This past weekend was a pretty great one, but the aftermath has been anything but. The best place to start, however, is at the beginning.
Saturday, February 3, I packed the entire family into the Sugar Mobile and headed to Vancouver; rumors were swirling that I would be facing Mikey D at the Russian Community Centre (Cremator is nursing injuries that plagued him throughout 2007, so our ECCW Hardcore Title match has been postponed), but nothing was yet set in stone. Being from the Island, where life is easier (and street signs make sense), we got lost on 4th Avenue and arrived at the building several hours later than expected...but still several hours before the show.
It turns out that Mikey D was also too ill to wrestle; at this point, I think the whole "illness" gimmick is just that: a gimmick. The word is out that 2008 is the Year of the Mad Dog, and opponents have started running scared!
I was promised that a "suitable replacement" would be named, and that I would indeed be getting a chance at a title in Vancouver. I hit the ring (complete with new music to match the new "Mad Dog" philosophy), and awaited my shot at a title...when "Dastardly" Danni Deeds came through the curtain.
Lucky me: my second "chance" at the infamous ECCW Jobber Title.
I was not impressed; not with the Mainlander fans for mocking me, or the Maninlander promoters for disrespecting a dedicated Islander such as myself. This has been typical of ECCW for years: sure they don't mind "humoring" Vancouver Island with a few shows a year, but when it comes to the wrestlers living on the best part of British Columbia (that's Vancouver Island, you dolt!), the disrespect is blatant to the point of absurdity.
Do you know that since Cremator won the Hardcore Title on August 24, 2007, he's only been given one chance to defend the title? That happened on December 1, in Nanaimo. Yes, only on Vancouver Island does the Island's monster get the respect he deserves.
Same goes for yours truly. I don't remember getting disrespected with shots at Jobber Titles in Nanaimo. Or Comox. Or Port Alice. Or anywhere on Vancouver Island, for that matter. But the ECCW brass thinks mocking Islanders (or forcing them to kill each other in Hardcore matches), is amusing. In fact, the only Islander that has seen major success in the past few years is Ice; and everyone knows he has turned his back on the fans that supported him from day one.
It's a damn shame, is what it is. But back to Saturday.
So Deeds hits the ring, in all his nerdy glory...and the Mainlanders are actually cheering this kid. Even when I threaten to kill him, the fans are fully behind the "new champion" and are wishing him all the best. To Danni's credit, he actually put up much more of a fight than he did on December 28 in Surrey, and even had me seeing stars on the outside of the ring, early on. But Island Power prevailed: after countering a top-rope attack with a boot to the jaw, The Muzzle (mandible claw), put Deeds flat on his back for the three-count to "retain" his Jobber Title.
Afterwards, I snapped: driving my trusty bone into Danny's chest, then choking the fallen "champion" until referee "Insane" Bill Coltrane threatened to reverse the decision and award me the Jobber Title. I have bigger championship dreams in 2008: the Vancouver Island Title, the Hardcore Title, maybe even the Tag Team Titles (if I can find a decent enough partner!); the Jobber Title is not on my 2008 "To Do" List.
So I backed off. But I will not back down in my stance that wrestlers from Vancouver Island are being mistreated and mismanaged by the Mainlander powers that be. It needs to stop: one way or another.
As the Sugar Family was in tow this time, we left at intermission; the three special women in my life had been on the go all day, and we needed our rest. We had checked into a hotel named after a former ECW Champion (they aren't paying me to mention them, so I won't give them a free plug), and after a decent night's sleep, we found that the hotel didn't have any hot water on Sunday morning. Thanks, Vancouver! Crap like that wouldn't happen on the Island: we treat visitors with respect and dignity.
Or maybe Mainlanders don't like to shower that much.
The rest of the day made up for the indignities, however, as we went to the Walking With Dinosaurs show at GM Place. This was easily the most amazing live event I have ever attended, that did not involve a Marty Sugar wrestling match. Unfortunately, Mrs. Sugar missed the second half of the show because Tegan couldn't handle the noise; but the show was really for my oldest daughter, Zoe, who turns four in April. Her and I both had a blast, and the puppetry and robitics were stunning.
If you missed it, you should be kicking yourself. But then again, if you live on the Lower Mainland, you're probably too ignorant (or hopped up on crystal meth) to realize that there is culture and entertainment galore...right under your snooty (and snotty) noses.
Rumors (and we know how great they can be!) are that I will be facing Cremator for the Hardcore Title on February 29 in Surrey. I look forward to tangling with the big monster, and showing the Mainlanders what two badass Islanders can do!
Meanwhile, the bad news. On the ferry ride home, I spent time with Zoe in the children's play area; where it seemed every kid (and there must've been a dozen of them packed into that tiny room), was sick with some sort of bug. After avoiding the illnesses my two girls had in January, I am now down with a chest cold that is seriously kicking my ass. Here's hoping it clears up soon, so I can get back to working out and striving to ensure that 2008 is indeed the Year of the Mad Dog!
Until next time, Sugar Addicts.
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