Long time since I’ve done one o’ these bad boys! So...,
what’s been going on since last- what was it?- August? Let’s get down to it.
Did two outdoor shows last September and October, in Cavan
and Meath, respectively. Both were round-robins, where I worked with two other
guys in singles matches and a triple threat; the first, in Cavan, was with
Johnny Notaro and JC Williams, while the second (in Fordstown, Meath) was with
JC again, and Bam Katraz. The risk of rain at these shows became a reality on
both occasions- we were drenched in Cavan during the conclusion of the triple
threat match, and soaked a few times during the one in Meath. It was quite
funny, slipping and sliding all over the ring- it impacted fairly negatively on
the Meath show, but kinda added to the finish of the Cavan triple threat, in a
weird kinda way. (It was like Rihanna’s rain-soaked performance of Diamonds on
last year’s X Factor, only much sexier! Heh heh.) I thought it a bit strange to
have Town & Country Fairs in mid-autumn, knowing the unpredictability of
Irish weather, but that’s neither here nor there. Both days were fun,
regardless.
My fellow former IWW alumnus Brother Skelly ran a show in
early October, in aid of the cancer ward of St. James’ Hospital, in Dublin, and
a good show it was, too. I worked ‘The Pride of Wales’ Eddie Dennis in an
enjoyable match- very nice guy, too. Prior to the show, the local kids in Quarryvale laid siege to the
venue, kicking the doors, throwing footballs and basketballs at the windows,
and trying to smoke us out, like badgers! They actually lit fires under the
emergency exits, billowing smoke into the venue! First time I’ve experienced
that, I must say. It was a good night, though, and a fun show, and Skelly
raised a nice bit of money for a very good cause.
Ruling WrestleZone.
Well, not really, but it does make for a good title! I had a
trilogy of shows for WrestleZone between October and early January of this
year, and was involved in the Undisputed Title scene for those events. I
captured the Title in Garthdee in October, defeating Johnny Lions, successfully
defended it in December (in Summerhill) against Aspen Faith, then dropped it
back to Lions in January. Enjoyable matches, all three, I have to say, and it
was a cool experience holding the WZ Championship for that period of time.
Training
The three shows in WZ also allowed me the chance to do some
more training with the WZ guys, and they were very enjoyable sessions. The
January one, in the Cloverleaf Hotel, was particularly good, and I was really
impressed by the efforts of all involved. Great bunch o’ lads.
My nipples could cut glass
Well, not at the moment, but back in January- at the
Cloverleaf show for WZ- they definitely could’ve. It was very cold at the time,
and the snow was thick on the ground, in Aberdeen. The backstage setup for the
evening was a room in the hotel, across the yard from where the show was being
held, and we’d be coming in through the emergency exit. Misjudging my cue, I
headed across a bit early to wait outside with Johnny, forgetting that Dave
Patterson would be announcing the second big star to be part of the June 1st
show at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom. (It was Billy Gunn.) Dave’s a true showman,
and has excellent dramatic timing, but I could’ve shot him that night! I was
outside, topless, and freezing my nipples off. As I say in the title: they
could’ve cut glass! Dave was punctuating the announcement with dramatic pauses
and playing to the crowd- quite rightly- while I was growling for him to “make
the fucking announcement!” Heh heh. WZ’s Chris Archer very kindly draped his jacket
over me while I waited, in an exceptionally good gesture, which managed to
provide a bit of warmth as we waited. I’ll be part of that Beach Ballroom show
next month, and am very much looking forward to returning to WrestleZone.
Coalisland- not an island. Not even a peninsula or tombolo.
It was, however, the site of a very enjoyable show in
mid-November at The Craic Theatre, in Co. Tyrone. In a rare heel outing, I
teamed with Vic Viper to face Shawn Maxer and Jordan Devlin in an exciting, and
spirited tag match. Great crowd that night, a lovely venue, and a very
enjoyable match.
Sparring buddies.
Training’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and I love the
chance to try out stuff in a relaxed, informal setting. Training folks in IWW,
back in the day, was a very rewarding experience, as were the few seminars I’ve
done in the UK, since. These days, I’m getting a great deal of enjoyment from
getting ‘ring time’ in Dublin’s Main Stage Wrestling. My regular sparring
buddies Conor and Hynesie (another former IWW alumnus, and trainee of mine,
back in the day) are great guys, and good fun to work with, and it’s been cool,
too, working, on occasion, with the likes of Kazza G, Johnny Notaro, Bam Katraz,
and Irish Dragon. Nice facility, good people, and I had the opportunity to work
a show for MSW recently, in Tallaght, which was a very enjoyable experience.
Raising the roof.
I worked a show for CCW in Cork, on Patrick’s Day this year,
and it was good fun. Very, actually. Nice atmosphere backstage, and a fun trip
down with Conor, Hynesie and Niall Fox. (In a bizarre sight, we witnessed a
massive prison van violently rocking back and forth on a Topaz forecourt just
outside Laois!) Traffic was crazy in Cork city- roads were closed off, due to
the parade, and some of the hills leading to the venue were absolutely insane.
I’ve been driving about eight years, and I’ve never experienced hills like that!
The roof in the venue was extremely low; a fact I experienced
first-hand in my match with The Executioner. He picked me up to bodyslam me,
and my feet went through one of the ceiling panels sending dust and pieces of
plasterboard scattering into the ring! The fans popped, so we went with it, and
he held me up for a stalling suplex, my feet going through another one of the
ceiling panels above the ring! Later into the match, I actually put his head
through the roof, as we were both standing on the top/second rope, as the fans
chanted “no deposit”! Heh heh.
We were joined by Kazza on the trip back, and decided to
stop off somewhere for food, on the journey. We ended up at a nice place called
Morelli’s in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, where we could sit down, have some grub,
and stretch our legs. What compelled me to pull off at the Cashel exit, drive
all the way through the town, and head to this particular spot, I’ve no idea,
but that’s where we ended up. Very strangely, this is where Vic Viper, Siren, JC
Williams and The Hotshots also turned up, just as we were wrapping up our meal.
The journey to Cork is about three hours, give or take, so the odds of all of
us descending on this chipper in Tipperary were pretty astronomical. Funny
coincidence, though.
Getting my mojo back.
The next show for CCW at the start of this month, in Bishopstown,
Cork- the site of the début show- was amazing. It felt like the ‘2007 version’
of myself took the wheel and said “move over, you old geezer- I’m driving.” Genuinely,
it was the best, and most confident, I’ve felt in ages; years, possibly. I
micro-analyse my matches to death, and am rarely totally happy with them.
There’s always something I wish I did differently, or something I’d hoped
would’ve come off better and, for quite a while now, I’ve felt like I’m a step
or two (or three) off what I used to be. On this night, however, the stars
aligned, and I had two of my favourite matches in ages on the same night.
I worked with Conor (my sparring buddy) in a singles match,
and really, really enjoyed it. The crowd were absolutely phenomenal all night,
and a loud, responsive audience really helps you raise your game. Conor was
excellent, as ‘Fabulous’ Nicky M, and really ‘brought it’. I’ve had a good few
matches over the last few years where my attention’s been a little diverted
from my own performance, as I’ve been concerned that whoever I’ve been working
with isn’t lost- this was not one of those times, and it was liberating to be
able to trust that we were on the same page, and just go with it. Everything
went pretty much as I hoped it would, and it was just bloody good fun. I was
extremely impressed by Conor, and really enjoyed working with him.
That match was a qualifier for the Fatal 4 Way main event,
which would crown the first CCW Heavweight Champion. I worked the main event
with Vic Viper, Irish Dragon and The Executioner, and it was brilliant fun, as
well. The crowd remained lively and energetic, and I think all four of us
played our parts very well. If I had to sum up my thoughts on the match, I
could do so in two words: “Fucking dynamite.” Everything just seemed to fall
into place, and the crowd were really into it- couldn’t ask for more.
Heading to the show that day- with Conor, Hynesie, Kazza,
and ref James Arnold- I was definitely not expecting to win that match. At all.
Bonesaw approached me earlier in the day, shook my hand and said
“congratulations” (a running joke, since none of us knew who was ‘going over’
for the Title.) I believe I told him to fuck off, good-naturedly! He was right,
in the end. My bad.
It was a great night, a great show, and an incredible confidence-boost.
Definitely did not expect to be given the nod to be the promotion’s first
champion, but I was- and am, at the time of writing this- very happy and proud
to be. Unexpected, but a terrific experience.
The trip back involved a return to Morelli’s, in Cashel, and
another nice meal there, with Hynesie, Conor, Kazza and James. Good place,
friendly staff, and nice food.
It was a great day, and I’m hoping the ‘2007 version’ of me
will stick around for the foreseeable- if he does, this could be a good year.
TV
Got through all five seasons of Six Feet Under in a few
months, and really enjoyed it- brilliant show, and an excellent finale. Six
Feet Under led me on to True Blood, which I’m currently watching. (True Blood
was created by Alan Ball, who also created SFU, and wrote American Beauty.)
Seasons 1 & 2 of TB were enjoyable, but I’m struggling through S3 at the
moment- not hooked, and the quality’s dipped quite a bit. Hoping it’ll pick up,
but I’m halfway through the season, and nothing had piqued my interest so far,
really.
Got Fringe S5 on the way- really enjoyed the fourth season.
Great show. Also looking forward to S7 of Dexter, S3 of Boardwalk Empire, and
the fifth season of Breaking Bad. A friend of mine also put me on to American
Horror Story, so I’ll be giving that a shot soon, too. I thought S2 of The
Walking Dead was a massive improvement on the average first season, and am
looking forward to giving S3 a go, as well.
Got very much into Peep Show, but felt the quality dipped a
little after Series 4. The wedding episode that ended that series was
fantastic- in a way, it would’ve been a fitting end to the show, but there have
still been good episodes since then.
Films
For those who care, my top ten of 2012 were as follows: 1)
The Dark Knight Rises. 2) TIE: Argo, and Cabin in the Woods. 4) The Hunger
Games. 5) Contraband. 6) Chronicle. 7) Seven Psychopaths. 8) Lawless. 9) Safe
House. 10) What Richard Did.
Honourable mentions to Avengers Assemble, Skyfall and The Amazing Spider-Man, while The Cold Light of Day, Red Lights and
Total Recall were amongst the most disappointing ones of the year.
This year, so far, I’ve been impressed by Django Unchained,
Trance, and Iron Man 3. I found Lincoln a little boring, and lacking in
subtlety, but thought Daniel Day-Lewis was very good. Curious to see how Man of
Steel and the sequel to the Hunger Games turn out, later in the year.
I loved David Fincher’s version of The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo last year, and I really hope they complete the trilogy with Daniel Craig
and Rooney Mara. Even if they don’t, it’ll still stand as a bloody good
thriller; one of the best I’ve seen in a few years.
That’s it for the moment, folks. Hopefully, won’t be too
long ‘til I do another one of these, but keep an eye on the Irish News Review
site, for my semi-regular articles.
Thanks for reading.
