Help me make a list of CURRENT pro wrestlers that can be considered hookers or shooters:
Low Ki (TNA/ Ring of honour)
Nunsio
Kurt Angle?
Chris Benoit (trained by the Harts)
Chris Jericho
Lance Storm
Perry Saturn?
HHH? (these 2 were trained by Killer Kowalski)
Ken Shamrock
Steve Blackman
Al Snow
Sho Funaki
I'm only naming off wrestlers from WWE and TNA. (Shamrock was recently in TNA, and Blackman is attempting to return to wwe.) I'm not positive about the wrestlers with question marks beside them... But I do know that all the others are competent with various submissions.
Um really, this needs to be on the Pro-Wrestling Ground. None on that list are shooters, including Kowalski or Stu Hart IMO. I am open to evidence but from what I know, I'd say no
Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, Suzuki, Masakatsu Funaki (Sho likely learned shooting from Fujiwara), Gotch, Fujiwara, Gene LeBell yes, they are shooters...
Stu was trained by Toots Mondt and Toots was trained by Farmer Burns.
Most people know the story about where Jericho stretches Goldberg back stage in real life.
I would like to add William Regal to my list and Fit Finlay (saw him apply a double wristlock on Benoit in a match last week, finlay is pure speculation.)
Nunsio was trained in Japan, on obsessed with wrestling it makes note that Al Snow is a shoot wrestler aswell.
Little guido,trained by bill robinson,though he might not have been taught catch !He now wrestles for prince mcmahon under a diferent name. Tom Belington "dynamite kid" though he no longer wrestles.
Just for the record I've heard that stu hart wasn't a shooter.Some of these guys wrestled in japan,which is a little more crediable than it is here.We know kurt angle can wrestle ,but his toehold is sloppy at best.
Jake ,I think your on to something here.Hell,ric flair "who is my favorite" wrestled at minnesota and I'm sure could whip the average man,but that dosen't make him a hooker.
Jake I have to disagree about Angle it was supposed to be an amature match with no submissions. Angle was working the match and Puder sucker submissioned him. Angle would have destroyed him in a shoo match.
People who could be hookers or Shooters if they chose are most likely Chris Benoit ( was trained in grappling like all NJPW Dojo students) William Regal Tazz and Kurt Angle
Here is a quote from Karl Gotch on Dean Malenko when asked about Dean's skills:
"He's just another daffodil just jumping around. Because when the other guy would put him on the mat he wouldn't even come up for a look. He'd cry like a baby."
Gotch didn't think he was very good apparently when ti came to real matches.
True, Karl doesn't think anything of Dean's ability, honor, or guts. However, Karl really likes Jodie Malenko though. Said he was real good and had the killer instinct too.
Is Jodi actually Joe Malenko? If so, Gotch mentions him in the same interview I quoted about Dean. Here is the full section where the Malenko's are mentioned:
"KG: I heard so many guys say "Oh, I trained with Gotch" and then I look at them like.... Now Joe Malenko, he spent some time with me. About seven years. He had guts. He had spent about a year with me on conditioning and he asked me what I thought. I said "You want me to tell you? Well, your conditioning is better than cow shit." When you start building, you got to start in the basement and build up.
Interviewer: In other words, when you build a house, you don't start at the top, you start at the bottom?
KG: That's right. You start with the legs. Then the chest. Then you do bridges and gymnastics. You just work your way up. Don't get me wrong. He's (Joe Malenko) got it. His brother don't got it.
Interviewer: You mean Dean Malenko?
KG: Yeah. He's just another daffodil just jumping around. Because when the other guy would put him on the mat he wouldn't even come up for a look. He'd cry like a baby. It's just like the Briscos. Jerry was, well.... Joe Malenko is alright, though."
What about carl malenko??He's a heck of nice guy and he fought in pride a couple of times.I had the chance to workout with him in fla. very humble and pretty damn good on the mat!
Puder specifically asked if submissions were allowed, and the referee said they were. Not to mention Angle had already slapped a neck crank on another contestant.
I've recently done a little research on "Exotic" Adrian Street. He's not still active but was only a few years ago. He also influenced many of the current wrestlers. The "Gold Dust" charactor seems to be a direct rip-off of one of Street's charactors.
As a teenager (I'm now 47) I can remember watching a one time segment on a regional wrestling show hosted by Gordon Solie in which Street showed what Solie called real catch-as-catch-can techniques. As I recall it Street was very impressive in the segment, maybe too impressive as no more were ever aired even though it was suppose to be a regular part of the show.
It was pretty clear to me as a teenager that Street would be doing serious damage if the matches were real. I'm sure this is probably why no more segments were aired.
I recently recalled this and did a little research on Street. I have discovered that he did work the carnivals at one time and that he once trained with Mike Dimetri in what he himself called "shoot wrestling".
solie had the same type of segments a few times in early eighties on georgia championship wrestling.I can't recall who did the demostration.One of the moves was a shin post.I bet there were alot of kids limping the next day.