Thank you Tony Schiavone

Tony Schiavone & Jim Ross
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My childhood was filled with pro wrestling from any company I had access to in the mid-1980s. In St. Louis, I could watch the WWF, World Class Championship Wrestling, The AWA, Central States, The UWF and The NWA on the Superstation TBS. One of the show's constants was Tony Schiavone. His voice greeted fans each week at 6:05 p.m. I came to like his interviewing style and the way he called matches. And who could forget the excitement in his voice telling us "we're out of time!!!" at the end of each show?

Jesse "the Body" Ventura & Schiavone in the WWF
Courtesy: WWE

I was in high school when Schiavone jumped to the WWF. It was one of the most surprising defections at that point in the "war" between Vince McMahon and Jim Crockett Promotions. Schiavone's departure predated that of Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors. It was weird seeing and hearing a JCP guy on my WWF programming. Disclaimer: I am a wrestling fan, but had always preferred WWF over anyone else. 

Nitro
Courtesy: WWE

Tony as we know eventually went back to WCW where he continued to call the action up until the company's demise in 2001. In the years leading up to that, I had grown bitter toward WCW in the Monday Night Wars, watching both Nitro and Raw. But I had clearly picked a side and was critical of all things WCW, including Schiavone. His infamous "that'll put a lot of butts in the seats" remark about Mankind winning the WWF Championship did it for me. For many years, I had judged Tony's entire body of work based on that one comment.

Years later we'd all learn that Tony was fed the line by Eric Bischoff. I listened to the former commentator tell the story to Jim Ross on his podcast a few years ago. I adopted a whole new respect and appreciation with Schiavone after that interview. And now for the past seven weeks, I have religiously listened to his podcast What Happened When Monday with Conrad Thompson.

I'm a huge fan of Conrad and the role he plays on Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. In fact, Conrad was a guest on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast back in August 2016. Listening to Tony each week tell stories from the past from his perspective has only made me respect and appreciate this man even more.

Episode 7: The Final Nitro show is especially telling. The days of the Monday Night Wars were clearly an emotional time not just for the talent in the ring, but those calling the matches and working behind the scenes too. Fans often forget there are real men and women with families and lives outside the ring. Our fandom sometimes blinds us to that fact. 

Bobby Heenan & Tony Schiavone
Courtesy: WWE

I'm writing this to thank Tony Schiavone for being one of the voices from my childhood. His work was underappreciated by many, myself included. If you haven't already, check out his show on the MLW Radio Network and be sure to stay entertained daily with his tweets (@tonyschiavone24). 

Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns: Believe that

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

After weeks of speculating, it's been confirmed, the Undertaker will face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. Many fans are likely crapping on this idea as the "dream match" at this point for the Undertaker at Mania is to face John Cena.

21-1
Courtesy: WWE

Even though the Streak was broken three years ago, the WWE continues to sell the Undertaker's WrestleMania matches as important. The matches are typically one of the feature bouts at Mania, perhaps the most recent exception being against Bray Wyatt. 

Superman punch
Courtesy: WWE

Am I excited for this match? I'm indifferent to Reigns, and the fans will be the interesting factor here. I suspect he'll get booed louder than he has in recent months as he faces one of the iconic Superstars in the history of the company. Considering the options, if they're not going to do Cena-Undertaker, Reigns is the next best option at this point. I still don't think Braun Strowman is a credible opponent for 'Taker.

WrestleMania 29 entrance
Courtesy: WWE

But should we care about any of Undertaker's matches anymore since the Streak ended in 2014? I'm inclined to think not, but there's still that nostalgia that still seems to be there. Chad says he can see Roman winning and going on to battle Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship as the only two Superstars to hold WrestleMania victories over The Dead Man. 

WrestleMania 32 victory
Courtesy: WWE

While I don't want to see that down the road, I wouldn't be surprised and it would be a logical way to bring Reigns back into the title hunt. However, I'm still of the belief the Streak should have never ended. But the way they had built up Lesnar in 2014, it made sense. 

Time will tell. Enjoy the ride. I really don't think Roman Reigns is that bad as a Superstar. But WWE should listen to the fans like they did with Rocky Maivia, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. Doing so could turn Reigns into a MEGA Superstar.

The great escape

We escaped

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

After years of wanting to do it, my family finally embarked on an escape room adventure. We traveled to Paducah, Kentucky to check out Talon Falls Escape. Because they don’t want the secrets of the room out, cameras are banned from inside and my details about the experience will be vague.

We chose the Heist game. Other selections include the Collector and the Antidote. You have to make reservations online, so don’t just show up and expect to get in. Our family of five was paired with two other couples. Before going in there’s an instructional video and the game master walks you into the room.

You’re surrounded by clues and it’s your team’s job to figure out the answers and start unlocking things to get to the next phase of the game. It’s a timed experience. There are 60 minutes on the clock and we wondered before going in if we’d “escape.”

Our team decided to go with the easy mode, which included six free clues. We used those to our advantage and managed to get through it all in just over 55 minutes. It was a lot of fun and even the teenagers got into the problem-solving mission. It’s something we’ll go back and do again, trying one of the other rooms.

Making Stride great again

The DR Party grows
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

As a ring announcer for Stride Pro Wrestling, I try to not show favoritism toward the men and women who step through the ropes. But as a wrestling blogger, it's hard to not write about the promotion. It's a great way to help get the word out about a company I truly believe in and think has many great days to come.

Keeping it clean
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

A few months ago two of the Stride Wrestling School graduates debuted with a new gimmick. Dexter Roswell and his bodyguard Brian Richards hit the ring, vowing to "make Stride great again." The two make a great pairing and the reaction they get from the crowd is perfect. Roswell walks to the ring shaking hands and politicking only to get to the ring and insists on cleaning his hands with sanitizer. He makes his opponents use the sanitizer before shaking their hand. The routine makes me laugh every time and then Mr. Roswell cuts a promo burying the fans and the wrestlers in the back, including El Magnifico. 

DR Party wins
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

At the One Year Anniversary Show, Roswell and Richards were battling the team of Eugene Drip and JD Wilk. Just as the good guys had the upper hand, referee Nathan Brag delivered a low blow allowing the DR Party to pick up the win. Moments later, Brag took off his striped shirt and revealed a bright red DR Party t-shirt. He joined Roswell and Richard in the middle of the ring standing proud.

The DR Party was already headed on the right path. Now with Brag in the mix, this trio could end up causing, even more, chaos in Stride Pro Wrestling. It's great seeing young wrestlers succeed and chase their dreams. Stay tuned to see what's next for the DR Party on Saturday, April 8 at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion.

Foreign Object Friday: Bret Hart's metal plate

The metal plate
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

One of my favorite moments from the Monday Night Wars came in March 1999. Granted by then WWE had a firm grip in the ratings' battle. I had always been a wrestling fan first, but WWE was my preferred programming, even in the lean times. 

Anyway, back to the moment. Nitro was in Toronto that night and Bret Hart was in the ring, running down the roster and complaining how no one would face him. Then he mentioned Goldberg, to which the music started and the former World Champion made his way to the ring. He wasn't in the ring more than a few seconds before spearing Hart.

Spear fail

But much to the surprise of the audience, not only did Bret go down, so did Goldberg. He laid prone on top of Bret who was flat on his back, reeling from the impact of the Spear. After a bit, Hart rolled Goldberg over and counted three for the pin. Then he took off his hockey jersey and revealed a metal plate that Bobby Heenan described as "solid iron, probably." Hart had a few words for Eric Bischoff, "I quit" and then he left the ring. 

Pinning Goldberg
Courtesy: WWE

Of course, Hart didn't really quit as this move set up a feud with Goldberg and an injury that would eventually force Bret to retire. But that moment in Toronto was incredible to me because for years, Goldberg had basically run all over the competition, only being pinned at that point by Kevin Nash thanks to a cattle prod at Starrcade a few months earlier.

I wish Bret would have willed that steel plate to Kevin Owens the other night at FastLane. Maybe he'd still be WWE Universal Champion, but I digress. I loved the metal plate. It was a great catalyst to set up an intense rivalry. 

My next step

Blog mode

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Before the start of the new year, I vowed 2017 would be the year I focus on my brand and grow my blogging business. Honestly, I've hit a bit of a rut and in the next two to three weeks I will be launching a new website. It'll be called kevinhunsperger.com and will be a one stop shop for my blogging services as well as links to my other projects, like My 1-2-3 Cents and Craftbeericans. 

The monkey and the wrestling blog will remain right here. I just want to differentiate what I do with the wrestling musings and the business of blogging or doing speaking gigs. As I prepare to move forward, though, I need your input. Pictured below are several different fonts I'm looking at as the header for the new website. Let me know which one you like. If it's none of them, let me know that too. Also, someone please tell me, is Kevin Hunsperger: Blogger the right way to present this? Weigh in on the blog or hit me up on social media. Thanks, everyone.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

Option 7

Option 8

Crushed with fear

Kevin at 15

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tales of my teenage years and the mild angst I experienced seem to do well here. So here's another story from those days gone by, but hopefully with a lesson wrapped up in it too. I'd like to think my awkwardness will pave the way for some other young person to not follow in my footsteps. 

Picture it, February 1989. I'm a sophomore in high school, a month away from turning 16 and getting my license. I thought having a license and a car would increase my odds at a social life and help me break out of my shell. It did not, but that's not what this story is about.

Back to that night, for some reason, I got dressed up and went to the "Heart Hop" Valentine's dance. I went alone but hung out with friends at the dance as we awkwardly would make our way to the bleachers when a slow song would start to play.

There was a girl there that I had been crushing on for some time, despite not ever once talking to her. We had mutual friends and through the course of the night, one of them informed me that she would dance with me if I asked her. I thought my heart would hop right out of my chest just thinking about asking her to dance. Even though I was given a guaranteed "yes" to my request I was still paralyzed with fear.

Stock photo

Then it happened, Chris De Burgh's Lady in Red started playing. I mustered up the courage and asked my crush to dance. She agreed and we moved onto the dance floor. Now for the awkward part. We didn't talk for the entire 4 minutes and 17 seconds of the song. When it was over I thanked her and we both went our own ways. We didn't speak again until we had a class together our senior year.

My apprehension to follow-up was based on fear and my belief that if she was interested, she would make the next move. I have no idea if she was or wasn't, but the lesson learned here is to not wait for the opportunity to knock. I love this quote from The Rock:

That's the case for EVERY walk of life. Whether you're a teenage boy trying to find the courage to ask out a girl or getting your career jumpstarted. For a long time, I kept waiting for news directors to call me with a job offer. I still sit and wait for WWE to stumble upon my work and call me. I know that's really not going to happen, but I think about it. More realistically I keep telling myself my blogs are going to catch someone's eye and they'll contact me with an amazing freelancing gig. I'm still not breaking out of my shell and pursuing those clients like I should be. 

It's a work in progress some 28 years after that dance in the gymnasium of good ol' Northwest High School. Don't let your fear of the unknown force you out of the game completely.  As Gary Vee once said, "You're better off going 1 for 5 than going 0 for 0."