BLOOD: ZBFbooks.com salutes Marilyn Burns

'TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE' SCREAM QUEEN DIES AT 65
by
Bowie V. Ibarra

The first time I watched 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' was at my friends house.  Johnny and Jason Flores, two dudes who are like brothers to me, had rented it from Reno Rentals on Getty Street and took it back to watch it one afternoon.

So broad daylight outside, we're watching this movie and are absolutely terrified throughout.  There was a level of intensity that never let up in the eyes of our junior high minds.

There reached a boiling point where Sally Hardesty, played by Maryilyn Burns, was captured and forced to break bread with the family of maniacs led by the horror icon Leatherface.  The entire time she was at the table she was screaming in terror and mocked by the family.

That's when they brought out their grandfather, who seemed nothing but an exhumed corpse.  Grandpa apparently was good at killing cows, and was given the honor to try and kill Sally at the dinner table.

Screaming the entire time and being laughed at by the family, Sally Hardesty endured some of the most grueling torture I had ever seen up to that point in my life.

Me and my friends couldn't take it anymore.  We cashed out, as we saw no hope for her.  We turned it off.

Years later I would finish the movie, I think with my ex-wife.  Lo and behold, when I had turned off the movie years ago, it turns out there were only a few minutes left in the movie.

I don't think I have ever seen a truer and more intense performance in a horror movie than the atmosphere set up by Tobe Hooper and the performance of Marilyn Burns.  I told her just that when I met her at the 2013 Texas Frightmare Weekend.  I'll never forget how sweet she was, a stark contrast to the terrified Sally Hardesty I will always remember her for.

Thank you, Marilyn, for a performance I will never forget.

RIP

FIGHTS: #RIPWarrior

DAYS AFTER WWE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION, WRESTLING ICON PASSES
by
Bowie V. Ibarra

 

When I think of The Ultimate Warrior, I think of what a maniac he was.

 

The guy started out with three other bodybuilders on a stable called 'PowerTeam USA'.  When two of the dudes dropped out, Warrior (known then as Justice) and Sting (yes,that Sting) formed a (really bad) tag team called 'The Blade Runners'.  Sting became Blade Runner Flash, and The Ultimate Warrior was Blade Runner Rock.  The team would later break up and Rock would become The Dingo Warrior.

 

Then, WWE came calling, and he went on to be one of the biggest and most over-the-top figures in WWE history as The Ultimate Warrior.  He even went on to beat Hulk Hogan clean at the SkyDome in one of wrestling's biggest matches.

 

And his promos?  Absurdly hilarious and intense.

 

I'd be a liar if I didn't say I wasn't finally drawn in by his charisma and intensity.  I bought the neon wristbands back in the day.  He was a wild man, but he was fun to watch.

But when I think of the Ultimate Warrior, I think of a friend who walked out of my life several years ago.

See, my friend, who I met in college, was a big fan of The Ultimate Warrior.  He was such a big fan that he got one of the shittiest tattoos of the Ultimate Warrior mask you'd ever see on his arm.  I always gave him a hard time about that.

Hearing the news of the passing of the Ultimate Warrior, I can't help but immediately think of him.

Buddy, wherever you are right now, I offer my condolences to you.  And to all Warriors family, fans, and friends.  Condolences.

#RIP #UltimateWarrior

Here's one of his best matches.

His Hall of Fame speech.

 

His haunting words in his last public appearance.

 

 

#RIP #UltimateWarrior

ZombieBloodFights.com salutes Percy Pringle/Paul Bearer

by Bowie Ibarra

I always thought he was obnoxious.

Percy Pringle.

God, what an obnoxious name, too.  Percival "Percy" Pringle.  He was outspoken, had an obnoxious southern Alabama voice (he was born in Mobile), had that gross double chin, wore shitty suits, and just made you want to slug him.

But that's what made him great.  He was a bad guy manager managing the bad guys.  You're not supposed to like him. 

Man, I hated him as a kid.

 

And then when he became the manager of the dude who was to become one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, The Undertaker, under the mantle of Paul Bearer, he was even more annoying.  That stupid voice, the obnoxious laugh, and that double chin.  So gross.

 

But, man, was he good at it.

 

That's why when Jake 'The Snake' Robert's DDT'd Paul Bearer on the Funeral Parlor, it became one of the most rewound moments in my recorded VHS WWF video collection.  (at 4:35 mark)

 

 

My buddy from college, Polo, used to do his voice, and it was always just as ridiculous as Bearers.  I remember one time he used the voice and was making fun of this one hard-ass in class. It was one of the most hilarious things I had ever seen, especially afterward when Polo said, "He's scared of Paul Bearer's voice."

 

I remember another funny moment at a house show when one of my friends spit on Paul Bearer as he walked to the ring with 'taker in the middle of the Frank Erwin Center.  I laughed so hard at the loogee that I could see on Paul's coat as he walked down.  I'm laughing as I'm writing this.

 

And, yet again, the emotion that Paul Bearer evoked was so intense and so true.  Man, I'd never seen my friend so angry and hateful as he was to Paul Bearer.

 

Just last week, I called up my buddy Polo and left a message using the Paul Bearer voice.  I even used it on a message for my friend, Ana.  Little did I know she had met him just last year at WrestleMania in Miami.

 

My buddy Polo called me back and used the voice again, and I laughed.

 

Thanks for all you did for pro-wrestling, Percy Pringle.

 

RIP

FIGHTS: Hatton gave it all with loss to Senchenko

by Bowie V. Ibarra

Ricky Hatton (48-3) gave it his all against a primed Vyacheslav Senchenko (33-1), but it wasn't enough to provide a triumphant return for the British brawler.

Hatton had fought some personal demons over the past few years since his devastating losses to two of the best fighters in the world in Mayweather and Pacquiao.  Pulling himself together, he got back into training as well as coaching to get his mojo back.

But it seems he set his goals super high against the recently defeated Ukranian, who lost his title to Paul Malignaggi, which handed him his first loss as well.  With Hatton hand-picking his opponent, many thought it was ambitious, as he clearly would have benefited from a tune-up match-up before jumping into the quality competition at welterweight.

The Manchester fans loved him, and he looked pretty good in the early rounds with relentless aggression and solid punches.

'The Ukraine Master' stayed in the game, though, in spite of being dazed and tested several times during the match.  And when the water started getting deep for Hatton in the later rounds, it was evident that Senchenko was more preapared than Hatton.  'The Hitman' showed signs of frustration, openly grumbling after missing shots.

But it was the cruelest of blows that leveled Hatton in the 9th, just minutes away from winning a fight he was taking on the cards.  A left hook to the kidney put Hatton away for good, dropping him to his knees in front of his adoring Manchester fans and his wife.

It was a tough loss for him, and a result of the immense amount of pressure he put on himself, saying he wanted his son and newborn daughter to be proud of him.

I just think he needs to put things in perspective here.  He beat drug and alcohol abuse.  He's got some bones to spend to help take care of his family.  He's got a career as a coach and trainer.  And he's got to remember his two losses before this one came against two of the best boxers of this day and age.

What is there to be ashamed of?

He really needed a tune-up before jumping in.  This bar he set for himself was super high.  Was it a realistic goal?  Sure.  He got to the 9th, so he was almost there.

But 'The Ukraine Master' has not had the kind of layoff Hatton has, so was much fresher.  That makes him just that much better to take Hatton in the home stretch.

I honestly pray he's not as hard on himself in this 2nd retirement.  I don't think he's got anything to be ashamed of.  If he's a good dad to his kids, they're going to love him no matter how many wins or losses he had in his career.

I get it.  Pride.  Pride is a sonovabitch.  But, Jesus Christ, I hope he puts things in perspective and is not so hard on himself in retirement.

If he wants to come out of retirement again and fight, I don't have a problem with it.  It seems like, even in defeat, his fans (who were still singing their song for him), would have no problem watching 'The Manchester Mexican' mix it up again.  He was fit and ready in what I saw (for being off for several years).  He's a warrior.  Boxing is just what he does, and deserves to do if his team thinks he's healthy enough to do it.

But if he does, I just hope he considers some more reasonable matchups before jumping into title contention, if there is a next time.

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ZombieBloodFights.com would also like to offer condolences to the family and fans of Hector "Macho" Camacho.  A champion in the boxing ring, and a master of his sport, dead at 50.

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BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuester.  His combat sports themed book, Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire , features a boxer from Scotland who transitions to mixed martial arts competition.

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You can network with Bowie and explore his other titles at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

FIGHTS: ZombieBloodFights.com salutes Jeff Blatnick and Emanuel Steward

by Bowie Ibarra

ZombieBloodFights.com salutes two great contributors to the combat sport world.

Jeff Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) is known to the hardcore MMA fans as one of the early announcers for UFC during the SEG/Semaphore Art Davie era.  But it's important to remember he was more than that.  Jeff also won gold for the US as a Heavyweight Olympic wrestler during the '84 Olympics.

People try to discount that victory because the Russians were conspicuously absent for political Cold War reasons.  Those people can STFU because Jeff showed up to play after having had medical procedures on his spleen and appendix after being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  And he went in there and took the gold.

RIP Jeff Blatnick

Emanuel Steward was one of boxing's most notable trainers.  Moving from Virginia to Detroit, Steward eventually found his way to Kronk Gym after a successful run as an amateur boxer.  At the gym, he became a trainer, with one of his most notable proteges being Tommy Hearns.

Appropriately enough, Emanuel was one of the trainers of an early UFC fighter.  Canadian grappler Dave Benetau reached out to him for boxing training, which Steward gladly provided, giving Benatau two good runs in the UFC using pretty solid and crisp hand techniques for UFC at the time.  Ask Oleg Taktarov.

Thank you for your contributions to boxing, Emanuel.  Your legacy lives on through those you trained.

RIP.

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Bowie V. Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuester.  His combat sports themed book,Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire , features a Scottish boxer who transitions to mixed martial arts competition.

Enjoy the blog?  Share it with your friends using the 'Facebook', 'Blogger' and 'Twitter' buttons below.

Leave a comment below using your Google+ or Blogger account.

You can network with Bowie and explore his other titles at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.