Author: Robski McFadden

It is within the sunlight the prettiest flowers shall grow. But only the toughest of plants thrive in the shadow. When your father is a marvel and your brother a Savage, it is a certainty that your life will not be average. This is the story about the younger of the Poffo brothers, the Genius Lanny Poffo. You may think you know it, but it is unlike all others. Now is the time for the record to be set on professional wrestling’s only Poet Laurette. Lanny was the second son of Angelo Poffo. Even though his family were from Illinois,…

There have been World Heavyweight Champions who were so good that they inspired future generations to get into the ring. There have been teams that have made the tag titles seem just as important as those Heavyweight titles. There have been wrestlers who discovered future legends. There have been wrestlers who kept companies alive behind the scenes. These brothers have done all of that. They proved that if you want to make wrestling better, then you’d better call Brisco. The Brisco Brothers Freddie and Floyd Brisco grew up in a large family in smalltown Blackwell, Oklahoma. Things were always hectic…

The main reason why wrestlers hate having their profession called “fake” is because the risks are real. One mistake can end a career. Such was the case for Droz. Yet he refused to have his life defined by one mistake. Darren Drozdov was born in Hamilton Township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, in 1969. His friends called him “Droz” from a young age. He had an early growth spurt that gave him an advantage in sports. He would set state records for the shot put and track and field. Darren Drozdov – Growing Up and Throwing Up In Droz’ World…

Hidden from the light of day are not where the darkest places lie. Among the memories and imagination, the mind houses both dreams and nightmares. The same soil that buries the coffin is the soil from which flowers and trees grow. For PCO to finally achieve glory, he turned himself into a monster. The pieces from which this Frankenstein was built were taken from the previous monsters Pierre Carl Oulette had made. Carl Ouellet was born in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, on December 30, 1967. He had a normal childhood with one exception; he is blind in one eye. He lost the…

A part of every battle is psychological. If you can get into your opponent’s head, they become much easier to defeat. That is why fighters often try to cut an intimidating presence before the fight begins. La Parka was based on the one enemy that we all eventually succumb to. He struck fear into his opponents, but he captured the hearts of his fans. Contrary to pop culture myth, Halloween was created by the Catholic church in Europe. One of their core beliefs is that while death and evil may still exist within this life, they have both been ultimately…

When a wrestling fan hears the words “¡Viva la raza!”, they think of Eddie Guerrero. It is more than a catchphrase for him. It was the secret to his whole life. Eddie’s grandparents were migrant workers who started a new life in Arizona. Their first son Salvador was born in 1921 and named after his father. He was only nine-years-old when his mother died, and he dropped out of school. The remaining family returned to Mexico, where Salvador developed an interest in wrestling. He studied lucha libre and made his debut as “Joe Morgan” in 1937. He would change his…

Words like “excellence” have followed Bret Hart throughout his life. When he called himself “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be,” he wasn’t trying to brag. Instead, he was setting for himself a standard that he strived to live by. From the moment Bret was born on July 2, 1957, there was no escaping wrestling for him. He was the eighth child born to Canadian wrestling pioneer Stu Hart. Stu owned and ran the Stampede Wrestling promotion. All eight Hart brothers did various work for the company from a very early age.…

Wrestling has always presented an image of big men becoming big names by hurting each other. They would do anything to get on top of the industry. Brian Adams had the size and the ability to rise above everyone else. Yet there was one thing he refused to do to become the best; hurt someone else. Brian Adams was born in Kona, Hawaii, in 1964 but was raised in Kealakekua. He joined the United States Air Force after graduating from high school. He developed an interest in wrestling while he was stationed in Japan. Adams would be trained by the…

Art is the most subjective thing there is. Whether it appeals to you or repulses you, true art should illicit an emotion. What constitutes as art varies from person to person. While people may be fake, emotions are not. Prince Iaukea learned that art is better when you are the artist. Michael Hayner was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in August 1964. He spent several years in the military after finishing his education. He was already a thirty-year-old family man when he decided to chase his childhood dream. He was trained as a wrestler by Dean Malenko. He helped Hayner to…

Rivers symbolize freedom. If you place a rock into a river, the water will flow around it. If you block a river, it will cause a flood, or the river will try to forge a new path. Given enough time, a river will wear away any barrier that tries to restrict it. The story of Michinoku Pro-Wrestling is about finding a way around limitations. It is a universal truth that promoters tend to prefer more prominent athletes with muscular physiques—modern-day giants who can attract fans with their feats of super-strength. Japan is a small island nation. Their potential talent pool…