On June 13, 2009 the wrestling world lost one of the best workers in its history, and the country of Japan lost a legend.

That night, Pro Wrestling NOAH held a show in Hiroshima. The main-event was recent Global Tag League winners Mitsuharu Misawa and Go Shiozaki challenging GHC tag champs Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith for the belts. Nearly thirty minutes into the match, Saito executed a back suplex onto Misawa. The move had become fairly standard in the NOAH heavyweight moveset, so the fact that it was used didn’t come as a surprise.

The surprise was when Misawa wasn’t able to get up. After the back suplex, Misawa told referee Shuichi Nishinaga that he couldn’t move and the match was immediately stopped. That was the last thing Misawa said to anyone. Misawa passed out after speaking to Nishinaga and was eventually rushed to Hiroshima College Hospital. It was already too late and Misawa was pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m. June 13, 2009.

The match itself was stopped at about 8:45 p.m. From there the wrestlers and most of the crowd nearly went into a panic not fully being able to comprehend what was happening. The first sign of real trouble was when they asked over the public address system if there was a doctor in the building. Pro wrestling doesn’t necessitate doctors being at ringside for their events, but luckily a local doctor was in the crowd that night. The doctor offered assistance as wrestlers helped get Misawa onto a stretcher and into the back while others tried to keep the crowd and themselves calm, even chanting Misawa’s name at moments.

The injury that killed Misawa turned out to be a shattered C-1 and C-2 vertebrae in Misawa’s back. In other words, his head and spine were no longer connected. Americans will recognize the injury as the one that paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve in 1995. The injury was brought upon by the back suplex move, but it should be noted that Misawa’s head did seem to be hurting him at various points during the match and it was reported he may have suffered a shoulder injury during the tour the Hiroshima show was on.

It was something that people should have been keeping an eye on for Misawa, and up until 2009 was going to be the last guy to admit that he needed to step away. Misawa in his career barely took any time off at all from wrestling, and something like that will break your body down quicker than someone who actually has had time off to let his or her body recuperate. Misawa didn’t do this and as far back as seven years ago there were cries from fans and those in the business, whether in Japan or not, for him to retire. The evidence has always been visible just in his appearance and how quickly it had worsened from the first year or two of NOAH to the last few years of his life. In a cryptic way, Misawa went the same way as the man who helped train him, Shoehi “Giant” Baba: not being able to exit the ring until the end of his life.

May 12th 2012 – I made the long trip to Bavaria, Germany… Roth (near Nuremberg to be exact), to witness German Wrestling Promotion’s (GWP) yearly event. This one was called Spring Xplosion and it was headlined by the last match of Steve Douglas, but let’s start at the beginning.

The show began with a Free For All Battle Royal, were people in the arena could witness firsthand what wrestling is all about, without paying for it. In this match the first ever “Rother Stadtmeister” was crowned, and that one turned out to be UK’s Jonny Storm, who last eliminated Emil Sitoci. All of the guys in the Battle Royal were part of the actual show as well. Afterwards we saw Chris “The Bambikiller” Raaber make his way to the ring, to challenge Joe E. Legend for the GWP World Title. The match was scheduled to be later on in the show, but Raaber said, he had no interest in staying in Roth and wants to go home. Legend came out, words flew and soon fists would follow and the locker room would have to separate the contestants. That match will still be up later. Afterwards we had a Meet & Greet, where fans could make photos with the wrestlers and do some small talk. The arena filled up and the show was about to begin.

The actual Spring Xplosion event kicked off with a comedy match between Farmer Joe and Don Roid. Both guys entertained very well and the highlight of the match would have to be, when Roid tried to clothesline Joe, but he wouldn’t go down. So Roid explained to Joe, when I hit you with a clothesline, you’re supposed to fall down and feel pain! Joe seemed to understand… 1: get hit by a clothesline – 2: fall down – 3: be in pain! Part one worked perfectly, but Joe forgot part 2 and 3… and seemingly 2 minutes after the clotheslines, Joe fell like struck by lightning and rolled all over the ring like he was in real pain. Funny stuff! Joe won the match, but it sure got the crowd going the right way!

Next up we had the “Austrian Wolverine” Chris Colen go up against Franz Dynamite. Technical wrestling by two bigger men, I really enjoyed that match, as I like both competitors, maybe a little difficult to follow up the laughs from the opener, but the two guys gave their best and in the end it was Chris Colen, who got the win!

Four Corner Elimination Tag Match was up next as The Brothers Of Doom (Dr. Carsten Crank & The Insane Killer) defeated Bernd Föhr & Dean Jazzman, Boombastic & The Red Rage as well as MC Logan & Michael Isotov! Highlight of the match (for me personally) was when The Insane Killer head-butted the ring post! Yes! The ring post, not the padding, the actual post. Hilarious! Match was quickly done, but Jazzman, Föhr and Logan really stood out as well as the former ACW tag champs which were the Brothers of Doom!

After a segment where a GWP staff member asked his wife to remarry him, we had Bad Bones and Absolute Andy sing, which brought out Big Van Walter, who quickly was ordered by the crowd “Sing Walter sing”, which he didn’t, so the next match began. Bad Bones vs. Big Van Walter for the Number #1 Contendership for the GWP World Title. Strong Style, hard hitting, call it whatever you want, those two delivered like hell and in the end it was Bones, who was on the lucky end, by scoring a roll-up on Walter and therefor will receive a future World Title shot. After the match Walter power bombed Bones, which brought out Andy again to make the save.

After a short intermission we had the first title match of the night, as Dragonhearts Champion Murat Bosporus defended his title against “Untamable” Emil Sitoci. Great match! Both guys were able to hit their finishing maneuvers on their opponent during the match, but weren’t able to get the win. In the end it was Emil Sitoci, who scored with another Snapmare Driver and became the NEW Dragonhearts Champion. If you want to listen to some words from Emil Sitoci, you can check out an interview I did following the event with Emil Sitoci over at: http://wrestling-talk.de/wordpress/ooo12

Unfortunately Jody Fleisch missed his flight, so his Aerial Xplosion match with Jonny Storm had to be scrambled and Tommy End filled in for Fleisch. But those two put on one hell of a show, considering, that it was on last notice, it was really amazing, how well those two worked together. Towards the end of the match Emil Sitoci came out and tried to interfere on behalf of his fellow-countryman. Storm was able to overcome and hit another Whirlwind on End to win the match. But it was Sitoci, who got the last laugh, as he slid into the ring and hit another Snapmare Driver, to spoil Storm’s win. Sitoci was out in his pink shorts and his “heel” music “Never again (but here we are)” hit, so “The Tremendous One” Emil Sitoci was back. Great to see Sitoci do both gimmicks at the event, as he is WWE bound for sure. It’s not a question of if, but when.

Next up we had the World Title match between challenger Chris Raaber and champion Joe E. Legend. Crowd was very into it, but unfortunately Raaber injured his knee in the beginning of the match, but carried on, so that match continued. But you could see he was in obvious pain. Both guys tried their best to put on a good show for us, and Raaber especially deserves a bunch of credit for that, as he could have said: “I’m injured, I’m outta here’, which he didn’t, ended the match, but Legend was able to defeat him and retain his belt. After the match Legend took the mic and gave credit and respect to Raaber, for working the match although being injured. Two amazing wrestlers and straight up professionals.

The show up to this point had been really good, it could have ended here, and the crowd would have gone home happy, but there was one to follow that up, and boy did it deliver!
It was a Street Fight – Title vs. Title – Deutsche Meisterschaft vs. WrestlingCorner.de Title, as Absolute Andy would face Steve Douglas. Like I mentioned in the opening of this text, this was to be Douglas’ last match and both guys hit each other with everything except the kitchen sink. Well if there would have been one, they would have used that as well. A wild and out of control brawl through the ENTIRE arena, broken chairs, broken tables – we had it all, Douglas even threw Andy from the first floor into a table construction, where everybody thought that the Absolute One was really hurt, even Bad Bones got involved, to look out for his buddy, but was struck by a brutal chair shot by Stevie.

Douglas continued to punish Andy and the fight went on. Crowd was into it from the first to the last second of the match! I have to tell you, I was really impressed by the reaction of the fans after the fall, it was dead silent in the arena, so much respect for the wrestlers, amazing, so props go out to the GWP fans! The match went one for about an hour, and I honestly can’t remember which move actually ended the match. I think it was an “A-Klasse” by Absolute Andy, and therefor Andy won the wrestlingcorner.de Title and ended Stevie’s career. Both guys were banged up, as you can tell by fighting a guy for over an hour, but the match was intense, hard-hitting and let’s just say: very good! Well-deserved for a retirement match. Thank you Steve Douglas for all the great memories! And thank you GWP for this great event!

You can go ahead and watch photos of the event at: http://www.dragonhearts.de/

Although GWP normally does one show per year, they will back on October 13th to do another one this year! So be there and witness the great action, which is German Wrestling Promotion!

UFC On Fuel TV: Korean Zombie Vs. Poirier

May 16^th, 2012

Patriot Center, Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Main card

• Main event, featherweight division; Chan Sung Jung defeated Dustin Poirier via submission (due to D’Arce choke) at 1:07, round four
• Co-main event, welterweight division; Amir Sadollah defeated Jorge Lopez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28
• Lightweight division; Donald Cerrone defeated Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision
• Bantamweight division; Yves Jabouin defeated Jeff Hougland via unanimous decision
• Light heavyweight division; Igor Pokrajac defeated Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision
• Middleweight division; Tom Lawlor defeated Jason McDonald via knockout (due to punch) ay 0:50, round one

Preliminary card (streamed live on FaceBook)

• Middleweight division; Brad Tavares defeated Dong Yi Yang via unanimous decision
• Lightweight division; Cody McKenzie defeated Marcus LeVesseur via submission (due to guillotine choke)
• Lightweight division; TJ Grand defeated Carlo Prater via unanimous decision
• Lightweight division; Rafael dos Anjos defeated Kamal Shalorus via submission (due to rear-naked choke) at 0:40, round one
• Bantamweight division; Johnny Eduardo defeated Jeff Curran via unanimous decision
• Bantamweight division; Francisco Rivera defeated Alex Sato via unanimous decision

FCF Wrestling comes to the city of Mänttä-Vilppula for the first time ever on Thursday, May 17, as part of the Mänttä Rally car racing event. This card, fittingly entitled Mäntän Mättö, will feature a colossal tag team main event, plus a very diverse set of undercard matches.

In the main event at Mäntän Mättö, former 2-time FCF Champion ”Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä teams with former 3-time European Champion ”The Canadian Rebel” StarBuck to face the enormous tandem of King Kong Karhula and Russian monster Vladimir Petrov, whose combined weight clocks in at over 260kg of brute force. Ukonselkä and StarBuck are both hungry for revenge, as Karhula sabotaged their FCF Championship match at Jatkosota 2012 on April 20 in Helsinki, after which FCF General Manager Robert Holmström held up the FCF title following the no-contest ruling and outcome of the match. With Russian menace Vladimir Petrov at his side, King Kong Karhula better prepare for all-out war against Ukonselkä and StarBuck on May 17 in Mänttä-Vilppula!

Another former 4-time FCF Champion, Valentine, faces powerhouse Jean Sensation at Mäntän Mättö. This will be a first-time meeting between these two, and you can be sure that Valentine will have his work cut out when the 115kg stud Sensation looks to carve out his most important potential singles victory to date in FCF Wrestling. Valentine has faced them all, from Finland to Germany to Japan and many points in between, so Jean Sensation better bring his A-game to Mänttä-Vilppula on May 17!

Super-popular gender bending star Jessica Love tangles with athletic rookie Ricky Vendetta and the masked cat-like Oselotti in a Triple Threat match-up at Mäntän Mättö. FCF General Manager Robert Holmström has signed all crowd favorites to face each other in this sure-to-be exciting bout on May 17. The rules of the Triple Threat state that the first wrestler to successfully score a winning decision – either by pinfall or by submission – wins the match over their two other opponents. This means that every wrestler will be alert and attempting to avoid their opponents’ victory attempts on the other, and that in itself spells a sure-fire rollercoaster ride in this bout at Mäntän Mättö.

In an intergender mixed tag team bout on May 17, former NordicWomen’s Champion Aurora teams with the sinister masked Dr. No to tangle with rookies Sara Elektra and punker Vili Luupää. The rules of the match stipulate that the men can fight with the women also in this match, leaving one to question what all can and will happen at Mäntän Mättö when these two teams clash in Mänttä-Vilppula. Especially Sara has a point to prove against her veteran female rival Aurora, as the rookie has yet to score a win over her more experienced foe in any kind of match to date.

El Excentrico looks to gain a measure of revenge against FCF General Manager Robert Holmström’s meddling bodyguard, Murskaaja Mieto, at Mäntän Mättö. It was Mieto that cost Excentrico his match against Dr. No at Jatkosota 2012 on April 20 in Helsinki, and this sabotage has left a foul taste in the mouth of the flashy luchadore. This upcoming bout at Mäntän Mättö will be the debut match for Murskaaja Mieto, who has yet to prove himself as a wrestler, so everyone will get to see whether or not the bodyguard can indeed grapple and whether he can come out on top on May 17 in Mänttä-Vilppula.

For more infos go to www.wrestling.fi

IMPACT Wresting moved on with its monthly PPV march and presented “Sacrifice 2012”. This time it seemed that the wrestlers took matters into their own hands and tried to make an entertaining evening for the audience and for the PPV purchaser.

TNA World Tag Team Championship

Christopher Daniels & Kazarian beat Samoa Joe & Magnus ©

This match actually was the only storyline that was progressed. Now, Daniels and Kaz are champions. Then we have the development surrounding AJ and Kurt Angle and the former champions as possible opponents for a rematch. That could make for entertaining wrestling and perhaps TV shows. Usually, employees bribing their boss like Daniels and Kaz do with Dixie Carter ends in firing the instigators. But by putting the championship on Daniels and Kaz, the team could have a wild card and continue their shtick as long as they keep the titles. By the way, am I the only one who got dizzy during the replays after the match from the changing camera angles?

TNA Knockouts’ Championship

Gail Kim © beats Brooke Tessmacher

Gail Kim defeating a new opponent every other month kind of reminds of an old school TV series. Alright, I admit – Buffy – the Vampire Slayer. The main character gets a new monster to overcome every other week and beats it to death. But in TNA’s case we still don’t know who the ultimate monster will be at the end of the season. This missing link drags Gail Kim’s return to TNA into boredom. Hopefully, there are bigger plans for her in the future.

TNA World Television Championship

Devon © beats Robbie E. and Robbie T.

The third match and the third title match. Some would call that an excessive use of championships. Again it’s like watching a movie. The more people get killed within the first minutes the less the final encounter means. A title belt has become much like a tag-on instead of a reward for the performance by a certain wrestler.  The TV title also seems to be exclusively saved for Devon and Robbie E.,T. Those matches have become an ergo therapy for the lower midcard and a tumor for the audience. As hard as the wrestlers try it seems as if there is no deeper sense into those segments.

Mr. Anderson beats Jeff Hardy

And then something went wrong again. Obviously, it was way too early for a singles match between these two wrestlers. Quick build-up and no purpose whatsoever other than keeping both men busy. The crowd was involved just because Hardy was involved not because the back story got them emotionally involved. If the Earl Hebner screw up was intentional then at least we have a reason for the two men to keep on fighting each other. Then again, a feud between Anderson and Hardy seems forced.

Crimson beats Eric Young

Eric Young and the comic relief of the show; those characters will always have a place in the TV show. The story of Crimson now really has to come to an end or at least, the winning streak has to serve a purpose. A replaceable segment in any TV show.

Austin Aries beats Bully Ray

And here come the difference makers. Bully Ray and Aries have been separately on a roll for the past year. Together, they do what the others were not able to do until this point of the show. Get the viewer emotionally involved. Only emotions persuade the fan to invest money in the company. Aries and Ray earned my money beforehand and should receive a bonus after this match.

Kurt Angle beats AJ Styles

Whenever Kurt Angle is on the screen you can lay back and be sure you will be entertained. Whether he gets on the microphone playing a serious heel, a comic (or even dorky) character or, as he has been doing the past couple of months, as a simple wrestler. Every month the scratching on my head about the missing links of TNA’s TV show fades away as soon as Kurt Angle comes along and makes me feel comfortable about being a wrestling fan. In my eyes, AJ Styles has gained enormous credibility as a performer and a TV character. If WWE claims to bring legitimacy to their product by signing Brock Lesnar, TNA already has two huge factors for that claim. The outside interference served the bigger purpose of building the story surrounding the men involved….and it was done the right way.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Bobby Roode © beats Rob Van Dam

It was the expected win to serve the purpose of strengthening the title reign of Bobby Roode. The champion beat RVD in his signature match and can now brag to have beaten James Storm in his home town and RVD on his home field. Roode has beaten Sting and is on the verge of becoming the longest reigning TNA World Champion. There are many accomplishments he has achieved. The question is: Is he going to have the long-term effect on the company’s history? As ironic as it sounds, the end of this story will make the difference between a good and great movie.

Overall

The main problem TNA has been having for years now is that they have a roster that is too big for their TV presence. Then, those monthly PPVs happen. The creative team tries to put as many wrestlers (i.e. products) as possible into the TV show and changes the constellation between the wrestlers as fast they have been built.

So, the PPV does not offer a conclusion rather than another bump in the road to nowhere. It seems just like any show. At least the main story surrounding Bobby Roode has been built properly, Aries/Bully Ray have a unique selling point just like the ongoing story of Daniels, Kaz and AJ Styles. But the whole TV show suffers from the constant changes described above.

Want to chat with me about TNA, WWE or wrestling in general, feel free to contact me on Facebook.com/walandi.tsanti or Twitter.com/WalandiTsanti or on w.tsanti@googlemail.com. Don’t forget to follow former WCW Wrestler Alex Wright’s promotion New European Championship Wrestling on new-wrestling. You can check free footage on TheWrestlingPress.com or on YouTube.

This week we bring another mammoth near three hour program that covers topics ranging from WWE, to TNA and even iPPV.

Join Jeremy and Martyn for another packed journey into the world that is professional wrestling as they discuss the (very good) TNA Sacrifice PPV event and the final Impact that preceded it (featuring the return of Abyss and the ‘reveal’ by Daniels and Kazarian), WWE Raw (a poor show that had a few high points including Paul Heyman) and Smackdown (featuring Daniel Bryan continue to prove why he is the greatest evil man in the world).

If that wasn’t enough we also bring you comments from former TNA World Champion Mr. Anderson talking about the inception of his A**hole catchphrase, Open Fight Night and more!

Plus there’s a full review of CZW’s Proving Grounds iPPV from HybridENT.TV (that featured a No Rope, Barbed Wire match between Danny Havoc & Drew Gulak) and detailed discussion on the ROH iPPV woes from this past weekend. NOTE – There is 100% zero discussion on the contents (results/spoilers) of the ROH iPPV itself. The discussion is purely on the technical issues surrounding the event itself.

All this and much more makes for another wild ride into the world of wrestling! Next week will be a vastly different show than normal, all explained at the end of the program. Enjoy~!

Download – Right Click, Save As HERE

UFC On Fuel TV: Korean Zombie Vs. Poirier

May 14^th, 2012

Patriot Center, Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Main card

• Main event, featherweight division; Chan Sang Jung versus Dustin Poirier
• Co-main event, welterweight division; Amir Sadollah versus Jorge Lopez
• Lightweight division; Donald Cerrone versus Jeremy Stephens
• Bantamweight division; Yves Jabouin versus Jeff Hougland
• Light heavyweight division; Jason McDonald versus Tom Lawlor

Preliminary card 

• Lightweight division; Cody McKenzie versus Marcus LeVesseur
• Middleweight division; Brad Tavares versus Dong Yi Yang
• Lightweight division; TJ Grant versus Carlos Prater
• Lightweight division; Rafael dos Anjos versus Kamal Shalorus
• Bantamweight division; Jeff Curran versus Johnny Eduardo
• Bantamweight division; Alex Sato versus Francisco Rivera

* Despite there being no big name stars on the card, due to the card being on Fuel TV which few homes in the US receive, the show still as a number of what at least on paper should be great fights, such as the Jung/Poirier main event and particularly the Donald Cerrone/Jeremy Stephens lightweight bout. In regards to championships, no fight on either the preliminary card or main card have any bearing on future title shots, so little in the way news will likely be made as result of the show.

With the sea of CM Punk t-shirts through every WWE arena, and the Daniel Bryan YES! chants booming through all the same venues, the match was always destined to happen.

The suits of WWE have decided to give the fans one of the best matches we could hope for at Over The Limit. Although this match may be out to take advantage of the Internet fans and try and increase on last year’s terrible buy rates, it is guaranteed to be match of the night. With all the work these two have done in the indies and ROH, how could it not be?

However, the hype behind the match is slightly tainted by what seems to be a very obvious conclusion, with CM Punk walking away still champion. With that said, why not have Bryan win it?

Daniel Bryan has become the fastest rising star in the WWE. Immediately after being featured at Wrestlemania 27 in the dark match, Bryan was lost in mid-card obscurity; becoming a pointless face jobbing in the ‘classic’ Sin Cara versus Sin Cara feud (D-Bry seemed to really offend the evil Sin Cara, probably something about Booker T’s Fave Five). Then that all changed at Money In The Bank.

After shockingly claiming the Smackdown briefcase, Bryan moved on to become the most entertaining heel in the company with the World Heavyweight Championship in his hands. His underappreciated battle with the giants Big Show and Mark Henry lead to this egotistical underdog getting a lot of heat, and a lot of recognition.

This all changed in 18 seconds. After the embarrassing end to his title reign in record time to Sheamus at WrestleMania, there was a swelling of support for the former ROH star. A man that spent so much time in the independents, a man with all the wrestling talent in the world, a man that built himself up from nothing, losing as a cannon fodder to the latest company darling was not going to be taken lightly.

So here we are, with the company finally recognising Bryan’s talents in this feud, why not give him the title? He has proven to be a great heel, as well as having a catchphrase, which is something nobody in the current main event scene can claim to.

This would also mean that a series of matches could develop over future Pay-Per-Views. With this feud being claimed to be the new Austin/Rock feud, and although it seems unlikely any feud can reach these heights, if it is to progress that way, we as fans need to see more to get our teeth in to. The prospect of reliving

One of the concerns with the feud is it could be just a flash in the pan, providing some filler for CM Punk. Similar to Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble, Bryan could be lost in mid-card obscurity in the next few months. If he was to claim the biggest title in the company, he’d be at the top for a good few months. Exactly where he should be.

If Punk does drop the title, with D-Bry being a Smackdown superstar, we could also see the titles being merged sooner than we think. The return of the Undisputed Title seems imminent as the RAW Supershow format is now allowing superstars to compete for various titles (also, RAW’s Chris Jericho competing for the World Heavyweight Championship). It would make sense for this to happen in a Fatal Four Way at No Way Out involving Sheamus, Jericho, Punk and Bryan.

If this is to happen it will have to be a dirty finish, as much as it would taint a great match. But to put both these men over, something like a John Laurinaitis interference will end this match.

With all this said, the question remains, should Daniel Bryan win at Over The Limit? There seems to be only one answer.

YES! YES! YES!

Get in touch with Mark at: https://twitter.com/#!/markpirie

Three years ago, KC Cassidy made her debut on the Australian wrestling scene, after training for two short months at the PWA Training Academy. With trainers like Robbie Eagles and founders Ryan Eagles and Madison Eagles at the helm, you have to know that this girl has the skills and she got noticed. KC Cassidy has combat injury and come out every single time, swinging, fighting and overcoming the odds to prove that she is here to stay & serious about her wrestling. KC Cassidy is now about to make her mark overseas, and we were honoured that she agreed to sit down and talk with us about her career in wrestling and what lies ahead.

© Cory Lockwood

Rhi Lockwood: Thanks heaps for taking the time out to sit down with me today KC!

KC Cassidy:Thanks for having me!

Lockwood: How did you get into wrestling, what motivated you to get into it?

Cassidy: My mum was a huge fan of Australian Wrestling in the 70s, she used to love Tex McKenzie, Mario Milano, Skull Murphy and of course, Larry O’Dea. She would always tell me about her adventures into Channel 9 studios with her best girlfriend, but I didn’t really get what she was talking about until we got foxtel. The first thing I watched was Monday Night Raw. I immediately fell in love. The extravagant wrestling gear, the entrance music, the outrageous moves and of course Eddie Guerrero’s low rider, I was hooked! I was eleven years old and up until this point, dancing had consumed my entire life. Straight away I told my family I wanted to become a professional wrestler. They were a little upset at first because they were so proud of how far I had already taken my dancing career and knew I could go so much further, but it was no longer in my heart, wrestling had taken over. On my 16th birthday I went to dinner with my mum and couple great friends in my local area and on the front door to the restaurant was a big colourful poster advertising Pro Wrestling Alliance Australia’s “Intense Summer Bootcamp”… “Mum, I know what I want for my birthday!” Two months later I began bootcamp. To put it lightly, they kicked my butt! But I loved it and never left. On the last day of the camp we all sat down and got some feedback from our trainers. I remember them saying to one of the guys “you’re a good wrestler, keep training and you’ll be great!” They got to me and I got positive feedback as well, it was very encouraging and just pushed my drive to keep getting better. Like the other guy, I wanted to be great.

Lookwood: You trained with PWA and had your debut match after only two months training. This is a pretty impressive feat! How do you think the training at PWA has prepared you for your wrestling career?

Cassidy: Yes, I started training in January and had my first mixed tag match in February! KC Cassidy and Robbie Eagles vs. Madison Eagles and Mike Valuable. I remember I was so excited when I found out I was going to have my first match. I got a text message and started jumping around like the ground was too hot for my feet and I made a big scene about it haha. The training at PWA is fantastic. The trainers have a lot of knowledge and experience not only around Australia but all over America and Japan and anywhere else wrestling has a prominent status in society. They made sure I was prepared before going out and wrestling a match and I trusted their judgement.

© Cory Lockwood

Lookwood: Who do you credit as your inspiration when it comes to wrestling or even just everyday life?

Cassidy: My family inspire me, my trainers inspire me, every single wrestler trying to make it inspires me, any person who is out there chasing a dream or overcoming the odds or trying to improve themselves inspire me. I see other people’s passions and their achievements and I just can’t wait to show the world what I’ve got.

Lookwood: You’ve overcome a pretty full-on injury, and you look better than ever. How did you keep your passion alive, did you have a mantra or saying that kept you focused on what you wanted?

Cassidy: Yeah, I suffered a torn PCL in my knee in a match last year. Probably the worst physical pain I’ve ever felt. I’ve had black eyes and strained muscles and a few other small injuries here and there but this was my first real injury and it was a pretty scary time. I had all sorts of doctors appointments and scans and x-rays and MRI’s, every day I was waiting for another appointment or I’d be waiting on a result, it took forever to find out exactly what I had done and to what extent. My surgeon said PCL injuries are very common and a lot of people especially athletes go on doing their thing without needing surgery. I then had rehab on my knee three days a week for two months. I was told I wouldn’t be wrestling for eight months to a year. Hearing that tore me apart because I was scheduled to participate in a PWWA show 2 weeks after getting the injury and that clearly wasn’t happening for me now. Anyway I religiously did my exercises at home so I could come back ASAP and almost three months later I made my return to the ring. Knowing I was going to Canada really kept me driven. eight months to a year? It was nine months ’til Canada when I hurt myself. I kept thinking about that everyday and when I was too tired to do anything or wanted to just go to bed, I got up and did my strengthening exercises knowing I had a dream to chase. After I was fully healed I was in the gym day in and day out so determined and focused, I wanted to get back to where I was physically before my injury. Now I honestly feel better than ever and it’s really proved to me that I can overcome anything to achieve my dream, and I will.

Lookwood: When Madison Eagles went overseas, you claimed yourself the PWWA Champion, what motivated you to do this?

Cassidy: I felt at the time that although I lost my championship match against her the month before she left, that I put up and tough fight and I deserved it, so I took it into my own hands- literally. She left the championship behind when she went overseas and no one else seemed prepared to represent the title of “PWWA Champion”, and I most certainly did.

Lookwood: Best match to date?

Cassidy: Some of my favourite matches to date have been against Jessie McKay, Madison Eagles, Nikita Naridian and Savannah Summers. It’s hard to pick my best over my favourite because every match i strive for improvement. There is a different element in each of those matches that is better than another and there has been a lot of time in between them to learn so I can’t pick at this stage, I’m sorry!

Lookwood: You are now based in Melbourne, after relocating from Sydney. Are you enjoying your time here?

Cassidy: I am loving Melbourne life! It’s so pretty and much easier to get around. There is nothing like the city views and atmosphere here. I am missing my family and friends back in Sydney but I’m definitely making new friends and having great fun with my second family here!

Lookwood: Do you get nervous before you wrestle? How do you settle your nerves?

Cassidy: I get nervous before every match. I get butterflies and I can’t sit still. I always like to take a few minutes by myself just to think things through and get into competitive mode. It’s actually something I’ve done my whole life before performing in front of an audience either dancing or acting. Growing up on the stage and dancing for eighteen years of my life, I think I’m close to perfecting the art of nerve calming haha. I also pray. Then my music hits and there is no more time to think, so I just do.

© Cory Lockwood

Lookwood: What are you most looking forward to, when you go over to Canada?

Cassidy: Learning from the best. I’ve been very lucky so far to have great trainers in like you said earlier Robbie, Madison and Ryan Eagles, Sean O’Shea and Carlo Cannon… To be able to add Lance Storm to that already amazing list of trainers is a fantastic opportunity and I cannot wait to take everything I can from the three months. I’m looking forward to being thrown into a whole new world almost alone and have to figure out how to live in a place where nothing is familiar. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have done the camp and the one constant thing they all had to say about it was ‘It was the best three months of my life… without a doubt’ and I am certainly looking forward to being in that moment and understanding what they mean by that.

Lookwood: Any goals that you are striving for?

Cassidy: I’m going into this just wanting to learn as much as i possibly can. From myself I’m expecting to come home with more knowledge than what I had before I left. I’m hoping to have a different views on things and a better understanding of our craft.

Lookwood: You’ll be doing a blog of your Canadian trip for NHB Girls, what can the readers expect to see?

Cassidy: Readers can expect to get a deeper insight into my life as an aspiring WWE Diva through my training with Lance Storm. I’ll be sharing new things I’ve learnt, how I’m adapting to living in Calgary, some of my struggles and anything else that might be a day in the life of KC Cassidy.

Lookwood: Thanks heaps for catching up with us today, KC! Any last words?

Cassidy: I just want to thank NHB Girls for all their ongoing support, you’ve been amazing and made this whole experience that much better. I can’t wait to get over there and I’m hoping to make NHB Girls and those back home proud!

Interview by Rhi Lockwood for NHBGirls.com. The original interview can be found here.

All photos  © Cory Lockwood. You can find more of Cory’s work at Cory Lockwood Photography.

As always, I’d like to invite readers to check out ICW – www.InsaneWrestling.co.uk and The One Wrestling Show – www.onewrestlingshow.com! It’s exciting to see such awesome wrestling talent, both inside the ring and behind the mic, coming out of Scotland. ICW are celebrating the most action packed year in their history, with more shows being put on than ever before. It’s also notable to mention the companies weekly TV show, airing every Friday night/Saturday morning at 1am. The show is also now on prime time, showing each Tuesday evening at 9.30pm! Check out the wild and intense programming from ICW on MyChannel (SKY Digital 219). With that said, on with this week’s topics!

• ECW Original Retires…

Upon defeating former partner Balls Mahoney at the Extreme Reunion event in Philadelphia last month, Axl Rotten has decided to call time on his pro wrestling career. Writing to fans via Facebook, the former ECW performer wrote:

“This is very easy to say. No tearful videos or thank yous. I had fun wrestling Balls Mahoney at Extreme Reunion. I will keep my thoughts on the other matches and event as a whole to myself. I think I’m done. I had 24 years doing what I love. I’m not going to wrestle another match. Thanks for the ride. It ended in a bang…literally!”.

This writer will forever have fond memories of watching Axl perform in the original ECW. Never being the fastest, most athletic or even best wrestler, the man still managed to stand out amongst the crowd for many long time ECW fans. All here at The Wrestling Press would like to wish him all the very best with what he chooses to do with the rest of his life.

• WWE Draft Possibilities?

The Wrestling Observer newsletter has been reporting this week that none other than WWE Superstar, Cody Rhodes teased during a public appearance recently that he would be making the jump from Smackdown to RAW.

Having been a part of Friday nights since the Spring of 2010, it would make sense to shunt one of the companies great white hopes for the future up to the ‘A’ show that takes place on Monday evenings. That said, the brand extension has never meant as little as it does now, with virtually every top name on Smackdown appearing on Monday Night RAW as part of the ‘Supershow’ concept.

Many fans in recent years have been clamouring for WWE to do away entirely with the brand extension, which has been in operation since 2002. Initially dreamt up to placate the number of wrestlers shipped in from WCW and ECW, the extension was set to see two completely separate companies co-exist under the WWE banner. With both RAW and WCW Nitro taking place each week, the thought process was that double the money would be gained from live event revenue, as well as merchandise, Pay-Per-View, TV sponsorship and advertising. Following a disastrous WCW Title bout on RAW between Booker T and Buff Bagwell in July 2001, it was apparently decided by Vince McMahon that the WCW brand could not carry itself. Therefore the idea was transferred over to the current model of having two distinct rosters of stars for both RAW and Smackdown.

With that piece of history in mind, there really is no use for the extension other than allowing WWE to market separate live event/house show tours around the globe. Perhaps this is reason enough for the promotion.

• One Wrestling Show Creates History…

With a link above, it’s no secret that I’m friendly with, not to mention a huge fan of, the guys who work on the One Wrestling Show each week. As the UK’s only FM wrestling radio show, it’s a testament to how far the product has come that it’s now able to attract comment from industry legends such as Hulk Hogan and Mick Foley.

Recently, the staff (along with a plethora of ICW wrestlers) ran a marathon 24 hour radio broadcast. With stacks of energy drinks, pro plus capsules and a burning desire to talk about all things pro wrestling, the show went off without a hitch and featured a number of exciting and often funny moments.

Rumours persist that the station ( 98.4 Pulse FM) may be willing to entertain thoughts of running a 48 hour special, which would be an incredible feat! Strictly being rumour, it’s nonetheless an interesting prospect. With names such as the aforementioned Hogan and Foley taking part, Eric Bischoff and others were also drafted in to give interview segments for the show.

The 24 hour marathon show is available now in 2 hour blocks – www.onewrestlingshow.com!

I would love to hear YOUR thoughts on this week’s article, or indeed anything else related to the pro wrestling industry. Drop me an email and I’ll be sure to respond. I just love chatting to any fans of this amazing business! You can reach me at jamiekennedy@live.com or follow me on Twitter – @Jambofish!