Tonight on Demolition Man's TNA Wrestling News.... is TNA about to see another man named A.J. show up.... major update on the barbed wire match... and so much more tonight on Demolition Man's TNA Wrestling News.
First a word from our sponser...
[quote name='Fox Home Video']Coming on DVD Tuesday December 5th.... Jack Bauer thinks he has finally settled down into a new life with a new girlfriend and a new cozy job. But very soon he will discover that he can't escape from the world that he thought he left behind.
24 The Complete Fourth Season coming this Tuesday December 5th on DVD. Watch the entire season unfold uncut and unedited with hours of bonus features including deleted scenes, interviews, behind the scenes documentries, and so much more.
24 The Complete Fourth Season own it this Tuesday December 5th on DVD from Fox Home Video.[/quote]
[quote name='TNAWrestling.com']WHITE SOX CATCHER A.J. PIERZYNSKI BRAWLS AT TNA WRESTLING TV TAPING
Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski found himself in the middle of a brawl Tuesday (November 29, 2005) in Orlando, Fla., when he attended a TV taping for TNA Wrestling?s "iMPACT!", which airs every Saturday night on SPIKE-TV (11 p.m. ET).
Pierzynski, a longtime pro wrestling fan, was there to present White Sox memorabilia, including numerous team-signed items, to "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles, Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt - three of the top wrestlers of TNA's electrifying, death-defying X-Division, a group of amazingly-talented wrestlers who have no fear, no limit and no boundaries inside the ring. During the presentation, the cocky Simon Diamond and his Diamonds in the Rough entourage of David Young and Elix Skipper interrupted the proceedings. When a brawl broke out, Pierzynski pushed down Young before security broke apart the combatants.
Dale Torborg, one of the White Sox strength and conditioning coaches and himself a former professional wrestler, also was present, along with pro wrestling legend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Torborg is the son of former major league player/coach/manager Jeff Torborg, now a broadcaster for FOX-TV.
The highlights from Pierzynski and Heenan's TNA Wrestling appearance will air Thursday, December 8, during a one-hour prime-time "iMPACT!" wrestling show on SPIKE-TV, starting at 10 p.m. ET.
During the White Sox 2005 playoff run, ESPN and numerous other media outlets referred to Pierzynski as, "The Phenomenal" A.J. Pierzynski, borrowing the nickname from Styles, who is TNA's X-Division Champion.
Pierzynski is not the lone member of the World Series champion White Sox who is a longtime pro wrestling fan. Teammate Chris Widger attended numerous shows in the late-1990s and early-2000s near his East Coast home for now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and has worn pro wrestling t-shirts under his baseball uniform for years.
TNA Wrestling is a Nashville-based company that features some of the best-known stars of today and future stars, such as AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Christian Cage, Jeff Hardy, Konnan, Raven, Abyss, Team 3D, Rhino, Sabu, Petey Williams and others. Monty Brown, who appeared in two Super Bowls during his four-year NFL career, also is one of TNA Wrestling's top performers.[/quote]
[quote name='TNAWrestling.com']A NEW LEVEL OF VIOLENCE FOR THE “BARBED WIRE MASSACRE”
On Tuesday afternoon prior to the TNA “iMPACT!” tapings in Orlando, Florida, the TNA production crew headed up by Don Harris did a test-run of the setup for the “Barbed Wire Massacre” to take place on Sunday, December 11 at the “Turning Point” Pay-Per-View.
A truckload of barbed wire was hauled into the arena, with workers wearing protective gloves during construction. TNA cameras were on hand to film the preparation, the footage of which will air in a new “Turning Point” Pay-Per-View commercial to debut on “iMPACT!”.
TNAwrestling.com has also learned that the ring ropes and turnbuckles will be completely removed and replaced with the razor wire – another first for TNA on Pay-Per-View. The entire ring will be surrounded by barbed wire, along with the addition of various barbed wire weapons.
The bout between Abyss and Sabu will make history, as it will be the first-ever barbed-wire match to air live on Pay-Per-View in the United States.[/quote]
[quote name='TNAWrestling.com']TNA WRESTLING DELIVERS FOR SPIKE
Nashville, TN (December 1, 2005) After eight Saturday (11 PM ET) original telecasts on Spike TV, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling: iMPACT! is averaging a .8 HH rating with a .7 in M18-49, a .8 in M18-34 and an average audience of 905,000 viewers.
Versus one year ago in that timeslot, iMPACT! is up +43% in HH, +80% in M18-49, +124% in M18-34 and +58% in average audience.
“We‘re off to an impressive start with TNA Wrestling which continues to help us build our ‘Slammin’ Saturday Night’ franchise with men,“ says Kevin Kay, General Manager of Spike TV.
“TNA: iMPACT! continues to grow its audience on Spike TV,“ said Dixie Carter, President of TNA Entertainment, LLC. “Wrestling fans have been looking for an alternative and they are finding it Saturday nights on Spike TV.”
The new wrestling alternative, “TNA: iMPACT!” delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, high-flying athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes new, wrestling’s hottest new stars like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Monty Brown and recognizable names such as Christian Cage, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Jeff Hardy, and others. TNA features the innovative six-sided ring and the “X Division,” as well as concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Six Sides of Steel.”
TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. The names of all Total Nonstop Action Wrestling televised programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and all TNA Wrestling logos and trademarks are exclusive property of TNA Entertainment, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit
www.tnawrestling.com.
Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).[/quote]
[quote name='TNAWrestling.com']AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ALEX SHELLEY
Alex Shelley is certainly one of the most unique stars in TNA Wrestling – using a hybrid of several wrestling techniques in his matches. Since returning to TNA last May, Shelley has gained prominence in the X Division, becoming one of the bright young lions in the high-flying, no limits style. In this exclusive TNAwrestling.com interview conducted by Bill Banks, Alex Shelley discusses his start in wrestling, his tape collection, comic books, injuries and so much more!
BB: Where are you from originally?
SHELLEY: Originally born in Detroit, Michigan – now I live in the suburbs
BB: How old are you?
SHELLEY: I am 22 years old. My birthday is May 23rd.
BB: What do your parents do for a living?
SHELLEY: My dad works in a paint factory – he’s the shipping manager. My mom works as an environmental paralegal. I’m not sure what exactly her job entails, but I know she had to go through a lot of schooling to do it.
BB: Any brothers or sisters?
SHELLEY: Yes. I have a younger brother and two sisters, one younger and one older.
BB: What kind of kid were you growing up, as far as sports and academics?
SHELLEY: I was always very good academically, even though I never put my best foot forward. As far as sports, I played everything – baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, you name it. I also wrestled a little. We were always encouraged by our parents to play sports.
BB: Were you a lifelong wrestling fan?
SHELLEY: Everyone watched wrestling when they were a kid, like 5 or 6. I got back into it at around age 11, mostly watching guys like Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart. To be completely honest, I was intrigued by the characters. Everyone wants to be a super hero, even me. However, I still haven’t developed superpowers – at least not yet (laughs). To me, wrestlers were the closest thing to real-life super heroes.
BB: What wrestling did you watch?
SHELLEY: Mostly WWF at the time, but I also got to see a lot of Smokey Mountain Wrestling, WCW and ECW. I remember watching Brian Pillman face Jushin Liger and I knew it was something special to see.
BB: Who were some of your influences?
SHELLEY: One of them was Chris Benoit after I started watching him in WCW and Japan. I also remember enjoying the United States lucha invasion with Konnan, Rey, Juventud and others. Believe it or not, I was also a fan of Avatar and Tekno Team 2000 (laughs)
BB: A fan of Avatar, but not Shinobi?
SHELLEY: Yes. Not Shinobi though.
BB: At what point did you know you wanted to be a wrestler?
SHELLEY: Probably when I started watching again at age 11. I used to get the old Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazines, and I remember there was an ad in one of the magazines called “How To Get Into The Wrestling Business” or something like that. As soon as I saw that I sent off my money. It actually had some very true things about wrestlers working for only a few dollars when they started and having to pay their dues, etc. The book had information on wrestling schools and what training would be like and the schedule on the road and everything.
BB: What was your next step after reading that book?
SHELLEY: I started amateur wrestling in high school, but for college I went to an art school in Chicago to try that out. While in art school, I looked into wrestling schools and eventually found one.
BB: What kind of art were you into?
SHELLEY: I was very good at drawing. If I hadn’t started wrestling, maybe I’d be a comic book artist right now, who knows.
BB: Did you read a lot of comics? Who were your favorites?
SHELLEY: All the Marvel stuff – my brother and I loved reading X-Men growing up.
BB: Which wrestling school did you eventually go to?
SHELLEY: It was a place in Michigan that was run by a completely incompetent guy – his name isn’t even worth mentioning. He ended up being the first guy to let me and Chris Sabin get into a wrestling ring. He didn’t teach us much of anything – just the basics. Luckily, it was enough for me to start wrestling on shows, meet some people, set up rings and do security. From there, I met Scott D’Amore and Joe Legend who helped me out a lot.
BB: How did you support yourself while you chased your dream?
SHELLEY: I was pretty lucky. My parents said that as long as I stayed in school they would support me. They would help me out and I still lived at home. But I also had a job and paid my bills. I worked as a butcher and had the midnight shift. That was a pretty horrible job. There’s nothing like power-washing crusty hamburger meat off the machines at three in the morning.
BB: What did your family think about you getting into wrestling?
SHELLEY: They knew I always wanted to do it, because from about 13 years old on I was very vocal about it. I think they were already prepared for it. But, there were many times that they questioned whether I should be wrestling. I would come home beat up, bruises everywhere, my back stiff as hell. About six months into my career I shattered my jaw. I had to go into emergency surgery and I still have steel plates in my jaw from it. After the surgery I was completely depended on my parents because I was laid out for a while. But, they always left it up to me to continue wrestling.
BB: What was your first professional match?
SHELLEY: It was for a very small company and I think I got like seven dollars that night. It was a four way tag team match with me and another guy against a team called “The Game Boys” who wore Nintendo controllers as headbands and Nintendo power gloves on their hands – I thought it was very ingenious. They kind of remind me of what Chris Sabin is like now behind the camera (laughs). There was another team called “The Destroyers of the Universe” which was pretty bad since they didn’t destroy much of anything except my confidence in them after the match. I can’t remember the name of the fourth team.
BB: Give us a timeline of where you went from there in your career…
SHELLEY: I kept training and did a lot of small shows for about eight months, then I went to IWA Midsouth run by Ian Rotten. They had a lot of exposure with tape traders. I worked there for another six months and the whole time I was training with guys like D’Amore and Legend. Then I did matches for Ring of Honor and CZW and finally got a shot in TNA in 2004. I learned a lot of new things working for TNA, but I didn’t care much for my then-manager Goldylocks after a while.
BB: You were really just breaking into the ranks at that time, too…
SHELLEY: Yes, I didn’t get to have many matches, but there’s some I’m very proud of during that time, including a three-way that me, AJ Styles and Chris Sabin had on television. During my first run with TNA I got to learn a lot about how to wrestle on television – cameras, lighting, etc. Then Dusty Rhodes got to run things as Director of Authority, and he promised to let the X Division shine, but I sat at home the entire time. During that time I did a lot of wrestling in Japan. Wrestling there saved my career, because if I didn’t I would have gone back to school and given up on wrestling. But things in TNA certainly changed and I’m glad to be back here now.
BB: What’s been some of your favorite matches thus far in your career?
SHELLEY: There’s been a couple of them. There’s two guys in Japan I wrestle a lot named Minoru Fujita and Ikuto Hidaka. They’re both incredibly talented. I’ve wrestled them in singles and tag team matches. Another favorite was the three-way with Styles and Sabin I mentioned, along with my series with Shocker during the summer.
BB: How about a dream match?
SHELLEY: I hope this doesn’t sound classless or untimely or anything, but I always wanted to wrestle Eddie Guerrero. The few times I met him he was a very kind man and I would have loved to get into the ring and wrestle and learn from him.
BB: Mike Tenay always talks about your wrestling videotape collection. How did that hobby come about?
SHELLEY: It started when I did some shows for a group called “Smart Mark Video”, who were kind enough to send me videos on all kinds of promotions and wrestlers. I was always intrigued by the different styles of wrestling all over the world. At the same time, I was impressed by so many of the guys WCW was bringing in during the lucha invasion, so I wanted to get videos on those wrestlers to see more of them. I ended up with a lot of Japanese and Lucha Libre videos.
BB: How many videos would you say you have?
SHELLEY: Not tons, but a fair amount. I’d say AT LEAST 200, maybe more.
BB: What’s your favorite wrestling style to watch on video now?
SHELLEY: I’ll watch anything, but lately I’ve been into British wrestling which is fun to watch and a really different style than a lot of fans in the United States are used to. I have a ton of Lucha tapes, which make up the majority of my collection.
BB: What’s the oddest tape you own?
SHELLEY: I’ve gotten tapes from kids wrestling each other with weed whackers, which is completely stupid and idiotic. How can they think that stuff is good? I also watch some promo videos – one I have has a guy named “Primal Warpath” in his own music video shot at a gothic church. The best part is when five “police officers” arrive to arrest Mr. Warpath – he fights them off by whipping them into trees and drop toe-holding them onto rocks and tree stumps. It’s more humorous than anything.
BB: What’s been some of the low-points in your career thus far?
SHELLEY: Well, injuries are never good. Along with shattering my jaw, I remember breaking my collarbone which sucked. There’s also been a few times where I couldn’t support myself and wrestle at the same time, so I thought about going back to school. I didn’t want to go back to school – I wanted to keep wrestling. Those were some tough decisions to make. Also, when Dusty took over and I sat home, that was incredibly frustrating.
BB: When all is said and done in your career, how would you like the fans to remember you?
SHELLEY: To simply be remembered by fans ten or twenty years from now is great – but I’d also like to be in the same group as a Benoit or Guerrero or Malenko - guys that traveled the world and became wrestling stars everywhere. I want to learn as many wrestling styles as I can and show them off to fans in the United States who may not have seen anything like me before.[/quote]
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