By Jose MiguelThe event draws big crowds, even though their participants are little. Fort McDowell is hosting what they call "Extreme Midget Wrestling," but one Valley woman calls it something different: offensive.
Chandra Streitt is a dwarf, and she says she has experienced discrimination all her life.
"It really does hurt me whenever people say, 'Look mom, there goes a midget' and I do turn around and correct them."
She was even part of a group that petitioned for a proclamation to be signed, which makes it wrong for the word "midget" to be used in advertising or other public forums.Comment: For a similar story, see Seminole Match Between Disabled Fighters Halted.
By Greg OliverAboriginal wrestlers over the years haven't always agreed on how their heritage should be portrayed and exploited for professional wrestling's gain. Some were comfortable with the headdress and the war dances, and others eschewed the cultural shortcut completely.
Gerry Brisco, from the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes of Oklahoma, was one of those who elected not to play a stereotype, the same path as his older brother, the late NWA World champion Jack Brisco.
"I just kind of had a different belief. Even during the beginning of my career, some of the promoters, some of the bookers said, 'You ought to go as a Native American'--Indian at that time. I never would do it because I just didn't feel like that was the right thing for me to do," Brisco told SLAM! Wrestling. "I never held it against them. I always begrudged the guys that weren't Native Americans and went out and dressed and pretended to be Native Americans--some of the Latinos and Italians, and guys like that, I'm not naming names."Then there are the wrestlers who embraced the stereotypes:[Billy] Two Rivers had decent success in the Carolinas and across Canada, but in Great Britain, he became an icon, with his Mohawk haircut and war dance.
Typical of the time is a 1957 story from the Sheboygan, Wisc., newspaper previewing Two Rivers' appearance.
"Billy Two Rivers is a Mohawk Indian who is but 22 years old and has been wrestling four years as a pro. He is very colorful as he enters the ring attired in his Indian head-dress and costume. Billy hails from a reservation in Caughnawaga, Quebec, Canada, and is one of the speediest wrestlers in the mat sport," it reads. "Fans have compared Billy with such other outstanding Indian wrestlers as Chief Little Wolf, Chief Big Heart and Suni War Cloud. He has a specialized hold he calls the Indian Tomahawk."
"I wasn't a hero, I was an ambassador," explained Two Rivers. "Representing the Kahnawake specifically, the Mohawk people, and then the Native people of North America." He stressed that he never had a discussion with promoters about what he was trying to do, and that he would have said no to anything dastardly.
"People had a different image of us, we were still stereotyped from books and whatnot as being stoic people and conservationists, and all the other things that go with it," he said, continuing, "except here in Quebec and Canada, where we were sort of criminalized for being wild and uncivilized and everything else that goes along with it to justify their theft of our property."The greatest aboriginal wrestler?But as far as great athletes and longevity in pro wrestling go, none could touch Wahoo McDaniel. The Choctaw-Chickasaw Indian from Oklahoma was a star football player at the University of Oklahoma, before going pro and then into wrestling.
"Who was Wahoo McDaniel?" Florida sportswriter Dave Hyde asked after his death at age 63 in 2002. "Who wasn’t he? An American Indian, an expansion Dolphin, a legendary wrestler, an old-time carouser, a full-time personality, an Oiler, a Bronco, a Jet, a guard, a linebacker, a kicker--he was the kind of figure we lost long ago on the sports pages: an original."
"Wahoo and I were dear friends," said Brisco. "There's a short list of great, great, great Native American athletes, and Wahoo McDaniel is, in my mind, is right up there with the Jim Thorpes and the Jack Briscos, guys like that that were great Native Americans."Comment: I'm guessing that "Wahoo" wasn't McDaniel's given name.
Funny that Two Rivers didn't make the connection. He was a Mohawk dressed as a stereotypical Plains chief. This stereotype is widely associated with war-whooping, tomahawk-wielding savages. These savages are widely considered to be "wild and civilized" criminals out to ravage and kill Americans.
So Two Rivers helped to create the very situation he complained about. Not too swift, if you ask me.
By John Klein"Wrestling is a laboratory for the values and attributes necessary in building strong leaders," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Smith, who was an undefeated high school wrestler in high school and a collegiate athlete, said he relies on lessons learned on the mat every day in his job as chief of the nation's second-largest tribe.
"There are a lot of sports that teach values like self-reliance and determination," said Smith. "I don't know if there is a better example than wrestling."
Smith, who oversees a tribe with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Smith was voted into the Hall of Outstanding Americans, an honor reserved for wrestlers who have gone on to become leaders in politics, business and entertainment.Comment: This honor seems a little silly to me. Wrestling teaches "values like self-reliance and determination"...and so do most other human activities. Is there a Homework Hall of Fame for kids who did their homework and went on to become "leaders in politics, business and entertainment"? How about a Paper Carrier or Babysitting Hall of Fame? A Take Care of Your Pets Hall of Fame?
By Jacqui GoddardWatching and nodding his appreciation is Richard Bowers, president of the Seminole Indian tribe of south Florida, which has staged the event as part of a push to get alligator wrestling recognised as a professional competitive sport. The hope is that Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competitions (FAWC), a body co-founded by a tribe member, James Holt, might one day become the alligator equivalent of the World Wrestling Federation.
“It has growth potential,” Mr Bowers says. “There’s always a part of the population that will want blood sports. They like cage-fighting, auto racing—they want to see somebody dying, see them crash and burn.”
Diving into bare-handed combat with a creature capable of tearing a human limb from limb may not have Olympic potential. But as the first Native American tribe to venture into the gambling business and the first to buy a big international corporation, the Hard Rock chain of cafés and hotels, for $965 million three years ago, the formerly swamp-dwelling Seminoles think big.
“Alligator wrestling started in the Seminole tribe back when we were forced to catch them for food. Then tourists started stopping to watch ... in the 1920s it was popular but the shows died out by the 1990s. Now we are reviving it, raising awareness about where it came from and where we want it to go,” Mr Holt says.
Asistencia Asesoría y AdministraciónAsistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) (Spanish for "Assistance, Consulting and Administration") is a lucha libre professional-wrestling promotion based in Mexico. Founded in 1992 when Antonio Peña broke away from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) to set up a promotion which allowed him more creative freedom, the AAA has held a number of Pay-Per-Views (PPV) over the years and promoted shows not just in Mexico but in the United States and Japan as well. The promotion has a reputation for its outlandish gimmicks and characters as well as having developed a more Extreme match style over the last couple of years.An example of AAA action:
Grand Apache will rock you. Jesus, that "woo-woo-woo-woo" stereotypical Indian noise emanating from nowhere rules. Is the announcer doing it? Awesome, this is gonna' be.
Apache/Faby Apache vs. Oriental/Cinthia Moreno
Actually, this probably won't be awesome at all. Still, it's not FUCKING RIKISHI AND KONNAN!!! Faby vs. Oriental to start. Here's a secret: I have a crush on Faby Apache. Please don't tell her. Guapa indeed. Apache and Cinthia now. Another secret: I think Apache looks like Mel Brooks. Actually, I guess that's not a secret at all, as he fucking looks just like him. Not much is happening, but at least it DOESN'T HAVE ANYBODY MAKING REQUESTS TO SPEAK ON THIS!!!! This is probably the best AAA match I've seen in ages, which is even more impressive considering Apache is involved. Oriental hits a top-rope moonsault to the outside on Apache. Faby with a Michinoku Driver! Oriental breaks up the pin. 2nd rope Side Russian Legsweep by Cinthia. Surfboard stretch! Apache breaks it up. He then punches Cinthia IN THE FACE!! Jesus! She gets the roll-up! Faby makes the save. Another punch by Apache! Now he's going for the surfboard! Oriental hits a frog splash! Faby with a missile dropkick! Apache hits Cinthia with an airplane spin and gets the 3 count! Uh . . . maybe not, as Oriental's in now. STF! Rolls Apache up. Apache reverses! Only 2! DDT to a majistrol! 3 count! I guess this is elimination, as now he's fighting Faby. STIFF kick to her back. Flippy legdrop! Only 2! Slams her down and hits a standing moonsault! 2 again! Faby with a rollup! Only 2! Sit-out powerbomb! 2! FUCK!!! Tiger Driver!!!! Finally, she gets the 3 count!! That was pretty fun.Meet the "Apaches":
Lady ApacheSandra González Calderón (born June 26, 1970) is a Mexican professional wrestler or Luchadora, best known under the ring name Lady Apache. González's ring name comes from the "family name" of Mario Balbuena Gonzalez who wrestles under the name Gran Apache; whom she was married to when she made her wrestling debut in 1986 but later divorced. Through her mariage to "Gran" she was the step mother of Fabi Apache and Mari Apache, both professional wrestlers.Comment: Reader Shadow Wolf, who brought these wrestlers to my attention, adds:In their past entrance towards the ring, they sometimes would wear the headdress which is the head gear of the Plains tribe. Then again, women do not wear the headdress since its strictly reserved for the Chief.Yes, the Plains headdresses are one stereotype. Others include the fringed costumes, the folded-arms stoic stance, and the idea of Apaches being violent and warlike.
Below: I believe this video is mislabeled. It should be Billy Boy and Faby Apache vs. Gran Apache and Mari Apache.
I don't think Apaches should fight other Apaches. Especially if they're "family" members. Don't you agree?
It's a bit sick to have two "sisters" and especially a "father and daughter" hitting and throwing each other. In related news, see Domestic Violence Stalks Mexican Women.
Seminole Hardrock contest first major gator wrestling in decadesFirst prize in the Seminole Okalee Indian Village Alligator Wrestling Competition, which runs through Sunday at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, is $3,000. Ten men are wrestling. All are or once were professional gator wrestlers at Florida gator farms or Indian villages, which still allows for impressive professional variety: one is a retired clown, one a notary and one, a plumber who used to sleep with his girlfriend's pet caiman.
The contest is part of the first annual Seminole Okalee Indian Festival, an art, music and culture fair showcasing the replica of an authentic Seminole village tucked snugly behind an outdoor mall and the casino parking lot.Some history:For reasons having to do with the politics of alligator wrestling and the sue-happiness of the American public, this is the first major gator-wrestling competition held in 22 years. It is also the first ever open to non-Indians, which should not give you any funny ideas about Seminole customs or rituals, because gator wrestling is a traditional Seminole activity only insofar as there is an old Seminole tradition of making money off white tourists.
It dates back to the early 1900s, historian Patsy West writes in The Enduring Seminoles (University Press of Florida: 2008), her study of Seminole economic activity in the 20th century.
By the 1930s, she writes, half of all Miccosukee-speaking Seminoles lived at least part of the year in white-owned "villages" built in Ocala and Miami (most were on the Miami River, near what is now the intersection of NW 20th St. and NW 27th Ave.).
Seminole weddings, real and reenacted, drew thousands of paying spectators. Pan-Am paid Seminoles to paddle dugout canoes out to meet the new American Clipper seaplane off Dinner Key. White promoters shepherded them to ribbon cuttings and parades down Flagler Street; in West Palm Beach they marched, along with the Ku Klux Klan, in the Seminole Sun Dance Festival.
Almost all these villages featured alligator wrestling, and here the finer aspects of cultural tourism took a back seat to pure spectacle. It mattered little that gator-man battles were almost nonexistent in the wild, or that the stylized gator wrestling that developed in the villages had very little to do with actual gator hunting: it was enough to see two great "emblems" of the Everglades go at it in a pit for five minutes.Comment: For more on the subject, see Seminole Success Story and Gator Wrestling Disappearing.
"Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, came to us and he said, 'When I go to visit hospitals, I don't see Indian kids, and that was a real concern to me, so I decided that I want to reach out to these Indian kids'," said Stevens. "And so, we began what we call the Dreamseekers Foundation. Terry already had the experience of making things a better place for the youth in America and so we wanted to extend his biceps, so to speak, into Indian Country."
Upon his acceptance of the award, Hogan spoke about how his concern grew from the lack of healthcare for Native Americans to encompass other problems plaguing Indian Country.
"At first, my mind was set on healthcare across the board. But then, when I learned about the suicide rates, the economic conditions, and about the quality of life in general, we needed to find some way to have a constant stream of revenue to address these problems. We needed to find a way to use Hulk Hogan--the brand, and the power of all my Native American Hulkamaniacs to generate constant revenue stream so we can really get to work on this situation," said Hogan.
"Dreamseekers was destined to be. I had this crazy Hulkamania positive character that all the kids loved and the wrestling fans around the world had dialed into the positive message of the character of Hulk Hogan. And it transcended into the Native Americans and they were some of my biggest fans, the Hulkamaniacs," said Hogan. "The sky is the limit. Under the banner of Dreamseekers, I think we can accomplish a lot of things on a grand scale."Comment: For more pictures of Hogan at the Global Gaming Expo, see Global Gaming Expo 2008 (Day 3).
- Dave Marquez was interrupted by Native Blood, who do a gimmick that they are a team of Native Americans rich off their Indian Casino with the tag line that they are taking back America "one dollar at a time." They entered the round robin tournament.
- Native Blood defeated Los Luchas.Comment: "Doing a gimmick" is wrestling-speak for indulging in stupid stereotypes.
Hulk Hogan to Receive Humanitarian Award at Global Gaming Expo 2008On Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 12 noon, Hulk Hogan will be honored by National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. in conjunction with the Global Gaming Expo 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. He will receive the "Humanitarian Award" for his work on behalf of the "Dreamseekers" Foundation.
Hulk and Dreamseekers have committed to building the non-profit organization in partnership with Indian Country to provide needed assistance to Native American youth and their families.
Hulk Hogan, one of the most successful entertainment personalities and Executive Producer/host of the "Celebrity Championship Wrestling" series on CMT, will participate in the foundation's activities by providing a familiar public face in Indian Country.
The Dreamseekers Foundation hopes to provide a significant amount per annum to tribal nations that face adversities such as poverty, violence and lack of various resources. "We're specifically focusing on efforts to improve healthcare and education for Native youth," said Ernie Stevens Jr., co-founder of the foundation.Comment: As usual, I'll be attending G2E to represent PECHANGA.net. I imagine I won't see Hogan receive his award. We rarely get up early enough to see things in the morning. <g>
For the last year and a half the organization was known and operated a bit differently as International Championship Wrestling. However, after a professional falling out, it’s back again, owned and operated in part by the black-and-white-painted Ron “The Iron Buddha” Sutherland.
Saanich snap was signature move of Chief ThunderbirdThunderbird was an eight letter man in sports during his time at Indian college in Tacoma, called the Cushman School, including boxing, wrestling, baseball, basketball track and field, football, soccer and lacrosse. As a boxer, Thunderbird won 27 of 32 pro fights, breaking both hands at various times.
Entering the wrestling ring in full native regalia, including a feather head-dress and drums pounding, Chief Thunderbird was a noted attraction across North America, but even moreso in England, which he toured in 1951-52 and 1954-55. His signature move was the "Saanich Snap," which was similar to what was also known as the "Indian Deathlock," but he used his arms to gain the submission.
Tatanka issues challenge to Golden BoyA melee erupted in the middle of the six-man tag-team main event inside the VIP Casino Showroom on Saturday.
Native Blood and Tatanka earned the tag-team World Pro Wrestling championship belts after the team of Golden Boy Jerry Grey, the Might Heinrich Volkoff and Gino Santana were disqualified by the referee for interference.Comment: I'm a little confused. If Native Blood and Tatanka are the champions, does that mean they won a coin toss before the event? Or what, exactly? How do you determine the winners in a match that's staged and choreographed?
Tatanka answers the call at Sky CityOne bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. And that bad apple will make another appearance at Sky Rumble IV at the Sky City Casino VIP Showroom on Saturday.
Tatanka, superstar of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), said all it took was a phone call from the Navajo Warrior to get him to come out to Acoma to take care of a lone troublemaker.
“My good friend, the Navajo Warrior, called me and asked me if I could come out and join him to get rid of the Golden Boy Jerry Grey who is causing all the problems in World Pro Wrestling,” Tatanka said.Comment: Tatanka isn't too stereotypical, is he?
Wow, a big, half-naked chief with warpaint. How stunningly original. By my count, Tatanka is roughly the 100,00th person to use a Plains chief to sell a product (himself).
Has anyone ever noted that pro wrestling is stupid? If not, let me be the first.
