Gulf Coast Wrestling

Christmas Blues or Why Am I A Wrestling Fan Anyhow?

2009-12-26T11:16:00.007-06:00

Definition: Smark - (noun) a phrase coined by Internet wrestling fans to describe a fan who enjoys pro wrestling despite or because they know that it is staged, as well as generally knowing the "ins-and-outs" of the (or "a") company and knowing many things about the industry or wrestlers collected by sources and are posted online. "Smarks" are generally looked down on by wrestlers as well as other wrestling fans for supposed inability to suspend their disbelief. Smarks may also be criticized for believing they know more than they do in reality about the workings of the wrestling industry.

Wikipedia - list of popular wrestling terms

I guess that's me.

I certainly have knowledge of some of the inner workings of professional wrestling on our local level, as well as a speaking acquaintance with more than a few wrestlers who labor in the sparse vineyards that are the working promotions entertaining fans from Tallahassee to New Orleans. I know the difference between a lazy and an all-out performance by a wrestler simply by watching and I can pretty much tell who has been trained to several degrees of separation to a "real" wrestler, and who has been legitimately brought along using more traditional methods under the supervision of seasoned professionals at or above the rank of "Journeyman."

I used this knowledge to write a book - "The Absolute Beginner's guide To Gulf Coast Wrestling" and sold copies of it at local wrestling shows. Though less than stellar in its performance, the book sold out all copies except for the two that were ripped to pieces by disgruntled wrestlers, one of which was flung in my face.

"Smarks are looked down upon by wrestlers," says the Wiki. Most wrestlers who know me though, know I was simply trying to "put over" local area wrestling with that effort.

Professional wrestling seems to me to be the only performance art in the entertainment world where the artist may feel free to disrespect the patron (person who pays to see them perform) outside the context of the show. This year of 2009, I have seen more juvenile behavior from "professional" wrestlers than at any other time since I have been following the sport. It is as though select people have been trying to redefine "pro wrestler" to be a synonym for "immature, self centered egomaniac with delusions of grandeur."

I hope this effort to denigrate wrestling fails.

I remember Cameron Frost in XW-2000 years ago, coming out to the ring with the energy and enthusiasm of an atomic explosion. His work - the actual execution of a match against an opponent - was close to flawless, even then, some five or more years ago and now - as recently as last week, when he won the Ultimate Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, he seems to have grown impressively in skill, execution and presentation.

Mr. Frost is one on a long list of wrestlers whom I admire as not only professionals, but also as persons. Pretty much every one on that list knows who he or she is. Many of them do or have done things for charity that uplift the whole Gulf Coast area experience for those less fortunate. Others simply conduct themselves in a manner that bespeaks their style, their class, and their status as persons worthy of praise, respect or fandom.

Babyface or "good guy" wrestlers have it easy. All they have to do is look good, act friendly, kiss a few babies, hug a granny or three and stomp a mudhole all over the bad guy. Establishing a babyface identity is more difficult than simply being set against heels in matches. "Goodguydom" is a state of mind that requires being friends with everyone, like 'em or not. Pulling that off is not so easy to some, and a piece of cake to others.

Polynesian Prince, of All Pro Wrestling, comes off as a consummate babyface. He's personable. He's humble. He's from the islands. What's not to love? Truth is, in the short time I have known him, I have grown to respect him - for the talent he has shown so far and the awesome potential he has for the future. Should he ever turn heel, I will boo him louder than anyone. But he still will be a great guy, well worth a word of encouragement when no one is listening but him.

Smark's privilege - to be a fan of a wrestler for his ability to entertain, not just because his story calls for him to be popular.

I have preferences and prejudices where wrestling is concerned.

I intensely dislike "hardcore" matches. Bang a guy on the head once out of sheer heeldom, fine.

The "banger" is a heel and the "bangee" is a victim. I get it. Spend twenty minutes knocking down chairs in the audience, terrorizing little kids and their grannies while throwing trashcans at one another and you lose me. I see it as pointless, and an egregious violation of the trust we fans place in wrestlers "not to cross the line."

Seriously - pay ten bucks to see hooligans whack each other in the head with pie pans? That is so last decade.

Hardcore matches seem more like "Jim Jones kool-aide" than wrestling gospel to me and I find them boring and predictable. Other fans disagree vehemently with that opinion, which may or may not be a minority one. For me, though, if I know there's going to be hard core, I generally don't show up, where my counterparts might drive 50 miles to see one.

I know too many heels.

Death Row scares me to death in the ring. I totally believe he is homicidal when he is wrestling and I feel bad for anyone who enters the ring against him because they are just gonna die.

Bobby Doll and Uncle Jim cheat incessantly.

Brian Cage is an insufferable egomaniac.

Lord Humongous is big and bad.

Chris Tighe is . . . indefinable but a world class heel anyhow (as of the last time I saw him).

These entertainers are successful in their portrayal of "the bad guy."

Not one of them has ever given me grief on a message board or outside an arena.

Why am I a wrestling fan?

Good question.

Wrestling done right and wrestlers doing right entertain me. It is as entertaining to me as the sci-fi books I read or the movies I go to see. I expect a degree of excellence and I afford wrestlers a degree of celebrity in my eyes.

Someone told me recently that my being involved in pro wrestling (presumably as a fan because I do not wrestle) "makes me a target."

This seeming truism has been illustrated by behavior coming from the recently disenfranchised GAWF and its odd-duck spokesperson Steve Goins. And apparently unsatisfied with simple Christmas wishes, an incredibly lame display of assholeism coming from Brandon Blevins formerly known as Steve Cheetum, a ho-hum "retired" wrestler of limited imagination, bitter feelings toward wrestling and a house trailer vocabulary complete with 4th grade spelling.

What is sad is the shadow these and other "message board heels" cast on legitimate wrestlers and their legitimate on-line work.

I think it's getting close to time for real pro wrestlers in our area to start weeding out the fools. Bookers can do this by simply not booking wrestlers who don't have their act together - whether or not they work for free.

Promoters can instruct bookers that undesirable wrestlers be not booked.
Let's put "professional" and "wrestler" back together to form a proper noun that means something.

Who should decide who gets blackballed for poor behavior?
Wrestlers should.

Fans already do by avoiding shows featuring wrestlers they do not like.
Message board moderators make their own rules. Deleting messages that are sophomoric or stupid is just part of the job. Fans should avoid message boards they do not like and support boards that they do.

In my opinion, everyone should support the Gulf Coast Wrestling Reunion. Even if you're not allowed to attend (it's for workers and not fans).

Lastly, why am I a wrestling fan, considering what people put me through?

I'll have to get back to you on that one. I am still thinking it through.

The Grinch That Stole Wrestling

2009-12-14T19:51:00.003-06:00

T'was the week before Christmas and throughout Gulf Coast Wrestling
It seemed like about everybody was fighting and hassling
Throughout all of Online there arose such a clamor
that promoters seemed ready to draw down on a rumor!

Petty fights over venues and personal name calling
spun wide across message boards scratching and clawing
Shoot posts from green wrestlers and videos tasteless
and wild accusations both useless and baseless

With different non wrestlers throwing gasoline on the pyre
It looked like pro wrestling would be consumed in fire.
Everyone it seems wants to get in some blows
and they tell me , "Yeah, there'll be peace when it snows.

It's the Grinch that stole wrestling rearing his ugly head
sowing hatred and discontent, wanting wrestling to be dead
and promoters are all buying into his ugly plan
being selfish and boorish again and again.

But there's hope - yes there's hope for our wrestling scene
if only folks would just stop being so mean
and looked to the season's unselfish clime
and just thought of families and fans for a time.

No sniping or snipping or smarmy revelations
no deep cutting words or angry proclamations
no lables or gossip or idle mud slinging
Kill the Grinch who stole wrestling and the hate he is bringing

And maybe, just maybe we all can agree
that our sport is entertainment for the whole family
So let prosperity for all promotions come forth
and lead to indy wrestling peace on the earth.

GAWF Rides Again or Another Video Slaps The Face

2009-12-10T09:32:00.005-06:00

Not surprisingly, GAWF got its panties in a bunch over yesterday's comments about decertification.

Goins even posted yet another video about it.

So far, the GAWF booker has posted more videos about me than he has posted promos about GAWF. Nice to know I am so loved.

It's 9 in the morning here in Pensacola, and I pretty much didn't feel like dealing with another long, rambling video about how fat I am, or how I wheeze when I walk, or that I use a wheelchair to cover distances when I am away from the house. Physical imperfection seems to be an obsession where this wrestler is concerned, but hey, if all the perfect people in the world support GAWF, then their attendence will go up (by one or two or so).

Anyhow, I deleted Goins video without watching it. What do I care if this mope doesn't like me?

At least he reads my blog, and apparantly, my message board as well, it would seem.Hmm. Maybe he's MY fan.

Truthfully, I don't think Goins or Skipperman really understands the rules of this game.

You see, as a fan, I get to focus on any wrestler that attracts my attention. I can praise any babyface, the former Short Bandit, now known as Pitt Bull, for example; or Scarface Waylon Barley. I can boo any heel, make life miserible for Bobby Doll by photoshopping an image of him in his new gorgeous ring robe to suggest that he is now King of Vampires. I can complain that Brutal Joe Gibson is too brutal, or that Brian Cage is haughty. I can be so excited about The Invasion winning the Ultimate Tag Team Belts that I nearly blew a battery in my wheelchair.

That's what being a fan is all about. Responding to "the work" is a fan's job.

Wrestling companies routinely control their outgoing PR content. "Come to GAWF," a promo might read or say, "because the feud between Goins and so and so is heating up and there's going to be a hard beatdown this weekend in Hosford!"

As a fan, that's what I want to hear. "Wrestler A VS Wrestler B was a killer match right up until the time that Goins hit B with a chair shot in a cheap Pearl Harbor attack."

Wrestling; you know what I mean?

I have never claimed to be anything but a wrestling fan with a web site and an opinion. Not in all the years I have been associated with wrestling on the Gulf Coast. For some reason though, the GAWF seems obsessed with stating the obvious.

A clue, guys. I am a wrestling fan. Not a fan of GAWF's amateur hour videos, for sure, but a wrestling fan.

It happens also, that I am a fan with a web site. Go figure.

I display the latest posters from area promotions. I host a variety of message boards. I write a blog. I attend shows on the invitation of a given promoter and with permission (by the rules of the promotion) I set up a table that sells this and that. I am friends with virtually every promoter on this part of the coast and would do just about anything for a friend, including creating posters when needed or printing flyers or whatever my skills can provide that someone needs.

That's what fans and friends do.

I have said before, but it bears reiteration, I have been invited to GAWF on several occasions. It's just too bloody far! It's 176 miles, including some of the darkest, roughest back roads rural Panhandle Florida has to offer. I am 62 years old. Gimmie a break with the driving! Chipley or Dothan is just about my limit and even that's pretty dang far!

It wasn't personal that I turned down GAWF's invitation. And it sure as heck wasn't because, as Skipperman said in his video, " he wouldn't let me set up a table." It's simple economics. 1.5 tanks of gas @ 20 gallons per tank VS a night of wrestling in a remote place where I know very few of the wrestlers. Do the math. It doesn't compute for me in Pensaola.

Panama City, maybe . . .

And so it goes . . .

It's now 10:48 AM. Another voice has entered the conversation.

Baddlnbill- Bill Weaver asks a pertinent question on the GAWF message board. He says, "Does all these BS videos and posts add one more seat filled at a GAWF show?"

The short answer is, "Nope."

Bill's post is the most intelligent thing that has appeared on the GAWF message board since the original Goins video dropped the "F" bomb.

Mister Weaver continues, "Thats my question. Have I pissed anybody off? I have no clue. Dont really care."

He hasn't pissed anybody off. He shouldn't care. He is a wrestler with promos to cut and wrestlers to wrestle, belts to win. He is focused. I admire that.

He says, " I have been in and around this Business for over 15 years. I have promoted shows for over 5 years of that time. My job then and my job now is to put butts every 18 inches in the GAWF Hosford Arena."

See? Focus. I will drive to see him wrestle if he gets a little closer so I can afford the gas.

"Most everyone that comes to the GAWF arena has no clue who any of these people are."

Well, they know Goins but could care less about me. I'm not a wrestler. No need for 'em to do.

"I have a hard enough time getting them to know me and what story I am trying to sell. Lets get to the business of filling up the GAWF Arena."

The voice of common sense, Baddlnbill- Bill Weaver advocates wrestling and selling tickets and going forward with the business of wrestling. No BS - just straightforward cut the crap, guys.

I like the message. It doesn't say, Bob, you're an idiot, or Goins, you should not drop "F" bombs or do yellow promos, both of which are truisms. he simply says, enough of play time. Let's get back to business.

Great idea.

Bill wraps up by saying, "If i am missing something and someone can tell me how this BS is filling seats i want to know. The story i am trying to sell is the Brawl for it All, No DQ, No Countout, Falls count anywhere on the property. Thats what happens this "next show" at the GAWF Arena this Saturday Night December 12th. Baddln Bill Weaver vs Curt "The Hustler" Nichols"

You know, I am tempted to drive the 176 miles just to see this honest man take apart his opponent piece by piece.

Now that's wrestling.

The Departure of GAWF and The Changing Face of Professional Wrestling On The Gulf Coast

2009-12-09T19:20:00.005-06:00

Fans looking for the GAWF (Great American Wrestling Federation) on Gulf Coast Wrestling Online will be disappointed to find the link gone. Depending on who you talk to, the reason ranges from vengance for some unspecified transgression, to megalomania on my part in which I want to "control wrestling on the Gulf Coast."

It's ridiculous, but absolutely somebody's opinion in the offices at GAWF.

The reason behind GAWF's decertification as a member of the Gulf Coast Wrestling Online family is much more mundane and far less melodramatic than that. Simply put, their message board had fallen of the edge. Message boards in general are only as family friendly as their moderators. Over the years, Skip Skipperman has alternated between keeping his message board clean and obscenity free and being a scratch pad for the lunatic fringe of wrestling to scribble pretty much anything they want to. In order to remain linked to GCWO, one's message board must be as close to family friendly as possible given that it's wrestling. Failure to do so is grounds for disconnection by agreement.

So along comes Goins.

Now Goins is the GAWF Booker. This means he is responsible for acquiring and utilizing talent (read as wrestlers) who come to Hosford to work. He is the go to guy to get "booked" or awarded a spot to wrestle. In other words, second to Skipperman, the promoter/owner, Goins is the voice of the promotion.

Goins decided to make a video putting down SPW (Southern Pro Wrestling) and SXW, both out of Dothan, Alabama. Well, that really didn't qualify as any of my business except for the "F" bomb in the video. Now "F" bombs in plain english, spoken by the #2 honcho of a "family friendly promotion on a "family friendly" message board is a breech of both protocol and, I might add, common sense.

So I waited to see when it would be removed and when it wasn't, I issued a warning.

I also commented, as I have been known to do, about the poor taste and unprofessional demeanor of both the video and Goins.

What I got in return were two more videos, each more tasteless than the previous one, along with a personal attack (video) aimed squarely at me, my disabilities and my credibility as having "never gone anywhere or done anything for wrestling."

People who know me know I have logged more than 40,000 miles and more than 2000 hours in behalf of Gulf Coast Independent wrestling in the last 14 years. What I know about public behavior of pro wrestlers comes from constant contact with the sport and its people.

In the same way you don't have to be a pilot to lobby for change in the airline industry, you don't have to have laced up boots to have a sense of what's right for wrestling.

It is my opinion that public hooliganism outside the form and structure of "work" is an abomination and should be chastised when it gets out of hand. The fact that any moron with a video camera can become a "YOUtube" promo producer simply cheapens the product. Adding the "F" word and its derivatives to "yellow promos" does not help. All it does is to confirm to the non-wrestling public that pro wrestling at the Indy level is shotgunned with punks, hooligans, and stupid people.

That said, the GAWF owes an apology to its fans and a removal of objectionable material from its message board. Only then will the promotion be reconsidered as a GCWO associate.

My guess is that Hell will freeze over before that happens, because Skipperman made a video of his own, denigrating me and several promotions in our area using lies and half-truth as his weapon of choice. As far as I am concerned, his bed is made.

Being as how Hosford, FL is two cornfields past the far end of the cornfield, 176 miles from my front door, I'm not feeling much loss, anyhow. Don't look for a GAWF expansion anytime soon either, because they have neither pot nor window.

Wrestlers looking to wrestle there, consider the distance from your base, amount you are being paid and the locker room climate. Then do what you think is best for you.

Fans, the same. Is GAWF worth driving a very dark road back into the toolies? You will know when you check it out whether the promotion is right for you.

We haven't seen much action out of ALL PRO since they vacated their Pensacola building a couple of weeks ago. But they are scheduled for a roaring comeback at the Brewton, Alabama National Guard Armory on Friday, Dec 11th.

I know what you're thinking - isn't that where Johnny Angel's DSPW works?

Yep.

Tiny's move is a part of a sea change around here, where pro wrestling promotions are concerned. Everybody is "on the move" so to speak; repeated attempts to broaden their fan base are thought to result from going "to a new town."

Well, APW's move to Brewton can hardly help but improve their bottom line, because they are not attached to a town right now at all.

DSPW's expansion into Castleberry, Alabama, which had in the past been served by SPW, has been good for the organization. DSPW hasn't abandoned Brewton. For now they will be sharing the Alabama National Guard Armory there, running on (we hope) different nights.

The former Terry Ryker, now Waylon Barley and associates, moved New Heights Wrestling from Florala, Alabama to Defuniak Springs, traditionally where Southern Pro offers monthly shows. NHW acquired the Boys and Girls Club of Defuniak Springs as their venue, located less than 3000 yards from SPW's Walton County Fairgrounds front door.

That set off a little tension, but strangely, more so between NHW and Culture Shock, out of Mossy Head, during a fund raiser being offered by the latter. Defuniak Springs is not so large a place, but nonetheless, the two promotions are battling it out, with SPW offering $1 tickets the weekend of DEC 12th, and NHW offering a talented lineup that is tantalizingly tempting.

That Milo is quite the whiz kid.

Meanwhile, DSPW has announced a Florala show on Jan 2nd, and is confident of at least 6 more, thus completing a triangle of promotions in, around and near Mossy Head, where CSW labors before a dedicated audience who will seldom accept anything less.

2010 will be interesting.

Rumors are flying that 3 different promotions are taking a hard look at Hosford and that area, to see if battling GAWF for supremacy in the plowed rows is economically feasible. My advice is don't bother. GAWF fans have stuck with Skipperman through thick and thin and changes of booker and misadventures in Georgia and Tallahassee. I doubt they would be intrigued with an unfamiliar show coming into town.

Rumors also have ICON wrestling coming to Pensacola at the Fairgrounds, an attempt to do battle against Ultimate's dominance of the port city scene. Tex Galento is rumored to be looking at "high value former WWE stars to supplement an all-star cast such as he has worked with before. If that means the return of CzR, then surely fans will get a workout.

Come to think of it, CzR VS Goins might be a benchmark match.

With Ultimate running two shows a month in key venues (Pensacola and Milton), nothing seems likely to unseat them. Truth is they have earned their fan following with solid personalities, good matches and an ongoing Grade A concession stand. I gain 3 pounds at every show.

Inhibitions have been set aside between promotions.

Yellow promos have tainted the waters and caused some fans (me for one) to question why the hobby of wrestling fandom is even viable anymore. Why bother taking to the road and driving 5o miles to see a show at all?

That kind of fan thinking will fragment the fragile grip that Indy wrestling in our area has on profitability. We could end up a dead zone very easily if promoters don't pay attention to not only their own image, but the image of Gulf Coast pro wrestling as a whole.

Denigrate one, denigrate all.

Let's all pull together for the health of the sport. There are tickets to be sold, and if somebody is selling them in a town YOU work, just work harder. You don't win a contest by being dumber than your opponent.

Don't be like GAWF and throw out the baby with the bath just for cheap heat and quick cyber bully laughs. The loss is yours and ours as well.

Yellow Promos

2009-12-06T23:47:00.002-06:00

YOUtube has made video publishing so simple that a caveman can do it. Consequently, every idiot with a video camera and an adolescent sense of humor is out there publishing wrestling promos about how "great" his own promotion is while denegrating other wrestling promotions by saying "they suck" or some equally childish crudity.

I call these backyard videos "Yellow Promos" in honor of the yellow bellied cowards sho "shoot" them.

They are all pretty nearly identical. Some yahoo sits on a dimly lit set or perhaps in a car, while driving, and goes off on who or what he thinks is bad for wrestling. The audio is almost always crappy. Production value ranges somewhere between bad porn and muslim beer commercials and always - always the poor viewer has to slog through 6 to 8 minutes of stuttering to get to the point, which always is that there is no point.

Yellow promos make wrestling look stupid.

Yellow promos make wrestling promoters look stupid.

Yellow promos make wrestlers look stupid.

Yellow promos make fans feel stupid after they have wasted 8 minutes of their lives watching them.

Promotions who need to bash other promotions in order to aggrandize themselves are in every way undeserving of a single dollar from an honest wrestling fan.

Promoters should concentrate their energy on promoting the virtues of their own shows.

Promotions as a team should be prepared to outperform other promotions - overwhelm them with excellence, not lay down false promises of being "better than so and so" only to just be crappy.

Yellow promos hurt everyone and should be banned.

In Pensacola, We Knew Umaga As A Home Town Wrestler Made Good

2009-12-04T15:53:00.004-06:00

The first time I ever met Eckmo Fatu was more than 10 years ago in Bobby Doll's back yard. The young Samoan and his cousin Matt had stopped by for a friendly chat with other professional wrestlers and student trainees from our area and a bit of a workout as well in one of the only real wrestlings around at the time set up and good to go.

Over the subsequent years prior to his sudden meteoric rise to WWE fame, Eckmo wrestled for many of my favorite promotions. He appeared frequently in the XW-2000 shows that rivaled PWA and wowed audiences up and down our coast with his atheleticism and dedication to entertaining fans everywhere he went.

There were times when he and I were in the same venue, he to wrestle, I set up at a table doing my thing. He always made it a point to stop by and offer me a handshake or a word of acknowledgement. Truth be told, it wasn't just me. Eckmo enjoyed fans - he enjoyed people and he was never afraid to show it, whether slapping the hand of a kid, hugging a lady or making an old man feel more important than he actually was.

That was Eckmo - first and foremost, he was a great guy.

Then came WWE and fame and fortune and worldwide recognition. No one I can think of deserved the world-wide spotlight than the two earnest hard working Samoan youngsters from Pensacola. How proud it made me that my friends made it to "the show." Matt and Eckie, Rosie and Jamal (right) - so light they could bump a 90 year old woman, yet so devastating they could cut a swath through the toughest tag teams on the planet.

Then, they went away.

Matt stayed in the WWE as "Super Hero In Training" for a while. I never liked that gimmick personally. I felt that it diminished the talent and heritage Matt brought to the ring. But Vince gets his way and doesn't ask me for permission.

Eckmo, meantime, dropped off the wrestling radar for a while, only to re-emerge as Umaga - this incredible Samoan fighting machine. He burst back onto the WWE scene like a bulldozer in an egg factory. His gimmick and the style and charisma that went with it was just incredible. He was simply invincible. His meteoric rise was enough to get me back to WWE TV for a while and I enjoyed every moment of it all.

But "up" is 50% of "down."

Eckmo was injured on several occasions. Pro wrestling is not pillow making. It is a rough and tumble world where the slightest mistake can hospitalize you and big errors can kill you. Pro wrestling hurts. Big hurts or small, it is still pain and you can only suck up so much of it.

Eckmo was released from WWE, "for violation of the wellness policy" we, the public were told in typical WWE mumblespeak. He had reached the end of his WWE "push" and went home to Houston, where he had chosen to live and raise his family.

There were other gigs. Japan, I am told, where he performed spectacularly. Other places I know not much about because it was his life - his career and there was so much of it that only his closer friends could keep up.

Most recently, Eckmo, as Umaga toured Australia with Hogan and Flair. Great company to keep as a young wrestler and he deserving of peerdom with them. He was successful in that as with everything else he did. He was a good man and an inspiration to others in his profession.

At age 36, Eckmo died today. Rushed to a Houston area hospital, he had been sitting, watching TV in his house when his wife found him not breathing, bleeding from the nose and unresponsive. Shortly after that, relatives were notified, life support was disconnected and just like that a great soul departed.

From Bay City Blues in Pensacola, to the WWIWC arena in Mobile, to The XW-2000 shows at the Pensacola Fairgrounds and beyond, Eckmo entertained thousands - then at the WWE and beyond, millions. He was a man who always knew what he wanted and always lived life on his terms.

Eckmo Fatu was my friend.

I miss him very much.

Goodbye Eddie. You inspired me.

What's in a Name - The Great Search For Gimmick Perfection

2009-11-29T12:33:00.008-06:00

Nobody in professional wrestling is ever exactly who he seems. Terry Bolea, for example, is Hulk Hogan. The intimidating Booker T is really Booker Huffman and Rob Van Damme's actual moniker is Rob Szatkowski.

A name can be the difference between "cool" and "fool," a fact that is understood by most, if not many new wrestlers, but one that steadfastly eludes others.

Take All Pro Wrestling's new champion, The Polynesian Prince, (right) a man who burst onto the Gulf Coast Wrestling scene a few weeks ago with all the subtlety of an asteroid strike. His gimmick fits so perfectly that he seems almost to have been born with it. And why not. Not menacingly tall, Prince is, nonetheless imposing by means of general physical presentation. His distinctive Samoan Polynesian build suggests strength and quickness even in dormancy, which is not very often, because he is a constant blur of motion.

Prince's entrance gimmick is a simple combination of a colorful native wrap around garment and serious, handsome facial features that silently speak volumes as to how much danger his opponent is actually facing.

Among All Pro Wrestling audiences (the only place I have seen him work), Prince is wildly popular. Fans of all ages clamor for that passing handshake before he steps into the squared circle to deal a measure of fate to his opponent. It isn't hard to imagine a similar reception being handed to The Wild Samoans, Sika and Afa, back in the day.

The name chosen - Polynesian Prince, is direct, straightforward and tells the whole story to fans as it is spoken. What is offered in the introduction is who fans get when he bursts through the curtains, a young Samoan warrior capable of infinite damage, but humble enough to kiss a baby on the head on his way to do combat in the ring.

Hit or Miss, a gimmick name sticks, almost invariably, unless a wrestler is intuitive enough to change it by morphing his character to a new level.

Ultimate's "Chocolate Boy Wonder" Marcus Gibbs, successfully kicked "Chocolate Boy Wonder" to the curb, becoming "Mr. Marcus Gibbs" in a Sidney Potier-like move that made up in newfound dignity what he lost in name-recognition notoriety. Likewise, Jester McCain, became Carlos DeAngelo in a move that increased his overall recognition factor among fans. Both of these examples pale in comparison to the changeling "Vortex," who became "Nick Vortex," who became "Nick Virtue" and then "The former Sinner, Nick Virtue," one of the most controversial characters the coast has seen in recent years. Not since WWF's Brother Love and his catch-phrase, "I Luuuuve YOU." has anyone horrified fans quite as much or stirred them to outrage. All it took was a bible, a white shirt and a single word added to the gimmick name - "Virtue."

What should a new wrestler look for in a name for himself that not only defines his wrestling personality, but sets the tone for his future interaction with the audience? It's a tough question, one that plagues every rookie in training.

APW's Cowboy Ray is an example of how to get it right and wrong at the same time. Small and lean, school boyish in appearance but at the same time well muscled for his frame, Ray's choice of moniker is traditional and uncomplicated. "Cowboy" Ray, the character, though, is as uncowboy-like as could possibly be presented. His entrance music suggests traditional southern roots - but his ring gear consists of not the smallest hint of the word "cowboy" in his name. Neither hat nor duster, nor rope, chaps, boots or anything suggests that Ray-Ray is a cowboy. This is a lost opportunity, in my opinion.

As a cowboy heel, an appropriately black hat, and a black shirt with chaps would offer an authentic look as well as possibly a light touch of charcoal where beard would be if he were older. His attitude then would be enough to carry his heel persona forward to the crowd disdain needed for success. A baby face turn would then be no more of a problem than a change of hat color.

Costume tells a story started by a name. It fills in gaps left by careless naming or speaks volumes while the actor (wrestler) remains silent.

Black Scorpion doesn't need to say he is from parts unknown. He LOOKS LIKE a graduate of Parts Unknown High School. Just that alone puts him over.

"Brutal" Joe Gibson's recent image change from "dangerous" to "universally intimidating" is amazingly subliminal. Just a haircut, one might say - but no. It's so much more than that, but one can't quite bring it to the surface for scrutiny, such is the power of the wrestler's in-ring personality.

"Bobby Doll," (left) often heckled as "Barby Doll" has acquired a magnificent "Twilight" style vampire robe which suggests (though not yet a push) that fangs and a end-match ritual may be in Mr. Doll's future.

Gimmick - name and costume combined can spell success or failure for a new or even experienced wrestler. Doink The Clown, Cousin Cledus, Moondragon; all these names conjure images in a fan's mindset. The Tye Die Kid, Damian LeVay; same guy, two very different characters.

Rainbow Warrior, Short Bandit, Street Bandit, all are names that evoke an image whether or not one has seen the wrestler perform. Tiny Tiswell is exactly that, Eddie G. (right) and his costume match perfectly. De’Luscious certainly is as the name implies, as is PVT 1st Class Angel.

So newbies - choose your gimmick thoughtfully and then pursue it relentlessly. Remember, you are literally as good as fans perceive you to be. You’re there for them so be your very best.

A Clash of Giants - The Tale Of The Tape

2009-10-27T13:18:00.004-05:00

Dirty South Pro Wrestling, out of Brewton, Alabama, has put together a match comparable to Godzilla VS Rodan.

6'11", 500 pound Lord Humongous VS 6'8" 380 pound "Mr. Hardcore" Jon Ryker, is one of those matchups that makes you wonder if the steel in the ring frame and the wood in the ring floor are going to be enough to keep everything from imploding or collapsing.

Mr. Hardcore, of course is one of the heavyweight icons of our indy wrestling area. His fighting skill and tolerance of pain are legendary among Culture Shock Wrestling fans who are legendarily intolerant of weakness, and among fans of other promotions that have seen him cut a swath through their rosters like a bulldozer through sugar cane.

Lord Humongous (right) is just BIG! Tall as an NBA basketball player and as body dense as two linebackers, he is the immovable object to Ryker's iresistable force. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in sheer bone crunching power. In the photo, he is seen making short work of Marine Gunny Kage, sending him flying across the top rope as if he were a toy.

Then there is the "X" factor of which one of thse two incredibly powerful men is the more insane. Ryker, with his hard core background is certainly prone to attack with chairs, staple guns, flourescent tubes, trash cans, baking paraphenalia and loose bits of wood, is the more kinetically aggressive, whereas Lord Humongous is more personal in his aggression and will simply do everything he can to pound his opponent to a pulp.

Gotta feel sorry for the referee in this main event match. That poor skinny little dude is going to inevitably going to end up a zebra sandwich between two gigantisauric hunks of combatting fury.

This "Clash of the Titans" is going to take place on Nov 14th in Castleberry, right up the road a lick from Brewton, Al.

Also scheduled to appear that night, Rainbow Warrior, who will be loking for a victim to humiliate among the DSPW roster.

This show is a fund raiser for a cancer victim. Let's get out and show some support.

Dates Clash - Message Boards Clash - Fans Clash - That's 'Rasslin'

2009-10-22T10:57:00.002-05:00

October 31st is Halloween; everyone knows that from the tiniest kid to the most grown up among us. October 31st is also the evening of multiple competing wrestling shows. All Pro Wrestling in Pensacola, Culture Shock Wrestling in Mossy Head and New Heights Wrestling in Defuniak Springs all have shows scheduled for that night. It's just another day in the life of indy pro wrestling, right? Not correct, if you answered "right."

You see, in Mossy Head, FL, at the community center there, CSW is having a special event. A special little boy is being honored with a fund raiser wrestling show, billed as "A Night For James," proceeds of which will go to defray some of the expenses involved with repairing or replacing a malfunctioning pacemaker in the chest of 6 year old James Rimmer.

CSW is pulling out all stops to make the event a party to remember, and indeed it will be. That little building in Mossy Head will undoubtedly have its roof raised by wrestling fans, friends of CSW and others from as far away as Pensacola and maybe even Mobile as well.

New Heights Wrestling is having a show on the same night, 12.3 miles away at the Boys and Girls Club in Defuniak Springs. It's a "free" show in that no admission is being charged. These facts alone have set off a firestorm of criticism leveled at the NHW team.

". . . I find it hard to belive these guys would run a free show on the very night that little James needs our help," commented GAWF's Skip Skipperman.

". . . if they go ahead and run this show and try to mess it up for james, we in the bussiness should take this as a slap in the face," wrote SPW's Ron Ivey.

". . . I think it is BS that someone is running a free show right down the road." posted an anonymous wrestling fan.

Negative opinion turned upbeat when Dwaine Henderson of the Alabama Wrestling Federation wrote that he would "donate a wrestling turnbuckle pad signed by The Greatest Intercontinental Champion Of All Time The Honky Tonk Man . . . to raffle off."

This was a generous offer considering how much Dwaine loves memorabillia.

There are two sides to every story. New Heights star BTY wrote, "I know for a fact that the city of DeFuniak Springs & the Boys and Girls Club came to the New Heights promoter and asked that a show be ran that night to give the children of the town a place to be on Halloween. The decision was made and it wasn't out of spite of a James running his show 15 minutes down the road."

Actually that is a much more plausible explanation than "heat" between CSW and NHW. Defuniak Springs is a small place. It is entirely consistant with what I know about small towns and Boys and Girls Club staffer, that such an arrangement be set up. Add this to the fact that (as I remember it) the NHW show was announced prior to young James' benefit being announced as such.

BTY says, "I will be wrestling on both shows as I am loyal to both and will work my tail off for both next Saturday night. I was more than happy to be a part of the little James' first fund raising show and my mood hasn't changed for this one."

That's pretty reflective of the attitude that wrestlers have concerning benefits for sick kids and entirely consistant with BTY whose good character is well formed and firmly in place.

It's easy to see how CSW fans would have their ire raised by a free show so close by, but truth be told, Halloween is a night for just about anything but wrestling, so already the fix is in that only dedicated wrestling fans will be motoring out into the country to CSW and mostly parents with costumed kids who are members or prospective members of Boys' and Girls Club of Defuniak Springs.

Here's an idea that addresses the problem more head on.

What if promotions in our area voluntarily collected funds for little James and delivered it to CSW the night of the benefit? What if NHW for example, took up a collection for that purpose and sent it over with BTY?

All Pro Wrestling is already on board with that idea. Promoter Wayne Sellers said, " We'll work something up this weekend. Good idea," when approached.

It is easy enough to turn a negative into a positive. Simply discard the negative and embrace the positive.

My own travel is limited now by quite a bit as my health gradually declines, so I will be in Pensacola on Oct 31st and not at either Mossy Head or Defuniak. But my thoughts go with each of the groups of wrestlers in CSW and NHW. May they stay safe during their respective shows.

Captain Lou Albano - July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009 - En Memorium

2009-10-15T12:08:00.007-05:00

Another wrestling legend passed away yesterday. It seems like they are leaving us in ever increasing numbers now, and it is sad. I speak now on the passing of legendary manager, Captain Lou Albano.

The first time I ever saw Captain Lou was on a snowy, not too stable 19 inch TV hooked to a bent antenna on the roof of the cabin I occupied in the North of New England, sometime around 1980 or so. I am a little fuzzy about the details because that cabin was so far back in the boondocks that the TV itself was pretty fuzzy.

What I do remember though was that Captain Lou managed The Wild Samoans, that outrageous Island Tag Team that won the World Championship way back in the (former) WWF's archival past.

According to Wickipedia, "Louis Vincent Albano was an American professional wrestler, manager and actor. With an over-the-top personality and a penchant for boisterous declarations, "Captain" Lou Albano was the epitome of the antagonistic manager that raised the ire of wrestlers and incited the anger of spectators. Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold."

"A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, he was the forefather of the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped usher in wrestling's crossover success with a mainstream audience. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects."

That's the skinny, true enough, but a simple citing of the facts does poor justice to the man himself or how he touched people's lives. Captain Lou made it OK for people to be themselves. His outrageous look and behavior threw a bright spotlight on freedom of expression and individuality. That he could hold his own, even stand out among the likes of Bobby Heenan and Freddie Blassie spoke volumes about his personality and chutzpah.

One WWE Hall Of Famer, who lives here in Pensacola, Sika, The Wild Samoan, released a statement of condolance and respect honoring the passing of his long-time friend. It appears on the front page of Pensacola's All Pro Wrestling:

"I remember Captain Lou Albano as a beloved life long friend, a great wrestling professional and a beautiful, unselfish person. When my brother and I first came to Professional wrestling from Samoa, it was Captain Lou who showed us the kindness and respect that made us feel at home in America."

"Captain Lou was and always has been our brother and we will miss him as he travels onward from this earth to his new job as Manager to the stars."

I wish I had known Captain Lou personally. His dedication to charity and his lifelong commitment to individuality influenced me greatly. I am sad that he is gone.

That's What's Killing The Business

2009-10-07T12:17:00.004-05:00

I see it a hundred times a month on my message board and others, "...that's what's killing the business," a lament from some nameless self proclaimed "guardian of wrestling." It has become such a cliche' that I mostly don't pay any attention at all whenever someone slides this whine into a thread about this or that promotion.

The reason I refer to this ubiquitous phrase as a "whine" is because it is used as a trollish weapon against every wrestler in our area who does not fit precisely into the "old boys club" fraternity of wrestling. It is exclusionary, prejudicial, elitist and downright snotty coming from anonymous sources as it most often does.

"Wrestlers for hire to work for promoters who organize wrestling shows" are a hierarchical group; of that there can be no doubt. As it is with any group of boys or men, there is a pecking order, complete with bullies, snobs, and quiet competent journeymen who labor unsung in the trenches, improving their act as they gain experience.

At the top of the wrestling food chain are the glamor guys, the "on TV and Touring The Country Seven Days A Week, Genuine Article WWE Superstars." This is the Holy Grail to in ring talent" It is what amnd where they dream to be, entering a ring in Madison Square Gardens on TV to an accompanying voice over by Jerry Lawler, admiring some particular characteristic that fans should recognize as appealing. Oh, to be Triple H, or Randy Orton, or even Eugene or Hornswaggle. WWE is an indy wrestler's wet dream.

Next are those who "were there." Buff Bagwell comes to mind. He lives a wrestling life that is a spotlight of envy. In demand every weekend, Buff travels from Atlanta to a hundred places a year or more, he skims the cream from indy shows and basks in the more intimate glow of indy audience worship. Having "made it" to the bigs, no matter how long or short one's time there, he occupies this second rung from the top of the ladder by grace of word of mouth and a delicate balance between affordability to the promoter and a living wage for himself.

The Legends; those who made it, kept the bubble from bursting long enough to be universally known and loved (or hated), aged out or their injuries became too much for the rigorous schedule of top dogdum, or fell into the trap of addiction and got dismissed. They too labor in the Indies as guest stars, selling the magical elixir of "the draw," a medicine show dance that sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails.

These top three rungs of the ladder are the elite positions. They are statistically unattainable to the indy guy appearing at local shows. To be John Cena, one has to literally be John Cena. Nothing less will do. To go to the Billion Dollar Circus requires one to beat one in 1 million odds. Like any show business opportunity, one literally has to catch a break against enormous competition.

Now lets move to the other end of the ladder, the bottom. In our area, which stretches from Tallahassee to New Orleans there are dozens (probably more) of promotions operating at least one show a month that employs on average per show, 30 local area in-ring talent each. These "workers," a term that disturbs some nay-sayers enormously, earn anywhere from no money at all to as much as $150 for a well known name among fans. There are ring-crew, concession persons, ticket sellers, security guys and a gaggle of others involved in production, so quite literally, everybody is in for a piece of the action, who ever nurtured or professed a "love of wrestling."

The promoter at our local area level is an entrepreneur and a risk taker. His brass ring is a payday for himself after "his boys' have been white enveloped (paid) and sent along home. He often has a large investment in an individual show; it may consist of the cost of a ring, the rental of a building, the printing and distribution of advertising, and or the cost of other advertising. He not only has no guarantee of that elusive "profit" he seeks, but faces the very real possibility of negative numbers if he has a poor showing.

The promoter's brand of wrestling "rocket science" is to juggle "The Draw" in such a way as to encourage a boatload of fans to show up. It is a balancing act worthy of the Flying Walendas and has the potential to end up in a 'wallendic" disaster if he miscalculates.

The Alabama Wrestling Federation, Mobile, relies heavily on a pool of expensive Legends of Wrestling for "Shock Draw," as in "OMG The Honkey Tonk Man? I saw him on TV when I was a kid!" Shock draw will put butts in seats reliably. Promoter Henderson then builds a program of the locally know wrestlers that make up the AWF ensemble and delivers that production to a Theodore (AL) high school. It is an elegant formula that has stood the test of many, many false starts and bad crowd nights when Club Casino saw 20 paid admissions to AWF bar wrestling. Henderson paid dues. Unquestioningly.

Ultimate Wrestling in Pensacola does just the opposite. No shock draw for this team. Ultimate relies on continuity for its bread and butter. Its roster reads like a "who's who" of interesting personalities from our defined local area. Truthfully, in my opinion, they have never showcased an unappealing wrestler. For example: Joe Gibson, Carlos DeAngelo, Aeon Flexx, Death Row, Bobby Doll; standouts, one and all. Others, such as Marcus Gibbs, occupy an entertaining niche that strengthens the ensemble as a whole.

These two promotions do more than one show a month in different venues. Each is profitable to its owner. Each has seen its share of downputters and smashmouthers. Each have been accused of "killing the business." Each has made spectacular errors in the learning curve to steady profitability, and each has recovered its balance to arrive at that coveted platform whereupon reside that most sought after creature in the wrestling universe, the dedicated fan.

How about DSPW, ICON, and ALLPRO? These are the "other" wrestling promotions that often find themselves on the tip of the spear of anonymous negative verbiage suggesting that they are "killing the business." And how about those kids just getting started in wrestling, the ones wrestling in jeans and Nikes, the 4 move wonders everybody with a keyboard swears are "killing the business? How about me, and the message boards of Gulf Coast Wrestling.com and my gimmick table full of "flea market junk" as my detractors so vociferously denounce as "killing the business."

Are we killing the business? Can we or anyone "kill the business?" Is "the business" so delicate that it can be killed? Or are the harbingers of doom and gloom themselves "killing the business?

Heady questions.

From the most wealthy (WWE), to the least wealthy (ICON), and all in between, the wrestling "business" is actually a component of "show" business or the entertainment industry as it is universally known. Entertainment is the name of the game. A musical metaphor for wrestling might be, "not everybody can be Garth Brooks," even though that kid in that Pensacola tavern belts out a helluva tune that he wrote himself and had the entire bar rocking, he only picked up a hundred bucks in pay and tips for three hours work and the dues paying goes on.

Not everybody can be Ric Flair, even though DJ Durst picks up twenty dollars in gas money for a show in Castleberry during which his wrestling was extraordinary and he made his very green opponent look like a seasoned veteran. It's an apples and oranges comparison, I know, but no single individual or group of individuals or even a hoard of individuals can "kill the business. Michael Jackson's trial didn't kill the music biz and Tiny Tiswell's homage to Rikishi can't kill wrestling.

So what can kill wrestling? Is it possible?

Apathy is wrestling's biggest enemy. When Smarks like me, super fans like Gargoyle, promoters like Hurst, Godwin, Ted Turner and Vince McMahon and ordinary TV fans stop seeing wrestling as fun, the cross will be erected and the nailing will begin.

How is it that the WWE can't fill the Pensacola Civic Center; that Ultimate seldom sees more than 200 at the American Legion Hall and Tiny is only averaging 75 paid tickets a week? Apathy and competition from other interests is one possible answer.

Has the Internet changed Wrestling for the worse? Undoubtedly. Chris Tighe defeated in Florala is instant news in Pensacola via the net. A heel must consistently heel from one venue to the next, lest some Internet message board take him to task over being too bad or good on a particular night.

Is the training network breaking down around our area? Not as I see it. Ultimate offers a school, and soon so will All Pro aided by Wild Samoan connections. Bob Holley in Mobile? Well, doesn't it seem reasonable, if not inevitable?

So "the business" is alive and well to those who know how to work it. Maybe 80 fans is a bad number or maybe it's a good one. Maybe a visit to All Pro convinces a fan that Ultimate is a better fit for his taste. Maybe ICON will add a third venue to Pensacola and further dilute a fan base that is wafer thin.

Maybe. . .

Maybe Bobby Wilson will bring back WFW.

Maybe. . .

Maybe what's killing the business are people who proclaim that someone is killing the business.

Some prophecies are self fulfilling.

And some are just bluster and nonsense.

Opinions, Rebuttals and Conversations - APW Under Discussion

2009-10-06T11:42:00.003-05:00

On any Sunday, after a show, and because I have usually been "away" from the message board, I can expect to see that trolls have dropped by and left their graffiti for others to see. A "troll" for those Internet challenged persons, is a message poster who deliberately picks a fight by introducing inflammatory material about a person or promotion.

With the introduction of All Pro Wrestling to the Pensacola area came controversy all on its own accord. Wrestling 'purists" are annoyed, some Ultimate Wrestling fans didn't like the "quality" of the production and the unfinished edges of the construction in the building, and the board lit up like a cowboy with a pack of Marlboros.

First opportunity I had available, I visited the All Pro Show. I looked into the criticism leveled by "Mrs Internet," a mom and fan, and I found some of what she had to say to be credible. More on that in a moment.

Subsequent to the second show I attended, the one in which appeared The Road Dogg, Jesse James, DJ Pringle and The Manager, Eddie G., a message appeared on the main GCW board that I took as having been written by a troll.

I was wrong. She was a real person with a real opinion and here are her comments with my replies:

"I had the misfortune of going to there show over the weekend. I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to see a entertaining show."

Well, opinion is subjective, of course. I have difficulty understanding what the deficiency is though. Maybe it's just me.

"I used to go to all the shows but stopped a few years ago."

A "few" years ago could mean that she became accustomed to shows like Old School Wrestling or WXW, featuring standouts like Saxon, Northcutt, Whisper, Flexx; these guys could wrestle alligators in tutus and make it look like ballet.

"Since ive started going back to see wrestling shows I have seen 2. I went to DSPW and APW. Neither show was very good though DSPW was alot better than APW."

There is a whole perpetual list of reasons why any wrestling "purist" would make a statement like this. I won't go into it though. She obviously didn't like what she saw.

" Here is what was wrong with APW."

I will address them one by one.

"1. Building is 2 small"

Small, yes. "Too" small, No, I disagree completely. The APW building is larger than the space provided by our beloved PWA, and it is air conditioned as well. On a hot muggy night, the temperature was quite comfortable.

"Too small" to have people flying out of the ring, landing wherever, fighting on the floor. Yeah, maybe. But APW is larger than Mossy Head as well, and those guys recreate WWII every month.

2. 80 pound guys beating up 300 pound guys

One need only remember PWA's Kato Storm, but that may be an unfair comparison, since Kato's gimmick was a kind of Kung Fu.

This may be a reference to "suspension of disbelief" where the wrestler "Tiny" Tiswell is concerned. Yes, the guy is 4'10 or something like that. Yes, that is smallish. But he sure did get a lot of pop from the crowd for what he was doing, so maybe the critic in question has her sights set kinda high.

I have complained about the credibility of "Tiny" as a wrestler myself, but let's face it. Anybody attending APW is going to get "The Tiny Tiswell" show in the same way that AWF Mobile is the "Doink The Clown" show, and so on. There are principle roles for principle players. Don't like it? Attend an alternative show, or boo the good guys like the FRF does and sit back and enjoy yourself, as do they.

"3. Other than a few there guys dont look like wrestlers."

I had to laugh at this one. What does a wrestler look like. Buff Bagwell? Bob Holley? Ray Mysterio? Hornswaggle? William Regal? Greg Valentine? Roddy Piper? Mick Foley? George "The Animal" Steele? Squat, bald, Kurt Angle? The Road Dogg? The Stieners? Black Jack Mulligan? Don Fargo?

Or how about Carlos DeAngelo? Bobby Doll? Aeon Flexx? Jerry Reiner or Cruze? Maze? Joe Gibson? Marcus Gibbs? Johnny Rebel? BTY? Chris Tighe? Jon Ryker? Cameron Frost?

Which of these stereotypes wrestling?

Wrestling is as many body and personality types as there are wrestlers. You go with what you got.

True that DDG, 610 and Billy Wayne look like skinny teenagers. They are skinny teenagers. Prepare for it. It's a truth.

DJ Pringle is big and loud. Eddie G. is flashy and brash. Tiny Tiswell is diminutive and aggressive.

Fans come to wrestling to escape from the world and submerge in fantasy for a while. If you are expecting a ripped bulging body builder and CzR isn't on the card, mostly give it up (Gino Galento being an exception and Evergreen McQueen looking somewhat the part).

4. The guys that look like wrestlers are ripping off the WWE

So she doesn't like anybody. That's cool. But again, Indy wrestling gives fans what they believe fans want. So you end up with Ray Ray clones, and an stream of imitations of everything under the sun. If you want the WWE buy a ticket when they come to town. It's hard to take tis complaint seriously because the critic doesn't say what she wants, only what she hates.

"5. The owner is a rip off of Rikkishi"

The owner weighs 90 pounds. Rikishi tops 450. It's hard not to see the difference. But she is referring to the "stinkface" performed on Pringle and Eddie G., at the finale of the l;ast show. 99% of fans were delighted to see the "cheating arrogant evildoers" get just reward for more cheating. The Road Dogg whipped them into the ropes and Tiny "stinkfaced" them. Justice prevailed and I was laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair because Pringle is such a consummate performer that he sold the whole deal like a Corvette to a Wall Street Newbie.

DJ was GREAT! and Eddie was too, for having played so well their roles.

"6.The lighting sucks."

I don't disagree. They are trying for ambiance and that low light interferes with my photography. But that's me and I am a whiner anyhow.

"7. The ring looks like its covered with a tight plastic bag."

That comment is just silly. The ring has a particular cover on it that dates back to PWA. It is the ring and cover PWA originally used. So WTH?

"8. I wont even talk about the Gothic guy.(It would be 2 easy)"

True again. Gothic wasn't exactly burning barns last show or the one before that. But the makeup looks good and the kids love him. 'nuff said.

"9. Who trained thes idiots."

Who trained this lady well enough to ask that question? See that's the trouble with us "Smarks." We know just enough to see discrepancy, but not enough to be credible in challenging it. I include me there.

"I could go on but I think you get the point."

Indeed I do. She went to APW and didn't like the show. That means she has two choices; she can give up wrestling fandom completely or try again with Ultimate, which she will IMHO find to be satisfactory.

"The last good show I went to was the P.W.A. Is there anything close to that anymore or have all the local companies turned into Backyard shows."

We all miss PWA who were there. But comments like this made me initially suspect a troll was doing the writing, since nobody talks like that except smart### unbooked wrestlers and smarmy disguised promoters looking to put themselves over at others' expense.

"These are all just my opionions. If you get offended than fix the product that you are trying to sell us. I for one want my money back."

Anyone looking for a refund from a $5 wrestling show needs a new hobby. This is my opinion. Likely she was just making a point that she was disappointed with the product, but I saw the same product as she did and what I saw was a wrestling troupe doing their damnedest to entertain 135 people who seemed bent on letting them do it.

"On the other hand you might better keep it. When you have fixed the problem I will return to watch your show APW."

Magnanimous, for sure. Methinks though that when she samples Ultimate and finds so many performers who come so much closer to her expectations, she will be content there, having found what she was looking for.

Considering that UW is a Monthly show in Pensacola with a monthly show in Milton as well. APW is weekly and is really going to have to scramble to stay fresh. It's really apples and oranges.

Let's do a little metaphor here. Suppose that UW and All Pro were theatrical companies each producing "The Music Man" All other things being equal, UW would be featuring seasoned performers in key roles, where All Pro would be spotlighting up and comers from PJC in the same roles. It's like that.

UW has momentum and has used it well. It has seasoned performers, a ensemble, carefully selected and culled, with dozens of competent wrestlers sent on their way for reasons well-founded but unknown.

It's going to be well oiled.

APW is in its 3rd week of production. Do the analysis. Of course there will be rough edges.

Meanwhile. Ms. Ericka Stevens (author of the review) has stated her preference, well and good. The empty seat will be filled by someone who wants to be there, while she seeks out her ideal. Who knows. Maybe what she needs is AWF Mobile, with it's liberal sprinkle of legends, or maybe hop on the bus to Pell City for the magnificent card there.

I imagine though that if she shows up a month from now, fiver in hand, she'll get a warm welcome and a better show because these guys are improving steadily.

I've been watching them do it.

Photos From All Pro 9/26 - Some by Erick and some by Bob

2009-09-28T12:30:00.018-05:00

Gunny Kage USMC - OORAH!

Gunny Cage gives a Marine Corps Greeting to fans.

Gothic Warrior arrives for his match.

Creighton Hobbes - Master of Ceremonies (Ring Announcer).

This little guy won an "All Pro" button.

She won a black Scorpion Tee Shirt .

This guy heckled Black Scorpion and upset him a bit.

Supplex at All Pro Wrestling.

All Pro Wrestling Pensacola - Reaching for The Brass Ring

2009-09-27T13:58:00.017-05:00

The Brass Ring of any Local Independent Professional Wrestling organization is a dedicated fan base willing to attend all shows, enjoy all wrestlers and embrace all storylines with enthusiasm and unquestioning loyalty. The Pensacola Wrestling Alliance achieved this around the turn of the century and so did Old School Wrestling, a couple of years ago in Milton. Culture Shock Wrestling out of Mossy Head, Florida and Ultimate Wrestling in Pensacola are riding that wave now, as is The Alabama Wrestling Federation in Mobile. It is this elite club that All Pro Wrestling aspires to join and truth be told, they just might do it.

All Pro is the brainchild of Wayne Sellers, aka "Tiny Tiswell," of Pensacola, who has dreamed and breathed pro wrestling for as long as I have known him. A long time associate of Wild Samoans Sika and Afa, Tiny has long aspired to run his own successful professional wrestling organization.

As recently as last summer, he took up residence on the green at the Hadji Temple in Pensacola and promoted several outdoor shows to a modest degree of acceptance by fans who enjoyed not only the variety of wrestlers, but the pastoral setting as well.

Tiny went on to ramrod Dirty South Professional Wrestling out of Brewton, Alabama but despite bringing energy and dedication to the job parted company with that organization. It was thought at that time by wrestling watchers and skeptics, myself among them that this was the end of Tiny Tiswell. Turns out that the obituary was premature.

I know of at least eight people who are or have been actively scouting the Pensacola area for a permanent venue site in which to hold regular shows. UW, of course already has one, the Legion Hall on Barancus Ave, DSPW used the Knights of Columbus Hall on Palafox for a while, but could not sustain a fair but expensive rent. No one else, since the PWA and XW-2000's Bay City Blues night club have been able to pull off what Tiny Tiswell has done; he has established a fixed business address for a wrestling promotion and initialized weekly shows.

On Pensacola's Mobile Highway, in a small shopping mall and next to Rivera Fitness Center is an empty store front that once housed the controversial "Spinners" slot machine establishment, All Pro Wrestling now has set up shop there. The interior is dominated by the massive 18x18 foot ring that once belonged to PWA's Bobby Doll. According to several wrestlers "it's a good bumping ring."

Steel chairs for fans line three rows deep on 3 walls, a close but safe distance from ring's edge, a situation that Tiny assures fans is not dangerous because wrestlers are strictly ordered to "Keep it in the ring," meaning that "floor falls" are to be kept to a minimum. That edict doesn't always hold when a wrestler, in the heat of combat, sends his opponent flying over the ropes and crashing to the floor, as did DJ Pringle, on Sept 26th. DJ, possessed of excellent wrestling skills, protected himself and the audience with a short fall that inadvertently gave him a lump on the head. Sorry about that.

Much credit goes to the layout designer. With a full crowd such as there was on 9/26, I can maneuver my oversized wheelchair down the aisle past the snack bar and into a disability friendly rest room through an epicly oversized door that passes me though easily. Bar none, this is the most wheelchair friendly restroom on the panhandle. This is not to say that APW's new building is not tight. It is that and then some. But my particular wheelchair is the test by which others are compared.

The snack bar, the locker room / entrance are built-in and permanent. Above the ring is a ring-sized hollow space containing lights and is lined in a silvery wall board of some kind that bounces photo flash around and (at least with my camera) lights up the ring's occupants quite well. Perhaps to create a mood of mystery, strategic fluorescent wells are tinted blue so that when the lights are down during a show, people can still see if they wish to move around (most stay seated).

The place is intimate to say the least. Being right up on top of the action means that the action itself is under much closer fan scrutiny than it would be in larger quarters. That means a slap to the chest sounds like a gun shot and the audience can feel the wrestler's pain; but it also means that if a wrestler throws a drop kick and misses by a foot while the opponent still sells, the audience is acutely aware of the faux pas. Because of this, talent has to "work tight."

Tiny has chosen a weekly schedule to pursue. Every Saturday Night, All Pro Wrestling opens its doors to the public to attend their weekly show. This places a burden on talent and booking personnel to stay fresh and original. Heavyweight Champion, Gothic Warrior will face the difficult job of being the man on the top of the mountain that every hungry wrestler will be trying to topple. This will require strategy, tenacity and a certain amount of willingness to cheat to stay alive as the holder of the belt.

DJ Pringle will be a determined challenger and is no stranger to underhanded trickery. This rough and tumble youngest member of the "Pringle Dynasty" learned from the best when it comes to strategy and tactics. Uncle Marcel and Pops, Percy have a bag of tricks a magician would envy.

Gunny Kage, USMC (right) shouldn't be counted out either. In Tiny's wrestling world, size does not matter as much as heart. On 9/16, Gunny took on Evergreen McQueen, a giant of a wrestler from Alabama, and cleaned his clock. Tenacity can win over size and this diminutive Marine has the right stuff - ooRAH!

Drop Dead Gorgeous and Cowboy Johnny Wayne (left) had one of the better matches of the night. It was a back and forth slam-fest that saw both youthful wrestlers get a little beat up around the edges

The 610 Kid employs speed; rattlesnake like abilities to strike and dodge. That ability was snuffed by the cheating ways and ringside weapon wielding of Manager Eddie G., who shamelessly disgraced DJ Pringle by beating his opponent senseless outside the ring while Referee Adam was distracted. The same Eddie G. then assaulted the referee with knockout powder, a dastardly deed for which he was not reprimanded. It seems as though there are already factions of rule breakers forming in the once sportsmanlike APW. What looks (right) like humanitarian assistance on the part of Eddie G, is actually him rolling 610 over after a brutal assault, in preparation for setting him back in the ring.

It looks like All Pro Wrestling is on its way. The promotion experienced its first "near capacity" crowd on 9/26; almost every chair had a fan in it. Conspicuously supporting indy wrestling, a group from Ultimate bought tickets and engaged in good-natured banter throughout the show.

Before the event began, Tiny Tiswell distributed candy to adults and kids alike, with Ultimate's Turbo Ted getting several pieces for himself as well as seeing to it that back row kids got a helping. Seeing Turbo just enjoying a show from the audience was interesting, as was observing Bobby Doll, Amish Assassian and Brutal Joe Gibson, sitting in the fan chairs and enjoying the action.

Periodically, during intermissions, Tiny gave away door prizes, one of which was a $100 tattoo from Kaos, and another was an exotic oriental vase provided by yours truly. T-shirts courtsey of Black Scorpion, flew through the air. Erick wore his Black Scorpion shirt to the show and displayed it proudly, so the wrestler is over, really over with the #1 fan at my house.

The snack bar was a treat. Hot dogs not only had chili and cheese available but also red onions; delicious to say the least. I had two and popcorn and also one of the coldest Diet Cokes I've drunk this summer. The "Hot Dog Combo" for $2 is a best buy since you get a dog a drink AND chips for what looks to be the cost of the former two alone.

With appearances scheduled ahead for The Road Dogg, Jesse James, and The Armstrong Family Reunion, plenty of seats available and great hot dogs, APW is well underway in its quest for the brass ring. How soon they achieve it will be a topic of much conversation in the future.

Now if they would just change their show day to 3:00 Sunday Afternoon, I would be able to go every single week. Well, here's hoping.

Johnny Rebel - A Confederate Hero for Modern Wrestling Fans

2009-09-25T14:05:00.004-05:00

Jon Sloan, aka Johnny Rebel has been steadily rising as a star in the Gulf Coast Wrestling area. In demand as a fan favorite, Jon has wrestled most recently in Brewton at DSPW, and Milton, at Ultimate Wrestling.

Equally popular among older and younger fans due in measure to his outgoing personality and no-nonsense "git-'r-done" ring philosophy, he is a cinch to be mobbed by autograph seekers anytime he ventures away from the locker room and out among the legions of admirers who very much enjoy his work.

Look for Jon at a promotion near you, or if you get a chance, drive to a promotion where he is appearing. Johnny Rebel is one Confederate hero for modern wrestling fans.

2009-09-22T18:05:00.003-05:00

I really enjoy the wrestling antics of The Lord Humongous. He has been around our Gulf Coast area for some time now and was, in fact one of the first local wrestlers to call my attention to the fact that wrestling wasn't (and isn't) just WWE and TV.

Lord Humongous is just that. He weighs the same 500 off pounds that I do, but carries it on a very tall 6' 10" frame, rounding off the package with considerable ability to overpower other wrestlers he might be pitted against.

When this true giant of Gulf Coast wrestles, the ring trembles and then explodes under his feet. Despite his formidible demeanor, he is popular with the kids, many of whom are a little fuzzy about the line between babyface and heel.

Currently wrestling in DSPW, Look for Lord Humongus on a card near you.

SPW Defuniak Show Invaded by "Snakes, Dominated by "White Trash" and Charmed by Chris Knight - Just another Saturday Night in 'Rasslin

2009-09-20T16:35:00.009-05:00

The young fellow to the left is none other than Chris Knight of Shoot Comics' and message board fame, holding down a position of importance during SPW's much anticipated return to Defuniak Springs, Florida at the Walton County Fairgrounds. Chris was seen before the show, in the ring, running the ropes and doing other stuff a student wrestler might do to prepare himself for a trip to the squared circle as a performer, but when it came time for him to enter the ring, his role changed surprisingly.

Chris knight became the in-ring, go-to guy for whipping up crowd enthusiasm, disbursing free T-Shirts and door prizes to a crowd more than 60% happy kids, along with parents and other fans. As a wrestling enthusiast, Kris is surpassed only by the Front Row Fanatics in their love of the game. He was very happy to be a part of the show and is looking forward to other tasks being assigned to him; all this is a part of a long journey yet to come in wrestling. Who knows where the road ahead lies.

Erick Turner, seen here photographing the action in the ring, seems oblivious to the snake in the young fan's hand next to him. Erick takes his photography job as seriously as he does his other job of heckling heel wrestlers.
With no "Kangaroo, or Barby Doll" to give grief to, Erick's attention fell to Caution, Tiger Lee's opponent, who earned the dubious chant of "Bumble Bee" which distracted him completely from his stated goal of obliterating the aforementioned Tiger.

Snakes at a wrestling show, or should I say, Snakes "Invade" a wrestling show, came in the form of reticulated wooden snakes offered on the gimmick table for a dollar. We're not quite sure just which wrestler the snakes represented, but surely, "Brain Damage" comes to mind.

BD held a belt for a little over 10 minutes before getting mudhole stomped to lose it. It's a record. Shortest title hold in SPW history.

White Trash, consisting of Junkyard Joe and John Boy, has been steadily gaining a reputation as being a "must see" tag team in our area. Billed as being "from a trailer park near you," The irreverant tag team has wrestled and pranked their way into the hearts of SPW fans despite being pickup truck driving, coon dog havin, possum hunting, moon pie eating wise cracking, water tower name writing genuine Alabama sons of the south heelmen.

I swear, for bad guys,they are more "over" than many babyfaces.

I'm not supposed to tell you that they spent the whole night eating corn dogs. But hey. Sometimes secrets are revealed, eh?

Wrestling and Then Wrestling; The FRF Obsessed With Wrestling

2009-09-18T23:45:00.006-05:00

I am probably obsessed with wrestling.

I photograph wrestling shows with permission of the owners, though I am not nearly as good as Lil Bub or Spiderman. Half the time Erick gets at least one better shot than I do; he's probably obsessed with wrestling as well, but that's another story.

Others are a bit obsessed; the Front Row Fanatics cheer for Bobby Doll and at the same time seem to cheer against Turbo Ted. Gargoyle in particular has more fun than ought to be legal when he is at a wrestling show and look whst he has to choose from.

Culture Shock Wrestling; I greatly enjoy this show, but the venue is a bit small for my wheelchair. Not fair to others for me to be there even as a spectator. I have seen Gargoyle holler himself hoarse there.

Ultimate Wrestling Pensacola; the Hearses try so hard to accomodate me there and other wheelchair bound as well, but again, I am so big that it inevitably crowds someone. FRF are in their glory there. No match goes silent with these fans around.

Ultimate Wrestling Milton; I can easily move about in the SRCA, and the acoustics amplify the FRF to an extreme, with the crowd following.

Message Board fandom. At least one member of the FRF takes me to task periodically when I am not doing things his particular way, and that's OK. When wrestling comes around, he is into what's happening and not any sideshow created online by me or one or all of my many enemies.

The "Lady In Turquoise" as I know her to be gives Bobby Doll more heat then the hood of a black Texas Cadillac. That's fun to be a part of.

Then there is Erick. Not good to be a heel when he fixes on you.

I've been dogging Marcus Gibbes some, but thuth be told, his wrestling improves steadily. And Death Row; he can scare the chrome off an oldsmobile with one look.

I cheer for Turbo.

I cheer for Marcel.

I think Steve Armstrong is teriffic.

I wish a Florida booker would pick up Adrian Whisper, because his wrestling is a treat to watch. Fans will be brough to their feet, one way or another!

I feel bad that I will not be able to cheer for Steve from Chicago again because I will never go to anotherAWF Mobile show.

1) because I can't stand Nathan Crown as a wrestler or as a person and
2) because their floor gets (as of visits in the past) too much traffic with wrestlers brawling in the crowd. I don't feel safe, though Garrett and Nightmare were very professional when they did it, so I might have caught a few bad times.

Speaking of brawling.

Ultimate paid out the cost of a good pickup truck for stainless steel barriers to surround the ring area, and it is rumored that the wrestlers will not wrestle "off" them due to the danger of concussion or other harm.

Now THAT makes me feel safer and it lends a sense of boundary to the proceedings. I can watch Brutal Joe Gibson VS Death Row without having to DODGE Brutal Joe or Mr. Row.

I wonder what an ordinary wrestling fan is like. I only know obsessed fans like Chris Knight in Defuniak who wants badly to be a wrestler and has only managed to become a toon celebrity. Perhaps (whoever it was) was right and I owe him an apology for the "shoot comix" of him, but at the same time, he was laughing pretty hard the last time I talked to him on the phone.

Maybe I will make him a Chris Knight button - I will see him tomorrow and speak with him to see if I do indeed owe him an apology.

So what kind of p### poor wrestling fan am I if I can't take a video depicting all the things I dispise to hear people say about me. That I am obese; duh. That my body is breaking down prior to my iminent death sometime in the next ten years and it occasionally leaks inappropriately; sad but not preventable. That I sell stuff at a table...

Well, hasn't that been a sticking point for a number of years.

I am not "in" wrestling. I am "at" wrestling.

I pay cash for the food I eat and I pay in pixels for the admission graciously offered me by promoters.

I believe wrestlers should be paid whenever they perform.

I believe wheelchairs should get into a show free.

I believe promotions should give to chairty; the Red cross, the Salvation Army, the USO, somebody.

I believe fans should be safe in their chairs when at wrestling.

I believe that any wrestler with guts enough to sell pitctures should sell them all and go home with jingle.

I believe that the FRF is a prototype for a fun time at wrestling.

I am obsessed. No doubt.

Quoting the late Ricky Nelson, "if you can't please everyone, got to learn to please yourself"

18 minutes of Bobby Doll video footage that shines.

They are doing video right.

The "others..." Well, they're obsessed with me for some reason and most of them aren't even gay.

Must be a "fat thing."

Sports Entertainment Presents - Wrestling In Bayou La Batre

2009-09-17T22:09:00.004-05:00

Professional is a word we hear a lot these days, usually connected with the word "wrestling." It has holds different connotations and evokes different images, depending on what city/area one happens to be in. In Mobile, Alabama, Professional Wrestling is back after a long absence, in the form of a collaborative effort between Marcel Pringle, cousin of Percy, and Bob "Hardcore" Holly of WWE fame, who also has roots in the Mobile community.

On Friday, Sept 18th, at the Bayou La Batre Civic Center, a good old fashioned showdown is in the works, a wrestling "Hullabaloo" pitting WWE Superstar "Hardcore" Holly against Luke Hawx. It's going to be a wall shaker!

Bullet Bob and Steve Armstrong carry on the family feud against Marcel Pringle, with Joe Gibson as his TTP (Tag Team Partner). Queen Milessa will be manager for the Pringle / Gibson team, so you know there's gonna be some shenannigans at ringside.

Mobile, Alabama's own Achy Breaky Kid will square off against The Giant Mountain Man in what is sure to be a battle of psychology against raw Hillbilly Power, as the 6'11" Mountain Man tends to smush everything he intends to.

Two more of my favorites, high flying, fast moving "Son of Old School" Cowboy Billy Wayne will be going against "Former Chololate Boy Wonder, Now you can call me MISTER" Marcus Gibbes.

Carlos De Angelo, a very dangerous foe will be in the ring against Scott Black. Expect surprises in that one because Carlos has moves that are the envy of Mayflower!

The $12 and $10 and $6admission is fair considering the talent - but also because this is a fund raiser for the Bayou Hurricanes Atheletic Program. Sports Entertainment is on the high road, working for charity especially since many Mobile area Wrestling productions ignore charity in favor of profit motivation, which is fine; but wouldn't it be cool to "give back" the way these guys are.

DJ's Lounge, Shotgun Willie's and Mobile Ink are sponsors for the event which will help sports in the area of storm tossed Bayou La Batre, Alabama.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Roll Tide" in behalf of Percy Pringle III, whom I soeculate might show up to lend a little moral support to his "cuz."

The kids would sure enjoy Undertaker's pal, thats for sure.

If you see one Mobile area wrestling show this weekend, make it the family friendly charity wrestling bash in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.

Roll, Tide, PPIII.

The bottom Line Is . . .

2009-09-16T22:05:00.004-05:00

On September 17, (Previously read 16th in error-sometimes I don't know what day it is) 2009 at 3:00 PM, in the absence of a video apology, the AWF web site will change status from "suspended" to "deleted."

No further explanation will be offered.

I expect it to be done - or not be done, depending whether ego and false pride are more important to the AWF Promoter than the Internet part of his business.

Either way, at 3:00 AWF fans will either be able to log onto their premotion's web site or be forced to wait until AWF management can figure out how to make a new one.

The offending videos that are at the heart of this issue hurt many people and I am doing this for them, and for myself. Somebody has to say enough to crassness and stupidity.

I say enough.

Alabama Wrestling Federation - Gone, But Not Gone

2009-09-15T22:59:00.003-05:00

Disassociating the Alabama Wrestling Federation from the "faction" of "Heatseekers, INC." is a little like trying to disassociate cows from milk. "Heatseekers, INC" is a faction within the AWF and as such, as they cut promos and such, represent the AWF each and every time they do so, like it or not.

It follows as a matter of simple fact, that "Heatseeker" Doink The Clown is portrayed within the context of indy pro wrestling by AWF owner/promoter Dwayne Henderson. You didn't know? You;d have to have lived in Alaska to be unaware of this tidbit of Gulf Coast Wrestling Trivia.

I am told, with whatever reliability comes with such discussions that "Heatseeker" Nathan Crown is the current AWF booker (the guy who arranges the matches and brings in assorted wrestlers).

I don't know who yahoo # 3 is, nor do I care. Point is, "Heatseekers" were responsible for shooting and posting a series of bad taste videos on YOUtube, then locally linking them on the AWF message board, for consumption by local area wrestling fans. So distasteful were these video depictions of aids infection, simulated homosexual acts and bad behavior on the part of "Heatseekers" that I took unilateral action in behalf of decent wrestling fans everywhere and removed the links to AWF message board and web site from my own web site, which serves as a clearing house of sorts to direct folks here or there in local wrestling.

Retaliation was inevitable and swift on "Heatseekers'" part. This morning they posted yet another video, this time a depiction of me, containing various humilliations and jabs aimed specifically at hurting me as much as they possibly could.

One would be quick to point the finger at Crown, with whom I spent the entire day in verbal disagreement with, but that would be an error. it was in fact, my friend of 9 years, Dwayne Henderson calling the shots, because nothing happens in or around the AWF without his hand on the wheel.

In any war, when shots are fired, only the grass wins.

So disgusted was I at this betrayal and at the behavior of this grown man I have called my friend for so long, that I suspended the Alabama Wrestling Federation web site from the Internet and claimed as damages for (as lawyers put it) pain and suffering, the Bamawrestling.com domain name which happens to be up for renewal this fall.

Basically, Bamawrestling.com is out of business until I restore it to its former state.

Late this afternoon, Promoter Henderson tendered an apology on the GCWO message board and offerrd to and subsequently did withdraw the toxic videos from his YOUtube. I believe the apology to be insincere, although the deletion of the offensive material was a step in the right direction.

We are currently at a stalemate. He believes he is right and that he has the right to punk, humiliate, broadcast lies or do exactly as he pleases, and I believe that his idiotic behavior and that of his associates in "Heatseekers" is childish, immature and abominable.

Stalemate, right?

Maybe not.

I have something he wants; it is something he believes he cannot do without. Therefore, the leverage belongs to me and this is how it shall be in order to attain it.

What I want is for Dwayne Henderson - not Doink the clown or Crown the punk or dolacky the nameless, but Dwayne himself to cut a video apologizing personally and by name to each and every individual that the specific videos in contention tastelessly slandered. The apology must be contrite and sincere and bear no reference to "I thought you had a sense of humor."

The video is to be posted on YOUtube, and subsequently placed on my message board and his to run simultaneosuly for 24 hours from the time of posting.

When I see this video and am satisfied with its contents, I will restore the AWF web site intact to the Internet. It has only been suspended and not deleted as of yet.

If satisfied, I will fulfil the other requests that have been made insofar as restoration, after which the AWF can use the remainder of their hosting time to either find a new host and registrar or make further arrangements with me to continue services.

Failure to comply with this request will result in a continuation of present circumstances.

If the Alabama Wrestling Federation is to be a productive and functioning part of the Greater Gulf Coast Wrestling community (and I mean the actual community, not my web site), bizarre behavior needs to be regulated with some common sense.

If the AWF promoter is as smart as even I claim he is, then he will do this and learn and profit from the experience.

I will never have my friend back. That ship has sailed. But if the resolution of this incident serves as a pathway by which AWF can become a reasonable, mature and more family friendly web citizen, then my task will be complete.

It's a simple proposal and an easy task.

Your turn now, AWF.

Alabama Wrestling Federation Removed From The Internet

2009-09-15T12:10:00.003-05:00

I thought things were settled.

They don't seem to have been.

"Heatseelers INC." has posted another video, this time aimed at me.

I am offended, as I imagine that the others these assholes have aimed their videos at were offended.

In response, I have ended my ten year friendship with AWF promoters and terminated their web site, which I own and they lease.

Bamawrestling.com is now suspended and will be permanently deleted from the Internet for cause, being gross misconduct in violation of Gulf Coast Computing.com Terms of Service, which mandates reasonable behavior.

To me, The Alabama Wrestling Federation no longer exists.

The Light After The Dark Of The Storm

2009-09-14T11:33:00.007-05:00

After a weekend of bitter name-calling and rancor on the part of rookie indy wrestler Nathan Crown and precision return fire by yours truely, the Gulf Coast Wrestling Message Board has settled down to a bubbling simmer. It would be easy enough to continue the fight, but why bother? His mind is not going to be changed about me, nor mine about him, so further interaction is pointless.

I continue to be banned from the AWF message board, which is actually a blessing, rather than an annoyance, because now I have to do extra work to log onto there by routing my IP through an open relay server in the Ukraine and back through Pittsburgh. It's hardly worth the effort just to read what an "inglorious basterd" I am, written by someone anonymous who would probably celebrate my death by drinking a 24 pack of Old Frothingslosh .

UPDATE: No Longer Banned. So relations with AWF are improving.

After one of these episodes I usually question myself as to why I am a part of wrestling. As has been pointed out no small number of times by vitriolic pro wrestling cultists, I have never taken a bump; not true in the strictest sense because I did in fact take a bump in the late Billy Campbell's ring in the late 90's and in front of witnesses. But since I have never wrestled in the ring before an audience, and according to current enemy #1, Nathan Crown, I can never be "one of the boys."

As I answered back to him, not that he was listening; I do not want to be "one of the boys." Their gig is the performing entertainment art of professional wrestling. Their chosen activity is to go out before an audience (one of which is me) and through training, skill and cooperation with their opponent, convincingly beat each other silly without actually doing so, while receiving cheers or boos (depending on role) and afterward, depending on the promotion, being compensated with pay. It is a young person's game and frankly, just a little too kinetic for me.

I suppose that many of us fans wonder with a little envy what it would be like to enter the squared circle as a hero in a snappy uniform and vanquish the trash talking villain while rescuing the fair maid who has been captured by the evil faction that is threatening to cut her hair or force her to wear white after Labor Day. I did. But now I don't.

So again, I ask myself, why am I a part of wrestling? It's not so much for the friendship, for while many wrestlers greet me pleasantly, for some reason I still have not figured out, there are many more who literally dispise me if one is to believe Crown or any of the most-of-a-dozen anonymous posters on my message board, the GAWF or AWF boards. On the other hand, these are message boards - what credibility is there to be found in that environ?

Somewhere along my 14 year journey through wrestling, I discovered the talent and tools to create wrestling advertisement posters. I am proud of that. According to AWF, it has been a lot more than "not long ago" that I made posters for them, and that's probably true. Time means little to me now so I have no true sense of it. But I did make AWF posters at one time and helped with other AWF shows in non-wrestling ways. Once, at a show in Mobile, I ponied up a hundred dollar bill to the Mobile fairgrounds to keep the show from being cancled. The show went on as scheduled.

Now I am not picking on the AWF. Far from it. The AWF has come through for me as well from time to time in the form of allowing me to set up my table, and also teaching me valuable lessons in miniature golf. It saddens me to be at odds with them right now over something like "those" videos.

I make and (or) display posters for most of the wrestling feds on the Gulf Coast scene and my feet are being held to the fire by individual and groups of wrestlers who claim that by offering my help, I am somehow "harming" wrestling. So in their minds, making posters for SPW and displaying posters for APW ruins wrestling and homophobic videos somehow make wrestling better.

As I have said, wrestling is a strange religion.

Why do I put up with it all? It comes back to that question.

I wish I knew.

More importantly to me at least, I wish I knew why the question keeps coming up.

Stupid is as Stupid Does

2009-09-13T09:41:00.006-05:00

The controversey still lingers over AWF Mobile's Crown Princes of Immaturity and Ignorance, otherwise known as "Heatseekers Inc. ," kinda like the stink from an unvented bathroom after a bowel clensing dump. While most people are quick to point out that "some" of the videoes made by these sophomoric idiots were "funny," most draw the line the same place I did.

Now that they think they have me banned from their playpen, they feel free to dump feces on anybody that is not in their personal "clique."

Here is the most recent post from the "legend in his own mind," rookie wrestler Nathan Crown, as reprinted in its entirity from the AWF Mobile Message Board. This also stands as a pretty good example of why they were booted from Gulf Coast Wrestling Online.

The message:

"LOL...Heayseakers have done exactly what they set out to do, and thats stir up HEAT !"

More like "Hee HAW" seekers, who can neither spell, type nor keep a mature thought in their heads. How retarded do you have to be to not be able to spell your own name?

"... the only difference between us and the other boys that wrestle in our area,the ones that are actually worth a ####,is they all say the same things about CBW, and Angel and the others, we just went a little further and said on camera..."

Another difference is that those wrestlers are smart enough to keep their opinions AMONG themselves. The FANS DON"T CARE! It takes a special kind of moron to aggrandize himself at the expense of his peers. Nathan Crown in particular lives in a glass house. As a wrestler, he is not only nothing special, but is actually MUNDANE, a ho-hum, 'is that all there is" performer, uncommonly short in stature and with the inevitable napoleonic complex that accompanies 'little people.'

As for Doink The Clown, here's Dwayne Henderson, business man, husband and father, who wants you to bring your families to AWF; he's standing around in a clown suit insulting everyone and pretending like that disguises him while he boosts his own ego at the expense of others. None of this is about wrestling. It's about crude, immature people being crude and immature.

It's laughable, but in a pitiful sort of a way.

"... there are only 2 promotions in our area that are halfway worth a ####,and yall know who they are, it dont take a smart person to figure it out,just look at the posters for God sakes..."

Yep, that's "graphics master," Nathan Crown's opinion of what makes a good wrestling promotion. So maybe the midget needs to be reminded that it hasn't been so long ago that AWF was driving over to Pensacola from Mobile to get their own posters done by me, and perhaps it would be good to remind him also that all wrestlers and promotions begin humbly. Perhaps he could look up the word humble on the Internet, because he sure doesn't seem to know what it means right now.

I am guessing that this next bit is directed at me, although one wonders why they bothered to "ban" me if they are writing messages to me.

". . . as far as being removed from your board, its not like the draw goes up because our poster is on your board, the boys only attend the shows they work, no fan goes on it anyway..."

The close to 350,000 hits on my web site say that "somebody" must be logging on to Gulf Coast Wrestling.com and I doubt that all those people are "workers." Still, since it's no sweat off AWF's brow to be disassociated with our network, and that's fine. I don't claim that AWF is going to dry up and blow away if I kill their links. Far from it AWF Promoter Henderson is a competent promoter and will continue to fill seats in Mobile, no matter how many times he shoots himself in the foot and certainly long after he has squeezed the last drop out of Nathan Crown and kicked him to the curb as, historically, he has down with every "featured performer" with whom he has been associated.

Crown is going to end up being a "has been" before the wet dries from behind his ears. When it happens, remember I told you so. He is the one "lump of coal in the jeweled crown of wrestlers trained at Pringle's School, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is embarassing them every one with his childish antics and petulant "see me" tantrums.

". . . for the so called wanna-be wrestlers we offended, learn to work and not be openly gay ..."

One could offer the same advice to Crown. Being an orange fish in a blue pond just makes it easier for the sharks to see you.

". . .and for all the e-mails and calls ive gotten from the boys who have enjoyed the videos and feel the same way about the poor state that our indy scene is in, thanks. . ."

Part of the "poor state 'our' indy scene is in is due to to idiots like Crown, who, instead of practicing his craft of wrestling, practices the dubious art of being a turd. What a shame he does not know that midgets with ego are passe'. His 15 minutres of fame are here and he will be rememberd as a real-time asshole, rather than a practiced wrestler playing a role.

"... and for buttonhole ..."

That's Crown's gay pet name for me, isn't it pink?

" ... on who would book me, lol, oh i dont know, i recently recieved an e-mail from a promoter that does tv in Nashville and another in Georgia, give it(up) scooter,youll never be one of the boys..."

Nor do I ever WANT to be "one of the boys." I am a 62 year old man who happens to enjoy professional wrestling along with a couple of million other fans. Believe me when I say that wrestling loses its luster and its mistique after a few episodes like this where the inmates are taking over the assylum.

The "email claim" begs the question, if he's getting all these offers, what's he doing wrestling in Lucedale Mississippi, population 3 mules and a librarian, or in high school gyms in Mobile? The AWF never sent a wrestler to a higher promotion in all its years. Does Crown think he will be the first? One has to laugh at the ignorance.

The personal insult that followed is just beyond stupid. Crown wants to hit "below the belt, anmd that is where is focus seems to be these days, on the crotch. It just goes to show what passes for intelligence among "Heat Seekers Inc.

". . . youll just try and play with little boys, and your stank a## wouldnt be in the hospital so much if you werent so #### fat, people like you make hard working men and women sick, drawing a check every month for being fat, shoving weiners and onions in your mouth at every show and getting paid from the government for it. . ."

And of course Nathan Crown wrestles on weekends for $25 a show instead of serving our nation in the military as I did during the Vietnam era to EARN the pension I now live modestly on. Pukes like Crown make me sick with their "holier than thou attitude" and their "scared "####lessness" when it comes to facing the REAL challenges of life.

Want to impress somebody, Crown? Actually WRESTLE in Georgia or Tennessee. Not gonna happen because midgets with ego are just cannon fodder. The boy and I do mean boy, doesn't have enough talent to even be a jobber.

"you peddle your flea market toys and take money outta the boys pocket . . . "

This of course is the same tired old company line that I have been hearing from "selected" Pringleites since Percy got mad at Johnny Angel and put me in the middle. I don't take money "out of the boys' pockets." If "the boys" would spend a dollar and buy some T Shirts or print photographs on quality paper and offer them instead of dashing them off a computer and trying to charge $10 for a picture to somebody they just called white trash from the ring, then maybe they would be selling gimmicks instead of hot air.

Truth is, many do. And those that don't or can't get money enough ahead to buy 12 T shirts just sit around and whine about it and blame me.

Get a clue, ###hole. A $2 dollar rubber Yoyo does not keep a anyone away from a wrestler's gimmick table if he is smart enough to have something on that table someone wants. It's economics 101.

"... watch out big boy, i may end up at a show your at, and your table and scooter might get turned over, if i can get enough guys to help me turn it over while your fat a## is in it."

I am certain that whatever county I happen to be in when that happens will be more than happy to incarcerate him in their jail for assault. At that point, ; lets see how far "fake fighting" gets him. He'll be married all right, not to some stripper, but to some 6'5" bull queer who will be happy to introduce him to the concept of the word "bitch."

At least Adrian Whisper is an honorable man. He fought me to my face and moved on. Crown on the other hand is a punk and the above threat just confirms what people already know.

The rest of the message was personal to other people, and none of my affair, except for Crown's referral to me as a "piece of trash."

I think that divorcing a good Christian girl to marry a stripper, acting like an ###hole and generally being unsavory qualifies Crown as a "piece of trash" but since all that is just "unsubstantiated rumor" I guess I won't resort to name calling.

Truth be known; for an industry that relies solely on fans, I have never seen anyone try so hard to discourage someone from being a wrestling fan as Nathan Crown, Dwayne Henderson and "the boys" who are constantly whining anonymously on-line about me. They attribute an importance to me that does not exist, they insult and denegrate me at every turn, threaten me with physical violence (not that the midget could pull it off) and generally disrespect me as if I were somebody important to them.

Wrestling is a strange religion and I am just unable to figure some parts of it out. One thing is for certain. Nathan Crown has sold his soul to the devil for a glass of Kool-aid.

I wish him luck in his self-made hell.

Crazy In Alabama

2009-09-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

Being banned from an independent wrestling web site message board is a lot like being banned from the municipal dump sitting with no fence beside a public road. Who couldn't bypass such a simplistic barrier?

For the most part, the main reason I click into the Alabama Wrestling Federation Message Board is to double check on show dates and make sure that I have an up-to-date poster on my front page. Recently, however, that indy fed has been trying out a new style of promo that basically denegrates wrestlers and other federations in the area. To say that some of those videos are juvenile at best and occasionally bordering on obscenity, would be to treat the work kindly.

The AWF has somewhere near 10 years of continuous operation under its belt, and is consistantly successful in drawing a fair crowd to its events. I can't for the life of me fathom what role simulated oral sex and provocative jabs at independent wrestlers working in other feds has to do with promoting wrestling or putting asses in the seats in a Mobile, Alabama High School gymnasium, but I'm just a "mark" so what do I know about the selling value of tasteless, sophomoric video pranks and 15 seconds of fame on YOUtube.

The content under discussion prompted me to remove the AWF Message Board link from the Gulf Coast Wrestling Online dot com web site. We try to be "family friendly" there and the "Heat Seekers Inc, videos are, as I said, utterly tasteless and downright offensive, truthfully.

So in apparent retalliation for having removed the AWF-MB link, my IP# has been banned from viewing the AWF message Board. This has happened before, and it is always a prelude to piles of posts, anonymous mean-spirited nastiness from some of the most foul spirits to ever take human form. In the old days, I would have put up a fight and gone head to toe with the bastards. These days, I just don't give a #####.

What I am going to do now is to wash my hands of the entire Alabama Wrestling Federation. On completion of this blog entry, I will be removing the AWF completely from my web site and be done with them.

I am physically and emotionally exhausted these days. I spend more time at the VA Medical Center than I do at wrestling and truth be known, I have a lot more fun writing short stories for web fiction sites, than dealing with a few infantile, narcissistic Mobillies whose idea of a wrestling promotional video is to accuse a fellow wrestler of having AIDS.

There are simply far more pressing problems in the world of wrestling that need attention, like who will post Jeff Hardy's bail in the alleged pending narcotics case in North Carolina and who would be dumb enough to book Nathan Crown with his present attitude of "Holier than Everybody."

Life is short. Too short to sweat the small stuff.

Lost In Alabama - Heat Seekers Inc Fan gets an answer to his post

2009-09-08T22:14:00.009-05:00

It's Professional Wrestling, not "a night at the opera."

The disappearance of Alabama Wrestling Federation (AWF) buttons (links) from the front page of Gulf Coast Wrestling.com appears to have affected one (or possibly) two AWF fans with a case of "indignation" if comments on the official AWF Message Board is any indication.

A person calling themselves "Heat Seeker Fan" writes, (unedited) "i would like to start a petition to bring back the heat seakers to the gcw board they are the funnyest thang going today"

Truth be, Heat Seekers' promo material resides on the board right now and is not banned. Videos will be scrutinized for "content VS Terms of Service" on a post-by-post basis, just as all content is, but currently, no AWF material is banned from the GCW Message Board.

"... and i like the way nobody is getting mad besides the gcw board heat seakers are good for wrestling i agree some things were a little far but there was no nudity or anything that bad that should have gotten them kicked off."

"Kicked off" refers to the removal of the AWF Message Board link ftom the GCW front page in the "message Board Link" section. All message boards that are a part of the Gulf Coast Wrestling Network of Message Boards are scrutinized for content and when the content gets too risqué or detrimental to the health and good order of wrestling, based on my judgment, the link is severed. When the Message Board regains its compatibility with GCW Terms of Service, it is restored by request of its owner/promoter.

". . . if any thing the guys being talked about ought to be glad someone is even bringing them up because we all really know how these shows on the coast are but this makes them interesting i can go to a dspw show and see the angle that heat seakers are playing up so i like it."

What this fan likes or does not like is his affair entirely and no affair of my own. Liking Heat Seekers, as he does, he can see them in action at AWF's next show or enjoy their video antics on AWF's Message Board, or YOUtube.

What is my affair is making decisions pertinent to my own web site and that is what I have done.

"... long live heat seakers i hate to see them go under but gcw has it out for them because they said 'button men' "

Personally mentioning me on their video is inconsequential to me. A rib is a delicate thing to pull off and that rib on me was successful to a degree.

It's the "other" material I object to and I have spoken to the officials at AWF, outlining my objections to the current crop of videos and those powers that be know exactly where I stand. They are free to do or not do anything that they please, independently of my opinion. Folks who "cant get enough Heat Seekers" certainly know exactly how to scratch that itch.

Anybody who has been around Gulf Coast Wrestling for any length of time knows I have a low tolerance for promotion bashing, wrestler bashing and so-called "shoot interviews" on video. I believe they are destructive and bad for our area wrestling.

Some people believe that I personally am destructive and "bad for wrestling. It's all just ego and personality and posturing. I am weary of it, and yet I have a responsibility to keep my web site as close to family friendly as possible. What "family" would want to go to independent wrestling anywhere after watching one of this new crop of videos? None with kids, I'd wager.

We in wrestling should be trying to convince the public of our maturity and sense of responsibility. How does pretending or intimating that a wrestler has "AIDS" promote indy wrestling.

I believe that Heat Seekers has gone too far. They certainly probably disagree.

It's not that hard to be gentlemen about the issue.

Good luck to us with that.

Pensacola's New "Sportatorium" And Tiny Tiswell's Bid For The Gold Ring

2009-08-29T12:24:00.008-05:00

All Tiny Tiswell wants to do with his life is to promote Professional Wrestling. You can see it on his face and you can hear it in his voice as he talks about the new All Pro Wrestling arena located in the Riviera Shopping Center on Mobile Highway in Pensacola, Florida.

"We've got a year to make a success of it, " Wayne Sellers, AKA "Tiny Tiswell" explained. "We have 2400 square feet of space dedicated to weekly pro wrestling matches and a chance for fans who can't travel out of town to attend wrestling more often than the monthly shows offered by different local competitors."

Those "local competitors" include Ultimate Wrestling, with a juggernaut lineup that includes such notable personalities as Brutal Joe Gibson, Bobby Doll, Death Row, Former Chocolate Boy Wonder, Marcus Gibbes and expert journeyman wrestler Carlos DeAngelo, whom some reckon to be the best-rounded athelete in current local competition.

That's going to be a tough submarine to ping, let's face it.

Additional competition comes from ICON Wrestling in Milton, whose talent crew is less known to this blogger due to my never having attended an event of theirs. They too are head to head with Ultimate's Traveling Unit, which run's a monthly event in Milton. Milton shows may not seem like competition to APW, but the two cities are interchangable so an Ultimate show in Milton could well affect APW attendance 25 miles away. ICON, while not a factor at this writing, could break out given more visible talent, better storytelling and better word-of-mouth publicity from attendees.

This latest attempt at a permanent weekly wrestling schedule is far from doomed to failure, as some prejudging critics have predicted. Precedent favors the upstart promotion. For openers, everybody loves an underdog. Ultimate is not so much a lumbering boxer, as it is a lean, well-trained Shao Lin Priest, adept at bobbing and weaving and avoiding anything other than glancing blows from opponents. APW is a lean, hungry challenger with an absolute need to succeed. Failure is simply not an option.

When DSPW launched against Ultimate in Pensacola, under the guidance of Tiswell, it was a dress rehearsal for APW. The Principle handicap in that effort was building rent VS the difficulty in sustaining a steady fan return rate in a monthly setting. Fans simply forget the next show is coming unless constantly reminded. DSPW's steadily diminishing ticket sales during that run were more a product of publicity shortfall, an less that of the featured talent, because fans in actual attendance really liked such personalities as Gothic Warrior and "So Fabulous" the short-lived flamboyant tag team with the shocking pink boa trademark.

"When attacking, in order to prevail, one must overcome," says (the TV Series) Kung Fu's Master Po. "Whereas, when defending, in order to prevail, one needs merely to survive."

Wise words to live by.

APW, in order to prevail in a tight economy against entrenched competition, must pull a rabbit out of a hat. It will not be enough to present a weekly wrestling program in a clean, comfortable environment that features a well-rounded snack bar and a coherent sound system. APW will have to produce interesting, extraordinary wrestling programs that fans, after that first attendance, will want to invest in emotionally. The APW "Sportatorium" (that's me saying that and not them) will need to become a weekly meeting place of friends who share a common interest- wrestling, and a common enthusiasm - APW Wrestlers and their stories, and the guest wrestlers who come in periodically to turn the world upside down.

Ultimate need not worry about the loss of its audience’s loyalty. Ultimate is well organized, well staffed, well managed, and the audience chairs are populated with fans for whom the monthly get together at the Legion Hall is liken to a family reunion more so than an entertainment event. “The Ultimate Café” is iconic, serving better hamburgers than McDonald’s in my opinion, supplying onions in perpetuity, and staffed by personable, visually pleasant young women (occasionally supplemented by Roger). They are in a permanent “what’s not to love” catbird seat.

So APW’s task is not to unseat Ultimate or swipe their audience, but rather, build an audience of its own, using a unique style to win fans and influence critics. There will inevitably be crossovers. Some Ultimate fans, those who eat, sleep and breathe wrestling, will see APW’s weekly schedule and low $5 admission price as an opportunity to “see more wrestling.” I imagine that those fans will be the harshest judges of APW talent’s efforts.

In the end, it will be fans, not critics or bloggers or message boards ne’er do wells that will decide APW’s long-term fate. The promotion will need to average 100 tickets sold per week to cover overhead expenses related to a 365 day a year venue. The building capacity is approximately 150, so it is a tightrope over an abyss that Tiny and company will be walking.

What price a dream? What would you give to be the guy that returns weekly wrestling to Pensacola? Will APW earn a place in history alongside Robert Gibson, XW-2000 and PWA, all of which successfully maintained a more or less weekly schedule in a permanent location?

At Ultimate, Alexander and Diana Drake Hearse know just what lies ahead for APW. Weather, the price of gasoline, downtown festivals, the fair, a thousand distractions have the ability to leave seats empty inside a wrestling building. They’ve weathered ever storm Tiny’s team faces and probably some he will be lucky enough to dodge. In the end, a friendly cross-town rivalry that echoes the PWA, XW-2000 wrestling wars of 8 years ago just might awaken long dormant fans enough to start paying more attention to wrestling.

Tiny is going to need luck and plenty of it. But then, isn’t luck always what pro wrestling has been about?

Chocolate Boy Wonder No More

2009-07-22T10:28:00.004-05:00

One of the more entertaining fan favorites on an Ultimate Wrestling roster of very entertaining wrestlers has rejected the acclaim and affection he has accumulated since he began wrestling and decided to reject his role as a flamboyant entertainer in favor of heeldom and the dubious honor of being hated.

I say, BAH. Humbug!

Don't I have enough people leaning across the ropes leering at me, telling me that my town sucks, my trailer still has wheels on it and that I am a worthless, no good, cheap, toothless redneck whose pickup truck needs washing and who ought to be ashamed of himself for supporting goody-two-shoes babyfaces who never break the rules? It's bad enough when genuinely frightening wrestlers like Death Row or Joe Gibson turn in my general direction and with not-so subtle body language suggest that my days on earth are numbered in single digits if I or anyone I root for messes with them. Those guys are intimidating - like Amtrak headed for a gasoline truck at a railroad crossing intimidating.

Chocolate Boy Wonder, or as I now must refer to him, "The Wrestler Formerly Known as Chocolate Boy Wonder," is not intimidating at all. It's like being snarled at and called names by The Energizer Bunny.

OK. I know. It is fashionable for a successful babyface wrestler to turn heel and rain on everybody's parade, letting fans in on just how stupid they were for having rooted for him in the first place. But DANG, son! Can't they at least do it with a little style? And can't the newly reinvented Marcus Gibbs at least have presented the idea with a little panache, instead of phoning in the change in a weak promo with no rhyme, reason or clarification?

When confronted with all this controversey, Mr. Gibbes resorted to typical heel tactics by attacking me personally.

"How many promos did you ever cut Bob?" Marcus demands to know.

Well, in truth, as a fan, I am not required to cut promos. What would I promote? I can see it now.

"I am here to tell ya right now, brotha, that I don't like your evil ways-ah, and you need to get your heart right-ah and-ah come back into the fold-ah so that you can be worshiped as a chocolate GOD-ah."

There I would be on YOUtube, five hundred pounds of glorious fatness screaming into the microphone and wiping perspiration from my red face.

Marcus continues by lecturing me, "as a fan your not suppose to like what I had to say, but for you to get on a soap box an bash me ( with all this Indy rasslin psycho-babble ) before you even got to see what type of "villain" ..." but did not complete the sentence. You see. He can't even TYPE a heel promo. The seeds of good are planted too deeply in him.

You know what you get when you place ME on a SOAPBOX? Smushed soapbox.

Marcus concludes, " I would be is just foolish and reckless thinking on your part. You can’t plant seeds and expect it to be a jungle over night can you ? Put a hot dog in your mouth and enjoy the show, watch how it develops … or you can go to a wrestling school, train, cut a better promo and take my job … simple as that."

As has been well established in the past, an Ultimate Hot Dog, properly decked out with mustard, and onions on a fresh warm bun is quite a treat, as is watching an Ultimate show and watching how it develops. As for "going to wrestling school, training, cutting a better promo and taking his job" is concerned, I should probably point out that there are eager youngsters in training at Ultimate right now, any one of whom is champing at the bit to "take his job" so there is no pressure on me do do so, and why should I? What would it prove? Nothing.

50 years as a wrestling fan has placed me in the audience of some of the most bad-ass wrestling promotions in the USA. I've seen Pat Patterson, Andre The Giant, SGT Slaughter, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Junkyard Dog and George The Animal Steele, just to name a few and in the small arenas of New England in 1980's WWF, where shaking a hand (or not) was a one in 500 deal because the crowds were smaller then than WWE crowds are now.

So there's no need to tell me that I don't know for a promo. Bobby Doll, Joe Gibson, BTY, Jon Ryker, Chris Tighe, Cameron Frost, Jerry Reiner, Death Row, Minotaur, Robert Gibson, Doink The Clown (Mobile) - THOSE guys cut promos. What Chocolate Boy Wonder cut on Saturday, July 18th was the cheese.

Observers and Pundits VS Promoters And Wrestlers - The Main Event

2009-07-19T12:46:00.002-05:00

The main message board at www.gulfcoastwrestling.com is a tidal pool of comment, criticism, nostalgia and general graffiti. Good suggestions and spiked commentary designed to do little more than injure or main reside side by side with promos for the next big show and results of the last big show.

One of the more credible posters on this message board is "Norm."

Norm comes from a working (read that as wrestling) background. I do not recall the specifics of his wrestling resume' only that it exists. He is always upbeat in his commentary and seldom has a discouraging word to say - until now.

This morning, we heard from Norm, ending a conspicuous absence. Note: Norm will be in italic and my comments will follow in regular print.

Norm says: "I'm not normally one to give lots of unsolicited advice, but while attending an indy show last night (that will remain unnamed), a few things screamed out at me that I thought I should point out... "

Two things here immediately struck me. First was the truth of the statement that he seldom offers unsolicited advice. Like many former wrestlers, Norm is laid back and humble. He speaks when spoken to and usually offers comment within the context of a thread, rather than initiating one. Second was the use of the words "screamed out at me" to describe his reaction to the event that set him to typing.

Norm continues:

1. "When calling spots, a) lower your voice and b) try to conceal the movement of your lips. Last night while watching a match, I knew every move that was about to happen because I could hear the guy calling the match call the spots. And I was in the fourth row...in a crowded gymnasium."

Boy, howdy, is that the truth! The average fan probably is going to be less prone to notice this than someone smart to the work. But I also have noticed that local indy some wrestlers border on notorious in this regard. Now I am pretty much numb to it, because I see so much rookie work, but to Norm, a seasoned pro, it must be a lot like watching Shakespeare done with a South Mississippi accent.

Norm observes:

2. "If you're in a spot that obviously misses, don't just sell it anyway! If a guy throws a dropkick that misses by a mile, don't throw yourself over the top rope and don't bump! Act like you sidestepped it and then put the guy in a resthold. Talk it over, regroup, and try it again. Selling a move that misses badly is cheap, and trust me, fans see it."

So is Norm being hypercritical? No. There is a principle of wrestling that I call "kinetic realism" which actually means, if the physics are out of whack, the spot is blown. Norm's advice is professional and reasonable, but I would like to add, "Apply the laws of motion to whipping someone into a rope or a turnbuckle. Don't give him a little shove and have him run on his own to wherever his destination is. Unleash some energy. It's the difference between pro and backyard! Norm is right. We DO see it. And we hate it.

Norm offers:

3. "When booking a tag match, if you're going to cut off the ring, the guys cutting off the ring should be the heels, not the babies. Watching a heel get beat down and double teamed makes no sense and is no fun unless it's the early part of the match and you want to put the heels behind the eight ball early. But having the babies cut off the ring halfway into the match is anticlimactic and very, very poor for pacing."

I confess to not having a blue clue as to what "cutting off the ring" means. Studying the context of the comment suggests that it has something to do with beating the crap out of somebody or another, but it is unclear whet the term signifies. However, heel behavior in babyfaces muddies the water, unless there is a "fire with fire" consequence of a long brewing feud.

I gotta look up that term "cutting off the ring."

Norm goes on:

4. "Don't feel so compelled to tell so many cockamamie stories. Not every match has to involve the heel grabbing a microphone and droning on and on and on about some unrealistic, improbable chain of events. Not every match has to have some silly backstory. Just wrestle! Tell your story in the ring! "

Just once I would like to have a heel grab a microphone and tell the babyface, "I am going to beat the crap out of you because I don't like you or your grandmother or your Great Aunt Matilda in the nursing home who has Alzheimer’s and drools on a towel.

That's actually more logical than some of the stuff that is actually said.

5. "When you do make up a story, make it original. Don't just rip off some angle from an old episode of Raw."

That, I am afraid, is hopeless wishful thinking. The number of original thinkers in our area indy wrestling can be counted on the toes of a sloth.

6. "There is heat and then there is cheap heat. Learn the difference. Heels, stop trying to insult fans by insulting their city or by "forgetting" what city you're in. That is way, way, way overdone. It's done at least once in every indy show and it's cheap. A truly good heel can draw heat without ever touching the microphone."

There's an "amen" due to this statement. Probably close to the worst "heel turn" promos I have ever seen came last night at Ultimate (July 18). After a good (if kineticly unbelievable) match between Chocolate Boy Wonder and Michael Patrick, in which CBW prevailed, the guy stood there in the midst of appreciative applause and told those attending that he was "sick of the fans."

What?

CBW then proceeded to underwhelmingly cut an "I hate you" promo that was less believable than Chris Tighe in a rainbow dress expressing love for Mr. Fantasy.

This prompted one fan to comment that now that CBW had gone over to the "dark" side, would that make him "Dark Chocolate Boy Wonder?"

It was a laugh and a half, which was not CBW's intention at all. Oh well, practice makes perfect.

Norm is on a roll now:

7. "Promoters, take charge of your promotion. Don't run silly angles where the inmates rule the asylum. Don't let wrestlers "fire" your referee and demand someone else be the ref for their match. Don't let wrestlers book impromptu title matches. Don't let wrestlers "trade" titles, have someone else defend their title for them, or surrender their title to someone else."

What he said. Let's have some logic in storytelling. If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't entertain.

Norm says:

8. "Do NOT use a toy/replica title belt as your championship belt! Come on! It's better to not have a belt at all. And if you really must use a replica (and again, you shouldn't), at least have the brains to rub out or cover up the WWE logo. "

Wow.

What the hell show was he at last night?

9. "While on the subject of championships, don't have the title change hands every time you run a show. Having the title changing hands so frequently cheapens the notion of a champion. Tell the guys in the back to stop whining about not getting a title run. It's an act."

That's a little too 'inside" for me, but true nonetheless.

Norm's final word on the subject:

10. "Wrestlers, get in the gym! GET IN THE GYM! You have to look the part! Lift heavy 5 times a week! Get on the treadmill or the stair stepper and burn off your gut! Looking at your doughy gut is disgusting. And don't think wearing a t-shirt makes it OK. Promoters and bookers, do not book a guy if he's not in shape! I find it both hilarious and ridiculous at the same time when I hear guys talking about making it to the bigs when they have the physiques of the nerds in high school who always got picked last in P.E. and hung out at comic book stores."

How could I add to that?

A Sad Day For The Gulf Coast - Another Day For Wrestling

2009-06-11T22:31:00.004-05:00

Eddie was born to wrestle. It has always been a significant part of his life. His "Wild Samoan" heritage pretty much guaranteed him a spot on the WWE roster, but more to the point, he really earned and deserved it through hard work and dedication.

Now WWE has tossed him aside, allegedly for violation of their "wellness" program. I personally don't see a lot of "wellness" associated with WWE level wrestling at all. The brutal travel schedule, the constant pain, and yes, the intense scrutiny over every aspect of a performer's life. That seems like an artificial reward for such high aspirations as to be a "WWE Guy."

Will we now get Eddie back here on the Gulf Coast if he indeed has been "let go" at WWE? It's doubtful because leaving WWE is not leaving wrestling. There's Japan, England, TNA, and a whole indy world out there.

I just hope Eddie solves these problems and continues following the path he wishes to.

I really hate the drug/steroid thing, not just at WWE level but everywhere. We'd all be a lot better off without these extra influences raising their head.

Good luck, Eddie. I'll be rooting for you.

The Importance Of A Good Snack Bar to A Winning Wrestling Event

2009-05-10T11:10:00.006-05:00

I have complained often and vociferously about the lack of onions for my hot dogs at wrestling shows. In fact, I have verbalized that preference so regularly that it has become more of a running gag than an actual fact. Truth be told though, "onions for my hot dogs" has become a metaphor for, "have a well rounded snack bar at your wrestling show," and that simple rule can make the difference between a good show and a great show.

Wrestling promotions are very modularized profit centers. Ticket sales produce the majority of any individual show's income. The price of admission is calculated to strike a balance between the need of fans to find cheap, high quality entertainment, and the need of the promoter to meet and cover all expenses to the point of turning a profit after having done so.

Raffles, such as 50/50 pot or special prize raffles are another potential source of income where profit ensues if the intake is more than the outgo. Prizes donated by a gimmick vendor such as myself or the young fellow who sells action figures can reduce overhead for a raffle all the way to zero, creating a guaranteed profit center.

Promotion oriented gimmicks such as buttons, tee shirts, hats, coffee cups and etc are another excellent profit center, but are overhead intense since they involve the purchase of specially designed goods with no real assurance of a return.

With the exception of ticket sales, a promotion can live without all of the above, but there is one profit center without which a promotion cannot expect to draw fans more than once. Without exception, every promotion needs a snack bar. And it had better be a good one.

Fans almost universally come hungry to wrestling. They hunger for excitement. They hunger for diversity (different kinds of wrestling), and they hunger for good food.

The Ultimate Cafe comes to mind as one of the best snack bars in Gulf Coast Wrestling. Not only good hot dogs are served, but fresh hamburgers, nachos and a variety of different snack foods enough to please any palate. Their food is HOT, first and foremost. It comes with a well stocked condiment table that is easily accessible, and yes, there are onions for the hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as relish and other goodies. Fans come to Ultimate Wrestling knowing that supper awaits, that food is inexpensive and that it is created safely and enthusiastically.

I recall an SPW show in Defuniak Springs where the snack bar served barbecue sandwiches so elegant I bought 4 of them. On the same menu was served a honey mustard chicken sandwich that Linda took an instant liking to. Erick ate three of them. The SPW snack bar is like that. They serve hot chocolate, which I drink by the quart when it is cold, and maintain an ample supply of candy bars, which I should not be buying but which I do anyhow, and, of course, hot dogs with onions diced into little cubes of flavor that make everything OK when I am starving.

AWF Chipley serves both hot dogs and hamburgers (the latter pre-prepared) along with popcorn (a favorite of mine) and uniquely, cup soda, rather than can soda. One recent show they opened the snack bar to much fanfare (ribbing me) about onions. On that particular night my hunger was a hamburger hunger and I bought several, which I generously populated with onions. Later on, when Linda got her hot dogs, she predictably ordered them sans onions. When I declined onions for her hot dogs, the ribbing stepped up tenfold. It was all in fun, but more seriously, that snack bar had what I needed for the evening, including several different of my favorite candy bars and a variety of chips.

Kind and quality of snack bar food affects my mood. If I am hungry, I am not as "into" the show as I would be after a good hot dog. There are several ways for a promotion to maximize the "snack bar experience." One way is to offer more than one variation on hot dogs. Chili dogs are tasty, especially with onions, but messy and run the risk of spilling chili on one's shirt. Cheese dogs offer a unique variation. Chili cheese dogs with onions or (please excuse the expression) ultimate dogs offer a meal on a bun. Starting at a dollar basic dog (charging more for basic dog turns me off right away), a snack bar might add ingredients at 50 cents per: starting with chili, then adding grated Cheddar for the cheese. Just like that, a promotion has a $2 hot dog that I, as an average fan would buy in multiples.

It is said that an army travels on its stomach. I submit that an audience of wrestling fans does also. A well stocked snack bar operated by personable individuals will reap solid profits for the promotion, profits which can be plowed back into payroll for wrestlers and support staff, and the "special of the month" next month at the snack bar.

Be creative, be inventive, be personable at your snack bar and you will reap rewards. Fail to provide a good snack bar and fans' stomachs will not be the only thing grumbling.

Snack bars can makes a difference.

DSPW - The Crowd Was Small, But Their Heart Was Big

2009-05-05T23:59:00.015-05:00

Every seat in the house was a front row seat, Friday, May 1st at Dirty South Pro Wrestling's Pensacola, FL show, the first of the new summer season.

Shown (left), Evergreen McQueen, one of Alabama's many giant wrestlers, encourages his opponent over tyhe top rope to eliminate him from competition during a match early in the evening.

Running head to head with Ultimate was a decision forced on DSPW officials by circumstance. There simply was no other date available and former management genuinely thought they could pull it off.

But, as anybody pinning DJ Pringle quickly discovers, "down" is not always "out." DSPW continues it's underdog struggle to remain viable against formidible foes in the P'Cola / Brewton theater.

Competiton for folks' entertainment dollar is ferocious. Festivals, racing, kid and teen sports continually eat away at promotions' bottom line. Can DSPW draw a viable crowd Saturday May 16th at the Alabama National Guard Armory in Brewton, Al?

I say yes. Will it be a good show?

Yes again.

Join DSPW for a brand new event and let's help Mickey create a success show in brewton on May 16th.

The Lollipop Kidd Brings Advanced Math To Wrestling

2009-05-03T18:17:00.009-05:00

Gladiators of the squared circle come in all sizes. Not one to be left out, The Lollipop Kidd, 1/2 of the DSPW Tag Team of "So Fabulous" comes in an alternate size and color, namely pink.

Hailing from "An alternate universe near you," Kidd's main reason for entering the rough and tumble world of pro wrestling is to "explore relational physics and meet some cool girls."

"Relational physics is, of course, the study of objects in motion and at rest," Says Kidd. "An object at rest tends to stay at rest until a force compells it to move."

He adds, "A body in motion tends to remain in motion unless an opposing force greater than that motion is applied."

That force tends to be any opponent who sees Kidd dressed like a pink Lollipop in the center of a wrestling ring.

As for meeting cool girls, well that part was easy, as So Fabulous was legally adoped by every female at DSPW Pensacola last Friday, none of whom could resist squeezing cheeks and uttering phrases like "HOW adorable," and "I wish that mean wrestler would stop throwing them on the FLOOR!.

So Fabulous will be appearing at DSPW Brewton's National Guard Armory Show on May 16th.

Kidd says, "See you there, Sweetie," but I am not sure to whom he is speaking.

Chris Tighe, The Wahoo Tournament, And How Easy It Is To Become A Cowboy

2009-05-03T16:26:00.012-05:00

Chris Tighe Offers himself as "The Definition of Technician. It sometimes seems arrogant when he represents in this fashion, but there is a somewhat overlooked truth to who this journeman wrestler sees him as, and like it or not, that truth is that he actually is "The Definition of Technician."

Watch Chris Tighe at a New Heights or AWF show (two promotions that consistantly book him) and you will discover that whomever he comes up against seriously has their hands full. Sure he struts and poses and preens and promises, as do all self-absorbed heel wrestlers, but Tighe has the stuff to back up the bluff. He has a bag of tricks that makes a magician look empty handed. And he is absolutely fearless, which in turn makes him nearly impossible to beat. Somehow though, impossible becomes possible as opponents often come up with counter-tricks themselves, that trump Chris cold, much to his frustration. Thus, it is not unreasonable to see him sitting in the middle of the armory floor, crying crocodile tears of pure frustration becaus a tag partner has let him down or an opponent has checkmated one of his favorite moves.

Looking to the upper left (photo) you see Chris hugh-jumping an opponent, literally leaping to an advantage. His unpredictibility encourages other wrestlers to be wary about dismissing him over issues like size, for example. In wrestling, size does matter, but if you are a human buzz saw like Chris Tighe, it becomes a "tree thing." The bigger you are, the harder your fall - and if that opponent falls on Chris, than 1-2-3, he's outta there, but ready to bounce back for a winning try the next match.

Next time you see Chris Tighe wrestle, pay close attention to facial expression, body language and "low spots" where lesser wrestlers shy away from close contact. You will see a Chris Tighe whose mat skills are equal to his high flight courage and recklessness.

"The Definition of Technician" is a huge entertainment package in a pint sized container. Your favorite wrestler make get very banged up before he finally beats Chris Tighe.

The American Wrestling Federation out of Chipley, Florida held its 3rd Annual Wahoo McDaniel Memorial Tournament in the Florida National Guard Armory on Friday, May 1st, to much ado and fanfare.

You will want to click on the picture to the left for a blowup of a montage of Indywrestlingfan action photos of unparalleled excellence.

Steve Armstrong won this year's trophy, much to the joy of the fans.

Marty Jannetty VS Mr Fantasy (as seen in the montage) got everybody's blood pumping and Mountain Man VS Terry Ryker was a memorable battle between titains.

But it was Dandy Jack VS The Dog Pound, with Mountain Man as his partner that really set a precident for unbelievability. First of all, when Dandy Jack is stripped to his skivvies for combat, it seems like he might be helpless in the ring. That is a misconception. He actually busted some moves on his geratric canine opponents, and stirred them somewhat to caution and care, especially when they saw 6 foot nine inch 500 pound Mountain Man available for tagging.

Oof.

I would run away too. MM is formidible.

But then, the old skinny Dog Pound Guy who used to be a weatherman (the radar kind, not the militant kind) slipped the much loved Alabama backwoodsman 5 100 bills and I'll be dipped in honey and called a Bee if MOuntain Man didn't abandon Dandy Jack to the cruelty of fate and the indecency of the howling mad tag team in the ring.

They stomped a mudhole in Dandy Jack and led him off in chains, destined to be some kinda slave, the details of which I missed because I was eating a hot dog with onions and the crunching drowned out the bad guys' post match promo.

It was a satisfying show, one during which I sold 11 cowboy hats, furthering my quest to turn all wrestlers into guitar strumming cowpokes.

If you missed this one, you should be able to get a video of it at a later show.

How GREAT it was to see Lil Bub, also known as IndyWrestlingFan back behind a still camera at a show. He takes great pictures which I "borrow" at every opportunity and sometimes forget to credit him with.

I wish that fans would appreciate him when they see him. He is working tirelessly for everyone's benefit.

Next week... New Heights Wrestling In Florala Alabama.

Hope to see you there.

Buff Bagwell Was A No-show, But Marty Jannetty Was A Show Stopper!

2009-04-29T23:19:00.007-05:00

The first Time I saw Marty Jannetty wrestle live was in a tiny little auction barn turned temporary arena, halfway between Chipley and Panama City on a windy, rainy Saturday afternoon. The ring arrived late, about half the crowd had gone home and the remaining fans were restless and bored from everything that had gone wrong that afternoon.

When the very late and very lost ring arrived from Mobile, fans stepped out of the audience to serve as ring slingers. Many people pitched in to kick that show into gear, and the most cheerful of them all was the star of the show, Marty Jannetty.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong that evening. There were still antiques left over from a previous auction. The building made Mossy Head look like a dirigible hanger. Other than Black Sheep Danny Roland, I couldn't for love or money tell you who else wrestled that night.

But Marty was there - and he lit up that dreary, musty, roof-leaking little shack with the dignity and demeanor of a professional wrestler, a true professional.

True, his WWE days were behind him. True, some of his demons had a grip on him. But even near his worst, Marty was at his best. He greeted me pleasantly - no, enthusiastically. My table was between the dressing room entrance and the ring. He made me feel like his part of the show was just for me.

I know, I know. That's his job, right? Wrong. His job is to show up and wrestle, to win or lose against the local heel. I get that. But what I also got was that he just purely, absolutely loved it that he was wrestling.

That's why they call me a mark, mmmkay? I am a mark for Marty Jannetty and he's earned every ounce of energy I have expended being his fan.

Fast forward to SWA, Crestview, Florida, may 25th 2009. Buff Bagwell is on the card, slated to go against Mr. Fantasy. I've seen these two go at it like lumberjacks dating the same lumberjill. They are awesome to watch and a draw for me every time. Sure, Buff's a little sold on Buff, but hey, that's his character.

Thing is, Buff was a no-show.

Rumor has it that he accepted an extra grand on a doublebook and kicked Crestview to the curb. Ah, well no Buff. The crowd booed a little at the announcement but it was half-hearted, like it was expected or it was no big deal. Then came the announcement that Marty Jannetty would be taking Buff's place. Now that may be worded wrong because Marty and Buff are different wrestlers entirely, and I may no be being fair.

Whichever, the crowd went floor stomping nuts for Marty and in an instant, Bicep Buff, strutting his stuff faded into the air like so much fog in the sun.

Suddenly, there came Marty, out among the 330+ fans, all eager to reach out and touch him. No kid went unhugged. No mom went unappreciated. For ten minutes or better, the whole of the Crestview Armory from soldiers to babies were unabashed Marty fans.

The match was classic Fantasy VS anybody. Marty jazzed it up though in a way Buff wouldn't have. Marty felt more like a Crestview Boy come-home from the WWE. He was every guy who ever dreamed about casting off the bonds of Wassau and flying to Chicago to take on the Undertaker. He wrestled flawlessly, but at the same time wrestled for each and every fan individually.

Marty knows Erick and Linda, apparently from shows long ago, well before my time. He greeted them after the event, during picture time, as though he'd just seen them last week. For Erick, who ended up with a signed Marty Tee shirt, and a posed picture, it was perfection come to visit.

Thing is, he remembered me, even though we had only chatted once or twice before he began his long absence from the Gulf Coast. He remembered me.

Of course, it is possible that he remembered the really big guy from that tiny little show in the auction barn, but I choose to believe that he remembered me for me. Call it suspension of disbelief, if you want to.

Because he remembered me, because I am his fan, and just because, I am going to plug the web site where his video is being sold. It is HERE Click on it.

Now you have a chance to see Marty Jannetty in person at the Chipley National Guard Armory this Friday, May 1st, along with Bullet Bob, Steve, The Nightmare, Wahoo McDaniel Jr, the really big and very jovial Mountain Man, Mr. Fantasy, Chris Tighe, Milo, Terry Ryker, DJ Pringle, The Magnificent Pedro, Dirty Larry Brock and Ryan Holland, plus many others, in a rip-roaring ceiling rattling hum-dinger of a "3rd Annual Chief Wahoo McDaniel Memorial Cup Tournament.

I know. It's a long ride from Pensacola, Mobile, Milton and all kinds of other places to get to Chipley. But this show is worth the effort and the gas. Marty Jannetty is worth the effort and the gas.

To tell you the truth, Ryker, Milo and Chris Tighe are worth the trip as are all others in this cast of true stars. These are the working wrestlers of today, of our area. Their gold and glory comes from fans like us in crowds 300 strong, cheering or booing our brains out.

They are Ryan Holland, at the start of the road, Mountain Man on the top of the hill, DJ Pringle, dodging the Devil at the Crossroad. . .

Or Marty Jannetty, who's been there and done that and shares himself with the least of us, to help keep wrestling going, where ever it might be.

I will see you there.

The Legacy Of Doink The Clown - The Secret Pride Of The Alabama Wrestling Federation

2009-04-27T23:41:00.005-05:00

Doink The Clown loves wrestling. He just doesn't always love Wrestling fans. At least that's the impression one might get when listening to one of his monologues when he is standing in the ring with a microphone in his hand. But then a heel wrestler is, after all, supposed to be "heelish," is that not so?

I guess my idea about clowns of any sort run to the funny, occasionally magical, slapstick and rubber nose variety. I know some people for whom clowns are the stuff of nightmares, who would cringe at the sight and sound of Doink just on the general principle of him being a clown, never mind the additional aspect of him being a wrestling clown. It is a matter of preference, this is for certain. And the Alabama Wrestling Federation's Doink certainly does not slack in perpetuating the myth that clowns are from Hell.

That is the beauty of ugliness though. This is not, nor was it ever intended to be your warm and fuzzy huggable clown. Hug this clown and you are likely to not be hugging anyone for a while if you happen to be a wrestler.

So how does one get to be Doink the Clown?

He has to love wrestling more than he loves being loved. He must be a professional pro wrestler, not a partially committed up and comer. He has to be able to whip an insult like a mule skinner whips jackasses on the salt road. He has to know who he is and be proud of that in the face of dislike or dispopularity.

He has to be prepared to babyface without batting an eye when a hard bitten bad guy like Wade Garrett shows up. He may be wrestling General Payne one day and Buff Bagwell the next, so versitility is a must.

If you know who is behind the green hair and mask of AWF's Doink The Clown, then you know a little of the dedication to successful wrestling shows that individual has in his heart. And if you do not know, don't worry about it. Just kick back and enjoy what ever comes your way.

The Alabama Wrestling Federation recently had a show in Loxley, Alabama, at which the above photo was taken by action photographer Lil' Bub, as he is known. If you see him, tell him thanks for the pictures. he works that hard and is that good.

If you have an opportunity, catch an AWF Mobile show whereever it might be near you. Check the Alabama Wrestling Federation Web Site for time and place, and be sure you save a cheer for Steve From Chicago, one of my favorites, and a "Booo" for Doink The Clown, but when you do the latter, save a little appreciation for a veteran of 10 years of hard fought battles in clawing his way to the top of the Gulf Coast Of Alabama ladder.

And just between you and me... get there a little early because there's always a big crowd.

The Decline And Demise Of Dan Delicious - The Rise and Aggression Of Mike Thrash

2009-04-27T11:23:00.008-05:00

It was Dan Delicious who put Curtis Leroy in that dress. And it was Dan Delicious who doggone near knocked him out of it on the 25th of April at Crestview's Annual SWA pro wrestling spectacular. The photo on the right, shot by talented action photographer Brian Reese, shows the intensity with which Dan laid into Curtis, who opened the match with a disrespectful little love tap of his own on the controversial Pink Warrior's right cheek.

This was the "Hair VS Dress" match that everyone had been waiting for. Curtis Leroy had been placed into the dress more than a year ago by Dan in a "loser must wear a dress" match and poor Curtis was forced to wrestle in "Granny's mumu" ever since.

An opportunity for rematch presented itself in Crestview when Delicious put up his most prized possession, his San Francisco Pony Tail, to lure Leroy out of seclusion. For Leroy, it was a chance to rid himself of the hated dress and regain his dignity and masculinity.

The odds were stacked against Delicious though, as forces conspired to rob him of his beloved locks. Outside interference assisted Curtis Leroy. In a flash, Dan lay unconscious on the mat. Then, a mysterious stranger entered the ring with a huge pair of scissors and the ravaging of Dan's tresses began.

A second Brian Reese photo shows the anguish Dan was feeling as he said goodbye to his hair. It must have been a lot like this when Delilah robbed Samson of his power laden locks. The pain was unbearable as the audience suffered along with Dan Delicious' ordeal.

Curtis Leroy is a free man now. Nevermore will he have to face an opponent wearing a mumu. But Whither Dan Delicious? Is the friendly, funny, gregarious and gay Dan doomed now to a dark, angry and sinister half-life as Mike Thrash?

And Who is Mike Thrash anyhow? Is he the closet straight guy who has haunted The San Francisco Warrior, Delicious, for years, peeking through the skipping, prancing veneer of capriciousness and exploding like a crouching tiger, hidden dragon on wrestlers who dare hit too hard?

Will we perhaps see Dan Delicious occasionally still, as gay and straight play tug of war inside this popular wrestler?

Guess we'll find out soon enough, as Mike Thrash emerges from the shell that was happy go lucky Dan Delicious.

In A World Filled With Villians Any Hero Is King

2009-04-23T11:44:00.003-05:00

Turbo Ted is an icon of Panhandle Independent Wrestling. Shown here with life long wrestling fan, Erick Turner, Ted has a rich and colorful history that stretches far back into the days of West Florida Wrestling and Promoter Bobby Wilson. He may go back farther than that, but that is only how far back "I" go, so no slight intended.

Ted is a hero to multitudes of wrestling fans, myself included. He ranks high on my list of favorites, if for no better reason than his work is exacting and precise and a pleasure to watch.

Many wrestlers avoid Ted or protest when they are matched against him, complaining that he is "stiff," which is another way of saying that he wrestles more in the "old school" style where physical contact was expected and one needed to be able to absorb actual impact when his opponent back him up against the ropes.

It is being said that Turbo Ted is "old." The implication of having been branded as such is that Ted is "weak" or "ineffectual." That's a trap - and young wrestlers who become ensnared in the idea that "older" means "weaker" are due for some of the most severe awakenings of their pediatric careers.

Ultimate Wrestling brought Turbo Ted back from parts unknown for a reason and that was to show all its many 'puppies" how an old dog barks. Age is no barrier to toughness or expertise.

Look at Doctor X, whose wrestling prowess frightens the water out of skinny young wrestling newbies. His ability to drop an opponent to the floor in 1oths of a SECOND gives that wrestler no opportunity for defense. It's a "go along or break a bone" kinda thing. Doc X has served our country in many capacities in real life and is as physically fit as one could possibly ask for in a wrestler of maturity. You learn a thing or two in the land of IED's and suicide bombers.

Then there is Bullet Bob Armstrong. No more beloved wrestler exists on the Gulf Coast in my opinion. His more than 45 years in wrestling gives him an edge over every challenger that no one can overcome without cheating egregiously.

In a world filled with villains, any hero is King.

The Rebirth Of Dirty South Professional Wrestling and Other Tales

2009-04-22T12:04:00.007-05:00

With the departure of Tiny Tiswell from DSPW comes a new chapter in the peaks and valleys life of the Dirty South Professional Wrestling family. Gone also is referee turned wrestler Archie Brooks and the rough and rowdy tag team of The Redneck Mafia, whose "beer-in-hand-at-ringside" demeanor proved a little over the top for some wrestling fans.

Scheduled to return to the DSPW squared circle at the Pensacola "Rebirth" event, are Gothic Warrior and Mystress. Warrior is a technician and a methodical destroyer of opponents who are unfortunate enough to be booked against him. The lovely Mystress is enough of a ringside distraction that any red-blooded wrestler might lose concentration long enough to suffer being ambushed and pinned 1-2-3.

Fan favorite, Johnny Rebel is a tried and true southern dynamo, quick to slam, kick, supplex or pin anyone who cares to challenge him. Unfortunately, DSPW has accumulated some pretty unpropitious heel wrestlers, so the boy has his work cut out for him.

Speaking of maleficence, The Minister, Zack Johnson is looking to take over DSPW's top spot by any means necessary or possible. No telling what he will resort to to attain this lofty goal.

DJ Pringle needs no introduction other than to remind fans of his new nickname, "Tater Chip." And don't forget to bring those Pringles cans to hold up and remind the wrestler of his deep fried heritage.

Street Bandit and Short Bandit return, as well as Damon Black and The Regulators, about whom I know nothing much at this time.

DSPW has declared itself "Born Again." As a part of that revamping process, the content of the show has become more "Family Friendly."

According to Owner/Promoter Mickey Godwin, "We are going to work hard to strike a balance between good old fashioned Southern-style pro wrestling and what fans are used to seeing in our area."

"Bad language, blood, hardcore violence," said Mickey, "will be downplayed in favor of story and character - particularly character development which we see as particularly important."

Scheduled into the Knights Of Columbus Hall at Jackson and Palafox Streets in Downtown Pensacola on May 2nd, DSPW faces a severe challenge running as they are on the same day and in the same general area as Ultimate, with its powerhouse cast of characters and loyal fan base. Still, for those who want something a little different, or just want to support an underdog, the DSPW show might be just the ticket.

I have been personally been lobbying for onions on DSPW Hot Dogs. Ultimate Hot Dogs and hamburgers both come equipped with generous condiments, so I suspect that DSPW will want to compete in that arena as well.

Come to Pensacola on May 2nd and try DSPW. The turnaround is remarkable. The potential for coolness is there. And there's charisma points to be had for supporting the little guy.

Addendum to Previous Message Oriented Board Rant

2009-04-21T18:25:00.002-05:00

All of the negative material directed toward me has been erased from the Alabama Wrestling Federation Message Board, (speculatively) due to Leigh-Anne and Dwayne not wanting extremes of crud on their board. I have not spoken with either of them so removal of all posts of a negative nature will have been removed unilaterally.

Sorry Dwayne and Leigh-Anne.

Every so often I do answer them when they get stoned or start licking toads or whatever it is that sets them off.

Tired of Life And Wrestling Crybabies

2009-04-20T23:40:00.004-05:00

The following Blog entry is rated "R"

Parental discretion is advised.

So I came home Saturday night from Ultimate Wrestling's Milton show at the Santa Rosa County Auditorium, all fired up about the fact that someone finally had returned to the SRCA and broke the barriers set by the Santa Rosa County Attorney for insurance. I had a great time. I saw many friends I had not seen in almost two years because some Milton Fans are homebodies and don't travel the highways like Linda, Erick and I do.

Naturally, I wrote about my experience. It is what I do, after all. I translate my feelings and experiences into words which I share with the maybe 10 people who read this blog to actually see what I might have to say, and the 20 more who read this blog with every intention of twisting every word into lies and innuendo and smear and sewer s**t. More on those gutterslime later.

My blog entry centered on the morphing of pink, skipping Dan Delicious into Mike Thrash, angry man. And it complimented the Ultimate Wrestling Team, wrestlers, ring crew, cafe, management and support staff for handing me a really great wrestling evening.

I did not mention that I was behind my table for a large part of the show, by invitation of Ultimate Management. I did not dwell on how great Ironclaw looked and how awesome it is to have him back with his peers, whole and healthy, nor what an intense match the Dog River Boys, Flexx and Rocket VS The Ultimate Legends was. I just laid out an overall picture of a good time for me and my family. It's personal when I go to a wrestling show. I like wrestling and wrestling people.

But there is one facet of wrestling in our area that I don't much enjoy at all - Message Board Trolls.

The conversation on my board inevitably turned to ICON Wrestling and the lackluster attendance figures attributed to them by one poster and three phone callers, each of whom gave me the same figure, 27.

I am not a fan of judging wrestling by the number of fans in the seat. One of the best wrestling performances I have ever witnessed took place with fewer than 20 fans in the house. A show - and I said so - should be judged by quality of matches, overall ambiance and (jokingly) snack bar quality along with the presence of onions for hot dogs.

Further comment ensued and a debate followed. I mentioned that having a business plan would be a swell idea for ICON:

A: who have been trying to run in Milton in a different building than the SRCA

B: who ran on the same night as Ultimate's debut, Ultimate being a seasoned promotion with many shows in its pocket, as opposed to ICON with one low attendance show chalked up prior to the night of discussion, that being the depth of their time together.

c: who offered no visible indication of who would be wrestling, where, or at what time of day, though I am told there was a poster, I never saw it.

There was more, but the gist of it was that a good business plan is a great idea for every promotion to maximize profit, as offered by SMV (Seasoned Mat Veteran) who most everyone has told me is actually, former PWA (and other places) wrestler Steve Cheetum, a fit fellow whom I never saw disappoint in a match.

To that point, the conversation was amicable.

Then things started getting ugly on the Alabama Wrestling Federation message board. Then they started getting really ugly and finally so obscene and twisted that I just had enough and deleted the link, for one reason, that the content massively violated Terms of Service, and for another reason, I had just had enough of pigs, pig s**t and ignorant anonymous grade school dropouts in general.

I love Leigh Anne and Dwayne to death, but this haven for wrestling crybabies, n'er do wells, pretenders and losers and their lies and their cyber terrorist tactics and their posts pretending to be people they aren't is just too much. I don't need the irritation, the distraction of the bulls**t.

The Alabama Wrestling Federation is a jewel in Mobile's crown, but the denizens of that message board are the pus inside an ass pimple and the fact that they are allowed top display that filth drags an otherwise top notch promotion down.

So I popped the pimple. Now the pus is running around complaining and whining and spewing sewage, while my friends are taking care of the real wrestling business of promoting great shows which, if one DID judge by attendance or any other standard, are as close to a perfect business model as one could get.

So why do I care about pus? Or the opinions of pus? Or the mewling and self aggrandizement of pus?

Truth is, I don't.

This is far more attention than they deserve.

People influenced by the writings of pus, deserve all the pus they can get.

It's just the nature of blogging. Oozing, seeping unscabbed wounds on wrestling such as the "people" who have been posting lies about me affect me, despite my friends' urging that i be the "better man" and let it slide.

I think I shall not let it slide.

I think I will click on the "publish" button and let the bastards know that I read their festering droolings and maybe they will get some sick sexual pleasure out of having pissed me off. Then again, they are pus, so who cares about them?

I dropped the ban button on SMV for the disrespect he showed me today. You were wrong "Brandon" it wasn't "too easy" for me to ban you. I thought about it for a whole 30 seconds.

Have fun on the AWF board with all the pusies (that's pronounced pus-eze as in persons who are pus). Take some antibiotic with you.

You're gonna need it.

Mike Thrash - No More Rainbows, Just Mayhem

2009-04-19T11:07:00.013-05:00

No more Dan Delicious.

In a solemn ceremony, the bright pink tights that signified that Dan Delicious was in the ring and ready to humiliate all comers were placed in a trash bag after having been shredded. No longer will we be able to see cringing opponents and referees run away in horror at being inappropriately touched by the Man From San Francisco. Since being inducted into "The Fold" by the controversial "Former Sinner" Nick Virtue, Dan has been questioning his orientation, which had previously leaned precociously in the direction of hot pink and ribbons, but which now steers toward muted colors, a testosteronic attitude of hyper-aggression and mayhem.

In these days of gender confusion, there was never any confusion about Dan Delicious. Gay and proud, Dan rubbed his victims' face in the reality of the fact that for him as a wrestler, it wasn't about "pink," it was about domination in the ring. Once the shenanigans were over, Dan could overpower virtually anyone by sheer talent and strength. I saw him wrestle in Mossy Head against towering and vicious opponents who literally craved his blood. Dan just tore them up. He was a symbol of the "can do" spirit, capable of overcoming impossible odds, surviving death defying matches while never losing himself to mean-spiritedness.

Now introducing Mike Thrash. He's all wrestler, all man, all business, all at peace inside himself, he said in a pre-match promo. He proved this point by taking apart his former tag team partner from PWA days, Tyrone Holley, who came out to the ring in traditional pink, accompanied by a young man of unknown origin, who served as his valet (right).

Tyrone is one of our area's most versatile wrestlers, equally capable of dishing out uproarious comedy or deadly force, preferring the former, with such characters as Achy Breaky Kid, and Tyrone The Terrible, a lovably flamboyant heel character who is impossible to boo.

Together, Tyrone and Dan Delicious made up Culture Club, a tag team that stood against a tsunami of "straight" conventional wrestlers, some of whom took homophobia to an extreme, and some who were just nonplussed by such "in your face" outness that they could barely keep from cracking up.

During the April 18th Ultimate show, a very nice elderly Christian Lady came up to me and asked, referring to Tyrone's pinkness, "Does there really have to be all this gayness?" She was in genuine distress because she had her granddaughter with her.

"It's just wrong," she said unhappily, "just wrong." Then, she wandered back to her seat in time to see Mike Thrash, in a fit of reformist fury, dismantle poor Tyrone so thoroughly that we in the audience began to believe that we were going to have a hot pink cadaver on our hands. That seemed to satisfy the lady who undoubtedly went home happy that Dan was cured of his gayness and that Tyrone had been sufficiently punished for his sins.

Ultimate Wrestling scored like Michael Jorden on a good night at April 18th's Milton Massacre. The crowd topped two hundred, straining the SRCA under the load of so many happy wrestling fans. The Ultimate Cafe staff worked so hard to bring great food to the fans that they ended up popping circuit breakers. Onions for both hot dogs and hamburgers were both plentiful and fresh. I do so like that.

Some of my personal favorites wrestled and one of my all time favorites did not. Marcel Pringle stayed in the background, preferring to let the Dog River Boys shine on their own - which they did in spades. Rocket and Flexx took the Ultimate Legends to school in a flurry of youthful attempted assassination so intense, they could have been arrested for assault with intent to win. As it was, they did win, but the semi-main event in which they labored was, alas, a non-title bout.

Turbo Ted came out on a shiny chrome walker, a sure indication of his geriacity, but sported a sign saying "it's a rib" letting the audience in on the joke he was about to unleash on his opponent.

I am sure there will be better, more accurate descriptions of what happened in these and other matches online on the message boards, so suffice it to say that Ultimate's debut in Milton did much more than just squash ICON Wrestling's attempt to run head to head in the same town, same night. The show and its newly upgraded "production value" offered a taste of that elusive flavor of the "bigs" that is so much sought after, and seldom achieved.

From the freshness of the popcorn to the smile on Lady Devine behind her very own table, to Thrash's snarl, to Erick's piercing cry of "Barrrby Doll," it all felt like coming home again to PWA and OSW and XW-2000 shows of yesteryear, when stars performed, children laughed and played and Turbo Ted wandered through the post match crowd making sure everybody had had a good time.

Welcome to peerdom with greatness, Ultimate.

DSPW - Never Say Die

2009-04-17T13:00:00.004-05:00

Dirty South Pro Wrestling, about which I have written many a word, is in the process of reorganizing its schedule and portions of its roster. Tiny Tiswell has moved off in his own direction, bid farewell by fans who enjoyed his particular style of sports entertainment. Gone also are The Redneck Mafia, Steve and Beau, whose rowdy roughneck ways proved that sometimes bigger things await he who conquers all, wins the belt and then moves on.

Returning is DJ Pringle, popular (or is it unpopular) heel wrestler who has carved out a path of toppled champions from Pensacola all the way east to Florala, Alabama and beyond. DJ is the son of Percy Pringle, controversial legendary manager of champions coast to coast, but he is a fine wrestling technician all on his own and needs no boost to help him along.

Continuing to dominate is Gothica, Gothic Warrior attended to by Mystress. Street Bandit and his partner Short Bandit are DSPW favorites. The Regulators, whom I don't recall ever seeing before, are scheduled to be there, and although Evergreen McQueen isn't "on the card," I would like to believe he will be there. Minister Zack Johnson stirs things up quite a bit with his unusual demeanor.

I hear great things about Johnny Rebel, compliments from wrestlers and fans alike. Possibly Kage will return. He is one of my favorites.

This new, improved DSPW is looking to put hard times behind them and wants everyone to know that if they attend a DSPW show, staff and talent will pull out all the stops to give them the best time possible.

Now if I can just get some onions in the snack bar . . .

Ultimate Wrestling Will Make History At The SRCA with MILTON MASSACRE

2009-04-16T16:05:00.008-05:00

Ultimate Wrestling, based in Pensacola, FL, will be making its Milton, Florida debut at the Santa Rosa County Auditorium on April 18, 2009. The SRCA has been the site of countless wrestling events over the many years of its existence and is considered by most promoters to be the "Holy Grail" of venues.

More importantly, after an almost two year wrestling drought in Santa Rosa County, Ultimate will be the first to rain drop kicks, supplexes, arm bars and body slams on fans that have literally been starved of their favorite entertainment.

There have been many attempts to establish a wrestling franchise at the SRCA. Some have failed spectacularly, like the show organized a few years ago by Wendell Cooley that drew less than 30 people over a Christmas Holiday. Some have rocked the roof, like PWA's 400 tickets sold barn burner that many people talk about still as being the best overall show seen in that building in the last 15 years.

Many others have had well attended shows; XW-2000, for example, Old School, who maintained consistent quality for a very long time, only to be train-wrecked over insurance issues. High Impact offered spectacle beyond imagination, once "planknapping" Kornbred's little friend and pretending to cut him up with a chain saw so as to shake the concentration of the Gentle Giant. And let's not forget WXW, and Afa, The Wild Samoan, who brought to town some incredible production values.

Very big shoes for Ultimate to fill, nes pas?

I believe they are up to the task. Click on the poster above right and study the line-up for what they are describing as "3 solid hours of Wrestling Fun" OK, I admit, I added the "of wrestling fun" but hey, I call 'em like I see 'em, and I can't see that any grass will be growing on this show.

Especially anticipated by me personally will be Rikki (The Rocket) Roberts, managed by Marcel Pringle, one of my oldest favorite wrestlers from this area. Rikki is this year's Greater Gulf Coast Reunion Horizon Award winner and fans in Milton will be enjoying this outstanding wrestler as a part of an overall well-planned event.

I have been honored with an invitation to attend Ultimate's inaugural show in Milton and bring my "table" with me. I have laid in a supply of both baseball and cowboy hats, as well as dragons and other stuff Milton fans like. Additionally, I have wrestling T shirts, as well.

I hope to see you all in Milton. Bring a can of food for the food bank and get a discount on your ticket.

From A trailer Park Near You . . . White Trash!

2009-04-14T11:17:00.005-05:00

The first time I encountered this tag-team, White Trash," I was not so impressed. I did a snap shot review on the message board that went like this:

". . .I got a look at "White Trash" a new tag team with a familiar back-yard theme of being "from a trailer park near you." They were ineffective in their pre-match mike work, due to an extreme echo factor in the venue and their actual wrestling skills were typical of young newcomers. . . ."
Well, truth is, their mike work was rendered useless due to inaudibility - by me, remembering that I am deaf as a post and small speakers and echoing walls do not help.

"... One thing to note on the "White Trash" tag team - both kids wore boots and were braced properly, so I would have to chalk up the jeans-T shirt gimmick up to looking "white trashy" which is a legit use of the costume. In retrospect, I "get" what the large chrome wrench was for, but what was up with the toy horsey?"

Well, what was "up" with the "toy horsey" was a rib on Cowboy Buddy Love, their opponent and the "enemy of the hour."
Sometimes when I think I "get it," I actually don't get it at all.
Lastly, I said, "Look for 'White Trash' to improve on a steep curve as they learn more and more from different opponents. Having already mastered 'Facial Expression 101' it seems like a good idea to next work on wrestling moves and body language."

Well, I got it all wrong on several levels.

The photograph above tells half the tale. The other half came from revisiting White Trash at another SPW show, and lo, what a difference!

". . . I have been doing this for 9 years and my partner has been doing this for 17 years . . . " That is what the younger of the two partners wrote in rebuttal to bandwagon critics who ran with my review.

So they are not rookies. My bad. Anybody can have an off night. That was the reason for the second look. Sure enough, in a 3-way tag team, against skilled opponents, including Punk Nation the veterans, Doctor X and Medic, team White Trash wrestled like stars, on the ground, in the air, on the floor, and true to their nature, cheated like Alabama Moonshiners on Tax Day to get their win.

Said a Punk Nation spokesman, ". . . the only reason you beat us last night is your friend hit my brother with is wrench and y'all stole the win so as soon as my brother gets his head back on straight after you two cheated to keep the titles we will be coming for those titles and for your blood because now it is personal. . ."

Commented Medic, "... and stole my whole bag of marshmallows and ate them all. . ."

Second time is the charm for these trailer park based champions. They hold the belt and all the cards, as well as a pretty good 14" ratchet handle.
I commented afterward more or less privately, that these guys "didn't seem like a good fit to local ( read that as Pensacola) story lines, but I was wrong about that as well. White trash VS The Invasion, VS The Redneck Mafia or VS Milo and Frost would in any case be a barn burner.

I hope that any and all promoters give WT a look-see for possible future matches, but I suggest that you lock your pickup trucks and hide your women, and for God's sake, don't let them near Kory Jackson.

They cheat.

If The World Could Be Like Woody

2009-04-13T01:23:00.003-05:00

Woody is always happy
and always on the move
whether monster cars or wrestling
he never looses his groove

Woody always has a cheerful greeting
for anyone he meets
always handy with a good word
He always sits in the best seats

Woody makes pro wrestling better
though he's never taken a bump
he's always cheering or booing
when others sit there like a lump

If the world could be like Woody
armies wouldn't have to fight
they all would go to wrestling shows
to figure out who's right

Now Woody's 27
his birthday was yesterday.
And I hope this year makes him happy
there's not much more to say

We'll see Woody in Milton
Maybe Pensacola too
Happy wrestling Birthday Woody
Many happy returns to you

"The Book" - A work of love

2009-04-11T14:25:00.007-05:00

One of the most fun projects of mine in recent years was this little book about I did about independent pro wrestling in our Gulf Coast area. Not exactly a hot topic for the New York Times best seller list, I published it myself using an online service based in Memphis Tennessee. I did the Typesetting, graphic design, photography (shared with "Lil Bub," "Bspidey," and Erick Turner ) and with the exception of a copied and transcribed Wickipedia piece on wrestling vocabulary, I wrote all the prose and poetry in the book.

I printed 100 of them in the first run and sold them at shows to recoup my printing and production cost investment. Two were destroyed by angry or misguided wrestlers, one of whom objected to the vocabulary piece and the other who thought it would be a "cool work" to rip it apart in front of an audience, ala "phone book" style.

Many were given to friends. A few were sold to fans. The project broke even on cost, which will allow me to do another one soon.

So that's another "me," author, publisher, and faux expert on things Gulf Coast Wrestling. You know what they say. "If you can't have fun, have beer and pretty soon you'll be having fun anyhow." I think Stone Cold Steve Fury said that.

Stuck Inside The Box - The Name Game

2009-04-06T00:31:00.000-05:00

When the wrestler known as "Vortex first appeared at Ultimate Wrestling as "Nick Virtue" a smiling, Bible-toting preacher character, most fans didn't know whether to spit, chew bubble gum or buy a rabbit's foot. The transition was nothing short of shocking.

Previously, Brother Virtue had been known as "Vortex" or in some quarters, "Nick Vortex." He was the sole survivor of the premier tag team "The Backyard Boyz," along with partner and longtime friend "Iceberg."

These two youngsters lived the backyard dream during the days of PWA. They were "discovered" by Black Sheep Danny Roland when they auditioned for him in a backyard arena at the home of Nick's parents.

Back in the day (and even more so now), to be pinned with the label "backyarder" constituted the worse epithet that could be imposed on a young aspiring pro wrestler. To have come from the back yard epitomized "the wrong stuff" and literally, no self-respecting locker room would suffer any such person as that beyond its doors.

No one was more anti-back yard than Bobby Doll, head of the PWA. Upon hearing about Iceberg and Vortex for the first time from an enthusiastic Danny Roland, Bobby put his foot down so hard that the floor shook. So adamant was he about the subject that it would have ended right there and we would never have seen any of the incredible matches that followed over the years featuring the wrestlers in question.

Danny Roland is nothing if not persuasive. He kept after his friend and tag team partner for weeks until Bobby finally relented and offered Iceberg and Vortex a tryout at the PWA arena on a student training day.

Bobby saw the same spark of future genius that Danny had seen. Tenacity and endurance are two very important character traits a wrestler needs to be true to his calling. Courage and a high tolerance for pain certainly does not hurt. Training began in earnest for the new, unnamed tag team and to call that transition time brutal would be to understate its intensity.

Some wrestling schools of today are there for the bucks. The quality of training consists of showing a prospect some moves and cashing the check. Often, an ill-prepared wrestler is thrown into the mix long before he is ready. That wrestler then becomes a danger to himself and his peers.

The PWA school training was just the opposite. PWA trainers did everything in their power to encourage wrestler-wannabees to quit and go home. Punishing exercises designed to employ every muscle in the body were employed in order to prepare new wrestlers for the ordeals ahead as they faced real opponents and real audiences.

The training tactics that allowed PWA to produce so many well-prepared wrestlers then are being employed now by Ultimate Wrestling to enrich our performing community with qualified talent. But that's another story.

The debut of The Backyard Boyz hit the PWA like a summer thunder boomer. They became instant rivals to New Era, the previously adored babyface tag team suddenly turned heel. Success followed success. Autographs were written, hands were shaken and lady fans were hugged. Somewhere on the back end of PWA's progressive down-slide after Club Carousel, Iceberg slipped away and The Backyard Boyz' Vortex simply became Vortex as PWA alumni gradually began to disperse over the landscape of indy employers on the panhandle.

That journeyman route eventually led to Ultimate Wrestling. After DSPW dismissed Jerry Reiner from service as booker in Brewton, Vortex, like so many other bright talents drifted into the Ultimate locker room. Good thing too, because many of those who made PWA great had assembled there and the atmosphere seemed almost perfect for a PWA revival with an Ultimate twist.

Diana and Dion have been vilified endlessly over the past two years for their "mistakes" but truth be told, there were not nearly as many missed steps as we smarks and speculators might suppose, plus many of those were simply rookie errors made by folks in a high intensity new promotion pressure cooker. Understandably - some might even say inevitably, since all new promotions face endless speed bumps.

Now here's where it all gets a little foggy, because I had no advance notice at all that my much admired friend, Vortex, would suddenly swap in his trademark long hair and hockey jersey for a suit, a tie and a Bible. I was as startled as anyone when Brother Virtue emerged from the cocoon of Backyard Boy tradition. But there he was, completely reborn, as though some metamorphic wand had passed over him, changing him forever.

Fan reaction was immediate and vociferous. Some were outraged that UW would mock religion, being unmindful perhaps of wrestling's longstanding history of sending up more American icons than South Park (remember Brother Love). Others were completely fascinated. Brother Virtue did for me what other wrestlers often fail to do - get my mind off the table and get my glasses on so I could better see the action.

It has been a while since I have seen Brother Virtue "save" someone. Were he to take to the road, I am sure that the reaction would be profound. I haven't returned to UW in quite a while for the simple reason that there is no room for my table in the American Legion Hall in Pensacola, due to the consistent crowd overflow that comes with a successful promotion.

That all may change with Ultimate's expansion into Milton, FL at the SRCA, where there is plenty of room for vendors and the 300 plus audiences I expect to see. Milton audiences have always been raucous avid wrestling fans and will turn out in droves to supplement Pensacola fans who "can't get enough Ultimate."

What's in a name?

Before Mr. Electricity, Jerry Reiner there was "The Lightning Kidd." Before Nick Virtue was Vortex. Before Carlos DeAngelo was Jester McCain. Is it possible to "rebrand" a wrestler working the Indies? The answer is not only yeah, but in some cases, hell yeah.

Gimmicks (which is to say wrestling personae) sometimes run their course and must be either renewed. Would Percy Pringle have been a good fit for The Undertaker? Certainly Paul Bearer fit the bill more precisely creating a second Legendary avatar for veteran manager Bill Moody.

DSPW features former XW-2000 wrestler and TV star BAD as Beau Fury, a beer swilling tag team partner to Steve Fury - together they are known as The Redneck Mafia.

The Sin City Saints, Scotty and Billy Rayz have undergone many name changes, Scotty having once been Bombzaloco.

Tiny Tiswell used to be known as Tiswell the Giant. Alright, I totally fabricated that for cheap laughs.

Point is, that wrestlers who don't think outside the box in terms of their gimmick are doomed to degenerate into staleness unless they can imprint their personality so completely onto a character (as Steve From Chicago and rainbow Warrior have done) that change is both imposible and unnecessary.

We, the audience are able to row with the flow, so to speak, accepting a new mask on Bullet Bob, an add-on tag, such as "Son of Old School" in the case of Cowboy Billy. We smarks are able to recognize that some changes are impossible without a mask - who could Marcel Pringle ever be but himself? For that matter, who could DJ Pringle be besides a Pringle, or "tater chip" as Erick has blessed him to be.

When a gimmick grows stale or outdated a wrestler needs to be prepared to move in a new direction. So also should a promotion never be content to present the same old matches and time-worn feuds.

It is never to late to break out of the box and do what Brother Virtue did, literally be reborn into a fresh and shining new version of one's self. Only then will bookings or ticket sales soar.

Percy Pringle's Blog Is A Good Read and Other Tales

2009-04-05T19:15:00.005-05:00

Cowboy Buddy Love (pictured right) is an example of "new generation" wrestling. Last night at SPW in Geneva Alabama, he and others in the Southern Pro Wrestling troupe, joined the much loved Armstrongs and a slimmer, trimmer, Doctor X in a slam and bump-fest that rocked a crowd of more than 125 rain-weary folks.

In other Gulf Coast Wrestling news, Percy Pringle is not "lost" nor does he need to be "found" by the WWE. Percy's blog and common knowledge both assert that Percy would have been invited to Wrestlemania if there had been more notice.

Percy's real-life alter/ego is immersed in the Funeral Business, and death takes no holiday for convenience or wrestling.

It would seem that reliability is another reason for saying something nice about Bill Moody. How would you like to have your funeral director in Houston at a wrestling event instead of attending to your hour of grief. Well, of course, the man has his priorities straight and that is a positive thing.

No, Hell hasn't frozen over for me saying nice things about Percy Pringle. I recently saw a gulf coast reunion sign that mentioned "burying old grudges." Though I am not an official part of the reunion, no harm can come from adopting that particular idea.

With that in mind, I made a list of "Top Ten Reasons To LIKE Percy Pringle" just to see if I could do it and posted it on the message board. Most people doubt my sincerity, given my history of anger and dissidence, but hey, I am trying to get an handle on my childish emotions, so give me a little time.

Meanwhile, give Percy's blog a daily read. He is articulate and knowledgable (if a bit opinionated as to what hell I will go to for "screwing up wrestling." Still, give him a read as I said. It should be worth while.

Death Row - Menace To Society or Really Keen Wrestling Character

2009-04-03T23:03:00.004-05:00

If one were to judge just by the photograph alone, this former occupant of Alabama's famous "Dead Man Walking" cell block in the infamous prison outside Monroeville would be Public Enemy # 1. The maniacal eyes, the disheveled hair and beard, the aggressive stance, the orange jump suit, the narrow "Green Mile" style cell block all combine to say, "Death Row."

And well they should, because this is indeed a portrait of Death Row in more ways than one.

To truly get a feeling for Death Row, one must reach far back into memory, when PWA's lovable "other" prisoner on the lam was Kornbred, that 6'8" misunderstood giant who defended his sidekick Plank with all the strength and endurance he could muster. It was originally speculated that Kornbred's former cell mate in that dread and dreary Alabama penitentiary was in fact, the irascible and non-talking Plank, but that is nae true, boyo. In truth and not without consequences, Kornbred's cell mate was Death Row and I'm tellin' you, boss, he showed up at the PWA with all the menace and power of a Mississippi spring tornado, with the intent to turn Kornbred and Plank "Every Which Way But Loose."

Where the tall and powerfully strong Kornbred was a pillar of resistance in those first matches, Death Row was something akin to a Tasmanian devil on speed. He knocked and kicked and hit the ropes like Russian sailor trying to escape submarine duty in the 80's. He pounded ever vulnerable spot over and over until the giant farmer was nearly spent. But always, Kornbred would come back for more. It was truly the irresistible force meets the immovable object, where chairs and trash cans are no help.

Superman has kryptonite, and Kornbred has Plank. Suddenly losing sight of his wooden faced little buddy, was Kornbred's Achilles Heel. "Planknapping" the sidekick unnerved Kornbred so much that Death Row, the smaller of the two combatants, could pick up the advantage and the win. Death Row wreaked his revenge on his former cellmate and then began looking for other wrestlers to beat half to death.

After a while, Death Row worked out some of his issues and settled down to a wrestling career where he stopped getting disqualified for maiming referees. He has made several appearances in AWF (Chipley), and a successful run at Ultimate. He even wrestled Dan Delicious once, which he said afterward reminded him of the Alabama Chain Gang on a Saturday night.

Death Row is one of the many Gulf Coast Wrestling super-personalities who have stood the test of time. Next time you see him on a card somewhere near you, take the time to go see him. If his opponent survives, it will be a great show, because any booker bringing in Death Row with be smarter than the average booker.

But then, we aren't supposed to talk about "bookers" now are we?

A Twisted, Tortured Soul Who Harass Women On Message Board

2009-03-31T22:34:00.005-05:00

He fancies himself a smooth talker. But in reality he is nothing but hot air and narcissism. He anonymously types messages of hate by way of his computer keyboard and hides behind empty bluster, immaturity and self aggrandizement. He calls himself "Gulf Coast Shooter" and he is banned from every message board on the GCW system excepting that of one of the kindest most gentle woman I have ever met in at any wrestling event: Sally Sue The Clown.

The picture in the upper right hand quadrant of this blog entry is my artist's rendition of the tortured psychotic sexually impotent individual he really is.

Of course, anonymous hecklers and grafittists are hardly new to the Gulf Coast. This one though, wants us all to believe that he is a wrestler, that he shares a locker room with the upstanding young athletes who gather in wrestling arenas for the purpose of entertaining fan of professional wrestling. But this weak, pathetic individual does not have what it takes to enter the squared circle, an arena of honor and trust. He desperately craves attention and will take it any way he can get it. He is afraid of his own identity because he can never face anyone as himself. He is undereducated because he has the vocabulary of a short-bus schoolboy, and the sharp mind of a Muslim suicide bomber looking for 78 virgins after the vest blows.

Ironically, he is getting attention, but not for the reason he craves. By delivering evil to a good person, he has attracted evil to himself. Very soon now, the forces of retribution will descend on him in the form of an accident, an injury or the death of a loved one, if he ever loved anyone but himself. I have been assured by knowing people that this is the way of karma.

So, Mr. "Gulf Coast Shooter," be assured that something wicked your way comes. I will help Karma if I can to deliver justice to you, but I've been told by the people who know you for the poser you are, that blackness will find you with no help at all.

I am glad to hear it, because in attacking an innocent female fan, you have sullied any connection real or imagined with wrestling.

Next time you hear the words, "Dead man walking," just ignore it. Your fate is sealed anyhow.

Note: photo composited from internet sources and altered to illustrate article.

Neither Rain Nor The Rising Creek Shall Deter DSPW At Showtime

2009-03-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

Dirty South Professional Wrestling's Brewon show went off without a single hitch last Saturday night, despite 3 days of torrential; rain, lightning thunderstorm super cells and a rising river amid flood watches. The fact that DSPW filled a large number of seats in the ANGA (Alabama National Guard Armory) was testament to the loyalty and commitment of staff and talent, determined as they were to provide entertainment to the East Brewton area..

The photo, (upper right) depicts popular wrestler Bobby Kage on the receiving end of an off the top rope move by (correct me if I am wrong) the 610 Kid. The next sound you would hear, had you been at DSPW for the earlier show where this was shot, would be the sound of two bodies slam-ming into one another to the crash of the hard wooden ring floor.

Promoter Mickey Godwin has assured me that the DSPW show last Saturday night was well received by a crowd of near 100 fans who took advantage of the calm spot in the weather to root for The Redneck Mafia, who now hold the Tag Team Belt.

Sounds like fun. Wish I had been there.

The new booker, who replaces Tiny Tiswell, who has stepped into an administrative role for the present, has one good show under his belt and is gunning for more. With a locker room bent on doing the best show possible, and a fan base not scared of anything it bodes well that DSPW is on the upswing.

The Quiet Life or Living The Loxley Aniversery Blues

2009-03-28T16:48:00.008-05:00

I have been looking at the picture of Percy Pringle ( below right) and reflecting on the ghosts of wrestling past

Seems like just yesterday that I sat at my table in the Santa Rosa County Auditorium enjoying the last of the Old School Wrestling events held there. Those great shows, organized by Chief Ironclaw, featured some of my favorite wrestlers, including Chris Cody, Pat Patara, Mercury McLoud, and Adrian Whisper and many of the "boys from Mobile" whose wrestling has been so consistently excellent over the years.

It was Adrian Whisper who wrecked my gimmick table some time later in Loxley, Al at an SCCW event. And it was with Whisper with whom I fell into a terrible shoot brawl, that resulted in bruises and a light concussion for me, 60-odd forehead stitches for him and some additional mishap when he threw a chair into the audience striking a small girl, resulting in refunds being called for and the loss of the Loxley Arena for SCCW.

Whisper was the second wrestling professional who deliberately plowed into my table that night. The first was Percy Pringle - yeah, that Percy Pringle, the one whose WWE character, Paul Bearer was buried in cement and sent home from the "bigs" to work there no more.

Percy's beef with me has always been the message boards I maintain in behalf of Gulf Coast Wrestling Organizations. There's little he could then or can do now about that. So his next best bet was to smash or destroy everything I had on my table that night in hopes of discouraging me from accepting the hospitality of friends of mine who promote wrestling events.

Like the coward he is, he waited until I was on the other side of the room and then hit the table, overturning it and barely missing Linda Turner, who was in a wheelchair behind the table, destroying $150 worth if ceramic and wooden items I had set out for sale.

What he did was cowardly and dispicable. He laughs about it as if it were some joke like putting itching powder in someone's jock strap, or gluing a locker door closed. He admitted the deed on Internet radio, his "mia culpa" a revelation that the act was preplanned.

Pringle would have everyone believe that he was simply ridding "his beloved business" of a "smark," namely me, but in reality, his goals were slightly more nefarious than that. His real intent was to satisfy a jealous urge on his part to "kill" the Loxley arena for Promoter Richard Bailey, Mountain Man, who was drawing real and serious crowds whereas he, (Pringle) had done poorly in that venue.

But he did not get the reaction he sought by hitting the table himself. His plan almost failed, because I was not there to defend my property when he made his move. Fact is, no one was at the table when he attacked except Ms Turner, frail, in a wheelchair and by no means expecting to have a table overturned atop her by a "celebrity" guest star of Paul Bearer's alleged repute.

So Whisper decided to finish the deed Percy had botched. It was pretty obvious I wasn't going to leave the table again. I was mad about Pringle, but obligated to hold back to keep from disrupting the show. When Whisper started moving Clarice (his opponent) through the crowd toward the table, I knew what was coming. I positioned my wheelchair between the combatants and my area and put out my hand as Whisper worked Clarice into me. When Clarice felt my hand, he moved away from my position. Like all professional wrestlers do, Big Clarice wished no contact with the audience and took steps to ensure that. Not so Whisper.

Whisper fained being slung past me and crashed into the table, overturning it for the second time. He grabbed the tablecloth on a second table and pulled it to the floor, ensuring that anything left that was breakable would crash down. Then he rolled under that table.

My retribution was as swift as my rage was blind, and the fight was on. He stood up and came to me swinging. His three body blows had virtually no effect on me because, let's face it, at 500 pounds of jiggling obesity, I was a big target with a very thick subdural layer.

When he punched me in the face, that jarred me a little, and when he smashed a 3'x3' wooden knife case over my head, I saw stars for a second or two, but still just stood there. I did not return his blows, not did I attempt to fight back. The reason for that is simple. I spend most of the time outside my house in my wheelchair. Standing is not a thing I do well these days or back then either. I would not have been able to pursue a conventional fist fight due to a lack of strength and balance had I tried. The real reason though was a combination of two things - smashing the knife box meant that there were loose open knives scattered about, and i was holding onto my pants to keep them from falling down. The latter is a fat guy in a wheelchair thing.

At that point, Whisper was restrained by other wrestlers, I was admonished by John Saxon to "NEVER touch the wrestlers," a ludicrous statement considering that it was I who had been attacked, but I assume he meant well, so I have no problem with it. And except for the slight shock of a little girl being hit by the chair Whisper threw, there was no collateral damage.

So Percy got his fight, though the chicken#### left the building before the incident; his "cousin" Marcel Pringle was lying in the ring with a broken leg and Percy was heading for the hills.

The so-called and often self-professed "legend" Percy Pringle got his wishes. SCCW has not been back to Loxley. Percy killed that, just as he intended. I am very wary of shows in the Mobile area, and wrestlers from the Mobile area, though they are among my favorites still. Pringle's "bookings" in our area have decreased dramatically, with only just a trickle of its previous flow. He will say that is because he is concentrating on his funeral business, but I believe it's because nobody wants a backstabbing dirty rotten coward on their show, one who shows no loyalty to the promoter who books him at least.

Adrian Whisper, also known as The Wrestling Professional, and Gangsta Of Destruction, runs a show in Pascagoula that seems to be gaining "legs" and is concentrating on making a life for himself that includes wrestling.

Richard Bailey's SCCW now has a show scheduled for April 25th which is in Chickasaw, AL just outside Mobile. Click HERE for the poster for that show. You may notice that Percy Pringle is not booked to appear, but two of my Mobile favorites, RikKi Rocket, winner of the Gulf Coast Wrestling Reunion Horizon Award, will be there, along with a now healed Marcel Pringle.

As for me, I am waiting for Pringle to do the honorable thing and send me a check for the damage he did to my property. I imagine that Hell will freeze over before that happens, which is probably a good idea because Percy will need the lower temperature when he arrives there.

My time in both wrestling and in life is almost over anyway, so I'm not holding my breath waiting for him to do the right thing. He understands little of right and wrong as far as I can tell, anyhow so what the heck?

I am living the quiet life now, My book, The Absolute Beginner's Guide To Gulf Coast Wrestling, sold all but 9 of its production run. I set up a table where there is no hassle and I am welcome. I have Lynda, Erick and Pork Chop (the dog) to fill up my days with family.

I am blessed, truly, and I should just let Loxley go, not sweat the money he owes, and not give the incident power over me. Really. I should.

But I can't.

My bad.

I Want My Daily Galaxy - Now!

2009-03-25T13:12:00.011-05:00

One of the first things I do of a morning, after eating a proper bowl of Cheerios while checking the message boards for overnight vandalism, is to surf over to The Daily Galaxy web site to see what rousing bit of science is making headlines that day. Being a Science fiction Writer, it makes a lot of sense to me to pop onto this "science fact site" because I never can tell from what article will result a story.

What doesn't make any sense (at least not to me), is that here lately, when I go to DailyGalaxy.com , the page starts flashing, jumping up and down, rendering it useless for any purpose of reading. Now I am pretty sure that stupid advertisements are doing this and I am very angry about it. If I can't the front page of this important (to me) site, then I am going to make damn sure that I boycott every single advertiser in that flashing array on the right of the screen.

So far, emails, and comments left have had no affect at all. It's as though the editors or blogmasters or whatever they are don't give a crap that the readers can't read the articles on the site.

Crap.

Nobody listens to just one person. If the advertisers would just blend in with the web a little bit and not shoot alien code into my computer all the time looking for attention, then maybe, just maybe, I might consider clicking on their banners once in a while.

Multi-media advertising should be banned from the web.

Old Friends Drop In

2009-03-25T00:42:00.008-05:00

Visits from old friends are fun. One of the main reasons that I keep a wide variety of cold drinks in the fridge, representing many colors, flavors and states of effervescence is so that when folks drop by, I am ready with road-friendly beverages.

Today, Mountain Man met (new dog at my house) Pork Chop. The little black Rat Terrier barked his fool head off at the gentle giant as he came up the driveway, but reverted to his docile, tail wagging self, as soon as Mountain Man came through the door.

Mountain Man is the promoter for Sun Coast Championship Wrestling, and he is having an event in Chickasaw, Alabama on April 25th there. Click here to see the poster for this event which features one of my favorite wrestlers, Marcel Pringle, cousin to Percy Pringle, who owes me $150 in damages for a drunken rampage he perpetrated on me in Loxley, Alabama last year. Marcel is Uncle to DJ Pringle, who is much appreciated by many Gulf Coast promotions despite currently being "mean and grumpy" to old women and kids.

Pork Chop is a good judge of character. He took to Big Richard like a duck to water. Naturally. Mountain man represents Alabama very well, unlike Percy Pringle, on whom I'm convinced the little dog would pee.

Recently, one of Percy's advocates (not likely a wrestler or even an adult) has been spamming the message boards, posting obscenities and generally making a horse's ### out of himself. Seems like an ordinary event these days, when the terminally stupid get on the message boards. There have been so many intelligent discussion recently, though , that the ### wipes stick out.
Then, they are quickly extinguished.

Mir ist eine gute Arbeit und ich genieße es, ja?

Smark No More

2009-03-24T13:04:00.005-05:00

Wrestling fan, Brian Reese (most folks know him as Spiderman or BSpidey) has taken a leap to a place where not many fans can follow. He has gone from ordinary fan, to super fan to "Smark" (which means savvy or "smart to the workings of the business) and now, finally, after having paid a lot of dues around our Gulf Coast area, General Manager to XIW, a promotion in Southeastern Mississippi.

In truth, Brian has traveled some distance in his life. His blog profile states that he is a 36 year old wrestling fan & kidney & pancreas transplant survivor." That's enough right there to slow a man down, but not Brian. He is among other things:

Ring announcer for Culture Shock Wrestling in Mossy Head,FL.

Ring announcer for Xtreme Inpact Wrestling in Pascagoula,MS, as well as that promotion's newly appointed General Manager.

Brian has acted as a ring announcer for several if not many other promotions including Ultimate Wrestling in Pensacola, NHW in Florala and Dirty Southy Pro Wrestling out of Brewton, Alabama. Folks who travel to see shows bump into Brian everywhere.

Brian is also a gifted photographer as well and is an advocate for our own Gulf Coast Divas, as they compete in national competition for recognition. His photos of wrestlers and wrestling have been filched by many a picture grabber myself included, often, shamelessly, :) to be mashed into composites and reproduced with credit.

Brian's presence in wrestling has enriched other wrestling fans. He has many friends and few enemies. His contribution to Gulf Coast Wrestling is irrefutable. With that in mind, I think it is time to remove the word "smark" as a word describing Brian and replace it with the words wrestling professional.

As a professional, Brian's ring announcing, photography, descriptive writing, chronicleing events in a style and with an eye for detail makes me envious a little. His tireless advocacy for promotions in our area make him very valuable, a fact that many promotions quietly recognize.

I hope that good health follows our newest wrestling professional everywhere he goes. He won't be wrestling, that's a whole 'nother thing. But he will be making shows better with his talents and skills, hopefully for many, many years to come.

Cage Matches Can Have Unpredictable Side Effects

2009-03-24T01:24:00.003-05:00

In Wassau, Florida, a sleepy little burg about 9 miles from Chipley, down the beach highway toward Panama City, sits "The Possum Palace" arena and playground, an outdoor shelter where wrestling has been struggling to gain a foothold since Tom Carter's ECWA drew 20 folks for a benefit show for the Salvation Army and SCCW didn't do much better, despite a grand slam talent roster.

Well, AWF (Chipley) seems to have had much better luck, drawing better than a hundred per show in his first two trips to the plate. This last time around, it was an "All Cage Match" slugfest that featured Bullet Bob and Steve Armstrong, Chris Tighe, Ryan Holland, BTY, Mr. Fantasy, and a fine, balanced locker room of dedicated performers, including "Scarface" Terry Ryker, (shown above and right afyer a massive collision with the cage that, as Jim Ross might put it, "busted him wide open.

One thing I like about Gary Johnson's AWF (C) shows is that I can share the action with other fans. What's the fun of being at a wrestling event by yourself? With AWF, I can relax, take a few pictures and enjoy the show. The picture of Terry was shot by Erick Turner, my helper and apprentice photographer. He captured the very essence of of Terry. To paraphrase John Cameron Swayze, "he takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'."

Terry and friends and enemies can also be seen in their principle venue, New Heights Wrestling, in Florala, Alabama and often as guest stars, where a good fight is.

For the wrestling fan who commented that Terry's crimson mask was the result of a "blood capsule," you are incorrect. Every drop of precious blood on Ryker's face is the real deal, earned in combat in the steel cage.

To the nice reporter who literally "made my day," It was a lot of fun speaking with you. Felsberg, you newshound, I believe she "gets it." Hope to see more reporters covering local shows.

On nights like this, I love my job.

Talk To Me, Don't Talk To Me

2009-03-22T13:04:00.000-05:00

I think the art of communication is important in the creation of a well-rounded wrestler.

Very clear and audible verbal communication in the noisy environment that is a wrestling arena is important to me because most of my hearing is now on strike. A wrestler should speak clearly if he wants to be heard by me because some PA systems are more muddled than others, and if a wrestler speaks hesitantly, or in low tones, I cannot hear what he is saying.

Non-verbal communications is twice as important to me and other fans as well. Body language is an art form. A wrestler can tell me he is a heel without uttering a word, simply by wearing a scowl on his face. He reaches out to fans on the walk around, then haughtily pulls away. His attitude when the ref pats him down is one of "don't touch me." His disdain for his opponent is more obvious when he reaches out to shake hands in a sportsman-like manner, then slaps the guy's face derisively.

A skilled heel does NOT need to call me names (unless he is talking especially to me, in which case, I am part of the show). If he argues with the old lady in the first row, she invariably wins. I have seen some funny put downs from fans toward heel wrestlers and I have seen some great silent tantrums. Stuff like this makes great wrestling greater.

Easily one of the best non-verbal heels I have ever seen wrestle in our area is Wade Garrett, also known as the Wiggins (Mississippi) Axe Murderer. He OOZES badness. His body language shouts volumes. once, in Semmes Alabama, working for the AWF, Garrett found himself outside the ring in a life or death struggle against The Nightmare, Ted Allen. They were wrestling inches from my table, and I was a little concerned, but not worried. Professionals don't crash into my table, only amateurs do.

Anyhow, in the frenzy of combat, Garrett grabbed an object off the table and began to pummel the everlovin' crap out of The Nightmare, succeeding in inflicting more than 10 blows to the cranium. Then, having finished doing that, he tossed the object back to me, signaling that it was no longer useful.

Now that object had no affect on The Nightmare at all and no wonder, it was a styrofoam mannequin head, the kind that one displays masks on for resale. One of Garret's legion of fans was on the floor behind the battle, following the action. She saw the toss-back and rushed up to the table to waving a $10 bill and screaming above the crowd noise, "Is this enough, is this enough?"

I held up 10 fingers, smiled, nodded and displayed a thumbs up, that she could take the heard, which was a duplicate of the one Al Snow used to carry around for a while and she put the ten spot on the table and rushed away.

Meanwhile, Garrett and Allen were going at it hammer and anvil, like two vikings competing for Brun' Hilda as this excited fan got around in front of them. She got Garrett's attention by waving the styrofoam head in front of him, made eye contact just long enough to mouth the word "autograph" and held up a sharpie.

Wade Garrett, the toughest guy on the Gulf coast, according to a recent poll at that time, delivered a terrific blow to The Nightmare's forehead, bounced him off the stage at the back of the Community Center, kicked him amid ship for good measure, took two steps toward that lady, grabbed the sharpie, signed the head, returned the sharpie, then turned to face a rising opponent just in time to receive a head shot that turned the tide of battle against him until they returned to the ring where he prevailed.

At no moment did either wrestler utter a single word. We, the crowd thought they were going to massacre each other.

That's pretty "old school," I always thought, and I have been a Garrett fan for years.

Other examples of non-verbal heels on the Gulf Coast, whom I enjoy watching:

Pat Patara, of AWF (Mobile) Rikki Rocket, (Winner of this year's Gulf Coast Reunion Horizon Award), comic genius Marcel Pringle, and giving him his due, Percy Pringle as well as DJ Pringle who is King of Tantrums around here, or at least tied with NHW's Chris Tighe.

Non-verbal experts in suspending disbelief :

Dan Delicious and Evil Dan Delicious (man, you believe he is a serial killer when he heels), Bobby Doll, (whose tantrums are legendary). Kory Jackson (who could convince Mother Theresa to join in a "shooter" chant). Shooter Mike Jacobs (who just looks like he SHOULD be beating someone up), Veteran of Japanese Wrestling, "Who Am I" Chris Cody, who looks lost but then twists somebody inside out, and Chief Ironclaw, who always looks like he is in charge.

Referees Archie, Murry and Froggie, all say volumes without speaking.

The art of non-verbal communication should be taught along with basic ring psychology with every wrestler's training.

Although cutting promos is given a higher priority, unfortunately that too is an art being lost to poorly learned skills.

DSPW Table Controversy In Context

2009-03-21T12:21:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I got a call from Bobby Wilson, the "other" guy with a table who sets up at wrestling shows. He informed me that DSPW has extended him a blanket offer to come to any DSPW show and set up his table absolutely free of charges.

Good luck with that, Bob. As long as you are dealing with Mickey, you should be OK.

And you folks thought that I was the king of cheap shots.

Funny thing is, I think Bobby and DSPW are a perfect fit. Bobby has forgotten more about promoting wrestling than Mickey or "Tiny" either one, which makes him a prime candidate to unstop the cork that is holding back attendance numbers in Brewton and Pensacola. Secondly, Bobby is a senior citizen on a fixed income who can use the extra few shekels earned. Lastly, there should be no shenanigans about fees and stuff like that from Tiswell, because Bobby doesn't like him either, and will tell him unhesitatingly to go ##### himself, first time Tiswell starts to toss around his "authoritah" (to quote a South Park fat kid).

This is far from the first time someone has tried to pit Bobby and I against each other. It has happened often because the gentleman and I have a stormy history of disagreement. I have been saying for more than a year to Mickey that Bobby is an asset that exceeds any liabilities. Glad he has finally decided to bring the old warrior out of retirement. Allowing him a free table will be getting him cheap.

In other news, The AWF (Chipley) Wassau show was an absolute success. The cage matches went over well. Seeing Bullet Bob in a cage was a little frightening, but hero that he is, he overcame the evil dog people and their nudist buddy who was a fake referee and taught them a lesson.

More about that in a later post.

Pork Chop (our new dog) made his wrestling table debut last night and then promptly sought shelter with Lynda, having discovered that 50 degree temperatures made him shiver.

Long ride home. 268 mile round trip, but I met some great people.

Congratulations to Special Olympian, Woodie, who recently won TWO gold medals.

Now, it's off to the car show. Man does not live by wrestling alone.

Last Word On DSPW FOR Now

2009-03-20T00:02:00.002-05:00

Gulf Coast Wrestling is a fan web site. It's strength lies in the timely display of wrestling posters displayed to inform other fans of upcoming shows by assorted promoters.

My friend Norm said, "In my opinion, you should, at a minimum, allow a discussion board and post flyers for ALL promotions along the Gulf Coast."

His comment was in criticism of my refusal to display promotional material connected to DSPW. His opinion as expressed changed my mind. After all, Mickey is still my friend. And right now, GCW's front page is displaying a poster for a barn burner of an event "RAMPAGE IN A CAGE" at the Jackson County Fairgrounds Pavillion on 2902 Shortcut Road in Pascagoula, Mississippi, run by Adrian Whisper (Gangsta Of Destruction), a guy I lost a fist fight to, a year ago in Loxley, Al.

I need to give up on grudges. Grudges between people working toward the common good of the betterment of indy pro wrestling do NOT promote the common good. Everybody loses in a fight and the collateral damage is often not worth whatever victim might be claimed.

So I didn't get treated by DSPW how I thought I should have been. I no longer care, nor is it relevant to the fans' betterment.

To make matters worse, I messed up and got a couple of the kid wrestlers from DSPW wrong. Cowboy Ray is the wrestler who comes out to the ring in jeans, which would stretch the point that jeans= cowboy and therefore he actually has a gimmick - the jeans. Click HERE to see Brian's promo picture of Cowboy Ray.

Tell you what. Click on that poster top left, get the particulars on DSPW's "Fan Appreciation Night." and decide for yourself about the promotion, storyline or reported lack thereof, and non-wrestler participation in matches - you know, the stuff I have been griping about.

Worst that could happen would be you spend $3 per person and are entertained enormopusly by the speed and agility of Jerry Reiner, the style of the Rebel, the intensity of the redneck mafia, or the stamina of Bobby Cage.

Better for me to be wrong than for wrestling to be short a fan.

If you loved the show, bust my chops on the message board next day.

This especially goes for Norm, who has an easy ride to Brewton (I believe).

I will not be attending DSPW events in the forseeable future due to ongoing disagreement between Tiswell and me.

I stay away from the XIW Event for much the same reason. Putting on a wrestling event is tough enough without having to deal with some guy whose guts you allegedly hate (He has not actually said so, it is simply intuitive).

So my table and my self will be in Wassau, Florida Friday March 21 for the AWF (Chipley) show, where I can hang out in a place I feel comfortable and safe. Then, the following week, I will be in Geneva for the SPW show there. I'll be busy and I have friends in Geneva as well.

Maybe I will see you there. :)

Et Tu Brian?

2009-03-19T00:40:00.006-05:00

Quoting a blogspot quote from Brian Reese:

"Due to the recent lack of professionalism,lack of integrity and unspeakable,childish antics of the webmaster of Gulf Coast Wrestling.com Mr. Bob Liddil towards Gulf Coast independent wrestling promotion,Dirty South Pro Wrestling (DSPW) whereas he removed both the DSPW message board and their website off of his own affiliated website, from this moment forward I will be posting all of the information in regards to upcoming shows and late-breaking news and information regarding to DSPW right here exclusively on WrestlingNewsCenter.com.Due to confidentiality issues and out of respect for all parties involved in this controversy,I cannot nor will I not discuss the situation involving the animosities between Mr. Liddil and his personal rift of friction with those who run and those whom that are involved with DSPW and vice-versa."

Brian is a gifted writer and photographer, whose uncanny and descriptions of wrestling events in our area are a boon to fans and promotions alike. Having been encouraged by under appreciated advisers to reach out and become more involved with pro wrestling companies along the Gulf Coast, Brian's Ring Announcer duties, much in demand as they are, affords him access to both ringside and locker room, resulting in spectacular graphics to accompany his lucid descriptions of area activities on national blogs such as the one from which the above quote stems.

What Brian, nor anyone else has a clue about, is that Tiny Tiswell ordered the removal of web site and message board from my site, months ago. It has been his continued wish from the time he assumed "command" of DSPW, to rid the promotion of any influence by me.

Really, all he had to do was ask.

I am disappointed in the content of the above statement.

". . . lack of professionalism, lack of integrity and unspeakable, childish antics of the webmaster of Gulf Coast Wrestling.com Mr. Bob Liddil towards Gulf Coast independent wrestling promotion,Dirty South Pro Wrestling . . ."

Pretty harsh words, written, I speculate, to suck up to DSPW management, and perhaps gain a little extra "cred" with pretty much "nobody."

Professionalism - I do not recall ever representing http://gulfcoastwrestling.com/ as a "professional" web site. It is a fan web site and I am that fan.

Lack of integrity - With no dog in the fight and everything to gain by currying DSPW's Tiswell's favor, what would Mr. Reese know of "Integrity" in this instance. How, for example, would he be aware that Tiswell had ordered the DSPW web site and Message Board shuttered. Indeed, unbeknownst to Mr. Reese, the DSPW Message Board is NOT deleted. I have simply removed its online link. It is in fact, right where it has always been.

Childish Antics - well he's got me on that one. Mia culpa. Much like a similar tantrum tossed some years ago by Mr. Reese, toward the Alabama Wrestling Federation in Mobile, Al, I have been known to be insulted, even lose my temper when disrespected after having sunk a thousand hours into helping put over a promotion. So my tantrum was over a personal besmirchment, Mr. Reese's departure and subsequent boycott of AWF was over a young woman. Six of one . . .

Unspeakable? - Hey, Roscoe,* I posted comments on a message board, I didn't shoot the man's dog or narc the location of his still. Unspeakable? Mr. Reese needs to calm down and have a glass of Kool-Aid.

As my friends abandon me one by one, you might think I am angry. Not so much. I am hardly surprised when someone lets me down these days, because loyalty is an old fashioned concept, very much out of style in some quarters. Friendship is a token thing, to be traded for pieces of silver at the offering, and bought back for copper later on with the passage of time.

This happens ever so often. People who claim to be my friend, having accepting my help in some form or another sometimes don't make the cut. This makes real friends all the more valuable.

Real men fight in the morning and the loser buys the beer in the afternoon, which is a metaphor for disagreement leading to forgiveness.

How could I complain against such a man as Brian, for helping set up a new MySpace for DSPW. What's laughable is that they are displaying the very logo I designed for the promotion. I am flattered that they value my work more than myself. I think I am, anyhow.

But the hurtful words quoted above are a step beyond. It tells me that I am expendable to yet another person.

Heh.

No reason for me not to be. I am irascible and old and irritable, and crippled, and as of this morning now 70% deaf. Better to look to Brian Reese, the new generation, the talented photographer, bright writer, aficionado and promoter of Diva beauty, ring announcer and all around swell fellow. He'll git'er done, I am sure.

Me, I will stick to the friends I have left, the ones who understand quid pro quo. I am sure that Brian Reese will come into a full understanding of quid pro quo or the lack of it, should he hang around Tiny Tiswell long enough.

*Rosco - a reference to Rosco P Coltrane, the quick to jump to conclusions sheriff who was nemesis to Bo and Luke Duke on the hit TV Series "Dukes Of Hazard." I sometimes call people by comedic names when I am put out by some characteristic like, for example, being a drama queen.

Click for Roscoe Here

Who We Were Back Then, Who We Are Now, Who Will We Be Tomorrow?

2009-03-18T00:53:00.010-05:00

The arena was filled to capacity on that long ago day in the Brownsville section of Florida. We were packed in like sardines around a wrestling ring that took up most of the square footage in the center of the room, with us fans making up the difference to the wall. It was hotter than hell's own furnace inside that building, with a large fan working pathetically to cycle air to the outside while folks inside glanced anxiously at their watches. It was a Sunday afternoon at the Pensacola Wrestling Academy, and we were the gathering of the faithful.

That's how I remember PWA. Nostalgically. Sentimentally. Through rose-colored glasses. In my memory and occasionally in my dreams, PWA was perfect. In reality, the PWA arena was a small commercial garage space on Pensacola's Mobile Highway, in Brownsville, an area redolent with strolling ladies of "working" persuasion, gentlemen both selling and seeking illegal substances, and persons without permanent addresses whose daily bread depended on their ability to panhandle on a street where traffic seldom stops. Come to think of it, for sheer texture, character and adventure, no place could have been more perfect.

Bobby Doll was a rocker back then, and a biker, and to outward appearances, one of those free spirit souls that you wish you could be, but know what the odds of survival are. Danny Roland was a go getter, a man acquainted with bull wrangling, cow tending and such hard work in a farm setting that it would have crushed me had I tried matching him on a typical day. Together, they were The Black Sheep, a tag team so on the money that I wondered why I wasn't seeing them on TV somewhere.

Jerry Reiner was The Lightning Kidd then. He wrestled in what he now refers to his "Kermit" suit, a colorful fringed gimmick that shouted "WRESTLING" before he ever uttered a word in the ring to an opponent or "enemy."

The Highlander brought a sword into the ring, more than enough incentive for his opponent (s) to take a powder and then complain bitterly to the referee afterward, decrying how such an obvious rules violation could take place right under his nose.

Maze and Cruze were simply astonishing. They came to PWA after a short sting at Skull Crusher's, The Exotic Adrian Street's wrestling school in Navarre and they began by trying to annihilate each other. So ferocious were their matches that some of us feared for their safety. They bitterly battled to draw after draw until, exhausted, they finally teamed up, an act that posed a serious threat to every other tag team in the PWA.

Kornbred was as tall as a wrestler could be, topping well over 6'6 and, according to introduction was either a parolee, escapee, or work release inmate of The Alabama Institute of Corrections, in Monroeville. The exact details are a little fuzzy, but it was obvious at the time, from the orange jumpsuit to the "Cousin Homer" deadpan look on his face, that this gentle giant had been framed.

Kato Storm was a diminutive martial artist with a flair for acrobatics, Jace Darkhart was a Native American with a fierce war cry and a somewhat well-fed look about him that suggested that many a rabbit or wapiti had fallen before his bow, been cooked by campfire, and subsequently consumed by him right down to the last bite.

Miss Passion was drop-dead gorgeous, and was the love of every man and the envy of every woman.

Mercury McLoud and Sirus hailed from Area 51, Groom Lake Nevada - believably. They fought each match as though John Carpenter's "The Thing" were managing them from the locker room, ready to eviscerate them if they failed to prevail.

Aaron Blaze was a long-haired surfer with a clean cut face and a can-do attitude, ready for singles combat with anyone and everyone.

Fabian was - well - Fabian. Long before Bulldozer Graham, or Gino Galento, Fabian was himself.

And there was Kory Jackson, this half insane, try anything, do anything, wild kid who honestly believed he could take a bump on on solid concrete from a moving helicopter at 500 feet and the get up and dropkick his opponent into the Twilight Zone.

Red Anderson was Panama Red then, an outlaw biker whose intense loyalty to the Harley Davidson brand, and his heel attitude earned him a nickname of "Moped Red" and a chant, which drove him nuts, "Moped RED, Moped RED!" An unfortunate outcome resulted with Red losing a "Dress Match," forever condemning Red to another derisive chant, "Red wears a DRESS!"

Iceberg and Vortex, The Backyard Boyz, were actual backyard wrestlers. Discovered first by me, then by Danny Roland, who was more credible as a "discoverer of wrestlers," These guys were the "Anti-New Era and battled them ceaselessly.

Patrick J Kelly III was one manager of high-quality heelness. Johnny Hollywood was a leather-wearing- wild-eyed, blond-haired manager of babyfaces, who was a celebrity in his own rite.

And N.W. Sasso shared announcing duties with easily the most beloved of all the non-player characters in PWA, Chris Irish, straight-man to the stars.

The day described here was no ordinary day to me. On this day, I presented for the first time, home made gimmicks for sale with permission of the wrestlers. PWA Wrestler Checkbook covers. Envision checkbook covers imprinted with Maze, Cruze, Kidd, Doll, Roland, all the favorites. They went like hotcakes and sold out. Friends of the Disabled got a $45 donation that Monday. Thus was created a new Bob, to be known within the year as "Buttonman," obstensively because I bought a button machine to create and sell better gimmicks to fans in behalf of that single charity I supported.

Personality was a lynch pin of PWA Wrestling. We knew who our wrestlers were, what motivated them to wrestle (Death Row was once Kornbred's room mate in the Big House and several times plankednapped The Big Guy's little wooden friend). There was a back story that explained Kory Jackson's character, "El Guappo." Tyrone Holly once aspired to be a Rockette before turning to wrestling in PWA (OK that was a rumor, but I believed it). And when Dan Delicious and Tyrone formed Culture Club, it was an acknowledgement that "the mean streets of San Francisco produced some dagone tough rasslers who delighted in playing grab a## with opponents, much to their horror and most dreaded homophobic nightmare come true.

We believed. We were caught up. We didn't "suspend" disbelief, we left it in the car.

Today, wrestling fans, ask yourselves a single question. How much do you know about my favorite wrestler's back story. Not the GUY who is wrestling, but his character? What motivates Super Nerd to be so tough. What traumatized Terry Ryker so badly that he destroys every wrestler he touches. Does Milo have a secret academic past that haunts his wrestling career? Why is BTY better than you? Are there two personalities living inside Short Bandit, making him good one week and "bad" the next.

What separates one wrestler from another is story. Who, what, where, when and why. Promoters, do your wrestlers come with a history? can they be profiled by some means other than arm size and weight? If the answer is "no." then you have a job to do.

Every wrestler should be equipped with professional grade photographs and be prepared to offer them for sale. The kid who wants your autograph, wants your picture. Every wrestler should have an origin story, a weakness to be exploited, and a goal beyond just "the belt" No wrestler should come into the ring untrained, unprepared or undressed (without boots and tights of some kind). Doing so makes an impression difficult to undo.

Ask yourself, "Will I be remembered in ten years for my adventures in wrestling today?"

Hopefully the promotion you work for will be remembered as fondly as I remember PWA, and you will grace the inside of some one's head as a man worth remembering.

The Wrestler and The Special Olympics Kid

2009-03-17T00:30:00.001-05:00

When DJ Pringle, son of All Time Legendary Manager Percy Pringle enters the ring in preparation for combat against his New Heights Wrestling opponent, the first sound he hears is Erick Turner's voice chanting, "Tater CHIP, Tater CHIP!!" That is because the long time wrestling fan and Special Olympics Gold Medalist loves to give the journeman wrestler grief over the coincidence of his name being the same as the famous snack maker, and also because DJ is one of the most recognizable heel wrestlers in our area and Erick is very much a fan of babyfaces.

When confronted with the dreaded "Tater CHIP" catcall or the even more noningratiating chant of "Cup CAKE," DJ disenigrates into fits of anger, angrily shooting back, "I am NOT a potato chip," or, with even more ferocity, I am NOT a CUP CAKE," and accompanied by tantrums that often result in savage attacks or dire injury to the unlucky "good guy" who might be in the ring with Pringle the Younger at the time.

Erick, who stands 5'2" tall and weighs less than 125 pounds is potisively gleeful when he manages to get the wrestler snarling at him instead of paying attention to the business of not getting beat in his match.

DJ, who is "wrestler tall" at well over six feet is unrepentant about his sensitivity over being called these names by fans like Erick. He has been known to shout his tormenters into silence, and he is an intimidating man who could well inflict terrrible pain if he wished to take make it a physical thing.

Erick and many other NHW fans love to see DJ Pringle lose. Often though, he gets applause for a good match and appreciation for being a true professional. A good heel works twice as hard to earn fans, and DJ works very hard indeed.

Erick has DJ's autograph, and you can take it to the bank that at no time has he ever been within arm's reach of DJ when calling out nicknames. Special Olympics taught him well. When teasing angry giants . . . be ready to run!

Friends, Brothers and Men Who Disagree

2009-03-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

I had a friend once long ago, who was born in England, where I met him first, and died in America, suddenly, tragically as a result of a heart attack. On many things we agreed, on some we disagreed, often, loudly. Once, during a lull in our often loud and rowdy dealings, he told me, "Remember, Bob, Today is only 24 hours long. Yesterday is a shadow slipping away, and tomorrow is forever."

He was philosophical like that, that Yorkshire man, former coal miner who went underground as an adolescent, then apprenticed to the printing trade to better himself. I took what he said to mean that friends disagree and men in particular are perpetually in conflict. At the end of the day, a friend is more valuable than winning an argument.

I have expressed opinions about an individual I feel has disrespected me and used me. He is a friend of my friend, and he no doubt feels it necessary to stick up for the guy, caught in the middle as he is.

My friend is welcome in my house at any time. His friend, with whom I am in conflict, is not. Pride goeth before a fall. Whether I am right or wrong is irrelevant. This is how I feel.

I miss my Yorkshire man friend. He would have been amused by this tempest in a teapot in which I now find myself. No doubt he would have called me an idiot and told me to shut up. I probably wouldn't have listened, stubborn git that I am.

Sacrificing a friend for a principle is a bad idea. But if that friend sacrifices ME for a principle, what can I do. Perhaps only just miss his friendship.

Such are the lives of men

Dogs, Kids, Punctuation, Movies and Two Wrestlers Named Milo and BTY

2009-03-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

A new addition to the family has turned my world upside down. He's a black terrier with a white Mohawk on the top of his head and the smallest bladder of any canine I have ever seen. He coerces Erick, who is his principle caregiver, to take him "out" at least a dozen times a day. We, (Linda, Erick and me) adopted him from the Humane Society in Pensacola, a no-kill shelter that somewhat specializes in hopeless case animals in need of a home.

At New Heights Wrestling the other night, we set up a table graciously having been invited to do so by those in charge of the show. They made us feel quite at home. This is one of the shows I feel very safe at, and comfortable as well. It is very family friendly and there were smiling toddlers all over the place practicing their walking skills, a thing that causes me to put the wheelchair in mui low gear so as to have a better chance of stopping when they inadvertently tilt the wrong way and tumble.

Another table at the show, "manned" as it were by Mrs Gutter, and the kids, is now in possession of a gumball machine. Get an orange ball (out of the many colors available), and a prize is forthcoming. Well, kids were pouring quarters into that gumball machine all night, and about halfway through to the end, this very tiny, very beautiful little girl won a silver necklace with a dragon pendent hanging from it. It was beyond cute. I get the impression that she had a great night because in 3 hours of wrestling, I never once saw her not smiling.

Speaking of kids, DSPW's Micky Godwin is a grandfather, having recently chauffeured into the world, a beautiful baby boy, son of Mickey and Sabrina's daughter Chelsea, and proud papa, beloved referee Archie Brooks. A little prayer added on for this and all newborns would be great. There are a lot of nasty bugs out there ready to take a try at a new immune system. You should see this little guy though. He's a cutie.

My friend Norm, who is a talented writer of wrestling oriented prose, has suggested to me that I take more time to spell check and grammar check this blog. By doggies he is right! You deserve better than misplaced vowels and typos. I promise I will try and do better. If I miss one, give me a heads up in the comments section.

Norm, by the way has a great web site.

Click to http://www.prowrestlingarena.com/ .

His web site is better than mine (Grrr). Seriously, click him down. You won't regret it, I promise.

We went to see Race To Witch Mountain Sunday. Love seeing The Rock in the movies. Would love to see Fabian Espinoza, aka "Bulldozer Gram" aka "Gino Galento" in the movies if he could ever get a speaking part. I personally think casting directors will discover him soon enough. He's "ethnic" and would be a perfect pirate in the Caribbean.

From the "Oh My God" department of Indy pro wrestling comes BTY vs Milo and Terry Ryker vs Super Nerd. These two New Heights Wrestling matches were national television quality. I never knew the human skeleton could survive such punishment. My personal thanks to them for some of the best wrestling I have seen around our area. More people should make the trek to Florala, Al. Come on. Gas is cheap right now and the Chinese will take it if you don't use it.

I got a little feedback from the DSPW, Tiny Tiswell message board post located at

Posted: from tiny tiswell to all bob is just pissed off because he can no longer have a table for free so his opinion does not matter and im not a mark like he is.

Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried and be half as funny.

Without reiteration of the entire boring gripe, let me just say, yea, the bum tried to charge me $25 for access to at most 50 people, after breaking his promise that I would have no charge access to two Pensacola shows in acknowledgement for a favor done him which was to design and print 500 custom numbered tickets to use for "his" promotion.

Needless to say, a man whose word is no good is a brigand and a toady*.

Last, but certainly not least, a million thanks to the lady at NHW who bought a copy of my recently published book, The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Gulf Coast Wrestling. She made me feel like King of the World.

That's a great feeling. It must be how DJ Pringle feels when he has done such a great job of making fans hate him that they are still booing him after he returns to the locker room. At NHW, Erick heckled him until he almost burst into tears, snarling to an unfeeling crowd, I am NOT a potato chip!

Afterward, Erick said, "that was FUN"

The twenty kids and fans helping him agreed vociferously.

That's 'rasslin.

*Definition: Toady, A sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage.

***

An addendum made at 12:20am Monday:

Message from Mickey, coming from a "64" AOL IP number, which makes it suspect (possible fake post).

The post reads:

"I SUGGUST YOU REMOVE THE BLOG AND COMMENTS MADE ABOUT DSPW NOW BOB. YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH TINY NOT DSPW. DSPW HAS TEAM SEXY...REDNECK MAFIA... GOTHIC WARRIOR...JERRY REINER AND CRUZE AS THE INVASION EVIL BANDIT...REBEL...ROMEO..HOTSTUFF..EVERGREEN MCQUEEN...610 KID SO THIS MEANS YOU ARE DOWN GRADING THE WHOLE GROUP BECAUSE OF A TABLE FEE.PLEASE HAVE THIS REMOVED BY NOON PLEASE."

First of all, the poster makes a good point concerning the talent.

Team Sexy is legitimately skilled tag team that looks good and wrestles well.

The Redneck Mafia, Steve Fury and the wrestler formerly known as B.A.D. are above excellent, though I personally have an issue with any wrestler working in the audience, this tag team at least takes a moment to clear a path, and fairly, probably went for "shock value" the first time they did this with me in attendance.

The Invasion, Reiner and Cruze, are among my favorites and are noted for a well developed skill set that includes more moves than Mayflower Van Lines.

Evil Bandit, which I presume to denote "Evil Short Bandit" I believe is wasting his talent wrestling Tiswell over and over again. Others will disagree, undoubtedly. I believe Short Bandit should be in wrestling school in Tampa preparing for a million dollar gig in the WWE. But again, that is my personal opinion.

Rebel, I have only seen a few times and he has been competent and affable according to my memory.

610 Kid is the often opponent of the previously discussed jeans-for-gimmick Drop Dead Gorgeous. Between the two of them, they have missed more spots than a drunken dry cleaner. 610 works better against experienced opponents and has a gimmick and boots. He is young and that excuses inexperience. He is not unpleasant to watch, true dat.

Evergreen McQueen is plodding and ponderous and also loses his way from time to time. His bulk disguises many mistakes, and he is affable, which in turn measures him for popularity.

Gothic Warrior's showmanship is entertaining for sure.

I don't know Romeo, Hotstuff or any others who might feel institutionally besmirched by my assessment of Tiswell's (perceived by me) incompetency. Suffice it to say that my memory is fuzzy, me being a senior citizen and all.

Yes, I do have a problem with Tiswell. And as has been said many times, Tiswell is the FACE MAN for DSPW, therefore the two are inexorably intertwined. If Mickey reasserts ownership of DSPW, my problem ends, whether or not I ever step foot inside another show.

As for "downgrading the whole group" that is an obfuscation. The fact that each and every wrestler puts his ass on the line every time he enters the ring is irrefutable. It cannot be denigrated by me or anyone else.

That said, the "suggestion" that I remove this blog, or cease to discuss my feelings about any situation I find myself in contains (what I see as ) a veiled threat. Whether the post is a fake Mickey posting, or the Real Micky McCoy does not matter. I refuse to delete anything on this blog for any reason, no matter how much I cherish the friendship of the person making the suggestion. And I do so without malice or anger, but in sadness at the principle that must be defended.

On another note, I have to say that if you have read all this, congratulations. You are an awesome reader! :)

The Ego Trip of Tiny Tiswell and How He Became a Non-person to Me

2009-03-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

DSPW (Dirty South Pro Wrestling) has, for a couple of years now since its founding, been one of my favorite promotions. From its beginnings in the National Guard Armory in Brewton, Al, I have been privileged to witness awesome matches by great local indy performers such as Aeon Flexx, Jerry Reiner, Jester McCain, who is now Carlos DeAngelo, Kornbred, Maze, Cruz and others drawn from the pool of amazing wrestlers who call the Gulf Coast their home. My vantage point came from either behind my table or behind the lens of my camera, or just hanging out watching terrific youngsters explore the depths of their wrestling prowess.

My table, I should explain, to that rare reader from elsewhere other than the panhandle of Florida, who stumbles across this blog, sits on the floor of an "arena," meaning the school, National Guard Armory, Community Center or open field at a Shrine Temple, on which is displayed for sale, inexpensive items possibly of interest to someone who visits it. I earn a little money, some of which goes to a charity of my choosing, and some of which goes to support http://www.gulfcoastwrestling.com/, a web site devoted to wrestling in our area.

The owner of DSPW, Mickey, is my friend, as are most of the owner/promoters in my area. I have, in the past enjoyed a standing invitation to set up a table at his/their shows. As a gesture in return, I post their advertisements on the web site, maintain their message boards, and use my computer skills to make the job of promoting easier. It is a symbiosis that has worked well for most of the last ten years.

Now, along comes "Tiny Tiswell" the "New Owner" of DSPW (like a 3 year old couldn't figure out that's a work). This guy, a former Pensacola taxi driver, hung around Former WWF Legend, Sika The Wild Samoan, in the last and declining days of XW-2000, and even at one point organized a couple of sparsely attended ( less than 25 people) shows under that name, killing the XW-2000 brand forever.

As noted, Tiswell has latched onto Mickey, and assumed the helm (so it is stated) of DSPW. With that "authoritah" (apologies to South Park) he has pretty much train wrecked the promotion by presuming to place himself in virtually ever match and even setting himself up in many of the individual main events.

The guy is smaller than the 11 year-old down the street. If he weighs a hundred pounds I would be surprised. It's like watching "Our Gang's" Alfalfa in "Let's have a show." Except for a few bright spots like The Redneck Mafia, and Omega with Vain, and Reiner and Cruz, who are self sufficient at wrestling, the whole organization and execution of DSPW events is pretty much amateur hour.

One glaring example of "backyardism" is the rookie wrestler who calls himself "Drop Dead Gorgeous," who appears for his matches in go-to-school blue jeans and no shirt covering the top of an adolescent body that looks as if it has never seen the inside of a gym. Do wrestling fans really want to see "the kid down the street" play wrestling as he stumbles through missed spot after missed spot?

Tiswell has stated that I am a mark (wrestling fan oblivious to the truth of the "sport". Not true. I am a "Smark" (fan who is fully aware of the ins and outs of Indy pro wrestling). Tiswell says that he "is not a mark" or presumably a "smark" either, for that matter. Therein lies the problem.

Whereas Short Bandit, Tiswell's only opponent is a true "little person," with wrestling skills and therefore a draw, Tiswell is a "wrestler wannabe" with five moves or so with nothing to offer paying customers but annoyance and a profound wish that he would get the hell out of the ring so real wrestling could take place. Simply stated, as a "non-mark," Tiswell has no feel for the ebb and flow of the show that pleases the fans enough to return to the next one. His matches are boring and that boredom drags down Short Bandit.

In my opinion, overexposure to fan dissatisfaction with Tiswell matches will undo Short Bandit's hard work in wrestling.

The whole thing is a cluster #### and as long as Tiswell is "in charge" I will never attend another DSPW event, nor will I do any work to support this promotion. Tiswell makes promises he does not keep, he tries to work experienced wrestlers without paying them, and when that fails, uses guys so green that they can barely lock up, never mind have a gimmick or project a story line, or work a mike.

I will always be friends with Mickey, until he decides otherwise. But Tiswell is a non-person to me.

Wrestlers, I suggest you get your pay in advance while Tiswell is in charge. You owe it to yourself to be reimbursed for your skills and your travel.

Blog Beginnings - The opening entries

2009-03-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

I abandoned blogging a few years ago for the simple reason that people were attacking evey single word I wrote as though the fate of the world depended on winning some imagined contest with me. Since that time, I have maintained Gulf Coast Wrestling without speaking my mind completely, preferring to avoid loud talking, controversey and turmoil.

Now, though, I think it is time for me to roll out another blog. Maybe it will entertain. Maybe it will enrage. I do not know what the future holds, only that I must write to live.

This blog will not be strictly about pro wrestling. It will be about me, my friends, my enemies, my life and how the beginning of my 60's so dramatically overshadow my previous life.

For those who don't know me, I am a writer, a publisher, an afficinado of pro wrestling, a fantasy fiction and role playing game fan and a huckster, which is to say, a purveyor or seller of stuff both neat and interesting.

I travel to wrestling and sci-fi conventions obstensively to participate, but as much to sell stuff I have bought for resale.

The "huckster" part offends WWE Legendary Former Manager to the point of stupidity, a situation I will not belabor now, but a situation that vexes me continuously.

I have several friends whom I interact with regularly bot in Sci Fi and Wrestling and they will appear here from time to time. I have many acquaintences some of whom are friends and some of whom bitterly oppose my continuing ability to breathe, the latter sarcastically spoken because death is something few wish upon anyone.

I write in a style of english that makes some folks crazy. They mistake vocabulary for pretentiousness and wish I would speak more plainly. To them I offer no apology and suggest http://dictionary.com/ as a way of keeping up.

I can be abrasive, irritating and downright self-rightous at times, a character flaw that does nothing to endear me to folks.

Sorry about that.

I maintain opinions about independent pro wrestling, in particular in my little panhandle corner of the world. Some say I have no right to opinions because I have never stepped into a ring as part of a show. But as a fan advocate, with 14 years of attendance to my credit, I pretty much have a feeling for things wrestling. I even promoted a show once and accompanied an expert promoter to many others.

The blog itself will be "G" or "PG rated. The comments, I won't swear to because I bring out the worst in some folks, especially anonymous ones.

That's it.

The first fall is over.

There will be more to come for sure, maybe daily, but certainly often.

Welcome here, and if you return, in advance, welcome back