Happy New Year! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UPPER MIDWEST WRESTLING NEWSLETTER No. 174 (1/1/01) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2000 Awards ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The second annual Upper Midwest Wrestling Newsletter awards are compiled. Points were awarded on a 5-3-2 basis for first through third. The winners were determined by total points. There were 90 ballots cast. First-place votes are in brackets with total votes following. 1. Wrestler of the year — This is a combination of being both an important influential wrestler in a positive manner over the past year, combined with being a great performer in the ring. 1) Dino Bambino (17) ... 126 2) Adam Pearce (14) ... 113 3) Adrian Lynch (15) ... 109 4) Lenny Lane (15) ... 106 5) Mitch Paradise (7) ... 68 Honorable mention: Danny Dominion 49, Hellraiser Gutts 48. Comments: 16 wrestlers received votes in this category with the top four in a close race. The styles of the top five vary greatly from a high risk flyer like Bambino to a traditional big man like Paradise. The top seven were undoubtly considered main eventers in the last year. Last year's winner: Adam Pearce. 2. Most outstanding wrestler — Based on ring work as the only criterion. Simply, the best three workers today. Drawing power, charisma and push shouldn’t be considered. 1) Adam Pearce (31) ... 226 2) Dino Bambino (23) ... 171 3) Ace Steel (10) ... 108 4) Hellraiser Gutts (10) ... 82 5) CM Punk (4) ... 65 Honorable mention: Danny Dominion 46, Colt Cabana 28. Comments: Pearce and Bambino flipped around in the results in the wrestler of the year and most outstanding from last year. Pearce had outstanding matches in St. Paul Championship Wrestling, Mid American Wrestling and All-Star Championship Wrestling. Consider this, Bambino and Pearce totaled 31 first-place votes as wrestler of the year, but Pearce totaled 31 first-place votes in this category by himself. To go one better Pearce had 31 first-place votes out of 90 ballots. There were 17 wrestlers who received votes in this category. Last year's winner: Dino Bambino. 3. Feud of the year — Combination of storylines and great matches. 1) Dino Bambino vs. Adam Pearce (27) ... 167 2) Mitch Paradise vs. The High Rollers (10) ... 92 3) Adam Pearce vs. CM Punk (10) ... 79 4) Sheriff Johnny Emerald vs. Shifty (8) ... 73 5) Scott Free/Scotty Zappa vs. K-Train (8) ... 71 Honorable mention: Rikki Noga vs. Danny Dominion/Ace Steel 54, Adam Pearce vs. Chuckie Smooth 53. Comments: It didn't hurt Pearce and Bambino that this feud was prominent in both All-Star Championship Wrestling and Mid American Wrestling. Mitch Paradise versus the High Rollers and their associates was the top vote getter in Minnesota. Shifty versus the Sheriff remained in the hunt after more than two years of matches. There were 19 different feuds receiving votes. Last year's winner: Sheriff Johnny Emerald vs. Shifty. 4. Tag team of the year — For the best working regular team. 1) Ace Steel & Danny Dominion (26) ... 171 2) GQ Centerfolds (Travis Lee & Matt Longtime) (26) ... 162 3) Cruel & Unusual (Big Daddy Hoofer & Ian Xavier) (11) ... 81 4) Hammers Brothers (3) ... 73 5) Sex & Pepsi (Jason Kronan & CM Punk) (5) ... 72 Honorable mention: Hellraiser Blood and Primetime 63, Reverend Axl Future & Arc Angel Vincent 57. Comments: Last year, Dominion and Steel placed second. This year, they didn't wrestle regularly as a tag team in many midwest promotions as their value in singles is often valued more on a card, but they worked in the WXO and also faced teams like Public Enemy, the Road Warriors and others in matches around the country. The GQ Centerfolds are the hot, new tag team on the scene as Matt Longtime and Travis Lee are hitting their stride in that union. Cruel and Unusual was one of the only regular tag teams in several of the Minnesota promotions. There were 13 teams that received votes. Last year's winner: Hellraisers. 5. Most improved — Based on making the biggest strides in ring work over the last year. 1) CM Punk (23) ... 160 2) Travis Lee (16) ... 130 3) Mason Diggs (9) ... 77 4) Kujo (8) ... 62 5) Chuckie Smooth (8) ... 54 Honorable mention: Kamikaze Ken 49, Matt Longtime 36. Comments: After winning the rookie of the year in 1999, CM Punk comes back to win the most improved wrestler. He had a strong run in St. Paul Championship Wrestling and Mid American Wrestling with feuds against Adam Pearce. Travis Lee garnered attention with his GQ Centerfolds gimmick and also moving into the tag team ranks in SPCW with Tony DeNucci. Mason Diggs started the year in All American Wrestling and finished the year strong in All-Star Championship Wrestling, while debuting in Mid American Wrestling and also in the Minnesota scene. There were 20 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: Red Lightning. 6. Best on interviews — Who has given the best interviews and promos. This is a category for interviews, not witty comments made during matches or reputations. 1) Mortimer Plumtree (17) ... 108 2) Adrian Lynch (9) ... 96 3) Adam Pearce (11) ... 92 4) Angel Armoni (15) ... 90 5) Lenny Lane (7) ... 68 Honorable mention: Dave Prazak 35. Comments: Mortimer Plumtree wasn't even on the first ballot that was sent out, but he was quickly added as the votes came in. Plumtree reappeared on the scene after sitting out a while. While not receiving as many first-place votes as two wrestlers behind him, Adrian Lynch still was able to capture second place. Adam Pearce's aggressive, in-your-face mike work landed him in third, followed by Angel Armoni and Lenny Lane. There were 22 people receiving votes. Last year's winner: Hellraiser Blood. 7. Most charismatic — What wrestler has to do the least to get the most out of it. 1) Adam Pearce (20) ... 135 2) Lenny Lane (12) ... 98 3) Mitch Paradise (10) ... 81 4) Shifty (9) ... 67 5) Chuckie Smooth (7) ... 59 Honorable mention: Adrian Lynch 53, CM Punk 49, Angel Armoni 45. Comments: Needless to say, this is a big year for Adam Pearce with another first-place finish. This was the year that saw Pearce change his ring gear to black jeans and shave his head. Lenny Lane, who went through a on-again, off-again relationship with WCW while working some local shows, took second, followed by Mitch Paradise, who worked in the main event of most of his shows. There were 23 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: Adam Pearce. 8. Best technical wrestler — This is for having the ability to use high level technical wrestling moves within the context of building a great worked wrestling match. There were 23 wrestlers receiving votes. 1) Daryck St. Holmes (31) ... 230 2) Ace Steel (28) ... 210 3) Eric Hammers (10) ... 108 4) Hellraiser Gutts (9) ... 82 5) Danny Dominion (0) ...16 Honorable mention: None. Comments: The real question in this division was who would finish fifth. St. Holmes and Steel dominated as almost two-thirds of the voters had one of them in first place. Last year's winner: (tie) Ace Steel and Hellraiser Gutts. 9. Best brawler award — Best brawling tactics to put together the best matches during the last year. 1) Horace the Psychopath (41) ... 243 2) Corp. Robinson (12) ... 116 3) Ian Rotten (10) ... 93 4) Chi-Town Thug (7) ... 77 5) Hardcore Craig (3) ... 47 Honorable mention: Hannibal 32, Kujo 22. Comments: Horace the Psychopath hit the road this year, working for All American Wrestling and All-Star Championship Wrestling in Wisconsin along with working occassionally in Minnesota. He tallied 41 first-place votes, which tied for the most in any category. Chi-Town Thug was the only other wrestler in the top five that wasn't a Mid American Wrestling regular. There were 21 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: Horace the Psychopath. 10. Best flying wrestler — Most innovative and solidly executed moves within the context of a match. 1) Dino Bambino (41) ... 220 2) Shifty (13) ... 105 3) CM Punk (10) ... 90 4) Ace Steel (6) ... 63 5) Adam Pearce (5) ... 62 Honorable mention: Jason Kronan 40, Nick Mondo 35. Comments: Dino Bambino was just as dominant in this category as Horace the Psychopath was as a brawler. Shifty took second with memorable matches against the likes of CM Punk and Lenny Lane. There were 20 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: Dino Bambino 11. Best promotion. Enough said. 1) St. Paul Championship Wrestling (23) ... 178 2) All-Star Championship Wrestling (27) ... 156 3) Mid American Wrestling (12) ... 106 4) Midwest Pro Wrestling (9) ... 72 5) Minnesota Independent Wrestling (6) ... 43 Honorable mention: Wrestle America 2000 42. Comments: A year ago, St. Paul Championship Wrestling dominated this category. They managed to win for a second straight year despite having less first-place votes than All-Star Championship Wrestling. ACW had a big year with some highly regarded events and making a broadcast TV debut. Mid American Wrestling took third with solid shows in a year that saw the promotion change the mix of its cards a bit. There were 13 promotions receiving votes. Last year's winner: St. Paul Championship Wrestling 12. Match of the year — Pick three in order. 1) Dino Bambino vs. Adam Pearce (ACW 6/24/00) ... (15) ... 119 2) Lenny Lane vs. Jerry Lynn (St. Cloud indy 10/8/00) ... (16) ... 105 3) Ace Steel vs. CM Punk (SPCW, 10/21/00) ... (13) ... 87 4) Shifty vs. Lenny Lane (MPW 10/7/00) ... (10) ... 72 5) Pearce & Smooth vs. Kronan & Punk (MAW 10/20/00) ... (5) ... 46 Honorable mention: Adam Pearce vs. Chuckie Smooth (MAW 8/18/00) 39, Jerry Lynn vs. Adam Booker 38, Noga, Gutts & Dominion vs. Steel, Pearce & Cabana (SPCW 3/25/00) 34. Comments: It would be fitting for the wrestlers who were named most outstanding and wrestler of the year to be in the match of the year. The cage match with Bambino vs. Pearce match from ACW's Beat the Heat took first. The big finish with Bambino dropping a leg on Stefano from the top of the cage left a memorable impression. A matchup of two of the biggest names in Minnesota, Lenny Lane and Jerry Lynn, placed second. An undercard match featuring Ace Steel and CM Punk slipped into third place. Six different promotions had matches in the top seven. There were 27 matches receiving votes. Last year's winner: Stealth Suicide vs. Climatic Cage (Rob Norwood) on 7-24-99 and Adam Pearce vs. Danny Dominion 3-25-99. 13. Rookie of the year — Based on ring performance and not how they are pushed. Debut after June 1, 1999 and before July 1, 2000. This way, a wrestler can debut in the last half of a year and not be counted as a rookie until the following year as to get a few matches under his belt before being considered. I will attempt to update the nominees on the list as the balloting process goes on as this is the hardest category to figure out who qualifies. 1) Colt Cabana (37) ... 235 2) Helmut Von Strauss (12) ... 118 3) Ruff Rider Rassahn (11) ... 90 4) Kamikaze Ken Anderson (11) ... 81 5) Shawn Daivari (4) ... 45 Honorable mention: Len Walker 20, Eric Priest 20. Comments: Colt Cabana burst on the scene with matches against Danny Dominion, but it didn't end there as Cabana quickly made his mark by traveling to several promotions around the region. There is little doubt Cabana works like a wrestler beyond his experience. Helmut Von Strauss debuted in Minnesota Independent Wrestling in the spring and has established himself as a bright star for the future. Ruff Rider Rashaan and Ken Anderson also don't received the label of green guys by observers. There were 21 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: CM Punk 14. Best non-wrestler performer — Valet, manager of the year. 1) Mortimer Plumtree (26) ... 162 2) Alexis (9) ... 97 3) Angelo Stefano (15) ... 96 4) Dave Prazak (12) ... 82 4) High Rollers (7) ... 82 Honorable mention: Jimmy Kennedy 39, Master Quinn 38. Comments: Mortimer Plumtree came back after taking some time off and made favorable impressions around the horn from SPCW to Midwest Pro Wrestling to All American Wrestling. Despite not receiving the first-place votes of the other top four in the category, Alexis took second as she moved from being a pretty face to a capable valet in ACW, AAW, SPCW and AWA Superstars. There were 18 people receiving votes. Last year's winner: Mortimer Plumtree and Master Quinn. 15. Best announcer — On TV or video tape or ring announcing. 1) Mick Karch (38) ... 221 2) Matt Byron (10) ... 77 3) Capital City Kyle (5) ... 56 4) Jimmy Kennedy (3) ... 48 5) Christian Daddy (1) ... 47 Honorable mention: Don Roux 33. Comments: A year ago, nobody except Mick Karch had enough votes to even mention. Once again, Karch won, but ACW announcer Matt Byron moved up the ladder to take second. Capital City Kyle used his internet radio show to take third. There were 17 people receiving votes. Last year's winner: Mick Karch. 16. Best show of the year — Pick the three best cards you have attended/worked. 1) ACW Beat the Heat (6/24/00) ... (18) ...110 2) Mid American Wrestling (8/18/00) ... (7) ... 77 3) Indy at Stardome in St. Cloud (10/7/00) ... (13) ... 72 4) SPCW (4/29/00) ... (9) ... 71 5) Midwest Pro Wrestling (11/25/00) ... (5) ... 60 Honorable mention: MAW (4/15/00) 59. Comments: The show with the match of the year ended up being the show of the year. The dramatic finish of the June 24 ACW show obviously left its mark along with a solid undercard that saw Mike Mercury turn on Kamikaze Ken. There were 26 shows receiving votes. Last year's winner: Badger State Wrestling on 7-24-99 and St. Paul Championship Wrestling on 3-25-99. 17. Promoter of the year — This is for the guy who sold the tickets and put his butt on the line. 1) Ed Hellier (19) ... 124 2) Michael Krause (23) ... 120 3) Carmine DeSpirito (9) ... 81 4) Ed Sharkey (6) ... 78 5) Terry Fox (6) ... 47 Honorable mention: Terry Klinger/Dan Schaffner 46, Jim Gagnon 44. Comments: Ed Hellier was the winner in this category for the second year in a row. Michael Krause finished second and received the most first-place votes for his work in ACW. Carmine DeSpirito's work with his promotion, MAW, placed him third. There were 21 people receiving votes. Last year's winner: Ed Hellier. 18. Next wrestler to move to stardom on the national scene — Pick three if possible. 1) Adam Pearce (21) ... 160 2) Dino Bambino (13) ... 122 3) Mitch Paradise (17) ... 121 4) Hellraiser Gutts (14) ... 116 5) Scotty Zappa (11) ... 71 Honorable mention: Shifty 46, Danny Dominion 36. Comments: Adam Pearce had a year of opportunity and his work would be considered among the top in the country on the independent scene so it comes as little surprise he'd finish high in this category. Pearce has moved to California and hasn't worked in that area at this point. It will be interesting to see what 2001 brings for Pearce. Paradise, Gutts and Zappa all worked WWF dark matches recently. There were 20 wrestlers receiving votes. Last year's winner: Scotty Zappa. 19. Most underrated wrestler 1) Adrian Lynch (28) ... 168 2) Daryck St. Holmes (14) ... 103 3) Eric Hammers (7) ... 65 4) Chi-Town Thug (8) ... 63 5) Matt Longtime (3) ... 47 Honorable mention: Kamikaze 34. Comments: Adrian Lynch got himself in better shape and grabbed the most underrated wrestler award. Daryck St. Holmes doesn't always thrill a crowd used to blood or high spots, but his technical expertise gathers him respect in this category. This is the first year for this category. There were 35 wrestlers receiving votes, making this the most popular category for write-ins. 20. Best referee 1) Jay Soltis (20) ... 154 2) Gino Lanza (17) ... 116 3) Jimmy Kennedy (10) ... 88 4) Scott DeMarc (16) ... 85 5) Terry Fox (5) ... 52 Honorable mention: Dynamite Joe Erickson 37, Craig Smith 32. Comments: Jay Soltis, who worked for several promotions during the year including MIW, SPCW, AAW and AWA Superstars, won the category, while the popular Gino Lanza placed second. Jimmy Kennedy was third, while MAW's Scott DeMarc took fourth. This is the first year of this category. There were 17 referees receiving votes. 21. Best gimmick 1) Dr. Darin Davis (23) ... 140 2) Horace the Psychopath (16) ... 136 3) GQ Centerfolds (12) ... 101 4) Chuckie Smooth (13) ... 77 5) High Rollers (5) ... 54 Honorable mention: Sam Hayne 49, Reverend Axl Future 30. Comments: The wrestling proctologist, Dr. Darin Davis and his rubber glove, edged Horace the Psychopath for this category by having seven more first-place votes. The GQ Centerfolds were obviously catching on with a third-place finish. Britney pear's boyfriend, Chuckie Smooth, was fourth, while those Las Vegas thrillseekers, the High Rollers, took fourth. This was the first year for this category. There were 21 people receiving votes. 22. Veteran of the year Debut before 1990 1) Hellraiser Blood (15) ... 109 2) Rockin Randy (12) ... 81 3) Kenny Jay (7) ... 70 4) King Kong Bundy (6) ... 68 5) Meng (7) ... 64 Honorable mention: Jim Brunzell 61, Frankie DeFalco 56 Comments: While he fell in other categories, Hellraiser Blood was able to finish first in this new veteran division. He was followed by Rockin' Randy, the Sodbuster Kenny Jay, and a pair of big-name fly-ins in King Kong Bundy and Meng. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tim's Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The 2000 awards are compiled and I thought it was an outstanding representation of the Upper Midwest wrestling scene and couldn't complain with any of the results. I have went to 52 wrestling shows live in 2000 if you count one UFC show I attended and another show at First Avenue when the ring didn't show up. In addition, I've seen many other local matches and shows from 2000 on video tape. Here are my comments on some of the categories. *Mason Diggs was my top pick for most improved. I saw him live in January and he's miles better than that today. *My choice for interviews and promos was Angel Armoni. Every time I saw the guy on the mike, he delivered and didn't fall in love with hearing himself on the mike. Too many guys get on the mike and get a quick pop so they keep talking until the kill the value of mike work. *While he may not have been my top choice, I think Rikki Noga deserves some recognition in the most charismatic category. For most of this year, he was the most over face in SPCW and when he won the title, the place went nuts for him. It hurts Noga that he only works for SPCW. *My vote for the promotion of the year is All-Star Championship Wrestling. They are the promotion that made the most strides in 2000. Most promotions saw a drop in crowds and in the number of shows booked. ACW was a strong draw and was able to organize a broadcast television deal. *My match of the year was Ace Steel vs. CM Punk from the 10/21/00 St. Paul Championship Wrestling show. Quite frankly, this was the best WRESTLING match I've ever seen live on an indy show. They didn't stop with good, hard-hitting, fast-paced wrestling. They worked the crowd and had great facial expressions. The Dino Bambino vs. Adam Pearce (ACW 6/24/00) was not my favorite match between those two, but the finish with Bambino landing a leg drop on Stefano from the top of the cage was surly something tons of fans loved live. On tape, it was cool, but you don't get caught up in the excitement like you do live. I liked the Lenny Lane vs. Jerry Lynn (St. Cloud indy 10/8/00) match on tape better than I did live, but thought the Lynn vs. Adam Booker match was more to my liking. I also liked the Shifty vs. Lenny Lane (MPW 10/7/00) match better than the St. Cloud match. I didn't see Pearce & Smooth vs. Kronan & Punk (MAW 10/20/00) or Adam Pearce vs. Chuckie Smooth (MAW 8/18/00). The Noga, Gutts & Dominion vs. Steel, Pearce & Cabana (SPCW 3/25/00) was good but not in my top three. The match I am excited to watch progress in 2001 is Austin Aries vs. Black Stallion. I loved their first meeting and think it has real potential. *Matt Byron does a nice job of commentary on the new ACW TV show. I just got to see the first six shows and was impressed. *The best indy show live that attended was the SPCW show from April 29 because the crowd was so into the main event and the rest of the card was good. *I am glad to see that people "love that glove" of Dr. Darin Davis. The GQ Centerfolds also have a great new gimmick. Both have potential to become cult favorites. *My top selection for referee is Gino Lanza. I only don't like the fact that he can get a bigger pop than most of the wrestlers, but he does a great job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor's note: The following interview with Adrian Lynch was conducted via e-mail on December 27, 2000. Adrian Lynch December 27, 2000 20 Questions 1. What do you think you accomplished in 2000 as a wrestler? I would say that this year was the year that I probably progressed as much as I ever have. Light years away from what I was 3 years, 2 years, or even one year ago. Between the strides I made in my conditioning, and the wide variety of guys I worked with, it was without a doubt an extremely productive year. If there was one drawback, it was that there were a ton of guys that I only got to work with once or twice, due to the fact that there are only so many days in a week. I thought last year was busy, but this year topped that. 2. What was the highlight of the year for you? Getting a lot of positive feedback on the advances I've made over the past year was nice. And, of course, showing the people who thought I was just a big guy that could take a few bumps that I'm much more than that was fun too. I would have to say that this year was probably the most fun I've had since I've been in the business. Between the local guys, the Wisconsin crew, the guys up in the Cities, it's been a good year. I started making monthly trips up to Minnesota again for the Sheriff and that has worked out really well. I'm happy to be going up there again. I also enjoyed seeing the NAWF progress over the year. A lot of the students have come along very, very well, and the shows are going great. We're trying to come up with a new NAWF T-shirt though. Maybe the readers could give an opinion on some of the catch phrases we're considering ... 1) The NAWF: We never hired a Vegas hooker and called her a Nitro Girl. 2) The NAWF: We never found a checkout girl at Wal Mart and passed her off as a "WWF Diva". 3) The NAWF: We can advertise our events to the public -- the lawyers ain't going to come after us!! 4) North American Wrestling Federation: 4 out of 5 Turner lawyers recommend it! Please send feedback to ALynch69@aol.com 3. What would you consider your best match of the year? There were so many of them, it'd be hard to nail one down. My matches with Meng or Duggan would be near the top of the list for sure. Mitch Paradise back in September was very good as well. I had some good ones with Horace for AAW. I would imagine that if I had to pick just one, it would be Meng in Iron Mountain back in July, for the reason that I was able to hang with a guy of his caliber for 15 minutes. Meng is one of the most respected men in the industry. You don't get to work with a guy like that very often on indys, so I was fortunate to have the chance to do so. That's one of the matches I like to watch and pick apart to see what I would do differently. 4. What do you want to accomplish in 2001? I'd like to continue with the conditioning, obviously. I would also like to become more aggressive in pursuing a slot with with WCW, WWF, or an overseas promotion. Now that I've done what I needed to do for the most part, I think I have as good of a chance as any to get a look. In the meantime, keep plugging along and keeping a full schedule with the indy promotions I work for. 5. In 2000, you worked for NAWF, MPW, AWA Superstars, AAW, Steel Domain, SPCW, GLCW, AWW, NFW and a few other promotions outside the upper midwest. Why do promoters apparently like to book Adrian Lynch? It's pretty simple, I guess. I do what's asked of me. I am more than capable of doing so, and I don't cause problems. Either that or they like my jokes, I don't know. 6. Quick comments ... a) Jim Duggan Real good guy, easy to get along with. A perfect swan song for "The British Import", as that was the last time I wore the Union Jack. b) Meng Great experience. Meng is also one of the guys, much like George Steele, Terry Taylor, Jimmy Hart, Duggan, or any of the other name wrestlers I've worked with this past year that will take the time to offer sincere advice or help if you approach them. Stuff like that is invaluable. c) Tank One of the few guys that was able to get me over as a babyface this year. Works hard to do what he does. I'd work him anytime. d) Horace the Psychopath Working with Horace was a highlight for sure. He's one of those guys that understands so many subtle things about wrestling, things that you only learn through experience. For sure, one of the most underrated guys in the Midwest as far as ability and psychology. e) Jim Gagnon Started working for him back in August as a last minute thing and it's worked out well. Got the chance to work with Horace quite a few times for him, as well as tag with Buck. Who would've thunk it? Has a crew that is easy to get along with and there's never a hassle, always a good time. f) Matt Burns BURNSY!!! From what I understand, he takes a lot of lip from the guys. But, he's got a good look to him and is extremely smooth in the ring. He's another guy I would like the opportunity to work with on a regular basis. g) Dale Gagner Is it Gagne or Gagner? Dale treated me well while I was working for him, so I have no complaints about that. However, while I was working for him there were quite a few irregularities, to put it in a diplomatic way. The last show I worked for him was in Laughlin, Nevada, back in February. I got to the building, and the posters hanging up had 3 big pictures of Cactus Jack and the AWA logo. We did an afternoon press conference at the Riverside Casino where a bunch of fans wearing Cactus Jack shirts showed up expecting to see him. I wonder where they got that notion? Then, of course, there was the show itself. An arena full of fans calling for refunds since, lo and behold, there was no Cactus Jack. That was even worse than the Michigan shot where for some silly reason the 4,000+ in attendance were expecting Kane to be there. I wonder why they would have thought Kane was going to appear? Please, somone call Robert Stack and get "Unsolved Mysteries" on the case. I would say that Justin Roberts was the true MVP of that promotion, as he was the guy that was told to go out there and announce to the crowds at various shows that there were "travel difficulties" or "circumstances beyond the AWA's control." Many times, fans were ready to riot and the guy kept his cool and didn't freak. Working for Dale was kind of like being at a party and knowing it's time to leave, you just get that feeling that if you stay any longer it may get weird. So, I was out of there like a speeding rental car leaving the back door of the arena. While I tried to inform them of my decision in a professional manner and let them know it wasn't anything personal against Dale or Jon, they took it as such. That's life, I guess. It would appear that I made the right decision as in the months following, there were several publicized incidents regarding the AWA and some "promotional no-no's." I'd rather not be around that. For the guys that are working there, I'm sure they are making good money as did I, but I am also sure that at some point they will get that "I gotta go" feeling as well, and Dale will find a new crew. Of course, I don't know if they will have a photo of them on the website with a big red "X" through it, but that is neither here nor there, right? Later in the year, it was suggested by some that I was going to be taking AWA bookings again, to the extent where my name was listed on the website on lineups. Of course, I wasn't at the shows, since I wasn't booked, but that's a big club to belong to, right? HOO-HAA!!! Speaking of websites, how come Dale's site hasn't been updated in ages? Paging Robert Stack, Robert Stack to Rochester, Minnesota, please. h) King Kong Bundy Big John Holmes' favorite tag team partner. Another former Dale Gagner employee, a topic we discuss every time I see him. Funny guy with a good sense of humor. i) Chris Brown Had him in his first match, as well as his second. By the second match, he was so confident in himself he volunteered some brilliant ideas. Loves putting me over, just ask him. Noted ring technician. j) Stormwolf Good guy with a hell of a dropkick. He has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps plugging away. k) Eric Hammers There's never a dull moment on roadtrips with him. The most ironic thing is that two guys like us who don't really blend in like to poke fun at the rural folks we meet on roadtrips. Go figure. Points must be subtracted for the nasty ass microwave sandwiches he brought into my car, however. l) Brad Hammers Huge guy with a quiet nature and very, very strong. Did I mention, he was big? m) Rob Norwood Another resident of "The Compound" up in Green Bay. Don't see a whole lot of him while I'm there, as he's an early riser and I'm a late sleeper. Has an awesome video collection. People videotape the darndest things. n) Mike Mercury I've known Mike for a long time. He puts a lot of effort into ACW. I respect him for that. Sometimes he spreads himself too thin, but manages to keep a calm head despite having to worry about a ton of things. Has a crueler sense of humor to him than most would think, which I can also appreciate. Once you get him away from a stressful environment, he can cut up with the best of them. Props to him for admitting I may very well know Wisconsin geography better than the locals. o) Navajo Warrior One of the few reasons I would have had for staying with Dale would have been to work with Nav again. One of those guys where you can just say, "See ya out there" & it goes great. I may get the chance to work with him again in Arizona this year, which would be nice. p) Dr. Darin Davis His gimmick sometimes takes attention away from the fact that the guy can really work, but he plays the role well. Good worker with some real good ideas and very fun to watch. q) Charlie Norris Charlie was one of the guys up in the Twin Cities that I always wanted to work with, and I finally got the chance to do so this year, and we were both pretty pleased with the results. He and I think a lot alike about the way we like a match to go.We clicked on a lot of ideas. r) Mitch Paradise Another match that I like to watch in order to see what I could have done differently. Mitch is great to work with, and from the way it looks I will get more chances to do so in the future. s) CM Punk I was his "mystery opponent" at the Steel Domain show back in May, something that shocked the world, a twist and turn that put the rasslin biz on its ear. Meltzer did a whole column about it. Well, not really. But, I'm sure a few people were kinda surprised. Had a good match with the lad ... and I'm still waiting for the tape! t) Derek St. Holmes Ok, so THAT'S how you spell it. If I had a nickel for every spelling of his name I've seen....well, that'd make up for the money Keith Douglas owes me anyway! Damn, I'm funny, ain't I? Derek's a good hand and a snappy dresser, and has a lot of wrestling ability. u) Tony Leone "Shooter" Leone. Tony is never afraid to say what he thinks and the result is brutal honesty, along with a lot of dry humor. A fun guy to have in the locker room for that and a multitude of other reasons. v) Jonnie Stewart According to him, I'm an "enigma". If Jon geeked the hair out again, we could tag as the "Enigma Brothers". Perhaps Dale could book us against Ultimate Warrior in a handicap match. Or maybe not. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor's note: The following interview with Derek St. Holmes was conducted via e-mail on December 26, 2000. Derek St. Holmes December 26, 2000 20 Questions 1. Okay, brainiac, is it Derek, Derrick or Daryck? The fans demand to know now! Let's settle the issue once and for all! My real name is spelled Daryck. As you can guess, I get a lot of different spellings when I tell people my name, I'm pretty much immune to it now. When I first started I flirted with the idea of spelling my working name Derek and that's how I sign stuff now as it has less letters! I don't really care how a promoter spells it on a poster as long as i'm booked on the show. 2. An upstart named Colt Cabana said he loves your gimmick right down to the "old haircut." Tell us how the gimmick has grown in 2000 and how a Peter Brady lookalike has worked to produce a serious style that has earned him a reputation as one of the top technical guys in the midwest. I think I've gone through this before. After about a year and a half or so of being the generic r-n-r babyface jobber Daryck St. Holmes (yes, the name came from Ted Nugent's singer), Carmine Despirito sat me down with a concept. He pictured more of a Hugh Hefner-type deal in silk pajamas and such but we compromised on what you see now. As for the working style, I was a biiiiiiiiig fan of Steven Regal when I was in college and tortured anyone within earshot to "come and watch this guy!" I felt he was doing things that you just didn't see anymore and he looked so credible. Of course, growing up in the midwest, I knew about Robinson and Bockwinkle, but I was too young to really watch them critically at the time. I knew that an intelligent character could get over, but he had to work to support the gimmick. That, combined with my average physical skills, made me decide to research the technical side of wrestling. I knew I wasn't going to press slam anyone and the first time I climbed the ropes I knew I wasn't going to be a high flyer, so I applied myself on the mat and voraciously watched tapes until I could put stuff together. My first matches as the Esquire I could only fistdrop and that was about it! After about 6 to 8 months, I was able to start with the technical moves and really find my stride. I'm still learning all of the time. 3. What did you accomplish as a wrestler in 2000? Looking back, I was most happy at how much I was able to work. I currently appear regularly for four different promotions and that really eats up my time, but I feel if I want to pursue wrestling at this level than so be it. 4. What would you like to accomplish as a wrestler in 2001? Just to keep working regularly! If time allows, I would like to work for any other promotions that will book me in the area. There's no money, it's just the chance to better myself and get the exposure. 5. How do you evaluate if you had a good or a bad match? Usually this is dependant on the crowd reaction. If they pop for the finish, then it doesn't matter how many spots were missed. It doesn't matter if I got to do a new move. It doesn't matter how smooth or choppy it was. If we were able to get this group of people to care about what we were doing so much that they follow it along and buy the finish, then it's a good match. 6. Okay, smart guy, what's your mental approach before you step into the ring? How do you mentally prepare for a match? My thought process is surprisingly clear before a match. I don't get the heebie-jeebies until I'm standing behind the curtain/door/whatever and I'm waiting for the announcer to finish and my music to hit. In preparing for a match, I'm one of the guys who (to the constertation of a lot of people) don't like to go through everything step by step. The boys will ask me what I'm going to do that night and a lot of the time I honestly don't know. I enjoy the challenge of being forced to put together something beautiful and it's all improv. A few basic thigs are discussed, but beyond that, hey, take your best hold and go with it! 7. What was the highlight of the year for you? Consistent bookings! Other than that, I felt I had a good match with Adrian Serrano for Carmine, a good match with Dino for Merc, and a good match with Tom for Randy. Again, all of these matches weren't necessarily technical masterpieces, but we were able to get the crowd and make them go, "Yeah!". 8. What would you consider your best match of the year? See above. Ace Steele and I were able to indulge ourselves in SPCW earlier this year with a good match, but I felt we went above the heads of the casual fans so that will hurt the chances for a rematch. 9. Well bookworm, with the market flooded with wrestling books, what were the best three of the bunch? I personally like Hooker by Thesz, Pure Dynamite by Billington, and Have a Nice Day by Foley as probably the best (yup, same as Meltzer, so sue me!) Runner up prizes go to Cappetta's book (good road stories) and Nelson's book (regional in its appeal but good if that's what you're looking for). Have not read Goldberg's or DDP's and don't plan to, hated the Rock's book (I like listening to that garbage but having to read it insults my intelligence.) 10. At the start of the year, did you ever think Lord Steven, oops, William Regal would be in a featured event on WWF TV like the one earlier this month teaming with Kurt Angle against Steve Austin and The Rock? I was thrilled to see Steven (I don't care if they're calling him William) Regal back on TV again simply because I had someone to swipe stuff from again! Unfortunately, his presence quashes my chances for a break because they've already got Regal. Why would they want the indy knockoff? 11. Quick comments ... a) Adrian Serrano Great attitude and wants to learn pro style. Once we learn to slow him down and get his mind in the "working" mode as opposed to "shooting" mode, he will be an excellent performer. b) Adrian Lynch Stairmaster fanatic! Really trained himself hard this year and I hope it pays off for him. Needs to pick up an accent. c) Ruff Rider Rashaan Good up and coming talent, listens well. When I first saw him moonsault, I said "that's the finish to our match, but I'm not taking that!" d) Mike Mercury Mercury has lightened up a bit since we last talked, actually appears to be having a good time now! I think our tag team has split for the time being so I can out him on this fact. He always stinks up my gear with hot stuff! e) Primetime Don't really know him too well. I had a good first match with him, even better when he came up to me after and said "In two years of working, you're the first person that's tried to put a submission hold on me!" It made me feel I had a niche in Minnesota. f) Rikki Noga Noga can be a funny guy. He has the best "Aw shucks" smile I've seen but can let the ladies cloud his mind a bit. If he can keep focused and loosen up a bit in the ring, (he's not stiff, but he can't improv too smoothly yet) he should do alright. g) Dino Bambino Dino is always an excellent match for me. We get along well and wear the same size shoes so everything's cool. He's taking some time off to pursue his real life career so he's got his priorities straight. Oh, and likes to go through burning tables. h) Kamikaze Ken Again, good talent. Needs to branch out more and get more exposure to grow as a performer. i) Rockin' Randy Randy is an unusual character at times, but very knowledgable. I learn little subtle things when we wrestle and talk during the week so I never close my ears to what he has to say. I have a lot of fun at his shows. j) Eric Freedom The Ron Jeremy of professional wrestling. Before he tells you this, let me out myself. When I was still a fan, I would daydream of breaking in and managing Eric and Chad, the Love Brothers as their hippie guide. There, Eric, everyone knows now! k) Ace Steel Also wears the same size shoes. Ace and I are able to connect when we spar and wrestle on such a level we don't have to call anything or plan stuff out. Our SPCW match was totally off the cuff and designed to be that way. When we're in the ring, it's often more a contest of who's done more cardio rather than what our next move is. l) Eric Hammers To quote Warren Zevon "... well, he's just an excitable boy!" I like Hammers and I feel one of his best/worst qualities is he's very intense about what he believes in, whether it be gimmick, psychology, promoting, etc. Some of what he says I agree with wholeheartedly, some stuff ... I feel he's very intense about what he believes in and it works for him. It may not work for everyone!