Mayhem at Midcities 4

It is hard to believe that Metroplex Wrestling has been in existence four years. They had one of the largest crowds I’ve ever seen them have tonight.

Dark Match: LLP vs. Jerome Daniels

This is LLP’s first match so he gets first-match immunity. I’m sure his family and friends are very proud of him, but he really needs to tell them not to cheer for him. I really liked how he ignored their cheers though. Overall I really liked what I saw from him. He looked pretty crisp and clean. He’s not too tall, but he has a nice look and some possible charisma. Jerome has wrestled so much he could carry a broom to a good first match.

Winner: Jerome

We were treated to a live performance by Tribal Evolution, a belly dancing troop. It was not really my cup of tea, as I pay to watch wrestling, not belly dancing. And the dance went on WAY too long. Kody and James Hawke came out to start the show. One of the fans made signs for all the fans that said, “WE ALL HATE YOU!!!!!!!” which you can see here. Kate was wearing what can best be described as an acid trip.

First match: Tad Wylde (c) vs. Team Flynamic vs. Double D’s & Glamour Hammer

There were so many layers in this match so forgive me for missing them. Kros was looking a little slimmer so it’s nice to see him looking more serious. Tadlock did a lot of the work during this match. He is really turning into one of the work horses of the company. Dax Daring was a “sell-a-maniac.” I don’t know why this guy isn’t main-eventing all over the state. Also much props to Nobe Bryant. He really is main-eventing all over this state, yet he is working in the first match on this card as part of a tag team to help Kenny. I call this giving back. They did the thing where they tagged in both members of Glamour Hammer. It would have been really cool had I not seen the Canadian Ninjas do it on SHIMMER 53. The champs were the first to go, which I thought was really nice. Ben Wylde went back in and gave Kenny a Kane-like chokeslam prompting the First Row (what I will christen our fans on the front row) to chant, “You killed Kenny.” Nobe and Kenny were quickly gone. Dax did an amazing splash that was more than halfway across the ring. We ended it with the Glamour Hammer finisher.

Winner and new champions: Glamour Hammer

Nigel Rabid came out to congratulate the new champs. Are these new members of the Rabid Empire? Both of these guys worked really hard to get where they are so I’m proud of both. Congratulations go out to them. We had a segment about Mike Foxx’s Performance Agreement/Contract with Steven Kirby and Kyle Davis. It went on way too long, and everybody knows the best wrestler in Texas is Athena. At least Steven Kirby had some nice laughs, and we got a Kyle Davis freakout, which is one of my favorite things.

Second match: Kristopher Haiden & Paige Turner w/Nigel Rabid vs. Danny Saint & Claudia w/ Puddin’

Puddin’ is a student of LuFisto’s Pegaboo‘s style of management. I’m liking Nigel having an empire. Paige Turner is such a good character with such good facials. I’ve also somehow never seen her wrestle before. I really liked Claudia’s crowd engagement. Plus, in honor of April 20 (4/20), Claudia did all her Rob Van Dam moves. Haiden played such a despicable heel and bully without ever crossing the line.

Winner: Haiden & Turner

The Money Man BC came out. His promo sounded kind of nervous but got better as time went on. His premise was good, and his motivation was there. Just none of the pieces came together immediately. He made an open challenge (which is usually where people get Murdoch). Out came Matt Palmer.

Third match: BC vs. Matt Palmer

This wasn’t much of a match so much as a story. Palmer got mad and wanted to use a chair. Jerome came out to stop him telling him he was better than that. Somehow Kate ended up on the apron. Palmer accidentally hit her with the chair. Palmer could only stare in shock. BC grabbed him for a roll-up and a pin.

Winner: BC

It was a huge angle. Everyone was convincing. This would have been the perfect time for an intermission. There was no announcer. I wonder if they knew there was an experienced announcer in the crowd, somebody who knew that Andy Dalton weighed 200 pounds from the Dirty South off the top of his head. And Scott Murdoch is from “Wherever in the World He Would Like to Be.” Well, Andy Dalton showed up and needed no ring announcer. He wanted Murdoch. Murdoch obliged.

Fourth match: Andy Dalton vs. Scott Murdoch in a bullrope match

Two weeks ago, I watched a beautiful technical match between Athena and Ayako Hamada. This was that match’s doppelganger. This was brutal, intense, emotional, bloody. This was two guys beating the s— out of each other. The bullrope was connected by a cowbell, drawing a “Needs more cowbell” chant. There were no words to give this match the justice it deserved. Andy Dalton’s bloody face told the whole story.

Winner: Murdoch

Murdoch went to the back. The fans cheered Dalton. I don’t know if we had a face turn, but Dalton deserved that ovation.

Fifth match: Frankie Fisher vs. Li Fang (c) w/ Nigel Rabid

This match had the unfortunate draw of being after a really heavy angle with Kate being carried out and a very emotional Dalton-Murdoch. I would have liked to see more humor used here. The storyline here was that if Frankie lost, his services would be under Nigel’s control. Li received streamers from the crowd. I’m not really sure why, but I will take it as a sign of respect and devotion. All I could think during this match was that this crowd needed an intermission. You had Frankie doing his thing, and Li doing his thing. Li won by using the ropes with Nigel holding him.

Winner: Li

So now Frankie is under the services of Nigel Rabid. Nigel is amassing quite the empire.

Sixth match: Carrion Arcane vs. Kyle Valo

I haven’t seen Kyle wrestle in forever. It was a nice, short match. Kyle had promised us a big surprise. I was thinking Naked Mideon, but no luck. It was a fireball. Those always make me nervous. It was a nice, short match. Revenge was complete.

Winner: Arcane

Main event: Barrett Brown (c) vs. Gregory James

The first match between these two was one of my match of the year candidates for last year. I’ve had a full night to think and mull over this match. I’m really quite close to calling it the best match MPX has ever had. As it began, I was near goosebumps. Do you know the last time an indy match I saw live gave me goosebumps? MPX has done the build-up right. The stare-down alone was worth it. I cannot describe how great this match was. The finish was great for a feud-starter. Greg grabbed Barrett’s mother’s camera (who works as ringside photographer) and used it on Barrett and then got the pin and won the title.

Winner and new champion: Greg

What an angle and what a match. Possibly the best match that I have seen MPX put up in 4 years of faithful attendance.

All in all… This ranks up there with the overall best show I have seen them have. Every match had a reason and a purpose. I’d put up Barrett’ and Greg’s match when it comes to build-up and emotion up against any match you might see at a Dragon Gate or PWG or Chikara show. Two matches I would classify as great and two title changes. Very well-done.

Metroplex Wrestling-Thank You, Kanoa April 6, 2013

Usually I don’t do too many recaps at one time because they take a lot out of me. Today I did a very grueling, emotional SHIMMER show, which you can read about here. And in the spirit of Wrestlemania weekend, I went to MPX tonight.

Dark match: Claudia vs. Livi La Vida Loca

Claudia seemed to be channeling LuFisto with bringing her Batman doll to ringside. It seemed like it had a name. We had some cute comedy in this beginning. The match centered around this doll. It was like I went to an SNL skit and a wrestling match broke out. During the rest holds, the crowd had the tendency to be lost. I’d like to see Livi work on keeping the crowd in it.

Winner: Claudia

After seeing a day full of SHIMMER, I’m kind of in a mode where I expect my women’s wrestling a little more serious. But it was a cute opener. We had our opening and introduce everybody. Hawke did better with his lines.

First match: “The Left Hand of God” Matt Andrews w/Kyle Valo vs. Carrion Arcane

So Arcane has been going through every member of the Following trying to get to Valo. This was not really the match I thought we were going to get. This was above and beyond where I thought it would be, being close to the sleeper match of the night. Andrews wrestled in a such a way that it didn’t look like Arcane vastly outmatched him size-wise. Andrews brings a lot of commitment to this character. What he lacks in build, he makes up for in performance. I’d take 100 Andrews over a single Chris Masters because of his ability to get a crowd to react.

Winner: Arcane

You have to give it to Arcane for taking a very predictable match and adding some depth to it. This is one of my reasons he’s always one of their MVP’s.

Second match: Li Fang w/Nigel Rabid vs. Zero the Antihero with Frankie Fisher as the guest referee

So we’re continuing the storyline that Nigel is getting to choose all of Li’s opponents. He chose Zero the Antihero who is MPX’s version of Barry Horrowitz. Zero spends a lot of time studying the business so he’s always a delight to watch. We had a rana, a plancha, a Steen cannonball. I heard the loudest kick I’ve ever heard from Li. Now the story of the match is that Frankie wants Li. Frankie did the Special Guest Referee gimmick where he would not count anything in favor of Li. It was REALLY funny. My only problem is that it went WAY too long. It was like watching a Family Guy episode and a wrestling match broke out. When Li was out of the ring, Frankie did a fast count to award Zero the win.

Winner by countout: Zero

It’s easy to call Zero the most over wrestler in the company. Fans were making the letter “Z” with their hands for him. If that is not over, change your definition. After the match, Nigel sat up a match with Frankie to where if Li won, Frankie’s services would belong to Nigel.

Third match: Dave Dunnings vs. Kenny Steele vs. Joshua City vs. Viktor Tadlock

So we had one of the members of every tag team in singles competition tonight. Kenny is looking a little bulkier and looked a lot crisper in the ring. I didn’t notice any botches tonight. Tadlock has a nice amateur background so I like watching him for what he uniquely brings. Tadlock had Kenny taken down and City did a catapult off Tadlock’s back. And the look on Tadlock’s face was priceless. Kenny took a really stiff spinebuster from Dunnings.

Winner: Kenny

They announced a 4-way elimination match for the next show tag match for the title the next show. This would have been a perfect time for an intermission (hint, hint). Gregory James and Barrett Brown were doing a “Pick Your Poison” thing where they were choosing each others’ opponents. Greg’s opponent was Scott Murdoch.

Fourth match: Scott Murdoch vs. Gregory James w/Kyle Valo

This is time for my public service announcement. If you have chest tattoos, do not wrestle Murdoch unless you are needing to get them retouched. You know that memo that says that wrestling is fake? Murdoch wiped his butt with it. Just when I think another wrestler has stiffer chops (Nobe Bryant, Josh Prohibition, Hailey Hatred), I see a Murdoch match. It’s also easy to forget how great of an athlete Greg is. He did a dive onto Murdoch that had insane Hang Time. I am renaming him Air Greg. The crowd was into this match the entire time. We had a move I am calling the Clothesline from Hansen, as Clothesline from Hell is already taken. There was an Andy Dalton video that played during the match that distracted Greg long enough to get the pin.

Winner: Greg

Fifth match: Kristopher Haiden w/Paige Turner & Nigel Rabid vs. Danny Saint w/Claudia

Haiden noticed a problem with the ring. So we had a scramble to fix the ring. Normally I’d be going nuts, especially with no intermission. However, earlier in the day I waited for a Internet PPV feed for them to assemble a steel cage. Steven Kirby wielded a sledgehammer whereupon I thought it should have been appropriate to play this. There was really nothing wrong with this match except I wanted an intermission. Haiden is looking a little slimmer. Saint has become a good “Everyman.” He has a certain Blue Collar style about him that connects with the people. While she has wrestled a few times, this is my first time to see Ms. Turner live. I LOVE her look. I also think that between her and Claudia, we might be in the midst of MPX’s first lady feud.

Winner: Saint

After the match, Haiden was mad at Nigel. He’s promised Haiden wins and he hadn’t delivered. Paige whispered something in his ear. It worked as she is now the Smack Whisperer. Nigel also gave Haiden an envelope which we can only assume had money in it. I’m think that or negatives of the pictures Baby Doll had to blackmail Dusty Rhodes.

Sixth match: Barrett Brown vs. Apoc

Yes, that Apoc. Apoc has been a bit of a mainstay in the Dallas-Fort Worth indies scene for a long time. He had been out of the business for a few years, so the reaction was mixed. There were a lot of fans who didn’t know who he was. But for those of us who knew the name, this was a huge return, like a Mike Foxx or a Franco D’Angelo returning. He cut a quick promo about how he was on a self-imposed exile until he found something worth returning for. So Apoc came back to make Barrett. He had some killer chops on Barrett which were sold best by Barrett’s mom who was ringside as photographer. (And I don’t she was selling so much as reacting.) It was a nice “passing of the torch” match. The crowd was riveted and into it. It ended when Greg came in to attack Barrett.

Match: Ruled no contest

Main event: Mike Foxx w/Kyle Davis vs. Kanoa in a Street Fight where the loser left MPX

My favorite part of this match was that for once I had no idea who was going to win this. Being as deep into wrestling as I am, it isn’t very often that I’m able to be left in the dark when it comes to a result. So matches where I don’t know the result like Punk-Cena at Money in the Bank, Steen-Corino at ROH a few years ago, those matches, I get to sit back and watch as a fan. This was a great plunder match filled with lots of Kendo Sticks and chairs. The near-falls were aplenty. We had a Van Terminator from Kanoa onto Mike Foxx. We had a chairshot to the head from Kyle onto Kanoa. I’ll spare the soapbox sermon on chairshots since there was only one. There was a senton from Kanoa onto an empty ladder which hurt me to watch.

Winner: Foxx

We thanked Kanoa for his time and went around to hug and thank everybody.

All in all… I thought this was a pretty good show. Andrews-Arcane pretty much stold the show. Zero-Li was a really entertaining match. And the return of Apoc was a great surprise. The build-up to Greg-Barrett is probably the best build-up I’ve seen them do.

A Ruff Look at SHIMMER Vol. 53

This is a really big moment for SHIMMER. They have had their model of how they did business for a long time. For a lot of the fans who can’t afford trips to Illinois or New York but can afford the $15 for an Internet Pay Per View, this is a really special thing for us to be able to witness live.

1. Mia Yim vs. Amazing Kong

It was great to see both back, as I haven’t seen either recently. This was big girl-little girl match. You had Kong destroy and Mia sell. I had computer issues during this match itself. Something with needing to use a laptop made in this decade. So I didn’t quite get the look at this match I wanted to. I missed the finisher.

Winner: Kong

Interview with Serena-There was a run-in by Jessicka freakin’ Havok. My wife walked in and said, “That sounded like an orgasm.” I did NOT see that coming. Do you know what the possibilities are here? Jessicka is probably the best wrestler in the world not in SHIMMER. I tried explaining to my wife that this was the equivalent of AJ Styles showing up on Raw.

2. Cherry Bomb & Kimber Lee vs. Veda Scott & Shazza McKenzie

This match surprised me. This was my first time to see Kimber as a heel. Cherry/Kimber did a great job of wrestling a heel style. Veda/Shazza were great as a tag team. They have a natural chemistry you can’t teach. I was kind of disappointed in the length this match was here. I’d love to have seen more development in a story.

Winner:  Shazza & Veda

3. Rhia O’Reilly vs. Evie vs. Kalamity vs. Christina Von Eerie vs. Yuu Yamagata

This match alone is worth the purchase. It was a GREAT debut for Evie. She had some great kicks. Kalamity is great for what she does, just that little spitfire full of fight. And Von Eerie was sporting long, not-mohawked hair. Plus, she is so crisp and refined in the ring. If you’ve never seen any of these 5, this match would be a great sampler for any of their work.

Winner: Von Eerie

4. Mercedes Martinez vs. Ayumi Kurihara

Some good emotion for this match as it was Kurihara’s last match in the US (if I am correct). Mercedes did quite the beatdown on Kurihara. The crowd reaction made this match worth it. The story was that the two were so even. A well-received “That was awesome” chant.

Winner: Mercedes

A great show of class by the fans chanting “Arigato” after the match.

5. Jessicka Havok, Sassy Stephanie & Nevaeh w/ M. Rochelle vs. Regeneration X & Serena Deeb w/ Daffney

Regeneration dressed as Jay and Silent Bob. Nice. Serena looked great, did a lot of bumping. When the crowd became a little quiet, Alison got them back with one move. They are teasing a Serena-Havok feud. There was a Havok chokeslam that was the best one I’ve seen since WCW’s The Giant.

Winner: Re-X & Deeb

Jessicka continued an EPIC beatdown. Now THAT is how you start a feud!

6. Jessie McKay vs. Madison Eagles

Forgive me as I swoon over McKay. The beginning was very nice, as it showed how alike these two were. This match was a feat of athleticism. This match was really what SHIMMER does best: two athletic women having a physical contest. This match is a definite recommend.

Winner: Eagles

7. Made in Syn vs. Kellie Skater & Tomoko Nakagawa vs. LuFisto & Kana vs. Canadian Ninjas

Made in Syn is just too much prettiness for one team to contain. Skater & Nakagawa are awesomeness as a tag team. I would like to never step into a ring with LuFisto or Kana. And the Canadian Ninjas are greatness. The Nakagawa-Kana stuff was great. Made in Syn did some Dusty Rhodes clubberin’. Allysin took a lot of lumps and I hope people are noticing she is earning her place. LuFisto took a really bad moonsault. How she is still alive I’m not sure. Made in Syn were first eliminated followed by LuKana. The Canadian Ninjas won by spitting the water in Skater’s face for once.

Winner: Ninjas

8. Athena vs. Ayako Hamada

It is so surreal to see the wrestler at my local indy who got started around where I started watching wrestling to be taking on a Japanese legend. This began with some GREAT mat wrestling. Athena got some insane kicks from Hamada. Holy crap. THIS was a match. I’m pretty sure this is going to be the best match I’m watching this weekend. If you watch no other match this weekend, watch this match.

Winner: Athena

With the exception of the 4-way ladder match from AIW, this is my choice for Match of the Year.

9. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Saraya Knight

Saraya’s entrance is one of the best in wrestling. There is no more convincing heel. The crowd was madly in love with this match, which the crowd was kind of hit-or-miss. The match was really good, but it had the misfortune of being after Athena-Hamada. The ending was an incredible huracanrana that saw Cheerleader Melissa get the pin.

Winner (and new champion): Cheerleader Melissa

All in all… It will be interesting to see how this plays out on DVD. First of all, Athena-Hamada was the match of the afternoon and perhaps the Match of the Year. Melissa-Knight was a great emotional story. If you are wanting to know how to be a heel, study Saraya Knight. The 4-way tag match was really fun and really good story-telling. The Aussie battle was like watching some athletic spectacle. The 6-woman match was great for the history of Havok being in the SHIMMER ring and for Re-X as Jay and Silent Bob. Each match brought something unique and distinctive. If you find a replay, well worth the watch.

WSU-An Ultraviolent Affair

This is episode 2 in the new era of WSU, which can be found here. I remember that nature did not smile on this show as it faced a horrible blizzard. We headed right into the action. It would have been nice to get a little bit of characterization to prepare ourselves for the night.

Jessie Brooks w/Sammy Geodollno vs. Nevaeh

The last WSU show found Jessie Brooks teaming up with Sammy Geodollno. I think they are a good pair on paper. I am intrigued how they will mesh as a team. And I’m not sure how this has never happened before, but this is my first chance to see Nevaeh wrestle. Sammy provides a lot of energy which counteracted with Brooks’ slow, methodical entrance. It reminds me a lot of Mark Henry in that an inevitable beating is about to arrive. (And there is no comparison between body types there so please do not kill me.) Brooks just looks mad and pissed-off, which I think is a great place for a leading heel to be. As the match started, the crowd was a little dead, and Nevaeh listened to the crowd and tried to get them moving. I’m not sure that these two have worked together very often. There were some awkward moments in the match. Nevaeh wrestled a heel style so I really wasn’t sure who I was supposed to go for. The ending came out of nowhere for me, so that’s pretty positive. I’m not really sure about the booking of the first match. The crowd was quite dead during this match, so that might have affected me enjoying this match as much as I could have.

Kimber Lee vs. Christina Von Eerie

Kimber Lee is the quintessential “girl next door” and Von Eerie is the antithesis of everything Kimber Lee is. This would be a very interesting feud should it ever happen. Kimber was wearing her Moolah tights. We started off with some exciting mat wrestling. We got to see a good showcase for Von Eerie. I think she really shined here. Von Eerie is one of the best athletes in women’s wrestling (with respects to Athena). I would have liked to see more offense from Kimber.

Niya vs. Veda Scott

I really like Niya, and Scott is one of my favorites to watch in the ring. One would have to call Scott one of the best all-around workers in wrestling. She is such a good heel. Niya had a lot of sassiness in her entrance. I liked it. We started out with an “at-the-bell” attack by Scott. We had Jana as ref, which was great to see. Niya really got the chance to fly around. Veda got the chance to bump and do her thing as only as she can. She plays the despicable heel role so well. This was easily the best of the first 3 matches. This match had a story and a reason to care.

Cherry Bomb vs. Kalamity

So we have my very favorite vs. one of the most unique wrestlers in the indy scene. Kalamity didn’t do a lot to get the crowd on her side. Cherry Bomb is a very over heel in CZW so she fit right in. If you like Grumpy Cherry, there were plenty of great facials. There was some good entertainment to start off the match including the greatest insult of all time-”You look like an Oompa Loompa.” Cherry Bomb kept the crowd hating her. Watching her during the opening minutes is a clinic on how to get the crowd to hate you. If you like a stiff SHIMMER-style match, this is your match. Cherry Bomb also kept the crowd engaged, never giving up on heckling them or yelling at them. This crowd was as dead as can be. However if there was any life up to this point, it awakened during the Cherry match. I found this to be a really good match, my favorite up to this point. (Pretend I’m not the biggest Cherry Bomb fan but) I would definitely recommend this DVD for this match.

Addy Starr vs. Chris Dickinson

I love Addy Starr, but why is there a guy here? I’ve never seen Dickinson so I will be happy to see him, but why is he wrestling in Women Superstars Uncensored? Dickinson took the mic and cut a really good heel promo. I love Addy’s energy. She brings so much to a crowd. This wasn’t my favorite intergender match, but Addy flopped around like a rag doll. She took a powerbomb that I wowed out loud for. The near-fall portion was really good.

Spoiler alert: I hated the finish. Why is this on Women Superstars Uncensored? It just seemed out of place. Dickinson won and got the pin. How does that help out THIS company? I just don’t see where it’s going yet.

Athena vs. Jessicka Havok

Would I be out of place to say my expectations for this are sky high? You have two of the top female wrestlers on the planet going at it here. This match got the time it needed. Up to this point, I didn’t feel the matches had gotten the time they needed to tell their stories, other than Cherry-Kalamity. There isn’t a lot to say. It was nearly twenty minutes of two of the top talents in wrestling doing their thing. This match alone would have been worth the price of purchasing it.

LuFisto vs. Mercedes Martinez

This first meeting between these two was my choice for 2012 Match of the Year. So you can imagine my expectations for this are pretty high too. Plus, this was Falls Count Anywhere. If I’m correct, this was in a hockey arena. This match took place in an ice skating rink. This was a match where you bumped on ice. I played broomball once in high school. I fell smack dab on the back of my head and haven’t been on the ice since. These women fought on the ice on purpose. There were some snap suplexes that made me hurt watching them. What an epic follow-up. I dare say this match topped the first. This match alone is worth the price of the DVD.

All in all… I know that circumstances were way against WSU when trying to put forth this show, and no one would have blamed them for cancelling. But they put forth a really good show. Not every match was epic, but I’m not sure they were given the time they needed. I would like to have seen more character development. Just give me a minute for Havok to tell me why she chose Athena, postmatch of Mercedes explaining her actions, why the Dickinson-Starr feud.

I liked Cindy Rogers on the mic. WSU needs a consistent color commentator so I’d like to hear more of her there. You had three really strong matches (And the Starr-Dickinson match was good; I just hated the story.), one of which bordered epic and another was the poster child of epic. I would definitely recommend this DVD.

Remembering Paul Bearer

Today I read the news: Paul Bearer passed away. I remember when I first started watching wrestling was just before Wrestlemania XII. And one of the most unique characters of that time was Paul Bearer. I was a huge Undertaker fan and still am. Out of the wrestlers I mark out for the most-Piper, Double-A, Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer-few of them compare to the mark-out feeling I get when I see the Undertaker. The Undertaker was unique. He had one of the greatest ring presences to ever grace our screens, with respect to Flair. And when it came to aura and mystique, there were few who could touch The Undertaker, if anyone.

So why am I talking about The Undertaker when I’m reflecting on the Life of Paul Bearer? Well, it was hard to separate the two. As imposing and terrifying as the Undertaker was, Paul Bearer was the other half of him. You could not have had the Phenom Undertaker without Paul Bearer in his early days. They tried with Brother Love, but the character just missed something in the early days. It wasn’t until Paul Bearer became part of the Undertaker’s character that the character clicked. Eventually the time came for Paul to break away and the Undertaker soared, but without Paul, I’m not sure we would have seen the Undertaker we have now.

One thing that stands out to me is how Paul was able to take anything, no matter how awful and make it into something good. Let’s face it. The Impostor Undertaker storyline in ’94 is one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever seen in wrestling. (And I’ve lived through Katie Vick, Kane-Shane McMahon and The Giant falling off Cobo Hall yet winning the world title.) Yet with all the players involved-Ted DiBiase, Brian Lee, The Undertaker & Paul Bearer-they made my inner kid believe in everything going on. Take the Kane storyline. Out of nowhere Paul Bearer was revealed to be the father. As preposterous as that sounded, through that interview with Jerry Lawler where they didn’t know the camera was running, he put together all the pieces. There was his return in the mid-2000’s that caused him to be buried alive in concrete by the Undertaker himself. With respect to all involved, there wasn’t anyone who could salvage that.

The Undertaker and Paul Bearer were something special. How many times has the WWE tried the supernatural thing since then to little or no success? Mordecai? The Boogeyman? Kevin Thorn the Vampire? Countless other names I can’t remember because of their failure? Due to the stage presences of both men, they were able to make this something special and make countless dollars off this.

There were so many great memories from him. There was the aforementioned Impostor Undertaker storyline. There was the feud with Diesel where Diesel did the unthinkable. He put his hands on Paul Bearer. That was back in ’96 when things still mattered. There was the Paul Bearer turn that broke my heart for a long time. Kane didn’t have much of a shelf life. Paul helped to give him fuel that kept him around today. There was the surprise appearance at Wrestlemania XX, where I remember marking out like a little kid for seeing him again. In 2010, Undertaker once again feuded with Kane. I remember seeing turning to Smackdown (which is something I never do), and I waited for him to appear from the casket. I was like a little kid watching him over and over again.

He had so many signatures. There was the “Ohhhhhh, yyyeeeeeeesssssssss” he was so famous for. I still do that. It’s not at the same level as “Brother” or “What?” but it’s still pretty impactful. When I was telling my wife he had passed away this morning, I described him as the “Oh, yes” guy. (And yes, I did it in his voice, or my feeble attempt at his voice.) I still remember how he would say, “The urn.” Any time I hear the word urn, I immediately think about him. And that voice was so eerie and so spooky. With respect to the Macho Man, it was probably one of the most recognizable voices of his time.

I never had the chance to meet Paul Bearer. I swear I had to have seen him live a time or two. (My first ever then-WWF show had a Kane appearance that must have been around Badd Blood ’97, so I think Bearer was there. It was just a long view from where I was.) I used to follow him on Facebook and after the birth of a grandchild, there were comments congratulating him and wishing him well. He took the time to like every one’s comments, including mine. I know it may have been little, but I thought it was pretty awesome. In the pre-Attitude era and in the Attitude era, there were fewer personalities who made a bigger impact. Brother Bearer, Uncle Paul, Mr. Pringle, thank you for your time on this Earth.

Absolute Intense Wrestling Girls Night Out March 1, 2013

I’ve been watching AIW for over a year. They are without a doubt my favorite wrestling promotion outside of Texas. Matter of fact, I spend most of my time trying to get my wife to take me up there for a birthday or something. We’re still working on that. One thing I’ve told them since I’ve started watching is that they needed iPPV. There is nothing worse than hearing about this great show, waiting for it to come out on DVD, buying it and waiting for it to be shipped. (Ok, I guess the DVD never arriving is worse, but it can be pretty annoying.) Not only did they take the risk of doing an iPPV, but it was their Girls Night Out event.

There were plenty of risks. First and foremost what would the stream be like? Ring of Honor is a top caliber company and they can’t get a stream working. I’d never gotten a Smart Mark Video stream before so I was pretty nervous. We began with the first match.

First match: Addy Starr vs. Sassy Stephanie

Addy Starr has really improved over the past few years. She has an IT factor that I see. She has an infectious enthusiasm that comes out during her matches. AND I love the All-American Canadian gimmick. Stephanie is a very good soldier and has done a very good job to help create the lady wrestlers in AIW. I think she’s one of wrestling’s greatest villains, male or female. The match was pretty decent. The two gelled together and had pretty good chemistry. I was a little shocked by the match length and the outcome.

Winner: Starr

Second match: Athena vs. Kimber Lee

What I first thought of when these two locked up is that this could be billed as “The Battle Between the Girls Next Door.” Both just have that sweet “girl next door” feel. I was very impressed by the work here. No secret I’m a huge Athena fan, and I think she’s one of the best out there. We had a nice stiff match that was very entertaining. Really wish it would have been a little longer. No shock with the outcome.

Winner: Athena

Third match: Veda Scott w/Gregory Iron vs. Leva Bates

Veda and Greg began with cutting a lengthy promo, which I couldn’t hear because I can only not hear indy wrestling promos and my wife telling me to pick up milk on the way home from work. Leva showed up as Daredevil, which was a painful reminder that Ben Affleck had a career in between Good Will Hunting and Argo. The match itself was one of my favorites of the first 4. Veda is one of the best when it comes to matwork. I could watch her do her grappling/submission all day. And I love Leva’s bumping. It’s reminiscent of Shawn Michaels. I saw this one coming from a mile away. Veda with the win.

Winner: Scott

Fourth match: Annie Social w/The Social Network vs. Crazy Mary Dobson

I’ve seen Social look more impressive than she did tonight. She also looked like the puppies were about to break free, which normally I wouldn’t mind except for the fact I have Google with unlimited opportunities. It might be time to look for a safer, more flattering outfit. Dobson has been spending some time overseas, and a lot of that work is showing in her matches. The match was pretty good here. We had some brawling outside the ring. But other than that, this was a pretty clean match from Dobson. We all know she can do the Pondo Death Match style. But here she wrestled an actual match concentrating on in-ring work. Well-done by both.

Winner: Dobson

Don’t know why, but I didn’t see Dobson winning this one. So two of the first 4 matches were surprises for me. AIW tried something different that I usually don’t see. During the intermission, they gave us a bonus match from Girls Night Out 6 between Jenny Rose & Hailey Hatred, which was one of my favorite matches of 2012. There were some glitches here and there (and I mean everywhere) with the bonus match, but I thought they were genius for giving a bonus match during the intermission.

Fifth match: Jodi D’Milo vs. Angelus Layne

I was really anticipating this match, as I have never seen either wrestle and had only heard of Layne. I wasn’t that impressed by Layne’s look. The hair didn’t do it for me, looked out of a Mad Max movie (and judging by my Twitter feed, I WAS alone). When it came to the in-ring work, I was an immediate fan of D’Milo. She was stiff, strong, had some good kicks. I liked Layne’s in-ring style. In my opinion, the one who shone here was D’Milo, but Layne is the bigger name, so it makes sense that she get the win and continue at AIW. Easily better than any of the first 4 matches.

Winner: Layne

AIW has done pretty well about discovering Canadian wrestlers: Ethan Page, Josh Alexander. Add Jodi D’Milo to that list.

Sixth match: The Social Network (Nikki St. John and Heidi Lovelace) vs. Angeldust and K.C. Warfield

Sammy Geodollno is really growing on me as a manager. Lovelace is improving a lot and I’m liking her hair longer. Angeldust and Warfield worked well as a team. Warfield has also improved a lot in her in-ring work. She carried most of the load tonight. And St. John is this graceful, beautiful, athletic goddess (Sorry, Athena). I admire her in the same way I do Courtney Rush, just a stunning athlete. Nikki and Heidi spent most of the match brutalizing Warfield. This was a nice diversion from the rest of the night and gave us a storyline reason to come back.

Winner: Social Network

Seventh match: Allysin Kay (c) vs. Mickie Knuckles

This sure was “Don’t worry, it happens to lots of guys” booking. Mickie never lost the title. She relinquished the belt after finding out she was pregnant. How does this match not get more build-up? This is a huge freaking deal. I don’t think Mickie got enough of a chance to shine here. I love Allysin. She’s my favorite in-ring female wrestler. Watching her in the ring is a thing of beauty. I’m not sure how it looked to anyone else, but it was like a poetic masterpiece to me. Allysin looked like a star here.

Winner: Kay

Main event: Addy Starr vs. Athena vs. Veda Scott vs. Mary Dobson in a 4 Way Ladder Match for the #1 Contendership

What can you say about this match? You had 4 of the best in their craft going at it. They made this title seem important. I can’t decide where this match goes in my all time favorite female matches. Maybe top 3. Crazy Mary channeled Terry Funk. Addy really stood out in this match and really had a scene-stealing night. This is perhaps the best match I’ve seen from a Girls Night Out event and is probably my first choice for match of the year for 2013, male and female. This match alone was worth the price several times over.

Winner: Scott

All in all… The stream worked! I think that is the biggest victory.

The main event made up for an okay show. For what I’ve come to expect from AIW, this was not the strongest complete Girls Night Out event. If you have never seen AIW, if you are a fan of any of these wrestlers, and if you’ve only ever watched WWE Divas matches, this is a must own. The main event was great. I liked the Kay-Mickie match and D’Milo-Layne.

Allysin Kay and Veda Scott should be a really good match. There is some really nice buildup on the way.

Why I’m Mad-Wrestling Fan Edition

This is a rant, but it’s also a plea of some kind. You see, I am a wrestling fan. More specifically, I love independent wrestling. Even more specific than that, I love women’s independent wrestling. I watch it all: SHIMMER, WSU, Shine, AIW, Anarchy Championship Wrestling, some Japanese action when I get the chance. I know that the true women wrestlers work very hard to get where they are today, and oftentimes they work even harder with more scrutiny.

Let me begin by stating how this rant began. I went to an independent wrestling show this weekend. The show had a special women’s match feature. It had a nationally-recognized name taking on an up-and-comer in what was a really anticipated match (at least for me). There were some idiot fans. We’ve all been to shows where these guys show up. It’s usually 4 guys.  They look like they shower once a time change and shave every 9 days. They are the typical smarks that wrestlers picture in their head of the guys who sit on their hands saying, “Entertain me.” They won’t be happy until there’s a 990 splash. You know who I’m talking about.

I’m all right with a little heckling. It’s a paying fan’s right to do whatever they want with their experience. There was a guy who yelled, “What are they doing out of the kitchen?” It’s funny if it’s your type of humor. I can shrug it off. There comes a point where it crosses the line from funny to personal.

Maybe it’s the WWE’s fault for treating their Women’s/Diva’s Division like an afterthought, but wrestling fans can often treat women’s divisions like an afterthought because that’s what they were taught. We still expect the kind of matches that would make Joey Styles yell, “Cat fight.” I’ve watched plenty of women’s matches. The ones I watch don’t have hair pulling. They aren’t glorified catfights. Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay matches are some of my favorite to watch. There is no hair-pulling in those matches. These women spend hours working in the ring to perfect their craft and for it not to be considered an afterthought.

What bothered me the most was that these fans went after one of the female wrestlers’ weight. Was this the skinniest wrestler in the world? She wasn’t Kellie Skater or Angel Dust. She wasn’t any worse than what you’d see in one of the big companies I mentioned above. The irony is that the fan who was making comments was about three times the wrestler. There’s a lot of things my mother told me to never say to a woman. Comments about her weight are in the top 3. If the fans were wanting to make fun of wrestlers’ weight, there were plenty of male wrestlers they could have made comments at who had legitimate guts. Why out of all the matches, did these fans think THIS was the match they needed to throw out weight comments? There is such a misogynistic, chauvinistic culture that pervades the wrestling industry. There are women who go out there and bust their tails. They deserve to be thought of as more than pieces of tails.

I say this as a women’s wrestling fan, but I also say this as a father of a little girl. She doesn’t know much about wrestling. She calls all wrestling SHIMMER, she likes it when I say, “Oh, what a rush” and knows who AJ Styles is because Daddy met him after a show once. Women wrestlers are somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, somebody’s girlfriend/wife and some are even somebody’s mother. They need to be treated as such.

I know I’m preaching to the choir on this one, so my apologies. The problem fans probably stopped reading after I mentioned that women’s wrestling is a serious thing. It just bothered me that two women gave everything to be paid back by a group of hecklers. I know the WWE has made their women to be afterthoughts. This is the indies. Our women are not afterthoughts. They matter.