finding the roses amongst the thorns

I love professional wrestling. I've loved it since I was eight years old. I've loved it through the ups and downs, through the classic "wrastlin" days, to the modern "sports entertainment" days. I love slow methodical wrestling, and fast paced "spot" wrestling. I like gimmicks, and I like realism. All that being said, I also hate much of professional wrestling, or that which calls itself professional wrestling. I hate back yard wrestling, even if those back yarders went out and rented a fire hall and bought a real ring. I hate out of shape fat guys in t-shirts thinking they are "old school" because they apply a ton of rest holds after getting gassed the first five minutes of their match. I hate corny gimmicks that make me cringe. I hate comedy wrestling. I don't hate comedy "in" wrestling, but I absolutely detest gimmicks that are made to just to be funny. "Comedy characters" are always lame to me, and I wish they'd vanish from the world of professional wrestling. I hate much of today's WWE but follow it to see favorites like Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro. I know I am almost always going to be frustratingly disappointed when I watch a WWE show, but I watch it anyways because I have this fantasy that one day...one day, they will actually try and appeal to real wrestling fans like me again. I believe the greatest wrestling of all time was the old NWA on Superstation TBS on Saturday nights from 6:05pm to 8:05pm and that we will likely never see wrestling that good again. However; I am not bitter that my kind of wrestling has pretty much vanished. I enjoy today's style, the faster paced, less selling style that many old school guys hate. I've learned to embrace Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. They are the two best companies out there today in my opinion. Of course not even ROH and NJPW do everything "right," but I'd say they do so more often than not. 

I've entered the world of Professional Wrestling Journalism in search of what I believe is "Wrestling Done Right." Here I will write about my travels and experiences in the world of Professional Wrestling. I attend shows all over the place and when I see a match that deserves attention, I'll give it attention by posting about it here and on Facebook and Twitter. If I find an entire company that I feel gets it, and does wrestling right, I'll post about them as regularly as possible. Sadly, I find few companies that get it. I find a lot of companies that will have a match or two that is wrestling done right, but then they will often fill the rest of the show with guys that shouldn't even be inside a ring. I used to refuse to attend shows that didn't try and put on a five star event, but I found myself unable to go to many shows at all. I've been limited to Combat Zone, Ring of Honor, On Point Wrestling, The Monster Factory, and Legacy Wrestling. Ultimately, those five will still be the companies you'll see me cover here most. I know I can trust them, I know that they know what they are doing. I also enjoy Evolve, House of Glory, and a new company called "Pro Wrestling Empire" shows some promise. A company I used to work for (commentator) has matches that are great, but over all are one of those companies that toss in stuff that makes me feel like I paid too much to get in and as such, I may never cover them again....but we shall see. I'll only name them if I decide to cover one of their future shows.

So, what will be my next show? I'm not sure...possibly CZW's Tangled Web on October 10th. I've also been invited to "Wrestlefest" in Woodbury Heights New Jersey on Sunday October 11th and I may attend that as well. You will see me at every single one of Legacy Wrestling's events, sometimes even on commentary. I'll write about Ring of Honor and New Japan here, when the mood strikes, and I will always take any and every opportunity to point out what wrestling done right is, who is doing, and where it can be found. I've been called a "Wrestling Snob" and you can find me on Twitter under that moniker, just search for me @aleavelle. Some people appreciate what I have to say in regard to professional wrestling, and others wish I'd just go away forever. No matter where you stand I can promise you that if I recommend a wrestler, a manager, or an entire company, you can watch them KNOWING that you will be entertained, you will get your money's worth, and you will know that you've seen "Wrestling Done Right." 

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