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December 4, 2003
UPW has hit its 5 year mark.
In this
business, that's survival. The goal now is to thrive, which
has us focused on efforts to grow in other, broader areas.
With Chris Bell, Todd Keneley
and David Marquez at the helm, we're now
putting the finishing touches on our one half-hour pilot. In
terms of production, its top-notch and conceptually, it's
very, very unique (which I think you have to be these days in
order to have a chance of achieving any level of
success). We're exhibiting at NATPE in Las Vegas this
January, optimistic that the show will be well-received.
Just as the Pilot has been a nearly
all-encompassing effort, so has the start-up of "Valor," our
"Ultimate Fighting" Company that will debut in
January. I
feel that it's important to "diversify" in today's
sports-entertainment climate. That belief, coupled with the
re-emergence of Mixed Martial Arts, makes Valor an exciting
venture. Working closely with the great trainers, business
people and fighters at The Shark Tank and at R1, again, we're forming Valor with a very
unique approach, which will be evident when we launch our
website (nearly completed) in early 2004. I expect that
working in both professional wrestling and MMA will present
many synergistic opportunities.
As we segue more and more into MMA, our
association with K-1 is growing ever stronger. "Green
Beret" Tom Howard and Sylvester "Predator"
Terkay are training twice a day, nearly every day and
are making incredible strides. As many people know, they both
have strong amateur foundations (Sylvester in wrestling as
NCAA Heavyweight Champ and Tom in Greco Roman and Sambo).
These are two very serious athletes and win, lose or draw (and
I'm betting on wins), I'm confident they'll both make
impressive showings.
As time permits and between injuries, I'm doing
my best to train for a fight myself, which I'm planning on
doing in early Summer. Call it whatever you want personal
quest, midlife crisis or just plain dumb, at 42, I basically
want to test myself and get through it. I also think it's
important to "feel" what the fighters and wrestlers go through
on a daily basis and believe me, I'm feeling it! Besides, I
know there's a lot of people out there that would like to see
me get my butt kicked (stand in line!) so I'll let you know if
and when it's happening.
In working with K-1, we're also very involved
promotionally and in sponsorships and in all sorts of
miscellaneous (like getting Akeobono's training gear made --
my God, you should see the size of the groin protector!) It's
worth mentioning here that Stefan Gamlin is
likely off the December 31 card, as he left to Japan a few
weeks back to help prepare Akeobono for his fight with Bob
Sapp.
What with the TV Pilot, Valor and K-1, as well
as business as usual, I regret to say that I have not given
live shows in our home base of Southern California the
attention they deserve.
For one, I basically let the Anniversary Show
get away from me -- not giving an undertaking of this
magnitude nearly the attention it deserves. Thus the
original date of Wednesday, December 17 has been rescheduled
to Friday, February 20. This is a benefit show and has a
very large budget attached to it. It was originally put on
the calendar without sponsorship being confirmed and as such,
not only was I concerned about not being able to make a
contribution to our beneficiary but was equally concerned with
not even breaking even. Not to mention it just doesn't make
sense for Tom and Predator to risk themselves 14 days prior to
their big matches at K-1, as they were booked against Sting
and Ken Shamrock for the Anniversary show and I know would
have given it their all, hence the "risk factor" concern. The
February 20 date has been rescheduled with the costs of the
event being totally underwritten, meaning that 100%
of the receipts from ticket sales will go to our beneficiary.
We'll make a formal announcement on the show itself in the
upcoming couple of weeks but I can give you some
confirmed information in the meantime. As set
up at The Galaxy, Ken Shamrock Vs
Predator will take place. Hardkore Inc. with
El Jefe will defend their UPW Tag Team Titles in a
Tables, Ladder and Chair match against The Ballards,
in what is expected to be the final meeting between these two
great teams. Borrowing from WWE, we'll present a Survivor
Series-style match pitting Savage (Skulu,
Navajo
Warrior, Ma'koa,
Sabbath,
Snuka,
Jr., King Dabada)
against The University (which looks like Lil'
Nate, Andrew
Hellman, The
Miz, Tony
Stradlin,
Tommy Wilson & Shawn
Riddick). As
set-up over the past half-year, I'll take on
Commissioner Pete Doyle in a no-disqualification
match (yet another chance to see me get my a$# handed to me!)
for control of UPW.
There will likely be 9 matches in total and
with 10 solid weeks of planning time, we'll announce matches
as they are confirmed. As of now,
I'm hopeful that Sting, Roddy Piper and
Evan "Joe Millionaire" Marriott will each
participate in one fashion or another. We're looking for the
right "name" opponent for UPW Women's Champ Erica
Porter and have several solid, exciting possibilities
in the works. Frankie Kazarian will be
putting up his UPW Light Heavyweight Title against
Mikey Henderson in either a 3-way Dance or 4-Corners
match, hopefully with Low Ki involved in the
mix. We know that Tom Howard will be
defending his brand new, beautiful UPW Heavyweight
Championship belt and are working on confirming the most
impactful challenger possible. Diane & Elaine, aka
"The Twins" will return to UPW for the first time in
2 years to make a special appearance. Most of all, we're also
expecting a strong presence from WWE. With
Zero-One and Wrestlemania scheduling and booking that may
affect several talents we're looking at, we're shaking things
out and will keep you informed. In the meantime, tickets for
UPW's 5th Anniversary, February 20 at The Grove are on sale
now, at The Grove (714) 712-2700 and at
all Ticketmaster locations and www.ticketmaster.com. All
tickets purchased for the December 17 show will be honored on
Feb 20 or can be returned for a full refund. The Anniversary
Show, which will shape up to be our biggest show ever, will
also be shot for release on DVD and VHS.
If you're in Southern California, please stop
by and visit us at the UPW booth at WWE's "RAW is War" at
The
Pond in Anaheim on Monday, December 8 and at WWE's "Smackdown!"
at the San Diego Sports Arena on Tuesday, December 9. We'll
likely have some updates on the Anniversary Show and through
an "enter-to-win" drawing, we'll be giving away one pair of
VIP tickets (ringside, plus before show reception and after
show party) for February 20, several UPW DVDs, and one full
scholarship to Ultimate
University.
Appearing in-ring on behalf of UPW at WWE's
December 8 and 9 events are Shane & Shannon
Ballard, The Miz,
Andrew Hellman,
Tony Stradlin,
Al Katrazz,
Ma'koa and Sabbath, as well as our
good friends from IZW, UPW regulars Navajo Warrior
and Jack
Bull. The Ballards have improved
greatly in every way imaginable and I'm optimistic about their
chances with WWE. Of course, should they get signed, we'll
miss Shane & Shannon, who are such an important part of UPW
and Ultimate
University.
Speaking of people we miss, it's gratifying to
see Keiji Sakoda (or "Sakada") doing so well
at WWE. Along with John Cena and
Victoria, he appears headed for the ranks of WWE
"Superstardom." I talk with Ryan (Keiji) semi-regularly, as
well as with Horshu,
Chris
Mordetzsky, Nathan Jones
and others "in the system." Despite what many of what I like
to call "internet knuckleheads", i..e smarks, like to say, I'm
happy to report that each is thriving in the challenging WWE
environment. Let me go out on a limb here and make a
prediction: Nathan Jones will be in the Top 10 in the
business within the next 2 years. This is the same thing I
said about John Cena, before he got his first big push
and that I continued to say after that push failed. Look where
John is now. Nathan will be there too, just as I expect
Spanky and
Nova soon too
will have their (much-deserved) days in the sun.
And for those we might miss...just as
many UPW talent are being looked at by WWE, so are Todd
Keneley and Marty
Rubalcaba. Both are very
dedicated and talented individuals and will make a valuable
contribution wherever they are.
Yes, things continue to be very busy. We're
currently consulting on two feature films, each that revolves
around pro wrestling to a various degree. We also just
wrapped production on a popular episode of TLC's
Award-Winning "Faking It." Tom Howard and
Hardkore Kidd did
tremendous jobs with the one month they had mentoring the
show's star. Predator and Andrew Hellman, along with UU
Students Kjell Hansen and Pete
Zwissler all participated in the "Final Test" and
Ric Drasin and Cheerleader Melissa
were the judges. The Final Test was taped the same
day as the "Valor Kickboxing" event at Gotham in San Bernadino.
The show should be really entertaining. We'll keep you
informed of air dates on TLC.
ZERO-ONE
continues to be as
active as ever for UPW wrestlers. Mike Knox
and Mikey Henderson are the two most recent
foreigners to get over with ZERO-ONE fans and each look to be
regulars there. Hardkore Kidd recently had
his first outing with the company (at last!) and looks solid
to go back for many visits. New UPW giant Apocalypse
is currently in Japan for the first time for ZERO-ONE.
Although he (self)admittedly has much to learn, he has a
tremendous physical presence, which counts for a lot in this
business(!) and has an awesome "I want to learn" attitude.
This bodes well for him in Japan and elsewhere.
Ultimate University
is
enjoying a sizeable, promising "Freshman" class. New
standouts include Kjell Hansen, Kevin Martenson, John
Jones, Jason San Felipo and Brendan Hill,
who is profiled now on upw.com in Les Honig's
"Student of the Month" column.
UU re-starts its "UPW Lite Show" on Saturday,
December 6 at Ultimate University/R1. This is where we first
get new wrestlers live match experience, prepare for WWE
tryouts and ZERO-ONE tours and look at wrestlers new to the
area and for UPW Entertainment Overload shows. It's a
no-frills show, beginning at 7pm each Saturday. Admission is
free.
Beginning January 10, UPW will present "Monthly
Mat Wars" at UU/R1. Taking place every fourth Saturday, this
will be a limited production, full gimmick show, built around
continuing storylines. Admission is just $5. I'm excited
about Monthly Mat Wars, particularly as it's a "Team" effort,
with UPW Wrestlers and UU Students Shannon Ballard,
James Lukash, Erica Porter, Andrew Hellman, Tony
Stradlin, Antonio
Mestre, Ma'koa and
Antwon Offutt involved in the effort. Each show will
feature at least six matches, with cards announced in advance
on both UPW and on
www.socaluncensored.com. The January 10 show, aptly named
"Creation," will feature an intriguing match-up between
Mikey
Henderson and Skulu.
I recognize the importance of doing more shows,
especially to keep everyone as active as possible (in a day
where true "territories" just don't exist) and to increase
their experience and performance levels. I think we've found
a way to do this by running shows that will be fun, easy to
produce and very, very good in-ring. In speaking with the
Team, we're looking forward to weekly outings with regulars Ruckus,
Outlaw
Marshall Knox, Lil'
Nate, Tommy
Wilson, Drunk Irishman and many others, out
of town visits with the likes of Kyra,
Mike Modest
and Derek Neikirk as well as hopefully,
appearances by B-Boy,
Matrix,
Funky Billy
Kim, Lil'
Cholo, Joey
Ryan, Supa Badd, Scott
Lost and more.
Watch www.upw.com and www.socaluncensored.com for updates!
In addition to our Anniversary Show,
the Lite
Shows and Monthly Mat Wars, we'll continue to book
"Entertainment Overload" shows at concert-clubs like The
Galaxy as well as continue to run Casino shows.
Of all the professions in the world, pro
wrestling may just be one of the most challenging.
Nonetheless, it's been an incredible five-year haul and I'm
happy to say that I really enjoy the business these days.
Thank you all for your support.
 
Goldberg goes for a ride! Just because I like this picture!
Backstage at RAW
With UPW Vixens 2003, l-r Looney Lane,
Nikki T., Kyra, Maritza,
Savvy, Erica, Desire
 with
the original UPW Vixens, circa 2001 (l-r
Carnidge, Savvy, Looney & Miss Delicious) Ultimate
Update Archives:
September 3, 2003
April 16, 2003
March
5th, 2003
January 29, 2003
November 20, 2002 - It's a shoot!
October 25, 2002
October 3, 2003
September 16, 2002
September 5, 2002 August
1, 2002 July
1, 2002 -- Ultimate University June
21, 2002 May
25, 2002 -- Japan and more
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