Samoa Joe vs. Rikishi headlines Ballpark Brawl VIII

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

 

Ballpark Brawl VIII

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo, New York (Click here for directions to stadium)

 

Ticket price includes admission to that day's Buffalo Bisons game against the Pawtucket Red Sox.

 

Stadium gates open at noon. Baseball game starts at 1:05pm, with Pre-Show taking place before the game outside of the stadium. Ballpark Brawl begins 45 minutes after game has ended.

 

Announced card thus far -

 

Pre-Show

 

- Triple Threat "Young Lyons II" Match: Jimmy Olsen vs. Xtremo vs. TBA

- Intergender Match: Cody Deaner & Krystal Banks vs. Cody 45 & Sara Del Rey

- Royal Rumble Match

 

Ballpark Brawl

 

- Singles Match: Matt Cross vs. Ruckus

- Six Man "Futures" Elimination Match: Winner of Young Lyons II vs. Davey Richards vs. El Generico vs. John McChesney vs. Sterling James Keenan vs. TBA

- Women's Three-Way: Gail Kim vs. Tracy Brooks vs. TBA (guest referee Jennifer Blake)

- Hair vs. Hair vs. Mullet: Brutus Beefcake vs. Jonny Puma vs. Cody Deaner

- Tag Team Table Turmoil: Akira Raijin & Brute Issei vs. Brodie Lee & Mystery Partner vs. Detox & Devon Moore

- European Rules Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Delirious (judged by Big Mosh, Slick, and Mystery Judge)

- Singles Match: 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Joey Matthews

- Natural Heavyweight Championship: Samoa Joe defends against Kishi

 

Other confirmed talent includes Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young

 

More information at BallparkBrawl.com

[The Flamboyance 0]

Wasnt there a poll for this match? The list included Morishima! Morishima vs Joe II would have been great. Oh well. This seems interesting. Scorpio vs Mathews looks nice on paper. I hope it turns out good.

[dubq 0]

 

Christ, couldn't they get more recent photos of these guys?

[razazteca 0]

OMG this sounds like it could be the sequel to the classic movie Body Slam! They need to get Dirk Benidict to make a cameo.

[JHawk 0]

How does a royal rumble during a baseball game work? Someone new comes in every third pitch?

[haws bah gawd 0]

 

Christ, couldn't they get more recent photos of these guys?

 

Yea, I too thought something looked a little off. That looks like a pic of Joe from his old UWF(?) days, and unless 'Kishi's changed, he hasnt been in that good of shape in years.

[Ravenbomb 0]

Hell,I could make a better poster than that.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

El Generico and Sterling James Keenan have been added to the 6-Man Elimination Match.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

A poll on the BallparkBrawl.com home page will determine the final

participant in the 6-Man Elimination Match at Ballpark Brawl on August

23rd.

 

The winner will be competing against Davey Richards, El Generico, John

McChesney, Sterling James Keenan, and the winner of the Young Lyons

match.

 

Your choices are:

 

Brent Albright

Roderick Strong

Josh Prohibition

Eddie Kingston

The Human Tornado

Bboy

Necro Butcher

Jack Evans

Larry Sweeney

Grim Reefer

 

Rock the vote!

 

http://www.ballparkbrawl.com/index.php

[razazteca 0]

Somebody has to do some selling so put Necro Butcher in the match!

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/08/17/4425558.html

 

"Basebrawl" set for Thursday in Buffalo

 

Ballpark Brawl offers stars on their way up -- and a few other names you may recognize

 

By DAVE HILLHOUSE - SLAM! Wrestling

 

BUFFALO, NY -- Just a couple of weeks after WWE's RAW juggernaut has swooped in, done their shtick, and taken off again, the wrestling fans of Niagara areas on both sides of the border are ready to welcome back what has become a summertime tradition in The Queen City: The Ballpark Brawl taking place at Dunn Tire Park on Thursday, August 23rd.

 

The show will feature Samoa Joe, Rikishi, 2 Cold Scorpio, Gail Kim, Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, and "The Doctor of Style" Slick.

 

The event is actually starting at noon, before the Buffalo Bisons baseball team squares off against the Pawtucket Red Sox, with three matches featured outside of the stadium. Chris Hill, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Bisons and brainchild behind the Brawl, describes the pre-game show as "kind of a taste," and hopes it will act as a tantalizing teaser for the casual baseball fans and encourage them to stick around after the game. "We're having a Rumble match, our first Inter-Gender match with Cody Deaner and Crystal Banks against Cody 45 and Sara Del Ray, and our second annual Young Lions match-up."

 

The Young Lions match-up is a true preview for the show, since it features a spot for the winner in the main show's Six-Man "Futures" Elimination Match. This part of the show is cherished by Hill, who feels that the Ballpark Brawl, now in its eighth edition since beginning in 2003, has developed a real personality as a showcase for young talent. "In our first show we had no local talent," remembers Hill. "I got a lot of heat for that, but I didn't know who the local talent were. Now I have the two top talents in Jimmy Olsen and Super-Xtremo, whom Ontario fans know as Xtremo, but when he crosses the border he becomes Super-Xtremo."

 

Now Hill considers it the Brawl's responsibility, and best quality, to give young talent a big stage on which to make a name for themselves. "We try to be two to three years ahead of the curve," he explains. "Our angles run year-to-year in some cases, but we generally don't have running angles. We are always looking at what other people have done and we try to fill in the blanks, and we look at feuds that never ended and we finish them."

 

The young talent, it turns out, becomes the perfect way to bolster a storyline that features the culmination of an unfinished narrative. Not only does the inclusion of up-and-comers allow Hill to mix some fresh faces along with the familiar, but there's also a pragmatic reason that he seeks out new talent: his budget. "If you're going to make money, you can't have all legends," he says. "It's too expensive. But you can't have young, untalented people who will work for free." He admits to working hard, talking to a lot of people, and looking through tapes as he tries to find the right mix of legends and wrestlers he hopes are future legends.

 

"When we got the Hart Foundation together again, we got Harry Smith in, Teddy Hart in, and Nattie Neidhart's first match in the U.S.," he recalls fondly. "Now when that whole crew gets brought up to the WWE, if they don't screw it up, people will remember 'Hey, I saw them in '03 in Buffalo.' Charlie Haas was a great champion for us until he got signed back with the WWE. We have them for a short time and we have to take advantage of that."

 

Now that Hill has gotten the ball rolling with those names, he becomes audibly energized in promoting the other wrestlers he's bringing in. "This is our Wrestlemania," he states. "I am known to overbook a show, but I want people to feel that every match had a purpose."

 

Hill's biggest catch, literally, was getting Kishi (having left the "Ri" behind in the WWE) to take on Samoa Joe in the main event. "When you have to find someone for Samoa Joe it's hard -- he's wrestled everyone," Hill explains. "I have to find someone for him that will make people say 'I want to see that match'. When Kishi came up I thought it was perfect. Besides, it's not everyday you get someone that you have to buy two plane tickets for!" -- and he's not kidding, as Kishi requires two seats, round-trip -- "This is Kishi's opportunity to wrestle against the man many consider to be the top performer in the industry right now. Also, this is Joe's opportunity to go up against someone that huge."

 

Beyond the main event, though, Hill's intent is to create a total show, one that tells a contained story within one night and still has people wanting to come back next year. "Every single match on the card is a main event somewhere," he claims. "I hate shows where everything builds to the main event. Of course the main event is huge, but the rest of the card can't be crap. For us, it's always been the same thing: it's been 100 percent about the matches."

 

The Brawl has also developed its own genre, insofar as Hill having to keep things family-friendly in order to even use the venue and not tarnish the reputation of the Bisons in any way. "I would never do anything that would hurt the ballpark," he insists. "When Teddy did his leap off the screen (with a moonsault off the scoreboard that has become a legend of Dunn Tire Park) I had nothing to do with that -- that was all Mr. Hart." As for the hardest part for Hill in putting this show together? "My boss is not a wrestling guy. I have to explain why this is important."

 

Still, as Hill explains his vision of a family-oriented wrestling show, it becomes clear that he is putting on the kind of show he wants to see, and not just feeling the pressure of his dual-position in the Bisons hierarchy. "I love the Stone Cold character, but everybody wants to be that character now," he says. "The thing is, it took Bret Hart and Steve Austin to make that character work when they did the double-turn at Wrestlemania. That can't happen in every match. But the traditional good guy versus bad guy can and does work on every show."

 

Hill even argues for the need to have, as he puts it, "cartoon" style heroes and villains in wrestling. "Everybody wants to have these grey areas," he laments. "The reality is that good guys versus bad guys work. It's what makes wrestling fun. It's an escape. There's enough grey in real life, so sometimes we need a little black and white."

 

The most important thing, from Hill's perspective, is that his style is reaching the fans. "We have consistent sales every year," he states proudly. "I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel. A lot of it is what made wrestling popular to begin with. You can't always have twenty minutes of hurricanranas and breaking through tables. You can't just have divas wrestling because you have to have good female wrestlers and allow them to go."

 

"We're just a few short days away from the biggest indie show in the area," Hill finishes, sporting his best promoter's persona. "Let others judge if it's the best indie show in all the U.S. as well, but people leave knowing they got a complete show."

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

For the three of you interested, Sterling James Keenan won the six-way match to earn a future title shot at the Natural heavyweight title, added himself to the Joe versus Kishi main event part way through, and then won the title when Joe and Kishi were both counted out.

 

Samoa Joe vs. Kishi (vs. Sterling James Keenan?!)

 

This match was hard hitting. Joe and Kishi traded chops and kicks and several of their signature moves neither man gaining much of an advantage. The crowd was very into the action. Then, Hellcat and Sterling James Keenan made their way to the ring. Keenan said he won a title shot and that he was going to use this match as it, as well as saying he respects Kishi, but thinks his day has passed. The crowd didn't like this addition much. So then Joe and Kishi took turns beating the crap out of him. Eventually they turned their attentions back to each other after trying to pin Keenan, and he got a move in here and there because of it. Though eventually he was taken out of the action, and was outside the ring, and Joe/Kishi brawled out of the ring as well. They had a 20 count to get back in the ring (as Chris Hill had earlier said he didn't want Joe to fight all over the crowd like he did last year). So the ref was nearing 20, Keenan climbed in the ring (helped a bit by Hellcat) while Joe and Kishi were unable to make it back in. Tons of boos for the NEW Natural Heavyweight Champion. Some fans so mad that they threw bottles into the ring. It was as if he were Jeff Jarrett winning the NWA Title or something. After the match, Joe confronted Keenan. He said that he's ok with Keenan being champion, but only if he agrees to defend it with honor and not with the aid of people like Hellcat. Hellcat doesn't like this, but ends up getting attacked by them all. Culminating in a stinkface. Then Sterling James stopped Rikishi from leaving and tried to convince him to "bust a move". He said if he's going to, Joe is too. By the time Joe and Kishi (and Keenan) were done getting down, the crowd was won over again.

 

 

[Red Baron 0]

Cody Deaner is awesome. Got drunk with him once.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://www.pwinsiderxtra.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=7964&p=1

 

BALLPARK BRAWL VIII REPORT

by Eric Schwarzott @ 7:08:13 PM on 8/24/2007

 

Pouring heavy rain postponed the Bisons/Pawtucket baseball game to Friday, but the Brawl went on as planned, sort of. The pre-show was to start at noon, before the ballgame. But the rain was so heavy there was zero chance of that. Once the ball game was officially out of the schedule for the day, they announced the wrestling would start at around 4, and the location would be by the party tent next to the stadium. This certainly made for a unique atmosphere once the show started (a bit late due to ring rope problems that would resurface throughout the night). Waiting around for over four hours for a show was a bit taxing.

 

Pre-show:

 

10-Man Person Buffalo Royal Rumble

First Entrant was Jaime D (Sirelda), who said she's too tough to fight the women so she entered this match instead. Participants were all from the Southern Ontario/Upstate NY indy scene, the aforementioned Jaime D, The Italianos (Primo and Stickball), Jake O'Riley, Gabe Saint, Glen Dillion, Dustytaker, Eric Everlast, among others whose names escape me (mostly since they weren't announced). Of course there were lots of temporary alliances which never lasted. At one point Gabe Saint even pulled the old hiding under the ring trick, snagging a beverage from a cooler that was under the ring. At the end, the winner was the Irishmen, Jake O'Riley.

 

Inter-Gender Tag Match

Cody Deaner & Krystal Banks vs. Cody 45 & Sara Del Ray

Cody & Krystal have a full on white trash thing going, and they pull it off to perfection, fanny pack and all. Lots of yelling back and forth with the crowd, and Deaner doing most of the work for their team, since Krystal was in way over her head with Del Ray. Frankly so was Deaner, as Del Ray took the fight to him quite a bit too. Deaner/Banks picked up the win with the aid of a foreign object Deaner had hidden in his fanny pack.

 

Young Lions II (Winner earns the Young Lions Trophy and a spot in the Futures Match)

Xtremo vs. Kevin Dunn

Dunn was in heel mode, and the crowd ate it up. Chanting, among other things, "We Want Marcos". Some pretty good fast paced action in this one. Not quite as fluid as the next match between Ruckus and MDogg, but that'd be a pretty lofty achievement if it were. Xtremo picked up the win, and surprisingly the trophy remained in once piece, not smashed over someone's head. After there was an intermission before the main show got underway.

 

Main Show:

 

Ruckus vs "MDogg" Matt Cross

With these two, you know you're in for a lot of high flying crazy moves. It really got the crowd going after the intermission. It was split on who to cheer, lots of dueling chants. Both men broke out some of their staples (like Ruckus's Razzle Dazzle, and MDogg's whatever you call that thing where he hangs off the ring post). And various other flips, twists, and splashes. If you're into this style, it was pretty much a show stealer. MDogg picked up the win, which was a bit of a surprise to me.

 

At this point, promoter Chris Hill entered the ring to present an award (I forget the name). This was presented to Big Cat Lemmer, for his bravery and guts in returning to the ring after (for real) getting assaulted by five guys and almost losing his eye, or something like that. It sounded pretty gross. Anyway, he accepted the award, and thanked the fans for their support. Then, since this is a wrestling show and nothing heart-warming can ever go unspoiled, he was attacked by Detox and Devon Moore. Their opponents in the Table Turmoil Match Steve Corino and Ricky Reyes made the save. Corino got on the mic and asked the crowd to give it up for Big Cat, then... they too attacked him (Doesn't sound like he has very good luck...). This brought out the last known participant in the tables match, Brodie Lee out to make the save. And then asked Big Cat to be his partner in the Tables Match, while Steve Corino was throwing a fit arguing with Brodie and the audience (who were peppering him with "please retire" chants).

 

Hair vs. Hair vs. Mullet

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs. Jonny Puma vs. Cody Deaner

A lot of talking and stalling before this match, since the ring was being fixed (one of several times). Puma and Cody talked about how they wanted to take Brother Bruti's hair because he's the best of the best when it comes to hair. Cody compared it to out smoking the Marlboro Man. Eventually Brutus came out, giant scissors in hand (looking insanely ripped for a man of nearly 50), and the match got underway. Very 80s with moves like atomic drops and noggin knockers from Beefcake and some comedy mixed in. More entertaining than I figured a Brutus Beefcake in 2007 match would be. He picks up the win with a sleeper hold on Puma. This meant Puma would have his head shaved, while still unconscious from the sleeper. Which is not exactly the most exciting thing in the world to watch in person. He got a horrible looking mohawk and was of course horrified when he awoke from his "sleep".

 

Six-Man Futures Elimination Match (Winner earns a Natural Heavyweight Title shot)

Sterling James Keenan vs. John McChesney vs. El Generico vs. PAC vs. X-tremeo vs. Trent Acid

John McChesney was taking heelishness to the max, taking it a bit further than just arguing, actually taking one mans glasses and dropping them on the ground out of their reach, and throwing someone's hat on top of the nearby party tent. Davey Richards was advertised for this, but for whatever reason wasn't there, so Trent Acid came out in street clothes and asked the crowd if they wanted him to be the last participant. Despite the somewhat personal past between the Backseat Boyz and Buffalo wrestling fans, he was cheered. The match got underway, and as you would expect with six guys fighting at once, it was pretty hectic. Bodies flying all over the place. PAC looked especially impressive. With a match like this my memory might be a bit off, but I think X-tremeo was first out, then Trent Acid (who was actually "eliminated" twice because of a miscommunication between the ref and the announcer/promoter Chris Hill), PAC, El Generico, and then John McChesney. With the victory and upcoming title shot going to Sterling James. It seemed of little importance at the time, but Keenan had hired the services of NWA Empire owner Hellcat as his manager for the evening.

 

European Rules Match (Guest judges: The Doctor of Style Slick, Mosh from Monday Night Mayhem, & Jaime D)

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Delirious

A European Rules Match is contested in three rounds, lasting four minutes each. Should there be no winner after the third round, it goes to the judges decision. Slick came out first to a huge ovation. He ragged on Chris Hill's clothes, then introduced Mosh, whom the crowd hated, and Jaime D. Who Slick said was a nice guy, and announced as James D. The match was rather slow and technical, full of armbars and headlocks and the like. I guess they were trying to win points? At one point Claudio crashed into the judges table. Of course no pinfall was reached so it went to the judges. After some last words to the judges from both competitors (well Claudio used words at least), it was time for the decision. Mosh went with Delirious, Slick went with Claudio (because Delirious is the reason he believes in birth control), and Jaime D offered her vote to whichever competitor was desperate enough to take her hotel room key. Claudio snatched it up, and was declared victorious.

 

Tag Team Table Turmoil

Detox & Devon Moore vs Steve Corino & Ricky Reyes vs Brodie Lee & Big Cat Lemmer

The rules are two teams start, another comes out after the first elimination, and when one person is put through a table their partner remains. Also they seemed to have a rule where you eliminated yourself with flying moves through the table, but that wasn't formally announced. It started off with Detox, Moore, Corino, and Reyes. Crowd still all over Corino, who doesn't want to use tables and tries to convince the refs to count a pinfall instead. Good back and forth action with the teams trying to get isolated 2 on 1 time. A couple sick table spots later and it was down to Corino, Brodie Lee, & Big Cat. Corino gets beat down for a bit, but in the end Big Cat accidentally crashed into Brodie and a table set up in the corner, thus giving the win to Corino. Post-match saw Brodie turn on Big Cat (can the guy have WORSE luck?) for costing them the match, but Big Cat bats him away like a fly. Oh also, during the match the ring ropes broke AGAIN.

 

Women's Tag Team Match (Guest referee: Jennifer Blake)

Gail Kim & Kelly Couture vs. Traci Brooks & Sara Del Ray

This was advertised as a three way match between Kim, Couture, and Brooks. Traci came out while the ring was being repaired, used a bunch of double entendres about the "three way action" that she was booked to participate in, calling the fans pervs. She mentioned that Gail and Kelly are tight, and would likely spend the whole match "double teaming" her. So she said she had the match changed to a tag match with Sara Del Ray as her partner. The match saw Traci and Sara try and isolate the less experienced Couture, and using various tactics to distract the guest referee. Which of course led to an eventual hot tag to Gail who cleaned house, and a win via a roll up. After the match Traci was furious with referee Jennifer Blake, and started a shoving match, which ended with Traci's pants around her ankles, yep.

 

Pro Wrestling Unplugged Heavyweight Championship Match

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Joey Matthews

2 Cold Scorpio made his way to the ring with his PWU belt. Joey Matthews was in full MNM garb, and even had a red carpet. Before the match he talked ...a lot. Starting off with the standard "insult your city and intelligence" type stuff. Crowd heckles him about being fired from WWE. He claims he's taking a self-imposed summer vacation! He also talked about how he considers 2 Cold Scorpio to be a great "wrestler", but that he is a great "sports entertainer". That no one paid to see 2 Cold wrestle, no one paid to see tables, ladders, or chairs. They paid to hear him speak. He went on (and on), eventually provoking 2 Cold to hit him and start the match. Early on Chris Hill informed the crowd that Todd Gordon of PWU had called him and told him this match was for the title (this was not previously advertised as a title match). The match was going along fine, a bit more grounded than I thought it would be, though. Crowd as into it. Then we had the required nightly ref bump which allowed Matthews to use the PWU belt and a chair to gain the upper hand. The ref was still out, so he couldn't score the win even though Scorpio was not kicking out. By the time the ref was back up, Scorpio had rebounded, and got the win. After the match he put over the crowd, and asked us what's his name? (SCORPIO)

 

Natural Heavyweight Championship

Samoa Joe vs. Kishi (vs. Sterling James Keenan?!)

This match was hard hitting. Joe and Kishi traded chops and kicks and several of their signature moves neither man gaining much of an advantage. The crowd was very into the action. Then, Hellcat and Sterling James Keenan made their way to the ring. Keenan said he won a title shot and that he was going to use this match as it, as well as saying he respects Kishi, but thinks his day has passed. The crowd didn't like this addition much. So then Joe and Kishi took turns beating the crap out of him. Eventually they turned their attentions back to each other after trying to pin Keenan, and he got a move in here and there because of it. Though eventually he was taken out of the action, and was outside the ring, and Joe/Kishi brawled out of the ring as well. They had a 20 count to get back in the ring (as Chris Hill had earlier said he didn't want Joe to fight all over the crowd like he did last year). So the ref was nearing 20, Keenan climbed in the ring (helped a bit by Hellcat) while Joe and Kishi were unable to make it back in. Tons of boos for the NEW Natural Heavyweight Champion. Some fans so mad that they threw bottles into the ring. It was as if he were Jeff Jarrett winning the NWA Title or something. After the match, Joe confronted Keenan. He said that he's ok with Keenan being champion, but only if he agrees to defend it with honor and not with the aid of people like Hellcat. Hellcat doesn't like this, but ends up getting attacked by them all. Culminating in a stinkface. Then Sterling James stopped Rikishi from leaving and tried to convince him to "bust a move". He said if he's going to, Joe is too. By the time Joe and Kishi (and Keenan) were done getting down, the crowd was won over again.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/08/28/4452282.html

 

Rain delay: Time to talk at Ballpark Brawl

 

By DAVE HILLHOUSE - SLAM! Wrestling

 

BUFFALO -- It's Thursday, and there's a big outdoor wrestling show about to go on at Buffalo's Dunn Tire Park. But it's raining. For a writer, that's not a bad thing, as the promoter, local wrestlers, and a legend had some time to kill, chatting with SLAM! Wrestling while waiting for the rain to stop.

 

On August 23rd, as Ballpark Brawl VIII pushed their events back due to a rain delay, promoter Chris Hill instead provided an impromptu state-of-the-union address regarding independent wrestling.

 

This edition of the Brawl was to feature a three match pre-game event starting at noon, with the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in whose Dunn Tire Park the Brawl would be taking place, playing an afternoon game to be followed by the Brawl itself. The weather, however, had other plans.

 

"At almost every show we've had the threat of rain," mused Hill, looking outside at a light drizzle at around noon. "We're an outdoor show so you just roll with it." What he had to roll with was that the light drizzle was the aftermath of a massive downpour that had without question delayed the show, and was threatening to throw off the whole afternoon.

 

"The Brawl will be fine," assured Hill. "The question mark is the baseball game, which is pretty important, and the pre-show." Hill is being a little facetious about the importance of the ballgame -- it represents his paying job. He works as Director of Sales & Marketing for the team, and doesn't actually make any money by running the Ballpark Brawl. "We'd be okay with six to eight hours of light rain, but once thunder and lightning appear the show stops -- just like Little League rules."

 

So, with a little time to chat, we ask if there are any last-minute changes that he's had to deal with. "Always," he said. Then, he paused, and the slightest exasperation came through in his voice. "In my real job, I deal with professionals," he began. "I fully understand why independent wrestling doesn't get any bigger. You've got to be professional about these things and develop your product. Most people in the business will be professional until they can find a way to make an extra fifty bucks."

 

Hill is in a position to draw from a wide range of promotions, from anywhere he so chooses. Having worked with so many different promoters, Hill respects the professionalism ingrained into WWE wrestlers, past or present, above all. "For the most part, I love working with the WWE wrestlers because they get it," he explained. "Today, for instance, Kishi calls me just to say that he's on the flight -- that's professionalism. The most important thing is to know where everyone is." Especially, he noted, during a rain delay.

 

Two local wrestlers, Primo and Stickball of The Italianos from New Vision Pro Wrestling, arrived on time, in a professional manner. Of course, they only had to make a quick drive over the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to get to Buffalo. They also got caught up by the rain, though, as they were scheduled to go on as part of the pre-show. Coming to the Ballpark Brawl, as Stickball explained it, is a no-brainer for wrestlers from Ontario.

 

"There's more exposure to the United States promoters here, and you get booked more in the States," he said. "The first year we were in the Ballpark Brawl we got to go to the Upstate New York Tag Tournament." Primo backed him up, adding that "there's more recognition in the States, and every good Canadian wrestlers ends up going there eventually."

 

Primo also points out that Hill benefits just as much from including Canadian talent in his show. "As much as possible, he uses guys from Southern Ontario," he explained. "But he's going up to Toronto as well to get as big a market as possible."

 

Back with Hill, he acknowledged how important it is to reach a wide market, especially for a show that has to remind the masses every year that it's running. "Today, people are really interested in the Ballpark Brawl," he said as he explained the impact the Brawl has on a year-to-year basis. "Tomorrow they'll be really interested to see what happened. Two weeks ago people were sort of interested. And then it fades out from there."

 

The trick, Hill said, is to focus the event on wrestling. He wants people to remember the matches, and in one particular way he again addresses what he considers to be major issues holding independent wrestling back. "We stay away from the 'carny' atmosphere or signing autographs, shaking fans down for money," he explained. "What I don't see talent really understanding is that that kind of stuff hurts the business. When a wrestler is trying to get that five extra dollars trying to sell a Polaroid, I understand that they're trying to put food on the table, but it should be about what you do in the ring. You don't see WWE guys doing that and it makes them look like a bigger deal." He returned again to his refrain: "It's professionalism."

 

Another performer roaming the halls, singing his heart out and enjoying the acoustics, is legendary WWE manager Slick. Why is he singing? "I'm having fun," is his straightforward answer. When asked about coming to Ballpark Brawl in particular, Slick is upfront about not being personally involved in the decision, and defers to his booking agent as far as choosing his shows. "From time to time I come out of retirement, or being fired, however you want to put," he said, with only a hint of a grin. One thing becomes instantly clear, though, and it's that while he may not personally hand-pick shows at which to make an appearance, it's not because he regards them to be insignificant; in fact it's the opposite.

 

"All wrestling shows are big, in my opinion," he suggested, and coming from someone who has seen big and small events, it rings true. "One's no bigger than the other because it's about the sport, not the venue." That would explain the singing -- Slick seems legitimately happy to be a part of the show. To back this theory up, he explains further that he really doesn't have to do this for the money. "This is not my full-time occupation -- I'm a schoolteacher by trade," he went on, pointing out that he made provision for life after wrestling before he had been surprised to find himself without a place in the ever-changing landscape of wrestling. Most of his peers, he points out, who were also surprised to find themselves without a job, hadn't been so fortunate in preparations for life after the show.

 

Going back one more time to Hill, who's now checking his watch, the weather, making phone calls, and making preparations for moving the ring into the parking lot as the rain has left the field too wet to support the ring without damaging the field, he concluded his treatise on the state of wrestling by looking back to the '90s, when WCW figured out a way to stand out. Hill contends that it wasn't the NWO that single-handedly propped WCW above the then-WWF.

 

"You would watch WWE and you get kick-punch-kick-punch, then you watch WCW and you see the Luchadors doing crazy things that you've never seen before -- Mysterio, La Parka and others doing something different," he recalled. "The NWO was basically the same as any other invasion storyline, except it had the surprise turn of a guy that hadn't been a bad guy in a long, long time. What kept viewers interested was that they offered things that were different. Maybe the WWE should change, stop going after every giant, cut their ring down to 18x18 instead of 22x22. It's great when you have Rikishi versus Mabel, but it makes smaller guys look even smaller."

 

As Hill keeps talking passionately and earnestly about what it takes to stand out, the question was then raised of Hill: Does all of this mean that he would like to do more shows -- perhaps even run a promotion? "I've been approached about it, but this isn't my life," he said. "I really only do this for fun, but I do believe there needs to be a lot more business-savvy people in the independent business for it to expand."

 

He has even pitched the concept of the Ballpark Brawl to companies looking to do something different than the traditional house show. "Nobody makes money on house shows, with the salaries wrestlers are making, which is why you don't see much of them anymore," he said. "Someone should team up with minor-league baseball teams, hockey teams, and instead of going into an arena, you go into a big stadium and the local team promotes the heck out of you."

 

Shortly after that, the rain stopped, the ring was set up, and the show began. The baseball game had been postponed, but the wrestling would go on. The city if Buffalo would be abuzz about Ballpark Brawl again ... for another few days until next year rolls around. Then Hill starts all over again.