Nine By Design 6

Another week has gone by and are you ready for your list of the week?  I said, ARE YOU REEEAAADDDYYY?!?!?!?  For the number of voices in my head and the 10 or 20 people reading at home...It's time...For what you've waited all week for...Nine By Design!!!  (Crowd roars...in my mind at least...it's pretty awesome in there)  It should be apparent that we'll be tackling Professional Wrestling this week.  Sport?  Sports Entertainment?  I've always liked athletic male soap opera.  I don't think you can deny that these guys and gals are athletes.  It's not fake, it's pre-determined...they are told who is going to win, but not how that person will win.  They take some really nasty bumps and have some REAL injuries.  I started watching wrestling in 1981, when I moved to Brockton, MA, because the neighborhood kids watched it.  It's 2010 and I still watch it, but not as religiously.

Brockton, is the "City of Champions."  It has fallen on hard times, that have just got worse.  A very tough city, with lots of violence.  I remember going to high school and meeting a bunch of people in my class and asking what part of the city they were from?  The consensus was the "Bad Part" and your response would be, "You're from the East side too?"  They'd say, "No, the West, South or North side."  Someone had spray painted the Batman Symbol above the entrance to the Police Department garage and wrote, "Bat Cave", it was there for years.  The good old days...On with our list!!!

Pro Wrestlers:

Bryan Danielson:  Known as Daniel Bryan (ugh) in the WWE, he has long been considered the best wrestler in the world.  I don't think the WWE is going to let him use his finisher, the Cattle Mutilation and I don't know why?  Danielson, has a great sense of humor...I hope the WWE let him really wrestle sometime.

Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig:  The late, great Curt Hennig shot some perfect vignettes before he made his debut in the then, WWF.  He would die at the young age of 44 in 2003.  His son Joe is currently wrestling for the WWE.

 Owen Hart:  Another wrestler that died way too soon and his could've really been prevented.  He was the best wrestler in the Hart family, which is saying a lot.  Yes, better than Bret.  He had some great matches in the WWE and Japan.  The first real "high flyer" I ever saw.

PAC:  He is known as "The Man Gravity Forgot."  The modern high flyer.  He's what the kids call a "spot monkey" (just wants to pull off big moves, not tell a story) in wrestling.  That is probably true, but you can't deny his body control and ability.   White men can jump apparently.

The Great Muta:  He was one of the first Japanese wrestlers I got to see, because he came over to the US.  Such a different and amazing style.  The first time I saw a lot of the moves he used.

Jushin "Thunder" Liger:  Now we're really in the Land of the Rising Sun.  His character is based on a Japanese superhero.  He's slowing down these days (after 25+ yrs in the biz), but he's invented many of the moves you see today.  Always puts on a great performance, even in defeat.

Sid Vicious:  Sid couldn't really wrestle, but at 6'9" and 315 lbs, you tell him that.  It's not everyday that some that big, looks like that.  He was a fantastic character.  For those of you that still think wrestling is fake, he suffered one of the worst in-ring injuries (not for the faint of heart) ever.

The Undertaker:  It should be obvious that I'm not a fan of the big wrestlers, but the Undertaker is an exception.  Nobody that size should be able to move the way he does.  In my opinion, the best gimmick (character) of all time.  Super Bonus Nerd Points: if you know who Johnny Polo would go on to be?  Somehow, the Undertaker is still doing it today.

Chris Jericho:  Quite possibly the best promo guy in the business.  Just so funny.  He's also a very good wrestler.  One of the greatest feuds in wrestling was Jericho vs Malenko.  Great matches with Dean, but always made his opponent look great.

So, another weekly list has been wrapped up.  As always, I hope you enjoyed it.  How can you not?  It's the wacky world of Professional Wrestling.  It screams comedy...