Author: M. Swift

WWE can be a big step for an upcoming superstar that the company invests in. For everyone else, they’re in for quite the journey. Let’s salvage Ray Gordy AKA Jesse, someone who had a journey in WWE. The WWE Career of Young Slam Master J Gordy’s Jesse gimmick is best known for being paired with Festus—Luke Gallows—as Jesse & Festus, a hillbilly team. As we know by now, WWE and Vince love a country gimmick. While I wasn’t into the gimmick, I acknowledge that it was Gordy’s most memorable at a national level. After the team was ended, he became Slam Master…

We’re finally at a clashing month for WCW and WWE as February sees WWE In Your House 6! Low-Tier Triple H facing Duke “The Dumpster” was a match that went a little too long for who was involved. There was a story here as they’d been going at it on TV for a while. However, I can bring myself to be excited for Triple H fighting The Dumpster. Although, I had the same thoughts going into Triple H facing a Godwinn and I enjoyed that. The British Bulldog taking on Yokozuna was a meh bout. These two could have good matches but this one…

For the first half of the 90s, WCW ran PPVs in select months and filled in the rest with Clash of the Champions on TBS. February 11 marked WCW’s first PPV of 1996: WCW SuperBrawl VI. Let’s head Into the Vault! Low-Tier Konnan defending the U.S Title against The One Man Gang wasn’t dreadful but compared to some of the stuff on this card, it’s pretty bottom of the barrel. It’s not even at the very bottom, it’s just not as interesting a match. I’m sure I’d even bat an eye at how this match could’ve been on a B-show or as the opener if it was a TV…

So, instead of doing the second episode ECW Hardcore TV this week, I figured we’d just look at ECW on TNN. Listen, when I started the First Month Fire series for Into the Vault, I said that I’d sit through and recap every first-month episode of a show that I started. Then I watched Hardcore TV. It’s just a couple of episodes but I’m not sitting through the first month of that. I changed my mind at episode three. Hardcore TV doesn’t become good until past episode ten. With that said, let’s get into episode one of ECW on TNN from August 1999. Exotic-Tier Well damn, that…

Monsters have always had a home in WWE. However, there are scores of monsters who were released or lacked the investment by the company. Let’s look at five such monsters. Mike Knox (2006-2010) I have to say, WWE kind of made an attempt with Mike Knox. He was introduced in the worst way: as Kelly Kelly’s possessive boyfriend. Towards the end of his WWE run, he was put in a gimmick that was basic as hell but he could’ve worked it. Knox was just a large, bearded powerhouse by 2008. This is when the company should’ve really started their work…

In this Wrestling Salvage Yard, we’re looking at “The Wildman”, “Marvelous” Marc Mero. He really kicked off his career in WCW as the popular Johnny B. Badd. Then things took a bit of a turn for him roughly a year into his WWE career. He came in pretty hot and impressed with his shooting star press at his size. Yes, it was impressive. Mero won the IC Title in a tournament on RAW advancing over the likes of Austin, Owen, and Farooq. Once he lost the belt, he was still in the mix. It in 1997 after being repackaged as “Marvelous” Marc…

We’re back for some more First Month Fire with the first TNA Impact episode. We looked at the June 2002 debut of NWA Total Non-Stop Wrestling. There have been better first shows. Let’s look at the first episode of what would become Impact Wrestling’s namesake and flagship show. It’s two years later—June 2004! What matches were good and which were scraps? Low-Tier Abyss rolling through Shark Boy was pretty much a non-match. I will say that by this time, Abyss had nestled into the gimmick. However, this wasn’t the match to showcase it. It’s a comedy squash. Mid-Tier Luckily, the Abyss vs. Shark Boy…

There are tons of stock gimmicks in wrestling. There are at least two Doinks in each census region of the U.S. At least one of those two Doinks will wrestle this weekend. One of my favorite wrestling gimmicks is the simple but somewhat problematic wild Samoan or wild savage. Wrestling Gimmicks and The Suspension of Belief This is a hold-over from the carny days where you usually had a wrestler of color or a tanned white wrestler with menacing, wild features. Think of the Italian-American wrestlers and actors who played Native Americans. A booker would look at them and think “With…

Last month was the 18th anniversary of Impact Wrestling—NWA-TNA or TNA Wrestling. The company hit the scene with the weekly NWA Total Non-Stop Action PPVs which garnered a lot of praise at the time for presenting an exciting alternative to WWE after ECW and WCW fell. In some ways, TNA was a WCW offshoot that ended up lasting much longer than the original. Anyway, it’s time for some First Month Fire with NWA Total Non-Stop Wrestling. Low-Tier The midget match between Teo and Hollywood? Get that out of here, could’ve done without it. Then again, this was a two-hour show so a midget match…

I need a palate cleanser after “Make A Difference” Rikishi, folks. Let’s find a gnarly gimmick to try and salvage. Let’s look at former WCW/WWE star Giant Gonzales! Hey, since the last Wrestling Salvage Yard ended with no salvaging, we’ll do both of Giant Gonzales’ gimmicks! El Gigante in WCW So, after his basketball career with the Hawks was halted because of injury, Ted Turner—who owned the Hawks—got Gonzalez a job as a wrestler. He did some training in Atlanta before debuting in 1990. He was pushed quite a bit even being involved with Flair for the World title. After all, you don’t have…