PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS: WOHW SteelCage SHOWDOWN

Tonight is the night! Whitehall, NY - Whitehall Athletic Club presents World of Hurt Wrestling and their SteelCage SHOWDOWN! We had originally planned on broadcasting LIVE from this event, but business obligations elsewhere have prevented us from "doing our THANG". This is, however, a CAN'T MISS show -- so you know *I* will be there!

On top of all the usual fantastic wrestling action, I'm also excited to see WrestleArt.com's merch spread! Get there early if you're interested in one of their custom Wrestling Buddies OR anything else that they offer! For now... Onto the matches we know about!

Chuck Deep vs. Kyle Brad
I've seen dozens of matches featuring Chuck Deep live. But only one singles match, so I'm really pumped to see Pure Dynamite in singles action tonight. I wrote last week that I am expecting a lot from this match and I stand by that. Kyle Brad is another one of those local talents that I have ALWAYS felt had the potential to thrive on a larger stage. He and Chuck will absolutely tear the Old Armory down.
Paul's PICK: The FANS are the winners! I don't car who wins, it's going to be fun.

Brad Wesley vs. Chris Envy
The other half of Pure Dynamite goes solo against Envy in another contest that I foresee as being a fantastic pairing. Big Mr.Biceps vs the "Reality Show Superstar"! Envy has a large, vocal following in this area and I predict that support may be enough to push him over the top in this contest.
Paul's PICK: Chris Envy

Shane Alden vs. Punk
Fresh off his victory over Mike Bennett, Shane Alden will go head to head with the always angry, always bitter, always volatile Punk. Punk has had a chip on his shoulder since surrendering the WOH Championship a year ago and has not seemed to be able to find his groove ever since. Is tonight the night that changes? Hard to say. Shane Alden is as determined as ever to both put on a great show AND continue his rise to the top of World of Hurt.
Paul's PICK: Shane Alden

STRAP MATCH
Adam Badger vs. Eric Alden
This has been one of WOHW's most entertaining feuds and it appears as though it will culminate in a BRUTAL strap match tonight. Eric Alden has been labeled a freak by the very hungry, very dangerous Adam Badger... Badger may have bitten off more than he can chew on this one. Once that strap is attached, there will be nowhere for Badger to run, the mind games will be over and the violence begins. I've been a longtime supporter and booster of "The Spectacle" Adam Badgers skills... But he may be backed into a very dark corner tonight.
Paul's PICK: Eric Alden

Danger/Jeff Starr defend the WOHW Tag Titles
These two are fresh off of beating the ever loving piss out of Pure Dynamite for their tag belts and I have to say that I feel VERY sorry for whoever stands across the ring for them tonight because they will be looking to prove a point. My pick would be that Danger and Starr will retain... As far as who they face? ...hmmm. I'd like to see Hoss and Danger square off. As for Hoss' partner? ...how about Big Vigo? If not those two GIANT bastards, what about the Joint Task Force; Sgt.Fury and Cpl.Saint? Whoever it is... It's going to HURT.

WWE HALL OF FAMER Tony Atlas will be in action!
No shit? I've met Tony before. Seems like a good dude. Will we see a Foot Fetish Match tonight? OH MY.

WOHW Heavyweight Championship - STEEL CAGE MATCH
Swinger Sidusky (c) vs Vince Beach
Snap, this is going to be fun. Sidusky has wowed WOHW fans before inside of a cage and I look forward to seeing him wow us all again. Beach has had an interesting journey in World of Hurt; taking on a string of "legends" until finally focusing his attention towards the "big prize". I've gotta say... Beach has a gimmick that almost NO ONE else could pull off and make entertaining. But I don't see him as a top title holder. Sidusky just HAS it. So much fun to watch.
Paul's PICK: Swinger

Hope to see you at the show tonight! Come say hello! I'll be somewhere in the front row, being typically obnoxious and having far too much fun. And tell the WrestleArt people you want to see W'fudge Wrestling Buddies! (Kidding. Mostly.)

News and Views: 5/19/13

World of Hurt Wrestling:

-- don't expect to see ROH star Mike Bennett this Friday night in Whitehall for WOHW's Steelcage Showdown despite Shane Alden challenging him to a one on one match while appearing on our show back in late March. Bennett was expected to appear but recent rumored developments are likely to keep him away from Whitehall -- and leaving Shane Alden now lined up against Punk on this particular show and WITHOUT getting the revenge he sought against Bennett. Disappointing for local fans but (if these rumors hold true) congratulations to Bennett! A very down to earth guy who seems focused and as ready as he ever could be.

-- one match to look for next Friday is Chuck Deep taking on Kyle Brad! I'm already looking at this match as possible match if the night, if the two are REALLY allowed to just go at it and throw it all out there. I honestly would not be surprised if we see a truly star making performance out of Kyle Brad. Really looking forward to it!

-- holy shit, WrestleArt.com is bringing their gimmicks to the show! There will be a limited selection of their work on display and up FOR SALE at the Whitehall Athletic Club this Friday night! I stress: if you think you'll want one (or three) get to the show early!


CTWE:

-- tickets for CTWE's Bethany Battle: Heroes Emerge on June 22nd went on sale Saturday morning and -- as usual -- are moving quickly out the door. Some fun matches announced! Newly crowned CTWE Heavyweight Champion, Lukas Sharp, will defend against former champ, Slyck Wagner Brown! In tag action, Dan Barry will team with Bill Carr to take on The After Party! Dalton Castle will lock up with Ricky Reyes in what should be an entertaining clash of styles and personalities! ...but where's Bobby Ocean?

-- just announced for Bethany Battle in June is recently released WWE talent, Derrick Bateman. I'm not all too familiar with his work, but people I respect are high on him and that's enough for me. Could be an added attraction, from a performance aspect.

-- have you watched the backstage outtakes from BriccoMania V? Some really funny shit.


NEFW:

-- one of NEFW's owners, Erik Newton, recently appeared on Full Circle Radio to directly address GreenGate. If you've never listened to this program, know that these guys are as vulgar as they are entertaining as they are drunk. These traits are directly related! A fun listen. Newton fires a few shots across the bow (coming in at around the 2 hr mark) and more of his side of the story (and their motivations for asking Bricco/Stamos to leave) is shared. Worth a listen if you're still at all interested in this story.

-- NEFW has announced their next show as Cruel Summer III on August 3rd and have already thrown out a tantalizing signing: Johnny Gargano/Frankie Arion/JT Dunn for Dunn's US Title! Holy hot damn, that will be a match.


Ultimate Wrestling EAST:

-- on June 9th, Ultimate Wrestling EAST returns to Troy, NY with their "Summer Spectacular" and with maybe one of the most exciting tag matches I've seen advertised locally in some time. Pure Dynamite - Brad Wesley and Chuck Deep - will make their EASTern debut against top New England tag team, Monarchy! If you love fun tag wrestling, this is a match you DO NOT want to miss under any circumstances.

-- other matches announced include the anti-climactic return of their InterState Champion, Coconut Jones, defending against "The Wolf" CJ Scott. CJ's work in Ultimate Wrestling has been consistently strong since the EAST debuted and I'm personally hoping for a title change although its questionable if they'd have heels holding EVERY title.

-- also, back at REDLINE earlier this month, Oman Tortuga had his potty mouth on full display at the Troy Boys and Girls Club -- this just a few weeks after Cloudy was "reprimanded" for flipping me off in the middle of the ring and Heavyweight Champion, Vik Dalishus, caught some heat for booting "Redneck" Randy Walkers sister in the grill. After dropping that verbal bomb, Tortuga did what any dirtbag heel would do: Apologize for his language.

-- sigh.

More News and Views as they get to us! Do YOU have news/opinion/rumor YOU would like to share? News that you think other indy wrestling fans should no? Reach out to us! Message us through our Facebook page, find us on twitter, or email me at Paul@WRESTLEFUDGE.COM.

The GAUNTLET: Upcoming Local'ish Events

May 24 - World of Hurt Wrestling:


Don't see a show that's on YOUR radar? Tell us about it! Email me at Paul@Wrestlefudge.com

GreenGate Update

Chances are good that you have an opinion on the whole GreenGate debacle that went down last Saturday night in Chicopee. A lot of finger pointing and shrugging shoulders going on the last few days as "just about everyone" weighed in on it in some form or another.

-- The most interesting piece of news getting back to us is the reported growing rift between Joey Bricco and Mikey Chase. Chase is more than just a "guy on the roster", he is responsible for, among MANY things, a lot of the production elements of the product behind the scenes as well as being known as one of Bricco's closer friends. According to our sources, Chase and Bricco have both privately and public exchanged words, with Chase described as "disgusted" by Bricco's actions both on that evening and on his personal Facebook page since.

-- reaction to the Vinyer story from yesterday has been amusing. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for that discussion. It's prompted a lot of text/instant messages sent our way regarding good ole Foxx's behavior both on THAT night and many others. It was specifically pointed out to me several times that another of the big reasons Vinyer rubbed many the wrong way that night was by the way he was "harassing (special guest) Jesse Neal". I'm sure we will hear from Vinyer on this at some point. No one loves bad press more than this guy. Which makes him a favorite of ours!

Have an opinion? Tired hearing about this story? Comment below, go to our Facebook page, or yell at us on twitter!

Foxx Vinyer was GreenGate'ing Before It Was Cool

So, you've probably heard about GreenGate. Who, at this point, hasn't?

But did you know that, weeks before NEFW's BATTLEGROUND event and all of that related nonsense... that the Intimate Warrior Himself, Foxx Vinyer, was show trolling several weeks before Bricco and Stamos gave it a go?

According to sources, Foxx Vinyer and Kyle Badger were in attendance at IYFW's May the 4th Be With You, Star Wars Themed event. For a little backstory, Vinyer hasn't been on good terms with IYFW for MONTHS after basically being himself ... And Kyle Badger, an IYF Academy Graduate, has inexplicably not been booked (along with a slew of other IYF Academy graduates) for months. Badger and Vinyer bought tickets. And, like Bricco and Stamos would later, they came in disguise.

Mostly.

One major difference between these two similar stories? Foxx Vinyer, being himself, reportedly attempted to go backstage uninvited -- an incident that SEVERAL people have indicated could have become VERY ugly VERY quickly had it not been defused.

Hey. We know Vinyer. The guy is a character and a half... but he probably should have known better than to try to pull back the curtain and make himself comfortable. Like Bricco and Stamos... he HAD to know that wouldn't go smoothly.

CTWE/NEFW Drama Heats Up

The rivalry that, several months ago, both sides agreed wasn't a rivalry at all certainly became the talk of the CT wrestling scene this past weekend when a series of events unfolded at Saturday nights NEFW BATTLEGROUND event in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Before we get into the drama and nonsense surrounding the controversial goings-on at BATTLEGROUND, I feel it's important to talk a bit about the event itself. That's really why you're here, right? Results are straight off of theburninghammer.com (by NE Indy Hype):

Quick results -

Pre-Show
Ian Griffin def. Randy Guerrero

Main Show -

Lineage (Mark Shurman & Chris Envy)w/Fenris Fortune def. The Boys Next Door (Mike Graca & Cam Neely) w/Ms. Mecca

In a student showcase match, the team of Valkyrie, Mike The Anvil Kreegan, Baby Rex and Phantom def. Executioner #16, Steven Bouquet, and Sven Hoeck.

Bobby Ocean w/ JJ Alexander def. Frankie Arion after a ref distraction and a low blow.

Amazing Red & Brian XL def. Homicide & Eddie Kingston to retain the tag team championship.

In the Barbershop Segment featuring Brutus Beefcake, jimmy Snuka and The Big O, Ian Griffin interrupted and ultimately got his head shaved.

As the 25 man battle royal for a future NEFW title show was set to begin, Defiant Inc's music hit and Jimmy Meaz called out Shady about his Tough Guy Championship. He then introduced Defiant Inc's newest member, Big Jim Sullivan. Sullivan decimated Shady with a series of lariats and an emerald fusion through 2 steel chairs. jimmy Meaz then pinned Shady and became the new Tough Guy Champion. As they were leaving and the battle royal was set to finally begin, a surprise final entrant came out which was none other than Brian Anthony!
Brian Anthony went on to win the 25-man battle royal after eliminating The Big O last.

JT Dunn w/Fenris Fortune def. Chuck Taylor to retain the US Championship.

Smiley def. Scotty Slade

In the 8-man tag for the vacated NEFW Championship, Team NEFW was victorious after all chaos broke loose outside the ring and Dirt Dawg Jeremy Leary was able to gain the upper hand on a stunned Dave Cole and secured the pin, thus becoming the new NEFW Heavyweight Champion. After the match the NEFW locker room cleared out to run off Defiant inc. and celebrate with the new champion.

NEFW returns August 3rd with "Cruel Summer 3." Talents already announce to appear are Johnny Gargano and Chris Masters.

Not surprisingly, people at the show seem to be calling JT Dunn/Chuck Taylor the clear match of the night. The Juice is on such a tear and is without question one of the most fun performers to see live in New England. Should be interesting to see where he will fit in the upcoming Wrestlefudge ULTIMATE 25! Sullivan's arrival is interesting yet not all too shocking. The Defiant Inc. stable is easy to hate and fun to watch. Brian Anthony's appearance was said to get a FANTASTIC reaction. Dirt Dawg gets the strap and the heels are on the run. I like the idea of Defiant Inc. continuing to chase that belt. For now.

Another little subplot going into and around this show was Kristian Frost. Frost, the former NEFW Heavyweight Champion, was recently stripped of that championship and booted from the promotion shortly after appearing at a CTWE event with the NEFW belt in tow. Frost filmed a series of vignettes Saturday night with him basically "stalking" the show. Decent stuff here, I suppose. A lot of vitriolic stuff all over Frosts and NEFW managements personal social media pages back and forth. No love lost. Meanwhile, Frost is seemingly continuing to appear at CTWE events; most recently at Bricco-Mania V.

However... The talk of the weekend, undoubtedly, is what I can only refer to as GreenGate. Here is what is out there and what has been personally communicated to us:

CTWE Owner Joey Bricco, along with friend Steve Fiano, decided they would attend the NEFW BATTLEGROUND event. They bought tickets. However, they were "in disguise". On Facebook, Bricco asserts quite adamantly that he simply wanted to enjoy the show. Take a look at this photo floating around Facebook:

Once NEFW staff realized who the two Green Guys were, Bricco and Fiano were asked to leave the building immediately. Both sides took to social media to make their positions known. Personally? I like that Bricco wants to attend other promotions shows and am aware that it isn't rare for him to do so. I can appreciate that he was aware of the simmering hostilities between the two promotions and thought a disguise would be a good idea. (Maybe? Struggling with that one.) But clearly he wasn't trying to fly under the radar. I can only imagine how much of a distraction they might have been. I don't blame NEFW for asking them to leave - should they have refunded them on the spot instead of publicly posturing with a "you come and GET the refund, anytime, anywhere" type of attitude? Absolutely! That was a gaffe on their end.

All of this being said; we weren't there. That's important to note. All of the above is just what I know from the snippets out there on the interwebs and from several emails/text messages received.

I'm having a hard time thinking Bricco and Fiano DIDN'T know this wouldn't go smooth.

What is encouraging, I suppose, is that Bricco is talking about it. I'm hopeful that the possibility exists that we can have Joey on WrestlefudgeTV LIVE once we return from break to address this further. Hell, we'd be down to hear from all sides on this. Where's the beef?!? Why the drama?!? Who does it REALLY serve?

Have an opinion? Join the conversation: add a comment below, find us on Facebook, or take it to Twitter! We're just looking forward to getting back to talking about WRESTLING!

WrestleArt.com Presents: "Superstar Profile with "ROYALTY" WILLIAM KING

Q: "Royalty" William King, what made you want to be a professional wrestler?

A: I’ve always wanted to be a wrestler. I remember being a little kid, watching and rewatching the same four or five WWF VHS tapes, then attacking my dad with the awesome things I saw. Of course, he was always a step ahead of me and would catch me with a Nasty Boys arm pit. But, the short of it is that it's always been my main goal in life, and I feel incredibly lucky that I get the chance to perform multiple times a month.

Q: When did your professional wrestling career start?

A. I started training at Kevin Landry's school in Chicopee, Mass. under Aaron Morrison, alongside guys like Kristian Frost, Kidmikazi, Frankie Arion, Alex Cypher and of course, my buddy, ZPB in 2005. I trained for about 6 months before my first match at a benefit show, then for another few months before having a match aganst Aaron in my hometown, Holyoke, for EWA.

Q: Was getting in the ring for the first time what you expected?

A: It was so much more. I remember being so overwhelmed the first time I ever got to step into the ring. Kevin's school used to be up five flights of stairs in an old factory. When you went inside, it was this awesome room with the word “perseverance” spray painted on the wall. I was giggling like a school girl inside when I stepped through the ropes, theme songs already playing in my head, shortly thereafter replaced with ringing in my ears after taking my first bump. (Laughs)

Q: How important is it to look the part?

A: Even though I'm guilty of not having taken this part to heart as much as I should have, I am working on it because it is important to look like an athletic person out there. People don’t want to spend money to see someone compete, who looks like they just stood up from the seat next to them and slid inside the ring. Everything from body, which is my worst aspect, to the gear, which shouldn’t be clearance items from Hot Topic, to the boots (or shoes with kickpads). Everything about you needs to separate yourself from the people in the seats. I mean, it's show biz, and people are paying for that. They're not paying good money to watch you practice some cool move you really want to try. Work on shit wherever it is you practice, showtime is the time to put out the things you already do great.

Q: Is there any person you wouldn't want to see on the other side of William King vs. __ ?

A: I'm not afraid of anyone, so that’s not an issue. If I am working with someone who isn't exactly up to speed, then it's my job to get the best out of them, which is something I take pride in doing. I suppose the only people I wouldn’t want across the ring from me would be someone so up their own ass that they refuse to work together to get something good. The “I gotta get my shit in” guy, and even then I let them go ahead and do their shit. He's going to pin me after and I’m going to kick out, effectively making that guy's stuff weak as hell.

Q: Is there a match of yours (good or bad) that stands out in your mind? Why?

A: I always enjoy working with Bobby Ocean. I feel like we work well together, and I loved our match at CTWE after I had comeback from a hiatus. One of the most entertaining matches I've had was teaming with Doctor Hersey against Bobby and Chris Hamrick in Maine. I also love working with Antonio Thomas, teaming with ZPB, Dougie Summers and Andy Sweet. I love everything.

Q: Have you achieved all of your goals you set when you first embarked on this journey?

A: No way. I imagine everyone's original goal when they get into this is to work for the WWE. While I still hope to get a chance to do something there someday, I still have so many goals that I'd love to achieve. ROH is one I'm actively working towards right now.

Q: Are there any indy wrestlers or tag teams you feel are ready for the big time?

A: Antonio Thomas should be back there right now, in my opinion. Bobby Ocean should be in front of a bigger stage than he is, and Marshall McNeil should be managing in one of the big three. There are so many more. It would take all day to name them all, but I feel like I'd take up the rest of the space provided for the interview if I showcased everyone I thought was ready for bigger and better things.

Q: What is the importance of taping your match for your own personal use?

A: Like any athlete or performer, it's important to be able to go back and watch a tape to A) find something that really worked and keep it, or B) find something that didn’t come out the way I thought it had in my head, and get rid of it. Again, the audience isn't paying to watch practice. They deserve the best stuff.

Q: With the ups, come the downs. Explain one time where you felt at your all time low in wrestling.

A: About five or six months ago, I was just down in general. I was up to 250 lbs and not in a good way on this 5’9'' frame. I was miserable drunk and thought about quitting the biz. It wasn’t anything wrestling did to me, I was just in a dark place for some reason, which isn't the norm for me. Luckily, I've been able to turn things around, and I'm back down to 220. I'm hoping to keep heading in a positive direction.

Q: If you could switch careers with any wrestler (professional or independent) who would it be and why?

A: Mitzy (Matt) Taven. I love that guy, and honestly, I think he has the entire world right in front of him. He's got the look, the ability and the charisma. I can't say enough good things about him.

Q: Wrestling boots or shoes?

A: Boots for me. I understand some people like the shoes, but I'm not that tall, and to me the boots look better.

Q: Wrist tape or no wrist tape?

A: Wrist tape. The NWA Rulebook be damned!

Q: Tag or singles?

A: Both. I can't separate the two because I love them both for different reasons. I can honestly say I haven't done anything yet that has been as fun as The Monarchy, but Last Call is a very close second.

Q: Do independent championship titles mean anything to you?

A: Of course they do. The title means the promoter is putting his trust into you and appriciates your work and abilities. Anyone who treats it with disrespect is disrespecting the place he's working for, and is therefore a shit employee. In which case, get the hell out! Who needs you? I operate with the understanding that there are 100 other guys with my same build who can wrestle, so I need to be more entertaining than them, and also need to be a good hand on the ship.

Q: I hate, hate, FUCKING HATE when wrestlers don't use the tag ropes, or promoters don't provide tag ropes. I see this as something that's wrong with wrestling on the independent level. What is something that rubs you the wrong way about the indies?

A: When tag team partners don’t care about their partner in the ring, and just stand on the apron not showing any emotion at all. The guy in the ring is supposed to be your buddy, your brother, and you're leaning on your elbow watching him getting punched in the face like you're watching paint dry. Drives me bananas.

If you have questions you would like to submit for future interviews or have interest in a certain guest, e-mail:

wrestleart.com@gmail.com

(Michael Anthony is the artistic genius behind WrestleArt.com and has been a friend and Contributing Corespondent to Wrestlefudge.com for some time! Be sure to check out the WrestleArt Facebook page and give it a "LIKE"!)