AUDIO: 2 is Greater Than 1

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I recently blogged about changes coming to the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. The first of those changes is officially complete. 2 is Greater Than 1 is a new monthly feature with Tyler 'Heath' Hatton of Stride Pro Wrestling. 

In the first installment, we talk about the late, great Harley Race, the importance of storytelling in pro wrestling and what's next for Stride. Listen here.

Pick the next Stride guest

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Stride Pro Wrestling is turning to fans to help determine the next guest who comes to one of our shows. Note we already have James Ellsworth lined up for the April 14 show in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. You can vote on the choices here. Note I am merely fantasy booking here and have no influence on what's going to happen with these particular stars. The contenders include:

Ryback vs. Hatton
Courtesy: WWE

Ryback. He, of course, is a former WWE Intercontentinal Champion. Could Heath Hatton and Ace Hawkins team up and get revenge on the former Skip Sheffield. Remember that duo faced Ryback at WWE Extreme Rules in 2012.

Billy Gunn and I have gone against each other in video game form. We also told the crowd in Herrin to "Suck it!" back in April 2005. He's a former WWE tag team, Intercontinental and Hardcore champ. Maybe he and I could team up for a match... 

Courtesy: WWE

Who is most likely to get hardcore with Hardcore Holly? He's been the Hardcore champ along with tag team champion in WWE. He's tougher than a two dollar steak, just like Roger Matheus.

J. Wellington Beauregard and the "Million Dollar" Man Ted DiBiase could compare bank accounts if you chose the former tag team champion. I'm sure DiBiase wouldn't mind funding the DR Party's mission to "Make Stride great again" either.

And last but not least, we'd all give Jerry "the King" Lawler the royal treatment should he be selected. He's old school like Ax Allwardt. Maybe the two could team up against members of the DR Party.

Please vote. We'll let you know soon who we are able to strike a deal with.  

Former WWE PPV wrestlers battle in Stride Pro Wrestling

2 is Greater than 1
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The headline is true. Two former WWE pay per view guests will be doing battle this Saturday night at Stride Pro Wrestling. In 2012 Jay (Heath) Hatton and Aaron Relic (Ace Hawkins) teamed up and took on Ryback at Extreme Rules. The duo didn't fare well, but having known both men from their time in All American Pro Wrestling, I couldn't have been prouder.

Hatton & Hawkins team with Jay Spade
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Fast forward to present day, the '2 is Greater than 1' duo is part of Stride Pro Wrestling. Hawkins' appearances have been more sporadic, but he's always a welcomed guest here as the fans in southern Illinois have grown to love his work in the ring. Hatton, of course, has been a staple in Stride and a former heavyweight and Legacy champion. The two have teamed up here and have similar foes. However, the two are about to find themselves on opposite sides of the ring.

That's right, Hatton and Hawkins are signed for the opening round of the Stride Cup Tournament. Eight men are battling for the first-ever Stride Cup. In addition to the abovementioned stars, you'll also see Ax Allwardt, JD Wilk, El Magnifico, Brian Richards, Shane Lauder and a yet to be announced wrestler in the tournament. 

Hawkins and Hatton wrestling overseas

Hatton and Hawkins have a wealth of experience in the ring. Not only have they torn things up on the indy scene here in the Midwest, they've also had big opportunities to wrestle overseas. Those experiences in Europe along with the short time with WWE peppered with their years on the indies, it's going to be an exciting match and will likely steal the show.

Come check out the Stride Cup opening round and all the other action this Saturday night. Bell time is 6:30 p.m. at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

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Heath Hatton meets Kevin Cheeseburger

Kevin "Cheeseburger" and Heath Hatton on News 3 This Morning

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's a Way Back Wednesday edition of the blog and back to 2010. I had a guest on the morning newscast I co-anchor. His name is Curly and he was on the show to promote a fundraiser wrestling event. If you're a fan of Stride Pro Wrestling, you likely know who Curly is and you definitely know who Heath Hatton is. That morning was the first time I'd met Hatton. Click below for more on what happened that morning.

As I mentioned, that was seven years ago. Hatton has changed quite a bit in that time. He was a cocky, up and coming bad guy wrestling around the region. Fast forward a year or so and this incident happened and I was no longer Kevin Cheeseburger.

Heath and I became friends through All American Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Collision. When both of those companies folded, we kept in touch and in 2016 I was honored when he asked me to be the ring announcer for Stride Pro Wrestling. He has made plenty more appearances on News 3 This Morning and has continued to grow as a wrestler. Heck, less than two years after that Cheeseburger incident he was in a WWE ring wrestling a WWE Superstar (Ryback) on a WWE pay per view (Extreme Rules 2012). Later that same year he battled Adam Pearce for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship.

Wrestling BFFs
20

Back to present day, Hatton has had a few bad months with Stride Pro Wrestling. He lost the championship to Roger Matheus in an amazing TLC match. He was pinned by the champ in a fatal four-way the next month that included Jay Spade and Red Daniels. Heath and Spade later lost a tag team contest to Matheus and Daniels. And most recently he came up short against Spade in a number one contender's match.

Find out what's next for Heath Hatton this Saturday night. September Fallout begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. Tickets are just $10 each. We'll see you there.

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Will there be a hoedown after this showdown?

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Stride Pro Wrestling returns this Saturday night, January 7 with several great matches. The Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Heath Hatton steps into the ring against "Farmer" Billy Hills. Both men are two of the most popular wrestlers in Stride so this contest will be very interesting, to say the least.

Hatton wins the gold

Hatton won the title in November and had a successful defense against "Big" Roger Matheus, Joey O'Riley and former champ Ax Allwardt in December. Hatton's record speaks for itself. He's had some great matches against all comers from former NWA World Champion Adam Pearce to Daniel Eads to a shot on WWE Extreme Rules against Ryback. 

Farmer Billy Hills
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

But don't underestimate the man from Mudlick, Kentucky. Farmer is one of the toughest competitors I've seen in indy wrestling. He's battled the likes of Allwardt, Tony Flood and "The Hitman" Jake Capone. Farmer hasn't tasted gold yet in Stride, but he's come close, making it to the semi-finals of the Legacy Championship tournament. Farmer is very deserving of the opportunity he's receiving. He will not take this moment lightly and will be ready to go against Hatton. But as you might expect, Hatton has the heart of a champion and shouldn't be taken lightly by any opponent. 

Once the dust settles will Farmer being celebrating the showdown against Hatton with a hoedown? Find out Saturday night. Bell time is at 6:30 at the CMA Dojo at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion.

Bye-bye Big Guy

Ryback
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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After months of speculation, it looks like WWE and Ryback have officially parted ways. Ryback posted a video earlier on his Instagram page.

"The big guy Ryback would like to wish the WWE the best of luck in their future endeavours. From this point forward myself and the WWE will no longer be conducting business together. I would personally like to say thank you to all the WWE performers whom I've had the pleasure of being in the ring with," said Ryback.

The Big Guy plans to launch a new website Feed Me More on Monday, August 8. Ryback has a clothing line, motivational book and nutritional supplements. He also says he'll continue wrestling (no word where).

Jay Hatton vs. Ryback at Extreme Rules 2012
Courtesy: WWE

WWE screwed up with the Ryback experiment years ago. The early push was great, but then throwing him almost immediately from squash matches to the world title picture was a mistake. Ryback got the Goldberg comparison and with good reason. Their pushes were similar in the early phases and you can't deny appearances of both Superstars was almost identical. By the way my favorite Ryback match is the one where he battled my buddy "Jay" Hatton.

Turning him heel and feuding with John Cena and then stumbling down the card was also a mistake. Ryback had the potential to be a huge breakout star. I even had hope for he and Curtis Axel as a tag team and becoming "Paul Heyman guys." It's hard for me to believe I'm actually saying this, as I could not stand Skip Sheffield during the first season of NXT. Even as the Ryback character he was never my favorite, but I do respect the man and what he's done.

Ryback
Courtesy: WWE

Part of my attitude change comes after hearing Ryback on the Steve Austin podcast. During the interview he sounded confident, but humble. It seems he got caught in the wheel of doom and was lost in the shuffle. I remained optimistic he'd redeem himself after returning face and winning the Intercontinental title. He just never had a good chance. Fans loved him, at least the kids did. Chalk this up to another missed opportunity by WWE. 

Wrestler's Worth

Ryback
Courtesy: WWE

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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Tuesday morning of this week, word spread on the Internet that due to ongoing contract negotiations, Ryback was sent home before Monday Night Raw. Later on Tuesday, Ryback posted a statement on his Tumblr page explaining his side of the story. Basically it comes down to Ryback thinking all wrestlers should be paid essentially the same base level due to wrestling being a predetermined sport.

Damien Sandow
Courtesy: WWE

Ryback’s argument is since wrestling is predetermined, management and creative determine whom the top stars are instead of talent themselves dictating their status. Other sports can get away with a pay discrepancy because the athletes prove their own worth. If given the opportunity, a NFL team is going to pay Tom Brady more than Ryan Tannehill because Brady has proved himself to be a better cheater… I mean, better player. When it comes to wrestling though, has Roman Reigns proven himself to be better than Damien Sandow, or just given more chances at being in higher profile situations?

Roman Reigns
Courtesy: WWE

Sticking with the Reigns/Sandow comparison, right now Reigns is “The Guy” while Sandow is primarily missing in action. However if the two were to face off against each other, odds are Sandow would receive the bigger positive reaction.

Scanning the crowd, even if Sandow is getting more cheers, there will be more fans wearing Roman Reigns t-shirts. Why? Because the kiosk at the event probably doesn’t sell any Sandow shirts while stocking at least two different Reigns shirts.

Over the past 2-3 years, Sandow has been over with the crowd while being saddled with some less than stellar ideas. Instead of capitalizing on Sandow’s popularity and establishing him as a top player, he has routinely been taken off TV for stretches at a time.

Going back to Ryback’s argument, when their contracts are up for renewal, should Sandow be paid considerably less than Reigns? They’ve both done what has been asked of them by WWE. They’re on the road probably the same about of days per year. The only difference is Vince McMahon has determined Roman Reigns is the top guy.

Ryback vs. "Jay" Hatton
Courtesy: WWE

While I don’t think all wrestlers should be paid the exact same, seems too socialist to me, I do think Ryback has a valid point. Since WWE has eliminated the full time jobber position, some of the wrestlers they have under contract have to fill that position. But who decides which wrestlers are jobbers and which are Superstars? When the person signing the paycheck determines an employee’s status in the company, does it make sense to have an arbitrary pay scale?

Unfortunately I don’t think Ryback’s stance is going to change anything within WWE. Unless other wrestlers follow suit, WWE can easily have Ryback sit at home for the remainder of his contract and continue business as usual. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

SummerSlam A to Z: Nexus

Nexus vs. Team WWE
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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The summer of 2010 saw one of the best debuts of new talent in recent years in WWE.  The eight young men from the show NXT showed up during the main event of Raw featuring John Cena versus CM Punk.  Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater, David Otunga, Darren Young, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield and Justin Gabriel beat the hell out of Cena, Punk, Luke Gallows, Jerry Lawler and even ring announcer Justin Roberts.

Nexus with the advantage
Courtesy: WWE

The group identified themselves as Nexus and continued to attack WWE Superstars and Legends, including the company's CEO Vince McMahon in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam.  Along the way Daniel Bryan was fired from the company in real life because he choked Roberts with a tie. But the storyline was that Nexus kicked Bryan out of the group.

Skip Sheffield takes on John Morrison
Courtesy: WWE

Eventually Daniel was rehired by WWE and joined Cena and other WWE Superstars who'd had enough of the of the violent tactics by the Nexus.  This lead to a seven-on-seven elimination match in the main event of SummerSlam 2010.  Cena and Bryan were joined by Bret Hart, Edge, Chris Jericho, R-Truth and John Morrison to defeat the Nexus.  

Winner!
Courtesy: WWE

Cena was the sole survivor, having come back from a two on one disadvantage.  I thought the match should have gone the other way and given Nexus more solid footing.  In the months that followed they floundered in singles and tag matches against other established talent.  Another reason I didn't like this being an elimination match is because it too close to Bragging Rights and Survivor Series, which both featured multi-man elimination matches.

Bryan vs. Barrett
Courtesy: WWE

I think it's fair to say probably half of the Nexus alumni enjoyed success.  The other half is either MIA or not with the WWE anymore.  Bryan, Barrett and Sheffield (now Ryback) have enjoyed singles championship success.  Young and Titus O'Neil of course are the current tag team champions.  They've come a long way over the last five years.

I Want to Be a Pro Wrestler

Heath Hatton 

Guest post by Heath Hatton
@Heath_Hatton on Twitter
Listen to hear Heath on My 1-2-3 Cents the podcast

I have been a professional wrestler for over 5 years, and I love everything about it: the fans, the locker room, the stories, the moves, the bonding, and the history.  It’s not just wrestling to me; its so much more.  It’s who I am. With that being said, this blog is about a question myself and every other professional wrestler is asked hundreds of times: “Where can I train to be a wrestler?” It's not really an annoying question nor is it one that I hate to answer like the famous “Is wrestling fake?” question that I despise.  

However, the answer that I give never seems to be the answer the person wants to hear.  I will confess that sometimes I will be lazy and send them the name of a few wrestling schools or other contacts I know about just to blow them off.  That’s why I am writing this blog. My hope is to explain why I tend to ignore the question and why I don’t always show excitement in helping people who want to become a “professional wrestler.”

The brotherhood of wrestling

            

People who want to wrestle need to understand professional wrestling is not WWE.  Yes, we all love WWE and want to get there, but what we do on a weekly basis is not WWE. It is not fancy or glamorous, and it doesn’t have jumbotrons with entrance music and videos, story lines, tour busses, fancy locker rooms, 4 star hotels, huge crowds, big pay days, t-shirts, and it’s definitely not going to make you famous.  Chances are you will never even set foot in a WWE ring or become a famous star.

Catching a chair

Ask yourself these questions, "What would I be training for, and why do it?"  If you can’t answer, then you probably shouldn’t even start. Wrestling isn’t just “indy wrestling,” it's not just WWE, it's not just “strong style,” and it’s not just “hardcore style.”  Those are just names.  Wrestling is a bond between brothers, an art form, and it’s something that I love and hold close to my heart.  Wrestling is only 30 fans in a hot gym on a Friday night, it is driving 3 hours to a show and possibly making only $30, it is sitting at a wrestling venue for 6 hours on a Saturday, it is setting up a ring and chairs, it is little tiny dressing room where there isn’t enough room to sit down, it’s not being able to walk on Monday, and it’s literally putting your life in the hands of someone else.

Flying high

I would never discourage anybody who loves wrestling to not give it a shot. Being a professional wrestler is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I loved it growing up, and I love it now. I’m sure you love it as well. I just want you to know exactly what it is you love. Do you love the story lines, the surprise cash-ins, the surprise appearances, the back stage segments or do you love the matches? Do you get excited for the 20-minute mid-card TV matches that are just golden? Do you get excited to see the mid-card tag match or pre-main squash match?  

It’s simple, my neighbor is a great guy who loves wrestling. We talked about Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels the other day. That doesn’t mean he would make a great wrestler. He has never heard nor seen any of ROH, Evolve, OVW, SICW, USA Championship Wrestling or basically anything other than WWE.  Have you heard of those? Have you sat and watched anything other than WWE? Have you searched Youtube for matches from an Indy show in Tennessee? 

Wrestling hurts

If not, that’s ok. What do you do? You go find a place that is running a show and ask them if you can come help set up the ring and work security. You will know in the first hour of a show if you want to be in this business.  That’s my advice; that’s my long answer. Don’t get in this business and disrespect it by not loving it.  Professional wrestling is one big family, and our family doesn’t take kindly to guys disrespecting what we do. So if you just want to hit a bunch of finishing moves you saw on TV this is not the thing for you.  But if you want to learn an art and respect the history of that art then jump in with both feet to the best business in the world.

           

Editor's note:  Heath Hatton has wrestled for several independent companies around the midwest.  He also had a handicap match as "Jay Hatton" with "Aaron Relic" against Ryback at the WWE pay-per-view Extreme Rules in 2012.  
         

Boo: Hell in a Cell 2013

Courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Another Hell in a Cell pay per view is nearly here.  Like previous HIAC PPVs, the this one features two of the trademark cage matches, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan will battle for the WWE Championship and CM Punk takes on Paul Heyman and Ryback in a handicap match. I don't read dirt sheets or spoiler reports, so I'm basing my predictions on just what I've seen on Raw and through highlights of SmackDown!

Courtesy: WWE.com

I'll start with the championship match.  Regular readers know I'm not a huge Randy Orton fan.  While I can't exactly pinpoint my disdain with him, I do know I'd rather see just about anyone as the "face" of WWE other than him.  Daniel Bryan on the other hand is probably the fastest rising star the company has had in recent years.  He's not your typical WWE cookie cutter Superstar, and that's what I like about him.  I would love for him to really get a chance to stay at the top of the card for a length of time, but I don't see it happening.

I smell a Shawn Michaels screw job (he's the special guest referee).  With all the "tension" they're showing between Orton, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon and Shawn, I just think it'll go down that way. They're setting us up to believe that HBK is going to be Bryan's advocate, since he trained him, but I predict Shawn delivers some Sweet Chin Music on Bryan and Orton wins the match and the vacated title.  Big Show, who's being built up as the sympathetic hero, will avenge it all and beat Orton for the championship eventually.

Courtesy: WWE.com

CM Punk has had his history with Ryback before.  I think they even met in last year's HIAC with Brad Maddox screwing over Ryback as the referee.  Punk is looking for revenge on Heyman for the loss he suffered.  I would be really surprised if the former WWE Champion lost this contest.  I still gotta wonder if Brock Lesnar is going to be brought back in to finish the story with Punk.  Maybe that chapter continues Sunday night.  I'd love to see Punk get his mojo back and I think this is just the feud to accomplish that.

Courtesy: WWE.com

John Cena makes his return on Sunday against World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio.  I want to start off saying I like John Cena.  I think he's great for business, but I wonder if the company is rushing his return.  I also wonder why in the blue hell (sorry Rock) is he getting the WHC match?  Sure he's John Cena, but I find throwing him right back into the title picture is exactly what's wrong with the company.  Guys like Dolph Ziggler continue to toil and put over other talent, while guys who have been around a decade or longer enjoy the main event picture.  I was once told never bet against Cena.  So for that reason, I look for him to win the title, but I have nothing else to base that prediction on.

Courtesy: WWE.com

Big E Langston has suddenly become a contender for the Intercontinental title.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him win the belt Sunday night.  But really, to make the Curtis Axel Project work, he needs to retain.  I really don't think the WWE has done a good job with the development of the Axel character.  I predicted months ago that he was going to be the next Paul Heyman guy, but I feel like he's just kinda there.  Personally, I think they put the IC title on him way too soon, and never really gave him a chance to develop.  He went from not being on TV to almost being over exposed.  I wonder if he's headed down the same path Zack Ryder took.

Courtesy: WWE.com

I love that Goldust is back in the WWE.  I think he and Cody Rhodes make a great team.  I wonder though how long term this deal is for Dustin and whether this is all leading to that much anticipated Cody vs. Goldie match at Wrestlemania.  The Rhodes' Brothers will defend the tag team titles against the Shield and the Usos.  While I don't like to see titles hot potatoed, I do prefer Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins as the tag team champions.  The Usos were under utilized for so long, I still can't buy into them as contenders.

Courtesy: WWE.com

Brie Bella challenges AJ Lee for the Divas Championship.  I'm not going to bash the Bellas in this post, but I'd much rather see AJ in a program with Natalya or even her new bodyguard Tamina Snuka.  Even though the Bellas are getting fan support again, they're a duo I just can't get in to either.  I understand why they're keeping Brie in the spotlight now since she's engaged to Bryan, but I wonder if he loses Sunday, what does that mean for her?  My hope is that AJ retains and Natalya gets another shot at redemption.

As of this writing that's all the matches announced.  Would love to see guys like Ziggler, Damien Sandow, and the U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose involved.  I suspect there will be at least another match or two added, maybe tonight on SmackDown or Sunday on the show.  Let me know what you think.