World’s champion, including unprecedented runs with the original NWA championship.
Former Undisputed wrestling championRECORD IN XPW SINGLES COMPETITIONLOSS: 5* NC: 0* All losses due to extraneous shenanigansBACKGROUNDBorn in Banat, Michigan. Thesz moved to St. Louis when he was a young boy. His working-class immigrant parents hailed from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Beginning in Thesz's early youth, his father personally gave him a tough and thorough education in Greco-Roman wrestling, which provided the fundamentals for his later success. While in high school he was a successful freestyle wrestling competitor on his school team; as he recalled many years later, he and a friend once "worked" a dramatic match against each other at a tournament, and were amused when nobody could see how much they were faking. As a teenager, he also trained in amateur wrestling with legendary wrestler Ad Santel. Thesz made his professional wrestling debut in 1932, at the age of 16. He soon met Ed "Strangler" Lewis, the biggest wrestling star of the 1920s, who taught a young Lou the art of "hooking" (the ability to stretch your opponent with painful holds). The two formed a lasting friendship. By 1937, Thesz had become one of the biggest stars in the St. Louis territory, and on December 29 he defeated Everett Marshall for the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title, the first of many World Heavyweight Championships. Thesz became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, at the age of 21, a record which stands to this day. ”ONE KING TO RULE THEM ALL”In 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was formed, the purpose being to create one World Champion for all the various wrestling territories throughout North America. Orville Brown, the reigning Midwest World Heavyweight Title holder, was named the first champion. Thesz, at the time, was head of a promotional combine that included fellow wrestling champions Longson, Bobby Managoff, Canadian promoter Frank Tunney and Eddie Quinn, who promoted in the St. Louis territory where NWA promoter Sam Muchnick was running opposition. Quinn and Muchnick ended their promotional war, and Thesz' promotion was absorbed into the NWA. Part of the deal was a title unification match between Brown and Thesz, who held the National Wrestling Association's World Title. Unfortunately, just weeks before the scheduled bout, Brown was involved in an automobile accident that ended his career. He was forced to vacate the championship and the NWA awarded the title to the #1 contender, Thesz. In XPW Remixed cannon, modern-day NWA legend Adam Pearce was chosen to be the bridge between these two men. Thesz was chosen for his skill as a "hooker" to prevent double crosses by would-be shooters who would deviate from the planned finish for personal glory. Between 1949 and 1956, Thesz set out to unify all the existing World Titles into the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1952 he defeated Baron Michele Leone in Los Angeles for the California World Heavyweight title and became the first undisputed World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion since the days of Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt. "BROKEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING"In fantasy wrestling, Lou Thesz was a cornerstone in the legendary (some say “infamous”) Broken City Championship Wrestling foundation. It was his prized signing that spawned the Press Conference in BCCW Episode #1. He spun off into a Dream Match feud with Jack Swagger from the future, and schooled the Oklahoma stand-out on the fine art of hooking and shooting. Jack Swagger was so impressed and humbled by his victory that he sought out Lou Thesz and asked to become a training partner. Their rivalry had grown into mutual respect, and they would go on to form “The Trustbusters” tag team (and earn the very first reign as BCCW Tag Team champions). But Lou Thesz was betrayed by his mentor Ed “Strangler” Lewis and his Gold Dust Trio Inc, and they tried to job him out of the company with their handpicked henchman Nigel McGuiness (aka “Desmond Wolfe”). They even succeeded in wresting away Thesz’ coveted “Undisputed Championship”. But Thesz could not be deterred, and continued to prove his Shooters Club training camp was amongst the best in the world with a series of tag team victories with his Trustbuster partner Jack Swagger. Ultimately, injuries forced an end to Thesz’ run in BCCW and he returned to the fantasy wrestling sidelines. He came back to coach Jack Swagger in the “Broken City Throwdown III” in his quest to win the vacant BCCW championship, but they were unsuccessful. "ROAD TO XPW REMIXED"Much like Sammartino, Thesz was awoken from his fantasy slumber by the stirring of old foes. He relocated out West to be apart of the new "XPW Remixed" - an institution so tainted, so befouled and so evil it demanded his attention. He felt the sting of betrayal already in BCCW at the hands of mentor Ed Lewis... now he was thirsting for revenge. He surprised Ed "Strangler" Lewis with a $25k challenge at the inaugural "New Years Revolution", and again in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls CLASSIC at "My Bloody Valentine" (earning himself the verbal title of "undisputed champion" for life). Once again he set about proving his Shooters Club camp was the best in the world, but much like Heroes of Light are tested by Dark Powers - Thesz felt the sharp blade in his back again. Twice. First it was former apprentice Jack Swagger, who was blinded by the glitz and glamour of the Diamond Dynasty. Then it was B-Boy, who couldn't take the hardnosed training any longer and sold Thesz' secrets to former training partner (and now rival coach) Ad Santel. Lou Thesz went on a crusade to redeem his honor in the face of such betrayal, and was wildly successful. Thesz remained at the top of the XPW Remixed card, and took the Midwestern title from Adam Pearce. It was Thesz himself who stepped up and took the ball by issuing the Triple Threat Unification match on XPW TV Episode #33. We find ourselves now on the precipice of great change, and much like he's been for the last 60 years of fantasy wrestling - Lou Thesz finds himself right in the middle of all the action... THESZ vs. ROGERS vs. SAMMARTINO (the prelude)* Thesz helped initiate the 3-way title unification match at “(Another) New Years Revolution” with his stirring promo at the end of XPW TV Episode #33.
* In 1963, Thesz came out of semi-retirement to win his sixth World Heavyweight Championship from Buddy Rogers at the age of 46. Legend has it that Rogers was having second thoughts about dropping the title, and Thesz responded by saying, "we could do this the easy way or the hard way".
* At the “Legends of Wrestling” PPV by BCCW, Thesz tangled with Sammartino & Rogers in a #1 Contenders match - the first time the 3 men had ever faced each other in a Triple Threat match. This time, Thesz isn’t playing games and has promised “the hard way” for both of his opponents come “(Another) New Years Revolution”.** CUT **
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Post by MadStepDad on Jun 25, 2012 14:58:49 GMT -5
"NATURE BOY" BUDDY ROGERSRECORD IN XPW SINGLES COMPETITIONLOSS: 1 NC: 3
2-time world heavyweight champion
1st professional wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Champion
BCCW World Champion
XPW Remixed champion”BACKGROUND”He continued his career in Houston, where he assumed the name "Buddy Rogers". Rogers would get his first major taste of gold during his tenure there, winning the Texas Heavyweight title four times, once from the great Lou Thesz, beginning a long feud both in and out of the ring. After leaving the Texas territory for Columbus, Ohio, the final pieces of his character were added. He bleached his hair and was given the moniker "Natural Guy", later "Nature Boy", by promoter Jack Pfefer. With the advent of television, Rogers' flashy look, great physique and bombastic personality instantly caught the ire of audiences. The first sign of Rogers' impact was his involvement in Sam Muchnick's opposition promotion in St. Louis, Missouri, a major wrestling market at the time. He was pitted against the well respected Lou Thesz as a draw. In the end, Muchnick's promotion was powerful enough with Buddy Rogers as its main star that the two promotions merged. Rogers continued control of the Midwest as a booker and wrestler, most notably in Chicago, frequently selling out the 11,000-seat arena. In the 1950s, Rogers expanded into Vince McMahon, Sr.'s Capitol Wrestling Corporation. He also wrestled in the Al Haft promotion out of Columbus, Ohio in the 1950s into the 1960s. Rogers was not well liked during his prime years because he had a habit of taking advantage of opponents in the ring. During his prime years, he was known as much for his distinctive peacock-like strut as for his wrestling performance. He was also very skilled at drawing heat during interviews, with a smug "to a nicer guy, it couldn't have happened" being his catch phrase of sorts whenever he was victorious. ”MATCH of the CENTURY”In 1961, the National Wrestling Alliance voted him into a NWA World Heavyweight Championship match. On June 30, 1961, Pat O'Connor lost the title to Rogers in front of 38,622 fans at Comiskey Park, a North American professional wrestling attendance record that lasted until the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions in 1984. The ticket sales of $148,000 were a professional wrestling record for almost 20 years. The match, a two out of three falls match, was billed as the "Match of the Century". During the match, both men had gained a pinfall, when O'Connor missed a dropkick, hit his head, and Rogers pinned him to win the match.”WRESTLING RECEIPTS”To many promoters, it seemed that Buddy Rogers favored northeastern promoters over other territories. Promoters and noted shooters Karl Gotch and Bill Miller confronted Rogers in Columbus and broke his hand. Another injury in Montreal in a match against Killer Kowalski kept Rogers on the sidelines. On his return, the heads of the NWA voted to switch the title back over to Lou Thesz, who publicly disliked Rogers. On January 24, 1963, the match took place in Toronto. Rogers was hesitant about dropping the title, so promoter Sam Muchnick put in place three safeguards to guarantee Rogers' cooperation. First, the match was only one fall, out of the ordinary since most title matches were two out of three falls until the mid-1970s. The second safeguard was his threat to give Rogers' bond (the NWA Champion was required to pay a $25,000 deposit to the NWA Board of Directors before being given the title; the deposit was returned to the wrestler after losing the title) away to charity. The third was matching him against the legitimate wrestler Thesz who could "take" the title if necessary. Thesz won the match and the title. "BROKEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING"Buddy Rogers reappeared on the fantasy scene on the greatest stage and in the grandest style possible: in Broken City Championship Wrestling with his “Real Worlds Championship”. He represented something he coined the “Diamond Dynasty”, a collection of wrestling/playboy/flashy Hollywood playa-types from the future, and let the whole world know with no uncertain terms that he was THE MAN. As the race to merge all the universal championships in wrestling history intensified, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers defeated DX Triple H (2006) to unify the WWF championship with his own “Real Worlds Championship” – thus strengthening his stranglehold on fantasy wrestling (see BCCW presents “City of Champions”). Diamond Dynasty was reigning hard. And they continued to reign, as Rogers led them to tag team victories, and later won the prestigious WWE Championship himself in a Legends “Elimination Chamber” match (see BCCW presents “Behind the Walls”). But all evil monarchies are soon overthrown, and Rogers lost his cache of championships to BCCW’s last “Hero of Light”. Subsequent attempts to recapture the championship failed, but Buddy Rogers remained at the forefront of the main event scene. Rogers eased back into more of a consolatory role, guiding some of the brightest names in heel wrestling future. The Diamond Dynasty cheated, won and swindled their way to untold financial glory and Buddy Rogers even bought one last crack at the World championship for himself (see “BCCW presents: L.O.W. Down & Dirty”). But he pulled off what may have been his greatest coup, when Rogers had himself thrust into the management mix of BCCW and came within 3 seconds of becoming the company's new owner (see “BCCW presents Changing of the Guard”). Then it all blew up. BCCW went under amidst a sea of allegations (ranging from conspiracy, gambling, embezzlement and murder). There are some that say Buddy Rogers was partially responsible for BCCW’s collapse and that his vast fortune was lost in the scandal, after he bought the scraps of the company and tried to reinvent it as a vanity promotion for himself and his cronies (see “BCCW Throwdown Part III”) After that crushing personal and financial defeat, Buddy Rogers slunk back into fantasy wrestling obscurity. "ROAD to XPW REMIXED"Much like his eternal nemesis’ and fantasy wrestling counterparts Lou Thesz & Bruno Sammartino, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers found himself drawn to the flame of XPW Remixed when it sparked up out in LA. The flashy, diamond ring-wearing, jet-flying, trend-setting OG Nature boy felt right at home in the bright Los Angeles spotlight, and began his diamond-studded comeback. He debuted at the first “New Years Revolution” and led a slow build towards revealing his new and improved Diamond Dynasty. It started with the turncoat Jack Swagger, who betrayed his former mentor Lou Thesz for Dynasty membership (see XPW Remixed presents “FALLOUT”). It climaxed with the addition of MIZ & Alex Riley (circa early 2011) in a War Games match at “A Cold Day in Hell”. Along the way, Buddy Rogers stockpiled championship opportunities – both with his War Games victory and his own “Money-in-the-Bank” win at “Night of Champions”. Buddy Rogers had roared into XPW Remixed and dominated quickly. History it seems, is repeating itself. At XPW Remixed’s biggest show of the year – “Baptized in Blood” – Buddy Rogers used his stash of championship title shots to overcome Bruno Sammartino and become the new XPW Champion. But at “Liberty or Death”, XPW Remixed was fractured into separate entities as the result of a controversial decision. Rogers lost his regulation “Iron Man” match against Sammartino, but the title never officially changed hands. So while Sammartino and the Gold Dust Trio Inc earned a claim as “champion”, Rogers sided with The Grand Wizard and recruited Jack Pfefer to declare HIS dominion over the title. Thus the “East Coast” and “West Coast” versions of the XPW Championship were instituted. Rogers has embarked on a record-setting championship reign, stopping all challengers in his way (even former partner the Miz) and absorbing the RoH (Polland regime) championship into his own (see XPW Remixed presents “RETRIBUTION”). Now, Rogers stands ready to end the debate once and for all when he clashes with Sammartino & Thesz – with ALL their titles on the line – in a historic Triple Threat Unification Bout at “(Another) New Years Revolution”!!!! ROGERS vs. SAMMARTINO vs. THESZ (the prelude)* Northeast promoters, led by McMahon and Toots Mondt, withdrew their membership from the NWA and formed the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), as Thesz was not a strong draw in the area. Promoter Willie Gilzenberg, and first WWWF "President" appeared on Washington, D.C. TV in April 1963; and announced that Rogers had been the victor in a wrestling tournament which took place in Brazil, effectively making him the first WWWF title holder. Rogers was matched against the hugely popular and immensely powerful Bruno Sammartino. Rogers was beaten by Sammartino on May 17 of that year, in a match that lasted a mere 48 seconds. Legend says that Mondt dragged Rogers out of his hospital bed and forced him into the match, but it was obvious that Rogers could not take the burden of a world championship in his condition. Sammartino publicly claimed that Rogers was not ill, but that he just didn't want to lose the belt. Sammartino also claimed that he told Rogers that he (Bruno) would be winning the belt that night—not their promoter and Rogers just wanted to get it over quickly.
* According to his pro wrestling colleague and occasional ring opponent Lou Thesz (as stated in Thesz's autobiography Hooker), Rogers, although admittedly an excellent wrestler and a superb showman, was a manipulative schemer behind the scenes and was fond of saying in private: "Use your friends, and be good to your enemies; so they'll become your friends, and you can use them too."
* Rogers was victorious over Sammartino & Thesz in their very first Fantasy clash (see “BCCW presents: L.O.W: Down & Dirty”). Having already proven his mettle in multiple clashes with each men, Rogers is more than confident he will win again - and become the undisputed XPW Champion at “(Another) New Years Revolution”!!! ** CUT **
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Post by MadStepDad on Jun 25, 2012 14:59:26 GMT -5
”A man takes a drink, the drink takes a drink, the drink takes the man… It’s the first drop that destroys you, there’s no harm at all in the last. For if it’s drowning you’re after, don’t torment yourself with shallow water…” ** Old Irish Proverb **SHEAMUS (2012)Sheamus O’Shaunessy (aka “Great White” aka “Celtic Warrior”) is the latest – some would say “greatest” – in a long line of Irish-born/Irish bred wrestling superstars… Long before his fantasy wrestling debut, Sheamus amassed some very impressive real-world stats… his championship lineage alone is massive.
• 2x International Heavyweight Champion • 2x WWE World Champion • 1x WWE World Champion • WWE King of the Ring 2010 • Royal Rumble 2012 winner • Former WWE United States Champion
His fantasy wrestling debut has been nothing short of spectacular as well, running roughshod through Industry heavyweights like WWF & WCW… but perhaps his greatest level of infamy has been earned within the hallowed, blood-stained arenas of XPW Remixed…He debuted at the free XPW Remixed supershow “GENOCIDE” to face timeline arch-rival (and first Irish-born world champion) Danno O’Mahoney... displaying an unparalleled level of honor and fair play (ever since his bully heel shtick provided only losing streaks), Sheamus proved beyond the shadow of a doubt he was the greatest Irish-born champion of all time. His upper trajectory in XPW Remixed continued – he disbanded the XPW Triple Threat… he was betrayed by, and then ran through, “the Beast from the East” Bam Bam Bigelow (1998)… other notable fantasy wrestling victories for Sheamus include Chris Candido (XPW TV Episode #35), Ken Patera 1977 (XPW Online #40) and Austin Idol 1982 (XPW TV Episode #41)… but the climax of his XPW Remixed run… and perhaps his entire destiny as fantasy wrestling – lies ahead, in his match with XPW World Champion Lou Thesz at “Baptized in Blood 2”!!
Sheamus has pushed and clawed his way to the top of the card with every crowd-pleasing victory… but his frustration finally bubbled over when he was forced to team with Lou Thesz in a tag match… Sheamus made his intentions clear, before going on to win a #1 Contenders Battle Royal featuring a “who’s who” of XPW Remixed talent… the respect between Thesz & Sheamus is mutual, even as tempers and egos flare… the epic impact of their eventual clash has been so intense, no mortal can dare control it… hence XPW President Ed “Strangler” Lewis calling forth special guest referee MR. PERFECT to moderate the championship clash. What are Mr. Perfects intentions? Where do his allegiances lay? And does President Lewis have a preference to who becomes champion as XPW Remixed moves into the hands of new investors? All questions will be answered when XPW Remixed presents “BAPTIZED IN BLOOD 2” coming soon!Lou Thesz (1952) versus Sheamus (2012)!!
Only at "Baptized in Blood 2!!"** CUT ** ** BONUS BLU-RAY FOOTAGE **** Sheamus ROH Debut (“ROH Rising Above”)******************* ** Sheamus WCW debut (“WCW Thunder debut show 5/3/11”)**************** ** Sheamus XPW Remixed debut (“Genocide”)
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Post by MadStepDad on Sept 9, 2012 21:56:23 GMT -5
In XPW Remixed - the cycles of past, present and future come together in spherical form. The beginning and the ending - it creates a place where we respect the shooters and hookers… with that in mind - XPW Remixed proudly presents to you, America’s first Mixed Martial artist…AD SANTEL"The Cali Crippler of XPW Remixed" ____________________________________________________________________________________BackgroundBorn Adolph Ernst in 1887 (from Germany none the less - you can see why his stage name would become “Ad Santel”) - Santel was a practitioner of catch wrestling, one of it’s most physical and taxing forms… some of the earliest reports of his matches were all exceptional. The "Lincoln Evening News" (1/9/1912) called Ernst (not yet “Santel”) "easily one of the most skillful wrestlers in America. He worked before three Lincoln audiences last year and displayed a greater variety of locks and holds than any wrestler in the game." Much like others of his ilk (and a product of their time), Ernst toured with a vaudeville group but found it too fanciful for his tastes. Ad Santel was a real wrestling champion. He was seriously considered one of the top light heavyweight wrestlers on the planet. ____________________________________________________________________________________A World Championship ClaimAccording to the January 27, 1913 edition of the Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, TX), Adolph Ernst based his claim to the World Light Heavyweight championship “upon the defeat he administered to Dmitral at Woodward, Oklahoma, on January 14. He secured the first fall in twelve minutes and the second in two minutes and ten seconds (remember - back in the day championship bouts were contested in 2 out of 3 falls matches). Ernst is 26 years old, a native of Germany; he weighs 175 pounds and would be a straight heavyweight if he were five pounds heavier.”____________________________________________________________________________________A Cripplers LegendWrestling swerves, “hits” and bone-breakers are nothing new in wrestling history - but XPW Remixed has a habit of shining the light on those dark, shady and unsavory places… one of those mythological “hits” came in 1911 in the build-up to the epic Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt rematch… Ad Santel (still operating under various assumed aliases) was a training partner in Hackenschmidt’s camp - and gave his expert direction on catch wrestling from the coach position… but little did Hackenschmidt suspect - Santel had been paid a cool $5k (that’s like 5 MILLION today) by Gotch’s camp to make sure the Russian Lion never made it to the match… Santel did a number on Hackenschmidt’s knee, and the big guy wound up jobbing out to Gotch in the championship bout… all because of the deadly actions of a remorseless shooter… Ad Santel would go on to run the San Francisco wrestling scene - and even had a match lined up against Frank Gotch in 1916... But for some reason, Gotch withdrew from the match and it never happened… ____________________________________________________________________________________O.G. of MMAThe early 1900s were the golden age of pro wrestling's legitimate lineage. Top grapplers made their bones on the carnival circuit, handling local toughs, and fought for higher stakes against other elite catch stylists known as "hookers." While the likes of Georg Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch wrestled over heavyweight supremacy - Ad Santel ruled the realm of Light Heavyweight… meanwhile - judo diaspora was underway - and many of the original founders students traveled abroad to spread knowledge of "the gentle way."
One such traveler was Tokugoro Ito, a fifth dan black belt from the Kodokan. Ito left Japan in 1907 and landed in Seattle (starting his own dojo)… but as was VERY common back then (and a MAJOR recurring theme of XPW Remixed) - pro rasslin paid more money, so Ito settled within that realm as well… he toured up and down the Pacific coast territory alongside such early MMA/rasslin luminaries as Mitsuyo Maeda (see “Broken City Championship Wrestling”) calling himself the “World Judo champion“… that was Ito‘s wrestling gimmick… as was his destiny - the pro wrestling circuit took Ito to San Francisco CA USA in 1916… Ad Santel country…
Santel was already claiming to be the World Wrestling Light heavyweight champion… and he engaged Ito in one of the first “style vs. style” (or “MMA”) bouts… When Santel and Ito met on Feb. 5, 1916, Santel emerged victorious after thumping Ito's head off the floor to take a TKO win (picture a young Frank Shamrock powerslamming Igor Zinoviev). With his victory, Santel *took* Ito’s title & gimmick and proclaimed HIMSELF the world's top judoka! The following year he traveled to Seattle to challenge the transplanted judoka of the Seattle Dojo. On Oct. 20, he had a rematch against Taro Miyake, with whom he had drawn the previous year. The Seattle Daily Times wrote that Santel half-nelson slammed Miyake "so hard that the Japanese had dizzy spells for half an hour after the fall." Two weeks later, Santel took fourth dan Daisuke Sakai out in two falls, submitting him both times with short-arm scissors, more contemporarily known as a bicep slicer. Santel's feud with judo came to a head in March 1921, when he traveled to Japan and publicly challenged the Kodokan (think DX driving a tank up to WCW Towers). While the Kodokan frowned on professional matchups involving its current students and ordered them not to participate, it didn't stop their judoka from accepting the challenge. On March 5 at the Yasukuni Shrine, Santel took on fifth dan Reijiro Nagata, whom he slammed for a TKO. The following day, in a captivating hour-long battle, he grappled to a draw with another fifth dan, Hikoo Shoji. But the point had been made - Santel was an absolute beast.____________________________________________________________________________________Road to XPW RemixedIn wrestling lore, Ad Santel is said to be a major influence and coach to a young Lou Thesz… but in the upside down world of XPW Remixed - Ad Santel debuted as a treacherous, backstabbing heel (similar to the role he played in the Gotch/Hackenshmidt fiasco)… in this case, he wooed Thesz’ handpicked fantasy wrestling successor B-Boy to join his West Coast cali cripplers camp and betray Lou… B-Boy accepted and his betrayal set off an epic Cali Cripplers (w/ Ad Santel) versus Shooters Club (w/ Lou Thesz) feud that climaxed in the first “Best of 7 Series” in company history… though Santel’s team was defeated (and he *lost* his world judo champion claim to Masahiko Kimura in the war) he proved his methods were no joke… suffering from a broken arm in his fight with Kimura, Santel had a brief run with the arm cast gimmick (ala Cowboy Bob Orton) as he coached his Cali Cripplers team (including West Coast luminaries the Uso brothers & Tamina) from ringside… Ad Santel returned to solo action and defeated Miz in a classic “Sportz vs. Entertainment” clash before being upset by Mildred Burke in a War Games match (see “Scene of the Crime”)… Santel voraciously denied ever tapping out to Mildred Burke in that match, despite footage to the contrary… none the less after much controversy and debate, he accepted a match with Burke and *beat* her by submission (see XPW TV Episode #50)… however, eager to overcompensate for that feud (and still steaming over the Best of 7 series loss) - Ad Santel made the shocking decision to execute another wrestling “hit”… this time his target was the XPW Remixed World champion (and former protégé/turned/rival) Lou Thesz - who he attacked at the end of XPW TV Episode #51... Santel is a dangerous crippler, hooker and shooter who knows all of Lou Thesz’ secrets and weaknesses… like a pitbull with lockjaw, or a shark entering its feeding frenzy - once Santel gets a hold, he’s not breaking until it’s broke off… Territory Wars beware… the O.G. of MMA has a bone to pick with you…** XPW Remixed WORLD Championship **LOU THESZ © versus AD SANTEL versus Only on XPW TV Episode #52 (Thesz vs. Santel)!!____________________________________________________________________________________Actual Newspaper Account of an Ad Santel victory____________________________________________________________________________________
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