El Deporte de las Mil Emociones: Bregando a la Chicky Starr

Week 7: Bregando a la Chicky Starr

EB: Throughout Sadistic Steve Strong’s run in Puerto Rico there have been some constants, such as his calling upon the powers of Luc and Damian. Someone who has been a constant part of Strong’s rampage is the man who brought him to Puerto Rico in the first place and set him loose upon El Ejercito de la Justicia. A man who had made it his mission for over three years to get rid of Carlos Colon, Invader #1 and anyone else from El Ejercito de la Justicia who dared go against him. A man who has served as Strong’s translator, hype man, tag partner, accomplice, and mastermind. The one and only self-proclaimed king of wrestling, Chicky Starr.

We’ve previously mentioned some of Chicky’s history in taking about recent events in this 1989 walkthrough, but let’s really take a look at how Chicky became the rudo he is remembered as, whose actions and behavior were such that that the term ‘bregando a la Chicky Starr’ entered the Puerto Rican vernacular and refers to when you betray someone, play dirty, do bad things with premeditation, or just simply do not keep your word.

Chicky got his start working the Puerto Rico indie scene, forming a tag team with one of his trainers Angel Rivera. They wrestled for a few years for different promotions on the island (some of them attempts to compete with CSP), and were considered the top tag team on the Puerto Rican indie scene. They would eventually make tours of Mexico and Canada, specifically a long tenure in Stampede where they wrestled as Los Hermanos Peron (the alleged sons of Eva Peron). Unlike some other notable local stars like Barrabas, Huracan Castillo Sr., and Hercules Ayala, who would have stints with CSP and then also have stints wrestling for other companies, Los Hermanos Peron never really had a stint in CSP until 1983. Early in the year, both started wrestling for the company as tecnicos. Chicky wrestled in the lower card, working a junior heavyweight style (a departure from what one would be used to seeing from him if you only knew him from his later work). As an example of how Chicky would wrestle, here is a TV studio match against the masked Mr. X from the first months of 1983.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SFHwJ_9BW0

MD: There are things you can learn from a 5 minute studio match from 1983 certainly. The first is that Chicky had solid fire as a babyface, but maybe was a little physically awkward for what he was trying to do. Things hit but they didn’t always hit as smooth or clean as you might like. Mr. X had some, shall we say, demonstrative clubbing blows, and wrestled pretty much how you’d expect a Mr. X to wrestle. A short undercard studio match like this wouldn’t have seen at all out of place in Memphis or Mid-South. The fans were overall behind Chicky, especially as the match went on, but you could also sort of see his ceiling in this kind of role.

EB: Chicky would eventually leave CSP for a tour in Southwest for most of 84, eventually returning in the summer of 1985 to Puerto Rico once again as an up-and-coming tecnico, this time with a more visible role on the card. We go to one of Chicky’s TV matches against Ricardo Mendoza (who would also have a couple of runs in CSP as El Gran Mendoza from 87 and onwards), which highlights again the style and presentation he had when he returned to CSP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tm48R8RBkM

There are some details mentioned on commentary that help tell the story.  Joaquin Padin and Hugo Savinovich are on commentary, joined by guest commentator Hercules Ayala. The first thing Hugo mentions is how Chicky has been working with Invader #1 and, with Invader’s help and advice, feels he is getting ready to face better competition.  Ayala mentions that Invader #1 has spent a lot of time working with Chicky, and it’s not been spent in vain as Chicky has improved and gotten better. Chicky is young and ambitious and there’ll be Chicky Starr for a long time. Announcer Joaquin Padin had been saying ‘hay que estar con Chicky’ to the fans (basically, we have to be with Chicky), as a way to help generate support for this up-and-comer. Later on in the match ,when Chicky is trying to get out of a Mendoza chinlock, Hugo asks Ayala what he would think about Chicky facing Invader #3  for the World Junior heavyweight title in a tecnico style encounter (since that is the hottest division right now). Ayala says that is a tough question to answer since Invader #3 has the experience while Chicky is young, hungry, and putting in the work to improve with the help of Invader #1. Chicky eventually gets the win with an inside cradle. And the announcers once again mention that ‘hay que estar con Chicky’. And that is exactly how it went for several weeks, including a highlight video reminding fans that ‘hay que estar con Chicky’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HCzTJVwIGE

Two things about the video looking back, one is that the first masked wrestler seems to have some impressive kicks (potentially explosive you could say); and, hindsight being what it is, it’s an interesting song choice for the video.

MD: I know it’s beside the point but I liked what I saw out of Mendoza here. He had a dynamic look pre-match with a bandana and sunglasses and had a stylized way of calling out to the crowd at key moments. His offense looked really solid, both elbow drops and fist drops and his cut-offs with flying clotheslines. Between the match and the video, Chicky seemed to be finding his niche a little more. He still had a flip over to his opponent that didn’t land smooth but they were able to pick and choose some things in the video that definitely worked. He came off as more of a technical slugger able to assert himself more, which seemed to play into his physical strengths better. The video had me buying him as a credible up and coming mid-carder certainly.  

EB: Chicky continued facing wrestlers and getting wins, but as the weeks progressed, he started expressing his frustration at the quality of opponents he was getting. Chicky wanted better competition and felt that he wasn’t getting it. Eventually, his frustrations grew to the point where he started accusing Invader #1 of being the person responsible for the lack of quality opponents for him.  This would lead to Chicky challenging Invader #1 to a match, student vs mentor. Invader # 1 was hesitant but eventually agreed and the match took place just before Christmas (Dec 21 or 22, I’ve heard both dates depending on the source). Throughout the match Invader would get the better of Chicky in their exchanges but would break cleanly and calmly let him get back in the ring whenever Chicky ended up outside. As you may guess, Chicky grew more aggravated with what he felt was Invader disrespecting him by wrestling him this way and things reached a breaking point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-WBJ08-O2Q

This is a recap video from the latter half of 1986, which includes clips of the initial stages of the feud between Chicky and Invader #1. The video shows both wrestlers at the time in 86 to start but the key part to focus on is the scenes after both wrestlers are shown. We see a clip of Chicky and Invader from their year-end 1985 TV match, where Chicky, right after Invader had  held the ropes open for him to get back in the ring, immediately just straight up kicks Invader in the groin, goes outside to take the chair Joaquin Padin was sitting in at the commentary table, and then proceeds to attack Invader with a chair to the head. Chicky then immediately mocks Invader by doing his signature two jumps and chest slap hype move. We then go to January 6, 1986, where Invader is trying to reason with Chicky about not going down this path (Invader in interviews prior to this match had indicated he was confused about why Chicky did what he did, lamenting all the time he spent working with Chicky on bettering himself only for Chicky to pay him back like this, but also he felt that Chicky could be reasoned with before it went any further). Chicky, who had shown up with a new blonde hairdo, takes a moment to consider Invader’s words and says let me tell you one thing. He then smacks Invader in the head with the microphone busting Invader open. From there, the feud was on and the top rudo in Puerto Rican wrestling was born. The video continues showing some highlights from their first matches in the feud.

From that point on, Chicky Starr became the most hated man in Puerto Rican wrestling, and the top evil mastermind determined to destroy El Ejercito de la Justicia. He would decry what Puerto Ricans were and style himself as a country club gringo of sorts (hence the blonde hair and somewhat preppy look and golf clubs he would initially have) and would become a manager as well as wrestler. Chicky would be joined by his American ‘cousin’ Ron Starr and would quickly align himself with Abdullah the Butcher, forming the first iteration of El Club Deportivo (a reference to playing sports at the country club). A few months in, Chicky Starr’s Sports Shop (named in English because of course Chicky would want it that way) became a staple of the Saturday morning TV show, a Piper’s Pit type segment where Chicky would interact with virtually every person in the promotion at one time or another. His misdeeds throughout the next three years were many, including masterminding plans to attack and injure tecnicos, crossing the line many times on interviews with some choice comments and offensive insults about his adversaries, bringing monsters both known and unknown to do his dirty work, and just being an underhanded slimeball. And no matter how many times he would get his comeuppance for his latest schemes and transgressions, Chicky would vow to get his payback and would usually find a way to once again get back at the tecnicos and the cycle would begin anew. Here;s a highlight video of Chicky in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAmZsWXNQAc

MD: A couple of quick thoughts from the turn and the subsequent music video. From the outside in, as someone who’s watched scattered matches and a chunk of the 80s set, I always saw Chicky like Heenan, where he could be dangerous against a certain person low on the card but that ultimately would hide behind his charges. Maybe he develops into more of that as time goes on but he comes off as more of a mix between Heenan and Zbyszko and Piper here. He seems to be presented more credible on a week to week basis than what we see in just looking at the big matches. I love that he has so clear an origin story given what he would become, though. WWF managers like Blassie, Grand Wizard, Albano, Heenan, Hart, Fuji all seemed to be fully formed by the time they were expected to hold up their end. Chicky grew into the scumbag force that he’d become in front of everyone’s eyes, it seemed.  

EB: So far, we’ve seen quite a bit of Chicky in 1989 as Strong’s manager and partner in crime, but Chicky would also have his own separate issues that year as a singles wrestler. One of his notable feuds was against an initially masked wrestler known as the White Angel. Chicky had brought in Angel as part of his stable, but after a few weeks the White Angel expressed his disapproval of Chicky’s tactics during his matches. Because of this, Chicky attacked and kicked the White Angel from his stable, starting a feud between them. A week or so after being kicked out from El Club Deportivo, the White Angel would unmask himself during an interview on TV and join the tecnicos. This feud occupied Chicky during the early Spring  of 89 and here is a match from their series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti_M9mz2vmQ

This match is likely from April 8 of 89 and takes place from Carolina. Chicky and White Angel had previously had a match that ended in a DQ, so they’re matched up again. White Angel rushes to the ring and immediately goes after Chicky, catching him from behind and not giving him a chance to get his ring jacket off. Chicky tries to get away by rolling out of the ring, but Angel gives chase and throws him back into the ring. Chicky tries to beg off but Angel continues to attack Chicky. Again, Chicky tries to roll out and get away but, once again, Angel chases him and carries Chicky back to the ring. You can tell Chicky wants no part of the White Angel. Finally, Chicky manages to get his ring jacket off but Angel continues on the offensive. And this is the pattern of the match, with Angel on the offensive and just having his way with Chicky, and Chicky trying to get away but being unsuccessful. Chicky gets moments where he is able to cut off White Angel’s offensive attack but Angel manages to turn the tide. At one point, Chicky tosses Angel out of the ring and you can see that Chicky has been busted open (Angel also has some blood going). Even when Chicky is on offense, you can tell he is outmatched power wise just by the kickouts Angel has. Chicky’s strategy becomes one of trying to wear down Angel and keep him down via a chinlock so he can’t be overpowered. Angele eventually gets the crowd going and powers out, hitting a flying clothesline to Chicky to regain the advantage. Chicky by this point decides discretion is the better part of valor and rolls out to get away, but again fails when Angel chases him down once more. Back in the ring, Chicky manages to counter some mounted punches and immediately bails and walks towards the locker room. Angel once more gives chase, but when Angel tries to ram Chicky headfirst into the ringpost, Chicky manages to throw Angel off and send him into the post instead. And here we get a perfect summation of who Chicky Starr is. With the ref counting down and his opponent down, Chicky has an opening to get back in the ring and get a possible win via countout. Instead, Chicky turns tail and stumbles back to the safety of the locker room. This feud would end with a cage match to prevent Chicky from running off, although Chicky ended up winning the match via shenanigans (this was the same night where Invader chased Chicky into the cage leading to Steve Strong attacking both Invader and Carlos Colon and leaving them laying).

MD: I’m lucky enough to be constantly talking to Esteban about this stuff as we go. That meant he gave me some of that sum up on White Angel a few weeks ago when we saw him against someone else in passing. I wasn’t sure what Curtis Thompson (Firebreaker Chip) was doing with that name/gimmick but no mask. It feels a little like the somewhat contemporaneous Bobby Heenan/Brooklyn Brawler vs Red Rooster feud, which is me bringing everything back to my points of reference again. The big difference goes back to what I noted above, that Chicky, while vulnerable enough to get overwhelmed in the early going of this match, was also presented as legitimately dangerous enough to sneak in a foul or get his knees up in the clutch and not just take over but also do real damage. Here, he was great at building up hope spots; that sense of vulnerability made the fans bite on each and every time Angel started to come back. The last of these was pretty elaborate with missed clotheslines and getting a knee up to cut him off right when you thought he’d be able to overcome Chicky. Just a great sense of the crowd and their expectations. This was inconclusive but apparently the feud had its share of gimmick matches too.

EB: In the summer, Chicky would compete for the World Junior heavyweight title, managing to have a brief reign as champion. During that time, he had a rudo vs rudo match against Eric Embry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI5EPE2IFfY

This match is from July 15 of 89 and is taking place in Caguas. Chicky is defending the World Junior title, a title he had won from Super Medico just a few weeks before. What’s a bit interesting watching the match is that this version is from a Camperones de la Lucha Libre airing from either the end of August or early September, so your commentary team is Hugo Savinovich, Carlos Colon and Chicky Starr himself. This leads to some interesting exchanges on commentary as Hugo and Carlos take the opportunity to needle Chicky throughout the match. Carlos feels that this is a chance for Chicky to get a taste of his own medicine since he is in there with someone who is just as rudo (or even more so) as Chicky. In an interesting twist, the crowd is actually behind Embry, since Chicky is just that hated. Hugo and Carlos are amused by this and rub it in Chicky’s face on commentary.The match is one where Embry gets the better of Chicky throughout the match, and Chicky tries different tactics to try to get the advantage (rolling out of the ring, offering a handshake) but Embry does not fall for them. It’s a missed crossbody that allows Chicky to get the advantage. Chicky works the leg but eventually they trade blows when Embry fights off a figure four attempt. Embry hits an eye poke and starts biting Chicky. A DDT and flying headbutt only get two for Embry. Several punches to the head and an eye poke set up a bridging back suplex pin attempt by Embry, but Chicky is able to steady himself via placing one leg under the top rope and lifting a shoulder just before the three count. Chicky immediately rolls out of the ring before Embry realizes he hasn’t won. Chicky smugly laughs on commentary, very pleased with himself.

MD: Ten minutes of practically perfect pro wrestling. Two masters who knew how to play off of one another. There wasn’t much in here I’d consider a high spot, but they were able to get mileage out of every punch, and kick, and even more mileage out of Chicky, on his knees, with his hand extended. It must have gone on for a minute but every time the camera zoomed in, you got a close-up facial expression that was somehow better than the last. Eventually they shook and Embry turned his back on him only to spin around and punch him to the fans’ delight. But Chicky was a crafty one and a half a sequence later, you were left wondering if he hadn’t goaded him into it, punch and all, from the start. Great finish too where Embry hit a belly to back but as both of their shoulders were down, Chicky got his feet up onto the ropes to get the leverage to get his own up. I’m not entirely sure about the real life physics of it, but as pro wrestling physics went, it made sense to me. What a cad.

EB: As August of 89 was winding down, Chicky masterminded another plan to get back at one of the tecnicos that he felt had wronged him. This time his target was TNT. If you recall, TNT had tried to put Chicky in the Cobra Dinamita during a match they had, which kickstarted the series between Steve Strong and TNT. Chicky had gone on TV raving about how TNT had tried to kill him with that maneuver, and eventually decided to do something about it. We go to the debut of a  segment called La Esquina Caliente (The Hot Corner), taking place live at one of the house shows.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8hbKsIREXE

Chicky has a mysterious man dressed in black with his face covered, dressing in a similar style as the ninja wrestlers that have appeared in CSP. Chicky introduces him as the original TNT, a man who has come to Puerto Rico with one purpose. He has a message to deliver, but first Chicky wants to call out the impostor parading around as TNT. Yes, Chicky’s plan this time is to call into doubt the identity of TNT. He even calls TNT by his shoot name of Juan Rivera when he calls TNT out to the ring to explain to the fans why he is in fact an impostor. TNT comes out as Chicky continues calling him the impostor. Chicky tells TNT to keep his distance from him and to  pick up a mic that’s there for him. Chicky tells TNT to give him a minute because he needs to talk with the original TNT, who says he is here for the TV title TNT has and that he is the original. TNT responds by saying that first, all the fans here and watching on TV know who the real TNT is. Chicky responds by pointing at the man in black and saying here is the real TNT. TNT continues by saying that he has defended his name across the world and, if your guy (referring to Chicky’s ‘TNT’) wants a shot at the TV title, he only defends against ranked contenders, not just anyone. TNT then tosses the mic at Chicky and leaves the ring. Chicky starts complaining that this is a lack of respect, how dare he not give a TV title shot to the original TNT. But TNT, if you want him to be ranked then remember, this man is undefeated since arriving in Puerto Rico, that means soon he will be ranked by the WWC. So TNT, soon you will have to face the original TNT for that TV title and then we will see what you’re able to do. This man is the original TNT and he will prove it to you and all of the fans. And that is all “my dear friends” for this Esquina Caliente segment.

On TV, Original TNT would face different wrestlers and remain undefeated. Of note was the way he would finish his opponents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bogb0Nbnvg

This match pits the Original TNT vs the White Angel. The match is joined in progress with White Angel on offense and getting the better of ‘TNT’. After hitting a back bodydrop, Angel starts signaling for the full nelson which causes Chicky to jump on the apron. Angel goes after Chicky, which gives ‘TNT’ an opening to apply his cobra sleeper. Angel quickly falls unconscious and  ‘TNT’ gets the win. The ref signals for ‘TNT’ to wake up Angel, but Chicky tells ‘TNT’ to leave. The ref insists and Chicky changes his mind and they go back to wake Angel up, with Chicky doing the whole lay down a towel to hide how the opponent is woken up, the same as El Profe would do back when the actual TNT made his debut. They wake Angel up and, as Chicky distracts the ref, ‘TNT’ gets in a cheap shot on the downed Angel. One thing is certain, this Original TNT definitely knows the cobra sleeper that TNT uses and with similar effect.

Original TNT had shown to be very capable and was undefeated in the short time he had been in CSP. However, he still had not been officially ranked. Still, fed up with the constant calling out by Chicky, TNT agreed to face the man claiming to be the original TNT in a match (albeit non-title). We go to early September of 89.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQAgjPGZP-A

EB: There are many parallels for TNT in this situation compared to when he first made his debut almost three years before. Original TNT shows up and is dominant on TV (just like TNT). He has a manager who is challenging a champion to put his title up in a match vs his wrestler (as El Profe did with Carlos Colon and the Universal title), despite the wrestler being newly arrived and not ranked. Like Colon three years earlier, TNT takes the match just to get the grandstanding and calling out to stop (although in this case it's non-title and with the added wrinkle that Chicky has revealed TNT’s identity without his permission). On commentary, Hugo acknowledges that while the Original TNT is taller, there are similarities in how they look. Surprisingly, Original TNT gets the better of TNT to start. Chicky on commentary keeps calling TNT by his real name and says that he is a cheap copy. Original TNT keeps dominating the match as Carlos and Hugo talk about the pressure TNT must have faced going into the match due to Chicky. Hugo mentions that it’s tough when one goes to the trouble of protecting your identity only for a rival to publicly out their name. Hugo calls out Chicky for not having professional ethics and that it’s low to do this to someone. Chicky protests that the ethical thing is calling out an impostor and unmasking them, and you do that by letting the public know who the impostor is by name. In the ring, although TNT tries to counter, Original TNT remains in control. At one point, a charge by TNT is dodged and TNT ends up outside. Chicky Starr at ringside takes the opportunity to push TNT into the ringpost (causing Carlos Colon on commentary to rant about how they need to get Chicky and Profe banned from ringside so they can’t keep doing this, Chicky says he was just trying to help the impostor back in the ring).

Back in the ring, Original TNT continues to dominate TNT in the match. TNT finally manages to counter with a crossbody for a pinfall attempt, but Chicky distracts the ref, allowing Original TNT a chance to kick out. An eye rake allows Original TNT to gain the advantage once more. The match continues in this pattern for a while, but eventually a clothesline and a dropkick finally allow TNT to go on an offensive flurry. TNT hits a dynamite kick into the corner. As the ref backs TNT away from the corner, Chicky hands something to Original TNT behind the ref’s back. Chicky then runs to the other side of the ring to distract the ref, allowing Original TNT to throw powder into the face of an unsuspecting TNT. Original TNT immediately puts TNT in his version of the cobra sleeper. TNT fights hard to break the hold, including trying to use the ropes as leverage to jump off them and try to get the hold broken. This is similar to what happened to Carlos Colon three years prior. But TNT can’t break the hold and is put to sleep, losing the match.. Afterwards, Chicky jumps into the ring to celebrate with Original TNT. The ref tells Chicky that they need to wake TNT up, but Chicky and Original TNT leave the ring. TNT is still out! The doctor comes out to check on TNT, who has started foaming at the mouth. Victor Jovica, the master of the sleeperhold, also arrives to try to wake TNT up. This whole situation mirrors exactly what went down three years before, only this time it is TNT on the side of being left to potentially fatal injury. Jovica is able to wake TNT up, as Hugo on commentary calls out Chicky for once again showing a lack of professional ethics by leaving TNT under the effects of the hold without waking him up (despite TNT himself doing this before even as a tecnico).

For the first time ever, TNT has found himself in the exact same situation he has left other wrestlers in before (both as rudo and as tecnico such as we saw with Steve Strong). He not only lost, but was embarrassed and left to potentially serious injury. TNT was not going to let Original TNT and Chicky Starr get away with this. Something was going to happen, and it just so happens that Aniversario is a few weeks away.

MD: I was a little surprised how into this one I was. Jackson looked better in this role than I expected; he had a lot of strikes and while not all of them looked great, he got an A for effort in throwing them and TNT did his job in the selling to make you buy into the act. They worked this pretty boldly with Jackson getting an early advantage and just pressing and pressing and pressing as they built one comeback attempt onto the next, each one taking TNT just a little closer to coming back only for Jackson to cut him off through skill or hook or Chicky-related crook. It built to a huge comeback clothesline out of the corner and a great kick into the corner but just when it looked like TNT would stage the against-the-odds comeback, some heel chicanery (powder given to Jackson by Chicky) dragged him down and he fell victim to the false Cobra.  A pretty compelling match overall given that slow and gripping build to comeback.

EB: Next time on El Deporte de las Mil Emociones, we’re getting close to Aniversario 89, But before we get there, there’s a few more members of El Ejercito de la Justicia we need to meet. See who is trying to carry on the family legacy in Puerto Rico, as wrestling runs in these tecnicos' blood.

El Deporte de las Mil Emociones Master List