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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

wrestling

Old-school rasslin’

April 26, 2011

A chair shot to lead things off...

I’m sure by now, if you’ve read my blog at all, you know I like to watch a little pro wrestling here and there.

As much as it’s cool to watch all the big names and such, I still don’t know if there’s a better bang for your buck for entertainment than independent professional wrestling. There are so many more people out there who participate in this “sport” than those you watch on television every week.

And what these people do to their bodies night after night for payouts of, say, 50 bucks, is crazy.

Chairs.

Tables.

Crazy bumps.

Blood.

Anything to put on one heck of a show for the fans.

This past weekend, I had the chance to go see two shows put on by 3DW, a federation based out of the Binghamton area. The first show was at the one Legion Hall in Binghamton, where I’ve seen the federation 2CW perform before.

Having the chance to watch 3DW gave me that old-school feel of professional wrestling. It had everything, too. Bad wrestling (just being honest… some of the early matches were pretty rough). Then better wrestling. Finally, the last three matches of the night were off-the-hook good. Starting with an eight-man tag match, then to the tag-team championship match and ending with a tables, ladders and chairs match to crown the first Television champion.

New champion!

Awesome.

The next night, they went to a roller rink in Sidney. There were far fewer fans (I got my ticket at the door and it was number 85) and the action was a little better overall that night, with the normal slower matches starting off, and ending with several stellar matches. The main event featured a no-holds-barred match to crown the first United States champion with the winner being a local guy from the Sidney area. Kind of cool stuff.

Winning the title on his home turf!

Now, for those who might be reading who could possibly be steamed over the “bad wrestling” comment, allow me to clarify.

I loved it.

When some friends, who are somewhat into pro wrestling, asked me about the two shows, I refer to it as cheesy wrestling. Now, if any independent wrestlers happen to read this post, please don’t take that as an insult. In fact, it’s more a term of endearment. See, when I think cheesy wrestling, I think how it used to be in the old days. Crazy crowds. Some wrestling is good. Some is bad. But the entertainment factor is through the roof.When I say cheesy wrestling, in my eyes, it’s a good thing. It’s not all pomp-and-circumstance. It’s old-school.

To me, that’s how my 3DW experience was.

There were things I could have done without, to be sure. Namely, the over-excessive swearing during Friday’s show (there were a lot of kids in the audience). I realize there was some sort of rival promotion present (I think), which might have made the 3DW guys a little more rowdy, but lets remember that kids don’t need to hear that.

… or do they need to hear some of the items that were said Saturday, though it was quite a bit more tame.

When one thinks of the WWE, or to some extents, TNA Wrestling, it’s more of a story. These federations have weekly shows, and in the case of the WWE, several weekly shows. When you work the independents, there’s not much for TV. There’s the internet and some federations are lucky enough to be on local channels, but many of these promotions only hold a few cards a month, at best.

That means from night to night, the crowds are going to be different.

One example is Friday night when the crowd was behind one tag team that apparently were supposed to be the “bad guys.” When they won and the crowd showed their appreciation (for the record, it was an excellent all-around match), the one member of the losing “good guy” team yelled to the crowd “We’re supposed to be the baby faces. Just saying.”

For the record? If you are supposed to be the baby faces and were getting booed? You weren’t doing the job of a baby face.

But that’s the beauty of independent professional wrestling.

Some of the guys who were good guys Friday were bad guys Saturday. And vice versa. It gives guys the chance to be on both sides of the crowd, which is funny. One wrestler who drew incredible and legit heat Friday night after taking a bite of someone’s pizza was seemingly different Saturday and had people in stitches with his funny antics.

Considering there’s really only one “big-time” federation (WWE) and one middle-line promotion (TNA), the odds of these guys making it to the big payday are slim. It’s no different than professional baseball for a minor leaguer. One in how many make it to the Major Leagues? Exactly.

But that doesn’t take away from what these guys do in the ring every night.

A championship is still a championship, no matter what the federation. It still shows that said federation sees something in you to make you represent it (it also likely shows your loyalty and willingness to come back to said promotion for its cards).

In the end, let us remember that pro wrestling is a form of entertainment. It’s a show. But those people out there are still doing some crazy stuff. They take incredible risks with their moves (remember, too, that these people have regular jobs and need to work), they’ll bleed when necessary (which doesn’t happen as often anymore in the “big leagues”), and they’ll sometimes push the envelope with the crowd to the point where it becomes risky (I saw a show several months ago where a fan swung at a wrestler).

But every bit of the independent scene is worth the money you pay.

It has drama. It has athleticism. It has showmanship. It has humor. It has seriousness. And in the end, it has entertainment.

Which is what it’s all about in the first place.

I’ll gladly shell out several bucks to watch the 3DW again (especially because it’s so close). And I’ll look forward to seeing which of these guys might be able to crest this level and maybe reach the bigger time.

For those that don’t, keep living the dream. You’re doing something you love and entertaining people. What more can you ask for?

I encourage you to check out my wrestling photos I’ve taken at independent cards. I have them linked below. Graphic warning — a couple of the shots in each of the sets show blood.

3DW on April 23, 2011: Flickr set

3DW on April 22, 2011: Flickr set

2CW on Sept. 24, 2010: Flickr set

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.

Filed Under: My world, Photography, Pro Wrestling Tagged With: 2cw, 3dw, independent pro wrestling, old-school pro wrestling, pro wrestling, rasslin, wrestling

1 Comment

Edge goes full circle in Albany

April 17, 2011

When I was five or six years old, I first got into professional wrestling (though, apparently, the WWE has taken the wrestling out of its name and it’s now just the “WWE,” and nothing more… an entertainment company), enjoying it’s larger-than-life show.

My brothers used to watch the Saturday morning shows — from the old World Class Championship Wrestling on WRGB to the NWA on TBS to the then WWF on several channels. Since that time, my interest in professional wrestling has gone from the far-fetched (as in wanting to become a wrestler when I was in high school) to a big fan to now, where I’m a casual fan who likes to catch one weekly show as it’s basically an adult male soap opera.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in the business over the years, from Vince McMahon to the Undertaker to Shawn Michaels. It’s been pretty cool to see some of the things I’ve seen and also watching as the “sport” went from a “it’s real” to “it’s entertainment.” It’s now funny. It’s entertaining. There’s good writing and stories. That’s why it’s actually still somewhat interesting to watch.

I also still like to catch some live events from time to time, more of the independent wrestling, but it’s fun to watch in a live setting (I’ll actually have a future post about watching wrestling live as I’ve seen some wacky things).

Five years ago, four of us went to Albany to the then Pepsi Arena to watch a WWE pay per view — New Year’s Revolution. It was the second pay per view I had seen in person, following the 1992 Royal Rumble in Albany. The main event of this one was an elimination chamber match, in which John Cena successfully defended his WWE championship and was a bloody mess.

As the match — and we thought — the pay per view ended, WWE chairman Vince McMahon walked out on stage and announced there would be another match as Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. (side note — the Money in the Bank briefcase guarantees the holder a title shot at any time and any place up to one year after he’s won it).

Two minutes later, Edge won his first WWE championship.

Though wrestling is a form of entertainment and matches are obviously pre-determined, the storylines and performers are built up to massive levels. People have a vested interest in what happens. There are still “good guys” and “bad guys.”

Edge has been both.

And he’s been damn good at both.

But at 37 years old, with all the abuse his body took over his 14 years with the WWE (including a broken neck several years ago), it all came to a screetching halt this week. See, following his Wrestlemania match, where he defended his world championship, Edge saw some doctors as he apparently had been feeling numbness in his arms (never a good thing). They advised he have surgery as it was something with his neck again. They also wouldn’t clear him to wrestle again as he could risk becoming paralyzed or even die.

Not for nothing, but I don’t care how addicted you are to the rush of things, I wouldn’t mess with that. So, this past week on RAW, the WWE’s flagship weekly show, Edge retired. Though often thought to be an angle when things like this happen, this wasn’t a story. This was real. The WWE showed wrestlers — good guys and bad guys — applauding Edge.

This next clip is kind of long, but shows that even though the world of the WWE is scripted, people can get emotional. It’s no different than a professional athlete retiring or a normal joe leaving a job after so many years.

Now, the WWE does a second weekly show — Smackdown. Most of the wrestlers are on one or the other. Edge is actually the champion on Smackdown, which is why his appearance on RAW was a little more shocking. But RAW is the live weekly show, so it was worth having him there.

That being said, he needed to surrender his world championship on Smackdown — which was taped Tuesday — in Albany. So me, my former sports editor and his son went up to watch. It’s the first time in several years I’ve seen the WWE live, so it was cool to watch. We had some great seats and got a chance to see Edge’s final time as champion — in Albany.

That’s what fans will see on Smackdown when it airs tonight on SyFy.

But after the show “went off the air,” is when it got really cool and interesting. With other superstars coming out to applaud Edge and him giving a final speech.

I wanted to attach the YouTube video to it, but the version that was online was removed by WWE, so when I wrote this post, I couldn’t find it again.

In the end, I’ve had the chance to see some cool things in regard to wrestling and this ranks right up there with the best of them. I’ll look forward to seeing how they play it all on television.

And for those of you who might be ‘rasslin fans, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that Edge was fun to watch over the years. From the ladder matches, to the tables, ladders and chairs to everything else, he really put a show on for the fans. I have a feeling he’ll be enjoying a trip into the WWE Hall of Fame next year.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.

Filed Under: My world, Pro Wrestling Tagged With: edge, my thoughts, pro wrestling, wrestling, wwe

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You know, of course, Santa Paws travels with Santa Clause, making sure to find treats and toys for all the good little doggies! (We know they are all deserving, right?) So, Harper put out some milk for the big guy, carrots for Rudolph and the reindeer, and special cookies for Santa Paws! She is ready! 

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From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper t From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper to put her paws on the bridge and looked out, but she was more content jumping on me and looking up. I do love the way she seems to be looking at me.
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