Thank You For The Memories Amasis

This past May, Amasis, one-half of the Osirian Portal tag-team, supposedly suffered injuries outside of the ring. Details were hard to come by, no one seemed to know what the story was, and those who did know had obviously decided to keep it a private. Considering the revelations this week, it's understandable why. Amasis was supposedly in a car accident and it seems as if the subsequent injuries were clearly too severe for him to ever step back in the ring. Sugar Dunkerton, fellow CHIKARA Pro wrestler, broke the news over Twitter.

Ophidian (l) & Amasis (r).  Cred: OsirianPortal.com

Amasis is most well known for being one half of the popular tag-team known as the Osirian Portal in CHIKARA Pro. Also known as The Funky Pharoah, he liked to incorporate an Egyptian break dancing style into his wrestling. Both men would utilise their unique styles to entertain crowds as well as spook out their opponents, as evidenced by this photograph:

Cred: OsirianPortal.com

The pair became Internet hits for a short time when a video of one of their matches in Combat Zone Wrestling went viral. It was titled 'The Most Illegal Move in the History of Wrestling' and involved the team performing hypnosis on the opposing team, and then busting a few slick dance moves. It quickly gained a whole heap of attention. However, CZW, despite the hundreds of thousands of views it got and thus free exposure for the company, had it removed from YouTube with a copyright (no one said this company was smart). Regardless, the infamous video has turned up on other sites and is one of the most entertaining videos I have ever watched.

YouTube is littered with clips of Amasis doing his crazy moves on CHIKARA shows, this particular one being a favourite of mine: 

This is just one of the many reasons why Amasis will be sorely missed in the ring. He is a fantastic entertainer and a talented wrestler in the squared circle. Of course, while it is greatly saddening that Amasis will never lace up his boots again, we must also hope that the injuries suffered are not severe enough to stop him from living a full and healthy life.

If this blog post has wetted your appetite and want to find out more about Amasis or the Osirian Portal, then go over to their official website, CHIKARA Pro's official website, or follow the Portal on Twitter!

Macho Man Randy Savage | 1952 - 2011

As you all know by now I'm sure, Randy Poffo, more commonly known by his ring name the 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, died on May 20 2011 after his car crashed. The tributes have been pouring out for arguably the greatest pro-wrestler of all-time, and I have only now been able to add my own to that list.

So what I have done is gathered a collection of my favourite videos of the one and only Macho Man, and put them here on the blog. The first one is the tribute that WWE aired on Monday Night Raw the week after his tragic death. If you had never heard or seen of the two-time WWF champion before, then this montage of clips gave you a very good picture of who he was in the ring. On the other hand, if you did know about this once-in-a-lifetime superstar, then the video would more than likely have you in tears, much like myself.

This next video is a WWF Classic. It's a match that pitted the Mega Powers (Savage and Hulk Hogan) against the Twin Towers (Big Boss Man and Akeem). This bout led to the break-up of the tag team and an historic feud. I could watch this match and the ensuing promo again and again.

These next two videos are courtesy of Maffew Gregg of Botchamania (you an follow Maffew on Twitter: @Maffewgregg). The first one is a collection of some of Savage's best promo work on WCW Nitro.

This last video is of the Macho Man's last ever TV appearance with WCW on Thunder, May 5th 2000. Savage comes in around the 7 minute mark to make a cameo in the battle royal for the No.1 Contendership, and is just about the best thing in it. First of all, there are way too many wrestlers in the ring at one time, making it difficult to focus on something at any given moment. Secondly, Vince Russo makes a run-in at one point, and an absolutely pointless one at that. Lastly, there is so much going on at the very end that one is left utterly confused as to which feuds are important. It is to Savage's credit that he was still able to stand out and look good in such an environment.

I think it goes without saying that there will never be another wrestler or entertainer like him again. Only Gorgeous George had a bigger impact on pop-culture, and his legacy may very well live on in that vein.

"Snap into a Slim Jim! Ohhhh yeeeeeahh!!"