A Clash of Giants - The Tale Of The Tape

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'

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

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

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

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.