Between The Ropes

Brian Fritz

Description

An examination of the last decade of pro wrestling, looking at both the unprecedented surge in mass appeal that turned it into a billion-dollar business and the decision-making follies that put it back down on the mat. Fritz and Murray analyse the four major North American promotions, following their exploits from business, storyline and character standpoints. Major wrestling stars like The Rock, Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan add their unique, firsthand insights to complete a telling mix.

Sujets

• Lucha libre profesional
• Wrestling

Informations

• Publié par: Ecw Press
• Date de parution: 16 novembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781554902682
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

BETWEEN THE ROPES
Wrestling s Greatest Triumphs and Failures
Brian Fritz Christoper Murray
Copyright Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray, 2006
Published by ECW PRESS 2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M 4 E 1 E 2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW PRESS .
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Fritz, Brian Between the ropes : wrestling s greatest triumphs and failures / Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray.
ISBN 1-55022-726-2
1. Wrestling-United States. 2. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. 3. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 4. World Championship Wrestling, Inc. 5. Extreme Championship Wrestling. I. Murray, Christopher, 1981- II. Title.
GV1195.F75 2006 796.812 0973 C2006-900492-7
Developing editor: Michael Holmes Typesetting: Gail Nina Cover and text design: Tania Craan Cover photos: Lee South, Courtesy of TNA Wrestling Photos page 220, 229, 243 and 276: Lee South, Courtesy of TNA Wrestling All other photos: from the collection of Brian Fritz
P RINTING : Transcontinental
DISTRIBUTION
CANADA : Jaguar Book Group, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, ON, L 7 G 5 s 4 UNITED STATES : Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610
PRINTED AND BOUND IN CANADA
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword - Steve Corino
Introduction
Between the Ropes, PART 1
WCW
Between the Ropes, PART II
ECW
Between the Ropes, PART III
WWF/WWE
Between the Ropes, PART IV
TNA
Between the Ropes, PART V
The Future
Between the Ropes Audio Index
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank so many people for helping not only with this book, but also by being a part of Between the Ropes . Chris Murray actually came up with the idea of writing this book, and really jump-started the process. He has been a tireless worker on this project and has always been a big part of the success of the show.
Brian Dickerman has been there from day one, which I cannot thank him enough for. He has made a lot of sacrifices to be a regular part of the show, and I know there were times when he preferred to be somewhere else. I ve always said that without him, there would be no Between the Ropes , because he is the lifeblood of what we do.
Larry Brannon (Vito DeNucci) has been a great addition to the show, and I m glad that he is a part of it. I know it is tough for him, considering the wonderful family he has and giving up some valuable time from them. For that, I thank him and his wife Amy.
Thanks to B. Randall Myers for teaching me so much about working in radio and for helping to get Between the Ropes off the ground and keeping it on the air. You were never afraid to tell me the truth when no one else would speak up, even if you thought it was something I didn t want to hear.
Over the years, we ve had a bunch of different producers, and all of them have helped out a lot. The long list includes B. Randall, Craig Bullock, Andy Garcia, Jim Ferran, August Schalkham, and Mike Tuck. Now for long-time listeners of the show - you won t recognize most of those names, since we decided to use dumb nicknames instead. But in the end, they ve all come through.
A special thank you goes out to Marc Daniels, who first gave me the opportunity to do Between the Ropes and has given the show a home on the radio.
To my good buddy Jerry Lynn for his great friendship and for being a great part of our wonderful driving singing duo, which no one else will truly appreciate. Steve Corino, Shane Douglas, and Simon Diamond have all been good friends as well and I hope we all have good times ahead. Also, I need to thank Mick Foley for his unintentional words of wisdom in helping me write the book.
Thanks also go out to the hundreds of guests who have shared their time and been on the show. I hope that all of you enjoyed the conversations we have had over the years.
Michael Holmes of ECW Press gave Chris and I the opportunity to do this book, which I appreciate. He has always believed in this project from day one.
To my parents, Robert and Janet, who have always been there for me. It was my dad who introduced me to wrestling as a teenager even though he was not a big fan of it. Still, he watched it with me to spend some quality time together as I was growing up. Regardless of the motive, I was hooked and haven t stopped watching since. My mom was always there to listen to me shout about what I had just seen in wrestling, nodding her head and laughing at my excitement.
More than anyone else, I would like to thank all of the people who have ever tuned in to Between the Ropes , who enjoy the program and have supported it. In the end, it is the fans that make or break you, who tell you what is good and what isn t. We ve been very fortunate to have a loyal group of people who have appreciated what we have done, and hopefully, what we will continue to do.
- Brian Fritz
Fritz did most of the thanking for both of us, but I do want to make some quick mentions. Right off the bat, many thanks to my mother, Liz, father, Dennis, and brother, Matt, for their support and belief in me and this project.
Also, thanks to my good friends - Craig Mitchell, Joe Antico, Mike Malone, Nick Labetti, and Trevor Labetti - for trekking with me to Madison Square Garden, the Meadowlands, the Nassau Coliseum, and other venues all over the Tri-State Area for wrestling events throughout the years. There ve been some good matches and plenty of laughs along the way.
Thanks to the good people at ECW Press for taking a chance on us, particularly Michael Holmes, for his guidance and assistance in offering the opportunity and making this book a reality.
Thanks to writers like Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller, who covered professional wrestling in print long before it was fashionable, and Mick Foley, who opened the door for literature on wrestling with his first autobiography, and proved that wrestling fans can read.
Thanks to Brian Dickerman and Larry Vito DeNucci Brannon, as well as Randy B. Randall Myers before him, for providing two hours of the best wrestling radio anywhere in the world each and every week. Great radio guys, and even better people.
Most of all, thanks to Brian Fritz for allowing me to be a part of the ride for the past seven years, and for being a true friend I m lucky to have gotten to know. Looking forward to being there for the next step in the journey, whatever that may be.
Last but not least, thanks to every single person who has listened to Between the Ropes over the years, and every single person that has picked up this book. You guys and girls have made this all possible, and I hope we are able to continue entertaining you, both in print and on the airwaves, for years to come.
- Christopher Murray
Foreword
I ve had the privilege of being able to wrestle around the world, holding world championships for ECW, the NWA, and the AWA. Sitting now in a hotel room in Tokyo getting ready to go out and perform, I fondly remember the time I met Brian Fritz and first heard about the Between the Ropes radio program.
Ever since my first appearance on the show back in my ECW days, followed by my many, many, many appearances since, I have held the Between the Ropes show dear to my heart. Brian Fritz and his program have always greeted me with open arms, and I consider Between the Ropes to be my radio home.
To me, Fritz, Dickerman (never call him Dickerson, trust me), and now Vito, have hosted the number one pro wrestling radio show for the past seven years. These are three guys who love the sport. Wrestling is fun for all of them. They enjoy the lighter side of the sport, especially when I am there, and don t have the attitude that they re ashamed to follow wrestling, as most of the media does. They speak with the top stars in wrestling, including Ric Flair, me, Steve Austin, me, John Cena, me, and anyone else who has ever been anyone in this industry.

BTR with its 4th host, Steve Corino
I met Fritz back in 1999, when I was just a young rookie in ECW. He was the first media guy to actually act like he cared about me as a person, and not just some wrestler. And he did. That is the way he is. For the ten years that I have been involved in pro wrestling, I have seen friendships come and go, but I can say that Brian Fritz will be my friend far past my time in wrestling.
I joke that when I come on Between the Ropes , I am a cohost, but in all reality, I feel like the fourth member of the family. That is the way these guys make me feel. There are no rules, no script, and nothing off-limits. Most of the time when I have been in studio, it has been a nonstop two hours of fun that can not be surpassed.
Seven years ago, I was the new kid on the block, hoping to get exposure from the show. Now, I consider Fritz one of my true friends. And for that I am grateful. They say in pro wrestling you can count your true friends on one hand. Well, I am glad Brian Fritz is one of them.
Congratulations to Between the Ropes for being given the chance to write this book. And for those who read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy being a part of the Between the Ropes family.
Steve Corino 4th Host of Between The Ropes And, oh yeah, Pro Wrestler
Introduction
Sports entertainment. Professional wrestling. Regardless of what you call it, for millions of fans, it s a fun distraction from the daily grind a couple of times each week. But these fans continually find themselves defending their passion to everyday people, who view wrestling as little more than a fake sport that appeals only to the dregs of society.
Fake. The four-letter F-word that can send a wrestling fan over the edge. Sure the punches and kicks are pulled and the in-ring action is mainly choreographed, but the