#AskMy123Cents: The Future of Indy Wrestling

'All In'

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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A new feature on the YouTube Channel. I'm answering one question at a time in a quick video. My plan is to keep these clips to five minutes or less. 

QUESTION: "The success of 'All In' and ROH/NJPW selling out MSG over WrestleMania weekend has fans saying wrestling and wrestlers can succeed without WWE. If the Bullet Club members end up going to WWE in January, will that have a negative effect on Indy wrestling?" - @chadsmart 


ANSWER:

My 1-2-3 Cents is All In (kinda)

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Labor Weekend 2018 will be a game changer in the world of professional wrestling. And as much as I'd love to personally be a part of All In and Starrcast it simply wasn't meant to be. But I'm excited that My 1-2-3 Cents the brand will be a small part of the excitement.

A longtime friend of the blog and podcast, Jeff Holtke, is going to be the official correspondent for the My 1-2-3 Cents Twitter page (@my123cents). Earlier this year Jeff live tweeted for My 1-2-3 Cents during Raw 25. I'm thankful he has volunteered to step up and do this again for All In and Starrcast. He showed me his schedule and he's planning to meet 25 wrestlers and take in a lot of discussions and of course matches on Saturday night. 

D'Lo Brown & me

As they say in the wrestling biz, I'd like to put Jeff over for something else too. As I mentioned he's a longtime friend and supporter of the My 1-2-3 Cents brand. I first met Jeff in 2011 when TNA was in southern Illinois for a Basebrawl event at Rent One Park in Marion, Illinois. At that time Jeff was working for the team, the Southern Illinois Miners. He hooked me up with an interview with D'Lo Brown prior to that event.

Jeff supporting CxE

His willingness to tweet for me and him hooking me up with D'Lo are awesome. But that's not all. Jeff is a HUGE supporter (the number one supporter I might add) of my store on COLLARxELBOW (use promo code MY123CENTS like Jeff does and save 10 percent on your order). He and his daughter were even featured on CxE's Instagram page. Jeff also donated to the Ugly Christmas Suit fundraiser last December. He won the Christmas ornament raffle as a result too. 

Graphic by Jeff Holtke
Photo by Caleb Hale

Jeff has also helped me with some graphics, including resizing the monkey at one point and creating me in the All In poster. Oh how I wish that was happening, but there's always next year, right? Anyway if you don't already, follow @my123cents on Twitter and get some insight into what's happened at Starrcast and All In this weekend. Thank you, everyone, especially Jeff for the support over the last several years. 

Promo code: MY123CENTS

Dear Cody: I want to be 'All In'

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I know it's a long shot, believe me, I do. But one thing I've learned in life is you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. (Thanks Wayne Gretzky for that truth.) So I've decided to post a public plea to Cody Rhodes and his team involved with September's 'All In' event in Chicago.

If a ring announcer hasn't been secured yet, I want to officially throw my name in the ring. I have more than 20 years of experience as a broadcast journalist. Fourteen of those years I've spent as the morning co-anchor at an ABC affiliate located in Illinois. 

AAPW days

In 2011, I was hired to do play-by-play commentary for All American Pro Wrestling Collision. That show aired on the same ABC affiliate at which I still work, as well as on YouTube. The company changed names in 2013 to Pro Wrestling Collision and I continued my duties at the announce table through its short run.

After a nearly three-year hiatus from the pro wrestling scene, I returned to the business in 2016 as the ring announcer for Stride Pro Wrestling. It's a title I still hold. Here in Stride, I'm known for my over-the-top suits. My 'Bobby Heenan' jacket has been my trademark, however, I have several Opposuits/Shinesty suits that I wear, including Star Wars and a summer-time flamingo print. I will soon have a custom suit that I'll be wearing in the ring too.

Winning in the cage

I love and respect pro wrestling. I have been a fan since late 1982. I've been fortunate enough to serve indy wrestling as a referee and a guest manager. I have even been in the ring to compete on two different occasions. Again, I know this is a long shot, but I'd have more regret not making this plea than doing it and not hearing back or getting told no. Thanks for your consideration and good luck with the show. (PS: don't let my lack of photo editing skills influence your decision.)

Will Punk go All In?

CM Punk
Courtesy: UFC

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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CM Punk has had quite an interesting week. On Tuesday he and Colt Cabana were found not liable in a case filed against the duo by Dr. Chris Amann. Then on Saturday, Punk stepped back into the octagon for his second fight with UFC. He lost to Mike Jackson by decision which has lead to plenty of questions already about Punk's future. 

“No, it should be a wrap,” Dana White said. “The guy’s 39 years old. We gave him two shots, and he had a lot of heart tonight, and I think he should call it a wrap.”

Punk had this to say after the fight Saturday. "You win some, you lose some! I’m 1-1 this week and I’ll take it! Thanks to my team, my family, my friends, and THE FANS! Wouldn’t be here without any of you. Respect to @TheTruthJackson, thanks for the fight! You only live once, and… I’M ALIVE!"

When asked about returning to pro wrestling prior to the fight, Punk said: "I'm done." You can read the full article here. 

Courtesy: WWE

Personally, I'm of the belief that Punk will return to the ring. As we've seen with many Superstars from the past, never say never. I don't see him signing with WWE anytime soon. But I believe he'll become an attraction on the indy circuit and will likely be a part of the big All In event over Labor Day weekend in Chicago. 

I've been up and down on CM Punk. I wasn't crazy about his original run in WWE. It wasn't until the Straight Edge Society and eventually alliance with Paul Heyman that I truly embraced Punk. Then when he left, I thought he came off whiny, however, I understand his concerns and respect what he's done in wrestling. I also applaud him for going after his dreams and getting into the cage in the MMA world. 

It's not been an easy ride for Punk. I still think he has something to contribute to the professional wrestling world. I know he's already going to be at the Pro Wrestling Tees store in Chicago prior to All In. I won't be surprised to see him as a part of the show in some capacity. 

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