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September
5, 2002
The
August 15 show at The Galaxy was an awesome evening.
Great performances were turned in by all, including an
incredibly memorable appearance by Roddy Piper. The
(over) capacity crowd really seemed to enjoy themselves, as
they also witnessed great matches by the likes of Mike
Modest, Donovan Morgan and many, many others.
Spanky V Frankie Kazarian V B-Boy for Lightweight and
International Titles was probably my favorite UPW match
ever. B-Boy reigned as UPW Lightweight Champ for over
a year and I look forward to him continuing to be an active
part of our roster.
UPW
is back at The Galaxy on Wednesday, November 6, with another
great card that will include Steve Corino and Christopher
Daniels.
Zero-One
boss Yoshiyuki Nakamura dropped by Ultimate University the
night before the August Galaxy show for a special-invitation
UPW talent workout. He was impressed by many of our
young, stand-out wrestlers and as a result of this workout,
I expect that lots of guys --like Kid Vicious and Van Ayasit--
will get their first shots in Japan.
For
those keeping track, here's who has represented UPW at
Zero-One so far: Tom Howard, Keiji Sakoda, Samoa Joe,
Sylvester "Predator" Terkay, Outlaw Mike Knox,
Outlaw Marshall Knox, Frankie Kazarian, Nova, Mikey
Henderson, Native Blood (Ghostwalker & Navajo Warrior),
Horshu, Nathan Jones, Smelly, Spanky and Televise "Skulu"
Masalosalo.
I
returned last Monday from Zero-One's second tour in
August. We were there with a great contingent that
included Tom, Nathan, Joe, Skulu and Spanky. Z1 ran us
ragged, with late night after-show parties, 3am wake-ups and
8-hour bus, train and ferry rides. It was a blast and
I wouldn't trade the experience for anything! Next
tour, beginning September 20, includes Tom, Nathan, Spanky,
Skulu (returning after getting over BIG last tour!), Keiji
Sakoda (for whom there are big plans in the making) and
debuting in Japan......referee Marty Rubalcaba. Both
Predator and Samoa Joe will be returning soon.
We're
inviting Jimmy Snuka Jr. and Jon Heidenreich to join UPW for
Zero-One's October tag team tournament, to team,
respectively with Predator (reprising Japan's legendary duo
of Bruiser Brody & Superfly Jimmy Snuka) and Nathan
Jones (re-forming UPW's own version of the "twin
towers"). Personally, I also look forward to the
imminent return to Japan of Frankie Kazarian, who is
destined to be a star in this business.
As
far as Superstardom is concerned, Nathan Jones is as close
to a sure thing as I've seen, and that includes Sting,
Warrior and Prototype. Nathan has really come into his
own and I believe -- given the kind of push that only WWE
can give--that Nathan could be the single biggest player in
the game. How's that for an audacious statement?
Predator
won the huge distinction of being ranked "#1 Gaijin
(foreigner, for those, like myself, who do not speak
Japanese)" in Japan for the first 6 months of
2002. This includes ALL foreigners --like Scott
Steiner, Scott Norton and Don Frye-- who regularly work
there. With the next tour off, Predator is busy auditioning
for various television, feature and commercial
projects. When he's not wrestling, Predator always
manages to maintain a busy professional entertainment
schedule.
Nearing
the best shape of his career, Tom Howard is returning to
Japan with a renewed fire. The UPW leader is due for a
singles push there -- one that I think will likely see him
in contention for Zero-One's Heavyweight Title once
established.
It
was nice of John "Prototype" Cena to give props to
UPW in the current edition of WWE's RAW Magazine (on
newsstands now!). As the good guys of the business,
like Edge, Christian, Hardys, Test, Regal, etc. etc. will
tell you, you should always "remember your
roots." Tom Howard, who as co-founder, head
instructor, heavywieght champ, etc. I think will always be
firmly associated with UPW, always credits Jesse Hernandez
with giving him his start. It's nice to John Cena
doing the same. On the note of UPW alumni doing well
at WWE, I look forward to the inevitability of Lisa Marie
"Queen Victoria" Varon wearing the WWE women's
strap.
People
oftentimes ask me if UPW will ever have TV
again. The first time around was a HUGE
drain, financially and otherwise. Still, the best
answer I can give right now -- never say never. As one
indy after another comes and goes,I am firmly committed to
staying in this business. Especially after putting up
rings for Lia Maivia, Karl Lauer and many others in the
early 80s. After being "tour manager"/gofer,
referee, ring announcer and designated audience member/bump
dummy on countless occasions, I'm sticking with it.
I'm proud to say that I was the first to bring pro wrestling
to both The Walt Disney Company and Universal
Studios, but mainly I'm proud that with UPW and Ultimate
University, we've managed to stick in there through some
tough times. So.....TV?
When I came up in wrestling...in the days of the
"territories," there were only 7 English-language
stations in all of Southern California. I remember
watching The Lebell's NWA California Wrestling religiously
and look back fondly now when I see a rare reference to how
they thrived on L.A. TV in "those days."
Being on TV in those days virtually guaranteed you a good
audience. Unfortunately, today's climate is entirely
different. With literally hundreds o viewing choices
and thousands of content producers out there, unless you're
"network ordered," you're most likely paying to get
TV time. That right there makes TV a losing battle. In
my eyes, you need at least two of the following three
components to really make any kind of impact in
televised wrestling today: 1. The support of a
TV station (paying you for your show and supplying
production at best; no air time fees and a decent time slot
and promotional push at the very least. 2. A
committed sponsor with relatively deep pockets.
3. The muscle of the WWE behind you, financially
and/or promotionally. And, you have to keep internal
costs down (a lesson I didn't learn in time last
go-round). So with hindsight being 20/20, I'll bide my
time and look toward putting the right mix together to one
day get us back on TV. In
the meantime, I couldn't be happier with how the
"small" parts of our business are going.
Japan/Zero-One is a blessing, the web site is fun (and
actually does a little business!) and we're starting
to rack up casino and fair dates on the schedule. Best
of all though is our school, Ultimate University.
Being there last night (Tuesday) reinforced to me that this
is where it all starts. It's where the Skulus and
Marty Rubalcabas emerge and first get their shots, which
because it's great to see good things happen for good people
-- makes it all worth it. It's where so many others
come either to chase their dreams or simply because they
just want to be around the business. It amazes me what
we --Tom Howard, Shane & Shannon Ballard, all of our
instructors and all the students -- have created --
what I firmly believe is the finest and most dynamic school
in the business. I look around and see many
individuals that have been released from WWE rededicating
themselves to honing their crafts. Just last night
alone at the University, from Smelly, Keiji Sakoda, Samoa Joe,
Hardkore Kidd, Skulu and Predator honing their in-ring, to
former WOW (Women of
Wrestling) girls Erica, Tanja and Nikki (coming to school
on a regular basis so they'll be able to work
anywhere. From world class bodybuilder Melissa Coates
and Tough Enough's Anni King and Hawk Younkins to
charismatic Russian national Alec Prokushev and 5'6",
16 year-old Nate Nickerson, who looks good to be the
"next Spike Dudley;" from absolute monsters
like Lamar Tinnin and Donald Chambers to youngsters like Sam
Culver, Van Ayasit, Joe Meechan, James Lukash, who
have all the potential in the world. With the students
mentioned above, and with so many others, Ultimate
University continues to grow and best of all -- to be a
positive environment in which to learn and progress in this
business. I'm proud of our students and how quickly
most are developing, and of the "curriculum" we've
developed, which many think is best-suited for thriving in
today's fast-paced and entertainment-oriented wrestling
environment. Over
the next couple of weeks, the Ultimate University and
Japan sections of our website will
be redeveloped and updated. (Sorry for the delays, but
resources are limited!). Thanks for visiting and I
look forward to catching up with you soon! Rick
Just because I like this picture!
(l-r: with ORIGINAL UPW girls
Carnidge, Savvy, Looney & Miss Delicious) Ultimate
Update Archives: August
1, 2002 July
1, 2002 -- Ultimate University June
21, 2002 May
25, 2002 -- Japan and more
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