[Editor's Note: OO Reader John Keating saw my link to the "Byte This Challenge" this week, and took it upon himself to outpace the WWE developmental workers who mostly failed Dr. Tom Pritchard's quiz on some of the most influential performers in wrestling history.  John submitted his homework to Dr. Tom and Kevin Kelly, and also passed along a copy to me.  Here's hoping he gets some props from the Byte This gang!]

My name is John Keating and I'm a 28 yr. old standup comic/writer living in Los Angeles (originally from Boston!  Beantown represent!).  I saw your "quiz" on the site and HAD to take it.  I'm a fan from back when I was 7 years old.  My parents got divorced and my Dad took me once a month to the Boston Garden for the matches.  I was hooked!  I voraciously found everything I could on the subject of pro wrestling and ate it up.  I am one of those "Hollywood" types that has a passion for wrestling.  I even wrote a screenplay on the very subject.  But I digress.....  Here we go:

 

1. Lou Thesz - The shooter.  The hooker.  The only wrestler to have wrestled in seven decades, wrestling Masa Chono in his seventies.  Also a huge proponent of "more sport less glitz" aspect.  He was the guy they put the NWA belt on because he could handle himself in any situation. 

 

2. Buddy Rogers - The original Nature Boy.  Was carted from his hospital bed to Madison Square Garden to drop the new WWWF title to Bruno.  I only got to see him personally when he managed Snuka in the feud with Albano.

 

3. Pat O'Connor - Never got to see him wrestle.  In doing research I learned that he set a gate and attendance record with Buddy Rogers at Cominsky Park in Chicago that lasted for 20 years.  I also remember WCW naming a tag tournament after him on one ppv during the early 90's.

 

4. Dory Funk Sr. - Patriach of the famous Funk family.  Mostly wrestled around the Texas area and while never won the big one himself, he was in Dory Jr's corner when he defeated Gene Kiniski for the NWA World Title.

 

5. Dory Funk Jr. - The master technician and legend in Japan.  Had an incredible series with Jack Brisco over the NWA World Title.  Was instrumental in getting Stan Hansen to jump from New Japan to All Japan.  To this day he trains young wrestlers in his "Funkin' Dojo".  Got to see him when he was "Hoss" Funk in WWF, teaming with Terry and Jimmy Jack.

 

6. Terry Funk - One of my favorites of all time.  Where do I start?  The series with Flair culminating in the I Quit match.  His interviews in ECW and Smokey Mountain.  Beating up Mel Phillips for putting on his hat in one of the most racist angles I ever personally witnessed.  I was there in Philly when he won the ECW title at their first ppv and got to see him wrestle Flair on one of WCW's rare stops in Boston.  I based a character (not even loosely) on Terry in my screenplay.  A true legend and inspiration in the sport and one guy who I would love to shake his hand and share a beer.

 

7. Dennis Condrey - One of the original members of the Midnight Express.  I always found it strange because he never said anything and neither did Bobby Eaton.  But when you have Cornette doing your talking who needs to speak, I guess?  I was a huge fan of the Midnight Express.  Some of the most innovative team spots of all time.

 

8. Randy Rose - Also one of the first Midnight Express members.  I only came to know him when Paul E. brought him and Condrey back as the Original Midnight Express to feud with Lane and Eaton.

 

9. Norvell Austin - Wrestled in the Southeast mainly.  Teamed with Condrey to win the AWA Southern Titles.   I believe he teamed with Koko B Ware to form the PYTs.

 

10. Johnny Valentine - Father of The Hammer and considered one of the greatest workers of all time.   Had a reputation for being stiff and demanded his matches look as real as possible. His most famous feud was probably with Wahoo McDaniel in the Mid Atlantic region.  His career ended in the infamous plane crash where Ric Flair broke his back.

 

11. Jack Brisco - One of the legendary Brisco Bros.  Was a two time NWA World Champion and had that legendary feud with Dory Funk Jr.  In my opinion, their feud has become an adjective when describing a match: "It's not exacly Funk-Brisco" and everyone knows what you mean.  At least, I hope they do.

 

12. Gerry Brisco - Known now primarily as one of McMahon's Stooges (and God, was he funny in that role), Gerry was also a standout wrestler in his own right.  He and Jack teamed to win the NWA World Tag titles and feuded with Steamboat/Youngblood.  Wrestling was changed when he and Jack sold controlling interest in Georgia Championship Wrestling to Mr. McMahon himself (I always wondered about the WWF's debut on TBS...was it a taped show?  Did they use the TBS studios like World Championship Wrestling did?)

 

13. Grizzly Smith - Never knew much about him other than that he was Jake Robert's dad and according to the documentary Beyond the Mat, he raped Jake's mom.  Uh, ok.  I know that he worked with WCW in later years in an office capacity.

 

14-15-16. Michael Hayes/Gordy/Buddy Roberts - Badstreet Atlanta G-A baby!  The Freebirds were the SHIT (in a good way)!  I had to include all of them together, because that's when they were the most incredible.  The music, the drinking, the brawls with the Von Erichs.  And Terry Gordy was one of the best big man workers ever.  His team with Dr. Death is still one of my favorite tag teams of all time.  On a weird side note to keep as much as this personal as I can, I auditioned with (and got called backm for) the WWF for a commentary position but they ended up hiring....Doc Hendrix.  Michael Hayes.

 

17. Gene Kiniski - Canada's greatest athlete (Iron Mike who?).  Dropped the NWA title to Dory Jr. sparking the latter's career as a NWA World Champion.  Was the only man to hold both AWA and NWA world titles.

 

18. Bobby Shane - One of the original Blond haired heels and was the one to bestow the King crown to Jerry Lawler.  Went by the gimmick "Mr. Personality" as well.  Died in a plane crash.

 

19. Gary Hart - I only knew him as a manager down in Texas.  He always seemed a little bland to me.  I came across an article on the net about Hart managing Brute Benard in Australia.  It said that during the course of the interview, hart would give Benard 20 dollar bill after 20 dollar bill.  Once Benard started smiling and was happy, Hart stopped and took back the last bill, getting over that he was using Brute to make himself money and only dishing out what he felt was needed.  So apparantly he was very good at the "little things" and maybe I just never picked them up because I was too young.

 

20.  Dennis McCord - Wow, I had no idea.  After some research I found that Dennis McCord was Austin Idol.  I remember reading about Idol and Tommy Rich's infamous hair cut match in Memphis that caused a riot.  But it was in PWI at the time, so I never knew if it was true or not.  I remember seeing a Q&A with Paul Heyman with Paul telling how Austin Idol could get more out of doing so little than anyone.  A punch and then appeal to the crowd for 10 minutes.

 

21. Buddy Colt - Only really know his name.  He was elevated in a match with Buddy Rogers at the time because of the good showing he put in.  Loved working as a heel.  Once wrestled under the name "Cowboy Ron Reed".  Was involved in another wrestling plane crash that took te life of Bobby Shane. 

 

22. Paul Boesch - OK, this is pretty cool.  I was AT the Paul Boesch retirement show in Houston, TX!  My stepfather is from a little town called Baytown, TX and we went to visit his family one summer.  I was dying to see some Texas wrestling (as we never really got NWA stuff in Boston).  So I got to see two shows.  One being a show in Galveston which was a combo NWA/UWF show and the other being the Boesch retirement show.  I had no idea I was witnessing history.  Boesch was a legendary promoter in Houston and from all accounts was a great guy to work for.  I was amazed at all of the stars (even though it was a WWF sponsered show) that came out and wrestled.  It was amazing.

 

23. Bruno Sammartino - Although most know him know as a somewhat bitter guy, this guy was IT in the Northeast.  Sold out the Boston Garden and MSG constantly.  Was probably the greatest WWF "non ppv" champion.  I love hearing the story of how when he finally dropped the belt to Ivan Kolloff that there was just stunned silence.  The one thing I never really agreed with, though, is that he adpated his style to anyone he wrestled.  A claim I've heard him make time and time again.  He seemed pretty much like a brawler in any match I've seen.

 

24. Don Owen - Promoter in the Portland, OR area (how could you not know that Jamie!!!).  Roddy Piper always speaks in reverential terms about the great Don Owen.  Was he the dad of Barry Owen?  That announcer dude who did the voice for the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt cartoon back in the 80's?

 

25. Jimmy Valiant - The Boogie Woogie Man with the feared Elbow Drop.  Was doing the People's Elbow before the Rock was in his People's Pampers.  I remember his feud with Paul Jones back on World Championship Wrestling.  Never saw any of him from his WWWF days though.

 

26. Roy Shire - I always see his name invoked when reading interviews with wrestlers.  He was the promoter of Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco.

 

27. Jay Youngblood - I believe he is one of the infamous "wrestling native americans" that really aren't.  I've seen much debate over it.  He had a famous tag team with Rick Steamboat and they feuded with the Briscos over the NWA World Tag Titles.

 

28. Mike LaBell - Promoter in Los Angeles.  Was instrumental in Women's wrestling as he gave Mildred Burke a place for her students to work. 

 

29. Ricky Steamboat - Another one of my favorites.  One of the only wrestlers I know of that remained face his entire career (maybe Bruno?).  His match with Savage at WM3 and his feud with Flair still blow me away.  He just seemed like he would be a cool guy and from everything I read, was a great teacher in the ring. 

 

30. El Santo - One of the legends of Lucha Libre and star of some of the worst movies of all time.  But damn, I do love them Mexican wrestling flics!  I find it weird that even though he was a movie star he still wrestled as a heel for many years.  Was buried with his mask on and his funeral was a huge event.

 

31. Harley Race - Sadly, I only got to see wrestle as "the King" in the WWF (although I did see him give Hogan a whuppin' at the Garden once).  Was one of the toughest wrestlers of his day (of any day) and a perennial NWA Champion.  My favorite story is when he ripped Dusty Rhodes ear ring out during a match.

 

32. Gene Labell - "Judo" Gene LaBell trained Bruce Lee as a wrestler.  Has a book out called "Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds".  Promoted the LA Based WWA.

 

33. Gory Guerrero - The Patriach of the Guerrero family.  He was instrumental in changing the Mexican Lucha style from just highspots to a more submission based style (Although in later years it was known for the series of highspots).  Inventer of the Gory Special hanging backbreaker.

 

34. Mil Mascaras - This guy had me fooled.  For years I thought he was one of the greatest high fliers ever, but every interview I read or hear that mentions him talks about how much of a jerk he was.  That no one wanted to work with him.  Was the first masked man to wrestle in MSG.

 

35. Fritz Von Erich - Father of the Von Erich Dynasty and one of the most shameless promoters of all time.  Nothing was sacred, not his kid's deaths or even his own faked heart attack when attendance dropped.

 

36-40. The Von Erichs - Some of the saddest stories in pro wrestling.  Pushed way too far, way too fast with no sense of reality to handle things.  I really believed that David died of a "burst appendix" until recent years.  I did enjoy Kerry's World Title chase with Ric Flair and thought Kevin Von Erich was going to be the second coming of Ricky Steamboat.  But overall, their deaths were just sad and stupid.  On a good note, they did have one of the greatest feuds of all time with the Freebirds.

 

41. Moondog Mayne - Wrestled mostly on the West Coast.  Staple in the Portland region.  One of the original Moondogs.

 

42. Superstar Billy Graham - Hulk Hogan and Scott Steiner have a lot to thank Graham for.  At the time, he was one of the longest reigning Heel WWF World Champions.  Unfortunately, he was also the inspiration for a generation of steroid abuse in the sport.

 

43. Bill Watts - "They're putting the Russian flag on the Cowboy!!"  I loved Watt's UWF promotion the few times I could catch it.  A big tough cowboy who liked the big guys.  From everything I've read, he's hell on wheels to work for, but he knew how to promote and write episodic tv.

 

44.  Ivan Koloff - I only really came to know Ivan from his run in Mid Atlantic WCW.  His team with Nikita and Krusher Kruschev scared the crap out of me when I was a little kid!  For some reason, back then I thought of wrestlers as "staples" in their respective promotion.  I couldn't fathom that this Kollof was the same one that beat Bruno.

 

45. Bob Orton Jr. - Just how long does a broken arm take to heal?  The innovator of the Superplex.  I loved watching him work and his team with Don Muraco was a great heel technician team. 

 

46. Stan Stasiak - Master of the Heart Punch and father of Meat Shawn Stasiak.  A former WWWF World Champion.

 

47. The Destroyer - Dick Beyer.  Was a huge star in Japan, even defeating Rikidozan in his first ever loss on Japanese soil.

 

48. Sputnick Monroe - He was huge with the black audience.  He refused to wrestle once unless the African American fans were allowed to sit down front with the whites.

 

49. Jim Barnett - He was a promoter in Georgia for (then) WCW.

 

50. Dick the Bruiser - Never got to see much AWA but he and Crusher were one of the top teams there.  He had that weird barrel chest and looked like he could kick the crap out of anyone without blinking.  Loved the stogie!

 

51. Ole Anderson - The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.  I came to know of him during his Horsemen days.  Pick a body part and work on it.

 

52. The Crusher - See: Bruiser, Dick the.  The Man Who Made Miluakee Famous. 

 

53. Gene Anderson - One of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Ole.  Never saw him work thouh.  Were they even related?

 

54. Rick Morton - Has become an adjective in recent years for tag matches (i.e. "Jeff Hardy is playing Ricky Morton until he makes the hot tag).  The Rock n Roll Express were great and their feud with the Midnights well, uh rocked.  But the one thing I remember is when Ricky Morton pinned Ric Flair on World Championship Wrestling in a non title match.  I remember going over my grandparent's house on Saturday nights when I was little (they got TBS) and being so excited the next day when I told my mom. 

 

55. Adrian Street - Goldust look out!  One of the originators of the androgynous gimmicks.  I remember reading something about Randy Savage piledriving Miss Linda.

 

56. Gordon Solie - The Dean.  Crimson Mask.  Suplex (read su-play).  What more can be said.

 

57. Percy Pringle - As Pringle, I knew him as managing Rick Rude in the old World Class.  Most people know him as Paul Bearer.

 

58. Tim Woods - The original Mr. Wrestling.  Big star in the Southeast.

 

59. Bobby Heenan - The Brain is one of the best bump takers of all time.  Talk about showing ass.  No wonder this guy drew big bucks.  He would make you hate him and laugh at the same time...but when the time came, he always got what was coming to him and made the babyface look great.

 

60. Johnny Walker - Mr. Wrestling 2.  I know that he used the kneelift a lot and was instrumental in training Magnum TA.

 

61. Bob Backlund - I was always amazed that he was WWF Champion so long.  He seemed so bland and against everything that the WWF stood for.  His later heel interviews where he talked about not eating marijuana were some of the funniest ever.

 

62. Verne Gagne - Mr. AWA.  Did he ever have hair?  He looked old even when he was young.  Never changed with the times and just comes across really bitter in interviews.

 

63.  Matt Borne - The original Doink (which I actually thought was not a bad gimmick...back when he was evil).  I believe he lost to Ricky Steamboat in the first Wrestlemania.

 

64.  Jackie Fargo - Jerry Lawler's idol.  Do the strut!!  Legend in Memphis.

 

65.  Steve Keirn - One of the Fabulous Ones with Stan Lane.  Were the biggest draw of their time down in the Southeast.

 

66. Antonio Inoki - I don't even think he's Japanese, right?  Probably best known for that atrocious match with Ali.  The Chin.  Promoter of New Japan wrestling and one of the biggest legends in Japan.

 

67. Stan Lane - I think I actually saw his first match as a member of the Midnight Express.  It was on one of WCW's rare trips to Boston (in the mid 90's they came to town maybe once a year) and they faced the Road Warriors.  I remember thinking "why is Lane here?"

 

68. Bill Dundee - Legendary on again/off again feud with Lawler down in Memphis.  Dad of J.C. Ice. 

 

69. Bobby Eaton - One of the greatest tag wrestlers of all time and from every account a really nice guy.  He was a high flier back when a flying leg drop and the Superfly splash still got people out of their seats.

 

70. Chris Adams - Gentleman Chris was a huge star in Texas and I always thought if he left the area, could have been a big star nationally as well.  Trained Steve Austin.

 

71. Ted DiBiase - Another one of my favorites.  Never got to see him team with Dr. Death.  I always wanted to see him win the "big one".  Really got into him when he came to the WWF and then I sought out tapes of him from the Mid South days.  Incredible worker.

 

72. Gino Hernandez - One half of the dynamic duo.  Blinded Chris Adams when that team broke up but died before the feud could take place.

 

73. Dick Murdoch - I only got to see him in the later days of his run in WCW and UWF.  I remember the Brain Buster and his team with Dick Slater.  A former WWF Tag Champ with Adrian Adnois.

 

74. Carlos Colon - This guy could BLEED!  I remember magazine covers of him vs. Abdullah just freaking me out.  The "Jerry Lawler" of Puerto Rico. 

 

75. Adrian Adonis - From Hell's Kitchen straight to Fire Island.  This guy embodied Team Player for the gimmicks he did.  And he got shaved bald. 

 

76. Invader #1 - I don't know anything about him as a wrestler.  The only thing I know is that he killed Bruiser Brody and got away with it.

 

77. Dusty Rhodes - The Dream!  Stardust!  Damn, could this guy light up an arena.  He was kind of like the Stone Cold for that generation.  Hell, I even thought he was a great wrestler, but I guess that's what working with Flair can do for you.  Long live the splotch!

 

78. Don Muraco - the original "Rock".  I always remember him for two things: Brutalizing Hulk Hogan during Hogan's initial title reign and dedictating the tombstone to Jesse Ventura during matches.

 

79. Bruiser Brody - Did he really punch out audience members in Japan? I only saw him in a few matches down in World Class against Abdullah.  From what I hear, he could also wrestle a good match as well as have a wild brawl.

 

80. David Schultz - Do NOT ask him if wrestling is fake.  I remember watching the 20/20 and was scared of Schultz after that.  Although, I mean come one...how arrogant is it to ask that question in a WRESTLER'S LOCKER ROOM.  Especially during that time when the business was more protected. 

 

81. Mark Lewin - I knew him as Maniac Mark Lewin and as part of Kevin Sullivan's crew in Florida.  I used to read about it in the Apter mags.  But I think he was arond quite a while.

 

82. Eddie Graham - you always hear wrestlers speak of the late Eddie Graham in reverential tones.  He was supposedly one of the greatest bookers of all time.  I never got to see his Florida Wrestling shows.

 

83. Wahoo McDaniel - Damn, those chops looked painful.  I remember Wahoo's feud with Manny Fernandez (who's team with Rick Rude is still one of the best ever!).

 

84. Boris Malenko - Dean's dad.  Was a top heel in his day and trained a lot of wrestlers down in Florida.  Mark mero and Sean Waltman come to mind.

 

85. Dr. Jerry Graham - Had a reputation for being nuts.  A former WWF tag champion.  I read a story once that it was he who gave Superstar Billy Graham the "Graham" name.

 

86. Red Bastien - Don't know much about him other than that he was a promoter in Texas and is also big into the Cauliflower Alley Club.

 

87. Pat Patterson - That is the weirdest accent I've ever heard.  I remember reading about his Boot Camp match with Slaughter.  Apparantly incredible at laying out matches and finishes.

 

88.  Roddy Piper - The first heel I ever cheered for.  Piper was the best.  His feud with Snuka was off the charts and I really believe that he was as instrumental in the WWF boom as Hogan was.  Batman's no fun without the Joker. 

 

89. Paul Orndorff - Another guy that was pretty instrumental in that WWF boom.  Don't ever blow off his phone call or he'll turn on you in a tag match.  That house show run with Hogan was one of the last great house show runs.

 

90. Ray Stevens - This is a guy I have never seen work and I always wanted to.  People talk about him being one of the best ever.  Had a legendary tag team with Nick Bockwinkel and is a former AWA World Champion. 

 

91. Buddy Rose - A svelte 217 lbs.  I only caught Playboy Buddy Rose's last run with the WWF, but I did see the bloodbath he and his partner had with the Midnight Rockers on tape.

 

92. Danny Hodge - Was pretty much THE NWA Junior Hvt. Champion.  Was a star in Oklahoma in Leroy McGuirk's mostly juniorweight territory.

 

93. Tommy Rich - A former World Champion for a cup of coffee.  The Apter mags used to always say that it was his blood feud with Buzz Sawyer that really prevented him from regaining the title.

 

94. Buzz Sawyer - I remember the fuzzy boots and chain.  I used to read about his feud with Tommy Rich and that picture of the covered cage still sticks out in my mind.

 

95. Bobo Brazil - If wrestling taught me anything, it's that all Samoans and African Americans have hard heads.  Whazzupwidat?  Was one of the first Black headlners in the US.

 

96. Eddie Gilbert - I only got to see Hot Stuff on some UWF tv shows and I read about his Memphis feuds with Lawler and his classic brawls with Cactus Jack in Philly.  Supposedly had a great mind for the business but couldn't keep his personal demons in check.

 

97. Bull Curry - What the hell is the deal with those eyebrows?!?!?!  I had to look this guy up.  Seems to be the precursor to Bruiser Brody in his wild style.

 

98. Pedro Morales - One of the original members of the WWF Triple Crown club.  I only saw him during his IC title days and his feud with Valentine.

 

99. Nick Bockwinkel - The classy world champion.  I never saw much of Bockwinkel in his AWA heyday.  I wasn't too thrilled when they gave the belt to him after Hansen left the building.

 

100. Stan Hansen - Emma Lou and their 18 kids would be pround!  This guy is the straight out balls!  A friend of mine had a tape of Hansen down in Puerto Rico doing the most horrific blade job I've ever seen.  It was like he didn't even hide it from the fans.  That lariat was so stiff, you could feel it watching at home.

 

101. And finally....Ric Flair - I was privelaged enough to see one of Flair's 90 minute matches with Barry Windham.  He is the guy that most cite as their reason for getting into the sport.  I think I can cite him as the reason I really became a fan of the sport.  His interviews were incredible and his matches off the charts.  He could have a four star match with a broom as the saying goes.  I would like to see him get a last run in the WWF and truly acknowledge him as one of the greatest of all time.

 

 I can't believe I completed this....I need to get a life.

 

EXTRA CREDIT

 

Who were The Midnight Rockers?  Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty

What is George Hackenshmidt famous for? He is considered the first Pro Wrestling World Champion

Who was Frank Hickey? The Spaceman.  One of the most legendary jobbers ever 

Who was Danny McShain and what is he famous for introducing into the business? He was a former NWA World Jr. Champion and was in the first gimmick match ever.  Brass Knucks with Bill Curry

What name did Frank Hester and Pepe Lopez use as a tag team? Who was their manager?  The Masked Dominoes  What is their infamous “claim to fame”? They died in a car crash in in 1976 Sam Bass

Name The Gold Dust Trio and explain their approach to doing business:  The Gold Dust Trio was Strangler Leiws, Toots Mondt and Billy Sandow.  They pretty much started "working" matches and building storylines in order to draw bigger houses.  They also started promoting entire cards, instead of just one match. 

Who managed Jerry Lawler during his famous match against Andy Kaufman in Memphis Tennessee’s Mid South Coliseum and what was the outcome?  I think it was Foxy Brown, although Jimmy Hart was in Kaufman's corner eventually.  The outcome was a DQ when Lawler piledrove Kaufman.

Name the famous arena where Stunning Steve Austin made his debut.  The Sportatorium

This was a blast!!!  And if you can believe it, I actually have a life and a girlfriend. :)  Rock on guys! 

E-MAIL JOHN