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The Early Days
I've been watching wrestling since I was 4 years old. Growing up I idolized wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, etc. We used to go to WWF shows all the time when I was younger, my first big show live was the Royal Rumble in 1993 where Yokozuna won the Rumble. After a while I came across WCW and began becoming a fan of it. I remember back in the day when Monday nights had 4 hours of wrestling, Nitro was on from 6-8, then RAW would come on 9-11. Around the time I was 12 I heard about ECW, and started following them by the internet, ordering tapes, etc. This changed my whole view on wrestling, these guys were just amazing. I became big on guys like Sabu, Rob Van Dam, The Dudley Boys, Raven, New Jack, Eliminators, Taz (Taz was my like my hero) and of coarse Tommy Dreamer. Taz was the man, I was a huge Taz mark, this guy just defined brutality without weapons or hardcore spots every 5 minutes. He went to the ring and put on some matches that built ECW up. His match with Sabu from Barely Legal is still on of my favorites. I started looking up history and checking out old ECW videos, and got to be a huge fan, I was juiced when ECW got a TV deal and started watching it every Friday. Rhino and Steve Corino were two guys that I got really attached to because they were awesome together. Corino with his ability to cut some great heel promos, and Rhino destroying everything in his way as Corino's "Rookie Monster" was just great. One of the PPVs that still sticks in my head was Hardcore Heaven 99. ECW has a stack of shows that are awesome, but this one was really great from top to bottom. From the Super Crazy/Taka Michinoku & Little Guido/Yoshihiro Tajiri matches to the Jerry Lynn/Rob Van Dam & Bubba Ray/Taz match, this show was damn good. When ECW died, it really did suck, because ECW had become my favorite promotion to watch. Paul Heyman, whether you like him or not, gave us a product that pretty much revolutionized wrestling.
Becoming A Wrestler
My freshmen year of high school I was friends with a guy who told me he knew someone who had a wrestling ring and ran his own little fed called VCW (Vacaville Championship Wrestling). He told me he would see if I could come to some practices cause he knew I was into wrestling big time, I lived wrestling (still do). But anyway, he said they were going to meet up at the guy's house one day to have a practice and that I was able to come check it out. I went over to the guy's house and met Salvador Dominguez, he was 50% owner of VCW, Mario Hernandez was the other 50% owner and was also the guy who trained us. I met up with the whole crew who at the time was just me, Sal, Brett Martinez, Randell Leighton, and CJ Richardson. We had a few other guys who I was already cool with, but they ended up quiting on us a few weeks before our first public show. I went to every practice and really busted my ass cause I wanted to show these guys I wanted to do this and would push it all the way so I could wrestle in VCW. I went through all the basics (body slams, arm drags, suplexs, etc.) and was ready to go on. Sal thought it would be cool to make me their hardcore guy and teach me just how to take bumps. I didn't care I just wanted to wrestle, so I went through taking normal bumps, and bumps off the top rope. My body felt like shit for a while, but after a while it wasn't so bad. I ended up being named Michael Grunge, a grunge rocker from the inner streets of Seattle (basically take Raven and mix him with a hardcore Nirvana fan). Our first show was scheduled and I was going to face Smoke Dogg, which would turn into a big feud, but Sean (Smoke Dogg) and Will (Sir Smoke-A-Lot) quit on us short notice, so we were out a few guys. I had known these guys in Chico, California who had wrestled. They weren't involved with anything big, but I had practiced with Trevor and his younger brother before, and they were pretty good, so I called them up and had them come down one week. We all started running practices that would last a few hours and all of us were ready for our show. Parental Advisory came around and I was set to wrestle Daz Tornado. I was cool with Joe (Daz), but the problem was, Joe being a pothead and getting high before our shows didn't help us at all. Ah well, I was like fuck it, I didn't care, this was it, what I had waited for. Before I was suppose to go on, I had butterflys in my stomach and all I could think of was not messing up. I went out there and surprisingly the fans (not many, about 30 maybe, but it was our first show, and we were just small time) actually cheered for me. I guess it was the homeless look I had going... our maybe not. But anyway, me and Joe just started hitting belly to back suplexes and drop kicking the shit out of each other. It was an okay match, I was happy with it being my first match and all, I ended up winning with my move they gave me... the chokeslam, which was kinda gay to me since I am only 6' 0" and executed it on a guy who is 6' 5", really no kind of psychology there, but Joe sold it hella clean, and that was it. We broke off from Mario Hernandez due to him being extremely pussy whipped by his wife, so practices would always be canceled due to that. We took the ring and put it in CJ's backyard for practice and started planning for Hot August Fights 99. They thought that it would be cool to have the first hardcore match between me and Sal. Sal was our top face as The Delinquent, so they were going to put me over as a heel. We all taped interviews and promos which were put on public access, and all the guys were really impressed with the interview I cut. Made me more sadistic than a grunge guy, but I was aiming for a bad guy look and I didn't want to look too much like Raven. At the show a lot of stuff went wrong due to guys late showing, so we had to change some stuff around, and at the last minute I was told to do a run-in during the Capo Crimini/Dennis Dynasty match and do some mic work. I was really unprepared for this, but again, I said to hell with it, ran out, chokeslammed Carey (Capo), and powerbombed Shea (Dynasty) which was pretty sweet looking. When I grabbed the mic, I just couldn't think of anything to say, so all that came out was "You see that shit! Delinquent, that's going to be you later tonight."... Anyway, after a really good 3 way match between Brett, Dustin, and CJ, me and Sal were set to go on. Most of the matches ended quicker than planned so me and Sal had to extend our match to 20 minutes. Sal came out and got a pop, I came out and got some heat, which made me happy, cause that's what I was aiming for. We were set for a hardcore match, and thats what we gave them, nothing really fancy, a few spots here and there, but a straight brawl/hardcore match with lots of hard chair shots, and a shot to the head (which probably should have been a blade on my part) that got the crowd going "OOOOOOHHHHHHH!" This is where I came up with my finishing move which I improvised on later. I told Sal to go to kick me, I'd catch his foot, and hook his head with a fisherman's type DDT (not a fisherman's buster, like a fisherman's evenflow DDT). The people liked it, so I kept using it. I messed my knee up in this match after falling to the outside and landing on a chair a kid put on the side of the ring for one of us to use. I busted my knee on it on the way down, and I was like "FUCK!" It was only 9 minutes in, but I kept going and finished the match. I ended up winning after Ted made his debut as Brett's bodyguard (who was actually feuding with Sal at the time) and gave both of us the D-Day. I rolled onto Sal to get the pin... Thanks to some stupid comments by our commentator my heat really died which pissed me off, but oh well. I went backstage and they look at me and go "You ready for the Rumble?" I forgot our main event, the Ragin Rumble for the VCW Title. I then remembered I was the 2nd person in the Rumble and I just turned around and waited for my music again. 45 minutes later, my knee still hurting like a bitch, and the show is finally over. Sal became champion after eliminating me and Ted at the end to be the last man standing. What pissed me off again, is that I'm the only person in VCW to ever beat Sal, but I never did get a title shot. Extreme Measures was our next show, and I was put into the first death match we were going to have between me, Ted, and a new guy. We were all crazy as hell, so we knew this was going to be bloody. This got me on as the number one hardcore wrestler after getting my ass kicked by these guys who are twice my size, but kept coming back even doing one of the most underrated hardcore moves in wrestling, Mick Foley's hip buster with the chair. After getting a pool stick broken over my back, thrown through 5 rows of chairs, thrown into barbwire, hit over the head a dozen times with chairs, put through a table, and had a kendo stick broke over my head, I got beat with the D-Day after interference by Brett. After the match all 3 of us are in the back bleeding like mo fos just hanging out and discussing what just happened. Jail Break is a show that I don't like to talk about, besides the Fairfield guy's match, and Rik Vandal's match, the show was hella weak. I was put against Joe and Dustin in a handicap hardcore match, which was screwed up bad since Joe was high off his ass and kept trying to throw me over the top rope. Spot of the match though was my Franchiser/Stunner which I hit on Joe and Dustin at the same time. Also I got to form a tag team with my boy Nick when he got jumped in his match with Justin Chaynz. We were called the Fallen Angelz and were like this small time version of the Dudleyz/Acolytes. We ended up going to Napa and started doing shows at Slam City Wrestling School. This is where me and Nick started training ourselves, watching and studying every wrestling tape we had, and doing our best in the VCW ring. I was tired of just being a "garbage wrestler" and wanted to start getting into the technical wrestling since I had a 2 year experience in amateur wrestling for Valley View Middle School. At Conspriacy I had really improved hitting all kinds of suplexes, take downs, and debuted the Inner City Powerbomb (Vertebreaker, even though I used it before Shane Helms did, but I'm sure someone in Japan used this a long time before I did). This show I got to meet 2 time UFC champion Jerry Bohlander because he was the special referee for our main event. He was a really cool guy, and gave me some tips on submission fighting. Our last show was Hot August Fights 2K, where I suffered 2 concussions, a broken ear drum, a shit load of cuts due to a barbwire bump, and some nasty bruises. This wasn't because of miscommunication, or just being reckless on my part, it was due to a few people in VCW that tried to make themselves look hard by doing shit that wasn't planned before hand, just to put themselves over cause they had stroke in the back to do it. I wasn't too happy with this, and got a little unprofessional by stiffing the crap out of them during the Ragin Rumble of HAF2K with kicks, forearms, punches, etc. That was our last show because most of our guys decided to go to PCW in Yuba City to benefit themselves, but I kept practicing and having matches with the guys that were left. I seriously improved and for my size at the time had some good agility. VCW eventually died for good, but I still practice whenever I can, mostly concentrating on aerial/technical style wrestling. I honestly hope one day I could start wrestling again in a ring, and bring some wrestling back to this boring ass town.
Independent Wrestling
I had known about a few indy feds like APW, but I then heard about XPW and started watching their shows. I got hooked on them due to guys like The Messiah and Kaos, but I then found a fed called CZW. I got seriously hooked on CZW, and became a die hard fan. I became a huge mark for guys like "Sick" Nick Mondo, the Backseat Boyz, Justice Pain, Nick Gage, etc. Like ECW, these guys changed the way I looked on wrestling with their ultraviolent, hard hitting, innovative style. At the show Accepting the Challenge, my favorite XPW wrestler, The Messiah debuted in CZW, and I was going ape shit. This was simply awesome seeing Messiah in CZW, his match with Justice Pain was amazing, and he still is one of the top guys in CZW. CZW led me into more indies like IWA Mid-South, JAPW, EPIC, and Ring of Honor. CZW & Ring of Honor are my two favorite feds in wrestling right now, they both deliver outstanding shows, have some of the best talent on the market, and can give you any style of wrestling there is. IWA Mid-South is up there as well containing two of my favorite wrestlers Chris Hero and my boy CM Punk. I had only heard about these guys, and it was nothing but good things so I ordered the tape with their 55 minute tables and ladders match. I was blown away and they had instantly gained my respect. These two are just two of the hardest damn workers out there right now, busting their ass to give the fans great wrestling. I also thought it was cool to see that CM Punk is a straight edger which he also uses in his gimmick very well. A lot of people talk shit about straight edge folks, but hey, not all of us all like those crazy sumabitches who blow the whole thing out of proportion. I don't drink or smoke, but I don't shit on people who do. Anyway, CM Punk is up there in my top wrestlers list, the guy puts on great matches all the time, is a savage on the microphone, and is an extremely hard worker (also seems like a cool guy, his online journal cracks me up). If I could wrestle anyone from the indies at a Wrestlemania, it would probably be Punk or AJ Styles. Ring of Honor probably has one of the best locker rooms out there. AJ Styles, Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, Doug Williams, Jody Fleisch, Briscoe Brothers, etc. Nothing but talent, even though people aka the "smart marks" still complain about things in Ring of Honor and CZW, which is bull shit, these guys are the future of wrestling.
Favorite Wrestlers
Ring of Honor
CM Punk
Christopher Daniels
Homicide
Danny Maff
Colt Cabana
American Dragon
AJ Styles
Low Ki
Justin Credible
Jimmy Jacobs
Dunn and Marcos
Jody Fleisch
Tony Mamaluke
Jay Briscoe
Mark Briscoe
Doug Williams
Samoa Joe
CZW
B-Boy
Trent Acid
Johnny Kashmere
Sonjay Dutt
The Messiah
"Sick" Nick Mondo
Nick Berk
Ruckus
Adam Flash
IWA Mid-South
J.C. Bailey
"Spyder" Nate Webb
Chris Hero
APW
Bobby Quance
Boyce LeGrande
Vic Capri
Tony Kozina
Jardi Frantz
WWE
Chris Beniot
Kurt Angle
Brock Lesnar
Chris Jericho
Eddie Guerrero
Matt Hardy
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Rob Van Dam
Bubba Ray Dudley
D-Von Dudley
Rhyno
Paul London
Nunzio
Jaime Knoble
Tajiri
Shawn Michaels
Ultimo Dragon
The Undertaker
John Cena
Old School Favs
Ric Flair
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Hulk Hogan
Randy Savage
The Great Muta
Terry Funk
Sting
Vader
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Favorite Matches(just to name a few)
APW: King of the Indies 2001 - American Dragon vs. Low Ki
APW: Bobby Quance vs. Super Dragon (2/3 Falls Match)
CZW: Accepting the Challenge - Justice Pain vs. The Messiah (CZW World Title Match)
CZW: Deja Vu - Derek Frazier vs. Ruckus vs. Sonjay Dutt
CZW: This Time It's Personal - "Sick" Nick Mondo vs. The Messiah
CZW: This Time It's Personal - Justice Pain vs. Nick Gage (CZW World Title Match)
CZW: A Higher Level of Pain - Justice Pain vs. "Sick" Nick Mondo (CZW World Title Match)
CZW: Best of the Best 2 - B-Boy vs. Super Dragon
ECW: Barely Legal - Sabu vs. Taz (ECW World Title Match)
ECW: Hardcore Heaven 99 - Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam (ECW TV Title Match)
ECW: Heatwave 98 - Gensei Shinzaki & Hayabusa vs. Rob Van Dam & Sabu (ECW Tag Team Titles Match)
ECW: Cyberslam 99 - Jerry Lynn vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri
ECW: Heatwave 98 - Jerry Lynn vs. Justin Credible
ECW: Heatwave 98 - Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome
IWA Mid-South: House of Hardcore 2nd Anniversary Show - Chris Hero vs. CM Punk (Tables & Ladders - Title Match)
IWA Mid-South: When Hero Met Punk - Chris Hero vs. CM Punk
IWA Mid-South: Ted Petty Invitational - AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
IWA Mid-South: 300th Show - Ace Steel vs. CM Punk vs. Vic Capri (IWA Mid-South Title Match)
NWA TNA - AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Low Ki (NWA TNA X Division Title Match)
Ring of Honor: Crowning a Champion - Christopher Daniels vs. Doug Williams vs. Low Ki vs. Spanky (Ring of Honor World Title Match)
Ring of Honor: All Star Extravaganza - American Dragon vs. AJ Styles
Ring of Honor: Do or Die - Homicide vs. Samoa Joe (Ring of Honor World Title Match)
WWE: Wrestlemania III - "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (WWE Intercontinental Title Match)
WWE: Wrestlemania VIII - "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (WWE World Title Match)
XPW: Damage Inc. - D vs. Kaos
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