Demolition (professional wrestling)

Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s and early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of Ax (Bill Eadie), Smash (Barry Darsow), and later Crush (Brian Adams). In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign and the most combined days as reigning champions. Beginning in 2007, Ax and Smash reunited for several appearances at various independent shows and legends conventions.

Career

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1991)

Formation and early push (1987–1988)

Randy Colley and Bill Eadie created the Demolition gimmick and worked for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They debuted as a heel tag team on the January 17, 1987 edition of Superstars, alongside manager Luscious Johnny V, defeating the team of Salvatore Bellomo and Mario Mancini. The tag team resembled Lord Humungus of the 1981 film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, with the facepaint of hard rockers KISS. Demolition wore studded black leather outfits and leather-covered hockey masks to the ring, which they removed to reveal face paint usually made up of some combination of black, white, red, or silver colors, though other colors were sometimes included. After only a few matches, Colley was replaced with Barry Darsow in a match aired on the February 14, 1987 edition of Superstars. In an RF Video shoot interview with Eadie and Darsow, Eadie claimed that Colley was replaced because he was recognizable to the fans as the man who previously performed as Moondog Rex. The WWF pitched a few potential replacements to Eadie, but he felt fans would recognize the suggested replacements. Eadie felt that many WWF fans would not recognize Darsow, who had been working for Jim Crockett Promotions as Krusher Khruschev alongside Nikita Koloff. Darsow left Crockett following a dispute in order to take over the role of Smash.

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling (colloquially abbreviated to pro wrestling or wrestling) is an athletic form of entertainment based on a fictionalized, highly exaggerated portrayal of a combat sport. Taking the form of live events held by touring promotions, it portrays a unique style of combat based on a combination of adopted styles, which include classical wrestling, catch wrestling and various forms of martial arts, as well as an innovative style based on grappling (holds/throws), striking, and aerialism. Various forms of weaponry are sometimes used.

The content including match outcomes is choreographed and the combative actions and reactions are executed in special manners designed to both protect from, yet simulate pain. These facts were once kept highly secret but are now openly declared as the truth. By and large, the true nature of the content is ignored by the performing promotion in official media in order to sustain and promote the willing suspension of disbelief for the audience by maintaining an aura of verisimilitude. Fan communications by individual wrestlers and promotions through outside media (i.e. interviews) will often directly acknowledge the fictional nature of the spectacle.

Professional wrestling (disambiguation)

Professional wrestling is the name given to an athletic form of fictional entertainment.

Professional wrestling is also a term that references a professional combat sport.

Media

See also

Professional (disambiguation)

A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession.

Professional or professionals may also refer to:

Film and TV

Publications

Music

Young Steff

Stephen Goldsborough (born December 7, 1988), better known by his stage name Young Steff, is an American R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop singer-songwriter currently signed to Richcraft/Atlantic Records and managed by Larock Artists. Steff was born in Vineland, New Jersey. His father was a member of the gospel group Spirit, and his aunt—Gina Thompson—has worked with producer Rodney Jerkins. By 8, Steff traveled with and sang alongside his father's group, Spirit. Steff won talent shows, including the McDonald's Apollo kid's competition in Philadelphia, his path to success seemed relatively straightforward, especially at age 12 when his demo landed in the hands of then Roc-A-Fella Records executives Jay-Z and Damon Dash, and they signed him to their music label. While with the Roc, Steff had success and scored a hit with the song "Can I Holla" that featured Bow Wow. In 2005, Dame and Jay parted ways: Steff chose to become a free agent.

After the controversial Roc-A-Fella split, Steff was led to super producer Rich Harrison (who produced hits such as Amerie "1 Thing ", Jennifer Lopez "Get Right", and Beyoncé "Crazy In Love") who offered to sign the young performer to his growing Richcraft label through Atlantic Records after an impromptu audition, with dancers in tow. Now since the controversial Roc-A-Fella Records split in 2005, Young Steff is back on track with a solo-record debut rumored to be titled "Jump It Off", which was due out September 18, 2008. Steff has described this album to be a young man's journey to adulthood with the wide-eyed wonderment of a boy still in awe of his sudden rise to R&B-icon status. Steff collaborated with Trick Daddy on the song "Chevy".

Professional sports

Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations or teams can command large incomes. As a result, more sportspeople can afford to make athleticism their primary career, devoting the training time necessary to increase skills, physical condition, and experience to modern levels of achievement. This proficiency has also helped boost the popularity of sports.

Most sports played professionally also have amateur players far outnumbering the professionals. Professional athleticism is seen by some as a contradiction of the central ethos of sport, competition performed for its own sake and pure enjoyment, rather than as a means of earning a living. Consequently, many organisations and commentators have resisted the growth of professional athleticism, saying that it was so incredible that it has impeded the development of sport. For example, rugby union was for many years a part-time sport engaged in by amateurs, and English cricket has allegedly suffered in quality because of a "non-professional" approach. An important reason why professional sports has been resisted in history was that organisations for professional sports usually did not submit to the international sports federations, and could have their own rules. For example, the National Basketball Association was formerly not a member of the FIBA.

Wrestling (1961 film)

Wrestling (Original French title: La lutte) is a 1961 documentary film about professional wrestling in Montreal, co-directed by Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière, Claude Fournier and Claude Jutra.

Wrestling was shot in the Montreal Forum, where major bouts were staged, as well as wrestling parlors where would be wrestlers learned and practiced their craft.

The filmmakers had intended to make a film exposing, in slow motion, the fakery of professional wrestling, until a chance encounter with French philosopher Roland Barthes changed their minds. Barthes was appalled by what they were planning to do, and spoke urgently about the beauty and social role of pro wrestling in the lives of ordinary people. Persuaded by Barthes, the filmmakers set out to make a film that captured the spectacle of the sport, without judging it.

The film shows the wrestling arena to be a sort of modern day shrine, with wrestling and its rituals taking the place of religion in the then-recently secularized Quebec.