I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Nightmare Pro Wrestling, but I’m glad I did. Jon David Guerra is an awesome artist. Like many other artists that like to share their work online and give things we love a new twist, he’s taken to mashing things up with pro wrestling the same way Ramon Villalobos and Mike Kendrick have done. In this case, mashing up the world of professional wrestling with every type of monster from the Universal classics to the Japanese Kaijus.
Author: James Martinez
Follow on Twitter @cheapopculture.
The Supernatural Wrestler
What’s wrestling without its larger than life characters? It’s the only medium outside of a comic book where clowns, space travelers, battling cats, and mythical man-beasts can all do battle in the name of good vs. evil. Sometimes those characters are so much more larger than life that they exist outside the parameters that govern the real world, and extend to the great beyond. Or somewhere great beyond adjacent. These paranormal grapplers may call upon the spirit of the dead, live off of human blood for sustenance, worship the devil himself, or just like Bray Wyatt showed us at Hell in a Cell, produce hologram images via possessed lanterns. And as cool or absurd as it might seem at first if it’s at least moderately successful, like all other wrestling gimmicks, it’ll certainly be done to death (Thank you, thank you).
The Bundy 5: Hulk Hogan Halloween Costumes
There’s little doubt that the most recognizable wrestler on the entire planet is, was, and probably forever will be Hulk Hogan. At the very least, he’ll always be the George Lucas of wrestlers in terms of merchandising the hell out of his brand. From the start of Hulkamania in the mid-80’s to his lackluster and soul-sucking stint in TNA from the last couple of years, The Hulkster’s always been able to cash a few more checks come Halloween time.
Continue reading “The Bundy 5: Hulk Hogan Halloween Costumes”
Uncle Grandpa
“History of Wrestling”
Season 2, Episode 5
9/11/2014
A character named Uncle Grandpa immediately draws to mind inbreeding. Luckily, that’s not the case, but he’s definitely out there. Given that the “History of Wrestling” is the extent of which I am able to judge Uncle Grandpa on, I’m going to go out on a limb and also say it’s kind of stupid. But hey, I’m not the intended demographic and I liked Beavis & Butthead growing up, so what the hell do I know? I will say that Uncle Grandpa’s treatment of professional wrestling wasn’t that bad. For a stupid cartoon. So there’s that.
Wrestler Parodies
Playing dress up is part of the fun of being a professional wrestler. Hell, it’s part of the fun of being a professional wrestling fan. But it’s even more fun watching other wrestlers as their rivals mocking the way they dress and/or talk. In reality, it’s not that hard to impersonate a wrestler. Pro wrestlers are relatively one-dimensional cartoon characters. They oftentimes wear the same clothes and spout out memorable catchphrases. So, in the spirit of it being October and with Halloween and all, let’s look at some of the best moments in wrestlers dressing up as other wrestlers history.
Sting: Moment of Truth (2004)
Hopefully, the recently released WWE DVD The Best of Sting gives Steve Borden the career retrospective he deserves because this movie certainly didn’t. At least they didn’t accidentally use footage of nWo Sting thinking it was the real Sting. C’mon WWE, get your shit together. Although I’m sure the new DVD doesn’t beat you over the head with strong Christian overtones like you were Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble. Surprisingly, under the list of producers Pat Robertson isn’t mentioned at all. Makes sense though. If this film had some of that sweet 700 Club money it wouldn’t have looked like some film school kid’s thesis project.
Wrestling with Joeylicious
Granted, I’m a little late on this press release that Setta Entertainment put out… to WrestleZone. But still, it’s worth mentioning since a large part of this site is dedicated to actual TV episodes that feature pro wrestling in one way or another.
From Setta:
New York, NY – WRESTLING WITH JOEYLICIOUS is a single-camera half hour comedy, filmed in and around NYC. It will follow Joey’s trials and tribulations as he attempts to lead a normal life balancing work, family and a romance while desperately clinging to his dream of becoming the greatest professional wrestler of all time.
The Bundy 5: Alcohol & Drug Addiction Storylines
As September draws to a close I figured I’d highlight the fact that September is National Recovery Month which raises awareness about recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Addictions that the pro wrestling industry is all too familiar with. And while wrestling fans once chugged along with their favorite beer guzzlers like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Sandman, and rolled a fatty for 4:20 friendly wrestlers like Rob Van Dam and The Godfather, in today’s wrestling landscape that’s no longer the case. While it’s not entirely condemned, because only heels are straight edge, it’s definitely frowned upon. Pro wrestling has even tried to make public service announcements out of wrestlers’ real-life past addictions. Here’s five of them.
Continue reading “The Bundy 5: Alcohol & Drug Addiction Storylines”
Paid for by the Following: Budweiser
Thanks to Budweiser’s Real Men of Genius musical campaign, the pro wrestling wardrobe designer finally got his just due. Of course, like most men highlighted in these songs the wardrobe designer was ridiculed to no end. It’s basically the one-minute version of the joke you’ve always heard from your friends who hate that you watch wrestling, but in the form of a not-so-subtle song.
The Overly Latino Wrestler
Seeing as National Hispanic Heritage Month officially started on September 15th, I thought this would be a good enough reason to look at The Overly Latino Wrestler. From the Mexican luchadores to the Puerto Rican grapplers. Whether they are salsa-dancing, fiery Lotharios or lowrider driving, gang bangers (and not in the Porn Hub way), the Latino wrestler has been a long-time fixture in the American professional wrestling scene. You might have noticed him. He’s the one who always cuts a promo in Spanish after having already said it in English because how else are we supposed to know he’s Latino?
Cheap Pop Culture 