thee Reverend Axl Future

I donated to Abbie's GoFundMe and all I got was this lousy thank you letter written in broken Sudanese and some Hep C.

I was not a fan of his UNTIL THIS and now he's the bestest.

Also good for Sammartino losing it and breaking down on commentary, well, for him at least. Moral: don't keep lit cigars in your pocket.

This was like a refreshing wrestling sorbet, after all the social media and BDSM speculation, just some good ol' man-on-man action in the middle of the ring, daddy, with the sexual connotations the way we used to like them: SUBTEXTUAL.

I am still waiting for that 2nd volume of that AWESOME Frankie Cain interview/bio/oral history from Crowbar Press. There is a Bert Prentice autobio on their site now.

Dammit, I forgot about the monthly switchover and I was still posting in the March forums AND I gotta pay rent.

Spoken like someone who was not around to enjoy the '80s, man. However, I peaked very early and it has been down hill ever since, so take it all with a grain of salt. Wrestling in the '80s was great for me because I was seeing everything with fresh eyes, and I will stack the good NWA TV on TBS against any product from anywhere/when else. Casey, are you another 1997 mark patron?

NO (no backsies) I respectfully disagree, but I would have to cite the cop-out/truth of subjectivity. The really really best pro wrestling, meaning the stuff that you love as a maven*, is the wrestling that get an emotional reaction from you and has real resonance. This is often the wrestling you watched as a kid, when you were more emotional and the intellectual weight of being smartened up hadn't sunk in, or from a period when you have positive memories, perhaps when you were watching with friends and/or family. This is usually in addition to your judgement of "good" wrestling. Hey, I see a lot of posters with otherwise good taste defending the matches of filks like The Ultimate Warrior and such without irony or embarrassment. 1997 was a pivotal and exciting year for rassling, to be sure. For me, I really dig 1985-86: Horsemen in a groove, the territories hustling to keep up with a rapacious WWF, uncertainty in the future landscape, JCP supershows, Savage waking up the WWF, The War to Settle the Score - or maybe 1995: rise of ECW, tape trading making feds from around the world available, lucha is super hot, Japanese deathmatch excess, fusion workers incorporating separate styles into what would become the modern over the top standard. I think the ring work from those two years is superior to the output from your fave, and I have a lot of fun memories of wrestling from then but as I said, it's subjective. I will give you the WCW cruiserweights as a shining star in any timeframe. *As in a fan who is also a connoisseur, not the schmendrick** who eliminated The Undertaker. **Not to be confused with Thee Brian Kendrick, an excellent worker who may or may not be cancelled here on thee DVDVR, I can't tell anymore.

Oh, RF you carny catamite, you got me again. The first Battlegrounds was a dreary ECW nostalgia paint-by-numbers, but the second one was shockingly one of the best cards I have been to in a decade, for star power, match quality and booking. But the third one - ah yes, I knew but I didn't pay attention to the Little Promoter In My Head - with a main event of Bully Ray vs. Atsushi Onita, how could it go wrong? Shut your smark hole, I tried to stay away, but I COULD NOT!!! (weeps workshoot tears) Anyway, back to the 2300 Arena with the usual gang of ne'er-do-wells that I call my chums. It's about 2/3 full with much fewer vendors. Mr. Liar had some nice looking T shirts but RAF does not do $30 schmattas, Asian Superstar or not, let's see how Great it is, Nita.... I feel compelled to run down the whole card because why should I be the only one to suffer? The opener was Ray Jaz (?) over Bull James (I like) and Rich Swann (always festive). Who was that kid? Short. In the tradition of salty contrary outsider underdog smart ECW/Philly crowds capitulating and cheering the lamest gimmick workers that have been on their TVs for even a second, Eugene (yes, that one) came out to a thunderously happy reaction. He worked Dark STG (what?), a muscle boy in (admittedly sharp) corpsepaint. I think he was there at the last show. Eugene worked like late era Bugsy McGraw but no aviator helmet or Curly Shuffle. Too bad. Dark had one of my indie sources of hatred: the useless manager. This was some shlub decked out in a Hot Topic suit with a book, a rose, claw gloves, bad posture and a look of bewilderment. I started drinking and such. Wrecking Ball Legursky in so very over with this crowd. Good for him. Alec Odin went from being managed by Raven in the featured feud to this. My gang agreed that Odin was the most popular AND worst name for a pit bull. This guy was like a 11 year old's first Make-A-Wrestler attempt on his new PlayStation game. Tony Nese v. KC Navarro should have been better, but the blackness was creeping over my soul. It clumsily led into the next match of Brian Cage v. Buddy Matthews (whom you all know I am a mark for) but even the drunken Philly abnormals were strangely silent for this. My mood permeated the arena. There was shenanigans to set up a tag nmext time. Argh. At intermission I noticed that two refs were selling merch. I felt further disconnection. Traxx (the 40 year old student in swimwear from the last card) faced Onita's dojo boy, Super Leather who was neither scary nor scary's opposite (endearing?). His entrance music was "Kickstart My Heart" by MCrue. Maybe it's a Japan thing? This was painful. I self medicated. The Beastman, a local fave and fine big man worker faced Afa, Jr. who is my age. Points off in my book for choosing thee gangster groove musical option as opposed to the tribal Polynesian drum style (or even John Carpenter). Zombie Rent Boy STG came out for a needless distraction finish. Passable. Mariah May, in her alleged debut, went over Lady Frost (another fave of mine). MM had impressive heel charisma despite a generic rich girl snob influencer gimmick. Keep your eyes peeled for this one, fans. The ladies had a chance to steal the show but we were all doomed, doomed I tells ya. I would be the first one in line to bag on Bully Ray but he really tried his darnedest to make this work. Thank you, sir. Onita came out as The Great Nita so I did not even get the cigarette insouciance entrance. However, BR did that, w/'Wild Thing" (inferior JJ version) as well as facepaint, so we were confused. There was plunder set up (cancelled(?) local G-Raver doing the set-up duty, FUCK YOU RF) but the PA commission sez no blood, no fighting in the crowd and no glass and such so what was the point of all this? Here was Battleground Championship Wrestling's solution - use the RED mist liberally, that'll fool/appease these goobers, right? I may be a goober but I was neither fooled nor appeased. Onita did no selling, he did not change his open-mouthed jowly facial expression, he did not back bump and, crime of crimes, he did not bother to hide his "loading up" of the RED mist, he just chucked them in there like so many shinobi gummis. Screw you too, Mr. Liar, and/or screw me as well. I know that the REAL Mist Users store it in a pouch in their throats; at least Mr. Ray did the "cocking the trachea" motion before he spewed. Super leather ran out, then the Uber skeleton of Sandman, then Sabu from the gimmick table. A message to Sabu - I appreciate the headdress, and you can wear whatever you want when selling merch, but could you be chuffed to take off the puffy sneakers, Old Navy cargo shorts and Judas Priest shirt for some ringwear - for me? Post match AO got the mic (and the "what?" treatment from the rapidly exiting crowd) and did the slaps of respect but refection of Bully Ray to call out Sabu for a match at the Tokyo Dome. Think big, my man. Wrestling is like pizza; I enjoy it even when it is bad, especially when I am with my pals. This was rough, however. See what I do for y'all? "Dream baby dream Oh baby, you gotta keep those dreams burnin' Keep them dream burnin' forever. Dream baby dream, Dream baby dream, Dream baby dream, Dream baby dream, Dream baby, dream baby, Dream baby, dream baby, Dream baby, dream baby dream." Suicide, "Dream Baby Dream" by Alan Vega RIP

One of the few things in this grim version of reality that makes RAF giddy is old (circa 1966-1985 preferably) wrestling magazines. i love 'em. Recently I was gifted a few, and also won a shockingly reasonable eBay auction (I refuse to pay more than $3@): I am in heaven. I just discovered that a really good time frame for my reading enjoyment is that 3 month publishing delay between Hulk Hogan returning to the AWA from Japan and quickly jumping to the WWF - so say, an Inside Wrestling with a cover date of March '84 is still reporting on how HH is going to unseat Bockwinkel because The Fans Demand It, but meanwhile the face, future, direction and reality of pro wrestling has changed forever. It's like a document for an alternate universe. The mags often have an element of innocence to them, in maintaining the kay fabes, but this is almost poignant. Damn, I love these things - now I am going to read "Johnny Powers - Is His Middle Name Violence?" and "The Night The Sheik Burned A Young REFEREE!!!". I am always learning...

The new Esquire magazine (Jake Gyllenhaal cover) has an outstanding article about and with Mr. CM Punk. https://www.esquire.com/sports/a39008053/cm-punk-aew-profile/ Very worth the read. Often pieces about wrestlers and wrestling aimed for non-fans are far more informative and insightful; Michael Avedon pics too. If you had told me about this 20+ years ago when I worked him at The Brat Stop in WI we both would have laughed and laughed (maybe for different reasons). When you get old, you get free magazine subscriptions - one of the few benefits.

Hey Matt D, I just got to watch (via the Philly Psychotronic Film Society) (finally after reading about it for many years) the crazy arthouse cult nutso movie "Mr. Freedom". It's kinda "El Topo" & "Peacemaker" & Bread and Puppet Theater & "Putney Swope" all mixed up in a French manner. Anyway, it's from 1968 and there are 5 or so burly French workers in it, in singlets, and in the mob fight scene they are definitely 'working'. Have you seen this? Check out the IMDb entry. Serge Gainsbourg as Mr. Drugstore! Yves Montaud as Captain Formidable! Donald Pleasance! Simone Signoret! It's a gas.

After listen to Jericho's podcast with Regal, I cringed at every possible deathblow to Regal's Jellyfish Neck, Rubber Band Biceps or Eggshell Heart in this match.

Thank you. I have seen some H2Os live, and been to a few On Point Wrestling shows and the like. Who has Tremont trained? I know he was working with the CZW OVW/NXT-type student leagues.

TremontScience?

The above is akin to one of my fave rave top 30 bestest ever matches, BWindham vs. DRhodes GAB 1988, for it's sheer undiluted clawholdiness. And if by machine, you mean intelligent machines conserving their batteries and still getting over, Ima post it here: Goddamn, Barry with JJ is great. He has always been appreciated in my Temple, but Dillion's stock has risen greatly in the past year due to my choices of rassling to watch on thee interWebs. James Julius Casar Dillion: #1 Manager Of The Pandemic?

Has the Mad Man Pondo book been mentioned on here? Anyway, I axed for it for Jeebus' B'day #1 from my Amazon listee, and there it was. I just read it and it was light but fun. Pondo is a sweetheart, and don't believe the trope that all deathmatch peoples are gentle intelligent humorous humanitarians - there are plenty of jag-offs. However, Mr. P is just that trope: generous, humble, funny, and smart. More of a collection of anecdotes in MMP's voice, as well as many others giving their input as well, oral history style. Yet another rassling book where I am not mentioned by name but I was in the room for a few of the selected happenings. Huh. Cool cover, too.

I think I read 4 pages without comprehending a word because I could not believe that folks named DiBiase, Roberts and Rude for their least memorable workers. I don't want it to be my only gimmick, but y'all make me feel OLD. Watch any of those ICON's matches (or especially feuds) BEFORE the WWF and you will learn. Dibiase was over and a workhorse, Roberts was a master of psychology as heel or babyface or tweener, and Rude -- well, he did cruise on charisma, style and a finisher there for a bit, but the man could work and had presence, especially live. Now I like Mike Rotundo but I will not dispute his pick for some. He is of that class of workers that it wasn't that "you had to see his early stuff", it's more that he was more effective, I believe (esp. as a babyface), when he was younger. He grew up, and never really evoved. A young'un who uses veteran moves (the whole technical amateur wrestler gimmick) is great, a vet who wrestles like a vet irregardless of most-recent-gimmick is less charming. The man could go, tho'. As a passionate human, there are not too many wrestlers that I don't have a bit of a reaction to, but I would be hard-pressed to recall when Slick, Axl Rotten, Gangrel, Teijo Khan, or Warlord stirred a feeling from me. However, for workers that delight & inspire & enervate me, I can rattle off many, and then be overwhelmed with regret an minute/hour/day/week later at the many I forgot: The Sheepherders Kevin Sullivan Capt. Lou The Grand Wizard Fred Blassie Stevie Richards Horsemen Era Ric Flair Terry Funk Mike Jackson Eddie Guerrero Jimmy Valiant Sabu Buxx Belmar Perry Saturn Patti Pep Big Van Vader Midnight Express (any iteration, bonus points for JC) Oleg the Usurper Mike Jackson The Great Kabuki w/Gary Hart Claudio Castagnoli Cactus Jack Tully Blanchard w/JJ Dillion Ron Bass w/JJ Dillion Muta (esp. in the USA) Tajiri The Wild Samoans Umaga ... I could go on ...

RIP. So, where is the belt now? I saw him in Florida once, I believe, and on TV numerous times. Good name, two nouns.

"AT 10 YEARS OLD HE LEARNED TO THROW FIRE"!! "HIS LAST 200 YARDS OF AGONY"!!!! "MYSTERIOUS BLEEDER"!!!!!!!! "MIL MASCARAS EXPOSES KUNG FU EXPERTS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but you had me at "SPECIAL APARTMENT HOUSE MIXED MATCH CHAMPIONSHIP"

DEAN, you have been watching my live feed again. I clean up real nice, and cook a mean pot roast. Here's how I picture us: NOT SHOWN - extensive VHS CWF collection, in order & well dusted

I would pay for a Digital Versatile Disc of this event. I am agog.

Thank you for this, Mr. D. Spoiler for potty mouth:

Another cosmically shite day today but it's always this, kiddies: you can laugh or cry, so boot up some rasslin' promos and laugh and learn and live again --- Best Angle Ever? It is surely in the running in the RAF domain. How about some more old time religion in your grappling: Based on true events, no less. Capt. Lou is like a religion to me, so here thee Man is, laying it down: And another thing that makes RAF happy in this fractious age, when the bitch Lady Luck turns her face, is when all the heels are pals and hang out and support each other. I love that. Take it away, Messrs. Hart & Piper: I feel better now.

Oh, you really don't know (and it's about more than camp)...