Agree. Plus, I think Alex can give some useful advice to upcoming wresters in both current WWE since Vince McMann is no longer running it, AEW, or NJW when it comes to being self discipline and professional with other wrester.
@@dukes1993724 Wright stated in an interview that WWE could not sign him as he was one of the few who was under contract with AOL Time Warner at the time. He also stated that he took a break from wrestling as he was not happy with the backstage politics in WCW that were happening at the time.
@@lucaslonchampt613 I understand wanting to take a break, but the WCW Time Warner contracts eventually expired. Did WWE not show any interest after his did?
@@dukes1993724 I guess he was fine staying home in Germany. He did become a banker and fitness instructor there, as well as opening his own wrestling school and company. So even if WWE wanted to take an interest, I think he was content with staying in Germany
This is a great concept. Would love to see more of these kind of breakdowns for incidents where backstage politics crept into the match and impacted the aftermaths of the contestants.
It's funny, Paul went in wanting to make Alex look like an idiot, and Alex looked even better afterwards for staying as professional as he possibly could.
The last clip of Alex really brings home why going into business for yourself in a worked match is taboo. Paul had a gripe but Alex was a greenhorn and at his mercy. Roma took advantage of that to get over. Great little peek behind the curtain.
Roma was a mark for himself and couldn't come to terms with the concept of it being a work that's why he never succeeded in the business yet he deffinitely had talent
I got a new level of respect for Alex Wright because of this. I'm also curious how things would have gone if Roma actually made him look good and did the job.
IMO not much would have changed. Wright's push would have continued, Roma would have stayed with Orndorff for probably another year or so then been a lower mid card guy losing to the NWO. Maybe he would have eventually joined and just been a face in the crowd.
Agreed. I was just saying that I don't think Roma would have ever ascended any higher than a mid carder in WCW had his ego not caused him to be fired. Bischoff clearly didn't see much of him given he was fired for one match.@@red3y3z
Another story by Flair was that Roma was late out to a match once at TV because he was still playing a game of cards in the dressing room. Flair, being on the booking committee at the time, probably didn't take kind to it. Seeing Roma's performance here was the final straw for Flair.
Well the question now becomes, who do you believe, Roma, who in this video alone was said to be a very good guy or Ric Flair, who has a bunch of shity History behind the scenes🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
@@WillsonT011 I'm going to believe the one I didn't just watch with my own two eyes doing everything he could to embarrass his opponent. Hogan is known for being good with fans. It has nothing to do with how a guy acts among peers.
@@WillsonT011 Roma wasn't highly thought of enough to be kept in WCW, brought back into wwf or taken in by ECW, which was close to where he lived. Ric is a liar, we all know that but it doesn't mean Roma was is telling the truth either
@@mage1439 lmao Is Hogan also well liked by other wrestlers, who worked with him? Because Paul was, so I guess that’s not the best comparison. Flair is a known liar, but you’ll believe him Bc you didn’t like how Paul handled this situation. Makes sense 🥴
I’d like to see this kind of video become a series. This was a spectacular video. It’s very odd that Paul who was essentially a job guy himself, big timing a new guy. It’s a shame too because Roma could’ve had a nice career in WCW putting guys over and helping to make new stars. I mean, Dolph Ziggler had literally made a career out of doing it and, he’s going to be remembered as a great talent in the history of WWE. Roma could’ve made good, steady money if he didn’t pull what he pulled at the PPV. It’s good to hear that he’s since admitted that what he did was wrong.
Firstly, I agree with you that I'd love to see more of this kind of video from Wrestling Bios. It was brilliant. Secondly, I think Roma genuinely felt like he should have been a star - I mean, he looks like a million dollars in this match, and he'd been brought into the company as a Horseman (i.e. on the level of Flair and co). In shoot interviews Paul comes across as being a very confident individual with a high opinion of himself, so I don't think his temperament would have allowed him to go on jobbing in WCW.
Don't know if Paul was wrong on what he did. Ric Flair was the booker @ that time. Flair never liked him since day one. I think he just wanted to bury him.
@@ShowRyuKen Totally agree with that assessment, dude! I never got to watch Paul Roma that I remember. I watched WWF from ~1992-96, then WCW from Spring 1998-Purchase by Vince McMahon in 2001, as well as watching WWF/E again from the same time till around Summer 2002. I caught Alex Wright in his "Dancing Fools" gimmick tagging with Disco Inferno, as well as his attempted re-branding as "Berlyn" in maybe 1999 or 2000 (?). I thought the dancing was hilarious, but I didn't care as much for his character overall. In retrospect, he is an amazing performer and athlete, great wrestling acumen for sure!
@@mikeservello4394 He was wrong. If he had an issue with the booking there were plenty of different ways to handle it outside of showtiming on rookie talent. Very unprofessional.
I give Alex a lot of credit. I'm sure he had no idea going in that the match was going to go Rogue. And at some point when he realized what was happening he still kept things looking good for the sake of the fans at his own expense. And you can tell from watching Alex that he is extremely athletic and versatile.
I always enjoyed Alex. It wasn’t the same as the excitement you had for the superstars but he was part of that talented middle card wcw roster that never let you down
He was on the lower card of mid 90s WCW....If they didn't want someone the likes of Chris Jericho to be anything more than a TV Champion, you know damn well- Wright had no chance to get out of the lower card.
@@JT-Rebel Alex Wright was eye candy for the female fans and it's mind boggling that he and Disco Inferno didn't team up earlier. How many times did you see Wright in a match and say to yourself I want to see him win the World Championship?
If Paul Roma didn’t like the booking decision, why didn’t he just leave? Clearly he only did this because he knew he could get away with it since Alex was young and still new.
@@JonnyHolms I think the hip toss, kicking out of the last pin at two (kick out at 3 and then complain that it was 2.9 if you know what I mean), and a few other moves lowered what he was trying to do. He looked like a fantastic in ring heel here, but he was so over a desperate comeback would have made for a fantastic end. Maybe I should have said great match.
At the end of the day he acted unprofessional and went against what he was asked to do. Regardless of how he felt about it the best thing would have been for him to get the match done the way he was asked you can blame others leading up to it all you want but they don't control your overall decision and actions. From what I have seen over the years though even he regrets it but he does still blame others too.
Dude he was unhappy with his spot in the company and fed up with the office and Flair. Why would he act professional if he was planning to get fired or quit anyways?
@@nchess1044 I see where your coming from but at the same time you still need to control your frustions. You need to cope with things even if you feel like your anger or frustions are justified. Even if your push to hard by the people around you or in this case the boss you still need to control yourself.
I also love these behind the scenes type of videos. I love monday night wars. But this deeper looks at matches and wrestlers really bring more character to these times. I was a wwe fan so its nice to see these WCW videos. I missed most of these moments because I didn't even know WCW was a thing till close to the end lol
And if I’m Savage, who was semi-main eventing on the card, I’d be absolutely livid. Back in the day, there’d be words (and probably fists) flying in the locker room for using a main eventer’s finisher like that in the curtain jerk match.
Everyone's favourite Horseman. He got some decent hang time with the elbow drop but boy didn't he know it. Paul Wight said the best advice he got was from Ray Traylor. "Be nice to everyone on the way up, as you'll not see them on the way down" Alas Paul Roma never took that advice.
As a young kid seeing Alex Wright hit a German Suplex for the first time grabbed my attention, i used to think it and the Perfect Plex were two of "The most perfect moves ever because it hits the other guy's head, neck or back and pins them at the same time." Back when i was that young i always thought slamming the other guy's back really well meant you could maybe win but if you had a move that hit their head it was even better for winning, so when i saw things like a German Suplex, the Perfect Plex and Jake The Snake's DDT i thought they were "unbeatable unless you're Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior or Sting because they're too strong to lose to any move." Things sure did seem much more simple back then. 😄👍
@@albertmartinez2539 right? It looked so devastating and seemed legit, then i started seeing people kick out of them and i told myself "Jake's DDT is somehow different, nobody kicks out his." Then i eventually saw someone kick out of Jake's and i thought "he just didn't hit him right." It never seemed possible to fake a move like that when i was a kid, the way i see some DDTs look these days it feels like they should be ending the match or just not being used. Some of them look kinda weak and i can see kicking out of them as believable but then there are other times when a DDT looks like it completely sticks someone's head in the mat and it's sold like a "gun shot" but the person kicks out literally 2 seconds later, that's Not when it's ok. There's a time and place for all moves to be kicked out of but the DDT is one that's done far too often now
Alex Wright was a hell of a performer. I enjoyed watching him wrestle. Politics backstage played a part in what Roma did, unfortunately das wunderkind suffered Paul’s frustration. Paul’s elbow drop is the best I’ve ever seen.
Very interesting analysis. Thanks for your effort. I never knew that Wright was such a big deal in WCW. To a mark like me in the mid 90s over here in Germany WWF was basically the only existing wrestling company. Starting from 1994 with the arrival of Hogan WCW got some attention and yeah, after Hogan's name Alex Wright mostly was mentioned as second. So he got some (relative) hype over here. But I never knew this hype was somewhat justified. Good work of Alex.
Never take your backstage issues out on your opponent, especially if they have no direct part of the issues. Going by that sell/celebration maybe Randy Orton was a Roma fan XD Typically refs don't count the first contact their hand makes when first dropping to the mat, that action is what causes alot of the times people think there is a four count when it is a three count, looks like in this case the ref decided to count it to give him an out and likely save Alex.
"it was nothing personal against Alex" well, that makes everything better, right? the veteran making the new dude look like a fool in front of thousands of people because the company liked him, in a move that could've undone a year of work, but that's OK, because at least it *wasn't* PERSONAL. gods, the nerve of some people
Paul currently runs a wrestling school in Connecticut. He's a good guy and a good teacher (did a few sessions with him). I knew about this before I met him and wondered what was the deal. By what I heard in a conversation with him, he seems very regretful for this.
@Benny Mac a few things: money, school (college), and realizing how clumsy I am, so I didn't want to potentially permanently hurt myself or someone else. The experience was fun though.
And the second one involved TWO people, because yes, his opponent was Duggan, but he was a replacement for Buff Bagwell, who just plain didn't want to have a match with Wright. He was said on camera to have missed his flight as the reason for his replacement, even though he was at the building.
This is an example of how prowrestling works when you call it in the ring. Every move was not choreographed from the start like a dance routine. They just got a finish and worked around that. Even when one guy wouldn't cooperate they were still having a decent match.
Wrestling Bios, your documentaries covering a host of Wrestling incidents, superstars, other random and miscellaneous events are really entertaining. Keep up the good work 👏, you certainly have a fan in me.
Paul knows what he was doing going into business for himself. He let his ego kick in when your boss tells you do the job you do the J-O-B also, the card is subject to change, and the winner is subject to change even I know that.
Exactly. Who does Paul Roma think he is? This isn’t Austin walking out not wanting to job to Lesnar with no build. This is a career job guy and lower midcard guy at best going into business for himself.
Alex Wright had a ceiling in the WCW during that period. The guy was incredibly young, incredibly talented, and could have been a major European star for WCW. But guys like Wright, Pillman, and other "smaller" guys without established names prior to Hogan arriving, really didn't stand a chance of ever getting above the midcard.
the ceiling was he did not have a main event level character, and berlin was even worse, he had what he needed to be u.s champ level, but he never got the persona he needed for it
Flair went out of his way to try to get Pillman and Wright over, he loved both of their work. WCW becoming WWF light when Hogan got there was the death nail for the company.
@@Thor-Orion Flair got Pillman into the four horseman. He respected great in ring work(except for Bret Hart, and Savage for some reason). I agree that Wright needed to evolve his character to get higher on the card. But Pillman needed to as well, he did it with the Loose Cannon gimmick. If he hadn't gotten messed up in that accident, and the drugs to overcome the pain. I believe he would have been a main event player in the attitude era. Who knows what Wright could have done. WCW wasn't the place for that evolution sadly.
"Let's face it with a bratwurst like that" that's the reason why I don't let my girlfriend watch Alex Wright matches with me. She would leave me and go looking for Alex. 👀
He had some problems when Berlyn debuted on PPV too - Bagwell didn't wanna loose to him apparently so they got Hacksaw and he no sold almost everything.
it's kinda funny the video is longer than the match, but it actually works and this format is both terrific and you do a great job with this. i suspect if alex hadn't been so young and new to the company, he'd have fought back. and it's kinda clear roma went into business for himself, considering that by the end of 1997, wcw was pretty much hiring anyone who had ever been in wwf, yet roma was about the only ex wwf guy they didn't hire or are rumored to have tried to bring in (hell, rick martel hadn't been on tv in almost 3 years but got hired in early 1998, so clearly they were hiring).
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 well at the same time Austin refused to out Alex Wright over as well and frankly there’s a lot of people Hogan wouldn’t put over
@Avalon D so what would you call what they did to Ron Simmons? That word may he used too much now a days but that has nothing to do with them doing Ron dirty because he was black.
Das Wanderkind or whatever the hell it was was one of those guys who never looked very big on TV but was very impressive in person. I remember seeing him in maybe '94/'95, whichever year he debuted I think and my Dad and I both were surprised how physically BIG Alex Wright was in person.
Being told a last minute change of plans sucks Especially if it means giving space and spotlight to a newcomers when you are a veteran of the industry But a veteran also know how to behave Professional behavior is paramount Derailing a match and hurting another man professional work just as a revenge against higher ups is childish and unprofessional And that is true in every work field Also good job To have “respect” he managed to having himself fired and never wrestling again essentially For someone so interested in his standing and position he has surely done the right thing from a career point of view
I read some comments here about Alex and his wrestling school in germany. So here's some information: Vinci (Fabian Aichner) from IMPERIUM started his career at "New European Wrestling". That's the name of Alex Wright's promotion and wrestling school. There are a lot of very promising talents from NEW, already getting booked all over the european Independent scene. I'm quite sure, that we'll see more of them, once NXT Europe starts off. Thanks for the video. Very entertaining as always.
I don't care what Roma thought. His boss(es) told him to do something and is getting paid. You are to do as asked, don't like it? Leave. You don't see a random factory worker getting mad at his boss asking him to do something (and still get paid) and taking a forklift for a spin out of anger because his boss 'lied to him'.
As a wwf only kid growing up it’s always great to see stuff like this that I’ve never heard about. Love your content and it’s great to see these type of stories too.
I think you hit the nail on the head with what was pointed out in this video and i really enjoyed it id love to see more like this when time is available because im a huge fan of this channel and personally i think it is one of if not the best wrestling channel available on here thats not all about the current goings on in the wrestling world at this time and the wrestling news like some of the others (shout out to WhatCulture Wrestling & Wrestlelamia). I love the shirts and the reliving the war series are all GREAT and going back to watch those has actually turned me back into a wrestling fan like i was before it was nothing but McMahan Land lol. Thanks so much for all the great work you have put out and im a subscriber and i make sure i get the notifications when new stuff goes up, thanks again i truly appriacate what you have done here it is AWESOME!
At this point in WCW, Alex Wright was receiving a major push, building toward a program with Arn Anderson for the Television Title. I find it highly unlikely that there was ever a plan to have Alex put Paul Roma over at a pay-per-view, the way Roma alleges, as it made no sense to end the win streak Wright had achieved up to then. The truth, in my opinion, is more based on bitterness and jealousy. Roma was a mid-card guy his entire career. His promos weren't good enough for him to be a singles wrestler at the top of the company, and after putting in a decade more than Wright, he probably felt aggrieved, believing that he had paid his dues a lot more than "Das Wunderkid", and somewhat delusionally, believed he could make them end their push of him and expedite Roma to a title position in the singles ranks. Except he forgot one of the major rules to observe as a good wrestler: make your opponent look good, whether you are going over or not. Saying Ric Flair mainly didn't like him does not excuse his conduct here, and even 12 year-old me knew something was amiss when I saw this match. Paul Roma threw his toys out of his pram and disrespected the business and the office by going into business for himself, out of resentment and jealousy! Can't say I have much in the way of sympathy for guys like that. Or CM Punk. He is a petty, vindictive little twat as well.
Hearing that lead up to the match for Paul Roma... ... I'm instantly reminded of Davey Boy Smith having to drop the championship to Shawn Michaels at One Night Only on that similar sort of surprise last minute change. Guess it makes you wonder how that could have gone if Davey Boy Smith just said "No" himself.
It would be great to see more content like this! I honestly never knew about this! Alex Wright was great he really was! Totally deserved that big push!
I was a fan of Alex Wright back in those days. I would always laugh when he would do the dance while walking down to the ring of after pulling off a big move, which usually ended up costing him the advantage. The luchadores were a great part of WCW as well. Great memories. If heaven exists I hope it's the 80's and 90's all rolled into one wonderful utopia. I can dream.
Thing of it was, he had a killer look by the end. And he could execute moves in a way that still impresses, even when standards are a lot higher. Considering that a lot of world champions got their start as job guys, there was no excuse to keep him buried. All they had to do, was give him a slow build into something more respectable, instead of simply throwing him into the Horsemen, and then ripping him a new one for not instantly changing his style.
Alex Wright had alot of skills. Paul Roma was a bit overlooked. Watch Roma and Paul Orndorff vs Marcus Bagwell and The Patriot at Halloween Havoc 1994. I'm not sure if alot of people were actually jealous of Paul Roma, though i bet Not one of them would Ever admit it today. I like both Paul And Alex. Both guys had/have tremendous Skills.
Awesome story. It's not unheard of Flair doing this kind of thing. Just a shame Roma couldn't (or didn't have time to) find a means to make them both look good. Ich bin ein Bratwurst!
The problem I had with this is that the audience loved it. Kinda dumb to not turn it into an underdog story where Alex finally beats Rhoma in a series of hard fought matches.
@@IveBeenWithBruma Damn. You are correct, that would've been beneficial for both men. Shame they didn't. WCW writers and bookers though; seemed like a stubborn bunch through the years
It doesn't matter if the crowd loved it; Roma was grossly unprofessional. Much of the heel heat spots he did were fine, but sandbagging the backslide and hiptoss, repeatedly kicking out at 1, and kicking out of the finish are despicable.
@@jliller I'd hope Roma would agree. Alex Wright didn't deserve to be collateral damage. (Credit to Alex Wright though, he maintained his composure. Truly is the Bratwurst wunderkind, truly)
Alex has gained a whole new level of respect for keeping it professional in the ring despite things going sour for him.
Agree. Plus, I think Alex can give some useful advice to upcoming wresters in both current WWE since Vince McMann is no longer running it, AEW, or NJW when it comes to being self discipline and professional with other wrester.
Just curious, why did Alex Wright never come to WWE after WCW folded?
@@dukes1993724 Wright stated in an interview that WWE could not sign him as he was one of the few who was under contract with AOL Time Warner at the time. He also stated that he took a break from wrestling as he was not happy with the backstage politics in WCW that were happening at the time.
@@lucaslonchampt613 I understand wanting to take a break, but the WCW Time Warner contracts eventually expired. Did WWE not show any interest after his did?
@@dukes1993724 I guess he was fine staying home in Germany. He did become a banker and fitness instructor there, as well as opening his own wrestling school and company. So even if WWE wanted to take an interest, I think he was content with staying in Germany
Heenan's commentary said it all during that elbow drop. "His career is over." He was talking about Roma.
I need your help to complete my plan, don't tell anyone.
@@doyouevendab77 "don't tell anyone" he said in the public comment section
@@flamekiller3338Shhhh!
This is a great concept. Would love to see more of these kind of breakdowns for incidents where backstage politics crept into the match and impacted the aftermaths of the contestants.
Agreed
Definitely! Both matches like this and ones where the wrestlers are in complete unison making each other look fabulous.
Absolutely!!!
100%
APA vs Public Enemy
It's funny, Paul went in wanting to make Alex look like an idiot, and Alex looked even better afterwards for staying as professional as he possibly could.
@@rickstalentedtongue910 Keep telling yourself that, buster.
@@rickstalentedtongue910Homophobe, opinion discarded
He got EMBARRASSED 😂😂😂😂😂
@@HARAMBEAKAGEORGEFLOYD get a better bait account buddy
@@HARAMBEAKAGEORGEFLOYDyour name sucks
Looking back, Alex Wright was great performer. He was innovative and proved he could work with the big boys.
hands down one of the best dancers on WCW other then Norman Smiley.
@@BlackHart730 don’t forget disco and 3 Count were good dancers too lol
@@danielsalinas6683 AYO 3 COUNT 😂🤣😭 DUDE YOU'RE THE MAN.
@@BlackHart730 Wouldn't it have been great if Wright, Disco, Smiley & Konnan were all together after the 1yr of NWO?
And Tank Abbot.
The last clip of Alex really brings home why going into business for yourself in a worked match is taboo. Paul had a gripe but Alex was a greenhorn and at his mercy. Roma took advantage of that to get over. Great little peek behind the curtain.
Sounds like a brilliant move by Paul Roma haha. Cost him his job and career over "respect" perfect example of When keeping it real goes wrong.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Feel like you could get multiple videos out of applying that sketch to wrestling 😂
@@j.murphy4884 haha I think you're right about that
Roma was a mark for himself and couldn't come to terms with the concept of it being a work that's why he never succeeded in the business yet he deffinitely had talent
Dave Chappelle is a legend
I got a new level of respect for Alex Wright because of this. I'm also curious how things would have gone if Roma actually made him look good and did the job.
IMO not much would have changed. Wright's push would have continued, Roma would have stayed with Orndorff for probably another year or so then been a lower mid card guy losing to the NWO. Maybe he would have eventually joined and just been a face in the crowd.
@@mattm7798Still would have had a job and not been blacklisted from wrestling. His ego cost him his career
Agreed. I was just saying that I don't think Roma would have ever ascended any higher than a mid carder in WCW had his ego not caused him to be fired. Bischoff clearly didn't see much of him given he was fired for one match.@@red3y3z
Another story by Flair was that Roma was late out to a match once at TV because he was still playing a game of cards in the dressing room. Flair, being on the booking committee at the time, probably didn't take kind to it. Seeing Roma's performance here was the final straw for Flair.
Well the question now becomes, who do you believe, Roma, who in this video alone was said to be a very good guy or Ric Flair, who has a bunch of shity History behind the scenes🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
@@WillsonT011 I'm going to believe the one I didn't just watch with my own two eyes doing everything he could to embarrass his opponent.
Hogan is known for being good with fans. It has nothing to do with how a guy acts among peers.
Well if flair said it I doubt it happened sorry
@@WillsonT011 Roma wasn't highly thought of enough to be kept in WCW, brought back into wwf or taken in by ECW, which was close to where he lived. Ric is a liar, we all know that but it doesn't mean Roma was is telling the truth either
@@mage1439 lmao Is Hogan also well liked by other wrestlers, who worked with him? Because Paul was, so I guess that’s not the best comparison. Flair is a known liar, but you’ll believe him Bc you didn’t like how Paul handled this situation. Makes sense 🥴
I’d like to see this kind of video become a series. This was a spectacular video. It’s very odd that Paul who was essentially a job guy himself, big timing a new guy. It’s a shame too because Roma could’ve had a nice career in WCW putting guys over and helping to make new stars. I mean, Dolph Ziggler had literally made a career out of doing it and, he’s going to be remembered as a great talent in the history of WWE. Roma could’ve made good, steady money if he didn’t pull what he pulled at the PPV. It’s good to hear that he’s since admitted that what he did was wrong.
True, that. Steve Lombardi and Barry Horowitz were employed as jobbers for years.
Firstly, I agree with you that I'd love to see more of this kind of video from Wrestling Bios. It was brilliant. Secondly, I think Roma genuinely felt like he should have been a star - I mean, he looks like a million dollars in this match, and he'd been brought into the company as a Horseman (i.e. on the level of Flair and co). In shoot interviews Paul comes across as being a very confident individual with a high opinion of himself, so I don't think his temperament would have allowed him to go on jobbing in WCW.
Don't know if Paul was wrong on what he did. Ric Flair was the booker @ that time. Flair never liked him since day one. I think he just wanted to bury him.
@@ShowRyuKen Totally agree with that assessment, dude! I never got to watch Paul Roma that I remember. I watched WWF from ~1992-96, then WCW from Spring 1998-Purchase by Vince McMahon in 2001, as well as watching WWF/E again from the same time till around Summer 2002. I caught Alex Wright in his "Dancing Fools" gimmick tagging with Disco Inferno, as well as his attempted re-branding as "Berlyn" in maybe 1999 or 2000 (?). I thought the dancing was hilarious, but I didn't care as much for his character overall. In retrospect, he is an amazing performer and athlete, great wrestling acumen for sure!
@@mikeservello4394 He was wrong. If he had an issue with the booking there were plenty of different ways to handle it outside of showtiming on rookie talent. Very unprofessional.
I give Alex a lot of credit. I'm sure he had no idea going in that the match was going to go Rogue. And at some point when he realized what was happening he still kept things looking good for the sake of the fans at his own expense. And you can tell from watching Alex that he is extremely athletic and versatile.
Obviously a class of being jealous of Alex's awesome dance moves .
That famous German Rythm XD
We're all jealous of good dance moves though
@@rivahkillah no idea what you are talking about 🤬😡😫
@@taltagteamchamps it’s like viewing Star Wars in 1977 for the first time in a movie theater, you had to be there.
@@Stonehopper1067HMG first off I was there for Alex wright by a longshot and I was just going along by being starcastic with my face emojis
I always enjoyed Alex. It wasn’t the same as the excitement you had for the superstars but he was part of that talented middle card wcw roster that never let you down
He could have done with better writing and creative.
We always did his dance back in school in 1997
@@westernsellers9148HELL YEAH!!!
Jean-Paul Levesque? Whatever happened to that guy? He's probably up in Montreal working at a Tim Horton's owned by the Rougeau Brothers.
😅🤣😂
😂
Hey, wait a minute. I think he also went by Hujjmmm.... Terra Ryzyn. Yep, that's what it was. Terra Ryzyn.
social climbers like the son-in-law see the bigger picture
Should have ended up doing exactly that
Alex Wright was a fantastic wrestler, absolutely underrated.
He was on the lower card of mid 90s WCW....If they didn't want someone the likes of Chris Jericho to be anything more than a TV Champion, you know damn well- Wright had no chance to get out of the lower card.
@@JT-Rebel Alex Wright was eye candy for the female fans and it's mind boggling that he and Disco Inferno didn't team up earlier. How many times did you see Wright in a match and say to yourself I want to see him win the World Championship?
@@georgejackson4426 exactly....And that's why WCW wasn't just never gonna get out of their own way
I wonder if they sent Orndorff out to have a quiet word because he was someone Roma respected.
alex seems like such a nice guy, great performer too. sad he never got the big break, but I'm glad we're able to appreciate his work through rtw
he didnt achieve superstar status, but he was still on tv pretty much every week during the monday night wars
@@kerpal321 he achieved super stardom in our hearts.
Didnt Alex have some sort of illness related to the brain?
not for a lack of trying. WCW tried pushing Alex to the moon. He just wasn't that guy
As a former worker, Bios is spot on on a lot of these things. Keep being awesome mate!
So that’s what Ken Shamrock would look like with a mullet 😂
Lmao facts
Thank you!! First thing I thought
No. That's what Shamrock would've looked like if he was actually handsome.
YES
If Shamrock and Chris Masters had a baby! LOL
Not to sound big headed, but it is amazing to learn something about wrestling history I didn't know before. Great work as always Bios!
Alex wright could've been a legit draw today, the internet would adore him
Either that, or he could have joined Val Venis Productions thanks to an apparent Big Bratwurst. He could have been a movie star.
@@brettrossi034 Val Venis is the most batshit crazy 'porn star' ever.
They already do have u seen a Episode from wrestling bios
@@johnmills6153 yeah but imagine wrestling twitter reacting to this guy today
Alex Wright v Toru Yano
Alex Wright v Orange cassidy
Sounds fun ngl
The fact Das Wunderkind is running his own wrestling school shows his commitment.
I bet everyone coming out of it is smooth as hell too. It's amazing how great he was at so young
So is Roma so.....what exactly does that mean?
@@larkan511 means one guy is a professional and the other is a whiny bitch that got fired.
Imperium needs Alex Wright cameos
And? Alex was a better draw and wrestler..
If Paul Roma didn’t like the booking decision, why didn’t he just leave? Clearly he only did this because he knew he could get away with it since Alex was young and still new.
Take his ball and go home
Exactly.
All Roma had to do was let him have an excellent comeback and this would have been a good match.
It was a good match, Roma is the best.
@@JonnyHolms I don’t know much about him. Any matches you suggest?
@@JonnyHolms I think the hip toss, kicking out of the last pin at two (kick out at 3 and then complain that it was 2.9 if you know what I mean), and a few other moves lowered what he was trying to do. He looked like a fantastic in ring heel here, but he was so over a desperate comeback would have made for a fantastic end. Maybe I should have said great match.
That missile dropkick Alex had was A THING OF BEAUTY!! one of the best ever. 💜
Absolutely 👍
Lance Storm would like some words
Him Lance Storm and a young Jimmy Golden had the best missile dropkicks
@@thecryptkeeper5 If I Can Be Serious For A Moment.. Lmiao. But no. That's why I said Alex had ONE of the greatest MD ever. Not THE greatest. Lol. 💜
@@timfrederick9305 As did Owen Hart
RIP
At the end of the day he acted unprofessional and went against what he was asked to do. Regardless of how he felt about it the best thing would have been for him to get the match done the way he was asked you can blame others leading up to it all you want but they don't control your overall decision and actions. From what I have seen over the years though even he regrets it but he does still blame others too.
Dude he was unhappy with his spot in the company and fed up with the office and Flair. Why would he act professional if he was planning to get fired or quit anyways?
@@nchess1044 Better to quit rather then ruin someone else's career opportunity, especially a rookie who had no say in the match outcome.
@@nchess1044 I see where your coming from but at the same time you still need to control your frustions. You need to cope with things even if you feel like your anger or frustions are justified. Even if your push to hard by the people around you or in this case the boss you still need to control yourself.
@@Shadowlurkering I agree
@@nchess1044 okay, he's mad at flair...why did Alex Wright have to be sacrificed over that?
I also love these behind the scenes type of videos. I love monday night wars. But this deeper looks at matches and wrestlers really bring more character to these times. I was a wwe fan so its nice to see these WCW videos. I missed most of these moments because I didn't even know WCW was a thing till close to the end lol
Wait, that elbow drop was actually amazing! I wanna see more like that one!
That was Randy Savage level for real.
And if I’m Savage, who was semi-main eventing on the card, I’d be absolutely livid. Back in the day, there’d be words (and probably fists) flying in the locker room for using a main eventer’s finisher like that in the curtain jerk match.
Everyone's favourite Horseman.
He got some decent hang time with the elbow drop but boy didn't he know it.
Paul Wight said the best advice he got was from Ray Traylor.
"Be nice to everyone on the way up, as you'll not see them on the way down"
Alas Paul Roma never took that advice.
As a young kid seeing Alex Wright hit a German Suplex for the first time grabbed my attention, i used to think it and the Perfect Plex were two of "The most perfect moves ever because it hits the other guy's head, neck or back and pins them at the same time." Back when i was that young i always thought slamming the other guy's back really well meant you could maybe win but if you had a move that hit their head it was even better for winning, so when i saw things like a German Suplex, the Perfect Plex and Jake The Snake's DDT i thought they were "unbeatable unless you're Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior or Sting because they're too strong to lose to any move."
Things sure did seem much more simple back then.
😄👍
Ah, for the simple time when the DDT was a dangerous finisher, and not just another wear-down move.
@@albertmartinez2539 right? It looked so devastating and seemed legit, then i started seeing people kick out of them and i told myself "Jake's DDT is somehow different, nobody kicks out his." Then i eventually saw someone kick out of Jake's and i thought "he just didn't hit him right." It never seemed possible to fake a move like that when i was a kid, the way i see some DDTs look these days it feels like they should be ending the match or just not being used. Some of them look kinda weak and i can see kicking out of them as believable but then there are other times when a DDT looks like it completely sticks someone's head in the mat and it's sold like a "gun shot" but the person kicks out literally 2 seconds later, that's Not when it's ok.
There's a time and place for all moves to be kicked out of but the DDT is one that's done far too often now
Tiger Suplex seems like it would be terrifying to take.
Went to a WCW houseshow in Germany in late 1994. While Wright was also on the card, the main event was actually Sting vs. Paul Roma.
Alex Wright was a hell of a performer. I enjoyed watching him wrestle. Politics backstage played a part in what Roma did, unfortunately das wunderkind suffered Paul’s frustration. Paul’s elbow drop is the best I’ve ever seen.
Very interesting analysis. Thanks for your effort.
I never knew that Wright was such a big deal in WCW. To a mark like me in the mid 90s over here in Germany WWF was basically the only existing wrestling company. Starting from 1994 with the arrival of Hogan WCW got some attention and yeah, after Hogan's name Alex Wright mostly was mentioned as second. So he got some (relative) hype over here. But I never knew this hype was somewhat justified. Good work of Alex.
Alex was great, kind of a precursor to the cruiserweight division with a mix of high flying and technical skill.
Yeah, he was more in line with a WWF light heavyweight. Not really a luchador, just a smaller guy with great agility and technical ability.
He was the cruiser weight and tv champ @@terryeubanks8797
Never take your backstage issues out on your opponent, especially if they have no direct part of the issues. Going by that sell/celebration maybe Randy Orton was a Roma fan XD Typically refs don't count the first contact their hand makes when first dropping to the mat, that action is what causes alot of the times people think there is a four count when it is a three count, looks like in this case the ref decided to count it to give him an out and likely save Alex.
i came here for Alex Wright and i wasn't dissapointed. man's a legend.
"it was nothing personal against Alex"
well, that makes everything better, right? the veteran making the new dude look like a fool in front of thousands of people because the company liked him, in a move that could've undone a year of work, but that's OK, because at least it *wasn't* PERSONAL. gods, the nerve of some people
Paul was intimidated by Alex's bratwurst.
How do you know about his bratwurst
@@Shawn-jd8clhow do YOU know about his bratwurst?
😂😂😂
Von seiner großen Bratwurst
Shoutout from Sydney,
Australia.
There's nothing like waking up and starting the day (7:41am EST) with a nice big bratwurst!!!...😋
Respect to Wright for not breaking character, If I were Das wunderkind I'd have tried to knock Paul's teeth out after the first minute
He probably could have, too. Wright was legit.
Paul currently runs a wrestling school in Connecticut. He's a good guy and a good teacher (did a few sessions with him). I knew about this before I met him and wondered what was the deal. By what I heard in a conversation with him, he seems very regretful for this.
What one will do for the bratwurst...
People generally regret wrecking their careers, yes.
He trained Richard Holliday in MLW. Right before the pandemic, I saw Holliday against Roma in Massachusetts.
Whatever happened to your wrestling career? Did you ever keep going with it?
@Benny Mac a few things: money, school (college), and realizing how clumsy I am, so I didn't want to potentially permanently hurt myself or someone else. The experience was fun though.
It is crazy how young Alex Wright was at the time. It is crazy how young he still is! It is a bummer he didn't have a nice long career in the ring.
Right? He's only 2 years older than Cena, he could *easily* still be going strong.
Might be for the best. So many wrestlers die young, substance abuse, divorced ect. Not a life I would want.
Never thought that Alex Wright was 19 at that time during his hot streak. He even defeated a future Triple H as well.
Damn... that elbow drop!
He even pointed to the sky like Randy used to.... and it may have been as good or better than any elbow drop I've ever seen.
The first of two times Wright was sabotaged.
- I look forward to your eventual coverage of the his second.
Who was his opponent in the second? And what event?
@@kodiiayyeee256 I think he might be referring to Jim Dugan 🤔
@@eveningstar4543 yes I found it thank you.. Fall Brawl '99
And the second one involved TWO people, because yes, his opponent was Duggan, but he was a replacement for Buff Bagwell, who just plain didn't want to have a match with Wright. He was said on camera to have missed his flight as the reason for his replacement, even though he was at the building.
Poor Buff wanted to be the only pretty boy in the ring?@@MrGared22
This is an example of how prowrestling works when you call it in the ring. Every move was not choreographed from the start like a dance routine. They just got a finish and worked around that. Even when one guy wouldn't cooperate they were still having a decent match.
Nice for Paul to tell his story from another dimension
That spells the end of Mr Roma’s WCW career… in the Twilight Zone.
@@liquidgeorge 🤣🤣🤣
He also pretends he beat Koko B Ware in that backstage fight despite every single witness saying otherwise! 😂
Wrestling Bios, your documentaries covering a host of Wrestling incidents, superstars, other random and miscellaneous events are really entertaining. Keep up the good work 👏, you certainly have a fan in me.
Paul knows what he was doing going into business for himself. He let his ego kick in when your boss tells you do the job you do the J-O-B also, the card is subject to change, and the winner is subject to change even I know that.
Exactly. Who does Paul Roma think he is? This isn’t Austin walking out not wanting to job to Lesnar with no build. This is a career job guy and lower midcard guy at best going into business for himself.
I always wanted to see videos about stuff like this! of coarse bios pulls it off perfectly I hope we get more like it !
Alex Wright had a ceiling in the WCW during that period. The guy was incredibly young, incredibly talented, and could have been a major European star for WCW. But guys like Wright, Pillman, and other "smaller" guys without established names prior to Hogan arriving, really didn't stand a chance of ever getting above the midcard.
the ceiling was he did not have a main event level character, and berlin was even worse, he had what he needed to be u.s champ level, but he never got the persona he needed for it
@@lonewolf_vr and yet Disco Inferno did.. who.. also was just 'dancing gimmick'
except Disco was a heel
Flair went out of his way to try to get Pillman and Wright over, he loved both of their work. WCW becoming WWF light when Hogan got there was the death nail for the company.
@@Thor-Orion Flair got Pillman into the four horseman. He respected great in ring work(except for Bret Hart, and Savage for some reason). I agree that Wright needed to evolve his character to get higher on the card. But Pillman needed to as well, he did it with the Loose Cannon gimmick. If he hadn't gotten messed up in that accident, and the drugs to overcome the pain. I believe he would have been a main event player in the attitude era. Who knows what Wright could have done. WCW wasn't the place for that evolution sadly.
The difference between Alex talking about his wrestling history and Roma talking about this situation is like night and day.
I did the Alex Wright dance when o graduated high school 1995 once the principle handed me my diploma I busted it out the crowd went crazy
That's why you don't mess with Das Wunderkind, sickest dance moves in wrestling history.
I loved Roma in Power and Glory and just based on the clips here this looked like a good match.
Mad props to Alex for all that he has done in his life since wrestling.
Alex is always professional. I have never heard him really bash anyone.. let's face it with a bratwurst like that he should have been the champ
"Let's face it with a bratwurst like that" that's the reason why I don't let my girlfriend watch Alex Wright matches with me. She would leave me and go looking for Alex. 👀
Roma had so much potential. He really was the second coming of Paul Orndorf
He and Hercules looked great together as Power and Glory, their finisher looked amazing
Thanks for shining lights on many things I know nothing about. Love the varied content.
Imagine Paul Roma trying to no sell Vaders moves... We might have seen a murder in the ring that night.
One of those "lost matches" where, years later, people who finally watch it are like "Yeah. This is pretty brutal".
Or lesnar
He had some problems when Berlyn debuted on PPV too - Bagwell didn't wanna loose to him apparently so they got Hacksaw and he no sold almost everything.
it's kinda funny the video is longer than the match, but it actually works and this format is both terrific and you do a great job with this.
i suspect if alex hadn't been so young and new to the company, he'd have fought back.
and it's kinda clear roma went into business for himself, considering that by the end of 1997, wcw was pretty much hiring anyone who had ever been in wwf, yet roma was about the only ex wwf guy they didn't hire or are rumored to have tried to bring in (hell, rick martel hadn't been on tv in almost 3 years but got hired in early 1998, so clearly they were hiring).
I wish more people would talk about Paul Orndorff, very underrated guy imo
Alex had some trouble as “Berlyn” as well. I remember Buff refusing to lose to him and Duggan giving him problems in the ring.
Paul's problem was not with Alex . When the office gives you a order that you don't like , you have to just grin and bear it .
Unless you're Hogan or Austin.
Or all the guys who refused to put Ron Simmons over, during his title reign.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 yes racism exists
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 well at the same time Austin refused to out Alex Wright over as well and frankly there’s a lot of people Hogan wouldn’t put over
@@realtalunkarku stop with that nonsense not everything is racism. Losers use that word so much it lost all meaning
@Avalon D so what would you call what they did to Ron Simmons? That word may he used too much now a days but that has nothing to do with them doing Ron dirty because he was black.
Das Wanderkind or whatever the hell it was was one of those guys who never looked very big on TV but was very impressive in person. I remember seeing him in maybe '94/'95, whichever year he debuted I think and my Dad and I both were surprised how physically BIG Alex Wright was in person.
Being told a last minute change of plans sucks
Especially if it means giving space and spotlight to a newcomers when you are a veteran of the industry
But a veteran also know how to behave
Professional behavior is paramount
Derailing a match and hurting another man professional work just as a revenge against higher ups is childish and unprofessional
And that is true in every work field
Also good job
To have “respect” he managed to having himself fired and never wrestling again essentially
For someone so interested in his standing and position he has surely done the right thing from a career point of view
"Roma" wasn't built in a day, but his career was destroyed in one.
I read some comments here about Alex and his wrestling school in germany. So here's some information:
Vinci (Fabian Aichner) from IMPERIUM started his career at "New European Wrestling". That's the name of Alex Wright's promotion and wrestling school. There are a lot of very promising talents from NEW, already getting booked all over the european Independent scene. I'm quite sure, that we'll see more of them, once NXT Europe starts off.
Thanks for the video. Very entertaining as always.
Alex Wright still looks great to this day, wish he got a match with WWE during the Ruthless Aggression era or even a run in TNA.
I don't care what Roma thought. His boss(es) told him to do something and is getting paid. You are to do as asked, don't like it? Leave. You don't see a random factory worker getting mad at his boss asking him to do something (and still get paid) and taking a forklift for a spin out of anger because his boss 'lied to him'.
Brother worked himself into a shoot.
As a wwf only kid growing up it’s always great to see stuff like this that I’ve never heard about. Love your content and it’s great to see these type of stories too.
I think you hit the nail on the head with what was pointed out in this video and i really enjoyed it id love to see more like this when time is available because im a huge fan of this channel and personally i think it is one of if not the best wrestling channel available on here thats not all about the current goings on in the wrestling world at this time and the wrestling news like some of the others (shout out to WhatCulture Wrestling & Wrestlelamia). I love the shirts and the reliving the war series are all GREAT and going back to watch those has actually turned me back into a wrestling fan like i was before it was nothing but McMahan Land lol. Thanks so much for all the great work you have put out and im a subscriber and i make sure i get the notifications when new stuff goes up, thanks again i truly appriacate what you have done here it is AWESOME!
At this point in WCW, Alex Wright was receiving a major push, building toward a program with Arn Anderson for the Television Title. I find it highly unlikely that there was ever a plan to have Alex put Paul Roma over at a pay-per-view, the way Roma alleges, as it made no sense to end the win streak Wright had achieved up to then.
The truth, in my opinion, is more based on bitterness and jealousy. Roma was a mid-card guy his entire career. His promos weren't good enough for him to be a singles wrestler at the top of the company, and after putting in a decade more than Wright, he probably felt aggrieved, believing that he had paid his dues a lot more than "Das Wunderkid", and somewhat delusionally, believed he could make them end their push of him and expedite Roma to a title position in the singles ranks.
Except he forgot one of the major rules to observe as a good wrestler: make your opponent look good, whether you are going over or not. Saying Ric Flair mainly didn't like him does not excuse his conduct here, and even 12 year-old me knew something was amiss when I saw this match. Paul Roma threw his toys out of his pram and disrespected the business and the office by going into business for himself, out of resentment and jealousy! Can't say I have much in the way of sympathy for guys like that.
Or CM Punk. He is a petty, vindictive little twat as well.
Excellent content as always.
Never knew about this until now.
To this day, I still break out the Das Wünderkid dance for a few laughs
I would love a whole series on matches like these, if there are enough examples to dive into
Bruiser Brady vs Lex Luger
Perry Saturn vs Mike Bell. As punishment for his action in this match Saturn got storyline in which he start relationship with a mop
@@nikeneon3188 oh I completely forgot about Saturn/Bell
@@rayvenkman2087 How about the time the Road Warriors tried to shoot on a young Taker and Dan Spivey said "Nope!"?
Hardy vs Sting Victory Road comes to mind
Paul Roma always thought he was more then he was. Went into business for himself and got what he deserved.
Dude, this video was awesome. Love the little details during the match, the lack of selling and the like.
Hearing that lead up to the match for Paul Roma...
... I'm instantly reminded of Davey Boy Smith having to drop the championship to Shawn Michaels at One Night Only on that similar sort of surprise last minute change.
Guess it makes you wonder how that could have gone if Davey Boy Smith just said "No" himself.
He might’ve been fired, but I don’t think Shawn could have done much about it in the ring if Bulldog went into business for himself 😂
He would apply a non worked DBS chinlock on HBK
@@underpressure07140 Even 1997 Kane would look weak if a shoot DBS Chinlock was applied.
Never knew this happened, thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love the use of the Revenge music during the video
Whenever I think Alex Wright all I can think about is his funny promos on the WCW Playstation games lol. Legend.
Power and Glory should have been a great tag team.
I agree with you on that!! But the WWF tag team division was stacked at the time.
Alex Wright’s dance game was on point. 😂
It would be great to see more content like this! I honestly never knew about this! Alex Wright was great he really was! Totally deserved that big push!
That really was a great elbow drop!
Oh how I miss Alex Wright and his laid back dancing wrestling gimmick.💗😂
This was a really fascinating video! Would enjoy seeing more like it. Thanks!
I have to assume that Paul Roma became a Horseman by wing manning Flair in Charlotte area singles bars...
Nah I heard Flair was always jealous of the younger guys that looked better then him. Seems true in this case too
It’s these pieces of history we love that would otherwise have been discarded because we never knew the story. Thank you Ryan!
However that mid-top rope no hands elbow drop was great
I was a fan of Alex Wright back in those days. I would always laugh when he would do the dance while walking down to the ring of after pulling off a big move, which usually ended up costing him the advantage. The luchadores were a great part of WCW as well. Great memories. If heaven exists I hope it's the 80's and 90's all rolled into one wonderful utopia. I can dream.
I remember this Paul Roma talked about this in his shoot interview along with others including Vader who also talked about this I believe
The commentary on these videos is on another level! What an awesome channel with great content.
I always saw Paul Roma as a job guy...
You would think that he would've been used to it by then.
Thing of it was, he had a killer look by the end. And he could execute moves in a way that still impresses, even when standards are a lot higher.
Considering that a lot of world champions got their start as job guys, there was no excuse to keep him buried.
All they had to do, was give him a slow build into something more respectable, instead of simply throwing him into the Horsemen, and then ripping him a new one for not instantly changing his style.
@@juststatedtheobvious9633 He was nothing special for Vince either. The amount of Roma nut hugging on this video is ridiculous.
Alex Wright had alot of skills. Paul Roma was a bit overlooked. Watch Roma and Paul Orndorff vs Marcus Bagwell and The Patriot at Halloween Havoc 1994. I'm not sure if alot of people were actually jealous of Paul Roma, though i bet Not one of them would Ever admit it today. I like both Paul And Alex. Both guys had/have tremendous Skills.
Please do more of these, please.
Liked, already subscribed, don't have any friends to share.
You're the GOAT WB!
Awesome story.
It's not unheard of Flair doing this kind of thing. Just a shame Roma couldn't (or didn't have time to) find a means to make them both look good.
Ich bin ein Bratwurst!
The problem I had with this is that the audience loved it. Kinda dumb to not turn it into an underdog story where Alex finally beats Rhoma in a series of hard fought matches.
@@IveBeenWithBruma
Damn.
You are correct, that would've been beneficial for both men. Shame they didn't.
WCW writers and bookers though; seemed like a stubborn bunch through the years
It doesn't matter if the crowd loved it; Roma was grossly unprofessional. Much of the heel heat spots he did were fine, but sandbagging the backslide and hiptoss, repeatedly kicking out at 1, and kicking out of the finish are despicable.
@@jliller I'd hope Roma would agree.
Alex Wright didn't deserve to be collateral damage.
(Credit to Alex Wright though, he maintained his composure.
Truly is the Bratwurst wunderkind, truly)
That top-rope elbow...pheww. Up there with a couple of AJPW Kingdom Road moves from that time frame.