The opening rounds of qualifying for Europe’s major competitions (The Champions League and The UEFA Cup) produced some very positive results for Welsh clubs. Often the whipping boys of these competitions are these the signs that Welsh clubs are about to impose themselves on this stage? We certainly hope so.

Traditionally we have witnessed some very encouraging results from Welsh clubs competing in European competition. Back in the days before the League Of Wales was established the route to Europe’s top tables was through winning the Welsh Cup and subsequent qualification into the European Cup Winners Cup. At these times all of the Principalities clubs competed in the English pyramid system meaning that welsh footballing giants Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham were the often representatives. Swansea were the first to venture into the Cup Winners Cup losing 7-3 on aggregate to FC Jenna. In 1968 Cardiff City shocked the continent’s best teams by reaching the Semi Final, their team containing current national team manager John Toshack as striker were narrowly defeated 4-3 on aggregate to SV Hamburg of Germany. The 1970’s was Wrexham’s ear in European football. 1976 was their flagship year with a run to the quarter final ended by Belgians Anderlecht, a 2-1 win to the Belgians over two legs enough to seal their fate.

Since the inception of the League of Wales in the early 1990’s Cardiff, Wrexham and Swansea have not been admitted into European competition due to their refusal to enter the national league, choosing instead to stay in the English Pyramid system. This left European qualification, now for the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners Cup (which would later be merged into the UEFA Cup) down to those teams in the Welsh league alone. Things did not start well, in 1994 all Welsh representatives failed to win a tie. Bangor City and Inter Cardiff lost in the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup and Barry Town lost 7-0 on aggregate to Zalgiris Vilnius in the Cup Winners Cup. Results like these unfortunately became common practice through the 1990’s and start of the next century.

However, there are signs of recovery for Welsh clubs in Europe. In July 2010 Bangor City rose to their greatest triumph in many years with a Cup Winners Cup two legged victory over Finnish side FC Honka earning themselves a tie against FC Martimo of Portugal. The New Saints (formerly TNS LLantsanfraid) also tasted success in Europe this year with an excellent victory over Irish champions Bohemians. The test ahead for The New Saints is significant with European Giants Anderlecht set to visit Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground before the Saints visit the two time European Cup Winners Cup Champions and former UEFA Cup winners in Belgium.

Posted on September 3rd, 2010 by admin
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Many wrestlers claim to hail from exotic and even fictitious places, but Scicluna (pronounced sikh-cloo-nah) actually was from Malta. He was proud of his homeland and returned to Malta every year with his family.

Baron (a title given to Maltese noblemen) Mikel Scicluna is described as a velvet-caped professional wrestling bad guy who enraged fans with his use of foreign objects and other sneaky tactics. He would play a sort of shell game with the referee, concealing the object (probably a roll of quarters) in his trunks, boot, mouth, under his arm, etc. Only rarely did referees ever catch on to Scicluna’s deceptions, and he used them to his advantage and as his signature move. Another unique thing about Scicluna was that he would always sell his ear no matter what move he was on the receiving end of.

WWE describes him as “the most famous man in sports-entertainment to be billed from the tiny island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. Scicluna would enter the ring with a blue cape slung over his shoulder, indicating that somewhere in the distant past there was a hint of royal blood. But when the bell rang, there was nothing suave about the Baron, who frequently victimized opponents with a roll of coins.”

Starting the Career

His career started when he went to Toronto and wrestled professionally as Mike Valentino in the 1950s. In 1965, he went south of the border to join the World Wide Wrestling Federation managed by Vince McMahon Sr. in 1965. Scicluna thus became to first and only Maltese wrestler to ever join a major wrestling promotion such as WWWF until today.

Scicluna was seen widely in televised matches and a staple on the local Pittsburgh telecast ‘Studio Wrestling’.

He wrestled, twice, Bruno Sammartino for the world championship at Madison Square Garden, losing both times.

Sammartino was a friend of Scicluna. “I had some of my greatest matches in the ’60s against Mike,” Mr. Sammartino said. “I loved guys who were dedicated to what they did. He worked hard to stay in great shape, and he always gave it everything he had. He could really move. I had heard Mike wasn’t feeling well. I was shocked when I got the news.”

In his wrestling career, Scicluna was always a villain. “He loved it when they booed him; to him that was applause,” said Bill Cardille, the host of ‘Studio Wrestling’. But according to his son, Michael, “He was nothing like his wrestling character. He played the role well. Those who didn’t know him thought that’s who he was. But he couldn’t have been more different in real life than he was in the ring.”

Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by admin
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Travel back in time with me to the year 1965. This was the year Michael Lee Alfonso better known as Mike Awesome. He has worked with ECW, WCW, WWF/E, Frontier Martial-Arts wrestling (FMW), Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), and a few others. His Aunt married Hulk Hogan’s brother. As a result Mike grew up around Michael Ballea (Horace Hogan). Awesome began training from Pro Wrestling Federation (PWF) run by Steve Keirn. He made his first television debut on WCW as a masked Jobber named The Pro.

Travel with me now to September 1990 when Mike wrestled for the Japanese wrestling promotion FMA were he used the name The Gladiator. He would win there Independent World Heavyweight Championship, there World Brass Knuckles and the tag version of it. He also won the world street fight 6-man tag title ones with Hisakatsu Oya, and his cousin Horace Hogan.

ECW

Awesome first joined ECW in 1993 with the name “Awesome” Mike Awesome. This first run was a short one. In 1998 Awesome began his second run with the promotion. His had a feud with Masato Tanaka. On an episode of Hardcore TV, he lost to Tanaka. After the match Awesome did the Awesome Bomb to him from inside the ring into a table set up outside of the ring. His last match for ECW in his second rune he lost to Tanaka again. In 1999 Awesome started his third run in ECW. At the Anarchy Rulz event he shocked everyone by winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Taz and his rival Masato Tanaka. Also in ECW he won the tag titles with Raven.

WCW

Lance Storm a friend of Mike’s went to WCW after refusing to stay with ECW because of unpaid wages. When Mike joined WCW he was still ECW champion. WCW had some of its security team accompany Awesome to an ECW show where he lost the title to Tazz who was working with WWF. When he joined WCW he joined a faction called the New Blood. He helped Billy Kidman during Kidman’s feud with Hulk Hogan. Awesome had an on and off feud with Kevin Nash. In May of 2000 Awesome gained the “Career Killer” gimmick after he tossed Kanyon of the top of the first cage of the triple cage onto the entrance ramp.

WCW wanted to tweak his gimmick so they made him like a Heavyset women thus starting the “fat chick thriller” at this time he was feuding with Scott Steiner and Lance Storm for the WCW United states Championship.

Posted on September 1st, 2010 by admin
Filed under: WWE | No Comments »