Total Championship Wrestling: Tuesday Night Wars

[Bull]

Nice to see you back BP I'll be following this for sure.

[Eisen-verse]

Great to see the project finally make it's debut on the boards, PA. I know you've been toying with a TCW diary for quite some time now, so, it's great to see your vision finally present itself to us all.

 

I would wish you best of luck, however, I know that you're in no need of such a wishing.... As your ability to tell a great story has shown that you work well regardless of the product. All in all, I'll just say I'm looking forward to reading your shows & keeping up with what you're doing.

 

Cheers.

[randomfreeze]

Happy as ever to have another BigPapa tale. So much great stuff to read on these boards...can't wait to get it kicked off.

[Bigpapa42]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/Wrestling/TCW/Logos/TotalMark.jpg

 

Mark 1.0

A New Empire

 

Too many cooks in the kitchen.

 

That was the thought that I couldn't quite banish from my mind as the conference room slowly filled up. It wasn't really fair, though. The people filtering in were some of the biggest names names in American professional wrestling over the past two decades, but most of them weren't “cooks”. They were just the talent, experienced in the business and with good minds, so the Boss liked to use them for that. It also made the talent feel more invested in the promotion.

 

The talent that came into the room was immense. A cornucopia of the very best. There were four Wrestler of the Year awards amongst the talent that came through the door. More than 20 major title reigns amongst them. Some of the biggest names in the business in the United States – Sam Keith, Ricky Dale Johnson, Bryan Vessey, Rick Law, Robert Oxford, John Anderson, Wolf Hawkins, Joey Minnesota... Plus booker Joel Bryant. The champ, Rocky Golden, normally attended these meetings but was otherwise engaged at some promotional event. Such are the expectations on a champion... The likes of Troy Tornado, Eddie Peak, Brent Hill and the New Wavers often attended but were not present today.

 

They came into the windowless conference room in the back corner of TCW-HQ, one after the other. They took seats around the big oak table. There was little discussion and no one was late.

 

The boys called called these meetings “Tommy Meetings”. The Boss could call them anywhere and anytime, keeping things interesting by potentially inviting almost anyone contracted to the company... and occasionally people who weren't. The reason for the meeting could be anything, though they typically related some way to creative direction. Brain storm sessions

 

The boss himself already had his standard spot at the far end of the table. He watched everyone file into the room, the fiery eyes missing nothing. When Minnesota finally entered, the boss gave a nod. I closed the door and took my seat in the corner. Minnesota shot me a needless but typical dirty look before he – like everyone else in the room – spent the rest of the meeting ignoring me.

 

Tommy Cornell looked around the room and frowned. Not his signature scowl, but just a straightforward frown. He looked sour. The Boss often looked – and was – sour since the whole debacle with the investors.

 

“Right then,” he began. “Let's not muck about. You know why we're here.”

 

Apparently most of them didn't, as they quickly looked over the agenda sheets that had been left on the conference table in front of each of them. The ensuing silence was slightly award, as no one stepped forward to begin discussion. Cornell said nothing. The boss preferred to listen and observe during these meetings, rather than actively lead them. Save for the occasional meeting he decided to turn into a rant session for himself, of course.

 

The first item on the agenda sheet was plans for the major storylines heading into Total Mayhem. Not that Bryant didn't already have plans laid out, but the Boss wanted more. He wanted bigger.

 

The first suggestion came from Ricky Dale Johnson. The big Texan offered up, “What about you chasing the title for a few months? Chasing Rocky until you finally get your chance at Mayhem. Maybe have some type of contenders tournament you have to get through?” Such a typical suggestion from RDJ, given he had been stuck in that same storyline chasing Cornell for years. There were a few nods around the table at the suggestion.

 

Joel Bryant quickly cut that line of thought off, saying “We want something bigger than that. Besides, a chase storyline works better with a heel champion.”

 

That lead to another silence as everyone mulled over the problem at hand. The next suggestion came from Minnesota. Poor, stupid Joey Minnesota. "How 'bout bringing back the Syndicate full force? It's a step backward, I guess, but the idea was pretty frickin' awesome," he offered up.

 

There came a disgruntled grunt from Cornell at this. If wincing made noise, the ensuing silence would have been a lot nosier, since almost everyone else in the room reacted in the same way. Minnesota's ignorance would have to be forgiven on this, as he had been absent - as in, not invited - for the past few meetings. But in those meetings, the Boss made it clear that the Syndicate storyline was a sore spot for him. And no doubt - the storyline was wonderfully conceived and crafted, patiently developed over time rather than hot-shotted. It should have had the kind of effect that the SWF's "Man Under Pressure" had for Eisen last year... but injuries had taken it off the rails. The replacement members never really quite worked and the payoff to the storyline had never really worked like it should have.

 

Bryant deflated the awkward silence that had ensued, diplomatically telling Minnesota, "Uh, moving backward probably isn't the best idea. But thanks, Joey." Minnesota made another sour face and seemed to sulk.

 

"What about this," Sam Keith began. One of the most respected voices in the room, everyone leaned forward to listen. He spent the next ten minutes laying out his idea in detail. It was obvious this wasn't just coming to him now, but an idea that he had been mulling over for some time. It was a touch closer to "Sports Entertainment" than some TCW fans liked, but it was a solid storyline. It was funny to watch Bryant furiously keeping notes while Keith talked. When the former SWF booker finished, there were nods around the table. No one had anything negative to say about it. A few people threw out a few further suggestions.

 

Though it was never stated that this would be the storyline that would be used, the fact that the meeting moved on to the next agenda item said a lot.

 

The second agenda item was the Hellfire Club. TCW's current lone stable was doing fairly well, but some people felt that it was holding Eddie Peak back. Poor Eddie Peak. It seemed like there was always something holding him back. He had done well as a babyface through his early TCW tenure, but a heel turn in early 2008 really let him shine. He built up momentum through the spring and summer, growing into the monster heel that TCW lacked at the time. They teased a feud between him and Ricky Dale Johnson, but RDJ ended up feuding with Cornell again and dropping the belt in the fall. The Hellfire Club was formed in early 2009 to give some of the big heels something to do. It kept them busy and Peak had been in some quality programs, but he never quite got into the very top of the card for very long.

 

My personal opinion was that whether Peak was part of the Hellfire Club or on his own, there would remain the perception of him being “held back” until he was given a chance at the very top of the card. Of course, I was not about to voice that opinion here. Who would care about my opinion? I just kept it to myself, continuing to take notes.

 

Thankfully, I wasn't the only person in the room with the opinion, so it did get voiced. But by Rick Law instead of me. The discussion went on for a short bit, back and forth on the topic. The discussion just kind of died off after a short while, so Bryant pushed it along to the next topic on the list... the TCW School of Pro Wrestling.

 

Cornell had put a fair amount of time and money into the TCW training camp, with little to show for it so far. Brent Hill ran it and he was considered a helluva trainer. So what was going wrong?

 

There was a bit of debate about the room. Was Hill being too hard on the trainees? Those who had also spent some time helping out with the camps, like RDJ, Law, and Anderson, didn't feel that was the case. Hill was nowhere near as hard to please as the Stone family, and the House of Stone still managed to churn out quality wrestlers every year. So why had The School of Pro Wrestling produced just Aaron Andrews in three years? The facilities were very good, so that wasn't the issue.

 

So if it wasn't the trainer and it wasn't the facilities, what was the problem? John Anderson spit out what everyone seemed to be thinking - it was the trainees. Whether it was because of the location of the dojo in Los Angeles or the lingering perception of Hollyweird, the camp seemed to attract a lot of kids who were more interested in being celebrities than wrestlers. Most couldn't take the physical demands put on them and washed out.

 

Bryant mentioned that TCW management had been approached by an LA-based production company. Their proposal was to do a reality TV show based around a class of trainees coming through the School. Despite the exposure that could bring to both TCW and the dojo, it had been rejected as it wasn't really the kind of exposure the Total was seeking. No one in the conference room disagreed with that, though many seemed interested to finally have that story confirmed, as it has circulated through the locker room last month.

 

Sam Keith spoke up again, and everyone listened. In his slow, even tone, he explained, “We need to emulate the SWF on this, I think. They do a damned fine job of putting the University out there as a path to stardom with Supreme. And they do it in an open way, putting out open calls for talent and so on.”

 

"I like the idea of making better use of the School," Joel told Keith. The respect between the men was almost tangible. "But I'm not sure if being more 'open' with it will work."

 

"Well, right now, workers get in by invitation, right? They don't' pay for anything themselves for the school?" There were a few nods around the table. So Keith continued, "I just think we need to open it up a bit more. Most of the invitees seem to come from around California. We need to open that up. If we see a raw prospect from anywhere - whether across the country or the other side of the globe - but they aren't yet at the point where we would want to offer them an actual contract, we offer them a spot at the school. They deal with the expenses of getting here, but they get in for free. If they decline the offer, its no harm and we can always look at them again down the road. But if even one or two of them accept, that's two more quality trainees. Plus, I think it would be good do open calls. Put it on the website that the school is accepting walk-ins. No freebies - if you pass the preliminary day, you pay for the training. Say two thousand for six weeks. After that, if they show enough, we train them the rest of the way for free."

 

"I like that," Joel agreed. "It can't hurt to try and if it increases the quality of trainees we're getting..."

 

"Yeah, it's better than just hoping things improve without changing anything," RDJ added.

 

This segued nicely into the next and final item on the agenda - securing the long-term future of TCW. Not a minor or small topic at all.

 

John Anderson made the suggestion of opening a development territory, much like the SWF had RIPW, Burning Hammer had Hinote Dojo, and PGHW had SAISHO. It was an effective way for a promotion to groom young talent before bringing them onto the main roster. Though it was hardly a sure thing, it was helpful. And it had fringe benefits, as well. Bryant shot the idea down pretty quickly, simply stating that while the idea was appealing, the financial aspects of doing it properly would not feasible at the moment for the promotion.

 

There was a moment of silence, then Joey Minnesota piped up with his second suggestion of the meeting. And this time is was more than worthwhile. He offered, “What about seeing if one of the indy promotions would work with us in that regard? Maybe New York City or Coastal Zone.”

 

This lead to some excited discussion around the table. Though neither of Minnesota's suggestions were likely, the idea was great. Stomper was still stuck in his ways with NYCW and Coastal Zone was doing pretty well doing its own thing, as it has been for so long. The “hardcore revolution” in Pittsburgh probably wasn't the best place to groom young talent for TCW, even if Mitch Naess' ego would allow him to “stoop” to such an agreement. Options included FREEDOM down on the island or 4C up in Canada. The best option was Rip Chord's MAW down in Charlotte. If it was presented correctly to Rip, he would love the challenge. And no doubt he would appreciate an infusion of both talent and money.

 

The round table discussion quickly agreed that MAW was the best option in that regard. Joel Bryant seemed hesitant to make an actual decision and looked to the Boss. After a moment, Tommy nodded. His first contribution since the meeting began.

 

Bryan Vessey suddenly spoke up, saying, “If y'all want to take down Supreme, the best way is to follow the path PGHW laid.”

 

Certainly a great wrestler, Vessey was not the most eloquent of speakers. And his drawl... Whereas RDJ had a Texan drawl that sounded fairly dignified, Vessey's sounded very down home. It was a deep south accent, that sounded like he was talking through a mouthful of cotton. I never understood why – he and his brother were both from Missouri. Hardly the deep south. Larry's accent was even worse. There was a good reason that neither had been allowed near microphones much through their long careers.

 

No one answered Vessey right away, as no one was quite sure what he meant. It was Anderson who sought clarification, asking, “Do you mean with match style, Bryan?”

 

“Nah,” Vessey laughed. “That's why I left. No, I mean the talent. Look, you want to build an empire, you need an army. An army that ain't loyal ain't no good.” More silence. Whatever his point was, it was not coming across. “Pride was built around six loyal stars. The army. The Six Pillars of Heaven – Hoshino, Kunomasu, Tatsuko, Miwa, Inukai, Mushashibo." Vessy ticked them off slowly, as if no else would know who the Pillars were. "Those six took 'em from being just another nothin' promotion... to damn near taking down the biggest outfit in Japan.”

 

“But it didn't work,” Minnesota blurted out. I winced. Stupid Joey Minnesota.

 

“Nah, it hasn't. Yet. But its the execution where they failed, not the theory,” Vessey explained. He tapped the table to emphasize this. His point was becoming clearer. “They got a new generation of talent that's damn near as good. Guys like Koiso, Sanda, Ugaki, Kwakami... But they needed to make the transition between generations and they didn't. That's where they failed.”

 

“So we need to build a generation of loyal stars ourselves, is what you're saying?” Bryant clarified.

 

“Exactly. We got talent here. We got tons of talent just around this table here. But I ain't so young no more. Neither is Sam. Or Oxford. Ricky. John. Even you, Tommy. We all gonna be here in five years? In ten? And that's where we gotta look. Not at tomorrow. But at the day after tomorrow. We got young talent – Joey, Wolfie, Rocky, Law, Taylor... But are they can't carry Tee-Cee-Dub by themselves when we're done. They need a midcard that's every bit as talented. There's young talent out there, tons of it. Sam's boys, some of the kids that Chord has. We should be bringing these kids in and try to make 'em believe in Total like we do. Won't work for all of 'em, but you make a few of them loyal, that can be enough. Make em believe that this new empire can take down Eisen's. That's the key.”

 

Vessey had a point. Even if just for the fact that Eisen was being pretty proactive in finding and locking up young talent these days. Vessey rarely got credit for having a good mind for the business, but he certainly understood somethings.

 

There was a moment of reflection after Vessey's explanation. I had watched Cornell throughout, but the Boss gave away nothing. A completely poker face. I wondered if he was giving Vessey's point any real consideration. The two had a history and it wasn't exactly positive.

 

Cornell and Vessey had a rivalry that went back over a decade, to some of the early years of the Hollyweird Grappling Company. Though they had never really worked a true storyline program together, they had down a puro-style long-term rivalry of matches spread out over years. To this day, some of those matches are considered the best in the history of this company. It could be argued – and I have made this argument – that the feud meant as much to HGC/TCW as Chord-Strong, Cornell-Liberty, and Cornell-RDJ. The earliest of the matches between Cornell and Vessey helped establish Cornell as a bankable main event star, capable of carrying the world title, and they just as much helped show what Vessey could do without his brother. There is no way Vessey wins the Wrestler of the Year in 2000 without his matches against Cornell that year. Both men have ego's and both men claim to have “made” the other through those matches.

 

This disagreement has – apparently – long been a source of tension between the two men. I haven't witnessed it, but Vessey's only been back for a few months now. I have never heard any of the long-time TCW workers talk of any direct confrontations between the two before Vessey left for Japan with his brother. I have read them taking shots at each other through the pro wrestling media, trustworthy journalistic institution that it is. Who knows if there is really anything much behind their rivalry?

 

I do know there's been some tension between this Vessey was signed, stemming from a positive drug test. Vessey claimed he had a legal prescription for the steroids, but couldn't produce it in time, so he'd faced a fine. The situation apparently created some tension between the Boss and Vessey. Not that I was directly involved in that situation, but stories get around backstage.

 

How would Cornell react to Vessey's comments? In my experience, the Boss is smart enough to recognize a good idea and leave personal feelings aside.

 

Cornell glanced at Joel Bryant, then swept his gaze across everyone seated around the room. He finally spoke. “You're right, Bryan. Joel and I spoke about this recently. We need to be more proactive on this. Eisen will snatch up every talented young worker he can. Sam's told me me that Eisen has been calling his kids again recently. If we wait... we lose..."

 

There were nods of agreement around the room. Then Wolf Hawkins spoke up. "Can we fit a bunch more talent, though?" he asked. "We have eight hours of TV a month...?"

 

"Well, we're working on some things," Bryant answered cryptically. No more details that.

 

Cornell leaned forward in his chair, speaking softly. It was like he was confiding in each and every one of us there in the room. He said, "We need to be realistic, then. We can't steal anyone from Eisen right now. We can't pay them what they'd be worth and I don't know that they'd want to jump anyway. Don't even know if we can still anyone from Sam. McFly isn't about to walk through that door. Neither is another one of the Stone boys, Christian Faith, or one of Pride's Pillars. It ain't happening," Cornell said slowly and emphattically. He let that sink in beofre he continued, "A year from now, maybe that changes. Maybe two year, five years, who knows. But I can't count on that changing somewhere down the road. I need to put things in place today. And Bryan's right - we are going to have to look to lock up some promising young talent to be our army to erect the new empire."

 

There were nods and smiles around the room. Vessey had a satisfied look upon his battered face.

 

But the Boss wasn't quite done. He went on, "Look, bringing in kids is going to change things. I want that to be clear. But I don't see another way forward. Unless someone has a better option, this is it."

 

Cornell left a hanging silence, inviting anyone to speak up. The silence that followed was comfortable rather than awkard, as if those in the room were accepting of it. He finally gave a nod, and like that, the meeting was over.

 

These meetings always leave me reflective. Perhaps its because I'm always a spectator to them and never a real participant. Perhaps because that's what I feel my role within TCW is as well. But after all that discussion, I can't help but wonder - will anything actually change? Is this a new day for Total Championship Wrestling? Was this meeting the very cornerstone of the new empire in American professional wrestling?

 

Or is it simply going to be more of the same? Talk of new direction and new horizons, a new dawn, a new day... New new new... Yet everything remains the same, even the song. Even the song...

The Total Mark

Thursday, Week 1, January 2010

[James Casey]

Ah, yet again I find myself playing catchup - only three pages this time

 

Great to see you back and active, bp, and I can't wait to see how your Total adventure turns out.

[kamikazekopec22]

Great! Just great is all I have to say. I didn't know Bryan Vessey had it in him.

[LoNdOn]

Always great to see Minnesota acting like an ass. I really enjoyed reading that.

[TheStroke7]

I have to say it: This is great! Simply great!...congratulation you have a reader in me!...I hope to read other Tommy Meetings!

 

I'm waiting to see the NBA All-Star Game... this has really helped me having an enjoyable time while I am sitting here doing nothing!

 

Ah and also push Rick Law...he is great!

[Bigpapa42]

Ah, yet again I find myself playing catchup - only three pages this time

 

Great to see you back and active, bp, and I can't wait to see how your Total adventure turns out.

 

Thanks, JC. I tried holding off for a bit longer, but I wanted to get things rolling.

 

And you having to catch me? I've got about 2000 posts to go to catch up to your MAW!

 

Great! Just great is all I have to say. I didn't know Bryan Vessey had it in him.

 

Thanks. Vessy is one of my favorite additions to TCW for 2010, and not just because of what he adds in the ring. It makes for a fun backstory that should have some legs as things unfold.

 

Always great to see Minnesota acting like an ass. I really enjoyed reading that.

 

I have some plans for Mr. Minnesota. Was a bit disappointed to see his personality go south so badly this time around, but again, it makes for some backstage fun. Stupid Joey Minnesota.

 

I have to say it: This is great! Simply great!...congratulation you have a reader in me!...I hope to read other Tommy Meetings!

 

I'm waiting to see the NBA All-Star Game... this has really helped me having an enjoyable time while I am sitting here doing nothing!

 

Ah and also push Rick Law...he is great!

 

Glad to have you on board, Stroke. Glad you enjoyed and I'll just say that I have some significant plans for Mr. Law.

[SWF Fan]

I am loving this so far BP

[Phantom Stranger]

On board. I assume you're not shocked.

 

(about time, man!)

[shamelessposer]

I honestly wasn't so sure about this at first, but by the end of the creative meeting you had me sold. I'll be reading.

[BuddyGarner]

Awesome! I thought you booked SWF more as a TCW style fed than an SWF one. You fired BSS and never put Emma Chase in a wrestling ring! You also hired guys like Cameron Vessey.

[TakerNGN74]

Like what I have read so far Keep up the great work!

 

TakerNGN74

[Hyde Hill]

Poor Avatar first his personality goes down south and now he is stupid!!! He is still Joey "Freaking!" Minnesota though!

[Kainlock]

TCW is my favorite and your SWF diary was really great I just could never catch up. Looking forward to this one.

[FINisher]

I be reading, as always.

[Jaded]

Skimmed the first half, got to Vessey's speech, and liked it so much that I went back to the start and read it properly - awesome stuff. Really looking forward to this one.

[Bigpapa42]

Thanks everyone. Happy to have you all on on board. Great to be able to grab so many many readers right off the start. Just hope that I can keep you all interested!

 

I have another segment coming, probably later today sometime.

 

On board. I assume you're not shocked.

 

(about time, man!)

 

I would be shocked and disappointed if you weren't here!

 

So happy to finally get this one started. These ideas have been brewing forever, it seems like. While we were all waiting for 2010 to come out, I was stupidly worried that TCW would have changed too much and most of my ideas would be useless...

 

I honestly wasn't so sure about this at first, but by the end of the creative meeting you had me sold. I'll be reading.

 

Glad to have you, and happy the first Total Mark came across well. It ended up being a bit wordier than I intended, but I wanted to set up a few things with it.

 

Awesome! I thought you booked SWF more as a TCW style fed than an SWF one. You fired BSS and never put Emma Chase in a wrestling ring! You also hired guys like Cameron Vessey.

 

I very much did, and I'm surprised more people never called me on that in my Generation Supreme diary. I never went as full "sports entertainment" as I could have. What I wanted to turn the Legends brand into (but didn't quite manage to) is a bit similar to what TCW will be like.

 

Skimmed the first half, got to Vessey's speech, and liked it so much that I went back to the start and read it properly - awesome stuff. Really looking forward to this one.

 

And Bryan Vessey is having an impact already! Wait til you see what the man can do in the ring!

[The Shape]

I'm another who'll inevitably be reading, but for all the promise I've seen so far, seeing Rocky Golden nicknamed "The Tank" and in particular American Buffalo "The Bull" slightly worries me

 

Nonetheless this should be good, I'm yet to myself achieve a vision of TCW which fully satisfies me. It's by far the most modern and intense of the big three in terms of in ring action, but with traditional as a key feature and the likes of Golden, Law, Pete and so on working there, it's just...it's something I've struggled to get my head around, so I look forward to seeing where this goes.

[Bigpapa42]

I'm another who'll inevitably be reading, but for all the promise I've seen so far, seeing Rocky Golden nicknamed "The Tank" and in particular American Buffalo "The Bull" slightly worries me

 

Nonetheless this should be good, I'm yet to myself achieve a vision of TCW which fully satisfies me. It's by far the most modern and intense of the big three in terms of in ring action, but with traditional as a key feature and the likes of Golden, Law, Pete and so on working there, it's just...it's something I've struggled to get my head around, so I look forward to seeing where this goes.

 

Don't worry - the nicknames are just nicknames. Just like MMA fighters all have nicknames of some sort, except some guys have a few. "The Tank" will get explained soon enough. But a male buffalo is a bull, which is quite simply why American Buffalo is "The Bull".

 

TCW would be easier to "envision" if they didn't have the big hosses. A fairly modern, intense promotion filled with fairly athletic middleweights is easy enough to grasp. But throw those big boys in there and it muddies things. I'm hoping my vision of TCW comes across.

 

Glad to have you reading.

[jhd1]

That was long but thoroughly enjoyable BP! Can't wait to see where you're taking us with this one

[Bigpapa42]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/Wrestling/TCW/Logos/TotalMark.jpg

 

Mark 2.0

The Nameless Face

 

Who am I?

 

An obvious question although the answer really isn't particularly relevant. I could give my true name, but it would be meaningless. Just a label. I have been given plenty of those, and many would mean more than my name. The label I'll give to you - The Total Mark - is perhaps truest of all.

 

What am I?

 

A far more relevant question, that. And not so easily answered.

 

I can tell about all the roles I have here in Total Championship Wrestling. I could tell of my substantive role of "Website Content Manager", but that would limiting as well as deceptive. It would truly be a mere part of the whole story. I am simply not certain that there is any way to tell that "whole story", however. No way to adequately communicate all the little things that I do here and all the little roles I fill. So I won't even begin to try.

 

What I am, probably foremost, is a fan. Always have been. I came by that honestly - its genetic. My father has always been a big fan of professional wrestling. He instilled that in me. In fact, I cannot recall a point in my life where wrestling wasn't a part of it. From my earliest memories, this business has been a part of our family, like that eccentric uncle who gets ignored at times but is always there, just a creepy late-night phone call away from being a major part of life again.

 

I emulated my father in more than just his love of this business. Like me, he was directly involved in with pro wrestling, though more indirectly...

 

For most of my youth, we lived in Calgary, Alberta. We moved there when I was too young to remember, so that my father could work as a correspondent covering Canadian Wrestling Federation shows for a national Canadian newspaper chain. Many of my best memories from childhood are going to CWF shows with dad. Or traveling with him sometimes when he went on the road to cover them. Occasionally, dad even got my mom and older sister to come with us. For the most part, though, it was passion we shared between the two of us, a father passing on a bit of himself to his son.

 

It was a dark day for us when Ed Henson died. It was never quite the same in Calgary after that. We stayed in Calgary, but dad traveled a lot afterward. Flying out to the east coast for North of the Border shows, or driving to the west coach for CGC and the DeColt boys. He did some freelance work and flew to Japan for the big shows there. This Mark got to go with him on a couple of those and developed a love of puro that has never really abated.

 

I was 16 in 1993 when my parents split. My mother was pretty tired of my dad's travels - he was rarely around. The breaking point was an offer he was presented with to work on a new magazine project. It was a dream project for him, but it meant moving to California. To Los Angeles. With mom just getting back into the teaching career she gave up for us kids, she refused to move. She reached a point in her life when she had given up enough for everyone else and wanted to do some things for herself, and I can't blame her.

 

My life went awry after that, not surprisingly. Dad moved in the summer of '93, and I was supposed go with him to help him get settled, then be back in Alberta with mom for the start of the school year. A comedy of not-so-funny errors lead to me not moving back in time, so I had enroll in school down here, and I just never ended up moving back to Calgary. Mom enjoyed her newfound freedom, and I still went back to visit quite often - usually timing the visits with one of the Canadian promotions coming through.

 

Our lives in LA became a virtual sitcom. Dad was always laid back, but the combination of a job he loved endlessly and the freedom life of California turned him into a big kid. We discovered Coastal Zone Championship Wrestling and it was like going to CWF shows together again. We would go to SWF shows when they came through, but we were both disenchanted with the Eisen empire. It was just so different from the wrestling we both came to love in Canada, too close to a cartoon instead of seeming to be real. I finished high school and enrolled in UCLA part-time, taking some writing courses. I started doing freelance writing to make some money - between dad's connections and people I knew, I always managed to find some work and started making decent money. Life was good.

 

In late 1996, something magic happened. A dumb kid with a whole lot of money decided to start up his own wrestling promotion and take on the Eisen empire. Hollyweird Grappling Company was born and my life would never be quite the same. I was there at the very first show in December of 1996, sitting beside my father, and oblivious to the fact that this upstart and strange wrestling promotion would became a center point in my life forever forward.

 

Here is a bit of wrestling trivia for you - the first fan website dedicated to HGC hit the Internet on New Year's Even 1996 and was called The Hollyweird Observer. It was owned, operated, and maintained by yours truly. It has gone through various incarnations, but it has existed in its current form of The Total Mark since the takeover and change in 2004. The change in ownership and focus in late 2004 evolved me as well, changing the love to an obsession. My blog-style musings and informed editorials on that website, plus my constant presence at any HGC/TCW show that occurred on the west coast, made me known to some of those inside the company.

 

Over the course of 2005 and 2006, an initial invitation to write some "fan perspective" articles for the website somehow gradually morphed into a full-time job with the promotion.

 

I am still at every show, but now I'm backstage. I travel with the promotion. In at least some small way, I help out with almost every area of the promotion - advertising and public relations, travel arrangements, business dealings, talent scouting, TV production. Just about everything except creative. But most of all, the Total Mark observes. I watch and I document. Like a scribe of history, I chronicle what unfolds for the knowledge of future generations. To what end do I do this? That's not my place to know, but simply my role to fulfill.

 

So you now know more about me than I meant to reveal. But perhaps, just perhaps, you understand my love of the wrestling business and what is has meant to me. Perhaps you understand how TCW has been a part of my life for so long. The main thing to understand, I think, is that I'm first and foremost a fan. But not just any fan. I am the Total Mark.

 

The Total Mark

Friday, Week 2, January 2010

[kamikazekopec22]

great post , BP. Very marky if that's what your were going for good job!

[LoNdOn]

another enjoyable read