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Sunday, December 19, 2010

FIGHTS/BLOOD...And Chee-tos? ACW: Delusions of our Childish Days

    

This show was out of control, as per ACW style.  Blood caked the ring, lots of people threw down, the crowd had a blast, and a bag of Cheetos was assaulted by ACW's biggest jerk and leader of the most vicious stable I've ever seen live and in person.

The show opened with a Title vs. Title match between "Playboy" Johnny A$$hole and "Slim Sexy".  It was a fun start that ended with A$$hole taking the title.  But, as usual, he couldn't shut his mouth and made the Heavyweight Title a 24/7 Title.  Evan Gelistico answered the call and trashed Johnny, taking his title and becoming the XWO Heavyweight Champ.

Chingo Smurf came out and beat up on the emo Sky Rider, then RaJEET took on The Children of Pain combo of Darin Childs and Skyler Skelly.  The boys got schooled by the girls, but then the girls were jumped by Amanda "Hansen" Fox, Portia "Jimmy Jacobs" Perez, and Athena.  Serena Deeb came out for the save, and the three challenged the three for the main event.


Masters and Fitchett took on The Submission Squad, and, as usual, the SS cheated to win.


It isn't Christmas in ACW without a Deathmatch.  And, like last year, Chris Wolfe was up for the task.  This time, he took on Shawn Vexx.  It was a bloody affair, with Wolfe getting split open and bleeding like a stuck pig.  Tacks, barbed wire boards, and other found objects in a bar were used.  There was blood.  A lot of it.

After that, The New Age Takeover, composed of ACW's biggest sons-a-bitches, "The Sinister Ginger" Miss Maulie, Franco "Jersey Shore" D'Angelo, and Leader Jaykus "I'm Better than You" Plisken.  Plisken opened by putting down Slim Sexy, KASH Sinbad, and Just Willy.  Plisken took it to Willy, dropping the fun loving Austinite on his head and neck, taking Willy out of the match.  Then, The NAT took out Slim Sexy, who fought valiently before being taken out.  Sinbad stood no chance, and the sons-a-bitches won. 

And then in one of the most dastardly attacks ever on snack foods to rival the (San) Uvalde Jr. High School food fight of 1989, Plisken grabbed a full bag of Cheetos from the hands of ACW SuperFan Teri and smashed them against the ringpost.  He then took the bag and pounded them against the apron, crushing the helpless American snack staple.  It was not only an attack on snacks, but an attack on our country.

All I know is someone needs to nut-up and take it to these guys.  It's one thing to wrestle to a finish and win by hook or crook.  It's another to try and hurt people.  Everbody working's still gotta eat.

JC Bravo of the SmurfNation took on Big Ricky and beat the big man.  ACH beat up on Jason Silver in a competative match.  But the matchup many were waiting for was the Title vs. Title match between Hardcore Champ Masada vs. ACW Heavyweight Champ Rober Evans.  I didn't think Evans had the stones to take on Masada, but he did.  As usual, Evans gave it his all, and Masada showed no mercy.



After the above superplex, neither man could answer the bell, and the match was ruled a draw.

That match was followed by a 6-man elimination match for JT LaMotta's ACW YouTube Title, featuring Dingo, Vega, LaMotta, SuperElectro, Gary Jay, and Japanese star Tozawa Akira. 

The match was great, but the best part was Tozawa punking me out in front of everybody for giving Gary Jay a hard time.  Vary Gay and the rest of the Submission Squad always get an earful from me and the rest of the SuperFans I sit with.  Tonight, I was being an ass and letting Vary have it when Tozawa came down, shushed me, and told me to "relax".  It was a lesson in Japanese respect for all pro-wrestlers I will never forget. 

A vicious grudge match ensued between The Best in Texas, "Showtime" Scot Summers and "The Health Nut" Darin Childs.  They started with some science, but then threw that all out the window and brawled.  They even took it to the streets of Austin, into the neighboring bar, and back into the ring where they continued to brutalize each other.  Darin Childs won with an assist from LaMotta, and Summers vowed revenge in a no rope barbed wire deathmatch.  Can anyone bring some C4 to add to the barbed wire so we can have a FMW-style exploding barbed wire match?

"I'm a drunk Mexican hanging out for some pro-wrestling because I support independent pro-wrestling.  That's when you pull up, parking in a parking lot next door, waiting to drink some Michelob Ultra and talk about children exploited in a Guatemalan sweat shop.  That's when the match spills out of one bar and on your truck.  It's then you realize your cut rate insurance won't cover a bald, bearded badass taking care of business in and around your truck.  So get Allstate, save cash, and be better protected from Mayhem like ACW."

Serena Deeb was looking great as she came out to join RaJEET to take on Fox, Jacobs-Perez, and Athena. 


Perez and Deeb faced off, then threw down.

It was a great elimination match, with Perez taking the victory.

Check out the post night video here: 

And, for a laugh, here's a photobomb I caught with Deeb.


To all the wrestlers I cheer and jeer, thank you.

=============

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

FIGHTS-RCW's "The Event"

After the art show, I bypassed the company party I was supposed to attend to go to the River City Wrestling show.  Their December 2010 show was entitled "The Event", and I had been looking forward to it for a month.

The house was packed as usual, and we were all ready for the show.  It opened with co-commissioner Jeromy Sage giving RCW owner Brandon Oliver an earful for kowtowing to the legal manipulation of co-commissioner Ray the Voice.  His frustration made him not only quit his job, but turn his back on the fans who had been supportive of him with his return.

The first match was between a big masked brute named "Muerte" vs. Boston import Gerard St. Christopher.  It was a good start that was followed by the arrival of Team XL, composed of Mr. B and Ryan Johnston.  They came out talking a lot of trash about how great they were until the Texas Hitmen put them in their place.

Chris "The Pride" Ariason took on Ben Galvan in the next match that ended with the peculiar arrival of Honkey Kong, led to the ring by the RCW Web Hostess Felicia.  He was fed bananas before going in to interfere with the match, leading the ref to stop the bout.

The next match was an out of control Four Corners Tag Team Tables Match.  It featured Ann Dromeda & Numero Dos vs. The Karate Kids: Jo Jo Bravo & Black Belt Jones (not Weazy Woo) with Darci Drake vs. Champions Southern Sex Appeal: Danny Matthews & Scott McKenzie vs. San Antonio's Most Unwanted: Spector & Nemesis with Major Mike, Chris Sifunetes & Pink.  These teams went at each other from the bell, hitting each other with strikes, chairs, and tables.  Pink even went through a table.


It ended with The Unwanted taking the titles with some skullduggery, but not before Joey "Super Spot" Spector shared a special moment with Ann Dromeda.



RCW had a raffle for Manager for a Match.  The winner was Tina Ibarra (no relation), who stood at ringside for Flash and Martinez.  The two top ranked females took it to took it to the flamboyant Andy Dalton and Rudy Russo, working more effectively as a team and coming away with the win.  Dalton even challenged Flash to a pose off, which Flash won.


A bombshell was dropped on the arena when Jeromy Sage came out, declaring he was the advisor for the third person of the main event, that of Lance Hoyt.


Much to the dismay of the "Mistake from the Lake" Ray Rowe.


 The two took it to Jax Dane for the vacant title


Rowe even got a DDT in on the exiled WWE star.

 But in the end, Hoyt walked away with the victory, and became the new RCW champ.
It was a great night of wrestling.  The crowd was fun, the Frito Pies were great, and RCW put on yet another excellent show for the fans.

To all the wrestlers I cheer and jeer, thank you.

Monday, December 13, 2010

FIGHTS - "Rudos and Tecnicos" Art Exhibit, Gallista



This weekend was very eventful, which is nice after a long work week.  Gallista Galllery (http://www.gallista.com/) hosted a lucha inspired art show that was absolutely amazing.  The works ranged from abstract to political to straight lucha.  The people and artists were great.

It was great to see Xavier Garza again.  He wrote a kids book called "The Man in the Silver Mask".  It's a tribute to El Santo and lucha libre which is very good.  His work is very distinctive, and inspired by his love of lucha.  (http://www.gallista.com/garza/)  He's going to read "Code Name: La Lechusa" and hopefully, if he likes it, provide a blurb. 

The artists also included a guy named L.A., who was dressed flamboyantly.  He has some psychedelic works that were great.


Why is an art exhibit categorized as fight?  Well, the messge of the evening and themes of several of the paintings involved political and philisophical expressions of Latinos in Texas, the US, and the world.  Lots of them had to do with education, which was great.  There was even one with a luchador fighting Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and other inspired DREAM act works.  There was even one with a virgen Mary wearing a Villano maks.

I know I should have taken more pictures, but I wanted to be respectful to the artists.  I would have felt bad snapping pictures and not buying any of their works.  They were all amazing in their own way.

All in all, it was a great showing.  If you are in San Antonio, check it out.

Monday, December 6, 2010

FIGHTS - UFC and Strikeforce Saturday show...

The best thing about DVR is that you can do other things and watch TV later.  Not only that, but you can fast forward through commercials and get to the meat of the show.

For Combat sports shows, you can fast forward past the crummy stuff and get to the good stuff.

And that's what I had to do Sunday afternoon when I watched the UFC free event they had on Saturday.  Wrestling took priority, so I DVR'd two events: The Ultimate Fighter finale and the Strikeforce show. 

The Leonard Garcia/Nam Pham fight was the fight of the night. Pham got robbed, and people blame the judges.  Here's my thing.  Pham looked great.  He was picking apart Garcia with the sweet science, countering Garcia's brawling roughneck style.  Everyone saw it.  The fans saw it.  Judges saw it.

But Garcia took Nam down twice.  Didn't really do anything with the takedowns, but scored with two.  And in UFC style fighting, you can dominate on the feet, but takedowns make a difference.  Don't blame the judges for their decision.  Blame the fighters for not finishing.  The judges are just working within the rules the have to determine the fight.  I liked Nam, but he should have finished Garcia.

I fast forwarded through the rest of the show.  UFC might be the best thing going in MMA, but they throw out so much product, that it delivers 2 out of 5 events sometimes.

Strikeforce delivered.  Lawler was as ruthless as ever, putting the aged warrior Matt Lindland down on the mat with vicious punches.

But the best punch was the last match.  Paul "Semtex" Daly put out Scott Smith with punches that sent him to the mat face first.  It was reminiscent of when Fedor KO'd Andre Alrovski and sent him to the mat face first.  It was awesome.

You should watch it.  Seriously, watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xuC_DKlPpM

UFC's problem is they put quantity over quality.

This Saturday, I'm going to the RCW show.  It should be over before the main event of UFC, which is the only match on the card worth watching, no matter what Dana White tells me.  The best of both worlds!

FIGHTS/BLOOD - The SCW Cage SuperShow...

Before I get into my trip to the cosomopolitan town of Lytle, Texas, let me tell you about the gimmick I've come up with for this blog.  When its about "zombies", the entry will have "zombies" at its beginning.  When its about "fights" or "blood", the same.  That way, you can find the blogs that interst you the most.

Today, its "Fights/Blood", because that's what SCW in Lytle delivered.  It was a short trip from my house and very easy to find.  And I knew when I drove in that I was in small town Texas when I saw the "Chiropractor" sign just above a "Barbacoa" place.  In Lytle, you can get your back adjusted, then grab something to eat right next door.  Texas, baby!

The arena was apparently custom built for pro-wrestling shows.  For a minute, it reminded me of the scene from "X-Men" when Rogue walks in to that smokey bar in Canada and finds Logan kicking butt in the cage.  It might have well have been that, because there were pool tables and jukeboxes to my left, the bar to my right (serving Pearl, may I add.  God Bless Texas!).  A chain link fence surrounding a wrestling ring wating to punish all those that entered was just the kind of sight I was wanting to see walking into the SCW SportsStation.

Bleachers were made out of wood, constructed by hand and a little love.  It was where seats were reserved for me by fellow fan, Teri.  My partner in crime, Anna, showed up with her little girl and her man, Allen, so I knew it was going to be even more fun.  Sign Guy, a superfan of the highest order, was also in attendance.  I'll post his videos documenting some of the fun below.

Barry Savant was looking sharp in a tie, slacks, suspenders, and his signature hat.  He's the blogger that pointed the way to the good (and not so good) indy promotions here in south Texas.  I wouldn't have traveled to Lytle if it wasn't for him.  Check him out if you are in south Texas looking for a pro-wrestling fix.

http://saindywrestlingscene.blogspot.com/

The opening matches featured guys I like booing.  El Latino and Lemus II traveled the Texas Indy circuit for a while, so I was familiar with them.  Latino was jumped by another guy I like to boo, Tito Sanchez, outside of the cage.  Blood was flowing even before El Latino got into the cage, and I was alright with that.  I wished nothing but pain for both of them, and the cage granted my wish.  Both were punished by the cage and by each other, and El Latino walked away with the victory.  We'll see if he can have some redemption against Sanchez.

An all girl three way ensued between the loveable redneck woman Lillie Mae, the evil ginger Miss Maulie, and the animal Claudia del Solis.  Claudia was something out of a Tarzan comic, all jungle beast-girl.  It was as if she actually LIVED in a cage when she wasn't at the SCW Arena.  If Bruiser Brody and a panther had a baby, it would be Claudia del Solis.  The ginger didn't want to fight, but was put to task quickly by Solis, who threw Mae into her.  The three mixed it up, and Lillie Mae got bloody.  With her blonde locks, she looked like Ric Flair at Starcade vs. Harley Race in the cage.  Blood caked her face and hair early in the match.  The Ginger and the Animal threw down, thinking they had Lillie out of commission.  But Lillie took the suprise victory.  I don't think Lillie's heard the last from Miss Maulie and Claudie del Solis.

Texas wrestling legends Ken "Mad Dog" Johnson and Dusty Wolfe put their tag titles on the line against the Dell Enterprises, Inc. tandem, big Dick Dallas and Danny Saint.  Both competitors had to get out to win.  The tag champs just didn't seem to be on the same page as Johnson got out of the cage first, and before Wolfe could escape, Dick and Saint pulled Wolfe back in for more punishement.  It was mayhem that found Dick and Saint the winners and new champs.

In spite of the loss, Wolfe was honored with being the first inductee in the SCW Hall of Fame.   He wrote an interesting book, too.  You should check it out. I"ll have to bring my copy next time so he can sign it.

http://www.amazon.com/Journal-Journeyman-Dusty-Wolfe/dp/1440429863/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291677820&sr=8-1

North vs. South collided again, as Jersey native "The Situation" Mike "One Man" Dell took on the big redneck "Cowboy" James Claxton.  It was great to yell at that yankee bastard again, and he made the fans jeer him with his signature arrogance and cocky style.  But Claxton took it to the northern invader with a solid attack.  The ref took control after things got crazy on the outside.  I told the owner I was going to call the Texas athletic commission if he didn't take control of this important match.  The ref took a stand, sending Dell's entourage to the back.  And though they still tried to interfere, the belt changed hands.  The belt was back with the Cowboy.

The big grudge match of the night was Jaykus Plisken and the new SCW commish, Jacob Ladder.  It was a "Fans bring the weapon" match.  And it delivered in violence.  A can of WD-40 and a lighter was used.  Even a Roman Candle got in the mix.  Light bulbs, chairs, ladders.  It was a real rumble, with Jacob taking the victory.

All in all, I was glad to make the trip.  It was fun, the wrestlers gave their all in the cage, and the beer was cheap.  Here's hoping the next time I visit, I will get the same.

To all the wrestlers I cheer and jeer, thank you.

Videos:
"The Situation" Mike Dell Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.youtube.com/user/signguyscorner#p/a/u/2/2F5JpUnOY7Y

Lillie Mae aftermath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCBPoPJFAH4

Miss Maulie attacks Sign Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDEmuGLtprc

More great Texas indy interviews at SignGuy's YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/signguyscorner

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Can't we all just get along...EVEN in a zombie apocalypse?

For me, the answer is no. 

Take a minute and read this great article about the rise of zombies in America (pun intended).

http://io9.com/5692719/a-history-of-zombies-in-america

If there is anything my Zombie Lord and Father, George A. Romero, has taught me, its that even in the zombie apocalypse, we are going to have to deal with the same shit we had to deal with before the apocalypse.  Just cranked up to 11.

When I had the honor to write the forward to the late Z.A. Recht's zombie sensation "Plague of the Dead" (http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Dead-Morningstar-Z-Recht/dp/1439176736/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290404303&sr=8-1), I theorized that a zombie apocalypse was a chance for people who never interacted before to work together toward a common goal:  Survival.  Cloistered in our homes from day to day, we are unaccustomed to the social interactions of the days before air conditioning and cable.  People in the "old days" would walk around their neighborhoods, talk with others, play with others, and get to know each other and trust each other.

Let me emphasize the word "chance".  It would give us the "chance" to work together.

Today, we 'plug in' and socialize.  Whether its a video game, Facebook, Blogging, or whatever social or entertainment media we choose to sedate ourselves from the workaday world.  How would we face the people in our own neighborhood?  Since we don't know each other, would we all help each other?  Forced to trust, would we let others into our houses?  Would we just get pillaged?

The zombie apocalypse would force us to work together.

Or would it?

My thought is no.  When its survival, its get it first and take it.  Romero's characters showed it.  The desperation of victims of modern disaster show it.  How could you blame someone for stealing from a trashed store to feed their kids?

I share the same sentiment with the author of the article, and my books, "Down the Road", "Down the Road: On the Last Day", and the upcoming "Down the Road: The Fall of Austin" all share that theme.  Race relations is a strong element of the DtR world.  Growing up in south Texas, I know the tensions are still there and still see and feel it to this day.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I would pray I could find a few people to work together with.  We can look at history in our country in the modern era to determine if that would actually happen.

Until next time...

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Away we go...

Hello all.

It's Bowie Ibarra here.  If you've stumbled upon this blog, I hope you'll follow it and enjoy some brief musings of some of my favorite things:  Zombies (movies, books, tv shows), Fights (ranging from all combat sports like boxing, pro-wrestling, lucha libre, and mma), and blood (the previous interests tend to involve blood). 

These are also the subject of my books.  You should check those out, too.  But I'll talk about them soon enough.

I'll come in and post brief thoughts and musings.  I hope you come join me.