American Gladiators '14: Revival of a 90s Classic
Preface:
in 1989, a new type of game and sports show was born, and titled "American Gladiators." Consisting of seven events, six plus the Eliminator, which was static, which meant it was on every show, while other events rotated, and hosted by Mike Adamle, and different hosts as the show evolved, it ran from 1989-1996, in syndication, then again in reruns, in 2011, on ESPN Classic and 2004-2007 on TNN/Spike TV, and most recently -gags-, from 2007 to 2008, hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, on NBC. This version was only used as a writers strike filler and was cancelled after two seasons, followed by its British and international counterparts.
But in 2014, Wolfpack Sports Network, which is the sports division of Wolfpack Television, Inc, run by Rich Anderson and Brandy Danielle, as well as Morgan Marie Miller, have revived American Gladiators, in its 1990s form, however, they left one water event, Earthquake, from the 2007 version of the show. All of the other events, returned to their original form, with a new event that was supposed to have debuted on the old 90s show, In Your Face, along with British favorites, Pole Axe and Suspension Bridge, renamed SkyJoust. Also a brand new event, never before seen in any series, will be unveiled. And, WSN also acquired the rights to ALL old British events and has decided to use Pursuit. But let's get right into the first episode, listing the Gladiators and their real names.
Female Gladiators (Series 1 only, as this is an all star edition)
Lori Fetoruk (sp) as Ice (1991-1996)
Raye Hollitt as Zap (1989-1995)
Gina Carano as Crush (2007-2008)
Erika Andersch as Diamond
Marisa Pare as Lace (1989-1993)
Sha-Ri Pendleton as Blaze (1989-1993)
Salina Bartunek as Elektra (1993-1994)
Shelley Beattie as Siren* (1993-1996)
*=Siren died in 2008. This is as a tribute.
Male Gladiators (Season 1 Only)
Lynn "Red" Williams as Sabre (1993-1996)
Michael Horton as Gemini (1989-1993)
Dan Clark as Nitro (1989-1996)
Steve Hennenberry as Tower (1991-1994)
Barri Griffiths/Mason Ryan as Goliath** (2008-2009)
Lee Rehermann as Hawk (1993-1996)
Galen Tomlinson as Turbo (1991-1996)
**Was in the 2008 British revival of Gladiators
Contenders For Series 1
Joe "Bam Bam" Mauro (1992 1st Half Champion)
Dorann Cumberbatch (1991 Female Grand Champion)
Wesley "Two Scoops" Berry (1994 Grand Champion and 1994 International Grand Champion)
Kimberly Tyler (1993-94 Grand Champion, Also appeared in International Gladiators I)
Maria Nichting (1991)
Craig Branham (1991 2nd Half Champion/1991 Grand Champion)
Brian Hutson (1989 Grand Champion)
Lucian Anderson (1989-90)
Kyler Storm (1995-96. Also appeared in International Gladiators I)
Eunice Huthart (1994 British Gladiators Champion and IG1 Champion)
Cliff Miller (1993)
Cheryl Wilson-Minelli (1993)***
Pat Csizmazia (1996 Grand Champion, IG2 Champion)
Jennifer Walz (1993)
Rico Costantino (1991 Grand Champion, better known as WWE's Rico)
Darryl Gholar (1993)
***Used as a tribute.
Scene 1: And now, on with the Show!, Part 1: Intros
As the cameras fade in to the all new Gladiator Arena, at Soundstage 21 in Universal Studios, Hollywood, instead of the familiar "Power" by Bill Conti playing, we hear the British "Gladiators" theme play. As the crowd goes wild, we hear announcer, John Harlan, from Seasons 1 and 2 of the old show's voice boom over the PA.
Harlan: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ALL NEW AMERICAN GLADIATORS! For season one, its an All Star Special, reuniting your favorite 2007 gladiators with the 1990s favorites, as well as bringing back some favorite contenders! Now, let's meet the Gladiators!
He exclaimed. This was his first time back in a while and he was going to make the most of it. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand and was going to be sure he made the most of this. As he spoke again, the crowd revved up again.
Harlan: First...he was the captain for six years, and a former contestant on "Press Your Luck", please welcome back G-G-G-GEMINI!
The crowd then goes insane as Gemini rushes out to mid stage area, shaking hands with fans, as he does. Gemini was taken aback by the fact that the sellout Gladiator Arena crowd still remembered him after that disasterous 2007 remake of the show.
Harlan: And next...Please welcome back the bad boy of the Gladiators, the man whos done it all, from being a Gladiator to being an announcer, who has never been a contender, NITRO!
The crowd then boos, as Nitro returns, playing the old bad boy image, that the crowd loved to hate. But he was honored to be one of the eight gladiators for this episode, as there would be many more, through the course of this season.
Harlan: And next, he is the only British gladiator on the team this season, and a former WWE superstar, known as Mason Ryan, please welcome back to America...GOLIATH!
The crowd is mixed here, as they haven't seen Goliath, outside of WWE. But in Gladiator form, there were no British fans in the audience, so the American fans did not know what to make of him just yet. The crowd half cheered and half booed him as he came out.
Harlan: And next, this man was known for revving it up and putting his own boosters to full speed when he was in Joust/Duel, Powerball and other speed events, but most known for SkyTrack, please welcome back...TURBO!
The crowd goes insane, as the cameras pick up some "Turbo" signs, noting that Turbo still had a lot of fan support, from his 90s run. As the crowd continues to chant his name, he shakes hands with the other three male Gladiators that would be a part of this show.
Harlan: And now, for your female Gladiators for this episode. First, she was the original queen of Assault and and the female team captain, and is also hailed as possibly the most popular Gladiator of all time as far as females go...please welcome back ZAP!
As Zap rushes out, she is greeted by a standing ovation. As she shakes hands with the male Gladiators, she takes her spot as female Gladiator captain as she awaits her three other teammates.
Harlan: And introducing her first teammate. This lady is another cult favorite of the fans of this show and possibly one of the most gifted, beautiful and ahtletic Gladiators ever, please welcome back...ELEKTRA!
Again, the crowd goes nuts, as Elektra rushes the arena, doing her trademark gymnastics, which electrified (no pun intended) the crowd. As she flips to her spot, she gives Zap a hug, as the two await their teammate.
Harlan: And now, the only gladiator to have a disability, not that that ever stopped her from doing her best, and a true inspiration to hearing impaired people all over the country..Please welcome...SIREN!
Siren then signs to her fans, as it was her signature, since she was unable to hear. Even being unable to hear in one ear, Siren still could feed off the crowd. As she hugs her two teammates, they await the final teammate.
Harlan: And finally, she was introduced in the first season of the more recent revival, and is a former MMA champion as well, and one of the toughest female Gladiators to ever hit the team, please welcome back CRUSH!
At the mention of the 2007 revival, the crowd booed, as they hated that revival, but also cheered, at the fact that Crush was back. She was a favorite on the 2007 show and was now getting to work with three of the women that paved her way. As Harlan speaks again, the crowd silences.
Harlan: And your three man announce team for this season...Please welcome back the three most popular original hosts, Mike Adamle, and NFL Hall of Famers, Larry Csonka and Joe Theismann!
As the hosts rush out, to "Welcome Back" chants, Adamle then takes the mic and begins to speak, as his partners wait their turn. On the old show, Adamle was the star of the hosts, and it wasn't about to change here.
Adamle: Welcome back to Gladiator Arena in Hollywood. But lets get right into welcoming our special All Star contenders. John Harlan, who do you have for us today?
Harlan: First, she was a 1993 Grand Champion, and a 1993 Second Half Champion. Please welcome back Cheryl Wilson-Minelli.
Cheryl then comes out, wearing the Team Red outfit. As she sprints out, she is greeted with boos from this crowd, as they treated the Gladiators as the heroes and the Contenders as the villiains.
Harlan: And her opponent, representing Team Blue. She hails from Cincinnati and was know to fans as "Flash". She was a runner up in 1991, please welcome back Maria Nichting!
The fans again give a rousing round of boos, as again, this was the Gladiators house. They could not stand invaders even if some were former champions. But at that time, the attention would shift back to announcer, John Harlan.
Harlan: And now, the men's contenders. Our first contender was a Grand Champion on the second and final International Gladiators series as well as a 1995 Grand Champion in America and possibly one of the most popular contenders in that series. Please welcome back Pat Csizmazia!
The crowd then boos, again, as it was clear to them that the Gladiators reigned supreme. But during the final intro, it would get worse.
Harlan: And his opponent. He was possibly one of the most popular contenders ever, and popularized the "Gholar" chants back in 1993, and is a former amateur wrestler...Please welcome back...DARYL GHOLAR! And now, for the intro of the first event and play by play, lets go back to our hosts, Mike Adamle, Larry Csonka and Joe Theismann.
The crowd one more time, boos, but this time, starts throwing trash, making this look like an ECW episode from the 90s. As the trash is cleaned up, the scene fades to the first event, and Mike Adamle.
Scene 2: Episode One, Part One
The scene resets inside Gladiator Arena, and the field is set for the first event. As Mike speaks, the crowd awaits as the cameras catch the contender and two gladiators strapped to bungee cords, standing atop the old platforms for Swingshot. But this isn't swingshot.
Adamle: Welcome to American Gladiators. I'm Mike Adamle, along with NFL Hall of Famers, Larry Csonka and Joe Theismann. And gentlemen, what an opening round match we have for you. This should be great. We'll get to our tale of the tape in a bit, but right now, it's time to unveil a new game. This is based on both Rocketball of the 2007 series, and loosely on Swingshot, from the 1990s. This is In Your Face. The object is for the contender to score in as many hoops as they can. Each goal is worth two points but the contender loses a point every time his shot is blocked and the max you can score in sixty seconds is ten points. Our Gladiators for this event are Tower and Goliath. Good luck, Pat Csizmazia. You're gonna need it against these two. Now, lets head up to the referee in charge, Mike Chioda, for the start of the event.
The cameras then fade into former WWE official, Mike Chioda, who was making his Gladiator debut as a ref. As he raises his hand, he begins that familiar cadence, often heard on the International shows.
Choida: Contender, ready! Gladiators...READY! THREE! TWO! ONE!
Both gladiators nod as does the contender, and Chioda blows the whistle for the competition to start. Pat then grabs his first ball and puts it in, for two points. He then grabs a second ball and attempts to put in but its blocked by Goliath. Pat then attempts another goal and this one goes in. But at that time, the sixty second clock runs out.
Mike: Pat Csizmazia gets three points in this event. Decent start but let's see how his opponent does. Remember folks, this is a new event for everyone, as our friends at Wolfpack Sports helped us with this one, so let's all adjust to it together. Now up is Pat's opponent, Daryl Gholar, who was probably the most popular contender to never win a Grand Championship. He's what you might call Curt Hennig effect. He had everything it took to be there but never quite got there. But he's getting strapped in, so let's go down to the arena floor and to Mike Chioda, once again.
Chioda: Contender...READY! Gladiators READY!
Everyone involved gives the thumbs up. As the crowd anticipates that famous cadence, Chioda then decides to do it.
Crowd and Chioda: THREE! TWO! ONE!
The whistle then blows and Daryl's part of the contest starts. He starts off with one ball, easily putting it past Goliath for the goal. He then does a Harlem Globetrotters esque move, as he stuffs another one in the hoop for his fourth point of the match. As time runs out, he fakes out Goliath again and scores point #6.
Mike: And at the end of our first event, Darryl Gholar takes a 6-3 lead on Pat Csizmazia. Larry, you got anything that stands out from this event?
Larry then gets out the Csonkastrator, and begins diagramming the play of one of the contenders. As he begins speaking, the crowd then quiets, as they hear, via mic, what he says.
Larry: Well, I especially liked the play of Darryl Gholar, showing that football background. See here, he tucks the basketball under his arm, which is something you'd expect in Breakthrough but not here. But it still works as he pulls the hidden ball trick and gets the goal. But he does it twice more, fooling Goliath, twice. But remember folks, this is a new game. No one's used to it yet.
Joe: That's right, Larry. That's like in the NFL, how it took us ages to get used to the schedule. But in time, the adjustment will be made, but for now, let's go down to our new sideline reporter, Laila Ali, with Maria Nichting. Laila?
Laila: Maria, after seeing the men try this event, what are your thoughts on going in the air against our gladiators, knowing that you didn't have to when you were here before, unless you count The Wall or Hang Tough?
Maria: That's a good question. They didn't have this event, as you said, when I was on the show. But it's going to be a learning curve with anyone trying this event, not just me, not just my opponents or the guys. Anyone in this event is gonna have to adjust quick.
Laila: Any strategy for this game? Obviously you've had some time to look it over and come up with something. Any kind of attack plan?
Maria: Can't tell ya, Lai. You'll have to watch like everyone else.
Maria said, as she walked off, getting harnessed in. The cameras then fade in to Mike again, as he begins speaking.
Mike: And now lets find out who the Gladiators will be. It looks like itll be Crush and Blaze doing the job here. Interesting as these two have never paired up before, just like Tower and Goliath hadn't but they did decently, so let's see how each woman does here.
The whistle blows and Maria then leaps off the platform, with a ball in her hand. She then shoots it only to have it blocked, however she had no points to lose. She grabs another ball and then fakes left to avoid Blaze and right to avoid Crush, who then bang heads, as Maria puts the ball home. She then grabs another ball, but this time attempts the hidden ball trick that Darryl had done earlier and it gets through for two. However, the time clock expires and Maria gets 3 points, as the point she lost earlier when she had none, was added on to her overall total.
After that, her opponent, Cheryl Wilson, the 1993 Grand Champion, was strapped in and ready. As the whistle blows, she fakes left then spins right, putting the ball in for two points. She grabs the ball and ducks a flying clothesline, scoring, however referee Mike Choida, blows his whistle to stop the game.
Chioda: Crush is disqualified for attempting to go for the head. From here on in, it is one on one, now get Crush down and let's restart this event, with twenty seconds left on the clock.
The crew brings Crush back down, as the crowd boos the decision of referee, Mike Chioda. As the contest restarts, Cheryl then grabs one more ball and easily puts it past Blaze for the score. She would end up scoring a womens record, eight points in the event.
Mike: At the end of one event each, the scores are, Cheryl 8, Maria 3.
Larry: And in the mens events, Darryl leads Pat, 6-3.
Mike: But don't go anywhere because next up is a new to America event, Mens Pole Axe.
Joe: Followed by the womens version of Pole Axe, and then Atlasphere. Right here on the American Gladiators.
After a few commercials, the scene returns, and it is now readt for the next game. The cameras catch sight of a 32 foot pole, which notches in it. On one end is the contender, Maria Nichting, and on the other one is gladiator, Ice. We then head down to Mike, who explains the rules.
Mike: The rules in this event are simple. On top of the poles is a button. The first to climb the pole and hit the button, not only wins, but releases their opponent. If the contender hits the button, they receive ten points. And let's get this going. Down to referee, Larry Thompson, for the start.
As the whistle blows, the first contender, Cheryl Wilson races up his pole, with Ice right behind her, on hers. The entire time, it is a dead heat. But with one second left, Cheryl gets to the top first, sending Ice down to the ground, winning the event. As the poles reset, Maria is now on her pole as is Ice. Maria knows she needs the full ten points, to keep pace. But in the end, neither woman got to the top, and instead, Maria gets five points.
The men are now ready on their poles. On the pole, its Nitro, who will be doing the chasing. On the other pole, it will be Daryl Gholar. As the whistle blows, Daryl scurries up his pole, basically lapping Nitro, and winning the race in a new world record time, of fourteen seconds. As Nitro drops, he knows he will have one more go. As Pat is strapped in, the event starts. Upon hearing the whistle, Pat scurries up, getting ten points and missing Darryl's record by one second.
Mike: Two events down and the score in the womens contest is Cheryl 18, Maria 8.
Larry: And in the mens competiton, its much closer, as Daryl leads Pat, 16 to 13
Joe: and when we return, we will have the return of a cult classic, Atlasphere. And after that, another new game is unveiled, as we play the classic game of Cat and Mouse, otherwise known as Evasion.
The scene fades to a few quick commercials, and within moments, the games begin again.
Mike: And we are back and set for Atlasphere. The rules are simple. Roll your ball over the sensors and score as much as you can in sixty seconds. But its not that simple as in this case, mens gladiators, Laser and Gemini are going to be guarding the goals. During the event, Pat got seven points, while Darryl got two, more evening the score.
In the womens version, Maria got a new record, 11 points, while Cheryl got three, as we head into half time. As the half way point pursues, let's go to Mike Adamle and Larry Csonka with some first half highlights. The video begins to play, and when it fades, Mike then speaks.
Mike: What a first half of action, Larry. And I really believe the scores signify just how much of an All Star show this is.
Larry then nods, as he goes over his notes from the first three games of this episode. He would then gather them and formulate a response to what Mike had said before.
Larry: That's right, Mike. Both contests are seperated by one or two points, and if Pat, Maria, Darryl and Cheryl keep this up, we may end up with our first tie here on Gladiators. But let's now go back down to Laila Ali, who is in the Gladiators locker room, with new Gladiator, Crush. Laila?
Laila then smiles as she awaits the arrival of Crush, who after her yellow card, which meant disqualification from In Your Face, was in a hacked off mood, which was clear enough. As Laila speaks, she gets sort of tenative.
Laila: Thank you, Larry. I'm here with Crush, who was disqualified from In Your Face, making her the first to be disqualified in any event. Crush, what are your feelings towards referee, Mike Chioda, since he ejected you?
Crush's eyes then go soulless as she formulates a response, using the dark persona, as she was the psycho of the show. As she grabs Laila by the neck, demonstrating what she wants to do to that ref, she speaks.
Crush: Simple. I want to crush him. But since I can't, Maria and and Cheryl, I'll just break your necks instead. That ref -beeped- me off when he threw me out when I didn't even make contact with her. But maybe I'll just tear the contenders limb from limb instead.
Laila is still shaken as she gathers herself, ready to go back to the interview. As she gathers her next question, she speaks, hoping not to anger Crush again.
Laila: But you know that one more infraction, and you get thrown out of the arena and suspended? How do you react to that, knowing you can be a little over competitive?
Crush: Simple again. I get thrown out, I get thrown out. But see, that's not going to happen, Laila, and I'll make sure of it.
Crush then glares a hole into Laila, as if she was Mike Chioda, who had thrown her out of the event and possibly could throw her out of the building if she did it again, so she had to watch herself. Laila then decides to end the interview.
Laila: Stinging words from Crush. Now let's head to Joe Theismann, who's in the Contender's locker room, with our two mens contenders. Joe?
The cameras then fade to the contenders locker room. Joe is seen, seated next to the two mens contenders, Pat Csizmazia and Darryl Gholar. As he looks at them, he speaks, introducing his two guests of honor.
Joe: Thanks, Laila. I'm here with both Darryl Gholar and Pat Csizmazia. You two have been close all day long. This was to be expected, but did you think you'd be tied going into the second half of action or have this many points?
Pat then smiles a bit as he thinks of how to respond. He was the type that didn't like to say much, as he'd rather let his actions in the arena do the talking for him.
Pat: Honestly, I can't speak for Darryl but I expected this, Joe. We've been tooth and nail all day, like you said, and in these last three events, including Eliminator, it's time to see just who wants it more.
Darryl then nods in agreement as he thinks of what to say in response to Pat's comments. As he replies, a smile comes across his face as well.
Darryl: Absuloutely, Pat. It's gonna come down to who wants it more, not only with us, but with the girls too. They really fightin hard out there and it's gonna be a great one. Good luck to Pat and all the girls.
Joe: Alright, we're gonna take one final break. We'll be back in a few minutes.
Who will come out on top? Find out in part two of this chapter...