------------------------------
With my long-time friends The Guererros,
Eddie (l) and Chavo, Jr.(r). This was taken at my old
gym, "Extreme U," shortly before I had the privilege
of attending Chavo's wedding.
------------------------------
Over the years, UPW has "cast" many
WWE commercials. On set here...(l-r Top Row)
Bradshaw, Edge, Ricky Reyes, Kane,Tom Howard, Frankie
Kazarian, Matt Hardy (l-r Bottom Row) Rick Bassman,
------------------------------
A "concept" group --this one called
"The Foreign Power" (enlarge photo to see what I'm
talking about!)-- I put together when the then WWF was thinking
hard about bringing in mixed martial arts legends. (l-r OlegTaktarov,
me, Marco Ruas, Bas Rutten. 3 of the nicest --and
baddest-- men on the planet. Each has gone on to success
in the publishing and theatrical fields.
------------------------------
Backstage at
UPW, with Jeff & Matt
Hardy, Juventud Guererra and RVD.
------------------------------
With Mark "The Hammer" Coleman
and Mark "The Specimen" Kerr, this was taken
back when Mark & Mark, along with Tom Howard and Kevin
Randleman, were living up in San Clemente with me.
Production on the now (in)famous HBO Documentary "The
Smashing Machine" began during this time.
-----------------------------
With long-time friend and one of my first
"clients" in the pro wrestling business, the great
Rey Mysterio, Jr.
------------------------------
Backstage at UPW's 5th Anniversary Show with Evan
Marriott, Tom Howard, Ken Shamrock, Sylvester
"Predator" Terkay and Stefan Gamlin.
-------------------------------
Photo shoot
for the VHS/DVD cover of our Discovery Channel
special. (l-r) Just inSane, Big Schwag, Sadyst, me,
Aaron "Jesus" Aguilera, Looney Lane, John Cena.
-------------------------------------
At the Grove, July 31, 2004
(l-r) Frankie Kazarian,
Rikishi, Konnan, Chyna, Predator, Me, Diamond Dallas Page,
Psicosis
------------------------------------------
With
the one and only Antonio Inoki.
|
Rick
Bassman
Birthdate: November
20
Height:
5'5" / 165.1 cm
Weight: 138
lbs. /
62.5
kg
Hometown: Los
Angeles, CA
Wrestling
Inspirations: Bruno
Sammartino, John Tolos, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Tom Howard
Finishing
Move: Airplane spin (not
really a "finishing move;") a metal clipboard
over-the-head (what else!?!?)
Favorite
Quote: Life's
circumstances mean very little, if anything at all;
attitude is everything!
Comments:
Excerpted
from Rick's interview with the UPW Webmaster:
"I've
had all of 4 'matches" to date -- if could call them
that. The first against Tommy Williams, aka 'Funky
Billy Kim," in what was also his debut match.
We 'wrestled' in front of more than 1000 people at
Capistrano High School and it was God-awful
terrible. All to my "credit," as Tommy has
gone on to become a phenomenal worker and I have gone on
to become, how do you say it? Well, not a
worker. All I can say is thank God for two later
matches in UPW --which shall remain nameless -- which has
reduced my debut from worst match in UPW history to third
worst. Next up was a stipulation where I got 2
minutes with Roland Alexander. Trying to get him up
for an airplane spin, I actually tore my right glute.
It was what it was. (And it was far less than good) Third
was the match I'm far and away proudest of, against Pete
Doyle for '100% control of UPW' at our 5th Anniversary
show. Pete and I worked very hard getting ready for
this, and while it will never be considered a 'match of
the year' candidate, or for that matter, 'match of the
moment,' nonetheless, I felt like what we accomplished
what we set out to accomplish, which was to add just a
little extra drama to an awesome night. When Vince
came up on the big screen after the match to offer his
congratulations to UPW for making it to 5 years and when I
actually heard some fans cheer, it sent chills up and down
my spine. The type I'm thrilled I got to experience even once
in a lifetime. Just a few months later, I had the
privilege of going 'one on one' with the great Shinya
Hashimoto. Standing across from him in the ring at
the legendary Korakuen Hall, I has a different kind of chills, the kind
I guess that are equated with pure fear. Even though
the match itself never got off the ground, I'll always
cherish the photo in Japan's Weekly Magazine where we
faced off against one another from across the ring. I
never thought that at 42, I'd actually get the bug to get
in the ring and mix it up. There's so much I'd like
to do still but I can't imagine my body will hold up much
longer. I would be more than happy to end my 'in
ring career' with my two dream matches -- an all-midget
Battle Royal (I could don a wig and be 'Mini Big
Show" and most of all, my absolute, above-all-else
DREAM MATCH...me Vs the legendary Jim Cornette...as my
idols the Gracies like to say...'Anytime, Anyplace,
Anywhere. You
never know what the future will bring. I just feel
blessed to have kept the company of the greats I've got to
meet and hang with and to have lived the life I've
lived." My greatest appreciation goes out
to the fans of UPW, of Southern California, and pro
wrestling fans everywhere, and to the workers of UPW, both
in the ring and behind the scenes, who have made this all
possible. 
My favorite move -- the
airplane spin!
This time Bill Goldberg falls victim.
-------------------------------------------------
BIO:
From the earliest days of Ultimate Pro Wrestling, Rick
Bassman has let the fans and the wrestlers know that HE
holds the ULTIMATE POWER in UPW.
Rick's shown his authority
in numerous ways throughout the history of UPW - from the
early days -- smashing a clipboard over the head of
Sylvester "The Escapee", to forcing Funky Billy
Kim and Troubled Youth to wrestle under the dubious name
"Jobbers-R-Us", to stripping "Mad Dog"
Mike Bell of his UPW championship, to the present times,
which included his victory (as a fan favorite no less!)
over Pete Doyle at UPW's historic 5th Anniversary Show to
retain sole control of UPW.
Old
School! My first foray into the pro wrestling world,
with the original "Powerteam USA." That's
me in the middle, with hair and that groovy red tie. To my
left, Garland Donahoe and Mark Miller.
To my left, none other than Sting and The
Ultimate Warrior, each of whom I discovered in 1985. Behind the scenes, Rick
has taken UPW and Ultimate University from a fledgling
wrestling school, to one of the most notable professional wrestling organizations in the
world. Highlights for Rick and UPW over the years:
* Signing over twenty
people to the WWF/WWE.
* Sending over
50 UPW
wrestlers to compete at Zero-One in Japan.
* Winning the UPW vs. NFL
Toughman Competition.
* Featuring UPW/UU in
several documentaries, including highly rated 1-hour
specials on The Discovery Channel and The Learning
Channel.
* Landing his clients
hundreds roles on commercials, feature films, and TV shows.
*Seeing UPW
DVDs on the shelves of Wal-Mart, Target and other major
retailers
-----------------------------------------------
With original UPW Vixens, Carnidge,
Savvy, Looney Lane & Miss Delicious
----------------------------------------
My "match" with
the legendary Shinya Hashimoto at Tokyo's famed
Korakuen Hall.
------------------------------------------------
With Nathan Jones,
Predator, Tom Howard & Stefan Gamlin at the "Roppongi
Cross" in Tokyo.
-------------------------------------------------
 
Battling with Pete
Doyle for sole control of UPW at our 5th Anniversary
Show. With Marty Rubalcaba, post-victory, watching Vince
McMahon on the big screen as he congratulates UPW on
its 5th!
|
