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Personal journal entry of
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Sunday July 6, 2003



The day that I step back into that ring is almost here… back into that world. The world that has taken so much from me… the world that has given so little in return… The world of professional wrestling.

Don’t get me wrong; over the years I have met some pretty decent people involved in wrestling. I can’t say that I have ever spent any quality time with any of them however; we were always too busy to stop and chat. This time around it should be unlike the others. This time I won’t be used as a play toy or some kind of whipping boy. Nope this time will be different…

Of course that is what I always tell myself… I’m usually wrong.

The ironic thing about me becoming a pro wrestler is that I never really liked wrestling. You see I started in gymnastics when I was so young that growing up I never really had time for any activities other then practice and homework, that meant Saturday afternoons were spent at the gym and not in front of a television watching “Superstars.” Plus I never really understood the point to all the large men yelling at each other and stomping their foot on the ground when they threw a punch. It just never appealed to me.

So when I found out that we heading to Japan to study the art of professional wrestling I initially felt uneasy and a little out of sort. On the other hand the thought of it appealed to a lot more then what I was leaving behind. But I am getting ahead of myself…

Leaving the hospital proved to be a lot less difficult then I had originally thought. Carnage knew exactly when the police guards would be on their coffee break, so we simply walked out of the room and down the hall to the exit. Once outside we were able to walk freely among the pedestrians without being stopped. It’s funny how nobody wants to ask a seven foot two monster wearing a black leather S&M style mask for directions.

We continued on foot for several hours. Ducking in and out of alleyways, using the shadows created by the late afternoon sun to cool down and occasionally keep out of site. Eventually we ended up behind a small takeout restaurant. I remember the stench coming off the garbage bins being so strong that I nearly vomited, however I at this point I was exhausted and couldn’t walk another step. I lay down on the pavement and told Carnage that I needed to rest. He reluctantly agreed and I quickly fell asleep.

I must have slept longer and harder then I had in my entire life because when I awoke I was in mid flight in the back of a cargo plane. Carnage sat quietly beside me. I glanced over at him and asked where we were going. He turned towards me and simply said “Away.” I continued to look at him as he turned away and spoke again. “Away from the pain.” I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. I eventually fell back asleep.

This time the sleep was not quite as peaceful. My mind raced as I slowly began to comprehend the events of the past few days. I thought of Trish and how much I missed her… I thought of my little girl… I thought of the life I had left behind… I thought of the man in the dark cloak. Then back to Trish… Shit! I was going to miss her funeral! My wife was going to be placed to rest for eternity forever and I wasn’t even going to be there. The thought of that woke me once again. This time I awoke to find myself being held by the massive arms of my traveling partner. Carnage told me that I had been talking in my sleep. I looked at him then placed my head on his chest and began to weep once more.

I stayed awake for the rest of the flight.

We were in the air for a few hours more before we eventually landed. It was the middle of the night on a deserted airfield so it was easy to avoid any sort of authority so we quickly shuffled out of the plane and hopped aboard a truck that seemed to be waiting for us. As we drove off I inspected the writing on some of the boxes that rode with us. “Japanese?” I asked aloud. “They tend to speak that in Japan.” Was the response I had gotten. I knew that we were on the run but this was a bit much.

Being on the Canadian gymnastics team I was used to doing a lot of world traveling so I really wasn’t fazed by the fact that we were now halfway around the world from where we had started out. However the unknown nature of this trip, while exciting at first, was beginning to get to me. I wisely decided to keep my mouth shut and sit still fro the rest of the night.

We pulled up to a small building. Carnage climbed out and motioned for me to do the same. The outside of the building looked like some sort of warehouse. However the writing on it was once again Japanese so I couldn’t tell exactly where it was that we had stopped.

No sooner had I jumped off the truck then it started to pull off again. I watched as it disappeared into the darkness and Carnage walked up to the front door. With some hesitation I followed.

As I entered I was immediately hit with a familiar feeling. The smells, the echoes… this was a gym. I had spent a large portion of my life inside of gyms, so I was immediately struck with a feeling of comfort and belonging. Carnage walked forward into the darkness then stopped. He turned to me and pointed to the center of room. I looked over and saw what I thought was a boxing ring. I turned back to ask him what exactly was going on but before I could say a word I saw a figure in the darkness.

The figure walked towards us. As it got closer I could see that it was a man, a smaller man. He approached Carnage and began to speak to him in Japanese. Carnage replied while I stood there in complete confusion.

When the two of them finished talking Carnage turned to me and motioned for me to enter the ring. At this point I had no idea what to expect so I did as I was told. The man followed me in. He looked at me for a moment and then bowed. I proceeded to do the same and when I lifted my head he sent a jab to my throat that sent me reeling to the ground. He stood above me watching me clasping my neck. He then spoke one simple sentence. “You are weak.” Something at the time I couldn’t agree with more.

This would be my introduction to professional wresting. It was also my first meeting with Sato Saymama. Man also known the world as “Tigger Max.” The man who was going to be my first, in a series of wrestling instructors.

Straight out of the pages of a Japanese comic book Tigger Max set the world of Cruiserweights wrestlers on fire in the early 80’s. At first, many traditional Japanese fans scoffed at the thought of him, a popular comic book wrestling hero, being pushed as a legitimate wrestling star. But as the world would soon find out, there was much more to the high-flying and inventive masked man than just his already famous persona.

He began his career in the late 70’s not as a masked marvel, but rather using his real name. After a few years of learning his craft, and paying his dues, Sato Saymama steadily rose up the ranks. Impressing many with his wrestling skills.

When Japan was looking for stars for the junior heavyweight division they decided on making the popular Tigger Max wrestling cartoon character into a true wrestler. The talented Saymama was asked to fill the role, he accepted. But that was only the beginning...

He eventually won over his critics in Japan with his dazzling repertoire and obvious superiority to every wrestler he met and became the hottest Junior Heavyweight the sport had ever seen...

Even in America, where he was first received with a great deal of skepticism, the unique and exciting Tigger Max became a big "special attraction" for promoters. While he didn’t introduce Japanese wrestling to the world it was Tigger Max who took it to incredible new heights of popularity in his native country of Japan, as well as in Mexico and the U.S.

In the years following his retirement from wrestling, Saymama quietly kept active in the martial arts. But more disturbingly for many within the world of Japanese pro wrestling, Saymama had several negative things to say publicly about the sport and even wrote a somewhat scathing account of his thoughts about wrestling in a book.

Like I say I was never really a wrestling fan. So I had no idea that the man standing over me was a legend. All I knew was that I was in a great deal of pain. However I was soon going to find out that Saymama’s stiff, hybrid "shoot" style of wrestling, also known as Mixed Martial Arts made him a pioneer. A pioneer that was about to kick my ass on a daily basis.

Sato would be my first teacher. However there were more to come. Stops in Mexico and Calgary were soon to follow. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time. If I had I may have walked out the door and left it all behind.

But then again… I had no place else to go.

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