Dr. Death will be missed...

I’m a few days late because of New Year’s and such, but the wrestling business has lost yet another great legend.  A man who’s name is synonymous with Oklahoma and pro wrestling.  A man who will always be remembered as a fighter inside of the ring… and outside of the ring.

I’m sorry to hear the passing of legendary “Dr. Death” Steve Williams.

He wasn’t glitzy.  He wasn’t as glamorous as many of the professional wrestlers in the past, present or the future… but he was a legitimate tough guy.  Graduating from the University of Oklahoma, where his coach once said he was “one of the best athletes to walk out the gates of the University”… Williams was a professional wrestling Champion on numerous occasions.  Wrestling all over the world, Steve Williams is most well-known for his days with WCW and WWF.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Williams.  I, however, had more respect for the guy than I could ever tell you.  Battling cancer is a very brave feat.  Being a great football player and then becoming one of the most feared guys in the wrestling world is no easy feat, either.  The guy carried himself inside the ring like a monster.  And that’s how I always viewed Dr. Death.  As a monster!

My fondest memory of Steve Williams probably isn’t one that he’d like to know.  Certainly, the tough man tournament that WWF did back in the ’90’s was supposed to be built around Williams.  He was supposed to excel in the legitimate, tough man fighting.  However, things did not go as planned… and ultimately it ended his tenure with WWF.  Bart Gunn knocked Williams out cold, in the middle of the ring.

Just goes to show you that anything can… and WILL happen in the wrestling business.

Williams was huge in Japan.  He was huge in the United States.  He’s a legend of the wrestling industry that no one will soon forget.  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another ten-bell salute.  I’m just glad to say that this man went down fighting…

We will miss you, Dr. Death.

Riverkings Hockey!

Brand new photos have been posted courtesy of The Mississippi Riverkings!

If you can’t tell by the pictures that I’m posting, I absolutely have a BLAST at each and every hockey game!  My Riverkings fans are so personable and passionate about not only hockey… but about my success.  I love them all!

Click the picture or take a look on the right-hand side of the page for the photos link.

Several good ones have been posted.  I look to post a few more in the next few days.

What about that pink sweater I’m sporting?  Like it?  I do!

Dear Jim Caldwell,

Boy, do I have a bone to pick with you.  What were you thinking?  Why, oh, why?  How could you?  Do you know what you have done?!

You let an entire city down.  You let an entire NFL fan base down.  You let historians down, whom wanted to see a new record set.  You let down millions and millions of fans all around the world.  I’m not an Indianapolis Colts’ fan per-say… but I certainly do not appreciate what you have done to tarnish such a great chance at making history!

And WHY?  Why on earth would you do such a thing, Jim?  I know you said, “The main focus for us is making sure we’re ready to go [for the playoffs]. The most important season is the one that is coming up.”  Oh yeah?  Well, there are other things that are more important than YOUR postseason!

When I played football for the Bartlett Panthers in Shelby Youth Sports league, I was a starting middle linebacker on a Championship team.  There we’re a few games where the starting defense were taken out of the game to let the back-up’s get a few snaps.  We were in total control of the game and were getting a rest to stay fresh for the games to come.  For our postseason, as you like to say.  So, I understand all of that.

But when that back-up defense gave up a couple of touchdowns and the opponents got back into the game… Guess what?  The coach sent the big boys back into the game and we took back the control!  We didn’t let the other team make a full comeback and win the game!  The starters were sent back in to finish off what they had started!

I understand making the move… But when you realized defeat, why didn’t you reverse the move?  Nothing is set in stone.  Why is that so hard to understand.

I guess what I’m saying is this – because of YOU and YOUR DECISION to bench Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark… I did NOT repeat as Fantasy Football Super Bowl Champion!

Your postseason?  You didn’t want to ruin your postseason?  Well, thanks a lot, Mr. Selfish… you ruined MY CHAMPIONSHIP!

There’s been a lot going on, this holiday season.  I hate discussing business over Christmas… but I really didn’t have much of a choice, this year.  I did have to have a few conversations about what’s coming up next for Dustin Starr.  So, I figured I’d let you hear it first!

New bookings, continued bookings and what’s to come in the near future is coming right at you:

Tonight (December 29th), I will be hosting the Mississippi Riverkings’ hockey game at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, MS.  Then, again on January 1st, I’ll kick off the new year with a bang!  I bang against the sideboards, that is!  Riverkings hockey continues on January 1st, as I’ll be back at the Ice Palace in DeSoto Civic Center for another game!  Be sure to come check that out.

Next, it gets really interesting…

This Sunday, January 3rd at 2PM, I will be working my very first modeling gig.  Yeah, I’ve modeled before.  But not like this.  Not in front of a live audience.  Pictures?  Yes.  Walking down that catwalk?  No.  Not yet, anyway!  Not until Sunday afternoon!  Let me tell you this – I’m STOKED!

January 3rd, 2010 from 11:30AM – 5:30PM the Memphis Argricenter International will be hosting the Bridal Rhapsody Extravaganza.  That’s right, folks!  I’ll be modeling tuxedo’s for Bridal Rhapsody!  I would appreciate very much for each and every one of you to come out and witness this!  I need all the cat-calling and jeering that I can get, as I do my lil-turn on the catwalk, baby!  This is going to be fun.  I’m excited beyond belief to be able to have the opportunity to showcase something other than my wrestling and speaking abilities.

In fact, I have my very own Five Starr Photographer, John, coming along with me to take some exclusive photographs of this first-time happening.  Those photos will be posted right here for everyone to see.  Also, many Mid-South magazines will be in attendance taking photos.  So, chances are, you’ll be seeing a tuxedo-clad Dustin Starr in a bridal magazine near you!  Be on the look-out!

For more info call 901-730-9000 or visit www.bridalrhapsody.com Buy your tickets online… you’ll save some money, that way!

Along with the modeling and hockey, I’m still interested in my first love.  VERY interested, in fact.  That first love being, of course, professional wrestling.  So, I have agreed in principle to a brand new, up-start wrestling company being constructed out of Arkansas.  More information will be available very soon… but let me tell you this – Dustin Starr will be all over the Mid-South media outlets.  Television, radio, print publications and much more.  The agreement isn’t 100% finalized… but from the looks of it, you’re looking at the poster-boy of this promotion.  They couldn’t have put their money in a better place.

My first appearances with this company will be January 29th in Trumann, Arkansas at the Trumann Recreation Center.  It’s been a long, long time since I have wrestled consistently in Arkansas.  I’m more than happy to be returning to that great state.  Along with that, I feel like I’m more than welcome, as well.  You’ll be reading a lot more about this, in the coming days!

Folks, it’s going to be a BIG year.  Please take note:

In 2009, I came alive.  In 2010, they’ll REALIZE it!

I came across this on 411Mania.com and thought I’d share it with you all.  Former WWF Tag Team Champion and one-half of the famous tag team “Men on a Mission” has done a shoot interview.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “shoot interview” – it’s a tell-all interview.  Secrets of the business are exposed.  Behind the scenes happenings are exposed.  It is a real-life interview and done out of character.  Sometimes, shoot interviews can be very interesting because when guys do them, generally, they have nothing else to lose.

Sir Mo, known in the real world as Bobby Horne, did a sit-down shoot interview with World Wrestling Insanity and revealed a lot of information regarding his stay at WWF.  I haven’t seen or heard the interview.  I’ve only read the highlights that are posted on 411Mania.  Highlights include discussion about Mo almost committing suicide, how abusive it was to work for the WWF and even how Nelson (Mabel) just didn’t “get it” like Mo did.

I know Bobby very well.  At one point in my career, I would have considered him a mentor of sorts.  We were very good friends for a while.  Today, I would say that we’re acquaintances more than anything else.  I say that because of something he told me when I first started in the wrestling business (more on that later).  I’ve heard Bobby tell numerous stories about Nelson and his times with the WWF.  You wouldn’t believe some of the things that happened.  And who knows if they really did happen?

I’ve mentioned Bobby several times throughout the years on this blog.  Some good stories.  Some bad stories.  To be honest, some stories were VERY bad.  I’ve been treated great by Bobby.  I’ve been screwed over, as far as money is concerned, by him as well.

I remember working a series of fair shows throughout the Mid-South for Bobby.  He was running the shows in conjunction with Terry Golden.  We were to get paid a lump sum of money at the end of the “tour“.  I was very young in the business, so I didn’t see that as a red flag, right off the jump.  So, the end of the tour came… no money.  I’ll never forget THAT Bobby Horne.

Then, I’ll also never forget meeting Bobby in the studios of Channel 5 in Memphis, TN.  We were at Power Pro Wrestling and I knew who he was from his WWF days.  I didn’t know what to expect when I met him, but he was very helpful.  He was so nice, in fact, that I was pleased to see him in the Dyersburg locker room, later that night.  He and his partner showed me how to tuck my laces into my boots like all the pro’s do.  And they even helped me with my locker room manners.  It was very good to have a veteran help me with the smaller things in the business.

Bobby always saw something in me that maybe some of the others did not.  Years later, after that Dyersburg story, Bobby would tell me that if he were running Memphis Wrestling – I’d be his Champion.  Hands down.  No argument.  He thought my look and my ability was THAT good.  Recently, he called me after seeing me on ECW and told me what a big future I had.  He spoke to me like I was already “there.“  I’m getting goosebumps just typing it.  It meant a lot to me.

Back to the story of him being an acquaintance, that I mentioned earlier.  I once asked Bobby what had happened to his partner back in Power Pro Wrestling days in Memphis.  He told me all about losing touch with fellow workers and friends, in this business.  I asked if it was typical to have a best friend and tag team partner like that… and then, you just lose touch completely.  He said yes, like it was nothing.  It was “the way the business works.“

Now that I’ve been in the business for over ten years, I can tell  you that he’s not totally correct in that particular statement.  Friends are friends.  Co-workers are co-workers.  I’ll tell you this – no matter where I am in life, I’ll stay in touch with my true friends.  Whether they’re in the wrestling business or not.  And to be completely honest with you, most of your true friends… do NOT come from the wrestling business.

Check out Bobby Horne’s shoot interview.  Then, come back here and let me know how it was.

Just a little over a week ago, I received a very interesting tweet from a friend of mine.  It was  a direct message, so it wasn’t seen by the public.  It was only for my eyes.  I had apparently sent a message out that had him a bit concerned.  So, he replied to me directly stating that if I needed to talk, he was there for me.  I appreciated that.  But what came next left me really thinking.  Thinking hard.

Sometimes, there are things that happen in our lives that are just so good that you do not want them to ever pass you by.  Moments that you want to live in and cherish forever.  Almost as if they’re “life-happenings” that make you want it SO bad… then, they’re taken away.

I’ve felt that way more than once.

The direct message stated:  “Sometimes getting back to life after a great experience is a rough transition.“

I’ve never read words that are anymore accurate than that. 

I’ll never forget the very first time I worked with World Wrestling Entertainment.  When I walked thru those doors and experienced what the superstars experience day in and day out in their lives – I KNEW that’s what I wanted to do.  At that time, I weighed in at a very skinny and puny one hundred and sixty pounds.  No muscle.  No “look.“  Nothing going for myself.  From there, I took my focus and shifted it into the entertainer that I am today.  I wanted it THAT bad.  I put every ounce of focus and effort into morphing my image and body into a performer at the very highest level.  I did what I knew I needed to do.

That experience was easier than the other times I’ve felt that rough transition that my fellow tweeter spoke of.  I knew I wasn’t ready then.  I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me.  So, I was dead-set on getting where I needed to be.

In June and September of this year, the result was a little different.  I gave everything I had (when booked for WWE).  Yes, I did well.  Yes, I was on national television.  But I hold myself to a higher standard that anyone I have ever known.  I’m not happy walking in and getting a “spot” for the night.  My goal is to earn a contract with the largest wrestling company in the world.  When that didn’t happen for me, I fell.  Folks, I fell HARD.  This is the first time publicly that I’ve ever discussed that.  It’s the first time I’ve ever acknowledged that to anyone, other than a few select people.

You want to talk about a rough transition?  Let’s talk about a rough transition.  For an entire week after those bookings, I was sick.  I had no motivation.  I was down and didn’t know how to get back up.  Although I took one more large step towards accomplishing my dream, for some reason, I felt as if I had failed.  Even with all the great feedback and progress… I was not content in what I had done.  I wanted more.  I was able to finally kick out and pull myself back into the game.  Luckily, I’m a realist.  I can not fool myself into believing that I will be better off in my own self-pity.  I got up and went back to work.

Recently, I had another great opportunity in Tampa, Florida.  Everything went GREAT.  It went as good as it could have possibly gone.  I gave 120% and I delivered a performance that I feel was my very best.  What more could I have done?  Now, in-wait… I can’t help but to slip a little.  I can’t help but to let that rough transition get the best of me from time to time.

Sometimes you want something so bad that it hurts.  I’ve heard that about relationships.  I’ve even felt that in relationships.  And yes, it really does hurt.  But think about being at your peak… and it’s still not good enough.  Think about how much that hurts.

Am I not good enough?  Or is it that I haven’t earned the opportunity?

Last week, I posted a column entitled: “Newsbites“.  In that blog, I touched on several topics.  One of those news items I discussed briefly was concussions in wrestling.  Specifically, I talked a little bit about a column written by ESPN’s Greg Garber.  It’s entitled: “Doctors: Wrestler Had Brain Damage“.  Garber specifically discussed Andrew “Test” Martin and his death.  Chris Benoit, like always, was mentioned in the column, as well.

You can take a look at those columns by clicking the links.  Read them over before moving on because I have a little more to say about the issues.  This time, I want to put it a little more in perspective from an independent wrestler’s point of view.

Let me ask you this, right here and now – You think this type of thing doesn’t happen on the local-level of sports entertainment?

I’ve had my head banged up so many times I can’t count.  I’ve seen stars so many times throughout my ten years in this business that I couldn’t even come close to guessing.  It happens to all of us.  You can knock your self silly by taking a simple back-bump.  A standard fall in the wrestling business could knock you for a loop.  It’s typical and happens all the time.  Imagine being on the road three hundred days per year, bumping yourself all over the ring in front of millions of people.  You think that wouldn’t take its toll on your head and body?

I was nineteen years old, wrestling in Dyersburg, TN.  I was in the ring with a guy that had no business even wearing a pair of wrestling tights.  The ideal situation for me was to get in there and have a match without getting hurt.  I designed the match to totally protect myself.  This guy was larger than me, so I knew I’d have to take some bumps from him.  The finish involved a chokeslam.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, this guy would grab me by the neck, hoist me in the air and drop me flat on my back.  Pretty simple, huh?  I pretty much can control how I land.

Well, for some strange reason… after discussing this with several people, it was abundantly clear that I would be safe.  Who could possibly screw up a chokeslam?  Well, this guy lifted me in the air – and I got up high for him – and instead of doing this maneuver as planned… he drove me HEAD-FIRST into the mat as hard as he possibly could.

From there, all I remember was William Gibson (Best Ref in the Biz) kneeling over me, protecting me from any further damage.  He knew.  He knew immediately that I was hurt.  I couldn’t even sell the impact of the move because I was knocked so silly.  I didn’t know where I was.  Didn’t know how I got there.  Didn’t know who drove me or if I drove myself.  Didn’t know what town I was in.  I kept asking, “How was my match?”  I remember Alex Krisis answering me every time I asked.  He thought it was funny because he gave me a different answer each time.

Let me tell you this – it was very, very scary.  Since all of the news has gone around about brain damage because of wrestlers taking bumps, I’ve certainly been worried about it.  That is part of the reason that I have tried branching out in the entertainment world via commercials, announcing, emceeing, writing.  Those things are much easier on your head and body.  When I wrestle, I wrestle defensively.  Just like driving… a defensive driver – I’m a defensive wrestler.  I want to take care of myself and my opponent.

It’s a good thing WWE has concussion testing.  That certainly makes me feel much better in taking the next step in my career.  The guys deserve that sort of treatment.  Especially, when they put their bodies on the line day in and day out.  Making memories that last forever… it’s a tough thing to do.  Kudos to WWE for taking care of the boys.

Last year, I attended the Crossfit Memphis Nutrition Seminar, as a guest of Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu.  I thought it would be a very good experience to hear nutritional options and facts from various people.  I was right.  It was very interesting.

This year, the seminar will be held at Sunday, January 3rd from 3PM-6PM.  Click HERE for more information.

There are so many ways you can slice and dice your diet.  There are so many false tales about what you can and can not eat.  This seminar really helped me with my decision on what to believe and what not to believe.  I recommend that anyone who is interested in nutrition and making their body look better – ATTEND THIS SEMINAR!

I took my BlackBerry into the seminar with me and typed out a full page-worth of notes.  Some of those tidbits of information I kept and continue to execute in my every day life.  Some I tried and didn’t like.  There were even some that I never tried because it just wasn’t for me.  So, you’ll certainly have to decide what to hang on to and what to let go in one ear and out of the other… but these guys made many, many valid points.

Ever wonder how to pack lunches in the most effective way possible?  Ever wonder how to cut your eating expenses?  Let’s face it – it’s very expensive to eat healthy.  These folks will break it down for you and save you some money.  Ever wondered what a certified personal trainer would tell you in particular situations?  Well, you are free to ask as many questions as you’d like.  That is a major plus in this seminar.

These guys aren’t paying me to plug their seminar.  I’m not even a member of their gym or club.  I experienced their seminar last year and was able to learn some valuable information from it.

My favorite thing that I learned from that experience last year was very simple:  If it grows in the ground – eat it!

Click the picture or CLICK HERE for more information.

I’ve always been one to give credit where credit is due.  Whether it’s a sweet girlfriend that cooks the meals.  Whether it’s a wrestling school across the bridge in West Memphis, AR that welcomed me into their facility to prepare for the biggest tryout of my life.  Or whether it’s the support that I’ve found within a group of friends and family that I’ve never felt before.  I give credit where it’s due.

It’s time to give a little more credit.

If I never make it “big” in the wrestling world, I can always say – and MEAN it – that I was once in tip-top physical condition.  I have pictures to prove it.  Those photos will last forever.  They’re memories that I will always cherish and be proud of.  But within my first few years as a pro wrestler, I weighed in at a whopping 150 pounds.  That’s being nice… I think I actually weighed less, starting out.  But I met a guy along the way that was a tremendous help to me… and STILL is.

A professional bodybuilder, model, wrestler and personal trainer – this guy has done it all.  He was actually the very first WWF developmental wrestler.  Which means, the WWF paid him to wrestle in Memphis, TN and get better inside of the wrestling ring.  He wrestled for WWF for years before splitting off into a different direction.  He rarely wrestles on the independent scene nowadays because of his love for fitness.  Always prepping for bodybuilding shows and running Maximum Fitness in Jackson, TN – his schedule is tighter than ever.  He is even featured on a billboard in Jackson.  However, he always has time for a phone call from ole’ Dustin Starr, who’s always asking questions on how to get in better shape or gain that edge on the competition.

You all know who I’m talking about.  Look at the picture for crying out loud:

DEL RIOS aka SPELLBINDER.

I owe my physical appearance to hard work, dedication, heart, desire and Del Rios.  I’m not joking.  This man has taught me everything that I know about personal fitness.  I’m still learning to this day.  “What do I need to do?“  “How do I get big?“  “How do I get lean?“  I’ve asked him all of those questions… NUMEROUS times!  He’s always been there for me.  No matter how many times I ask the same question, he gives me that same straight answer.  He gives me the truth.

I’ll never forget the first time I received his advice.  We were in Dyersburg, TN filming Memphis Wrestling for Saturday morning television.  Brian Christopher had given me a hard time about how small I was.  I was one-half of The Beale Street Posse tag team, at the time.  We were actually getting pushed on the card and working with Christopher and Jerry Lawler.  We were main eventing television… and we had basically just started!  The gimmick was hotter than anything else, at the time.  So, we were able to get in there with the legends of Memphis and actually deliver on the matches they wanted.  Maybe that had an impact on Del helping me?

Regardless, one evening, Brian gave me a very hard time about how small I was.  I took it pretty rough and started wearing a shirt inside the ring.  I wasn’t fat.  I wasn’t in bad shape.  I was just small.  My confidence was shot.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not lacking in the confidence department.  Anyway, Del saw what was going on and nodded to me with his thick Brooklyn accent, “See me after the show, bro.“  I can’t remember word for word what was said… but it was brutally honest.  I needed to get bigger and I needed to get fit.  Del helped me do that.

From there, I’ve taken advantage of any advice that Del has given me.  I’ve taken what he’s told me to heart and did exactly what he’s told me to do and when he’s told me to do it.  I’m very thankful for his advice and help.

My knowledge that I pass along to you comes from experience in doing it myself… but most of that I’ve learned from Del Rios.

Thank you, Del!

As reported on my Twitter account, I made a rare appearance in West Memphis, Arkansas Friday night to visit the boys at New Experience Wrestling.  I was not there to wrestle.  I was there only to visit and send deliver a few gifts to the folks who helped me over the course of the last few weeks.

For those of you who do not know, let me clear the air.  When I knew I was going to Tampa, FL for a tryout with WWE… I called Ken Wayne and asked if I could come work out with his boys.  He was very happy to have me there, so I went.  I worked out a few days with his students, watched tapes of matches and workouts that I had and was able to work on some things that I hadn’t had time to do within the last ten years.  I actually perfected a few moves that I will not mention here – I’ll make you wait to see them LIVE.  I’m THAT proud of them.

Anyway, regardless of the heat the Ken and I have/had… he welcomed me with open arms and I’m very grateful for that.  I could have worked out anywhere.  I chose Ken’s school because, like I’ve always said, I respect Ken Wayne. 

I arrived at the building at 7PM.  I was, for some reason, under the impression that the show started at 7PM.  So, my timing couldn’t have been better… I thought I’d see a few matches, at least.  However, the show didn’t start until 8PM, so I had a bit of time to mingle.  And mingle, I did.

The first thing I did when I arrived was walk into Ken Wayne’s office right.  They were in the middle of the production meeting.  Ken welcomed me and asked me to stay.  Before they could go any further, I handed Ken a thank you gift that I just KNEW he’d love.  See, I called Eric Wayne to see what his dad would like as a gift.  What did he say?  The typical wrestling answer – BEER.  So, a case of Bud Light, it was!  Along with the beer, I handed over a “Thank You” card that was for him and his students.

You may not think this is a big deal, but it meant a lot to me – before going any further with his meeting, Ken thanked me for the beer and opened the card right up.  He read thru it and looked up with a smile, “Thanks, man.”  I told him the same and asked him to share it with his students because I meant every word of it.

I didn’t come to the show to wrestle.  I didn’t come to the show to perform.  I came to the show for two reasons only:

1) To say hello.

2) To say thank you.

I’m proud that I had the opportunity to do that in front of the entire crew of guys. I’ll never forget what I wrote on the inside of that card…