Pro Wrestling FACTS: Useless Pro Wrestling Facts and Stats For Your Reading Enjoyment

Brian Damage

The title says it all…but just in case there is any confusion…these are useless wrestling facts and stats for for reading enjoyment or contempt. Whatever makes you happy. Some of these facts you may be aware of and others perhaps not so much. They are simply meant to entertain you, while educating you at the same time.

In 1988, Owen Hart defeated Hiroshi Hase to become the very first non Japanese wrestler to win New Japan’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. His name was misspelled on the side plate.

In May of 1993, Charles ‘Papa Shango’ Wright defeated Jerry Lawler to win the USWA Heavyweight title. Less than a month later he would lose the title to Owen Hart. In reality, Wright demanded that he lose the belt feeling he was only given the title to appease USWA’s predominantly black fanbase. Charles Wright was so disgusted, he briefly quit wrestling and returned to working in a night club.

Mr. Perfect challenged Yokozuna for the WWF world title back on October 19,1993. It was a dark match in which Yokozuna retained the title by pinning Perfect after a Bonsai Drop.

WCW paid the Jimi Hendrix estate over $100,000 per year to use the song ‘Voodoo Child.’

ECW Extreme Music is the first and only wrestling album with a Grammy nominated song. Motorhead did a cover of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ exclusively for the ECW album and it was nominated for best heavy metal performance. It lost.

Public Enemy were to be renamed ‘The Mac Daddies’ in WCW due to Def Jam Records owning the rights to the Public Enemy name. WCW were able to negotiate a deal with the record label to use the name.

Jim Hellwig aka The Ultimate Warrior studied to become a chiropractor, but quit school mid way to become a professional wrestler.

Amy Dumas was the lead singer of a punk rock band called the Luchagors

Pedro Morales was inducted into the WWF’s Hall of Fame in 1995. He no showed the ceremony due to the fact he was employed by rival WCW as a Spanish language announcer at the time.

Diamond Dallas Page’s finishing move the Diamond Cutter was originally called The Diamond Death Drop.

The final match for Doink the Clown as a full time member of the WWF roster came on October 16, 1995 in a loss against Hunter Hearst Helmsley on Monday Night Raw. Doink by this time was played by wrestler Ray Apollo.

The ‘Raw on the Roof’ opening montage for Monday Night Raw in 1995 cost $200,000 to film for just 4 minutes of footage.

Scott Steiner’s valet Midajah was originally hired by WCW to become a Nitro Girl.

Controversial former NBA star Dennis Rodman was offered 1 million dollars for two appearances in the WWF working with Goldust at Wrestlemania and SummerSlam. After receiving the offer, his agent immediately went to WCW and Eric Bischoff outbid the WWF.

Lodi’s name was originally supposed to be ‘Skank’ in WCW, but Time Warner refused it. Instead, they chose Lodi which is Idol spelled backwards.

The Rock Dwayne Johnson was the first wrestler to grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine in 2001.

The last time Macho Man Randy Savage used his famous elbow drop maneuver was in New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4, 2000 against Rick Steiner.

Canadian broadcaster Michael Landsberg was originally wanted by the WWF to become an announcer for the company, but he refused to give up his ‘Off the Record’ program to get the job. The WWF hired Michael Cole instead.

Musician John Tesh who composed the iconic NBA theme ‘Roundball Rock’ used to always request a WWF action figure be placed in his dressing room before his concerts. According to Tesh, he was not a wrestling fan, but wanted to make sure the venue paid attention to his list of demands and added the WWF doll request randomly.

Paul Wight wrestled for three major promotions his entire career (WCW, WWE including a brief time in WWF’s developmental territory OVW and AEW). He did wrestle one independent match in December of 1994 in New Jersey losing via count out. It was his pro debut.

Finn Balor and Bronson Reed are the only two wrestlers to pin Kazuchika Okada and Roman Reigns.

Mercedes Mone is the first female wrestler to compete at Madison Square Garden, Arena Mexico, Wembley Stadium and the Tokyo Dome.

Andrade was the first wrestler to compete WWE’s Wrestlemania, New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom, CMLL’s Aniversario and AAA’s Triple Mania events. Finn Balor is the second.

Bob Backlund is the only WWWF/WWF champion prior to 1990 that is still alive today.

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