Just this past week, I was asked to take part in top Finnish stand-up comedian Niko Kivelä’s new promotional video, which fires up his upcoming comedy tour across Finland over the next few months. There was some crazy shit going down, with the tattooed Hellsinki Rock Girls models and a band known as the Horse Attack Sqwad, amongst others, on hand. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Horse Attack Sqwad have a gimmick where all the guys wear horse heads and all the songs are about horses. It’s messed up fun. I got to be myself, pumping out shitloads of 16kg kettlebell presses over the takes of the video, which, let me assure you, had my delts and traps about to explode! Real volume training till failure, over about 30-minutes of back-to-back takes on film. Check out the finished product…
Niko recalled meeting me about 10-years back when he was part of a radio show that I was on, so this was a reunion of sorts to boot. Niko has a tour across Finland, starting at the end of this month, so be sure to check him out live when he is in your area!
Niko found his way into a sleeperhold, but don’t ask how!
“Kolmas MINÄ toden sanoo” TOUR
26.2.2016 Lahti
27.2.2016 Järvenpää
2.3.2016 Vaasa
3.3.2016 Seinäjoki
4.3.2016 Jyväskylä
5.3.2016 Kotka
10.3.2016 Iisalmi
11.3.2016 Kuopio
12.3.2016 Joensuu
17.3.2016 Kajaani
18.3.2016 Varkaus
19.3.2016 Tampere – iso
31.3.2016 Hyvinkää
1.4.2016 Kuusankoski
2.4.2016 Turku
8.4.2016 Lappeenranta
9.4.2016 Porvoo
For anyone out there who doesn’t know, I am also an experienced voice-over professional, in addition to being a pro wrestler, rock musician, personal trainer and artist. My professional website is http://www.majalahti.com if you would like to acquaint yourself with what I do and who I’ve worked for.
Here are a couple of cool new videos for the Cancer Association that I did recently here in Finland, both in Finnish and in English:
If you need clean, concise and dynamic native American English for your productions, send me a message here on my website and we can discuss your proposed job.
I thought to write a breakdown of the things I witnessed from a coaching perspective at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2015 event in Helsinki this past weekend. Since many people don’t really understand the nature of the beast that is professional wrestling, maybe this will help to shed some light on the game, and folks just might be able to grasp how incredibly demanding the sport is on so many levels.
In the opener tag match which I was a part of, I was really impressed with the physical aggression of King Kong Karhula, who tagged with Pyöveli Petrov. The big man is undoubtedly at the top of his game right now after spending 10 years in the sport to date, as his timing is impeccable, every single move and all of his execution is full-out and in-pocket. He has all the bases covered: the character, the charisma and the ring skills. I would be surprised if WWE didn’t take a serious look at this guy in the very near future. The way Karhula brutalized my tag team partner Sly Sebastian in our tag match made me feel sorry for little Sly. Mean and nasty in the ring, Karhula is one to watch for, and promoters in Europe should seriously consider booking him, regardless of the financial struggles that most of the continent has been facing for quite some time already.
The Beast’s power displays in his match against Jessica Love were impressive, to say the least. Especially catching Jessica’s top rope crossbody and turning it into a jackhammer in one fell swoop for the winning pinfall was a thing to behold. This big man is developing at an alarming pace, and he is another one that WWE should be keeping their eyes on, and dismantling fan favorite Jessica Love gives The Beast major momentum right now.
The hunger, spark and fire shown by young newcomers Jami Aalto and Joey Impact was a thing of beauty to behold in their match against Stark Adder and Ricky Vendetta. You can really see that these two rookies ”want it.” They want to grasp the brass ring and make a real impression on the fans, in their quest to become stars in this grappling game. Both Aalto and Impact showed incredible drive, heart and passion as they gutsily fought the experienced duo of Adder and Vendetta, who are the most cohesive unit in FCF Wrestling today and one mean team. I predict a bright future for these kids. Keep it up!
After suffering a brutal beating at the hands of ”Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä, Mikko Maestro faces a transition akin to that undergone by Kurt Angle somewhere around the year 2000. Angle was a comedy wrestler in WWE at the time, and in his feud with Triple H, he had to step it up and find his serious game face. Maestro simply cannot continue as a light-hearted, fun guy after the way Heimo abused him. He will have to find the reserves deep down to become more that what he is now, if he hopes to stand toe-to-toe with Ukonselkä. Now is the time for Mikko Maestro to change his game.
Mikko Maestro brutalized by Heimo Ukonselkä (Photo: Mats Havia 2015)
The triple threat tag team match between HC Andersen & Robert Holmström, The Luupää Brothers and Murskaaja Mieto & Tohtori Ioni had one competitor outshine everyone. Vili Luupää showed the kind of timing, fire and fluidity in his hot tag comeback, that I have last seen Daniel Bryan do something similar when he was feuding with The Shield in WWE a couple of years back. I really have to give props to Vili Luupää, who is another one grasping for the elusive brass ring right now.
The women’s triple threat match was short and sweet, but the girls really showed some pizzazz and spice while they were in there. For a long time, pro wrestling has been coined ”the grunt and groan game”, and one thing that matches must have is audibles and noise (since no one likes to watch sports or movies with the sound turned off). Julia Kyy (main audibles here and best character presence overall), Sara Elektra and newcomer Regina really put in a spirited effort for the few minutes that they had, before Robert Holmström interjected himself in the match and drew the kind of heat from the audience that borders on being criminal. Holmström has that ”asshole” kind of quality to his ring character that people find easy to hate, and it should be interesting to see how he fares against the girls, because that seems to be his intergender modus operandi now.
France’s Jimmy Gavroche and FCF champion Valentine had one of the best pure wrestling matches that I have seen in a long, long time. I felt that Gavroche really pushed Valentine to his fullest potential and visa versa. It’s a thing of beauty to see the marquee done right, and the name on the marquee reads ”wrestling.” Tight ring work, well-paced and holding solid match psychology, this was a worthy main event. Gavroche has great fire and body language and I can understand why it is easy for the audience to get behind him, even if he is a foreign wrestler coming in against one of FCF’s own. There were so many false finishes in this match that it kept everyone on the edge of their seats. It was really something to see live, which is exactly how professional wrestling should be enjoyed. Big props to both men for an incredible effort. I also have to state, that I was really taken aback at how the fans responded to The Beast coming out after the match to stare down Valentine, as the audience erupted into a completely spontaneous ”Beast is gonna kill you!” chant that continued even after The Beast left the ring and went to the back. There’s something very volatile brewing here!
Be sure to come out for the next FCF Wrestling event in Porvoo, Finland on June 5 at the city’s #URBCULT happening, as there is nothing quite like the live experience that the game provides. Take a look at this fantastic video to see exactly what I’m talking about and we hope to see you next time!
Not many people understand the world of pro wrestling, as they either misconstrue it as completely bogus and a mock-sport or they don’t understand it at all. Let me say right out of the blocks, to quote former multi-time WWE/WCW champion Bret Hart, that “pro wrestling is a lot more real than people care to think.”
In this light, I offer up the following perspective read, as Sweden’s hottest rising star “The Beast” came to Finland last week for coaching with Yours Truly before facing transsexual wrestling standout Jessica Love at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2015 event in Helsinki this past Saturday, May 2.
In the fastest rise that I can personally recall, The Beast is stepping up his game like few others have done to date, making an indelible mark in his wake. As I’ve coached The Beast, I’ve witnessed him develop at an incredible pace.
Beast’s MMA and submission wrestling background, along with his past as a TV Gladiator, has definitely worked in his favor. Beast took a couple of nasty hits in training that would have put any normal man on the sidelines, nearly tearing his latissimus muscle and cracking his spine, but this guy pulled through on sheer focus and guts alone. Talk about Teflon!
My faith in the man rose considerably after I saw him persevere regardless of the immense pain he was in due to the mishaps in training. Beast has shown an great amount of coachability and humility, absorbing his schooling like a sponge. Regardless of his past sporting and media merits, he leaves his ego at the door when it comes to learning the craft of pro wrestling, and that is a very honorable trait. Like legendary Four Horsemen member Arn Anderson once said, “It’s gut check time!”, and every single pro wrestling trainee and active wrestler alike will get to this “gut check” stage in their grappling trek when the pain is so great that you question going on. The Beast had his first serious gut check this past week, and he persevered without flinching or shying away from taking the next step in his training. Read Beast’s blog on the matter (in Swedish) HERE.
This guy is one to watch. I wrote a blog about him over a few weeks back, and it bears to mention that promoters out there should be keeping their eyes open with this big guy. If his heart stays in the game, regardless of whatever setbacks might come his way, he is going to really become something in this game.
Today marks my 42nd birthday. I don’t feel so young anymore, nor do I feel very old. I’m somewhere in between.
Like most folks out there, I don’t fancy the limitations and slowing down process that age brings with it. I’ve strived to reach the upper echelon in all things that my heart has burned after, and I have held nothing back. I’ve been all around the world, reached pinnacles that many only dream of, becoming a star player in my chosen sport far and wide. I’ve toured many lands with my various rock bands, been here, there and a little bit of everywhere.
So here at 42, on April 24, I look back on what has been and ahead to what lies in wait. As a lone wolf, not part of any clique out there, I’ve done a hell of a lot in my 42 years. Everything I’ve achieved, I’ve earned with hard work, honesty and reputation. Not by kissing ass, playing politics or stabbing other people in the back. For that, I am proud.
I achieved my dream of superstardom in Japan as a wrestler in 2010-2011, which was my career goal, and everything from here on out is a bonus. I garnered three European wresting championships during my career so far, and I am happy with that number. It’s a magical number; three. Anything above that is also just a bonus. I’ve wrestled in 19 countries over the past 21 years, and I’d like to add a few more before I hang the boots up one day, so that is something to still strive towards.
I have no idea how long my saga on this Earth will be, but I can honestly say, that I have lived the life of a journeyman, the life of a wayfarer, the life of legend. If all of this were to end tomorrow, I would have to be happy, content that I went out there and actualized my dreams. I didn’t just talk the talk, I walked the walk.
It’s a sad day in the world of pro wrestling. As I got up today, I received the news of the passing of Perro Aguayo Jr. in the middle of a tag team match in Tijuana, Mexico. After getting dropkicked in the side of the head by Rey Misterio Jr., as Misterio set Aguayo up for his trademark 619 maneuver, Perro fell against the ropes lifeless, unable to move from thereon out. It’s hard to say whether it was the kick from Misterio, or the whiplash effect from hitting the middle rope, causing trauma to the cervical spine, that led to the premature death of Perro Aguayo Jr. A freak accident, yes. But just another reality of the physical toll of pro wrestling.
For the first time in a long time, this news put pro wrestling (or Lucha Libre, as the game is known in Mexico) on the sports pages en lieu of the entertainment section in the news. For so long, pro wrestling has been balked at as not being a legitimate sport by critics and the opposition at large, but no one can deny that we, as athletes, endure great physical risks in being a part of this ”sport of kings.”
On a personal note alone, I have gone through eight concussions in my wrestling career since 1994 worldwide. Add to that a broken left ankle in two places with eight screws and three plates to reconstruct it, a torn right rotator cuff, a herniated disc in my neck, torn ligaments on two occasions in my right foot and bone chips in my left elbow, a missing tooth, and yeah … I don’t see where pro wrestling is ”fake”.
Bandaging myself up to close a head wound after a physical match (photo: Lasse Arkela)
What happened this past weekend in Tijuana, Mexico is another grave reminder of the incredible physical demand that pro wrestling takes on our bodies. Every single one of us that climb into that ring to make the fans yell, scream and cheer should be applauded for putting our health and lives on the line time in and time out. Most times for completely inadequate compensation, be it noted. And what about the retirement and pension plans for pro wrestlers? Are you kidding me?? What about solid insurance policies to cover mishaps and injuries? Good luck in finding coverage that will actually go up to bat for you when the shit hits the fan. I got lucky in the last department, when a decade back I was able to score a comprehensive insurance policy through a gym client of mine, after my former insurance provider screwed me over after suffering my fifth concussion in Italy.
John Cena being stretchered out after a legit injury in 2008
The bottom line is, pro wrestling has long suffered from lack of respect from the media and public at large for not being ”pure sport”. That is not, nor has it ever been, the point. The point is that pro wrestling is the equivalent of gladiators in modern times. It is the art of battle. In battle, one is bound to get battle scars. To quote bygone wrestling great ”Dr. Death” Steve Williams, ”This ain’t ballet.”
Methinks pro wrestling and wrestlers at large are long overdue for a heaping load of respect from the day and age and world et al that we live in.
At the end of last month, I traveled to Vesileppis Sport & Spa Hotel in Leppävirta, Finland, where I was filmed with the Vesileppis mascot for a funny set of commercials promoting the establishment and its services. These commercials have now been released, and can be seen below:
Just a few days ago, Finland’s leading dairy manufacturer, Valio Ltd., released their latest television ad campaign, featuring the most celebrated NHL hockey player ever out of Finland, the legendary Teemu Selänne. Teemu lives nowadays in California with his family, and is retired from the sport of ice hockey. He made a name for himself as a Stanley Cup champion (2006-2007) with the Anaheim Ducks (defeating the Ottawa Senators) and nowadays owns and runs a steakhouse out in California.
I was chosen to play one of the roles in the new Valio advert, which you can view below:
It was a pleasure getting to know Teemu, who was very down-to-earth and a good guy, his success not having gone to his head at all.
The WWE creative staff could have booked and penned this entire run, and it would have played out exactly like it did.
starbuck.fi 