Extreme Championship Wrestling. - Between the ropes wrestlings greatest triumphs and failures

BETWEEN THE ROPES

Wrestlings Greatest Triumphs and Failures

Brian Fritz & Christoper Murray

Copyright Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray, 2006

Published by ECW PRESS
2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M 4 E 1 E 2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW PRESS .

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Fritz, Brian
Between the ropes : wrestlings greatest triumphs and failures / Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray.

ISBN 1-55022-726-2

1. WrestlingUnited States. 2. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. 3. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. 4. World Championship Wrestling, Inc. 5. Extreme Championship Wrestling. I. Murray, Christopher, 1981 II. Title.

GV1195.F75 2006 796.8120973 C2006-900492-7

Developing editor: Michael Holmes
Typesetting: Gail Nina
Cover and text design: Tania Craan
Cover photos: Lee South, Courtesy of TNA Wrestling
Photos page 220, 229, 243 and 276: Lee South, Courtesy of TNA Wrestling
All other photos: from the collection of Brian Fritz

P RINTING : Transcontinental

DISTRIBUTION

CANADA : Jaguar Book Group, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, ON, L 7 G 5 s 4
UNITED STATES : Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610

PRINTED AND BOUND IN CANADA

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank so many people for helping not only with this book, but also by being a part of Between the Ropes. Chris Murray actually came up with the idea of writing this book, and really jump-started the process. He has been a tireless worker on this project and has always been a big part of the success of the show.

Brian Dickerman has been there from day one, which I cannot thank him enough for. He has made a lot of sacrifices to be a regular part of the show, and I know there were times when he preferred to be somewhere else. Ive always said that without him, there would be no Between the Ropes, because he is the lifeblood of what we do.

Larry Brannon (Vito DeNucci) has been a great addition to the show, and Im glad that he is a part of it. I know it is tough for him, considering the wonderful family he has and giving up some valuable time from them. For that, I thank him and his wife Amy.

Thanks to B. Randall Myers for teaching me so much about working in radio and for helping to get Between the Ropes off the ground and keeping it on the air. You were never afraid to tell me the truth when no one else would speak up, even if you thought it was something I didnt want to hear.

Over the years, weve had a bunch of different producers, and all of them have helped out a lot. The long list includes B. Randall, Craig Bullock, Andy Garcia, Jim Ferran, August Schalkham, and Mike Tuck. Now for long-time listeners of the show you wont recognize most of those names, since we decided to use dumb nicknames instead. But in the end, theyve all come through.

A special thank you goes out to Marc Daniels, who first gave me the opportunity to do Between the Ropes and has given the show a home on the radio.

To my good buddy Jerry Lynn for his great friendship and for being a great part of our wonderful driving singing duo, which no one else will truly appreciate. Steve Corino, Shane Douglas, and Simon Diamond have all been good friends as well and I hope we all have good times ahead. Also, I need to thank Mick Foley for his unintentional words of wisdom in helping me write the book.

Thanks also go out to the hundreds of guests who have shared their time and been on the show. I hope that all of you enjoyed the conversations we have had over the years.

Michael Holmes of ECW Press gave Chris and I the opportunity to do this book, which I appreciate. He has always believed in this project from day one.

To my parents, Robert and Janet, who have always been there for me. It was my dad who introduced me to wrestling as a teenager even though he was not a big fan of it. Still, he watched it with me to spend some quality time together as I was growing up. Regardless of the motive, I was hooked and havent stopped watching since. My mom was always there to listen to me shout about what I had just seen in wrestling, nodding her head and laughing at my excitement.

More than anyone else, I would like to thank all of the people who have ever tuned in to Between the Ropes, who enjoy the program and have supported it. In the end, it is the fans that make or break you, who tell you what is good and what isnt. Weve been very fortunate to have a loyal group of people who have appreciated what we have done, and hopefully, what we will continue to do.

Brian Fritz

Fritz did most of the thanking for both of us, but I do want to make some quick mentions. Right off the bat, many thanks to my mother, Liz, father, Dennis, and brother, Matt, for their support and belief in me and this project.

Also, thanks to my good friends Craig Mitchell, Joe Antico, Mike Malone, Nick Labetti, and Trevor Labetti for trekking with me to Madison Square Garden, the Meadowlands, the Nassau Coliseum, and other venues all over the Tri-State Area for wrestling events throughout the years. Thereve been some good matches and plenty of laughs along the way.

Thanks to the good people at ECW Press for taking a chance on us, particularly Michael Holmes, for his guidance and assistance in offering the opportunity and making this book a reality.

Thanks to writers like Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller, who covered professional wrestling in print long before it was fashionable, and Mick Foley, who opened the door for literature on wrestling with his first autobiography, and proved that wrestling fans can read.

Thanks to Brian Dickerman and Larry Vito DeNucci Brannon, as well as Randy B. Randall Myers before him, for providing two hours of the best wrestling radio anywhere in the world each and every week. Great radio guys, and even better people.

Most of all, thanks to Brian Fritz for allowing me to be a part of the ride for the past seven years, and for being a true friend Im lucky to have gotten to know. Looking forward to being there for the next step in the journey, whatever that may be.

Last but not least, thanks to every single person who has listened to Between the Ropes over the years, and every single person that has picked up this book. You guys and girls have made this all possible, and I hope we are able to continue entertaining you, both in print and on the airwaves, for years to come.

Christopher Murray

Ive had the privilege of being able to wrestle around the world, holding world championships for ECW, the NWA, and the AWA. Sitting now in a hotel room in Tokyo getting ready to go out and perform, I fondly remember the time I met Brian Fritz and first heard about the Between the Ropes radio program.

Ever since my first appearance on the show back in my ECW days, followed by my many, many, many appearances since, I have held the Between the Ropes show dear to my heart. Brian Fritz and his program have always greeted me with open arms, and I consider Between the Ropes to be my radio home.

To me, Fritz, Dickerman (never call him Dickerson, trust me), and now Vito, have hosted the number one pro wrestling radio show for the past seven years. These are three guys who love the sport. Wrestling is fun for all of them. They enjoy the lighter side of the sport, especially when I am there, and dont have the attitude that theyre ashamed to follow wrestling, as most of the media does. They speak with the top stars in wrestling, including Ric Flair, me, Steve Austin, me, John Cena, me, and anyone else who has ever been anyone in this industry.