Mr. JL

[LillaThrilla]

Does anyone know the story of why WCW had Jerry Lynn wrestle under a mask as a faux-luchadore in the mid-90s?

[tommybrownell]

Because masks are over, dude.

[psz]

I always figured that WCW wanted to keep cashing in on the Luchas in the in Cruiserweight division.


That or they wanted a name they could own (ala Hak and Crowbar).

[tommybrownell]

Was that really the case with Crowbar? I just figured it was because "Devon Storm" was kinda bland.

I was thinking Hardcore Hak had something to do with ECW, but that wouldn't make a TON of sense, as Sandman has used that name for years and Paul Heyman was never smart enough to properly cover his butt on anything.

[psz]

Plus Raven was just Raven. Saturn was just Saturn. Those guys never changed names, and they were in ECW.

[LillaThrilla]

Actually I think the Mr. JL gimmick might've started before the luchadores came to WCW - 1995, whereas Rey Jr started the lucha invasion in summer '96?

I like the name Devon Storm but they may have not wanted people to think he was related to Lance Storm. Crowbar was a dumb name though. Sounds like one half of a tag team where his partner is named Jack.

Maybe WCW was worried Metallica would sue them? Really, Sandman's name doesn't make any sense without "Enter Sandman" as his music and watching ECW long enough to remember he started with a surfer gimmick. He really wasn't the same character in WCW that he was in ECW anyway: no beer swilling or chain smoking that I remember and I'm not sure if he even carried a Singapore cane.

[tommybrownell]

He did carry the cane...but yeah, he wasn't allowed to smoke or drink beer.

[magiccitydawg]

While we are asking these things, why did they put Hector Guerreo under the Lazer Tron mask?

[LillaThrilla]

Jun 18, 2010 10:59:45 GMT -5 magiccitydawg said:

While we are asking these things, why did they put Hector Guerreo under the Lazer Tron mask?

Lazer Tron was the test run for him being the Gobbedly Gooker.

Seriously, someone must've though he was an ugly Mexican thus American audiences would hate his face or something.

I wonder how much they paid him to dress up in that turkey costume and dance? Or for that matter who thought that payoff was a good idea in the first place. I could have come up with it but I would've stuck in IHLW because I would recognize how lame it was.

[tommybrownell]

I'm guessing the pay wasn't tremendous...=P

[phudjie]

...what I hated about the Crowbar name was that Devon Storm had appeared a few times on WCW Saturday Night before they changed his name...

[tommybrownell]

Luckily, no one watched WCW Saturday Night at that point...=)

[JoshiQ]

Man, I wish I could go back and watch those Saturday Nights. That's the type of wrestling I'm really into right now. Random matches with random wrestlers.

[phudjie]

...I used to love Saturday Night, all the BS from the rest of the week was recapped, and you got to see some actual wrestling without a bunch of angle advancement crap...

[tommybrownell]

Jun 18, 2010 16:16:12 GMT -5 JoshiQ said:

Man, I wish I could go back and watch those Saturday Nights. That's the type of wrestling I'm really into right now. Random matches with random wrestlers.

THAT'S why you're liking my fed so much right now...

[BeerGeek]

Jun 17, 2010 22:27:02 GMT -5 tommybrownell said:

Because masks are over, dude.

So Justin Credible in a jockstrap mask was hugely over?

[tommybrownell]

Justin Credible was never over. Can't shine a turd.

[JoshiQ]

Credible is the worst. He made me stop watching ECW.

[Flair4TheGold]

They also referred to him as "the mysterious JL" too.

[LillaThrilla]

Jun 18, 2010 16:16:12 GMT -5 JoshiQ said:

Man, I wish I could go back and watch those Saturday Nights. That's the type of wrestling I'm really into right now. Random matches with random wrestlers.

So if someone ran a TNM-RG circuit right now you couldn't stop marking out? ;D

[psz]

And thus we see WHY I started re-watching ECW from 1993 on....

(Just finished Three Way Dance 95!)

[JoshiQ]

Ah, the good old days. It only goes down hill after Barely Legal.

I'm currently watching some '85-'93 random squashes from both WCW and WWF. Great times.

[psz]

I'm actually watching them in order, TV Episode by TV Episode (If those aren't available, as in most of early 1995, I'm catching the "Super Shows" the Hardcore TV eps were made from... While I *DID* miss Raven's debut, I seem to recall it was quite anti-climactic to begin with :-P)

[JustinCredible]

RF Video is selling a box set of the old ECW TV shows from the early 90's

[psz]

I still have most of 1996 on VHS from when I'd record them ;->

(No player, though)