The Story of XTREME PRO WRESTLING

[Jericholic82 0]

Yknow there is alot of XPW video clips in the BYW game as well.

 

Back to the "2 rob blacks thing" At Damage, INC. Black had to fight Sabu and Lazie in a handicap match cuz of Messiash's firing. So during the match, Balck got thrown outside and ran to the back. when he came back into the ring, it was obvious it wasn't rob as he started doing various moves and won the match and the XPW title. That's when it was revealed that the fake Black was infact Johhny Webb (who then joined the black army as a favor to Rob helping him with the title-Johhny renamed himself "Webb" and started dressing and acting like Elvis, great stuff.)

[LucharesuFan619 0]

The one and only Kristi Myst has been contacted to contribute, so I'm awaiting word on her status.

[iggymcfly 0]

Hey, I just saw this thread for the first time today, and I have to say that what I've seen so far has been really interesting. However, I was wondering, could you just keep going in chronological order from the Rob Black perspective? I mean the stuff with the precursor feds doesn't seem like it would fit that well, and in including it, you might be biting off more than you can chew.

 

Since a lot of what made XPW interesting was the crazy stuff that Black did, it might be more interesting to just keep going from that perspective and get into the actual XPW stuff faster. Even if you cut down that stuff to one update, it might be more effective. Still though, it's your baby and you should do it however you want. It's an excellent read either way, and I'll have to make a note to myself to check back in two or three years and see how it all turns out.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Hey man, thanks for the interest. The precursor fed stuff is going to have to be at least three updates because to explain how XPW got formed, I need to explain the dWo incident at Slammers, which led directly to SCCW forming, and then XPW formed as a direct offshoot off of SCCW. I'll try to cut some of the stuff out if I don't think it's necessary, maybe I can get it down to four or so parts, but I don't think I can do much better than that.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Jerry Lynn has been confirmed to contribute. Unfortunately, Konnan and Sean Waltman cannot. I'm still awaiting word on Shane Douglas.

 

Please now pick two of these four that you'd like to see contribute: Ron Killings, Shark Boy, Raven, Sonny Siaki. And let me know ASAP.

 

Also, if you have any questions for Lynn, please post or PM them NO LATER than this Sunday night. I can't guarantee that any of them will be asked, but I'll try my best.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

RON KILLINGS and RAVEN.

 

As for questions for Lynn...

"Did people calling you a sell-out for working for XPW after you were affiliated with ECW for so long annoy you at all?" Make sure to tell him that it wasn't a sell-out move, especially since he had HUUUUUUGE beef with Paul E.

[Placebo Effect 0]

Whatever the case, there's no need for Siaki, since he only worked something like two shows with them.

[gWIL 0]

I just watched Genocide and the Wargames match was a hell of a brawl. What was up with the beginning with the Jobber Trio and the second Larry Rivera and how was the masked man that New Jack attacked. Also, what is Chaos up to, now a days.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

I'm not sure what you mean by the jobber trio. The Larry Rivera lookalike was Juantastico, Rivera left the company so they made a dumb decision and tried to get someone to replace his gimmick rather than just replace his commentating role. The masked man that attacked New Jack was Crimson, better known on the indy scene as Matt Sinister. Kaos is currently working for various feds in California. He just had a Steel Cage Match with Mexico's Most Wanted (Halloween & Damien 666) in FCW this past weekend.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Corey - Just spoke to Jerry Lynn. He was a real nice guy. In regards to your question about being a sellout (I worded it hypocrite to him in my question because I didn't print out your exact wording, but they're basically the same thing), he "absolutely not," that it didn't bother him at all. Those people who called him a hypocrite didn't know his personal financial situation. They had no clue how much ECW had put him in debt because of their constantly bounced checks. Furthermore, he said "I'm an independent contractor" and that as such, he is going to work for whatever promotion is going to feed his family, and with XPW, every check was there for him except for the last one (the Pittsburgh show in March 2003).

 

Lynn also had some very stern comments about Juventud Guerrera, but you'll have to wait until I arrive at that part of my XPW retrospective to read what he had to say about Juvi. I will say that the people he said were pleasures to work with were Super Crazy, Jonny Storm, Psychosis, and Chris Hamrick, but that Juvi definitely wasn't in that group. He included a good story about why he doesn't like Juvi.

 

Thanks to Jerry for his time. I hope to have news on who else will be contributing within the coming days.

[The Decemberists 0]

I've never watched an XPW show, and based on what I've heard don't particularly want to watch an XPW show, but...

 

This has all been extremely interesting. Thanks for making the effort and doing it, and I await the next part.

 

[LucharesuFan619 0]

No problem, thanks for the interest!

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Part 6 is coming very soon! And it's much longer than any prior editions.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Super mega ultra long part 6:

 

 

 

Part 6: The Story of Xtreme Pro Wrestling

 

Introducing…Verne Langdon & the Slammers Wrestling Federation

 

Published by LucharesuFan619 on Thursday, July 28, 2005

 

XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling) might never have existed - at least in the form that it did - without the influence of a man named Verne Langdon. Despite his admission to having "never seen any of XPW's product," Langdon played a significant - albeit unintentional - role on kick-starting the careers of several wrestlers who would come to comprise the XPW league.

 

In fact, Langdon isn't exaggerating when he says, “[slammers] didn't turn out a great quantity of students, but those who went on to other federations knew their stuff." It could not be truer, given that one-third of the fifteen wrestlers who competed on XPW's debut live event on July 31, 1999 in Reseda, CA credit their initial training to Langdon's "SLAM U" University of Professional Wrestling and its Slammers Wrestling Gym, both of which were launched in 1989 at 12165 Branford Street in Sun Valley, CA.

 

Six other people who started their careers at the Slammers facility would go on to wrestle for XPW sometime after the 1999 show, while three people who were taught the ins and outs of refereeing eventually donned the zebra stripes in XPW. Ed Ferrera, another student of "SLAM U,” competed for the Slammers Wrestling Federation as "Beautiful Bruce" Beaudine. He later became one of the instructors at the school, along with Carlos Torres (“Carlito Montana”) and El Toro Bravo (REAL NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST), before hanging up his boots and entering the field of booking for both the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.

 

Pro wrestling certainly wasn't Langdon's only love, though, nor was it even his first. He has made a living in over eight different occupation fields. As one of the pioneers in the entertainment industry designing monster masks that were featured in horror movies (most notably “Outer Limits,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and several AIP-Vincent Price films), Langdon is still regarded as one of the most celebrated "monster-makers" (as the occupation is termed) to this day. As it turned out, Monster-making opened up some doors for Langdon into the field of makeup artistry and magic. He worked as a makeup artist on the "Planet of the Apes" films and the subsequent television series.

 

Langdon has also worked with many legendary actors and directors on assorted projects. In 1970, he wrote, created, and produced Hollywood Universal Studios Tour Productions of "Land of a Thousand Faces" and in 1980, "Castle Dracula.” Also as a writer-producer, he worked with Stan Freberg, and - as a radio personality from 1959 to 1963 - he hosted both the Coca Cola Hifi Club and his own nightly “Langdon After Dark” show, both of which were on KLOK-AM Radio. [EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on Langdon’s exploits outside of pro wrestling, please visit BoxOfMonsters.com or TraderVerne.com.]

 

Just as he did with any other occupation he has pursued, Langdon extended himself to the utmost degree during his involvement in pro wrestling. Over the course of his life, Langdon has had the pleasure of knowing wrestling icons including (but by no means limited to) The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Lou Thesz, Terry Funk, Vic and Ted Christy, "Iron" Mike Mazurki, Leo Nomellini, Karl Von Hess, and Dick “The Sensational Destroyer” Beyer. Many of these people Langdon came to meet through his long-time membership with the Cauliflower Alley Club. Langdon - who himself was "taught the ropes," as he says, by Moolah and wrestler-turned-actor, "The Super Swedish Angel" Tor Johnson (of Ed Wood's "Plan Nine from Outer Space" fame) - maintains contact with several of these people to this day.

 

During the years that he was a Cauliflower Alley Club member and followed the pro wrestling business, Langdon organized what he describes as his own "private collection of memorabilia and ephemera, a compilation of gifts and contributions." These items consist of photographs, programs, posters, videos, actual ring-worn attire, and other artifacts that were handed down to him from acquaintances and friends alike, such as Sam Houston & Baby Doll, George Drake, Charlie Moto, John Tolos, Billy Anderson, Bobby Heenan, Beverly Styles, Cheri Dupre, Lillian Ellison, Digby Sharpe, "Classy" Freddy Blassie, Vince McMahon Jr., wrestling photographer Shirlie Montgomery, and Art Abrams, along with many others.

 

Upon opening the original Slammers Wrestling Gym in 1989 in Sun Valley, CA, Langdon used this memorabilia to establish at the facility what came to be known as the "Slammers World Wrestling Museum & Hall of Fame Archives." The most impressive part of the Slammers World Wrestling Museum & Hall of Fame Archives is undoubtedly the "Gorgeous George Private Collection." Langdon says that the collection is his way of paying tribute to the unforgettable legacy in the pro wrestling sport of the original Gorgeous George, who Langdon knew personally until his death in late1963. The collection consists of not only rare photographs of “GG” (as Langdon would call him) throughout his career, but also locks of his hair from a "Hair vs. Hair" match against "Whipper" Billy Watson in Canada (more information at http://www.garywill.com/toronto/ggshaved.htm), several of his trademark robes, a pair of his wrestling boots, and other personal items.

 

Unfortunately for Langdon, the museum did not receive a whole lot of visitors during its run. “Despite very favorable press (L.A. Times, etc.), barely a dozen people - in seven years - came to Slammers for the sole purpose of viewing the museum,” Langdon says, before joking, So much for history…” However, Langdon’s goal was not so much to attract mass numbers of tourists as it was to pay tribute to “the golden days of truly professional wrestling, by truly professional men and women, when it was new and unique, and featured original athletes and true showmen.”

 

The Slammers World Wrestling Museum & Hall of Fame Archives remained at the Branford location until late 1995, when it (along with the Gorgeous George Private Collection) was transferred a few blocks away to an interim facility in Canoga Park, CA that was rented by Darren McMillan (“Dynamite D”). In 1997, all of the artifacts were moved to Slammers’ new facility, "The Pit", which was located on Sheldon Street in Pacoima, CA. The collection remained there until 2000, when Langdon sold the museum, ring, and other equipment to El Toro Bravo, a former-student of his and a wrestler and instructor for the SWF, as well. El Toro Bravo moved the business to Fullerton, CA, where it currently remains in storage.

 

Despite the several changes in location, the Slammers phone number remains the very same as when the facility first opened its doors in 1989 (818-897-6603), and one can visit the web site at www.slammers.com, where - among other features - there is information about the museum and the promotion’s wrestlers, and also information for ordering some classic video tapes from the Slammers Wrestling Federation.

 

Back in 1991, the in-house Slammers Wrestling Federation was established with the purpose of providing a source of live shows on which to incorporate the wrestlers whom Langdon and his fellow trainers had taught. It should be noted that Langdon is hesitant to take full credit for the idea of the Slammers Wrestling Federation. “As the boys learned, they wanted to actually do,” he explains, “so they decided they wanted an in-house ‘federation.’ They thought up the ‘SWF,’ not me.”

 

Those students who were brought up under Langdon's "old school" mentality and later went on to wrestle for XPW had a very awkward adjustment to make, since Langdon is - both as a wrestling promoter and as a human being - so drastically different from Rob Black and the XPW attitude towards wrestling tradition. Kevin Kleinrock recalled in his SoCalUncensored.com interview with Steve Bryant that Langdon "liked protecting the business and wanted to kayfabe everyone from everything."

 

Future-XPW superstar and Slammers trainee "White Trash" Johnny Webb (REAL NAME WITHHELD UPON REQUEST) had similar things to say, reiterating Langdon's "old school" philosophy of wrestling by citing how he would run shows ever single Thursday, regardless of whether the date fell on a holiday or not. One long-time fan of the Slammers Wrestling Federation who hailed from Phoenix, AZ and called himself simply, "R.R.C.” echoed identical sentiments in an article on the Slammers.com web site. R.R.C. remarked that the promotion was "the closest thing to showing the sport as it really is" and that - by the same token - it aimed to bring "the sport back to its professional roots."

 

Spending mere minutes with Langdon reveals a mindset just as Kleinrock, Webb, R.R.C., and so many others have described. Langdon is more than happy to admit, "I've never been big on 'angles' or 'storylines,' 'entrance music or glitz." He describes his booking philosophy in a nutshell:

 

"Two guys get in the ring. One's a good guy. The other is a bad guy. They wrestle. They carry the show. No managers. No frills. No pyrotechnics. No rock bands. No elephants. No tigers. No cotton candy. No peanuts. No bullsh*t. Just raw talent."

 

On occasion, the SWF’s matches varied slightly from the traditional wrestling style, as the promotion did feature "Steel Chair," "I Quit," "Dog Collar Chain," "Falls Count Anywhere," and "Stretcher" matches from time to time during its run. Even in such gimmick matches, however, Langdon always aimed to keep the wrestling aspect (as opposed to such bloodletting and violence-oriented stipulations) as the focus of the matches. He explained that when Slammers wrestlers did "go hardcore," they were "choir boys" compared to what he has since been told the wrestlers of XPW, CZW, IWA Mid-South, IWA Japan, Big Japan, and other organizations have done in years since.

 

As an example of his booking policy as it relates to the "hardcore wrestling" style, Langdon told a story of how Tim Fisher ("The Real Deal" Damien Steele) asked him on a couple of occasions for permission to "juice" (bleed) in his matches. Langdon turned down the request each time. "It made no sense in the brief course of Tim's matches in question, and I felt that if blood became a common occurrence in SWF matches, then it would lose its meaning," he explains. "Tim gave up on the blood thing pretty quickly, because he got my drift."

 

Langdon always tried to ensure that when blood did happen to show itself in an SWF ring, "it meant something, and was very disturbing - or rewarding, depending on who got busted open - to the fans. [slammers product] was mostly 'passion play' wrestling, with plenty of 'cruci-fiction!' Our good guys usually won over our bad guys," he explains. "I rarely honored injustice, but when I did, it was for great dramatic effect, with eventual retribution not far behind."

 

Langdon emphasizes that all of the students at "SLAM U" were required to "achieve a certain point in their training" (which was determined by Langdon along with his fellow trainers) before they were allowed to move on to what Langdon termed their "graduate work" - that is, to wrestle on SWF shows in front of live fans. On some of these events, even Langdon himself would get in the ring. He says that his favorite matches were with El Toro Bravo, Mike Smith (“Movie Star Mike”), and “Beautiful” Bruce Beaudine. He recalls one particular match with El Toro Bravo: “I knocked his front tooth out on one show; he rolled out of the ring, retrieved his tooth, got back in the ring, and proceeded to very nearly stomp me to death.” This was Langdon’s outlook - if one wants to enter pro wrestling, they need to be able to endure the pain, the injuries, and whatever else naturally comes with the sport.

 

In this way, Langdon was a traditionalist, in that he saw pro wrestling as an artform more than he saw it as a spectacle. Years before they became characters (and in many cases - depending on the degree of high-risk maneuvers that they relied on - daredevil stuntmen) showcased under Rob Black's label, a considerable amount of XPW's eventual roster spent much of their spare time at the Slammers Wrestling Gym, honing their scientific craft under the watchful eyes of Slammers' trainers (all of whom started as Slammers students), and in most cases also under the supervision of Langdon himself. These students would often leave the gym with the upper part of their chests bruised red and purple with fingerprints from the chops that they had acquired during their training that day.

 

Some of those students - such as Darren McMillan and Carlos Torres - endured the strenuous workouts demanded by Slammers' curriculum and graduated from "SLAM U" with a well-developed base of knowledge for being a professional wrestler. That education included one piece of advice that Langdon ensured had been firmly implanted in the students’ heads before they graduated: that just because they had spent their money to attend “SLAM U” and graduated from its training curriculum, they were in no way guaranteed to “make it” in the business of pro wrestling.

 

“We never promised any student he would ‘see the world’ and ‘earn millions of dollars in wrestling’ as some schools and teachers do,” Langdon says. Granted, some students of Slammers did find success in the business - such as Ashley Hudson (who competed for Memphis Power Pro Wrestling and WCW, among other notable independents) and Ed Ferrera (“Beautiful” Bruce Beaudine). Some other fortunate graduates did get to tour other countries, such as James Jaafil (“Homeless Jimmy”) - who wrestled for FMW in Japan and also had a short stay in Mexico - and Billy Welch (“The Messiah”) - who has wrestled in Italy two times for CZW.

 

However, while “SLAM U” offered an avenue for young men to pursue their dreams of becoming professional wrestlers, Langdon did not want to set any false expectations for his students; he was aware that the reality of the matter was that very few aspiring wrestlers become major stars in the business, and that no matter how much training Slammers students received, success sometimes came down simply to being in the right place at the right time.

 

Langdon’s training philosophy was based not only around learning maneuvers and holds, but also around instilling in his trainees certain life-long values. “It's in my blood to be professional and do things to the best of your ability, so that's what I tried to ingrain in them,” he says. “A few actually got it,” he says, specifically naming off El Toro Bravo, Carlos Torres, John Chavez (“The Hardcore Homo” Angel), El Mongol (REAL NAME WITHHELD UPON REQUEST), Jeff Lindberg, and Zu the Gargoyle (REAL NAME WITHHELD UPON REQUEST). On the other hand, “Unfortunately, others just didn’t.”

 

Regardless of how they reflect on their days training at Slammers, all of those students who were a part of the elite class that graduated from “SLAM U” were given the choice to either continue wrestling for the SWF or to go onto other indy federations. Those trainees who did not graduate quit because they couldn't handle the arduous style of instruction, became disillusioned with the sport, or were asked to leave due to not progressing as was necessary.

 

Those students who did make it through the Slammers training program had a long road ahead of them. Their number one task at hand was to season themselves in front of crowds at live events promoted by the SWF, and for those who went on to XPW, that period lasted for anywhere from one to five years (depending on when they completed their training) until Rob Black's new enterprise came calling.

 

 

 

 

Remember, all feedback is welcome? Is this edition too long? (it's definitely not too short!) Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

You can take out everything about his horror movie career (though it was nice to know that he's been successful elsewhere besides the wrestling business, as the Planet of the Apes makeup was the most creative work after Lon Chaney until the mid-70's when Stan Winston, Tom Savini, and others began popping up) and the Cauliflower Alley Club, really. Well, not so much EVERYTHING about how he's old-school, but shorten it a lot. I skipped over almost all of that because it had nothing to do with the school or the Slammers Wrestling Federation.

 

Nothing of real matter came into play until the last few paragraphs of this entry, as that's when it began to focus on how Slammers lead into XPW.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Well, including that stuff about the old school days is gonna allow me to post it on WrestlingClassics.com and get an audience there, that was my reason for including all that stuff. You're not going to have to worry about much-non-wrestling stuff anymore. Some of it won't have to do with XPW as there will be more Slammers-related stuff, but it'll pretty much all be wrestling from now on, so hopefully that will help the problem a little bit. I'll try to be more conscious of some stuff that may be boring. Thanks for the interest!

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

It wasn't that it was boring (though most of it was), it was that it had very little to do with how Langdon related to XPW.

[Guest Phate]

I skipped through most of it too. If it helps you to get a wider audience I'd definately keep it all in there though. Your work deserves to be seen.

 

I'm looking forward to the next part.

 

Phate

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

I never saw anything but Free Fall, but this has been a great read. Thanks for posting.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Former-WCW cruiserweight and current TNA X-Division superstar SHARK BOY has agreed to contribute his memories of Xtreme Pro Wrestling to the "History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only Half the Job" retrospective.

 

Shark Boy joins the following people in going on the record about their tenures in XPW: Jerry Lynn, Vic Grimes, Chris Hamrick, Kaos, Larry Rivera, Supreme, Homeless Jimmy, Mike Modest, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, Dynamite D, Kevin Kleinrock, and many others, not to mention the newest contribute?

 

"The Franchise" SHANE DOUGLAS

 

At XPW's first annual King of the Deathmatch Tournament in Feburary 2000, Douglas vowed to XPW's fans that he would "take millions and millions of [WCW's] dollars and then come right back here to XPW, hoist this company on my back like I did ECW, and make this f*ckin' company a God d*mn player in the sport of professional wrestling!"

 

Almost six years later and XPW is no more, but Shane Douglas remains one of the most talked-about performers in the wrestling business today. Hot off the heels of "Hardcore Homecoming," one of the most financially successful non-WWE events to be held in the United States in almost 10 years, Douglas has agreed to go on the record about his feelings on Rob Black, his contractual status to WCW during his XPW run, the Terry Funk blading incident, the problems booking XPW from across the country, and everything else that one could ever want to know about his XPW run.

 

More names are in the process of being contacted.

 

For more information on the "History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only Half the Job," please visit DOIWrestling.com or Wicked-Wrestling.com or contact [email protected].

[LucharesuFan619 0]

There is a very touching interview with former-XPW wrestelr Steve Rizzono in the latest edition of the Ring Around the Northwest newsletter. Rizzono goes into detail about his XPW run and the injuries that he currently has. At the moment, he's almost exclusively bound to a wheelchair and can't walk for more than 45 minutes at a time. His spine is basically non-existent. He is seeing 7 different doctors and neuro-surgeons. He can't drive. He has trouble speaking. And to put it simple, the prognosis for his future doesn't look good at all. His condition is a lot more serious than described here, and he goes into it all in the interview. Rizzono speaks about his personal demons, his fondness of Michelle Star, New Jack, and Buddy Rose, his feelings toward Rob Black and Kevin Kleinrock, road stories, and more. To buy the newsletter and interview, send $1 cash to the following address and include a note that you want to buy issue #268 from September 2005 with the Steve Rizzono interview:

 

Mike Rodgers/Ring Around the Northwest

2740 SE Lewellyn

Troutdale, Oregon, 97060

 

You can also e-mail [email protected] for more info.

[Guest xSarahx]

There is a very touching interview with former-XPW wrestelr Steve Rizzono in the latest edition of the Ring Around the Northwest newsletter. Rizzono goes into detail about his XPW run and the injuries that he currently has. At the moment, he's almost exclusively bound to a wheelchair and can't walk for more than 45 minutes at a time. His spine is basically non-existent. He is seeing 7 different doctors and neuro-surgeons. He can't drive. He has trouble speaking. And to put it simple, the prognosis for his future doesn't look good at all. His condition is a lot more serious than described here, and he goes into it all in the interview. Rizzono speaks about his personal demons, his fondness of Michelle Star, New Jack, and Buddy Rose, his feelings toward Rob Black and Kevin Kleinrock, road stories, and more. To buy the newsletter and interview, send $1 cash to the following address and include a note that you want to buy issue #268 from September 2005 with the Steve Rizzono interview:

 

Mike Rodgers/Ring Around the Northwest

2740 SE Lewellyn

Troutdale, Oregon, 97060

 

You can also e-mail [email protected] for more info.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This is a very good interview and I highly recommend checking it out. RATNW is a great sheet to keep up with the Northwest and has monthly interviews with current and past wrestlers that are always interesting. It's cheap too, $12 a year, can't beat that!

[LucharesuFan619 0]

On Wednesday, August 10, 2005, the one and only Shane Douglas made an impact like only a "Franchise" can on the ongoing "History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job" retrospective.

 

At XPW's first annual King of the Deathmatch Tournament in Feburary 2000, Douglas vowed to XPW's fans that he would "take millions and millions of [WCW's] dollars and then come right back here to XPW, hoist this company on my back like I did ECW, and make this f*ckin' company a God d*mn player in the sport of professional wrestling!"

 

Almost six years later and XPW is no more, but Shane Douglas remains one of the most talked-about performers in the wrestling business. Currently a backstage hand in TNA, he is one of the greatest minds in all of pro wrestling, and on Thursday he proved just why.

 

Douglas recounted everything that one could ever want to know about his involvement with XPW, discussing (among many other topics) his philosophy while booking XPW, his ever-changing relationship with Rob Black, and the effort that he went to in organizing the March 2003 mega-event in Pittsburgh, PA (which was the most financially profitable show in XPW history, and also the company's final show).

 

Also of note is that Douglas pulled absolutely no punches when asked about the topics of Joey Styles' sudden departure from XPW and Terry Funk's breaking from the script at Hostile Takeover. He had strong words to say about both friends. I'd like to thank Douglas not only for taking the time to contribute such insightful comments to "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only Half the Job," but also for his candidness and honesty on a number of controversial subjects, such as that of drugs in the XPW locker room.

 

Most of Douglas' XPW-related comments will be saved for print in future editions of "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only Half the Job," but for those "Franchise" marks out there who can't wait, here is just a small sneak preview as to what the former-ECW World Heavyweight Champion had to say about a variety of subjects:

 

 

"Anyone who's afraid of competition must be afraid of their [own] product. Those companies were all working to try to undermine us [XPW]. They were trying to schedule shows opposite ours, to screw ours, and we had no intent of going in there [to Philadelphia] to hurt anybody." - about CZW, 3PW, and ROH during the "Philly indy wars" in 2002

 

"The one thing Joey did that I thought was very unprofessional was [read the retrospective and find out]...I thought that was very unprofessional on his part. I just think that Joey took himself a bit too seriously." - about Joey Styles' short stay in XPW

 

"Chris was always impressive. I've always thought Chris was one of the best in-ring technicians in the business and so for me it was always fun [anytime I got in the ring with him]. Chris was always great to work with and always gave his best in the ring and never complained about anything, so I always enjoyed it." - about his friend, the late, great Chris Candido (RIP)

 

"I was always impressed with his work and his work ethic and just the kind of human being he is." - about AJ Styles

 

"As a booker, one of the things in this business I've always abhorred is somebody not wanting to do a job. It is what it is, and if you go to work tomorrow at 7-11 and the guy tells you to work the register, you don't pout and go home because you don't want to work the register. You just do it. And this is the only business that I've ever been involved with that somebody can pout and moan and get their way." - about the night that Juventud Guerrera faked an injury to avoid doing a job

 

"I'm one of those guys who, I don't care what you do on your time. If you wanna go stick drugs in your body, if you wanna screw other guys, it doesn't matter to me, but just don't do it on my time. And especially in wrestling, [with] what we do, the margin of error is pretty slim and I think you need all of your faculties in the ring to be successful and to be efficient and to be safe." - about drugs and painkillers in pro wrestling locker rooms

 

"Funk and I had been friends for probably 17, 18, 19 years at that point. Almost from the day I stepped in the business, I met Terry very early and had always been very friendly with him and always had gotten along great with him...I was very angry [at him for what he did] - and with every bit of respect I have for him - that was just an absolute direct disrespect to the boss and to the company." - about Terry Funk's shoot incident at Hostile Takeover

 

"I'm confident enough as a booker that if you can book better than me and outdraw me, then you got a better product. That's called, 'extreme market system.' So, I had no problem with anybody else going into the building a day before if they asked us. Rob [black], however, saw it differently..." - about the "Philly indy wars" of 2002 between XPW, CZW, 3PW, and ROH

 

"I'm not a patient person and I don't wanna have to explain everything I'm doing, especially with something like wrestling that can become so convoluted and drawn out that it would take me hours and hours to explain why I'm doing something, especially with someone [Rob Black] who doesn't understand the business." - about his mindset while booking XPW during the Philly run

 

"I was surprised at 'Hardcore Homecoming' at how renovated the building was. When I walked in, I was totally disoriented because the building looked so different [from the last time I saw it]." - about his response to seeing the recently renovated Viking Hall (a.k.a. The New Alhambra Hall)

 

 

"The Franchise" Shane Douglas can be seen frequently on TNA Wrestling broadcasts. This coming Sunday, he will make an appearance at TNA's "Sacrifice" Pay-Per-View, which will be headlined by Raven & Sabu vs. Jeff Jarrett & Rhino and will also include the Super X Cup finals, Jerry Lynn (another contributor to "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job") vs. Sean Waltman, and a whole lot more. Visit TNAWrestling.com for more info.

 

To keep up to date with "The Franchise" Shane Douglas' current endeavors, please visit FranchiseFanSite.com. Although "fansite" is in its domain name, it is Douglas' official web site and he actually referred to it on a couple of occasions during today's interview.

 

Douglas joins Jerry Lynn, Vic Grimes, Chris Hamrick, Kaos, Larry Rivera, Shark Boy, Supreme, Homeless Jimmy, Mike Modest, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, Dynamite D, Kevin Kleinrock, and many others in contributing comments to "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job."

 

In related news, "The Original Gangsta" New Jack has turned down a request to contribute comments to "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job." New Jack is the fifth person to be contacted but refuse to comment on XPW, joining Jasmin St. Claire (turn-down), The Messiah (asked for money), Sean Waltman (turn-down), and Konnan (turn-down).

 

More names are in the process of being contacted, including - but by no means limited to - Sabu, Axl Rotten, Tracy Smothers, Ron Killings (a.k.a. K-Kwik/The Truth), Christopher Daniels, and many more.

 

The wrestlers who are expected to contribute to "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job," but are not 100% confirmed yet include - but again are by no means limited to - Danny Doring, Simon Diamond, "The Hardcore Homo" Angel, Altar Boy Luke, Tony Jones, M-Dogg 20, and Josh Prohibition.

 

Do YOU think you know XPW? This is the never-before-told story of the promotion wrapped up in more controversy than any other organization in pro wrestling history. These are the articles that Mike Johnson vowed would "never see the light of the day." These are the stories that Jasmin St. Claire doesn't want you to hear. This is the dirt that was too crude for the wrestling dirtsheets. Blood, sex, alcohol, drugs, porn, barbed-wire. Learn it all, from the plans to expand internationally to The Messiah's last weeks with the company and all of the controversy that followed his departure to first-hand accounts of the HeatWave 2000 riot to the real-life tragedies of Steve Rizzono and Damien Steele, along with so much more. This is XPW as it's never, EVER been seen before. This is "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job."

 

For more information on "The History of XPW: Bleeding Was Only HALF the Job," please visit DOIWrestling.com, Wicked-Wrestling.com, or ObsessedWithWrestling.com, or contact [email protected].

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

"Funk and I had been friends for probably 17, 18, 19 years at that point. Almost from the day I stepped in the business, I met Terry very early and had always been very friendly with him and always had gotten along great with him...I was very angry [at him for what he did] - and with every bit of respect I have for him - that was just an absolute direct disrespect to the boss and to the company.” - about Terry Funk’s shoot incident at Hostile Takeover

 

What happened here?

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Funk basically broke from script. During his match, Funk did something that he told not to do and swore he wouldn't do. There was a physical altercation backstage after the match between the two. Other than that, I can't really say without spoiling it, as this is obviously one of the drawing points of the retrospective. Sorry.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Well, Douglas' part is all bullshit.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Uhhh, yeah, whatever you say, dude...

[MrRant 0]

Is there a bigger self hype machine thant you?

 

I think not.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Lucha, no disrespect to your "journalism" in this matter, but Douglas' comments on the Philly "indy warz" are pure rubbish.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

I see what you're saying and I understand what you're getting at, and you're right in one respect (considering how the thing was portrayed). I don't wanna get too much into it because it's a big drawing point to the retrospective, but for the record, hiring M-Dogg and Josh wasn't Shane's decision. He had nothing to do it and was against it. Same goes for Justice Pain. Shane actually talked specifically about Pain which I'll elaborate on in the articles. But hell, here's exactly what he said about the concept of luring talent away from other companies - "I never pursued anybody. I don’t do business that way. If Rob did, he certainly never made me aware of it."