Author Topic: crossover superstars.  (Read 9075 times)

funk51

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crossover superstars.
« on: November 27, 2011, 06:49:32 AM »
how many can you think of guys not only like david arquette the bad actor wrestling champ aj prezenski but guys who actually wrestled legitamely. here's a few. pic below pic=1000 words.
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funk51

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2011, 06:57:47 AM »
 ;D
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Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2011, 07:34:45 AM »
I suppose you can count Kevin Greene, who worked a few shows/matches with Hogan in early-90's WCW.

Dennis Rodman also did a few matches after that.

Lyle Alzado played a pro-wrestler in a short-lived TV series with Larry Zbyszko and other NWA wrestlers called Learning the Ropes.

Lawrence Taylor, of course, had that high-profile match with Bam Bam at Mania.

William Perry and a few other NFL'ers participated in the WM 2 Battle Royal.

Mickey Rourke probably deserves some credit for working matches - albeit in the context of a movie; hey, he still went through the workouts, training, and took bumps!

Andre was originally a rugby player.

I would add Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kurt Angle, Tank Abbott and Steve Blackman who were all legit fighters who transitioned to theatrical wrestling.


Karl Kox

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2011, 10:54:16 AM »
Awesome thread!

Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2011, 11:19:14 AM »
Yeah, I forgot about Brock coming from amateur collegiate.

Also, we can't forget Ken Patera, who was an Olympic weightlifter.

Ricky Steamboat was also a very good amateur wrestler in college, which got him noticed with Verne Gagne.

Iron Sheik competed to represent Iran's Greco Roman Wrestling team in the late 60's, but I don't believe he made the team - despite some promoters proclaiming him an Olympian. However, Sheik was an assistant coach to the 1972 U.S. wrestling team.


The Showstoppa

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2011, 05:13:34 PM »
Yeah, I forgot about Brock coming from amateur collegiate.

Also, we can't forget Ken Patera, who was an Olympic weightlifter.

Ricky Steamboat was also a very good amateur wrestler in college, which got him noticed with Verne Gagne.

Iron Sheik competed to represent Iran's Greco Roman Wrestling team in the late 60's, but I don't believe he made the team - despite some promoters proclaiming him an Olympian. However, Sheik was an assistant coach to the 1972 U.S. wrestling team.




I didn't know that about Steamboat. 



Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2011, 05:37:16 PM »

I didn't know that about Steamboat.


Yeah!
According to Ricky, his girlfriend at the time was college roommates with Donna Gagne - Verne's daughter.
The Gagne's had the girlfriend over their house and she mentioned Ricky to Verne, who had a lot of respect for guys with solid amateur backgrounds.
Ironically, Verne had also heard about Rick through, I believe, Eddie Graham, who shared Verne's affinity for grapplers, and often recruited guys with that type of experience.

Ricky was in college to become a PE teacher in FL.
Upon graduation, he discovered that there was a loooooong waiting list to get a full-time teaching position in the state.

His girlfriend gave his picture to Verne, who then invited Ricky to come up to MN to train at the AWA camp.
Ricky made the move and was soon training under The Iron Scheik, Verne, and Billy Robinson, among others.
I think there were only 3 guys to come out of that class.
Verne's camp was TOUGH!!

The Showstoppa

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #7 on: November 27, 2011, 06:37:23 PM »

Yeah!
According to Ricky, his girlfriend at the time was college roommates with Donna Gagne - Verne's daughter.
The Gagne's had the girlfriend over their house and she mentioned Ricky to Verne, who had a lot of respect for guys with solid amateur backgrounds.
Ironically, Verne had also heard about Rick through, I believe, Eddie Graham, who shared Verne's affinity for grapplers, and often recruited guys with that type of experience.

Ricky was in college to become a PE teacher in FL.
Upon graduation, he discovered that there was a loooooong waiting list to get a full-time teaching position in the state.

His girlfriend gave his picture to Verne, who then invited Ricky to come up to MN to train at the AWA camp.
Ricky made the move and was soon training under The Iron Scheik, Verne, and Billy Robinson, among others.
I think there were only 3 guys to come out of that class.
Verne's camp was TOUGH!!

Very cool.  I had heard about Verne's camp thru Flair's book, etc...  I wonder why Steamboat wasn't pushed in the AWA early on and moved to the mid-atlantic?  In fact, did he even wrestle for Verne?

Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2011, 07:41:42 PM »
Very cool.  I had heard about Verne's camp thru Flair's book, etc...  I wonder why Steamboat wasn't pushed in the AWA early on and moved to the mid-atlantic?  In fact, did he even wrestle for Verne?


Steamers only worked for Verne for a couple of months before Verne sent him down to - I think - Florida. (Don't quote me on the chronology, here.)
Anyway, I know Rick only worked the FL territory for a few months before Graham sent him to work for Barnett in Georgia, which annoyed Ricky since he was happy to be close to family in FL.
And, I think he only spent a couple of months there before heading to JCP.

This all happened in the timespan of not even two years.

Although, Steamboat would spend close to a decade in the Mid-Atlantic.
 

The Showstoppa

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2011, 08:49:10 AM »

Steamers only worked for Verne for a couple of months before Verne sent him down to - I think - Florida. (Don't quote me on the chronology, here.)
Anyway, I know Rick only worked the FL territory for a few months before Graham sent him to work for Barnett in Georgia, which annoyed Ricky since he was happy to be close to family in FL.
And, I think he only spent a couple of months there before heading to JCP.

This all happened in the timespan of not even two years.

Although, Steamboat would spend close to a decade in the Mid-Atlantic.
 

he was WAY over here from the very beginning.  Tag-team with Youngblood was great and once the Flair fued started, the first time, it was nothing but greatness from that point.

OLE BIG

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2011, 09:38:52 AM »
Mongo has to be the tops here by far.  Come on....... play a sport professsionally, THEN become a member of The Four Horsemen?  It just can't get any higher than that!

The Showstoppa

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2011, 10:54:27 AM »
Mongo has to be the tops here by far.  Come on....... play a sport professsionally, THEN become a member of The Four Horsemen?  It just can't get any higher than that!

Yeaaaahhhhh babeeeeeey !!!!!!!  ;D

Karl Kox

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2011, 12:12:42 PM »
Brian Pillman Played for The Bengals

Karl Kox

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2011, 12:22:48 PM »
.

Karl Kox

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2011, 01:39:32 PM »

Besides Bret does anyone know who else Goldberg really hurt? Real bumber that happened to the Hitman.

I agree, he couldn't work and might have been one of the luckiest guys in wrestling. He got put over right from the start without putting in years of hard work like other guys.

Andy Griffin

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2011, 04:33:00 PM »
Yeah, I forgot about Brock coming from amateur collegiate.

Also, we can't forget Ken Patera, who was an Olympic weightlifter.

Ricky Steamboat was also a very good amateur wrestler in college, which got him noticed with Verne Gagne.

Iron Sheik competed to represent Iran's Greco Roman Wrestling team in the late 60's, but I don't believe he made the team - despite some promoters proclaiming him an Olympian. However, Sheik was an assistant coach to the 1972 U.S. wrestling team.



Sheik was eliminated in Iran's Olympic trials for 1968.  So he was definitely no chump.
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Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2011, 06:10:21 PM »
Sheik was eliminated in Iran's Olympic trials for 1968.  So he was definitely no chump.


Positively!!

GraniteCityDon

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2011, 02:22:33 AM »
I suppose you can count Kevin Greene, who worked a few shows/matches with Hogan in early-90's WCW.

Man i remember that! I think they whole thing was he was Goldbergs college buddy or something so Goldberg would often save him - i think they even tagged against the NWO at one point. Personally i thought he was awful  ;D

GraniteCityDon

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #18 on: November 29, 2011, 02:28:01 AM »
the greatest wrestler to EVER win the WSM event lol



which leads me to:


Montague

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2011, 04:18:40 AM »
Man i remember that! I think they whole thing was he was Goldbergs college buddy or something so Goldberg would often save him - i think they even tagged against the NWO at one point. Personally i thought he was awful  ;D


Your memory is better than mine.
I forgot about the NWO angle with Greene.
I was recalling him coming out as an ally with a pre-NWO yellow & red Hulkster, although I don't remember who they feuded with, or who else was involved.

Naturally, I can't find a clip...
If I wasn't searching for it, specifically, I'd have found about ten! :D

funk51

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2011, 08:31:19 AM »
the greatest wrestler to EVER win the WSM event lol



which leads me to:


add ted arcidi to this group
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funk51

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2011, 08:39:55 AM »
 ;D   angelo mosca cfl and monte brown aka the alpha male and marcus cotbon to the football section. the great mosca pictured.
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funk51

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #22 on: November 29, 2011, 08:43:55 AM »
 ;D see below joe kapp angelo mosca fight
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funk51

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #23 on: November 29, 2011, 08:44:33 AM »
arcidi
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njflex

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Re: crossover superstars.
« Reply #24 on: November 29, 2011, 10:41:57 AM »
savage/poffo catcher in reds minor leagues ,,