From: foleye@xanth.CS.ORST.EDU (Stilt Man)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling
Subject: Re: realism?
Date: 7 Jan 93 21:44:26 GMT
Organization: Oregon State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: xanth.cs.orst.edu

In article <ASH.93Jan7152348@ulysses.mr.ams.com> ash@ulysses.mr.ams.com (Alan Harder) writes:
>In article <1iglcnINN6l@flop.ENGR.ORST.EDU> foleye@xanth.CS.ORST.EDU (Stilt Man) writes:
>
> >When you consider that all of these guys are strong enough to lift the larger
> >men (i.e. Windham) off the mat and throw them around with some ease, a weight
> >advantage doesn't matter a heckuva lot.  Wrestling a Pontiac isn't too hard
> >if you can lift the Pontiac off the ground and slam him on the mat just as
> >easily as he can to you.
>
>But don't forget that they are helping each other in the lifting.
>Could anyone ever have picked up Andre the Giant if he hadn't wanted
>them to?
>

Given that some of the stronger guys are capable of squatting somewhere on the
order of 800+ pounds, lifting 500+ pound guys like Andre with the full body
strength behind it wouldn't be too difficult.  I only weigh 150 pounds, and
I'm not exactly high up on the strength for guys my size, but taking a 200
pound guy up in a fireman's carry is no problem for me.  This would be the
equivalent of a comparable guy twice the weight (300 lbs., roughly Ron Simmons')
size, up against a guy who weighs 400 lbs (like Van Vader).  This is assuming
that Simmons is only average strength for his size.  I'd venture Simmons is
much above average strength for his size.  Thusly, I don't think it would be
a wild expectation to think he could pick up Andre if he was using a smart
lifting technique.

Besides that, how much leg strength did Andre have proportionately to his
weight to help his opponent lift him up, anyway?  With Yokozuna, I could see
a case, but Andre?  Jumping ability to help be lifted.  Shhhhyeah, right.

This does raise one issue that I've often thought about, where I do agree
with you, however.  Take Jushin Liger, for example.  The guy can't possibly
weigh much more than 200 pounds soaked in oil.  Put him up against Big Van
Vader, a guy twice his size and at least in the same neighborhood in skill.
I don't care how much flying Liger is capable of, if that match is booked
realistically, it's going to last about as long as it takes Vader to get a
good handhold on him.  Then they load him on a stretcher with a spatula.
This sort of blunts my enthusiasm for Liger, not surprisingly, and as a
result I dissent from this group's near-worship of him as a wrestler.

However, for a big dude like Luger or Simmons, taking Vader off his feet is
not exactly an impossible task.  It does help when Vader's giving an assist
in getting him up in that air, but something like Sting's repeated fireman's
carries on him are probably something the Sting-man could do on his own.


 __________________________________________________________________________
|The Stilt Man   		       foleye@xanth.cs.orst.edu		   |
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