Joe King
Brian Damage recently created a feature where he shared his Top 5 favorite wrestling hometowns. I instantly had some of my favorites hit me hard with a dose of nostalgia! Here is my Top 5. What are some of your favorites? Please share in the comments section. Thanks & enjoy!
5. Nutley, New Jersey – Balls Mahoney was billed as being from Nutley, NJ. The crowd would chant “BALLS!” in unison during his entrance as he would enter the arena with “Big Balls” by ACDC playing over the loud speakers. The crowd would also chant “BALLS!” after each of his combination strikes. He was nuts! Rest in Peace, Balls.
4. Elizabeth, New Jersey – “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal didn’t just have the moves, voice, and taunts to show his love love for Savage, Lethal would also pay homage to the “Macho Man” Randy Savage by making sure that he is always introduced as hailing from Elizabeth, New Jersey.
3. The Serengeti – Monty Brown added to his persona of the “Alpha Male” by being billed from The Serengeti, a place with one of the world’s largest lion populations. Here, lions are known to pounce on their prey as it is also home to wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, and buffalos.
2. Planet Funk – Brodus Clay aka “The Funk-A-Saurus” resided on Planet Funk. I believe this is where he met and recruited his “Funkadactyls” and brought them to Earth to try and help him take over the WWE.
1. The Bottomless Pit – This tops my list as it is the perfect place for The Boogeyman to reside. It definitely adds to the character’s mystique and fits him to a tee as he enters the arena with dark lighting, smoke-stick, and worms coming out of his mouth.
Honorable Mentions:
“The Land of Yin & Yang” – The Zodiac
“Outer Reaches of Your Mind” – Damian Demento
“Depths of Hell” – Kane
“Death Valley” – The Undertaker
John Gianno
The first 2 might not have even been for character reasons.
My buddy and I used to work out with Jay Lethal at a gym in Rahway, New Jersey back in either 2000 or 2001 which is near Elizabeth, so this might be his real hometown.
Nutley is a real town in New Jersey. Balls definitely lived in New Jersey, as in his later years I’d see him with his kid at the school bus stop miles away from Nutley in the central part of the state. Not proof that he lived there in his ECW days, but possible.
richard
nice list, very talented and underrated guys on there, tough as nails! Balls Balls Balls!
Luke
A little off base, but I always liked how Warrior was billed from parts unknown and yet in all Apter mag rankings he was from Queens, NY.
DynamiteBillington
I don’t think this is top-10 level, but I always liked how Tyler Breeze got introduced as “currently residing” in various seasonal residences.