Another Town, Another Place; Rumble Thoughts

Yesterday, I took a trip to the York County Fairgrounds in York, Pa to participate in
Pro Wrestling Entertainment's (PWE) "Dirt Trackin '09" event. PWE is one of my favorite places to go to wrestle, due my longstanding friendship with the two promoters and quality of the talent they use.

I had the pleasure of wrestling a gentleman that I wrestled all the way back in my rookie year (1993) and wrestled a very fun 17 minutes, and am proud to report that neither of us swung a chair, broke a table, did a moonsault, or sustained a serious injury ( I did, however, end up with a bruise on my nose and clown paint all over my arms and hands...quick, someone get me a medic!)

Wrestling is a strange and fascinating business, all the way from the top of Titan Towers to the smallest Independents- and, believe it or not, for the most part, the only differences in the "boys" is their a) the quality of their work and B) the size of their paychecks. And, like most businesses, the guys who are the best at their jobs arent always the best paid. Go figure.

Casual observers often believe that WWE stars must be the absolute very best wrestlers anywhere in the world, and that guys wrestling in front of 25 fans in a flea market in Tunica, MS ( " if anyone calls you Tony, you were with me in Tunica this weekend". priceless...) must not be very good- and they very well may be right, but at the same time, they'd be wrong.

Wrestling for the most part is about not only who you are, but who you know, in addition to how hard you push for the "spot", plus what you look like, what type of wrestling style you employ, and how that look and style fits within the current landscape of the business.

All this may seem a bit complex, and in its own way it is, but I guess what I'm really saying is this: the next time a small time card comes to your town, give it a try! You may like some of it, you may dislike all of it, you may be split on your thoughts; You could end up like 16 fans did a few years back in Morgantown ,Wv when EVERY single advertised wrestler were not only not there, but where never even booked to appear in the first place, or you could end up like 300+ fans did last night in York: enjoying a good fun night of wrestling.

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The 22nd annual Royal Rumble takes place tonight LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW, emenating from Detroit, MI , and will likely, as always, provide a few surprises on the undercard and deliver the goods in the main event.

I've always been a huge fan a battle royals, from which the RR concept was born, all the way back to my days of begging my Dadto take my brother Shawn and I to whatever high school or college gym WWF was coming to within a drive of our house.

I think the first one I saw live was at the Heigis Fieldhouse in Shippensburg,Pa in February 1985, when such luminaries as Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Cowboy Bob Orton, Mike Rotunda, Nikolai Volkoff, Former CFL star George "Master G" Wells, and others participated. I believe Barry Windham won that night, eliminating The Iron Sheik to earn the victory. (Shawn, can you back this up?)

In any event, the winner of the RR is on the fast track to the main event at this years Wrestlemania. Logic, of course dictates that the winner will always be a upper echelon performer, which limits the cast of potential winners.

This year, I honestly feel there are only two true candidates to earn the prize: Randy Orton and Triple H. Orton, on the heels of his stunning "punt" of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon this past monday, is the one guy in the business who has a real "buzz" about him, not only from the recent events, but the overall feeling I sense from the crowd dating back to his return from a shoulder injury a few months back.

Triple H, having lost his WWE Title a few months back, is in the position that most likely garners him the most sympathy: being maligned by current General MGR Vickie Guerrero,and being put in disadventageous positions constantly and winning regardless. A true underdog story ( cough cough)

It could go either way, and the WWE might throw in another candidate just to fool wiseasses like me, but if there is a betting line ( and why not?) put your money on HHH. Just dont tell them you heard it from me.
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Final thought: Mark McGwire's younger brother has released a "tell all" book about the former sluggers alleged steriod use. Reports say that many members of the family are very upset, with the exception being older brother, and former Seattle Seahawk Quarterback Dan McGwire, who as proof of his indifference, continue all daily and weekly routines, capping off his week by throwing 5 interceptions in his weekly flag football game.

Thank YOU- Good Night!