I had the pleasure of obtaining a couple of DVD's to add to my massive collection, and one that I picked up was AIW's most recent "Girls Night Out" event. This was a monumental night for AIW as it was their first live iPPV, being done through the great folks at Smart Mark Video. This event was highlighted by "AK-47" Allysin Kay defending her AIW Women's Championship against a mystery opponent, and a 4-Way Climb The Ranks Ladder Match for the #1 contendership for said championship. So, let's get into it.
First, I want to discuss the production value for this event and how spectacular it truly was. Smart Mark Video proved once again with this event that they truly know what they are doing when it comes to production. I wondered how things would transfer from the iPPV to the physical DVD and it was completely flawless. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine had showed me a AIW DVD, and the this company has advanced by leaps and bounds. There is HD video, no shaky camerawork, flawless transitions and more important, multiple cameras. It makes it really hard to watch a companies show when they only have one roaming camera at ringside and no hard camera, and in my opinion, more companies should look to AIW and Smart Mark Video as an example as to why production means so much. If you don't know how to produce DVD's and content like this, find and hire someone who does because it means so much when it comes to hooking people into your product.
Ring Of Honor Just Got A Dose Of Attitude, Charisma And Heart
So it’s now become public knowledge to all of the internet
wrestling world that “Ring Of Honor Wrestling” has picked up one of the hottest
prospects right now on the independent circuit, and that is Texas’s own ACH. He
has made a couple appearances in the past for the company that many people
consider the #3 wrestling promotion in the United States, appearances including
being an entrant in their "Top Prospects" tournament on ROH TV as well as
semi-main eventing ROH’s most recent event in Cincinnati, Ohio against former ROH World Champion Roderick Strong. Clearly, ACH was able to do enough and open up
the right people’s eyes, because the company has granted the flag bearer for
“Attitude, Charisma and Heart” with an official contract.
Once the news had broke, ACH addressed the development in a
Facebook post stating,
“. . .Hi! So, I just wanna take this time and say THANK
YOU!I don't wanna write out this long post thanking
everyone that has helped me.If you know the positive reaction you have had
on my life no need for me to say anything. And on this day the
"H" in A.C.H has a new meaning... HONOR!
BE PHENOMENAL...OR BE FORGOTTEN...
This is ONE giant step for Texas wrestling.
And that is #Motivation
#WatchRingOfHonor
#FreeAgentNoMore”
Could we be seeing this on TV or IPPV sometime soon?
*PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS ANARCHY*
Now, it sounds extremely cliched, but ask someone who's seen a one-off match from ACH or someone who has watched him for years and they will tell you that ACH just radiates star qualities. His over-the-top and contagious personality comes to the forefront in every single one of his matches, and he will undoubtingly show you something that you have never seen before. I remember the first time I witnessed ACH back in December 2011, when I attended my first Anarchy Championship Wrestling show. He had wrestled Pierre Abernathy, someone known much more for his comedic antics then his wrestling ability. However, to my surprise and to the surprise of probably a lot of people in that building, the match was incredibly technical and fast paced. There was absolutely no dull moment, especially when Gary Jay ran in interference, only to get literally snapped in half by ACH's signature "Freebird" crossbody. It was astounding and that match alone made me a fan of his immediately.
But, anyone who watches ACH perform in the ring knows that he is phenomenal. It's all that he does outside the parameters of a wrestling match that makes him one of the best right now. Going with his larger than life personality, ACH is by far one of the most personable people on the independents. I fondly remember him conversing with long lines of people waiting outside of Mohawks before ACW shows, sharing stories and treating each and every one of us like equals, which trust me, we are far from. As much of a confident and brazen character he is in the ring, he is far from cocky and never once has an ego. In fact, one of the many things that the "H" can stand for in his name is "humble". He will never admit how absolutely breath-taking his work is, both because of his humble nature, but also because he does it for no other reason other than he loves pro wrestling.
This past November, he had what only could be described as an epic encounter with one Davey Vega in Live Oak, TX, which goes down in my mind as one of the best matches I have seen this entire year. They hit each other with absolutely everything, performing to such a degree that my heart literally became sore towards the end, and I came close to shedding a tear (Yeah, I said it). Not only that, but this match was held at the "Showtime Scot Summer's Birthday Bash" event, which was a FREE SHOW! These two men gave such a high quality, balls to the wall performance on a show that was entirely free for admission. If that doesn't show both men's love and dedication towards pro wrestling, I don't know what does. And it must be mentioned that ACH gives such a performance, no matter if its in front of a packed Mohawk crowd in downtown Austin, TX, or if its in a building with 50 people in it. He gives 100 percent everywhere he goes, only for the simple fact that he truly loves it.
How long till we see this on a grander stage?
*PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS ANARCHY*
When you see someone that is new, amazing and quite frankly life changing in pro wrestling, you want to share that athlete with the world. And now, instead of doing it for 50 people, or 200 people, he will be doing it on television and IPPV, that way every single person can be as amazed and astonished just like when I saw him wrestle Pierre Abernathy in a bar in downtown Austin. ACH encompasses just about everything a major company would want in a pro wrestler. He works amazingly hard, is always looking to improve, thinks on his feet, connects to everyone from young children to grown adults, and is just a damn good pro wrestler. And because of ROH's smart decision, ACH now has the opportunity to spread his wings, that way a whole lot more than a few hundred will be chanting those three letters and getting their daily allotted dose of #Motivation. So to ACH, congratulations to you on this next big step in your journey and I cannot wait to settle in on a Saturday morning, watch some cartoons, and follow it up by seeing you do what you do best.
What makes a great wrestling promotion? That is an extremely vague and difficult question to answer, because there are so many factors, both inside the physical shows and outside of them, that could help to classify a pro wrestling company as "great". However, I think that for a company to even be considered apart of the contenders for the greatest promotion, the one thing it must have is a strong, well-run presence on the internet. I strongly stand by the statement that without utilizing the internet as a way in which to market your brand, upcoming events and so on, one can not honestly and un-doubtingly call themselves "the best". And, as a consumer of various wrestling products, a company's embracing of what the internet has to offer can take them from a group that I wouldn't give a second look, into one that I will make an effort to follow.
For example, Women Superstars Uncensored, out of the New Jersey area, has made amazing strides and changes since getting bought by the people behind Beyond Wrestling, a group that has been producing consistent internet content for their own company since it's inception. I had seen bits and pieces of WSU's work from around 2-3 years ago, and while the company looked promising, they gave myself, the viewer, no way of keeping up with their ongoings and events from my searches on the internet. Their website was subpar, the little videos they did have available were all over the place and were close to unwatchable, and it made trying to follow this group and become a fan of theirs into a chore. Now, with only about 8 months under Beyond Wrestling's leadership, WSU is releasing a steady stream of interviews, previews, teasers and more in order to get the casual internet viewers interested in keeping up with all of their storylines and shows.
But, WSU isn't the only company that has drawn my interest because of the stuff they are doing on the internet. Absolute Intense Wrestling from Cleveland is a group that I have been following much more closely ever since they regularly began releasing teasers, DVD trailers as well as their special "Behind The Curtain" mini shoot interview series, which is a unique, yet intriguing, form of content for them to produce. In fact, just a simple DVD trailer, like their one for their Hell On Earth 8 event, encouraged me enough to order their DVD for that event.
One of the lesser known groups that have taken a crack at creating internet based content is the Pittsburgh based International Wrestling Cartel. Being good friends with Sorg from the Wrestling Mayhem Show, who does the DVD production for this company, I have watched the growth of IWC through their focus on utilizing Youtube in order to promote upcoming shows. Every month they have been releasing their online show entitled "IWC Aftershock" which recaps the events from the month before and provides hype for the event coming up. It is something super simple, and it doesn't necessarily have a lot of fancy editing or graphics, but it is a vessel in which to sell their product and storylines to a wider audience that wants and desires accessibility.
Now, a lot of people may read this and say, "Oh, this is obvious stuff. Why would a company not utilize it?". But from the stuff I have observed from frequenting the Texas scene, it is not such an obvious idea as one may think. When you ask people what the top group in Texas currently is, many point in the direction of Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Now, are they the top in Texas simply because they do the best shows? While I definitely think the Anarchy product is top notch, the reason they are so successful is because they have an understanding of how to market themselves on the internet through various social media sites, they sell produced DVD's of their events to numerous amounts of wrestling fans, and they create great content on their Youtube channel, especially the things they do with "Anarchy Televised", and in turn their Anarchy Televised Title. The only other group that I see in Texas that is creating video content would be River City Wrestling out of San Antonio, who keeps their Youtube account properly updated with promos and hype videos. Other than those two, no Texas independent seems to be taking that route, which is a bit of a shame. Many of these groups tend to be marketing to their specific region, whether it be through flyers, radio spots or just straight word of mouth. Quite frankly, that is just not enough. In this age, wrestling companies need to develop their own virtual footprint in order to truly mean anything. I tend to joke a great deal about the WWE's overuse of their social media activities on their programming, but it is something that is necessary. A Facebook page with a flyer is not enough if one truly wants to be successful. You have to be marketable and viewable by wrestling fans that aren't just in your specific niche or area.
So, I seriously hope more people take the time to develop their internet presence, because a company can have the best shows in the world, but it is nothing if a sliver of the massive wrestling community sees them.
But that's just my thoughts. I would like to know what you guy's think. Is producing internet content necessary for a promotion to be successful? Let me know with a comment and I'll be sure to give it a read.
Hey guys. First off, sorry this post is going up much later than expected, but it is finally all finished and all my thoughts are placed on this pretty little webpage for your enjoyment. So here's my thought and rundown for ACW's big 6-Year anniversary show "Guilty By Association 7" that happened last week in beautiful Austin, Texas.
JACK JAMESON, RICKY ROMIDA AND MACHIKO DEF. JASON SILVER,
JEFF GANT AND KILLAH KASH IN AN ANARCHY TELEVISED MATCH
The team of Silver and Gant lost one of their biggest
advantages early, as after dominating Jameson and Romida early in the match,
Kash once again left his partners high and dry. This would give the team of
Jameson, Romida and Machiko the chance to pick up the win, giving Jack and
Ricky a bit of momentum going into their tag team match later on in the
evening.
Before going into the main show, ring announcer extraordinaire Barry Savant provided a nice introduction to the event, talking about the progression of Anarchy into what it has become and how all of us spreading the words with our tweets and blogs (Hey, thats me) help this company grow.
This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Branded Outlaw Wrestling event entitled New Years Revolution, held at the Woodlawn Gym in San Antonio, TX. This group will be running events for exactly one year next month, and I have first-hand witnessed them constantly improve in that year, so I thought it would be a good idea to give my thoughts on this show. Their last event of 2012 was stellar, so there was a lot to be expected for their first of 2013, so here we go.
A Couple Of These Guys Should Probably Read This Column
Ok, this is a post that I actually wanted to do for a little
while now. I’ve seen a lot of blogs that deal primarily with the product that
is on television or the independents. Even on the podcast I am apart of (The
Wrestling Mayhem Show), that is what a majority of our time is spent talking
about. While there is definitely a place for it, I wanted to make this blog
from the perspective of a fan, so I thought it would be a great idea to give a
guide of what to do as a independent wrestling fan. Some of these apply to
mainstream pro wrestling as well, but these are mainly meant for attending
independent wrestling shows. Luckily, Texas has some really awesome wrestling
fans that I have gotten to know, and they really don’t need to learn these
rules. But I hope that these things that I have learned from frequenting the
independent scene can be passed onto others who want to be even better fans.
So, lets start it off.
So if you do not follow any independent pro wrestling fan on
the internet, this will be the first time you’ve probably heard the big report
that WWE has signed the one and only El Generico to a developmental contract.
And just like any time that the big group up north makes a grab from the
independents, it is met with a whole lot of positive and negative reactions
from the fans.
Let me just start by giving you an idea of how I felt when I
found this story out. Like I’ve mentioned before, the internet was my main way
of following independent talent since I lived in Corpus Christi, a city with
little to no indie wrestling. From watching his various works in companies like
ROH, Chikara and many other top companies, El Generico became one of my
favorites. And as I began to watch more, my view of him progressed from him
being an ungodly hilarious comedy character into seeing him as an absolutely
amazing professional wrestler. Living in Texas, I knew that there was a good
chance I was never going to get to see him perform, and then while venturing
the internet in December of 2011, I saw he was wrestling in Austin for a little
promotion called Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Now, I am a devout
“Fanarchist”, and because of following this company I’ve seen many other great
talents I never thought it was possible that I could see. But going back to the
show, when I walked into Mohawks, Generico was standing by the merch stand
selling his 8x10s and t-shirts and I decided to stop by to buy his signature
blue El Generico t-shirt (which I wear all the time now). Then Generico offered
his hand for a handshake and I remember being so petrified that I awkwardly
forgot to even reach my hand out. I’m usually never nervous when it comes to
meeting wrestlers, but I remember the only thing going through my mind was,
“Holy crap I am about to shake hands with El Generico”. This was the guy that
constantly gave me a laugh and entertained me across my computer screen that I
was finally getting to meet in person, and I pretty much went into shock.
That is the effect Generico has had on me, which is why I
was so happy when I heard the news about his recent signing. Not too long ago,
I watched the first round match from PWG’s Battle Of Los Angeles 2011 with
Generico vs. Claudio Castagnoli, and that excites me in so many ways as far as
the opportunities that come with bringing in a star like Generico. However,
many people are talking about how they fear that WWE will repackage the
character, making “El Generico” gone for good. I won’t go too long into this,
because you can read the post I did about a week ago titled “A Great Wrestler
Does Not The Indies Make”, but Generico will still be the great wrestler no
matter what WWE gives him. I’ll ask this question. Are stars like Claudio
Castagnoli, Chris Hero or Jon Moxley that much different from the way they are
now in the WWE? Besides the definite name changes, these men have all gotten to
keep the qualities and the styles which have made then so successful on the
independents. There is no doubt they will be changing the name of El Generico
for the whole “rights to ones name” issue, but I highly doubt that they will
remove his mask or change his style in any major way. Sure, we won’t see a lot
of him dropping people on their heads with a BRAINBUSTAH, but Generico is so
much more than one move.
Also, I see Generico as an amazing money making opportunity
for the WWE. Since bringing him in, WWE has tried to capitalize on their
younger market by pushing someone like Sin Cara, expecting to see him get a
large following, followed by a great deal of merchandise being bought, to the
level that people did when Rey Mysterio was first brought in. So far, it hasn’t
been as successful as they wish it could be, and I think the character of El
Generico could be the perfect way for WWE to get to this goal. Generico is one
of the few people that WWE could grab from the independents that target the “indie
wrestling fan base” as well as young children, and they would be idiots if they
didn’t run with it.
Overall, as an independent wrestling fan, I must be proud
and hopeful that someone that I have known as good for so long is getting
recognized and getting the opportunity for some major success. Yes, I will miss
the fact that I could see him wrestle in a bar in downtown Austin for only $15.
But, I am excited to know that I could pay $60 dollars to see him wrestle in an
18,000 person packed arena for the entire world to see. So Mr. Generico, I
salute you and I cannot wait to see you tear it up inside a slightly larger
squared circle, that way so many others can see what a lot of us thought about
you for so long.
He's Not The Greatest Because He Did It For Less Money
In case you didn’t know, this is Antonio Cesaro, the current
United States champion of the WWE. And if you follow me on the internet, you
will know that he is one of my favorite wrestlers currently on WWE television. I’ve
said before that I will wait throughout whatever WWE wants to place in front of
me for three hours on a Monday Night (including John Cena quite literally
pooping on peoples parade), just to get to the Antonio Cesaro match and watch
him go straight beast mode on someone. He has brought great matches out of some
not so great wrestlers, to the point where I am actually excited for the match
he is having on Main Event with The Great Khali of all people. But as many of
you know, Antonio Cesaro use to go under a different alias. He was once Claudio
Castagnoli, former multi-time champion in companies such as Ring Of Honor,
Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Combat Zone Wrestling and many, many more. And
in those companies, Claudio exhibited all the traits that made me such a fan of
him currently.
This brings me to the point of this post. I follow
independent wrestling a great deal, to the point that I am the spear-header for
the indie wrestling news segment on the Wrestling Mayhem Show. When my fellow
Mayhem Show co-hosts bring up a name of someone they have heard of for the
first time, I am usually able to give them a brief synopsis of the stuff that
they have done and some of their attributes. It’s very pro wrestling
hipster-esque of me, but I like to share my knowledge with other people. But
let me say that just because I spend a great deal of my time following
independent wrestling and wrestlers, does not mean I automatically think that
all indie wrestling is great.
Normally, I tend to get behind certain wrestlers as opposed
to certain companies. While certain companies on an independent level can be
defined as better than others, there is great talent intermixed throughout, and
that also goes for televised wrestling products. However, I do feel very
strongly that in order to develop your own opinions about what is good and what
is bad, you need to see a little bit of everything. I watch everything from
WWE, to TNA, to local promotions, to promotions states away, to international
promotions, because your best pro wrestling experiences and your worst teach
you about what you love and appreciate. That being said, not every indie
wrestler is the greatest pro wrestler in the world. I’ve been to small
independent shows where the best on the show is still not as great as WWE’s
worse and vice versa. At the same token, just because a wrestler is on
television does not automatically make them better than someone wrestling in
front of only a fraction of the crowd.
And just because you have wrestled for those smaller crowds
does not mean you are automatically my favorite. Take for example Dean Ambrose,
the newest arrival from the independents to WWE television. As much as I appreciate
Ambrose, while I followed his stuff on the independent scene, I was never that
compelled by his work in the way most other fans were. A large portion of it
occurred in Combat Zone Wrestling, and looking back on his matches, they were
no different than a lot of the infamous wrestling that occurred in CZW at the
time. Then there are his widely talked about promos, where he pulls his hair,
rubs his face, talks in a mumbling voice and then starts to scream, and at
times I found them more comical then truly serious. One of my favorite examples
of this is a promo he cut for a IPW storyline he was doing with Drake Younger,
where Moxley continually harasses and gropes this female interviewer and says
weird stuff to make you think that he is crazy. When I watched it for the first
time, I couldn’t help but laugh the entire time because of how ridiculous it
was, which was not the goal of the promo. Rather than me thinking he was a
deranged psychopath who is dangerous, I thought he was ridiculously hilarious
and over the top. And just because something makes you laugh in wrestling,
doesn’t always mean its good.
Don’t get me wrong though. I am very happy for Dean
Ambrose’s recent success and opportunities in a company that pretty much every
pro wrestler desires to be in. But I tend to hear a great deal about how
bringing in Ambrose to the main roster is a way for the WWE to make the
internet wrestling community “wet in the pants”, and for me, that’s just not
the case. The same goes for Cesaro, who I would be enthralled with whether he
was wrestling in front of 18,000 or 180. Claudio Castagnoli and Antonio Cesaro
are the same phenomenal wrestler and no sole company that he has worked for has
defined him. However, I am still devout in keeping up with the independents and
talking them a great deal. But that is because they are the ones that need
people talking about them. WWE doesn’t need us on the internet discussing their
on-goings to be successful. In fact, they may be more successful without. I am
lucky enough to see amazing independent athletes like ACH, Davey Vega or Rachel
Summerlyn every month, and I make a strong effort to tell as many people as I
can about them. But they are as much my favorite wrestlers as the likes of
Cesaro, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes and so many others on TV.
Overall, the moral somewhere within this is to love the
wrestlers you wish to love, no matter how the environment around those
wrestlers defines them. Great wrestlers are great wrestlers and bad wrestlers
are bad wrestlers. I encourage you to explore all of the wide variety that
professional wrestling has to offer and decide for yourself which are which.
Those are just my thoughts. I would love to hear what yours
are so leave a comment telling me what you think. What equates a good wrestler?
Do you tend to follow wrestlers or follow companies?
