March 2008 Archives
Another one is in the history books along with the wrestling careers of one of the greatest; Ric Flair. But to be honest I think he’ll be back within a year, I mean look at Terry Funk he’s retired 13 or 14 times just to comeback for one more match.
24-Man Battle Royal to face ECW Champion later that night - This was on the pre-show I didn’t watch, I was too busy playing Scene It for the 360 with the guys before Wrestlemania actually started. Kane won the chance to face Chavo Guerrero later in the night for the ECW Championship.
Continue reading Wrestlemania 24- The last stop for “The Man”.
The Big Show wrestles Floyd Mayweather Jr., top, during
WrestleMania XXIV at the Citrus Bowl on Sunday, March 30, 2008 in
Orlando, FL. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Jacob Langston)
Sid Vicious returns...
I don't know what to say, I amazed that he is making a comeback after that horrible accident during his match with Scott Steiner (here's the youtube link - not for the squeamish). I surprise he can even walk straight much less wrestle after that accident. Before the accident he was on top of his game and getting ready for possibly a run for the WCW title when he broke his leg. What my sources are telling me from the few matches he's had up in Canada over the last few months and the scouting reports from NWA management is that he's in the best shape of his life and is ready to make an impact once again. .
"The last 7 years have been extremely rough on me. I love this industry and to have that taken away from me when I was on top, well you can imagine how a hit like that feels. I’m coming in with the NWA™ to show the world that this will be the greatest comeback in pro wrestling – ever!” states Vicious at a press conference announcing his return.
I've always been a big Sid Vicious fan and part of me wonders if this is the best thing for him and the other part of me can't wait to see "The Master and Ruler of the World " take over the NWA.
Many said would be a cold day in hell before XPW ran another show, I guess people are wearing jackets down there right now because XPW is running a one night only show in Redondo Beach, California on May 24,2008. A XPW show was my first live wrestling in Southern California, If their past shows are any indications of what to expect, I'm preparing for an disturbingly and extreme night of hardcore wrestling action.
My flash goes off -- two wrestlers circle each other-- each ring general looking for a sign of weakness in their opponent before they lock up to show who is the most dominant.
As a wrestling photographer it is my job to try and convey the emotions and the power that surrounds the ring and everything around it during a match. To capture the urgency in the wrestlers faces and movements.
As I start my fifth year photographing wrestling, I feel that it is time for me to look back and reflect on what I have seen and done. What is this journey and do I want to continue on this path?
Let me fill everyone in on my background and how I got to photograph my first event. I received a degree in journalism from a local college and it was towards the end of my time there; and while i was on the campus newspaper, I realized that even though that I was good at the news side of photography, I really did not have the stomach to do it for a living. So I focused my attention on the design and technical aspect of the business which is what I do for a living.
I have always been a fan of professional wrestling, following it since I was 8. Every Monday night my friends and I would get together to watch and it was there I would be first introduced to SoCal wrestling. One day one of my friends brought up the idea to go see XPW at the Reseda Country Club. What I saw that night both intrigued me and disturbed me at the same time. I have the utmost respect for what these athletes do in the ring -- knowing that I would never have the guts to step in myself. This was not the wrestling that I grew up on. About half way through the show my friends decided that they had had enough. Little did I know the impact of the show on my future.
Although I did not go to another XPW show, I kept up with television show and the websites. I knew who was making the news. I knew who the main players were and what the storyline was, in front of the camera as well as backstage.
When the Messiah attack story broke at work, my supervisor asked if I could find any info about him on the Internet. I'm sure I do not have to go into detail since everyone already knows the story. Anyway, the paper covered the story and of course they wanted to do a follow up on his return to the ring at the ill-fated EPIC show in Hollywood. I asked my supervisors if i could accompany the photographer to the event and we followed the story all the way to the Anaheim Marketplace... and ended up with no photos and no story. Bum luck, huh.
I figured that I would never get the chance to photograph the sport I had come to love. I was wrong. One day I was twiddling my thumbs in the newsroom when an assignment request to cover a pro wrestling company named Golden State Championship Wrestling came across my desk. Once again I asked to accompany the photographer covering the assignment. What I saw that night reminded me of why I love wrestling so much as well as teaching me a invaluable lesson... WATCH WHERE THE WRESTLERS ARE GOING!!!
During the Super Dragon/B-Boy vs. Bobby Quance/Jardi Frantz match, I was in the corner trying to find that one shot to tell it all, when all of a sudden, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around and BAM... everything goes black.
Apparently, I was in the wrong zip code when Super Dragon came through the ropes to get at Frantz. It knocked me for such a loop, I spent the rest of the night babbling incoherently to some poor girl who was working the refreshment window.
Even after I was hit in the head -- or maybe because I was hit in the head I realized I still very much want to shoot wrestling. So I placed a message at socaluncensored.com and received a couple of responses and here I am. As I write this blog I realize there is no going back for me; it's a part of my life now.
SMK
As a wrestling photographer it is my job to try and convey the emotions and the power that surrounds the ring and everything around it during a match. To capture the urgency in the wrestlers faces and movements.
As I start my fifth year photographing wrestling, I feel that it is time for me to look back and reflect on what I have seen and done. What is this journey and do I want to continue on this path?
Let me fill everyone in on my background and how I got to photograph my first event. I received a degree in journalism from a local college and it was towards the end of my time there; and while i was on the campus newspaper, I realized that even though that I was good at the news side of photography, I really did not have the stomach to do it for a living. So I focused my attention on the design and technical aspect of the business which is what I do for a living.
I have always been a fan of professional wrestling, following it since I was 8. Every Monday night my friends and I would get together to watch and it was there I would be first introduced to SoCal wrestling. One day one of my friends brought up the idea to go see XPW at the Reseda Country Club. What I saw that night both intrigued me and disturbed me at the same time. I have the utmost respect for what these athletes do in the ring -- knowing that I would never have the guts to step in myself. This was not the wrestling that I grew up on. About half way through the show my friends decided that they had had enough. Little did I know the impact of the show on my future.
Although I did not go to another XPW show, I kept up with television show and the websites. I knew who was making the news. I knew who the main players were and what the storyline was, in front of the camera as well as backstage.
When the Messiah attack story broke at work, my supervisor asked if I could find any info about him on the Internet. I'm sure I do not have to go into detail since everyone already knows the story. Anyway, the paper covered the story and of course they wanted to do a follow up on his return to the ring at the ill-fated EPIC show in Hollywood. I asked my supervisors if i could accompany the photographer to the event and we followed the story all the way to the Anaheim Marketplace... and ended up with no photos and no story. Bum luck, huh.
I figured that I would never get the chance to photograph the sport I had come to love. I was wrong. One day I was twiddling my thumbs in the newsroom when an assignment request to cover a pro wrestling company named Golden State Championship Wrestling came across my desk. Once again I asked to accompany the photographer covering the assignment. What I saw that night reminded me of why I love wrestling so much as well as teaching me a invaluable lesson... WATCH WHERE THE WRESTLERS ARE GOING!!!
During the Super Dragon/B-Boy vs. Bobby Quance/Jardi Frantz match, I was in the corner trying to find that one shot to tell it all, when all of a sudden, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around and BAM... everything goes black.
Apparently, I was in the wrong zip code when Super Dragon came through the ropes to get at Frantz. It knocked me for such a loop, I spent the rest of the night babbling incoherently to some poor girl who was working the refreshment window.
Even after I was hit in the head -- or maybe because I was hit in the head I realized I still very much want to shoot wrestling. So I placed a message at socaluncensored.com and received a couple of responses and here I am. As I write this blog I realize there is no going back for me; it's a part of my life now.
SMK
About Slam Jam
Shane Michael Kidder, creator of a Web site of his photos that receives nearly 2 million hits a month from around the world, has learned many lessons in his time photographing wrestling, the most important one being “watch where the wrestlers are going.” This comes after almost being knocked out by a wrestler diving out of the ring at his first show in 2003 at a Golden State Championship Wrestling event in Newhall, Calif. Born in Northridge and still living in the San Fernando Valley, he spends most of his time working on his Web site in preparation for the next wrestling event.
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