I suspect that most of you reading this will be aware that most wrestling matches have a good character and a bad character. Historically I was always the bad one (also known as a heel or a villain). However, I recently stepped out of my comfort zone and played the good character (also known as a babyface or a blue-eye). Also, this month - an old familiar face re-appeared from the wilderness....
An Unscheduled Blond
My originally scheduled opponent for GPW was 'Dangerous' Damon Leigh. He could not make it as his wife went into labour shortly before the show - I am pleased to confirm that 'Dangerous' Daddy Leigh now has a beautiful baby girl - congratulations to you both! However it did leave JC Thunder with no opponent.
The man who stepped up to the plate was James Drake of the Blackpool Blonds, who proceeded to tell everyone I was too old and a has been (who knew turning 30 was so rough!). He then blind-sided me with a cheap shot. I soon got the better of him and after a back and forth tussle I hit the Thunder Crunch for the pin.
I struggled with this match if I'm honest. Drake is good, but I was not on great form. I am not comfortable with the happy clappy good guy routine and I felt my ring rust in terms of actual wrestling ability showed here too. That said, the crowd responded well and it was by no means a disaster. I am very happy to be back with GPW and look forward to next month.
Beverley Brothers
The next stop was NGW in Beverley, near Hull. The day started with an autograph signing in a music store. I must admit I feared no one would attend and it would be embarrassing. However, it went well and the only embarrassing moment for me was when one kid pointed to a wrestler on the poster and said with open eyes 'wow is that you?'. Rather than burst his bubble and explain that it was my first time wrestling for NGW, I just went with the blatant lie option instead, 'yes that's me'. All well and good (if you're okay with lying to kids) until a few seconds later the wrestler he pointed at (who I was sure wasn't meant to be there) walked around the corner... I quickly moved the confused child on and soon it was time to go to Beverley.
NGW saw the 'Beverley Brothers' (me and a wrestler named Matt Slater) face Danny Jaxx and Tommy Ray. I still played the role of happy clappy blue eyes, but the sell out crowd was so energetic my apparent dislike for being good was not an issue and we had a decent tag match. For the second night in a row I also experienced a kid ask me if I was alright as I lay hurt outside the ring. A lot better than the usual 'you suck JC Thunder'. Hmm maybe this being good thing isn't so bad after all....
The Russian Nightmare
Бойтесь! Be Afraid! Ladies and gentlemen, after a 5 year absence and last seen wrestling in a match for his UK visa (he lost), I can now confirm that the 'Russian Nightmare' Radik Anenco is back and this time his paperwork's legit!
Radik is a gimmick I did quite early on in my wrestling days and he also had a brief appearance again in 2009. In our bit for International relations, Anenco wrestled that 'Masked Mexican' El Ligero at All Star recently. In a stark contrast to my quite generic blue eyes routine, I found it easy to get a reaction from the crowd with this very 'character heavy' wrestler. It was great fun to do and is also topical. Hopefully this won't be the last we see of Radik Anenco. Long live the Cossack Leg Drop!
A Self Review
Good news everyone! Finally we have some unseen and uncut footage of JC Thunder wrestling. My first match back is now available for public viewing at the link below. I can already hear mouse buttons clicking in excitement, but before you all give it a watch please take a moment to read my self-review.
I cringed watching myself a few times, but for better or worse this is my first match back. We've already covered my bad choice of music in a previous blog. The wrestling itself is ok, but could be crisper in parts. The crowd wants to get into the match, but we lose them at times. It's our job to make sure that doesn't happen. I did laugh as the audience and I shout 'Come on Micky' a lot, but never quite break into 'you're so fine, hey Micky'. I also chuckle at the end when I shout to the audience 'I'm JC Thunder' and then meekly add 'I'm back'.
Final Thoughts
The main thing taken from this blog edition is my lack of identity as a good guy and after watching my first match back - as a bad guy too. I found Radik so much easier as it is a clear character. The goal now is to do the same for JC Thunder. Who is JC Thunder? A very deep question! You'll have to tune in next time to find out...
Thanks for reading!
JCT
JC Thunder vs. Micky Mayakiss