I’m very excited about wrestling in Holland in two weeks time, which marks my 19th country in the grappling game. More importantly, it marks my comeuppance against reigning Eurostars European wrestling champion and WNC champion, Bernard Vandamme of Belgium.
It was just this past March 8 in Helsinki, Finland, that I unceremoniously lost Japan’s WNC (Wrestling New Classic) title to Vandamme in just under two-minutes, in what can be argued to be a huge upset. It made international headlines and it most definitely shocked every fan on hand at FCF Wrestling’s Talvisota VIII event that night. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, and for a moment, I thought I’d be getting my rematch for the WNC strap when I first heard about Dutch Pro Wrestling booking Vandamme as my opponent for June 1 on their biggest show of the year in Poeldijk, Holland.
However, being that I am a former two-time Eurostars European champion myself, defeating and losing that championship to Vandamme in 2006-2007 and 2009, the Eurostars wrestling office decided it was time for StarBuck to get another shot at continental supremacy in Poeldijk at DPW’s Grandslam 2014 mega-event. This decision overrode Japan’s WNC organization’s rematch clause, and so, the June 1 match will be for the Eurostars title only, regardless of the fact that Vandamme is a double-champion at the moment.
December 2, 2006 – the night I first defeated Vandamme for the Eurostars title in Vantaa, Finland
Personally speaking, I am highly looking forward to this showdown. Vandamme and I have a long and storied history, going back to 2006, when we first locked horns. We have had a tenacious feud, one that has spanned from west to east, from Europe to Asia, and like the proverbial thorn in my side, Vandamme is still prevalent as an adversary in my career eight years later.
I will be more than ready to strip Vandamme of his Eurostars European title on June 1, just as he stripped me of the WNC gold a few months back. I will walk into Grandslam 2014 and let loose the full measure of my personal vindication and wrath on the person of Bernard Vandamme, and I will walk out of Poeldijk as the new Eurostars champion.
How’s that for “an eye for an eye”, Bernard? Deal with it!
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s life. But then, sometimes you lose again. And again. And then you start taking stock of what exactly the problem is, because if you don’t stop the downward spiral, you will end up hitting the proverbial wall.
This past weekend at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2014 event in Helsinki, I teamed with Sly Sebastian and Kristian Kurki to face the trio of FCF champion Heimo Ukonselkä, Stark Adder and Ricky Vendetta. Sly and Kurki had upset Adder and Vendetta a month back, translating into the biggest win so far for Sly Sebastian in particular, as he managed to eek out a pin over mat veteran Stark Adder in that tag match. Now, Adder and Vendetta had upped the ante and challenged Kurki and Sly to another match. Only this time, it would be a six-man rumble at Jatkosota.
Catching Ricky Vendetta in the Gory Special (photo by Marko Simonen)
I ended up eating the pin in that match from this past weekend, after Ricky Vendetta managed to hit me with his finisher, but only following an assist from the outside ring apron from Ukonselkä, who blasted me behind the ear with a forearm smash as I hit the ropes.
Heimo Ukonselkä flails away at me (photo by Marko Simonen)
After losing both the WNC title to Belgium’s Bernard Vandamme and the BWA title to Valentine last month, I really hit the wall. Now, I took another loss, which I have to admit, stings. I really cannot afford to get sucked into the negative downward spiral, and courtesy of Ukonselkä’s timely assist, Ricky Vendetta scored the biggest win of his young career a couple of nights ago. That is a wrong that I am going to be forced to rectify. Were it a straight-up contest, I could say the better man won. Now, all I can say is, the numbers game caught up with me. No excuses, only the facts.
Intense action! (photo by Marko Simonen)
Ricky Vendetta tried making his mark against me once already, back at the end of 2012. He failed in spades, and now, I guess he has found a reason to finally gloat at my expense. It must feel pretty sweet for him.
Sly Sebastian and Kristian Kurki help me to my feet after the bout (photo by Marko Simonen)
Savor the taste, son. It won’t last long, because I am going to kick it out of your mouth, that you can count on.
This past weekend in Hannover, Germany, I was part of a six-man tag team match-up that served as a good warm-up for the six-man slobberknocker that will take place on April 12 in Helsinki at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2014.
In Hannover, I teamed with Ecki Eckstein and Stampede Simon to face the trio of American bad boy Sam Elias, Val Verde and Johnny Rancid. I was particularly impressed with Sam Elias, who reminded me more than a bit of early Steve Austin, circa. 1991-1193 in WCW. Elias caught me out with a wicked knee to the gut, after which his team laid the heat on heavy. I stayed alive, with the “Eye of the Tiger” blazing in my spirit, and rallied back to tag in Eckstein, who capitalized on the situation and scored the win for our team, pinning Rancid with a powerbomb.
On April 12 in Helsinki, however, the stakes are even higher, after the upset win that Sly Sebastian scored over Finnish wrestling veteran Stark Adder at Talvistoa VIII this past March 8 in the tag team encounter between Sly and partner Kristian Kurki against Adder and Ricky Vendetta. I forecast already in my FCF Year in Review 2013 blog, that Sly Sebastian was really starting to take off, after honing his skills patiently as a wrestler over the past three years. Sly finally pulled off his biggest career win at Talvisota VIII, even if it was in tag team action, and now Stark Adder is raving mad about the upset. Adder wants to trample out the flickers in Sly’s eyes before blaze gets out of control, and so Adder and Vendetta have recruited new FCF champion, “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä, to be their partner on April 12 and challenge Sly and Kurki to a six-man rumble. That’s where I decided to take up the slack and offer myself as Sly’s and Kurki’s partner for FCF’s Jatkosota event.
Both Sly and Kurki helped Yours Truly this past January, when with Mikko Maestro as our fourth member, we overcame the team of Swedish snobs, Bättre Folk. Therefore, now it’s my turn to help them, as they answered the call at my behest last time.
As an additional note: this spring season, both Ricky Vendetta and I were asked to be a part of “Duudsonit tuli taloon” (The Extreme Dudesons, Finland’s version of Jackass) TV-series, which will be airing on MTV in Finland. Check program listings here: http://www.mtv.fi/duudsonit/
Ricky Vendetta and I will be featured on the Dudesons TV show this spring.
This past weekend, I wrestled in Brugges, Belgium for Eurostars. We had a huge audience of nearly 800 screaming fans on hand, main evented by Bernard Vandamme (whom I lost the WNC title to just over a week ago in Helsinki) vs. Eurostars European champion, Cybernic Machine, in a “loser-must-retire” match. The feud between Vandamme and Cybernic has been going on for three years already, stemming back to when Cybernic captured the European title from Vandamme, and now this past weekend, it reached its climax. Cybernic machine was ushered into retirement, and Vandamme became a double-champion, holding both the WNC and European titles now. This win makes Vandamme a 5-time Eurostars European champion (two of those wins have been over Yours Truly, in 2007 and 2009).
Bernard Vandamme, the new European wrestling champion (photo: City Brugges)
In the semi-main event of the card, I faced a promising young 18-year-old talent from Andorra, named Tyson Heel. The kid honestly looked in great shape and had the muscular structure of a 25-year-old serious trainer, but my veteran savvy and experience just overpowered him. I fell the young man with a superkick for the pin, after he missed a top rope flipping senton. Heel hung in there, though. I have to give it to him, he was ambitious, but it was too little, too late for him.
Tyson Heel put up a game fight against Yours Truly (photo: City Brugges)
This coming weekend, I gear up to wrestle in Hannover, Germany for EPW at Hanger No. 5, so get ready Deutschland!
I just came home last night from a tremendous few days in Tokyo, where this past Thursday night, February 27, I defeated my long-time nemesis “The Japanese Buzzsaw” Yoshihiro Tajiri for the WNC (Wrestling New Classic) championship title.
Our match was grueling and hard, as Tajiri laid his kicks into me so hard that I thought I was a soccer ball. He went after my arm, the psychology of which I only understood later on in the match when I attempted to first hoist Tajiri for my trademark finisher, the spike piledriver. He was able to escape by capturing my weakened arm on the lift portion of the move, trapping me in a unique submission attempt. I made a rope escape, and moments later, as Tajiri charged me, I caught him out with a hotshot, landing his throat on the top rope, after which I immediately captialized with a successful spike piledriver for the pinfall and victory.
Tajiri kicks awat at me (photo by Yuichi Kojima)
This win puts good ol’ StarBuck into the wrestling history books, as the fourth WNC champion in history, behind Akira Nogami, Osamu Nishimura and Tajiri. On a personal note, this victory was incredibly sweet for me, as I returned to Japan after a nine-month absence, during which I had to rehabilitate my herniated neck. In my first match back to Japan since May 2013, the fans at Shinjuku Face arena in Tokyo exploded in support of Yours Truly, rallying behind with much support as I claimed the WNC title.
The piledriver spells title victory! (photo by Yuichi Kojima)
Tajiri and I have had our wars, and I highly respect him as one of my greatest opponents ever. In 2010, we traded the FCF championship back and forth a couple of times. In 2011, I defeated Tajiri in the finals of the SMASH title tournament to become the first SMASH champion. Now, in 2014, I was able to go over Tajiri to claim the WNC championship.
With my friends Mayumi and Dr. Terasaki at Antonio Inoki’s famous Saka Bar
It should also be noted, that at the end of the night, after I had won the title, my Synapse teammates entered the ring and Akira Nogami took the mic, announcing that our group is disbanding and going our separate ways. I would like to thank Akira, Syuri Kondou, Yusuke Kodama and Horizon (the latest member of Synapse) for the times that we had as a unit. I never fought alongside Kodama or Horizon, as they joined the team after my last tour of Japan in May 2013, prior to my return now this past week, but with Akira and Syuri I team on numerous occasions. We were a dominant in 2012-2013, but all good things must come to an end, and so it is with the tale of Synapse. No bad blood, no remorse, no regrets. A friendly parting, with mutual respect displayed by all.
Now, this coming Saturday at Winter War VIII in Helsinki, Finland, the WNC organization has demanded that I defend my newly-won crown against the challenge of former European wrestling champion, Bernard Vandamme!
I already have a gruelling Stretcher Match against Valentine for the BWA title, and with my wife’s valet career riding on the line, so this new development means double duty for me on the night of March 8 in Helsinki!
I will have to be training like an animal all this week to get ready for the double-edged sword that awaits me. You can be sure that Vandamme remembers 2006, when I tood the Eurostars European championship from him at the first first Talvisota event in Vantaa, Finland, and this means Vandamme would be hungrier than ever to redeem himself against me now with the WNC title riding on the line.
I am not turning away any challengers, however, regardless of the circumstances. Bernard Vandamme can bring it on, because this old war horse is waiting for him. The Alpha Male, try to take his piece of meat away from him.
Looking back on my extensive wrestling career, I can say I’ve had a lot of great opponents. Some of those opponents have offered me feuds to remember for a lifetime, matches that I will one day tell my grandchildren about.
Many notable foes come to mind over the years, whom I have had the pleasure of doing battle with: former ECW world champion Steve Corino, ex-GSW champ Michael Kovac, EWA world champion Chris Raaber, my former FCF teammate Hajime Ohara, multi-time Eurostars European champion Bernard Vandamme, former FCF champion Stark Adder, just to name a few. Yet, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most notorious feud of my wrestling career has been with one “Japanese Buzzsaw” Yoshihiro Tajiri.
Tajiri is, without question, the most persistent adversary I have ever fought. We have duked it out over the FCF championship – putting that title on the map globally as one of the top trophies in our industry today – on a couple of memorable occasions; we have fought over the SMASH championship, which I won in a tournament final in Tokyo, defeating Tajiri in 2011; and now, on February 27 in Tokyo once again, I will face Tajiri for the WNC championship, should he retain his title after a defense against Hiro Tonai on February 23, just days before our showdown.
There’s something to be said for Tajiri as a trailblazer and main mover in the wrestling industry. The man is undoubtedly the most prominent Japanese star in WWE history, being well-featured for nearly six-years and Smackdown and Raw broadcasts, having held the WWE US, WWE Cruiserweight and WWE tag team championships. Tajiri’s trademark kicks have become the stuff of legend, and his famous Buzzsaw Kick has given me more headaches than I care to remember. The man has a brilliant mind, and is one of the smartest people that I have come across in our industry. I have a lot of respect for Yoshihiro Tajiri, and I believe the feeling is mutual.
Now, on February 27 at Shinjuku Face arena in Tokyo, once again, it will be another chapter in the ongoing war between Tajiri and myself. I still clearly remember a couple of concussions that this man gave to me in the heat of battle, in 2010 and 2013. Tajiri kicked one of my front teeth out of my mouth in 2012, which is something that is hard to forget. We have beat each other from pillar to post, from Europe to Asia, and we are still at it, four years after it all began at FCF Wresting’s Talvisota IV event back on February 20, 2010 in Helsinki.
The night that it all began in Helsinki, Talvisota VI (photo by Kari Helenius)
I personally highly look forward to this next encounter with “The Japanese Buzzaw”. I sincerely hope he retains his WNC title against Hiro Tonai on February 23, because I need to pay Tajiri back for some of the damage that he did to me previously, as aforementioned.
This coming weekend in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, one of the most important matches in Scandinavian wrestling today will be waged between four men. The Swedish contingent of their most popular wrestler, Conny Mejsel, and his hulking partner, the young but very talented Harley Rage (what a name!), will take on Finland’s veteran duo of myself and the lightning-fast 125kg King Kong Karhula.
Now, let’s make no mistake about it: I am no friend of Karhula, nor do I want to mislead anyone into believing so. Yet, for the sake of making a heartfelt statement on Swedish soil this coming Saturday night, February 1, I wanted to bring the former FCF champion, because I can vouche for this man’s talent. I don’t have to like Karhula to do business with him, and serious business it will be in Gothenburg in just a matter of days, when he and I lay waste to the hometown favorite and his big buddy.
Conny Mesjel is someone that I have an outstanding issue with, since he first challenged me for my BWA Catchweight title back in June of last year in Helsinki. I’ve heard that he’s wanted to take me on specifically due to the fact that I am considered to be the ”Lord of Northern European Wrestling”, as they say in Japan.
I can accept that. As a matter of fact, I find that flattering to a large degree. That said, I will not refrain from beating a mudhole into Conny Mejsel and anyone else that he decides to bring with him to the dance, because he is literally asking for it!
Laying out Mesjel with a chair shot in Gothenburg, September 2013
Conny Mejsel wants to be an old school tribute, but he should realize that I am the real thing.
Conny Mejsel is going back to school this coming Saturday in Gothenburg, and his younger friend Harley Rage is going to serve hard time alongside him. Mark my words.
When I was young, just like any boy, I had my heroes. These were male role models that I looked up to, icons of strength and heroism. Actually, I think that those two attributes and characteristics resound in any young boy’s psyche, regardless of the convoluted and gender-confused age that we live in modern days.
My first heroes were The Incredible Hulk (both the Lou Ferrigno TV version and the Marvel comics version), Godzilla and Conan The Barbarian (both the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie version and the Marvel comics version). Very soon thereafter, however, I discovered pro wrestling’s Hulk Hogan. Let me tell you, as a kid, nothing was more real and more potent as a tangible idol than Hulk Hogan. I recall watching mesmerized in front of our old, snowy television set in Thunder Bay, Ontario, watching Hulk Hogan battle the likes of Nikolai Volkoff and King Kong Bundy on late night Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcasts on the NBC station. I was sold for life, marking the beginnings of my foray into the wonderous world of professional wrestling, a journey along which I found many more icons and tangible heroes. Whether it was a Canadian wrestling star like Dan Kroffat or Steve Strong out of Montreal’s International Wrestling scene, or American stars like Ric Flair, The Road Warriors or Bam Bam Bigelow, I had discovered real life heroes that resonated with me at my very core.
I recall drawing detailed, color portraits of guys like Bigelow and Flair, and at specific wrestling events, I would boldly walk up to the promoter or agents prior to the event and tell them that I would like to present my artwork in person to the star. NWA promoter Gary Juster allowed me behind the curtain in Boston, Mass. to meet Bigelow, whereas arena security in Calgary at the Saddledome allowed me the chance to meet Flair. As a kid, those were milestone moments, where I got to even fleetingly meet my heroes for real. I have no idea if those stars ever retained or treasured the artwork that I drew of them, but as you all can see from the Artwork link here at my website, I am a very proficient graphic artist with an extensive resume nowadays. I was pretty damn good back then, too, even if I say so myself.
Tom Zenk (left) and Dan Kroffat (right) mug for the TV cameras with Milt Avruskin interviewing
As I became a professional wrestler myself, actively starting my in-ring career in 1994, I purposed myself to become more than just a plagarized copy of my heroes: no, indeed, I would become an original. Once I found my groove in terms of my wrestling style and persona, the doors opened up for me. I became one of the most popular wrestlers in all of Italy over 2005, so much so that the promoter even noted it in front of the entire locker room. I became one of the most loved foreign bad guys to ever frequent Norway from 2003 onwards. Girls would bring “StarBuck is a starf*ck!” signs to the shows, which, of course, I plead innocence to! I would become one of the most popular foreign stars in all of the country of Japan in 2011, a buzz that lives on even to this day. In Finland, I have become an icon of the country’s pop culture fabric, due to my contribution above all in professional wrestling, and secondly as a rock vocalist, fronting my various bands over the years.
Streamers thrown into the ring are a sign of popularity in Japan
I recall strapping young lads, like a teenage Mikko Maestro, who now wrestles for FCF in Finland, run into me while jogging seaside, telling he’s a big fan. I recall wrestling in Tallinn, Estonia in 2007 and making such an impact on one young fan, that he turned away from partying, drugs and alcohol, choosing to follow my example. I recall signing loads of autographs for sick children at a special charity wrestling match at the American Car Show in Helsinki in 2009, with broad smiles on those children’s faces. I recall my numerous trips to Japan, where fans have eagerly treated me to the finest restaurant meals, presented me with spectacular gifts and cheered me on in the ring unlike any other audience prior or since. In short, I reached my goal and fulfilled my aspiration of becoming not just an original, but a hero to others myself. For this, I am extremely proud … in a good way.
When my wife last visited her homeland of Romania and gave one of my signed photos to an 11-year-old kid there, I was told that he looks forward to the day that he can take a picture with me and mug together for the camera. All he has is YouTube and the Internet to follow my wrestling exploits, but for him, that is suffice. To know that I have made an indelible impact on a complete stranger like that, who doesn’t even have the opportunity to see live wrestling events, speaks volumes.
Looking back on my career and lifetime contribution, I know that I have done something right, knowing somewhere out there, I am somebody’s hero.
This weekend on Saturday night, January 11, in Helsinki, it’s Finland vs. Sweden in another chapter of an age-old rivarly between these nations.
Hot on the heels of Finland’s Junior Ice Hockey team winning the World Championships against Sweden a few scant days ago, the feelings on both sides of the fence are hot and heavy. Only this time, the battle will be waged in a professional wrestling ring, and not an ice hockey arena.
It seems fitting, that to start off the New Year, the Bättre Folk contingent in FCF Wrestling has set out to claim this year as their own. After my Eurosport co-commentator Robert Holmström issued the challenge for me to round up three partners for myself, right on a live WWE Vintage wrestling broadcast in late December 2013, I knew there was no backing down. Holmström, Valentine, Conny Mejsel and Steinbolt all want to write a new chapter in the annals of Northern European wrestling, by establishing their group as the alpha males to begin the second decade of Finnish professional wrestling. But me, I just can’t have that.
Whether people love me or hate me, the one thing that nobody can take away is the fact that I am the pioneer and founding father of professional wrestling in the country of Finland. This is my heritage, my imprint for all times, for the history books. I’ll be damned if I let some arrogant pack of Swedish prissies and pricks take over here in Finland, as long as I live here and call FCF Wrestling my homebase!
So I thought quick and snappy, right on the air at Eurosport, of who I could ask to be my partners at FCF’s Saturday Wrestling Slam 2 this coming Saturday night. In reality, my choices were self-explanatory.
I thought of all of the wrestlers that Bättre Folk has sabotaged since their inception during the summer of last year. Valentine, Steinbolt and Holmström all assaulted FCF General Manager Kristian Kurki in September. What they didn’t realize is, that Valentine’s backstabber backbreaker to Kurki in that very attack actually set his injured spine back into place, making him able to compete again. Now that is bad news for Bättre Folk!
It was Holmström, Valentine and team valet Barbie that struck out against both Sly Sebastian and I in our singles match back in October. I think Sly has some bones to pick, as that match was to be his testing ground to see whether he could procure a BWA title shot against me. The no-contest ruling following Bättre Folk’s attack in that bout certainly didn’t do Sly’s aspirations any favors. Oh, and I certainly haven’t forgotten about Barbie striking my wife in the melee, either…
Then I thought of my young and ambitious protege, Mikko Maestro, whom Valentine gave a serious concussion to in September during a match between the two. Maestro’s father even emailed me and asked that I beat the living daylights out of Valentine for causing that harm to his son. So really, there you have it: my team, all of whom gladly accepted the invitation to lay the thrashing of a lifetime on Bättre Folk this coming January 11 in Helsinki at Nightclub Tähti.
The bemusing fact is that Robert Holmström, in all of his Machiavellian grandeur and high imagination, feels that he is fit to climb into the ring as an active competitor with his team on January 11. I personally find that both absurd and hilarious! Robert might be a former referee, dating back many years, but he was never schooled to be a wrestler. Refereeing and wrestling are worlds apart, like comparing tomatoes to beef jerky. I really believe that Robert Holmström’s participation in this coming four-on-four Survivor Series-style elimination tag team match at FCF’s Saturday Wrestling Slam 2 will be his team’s downfall.
The bottom line is, this coming Saturday night in Helsinki, this Swedish quartet known as Bättre Folk is in for a world of trouble. They are the catalysts of the woe that they have themselves caused, and now they will all pay the piper … one by one … down they fall … and their fall will be great.
Today as I opened my Facebook, I was greeted by my old pro wrestling coach Lance Storm, who reminded me that today – January 7 – marks the 20-year anniversary of my very first wrestling match, which was coincidentally against Lance himself. The bout was held at the Victoria Park Civic Center, next to the legendary Calgary Saddledome, on the premises of which Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling used to run, at the old Corral.
The story behind my debut against Lance Storm is a peculiar one. Over the course of 1993, Lance and I were training partners at The Gym in Calgary, where we would train together three times a week. During our weightlifting sessions, Lance one day told me: “I see the passion that you have for pro wrestling. If you want, I will train you.”
Did I take to his offer like a fish to water? You bet I did!
Lance had a guy coming in from Australia for wrestling training, and he needed a sparring partner for the guy. Never did Lance even once ask me to pay him a single penny for coaching me back then. He did it out of friendship, to help out a poor 20-year-old kid, who had a big dream. For that, I am forever grateful to him.
My first official promo pic from 1994 (photo by Sam Leppänen)
The promoter of Rocky Mountain Pro Wrestling, for whom I worked as a ring announcer at the time, and for whom Lance wrestled, did not like me at all. His name was Ed Langley, and for anyone who would like to get an understanding of who is in question, I warmly recommend that you read my old buddy Chris Jericho’s stellar life story, A Lion’s Tale. To make a long story short, Ed Langley hated my guts for whatever reason. He tried to blackball me already back when Beef Wellington was running the show by dispelling bullshit stories that I was trash-talking the RMPW operation to Smith Hart, older brother of former WWF/WCW champion, Bret “Hitman” Hart. Ed Langley ousted me for a few months from RMPW when he took over as promoter in 1993, but once my other old wrestling coach Karl Moffat (Jason the Terrible in Stampede Wrestling and for Carlos Colon’s WWC in Puerto Rico) took over as booker, I was brought back into the fold.
I told Lance of Ed Langley’s disdain for my person, concerned that Ed would not allow me to train at the Hart Bros. Wrestling School, which Ed more or less headed up, and for which Lance was a trainer. Even though the Aussie guy was slated to come in, Lance told me: “If Ed doesn’t want you, then I won’t do it.”
There’s a lot of water under the bridge, but that’s something I won’t ever forget. I remember where I came from, I recall my roots. I’ve never gotten a big head over the success that I have enjoyed in professional wrestling, because if it wasn’t for Lance, who even vouched to be my first opponent and set me off properly onto my trek into the wrestling world, maybe I wouldn’t be part of the game today. Lance gave me a competitive seven-minute match, letting me shine in the process, and in so doing, he was very unselfish. I should also mention, that Chris Jericho gave me and old pair of his wrestling boots and lent me a pair of his Sudden Impact (his tag team in Canada with Lance) tights to get me started as an active grappler for that match.
Me against Lance Storm in my very first match ever (photo by Rob Haynes)
So for the 20th anniversary of my wrestling debut, I would like to dedicate this memory to Lance Storm – a hell of guy and a great wrestling coach to boot!
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For anyone who would like to do a little follow-up reading to this blog about the early stages of my career, Slam! Wrestling’s website out of Canada has an extensive article on me, which can be accessed HERE – it’s worth the read!
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