''Learning the Ropes'' is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

in Canada and in syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series stars Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall, a teacher who works as a professional wrestler in the evening. Although his children knew about Randall's double life, the family was forced to keep it secret at school. The series featured guest appearances by many wrestlers of the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA). The sitcom was shot in Toronto.

Synopsis

''Learning the Ropes'' follows a single father who works as a private school teacher and vice principal, and also moonlights as a professional wrestler. Robert Randall, played by retired National Football League

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

Lyle Alzado, would balance day to day problems with his students and with his kids Ellen, played by Nicole Stoffman and Mark, portrayed by Yannick Bisson. Randall had an ex-wife who was enrolled in a law school in London, leaving him to raise the children by himself. He worked as a wrestler to help pay his bills, but was forced by his school's principal to keep his second job a secret. Randall's children and the people he worked with at the wrestling shows knew about his teaching job, however. The show also featured the relationship between Randall and Carol Dixon, one of his fellow teachers. Dixon, who was the niece of Principal Whitcomb Mallory, was attracted to Randall and frequently pursued him. Each episode featured several minutes of footage of

wrestlers competing in the ring, including

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

, Tully Blanchard, Ronnie Garvin, and The Road Warriors. In wrestling segments filmed for the sitcom, Randall's character (known as the rulebreaking "Masked Maniac") was played by real-life wrestler Steve Williams. During the filming of the show, Williams sustained some legitimate injuries, including a blown knee and a cut that required 39 stitches. He has referred to his pay from the show as "the most painful $2,000" that he ever earned. Randall was not a successful wrestler, competing as a

jobber to the stars In professional wrestling slang, a job is a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect information related to kayfabe from being revealed. The term can be used a numbe ...

. The show premiered in October 1988 and ran for one season, totaling 26 episodes. It was created by Ed Self and directed by Alan Erlich. The show's connection to the National Wrestling Alliance allowed for cross-promotion, and Alzado appeared on the NWA's Clash of the Champions II event to discuss and promote the sitcom. It has been inducted on the WrestleCrap website, which bills itself as a collection of the "very worst of pro wrestling".

Cast

* Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall * Steve Williams (as Steve 'Dr. Death' Williams) as The Masked Maniac * Yannick Bisson as Mark Randall * Nicole Stoffman as Ellen Randall * Cheryl Wilson as Carol Dixon * Richard W. Farrell as Principal Whitcomb Mallory * Barry Stevens as Dr. Jerry Larson * Jacqueline Mahon as Beth * Gordon Michael Woolvett as Brad * Grant Cowan as Bertie Baxter * Jefferson Mappin as Cheetah * Kevin Rushton as Q Ball The show would also feature actual wrestlers from the

. In each episode there would be matches involving such wrestling stars as

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

, Lex Luger,

Hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

and Animal of The Road Warriors, Ron Simmons, Dick Murdoch and many more.

Stations

References

External links

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Retro Junk
{{Jim Crockett Promotions 1988 Canadian television series debuts 1989 Canadian television series endings 1980s Canadian sitcoms English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series about educators Television series about single parent families Television series about teenagers