I’ve been engrossed in my new DVD obsession of late, Raw: The Beginning. The first disc was rife with the heel version of Doink the Clown, played wonderfully by Matt Bourne. Bourne was also one hell of a worker.
Bourne is still alive and working indies. I wish I could say the same for most of the other wrestlers on these discs.
Thus far, those no longer with us as seen on Raw: The Beginning:
Yokozuna
Mr. Perfect
Bam Bam Bigelow
Lord Alfred Hayes
Joey Marella (referee and son of Gorilla Monsoon)
Stu and Helen Hart
Crush
Luna Vachon
I’m sure I’ll see more by the time I get through all four discs.
I was twelve when these matches aired. I’m nearly thirty.
I know a lot of you reading are about as young as I was, or a bit older. Try to think seventeen years into the future. How many of your favorite wrestlers are dead?
It’s miserably sad.
This will cheer you up: Jerry Lawler is taunting the Harts. This feud was cut short a few months later when Lawler was arrested for being Lawler.
Which means he was accused of statutory rape. That’s so Lawler!
He was cleared, but it shows that on screen and off, Lawler is a major pig.
Okay, maybe that didn’t cheer anyone up.
I’ll get back to you on that one.
