On Monday, May 1, 2006 at 5:43 PM EST Welcome to this week's edition of the Armpit quiz. I apologize for not having a quiz posted last week, but I was hard hit with a nasty cold that sidelined me for awhile. But we’re back this week with more fun.
So, ECW is coming back, eh? Time will tell how it all plays out, but let’s be optimistic and hope it gives the wrestling business a much needed kick in the a**. We all know how a WWE-owned WCW turned out, but this time, Heyman will have significant creative control. We’ll see how it turns out.
In the meantime, now’s a good time to do a quiz on “ECW.” We’ll focus on early ECW. If you watched the Rise and Fall of ECW, you should do well.
Winner from 2 weeks ago: No name was given, but he wants to give a shout out to Impact Zone Wrestling in Phoenix, AZ and their bi-weekly shows at The Sets in Tempe every other Tuesday.
Answers from 2 weeks ago: (Click here)
-ECW gave Mysterio a big push in 1995.
-The 1-2-3 Kid climbed to stardom by pinning Razor Ramon.
-Spike “Runt” Dudley’s real name is Matt Hyson.
-During X-mas of 1991, Jushin Liger had a run of hot house show matches with Brian Pillman.
-Liger wrestled Samoa Joe last year.
-Chris Benoit patterned himself after the Dynamite Kid.
-Brian was badly injured in WarGames ’91 when he was dropped wrong on a powerbomb by Sid Vicious. This wasn’t Sid’s night, as the camera kept picking up his audible spot-calling with Rick Steiner. That was a great PPV, though. One of the best ever.
-Of the guys listed, Mistico was not a cruiserweight in WCW in the mid 90s.
-Who was AJ Styles’ heel manager in TNA? Apparently it was Mortimer Plumtree, which I didn’t know. The answer I had in mind was Vince Russo, but I guess I was wrong. I accepted either answer.
-Most of you said you wanted to see Samoa Joe wrestle in TNA’s heavyweight division as well as the X division. Sounds like you’re gonna get your wish.
Here are this week's questions. Please email your answers to Quiz@ArmpitWrestling.com. The first person to get all the correct answers to me will be declared the winner and have his/her name listed next week along with anything he/she wants to plug. Remember, once you win, you cannot win again for 3 more weeks. We're not calling this the "Dr. Keith Rule" again until Keith subscribes to Sirius satellite radio, which is an inside joke that should be kept outside, but we're putting it inside anyway.
Question #1
1. Very early ECW was booked by Eddie Gilbert, and the TV shows were decent. Bad by today’s standards, with a very indie feel and embarrassing production values. Under new booker Paul Heyman, the shows improved rapidly. I watched ECW very closely during this time period, and the changes were remarkable and revolutionary. I’ve always felt the first 2-3 years of Heyman’s run were the best in its history, but most people associate ECW with its TNN days, which is a shame because the booking magic was largely gone. What year did Heyman take over as booker of ECW?
Question #2
2. “Blind” angles are historically very memorable. ECW had its own blind angle, when the Sandman was “blinded” and sold it very convincingly. How was Sandman “blinded?”
Question #3
3. “Please sir, may I have another!?” Tommy Dreamer quoted from Oliver Twist as he let the Sandman cane his bare back. It was captivating TV at the time, and was step 1 of an extremely long process of getting pretty boy Tommy Dreamer over with the ECW fans. Also in the ring during this angle was Sandman’s manager. Who was his manager?
Question #4
4. Speaking of Sandman, his wife also had a role in ECW. What was her name? (Hint: it’s the name of a fruit)
Question #5
5. Let’s stick with the Sandman. He even involved his own son in an angle during a feud with whom?
Question #6
6. It still amazed me how desensitized we’ve become when Johnny Grunge’s recent death wasn’t more of a news story. It wasn’t too long ago when the Public Enemy were the hottest act in the county. Their wild brawls and hilarious promos turned them into ECW’s first superstar act, no doubt helped when Terry and Dory Funk put them over to establish them. Public Enemy’s departure from ECW in 1996 was made into a big deal. Their final house show appearance was named which of the following?
C-Ya, Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya
Public Enemy #1
House Party
Philly Street Blues
Na na na na, Good-Bye
Thug You Very Much
Question #7
7. Long-haired brawlers who did nothing but punch and kick, Ron and Don Harris were one of the early tag teams in ECW. What were they called?
Question #8
8. When Arn Anderson made a rare ECW appearance (as part of a legal resolution with WCW) in 1994, he teamed up with what wrestling legend?
Question #9
9. Sabu in early ECW was booked very similar to Abyss today in TNA. That’s ironic, since the two have had some excellent brawls in the past 12 months. Neither guy would talk, and Father James Mitchell is every bit as good a promo guy as Paul Heyman is. Sabu was ECW’s top face before the Sandman claimed that spot in 1995, but fans quickly turned on Sabu with the famous “F*ck Sabu” chants. Why did they chant this?
Question #10
10. This question is optional. Very briefly, what is your opinion on the decision to bring back ECW?
Security Code
11. Please write down this week’s security code in order to verify that you saw this quiz on WrestleView.com. This week’s code is "SABU." Any emails we receive that do not contain this code will not be eligible to win.
12. In case you win, please tell us how you'd like to list your name and plug. Due to time constraints, you will not be notified if you win, and instead will have to wait until next week when the winning name is posted. If you're playing just for fun and don't care about winning, you don't have to answer this question.
Please email your answers to Quiz@ArmpitWrestling.com. Results will be posted next week. Thanks to everyone for playing.
The Wrestling Professor
www.ArmpitWrestling.com
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