Looking at the Botchamania series.

What is botchamaina?

An every now and then (about twice a month) user created YouTube series featuring Botchs and wacky antics from the world of pro-wrestling. The show’s been around for about 200 episodes (when all the specials are counted) and has had various run-ins with companies over copyright issues. The series has grown through word of mouth to become one of if not the biggest viral pro-wrestling sources in the internets short history.

Better than Current TV

I imagine many fellow viewers are like myself. IE not really interested in the current WWE/TNA product. Botchamania (along with some Wrestling Observing reading) is my only real contact with the current mainstream wrestling scene. It would be fair to say that Botchamania pays more attention to continuity than both major NA feds, with frequent in show spots such as ‘Everyone talks too much’, ‘Mongo’ and various endings.

What form will the show take?

I question the longevity of the series. It’s one thing to be an independent video maker on YouTube using WWE & TNA clips. It’s another thing entirely when the maker (Maffew) begins to add revenue streams from his videos (Blip.Tv, Chikira, other sites he’s beginning to work with). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Botchamania become entirely international & independent focussed. This will invariably hurt the quality (or at least name recognition) of the videos but the series should remain the #1 pro-wrestling blooper style video on the interwebs.

Here’s the latest episode in Blip.TV format, as YouTube usually takes these videos down within a couple of weeks

Great rare footage from the unrated Portland Territory.

PBS shot this 30 minute documentary back in the late 1970′s. This piece maintains Kayfabe and is more of a showcase rather than a social commentary.

Well, to be fair, the social commentary is directed at the type of fan that watches wrestling.

Similar to the 70′s NBC Memphis Wrestling piece, the audience is skewed towards the….. dregs of society.

Casting the directors fan focus aside, the piece includes some great footage of late 70′s Portland TV. Making appearances:

Jesse Ventura : Interview + some ring action Jimmy Snuka: Match footage vs the Iron Shiek Dutch Savage: Various interviews and a coal miners glove match Iron Shiek: Dutch’s opponent in the coal miners glove match

The first two parts are good but can be missed. However, the third video is a must view. Dutch Savage gives a great interview in the first minute. Next up is 7 or 8 minutes of the Coal Miners glove match, including unreal heat & double juice.

I swear, real heat like this just can’t be found these days. At 9:00 of the third video a fan attempts to rush the ring and help up the beat-down & outnumbered Dutch Savage. Security holds him back. As Cyrus & Raven would say > Tremendous.

Video Footage (in reverse order, with #3 leading things off)

Next time around: Some 20/20 wrestling coverage

Spectacular footage that I just had to post.

During a feeble attempt to track down some Memphis Power Pro footage on YouTube, I came across this gem.

It’s a 1979 report from NBC’s Prime Time Sunday with Tom Snyder, looking into the world of Memphis wrestling.

To me this footage is simply groundbreaking. The newscast never fully ‘outs’ kayfabe but the message is pretty clear. It’s a work. For 1979 & national TV, I was very surprised to see the piece go in this direction.

The piece itself follows the Memphis circuit during a portion of 1979. Jerry Jarrett, Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee and a number of fans are interviewed for the piece. Behind the scene footage and actual Coliseeum footage are also shown. For the majority of fans, wrestling was “still real to me, dammit!”.

The image used at the top of the post is from around minute 1:00 in part 2. This mark is calling to the ref that ‘The King’ has just been handed a steal chain.

Part 1

Part 2 (check out these crazy fans, just great stuff!)

Chris Hero is the man. He isn’t into all of that old school ROH flippy shit.

Upon entering Australia for a booking Hero is detained by the border patrol for an invalid entertainers Visa. Being the stud that he is he talks his way into a proper visa and most likely hits the interviewer once the camera stop rolling. Goofs like Austin Aries could learn a thing or two from Chris Hero.

Chris Hero Links

http://thechrishero.com/

Obsessed with Wrestling profile

Add Bobby Lashey to the long list of over-hyped Roid heads with no skills.

Last night Lashley went the distance with under .500 TUF alumni Jason Guida. Bobby won every aspect of the fight but couldn’t finish Guida. Keep in mind that 11 of Guida’s 18 prior losses ended by KO or submission.

Promoters should stop messing around. Put Lashley against Kimbo and title it “Battle of the over-rated bitches”. It never seems to end in the world of MMA.

From Terri Runnels Giving Away a House & $100,000. Really!

The gimmick: Write an essay on a pet. Pay $200 bucks to enter. Minimum 5000 entries. Winner gets Terri’s house and $100,000 cash prize.

What a shame, the contest/scam never received the pre-requistie number of applications (or $200 fees). From Terri’s website:

October 8, 2008: I want to say a very big thank you to all of you who put your hearts and souls into the essays for Make The World Write! Unfortunately during these tough economic times we did not get the minimum number of entries to follow through with the contest. Refunds will be concluded for those who entered within two weeks. I believe in this idea and would love to try again in the future when things calm down a bit. Because of this…I will leave the Make The World “Write” website up and will send out a press release when the contest happens again. In the meantime…go do something nice for someone today! Much love to all, Terri

Digging into the contest rules produces this goodie:

You further agree that such submissions, your essays and photos become the property of Sponsor……distributed, perfomed, and displayed in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or herafter developed for any purpose in perpetuity without further notice.

Basically Terri owns your story and can do whatever she wants with it. Expect to see Terri publish a book of “her own writing” in the near future. Ugg..

Go strip before you hit 50 (if she’s not already there).

Terri Runnels Photos Below

You like? Add our RSS Feed for more!

Terri Runnels ‘Marlena’ Diva WWE WWF Photos Pics

According to the Pro-Wrestling Torch newsletter Vince McMahon became upset once he heard that Ric Flair had agreed to do a shoot interview with a non-WWE company. When Flair retired from active WWE duty after Wrestlemania 24 he essentially became a free agent. Any WWE appearances since that point and in the future are on a per-appearance fee basis.

Independent wrestling company, Highspots.com , producer of wrestling equipement, co-promoters, and DVD sellers, signed Ric Flair to an appearances contract. This subsequently opened the door for Highspots in the Ric Flair shot interview bidding wars, which they ended up winning for a rumored price of $50,000.

The Shoot was recorded in September, with close to 20 hours of total footage being shot. Highspots will release two versions, a three disk set and a four disc set (limited to 1000) with 13 hours of footage.

Exclusive Deleted Scenes from the Ric Flair Shoot Interview

I’m not usually a purchaser of wrestling DVD’s. But four discs and 13+ hours of uncensored, non-wwe sanctioned Shoot time is just too much to pass up.

To purchase either DVD you can use either the our links below:

Ric Flair 3 Disc DVD Set

Ric Flair 4 Disc DVD Set (Limited to 1000, for an extra $30 the DVD will include a Ric Flair autograph)