This week on BoredWrestlingFan Radio, Joe, G, JT, and Mark are joined by Senior director of Marketing and PR for Cirque Du Soleil, former ECW personality Lou D’Angeli, previously known as Sign Guy Dudley and Lou E. Dangerously. Lou talks about getting his start in the wrestling business through ECW, who came up with the Sign Guy Dudley character, the origins of Lou E. Dangerously, and much more. He talks about life in Las Vegas, plugs a band, and talks hockey with us as well. We span his entire wrestling career, including WWE’s version of ECW, so you don’t want to miss this!
In the news, we talk about Vince McMahon’s appearance on the “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network, as well as CM Punk’s follow-up appearance on The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana. We reveal other wrestlers who could have died under the watch of the WWE medical staff. We give you the latest updates on legal matters surrounding Heath Slater, Teddy Hart, and former OVW talent Rip Steel. We’ve got news surrounding Impact Wrestling and Global Force Wrestling. Plus, CM Punk is headed to the octagon for UFC. All this and much, much more! Tune in!
This week on BWFRadio, we talk about the fallout from WWE Survivor Series, including the arrival of Sting, which the crew is split on as far as how big of a deal it actually was. We discuss the following night on RAW, and our thoughts about the Anonymous RAW General Manager returning next week, despite having been revealed as Hornswoggle a while back. We praise Lucha Underground as a must-see show for wrestling fans.
In the second half, we talk about what everybody is talking about – CM Punk’s appearance on Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast. We try to be objective as we talk about such topics as Punk’s accusations against WWE’s doctor (including a story from 2010 revolving around last week’s guest Charlie Haas), Triple H’s reputation for not putting talent over, and of course Ryback’s botches in matches and spots with Punk.
Also in the news, Yoshi Tatsu is injured at the hands of AJ Styles, Scott Steiner signs with Global Force Wrestling, Jeff Hardy can work Canada (with some restrictions), and Mike Tenay may no longer be doing commentary when IMPACT returns on Destination America in January. All this and more on BWF Radio!
“I am the pretty ballerina.” (Caption by ThatDamnDoubleC)
This week on BWF Radio, the crew are joined by indy star “The Handicapped Hero” Gregory Iron, who talks about his start in professional wrestling, being inspired by Zack Gowen, his friendship with Johnny Gargano, and the infamous moment in Chicago with CM Punk and Colt Cabana. We get into Gregory’s wrestling DVD collection and talk about the benefits of owning physical copies over digital media such as the WWE Network. In the news, we talk Phil Brooks on Talking Dead, learn why G is now calling the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal the “ARMBAR,” and learn about a surprising substance now banned by the WWE. Brooke Tessmacher returns to social media, and Le’d Tapa leaves TNA. We learn the value of stock held by higher up members of the WWE. All this, and much, much more.
Alright. I feel like shit. My back hurts, my wrist hurts, and I’m not even going to be around for BWF Radio this Sunday to read this review. Quite simply, this review is going to suck. Deal with it.
I watch 30 minutes of this show, then go to work, watch the rest at work, and write about it. Or some shit like that. Look, do you want to know what happened on RAW or not? Read on.
Well, this was a huge night for MPX. This is by far their biggest crowd, and there were lots of new faces. So for anybody who might doubt them, Colt Cabana & Jimmy Jacobs are draws. I was somehow able to convince my lovely wife (whose favorite part about indy wrestling is I leave the house for the night) to join me for this night. As somebody who’s been with this company nearly from the beginning, it was amazing to see how far they’ve come.
Dark match: JD Kross vs. Jerome Daniels
Daniels is my wife’s favorite patient after one time he had a concussion and she was the nearest nurse. Kross needs to work on the physique. Guts are fine. They just need to look like they’re getting smaller. Ben Wylde is someone who’s spent a lot of time working on his physique, and not that he’s Chris Masters, but there’s improvement. Jerome was great in front of the live crowd. With exception given to Palmer, he is probably the best at keeping the live crowd engaged. The move of the match was this corkscrew kick. I had an Oh, wow moment when it happened. Jerome put on the hold and made Kross tap out.
Winner: Daniels
We had the introduction of the commentators. The crowd still did not react to Hawke. I wonder if it’s because his current entrance doesn’t do anything to solicit boos. Oddly enough, the one fan who boos him sat behind me.
First match: Kanoa w/ Kyle Davis vs. Gregory James w/Kyle Valo vs. Matt Palmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Well, one cannot accuse Jacobs of any ego issues as he worked the first match on the card. Palmer is looking a little more chiseled. If you’re reading this for the first time, and you have not ever seen a Matt Palmer match, go to www.smartmarkvideo.com & check out an Anarchy Championship Wrestling DVD. He is one of the best wrestlers in North America you’re not watching. I’m going to use a name that Kyle Davis reminds me of and I do not use this name lightly-Paul Heyman. There are so many ways that he parallels what Heyman is capable of. Palmer-Jacobs was great. These guys have worked before and were totally even. My inner smark was quite happy seeing this. During the match, Kyle received a call on his cell phone (Paul Heyman much?) and took the mic. Mike Foxx had arrived and Kanoa had to leave the match to help Foxx prepare. Looks like we might be doing a build to a Kanoa face turn. I’m not quite sure Kanoa as a heel has run its course yet. After Kanoa left, the three remaining continued their really good match. Greg was able to jump in and do the flip-floppy moves. Jimmy bumped and sold like a pro. Total class act. I wrote down that it was a good match and wanted more.
Winner: Greg
They’ve been leading towards Barrett and Greg forever. With the build-up they’ve given this, this should be one of the most anticipated matches ever. They did a pretty funny vignette where Steven Kirby was trying to explain to Frankie Fisher who his opponent was going to be. Cute.
Second match: Athena vs. Jordynne Grace
So I was really looking forward to this match. Athena is a darling of the indies, and I think with time, so could Grace. The fans were not very forgiving in this match. This is not the most perfect match I’ve ever seen the two have, and to be honest there were a few botches, but every match had one just about. I’m not sure how many times these two have worked together, but I know the chemistry can be hard until you find it. The fans were brutal and heckled some pretty awful things. There was a guy who legit weighed 3 times Grace yelling out,” Jenny Craig.” And Grace works really hard on her physique and does not deserve that from the crowd. I think this will be a full blog topic later on, because I’m still pretty steamed. Nevertheless, Athena was Athena and proved why she is one of the top talents in the world. And I thought Grace did some pretty incredible stuff in the ring. She had some nice, hard-hitting, stiff moves. They won chops of the night until Danny Saint.
Winner: Athena
I think there is enough talent in Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana/Arkansas to have a legit women’s division. Andy Dalton then came out. I love Evil Dalton. He’s one of Texas’ best treasures. He challenged Scott Murdoch to a chop contest, which is kind of like belly-flopping onto a porcupine. Dalton got a chop in and Murdoch took it and had a pretty red chest. When it came time for Dalton to take a Murdoch chop, Dalton wanted to keep his shirt on. And then he attacked Murdoch with a cookie sheet. You want to dent a cookie sheet, hit Scott Murdoch with it. A great angle to start off the Murdoch-Dalton. I’m really looking forward to this feud.
Third match: Kristopher Haiden vs. Joe Angelo Garcia
This was a match with some nice build-up. Haiden continues to be one of the most over heels in the company. I wrote down that this match was better than the crowd reaction. The crowd didn’t seem that into it. Garcia’s mannerisms remind me a lot of another wrestler that I don’t mention often or use his name lightly-Chris Benoit. Not saying that he’s the second coming, but there are some flashes where I see him in the in-ring work.
Winner: Haiden
After the match, Franco D’Angelo came out and congratulated Garcia on a strong fight. I would like to have Franco come out to my work after I mess up and give me motivational speeches.
During the intermission, Colt Cabana, Jimmy, Athena & Grace were out and about in the crowd with doing what Cliff Compton refers to as “the hustle.” Grace did not have a lot of visitors at her table which was a shame. Were she not already adorning my Man Room Wall, I would have bought something more. I got to briefly discuss AIW and WSU with Athena, which made me mark out as always.
Fourth match: Li Fang w/Nigel Rabid vs. Jiggle-O James Johnson
Johnson came out of retirement (which lasted longer than several Terry Funk retirements) to continue his feud with Li Fang. Johnson had his own brand of intensity. He was still engaging with the crowd yet focused. There was so much intensity and anger in this story. Johnson was on fire. There were a few moments when our eyes got big. Johnson did a kick that sounded like a decapitation. There was also a springboard stunner that Li Fang somehow kicked out of. Li put Johnson in a crossface with Johnson tapping out.
Winner: Fang
Johnson really put over Li in this match.
Fifth match: Tad Wylde (Ben Wylde & Viktor Tadlock) (c) vs. 4D (Dave Dunnings & Dax Daring)
On paper, you wouldn’t think that the team of Daring and Dunnings would work, but somehow it does. Dax is Matt Palmer on a smaller scale in his underrated-ness. If I do a list of my best local wrestlers you’re not watching, Dax is going to be towards the top of that list. One of the biggest reactions of the night was Tadlock’s hair. It looked like the love child of Moe of the Three Stooges and a medieval page.
Last blog, I mocked the new “Wylde” tights for being a little too awkward. This time he had some bicycle shorts or something underneath. The match went pretty well. The newer people in the crowd really weren’t connected with either team so they weren’t lost but just not invested in this match. I love seeing Dax whenever I can. Dunnings’ work is always very solid. And Tad Wylde are becoming a tag team unit. They even had a pretty good finisher.
Winner: Tad Wylde
4D congratulated them afterward. It was nice to see that sportsmanship.
Sixth match: Frankie Fisher vs. Colt Cabana
That’s right. I just wrote Colt Cabana in a LIVE show recap. If I am correct, I remember a few years ago, when Frankie was taking a donation to bring in Colt Cabana. And here he finally was. Frankie was probably the best wrestler to go against Colt because Frankie does comedy probably better than anybody, with respect to Zero. So it was a really fun match. Frankie and Colt kept the crowd engaged. There were plenty of funny spots. My wife became a fan of Colt Cabana after that match. Kanoa came in and interfered in the match. It was ruled a no contest.
Winner: No contest
Main event: Barrett Brown (c) vs. Danny Saint w/Claudia vs. Mike Foxx w/Kyle Davis & Kanoa
It was nice to see that this was still the main event, even with the huge names on the show. The first time Danny main-evented in MPX, I don’t think anybody ever thought he had a snowball’s chance of winning the belt. Tonight he was believable. All 3 looked like they wanted it and belonged there. Saint won the award for chops of the night. Barrett took some pretty crazy chops from Saint and absorbed the blows. Kanoa distracted the referee while Foxx had Barrett pinned. Barrett took the win and retained.
Winner: Brown
After the match, the Following came in and started attacking Brown and Saint. Out to his rescue came a returning Carrion Arcane showing lots of fire and a huge crowd reaction.
All in all… Was again such an emotional experience. Dallas area is not known for getting in big indy names. To get Colt and Jimmy was a pretty big achievement. The crowd was really packed and it really was standing room only. The opener was great, Li-Johnson was really good, Colt-Frankie left me in tears, and it all ended in a strong main event.
It is a new year in the wrestling world. After a week that goes so beyond killer it should be called “zombie,” I needed two things: I went to an SMU basketball game and see Larry Brown coach & I went to my local indy to see my wrestling. It was cold & rainy, but that would not keep me away, nor would it Mother Ruff, my wrestling watching companion.
Dark match: Dax Daring & Dave Dunnings vs. Regrub & “The Left Hand of God” Matt Andrews w/Kyle Valo
Dunnings was looking a little trimmer. The crowd loved Dax as always. I believe this is the first time I have heard Matt Andrews described as “The Left Hand of God.” Mother Ruff leaned over to me and asked, “Does his hand still hurt?” I still think that woman needs a wrestling podcast. She would put Colt Cabana to shame. It was a nice, short match. It warmed up the crowd, and Dunnings looked back in good condition.
Winner: Regrub & Andrews
We opened up with the actual “live portion” of the night. “The Crowd Killer” James Hawke was getting more of a reaction. But the true measure of a wrestler is not what you get the front row to do. It’s what you get the back row to do. Jiggle-O James Johnson came out first and then was promptly interrupted by Kanoa. There was some good comedy going on, but I’m confused with the direction they’re taking Kanoa. He’s no longer making sense with his promos. He called out Frankie Fisher who came out and they had a stare-down. Then Jerome Daniels came out to join the three-person staredown. I would have loved to see them build up towards a Triple Threat match. Jiggle-O cut a great motivational promo. I think I would like to call up Jiggle-O when I’m at work and hear him give me motivational speeches.
First match: Tad Wylde (c) vs. Glamour Hammer
I think Glamour Hammer’s big title shot might have been a little too premature. The outcome of this match was killed for me when Nobe Bryant came out and said he was still looking for a tag team partner. Obviously heel Nobe isn’t going to be feuding with heel Glamour Hammer. Ben Wylde’s outfit looks like something out of my nightmares. He had a hard time keeping both cheeks in the tights and was more embarrassing than anything. That being said, I think that Glamour Hammer is doing some really innovative things and should really be on more radars. As soon as they get some more matches under their belt, they should be ready to start branching out from just MPX. Also to me, one of the highlights of the night was Tadlock doing a springboard moonsault. I found myself being caught up in the match.
Winner: Tad Wylde
Nobe Bryant came back in with his new tag team partner-Kenny Steele. This is brilliant for so many reasons. Nobe has so much to teach Kenny, both from a storyline standpoint and from a “behind the scenes” standpoint. With one quick segment, I had a reason to care about Kenny once again.
Second match: Zero the Antihero vs. Gregory James
I has streamer duty as did Mother Ruff. She was quite excited that her streamers made it into the ring. The crowd loves Zero as always. There was a “Level up” chant for him. He got to do all his crazy video game spots. Greg is now evil and very deep into his character. He and Zero played a strong “good vs. evil” dynamic. At first I thought it was going to be the usual match where Zero gets killed and sells. Greg gave him more offense than usual. Zero looked pretty good during this match and looked like it wouldn’t be a fluke if he won. I noticed something during this match. The crowd is so invested in Zero that every move, the crowd reacted to, one way or another.
Winner: Gregory James
We had a vignette with Kristopher Haiden talking about how Franco D’Angelo had a setback. Haiden was ridiculing him for being old and crippled. Joe Angelo Garcia got in Haiden’s face as D’Angelo was a mentor of sorts. Looks like we’re setting up a Haiden-Garcia feud.
Third match: Athena vs. Livi La Vida Loca
Usually I just tell you what I think. But thanks to joining the 21st century and now having a smartphone, I bring you the entire match.
Now onto my thoughts on the match. Athena was spectacular as always. What I thought was interesting was that the crowd seemed to be favoring Livi. The thing about the MPX crowd is that a lot of them just watch MPX and maybe the WWE and TNA. They don’t know that Athena is one of the best unsigned women on the independent scene. They don’t know that the woman calls herself a goddess but is treated like a goddess wherever she wrestles. They didn’t know that a prestigious wrestling promotion took in more than $50o in a campaign just to fly to her wrestle for them. They knew Livi. Livi was who they wanted to cheer for. Athena won for chop of the night. She also won what was a match between two athletic gymnast types.
Winner: Athena
Fourth match: Li Fang w/Nigel Rabid vs. Kanoa
This whole segment was all kinds of crazy and confusing. Kanoa made no sense in what he said last night and at one point said just the word “pudding” which prompted “Pudding” chants the rest of the night. I can only guess that he is doing the Perry Saturn thing where he has taken too many chair shots. (Please no return of Moppy.) We did have some pretty good action and lots of stiff kicks. At one point Kanoa began to no-sell. I didn’t like that. People who should be able to no-sell in MPX: Lance Hoyt. That’s it. I think Li was killed in this match. We did have some funny stuff with Nigel. Kanoa should not be invincible, and that’s how he came across. Li looked like a high school football team playing the New England Patriots.
Winner: Kanoa
During the intermission, they made a huge announcement: Indy journeyman legend Colt Cabana will be appearing in MPX on Feb. 23. There will definitely be “Mark Out Face” aplenty that night.
Fifth match: Frankie Fisher vs. Jerome Daniels
This was one of last year’s hottest feuds. Frankie and Jerome had such great chemistry. When Jerome is out there, he isn’t just a guy wrestling his match. He is one with the crowd and knows exactly what they need. This one told a story. It was about Frankie trying to prove that he had the heart and desire to be strong enough. When Jerome felt the crowd slipping, he reached out to them and got them back emotionally engaged in the story. It was a strong, powerful match that told a great story.
Winner: Frankie
One of the best matches I’ve seen both have. And dare I spoil it, but this is an early Match of the Year contender.
Sixth match: Mike Foxx w/Kyle Davis vs. Steven Kirby in a #1 Contender’s match
This match was a painful reminder how real wrestling can be. There was some really good intensity here in this match. I’m not sure if it was storyline or not, but Kirby’s knee went out several times. Foxx spent the rest of that match working over the knee. The great thing about Kirby is that he never forgets he’s in front of a live crowd. He kept the crowd engaged and in it. The match ended with some great drama. Foxx had Kirby in a Boston Crab. He had to work it over for about 2 minutes before Kirby tapped out.
Winner and #1 contender: Foxx
I am very much looking forward to the Foxx-Barrett Brown match. If they do it right, it could be epic and a passing of the torch, much like Chris Adams did for Foxx more than a decade before.
Main event: Barrett Brown (c) vs. Kristopher Haiden
If I’ve said this before, I apologize. But these two remind me of wrestlers with similar body shapes who always had good chemistry-Rey Misterio Jr. and Kurt Angle. Both guys on paper don’t look like they should gel but they somehow do. Barrett is over like crazy with the crowd and Haiden is equally hated. I just sat back and watched these two guys do their thing. It was a strong title defense that made Barrett look strong yet Haiden lost nothing.
Winner: Barrett
After the match, The Following came out to attack Barrett. Joe Garcia came out to take care of Haiden. A bunch of the boys from the back came out to do a pull-apart with Barrett & Gregory James.
All in all… It was a tough night health-wise. There was one severe injury and I’m sure there were probably a few others. Jerome-Frankie was great. Kirby-Foxx, Zero-Greg, Livi-Athena, Barrett-Haiden were all pretty good. There were a few segments I could have done without. There is some really strong build-up. I am excited about the direction they are taking with the title.
Here’s to hoping 2013 will be a banner year.
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In all fairness, I reviewed both of The Underground and NXT: Full Sail Series (or whatever they call it). And I never promised to review all of these shows… but I decided to at least give a little love to the best internet-only web-series about wrestling. This project deserves more recognition. It’s like a video game (e.g. Mortal Kombat) meets independent wrestling in cinematic form (e.g. Bloodsport). Kayfabe… and this series looks to go long down the stretch. Awesomeness TV is your hook up, and if this description sounds cool to you, you have like a 141 2/3rd chance of winning. Brief descriptions and videos after the jump… let’s hop to it, shall we?
This is not a meme. The dude’s name is “Jobs.” Gamer rage is awesome!
The Underground, (aka Wrestling Revolution Project) created by Jeff Katz debuts officially tomorrow (June 22, 2012) online on the Youtube Awesomeness TV channel. (more…)
Wow, what a show. In the last little while Impact has managed to defy logic in many ways, from turning Mr. Anderson from face to heel like he’s a bouncing rubber ball… they’ve tossed the championship back and forth, and built up further the feud between Hulk “Can Barely Walk” Hogan and Heath Farley… and it looks like they’re pushing the greenest guy in the roster, Crimson, straight to the moon.
Sigh… Well at least we should get to see Eric Young fight Scott Baio tonight, right? Sorry, no. (more…)
Impact had one of their Steal-A-Views on Sunday, and I’m told it sucked… hard, actually. Nothing notable happened outside of Heath Farley lost his title to Kurt Angle in part to Hulk Hogan tossing a steel chair into the ring while the referee was getting a pretzel from the concessions.
