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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 6:52:31 GMT -5
Ok so I always liked ol Borga here......thought the guy had a great sense of presence and his physicality looked genuine. Seems Vince had big plans for him too.....He ended Tatankas streak & after two reversed wins over Razor for the IC title He suffered an ankle injury in January of 1994 and his appearance in the RR and win over Earthquake @ WMX were both cancelled. He left soon after citing pay/life on the road as the reason.
MANY speculate Borga was meant to be the wrecking machine that Diesel became in the 1994 RR.....but because of the injury Nash got the rub. Of course the perception that he was "not very pleasant to be around" may have hurt him backstage as well and he genuinely didn't seem to be well liked.
He is of course yet another wrestler who took his own life.
thoughts on Borga?
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Post by Brad on Jan 9, 2015 8:20:44 GMT -5
I don't have much memory of him other than I do remember liking something about him as a kid. Back in the days of wrestling on the trampoline with my wrestling buddies, I'd make believe that I was Borga and wrecking house.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jan 9, 2015 9:25:34 GMT -5
Ludvig Borgia is one of those performers who we really didn't see what he could really do. I am aware of his issues with alcohol and his suicide. He hid have an imposing look and presence. Considering he gave Tatanka is first televised loss, that was one of the most notable thing he did. At least Randy Couture can say he defeated Ludvig Borgia in the UFC.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 10:23:37 GMT -5
I think he could have been a great heel. AHe had a start/stop feud with Luger, so when Vince went with Bret, Borga sort of lost his purpose.
It didn't work out at all well for Tatanka.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 11:43:12 GMT -5
I remember a lot of talk about him but have only seen a couple matches. He's like a mini Brock Lesnar.
I actually had no idea he killed himself.
Remember Brakkus? He was like another Ludvig Borga who got a ton of hype but didn't last.
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Post by Grumpyoldman on Jan 9, 2015 12:13:16 GMT -5
I liked him. I thought he was going to be huge. But then I heard he wasn't too well liked backstage, and one of the main reasons is that he (supposedly) had a Swastika tattooed on his leg.
Didn't he end up in Parliament in Finland?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 12:35:16 GMT -5
I liked him. I thought he was going to be huge. But then I heard he wasn't too well liked backstage, and one of the main reasons is that he (supposedly) had a Swastika tattooed on his leg. Didn't he end up in Parliament in Finland? I believe he did(parliament & tattoo)....and although some said it was a source of consternation others have said he explained it straight away as a mistake of youth, kept it covered and most didn't care.....however he really should have gotten something done with it really...... he got one hell of a push in my Hasbro fed(he is one of my original Hasbros I still have in great condition)he must've went through nearly every babyface on route to dethroning Warrior for the belt.....he didn't beat Bret though because I wanted Hart to dethrone him after a long punishing reign. I even booked him to eliminate Hawk, Animal, Razor, Bossman, Bulldog & UT in one of my Royal Rumbles!!! now that's what you call a push!! |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jan 9, 2015 13:20:51 GMT -5
I didn't like Borga back then, but now that I am older and can appreciate what makes a good working wrestler, I have to say that Borga was pretty good.
He dominated Jannetty at SummerSlam, and then took out Tatanka; ending his streak which was crazy at the time!
His program with Luger was decent, and I am sure he was gonna take the IC Title eventually. I know the Royal Rumble had it booked with IRS vs. Razor for the IC Title, and Tatanka vs. Borga in a revenge match, but I am sure Razor vs. Borga would for sure have happened on TV since it was happening on Coliseum Video with the 'fake' IC Title win.
I did see the match with Rick Steiner vs. Ludvig Borga at the MSG "Royal Rumble" house show, and Borga was so crazy over as a heel (and Rick Steiner was crazy over too with the fans at that time) and it sucks that a simple botch in the ring and Borga messed up his WWE career.
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jan 9, 2015 15:32:15 GMT -5
There are so many unanswered questions about this guy.
He debuted in June of 1993 and was immediately put on the fast track to becoming a major player in the WWF. He crushed jobbers for a few months and at Summerslam he destroyed Marty Jannetty in a match where Borga didn't even leave his feet. Then, he was put into a main event feud with Lex Luger. In October, he became the first man to defeat Tatanka. I'm still pissed about that.
Sometime after Survivor Series, he injured his ankle in a match against one of the Steiner brothers. On commentary during the '94 Royal Rumble, Vince mentioned the injury explaining that Bam Bam Bigelow was Borga's replacement to face Tatanka. After that, he was never mentioned again.
The rumors that are most common say that Borga was supposed to win the WWF title and face Lex for the belt at Wrestlemania X. I am also curious why he never came back after his injury. It looked like they had big plans for him so my thinking is that something must have happened behind the scenes that resulted in him being gone for good.The gimmick of evil foreigner was nothing new, but Borga was a badass and I kind of liked him. His power/boxing style made him pretty unique during that time and the guy just looked like a tough bastard.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 15:37:03 GMT -5
There are so many unanswered questions about this guy. He debuted in June of 1993 and was immediately put on the fast track to becoming a major player in the WWF. He crushed jobbers for a few months and at Summerslam he destroyed Marty Jannetty in a match where Borga didn't even leave his feet. Then, he was put into a main event feud with Lex Luger. In October, he became the first man to defeat Tatanka. I'm still pissed about that. Sometime after Survivor Series, he injured his ankle in a match against one of the Steiner brothers. On commentary during the '94 Royal Rumble, Vince mentioned the injury explaining that Bam Bam Bigelow was Borga's replacement to face Tatanka. After that, he was never mentioned again. The rumors that are most common say that Borga was supposed to win the WWF title and face Lex for the belt at Wrestlemania X. I am also curious why he never came back after his injury. It looked like they had big plans for him so my thinking is that something must have happened behind the scenes that resulted in him being gone for good.The gimmick of evil foreigner was nothing new, but Borga was a badass and I kind of liked him. His power/boxing style made him pretty unique during that time and the guy just looked like a tough bastard. If you look on Borga's wikipedia page, there's a quote from Jim Ross stating that he was not well liked. |
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jan 9, 2015 15:55:05 GMT -5
There are so many unanswered questions about this guy. He debuted in June of 1993 and was immediately put on the fast track to becoming a major player in the WWF. He crushed jobbers for a few months and at Summerslam he destroyed Marty Jannetty in a match where Borga didn't even leave his feet. Then, he was put into a main event feud with Lex Luger. In October, he became the first man to defeat Tatanka. I'm still pissed about that. Sometime after Survivor Series, he injured his ankle in a match against one of the Steiner brothers. On commentary during the '94 Royal Rumble, Vince mentioned the injury explaining that Bam Bam Bigelow was Borga's replacement to face Tatanka. After that, he was never mentioned again. The rumors that are most common say that Borga was supposed to win the WWF title and face Lex for the belt at Wrestlemania X. I am also curious why he never came back after his injury. It looked like they had big plans for him so my thinking is that something must have happened behind the scenes that resulted in him being gone for good.The gimmick of evil foreigner was nothing new, but Borga was a badass and I kind of liked him. His power/boxing style made him pretty unique during that time and the guy just looked like a tough bastard. As far as Ludvig Borgia not being mentioned again, explain this (WrestleMania X Report-RAW 2.21.94):  Had Borgia stayed, I could have seen Lex Luger becoming WWF Champion at WrestleMania X and having a program with Borgia for the championship. |
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Post by speaktomeworriers on Jan 9, 2015 16:17:19 GMT -5
Rusev got nothing on him
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jan 9, 2015 17:20:17 GMT -5
There are so many unanswered questions about this guy. He debuted in June of 1993 and was immediately put on the fast track to becoming a major player in the WWF. He crushed jobbers for a few months and at Summerslam he destroyed Marty Jannetty in a match where Borga didn't even leave his feet. Then, he was put into a main event feud with Lex Luger. In October, he became the first man to defeat Tatanka. I'm still pissed about that. Sometime after Survivor Series, he injured his ankle in a match against one of the Steiner brothers. On commentary during the '94 Royal Rumble, Vince mentioned the injury explaining that Bam Bam Bigelow was Borga's replacement to face Tatanka. After that, he was never mentioned again. The rumors that are most common say that Borga was supposed to win the WWF title and face Lex for the belt at Wrestlemania X. I am also curious why he never came back after his injury. It looked like they had big plans for him so my thinking is that something must have happened behind the scenes that resulted in him being gone for good.The gimmick of evil foreigner was nothing new, but Borga was a badass and I kind of liked him. His power/boxing style made him pretty unique during that time and the guy just looked like a tough bastard. As far as Ludvig Borgia not being mentioned again, explain this (WrestleMania X Report-RAW 2.21.94): Had Borgia stayed, I could have seen Lex Luger becoming WWF Champion at WrestleMania X and having a program with Borgia for the championship. I definitely remember reading about that potential match in WWF magazine. But I'm almost certain that Borga never appeared on TV after his ankle injury prior to the Rumble in January. I guess they weren't sure if he was coming back or not. |
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jan 9, 2015 19:52:25 GMT -5
TheEvilDoink1987, this was Ludvig Borga's last televised match: WWF @ Fayetteville, NC - Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium - January 12, 1994WWF Superstars taping:
2/12/94Ludvig Borga defeated Jason Voltaire Source: www.thehistoryofwwe.com/94.htmOn the WrestleMania X Report on the February 28th, 1994 RAW, it was switched from Earthquake/Ludvig Borga to Earthquake/Adam Bomb.
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Hem-Ridge
Superstar
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Post by Hem-Ridge on Jan 9, 2015 22:21:48 GMT -5
Watching some of his matches, he actually wasn't half bad. I think one of Cesaro's (the throw opponent in the air to uppercut) was done by Borga. I've also seen some of matches from Japan where he mainly worked with Vader. His style was pretty damn stiff looking.
I find it funny watching him in films like Die Hard: With a Vengeance & the rubbish Fist of the North Star film. Certainly was a nutter though.
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Post by Mr. Old School™ on Jan 10, 2015 0:52:59 GMT -5
I really enjoyed Ludvig Borga's WWF tenure. I thought he was great. I wish the decision of him winning the I-C title from Razor Ramon would've stuck, but it wasn't meant to be. I'm SO glad he got an action figure and I still have it MOC to this day. It's a rare one to get, that's for sure.
I really liked his entrance theme too. Nikolai Volkoff used it for the WrestleMania X-Seven Gimmick Battle Royal.
It's just sad he committed suicide. He should still be alive today.
R.I.P. Tony Halme a.k.a. Ludvig Borga
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jan 10, 2015 2:24:28 GMT -5
Watching some of his matches, he actually wasn't half bad. I think one of Cesaro's (the throw opponent in the air to uppercut) was done by Borga. I've also seen some of matches from Japan where he mainly worked with Vader. His style was pretty damn stiff looking. I find it funny watching him in films like Die Hard: With a Vengeance & the rubbish Fist of the North Star film. Certainly was a nutter though. Cesaro actually said on Chris Jericho's podcast that he grew up being a fan of Ludvig Borga and took his move of throwing his opponent in the air and giving him the uppercut instead of the punch to the stomach or chest. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2015 6:24:52 GMT -5
Watching some of his matches, he actually wasn't half bad. I think one of Cesaro's (the throw opponent in the air to uppercut) was done by Borga. I've also seen some of matches from Japan where he mainly worked with Vader. His style was pretty damn stiff looking. I find it funny watching him in films like Die Hard: With a Vengeance & the rubbish Fist of the North Star film. Certainly was a nutter though. Cesaro actually said on Chris Jericho's podcast that he grew up being a fan of Ludvig Borga and took his move of throwing his opponent in the air and giving him the uppercut instead of the punch to the stomach or chest. Cesaro's very Borga-like, I've thought it quite often. |
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Post by Hulk Who? on Jan 10, 2015 7:43:57 GMT -5
I thought he was pretty damn good, good bad ass presence, I remember him coming across as legit scary to me. He fit in great with Yoko and the Quebecers as the Foreign Fanatics, always loved these promo pics.   |
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jan 10, 2015 8:04:15 GMT -5
I thought he was pretty damn good, good bad ass presence, I remember him coming across as legit scary to me. He fit in great with Yoko and the Quebecers as the Foreign Fanatics, always loved these promo pics. I love those hand-drawn posters! One of the very first times I went to the video store to rent a wrestling tape, that was the cover that immediately stuck out to me. I probably rented the '93 Survivor Series about twenty times as a kid. It still breaks my heart that my dude Tatanka was taken out of the main event. That spot Borga did where he tossed the guy into the air then punched him in the gut on the way down always looked sick. Marty Jannetty took it like a champ and did a great job making Borga look awesome in their Summerslam match. He bumped and sold like crazy. Borga doesn't leave his feet the entire match. Back to the posters, once The Undertaker replaced Tatanka they revised the ad. The version with Undertaker alongside the All-Americans was the one that made the VHS cover. I always wished they would've updated the Foreign Fanatics poster to include Crush since he ended up taking Pierre's spot. |
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