This Week's Mailday: More Wrestling Greatness

I picked up 11 more autographs from Leaf's Wrestling Originals Set. Here they are

Gotta start up with some Attitude era stars like Ken Shamrock and Vader. Vader was an awesome super heavyweight and he didn't even look half bad when the WWE brought him in for a one shot match against Health Slater while they were bringing back legends leading up to Raw 1000. Shamrock was of course "The World's Most Dangerous Man" and had a good IC Title level run and a memorable feud with the Rock. Lex Luger was a big star in the mid to late 80s and 90's. "The Total Package" biggest success came in WCW where he was a multi time Heavyweight Champion. Bruno Sammartino is a wrestling pioneer for the WWE. He held the title on two occasion, but held it for a combined 11 years. In this era, no one will ever come close to Bruno's longevity record. It's too bad he had a falling out with the WWE in the 80's. The Sammartino card is the gold parallel version # to 50 (mine is 20). Despite his personal demons, Jake Roberts was not only a hell of a worker, but hell of a promo as well. One of the best talkers in wrestling history, he really knew how to rile opponents and fans alike, weather as a good guy or a sadistic heel. I always get mad the modern day WWE treats the DDT like a transition move, because when Jake used it, it looked devastating, and it was lights out for his opponent. Cowboy Bob Orton is much more than Randy Orton's father. He was a big time heel in the mid 80's along with Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. He always had that mysterious broken arm, that never seemed to heal. By the time I got into wrestling in the early 90's, Tito Santana was basically enhancement talent, but he was great worker and big time player in the 80's as a former intercontinental and tag team champion. Hillbilly Jim was just a guy I remember shilling WWF Videos when I was kid, but he came in to the WWF with big fanfare and was a close friend of Hulk Hogan. 

Not only was Scott Steiner part of one of the successful and popular tag teams in wrestling history with his brother Rick, but he carved himself out a nice solo career too and reinvented himself as Big Poppa Pump. It's crazy to think that both guys are one in the same. George "The Animal" Steele is one of the most unique wrestlers ever to step in the the squared circle. His crazy tactics including eating turnbuckles make him unforgettable. He also had a memorable feud with the Macho Man Randy Savage because he had a crush on Miss Elizabeth. Diamond Dallas Page aka DDP worked his way from being a non wrestling manager to being a WCW champion through hard work and maybe a little bit of help seeing that he was good friends with Eric Bischoff. The master of the Diamond Cutter and the "Self High-Five", Page was big time player in the Monday Night Wars and would become a multi-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.

I really love this set and it brings back fun memories. Hopefully I'll be able to add some more at a later date! I'll be on the lookout!