Posted in: Column of the Month January COTM - 'My So-Called Column' by Dredg
By sheepster
Feb 13, 2003 - 9:03:59 AM
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Every month, the Columnist of the Month contest is held in the LOP Columns Forum. The winning columnist gets to have one of his columns posted on the main page. This month, we have Dredg and his column, My So-Called Column.
What's up everyone!!! Well, here I finally am…the big dance. I am honored to represent the LOP Columns Forum as the January "Columnist of the Month". Usually I reserve the beginning of this column to spout off about other things in life like school, music, sports, and other subjects. Since I'm now catering to a much larger audience who have absolutely no idea who I am or what this column is about, I'll use that space to explain just that to you guys.
Who Am I: I am 23 years of age. I live in Destin, FL where I currently commute to Pensacola to attend college at the University of West Florida. I am a senior in college and have about 2 more semesters to go. That light at the end of the tunnel is near!
I have been an on-and-off wrestling fan for about 12 years now. I lost interest in the mid-90's when the gimmicks got cheesy and wrestlers were getting busted for drugs. Then WCW's CruiserWeight division got me interested again in late 1996. I've been a CruiserWeight fan ever since.
About my Column The title of my column is derived from the MTV teenage soap opera "My So-Called Life". I usually talk about certain things I noticed on WWE TV and things I read on news boards. Then I have a section dedicated to CruiserWeights. Then I usually close out with a "Did You Know"(thanks ESPN!!) section that gives you a wrestling fact that you might not know. On special occasions(like this edition), I'll type up a special column that is only dedicated to one subject.
If you get some free time, here are some links to my recent columns for you to check out: --Click here for the column that got me here. It's about the Austin/Bret feud of '97.
--Click here for the columns forum to check out(if you get extra free time).
For this edition, I will be presenting a "special" insight on something I noticed on the Tough Enough 3 finale on MTV. The WWE may have something….and I wonder if they know it?? First, I want to introduce two young men that "could have been" and "can be" the one to be the next revolutionary cruiserweight in North America. They will tie into a point that I'll make in at the end.
************************************************** ************************************************** Blitzkrieg(WCW, 1999) For those of you who watched WCW in 1999, this name may sound familiar to you. For those who don't recognize the name, let me explain. Blitzkrieg (from Southern California) was the fastest rising star in WCW's CruiserWeight division in 1999. Within two months of his Nitro debut, he was already wrestling on a major PPV for the #1 contender for the CruiserWeight belt. Then he dropped off the face of the earth.
What he was known for was his revolutionary aerial maneuvers. He was a natural at acrobatics. He did everything by twisting. His aerial arsenal included:
Twisting moonsaults Twisting asai moonsaults Twisting springboard planchas Sky Twisting Moonsaults Twisting Corkscrew planchas Stardust Press(you need to see it to understand it)
Those moves just came natural to him. You see, Blitzkrieg had a special ability called "Photo-Reflexes". He could mimic any move(rather it be punch, kick, or moonsault) on the first try. He didn't have to be taught how to do it….he just watched and executed the move. He was never a gymnast nor was he professionally trained. He and his brothers just fooled around on a trampoline or on mats until it came natural. He would get a chance to wrestle on the dry California independent scene for all of 1995 wrestling only three dates. He would then tour Japan until late 1997 when he got a call from the Mexican organization, AAA. There he became interested in the Lucha Libre style, which gave him all his aerial maneuvers. He then caught the eye of Rey Misterio, who was visiting the area. Rey got him a tryout match with WCW and then signed him in early 1999. Blitzkrieg was considered a "green" rookie with wrestling in less than 100 matches. But, people had to see his this man fly.
His debut match on Nitro against Rey was impressive. He would then go on to out-maneuver more high-fliers like Billy Kidman and Juventud Guerrera. WCW was so impressed with him that he got booked for Spring Stampede 1999 just two months into his tenure. That match( v.s. Juventud) received rave reviews from wrestling analyst. Some called it WCW's "Match of the Year" for 1999. Trust me, the match was pretty damn good!!! He would then go on to fight in high profile Cruiser tag matches with the upper-echelon wrestlers of the division. Blitzkrieg had come so far is such short time. He would fight Rey Misterio again on WCW's Saturday Night show in late 1999…….and that would be his 7 months with WCW.
Vince Russo took over as the head booker and basically killed the CruiserWeight division. He released a lot of the luchadors, and Blitzkrieg was one of them. After his release, Blitzkrieg became aware of the uncertainties of professional wrestling. The strongest rumor about him is that he quite wrestling and took a job at a software company. He has never been heard of again. What could have been the next revolutionary CruiserWeight was now gone.
The Amazing Red(NWA-TNA) Three years after he turned pro, The Amazing Red(Jonathan Figueroa) has become one of the top independent draws in the country. He's only been in the NWA-TNA for 6 months and is one of the more over wrestlers on their slim roster. Folks, Red has done this…..and he's only 20-years old!!!
He has captivated audiences with his vast array of aerial maneuvers. He basically does everything Blitzkrieg did….but Red does them better(!). Along with his aerial arsenal, he has two finishing maneuvers that are jaw dropping:
Code Red(Gory Special into a flip powerbomb) InfraRed(Twisting Cork Screw Moonsault)
He also does a standing Shooting Star Press(Red Star Press) and a spinning Inzaguri kick. He learned all these moves by jumping on mattress' and trampolines growing up in Brooklyn, NY. His trainer(Mikey Shipwreck) just molded him and taught him different styles of wrestling. This is what separates Red from all the others….his ability to mix up styles of wrestling. He can fly with Jerry Lynn(NWA-TNA) or use his martial arts to fend off the dangerous Lo-Ki(NWA-TNA). His NWA-TNA debut match against Lo-Ki was the best 7-minute match I've ever seen. In just one match, Red had the TNA crowds cheering for him. He just recently finished his first tour of Japan where he received rave reviews.
It wasn't until the end of this year that the wrestling analysts are hailing Red as the next North American CruiserWeight prodigy. The same reviews were given to Rey Misterio, Juventud Guerrera, and Shan Helms(Hurricane). Red has said that his dream is to wrestle for the WWE in front of Madison Square Garden. His age(20) and his weight(135 lbs) may be a problem with some of the WWE's "Good 'Ole Boy" system though. But Red can play the underdog-"Face in Peril" role better than anyone I've seen. That's one reason why crowds get behind him so well. It's just a matter of a couple years before the praising will meet reality for Red.
A report stated that Vince is looking for another unique high-flier to capitalize on the popularity of Rey Misterio. Juventud Guerrera was given that chance but failed due to his pride and oversized ego. After reading the stuff on Blitzkrieg and Red, you might say to yourself:
"Well why doesn't Vince go find this Blitzkrieg guy and talk him into signing a contract? And if Red wants to get into the WWE, and Vince is looking for a high flier, than why don't they just sign him?"
In my opinion, after the Tough Enough final on MTV, they probably won't have to go through the hassle. They actually have both guys on the roster as we speak…..he's Tough Enough 3 winner, John.
After watching the highlight reel they showed of John training, I couldn't believe they didn't show us the moves that he could pull off. With the little training that he has, John can pull off Red's standing shooting star press and Blitzkrieg's Sky Twisting Moonsault. No only did he do them, but he pulled them off perfectly. And according to the TE3 trainers, John is fundamentally sound. He is the best raw talent that they have trained during Tough Enough. That right there needs to be handed over to WWE's development trainers Tom Pritchard and Dean Malenko. If he could stay in the development leagues for one year, Tom and Dean could mold him into a good mat wrestler while he gets practice doing his aerial maneuvers. The show said that he was well trained in the arts of gymnastics. So the talent and ability is there to pull off impressive aerial maneuvers too.
I'm just wondering if Vince McMahon realizes what he actually has right now. I believe that since John is now a "WWE home-grown talent" he will get the attention of the WWE bookers. Vince will usually give special attention and pushes behind stars that HE molded through his development system. But whether all this happens or not, the potential is there. I'm not calling John the next revolutionary high flier, but he has the same early characteristics as Red and Blitzkrieg. So maybe Vince doesn't need Juvey after all?
I just hope Vince keeps the CruiserWeight Division around a year from now. Only time will tell. Until then, I'll be keeping tabs on the development of John. So I say "Good Luck" to John and his bright future.
****************************************************** ****************************************************** Well that's all for this edition. Comments and replies are welcome. Just e-mail me and I'll get back to you ASAP. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I have. It was a pleasure writing for all of you and hope that you will hear from me again. If you get some free time during your day, head on over the WWE Column Forum and check out some of the other columns. There's some good stuff on Chris Benoit (by Jericho243) and the Monday Night Wars(by francisj). Until then…
