RIP...f@#king everybody!

"King" Ernie Ladd

FOR a veteran wrestling newshound like myself, there's no bigger story than DEATH.
When death comes to the old, it's sad but expected. Old war stories are unearthed, reminiscences made and the dearly departed are remembered (usually with praise). I'm talking about the recently departed like Bad News Brown, Arnold Skaaland and Ernie Ladd. It was a good innings for all of these guys, I say.

But when death comes to the young, the sadness becomes tragedy as the expected makes way for the unexpected. You can reminisce all you like, but the overwhelming feelings are a sense of unfairness and loss. Vale Bam Bam Bigelow and Mike Awesome.

So, I'm gonna give you a personal favourite memory of these five legends of the squared circle, but while the initial three will be tinged with a celebration of their long, eventful lives, the latter two will be tinged with the bitterness of knowing Scott and Mike way died too soon.

Arnold Skaaland

Arnold Skaaland (died March 13, 2007, aged 82): Sure, he's best known for throwing in the towel when the Iron Sheik had Bob Backlund in the camel clutch during their world title match on December 26, 1983. But I remember him better from Channel Nine's Wide World Of Sports. Back in the late 80s, the four-hour sports program would regularly show an old wrestling bout (usually early 80s WWF). One time, I saw a tag match from Madison Square Gardens with Jimmy Snuka and Skaaland taking on Don Muraco and Captain Lou Albano. I remember thinking, "Who the hell is that old guy and why are the bad guys selling for him?" It wasn't till later that I found out how huge Arnold was in the WWF.

Ernie Ladd (died March 10, 2007, aged 68): I didn't see much of Ernie on videotape till recently, but I was always impressed by his photos in the Apter mags. He looked so HUGE, even standing next to his nemesis Andre The Giant.

Bad News Brown takes on Roddy Piper

Bad News Brown (died March 6, 2007, aged 63): Ah, it has to be his famed double-cross on Bret "Hitman" Hart during the battle royal at WrestleMania IV. A classic Pearl Harbor attack by one of the great, underrated heels of the 1980s.

Mike Awesome (died February 17, 2007, aged 42): His matches with Masato Tanaka in ECW were all high-impact classics. But, y'know, I have a fond spot for his lame-arse "That 70s Guy" gimmick in WCW. I saw him live in 2000 doing a kitschy "Lava Lamp Lounge" segment when WCW toured Australia. Mike was a funny dude, and made the best of the ridiculous gimmick he was lumbered with.

Bam Bam Bigelow (died January 19, 2007, aged 45): There were lots of great matches (and some shitty ones, too), but the thing I remember most about Bam Bam was travelling all the way to Zurich, Switzerland in 1995 to see a WWF house show. Bigelow and Psycho Sid (Vicious) has the best match on the card...and it was ALL thanks to Bam Bam.