Spotlight on Perry Saturn
Growing up in Cleveland, OH, Saturn was a troubled youth. Early in his life, Saturn was often beat badly by his step dad as his mother turned a blind to it all. The reason why Saturn is cross-eyed is because of the abuse he took from him. As a child, he would watch wrestling and think that those guys never got messed with. His first brush with contact sports took place at the tender age of five when he studied Judo and Kempo Karate. He studied martial arts until he was 17 when he enrolled in the army. As a member of the army, Saturn reached Army Ranger status.
But Saturn knew exactly what he wanted to do when he was done with his commitment to the army. He was going to be a professional wrestler. He first tried to enroll in WWE Hall of Famer Walter "Killer" Kowalski's school in Boston. Kowalski took one look at Saturn, who then weighed in at 165, and turned him away because he was much too small. Saturn would not be denied and worked hard to add more muscle mass to his physique. He returned in 1988, much bigger. Kowalski took him in and trained him at the school.
With no money to his name, Saturn slept in his car and lived out of the gym. He spent whatever money he made on food. While paying his dues in Boston, he worked alongside Terra Ryzin', who would later gain fame as Triple H. For about the first five years of his career, Saturn wrestled exclusively in the New England area. One of his first gimmicks was wrestling as The Iron Horseman, which was a cowboy. Saturn also received a big break, working a three-week tour of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Saturn earned some money working at a club. At that club, John Kronus was one of the bouncers. Saturn saw Kronus watching wrestling on TV at the club, and persuaded him to enroll at Kowalski's school, which he did. They would later form a dominant team known as The Eliminators.
Competing in Kowalski's IWF, Saturn won his first major title on December 6, 1991, defeating Bill Wilcox for the IWF Light Heavyweight Title in Andover, MA. He would go on to win the title a second time on January 8, 1993, defeating Tony Ulysses in Billerca, MA. Saturn also held the IWF Tag Team Titles with Terra Ryzin'.
Perry Saturn first competed in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) in 1990 as a singles star, wrestling just a few shows. When Kronus was ready to make waves in the ring, they left the New England area and headed to Memphis, TN in 1993. They spent several years working for the USWA. On April 23, 1994, they competed in a tournament to crown new USWA Tag Team champions. The duo defeated Spellbinder & Jeff Gaylord in the first round, The Moondogs in the semi-finals, but lost to "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher & "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert in the finals.
Looking to extract revenge, The Eliminators got a rematch against the new champs on May 2, 1994. This time, The Eliminators won their first tag team titles by defeating Christopher & Gilbert. The title reign lasted only a month when they dropped the belts to PG-13 (Wolfie D & JC Ice).
USWA held a tournament to crown a new USWA Heavyweight Champion on October 3, 1994 in Memphis. Saturn & Kronus competed in the tournament. Saturn defeated Jeff Gaylord in the first round, while Kronus lost to "The Nature Boy" Buddy Landel in the same round. Landel then completed a sweep of The Eliminators by defeating Saturn in the second round. Former National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) champ, Tommy Rich, eventually won the tournament.
Throughout their tenure in the USWA, The Eliminators spent time competing in the WAR promotion in Japan. They stopped competing for the promotion in 1995. That same year, they stopped working for the USWA as well and ventured to Philadelphia to work for ECW. On September 16, 1995, they made their ECW Arena debut, teaming with their manager Jason to beat Taz & The Steiner Bros. The feud with The Steiners spilled over to the October 28, 1995 ECW Arena show, where The Eliminators beat Taz & Scott Steiner.
In their first intense rivalry in ECW, The Eliminators began a war with Jason's former team, The Pit Bulls. The two teams met at The November to Remember on November 18, 1995. November to Remember was ECW's version of WrestleMania. The Pit Bulls escaped with the victory. Francine was eventually brought into the feud, siding with The Pit Bulls once her angle with Stevie Richards and Beulah was over. On December 9, 1995 at The ECW Arena, The Eliminators got a win over The Pit Bulls.
ECW first major show of 1996 took place on January 5 at House Party. On that night, ECW bid farewell to The Public Enemy. While one tag team was leaving, another was beginning to take their place. However, The Eliminators didn't exactly start the New Year on the right foot. They lost to 911 & Rey Mysterio in the opening match. Although they didn't go against The Pit Bulls on that night, the rivalry reached another level when The Eliminators hit Francine with Total Elimination. For those that don't know, Total Elimination saw The Eliminators set up their opponent for Kronus' jumping spin kick and Saturn's spinning leg sweep at the same time. If done right, the move looked brutal as the opponent usually ended up like an accordion. Francine was no exception as she suffered legit injuries from the move.
Several months earlier, ECW made their New York City debut at the Lost Battalion Hall in Queens. On February 3, 1996, The Eliminators shocked ECW fans when they defeated Mikey Whipwreck & Cactus Jack to win the ECW Tag Team Titles. As far as storylines ago, The Eliminators were at the right place at the right time, as Mikey, the face, hated having Cactus, the heel aligned with Raven, as his partner. 14 days later, at The ECW Arena, the blow-off to the Eliminators-Pit Bulls feud took place when Francine teamed with The Pit Bulls to face Stevie Richards & The Eliminators in a Triple Dog Collar Match. Francine got the win on Stevie after a Super Bomb by The Pit Bulls at CyberSlam.
The Gangstas, New Jack & Mustafa, had returned to ECW several months after they faced The Public Enemy at House Party. Immediately, they set their sights on The Eliminators and the ECW Tag Team Titles. The Gangstas said they only got one shot at the titles since they were in ECW, and they wanted the belts. In the spring of 1996, The Gangstas turned face as they brawled all over the ECW Arena with The Eliminators. During one confrontation, New Jack was taped in between two tables, while standing up, and was hit with Total Elimination.
After just brawling at several ECW Arena shows, they finally were pitted in a sanctioned match on May 11, 1996. In the main event of A Matter of Respect, Tommy Dreamer teamed with The Gangstas to beat "Prime Time" Brian Lee & The Eliminators. The Eliminators and The Gangstas finally had their first sanctioned tag team title match at the ECW Arena on June 1, 1996. At Fight The Power, The Eliminators escaped with the titles.
Slowly, The Eliminators were gaining steam as the best tag team in the world, as what they were being perceived to be. On June 22, 1996 at Hardcore Heaven at the ECW Arena, The Eliminators beat The Gangstas and The Bruise Bros. in separate matches. Steam-rolling over established tag teams, The Eliminators were without opponents for Heat Wave on July 13, 1996. Attacking Mikey Whipwreck, they put out an open challenge. They saw Sabu come to Mikey's aid and challenged them to a title match. The Eliminators got yet another win.
ECW decided to hold a big 4 Corners Match at The Doctor Is In on August 3, 1996 at The ECW Arena. The Eliminators defended against The Gangstas, The Samoan Gansta Party and The Bruise Bros. It came down to The Eliminators and The Gangstas as the final two teams in this elimination match. After a miscue by Kronus, The Gangstas finally won the ECW Tag Team Titles.
Behind the scenes, Saturn was growing tired of Kronus. It was rumored throughout the summer of 1996 that they would break up and face off against each other at The November to Remember. Saturn felt he was more serious about his career while Kronus just breezed by. Paul Heyman decided to play up their real life dissention as an angle. Viewers witnessed backstage vignettes of the two of them arguing in the locker room before they returned to tour Japan.
At one point in the summer of 1996, the ECW tag team division was strong. Shortly after The Doctor Is In, The Samoan Gangsta Party and The Bruise Bros. were signed away by WWE. The only two established tag teams were The Eliminators and The Gangstas. Seeing this, Paul Heyman begged Saturn to remain a team with Kronus. Being a businessman, Saturn agreed to make the team work and the thought of breaking up The Eliminators was nixed.
The Eliminators got a rematch at the new ECW Tag champs The Gangstas on August 24, 1996 at Natural Born Killaz in a main event Cage Match. During the match, four men wearing hoods stood at ringside to supply weapons. One of the masked men scaled the top of the cage, and clocked one of The Gangstas. The man removed his hood and revealed he to be "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. The Gangstas eventually won the match, but after the match, Shane stood with The Eliminators, flashing the Triple Threat hand signal. Unfortunately, this was never seen on television, only the home video and that angle was also dropped.
Hyping The Eliminators as the best tag team in the world was one of ECW's main agendas. In order to stake that claim, they had to beat a team they never faced. They had to beat a team that was the most decorated American team in Japan. And that team consisted of former World Championship Wrestling (WCW), NWA and All Japan Tag Team champions: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy. Promos made to build up to the inevitable match have The Eliminators obsessed with facing Williams & Gordy. Saturn kept saying how everyone was talking about Doc & Gordy, Doc & Gordy. The first in-ring confrontation took place on September 14, 1996 at When World Collide at the ECW Arena. In the main event, Brian Lee teamed with The Eliminators to defeat Tommy Dreamer, Terry Gordy and Steve Williams. In the only tag team match between the two teams, they met on October 26, 1996 at the ECW Arena at High Incident. The Eliminators got the biggest win of their careers when they beat Doc & Gordy when Saturn dropped an elbow on Gordy from a scaffold that was high above the ring, which was the setting for the Tommy Dreamer-Brian Lee Scaffold Match later that night.
Stevie Richards & The Blue Meanie decided to pick a fight with the ECW Tag Team champions The Gangstas in late September 1996. They vowed to bring a mystery team to face The Gangstas at the ECW Arena on October 5, 1996 at Ultimate Jeopardy. News broke on the Internet that the mystery team was going to be The Gangstas' old nemesis' from Smokey Mountain Wrestling (SMW), the former NWA & SMW Tag Team champions The Rock & Roll Express. For whatever reason, they never showed up that night, so The Gangstas brawled with Stevie Richards & The Meanie, who were dressed as Public Enemy. Not far behind from The Gangstas were The Eliminators, who intervened in the brawl and challenged the champs to an impromptu match. The Gangstas accepted and beat The Eliminators yet again.
Back in August of 1996, Rob Van Dam, wrestling as a cocky heel and in the midst of feuding and mocking Sabu, put out an open challenge. That open challenge was accepted by Doug Furnas, making his first United States appearance in years. RVD won the match, but a small rivalry was brewing. RVD and Furnas were signed to compete in a Dream Partner match, where they would choose any partner they wanted. Furnas chose his longtime All Japan partner, Dan Kroffat. RVD shocked ECW fans by choosing his hated rival, Sabu. They did battle on September 14, 1996 and the match ended in a draw. They had a rematch at High Incident, with Sabu & RVD finally getting along and beat Furnas & Kroffat.
This feud set up November to Remember on November 16, 1996. Sabu & RVD were now getting along, and with a weak tag team division, they were thrust into the title picture. Sabu & RVD were set to face off against The Eliminators, with the winners meeting The Gangstas for the ECW Titles later that night. The match ended in a draw. ECW Commissioner Tod Gordon added more time, but still no winner. Gordon had no choice but to make the title match a 3 Way Dance. The Eliminators were eliminated Sabu & RVD first when Taz distracted Sabu & RVD. The Gangstas once again defeated The Eliminators to retain the gold.
Never giving up, The Eliminators got yet another chance to win the ECW Tag Team Titles on December 20, 1996. On that night, at an ECW house show in Middletown, NY, The Eliminators finally regained the titles from The Gangstas. That match was the blow off to that feud, as The Eliminators and The Gangstas shook hands, which slowly turned The Eliminators into faces.
In February 1997, Sabu & RVD challenged The Eliminators several times for the ECW Tag Team Titles. On February 1, 1997 at The ECW Arena, Sabu & RVD fell to the tag champs. They got a rematch on February 22, 1997 at CyberSlam in a Tables & Ladders Match. The Eliminators once again got the win. On house shows following CyberSlam, Sabu & RVD continued to face The Eliminators for the titles, including the main event of ECW's first Elks Lodge show in Queens, NY. All these matches were captured on video and released by RF Video.
Also around this time, Buh Buh Ray Dudley turned heel and formed one of the most dominating tag teams in wrestling history with D-Von Dudley: The Dudley Boyz. At first, they were not taken seriously. With early victories over The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer and The Gangstas and a weak tag team division, The Dudleys were set to face the ECW Tag champs The Eliminators at Hostile City Showdown at the ECW Arena on March 15, 1997. The Dudleys shocked ECW when they beat The Eliminators, clean, with 3D to win the titles.
ECW was set to finally launch their first PPV event on April 13, 1997. The event was Barely Legal and it was held at their home, the ECW Arena. The show was revolved around Sabu vs. Taz, which has been hyped since November 1995. The opening match of the show saw The Eliminators becoming three-time ECW Tag champs, handing The Dudleys their first defeat as heels.
Several weeks after the PPV, Saturn suffered a setback as he blew out his knee, which would need surgery. The Eliminators were going to defend the titles against the winners of the Balls Mahoney & The Sandman vs. The Dudleys match at WrestlePalooza on June 6, 1997 at the ECW Arena. The Dudleys beat The Sandman & Balls Mahoney, and were expected to regain the ECW Titles by forfeit. With his knee in a brace, Saturn refused to lose the belts in that manner. For most of the match, Kronus wrestled the match solo. As the match grew close to ending, D-Von Dudley found himself on the mat. Saturn, in his brace and knee ready to be surgically repaired later that week, scaled the ropes to the top turnbuckle and dropped an elbow to pin D-Von and retain the titles. This would turn out to be Saturn's final match in ECW.
The Eliminators title reign was living on borrowed time. Once Saturn got his surgery, he could make no more contact. On June 20, 1997, ECW taped television in Waltham, MA. Kronus defended the titles by himself, but was no match for the Dudleys as he lost the belts to them. Saturn could only stand at ringside and watch.
Raven had signed with WCW and his final match before his WCW contract kicked in was at WrestlePalooza. Some will say ECW had not been the same since his initial departure from the company. Stevie Richards, who was a face at this time and positioned as an ECW Title contender, also jumped to WCW to be with his boss, Raven. Rumors then swirled that Saturn could be the next to jump to WCW, but he was injured, right?
Saturn's knee injury must not have been as severe as reported. He appeared, in a dark match, at WCW Monday Nitro on September 7, 1997. He defeated Billy Kidman. Soon after, Saturn signed a deal with WCW and was now looking to shine as a singles star, which he was denied in ECW.
He quickly made waves in ECW, joining Raven's Flock and defeating The Disco Inferno on November 3, 1997 in Philadelphia to win the WCW Television Title at Nitro. In his singles PPV debut, he defeated Disco in a rematch on November 23, 1997 at World War 3 in Auburn Hills, MI. The reign only lasted a little more than a month, as he lost the title back to Disco on December 8, 1997 in Buffalo, NY at Nitro.
Unlike the other members of the Flock, Saturn was his own man. Saturn even had a high-profile singles match at WCW's granddaddy event, Starrcade. On December 28, 1997, he faced off against "The Crippler" Chris Benoit in a No DQ Match. IN a big win for Saturn's short singles career, he made Benoit tap out in Washington, DC.
Like almost everyone in WCW that was beginning to get over, WCW brass decided to scale back Saturn's push and was lost in the mid-card shuffle as 1998 rang in. WCW used to broadcast, for a fee, certain house shows online for fans to listen to. On January 31, 1998, at Boston Brawl, Raven & Saturn teamed to face The Steiner Bros. Scott Steiner, the future Big Poppa Pump, ended up pinning Saturn for the win. April 2, 1998 was the next Internet broadcast, which was Malice at the Palace, which as in Tampa, FL. Raven & Saturn once again teamed up, and they lost to Diamond Dallas Page & Chris Benoit in a No DQ Match when Benoit made Saturn tap out.
Saturn continued to make appearances on Nitro in early 1998. He didn't make his first PPV appearance until Spring Stampede on April 19 in Denver, CO. Unfortunately, he stood no chance. He went up against the undefeated Goldberg and loses to him. Goldberg was in a small feud with The Flock and was set to go against ALL of them on May 17, 1998 at Slamboree in a Gauntlet Match. Just before the match took place, Saturn cut a promo saying The Flock could not beat Goldberg, but he could. It was now a singles match for Goldberg's United States Title. Goldberg once again squashed Saturn.
Kanyon had dumped his Mortis gimmick and started wrestling as himself. He took his frustrations out on Raven, stalking him during shows before finally attacking him. Saturn, watching Raven's back, was booked against Kanyon on June 14, 1998 at The Great American Bash in Baltimore. Kanyon got the win that night. Who betta?
Dissention was visible between Saturn & Raven, and they soon split, with Saturn turning face. They had their first match at Bash at the Beach on July 12, 1998 in San Diego. Raven won the No DQ Match over his former partner. Kanyon was still fighting against Raven, and thus was thrown in the middle of this rivalry. At Road Wild on August 8, 1998, Saturn a 3 Way Falls Count Anywhere Match against Raven and Kanyon when he pinned Raven. Saturn finally got a one-on-one victory over Raven at Fall Brawl on September 13, 1998 in Winston-Salem, NC.
For whatever reason, Saturn was no programmed to face Ernest "The Cat" Miller, who was being managed by Sonny Onoo, in the fall of 1998. At World War 3 on November 22, 1998, Saturn teamed with Kaz Hayashi to lose to Miller & Onoo in Auburn Hills, MI. This set up Saturn vs. Miller at Starrcade in Washington, DC on December 27, 1998. Saturn's Starrcade streak was extended to 2-0 with a win over Miller.
Despite the huge roster WCW had and being lost in the shuffle from time to time, Saturn did have opportunities to be involved in angles involving rising stars. The beginning of 1999 was no exception, as he was booked to go up against Chris Jericho. Jericho was slowly coming out of his shell as a heel and becoming one of the most entertaining and charismatic wrestlers in WCW. It was because of that that he too saw his push scaled back thanks to WCW's glass ceiling, but that's another article.
Jericho was looking to embarrass his opponents, as he did when he demasked Juventud Guerrera and later Rey Mysterio. He challenged Saturn to a Loser Wears A Dress Match at Souled Out on January 17, 1999 in Charleston, WV. Jericho got the win, and Saturn was forced to wear a dress when he wrestled. They had a rematch at Superbrawl on February 21, 1999 in Oakland, CA. All Saturn had to do was win the match to stop wearing the dress. Saturn intentionally got himself counted out so he could continue wearing a dress. Saturn was evolving into a Marilyn Manson-like character.
The feud with Chris Jericho continued into March. They did battle in a Dog Collar Match at Uncensored in Louisville, KY. This was the blow off to the feud, which saw Saturn get the win. Soon after this, for no reason, Saturn was reunited with Raven and turned heel again.
With Raven, they had a series of matches against Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko of The Four Horsemen. Spring Stampede was held in Tacoma, WA on April 11, 1999. Benoit & Malenko got the win over Raven & Saturn when Malenko pinned Raven. Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio were thrust into the middle of this feud, setting up a 3 Way at Slamboree on May 9, 1999. Raven & Saturn beat the WCW Tag champs Kidman & Rey and Benoit & Malenko to win the WCW Tag Team Titles in St. Louis, MO.
Next on the agenda for Raven & Saturn was The Triad: Diamond Dallas Page, Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon. When Raven & Saturn were set to defend the the titles against DDP & Bigelow ON May 31, 1999 at Nitro in Houston, The Triad had not quite yet formed. Before the match went underway, the champs were jumped by DDP & Bigelow. Raven could not wrestle, so Kanyon took Raven's spot, but was pinned. DDP & Bigelow were the new tag champs, and Kanyon sided with them.
The Triad, like The Fabulous Freebirds did the 1980s, were allowed to interchange partners to defend the titles. DDP & Kanyon were set to defend the titles against Chris Benoit & Ric Flair on June 7, 1999 in Cleveland on Nitro. Flair walked out on Benoit, and Saturn jumped in as Benoit's partner. Saturn & Benoit defeated DDP & Kanyon for the titles. Later on, Flair, who was President of WCW, returned the titles to The Triad claiming Saturn was not legal in the match. Three nights later on Thunder, Saturn wrestled Kanyon one-on-one in Syracuse, NY. DDP ran in to attack Saturn, and Benoit made the save. Referee Randy Anderson made the match a tag match for the titles. Saturn & Benoit won the match and became unlikely tag team champions.
That reign didn't last long at all. A rematch was set to take place on June 13, 1999 in Baltimore, MD at The Great American Bash. With help from Bam Bam Bigelow, DDP & Kanyon regained the titles from Benoit & Saturn. The rivalry did not end there. In a Handicapped Match at Bash at the Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on July 11, 1999, The Triad defeated Saturn & Benoit.
At about this time, Shane Douglas had left ECW for guaranteed money of WCW. He quickly formed The Revolution, with Benoit, Saturn and Dean Malenko. As faces, they began a feud with The West Texas Rednecks: Curt Hennig, Bobby Duncam Jr., Barry & Kendall Windham. On August 14, 1999 at Road Wild, Saturn, Douglas and Malenko defeated Barry Windham, Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncam Jr.
In the early fall of 1999, The Revolution got into another faction rivalry with The Filthy Animals: Konnan, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Billy Kidman. On October 24, 1999, at Halloween Havoc in Las Vegas, Guerrero beat Saturn by DQ. Soon after this, The Revolution kicked Benoit out of the group and turned heel.
Thanks to the new Vince Russo regime, Benoit was set for a hue singles push, which is why he was separated from The Revolution. The Revolution continued to feud with The Filthy Animals. By this time, Asya was with The Revolution and Torrie Wilson joined The Filthy Animals. This set up an Elimination Match at Mayhem on November 21, 1999 in WCW's first PPV in Canada in Toronto. Saturn teamed with Dean Malenko and Asya to face Eddie Guerrero, Billy Kidman and Torrie Wilson. It came down to Saturn against Guerrero & Wilson. Saturn made Guerrero tap out and made short work of Torrie Wilson to be the sole survivor.
When the feud with The Filthy Animals was over, The Revolution set their sights on "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Shane Douglas, Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko, and Asya were booked to face Duggan and his mystery partners at the December 19, 1999 Satrrcade in Washington, DC. Duggan revealed his partners to be the 1980s faction of The Varsity Club: Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo and Rick Steiner. Douglas pinned Duggan to win the match.
On January 15, 2000, WCW made a decision regarding their creative staff. The night before their Souled Out PPV, WCW removed Vince Russo as head writer and rehired Kevin Sullivan to head the booking committee. This infuriated many in WCW. Sullivan had been behind the pushes of the older wrestlers, particularly Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and so on. Many wrestlers felt they would be lost in the shuffle again. With Russo, there was hope and Russo pushed a lot of the mid card talent. Those vocal about Russo's removal included Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Konnan, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn. They all demanded their releases. Konnan, Rey and Kidman changed their minds as they had guaranteed contracts and weren't willing to give up their big contracts. Douglas, Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, and Guerrero were willing to take that chance.
The next night at Souled Out, Kidman wrestled and defeated Perry Saturn in a Bunkhouse Match. Later that night, Benoit won the WCW Title from Sid Vicious, despite Kevin Sullivan booking it that way. Sullivan made it clear to Benoit that he held no grudges, but Benoit wasn't buying it. After the PPV went off the air, Benoit handed the WCW Title back and asked for his release.
Benoit, Saturn, Guerrero, and Malenko made contact with WWE about possibly coming into the company. Those four made a pact with Douglas that they would all go to the same place no matter what. WWE told the four that they had no interest in Douglas. WWE negotiated with the four and Douglas had no idea. On January 25, 2000, they all got their releases from WCW. Six nights later, in Pittsburgh, Saturn, Benoit, Malenko, and Guerrero appeared ringside on Raw. Douglas was nowhere to be seen and there has been heat between them ever since.
They would later be known as The Radicalz. That night on Raw, they attacked The New Age outlaws, then appeared backstage with Cactus Jack. Jack said they were guests of his. The next night at the Smackdown taping, which would air on February 3, 2000, the Radicalz were given a chance by the McMahon-Helmsley Faction to earn contracts with the company. They needed to win 2 out of three matches. In the first match, X-Pac defeated Dean Malenko. In the second match, Eddie Guerrero & Perry Saturn lost to The New Age Outlaws, which made no sense because the third fall meant nothing. During that match, Eddie went for the Frog Splash and injured his elbow, changing the finish of the match. Eddie got pinned. In the main event, to complete the clean sweep, Triple H beat Chris Benoit.
The Radicalz appeared on Raw on February 7, 2000 in the ring with Cactus Jack. Jack said WWE needed these guys. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon came out and revealed the Radicalz got contracts and The Radicalz turned heel on Jack and attacked him.
The Radicalz made their WWE PPV debut at No Way Out on February 27, 2000 in Hartford, CT. Rikishi & Too Cool defeated Saturn, Malenko & Benoit to win the match. Soon after this, Eddie Guerrero returned from his injury. At WrestleMania 2000, Chyna teamed with Too Cool to beat Eddie, Saturn & Malenko when Chyna pinned Eddie.
Saturn got his first taste of WWE gold on a house show on April 11, 2000. In Tampa, FL, he beat Crash to win the coveted Hardcore Title. Seconds later, he lost it to Tazz. On April 30, 2000, he got another chance at the Hardcore Title at Backlash in Washington, DC. Crash defended the title against Tazz, Hardcore Holly, Saturn, and The Hardy Boyz. Crash managed to hold on to the belt.
Dissention mounted in the Radicalz camp. By this time, Chyna was "dating" Eddie Guerrero, so she was in the group. Malenko & Saturn didn't want her with them. This set up a Triangle Match between the three for Eddie's WWE European Title at Judgment Day in Louisville, KY on May 21, 2000. Eddie got the win when he beat Malenko.
Les Thatcher, who runs Heartland Wrestling Alliance (HWA), had been running memorial shows in honor of Brian Pillman, starting in 1998. All proceeds went to Pillman's children. On May 25, 2000, Saturn competed on the third annual show. In the main event, Saturn teamed with Malenko to lose to the masters of the Frog Splash, Eddie Guerrero & D'Lo Brown. Other matches that night saw ECW champ Justin Credible beat Raven, Diamond Dallas Page beat Shane Douglas and Chris Benoit beat William Regal in the match that saved Regal's WWE career and it can be seen on Benoit's DVD.
Saturn continued to pursue Guerrero and his European Title. He met Guerrero on July 23, 2000 at Fully Loaded. Adding to his WWE Title resume, Saturn left Dallas, TX with the European Title. The reign was short-lived. On August 29, 2000, he lost the European Title to Al Snow in Fayetteville, NC.
At Unforgiven on September 24, 2000 in Philadelphia, PA, WWE booked a Hardcore Battle Royal, which had a 10-minute time limit. The title can change hands as many times within that limit. Going into the match, Steve Blackman had the title. Other participants included Crash, Funaki, Saturn, Al Snow, and Test. Crash beat Blackman to win the title, and then lost it to Saturn. With 59 seconds remaining in the match, Blackman regained the title from Saturn.
In October, The Radicalz reunited the group and began a feud with the former D-Generation X. The Radicalz faced Billy Gunn, Chyna, The Road Dogg, and K-Kwik in a Elimination Match at the November 19, 2000 Survivor Series in Tampa. Saturn eliminated Chyna and The Road Dogg during the match. Benoit & Saturn were the survivors.
The Radicalz were involved in another elimination match at the next PPV, Armageddon. On December 10, 2000, Malenko, Saturn and Eddie faced Lita & The Hardy Boyz. Saturn eliminated Jeff Hardy before being eliminated by Matt Hardy.
In a squash match that would alter Saturn's WWE career, he faced jobber Mike Bell in a match that aired on Jakked/Metal in May 2001. During the match, Bell botched a spot, pissing off Saturn. Saturn beat the hell out of Bell and was very reckless in doing so. When the match was over, Bell was a bit bloody and had some loose teeth.
Saturn needed to be disciplined. So what did WWE do? They sent their disciplinarians to work. That being Faarooq & Bradshaw of The APA. On May 21, 2001 edition of Raw, The APA gave Saturn two very stiff power bombs as a receipt for his reckless actions. This actually was turned into an angle and new gimmick for Saturn. He was now knocked silly and saying a lot of stupid things. Saturn was actually making the best of the situation and was getting over as a face. He even befriended Moppy, his mop friend.
Saturn once again competed at the fourth Pillman Memorial on August 9, 2001. What made these shows so special was the mix of WWE, WCW, ECW, and other independent talent that competed on them. By this time, WCW & ECW were out of business and WWE was in the middle of botching the WCW "invasion." This was the final memorial show. Saturn teamed with Malenko to beat Raven & Justin Credible. Other matches on the show saw Rob Conway & Ron Waterman beat The Disciples of Synn (Mordecai & Tyson Tomko), Randy Orton beat The Prototype (John Cena), Charlie & Russ Haas over Steve Bradley & Rico Constantino, Terry Taylor over Bobby Eaton with Ricky Steamboat as the referee, NWA champ Steve Corino beat David Flair, and in the main event, The Hardy Boyz beat Edge & Christian and Kanyon & Diamond Dallas Page.
Saturn's girlfriend, Terri, was getting jealous of Saturn giving so much attention to Moppy. She eventually left Saturn to join Raven in The Alliance, but it didn't faze Saturn. They got Saturn's attention when they kidnapped Moppy and put her through a wood chipper, setting up their epic encounter on September 23, 2001 at Unforgiven in Pittsburgh. Saturn got the win for the late Moppy.
That was Saturn's last high profile feud. His pushed was scaled back, and his gimmick as being knocked for a looped had come to an end. Saturn was just Saturn. They tried to test him and D'Lo as a tag team, but it didn't work. In March 2002, Saturn suffered a knee injury that required surgery. In November 2002, Saturn was released from WWE.
Andrew McMannus had begun running shows overseas under the World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) name. He rounded up all wrestlers not under contract to WWE, like Sting, Lex Luger, Nathan Jones, Sabu, Simon Diamond, and Frankie Kazarian, just to name a few. Saturn joined the tour on November 28, 2002. On shows that took place on the 28th, 29th, 30th, December 1, and December 5, Saturn wrestled Sabu and Simon Diamond in a series of 3 Way matches. Sabu won them all. On December 6, WWA taped a PPV event called Retribution in Glasgow, Scotland. Saturn once again faced Sabu and Diamond in a 3 Way and Sabu once again won in the main event. Other matches on the show saw Lex Luger beat Sting to win the vacant WWA Title and Jeff Jarrett retained the NWA Title against Nathan Jones.
Saturn made his return to Japan for the first time since he wrestled there for ECW in 1996. He wrestled there at the end of 2002 and early 2003. Saturn was then contacted to join NWA: Total Nonstop Action (TNA). He made his debut for the company on March 26, 2003. He teamed with The Sandman, Brian Lee, and Slash to beat Christopher Daniels, Prime Time and The Harris Bros. He returned the following week on April 2 to team with The Sandman and New Jack to beat Christopher Daniels & The Harris Bros. On April 9, 2003, he faced the challenge of the WWE Brawl For All winner, Mike Barton formerly known as Bart Gunn. He defeated Barton by making him tap out. On April 16, 2003, he lost by DQ to the debuting Mike Awesome when The Sandman & New Jack interfered. This set up a Barbed Wire Ladder Match on April 23, 2003, with a baseball bat and stapler hanging above the ring. Saturn, New Jack and The Sandman beat Brian Lee, Slash and Mike Awesome to win the match. Saturn wrestled his final TNA match on June 18, 2003 when he battled current WWE Tag champ Kenzo Suzuki to a no contest when Jerry Lynn and Justin Credible interfered.
Saturn spent most of his time before and after TNA competing for various indy groups as well as overseas. He made his USA Pro debut on April 4, 2003, losing to USA Pro Heavyweight champion, Balls Mahoney, in Queens, NY at the Elks Lodge. He returned to USA Pro on June 27, 2003 at Now or Never to defeat "The Notorious 187" Homicide.
In early 2004, Saturn was met with a major setback while putting his own life on the line. When driving his girlfriend to work, he overheard what he thought was an argument between a man and a woman. When he approached the car, he saw two men trying to rape a woman. He fought off the attackers and felt a burning sensation on his neck. Little did he know that he was shot three times in the back of his neck. His C-5, C-6 and C-7 vertebrates were badly injured and resulted in surgically inserting a steel plate and three steel screws in his neck.
After intense physical therapy and his will to not give up, Saturn returns to active competition this Friday night in Queens, NY for USA Pro's show at The Amazura Concert Hall. He will meet the challenge of "The Brooklyn Bull" Steve Mack. Check out Perry Saturn this Friday night after he shows that you can believe in miracles and there are some good guys out there. Watching Saturn compete all these years, you know he is going to give you his best.
For more information on the show, check out http://www.usaprowrestling.net/
John Gjoni
johnftw7533@aol.com
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