Some of you may wonder why on the day of the final WWE pay-per-view of the year (and if some of those 2012 theories are true ever) I am posting a match that has seemingly nothing to do with WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. The reason is precisely because of that reason…that there is no relation. Let me explain.
Despite not being at the height its popularity, mainstream American wrestling still has significant power and reach. If the WWE wanted to they could arguably put on any match between any two competitors currently active. Given Vince McMahon’s wealth and business negotiation skills not just in the WWE, but in the world. So why have we seen Dolph Ziggler take on Kofi Kingston so many times this year? Why doesn’t World Wrestling Entertainment live up to the “World” in its name? I know they have some guys like Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, etc. However, the way wrestling talent is spread out in this world if it was a true world wrestling league then a significant amount of the roster would be Japanese and another significant amount would be Mexican. Yet, there is another group overlooked…the women of wrestling.
These days if you’re a female wrestler in Japan or a female wrestler in Mexico then no matter how good you are it just doesn’t matter. You will never be signed to work as an in-ring performer for WWE and probably not TNA either…and that’s a shame.
Take a look at this match. There are some wild fists flying to start, some incredible high speed moves and by the end of it both women are left bleeding. The Apache clan really gives it there all and you can feel the emotion even after the match when Gran Apache offers to shave his own head to save Mari. Could the WWE or TNA put on a match like this? Absolutely! If they wanted to that is. However,the closest we’ll get to lucha at tonight’s event is Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio most likely jobbing in a tables match. Likewise, you can forget about enjoying a good women’s match or any women’s match at all. They’ve been left off the card completely.
Interviewer’s Note: Ivan Markov has wrestled since 2004 for Russia’s Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF). In this promotion he has held the IWF Heavyweight Championship, the IWF Hardcore Championship and is a two time holder of the IWF Tag Team Championship. He has wrestled since 2004 and is known by the fearsome nickname “Locomotive” and logically enough has put opponents away with such moves as the locobomb (a kneeling choke bomb) and the train horn (a stunner variation). He has also traveled outside of his homeland notably wrestling for DDT in Japan and for Turkish Power Wrestling (TPW). You can see his recent matches by visiting the official IWF YouTube Channel. In this interview Markov and I focus on the topic of wrestling in Russia.
Daniel Johnson: My first question is for those unfamiliar with you when and where were you born? Also, when did you debut as a wrestler? Ivan Markov: I was born in Moscow in February 1984. My wrestling debut was in September 2004 in IWF, Russia.
Daniel Johnson: In a few words how would you describe yourself as a performer? Ivan Markov: It’s hard to speak about myself. Most of my experience as a wrestler has been in Russia. I was chosen as the best wrestler of the year in 2010 and 2011 by Russian fans. I give 100 percent in the ring. I’m very tough in the ring and my aim is to not make the fans sorry for any cent that spent on their tickets.
Daniel Johnson: Were you a fan of wrestling growing up? If so what companies did you watch who were your favorite wrestlers? Ivan Markov: Yeah, sure. I began to watch wrestling in my childhood. I even had a backyard promotion with my friend. Now I understand that it was not a good idea, because it’s too dangerous to start wrestling without a professional trainer. I obviously watched the WWF and WCW. My favorite wrestler was A-Train (also known as Albert), maybe in some way my present ring name is some nod of the head to him. But now my priorities have changed. I love indie wrestling. My favorite promotion is PWG and my favorite wrestler is “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen.
Daniel Johnson: How did you begin training in Russia and with who? Ivan Markov: There was a big wrestling show in Russia in 2004. I went there as a spectator and I found out that there was a wrestling promotion in Russia. IWF sounds like NFR in Russian. The next day I was in their wrestling school. I learned basic wrestling things from two people: Vadim Koryagin (who was training in Canada before) and Loki (at the time he was one of the best wrestlers in Russia). But it was only the beginning. I learned a lot of things in the ring. Experience is the most important thing. You become a wrestler only when you work in the ring in front of an audience. I’m learning everyday even now, I’m trying to become better and better. I feel really bad when I watch my matches from 2004. I’m glad to know that Ivan Markov in 2004 and Ivan Markov in 2012 are two different wrestlers. I can say now that I have reached some level.
Daniel Johnson: Russia is a pretty big country. What parts of Russia do you regularly work in and what is the furthest place in Russia you have traveled to wrestle? Ivan Markov: We make our regular shows in the capital, in Moscow. But we are trying to wrestle in different towns in Russia. The furthest town from Moscow in Russia was Krasnoyarsk. It’s about 4,238 km (about 2,633 miles) from Moscow.
Daniel Johnson: Would you be able to count how many shows you wrestle a year? Ivan Markov: I’m sorry to say that I’m not on Russian wrestling shows as often as I’d like to be. I think I have around 25 shows a year. But I hope that we’ll start doing shows. Maybe it will be in the near future.
Daniel Johnson: For those unfamiliar with the wrestling scene in Russia, how would you broadly describe it? Ivan Markov: I can quote Shane McMahon who was on our show in 2006. Even then he said: “I didn’t expect that there could be a quality American show in such a country as Russia”. And that was in 2006. It’s much better nowadays. And I believe that our guys can be interesting for the foreign fans.
Daniel Johnson: Wow, how did they get Shane McMahon to come? Ivan Markov: He was in Russia for his personal needs and of course it was interesting for him to see wrestling in Russia. Here’s him on YouTube in his appearance for IWF in Russia.
Daniel Johnson: Switching gears a bit, different audiences like different aspects of wrestling. What parts of wrestling do Russian crowds generally react to? Are they more interested in the in-ring product or mic work and storylines? Ivan Markov: They find all aspects of wrestling important just like fans all over the world. But in the Russian mentality, the most important thing is the match. And they like when it looks realistic. They love the brawling style, tough work in the ring. They also like hardcore matches. But it doesn’t mean that they don’t like classic wrestling like WWE.
Daniel Johnson: How many major promotions are there in Russia and how many have you worked for? Ivan Markov: There is only one big promotion in Russia at the moment. It was founded 10 years ago and there are some small promotions. I have worked there as well.
Daniel Johnson: How would you describe your current gimmick in wrestling? Ivan Markov: I don’t have some unusual gimmick. I have a history. Locomotive is a guy who beat El Generico and became very self confident. He didn’t take his opponents seriously and didn’t respect them. But he is not a bad guy, he’s just a little complicated. That is what it is at this moment. But I have had different gimmicks. For example, I was a guy who became crazy. The reason was that his wife was injured seriously in the ring and he was paranoid and wanted revenge.
Daniel Johnson: What had been your favorite gimmick that you had in the past? Was it the crazy guy? Ivan Markov: Yes, you are right. It’s interesting to play crazy guys.
Daniel Johnson: How would you describe your in-ring style of wrestling? What American wrestlers if any would you compare it to? Ivan Markov: It’s a very hard question, because I always develop myself, changing a little. I like to use my legs in the match. I also like different power moves. I can also work very tough if it suits the situation. I’m trying not to be compared with anyone.
Daniel Johnson: Aside from yourself who are the big names in Russian wrestling currently? Also, who are some of the older legends? Ivan Markov: I think it’s too early to speak about legends. We are only 10 years old. When we open our hall of fame, we’ll think about legends. For big names in Russian wrestling… there’s our champion Anton Deryabin, my last tag team partner Ronny Crimson and four time women’s champion Bonnie. But there are a lot of good wrestlers in IWF, I can name you about 15 but the list would be too long.
Daniel Johnson: Do you have any favorite Russian wrestlers to work with? If so who? Ivan Markov: I’ll say the same thing, I can name you several names I like to work with. I can’t choose one.
Daniel Johnson: Is there any place online that interested fans can check out these wrestlers (a YouTube channel, website, etc.)? Ivan Markov: Sure, here is a link to the first part of our last show. There is also our website, but it’s only in Russian. The English version is under construction right now and here is the link to our official YouTube channel.
Daniel Johnson: You mentioned earlier some of your own favorite companies to watch. In general how popular is foreign wrestling in Russian? Are WWE and TNA popular there? What about companies like AAA in Mexico and NJPW in Japan? Ivan Markov: WWE is shown by Russian television right now, so it’s the most popular promotion in Russia. Plus, Raw came to Moscow this year. People can watch other promotions only through the Internet. The most popular promotion among them is TNA and then Mexican and Japanese promotions.
Daniel Johnson: How, if at all do you see the wrestling scene in Russia changing in the near future? Ivan Markov: We work with foreign wrestlers. So we’re going to work in that direction. There will be more foreign stars in Russia. Also, we have an aim to get a TV slot. We were on TV for three years already. Russian wrestling became more popular and we had top ratings. But then the channel closed.
Daniel Johnson: How, if at all do you see your own career changing? Basically, where do you see yourself in five years? Ivan Markov: I really want to develop myself, gain experience. So I need to work in foreign promotions. I want to see myself in Japanese wrestling and I will wrestle in the USA for sure.
Daniel Johnson: You have wrestled a bit in Japan already. How did you come to work in Japan and what companies have you worked for there? Ivan Markov: Yes, I wrestled there already, but it wasn’t enough for me. I’d like to wrestle there much more often. As often as possible. I want to say, “Thank you” to the president of DDT, Sanshiro Takagi for inviting me. It was a big honor for me to wrestle there. I was also impressed by the beautiful country and great fans.
Daniel Johnson: How is the wrestling scene in Japan different from the one in Russia? Ivan Markov: Well, in Japan…wrestling is a culture, it’s a serious sport. Their fans have a great respect for wrestlers. There are many more wrestling promotions there than in Russia. In Russia the wrestling culture is very young. A lot of Russians don’t even know that there is wrestling in Russia. So we do everything we can to develop it here…and believe me, we’ll do it.
Daniel Johnson: Who were your favorite Japanese wrestlers to work with in DDT? Ivan Markov: I can’t choose one. All of them a professionals and I am grateful for a great experience. For example, I was glad to work with Munenori Sawa, who has already ended his career. It was an honor for me. I also wrestled with the president himself Sanshiro Takagi. I was also his tag team partner. It was really great. I was happy to work with Michael Nakazawa and Madoka. I even wrestled a bit with Danshoku Dino. It was funny. There are also a lot of wrestlers in Japan I’d like to work with: Isami Kodaka, Kota Ibushi, Mikami…there are a lot of them. As I’ve already said, I’m grateful to all of them.
Daniel Johnson: You have also wrestled in Turkey, which at least in the United States isn’t as well known for being a hotbed for wrestling as Japan. How did you first begin to wrestle in Turkey and what is the scene like there? Ivan Markov: First of all, I enjoyed visiting TPW. Their fans are awesome. They always ask me when I’m going to come back. I also liked the organization of the show, the arena. There are also great wrestlers like Doug Williams, Joe E. Legend and Murat Bosporus. I was invited by the promoter of TPW. They have a high quality show there. I’d be glad to come back.
Daniel Johnson: Outside of Japan and Turkey have you wrestled in any other foreign countries. Are there any countries nearby Russia that Russian wrestlers regularly travel to? Ivan Markov: I also have experience wrestling in Germany. There is wrestling in nearby countries, but Russian wrestlers don’t travel there regularly. But I think for sure it will change. I believe that cooperation will be a good experience for both sides.
Daniel Johnson: Prior to the interview you mentioned that your wife was a four time woman’s champion. How long has she been wrestling and what promotion or promotions has she been champion for? Also, is there anything else you would like to say about your wife? Ivan Markov: Sure, my wife Bonnie is a four time women’s champion in our promotion (IWF). She has wrestled for six years already. She will hold belts in other promotions in the future. She has already wrestled in Japan and Germany. I can say that she is a really talented person. To say the least she is a world-class wrestler. She also draws well, although she never studied drawing. But some professional painters are surprised that she draws better than them. She also sings and she is a model. Well, you can start to envy me at this point. Here she is.
Daniel Johnson: I also had some more random questions to ask. I always like to hear about ribs and road stories. Do you have any that you would be willing to share? Ivan Markov: I don’t think I have traveled enough to write a book about my adventures. When I fly more than 10,000 hours, it will be something. There is not anything extraordinary about me. However, one day I thought that I lost my passport, but it was at the reception desk of the hotel. I’d forgotten about it, so I was really nervous for about an hour until I found it.
Daniel Johnson: What would you say your biggest accomplishment in wrestling is so far and why? Ivan Markov: The biggest accomplishment at this moment is that I started to wrestle in foreign promotions. It’s wonderful, I meet new wrestlers from whom I often gain new experience. I can give new fans a part of myself and it’s hard to describe it in words. It’s very useful to every wrestler and besides it gives me new expressions.
Daniel Johnson: Is there anything you would like to promote or that you think readers should check out? Ivan Markov: PWG haha.
Daniel Johnson: As part of my last few questions I like to ask five non-wrestling related questions just to bring a little uniqueness to the interview. If you don’t have an answer or don’t want to answer one of them just feel free to say, “skip.” Outside of wrestling, what television shows do you enjoy watching these days? Ivan Markov: I was always a fan of cartoons: South Park, American Dad, The Simpsons and Futurama. There are some popular American shows that have reached Russia. The show, The Voice has reached Russia. It’s popular all over the world. I like it because they sing live. A lot of singers sing using a phonogram. It’s a big problem in Russia. So I enjoy the real sound.
Daniel Johnson: What was your favorite movie that came out this year? Ivan Markov: You know, I really enjoyed the movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I like when a director forgets about all conventions and gives his fantasy freedom, making an alternative story. The collaborations of people like Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton should be good anyway. You know, after this movie, there was a lot of jokes in Russia that Timur is going to make one more movie with the name, [Vladimir] Putin Against Zombie-communists haha.
Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite food that you tried for the first time this year? Ivan Markov: Oh, that’s a hard question, I’m not a big gourmand. I usually eat the same food everyday. But when I was in Japan, I tried a lot of new and even exotic dishes. I was surprised by one soup. I always thought that I’m a guy who can eat a lot. But one day my Japanese friend decided to give me this soup with seafood and rice. I decided that I’ll eat this and then we can go to some restaurant. But it was so nourishing that I was not hungry until the next day. I don’t remember the name of this soup though.
Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite song to come out this year? Ivan Markov: My favorite group is Avery Watts and the only reason that I don’t name one of their songs is because they haven’t made any songs this year. I also like Motorhead, Alice Cooper and Tenacious D. For the song of this year: Nosa and Gangnam Style for sure haha. No, to be serious no. This year I like some Russian songs.
Daniel Johnson: Did you vote in your last local election? If so would you be willing to say for who? Ivan Markov: [Skip].
Daniel Johnson: This is a general question, but one I try to ask everyone: What is the weirdest part of being a professional wrestler? Ivan Markov: [Skip].
2. Taka Michinoku vs. The Great Sasuke from WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede (1997)
Thank you for your bandwidth. Last week, you asked me for a great match you had never seen and I gave you Sid vs. Vader. For those of you who didn’t run screaming, this week I’ll be rewarding you for your loyalty. And if you’re just tuning in, this is the second of six installments where I dig up classic matches that nobody remembers seeing. Today, we go from 1996 in the WWF to 1997, and it’s going to look like a whole new world. For those of you who don’t remember…the first image is the WWF in 1996.
WWF entryway and ring from 1996
Then came 1997…
WWF entryway and ring from 1997
This was only a nine month period, by the way. Within another nine month period, we would have practically a new company, as everything from the Raw theme to the WWF logo itself would change drastically. I got to say that to a young kid like me who spent his entire childhood watching the old red, white and blue roped product, only to hit junior high and see the WWF grow up with you, turning from a family-friendly cartoon into a cutting-edge rock music video…I really don’t care how badly I am butchering English grammar. The WWF was fucking unrecognizible from one side of the transition to the other, and I got to have a front row seat for the greatest time to be a wrestling fan. It really was another Golden Era.
But not everything was a resounding success back then. For every Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind and D-Generation X…you have Brawl For Alls, Billy Gunn King Of The Rings and you have WWF Light Heavyweight Championships. Not all of it worked. One day I’ll rip the Brawl For All out of its own rectum in a separate article, and I know someone else will already have the ‘biggest disappointments of all time’ covered somewhere down the road. But out of all of those things I just mentioned, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship should have not only worked…it should have flourished. It was the hardest of the three to fuck up.
In the summer of 1997, the WWF and WCW were on a hot streak that was so hot, we’re still finding pieces of molten metal to this day from the trail that the business left during that period. Every time we see Ryback squash somebody, a piece of history flies off into the crowd. One of WCW’s biggest draws was one of its smallest…its cruiserweight division. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero are the two who acheived the most success outside of WCW, but it’s not like they had a bunch of scrubs to work with: Chris Jericho, Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, Alex Wright, any Mexican luchador you can think of who wasn’t signed long-term to AAA or CMLL, and many more. And while two 240-pound men can put on a mat wrestling clinic, and pack it with tons of drama and action…let’s face it. There are things a smaller wrestler can do that the big boys just got to give up and go home on. And these men would follow up such high-flying offense with a power move to equal. Chris Jericho would powerbomb your ass, pick you up off the ground, powerbomb you again, then bounce off the ropes and hit you with a springboard moonsault. You know…I think Kurt Angle is one of the best of all-time, but I don’t see him pulling off a springboard anything. (Well, given his track record wth the 450, I predict that if Kurt Angle tries to springboard anything, he will just headbutt his opponent so hard they shit themselves.)
Naturally, when your competitor is doing something different and making money at it…you have to do the obvious and copy the bastard, or come as close as you can to copying him without breaking the law. So Vince McMahon did the smart thing, and introduced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Vince then did the dumb thing and booked the worst fucking tournament ever to crown the inaugural champ. This tournament was the worst of all time. At least until Survivor Series 1998. Want proof? Let me give you the first round brackets. Aguila, known better as Essa Rios, defeats Super Crazy in a botchtastic clusterfuck of a match I remember watching live on Monday Night Raw while Jim Cornette, on commentary, blasted the fuck out of it because both guys were sloppy as piss. While some people like to call him an old fogey set in his ways, you couldn’t argue with him watching this match. It was pretty bad. The rest of this thing? Eric Shelley over Scott Taylor, Brian Christopher and Flash Flanagan. Jerry Lynn was advertised to be in one of the opening matches, but something tells me the weed wore off right before the pen in his hand touched the paper because he never did show up for that first round match. Way to add prestige to your brand new title by having one of the best talents in the division ditch your tournament before the first round.
Oh, and Devon Storm lost to the eventual winner, Taka Michinoku. Taka Michinoku…now there is a man with some talents and abilities. A man that, honestly, you could watch walk into a new company in a foreign country, win a belt, and not question it because let’s face it, the guy can wrestle. But nobody in the WWF knew that. Only one of those guys had ever stepped foot in a WWF ring before this tournament in Scott Taylor, and he was perennial enhancement talent up to this point.
Well, I take that back. Two of them. Because in July, Taka Michinoku made his WWF Debut against…THE GREAT FUCKING SASUKE. That’s right. Pick the brick up that just fell from under your chair. Taka Michinoku wrestled Great Sasuke on a WWF pay-per-view. In 1997. But wrestled isn’t the word for it, more like kit-foo’d.
Kit-foo means “kicked the fuck out of.”
And that was this match. Kicks, kicks, flying kicks, flying moves, grappling, holy shit slap, kick, slap…and then they stopped playing around, and began to really tear into one another. At one point I wondered if maybe one of them owed the other money, or if Taka ate the last piece of sushi at lunch, possibly Sasuke screwed his sister and this was a precursor to the Val Venis pee pee angle…I don’t know, I just want to know why these two got in the ring, worked for two minutes, then mutually agreed that they would begin to stiff and shoot until either they died or the FBI sent riot troops to protect the crowd from the shockwaves when these guys hit each other. I thought I saw the ring ropes themselves cower in fear at some of the kicks Sasuke was landing.
Look this match up. I won’t post .gifs or stillshots of this match (other than the one above) because they won’t do it justice. No matter how high the quality or the framerate, I cannot articulate this match to you with neither words nor pictures. Stiff, stiff, stiff. No restholds necessary for these two, despite going fifteen minutes. Plenty of dives to the floor. Taka does a springboard plancha to the outside and gets so much airtime on his jump, I thought he was going to check a faulty lightbulb while he was up there. He had to have died a minimum of three times in this match, and still kicked out on rigor mortis alone. After it’s all over, Taka eventually does the job to Sasuke…who poses briefly, and then it’s back to the locker room and back to reality for the WWF fans.
Daniel pointed out to me that yes, these two did have a second match on Raw the next night after this match. Strangely enough, Taka lost yet again making me wonder who was supposed to win that belt in the first place. If it was Taka, making him lose his first two matches really hurt the credibility of the title in my opinion, particularly in such good matches. Taka needed to have a match of this caliber where he WON. They just needed to pay Sasuke whatever they needed to pay him to job this match. If they had, perhaps the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship would have been so much more prestigious that instead of the afterthought that the title had become (in less than two years, Gillberg would be your damn LHC) it might have gotten the dignity it deserved. This match should have been the showpiece for the WWF’s Light Heavyweight Division. If you had told the 12 year old me watching this match that there was an entire division with titles just for guys this small who did this stuff, I’d swear to never watch a heavyweight match again until the next week on Raw.
So…why don’t people remember this match? Because it was Calgary Stampede, a throwaway show with only one match: the ten-man tag featuring The Hart Foundation versus the makeshuft tandem of The Legion of Doom, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and Steve Austin. The only reason this shit even sold tickets and pay-per-view buys was the fact that it took place in Calgary and the place went apeshit for the Harts. They also went apeshit for this match as well. I think this match was a treat for the smart fans of Canada, and possibly the smart fans in America as well. If this pay-per-view had taken place in, say, Pittsburgh or Kansas City…I highly doubt we would have gotten such a good match. This pay-per-view was meant to put the Harts over and make everybody a ton of money for going black and pink for a day. A lot of stuff got overlooked, including the WWF Championship itself.
A smart man would have paid The Great Sasuke whatever he asked for to do the job to Taka. I don’t know if the plan was for Taka to become the first LHC all along, but if it was, they did a shitty job of making us think he was a credible champion right out of the gate with this match. He made us believe he was a tremendous wrestler and he would never give up, that he had a fighting spirit and was somebody we all should rally behind. But those are qualities of a championship CONTENDER. Those aren’t qualities of somebody you want to put the belt on initially. If this was the route they wanted to go, they needed to put the belt on the only other person they seemed to give a shit about pushing in the Light Heavyweight division…Brian Christopher. Problem was, he was a half-ass worker from Memphis who, quite honestly, couldn’t hang with the Japanese or Mexican workers or even the American high flyers. If you don’t remember, he was Jerry Lawler’s son, and they all but told you this on TV because fuck it, had to get him over somehow.
So this thing was kind of doomed from the start, as they had to make everyone look like a credible contender all at once, and there’s only one belt you can give to a guy. Nobody knew who these guys were, and all they knew is they were good, but when we saw them the first time they got beat. Some more effort into pushing who you had, or at least going out and paying the money for a little bit more, could have went a long way. Oh well, at least we got to see a kick ass cruiserweight puro match in the WWF. And that’s awesome with me.
Next week…I’m not sure what you’re going to get, but whatever it is, rest assured it’ll be awesome. It’s a surprise. Hey, maybe you could leave comments and suggestions to me as well. I like to incorporate other people’s opinions into my work, it’s how you become a better critic. I’m also curious to see what people think of my work so far. So please drop me a line. We have a comment button for a reason. I’m Madman Szalinski, and in the words of Jim Cornette…”if you wanna know what a guy looks like with bald hair, tell me first so I can book him in a hair match and sell some tickets, k? Thank you, fuck you, bye.”
Interviewer’s Note: Evgeny Lyder has wrestled for Israeli wrestling promotions for nearly ten years. He first came to the country in his youth from Ukraine. Lyder became immersed in wrestling through watching WWF programming and becoming a fan of Bret Hart. He immediately knew that he wanted to become a wrestler and eventually trained to work as one for the Israeli Pro Wrestling Association (IPWA). More recently Lyder has also performed for the All Wrestling Organization (AWO). In his career he has most notably heeled it up as a Russian villain and has also worn a few masks to portray other characters. In this interview Lyder and I focus on the topic of wrestling in Israel.
Daniel Johnson: Before we talk about the wrestling scene in Israel I wanted to ask you some questions about your background. Where and when were you born? Evgeny Lyder: On November 1, 1981 in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. It was a part of the USSR then.
Daniel Johnson: Cool, were you a fan of wrestling in the USSR or did you not get into it until moving to Israel? Evgeny Lyder: There was one time when they showed wrestling on TV over there in 1990 or 1991, when NJPW did a tour in Moscow, if memory serves. But I only became a fan when my family moved to Israel and I started watching WWF programming.
Daniel Johnson: What WWF star did you idolize growing up? Evgeny Lyder: Bret Hart.
Daniel Johnson: What stuck out about him for you? Evgeny Lyder: Pretty much everything, his wrestling style, the entrance theme, the attire, and so on. He just looked cool to me.
Daniel Johnson: Awesome! How did you make the leap from being a fan to wanting to actually become a wrestler? Evgeny Lyder: There was no leap. From the day I was hooked on wrestling I knew I wanted to become a wrestler myself when I grew up.
Daniel Johnson: How did you first begin training as a wrestler in Israel and with whom? Evgeny Lyder: I was doing military service at the time and I learned there was a wrestling promotion here in Israel called the Israeli Pro Wrestling Association. By then it was sort of a side-project for the MMA club. I sort of lied to my superiors about doing some studies to complete my SATs and was given a day-off once in two weeks, so I started training with the fed. When I first got there, the guy who was training us actual pro-style, Gery Roif, was away so my first trainer was actually the MMA guy named Raanan Tal. Then Gery returned after a few months and I completed my training under his guidance.
Daniel Johnson: How long was it from when you first began training to when you first wrestled in front of a crowd? Evgeny Lyder: Eight months or so.
Daniel Johnson: You mentioned IPWA, what other organizations have you wrestled for in Israel? Evgeny Lyder: The All Wrestling Organization, for the last couple of months. Until now the IPWA was the only promotion in the country.
Daniel Johnson: Wow, so there are only two promotions in the entire country? Are there any tiny promotions out there or “backyard” stuff going on that you know of or are those two promotions it entirely? Evgeny Lyder: There’s a really small operation run by a former IPWA guy in his hometwon, basically him and 5-6 guys he trained putting shows for the neighbor kids once in a while, and there’s been talks about some new promotion opening soon, but I don’t know much about it.
Daniel Johnson: Switching topics a bit, different crowds often value different aspects of wrestling. In general what is more important in Israel the in-ring product or mic work? Evgeny Lyder: I’d say in-ring product matters more because for the most of the time there are not many angles or storylines. The crowd is used to appreciate straight wrestling.
Daniel Johnson: In regards to in-ring product what are your favorite wrestling moves to perform and how tough is it to settle on a finisher? Evgeny Lyder: As a fan of technical wrestlers such as Hart, Kurt Angle, Taz and William Regal, I try to learn and use as many different suplex variations as I can. I also use European uppercuts a lot, because I suck at throwing punches. As for a finishing move, I used to use a fireman’s carry driver for years (first saw Lash LeRoux use it as his finisher in WCW and absolutely loved the move), but lately I’ve switched to the brainbuster.
Daniel Johnson: Since you mentioned Israeli fans tend to favor the in-ring product over mic skills did you take Israeli audiences into account when developing your gimmick? If so or even if not how did you decide on your gimmick? Evgeny Lyder: Sure. There is a large community of immigrants from former USSR republics here in Israel, and there are a lot of stereotypes tied to them, like most of the “Russians” can’t live without vodka or that every “Russian” guy works as a security guard at the mall. This sort of thing. When I first got a real gimmick, it was suggested by one of the fans, actually, I became the “Russian Sickle” ( the nick suggested by a friend). Basically I was carrying a Russian flag around, spitting vodka into opponents’ eyes to blind them and did a Cossack dance while kicking the opponent. By the time I joined the AWO I grew a little tired of the gimmick, so I tweaked it a little. Now I’m still this Russian guy, but more into clubs, parties, glamor and so on. Think early Johnny Nitro.
Daniel Johnson: You mentioned how your gimmick has developed over time. Are there any past gimmicks you have had that you enjoyed? Evgeny Lyder: There were a few masked gimmicks, actually, each a one-time thing, to put someone over. In 2008 it was Yagi San, a puroresu goat, in 2009 it was El Bandito, and a few months back it was The Goatfather, a mafia goat. I enjoyed doing the Yagi San bit the most, but unfortunately I’ve lost the mask shortly after the match and couldn’t find another online.
Daniel Johnson: One of the things I find most interesting about wrestling interviews is the road stories and ribs that wrestlers often have? Do you have any particularly good road stories or ribs that you could share? Evgeny Lyder: Don’t know if it counts, in 2008, right after the show where I was doing the Yagi San gimmick, a couple of guys went to party in downtown Tel Aviv, with our wrestling gear on. We basically went into a bar wearing tights, masks and everything. Some people freaked out, but not many, because at night in downtown TA there are a lot of strange people wondering around. So you can barely surprise anyone by walking around in a goat mask.
Daniel Johnson: Nice! Getting into some more broadly based questions about the Israeli wrestling scene what are the big local wrestling names in Israel? Evgeny Lyder: Currently active or in general? Daniel Johnson: Currently active. Evgeny Lyder: Gery Roif, first of all, he’s pretty much the Hulk Hogan of Israeli wrestling, the patriarch. Then there are Yossi “The Bull” Kalmanovich, “Platinum” Sharon Palty, who received a tryout with the WWE a few years back, Idan Boulder, and “BlonDevil” Chris Korvin, who’s been around like forever. I think only Gery’s been around longer.
Daniel Johnson: Who are your favorite wrestlers to work with in Israel? Are any of the ones you just mentioned on your list of favorite opponents or favorite partners? Evgeny Lyder: Out of those I mentioned, I’d say Yossi, because he’s a main event guy but is very down to earth, approachable and easy to work with. And Chris, him and I have been feuding on and off since my debut match in 2003. Other than them, there’s a guy named Ken Kerbis. Working with him is a cruise. He’s only 18, but already one of the best workers in the country.
Daniel Johnson: Is there any place online that interested fans could check these wrestlers out (a YouTube channel, website, etc.)? Evgeny Lyder: Sure, here are some of their matches.
AWO WrestleFest: Ken Kerbis vs. The White Leopard
AWO WrestleFest: Hellboy vs. Chris Korvin
Yossi Kalmanovich vs. Sharon Palty (c) for the IPWA Championship
Daniel Johnson: Awesome! What mainstream wrestling programming is on Israeli television? How popular are WWE and TNA there? Do you watch either regularly? Evgeny Lyder: They air WWE and TNA here, neither one is very popular. That is, there is a wrestling fan community that follows wrestling of course, but that’s about it. There were a couple of wrestling booms over here, one in the eighties, when WCCW toured Israel, and the other in 1993-4 when the WWF did a few tours as well. Then you could see wrestling magazines, cards, action figures being sold everywhere, and in every schoolyard there were kids pretending they’re Lex Luger or The Undertaker. But since then, the interest in wrestling’s been pretty low. I watch WWE shows and try to follow TNA but it’s a bit hard with my working schedule.
Daniel Johnson: Are there any fans of non-American foreign wrestling there? Do promotions like NJPW or AAA have a fan base in the country? Evgeny Lyder: Not that I know of, except for a couple of friends of mine, one of whom is into the European scene and the other into Japanese wrestling.
Daniel Johnson: Similarly, do bigger American independent wrestling organizations have a fan base in Israel. How hard would you have to look to find a Ring of Honor or Dragon Gate USA fan? Evgeny Lyder: Surely there are quite a few, just not someone I personally know of.
Daniel Johnson: Switching topics, is there any common places Israel-based wrestlers wrestle often outside of the country? Do you have any ambitions to wrestle outside of Israel? Evgeny Lyder: There are two Israeli-borns, Aviv Maayan and Noam Dar who wrestle in the UK, Tomer Shalom in Canada, and two former IPWA guys, Hawaii Allen who wrestles in NY area and Juping Lee in California. I’d love to, but I don’t think I’m good enough for it. I’m too small and my conditioning is the shits.
Daniel Johnson: I know there have been many conflicts between Israel and neighboring countries. Do Israel-based wrestlers ever wrestle in the surrounding countries? Evgeny Lyder: No. Two closest countries that I know of that have wrestling feds are Turkey and United Arab Emirates and, as you said, them and us do not get along.
Daniel Johnson: How, if at all do you see the wrestling scene in Israel changing in the future? Evgeny Lyder: I just hope it stays alive.
Daniel Johnson: Has it declined recently or has it been about the same since you started in 2003? Evgeny Lyder: It’s a bit complicated to describe…it’s like, until lately at least, you could never tell if the show you’ve just worked was your last. One year there are 5-6 shows, then the next it can be one or two. You can never tell when and if you’re going to wrestle again.
Daniel Johnson: Back to the future (or the topic of the future anyway) what do you see yourself doing in the near future? Basically, where do you see yourself in five years? Evgeny Lyder: Hopefuly, still wrestling. Not main eventing, but being a solid midcarder. Maybe holding a title. Most importantly, wrestling on regular basis.
Daniel Johnson: What would you say your biggest accomplishment is in wrestling so far and why? Evgeny Lyder: Main eventing the IPWA show that was aired by The Wrestling Channel in the UK in 2006. It was the only time our show was broadcasted outside Israel, and I was there, challenging for the heavyweight title. Other than that, meeting Bret Hart in 2005 when he came over to hype our TV show.
Daniel Johnson: Is there anything you would like to promote or that you think readers should check out? Evgeny Lyder: Off the top of my head, I’d encourage them to check out IPWA and AWO matches on YouTube.
Daniel Johnson: This may seem unusual, but I like to ask everyone some variation of this question: What is the weirdest part of being an Israeli wrestler? Evgeny Lyder: Lol probably the fact that you can travel to the other end of the country for the show and have a BBQ in your backyard on the same night.
Daniel Johnson: As part of my last few questions I like to ask five non-wrestling related questions just to make the interview a little unique. If you don’t have an answer or don’t want to answer one of them just feel free to say, “skip.” Evgeny Lyder: Shoot.
Daniel Johnson: Outside of wrestling, what television shows do you enjoy watching these days? Evgeny Lyder: Friends, Family Guy, Futurama and Everybody Loves Raymond and The History Channel.
Daniel Johnson: What was your favorite movie that came out this year? Evgeny Lyder: I don’t follow movies that much, so I have no clue what flicks came out in 2012.
Daniel Johnson: No problem, what is your favorite food that you tried for the first time this year? Evgeny Lyder: Carpaccio. It was pretty good, actually.
Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite song to come out this year? Evgeny Lyder: “All of the Lights” by Kanye West.
Daniel Johnson: Did you vote in your last local election? If so would you be willing to say for who? Evgeny Lyder: Didn’t vote.
Daniel Johnson: My last question: Is there anything you would like to add or talk about that we haven’t talked about. Evgeny Lyder: I just would like to thank you for your interest and time.
See Evgeny Lyder wrestle for the AWO in Israel! Here he takes on Eyal Smiely:
While AAA has a rich 20 year history according to Dave Meltzer only one match has ever represented true perfection in the company. While it may be debatable that other AAA matches deserve the distinction it is tough to argue that this match is not an undisputable modern classic in North American wrestling.
Art Barr truly is one of the greatest tragedies in wrestling. Look at the way he performs the frog splash and covers Octagon for the first fall! After such a devastating maneuver that in fact scores a pinfall, the team looks in prime condition to take home the victory and the masks of not one, but two lucha legends! The cockiness of Los Gringos Locos also really sells it. Although the team could get serious in the ring the ability that Barr and Guerrero had to play it cool made them look all the more impressive.
Of course the faces are not going to let Barr and Guerrero make jokes of them and the high flying, high risk moves that both teams showcase can only be described as inspiring. When Octagon starts a true comeback and forces a squeal from Barr it telegraphs that the match is still up for grabs and that Los Gringos Locos do not have it in the bag after all!
As good as this match was technically, it needed an extra layer to propel it into that seldom reached 5 star territory. The added hair vs. mask stipulation had the potential to accomplish this. Fortunately, Barr and Guerrero treated the stipulation like it was a matter of life and death and the result…arguably AAA’s best match ever.
The fit La Parka (especially compared to his L.A. Park days) takes on Lizmark at what would become AAA’s showcase event. There are plenty of usual Lucha moves such as a sick suicide dive that La Parka takes and some decent spots off the top. One portion of the match that really sticks out for me though is how La Parka sells a backbreaker from Lizmark about halfway through. It is just a simple spot that enhances the realism of the match. I also liked La Parka physically stopping the ref’s hand from counting three instead of kicking out. It would be a good change from the ordinary to see that spot pop up more.
This match took place years before La Parka became WCW’s chairman of the board so no weapons are involved. Yet, the two somehow manage to have a fun and solid match.
Just an observation, but I often come across this question whenever I read things about Konnan on the Internet. By comparison I have never seen the question, “remember when Konnan was good in the ring?” So, I thought I would post this match to answer that question. Now, I am not saying necessarily that this match proves that Konnan could go in the ring at one point. However, if you don’t think Konnan put on a good match here then you may be hard pressed to find a Konnan match that you enjoy.
The reason that Konnan is often cited as being so poor in the ring is largely because of injuries. Now, even in this match that took place nearly 20 years ago at Triplemania I, Konnan was still a veteran of about six years. As such, you can try to go back earlier to find an even healthier Konnan, but at least in my experience this match is pretty typical of early Konnan.
Just listen to the excitement of those commentators! It is even more enjoyable if you understand Spanish, but excitement transcends the language barrier. Anyway, with it being the day after Wrestlemania I thought we would visit a match from the Wrestlemania south of the border (yes, smarks I am referring to AAA’s Triplemania as the Mexican Wrestlemania). Here, the original La Parka, L.A. Park takes on the new La Parka for the right to be called, “La Parka.” Because I like typing the word “Parka,” I’ll just type it one more time…Parka! Oh, feels so good.
Getting back to the match, you may remember L.A. Park using this gimmick originally in WCW and his prestige has only grown in Mexico since WCW’s collapse. This match would also build up to something else reminiscent of WCW, an invasion storyline. Look for Los Perros del Mal (The Dogs of Evil) to make an appearance as the AAA equivalent of the nWo. The group was originally formed in rival promotion CMLL, but starting with this match they caused all kinds of havoc for AAA.
