ringsidephotos.net Blog

from stevecorino.com 

So I’m going through the PWI 500 at work…and because I’m really bored I thought I would list the guys that I have shot pictures of..

They are, (in alphabetical order)

Mikal Adryan #481 – now Mikal Judas in Puerto Rico, shot in Greenville at Main Event Presents and NWA Anarchy.

CW Anderson #163 – Live Action Wrestling in Sanford,NC, when he returned to the ring following some medical issues.

Colt Cabana #67 – just recently in Athens,GA

Chris Cage #283 – same as above

Darin Childs #470 – part of the Children of Pain, they wrestled a couple of HVW shows in Hendersonville.

Ric Converse #423 – AWA World Champion, shot at CWF in Burlington, CWA in Statesville and most recently in Hendersonville at Power Pro.

Steve Corino #264 – The King of Old School – shot in Greenville, SC (one of those was used for a recent RF Video shoot video release) and most recent in Athens, GA.

Tony Givens #469 – shot Championship Wrestling in Kingsport, TN. Ken, Viper and Serial Killer were on the show.

Matt Hardy #90 – shot in Gaffney, SC and Burlington,NC.

Beau James #471 – the “King of Kingsport, TN” – Championship Wrestling in Kingsport, TN.

Ron Killings #132 – visited APW in Spartanburg back in 2004, Evan Karagias and The SAT were there also.

Tony Kozina #303 – “Tornado” – AWA Power Pro in Hendersonville.

Tony Mamaluke #178 – NWA Anarchy.

Shannon Moore #343 – Hendersonville, NC

Boomer Payne #484 – Our bud Boomer, shot plenty of memorable stuff with him in APW in Spartanburg.

Jimmy Rave #319 – NWA Anarchy

Davey Richards #145 – Power Pro and Carolina Wrestling Assoc. in Statesville.

Sal Rinauro #227 – NWA Anarchy, and most recent in Athens, GA.

Tracey Smothers #409 – CWA in Statesville, CWF in Burlington.

AJ Styles #13- NWA Wildside, one of their last shows before becoming NWA Anarchy.

First off..ok…let me think…the trip to Athens was a blast. There is really not a whole lot I can cover here that hasn’t already been said in Brett and Yoshi’s blog.   Ole is Ole.  I got a real kick out of his demeanor.  He told me that anyone under the age of 50 didn’t “know their ass from a whole in the ground” as far as wrestling.  He also couldn’t believe that people still came out to see “this stuff”.  I agree with him.  There has been such a dramatic change in wrestling from when I first started watching it to now.  Most of the guys I hang around with now, grew up watching ECW and the Attitude era of WWF – when the true nature of wrestling was acknowledged. 

I read a breakdown of a radio interview that Ronnie Gossett just did and he said that  Dave Meltzer and the dirt sheets are to blame for the end of the business.  Of course,
everything must change with time and in a world of 24 hour news/entertainment etc etc on the internet, the box was going to be opened. 

Of course, you all know now that the promoter Ernest “Buddy” Robinson skipped out on the show after intermission.  This was the first time I had been a witness to this in person, of course I knew this stuff happened…I had just never been present for it…Of course I have been on shows where no one got paid, but at least the promoter stuck around…Pretty shitty if you ask me…The guy charged $20 a ticket, had a boxing ring for the guys to wrestle in and delays show open for 45 minutes (which really gripes my ass). 

Got some great photos of the matches though.  Afterwards went to “The Grill” in Athens, which was loaded with college flesh just running over into the highway.  There I was witness to a ritual that I have not seen since “Wild Kingdom”. 

Saturday was the AWA Power Pro show…we started out in Spartanburg where we filmed a couple of vignettes.  I had my first “act” as Commissioner of PPW…I don’t think I did that well of a job…The show was stupendous…matches running on time, a lot of great talent, and a hot crowd.  Good to see Ostgard, Jimbo, Tre, Jaime, Muscle Madness, Shea Shea, and all the guys again…Like I said previously, I think I shot some awesome pics on these two shows.

I also want to touch on something that ER and I were discussing the other  night…Saturday night, Hendersonville got to see a World Champion in action in the main event…Ric Converse, who is the AWA Champion…won from Shinjiri Ohtani in Indianopolis, IN…The AWA belt has been around the world….Takao Ohmori won the belt in January of 2005 in Japan and defended it until June of 2005 where he lost it to Corino in Bay City, MI….Ohtani beats Corino in Japan in January of 2006…then loses it to Ohmori in April…then to Converse in June….that belt that I snapped a picture of Saturday night is well traveled…that may not mean much to some folks, but I was hoping the fans would have a better appreciation of it…I don’t know…whatever…say what you will, yes I am a belt mark…I have always thought the “sanctioning” and “promoting bodies” etc were important to wrestling…Kirby is doing a great job of defending the Light Heavyweight belt wherever he is called to…

Coming up is another off weekend as I am working…I may pop in at HVW as Johnny Buffett is supposed to be there…

Continued positive vibes to Law!

Ostgard, bring me my stuff!

So the BCW trip has come and gone…and wow, what can I say?  We got there a little before 7pm.  Spoke to George South.  The Highspots guys showed up (Chris, Bobby and Jake) – they seemed very happy to see us.  I was even enlisted to run the camera while Jake did some follow up interviews with the BCW guys.  They talked about the highs and lows of their new found fame, and of course ring rats.  If you have seen the video, then you know what we saw last night…Great time, Ostgard wrestled Ethan Case…Case decided to go bare foot…as someone in the crowd said, a brave thing to do…

I know there has been some talk about the BCW thing, but I can tell you from first hand expierence, these guys are super nice and are really just having a good time.  Their take on wrestling is different than what you will see in other places, but hey…whatever…

I am so ready for my vacation…It starts on Friday, Oct. 20 and I go back to work on Nov. 6…17 days off!  I know there was a recent story about how Americans do not take all their vacation time and overwork – well not I. 

No shows this weekend, I will be catching up on some sleep.  AWA PPW will be on 23 September.  The weekend of the 29th looks like another “off” weekend as I’m back at work and not able to attend Kameron Kade’s show in Langley, SC.  CWF is running in Greensboro on 7 October, so I will probably be heading there with Thomas, et al.  Honest Doug is starting his shows in Chester, SC on 6 October…I want to try and get down there some…Good luck to Johnny Buffett on his benefit show scheduled for 14 October in Sugar Grove, NC.

Watching Star Trek on G4 right now…it’s “Spock’s Brain”…aka “They can’t all be ‘City on the Edge of Forever’ now can they?”

Yes, sadly he was kicked off last night….Yoshi and Law know what I’m talking about….I’ll some of the rest of you do too….come out come out wherever you are….

Reading Oh the Glory of it All by Sean Wilsey.

Going to BCW in Morganton in a little bit.

Here’s some pics:

Some new additions to the pussy family outside

Here is the new addition to the family, Laura Mae…and her first exposure to the giant head of ER….

So finally I begin to cover my weekend! 

Friday I joined ER, Neil, Brice, and Yoshi on a trip to Clayton, GA for New Frontier Wrestling Association.  Had a good time.  Brice matched wits with ER…and lost.  I got to see Ostgard’s Georgia clone. 

We ate at Appleby’s in Easley at midnight.  There is no better way to describe this, but the waiter was basically in love with me.  From his helpful weight watcher tip at the beginning to his hearty handshake at the end, he was a superb waiter…Thanks, Norton!

Saturday, ER and I spent several hours preparing for Thomas’ surprise birthday run-in later that night at HVW.  Neil and Brice handled the gift, well I mean they bought it, not literally handled it…the surprise was worth it.  I think Thomas was genuinely moved by it.

I feel like I have forgotten something?

Tomorrow is my birthday, 31 years old…I’m celebrating by getting my teeth cleaned in the afternoon.

I don’t have to say what this past Monday was.  While at work, I started thinking about where I was at on 9/11/01.  My life was totally different.  So I dug out my journal from that timeframe, and yes I keep a journal – I have for about eleven years.  It keeps things orderly in my head.

September 2001 I was not involved in wrestling at all, other than watching it on TV.  I was twenty-five, just about to turn twenty-six.  For a few months before this, I had been planning a trip for myself and my parents to visit Washington,DC at the end of September.  I had the entire trip planned, I had been in touch with Senator John Edwards’ office and already had some reservations at places around the city.  Tickets were bought, etc etc.

At the time I worked 2nd (maybe some 3rd) shifts.  I was awakened around 3pm that day, by a co-worker and he needed me to come in and cover his days since “all that has happened” – I had no clue, and then he explained it.  I sat and watched CNN…my mother came by and we decided to cancel the trip (to this day we have never made it, and still have the tickets with United)…”Possibly 50,000 people in the World Trade Center”…they still didn’t know the numbers…I thought it was like watching a movie…people running for their lives, explosions, dust and debris…It scared me…firefighters and police injured, hundreds flooding the hospitals….people falling to their death…I remember writing this stuff down as it played out on the TV screen…

Later that night – “200 firemen are feared dead in NYC and 78 police officers are missing”….the price of gas was skyrocketing….”oil prices up $6 to $32 a barrel”….wow, how cheap is that?  The Triangle Stop in Tryon said that by the next morning, gas would probably be over $4/gallon…..8.30pm-Bush says we will retaliate….I tried calling the hotel where our reservations were at, but all their lines were busy “all circuits are being used for emergencies communications”…..”an estimate of 800 killed inside the Pentagon”

I touched base with all my friends at the time….I found myself only able to watch TV for so long before I had to turn it, but what could you turn it to?  They were playing the images/audio – hearing the people screaming and pleading to God.  Even this past Monday, the fifth anniversary I had to turn the channel when they started showing the planes again.

A reporter says their is so much dust in NYC – it is almost impossible to breath…I donated blood the next Monday..what else could I do?

Five years ago, my life pretty much centered on my work, and the friends I had through work….things are much different now…

Thursday, I’m going with a group to see Burke Co. Wrestling in Morganton….I’m working all weekend, and will be taking a break from any wrestling shows…

Sitting in the office….busy weekend, but a great time…I’ll post some more later…NFWA on Friday night with ER, Brice, Neil, Yoshi and a couple of minority gentlemen…I really like the set up down in Clayton, I’m going to try and go to more of their shows…Saturday went to HVW to wish T-Dawg a happy birthday…ER and I spent $$ and time on “Craft Day” getting the b-day stuff together…we left the “hard” stuff to Neil and Brice to pick up…I had a great time with the b-day bit in the ring…if anyone didn’t like it, oh well, shit happens…anyway, fun times all weekend…missed our brother Ostgard…Brice Anthony is the man…the Friday trip was actually the first time that I had got to have a conversation with Brice that lasted longer than 2 minutes…oh, and don’t try to get one over on “General” Rich…Ate at Appleby’s in Easley(?) at midnight on Friday night….what a great waiter…I think he had a little suger in his britches, as he was constantly laying the mojo on me…Family Guy was great tonight….”Oh, hellooo!”….American Dad – I TiVo, and then just watch the bits with Roger in them…..

I don’t have to say what tomorrow is….five years since the terrorist attacks…I may type some more on that later…

Pics from HVW should be up Wednesday?  Working the next two days….Also look for some new promos of Ken, shot those today…..

At work….ready to go home….Spaghetti-O’s for supper…..Team Macktion on TNA tomorrow night…..Project Runway tonight…that’s right Devin…Project Runway….NFWA in Clayton, GA this Friday..

At 18 minutes past midnight this morning I saw a shooting star.  I was on Hwy 108 in Mill Spring close to home.  I made a wish. 

Went to HVW last night.  Was not as hot, but I wasn’t running around as much.  The video message from the commissioner was pretty well done…I really liked the little clips cut into the end.

The show seemed long last night…it was over about 11pm.  I am publiclly going to say that I am not happy about a current situation.  I’m not going to go into much detail, but needless to say it involves someone that I count as a good friend.  Personal feelings sometimes cloud a bodies neutrality.  My purpose in professional wrestling is to take pictures, I don’t need to get into the heat.  Over time though, it wears you down, and you can’t help but “take sides” at times. Oh well, enough of that.

The Goonies are a fun bunch.  They have good attitudes too.

And yes, I do plan to be involved in running a show/promotion in the future.  By hook or by crook, it may just be one show, but I want to be on the other side.

I heard the ECW show in Spartanburg last night only lasted an hour and a forty-five minutes.

Adam and I had talked about possibly going the Cauliflower Alley Club convention next year.  It’s in Las Vegas.

 Here’s a little picture of Laura Mae I took Friday night.

So, ER has pointed something out to me – while looking through the Steve Corino DVD’s on RF Video, he came across this:

Gasp!  I know, I know…could there be a Corino DVD that ER doesn’t already have? 

No, actually it is the picture on the front of the box art.  Look familiar?  It did to me.

So, what should I do?  Notify them of a copyright infringement?  Or should I be happy that one of my images will now be seen around the world in DVD collections (uncredited I’m sure). 

I think it’s pretty cool though.  Maybe they will read this and send me free stuff to keep the Arledge lawyers off their tails?