This past Friday night at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2012 event in Helsinki I challenged “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä for his FCF Championship title. Had I procured the finishing pinfall, which by all accounts SHOULD have gone down following my spike piledriver to Ukonselkä, I would now be a five-time FCF Champion. The fact that I am not the new champ right now boils down to FCF General Manager Robert Holmström, my Eurosport co-commentator, who really should have known better than messing with my match, and to Robert’s “surprise”, King Kong Karhula.
Heimo and I fought a rough-and-tumble, knock-down, drag-out bout, which really deserved a clear-cut winner. Alas, Robert Holmström, with his Machiavellian imagination, spoiled the fun for everybody. Right after my well-timed piledriver, the lights of the Old Student House venue went out and everyone was left in the dark. Then, out of the corner of the room, from a side entrance, out comes the former Ibo Ten, who is now apparently calling himself King Kong Karhula, if the page that he opened on Facebook yesterday is any indication. Karhula proceeded to destroy both Heimo and I, leaving us with bruised ribs after it was all said and done.
I have to hand it to Ukonselkä though. He is often viewed as a very one-dimensional wrestler, being the burly brawler type. My plan of attack was to actually wrestle the man down to the mat and control him there, but Heimo showed surprising counter-wrestling aptitude and managed to stem the tide. It ended up being pretty much back and forth all the way through, with neither of us getting a clear upper hand throughout the match.
With the non-finish and sabotage of our title match, Robert Holmström upheld the FCF Championship, aided in part by the fact that he provoked Heimo into blasting him with a forearm with his egocentric verbal assault following Karhula’s attack on Ukonselkä and myself. Holmström is obviously over-stepping his authority and misusing his power, and I am sure that he has something up his sleeve that nobody can anticipate.
Nonetheless, props to Heimo Ukonselkä for a war well fought, and Robert … I’ll see you at Eurosport next on May 14, and then you will have some explaining to do!
I blogged a couple weeks back about the amazing experience I had wrestling in front of the Swedish fans in Malmö, Sweden at SWS Wrestling‘s Wrestlingpalatset show. Well, here is a video piece with clips of that match, plus an interview with Yours Truly (in English)…
Also a brief reminder, that this Friday night, April 20 in Helsinki, Finland, I will be challenging “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä for the prestigious FCF Championship at Jatkosota 2012. There is a slight possibility that a few tickets might be available at the door on the night of the event (start time 20:00), if you have not scored your tickets in advance through http://www.wrestling.fi as of yet.
You DO NOT want to miss this one!
See you at the matches and for more wrestling news go here!
I have to say, every Monday night I am blessed to have the best job that could ever have dreamed of. I work as a wrestling commentator for the television channel Eurosport here in Finland, alongside Robert Holmström, for This Week in WWE and WWE’s blast-from-the-past program, Vintage Collection. I basically get paid for flapping my gums and breathing. Honestly, since it’s professional wrestling and I am a part of the business myself as an active wrestler globally, this job is not only a no-brainer for me, it is also the most laid-back, fun job I have EVER had in my near-39 years.
Our mugs say it all: FUN, FUN, FUN!!!
I was approached back in early February 2009 by the Finnish Eurosport office out of the blue to do commentary for their starting WWE broadcasts. They told me I was the only wrestler in Finland that they were aware of, since I had been in tons of Finnish medias across the board for many years by then, so I kind of landed the job by proxy. Eurosport believed in the tandem commentary duo dynamic, and asked if I knew of someone who could be a credible sidekick/co-commentator. I was able to vouche for Robert at that time, and he took up the offer with open arms. I dare say that Robert and I have since become the preeminent commentary team on Finnish TV for any – and I mean ANY – broadcast sent out on Finnish television today. Our viewer feedback alone supports that statement.
Hey, it's Robert Holmström's favorite WWE Diva, AJ!
So here’s to Eurosport Finland, the BEST workplace a Canadian Rebel could have outside of being in the ring myself! Not too many people can say that they look forward to going to work on Mondays, yet I can honestly say I do.
And believe me when I tell you, this blog text isn’t shameless ass-kissing, it’s the truth — as God Himself is my witness!
Attention: I have extended the application time for my wrestling course at Amin Asikainen’s Ringside Gym in Espoo, Finland. Although the course started today (April 14), you can still apply and join up over the next two weeks. Send me an email to: starbuck (AT) fightclubfinland (DOT) com, and take hold of this unique, grappling opportunity!
Hey folks, I just arrived back home from laying down amendments and additional background vocals for my hard rock band Overnight Sensation‘s upcoming Life’s a Bitch debut album, out later this year.
Guitarist Jan Tilles and I hopped the train to Jyväskylä on Wednesday evening, where we picked up my friend Christian Palin (Random Eyes, Beyond Belief, ex-Adagio), who served as background vocalist and the go-to guy for harmonies on our upcoming album.
Christian Palin belts out the melodies and supporting harmonies for us.
I finished all of my corrections and retakes yesterday, and Christian finished his backing vox today, leaving Jan to work on the piano arrangements for our ballad Nothing to Gain, along with solos for the rest of the songs on the album. Nora Niemispelto from the all-girl band Hormonés will also be adding her acoustic guitar playing expertise tomorrow to our track Highway of Lost Souls.
Jan Tilles lays the smack down in the studio.
It was great to see my old friend Samuel Hoisko drop by today at Drumforest Studios in Viitasaari, Finland, where we were recording with engineer Nikke Niemispelto. Samuel was the songwriter and guitarist from my very first real band here in Finland, power metal group Hallowed, back in 1999.
Samuel Hoisko from Hallowed back in the day dropped by to say hello.
So basically what we are looking at is 11 originals for the album, ready to be mixed after this weekend, for the Life’s a Bitch album.
Stay tuned for further updates as they develop!
Jan Tilles shows the list of corrections and additions for the final album recordings.
I just laid down vocals this afternoon in the studio for Mad Croc Racing‘s new theme, as written and recorded by my southern blues rock outfit, Crossfyre.
Yours Truly laying the vocal smack down at Studiioman Studios for Mad Croc Rock
With Crossfyre mainman Danny Cross’ Studioman Studios serving as the scene of the crime, “Mad Croc Rock” was given the breath of life (with apologies to God above), and I have to believe that this tune is going to be a hit.
Danny Cross at the engineering sound desk recording the Mad Croc theme
The main songwriter for the tune was Crossfyre’s second guitarist Jaakko Kinnari, who did a helluva job, constructing a catchy, classic rock-flavored main riff that carries the song from beginning to end.
Jaakko Kinnari lets a solo rip at the Finnish 2011 Tirmo Blues Festival
I wrote an upcoming article today for The Wrestling Press (which will be out at the end of this month) about what I believe to be pro wrestling’s sacred Valhalla in Europe: Malmö, Sweden.
I wrestled in Malmö just a week back for SWS Wrestling. My opponent was Gothenburg’s Bad Buddha, one of the top wrestlers in Sweden today. To describe the 500-strong sell-out audience as electric would be a vast understatement … they were magical in response. It didn’t matter what was on the menu, be it headlock takeovers or plain old bodyslams, the Malmö audience popped for everything. My finishing piledriver received such an ear-shattering response that you’d think everyone in the building won the lottery simultaneously.
Surreal would be a fitting description of the atmosphere at Malmo’s Wrestlingpalatset venue. During my match, I thought to myself, “If only every audience were this easy, our job would be a cakewalk!”. Yeah, if only.
The SWS crew down in Malmö knows that they are spoiled. Spoiled rotten is more like it.
It’s official: I will finally get my shot at FCF Champion “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä at Fight Club Finland’s Jatkosota 2012 event on Friday, April 20th in Helsinki.
To say that this match has been a long time coming would be arguably the understatement of the year. Ukonselkä has been a strong champion, thwarting all challenges to date, coming out on top like the king of the kill. However, on April 20th at the Old Student House, smack-dab in the heart of the nation’s capital of Helsinki, Heimo Ukonselkä is up against one of the top professional wrestlers on the continent of Europe today.
Get your tickets early, this event WILL sell out.
To quote the legendary Four Horsemen member Arn Anderson, “I hate to toot my own horn, but TOOT, TOOT!!”. Heimo Ukonselkä, along with everybody else knows, that StarBuck is not only a 4-time FCF Champion, I am also a 3-time European Champion, a 2-time Italian Champion, the first SMASH Champion in Japanese history, along with being a German tag team champion. I have faced the best of the best worldwide in 17 countries over 17 years in the game. From legends like Japan’s Genichiro Tenryu to multi-time European Champion Bernard Vandamme of Belgium to greats like former ECW World Champion Steve Corino, they have all fallen to Yours Truly inside of that squared circle. Heimo Ukonselkä, the “Wildman” and current FCF Champion, is next on that long, elusive list.
Heimo, start counting your remaining days as champion, because they are coming to an end on April 20th.
I will be coaching an exclusive pro wrestling beginners’ course at Amin Asikainen’s Ringside Gym in Espoo, Finland, starting on Saturday, April 14, 2012.
For any and all that are seriously interested in this opportunity to step up to the plate and show their wares, I welcome you to challenge yourself and enter a demanding course that covers areas such as body control, coordination, balance, fluidity, acrobatics and stamina.
This is your chance to learn from a former 3-time European champion/SMASH champion/4-time FCF champion/2-time Italian champion/German tag team champion, who has toured 17 countries in pro wrestling and been in the ring with the top competition worldwide.
I recommend this course to anyone who is athletically-inclined and can think “outside the box”. Mainly, the beginners’ course will cover mat-based techniques, chain wrestling, holds and counter-holds and various take-downs over a 10-week period. Regardless of whatever your current fighting art is, adding effective pro wrestling techniques and attributes to your repertoire can only help you to become a more complete fighter overall.
The entry fee is 150 Eur/person and for those who are seriously interested, make an open application and send it to me by Apirl 12th, complete with a current photograph of yourself, your height, weight, age and athletic background: starbuck (AT) fightclubfinland (DOT) com
This past Wednesday night – March 14, 2012 – a somber mood set over Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, as Japan’s SMASH organization held its final show, closing its doors forever.
The capacity crowd on hand at Korakuen Hall watches the main event of SMASH.FINAL
Many people are both asking and wondering what has led to the closing down of the promotion, considering SMASH rose in its two-year run to become one of the leading puroresu organizations in Japan. SMASH started from zero in March of 2010 and rose like a phoenix amongst both fans and media alike over the next couple of years. Their events in Japan drew great houses and showcased some of the finest pro wrestling to be seen anywhere. So what exactly is at the root of the demise of SMASH?
Starting the match off against Tajiri in classic wrestling fashion
Very simply, the answer lies in the divergent visions of SMASH president Mr. Sakai and SMASH creative director Tajiri for the company and its future. As Mr. Sakai owns the SMASH name and its respective title belts, this rift and separation proved to be a fatal blow to the company. Without the creative genius of Tajiri, SMASH would simply not exist. Tajiri was truly the soul and heartbeat of SMASH, and for Sakai to continue without him would have been foolhardy and a questionable risk. Thus, at SMASH.FINAL on March 14th when all was said and done after the main event, Mr. Sakai announced publicly that there will be no SMASH v.2 post-Tajiri. SMASH is now finished.
Tajiri clamps a chinlock on Yours Truly
The video below narrates (in English) the meat of the matter rather well.
I am greatly honored to have taken part in the SMASH.FINAL main event alongside FCF Wrestling teammate Hajime Ohara against the team of Tajiri and Akira Nogami. I think it would be safe to say that SMASH was built largely on the four of us and our contributions to the promotion, so having this tag team main event headline the final SMASH show in history is truly prolific.
Double-teaming Akira Nogami, I plant the elbow into the upper back as Ohara stays the course
I really couldn’t think of a better way to go out on a high note. Being in the ring with three of my best friends in this often cold, dog-eat-dog business on a night that enveloped so much emotion and weightiness meant a lot to me. We fought tooth and nail for 25:50 of a wrestling classic before Akira was able to nail Ohara with his Musasabi Press splash off the top rope to end the epic encounter.
Akira has me in the Old Boy submission as Ohara tries to make the save
The night prior to the SMASH.FINAL, I was able to be part of Akira’s birthday party at the world- famous Ribera Steak House. Although we knew that the next night we would be facing each other in the fight of our lives, only the sense of mutual respect, admiration and friendship was present at our table.
At Ribera Steak House, toasting Akira's birthday with Josh O'Brien and Tajiri
Knowing that I have fought so many times in the same ring against esteemed opponents the calibre of Akira and Tajiri only heightens and strengthens the comraderie between us. The quality of our matches has always been top-notch, and being able to bring out the best in each other, regardless of the outcome, is definitely a key element that spawns great friendships in our trade.
Akira eats a nasty spike piledriver from Yours Truly
I can only hope that Tajiri starts up a new wrestling company in Japan following the demise of SMASH, as the man is one of the smartest minds in our business, and if anyone can do it, Tajiri most definitely can. Tajiri definitely knows what classic wrestling should be all about, and I will most certainly support him in whatever his future endeavors are.
Akira pins Ohara following a huge Musasabi Press in 25:50 of a wrestling classic
After the main event was said and done at SMASH.FINAL, SMASH Diva Champion Syuri also vacated her title, as the wrestlers came to the ring to bow out and say goodbye to all of their supporters and fans over the past two years.
A real sweetheart of a girl, Syuri was the last SMASH Diva Champion
The last SMASH Champion Dave “Fit” Finlay vacated his title last month at SMASH.25 after defeating Tajiri in a fantastic match.
The wrestlers pay their respects to the company and the audience at the end of SMASH.FINAL
I would also like to thank all of the SMASH fans personally this one, last time for allowing me to become a star in their country. As I said at the SMASH.FINAL afterparty, Japan is the #1 country in the world for pro wrestling, and it has been a dream come true for me to become a household name and celebrity in Japan through my pro wrestling adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The Finnish Embassy in Japan came out to see SMASH.FINAL
starbuck.fi 