Discover the marketing Genius of a Wrestling Superstar

Hi Duane!

> Just out of curiousity did your father ever
> want you to become a wrestler? Or did he try
> to steer you clear from the arena?

No, he didn't want me to become a wrestler. Nor did he specifically try to keep me away from the arena.

He tried to lead me to a life of intense school study, high marks, university, then work hard for someone else.

Didn't work :o)

He taught me enough wrestling moves to keep myself out of harms way, should I ever have a need to 'fight'.

> What was your father's stage name? or did
> they use his real name in the ring?
> Seems like everybody has a gimmick nowadays
> "The Rock", "Stone Cold"
> , "The American BAD ASS" etc. etc.

His stage name was Gen Meski and he was billed as The Polish Heavy Weight Champion. (all fighters had to be some kind of champion of some place to lend "credibility" to it or make the fights seem more important than they were. It also helped with marketing to different ethnic groups)

And like all wrestlers, he was a body builder first (Won Mr Sydney, appeared on TV with 'Sabrina'). I love the photo of him holding two of my aunties sitting in/on his arms (one on each arm as if his arm was a bench seat hehe)

I remember watching him on TV while he was in the lounge room. I'd look at the TV then back to him, then back to the TV again - trying to catch him 'transporting' between the two HA!

> It's funny but some people think that the
> moves are real! Go figure :-> I do know
> though that sometimes the moves are not
> executed "perfectly" and those
> guys DO get hurt.

The moves are fake only because the wrestlers pull them. Just like a pulled punch which stops short of your face is a fake punch. Done without pulling and damage can and does occur.

The 'sleeper' hold is real, when applied with force. And to make it real the difference can be nothing more than flexing the muscle.

Head first pile drivers will cause no harm as long as the peson doing the dropping, keeps his knees together (which catch the shoulders of the person being dropped). Open the knees just a tad and there is no safety. (my father has an interesting story about how one wrestler tried to put him out of the game by 'opening' his knees - which would most likely have broken my father's neck had he not taken the right action - and how after that move the rest of the fight was in fact REAL!)

The forearm jolt does not hurt and only makes a big noise. As long as you don't duck into it - like one of my father's opponents did, getting a smashed nose for his trouble - it was the opponents first and last fight.

A figure four leg lock does not hurt UNLESS pressure is applied. And then it hurts like all hell. And not much pressure is needed either.

> Hmm...only half inches eh? I wonder if the
> risk is worth it.

You have to TRUST each other. But even still, if one of the people does the right thing and the other is all stiff or decide to not 'play the game', then damage will happen.

The people who make the most from wrestling are the promoters.

Who will win and who will lose is decided before the fight. And that's how it will go unless something goes wrong.

And when they place their heads on each other's shoulders (nelson, from memory) they are talking, deciding what the next move is.

Michael Ross.