Wrestling

Tips for enjoying TNA Wrestling

January 12, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

TNA Wrestling is one of the most famous wrestling promotions in the world, with good reason. If you’re new to TNA, here are some tips for getting the best out of your viewing experience.

What’s in a name?
TNA stands for “Total Nonstop Action” Wrestling. Founded in 2002, TNA caters to fans of wrestling who missed the days of Southern-style and cruiserweight wrestling after World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling both closed in 2001.

Southern-style wrestling, also known as “rasslin’,” places great emphasis on maintaining kayfabe. Kayfabe is a term used in professional wrestling to refer to the portrayal of fictional storylines and events as real. Professional wrestling is as much a form of entertainment as it is a sport; much of the excitement generated by professional wrestling has to do with the fictional feuds and other gimmicks that give structure and meaning to the matches and their outcomes. The lifeblood of professional wrestling is not only the matches themselves but also the relationships portrayed between the wrestlers. In a classic example of kayfabe, faces (good guys) and heels (bad guys) do not associate in public.

Cruiserweight refers to a weight below 220 pounds (100 kilograms). Cruiserweight wrestlers compete in matches with no lower limit on weight.

The shape of things
TNA is unique among most wrestling promotions in its use of a six-sided or hexagonal ring. Most wrestling promotions, including the well-known World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), use a standard ring with four sides.

Deep iMPACT!
TNA iMPACT! is a TV show produced by TNA. You can watch it on Spike TV or attend matches live at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida. Admission to the live matches is free, but you have seating priority if you’re a paying guest of Universal Studios Florida. Matches are taped on Monday nights, so if you’d like to catch a live match, plan to stay at Universal Studios Florida until after the weekend.

TNA iMPACT! features three to five matches per show, plus interviews and angles (fictional storylines).

X marks the spot
TNA’s X Division specializes in high-risk, high-flying wrestling reminiscent of the cruiserweight matches of the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Stars of the X Division include AJ Styles, who won the division title 5 times; Samoa Joe, who competed for and won the division title even though, at 290 pounds, he was hardly a cruiser weight; and Christopher Daniels, whose reign as X Division champion is still the longest to this day.

To experience the excitement of high-flying wrestling, catch an X Division match and other TNA features now. Program schedules are available online at tnawrestling.com.

No Comments →

Fast facts about sumo wrestling

January 12, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Sumo wrestling is a Japanese martial art in which two persons wrestle in a ring called a dohyo. Wrestlers fight within a circle in the middle of the dohyo. The circle is about four and a half meters in diameter and is marked out by bales of rice straw. The match ends when one of the wrestlers loses.

The first person to touch the ground with any body part besides the soles of the feet, or to touch the ground outside the circle in the dohyo, loses. In most sumo matches, one of the wrestlers is thrown to the ground or out of the circle within seconds.

There are six divisions in sumo wrestling. They are listed below, in ascending order.

Jonokuchi, with approximately 80 wrestlers
Jonidan, with approximately 230 wrestlers
Sandanme, with a fixed number of 200 wrestlers
Makushita, with a fixed number of 120 wrestlers
Juryo, with a fixed number of 28 wrestlers
Makuuchi, with a fixed number of 42 wrestlers

Wrestlers enter sumo wrestling in Jonokuchi and, if they can, work their way up to Makuuchi. Only wrestlers in the Juryo and Makuuchi divisions receive a salary. Wrestlers in these divisions are called sekitori. Junior sumo wrestlers are called rikishi.

Within the Makuuchi division, there are five ranks. Most sumo wrestlers in the Makuuchi division belong to the Maegashira rank. The next higher ranks consist of champions or titleholders. These are Komusubi, Sekiwake, Ozeki, and the highest rank of all, Yokozuna. At present, only one man, Asashoryu, holds the rank of Yokozuna.

Sumo wrestlers lead a controlled lifestyle. They live in a stable with other sumo wrestlers. Each stable is headed by a stablemaster, who is an oyakata, or former sumo wrestler. Oyakata are the only people allowed to train new sumo wrestlers. To help them put on the weight they need for competition, sumo wrestlers eat no breakfast but make up for it with a large lunch. They also take naps after lunch to promote weight gain. The junior rikishi are given a range of chores around the stable, while sekitori have more time to relax and to attend to their fans.

While professional sumo wrestlers compete in Japan only, the sport is open to foreign-born sumo wrestlers. From the 1970s to the 1990s, three Hawaiians, Takamiyama, Konishiki, and Akebono, rose to the top of the sport. Akebono was the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to become Yokozuna. Asashoryu, the current Yokozuna, is Mongolian.

No Comments →

Wrestling for Amateurs

January 11, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

It’s hard not to get hooked – especially if you’re into grown men hauling one another around in a ring. For some reason, there is an appeal to watching wrestling. Though some insist that it is fake – that the wrestlers are merely performers who can pass for stunt men in a Hollywood movie – the itch to watch is just so easy to scratch that many people spend hundreds of dollars to get ring side tickets to tune in live.

Amateur wrestling, just like its counterpart professional wrestling, is quite popular with blood-curling men and women alike. There are two “international” wrestling styles that are conducted during the Olympic Games – the Freestyle and Greco Roman. They are supervised by FILA or the Federation International des Luttes Associees or International Federation of Associated Wresting Styles.

Freestyle and Greco-Roman have different rules when it comes to which holds are permitted. In Greco-Roman, wrestlers are allowed to hold their opponents and attack them above the waste.

In Greco-Roman and Freestyle, the scores accumulated by the wrestlers are eventually the same:
1. When an opponent is gained control from a neutral position then a “takedown” has taken place.
2. When an opponent is gained control from a defensive position, then a “reversal” occurred.
3. When the wrestler escapes his opponent’s control.
4. When the wrestler exposes his opponent’s back.
5. When the wrestler successfully lifts up his opponent from a defensive position and exposes his back.
6. There are various scoring systems when calculating penalty points. Infractions such as acting with brutality, striking your opponent, intending to injure, using illegal holds are considered to be penalties. If the wrestler ends up bleeding, that is considered to be a penalty point. When a wrestler steps out of bounds while he is in a neutral position and the match is taking place, he is penalized and gives his opponent a point.

Format for international amateur wrestling is three two-minute periods. The wrestler who gets two out of the three periods is declared the winner. If the opponents are tied up with 1 point after the second game, the third match is the deciding factor. The only time a match is terminated is when a fall or disqualification occurs.

However, amateur wresting conducted in high schools and universities have different periods. A high school match also has the three two-minute periods but overtimes are allowed.

There are many ways for a wrestler to win a match:
1. Win by Fall.
Once a wrestler gains hold of both of his opponents’ shoulders at the same time on the mat, then it is declared to be a “pin”
2. Win by Technical Fall
If a wrestler has a six-point lead over his opponent at any given time while the match is taking place, then he is declared to be the winner of that round.
3. Win by Decision
If both wrestlers fail to accomplish any kind of fall, the wrestler who earns the most number of points during the period is the winner. If both wrestlers earn the same number of points, then the judges rule through a criteria based on the international style. In collegiate or high school wrestling, the overtime period will decide who the winner is.
4. Win by Major Decision
In collegiate or high school wrestling, if the wrestler outscores his opponent by eight or more points, then he is declared to be the winner by “major decision.” Not only that, he is also rewarded with an additional team point.
5. Win by Injury
If a wrestler is injured and can no longer continue competing in the period, then the other wrestler wins the match. This is called “medical forfeit” or “injury default.” It also applies to incidences wherein the wrestler gets injured, has asked for too many time-outs or worse, is bleeding. However, if the wrestler is injured by his competitor’s illegal strike or punch, then the assailant is disqualified.

Since amateur wrestling requires a lot of grappling, these moves are not allowed:
- pinching and poking with nails, fingers, toes.
- fish hooking the mouth or nose
- biting
- gouging
- striking with the elbows, feet, fists, knees or head
- joint locks such as spinal locks, arm locks and leg locks
- strangling
- smothering
- choke holds
- holding and grasping an opponent’s genitals
- grabbing an opponent’s clothing

The ironic thing is that amateur wrestling is said to be more real than professional wresting that is aired on TV which a number of American s watch. Real or not, there are rules and the last wrestler standing wins.

No Comments →

How to throw a pudding wrestling party

January 11, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

If you’ve heard of mud wrestling, then you have some idea what pudding wrestling is. In much the same way people can wrestle in mud, people can wrestle in pudding. It’s an extremely fun thing to take part in and has become an end-of-term tradition at some college campuses.

A pudding wrestling party is easy to organize. You just need a plastic pool and a lot of chocolate pudding. (Somehow, wrestling in vanilla pudding just wouldn’t feel the same.) It would take about 100 pounds of pudding to fill a plastic pool 12 feet by 6 feet.

Read the preparation instructions on the pudding packages to find out how much water you need for the amount of pudding you have. Then mix the pudding in the pool. Mixing a bowl of pudding is one thing; mixing a pool of pudding is a lot harder. You might need a shovel to be able to mix the pudding properly.

You may encounter problems with the consistency of the pudding. If it’s too thick, add more water. If it’s not thick enough, you don’t have to go out and buy more pudding. If you happen to have cornstarch, oatmeal, or flour at hand, any of those substances can help thicken the pudding.

It will really kick up the atmosphere if you can find spotlights to shine down on the pool of pudding. Turn off all lights except the spotlights when your pudding wrestling party starts. And watch everyone go crazy!

Don’t expect to leave a pudding wrestling party unscathed. Even spectators can get dragged into the pool of pudding, much as innocent bystanders at swimming pool parties find themselves making an unexpected splash. Tell participants to bring extra clothes and towels. Clear the area around the pool of furniture and objects that can cause injury.

The aftermath is really the problematic part of a pudding wrestling party. If you set up the pool indoors, you’d better be ready to have guests track pudding all over your floors, especially between the pool and the nearest shower. The best place to set up a pool of pudding is outdoors, preferably with an outdoor shower nearby.

Even with an ideal setup, a pudding wrestling party always means a lot of cleaning up afterwards. But why worry about that now? Get started mixing your pool of pudding, and brace yourself for some crazy fun!

No Comments →

Tips on breaking into pro wrestling

January 11, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Does your ideal job involve facing off against the likes of The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin? Has it always been your ambition to beat people up while wearing a crazy costume? If you’re dreaming of becoming a pro wrestler, here are some tips on making it in the ring.

• Go to a wrestling school. A number of former and current pro wrestlers, such as Shawn Michaels, operate wrestling schools where you will learn all the tricks of the trade. Some wrestling schools can help you find work as a pro wrestler, not only in the United States but in other countries as well. Countries such as Japan often ask around at wrestling schools when they need wrestlers.
• Do your homework before choosing a wrestling school. Look for a wrestling school with facilities of reasonable quality and training programs that cover various aspects of the wrestling industry. A good wrestling school will teach you everything you need to know to be a successful pro wrestler. Remember, wrestling isn’t about fighting alone. It’s a form of entertainment. You have to learn to be a good entertainer.
• Follow the advice of your wrestling coaches. They can teach you not only about moves but also about how to build your muscles through correct nutrition and weight training. A good wrestling school will also teach you how to avoid injury.
• Take care of your overall health. Wrestling takes a heavy toll on your body, not only on your muscles but also on your bones and joints. Get regular physical checkups and make sure that you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals as well as enough rest. Avoid smoking and excessive drinking. While wrestlers do their best to avoid causing injury to themselves and their opponents, accidents do happen. If you’re not healthy, you might develop complications from an injury, or your injuries might not heal as quickly and as thoroughly as they should. The healthier your habits, the less likely you are to develop a permanently disabling condition.
• Keep it in the ring. Don’t go out and challenge people to brawls, whether in jest or in seriousness. You might injure yourself for nothing.
• Be prepared for the pain. Even though the outcome of each match has been determined beforehand, the pain that wrestlers experience is genuine. Many pro wrestlers never get used to the pain they suffer during and after matches. If you really want to be a pro wrestler, you’d better be ready for some hurting.

No Comments →

Pro wrestling news tidbits

January 10, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Prom queen is dethroned
Brooke Hogan, daughter of Hulk Hogan, won’t be a Prom Magazine cover girl anymore. After Brooke appeared on the cover of FHM Magazine in a revealing bikini, the teenager-oriented Prom Magazine decided to cancel its plans to put Brooke on the cover of its annual edition, stating that the FHM Magazine cover was inappropriate exposure for a prospective Prom Magazine cover girl and citing the desire to avoid being deluged with phone calls from teenagers’ scandalized moms. A spokesperson for Brooke slammed Prom Magazine for allegedly using Brooke to drum up circulation.

The Rock rolls on
Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, has decided that he is never going back to wrestling. This means that he will have to start using his real name because his moniker “The Rock” is owned partly by World Wrestling Entertainment. Johnson intends to devote more time to his family and to focus on his acting career.

“The Marine” stays afloat
“The Marine,” the World Wrestling Entertainment-produced movie starring John Cena, grossed $7 million on its mid-October opening weekend, ranking 6th in box-office receipts. In the movie, Cena’s character, a soldier involuntary discharged from service in Iraq, has to save his wife, who is kidnapped by a gang of dangerous criminals. “The Marine” also stars Kelly Carlson as the wife of Cena’s character.

Stone Cold shows his heart of gold
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin will participate in an autograph signing in this year’s American Cancer Society Annual Jackson County Relay for Life, a 12-hour walkathon honoring cancer survivors, to be held in Ganado, Texas on October 21, 2006. Austin will match donations given for his autographs to contribute to the American Cancer Society. Austin’s father, Ken Williams, is one of the cancer survivors to be honored at the walkathon.

Candice is muy caliente
World Wrestling Entertainment Diva Candice Michelle will be the cover girl of Maxim en Espanol for November 2006. The diva, who is of Costa Rican descent, is delighted about gracing the cover of the Spanish-language magazine. The cover shows Candice in her sultry silver dress, one of the hot outfits she wears on RAW.

What a deal
NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” has asked World Wrestling Entertainment fans to audition for next season’s episodes. The show’s producers cite the passion and energy of World Wrestling Entertainment fans as an ingredient compatible with the fun and positive nature of their show. World Wrestling Entertainment fans will be cast for more than one episode in the coming season.

No Comments →

Top 10 Most Popular Wrestlers of All Time

January 10, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Since the mid-80s, the World Wrestling Federation burst into mainstream entertainment, defining champions year after year. Some wrestlers achieved on becoming ring warriors, others have taken their popularity mainstream. However, other has become a part of popular culture worldwide – this is the list of those superstars.

1. Hulk Hogan – He was responsible for the popularity of wrestling in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. Hulk Hogan was the star of the “Rock and Wrestling era”, which has yet to be replicated.

2. Steve Austin – Also known “Stone Cold”, Steve Austin’s blue-collar personality captivated wrestling fans worldwide. In the history of wrestling, the “Austin 3:16 t-shirt” is the best selling shirt ever.

3. Shawn Michaels – Despite several controversies in the WWF, he remained one of the popular wrestlers in the early 90s. He earned three WWF championships but ended his career after the Wrestlemania 14.

4. Andre the Giant – He was known as the “eight world wonder” who became a famous heavyweight wrestler because of the size of his body. He became a popular wrestler when he defeated Hulk Hogan. He played in the movie “The Princess Bride”.

5. Randy Savage – Also known as “Macho Man”, Randy Savage was a worldwide popular wrestler in 1980s and 1990s. When Hulk Hogan became a movie star, the Macho Man carried the WWF title for a time in the 80s. He also became one of the notable characters in the Spiderman movie.

6. Mick Foley – He was among the group of popular hard-core wrestlers in the 1990s. He released two successful books entitled “Mick Foley’s Christmas Chaos and Mankind: Have a nice day!”.

7. The Rock – Although his career was relatively short, the Rock instantly became an icon in the wrestling world and soon became successful in his movie career.

8. Ric Flair – Compared to other wrestlers who have sought fame not from wrestling alone, Ric Flair has always been the main event for over 25 years.

9. Jesse Ventura – Although he had a short wrestling career, Jesse Ventura became a popular wrestling announcer and became a legend, which led to his impressive acting career. He also ran as an independent candidate for Governor of Minnesota.

10. Triple H – He won two titles in 1999 and another two in 2000. He remains one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch for his offensive tactics. Triple H continues to be a popular wrestler today and isn’t even close to the peak of his wrestling career.

No Comments →

Hello world!

January 10, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Comment (1)

The Popularity of Wrestling Geographically and Commercially

January 09, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Wrestling is a popular sport where two well-built athletes attempt to control each other without striking, while being able to win points for different accomplishments, such as takedowns, escapes, near-falls and reversals.

Aside from the point system, wrestlers could also win by pinning down the opponent – a move that turns a person completely to his back.

* The geographic popularity of wrestling

The popularity of wrestling has been observed as one of the most demanding athletics sport both mentally and physically. The art of wrestling combines the need for speed, strength, conditioning and memorization of different defensive and offensive moves.

Due to the popularity of wrestling, it has evolved into different forms and styles – ranging from the collegiate tournaments, cultural competitions and commercialized wrestling. Regardless of form or style, wrestling usually involves two unarmed wrestlers compete against each other during each contest.

The popularity of wrestling can be seen in the United States, Canada, Middle East, Europe and Asia. Of course, the World Wrestling Federation has dominated worldwide wrestling fans.

However, in the United States, the popularity of wrestling can be seen in several states such as California, Nebraska, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

In Asia, the popularity of wrestling is seen in countries with nomadic warrior traditions, such as Mongolian and Turkey (where oil wrestling is the national sport).

In the Summer Olympics, teams of wrestler participants from each country fight each other for the title of world wrestling champion.

* The popularity of commercial wrestling

The mainstream wrestling, which is usually shown on the television, has been around the entertainment business for over 30 years. Unlike competitive wrestling where one could be either the loser or the winner, popular commercialized wrestling leaves no losers. Both the good guys and the bad guys become stars.

In the 1980’s, a sudden boom of wrestling occurred and names such as Hulk Hogan, Mic Foley and Shawn Michaels became the legends of modern wrestling.

Although commercialized wrestling is an act, where wrestlers do 50% acting and 50% body-aching stunts, worldwide fans continue to patronize their favorite wrestler, favorite manager, and sought-after stunts.

Contrary to popular belief, many of the commercialized wrestlers have gone through professional wrestling in college. Although they have chosen a path where their punches are pulled and most moves are choreographed, they still gave way to the worldwide popularity of wrestling.

No Comments →

Greasing up for Oil Wrestling

January 09, 2007 By: admin Category: Wrestling

Oil wrestling, also referred to as grease wrestling, originated in Turkey. Yagli Güres, the Turkish name of the sport, is Turkey’s national sport and considered the oldest, continuously running sports competitions in the world. Since 1362, young men gathered yearly and drenched themselves with oil.

Uniform: The oil wrestlers, which are known as pehlivan – meaning “hero”, wear hand-stitched leather shorts that are often worn with suspenders. These leather shorts called kisbet are traditionally made out of water buffalo hides but are now made with calf leather.

Tradition: When all the wrestlers lined up for the tournament, a ram was auctioned off, and the buyer would act as “aga” (master of the ceremony). This is followed by a prayer and music from drums and surna, wherein the wrestlers bow down in salute.

The wrestlers then apply the oil to themselves in a prescribed manner – the right hand greasing up the left part of their bodies and left side of the kisbet, while the left hand oils the other side.

Rules of oil wrestling: Unlike other wrestling competitions, the oil wrestling fight can be won when the wrestler achieves an effective hold on the kisbet. In defense, the other wrestler aims to have a hold over his opponent by placing his arms through his kisbet. This winning move is known as “paca kazik”.

In other cases, the oil wrestling match is won by pinning the opponent to the ground or lifting him for several steps. The rules of oil wrestling haven’t changed much over the years.

Duration of oil wrestling: Since the oil wrestling tournaments began, each fight had no pre-set duration, which resulted in one or two days. The winner will be awarded if he established superiority. However, in 1975 until today, the duration was limited to 40 minutes for the chief heroes (baspehlivan). If there was no winner determined, it is extended to another 15 minutes.

For the pehlivan category, the oil wrestling fight lasted 30 minutes and extended to another 10 minutes if no winner was determined. If an extension was made, the scores from the first round are kept to determine the winner.

Tournaments: Since 1362, this annual oil wrestling three-day event is held at the Eldrine, located at Turkish Trace. This oil wrestling tournament is also a commemoration of Turkish history, which families celebrate by eating at picnics, setting up carnivals and selling goods at the event site.

Oil wrestling requires more skills and strength than other wrestling competitions due to the use of olive oil. An exciting three-day event ends in crowning of the new oil-wrestling masters.

No Comments →

Tips for enjoying TNA Wrestling

Fast facts about sumo wrestling

Wrestling for Amateurs

How to throw a pudding wrestling party

Tips on breaking into pro wrestling

Pro wrestling news tidbits

Top 10 Most Popular Wrestlers of All Time

Hello world!

The Popularity of Wrestling Geographically and Commercially

Greasing up for Oil Wrestling

Categories

Recent Post

Archives

Meta

Search on This Blog