The Tigers Den Trivia

(By White Tiger TRV Writer of the Year 2006/2007)

Volume 1 - Answers

I could apologize for the delay in this being posted and give an excuse but I would be lying. This is late being posted because I have been lazy.

The answers to the questions are in as much detail as I can give but some of the answers I am not entirely familiar with and so I cannot give a detailed answer to them. Without any further delay these are the answers:

1. Andre the Giant – the story behind this is as follows. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase had tried to buy the WWF title off of Hulk Hogan in 1987 but had failed and so, having failed to buy the title, he fought Hogan for it in a series of matches that he subsequently lost. So he turned to Andre to win the title for him and on February 5^th 1988, with help from DiBiase and a hired ref, Andre succeeded in defeating Hogan for the title. Straight after the match Andre sold the title to DiBiase, though Jack Tunney declared this transaction invalid and vacated the title, and thus Andre became the shortest reigning World Champion in WWF\E history.  Andre’s one and only WWF World title reign lasted only 45 seconds.

The Tigers Den Trivia

(By White Tiger TRV Writer of the Year 2006/2007)

Volume 1 - Questions

I thought I’d try something a little out of the norm…so bare with me for a moment.

A simple format, I list twenty questions/challenges starting with easy ones and getting harder (at least as I perceive it to be) and you try to answer them. After four weeks I will give the answers. Depending on how successful this is I might make this a frequent thing. No doubt some of you will find this dreadfully easy.

You'll forgive me is some of the questions/answers are slightly inaccurate but I am only human after all.

The Tigers Den.

By White Tiger ((TRV writer of the year 2006/2007))

22nd Edition:

When Boxing Meets Wrestling

It seems that from the time of their creation the sport of Boxing and the sport, and later entertainment industry, of Wrestling have been compared to each other. Back in the days of Lou Thesz they were probably seen as two types of similar sports that were both as demanding as each other but as time progressed and wrestling became more entertainment than boxing that idea has changed and wrestling is often scoffed at as being “dancing” and “fake”.

Comparing the two is quite hard as Boxing and Wrestling are very different and require different skills to be successful in but both of the sports industries have been linked for years.

The first link between Boxing and wrestling may not be that obvious but it goes a long way back and to one name…George Raymond Wagner, a man more well known by his ring name Gorgeous George.

When Gorgeous George was a wrestler both wrestling and boxing were sports with very little character because it was coming from an age where the only way to see it was by being at the stadium so there was little use for flamboyant characters and showmanship. With the introduction of television Gorgeous George became one of the biggest stars in the world because he was a self-promoting, self brandishing man with a gimmick that stood out from everyone else who were mostly old school wrestlers who prefered to appear as straight-edged competetors and great sportsmen.

The Tigers Den.

By White Tiger ((TRV writer of the year 2006/2007))

21st Edition:

Jobbers – The Importance of Being a Loser

Following the recent clashes between our esteemed owner TolerancE and retired wrestler Damian Demento I was inspired to explore the world of the Jobber.

To some the term “Jobber” is an insult…I am not of the same frame of mind. The world of wrestling as we know it was built on the shoulders of men like Hogan and McMahon but also it was built on the backs of jobbers. The term Jobber is given to a wrestler who continually lost or lost the majority of their matches. This term can be placed on many performers in the history of wrestling and to most the idea of being a jobber is undesirable, but it is an important part of the business.

In wrestling we remember the greats, wrestlers that have won more titles and beaten more people then anyone else, but it is important too to remember those whom the wrestling world could not do without. Those few who submit to loss after loss in the name of promoting a headline wrestler or a new talent who the writers and creative staff want to give a push to, to try and get them over with the fans.

And so often it is that we shun those who have won nothing or little to nothing, those whose legacy will seldom be remembered, but to shun those people seems to me to be a crime, for without these men wrestling would never have become the multi-million dollar industry it is today.

Perhaps the most famous of jobbers was Special Delivery Jones. S.D Jones however was not only a jobber; he had held the NWA Americas Tag Team titles 3 times in the Los Angles based company of World Wrestling Association, once in 1975 and twice 1977. However he will be most remembered for his stint in the WWF as a fan favourite who gave his heel opponent a tough challenge but still ended up losing except when he was facing off against lower-carders or fellow lower-mid-carders. His place in the company was to help to establish and bring through new wrestlers and he did that quite well.

Of course he was crushed by King Kong Bundy in nine seconds at Wrestlemania but that was expected after all.

S.D. Jones was what some might call a “Jobber to the stars”. This is a term used to describe someone who tends to win most of the matches against lower-mid-carders and lower-carders but fails to beat upper-mid-carders or main-eventers. Other wrestlers in the WWF/E to fit this criteria include Tony Garea and Tito Santana (as they got older), Val Venus, Funaki and Nunzio. Triple H was given a role similar to this in 1996 as punishment for the MSG Incident and recently Ric Flair has found himself occupying this place in the WWE roster…at least before this whole “lose and you have to retire” angle came around.

There have been men who made their career out of Jobbing…mostly in the WWF/E and mostly during the expansion stages of the 1980’s and 1990’s. This list include such wrestlers as Barry Horowitz, Steve Lonmbardi, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, Brady Boone, Scott Casey, the Conquistadors, Iron Mike Sharpe, Dale Wolfe, George South, Brian Costello, and Jerry Allen.

Some jobbers managed to go up in the world as time went on. A prime example of this is Mick Foley who appeared several times as a jobber for the old WWF as Jack Foley but would go on to be one of the most sucessful wrestlers of the Attitude era.

The importance of a jobber or of jobbers is not to win matches and titles, it isn’t even to establish an on-screen character. A jobbers role is to help build new wrestlers and stars. The problem with RAW and Smackdown as it stands is that stars clash with stars and that leaves little in the way for an established lower-card and as a result the lower-card that before was used to help bring new stars through and helped hone the skills of those newer guys has been relegated to developmental companies and the occaisonal appearances on Heat.

While I am a fan of the sucessful wrestlers and idolise them in one way or another…for the most part…I have a lot of respect for the jobbers. Without them wrestling would have died out years ago. They are the work-horses of the business while the main-eventers and the upper-mid-carders are the drawers.

While nobody would really want to be a jobber, given the choice, being one is not really something to be ashamed of.

Forget Chuck Norris!
Here is a list of notorious Hulk Hogan facts.

Here is a comprehensive list of Hulk Hogan facts. This list was compiled and listed on NODQ.com. This list covers from 1985 through 2005. An interesting fact that is not listed here covers the first Wrestlemania and speculations surrounding the main event. I spoke with Jimmy Snuka at great lengths in from 1999 to 2003 and he was very candid with his stories. Apparently, Snuka says that Jesse “The Body” Ventura, who had just come to New York from Minneapolis (AWA) and was slated to headline Wrestlemania, until he suffered what, was to be a career ending back injury. The idea was then pitched to Hogan to headline Wrestlemania against, then Intercontinental Champion, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine for the title. Once hearing this Hogan shot down the idea and said that the show was too big for a match against Valentine, and that he would look weak wrestling a mid-card champion. Hogan then pushed to revisit the feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper, after the feud was already put to rest. Keep in mid that Hogan and Piper “supposedly” finished their feud at the MTV special “War to Settle the Score” in February of 1985; but Hulk again insisted that re-hashing the already stale feud with Piper and company in March, would be the best way. Which one could argue wasn’t a bad decision, but another sign of Hogan’s inability to think outside the box.

The remaining details in this list are interesting, to say the least and sound to be right on the money. Please read and enjoy. Again, credit goes to NODQ.com for this list.

Rick "TolerancE" Robinson
 

Hey Damien, it's your favorite guy in the whole world, TolerancE. You know I've sat back and got a kick out of you making a total ass out of yourself for months now on YouTube. And I've had the pleasure of writing, not one, but two very successful commentaries on your "never was" stint in the sport of professional wrestling. You know, when I worked for The Honky Tonk Man in 2002, I was tired of hearing him claim that he did so much in the business and was such a draw. I honestly didn't think it could get any worse. But now, I look at you and can't help but laugh. At least Honky has a legitimate point and can back up his claim of being the greatest Intercontinental Champion; because he did hold the title longer than anyone. What's your claim? Headlining Monday Night Raw? News flash, Jobber; the fucking Spirit Squad headlined Raw too! Look at the facts; The Undertaker didn't need your help to get over. Mark got over because he is the epitome of hard work, heart and passion. All you do is sit in your single wide and flip the switch on a webcam after you sleep off the previous night's hooch and magic card session.

You last video was great! It's nice to know that you actually had to go to the gym in order to get ready for your big shoot on me. Boy I'll tell ya, you really told me! I'm sorry Damien, but I find it hard to fear a man who says he's part of the occult, but in reality only has all 9 seasons of charmed on DVD. Even if you upped the ante and added an autographed VHS version of The Craft, I’d still be disappointed. But Damien, if you really want me to be scared, fine. I'll go throw in a few tapes of All American Wrestling and fast forward to the part where you’re jobbing to Doink The Clown. That’s guaranteed to terrify anyone.