Interview with west coast indy wrestler Ryan Drago

My Interview with Ryan Drago By Oliver Newman

ON: Oliver Newman
RD: Ryan Drago

ON: Today my interviewee is up and coming Wrestler Ryan Drago. Thanks for taking the time out to do this interview.

RD: No problem. Thank you for taking the time to interview me.

ON: Can you tell the readers who may be unfamiliar with Ryan Drago a little about yourself?

RD: I'm 24 years old, I began training in August of 2001 and made my debut in August of 2002. My trainers were "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, Mike Modest, Donovan Morgan and Bison Smith.

ON: Were you a Wrestling Fan growing up, and if so who were some of your favourites?

RD: I started watching Wrestling when I was 3. I liked the traditional heroes: Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, and The British Bulldogs.

ON: Was there a defining moment/match when you said this is what I want to do for a living?

RD: In the summer of 2000 my brother and I went to Los Angles for Extreme Championship Wrestling's 'Heatwave' PPV. I decided I wanted to be a wrestler when I saw the Van-Terminator (utilised by Rob Van Dam).

ON: Which Wrestling school did you go to?

RD: I found a relatively local place called Pacific Coast Sports. I say relatively, but it was actually a two hour drive each way.

ON: Who were you trained by?

RD: Initially, Donovan Morgan. A few months in though, he had a falling out with the company and left. Bryan took over training, I actually wound up getting a lot of extra training with Bryan, sometimes 2-4 hours a night more, since I was willing to stay late and get beat up by Sara Del Ray. I trained with Bryan for 9 months, up until he left for The Inoki/New Japan Dojo in L.A. After that, I moved to Donovan Morgan and Mike Modest's Pro-Wrestling IRON group, where I trained until it closed in August of 2005.

ON: Thoughts on your trainers?

RD: Bryan has an exceptional eye for detail. He's the type of guy who will spot the smallest flaw and point it out for correction. He was also very easy to get along with and never buried someone to placate his own ego. Mike Modest has an ESP when it comes to wrestling. I've seen him make a cup of coffee, (thus not watching the ring), then call the move/sequence back to us, point out what we did wrong and tell us what would have looked better. All seemingly without looking!

Donovan is one of the best guys I've met in wrestling. You do right by him and he'll fight to the death for you! There are a lot of bull shitters in wrestling, Donovan isn't one of them. He's just a great guy to work with. Bison, despite his size, is exceedingly kind. He always made time to work with anyone who needed or wanted help.

ON: Can you explain to the readers the trials and tribulations involved in training to become a Professional Wrestler?

RD: Training means turning your entire life upside down. It's a lifestyle and not one to be taken lightly! I actually weighed in at 250lbs when I started training. I also had about as much muscle on me as a 12 year old Ethiopian girl. This meant a complete overhaul of my diet and exercise routines. I literally ate egg whites, dry chicken breasts and tuna for 3 solid months. I would then run for an hour every morning before breakfast, then lift weights for two hours. This eventually lead to me dropping 50 pounds in 3 months.

There is also the driving to take into account. I had to drive 4 hours total, 3-5 days a week for 4 years. In that time I think I went through 3 cars! Injuries also tend to pile up quick when your working that hard and there's not much you can do other then take some Advil and tape it up.

There was actually a point when I bruised my static nerve and my legs would go numb every time I wrestled for about 8 or 9 weeks! I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to take time off. The hard part (with injuries) was in training, when it would happen, trying to get up without giving away the fact that I was hurt.

ON: Thoughts on Sara Del Ray?



RD: She's a lady! (It's an inside joke, but if she reads that, she'll understand it). She is super nice and just as tough. I've seen guys that won't take half as much punishment as she will. She truly deserves all the praise she's been receiving lately. We actually started around the same time and trained together for about 3 and a half years. It's also nice to see a woman in Wrestling who's actually good, and not just good for being a woman!!

ON: Do you have a best or worst moment during training that you would like to tell the readers about?

RD: Not really a best or worst, just kind of a funny one. This happened early in my training. On this particular day, Brian "Spanky" Kendrick was the guest instructor. If you've never met him, let me say, he can be a bit head strong. Due to my transportation situation, I arrived late.

Upon seeing me, Brian told me to take off my shirt and go to the parking lot for cardio. Basically, he ran my ass off and yelled the whole time. At one point, during sprints, my Asthma started kicking in bad. I stopped to use my inhaler only to hear, "WHAT THE F--K ARE YOU DOING!?!!?" I looked up at him and he saw my inhaler and said "Oh." It's funny now, but it was gruelling as hell when it happened.

ON: Thoughts on Brian Kendrick as a Wrestler and as a person?

RD: He's a nice guy and a good wrestler, just a bit head strong at times.

ON: You trained for a year before your debut match, what were you thoughts leading up to the match?

RD: As bad as it may sound, my thought was "About f--king time." A couple of guys I started with had already debuted. I was put on the back burner. It sucked because Bryan left for LA the same day I had my first match. I was sad he wasn't going to be able to give me input on it, but in retrospect, I'm glad he never saw it. It was bad!

ON: Thoughts on your opponent?

RD: His name was Robert, he was a nice enough guy.

ON: You wrestled the first match for new upstart promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in July 2003. How did this come about and what were your immediate thoughts prior to your debut?

RD: Well, I actually wasn't booked. I had driven down with Hook Bomberry and Apolo Kahn, just for the hell of it! Apparently Phoenix Star didn't show up and Joey Ryan, who I'd wrestled previously, asked If I brought my gear. I did and he put me in the match. My opinion prior to the show was" How long is this going to last?". Considering what it takes monetarily to run a company like PWG, I wondered how long they would be able to do it. Apparently, quite long!

ON: You teamed with Topgun Talwar and Zokre v Charles Mercury, Sara Del Rey & Supa Badd, could you share your thoughts on the match?

RD: The first thought I had was "This match was going to be WAAAY too long". My concern was we were going to kill the rest of the card. An opening match, in my mind, should be fast paced, fun and under 10 minutes. We went 13+ minutes. If the opening match is the best of the night, why hang around for another 2 or 3 hours?

ON: Could you also share your thoughts on both your partners and your opponents?

RD: Topgun is damn funny, Zokre is good at Lucha. Charles has improved a lot thanks to training at Inoki Dojo, Supa Bad is a very nice guy and Sara, as mentioned earlier, is just awesome.

ON: Could you tell the readers about a favourite road story?

RD: Sure, here's one it's called: The Arizona drive story. This happened in December of 2003. Sara Del Ray and I were booked in Arizona and were going to drive there. When discussing the booking, she asked if I knew how to get to Arizona. "Sure. " I replied. "Just head south until we hit Mexico, then turn left.". Sara thought this statement was so funny she gave her mother the same response when she asked that question. Her mother was not amused. The trip it's self would be immediately followed by the IRON Christmas party.

Sara napped for the hour, while I took the chance to shower. I figured it would be rude not to. Sara's car is a manual and I don't drive stick. This meant she had to do the whole 18 hour drive by herself and I had to stay awake with her. This also meant I had to listen to the No Doubt song "It's my life" 824 times, but that is neither here nor there! (She loves that song and since she was doing all the driving, I couldn't complain).

Any way, about an hour in to the drive, we were on I-5 headed south. All of a sudden, we see this huge line of headlights on the north bound side, stretched back for a mile. As we got closer, we saw why they were stopped. A car, fully engulfed in flames. No fire truck, EMT or anything in sight!! That was a pretty surreal experience.

ON: You wrestled for FUISON in December 2004, what were your immediate thoughts on the promotion?

RD: WOOHOO! I get to wrestle in New Jersey! At the time I was just really excited to get the chance to wrestle in the north east. I wrestled TNA star Jay Lethal. I liked the match a lot.

ON: Thoughts on Jay Lethal as a Wrestler?



RD: Very good. There isn't a whole lot he does that he doesn't well. Jay is a great guy and easy to work with.

ON: The biggest match of your career thus far was a six man tag with You, Mike Modest & Donovan Morgan v Sal Thomaselli, Yoshinari Ogawa & Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa, tell us how you came to be involved in this match?

RD: In January of 2004, Mike had told me that they were going to start pitching me to the NOAH office to go and train in their dojo in Japan. In the months leading up to the shows, and really since I'd entered IRON, I'd been doing a lot of gofer work (Picking guys up at the airport, dropping tickets off, flyers etc). If it needed to be done I did it. A few weeks before the show, I got a call from Mike. We talked for a bit and he just sort of dropped it on me!

"You're going to be teaming with us against Misawa, Ogawa and Sal". I was actually pretty calm when he initially told me. We talked a bit more, I thanked him, then hung up the phone and yelled a very loud "F--k YEAH!!!".

ON: Your thoughts on the match?


>

RD: I was so scared! Misawa is my favourite wrestler and to be in the ring with him was unbelievable!!! I felt fine before and during the match, afterwards however, my heart just wouldn't stop pounding. He's much bigger then you'd guess. I always heard Japanese wrestlers worked their height, then I met him and suddenly felt very small!

ON :Thoughts on your opponents?

RD: Misawa is a legend and well deserving of that title. Hands down my favourite wrestler to watch. Ogawa is funny as hell and works a very underrated style. He tends to get over looked since he wrestles more like an American, but he's still quite good.

ON: Your thoughts on Pro Wrestling Iron match v Nigel McGuiness?



RD: Nigel hits hard!! That first shot literally rocked me and this is coming from a guy who hits hard. I actually liked that match a lot as we just went out and wrestled. We just kind of meshed. You can actually watch this match on (my) myspace: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1385575666

ON: Can you tell the readers about your tryout in front of Professional Wrestling Noah officials?

RD: Ken Hiriyama (foreign talent liaison and head of the Hawaii office), came down to the school. He ran us through a series of drills, exercises, stretches and matches. This day also marked my most brutal match never seen, with a guy name Malachi (I've never hit someone that hard without having bad intentions!!). After the camp, Ken basically he was impressed with my improvement since the 6-man tag with Misawa and Ogawa. He said that when he previously saw me, he didn't think I'd last 3 months! Apparently, after the camp, he thought I would.

On: Your thoughts on Ring Of Honor? (Before tryout)

RD: I thought it was the largest Indy in America and a group with a good pool of talent.

ON: Thoughts on Tryout v Oliver John?



>
RD: I was pretty nervous. I had knee surgery in February and June of 2005. I actually hadn't wrestled in 11 months when the match came up and wasn't medically cleared to do it. Olly is a awesome worker and we went out and did our best.

ON: WHOA! How did you get injured?

RD: I tore the ACL in my left knee during the match with Jay Lethal. I then, in a hellascious twist, tore the ACL and Meniscus's in my right knee two weeks later. Actually, it was 9 months of rehab, but I was unable to have the first surgery for almost two months.

ON: Would you mind explaining to the readers some of your thoughts going through rehab?

RD: "This sucks" was pretty much my only thought. I've always kind of prided myself on toughing it out through injuries. To be told that there was no option other than surgery and a long rehab was pretty hard to take. Particularly since I was getting some good press off my match with Jay (Lethal) and was unable to capitalize on it. After a while, I came to accept it. It's actually helped to find out how common an injury it is in Wrestling, many guys have a torn or replaced ACL and still work as good as ever.

ON: Your next big match was against (PWG Battle Of Los Angeles winner) Davey Richards in Pro Wrestling War, thoughts on the match and Davey?



RD: I actually didn't like the match. Davey and I have fairly similar offence and it's actually kind of limiting to wrestle someone like that. Right off the bat you know you either have to cut a lot of your offence or do the same thing.

ON: Thoughts on Pro Wrestling War as a promotion?

RD: Well, they gave me the unique opportunity to hang out with Teddy Hart. They also became the second promotion to be high on me and then stop running.

ON: Ryan Drago 'Star Maker'?

RD: It seems like very good things happen to people shortly after they wrestle me. Both Brent Albright and Mike Knox got signed to developmental shortly after our matches. Jay Lethal wound up in TNA and Davey Richards won the Super-8.

ON: Thoughts on Teddy Hart as a Wrestler and a person?

RD: He's very athletic and entertaining to be around. Personally, I think he's not that bad a guy and I had no problem with him, he just really plays up his trouble maker image.

ON: How did you get the shot in TNA?

RD: Actually, Mike and Donovan got it hooked up through Terry Taylor. Terry told them to find a third guy for the match and they asked me to do it.

ON: Thoughts on match v LAX?

RD: Well if you break it down by pay vs. length of match, it was the most profitable match I've ever had!!

ON: Thoughts on LAX?

RD: They're some nice guys. Homicide has a pretty unique style, Konnan was good in his prime, but from what I understand his hip is pretty bad now. Machete, who was there third at the time, seemed to disappear pretty quick after that. I've never seen anything else of his.

ON: Thoughts on the NWA/AWS/WPW 2006 Best of the West tournament?



RD: I actually wanted to talk there and cry racism as the two Russian Jews were pitted against each other in myself and Alex Koslov! It was a fun match, I actually enjoyed it a lot. Also, in another example of me being a star maker, Alex got signed to CMLL not long after our match.

ON: Thoughts on Indy Promotions?

RD: I think the most important thing for any Indy promotion is to find a good balance. Too many companies try and do too much too soon (E.g.1PW) or they are too cheap when it comes to talent to ever draw. I believe, ultimately, it's good wrestling that brings people back. Not angles, gimmicks, or promos. If your not willing to spend the money to put on a good show or you are too careless with the money you have, you can look forward to very limited success in the wrestling business!!

ON: Thoughts on Pro Wrestling Warfare (the Peterson Cup 2006)?

RD: I got to hang out with Tom "Reckless Youth" Carter and Milano Collection AT. It was fun! Milano's quite a good Wrestler, very polite too.

ON: Thoughts on Jeff Peterson and the Peterson cup (in his name)?

RD: I actually never met Jeff, so I don't really have any thoughts on him. I was a bit pissed off that day. Davey Richards original opponent couldn't make it and I didn't actually have a match yet, so I figured "Cool, two birds with one stone". I thought it would me v Davey, but he wrestled Rod Steele.

ON: But you were disappointed with the match v Davey in Pro Wrestling War?

RD: It's a bit different when you've already wrestled someone and know what to expect. The first time, there is that adjustment you don't always expect. The second time is easier, since you know what they do more specifically and how to change up your offence to work better with them.

ON: Who did you wrestle?

RD: I was in a 3-way with Dagon Briggs and 'Mr.630' Jerelle Clark. Jerelle and Dagon are both great guys, I just hate 3-way dances! Though I did learn how to do them better thanks to this match. Which is funny since every thing I learned, was stuff we didn't do in the match!

ON: You wrestled a couple of times for Full Impact Pro, how did this come about and could you share your immediate thoughts on the company?

RD: It actually was a result of the ROH match the previous December. Gabe Sapolsky, who is the match maker for both companies, said he wanted to use me in FIP. I wound up spending part of last summer in Florida and when I asked, he told me they had an opening and I was booked. I thought F.I.P. was kind of ROH-lite. A lot of the same wrestlers, but in a different environment.

ON: You wrestled 'Rainman' Kory Chavis on your first night (June 9th 2006). Thoughts on the match and Kory?



RD: I liked the match! It was short, simple and to the point. Personally though, the high light was that he's managed by So Cal Val. Also, she was wearing a mini skirt, and did not exit the ring when I entered. This led to me being about 4 feet below her and, well, I saw a bit more then most of the audience did that night! Think before you pick your gear, that's what I always say.

ON: Thoughts on So Cal Val?

RD: She is very nice. I actually wound up riding "The Mummy" at Universal studios with her, Rhino, Alex Portue and Brother D-Von's kids.

ON: You returned to FIP the next night as part of a four way match. Featuring yourself, Kory Chavis, Chasyn Rance and Kenny King. Could you share your thoughts on this match (and since we have previously talked about Chavis) your thoughts on Rance and King?

RD: I'm just not a fan of the multi-man free-for-alls! It wasn't a bad match, but just not my cup of tea. Chasyn is a cool guy and actually got me some bookings while I was in Florida. Kenny is a nice guy and has done a lot more with himself the most of the "Tough Enough" cast-offs did.

ON: You took part in the World League Wrestling/ Pro-Wrestling NOAH Training Camp September 19-23 2006. With an all star list of trainers at the camp included WWE office member/ Wrestler Simon Dean, Pro wrestling NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji, KENTA, current ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima, current GHC Jr. single/ tag team champion Takashi Sugiura, and NOAH star Mohammed Yone. ' First WOW! Secondly how did this come about?

RD: While I was in Florida, I had dinner with 2 Cold Scorpio. During the conversation, my aspirations to work for NOAH came up and he gave me Harley Race's number. I called Harley and he asked for a promo pack, I sent one and he suggested I take part in the camp. I actually got some one-on-one training with KENTA, thanks to Ken Hiriyama. Ken told KENTA of my propensity to kicking and he went over some kicking techniques with me. Marufuji laughed when he saw a shirt I was wearing that in Japanese, declared my confidence in my sexual prowess!

ON: Can you talk the readers through your personal experience at the WLW/Noah Camp?

RD: Well, the first day, we were looked over by the WLW staff and separated into 2 groups. The following few days, Simon Dean came in and ran the camp. He had us cut promos, do matches and gave us some general information on working in WWE. The final day was run fully by the NOAH wrestlers. They put us through a gruelling workout, that was actually only a fraction of what they do in the dojo every day! After that they went over some basic moves and some slight variances that they used in rope running, arm dragging and body slams.

ON: You wrestled against Ted Dibiase's sons in the WLW show that followed the camp. Who was your partner and what are your thoughts on the match?



RD: His name was Robert, I actually don't remember his last name. The match was alright. Ted and Mike have only been wrestling for a short time (I think 6 months at the time of the match.) and sometimes you take things for granted (when wrestling guys that are new to the ring). Mike and Ted are great guys, and very level headed considering their parentage.

ON: Do you have a favourite Wrestling promotion to watch in 2007 (if so why is said promotion your favourite)?

RD: Pro-Wrestling NOAH! It's hands down the best promotion in the world, and a place where you can see just about every type of wrestling done to it's fullest.

ON: Thoughts on WWE as we stand in 2007?

RD: They're doing their thing.

ON: Thoughts on TNA?

RD: I would like to see Impact extended to 2 hours. They have too many guys and too little TV time right now. I honestly don't watch wrestling on TV that often. I stick to DVD's as they tend to give me what I actually want.

ON: Thoughts on ROH as we stand in 2007?

RD: They seem to be doing good, hopefully, they won't stretch themselves too thin.

ON: What are your thoughts on 1PW being back in business?

RD: It's really a question of if they can get their credibility back. After what happened, it might be a while before fans, wrestlers and other companies (E.g. All Japan), are ready to put faith in them. It's kind of a wait and see thing.

ON: Do you have a favourite Wrestler/s to watch in 2007?

RD: Katsuyori Shibata, Katsuhiko Nakajima and current GHC Heavyweight Champ, Mitsuharu Misawa.

ON: Word Association if you don't mind?

RD: Go ahead

ON: KENTA?

RD: According to himself, KENTA is stiffy number 1. Referring to how hard he strikes of course!!

ON: Noamichi Marufuji?

RD: He's going to be a legend.

ON: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart?

RD: One of a kind!

ON: Dynamite Kid?

RD: Innovator.

ON: Chris Benoit?

RD: A true class act and one of the best of all time!

ON: Kurt Angle?

RD: Best Olympian in this sport since the Iron Sheik.

ON: Paul London?

RD: He is terribly under utilised.

ON: Kenta Kobashi?

RD: Totally awesome, I can't wait for his in-ring return!

ON: AJ Styles?

RD: AJ is a nice guy.

ON: Chris Daniels?

RD: One of the finest American wrestlers in the ring today and one of the coolest guys in the business.

ON: Samoa Joe?

RD: I'm really glad he speaks English and doesn't a grass skirt in the ring!!

ON: Davey Richards?

RD: He's very short.

ON: Gregory Helms?

RD: I've never met the guy, but he was tight with Crash Holly (RIP), so I figure he's pretty cool.

ON: Harley Race?

RD: A legitimate legend and well deserving of the praise. A good guy too, who goes out of his way to help others in the business. An all around great guy!

ON: Eddie Guerrero?

RD: When guys die in this business, they're generally remembered more fondly then they should be. In Eddie's case, he is not remembered fondly enough!! He was one of the best and is sorely missed.

ON: Owen Hart?

RD: Owen is in to the same category as Eddie, a phenomenal wrestler who tribute can't do justice to.

ON: Bam Bam Bigelow?

RD: You have to give mad respect to a guy that could make Lawrence Taylor look like a wrestler!

ON: The Briscoe's?

RD: They're nice guys.

ON: Chris Sabin?

RD: He's very talented and should do alright for himself.

ON: Jerry Lynn?

RD: Criminally under rated and under used. He's also a great guy and almost put me on a PPV accidentally.

ON: PPV accidentally, please go on............

RD: When Frankie Kazarian made his return to TNA at a PPV v Senshi, he was listed as Incognito to keep it a surprise. When they printed out the sheet, someone made a mistake and listed it as a 3 way with Senshi, Frankie and Incognito. So Jerry runs up and says "You're in the 3-way with Frankie and Senshi. " I responded with a simple "Are you yanking my chain?" Jerry then asked "Aren't you Incognito?".

I looked at the sheet and, as mentioned before, it was listed as a 3-way. I informed him of his mistake and he apologized as he was only told that "Incognito is a big, stocky guy, so I thought it was you." I joked that I should have just played a long and gotten the check, he jokingly replied that " That would have cost me my job!"

ON: Do you have a greatest moment/match of your career thus far?

RD: My greatest moment was getting to wrestle Mitsuharu Misawa, but my greatest match was with Nigel McGuiness.

ON: If you could pick one Ryan Drago match to showcase yourself to the readers which would it be?

RD: The one coming soon to their neck of the woods, so be sure to show up! Or they can just watch the matches on my (myspace) page.

ON: Ryan Drago v Who in a Dream Match?

RD: Mitsuharu Misawa or Bryan Danielson

ON: Are there any websites where the readers can find out more about you?

RD: Obsessed with Wrestling profile page and www.myspace.com/ryandrago

ON: Any final words for the readers?

RD: Support good wrestling and throw stuff at bad wrestlers!!

ON: Thanks very much for taking the time out to do this interview Ryan.

RD: Thank you very much

Final Thoughts: Ryan is a great guy, who had a real interesting story to tell, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did interviewing, editing and posting the interview. I wish Ryan all the best with what I hope will be a long and prosperous Wrestling career.

Thanks to Ryan Drago for picture permission.

As seen on:

http://www.pwbts.com/messages/7190.htm

http://www.wrestletalkradio.com/columnview.php?id=792

http://www.wrestlingclothesline.com/news31.htm

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Oliver Newman interviews ROH Ring Announcer Bobby Cruise

My interview with ROH Ring Announcer Bobby Cruise By Oliver Newman

ON: Me

BC: Bobby Cruise

ON: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview Bobby

BC: No problem at all Oliver

ON: For the readers who are unaware of who Bobby Cruise is and what he is about, could you give them a little background information?

BC: Well, I have been an announcer in the wrestling business since the spring of 1994. In "real life", I am a sales representative for a beer wholesaler. I grew up in a really small town in south eastern Massachusetts, so small that the high school covered two other towns as well.

ON: Were you a Wrestling fan growing up? If so who was your favourite Wrestler/s?

BC: I was a fan growing up, the UHF station out of Boston had the WWF on every Saturday morning and I was always watching. My favourite wrestler when I first started watching was Rocky Johnson, he was great.

ON: Who was your favourite announcer/s?

BC: There is no doubt that as far as ring announcers went, it was Howard Finkel. He is the ultimate pro wrestling ring announcer. For play-by-play and colour commentary, I grew up with Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, they were incredible together.

ON: Was their a defining moment, growing up when you thought I want to be in the Wrestling Business as an Announcer?

BC: I'm not sure there was one actual moment. I do know that as I became a teenager, I wanted to be a ring announcer. Even then, I focused a lot on what the ring announcer's were doing and the job they did. I always had a big interest in the actual production of the shows.

ON: How did you go about becoming an Announcer, when you were trying to break into the business?

BC: In high school, I played basketball my first three years, but baseball was really my thing and something I excelled at. I had done a bit of play-by-play work for the local cable access station and then during my senior year, the girl's basketball coach asked me if I was interested in doing the public address announcing for the girls games that year. I did it and I really enjoyed it.

Even after graduating, I came back to announce the games during the basketball season. Right around when I turned 21, I decided to send letters to the local New England independent promotions about doing some ring announcing for them. I figured that since I was a wrestling fan, and I enjoyed doing the public address work, I would try and combine the two.

ON: Can you explain to the readers the trials and tribulations of trying to break into the Wrestling Business as a Ring Announcer?

BC: I was actually very lucky. A couple of the promotions got back to me, and one of them was based less than a half hour from where I lived. They invited me to come down and announce a couple of matches as an audition. The good thing for me was that they needed a ring announcer. A wrestler who was injured at the time had been doing it.

I did a couple of matches on that first event and they called me a few days later and offered me the spot. Like I said, I was lucky and it must be tough for some people as there is only one ring announcer on a particular event so the odds are not good. Unless someone has a contact or the timing is perfect, it can be tough.

ON: Who was the 1st promotion you announced for and your personal thoughts on both the promotion and your announcing?

BC: The first promotion was called New England Wrestling at the time. They later went on to be called Yankee Pro Wrestling, and today they are Top Rope Promotions, out of Fall River, MA. I remember that I quickly realized this was really different than what was on television.

I had never been to an independent show before I announced my first one. I had to basically teach myself and learn on the run and I think that sometimes that is the best way to learn. Back then, I probably acted like Howard Finkel and sounded like a cheap rip off.

ON: How was the transition from Announcer to Commentator in N.E.W.? Can you tell the readers about the similarities/differences you dealt with?

BC: I actually did both some of the time with New England Wrestling. I really enjoyed doing the play by-play as well. I would do the ring announcing and just hop out and head to the table to do the play-by-play. Back then, I worked with a colour commentator who went by the name Sky King, he also wrestled. I had a blast doing commentary with him and I think we made a good team.

ON: Thoughts on Sky King the Wrestler, Announcer and as a Person?

BC: He reminded me of a mix of Rick Martel and Shawn Michaels. He was cocky as hell but he could get the crowd hating him after about three words. He was the king of the fifteen minute promo, he would not stop. As a commentator, he was great because he knew what he was talking about, and he also added his ring persona to his commentary. I am still friends with him to this day as we are in some fantasy baseball and football leagues together.

ON: Which other promotions were you involved in during the early days of your career?

BC: Beside New England Wrestling, I did some work for a promotion called the AWF in Massachusetts. A few years later I announced for the EWA out of Maine as well as Steve Corino's PWF in Pennsylvania.

ON: Thoughts on N.E.W. as a Wrestling Promotion?

BC: New England Wrestling has now been in business for over twenty years, that's not common on the independents. I met a lot of great people through the company. The promotion itself had a reputation of not having the best wrestlers or the best shows and some of that was valid.

A new owner took over the company over the past couple of years and I think they are starting to get noticed as a legit company. I actually just went to one of their events recently to check things out and hang out with some old friends.

ON: Thoughts on that event, what has changed and what has stayed the same?

BC: The quality of the product in the ring is better than what it used to be. Morale also seemed to be pretty good and that is always important. As far as what has stayed the same, there were still a couple of guys from the first show I announced for them around which is good for the younger guys.

ON: How did you get your start is Atlantic Wrestling Federation?

BC: The person who was the booker for New England Wrestling was no longer a part of the company and he went to join up with the AWF, which was running events every so often. He asked me to go ring announce the events and I probably announced less than ten events for them total.

ON: Thoughts on AWF as a promotion, and thoughts on your time there?

BC: It was a good company with a lot of experience and some talent connections behind it. I enjoyed announcing the shows overall.

ON: You then started working Eastern Wrestling Alliance how did this come about?

BC: Well, Sky King had left New England Wrestling and he joined up with the Eastern Wrestling Alliance in Maine. I ran into him one day and he asked me if I would go up there once a month and do the ring announcing as well as the play-by-play. It was great, a good bunch of people and King and I got reunited as a commentary duo.

ON: As some readers will know you became Steve Corino's personal ring announcer in Ring of Honor, how did you two meet, and your immediate thoughts after meeting Steve Corino for the 1st time?

BC: Right around the time ECW almost stopped, I was doing the booking for Yankee Pro Wrestling. YPW did a lot of shows at school as fundraisers and we were looking at bringing in some different talent. I booked Steve for some events and that is how we first met.

He was easy to deal with and he worked hard every time we brought him in. After a few months, he asked me to go down to Pennsylvania where he was running Premier Wrestling Federation events and I did.

ON: How did you become booker of Yankee Pro Wrestling?

BC: I was there as the ring announcer, as New England Wrestling changed it's name to Yankee Pro Wrestling. The booking spot opened up and the owner asked me if I would do it. So for a while, I did the ring announcing and booking.

ON: Considering the amount of criticism that is aimed at the bookers nowadays, can you explain to the readers your experience as a booker of a Wrestling promotion?

BC: For me it was tough. As a ring announcer or any other member of the talent roster, you show up to events and do your job and that's it. As the booker, you suddenly can't be everyone's buddy and that is a change because you are now in a position where there has to be some sort of discipline within the roster. It's not as easy as establishing a roster and writing stories with angles. There is a lot more that goes into it and it can be tough.

ON: Your thoughts prior to working P.W.F.? (As a Wrestling Promotion)

BC:I could only go by what I had heard. Gino Giovanni, one of the top bad guy personas in New England actually went down there to work for Steve. Corino had taken a liking to him after he saw him at the YPW events. The PWF used some independent talent from the East Coast, as well as some former ECW guys like Corino, CW Anderson, Jack Victory and Justin Credible.

ON: Then you started working for PWF, what were your thoughts on Steve Corino as an owner?

BC: Steve was having a tough time since he was in Japan so often back then. At times, he would actually miss PWF events while being overseas so no matter how hard he tried, it was never easy for him. We had a great locker room though, and Steve knew what directions he wanted to go with storylines etc.

ON: Thoughts on your time in the PWF?

BC: I loved it. The only bad part was that the events were always on Sunday nights and the PWF ran events in Pottstown, PA which was over five hours from where I lived. So I would head down there and announce the shows, get back at sunrise sometimes and then head to my real job. There were a lot of times I did not want to do it just for that reason, but Steve had always been so good to me, so I felt I needed to do it.

ON: Was there any Wrestler/s that you watched in PWF that you thought had the skills to become a huge star one day?

BC: Excluding the already established guys from ECW, I always thought Josh Daniels was excellent. He has done very well since on the East Coast indies and he has done some work with Zero-One in Japan as well.

ON: While announcing at PWF you were spotted by Zero One's General Manager Yoshiuki Nakamura. Your personal thoughts on Nakamura, and your meeting with him?

BC: It was an honour. The PWF had an event called "Vast Energy" when Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Ohtani came over. At the time Z-1 was looking to run a Pay-per-View in the U.S. and send it back to Japan. They had already booked a ring announcer but Mr. Nakamura liked my work so he had Steve ask me if I would do the backstage interviews in English on the PPV. The show never ended up happening, but Mr. Nakamura did not forget about me a couple of months later.

ON: Indeed in January of 2003 you made your Ring Announcing debut in Z-1. Thoughts on the promotion and your debut show?

BC: What an experience. On Thanksgiving 2002, I got an Instant Message from Steve Corino saying that Zero-One was going to run two USA themed events in Tokyo and they asked for me to be the ring announcer. Both events were at the legendary Korauken Hall. The Z-1 crew from the office to the wrestlers and staff were all great to deal with. On the first night we did a PPV, and then on the next night we did a taping for Samurai TV. Ring announcing in Japan is something I never thought I would do.

ON: Thoughts on the two shows, from a Ring Announcers view? Any stand out matches, you can remember.

BC: Until you actually experience a wrestling event live in Japan, you cannot even grasp the atmosphere and overall feeling. The crowds in Japan are different, very quiet at times but very loud at the right times. On the PPV we did, the match between AJ Styles and Low Ki was one of the best matches I had seen live.

ON: After interviewing Steve Corino recently, I found out he came up with the Infamous ROH introductions. How did you become a part of that, and what were your thoughts on the idea?

BC: He emailed me one night and ran the premise by me. I had never been to or seen an ROH event. Steve told me what he was looking to do as he wanted to return to ROH with something that was so out of the ordinary, the fans would hate him. I had never done an introduction like that before but it was great fun.

ON: My favourite ring introduction was the duelling one with CM Punk, which was genius! Do you have a favourite long ROH introduction?

BC: The first one we did at "Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies" will always be a special one to me. We listed off all of the titles that Steve had won. The one with Punk in New York was a lot of fun too. We did not have any idea that Punk was going to have a rebuttal introduction. The match was a 20 minute draw and I think both intros were just as long!!

Interesting side note: If you watch Steve's walk to the ring for the Punk match, you will see now Senior ROH official Todd Sinclair as one of his young boys.

ON: As a Ring Announcer and at this point a friend of Steve Corino, what were your thoughts on his ROH feud with Homicide?

BC: Brutal. That match at "Bitter Friends" was a great match. Steve lost the hearing in his left ear in that match and I knew right away something was wrong. The realism of the hatred between the two was unmatched. Then they had the Barbed Wire match and it was really tough for me to be out there at ringside and seeing what they were doing to each other. The feud itself was one of ROH's best and I think it will always be remembered that way.

ON: One of my favourite feuds from 2003 was Xavier v John Walters, do you have a personal opinion on this feud?

BC: I did not see a lot of it at due to the fact I came in with Corino in August 2003. Both of those guys are tremendous in the ring. I have known John for several years. I think he told me I announced his second or third match when he was starting out way back when.

ON: Was there anyone in ROH when you started, that you felt could be a huge star/s one day?

BC: The writing was already on the wall for Punk. He was going through a feud with Raven at the time and you could just tell that he had "it." Samoa Joe was just becoming the Samoa Joe that ROH fans love and we all know that he has done pretty well for himself.

ON: You started working for the Z-1/PWF promotion, Pro Wrestling World 1 in Feb 2004, how did that come about?

BC: Steve Corino stopped running the PWF due to his wrestling schedule. After a while, he started Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 and he asked me to come on board.

ON: Thoughts on the merger between the two?

BC: It was seamless, it did not feel like a merger. The PWF titles were kept around in WORLD-1. Steve had an ownership stake in both companies.

ON: Thoughts on PWW-1 as a Promotion and differences between it and PWF?

BC: A lot of the talent was the same. There were some rule differences such as the old NWA rule about getting disqualified if you threw someone over the top rope. There was a twenty count on the floor and referees could give out yellow and red cards for rule breaking.

ON: The Wrestling Channel launched in March 2004, and you are the Host of the ROH Show, how did this come about?

BC: ROH came to me and told me about the show and asked me to host it and I have done it ever since. Hosting the show has been a blast and man, is there some funny stuff on the raw footage due to my screw ups!!

ON: What are your personal thoughts on the Wrestling Channel?

BC: I think it's a great thing. TWC Fight as I believe they are now known seems to offer something for everyone and I hope it is successful.

Bobby Cruise's perspective on ROH part one:

ON: Thoughts on Ricky Steamboat's feud with CM Punk in ROH?

BC: I think I caught the tail end of it. One thing I do remember was one of the Boston shows I announced where he hit Punk with the Steamboat press from the top, which brought back some memories.

ON: Thoughts on matches that made ROH (Some say), the trilogy between CM Punk v Samoa Joe?

BC: I would agree there, at least the matches I saw when I started with the company. There have been so many great matches in the company's history that it is very tough to pick a few. Joe v Kenta Kobashi is another one though as it gained ROH international recognition.

ON: In 2004 the rise of Austin Aries to the top started, it also culminated at Final Battle 2004. Your thoughts on Aries pre and post ROH Champ (As a person and a Wrestler)?

BC: I can still hear the crowd reaction when Aries pinned Joe in Philadelphia. I was not around for the beginning of "Generation Next", but looking back it was a great concept. Aries stepped up as the leader of the group and eventually became ROH World Champion. I think Austin was in a very tough spot as anyone who followed Joe as the champion was going to be, it was inevitable.

I would definitely say that Aries' title reign was successful overall. For a while, he was the trainer for the ROH Wrestling School and he was always watching his students in the ring during pre-show matches. He really seemed to care about their progress. He's a good guy with a ton of talent, and he's still young.

ON: Thoughts on Samoa Joe's historic 21 month run as ROH World Champion?

BC: Incredible. Once again, I was not there from the beginning but the part I saw was unreal. This was not the same guy I saw in 2001 in the PWF, he had improved so much on all levels. Joe worked his ass off each night and the fans knew it. Samoa Joe made the ROH World Title into what it became and I cannot say enough good things about him.

ON: Thoughts on Mick Foley's impact on ROH?

BC: Mick had a big impact on ROH. Mick said what he wanted to say, and when he took the microphone at an ROH event and put over the wrestlers and the matches he saw, he meant it. He added credibility to the ROH product.

ON: Thoughts on returning home to Mass as ROH Ring Announcer?

BC: It was a big thrill. At that point, I was not doing much announcing at all, by my choice. I wanted to cut my schedule way back when my second daughter was born. When ROH contacted me because they needed someone to fill in for a Boston area show, I took it.

ON: Thoughts on the ROH shows held there?

BC: The ROH shows were loaded with talent and the shows had unmatched arena production for an independent. The lighting and personalized canvas and guardrails were things that stuck out to me right away.

ON: Personal thoughts on fans favourite ROH show 'Manhattan Mayhem' was it as good as they say?

BC: Yes I think so. It was ROH's first event in the New Yorker so it was special. Jay Lethal v Joe for the ROH Pure title, the CM Punk/Jimmy Rave feud and the main event tag with The Rottwiellers vs. Joe & Lethal were all great on that show.

ON: Thoughts on CM Punk winning the ROH World Title on his 'last' night with the Company?

BC: Totally fooled. That whole thing was a stroke of genius. The reaction when he won the title was only surpassed during his post-match promo when he delivered his cryptic message. That night through his real last night with the company in Chicago was some of the best stuff I've seen in ROH.

ON: Thoughts on CM Punk's run with the ROH World Title?

BC: It was unpredictable. Since he won it on the night everyone thought he was leaving, every time he defended it could have been the match where he lost it. People were unsure about the whole deal and he and the company did a great job keeping this quiet.

ON: Thoughts on CM Punk's impact on Ring of Honor?

BC: It was huge. I think Punk had just as big of an impact on ROH as ROH had on his career. Punk and Gabe worked some magic together and it was truly good. Punk is old school in that he has great psychology, but he is also innovative in the ring. A great mind for the business and hopefully a very bright future in it.

I think he has done really well. He was a part of a main event level match at Survivor Series and I saw that he went for about a half hour in the recent Royal Rumble. Hopefully things will go well for him, he deserves it. He certainly seems to be quite the favourite with the ECW fans.

ON: Thoughts on James Gibson's impact on ROH?

BC: I think he had a great impact on ROH. He came in, basically looking to get his career going again and he won the fans over right away with his effort and grit. When he won the ROH World Title, he was genuinely touched by it and it showed.

ON: Thoughts on James Gibson's ROH World Title run?

BC: It was short but productive. His title matches were all very good and as I said, the crowd took to him right away so that helped. He worked hard every night.

ON: Thoughts on Bryan Danielson's run as ROH World Champion?

BC: I did not think I would see another run like Joe's again but Bryan did it. He had so many memorable title defences and what he did after suffering that shoulder injury is totally remarkable. He is no doubt one of the best around and fans worldwide know it.

ON: Thoughts on the historic Samoa Joe v Kenta Kobashi match?

BC: Easily one of the best atmospheres I have ever been a part of. The New Yorker ballroom was jammed with people and it was great. The match itself was awesome! They beat the hell out of each other and they were both spent after the match. As far as I know, it is still ROH's all-time top selling DVD and that is saying something.

ON: Thoughts on Dragon Gate stars showing up in ROH for the Wrestlemania Triple Shot, and thoughts on the whole weekend?

BC: The Dragon Gate guys are awesome, the whole crew. The six-man match they had in Chicago is still talked about today and it was a highlight in 2006 overall. The guys are coming back over for the ROH events in Detroit at the end of March and I am looking forward to it.

ON: How did the invitation to Dragon Gate come about?

BC: ROH had some of the stars of Dragon Gate in for the big triple shot last March. Before the last night in Chicago, Mr. OJI from the Dragon Gate office came up to me and told me that they liked my announcing and that they wanted me to go to Japan to announce for them. I was really honoured.

ON: What was it like announcing for Dragon Gate, how was it different then Z-1?

BC: There actually was not a big difference. Much like Z-1, Dragon Gate had me ring announce the shows solo as they wanted a different look from their normal events. We did five WrestleJAM events in and around Tokyo in five days so we were busy. The Dragon Gate ring announcer, Mr. Kikuchi announced with me as far as public address announcements and welcoming the fans each night. After that, it was just me for the ring intros.

ON: What were your thoughts on the WrestleJam premise? Can you explain what it was to the readers….

BC: Dragon Gate wanted to combine the talents of Japanese, American and Mexican wrestlers and the different styles. That's where the JAM came in. I thought it was a great idea as it gave them something different than their normal events. Last I heard, JAM is supposed to be a yearly event.

ON: Thoughts on the shows?

BC: They were all very entertaining. Dragon Gate did a really good job of matching guys up and there were some dream matches that took place as well. Aries and Strong defended the ROH tag titles twice during the five days, thus making them World tag titles.

Bobby Cruise's perspective on ROH part two::

ON: ROH made great strides in 2006, the highlight for me was the ROH UK shows, I was there live at the Liverpool show. When was it decided to come to England, and what were your immediate thoughts?

BC: I remember being at a New York City television studio on a very cold February morning last year and Cary Silkin came up to me and told me we were close to running in the UK. It was a huge step for the company. It was a great experience and it was a great trip for the company as a whole.

To be able to announce return dates right away which was huge and I think the acceptance of ROH by the UK fans has been awesome. I am really looking forward to heading back to the UK and doing the two events in the Liverpool Olympia. I am actually flying over the day after my birthday so I'll have to have a UK version birthday party.

ON: Thoughts on ROH Liverpool (August's) Fan Slam?

BC: I thought it went very well. It was a great opportunity for the UK fans to meet the ROH wrestlers and staff. The Q & A's seemed to go well for the most part and it had a great turnout.

ON: With that show came a consistent Wrestling show with two tremendous matches, Austin Aries/Roderick Strong v The Briscoe's and Bryan Danielson v Nigel McGuiness. Your thoughts on these matches and the card?

BC: Aries & Strong made the ROH tag titles into World tag titles, and the Briscoe's returned in 2006 in a big way. Their match that night was incredible and all four guys gave it their all. Aries suffered an injury during the match and who would have really known.

As for the title for title match between Danielson and McGuiness, all I can say is that Nigel stepped up huge in that match. The atmosphere was awesome for his entrance and everything that followed. Nigel proved that night, if he had not done so already, that he is a big time player in ROH and one of the best. As for Danielson, I don't know what I can say that has not already been said. The guy is amazing and just do damn good.

ON: How did your tryout in World Wrestling Entertainment come about?

BC: I got a call in early September asking me to go out to Oklahoma for a set of tapings later that month.

ON: What were your immediate thoughts after the phone call?

BC: It was good to get the call, no question. Working for the WWE is basically the only thing I had not done yet in my announcing career. I was a little torn right away because I knew if it worked out, my time with ROH would end and with as good as ROH has been to me, I felt kind of bad about it. But, I owed it to myself and my girls to look into it and I am glad I followed through with it.

ON: Another fans favourite show is ROH Glory By Honor 5 Night 2, you were there live, did it live up to hype?

BC: Oh ya, the debut show for ROH at the Manhattan Centre. That show may very well have been the best top to bottom ROH show I have seen. The action in the ring was incredible, and then you add the Bruno Sammartino appearance and the altercation between Joe and Morishima. The event was excellent!!

ON: Thoughts on your tryout on WWE Heat (September 29th 2006)?

BC: I thought it went well. The first one was in Oklahoma City. I did some prep work during the afternoon, making sure I saw everyone I needed to see and making sure I had all the right info on guys etc.... Obviously, they have state of the art sound there so I thought I came across as a little too loud at first so I wanted to tone it down a bit.

ON: So they must have had interest because you were invited back again, thoughts on your 2nd appearance?

BC: Ya, I got a call a couple of days after I got back from Oklahoma. They asked me how I thought things went and they agreed so they asked me to go out a month later to Chicago & St. Louis. I would change things if I could from the HEAT in Chicago. After feeling I was too loud in Oklahoma, I pulled back too much in Chicago and aside from the first match, I did not like the rest of the announcing I did that night.

ON: Thoughts on your experience on the whole with the WWE?

BC: I really enjoyed it overall. The people I dealt with in the office treated me great, as did the people I dealt with at the arenas. The three ring announcers there were also great with me and helpful along the way. Their arena production and television production are unmatched in the industry. They know where to find me if they need someone and hopefully I will be able to do some fill-in work for them down the road. I would welcome to opportunity to work with the people I worked with there once again.

Bobby Cruise's perspective on ROH part three:

ON: Thoughts on Homicide finally reaching the ROH pinnacle?

BC: It was certainly well deserved. I wrote a column for the ROH site after Punk left that ROH had three icons: Punk, Joe and Homicide. The scene at the Manhattan Centre when and after he won the title was awesome. You could just see how happy the locker room was for him and how much it meant to him.

ON: Samoa Joe leaving ROH! Really Unfortunate. But a legacy that no one will ever match. Immediate thoughts when you heard the announcement?

BC: This is a tough one. I was not surprised when the announcement was made because there have been rumours for a while. Joe has meant so much to ROH, there is no way to measure it.

Did this have to happen? I think arguments can be made both ways so there is no point in getting into that. I hope the ROH fans don't treat these last shows for Joe as just farewell shows, I'd rather see them viewed as a celebration of his ROH career and all that he did in it.

ON: The Samoa Joe farewell tour was announced, it will end in Liverpool and begins next weekend v Takeshi Morishima! Thoughts on this huge match!?

BC: Huge is the word. They had a confrontation at the Manhattan Centre before and now it will explode in the ring. I think the ROH fans are really, really looking forward to this match. Joe loves to fight and he will have his hands full and them some with Morishima.

ON: The next match of the tour is against one of the top up and comers in Pro Wrestling in 2007 Davey Richards, could you share your personal thoughts on Davey and the match?

BC: Davey has certainly made a splash since landing in ROH. One of the stiffest kickers I have seen. It remains to be seen how big of a 2007 Davey Richards will have but I think he will be given every opportunity to succeed. That match will be one of the hardest hitting matches in a while. Davey's got a huge chance here to get one over on an ROH icon and jump into main event status just like that. Joe is a man filled with pride and he knows exactly what Davey will be looking to do, I don't expect Joe to be one-upped.

ON: Thoughts on WWE as we stand in Feb 2007?

BC: Obviously, the WWE is number one in this business and they have been for a long time. I know some fans get frustrated by the WWE at times but I think they try and offer something for everyone and that is very hard to do. I can say that after spending four days with them at tapings, there is no lack of effort by any member of their team.

The people there work tirelessly to try and put out the best product they can and like anything else, not everything works. There is not a baseball team that goes 162-0, or a basketball team that goes 82-0. Perfection is not realistic, although they certainly try. Like I mentioned earlier, their production cannot be matched.

ON: Thoughts on TNA?

BC: Tough one here as I don't actually see a lot of it. They are still here and they are on national television so they have to be doing something right. There is a lot of talent down there, no doubt. It will be interesting to see what their next step is whether it is going to a two-hour show as has been rumoured, or getting out on the road with house shows. This should be an interesting year for them.

ON: Thoughts on ROH as we stand in 2007?

BC: It's a very interesting and at the same time, exciting time for ROH. Last year was a huge year for the company with the March triple shot, debuting internationally and debuting at the Manhattan Centre as some highlights. It will be tough to top 2006, but that is what I was thinking after 2005, and it got topped. It will be interesting to see who steps up on the roster if some slots higher up on the card open up. Of course, we have the UK return coming up and the Japan debut announced and those are both huge. I think 2007 is a critical year for the company and I think everyone is ready for the challenge.

ON: Joe's last match takes place in Liverpool, England come March 4th, with a To Be Announced opponent, who do you think it will be and who do you want it to be?

BC: I have no idea who it will be, not even a guess. It will be interesting to see if we find out before March 4th or if we a find out at the Liverpool Olympia that night. No matter who it is, I am sure it will be an emotional night, just like Joe's last U.S. shows for ROH will be.

ON: Your personal thoughts going into ROH's return to the UK?

BC: I am really looking forward to it. I enjoyed my first UK tour last summer. For the company, I hope everything goes as well as the first tour and we can come back later this year. Having two events back-to-back in the same building is going to be great as it's an awesome building and talent and fans alike can get into the area and not have to worry about travelling in between shows. Hopefully, the ROH FanSlam on Saturday will be a big hit again.

ON: Word Association?

BC: Sure.

ON: Ring Announcers first,

ON: Lilian Garcia?

BC: Lilian was awesome to deal with when I did the WWE work. She was so helpful and so easy to talk to about things and any questions I had. I have a lot of respect for her as she has turned herself into a heck of a ring announcer, besides her obvious singing skills. Also, her interaction with the fans is awesome. She really loves doing what she does.

ON: Howard Finkel?

BC: He is the best ring announcer I have seen. I grew up watching him and he was the epitome of professionalism. I learned so much just from watching him. He's a legend who I am sure will be a Hall of Famer sooner rather than later.

ON: Steven De Angelis?

BC: Like a lot of people, I first saw Steven while watching ECW. He was always good to deal with when I was doing the "Corino intros" and I was happy to see that he was able to announce the "ECW One Night Stand" PPV's.

ON: Tony Chimel?

BC: I think Tony is awesome. He has been with the WWE for years and he was also great to deal with. I think he is an excellent ring announcer and he still has a lot of fun doing his job. One of the funniest people I met last fall.

ON: Justin Roberts?

BC: Justin is doing very well for himself. I met him for the first time last fall and he seemed like a really good guy. I was happy to see he got his "own show" last year when the company put him on ECW.

ON:'Mean' Gene Okerlund?

BC: Another legend. I grew up watching him do all of the interviews about upcoming events in the area. He was very smooth and always entertaining.

ON: Now onto Wrestlers.

ON: Paul London?

BC: I first met Paul during my first tour with Z-1 in Tokyo. One of the nicest guys you could meet, and of course very talented. I am really happy to see him doing so well now.

ON: AJ Styles?

BC: Another guy I met for the first time on the Z-1 tour. He is obviously extremely talented in the ring. AJ can bring an intensity that you don't see everyday and it's impressive. He's a big star where he is and he is still young.

ON: Chris Daniels?

BC: A total professional. He is so respected by everyone. One of the top guys for two companies which says something. He is a hell of a wrestler, but he can also be a great entertainer as well if the moment calls for it.

ON: Kurt Angle?

BC: Obviously, he is one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. I have never met him so I can just go by what I have seen of him in the ring but he is a machine. Still, one of my favourite things about him is how he won a gold medal with a broken neck. I am not a big amateur wrestling fan at all, but to just think about what that takes, in the Olympics of all places is just awesome!

ON: Bret Hart?

ON: Mick Foley?

BC: Mick Foley is awesome. His story is part of what is good about the wrestling business. He grew up wanting to be a wrestler, and in the end he did very well for himself. Mick is one of the nicest guys I have met in the business. He helped me out big time a few years ago when I ran a benefit show for a young boy with cancer. Mick drove up from Long Island to appear at the event and helped us raise over $9,000 to help the boy's family with medical bills. A true class act!

ON: Chris Benoit?

BC: Another one of the great technicians of our time. I was happy to see him get his chance to shine and did he ever take advantage of it. His match with Angle in 2003 was incredible and it's great to see him back in action.

ON: Ricky Steamboat?

BC: Another legend that was an asset to ROH. He took the time to talk to wrestlers on a one-on-one basis or together as a group when he appeared at ROH events. He was very easy to talk to and he just knows so much. When I saw him last fall, he took the time to ask how things were going in ROH and how everyone was doing.

ON: Chris Sabin?

BC: I only dealt with him in person a couple of times when he came in for ROH but he seemed like a really good guy, easy going. He's got a ton of talent and he is another guy that is still young so his future is bright.

ON: Shelton Benjamin?

BC: A world of talent and of course, a great amateur background. It seems like his reuniting with Charlie Haas has gotten great reviews so hopefully they can recapture some of the magic they had as a team before.

ON: Charlie Haas?

BC: See above basically. He's a well respected guy who hopefully can reach the level that a lot of people think he can.

ON: Low Ki?

BC: Intense. I could stop there. Ki has done some things I never thought I would see in a ring. He's innovative, athletic, aggressive and demanding of himself. He is one of the best in the world.

ON: Naomichi Marufuji?

BC: I enjoyed when he came over and competed in ROH. It seems like he is becoming a bigger star in Japan every day and by all accounts, he deserves it.

ON: KENTA?

BC: He reminds me of Ki in so many ways. Those kicks are nasty and "Go To Sleep" is gross. I think as time went on, he became more and more comfortable in ROH and I for one, hope he returns sometime this year.

ON: PAC?

BC: I will be seeing Pac for the first time in Liverpool, although I have heard nothing but rave reviews about him.

ON: Jonny Storm?

BC: I did my second tour of Z-1 with Johnny. He's a great guy that is very entertaining. It was really good seeing him again last August in the UK.

ON: Doug Williams?

BC: A former ROH Pure Champion, I have always enjoyed seeing Doug compete. He will be returning to ROH in April and the fans are happy about it.

ON: Spud?

BC: You got to love that little guy. He flies around, has fun doing it and he is one of the funniest people I've met in the business.

ON: The Briscoe's?

BC: They had a huge 2006 with their ROH return and they did not disappoint. I think 2007 will be there year if they can stay healthy.

ON: Vince McMahon?

BC: There is really nothing I can say that has not been said. A mastermind for sure and a main reason why we are talking about wrestling right now. As for me, I talked to him briefly when I was there last fall and he was great with some good feedback I happened to agree with.

ON: Best ROH match thus far according to Bobby Cruise?

BC: Yikes, that's not easy. I guess I'd have to go with Joe vs. Kobashi for several reasons. First, it was a great match. The atmosphere was incredible and it meant so much to ROH as a company as it seemed to really get things going with Pro Wrestling NOAH.

ON: Advice for aspiring Ring Announcers, who may be reading?

BC: I would say first of all observe the good ones. You can't go wrong by going to a WWE taping and watching any of their three ring announcers. If you find a good one on the indies, do the same. Then try and network with people and find an opportunity, timing is key.

Once you have a spot somewhere, just realize what the role of a ring announcer is. An event is about the guys in the ring, not a ring announcer so just do your job while staying out of the limelight.

Bobby Cruise's perspective on ROH part four (final part):

ON: Thoughts on Samoa Joe v Morishima live, did it live up to the hype in your opinion?

BC: I had never seen Morishima so I was not quite sure what to expect. I think the matched definitely lived up to the hype as the NYC fans seemed to eat it up.

ON: ROH has a new World Champion in Takeshi Morishima! What were your immediate thoughts after watching him defeat Homicide?

BC: My first thought was: WOW. Morishima was unstoppable in that match and he really made a statement. I think what he did following the match was somewhat uncalled for as he basically blew off anyone that wanted to congratulate him.

ON: Thoughts on Davey Richard's biggest ROH match to date v Joe live?

BC: Two of the hardest kickers I have seen and they certainly unloaded on each other. Davey has a big chance right now in ROH and his match with Joe was a good step for him.

ON: ROH also has New World Tag Team Champions in The Briscoe's, what were your thoughts on the match they contested against Matt Sydal & Chris Daniels?

BC: The Briscoe's had a huge 2006 as I mentioned earlier and I expect them to have a bigger 2007. They got a huge win in Chicago when they defeated Sydal & Daniels. The Briscoe's have wanted the ROH World tag titles since they came back to ROH and it will be interesting to see who can step up and challenge them.

ON: Homicide's impact as ROH Champion?

BC: I think just Homicide holding the title, as brief as reign as it was, was something that was he was totally deserving of. He is an ROH original and one of the most respected and well-liked guys we have.

ON: Sydal & Daniels impact as ROH Tag Champs?

BC: This was interesting as their alliance came out of mutual respect they gained for each other after facing off in a series of matches. I think they did well with the ROH World tag titles.

ON: Thoughts on Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuiness v Samoa Joe & Homicide live?

BC: The atmosphere was awesome and the response Joe received from the fans was great. The match itself was very good with Joe and Morishima facing off once again, Homicide wanting some sort of revenge on Morishima and Nigel once again showing why he is a top guy.

ON: Joe v Homicide is the last match of Samoa Joe's ROH Career!! Joe and Homicide have had a well documented storied past it culminates this Sunday Night! Thoughts on the ROH Icon v ROH MVP?

BC: This match is one of those special things. I have referred to these guys as two of ROH's three original icons (Punk was the other), and now they are facing off in Joe's last match as an ROH regular. I can't wait for this match, I can't wait to see and hear the fans in Liverpool for this match and I can't wait to see the show that Homicide and Joe will put on.

ON: Any websites, you care to mention where fans can keep up with Bobby Cruise happenings and find out more about you?

BC: For ROH, check out www.rohwrestling.com & www.rohvideos.com . For me, all my info is at www.myspace.com/bobbycruise

ON: Any final words for the readers?

BC: Just a big thank you. Without wrestling fans there is no need for wrestling or wrestling ring announcers. We are very lucky at ROH to have some of the most passionate wrestling fans around the world.

ON: Thanks once again Bobby for taking the time out for this interview,

BC: My pleasure Oliver, thank you.

BC: Final Thoughts: All fans attending an ROH Fifth Year Festival events: Get READY!

ON: Final Thoughts: Bobby Cruise is the Marathon man! This whole interview was completed in one sitting. Bobby was a different kind of interview as I have never interviewed a Ring Announcer before. His insight into Professional Wrestling and especially ROH was superb!

Thanks for taking the time to read my work, I hope you enjoyed it! I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to send some feedback. Good/bad it will make me better as a writer and I'm always looking to improve my writing in anyway.

If you would like to send feedback, you can feel free to leave comments (in my blog), or you can message me, I'm trying to be most legit person on Myspace (so I will reply) or if your not on myspace you could alternatively email me at: a_fans_perspective@hotmail.co.uk

Oliver Newman
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!

A Fans Perspective: Good, Bad and Indifferent

A Fans Perspective: Good, Bad and Indifferent By Oliver Newman

I watched TNA Final Resolution, and it was then that I saw what the writing of TNA was doing to the TNA show. Illogical booking left a bitter taste in my mouth at the very end (AJ Styles losing a match on purpose and Brother Runt's drunkenness costing Team 3D a match especially). So I took a step back and said to myself 'I won't watch Impact, but I'll tune in for Against All Odds in February).

So a month passed and it's Against All Odds night. I decided to give TNA Wrestling another chance, bare in mind there had been some Stellar matches (LAX v Styles/Daniels (any), Samoa Joe v Kurt Angle TNA Turning point 2006 for example).

I went through a mixture of emotions watching this show,

Indifferent:

Austin Starr v Bob Backlund - I hope when all is said and done Starr is the man with his hand raised, that is critical for his future in TNA.

Storylines - Abyss v Sting If you watch match without knowing storyline, I feel you could enjoy it. Time to suspend your disbelief!

Christian v Kurt Angle - Too much took away from it, ref being knocked down twice, constant outside interference, case of booking over Wrestling.

Bad:

Lap dance - Two Bikini clad women give Brother Ray a lap dance in the middle of a match. WHY? What did this add to the PPV.

Big Fat Oily Guy v Christy Hemme - Tuxedo match, and an embarrassment to Wrestling fans everywhere!

Traci Brooks and Eric Young - Traci motioning that she will sleep with Eric if he signs Contract.

How could bad become good? Those 3 segments added up to around 10 minutes. Why not for those 10 minutes give two women the opportunity to Wrestle! Christy talked about a Women's Division, well why not cut out Bikini Clad dancers! Christy Hemme wrestles one of a long list of good Women's Wrestlers, any one from the following: Lacey, Allison Danger, Cheerleader Melissa, Daizee Haze if you would like to use UK Women Skye, Jetta or Lisa Fury. One of the aforementioned Wrestlers has a match with Christy they tear it up and put Women's Wrestling on the map in TNA.

LAX v Team 3D - The ending. Why does it take a group of men to help the best tag team in TNA secure a win?

How could bad become good? This shouldn't have happened! LAX have beaten every other TNA tag team, so isn't it feasible they could and in this case should have beaten Team 3D.

Lance Hoyt needing a Steel Chair to beat a Baseball Player.

How could bad become good? I honestly have no idea, Lance Hoyt is exactly what the booking team in TNA want him to be an afterthought, It's a shame because he had a lot of potential.

Earl Hebner kicking key towards Rhino

How could bad become good? It can't! This shouldn't have happened and ruined a pretty good match between AJ Styles and Rhino.

Good:

Bob Backlund - After Hotel scene. "You're ruining the world, fabric of society, etc" Missed out one thing though Bob, this kind of Scene is ruining pro Wrestling!

Chris Sabin v Jerry Lynn - Chris Sabin is truly TNA's MVP, he has stepped up so much since becoming 'cocky' and this performance was no exception. Great to see Jerry back in the ring, hopefully full time!

Jerry just wouldn't stay down for the 3, such is his pride and the opportunity to teach the young upstart a lesson. People may complain about ending of the match but Sabin tried and couldn't beat Jerry Lynn (no matter what he did), but such was the desperation he cheated.

Women's Wrestling in TNA! Still have same opinion about above, as I feel it would not have taken away from mixed tag, which was a pretty good showcase for Women's Wrestling.

Eric Young (after Roode interview) - When all is said and done with Roode incorporated Eric Young could be the next big star (listen to the crowd reactions!).

I almost turned show off half way through, as there was a ridiculous amount of bad. Knowing I was going to be writing this piece, I wanted to stay impartial and to do that I had to watch the whole show, I'm glad to say it picked up. I felt sorry for U.S. fans that paid to see this show at the beginning, it would be interesting to see if they felt they got their money's worth in the end.

Thank you all for reading I hope your experience was most enjoyable, feel free to leave comments in here, message me or you can email me at a_fans_perspective@hotmail.co.uk.

A Fans Perspective: 3 days of British Wrestling - Part 1 of 3

By Oliver Newman

Part 1 of 3

A Fans Perspective: 3 days of British Wrestling

After 3 shows in 4 days, I felt it was time to try and get the British Wrestlers the respect and exposure they deserved. I was at Anti Watershed Wrestling on Thursday 25th January, Leicester Pro Wrestling on Friday 26th and Leicester Pro Wrestling on Sunday 28th. Here is my write up of the shows:

Day 1: Anti Watershed Wrestling: 25th January 2007. The Irish Club, Digbeth, Birmingham, England.

LATZ addressed BBS and AWW management: A few audio difficulties made this hard to hear but LATZ basically called out BBS!

BRITISH BORN STEELE v LATZ: BBS of course obliges and with that a good opening match takes place. BBS is one of rising stars on the British independents (having a very good match v El Ligero back in TBW in October), LATZ I have not seen before, but he also looked very capable on this night.

After around 10 minutes of back and forth action, BBS defeated Latz with the exact move that got him the victory in the last show, a sunset powerbomb from the top turnbuckle.

RONIN v STAR MAN MARK CLARKE: This was basically a hard hitting short match, Clarke was basically steamrolled by the bigger man Ronin, having little to no offence.

Ronin looked impressive on this first outing for AWW. That wasn't enough for Ronin though as he attacked the defenceless Clarke after the bell with his version of the splash, adding insult to injury!

NICK KNIGHT unable to appear - DESIRABLE DANNY D addresses the situation: The scheduled match between Nick Knight and Geraden was forced to be cancelled as Nick Knight did not want to "leave the luxury surroundings of his home city, Worcester to come to the gutter known as Digbeth".

Desirable Danny D announced that he was still intent on putting Geraden in his place and had another opponent for him. This was announced as Mad Man Manson.

MAD MAN MANSON v GERADEN: Madman Manson is just that, absolutely mad!

Personally he is becoming a favourite Wrestler of mine, he can wrestle and damn he is entertaining!! Crazy match, where the Ref was being Wrestled and all sorts of comedic antics! Geraden must have wished he stayed at home!! Good comedy match, Geraden tried to compete with Manson but Manson's craziness was just too much. Manson wins with his sit-down slam.

METAL MILITIA (AXEL ADAMS and PURE XTASY) v TOMMY GUNN and WEASEL: The Militia start the match off by attacking Gunn and Weasel from behind!

Metal Militia looked impressive, by singling out Weasel for the most of the match, while Gunn was chomping at the bit to get in the ring. Finally Weasel made the tag, Gunn came in all guns blazing, but was shot down after a short rally and hit with a Doomsday Device by the Militia for the 1,2,3!

LORD GRAHAM THOMAS v A.J. KID IRISH - When you heard resounding chants of 'Graham' around the club you knew something special was about to happen.

Match had a old school v new school feel, with Graham using old school moves like a wristlock, while AJ was trying to use his quickness and agility to out manoeuvre his opponent.

Graham tried every trick in the book, but could not get the better of the young up and comer. Graham finally managed to outwit AJ when he pushed powder in his and the ref’s eyes, but just as victory looked a formality........................... The man called GBH, returns!!

GBH entered the ring and completely wiped out Lord Graham Thomas. GBH then raised the arm of AJ but then nailed home his second shocker of the night by taking him out too! GBH gave AJ a severe beating and put the exclamation point with two devastating chokeslams.

CARNAGE v 'THE SLAPHEAD SUPERMAN' KEEGO WARD - The match I personally paid £5 ticket price to see! Keego Ward's AWW debut, and seconds later the fans are covered by sprayed water, way to ad ear yourself to the crowd Keego! Carnage entered the ring to much fanfare, as he has been a fan favourite after revered performances in 2006 for AWW.

This was the first 'pure' Wrestling match on the card, with both men trading holds and reversals during the early going.

Keego began to grow frustrated at his inability to put away Carnage, and started using unhanded tactics. Carnage was not phased by this though, as he has been known to use such unhanded tactics himself! Keego couldn't outwit Carnage and his AWW debut ended in defeat after Carnage hit the devastating 'Carnagebolt' for the 1,2,3.

HARDCORE RULES: JOHNNY LEE v DAN RYDER - Well that was my £5 well spent time to go home! Well not quite, there was still a main event to go. How to become stars in one night? Give the fans everything you have for the sake of their entertainment! I'm not sure how I can do this match justice, but wow it was incredible!

The match started out much like the previous match with both men battling for the pinfall, with short and quick pinfall attempts, during this exchange Ryder gets tied up in the ropes, oh it is a Hardcore match!

From this moment the match turned into a full out war! Lee attacked Ryder with everything from a Cookie Sheet to a Steel Chair taking the action around the ringside area. Ryder took a vicious beating (at one point) being swung headfirst into the ringpost! The thud from that echoed around the building! Ryder somehow came back into the contest and had Lee on the backfoot, until he tried a piledriver, this was reversed into a back body drop on the floor!

The match continues get bloodier and more gruesome, Ryder tries in vain to make yet another comeback, but that Ringpost shot earlier in the match has him punch drunk. Lee sees this and takes Ryder to the entrance stage, from here he sets up a piledriver (At least that is what the fans think!). Lee jumps with Dan in the Canadian Destroyer off the Entrance ramp through a Table! This has to be seen to be believed! The match gracefully ends, with the fans chanting 'Holy Shit' as the pinfall takes place.

Final Thoughts:

My first taste of Anti Watershed Wrestling and wow what a great experience! I paid my £5 to see Carnage v Keego Ward, but for that £5 I got see Madman Manson entertain like only he can, up and comer BBS and two relative unknowns (Dan Ryder v Johnny Lee) take my Match of The Year for 2007 thus far! I'll be back Feb 15th, my question is will you?

Thank you all for reading I hope your experience was most enjoyable, feel free to leave comments here, I'm on myspace: www.myspace.com/brummieol where you can message me or you can email me at a_fans_perspective@hotmail.co.uk.

Oliver Newman
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!

Interview with Peter Staniforth (Owner) of Power Trip Wrestling

My Interview with Peter Staniforth (Owner) of Power Trip Wrestling

By Oliver Newman.

The "Internet Icon"
Peter Staniforth
www.peterstaniforth.co.uk

Peter is owner of Power Trip Wrestling, and also a UK professional wrestling manager, and is currently working for EAW (www.eawrestling.co.uk), and BRAWL (www.brawl.tk); and also available for other independent bookings - please contact at this email address for details.

Peter is also a sports, computer games, and music journalist, currently writing on the following websites - www.pwbts.com, www.wrestlingclothesline.com, www.prowrestlingdaily.com, www.warned.net, www.jimmyvan.com, www.twnpnews.com. www.mikels.cjb.net, is the exclusive WWE writer for www.ukevents.net, and also writes for UK newsletter 'Piledriver'.

Peter is a very proud member of The Wrestling Clothesline.com's Independent Wrestling Hall Of Fame Selection Committee, which can be found at www.wrestlingclothesline.com.

Peter is available for talent relations work and more, any enquiries are welcome via email.

Peter has written for Bill Apter's 'Total Wrestling' magazine, the well respected US based newsletter 'Wrestling Then And Now', and has also written press releases for the UK's WWE Euro Shop merchandise company. He was also mentioned on the credits of the cult wrestling simulation freeware game by Adam Ryland - EWR 4.2.

Oliver) Thanks Peter, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.

Peter) I appreciate it. Busy isn't the word at the moment, but I'm very grateful for YOUR time too, as I know you're busy as well. I think hectic describes my life at the moment best.

Oliver) Well let's get straight to it, PTW is the initials on most wrestling fans lips, can you explain those initials?

Peter) Power Trip Wrestling. Some have speculated PTW = Petey-W, and to those people I can only say you have too much time on your hands! Everyone wants power in wrestling, and this is just a little light hearted dig at those people. It's also a positive type of name too, I feel.

Oliver) Well, you have been around wrestling for a fair while, what made you decide to become a Promoter of your own company?

Peter) I am always on a constant 'prove myself' work ethic. I need to prove to myself that I can do something, whatever I set my mind to. I started off writing, like you do (and I still do), I then took to talent relations and then as a manager on shows; which is something I will never tire of. Then my time with 1PW came along, and that gave me the taste for being a promoter myself.

Oliver) As you know I'm a professional wrestling journalist just starting out, but the name Peter Staniforth has always been a good name among the wrestlers; and with that I have a lot of faith in this project. Could PTW be the real deal?

Peter) I think my time for this has finally come, there have been some false starts in the past but I'm a believer in timing and I think the time is right for this; and that it's going to be the best it can be. All I want to do is give a good product, bring a word people have forgotten back to wrestling - FUN - and give wrestlers in the UK a chance to show what they can do.

Oliver) Glad to hear that! So how did PTW go from being a concept to a reality, can you talk the readers through the preparation involved?

Peter) Well, an idea often starts quietly, and so did this. Sitting in the pub with my partner in crime (so to speak!), we spoke of how sick we were of the promotion we were working for prior; and how I knew I could do things more professionally and respectfully. I appreciate that sounds bitter, but that's just how it is/was. From there, I just got onto doing as much as I could whilst other things were in motion, and it's all snowballed quite quickly.

Oliver) Yeah, personally I feel from talking to you; you might have been hard done by. Is there an element of wanting to prove people wrong with PTW?

Peter) Definitely. It's a great motivational tool if you don't let it become bitterness. I constantly want to prove to myself I can do this, and prove to others. I'm blessed with many, many people who believe in me; and I do this for them but I do it even more to show those who have ever doubted me that I'm still standing and I'm doing this the right, traditional, and proper way.

Oliver) So with all being said, and the excitement building; how long or near is the very first PTW show?

Peter) Friday March 2nd 2007, in Luton. It feels wonderful to be able to confirm a date. All we at PTW ask is to be judged on the show we give you, nothing more and nothing less. It's about having fun, taking the business seriously but not yourself; and chasing the dreams you have. At least that's how I see it!

Oliver) Why did you choose Luton for PTW's debut show?

Peter) It's my hometown. I love Luton, I love the football team, my catchphrase as a manager is 'I'm better than you, because I'm from Luton'; and there is no other place for PTW but Luton. I want to give the town something positive, and I'll be giving everything I have to make it happen that way.

Oliver) That's cool! Can you confirm any of the Wrestlers that will be appearing at the show?

Peter) I can confirm the 'Wonderkid' himself, Jonny Storm; former 1PW star Shabazz, World of Sport legend 'Hardcore' Keith Myatt. More to come in the following weeks.

Oliver) WOW! Not a bad start at all, Jonny Storm is one of the best in the UK (if not the world), Shabazz is a star of the future (Current Total Brutality Wrestling Champion) and Keith Myatt is a very good Wrestler in his own right! I look forward to future announcements! Why these 3 Wrestlers?

Peter) Everyone knows Jonny, he's a great worker and a good person. Shabazz and I go way back, and he's a very driven and determined person who I have always enjoyed working with and I am glad to have the opportunity to do so again. And Keith? Keith is just all kinds of wonderful, one of the nicest guys around and someone who I feel any young wrestler could learn from.

Oliver) Absolutely! Well like I said not a bad few names on the roster at all. How about the venue, can you tell us more about capacity, where it is in Luton, etc?

Peter) It holds 250 seating and a ring apparently, and Luton Rugby Club of course hosts around four or so teams, and is where Luton Town FC's first team and reserves train as well. The room we are using is a particularly classy looking one, it's a marquee type look; and will look rather nice on the DVD.

Oliver) That's great. What would you like to say to the readers, concerning yourself and PTW?

Peter) I'd just like to thank people for reading this. I may not always take the 'politically correct' line, I may not always say what people want to hear or what everyone else is saying; but I do shoot straight and from my heart on how I feel and how I see things. If people in the business appreciate that, then that's great; and if honesty offends others then it says more about them than it does me or PTW. We're 'real', and we won't change; and all we ask for is the chance to prove ourselves as a good entertaining show.

Oliver) Well Peter, I wish you the best of luck! Can you share with the readers some more specific details: Ticket prices, Venue Location, Bell Time, etc?

Peter) Tickets are £8 adults, £5 children/oap's/students, and £20 for a family of four (which is quite a bargain when you price it up). Luton Rugby Club is quite easy to find, and I'll be adding details on how to find it in future PTW press releases. Doors open at 7pm, and we start at 7.30.

Oliver) Why should you come to PTW?

Peter) Well, there are many ways to answer that. One is that you're giving the new company in town a chance to prove itself. Another is you're giving the opportunity for some very talented workers, both young and older, to entertain you and show off their talents. Of course, I'm there, well worth the admission price alone; and if you don't like that I'll be more than happy to introduce your head to my Clipboard!

Oliver) For the readers who would like to know more about PTW, do you have any contact details to add?

Peter) Right now, I would have to say to email me as our website is currently being made. So peterstaniforth@aol.com or peterstaniforth@hotmail.com (msn messenger) would be the best for this at the moment.

Oliver) Well, I have a lot of faith in both you and your promotion Peter! With that I wish you the best of luck, and thanks for taking the time out to do this interview.

Peter) Or of course, there is my personal website, www.peterstaniforth.co.uk (cheap plug)!. Oliver, you're a class act and a true credit to wrestling journalism; and that's not just saying it; I genuinely believe in you too. Thanks for your time.

Final Thoughts:

Probably my quickest ever interview! Peter is a busy man and this interview was PTW specific. If I get the chance I will conduct a proper thorough interview down the line. I want to thank Peter for giving me this interview and wish him the best of luck with PTW! I'm sure it will be a huge success.

Thank you all for reading I hope your experience was most enjoyable, feel free to leave comments in here, message me or you can email me at a_fans_perspective@hotmail.co.uk.
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!

3 Championship Wrestling presents 3CW Fight Club! 1/13/07

By Oliver Newman

3 Championship Wrestling presents 3CW Fight Club!
Saturday 13th January 2007,
Doncaster Dome,
Doncaster,
England,
2:30pm bell time

3CW Fight Club

NON-TITLE MAIN EVENT MATCH FEATURING A RETURNING BRITISH STAR AND THE MAN THAT GRAVITY FORGOT!

STEVIE LYNN VS. 1PW OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION PAC - One of the best young up and comers in the UK returns to the ring (Stevie Lynn), to take on a fellow up and comer PAC who has been making waves everywhere from 3CW, 1PW and now TNA (Portuguese tour).

PAC is going to be a huge star one day (check out his match with AJ Styles 1PW 1 Year Anniversary for details). Lynn retired on the back of a well received match with Doug Williams in 3CW. This match could be the showstealer of the fight club! Although will PAC be 100% focused on Lynn with his huge match v Kid Kash later that night?

Only one way to find out: Be there live at the Doncaster Dome, this Saturday afternoon 2:30pm!

3CW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – DRAGON AISU © VS. 'MR 50 50' DAN EVANS - I'm going to be honest I haven't heard of Dan Evans. That is not to say he isn't a good Wrestler, just I have never seen him Wrestle. So Saturday I will be watching this match very closely. Dragon Aisu has been a 1PW mainstay for much of the time the promotion was open. They have had a heated rivalry in 3CW could this culminate with a NEW 3CW Heavyweight Champion?

Find out this Saturday live from the Doncaster Dome at 2:30pm!

EL LIGERO VS. DARKSIDE - El Ligero, another guy who is heading to the top. Always been thoroughly impressed with him (TBW and 1PW 1YA) spring to mind. Darkside I am less familiar with, he's a good Wrestler. I just haven't seen that much of him, look forward to seeing his performance against El Ligero this Saturday personally, and should be a fast paced match and one for the cruiserweight fans to enjoy!

El Ligero or Darkside to win? Find out this Saturday live from the Doncaster Dome at 2:30pm!

3CW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP – CHRIS WHITTON & KID RICHIE (TEAM DORMANSTOWN) © VS. THE NEW BEST KEPT SECRETS – LANCE THUNDER & ANTHONY McINTYRE - Can not comment I'm afraid as I have never seen the four guys Wrestle before!

THE SHOW WILL ALSO FEATURE…

DAMNED NATION'S MAJIK (WITH GABRIEL GREY) FACES THE KRAZE'S CAMERON KRAZE - Majik is a man that has impressed me personally on the three occasions that I have seen him Wrestle (as part of Damned Nation v Chris Hamrick, the best match at Fight Club 3! LPW v Keith Myatt and Damned Nation v Team SHAG) has a lot of skills and could be a big star in his own right! NOT seen Cameron Kraze Wrestle before!

PLUS… MARKY B KRAZE VS MARTIN KIRBY - Can't comment as I haven't either guy Wrestle before!

Not my best preview I apologize outright to guys I have not seen Wrestle but I'm just being honest. Saturday afternoon will be an education for me, I hope you enjoy the show!

3 Championship Wrestling presents 3CW Fight Club
Saturday 13th January 2007,
Doncaster Dome,
Doncaster,
England,
2:30pm bell time
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3 Championship Wrestling presents 1PW WILL NOT DIE!
Saturday 13th January 2007,
Doncaster Dome,
Doncaster,
England,
6:30pm bell time

DOORS 5PM

SHOW STARTS: 6:30PM

...WILL NOT DIE AT THE DONCASTER DOME

'The 3CW management team in association with Real Quality Wrestling have worked long and hard over the weekend to ensure that the best possible line-up is presented at this weekend's rescheduled ...Will Not Die event. Now, finally, we can reveal some of what will be happening, and which stars you will see, all of which were a part of 1PW or scheduled to be.' I want to personally thank all of the people that have put together this 1PW send off show!

We can exclusively reveal that Ulf Hermann WILL be a part of Will Not Die on Saturday at the Doncaster Dome - This man has killed himself for the 1PW fans with tremendously brutal matches v Abyss (including having himself set on fire!), if anyone deserved to be a part of this show it was Ulf Hermann!

This man has done everything for 1PW be there to see his last appearance at 1PW this Saturday night at 6:30pm live from the Doncaster Dome!

1PW Openweight Title

Kid Kash v PAC (c) - This is the match! The one I'm travelling from Birmingham, England to see! Thank you so much to organisers for making this happen!! PAC is sure fire star of the future and defending Champion. PAC won the 1PW Openweight title back at 1PW Fight Club 4. (PAC threw Jonny Storm over the top rope to win the Battle Royal to crown the first ever 1PW Openweight Champion).

Kash has had a storied career (ECW, TNA, and WWE) thus far. It was well renowned that the team of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash had their legs cut off when a feud v Paul London and Brian Kendrick was on the cards! Kash in most fans opinions (including mine) was misused in the WWE now is his chance for redemption!! Fair play to him for flying over, 1PW fans sit back and enjoy this match. No hype needed!

Pac to retain? Kash to take the 1PW Openweight Title on first ever Doncaster Dome visit? Find out this Saturday night live at 6:30pm! This match is not to be missed!!

Sterling James Keenan this man turned up with all due respect not many knew who he was. He attacked Spud and proceeded to have one of the hottest feuds in the companies history with him! Keenan arrived as a star at 1PW All or Nothing Night 2 (March 5th 2006) when he matched Scorpio in my personal favourite ever 1PW match! Like Ulf Hermann, I'm incredibly happy that SJK can be here for the very last 1PW show, he deserves it.

Who will SJK face in his final 1PW match? (Suppose to face The Great Muta originally), I have no idea! Find out this Saturday Night at 6:30pm live from the Doncaster Dome!

I honestly thought it might be Colt Cabana, but Colt is Wrestling for PWG in the U.S. on Saturday so it won't be! But who will Darren Burridge choose? Once again I honestly have no idea! Should be very interesting indeed. With the U.K.'s premier highflyers Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm and the Damned Nation (Majik and Dragon Aisu) added to the match in a three way elimination battle this should be a very good contest also!!

Who will win and who will be Burridge's partner find out this Saturday live from the Doncaster Dome at 6:30pm!

'We would like to thank RQW, Alex Shane and Len Davis for sponsoring the event and helping make sure we can bring you the best experience possible at the Doncaster Dome on Saturday. The event will be recorded for TV courtesy of RQW and their crew, so many thanks again for their help and support in making Will Not Die a reality.' - I concur thank you guys so much for bringing the fans a show they will hopefully never forget!

RQW First Round Tag Team Title Tournament Qualifying Match as Team Supreme take on Team Dormanstown, Whitton & Richie, in what should be a fine display of British tag wrestling - Sorry but once again I can't comment on Wrestlers I have yet to see Wrestle or seen very little of.

Current RQW champion Martin Stone v UK Luchadore El Ligero - Big man little man match much like Spud v SJK feud! Stone is a very impressive Wrestler in his own right you do not become a Champion if you are not! He is going to bring the power game to this match, El Ligero will need to use his speed and quickness to out think the big man! This should be a fascinating contest.

El Ligero or Martin Stone? Find out who wins live from the Doncaster Dome live at 6:30pm this Saturday!

Davey Richards - Wow! I had heard a lot of hype surrounding Davey before the ROH Uk Debut show 'Unified'. He lived up to and exceeded it with tremendous performance v Jimmy Rave that night! I'm incredibly happy to see him make the journey over also!

You have to see this sure fire star of the future Davey Richards first time at the Doncaster Dome! Live at 6:30pm this Saturday night!

Spud - Mainstay, probably the best 'little' man in the industry! Has had some superb matches v SJK, Jonny Storm, Aviv Mayaan to name but a few in his short career. My hometown guy, but no bias is involved with my assessment of his impact in 1PW.

The Chavs - Hated, but incredibly gifted Wrestlers in their own right, Tag Gauntlet at 1PW 1YA proved that. Looking to give the 1PW fans one more showcase of their skills!

Andy Boy Simmons - Almost retired because of a crippling injury, but he's back! Glad to see it personally. Involved in 1PW Tag Tournament last May with Lance Storm (Justin Incredible dropped out), made his name in the FWA, continuing his career all the way through to 1PW.

Pain Inc - Sabotage and Ruffneck back with the 'Pain' this Saturday, rough and rugged but tough as hell!

Jay Phoenix - The man who rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way even Samoa Joe! Seems to have changed and matured as a Wrestler. Going as far as matching former 1PW Champion Steve Corino at Fight Club 3 and was very unfortunate in defeat in October 2006.

Adam Curtis - 1PW Reporter back at the Dome for one last time.

Mark Sloan - The most underrated Wrestler in the U.K. today! How he has been overlooked for so long is beyond me. One of the best technical Wrestlers in the UK! Wrestled a highly acclaimed match v ROH Champion Bryan Danielson in 2006. Glad to see him back after his and Ollie's performance during 1PW Tag Gauntlet (1PW 1YA 2006).

Ollie Burns - Mark Sloan's partner in the Entourage, very good Wrestler in his own right. Making a name for himself in different promotions around the U.K.

Mad Man Manson - The craziest Wrestler 1PW has ever seen! The man comes out in a straightjacket! Wrestles himself, I'm not kidding come see for yourself Saturday!

Dean Ayass - Been around for a long time!! Managed WWE's Burchill once upon a time! Took over commentary duties when Anthony Kingdom James and Joe Dombrowski left the company, and has done a good job!

Sweet Stevie Aaron - 1PW Ring announcer who has put a lot of effort into making sure the show took place! Thank you Stevie.

Darkside - Good Wrestler in his own right, looking for that one match that would leave an impression on all the fans minds in the arena!

And more yet to be announced!

3 Championship Wrestling presents 1PW WILL NOT DIE!
Saturday 13th January 2007,
Doncaster Dome,
Doncaster,
England,
6:30pm bell time

Final Thoughts:

My Fight Club preview is not the best as I have never seen 3CW the company so my apologies on that front! PAC v Stevie Lynn should be a very good match! Then on the main show you have Ulf Hermann, SJK, Kash and Davey Richards! Kash v PAC could be the Match of the entire day! Davey is a star of the future, Ulf deserves send off and SJK also! Who will SJK's opponent be??

Tag match should be great fun but who will Burridge's partner be! Ligero v Stone should be an awesome flashback to Spud v SJK feud. This should be a tremendous day of Wrestling, if you can be there (like me) you can not miss this show!

3 Championship Wrestling presents 1PW WILL NOT DIE!
Saturday 13th January 2007,
Doncaster Dome,
Doncaster,
England,
6:30pm bell time

See you all Saturday!

Oliver