Retro Raunch Revisit

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the publication debut of MAX magazine (1985). The final print issue was July 1992 but the mag continued under a new name, BUST OUT (not to be confused with a similar titled BUSTIN' OUT) that debuted in Sept 1992 with a last issue appearing to be a 2002 Collector's Edition.


MARCH 1985 ON THE WORLD STAGE There is a new man in charge at the Kremlin -- Mikhail Gorbachev has taken over as de facto leader of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko. Chernenko, aged 73, died yesterday after a long illness but his death was only announced to the Russian people this morning. Sombre music preceded the news on radio & television, and scheduled programmes were cancelled. The speed of naming Mr. Gorbachev his successor -- at 54 the youngest man to take over as General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party -- has taken the majority of people by surprise. In another break with tradition, Gorbachev has announced arms talks with the Americans in Geneva will go ahead as planned. Chernenko lasted only 13 months in the top job and was already in poor health when he was appointed. His death was caused by heart failure brought on by problems with his lungs & liver. He is the third Soviet leader to die in just over 2yrs. Leonid Brezhnev died in Nov 1982, aged 75, after 18yrs in power (starting in Oct 1964). He was immediately followed by Yuri Andropov who died 18 months later in Feb 1984, aged 69. With the rapid-fire deaths, it is believed there were no remaining serious rivals left to challenge Gorbachev as a nominee. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will attend Chernenko's funeral while United States President Ronald Reagan will not be going. The BBC's Moscow correspondent, Tim Sebastian said, "Mr. Gorbachev's appointment marks a dramatic change in leadership in Moscow. He is a dynamic figure who has moved rapidly through the Soviet hierarchy and there seems little doubt the Gorbachev administration will look different. More outgoing, more approachable, more concerned with its public image. But its aims and its approach seem likely to be familiar for despite his lively & flexible manner, Gorbachev is still a strict, orthodox Marxist who in no sense has he shown himself to be a liberal." Gorbachev's acceptance speech gave a hint of the changes to come. He spoke of his desire to freeze the deployment of weapons and regarding de-escalation, to reduce the international nuclear missiles stockpiles significantly. Mrs. Thatcher has already indicated her approval at his appointment. Following his recent visit to Britain, she said, "I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together." On the heels of this, President Reagan is reported as also being very receptive to Gorbachev as he has sent a letter inviting him to Washington. The belief is that a new constructive relationship of foreign policy between Russia & the USA can be developed, and that strong new talks & agreements can take place involving nuclear disarmament.

Professional wrestling has grabbed the big time by the throat, smashing bad guys, trotting out big names and cashing in on its new trendyrising status at a sold out show in New York's famed Madison Square Garden. Muhammad Ali recalled his boxing glory days at Sunday's extravaganza, pianist Liberace high-kicked with the venue's Rockettes, and singer Cyndi Lauper regained her honor -- all before a national closed-circuit TV audience of 1 million people. Billed as "Wrestlemania," the event marked wrestling's hammerlock on hype, and its fad arrival, after years out of style, at the peak of chic. Rex Jones, a spokesman for the World Wrestling Federation show promoters said, "We're giving people what they want in sports entertainment: the chance to cheer for the good guys, boo the bad guys, have a couple of beers and let off a little steam." And the fans let it out in jets, filling the 21,000-seat Garden with hoots, hollers & screams for vengeance, all while downing beers and hoisting marker-scrawled and painted banners as spotlights swept the elevated wrestling ring. Viewers also packed the adjoining 5,000-seat Felt Forum for the pay-per-view broadcast, with publicist John Bailey saying the audiences also bought out the Nassau Coliseum. the Boston Garden and Philadelphia Spectrum. As he watched The Executioner kick Tito Santana repeatedly in the face during an early match, 12yr old Bobby Jakubowski of North Plainf ield, NJ said, "A lot of people like this. It goes back to Roman gladiator games." Whatever its roots, wrestling has put a grappling hold on fans across America. Four of the top 10 cable TV shows are wrestling programs, and Jones said his WWF is approaching $100 million in annual income. As well as leaping headlong into cable TV, wrestling has embraced rock n' roll performers such as Lauper to attract its new, young audience well familiar with music stars, and who themselves embody the MTV generation. It has also capitalized on the popularity of patriotism, pitting All-American types such as Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo against heels such as Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik, both of whom are drowned out by the volume of deafeningly loud jeering, and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" when Volkoff bellows a shaky rendition of the Soviet national anthem, and when the ever-disrespectful outrageous Sheik waves his Iranian flag with the Ayatollah Khomeini's face on it. With the added spice of grudge matches so intense they make the soap operas look like dishwater, the product is a heady mix of choreographed brutality, glamour, daredevil flying giants, highly-excitable screaming onlookers (in person or watching from home), and shameless hostile hypberbole from the fighters in mini-interviews where they insult & threaten upcoming opponents -- sometimes promising blood and more often, a vicious beating. Sunday's show was billed "as the single greatest sports entertainment presentation of all time." Jones added, "and we firmly believe that to be true." The scene was as grandiose as the promotion: larger than life, sweaty combatants heaving one another across the ring, staging brutal kicks & stomps as many in attentadance pelted them with paper cups & balled-up hot dog wrappers, and yelled for gore. At various points, clusters of the air were a bombardment of thrown debris. Mr. T who joined good guy champion Hulk Hogan in a tag team match said, "It's rough out there. Wrasslin' is not for no wimps." Hogan and Mr. T (who both co-starred in 'Rocky III' with Sylvester Stallone) bashed & defeated super arch-villain Rowdy Roddy Piper and his arrogant partner Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff in the eagerly anticipated main event, extracting punishment for the pair's beastly behaviour, savage comments & nasty criticism of Lauper, a wrestling aficianado (who has had women's champion Wendy Richter and manager Lou "Captain" Albano in her videos). All the animosity stems from a heated feud and a series of altercations beginning in 1984 as a partnership first dubbed "The Rock n' Wrestling Connection," a collaboration which saw the growing merger of the sport combined with pop culture. During the past week, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, and Saturday Night Live all promoted Wrestlemania on their late-night shows. Of the celebrity guests acting as officials, Ali was a referee and threw some punches when he joined briefly in a free-for-all on the mat. Liberace was a timekeeper, and New York Yankees manager Billy Martin was a ring announcer. Spectator Joseph Vafeades of Valley Stream, NY said overall, "It's good showmanship. They give you the excitement that you want. They get the adrenalin flowing." Accompanied by his wide-eyed 10yr old daughter Dawn Marie, he then stated of her, "She goes to school and practices the leg lock on her friends."