to those who understand, no explanation is needed...

Fresh starts

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:20:21 GMT

It's been a while (nearly a month!)... but it's not a good idea to get into all that!

Since I last wrote something in here, it's been pretty hectic. Finally getting rid of a Scottish pain in the arse (after she'd caught herself out good and proper!), starting a podcast (www.wrestling-online.com/ringside), hopping on the Facebook bandwagon, carrying on with book two, and finding a new job.

Yep, it's a totally fresh start. Let's see where things head out from here...

Bitter, or justified?

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:04:27 GMT

(Number 1,783 in a series of "blog entries that will bite me in the arse one of these days")

I've literally just found out that an old friend of mine from school got engaged over the weekend. Granted, we've had our fallings out (but were speaking... as of the last time we saw each other a week ago), and there's a fair bit of history as well.

So in that sense, I'm not sure whether to be happy for him, or really offended that I had to find out through another friend from school who I've not seen in almost five years.

It's probably a good idea not to hold my breath for the eventual wedding invitation!

Day of Innuendos

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:54:28 GMT

Well, it's been quite the few days at work. Tomorrow, I'm back on that (CENSORED) back office runner job, since management has badly messed up the summer leave. Usually, I'd be happy to be taken off of the transport, but since that's the coolest room in the building now (seriously, it's the middle of July, and the air vents are blowing out HOT AIR. I mean, what the hell is that all about?)

Anyway, where was I? Yeah, I'm back onto the back office runner job tomorrow, which should be fun - buried up to my eyeballs in post, paperwork... and dealing with a buzzer that seems to go off every five minutes. I may need to do some rewiring with that damn thing if it's as annoying as I've been told.

So today was my last day with the living for the best part of a fortnight, and it was better than usual. As much as I moan about the job, I kinda like some of the people I work with, although that isn't me saying "I'm not going to find another job because I like the people I work with!". In a weird way, I'm going to miss the (mostly smutty) conversation that I hardly take part in...

Although today, I really could have done without someone saying "I've seen Ian's long pole". A guy's got a reputation to keep, you know! (that was a reference to some hoover attachment that for some reason is always left in the transport room, and has "become" mine... before you get any ideas!)

- On unrelated notes: FUCK iTUNES! I was forced to download the new one on Sunday after it crashed on me (on the stroke of midnight, no less) - and then rebuild my library because of some incompatibility between 7.2 and 7.3 iTunes. That sucks. But not as much as me having to restore my iPod and copy over 50Gb of music for the third time since Saturday night...

And isn't it weird how stuff intertwines together. A little over a fortnight ago, I'd never even heard of Fragile X. Now, because of a certain wrestler whose name is banned in WWE, I know more than enough about it. And now, one of the supervisors at work (well, technically he's a "floater") is doing a charity bike ride. For the Fragile X Society. And yes, I've sponsored him...

Orlando Calling

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:21:03 GMT

Who'd have thought that work would have been so understanding?

After originally being turned down for leave, since I was taking too much time too early in the year, I've now been given the green light to take nine days off next March.

Guess that means I'm off to Orlando next year - the New York band is back together. At least this time, I'll be drinking while "covering" the bloody wrestling!

Hell Week, June Over

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:06:36 GMT

How the hell do I write this without sounding like the "emo kids" that I can't stand?

This past week has probably been one of the most difficult ones I've had to endure, at least from an emotional point of view. On Tuesday night, when I wrote the column/"obit" on Chris Benoit, the details were sketchy at best. Some four days later, the story keeps getting more horrific, with the latest details coming out over just how Benoit killed his son.

On Tuesday, I was all for the "separate Chris Benoit the wrestler from Chris Benoit the murderer" - right now, as much as I want to say "yes, he was a great worker", I just can't help but look at the photo above my monitor and want to erase all memory of that man from my mind. Time heals all wounds and that, but this is going to take a long long time.

I don't want to say that I'm done with wrestling - hell, just over a year ago, my book came out (and boy, those flyers are useless now, since Benoit was all over them!), but as of now, I don't think I can handle watching anything at the level of recent WWE shows.

Elsewhere, my week's kinda engulfed by an ear infection that's made me loopy all week (and the Benoit story didn't help at all). Still, it meant I got a day off on Thursday to sleep it off; and give me more chance to apply for other jobs. I've seen where I'm heading in July, and to be perfectly honest, a week going back to being back office runner isn't exactly what I want for my 24th birthday.

For a "hell month", June, on the whole, was great (well, until the 25th) from my perspective. Never before has so little meant so much - with any luck, I'll be able to return the favours. The paths in front of me are clearing up, and one door in particular has been slammed shut, locked, and the key tossed into some particular thorny bushes.

And since we have less than an hour left of today, may as well post this before the time is up: happy birthday Louise!

Chris Benoit

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:56:15 GMT

All of a sudden, gripes about work trying to twist your arm mean very little in comparison. Today, I've been in somewhat of a daze - some of it brought on by a cold as well as an ear infection... and the rest of it due to the news I got this morning that made my heart sink like a stone.

I'm not one for emotions, but anyone reading this: whether it's to friends, family, lovers or whatever... anyone who means anything to you, tell them, because you never know when your time on this planet will be over.

And on that note: my first "proper" column in over six months. Another bloody obit:

A little over three years ago, I was among the thousands of lucky fans inside Madison Square Garden, watching on as Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero celebrated as World and WWE champions respectively. Fast forward to Monday, June 25, 2007 – some 39 and a half months later – and neither man is with us.

No matter what you think of the man for what he may or may not have done in his personal life, and WWE have started to do their bit by erasing virtually all mentions of Benoit from their website, but now is not the time to speculate over what happened this past weekend.

Like most wrestling fans on this side of "the pond", I found out about Chris Benoit's passing on Tuesday morning, courtesy of a barrage of IMs all with the same headline "RIP Chris Benoit". Having taped Raw, I played the first few moments, and sure enough, what all of those IMs had said was true.

As a wrestling fan, my first encounter with Chris Benoit would have been around 1996, back in the day when he was a part of the Four Horsemen, and into the classic best-of-seven (that really ended up being an eight match) series with Booker T. As the Horsemen disbanded and reformed, Benoit moved into his own faction in August 1999 – The Revolution – comprised of himself, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Shane Douglas, a quartet of WCW wrestlers who were frustrated at their lack of a push.

Life imitated art less than six months after the formation of the Revolution, when Benoit – alongside Malenko, Saturn and Eddie Guerrero – quit WCW, just a day after Benoit had won the WCW title from Sid at the Souled Out PPV in 2000. The World Wrestling Federation came calling for Benoit, as he would eventually get the push that so eluded him during his days in Georgia.

Starting as the Radicalz, Benoit (and company) quickly turned heel on Mick Foley after they lost a series of "tryout matches", instead aligning themselves with Triple H to "get work" in the company. Along the way, Benoit went through several babyface and heel turns, and pick up a hatful of title belts, the first one coming at WrestleMania 2000, pinning Chris Jericho in the first fall of a two-fall, triple threat match to win Kurt Angle's Intercontinental title.

During this time, Benoit would have flirtations with the WWF title, coming close to winning it from the Rock at the Fully Loaded PPV later in 2000, then again at the Unforgiven PPV a few months later. As Benoit was pushed as a serious contender for the World title, the "Rabid Wolverine" seriously injured his neck in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match – an injury that would keep him on the sidelines for a year.

In that time, the WWE started its roster split, with the injured Benoit being drafted third for SmackDown. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise to note then, that when he returned from injury, it was on Raw, albeit for a few weeks, during which time he aligned himself with Eddie Guerrero, won the Intercontinental title, then lost it back to Raw's Rob Van Dam.

As we headed towards the end of 2002, SmackDown was introducing its version of the tag team titles – a set of titles that were largely contested over by three teams: Los Guerreros, Rey Mysterio and Edge, and the dream team of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. Benoit only lifted those titles once with Angle, it was only something to keep him occupied until his next singles push began the following summer, as the United States title was reborn.

Making it all the way to the final, Benoit lost to Eddie Guerrero as the US title suddenly became a secondary concern – Chris had an eye on the big one, as he started to chase after the WWE title that was held by Brock Lesnar. Along the way, Benoit beat some of the biggest grapplers in the WWE, including Lesnar in a non-title match, but his ongoing storyline vendetta with then-SmackDown GM Paul Heyman saw that Benoit would never get a shot at Lesnar or his WWE title. That effectively ended Benoit's career on SmackDown, but we had to wait until he won the Royal Rumble – after starting the match as the first entrant – before he jumped back to Raw to challenge Triple H for his World heavyweight title.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Although Benoit's singles career had fluctuated since losing the World title to Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2004, he was always one of the most respected performers on any WWE card – and could be relied to get a good match out of just about anyone (not called Billy Gunn). It was that aspect of Benoit's wrestling skill that became the driving force behind his recent "draft" to ECW, with the view to him training several of the greener wrestlers on the brand, much in the way that Finlay did with Lashley last year.

Of course, that never happened. Benoit, who was by all reports, set to become the ECW champion (and the only person to hold major singles and tag team gold in WWE, WCW and ECW) at the Vengeance PPV this past weekend. The ill-fated family emergency saw Benoit miss that weekend's house shows in Texas, before the news broke on Monday evening.

As I write this, I'm still in shock: I cannot believe that the man who I idolised as a wrestler for almost a decade has died. I also cannot believe the way in which he left us.

None of us really knew Chris Benoit – the human being. From the comments that have been made since his death, that has become quite clear. The only side that I, and all of us reading this, knew of was "Chris Benoit: the wrestler". While the events surrounding his death will undoubtedly have tarnished his memory among wrestling fans, as far as his work in the ring goes, we're all going to miss him.

Weekend of the Disappearing Curses

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 21:21:16 GMT

Well, the jinx is over, I guess. The new PC is finally working - aand wouldn't you know it, it was the same issue as last time. Just a note to anyone else building their own PCs, make sure that 12V lead is pushed all the way in, or you'll have as red as face as I!

Everything's up and running, and given how it wasn't even 10am this morning when I got the new PC booting up, it's been quite the day... hell, it's been quite the weekend.

Without going into any detail, since I'm really not that kind of person, all I'll say is this: it's the little things in life that truly mean the most.

Feeling just about as bouncy as Finlay right now. But please, don't get me started on black midgets... just don't!

Jinxed it!

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:42:31 GMT

Fan-bloody-tastic... went to turn on the new PC tonight to set up Vista and all that. Well, it was a good idea in theory: the power supply lit up, and even the front of the case went blue (which is one step further than I got with this one). Even the keyboard was operational...

The only thing is, I couldn't see shit on my monitor. So I swapped it for another one - still no luck. I went to try the DVD drives, and they wouldn't eject... It's either the graphics card, or the PSU - and I'm discounting the latter, since the power lead supplying the DVD drives are also powering the fans, which were spinning.

Guess who's spending Sunday reseating everything inside his PC before panicking?

Nearly there

Thu, 31 May 2007 20:54:55 GMT

Touch wood, this is going to be the last blog entry I'll be writing from this PC. It's had a good run, but I was getting sick of it overheating every time I tried doing anything beyond browsing the internet.

The new rig's actually built, but since I didn't get done til half 8, I didn't fancy staying up til the wee small hours installing Vista and copying everything over. That's being done this weekend, or rather, Friday and Sunday... and most likely Monday night into Tuesday as well.

It's almost the weekend; and even though it's only been a three day week, I'm ready for it. 'tis just a shame that there's no more 3 days weeks for a while now, especially since we're about to start Hell Month, where every man and his dog seems to be on their holidays. Just as well we're getting five new bodies in, you know, to replace the five who are going to be let go in a month's time to "save money"?

Sheer lunacy. Still, everything happens for a reason - as I'll no doubt find out sooner rather than later!

The week ahead

Mon, 14 May 2007 22:00:36 GMT

It's been a while since I've had to keep an eye on children. Especially children with a "real" age of 19 and 23. Knowing me, I'll be the one who needs to get some time off after this week!

Since my hit-count for this blog is now well into three figures every week (seriously, who the hell finds this shit entertaining?), does anyone have any movie recommendations for this coming Friday? All ideas are welcomed...

And finally, a video of former Sunderland man Danny Dichio blotting his copy book on his debut in Toronto last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqY-cdZKk4

Champions!

Sun, 06 May 2007 22:29:38 GMT

Well, that was quite the afternoon... Sunderland were never threatened against Luton, but we were all left wondering just whether or not Preston would stop doing us favours just when we needed one the most.

Come 3pm, we'd won 5-0, and Preston had beaten Birmingham 1-0. Perfect. We're the champions of the Championship again, and we're going back to the Premiership next season. Judging by the bookies, we're not going to go straight back down, which has got to be a bonus.

As if winning the best part of £50 from our promotion and title victory from some free bets wasn't enough of a bonus already!

Thank God tomorrow's a bank holiday, because I can see a lot of Sunderland in the midst of a celebration right now, with a lot of those guys forgetting tonight come the morning.

On some unrelated side notes: Diesel is evil (like Bob Backlund, it kicked my ass quickly), and after seeing the main event for Raw on Monday, I think I may be going in to work on Tuesday - if not for the overtime, then to make myself extra sure that handing my notice in is the right thing to do in the current situation.

This is me? (survey)

Sat, 05 May 2007 23:02:01 GMT

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

Extraversion	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	40%
Stability	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%
Orderliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Accommodation	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Interdependence	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Intellectual	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Mystical	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Artistic	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Religious	\|\|\|\|	16%
Hedonism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Materialism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Narcissism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Work ethic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Self absorbed	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Conflict seeking	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Need to dominate	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%

Romantic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	76%
Avoidant	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Anti-authority	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Wealth	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Dependency	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Change averse	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Cautiousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	76%
Individuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Sexuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Peter pan complex	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Physical security	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Physical Fitness	\|\|\|\|	17%
Histrionic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Paranoia	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Vanity	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Hypersensitivity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	83%
Female cliche	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Stability results were low which suggests you are very worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were moderately low which suggests you are reclusive, quiet, unassertive, and secretive.

trait snapshot:
depressed, introverted, neat, needs things to be extremely clean, observer, perfectionist, not self revealing, does not make friends easily, suspicious, irritable, hates large parties, follows the rules, worrying, does not like to stand out, fragile, phobic, submissive, dislikes leadership, cautious, takes precautions, focuses on hidden motives, good at saving money, solitary, familiar with the dark side of life, hard working, emotionally sensitive, prudent, altruistic, heart over mind, unadventurous

Celebrating, but not too hard

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 21:47:44 GMT

Sunderland are going to be back in the Premiership next season - but I'm not celebrating too much right now. Yeah, it's great to be looking forward to playing against Manchester United and Chelsea instead of Plymouth and Scunthorpe next season, but this is something we've been through too many times before.

Our team needs a lot of strengthening done to it for next season, especially if rumours of a clear-out of sorts are true. But first things worst: we have to win the league before we can really celebrate. Until then, I'll just stick with the Bud Ice!

- And here's the semi-obligatory "emo" bit: even when you prefix bad news with "don't worry", why do I always end up fearing the worst and reverting to type? As much as I've tried to, today's reminded me that my feelings have only been hidden and not lost.

Limbo Sucks

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:55:07 GMT

Thank God the week is almost over... for the past few days, I've been a little under the weather, almost in a trance.

Maybe its the comedown after last weekend, but this week has been pretty bland to say the least. I wouldn't mind it as much if I could see things going forward, or even backwards (while I'd be pretty annoyed if that were the case) - but just standing still? Limbo sucks.

For those of you who want to read it, my absurdly long UFC 70 live report is now online at WrestleMag. Go take a read...

Still on the Ultimate high

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:32:53 GMT

Alright, so some people are going to call me "sad" for saying this, but last night's UFC show in Manchester was one of the best shows I've been to - perhaps even shading WrestleMania in New York.

Early on Saturday morning/late on Saturday night, one of the BS horoscopes that gets e-mailed to me read something like "today will be the first day of the rest of your life." Well, there sure were some watersheds... including one that's extremely personal (I still would have taken having a tongue stuck out at me, but what can you do?), and one that looking back, is one hell of an achievement for myself.

A full report on the show, and the associated experiences of free catering, the media room, bumping into Gabriel Gonzaga en route back to the dressing rooms, and shaking Dana White's hand will appear on WrestleMag.com sometime after Monday, once I've finished it. So far it's up to 1,000 words, and that's not including any quotes, or the list of "better things to do than watch David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida", which includes wondering why the hell the ring girls' "manager" weighs more than the two of them put together!

And perhaps a few quotes from the press conference attended by the unlikely trio of myself, John Lister and Mo Chatra. Not that any one of us didn't have a right to be there, but given what's been said in the past (mainly from my part), it just seemed totally surreal.

Remind me again, just why was I not overcome by intimidation upon seeing Dana White backstage and going up to him?

I guess I have changed a bit...

Please no...

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:19:24 GMT

I'm now starting a Lemsip-heavy (or similar unbranded product) regiment, as I plan for this weekend's UFC show.

Yeah, it's not in line with the training that Messrs Cro Cop, Bisping and Arlovski have been doing, but every little helps. Especially since "Scary" and a few others at work have been carrying colds this week. And guess who's just starting to show signs of getting it himself?

I am not no-showing UFC for a little sniffle!

Half Way Through Hell Week

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:13:17 GMT

Is it me, or does the British verison of the Apprentice totally pale in comparison to the American show?

Three days down, and two to go in what looks like the start of another D/D hell at work. We're still fighting to find the odd form from last week's 1,000 rejects, while (somehow) slogging away at the new work.

After the end of next week, the "permanent" team for those buggers shrinks from 3 to 1, and even though that isn't me, I am really worried about what's going to happen afterwards. Every day this week, I've been putting in overtime just to get the backlog down - and next week, I've already volunteered to work til after 6 on Monday AND put in a few hours on my day off.

I must be mad. Or perhaps there's another reason.

Still, at least working in a team (after the complete cluster that was the characterised in first four and a half months of this year), I'm now a damn sight more open around people. So at least something good has come of that. I'm out of my shell... and so it will remain!

Looking forward to going out after work on Friday night, even if it is only for a quick drink and a few losses at pool. As long as I don't get humbled, it's all good!

Because everyone likes a survey every now and again...

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:01:51 GMT

*A-2-Z About Me Survey* by bamachic49
{---Basics---}
Name:	Ian
Nickname(s):
Age:	23
Birthday:	July 18
Birthplace:	Durham
Current Location:	South Hetton (about 5 miles from Durham)
Eye Color:	brown
Hair Color:	brown
Height:	5'9 (I think!)
Weight:	Getting less!
Lefty or Righty:	Right
Zodiac Sign:	Cancer
What Do You Drive:	Corsa
Screenname:	MackemMan (or a variation)
{---Favorites---}
Color:	red
Number:	18
Band:	Too many to mention
Music Genre:	Anything that doesn't give you a headache when you listen to it!
TV Show:	Family Guy, American Dad, South Park, CSI: NY
Movie:	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Actor:	Don't really have one
Actress:	Don't really have one
Kind of Movie:	Comedy (the darker the better)
Cartoon:	Family Guy
Sport:	Football
Fast Food Restaurant:	McDonalds, but its been a while
Food:	Pizza
Ice Cream:	Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Cereal:	Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes
Candy:	Skittles
Drink:	Diet Coke
Alcoholic Beverage:	Don't really have one
Quote:	"When you have nothing left to believe in, believe in hope"
{---Do You---}
Have any siblings:	Two older sisters
Have any pets:	Not at the moment
Have a job:	Yes
Have a cellphone:	Yes
Have any special talents or skills:	I wrote a book, does that count?
Have any fears:	One or two, yes
Have a bedtime:	Yes - but it's usually way too late
Sing in the shower:	Sometimes
Want to go to college:	Been there, done that
Get along with your parents:	Yes
Have any piercings:	No
Have any tattoos:	No
Swear:	Yes
Smoke:	No
Drink:	Yes
Do Drugs:	No
{---Love & All That Crap---}
Ever been in love:	Once
Ever cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend:	No
Are you single:	Yes
Are you in a relationship:	No
Do you have a crush on someone:	Kinda
Ever been dumped:	No
Ever dumped someone:	No
{---This or That---}
Fruit or Vegetable:	Fruit
Black or White:	White
Lights On or Lights Off:	Off
TV or Movie:	Movie
Car or Truck:	Car
Cash or Check:	Cash
Rock or Rap:	Rock
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Chocolate
French Toast or French Fries:	Fries
Strawberries or Blueberries:	Strawberries
Cookies or Muffins:	Muffins
Winter Break or Spring Break:	Spring Break
Hugs or Kisses:	Hugs
{---Have You Ever---}
Danced in a public place:	Just the once...
Smiled for no reason:	Yes
Laughed so hard you cried:	Yes
Talked to someone you don't know:	Yes
Drank alcohol:	Yes
Done drugs:	No
Partied 'til the sun came up:	Not that I remember
Gotten a ticket:	No
Been arrested:	No
Been convicted of a crime:	No
Been in a wreck:	No
Been out of the country:	Yes
{---Random & Silly Junk---}
Are you a virgin:	(insert diplomatic "yes" here)
Ever TP'd someone's house:	No
Ever egged someone's house:	No
How many languages do you speak:	English, a bit of German, and a lot of bollocks!
Who do you compare yourself to:	Why be a poor copy of someone else, when I can be the best me?
Ever regret anything:	Yes
Do you like being tickled:	Sometimes
What are your goals:	To be successful. At something other than the job I'm in now!
Are your fingers tired:	Yes.
Are you tired of this survey:	Not really
Are you happy:	Yes
Take this survey \| Find surveys Pimp My Profile

World Collide: It's On!

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:23:23 GMT

Looks like my luck is starting to come in...

Just before 7 tonight, I got a text message giving me the good news. In 11 days time (April 21), I shall be in Manchester, covering UFC 70: "Worlds Collide" for WrestleMag.com (I think it's safe to say that now!)

Headlined by Mirko Cro Cop vs Gabriel Gonzaga, and an undercard featuring names like Michael Bisping, Andrei Arlovski, Cheick Kongo, Asseurio Silva, David "I'm Not Gangrel" Heath, Alessio Sakara and Elvis Sinosic, it's a pretty loaded card.

The downside is that I have to write a report on it for WrestleMag (like that's a bad thing!); and even though I am somewhat of a MMA novice, I will guarantee one thing. My report will be at least a thousand times better than any verbal vomit that's spewed out by every (UK) writer's enemy and Cromer's least favourite son...

Cramped

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:37:38 GMT

I've got a funny feeling (well, a few of those) that someone up there doesn't want me to go and see live music.

The last time I'd planned to go to a gig (July 2005, Theory of a Deadman in Seattle), things went awry when we got to Seattle; having arrived there tired and late without a clue where the building was (only to find out the next day that it was 1/4 mile down the road).

Tonight, I was meant to have been in Newcastle to see Drowning Pool... except a bout of stomach cramps as I was about to leave has put paid to that. You never know. One day, I may get to see some live music without screwing up directions or falling ill!

Rockin'

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:05:26 GMT

Just before the weekend, I got Guitar Hero 2 for the Xbox 360... and given that I hadn't so much as picked up a guitar before last Thursday (ever), I'm doing pretty well.

Granted, I'm struggling on medium, after breezing through easy; and the spots in front of my eyes are kind of annoying after a brief playing session (I'm not alone in that, thankfully); but this video scares the piss out of me.

1PW/Are people really dumb?

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:22:12 GMT

No absurdly long report of the 1PW show, mainly because anything I'd be writing on it would be so full of hatred...

Anyway, the first show of the "new" era (run by the same folks as before) was interminable, to say the least. They've gone from booking a product that was like TNA in their glory days (late 2004 til, ooh, October 2006) to the same sort of crap that we see on Impact every week. EVERY match had either a new angle, a run in or a screwy finish attached to it.

The main storyline seems to be 1PW vs NWE (the Italian promotion that uses... next to no native Italians). Except they rushed about six months of storylines into one show. Case in point: before his match with Mad Man Manson, a video of Heidenreich played with Heidenreich and Manson in a bar laughing and joking. Then during the comedy match, Heidenreich just turned heel and walked out for the count out loss, with no explanation (aside from "he realised he's an NWE guy and he hates 1PW - something that was never really conveyed).

Overall, the show was easily the promotion's worst effort to date. It felt more like a TV taping than anything else, which is odd, because 1PW DOES NOT HAVE A TV SHOW. The show started at 6.30, but it was pushing 7pm before we
had the first match, after a plethora of promos and videos and suchlike.

The card was really saved from being on the same level as December to Dismember by the Colt Cabana/Darren Burridge vs Nigel McGuinness/Doug Williams match, which was every bit as good and as funny as you'd expect. A few rowdy fans at ringside (who were becoming a pain in the arse by the end of the show) handed Colt a blown up condom (which was used as a weapon...) along with a black dildo (ditto). In all honesty, I wouldn't even recommend getting the DVD of the show for this match, unless you want to see Cabana's last match in the UK.

Of course, post-match, Colt announced that he'd joined WWE, and that this was his last match in the UK... which meant that he was relinquishing the 1PW tag titles. Nigel McGuinness said a piece about Colt, which somehow included him giving Colt a blow-up sex doll (from someone in the front row, don't ask me how the sex toys made it inside the arena), saying that he needed a woman to keep him on the straight and narrow.

As for the main event: 1PW had promoted it for weeks (and even during the show) as a "Fans select the stipulation" match, by texting in your vote on
your mobile/cell phone at the cost of 50p per vote. For whatever reason,
they announced the winning stipulation (Stairway to Hell ladder match)...
then moments later, switched the stipulation to an "I Quit" match, disguised
as a move by the storyline heel GM. Nevermind the anachronistic booking
there, but that move could get 1PW in serious trouble with Ofcom and ICSTIS
(the telecommunications watchdogs in the UK), if only for advertising and
taking money in a "fans decide the type of match" poll, only to openly screw
over the same fans.

Announced for their next shows, a double header on June 30/July 1, is Bryan
Danielson, Delirious, El Generico and Marty Jannetty (one of those names is
not like the rest...). Also booked is Abyss vs Ulf Herman (1PW champion) vs
two other men in a four corner match for the title...

and apparantly a NWE/1PW War Games match. Which should be interesting given
that the Doncaster Dome isn't big enough for a steel cage...

Other notes: The crowd last night would be generously estimated at 800,
resulting in atmosphere that was non-existant at times, perhaps showing that
the events of the past few months with 1PW has lost them a sizable
proportion of their loyal/vocal following.

The show started at 6.30pm and finished just after 11.15pm. In various
guises, 1PW is now 18 months old and they STILL can't keep the lengths of
the show under control. That is becoming a major problem, as people were
leaving before the main event (even some of the 1PW "loyalists" who sat near
me walked out before the main event).

Results:

Ultimo Dragon beat El Ligero with the Asai DDT [post match, Darkside runs
in, attacks Ligero and hits a Vertebreaker/Cop Killer/whatever through a
chair]

James Wallace (Jay Phoenix's new name) beats Spud in a forgettable match

"Special Bonus Match" between G Man and Brad Flash was a no contest when
Kruger came out and attacked both men

Mad Man Manson beat Heidenreich by count out in a wacky comedy match that
saw a few poems, and Manson get a near fall from three Haduken "fireballs"
(straight out of Street Fighter, except there was no fire...)

Pac retained the 1PW Openweight title over Juventud Guerrera via DQ when
Heidenreich, Ultimo Dragon and Romeo ran in to attack Pac. Decent match, but
nothing special until the interference.

EntouRAGE (Mark Sloane/Ollie Burns) beat Jonny Storm/Jody Fleisch and The
Chavs (Skins/Mills). The Chavs were taken out by Pain Inc midway through the
match, courtesy of a brutal spear through the guard rails by Ruffneck. Storm
and Fleisch teased dissention during the match, but they both turned heel
afterwards by beating down Sloane/Burns after the bell.

Sterling James Keenan beat Romeo by DQ (Romeo retains NWE title) in an
average match before the NWE crew ran in and attacked Keenan. Juvi & co spat
on Keenan's 1PW t-shirt then sprayed lighter fluid on the shirt... except it
wouldn't go up in flames.

Colt Cabana/Darren Burridge retained (then vacated) 1PW tag titles over Doug
Williams/Nigel McGuinness in an extremely entertaining match.

and finally, Ulf Herman retained the 1PW title in an I Quit match over
Iceman when Herman used some barbed wire on Iceman to do a crossface-type
submission move. This was the same as all of their other hardcore matches,
except with the addition of the referee asking "do you quit?" after every
weapon spot. Count three tables, a bag of thumbtacks, no fire, and a crowd
that doesn't pop anymore unless someone gets set on fire in these kind of
matches.

Sunderland are still doing well; another win today puts us into second, and we're currently the bookies' favourites to win the league. There's five games to go, and all of them are winnable: without wanting to jinx things, I've got a good feeling about this!

Speaking about feelings: in the past 36 hours or so, I've driven the best part of 300 miles (two runs to Sunderland and back, and then the trip to Doncaster for 1PW)... in that brief milage, I've come across a lot of stuff that could have sent me into a fit of road rage. Namely, stupid pedestrians who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between the footpath and the road.

Maybe one day I should just take the attitude "if you get hit on the road, it's your own damn fault..."

Guitar Hero 2: rocks... except I need to find out how to hold the damn guitar so my fingers don't ache during "You Really Got Me" on easy. Am I the only one who noticed how it's "easier" to play songs you don't know, because you're not racing ahead with the tune in your mind, causing you to play notes out of time?

I'll be giving it another crack tomorrow: right now, my body is calling out for sleep after spending two days running on fumes... added to tonight's ill-advised one-man pizza-fuelled binge (coming from a day where I ate just two sandwiches and a mini pizza all day). I need to eat some proper food... starting tomorrow!

Still out on my feet, but I'm not knocked loopy. Yet...

Photos from yesterday's 1PW show will be up sometime on Sunday, assuming I wake up and my internet connection hasn't melted down like it did this morning!

Getting busier... but still looking for a distraction!

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:02:38 GMT

It's late, and I can't sleep... which isn't a good thing. Maybe its' the excitement. Anyway, I can't say too much right now, for reasons that will become obvious, but it looks like I may be heading to Manchester in the not-too-distant future to cover a certain combat sport event.

In the space of 48 hours, I've gone from having a blank calendar to having (by my standards, at least) a packed month: WrestleMania last night (okay, I wasn't there, but I rarely watch WWE pay-per-views live these days), 1PW in Doncaster this Friday, Drowning Pool and Ill Niño in a week... and potentially the Manchester MMA show on the 21st.

It's just as well that Easter's going to be pretty slow (1PW aside), and I should be able to have a quiet weekend for once, without any b.s. that's characterised the year so far. Ice-cream, and soda and pizza, oh my! (just not the Chicago Town home-baked stuff - but that's another story for another day)

I should be getting the Boondock Saints DVD in the next day or two: and I'm expecting great things (not that anyone's built it up or anything, eh Catherine? :))

They're all good distractions, but I could do with a few more, if anyone's listening! ;-)

... and finally: the most bizarre heart-warming story you'll see for a while.

If you wanna step up...

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:10:40 GMT

...you're gonna get knocked down.

Looks like I'm going to my first gig in four and a half years in a week's time. Drowning Pool are playing in Newcastle on Tuesday week along with Ill Niño - something I only found out about this afternoon, despite the gig having been announced over a month ago.

I've got my ticket, and barring a screw-up on the scale of Theory of a Deadman in Seattle in 2005 (and somehow, I don't think I'll have any borders to cross that'll delay me from getting to the city on time), this'll be my first gig since the Foo Fighters in 2002.

Let the bodies hit the floor!

WrestleMania~!

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:27:17 GMT

Somehow, I survived April Fools Day without any pranks. Maybe having a lie in helped out!

After having to tape WrestleMania last year, I got my arse into gear and booked Monday off, so I'm able to stay up til 4 to watch the show. With a pizza, a few drinks, and a bag of Skittles. Maybe its the subliminal advertising that's done it... They're fruity, delicious, delicious, fruity, fruity... ah, let JR tell you for himself!

Hopefully before we hit midnight, I'll be able to have watched some more "classic" Mania matches, while recording a stack of CSIs on my brand new DVR. At least this one doesn't flicker while I'm watching stuff on it, and the Freeview TV guide screen makes recording stuff a real piece of cake.

In spite of everything at work and wherever else, I survived Hell Week~! and got a fair bit of overtime as well, so you can't complain too much. Already my head's a lot clearer, although we'll see how far things go before we go back to the same old story of work being a distraction from everything else that's going on.

Normal service is being resumed :) All we need now is the stack of questionnaires, which I have a funny feeling will be fired this way...