VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: Friendship Figures

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's always great to receive a gift. When that gift is an action figure it's even better. In today's episode of Go Figure Friday, I share a couple of those gifts from my friend Barry Karafa. Don't forget to subscribe.

How WrestleMania helped me grieve

WrestleMania's first main event
Photo by WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's funny how some dates stick with you forever. March 25, 1985, is one of those dates for me. It was a Monday afternoon when a good friend and neighbor, also named Kevin, died in a horrible ATV accident at the end of our street.

Back row left is me.  My friend Kevin is on the right

We were both in sixth grade and had known each other most of our lives. We played baseball together, rode bikes and spent hot summer afternoons 'pool hopping' between all the pools in on our tight-knit street. 

I still remember waving to Kevin as he walked down our street, eating a bag of potato chips. Less than two hours later, he'd flipped the three-wheeler he was riding and did not survive the accident.

I was crushed.  In my 12 years of life, I had never experienced so much pain.  I cried a lot in the days following Kevin's death.  Children aren't supposed to die. I had a hard time understanding why it happened and wondered if I'd ever get over this loss.  

Wendi Richter & Cyndi Lauper
Photo by WWE

As that emotional week winded down, I had something to look forward to.  The very first WrestleMania was going to be broadcast via closed-circuit television and a family friend had invited my family over to watch. It was the first time in six days that I didn't cry. For more than two hours, I focused on the wrestling action. I cheered for favorites like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Wendi Richter.  I booed villains Roddy Piper, the Iron Sheik , and Nikolai Volkoff.  

After the main event was over and we headed home, the reality set in again. I couldn't help but think about Kevin and his family, just a few houses down, as they were still mourning the loss of their son and brother.  I still miss him 34 years later and often think of him, wondering what he'd be like today as a 46-year-old man.

WrestleMania main event
Photo by WWE

When I think back on the first WrestleMania and write stories about it, I always associate that week of grieving and remember how much I appreciate being able to get lost in the moment. We never truly get over such losses, but there are moments when we're distracted and can find pleasure. I'm glad I had the support of family and friends during that time. It may sound crazy, but in addition to those loved ones, WrestleMania helped me through what I consider the most challenging time of my childhood.  

When I first posted this blog, I tagged "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in it on Twitter. He retweeted it. Just a few months later we had lost Hot Rod too. In a weird way, I'm thankful I wrote that blog when I did and I'd like to believe he did read it and knew the impact he'd had on my young life. 

AUDIO: WrestleMania 2 Redo

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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What's the worst WrestleMania of all-time? Some say it's the second installment of the event. So my co-host this week, Jerry Travelstead and I tackle the show. We give our overall thoughts and a few ideas to make things better.

You can listen here. Don't forget to rate and review the show as well on your favorite listening app. And check out the new My 1-2-3 Cents below on my Pro Wrestling Tees store.

Healymania is running wild

Victory 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It was another great night for Stride Pro Wrestling and helping a small community in southern Illinois raise money. This time we took the show to Norris City to help out the newly formed Wild Bunch Athletics. Teacher Danielle Healy and her husband are behind the effort and needed a boost. Healy herself wrestled in the main event in front of her students, family and friends. 

It was a great night. Healy worked hard to train prior to the show. She and tag team partner Heath Hatton (a Norris City native as well) took it to the their opponents Tony Flood and Zoey Moore. Healy shined bright in her debut hitting moves on both Moore and Flood. In fact the match ended with Healy covering Flood for the three count much to the delight of the fans in attendance. Job well done to Healy and Hatton.

Other results from the night: 

J. Wellington Beauregard insulted Hatton, Healy and GM Sam Hunter during Striking Your Fancy as all three are from Norris City. 

B-Rad pinned Bud Gallows. 

Jay Spade beat Scott Phoenix. 

Bo Sawyer pinned Ax Allwardt after Ax attempted to use his chain on Sawyer but it backfired.

Jose Magnifico, Ryzer and Jerry Travelstead beat AJ Kellis, Brian Richards and Bud Gallows.

Red Daniels successfully defended the Stride Heavyweight title by pinning "The King" Chris Hargas.

Danielle Healy & Heath Hatton beat Zoey Moore & Tony Flood when Healy pinned Flood. 

Join us for our next show on Saturday, April 6 at Johnston City High School. Get details here.

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VIDEO: WCW Lives

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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March 26, 2001: WCW was bought by Vince McMahon and WWE. So to mark the occasion, I'm sharing details about my only WCW action figures. It includes an unboxing of Sid Vicious. Check it out and subscribe.

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Scott Phoenix sets a record

New champs

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I mentioned it briefly on a recent My 1-2-3 Cents podcast, but I figured it deserved a bit more attention than a quick statement. Scott Phoenix recently made history in Stride Pro Wrestling. He has become the company's first four-time tag team champion. That's quite a feat for a young man who is not even three years into the business. 

It all started for Phoenix when he paired up with indy wrestling veteran Ax Allwardt. Under the guidance of J. Wellington Beauregard, the two captured the Stride Pro Wrestling tag team titles in a fatal four-way match in April 2017. The duo became an icon pairing, with Phoenix adopting some of Ax's old school ways. I found his character refreshing as each month he'd share his digits with a lucky female fan in the audience. The long flowing hair and 80s band look went a long way in the development of Phoenix's character.

In November of that same year J. Wells and Phoenix orchestrated an attack on Allwardt which lead to Maximum Overdrive's loss of the titles. But Phoenix insured he would still remain a champion. He and Dexter Roswell became the champions as Phoenix joined forces with the DR Party. The two lost the belts and over time grew apart before finally splitting up.

Phoenix's singles run was short-lived as Farmer Billy Hills found himself in need of a tag team partner after he and String Bean won the belts. The masked man was injured and Phoenix stepped in to help. Stride Pro Wrestling General Manager Sam Hunter officially granted Phoenix's request to be Farmer's permanent partner and the two were off to the races, defending the titles against all challengers. In February their run came to an end when old partner and rival Dexter Roswell and Mr. Anthony won the belts. The new duo's efforts were less than honorable and it didn't take long for Phoenix and Farmer to regain their gold.

That victory earlier this month put Phoenix in the record books. He is now four times the champ as he and Farmer prepare for future title defenses. Phoenix will be in action this Saturday night in Norris City. Be sure to join us for the action.

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AUDIO: Kurt Angle's WrestleMania opponents

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By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Kurt Angle is retiring (allegedly) at WrestleMania 35. But so far, his opponent has not been announced. The possibilities are endless. So I invited Dalton Anthony of Stride Pro Wrestling, Cape Championship Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Unscripted to sort out our picks.

Be sure to let me know who you think Angle should be stepping into the ring against. We did keep our list to current WWE/NXT Superstars. 

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He won it, can he keep it?

Red Daniels

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's hard to believe, but Stride Pro Wrestling is back on the road and has another show coming up one week from today. For the first time ever, we're headed to Norris City. We'll be doing a fundraiser show at 400 E. Boyd Street. Wild Bunch Athletics will be benefiting from your generosity that night.

One match that I want to talk about is Red Daniels vs. Chris Hargas. Daniels is the brand new Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. This will mark his very first title defense. As he pointed out on last week's My 1-2-3 Cents podcast, the first time he defended his last championship (the Stride Pro Wrestling Tag Team Titles) he lost. Will he face a similar fate this time around?

Midwest Mafia's title win

Let's examine it. Red and Jake Capone teamed up to win the tag titles in February 2017. Known as the Midwest Mafia they were no doubt the largest team in the history of Stride with a total combined weight of more than 600 pounds. However, just beating up smaller opponents was not enough. The two beat Joey O'Riley and Jay Spade for the gold. They lost the belts in a fatal four-way elimination match in their very first defense. 

Red is no doubt haunted by that night. And let's face it, it has happened before. Heath Hatton dropped the Legacy Title back to Tony Flood eight days after beating him for it. Mr. Anthony and Dexter Roswell lost the tag titles in their first defense against Farmer Billy Hills and Scott Phoenix. So there is always that possibility of history repeating itself.

Buried Alive
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

But don't count Red out. Yes, Hargas has had the upper hand against the champ in the past including the historic Buried Alive match. And even though Daniels is coming off a more than 12-month hiatus, he's more focused and determined than I've ever seen him. He's training younger wrestlers at the Stride Pro Wrestling School which has made him better in the ring. While his first defense will be far from a walk in the park, I don't think it'll be his last one. He's not just in their defending a belt. He's working to prove his critics wrong.

Come see the action for yourself. Again, we're headed to 400 E. Boyd Street in Norris City, Illinois.  

VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: Roman Reigns

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I have company this week in the form of my 9-year-old nephew, Chace. At one time he was a wrestling fan like cool Uncle Kevin. So I asked him to bring a few of his figures. He obliged and we discuss why Roman Reigns is his favorite (and the Rock).

Check out the video and please subscribe to the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube Channel! Thanks, everyone for the support. 

AUDIO: Favorite pro wrestling returns

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By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Who doesn't love a good return to the ring? There have been plenty of great ones over the years. This week Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Red Daniels and I go through a few of our favorite returns. I picked him to be on the show because his return was a huge one recently for Stride.

You can listen to the show here. Don't forget to keep up with Stride Pro Wrestling here. 

VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: Mini Wrestlers

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By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's Go Figure Friday again and things get mini in this week's episode. I unbox my Hasbro Mini Wrestlers. This set came out in 1992 and features one of my all-time favorites. 

Please watch and subscribe to the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube channel and let me know what you'd like to see for future content.

AUDIO: Strideiversary recap

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By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Strideiversary (the three-year anniversary show for Stride Pro Wrestling) is now in the books. The night was without question the biggest in company history. I break down the evening in this week's podcast.

The Honky Tonk Man is going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. I interviewed him back in 2016 and pulled a clip from that show for this week's episode. 

Listen here.

 

60 minutes, 2 champs, 1 night

New champ!

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Each week it seemed Tony Schavonie would say on Monday Nitro, "This is the greatest night in our great sport." And usually, we ended up being overly disappointed afterward. However, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Strideiversary on March 2, 2019, will go down as the biggest and best show in the company's history.

From top to bottom this show had everything wrestling fans crave. Plenty of action, a little violence, some comic relief and lots of pure wrestling action. I got goosebumps watching parts of it and am extremely proud to have been a small part of such a big night. 

I have a full recap planned for Monday's My 1-2-3 Cents podcast as history was made on several fronts. Today though, I'm focusing on the new Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, Red Daniels. But to do that, we have to do a quick history lesson.

Buried Alive
Photo by Steve Belcher

Red Daniels is the first graduate of the Stride Pro Wrestling school. He worked hard to get through the training and entered into a pretty intense feud with Chris Hargas in 2017. The rivalry came to an end when Hargas buried Red alive in December 2017. We hadn't seen nor heard from Daniels until recently he did an interview with me, revealing he's been working backstage at Stride to train the men and women coming through the Stride School. 

At Strideiversary the now "King" Chris Hargas (who has turned his back on the fans) was pitted to face Bo Sawyer in the finals of the Stride Cup Tournament. The winner was to receive a contract for a title match at any time. As Bo made his way to the ring, his former partner Jason Tiller attacked and Hargas joined in. Because the bell hadn't rung yet, there was nothing the ref could do. Sawyer was rendered unable to compete and General Manager Sam Hunter, with a shovel in hand, announced he's dug up Red Daniels.

Red and the briefcase
Courtesy: Jamie Woodworth-Myers

The pop from the crowd was deafening. I got goosebumps as Red hit the ring and battled his old nemesis. Red scored the pin and the audience went nuts again. He left with his briefcase and cup and then it was time for the main event. Heath Hatton and Tony Flood put it all on the line in a 60-minute iron man match. I'm proud of how both men performed, despite the interference from a masked man we've seen torment Hatton for months now.

Spade turns
Courtesy: Jamie Woodworth-Myers

Hatton ended up winning the match five falls to four. However, his celebration was short lived. He unmasked the mystery man revealing his now former friend Jay Spade. Spade and Flood then destroyed Hatton with a double superkick to the face. That gave way to an opportunity of a lifetime as Red quickly cashed in and made short work of the new champion.

Just like that, Stride Pro Wrestling had two champions in a matter of moments. Red Daniels, in his words, went from six feet under to the top of the mountain. Congrats.  You've earned this. Spade and Flood though, I pity you guys. You've picked the wrong guy to screw over. 

 

VIDEO: Go Figure Friday: Flair Friday

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Wooo! Happy birthday, Nature Boy. The celebration of Ric Flair's 70th birthday continues this week on Go Figure Friday. I chat about my Ric Flair action figures. I still need to add the Hasbro one to my collection.