I am very happy to announce that this week I will be returning to Japan for the first time since losing the SMASH Championship to Dave Finlay back at the end of November 2011.
On Sunday, February 19 at TDC Hall in Tokyo, I will team up with FCF Wrestling representatives Jessica Love and Hajime Ohara to take on the Zero1 contingent of Masato Tanaka, Shinjiro Otani and Ikuto Hidaka in a huge six-person showdown at SMASH.25.
It will be a great honor for me to step into the ring with especially Tanaka and Otani, who are two of the most revered pros in the game worldwide. Many will remember Masato Tanaka’s match against Mike Awesome on the WWE version of ECW’s One Night Stand pay-per-view from 2005, while Otani was a legendary junior heavyweight in the early and mid-’90s with New Japan Pro Wrestling, holding both the WCW Cruiserweight Championship (beating the legendary Chris Benoit) and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in addition to a slew of others.
Today, FCF Wrestling announced StarBuck vs. Finnhammer Halme for the biggest wrestling card of the year, Talvisota VI (Winter War VI) on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Helsinki, Finland. The event will be held at the Helsinki Sports Hall in the Kallio area of Helsinki, and word is that eight matches are slated for the card at this point.
Finnhammer has a world of hurt coming to him for costing me my shot at Heimo Ukonselkä’s FCF Championship back in December 2011 at the Kallio Rumble event. Were it not for Finnhammer’s meddling in the conclusion of the over-the-top-rope battle royale, I very well might be sporting the FCF title for the fifth time in my career at this point.
Get your tickets early for this big event, which will also feature the first-ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs match in Finnish history between the massive Ibo Ten and gender bending fan favorite Jessica Love; plus FCF Champ Heimo Ukonselkä defends his strap against bad boy Johnny McMetal, and much more!
For those in Finland or who otherwise speak and understand the Finnish language, my interview from this morning with Radio City is now online and can be heard here: http://www.radiocity.fi/audiovideo/vieraat/2/76
Working in the Finnish music industry as a lyric coach, vocal pronunciation/enunciation coach (English), as well as a songwriter and vocalist myself in three bands currently (Crossfyre, Overnight Sensation, Angel of Sodom), people often ask me what my top musical influences are. Therefore, I thought to write a little blog about the subject and touch briefly on my personal Top 10.
MÖTLEY CRÜE – I fell in love with their Shout at the Devil album back in 1983 when I was 10 years old. I have always identified with the classic Mötley vibe, and their first five albums will always hold a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, I had three real life role models: Don Johnson from Miami Vice, Arnold Schwarzenegger and vocalist Vince Neil from the Crüe. Not that Vince is the best vocalist out there, but he is unique, and as Nikki Sixx told me back in 2006 when I met him in Helsinki, “It’s better to be unique than to be good”. Raw, testosterone-charged, kick-ass hard rock.
TROUBLE – Chicago’s doom and stoner metal pioneers Trouble were introduced to me through my old buddy, fellow wrestler Chris Jericho, who has since gone on to incredible international fame – but his music tastes have remained the same (at least when I spoke to him last). Trouble’s self-titled 1990 album knocked my socks off with it’s colossal riffs and dire heaviness. One of the most under-the-radar bands of the past 30 years, no doubt about it. If you want riffs, real riffs, this band can deliver like Tony Iommi in his prime.
BLACK SABBATH – boy, big surprise here. It’s not like 99% of the metal and hard music world ranks Sabbath amongst their favorites. Why beat a dead horse? All that needs to be said of Sabbath has already been well documented elsewhere a million times. My favorite album in their catalogue is Master of Reality, with the best set of back-to-back solid material the band has ever written. Plus, it’s the heaviest of their albums overall.
OVERKILL – New Jersey thrash metalheads Overkill have always had the one thing that all other bands in the genre missed – the lyrical brilliance and glass-shattering, pissed-off screetch of Bobby “Blitz Ellsworth. With some of the most poignant, sarcastic and parable-like messages in all of metaldom, Blitz is undeniably the Al Pacino of thrash metal. That little selling point, in and of itself, should say everything that needs to be said about Overkill to anyone out there. Riffs aside, that is.
EXODUS – another thrash metal standout for me since my teens. Pleasures of the Flesh, Fabulous Disaster, Tempo of the Damned and Shovel Headed Kill Machine are all stellar examples of relentless and savage thrash that isn’t missing the element of groove, which is oftentimes the defining factor between good and great in this genre. In addition, Exodus has managed to sound current throughout the years, evolving in fashion until their last two Atrocity Exhibition albums, which for the most part are badly lacking the tried and true Exodus vibe, instead trying to sound somewhat akin to Lamb of God or something in that vein.
OZZY OSBOURNE – I am not counting anything after No More Tears, since it seems that any band that was worth anything in the 1980’s fell off the map and dabbled in dire shite post-1992. Like Mickey Rourke said in the movie The Wrestler, “The 90’s fucking sucked!”, and for the most part, he was right. The Ozzman might have been messed up in the 80’s, but his music in that period was brilliant. I would wager to argue that Ozzy actually had the ability to write good music back then, but as soon as he tried to keep with the times and sound modern he lost the golden ball. Ozzy is an 80’s phenomenon, and his magic is found in that era. And we really didn’t EVER need to see The Osbournes.
BRIDE -a lesser-known Christian hard rock and metal band, whose best material is found in the 80’s to mid-90’s. Vocalist Dale Thompson really deserves a larger audience to appreciate his immense talent. It’s tragic and sad that most people can’t get their prejudices out of the “Christian rock” roadblock and just enjoy bands like this for what they are: ultra-talented. For the most part, their best period was one of great songs, wicked vocals and internationally-viable musical fare. Must-hear albums: Live to Die, Silence is Madness, Kinetic Faith, Snakes in the Playground, Scarecrow Messiah.
VAN HALEN – now when I mention Van Halen, I am talking about the David Lee Roth era. The DLR Halen was raw, ambitious and edgy. One cannot say the same of the Sammy Hagar-era of Van Halen, which was surefire, commercial, over-produced and oftentimes sappy (way too many love songs). Roth proved that you don’t need to be auto-tuned and in-pitch to be great and become classic. Another stellar example of being unique taking precedence over being good. Even though VH has always been good. Except with Gary Cherone.
RUNNING WILD -Rockin’ Rolf and his band of merry metal pirates forged some of the most powerful heavy metal that these ears have heard, even to date. Sure, other German bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray were producing music much in the same vein, but there was a blunt, straight-forwardness to Running Wild that set them apart. They weren’t in it for the bells, whistles and artistic masturbation. Running Wild was a raw punch between the headlights when others were showing off how fancy they could be.
BLACK STONE CHERRY -The perfect mix of southern rock, metal, hard rock and blues. The fact that these fellas are still so young and manage to sound twice their age is a mystery to me. They have a sense of maturity that belies their experience. On top of that they have the kind of songwriting aptitude that I have heard few others master, especially considering that they are not veterans. I still vividly recall being in Kemi, Finland back in December 2006, where I coached Sonata Arctica vocalist Tony Kakko for the band’s Unia album, and outside of my work with him I would incessantly listen the BSC’s debut album. Gritty, honest and true, all the way through.
ENTOMBED – Sweden’s metal powerhouse, from death metal to thrash metal to metallic punk, Entombed are so vicious and brutal that few can follow them at their best. Colossal in sound, aided largely by the bowels of Hell-vocals of LG Petrov, Entombed stomp like a massive dinosaur, crushing all in their path. How can you NOT like that? Chunky riffs, visceral aggression and thundering rhythms. An ideal combination, say I.
Often I am asked who my favorite pro wrestlers are, which ones have had the biggest impact on my career and style, and who were my idols when I was growing up. Hereforth, in this special theme blog for Christmas 2011, I offer my top picks to close off the year:
MY TOP 5 WESTERN PRO WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME
Ric Flair – without doubt, the man who made an indelible impact on me when I was a kid and a youth. When I first started my wrestling career back in 1994, as a rookie I tried to copy much of the pyschology of Flair in my own matches and mannerisms. As time wore on, of course I developed my own, trademark image and style, but Slick Ric was the ultimate combo of mic skills, charisma, ring work and larger than life character to aspire to. Very simply, for many of my generation, The Nature Boy was THE measuring stick which the business was graded by.
Dan Kroffat – I believe his real name is Phil Lafon, but Dan Kroffat was just an amazing talent in both Canada for Gino Brito’s International Wrestling out of Montreal in the 1980’s, as well as Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling, where I believe he was called Phil LaFleur. A lot of people think I “stole” my superkick from Shawn Michaels, which is not true. I “borrowed” it from Kroffat, who used to superkick opponents while they were trapped in the ring corner. Ouch! Kroffat was one of the greatest, lesser-known talents in the history of the game.
Dick Murdoch – the best puncher that the wrestling industry has seen this side of Killer Karl Kox. What an amazing talent Murdoch was, from being an ass-clown when he felt like it to wrestling amazing, technical classics like I saw him do against Barry Windham back in 1987 on Bill Watts’ UWF Wrestling show over 45-minutes on TV. Dick Murdoch was definitely one of the greatest wrestlers never to hold the World Championship, and I borrowed his “cattle brander” knee-to-the-skull top rope bulldog for my own repertoire many years ago.
Tully Blanchard – never have I seen someone do so little and make it mean as much as Tully did in the ring. Blanchard was the ultimate bad guy, like a mangy mongrel all over his opponents from bell to bell. His natural cockiness made him easy for the masses to dislike, and he just had a way of carrying himself that I have seen few pro wrestlers master. His “I Quit” cage match vs. Magnum TA from Starrcade ´85 will forever be remembered as one of the most legitimate outings there is to be seen in pro wrestling. It’s a shame his career fell off the map in 1989 after being let go/leaving the WWF, after which, by all intents and purposes, he really should have carried on in the NWA as part of The Four Horsemen.
Bret Hart – I was brought up in the wrestling business in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which happens to be the home of the infamous Hart Family. I never went out of my way to copy Bret Hart, but I did feel a certain affinity to the way that he orchestrated himself and worked in the ring. You could call it a case of kindred spirits style-wise. Bret Hart’s style was not a high-risk deal, and that said, he could be as believable as anyone without taking ridiculous chances with his health. Bret Hart was smart about his piece of business, and it’s a damn shame that his career ended the way it did in the freak accident he had wrestling against Goldberg at WCW’s Starrcade ’99.
MY TOP 5 JAPANESE PRO WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME
Keiji Mutoh – I have always liked Mutoh’s style a lot, and this past November in Tokyo, I was finally able to wrestle against him in All-Japan Pro Wrestling, which was a dream come true for me. Mutoh has incredible ring presence, amazing psychology and impeccable timing. Basically, the man has all the tools of the trade, and he has kept with the times in changing his gimmick and look to stay fresh, without compromising where he came from. Just an amazing mind for the pro wrestling trade.
Hiroshi Hase – an amazing talent, and as complete of an all-around worker as there is to be had in the pro wrestling game. As a booker, Hase was incredibly giving, which is more than can be said for most match bookers who double as wrestlers. Hase had credibility, in everything that he did, and had so many show-stealing matches that anyone could easily lose count. Hase could make anyone look good, and that in itself is a feat in our business.
Mitsuhara Misawa – the late, great Misawa certainly took too many risks and ended up paying for them with his health before his untimely death a couple of years back, but it was hard to beat Misawa at his prime. The man mastered his craft and stayed on top as a main player for over 15 years, which is an amazing accomplishment any way you look at it. Misawa also spearheaded All-Japan Wrestling in the 1990’s, post-Tsuruta, driving the company to great success before moving on with his own NOAH promotion, which seemingly was the #1 company in Japan for a spell before eternity called Misawa to the other side.
Riki Choshu – The last two picks in this short list are a bit of a toss-up. I was going to pick NOAH’s KENTA, but he has not yet proven himself on the longevity level. Anyone with under 10 years of experience really cannot be considered yet. I was going to pick Antonio Inoki amongst the last two, but considering he was the promoter of New Japan, I felt perhaps he had a bit too much leverage in terms of a tilted playing field. When I was a kid, I first saw Riki Choshu in a match on a VHS tape against legendary shooter Fujiwara. The thing that struck me straight away about Choshu was the fact that he came off as a rebel, kind of a Japanese rock and roller, with his long hair and aggressive energy. The more I saw of Choshu’s matches, the more I liked his work. At his best, Choshu was hard to beat, and could really make the people believe in what he did.
Tatsumi Fujinami – I really struggled between Fujinami and Jumbo Tsuruta for the last pick. Before moving up to the heavyweights, Fujinami was a damn fine junior heavyweight, and I still recall one of his stellar matches against the Dynamite Kid in Japan, which was one hell of a hard-hitting altercation. Fujinami had that special something, an explosive dynamic about him, which made watching his matches truly enjoyable. The fact that he still moves at a surprisingly good pace at his age today is a testament in and of itself, and I am amazed that his knees are still holding up sans kneepads after all these years!
BEST OF THE REST
There have been numerous other personas and key factors that have played a part in StarBuck becoming what I am today in the pro wrestling world and beyond. Irish wrestler Dave “Fit” Finlay, whom I lost the SMASH Championship to back on November 24, 2011 is one of mat technicians that I highly respect. British ring generals Mark Rocco, Dynamite Kid and Johnny Saint all rate highly in my book also. North American top wrestling stars of the past like Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat and The Road Warriors all offered valuable learning material. Comic book heroes from my youth like Conan The Barbarian and The Incredible Hulk, in addition to Godzilla, all left an indelible imprint on the formation of my psyche. The action movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone did their part in impacting me in my youth, in addition to perhaps my favorite flick of all time, Mel Gibson’s Mad Max II: The Road Warrior. Several top wrestlers of the past decade from Chris Benoit to Shawn Michaels to Triple H have all made a notable imprint, especially in terms of being able to draw from their ring psychology, pacing and idiosyncracies.
So all in all, there have been a whole slew of personas and greats that have really “lent” a hand in the formation of StarBuck as a professional wrestler. Perhaps I’ll post a blog about which musical influences played the biggest impact on my rock frontman career over the past 12 years, but maybe you’ll have to wait for that one to start off 2012.
This coming Saturday evening, Dec. 17 in Espoo, Finland at the brand new Ringside Gym – run by my buddy, former European Middleweight Boxing Champion, Amin Asikainen, and his manager Pekka Mäki – I will be grappling with FCF sophomore sensation Kristian Kurki in a special chain wrestling challenge match.
The event starts at 18:00 and is entitled Ringside Fight Night, featuring four pro boxing matches in addition to myself against Kurki and FCF Wrestling’s human tank Ibo Ten against former 4-time FCF Champion, Valentine, in another chain wrestling challenge match. The event is set to be streamed via the Internet, so keep your eyes peeled if you are not able to be with us in person at the show.
In the boxing portion of the card, it will be Finland’s Jarkko Putkonen (1-0) vs. Stanislavs Leonovs of Latvia (2-2-2), Finland’s Niko Jokinen (15-0-5) vs. Sergej Drob of Lithuania (1-1), Arne Ernstsen of Norway debuting vs. Maksims Semjonovs of Latvia (0-3) and Andreas Evensen of Norway (14-2, 6 KOs) vs. Sergio Prado of Spain (5-3-1, 1 KO).
Also on the same evening of Saturday, Dec. 17th, Kallio Rumble will take place in Helsinki starting at 19:00 with a Royal Rumble-style battle royale topping the card, where FCF Champion “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä must start the match and every two minutes a new man enters, until the man left standing at the end who has not been eliminated over the top rope then walks away with the FCF Championship title.
Alas, so it is folks, that this good ol’ boy has found his way onto the cover of Finland’s leading, top-selling sports magazine, FightSport! Indeedio, on this last issue of the year (FightSport 6/2011) you will get the lowdown on my trials and tribulations, valleys and victories, culminating with me winning the SMASH Championship in Japan a couple of months ago. An absolutely STELLAR article by Kati Ala-Ilomäki, who really did a hell of a job, with both match photos and in-your-face posed photography by Mike Sirén of Pakkotoisto.com. Check it out on newsstands across Finland NOW!
Well, the enormous Rock Legends Cruise is now history and here I sit in Lake Worth, Florida at our Crossfyre guitarist Jay Jay’s place reminiscing on the events of this past weekend aboard The Liberty Of The Seas. Simply to be a part of rock and roll history aboard that festival at sea was monumental and a true honor for us, representing the only European act on the whole bill.
ZZ Top playing aboard the Rock Legends Cruise
I got a chance to catch some golden oldies like Steppenwolf, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, Foghat, Blackfoot, Johnny Winter and my most anticipated Rock Legends act, ZZ Top. Indeed, it was ZZ Top that blasted through a set which left everyone cheering and hollering, including hits like Legs, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Party on the Patio and Sharp Dressed Man. Foghat proved to be in fine form still, as was Blackfoot. Truly, some bands age like fine wine, and perhaps this is nowhere as true as in the blues and southern rock genres. Considering an act like ZZ Top still includes all three original members after four decades of action speaks volumes.
Me and a couple of fans at the VIP lounge
Our definite hilite of the event from a personal standpoint with Crossfyre was playing outside on the main deck of the ship on Saturday, December 3 before a capacity audience that was introduced to our band for the first time. I dare say we delivered in spades, winning over all kinds of new fans and even fellow musicians and technicians. I swear I even saw Blackfoot vocalist Mike Estes actually rocking out behind the stage as we played our third and final gig at Studio B aboard the ship on Sunday, December 4th. Of all of the audiences that I have played live in front of, this American crowd responded the best to my verbatim and banter, which simply goes to prove that I am a North American prodigy, born and bred in this culture, which in turn makes my approach resonate optimally with this kind of audience. I have to say that I had an absolute blast performing for the fine folks on hand aboard the Rock Legends Cruise. Thanks to everyone who made it happen and we hope to see y’all again!
Crossfyre playing at Studio B aboard the Rock Legends Cruise
This week I will be playing the largest southern rock and blues festival in history, the Rock Legends Cruise, December 1 – 5 between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and The Bahamas with my band Crossfyre. It stands to mention that we are the ONLY band out of Europe on that float and gig, which speaks volumes.
The Liberty of the Seas from Royal Caribbean is one of the biggest, fastest and most luxurious passenger vessels in service today, served by a crew of 1300 on 18 decks. With a gross tonnage of 160,000, it can truly be said that the rock-themed benefit voyage will be a “heavy” experience for both bands and fans. The ship, almost as long as four football fields, cruises at 21.6 knots, is scheduled for port stops in the Bahamas that include Coco Cay and Nassau.
The main attraction of the cruise is, of course, multiple performances by the Rock Legends bands aboard, in four different on-board venues. The ship also features on-board surfing thanks to its FlowRider wave generator, an ice skating rink, a boxing ring, a full-sized volleyball/basketball court, catelevered whirlpools and range of gourmet restaurants. The ship offers no fewer than four performance venues for Rock Legends Cruise bands: The Deck, The Platinum Theater, Studio B and The Sphinx.
The bands aboard this huge festival cruise read: ZZ Top, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, John Kay and Steppenwolf, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Foghat, Molly Hatchet, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Band, The Outlaws, Artimus Pyle, Blackfoot, Pat Travers, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, SwampDaWamp, The Chris Hicks Band, Preacher Stone, Ryan Balthrop, Whiskey Myers, and us – Crossfyre.
European professional wrestling legend and 37-year ring veteran Dave “Fit” Finlay defeated me this past Thursday night, November 24th, at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo at SMASH.23 to become the new SMASH Champion.
photo by SMASH (from SportsNavi Japan online)
Finlay fought like a ravenous beast, putting me on the defensive for the whole match, which lasted 15:58 before the Irishman was able to put me away and pin me following his jumping tombstone piledriver. The Japanese crowd responded in shock as Dave Finlay was announced as the new champion.
There are very few men in the wrestling business who are as brutal and remorseless in that ring as Finlay. The man is a legend in this sport, and I brought my A-game, but it just wasn’t enough on the night of November 24, 2011 in Tokyo.
photo by SMASH (from SportsNavi Japan online)
Many are already calling my match with Finlay as the match of the year in SMASH, which is saying a lot, as there have been numerous great matches throughout the year. For a fantastic look at the action from the SMASH.23 title match, check out the ringside photos here.
photo by SMASH (from SportsNavi Japan online)
I was also given the opportunity to face one of my all-time favorite wrestlers in Keiji Mutoh (aka The Great Muta) in Tokyo the night before SMASH.23 at All-Japan Pro Wrestling‘s event, as I teamed with SMASH compatriots Akira Nogami and Yoshihiro Tajiri to face the trio of Mutoh, Kondo and Bushi from AJPW. I pinned Bushi in 13:48 of a hot match following my trademark spike piledriver. Check out the photos from that match here.
photo by AJPW (from SportsNavi Japan online)
On a separate note, I heard the sad news about the passing of American superstar Bison Smith (found dead on Nov. 22 in Puerto Rico) while I was in the dressing room at the AJPW event. Bison was a big star in Japan, and his death at 38 – the same age as I am – is indeed an early passing. The cause was deemed to be heart failure.
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