What a wild & wooly weekend it was, folks, in both the mainstream entertainment & pro wrestling worlds...so without further ado, although there was very little previous ado, lets roll the videotape!
FACTS OF LIFE STAR-LESBIAN!- When I first read this headline on one of the various websites, my heart started to race...could it be? Is this even possible?
Then, I started trying to break down the possibilities before reading the article- which one is most likely to, ehrm, share my tendencies?
Blair- snotty blonde, spoiled rotten, daddys girl- wouldn't happen. As close as she would have got was a drunken college kiss.
Tootie- cute little taste of caramel, loved the roller skates- I definitely got the impression, however, that she wasn't too interested in her housemates.
Natalie- chunky, nerdy, & insecure- there was a slight chance there, just out of lack of options, but, after the episode where she lost her viginity, she was pretty well a lock to stay with him, again, most likely due to lack of options.
JO- this is where my money was- tough, tomboyish, motorcycle rider, pretty yet rugged. Could easily envision her w ALL the other girls on the show, plus the females members of HEAD OF THE CLASS.
No brainer.
Chaz Bono- wasn't on show. no longer a female, so technically disqualified.
MOLLY RINGWALD?!- no dice.
Imagine my surprise when it was revealed that ,Geri, the cerebral palsy- inflicted cousin of Blair, was revealed, in her new autobiography, that SHE is, in fact, a lesbian.
I'm gonna throw my red beanbag here & for a review- does she truly count? Didn't she appear in like 5 episodes over the entire run? Not to mention, what a letdown.....plus, I refuse to make jokes about someone who has had to overcome so many real obstacles in her life.
************************************************
I, and likely about 5,000 others, tuned in this past saturday night to a somewhat lost genre, of the "has been in a low budget film " ilk , as 80's pop stars Debbie Gibson & Tiffany joined forces to create the SyFy "Original" film, Gatoroid vs Mega Python!!!!
Heres my quick & candid thoughts on this instant classic:
1) the special effects were, in a word, riveting- I literally felt like the Mega Python was literally about to jump thru the tv screen
2) former daytime star A Martinez was about as credible as Father Guido Sarducci.
3) Debbie Gibson needs to eat a few meals
4) Tiffany could stand to eat a few fewer meals
5) Mickey Dolantz of the Monkees looked like Joe Cocker
I understand a sequel may be in the works- God, I hope!
*****************************************************
Finally folks, Alberto Del Rio, Mexican superstar, &, as you may recall, one of my odds on favorites, won the annual WWE Royal Rumble, thus securing himself a world championship shot at Wrestlemania.
Del Rio increasingly became my favorite in recent weeks, due to his constant losses & embarassments at the hands of Shawn Michaels, R Truth, & others.
The WWE hand is know starting to show for Wrestlemania, and thus far, its shaping up like this:
World Title: Edge vs Del Rio
WWE title: Miz vs. Cena
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Based on tv from this past friday, I'm pretty confident that Rhodes will soon, as in probably this week, start working in a mask, to "protect" his face, which is a nice touch to a program between the two.
Cena & Miz is an obvious direction, as is Orton vs. Punk. No surprises here.
Very surprised, however, that Triple H DID NOT return last night-
Also very surprised that Kevin Nash, in his frist WWE appearance in 6plus years, didn't blow out a knee or tear a quad during his 75 seconds of actual participation in the Royal Rumble.
Welcome back Booker T! Always entertaining, SUCKA!
Of course, the big loser this week was TNA, who were set to bring both Nash & Booker back this week as part of their latest incarnation of the "THEY" deal. Who will "THEY" be now?
Always a bad idea to tip your hand publicly as to what your plans are, not sign the talent to a contract before the information leaks, then have a billionaire rival promoter snatch up the two guys you earmarked for the spot just because he can....
Already word is going around that Nash may be working behind the scenes, potentially in creative....um, uh, great idea, guys!
Booker may be used as an announcer, or as a manager- I'm not sure how either position may fit his talents, but I certainly don't blame him for snagging the paycheck.
**********************************************
So until next time
SSS
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A Flair for the Broke
"Snowmageddon 2011!" is now in the books, and after an evening/afternoon of snow removal, I can safely say that I could care less if I see another flake of snow until next year- I'm not big on manual labor, but I enjoy FREE manual labor even less.....
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair is once again in the headlines this week, after demanding a cash advance during the TNA tour stop in Dublin,Ireland. When he was denied his request, he refused to get on the tour bus going to the next tour stop in Germany.
I try to never pass judgement on stories such as these, but it seems to have been verified by enough people that it is, at least, mostly true.
Ric Flair is one of my true wrestling heroes- his work,his interviews, his style epitomized what I ( and alot of others) thought to be the best of wrestling as a kid- he was so good, in fact, that all the way into my 30's, I believed Flair was the richest athlete in the world ( an exaggeration, but I think you know what I mean)
But theres a certain sadness in reading reports that a 62 year old man, who has earned millions in his career, is trying to borrow money from the other talent on the tour, demanding advances from his bosses, & being unable to fulfill his promise to pick up the entire crews bar bill because his Credit Cards are maxed out.
This isn't a judgement against Ric Flair- I'm not qualified to judge anybody, especially with my track record- but theres some serious psychological issues at play here, & our hero may need more help than anyone can give him.
I remember a few years back, watching the much talked about Mickey Rourke movie, The Wrestler. While a good film, most people I knew compared Rourke's character, Randy The Ram, to another of our business' casualties, Jake "The Snake" Roberts. While there were certainly parallels, I thought the character more closely resembled Ric Flair. Especially the 2009-2011 Ric Flair, not only in the ring, but out.
I have heard Flair say numerous times in interviews that there is "no money in being Richard Fleihr" ( his real name) but plenty in being Ric Flair- which is what, I assume, compels a man of his age to continue to wear expensive clothing, pricey watches, run up huge bar tabs, run with much younger women (god, all this sounds so fun) etc.- even though he can no longer afford to do so.
But the real issue here is the mans personal belief that Richard Fleihr has no value- so, to retain any level of self esteem, he has to continue to live a charade for which he can no longer pay.
Apparently, this lifestyle has lead to numerous conflicts with his oldest & dearest friends, reneging on business agreements, & selling personal memorabilia for pennies on the dollar to satiate the craving to be the "Nature Boy".
I'm personally quite concerned that we haven't yet heard the last chapter of Flair's story, and that the future chapters will get even worse....
To his credit, however, Flair did indeed show up for his commitments, and apparently apologized publicly to the TNA boys for his behavior. One can only hope.....
Until next time....
SSS
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair is once again in the headlines this week, after demanding a cash advance during the TNA tour stop in Dublin,Ireland. When he was denied his request, he refused to get on the tour bus going to the next tour stop in Germany.
I try to never pass judgement on stories such as these, but it seems to have been verified by enough people that it is, at least, mostly true.
Ric Flair is one of my true wrestling heroes- his work,his interviews, his style epitomized what I ( and alot of others) thought to be the best of wrestling as a kid- he was so good, in fact, that all the way into my 30's, I believed Flair was the richest athlete in the world ( an exaggeration, but I think you know what I mean)
But theres a certain sadness in reading reports that a 62 year old man, who has earned millions in his career, is trying to borrow money from the other talent on the tour, demanding advances from his bosses, & being unable to fulfill his promise to pick up the entire crews bar bill because his Credit Cards are maxed out.
This isn't a judgement against Ric Flair- I'm not qualified to judge anybody, especially with my track record- but theres some serious psychological issues at play here, & our hero may need more help than anyone can give him.
I remember a few years back, watching the much talked about Mickey Rourke movie, The Wrestler. While a good film, most people I knew compared Rourke's character, Randy The Ram, to another of our business' casualties, Jake "The Snake" Roberts. While there were certainly parallels, I thought the character more closely resembled Ric Flair. Especially the 2009-2011 Ric Flair, not only in the ring, but out.
I have heard Flair say numerous times in interviews that there is "no money in being Richard Fleihr" ( his real name) but plenty in being Ric Flair- which is what, I assume, compels a man of his age to continue to wear expensive clothing, pricey watches, run up huge bar tabs, run with much younger women (god, all this sounds so fun) etc.- even though he can no longer afford to do so.
But the real issue here is the mans personal belief that Richard Fleihr has no value- so, to retain any level of self esteem, he has to continue to live a charade for which he can no longer pay.
Apparently, this lifestyle has lead to numerous conflicts with his oldest & dearest friends, reneging on business agreements, & selling personal memorabilia for pennies on the dollar to satiate the craving to be the "Nature Boy".
I'm personally quite concerned that we haven't yet heard the last chapter of Flair's story, and that the future chapters will get even worse....
To his credit, however, Flair did indeed show up for his commitments, and apparently apologized publicly to the TNA boys for his behavior. One can only hope.....
Until next time....
SSS
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Pleased to announce that, after already losing my $20 in this years office NFL playoff picks, I finally got a few predictions right, as my selections for BOTH the NFC & AFC Championship games came true.
Now, Super Bowl Predictions: The Black Eyed Peas will suck the life out of halftime, & for that matter, LIFE, & Pittsburgh, much to my chagrin, will defeat the Packers.
************************************
I am so uninspired by WWE tv that I'm likely to skip the Royal Rumble this year, despite the marketing ploy that its "Bigger" this year, with an added 10 participants thrown into the mix.
Making something bigger doesn't make it better, and this is another attempt to cover a knife wound with a bandaid- instead of addressing the obvious flaws in the "writing" ( and God, how I hate that term) they tack on 10 more entrys to make you think it the most important Rumble ever.
I'm certainly glad for the guys who get the additional payoff that the 2nd biggest show of the year brings, but, as I heard one person say, adding 10 guys who you KNOW have no shot of winning just saturates the event itself. Very True.
As previously noted, its not necessarily about WHAT you do, its HOW you do it, that entices the paying fan to shell out $45 to watch a given event-and WWE, formerly the masters at this approach, have clearly lost their touch.
How else can you explain wasting 2 hours the week before your 2nd biggest show of the year having 3 girls fight over a preliminary wrestler ( all apologies to Daniel Bryan, who is a great worker,but his position is of a underneath guy; no disrespect intended AT ALL) , having the World Champion qualify for the final spot in the Rumble ( aren't all participants vying for a shot at the title that he already holds?) & having John Cena making rectum jokes & mugging for the cameras again, ala Bill Cosby in his old Coke & Jell-O Pudding Pops commercials.
There's literally nothing to sink your teeth into from a episodic television perspective, and thats why, every year, the buyrates drop- I'm just waiting for them to blame the always stimulating Pro Bowl for this years drop in buyrates...WTF ever.
*************************************************
New to the list of " Do's & Dont's" in wrestling: never stand outside the curtain,while the card is going on, signing autographs. It distracts from whats going on in the ring, & it just reeks of unprofessionalism & poor grasp of wrestling ettiquette. It is, in general, disrespectful & inappropriate. During intermission & after the card is the proper time & place for the fans- we need them, so they deserve respect- but you need to know when & where. But then again, if you haven't been taught, how can you expect to learn?
*************************************************
CPW will kick off 2011 at the Old Keyser Fire Hall this saturday night, Jan 29, at 730 pm, with a CPW title match featuring Hyjinx vs Bill Bain, and a Pole Battle Royale as the headline matches. The Fire Hall is a great place to watch live wrestling, since its a tight room with no sight obstructions. The building is slated to be torn down sometime this spring, which will conclude a big piece of CPW's history when it happens- CPW first started doing events there in February 2003, and has done a minimum of 5 events per year there since, with a period of almost monthly shows from 2004-2007.
I hope to see you there.
*************************************************
I posted something ridiculous on my Facebook wall yesterday, talking about my families "big secret"- that, of course, was to poke fun at the worlds foremost media whore, Ms Oprah Winfrey, and her ridiculous announcement of her families "big secret", that she has a sister,given up for adoption 50 plus years ago, that she just met over Thanksgiving.
Lets be honest here- who gives a shit? This was just another in a long line of headline hogging grabs by a multi millionare media master whose main talent seems to be her ability to make a whole lot of people believe shes "just like them"- got news, Oprah: people make discoveries everyday about their families,their pasts, etc- the big difference here is that the rest of us don't send out an APB to the world to announce every little detail about our lives; Moreover, alot of hard working folks donate their time & money to charities & causes- and unlike you, we don't have the ability to roll out a camera crew & film it to show on our network. If you really want most of us to believe your so benevolent, try doing something without shooting it from 5 angles, & without bringing the staff reporters from US magazine & People.
So until next time.....
SSS
Now, Super Bowl Predictions: The Black Eyed Peas will suck the life out of halftime, & for that matter, LIFE, & Pittsburgh, much to my chagrin, will defeat the Packers.
************************************
I am so uninspired by WWE tv that I'm likely to skip the Royal Rumble this year, despite the marketing ploy that its "Bigger" this year, with an added 10 participants thrown into the mix.
Making something bigger doesn't make it better, and this is another attempt to cover a knife wound with a bandaid- instead of addressing the obvious flaws in the "writing" ( and God, how I hate that term) they tack on 10 more entrys to make you think it the most important Rumble ever.
I'm certainly glad for the guys who get the additional payoff that the 2nd biggest show of the year brings, but, as I heard one person say, adding 10 guys who you KNOW have no shot of winning just saturates the event itself. Very True.
As previously noted, its not necessarily about WHAT you do, its HOW you do it, that entices the paying fan to shell out $45 to watch a given event-and WWE, formerly the masters at this approach, have clearly lost their touch.
How else can you explain wasting 2 hours the week before your 2nd biggest show of the year having 3 girls fight over a preliminary wrestler ( all apologies to Daniel Bryan, who is a great worker,but his position is of a underneath guy; no disrespect intended AT ALL) , having the World Champion qualify for the final spot in the Rumble ( aren't all participants vying for a shot at the title that he already holds?) & having John Cena making rectum jokes & mugging for the cameras again, ala Bill Cosby in his old Coke & Jell-O Pudding Pops commercials.
There's literally nothing to sink your teeth into from a episodic television perspective, and thats why, every year, the buyrates drop- I'm just waiting for them to blame the always stimulating Pro Bowl for this years drop in buyrates...WTF ever.
*************************************************
New to the list of " Do's & Dont's" in wrestling: never stand outside the curtain,while the card is going on, signing autographs. It distracts from whats going on in the ring, & it just reeks of unprofessionalism & poor grasp of wrestling ettiquette. It is, in general, disrespectful & inappropriate. During intermission & after the card is the proper time & place for the fans- we need them, so they deserve respect- but you need to know when & where. But then again, if you haven't been taught, how can you expect to learn?
*************************************************
CPW will kick off 2011 at the Old Keyser Fire Hall this saturday night, Jan 29, at 730 pm, with a CPW title match featuring Hyjinx vs Bill Bain, and a Pole Battle Royale as the headline matches. The Fire Hall is a great place to watch live wrestling, since its a tight room with no sight obstructions. The building is slated to be torn down sometime this spring, which will conclude a big piece of CPW's history when it happens- CPW first started doing events there in February 2003, and has done a minimum of 5 events per year there since, with a period of almost monthly shows from 2004-2007.
I hope to see you there.
*************************************************
I posted something ridiculous on my Facebook wall yesterday, talking about my families "big secret"- that, of course, was to poke fun at the worlds foremost media whore, Ms Oprah Winfrey, and her ridiculous announcement of her families "big secret", that she has a sister,given up for adoption 50 plus years ago, that she just met over Thanksgiving.
Lets be honest here- who gives a shit? This was just another in a long line of headline hogging grabs by a multi millionare media master whose main talent seems to be her ability to make a whole lot of people believe shes "just like them"- got news, Oprah: people make discoveries everyday about their families,their pasts, etc- the big difference here is that the rest of us don't send out an APB to the world to announce every little detail about our lives; Moreover, alot of hard working folks donate their time & money to charities & causes- and unlike you, we don't have the ability to roll out a camera crew & film it to show on our network. If you really want most of us to believe your so benevolent, try doing something without shooting it from 5 angles, & without bringing the staff reporters from US magazine & People.
So until next time.....
SSS
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Special Occasion
It has been a few days, due to limited time & internet access at work,and honestly, a real lack of things that I wanted to talk about...I think sometimes the fun can run out of doing a thing like a blog if you feel as though you're obligated to talk about something, instead of just talking about the things about which you have formed an opinion.
NFL WEEKEND PREDICTION: since I did so well in the pool at work on playoff weekend 1 ( a perfect 0-4) I figured I'd give it a shot now that the pool is narrowed down to 2 games:
Green Bay over Chicago , & Pittsburgh over Jets. Personally,I'm indifferent to the NFC game, even though I dislike neither & was a Bears fans as a kid ( loved the Super Bowl Shuffle...:) But DEFINITELY want Jets to beat the Steelers....Its rare when any teams fans are more arrogant & obnoxious than any NY team, but Pittsburgh gets the nod in this catagory.
**********************************
On January 22,1993, I tag teamed with Shane Shoemaker to face the tandem of Nate Mcclung & Doug Grubb in front of about 400 people in the old livestock arena in Boonsboro,Md.
Last night, on January 22,2011, in front of about 200 people at the Civic Center in Ranson,Wv, I officially kicked off my 19th year in wrestling, with a very unique & special bonus: my oldest son, Jeffrey, wrestled his first pro match. We now have the distinction of wrestling our respective first matches on the same date!
I remember when I started having a conversation with my brother Shawn, who is the person most responsible for me becoming a fan at the age of 8- he told me that one of two things would happen: I'd either stay in it forever, or I would see all its (wrestlings) flaws, learn to hate it, & walk away from it, as both a participant & fan, forever.
I am proud to say, even after all these years, its still the former & not the latter- I love an audience, I love the action, but most of all, I love the people who come up to me during intermission, talking about how they remember me doing this or that at various events over the years- you can't help but be proud of something like that, and I definitely am. Its been my honor to entertain you all.
I've never been a big star, never made big money, & that isn't likely to happen at this stage on my life- but I followed my dream, made a few bucks, met & befriended some great people I would have likely never met otherwise, been to some towns so small they don't appear on maps,& had a great time doing it- and I'm not gonna stop anytime soon!
My son has refereed since he was 16 years old, and has become quite good, in my unbiased opinion; last night, he did quite well for a young man with about 3 days of actual wrestling training- even though, in all reality, hes kinda been training & preparing for this moment his entire life.....and, nervous as he was, when his moment came, he made the most it- which all any of us can do.
Special thanks to the good Doctor, Doc Gregory, for his assistance in getting Jeff ready for this moment- you really took one for the team, brother! :)
So, until next time...
SSS
NFL WEEKEND PREDICTION: since I did so well in the pool at work on playoff weekend 1 ( a perfect 0-4) I figured I'd give it a shot now that the pool is narrowed down to 2 games:
Green Bay over Chicago , & Pittsburgh over Jets. Personally,I'm indifferent to the NFC game, even though I dislike neither & was a Bears fans as a kid ( loved the Super Bowl Shuffle...:) But DEFINITELY want Jets to beat the Steelers....Its rare when any teams fans are more arrogant & obnoxious than any NY team, but Pittsburgh gets the nod in this catagory.
**********************************
On January 22,1993, I tag teamed with Shane Shoemaker to face the tandem of Nate Mcclung & Doug Grubb in front of about 400 people in the old livestock arena in Boonsboro,Md.
Last night, on January 22,2011, in front of about 200 people at the Civic Center in Ranson,Wv, I officially kicked off my 19th year in wrestling, with a very unique & special bonus: my oldest son, Jeffrey, wrestled his first pro match. We now have the distinction of wrestling our respective first matches on the same date!
I remember when I started having a conversation with my brother Shawn, who is the person most responsible for me becoming a fan at the age of 8- he told me that one of two things would happen: I'd either stay in it forever, or I would see all its (wrestlings) flaws, learn to hate it, & walk away from it, as both a participant & fan, forever.
I am proud to say, even after all these years, its still the former & not the latter- I love an audience, I love the action, but most of all, I love the people who come up to me during intermission, talking about how they remember me doing this or that at various events over the years- you can't help but be proud of something like that, and I definitely am. Its been my honor to entertain you all.
I've never been a big star, never made big money, & that isn't likely to happen at this stage on my life- but I followed my dream, made a few bucks, met & befriended some great people I would have likely never met otherwise, been to some towns so small they don't appear on maps,& had a great time doing it- and I'm not gonna stop anytime soon!
My son has refereed since he was 16 years old, and has become quite good, in my unbiased opinion; last night, he did quite well for a young man with about 3 days of actual wrestling training- even though, in all reality, hes kinda been training & preparing for this moment his entire life.....and, nervous as he was, when his moment came, he made the most it- which all any of us can do.
Special thanks to the good Doctor, Doc Gregory, for his assistance in getting Jeff ready for this moment- you really took one for the team, brother! :)
So, until next time...
SSS
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Alex Shelley & Improv
Not alot really going on on any fronts the last few days, other than the report that Alex Shelley of the Motor City Machine Guns broke his collarbone during their match vs. Generation Me this past sunday in Hagerstown,Md.
I thought something was amiss, just based on the way Shelley held his arm & the expression on his face. However, he did work the body of the match before "hot tagging" his partner,Chris Sabin to finish the match- which will be the central theme of todays blog: how to "make it up on the fly" in a professional wrestling match.
I can honestly say that the only wrestling match I ever had planned out, begining to end, was my first one, & the following night, where I was matched up with the same guys ( and in retrospect, due to the different roles we played each night, that shouldn't have happened-more on that another time)
Whenever I can, I try to watch the matches before mine- this, I found, makes it easy to find different things to do that the crowd hadn't yet seen on the card. All too often, you have guys working the card who will do the EXACT same things....for example, climb the buckles for crowd approval. How many times a night does anyone really want to see that? No matter, they see it 5 times a night regardless.
I have general rules: If I'm working with someone I've never met or watched, I do have a basic outline of of a match that I use- I call it the "Ol' Stock & Trade" match- its designed to get good crowd response while not putting anyone in serious jeapordy of injury, namely me. And its a match that I can work either way- its so simple, so basic, & its two things most guys don't think about doing. I'm different, not dangerous! :)
Otherwise, its just feel & go, walk & talk, & lets go home-and live to fight yet another day. Don't get hurt- most of us don't do this full time, & we all have to go to work Monday morning!
I want to be different- if everyone else is screaming, I'm gonna talk; if everyone else is brawling, I want to work a mat based style. That way, you always stand out....and most of the time, standing out is good, not only because it creates excitement with the fans because you changed things up, but it usually favors you at intermission- which is where the bread is really buttered on the independent wrestling scene.
Working this way can also help you cover up mistakes & missteps- I couldn't tell you the number of times I have sat in a cramped room, putting my boots on, while two, four, or six young enthusiastic guys run thru the upcoming match, detail by excrutiating detail ( all the way down to pretending to whip each other into the ropes, slams, etc etc ) putting on the best match no one will ever see- because, lets face it, it NEVER turns out how you plan it. So why bother?
I try to make a point of watching these particular matches, because I'm always curious as to how they will save it when something goes wrong. Now, mind you, I'm not hoping for this to happen; that would make me a pessimistic a**hole, and rooting for guys to screw up is just plain prickish.
Heres my point: no one ever plans "down time" in wrestling match, so if you just screwed up doing 2-3 big moves, the mind will naturally race to get back to where you were, ignoring these facts: no one in the crowd knew where you were in the match (the fans, remember? the people you're supposed to be there to entertain?) & b) anxiety doesn't lend itself to performance. Grab a hold. Catch your breath. You have to bring them (fans) down to bring them back up.
I'm not saying that Alex Shelley would have avoided his injury, because these things happen; I just believe that he probably worsened it by staying in the ring because its "the way things were planned"...and Ibelieve the only reason he didn't tag out & not return until the finish was do to the structure of the match. I do,however, admire Shelley's resolve in "finishing what he started"- he's a very talented guy, in the ring & out.
Get well soon, Alex.
Until next time....
SSS
I thought something was amiss, just based on the way Shelley held his arm & the expression on his face. However, he did work the body of the match before "hot tagging" his partner,Chris Sabin to finish the match- which will be the central theme of todays blog: how to "make it up on the fly" in a professional wrestling match.
I can honestly say that the only wrestling match I ever had planned out, begining to end, was my first one, & the following night, where I was matched up with the same guys ( and in retrospect, due to the different roles we played each night, that shouldn't have happened-more on that another time)
Whenever I can, I try to watch the matches before mine- this, I found, makes it easy to find different things to do that the crowd hadn't yet seen on the card. All too often, you have guys working the card who will do the EXACT same things....for example, climb the buckles for crowd approval. How many times a night does anyone really want to see that? No matter, they see it 5 times a night regardless.
I have general rules: If I'm working with someone I've never met or watched, I do have a basic outline of of a match that I use- I call it the "Ol' Stock & Trade" match- its designed to get good crowd response while not putting anyone in serious jeapordy of injury, namely me. And its a match that I can work either way- its so simple, so basic, & its two things most guys don't think about doing. I'm different, not dangerous! :)
Otherwise, its just feel & go, walk & talk, & lets go home-and live to fight yet another day. Don't get hurt- most of us don't do this full time, & we all have to go to work Monday morning!
I want to be different- if everyone else is screaming, I'm gonna talk; if everyone else is brawling, I want to work a mat based style. That way, you always stand out....and most of the time, standing out is good, not only because it creates excitement with the fans because you changed things up, but it usually favors you at intermission- which is where the bread is really buttered on the independent wrestling scene.
Working this way can also help you cover up mistakes & missteps- I couldn't tell you the number of times I have sat in a cramped room, putting my boots on, while two, four, or six young enthusiastic guys run thru the upcoming match, detail by excrutiating detail ( all the way down to pretending to whip each other into the ropes, slams, etc etc ) putting on the best match no one will ever see- because, lets face it, it NEVER turns out how you plan it. So why bother?
I try to make a point of watching these particular matches, because I'm always curious as to how they will save it when something goes wrong. Now, mind you, I'm not hoping for this to happen; that would make me a pessimistic a**hole, and rooting for guys to screw up is just plain prickish.
Heres my point: no one ever plans "down time" in wrestling match, so if you just screwed up doing 2-3 big moves, the mind will naturally race to get back to where you were, ignoring these facts: no one in the crowd knew where you were in the match (the fans, remember? the people you're supposed to be there to entertain?) & b) anxiety doesn't lend itself to performance. Grab a hold. Catch your breath. You have to bring them (fans) down to bring them back up.
I'm not saying that Alex Shelley would have avoided his injury, because these things happen; I just believe that he probably worsened it by staying in the ring because its "the way things were planned"...and Ibelieve the only reason he didn't tag out & not return until the finish was do to the structure of the match. I do,however, admire Shelley's resolve in "finishing what he started"- he's a very talented guy, in the ring & out.
Get well soon, Alex.
Until next time....
SSS
Monday, January 17, 2011
TNA & More
They say that theres nothing like being there live, and TNA proved that to be true to a sellout 1,300 fans yesterday evening at the Historic Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown,MD.
I know my children, ranging in age from 18 to 4 yrs old, had a great time- my youngest son, Donavan, in between waving around the toy belt I got him, kept telling me that it was "his turn"- as in, his turn to get into the ring & wrestle. My 6 year old, Dalton, also waved his belt around, screaming his lungs out, especially during the match featuring his favorite tag team, The Motor City Machine Guns, who were managed this night by one Eli Martin, a really cool guy who I know from different area events, and a "follower" of this blog.
As for the matches, they were all entertaining, featuring many of the promotions better performers, most notably Kurt Angle ( as a special referee), Samoa Joe, & Jeff Jarrett.
Jarrett, as previously noted, is a owner of the group, but that didn't stop him from playing his villanous role to perfection in the main event, as he challenged Mr Anderson for the TNA title with Angle, the ex husband of Jarrett's current wife, as referee.
I particularly enjoyed this match, as I watched as Jarrett got the entire building to hate him, even preposturously reacting to one fans sign which read "JARRETT IS A PARROT". JJ even had ring announcer Jeremy Borash, on the house mic, inform the Hub crowd that he, in fact, WASN'T a parrot. Classic.
I've done hundreds of small town wrestling matches over the years, and, no matter how hard the guys work, it just doesn't quite have the same feel as when the "big leagues" roll into town. There was alot to learn from watching last nights card for the local independent boys- and there were alot of them there ( thanks to those who went out of their way to say hello to me) but the biggest lesson was, while the TNA crew worked hard & put in a great effort, they all worked VERY safely with each other. In other words, hurting yourself or your opponent isn't necessary to having a good, exciting match.
TNA is a great live event promotion, and having been to 3 of their events since Labor Day, I can assure you that I will attend again when they are within a reasonable driving distance.
*******************************************************
For those of you in the area that didn't get their fill of wrestling last night, IPE Wrestling will be in Ranson,Wv this saturday night...my understanding is tickets are $10 for adults & $5 for kids, which is more than fair.
Not all independent promotions are worth your time or money- in alot of cases, the people you ride to matches with on a given saturday night could put on a better match than many of their alleged "wrestlers"- but I assure you, IPE does not fall into that catagory. Everyone works hard, and most are very accessible to the fans ( personal note: "good guy" or "bad guy",I'm always accessible to talk & chat with fans who stop by my table during intermission; if you have the decency to be nice to me, why wouldn't I return the favor?)
Unfortunately, not all fans are friendly; some are so passionate that they can't be, which I understand to a degree; but for those of you who not only allow, but encourage, young children to call vulgar names & gestures towards anyone, much less adults, I implore you to spend your money on parenting lessons, not wrestling tickets.
I'm no angel & I'm certainly not Super Parent, but I do not allow my kids to swear, at the matches or not at the matches- yelling & screaming is enough. Attending the matches can be a great way to get out your aggressions, but try to keep it in check a bit- its a poor refelction of you as a parent to allow your kids to behave this way. I'm off my soapbox now....
We close with a fan related story from many years ago, which happened during the fall of 1995 in Clear Spring,Md. A few of you may care enough about previous blogs to recall my recollection of working with one Brutus Beefcake, so without further terms of endearment towards The Man With No Talent, I give you this antecdote:
During the final moments of the match,the late Neil Superior was chasing me around the ring, as Beefcake went to cut Switchblade's rat tail off with scissors ( The Barber, was one of his 1,000 gimmicks) I was to retreat to the locker room, but as I was running, I noticed my exit was blocked off by fans who had come down from the bleachers and surrounded ringside. I had to call an audible, so to speak, so I decided that I would use the other exit, which would mean I would have to cut left & run thru between the ringside seats & bleachers, to reach my destination. So, as I did this, halfway thru, I get nailed in the side of the head with a wicked punch which landed directly on my right ear. I staggered ( as most would) & looked up, ripping off the championship belt I had won earlier that night. Tommy Ecton, one of "us", came charging out & literally stopped me from nailing the guy with the strap- NO!!!! SHANE NO!!! he bellowed. When I looked up, however, I noticed the guy was getting his ass handed to him by two of our own, Don "Gutterboy" Wilt & his brother, the incomparably crazy Scott.
Little did this fan know that, sitting right behind him where two guys who wrestled earlier that night- The Wilts had wrestled as a masked tag team that night, so no one would have known they wrestled the opener, then sat in the bleachers with their family afterward!
Of course, the off duty police officer who was, believe it or not, a high school classmate of mine, came back to the locker room, while I cussed about the fan hitting me. His response was "I thought it was all part of the show"....typical. He did, however, asked me if I knew the two guys who kicked MR Fan's ass, to which I replied, yeah..."The Masked Executioners....I never saw their faces until now!!!"
Moral of the story: Don't ever hit a wrestler-you never know whos sitting behind you.
( No one was seriously hurt in this incident, by the way.....I heard the guy who hit me recently started eating solid foods again....:)
ps- thanks again, guys for watching my back....back then, this "thing of ours" meant something!
Until next time....
SSS
I know my children, ranging in age from 18 to 4 yrs old, had a great time- my youngest son, Donavan, in between waving around the toy belt I got him, kept telling me that it was "his turn"- as in, his turn to get into the ring & wrestle. My 6 year old, Dalton, also waved his belt around, screaming his lungs out, especially during the match featuring his favorite tag team, The Motor City Machine Guns, who were managed this night by one Eli Martin, a really cool guy who I know from different area events, and a "follower" of this blog.
As for the matches, they were all entertaining, featuring many of the promotions better performers, most notably Kurt Angle ( as a special referee), Samoa Joe, & Jeff Jarrett.
Jarrett, as previously noted, is a owner of the group, but that didn't stop him from playing his villanous role to perfection in the main event, as he challenged Mr Anderson for the TNA title with Angle, the ex husband of Jarrett's current wife, as referee.
I particularly enjoyed this match, as I watched as Jarrett got the entire building to hate him, even preposturously reacting to one fans sign which read "JARRETT IS A PARROT". JJ even had ring announcer Jeremy Borash, on the house mic, inform the Hub crowd that he, in fact, WASN'T a parrot. Classic.
I've done hundreds of small town wrestling matches over the years, and, no matter how hard the guys work, it just doesn't quite have the same feel as when the "big leagues" roll into town. There was alot to learn from watching last nights card for the local independent boys- and there were alot of them there ( thanks to those who went out of their way to say hello to me) but the biggest lesson was, while the TNA crew worked hard & put in a great effort, they all worked VERY safely with each other. In other words, hurting yourself or your opponent isn't necessary to having a good, exciting match.
TNA is a great live event promotion, and having been to 3 of their events since Labor Day, I can assure you that I will attend again when they are within a reasonable driving distance.
*******************************************************
For those of you in the area that didn't get their fill of wrestling last night, IPE Wrestling will be in Ranson,Wv this saturday night...my understanding is tickets are $10 for adults & $5 for kids, which is more than fair.
Not all independent promotions are worth your time or money- in alot of cases, the people you ride to matches with on a given saturday night could put on a better match than many of their alleged "wrestlers"- but I assure you, IPE does not fall into that catagory. Everyone works hard, and most are very accessible to the fans ( personal note: "good guy" or "bad guy",I'm always accessible to talk & chat with fans who stop by my table during intermission; if you have the decency to be nice to me, why wouldn't I return the favor?)
Unfortunately, not all fans are friendly; some are so passionate that they can't be, which I understand to a degree; but for those of you who not only allow, but encourage, young children to call vulgar names & gestures towards anyone, much less adults, I implore you to spend your money on parenting lessons, not wrestling tickets.
I'm no angel & I'm certainly not Super Parent, but I do not allow my kids to swear, at the matches or not at the matches- yelling & screaming is enough. Attending the matches can be a great way to get out your aggressions, but try to keep it in check a bit- its a poor refelction of you as a parent to allow your kids to behave this way. I'm off my soapbox now....
We close with a fan related story from many years ago, which happened during the fall of 1995 in Clear Spring,Md. A few of you may care enough about previous blogs to recall my recollection of working with one Brutus Beefcake, so without further terms of endearment towards The Man With No Talent, I give you this antecdote:
During the final moments of the match,the late Neil Superior was chasing me around the ring, as Beefcake went to cut Switchblade's rat tail off with scissors ( The Barber, was one of his 1,000 gimmicks) I was to retreat to the locker room, but as I was running, I noticed my exit was blocked off by fans who had come down from the bleachers and surrounded ringside. I had to call an audible, so to speak, so I decided that I would use the other exit, which would mean I would have to cut left & run thru between the ringside seats & bleachers, to reach my destination. So, as I did this, halfway thru, I get nailed in the side of the head with a wicked punch which landed directly on my right ear. I staggered ( as most would) & looked up, ripping off the championship belt I had won earlier that night. Tommy Ecton, one of "us", came charging out & literally stopped me from nailing the guy with the strap- NO!!!! SHANE NO!!! he bellowed. When I looked up, however, I noticed the guy was getting his ass handed to him by two of our own, Don "Gutterboy" Wilt & his brother, the incomparably crazy Scott.
Little did this fan know that, sitting right behind him where two guys who wrestled earlier that night- The Wilts had wrestled as a masked tag team that night, so no one would have known they wrestled the opener, then sat in the bleachers with their family afterward!
Of course, the off duty police officer who was, believe it or not, a high school classmate of mine, came back to the locker room, while I cussed about the fan hitting me. His response was "I thought it was all part of the show"....typical. He did, however, asked me if I knew the two guys who kicked MR Fan's ass, to which I replied, yeah..."The Masked Executioners....I never saw their faces until now!!!"
Moral of the story: Don't ever hit a wrestler-you never know whos sitting behind you.
( No one was seriously hurt in this incident, by the way.....I heard the guy who hit me recently started eating solid foods again....:)
ps- thanks again, guys for watching my back....back then, this "thing of ours" meant something!
Until next time....
SSS
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Language Barriers
Question to one & all: has there ever been a song with "Thursday" in its title? My guess is probably not; it falls in the catagory of Tuesday as the days that have no meaning......let me pause while I ask myself what point I was trying to make here.....
Theres a nice feature in todays Herald Mail about TNA's upcoming event this sunday at the historic Maryland Theatre,featuring an interview with none other than Double J himself, Jeff Jarrett. Its a nice if not particularly revealing piece. One particular aspect that I struggle with, as a "old school" guy is the public revelations, not only in the piece but as a part of public knowledge, is Jarrett"s partial ownership of the organization.
I suppose that its time that guys like myself "get with the program" & just outright admit that in wrestling, all isn't what it seems, but some things are hard to let go. It was impressed upon me, from the day that I started my training, that wrestling was, in essence, a club that had a certain membership, and that membership shouldn't be compromised, no matter what, to "outsiders".
The belief was simple: if everyone knew "everything" about wrestling, that it would hurt the overall business- people who believe shouldn't be told not to; the people who didn't believe, we didn't necessarily want them, anyway. Think of it like this: If you went to see David Copperfield, and you knew how he did all his tricks, would you want or need to see him again? Mind you, there is a certain percentage of the population that will enjoy a particular form of entertainment, no matter its truths, but....believing in wrestling MAKES wrestling.
I look around and see how the business has changed over the years, and its hard to dispute what the promoters & wrestlers of the past ascerted: while WWE's overall business is strong, due to international licensing agreements & merchandise sales, could you even argue for a second that the whole business is better now than it was in 1985, just to use an example?
The one thing JJ said that rang very true, is the belief that there is room for a second national wrestling entity, and there are alot of fans disenfranchised, to which TNA, at least in terms of their touring shows, is trying to cater. ( If they only did that on their TV show as well....didn't I just do that blog?)
I look forward to seeing many from the local wrestling community at this event, and I hope we get a chance to chat, if even briefly....
***********************************************
Just mentioning 1985 made me think of how much wrestling terminology has changed over the years as well-for example, in previous times, a wrestler might mention that he was going to work for New York, which meant WWF, now WWE. Going to Atlanta meant WCW; heading to Dallas meant World Class; and so on. Largely, the promotion was identified by the largest city in which it operated, or maintained its booking office.
These days, such references are limited due to the lack of places to go, so they are almost always referred to by the promotion. Mostly, guys working the independents ( once known as "outlaw" or "bushes", as in bush leagues) who will be trying out for WWE are "going to the FED", as in the WWE's previous monniker,the World Wrestling Federation.
The term "boys", in reference to the wrestlers, has been replaced by "workers"; The word "show", in the past taboo because it implied it wasn't real, has replaced "card". I speak a slightly different language than most of the 18-30 year old "new" generation; I get confused looks when I tell them we can just "walk & talk", or just "work thru" or "go Broadway". Asking some if they "made their shot" over the weekend can lead to a puzzled look, "getting potato'ed" might as well be asking what they ate on the ride home at Wendy's, and "KayFabe" could possibly be someones mother,and most of the guys on the card wouldn't know the difference.
However, after 18 years, I still learn new terms as well, as back in October, for the first time ever, I was shown a "ferbie derbie".....so that just goes to show you no one knows it all ( not that I've ever believed that of myself in the first place)
Don't even get me started on the lost art of Carney.........maybe another time!
It was alot easier when we all spoke the same language- but then again, some of us were trained by actual wrestlers, and others, well, they.....weren't.
Until next time....
SSS
Theres a nice feature in todays Herald Mail about TNA's upcoming event this sunday at the historic Maryland Theatre,featuring an interview with none other than Double J himself, Jeff Jarrett. Its a nice if not particularly revealing piece. One particular aspect that I struggle with, as a "old school" guy is the public revelations, not only in the piece but as a part of public knowledge, is Jarrett"s partial ownership of the organization.
I suppose that its time that guys like myself "get with the program" & just outright admit that in wrestling, all isn't what it seems, but some things are hard to let go. It was impressed upon me, from the day that I started my training, that wrestling was, in essence, a club that had a certain membership, and that membership shouldn't be compromised, no matter what, to "outsiders".
The belief was simple: if everyone knew "everything" about wrestling, that it would hurt the overall business- people who believe shouldn't be told not to; the people who didn't believe, we didn't necessarily want them, anyway. Think of it like this: If you went to see David Copperfield, and you knew how he did all his tricks, would you want or need to see him again? Mind you, there is a certain percentage of the population that will enjoy a particular form of entertainment, no matter its truths, but....believing in wrestling MAKES wrestling.
I look around and see how the business has changed over the years, and its hard to dispute what the promoters & wrestlers of the past ascerted: while WWE's overall business is strong, due to international licensing agreements & merchandise sales, could you even argue for a second that the whole business is better now than it was in 1985, just to use an example?
The one thing JJ said that rang very true, is the belief that there is room for a second national wrestling entity, and there are alot of fans disenfranchised, to which TNA, at least in terms of their touring shows, is trying to cater. ( If they only did that on their TV show as well....didn't I just do that blog?)
I look forward to seeing many from the local wrestling community at this event, and I hope we get a chance to chat, if even briefly....
***********************************************
Just mentioning 1985 made me think of how much wrestling terminology has changed over the years as well-for example, in previous times, a wrestler might mention that he was going to work for New York, which meant WWF, now WWE. Going to Atlanta meant WCW; heading to Dallas meant World Class; and so on. Largely, the promotion was identified by the largest city in which it operated, or maintained its booking office.
These days, such references are limited due to the lack of places to go, so they are almost always referred to by the promotion. Mostly, guys working the independents ( once known as "outlaw" or "bushes", as in bush leagues) who will be trying out for WWE are "going to the FED", as in the WWE's previous monniker,the World Wrestling Federation.
The term "boys", in reference to the wrestlers, has been replaced by "workers"; The word "show", in the past taboo because it implied it wasn't real, has replaced "card". I speak a slightly different language than most of the 18-30 year old "new" generation; I get confused looks when I tell them we can just "walk & talk", or just "work thru" or "go Broadway". Asking some if they "made their shot" over the weekend can lead to a puzzled look, "getting potato'ed" might as well be asking what they ate on the ride home at Wendy's, and "KayFabe" could possibly be someones mother,and most of the guys on the card wouldn't know the difference.
However, after 18 years, I still learn new terms as well, as back in October, for the first time ever, I was shown a "ferbie derbie".....so that just goes to show you no one knows it all ( not that I've ever believed that of myself in the first place)
Don't even get me started on the lost art of Carney.........maybe another time!
It was alot easier when we all spoke the same language- but then again, some of us were trained by actual wrestlers, and others, well, they.....weren't.
Until next time....
SSS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)