Sunday, July 17th, 2005
post APWFirst off, yes it was Gene Wilder who played Willy Wonka in the original not Gene Hackman…I was having a Lex Luthor moment.APW last night. Ten matches. I think they recorded seven of them for the TV show. Had a nice cheeseburger after the show.Here’s hoping that Ostgard is doing well after his neck “stinger” last night. I suppose I could call it a stinger? I hope there is no serious damage.APW had there press conference last night before the show. Shane Austin vacated the APW Title in order to handle the increased duties behind the scenes that TV has brought. Looking forward to seeing how they will decide the new champion. A tournament? I tried my hand a little at commentary last night, I am sure it will never make the airwaves, but it was fun to try for a little bit. And yes, a suplex is a “suplay”.The crowd was into the show all the way through I think.More after lunch…….
Friday, July 15th, 2005
Willy WonkaWe went to see the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie this afternoon at the state of the art, Spartan 16 Theater. Not a bad film. Very different than the Gene Wilder version. Lots of color etc usually associated with a Tim Burton movie. The soundtrack of course is Danny Elfman.The kids were well chosen I believe – a genuine teary moment when Charlie opens up his birthday chocolate hoping to find that golden ticket, you are rooting for the little guy even though you know its now there.Augustus Gloop had piercing blue eyes! Piercing!I enjoyed the movie and it had some funny stuff in it. But I don’t know if I could recommend it to anyone. One person in particular, and I think you know who you are. It ain’t everyone’s cup o’ tea. Depp does quite well in portraying Wonka as someone who is just one step away from the cliff of insanity.No good previews. Had one for the new King Kong with Jack Black. One for Corpse Bride – another Burton/Depp/Bonham-Carter movie.Lots of kids in the theater – creating way too much ambient noise for me!
Thursday, July 14th, 2005
TV viewingDoes anybody still watch the Maury Povich show? It is such crap!I don’t mind wild topics on talk shows, that’s why people watch them….but please…how many episodes of “Surprise Paternity Tests” can a body watch?I’m going to write a letter to Channel 13 to get rid of the show.Crap!
Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
readingI’m at work now….watching the Price is Right….waiting for lunch…..I finished “The Other Hollywood” book yesterday…it was Ok. A lot of stuff about the mob connections to the porn industry…I sort of skimmed over that stuff…Started “My Life” by Bill Clinton right before bed…Big Saturday coming up…..Morton….press conference….stuff
Sunday, July 10th, 2005
post APWWatching “Cybill” here at work. Tired. Drinking water. Lids half closed a la’ Garfield. Very good show last night. This will be seen on the first episode of the new show. Bigger crowd. Of course with something of this nature, people were running around, lots of stress.Everybody pushed up their performance on the show. Ten matches but we were still finished before 11pm. Dan and ER did great on the commentary. Big Country had his concert before the show. Glad to see AJ back at the show. I am sending positive vibes to absent APW friends. I like the Gentleman’s Club segment. Cool to see Jeff G. Bailey with them. Ostgard has the mouthy villain down good. It’s almost as I pictured it – Armageddon standing behind them doing what they do best…look intimidating.I noticed a messageboard member posting about doing websites for any of the wrestlers. If any of you decide to do it, remember – be interactive! Keep it up to date! There is nothing that discourages visitors like outdated material….even if it’s a few lines as to why your site hasn’t been updated. My favorite list has multiple sites in it that I may check once a month or so, simply because they don’t update them….some sites I check every week.Well, it’s about time for the Stooges on Spike TV….
Saturday, July 9th, 2005
post HVWSo I’m sitting here at work watching “Most Haunted” on the Travel Channel. I could not stand to be in this group of ghost hunters…they get readings everywhere they go…the main guy gets these psychic visions at every house they visit and it’s always “he has _____ on, he was involved in (insert crime against nature here)”….the woman in the group screams at everything….Went to HVW in Hendersonville last night….and what a shocker – Boomer Payne shows up with ER! I ain’t gonna lie, I didn’t think I would have seen it…Ken won the title back from Viper last night….Ethan was invited to join the Elements O’ Darkness with Jesse Black and Viper….and Johnny Buffett turned on the fans by attacking Viper which gave Ken the win….Buffett had on Ethan’s pants and a mask so at first no one was sure who it was….The crowd seemed a little like zombies…there were a few moments where they reacted but otherwise….Viper apparently has a new building to run in, and we should all be moving in a few weeks – I’m glad to hear that, it will be a good time for a fresh start…HVW has been running for a year, I think it’s time to get a kick in the ass….I mentioned the crowd at the show and their lack of enthusiasm…it is partly because there were some guys who weren’t involving them….being ‘involved’ in the show is what fans love….this is mostly for the younger guys – if it’s nerves, then they have got to get over that…..I heard twice last night about some rumor going around that I had suffered a heart attack? The hell? I have absolutely no clue, but let me lay that to bed right now….yes, I do sweat a lot at the shows, but that’s all it is…sweat….I am in fairly good health, I had my annual physical done just a couple of months ago, and other than a slightly elevated “bad” cholesterol and my lingering extra pounds I am fine….I do appreciate the concern though…Do you drink your 8 – 8oz glasses of water a day? While at work I try to drink as much as I can….I have two caffeine drinks in a can on the days that I work…If your piss is mostly clear, you are doing good….I don’t know where Ostgard parties at on his off nights from wrestling, but damn the music is loud! Ricky Morton will be at APW next Saturday, the 16th…I told my friend, Eric about it and he said “hasn’t everyone around here seen Morton?” I told him that yes most people had, but he can still carry a crowd around by just a pinky…Today is the annual “Coon Dog Day” in Saluda,NC. This is another gom-fest much like the BBQ Festival, and the Fourth in Columbus. And yes, it is a celebration of coon dogs and hunting which draws all these people to it….I think originally they would let the dogs tree them and then they would be killed….now they just run them up the tree and reward the dog, and the coon lives….They have a little pageant for the girls and of course the winner is: The Coon Dog Queen….no shit…I have been to it once, when I was much younger, and my mother rode in their parade with our US Congressman at the time, Jaime Clark…I have not been back since, and have no desire to…I suppose if I were going to some other town to a rinky dink festival it would be different….
Thursday, July 7th, 2005
quickly!My one reader told me today that I should post on here more often. So here I am ten minutes before my bed time. Which I won’t actually go right to bed…I’ll pick out my clothes for tomorrow, moisturize (my face is all I have) and then read until about 11 – then it’s time for Benny Hill. I am about 3/4 finished with the “The Other Hollywood” porn book. There are some parts that I am speed reading over. Mostly the FBI/Mafia stuff. You know I’m not that interested in the law enforcement side of it – I want the nitty gritty if you will. Bought the WWE produced – Greatest Stars of the 80’s DVD set. I like it, and it wasn’t expensive. My only complaint is the “McMahon” treatment to history. HVW tomorrow in Hendersonville. APW in Spartanburg Saturday. The day draws closer – the APW TV show.There is never anything good on TV on Tuesday or Wednesday nights….Thursday is getting there too. CSI now in reruns – I have seen all of the last season.We had Hamburger Helper cheeseburger macaroni for supper…my friend and I both had second helpings, very good…..have enough for lunch tomorrow at work….Do we need any more rain?The terrorist attacks in London, very tragic. I was telling someone today, the reporters for The Sun or whoever have proven that they can sneak into Buckingham Palace – what’s to stop a terrorist cell from going in there and disposing of the royal family?I took my pussy to the Vet the other day….she possibly has psychosomatic alopecia (?) A stress related condition where she chews the hair off her body…she is now on Valium for two weeks!I have been told that I should take the pills with me on the weekend and I could make some good money with them……
Monday, July 4th, 2005
Rassling is a happening, and I’m a stuck at work!I have nothing really to post, other than to make public my upset over missing the big July 4th show in Hendersonville. From my understanding it is to be a monumental occasion as McGruff could possibly score an upset win over Ostgard. The show may last about three hours, I get off at 7pm. Is there any point though in going up after I get off work? Nope. By the time I got there it would be over. The day has gone by fairly quick though, but it feels like a Sunday.War of the Worlds is to suck!
Sunday, July 3rd, 2005
post APWThere is always a bit of a “down” feeling on Sunday mornings for me. My weekends used to be so much longer it seemed. Friday was good enough, my friend Eric and I went to Asheville and I spent more money than I should have. I bought the “Tube Top Peter” figure from the Family Guy series 3. The face I found hilarious, I had to have it. We went into Barnes & Noble and I bought a bunch of stuff I didn’t need. I had to wait in line for 20 minutes while this woman let her children buy their own stuff and then her $154 purchase was all rung up.I only left the house twice on Saturday. The first to go and attend to some business before the show and then for the show. Regretfully, I missed a little pre-show get together at Boomer’s palatial estate. Next time! I was reading the “Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams” before a friend of mine borrowed it before I was done. He brought it back yesterday and I got to finish it off. I highly recommend it as it goes into good detail. In the Valiant brothers section, it mentioned Jimmy’s retirement match in Spartanburg in December of last year. They didn’t mention APW but still. Got to the show at 6.30. Commercials for the new TV program were shot. I actually thought there were a few more people there last night. I saw some unfamiliar faces. I am really looking forward to the TV show and the commercials. ER was back last night and took his place at the announce table and did great. He’s a natural, of course a good anti-perspirant would be good for him to use – cut down on the sweating. Long show! Ended close to 11.30…last week had the same number of matches and ended at 10.30.Went out to eat after the show – there were about 20 of us there.I like the new Gentlemans Club – when I think of them all together I see the old Clique members Romeo, Ken and Ostgard maybe sitting in chairs leaned back with suits on…behind them would McHone with either his hands on the chairs or up in some type of pose and then behind him would be Armageddon…but not in their gear – maybe suits for them with their distinctive red masks…just a thought. As I have said before I am a big fan of ’super stables’ in wrestling.My condolences once again to Ostgard for the loss of his Van Halen sticker and the car it was attached to. I have never had anything major stolen from me, but I can imagine that is a major headache. I was given the pleasure of holding EFW’s mobile phone last night and I took the opportunity to look through his contact list and let me just say, you people would be in awe of who he knows…no joke.
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
what a boring couple of days!Soooooooo…….nothing much going on….Ostgard’s car got stolen, which has to be the pits. I am very lucky in that I live in a ivory tower on top of a hill above all of you….just kidding of course…it’s not on a hill. I hope you get it back in one piece, brother! And if not the one piece, I hope you at least get your window decal!I finished “The Time Traveler’s Wife” on Sunday at work. Good story, if any of you are interested in science fiction with a little romantic undertone to it, then check it out.I have now started “The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry” by Legs McNeil. It is told in interview style with paragraphs from actors, directors, law enforcement, et al. So far so good. I had to take one of my feral kittens to the vet yesterday morning, it was a real bugger to get ahold of…he put up a heck of a fight leaving my hands quite bloody.It’s back to work tomorrow, I am still trying to make arrangements to attend the HVW July 4th show. It starts at 5pm at Jackson Park, but if I am unable to find someone to cover at work I will not be attending.
Sunday, June 26th, 2005
early Sunday morningMy alarm went off at 6am, and as I rolled over to look at it I was thinking “Why is the alarm going off on my day off?” I got home about 11.30 and was in bed by 10 minutes. Big news last night at the APW show! We had a ’staff’ meeting before the show, and were given the news. 2am, beginning on July 24. Early Sunday morning. Everybody bumped up their performance last night as it was being taped for the show. At first, I know people were thinking “2am! Who in the hell is up at 2am?” I used to be when I worked third shift. This is why they make VCR’s and TiVo. Will I stay up to watch the show? Probably not, only because I am not used to it anymore.The Clique is officially no more after last night – Ostgard turned on Eagle (finally his turn to the dark side is complete!), and then the Clique turned on Bill Hazelwood. James McHone is now managing the new group consisting of Magnum, Romeo and Ostgard. I think it was the right thing to do, the Clique though dominant in the past has sort of become a watered down version of itself and the fans didn’t really consider them much of a threat anymore.Here is hoping that this new group will retain its members a little better than the Clique. I felt a little jumbled last night, having a camera man at ringside. I’m afraid to get in his way, I don’t want to be in the cameras eye.
Saturday, June 25th, 2005
nap time at work!I am just about through with “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger. I have been working on it for a couple of weeks, but other stuff keeps popping up. When I am at home, the majority of my time is spent either fooling with the pictures or trying to catch up with the housework. Last night was the HVW show in Hendersonville. There was a dead beaver or something near where I parked, Christ it stunk! Small crowd again at the show. The show was fairly good. Stand outs in my mind: McGruff – I am not the biggest fan of his name, and he is still a juvenile, but last night while watching his match, it seemed that he was trying harder. I told Hazelwood that with some more work, he would probably do ok. – Ostgard makes a great bad guy! The cursing last night only added to his persona. – the main event! Of course I am biased. I was glad to see Ken and Ethan back teaming at least for the night. It seemed that their time apart actually improved their performance, they wailed on Viper Jr! I know that a full time Underground reunion will probably not happen, but it was cool to see them slapping the hands again.A wonderful little meal after the show, where only the ‘power players’ were at, har! In bed around midnight, up at 5.30. Oh, Ostgard thanks for the air freshener…my car now smells just like the EFW buggy.I speak to an elderly lady on a routine basis as part of my work and she told me today that yesterday her caretaker had gotten her ready and they went towards Charlotte to visit a friend of hers, who she had not seen in several months. When they arrived there, they discovered that her friend has passed away two months ago. When she got back home, she began searching through the house looking for two items that her friend had given her years ago. She did finally find them and took pleasure that she had these to remember her by. I must be getting old, because I thought about this and knew that before I would just sort of brushed that aside, but then I thought of how I would feel if one of my friends passed away and I wasn’t even told about it until two months later? Sad.
Thursday, June 23rd, 2005
Batman…..Begins!Mr & Mrs Ethan Cage and I went to see ‘Batman Begins’ last night at the beautiful Spartan 16. What a movie! Absolutely great! None of that hokey shit that completely destroyed the previous cinema incarnation. Lt. Gordon instead of Commissioner….No Harvey Dent. The retold origin made absolute sense. And the ending? Well I don’t want to give anything away, but you know the sequel will be even better. As long as they keep the mood and tone that was set in the first, it should be very succesful.Going to HVW Friday night. APW Saturday. Working this weekend. HVW will be having their July 4th show at Jackson Park again, I wish I knew what time because I have to work that day!
Monday, June 20th, 2005
Post APWGood show Saturday night. It was Fans Choice. So the beginning of the show was everybody figuring out who was wrestling whom. The rulebreakers were on the stage behind the desk, the fan favorites in the ring. At one point, there was something thumping me on the head, I knew Dirty was behind me so timidly I turned around relieved to find it was just the stage microphone and Jimmy Kindrid was tapping me in the head with it.A friend of mine came to the show with his daughter and a friend of hers. He had told me earlier that they would not be able to stay for the entire show, and sure enough, it was right after the first match I noticed that they were gone. I feel bad that they didn’t get to see anymore of the show.The first match was Boomer – Buffett – Ostgard in a three way. Good match on all participants parts. This could have been the main event, and I was thinking it should have been. The actual main event though was really good. Patrick Wright – Rowdy James – Bryan Austin in a three way, winner gets a shot at the APW Title in two weeks. I enjoyed the match, Rowdy does a great job – and has a cool name, I think he will do well against Shane. I have only seen Wright a couple of times, but he seems very talented. Since Bryan is legal now, it’s good to see him in a SC ring. Hope to see all three more in the upcoming weeks.Ken went against Zack Salvation in his first attempt at the Carolinas title. Good match, of course I’m biased though. He popped up again later in the show with the remainder of the Clique. Seems trouble is brewing there!Out to eat after the show, there was fourteen of us! I was sitting with Ostgard, Boomer, Country, Shane Austin and ummm….the new guy…ER. To me it is still cool to just sit and listen to the guys talk about wrestling.
Saturday, June 18th, 2005
post APW SylvaI had not been to Sylva in years, the last time was when the family went to Santa Land. It really isn’t that far away. Ken was going to follow ER and I there, but he had to bow out due to some unforeseeable stomach problems.The traffic came to a crawl near the Skyland exit. No accidents or road work, just too many damn cars. This lasted until we got onto I40. We left Columbus at 5.40 and arrived at the show at 7.10. After getting into Sylva, I stopped at a Shell station for some petrol ($2.10/gallon!) and who do we see? The first person we make contact all the miles from home is Referee Robert Wright!Unfortunately it seemed to be a small crowd at the show, maybe 30 people or so. That’s a shame too, because it was for a good cause – the Relay for Life cancer walk. Which my mother does every year herself. Still I had a good time. Nice amount of blood. It was the first time I had seen in person, blood from AJ and Boomer. Huddle House after the show, where my cheeseburger sammich and baked ‘tater were very good. Got home and in bed about 2am.
Monday, June 13th, 2005
12:57 pm
post APW & ECWWE PPVDid any of you dear readers see me Saturday night? I sweat a lot don’t I? So hot in the building, actually though I seem to recall it being hotter last year during the summer. The boss did put a big floor fan near the announce table so we were getting some air, thank you! I try to get over to the corner that faces the big photo wall/smoking patio door as much as possible, there is always a good breeze there.Saturday night, I actually didn’t break my neck to get to the show. Not for any reason, I just wanted to see if I would be able to stop and get some petrol (praise SC low fuel tax!) and take it easy on the highway and still arrive in good time. I did.I enjoy lumberjack matches, but I hardly ever watch what is going on in the ring. Since I have jumped the barrier, I like watching what is going on outside more than inside. Nick Fury insisted on taking a picture with my camera, and didn’t do that bad, he did get a photo of me in my sweaty glory.Mr Wrestling actually had on a Mr Wrestling mask Saturday night! Of course it was under that frilly number he wears now.Buffett lost his title to Zack Salvation Saturday night. Here are two guys who it seems to me, the crowd either really likes or really dislikes. Who screamed the most at the Saturday show?The ECW PPV started out well. I liked the fact that there was now little WWE scratch symbol in the bottom corner. I liked the ECW ring opposed to the WWE ring. I liked hearing Joey Styles – I was not a fan of him when ECW was originally on though. I liked seeing Lance Storm back – too short of a match though. Joel Gertner got a ass kick from a cowboy boot courtesy of Bradshaw. Everybody talks about ‘whipping somebodys ass’ or taking a ‘ass-kicking’, but damn, its funny to literally seen it done. A kick on the ass.I felt like I was missing something though from the show? They had a lot of great clips throughout the show. I liked seeing the preview for “The Devils Rejects” the sequel to House of 1000 Corpses. I guess they felt like they had to use some WWE angle on the show, but I think it would have been a good show without all that Raw/Smackdown shit.Off work today and tomorrow.
Saturday, June 11th, 2005
Post HVW
People say they “love” where they live. I like where I live, I don’t love it. Yesterday I was reminded of one of the reasons I only like it. The humidity. It’s the Thermal Belt, there is nothing that can be done. Add to this our upcoming 9.5 cent tax increase and the hot air from the back woods right wingers – you get a little cooker.
The Blue Ridge BBQ Festival is going on right now in Tryon. Nothing but over priced food, gobs of stinking, sweating, rude people and drunks. I have to be in the right mood for BBQ and I am never in it when this annual …ahem, event rolls around.
The best BBQ I have ever had is from the Columbus (in NC) Fire Department, who sets up their shop every July 4th week. It is exactly how I like my BBQ.
Last night was HVW in Hendersonville. Eight matches. Ken, ER, Chief Jay Eagle, and Nick Fury were not there. Ostgard was though! (Commencing posterior sugar application.) He and Johnny Buffett had a great match. The evil “EFW” reemerged!
Steve Cronic claimed the new Southeastern title in the main event against Jason Jett. Ethan went back to his “UnderGround” days a little against Viper. If he is on the same page as Ken, what could this hold in the future?
The July 4 show should be good. HVW is supposed to be in a more central location this year at the Jackson Park festivities. Hopefully it will get the word out on the company and increase the attendance figures. I hate to say, but I don’t think I saw one new face in the crowd last night.
I came close to not going to the show last night. While I work, I got another mini-migraine and felt nauseous. Thankfully after a quick call from EFW I was ready to go.
There have been some things going on in my life that may be indirectly related to my recent bout of headache sickness. Nothing that I am going to go into here. We all know, our lives are constantly changing though aren’t they? The wrestling shows have become an important factor in my life, and I truly enjoy coming to them and shooting them. Even if I didn’t have a camera, I would still be there and enjoy it. I partly blame wrestling for the recent events in my life, but I look at it and realize it is something that was out of my hands and I would not have been able to change it anyway.
APW tonight. I will then have to do my mad dash out of the building and race home.
Sunday, June 5th, 2005
post Hardcore!
APW brought back Hardcore to the fans in a big way this past Friday night! They picked a great venue for it: Ground Zero. The crowd slowly trickled in, and I noticed a handful of APW regulars in attendance. I did notice that there were several children in the building, I should say a couple were young teenagers, but there were actually a couple of toddlers there running around. So much for the “no one under 18 admitted.”The bars were open, and they were taken advantage of. Not by yours truly of course. I will say this, I did not see any instances of anyone becoming disorderly. The crowd was really into the matches. The first band, Ammo Mag, especially. I got some pics of them each wearing the APW hardcore title belt, but since they were flipping me off in all of them, they will probably never make the APW site.ER got his first taste of “gold” by pinning Bill Hazelwood and taking the hardcore title. He then proceeded to walk around the club challenging any and everyone to try and take it from him.Tony Gowan is much nicer/funnier than his alter ego, Jimmy Kindrid.It was good to see Ethan back in the APW locker room, and it was as if he had not been gone long at all. He was welcomed back with open arms. One of the stories coming out of the Hardcore show involves Ethan’s match. I have said that I would not bad mouth/trash talk anyone on my website and journal, and I am not going to start now…but Ethan and his opponent had an idea laid down as far as what they wanted to do in the match. Right from the start, his opponent threw that out. Near the end, his opponent tried to jump out of the ring a couple of times and Ethan pulled him back in. Once he did get his feet on the ground, he took off running with Ethan behind him. I do mean running, as in the front door. That’s fine, if he can’t take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen and if this had been the end of the story, you would not have read about it here. It was this certain persons actions afterwords that stir my ire. Ethan’s match was number three on the card, Ken and Brian Linder were fourth. After the fourth match, the second band came on for their set. This is when Ethan’s opponent returns with a couple of his friends. Their intentions? Who knows, but I am sure I know what. Of course, maybe he was coming back for a drink? There is always two sides to each story.This resulted in many folks running behind them back towards the front door, myself included. His opponent and his friends made it to the parking lot and were not seen again that night.As I have said, there are always two sides, but when it comes to Ethan and Ken, we are literally family. There is no other side that matters to me other than theirs.Moving on, the main event was awesome! I have never been up close and personal to a hardcore match that went to the extreme that this did. Bravo to both Viper and Jesse.The other big story: Big Country’s hair! (Stay away ya drunkard!)The show was over after midnight. When I got up Saturday morning, I felt like absolute shit. My head was pounding. I got out of bed, and within thirty minutes was throwing up. I only have to be around alcohol and I suffer a hang over!I told myself right then and there, if I didn’t feel any better by the afternoon, it was no show for me. I planted myself back in bed after lunch and stayed in for a few hours. By 4pm I felt that I could make it.Good show, the crowd was a little thinner, and it is getting warmer.Rev. Slim was on a roll last night! I love to hear him get into the ole’ time religion.Supper out with The Austins, Sharon, Dave, ER & Ashley. Got into bed after 2am.
Thursday, June 2nd, 2005
Ground Zero!
Tomorrow night is the big hardcore show at Ground Zero in Spartanburg. So far from the names I have heard it should be a pretty good show. Different atmosphere, definitely a different crowd, so it should be interesting. I have been inside GZ twice. First to see Twiztid and second to see the Insane Clown Posse. They have moshpits up near the stage, but I did not stray near them. In both of my visits, the crowd was not bad at all. Just a bunch of kids (to me anyway) acting stupid and having fun.
Sunday, May 29th, 2005
post APW
In my opinion, there were two stand out matches last night: 1. The Carolinas title match between Zack Salvation and Sir Buffett. 2. Neil Nitro vs. Ostgard.After Zack’s little song “Wasting Away in Buffett-ville” and then Buffett coming, the crowd seemed to be really into the whole thing. I honestly thought that Zack would taking the belt with him, but I’m glad that he didn’t. Only in the sense that it will be better for the feud long term.Ostgard and Neil’s match – technical stuff. I really enjoyed it. I like the way Neil adds significance to every title he goes for. Of course it’s no secret that I am big fans of them both – their match was truly in the right spot of the card, the main event.Steve Cronic’s title reign came to an end last night. Cronic has held the belt almost continuously (Nick Fury held it for one week in December, and Viper held it for 15 days in Feb/March of this year) since November 13, 2004. That is a good run.I talked with Ken this morning, he was on his way from Hardeeville. After hearing from him, I really wish that I had been able to go. He wrestled against Eagle in the first match with Jimmy Hart as the special referee. He then was able to team with Barbarian against Lex Luger and Rick Steiner in the main event.I was a good boy last night, right after the show I zoomed out and sped home, missing out on a dinner with EFW et al. I got home about 11.15 and was right into bed. Coming up is the APW show at Ground Zero on Friday June 3. Even though I don’t fit in with the crowd that is usually there I am looking forward to it.
Saturday, May 28th, 2005
11:03 am
post HVWTook 115 pictures last night. Not a bad show, Chief Jay Eagle and Nick Fury showed up and sort of ran down Hendersonville. The thing is the crowd was actually applauding! I’m not sure if that is the reaction they were looking for, maybe so. Maybe that is how the whole thing will work. Had a nice pre match meal with the Buffetts (thanks again for the meal), Ken and ER. I took a few more goof off pics last night – more than I ever have, but the night had a relaxed feel to it, so I took advantage.Hazelwood was not able to be at the show, so ER took over the announce duties for the night. There was a ‘haint in the building last night as the ghost of the Serial Killer debuted. Yep.I feel totally special, when I turned my mobile phone back on after the show, I had two messages, one from Ken and one from Ostgard! What is a lackey to do?For anyone wondering, my visit with Dr McElveen yesterday went fine. I realized after I checked in that I had left all of my films on the dining room table! Everything is fine though, and I will have to have another MRI next May. I suppose this will become a yearly happening from here on out, just to make sure that this doesn’t get any bigger.
Friday, May 27th, 2005
9:09 am
Dr Visit
I have taken the day off to visit the doctor yet again. I will be meeting Dr McElveen at 1pm in Asheville. I don’t think I have gone into detail about my ear problem, I know I have mentioned it. In 2003 I went to get a hearing exam done, because I was thinking about getting a hearing aid for my left side. I had always had problems with it, even when I was younger. If I was listening to a walkman, I noticed I could take the right headphone away and the music would be muffled on my left side. When I took the left one away, there was no change. The audiologist gave me an exam and said that I may have what is known as a Cholesteatoma (http://www.earsite.com/tumors/cholesteatoma.html)He sent me to an Ear,Nose & Throat doctor for a further exam. I had an MRI and a CT scan. When they looked at the films, they did find something. The bad news was that it was in my right ear. Dr McElveen, a specialist from Raleigh said that he did not believe it was the little tumor. I was told to have a follow up CT in 2005, which you have already read about. So I will find out today if the pea in my head has gotten any bigger mandating surgery.It absolutely sucks to only hear good out of one side. I have to get people to repeat stuff constantly, which I know is an aggravation for them. Being at ringside it is especially difficult, as you have so much “noise clutter” around. Ostgard found this out last week, as he had to tell me about a dozen times to simply “get on the apron.” I apologize again!Anyway, enough sob story. HVW is tonight in Hendersonville. The new Southeastern champion will be decided. Ken is going down to Hardeeville,SC tomorrow with Eagle to work for Live Action Wrestling. I believe the show is going to be held at the Hardeeville Speedway. Rednecks, ‘Rassling & Racing!
Wednesday, May 25th, 2005
once more!
Just got back from seeing Episode 3 again. It’s still good!*I forgot to mention that I saw the trailer for “Batman Begins.” Looks like it will be a lot different, which is not a bad thing.
Tuesday, May 24th, 2005
11:32 am
at work
I am sitting at work between things to do. The Price of Right is on. My co-workers are gone to pick up their lunch. I am off work Wed – Friday. Taking a sick day on Friday, in order to visit the Ear,Nose,Throat specialist in Asheville. It worked out well, as HVW is that night too. Ken will be going to Hardeeville,SC on Saturday night sans lackey. It is a 4 hour drive to the show for us, and there is just no way I could go. I have been looking into some ways to get my photos out to the world. In other words, some ways to make some money. I’m rolling over a few things, so maybe in the next few weeks I will have something. I will be going to see Star Wars Episode 3 again tomorrow. A morning showing this time, 10 a.m. in Skyland.
Sunday, May 22nd, 2005
post APW
I thought last night was a very good show. Lots of action, wrestlers going over the barrier, fans doing the same (which is a no-no). I had to enter the ring one more time, not to dance thankfully but to deliver a stinkface to Bill Hazelwood who had lost his match to David Duke. I was told later that Bill had to raise his face a bit so that it connected with my ass – well the concave that is supposed to be my ass.I continue to get high praises for my physique from none other than ‘Everybody’s Favorite Wrestler’ Ostgard, he really is starting to make me blush. He is the silent type anyway, who rarely speaks his mind so it’s a pleasure to be on the receiving end of compliments.Went out to eat with Chief & Mrs Eagle, Mel, ER & Ashley. Got home a little after 2am.I took a chairshot last night from the Chief. It was near the end of the show, there was a melee going on, I suppose I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Eagle came out and popped me right in the back with one. What a sting! I retreated to the announce table and stayed put.I finally got to see Star Wars Episode 3 this afternoon. What a movie, it was great. Sad too.
Saturday, May 21st, 2005
post UCW
Ethan and I left Polk County at 3.45, met Ken at 4.30, met ER in Mauldin about 5. Zoomed up Hwy 25, got to the Greenwood Civic Center about 6.15. Crushing news when we got there, Ken wasn’t on the board. He went on in, and we went around to the front to get our tickets. Prices were $25/18/15. Once we were in we stopped and spoke with Chris Hamrick. I pressed the flesh with George South and Ralph Harkey. We spent a good while before the show talking with “Playboy” Buddy Rose Jr. I am not going to repeat anything we talked about, but it was hilarious.Belltime was 8pm. I suppose I have been really spoiled by APW and HVW in that they always start on time. That is probably because they are in a routine. UCW started about 20 or 25 till 9. There is nothing that sours me more than something that starts late. That could be a movie, an appointment (haircut, doctor), or a wrestling event. When you start late, especially 35 to 40 minutes late, you put yourself in a hole and you have to try and dig yourself out the rest of the show. I got to see Jeremy V for the first time. George South, Brad Anderson, Brad Thomas, Sonny Landel, Kirk Prodigy all were in matches. The hotdogs were not too bad. $2 for a skinny weenie. Ken called us while we were sitting, and said he had put into the triangle match with Sonny and Kirk. There were maybe 150-200 people there? Plenty of available seating.Ethan and I were both glad to see the Boogaloo Crew. I had not seen them together since Greer! ER was foaming at the mouth for Disco Inferno and the FBI.The Powers of Pain were reunited for the night. Warlord is huge! It took about 20 minutes to set up the cage for the main event, and this was getting close to midnight. Sonny was bleeding something fierce in the match, he and Hamrick were the first two in. You can see the picture I got of Sonny on the site.New Jack seemed a little confused when he got into the ring, as he first went to attack someone who was on his team. He seemed a little lost during the whole match.Where was Demolition Axe? Allen Funk? Sandman? No announcements were made at all concerning them.We left the show after midnight, very tired. Took the scenic route home on Hwy 221 and then hit 385. Ethan and I got back to Polk County at 2.30 this morning. I took about 70 pics. Not many, mostly for Sonny and Ken’s website. I also got a couple of George that I will be emailing to Dick Bourne for his site.I’ll be leaving in a few hours for APW!
Thursday, May 19th, 2005
Hogan’s crib
My friend Eric was watching MTV Cribs just a bit ago. It was the one where they visited Hulk Hogan’s house. Or his: “yo, yo MTV in my crib.” Hogan has still got it. Ugh…For anyone who is interested I am reading Carson McCullers “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.”Tomorrow I’m meeting Ken off I26 and we will be traveling down I85 to Mauldin,SC, home of Duke’s Mayonnaise and ER. From there we three will travel to Greenwood, SC for the Universal Championship Wrestling show. He’s got Raven, Sandman, the Boogaloo Crew, Desperado, Powers of Pain, Chris Hamrick, Sonny etc on the show. Should be pretty good. I have seen Raven once before when WCW did a “Thunder” house show in Asheville. The networks put out their upcoming lineup. Enterprise is gone, 60 Minutes Wednesday is gone. Thankfully, Arrested Development has been saved for two more seasons I understand. The Waffle House in Columbus is the best around! Contrary to popular belief, it is not a place to meet women. Saturday night will be APW again, and this time I will actually be able to go out to eat and not worry about getting up early.I am going to try and squeeze Star Wars Episode 3 in this weekend…I think 2 or 3 times will be enough for this one.I talked to my bud (and Sandy’s bud, and Shane’s bud, and Boomer’s bud etc) Sharon earlier this week, she was sitting in the ER waiting to have her ankle looked at, she may have possibly broken it. I hope not! Hope all is well with you and your itty bitty ankle!I suppose it is a rule that the older you get the more involved you get with politics. When you are young, you don’t give a shit, but as you start to work and pay taxes and then realize your $$ are being used for some shenanigans, oy vey! I’m not going to get into politics here (ok, I’m a bleeding heart liberal) but there are some things that just make me scratch my head over. It doesn’t matter, moving on!
Sunday, May 15th, 2005
post APW
My ass is dragging. The synapses are not firing on time. I was coerced into going out to eat after the show, even though I had to be up at 6 this morning. It was fun though. I tried to cut back on the number of pictures I took last night. I have not had a chance to look them over yet. I am hopeful that there will be some different angles. At times, it is hard to find different things to take pictures of.James McHone ran the show, and I think he did a pretty good job. Very funny. The Great ER filled in as our ring announcer, and did a great job. He sounded like an old pro!The Clique seems to have taken a different route now that they are transmogrifying. Sadly they have apparently decided to change their entrance music. I know I was not the only person unhappy about this.
Saturday, May 14th, 2005
post HVW
So here I am at work, trying to keep my eyelids up. Last night was HVW in Hendersonville. Modest sized crowd, I noticed a couple of new faces. The card was pretty good. Big Country wasn’t able to be at the show, so David Duke fought Ethan to a draw. Jason Jett won a by for the next round of the Southeastern title tourney. I am looking forward to the next round where Cronic will take on Leroy Dudley. I believe I have told him before, but the new Southeastern title belt looks really good – great job Billy. I love the side plates with the state flags. Glad to see that you were able to make it to the show! There were two drunks watching the show last night. The dark headed one just walked to the back and started chit chatting with the guys, and then during the Jett/Cronic/Dudley three way he was getting ready to get in the ring. The fans = the true show! The next show is May 27. Eagle mentioned a show in Sylva (?) on the same night. The UCW show in Greenwood,SC is on the 20th, I’m still undecided about this show. I would like to see the show, but don’t know if I want to travel all the way to Greenwood on my Friday off work. Current Mood: working
Wednesday, May 11th, 2005
Wednesday
I am scrubbed clean and am now ready to watch the Fox 21 10 o’clock news. Tonight they will be doing a small little tid bit called “Wrestling with a Double Life” or something like that. It will feature Shadow Jackson, Country Boy Sam, and Mikal Adryan. I’m sure the piece probably won’t air until 10.55 pm.Busy day today! We had to catch up after the differently scheduled weekend. I attended the APW training session last night and not knocking anybody else, but our prolific messageboarder, ER is really coming along. I am by no means a judge of who will make it or not, but I think ER has the correct attitude and drive. I am not going to say much about the training sessions because it’s really sort of an eyes only thing. Steve Cronic and Ostgard were leading the training last night. Cronic is extremely patient, and it shows he has a real love of the sport. Ostgard sweats like a whore in church, but has tremendous conditioning, the man was never out of breath. Oh, how could I forget to, I was able to fulfill the role of “Ostgard Lackey” last night! Sorry Ken!
Monday, May 9th, 2005
post CCW & APW
What a weekend! I am still sore. I got 7 hours of sleep last night and I’m tired. If I could run around like I did Saturday night three or four times a week, I would be in much better shape! Ken, ER & Ashley and I met the Chief off I85 about 5pm. Got to Gaffney Middle School about 5.30. I was privileged to meet Terry Funk before the crush of fans. At 6pm, the crowd starting making their way in. The show was great. I was able to stay at ringside for the whole show – much thanks to Tony Hunter for that. The match between Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk was the highlight of the night, Terry acts like a mad-man at the ring. I was joined at times by Dick Bourne by the ring who was getting pics for his respective websites. If you haven’t visited The Mid-Atlantic Gateway @ www.midatlanticwrestling.net then you are missing out. It is crammed with info on everything MACW. He also does George South’s site, Blackjack Mulligans, etc. He gives me the big head by using some of my pics on his sites, thank you Dick! (And don’t worry, the pizza photo goes no further!)Saw some familiar fans, the “living legend” himself Bill White, Ms. Peggy Lathan, and Jaime Tucker.I did hear some “rumbles” I suppose you would call them, from people in the crowd. There were two things: the $$ that Dusty charged for his autograph or picture, and the Matt Hardy photos…I just understood that pics with Matt had to be taken with his handlers own Polaroid or something like that. I don’t know, I did not go through the line to see either one of them. I have no opinion either way, it’s just those were the only two negative things I heard.The show ended about 11.30 I believe. I joined Ken, Mr. & Mrs. Ethan Cage, ER & Ashley, Chief & Mrs. Jay Eagle and Miss Mel at the Mr. Waffle off I85. Got home about 2am. The APW had their Mothers Day show on Sunday. I think it was a good turn out considering the day. Eight matches in all. Dirty was quite stunning in his red sequin dress. I had my first American Coliseum cheeseburger yesterday, and it was real good, why did I wait so long?I got to take my bosses son to the show yesterday. He is 9 years old and it was his first wrestling match. Thanks to everybody who made his first trip an event for him. I think that shows the impact of wrestling on young fans. As we were coming down the road I told him that this was not going to be exactly like what he has seen on TV, but it is pretty close. For him though, it didn’t matter. The ring was real (he knows because he got to get in)and the wrestlers were real and that’s all that mattered.Thanks again to Chief Jay Eagle for allowing me to tag along with everybody to the show!Also, thanks to Ostgard for you gift after the show. If Ken ever dumps me, I would gladly be your lackey, sir!
Saturday, May 7th, 2005
The Hitchhikers Guide
A friend and I went to see “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” tonight. Saw a 9.30 showing in Spartanburg, I am not a fan of late showings, but circumstances dictated it. Previews were crap. Just a smattering of people in the theater. Good movie, if you are a fan of the books. I read them years ago, so recall little of the small things. Fans of the original British version will recognize the original Marvin, and the actor who played Arthur Dent. Perhaps twenty four hours from now I will be typing of the fabulous evening spent with Carolina Championship Wrestling in Gaffney.Sunday is the Mothers Day show at APW. I will be bringing my little friend Trevor to the show. He is near ten years of age, and this will be his first live wrestling event. The approach that children have to wrestlings heroes and villains is great. They have no notions of ticket sales, politics, ratings, etc. They see it with total appreciation.
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005
post EWC
We got to the show about 20 mins before 8, for us it was U85, Hwy 25, then 123. Ken had the first match against Mack Truck. It was a different experience for me. I am used to fans cussing the wrestlers, but not so much the wrestlers cussing back at them. Pretty funny. The setup was different for me too, but they seem to have made good use of the limited space there. I got to see a couple of familiar faces: Donovan Cruze, who I used to see in Greer and Chesnee. Shadow Jackson, who I saw at Wildside. I understand the Boogaloo Crew was there and in a later match, but I had to work today, so as soon as Ken’s match was over it was out the door. I will be back though…We went back down Hwy 25 to get home. It was the first time I had been down it, they say it is quicker to go that way instead of I85 (which is Hell Highway, I feel sorry for you SC residents, that is a money pit highway). It is quicker, I just have to get used to it.Much excitement for the Gaffney show! Current Mood: lazy
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005
new show
Tonight I will be traveling to Greenville,SC for the EWC show for the first time. Ken will be returning for his second week. I was off work today, so I figured it would be a good time to try it out. It will be nice to just sit and watch the show for a change.
Sunday, May 1st, 2005
post APW
Close to 300 pictures last night! I got to the building about 7.30. I feel so discombobulated on the Saturdays that I have to work. I feel rushed as soon as I get out of the office to come down to the building, but you know I wouldn’t trade it at all. The show was long last night lasting until 11.30. Glad to see Nick Fury back in the ring, I just hope he hasn’t rushed himself back in. Sir Buffett and Jay Eagle had a double blindfold match last night, it looked more like the battle of the Elephant Men (you know with the bags over their heads). I was in the corner, and I could not help but laugh at Buffett. The bag on his head was turned so that the corner was near his mouth. Whenever he would breath in, it would suck the cover in. You would had to have been there. Armageddon seems to really be taking off with the fans, the got quite a reaction last night, and their were at least 4 of us at ringside taking pictures of them. Looking forward to seeing Dirty in his ‘purdy’ little dress next Sunday.Got home right around midnight, and hit the sack, up at 6 and off to work. Hardee’s in Columbus has the absolute worst time with keeping employees. I went through the drive-thru to get some sausage bistics, and they were closed. I saw a guy trying to get in the front door and it was locked. They better concentrate on getting some help, for breakfast is when the $$ is made there.
Saturday, April 30th, 2005
Columbus
Wendy’s is to suckI had lunch from Wendy’s earlier today. A co-worker went over and picked it up for me, and of course their drive through cocked it up again! I will go on record and say if any of you folks come through Columbus, do not go through the Wendys. If you simply must have the old fashioned hamburgers, then you have to go inside, for you will be screwed at the drive thru!
Post HVW
151 pictures last night. Not a bad show last night. My parents and grandmother were at the show, and they had a good time, just didn’t like sitting in the chairs that long. I got a couple of blood drops on my hand from one of the matches that sent me scurrying to my handwash. HVW started the finals for the new ‘Southeastern Title’. My hats off to Billy, it is a really nice looking belt. I especially like the state side plates. I really enjoy looking at wrestling title belts, some are truly original and some…well, some take an established design and incorporate their own nuance into it. Either way is fine, I suppose. A friend of mine thinks that the most perfect belt ever is the old Mid Atlantic Title (I got a great pic of Greg Valentine wearing Dick Bourne’s replica at the Legends of Wrestling Show). It’s a bit too blocky for me, but what I do like, just like the belt I mentioned above, is the side plates. It was belt that didn’t claim to represent the world. It represented NC,SC,GA and VA. If I ever get the $$ ( well who are we kidding, I do have the $$, I just don’t want to part with it) I would get a replica of the ‘Unified’ title that Jerry Lawler wore for awhile. Beautiful belt, 4 side plates, each one representing the 4 organizations that Lawler was champion of: AWA, CWF, CWA, and World Class. Have you figured out that I’m a Lawler mark yet? I’m sitting here at work watching the Three Stooges on Spike. Waiting for 7pm and APW.
Thursday, April 28th, 2005
time for a shower
So I had the CT scan on Wednesday. I will going back up to my ear doctor on Monday so he can tell me if the pea in my head has gotten any bigger. Got my hearing checked today, and it’s still the same. If any of you ever wonder why sometimes I just look at you, grin and shake my head – it’s because I’m deaf on one side. I only hear good out of my right ear, so at times you will see me turning my head and cupping my hand around it. I opted not to get a hearing aid, and carry a big horn around instead. The APW messageboard is a fairly tame place I believe. You have a couple of people who like to stir up shit, but that’s ok. Today there was a word used that I just can not stand to hear in a conversation about pro wrestling. That word is “fake.” Without going into the whole thing, because it has been done to death, I would just like to say that there is nothing fake about what I see every week. There is nothing fake about chronic pain, blowed out knees, bloody noses, broken bones, bruises etc. These are sacrifices, badges of honor, and the medals of a profession in my opinion. The word “fake” is thrown around by people who could not handle these sacrifices, and who are unable to wear these badges and medals. It is a disrespectful term.Ok, that is out of my system. Ken worked at EWC in Greenville,SC this past Tuesday against Neil Nitro. I didn’t get off until 7pm, so was unable to attend. Ken gave it a good report, and I am looking forward to going next Tuesday. HVW is tomorrow night in Hendersonville,NC. My parents and maternal grandmother will be at the show. It will be my Grandmothers very first in person wrestling match. Saturday will be APW in Spartanburg. Looking forward to the postponed dress match between Dirty and AJ Frost.
Tuesday, April 26th, 2005
a little stroll down memory lane
I am sitting here at work listening to the Pam Stone Show. They are taking call ins on your “pinch me” moment. It’s where you have met someone famous or gotten into a situation that you can’t believe whatever, you know, pinch me I’m dreaming. One of their callers was Dr Feelgood. Of course you all know him, part of Lethal Injection with Dr Love. We first saw them in Greer at Southern Carolina Wrestling. This also started me thinking about James McHone, who has recently returned to APW. I saw him for the first time in SCW too. He was a referee at the time, and was always a favorite of ours because he was the “rogue ref”. Whenever a wrestler would protest about the hair pull, McHone would ask the crowd, “Did he pull the hair?” We had to give the opposite answer from the fan favorite wanted, the heels have to have support. When we showed up at the Chesnee Coliseum, I spyed McHone again, now a manager. I don’t recall any specifics about who he managed, but I do remember a sign that was held up by a fan (who still attends every Saturday, he’s the guy with the monkey). The sign: McHone eats Tube Steaks. And so, the phrase tube steaks has been with me ever since. The end, it’s time for lunch…..Good Day! Current Mood: hungryCurrent Music: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Sunday, April 24th, 2005
post APW
136 pictures last night. Very good show last night, the crowd was totally into the majority of the show. I was talking with a friend earlier today about the show, and he said after Armageddon gave the spike piledriver to Nick, the crowd just had it sucked out of them. There was total silence after they attacked him. Something like that can really bring you down. I had the announce desk to myself for a little while last night, it seemed weird. I feel like I should be sitting in the middle of the table when I’m out there by myself. The butter popcorn should not be missed from the concession stand. There were only 8 matches last night, a good bit of the talent was not in attendance: Neil Nitro, AJ Frost, Ken Magnum (well, I know where he was at, but I ain’t saying), Scott E. Smooth, Kirk Prodigy. It’s back to work tomorrow, blech! HVW will be back this Friday. I go for my CT scan on Wednesday. Cannot wait for the Gaffney show! I have done the triple S and am ready for bed. If you don’t know what the triple S is, find someone in the military and ask them.
Friday, April 22nd, 2005
10:31 pm
Amityville Horror -CraptacularUgh, my friend and I just got back from seeing the new Amityville Horror. What a waste of time. There was only one good preview in the hour of those we watched and that was “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. The best part of the Horror was the big secret “guy” that is at the bottom of all this shit that goes on in the house, but you only see him for like a minute. Big thumbs down!Tomorrow night is APW. I will be arriving at the building about 6pm. I am off work this weekend so I will be able to mill around after the show instead of warping out. The “class photo” I took at last weeks show of the locker rooms looks really good, great night, great show. Okay that is it.
Sunday, April 17th, 2005
Rattlesnake Tourney
Without a doubt, I had a great time last night at the APW show. I think there are times when you just don’t feel “it” anymore, but last night I was in the spirit. Did you notice me grinning like an idiot throughout most of the night? I think the crowd was into the show all the way to the end. Yes, there were a couple of dips – one that really mystified me. It was great to see all the new faces in the building, they contributed to the feel. The regulars stepped it up a bit too. Before I forget, thanks Boomer for the sammich! I owe you one. Good to see Nick back at the show. It’s always rough to watch someone you know in pain. I’m sure it’s maddening enough for Nick to have to sit and watch the tag tourney go on around him, but I have faith that he’ll be back.I took about 230 pictures last night, this will be pared down a bit though. There were a couple taken at the meet & greet, a few promo shots, and then one really odd request from a fan. Off work Monday and Tuesday, we’ll have the updates to all the sites done hopefully around lunchtime tomorrow. I have to see my otolaryngologist at 3.15 on Monday for a past due check up.
Saturday, April 16th, 2005
HVW
Took 215 pictures last night at HVW. Of course I haven’t been through them yet to do my culling. I can already tell I’m going to eliminate a few. Ken won the HVW title from Johnny Buffett (Buff-et), in a I believe it was a “blood, grits and glory” match. There was no actual blood, as the handy ketchup packet fooled the ref. Good to see Dirty, Neil Nitro and AJ Frost at the show, along with the HVW regulars. The main event started off funny, as soon as someone was tossed over they were whipped back in with belts. The only thing that bothered me last night, was the fact that at one point (I’m not going to mention any names or at what point in the show this was) there was such a ominous cloud of body funk in the air like you wouldn’t believe! Oy vey! This was so much more than the regular locker room/body oil smell of wrestling – this was pure dead skin cell aroma. Leaving work today at 4pm (101 thanks Stacy!) to go down to Spartanburg for the APW meet and greet
9:37 am
Post script to last SaturdayI don’t know how I forgot to mention this in my journal, but last Saturday night yours truly was honored to break bread with “EFW” himself – Ostgard. We were not alone though, as the soiree included Boomer Payne, Shane Austin, and Sonny Landel. And yes, Ostgard did put us to shame with his healthy diet. I envy the ability to maintain the healthful lifestyle 24 hours a day.
Thursday, April 14th, 2005
ahhhhhh….Allegra
I finally went for a check up today. It has been over two years since my last physical, and I am hoping we have nailed down what has been ailing me. For the first time, I have allergies. I started the over the counter Claritin on Monday and it has had no effect. Today I got a prescription for Allegra, and if there is no change by this weekend, I have a script for an antibiotic. Anyway, I hope to get rid of all these creeping cruds by tomorrow night and Saturday. I don’t want to disappoint myself with the pics. Speaking of which: HVW on Friday night. Buffett and Ken are facing off in a “blood, guts and glory” ladder match, in which both men have to be bleeding before they can climb the ladder for the HVW title and also a “3 chambers of hell” match. I believe the fans will be getting their moneys worth tomorrow night. Saturday will be the Darren Westbrook Tag Team Tournament starting at 7pm. Unfortunately I will not arrive until almost 7.30 which sucks. I would like to be able to attend the entire shebang from 5pm on, but duty calls. I never got to know Rattlesnake, as he passed away well before I was able to go to ringside. Still, I am hoping the show is a success and if not at least it will give everyone a chance to remember a friend and co-worker.
Sunday, April 10th, 2005
Post APW
After all is said and done, 138 photos last night. Less than last week. Last night was just not a good night for yours truly. I had a lingering headache that flared up everytime I coughed or cleared my throat. I am afraid the photos I took last night are not all that great, I just could not get in “tune”. I am guilty of getting too many of the same shot. So, for the past couple of weeks I have been trying to mix up the shots I aim for. Maybe try to zoom in on a face that is in pain, stuff like that. This next week looks good; APW will begin their training classes on Tuesday night, I’m going to buzz down there after work. Friday night is HVW in Hendersonville, and then back at APW on Saturday for the Rattlesnake Brooks Tag Team tournament. They are actually starting at 5pm on Saturday with a “meet & greet” of the APW guys, then the actual show starts at 7pm. I will be like 30 minutes late for that, so there will be no pictures of the opening ceremonies.
Sunday, April 3rd, 2005
post APW
Great time at APW last night, lots of fun. Took about 170 pictures, have not had a chance to look through them yet though. Long show last night, didn’t get to leave until maybe 11.30? Dropped a friend off, and headed home. I went ahead and pushed the clock in the car ahead an hour, so it was getting close to 1AM. Got home, and wouldn’t you know, no power. Finally laid down near 2AM (new time). Up at 6AM, and on the way to work. Wrestlemania is tonight, and I have been invited to watch it, but there just ain’t no way. Looking forward to the Rattlesnake tournament in a couple of weeks at APW, may possibly be heading down to EWC in Greenville this coming Tuesday, and can’t wait for the May 7th show in Gaffney with Dusty Rhodes.Last night I was reminded of just how physical wrestling can be, and sometimes the only way this can be appreciated is by being at ringside. Being that close you can see and hear more as compared to sitting just a few feet away behind the barrier. These guys risk a lot entertaining us, and it would be nice if we could all remember that. When I sat on the other side, I loved to yell and holler, but there was one phrase I would never yell, and that was ‘boring’. Years ago, it never crossed my mind. Recently it seems to have become more popular at wrestling events, and true – if the person paid for their ticket, they are given a wide berth as far as behavior. Still, I view that as something that is just uncalled for.Of course I have sat through matches that I thought were boring, and I yearned for the 1-2-3. The only person who knew this though was my friend beside me, not the entire building, it would be nice if everyone else thought the same way.
Saturday, April 2nd, 2005
Post HVW
The Saturday mornings are never the problem when it comes to these doubleshot weekends. My co-worker called me at 6.20 this morning…”I forgot to call you!” I told him I was just getting ready to walk out the door to come to work, and that was the truth. Now tomorrow morning will be a problem, there is no doubt in my mind. Since we will be losing an hour due to the time change, I will be dragging tomorrow! Anywho…High Velocity Wrestling had their show last night in Hendersonville. I got there at about 7.30 and had to park far behind the building, since Wendy’s has banned the ‘rassling fans from their parking lot. It was strange seeing Mrs Ethan Cage in the audience again, it has been a few months. The crowd was a little lighter than last time, something that can be attributed to the miserable weather. They decided to break the Flyweight Title tournament into two nights since a few folks couldn’t make the show. Honest Doug and David Duke had a quite bloody match, it was all over the floor. Ethan and Ken had an in ring confrontation. I can safely say now the days of the UnderGround as it was are over. Ethan faced Ostgard, and I give kudos to both guys for their match; Ken faced Johnny Buffett in the main event, and won by DQ when Ethan ran in. I think Ken and Johnny really play off each other well. Show was over at about 10.15, I was home in about 20 minutes and off to bed.
Thursday, March 31st, 2005
Another double shot
It is time for another double shot weekend! Tomorrow night will be HVW in Hendersonville and then Saturday is APW. I have to make a list the night before to remember all the stuff I have to do in the morning…if only I had gotten into this when I was younger! I am almost 30, and it really takes a toll on a body…plus I have my regular earache of the month…
Monday, March 28th, 2005
post Wildside/APW weekend
So, it is now Monday and I am starting to feel a little burn from the weekend. I attended NWA-Wildside on Friday for Hardcore Hell Night #1 and then APW on Saturday night. Much thanks to Shane Austin for inviting me along for the trip and to the Great ER and Ashley for keeping me company on the trip.Friday – Left the house at 4.10pm. Got to Mauldin to pick up ER and Ashley a little before 5 I believe. Hit the road, I85 is the absolute worst highway to drive on. Stopped at the Burger King at the Lavonia exit in GA. This was my first time in GA by the way. Continued on Hwy 17, missed the turn, got to 365, took wrong exit. Shane, thankfully guided us in though. Wildside was totally not what I was expecting. The building appears to be an old converted barn, but it was a great place though. Cool interior, black walls. Got to meet Rick Michaels and David Young and then just went and waited. Great show, AJ Styles was in the main event against David Young. Shane was part of the Reunion Rumble along with another familiar face – Scottie Wrenn. The rumble came down to Shane and Rick Michaels, great action – chairs, over the railing, blood! Got out of the show around 11pm, we all stopped at the Echo Restaurant off I85, good cheeseburger. Got home at 20 till 3, straight to bed.Saturday – up around 8am! Yeechh! A friend and I went to Asheville and spent loads of $$. APW was a good show, a little supper around 11.30/midnight and then in the bed by 2 or so!Sunday – we worked on the website up until noon, then had Easter lunch with the family, finally finished with the site that afternoon.
Friday, March 25th, 2005
Friday, fresh haircut
Good Friday, and I’m off work. Not for the holiday though, it’s my weekend off. Which will make my weekend much easier to do! For tonight, your rolly polly picture guy will be hitting I85 and heading towards the mecca of rassling in Cornelia, GA – the NWA Wildside Arena! I will be leaving here about 4.30, making a brief stop in Mauldin, SC to pick up a bud and then back on the road. Much thanks to Shane Austin for the invitation to the show. It has a great line up and I hope I get some good pics. Saturday of course, will be APW.
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005
3:31 pm
My first timeAh….a blank page to fill with my thoughts. This being the first post, I suppose I should fill everyone in on who I am etc. If you are here, then you probably came via the website. I am peering into the future with this post, for right now things have not changed and there is no way to get here.I bet the first thing going through your mind is…what the hell is a televiper? Very simple, I am sure there are some fans of the old GI Joe toys/cartoon show/comic book series reading this. I was really into the whole COBRA thing, and my favorites were believe it or not…the televipers, the COBRA communications officers. They wore this huge radio backpack, and helmets with these huge silver goggles. On the cartoon show, there would be words or phrases that would scroll along the goggles in reverse, such as: “Alert”, “Your Fly is Open”, or “You can ring my bell”.Anyway, thats where it comes from. The picture I put on here and on my most of the messageboard profiles is Jabba the Hutt. Star Wars fans need no explanation, Jabba rules! I am totally surrounded by Jabbas in my office. My first tattoo is the same one Jabba has. Didn’t know Jabba had a tattoo? Well, do a search for it on the internet and you will find it.I have been a fan of wrestling since the mid – 1980’s. The NWA is what I grew up watching. I kept up with the rest of the scene by reading the Apter/PWI mags. My favorites were Bam Bam Bigelow, Jerry Lawler, and of course…Ric Flair. My father and I used to go to the Asheville Civic Center just about once a month to see their house shows. It was my first introduction to live pro wrestling, and wrestling fans. As a matter of fact, a young Ethan Cage accompanied us once and was told to “shut up” by none other than Cactus Jack.My interest in wrestling waned in 1993 as I was graduating from High School, and getting ready to go to college. I didn’t watch any of it, didn’t read any magazines, nothing. I got back into it in 1995 while watching Nitro. Started attending shows in Greer,SC that were put on by Southern Carolina Wrestling. I believe the owners name was Jim Lewis or Lewis Crane, not sure. They were great fun, Ken Magnum, Ethan Cage and some other friends would all pile into my truck and we would travel down every Tuesday night. Some of the guys I remember from there: Scottie Wrenn & J.C. Dazz of the Boogaloo Crew, Amos Jones, Steve Stampede, Playboy Buddy Rose Jr., Doc Adams, Shotgun Shane Sawyer, The Destroyer, The Scorpion, Red Dog, Lethal Injection-Dr Feelgood and Dr Love? (I think it was Love, they were brothers I know that), Mike Pain, Smiley Robinson (who went on to become Dirty), and Referee Jamie Tucker. Because of my work schedule, I wasn’t able to go to the shows after awhile, and then when I did go back down, the place had been shut down. My next indy show was American Pro when it was at the Chesnee Coliseum. I was blown away the first time I went in. It had such a great atmosphere. I remember we got to see Chief Wahoo McDaniel the first night we were there, and they were taping for TV. Of course I never got to see the TV product when it was on, since it was local cable. APW guys: Juvenile Delinquents – Nick Fury and EZ Money, James McHone, Stone Mountain, Rick Michaels (who used the Midnight Express ‘Chase’ theme – the coolest entrance music…..Ever!), Jay Eagle, Rev. Slim, Deacon Bill Mudd. I only went like three times, but I loved the show. Finally, myself, Ken Magnum, and a friend of ours attended a show in Greenville,SC. It was Universal Championship Wrestling, UCW run by the Shooter. He was there, Scottie Wrenn, NWO Sting, Scott E Smooth, Buff Bagwell, Disco Inferno, Norton Lewis, and some others. From there, Ken said that we needed to go to the American Pro Wrestling show in Spartanburg. I told him that I had been to them when they were in Chesnee and had a pretty good show.We attended the APW show in January of 2004. The night was memorable because it was where I got to meet Jimmy Valiant, and also APW had their year end awards. After the show, Ken went and talked with Chief Jay Eagle about training and he hooked us up with Viper. In March, Ken and partner Ethan Cage debuted at APW against Viper and Gump.Well, now how did you get involved in the “business” of pro wrestling you may be asking? First off, I want to give my thank you list:Ethan Cage & Ken Magnum – for letting me ride your coat tails into the building!Viper – for letting me “freeload” at your training school and allowing me to soak up what you taught Ethan and Ken.Chief Jay Eagle – for helping out my buds, Ethan and Ken, and letting me be apart of the whole operationof APW.All the guys at APW/HVW – for so quickly allowing me entry into the fraternity, and treating me like “one of the boys”, you are all teachers for me, for you are the ones who step between the ropes and do the dance.I had read stuff about the “secrets” of entering the world of pro wrestling. For me, it was just being in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. Of course I make it sound like that I am at the top of the business, mingling with the elite. I’ve got friends (one in particular) who love to give me hell about the stars in my eyes. It’s all in fun, but in my mind I am associating with other people involved in a business that I love – and yes I do get a little starry eyed. Ken and Ethan started with APW in March of 2004. Before they even stepped foot in the ring, we had sort of a promotional thing going on with them. A close friend of mine, named Quentin and I decided to start work on a website for The Underground. We registered the domain name, and got to work on putting together pictures etc for the site. So when they entered the ring, there site was up and running and the camera was there to get their pics. The first camera I had was a Sony Mavica, which held the hard disks. At the time I thought this would be sufficient for what I needed. The disks would hold about 30 pictures, and there was a 2-3 second delay while the camera wrote the pic to disk. The early shots were, now that I look at them, crude. It didn’t matter to us though we were ecstatic.I took pics on the weeks I was off work, while the lovely Miss Melony took them for me on the weeks I had to work. About September/October 2004, we were asked if there was interest in doing a site for APW. Of course there was! With the encouragement of Ethan and Ken, and Ostgard, who I understand also lobbied to get that camera guy at ringside, I started taking pics of the whole show.My first night I was extremely nervous, and slightly intimidated. I was welcomed with open arms though, everyone was very friendly. I was afraid to get in someones way, or what the crowd would say, or how would I react if a wrestler yelled at me?After the show, I couldn’t help but just bubble over with overly long descriptions of how my night went. I was close to the action now, I made that transistion that few people do…from the seats to the ringside.
