Universal Independent Wrestling June 29, 2013---It ended with blood

The Buchanan Rec Center seemed less crowded than usual. We got there around 7:30 and the bleachers seemed less packed with rabid wrestling fans than on a typical show. The crowd also seemed a little quieter tonight.

Match 1: Stupid vs. De La Vega

I love the fact that Stupid comes out and tells the crowd that he's going to win the match with the power of his mind. His name is Stupid, and his mind is empty by virtue of his name. He says "The most important man in the building has to get something off his massive, sexy chest." De La Vega comes out and the crowd cheers him. I start cheering De La Vega, and Stupid looks over at me and says "You're excited to see him. I don't know why because I'm standing right here." Later in the match he calls my husband Ronald Mcdonald in reference to his red, curly hair. Tweety interfered several times on Stupid's behalf. Stupid ended up winning the match much to the dismay of the crowd.

Match 2: Brian Blaze vs. Jimmy the Kid

Brian Blaze could have won this match if he'd stopped prancing around and showboating. Jimmy the Kid took advantage of Brian's overconfidence, knocked him down and rolled him up. Jimmy's win should be a lesson that you can't count your opponent out until the bell is rung.

They went to intermission right after this match which seemed a little bit soon to me.

Match 3: "Dixie Dynamite" Billy Knight vs. Drew Adler

Billy Knight's music hit before everyone started filtering in from intermission.  He's a local favorite, and he was up against another good guy, Drew Adler. Adler is known for his high-flying ability.  The crowd didn't really get into the match though Adler and Knight were both giving everything they had.  Billy Knight won the match with a big crossbody. The crowd was still pretty lukewarm. 

Match 4: Nina Monet vs. Destiny

Nina Monet was accompanied by Pandora. This was their first official appearance together under the name "Pain and Pleasure." Their catchphrase is "Saving women's wrestling one match at a time." Several times during the match Pandora interfered to help her partner, Nina. Finally, Nina was disqualified because Pandora jumped into the ring and they began beating Destiny. Mason and De La Vega had to come out to break up the fight before it got further out of control. Destiny said to Nina "I don't like you, and I don't like that freaky girl with you." A tag team match has been set for August 3rd. Destiny and a partner of her choosing will face Nina and Pandora.

Match 5: BFF's vs. Mason and Marko

Mason and Marko have a new gimmick where essentially they are twins. They are both bald, have the same build, and are the same height. One of them is a pale white guy, and the other is African American. Much of the match centered around the fact that the referee could not tell them apart. They were able to illegally tag in and out several times using "twin magic", and they didn't get caught. It didn't work in their favor. The BFF's won the match.

Match 6: Josh Storm vs. Frankie Valentine in a Haralson County Street Fight.

The fans brought the weapons to settle this "blood feud" between the two men formerly known as "Family First." The blood starting flowing early in the match, and it continued until the end. The fight went all over the Buchanan Rec Center. Josh was wearing a shirt that said "I've got your Valentine right here" with an arrow pointing down. He got busted in that "valentine" with a baseball bat. They fought up in the bleachers. Frankie hit Josh in the head with a full coke can. You could see a trail of blood that marked each spot they battled. Someone brought a record album, and Frankie picked it up to use it, and he looked at it like "What's this?" and put it back down. I personally found that humorous. Frankie won the match. After the match Stupid came in and beat Frankie up. He said "I'm sick and tired of Frankie Valentine. If you think he's better than me, there's something wrong with each and every one of you." Both Josh and Frankie left the arena covered in blood. I think their feud is still going strong, and more blood will be shed before it ends.

Universal Independent Wrestling will be back on July 6th at Villa Rica Elementary School in Villa Rica, GA.

Until next time,
XOXO
Wrestling Fan Girl.

In caving to peer pressure, my thoughts on Chris Benoit

Every other blog is buzzing about Benoit today because it's the 6th anniversary of the day we found out that he killed his wife Nancy and their 7 year old son Daniel before ending his own life. I've been in many debates on the subject in the past three days because I have strong feelings on the subject.

During my second wrestling fandom, between the years of 1999 and 2001, I was a huge Benoit fan. I printed out pictures of him and put them on my wall in my college dorm. I cheered every time he was on my tv screen. He was the first technical wrestler I really liked. Most of my other favorites were high flyers like Mysterio, the Hardy Boys, and Edge and Christian. I understand where you are coming from, Internet Fans, when you say his technical wrestling skills are unparalleled.

I stopped watching wrestling for years. I lost interest in it because I was dating a pretentious intellectual who liked other things. He and I had little in common it turns out. We broke up. I met and married someone else. So did he. I was likely a fool for conforming to his interests.

The next time I heard the name Chris Benoit was in 2007. I was pregnant with my son. I was drinking a cup of coffee in our local bookstore and coffee shop. My father came in to talk to me for a few minutes because he saw my car in the parking lot. He was looking at the newspaper and we both saw the headlines about Chris Benoit killing his wife and child. I remember saying "I used to really like him." My dad was never a big fan of him because of the way he entered WWE with Eddie Guerrero. He didn't appreciate the fact that they turned on Mick Foley. I remember saying to him when that storyline was going on "You know this is scripted, right?"

Anytime someone compares my current favorite wrestler, Daniel Bryan to Chris Benoit, I die a little inside. I know why they make the comparison. It is because they are of similar size, and they are both considered the best at submission style wrestling. I know I'm overreacting, but I mentally panic at the idea of Daniel Bryan snapping and killing his future children.

I despise it when fans say they don't understand why WWE limits wrestler's move sets when they sign them. These same people often blame the wrestling industry for causing Chris Benoit's mental deterioration.

Go ahead and hate me. I do not believe that Chris Benoit deserves to ever be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Nothing you say will change my mind on this issue. The reason I believe this is simple. He killed his 7 year old child who loved him and trusted him to keep him safe. Other child murderers do not get our respect and adoration simply because they had cool jobs. There is no reason he should either.I can't remember the good things about his career when I see pictures of his wife and son.

Heels exist to make you hate them.

There are two types of characters at a wrestling show, babyfaces and heels.

Babyfaces are our heroes. They come out dancing, clapping, and high fiving. These are the guys we cheer, our heroes. Who knows if they're as squeaky clean in real life as they portray themselves in our wrestling lives? That's not our place to judge. We see them only as they present themselves. For the two hours that we watch them, they are the force of good.

Their counterpart is the heel. Heels are everything dark, rude, arrogant, and evil in the wrestling world. They yell insults at the audience. They do their best to make you hate them, so you will, in turn, cheer for their opponent. I've had the opportunity to talk to a few of them outside the ring, and they are the nicest guys and girls. Inside the ring, however, they will do anything and everything to get you to despise them. It is just their job. It isn't personal. If they target you, it's likely they've heard your insults before, and they believe you are capable of playing back.

Professional wrestling is a drama that plays out in front of us. We're lucky as the audience that we are allowed to participate. If we were watching a musical, we'd not have the liberty to boo the actions of the main villain. We'd not be able to yell "Jean Val Jean" and clap rythmically at the protagonist's exploits. When you cheer and jeer professional wrestlers, you are helping tell the story. Please remember that.

XOXO,
Wrestling Fan Girl.

Universal Independent Wrestling 6/15/13--Tales from the Hallway

I made the mistake this weekend of going to UIW's summer Super Show without my husband. My five year old son is typically good at wrestling shows, but he possesses a short attention span. My husband is generally more patient with him if he decides to act out, and he's likely to help me by taking Ian to do "Ian things" while I watch the show.  We spent a good portion of this show playing with another child in the hallway near the entrance door to the Villa Rica Elementary School gym rather than sitting in the bleachers watching the show. I could still see most of the action from our chosen spot, but it still won't be my best report.

We arrived early, and we were able to meet Golddust without waiting in line. He was very friendly. He even offered Ian an extra bag for his action figures if he so needed. Ian had accidentally spilled all his accessories and figures on the floor as we approached the autograph table.

Match 1: Pandora vs. Devyn Nicole for the UIW women's title.

Pandora, as always, was the shining star in this match. Surprisingly, Pandora retained.Her former enemy Nina Monet came out and beat up Devyn Nicole. The referee did not see Nina's interference, so Pandora got the win. Nina says that she couldn't beat Pandora so she's decided to join her. They will face Devyn Nicole and Darcy Dixon sometime in the near future.

Match 2: Jagged Edge vs. Awesome T.C. for the U.S. Heavyweight title.

Jagged Edge comes out wearing his crown. He claims he is "our champion" and that he's the "King of Wrestling". We attempted to start a "burger king" chant, and it sort of took. The match was scheduled for "Two out of three falls." T.C. got the first fall. Jagged Edge got the second. Jagged Edge knocked out the ref, and Pandora interfered. Jagged Edge manages to inadvertently clothesline Pandora. T.C. gets a pin but the ref was still knocked out. Marx comes and tries to take out T.C. the ref is still out. Jagged Edge got T.C. into a submission, and during all the craziness someone on the Empire team took Brandon McClure's towel. The referee ruled that T.C. threw in the towel, and Jagged Edge is currently UIW U.S. Heavyweight Champion.

The rest of the show I did the best I could to keep up.

The eight man tag match featured the So Fine Mafia, Mercenary, and Stupid against Frankie Valentine, Jimmy the Kidd, Terry Lawler, and Billy Knight. It was an elimination match, and Stupid won for his team.

Bobby Moore won the Jr. Heavyweight title in a triple threat match against Sean Tempers and Fred Yehi.

The Empire's team Casey Kincaid and Shane Marx retained the tag titles against Chip Day and Sylar Cross.

Goldust beat Murder One in our Semi main event.

I have no idea what happened in the match between Cyrus the Destroyer and Bull Buchanan except that there was a run-in from Geter. He was accompanied by the Prince of Darkness himself, Jeff G. Bailey. Who knows what diabolical schemes Bailey has planned for UIW? I know what he's done at PCW, and I'm vaguely familiar of his presence at Anarchy Wrestling in Cornelia. It's going to be an interesting ride now that he's at UIW. 

Pro Wrestling Resurrection June 9, 2013

Match 1: Marko vs. Kevin Ballenger

The audience always has fun with Marko because they start the Marko Polo chanting just like children playing the beloved game in a swimming pool. Kevin Ballenger seemed to really like this, and he encouraged it throughout the match. Marko Polo's movements are so deliberate that somewhere in the middle of the match we began chanting Marko Slo-Mo instead. This match was high energy and a good way to start the show. The crowd really hates Marko. He gets the pin on Ballenger and says "Ya'll can count to five million. It's over."

Match 2: The Attraction Chad Silva vs. Cody Fairview vs. Supernatural

This match was a triple threat elimination match. Chad Silva sat outside the ring waiting for one competitor to be eliminated, so he'd only have to compete in a singles match. Cody Fairview was eliminated first. Chad Silva came in to battle with Supernatural for a while, but decided he was better than that and went backstage. Supernatural wins with a countout. Chad Silva is not better than Supernatural. He is a chicken who knows deep down he's not on Supernatural's level.

Match 3: Zachary Blane vs. Chris Damian

The action spilled out of the ring very early on. Both wrestlers hit the floor pretty hard. This match was going great until the Reckoning came in and beat up everyone involved. The Rock and Roll Models came out to save the day. Johnny Danger and Joey Kidman are set to face Rick Michaels and Chad Silva later in the show as a result of this beatdown.

Match 4: El Zombie Mascaras vs. Geter

Geter and Brian Blaze didn't waste any time. They attacked Supernatural and Zombie Mascaras while they were still greeting fans during intermission. Geter won because of his size and power. It wasn't exactly a squash, but it ended quickly. Geter and a fan exchanged words after the match. Geter said "Real men wrestle. Others just sit and watch." The guy's wife yelled "You can't wrestle, you're just big" He got up and started talking trash at Geter, and the crowd got behind him and started yelling "Preacher Man, Preacher Man."

Match 5: The Rock and Roll Models (Johnny Danger and "Wildchild" Joey Kidman) vs. Zach Daniels and Rick Michaels.

Chad Silva is ejected from the arena, and the crowd goes nuts chanting "Na na na na na na hey hey goodbye." Rick Michaels says if Chad Silva is out, then all of the Reckoning is out. Zac Blane comes out with a kendo stick.This convinces The Reckoning to stay put.  Rick Michaels and Quasi Mandisco tried several times to cheat while the referee's back was turned. The teenaged girl behind me went nuts trying to convince the referee to turn around. Joey Kidman won the match by pinning Zach Daniels.

Match 6: Matt Sells vs. Brian Blaze

Matt Sells took on Brian Blaze. Matt Sells wins. Geter and Blaze jump him after his victory. Kidman and Danger come out to help Selsl. Marko comes to the aid of Geter and Blaze. Geter and Blaze were an unnamed team before now, but together with Marko they announced they will be known as The Fraternity. The Fraternity is set to face The Rock and Roll Models next week. 

Platinum Championship Wrestling 6/1/13

Match 1: Dynomite Soul vs. Fred Yehi.

As always, Fred Yehi put on a highly entertaining technical match. He really deserves to be on the national stage because of his athletic ability. This was the first match in a best of seven series between these two men. Dynomite Soul tapped to Fred Yehi's submission after two really close near falls where Fred nearly had him pinned. I vote this match "Match of the Night".

Match 2: Warhorse #2 vs. Marko Polo

Warhorse #2 sits down next to us in the audience during Marko Polo's entrance. Polo pounds on him for a while, and he tries to head back upstairs like he's done. Polo throws him back in the ring. Marko Polo wins the match, but did we really expect anything different?

Match 3: Sylar Cross vs. Shawn Adams
Shawn Adams was accompanied by PCW's newest bad guy Sheamus O' Malley. He wears a kilt. Sylar Cross brought his Tag Team partner Chip Day, and PCW's newest high flying babyface The Spirit Dragon Shenron. Chip Day looks at us and says "yeah we've got a dragon". Sylar Cross won this match despite Shawn Adams' best efforts to cheat.

Match 4: JAM and Fred Avery vs. The Washington Bullets

From here on out, I will likely refer to JAM as "poor baby minion". Fred Avery treats him horribly, and every time I see him I think "oh poor baby minion". Poor baby minion tries to high five the kids in the crowd behind Fred Avery's back. JAM tried to get the bullets at one point but accidentally took out his own partner. Trey wins by pinning JAM. The whole crowd knows that Fred Avery will be ticked at the end of this. Poor baby minion can barely move, and Avery's making him do pushups. He came out to greet fans during intermission, and Avery drags him back  upstairs.

Match 5: Geter vs. Mason.

This was a great match. It ended with Mason having Geter locked up in a hold. Blaze broke it up by beating up Mason, and Geter was disqualified. The official decides the best way to settle all this is to have an 8 man tag match after intermission.

Match 6: Shawn Adams, Sheamus O'Malley, and Big F'n Deal vs. Mason, Shenron, and Of Mice and Men.

The action in this match went all over the place. It spilled outside the ring for a great portion of the match. Shawn Adams pinned Shenron and won the match, but the referee failed to realize it was in fact Mason who was the legal man.

Our main event: Quasi Mandisco and Miss Rachel vs. Supernatural and De La Vega.

Before the match started all the bad guys came out and started pounding on Supernatural and De La Vega. They were all banned from ringside so the match could be decided fairly. It took forever for Quasi and Rachel to decide who will fight first. We yelled "Ladies First!" and when Rachel got into the ring we started yelling "We meant Quasi". Rachel tagged Quasi in. In the middle of the match, Rachel went to slap De La Vega, and she slapped Quasi because Vega dodged. That was pretty funny. De La Vega did a really good spear on Quasi, and it looked like he was going to go for the pin. He didn't. He instead attacks Supernatural. He goes on to say that Supernatural stole his shine, and that he's been cheated out of title shots.

I wonder if we've taken De La Vega for granted a little bit. We always light up for Supernatural here in Porterdale. We cheer for Vega, but not with the same intensity that we cheer for Super. If it comes down to Super vs. Vega, we're always on Super's side. I actually was corrected a couple weeks ago in one of my reviews because I'd taken poor notes during the show, and I completely left De La Vega's match out of the review. It must be terrible for him to live in his brother's shadow. De La Vega is a great wrestler, and he really hasn't been recognized as he should.

De La Vega, I know that you are simply jealous of your brother. I hope you think about the actions you've taken. The people of Porterdale will forgive you if you come back and apologize for turning on us, on your brother. I understand where you're coming from, but beating up Supernatural is not the way to get what you want. You've worked hard and accomplished much. Remember where you came from, and remember that the fans really do love you. It's not too late.

Until next time, June 15th.
The Wrestling Fangirl