 I began working with/for my local independent wrestling companies a few years ago. I’m going to detail exactly what happened to me here, and if some are insulted by what I write, too bad. I’m not out just to insult people, but if it happens as I tell the story, so be it. I began by simply “covering” local companies Lancaster championship Wrestling (LCW) and The Ultimate Wrestling Experience (UWE). I covered these companies for Pro Wrestling Ponderings, and Pro Wrestling Mania. I was also submitting some articles to The Indy Corner, based out of the U.K. As time progressed I decided to start my own website and podcast, which I named “Wrestling Done Right” (the podcast title was “From the Top Turnbuckle). Both companies worked very well with me and I got numerous articles and podcast episodes with their cooperation. Wanting to do even more, I approached both companies about doing a “College Game Day” kind of program for YouTube, where I would breakdown their upcoming shows, interview wrestlers, and even use some of the wrestlers as guest hosts if they were interested. These shows were a learning process and I feel they got better with each passing program. I have no doubt that the made the companies feel bigger, and more important. Eventually I was asked to do commentary for both companies, and I jumped at such an opportunity. Things were going very well for some time until one of the “sponsors” of both companies decided that he didn’t like my personal Facebook posts. Keep in mind these comments had nothing to do with wrestling, and they were on a Facebook profile that I never used to even discuss, or promote wrestling in any way. I stood up for my right to do as I wish on my personal Facebook page, but because he was the money man, both companies separated themselves from me. Of course I could attend and film anything I wanted in regard to interviews and such, but I wouldn’t be officially aligned with them any longer.
So far this story sounds unfortunate, but nothing overly terrible right? Well, LCW decided to replace me. They decided to give my idea of a preshow to a new group of wrestling “reporters.” That in and of itself angered me, but when my show was taken over by less talented, and less professional podcasters that made it look second rate, it went beyond angering me, to insulting me. I mean take my idea if you must, but at least get someone as good as, or better than me to do it? One of my biggest pet peeves about indy wrestling in general is that few try to look professional in their presentation. LCW and UWE had awesome venues, incredible production, and favored indy workers that looked like legit wrestlers, so why would LCW bring in “journalists” that didn’t fit those criteria? These guys dressed in super casual clothing, while eating and drinking during production. It was embarrassing to me, and a slap across the face. The UWE is a completely different story. After having one of their best shows ever “Knight of Glory IV” where Chuck Ransford and I provided commentary for the DVD (purchase on RFvideo.com) receiving countless compliments for those efforts, everything seemed to completely fall apart. A company once owned by four people, dwindled down to one. For whatever reason that one owner seemed to alienate nearly everyone around him, and brought in “talent” that didn’t deserve their spots. The company imploded. The UWE went from being a roaring success to nearly nonexistence overnight. I didn’t really have a falling out there with anyone, but for some reason it seems the former owner (the one guy it got down to) may not be happy with me, or so his wife makes it seem if I understand her messages to me on Facebook correctly. (Note, if the new UWE is going to use out of shape Luchadores upon their return, you can be upset with me because I’m not interested.) After all this, I remained mostly quiet and moved on. I took a pot-shot here and there, but I never really “went off” or “flipped out” even though at times, part of me wanted to. I spent a ton of time, money, and effort promoting, and creating things for both of these companies. Thankfully Legacy Wrestling was new to the area, and doing everything the way a professional company should do things. I quickly associated myself and WrestlingDoneRight.com with them. I struggled to get a preshow going for them, even though I wanted to. Many of the wrestlers Legacy uses aren’t local, and as such, it’s difficult to hook up with them early, or to ask them to stay late after the show to do such a thing. I’ve been writing about them, posting their promos, and reviewing their shows since day one, and will keep doing so. Soon I hope to have a major announcement in regard to what I am doing with/for Legacy that will cement and finalize what I am doing in regard to independent professional wrestling for the foreseeable future. I am thankful to and for Legacy Wrestling and outside of places like PWG, ROH, NXT, NJPW, and Lucha Underground, it’s the one place to see Wrestling Done Right on the independent scene!
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 As many people in the wrestling business like to say quite frequently “You need variety on your show!” While I understand that, I’ve never been a big proponent of it. You see, I think straight up wrestling, no hijinks, no gimmick matches, no silliness, etc. is the greatest wrestling there is. Don’t get me wrong, I like my wrestlers to have charisma, and character, I even enjoy stories in my wrestling (good ones, realistic ones) but in my opinion, the best wrestling is serious wrestling. Two guys get in the ring and give it all they’ve got to prove that they are an excellent professional wrestler. Two guys face off to show everyone watching that they are a top notch athlete, performer, entertainer, or….Master of the Mat! That’s why I’m excited for On Point Wrestling’s “Mast of the mat” tournament being held tomorrow, this Saturday, in Williamstown, New Jersey. Eight guys will give their all to prove to all in attendance and many others that will buy the DVD, just who the world needs to be keeping an eye on. Take a look at the men, the athletes, the wrestlers, competing tomorrow night! 1st Rd: Quarter Final Matches for "Masters of the Mat" AZRIEAL vs DREW BLOOD Two tried and true performers that have wrestled all over the place, including Combat Zone Wrestling out to show the world that they are not to be over looked, that they need to be taken seriously, and that they are still ready and capable of breaking out in a major way at any time. These two will bring passion and drive in order to not only win the tournament, but to make a major statement to the wrestling world that you don’t take your eyes off of me! TONY DEPPEN vs UNBREAKABLE ANDY Two young guys that those in the know are already buzzing about. This match in and of itself would be a reason to go to this show. Anytime you take two guys that have just started to catch fire and pit them against one another you’ve caught lightening in a bottle. This match however is no ordinary match, this match is part of a tournament that will sky rocket the winner even further into the hearts and minds of indy wrestling fans. This match will take the winner places even if he doesn’t win the entire tournament, but honestly, in my opinion, the winner here will be the odds on favorite to win the whole thing. Do you know how big of a deal this match is? Joe Gacy was replaced by Unbreakable Andy in this tournament, and I don’t even mind. That’s a big deal folks! BRUTE VAN SLYKE vs "The MACHINE" SAM SHIELDS Van Slyke has felt over looked, Shields refuses settle for anything other than being the top dog. Both men are power houses that can go in the ring, and both are more determined than ever. This is going to be like two bulls locking horns, but keep in mind, imagine if a bull could be graceful enough to enter a “Dancing with the Stars” competition, and you might get an idea of the kind of match you’ll see here. Two angry, big, strong, tough guys, looking to destroy the other, but also capable of putting on a wrestling clinic as well. I predict that the first one to calm down, relax, and plot a course of action through planned maneuvers will be the one to come out on top. GRAN AKUMA vs "TOO HOT" STEVE SCOTT Steve Scott, replacing Pinkie Sanchez is out to prove that he should have been the original choice for the show. Trained by ROH World and TV champion Jay Lethal, and taking selfies before Tyler Breeze bought his selfie stick, Scott is not one to be over looked. Gran Akuma, considered the veteran of this tournament is out to prove that he is not rolling over for the young boys, even if he has to hurt someone along the way to being crowned what he already knows he is, the mast of the mat! Akuma is certainly convinced that Scott is not ready for his skills, patience, and abilities that his experience gives him, while Scott is out to show the world that he’s the next big thing. Worlds collide here folks, for sure! Who will go on to become the official Master of the mat? I can’t wait to find out because it will be without a doubt “Wrestling Done Right!” Yet there is more! Getting a major shot at proving he belongs on big wrestling cards, The Redneck King of the Jungle, Jimmy Lyon gets his shot in a ridiculous “staple gun” match against Jeff Cannonball, the man many call Bam Bam Bigelow with rabies, and Conor Claxton a guy who just may be a little bit insane…legitimately. Cannonball and Claxton spend their days nearly killing themselves on the indy circuit and Lyon is gleeful to be getting in the ring with them...and a staple gun! While hardcore normally isn’t my thing, I am anxious to see this. It’s going to be a car wreck, but a car wreck that you break your neck to see every piece of! The OPW Champion then defends his title against the man who he took it from. OPW Heavyweight Championship Match: (c) 'Bad Boy' Joey Janela vs Oz Tyler w/ Loudy This is always a great match as both men passionately crave that title belt. Loudy wants as much control as possible, and Tyler and a man possessed. Janela is a dare devil willing to take any risk to win the crowd over as well as the match. Janela has been on fire, recently capturing the CZW Wired title as well, but with his friend and former stable mate Xavier Cross making his On Point return, in what looks to be his retirement announcement, expect to see Tyler more determined than ever, and Loudy more willing to cross any line he can to get that title back in dedication to his friend leaving the business. This isn’t just going to be a continuation of a feud, this isn’t just going to be an excellent fight, battle, and match, this is going to be an emotional time bomb with the winner being the guy who gave all he could give, but found just an ounce more to give after that! Matt Tremont will also be there, and with what we all saw between him and Mark Angel at the last show I can’t help but wonder if there will be a confrontation between those two. If so, where will it lead? Matt isn’t one to take being sucker punched well, but Angel seems driven to make Matt’s life a living hell. I feel confident that we will see something between these two men, will it be a confrontation, a match, or just a down and dirty fight? Knowing these two, it could absolutely be all of that combined! If you want to see some great wrestling, from a solid company that takes pride in what they do, and seeks to find the best wrestlers in the business, guys who take wrestling seriously and aren’t just weekend warriors playing wrestler, come on out for Masters of the mat and send On Point off with great success in 2015, then join me in supporting them when they return in 2016!   I promoted LCW for a long time. I spent countless hours creating, editing, and uploading videos. I scheduled guests for my YouTube show that would promote LCW and their shows, and I recorded hours of podcasts that did the same thing. I eventually did commentary for several of their shows, as well as still filming a YouTube show and behind the scenes interviews. Then a certain sponsor got too big for his britches and decided that because he didn’t like some of my personal beliefs and opinions that I posted on my personal Facebook page, that he would see to it that LCW no longer used me. I was upset and frustrated as just about any normal person would be, but I got past it, I moved on. I love pro wrestling but have no interest in being any company that isn’t interested in what I do for them, or the work, effort, and time that I put in to promote everything they did, even if I didn’t like all of it. Greener pastures, in Legacy Wrestling, soon opened up and made moving along all the easier. I’ve been “invited” back to LCW this Saturday, October 24th so I can “ask questions” and “see how things are going under the new ownership.” Keep in mind this new owner is the very sponsor that ran me out because he didn’t like my personal opinions. Since then, quite a few people that once stood with him, because he brought lots of money to the table, have realized that he is the power hungry, controlling, guy that I said he was. LCW, while still having excellent wrestlers like Shane Douglas, Shane Strickland, Josef Von Schmidt, Tim Donst, Ethan Page, and Red Scorpion, are now booking wrestlers that would have never even been a passing thought under the former owner. It used to be insanely difficult to get booked at LCW, now they’ll seemingly book anyone. (Read my last article regarding my issues with LCW here). Here is why I will NOT be going to LCW this Saturday. First of all, as I said at the opening of this article, I’ve moved on. I miss some of my friends that work there, and the matches that they put on there, and while I am glad they have work there, I can’t be a part of a company, even as a fan, that unceremoniously cut ties with me. I was “replaced” by people that don’t have half of my skill, if they even have that much. The pre-shows are terrible and amateurish now, and the website articles and recaps are worse. Everything about LCW, outside a few top notch wrestlers, screams amateur these days. No thanks. Secondly, I have an opportunity to attend an amazing, top notch wrestling show in “Masters of the Matt” at On Point Wrestling in New Jersey. While I don’t always love every match they put on, for the most part they strive to get only the best performers on the scene, and this tournament is some of the best pure wrestling guys out there today that are on their way up in the business. This tournament will feature eight athletes, in gear, in shape, out to legitimately make it in this business. It will feature a hardcore match, that yes, I can handle in spurts, featuring a guy I’ve been saying for a long while now needs cut a break, Jimmy Lyon. Joey Janela is their champion, and Matt Tremont is the owner and also a featured star. Part of me misses LCW, especially their top notch talent, but I have an opportunity to move on to another company that wants only the best available wrestlers. A company that wants me to be present at their shows. A company that isn’t threatened or offended by a “wrestling journalist” that gives honest reviews of the shows he attends. A company to “emotionally invest in.” On Point Wrestling. I'll breakdown the On Point card right here tomorrow.  I've been "invited" by the current owner of LCW to their next show. Here is that invitation posted on the LCW Facebook page. Here is that invite as it appeared on the page.
____________________ "As the current owner of LCW, I would like to take this opportunity to invite the self proclaimed expert on Wrestling Done Right, Adam Leavelle to our show on Saturday night. He supposedly has a scoop to share with everyone. The last time I checked, reporting involves research. Not just one sided slander. There will be a press pass with your name on it at the front counter. You will have full access. Im sure there are few guys in our locker room that will be happy to see you.The majority of the talent that he claims are the best in the area are booked that evening even though he claims they are never used. I'm hoping that if he's going to be serious about reporting then he will take this opportunity to actually report rather than the one sided slander he normally spews. Having a website and an opinion doesn't make you a reporter. As much as I fought the urge to actually make him relevant, my patience with this is at an end." ______________________ So for anyone wondering how I'll respond...I honestly don't know if I'll go to the show or not. If I go, it certainly won't be to get "honest" answers. How will attending a show with "total access" give me answers? Is he saying wrestlers in the back will tell me what's going on? How does that work exactly? I've been in, or around wrestling long enough to know it wouldn't be wise for any of them to get involved in any way. They are there to do their job, get paid, and entertain. I've never questioned their ability to do that, and I still don't. Well, most of them anyways. Here is what I am questioning about LCW since its sale, and my issues with the new management. -Why has the quality of the shows decreased? Am I saying there are no good matches? Absolutely not. An imbecile could book guys like Shane Strickland, Josef Von Schmidt, Facade, Red Scorpion, and Sean Carr in good matches. Hell, put their names in a hat and draw them out at random and you'll get a good match. It's also about time LCW booked local mega talent Tim Donst as well, good for them! Shane Douglas is a freakin legend in my book too! That being said though, it's clear that the shows haven't been as fun, and they have featured "talent" that the old LCW would have never booked in a million years. Which leads to the next question. -Why does it seem so easy to be booked on an LCW show now? I used to argue with the former owner of LCW about his over use of humor (in my opinion) but he still had very high standards of in ring ability one had to have in order to be booked on a show. While he would book some of his "green" kids in some silly gimmick, he would not book men that had years of experience, but still couldn't put a five minute match together. He wouldn't book guys in t-shirts that got winded making their entrance, and he wouldn't book washed up old guys that think they are the Hulk Hogan of the area. Once in a while, in the old days of LCW, I'd shake my head at a humor bit that I found overly silly. Nowadays I hide my face in shame for once promoting the company. -What in god's name is with the website, and graphics? Seriously...the website articles and card reviews are written very poorly. Bad grammar, spelling, and punctuation abound. The flyers and graphics look like they were made by a special education class, and the new logo looks like it was made with one of those clip art CD's you see in the "On special" section at Walmart for $1.99. -Why two shows per month? I understand the general concept. The idea is to allow lesser talent, or those wanting to prove themselves worthy of LCW, to show exactly that on the Friday night shows. I think it's a decent idea, but exactly how does it work? Who determines if someone has proven themselves worthy? I've seen Friday night talent move to the Saturday show after one Friday night match. Did they really prove themselves in one night? If you're going to do this, tell us who these new guys have to impress. Let us know who is watching, hell even if you kayfabe some kind of committee, lets see who is making the decision to move people to the Saturday shows. I need someone to blame! Also, a guy like Ethan Page has nothing to prove. Some local kid from a small time show, sure, but Ethan Page? Really? These questions are really just things I've been curious about. Lets take a look at the real questions I have. These can only be answered by the new owner of LCW, Mr. Bill Brown. If he wants me to do some honest reporting, let him answer the following- -Why did you buy LCW? Was it because you love professional wrestling and want to contribute to it? Or, was it because you thought (think) you can turn it into some kind of profit making machine? If you're out to make a buck, what makes you think you can do that when just about every single indy company on the planet gets by just to make enough for the next show? I can't blame you for wanting or hoping to make money, and I know you're going to spout off about being a business man, etc. etc. but indy wrestling is about passion for the wrestling business first and foremost. That doesn't mean you throw money away, but it means you love wrestling at least as much as you do money. -Why have you alienated so many? Look, one or two guys means it could have been their problem, but when it's 7-10 guys...something doesn't smell right. When you make former enemies not only reunite, but do so happily, restoring friendships once though dead and buried, you can't keep saying it's their fault, or problem, or issue. It's time to look in the mirror. -Do you, or do you not, still owe money to complete the purchase of LCW? If yes, why haven't you paid it? If no, is there a contract in existence that will prove otherwise? If you have no outstanding debt on the purchase, then surely there will never be any kind of lawsuit that says otherwise, right? -Who is your booker? That isn't always public knowledge, but in this case I believe it needs to be, for several reasons. There are all kinds of rumors, and I've talked to workers that have no clue who it is. Is it possible that someone with zero wrestling experience makes booking decisions? Who does the buck stop with on booking decisions? As much as I love wrestling, I know that wrestlers respond best to someone in the business doing the booking. Anyone not doing that is being arrogant and disrespectful. If your booker is in the business, was he a member of LCW for some time? Is he new to LCW? I just feel that whoever your booker is, may answer a lot of the questions about why the shows have felt so different since your take over. -Are you committed to making the product as good as can be? If so, why not book only the best wrestlers? Why not have a good writer manage the website and Facebook? Why not have a good graphics designer? Why not have an awesome logo? Why not have legit indy stars dominate Saturday shows and the local riffraff have Fridays? Lets see who really draws. If I come to the show Saturday, and that's a big if, it would be to see Hollywood's Finest's last hurrah in LCW, not to "get answers." The wrestlers, nor the fans can give those answers. I've put the questions out there for Bill Brown to answer. He can do so publicly, or send them to me privately, but he's the ONLY one that can answer them. Finally, I don't want to see LCW fail because I want all the wrestlers I like and respect to have as many places to work as they can. As a fan however, I can't support companies that do things that I feel disrespects wrestling, and as of late, LCW has been one of those companies. For every awesome match they put on, there are two matches with guys that I'm not even sure should be in the business, let alone inside an LCW ring. I can absolutely promise you that the main event guys feel the same way, they just know they dare not express those feelings. So what would be the point in asking them? They want to work, and I understand that, even if it's for a company not doing the best things for the business. I don't have to worry about pissing someone off. I'll state things how I see them and not care who likes it, and who doesn't. #WrestlingMatters  Central Pennsylvania has some very talented indy wrestlers. There are a few guys who instantly stand out. Guys I’ve written about before like Eddie Smooth, Laszlo Arpad, Red Scorpion, and of course Shane Strickland and Tim Donst. In preparation for this article I found myself wondering about the wrestlers that are good, but aren’t getting the attention they should, that aren’t as high up the card as I think they could be if an extra ingredient or two were added. I’m not talking about talent, or ability, I’m talking about the right gimmick, the right angle, that would instantly make them relevant, and the talk of the mid-state region. Imagine if you will my idea of “Wrestling Done Right” as an angle, as a gimmick. We all know that the best gimmicks are as close to real life as possible. The gimmicks that take real feelings, and turn them way up are what resonates most with an audience because they are so real, and those involved in them have legitimate passion behind them. So imagine if I could build a stable of three or four guys that were sick of not getting the attention they deserved, sick of being over looked, sick of being lumped in with the poorly trained and lesser talented guys that played second, or even third fiddle to the top few and stood with me as “Wrestling Done Right.” Picture me coming to the ring and saying something like this…“Look, I’ve been writing about Wrestling Done Right for years now. A few of you get it, but most of you don’t. Many of you don’t recognize real wrestling talent and instead cheer for guys that should be towel boys in the locker room at best! Well now it’s time for me to not just write about, not just post videos about, and not just commentate about, what wrestling done right is. I realized that it was time to make a few phone calls and get some real wrestlers to stand with me to show you all what Wrestling Done Right really is, right in the middle of the ring!” Now, who would I recruit in such a situation? Or course anyone’s mind goes to Eddie Smooth, Red Scorpion, Laszlo and Strickland. But those guys are established, they don’t need such an angle or gimmick and it’s also too easy. Any idiot could go and recruit main event guys. So, if I could do something like this, here is who I would want to introduce as my real opportunity to show you wrestling done right. Four guys that are talents, but too often over looked, or just not used often enough. Four guys that sometimes come across as too nice, or easy going, and could use a rough edge to their gimmick. Four guys that could get in a wrestling ring and perform well as a “wrestler.” They wouldn’t be heels, they wouldn’t be faces, instead they would be wrestlers out to steal the show with skills and ability, as I shouted “I told you so!” If I had the chance, here is who I would introduce. This man is one of the best inside the ring past, present, and future. He’s trained some of the best wrestlers in the World today, and taught many in the infamous Combat Zone. This man could go toe to toe with anyone, in any style out there today. This man is the leader and elder statesman of Wrestling Done Right, and has always had my back insisting that things need to be done a certain way! Because of that, he’s not gotten used as much as some others, but today…today that changes. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jon Dahmer!  This next man has won numerous titles, and carried one of the most successful regional tag teams on his back for years! He can talk the walk, and walk the talk. He has charisma and athleticism, speed and agility. Many men have called themselves a King, but few have had broad enough shoulders to carry a crown, but this man does! This man doesn’t insist you bow down to him, but you can’t help doing it after you see him in this ring. Ladies and gentleman...King Blackie!  Next we have my tag team specialists, but don’t you dare think that either man can’t win any singles title that he wants to. Both have won numerous singles titles, and tag titles. They’ve tried standing for justice, but now they just want to stand for themselves and start getting the matches and match ups that they deserve. They won’t be kissing babies anymore, they will be kissing big pay checks from here on out, call them your Heroes if you want to, but make sure you call them wrestling done right, Ryan Kolby and Zack Rayne!  There is no doubt in my mind that this angle, this edge, this gimmick, could propel these four men to the top in our region. Using these four men as my Kyle O’Reilley, my Cesaro, my Shibita, using them as four men that get in the ring and WRESTLE bell to bell, using them as what wrestling should look like, using them as top draws, could, and would work. It wouldn’t take long for this angle to be over, and sell tickets and t-shirts. Will it ever happen? I doubt it, but I will live with the knowledge that it could work and that someone, somewhere, is just being foolish in not using it.
 I am tired of the excuse that the reason a wrestling card has sucky matches on it is because the “green guys need to work somewhere.” While that may be true, there is a sure fire way to work green guys so as to not but on a garbage show highlighted by one or two legitimate wrestling stars, or potential stars. Take a look at New Japan’s Young Lions for your inspiration. However, before going there let’s go over a few simple ground rules.
1) No one gets on a card because they sold so many tickets. Yes, it’s nice to have some money but we need to stop allowing a “wrestler” on a show because he or she is capable of finding people that will pay the entrance fee to see them in a wrestling ring 2) No one gets a gimmick. If you’re a good “wrestler” go out there and wrestle. Impress the crowd with your ability. Is that hard? Damn straight it’s hard, but if you’re good, you’ll do it. If you’re not good, your job will be to go out there and get destroyed by one of the other young guys that is good until you get better. 3) You must have OFFICIAL wrestling gear including trunks or tights, and boots. Singlets are fine, Bam Bam Bigelow style gear is debatable…absolutely no t-shirts, sneakers, or combat boots. Honestly, it would be best if every green guy wore the same thing, or very similar things. Your ability is what makes you stand out, not a gimmick or your gear. You earn a gimmick and “special” gear once you prove you can wrestle. 4) If the green guy isn’t worth PAYING, he isn’t good enough to be on the show. If you go to book someone because he’s free, you’re part of the problem in wrestling. If he’s free, he sucks, and so do you for booking him. 5) No special entrance music for green guys, something generic is fine. Entrance music is for stars or at least low card performers that engage the crowd. If you run a show like this with your green guys, then you can use the excuse that the lesser matches were of poorer quality because of the green guys “having to work somewhere.” This way the crowd knows who and what the “green guys” are, and as such, don’t expect much from them. The few that take the opportunity and make the crowd care then earn their way out of the green guy spots. If a green guy is still in the green guy spot after a year, it’s time to let them go, or find another role for them. Tell students this on day one so you don’t have to struggle to tell them they aren’t cutting it as a wrestler. Oh, but one more thing, as a trainer or teacher, you should be going out and trying to find your green guys work any other place they can get it when you aren’t running a show. That’s how they get better. If you’re one of those idiots that tell a student they need to work only for you, get out of the business because green guys shouldn’t be teaching or training other green guys.  Me with Murphy, Smooth, and Arpad I like the idea of Hollywood’s Finest, and I like the members of the faction. Kevin Murphy and Miss Brianna can talk like few others, while Laszlo Arpad and Eddie Smooth make a perfect tandem of brute force and strength mixed with speed and technicality. If I owned a company that used them, here’s how I’d want to do it, and if I can humbly suggest I feel this angle would get them even more over.
Kevin Murphy, spoiled rich kid, fell into poverty when his father’s business went under during the dot com stock drop in the 1990’s. Desperate to regain his status he reached out fellow prep school classmate Brianna Thorpe. Brianna had taken her trust fund, and attempted to get involved in the world of sports, where she was always spurned by her athletic classmates. She had found mild success after purchasing several minor league sports franchises, but she wasn’t ever really satisfied. Murphy came along and introduced her to a sport he discovered while having to slum it in the public school system, Professional Wrestling. At first Brianna wasn’t interested, but when Murphy showed her that the sport would allow her to cause pain, and anguish, to pretty popular girls, as well as all of the common fans that cheered them on, she was intrigued and agreed to use her money to help Murphy take over the sport. After a failed attempt to buy their way into the WWE, and TNA on numerous occasions (where they met Mark Yeaton who has always tried to teach them the way to appropriately get their foot into the world of wrestling) the pair decided to find the hottest “independent” stars in the wrestling world to help them accomplish their goals. They didn’t want just anyone though, they wanted wrestlers that they could best exploit and take advantage of. They wanted wrestlers with awesome potential that were just getting their start. This led them to Laszlo Arpad. Laszlo, a foreigner just finding his way to America was ripe for the picking. Arpad had a dream to make it big in wrestling, but knew the journey would be a long one. Murphy and Thorpe, insisting on being called Miss Brianna now, as she wanted any success she attained to attributed only to her, approached Arpad and promised him the United States Championship for a very popular east coast company called The UWE. Never mind that their attempts to take over the company would eventually lead to its total collapse, all Arpad saw was a title and main event status. Brianna and Murphy convinced the young man that American’s hated foreigners, but they were by his side. Brianna was given the nick name “BooKoo Buckz” by Arpad as that is what he said when she shoved a briefcase full of money at him to sign the deal. Eddie Smooth, an incredibly talented young man getting tons of attention was stressed. Struggling to get into the main event scene, traveling from town to town in his old car that he prayed wouldn’t break down along the way, was excited when approached by Murphy and Brianna. They told him that they knew he was the only man who could topple Sage Strong and his undefeated streak in the UWE. Never mind that this win would include Hollywood’s Finest getting involved, Eddie saw dollar signs and a major win that would propel him into the spotlight and didn’t think twice. Since the fall of UWE, thanks to Hollywood’s Finest constant meddling and backstage politics, and LCW treading water for the same reasons, Hollywood’s Finest have found two new homes in Pro Wrestling Empire, and Legacy Wrestling. Brianna now working from her home office scouting talent, making phone calls, and business “arrangements,” managed to land Murphy the general manager position for Legacy wrestling, and a prime spot inside the debuting company Pro Wrestling Empire! Murphy has recently announced that they will soon add a new member to their faction, and it will once again shock the world. It’s to the point that many wrestlers are actually clamoring to get into Hollywood’s Finest because they’ve seen it fast track Smooth and Arpad to the top. With Brianna’s money and business sense and Murphy’s charm and slick salesman approach to negotiation, adding a new member for them to guide along, with the already dominating Arpad and Smooth can only mean trouble for anyone that would stand against them. After all, they say that they are only getting started and that seems to be the case. Who will be the next member to join “Hollywood’s Finest?” We’ll find out at Pro Wrestling Empire on Saturday November 7th.  The Redneck King of the Jungle, Jimmy Lyon (no “S” damn it!) isn’t my favorite wrestler, hell I don’t even like Redneck gimmicks. I’m not even a big fan of hardcore matches that Jimmy specializes in. I prefer that wrestlers look like they stepped out of a Crossfit gym after rolling 300lb tires up a big hill, and then proceeded to beat on it with a sledge hammer for an hour. I was never a big Mick Foley, or Mankind fan either. He wasn’t my cup of tea. But, much like Jimmy, Mick Foley gained my respect. Foley worked hard, trained hard, and was conditioned. Sure he didn’t look like Kyle O’Reilley, or have the technical mastery of a Shibata, but he killed himself for wrestling, gave awesome promos, and worked his ass (amongst a literal body part) off! Jimmy is much the same way, at least amongst the local indy crowd (no I am not saying Jimmy IS Mick Foley, calm the hell down). There are flashier wrestlers than Jimmy, prettier wrestlers, and wrestlers that I want to see more than Jimmy (sorry Jimmy) but let me tell you that there is no doubt that Jimmy Lyon has earned his way onto any card he’s on and, of the ones he’s on, he damn well deserves to be at or near the top of them.
Why? Because he works hard in the ring for numerous companies, often double or triple shotting weekends. He gives better promos than 80% of indy wrestlers I see today, and does them frequently. He posts on the Facebook pages of the companies he works for, and about them on his, something too few indy workers seem willing to do. He breaks his back filming shows, and spends countless hours editing them for the fans enjoyment. So someone tell me how this man hasn’t paid his dues? He also should be getting paid from every promoter. In the very least more than it cost him in gas money to get to your event. If you can’t respect a man like Jimmy Lyon enough to book him, and pay him something at least halfway fair, then don’t give me the bullshit line about “understanding the business” because it’s clearly evident that you do not. I also don’t want to hear how he’s a Bray Wyatt rip-off. I saw a Jimmy Lyon promo well before Bray come onto the scene. If what Jimmy does is similar, it’s a coincidence. Even if it weren’t, so what? How many guys rip off Ric Flair? For crying out loud Ric Flair ripped a guy off. Truth be told, even if Jimmy were ripping off Bray Wyatt, his rip off is better than whatever in the hell you are doing, which most times is half of nothing, if you’re doing that much (Talking to people who aren't respecting Jimmy, not every indy worker out there reading this). I've been in and around wrestling for 37 years now, and I was taught that someone absolutely had to pay their dues to get used. I was taught that when they paid those dues, and got used on shows, that they were to ALWAYS and ABSOLUTELY get paid for their services. I was taught that the more you went out and applied your craft as many places as you could, you were to get moved up the card. Sadly, it doesn’t seem that many places follow these rules anymore, because another rule was you absolutely had to wear official wrestling gear (note-something else Jimmy does). To me, everytime I see Jimmy Lyson not being used or respected appropriately (Thank you On Point, and the few other companies that do) it annoys me. Not because Jimmy Lyon is my favorite, but because he does everything the right way and doesn’t get all that he deserves for it, and I am 100% certain there are countless others out there in the same situation. If you’re one of them, stop going to those companies. They don’t deserve to have you there. Keep going where you’re respected and paid, not to places that are playing professional wrestling, one step up from the back yard.   Rude Boy Riley I had a great time representing Legacy Wrestling, as well as Wrestling Done Right at the first ever South Jersey Wrestlefest presented by Double Stomp Video and Matt Tremeont. The Legacy table got a lot of visitors who bought DVD’s and t-shirts as well as spent time talking to me about the company and what I do at WrestlingDoneRight.com. There is no doubt in my mind that Legacy, and every promotion at the convention got a lot of new fans last night. Here’s a quick rundown of the card with my thoughts on the matches.
CTW: NJ Charity Wrestling Showcase Match, Rude Boy Riley vs Kyle The Beast- I went in not knowing anything about either man, and both impressed me. Beast is a large imposing figure with scary face paint that moved around well for a man his size. He had good gear and obviously takes training seriously. I was even more impressed with Riley who had an incredible look that reminded me of a young CM Punk. He was quick, agile, and athletic. I would definitely like to see him in Central Pennsylvania and preferably in legacy Wrestling. Rockstar Pro Wrestling: Showcase Match,"White Trash Messiah" Ron Mathis vs Nate Wings- Two more guys I didn’t know that also impressed me. Mathis reminded me of a cleaner cut (but not much) Briscoe brother. Tough as hell, and skilled in the ring. He could wrestle or fight, which is always a great thing. Wings was very good but very small. So small that it almost looked like child abuse when Mathis was on offense. I don’t say that to be rude towards Wings, because he’s very, very talented, but I hope he bulks up soon. My neck is bigger than one of his thighs! Good match though. Combat Zone Wrestling: Showcase Match,"The Lariat" DJ HYDE vs Lio Rush- Outsized, over powered, and one would think slightly intimidated having to face the “boss,” Rush gave Hyde everything he had in an entertaining match that saw Hyde come out on top only when he realized that he needed to take the smaller, faster, determined Rush more seriously. It was evident that Hyde was impressed and very proud to have Rush in CZW. DOJO WARS: 10 Person Tag Team Showcase Match Conor Claxton/Blackwater/Curt Robinson/Brittney Blake/Qefka VS. Frankie Pickard/George Gatton/Penelope Ford/Dan O'Hare/Tropper Audubon Very difficult to keep up with, but Blake, Pickard, and Gatton were the stars of the match in my opinion. Pickard is a technical guy and seems to have gotten down a lot of stuff over the last few months. He has a simple/plain look that doesn’t bother me, but I think he could benefit from some type of gimmick or style. Brittany Blake is very over, and hasan AJ Lee kind of quality to her. Gatton, another plain style of guy is also very over with the New Jersey crowd. I see these three being ready to break out with a few tweeks to their style and substance. On Point Wrestling: Showcase Match (Non-Title),"Bad Boy" Joey Janela vs Drew Blood Subbing or Drew blood was Jeff Cannonball who has come on like a house of fire in On Point so far this year, and getting in a match with the champ, one of the hottest rising stars in all of wrestling will only help Cannonball keep rising as well. The rules seemed to have been tossed out for this bout as both guys hit each other with chairs and kendo sticks throughout the bout. The end came when Janela set up a steel chair center ring, got Cannonball to kis kees and jammed his head through the back of the chair, laying it on the seat. Janela then climbed to the top rope and delivered a flying double stomp onto cannonballs head! It was brutal to say the least. VOW: Vicious Outcast Wrestling Showcase - 3 Way Dance, Andrew Palace vs Jimmy Nutts vs FAÇADE -This was as good as I thought it would be as all three of these guys gave it everything they had. Nutts was an amazing “heel” throughout the bout with Palace and Façade playing up the crowd big time. Palace is so high energy he makes me tired watching him, and Façade is always over with his acrobatics and stunning valet Dani, that Nutts was distracted by several times. The ending came out of nowhere when Nutts pinned Palace even though it appeared Façade had broken it up. Still though, it was one of the best bouts of the night over all. DAWG Showcase Heavyweight Title Match,(c) Dirty Money vs AR FOX Fox out maneuvered Money all match long, but the Dirty one refused to stay down, kicking out of nearly every major move Fox could put on him. Money’s manager was a constant nuisance as well and Mrs. Fox had a hard time trying to combat that. The crowd, always electrified by Fox was stunned when Money held on to the rope causing fox to miss his finisher Low mein pain, then pinning Fox with aid from the putting his feet on the ropes and also getting a hand from his ever present manager. Even though coming up short, the entire bulding chanted “AR Fox, AR Fox” after the bout had ended. Inter - Species Wrestling Showcase: Other Title Match, (c) Fluffy vs Kai Katana Floppy was what I thought he would be, a mental patient that wears a bunny mask and comes to the ring to “Here comes Peter cottontail.” That’s just the kind of thing Inter-Species fans love so, it is what it is. I’m a fan of Katana and enjoyed seeing his performance but he couldn’t overcome the girth of Floppy and fell just short in an okay match. NYWC: Tag Team Showcase Match (c) Stockade & Joe Gacy vs Flawless & Lawless Gacy and Stockade are the two singles champions of NYWC which tells you they must be a solid company as both men are solid single performers, but I was very impressed with the team of Flawless and Lawless. They are massive men with great agility that worked well together. The match was a very good tag team match that saw the two single champions pull it out, but as a fan of legitimate teams that aren’t just two guys tagging because they have nothing else to do, I loved Flawless and Lawless and I definitely want to see more of them, including in Legacy who are in need of tag teams. ACE: Showcase Match TJ Marconi vs Astro Morales Not being familiar with these men, or their promotion I was fairly impressed. Both looked good, performed good, and put on a good match over all. I do feel however that Marconi tried to make up for an average performance the rest of the night, performing like a man possessed during the Rumble match and demanding attention at intermission. He showed me his huge personality far more in those two instance than he did in his match, but the crowd was dead most of the night and could have played a big part in me not enjoying his match as much as I could have. Valkyrie Women's: Showcase Match (c) Kacee Carlise vs Nyla The Destroyer Pretty entertaining matchup between hard hitting and amazing heel Carlisle, and the new Nyla Rose (Now Nyla the Destroyer). Nyla is much better as a monster heel than a fan friendly American Indian. The two ladies took it to each other pretty hard but Kacee’s entourage helped her pull out a cheap victory. I would have honestly liked this more if it would have been a fair one on one match up. I understand Carlisle’s entourage is part of her gimmick, but they hurt the match quality in my opinion. The main event is set to be a 30 man inner promotional Rumble! As I mentioned earlier this is where Marconi shined. He walked out with a big card for his next match/event tucked into his pants advertising it to all the fans before he entered the ring. He word an “ACE” hat during the match and had a lot of fun with it. After being eliminated he took that card and had wrestlers that were still participating in the match autograph it. You had to be there to understand the humor in this. It did a lot to draw attention to Marconi in a positive way. Besides that, the match was very hard to follow even though they called out promotions so many at a time (much better than having everyone start at once!) DJ Hyde stood in a corner all match long holding a kendo stick, as such being assured that no one would approach him. After nearly everyone was eliminated Hyde came to life and wound up one of the final two against one of his students George Gatton. It was a complete mismatch as Hyde dominated Gatton for several minutes until suddenly something just seemed to go off in the rookie. Gatton fought back time and again against the stunned Hyde. At one point, as Hyde re-gained the advantage and hit thunderous chest chops, Gatton reversed a Hyde corner rush and flipped him over the top rope to the floor, winning the Rumble! Over all it was a very good and quite successful South Jersey Wrestlefest. Thanks to Double Stomp and Matt Tremont for putting it all together and making it fun and exciting. Here’s hoping this was just the first ina string of them for years to come. Here are the performers I was most impressed with and would be very happy to see appear for Legacy Wrestling (not mentioning those already having appeared before in the future) -Rude Boy Riley -Matt the Beast -Brittany Blake -Andrew Palace -Jimmy Nutts -Kai Katana -Flawless and Lawless -Joe Gacy -Stockade -TJ Marconi -Kacee Carlisle  This afternoon Wrestling Done Right will be in South Jersey, at the Woodbury Heights Community Center for “Wrestlefest. A major wrestling convention, and show, brought to you by the hardcore legend and CZW World champion Matt Tremont! While I pride myself on attending a lot of shows, there are several promotions and wrestlers on this card that I am not familiar with. I regularly attend ROH, CZW, and Legacy shows. I’ve been to On Point numerous times, House of Glory, as well as LCW. I’m looking forward to see which of the wrestlers I don’t know impress me. It’s always fun finding new wrestlers to root for and try to get into my area to see close to home.
I’ll be working the Legacy Wrestling table with one of Legacy’s promoters, Mike Bloomer. Make sure to stop by and say hello and check out the incredible cards Legacy offers each and every show with a roster that is second to none. The one and only AR Fox is the current Legacy champion while Kimber Lee is the women’s champion. We will have t-shirts, flyers, and all kinds of info about Legacy. I promise you, they are a company on the rise. Let’s take a look at the convention and what it will offer. Doors open at 3:00pm and the wrestlers you can meet are- ECW World Champions - Raven, Sandman and Justin Credible Former WWE Superstar & Wrestlemania Headliner - King Kong Bundy Former WWE Superstar - Jinder Mahal Current TNA Superstar - Crazzy Steve Current TNA Superstar - Robbie E Hardcore Icon & ECW Original - New Jack Former WWE superstar - Virgil ECW Tag Champ - "Pitbull#1" Gary Wolfe ECW Originals - Jason Knight & Tommy Cairo Former WCW star - The Stro On top of that, I am nearly certain that some of the wrestlers appearing on the card will be there for you to meet as well, they just aren’t promised. Everyone on this show is a top notch performer so if you get a chance to meet any of them do it now, while they are still on the indy scene! Here’s my run down of the card set to begin at 6pm. I hope to see you there. CTW: NJ Charity Wrestling Showcase Match, Rude Boy Riley vs Kyle The Beast- I know nothing about this company or either wrestler. I’ll be watching closely to see what they have to offer and I will analyze the match for you here when I post my report on the show. Rockstar Pro Wrestling: Showcase Match,"White Trash Messiah" Ron Mathis vs Nate Wings- Again, I have no knowledge of the company or the performers here. I am looking forward to see who impresses me enough to say they are “wrestling Done Right.” Combat Zone Wrestling: Showcase Match,"The Lariat" DJ HYDE vs Lio Rush- A major clash of styles here should make for a very interesting matchup. Rush is on a major hot streak and very new to the Combat Zone. How will he do against the much larger Hyde, who also owns the company they are representing? Should be interesting! DOJO WARS: 10 Person Tag Team Showcase Match Conor Claxton/Blackwater/Curt Robinson/Brittney Blake/Qefka VS. Frankie Pickard/George Gatton/Penelope Ford/Dan O'Hare/Tropper Audubon A few of these wrestlers I am familiar with, a few of them I am very familiar with, and a few of them I have never seen nor heard of. Dojo Wars is where one goes to try and impress Hyde and his CZW crew, so lets see if they impress me, and the crowd at Wrestlefest as well! On Point Wrestling: Showcase Match (Non-Title),"Bad Boy" Joey Janela vs Drew Blood Wow, this could be the main event as it should be a barn burner. Janella is on fire, currently holding the On Point championship and the CZW Wired title and blood is a man possessed willing to go to any length to make sure he gets a win and sends the crowd home happy. I am very much looking forward to this match. VOW: Vicious Outcast Wrestling Showcase - 3 Way Dance, Andrew Palace vs Jimmy Nutts vs FAÇADE -Another main event caliber match up from a very solid company from out around Pittsburgh. I’ve actually traveled all the way out there to see several of their cards and hosted one of my YouTube shows in their venue. All three of these wrestlers are solid and will be magical in a three way. DAWG Showcase Heavyweight Title Match,(c) Dirty Money vs AR FOX If you don’t know who Fox is, I don’t even know what to say to you. One of the very best out there today and every match he has is a must see. He’s also the Legacy Champion and gets a shot at yet another title here. Money is very talented and will give Fox all he can handle. Another top notch match up here. Inter - Species Wrestling Showcase: Other Title Match, (c) Fluffy vs Kai Katana I don’t even know what to day here…Inter-Species is not my style of wrestling, but I am a fan of Katana so I will give this match a shot. I’ll just leave it at that. NYWC: Tag Team Showcase Match (c) Stockade & Joe Gacy vs Flawless & Lawless I know Gacy well, the others just vaguely but I am fairly certin this will be a very entertaining tag team match up. ACE: Showcase Match TJ Marconi vs Astro Morales Yet another company I don’t know and two wrestlers I am not familiar with. I mean it when I say that I will be watching it all closely as I like to inform the promoters of the companies I frequent and am close to about any wrestler that might deserve a look. Since I will be there with one of Legacy’s promoters, it will make for good conversation. Valkyrie Women's: Showcase Match (c) Kacee Carlise vs Nyla The Destroyer I’ve not been to a Valkyrie card but I know they use very talented women, and I know Kacee is one of the best indy females out there today, and I’ve been told that Nyla is very hardcore/rough, as in “legit.” I am anxious to see this match up and feel confident it will be very solid. The main event is set to be a 30 man inner promotional Rumble! 30 men from all the promotions represented at the convention will fight to be the last man standing. Wow, that is going to be a little bit insane and all over the place but the winner sure will have some bragging rights. I’ll try to grab some interviews to bring you when I post my thoughts on the entire show sometime this coming week. |
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