New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame 2013 By Miss Rula and Mr Charity Christopher Annino

Smackdown! Fan Fest! NE Pro Wrestling Lauds Artists of the Ring

By Miss Rula and Mr. Charity Christopher Annino

            In general, professional wrestling has always been part of Americana. When Shakespeare was alive he would write plays that both commoner and royalty could share and enjoy—and the same goes for professional wrestling.  “I have wined and dined with kings and queens, and slept in alleys and ate pork and beans,” reflects “The American Dream,” Dusty Rhodes, arguably one of the most influential pros in the industry. This quote speaks volumes in regards to who these wrestlers truly are. Yes they are famous but they are very humble and thankful for being where they are.

This year I had the honor to go to the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of fame in Fairhaven, Massachusetts with my friend Mr. Charity Christopher Annino. The New England Wrestling Hall of Fame this year was a true celebration of the athleticism and theatrics of the sport.

New England is rich in wrestling history.  Pro wrestling legend Walter “Killer“ Kowalski, who sadly is no longer with us, had a school where he trained wrestlers in the New England area. He trained Triple H, Chyna, Big John Studd, Damien Sandow, April Hunter, Ron Zombie, and many of the greats. He is the original person to get the ball rolling, and there was more to come.  Not too far away from Brandford is Pro Wrestling Academy Connecticut located in New Haven where they keep up with the tradition of training some of new englands best http://www.prowrestlingacademyct.com/

Several years ago ring anouncer/ promoter Joseph Bruen had the vision to honor New England’s pro wrestling legends.  His creation, The New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, has been going strong ever since its inception in 2008. 

This year Bruen’s dream reached an international scale. Following where Kowalksi left off, he picked up the reins and highlighted the talent in the local, New England wrestling.  His Hall of Fame is focused on the individuals who wrestled, managed, refereed, announced, or promoted in the New England region; a place where they honor local legends that wrestled in such places as the Boston Garden, like Sgt. Muldoon.

                                                The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013

The 2013 inductees are Mr. Fuji, Kevin Sullivan, The Warlord, The Barbarian, Bobby Knight, Nelson Frazier, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Lombardi, Tammy Sytch, Oscar, Alex Payne, Kurt Adonis, Mike Hollow, Bull Curry, Jack Savage, Silvano Sousa, Mel Simons, Larry Bonoff and the Warwick, Musical Theatre, Brittany Brown, Marc Bazzle / Marcus O’Middleton and Referee Peter B. We caught up with Ms Brown after her induction and she expressed "It is a great honor to be inducted in the hall of fame thank you."

The star-studded induction ceremonies at the Fairhaven Fan Fest saw wrestling stars like WWF-WWE Tag Team Champions Demolition, Tony Atlas, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, Hill Billy Jim, Marty Jannetty, Princess Victoria, Boston Bad Boy Jason Rumble, Bobby The Brian Heenan, Cowboy Bob Orton, John Cena Sr, Jimmy Valiant, Typhoon, Nyla Rose,  WCW Nitro Girls,  Boxing champion Vinny Paz and many more.

Famed announcer Howard Finkle did a special q&a and wrestling historians Tom Burke and Sheldon Goldberg were in attendance as well. At the ceremonies, WWE Legend Nikolai Volkoff sang the Russian national anthem before his induction.

Pro wrestling is the ultimate form of theater and athletics. You have to be incredibly athletic and have a tremendous amount of charisma in order to pull off a good match. And yes it is a “sport,” because it is judged by peers and fans which makes it all the more difficult. When you watch pro wrestling as a kid you idolize certain wrestlers for their courage, strength and charisma.

Pro wrestling milestones include Bruno Sammartino’s title reign of 4,040 days; Mankind’s swan dive off Hell in the cell; the dog collar match between Roddy Piper and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine; the Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart Iron Man Match, and Hulk Hogan Slamming Andre the giant in WrestleMania III.

What these artists create in the ring is magic; they seem able to do what is not physically possible. When they get injured they keep going, exhibiting extreme dedication to their sport, and the wrestlers love the fans—and the fans love them.

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