Slam Jam

Photos from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's "Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament"

Mon, 19 May 2008 16:34:52 -0800

Here's the photos from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's "Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament". Enjoy

Photos from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's "Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament"

Tales from the Road: Part 2 - The Red Rooster

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:00:30 -0800

I flew out to Nashville for the NWA Convention with four primary goals that I needed to complete; One to photograph the official handshake and signing of the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) / Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling talent trade agreement. Second was to pitch and promote the NWA Magazine to the members of the NWA which I helped design. Third was to photograph three days of pro wrestling that included wrestling styles from across the world. Fourth and finally just to have fun and relax with my friends.

So C. Edward Vander Pyle and I land in Nashville and we are already off to the races for the weekend. After we checked into the hotel, we were off to or first destination; The TNA Offices for the talent trade agreement signing between my friend and NJPW VP David Marquez and TNA Official Terry Taylor.

Great weekend of action

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:06:37 -0800

It's a great weekend to be a wrestling fan in Southern California with 4 great wrestling events going on this up coming weekend:

Saturday
Empire Wrestling Federation will be running at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Covina on May 16.

Knights of Columbus Hall
4315 N. Vincent Ave.
Covina, CA
8:00PM Belltime
Tickets are $10 for Adults, $5 for Kids

EWF Heavyweight Championship
Scorpio Sky (c) vs. Ryan Taylor

EWF Tag Team Championship Match
La Ola Del Mal (Extreme Loco & Black Metal) (c) vs. Famous For Fearless (TJ Perkins & Liger Rivera)

EWF American Championship Match
Vizzion (c) vs. Hook Bomberry

Brandon Gatson vs. Joey Ryan

Vinny Massaro vs. Marcius Pitsonopolous

Dragon Yuki vs. The French Stallion

Kitana Vera vs. Carla Jade

Country Bear vs. Dave The Bruiser

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will be running Night 1 of the DDT4 Tag Team Tournament at the Burbank Armory in Burbank on May 17.

Burbank Armory
3800 W. Valhalla Dr.
Burbank, CA
8:00PM Belltime
Front Row tickets are $30 for each night, or can be purchased in a 2 night package for only $50. General Admission tickets are $25 for each night, or can be purchased in a 2 night package for only $40. Ticket information available at www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com

PWG World Championship Match
The Human Tornado (c) vs. Austin Aries (This Match is up in the air due to tornado being out with a injury for a year)

DDT4 First Round Match - PWG World Tag Team Championship Match
Kevin Steen & El Generico (c) vs. Davey Richards & Super Dragon

DDT4 First Round Match
Kota Ibushi & KAGETORA vs. The Dynasty (Joey Ryan & Scott Lost)

DDT4 First Round Match
Jack Evans & Roderick Strong vs. Ronin & Scorpio Sky

DDT4 First Round Match
2.0 (Jagged & Shane Matthews) vs. Los Luchas (Phoenix Star & Zokre)

Jay Briscoe vs. TJ Perkins

Hook Bomberry vs. Nemesis

Sunday
Empire Wrestling Federation will be running at the American Sports University in San Bernardino on May 17.

American Sports University
374 W. Court St.
San Bernardino, CA
8:00PM Belltime
Tickets are $10 for Adults, $5 for Kids

Brandon Gatson vs. The French Stallion

Liger Rivera vs. Ryan Taylor

Mars Vaughn vs. Black Metal vs. Vinny Massaro

Marcius Pitsonopolous vs. Espiritu Infernal

Country Bear & Coconut Joe vs. Roger Ruiz & Icarus Eagle

Jeremy Jaeger vs. Chris Kadillak

Mercurio Jr vs. Dave The Bruiser

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will be running Night 2 of the DDT4 Tag Team Tournament at the Burbank Armory in Burbank on May 18.

Burbank Armory
3800 W. Valhalla Dr.
Burbank, CA
5:00PM Belltime
Front Row tickets are $30 for each night, or can be purchased in a 2 night package for only $50. General Admission tickets are $25 for each night, or can be purchased in a 2 night package for only $40. Ticket information available at www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com

No Disqualification Street Fight - Non-Title Match if Tornado retains on Night 1
Human Tornado vs. Necro Butcher

PWG World Championship Title Match if Aries wins on Night 1
Austin Aries vs. Jay Briscoe

Brandon Bonham vs. TJ Perkins

Plus the teams eliminated in the First Round of DDT4 will compete, and the Semi-Final & Final rounds of DDT4.

Bad news for the Human Tornado

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:22:47 -0800

Tornado comfirmed it on his myspace account that he will be out for over a year due to his injury. Here's the entry:

Well, It looks like good ol' HT is going to have a lot of time on his hand. I recently injuried my knee with an ACL tear and dislocated kneecap. It happen during the taping of JCW's Slam TV season 2 tour, where I was to complete in a one on one match but got hurt before the match even started. I knew it wasnt good once I landed and when I returned home to get checked out it was just that. Doctor told me that surgery will be need so I will be out of action for AT LEAST a year! Dont really know how to handle such news as this as I am having a hard time handling it. I understand that things happen so I am not totally sad and I regret nothing. It just sucks that I cant do what I love for a long while. But I do want to thank everyone that called and messaged me these past couple of days. They've really helped me out a lot. And I special thanx to ICP and the JCW crew. They took really good care of me when the incident happen. As for now, I rest. I will keep everyone updated on my status on my page. Until then, Thank You and God Bless

-Tornado

Waffles and Questions

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:21:54 -0800

One of the greatest things about being a wrestling photographer is the fact I some times get to travel with this crazy circus like atmosphere called wrestling. So as a feature on my blog I decide that I will share some of the road trips that I have taken and the sites I have seen; and what better way to start this off with than my first road trip with the wrestlers a few years ago.

I was invited to attend the NWA 57th annual convention in Tennessee by my friend and then vice president of New Japan Pro Wrestling's West Coast offices David Marquez to photograph the event and a contract signing between NJPW and TNA for talent sharing. Before I go any further I have to say that there are very few people I trust in the wrestling business and Dave is one of them. There was five of us in the NJPW contingent; David, a professional wrestling manger know as C Edward Vander Pyle; and two wrestlers Tommy "Kome" Williams and Alex Koslov; and myself.

As part of the convention there were three nights of wrestling events in three different towns; Lebanon, Springfield and Nashville with over 50 matches and a chance to see the talent from all the other regions. But the real fun of this convention was just hanging out with the wrestlers after the shows.

NWA Wrestling Showcase Taping 4-19-08

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:30:27 -0800

Here's the rest of the photos

Photos from NWA Wrestling Showcase Taping 4/18/08

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:01:57 -0800

The rest photos from the event can be seen here

Sid Rules the NWA Wrestling Showcase

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:14:41 -0800

Sid Vicious, The man who ruled the wrestling world returned to the ring this past Saturday in Lincoln, Rhode Island after a seven year hiatus and is focusing on becoming the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion.

The crowd erupted in to a near chaotic frenzy as Sid made his way down to the ring to battle with his victim err… opponent Joe So Delicious. At first most wondered if this was a good idea for Sid to get back in the ring after his horrific accident seven years ago that would have end almost any other persons career, but Sid showed his fans that they had nothing to worry about. At first Delicious seem to get the upper hand on Sid in a test of strength, Sid seem to strain against the strength of Delicious at first, Then a smile crept upon Sid’s face as the fans realize that he was just toying with Delicious like a cat does with a mouse before devouring him. There was no longer any question about it, Sid was back to reclaim his throne and god help any one who stands between him and his goal. Sid demolished Delicious with kicks to the gut, hitting him with the big boot, hoisting Delicious up for the choke slam, and finishing him off with Sid’s favorite finishing move The Power Bomb. Delicious really did not have a chance, Sid saw him as his first step in claiming the one championship that has elude him his whole career; National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship.

Here are the results of the show:

Josh Daniels def. The Inferno Kid

Former NWA World Tag Team Champion Joey Ryan def. Fred Sampson

Tristan Gallo def. Minion

The Playaz Club def. The Young Bucks when Joey Ryan interfered.

Sid Vicious def. Joe So Delicious

Shortsleeve Sampson def. The Masked Midget

Judas Young and Rob Conway went to a no contest, after interference which led the fans to chant for Sid. Sid came to the ring and cleaned house.

Smackdown the Candidates

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:46:08 -0800

Having just got back from a trip from the East Coast I settled in for a
relaxing evening to watch Monday Night Raw to watch the return of the
King of the Ring Tournament and try to shake off some of this jet lag.
I knew that they had be advertising some kinda match between Hillary
Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama which I figured would just be like the
one they did for Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump; hire local
wrestlers and dress them up as the candidates and have a comedy
wrestling match (Which they did). What I wasn’t expecting was the
Presidential Candidates to actually show up on the show and address the
audiences with tape messages including John McCain.

Click here to watch video

<>Clinton was the first to cut a promo “Tonight, in honor of the WWE, you
can call me Hillrod, This election is starting to feel a lot like 'King
of the Ring.' The only difference? The last man standing may just be a
woman."

"To the special interests who've been setting the agenda in Washington
for too long and to all the forces of division and distraction that has
stopped us from making progress, for the American people, I've got one
question: Do you smell what Barack is cooking?" Obama said borrowing
the famous catchphrase from wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson

not to be left out McCain borrowed catchphrases from several wrestlers including Ric Flair, Triple H and Hulk Hogan.

"Looks like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama want to celebrate their
differences in the ring," McCain says. "Well, that's fine with me, but
let me tell you: If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.
Come November, it'll be game over. And whatcha gonna do when John
McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on you?"

I was completely surprised that the candidates would even do this but I
guess in today’s politics they want to reach every one they can, and
with WWE has always been a big support of voting with the “Smackdown
Your Vote!” campaign this was a perfect match.

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - Great Game

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:16:01 -0800

I’m going to expand this blog a little bit to include wrestling video games. So the first one I’m going to profile is Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PS2. Before you ask yes this game was release back in November of 2007 in the US and in 2005 in Japan.

Fire Pro is one of those games that you either love or hate right of the bat. If your looking for a game based on graphics, then you’ll just pass this one by which is really sad. What it lacks in graphics makes up in game play and fun. I’ve had the game for six months already and still play it once or twice a week just based on the fun factor, and the ability to create your own wrestler keeps me coming back for more. I spend hours alone on creating new wrestlers to put in there against each other for supremacy. I have several other wrestling games that I only play for about a month or less and then it’s gathering dust on my book shelf.

It’s not a button masher like some other games, it’s all about timing and precision. And with several different types of matches and tournament styles play, it really doesn’t seem to get old. If keep your eyes open, you might just see some familiar faces from the wrestling world, just with different names. This is where the edit mode comes in handy you can go in a correct the names.

If you are looking for a game just to have fun with, this is one. And for only $19.99 and under, how can you go wrong.

Graphics: 2 out of 5
Not the greatest graphics and if really does look like a high powered 16 bit game, but there is so much more to the game than the graphics. This game proves 3d doesn’t mean better.

Gameplay: 4 out of 5
For me this game has yet to get old, I keep learning more and more about it every time I play. All the different types of matches, it’s deep custom wrestling creator and all the different game play modes keep this game fresh and enjoyable.

Overall 4 out of 5

To be the Man...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:06:28 -0800

The day that wrestling fans wait for all year long has once again come and gone. Football fans have the Super bowl, Baseball fans have the World Series, and for most wrestling fans it’s World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Wrestlemania. I’m not a huge WWE fan but one match on the card was the only one I wanted to see, it was not the triple threat match for the championship between Randy Orton, Triple H, and John Cena, It’s was not the boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. the wrestler The Big Show; nor was is it the Undertaker putting his Wrestlemania undefeated streak on the line in his attempt to regain the championship against Edge, the one match that I wanted to see more than any of those was is Ric Flair’s Career Threatening Match with Shawn Michaels. The match was a classic match that had all of the emotions and drama of any great Ric Flair match, and in the end the legendary career of the Nature Boy was over.

Growing up I watched WWE/WWF sporadically, but I followed The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Where I had a brief idea I what the story line was going on in the WWE/WWF, I knew exactly what was going on in the NWA. Where the WWE/WWF had a muscle bound over the top superhero type as their champion fight supervillians, where as NWA champion was a more realistic type villain. He was the type of arrogant, SOB, though he was better than everyone personality that everyone knew and hated at one point in there life. This man, this Champion was Ric Flair.

PWG's "It's a Gift... and a Curse" Photos

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:00:43 -0800

Here's a link to all of the photos from that great night of action.
PWG's "It's a Gift... and a Curse" Photos

Kitty World Order

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:02:20 -0800

In my 5 years of photographing pro wrestling, I have seen many strange things that I never thought I would see in my life; Exploding Time Bomb Cages Death Match where the object is to start a timer to the explosions and then escape before they go off, Piranhas Death match where the object is to put your opponent into a aquarium full of the man eating fish. But I think the greatest has to be the match I saw this past Friday at PWG.

The rise of the Kitty World Order in PWG. The match featured Hello Kitty vs. Kurmoi. And before you ask yes that Hello Kitty and Kurmoi. The two beloved characters from Japan met in the middle of the squared circle for the first time and to me it was pure magic. Forget the fact that it was two grown men dressed up as female cartoon characters; it was just a fun match that I hope they do more of.

There also is that old debate that you use to have when you were kids and was even feature in the movie “Stand By Me” who would win in a fight. Think of the possibilities if they make this a regular occurrence at PWG events:

Mighty Mouse vs. Superman - Teddy and Vern argued this match up in Stand by Me and Teddy came to the conclusion “Mighty Mouse is a cartoon. Superman's a real guy. There's no way a cartoon could beat up a real guy.” But now we can find out if Vern was right about it being a good fight.

Scooby Doo vs. Snoopy – the cowardly dog vs. the World War One fighting ace, not only is Scooby a bigger and stronger dog than Snoopy, he has to he has to deal with creepy bad guys dressed up as ghosts. The key of victory for Snoopy is to prevent Scooby from getting the Scooby Snack because everyone knows that is Doo’s source of strength.

And for the main event: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck vs. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck for the Cartoon World Championship. The long and often debated “which is the better cartoon company can be finally answered. One battle for cartoon supremacy, this is one match I would not like to make a prediction as this battled has raged on for year.

In the end this is just about fun and games and it’s not like these matches will ever happen but to quote Vern once again “It'd be a good fight, though.”

For the rest of the photos from the "Kitty World Order" match click here

Also check back tomorrow for the rest of the photos from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's "It's a gift... and a curse"

smk

Meet John Morrison and The Miz

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:29:16 -0800

Hey guys, John Morrison and The Miz of ECW will be at a Walmart in Pico Rivera at 8500 Washington Blvd.on Saturday, April 5th, from 1pm-3pm. I would say get there early because it will be a madhouse.

http://newsletter.wwe.com/appearances/040308/040308.html

AWS' 6th Anniversary Show

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:16:36 -0800

Here's a link to all of the photos from that great night of action.
AWS' 6th Anniversary Show