Strangle Mania 1

Throwback Theater
March 25, 2013
“Strangle Mania 1” 1996

Right off the bat I have to tell you I am not a fan of the Insane Clown Posse I guess they have talent if you like that kind of music. With that being said I will say that I do like ICP when it comes to to movies and wrestling this brings me to my next review 1996”s “Strangle Mania 1”. If you are a fan of old school death match wrestling then this is the video for you. Picture for a moment an alternate Universe where Good Ol' JR and the King have no censors for they're commentary. Monday Night Raw would feature the Mushroom Boys in a broken glass death match instead of John Cena vs Randy Orton. The greatest champion would not be Stone Cold Steve Austin but instead Cactus Jack. If you think that sounds fun well rejoice my fellow wrestling fans and welcome to the wild world of Japanese death match wrestling as brought to you by the Insane Clown Posse.

Released in 1996 during the last big boom in pro wrestling “Strangle Mania” comes from the twisted minds of Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J and the world of IWA Japan. Most of the video is ICP providing commentary to the 1994 Kawasaki Dream King of the Death Match tournament. After the opening credits and a quick intro we jump right into the action as we witness an hour and a half of huge hulking wrestlers hitting each other with everything from barbed wire to broken glass. Seeing the likes of the Headhunters and Leatherface to the almost unknown Lama Nama Numi and Deadly Fred all beating the hell out of each other for the entertainment of the fans. There are many highlight to “Strangle Mania 1” to tell you about.

The Mushroom Boys explode in a Broken Glass Death Match AKA “The Clones of Abdullah the Butcher”. Only in the Sumo and Giant Monster cultures of Japan could this match take place, we really get to see the fat fly. This match is brutal with a capital B seeing two 400 pound behemoths stab one another with glass and do flying dives off the top of the turnbuckle is something to see. This is the closest thing I have ever seen to a real live Kajiu battle. Then of course is the main event Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk in a no rope barbed wire exploding bomb death match. The clips shown on WWE TV do no justice to the sheer brutality of this match. Seeing Terry and Cactus both get ripped up by barbed wire and blown up by “C4” is a sight to see. The violence is offset by the genius and hilarious commentary by ICP.

Try this next time you are watching a Pay per View after the show is over pop this in the old DVD player and try not to be entertained or laugh at the commentary. Try not to wince in pain watching one of these warriors getting slammed into barbed wire. If you want to have one heck of a movie and beer night watch this and the even more awesome “Strangle Mania 2” back to back. For more fun go to YouTube and lookup Botchamania the greatest Pro Wrestling blunders of all time. Go out and seek good Wrestling!!!!

Sal

Snapshot of the Week

March 19, 2013

She is quite the lady huh????

“Laughing Sal”

With spring just around the corner!!! Soon there will be longer days and the option to go to Kennywood to ride and eat. Hopefully this old girl can help a little with those winter blues. Sal is waiting for you where she has been for as long as I can remember at the Kennywood Train Station. There she stands laughing at the world as she has done for years.

Bas Rutten

Video Review of the Week
“Bas Rutten’s Ultimate Lethal Street Fighting System”
March 18, 2013

After a long break your old friend A T Folino is back to doing what he loves the most writing about movies for you readers of the Steel City Underground blog. This week’s video is from all the way back in 2004 when MMA was still in its infancy here in the USA in Eastern Europe and Japan business was booming. With many small MMA Federations operating in Japan and Europe at the time this was the birthplace of some of the all time greatest fighters. From Crocop to Anderson Silva many of the sports greatest names have come out of the rings and cages of the Far East. With all those names to me one stands above all else and his name is not Fedor or Couture his name is “El Guappo” Bas Rutten.

Bas is known to many modern UFC fans as the host of “MMA Weekly” and the voice of “The Best of Pride FC” TV series. Before he became famous for shouting praises for the Liver Kick he was one of the most brutal kick boxers and fighters in Japan. This brings us to our video of the week “Bas Rutten’s Ultimate Lethal Street Fighting System” the video is as awesome as the name. Believe me when I say this is a must see for any fan of MMA or comedy. Find it at all costs via EBay or YouTube just see it!!! The video itself has a mid 1980’s feel to it.

The beginning of the video we are treated to a montage of carnage edited together with the best music and special effects that the 1985 porn industry has to offer complete with synth-drum soundtrack and endless double takes. After a couple of minutes of an 80’s music video we get our first glimpse of the man himself Bas. During this intro Bas warns us to always pay attention as he shows us a knife he has been palming the whole time he has been talking to us as we the audience say a collective “Mr. Rutten you are quite the Sneaky One!!!!” With the ending of his introduction now the real fun begins as we are treated to an hour and a half of wholesome family entertainment starting with Bas’s explanation of using everyday bar objects as “Lethal Weapons” you are a better man than I if you can keep a straight face. After the little primer on weapons we witness sad sack after sad sack getting punched, kicked, choked and thrown by Mr. Rutten as he treats us to his own folly arsenal of mouth made sound effects. In fact I believe this can make one hell of a drinking game.

The “Bas Rutten” drinking game is simple a simple one to play. Rule one every time Bas says the phrases “Slit your throat.” Or “LIVER KICK!!!!” you must do a shot. Rule two every time you hear a silly home made sound effect like “GONG!” Or “DINK!” you must drink your beer. Do this with your buddies and see who is left standing after an hour and a half. With all silliness aside I can’t help but feel that Bas came along just a few years to early.

With his natural charisma and brutal fighting ability Bas would have been one of the most beloved fighters in MMA today. After watching the video you can’t help but think Bas would be the type of guy that you could have a beer with and listen to his stories about fighting around the World for hours and hours. In closing all I can say is Bas is the Man!!!