Wrestling And The Internet by @buzzuk

The introduction of wrestling hotlines in the 1980's was huge business, for the first time people were talking about wrestling and giving you so called inside information. These were huge but in they still managed to keep the mystery to it all. You still had kayfabe, and the wrestlers on screen were their characters, you believed the Undertaker lived his live like that. It added to the power of what you watching.

Then gradually wrestling started to change in what it was showing and gradually the wrestling fan changed, they wanted to know more, they wanted to know what was going to happen before anyone sense. They also got a thirst for talking about wrestling with other people, they wanted to to like minded people and discuss the programming and in a lot of cases moan and complain about what was and what wasn't happening. Everyone thought they were. Booker, a promoter and better wrestlers, and then came along the greatest thing ever to a wrestling fan..... THE INTERNET

The Internet gave wrestling fans that place to vent and argue with one another round the world, there was wrestling sites popping up everywhere. It seemed at one point, unless you owned and were part of a wrestling website then you just were not a wrestling fan.

The Internet also bought about, in my opinion, the end of surprises in wrestling. Once the Internet became more readily available and as technology improved people from the industry or some who knew someone could have that information out in the wide world ready for everyone else to see. Taking away the days of turning on a TV show or PPV and getting a surprise return someone signing from another company. You could read about it in advance and that in it's self could be the difference between watching or buying a show and not.

The Internet fan was different to any other fan, the internet fan made his opinion very clear, if they thought your match sucked or thought you were just god awful then that is exactly what they put. There were a lot of wrestlers who started to hate the Internet fan, they didn't like being slagged off by some one probably sat in their mums basement getting out of breath just typing, telling them how to do their job.

I know that it is ironic that I am writing about such a thing when I read a lot of wrestling sites, I have written about wrestling for a long time on and off and the fact that your reading this right now on a wrestling site.

The reason I bring up now is the fact that we seem to have gone full circle in the sense that wrestling is now embracing the internet and social media. The use of twitter has exploded with the wrestling world, people can comment live as it happens with others, they can talk about a certain topic worldwide and have it trending. That right there has to be for someone like Vince McMahon a dream come true when people are talking about your show to the point it is one of the most talked about things in the world.

WWE alone have embraced twitter to the point they are putting the wrestlers handles on the screen graphic as they enter the ring and also encourage the use of hash tags for their show. You can't buy advertising and surveying like it, you instantly have a fans response to show at your fingers as it happens.

The word is that this is just the beginning, word is that WWE have big plans possibly set up with twitter for a major show in the future.

The Internet and wrestling will continue to grow and change the way it is viewed by its current fans and the future generation of fans as they become more interactive and with more information available to them at their finger tips.

Let me have your thoughts via twitter @buzzuk

The Indy Corner (26/10/11)

The Indy Corner (26/10/11)

WOW, what weekend in Indy wrestling both in the US & UK.
In order of events, on Friday Oct 21st Dragon Gate began their 2011 tour of the UK in Broxbourne. The show by all accounts was amazing topped off by a great main event of SHINGO over PAC.

Night 2 was in Nottingham and I was in attendance myself. Before the show there was an official press conference for which I was also in attendance for. I must admit, I was a bit unprepared as I was caught off guard when I got there. Questions aimed towards the Japanese workers were put across via a translator and I know for one, what I asked seemed lost in translation. The only real notable thing from the press conference was the announcement of CIMA's mystery partner and this was his former partner GAMMA, the two are now in different factions in Dragon Gate in Japan. The current program in DGUK was that if anyone was to have 5 losses they would be removed from the DGUK roster and leading up to night 2 CIMA was 0-4 so had to win on Night 2.

As I thought it would be, the show was amazing. The show was based around the third meeting on UK soil of SHINGO vs. Yokosuka. The show had a slow build but got exciting really at the semi-main event time where we had the UK's own PAC, the current Open The Brave Gate champion defeat Dragon Kid who's name and mask is in tribute to his trainer & mentor Ultimo Dragon. The match to no surprise was great and where I was sitting in the arena right in front of me I had the parents of PAC sitting right in front of me. I did have a chat with them and his mom was constantly covering her eyes every time there was a spot against him but overall they were really proud of their boy and so they should be.


Above: PAC & Dragon Kid show respect to each other following their great match - Picture credit John Searle.

The main event was well, AMAZING to say the least. The other 2 matches in the series were crackers and this one probably just shades it for me as I was in attendance. These guys gave everything and I wasn't disappointed at all. Great showing by all involved. Full credit to Mark Sloan and his team from A-Merchandise.

Elsewhere on this site there is a more detailed review of night 2 by my chief writer Shaun Nichols who was in the second row for the show.

On the same night as the first DG show, the awesome FightClub:Pro had another show at The Planet in Wolverhampton which I was unable to attend which I was annoyed about as it featured the top prospect in my opinion on the British scene MK McKinnan against El Generico, more on him in a bit. FCP champion Trent Seven beat Clint Margera, in a ladder match, I like both guys as workers and as people so gutted I missed this one too, fingers crossed, these matches will make it to DVD speaking of which, FCP now have on sale on their site all 3 nights of the Project Mayhem shows, as you may recall, I attended nights 2 & 3 so to see night 1 on DVD will be great. CZW are selling nights 2 & 3 as they were not involved in the first night but I urge all listeners to buy from FCP direct not only because you get all 3 nights but buy buying off FCP the money is going back into the company which will help them grow and put on more great shows. The next of which is Infinity on 25/11 again at The Planet in Wolverhampton, no details yet for matches but follow me on twitter @WLHSTU and when I know, I'll post it there.

Now back to El Generico, after he faced MK for FCP he jetted off back to the US as he was booked to face PWG champion, one of my personal faves in the business at the moment, Kevin Steen in a ladder match and yes, the ever so popular 'generic luchadore' won the PWG title for the first time, congrats to him great achievement. After the match, the Young Bucks came out to attack Steen and he was saved by none other than SUPER DRAGON, Dragon hadn’t wrestled in PWG since May of 2008 but has remained behind the scenes with the promotion. Dragon & Steen will face the Young Bucks on December 10th.



Other notable results from the PWG show entitled ‘SteenWolf’ were TJ Perkins over Rocky Romero, Davey Richards over Willie Mack, PWG tag team champions The Young Bucks over Future Shock (Kyle O’Reily & Adam Cole) and Ricochet over Chuck Taylor.

Nigel McGuinness is making a return to in-ring action, he’ll be wrestling first for Squared Circle Wresting (2CW) in New York on 11/11, the following night he’ll be back to where it all began for him in the US at the Heartland Wrestling Association and he will also embark over to his homeland of England and one of the companies he’ll be working for is Steven Fludder’s Preston City Wrestling on 03/12 so go to http://facebook.com/PrestonCityWrestling for more info

The Indy Corner's Interview with Blk Jeez of CZW

The Indy Corner returned on October 26th and during the show we had an interview with one half of the CZW tag team champions Blk Jeez, look for the show on iTunes in the next day or so but here is the interview in full conducted by the one and only Steve Grieve.

On the subject of CZW, please got to http://fightclubpro.com and buy the Project Mayhem Triple DVD set featuring CZW, BJW, WXW from Germany and the guys of FightClub: Pro

Quick Review: Dragon Gate UK- Shingo vs Yokosuka 3 (22/10/2011) By Shaun Nichols

Crowd was probably approx 650-700 and was generally good. With some decent chants and the usual shit ones.

BxB Hulk defeated Lion Kid in the opener, I was sitting 2nd row and can tell you that Lion Kid works very light and it's also very strange that he's over to the extent that he is. Hulk saw this as a night off I think. Usual mix of kicks from Hulk and the odd dive from Lion Kid. Some saw this as a breakout performance from Lion Kid, think that's either optimistic or they think he's particularly useless. Average fare **1/4



Akira Tozawa beat Naoki Tanazaki, this was supposed to be a 3 way featuring Gamma but Gamma was revealed as CIMA's mystery tag partner at the earlier press conference so this was switched to a standard singles match which I for one was happy about it. Both guys are in Blood Warriors stable but Tanazaki slapped him so Tozawa went temporary babyface. Tanazaki was a lot of fun as the dastardly heel, doing lots of cheap tactics and distracting the referee. He also got the standard UK chant of 'You're a Pussy' in which he shrugged and said he didn't understand, I LOL'd. Tozawa's offence is very fan friendly and we got the usual 2 consecutive dives to the floor which got a great reaction. Tozawa won with his delayed everest german suplex, after the match the fans were still chanting his name Tozawa decided it was time to announce that he no longer liked the UK. We didn't care, match was fun. ***1/2



Masato Yoshino defeated Naruki Doi, I had high expectations for this but they were not met. That's not to say it wasn't a good match but this a re-match from the main event of Final Gate 2010 and I was a bit underwhelmed. We did get most of the big moves, Yoshino did his missile dropkick, slingblade, lightning spiral and finally on the third attempt secured a submission win with Soi Naciente. Doi who actually looks more suited to being a heel used among other things Doi Fives and the great sliding bakatare kick. ***

CIMA & Gamma beat Marty Scurll & Mark Haskins, Haskins it appears is now starting a transformation into Chris Hero. Fans had fun reminding CIMA that upto now he's the owner of 0-4 record in the UK. Both Haskins and Scurll were working a lot lighter than everyone else so it appears to be a UK thing. This again wasn't quite as good as I expected and Scurll didn't have the best of nights. Gamma is one of those guys that either people love or they don't understand his appeal at all. He did his spitting spots and used his singapore cane all in front of the referee. Quite a few of the fans were expecting a DQ but they are standard Gamma spots in Dragon Gate that you expect to see. The UK team did dominate the majority of this which gave the result away. CIMA picked up the win with meteora on Scurll, the rest of Blood Warriors came out to celebrate the win and also to attack Gamma who is actually in Junction 3. Yoshino, Scurll & Haskins made the save. **3/4

PAC defeated Dragon Kid to retain the Open the Brave Gate title, due to transportation issues the title wasn't actually there. This led to a 'Fuck BA' chant, well it makes a change from random 'Fuck TNA' chants. We didn't get confirmation that it was a British Airways flight by the way. Fans obviously were loving PAC although his change in physique didn't go un-noticed with some 'Pac Lesner' chants. PAC dominated the majority of this although Dragon Kid did get his moments as well though they didn't last that long. Highlight was PAC landing on his feet after Dragon attempted a reverse huracanrana, PAC then went went for a release german suplex but Dragon landed on his feet before hitting PAC with a DDT. PAC secured his 10th successful defence by hitting Dragon with a 360 splash. ****

Shingo beat Susumu Yokosuka in the main event, after their two previous UK matches the fans were expecting to see something very special they were not disappointed. Out of everything this match was worked in very tight and well structured manner, both guys had long periods where they were in control. Yokosuka working on the knees of Shingo, Shingo in returned attacked the right arm. Not many big moves in the opening 15 minutes but because everything looked good they never lost the fans. We got the Yokosuka zombie spot which is basically him refusing to sell his opponent's offence. Fans for some reason did duelling 'Let's go Shingo' chants not understanding they were cheering for the same guy. Last five minutes was awesome, lots of big moves and great false finishes with Yokosuka hitting his finisher which is a stiff lariat and Shingo responded with his Made in Japan in which he hit twice for a ridiculous two count. Literally everyone was standing for the kick out. Shingo was not to be denied and finally got the win with the Last Falconry. ****1/2

Personally I thought the first DG: UK show in Oxford 2009 was a better show overall. Before the final two matches this a show that was not setting my world on fire but the final matches easily meant that was a thumbs up show. I also think that the main event was better than anything on the NOAH show from Wolverhampton back in May.

EDIT: Results from Night 3 thanks to @daftpenguin on twitter

1. GAMMA over Mad Man Manson
2. CIMA over Lion Kid
3. Dragon Kid & Yoshino over Joey Hayes & Martin Kirby and BxB Hulk & Tanizaki in a 3 way
4. Akira Tozawa over Marty Scurll
5. PAC over Susumu Yokosuka
6. Shingo over Mark Haskins

WLH Prediction League: GREAT prize for the winner

Here we are again, this weekend the WWE return with another PPV and it's Vengeance. Looks a decent card on paper but I don't really watch the product so I'll leave my opinions at that.
Don't forget, whoever has the most points by the time the final PPV of the year roles around will win a multiple signed WWE PPV DVD, names included are Shawn Michaels, Triple H & Trish Stratus plus more.

WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena ( Last Man Standing)
World Champion Mark Henry vs. The Big Show
WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. US Champion Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger
Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres
CM Punk & Triple H vs. The Miz & R-Truth

Kurt Angle – 2012 Inductee to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame By Alex Kirkham

It was announced recently that TNA Champion Kurt Angle will be one of the inductees into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012. The ceremony itself will be held on April 14, 2012 and will be hosted by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, in Waterloo, Iowa.
May i be the 1st to congratulate Kurt Angle, for this tremendously well deserved achievement in his career, one which he has spilled blood, sweat and tears to obtain. Angle of course found worldwide fame with his simply amazing win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, winning the 100kg gold medal. It was this success, which would help catapult a young Angle into the world of professional wrestling, signing an 8 year contract with the WWF which would see him grow into one of the greatest superstars to ever grace the sport of wrestling.
He would hold numerous titles within the WWF / E, culminating in him becoming the 5th grand slam champion, joining the prestigious group of Chris Jericho, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Kane as a grand slam champion at the time. Not only did Angle gain this prestigious honour during his time with the WWF, but he was also part of some of the most memorable and entertaining feuds of the generation. Whether it was Brock Lesnar, Hulk Hogan, Eddie Guerrero or Edge, Angle always brought it all to the ring and would always leave the fans with a great feeling. Maybe the most memorable of Angles WWF matches was the Hair vs Hair match with Edge, which culminated in Angle losing his hair, a look which he continues to use to this day.
Angles part in the Invasion storyline cannot be overlooked either, he was a pivotal part of both Team WWF and then Team Alliance when he turned on the WWF which brutal chair shots. Along with Steve Austin, Kurt Angle was arguably the superstar who did most for the Invasion storyline due to his continued involvement amongst ppv matches and the ever swapping titles.
At the end of his WWE run, Angle was drafted to the newly reformed ECW brand, where he would see out his WWE career with victories over Randy Orton at One Night Stand 2006 and a rematch loss to him at Vengeance of the same year. What followed were sporadic appearances by Angle, until August when he would ask for his release from WWE, stating the need to rest injuries as his reason. At the time, Angle stated that when he left, WWE lost their very top talent, as he was at the very top of the payroll.
Upon leaving the WWE, Angle would take a month out, but would then go on to sign for Florida based TNA Wrestling, run by Dixie Carter & former WCW champion Jeff Jarrett. His debut for the company was for me one of the most impactful of his generation, entering the ring to confront Samoa Joe, before head butting him and brawling with him. It showed that Angles passion for wrestling was still strong, and he was ready to prove himself against a whole different bunch of competitors in TNA.
Again TNA would provide Angle with top class competiton, and give the fans memorable matches for years to come. His matches with Sting, Jarrett, Aj Styles, Christian Cage, Rhyno & Abyss would be ones to match if not better those which Angle strived to within the WWE. He would go on to be successful ,becoming the 2nd Triple Crown champion in TNA, to go along with his Grand Slam in the WWE. Angle is the current TNA champion, retaining only yesterday over Bobby Roode at their annual Bound For Glory PPV.
After 15 years in professional wrestling, 20 title reigns, an Olympic gold medal and a wave of fan support, Kurt Angle is a perfect example of hard work and graft to achieve goals within professional wrestling. He now joins George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame with the likes of Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Roddy Piper, Curt Hennig, Harley Race & Antonio Inoki. He joins a prestigious grouping of the sports brightest and best, one which will keep the illustrious career of Kurt Angle in our hearts and minds for years to come. Once again a huge congratulations to Kurt Angle for this huge achievement, and i wish him a long and happy run with TNA.

Any comments, hit me up on twitter @WholeKirknShow

Save TNA’s Tag Division By AH Walker

A year ago TNA had one of the best tag divisions in recent history, even rivaling ROH and CHIKARA Pros. Yet here we are a year later and it is a pile of shit. As I am a wrestling fan who happens to mark like a motherfucker for tag division, I am here to bring a spice of life to what once was a decent part of TNA. Now I am going to split this into two parts the first is Assemble and the second is Acquire. Now you all are smart people so I don’t have to explain what I mean by assemble and acquire so let’s get to it

Assemble
There is a vast majority of TNA guys not getting TV time (or maybe they are on Xplosion but I haven’t watched Xplosion in years so bear with me) so maybe you should pair a few together and see what happens.

Team 1- Doug Williams & Mark Haskins
Age and experience meets youth. Two brits that have the same mat style but one has a slight hi-flying style and the other is more classic Brit Style. I’m sure a new version of the British Invasion would be interesting to see for all to see as it has something for the Brits to see and Mark Haskins is a great antagonist.

Team 2- Magnus & Crimson
I’m not a fan of Crimson and I love Magnus, but I think Magnus could bring out a personality in this the shitty second coming of Goldberg. And these two aren’t small fellas even though they aren’t mastodons, so I think these two could be a great fit in this division.

Team 3- Jesse Sorenson and Tony Nese
Two bland X-Division guys. As they are X division they should bring a nice pit of adrenaline into the tag division which sets up a great match between MCMG when Sabin heals up.

Team 4- Austin Aries and Zema Ion
Two great X-Division heels. This is hopefully for the temporary as the aim of this is to get Ion over to the point that he could take Aries place at the top of the X-Division tree, if Aries ever got hurt. I hope Aries never gets hurt though. OK that’s enough assembling for now. Let’s move on

Acquire
Now getting two people and pairing them up is a good idea for a while, but getting some guys from the independent scene that have made waves in the tag division and force them into TNA…

Team 1- The Briscoes
You know who these guys are. They have been teaming for almost 15 years, they can wrestle any style. The only bad thing is that they may need a mouth piece as they won’t let Jay cut his awesome swear filled promos.

Team 2- Future Shock
Another X-Division team. They pick up where the Young Bucks left off. Also these two can break off into singles in anytime and can easily become X-Division champion. Also Adam Cole looks like he could be a fantastic heel

Team 3- Incoherence
Do I need to say more? They have a PG gimmick and they make for some entertainment. Hallowicked can branch out and grab a TV title and Frightmare can bring home an X-Divison championship. Maybe having these guys accompany Eric Young can make for some comedic moments

Well that’s a few of my ideas, think you have a few, then tweet me @AH_Walker and we will have a chat/debate about it.

Thanks for reading, take care….