You can still leave any questions, thoughts and critiques you have of the "Gabe's Book Of Secrets" DVD in the comments section of this blog or my previous blog. The DVD is now on sale at www.KayfabeCommentaries.com. I have received a tremendous amount of positive response. Thank you to everyone that has purchased it. I guess you can now call this the DVD that ROH doesn't want you to see. They have decided not to sell it, despite the success of my Guest Booker DVD. Scandalous! Just kidding, I understand. Thank you for the compliment. Now to the main attraction....
I found some of my old writings recently from back in the original ECW days. They brought back a lot of memories of what seems like another lifetime ago. I've been lucky enough to be able to witness some incredible pro wrestling moments over the years. I mean truly special happenings. Right at the forefront of them is something that happened in front of only about 150 people in the early days of ECW, before people outside of Philadelphia realized a new evolution of pro wrestling was developing.
It was October of 1993 and we were set for the first of two weekend shows at the newly discovered ECW Arena. It was significant because it was Paul Heyman's first ECW shows without having to clean up anything from the old booking regime. Heyman knew he had to make an immediate impact and set the tone. A new booker should be ready to go, put his signature right on the product and make a statement (mine was putting Danielson vs. Ki vs. Daniels on as the main event instead of Eddie Guerrero vs. Super Crazy and the entire Code Of Honor thing). Heyman booked Sabu, who had a growing reputation from FMW in Japan, to make that statement. He put him in a position to shine on cards with matches like Terry Funk vs. Jimmy Snuka in a Steel Cage and Terry Funk, Abdullah The Butcher & JT Smith vs Kevin Sullivan, Don Muraco & Jimmy Snuka.
Everything changed the moment Sabu was first unleashed from the straps of the gurney on night one of "Bloodfeast." I'll never forget the adrenaline inducing moment of uncontrolled mayhem, danger and excitement when Sabu exploded into a section of half filled seats and started throwing chairs in every direction. In fact, you can see current Channel 10 Philadelphia sports anchor John Clark caught right in the middle of this tornado. The legend of Sabu started to grow at that moment. Within a few months word of mouth about ECW spread and the crowds skyrocketed from a few hundred to sellout after sellout.
As ECW gained success in the ECW Arena in 1994, it looked to branch out. This led us to a night in Hamburg, PA at the historic Fieldhouse, which was home to many old school WWF TV tapings. One of the main attractions on this night was a dream match pitting Cactus Jack vs. Sabu (other bouts included Chris Benoit vs. a furry Taz and Public Enemy in a crazy brawl vs. Axl & Ian Rotten). To this day Sabu vs. Cactus remains one of the most insane spectacles I have ever seen. I'll never forget the moment Sabu flew through the air and crashed into the top of the steel guardrail with his ribcage taking the entire blow. Sabu somehow combined complete recklesses with total grace to make his matches more engaging than a fiery car crash.
Sabu immediately came up clutching his ribs in agony. A buzz suddenly rushed through the crowd wondering if Sabu could even continue. As Sabu heaved for air everyone's thoughts turned to just how badly he was injured. We soon got our answer when Sabu returned to form and continued the match. The entire crowd stood in disbelief and amazement. Sabu was a hero. The intensity of the spectacle skyrocketed when Sabu took a real glass beer bottle and smashed it over Foley's skull, resulting in a small but powerful thud. However, the stunt didn't go as planned and the bottle didn't break. Sabu hit Cactus Jack once again. Another deep thud and still the bottle was intact. Sabu would repeat the act several times until the bottle shattered over Foley's unprotected head into a small puddle of glass. The crowd was in an excited state of shock. The reaction made these two heroes into emerging legends.
I rushed to the locker room to see what remains were left of these warriors. Sabu was in obvious pain, clutching his ribs. However, he insisted that this wasn't a serious injury and it was something that he would shake off. Cactus Jack seemed in better shape while he was talking about how the bottle wouldn't break. Both men seemed very happy with their efforts and sacrifices in the ring. I wondered how they endured what must have been extreme pain.
I tried to get some answers in one of my rare phone conversations with Sabu. Being the entrepreneur I was at the time (and boy has that side of me slept dormant for far too long) I had arranged a deal with Sabu to produce his fan club, a couple of videotape releases and the crown jewel to me- his first tee-shirt (anyone have the white one with him moonsaulting or the "Pure Violence" drawing of his face?). At just 21-years-old this was a dream come true. Every so often Sabu would check in with me to see how things were going. This time I decided to try to find out exactly what made him tick and do the things that he did.
Sabu can be a very funny and witty guy if he likes you. He can also be cold as ice if you get on his bad side or are a stranger. I never knew Sabu well. I did always find him to be a good person, but you had to earn his trust, respect and friendship. It didn't come easily.
"How do you take that kind of pain," I asked Sabu on the phone in my basement apartment in South Philly. I would only stay there for three months until the elderly Italian couple that lived upstairs decided they didn't like having tenants.
"What do you mean?" Sabu returned in his monotone, dry voice.
I was afraid that I was going to insult him as I searched for my next words. Before I could speak Sabu blurted out, "Do you mean if I'm a pain freak and like the pain?"
"Yeah, I guess" I responded as I thought that I was on the verge of a breakthrough.
"No, I'm not," Sabu said. "I don't enjoy the pain. It is just something I have to live with."
I was beginning to realize just how much these guys go through. I would get a huge dose of reality a couple of years later driving back from a kickass ECW event at the Lost Battalion Hall in Queens, NY.
JT Smith is one of the finest people I have ever been fortunate to know in life. I was overjoyed to hear from him the other day after what must be a couple of years. We started talking about some of the old times and it reminded me of that night in NYC. JT was the Tommy Dreamer in Tod Gordon's ECW before Tommy Dreamer arrived. He jumped off scaffolds and was the first to take the leap out of the Eagles Nest at the dingy ECW Arena. He was Philadelphia's top babyface stemming from the days of the TWA (where I saw my first life changing indy show that included JT delivering the most insane dive of the night).
JT was kind enough to take pity on me since I had little money and no car. He was my ride to ECW shows so I could sell programs. JT was getting over with his Italian gimmick and it proved to be very popular in New York. The 90-minute drive was hampered by a huge snowstorm, but our anticipation was high for a live crowd in Queens. The show became known as "The Big Apple Blizzard Blast" and featured matches like Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrero, Eliminators vs. Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck, Tommy Dreamer & Shane Douglas vs. Raven & Stevie Richards and JT Smith vs. Buh Buh Ray Dudley.
The fairly new Dudley act was getting over at the time and Paul Heyman wanted to continue their push. He decided to add D-Von Dudley to the group on this night. It was a huge opportunity for the young and inexperience D-Von. He knew it was his one shot to make an impression. He accomplished that by destroying a folding chair over the head of JT Smith. The packed house "oohhhh'ed" and "aaahhh'ed" along with everyone in the locker room watching on the monitor as D-Von hammered down chairshot after chairshot, using basically every part of the steel instrument. JT, being young and wanting everything to get over, didn't protect himself and just absorbed all those blows as the crowd grew louder and louder. I had seen JT get concussions before (sometime I'll tell the Kevin Sullivan story), but this was on another level.
JT was a tough guy. He did his best to try to put on a brave face on and not show any pain in the locker room. We said our goodbyes and left through the snow, but it was obvious something was wrong. I asked JT if he wanted me to drive. He still insisted he was fine. He soon found out he couldn't handle the wheel and we pulled over so I could get us home. I remember him talking about the ringing that remained in his head two weeks after the show.
Up until the horrific acts of Chris Benoit people would say that the actions of Sabu, Mick Foley and JT Smith showed how much they loved the fans and the professional wrestling business. It was THE most effective way to get over. While it is impossible to justify what Benoit did, at least some good came of it. Now the wrestlers are much smarter. They are much more aware of what their body can take and the long term effects. The same can be said for the fans and critics. Before Chris Benoit's atrocities most would praise Foley and Smith for their sacrifices. Now that same majority would decry it. A lot has changed since about 150 fans watched the start of a revolution at "Bloodfeast" and you can say that this new evolution is a good one.
"Gnaw your teeth into fangs, only to have them lash out at yourself
For what they forever have done to you
All that was alive and spontaneous
Fading under the crests of imbalance"
-Neurosis "Raze The Stray"