3/15/07: Information Overload!!!
Graduation Day
I spent the day of my college graduation in Washington, D.C. taking part in my friend's wedding ceremony, knowing that upon my return to
Oklahoma, I would be spending the next 4 months preparing myself for the Harley Race/Pro Wrestling NOAH camp in Eldon, Missouri. With
this opportunity would come the chance, if chosen, to wrestle and train in Japan with some of the most gifted and elite wrestlers in the world.
Also at the camp would be an official from WWE Talent Relations.
The following are selected occurances and events leading up to the camp, and extending to the present.......Here we go:
I spent the day of my college graduation in Washington, D.C. taking part in my friend's wedding ceremony, knowing that upon my return to
Oklahoma, I would be spending the next 4 months preparing myself for the Harley Race/Pro Wrestling NOAH camp in Eldon, Missouri. With
this opportunity would come the chance, if chosen, to wrestle and train in Japan with some of the most gifted and elite wrestlers in the world.
Also at the camp would be an official from WWE Talent Relations.
The following are selected occurances and events leading up to the camp, and extending to the present.......Here we go:
Oklahoma City: 6/18/06
I was looking quite forward to this day, because also on the show was Ricky Morton of the Rock & Roll Express, which was one of my favorite tag
teams when I was a kid. Ricky even pulled a quick rib on me in the back. I felt honored. I wrestled Jeff Jett that afternoon, who is one of my favorite
wrestlers to watch perform. After we got to the back, I could feel a bad headache coming on. I have had these kinds of headaches since I started
training to be a wrestler, but they were few and far between, and I would always chalk them up to being some type of migraine. The symptoms were
always the same: Broken vision, which made everything around me look like a Picasso painting, sensitivity to light, an incredibly intense pain in my
head that felt like a hot soldering iron, and of course, the ever popular nausea. This one, however was particularly bad. I almost decided to quit the
business that day. Later that night, the pain subsided, and I pressed forward.
I was looking quite forward to this day, because also on the show was Ricky Morton of the Rock & Roll Express, which was one of my favorite tag
teams when I was a kid. Ricky even pulled a quick rib on me in the back. I felt honored. I wrestled Jeff Jett that afternoon, who is one of my favorite
wrestlers to watch perform. After we got to the back, I could feel a bad headache coming on. I have had these kinds of headaches since I started
training to be a wrestler, but they were few and far between, and I would always chalk them up to being some type of migraine. The symptoms were
always the same: Broken vision, which made everything around me look like a Picasso painting, sensitivity to light, an incredibly intense pain in my
head that felt like a hot soldering iron, and of course, the ever popular nausea. This one, however was particularly bad. I almost decided to quit the
business that day. Later that night, the pain subsided, and I pressed forward.
West Memphis: 8/17/06
My opponent is Matt Riviera, and we're jerkin' the curtain. Matt has already made his way to the ring, and I am awaiting my entrance music, when
who should walk through the door in front of me but Jerry "The King" Lawler carrying a box full of gimmicks to sell. He nods and says "Hello" and I do
the same. My music then hits, and after taking a moment to think about how awesome the sport of pro wrestling is, I make my entrance. It was
probably the best match Matt and I have ever had together. After the match, here came another headache. While not as bad as the previous one, it
gave me pause for thought, seeing as how it was my 4th such headache in exactly a 1 year period.
My opponent is Matt Riviera, and we're jerkin' the curtain. Matt has already made his way to the ring, and I am awaiting my entrance music, when
who should walk through the door in front of me but Jerry "The King" Lawler carrying a box full of gimmicks to sell. He nods and says "Hello" and I do
the same. My music then hits, and after taking a moment to think about how awesome the sport of pro wrestling is, I make my entrance. It was
probably the best match Matt and I have ever had together. After the match, here came another headache. While not as bad as the previous one, it
gave me pause for thought, seeing as how it was my 4th such headache in exactly a 1 year period.
NWA Universal: 8/25/06
I had worked for NWA Universal the previous month, wrestling in a show stealing match against "Mr. Saturday Night" Michael Barry w/ Sassy Merlot.
When I got to the back on that night, I was complemented quite foundly by people who's opinions mean a great deal to me. Matt Riviera told me he
didn't think he could top that match, which is something I've never heard the man say. Tim Warcloud came over and told me that, "After that match,
you definately have a job here!!". The one person that never said anything to me, however, was the booker, a guy named Doug Cook. Now, in any
well ran wrestling company, the booker will typically call you over immediatly after the match and tell you what looked good, what went wrong, and give
advice on what to do the next time. After realizing that Doug was never going to do any of this, I asked him what he thought of the match. He tells me,
"Well, those red tights don't really do anything for me.", then proceeds to tell me how I need to come up with some kind of goofy children's gimmick.
He said nothing of the match.
So here we are a month later, and I am to wrestle Michael Barry once again. For the first match, I came up with the finish, which is part of what made
that first match so good. The other factor was Michael Barry's ability to be a good heal, and his impeccable timing. For this match, Doug Cook came
up with the finish, and it was lousy. The match itself wasn't bad, but that finish was awful. The evidence was beginning to pile up that Doug Cook has
no business in this business. What transpired next was appalling.
So, there I was, watching the Main Event of the evening with my best friend in the business, Matt Riviera. The match was Rocco Valentino w/Doug
Cook vs. John O'Mally w/Justin Lee. Doug was handcuffed to Justin for some reason, probably so Doug, being a bad guy manager, couldn't interfere
with the match. O'Mally goes to suplex Rocco back into the ring. The landing looked ugly. Afterwards, Rocco laid motionless in the ring. Now in my
mind, having dealt with these guys, and knowing the type of stupidity that occurs on some of these Indy shows, I'm thinking that it's probably a work,
and Rocco isn't hurt at all. It is absolutely in horrible taste to do a paralysis angle, to say the least, but I was also pretty sure that these guys were
complete idiots. Matt, however, was fooled, along with the rest of the locker room. They broke character by coming out and checking on Rocco.
Mason Hunter even had his cell phone out, ready to call an ambulance. Matt looked over at the Oklahoma Athletic Commission members, and they
were not moving. He asked them if he needed to be out there and they just shook there heads.
Matt stormed to the back, furious. When the match was over, Matt verbally laid in to Doug, telling him how stupid the whole thing was, and how he
didn't want to work for a company that would do something as appalling, and irresponsible as that. Doug told Matt and everybody that the angle they
just did out there was "old school" and that it was "Bill Ash". We both took great offense to that, because Bill Ash trained both of us to wrestle, and Bill
Ash would have thrown anybody out of the building for even suggesting an angle as reckless as that. Doug asked Matt afterwords if we still wanted to
work for the promotion. Matt told him that we'd have to think about it, and that he would contact Doug on Monday. Doug told him, "No Problem". Two
days later, Matt recieved an email from Doug wishing him luck in his future endeavors. This, by proxy, meant that I was fired as well.
I had worked for NWA Universal the previous month, wrestling in a show stealing match against "Mr. Saturday Night" Michael Barry w/ Sassy Merlot.
When I got to the back on that night, I was complemented quite foundly by people who's opinions mean a great deal to me. Matt Riviera told me he
didn't think he could top that match, which is something I've never heard the man say. Tim Warcloud came over and told me that, "After that match,
you definately have a job here!!". The one person that never said anything to me, however, was the booker, a guy named Doug Cook. Now, in any
well ran wrestling company, the booker will typically call you over immediatly after the match and tell you what looked good, what went wrong, and give
advice on what to do the next time. After realizing that Doug was never going to do any of this, I asked him what he thought of the match. He tells me,
"Well, those red tights don't really do anything for me.", then proceeds to tell me how I need to come up with some kind of goofy children's gimmick.
He said nothing of the match.
So here we are a month later, and I am to wrestle Michael Barry once again. For the first match, I came up with the finish, which is part of what made
that first match so good. The other factor was Michael Barry's ability to be a good heal, and his impeccable timing. For this match, Doug Cook came
up with the finish, and it was lousy. The match itself wasn't bad, but that finish was awful. The evidence was beginning to pile up that Doug Cook has
no business in this business. What transpired next was appalling.
So, there I was, watching the Main Event of the evening with my best friend in the business, Matt Riviera. The match was Rocco Valentino w/Doug
Cook vs. John O'Mally w/Justin Lee. Doug was handcuffed to Justin for some reason, probably so Doug, being a bad guy manager, couldn't interfere
with the match. O'Mally goes to suplex Rocco back into the ring. The landing looked ugly. Afterwards, Rocco laid motionless in the ring. Now in my
mind, having dealt with these guys, and knowing the type of stupidity that occurs on some of these Indy shows, I'm thinking that it's probably a work,
and Rocco isn't hurt at all. It is absolutely in horrible taste to do a paralysis angle, to say the least, but I was also pretty sure that these guys were
complete idiots. Matt, however, was fooled, along with the rest of the locker room. They broke character by coming out and checking on Rocco.
Mason Hunter even had his cell phone out, ready to call an ambulance. Matt looked over at the Oklahoma Athletic Commission members, and they
were not moving. He asked them if he needed to be out there and they just shook there heads.
Matt stormed to the back, furious. When the match was over, Matt verbally laid in to Doug, telling him how stupid the whole thing was, and how he
didn't want to work for a company that would do something as appalling, and irresponsible as that. Doug told Matt and everybody that the angle they
just did out there was "old school" and that it was "Bill Ash". We both took great offense to that, because Bill Ash trained both of us to wrestle, and Bill
Ash would have thrown anybody out of the building for even suggesting an angle as reckless as that. Doug asked Matt afterwords if we still wanted to
work for the promotion. Matt told him that we'd have to think about it, and that he would contact Doug on Monday. Doug told him, "No Problem". Two
days later, Matt recieved an email from Doug wishing him luck in his future endeavors. This, by proxy, meant that I was fired as well.
The Harley Race/NOAH Camp
I could go into lengthy detail here, because there is much that needs to be discussed. Someday I shall, but for now the bottom line is that on Day 1 of the
camp I twisted my ankle very badly, and on Day 2, I landed on my shoulder, which had given me problems for a while. Day 3, I was barely able to get
around my hotel room, so after busting my ass all summer, and really much longer then that, I had no choice but to go back to Oklahoma. I will say this
much about the camp, Harley and his wife, B.J. could not have been nicer to me, and I was honored to even be around Harley Race. However, the guys
that Harley had running the camp were absolutely worthless!! They told me some of the dumbest things about wrestling that I've ever heard in my life. I
was taught not to rush a match, but to take your time and work, but when it comes time to run a spot, you move as fast as you can, and if the other guy
can't keep up, then that's his problem. Well I called one spot, and hauled ass, and the other guy was right on time. It looked good!! Well this "instructor"
told me that it was too fast, and not believable, and that he could not have kept up with me, and besides, slower looks better. Well I guess Steve Austin,
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Kurt Angle look like crap when they hit the ropes, because when they hit the ropes, they fly. I was told afterwards by many
people, without asking, that it was because I would have made Harley's guys look bad if I moved better than they did, and for some reason, I'm inclined to
agree. None the less, there I was with a bad shoulder and a twisted ankle going in to................
I could go into lengthy detail here, because there is much that needs to be discussed. Someday I shall, but for now the bottom line is that on Day 1 of the
camp I twisted my ankle very badly, and on Day 2, I landed on my shoulder, which had given me problems for a while. Day 3, I was barely able to get
around my hotel room, so after busting my ass all summer, and really much longer then that, I had no choice but to go back to Oklahoma. I will say this
much about the camp, Harley and his wife, B.J. could not have been nicer to me, and I was honored to even be around Harley Race. However, the guys
that Harley had running the camp were absolutely worthless!! They told me some of the dumbest things about wrestling that I've ever heard in my life. I
was taught not to rush a match, but to take your time and work, but when it comes time to run a spot, you move as fast as you can, and if the other guy
can't keep up, then that's his problem. Well I called one spot, and hauled ass, and the other guy was right on time. It looked good!! Well this "instructor"
told me that it was too fast, and not believable, and that he could not have kept up with me, and besides, slower looks better. Well I guess Steve Austin,
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Kurt Angle look like crap when they hit the ropes, because when they hit the ropes, they fly. I was told afterwards by many
people, without asking, that it was because I would have made Harley's guys look bad if I moved better than they did, and for some reason, I'm inclined to
agree. None the less, there I was with a bad shoulder and a twisted ankle going in to................
September Showdown: 9/30/06
There was no way I could wrestle a match with my injuries that night, so we decided to make an angle out of it. That night, Matt Riviera and Jeff Jett would
attack me in the ring before my match, setting up a fued with me and Jeff once I was healed and ready to work. We were taping matches for TV that night
so the timing between when the angle would air, and the time it would take me to heal from my injuries was perfect. Besides, I had been looking forward
to working an angle with Jeff for some time, and it was all going to fall together perfectly.
I sat in the locker room talking to Olympic Silver Medalist, and one of the all time greats in the sport, Danny Hodge. Danny Hodge is the nicest man I have
met, period. We had been talking about my experiance at the Harley Race camp earlier that day. He was just talking to me about wrestling in general, and
how a lot of guys don't know how to work. Then he said, "It's like that guy up at Harley's you were talking about earlier who told you to run the ropes slower.
If somebody can't keep up with you, then it's their own fault.". Then he pointed to me, and said, "You keep going fast!!". It was then that I began to wonder to
myself, "Who has drawn more money in this business, Danny Hodge or Ty Dalton?". There, I said it!!!!
Now, it comes time to work the angle. I enter the ring and go to the 2nd turnbuckle to acknowledge the fans. Jeff and Matt slide into the ring and wait for
me to turn around. They hoist me into the air with a double flapjack, and I land perfectly. They proceed to beat me down, and Jeff takes a steel chair to my
leg. Everything is fine, until Matt stands over me and gives me a slap. It wasn't an overtly hard slap, but I felt my brain rattle, and I knew that a headache
was about to follow. After this night I began to look into things a little more, and basically I had 5 concussions in about a year's time, and more than that
since I started wrestling. I knew I was done.
There was no way I could wrestle a match with my injuries that night, so we decided to make an angle out of it. That night, Matt Riviera and Jeff Jett would
attack me in the ring before my match, setting up a fued with me and Jeff once I was healed and ready to work. We were taping matches for TV that night
so the timing between when the angle would air, and the time it would take me to heal from my injuries was perfect. Besides, I had been looking forward
to working an angle with Jeff for some time, and it was all going to fall together perfectly.
I sat in the locker room talking to Olympic Silver Medalist, and one of the all time greats in the sport, Danny Hodge. Danny Hodge is the nicest man I have
met, period. We had been talking about my experiance at the Harley Race camp earlier that day. He was just talking to me about wrestling in general, and
how a lot of guys don't know how to work. Then he said, "It's like that guy up at Harley's you were talking about earlier who told you to run the ropes slower.
If somebody can't keep up with you, then it's their own fault.". Then he pointed to me, and said, "You keep going fast!!". It was then that I began to wonder to
myself, "Who has drawn more money in this business, Danny Hodge or Ty Dalton?". There, I said it!!!!
Now, it comes time to work the angle. I enter the ring and go to the 2nd turnbuckle to acknowledge the fans. Jeff and Matt slide into the ring and wait for
me to turn around. They hoist me into the air with a double flapjack, and I land perfectly. They proceed to beat me down, and Jeff takes a steel chair to my
leg. Everything is fine, until Matt stands over me and gives me a slap. It wasn't an overtly hard slap, but I felt my brain rattle, and I knew that a headache
was about to follow. After this night I began to look into things a little more, and basically I had 5 concussions in about a year's time, and more than that
since I started wrestling. I knew I was done.
Boyd Bradford & the Future
I am always discussing ideas for characters and angles with Riviera. We had been talking about Boyd Bradford since November of 2005. Boyd Bradford is a
manager out of the 1920's. Picture an old boxing announcer, and every actor from the 1920's through the 1950's, and that's Boyd Bradford. I started
managing as Boyd in Tennesee last January, and I've never had more fun!! I managed on a show last weekend, and it was over with the crowd, and the boys.
Danny Hodge was on that show and he told me he loved it!! He told me, "I thought I was watching Percy Pringle out there!!". Once again, "Danny Hodge or Ty
Dalton?" Hmmmm.......?
I have several projects that I am working on at the moment. I am just about to finish writing a comedy album, which I shall begin recording in the next few
months. Also, I am attempting to get a freelance writing career off of the ground. I plan on posting some samples of my writings up on this site very soon. I'm
looking to write comedy, but I am also well adapted at writing more serious works, or even opinion pieces. There is also going to be an enormous show
around the Oklahoma/Arkansas border this summer that I will discuss very shortly.
It's Been Real!!!
I am always discussing ideas for characters and angles with Riviera. We had been talking about Boyd Bradford since November of 2005. Boyd Bradford is a
manager out of the 1920's. Picture an old boxing announcer, and every actor from the 1920's through the 1950's, and that's Boyd Bradford. I started
managing as Boyd in Tennesee last January, and I've never had more fun!! I managed on a show last weekend, and it was over with the crowd, and the boys.
Danny Hodge was on that show and he told me he loved it!! He told me, "I thought I was watching Percy Pringle out there!!". Once again, "Danny Hodge or Ty
Dalton?" Hmmmm.......?
I have several projects that I am working on at the moment. I am just about to finish writing a comedy album, which I shall begin recording in the next few
months. Also, I am attempting to get a freelance writing career off of the ground. I plan on posting some samples of my writings up on this site very soon. I'm
looking to write comedy, but I am also well adapted at writing more serious works, or even opinion pieces. There is also going to be an enormous show
around the Oklahoma/Arkansas border this summer that I will discuss very shortly.
It's Been Real!!!
10/23/07
A couple of weeks ago, I managed my Krusher Kanine in a victory over one Mark Johnson at a sold out, standing room only show in Russellville,
Arkansas for the best indy in the country, Mid-South Wrestling. This was a benefit for the local Sheriff's Dept. and they more than doubled their
fundraising goals. A big shout out goes to Kenn Tate, and the rest of the Sheriff's Dept., who could not have been more pleasant to work with. The
reported attendance was 525 people, but counting the local officers, and their families, I would guess that there were 600 people easy.
Also on the show were General Skandar Akbar and Danny Hodge, and the mayor of Russellville presented Danny Hodge with a key to the city!!!
There are clips of the show on YouTube right now that I will attempt to link to soon. On November 10, 2007 Mid-South Wrestling will be doing a
show in conjunction with the Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase in Little Rock. Go to www.traditionalwrestling.com for more info.
The writing career is beginning to take off as well. I am currently a contributing writer for the Serious Sports News Network. If you are familiar with
The Onion, it is basically The Onion for sports. Check their archives for stories on Mike Gundy, Johnnie Cochran, Keith Olbermann, and Paul Byrd
among others. Those are mine!! I will post some of my unedited pieces on this site before too long, along with some other comedy writing
samples. I have also co-written a sitcom pilot that is currently in post production. More on that in a few months, I definately don't want to jinx
anything!!!
Boomer Sooner!!!!!
A couple of weeks ago, I managed my Krusher Kanine in a victory over one Mark Johnson at a sold out, standing room only show in Russellville,
Arkansas for the best indy in the country, Mid-South Wrestling. This was a benefit for the local Sheriff's Dept. and they more than doubled their
fundraising goals. A big shout out goes to Kenn Tate, and the rest of the Sheriff's Dept., who could not have been more pleasant to work with. The
reported attendance was 525 people, but counting the local officers, and their families, I would guess that there were 600 people easy.
Also on the show were General Skandar Akbar and Danny Hodge, and the mayor of Russellville presented Danny Hodge with a key to the city!!!
There are clips of the show on YouTube right now that I will attempt to link to soon. On November 10, 2007 Mid-South Wrestling will be doing a
show in conjunction with the Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase in Little Rock. Go to www.traditionalwrestling.com for more info.
The writing career is beginning to take off as well. I am currently a contributing writer for the Serious Sports News Network. If you are familiar with
The Onion, it is basically The Onion for sports. Check their archives for stories on Mike Gundy, Johnnie Cochran, Keith Olbermann, and Paul Byrd
among others. Those are mine!! I will post some of my unedited pieces on this site before too long, along with some other comedy writing
samples. I have also co-written a sitcom pilot that is currently in post production. More on that in a few months, I definately don't want to jinx
anything!!!
Boomer Sooner!!!!!