AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
Here is the newest PWBTS.com saga of the week, and no, it doesn't involve TNA or its fans.
This one involves a week for scams and people pretending they're who they're not.
As originally posted on PWBTS.com, a recent article in The Hillsdale Daily News claimed that the Ultimate Warrior "showcasing his legendary skills at the Waldron High School gym".
This scumbag set himself up in the article as "living on the Ramapo Reservation", and claimed he had "competed at Pittsford late last year", the alleged-Ultimate Warrior "liked the crowd and atmosphere enough to come back for more and this time it’s for a good cause".
Bet Jerry McDevitt, WWE lawyer, not to mention the writer of the article linked here who got scammed by this moron will find this interesting. Bet McDevitt will also enjoy the billable hour or two he can get writing up the cease and desist on this scumbag and the promotion in question.
Not to mention Jim Hellwig, known professionally as Ultimate Warrior and Warrior who lives in a rather unique reality himself. Bet all concerned will hear from him, too.
Since the original posting on my PWBTS.com website, the company that promoted this show, Championship International Wrestling, with a website at this link; complained that they never said that they booked the Ultimate Warrior, but someone calling himself "the Warrior"; and it was the reporter of the Hillsdale Daily News that was at fault.
So for "The Warrior"... look at the picture from their website besides this text (go to the CIW website link above, if you get the red X trying to look at the picture). It sure looks like Jim Hellwig to me, or is certainly intended to. If there was any doubt about that, check out the next e-mail.
"I have attended the CIW shows that used the fake Warrior in the past and the Warrior is not the only impersonator that they have had.
Others they have used: Doink the Clown (played the the promoter himself), The Patriot (played by a local guy) and they advertise it as a former WWF star, so you think you are getting the actual person. Others that they have advertised that aren't the actual wrestlers are Lord Humongous (played by the promoter again), and "Even Colder Steve Austin." Then there was Atomic Demolition (where they claim to be Demolition, again played by the promoter-they got a letter from the WWE on this one).
They have advertised movie characters as well; like the Jack Black, the character from the Lucha wrestling movie, Napoleon Dynamite and most recently Spider Man.
They actually dress up people as these characters and send them out there. This promotion has been doing these tricks with making you believe the real people are showing up and taking your money and then you find out that its not the real person.
The people playing these characters sell photos and autographs like they are the real person."
So it sounds as though it's not just the individual pretending to be Jim Hellwig, but the Championship International Wrestling promotion themselves that engaged in this fiasco.
As for the others, this is far from the first time someone's done a fake Patriot or fake Doink the Clown. For anyone who doesn't know, Tom Brandi portrays this character on many indies, and has purchased the rights to use the name from the original "The Patriot" Del Wilkes some time back. Anyone else besides Del Wilkes or Tom Brandi playing the character is not legitimate. As for Doinks, there's practically a cottage industry of fake Doinks in independent wrestling.
Then there's more on the woman who is a fake sister of Sherri Martel, who's been making the rounds trying to work several websites. Real life Martel sister Vicki has HERSELF e-mailed me some time back to alert me to the fake "sister". This fake sister has gone so far as to spread rumors about close friends of Martel.
Well, "you know who" as she referred to herself, claims she's "going to sue me" because I defamed the Martel family. Well, since the real family name is Russell, I guess some family named Martel took an unusual interest in this article.
This fake Martel sister has also claimed to be exclusive booking agent for a well-known TNA wrestler, and claims to have "a bodyguard" to protect her.
I then received another e-mail from a Paul Pech who sent me the following:
I read your article ...... and you've got to see this. Go to this link. It's the "bodyguard" of the pretend Martel sister. She has this guy so $#@*&%ed into thinking she's a Martel that she even had a Military style Dog tag made up for him with Sherri's picture. He now thinks he's an honorary member of the Martel Family.
Then, I received another e-mail from Sherri Martel (Russell's) REAL sister with the following where she sent me a picture featuring Vickie Abernathy (her sister), Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan), Eric Bischoff, and Jimmy Hart.
Ms. Abernathy added "there are people claiming to be from the Martel family, and using my sister to make their way into the wrestling business
If anyone has questions about who is or is not a member of Sherri (Martel) Russell's family, please contact Zondra Hutto, Attorney at Law at zondra@huttostaggs.com, or (205) 343-0101, or myself at (205) 563-2534.
In other news, the pretend Martel sister is also claiming to be Anastasia, youngest child of the Russian Royal Family and the original Barney the Dinosaur.
As I said in the original post, its amusing (in a sad sort of way) to see that some people are so lacking in real lives that they masquerade as something and someone they aren't; in one case to defraud for money, and in the other to live in some of delusional world in which she attempts to intimidate those who dare to call her on her scam.
Truth has a nasty habit of winning out in the end...and there's a higher power that can enact justice in a way that a mere writer like I can't.
Until next time...
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If you have comments or questions, if you'd like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website or for advertising requests, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com.
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If you have comments/questions, or if you'd like to add the AS I SEE IT
column to your website, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)