There is an age-old saying in the pro wrestling business that says “everyone goes in hurt”, and the measure of a worker (aka pro wrestler) is whether he competes when he is sick or hurt.

Wrestling legend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams once aptly quoted “hey, this ain’t ballet”, and that said the good doctor was right on the money.  Besides, it was Doc who took over a hundred stitches in his eye from a stray elbow from Brad Armstrong in a match one night, and showed up the next night to wrestle anyway.

Whether the public perceives pro wrestling to be a choreographed exhibition really isn’t the point, because the fact of the matter remains that at the core of it all, what we as professional wrestlers are doing in that ring is a physical altercation.  There IS contact, there is stress, there is wear and tear, and yes, we DO get hurt from time to time.

Such was the case this past Friday night in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany when I faced Italy’s Chris Colen in a match.  Colen trapped me in a very basic hold called the abdominal stretch.  In the process, as he torqued on the pressure and leaned back with the hold, I felt the front deltoid of my captured arm “crunch” and tear.  The muscle was taken to it’s limit and it could take no more, so it gave way.

What did I do – – quit?

Hell, NO!

I crumbled to the mat, took stock of the situation and tried to shield my bad wing the best I could.  At the opportune moment I rallied back and used as much technique as possible to protect my delt from further injury and duress and finished the match.

That, my dear public, is the mark of a true professional.  And I hate to toot my own horn, but “toot, toot!” to quote Arn Anderson of the Four Horsemen.

Now in all seriousness this recent example from my own professional life does stand as a shining example to anyone out there of what is expected of us as professional wrestlers, and of the prerequisites it requires to be able to duly carry the “pro” tag.  Not only did I fight through that injury on the said night, I also fulfilled my consequent booking the next night, regardless of the fact that I was risking further injury to myself.  You could say that because I know my craft, I am able to navigate through certain sticky situations of the like.

This past November 2010 in Tokyo, Japan when I lost the FCF Championship to “The Japanese Buzzsaw” Tajiri, I suffered a hard concussion from a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes late in the match.  The back of my head hammered into the canvas and knocked me loopy, yet I continued the fight to the bitter end, pulling off an incredibly dramatic finish to the match that will long be remembered in the annals of puroresu and SMASH wrestling history.  Regardless of the injury, I fought on.

I have seen so many cases of workers in the pro wrestling industry skip matches due to relationship troubles, the flu, being hurt to some degree yet being able to perform but opting not to, and just plain not wanting to do what is right for the business that they are in.  I personally seriously question whether talents such as those should be allowed to carry a “pro” moniker.  Me personally, I believe many such individuals would be best served to exit stage left.

My own dear Mother suffered a stroke the day after she saw me wrestle live for the first time ever in December 2005.  I was driving in my car to the next show the following day when I got the news of my Mom’s condition.

What did I do?

I went to the show and wrestled a 30-minute match and did my job.

Everyone is tested through the fire and on the bad days.  No one is truly tested when they are at their best.

The mark of a true professional is the ability to shut out everything that is not conductive to you going out there and doing your job.  Easier said than done, but case in point, coming from someone who has walked the walk in addition to talking the talk over the years.

Even if you have to carry that head of yours in a sling, you get your ass to your booking and make it to the ring and earn your stripes for being called a “pro”.

For those who are seething at the bit from reading this, I can offer you one case where I failed to continue.  My left ankle was snapped in two back in August 2003 in a match in Oslo, Norway, and although I valiantly tried to stand and get back in the ring, my legs wouldn’t hold me.  Yes, the professional in me TRIED to stand, even though I knew it was in vain.

That, folks, is dedication and also the proof that is in the proverbial pudding.

Japan’s fastest-rising pro wrestling promotion SMASH started their inaugural championship tournament on June 9th to crown both the first Men’s and Women’s Champion in company history.

In first round matches held at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on June 9th, Shinya Ishikawa of Big Japan Wrestling beat Yusuke Kodama, Akira Nogami beat Takashi Iizuka, “Japanese Buzzsaw” Tajiri beat Funaki, FCF representative Hajime Ohara bested his former sensei Ultimo Dragon and Japanese ring legend Genichiro Tenryu handed Michael Kovac his first defeat in The Land of the Rising Sun.

On July 15 SMASH will hold the continuation of their first round match-ups, and due to circumstances beyond our control, no one from Finland at FCF will be able to travel to SMASH.19 on July 15th to partake in the first round of competition.  To remedy this we at FCF have agreed with SMASH to hold an internal private tournament in Finland to determine FCF’s first round winner and representative who will go on directly to round two at SMASH.20 in August at Korakuen Hall.

Stay tuned for details, as the summer is just heating up at this point!

Just this past week, FCF Wrestling in Finland released the news of Finnish ring veteran Stark Adder calling it quits after losing heart after not being able to procure the FCF Championship during his time with the promotion.  It was actually in Kotka, Finland on May 21 that Adder informed me that he was quitting and moving on to new challenges and ventures, so I already knew of Adder’s intentions before the public got to hear about it.

Stark Adder and myself are the cornerstones on which Finnish professional wrestling was built, without exception.  It was Adder’s coaching throughout the years that spawned many of Finland’s finest wrestling talents, and although I was the head instructor at FCF’s wrestling school Adder was the workhorse and main trainer.  Think of me in the Steve Austin role on Tough Enough and Adder as Bill Demott and you get the picture.

Stark Adder began his career in Finnish pro wrestling first as a part of my inaugural class of 2003, debuting in Pro Wrestling Finlandia, which preceded FCF, in early 2004.  Adder was a gifted student from day one, perhaps the best of my initial class in Finland, and he honed his skills to become an excellent ring technician.

On September 1, 2005 in Järvenpää, Finland, Stark Adder and myself were the last two men in a tournament to determine a new Finnish Wrestling Champion under PWF auspices.  That match was fought as a 2/3 falls affair and after splitting one fall apiece, I took the third in about 40 minutes of grueling action to become the new titleholder.  Adder would not give up his dream and quest at become the champion however, and on May 25, 2006 in Helsinki, Finland, Adder finally defeated me in the first-ever 30 minute Iron Man match in Finland to become the PWF Finnish Wrestling Champion.

In the fall of 2006 PWF ceased operations and was bought out by Fight Club Finland (FCF) and Adder carried over as Finnish Wrestling Champion to FCF before finally losing the belt to Erik Isaksen of Norway on May 26, 2007 in Vantaa, Finland.  Adder would contend for the FCF Championship many times between 2007 – 2011, but would be unsuccessful in his attempts to regain the title that he once held so proudly.

Come May 21 in the city of Kotka, Adder would once again contend for the FCF Championship held by Heimo Ukonselkä in a Triple Threat match also involving Ibo Ten.  Ukonselkä would go on to pin Adder in that contest, pounding in the final nail of Stark Adder’s quest for the gold.  Thus, Adder lost heart and decided to move on in his life.

During his celebrated career, Stark Adder fought in countries such as Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan in addition to his native Finland between 2004 – 2011.  Adder was a solid hand in the ring and a soldier of high morale.  He will be missed in Finnish wrestling but his contributions will live on.

This upcoming weekend on May 28/29, FCF Wrestling in Finland will be holding their annual try-out for those looking to get into the wrestling business in Finland. We at FCF are known to produce some of the most notable export talent in the wrestling business in Europe today -names like Stark Adder, Jessica Love, Heimo Ukonselkä, Kisu, Aurora, Pasi Suominen, Kristian Kurki, Kagemanguro and Valentine in addition to myself – and thus since our track record speaks for itself, I thought to enlighten the public on the criteria for trying out. Someone out there reading might be looking to get in, so take it from someone with a proven track record and not just any old carny hopeful looking to make a buck off of you.

First of all, although the name of the game is professional wrestling, the fact remains that only a handful of grapplers in Europe can support themselves through their wrestling escapades. Very simply put, the money is not there on the independent level. Every rookie starts at the bottom of the barrel where there is no money at all, and it’s all about paying one’s dues to climb up the elusive ladder of success to get to the point where one can make a buck. Only after you have made yourself viable by having a rock-solid persona that people will pay to see, complete with handling the fundamental skills of the trade and possessing the physical look of an athlete that parlays into marketability will you be able to start earning some dough. Even then, it is chump change most of the time, taking into consideration the costs of ring gear, keeping up the physical image, costs of being on the road and other related investments into your piece of work. Therefore, anyone who is looking to cash in with pro wrestling on the independent level should forget about the whole thing and remain an armchair quarterback.

Before considering yourself part of the pro wrestling game, ask yourself whether you have the physical gifts that the business requires. Do you have a solid foundation in weight training, with good muscle co-ordination and body control? Do you have a look that you can honestly see people paying to see? Could you see yourself on a poster representing a wrestling card line-up, and have your picture draw potential customers in? If not, you need to take a reality check and reconsider whether you have the wherewithal to enter the game at this point in your life. Simply put, the paying public does not want to see regular joes, people just like them. No, the paying public wants to see something special, something that is beyond them. That is part of what makes professional wrestling retain it’s mystique, and people will pay to see something special. This is proven by anything and everything from Broadway to Las Vegas attractions to Vaudeville to the circus and beyond.

Buddy Rogers: the original Nature Boy had "the look", au naturelle.

Is there something marketable about you and your look? Is there a specific physical trait that you possess that stands out and makes you special? In FCF, a rookie like Kristian Kurki is special because he is rather tall, well defined in muscularity with long limbs in addition to possessing incredible natural charisma and natural wrestling talent. People will pay to see a package like that, and the fact that Kurki got booked in Japan by his third match should be proof positive for anyone out there that what I am saying holds absolute credence.

Kristian Kurki: a star of tomorrow in the wrestling game, owning all the attributes needed.

That said, you don’t have to be the athlete of the year to have a chance in professional wrestling, but you must have something unique physically that can be marketed. Charisma can be cultivated as a wrestler’s confidence in their own abilities grows and certain gimmicks can be used to cover up particular esthetic weaknesses. However, never should a wrestling hopeful enter the game with the notion that they will first and foremost choose a gimmick that will hide their lack of physical conditioning and hope to become viable thereby. Above all, professional wrestling is a cardiovascular sport, which requires a very high level of physical conditioning from the wrestlers involved.

Traditionally, professional wrestling has held a prerequisite that each wrestler had to look the part. That is not to say that one had to use steroids as was par for the course in the 1980’s and 1990’s to be viable, but one most certainly had to look the part of an athlete. Consider stars like WWE’s Daniel Bryan, who succeeds without the steroid physique. Or Shawn Michaels over the second half of his career before retirement in 2010. Consider stars of the past like Buddy Rogers, Eduardo Carpentier, Lou Thesz and Bruno Sammartino all had ”the look” of champions, and thus they became champions. Legendary wrestler and promoter Cowboy Bill Watts spoke of Sammartino in his WWE Hall of Fame speech from 2009, stating that when he trained weights with Bruno, ”he was also the world’s strongest man at that time in the bench press…and working out with him…my own bench press then went to 585 (lbs)…and we did NOT even know what a steroid was.”

Bruno Sammartino: physically gifted and strong as an ox.

Only in the 1990’s with the cult popularity of Paul Heyman’s original ECW did that tradition suffer a damaging blow. Many wrestlers came to the fore wearing jerseys, t-shirts and various baggy clothing as ring apparel to cover up the lack of an athletic body. This trend in turn affected the independent wrestling promotions and a flood of non-athletic rookies entered the scene, which in turn watered down and began to kill off certain wrestling markets, due to the fact that the paying public doesn’t want to pay for something which is a mockery of the marquee that is stands behind.

Just one week ago, I was wrestling in Germany, riding to the show with a couple of younger wrestlers who expounded to me how the wrestling business is faltering badly in their country at the moment. They were quick to point out that the biggest problem contributing to the current downfall was the influx of ”backyard” wrestlers and fan-led promotions. Poorly-trained youngsters without bodies were filling the cards, which have a few pros booked on them to work the top matches. The paying audience that comes out to see the events balks at the parody of wrestling that is presented to them, and thus refuse to come back a second time, lending to dropping attendance across the map. Once again, I cannot expound enough the fact that people do NOT want to see regular joes lining up the cards. People want to see something special that they do not see every day, and the least that should be expected of a ”professional wrestler” is the image of an athlete. Or at least a freak, if the former is not applicable.

Happy Humphrey vs. Haystacks Calhoun: freakshow translates into box office.

Wrestling legend Big Daddy of Great Britain was obscenely obese and he did not shy away from that fact. Instead, Big Daddy emphasized his obesity in the way he wrestled, using his bulk as a sales pitch in the process. The same can be said for former WWE wrestler Viscera, who took on the name Big Daddy V (not to be confused with the UK’s Big Daddy) in his last WWE run a few years back. Viscera’s manboobs made Abdullah the Butcher look like Stacy Keibler in comparison, and obviously Viscera’s ECW push was completely reliant on his freakish frame, as WWE made him lose the upper body apparel and go topless to make him relevant as Big Daddy V. Indeed, professional wrestling is not a business for people with hang-ups and inhibitions. Pro wrestling is a larger than life spectacle of high athletics and the art of physicality that is made extravagant by the magnifying glass that it is viewed through.

Those looking to enter the world of professional wrestling also need to ask themselves whether they have the time and resources to invest into the schooling schedule. We have had several hopefuls in Finland alone apply for schooling to become a wrestler, only to have them skip classes for whatever reason and show up randomly expecting to pick up where they last left off. Of course, this is just plain stupidity and should be penalized. Not a single sport out there allows for such behavior, and unless the wrestling hopeful has the required resources of time and capital to attend classes regularly for the duration of the schooling period, they should seriously reconsider their dream. I have personally shown the door to students in the past who have not been able to apply themselves regularly to the set schooling schedule. There is no room for lukewarm sluggishness, nor is there toleration for laziness. The playing field and rules thereof are the same for everyone, regardless of gender, age or physical make-up. Either do it full-out, or don’t do it at all I say.

There is also a very false notion out there that professional wrestling is somehow ”fake” and that real pain is not involved. This fallacy is quickly shed by anyone and everyone that enters professional wrestling training, as our game is indeed one of pain. Not just pain, but pain tolerance. I myself have endured eight concussions to date in my professional in-ring career dating back to 1994. I have been knocked silly in certain matches, and I have fought through to the end, regardless of my physical condition. I have entered matches with torn ligaments, hurting from head to toe, cramped up muscles that resound with numbing shock after each bump, and I still have endured and passed with flying colors. Why? Because I have wanted it enough and because I prize the title of being a ”professional” wrestler.

My former coach Lance Storm runs the top wrestling school in Canada today, The Storm Wrestling Academy. Lance told me of a hopeful that entered his school back in 2006 who believed that wrestling was fake. After less than a week, this certain somebody quit because it wasn’t fake enough for him, as Lance so aptly pointed out.

So really, before anyone out there scampers to take part in a wrestling try-out, consider the message and points that I have laid out here. Failure to do so will translate into heartache, headache and disillusionment.

Those who feel that they have what it takes to try out for pro wrestling in Finland and want to get trained properly by a school with a proven track record, send an open application about yourself along with 2 current photos showcasing your physical condition to gm (at) fightclubfinland (dot) com.

Today marks a milestone moment for Finland’s FCF Wrestling promotion, as pro wrestling will be seen for the first time ever live in the city of Kotka tonight at Karhuvuoren Urheilutalo with a bell time of 18:00.

Over this past year, FCF has broken new territory with ventures into markets like Kuopio in Central Finland, plus returns to cities such as Tampere and Järvenpää after lengthy absences.

Tonight, I will be teaming with former rival Valentine – with whom I have traded back and forth the FCF Championship several times between 2007-2009 – against Russian brute Vladimir Petrov and Finland’s notorious bad boy Johnny McMetal.  With six matches on the card topped off by a triple threat match for the FCF Championship tonight, Kotka is in store for a night to remember.

The entire card for Kotkan Kuritus tonight reads:

Main Event for the FCF Championship: Heimo Ukonselkä (C) vs. Stark Adder vs. Ibo Ten

Vladimir Petrov & Johnny McMetal vs. Valentine & StarBuck

Mikko Maestro vs. El Excentrico

Intergender match: Oselotti vs. Aurora

Jani Järvinen vs. Kristian Kurki

Kagemanguro & Jessica Love vs. Hector Le Chef & Dr. No

More infos: Showpaini.com

This past weekend on May 14 in Wismar, Germany, I defeated long-time nemesis Michael Kovac of Austria in an old school rounds-style European match format for the vacant TopCatch European Wrestling Championship.  TopCatch is operated under VDB, which is arguably the oldest governing body in European professional wrestling.  This new championship honor also makes Yours Truly arguably the most prestigious titleholder in Europe today, if you look at the history of VDB, dating back to 1912.

I have often been quoted as saying that Brian Dixon of All-Star Wrestling in the UK stands as the oldest active promoter in Europe (seconded only by Flesh Gordon’s Wrestling Stars of France, which has been around since about 1977 or so), and as far as consistency goes that honor is due to him.  Regardless, VDB is older simply by legacy and history and although they run somewhat infrequently, VDB’s title gold should be recognized in that light as the top honor on the continent.

A big thanks goes out to my opponent Michael Kovac for an excellent match and a very tough fight, which was contested in 3 minute rounds with a 1 minute interval in between.  The match itself went 6 full rounds and in the 7th I countered Kovac’s finisher attempt into a leverage backslide to pin his shoulders to the mat for the 1-2-3.

There was some discrepancy over whether Kovac kicked out just at the 3-count, which admittedly was hazy even to me, but the referee counted Kovac down and thus awarded the match to me.  I promised Kovac his due rematch, to be held in Austria later this year, so he will get the chance to get his comeuppance then if he can.

This coming Saturday, May 14 I will be wrestling in Wismar, Germany.  My opponent will be Austrian ring veteran Michael Kovac, who is a former GSW and FCF Champion to name only a couple of the many titles that this man has held.  I have faced Kovac a few times previously, and each time our encounters have been nothing short of ring classics.  The difference is that this time, the TopCatch European Championship will be riding on the line, as the belt is up for grabs between me and Kovac this weekend.

MY FIRST OUTING WITH KOVAC FROM FEB. 2007

I am a former 2 time European Champion for Eurostars, operated by the second oldest promotion in Europe, that being Flesh Gordon’s Wrestling Stars of France.  When I won my first Eurostars European Championship from Belgium’s Bernard Vandamme in Vantaa, Finland on Dec. 2, 2006, one of my title defenses was against Kovac on Feb. 10, 2007 in Helsinki, Finland.   I walked away from the match just barley surviving and victorious after dropping the Austrian with my famous spike piledriver after almost a half hour of combat.

MY LATEST MATCH AGAINST KOVAC FROM JAPAN, JAN. 2011

Kovac and I last butted horns in Japan this past January, when I fought him at SMASH.12 in Tokyo.  We literally beat the living hell out of one another and on this occasion, Kovac managed to use some mighty stealthy tactics to pin me.  We were both battered and bruised after SMASH.12, but notwithstanding we gave everything we had in that match and it was one that we both could be proud of.

Now on Saturday, May 14 in Wismar, Germany, it’s once again Kovac and myself – two of the top wrestlers on the continent of Europe today – battling it out for European Championship gold once again.  I believe we both can say that it’s anyone’s ballgame.  I just hope to be batting one hundred.

I just arrived back home after a week on the road in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo for a series of SMASH wrestling events.  I must say that the tour was arduous since it was smack dab in the middle of a national holiday week, and that meant traffic was backed up to Timbuktu.

In Osaka on April 30, I waged a one-night war against man-monster Leatherface, beating my sadistic opponent in 11:46 with my famous spike piledriver.  The next night in Nagoya on May 1, I tagged with FCF teammate Hajime Ohara to down TAJIRI and Ultimo Dragon when I pinned TAJIRI with the piledriver once again in 13:27.  At Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on May 3, I faced a very determined and red-hot youngster by the name of Shinya Ishikawa of Big Japan Wrestling, but my veteran experience and lethal piledriver were too much for young Ishikawa to overcome, and the pinfall came in 8:49 of a highly-spirited bout where Ishikawa showed great fighting spirit.  Photos of SMASH.17 and my match against Ishikawa can be seen here.

Next up is the SMASH Championship Tournament, starting in June with first round matches.   It will be interesting to see who I get positioned against in my first round bout…

Tomorrow I leave for the promised land of professional wrestling again to wrestle in Osaka April 30, Nagoya May 1 and Tokyo May 3.

Every night offers up a very different kind of challenge, as each opponent differs from the last considerably.  This jaunt should really push my limits and creativity as a professional wrestler, and I highly anticipate stepping into the ring with the following names.

LEATHERFACE: Leatherface is a horror gimmick wrestler based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies that has become legendary in the Land of the Rising Sun.  This man is the embodiment of chaos, and I am sure that I will be very literally fighting for my life inside of that ring on April 30 in Osaka at SMASH.16 as I struggle to formulate a plan of attack that is going to work with this monster.  I predict all wrestling finesse and science will be thrown out the window and I will have to resort to relentless brawling, should I hope to survive or possibly even win this match.

ULTIMO DRAGON and TAJIRI:  I first met Dragon in Winnipeg, Canada on a tour we both were on in November 1995.  Back then I was into my second year as a pro, and Dragon was in town for a three match series against my old friend Chris Jericho for Tony Condello’s IWA promotion.  I used to drive Dragon to the gym for daily workouts while on tour, but now the roles have changed and it will be the Lord and Master of FCF vs. the Japanese Lucha legend in a tag team bout in Nagoya on May 1, with my partner being FCF teammate Hajime Ohara and Dragon’s partner being Tajiri.  Dragon and Tajiri are both former WWE standouts, and in addition Dragon has even held 10 different championships simultaneously at one time.  I will be studying and scouting Dragon’s matches on my travel PSP so that once Nagoya rolls around, I will know exactly what to expect in this tag team showdown.

SHINYA ISHIKAWA: Big Japan Pro Wresting rookie standout Shinya Ishikawa is rising fast and turning heads everywhere in Japan currently.  He has also caught the eye of SMASH mainman Tajiri, who believes that the young man has what it takes to step into the ring and hang in there with an established veteran like myself.  Ishikawa has one of the deadliest dropkicks in the business that I have seen, aptly entitled the Dropkick from Hell, and I will have to watch out for that move throughout the match.  I do however feel entirely confident that I will beat Ishikawa soundly and convincingly, piledriving him through the mat at SMASH.17 on May 3 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall.

More infos: www.smashxsmash.jp