A Near Death Experience with Ken Shamrock

atleekenshamrock — Ken Shamrock at UFC 45 – 2003

Ken Shamrock almost ran me over once… There is no punch line here. “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” came within an eyelash of running me down with his basil colored rental car, and it was entirely my fault.

The reckless pedestrian in me darted across the street in pursuit of autographs as wrestlers entered the Fleet Center for that evening’s WWF house show. At the moment of near impact, I went from sheer terror to pure joy when I realized who my would-be killer was. Continue reading “A Near Death Experience with Ken Shamrock” →

History and Doubt Equals Opportunity at Hell in a Cell

From the midnight ride of Paul Revere to the Red Sox breaking the 86-year Curse of the Bambino, Boston is no stranger to historic moments occurring on its shores. Another such moment, on a different scale, is set to occur on October 30 as Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte will be the first ever women’s match to take place inside of Hell in a Cell, at the TD Garden.

Mick Foley upped the ante when he announced Tuesday morning on Facebook that Sasha Banks and Charlotte will main event Hell in a Cell. Later on, Foley deflated the balloon of excitement when he clarified that the match order for the show is not yet final.

If the match ends up being the main event, it would be the first time that a women’s match has gone on last during a WWE Pay-Per-View. Continue reading “History and Doubt Equals Opportunity at Hell in a Cell” →

Favorite Matches #9: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

What is your favorite wrestling match? This is the single hardest question for any enthusiast of the squared circle to answer. There have been so many legendary nights over the years that it’s hard to narrow it down to just one.

Over the next ten weeks I’m going to write about my ten favorite wrestling matches of all-time. The listings will be in no particular order as I’ve given up on trying to rank every match in specific fashion. Now I just enjoy them as fun collection.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit: Royal Rumble 2003 Continue reading “Favorite Matches #9: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit” →

Daniel Bryan’s Babyface Turn Elicits The Crowds Of Yesteryear

Last weeks episode of Monday Night Raw ended with a frenzy of “YES” chants when Daniel Bryan turned babyface, after two weeks of being a heel, he laid out Bray Wyatt in the middle of the ring. It was the perfect scenario as Bryan had his nemesis all to himself and locked in a steel cage. The live crowd can make or break a match because they provide that intangible “thing” that makes a moment so special. However, in general, crowd reactions aren’t as vociferous as they once were.

Continue reading “Daniel Bryan’s Babyface Turn Elicits The Crowds Of Yesteryear” →

Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan Chapter 3: Mom and I Attend Monday Nitro

Mother’s Day has come and gone, and one of the memories that stands out to me is the time my Mom and I saw WCW Monday Nitro at the Fleet Center in Boston.

It was my sophomore year of high school, and my best friend was grounded the Friday before the event. My Mom hinted she wanted to go, but what teenager wants to have their Mom tag along with them to a wrestling show?

I pretended not to pick up on the hints because I was sure I’d find someone to accompany me.

Yeah, not so much.

Monday arrived, and no sooner did I turn the door knob to leave for the train station did my Mom ask if I had found anyone to go with me. I shrugged it off and told her I decided to go by myself.

“Oh…well, have fun,” she replied in a disappointing tone. I immediately felt guilty. The angsty teenager in me turned to her and said: “I guess you can come if you really want to.”

Continue reading “Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan Chapter 3: Mom and I Attend Monday Nitro” →

My Day @ Boston Comic Con 2012

Boston Comic-Con invaded the Hynes Convention Center and had a fantastic turnout. My anticipation grew for it as the weeks passed since this was my first comic book convention. Last-minute shenanigans made me absent on Saturday, and Twitter feedback suggests there were a ton of people in attendance. I arrived bright and early on Sunday to take in all the sights, sounds, cosplay, and comics that I could handle. Continue reading “My Day @ Boston Comic Con 2012” →

A Personal Retrospective of the 2003 Royal Rumble

The bright lights of Boston Massachusetts’ Fleetcenter shined down on the WWE as the Royal Rumble event brought mayhem, action and excitement to a world wide audience. I attended this event with some good friends and it was quite the show even though it was beyond obvious to me that Brock Lesnar was going to win the Rumble to set up his match with Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 19. In my youthful years, I would wait outside the security gates on Causeway St. in order to catch a glimpse of the wrestlers entering the building on the off chance that one of them would hand out an autograph. I was never able to obtain an autograph in all my years of attending events. However, I did witness Booker T and Rob Van Dam trade backstage passes for a huge bag of weed with a fan five hours before the event. Also, I was almost ran over by Ken Shamrock in August of 1997 while crossing the street. Most people would see their life flash before their eyes at this moment. I, on the other hand, marked out like a fanboy in the middle of the street since I was in the presence of the world’s most dangerous man while preventing him from taking a left hand turn onto Canal street.

Continue reading “A Personal Retrospective of the 2003 Royal Rumble” →