The “Barbed Wire City”

Take this all from my POV only please…this isn’t a review of “Barbed Wire City” by any means…this is what it did for me and what I hope it will do for others.

I appreciate anyone artistic vision…really…putting something into the public eye that you know will be criticized is a tough and courageous act…I mean after all everyone is a critic right?  Right.  Some people criticize to themselves and others to their friends who then go to their friends who then go their first cousin and so on and so forth…it’s called word of mouth…it’s a marketing tactic that every brand in the world would love to control but just cannot…you can certainly influence the message but ultimately people are going to say how they feel about something to someone who will listen whether it be good or bad…that’s just the way it…that is what drove Extreme Championship Wrestling and that is what this documentary on ECW captures whole heartedly.

As someone who worked for ECW from almost the get go to the very very end I finally feel like we got our “Behind The Music.”  It’s the documentary that doesn’t get every major player but gets enough of every major player to tell the story that needs to be told.  More so…”Barbed Wire City” pays attention to the little people per say…the people that fueled the company…from the office staff to the promoters to the referees to the ring announcers to the media that covered the company to the boys in the back…everyone is covered…which is 100% the way it should be because every piece that I just named was needed back in the day to make the show function, to make the magic happen, and the spread the word of mouth that made ECW, yes…I am going there…the Nirvana of professional wrestling in the way that it changed the wrestling landscape forever…

Now, I am not getting retrospective because the documentary does that…however for me after watching it several times I found myself continually being brought back into the ECW locker room, into random cities and buildings, to ringside, to the hotel rooms, to traveling with the boys, to walking around the parking lot the day of Barely Legal, into the rawest emotion and passion of the boys and the fans imaginable…these are all places my mind hasn’t wandered to in years with such clarity of what it felt like…it’s truly amazing of what images from your past can bring back to you when presented in the right light…

A lot of what I experienced while living ECW was a blur…and no not because I “partied”…only because at a very late part of my 8 ½ years around the company I began to realize that this would end and I needed to experience everything to its fullest.  For me that maybe happen for the last 2 years I was there…for the first 6 ½ years it was how fast can you run, how high can you jump, and what will you do to survive.   “Barbed Wire City” let me feel some things I just didn’t before…and let me realign my feelings with things I missed feeling….and things I never felt right about.

Is “Barbed Wire City” closure? No way.  In fact, I will be the first to say that people will want more of this story…and I am happy there is an extended cut being planned because they will need it…there will be demand for it.

The word of mouth will be critical for sure…because everyone believes the story should be told one way and not this way and they didn’t interview this person and this person is full of shit and this person was fucked up and this person is an idiot and this person is politicking, blah blah blah blah….but that’s ECW!!!!  There wasn’t a structure!  There was craziness that created a true game changer!!!   This isn’t a technically over-produced feature film…it’s not shot in a big fancy studio…it produced within a budget…it’s shot in the arenas, the stands, hotel rooms, homes and on the streets…just like ECW when it ran the cool arena, the VFW hall, the gymnasium, the nightclub, the sports center, the baseball stadium…you just never knew where we were going but you knew we were going to deliver…hell FN yeah you knew we would deliver….and so does this documentary.  Congrats to John Philapavage and his partner Kevin Kiernan for sticking with this for 12 + years…you guys should be proud.

Guest Post for DotComplicated

Thanks to Randi Zuckerberg and her team at Zuckerberg Media and DotComplicated!

Enjoy!

http://bit.ly/XBzKgs

’13 Is Just A Number

Polly?  Polly?

In front of me is a TV playing “Nirvana: Live at the Paramount” which is symbolic to me in many ways.  I grew up around the greatest music ever…the classic rock era —> the metal era —> the grunge era.  Now…at 40…I can enjoy those eras every day.  In college I wrote a weekly music column called “Between The Beat.”  The last sentence I ever wrote when the column ended upon my graduation was “It’s all in the music.”  I believe that firmly.  As I ramble about 2012, with no real agenda here, I cant help but be so happy that music is still such an important part of my life.  It’s really the fuel for me…the thing that you can always count on…that is always there…you pretty much always know what you are getting…and then there are time when you have no idea what you are getting…it’s an emotional ride right?  Tis life.  I met Axl Rose in 2012.  What else needs to be said there?  I saw Guns N’ Roses 12 times in the course of one month at the Joint in Vegas.  It was the greatest month long celebrationof my 40th birthday that you could imagine.  Seeing GNR is always mind-blowing.  However, the people that work with the band,support the band, are the band, and whoever else are truly amazing.  I don’t name drop (Axl reference was a fact that if you have known me at all ever you know how important that moment was to me) but they are a great crew from top down and created so many amazing memories for myself, my wife, and my kids that I could never truly put it into words.  It’s all in the music right?

More music memories from 2012…

- The Killer and “Battle Born” —> Best album of 2012.  One of the best concerts I have ever seen.

- Watching the magic of Jane’s Addiction…being part of their pre-show “Fan Jam” which was beyond words and thanking Perry Farrell for all he has done for music.

- The rediscovery of bands like The Replacements, The Stones, The Beastie Boys…

- The continual indulgence of bands that never went away to me…

- The song “The Celestials” which I truly love.

- The need for Hole.

- The end of Jack’s Mannequin…for now…Andrew McMahon is one of the best writers ever.

- Watching pure shit be treated like the 2nd coming of The Beatles.  Is that direct enough on how I feel about 91.3% of music today?

Now, every person who is as infatuated with music as I am has pro-wrestling as their true bread and butter right?  Nope…but I do.  2012 was my 17th year around the wrestling business in some form.  You can look through this blog and read all about my ECW memories.  ECW = Nirvana.  I have said it a zillion times and it’s true.  ECW did for the wrestling business what Nirvana did for music.  Plain and simple.  Now…with that legendary run on my resume I thought I had done it all in the business and was good.  Well…I was wrong…very wrong.  In early 2012 I was approached to help in several areas with Resistance Pro Wrestling in Chicago.  I am proud of the borderline work/shoot we created.  I could list about a dozen people who reached out to me asking me what on earth was wrong with me.  People were saying I was bitter at the business.  People were saying I was trying to get attention.  I was insulted via Twitter by countless fans of Billy Corgan and R Prop loyalists.  I received one death threat.  In return, I was personally appeased by working everyone.  To me, it was funny.  I love the wrestling business.  I get so much out of it in so many different areas of life.  I would never ever be bitter at it.  The ones who said I was bitter…are bitter.  Funny though…if people really knew how much was worked…they would be surprised….seriously…it was really wacked out for a bit.  Still is.

There are several reasons I like the R Pro deal.  To name a few…I have no agenda, I don’t politic, and I have fun.  I do it out of sheer passion for the business, for the people who bust their asses to try and make the business successful, and to help, as much as I can, the people who deserve a break.  I am 99.7% sure this will be my last run in wrestling in whatever capacity that may be…and that’s ok…Some of the best people I have ever met in the wrestling business work there.  More so…I found the passion for the wrestling business that I lost.  I lived a dream and it was really tough to see sides of that dream that weren’t really a part of my own version of said dream.  That’s life.  Tough shit.  I dealt with it, I handled it, and I moved on…but I did lose my passion.  Now…2 and a half years later I am happy some of that passion is in my blood again.

During one of my trips to Chicago I did an interview for the upcoming ECW documentary that will shed some serious light on the legacy of extreme.  In that interview I was asked something about WWE/ECW and what I thought of it.  Well…without giving my entire answer away I will say this…WWE/ECW ended up being a virtual “trial by fire” forum for CM Punk.  I was there…I saw it all.   What I see now is truly inspiring.  I know, I KNOW, there are Punk detractors…and that’s ok….I choose not to be one of them.  I choose to be on the other side…the side of controlling your destiny, pushing the envelope, and being the change in the world (in this case the wrestling business) you want to see.  That inspires me.  Don’t agree?  I don’t care.

As far as the rest of the wrestling business goes….here are some general comments…

- I was saddened to see Edge’s career cut short.  Being someone I consider a friend (even though he hates me due to hockey issues) it was hard to watch.  However…Edge had a career that will inspire, motivate, and fuel the business for years.  I consider him one of the best ever.  No doubt.

- I wish to God there were territories with local TV.  Just so there could be surprises again…and talent crossing over…and all that stuff.

- I happy D-Von and Bubba have had “Hall of Fame” careers.  I was privileged to have worked with them for so long…and even though it seems like a lifetime ago…I know how hard they both worked to get what they got and that’s success you only dream of.-Tommy Dreamer remains, and always will remain, one of my best friends ever.  I know in my heart that if the worlds align what he did in Poughkeepsie, NY will be the grounds for something truly special.  He is a stand-up guy…and he cares more about this business then anyone I have ever met.

- The press should focus on what John Cena has done for charity and Make-A-Wish instead of where he goes for Christmas and situations that should remain private.   If you report so hard on one…don’t ignore the other.  I think I said the same thing around the time the Scott Hall documentary aired on ESPN.

Here is the go home smarks…

- I am grateful to have found the Mark Knophler prank call tapes online.  BeforeTheJerkyBoys.com….don’t screw yourself and not listen.  This collection of art has brought back sooooo many memories for me.

- I want people who tweet about changing their lives…that tweet inspirational quotes…to go back and read those tweets and do them….words are just that…Ready?  Action!

- This isn’t the proper forum to comment on Cirque du Soleil and my job there.  I can say, and this isn’t a comment, this is a statement…I am inspired every day by the people I work with, that entertain us, and that create.  CDS is the base for me…and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be there.

- As I grow older I worry about our kids…their safety…Newtown broke my heart.  I love my daughters just like those parents loved their kids…it’s sad.  I can’t properly sum up how I feel as I have no true words that would do it justice.

- There is no substitute for family.  Family isn’t always blood (unless you do a Mickey and Mallory Knox deal) and I have learned that more then ever during the last 3-5 years.  I love my family…the ones with and without my blood.  Family can also be crass and blind.  It’s an odd balance.  Remember what I said…family isn’t always blood.

- I am happy…and you should be also.  You should live…and not exist.  Let’s go.

………

XXOO…..

I am happy and grateful to have meet some amazing people this year…in all facets of life…I am lucky and I know it…

’13 is just a number…it’s not unlucky….

Enjoy…

Bloopers, Bleeps, and Bodyslams

I’m working on a year ender with topics including wrestling and more wrestling with hints of music, fun projects, controversial people, and more…it’s a regular shithouse of fun. Stay tuned.

Chicago

Chicago is fun and even though I make fun of it you all know its a big work. I have enjoyed coming here for the last 9 months and enjoying some additional time in the wrestling business. Everyone starts somewhere right? And it’s important to not forget your roots right? I haven’t and I am happy to be
true to myself and live up to what others expect. Year end blog in 3-weeks…should be a mild trainwreck and an epic trainfuck.

ECW’s Barely Legal: 15 Years Gone

Barely Legal was the realization of a dream for many people that were a part of the ECW locker room on April 13, 1997. Actually, it was the realization of a dream for everyone that was involved in ECW up until that point whether active or not on the roster. In fact, I can confidently say that there was probably nobody that ever set foot in an ECW ring or was part of the group that ran these events from all aspects that didn’t feel something truly extraordinary including me who, at the time, had been working for ECW in some capacity (writer to photo guy to talent) since 1994.

The week’s leading into the PPV were pretty memorable for many reasons…

I was super lucky to have been part of two of the ECW/WWE invasion angles that had taken place in the weeks leading up to Barely Legal on WWE’s flagship show, RAW. It was cool to be around and performing within a live TV wrestling show and ultimately it helped many of us get used to what would be Barely Legal…given it was live and all…that is…as much as a big TWO live TV appearances can give someone…but two is better than zero…So the road to the first ever LIVE ECW PPV was paved with Monday Night Raw. Pretty sweet in hindsight….a true worked hostile takeover to give ECW much needed national exposure on a national level….More so the road to Barely Legal was paved with blistering angles that had true storylines…a now staple of ECW and Paul E and crews booking…that were the equivalent of what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” did for music…I stand behind that comparison any day of the week by the way…

Bubba Ray, Big Dick, and I had all turned heel to unite Bubba Ray and D-Von into the force you have all become to know and love. The heel turn took place the same night Paul E. announced that ECW had in fact secured its first PPV….so….that in and of itself was pretty huge.

After the heel turn, the Dudleys won the ECW tag-titles from the Eliminators at “Hostile City Showdown” in March of 1997 a little less than a month before the PPV to set-up a rematch at Barely Legal. That night was crazy as the smart arena fans were BLOWN AWAY with the title change….but really…all you had to do was figure out that it was a glorified angle for the next month and the PPV. Still, the fans who legitimately hated (and I don’t mean hated as in “heat” I mean hated) the Dudley gimmick couldn’t believe what was happening right before their very eyes….who would have thought what the unification of Bubba and D-Von would bring to pro-wrestling…

If you ever saw the original Barely Legal T-shirt or poster it’s interesting to note that I took that shot of Taz and Sabu at the ECW House of Hardcore in Long Island. I also got heat for it because everyone argued with me that Taz’s eyes were closed but really, I just took the shots, I didn’t pick them…and there were a lot more and no it wasn’t Taz or Sabu that said a word to me. They were two of the best people I ever worked with. In reality, having Taz and Sabu main-event the first PPV was the epitome of what ECW was. This was a program/angle that took A YEAR TO BUILD. Now, I know Cena/Rock just did the same thing, however Taz/Sabu was indicative of old-school booking and really paying something off in a big way with the proper storyline. I am not saying Cena/Rock wasn’t proper…in fact WWE did a great job building it up. However, Taz and Sabu was just different…it was Taz and Sabu…it was ECW…this was old-school wrestling. Taz and Sabu did so much to build to that match…between the awesome promos Taz did to the seemingly elusive but impactful and intense nature of Sabu everything was firing on all cylinders. This wasn’t just a series of promos, this was a fully booked storyline designed not JUST for buy rates, but to catapult the company into the national forefront of pro wrestling in a big way.

ANYWAY….while at the House of Hardcore shooting the soon to be PPV key-art we spent several days going through the match that would take place between The Dudleys and The Eliminators.

The Dudleys/Eliminators were to open the show…this was the first exposure that a good percentage of the people watching Barely Legal would have to ECW…so you can imagine the amount of pressure that was involved but also the desire to make it perfect. The match was to feature the heels dropping the straps to the babyfaces (hence the title change that had taken place a month earlier as referenced above) and be a true sample of “all-things” ECW. It delivered for sure.

The original spot I had in the match was to jump up on the apron, be pulled over the top rope by Saturn and Kronus, whipped into the ropes and hit with a double spin kick. That was it…which was actually a lot for me. I remember Saturn saying he wanted to have me run a spot vs. just take a bump in order to add some credibility to the Sign Guy character as a worker per say….anyway….it all changed the day of the PPV when it was decided The Eliminators would slide into the ring, The Dudleys powder out, I slide in and hit them with my sign, turn my back on them (which is essentially the same as saying “I’ll be right back” in a horror movie,) they blast me and hit me with Total Elimination…and that’s how it went.

I remember very vividly going to the arena the day before the PPV where Mikey was at with the ring crew guys making sure all was set up. The Arena had a serious make-over and looked unreal. The floor was painted, the walls clean, the locker room as clean as it could be, and the ring looked awesome. It was the true calm before the storm and for me it was a crazy realization that, if I stopped working in the business the day after the PPV, I would have lived a dream I had since I was 8.

Paul Heyman’s pre-show speech is pretty well documented through the archives of the internet. I am not going to recreate it but I will tell you that Paul knew how to get a crew of people who were already amped up out of their minds…even more amped up…in that moment he was our leader and we were ready to fight to the end for him and what we believed in…which was each other.

So as we reach the 15 year anniversary of Barely Legal I will say that hard work doesn’t always pay-off on paper, but when it does, and when you can walk out of wherever you walk out of everyday knowing that you not only did what you wanted to do, what others expected you to do, and what created a memory and a piece of history….well…you have to think that pretty awesome…

I mean…right?

There will never be anything like Barely Legal for anyone who was part of the show that day in whatever capacity…and that’s ok…that’s how it should be…

Resistance Pro Statement

Ok, so, I apologize for using my Twitter and alienating probably like 78% of my followers with my thoughts, er, continual thoughts on Resistance Pro; the wrestling promotion based out of Chicago that features Billy Corgan as their Creative Director. I used Twitter to create a public forum to showcase all the wrong that is Resistance Pro in the hopes that Billy would wake-up to who he is in business with.

Today I was personally attacked by the Baron Brothers and really I am just over it. These guys haven’t done a thing but spend money and buy their way into the wrestling business. The story in Business Week is awful. The story basically said they have sunk $35k into 3-shows and Billy has matched that. Right there is enough, to me, to realize why they went after Billy to be part of their fed. These two guys are just gross and sickening human beings full of negative energy and overzealous glee. These are the kind of guys that keep the wrestling business in just an awful state. These guys are indicative of the reasons I left the wrestling business a year and half ago. The grass was indeed greener on the other side.

When we did a series of angles with Billy in ECW we did it because we loved him and he loved us. We got him a ton of press and he is forever grateful to us for that. The Baron Brothers are taking advantage of him and I wish I wish I wish I wish Billy could see that but he cannot. Billy believes the best in people to a fault. These guys are no different from any promoter that has ever stiffed one of the boys, promised big pay days, lied about the houses, or skipped out on their shows before paying everyone out. It’s all BS and them using ECW to establish themselves is inhumane.

So, sorry for using Twitter to try to help a friend, however I had no other choice.

Thanks for your patience and for those 22% that got what I was saying I appreciate your support.

Now, back to normal…whatever that is