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Archive for January, 2007

In case of doubt, attack.

Monday, January 29th, 2007

The CWA double shot weekend is over. I’m back at work, reading the “Best of the Wrestling Observer 1983-1987″ (thanks Thomas).

Friday, ER and I left the house at 4.30 and headed to Lenoir. For the second time (in a row) we got behind a tow truck on Hwy 64 going the exact speed limit.

Picked up the Goonies off I40. On the trip, ER started us on the “or” game (courtesy of Boomer Payne). ER and I have always used harmless innocent suggestions, ie: would you rather drown in a pool of jello orrrrr drown in your favorite soda.

Needless to say, the natives of Lenoir took it down a rather vulgar path, most of which cannot be repeated here.

I was sent a picture message on the way down, and apparently I have a twin (he is supposed to act just like me, whatever that means) who works at a Subway somewhere between Spartanburg and Statesville.

Upon arriving at the Grace Park Rec Center, I received the cold shoulder from “Wookie Butt” and was later labeled an infidel.

Friday night was also the scene of the “Ryze N’ Cock” t-shirt. It’s black with “We always rise to the occasion” on the back. Get them while you can. Did they sell? You bet they did.

Thomas worked the concession stand and got some crashers when Bobby Houston tossed Jake Manning through the window during the main event (the pics will be up soon). They tore through the room and Jake attacked Thomas for his peace gesture of a water bottle.

Bobby Ramone had a nasty looking landing on the floor – nice flip though. Chris Desalles (I think I got that name right, formerly Guerrero) and Jesse Ortega won the tag belts in a three way that included the Mack Brothers and champions Total Protection and KC McKnight. I suppose I am biased, but I prefer just straight tag matches over thriple threat or four corner tag matches.

Bobby and Jake had a great 30 minute Iron Man match for the CWA title. They will battle it out again on February 17th in a steel cage “I Quit” match.

A haiku for Friday:

Statesville, back again;

It’s night one of the weekend,

Shion’s stress not high yet.

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Saturday, we headed to York, SC for night two. I learned from several fans that the McDonald’s in York is the worst in the area.

Ryze n’ Cock doubled their t-shirt sales!

Stoney Hooker got to work concessions this night. At one point the entire rec center was filled with the acrid smell of burned kernel flesh. No wonder, as he got several suggestions on how to cook the popcorn – mine was the correct one.

We got back to Spartanburg at a fairly early hour. I was home by midnight. It was snowing in Spartanburg.

This was the first time CWA had a show in York and I thought it went fairly well. They will be returning on March 24.

Saturdays haiku:

York for the first time;

Hooker burns the corn but good,

No stress for Shion here.

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“…broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, which taste, to me, like flatulence that has been allowed to blossom.”

Friday, January 19th, 2007

Quote time!

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” - Terry Pratchett

“The price one pays for pursuing any profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” - James Baldwin

“If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.” - Benjamin Franklin

“When you’re lying in the gutter, you see people a little clearer.” - Bette Davis

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No shows this weekend. I finished “Growing up in Coal Country” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti today at work. It’s only 128 pages long, but an interesting capsule of the hardships of coal-mining, especially on the children.

I TiVo’d “Ugly Betty” last night – it’s the first time I have watched, but from just the first few minutes I have added it to the season pass.

I finished “30 Rock” and “The Office” while having my fish finger supper. God Bless TiVo…and Sirius!

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As most of you wrestling fans already know, Bam Bam Bigelow has passed away. I’m just going to copy my post from the Regal Board here so I don’t have to type the whole thing again:

This news greatly saddens me. ER has mentioned before my affinity for the “Beast from the East” and it is the truth. When I first started watching wrestling it was the waning days of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling. My exposure to the other wrestlers/promotions of the day was through the “Apter” mags. It was here that I first saw Bam Bam and followed him in WWF, his Japanese tag team with Vader, and his return to the US. I had the original Nintendo WrestleMania and I always played as Bigelow. I was the master of the cartwheels!

Bam Bam is one of the triumvirate of my all time favorite wrestlers along with Ric Flair and “The King” Jerry Lawler.

The flaming costumes, the inked cranium, the cartwheels, the dropkicks and the Nuclear Splash (when I was younger I thought that was the coolest name) – but to me, I was enthralled by Bam Bam because he was a fat guy. Very simple. He didn’t have the rock hard body, the chiseled physique – he was fat, but damn he could move. Sort of inspirational…to me anyway.

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I was also saddened to hear that “Papa” Denny Doherty died. My parents only listened to 60’s music when I was younger, and that sort of rubbed off on me. The very first CD’s I ever bought was “The Mamas & the Papas Collection” – two CD’s with most of their songs and including solo singles. “Mama” Cass Elliot has the most beautiful voice, and all four of them had a harmony and sound that can not be topped.

R.I.P. Bam Bam & Papa Denny.

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Separation anxiety, brothers reunited, blue hands and a bleeding chest.

Monday, January 15th, 2007

There is so much swirling around now in the local indy scenes. Just read the message boards and MySpace to see it. Year end awards, and controversy after controversy. Some effects me…most does not.

What does effect me you may ask? When my friends are mistreated, that effects me. I try to be friendly with all, and the majority reciprocate. I am grateful for that. Treating my friends with disrespect isn’t kosher though.

Saturday was CWF/AWA Mid Atlantic in Burlington,NC. There was some confusion as to our transport arrangements, but it was quickly settled – with only one person hurt.

My parents van, which is quickly becoming the road trip buggy had myself, Thomas Simpson, CIW’s Announcer of the Year – ER, Derek Ryze and BJ Hancock.

I was happy to get back to CWF, as you all know I enjoy their shows. Good to see Jimbo, Jake Manning, Ty Dillenger (who has the satin jacket now with his name on the back – very retro, I like!), Slamfest Bob, and everyone else.

Stoney Hooker teamed with Justin Duke against BJ and Derek. I gave kudos to Stoney, BJ and Derek after the show. These three did really well in my opinion, BJ and Derek are really coming along in their “bad guy” personas. I saw more aggressiveness out of them this night. All three showed me stuff that I had not seen in the ring from them before. These three guys will continue to do well in wrestling, as long as they keep moving forward and keep striving to better themselves.

Good to see our friend “EFW” Ostgard. He wasn’t able to get on the card, but it was still good to see him in person at a wrestling show again. Ostgard takes a lot of flak from some people, and truth be told he brings a lot of it on himself. He is still one of my closest friends in and outside of wrestling.

So let me say this here and now - If you have a problem, and I mean a genuine red hot “heat” problem with him, then take it somewhere else because I don’t want to hear it. Most people do not take the time to get to know him, most just don’t have the time but just remember – if you went by what other people say about your friends and acquaintances, then you would be a very lonely person.

In the pictures from CWF (posting begins very soon), you will notice that on the back of Brass Munkey’s pants it says: DFAA. It means “Death From Any Angle”

Team Macktion seems to have reunited after TJ’s match against Xsiris to decide the number one contender to Kirby’s newly regained World’s Light Heavyweight title.

We left the show before the main event, but I read that “Ultra Dragon” Rian Andrews lost the “Loser Leaves Town” match.

We stopped in Hooter’s for a very civilized late night meal.

Stoney – Happy Birthday, I do not envy what you had to endure! I have never been a fan of the hyper masculine “feats of strength” and punishment upon your peers – either the infliction of said abuse or the receiving of it. Hooker took his 18 chops (and one to grow on) with as much dignity and self restraint as a young man can take a meaty hand flying towards his chest and the speed of a sneeze.

On the way back home, I soothed to Sirius 75 – Standards & Swing while everyone else slept, and I mean hardcore sleeping too. Derek opened up finally on the trip back and told us what he thought of the whole Iraq war situation. He also would laugh maniacally at strange times.

I just finished reading “Cybill Disobedience” by Cybill Shepherd. There is a passage I wanted to share, this was after her show “Cybill” was cancelled and she had received a call from Roseanne:

“Everybody’s treating me like a monster,” I said, “but I didn’t do anything monstrous.”

“Well, I did,” Roseanne said. “I did everything they said I did, and I don’t regret any of it. I just wish I’d done more.”

Orson Welles once told me a story about William Randolph Hearst. One day when Hearst was getting on an elevator an associate rushed in to join him. “Bill,” he said, “so-and-so is saying terrible things about you.”

“That’s strange,” said Hearst, “I never did him a favor.”

Shows coming up: I’m doing a CWA double shot on the weekend of January 26th & 27th. Statesville,NC and York, SC.

I’ll be heading to Mooresville, NC on January 31st for Night 2 of the “Super Bowl of Wrestling” presented by EWA. I’m hoping to score a home cooked meal out of this trip with some friends of mine.

Returning to Statesville on Feb. 17th for CWA’s Anniversary show.

March 10th heading back to Burlington,NC for CWF.

March 23rd – AWA Power Pro returns in Union Pines, NC. Night of the Champions where a lot of the AWA titles will be defended.