"I WANA know!"
- News and Rumors from the Wrestling Associaation of North America
- With the recent debut of WANA as a northeast US-eastern Canada
regional promotion, competition in that massively populated wrestling
territory has grown hot indeed. The area houses UWF's home base, as well as
other organizations such as JJG. Nonetheless, WANA's belief that
competition promotes quality seems to be well-founded: the company is
matching expectations in it's preliminary fiscal reports.
- In fact, numbers have been quite solid for WANA's house show run. It
was thought that by setting a territorial boundary for the organization
and promoting in familiar, staple markets using contacts established
years ago in WANA's initial world-wide run in the mid-90s, the company
would establish a sustainable business model. The model appears
functional, needing only the test of time to prove it's hierarchy correct.
- Speaking of the mid-90's iteration of the company, rumors have been
rampant that with the recent re-introduction of Kamikaze, one or two of
the other major stars of the company from that time period have been
negotiating with the company to return to action. Although WANA, then
known as "Ultra-Violent Wrestling", produced many future stars in its two
and a half year run, almost none of the big names from that era moved
on to continue their stardom after UVW closed it's doors in July of
1997. Operating director Sean McDougal, himself an on-screen talent during
the UVW days, declined to comment.
- The premier "supercard" for the company, dubbed WANA First Blood,
hasn't had quite the number of nationwide cable-system buys that the
company would have liked, but the on-site business is looking very good.
The card is already sold out, as the New York area, long a stronghold for
the wrestling industry, hasn't had a successful major organization
based there since the demise of UEW several years ago. Hence, New York is
generally seen as a "safe bet" among existing promotions, since there
are fewer opportunities for the fans to get out and see a large-budget
wrestling show. Expect a hot crowd, as is the norm in the Big Apple.
- One hot topic amongst Internet sites is the real-life identity of "No
Nonsense" Tony Vendetta. Much speculation has been made over whether
or not Vendetta is an established name working under a new gimmick, or
is in fact a newcomer to the business. If it's the latter, he's
frighteningly skilled for a rookie, leading many to believe that Vendetta will
be recognizable to wrestling fans should he be unmasked. Popular
guesses include Nick Demola, Nickedemus Payne, and even Gabriel Whitecross
(despite Vendetta's lack of tatoos and English accent). Each of these
has been debunked, though, so the question remains unanswered.
- WANA recently set up a deal with the UWF in order to save both
companies significant money on booking the Gund Arena. The companies pooled
to book the arena for two days, at a better per-day rate, and then
promoted shows back-to-back. Despite this arrangement, the two companies
have no official ties. "The opportunity to cut costs with no ill effect
was there, so we took it.", operating director Sean McDougal explains.
Rumor has it, though, that the two companies did negotiate an agreement
to get one or more members of UWF's Rising Stars division into WANA,
for higher-level seasoning.
- The Star-Spangled Butt Kicker has been seen backstage well after
recent WANA shows signing autographs for the fans, which rubbed some of the
other workers the wrong way. An wrestler that spoke on the condition
of anonimity said "You know, it just makes the rest of us look bad when
you have a guy kissing butt like that. NO ONE's that patient...and
I'll be he's doing it to hide something."
- Word spread backstage at WANA that several of the development talents
used as the masked wrestlers for the luchador match on the April 8
Beatdown were members of the famed Keening Clan of wrestling. "Fireball"
Ken Keening stated 'I refuse to dignify that with a response'. The Evil
Masked Broadcaster went on to ruminate, "Disimilado Negative Eleven
looked an awful lot like a Keening to me."
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WANA TOP TEN RANKINGS
- as of April 24, 2005
1. The Spectre
- The sadomasochistic Goth has capitalized on most of his airtime
opportunities to become the hottest presence on the card thus far. His
career-ending assault on Tetsui Fushinoshi served notice to everyone in
WANA, and his creepy interviews have kept the attention of the fans.
Upcoming for Spectre at First Blood is his long-awaited showdown with
Tasogare no Prince, whom he has pursued halfway across the world.
2. "No Nonsense" Tony Vendetta
- The man of mystery has left one fact very obvious: the man can
wrestle with anyone. Though a hired gun for Magnus Colby at the moment,
few doubt that Vendetta has shown the best ringwork of anyone since the
inception of WANA. His twenty-minute time-limit draw against Tasogare
no Prince was classic, and his suspicious behavior adds an element of
intrigue to everything he does. He'll be competing in the Iron Man
Tournament at First Blood... but he'll likely be more interested in helping
Colby win than winning himself.
3. The Masked Krishna
- Some people were skeptical about whether a pacifist gimmick could
translate into pro wrestling, but the Krishna has pulled it off thus
far. His unique ring style has surprised many with it's ability to
produce quality matches. The Krishna's burgeoning feud with Magnus Colby
will be spilling over into the Iron Man Tournament at First Blood, where
most agree that the Krishna is the only real obstacle to preventing
Colby from stealing the North American Title.
4. Tasogare no Prince
- The Prince of Twilight brought his spectacular puroresu style to
WANA rings, and he's not been afraid to use it. As yet undefeated in
WANA competiton, Tasogare has been engaged in his ongoing rivalry with the
Spectre since the first episode of Beatdown... finding time to wrestle
an amazing time-limit draw against Tony Vendetta along the way.
Although the Prince suffered a minor arm injury against Vendetta, he is
expected to be 100% for his match against Spectre at First Blood.
5. Archimedes
- The goofy behavior of WANA's resident computer hacker has proven
popular with the fans, who seem to have placed Archimedes on their "love
to hate" list. Although his antics and martial-arts style seem to make
it difficult for Archimedes to wrestle a traditional wrestling match,
it does make for an entertaining show. At First Blood, the diminuitive
'genius' will have his hands full against the Star-Spangled Butt
Kicker, whom he has been hired to remove from Magnus Colby's path.
6. Magnus Colby
- Probably the most established wrestler in WANA upon it's opening,
the former UEW World Champion has been content to remain
behind-the-scenes for much of the first cycle, causing problems through his
connections and wealth. A story-driving force, Colby's wrestling hasn't been up
to his usual standards since his two-win performance at the first
Beatdown... unless, of course, that's all part of his master plan. He'll be
going for the North American Title at First Blood; likely with a little
help from his friends.
7. The Star-Spangled Butt Kicker
- WANA's resident superhero has turned it on lately, and his ongoing
feud with Archimedes has provided some show-stealing moments. An
instant fan favorite, the Butt Kicker has played the heroic foil in the
rivalry thus far, and at First Blood he'll have his opportunity to take the
initiative.
8. Skitzo
- With zero mic work, and loads of intensity, the psychopathic Skitzo
has developed into one of WANA's most interesting characters. He is a
wildman in the ring, and this unpredictability has been his strong
suit. At First Blood, Skitzo faces Billy Corns in a Falls Count Anywhere
match that should suit his style perfectly.
9. Billy Corns
- The biggest man in WANA isn't much for workrate, but his ability to
smash opposing wrestlers in visually impressive fashion has made up for
this in the eyes of the fans. Corns has had encounters with both Tony
Vendetta and Skitzo this cycle; he will have at it with the latter in a
Falls Count Anywhere match at First Blood.
10. El Gringo Fantastico
- Though El Danado has done most of the talking in the luchadore
feud, El Gringo Fantastico has captured the imagination of fans and fellow
workers alike with his in-ring skills, as well as his performance in
the recent lucha libre trios match. Undefeated to date, Fantastico looks
to settle things with Danado at First Blood and prove that he is a true
luchadore.
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