Traditional Championship Wrestling EP#25 The Year in Review

Traditional Championship Wrestling EP#24

Traditional Championship Wrestling EP# 23

This episode features myself defending my TCW Junior Heavyweight Championship against Jay Lethal.

"DRUGS, DEATH, AND WRESTLING" by Pokerface

Let's jump right in. Over the last ten years or so, pro wrestling has witnessed many deaths, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Curt Hennig, Road Warrior Hawk, Umaga, Big Boss Man to name a few. With the those deaths, the media has had a field day blaming pro wrestling and drugs. And the segment ESPN did on Scott Hall didn't help.No matter how you try to defend it, people will believe what they want. Well I'm going to give you my unbiased take.

Is there drugs in wrestling? If by that you mean are there wrestlers that use drugs, then my answer is, yes. Just like there are football players, basketball players, rock stars, MMA fighters, and actors that use drugs. Now I'm not justifying it by any means, but it happens. The industry of pro wrestling should not be blamed, however. We all, for the most part, are grown ass men. Nobody, in wrestling or otherwise, has ever forced me to smoke weed, drink liquor, snort cocaine, pop pills, or shoot steroids. Anybody who has ever done such, has done by their own accord. Some wrestlers do drugs, just because, Some do it, to "fit in." Some wrestlers have legitimately taken pain pills and got hooked. Whatever the reason, we have a choice.

The media takes the extreme cases of drug and alcohol abuse and run with it. Recently with the Scott Hall story on ESPN, wrestling gets another black eye. Now I'm not saying partying and what not doesn't happen. Sometimes we party, too much. I'm guilty of that myself. I can honestly say that no promoter, booker, or matchmaker has ever told me to take steroids, take a drink, etc. I'm sure the majority of wrestlers can agree. Me, as well as others, have been told to get in shape, lose weight, get bigger, tone up, and so on. Now the means by which a wrestler goes by that, is their choice. Some choose to do it naturally and some don't. Just like with pain pills, some take it for legit purposes, others for recreation. They're still addictive regardless. Again. I'm guilty of having indulging in things I maybe shouldn't have, but it was my choice.

The one thing the media doesn't do, is tell you about the "boy scouts" of wrestling. Now there is a guy in WWE who refers to his lifestyle as straightedge. I can't vouch for that, because I don't know him personally. There are two guys in this area that come to mind. when I think of "boy scout" in wrestling, Alan Steel and Frankie Tucker. Now I'm speaking from what I've seen at the wrestling shows and how they carry themselves. What they do at home, is unknown to me. I've never seen any of the guys drink, take a pill, snort, hell not even smoke a cigarette. Alan will goes as far as putting the hurt on someone who has overindulged. As far as Frankie, the only "drug" I've seen him take is caffeine, and that's because it's in the coffee he drinks before his matches.

Now I'm not pointing my finger or anything. I'm certainly not innocent in all this. I've been known to drink more than I should and I've used marijuana before, and some other things. It wasn't because of wrestling. It was because I was a dumbass. I've cut down tremendously on my drinking. I haven't smoked marijuana in like 11 years. I really have never taken pills on a regular or semi regular basis. I was prescribed pain pills after my surgery, but stopped taking them because I felt the habit coming.
So for those reading this, I've told the truth in a nutshell. If we fuck up, it's by choice, not by wrestling. Thank you. God Bless. Merry Christmas.Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy New Year. Happy Holidays and Festivus for the rest of us.  Keep your pimp hand strong!

Traditional Championship Wrestling EP#22

"Training for Life" by Eric Wayne

When most people nowadays break into the sport of pro wrestling it seems that not very many have the heart and passion to make it worth everyones time. But on that same note, just as many have more heart and passion than some companies entire locker rooms. These qualities don't just appear during in ring training but also outside of the ring. Most of the people I talk to scoff at the idea of pro wrestling. Reasons vary but if they've ever been to anything local, chances are they weren't impressed.
Case in point, TFW's event at the New Daisy. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about...it was the perfect example of a lack of heart, passion, and most importantly training. Not only was the in ring execution weak but the physical appearance of 95% of the 40+ guys booked was atrocious. Perfect example of not caring about anything. (as I write this I'm currently on an elliptical and have been for over 10 mins, which is longer than most guys can last during a match) I offer no apologies to the people I offend by saying this- training is important if for no other reason than to not injure yourself. Not to mention the aesthetic reasons. No one wants to watch a out of shape individual having playtime in a man's sport. What does this mean?

Quite simply, it means doing more than running a mile twice a week. It means looking like an athlete. With the days of MMA that look has become subjective but when it comes to this business...looking like someone out of the crowd doesnt cut it. If no one can tell you take care of yourself, why would they care to watch you wrestle? They wouldn't. This does not mean you have to live in a gym and diet so strict that you're miserable, just because you can't eat taco bell and drink miller light. But it does mean you need to look like a threat. I can reference almost anyone from the 80s and you'd see the difference in them versus today's common "wrestler". Even Eric Embry looked like a threat. When the bell rang he could GO.

What I'm getting at is this- the Ultimate Warrior wasn't as technically sound as Dynamite Kid but he looked like an athlete. Barry Windham didn't look like Warrior but he had an athletic appearance and his in ring skills made up for it. Find a combination that makes you believable and then step in the ring.
One thing I've learned from wrestling is that being in good physical condition can also affect your mental being as well. A lot of the lessons I've learned from this sometimes wild lifestyle can also be applied to everyday life. It takes a strong person to realize that and combine the two. You tend to grow up quick when you become involved with wrestling. I know I did and at the same time, this environment can keep you feeling young forever. If you take care of yourself outside of the ring, then once you step inside it makes everything easy. Mentally you're prepared for anything because you never stop thinking about the next time you'll be in the ring. You learn to read people from being around so many different personalities. You learn to take care of what really matters and let everything else go. Maybe you can learn that elsewhere but I thank Gotch everyday for giving me an escape and another reason to train, both mind and body.

Traditional Championship Wrestling EP#21