That Time My Son And I Tagged With
NIKOLAI VOLKOFF
Okay..... perhaps "tagged with" is a bit strong a term, particularly because the WWE Hall of Famer had just competed in a legitimate six-man tag team match at a fundraiser in the Toronto area that night. Perhaps "took a photo with" might be more accurate. But still -- Nikolai Volkoff! The guy who battled Hulk Hogan on Saturday Night's Main Event! The guy who won a Slammy Award for brushing his teeth with Boris Zhukov (and then tripping on stage when accepting said award)! NIKOLAI VOLKOFF!!!
This was actually the first wrestling event I've ever taken Canadian Bulldog Jr. to (amazingly, he's not a massive wrestling nerd like his old man - at least, not yet). This was the perfect setting to do so. A family-friendly environment promoted by Magen Boys Entertainment and being a fundraiser to raise support for autism sweetened the deal.
The opening contest was a six-man tag team match featuring a trio of local wrestlers captained by Rob Rage against an Israeli grappler, Nikolai Volkoff and - get ready for it - Nikolai Volkoff Junior!
Now, the chances of Volkoff Jr. being Nikolai's son are roughly the same as Bulldog Jr. being Nikolai's son (I kid, I kid!), but the diverse international combination made for a fun opening match.
And not only did Nikolai sing the Russian national anthem, he also sang (and I'm not joking here) the traditional Jewish song "Hava Nagila" after the contest!
Next up was a three-way dance between local grapplers Stratosphere, Anton Alexoff (not certain I'm spelling their names correctly) and Space Monkey.
I'm not going to lie to you - Space Monkey was the only one the fans cared about here. Wearing a monkey mask (and tail) and an old-school NASA space suit, Space Monkey ate bananas, picked lice out of opponent's hair and just generally monkeyed around. And Space Monkey could wrestle! Is there any doubt who won the three-way here?
I was saying to my son afterwards, it's a gimmick so silly that it could actually take off some day. Just look at El Torito or Shark Boy as examples....
Next up was a special ceremony to honor Toronto wrestling legend Sweet Daddy Siki. Back in the day, Siki was a top draw at the old Maple Leaf Gardens and a favorite of my grandmother (Bubby Bulldog) in the 50's and 60's. More recently, he is credited for helping train WWE Hall of Famer Edge.
Word has it that some A-List producers are working on a documentary about Siki's life, and the evening's ceremony was captured as part of that.
Of course, this being wrestling, Siki's ceremony was interrupted by the notorious Celine Jian and his posse, who berated the legend and issued his own challenge for later that night.
Next up was a tag team match pitting former TNA star Cody Deaner and someone named Ash against Chris Chambers and former WWF standout Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.
I do have to point out that Brutus looked a lot, well, beefier than normal - even compared to photos I'd seen in recent years. This wasn't Brutus Beefcake, this was Brutus AteTheEntireCake. Forget The Man With No Name, this was The Man With No Neck. Instead of Cuttin' & Struttin' - he was Carbin' & Stuffin'. Don't seek out Sal Fedora for your next vignette, perhaps get the advice of Jenny Craig.
Also? As Bulldog Jr. pointed out, Brother Bruti's trunks were a weird flesh color that made it look like he wasn't wearing any pants.
After an intermission, the notorious Celine Jian (who came out to Celine Dion music and wore bright pink trunks) challenged any five wrestlers to face him in hardcore matches.After an intermission, the notorious Celine Jian (who came out to Celine Dion music and wore bright pink trunks) challenged any five wrestlers to face him in hardcore matches.
The first two were masked jabronies that Jian handled with ease. The next was a sad sack type named Adam Sockowitz or somesuch - Celine Jian humbled him with a singapore cane and other spots. The fourth man was Really Fake Doink, who was put away easily. Who would the fifth competitor be?
Turned it out it was the 75 year-old Sweet Daddy Siki, who had seen enough of the carnage for one night. Though barely able to walk, he put Jian in his place and was aided by...
.... Wrestling Superstar Virgil!!!!
Virgil, you see, had appeared earlier in the night as Celine Jian's hired muscle. But when push came to shove (and it did), the former Million Dollar Champion turned on Jian and slapped on his patented Million Dollar Dream to the roars of the crowd. Or at least, to my utter delight.
You see, Virgil was kind enough to endorse Canadian Bulldog's World recently and before that, granted us an exclusive interview that just happens to be the most-read article in the brief history of CBW. I'm A Virgil Guy.
The next match was actually the best contest of the night, featuring ECW legend, former TNA World Champion and recent WWE/NXT competitor Rhino against Canadian independent standout Ethan Page.
Rhino, sporting a shaggy beard, looked huge in person (and we don't mean the Brutus Beefcake kind of huge). After initially dominating Page, Rhino took the match to the floor and into the depths of the event's banquet hall. Because of the event's intimate setting, Page found himself yelling at some of the small kids who had gathered around ringside.
By the time both competitors were back in the ring, the kids had literally gathered around the ring to cheer on The War Machine. Rhino capitalized on a mistake by Page and nailed his patented Gore. But before pinning his foe, Rhino invited all the kids at ringside to make the cover instead - definitely a unique spot!
After a raffle was held in the ring for some very cool prizes (no Space Monkey merch, though), we had our main event for the BCW "World" Heavyweight Championship, featuring Champion Christopher Bishop and Nick Watts.
While some of the fans left after the raffle, there was still a decent crowd to watch what was actually quite a good back and forth match between two up and coming wrestlers. I kept watching Bulldog Jr.'s reactions, especially when the two exchanged some of the louder highspots, and he seemed to be very into it.
In the end, Watts won the championship, so Bulldog Jr. was witness to history that night. Well, that and tagging up with Nikolai Volkoff....
