"The Year In Review"
So here we
are, just a few hours before 2007 is dead and buried. Being the big party animal that I am, I am sitting at home drinking
Jim Beam & Diet Coke, while Mrs. Sugar and Zoe watch a DVD. Tegan is already asleep; although
at only seven weeks old, she could wake up at any second ... as babies like to do.
As promised, we're going to take a look back at 2007, and think back on the year that was. From the outset, this was clearly my most productive wrestling year: 16 matches, which utterly shatters last year’s personal best of six matches. Hell, I had more victories this year (seven), than total matches I had in 2006. I even got interviewed by Ring Around The Northwest, in an interview I hope to see in print really soon; once I do get it, I will make sure it is transcribed and online.
While sixteen matches is a great accomplishment for me, personally, there is a flip-side to this proverbial coin: it should have been at least 22 matches. Unfortunately, a canceled Comox show in April, two canceled New Age Vaudeville shows, a canceled charity show in September, and two misplaced bookings for Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling in November, left me wanting more in 2007.
Meanwhile, I had my first four career title shots in 2007: one crack at the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title, and two chances at the ECCW Hardcore Title; I was also one of four men that took part in a mini-tournament to crown the inaugural PWA Coastal Mountains Title, which was an honor to even be considered. Of course, I fell short in those title attempts, but I am now the Number One Contender for the new Vancouver Island Title, and I look forward to chasing down my first taste of championship gold (or silver, as the case may be), in the New Year.
I also had a chance to learn from some amazing talents this year: Bryan Danielson, Scotty Mac and Tony Kozina, specifically. Tony was brutally honest with me after the Abbotsford show in November; he doesn't pull any punches, but leaves you with some serious points to ponder when it comes to the wrestling business. Scotty Mac can also be blunt with his constructive criticism; but at the same time, he gave me the best ever backhanded comment this summer: I finally consider you a professional wrestler.
And I was
fortunate enough to sit and talk wrestling with "American Dragon" twice this year: both times he provided constructive
criticism and amazing inspiration for the future. The interesting thing about Danielson, is that when I was watching his
match with El Phantasmo on December 28, a female fan asked me: Wouldn't you like to
be like him, wrestling for a living and traveling all over the world?
To my surpise, I actually said NO.
I couldn't believe it myself, when the word first came out of my mouth; but then I realized that if I was to actually make a living as an independent wrestling star, I would never be home: it would be Vancouver one night, Eastern Canada the next, small-town USA the day after that, and then hop on a plane to Mexico or Japan. If I was 23, I would kill for such a life in wrestling ... but I am 33, with an amazing wife and a great family. On December 28, my three-year-old saw an ECCW program with my picture in it and cried herself to sleep because I wasn't home; could you imagine if that wasn't just one or two weekends a month, but 300-plus days a year?
I know I can't.
Yes, I want to wrestle more in 2008, but not at the expense of my family. Three to five trips outside of the province will gladly suffice, coupled with regular jaunts to the Lower Mainland. And of course, I have my fingers crossed that 2008 will match (or exceed) 2006 for a busier Vancouver Island schedule.
With that in mind, let's turn to my 2008 Hit List, to see who I've got my eye on as the New Year approaches:
10. VANCE NEVADA
I did not run into "Mr. Beefy Goodness" until December 9 (at the inaugural PWA: BC show), as he has been spending a lot of time on the road in 2007. Vance and I had a huge "war of the words" in 2004, which really helped showcase my skills on the microphone; behind the scenes, Vance was also my trainer and helped me immensely with the all-important concepts of ring presence and ring psychology ... two things I am slowly but surely developing, as I get more and more opportunities inside the squared circle. I mentioned in my Ring Around The Northwest interview that I really lament not having had the chance to have a televised feud with Vance (before NWA Top Ranked Wrestling went off the air), as I truly believe we could have talked a lot of people into the buildings. In 2008, I anxiously await an opportunity to show the teacher that this student has a few tricks up his sleeve.
9. EDDIE OSBOURNE
I haven't spent a lot of time around "The Man Making an Impact," but I know that he has faced some of the best wrestlers in the world: Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, and Claudio Castagnoli, just to name a few. I also know he has a big mouth, because he has pointed it my way on the few occasions I have shared a locker-room with the guy. Since one of my goals in 2008 is to travel around the country to gain more experience, I hope that I find my way to Ontario and the Pure Wrestling Association on more than one occasion; and with the PWA looking to expand into British Columbia, I may even have the opportunity to tangle with this crazy redhead in my own neck of the woods.
8. SUPERFUNK
I faced Freddy Funk twice in singles competition in 2007, and both times I felt the pain of defeat...and his "Flight 295" splash off the top turnbuckle. I only faced VK once in 2007, back when he was still named Volcano and was a loveable dork. Now he is a dork that thinks he's a badass, or something ... by the way, What does VK even mean? Obviously, I would like to right the wrongs of 2007 by getting a win over the Funker, and slapping around the ridiculous VK is just icing on the proverbial cake. Hmmm, a Cake Eating Contest with Freddy Funk would be a lot of fun ... I know I would fare much better than Deuce Savage did, the night he tried to take on Funk in a Pizza-Eating Contest (which I am certain I could whip Funk in, too).
7. RICK X
"The Weapon" has rapidly started making a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest, having scored some solid victories to close out 2007. Unfortunately, I have the distinct "honor" of being the first person he defeated in British Columbia, when he got a surprise submission victory over me in Comox. Rick's a very likable Australian, to be sure, but now he's got it in his head that he's going to grow a better beard than me. For both of those counts, he's going to have to pay in 2008 ... and that's Fair Dinkum, mate.
6. BARRY GOODE
"The Canadian Rocker" and I had faced off twice in singles competition in 2006: he won the first encounter in Whalley; I got my revenge in Nanaimo. In 2007, Barry almost completely disappeared from the wrestling scene, but we were booked to face each other for the all-important "rubber match" by New Age Vaudeville. Unfortunately, politics, the police, and a few other factors spoiled the rematch ... on two separate occasions, I might add. Maybe in 2008, someone will realize the severity of this situation, and finally allow us to settle things ... once and for all.
5. DISCO FURY
At one point in 2007, I was booked to face Greatness On Demand for a shot at the ECCW Tag Team Titles. Unfortunately, fate had different plans: my tag partner, Deuce Savage, went on hiatus for family reasons; and then G.O.D. dropped the straps to Models Inc. in November ... and Michelle Starr "retired" from working ECCW immediately thereafter. Disco and I were also booked to face each other in a singles match this year, but scheduling conflicts nixed that, too. Disco has promised he will get in the ring with me in the New Year, and I anxiously look forward to tangling with one of the most dedicated (and gifted) wrestlers in the Pacific Northwest.
4. KID XTREME
Do you know who my oldest daughter’s favorite wrestler is? Yeah, this bastard. Despite the fact that The Kid has cracked my ribs, brutalized me with a metal crutch, and stabbed me in the back (TWICE!), Zoe Sugar still cheers for him. The Kid might be able to con a three-year-old and many of the Nanaimo faithful, but like I said in my July 29 commentary, he is on my permanent Shit List ... never mind the Hit List. Hell, The Kid could save me from a five-on-one beatdown at the hands of Chill Town and I would still dislike the sumbitch. In 2008, I anxiously look forward to kicking The Kid's ass, in as many different towns as possible. It might mean my daughter won't talk to me at the breakfast table, but it's a chance I'm willing to take for some sweet revenge.
3. SCOTTY MAC
I had the amazing privilege of facing Scotty twice this year; although both times I was left flat on my back (a superkick the first time, a metal crutch to the jaw the second), those were easily the two biggest learning experiences of my young wrestling career. I know that some people, both directly and indirectly involved with the B.C. Wrestling Scene, knock Scotty for "acting too much like a superstar," when the unsweetened truth is this: Scotty Mac IS a fucking superstar. Wrestlers and fans alike should be thankful every day that Scotty has not yet moved on to bigger and better things; that day is rapidly approaching, but hopefully not before Marty Sugar gets a "dubya" or two to even the score ... preferably with the ECCW Heavyweight Title on the line!
2. ICE
This guy likes to brag that he is "The Wrestler That Put Nanaimo on the Map," and I will readily agree: no one has done more to revive the entire Vancouver Island wrestling scene than Ice. At the same time, nobody in 2007 has been more of a foul-mouthed, egotistical douchebag, than the "Larger Than Life Superstar." Despite the fact that Ice and I first started training together with Vance Nevada back in the Summer of 2003, our two encounters this year are the first two official matches we've ever had against each other (outside a few Battle Royales, of course). Although I won a Triple-Threat Match by pinning La Sombra (while Ice spent most of the match outside the ring, yapping with the fans), Ice embarrassed me in Tag Team action; pinning me after cheating to the point of absurdity [RIGHT]. Ice has even attacked me personally this year, specifically focusing on my weight problems; which is ironic when you consider that ever since ECCW lost weekly television, the Ice has been anything but melting. I know that seeing my name alongside his in the Nanaimo papers must be a serious blow to Ice's jacked-up ego, so I expect the sparks to really start flying between us in the New Year.
1. SID SYLUM
Sid tried to avoid me completely in 2007, as we were twice slated to face each other earlier in the year: on April 1 in Abbotsford, he stated he was too injured after his "I Quit" match with Kyle O'Reilly the night before; and on August 18 he sweet-talked the promoters at the Vancouver Island Exhibition to weasel out of our scheduled non-tournament showdown. On December 1, I finally got my hands on "The Punk Rock Kid" ... and even with the help of Azeem the Dream and Nikki Matthews, he still couldn't beat me in Nanaimo. Unfortunately, he refused to put his newly-created Vancouver Island Title on the line that night, leaving me empty-handed and with a face-full of Sylum-tainted (and quite possibly hepatitis-infected) spittle. A lot of people are predicting big things for Sid Sylum in 2008; I personally am guaranteeing that I will be a thorn in his side, harassing him at each and every opportunity ... until he defends (and eventually loses) the Vancouver Island Title to The Big Bad Sugar Daddy.
Until next year, Sugar Addicts. All the best in 2008!
HOME
