Steve Lombardi

Rad Radford might have been a ridiculous gimmick, but Luis Bacoli was a talented performer.

Number three, Abe Knuckleball Schwartz.

Remember the 1994 Major League Baseball strike? No? Yes? Well, apparently WWE thought that they would make a tremendous wrestling gimmick out of the strike.

Steve Lombardi, better known as the Brooklyn Brawler, was repackaged as Abe Knuckleball Schwartz.

He wore a baseball uniform, had a baseball painted on his face, and entered the ring to the music inspired by Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

His entire personality revolved around the baseball's labor problems.

What happens when your wrestling gimmick is based on a news story that eventually stops being relevant? Schwartz only made a handful of TV appearances.

Lombardi eventually returned to being the Brooklyn Brawler.

Even those who weren't exactly on the A-list of the WWF talent roster of that time.

And yes, I saw Steve Lombardi wrestle way more times than any self-respecting, paying customer should ever have been happy with.

But I didn't care.

At that time, I just wanted to see it all.

But, again, more about that when we get there.

Oof.

Back to the show in London, however, which started off with the erstwhile Brooklyn brawler Steve Lombardi taking on the future hardcore holly under his earlier guise of Thurman Sparky Plug, who John noted was quite good basically, if a little unsure.

You'd probably look a little unsure having to work with Steve Lombardi too, John.

Mick Foley and the Hell in a Cell, for example, or the Buried Alive match with The Undertaker.

Nobody was ever going to think that was the property of the Brooklyn Brawler.

This might have inspired Paxi too somewhat because she had a dream, and I guess she still does.

She wants the casket match to become her thing.

You're going to go back to that well again? It's like Hogan versus a jobber in the 80s.

The Brooklyn Brawler.

Yankees offseason versus Mets.

Don't even step in in the ring.

Speaking about energy in Brooklyn, the first ever show WWE did in Brooklyn, it was some sort of pay per view PLE at that time.

3MB versus Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and Brooklyn Brawler.

No, baby.

And guess who put over Brooklyn Brawler?

Me.

Yes, sir.

Yes, you did.

Maybe Brooklyn Brawler's first ever win, but Brooklyn Brawler got a crazy pop in Barclays Center that night.