Massimo Martinini asked:


Welcome to the 23rd Balistik Blabber! Today we’re going to talk about an active legend in professional wrestling. See how I say “active” instead of “living”? To those who don’t get the difference, you’ll get it eventually~ I now present to you… the 20th entry to the “Ex-World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Talent…

THE GREAT MUTA!

In Japan, professional wrestling may look the same as it does in America but there are subtle differences. These differences can make or break an aspiring wrestler and one such wrestler was able to weather that storm and make his mark… this man was KEIJI MUTOH.

An amateur wrestler and practitioner of Judo, Mutoh was more than prepared for the ring when legendary trainer Hiro Matsuda began training him. This was the same Hiro who trained Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons and Ric Flair! Soon Mutoh made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 1984. This first run didn’t fly off the ground very well despite competing with, as well as teaming up with the company’s best including Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto. It’s funny because nowadays, these same three men are considered pioneers and innovators of their time. Around the second half of 1985, Mutoh was sent on an excursion to America to learn a few more tricks of the trade. The destination was “World Class Championship Wrestling” in Texas where he wrestled under the name “The Super Ninja” where he briefly feuded with Kevin Von Erich. Other destinations of the excursion included Florida and Puerto Rico (lucha libre style training) when his growing potential caught the eye of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). On May 21, 1986, Mutoh wrestled as “The White Ninja” and beat Kendall Windham to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight title! Mutoh would have the belt until later June when Kendall beat him to regain it. Prior to his eventual transformation, Mutoh returned to Japan and wrestled under yet another gimmick named “Space Lone Wolf” with the UWF. During his time there, he fell victim and got knocked out with the “dreaded” Tuokon Slap Attack”, a gimmick attack that was a sort of symbolic “slap of respect” various wrestlers asked from the legendary Antonio Inoki to discipline them. Mutoh also won the International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) Tag Team titles with Shiro Koshinaka on March 20, 1987 but would lose it 6 days later to Nobuhiko Takada & Akira Maeda — the same team they earned it from. Some unknown force must like Mutoh, because soon he was travelling the world again, this time to the World Wrestling Council (WWC) in Puerto Rico! He never ran out of gimmicks because he had another one: “Black Ninja”. On February 6, 1988 he defeated Invader 1 and earned the WWC Television Title as well as Miguel Perez Jr. to become the WWC Puerto Rican Champion! It was during this time that Mutoh was able to tangle with many legends in various bloody encounters including Carlos Colon (father of Carlito and Primo Colon), Frank “Bruiser Brody” Goodish and Abdullah the Butcher!

Mutoh soon debuted his most widely recognized gimmick… “THE GREAT MUTA” in Jim Crockett’s NWA! He wore face paint, fought with an unorthodox mix of striking, high flying maneuvers and surprisingly powerful grapples. The Great Muta also utilized the dreaded “Asian Mist” or more commonly known as “poison mist” at varying points of a match be it the beginning, during or after. The mist is usually spewed into his opponent’s face or eyes and comes in various colors. Depending on the color, the spray supposedly has a different level of effect. Sounds a bit like a videogame no? Here’s a list showing the various effects of this “deadly” spray attack by color:

Green = obscures vision for a short time

Red = supposedly leaves a “burning” sensation on the eyes rather than limiting

vision

Black = more powerful that the green variation; blinding effect lasts longer than

green version

Yellow = supposedly has a paralyzing effect; takes effect as long as it makes

contact on any part of the body

Another note to add to the poison mist attack is that The Great Muta WAS NOT the first to use this “dastardly” technique… that credit goes to Akihisa “The Great Kabuki” Mera, The Great Muta’s “onscreen father” (to those who can’t catch on… they’re NOT REALLY related)! The two once formed a tag team called “The Rising Suns” but it didn’t really catch on and was soon dropped. As “The Great Muta”, Mutoh wrestled mostly as a “heel” character (EEEVIL) and faced the likes of Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and his eternal rival Sting with whom he engaged in a rivalry that went well over 10 years! On July 23, 1989 edition of the original “Great American Bash” pay-per-view, Muta and Sting fought to a “no contest” decision after a double pinfall occurred. They would face each other again on September 3 culminating in Muta beating Sting and capturing the NWA World Heavyweight title! On a separate occasion, Muta also beat Dick Murdoch to win the NWA World Television title. All this happened and soon, two years had passed and Muta felt like going home once again~

Soon Mutoh was back in NJPW and was competing with both Japanese and “gaijin” (foreigner) opponents as they had a talent exchange program with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was during the years of 1991 to 1993 that Mutoh made his mark in Japanese wrestling together with Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto. In 1991 on the very first G-1 Climax tournament in Japan, Mutoh and Chono fought each other through 30 minutes with the victory going to Chono. Afterwards, Hashimoto entered the ring and the three men celebrated like members of the “Madison Square Garden Incident” but instead of creating controversy, the event moved the audience – so much so that they labeled the men “The Three Musketeers of NJPW”. In another unforgettable though bloody moment, Mutoh faced Hiroshi Hase on December 14 that same year. To take revenge for earlier attacks, Hase poked Muta with a foreign object… and Muta bled like A FOUNTAIN! Typing that in ALL CAPS cannot exaggerate enough how much blood Mutoh lost that day as a result of blading himself too deep but nonetheless it created a spectacle that has never been duplicated for its sheer danger. That day, the “Muta Scale” was created and a match was forever immortalized in the fans that saw it.

The career of Keiji Mutoh is one filled with color. Through the years he has faced countless enemies from across the globe, won many titles and sprayed mist on many a hapless person’s face… He’s faced legends like Inoki and even Tiger Jeet Singh as well as mixed martial artists such as Don Frye and Ken Shamrock. He also made some pretty controversial actions such as betraying NJPW and joining All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for some time, earning the ire of NJPW loyalists. He also has been involved with new World order Japan, both as an opposer and a supporter of the faction. He had a second run with WCW but he had a very nagging knee problem and he was unable to regain his enormous fanbase unlike the previous time. Despite that, he is always trying to evolve his wrestling style and this led to the creation of one of my most favorite wrestling moves: THE SHINING WIZARD! The basic setup is that your opponent is down on one knee… you take a short run, use one leg to gain leverage by stepping on your rival’s outward knee, and deliver a nasty knee or shin attack to your opponent’s neck or face with your other leg. This move has been improvised and utilized by hundreds of wrestlers following in the footsteps of Mutoh. Gregory Helms is one of the most prominent users of the move as a finisher as well as Rob Van Dam on certain occasions. This and countless other mannerisms by Mutoh have made such an impact that even in videogames it has been given tribute! Go play a round of Tekken and choose the character King and you will see that he has the moonsault, the Shining Wizard in his arsenal as well as the “flashing elbow”, an exaggerated elbow drop with a twisting motion. You can find his signature taunt in the “Smackdown VS Raw” videogame series as the “wizard taunt” as well as another attack he calls “Space Rolling Elbow” which is a corner attack where he performs a cartwheel to a back elbow attack, followed up with a bulldog.

Innovator, and a legend all around the ring… the WWE doesn’t know what it’s missing! Not to undermine their achievements, but I believe Mutoh is greater than The Undertaker or Bret “The Hitman” Hart… it’s not because he has been a part of nearly every aspect of the business: wrestler, trainer and promoter… it’s not because he has won more titles… it’s because he has not only made a legacy, but also passing on that legacy to a new generation. I don’t think there can be another ‘Taker, but there can definitely be many more “Mutas” in future generations of professional wrestling! In fact, I’ve decided to feature one of the most prominent “Muta-inspired” wrestlers on the next issue! Keiji Mutoh is an “AUTOMATIC HALL OF FAME ENTRY”. No question asked. EVER!

Thank you very much for reading! See you all in the next Blabber!



Wilma

Lego Star Wars Chris asked:


For the Star Wars and/or Lego fanatic in all of us, Lego brought a new era of enjoyment when they agreed to a license with Lucasfilms, enabling them to produce a unique Star Wars line of Lego toys. The Lego Star Wars series has been available since 1999 and has been continually expanded upon. It was introduced with characters and vehicles from the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). Since then there have been new sets and releases that encompass the prequel trilogy (Episodes I-III) and even the latest Clone Wars animated film and TV series.

All of the mainstays of the Star Wars franchise are available in Lego form. The characters, for the most part, maintain the typical Lego figure. That means that they have a square body with a block shaped head, with just slight variations such as colors and accessories like capes or hats/helmets. However, due to the wide discrepancy between the shapes and sizes of many of the Star Wars characters, unique and original molds were created for the Lego Star Wars line. Darth Vader for example, has his own easily recognizable head and head shape, as do the Stormtroopers, Yoda and many other aliens and characters. Yes, the lightsabers are available with some figures as well!

Outside of the characters, Lego Star Wars also produces all of the recognizable and famous ships and vehicles from the franchise. This includes the ultra-popular Millennium Falcon, which has been tweaked and improved upon since its original release. Also available of course is the X-Wing fighter. Other available vehicles and ships include the Imperial AT-ST, TIE fighters, a Rebel Blcckade Runner (the starship you see being chased by the Imperial Star Destroyer in the opening scene of the original movie) and several speeder crafts. There are also location sets including the Death Star, the Hoth Rebel base and more.

In addition to these characters and vehicles, Lego has released a vast array of Star Wars products, including several additions to their Technic line, which is based on complex parts and movement and are less reminiscent the classic block look, feel and construction of Lego figures. Also released was a mini figure magnet series with a dozen Star Wars characters. Additionally, Lego released several Star Wars products for their Ultimate Collector Series, which are large and highly complex designs. The Millennium Falcon for this series, with over 5,000 pieces, was the largest and most complex Lego product ever released for the public.

The single most popular Lego Star Wars product however would have to be the videogame series. These videogames sold tremendously well and reached critical acclaim across both the Star Wars and videogame community. The first game was based on the prequel trilogy, and the second game was based on the original trilogy. Afterwards, both were released together in one complete addition.

Lego Star Wars toys, figures and products are fun for just about everybody. Whether you are an adult reliving his childhood, or a child discovering the series for the first time, Lego Star Wars combines the best of two great franchises into an amazing line of products that should give you hours upon hours of entertainment.



Nicole

Jonathon Hardcastle asked:


A few months ago a friend entered my apartment to announce that he has decided to perform a very important investment for our future in entertainment. I remained calmly at my sit waiting for him to continue and explain how lucky he was as he managed to find an incredible deal over the internet for the newest version of PlayStation 2. Frankly, I could not believe my ears. I have never played PlayStation in the past and the last video game I have played with my friends when I was still a kid, was an old version of Atari. I could not grasp how someone over twenty-five would pay any amount to become another of those inert players stack in front of their TV screens for hours or even days. But the experience I had when PlayStation 2 entered the premises of my house was not exactly as the one I originally imagined. PlayStation has proven to be an extremely fun and instructive gaming experience. After the first couple of weeks I realized that when someone knows how to keep a balanced life it is possible to spend time exploring this unique gaming experience without the feeling of guilt.

Produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, PlayStation 2 is the successor of the original PlayStation console that has been a tremendous worldwide success since its original introduction. By March 2005, the sales margin of PlayStation surpassed the 100.49 million units, becoming the first home console to ever reach the threshold of 100 million sold games. Dated back to 1986, Nintendo was the first to attempt to work with disk technology, but after encountering a number of problems Nintendo decided to approach Sony in order for the second to come up with a solution. Soon Sony recognizing the emerging video-gaming market planned to initiate production of its own console, leading Nintendo’s management team to cancel all deals and form an alliance with Philips; this time securing control over its licenses on the Philips developed machines. By the end of 1992, Sony and Nintendo reconciled their major differences and Sony launched the first version of PlayStation in 1994 in Japan. By September 1995, PlayStation was introduced to the USA, European and Asian markets and its initial success was a prelude of its future sales breakthrough challenge.

The extreme popularity of the PlayStation console introduced the term “PlayStation Generation” and titles like Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Gran Turismo, and Silent Hill, have become the favorite pastime games of millions of users worldwide. Having enjoyed over eleven years of continuous videogame production, Sony has announced that the next PlayStation generation, known as PlayStation 3, or PS3, will be launched in November 2006 and will also be a backward compatible device; meaning that it with be able to play all the games that have already been released for the other PlayStation versions.

Although the genius creators of the PlayStation consoles argue that the new version of this popular videogame will advance the user’s experience, I doubt that it will actually manage to have the same success in the desired time frame. A vast variety of other videogame competitors, including the powerful Nintendo, have launched a number of games for their consoles, which have increased users’ expectations and have made them extremely conscious regarding their next videogame choice. But, I am sure that my friend and I will continue playing the PlayStation games of our choice, like NBA 2K6 or Grand Theft Auto, as PlayStation 3 will be outside our budget for at least a while.



Ethel