Opinion
Cook’s Top 5: Backstage Officials
Steve Cook gives us his Top 5 Backstage Officials
We learned this past week that Rene Goulet had passed away earlier in 2019. Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I have a lot of fond memories of Rene’s in-ring career. I’m not even sure I’ve seen any of his matches…I probably have, but it’s nothing I remember.
How do I remember Rene Goulet? When I was a youngster watching this crazy wrestling stuff, Goulet was one of the people in suits that would come down to ringside when things were getting out of hand. Back in the days before indy wrestlers would show up by the busload to serve as security guards, it was left on the referees & the backstage officials to break things up. They were pretty much always older wrestlers that had retired from the in-ring wars and were still collecting paychecks to do things like break up fights, help injured wrestlers, and some backstage stuff.
Hey, I was a kid! I didn’t know what else they did!
In honor of Rene Goulet, we look at the Top 5 Backstage Officials.
5. Tony Garea
Garea & Goulet were serving side by side for years and were good in their roles for one simple reason: they didn’t overshadow the people they were breaking up. They had decent careers, but weren’t icons of the business. So it was ok if they looked stupid sometimes, like when they were trying to get Ultimate Warrior out of a casket. Garea apparently still works as a producer/road agent for WWE all these years later, so good for him on that account.
4. Gerald Brisco
Gerald’s brother Jack was an NWA World Champion and widely considered the more successful & better in-ring performer of the Briscos during their respective in-ring careers. However, I would wager that people of my generation remember Gerald better than Jack. Why? Jack retired from the WWF, went home, started a body shop & was never seen again on television. Gerald worked for WWE as a backstage official for the next two decades before serving as a talent scout during the 2010s. He was often right in the middle of the craziest moments on WWE television & PPV, including when he was escorting Shawn Michaels & Hunter Hearst Helmsley out of the arena after the infamous Montreal Screwjob. Gerald was a loyal foot soldier that didn’t mind doing the dirty work, which usually involved breaking up out of control brawls.
3. Pat Patterson
Pat always had a way of standing out from the rest of the officials & random folks that would come down to the ring when things were out of hand. While most of them were wearing suits, Patterson was typically attired in a windbreaker/polo shirt combination. He was one of the officials that always got mentioned during these altercations, and Vince McMahon would get so offended when a wrestler like Bret Hart would strike him. No wonder Vince made him one of his official Stooges alongside the aforementioned Gerald Brisco in the late 1990s. Patterson also had a more important role backstage than his fellow officials, as he was Vince’s right-hand man on the booking committee & had a hand in planning most of the major matches during the 1980s & 1990s.
2. Doug Dellinger
The Head of WCW Security! Dellinger was a police officer in Charlotte when he started working at Jim Crockett Promotions shows in the mid-1980s. He started working for Crockett & was kept around after Ted Turner bought the company in 1988. Dellinger appeared on nearly every episode of Monday Nitro either attempting to break up fights, escorting wrestlers out of the building, keeping wrestlers out of the building, or knocking on Goldberg’s door prior to his match. Dellinger was one of few “backstage officials” to never actually compete in the ring. He was a civilian, by Gawd!
Honorable Mention: Arn Anderson
I don’t think Arn really fit in the role of “dude breaking up fights”. He had done way too much shady stuff in his career for longtime fans to buy him breaking up fights and helping babyfaces after they had been assaulted. However, the Undertaker beating the crap out of him was easily the most memorable beatdown of a backstage official. I don’t remember Arn doing much of that type of work on TV after that, which was probably for the best for his own safety.
1. Fit Finlay
Finlay was a man that loved to fight during his time as an active competitor. He wasn’t sneaky, he wasn’t shady, he just threw fists & kicked butt. As a member of a wrestling family, he always took his profession seriously, and he brought that same dedication to his role as a backstage official. Behind the scenes, he was the first person in WWE to push & encourage the female wrestlers to be more than T & A. He trained the likes of Trish Stratus & Victoria and molded them into in-ring performers that didn’t embarrass his business.
In front of the camera, Finlay has carried as much authority as any backstage official before or since he started in the role. When he comes out to break up a fight, you know it’s getting broken up. He also apparently has booking power, as he was able to grant Becky Lynch’s request to be inserted into the Royal Rumble match. Nobody really questioned it because it’s believable that Finlay has that sort of authority. Wrestlers don’t mess with him, but at the same time he doesn’t take away from their heat. It’s a fine line, and Finlay manages it better than anybody.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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