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August
1, 2002
Roddy
Piper......
As dozens of
promoters and hundreds of wrestlers in the US know, it's
pretty darned difficult to make a living in "independent"
wrestling. After four years of doing this full-time,
we're finally learning to treat this business as a
business. Like any enterprise that is destined to be
successful, as I believe one day we will
"ultimately" be, this has been, and continues to
be, a team effort.
I can't say
enough about Tom Howard, truly one of the best guys I
know, period. And one of the most level-headed. Tom
has been there since day one, and has been involved in every
aspect of this business, including the ever-important tasks
of acting as Head Instructor at Ultimate University (UU) as
well as leading the UPW contingent while in Japan. (where Tom
is over BIG, as we all know!). There are so many to
thank here --Marty Rubalcaba, Todd Keneley, Josh Waldrop,
David Lowe -- the list goes on and on, but someone, no
make that someones... who in my opinion really deserve
a special note of appreciation are the hard-core,
hard-working folks at Sonicfish. Ron
McIntyre, Roger Jarrett and Stacey Lee Herren
simply kick butt when it comes to all things production,
internet and much more. I'm happy to see that their
Sonic Fish, Inc. business exterprise is growing and I wish them all
the success in their endeavors.
Roddy
Piper.......
There has been an
amazing amount of growth and progress on the part of so
many wrestlers here on the SoCal scene. For
whatever reason, it seems that over the past few months, an
important turning point has been reached where so many of
the boys have decided to treat their time in professional
wrestling as a profession. In-ring work,
psychology, physique, gear.....these are all crucial aspects
of the game, and lately, many have stepped up and focused on
the importance in some --and in a few cases-- all of these
areas. So, congratulations to Joey Ryan, Shawn
Riddick, Pinoy Boy, Scott Lost, Ricky Reyes, Rocky Romero and
all the rest (you know who you are!). You're
efforts are showing results. And the efforts should
payoff when the business makes its inevitable upswing.
After several
false starts, UPW has finally confirmed its debut date at
The Edgewater Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, for
Saturday, September 21. It's been a long time since
we've done a UPW road trip and I've missed them.
They've always been a blast and this show on The Colorado
River should be no exception. Already confirmed are
such UPW favorites as Al Katrazz, Looney Lane, Savvy,
Miss Delicious and Jack Bull. Tickets will be on sale next
week and The Edgewater will be offering special room rates
for those attending the show. September 21 marks the
first of 3 dates already planned for The Edgewater.
Ultimate
University is rocking like never before. Special
thanks to Frankie Kazarian, who is always ready to
step in when Tom's in Japan. (I'm sure Frankie will be
heading back to Japan soon himself). And special
thanks to Shane & Shawn Ballard, who have made
Tuesday and Thursday nights at UU really fun.
It constantly amazes just how fast many of our students,
like James Lukash, are progressing. Enrollment
is at an all-time high and I'd like to welcome aboard our
newest students, Alec Prokushev (another
"Russian Nightmare" in the making!), Ryan Owen
and none other than Jake Sokoloff from "Tough
Enough 2" fame. All are progressing well in the
initial stages of their training with us.
I'm really
looking forward to the August 15 Galaxy debuts of UU
students Sam Culver, Van Ayasit, Lamar Tinnin and Josh
"Bezerkowitz" Scowden. My most
anticipated match that night? Probably Pitbull versus
Pro Wrestling Iron owners and good friends Mike
Modest & Donovan Morgan.
I'm glad to hear
from Caryn Mower and Nikki Fuller that they
are planning on resuming their training this week.
Providing they decide to stick with it this time around, it
could make for an interesting UPW Girls' division, as both Anni
from Tough Enough 2 and WOW Champ Teri Gold are
slated to begin with us this week. It's refreshing to
see that while there is a consensus that even though
opportunities are limited now, more and more people are
still drawn toward training. As I mentioned
above, the business (and that for the most part, means
WWE of course) will come back strong, and there's some old
saying about "preparedness meeting opportunity..."
This
Saturday, August 3, we will resume our popular "Lite
Show" at Ultimate University. 7pm start time.
Roddy
Piper......
Representing
UPW at Zero-One in Japan this week are Tom Howard,
Sylvester "Predator" Terkay, Brian
"Spanky" Kendrick and "King" Joe
(Samoa Joe Seanoa). I'd sure like to see Joe's
match with Taka Michinoku which is booked as part of this
tour's "Fire
Festival." If it's anything like Joe's 2000 dark
match for WWF against Essa Rios, this one will be
scary....for Taka that is! I
get to had back to Japan myself for the next tour, beginning
August 22. I'm excited about visiting four of the
smaller cities we'll have been to with Zero-One, including
Japan's ancient capitol of Kyoto. The UPW contingent
will be as strong as ever, and will include Tom Howard, Joe,
Spanky, Nathan Jones and making his Z1 debut.....Televise
"Skulu The Samoan Savage" Masalosalo! This
last one is particularly gratifying, as there are some
people you just want to see great things happen for, and Ben
is one of them. Sylvester
will get his first tour off (a welcome break, I'm sure!) this time around, during which he will undoubtedly be
focusing on his always-growing theatrical and commercial career.
Predator is truly one of the hardest-working and most
dedicated individuals I know. Right
before leaving for Japan, he wrapped a national spot for
Mervyn's, to add to his already impressive resume ("Mad
About You," "My Favorite Martian,"
"Universal Soldier," "Beyond The Mat,"
etc. etc.).
Predator returns to Z1 in September, to wreak his now
familiar brand of mayhem there. Predator Vs Tough
Enough Jake at The Galaxy August 15? Mayhem?
Hmmm. On
our August 15 show, entitled "Shock Wave," we'll
be doing something we haven't done for awhile. Present
live music! Sonic Fish have selected two great
Southern California standouts, North and Lazy Eye (they
of the "Smelly" theme music) to perform
along with the awesome 9 matches already booked. Speaking
of Sonic Fish, everyone should sample some of their excellent work on
"Future Shock," an extremely well-produced 2-tape
set featuring the best of UPW against some of the top stars
in the business. So, for August 15, that's 9 BIG
matches, 2 GREAT bands and........ Rowdy
Roddy Piper..... Yes,
that's right, the great one, Roddy Piper, will be in the
house making a very special appearance on August 15! It's
refreshing when I'm reminded that my first relationship to
pro wrestling was as a fan. And to me, there was no
bigger star than Rowdy Roddy Piper. I still have the
Hot Rod T-shirt and the original Roddy Piper doll!
I've
been a fan of Roddy's for as long as I can remember and
first had the pleasure of meeting him in 1992, when I
co-produced "The Misery Brothers," a movie in
which Roddy
made a cameo appearance. He was a complete
gentleman from the get-go and has become something of a
friend since. Over the past several months, Roddy has
become a great supporter of UPW's. During this time,
I've gotten to know Roddy fairly well, and amongst many
great qualities, have learned that his unique brand of
humor, for which he's so well-known, extends through every
aspect of his life. After giving 34 years of his life
to pro wrestling, I firmly believe that Roddy is just now
about to hit the pinnacle of an already HUGE career.
With a big book release due in the US and internationally from
Penguin-Putnam Book on November 1, 2002 and
several major feature films in the works, the world will be
hearing a lot from and seeing alot of Roddy Piper.
That is why I'm especially honored that he has chosen UPW's
August 15 show as a platform from which to do something he's
wanted to do for awhile....Get up in front of an
enthusiastic group of wrestling fans in
an intimate setting and "reminisce" (in the manner
that only Roddy can!) about his 34 years in
business. With production on the first of
several movies set to begin in a few weeks and an extensive
book tour set for this Winter, Roddy tells me that this is
likely one of the very last appearances he'll ever
make in a pro wrestling setting. This should be
spectacular and there's no way the fan in me would ever miss
this! Signing
off for now and hoping to see you either at The Lite Show
this Saturday, in Laughlin September 21 or at The Galaxy
August 15.....or at all three! Rick
Just because I like this picture!
(l-r: with ORIGINAL UPW girls
Carnidge, Savvy, Looney & Miss Delicious) Ultimate
Update Archives: July
1, 2002 -- Ultimate University June
21, 2002 May
25, 2002 -- Japan and more
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