WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO TAG TEAM WRESTLING IN NIGERIA?
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name and identity.
THE IRON BROTHERS AND THE JIMMY BROTHERS
In most team matches, only one competitor per team is allowed in the ring at a time. This status as the active or legal wrestler may be transferred by physical contact, most commonly a palm-to-palm tag which resembles a high five.
The team-based match has been a mainstay of professional wrestling since the mid-twentieth century, and most promotions have sanctioned a championship division for tag teams. It was indeed an innovation after World War 2 in which a team or two compete against an opposing pair. Only one wrestler of each pair is in actual combat at one time; the partner is always ready to assist should his teammate require a substitution.
Looking back at the inception of tag team wrestling in Nigeria, its origin started with watching of foreign shows of this type of wrestling on television in the 1970s and 80s. In 1982, the team of Machine Gun (Gabriel Ibaku) and Timesman Udoh (Samuel Udoh) came together to compete against Captain Killer (Samuel Dada) and ‘’Actionman’’ Tiger Fist (Peter O. Udechukwu) as the first set of tag teams in Nigeria.
Although the duo of Machine Gun and Timesman Udoh became the Nigeria Pro Wrestling Federation (NPWF) tag team champions, they did not make much impact until 1986 when the team of Iron Saigun (Simon Obunneme Umeh) and Iron Bone (Vincent Dimanozie) of the sensational Iron Brothers; with the Jimmy Palm (Samuel Omare-Johnson) and Jimmy Coaster (Jude Ejikoye) of the Jimmy Brothers fame emerged on the scene. The two groups competed round the Nigerian nation in 1986 and in the same year, on the 12th August, the Iron Brothers wrestled with the Jimmy Brothers and that was the beginning of tag team wrestling in Nigeria.
After the effort of the aforementioned wrestlers many grapplers too have successfully represented their clubs, groups and federations in the tag team categories in Nigeria. Tag Team wrestling at the inception was something to write home about. The question is what has really happened to tag team wrestling in Nigeria?
Without mincing words, there are lots of excitements generated by tag team competition with four or more grapplers battling it out inside (or even outside) the ring. This type of wrestling which made the sport so popular all over the world has now lost its taste to an extent in Nigeria and even in some other parts of the world considering recent happenings round the tag team wrestling world though with reasons that are tangible.
Many of the Nigerian that heard this calling to form tag team wrestling has disbanded due to one reason or the other. What are the banes of tag team wrestling in Nigeria?
According to Iron Saigun, a pioneer tag team wrestler of appreciable repute who was became the national champion and African champion with his partner Iron Bone, ‘’It is not an easy task to successfully compete as tag team. The wrestler in question need to understand themselves, have some closeness on the ring and even outside the ring, then take time to train together’’.
THE GRIPPERS, DAKKADA BOMBERS, THE GLADIATORS AND THE AFRICAN DEMONS
To buttress his point, on the issue of the wrestlers understanding themselves and having some closeness, when Indomitable Fearless died in 1998, Virgo Leo his tag team partner (both of the Body Gloves team) tagged with Rushing Belt, but it never worked out.
Saigun is also of the opinion that constant training together is another key to successful tag team. He used himself and Iron Bone as example during their active days that they always train together either they are competing as a team or individual and this according to him will enhance the performance of the wrestler in the ring.
He (Saigun) also explained that he has trained many tag team wrestlers and he has come to discover that tag team wrestling entails more than entering the ring to wrestle; but to reason together technically, mentally, spiritually and psychologically.
Jimmy Palm popularly called ‘’the Chairman’’ by all wrestlers, who competed for close to two decades as a tag team talent lamented that lack of constant promotions is the bane of tag team wrestling. He feels that if the promoter pump in enough money and the wrestler knows what is in the show for him, he will train hard so as to perform well. He believes that tag team wrestlers are like twin brothers who should always be together, reason together and think together the same way and short of this, it will not work.
Jimmy Palm also supported Saigun’s view on the issue of wrestlers training together. ‘’The more the wrestlers train together the more solid the team will be. Many started and they could not continue because they are miles apart together physically, spiritually and mentally’’ he narrated.
Outstanding all round wrestler Mr. Sharpman who has tagged before now with China Based Super Fryo (Friday Ugah), Stone Cold Henry, Young Mike Okoko (Michael Okoli) and Zion (Lion Sunday Dan Philips) was of the opinion that: ‘’It was awesome at the beginning of the gimmick and this led to the formation of more tag team. One partner should be very hot while the other should be a bit cold but not too cold, just like husband and wife’’ he explained. Jimmy felt Mr. Sharpman is not right that the duo should be hot and be at the same boiling point on the ring to achieve the needful.
African Mongol tagged with Super Gorilla in 1994, it did not last long. Wonderful Mohamed who later became the Proving Mohamed teamed with Detroit Garvin to form the Gladiators in 1995. Teams like the Grippers (Mr. Sharpman and Young Mike), the Snickers (Young Mike and Silver Tiger) and a host of others too broke apart after few tournaments.
Tag teams that have emerged and competed in Nigeria before now are: Body Gloves (Indomitable Fearless and Virgo Lee), The Gladiators (Big John Paul and Kally Mackson Jack), The Mohamedians, the Red Devils, the iron Brothers, African Demons (Lion Power and Aliking and later Lion Power and Soloking) Eddie Ossai and Iron Kinpin and so on.
During the Intermark International Wrestling Promotions of 30th November 1997, the bulls (Sunny Wonder, Captain Killer and Banilux Bulldog) competed with the trio of the Iron Connections (Iron Saigun, Iron Bone and Iron Fineface) which is another face of tag teaming wrestling. The Bulls were the rave of the moment when they initially came together. Banilux Bulldog travelled to Scotland in 1988 and since then, the team has not functioned. Captain Killer is late now and Sunny Wonder is in USA.
Many tag teams have been formed and disbanded in Nigeria. The question is what will the future bring for tag team wrestling in Nigeria? Will we ever again see the likes of the Gladiators –Big John Paul and Kally Mackson? Virgo Leo and Indomitable Fearless of the Body Gloves? Pioneer Iron Bone and Iron Saigun, the team of Jimmy Brothers?
There is a great future for tag team wrestling in Nigeria’’ said the optimistic Iron Bone (Vincent Dimanozie) the current technical adviser of the Nigerian Pro Wrestling Federation (NPWF). ‘’What it takes is to go back and look at our mistakes then we will be able to build on that and continue from there. We only need to be hopeful’’
