AS I SEE IT 6/15

AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com

If you don’t want to read a rant to start this column out…see you next week.

For those of you who sent ignorant e-mails to me over the last week, or posted ignorant comments on a wrestling message board focusing on traditional wrestling regarding CZW’s Tournament of Death in general and the injury to Nick Gage specfifically, this is for you. To start, I got hateful e-mails regarding my depiction in last week’s column of the Tournament of Death event.

First, the reference to “Deathstock” was an inside joke among CZW fans because the event was held at a large farm property in central Delaware: Max Yasgur’s farm and the original Woodstock….Markland’s farm and “Deathstock”. Get it? If you don’t believe it, go to the CZWfans.com website and read for yourself.

Instead, some saw that as glorying in the the injury suffered by Nick Gage, or in the risks of hardcore wrestling. But it got worse, such people on said message board with such comments (referring to the match in question) as :

Q: What do you call two yardtards killing each other?
A: A good start.

One of the medical staff of CZW also received an e-mail saying “Why didn;t you just let that [Gage] die?.

If that’s not enough, there were sarcastic remarks by a certain well-known website about “backyard” wrestling (the fact that the farm was held on a farm property) at least five times. News bulletin, guys. Some of the shows that FMW and IWA-Japan had that you used to cream yourself reviewing in certain newsletters and awarding star ratings to… were held in parking lots of demolished stadiums and bowling alleys in Japan. Where CZW did this show had adequate space, and full preparation by a hard working group of behind-the-scenes staff. The promotion had to go out to a rural area because rival promoters like Delaware Championship Wrestling caused problems with local officials in a variety of locations. Why don’t those of you on said website and newsletter write an article on dirty practices within the wrestling industry, instead of making irresponsible comments about a promotion that’s been around for 11 years?

So here’s the rant.

Who in the hell proclaimed you some sort of Wrestling Taliban who has the right to decide what “is” and “isn’t” wrestling? How dare you wish someone dead from a wrestling match? What kind of sick son-of-a bitch are you?

People like you are stuck in the past, hating all that wrestling is today and sitting and watching DVDs from the 1980s and nothing else…you seem to think you have the right to come off like a mark version of Ole Anderson (and yes, there are some who aren’t marks doing it too) bitching about CZW, IWA Mid-South and any form of hardcore wrestling.

I suppose its useless to point out that some of the worst injuries in wrestling tend to come out of the most routine spots, including the tragic events of this past weekend that resulted in the death of wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa, from a back suplex in a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring that may or may not indirectly caused a heart attack.

For those who don’t know, all this reaction comes out of the injury suffered by Nick Gage, in a freak accident when he went through one section of the light tubes woven through the ropes, and suffered a BAD cut under his ribs, bad enough that he got out of the ring immediately. The rural location of Tournament of Death made a difficult situation worse. Gage was bleeding badly. An ambulance arranged for days prior to the show with a local township, suddenly refused to come into the farm grounds without a police escort, claiming that they “knew” it was a fight and not a wrestling injury. If I ran CZW (and I don’t, nor do I work for them), I’d sue the ambulance company employees and the ambulance company. The negilgence came from the ambulance company, not from CZW. CZW had two medics on site, including a military trained medic.

Gage wound with 30 staples under his armpit, but was released after a night’s observation. He even got himself involved in an angle on this past Saturday’s Best of The Best CZW show.

To close on a more pleasant note, more this week on wrestling doing good…

Wolverine Pro Wrestling returns to Skateland West (37550 Cherry Hill) in Westland, MI. Sunday, June 28th for A Mid-Summer’s NightMARE!

Not only will this be a night of pro wrestling but it will also be to support autism research. 40% of all ticket sales goes to the Autism Society of Michigan. Belltime is 6:00 p.m. WPW will once again have a stacked line-up with plenty of new additions including former WWE and ECW Star Kevin Thorn! WWF Legend and one of the longest reigning Tag Team champions in the history of WWE/F, Demolition Ax (a.k.a. The Masked Superstar) will also be in action June 28th.

Combined the pairing of Kevin Thorn and Demolition Ax will be holding a professional wrestling Seminar/Fan Axxess which is open to the public! The cost will be just $30 and you will get the opertunity to step in the ring with both stars, get basic or advanced in-ring training, get advice on the mic, plus learn more about the wrestling business in general! Also scheduled for a Mid-Summer’s NightMARE include (but not limited to):