A Southern Boy's Journey

[Monk]

Hello ya'll, my name is Kirk Luckett... I grew up in the South, small town in South Georgia. Growing up I was always a good actor, always liked the crowds and was good at football. I wasn't quit big enough to play college ball--but I am big enough, and tough enough, for my other love. Pro wrestling. Ever since I was little, I loved watching it. It combined my love of acting and athletics. I love watching guys like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes and the crew go at it. Now then, my Dad says I can be a wrestler, but he wants me to at least get a 2 year degree in college before I go full time. That's fine with me, my first year I trained with Phil Chase, now my second year I'm ready to start taking a few bookings in the area and get started.

[Monk]

In training, I learned I've always been charismatic and tough. Not the most athletic guy, nor could I wrestle good going in, but hey--I learned. I focused on the fundamentals, power, and technique. I'm too big for that new fangled flippin' around Phil says. Since I'm still new at this, my first two months I'll be using a small moveset to get the funadmentals down. Don't have too many moves at all. Got a runnin' bulldog, and the bionic elbow like Dusty. Phil says since I ain't got many finishers, to be a little cheap and heel like he puts it. So he taught me how to untie and remove the turnbuckles and how to put someone's head into the steel the right way to make em' bleed and such. Let's see how I do.

[Monk]

Good news! I got meetings with the Championship Wrestling Association, and the Championship Wrestling from Florida for tries out. From now until I get my degree in May, this is all I have time and room for. Also, they both are close by Georgia, so traveling to and from them shouldn't be too bad. I drive into Memphis and see I'm getting on TV! In my first match! However, my heart sinks as I see I'm fighting Elijah Akeem. I'm gonna get killed. However in the locker room Rick Steiner gives me some tips on my psych in the match and Doug Gilbert tells me I'll do fine. I hope. I get no music or anything as I walk down to the ring, my heart pounding. I hit a few punches, then run his face aganist the ropes and give him a double tittie twister! Figure if I can give the fans some fun they will remember me. However, my good luck ends soon as he quickly takes advantage. I try to work on his arms some but he shrugs it off and hits a mafia kick. Next thing I know he turns around, pulls something out of his trunks, and BAM! I wake up in Jarrett's office with an ice pack on my head. He says Elijah vouched for me and said I was good and sorry for the brass knuckles. Even though the match wasn't that great, 3 minutes long and I jobbed to a brass knuckle shot for a D rating, he hired me as enhancement talent! 20 bucks a show, but still I have a job.

[Monk]

Next thing I know, it's Wenesday. I drive down to Florida and head to the arena. I'm wrestling Scott McGee. We talk beforehand, he tells me it should be a good match. I'm lookin' forward to it. I start the match off and hit him with everything I got, which isn't much. Punches, chops, arm wringers. I hit more than him and soon enough we both are tiring. I take a huge advantage when I see him charge at me for a forearm. I get ready and nail him with a big ol' hot shot! I decide to stop being a funny guy and take him outside and slam him face first into the ring apron and tables and anything else near by. The ref yells at me, so I lay off a little. My mistake! Scott takes me in and runs me over with a clothesline. Next thing I know I'm in a figure-four and crying like a baby. Eddie takes me aside afterwards and Scott tells Eddie I did good for my second match. 12 Minutes and a D ain't awful yet. Eddie says how bout' I be the opener and a face? I say yes and he says as I leave, "Hey kid... how does 40 a night sound?" My jaw almost hits the floor! By the way, I'm a babyface here and a heel in CWA.

[Monk]

That Friday I can work CWA or in Florida. Florida is closer and pays more. Jarrett understands. I get down there and find out I'm wrestling Jack Hart. I say nothing to no one and just relax and go to the ring for my match. For three minutes he beats me pillar to post. I get in a shot or two, but after a bionic elbow I'm nearly beat. I decide to fight back and take him out, body slam him through a table, and hit some bionic elbows. The ref yells at me, and on the third elbow Jack gets in a punch to counter. Next thing I know, BAM--Brass Knuckle Shot to my skull. He's not as strong as Elijah, cause I'm hurt but pissed. I yell at the ref to DQ him, but the ref says--"Hey, fair is fair, you cheat, he cheats, now your both even". Darn ref! Jack climbs the ropes and drops a elbow on me than puts me in a Boston Crab. It hurts bad, but I'm outside the ring so I'm ok for the match. I get out of a spinnin' toe hold and hit some Atomic Drops and one of my big moves... a running knee drop! He kicks out though. I get the crowd into it, and go to untie a turnbuckle, but Hart is up and stops me. This was my downfall, as he stops me and hits a small package out of nowhere for the win! I'm shocked, as I take all his big moves and lose to that! Eddie Graham tells me that's the way things go and I'm still a rookie. 10 minutes and a C rating. Not too awful.

[Monk]

That Sunday, it's a TV show down in Florida! I'm wrestling Jack Hart again in the middle of the card. Before the match, I'm in the locker room and who should walk in but Dory Funk Jr.!!! I talk to him for an hour and he gives me GREAT advice on how to work better matches and wishes me luck. I hit some backbreakers, but Jack takes me down to the mat and works me over. Two minutes in and he gets me in a spinning toe hold, but I don't give up. He tries to throw me into the corner, I reverse and put him up top, toss him off, and hit five face slams into the mat. I go for my running knee drop, he moves and hooks me up for a Double Arm DDT! I slip out, go for my Bulldog, he slips out and goes for his Brass Knuckles when I dodge that, and hit a regular DDT! He kicks out though. All this in just six minutes. I untie the turnbuckle, but he won't let me remove it. He goes for another Small Package, but I wise up and dodge it. I hit a Roughneck Combo and get the turnbuckle off, and man is the ref mad. I try to hit Jack into it, but he blocks. He keeps going for Small Packages, but I scare him off with an Exaggerated Claw fake out thingy. The crowd is dying laughing. I survive another Toe Hold 9 minutes in and hit another DDT, busting open Jack. At the ten minute mark we are both hurtin', but he is bleeding something bad. We keep trying to win, but he finally does at the 13 minute mark. I hit an Atomic Drop, go for my Runnin' Knee Drop, and he dodges it. He then scoops me up for his Double Arm DDT, and I see the lights for the next three seconds and lose. C+ effort that time. I keep improving!

[Monk]

Monday now, week two. Still no wins, but a tv taping in Tennesse. I'm wrestling another low carder in Tony Falk. I talk to Elijah and thank him for giving me a good word. He thanks me and we talk for a bit. I consider him a trustworthy guy and a true friend in the biz. Three minutes in, it's all me. I hit my Nipple Twister even! I hit some Bodyslams, some Face Slams into the Mat, and then he dodges my knee move. I Untie and Remove the paddin' from the turnbuckle, but the ref gets pissed. So I throw Tony down and hit my knee. Another kick out. But six minutes in--he's in danger and I'm still perfect, he hasn't hit one move. I'm beginning to think that move will never win a match! He quickly comes back and gets me down some, we trade Bionic Elbows, he hits one Running Knee to my Head 12 minutes in, I dodge the second and hit a DDT. I change my strategy. I do a Hammerlock, then a Running Bulldog. Twice. Both times he kicks out. Third try I hit the Hammerlock, but he punches me to end the Bulldog. He won't go down though. I counter a move with a Low Blow into a Cradle, no dice. DDT, no good either. Another DDT, no good. It's now 22 minutes in. No one has an advantage really. He kicks out of another bulldog and hits some Seated Bionic Elbows. Now here is where things get interesting. A few minutes later I Irish Whip him. He runs right into the ref and the ref is OUT. Tony goes to town and beats me up for a few minutes straight until the 29th minute. I get all my strength, whip him into the corner, slam his head into the exposed steel and with my last breath pin him. The ref crawls over... 1... 2... 3! 29 Minutes in and my first win! A B- for the long match too. Backstage I thank Jarrett and Lawler for giving two undercard guys so much time on TV! They must see potential in me. Then to make it even cooler, Randy Savage and The Fabulous Ones come up and tell me what a fun match it was to watch. How I played a great old school Memphis heel--I couldn't win until I used my head and used his head--by bouncing it off solid steel! As I leave I see Tony and shake his hand. No hard feelings here, he tells me that it was one of his best matches he's been in--though he is a little ticked off I had to beat him that way, but he's a heel too. He understands you gotta win sometimes!

[D. Boons Ghost]

Fantastic diary, Monk. You had me laughing several times; in particular, the Exaggerated Claw Threat against Horowitz, er... Hart. :) You've got a great sense of humor. Well done and good luck!

[Monk]

Thanks! Here comes the next match: It's the next day. Teusday. Mid South Coliseum baby! I'm wrestling Doug Gilbert. Kinda weird two heels are goin' at it, but I don't mind. In the locker room I stretch with my man Elijah and he tells me to take care of business. Everything is going good until I open the door and slam it into something that feels like a tank. Could only be one man... King Kong Bundy. He just laughs and says, "Got us a Rook here do we?" He tells me good luck and says that there are no hard feelings, just the next time I see him in the ring expect to get beat up so bad I'll need a 8 count to get pinned, not just a 5 count. We both laugh at that, then off to the ring. I head out and listen to the annoucer call us out to the ring when I stop. First Blood? First Blood Match? Some would freak out, but I think it's great! No DQ and my big moves affect the face (DDT, Bulldog, Turnbuckle smashin'). Well... not so great. 5 Minutes in, everything fine when wham! Discus Punch to the noggin splits me open. I go backstage to get cleaned up with a D rating. Ouch. That hurts worse than the blood. It's only a tiny cut too, but hey--that's life. Next night though should be a breeze. Back in Florida on a team of 3 aganist 2. More like a team of 8 aganist 2, as one of us is Giant Haystacks! The other is my new friend Scott McGee. Haystacks is real nice, says he's looking forward to the team up and that we should win. Wrestling B. Brian Blair and Kharma. For 6 minutes it's all Scott, until after a deadly backbreaker from Kharma he's hurting. He tags in the big man, then all hell breaks loose. Sadly, the ref had been KOed when Haystacks dropped his big elbow. He gets tired, then tags in... me? I get beat up some until I freak out Kharma with my Claw routine, then get in some Bionic Elbows until he LEVELS me with a Mule Kick. I barely make the hot tag to Scott who comes in hot, but nothing he does works either. Not even his Late Inning routines. After he takes a Mule Kick, he brings in a fresh Haystacks. Haystacks brings a huge smile on my face as he walks in, looks at the corner where I had removed the turnbuckle cover earlier, chucks Kharma into the corner and without thinking just blasts his face into the steel and covers him for the 3. He may move slow, but he did in ten seconds what Scott and I couldn't do in ten minutes. 15 min match, C+ rating. Not too shabby, espically since we won. On Friday I have another handicap match! Doug Gilbert and I versus Rick Steiner in Memphis. I talk to Gypsy Joe in the back and he seems like an ok guy. He says that he fears no one in the world, no matter what weapons they have or where they come from on the street. He says that even in twenty years as an old man he can take any street thug or [I]New Jack[/I]... I think maybe he should reconsider that. For six minutes Doug dominates until he misses a Pescado. MAN! That was some move, even though he whiffed. Doug comes right back with some cheating out there and dominates. Just like me though, he has the guy in Danger and can't bring the match home. So after a bit of a beat down from Rick he brings me in after hitting a DDT. The crowd ooes and ahhs as I hit a vicious Knee Jab and then a Running Bulldog. Bless his heart, Rick just takes it and kicks out. He won't let me Untie the Turnbuckle, so he beats me around for a while until I'm in Danger and make a tag. He wails on Doug until Doug hits some Rapid Fire Dropkicks and a nice High Cross Body. 2 Count. We actually lose to one guy! Doug gets put in a Boston Crab and as he stands up gets hit with a Samoan like headbutt. Down he goes for the 3 at 18 minutes and a C rating. My buddy Elijah lost to aganist Idol for the title. We both lost, bummer man. Well when we leave he pulls me aside and says, "Kid, beers on me tonight!" I say, "Elijah... I'm not 21." He looks at me and laughs his head off. "Come on... I know a bar they don't mind. Pretty girls there too." Lucky for me my next match was on Sunday in Florida. Saturday would have been no good--hangovers and DDTs don't mix. I'm wrestling Duke Myers in a Table Match. Big guy. I meet Kevin Sullivan. Weird fellow. Real weird. Not the nicest guy either. 6 Minutes in and he hits me with a barage of stuff on the ground, ending with The Boston Crab. Not just a Boston Crab, but THE Boston Crab. Ouch. I said uncle at least ten times until he let go. 10 Minutes in, he gets it on me again! And he's only in Medium. He picks me up and hits me with a Uranage Slam through a table at 11 Minutes in. C rating. The next day I see Phil Chase my trainer. He tells me that I'm doing good, but I got no big moves. I can't take people down. So he's got a quick fix while he keeps teaching me new stuff. Phil says, "I got the secret... here ya' go!" in his thick Irish accent. He hands me... a plastic fork? "What's this?" I say. "It's a fork! I can teach you better finishing moves, but not over night. You still gotta win more matches starting now, so I figure real quick I can teach you something. It's not looked on well but who cares, your a heel in Tennessee, they eat cheating heels up. Here's what you do. Easy as 1-2-3. Headlock, fork, throat. Put it all together and BAM! Easy finisher." After a few tries, I get the Fork Spike down. I have one problem though--I'm a face in Florida. Phil remarks, "A face? Hmmm... well. Play up being a crazy customer. Fans already pop big for your whole insane clawman gimmick. Next time you do the karate pose and alien noises while flexing that hand into a claw, whip the fork out and finish off some big heel. You'll look more dangerous and if you do it goofy, still be fun. Just like for Lawler and Jarrett, only there cuss out the crowd and spit on the other guy while you do it. Oh, also try to wing your enemy into the ref. If he's KO'ed, you can stab this guy more times than my three ex-wives have taken me to court for more money! By the way kid, in a few weeks I'll start teaching you one of my old finishers. No one else does it anymore, it should help make you a bigger star!" Can't wait till my next match when I can use my deadly new move! I wonder what Phil's move he'll teach me is?

[captainlou]

The Grand Wizard and I say that you're doing a great job kid! Keep improving and keep up the good work. The only thing is to stay away from that Kevin Sullivan guy in Florida. You never know what he's going to do.

[Monk]

Monday Week 3: Get to the arena, talk to Lawler, Lane and Doug Gilbert. It's me, Gilbert, and a big guy named Jim Neidhart vs. Tony Falk, Chris Carter, and Jeff Gaylord. Neidhart thinks it shouldn't be too hard. We make short work of them, but at 5 minutes Carter kicks out of a Running Body Press from Gilbert. Doug also HITS the Pescado this time on Gaylord. But... we lose. Neidhart seems a little peeved, again like last time it's something stupid Doug did. He totally whiffed on a top rope elbow drop and got rolled up. Didn't even get to do my Fork Spike. 28 Minutes, C+. Not too awful. At least on two days later, things can change. Down in Florida wrestling Jack Hart and Ken Mantell. Get some good advice on psych in the match from Hector Guerrero and then team up with Jose Luis Rivera. Good fun match, 12 minutes in Rivera Snap Suplexes Mantell into a chair! Then to follow it he back suplexes him through a table a few seconds later. The ref of course doesn't like our team suplexing guys through things, so Jose brings it in but can't get a sleeper on either member of the other team. Hart kicks out of 3 Thesz Presses in a row! He's a tough guy. I come back in and my Bulldog won't put Mantell down, so I let Jose do his magic some more. But still... Mantell won't go down either to any number of Late Inning Small Packages or Thesz Presses. We won't go down either... until Hart uses some Brass Knux on Rivera. 24 minutes for a C+. That Friday it's back to Tennesse. Wrestling Jeff Gaylord. Have a good talk with Lawler beforehand. Tells me that I'll move up the card sometime and gives me some tips. Gaylord starts off dominating. I decide that I won't take another loss. I come back, take him outside and dominate with strikes. Some Bionic Elbows, Jumping Head Scissors, and Backbreakers. I bring Gaylord in and dribble his head aganist the mat until I'm ready. I smile to the crowd a creepy grin. I pick up Gaylord and slowly put him in a headlock. I smile even wider and then wave to the crowd; take that hand and in one quick motion pull out a fork and jam it into Jeff's throat. He makes a sound like a cat that just had it's tail stepped on as I keep ramming him in the neck and throat. After a few choice rams I let him go and he just slumps down onto the mat, gasping for breath and holding his neck while pointing at it. The ref yells, "What the hell is wrong with you! What is wrong with you!" Half the crowd is speechless, the other half booing me loudly. Mothers are covering their children's eyes. Me--I realize I made an impact. I wave and smile, and at 11 minutes for a C+ rating I roll Jeff onto his back and make the pin for my second ever singles victory. That Sunday--back to Florida. Wrestling Duke Myers again, this is gonna hurt. At least in the back I meet some hot babe, Fallen Angel. She helps me with my mic skills while I try to hit on her. She tells me she thinks missing teeth are hot. Oh well, I don't have any of those. Myers shrugs off all my offense like nothin' and pins me with his Uranage at 7 minutes for a C rating. Monday--fun match. I get to be squashed! Leo Burke and Gypsy Joe vs. Chris Carter and yours truly. Well... six minutes in and Joe tags out. I got him down to Low, while I'm still at a High level of health! Burke works me over some and I tag Chris who comes in with a nice Bodyslam. Well... Carter does great. Sarcasm doesn't come off in writing--but he could NOT make a tag to save his life. He gets Double Arm DDTed and pinned. C+ and 16 minutes in. Back to Florida. Who did I piss off? Scott McGee and I vs. Mr. Hito, Mike Davis, and Lex Luger! Only good thing is I got to hit on Fallen Angel more before the match. Well. Nevermind! We start to win, McGee is on fire--and I manage to Fork Luger! But he kicks out! A DDT doesn't do it either, he gets Hito into the match who slaps me around some before hitting a toprope Standing Knee which stuns me--then making me choke myself out! I wake up dazed in the ring and hear the ref call the bell at 14 minutes. Looks about a C rating from here. I'm just amazed that Luger kicked out of my Fork Spike. Maybe that move that Phil is going to teach me some day can really make a difference in my move set.

[Monk]

Friday: Lawler's company again. Backstage I tell Koko B. Ware and Dutch Mantell I think I'm gonna lose, they don't care--I'm still an opener. But Ken Mantell is a great guy, tells me he's happy we are teaming up tonight! I hear the match, this should be hard, but exciting. Doug Gilbert, Kirk Luckett, Ken Mantell, and Tony Falk versus Chris Carter, Macho Man Randy Savage, Gypsy Joe, and Jeff Gaylord. Elimination Match! Two minutes in, Doug has got Carter in Danger and hits a Running Body Press. Carter kicks out without using any spirit! What a tough guy! Like usual, Doug can't put him away. Rapid Fire Dropkicks and a Top Rope Elbow Drop don't work, nor does Doug's DDT. Chris tags Macho Man in, and after a Bionic Elbow and Macho Man Axe Handle from the top, Doug rolls over after blowing a Foreign Object blow and tags... me! I'm in aganist Macho Man. *Gulp* I work him over a little, he gets me to Medium, I hit a Backbreaker and we both tag. He brings Gaylord in, I bring Falk in. Falk does great. Backbreaker and lots of Grounded Armbars, then Joe comes in, beats down Tony, and Tony brings our big gun Mantell into the frey. Mantell quickly slaps Joe around and gets him in a nice Spinning Toe Hold, then hits a German Suplex. Joe is staggering about like me after getting drunk with Elijah at that bar. Joe won't let Mantell hit his Leaping Piledriver, so to protests from the ref Mantell just uses his Brass Knuckles and scores a win. We take out Joe to go up 1-0 in the match! Lots of tags all around and quick action. Finally at 20 minutes, I make my return. I got Chris Carter in Low. If I do good, I can build my name up hopefully. I hit a Kick Rush and Low Blow with Cradle for a 2. Things get tense as he gets me to Medium. My teammates are yelling for me to tag, but I have better ideas. I block his tag, Untie the Turnbuckle when he blocks my removin' it and hits some weak moves. I finally get it off and the ref yells at me some. So Mantell gets in and distracts the ref while I introduce Chris to the steel. Mantell leaves the ring, the ref turns around and sees nothing wrong and counts the 3! Savage comes in and beats me silly with lots of moves, then he Removes a different Turnbuckle. I block his attempt at hitting me into it though and tag in Mantell. They go at it fast and furious, but at 26 minutes the Macho Man can't hold out to Mantell's Indian Death Lock any longer. Now it's Jeff Gaylord weak and weary aganist four men. Mantell is hurting from Macho Man's assault, so he brings Tony in. After a while Tony is hurtin' so he throws Gaylord into the ref, tags me in, and with no ref I introduce Jeff to the steel. Sadly he gets up before the ref does and works me over. I Hot Shot him and make a tag. Jeff is bleeding 34 minutes in from a Gilbert DDT. Gaylord hits a DDT making Gilbert tag Mantell back in. Ken comes in and within four seconds hits his big Double Arm DDT for the pin. None of us lost and at 36 minutes and a B- we win! Only bad thing is I now have two guys in the business who dislike me. Dutch Mantell and Koko Ware. Oh well, more guys like me than dislike me, so I'm still happy. Sunday night it's Duke Myers, Skull Murphy, and Lex Luger aganist me, Jack Hart, and Jose Luis Rivera. Backstage Scott introduces me to Barry Windham. Two good guys, unlike Koko and Dutch. We, well Jose, starts off and beats Duke up enough that three minutes into this, he's Low and brings Lex in. Jose won't let Skull untie the Turnbuckle later on, and six minutes in, he brings me into the match. We both get to Medium, and I bring in Hart. Highlight so far of the match is when the ref is out and Skull and Jack beat the piss out of each other outside with tons of illegal moves. Duke and Skull get Jose to Danger, so 15 minutes and I'm back in High baby! He gets me to Medium, but I get him to Danger and bleeding with a Running Bulldog. Since this is Florida and I'm a face, I think how to use my fork move. I try to fake him out with the Claw, but no good, so a DDT gets him down. He blows the Fork Spike and works me over good, but the blood gets to him and I pull out the Fork Spike for the 3 at 19 minutes in and a C rating. I win two in a row! My first month is over, I only lost 40 bucks, and my psychology went up 17! I'm now a Lower Midcarder in both feds too! My wins are paying off. Sadly, I get a feud in each fed. Sad because while a feud is good, both are aganist big tough guys. In CWA, I'm aganist Rick Steiner, CWF aganist Lex Luger. Monday night in Florida, I hang out with Lex and Jack Hart in the locker room when everyone kinda looks over at me like a dead man. Seems I'm wrestling Mr. Hito. Also... Hito is pissed tonight. Five minutes in, he makes me choke myself. This time I don't tap out, but I use up all my spirit. The end is close I fear. It is over. Six minutes in. C rating. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Heart Kick. Hito apolgizes for it backstage, but the next day in class at college I can hardly breathe. That was a brutal shot. That Wenesday in Florida, Eddie tells me I don't have a match. I'm still beat from Hito rocking my world. So I just hang out backstage learning mic skills from Oliver Humperdink. Friday night is GREAT! I drive to CWA and find out I'm rasslin' Bob Della Serra. The big news is Jarrett and Lawler call me into the office. They tell me I can be big someday, I got charisma and the look, but I need something else. A manager. That's when the door opens and a guy wearing a tacky suit and megaphone comes in. The Mouth of the South! Jimmy Hart! My new manager. Awesome! He tells me that we're going straight to the top. We'll see tonight. In fact, Lawler tells me stories all night until it's time for me to go wrestle. Jimmy Hart helps me in the match big time. He is at Medium, and I am Low when I Incite the Crowd. Jimmy jumps up with the megaphone and helps me get everyone mad at me as I hit a Jumping Standing Head Scissors. When Bob hits his Kangaroo Kick, Jimmy grabs his foot before he can follow up. As Bob turns to yell at Jimmy I go for a Butt Drop across the ropes like Bossman and folks do. The crowd laughs as Bob moves and I crotch myself. 10 Minutes outside the ring... Bob hits me with Brass Knuckles! He picks me up and goes for a Leaping Piledriver, but WHAM! I hit a Bionic Elbow. He hits the Leaping Piledriver in the ring, but I kick out. After missing a Running Knee to the Head, I get the turnbuckle padding all the way off and just HURL Bob into it. He gushes blood and almost has a seizure as he falls back nearly dead. I pin him for the 3 at 17 minutes and a B-. People boo loudly as Jimmy gets on the megaphone hypeing me up, "That's right folks, the future right here baby! That's right! Kirk Luckett, future champ! Jerry! Jerry Lawler, he's coming for ya! He's coming!" I'm on cloud nine after my biggest singles victory ever!

[captainlou]

the exaggerated claw gag reminds me of baron von raschke.