AUDIO: Cape Comic Con Connection

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By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Once again, I made my way to Cape Comic Con in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. But this year was different. I wasn't just there as a fan. The other hosts on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network had a table at this year's con.

We connected with many people, some who already listen and others we hope will start tuning in. If you stopped by the table, we appreciate it. Let us know what you want to hear on the Jittery Monkey Podcasting Network.

Something else as part of the weekend, Cape Championship Wrestling. Chad Smart (Positive Cynicism) and I attended the show along with Greg Mehochko (Nerds United, 5 Heart Podcast) and Mike Luther (Nerds United Co-Host of the Year).

Listen to the My 1-2-3 Cents recap of the weekend right here.

The Cock and Sock Connection

Socko meets cocko
OTT Wrestling 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I'm sure the headline for this blog isn't original, but I hadn't seen it when I thought of it and it seemed like a no brainer. I polled (pun intended) some of my fellow wrestling fan friends and asked if it was too over the top. I am mildly concerned it may offend some, but I've decided if the core audience I'm aiming for isn't offended, then we'll move forward. If you are offended, skip the rest of this and check in again tomorrow.

It seems that the Wrestling Internet Community has been buzzing from a weekend video of Mick Foley and Socko going up against Joey Ryan and his well... penis. Ryan is well known on the indy scene for having the most powerful penis in the world. It was nearly two years ago that he got into a test of strength against a Japanese wrestler and Ryan was able to use his junk to overpower his foe. Since then it's been a staple in a Joey Ryan match. 

But like most things in wrestling, the move draws criticism from some fans and folks in the industry. It's safe to say Jim Cornette is the biggest opponent of the spot (and many other moves done by indy guys in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Chikara Pro and other companies of the sort). Anyway, back to the Foley portion of this, it happened in after a match and Foley along with Mr. Socko tried to beat the King of Dong Style. But Ryan's penis prevailed and Foley ended up getting flipped like many of Ryan's opponents have.

Foley & Cornette

Cornette tweeted after seeing the spot, "I love @RealMikeFoley, sad to see a real star stooping to give credibility to an asswipe nobody like this. Sorry, have to tell the truth." 

A meme from Foley's page

Foley fired back, "So last night in Dublin, there was an incident involving a case of mistaken identity, and a leapfrog that turned an innocent attempt at a mandible claw into something far, FAR more sinister! I know Joey Ryan's #DickFlip has divided the wrestling Community in a way we previously thought only John Cena or Roman Reigns could! It has become the #IWC equivalent of the Trump/Hillary election - ending friendships, even turning brother against brother...brother! Son against Daddy...daddy! It's quite possible Jim Cornette will never speak to me again after seeing this photo - a solid 28 year friendship over in a matter of seconds! So why, you may ask, would I participate in such a potentially divisive penile palming? The answer is simple - look at the smiles. JUST LOOK AT THE SMILES! There is a smile, literally on EVERY face! In the end, isn't that what it's all about? If applying the mandible claw to Joey Ryan's genitalia last night was wrong...I don't want to be right!

Please let me know how YOU feel about this gripping problem!
The #MickFoleyMemorabiliaAuction begins tomorrow at http://rainn.org with 100% of profits going to #RAINN"

Joey Ryan in Cape Championship Wrestling

Now for my 1-2-3 cents on the matter. Wrestling has always had a comical or cartoonish element to it. Jake Roberts covering an opponent with a snake, Brutus Beefcake cutting an opponent's hair and Dusty Rhodes trying to fool us as the Midnight Rider. I love Cornette and I respect his opinion, he's being a bit too harsh and critical of the men and women who are doing these comedy gimmicks. Wrestling is entertainment. There's room for the fun and the seriousness. I've been to a show where Ryan did the YouPorn Plex (Cape Championship Wrestling) and the crowd popped for it. My buddy (Tom Harness) has only been to a couple indy shows in his life and he still talks about Ryan's performance months later.

Joey Ryan in Cape Championship Wrestling
Courtesy: Tom Harness

So it's different strokes for different folks (again, pun intended). Cornette has the right to his opinion as do his supporters. And Ryan has the right to do a gimmick that has made him a more popular performer on the indy scene. I'd heard of him before this but would have never been able to pick him out of a lineup, so the publicity is more likely helping him and helping wrestling. Moves like this are not a detriment to the business. Let's agree to disagree and move along.

Cape Comic Con is layin' the smack down

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Cape Con Snapchat filter
Courtesy: Harness Digital Marketing

Cape Comic Con is in its 12th year. The event has always featured some kind of wrestling element. Legends have come in for meet and greets, including the likes of Terry Funk, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Jim Cornette and "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton (who I met & interviewed in 2015). Some years there have been matches. But 2017 will be a banner year for wrestling and comics. Cape Championship Wrestling is part of two big shows.

Mickie Knuckles wins the trophy
Photo courtesy: J. Ryan Abney (Spooky's Customs)

Friday night, Mickie "Moose" Knuckles won the Girl Fight Luna Vachon memorial tournament. (I had picked her to win on my blog earlier this week). Saturday night (at 7 p.m.) it's the Cape Championship Wrestling Super Show. You can view the full card here, but in addition to the company mainstays like champion Brandon Barbwire, tag team champions Farmer Billy Hills and Dell Tucker and "Sexy" Sarge O'Riley there will be a handful of special guests. Colt Cabana, Joey Ryan and Leva Bates (aka Blue Pants) will be part of the action too.

The Pinnacle at Cape Con
Photo courtesy: Farmer Billy Hills

Stars from CCW will be at the company's booth Saturday and Sunday at the Osage Center as well. I am headed to Cape Con shortly with my buddy iBatman. We will be there through the wrestling show as well. We'll recap the events on Monday's podcast. I'm looking forward to hearing the perspective of a partial wrestling fan.

 

Where Are the Heels?

Joey Ryan at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

Last Saturday, (July 21) I attended Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s ninth anniversary show, Threemendous 3. I had a couple of co-workers who decided they wanted to see what the independent wrestling scene was like so I agreed to go with them to the Reseda American Legion Hall in celebration of PWG’s anniversary. My co-workers ended up having to cancel their trip due to other obligations, but since tickets were already bought, I found replacement peeps and went anyway. Initially I wasn’t too excited about the line up. I felt the two title matches would be good but the undercard lacked any real stand out matches. After the show, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the show was with a couple of matches I didn’t expect much from ending up being really impressive. However, I noticed something that has been plaguing the Indy scene for quite some time. There are hardly any heels.

In the eight matches featuring 22 wrestlers, I would say only three wrestlers acted and were treated like heels. Joey Ryan was his usual sleazy, arrogant self, who elicits half cheers and half boos from the audience. Since turning heel a year and a half ago or so, the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) have amped up their annoying personalities and get a massive heel response from the crowd. Then you have guys like PWG Champion Kevin Steen, Sami Callahan and Chuck Taylor who by their actions should be considered heels yet they get more cheers from the audience than boos.

Kevin Steen
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

I’m not saying wrestling fans should automatically cheer faces and boo heels, I believe in freely being able to treat wrestlers however you choose. I don’t care if WWE has Randy Orton coming out kissing babies, petting dogs and curing cancer, I don’t think I’ll ever cheer him. The bigger issue is it seems very few wrestlers want to be full on heels. Sure they may want to be a cool heel, which is the category I’d put Kevin Steen in, but few wrestlers appear to be full on dastardly heels.

Maybe it’s not entirely the wrestler’s fault. Perhaps the fans are to blame. Because Indy shows are smaller and fans have more interaction with the wrestlers, instead of seeing them as strictly a performer in the ring, they see them as a friend they talk to after the show and this leads to the fans wanting to be supportive, but not critical. One of my biggest pet peeves with independent wrestling matches from the crowd perspective is the overuse of dueling chants. I believe it just about every match at the PWG show there was a “Lets Go Wrestler A,” "Lets Go Wrestler B” chant several times throughout the matches. Granted fans on the Indy level are more die hard wrestling fans than your normal WWE/TNA fan and appreciate the athletic aspect of what wrestlers do more than just wanting to hear a catchphrase or see the top guy. This may lead to wanting to see a good match up over seeing a specific wrestler.

Ladder match
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

The problem I have with this though is that if you’re not rooting for a specific wrestler than the matches become unnecessary. Maybe not unnecessary, the matches become meaningless. Who cares who wins or who loses? As long as the match can get a “This is Awesome” chant the fans leave happy. Maybe it’s the old school fan in me, but I miss the days where you had a wrestler you wanted to see get his comeuppance and had a wrestler you wanted to see succeed. While I appreciate a well contested back and forth match and can acknowledge a heel’s talent, is it too much to ask for to have actual real heels in today’s wrestling universe?

I think that’s part of why I enjoy Chikara as much as I do. (Come on, you didn’t think I’d write a blog and not get a Chikara plug in did you?) Between The Swarm, Tim Donst, The Batiri and Icarus, they have guys who relish in being heels and fans enjoying booing them.

Anyway, that’s my take. What do you think? Should heels be more pronounced in today’s wrestling environment? Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.