THE RATASS GAZETTE

#4: The Boston Crab  RANDOM THOUGHTS ...  Here we see Rick "The Model" Martel slap the Boston Crab on a jobber named Tommy Angel at the 2:51 mark.  As was the case with Hacksaw Jim Duggan's Clothesline , the beauty of the Boston Crab is it's simplicity. Anyone can do this move. Go ahead, kids, and try it on your friends! They'll have fun and so will you. Tip: If your friend starts tapping his hand on the ground and saying, "Uncle," that just means he really likes it and wants a Boston Crab from your uncle, too. So go get one of your uncles (Hmm, Uncle Steve is probably too tall. Get Uncle Jim, he's shorter: Better leverage.) and tell him to cinch it in tight. Your friend will probably be laughing so hard, it will look exactly like he's crying and his back is broken. Fun for friends  and  family! 

#5: Hacksaw Jim Duggan's Clothesline RANDOM THOUGHTS ... I know what you're thinking: This move is WAY too weak to be top five. It's just a simple clothesline, for Chrissakes! And you're right, it is just a simple clothesline... But that's exactly what makes it so awesome. Other wrestlers give clotheslines routinely, but do they ever knock a guy down for the three-count? Rarely! When Duggan does it they need to a call a stretcher for the other guy. Plus, Duggan's clotheslines are powered by the people and fueled by the flag. How dare you call this move weak? U-S-A! U-S-A! 

The Rise of the NWO in WCW - Here's an awesome clip featuring the formation and rise of the New World Order in the WCW.  The faction formed in 1996 and it was a huge move for the WCW in the Monday Night Wars , with Nitro subsequently besting Raw in the ratings for quite a while.  It's got fantastic interviews with all the major players including Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the Hulkster, among others.  It's interesting to hear them reflect on that time period, when wrestling was really surging on TV.  I'll admit, I was a WWF guy during this time, but when you team up Hall, Nash, and Hogan, and throw in some kick-ass black-and-white t-shirts... well, you really got something going there.  Check it out!

" That's gotta be KANE! " - Watch this clip and relive the debut of Kane! This was the first time we got a glimpse of the Undertaker's long-lost undead brother, and it was pretty awesome. He showed up at WWF's Badd Blood in 1997, ripped the door off a steel cage, and Tombstoned the Undertaker's big dead ass back to Hell, helping the Heartbreak Kid to a victory along the way. What a nice guy! Having the great Vince McMahon calling the match really helps sell it, too, good stuff. Hellfire and brimstone! It's KANE!!!

DX Invades WCW in 1998 - Where were you when D-Generation X drove a tank down to WCW's Monday Nitro and talked shit to Eric Bischoff and the dubya-see-dubya? Well, I was there. Oh, maybe not there physically, but I was there , man . This is clearly one of the highlights of the Monday Night Wars between Raw and Nitro , and my buddies and I were huge DX fans, so this was right up our alley. Screw Nitro , DX rules! Suck it!! The interviews with all the people involved here are fantastic, real good stuff. Enjoy!

"I'm the champ!" - Check out this unbelievably awesome Ric Flair promo from 1988.  It's Flair at his gloriously confident best.  I'm not sure he could say all this stuff in today's overly PC culture, but back then you could say pretty much whatever you wanted.  Plus, he name-drops everyone from Dale Murphy to Lex Luger to Ted Turner and everyone in between.  I can't watch it enough and I laugh hysterically every time I see it.  Enjoy!  The Ric Flair Flop - And, of course, we can't discuss Ric Flair without talking about the Ric Flair Flop!  It's a highlight of almost every classic match he's been a part of, and here's a great video compilation of a bunch of them.  This video is probably about two minutes too long, but you get the gist of it.  It's like they teach you in elementary school, "It's better to have too many Ric Flair Flops than not enough."  Words to live by, kids!

As I've mentioned before , I love Grantland !  The Bill Simmons-led website continues to churn out quality content.  If you haven't visited the site lately, here is a good place to start browsing what they have to offer: It's a week-in-review post that highlights some of the best pieces they've run in the last seven days.  Along with those articles that are featured, I've listed some more of my personal favorites that you might also enjoy... CATCHING UP WITH THE WWE:   I used to be a huge WWF fan (DX, in particular) and it seems Vince McMahon and his company are making a comeback.  Grantland has a writer on the staff named David Shoemaker, a.k.a. The Masked Man, who does a nice job of explaining what they've been up to lately with the CM Punk angle .  Great stuff! Also, Bill Simmons just came out with a gloriously entertaining piece on his top WWE ring entrances and theme music of all time.  It's a must-read for any wrestling fan, past or present...