Five Starr Update

Well, MAYHEM has once again come and gone.  Last year at MAYHEM, I made my long-awaited return to the ring to tag up with Stan Lee and Derrick King to face off with The Black Label Society and T@2!  That match was nominated for Match of the Year by Rasslin Riot Online.  This year, I cashed in my Elite 8 ticket to get a shot at Stan Lee and his EWE Heavyweight Championship.  And just like I predicted a few days back, this match lived up to my prediction of once again being nominated for MOTY.  If you missed it, I can’t wait til you can watch it.

The match featured all sorts of specialties.  450 splah attempt by Stan (you know I don’t leave my feet!)  A Starr Struck off the top rope.  Two refs went down in the mix.  And finally, the finish came with a Liger Bomb by Stan Lee, retaining his Championship in front of a packed house in Ripley, TN.  I couldn’t have been happier with the match… unless I won, obviously.

Post-match I couldn’t wait to lie down in the locker room.  I don’t know what it was, but I was in some pain.  I layed down on my towel in the locker room floor and just had to stretch out.  I tweaked my knee (nothing unusual), I was aching in my back but I was beaming with pride.  I have thoroughly enjoyed every single second that I have spent working with EWE.  I have zero complaints and zero regrets.  Oh yeah, and I’ll be back in two weeks.

Do you like watching wrestling?

What makes a person want to get into the wrestling business?  Being rich and famous… yeah, yeah, yeah.  That’s fine and dandy.  But there’s many things you can do to become rich and famous.  Why do they pick wrestling?  Why did I pick wrestling?  Why did many of the wrestlers choose this profession over any other?  To me, it’s simple.  I got into the business because I was a huge wrestling fan.  I loved watching wrestling and I thought it would be interesting to do.  Boom – simple, I chose the business because I’m a fan of it.

When you become a wrestler, sometimes it changes your outlook.  Actually, MOST of the time, it changes your outlook on wrestling.  Some guys can no longer be fans of the business.  They look at wrestling from a critic’s standpoint instead of a fan’s point of view.  They watch matches and judge them based on the “missed-spots” instead of enjoying the matches as a fan would.  They totally change their outlook on wrestling to the point where some guys can’t even watch wrestling anymore on television! 

Five Starr Sign Contest!

The count down to EWE Mayhem is winding down and winding down FAST.  We’re two days, twenty-one hours and twenty-one minutes away to be exact.  I’m geared up and I’m ready to roll!

I have had more fun wrestling within the last month than I have had in a LONG time.  Most of the credit goes to working with guys that I like… working with guys that appreciate what I do and how I do it… and being able to be in a high-profile position on a high-profile card.  That’s where I deserve to be.

So, along with the fun that I’m having stories for the ages – I’d like to extend the fun to those of you who read the blog!  Check this out – I’m challenging you all and your creative skills!

FIVE STARR CHALLENGE: Mayhem is this Saturday night at 7PM.  I’m holding the first-ever Five Starr Sign Competition!  That’s right!  The person with the BEST Five Starr sign in the crowd – WINS!  I know, I know… I’m the bad guy.  So, you can either bring a sign that is rooting for my opponent, Stan Lee… OR you can bring a sign that says something about “Five Starr Sucks“.  It’s totally up to you.

The signs will be graded on creativity, design and overall appearance.  Glitter?  Great!  Chrome?  Great!  Think it, create it, bring it and WIN!

You want a prize?  What’s in it for you?  Well, I’m going to tell you!

The winner of the Five Starr Sign Competition will receive a FREE Hot Tag Wear T-Shirt package!  So, you’ll receive the FREE T-shirt, as well as other free goodies from Hot Tag Wear!  So, bring those signs and get ready for a good time!

MAYHEM will be awesome – I PROMISE!

Learning Never Stops

You’re never too old to learn.  You can teach and old dog new tricks.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  We have all heard it a million times.  But honestly, it still holds true.  You can always learn something new.  No matter how good you are at what you do – there’s always more to learn.

Last weekend, I learned a lot.  Maybe not things that I hadn’t already seen or done before.  But I stepped in the ring with an open mind and an interest to learn and I took away a lot.  I took away things that will certainly help me in the future and make me better in the ring.  I have some new tools to add to my belt and I plan on displaying them very soon.

Anyone who knows me, they know I hate to workout in the ring.  HATE it.  I love to train my body with weights but hate to take unnecessary wrestling bumps.  Last week, I made a call to a highly unlikely candidate to help me hone up on my wrestling skills.  He was as shocked as anyone that I had actually called upon him to teach me a few new “tricks”.

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know who I’m speaking of.  A guy that I’ve burned over and over again on this blog.  Mainly the burning of his booking skills (or lack thereof) and his appearance physically.  But one thing I’ve never questioned was his in-ring work.  He’s definitely a student of the game.  Almost the point that he’s a wrestling nerd, in my opinion. 

Remembering the Tragedy

It happened ten years ago and I still remember every single detail of where I was and how I felt.  Upon hearing the news, I was shattered.  Please remember, I was fifteen years old at the time and had no personal ties with the family or individual involved.  I was a wrestler-in-training.  That is all.

Over the Edge at Kemper Arena – I wasn’t going to be able to watch the pay-per-view live because I had to work.  However, my family usually ordered the shows, so I would see it on tape when I returned home.  I hated the fact that I was going to miss out… I was at the peak of my love for wrestling as a fan.  I never missed a show.

I was at Steak n Shake waiting tables when I was called to the phone.  It was before everyone had cell phones.  I certainly didn’t have one yet.  Also, it was rare to be receiving a phone call at work.  This odd situation turned even more strange, as I heard my father on the phone tell me that something terrible had happened.

When he broke the news, I couldn’t believe it.  I felt a panic and the urge to leave.  For some reason, I had the feeling that something had happened to my family and I needed to be there.  It took a few minutes to really realize that it was someone I watched on television.  Not a family member.  There was nothing I could do.  So, I calmed down a bit and tried to get some answers.

TAKE IT!

Either you want it or you don’t. There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. You either want to make it to the next level or you don’t. You either can or you can’t. There’s no two ways about it. Sometimes I get the feeling that guys THINK they want it… But their actions show that not only do they NOT want it – but there’s no way they can get it.

Making it requires a bit of luck. It’s not ALL luck. But there’s a good chance that you’ll need to be at the right place at the right time to make it to the big time. That’s in wrestling, rock ‘n roll – whatever you’re doing. Right place, right time is a big part of it. But you also have to put in the work and the dedication to get where you want to be.

I guess what really brings this topic up is watching UFC’s Ultimate Fighter, Wednesday night. I don’t even know the guy’s name… But he mopes around the house, has a bad attitude and refuses to put anything on the line to achieve his goal. Yeah, he’s sick. Yeah, he’s hurt. But when you get “the call”, you do whatever it takes to answer that call. You do whatever it takes to answer that challenge.

Watching UFC wasn’t the only instance that brings this topic up for me.  It seems like every weekend I encounter someone who really thinks they want it.

Champions: Honor or Not?

How do you look at your Champions?  When you watch wrestling, whether it’s on the independents or the big time, do you look up to the Champions of the companies you watch?  WWE and TNA may be a little different because I don’t think anyone would argue that leading one of the world’s largest wrestling companies is a big deal. We all KNOW that’s a major accomplishments. But what about in the indies?

Is it a big deal to carry the Championship in a local, independent wrestling company?

There’s a few ways to look at this. I know a few bookers who say that their Champion doesn’t have to be the strongest draw on the card. Some even go as far as saying that their best draw or talent should NEVER carry the belt because they’re already over with the crowd. The belt should be given to someone who needs it to actually get over and stay over. (Getting over means the fans react to you the way you want them to. That you’re relevant.)

I’ve always disagreed with this method of booking. Reason why?  Simple – when I was growing up watching wrestling, I always thought being the Champ was a big deal. Jerry Lawler was a big deal with or without the USWA Championship but I never believed it when Colorado Kid beat him for it. Even as young as I was, I still knew that they were trying really hard to make Kid a big deal… I just wasn’t buying it.  It never went over with me or anyone else for that matter.

Why Wrestle?

I remember nearly ten years ago when I was starting out in this business, I was asked why I wanted to wrestle.  I was in a training session at Motley Cruz’s wrestling school in Memphis, TN.  We had gone through some bump drills and I was aching like crazy – the ring was SOOO hard!  Tasha was speaking with a few of us and posed a very interesting question.

During your initial learning phase, you try to give political answers in order to really show respect.  As you spend more and more time in the business, you continue to learn… but you also learn not to B.S. the people that you’re learning from.  So, I remember telling Tasha how much I loved wrestling.  Growing up, I’ve always loved to watch it and I knew I could physically do it.  I had so much respect for the guys that I’ve watched over the years, I wanted to be just like them.  All those statements were true… but Tasha didn’t want that sort of an answer.

So, she brushed off my comments and asked us all, “What happened to the guys that wanted to get in the business to be famous?”

Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks – SHE WAS RIGHT.  I wanted to be famous.  Money’s good too… but I wanted everyone to know exactly who Dustin Starr was.  And I still do.  I strive every single day to be head and shoulders better than every other wrestler in this business.  Hey, that’s a lofty goal.  But I set my goals high because I have very high expectations for myself.  If you can’t believe in yourself… who CAN you believe in?

EWE 5/16

The March to Mayhem is underway.  I’ve been talking about it for weeks upon weeks.  Now, it’s right around the corner.  There’s no doubt in my mind that this show will sell out and be tons of fun.  Especially, with the way the show’s being built around such great story telling.

What started out as a tournament with a # 1 contendership at stake – has now become the return of Dustin “Five” Starr and the return of Flash Flanagan.  The crowd has been hot and jam-packed for the last three weeks, all building towards one big night.  With last weekend out of the way, now it’s down to myself and Stan Lee going head to head for the EWE Heavyweight Championship on May 30th.

Take a look at the videos below.  I’m very proud of the work I’ve done since returning to Ripley, TN.  Especially, the work I did in these videos.  The first is the promo, in which Flash interrupted.  Then, the second video is the actual match.  The match that I pegged as being a Match of the Year candidate before it ever even happened.  I’m not only proud of this match – but I hope that many of the guys in the area actually watch it.  They may learn something.

Take a look.

Tank Note

Just one last story regarding Tank.  It freaked me out a little bit and sent chills down my spine.

After I heard what had happened, I called a few friends to discuss it.  You know, the regular, “Did you hear!?”  I was surprised to know that I was one of the last ones to find out.  I didn’t get a phone call like I normally do.  But anyway, back to the story.  I was discussing the news with a friend, when they dropped the bombshell on me.

Apparently, Tank’s MySpace page had the updated status to read:  “im up in heaven with my dad. Call my wife’cell for info on my arrange ments at (phone number)”

Anyone else get chills?