#Dave Lawler

[chancyrendezvous]

Chloe by Dave Lawler Via Flickr: I don't do portraits, really; just helping out Chloe who was up against a yearbook deadline. Charlie came along to 'assist' and provide comic relief. His hour-long stand-up routine won me a bunch of genuine smiles. Nikkor 135mm F2 DC: This got a little dreamy with the defocus control out of alignment by a few stops. Was that on purpose? Sure okay. Wishing all a fine weekend ahead...

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

[bigredsweetiepie]

Just in case anyone wanted a complete history... I have documented over the past few months, in an easy to use format, of all of the TV appearances of Isaac Yankem that I could get my hands on (this does not include dark matches). ����🦷🦷

Promos (1995):

June 26 :Jerry visits Isaac's office -(Raw)

July 1 :Jerry visits Isaac's office -(Super Stars aka SS)

July 8: Lawler talks to patients at office (SS)

July 10: I.Y. intro (Raw)

July 15: I.Y. intro ( SS)

July 17: Tooth Extraction Promo (Raw)

July 22: Tooth Extraction Promo (SS)

July 29: Injection promo + Bret Hart Trash Talk 1(SS)

July 31: 1st POV in Chair Promo (Raw)

Aug 5: 1st POV in Chair Promo (SS)

Aug 7: X-Ray promo (Raw)

Aug 8: X-Ray promo + Bret Hart Trash Talk 2 ( SS)

Aug 14: Injection 2 Promo (Raw)

Aug 19: Injection 2 Promo + Bret Hart Trash talk 3 (SS)

Aug 21: Voicemail Promo + Bret Hart Trash talk 4 (Raw)

Aug 25: Review of Promos compilation (SS)

Sept 23: IY “flossing” with rope small vignette (SS) 

Oct 16 : Steel Cage Match Promo (Raw)

Nov 18: The Royals Tag Team Pre-Thanksgiving Promo (SS)

Dec 30: Raw Bowl Promo (SS), (Isaac didn’t compete here, but he was featured in promo) 

Other Promos 1995: 

Aug 5: Bret Hart Smack Talk (Action Zone)

Aug 20: Injection 2 Promo (Action Zone)

October?: German Promo : Bret Hart and IY, “Playing Doctor” (SS)

WWF live event news: Jerry and Isaac trash talk

Wrestling Appearances, L = Lost, W= Win

1995

Aug 27: SummerSlam 1995 Bret Hart (L)

Sept 11: Scott Taylor (Raw-W)

Sept 23: Bob Holly (SS-W)

Oct 2: IY attacks for Bret Hart for Jerry (Raw) 

Oct 7: Tom Torres ( SS-W)

Oct 16: Bret Hart Steel Cage (Raw-L)

Oct 23: Battle Royale (Raw-L)

Nov 6: Bret Hart + Hakushi (Raw, L) 

Nov 11: Dave Dalton (SS-W)

Nov 19:Survivor Series 1995 The Darkside (L)

Dec 16: Ahmed Johnson (SS-L)

1996

Jan 6: Brian Walsh (SS-W)

Jan 15: Undertaker (Raw-L) 

Jan 20: Diesel (SS-L)

Jan 21: Royal Rumble , 27th entry (L) 

Feb 3: Avatar (SS-W)

Feb 26: Jake Roberts (Raw-L)

March 16: Al Walker ( SS-W)

April 1: Marc Mero (Raw-L)

April 29: The Ultimate Warrior (Raw-L)

Please if anyone has any promos I missed ( like the YT links i have above that aren't on Peacock , please LMK!)

[aritamargarita]

time for some (possibly) unpopular/controversial 00s wwe opinions:

(idak if these are unpop or not bc I do my best to stay away from any online wrestling discourse that isn’t on here so if they’re common ideas I’m sorry!)

Evolution was a boring stable (sorry hhh, randy, and dave 😬)

I liked both of the coach’s entrance themes and his lackey character

Ric Flair was never that good as a wrestler OR on the mic‼️‼️

Tough Enough was a fun show but the all male “season” that took place on smackdown was such a terrible decision (even tho it gave us the miz)

Jerry lawler was honestly very funny on commentary when he wasn’t thirsting over the women (this one hurt to admit)

Shelton Benjamin deserved so much better, he was honestly one of the best talents they had

Rated RKO was one of the best thrown together tag teams and I wish they had a longer run

I actually don’t mind the invasion angle, wwe has definitely done much worse than that lmao

Along with that, Paul Heyman was a great commentator

Matches that involve big guy vs big guy are usually boring to watch because of how slow they are

Edge, Eddie, and Kurt were some of the best overall champions in wwe history

Not year specific but RR is the best ppv

I noticed while writing this that I didn’t have anything to say about the women and that’s bc I think they’re all perfect and can do no wrong

INTERESTING TAKES…… u really thought evolution was boring :(? besides that, I gotta say, I have to agree with most of your opinions and I’m not just saying that. like these are some based takes. and about the tough enough male season, youre right only good thing out of it came the miz id literally rather would watch the diva search!!

NO YOURE SO RIGHT THE WOMAN ARE AMAZING & DO NO WRONG!! AND ID LIKE TO SHARE THIS VIDEO PACKAGE AS TO WHY

[nothingunrealistic]

sakina jaffrey as dave mahar, matthew lawler as lucien porter, ben shenkman as ira schirmer, paul giamatti as chuck rhoades, and corey stoll as mike prince in billions 7x01 “tower of london”. lucien porter is a reporter who first appeared in 4x03 to threaten chuck with a hit piece, which he ultimately published. his meeting with dave, ira, and chuck suggests to me that he’s the unlikely ally chuck aligns with in hopes of leveraging his freedom. he publishes the article on chuck (and prince? but chuck’s name is in the topmost headline) that’s being shown to prince on that tablet dave is carrying.

[kulkulcan]

Greatest Pro Wrestlers ever

I try to make a ranking of the nost successful (best) wrestlers of WWF (WWE) and WCW (maybe NWA/ Crockett Promotion too):

1. Bill Goldberg

2. Hulk Hogan

3. The Undertaker

4. Ric Flair

5. Diesel/ Kevin Nash

6. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

7. Triple H

8. John Cena

9. Booker T. (King Booker)

10. The Rock

11. Shawn Michaels

12. Sting

13. Lex Luger

14. Dave Batista

15. Macho Man Randy Savage

16. Andre The Giant

17. Brock Lesnar

18.Stone Cold Steve Austin

19. Kane

20. Randy Orton

21. Owen Hart

22. Roman Reigns

23. Razor Ramon (Scott Hall)

24. Mister Perfect (Curt Henning)

25. Chris Benoit

26. Eddie Guerrero

27. Jeff Jarrett 

28. Yokozuna

29. King Kong Bundy

30. Bam Bam Bigelow

Notable mentionings: Scott Steiner, Rey Mysterio, Irion Sheik, Big Show, Rowdy Roddy Piper,  1-2-3-Kid, Braun Strohman, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Ultimate Warrior.

[brookstonalmanac]

Beer Events 6.1

Events

1st written record of Scotch Whisky (1495)

The disbanded Virginia Legislature, defying the Royal Governor, met in a tavern and declared they would no longer "import from Great Britain ... beer, ale, porter, malt" thus setting the stage for the American brewing industry (1774)

Thrale Brewery, co-owned by Dr. Samuel Johnson, offered for sale (1781)

Louis Pasteur published Studies on Fermentation: The Diseases of Beer, Their Causes, and the Means of Preventing Them (1876)

Otto Zwietusch patented a Vent for Beer-Barrels (1880)

Prohibition of Alcohol in Manitoba, Canada Went into Effect (1916) Moerlein Brewing stopped production due to the impending Prohibition (1919)

Supreme Court ruled the 18th Amendment constitutional, which allowed Prohibition to proceed (1920)

Weber Brewery reopened after Prohibition (Waukesha, Wisconsin; 1934)

Frederick Siebel patented a Brewing Process (1937)

Superman debuts (1938)

Schaefer Brewing patented a Design for a Holder for Beer Foam Scrapers (1943)

Labatt introduces the six pint carton (1948)

International Cheese Treaty signed (1951)

1st issue of CAMRA’s newspaper What’s Brewing published (1972)

West Bend Brewing dissolved (Wisconsin; 1972)

Heimlich Maneuver introduced (1974)

Hoppy Brewing's Sacramento brewpub opened (1999)

Brewery Openings

Latrobe Brewing (Pennsylvania; 1939)

Capitol Brewing (Wisconsin; 1986)

Olde Heurich Brewing (Washington, DC; 1986)

Cherryland Brewing (Wisconsin; 1988)

Gordon Biersch (Palo Alto, California; 1988)

Highland Pub & Brewery (Oregon; 1988)

Les Brasseurs Du Nord brewery (Quebec, Canada; 1988)

Santa Fe Brewing (New Mexico; 1988)

Algonquin Brewery (Ontario; 1989)

Bohannon Brewing (Tennessee; 1989)

Market Street Brewery & Public House (Tennessee; 1989)

Etna Brewing (California; 1990)

Atlantic Brewing (Maine; 1991)

Burkhardt Brewing (Ohio; 1991)

Portsmouth Brewery (New Hampshire; 1991)

Beach Brewing (Florida; 1992)

H.C. Berger Brewing (Colorado; 1992)

Hazel Dell Brewpub (Washington; 1993)

Old Bear Brewery (England; 1993)

Redondo Beach Brewing (California; 1993)

Red, White & Brew (California; 1993)

Riverside Brewing (California; 1993)

Spring Street Brewing (New York; 1993)

Vino's brewery (Arkansas; 1993)

El Dorado Brewing (California; 1994)

Estes Park Brewing (Colorado; 1994)

Saint Arnold Brewing (Texas; 1994)

Valley Brewing (California; 1994)

Backwater Brewing (Minnesota; 1995)

Carlsbad Brewery (California; 1995)

Dave's Brewpub (Kansas; 1995)

Downtown Brewing (South Carolina; 1995)

Front Street Brewery (North Carolina; 1995)

Mill Street Brewing (Minnesota; 1995)

Old Raleigh Brewing (North Carolina; 1995)

Rockford Brewing (Delaware; 1995)

Twisted Pine Brewing (Colorado; 1995)

Brewers Union (California; 1996)

Butte Creek Brewing (California; 1996)

Flossmoor Station Brewing (Illinois; 1996)

FMI Brewing (Kansas; 1996)

Gluek Brewing (Minnesota; 1996)

La Brasserie Aux Quarte Temps (Canada; 1996)

Lakes of Muskoka Brewery (Canada; 1996)

Lawler Brewing (Arizona; 1996)

Microbrasserie Bas St. Laurent (Canada; 1996)

Moab Brewery (Utah; 1996)

Sleeping Giant Brewing (Montana; 1996)

Stone Brewing (California; 1996)

Sunrise at the Oasis (California; 1996)

B.O.B.'s House of Brews (Michigan; 1997)

Brewery Creek Brewing (Wisconsin; 1997)

Copperhead Ale Co. (California; 1997)

Cottage City Brewing (Massachusetts; 1997)

Flying Pig Brewing (Washington; 1997)

Globe Brewery & Barbecue Co. (Arizona; 1997)

Kappatsu Brewing (California; 1997)

Local Color Restaurant, Brewing & Distilling (Michigan; 1997)

Mackinaw Brewing (Michigan; 1997)

Sacketts Harbor Brewing (New York; 1997)

Sausalito Brewing (California; 1997)

So Yo Brewing (California; 1997)

Glasscock Brewing (Texas; 1998)

Mount Nittany Brewing (Pennsylvania; 1998)

Propeller Brewing (Canada; 1998)

Scotch Irish Brewing (Canada; 1998)

Uncle Tucker's Brewhouse (Maryland; 1998)

Bragdy Ynys Men brewery (Wales; 1999)

Hoppy Brewpub (California; 1999)

Ice Breakers Brewery & Restaurant (Georgia; 1999)

Ketchikan Brewing (Arkansas; 1999)

Komanosato Brewery (Japan; 1999)

Moon River Brewing (Georgia; 1999)

Buntingford Brewery (England; 2000)

Goldthorn Brewery (England; 2000)

Slout Brothers Public House (Wisconsin; 2000)

Ramapo Valley Brewing (New York; 2001)

Greenland Brewhouse (Greenland; 2006)

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 1995 THE YEAR IN WRESTLING. March 1996

MOST HATED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: JERRY LAWLER 18,093 votes

If the voting for Most Hated Wrestler of the Year had been done only by the residents of Memphis, Tennessee, Jerry Lawler certainly wouldn’t have won.

He might have picked up a few votes, though.

Yes, even in his own hometown, “The King” has engendered his share of hatred. There is an increasing number of USWA fans who are disgusted by the way Lawler presents himself as a hero in Memphis while breaking the rules nearly everywhere else. It doesn’t help his cause that his broadcasting duties in the WWF prevent him from competing in the USWA as regularly as he used to.

“Lawler used to be a man we could always trust to fight the good fight,” wrote Scott Thompson of Nashville, Tennessee. “Now all we can do is watch him bail out when things get tough.”

Lawler is primarily a WWF man now, and WWF fans are none too thrilled about it. In his role as commentator, Lawler viciously blasts every wrestler who disagrees even slightly with him, and heaps unwarranted praise on those who are as underhanded as he is. Those comments aren’t limited to wrestlers; Lawler still enjoys making tasteless remarks about Stu and Helen Hart.

The Hart with whom Lawler is most obsessed, though, is Bret. Last spring, he smeared Hart’s name by accusing him of hating the Japanese. He duped Hakuishi into going after Bret, but Lawler’s motive was transparent; he needed Hakushi’s help to defeat “The Hitman” at In Your House I.

A loss to Bret in the “kiss-my-foot” match at King of the Ring inspired Lawler to bring in Isaac Yankem to go after Hart. When Hart and Yankem square off, Lawler usually interferes. In fact, during one televised Hart-Yankem cage match, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon ordered Lawler suspended above the ring in his own cage so he couldn’t interfere.

It all gives “The King” a rotten reputation–and a deserved on at that.

“You have to wonder what the people in the USWA  saw in him for all those years,” wrote Francine Julia of New Orleans. “What a horrible person!”

“I wish he’d spend more time in the ring,” wrote Marty Dean of Manchester, England. “That way, we would see a lot more wrestlers beat him up.”

Five years ago, one wouldn’t have heard such a comment in Memphis, but there isn’t a real strong “kingdom” there anymore. 

RUNNERS-UP

KEVIN SULLIVAN: 15,812 votes

First runner-up: Sullivan had one mission in 1995: destroy Hulk Hogan and his friends, include Kevin’s own brother Dave! Toward that end, he assembled the Dungeon of Doom. “The Taskmaster” did many horrible things, including shaving off Hogan’s mustache; most significantly, he brought in The Giant to feud with Hogan and convinced Lex Luger and Jimmy Hart to turn bad.  

THE GANGSTAS: 12,892 votes

Second runner-up: Mustafa Saed and New Jack feuded with Public Enemy for months in ECW, but that isn’t what earned them this “honor.” People hate The Gangstas because of the racist comments they've made. The remarks have enraged dans everywhere, not only in Smoky Mountains and ECW, the most prominent promotions in which The Gangstas have competed. 

DAVEY BOY SMITH 10,503 votes

Third runner-up: For almost all of his career, the “British Bulldog” was a loyal fan favorite. Last summer he snapped, attacking Diesel during a tag team match and signing with manager Jim Cornette. He then had the nerve to suggest that American fans showed him disrespect when they chanted “U.S.A!” during his tag team matches with Lex Luger. Sadly, Smith has become a bitter man.

VOTES FOR OTHERS (15,187)

Some of the top vote-getters who did not capture a runner-up spot include: Arn Anderson, Bob Backlund, Dean Douglas, Ric Flair, Owen Hart, Jeff Jarrett, Kama, Lex Luger, Mabel, Meng, Brian Pillman, Big Bubba Rogers, Skip, Sid Vicious, and Yokozuna

[goalhofer]

2023 Arizona Diamondbacks Roster

Pitchers

#19 Ryne Nelson (Henderson, Nevada)

#23 Zac Gallen (Somerdale, New Jersey)

#24 Kyle Nelson (San Francisco, California)

#25 Corbin Martin (Houston, Texas)

#29 Kenneth Kelly (Scottsdale, Arizona)

#30 Scott McGough (Plum, Pennsylvania)*

#32 Brandon Pfaadt (Louisville, Kentucky)**

#34 Mark Melancon (Golden, Colorado)

#35 Joe Mantiply (Danville, Virginia)

#37 Kevin Ginkel (San Diego County, California)

#38 Paul Sewald (Las Vegas, Nevada)*

#40 Bryce Jarvis (Brentwood, Tennessee)**

#47 Tommy Henry (Portage, Michigan)

#50 Miguel Castro (La Romana, Dominican Republic)*

#55 Austin Adams (Zephyrhills, Florida)*

#57 Andrew Saalfrank (Ft. Wayne, Indiana)**

#63 Justin Martínez (Bonao, Dominican Republic)**

#65 Luis Frías (Río San Juan, Dominican Republic)

#81 Ryan Thompson (Turner, Oregon)*

#99 Drey Jameson (Greenfield, Indiana)

Catchers

#14 Gabriel Moreno (Barquisimeto, Venezuela)*

#59 Bernardo Zavala (La Puente, California)

Infielders

#2 Gerardo Perdomo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

#3 Evan Longoria (Downey, California)*

#4 Ketel Marte (Nizao, Dominican Republic)

#6 Jace Peterson (Lake Charles, Louisiana)*

#10 Jordan Lawler (Carrollton, Texas)**

#14 Emmanuel Rivera (Ciudad Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)

#53 Christian Walker (Norristown, Pennsylvania)

Outfielders

#5 Alek Thomas (Chicago, Illinois)

#7 Corbin Carroll (Seattle, Washington)

#8 Dominic Fletcher (Cypress, California)**

#12 Lourdes Gourriel; Jr. (Sancti Spíritus, Cuba)*

#28 Tommy Pham (Clark County, Nevada)*

#31 Jake McCarthy (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

Coaches

Manager Torey Lovullo (Los Angeles County, California)

Bench coach Jeff Banister (La Marque, Texas)

Hitting coach Joe Mather (Phoenix, Arizona)

Assistant hitting coach Jacinto Easley (Mt. Vernon, New York)

Assistant hitting coach Drew Hedman (Redding, California)

Assistant hitting coach Rick Short (Elgin, Illinois)

Pitching coach Brent Strom (San Diego, California)

Assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson (Portland, Oregon)

Assistant pitching coach Barry Enright (Stockton, California)

Bullpen coach Mike Fetters (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Bullpen catcher Sharif Othman (Riverside, California)

Bullpen catcher Jose Queliz (Valencia, Venezuela)

1B coach Dave McKay (Vancouver, British Columbia)

3B coach Tony Perezchica (Mexicali, Mexico)

[munatarswrestlingassociationrp]

Dave Penzer: "Ladies and gentlemen, this bout is set for one fall with a twenty minute time limit! Already in the ring, from Vancouver, British Columbia, "Showtime" Eric Young!"

Jim Ross: "And that was Dave Penzer, our ring announcer for this event! And, folks, Eric Young, or "EY", as he likes to be known, looks ready for this one!"

Jim Cornette: "Ready? He looks more like he's ready to head for the hills! I can see the ring quaking underneath him!"

Jerry Lawler: "Well, considering who he has to go against, who could blame him for being a little scared."

Jim Ross: "Well, one thing I've learned is you never count out the man known as the World Class Maniac. Common sense isn't exactly this man's strong suit, which is something that has hindered, but also helped him quite a lot."

Dave Penzer: "His opponent, from Hunnington Beach, California, "The Samoan Submission Machine", Samoa Joe!"

Jim Ross: "Samoa Joe, the Samoan Submission Machine. This man is intimidation personified. I've learned many a time watching this man over the years, you step up to him, he will absolutely destroy you."

Jerry Lawler: "And yet, Eric Young is stepping up to him as we speak! I'd say that's pretty courageous!"

Jim Cornette: "Yeah... if you want to call the man quaking in that ring "courageous.""

Jim Ross: "Joe, now sizing up Eric Young... look at the icy glare plastered on the face of Samoa Joe."

Jerry Lawler: "That's a glare that'd turn Medusa herself to stone! Oh, man... I hope he doesn't look this way!"

Jim Cornette: "Whoa, there, and did you see Eric just slap the taste out of Joe's mouth? I can't tell whether that was brave or just plain stupid!"

Jerry Lawler: "I'd say he's brave, although now he's running for it! And judging by the look on Joe's face, I can't say I blame him much!"

Jim Ross: "He doesn't get far, though, as Joe catches him and drives him into the corner! Now he's hitting him with strike, after strike, after strike..."

Jim Cornette: "Just toying with his prey at this moment!"

Jim Ross: "And he picks him up and throws him with the release suplex! Good lord, what power!"

Jerry Lawler: "I'm not sure Eric Young has much to match what Joe has!"

Jim Ross: "Now, Eric gets up and goes at Joe... Joe counters and hits Eric with the sidewalk slam! Cover, 1... 2, no, Eric kicks out!"

Jim Cornette: "Given it's a near fall already, that seems like it's already a testament to the power differential between these two."

Jim Ross: "Joe now picking up Eric... and he throws him into the corner and gets him with the enziguri combo!"

Jerry Lawler: "Eric Young is just staggering here!"

Jim Ross: "Right you are, King, and Joe's gonna capitalize by pickign Eric up and taking him down with the belly-to-belly!"

Jim Cornette: "He isn't gonna cover, though? Seems like a waste if you ask me."

Jim Ross: "Maybe Joe has something else in mind, Cornette. He picks up Eric and throws him into the ropes... oh, and he catches him with the inverted atomic drop! Follows it up with the big boot, and finally the running senton! Good lord, Eric Young being whipped like a government mule out here! Cover, 1... 2... two count!"

Jim Cornette: "Gotta admit, Eric's got some guts to keep going after taking all that punishment."

Jim Ross: "But Joe looks like he's calling for it! He throws Eric into the corner and setting him up... and he drops him down with the Muscle Buster! That's gotta be it, folks, cover, 1... 2... 3! Thanks for coming, Eric Young!"

Dave Penzer: "The winner of the match... Samoa Joe!"

Jerry: "Look, Joe's grabbing a mic!"

Samoa Joe: "That was just a taste of the kind of destruction I bring to the ring. I hope for the sake of whoever I face next that they're at least a little tougher than that guy, because they're gonna need to be to keep up with a fraction of my power. MWA... consider yourselves forewarned. Joe is coming for you all!"

Jim Cornette: "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Jim Ross: "Strong words from the Samoan Submission Machine, Samoa Joe. We'll be right back, folks!"

[andrewtheprophet]

China Horn expands its nuclear arsenal: Daniel 7

China expands its nuclear arsenal China is on track to become an atomic superpower alongside the United States and Russia. The Pentagon estimates that China will roughly quadruple its nuclear stockpile by 2035. What does that mean for the U.S.? Plus, the Supreme Court delays a decision on the abortion pill. And, what to know now about Lyme Disease. Guests: Axios’ Dave Lawler and Oriana…

[chancyrendezvous]

Sunrise by Dave Lawler Via Flickr: Wishing all a fine weekend ahead. We'll be out doing stuff (on what should be a cold, rainy weekend).

[missmcspooks]

THE BRUTAL TORTURE AND MURDER OF KELLY ANNE BATES

A 17 year old girl would be horrendously tortured and murdered over a 4 week period at the hands of her own boyfriend, James Patterson Smith. The lead detective on the case, Joseph Monaghan, stated that this was the most horrific case he has ever seen during his 15 years on the job. Pathologist William Lawler also stated that Kelly’s injuries were the worst he had ever seen on a murder victims body. 

Kelly Anne Bates was born on May 18th, 1978, and raised in Greater Manchester, England. She was described as a mature, very friendly, outgoing, and bubbly girl, who also liked to hangout with older crowds. When she was 14 she met a man named Dave Smith who began to groom her. When she turned 16 she told her mother Margaret that she had an older boyfriend, but he wasn’t just older by a few years… This man was 32 years old. Margaret claimed that when she had first met him, the hairs on the back of her neck went up. Even though Margaret had her concerns about him, he showed what seemed to be sincere concern and love for Kelly, even going as far as calling her when he became worried about Kelly staying out all night. However, it would later come out that Kelly had lied about some information regarding her new boyfriend. Dave wasn’t 32 years old, he was actually 48, and his name wasn’t Dave… It was Jimmy (James). 

A Brief Background About James Patterson Smith

James was unemployed and divorced, living around the Gorton area of Manchester. His marriage ended in 1980 after 10 years due to being extremely abusive and violent towards his wife. 20 year old Tina Watson would become his next girlfriend, who “he used as his punching bag” for two years, going as far as inflicting severe beatings upon her while she was pregnant with his baby. That relationship ended in 1982 when Tina was able to escape his clutches during an attempt to drown her while she was taking a bath. James then began to groom 15 year old Wendy Mottershead, who he also abused and attempted to drown her in the kitchen sink. He then began to groom Kelly in 1993, and moved in together two years later.

How It Started…

When the two first began dating, Kelly started to spend a lot of time at his home, and would sometimes go multiple days without checking in with her parents. When Kelly did come to see her family on the rare occasion, her parents became concerned about her wellbeing. She had started to lose weight, stopped showering and taking care of her appearance, and she was covered in bruises and on one occasion, she was also covered in bite marks. Kelly refused to admit that James was beating her and she refused to leave him. When she turned 16, she stopped coming to see her family completely. That year her parents would receive birthday and anniversary cards that were apparently from Kelly, but they were written in James’ handwriting. They knew something was wrong but they couldn’t do anything, and they felt so powerless. 

The Murder…

On April 16th, 1996, James Smith walked into his local police station to report Kelly’s accidental death. However, when the police entered the home and saw her body, they knew this was far from accidental. They knew they were looking at a homicide case. Her naked body was found in the bedroom, and her blood was found all throughout the home. Kelly’s autopsy revealed that she had 150 separate injuries on her body. For four whole weeks she had been kept bound, tied up to a radiator and furniture by her hair, and sometimes she’d be tied up by her neck. 

These are the injuries found on Kelly Bate’s body:

Scalding to her buttocks and left leg

Burns on her thigh caused by the application of a hot iron

A fractured arm

Multiple stab wounds caused by knives, forks, and scissors

Stab wounds inside her mouth

Crush injuries to both hands

Mutilation of her ears, nose, eyebrows, mouth, lips, and genitalia

Wounds caused by a spade and pruning shears

Both eyes gouged out

Later stab wounds to the empty eye sockets

Partial Scalping

The pathologist determined that her eyes had been removed “not less than five days and not more than three weeks before her death.” It’s very likely that Kelly had gone at least two or three weeks without eyesight during her suffering. She was also starved and didn’t receive any water for several days before her death. She was beaten on her head with the shower head right before she was drowned to death in the bathtub. 

The Trial…

James Smith denied that he had murdered Kelly and claimed that she would “put him through hell, winding him up.” He also claimed that she would “taunt” him about his dead mother and would “purposely hurt herself to make things look worse for him.” When he was asked why he had brutally tortured her the way he did, he said that she had dared him to do it, and challenged him to do her harm. A Consultant psychiatrist, Gillian Mezey, told the court that James had “a severe paranoid disorder with morbid jealousy,” and lived in a distorted reality. It took the court one hour to find 49 year old James guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the minimum of 20 years.

[weirdletter]

Phantasmagoria Magazine, Issue #16, edited by Trevor Kennedy, Phantasmagoria Publishing, Late Summer 2020. Cover art by Randy Broecker, internal illustrations by Franki Beddows, Randy Broecker, Dave Carson, Mike Chinn, Stephen Clarke, Peter Coleborn, James Keen, Allen Koszowski, Reggie Oliver, Jim Pitts, GCH Reilly and David A. Riley. Info: amazon.com.

Randy Broecker! Ramsey Campbell! Richard Chizmar! Interviews with Malachy Coney, Anna Taborska, Douglas Tait and Mathew Waters! Plus: Elak, King of Atlantis with Adrian Cole and Jim Pitts, Stephen Jones’ The Best of Best New Horror: Volume Two, The Phantom of the Opera, Psycho, Jaws, Candyman, Quatermass, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone, Before You Blow Out the Candle... Book Two, 1970s horror films, R. Chetwynd-Hayes, fiction, artwork, reviews and more!

Contents: A Note From the Editor by Trevor Kennedy Randy Broecker interview and portfolio Ramsey Campbell interview Richard Chizmar interview (including reviews of Gwendy's Button Box and Gwendy's Magic Feather) The Many Faces of... The Phantom of the Opera: feature by John Gilbert Vic and Son: cartoon by James Keen Phantasmagoria at The Secret Bookshelf: feature with Trevor Kennedy and GCH Reilly Meanwhile, Back in Atlantis: feature by Adrian Cole, with artwork by Jim Pitts and review of Elak, King of Atlantis by David A. Riley Anna Taborska interview (including illustrations by Reggie Oliver from Anna's new book, Bloody Britain) The Fundamental Power of Psycho (1960): feature by Barnaby Page Jaws, Forty-five Years Later: feature by Barnaby Page Resurrecting the Candyman: feature by Michael Campbell Phantasmagoria Fiction: "Eigenspace X" by Mike Chinn "Hanuman" by David A. Riley. "Liver and Bacon" by Joe X. Young "Beady Eyes" by Barry Bellows "Shadow of an Incubus" by Christopher Fielden "Tomatoes According to Geoff" by D.T. Langdale "The Discontinued" by Jessica Stevens "Wolf Hill" by Sean O'Connor "He Thought He Was Dying" by David A. Riley "Towak" by Richard Bell "Three Sure Sentences" by Emerson Firebird Introducing Before You Blow Out the Candle... Book Two: with Marc Damian Lawler Malachy Coney interview Quatermass and the Kid: feature by Raven Dane. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970): feature by Dave Jeffery Twenty-first Century Twilight Zone: feature by Abdul-Qaadir Bakari-Muhammad Douglas Tait interview Mathew Waters interview 1970s Horror Films: feature by David Brilliance Reading R. Chetwynd-Hayes with Marc Damian Lawler Phantasmagoria Reviews Readers' Comments Acknowledgements

[ecwrestling]

Wrestling Observer Rewind from February 27th, 1994: Eddie Gilbert passed away from a heart attack at age 33 last week in his apartment in Puerto Rico, where he was working as booker for Carlos Calon's WWC promotion. Dave Meltzer launches into a lengthy obituary, about how Gilbert dreamed of being a wrestler like his father and even no-showed his own high school graduation so he could wrestle on an indy show. Gilbert later built a reputation of burning bridges everywhere he went, most recently walking out on Smoky Mountain Wrestling to go book for World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. His reputation for leaving promotions on bad terms was so well-established that the only reason they kept bringing him back was because he was such a creative booker and great worker. Jerry Lawler took Gilbert back so many times people lost count but recently even USWA had finally had enough and wouldn't bring him back. Within the last year, Gilbert had been trying to find work elsewhere and most promoters refused to hire him until Jim Cornette took a chance on him, only for Gilbert to immediately burn him as well.

After a car accident in 1983, Gilbert became a frequent user of painkillers and due to his small size, he was always paranoid about not being big enough and used steroids constantly. He was married to Missy Hyatt for awhile but their marriage fell apart largely due to the stresses of the business and Gilbert trying to hide steroid use from her. Hyatt talks about how Gilbert's natural weight was 175 lbs but he would use steroids and would freak out if his weight ever dropped below 200 lbs. He was obsessed with trying to be the next Jerry Lawler and could never quite reach that headlining status and it ate him up. Despite leaving both promotions on somewhat bad terms, ECW and USWA are both expected to air tributes to Gilbert on their television shows this week.

The obituary includes quotes from ECW's Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman, Lance Russell, Jim Cornette from SMW, Missy Hyatt and others. In general, they talk about how close Gilbert's family was and how crushed they must be but Heyman talks about how he isn't surprised and always figured he'd get this call because Gilbert had a lot of demons and compares him to Kerry Von Erich as a tragic figure in the business. Gordon talks about how Gilbert grew up in the business and because of that, he was paranoid and didn't trust anyone: "He was raised in an enviroment (the pro-wrestling world) where he learned never to believe anyone. So he lived his life paranoid of everyone and everything. He used to read the Observer and look for hidden meaning in every sentence and point it out to me. I would say to him, 'you don't really believe that,' but he did."

[wrestlingatthemovies]

Fighting With My Family (2019)

Biographical drama from WWE Studios and Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions about the rise to fame of 2 time WWE Divas Champion Paige.

The film shows The Anti-Diva wrestling on the UK independent scene, in NXT and on the WWE main roster with Impact Wrestling’s first female world champion Tessa Blanchard often doubling as Paige in wrestling scenes. There are lots of training sequences that not only show in ring segments but also promo work and boot camp style cardio work.

The Rock appears as himself in a number of scenes portraying a mentor to the aspiring diva.

WWE wrestler Zelina Vega portrays then WWE Divas champion AJ Lee in the movie's finale; Paige's debut WWE match.

Clips from a number of WWE shows are played throughout the movie including King of the Ring 2001, Wrestlemania XXX and Monday Night Raw.

There are a number of high profile wrestling cameos the most significant of which are by The Miz, The Big Show and Sheamus. Former World of Sport champion Dave Mastiff also cameos alongside someone portraying inaugural NXT UK Champion Pete Dunn as fellow applicants in her WWE tryout scene. Clips of from the Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family that inspired the movie featuring Paige and her wrestling family play over the end credits of the movie.

Featured Wrestlers:

Zelina Vega as AJ Lee

Tessa Blanchard as Paige (wrestling sequences)

JD Knight as Pete Dunn

Actors portraying wrestlers

Nick Frost as Ricky Knight

Lena Headey as Julia Knight (Sweet Saraya)

Florence Pugh as Paige

Tory Ellen Ross as Young Paige

Jack Lowden as Zak Zodiac

Thomas Whilley as Young Zak

James Burrows as Roy Bevis

As themselves and/or archive footage 

The Rock

The Miz

Big Show

Sheamus 

Michael Cole

Jerry Lawler

Steve Austin

Paige

Zak Zodiac

Sweet Saraya

Roy Bevis

Ricky Knight

John Cena

As wrestlers:

Jody Fleisch

Darrell Allen

Nina Samuels

James Mason

Joey Knight

Rishi Ghosh

Nathan Cruz

Kip Sabian

Voodoo Queen Amarah

Robin Lekime

Erin Angel

Flex Maxted

Dave Mastiff

Ligero

Paul Robinson

Lory

Justin Sysum

Scarlett Bordeaux

Wrestle Rating:

5 out of 5 receipts

A heartwarming story that is genuinely laugh out loud funny in places. Its refreshing to see a wrestling movie made by people who understand wrestling so when coupled with some high profile wrestler cameos Fighting With My Family is a must see film for fans of the squared circle.