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Your Trip to Space Mountain-All American Pro Wrestling at Chester IL

Posted by Admin on May 24, 2008

Your Trip to Space Mountain

by Brian “Flair” Kelley
I am back with a new “Your Trip to Space Mountain”. In this edition we find out if an independent show can be a lot of fun without a past or current superstar. Last time, you heard about an ICW show I attended that had TNA Superstars James Storm and Eric Young along with former WCW star Disco Inferno. For All American Pro Wrestling in Chester, IL at the Daniel Colbert Gym, though, there were no past or present superstars in sight.

The weather was beautiful as we arrived to the gym. We were among the first to enter the building to purchase two tickets for the 50/50 drawing. We sat in the middle of the front row so that I could get pictures of the show. While we waited two AAPW wrestlers, Edmund “Livewire” McGuire and The All American J.T. Calhoun, hung out with the fans, signed autographs and snapped pictures. I am sure the fans are bragging to their friends and family about what they missed. This was a positive in another way because when the show started the fans already knew that J.T. and Edmund were nice guys and were people who they should cheer for.


I always feel that it is important to start the night off with a solid match to set the tone of the whole evening and AAPW gave us two wrestlers that could be in the main event as the Cocky Shawn Shultz took on Brian James. Shultz can draw heat with ease and the crowd was thrilled to see James get the win as he upset Shultz with an inside cradle.

I have seen Mark Sterling and Darrien Sanders many times before, but this would be the first time that I would see them in person as The LONRS. These two have been making a name for themselves in the Midwest tag team division lately. The crowd was hot for The LONRS to get what was coming to them before the match even started. The fans were excited to see All American J.T.Calhoun and his partner Mike Masters enter the ring, with chants of “USA! USA!” ringing throughout the gym.

The LONRS dominated Masters with tag team perfection, beating on him and not allowing him to get a tag for nearly five minutes. Finally, Masters made the tag and had words with J.T. before stunning the crowd by walking away. J.T. fought with all his heart, but with The LONRS were on top of their game. It was too much on this night, even for the All American. Needless to say, the fans were not happy after The LONRS collected their victory. Darrien Sanders taunted the crowd with his air guitar skills to add insult to injury.

The next match seemed to be a mismatch, at least on paper, as MWR wrestler of the month for April 2008 “The Future” Donovan Ruddick faced “Playboy” Paul Rose. Rose was accompanied by his manger, Gaylord Stevens. Stevens is one of the best managers I have seen in the indies, because as soon as he walks through a curtain the fans know that they want to see his guy lose. “Playboy” Paul Rose, whom I had seen in action before, has a ton of charisma and can really move for a guy that looks totally out of shape. This may have been the hardest hitting match of the night, and it received my girlfriend’s favorite match award for the night. “The Future” would go on to win the match, but not without a fight as Rose and Stevens gave him fits throughout.

Intermission was here and “The Atomic Dogg” Ali Stevens, who was trained by Harley Race and had a short stint with WCW, was at the top of the stairs selling videos and all along smiled towards the fans. For the wrestlers out there, I may not be able to tell you how to wrestle but I have one small bit of advice: if you want to sell your merchandise, a smile goes a long way. A smile will leave a good taste in the fans mouth when they leave. Fortunately, this is not a problem most of the time and it wasn’t this night in Chester, IL. AAPW’s wrestlers were very professional.

As my girlfriend returned from smoking, they announced that “Serial Thriller” Shane Rich was going to be taking Polaroid’s inside the ring for $3.00. It looked as if nobody wanted to go first for the first five minutes, so I thought that maybe I could help them out by getting in line. I thought I’d try to make it look like it was the thing to do. I got up for my picture and introduced myself to Shane Rich, and as I asked for him to check out MWR I noticed that all because of me the line had become huge!

Hey, I am just joking! It was easy to see why they would want their picture taken with the champ. Shane looked to be in awesome shape and though this was my first time to see him live, I was excited to see him in action.

Intermission was over and AAPW had the card set up perfectly as they re energized the crowd with another good match. Edmund “Livewire” McGuire hooked up with Ax Stevens, who was accompanied by his manger Gaylord Stevens. Edmund used his speed to cause Stevens all kinds of problems, but just when you thought McGuire would get the win, Gaylord would interfere, allowing Ax to bring the pain for Edmund. “Livewire” has been on a roll as of late, but when he went up top for a leg drop, Ax moved and then used a piledriver for a victory that stunned not only myself but the entire crowd.
“#1” Brett Young and K.C. Jackson entered the ring to demand some action, but had to belittle the Chester natives, too. K.C. and Brett let them know that they were all number two, which made them the first losers. This went on for some time before the intimidating promoter Sean Chambers had had enough. He called the Atomic Dogg to the ring. I am not a fan of a 2 on one contest because I feel as if it makes the wrestlers that are teaming up look weak, but on this occasion the wrestlers had a very entertaining match. It made sense and the Dogg was very over with the crowd. The Dogg would able to with stand the double teams and pin the two wrestlers for the victory.
In the main event of the evening former AAPW Champion, “Homicidal” Steven Davis received his 1 on 1 rematch with the current champ, “Serial Thriller” Shane Rich. Davis entered the ring with his manager, and I think AAPW has the use of managers down to a science. The managers had the right “bad guy” look and really knew how to work the crowd. This was a great match, and the girls in attendance were clearly on Shane’s side. They screamed every time Steven Davis got the upper hand.

Steven Davis was pulling out all stops to regain the title. The match was a back and forth affair, and the fans were really into it when Rich went for a moonsault off the top turnbuckle. Unfortunately for Rich, Davis moved out of the way. Rich landed on his feat but could not avoid a vicious spear from Davis which got Davis the win and his title back! I must admit I did not see that one coming.

AAPW then thanked the crowd for coming and the night was over. My only complaint during the evening was a common problem in independent wrestling, and that is the sound system. The reported 163 people in attendance witnessed what, in my eyes, was a top notch show. Although they did not have TNA stars on the card, I will say that this show was better than most I have seen with one. The storytelling was excellent and the wrestling was very very good.

All American Pro Wrestling was professional and very fan friendly. If you have a chance to check them out, I highly recommend it. I know that in the future that AAPW will be in my wrestling schedule. You can check out AAPW on the net at http://www.myspace.com/allamericanprowrestling.

Till next time, Support your local independent wrestling promotion by attending a show. Be sure to let us know what you thought about it .

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Your Trip to Space Mountain-International Championship Wrestling

Posted by Admin on April 21, 2008

Your Trip to Space Mountain

By Brian “Flair” Kelley

Mr. Kelley explores his trip to International Championship Wrestling’s event earlier this month. Magicians, TNA Stars, brawling, and words with the Tonya Harding! What’s not to like?
At last I find the time to return with “Your Trip To Space Mountain”.

I planned a road trip with my girlfriend for a weekend of pro wrestling, including our first showing of International Championship Wrestling with special appearances by former figure skater/bad girl Tonya Harding and TNA stars “Cowboy” James Storm, Eric Young and Knockout Traci Brooks. The next night we had plans to get a motel so that we could go to Ottawa, KS and see International Wrestling Conference’s first show. The problem that came up was that I happened to be on call that weekend and was afraid they would want me back home (3 hours away). We didn’t want to take the chance of wasting the money, if in fact they did call me.

I won’t lie, though. I did have a couple of concerns about going to the International Championship Wrestling show on the first night of my planned weekend. First and foremost, their was no place on the website to buy tickets. The last thing I wanted to do was drive 3 hours and use all of that gas money only to find out that it was sold out. If you know me, though, you know I am open for anything new.

On that Friday, the doors were to open at 6:30PM. If I was to leave work at my scheduled time then there was no way we would have made it, so I found a way out and left at noon. I visited friends in Marshall on the way to KC. We arrived a full thirty minutes early at 6PM at a National Guard Armory. There were about four people ahead of us, and about that time Tonya Harding and another guy started putting up a sign in front of us that said “autographed pictures and autographed bats for $40.00″ (yes I said $40.00).

This prompted me to say “Who is Tonya Harding?” She turned around and in the saddest voice imaginable said “Me”. I laughed and told her I knew who she was. To be honest, I was proud of this short conversation that we had and truth be told I was being quite a smart ass.

While in line, another fan named Richard Corp entertained us with magic tricks and told us that he was a comedian magician. He said that he did shows around the area and without knowing that one of my favorites is Tommy Chong, he mentioned that he is actually friends with him. He brought smiles to the kids in line as well as my girlfriend, and I am sure we will catch one of his shows in the future.

We finally were allowed to purchase our tickets, which were $20.00, and go to our seats. The ring looked a little shaky and there were no ring rails to boot. We sat next to the Richard magician in the front row. A ton of chairs and no people, but a TV station was in the house with channel 38 personality Holly Starr in one corner.

Tonya Harding was across the room, and after getting to know some of other fans around us we decided to go talk to her. I told her I was playing about what I had said earlier, and that my mother was in fact a fan and wanted an autograph. For $10.00 we got our picture taken with her as well.

Disco Inferno, who was a WCW star back in the day, was there. I had met him at a WLW show a few years back, but I still had him sign a picture for us and take another one for free. Before I knew it though, Eric Young and Traci Brooks were standing nearby talking to fans and signing autographs. I am sure Eric must think that my girlfriend and I are stalkers by now, because we have seen him five times and taken pictures with him in the past year. The first time was when TNA sold tickets for Lockdown in St. Louis. The second time was when we attended an All American Pro Wrestling show in Carbondale, IL for VIP tickets (Traci Brooks was also there that night). We stayed in the Hilton where TNA had a fan interaction event (I met my friend Chuck from Slamzone there). Then we met Eric in Kansas City for the TNA house show. Eric is always willing to smile, so big props to Eric. He helped make it a great evening. Traci is first class, too, as she always comes off as a genuinely nice person. For that reason alone she is a asset to any company she works for, and might I say that on this night she was looking better than ever.

Central States Wrestling star (and I am willing to bet future WWE wrestler) Mark Sterling was in conversation with Traci and Eric, so I asked for him to stay in the picture that we took . I happen to have the goofiest smile ever, but I can tell you that before the first match started I was happy that we had made the trip.

The matches did not start until an annoying hour and a half later, but there really were not that many more fans that showed up. For some reason I always feel bad about that. The ring announcer came out and thanked the crowd for coming and introduced the first match, which had Clarice (who had a gimmick that is almost identical to TNA’s Abyss) defeating Kent Truth. It looked a little cheesy at first, but it was short and for an opener was not bad. Although the crowd was small, they were excited to see wrestling and really added to the night. The next match was a tag team match between the team of Cameron Cage & Sean Vincent and the team of Chaz Wesson & Michael Serious. That match was a pleasant surprise because I have been wanting to see Cage for awhile now and the other three I had seen and knew that they could produce a good match. There were some stiff shots, and the heat that Cage and Vincent were able to bring out from the crowd (as they stole a win from Wesson and Serious) was awesome. After the match, the Ring Announcer impressed my girlfriend as he did a “commercial” for the sponsors of the show.

Two Powerhouses battled before the intermission as John Saxon popped the crowd with win over Adrian Whisper. Before the intermission was over, Dubray and I hung out with fans around us and I encouraged our new friend Lisa to bring her daughter and Richard to CSW’s show on May 3rd in Lawrence, Kansas. Richard had me rolling throughout the night with his comments to the wrestlers and at one time had me nearly crying. For the life of me I wish I could remember what it was that he said.

Traci Books started the second half of the night with the crowd clearly on her side. She took on the snobby Irresistible Danielle and brought laughter into the building when she said Danielle looked like she was twelve years old. They battled in and out of the ring, and at one point Richard told Traci to use his knee and she gladly did as she slammed Danielle head first into it. Traci would go on to get the victory to the crowds delight.

The next match was Disco Inferno and Doink the Clown against each other, and after that match I have to eat my words. I recently told International Wrestling Conference’s current President Steve Scott that I did not enjoy Doink as a wrestler at all and did not understand why anyone would book him. That is not a knock on the wrestlers who have portrayed him throughout the years, it’s just that I do not like that gimmick. In this case, though, Disco and Doink both put on a superb match. Doink was able to excite the crowd with his antics and I have to say I also enjoyed Doink and Disco. They played well off each other.

James Storm came to ring for the main event and was able to draw some monster heat from the crowd. He made fun of several of the fans that approached the ring to let him have a piece of their mind. Eric Young came out and the crowd wanted to see Storm get what was coming to him. The two wrestlers went back and forth and before I knew it the two were right next to us, body slamming each other right in front of our group of people. Lisa and I tried to get as many pictures as possible before Young threw Storm into a bunch of chairs and, to add insult to injury, tossed him into a trash can. In the ring Storm was able to get the decisive advantage and it looked as if he had Young in real trouble. He kicked him out of the ring ,and as the ref restrained Storm from attacking him again on the outside, Young went under the ring and out came SUPER ERIC much to Storm’s chagrin. What must have seemed like a sure victory just a few minutes before for Storm turned out to be Super Eric’s victory, concluding the evening

The night was through for Dubray and I, and the drive had been well worth it as we made new friends, watched some good wrestling and met some of the best wrestlers in the world today. It just goes to show you that you never know what is in store for an independent wrestling show until you actually go. I will keep my eye out for the next International Championship Wrestling show, and though I will be cutting back somewhat in the amount of shows I go to due to the rising gas prices I hope to see you at one very soon.

WHOOOOOOO!

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MWR Spotlight: Edmund “Livewire” McGuire

Posted by Admin on April 11, 2008

Missouri Wrestling Revival Spotlight:
Edmund “Livewire” McGuire

By “Your Trip to Space Mountain” writer Brian “Flair” Kelley


Editor’s Note: After this interview was conducted, “Thunderbolt” Brandon Walker was injured and will be unable to face Edmund “Livewire” McGuire tomorrow. AAPW and MWR wish Mr. Walker a speedy recovery!

Height: 5’9”

Entrance Music: “How Many Wanna” by Ja Rule [Instrumental]

Experience: 5

Promotions: All-American Pro Wrestling (AAPW), National Wrestling Coalition (NWC), IWA Productions, United States Championship Wrestling , New Focus Wrestling

Biggest Match: Versus “Homicidal” Steven Davis in Carbondale, IL on 8/19/07 [AAPW Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals to crown the 1st EVER AAPW Heavyweight Champion]. I was unsuccessful thanks to “Thunderbolt” Brandon Walker’s outside interference.

Signature Move: The Livewire Legdrop (top rope legdrop), Superkick

Edmund, what attracted me to you for the interview was seeing you in action with All American Pro Wrestling. I had taken the time to search for you on Myspace, and what stood out to me was the fact that you are such a student of the sport. You have quite a passion for wrestling. What drew you to wrestling and who did you look up to?

Well, it was really easy for me to get caught up in the wrestling craze thanks to my family being huge fans. Ever since I can remember, I have been a die-hard wrestling fan. I grew up on 80’s NWA, WCCW, WWF, WCW, AWA, and USWA Memphis. I, till this very day, remain a fan of the old-school era of wrestling, and study it relentlessly in preparation of matches. I have so many wrestlers that I idolized and looked up to, and who I saw as inspirations for me to get into this business: “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Jr., Harley Race, Dory Funk, Jr., “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Nick Bockwinkel, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Superstar” Bill Dundee, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, “Flyin” Brian Pillman, The Undertaker, and “Diamond” Dallas Page are some of the most notable ones that I remember idolizing.

Who trained you and was it what you expected?

“Homicidal” Steven Davis & “Dangerous” Donny Sixx trained me. I really can’t say it’s what I expected, but I went in with a positive attitude, kept my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut, and gave my very best efforts to learning the craft of pro wrestling. I am grateful for all of the knowledge and time these gentlemen put into training me and molding me into who I am today.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Kid Kash, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Koko B. Ware, The Naturals, “Showtime” Eric Young, “Tennessee Cowboy” James Storm, Abyss, and Traci Brooks have all wrestled for AAPW, which must be a thrill for an up and coming wrestler such as yourself. Out of these Superstars which ones impressed you the most and really went that extra mile to work with the stars of tomorrow?

Koko B. Ware, hands down. Koko went out of his way to encourage me and to explain to me the art of promos. You know, how to make them believable. I made it a point to pick his brain regarding certain aspects of this business, and he was gracious enough to lend his ear and his time to me. For that, I’m fortunate as well as grateful.

It seems these days that all you hear about are the negative aspects of the sport when wrestling or wrestlers are the topic of conversation, but I must say that my experience with wrestlers on the Independent scene has been only positive. When doing research about you, a story came up about you attending a boys birthday party. Please tell the readers about how this came about and what were the results?

Well, the young man whose birthday party I was the surprise guest for attends most of AAPW’s area events. His mother asked me days prior to that whether I was available and if I could be a surprise guest for her son’s birthday party because he’s a huge fan of mine. I looked at it as a chance to do something for someone that wasn’t done for me when I was young, so it wasn’t at all a problem for me. I jumped at the opportunity. It’s not everyday that a kid has a wrestler for a birthday party guest! We all had a blast, and the young man and his family and friends attended that night’s event in West Frankfort, IL.

My Girlfriend and I took the 250-mile road trip to Carbondale, IL some time ago to see AAPW and what the promotion had to offer, and really had a good time. The show was very well run, and we look forward to coming back. How would you describe AAPW to a fan that wants to see some wrestling action?

I would describe All-American Pro Wrestling as a very family and fan-friendly wrestling organization that prides itself on providing good, clean entertainment. We do our best to emphasize the term ‘pro wrestling’, and in-ring action is strongly emphasized. I agree with you when you say that anytime pro wrestling is discussed, it’s usually referred to in a negative light. AAPW does it’s best to bring some class and respectability to professional wrestling. We sort of have an old school atmosphere to our events. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a little pizzazz in independent wrestling, but when it all boils down, it’s spelled w-r-e-s-t-l-i-n-g. We do our best to contribute to that philosophy. We want people to feel at home when attending our events, and we want to be a wrestling promotion they can call their own and be proud of.

With your quick moves you can electrify a crowd, which makes you very popular with the fans. You have won some big matches in AAPW but it seems as if Brandon “Thunderbolt” Walker has been a thorn in your side since nearly the beginning. In West Frankfort, IL in January after beating Chocolate Thunder (who substituted for a missing-in-action Brandon Walker), you made a challenge to “Thunderbolt” Brandon Walker for April 12, 2008 in West Frankfort for a No Countout No Disqualification match, yet once again in Mt Vernon, IL you were taking on Mike Masters when Thunderbolt pushed you off the top rope to allow Masters to take advantage and get the pin. Later in the evening, you decided to get some payback on Walker by heading to ringside, distracting Walker in order for “The All American” J.T. Calhoun to secure a victory in their match. This leads us to April 12th in West Frankfort, IL at the New Beginnings Assembly. Doors open at 6PM with a bell time of 7PM. You will finally have a chance to get a payback win off Thunderbolt. How do you feel going into this?

You’re absolutely correct, Brandon Walker has indeed been a thorn in my side for the longest time now, dating back to August when he cost me the opportunity to become the very first AAPW Heavyweight Champion. There seems to be an underlying bitterness in Brandon. Since returning to Southern Illinois after a lengthy absence (following a stint of being on top in this area for years), Brandon sees that there’s a new crop of young lions on the prowl. I guess he chose me to target. I, being one to never back away from a fight, embraced the competition and after a while it turned personal after a series of back and forth battles. We’ve each got a victory over one another, and on April 12th I plan to settle this score with Brandon once and for all!!!

What goals do you have for yourself in wrestling?

To have fun. Plain and simple. Not too many people in this lifetime can say they lived their dreams, and I am blessed to be able to say that I have. I feel as though I have yet to reach the tip of the iceberg, and I’m going to continue to give it my all and entertain audiences to the best of my abilities. As far as particular goals, I’d like to tour the U.S. & foreign countries in pursuit of pro wrestling experience. WWE is always an option…

Now it is time for the Space Mountain Free Fall where you can give your thoughts on the wrestlers that are scheduled for April 12 with AAPW:

“Thunderbolt” Brandon Walker:

Officially exterminated after April 12th courtesy of Edmund “Livewire” McGuire.

Shawn Shultz:

Arrogant, obnoxious, super-talented athlete who I’ve waged war with once… and won!

Carnage:

Diabolical, mysterious and savvy…

Keith Knox:

Hmmm… I feel sorry for Shawn Schultz on April 12th.

“Homicidal” Steven Davis:

One of the toughest competitors I’ve ever stepped into any ring with. I have welts on my back and chest that will last me a lifetime thanks to this guy.

Ax Stevens:

Wily and dangerous. He’s been on a hot streak like none other here in AAPW lately. We’ve battled all over IL, IN, MO and AR, and I consider him to be one of my fiercest rivals. We have a score that has yet to be settled, and one day, we’ll get the chance to close the book on our storied rivalry.

“The All American” JT Calhoun:

For a man his size, it’s astonishing to see someone with that kind of speed, strength and agility. Much props to JT.

Vulcan:

I’ve never had a chance to cross paths with Vulcan, but I’ve worked with him in other companies. From what I’ve seen, it’s all about brute force with Vulcan. His smashmouth style has earned him championships and he’s got a reputation for throwing the rulebook out the window. Let’s just see how he tests his mettle against the competition here in AAPW.

Mike Masters:

As good an athlete as Mike Masters is, I must admit that I’ve lost respect for him. I know wrestling’s all about wins and losses, and as hard as the reality of it may be, I can accept losing to a better competitor. Mike proved in Mt. Vernon, IL back in February that he’s willing to stoop to any level necessary to gain respect. It takes a very respectable individual to steal a cheap victory from me after Brandon Walker interfered… at least in Mike’s eyes it does! I proved to him in Carbondale, IL last month that that deed doesn’t come without a heavy price Believe me, he got his receipt tenfold in the form of him having his shoulders pinned to the mat… one. two, three!

Playboy Paul Rose:

What a character this guy is! He’s another in a long line of wrestlers who’ve tried to take me down and have been proven unsuccessful. I’m still trying to figure out what kind of gall this guy has for coming out in pink feather boas, pink Speedos, and bleach-blond hair.

“The Future” Donavan Ruddick:

He’s making his AAPW return on April 12th, and is looking to destroy any and everyone in his path, I’m quite sure. I’m going to be sure to keep my eye on this individual closely.

“The Serial Thriller” Shane Rich:

A class act in every sense of the term. He’s gone through a lot of trials and tribulations to get to where he is in AAPW, and I commend him for never giving up and never giving in. It’s paid off for him by him winning the AAPW Heavyweight Championship. Don’t let my respect for him lead you to believe that I won’t be chasing him down for that title someday.

Brandon Espinosa:

I’ve been in the ring with this tremendously talented athlete only once, and he emerged the better man that night. If given the opportunity, I’d like to believe that the results would be a bit different… unfortunately for Mr. Espinosa…

J.C. Blade:

One of the hungriest young competitors that we have here in AAPW. He’s looking to make a way for himself. I encourage him to keep up the good work and never lose faith, no matter how rough the competition may be.

In Altamont, IL a new promotion IWA is having a Fund Raiser to benefit the Blue Knights. Their charity is the SAFE Program. What can you tell us about this new promotion?

I can safely say that IWA is going to be an experience like none other. I am looking to carve out a path in IWA just like I have in AAPW and many other promotions that I work for.

It is also scheduled for AAPW to bring hot wrestling action to Chester, IL on May 7, 2008. At this point are there any more dates where we can see Live wire McGuire in action?

Well, I’m booked all the way through June. I am getting booked in advance, and it’s possible that by then I’ll be booked up another few months. I’m going to be all over Illinois and Indiana and I’m working on bookings in Michigan and Ohio, so I encourage any and all to contact me via my Myspace page (www.myspace.com/livewire_mcguire) and inquire.

Any last words for your fans?

I am so eternally grateful for the encouragement and support that you’ve shown me, and I thank you all so much! Your continued support would be greatly appreciated as I continue making a way for myself in this lovely sport of professional wrestling. Thank you and I hope to see and meet you at the events! God bless!

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Your Trip to Space Mountain

Posted by Admin on January 23, 2008

Your Trip On Space Mountain

By Brian “Flair” Kelley
Another Monday night is upon us and pro wrestling’s biggest show will be on, WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Will I be home to watch it? Well, there is a chance that I will come in late and watch it tomorrow. Maybe it could be a week later.

How, you may ask? Well, because of one of the greatest inventions since the TV, TIVO. TIVO allows you to set your TV to record a show prior to it coming on. With the push of a button you can have a season pass to all of your favorite shows such as Survivor and American Gladiators… and to boot you can even skip the commercials! Earlier today I asked myself how this technology shaped the way I have been able to watch wrestling.

It seems like only yesterday that I had a mere 3 channels living in the country. I would wait all week to watch pro wrestling on Saturday nights with All-Star Wrestling after Saturday Night Live. To see such stars as Harley Race, Bulldog Bob Brown, and Rufus R. Jones in action in towns that seemed like they were millions of miles away (though it was less than an hour’s drive at times) was a great treat. I came from a family that did not like wrestling, so there was no chance of going to see it live. If I was lucky, sometimes there would be a special WWF Saturday Night show with Hulk Hogan before my favorite All-Star Wrestling. I would be treated with back to back shows of my first love, pro wrestling. For some reason there were many times when All-Star Wrestling was a rerun, though. It was a lot better than the times when it wasn’t on at all and the western program “Branded” starring Chuck Connors took it’s place (to my chagrin).

I loved wrestling so much that I would wake up early on Sundays and skip church so that I could see if the weather was nice enough for a channel that broadcasted pro wrestling out of Texas. World Class Championship Wrestling would broadcast without a picture, but I could hear the play-by-play of wrestlers like One Man Gang and the Fabulous Freebirds. It brought excitement to my ears.

Then there was that day (I don’t remember the exact day) that All-Star Wrestling featured a wrestler that was brought in to defend his belt against the Central States’ best. I watched a wrestling show on TBS that Saturday evening at my Uncle’s that introduced me to the wrestler I would look up to, and embodied my pro wrestling love, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

The man was everything I wanted to be. He had all the ladies and he could really talk. His promos sold me, mainly because he told me he was the best and also had the belt to prove it. Yes, he made me believe… and boy, did he work me over! Anytime I could get in town on Saturday nights (which wasn’t very often) I turned on the TV to see what Flair had done. With the money I had earned by mowing yards and doing other odd jobs, I never missed an issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) at the newsstand. I swear, I would read them over and over again… always checking out the rankings in each organization and stories of dream matches like Flair versus Hogan.

I was fortunate enough to live in the coming age of the VCR, and if I got to rent an event such as Wrestlemania or Starcade then the show was months (if not years) old. That didn’t deter me from watching every match or promo on that tape over and over again, loving every minute of it.

One Christmas right before I turned 16, Santa brought me a VHS titled “Road Warriors: Tag Team Champs”. It was only 30 minutes long, but I got to relive the history of the tag team that introduced me to “Iron Man” and prompted a search through my father’s albums at the age of ten to find the album “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath. That jump started my love for Heavy Metal. If there ever was a perfect VHS then this was it, as you had the Road Warriors at their best. They nearly caused a riot as they destroyed a very young and future great Curt Hennig and his father Larry “The Ax” Hennig. All this and more can now be found easily on DVD in the WWE’S “Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag Team in Wrestling History”.

Fast forward to the present, and pro wrestling has changed considerably. It seems like there is a show on every day and a PPV every Sunday. I feel that there is possibly too much wrestling, but you can contribute some of my lack of interest to the fact that some of the magic has been taken out of the sport since Vince McMahon broke down and said that pro wrestling is in fact sports entertainment. I can’t really say that, though, because it has allowed me to know the wrestlers better as they are more accessible for autographs and pictures (which of course I enjoy).

The Internet Age has allowed me to keep up with all that is happening in the world of wrestling, keep in contact with fellow fans and build friendships with them along the way. I now know of shows that are headed my way farther in advance, and know more about the sport than ever. Many have complained about the impact of the Internet, but I must say it beats paying nearly $10.00 an issue for my beloved magazine PWI only to be given watered down information.

That brings us full circle to the beginning of my article and TIVO, the device that allows me to watch wrestling when I want. Once, I would hurry to make it on time to watch wrestling with my friends because I didn’t want to hear about it second hand. Now, my son always says “Dad, your not even watching it, your listening to the show while checking out the web”. He definitely has a point. If I hear something that appeals to me then I just push the rewind button, and truthfully I don’t see a whole match anymore due to that.

What once made shows like Saturday Night Live, David Letterman and any pro wrestling show special and “must see” has lost that pizazz with technology such as TIVO.

Times have changed, as they should, but at one time I took a break from wrestling for almost 10 years because of these changes. WCW closed the doors and my wrestling love was lost. Thankfully, my love for pro wrestling was reborn when I took a trip to Lawrence, Kansas to see an independent show put on by Central States Wrestling. It rekindled my love for the sport, and unlike TIVO or DVD, at a live independent show you need to keep all eyes focused. You never know what you may miss, because you can’t push a button to see it again. For that 3 hours you have the sport the way it should be.

I hope you enjoyed your first “Your Trip On Space Mountain” and I want to see you at a show soon.

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