One more blog to cap off the year, folks. Been a fair old hiatus since the last one—back in August or so, I think. Haven’t really been in the humour to write for the last while. Anyway, down to business. This is a sort-of ‘year in review’ kinda thing…
Speaking completely honestly, 2011 wasn’t a fantastic year. I tend to be a little overly-critical, but it was fairly disappointing on the whole, and I’m hoping to have a more productive and, frankly, happier 2012, all told.
One major thing from this year that sticks out in my mind is DCW; that is to say “Dublin Championship Wrestling”, the short-lived, notorious Irish promotion that caused its fair share of controversy in its year of operation. I did a few shows for them this year, beginning with a début in February in a so-so match with LA Warren. Warren’s a nice guy, and we get on well, but our chemistry together has never been absolutely tip-top, as it were. Our styles clash, and I don’t think either of us bring out the best in each other; my style doesn’t complement his strengths. Along with that, the ring ropes were appalling that evening in East Wall, which hindered the flow of the match.
I worked two matches the following month in Clondalkin, on a ridiculously stacked fourteen match card, which went on for ages. Tucker and I faced off for the first time, and we had a respectable match for not having worked together before; I also worked Vic Viper later on the card in a pretty good match, with a ludicrous angle to finish it. Vic’s stable- the Family Against Sinners, Kev Rocks, Brother Skelly and Sister Laura- “kidnapped me” in full view of the ref, who proceeded to count me out. The kidnapping plot was their way of writing me out for a month, as I had prior bookings in the UK for their next two shows.
My eventual return was in mid-May, on a show in Beaumont, near my home. I had helped get the venue, and had hopes for a great turnout, considering its location. Back during my time in Irish Whip Wrestling, I had run two shows in Clontarf, which drew decent numbers, along with helping organise the Gym Wars shows. I had experience, and knew the area, and where to promote the heaviest and the strongest for a good return. Ultimately, they decided not to rely on this.
One of the promoters was going through personal problems at the time, so the other one- the chap from Cork, Ger- stepped in to oversee this show. He asked me to help poster and flyer it, which I was happy to do. I just wanted to be paid for my time. I wasn’t prepared to do it for free. I’ve done my fair share of postering and flyering back in the day, with IWW, and I wasn’t gonna do it again in DCW for nothing. Ger elected to do it himself, and made a hames of it. The show was on a Saturday, and he had begun the promoting for it on the Monday of that week. The show drew alright, and far more than it deserved to, considering how poorly it had been promoted.
The poor promoting didn’t extend merely to the advertising of the show locally, but to the advertising online too. A match between, I think, T&K and English lads The Dunne Brothers, was advertised as a ladder match, despite the fact that Ger had not been out to see the venue. If he had, he’d know that the roof was huge- it was a big sports hall- and there was nowhere to hang a belt from. He subsequently turned up on the day, and had to rejig the match to make it “no DQ” instead, reneging on the advertising. Though the lads used ladders, the match before them- another gimmick match, a “first blood match”- also incorporated ladders!
No direction had been given to any of the wrestlers beforehand, and there was no card/running order up in the dressing room- it’s a personal preference of mine, but I think there should always be a running order, with match times, results and any other notes from the promoter/booker on their expectations for the card and matches. It’s certainly how I’d do things. So, with no direction from the “booker”, every match ran over time, and guys threw ridiculous amounts of false finishes into their matches.
Another personal preference but, for me, everything on the show should build to the main event. The Rock/Austin-esque false finish sequence should be reserved for the main event, or the match with the “highest stakes”, when it can have the most impact. (It may come across as biased, considering I was in the main event for this show, but I adopt the same attitude even when I’m not. A show, from start to finish, is a team effort and, personally, I think it helps if everyone knows what role they’re intended to fill.)
The Artane/Beaumont show was an absolute mess, truth told, opening and closing with kayfabe-killing sequences. All the wrestlers, bar me and three others, filed out to the ring to open the show, to pay a ten-bell tribute to the then-recently departed “Macho Man” Randy Savage. I didn’t know the man personally, so I didn’t think it in good taste to head out. Same thing with Eddy Guerrero’s death in 2005. I was on a show the evening after his death, and guys were wearing black armbands, saluting to the heavens and so forth; which was completely fine, by the way. It’s just not for me. Unless I knew someone personally, I wouldn’t pay tribute publicly. Each to their own.
Anyway, the show opened with that. To any casual fans, it would be an unusual first impression. The show ran way over time, too. Three hours after opening, and I was just heading out for the M.E. with Vic Viper. The match itself was decent, but the festivities post-match were ridiculous.
First off- the booking of the Ballance/Family feud. I face Vic in Clondalkin, and am kidnapped mid-match and “held captive” for months. I subsequently return, lose to Vic in my hometown, and the feud is dropped. Honestly, what the fuck. The reason given to me for why it was dropped was that “not enough promos had been filmed” to build up the feud (despite no one asking me to shoot any!) Even if they wanted Vic in a title feud with someone else, the feud could’ve been continued with me seeking vengeance against Skelly, who had shot a promo on me a few days before the Beaumont show, and helped cost me the match with Vic. Logic!
Instead, post-match, Andy Phoenix (holder of DCW’s money in the bank briefcase) came out, and hit me in the head with the briefcase, making absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why not “cash in” on Viper? It was another in a long, long, long line of DCW’s Russo-esque nonsensical booking decisions. Andy and I had had no previous interactions on shows in any way, shape or form, so this feud arose from nothing. Ger, the promoter, sprung this whole post-match nonsense on me five minutes before Vic and I were due to go out, and I was irritated and utterly nonplussed for why it was being thrown in, as it was gonna end the show on a further downer. The babyface has lost, isn’t given a chance to send the crowd home happy or save face, and is hit with a briefcase, too? I was assured, though, that a downer wouldn’t happen as they were going to have an in-ring birthday celebration for one of the other wrestlers (Working Class Jones, a heel/tweener on the show) to end the show (and obliterate kayfabe.)
There was no promo, either, to open the show and set up the match with Vic and me. I was just to come out to my own music- which they also fucked up- and act like I was “under the influence” of the Family’s brainwashing. I’ve done some acting, and had a little experience in that regard, but I definitely couldn’t call on that to bring this dreck to life. It was appalling stuff, and it was one of the worst shows I’ve ever been a part of in six and a half years. Embarrassing stuff, and made all the worse by the fact that I have to pass the venue every day, and be reminded of it!
The one positive to come from it was that my frustration and, frankly, anger over the hare-brained booking sparked my creativity, and began a short series of promos where my barely-veiled contempt shone through. Along with that, the match with Andy Phoenix turned out very well, Andy was great to work with, and the match- in one of my favourite venues, Balbriggan- turned out to be one of my favourite ones this year.
There was also the short-lived DCW Training School, which lasted for a few weeks, before shutting up shop. I agreed to be a trainer there, and was looking forward to teaching again. The place was a kip, though, and badly-promoted, and attendance was pathetic. It bled money, and was done within six to eight weeks. My association with it, too, as a mere trainer, had a detrimental effect, and stopped me being able to get ring time elsewhere. That’s Ireland for you.
The DCW experience on the whole was largely mixed- with the scales tipping more towards the negative than the positive- and more than likely marked my final foray into Irish wrestling. I enjoyed working with guys I hadn’t had the chance to work before, like Andy Phoenix and Anthony Idol, working with old IWW alumni, and getting the chance to hone my promos, but the frustration was maddening. Considering the experience at their disposal, seeing the lack of organisation and cluelessness on display was infuriating. (I should note, though, to give a properly balanced view, that Dave, the slightly more vilified of the two promoters, was open to constructive criticism, and did put into practice things I'd told him, which was appreciated.)
The phrase “you can never go home again” made a lot more sense to me, after the experience. Seeing the former IWW lads was nice, but it wasn’t IWW. Our time back then was what it was. A shared experience, fun, and unforgettable, but it can’t be repeated, and to try is futile. (Ever the optimist…) Nice seeing them again, though, however briefly.
Trips abroad this year were mostly fine. I had three shows with DPW in Yorkshire, which were grand. Unfortunately, the promotion has since shut up shop. Admirably, Toga (the promoter) recognised that he had done everything he could, but the shows weren’t returning the types of numbers he was looking for, so took a business decision to cease promoting. Fair play to him; a smart move, under the circumstances. I’ve worked with him, and DPW, since 2007, and performed on their début show in an enjoyable match with El Ligero. I had some very pleasing matches over the years with Ligero, Cameron Kraze, CJ Banks, Bubblegum, and others. It’s a shame it’s over, but it was a very good experience, and nice meeting a load of different guys.
I had fun return trips to WrestleZone in Scotland, and Total Action Wrestling in England, along with débuts for NEWS (England), EWP (Ireland) and PWF (Germany). The NEWS match allowed me another chance to work with Pac, who I had a very satisfying series of matches with in 2006/2007. The PWF experience was cool, and the German fans were very friendly and welcoming. My match with Leon van Gasteren turned out well, and it was my first time wrestling as Gary ‘Bingo’ Ballance. I’ll more than likely stick to being “Bingo Ballance” (due to it being catchier), but it was interesting trying it out once.
I also had the TNA Gutcheck thing in January of this year, which was interesting, as expected, and amounted to nothing, even more expected! It was fun working with RJ Singh again, though in retrospect, I would’ve loved to have been able to work ‘face, and chuck in some of my ‘flashier’ stuff, considering it was a tryout, at the end of the day. I find working ‘face more natural, Ross is a fantastic heel, and I think our natural dynamics would’ve played a bit better. Spilled milk, though. It turned out well, anyway, and it was an experience in itself working in an empty Wembley Arena. Memorable.
Wrestling-wise, I think I’ve covered most of the notable stuff from this year in other blogs: working under a mask for the first time, the six-way ladder match, my male modelling for John Morrissey (heh heh) and so forth. Average year, slightly disappointing from my own standpoint, but hopefully something to build on for 2012.
Off-topic stuff now…
Films! My favourite film this year was Warrior, which was absolutely fantastic. Brilliant acting, gripping story, and head and shoulders above anything else I saw this year. Other notable mentions, and films I thought were very good, were Super 8, Insidious, Scream 4, X Men: First Class, and Fright Night. Superhero films like The Green Lantern, Captain America and Thor were ok, but not fantastic, Captain America being the best of the three, I felt. The final Harry Potter was quite good, but I don’t think matched the build up from The Deathly Hallows Part 1. I also enjoyed The Thing, The Wicker Tree (belated sequel to The Wicker Man from 1973), Kill List, Fast and the Furious 5, Real Steel, Cowboys and Aliens, The Ides of March and Source Code. In Time, I felt, had a great premise but was horribly executed. Dream House was a mess, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was dull and convoluted and, perhaps controversially, I didn’t like Drive, finding it a little pretentious. The Next Three Days was a little disappointing, and I was a tiny bit let down by The Inbetweeners Movie- good, but the TV series had set the bar high. Hoping to see M:I-4 before the year ends, too.
Looking forward very much to The Dark Knight Rises next July, as are many. I’m sure it’ll live up to the hype. Christopher Nolan’s series has been brilliant so far.
TV! Season 7 of House was considerably better than I’d heard, and the addition of Amber Tamblyn’s character, Martha Masters, was an excellent breath of fresh air… I got through Seasons 2, 3, 4 & 5 of Dexter this year, enjoying all, albeit to varying degrees. Season 4 was a high, I must say, with John Lithgow’s arresting performance… Family Guy’s quality hasn’t dipped, to my mind, and is still extremely witty and on-the-mark… I found Season 6 of Supernatural to be a mixed bag, truth be told. A very “busy” season, but something felt like it was missing. Still some good stuff on display, though. Just wish they’d ditch some of the forced dialogue they use at times. (“Ganking” demons being one phrase I never want to hear again!)… Season 3 of In Treatment was very compelling, as with the other seasons, and finished off the series nicely…
Against my better judgment, I watched this year’s X Factor too. The switch-up in judges was a good one, I felt, especially since three of the four of them can actually sing this year! Tulisa was far better than Cheryl Cole, though Kelly Rowland was incredibly irritating (apart from telling Little Mix that “y’all have worked y’all’s butts off”. Heh heh.) The choice of winner’s song was, in a word, “pants”, however! Frankie Coccozza’s very appearance proved irritating, week after week. Do women actually find specimens like him attractive? The mind boggles…
That’s it, in essence. Thanks to the four or five of you continuing to read these, or visiting my page. Much obliged!
Happy Christmas, and all the best for 2012.
Ballance
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