Grappler
Steve Simpson vs The Grappler #1 (World Class Championship Wrestling)
This could be any one of many matches pitting Steve Simpson against The Grappler in the mid-80s. The match follows a scheme typical of WCCW events. First, a test of strength leading to some grappling on the mat; next, the heel steps over a line, engaging in conduct widely recognized as against the rules; then, the hero attempts retribution, which takes the fight up a notch, but usually leads to the bad guy going even further outside the bounds of acceptable behavior; finally, one guys wins - either the heel, shortly after a flashy hope spot for the hero, or the hero, in a grand and valiant housecleaning, often taking out any of the heel's compadres who are lurking close to the ring.
The mid-80s is when I first realized that most of the wrestlers I liked were younger than I was - were younger even than most wrestlers had been 10-15 years earlier, when I first got interested in pro wrestling. There was a surge of new blood in wrestling, many of the players being sons of former wrestlers and wrestling promoters. What strikes me now is the simplicity of the shows that entertained fans back then - and the angles and stories (as described above) were basic stories of good guys versus bad guys, experience versus youth, muscle versus fat, glitter versus substance, hair versus mask, etc. The idea of wrestling stables - e.g., the Hart Foundation - was just becoming something fans and wrestling magazines talked about. This was several years before storylines stretched out over months or involved intricate webs of deceit, betrayal, conspiracy, and so forth.
The ring stories from 1970 to 1985 could be watched with the sound off and still be comprehensible for the average 13 year old. (Gay underground wrestling was even simpler - naked or near naked young men engaging in real, however usually inept, grappling.) Look how easy it is to follow even these fragments of a match by paying attention to body language and facial expression. The masked man is, of course, unreadable, which, unlike Mexican lucha libre, signifies something sinister, especially in contrast to Simpson's buoyant forthrightness. (Simpson was Matt Riddle and Josh Woods before either was born. Even if he had literally no personality, his curly mane and sweaty pecs could win over the skeptical crowd.) In the good old days, only villains pulled hair, stepped on fingers, and stomped the back of their opponent's head. The Grappler doesn't need to howl into a microphone to declare his badness. It was enough to exert unnecessary force in his headlocks and cravenly cower in the face of imminent and well-deserved comeuppance.
This could be any one of many matches pitting Steve Simpson against The Grappler in the mid-80s. The match follows a scheme typical of WCCW events. First, a test of strength leading to some grappling on the mat; next, the heel steps over a line, engaging in conduct widely recognized as against the rules; then, the hero attempts retribution, which takes the fight up a notch, but usually leads to the bad guy going even further outside the bounds of acceptable behavior; finally, one guys wins - either the heel, shortly after a flashy hope spot for the hero, or the hero, in a grand and valiant housecleaning, often taking out any of the heel's compadres who are lurking close to the ring.
The mid-80s is when I first realized that most of the wrestlers I liked were younger than I was - were younger even than most wrestlers had been 10-15 years earlier, when I first got interested in pro wrestling. There was a surge of new blood in wrestling, many of the players being sons of former wrestlers and wrestling promoters. What strikes me now is the simplicity of the shows that entertained fans back then - and the angles and stories (as described above) were basic stories of good guys versus bad guys, experience versus youth, muscle versus fat, glitter versus substance, hair versus mask, etc. The idea of wrestling stables - e.g., the Hart Foundation - was just becoming something fans and wrestling magazines talked about. This was several years before storylines stretched out over months or involved intricate webs of deceit, betrayal, conspiracy, and so forth.
The ring stories from 1970 to 1985 could be watched with the sound off and still be comprehensible for the average 13 year old. (Gay underground wrestling was even simpler - naked or near naked young men engaging in real, however usually inept, grappling.) Look how easy it is to follow even these fragments of a match by paying attention to body language and facial expression. The masked man is, of course, unreadable, which, unlike Mexican lucha libre, signifies something sinister, especially in contrast to Simpson's buoyant forthrightness. (Simpson was Matt Riddle and Josh Woods before either was born. Even if he had literally no personality, his curly mane and sweaty pecs could win over the skeptical crowd.) In the good old days, only villains pulled hair, stepped on fingers, and stomped the back of their opponent's head. The Grappler doesn't need to howl into a microphone to declare his badness. It was enough to exert unnecessary force in his headlocks and cravenly cower in the face of imminent and well-deserved comeuppance.
Ditto, to everything you wrote.
ReplyDeleteI liked Simpson very much. He wasn't used often enough or well enough. He was one of the reasons I had been cautiously optimistic about the pro wrestling revival.
Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
Gender: male
Height:n5' 11" (180 cm)
Weight: 227 lbs (103 kg)
Alter egos: Steve Simpson
Roles: Singles Wrestler, Tag Team Wrestler
Beginning of in-ring career: 1984
End of in-ring career: 1998
In-ring experience: 14 years
Wrestling style: Techniker
Trainer: Sammy Cohen
Total number of matches: 276
Total number of wins: 160 (58.0%)
Total number of losses: 71 (25.7%)
Total number of draws: 45 (16.3%)
He met the Grappler 11 times. He won every match. Their number of matches ranked #8 for Simpson.
In his first match on 26 May 1984' he was defeated by Bill Howard @ Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
His first win was on June 2 1984 @ the same venue. He defeated Dusty Wolfe.
His last match of record was @ Wylie, Texas, USA. He defeated Rod Price by DQ on July 10, 1993.
Simpson is the son of wrestler Sammy Cohen. Sammy Cohen was the stage name for father Alec Simpson. Steve started wrestling in 1984 and achieved his first amount of stardom in the National Wrestling Alliance's Pacific Northwest territory. He was half of the S&S Express with Joe Savoldi and they captured the Tag Team Titles there. Steve Simpson also worked for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.
In 1986, Steve went to World Class Championship Wrestling where he became an ally of the Von Erich family in their war with the Fabulous Freebirds. He was joined by his brother, Shaun Simpson, in 1987 and they formed a tag team that won the Tag Team titles. Their biggest feud was against John Tatum and Jack Victory. They also had a brother Stuart who briefly wrestled in WCCW with them.
They left WCCW in late 1989 to wrestle in South Africa but Steve returned in 1991 to wrestle in the newly formed Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. His manager at the time was Percy Pringle III. He formed a tag team with Chris Walker and they became the first champions after winning a tournament over Rip Rogers and Scott Anthony, who were members of the heel stable The Cartel. In early 1992, Simpson went back to wrestle in South Africa and retired in 1998.
As late as 2011 it was reliably reported that he and his brother Shaun owned mattress stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area.
In records, it seems both of them reside in Plano, Texas.
Thank you Sooooo much for this!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways Loooooved Steve and young Shaun!!
Wonder what they look like now?!?!