“You know your father was Captain of a Starship for 12 minutes. He saved eight-hundred lives. Including your mother’s and yours. I dare you to do better.”

Ok. So I didn’t get a starship, I got a tag title. And I didn’t save eight hundred lives. And in fairness, no one dared me to do better so the quote doesn’t entirely match the situation, but damn. That’s a good movie.

Since that August 6th show that saw me and Erica Canyon strutting our sexy stuff with the SWA Tag Team Championship, both me and SWA in general (or so I’m told, I wasn’t paying attention) have been asked how that happened. To explain…

On the afternoon of August 6th I received a phone call from Eric Canyon. Now, people have noticed that those of us in the Forsaken aren’t exactly the biggest fans of authority. The whole reason we’ve banded together was down to hating the people in charge forgetting about us and deciding to punch and kick people until they took notice. So when I saw Canyon’s name pop up I was more interested in listening to my ringtone than I was engaging in a conversation with him. So against my better judgement, I answered. And I’m glad I did.

After an impolite exchange of words, he made me an offer. His tag team champions, the SWA Originals, had hit a crisis. He’s already decided that, while the Raging Bull was out of action with a severe knee injury, he was stepping in to defend the titles with Adam Shame. But despite being supposedly on the same team, Adam has the same opinion of him as I do and Fed-Ex’d him the title with a post-it saying ‘good luck’.

So as he is the boss, in his mind those titles belonged to him and he told me he could ‘do what he liked with them’ and had decided to keep the tag title and wanted me to share the glory.

I did wonder why he wanted me as a partner. But once he laid it out, it made sense to me. The titles were scheduled to be on the line against BMW. A team I’m rather familiar with. Not too long ago I managed to gain a pin over Scott Renwick and I’ve had a few encounters with O’Conor, including exposing his sinful pride the last time we fought against each other. Well, that and the Forsaken have spent the last few months causing hell for the lovable rogues on the Source roster and Eric does enjoy the chaos.

So I smiled. I agreed. I gave a condition and I hung up the phone. When he arrived in Clydebank later in the day, I handed him my condition and asked him to sign some paperwork I’d put together. In exchange, I took the title and carried it backstage.

You know what? We didn’t do too badly as a team. Sure, we had a fallout or two. And yes, we lost the titles to BMW. But he explained to me that I have my own partner, my own team and reminded me that he’s the boss. If he could make the Source GM submit to my ‘conditions’, he could make sure that title comes back my way sometime in the near future.

So yes, I’m angry, frustrated. Generally furious towards BMW. But I do have something to keep me smiling.

Sitting beside me as I type is a wonderful pile of paperwork. Signed by Eric Canyon which means, like it or lump it, the Source GM has to accept it.

The condition? Well, aside from a new Performers Agreement that allows for a little more ‘freedom’ for the members of Forsaken, there’s a new signing in there. Someone from SWA’s past, present and future is now part of our merry band of misfits. Yet another forgotten soul that’s been cast aside by management.

Who is it?

You’ll find out in due course.

I’ve also had some people asking me about my good old partner Jamie Walker. Some people on twitter have noticed him becoming agitated in recent weeks and have noticed he’s been MIA. Well, I don’t know the details (yet) but I recieved an email informing me that he’s been suspended for the time being for a violation of his performer agreement with the Source GM.

As such, our tag team efforts will have a delay and I will either have to utilize other members of the group or find a temporary alliance to chase those titles. But… whatever the reason for his suspension being, as soon as it’s over I can guarantee that our sights will be set on BMW.

Until then, I’m putting BMW on notice. Carrying that belt around all afternoon, throwing it over my shoulder as I walked through the crowd… that felt good. I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be champion once again and losing that title the same night it was handed to me has only made me want it more.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the gym…

After the years biggest wrestling event saw some of the top names in American wrestling go nuts on pay per view around the world, an event so passionate it causes riots, I decided to put a twist in the latest geeky list thing and look a little more local.

For several years now I’ve worked for the Scottish Wrestling Alliance doing various things from putting on a pair of tights and fumbling about in the ring to being party host to building an online presence and more in between. From the start I’ve been involved in the company, so why not share my top moments within the premiere source of Scottish Wrestling?

All pics are by David Wilson, most of them are from the Gathering 2009.

A List Rules.
A very selfish choice to enter at number five, but this was without a doubt the night that made the A List a faction to be reckoned with.

Having to live in the shadow of the Sinners, Falcon and I expanded out teamwork to include several other stars such as Wolfgang, Darkside, Johnny Darko and later on we brought in Micken and BT Gunn. We even had our own valet and campaign manager, Alice, better known as Louise Stewart, who’s now making waves on BBC Scotland’s Burnistoun.

After winning Clan Wars, we got the right to grab anything we wanted. So we giggled and asked for our own show. So our next trip to Clydebank Town Hall saw us booking something to amuse ourselves. Putting tag teams against each other in singles competition, placing our adversaries in impossible to win matches and I let the roster I’d pised off get their chance for vengeance with an open challenge that I merrily won.

This was one of the nights that showed the A List as a legitimate threat, even if we were more comedy than fury… it was a hell of a fun ride and this night, we quite literally stole the show.

The Gathering begins.
Where it all begins… for us. The Gathering was part of a five year plan to put on a huge show in a respected venue once we’d built up enough momentum and the five year plan… well, didn’t go to plan. We got there sooner than expected and with a little help getting our foot in the door, the Gathering occurred for the first time.

For fans, talent and staff alike this was a huge moment. We either did well and we’d go on to bgger and better things or we’d crash and burn wishing ourselves luck in our future endeavors.

The night was headlined with Jester winning the NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship and Conscience walking out as NWA British Champion. More importantly, it was the night that proved SWA was here to stay and has been repeated in success and quality every year since.

Conscience returns
When the Winners turned against their leader, they decimated Conscience. Beating him to a pulp, stuffing him a body bag and making sure we never see him again. With Majik taking control, the Sinners began a new era but at the following Battlezone that era was disrupted.

With a new angelic look (not the one above) and a mask to cover his damaged face, a new era of Conscience began as he returned with the one thing he needed to topple his new enemies; Faith.

Entering towards the closing moments of Battlezone, Conscience took his revenge out on Majik, let Eric Canyon win back his title and the proceeded to eliminate the Sinners from Scottish wrestling one by one.

Retirements.
Having been a part of SWA from day one, Eric Canyon made an announcement to the locker room that he was on his way out to chants of “one more match” in a private ceremony. In the world or wrestling, this final match took place against his protege, RIP who has since gone on to wrestling in the US and Mexico as a champion.

This was a highly emotional match and no one in the crowd believed that Canyon would go, but when that bell rang and the entire locker room spilled out to give him a standing ovation, breaking the barrier between the fans and the locker room, it created a truly emotional moment that couldn’t be matched.

Tied with that is the retirement match featuring Con and Majik where, oddly enough, Canyon announced them both as losers and therefore both retired. Bitter, much?

That match remains strong in my mind for two reasons. One… these two men were the core of SWA both spiritually and physically. They brought more to the table than fans will ever know. Secondly, both men are huge inspirations to me, as well as the whole locker room. Both of them had a hand in making the best components of me, both of them are missed and both of them were, and remain, icons.

Scott Renwick wins the NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship
This was the third Gathering and the third time the title had been on the line at the event. Jester won the first time, Lionheart stole the win the second time round cashing in his title shot after a huge defense from Wolfgang.

Wolfgangs match brought out something I’d never seen in Scottish wrestling fans when they began singing flower of Scotland and getting into it just as they would a cup final.

I didn’t think anything would top it until Scott Renwick turned the Lionheart and Wolfgang match into a three way dance when he cashed in his title shot. Renwick was scheduled to fight for the title until Lionheart and Wolfgang maneuvered the event to feature themselves. After some promotion, including a slot on STV’s ‘The Hour’, Renwick was able to build himself enough momentum to not only win a title shot, but compete again less than an hour later and win the NWA Scottish Heavyweight Championship.

When Scotty entered SWA’s training camp he was a clumsy boy with two left feet. He really was an underdog story. He worked hard, pushed himself beyond what he thought was possible and main evented the biggest night of wrestling in Scotland and has since went on to become one of the most loved champions in the country.

With all of us watching with the crowd, we all felt a deeply routed pride in seeing someone we loved achieve his dream on such a huge stage for SWA.

That match showed just how good SWA could be, not just for the fans, for those of us who spend so much of our personal time and energy to make it possible. IT was truly magnificent to see it all happen.

For a quick rundown of more personal highlights for me…
…in no particular order…

Wrestling Idol.
Facing Majik in the Best of the Best. I was far from my best, but to get in the ring with a man I’d admired professionally and personally, it was a truly amazing moment. Even if I almost killed his jaw.

The A List.
The whole lot from start to finish. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had and I got paid to be both violent and wear silly clothes. Win for me.

Friendly Fire.
Taking on Falcon in the Battlezone. Not only did this mean locking horns with the almighty Johnny Moss, but a man I love and respect, Falcon. It was great getting that closure from our mini-feud but at the end of the night, I was still hugging him backstage when we won that title.

Validated.
Conscience. In his garden, telling me why I was great at my job. I don’t look for criticism and I trust very few people. His opinion I trust and value and it was great to hear.

Finale.
I got a call asking me if I’d put the T-Div title on the line before a Source show last year and after a quick discussion, I was convinced and had shared and collaborated and come up with a plan. That plan was to put the title on the line… and Ricky Gibson was the man who’d take it from me. My final match and my final moment of realizing I could do something good… this time it was let someone who’d appreciate the title take it home and bring it new life.

And thats that. Fan Access 14 will be up at SWA Online soon enough, I’ll do my usual preview here.

Scottish wrestling has more than one promotion and it has dozens of young stars. All over the UK there are unsung heroes in the wrestling world who go unnoticed. If anyone wants to share great moments form their local promotion or favourite stars, please feel free to make a comment and educate me, and everyone else.

It’s been a good week for NXT so far. Not only has the entire wrestling world found out about this little feeder promotion, but yesterday it all culminated in a hell of a show!

The NXT part of SWA is basically the first step on the ladder for the young stars coming out of Area 52. So sometimes it may feel like a testing ground, or a step down from SWA’s primary events, but in a lot of ways it’s way better as you have guys fighting t prove themselves and putting every last breath of energy they have into the match.

And to be perfectly honest, it was a great release. After the past few days it was just great to get on with the show.

This show also heavily reflected the NOW format. It was in a small town hall surrounded by houses in a small area which is exactly my cup of raktajino. It may seem odd to prefer the smaller venues, but for me it’s all about atmosphere. This venue was a fraction of the size of Govan, but that show in the Peirce Institute was pretty quiet. This one… it was loud, rowdy, the fans went nuts for everything… and often that crowd comes with that venue unless it’s the Gathering.

I’ve mentioned it here before, but the morning of the Govan show I got a call asking if I wanted to get in a title match and one of the ideas discussed was that the ten man that I eventually became a part of in Govan wouldn’t be for the title, but to determine a challenger for me in February. Just for the crowd last night, I wish I’d chosen that route.

There were problems. It wouldn’t be an NXT without some panic. When one of the major problems you face is running out of room and fans having to stand as there are no chairs left, and even the entrance way is packed with people standing cheering and making a lot of noise… thats not as much a problem as a promotional awesomeness.

The only problem I saw as a genuine problem was hosting the show. I found out at last minute and for some reason, whenever I’m handed a mic to talk without having to do a promo… I get nervous as hell.

Seriously, I don’t know what it is. Wrestling? I’m fine. Promo time? Fine. Managing? Better than fine. MC? That’s when I panic. I always start out saying as little as possible, I think I introduced the show with something like “Welcome to NXT, we’ve kept you waiting long enough so lets get started!” and ended up really enjoying myself and far more comfortable as the night went on.

The guys on the card were great too. It’s possily one of the most solid shows the NXT part of SWA has had in a while. From the rookies to the more experienced, everyone was on top form and after only debuting last year, Mark Sweeney took his moment to headline the event and ran with it. He’s done an excellent job and it was an absolute pleasure to see him shine in that moment.

Though I have to say, that is in large part to the crowd who were absolutely tremendous. I know a few of our regulars are following this blog and the twitter, facebook and all that good stuff – not only from me, but from NXT’s head booker DB Mackle, SWA’s promoter PJ Murphy and all the staff and talent on hand, a huge thank you to all of you for making the night a great one.

Suffice it to say, the show went well. So well Mackle disappeared half way through the show to book the hall again in April. So we’ll be back in Rutherglen on April 17th and I’ve already taken names to reserve tickets for the show. We’ve got another coming up in February 19th in Erskine. Full details can be found at NXTWrestling.com.

As for the previously discussed matter here – I’ve said it already but NXT’s first priority is the guys. Last night was one of he best examples of why NXT does what it does. This is a chance for the young guys to shine who wouldn’t have an opportunity without that showcase. Whatever happens with NXT… I don’t care. As long as the shows are consistently great, as long as the boys in the ring keep fighting as hard as they do… that’s all that matters to me.

I’d like to also clarify as I did here and on twitter, the official statement by PJ Murphy is official. I can’t stress enough.. I’m not NXT management, my blog is mostly my own little world that’s filled with my thoughts and views on my other geeky habits. Unofficial blog is unofficial.

I can’t and won’t comment on anything official. If you want an official statement, make contact through the NXT or SWA websites or ask fanaccess@scottishwrestling.co.uk for further contact info.

Let’s just hope our talent continues to have a great year.

If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know my thoughts on the matter and you’ll have learned all about the NXT that was build and developed before WWE decided to use the name.

Well, needless to say the past few days have been interesting for SWA and NXT. The Fan Access inbox is filled with questions from all over and if you’ve been frantically googling for more information, you may already know, but SWA have made an official comment on the matter.

Everyone at the Scottish Wrestling Alliance is honoured that WWE have decided to name their latest product after SWA’s feeder programme – NXT. We would like to assure our fans that the original NXT is still leading the way for trainees in Scotland and the shows on 6th February, Spittal Community Centre, Rutherglen, 19th February, Bargarran Community Centre, Erskine, March 6th, Viewpark Community Centre, Uddingston and March 19th, Links Community Centre, Cumbernauld are all still due to go ahead as advertised.

We have had no direct contact from WWE regarding this matter but we welcome any conversation or resolution they would like to put forward.

We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
- PJ Murphy, Owner of SWA.

A quick catch up on NXT for those who haven’t read the previous blog…

After long and careful planning, SWA:NXT made it’s debut in January 2007 as a promotion designed to showcase up and coming talent within Scotland in conjunction with SWA’s Area 52 wrestling school. In 2009 NXTWrestling.com was launched to showcase the developmental roster of SWA and Area 52′s NXT talents.

The goal within the company is to give younger talent an opportunity to showcase their abilities and get noticed. Several of our NXT talents over the years have gone on to work across the UK, gain international interest and win NWA Heavyweight championships. NXT promoted shows across the West of Scotland with our next event scheduled this weekend, February 6th in Rutherglen which features some fresh young talent who have risen through the ranks of their training facility and earned their place on the event.

WWE applied for a trademark for NXT in the US on January 22nd 2010 and registered WWENXT.com three days later, not only using the same name but the same tagline, the NXT Generation, and very similar company outlines.

Anyone with Google knows that our NXT Wrestling is the first hit and to my surprise yesterday, I was the second:

They also have researchers and a load of staff checking this information out, and within their own talent roster WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre (best known in Scotland as Drew Galloway) has not only worked with SWA and trained with Area 52 before his departure, but has attended NXT events before leaving to join World Wrestling Entertainment.

So obviously someone in the E must know whats going on. As you can read above in PJ Murphy’s statement, SWA would love to talk to the WWE and resolve the matter.

Radio presenter Tom Campbell had his own theory on twitter:

@theredeemed Good work matey…I don’t believe WWE has Google and they believe that wwe.com IS the Internet! Narf Narf Narf!

…which makes a lot of sense to me.

But as has been said, all scheduled NXT Wrestling events will go ahead including this weekends event in Rutherglen and our return to Erskine on February 19th. For full information, head to NXTWrestling.com.

Any questions on the situation can be directed to Peter Murphy, further contact information can be provided on request.

This morning I woke up to an inbox full of emails and my Google Reader had several mentions of NXT Wrestling. I was shocked, surprised… and somewhat confused.

I’ve worked with SWA for several years now and as such, I’ve crossed over to working with NXT Wrestling when the project was first announced in 2006. Heading up the online team, I’ve done a lot of PR work and am the first line of contact when it comes to online inquiries and other such things. I get a lot of emails on both companies, so that was no surprise…

…the real surprise came when I read them. In hindsight, I should have been reading WWE news and rumours more often.

After long and careful planning, SWA:NXT made it’s debut in January 2007 as a promotion designed to showcase up and coming talent within Scotland in conjunction with SWA’s Area 52 wrestling school. In 2009 NXTWrestling.com was registered when NXT began to grow into it’s own identity as a feeder promotion alongside SWA.

The goal within NXT is to give younger talent an opportunity to showcase their abilities and get noticed. Several of our NXT talents over the years have gone on to work across the UK, gain international interest and win NWA Heavyweight championships. We’ve promoted shows across the West of Scotland with our next event scheduled this weekend, February 6th in Rutherglen featuring some fresh young talent who have risen through the ranks of our training facility and earned their place on the event with Rutherglen’s own Sean Sweeney headlining against Glasgow’s former NWA Scottish Heayweight Champion Jack Jester.

I recently wrote a blog here about my last match on NXT where I was involved in a ten-man tag team in which I was pinned by Ricky Gibson to close the match, and lost my T-Division Championship. I stepped out of NXT after that, hung up my boots and was ready to watch it excel to new heights.

In an email this morning I was informed that WWE was rebranding their ECW on SyFy show to NXT. The NXT Generation. A show featuring developmental talent.

Before I go on, I’m not speaking on NXT’s behalf here. I seem to switch roles more often than the WWE Hardcore division switched champions. I’m not a promoter and I haven’t booked anything for over a year now. My connection to NXT is one part business, one part loyalty and doing what I can to ensure they are successful. It means a lot to it, both as someone who’s been and will continue to be involved with the company, and as a fan of the guys I’ve trained with and watched grow into good talents with a lot greater potential than me. But I do have to wonder…

…does WWE have Google in their offices? I did a quick search on NXT Wrestling to find a site I built on the top of all search results. A good few new sites, both wrestling and non-wrestling, are reporting the conflict of branding so they know just as well as I do that it doesn’t take a Bart Simpson to figure out we’ve been promoting under the name for a while now.

I’m doing my part to research NXT’s position here and have been in touch with management. Quite frankly, I have no idea whats going to happen next. But I do know that with all the time, money, passion and effort put into the NXT product, no matter what happens you can expect to see it in one form or another continuing to shine the spotlight on the new, fresh, young and innovative talent who have earned the right to be in that ring.

I’m sure the originator of the NXT brand name in SWA is flattered. Great minds think alike and all that. But I do have to wonder, did they come up with the NXT Generation all by themselves? Or with all the vast similarities between the two company outlines, is this another Mordecai?

Anyway, the original NXT Wrestling is in Rutherglen this weekend and the card is already packed with some grand talents that have grown and developed at Area 52. Headlining the event will be the recently debuted Sean Sweeney of Rutherglen who will get his moment in the spotlight when he challenges former NWA Scottish Heavyweight Champion and possibly the most traveled pro wrestler in Scotland, Jester.

Full details can be found at NXTWrestling.com.

So, I’ve added a new video.

The Best of the Best was a set of ten-man gauntlet matches featuring wrestlers from all over Scotland. The aim was to filter down to two men who would then face off in a singles match at the Gathering and the winner would have the claim to being the Best of the Best in Scottish wrestling.

A week before the Gathering SWA hosted the last of the Gauntlet’s in our spiritual home of Bellshill. A few months before during a booking meeting, I was surprised that I was to be added to the match. When we double checked the booking just before the event, I was even more surprised that I hadn’t been pulled as, due to my situation outwith wrestling, I’d lost a bit of mass and was generally out of shape. I was sure I was going to be pulled.

When I arrived on the day there were some time concerns due to the length a ten man gauntlet may take. It would eat up have the show so I was offered a quick comedy moment that I had to turn down. Not only because I was amped up and ready for the match, but I was champion of a division that I felt wasn’t taken seriously – and whether my decision was right or wrong, I didn’t want another black mark on the title’s name by letting myself do more comedy.

There was the added bonus of having the worst week of my life, and that is no exaggeration. I was in a severely bad place mentally and just wanted to get some rage out. The down side was that mentally and physically… I wasn’t in the best of shape.

When the match came I was still in a bad mood and had psyched myself up. I’d had some really good conversations about wrestling in general and some mutual ego stroking with Majik before the match began, so I was thrilled to see him standing in the ring after he defeated Liam Thomson in the first part of the Gauntlet. I was up next, and I was going against the guy who’d not only made me feel better… but he was a personal icon of mine.

It was like the times I’d wrestled Conscience in the ring. That meant a lot to me, and despite having skirmishes with Majik in the past including a good few punches echanges, kicking the crap out of each other through the crowd and even hitting my finisher on his during his match with Falcon… this was our first one on one encounter.

So to say I was pleased to see him standing in the ring as I made my entrance is an understatement. Unfortunately, I was also pooing myself a little. Even now Maj has retired, he can still wrestle circles around me. Training with him and Johnny Moss in the past made me realise that they’ve forgotten more than I’ll ever know. so despite being in the mood to fight, I was also incredibly nervous. It’s a twice in a lifetime thing to prove to your icon you can do the job.

So after he battled Liam Thomson in some spectacular technical mastery, I went in and changed the pace. Maj had just done what he does best, wrestle. I was going to do what I do best. Fight.

The first time I watched this match back I felt I’d really let us both down. I stalled, I was sloppy, I was cautious, I was rough. I got a text from him the next day telling me his jaw was still aching, and even Con made a running joke out of it for a while. Facing one of my icons was scary enough. Almost taking his face off was terrifying.

It’s fair to say, despite the name of the tournament being Best of the Best, I was not at my best. Mentally and physically I had gone fishing. My nerves were getting the better or me, not for the crowd, but for the man I was facing, and to make matters worse I had a headache and an internal monologue telling myself not to be shit because I’m not well.

As it wasn’t the best, I hesitated to put it online, but I don’t expect myself to be a five star classic and nor do many people. So now my boots are packed away in the cupboard of things I’ll never use again, I figured I may as well show me at my worst… but still in a match where I genuinely enjoyed being in the ring with someone.

So here it is.

The video was provided by David and Elaine Wilson, who do some tremendous work for Scottish wrestling. To find out more, check out David Wilson’s photography.

This is a very frustrating topic for me. As I’m sure it is for several people. But every so often the conversation comes up, will British Wrestling be back on mainstream TV? Idea’s are thrown around, sometimes a company will step in and make promises which are either people thinking ten steps ahead of themselves to make promises they can’t keep, or much like the British Wrestling Council, another idea that has too much potential to fall on it’s ass to be taken seriously.

There are a ton of arguments as to why it’ll never get on TV. It’s too low brow, it’s too violent, it’s all a work and no one likes a work, it’s all skinny kids in kickpads, no one looks good enough, no one is good enough, theres not enough money, Greg Dyke is the devil… and this might just be me, but theres one major thing these ambitious entrepreneurs are forgetting… whats the appeal?

By that, I don’t just mean ‘whats the appeal to the public’, there’s a bigger concern. What’s going to appeal to the TV exec’s?

If you think about it, really think about it, if you brought together a group of British wrestlers who can rival the look of WWE Superstars (and yes, they are out there, it’s not all skinny kids in kickpads) or a nice set, or embracing American values, or traditional values etc.

You need to offer them something they can understand.

Rab Florence told me about an idea he had, and we’d talked about it in length and detail as it was a serious work in process. It was a documentary format. One episode, for example, would focus on interviewing and following the life of Jim Tyler. You’d learn about my struggles, family life, work life and my passion for wrestling. Splice in some backstage footage, throw in some managerial and wrestling footage, aftermath and all that good stuff and you have a documentary which is showing wrestling.

I was told another idea last year by Kenny McBride. I won’t spill the beans on our private conversation, but he said publicly that he’d figured out one good way of pitching this to a network. A telephone. Turn it into half reality show. The nation votes for who they want to go forward in the next week in the X Factor, they’ll pick up the phones for Big Brother, they’ll pick up the phones to answer questions on This Morning… getting the audience to call in generates money. Thats what the network wants tohear – how can they profit from the venture?

Both ideas had pros and cons. But I absolutely loved them. They were different, they were out the box, they were fresh and new. I may be wrong, but there are so few new and innovative ideas in the industry. So what is it? A lack of imagination? A desperate hope that the broken record that is British Wrestling doesn’t need fixed? Old minds drilling in old ideas and refusing to let the new shine through? Small ideas trapped in short sightedness?

Some people involved with wrestling have often replied in private in fear of saying something to piss something off. But whether you use an alias or a fake email, or are open and use your own name… I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Are fresh ideas the answer? Do you have one? Or are we doomed to forever be running in circles avoiding big business?

Well after a shock return to action in Clydebank last night, I’ll be back again this coming Saturday for Night of Wrestling, October 17th. A good ten sexy days from becoming officially a year older.

I don’t know what I’ll be doing, frankly I don’t care. Working for NOW is a pleasure and I’ll just be happy to be there.

I was lucky enough to be part of the first NOW show and it was a hell of an experience. I’ve never seen a crowd hotter than that show. My only surprise was that when I first peeked through the curtain the crowd was a fraction of the size their cheers suggested. I’m not saying there was no crowd there, but the noise they made was fantastic. They were loving every moment of the show.

Add to that the promoter. He treated us brilliantly and made sure everyone was perfectly taken care of.

NOW is still in it’s infancy and finding it’s own identity, but it has set the stage to be a wonderful company to work for and it’s doing it the right way, kicking off with small shows in small area’s that don’t tend to get a lot, if any, wrestling in their town which is probably why the reaction the shows get is so huge.

One of the things I love about them is how they let the guys try something new. Steve-O-Kenieval is one of the best gimmicks I’ve seen and it’s all because NOW encouraged a guy to use his imagination and see what happens. I’ve also seen talent on there never seen before such as Team Buff, Black Samurai Junior who’s now entered NXT and SWA and more.

The next show is this Saturday October 17th at Kirklandneuk Community Centre, Renfrew. Doors open at 6 and it only costs £6 entry.

Be there, or I’ll send Renfrew after ye.

The Gathering has been and gone and just like last year I was running round like a runarounder making sure certain things were done. Sometimes the Gathering is so hectic that there’s too much to do and not enough time to just kick back for a few moments and enjoy the show. This year I made an exception.

When I found out that Con and Majik would be facing each other and the loser would retire, a part of me felt a little empty in rejoicing what I knew would be a great match. Despite a few skirmishes with them over the years, both men mean a lot to me both professionally and personally. They’ve both been a hugely influential part of my life in the past six or seven years. Losing one of them would have been a massive blow to SWA, losing both was heart breaking.

I first met Con at a training session in Clydebank. He was an intimidating sight, especially as I was lucky if I was ten stone soaking wet at this stage. There were a handful of guys at that first session including some current SWA Stars and a few who have fallen back over the years but from day one I could see Con’s passion for wrestling and his willingness to share his knowledge and let us all into his world. While we trained with him, including through separating his shoulder, we learned a hell of a lot and so did he. His talents were recognized by a higher authority when he was invited to OVW to train with WWE Superstars and when he came back he shared his biggest lesson learned: Scotland was his home and it was vital to him to build on the business in this country.

And he never stopped building.

Dozens of young stars have came through the doors and been given the chance by Conscience to shine. Guys such as Damo O’Conor and Scott Renwick, who walked away with gold at the Gathering, owe it all i a large part to the experience and opportunities offered by Conscience and his help in teaching them the hardest thing to learn about wrestling: Hard work and determination. I owe my experiences in SWA to Conscience as well and there are some memories I’ll never forget.

From personal moments such as a converstion we had after my daughter was born, in which he congratulated me on bringing another member into the SWA family and shared his knowledge form experience with his own daughter, to a recent conversation where he highlighted all my positive points and why I deserved my place in Scottish wrestling. Even standing opposite each other and tying up in the ring. There have been many good memories outside and inside the ring. Memories that will be cherished in his absence.

Having been a Scottish and British NWA Champion, he’s been a focal point in Scottish wrestling for years. More importantly, he’s been teacher and mentor to many young SWA talents and trainee’s and been the backbone of building this company and set the stage for Scottish wrestling to shine on the Gathering events.

Majik too has had a lot of influence on us all. His career has been tied with Consience for a decade with Con debuting as Majik’s spiritual guide and backup. They worked and trained together for years, helping and improving one another and their friendship was what set the stage for the comradeship and family we feel within the SWA roster today.

I’ve been lucky to have shared as many good times with Majik as I have with Con. From long and insightful conversations, highlights being a similarity in our lives and endulging in his unmatched passion and knowledge of wrestling. Much like Conscience he was truly an inspiration to me.

When Best of the Best came around last year it was truly an honour to come face to face with Majik. With so many similarities outwith the ring, and both of us having a fetish for purple, it was wonderful to face someone who had the same mindset about wrestling. I remember both knowing each other well in the ring and trying to out-do each other. We both knew each others strengths and weaknesses and played on them, and when he beat me it was one of the few times I was happy to have been pinned. Much like the honor I felt by having a win over Conscience, it was an honour to have such a moment with Majik. Even though I lost I learned a lot in those fifteen minutes and had a great deal of pride facing him.

I’ve had other skirmishes with Conscience and Majik. A favourite being in the Battlezone a few years ago when Con asked me after wards “Why did you run from me?” The answer to me seemed obvious, because he’d beat the hell out of me, but it was an honour to have that seen as a missed opportunity. Every moment shared with them, whether we were verbally or physically tearing each other apart, sharing jokes or memories or giving each other praise, each one was a true pleasure to be a part of.

And I’m not the only one. there are dozens of SWA Stars who have shared extraordinary moments with them. Guys such as Johnny Darko, Falcon, Adam Shame, White Tiger, Micken and many more have shared time in and out the ring with them. Their influence has touched us all and whether loved or hated both men shared a special bond with the audience that most of us would be lucky to have.

From year one both men have been tied to the core of SWA. They’ve both been NWA Scottish Champions, British champions, held main event status and shocked us all with twists and turns in their time, not to mention having one of the most brutal and unforgiving matches a few years back when they did battle in a casket match. These two men were the heart of SWA and while they’ll be sorely missed, by fans, staff and talent, their influence will no doubt be around for years.

The Gathering saw them both fall into retirement when their knowledge of each other couldn’t allow either man to win. Majik tied Consience up for a submission while Con simultaneously had Maj pinned. When both men lost the match and they both fell into retirement the mood backstage was one of genuine and deep sadness and loss.

After losing these two men and being forced to say goodbye, the world of British wrestling may seem a little empty, but to those of us inside and out of SWA they trained and guided through the years they’ll be around for a long time to come. Every match faced, every event to come, we’ll have the spirits and teachings of these two wrestlers helping guide us forward to fill the gap they left behind.

With heavy hearts we all said a heartfelt goodbye to Mike and Peter at the Gathering. We owe it all to you guys and it’ll never be forgotten.

This has been quite a negative little blog. Basically all of the things I hate about wrestling combined. I was talking to a colleague about it last night about how distant I feel from the fun side of it all these days…

…so it’s time to say something nice with a little nostalgia trip.

Several years ago, during the time of the Damned Nation, I was speaking to Gabriel Grey about finding away to bring a Scottish chapter to the group. I had an idea.

At the time Falcon wanted to base himself on the Crow, which is an odd thought considering the metro sexual he’s become now and I was the ‘dark force’ behind him. Enough of an alternative element to throw into the Damned Nation on both our counts. So from there the plan developed. Bring in Jonny Darko, possibly T2K and there we have a Scottish Chapter.

I discussed this with Conscience over a glass of cider and a few cigarettes while lounging in the garden and I was surprised to hear him liking the idea. But not as the Damned Nation.

Con’s initial rebuttle was ‘How about MNM’? They were a popular trio at the time and he wanted to replicate that idea. The Damned Nation Scotland and MSN idea’s merged and we had our team. An army of men from the alternative nation. Instead of just a normal group of elite posers, we merged it. Instead of the Vogue fashion group, I kind of merged the idea of Michael Alig’s ‘Club Kids’ with the vampires in the first Blade movie. Alternative elite.

With that T2K fit right in. Darkside and Wolfgang already had an ounce of alt in their style and it just took a nudge to get Darko to move from Hardy Boyz lite to something with a touch of class. Falcon ended up going his own route of fashion, the darkess in him was his nasty side, but he was somewhat of an outsider being a metrosexual icon and I… well I was trash.

The idea behind my image was discussed at length with Videogaiden’s Rab Florence in a meeting we had years ago. Both he and Con got it and I hope others did too. The basic concept of my image and behavior was a spoiled rich kid. Someone who rebelled against his family but couldn’t quite part from their money and power and with Falcon formed the A List.

There was more int here, such as sing violence to carve his own path and all that crap. But that was the set up. Falcon and me, two very different people who’d clicked and made an agenda.

And it was good.

From a wrestling standpoint we had an established tag team in Darkside and Wofie, a high flyer in Falcon and Darko the up and comer all under my guidance. Later Micken was added to the group in his wiccan warrior phase and soon enough our reign of chaos began, my favorite moment being ‘A List presents…’, a night where we ran the show after winning Clan Wars.

For me that night was the birth of the Tyler Division rules and my brand minimalist of wrestling; emotion and crowd involvement over action. A veteran said to me “I’ve stunk up arena’s all around the country, but when the fans react that when you know you’re over.” I think it was a compliment as the crowd sure as fuck reacted.

The A List was the best time I’ve had in wrestling so far. The bond between Falcon and myself held the core of it together and when my ‘affections’ drifted to Wolfie things began to get interesting. We played it with the idea of us being a couple, kind of a fling interrupting the friendship with Falcon and soon enough that affair led to Falcon walking.

That was in some respects the end of the group, but the work done with Wolfie was wonderful. When we split I remember him being gutted about it, but now he’s onto bigger and better things. So well done to him and Falcon.

The torch was passed to Lady L to take over the forming team of BT Gunn and Micken, the Playas, and my last proper appearance was with Gunn at Battlezone 2008.

I’d begun to carve my own path. Tyler Division and all that. Had a bit of a nice match with Maj before the Gathering last year. Hopefully it was good…

…but yeah, the A List. If I hate looking backwards, but if I could revive anything in my life of wrestling – that’d be it.