The Ballance Sheet, Blog XXIV

Wrapping up the year soon, folks, so I think a few words are in order about what's gone down in 2013...

 
FAVOURITE MATCHES


Had two favourites this year: with 'Fabulous' Nicky at CCW Revolution, back in May, and with Stevie Xavier, at WrestleZone's Aberdeen Anarchy show in June. Two great guys, two incredibly enjoyable matches, and two amazing crowds. Definitely hope I get the chance to work with both guys again, down the line.

My other more enjoyable matches this year were with Jordan Devlin, Bam Katraz, and BT Gunn, amongst others. It's been a good year, and I've had the opportunity to work with some superb talent, and in front of some great audiences.

 


vs Nicky (CCW)  1

vs Stevie (WrestleZone)  2



 

    




NIGHTMARE SHOW

A Wrestling.IE show I did in July was an absolute, unmitigated nightmare. I was driving there with Seán Maxer, Danny Butler, and referee Niall Fox. I picked up Niall first, in Liffey Valley, in Dublin, after I'd finished work on the Friday. I was due to pick up Seán and Danny shortly after, at the Tesco in Naas. Unfortunately, due to my lack of knowledge of the Naas area, it turned out that there were actually TWO Tescos in Naas. Seán and Danny were waiting at one, I was at the other, and no one had anyone's numbers. The internet on my phone was out of commission, too, so I couldn't access Facebook or Twitter to get in touch. We ended up working it out, and meeting up, but the delay of nearly an hour set us back, and we were later than usual arriving at the venue for the show in New Ross, in Wexford. My petrol was low as we pulled into New Ross but, due to how late we were arriving, I thought it best to top up once the show was over.



vs Bonesaw (Wrestling.IE)  3

  I worked Bonesaw that night. We've had some really good matches together- unfortunately, on this night, it wasn't one of our better ones. Definitely hoping to work with Bonesaw again in the near future, though, as he's one of my favourite opponents.

The nightmare truly began, though, once the show was over. The post-show meet & greet with fans lasted ages, and by the time we got out, it was after 11. I pulled into the Topaz service station up the road literally just as they were bringing down the shutters, and had switched off the pumps. The guy working there was apologetic, but couldn't help, and told us he didn't know of anywhere nearby that would still be open at that hour.
 

What followed from there was an hour and a half of me searching for petrol stations on my SatNAV, driving from place to place, in search of fuel. A Campus Oil station nearby had a 24 hour pump- but only for diesel. A Tesco petrol station- purportedly open 'til midnight- had closed at 10pm. Several other Topazes were also closed. With my fuel gauge well below 'E', and the warning light glaring mockingly in my face, I was anticipating the car just coming to a stop in the middle of nowhere, and having to spend the night there. Thanks to some directions, over the phone, from a friend of show photographer John Morrissey, I ended up taking us to Waterford- 20 to 30km away- where we finally found a 24 hour service station, I topped up, and was hit by a tidal wave of relief. (Definitely relief on a par with a "post-exam piss.") A very, very, very stressful day.


LOCATION, LOCATION, (DIS)LOCATION

This year, a feud developed in CCW between myself and Ross Browne. Ross had ruffled a lot of feathers- my own included, initially, I'll admit- and earned a fair amount of derision with comments on radio shows and in interviews, in the weeks leading up to CCW's show in August of this year. Having never met the guy prior to this show in Waterford, I didn't know what to expect from him.

Pull-apart brawl between Ross & me at CCW   4

I've mostly done 'one-and-done' shows around the place for the last few years, so haven't really had the chance to do angles, especially not stuff involving shoot/semi-shoot material. Starting from a place where you don't really know someone, it's a tricky situation to gauge how far you can go with comments before you begin to cause ACTUAL offense, and irritation. I know Ross' remarks caused upset and annoyance to a good few people, but strictly from my own point of view, he was grand to deal with, and sound with me, and that's all I can go off. The comments (about me, anyway) never crossed a line.

The irregular nature of CCW's schedule, unfortunately, didn't really allow us to do much in the way of feud-building on shows, themselves; due to promos and stuff on social media, however, there was a little anticipation heading into our match at the end of November, in Cork.

Unfortunately, on that night in Cork, the blow-off to our feud didn't deliver. Through a horrible spot of bad luck, Ross dislocated his shoulder quite badly, early into the match. Three very uneasy minutes passed, as he tried to pop it back into its socket, with no luck. Having done this a while, I'm fairly comfortable in the ring, and am happy enough that if something goes wrong during a match, I can cover it and move on. As Ross was across the ring in the far corner, though, I genuinely had no idea what we were gonna do, and felt pretty helpless. The crowd were getting restless, and a sarcastic "this is wrestling" chant broke out.

The ref for the match was Adam Abz, Ross' former tag partner, and I was glad he was in there. A green/rookie ref wouldn't have had a clue what to do with the situation, but Adam- as a wrestler, himself- knew when I was working, and trying to buy some time for Ross. On a more personal level, at the planning stages, he pushed for a finish that would keep me looking strong. He didn't have to do that. I was on my way out, and wrestling precedent would have it that the guy sticking around is the one who comes out looking the strongest. Though the finish he suggested, unfortunately, didn't come to pass in the end, I greatly appreciated that he tried to give me one that would allow me to go out with dignity and respect. It was an extremely sound and classy thing to do, especially since- at the time- he didn't (excuse the pun) know me from Adam. Heh heh. Nice guy.

At any rate, Ross was unable to pop his shoulder back in, and we had a massively shortened match, lasting under ten minutes. It was a mess. Everyone was disappointed- me, Ross, the fans in attendance. It was a shame the way it went down, but it happens. I attended a show in 2005, before I started training, between Jody Fleisch and the original Irish Dragon. Very early into the match, Dragon and Fleisch both went to nip up simulataneously after a spot, but Dragon caught Fleisch's heel in his face, accidentally, breaking his nose. The match wrapped up soon after, with a quick roll-up. Obviously, I'm sure they intended a longer match, but the safety of the competitors should always take precedence. I was disheartened and disappointed not to get to work the match with Ross that we'd talked about, but not at the expense of his well-being.

The whole angle was an interesting experience, nevertheless, and I enjoyed my time with CCW. It was cool to be crowned their first Heavyweight Champion, the road trips to Cork were a blast, and I had some very enjoyable matches there.


TRAINING

Having done a whole blog for Irish News Review on the subject of training before, I won't re-hash content. I will, however, say that I have had the pleasure this year of doing a number of really, really enjoyable classes. Two for Wrestlezone in January and October, and three for MSW, in the latter few months of the year. Though all were fun, a recent class in MSW with eleven participants stands out the most. It was a jam-packed three hours of work, everyone put in a great effort, and I was (corny as it sounds) really inspired by the potential on display. I love teaching, and I love wrestling. Put them together, and I'm a happy chappy. (Like this fellow, below, just less jaundiced and ever-so-slightly less evil...)

　

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC

As I head into 2014, I do so with a reasonable amount of hope and- dare I say- optimism. A number of things this year have helped put me in a good place, mentally. Regular ring time in MSW has helped me restore confidence and tighten up my ringwork, allowed me to dust off a few classics from my 'vintage Bingo Ballance' repertoire, and make a few new friends, which always helps. If it's not fun, there's no point doing it, but I'm enjoying myself at the moment, and looking forward to what's to come.


FILMS

Good year for films, all told. My own Top 5, of those I've seen, and in no particular order: Django Unchained, The Conjuring, The Way Way Back, Prisoners and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Also saw the following: Jack Reacher (decent); The Last Stand (fun); Lincoln (good performance from DDL, but pure Oscar baiting); Stoker (intriguing, understated thriller); Broken (nice comedy/drama with Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy); Trance (intriguing story and performances); Evil Dead (solid enough remake); Olympus Has Fallen (refreshingly gritty action film); Star Trek Into Darkness (typical, by-the-numbers summer blockbuster, and a letdown, bar Benedict Cumberbatch's performance); The Purge (didn't capitalise on its interesting premise); Man of Steel (dia-fucking-bolical; worst film I've seen this year); Now You See Me (was moving along nicely until its awful twist); World War Z (decent action, but not great, character-wise); The World's End (so-so; Simon Pegg's character was incredibly unlikeable); The Frozen Ground (never got out of second gear); Kick-Ass 2 (better than the first, bar a dodgy CGI scene, and a bizarre Union J scene); Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (much funnier than I thought it would be); You're Next (fun horror); Insidious: Chapter 2 (not great- actually managed to ruin one of the scarier scenes from the original!); Escape Plan (good action, and an impressive villainous turn from Jim Caviezel); About Time (enjoyable- nice performances, particularly from Bill Nighy); Captain Phillips (decent, though I saw it while tired); Philomena (excellent comedy/drama, and nice to see Steve Coogan in a dramatic role); Gravity (visually impressive, and pretty good story); and The Fifth Estate (above average, and another solid performance from Benedict Cumberdale.)


TV THIS YEAR

Breaking Bad, to my mind, ended well, and I was mostly satisfied with how everything wrapped up. An impressive final season. Deserving of the praise it's received.

Game of Thrones has taken its place as one of my absolute favourite series I've seen in quite some time. Wonderful stuff, and jaw-dropping at times. A refreshingly unpredictable show.

Worked my way through all five seasons of Six Feet Under, and really enjoyed it. I, however, only made it through three seasons of True Blood- turned off Season 4 after the first ten minutes of fairy shit. Realised I didn't give a monkey's about the characters or where the story was going. Not curious either. Shame.

Finished Season 3 of The Walking Dead recently, and was impressed by it. A strong season.

I had put off watching Irish crime show Love/Hate for so long, as I really don't think a great deal of RTÉ-produced shows; their track record is not good. Love/Hate is an exception, though, and I've enjoyed the first four series very much.

I was impressed by S7 of Dexter; having not thought a great deal of the fifth or sixth seasons, the seventh was a pleasant surprise. I'll get around to the last season soon.

Watched- and enjoyed- the first two seasons of American Horror Story. Interesting stuff. Bates Motel started interestingly, too, but lost a bit of edge as it went along, and finished on a slightly disappointing note.

Watched- and rewatched- The Thick of It a good bit this year- really witty and enjoyable show.


GAMES

Stuck mainly to four games this year- Hitman: Absolution was really enjoyable. Loved the first two Uncharted games for the terrific, engrossing story and the easily-accessible gameplay. The Last of Us, however, gets the nod for my favourite game played this year. Amazing story, and beautifully acted. I'm not a huge zombie/apocalypse fan, but this was just incredible. Plan on moving on to either Uncharted 3 or Heavy Rain next, and hoping to pick up Arkham Origins soon.

Thanks for reading, folks. 'Til next time, take care.

(Photo Credits: 1- Martin Dunne; 2- Baba Krzykwa; 3- John Morrissey; 4- Martin Dunne)

The Ballance Sheet, Blog XXIII

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.

 Rained-out.

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.

 

Smoked-out.

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 1^st 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.