With Netflix recently announcing that they’ve ordered a comedy series based on everybody’s favorite female wrestling league from the 80’s: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW), I figured I’d finally get around to reviewing the quintessential 80’s women’s wrestling movie, American Angels: Baptism of Blood.
“Beyond the Mat”
Season 11, Episode 15
2/26/2016
The Supernatural Bros., Sam and Dean Winchester, investigate the sudden death of a wrestler. Which, in the world of professional wrestling, isn’t really that strange until you factor in that the death wasn’t due to heart failure, suicide, or drug overdose. Okay, maybe that’s not the best way to start this post. Did I mention The Miz makes a cameo? Wait… come back.
We’re told via title card at the beginning of Backyard Dogs that by the year 2000, there were more than 18,000 backyard wrestling federations. What they don’t tell you is that there were double that amount of nu metal bands and they’re all on this soundtrack. Step into a transitional time period of baggy awkwardness that was the late 90’s and early 2000’s and witness a generation that spawned from the Attitude Era.
Medium: Film
Title: The Waterboy
Bio: Captain Isano is an all-American giant that’s known more for his mic work than his in-ring skills. His greatest rival is the mysterious Herculon.
Signature Move: Cutting scathing promos on 30-year-old virgins.
“Fight Club”
Season 7, Episode 20
5/7/2000
With a week into its revival on Fox, I figured it was as good a time as any to look at that one wrestling-themed episode of The X-Files that Rob Van Dam made a cameo in.
Tired of getting the same mainstream, high quality, detailed little plastic wrestling men Mattel keeps putting out? Do you prefer five points of articulation as opposed to twenty-something? If you answered yes, no, or the more realistic, don’t care, you should still check out these infamous lines of bootleg wrestling action figures only most hardcore collectors are familiar with. They might even make the perfect gift this holiday season.
Despite Dusty having more charisma in his belly-welly’s birthmark than most wrestlers, he never really hit the mainstream like his fellow 80’s cohorts, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, and Jesse Ventura. Although that’s not to say attempts weren’t made to have “The American Dream” use his gift to gab to sell a few goods and services via commercials.
“El-Trainmania IV”
Season 3, Episode 10
10/16/1999
Peter Engel, famed TV producer who brought us Saved by the Bell and California Dreams decided he needed to extend beyond suburbia and reach these keeds living in the big city. Basically, AC Slater and Lisa Turtle weren’t “urban” enough so out came City Guys in 1997. City Guys was a more diverse Saved by the Bell set in the concrete jungle of New York City. This particular episode came out in 1999 during the height of the Attitude Era and features ECW’s Rob Van Dam.
Wrestling, in particular the WWE, is full of cringe-worthy goodness when it comes to the entertainment aspect of sports entertainment. Christmas-themed segments on Monday Night Raws or pay-per-views are quick to reassure you, the fan over 18, that you are clearly watching a program aimed at children. Sometimes there’s a gem amongst all that coal, but usually they’re bad. They’re so bad, I decided to watch Christmas with the Kranks last night on Netflix, rather than stream another holiday episode of Raw and watch guys like Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt go from killing themselves in TLC matches to tumbling over empty, novelty-sized, Christmas presents. Still, I was able to put together this list of other memorable Santa-filled moments.
“Salem’s Daughter”
Season 4, Episode 17
3/3/2000
If you’re a regular live-tweeter during Raw or WWE “special events”, or if you’re someone who just happens to peruse the twitter timeline of WWE-themed hashtags, chances are you might’ve stumbled across tweets from Melissa Joan Hart, A.K.A. Clarissa from Clarissa Explains It All A.K.A. Sabrina from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, in which she tweets about said WWE-themed hashtags.
And if you’re anything like me, you instantly started following her on Twitter because her love of wrestling instantly made you forget about her Who’s the Boss? reimagining Melissa & Joey. Turns out Melissa’s love of wrestling might date back to the Attitude Era when she wrestled Billy Gunn on an episode of Sabrina.
