More Olympics, less road to WrestleMania. Blah blah blah, maybe something will make me stop and hit play…. TONIGHT?!?!

Hopping time…

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I’ve barely slept all week, and I’m not feeling good. This won’t go well.

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IHWE Radio With Critically Acclaimed Wrestling Artist Rob Schamberger

Also Director of Jim Crockett Promotions The Good Ole Days Documentary, Michael Elliott

IHWE Radio February 12, 2014 (MP3, 1:28:49)

Good Day All.

My name is Dan Thompson and I come to you presenting the debut article of The RCW Report. Now I know your asking yourself

a)- Who the hell is Dan Thompson?

b)- What’s RCW?

c)- What are you doing here?

d)-Where’s Punk?

While unfortunately I can’t answer D for you  I can answer A,B,C . A)- While this is my BWF debut I have done some work on our hockey friends over at boredhockeyfan.com. Go read them if you want even if you don’t want to go and read them. b)RCW or Real Canadian Wrestling founded in 2005  is a Edmonton Alberta based local Wrestling promotion that also runs shows in Calgary (My hometown). c) I asked Gee Hall if I could write for this site he said NO! So I sent him a dozen red roses asking him again and he still said no saying ” Im an Oilers fan I prefer Blue Roses”. So I sent him blue roses and a very nice haiku. Finally he hooked me up with another BWF friend  Benson Simbirski who is doing the Media for RCW and I attended RCW-Shockwave  which took place this past saturday night at The Royal Canadian Legion #1 in downtown Calgary.

Without further adu lets start this thing.

The show starts off with the announcer Michelle Billington. Who was at one time married to Dynamite Kid. She introduces us to RCW Shockwave and announces the first match.

Scott Justice Vs Bucky Briggs.

Justice who hails from Melbourne Australia took on Bucky Briggs who hails from just up the road in Red Deer Alberta. Justice started by mocking our Cold Winters saying it’s to cold for him. Good match to start the night and it went about 12:00 minutes with Bucky Briggs winning with a Power Bomb finish.

The Black Cobra Vs Jose Suervo

Both of these Wrestlers came out in Masks. Suervo wrestles a very lucha based style and he is also one of the smaller stars on the RCW Roster but super over with the crowd. Lots of high flying moves and the end came when the ref got knocked down and The Black Cobra’s manager went to hit Suervo with her staff, He ducks and Black Cobra gets hit. Suervo covers Cobra and gets the win.

Vince Austin vs Jun Hado.

More of a bigger man match then the previous encounter. We see the finish when without the ref seeing Vince gets a foot on the rope and gets the pin. After the match Jun has a argument with the ref about the foot being on the rope. Even with the fans saying that Yes his foot was on the rope the ref’s decision has been made and the decision is final.

The O’brien Brothers Vs Kenny Johnson and Ravi.

I believe I got the names right for this match as at times it was hard to hear what was being said. So I do apologize if the names are wrong. The O’Brien brothers who came out each dressed like an American Flag did a lot of behind the back ref cheating and that is how they ended up winning the match via ref distraction.

Andre Williams Vs The Irishman.

Andre Williams who hails from Quebec and The Irishman who I say hails from Ireland. This match determined in Wrestling that Irish people are good guys while people from Quebec are bad. Williams plays to the crowd greatly and yells at them in French. We get a double count-out to end the match and The Irishman challenges Williams to a match on March 29th when they make there return to the Downtown Legion.

Dick Richards Vs Ryan Morgan.

Dick Richards played a great heel, He hails from England and has a great Wade Barrett style voice to him. The Classy Calgary crowd chants “You Suck Dick“ towards Richards. Ryan Morgan comes out being billed as “The Rookie of the Year“. Richards was one of the most over heel of the night and gets a pinfall victory in a very fun match.

`Beautiful` Bobby Fletcher Vs Barricade.

Before the match Michelle Billington lets us know not to believe anything Bobby Fletcher says. That brings out Bobby who claims that Michelle has been leaving him Love Notes in his bag. He also says that if anyone wants a ticket to “Bobbyland“ they can jump on the “Hardest Ride in the Place“.  The finish comes when Fletcher`s Bodyguard holds down Barricade`s legs from the outside and the ref pins 1-2-3.

15 minute Intermission.

Dynamite Dan Vs Scottly Crue.

Dynamite Dan who is comes to the Ring with his manager the Dynamite Doll (who is the daughter of The Dynamite Kid). They are battling one of my favorite wrestling names Scottly Crue. This is billed as a “Grudge Match“. Lots of back and forth and Dynamite Dan picks up the victory. I do not see this as being the last match between these to which is ok with me.

`Shockwave` Battle Royale.

Now it`s time for our Main Event. Michelle Billington says that any of the wrestlers who wrestled tonight are free to come to the ring for this Battle Royale. With the winner receiving a title shot against the RCW Champion Wavell Starr at the March 29th Card. The Final 2 end up being Ryan Morgan and Dick Richards who faced each other earlier on in the night. This time Ryan Morgan came out the winner after eliminating Richards. So Ryan Morgan will battle Wavell Starr for the Title.

Overall a fun show and they have 2 Calgary dates booked in the next 6 weeks. If your in the Calgary or Edmonton area check this promotion out. The Talent are always very interactive with the audience which always makes an indy show fun. Also listen to BWF Radio in the next few weeks as the Stars of RCW will be appearing on the show. Also type in Real Canadian Wrestling on the facebook and check them out there.

Well thats all for me. Also come back here to check out this very site in the next day or so as I will debut a new article tentatively called `Fantasy Island`Where I will do some fun realistic Fantasy Booking building to what I would like to see at Wrestlemania 30 and beyond.

For the mean time and in between time for boredhockeyfan.com. I am Dan Thompson!

See Ya Pals!

If you haven’t heard by now, the main event for tonight’s Monday Night RAW was announced last week.  I refuse to watch it.  Which means I’m not reviewing it either.  In fact, there will be no mention of this match in this review.  The participants may be referred to if they do something outside of the match, but that’s it.  If you give a shit about said main event, it’s probably on WWE.com and you can go watch it there.  It’s not even the fact that I don’t care too much for the two guys actually wrestling in the match (though that’s part of it), it’s moreso the fact that this is the match that we were supposed to PAY for in both December and January.  It’s been done.  I’m done with it.  Fuck it.  Let’s go.

I watch this show, and I often find myself questioning why, now moreso than ever.  What really is best for business?  Not listening to the fans?  I hope half the viewers changed the channel during the main event.  Read on.

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For a long time Austin, Texas has been a hotbed for professional wrestling. A new company has started in Austin within the past year called Inspire Pro. I had the chance to witness their debut show live, but I haven’t been able to return recently. Thankfully they have put entire shows up on Youtube (which can be accessed here).

We open the show with Paige Turner, who is one of my favorite characters in women’s wrestling. She would be a good fit for NCWFF or another character-driven promotion. She is a librarian who plays her part expertly.

First match: Pump Patrol (Jared Wayne & AJ Summers) vs. Reign or Shine (Alex Reigns & Moonshine Mantell)

This is my first time to see Pump Patrol as a team. They are some jacked-up guys. I have seen Jared Wayne before. He is a great story of a wrestler who has really toned up his body. I’ve heard lots about Summers. Wayne opened it up with a nice, quick promo. They antagonized the crowd and had some good zingers. ROS look to be some jacked-up wrestlers doing a kind of redneck trucker thing. I’ve seen Reigns before, and he is a very good technician. This is my first time to see Moonshine. We open it up with some comedy and an arm wrestling contest. ROS is composed of two beasts. The more I see Alex Reigns, the more I see a believability in him. This match was worth a watch. All 4 got a chance to showcase their talents with some good innovation. The win happened when Moonshine did a frogsplash, which that is a big boy to be doing a frogsplash, especially as fluid as it was.

Winner: Reign or Shine

After the match “The Texas Prodigy” Houston Carson comes out to congratulate the winners. If you have not had the chance to see Carson wrestle yet, he exudes such a cocky arrogance yet he makes you want more.

Second match: Carson vs. Scotty Santiago

I thought The Gambler facing the Giant in WCW on Worldwide had a better chance of winning this than Santiago. I thought we were going to have Goldberg-Rick Fuller, and instead Santiago kind of blew me away. I kept watching this thinking, “Okay, when is Carson going to do his finisher and get the pin?” But the match ended with Scotty doing a quick backslide for the pin.

Winner: Santiago

During the match I thought, “For a squash match, they sure aren’t burying this guy.” Turns out it wasn’t a squash match after all. After 18 years of watching wrestling, not a lot surprises me. This did.

Third match: Cherry Ramóns vs. Alexander Rudolph

Cherry is a really good heel, much hated by the fans. Rudolph does a huge Viking thing. He is an enormous hulk of a man. If he works on toning himself, I could see him going very far. During the match a manager came down to ringside to antagonize Rudolph. Apparently facing Cherry wasn’t antagonism enough. While this guy was distracting Rudolph, Cherry attacked from behind with a roll-up pin.

Winner: Cherry

This brought a lot of questions. Who is this man antagonizing Rudolph? Will he be there in the future? Will Rudolph joins this man’s tutelage? A good wrestling company gives you reasons to return.

Fourth match: James Claxton vs. The Great Depression

Words do not describe The Great Depression. It’s a large man in a burlap sack for a mask. I have no idea where this is going. It’s just so bizarre I got to see where it’s going. The Cowboy James Claxton is about 6’6″ of Texas toughness. I would have like to seen more of this match before it disintegrated. Rudolph stayed ringside during this match. Depression went outside to fight Rudolph and then Claxton went to join in on the festivities. This was not a match so much as an angle to set up a future match.

Winner: No contest

Fifth match: Legion (Gregory James, Morbidus and Blasphemer) vs. Downfall/Erick Shadows/Danny Chance w/Kat Green

I’ve had the chance to watch Gregory ever since he broke into this business. Blasphemer was formerly known as Jeff Gant, a very excellent little guy. I remember Downfall standing out to me the first time I saw him. This was your 6-man you’d see on a AAA show or a CHIKARA-type show. This was so well-put together. It was like a smooth, flowing lyrical piece.

Winner: Legion

After the match, Kat Green was confronted by Jessica James. James on my screen is always a positive thing. Looks like she’s part of the Legion faction? In comes Paige Turner to cut promos on the crowd.

Sixth match: Dagger Brothers vs. Barret Brown w/Bolt Brady & Sammy Guervera

I am not familiar with the Daggers or Sammy. At first impression, what I like most about them is that they look like a tag team. I’ve known Barrett’s work for about 2 years. The kid is nothing but spectacular. For those unfamiliar with his work, I use two names to compare him to in intensity: Davey Richards and Chris Benoit. And those are not names I use very lightly. The story here was Brown dealing with Guervera’s cockiness. Guervera is not going to be in a tag team. He left Barret in the ring to take the Daggers’ finisher.

Winner: Dagger Brothers

Now that is how you begin a feud.

Seventh match: JT Lamotta vs. Andy Dalton in a street fight

Dalton is perhaps the most underrated talent in Texas. The guy can do whatever is asked of him, whether it is heel or face. And the only thing rarer than a unicorn is a bad Andy Dalton match. This was also near the end of Lamotta’s very extensive career. He was saying good-bye as only wrestlers know how to do… tearing the house down with their swan song. The ring announcer began a disclaimer that if these men fought on the floor, get the hell out of the way. Dalton and Lamotta can wrestle beautiful technical matches. This was not one of them. This was an all-out, brutal brawl. I like how they spent some time building toward the table. There was a fork used as plunder. Terry Funk-Abdullah the Butcher would have been proud. There was a spot that BENT the chair and Lamotta kicked out, eliciting a “Holy s***” chant from the crowd, which should count for extra points for drawing that out of the Austin crowd. Out came Jordan Jensen to attack LaMotta with a plastic bag. Dalton hit the 3-count.

Winner: Dalton

That’s the match to beat for match of the night.

Eighth match: Mike Dell vs. Ray Rowe

Dell came out to the Halloween music and Michael Myers mask. Mr. Dell has found a way to make himself appear out of nothing and pop the crowds. I’ve had the chance to see him wrestle a few times. And being the fan of AIW, I know well Mr. Rowe from his time up there. Cleveland’s loss has definitely been Houston’s gain. This was two big powerful guys systematically dismantling each other for fun. Mike Dell has some great facials and charisma. This wasn’t finesse. This was mutilation.

Winner: Rowe

Dell was still very over with the crowd. Post-match, he was antagonized by Ricky Starks. I’d put Ricky as one of the best on the mic in Texas and perhaps one of the top all-around heels.

Ninth match: Robert Evans vs. Jojo Bravo

Robert Evans came out to a huge pop. Before he was RD Evans, Archibald Peck, Mixed Martial Archie and all his many incarnations, he was Robert Evans in Texas, one of the most charismatic heels. Gotta love a crowd that sings along to your theme song. Jojo is a star on the rise. It will just be a matter of time before we see him on an indy national stage. This was an excellent match filled with everything you could want, whether comedy or technical wrestling. This elicited a “That was awesome” chant from the crowd, also no small feat in an Austin crowd. The match was paused when Evans was deemed unfit to continue. The refs came around to help and all checked to make sure Evans was ok. It was all a great moment of sportsmanship and then you know what happened. Robert Evans attacked everybody and threw Bravo outside. The only time I’ve ever seen that done better is Rebecca Knox-Allison Danger at SHIMMER 3. Then the match kept continuing. I found myself asking, “Is this going to be it?” every near-fall.

Winner: Bravo

What a match. Definitely worth a view.

Main event: “Showtime” Scot Summers vs. “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Jordan Jensen

Summers is one of the top all-around wrestlers in Texas. I already previewed Starks. Jordan is a really good heel who concentrates on story rather than flashiness. Summers is just so brutal (in a good way). He will kill you with a headlock. He reminds me a lot of Bruiser Brody. Somehow Starks was able to pull off the major upset and pin Summers. Then Jensen, being the weasel-y heel that he is, pulled a surprise pin over Starks.

Winner: Jensen

I wanted to see Starks win, but this was well-done.

All in all… For more information on this company, you can go here. I was completely blown away by what I saw here. In many ways we are witnessing the future of Texas and quite possibly, the US. There’s so many things going right here. There are so many names worth watching: Starks, Summers, Bravo, Dalton, Guervera, Carson and especially Reigns (Spend some time watching that guy). And that’s just a few of them. All of this on Youtube for free.

I was really pleased with the production values. For a dark theater in an obscure corner of Austin that is the place that natural light goes to die, they do a pretty good job of lighting it up. I’d put it up against any other company not under a Smart Mark Video or a Highspots banner. Commentary is Eamon Paton and Rachel Summerlyn who I think do a good job discussing each wrestler and the goings-on in the match.

This company does a lot of right. Bring in big names (Chris Hero appeared in January, I saw Chuck Taylor for their first show), put guys out there who know how to wrestle and leave lots of unanswered questions that need to be answered at future shows to make the people come back. If you are in Austin, they are definitely worth a visit. If your appetite is missing something wrestling-wise, this may fill the void in which you’re missing.

BWFRadio 112

Jorge returns to BWF Radio, and the show goes off the rails – and off the air, apparently.  The site slowed to a crawl during the broadcast, but those who jumped on early were able to listen and chat with no problems.  Mark said bad words, prompting Joe to put in the chat “the BoredWrestlingFan program does not endorse or condone anything Mark says.”  We discuss the wrestling television of the week, do TWO break songs, then jump into the news, where we hear rumored names for the 2014 class of the WWE Hall of Fame.  We get the latest news on CM Punk.  Where does Daniel Bryan fit in at WrestleMania XXX?  And we pay our respects to a fallen member of WWE’s crew.  All this, and much more on BWF Radio!

BoredWrestlingFan Radio Episode 112 (MP3, 2:09:09)

This week’s break songs were as follows:

“Aeons” by David Larsen, which, of course, I can’t find a link to buy.
“Das Schützenfest” by Faith No More, which also turns out to be difficult to find.
“Craigslist” by “Weird Al” Yankovic – Buy it here!

The road to WrestleMania is currently down. Smackdown commences…

Look, I love wrestling. But I love the Winter Olympics more. Don’t expect much for three weeks. It’s FFW time, bitches.

Hopping time…

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Did you know I’ve been here for seven months now? It feel like it’s been seven years since I started reviewing TNA.

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