BEST TIME TO BE A PRO WRESTLER and STUDENT

IDIOT OF THE WEEK
Kristina McGraw



PRO WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Scotty Aboot


IDIOT OF THE WEEK
I think this might have been right up there with the midget idiot from BTW and it was a huge landslide. Let me explain to you my feelings about Kristina McGraw. Early on in her Boot Camp days, this broad wanted to be a pro wrestler. I became very good friends with her. I used to share Blasts with her as she is a big-time coffee drinker and we did the Starbucks thing and spent an hour together on those ocassions. One day, she confesses to me she no longer wants to be a pro wrestler but would like to take up reffing. I begin to think,

"ok, she is starting to think straight"

Don't get me wrong - I have always been impressed with the intelligence of McGraw. She is a very bright person that can articulate. Have you ever met a bright person who is very intelligent but a complete airhead. That is McGraw. Don't believe me. This young lady quit a very well paying administrative assistant position to go work at a Starbucks because she likes coffee. I really liked Kristina but didn't always agree with some of the bad decisions she makes in life. This past week, she made another airhead decision. I had lots of respect for McGraw when she became a referee. She became a damn good one too. She eventually became the Senior Official in APW and deservedly so. She earned it! She worked hard! Then her brain went dead the night of the APW AWARDS BANQUET. She had a few drinks. APW had rented for people to crash instead of having them drive home that night. You know, the kind of hotel room only Derek Sanders would appreciate. We wanted to give the key to someone that could be responsible but we felt Kristina was a little intoxicated and not that person. This decision insulted her. This night was the night her world turned inside out. She chose to drive home, which wasn't the greatest decision. She then resigns from APW as Senior Official. Commissioner Gabe Ramirez names Tom Castor, new APW Senior Official. Kristina McGraw finally realizes she misses APW and wants to return. Unfortunately, many things had changed with the referees and Tom Castor had did a great job of training some of our Beginner students to be refs. Kristina didn't take it too well when she was told she had to return on the bottom because our Referee list had grown and the new refs were doing a great job. APW students Matt Carlos and Mario Camacho began officiating and doing a very respectable job. We then signed up a new student to our referee camp, Sparky Ballard a 2nd cousin to the famous Ballard Brothers, Shane and Shannon.

As much as we have all loved Kristina McGraw and welcomed her return, she was going to have to earn her way back to the top as "Senior Official". I told you earlier this is one intelligent broad and she is no idiot. She doesn't belong on my idiot list just because she makes bad decisions. Obviously, Krisina began plotting how she could get back to the top in APW.

In 2004, I was forced to miss my first ever CAC Awards Banquet. Of course, this was the year McGraw decides to entertain all the boys by taking her top down at a strip club and I miss it. Little did I know that she would do anything to get to the top. I never considered Kristina this kind of woman. Well, when she tore off her APW official referee jersey to unveil a "CHEAP RENO SLUT" t-shirt, after making a quick 3 count to award Adam Thornstowe the APW UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP BELT, it was all starting to make sense as I sat upstairs in the balcony and saw this with my own eyes but was too stunned to know what to do other than sit and stare. My good friend, Kristina McGraw, had turned her back on APW and threw her loyalty out the window. At that moment, she said screw the fans! The fans aren't exactly rushing to join the Adam Thornstowe and Reno Scum fan clubs and I don't think Kristina will give them reason to become fan club members. Kristina probably thinks she is above most APW fans and not just the females but the males too.


"Kristina, I never thought you would stoop so low and become part of the scum but then again, I never got to see you in Las Vegas when you removed your top and I never knew you did those things so easily."

I don't know what Gabe Ramirez is going to do about Kristina. I still really care for her as a person but I just feel she is continuing on a path where she makes poor choices and decisions. Don't tell me she is moving to Reno to work at the local Starbucks there. Don't tell me she prefers to hang with RENO SCUM instead of her family at APW and all the great fans of APW. Again, I don't know what Gabe is going to allow her to do. I don't think he is going to allow her to referee although I could be wrong. I just wanted to let her know that I do miss having blasts together, I regret the night in Vegas I missed. No, not because I wanted to see her breasts but because that should have been the night I could have seen the sign that she would do whatever she had to do to get ahead in the sport of pro wrestling. SAD... VERY SAD!


PRO WRESTLING HERO OF THE WEEK
I wanted to touch on Scotty Aboot and end this blog with a positive note. Scotty has been working hard on his body. He is dieting properly, hitting the weight room and spending as much time in the ring and preparing for the new JANUARY 2008 CAMP. Scotty will be instructing the JANUARY 2008 CAMP. This guy has the right attitude! He moved from up north to the San Francisco Bay Area to concentrate on his career and help APW. He even enrolled in a community college to learn to speak conversational Japanese. That will sure help when he eventually tours Japan. Heck, he doesn't even care whether he wins or loses in the ring. He understands that at this level, it isn't about winning or losing but it is about learning and entertaining the APW fans. Entertain he has. The guy now comes to the ring singing and dancing and entertains the fans. His record is one win and one loss since he started that but he is two for two with the entertaining of the fans. At least I have been entertained. I hope all the fans get behind Scotty Aboot because he is busting his ass and doing all the right things. I love it when I see the fans joining in and signing with Aboot. The fans seem to know the words. I think as he begins to learn the fans music choices and sings songs fans know the words to, the fans will support him by rising to their feet and joining him in song and dance and party with him. No doubt, when Scotty Aboot comes to the ring now, he comes to entertain the fans and learn and get better at his craft and he doesn't care if he wins or loses. I think in the long run, he will be successful with this attitude and you'll see him win more matches than he loses because of that attitude. I am not only looking forward to him instructing the new beginners class in January 2008 but I am looking forward to each and every match just to see which song he sings and if the fans know the words and if the fans get up and dance with him. I think every time Scotty steps onto that stage, it is going to eventually be ONE HUGE, HAPPY PARTY!


GOOD TIME TO BE A WRESTLER AND/OR STUDENT
With the eyes of Congress on pro wrestling because of steroids, drugs, alcohol and concussions, this might be the greatest time to become a pro wrestler. For one, if the industry begins to crack down on the above, there will be lots of suspensions and firings. The industry and its wrestlers are already not very skilled and very stale. Major promotions in the U.S. will begin to look at the talent development systems and be looking to hire new talent that is not on steroids, not drinkers, not drug users and not cancers in a locker room. They will be looking to guys that are more company guys and don't have that big ego and all they care about is themselves and not the fans they entertain or the company they are contracted with. As long as Congress and the government and the media stay on top of this, you will begin to see good things. For those that read the Wrestling Observer online or subscribe to it, you already know that WWE has sent out a letter to former WWE talent offering them services to clean up their drug and/or alcohol act. This is a good thing. Trust me, WWE has the money to do all of that. They have the money for drug testing. They need to take a serious look at drugs and alcohol because they might be doing more damage than the steroids. The concussions and road schedule might be doing more damage. When they talk about a list of 50 wrestlers who have died in the last several years, I don't think you'll find 3 wrestlers on that list who didn't drink, didn't do drugs and didn't have a concussion at one time in their pro wrestling career and all they did was steroids. Steroids is not the issue and I don't say that because I condone them. I truly believe when you look at the tough road schedule and combine that with the concussions because wrestlers are not learning their craft of complex sport and complex performing art, that is a problem. When you combine peer pressure and being on the road away from your family, many turn to dangerous drugs and drinking. When you combine all of that with someone that may or many not be using steroids, that is where you have a problem. When wrestlers are cutting back on the painkillers and mixing it with alcohol because painkillers are expensive and tough to get when you don't have prescriptions. Hell, it seems many are getting prescriptions from dirty doctors trying to make more than they already make. The era I grew up with, all the boys drank beer. Hardly any of the wrestlers drank hard liquor but those that did were very few. A large percentage smoked pot but none of them did cocaine, exxtasy or stuff like SOMA. The wrestlers took care of their bodies. I am sure many of them did steroids but in moderation. They did stuff like dyanabol but didn't have 10 times the testosterone like Chris Benoit had at the time of his death.

Pay attention of you are an Indy pro wrestler or a pro wrestling student or someone considering joining a pro wrestling training school. The talent pools are in great danger right now and the industry desperately need pro wrestlers that don't drink heavily, don't do the dangerous drugs, don't put huge amounts of steroids in their bodies (if any at all). They are looking for pro wrestlers that work hard in the ring at their craft, learn from the proper schools that can teach you not the fly-by-nights that have no clue because they weren't properly trained themselves. The industry is looking for young guys and gals that understand how to entertain the fans and understand loyalty to a pro wrestling company and understand that being a pro wrestler is no different than any other job. Do what your boss asks and don't ask questions or try to make changes. I can understand once you get to the Rock's level or Stone Cold's level but until then, just keep your mouth shut, do your job and work hard at being the best you can possibly be while remaining healthy. Pro Wrestling is not one big party, it is an opportunity to earn a lucrative living doing something we all have passion for and all love, PRO WRESTLING. Take advantage of what I am saying and go for it and you too, can make it!

Thanks for taking the time in reading my blog and please support APW and its affiliates and friends. Now is a great time to join the Boot Camp. Now is a great time to attend a GYM WARS. Now is a great time to go to www.clickwrestle.com and show your support by purchasing some online footage. Now is the time to visit www.onestopwrestle.shop for all your merchandising needs whether you are a fan or a student. Don't forget Onestop caters to both. If you are a young student and were trained right, I am sure you understand the importance of a portfolio to market yourself, now you just need OneStop to produce for you. If you are a fan, that is where you can pick up your your merchandise. Don't forget to also support ChickFight. ChickFight now has television. Make sure to check your local television stations to see if it airs in your area. ChickFight can also be viewed by visiting MAVTV. I believe the program airs 5 times a week.

Again, thanks for reading and I'll be blogging very soon again...

Let's set the record straight

PRO WRESTLING HEROS OF THE WEEK
King of Indies participants



IDIOT OF THE WEEK
Bill Belichick


This weeks blog will be about setting the record straight on a few things including me posting on message boards, I could give a damn about SoCal wrestling, King of Indies and an important announcement at the end of this blog....

POSTING ON BOARDS
I don't post on any message boards other the the APW Message Boards. I frequent the idiot boards (NorCal) and am amused at some of the posts made and realize for the most part there are nothing but idiots there.

SO CAL SUCKS
I don't care about SoCal wrestling! Never have never will unless it has something to do with APW wrestling or APW wrestlers and/or graduates. So Cal is so overrated it isn't funny. Their training schools are about as bad as the Nor Cal training schools. There are some that live there, that have wrestled there that I have a tremendous respect for. I think most are in TNA today. Wrestlers like Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe and Frankie Kazarian are wrestlers I have the most respect for. I don't recall where Samoa Joe did his training but trust me, that guy never got good until he went to Japan. I congratulate Samoa Joe for all his achievements since King of Indies 2001. He has risen to the top in the industry. I will always remember sitting ringside in Japan with one of the Pro Wrestling Noah owners Mr. Nagata. He was not too please when Samoa Joe came up to me and shook my hand out of respect because Joe was with Zero One at the time. Mr. Nagata said something to me regarding that and I told him, "Joe is a true friend regardless of the politics of Japan". I now notice he is booked in October for Noah. I wish him the best. Joe has always been cool with me. He was one of the few who got a kick out of me chewing out midget wrestler Cheezy in Calistoga in 2002.

There isn't much to SoCal wrestling!


KING OF INDIES
Many of the King of Indies wrestlers have gone on to have success. I guess you could say I had a good eye for talent in 2001 and made few mistakes in that tournament although I made some, trust me. What a talented group. When you think of the list, they were as follows:

1. Vinny Massarro - never made it but has nobody to blame but himself. He was lazy and never built a body. He certainly had the ability in the ring and had a heck of a match with Low Ki (Senshi in TNA)

2. Frankie Kazarian - I have always liked Frankie. Please keep in mind, Frankie was trained by legend Killer Kowalski. Frankie has worked hard to get to where he is and is a tremendous athlete. He deserves his spot in TNA and had we done King of Indies in 2002, my bet is he would have gotten out of the 1st round.

3. Doug Williams - great European wrestler. He could have very easily gone to the Semi-Finals or Finals in that tournament. He continues to enjoy success in Europe and Pro Wrestling Noah and is a class guy.

4. American Dragon - probably one of the best mat wrestlers to come along in the 90's. His career could have gone further if he so had chosen to go further. WWE probably never realized the wrestler this guy was. A real student of the game!

5. Christopher Daniels - King of Indies 2000 winner. He was not trained in SoCal either. He was trained in the midwest. One huge talent and athlete. Very gymnastically inclined. His only weakness is wanting to be a heel but I always told him he had too much ability, agility and athleticism to be anything but a crowd pleaser. Fans want to cheer this guy not boo him. Deserves every bit of success he is having in TNA and everywhere else he goes.

6. Super Dragon - went to Japan but kind of blew his chance. Not a bad wrestler. Not a bad high-flyer. Attitude was his struggle. He had problems in the King of Indies locker room but how that changes once he got involved with PWG. Everyone seemed to forgive and forget. He is stiff in the ring which I like but would not have survived the 70's where the complex performing art was an important skill. He is tailor made for Japan but might have blown his chance. I'll never forget Ron Rivera bringing him to Gym Wars in 97 and me telling Ron not to ever bring that guy again. He worked hard and improved his game.

7. Spanky - Became a teenage idol in Zero One and you all know what he has done in WWE. Has lots of natural charisma. Signed up for the APW BOOT CAMP then tried to work me when he found out Shawn Michaels had a school in Texas and changed his mind. I kept his deposit but later returned it to him when he came to wrestle for us and lived at my house for 10 days in 2002. If you can curtail his crazy creativeness, he is very solid fundamentally. To this day, Nick Bockwinkle still talks about his match with American Dragon in the opening round of King of Indies. Solid match!

8. Scoot Andrews - To this day, I can't pinpoint what he lacked. You would think he would have been a sure thing. "The Black Nature Boy". He had charisma and boy could that guy talk and do an interview. If Vince could see him talk, he would hire this guy on that alone. He seemed fundamentally sound, solid body but short. A real class guy from Florida who deserved to make it. If anyone knew history and remembered "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, WWE or TNA could do something with this guy. Look at what they have done with Jay Lethal.

9. Senshi - Low Ki has struggled with attitude problems from time to time. Good thing he has people going to bat for him. I am impressed with how far he has gone and how he developed his character because he may not have been well trained. He could have easily lost to Samoa Joe in the semi-finals of King of Indies but made an impressive showing in the Finals with American Dragon. Has been to All Japan, Zero One, Pro Wrestling Noah and now TNA. Very intense in the ring and it probably has gone a long way in getting him where he is today. Very believable in the ring.

10. A. J. Styles - This guy can fly. I was sold when watching him in WCW and that is why I put him in the King of Indies. I would have never thought the guy could wrestle until we brought him for a surprise appearance at a Halloween Hell Gym Wars a few years back. He wrestled J. J. Perez in what I thought was a 5 star match. He deserves everything he gets from TNA because he is that good. I love his role with Christian Cage. He has great facials although I know he is left handed and was not trained right because I caught him twice in the last few weeks going through the middle rope the wrong way. He goes through just like a left hander would. But, this guy is very, very good and has come a long way, even since King of Indies where he made a very impressive showing.

11. Bison Smith - Bison did what he had to do to keep his spot doing Noah tours although if Misawa and Noah like him, he would have continued even had he ruffled the feathers of the PWI guys. Not a bad big guy. Not too many big guys can wrestle in our industry and he does good and I have seen him in some good matches in Noah. He did our best as Masked Destroyer and could have had an impressive King of Indies. I will always try to remember him for something other than the worked knee injury. I like Bison and wish him continued success in Puerto Rico and Pro Wrestling Noah.

12. Jardi Frantz - Injuries played a factor in his not going anywhere. Plus, he always struggled understanding the important parts of the wrestling industry. If he could do something simple as get his wardrobe right after all these years, he'd probably have made some progress. His persistence of being a spot wrestler also didn't help. What is amazing is the guy is one of the better mat wrestlers to ever come through our doors.

13. Donovan Morgan - He had lots of heart but he was fortunate to ride the coattails of Michael Modest because without that, I am not sure he would have gone anywhere although he had an impressive tryout match with Modest when Misawa visited our gym.

14. Adam Pearce - I wish he would have made the booking meeting to understand the tournament was not about faces and heels. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done in a Japanese setting. My guess is he has no idea how to wrestle unless he is an old-school heel.

15. Tony Jones - Tony had great NCAA credentials and I wish he could have had the body and made a better transition to pro wrestling. Had he done that, he could have done something in the wrestling business. I don't know how far he could have gone but I believe he could have gone far. He always had good tryouts in WWE and had a great tryout with Bison Smith for Misawa at our dojo. His body always held him back. Many don't know this but he might have had some great success in Japan if he chose to. He had a great opportunity with BattleArts and even instructed at the dojo. My guess is he could have gone far in Japan but chose not to.

16. Samoa Joe - Glad to see someone finally used this guy and used him the right way. I was always surprised when he would only get part-time bookings in Japan with Zero One. I always thought he deserved more. Funny, had we done 2002 King of Indies, he was right up there for contention for the finals. Of course I wish he would get his body in better shape but they have made it work with the way he is. I am glad he has been getting pushed. He is a good guy and deserves it.


I don't know if I ever mentioned this but APW was about to start a Career Management division. We wanted to take a small percentage of graduates we booked in Japan and we wanted to take a larger percentage of non-graduates. We sent Misawa a letter highlighting many of the names above and telling them which we thought were the better ones and we included footage of King of Indies. What caused the big stink with Modest and Morgan was that we were trying to get Lo Ki, American Dragon, Spanky, A. J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Frankie Kazarian etc... into Pro Wrestling Noah. They had a fear that it would jeopardize their positions in Noah. It would have made APW grow and gotten some of the better Indy wrestlers earning a living much sooner than turned out. I truly believe Noah lost out on a great opportunity. But nobody can blame Misawa for sticking with Modest and PWI. Afterall, hadn't Misawa done to Baba's wife and All Japan what Modest and Morgan did to APW? I look back now and it still brings a smile to my face because I know we were on the right track although it never panned out.

I am so happy to see the guys have the success they have gotten. They are all very talented. All APW was trying to do with King of Indies was launch a new division, make a buck and get some of the talented Indy guys earning a living in pro wrestling and you certainly can't blame APW for that.


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
I don't know how many of you follow the NFL. The coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick has had much success with his team and is known as one of the greater coaches ever in the NFL. I have lost track of the number of world titles they have won. He has been caught cheating and trying to learn what the opposition is doing by spying. He was fined $500,000 and the team was fined $250,000 and they lost a future first round draft pick which is not a good thing either. Supposedly, he had a camera aimed at opposing defensive coordinators with the hope of learning their defensive schemes. That is illegal in the NFL.

I wanted to rest everyone's minds. I cannot afford $500,000 fines nor can I afford to lose a future student so I have decided I will not be spying on other training schools in Northern or Southern California. I will not be attending any Indy show in California that doesn't have APW wrestlers booked on them. I will only attend Indy shows that I endorse such as PCW. Okay, you might catch me at a BTW show because it is local and I sometimes crave a hot dog on a Friday night. I promise not to spy on other training schools to see what we can learn to implement at the APW BOOT CAMP. Even if the state athletic commission continues not to regulate pro wrestling, I will make sure I regulate the spying from APW. I will not allow myself or anyone affiliated with APW to break the rules and spy on other training school or Indy shows for the purpose of learning and stealing something from them.

Until next time, thanks for reading my blog...

Last say on Adam Thornstowe

PRO WRESTLING HERO OF THE WEEK
APW FANS for putting up with my long tirade on Adam Thornstowe at 9/1 Gym Wars

IDIOTS OF THE WEEK
Fresno Promoter - Bryan White
PICTURE WITHHELD FOR OBVIOUS REASONS!
Pro Wrestlers who were so money hungry, they took the gamble on Bryan White and lost




LAST BLOG ON ADAM
I promise this will be the last blog I make on Adam Thornstowe. I am spending way too much time on this guy. First, I blog about my positive experience with him at a recent PCW show. In the blog I describe how he expresses in a very lengthy e-mail to me how he wants to come to APW and wrestle Oliver John.

My next blog involves his appearance in APW and how I still think the guy is a great wrestler and I tell everyone how he had a great match with MPT. I also tell readers how I think he and the RENO SCUM show no class. One example is the photo op he takes by flipping the APW fans off. Again, Adam doesn't understand the APW way of doing things and how our product is about family entertainment. We don't flip off fans, we don't swear at fans etc... He is representing APW when he wears on of our championship belts. In this case, the photo op was of him flipping off fans while wearing the APW WORLDWIDE INTERNET CHAMPIONSHIP BELT. Lots of class Adam! I sometimes go off in tangents in my blogs because I have certain pet peaves about the pro wrestling industry. It pisses me off when people make fun of the APW GARAGE and the fans that sit in the garage for FREE SHOWS. Where else can you get free shows and help the needy by donating canned food and toys. Don't these idiots realize how much talent has been developed with the use of this garage with both Gym Wars shows and one of the top training schools in the country?

I APOLOGIZE TO OUR FANS
For those that attended gym wars, I apologize for going off on a tangent and taking up so much of your valuable time. The show was already starting late and then I go off on a tangent about Adam Thornstowe. The night started out with the need to acknowledge Boot Camp students, trainers and APW wrestlers who just returned from a tour in Portugal while Melissa was on a CHICKFIGHT show in the U.K. I also wanted to acknowledge the hard work Gabe Ramirez does in booking the wrestlers for tours in Japan and Portugal and bookings in Puerto Rico. The Portugal promoters were so happy with the performance of the APW wrestlers, they have invited APW to tour Portugal. Not all details have been worked out other than the tour will probably take place in March 2008. I am sure Gabe will keep everyone informed with dates on the message boards. Isn't APW a great place to be if you are a pro wrestler or a student??

BOOT CAMP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wanted to bring in the training coaches and students and acknowledge the hard work of FUNDAMENTALS COACH, Dana Lee. The hard work of the PRO CAMP COACHES, J. J. Perez, MPT and Oliver John. We made the official announcement of Scotty Aboot being added to the training coach team. I hated ending everything on such a sour note and bringing up the PWI thing all over again but felt I had to in order to explain the Adam Thornstowe situation.

THE IDIOTS ON NOR CAL MESSAGE BOARDS
When I read on the NorCal boards Adam Thornstowe walked out on GZW for not being paid enough, I had thoughts both ways. First, I thought, if I worked for an idiot like the guy running GZW, I would certainly hold him up for money also. Just when you think there are no more idiots, this Brian White kid pops up with a show in Fresno but that is another blog topic. I dealt with Brian back in the mid 90's and figured it was a lost cause. I could have told everyone in Fresno there would be no show. On the other hand, it is not a good trend to hold up an Indy promoter for money. Indy wrestling is not about money, it is about creating larger opportunities, experience, learning and exposure. I figured it was not true until...

PICK UP THE PHONE ADAM, TURN ON THE COMPUTER
I e-mailed or phoned Adam about 9/1 Gym Wars, he originally told me he was going to wrestle at the Fresno show and I took it as an insult. Adam then told the goof in Fresno that if he couldn't get his money up-front, he wouldn't wrestle. Whether you love or hate Adam, you have to give him credit. He acted more responsibly than some of the wrestlers that ended up making the trip. I laugh because some of the guys booked must have thought they had this money mark promoter in their hip pocket. They make the trip and get stiffed. At least Adam was smart enough to not follow through on that booking but Adam then books himself in Reno and turns his back on APW. At APW, we lay out our booking itinerary months ahead and I wanted Adam to wrestle on 9/1 and not change booking plans. He conveys to me, he must be paid regardless if Gym Wars is a FREE SHOW. Then I ask him how we can get the belt back. I'll pay for FedEx and put it on the APW account - just ship the belt. He says when you guys pay me, you'll see your belt. Here we go, shades of PWI and Donovan Morgan and the Michael Modest era.

THE PWI STORY
Okay, I must give those not familiar with the PWI story what went down. APW trained Michael Modest and Donovan Morgan for FREE in exchange for 15% of any major bookings we got for them. When Donovan left APW to put us out of business and start a company run by the boys for the boys, those contracts disappeared. He left in such a hurry, he forgot to get his final paycheck. He tells everyone I stiffed him with his final pay. He takes the APW WORLDWIDE INTERNET BELT and the next thing we know, the belt is for sale on E-Bay. I am picturing this scenario all over again. We also had one of the tag-team belts missing and it never turned up and we had to sell the one belt we had and order two new belts. I wasn't going to go through this bullshit again. Adam asks to take the belt with him for some photo ops. Heck, I am hoping he doesn't do something stupid like defend it on one of those backyard wrestling shows in northern California but I tell Adam to take the belt. Now, he misses the 9/1 Gym Wars, has our belt and wants to get paid for Gym Wars. I am trying to get in touch with Adam and he is not returning my calls or e-mails. He obviously doesn't pay too close attention to the Internet and doesn't know Marlon is behind bars. APW took action! I would have taken action with Donovan Morgan! Instead, we paid Donovan his final check and got the belt back. Unfortunately, we don't owe Adam anything and we don't make it a practice to pay wrestlers at Gym Wars when there is no ticket revenue. We pay very nicely at house shows. In the Internet world, APW has always been known not to pay but yet, we have always paid our wrestlers better than any Indy promoter while understanding this is Indy wrestling.

USING THE INTERNET TO COMMUNICATE
You don't respond to e-mail, blogs or phone messages, then it is time to take it public. That is why I ranted at the 9/1 Gym Wars. I apologize to those that were there and I apologize for taking so much of your valuable time in reading this blog but the Adam Thornstowe thing is a sore spot with me. All I ask is be professional and return the belt. Come wrestle for APW and you'll reap the benefits but there is no pay, salary or whatever you want to call it at Gym Wars. The house shows are what they are. There is pay but don't expect to earn a living at weekend Indy wrestling when that is not what the Indy level is about. Pro Wrestlers surely can't expect to pay their training fees elsewhere and then come wrestle for APW and reap the benefits as if they had paid like all of our students and graduates. That is not going to happen. We will book you on the shows, book you on tours, try to get you to another level, make you part of our family but you must pay your dues and you certainly can't expect to reap more benefits than an APW graduate without paying some dues. As much as I like Adam Thornstowe as a wrestler and as much as he can contribute to the students at the APW Boot Camp, we are not going to put you on a pedestal above APW graduates. We'd love to have you in APW. I don't feel comfortable taking this to a public forumn but we have to communicate somehow since you don't respond to my e-mails or phone calls. I like you Adam. I think you are a very good wrestler. I don't even have a problem with all the spiked hair and all the wierdos you choose to hang around with. I do have a problem with wrestlers wanting to make lots of money at this level and I especially have a problem with people that take something that doesn't belong to them. Many people have worked hard and volunteered their time so that APW could pay for our championship belts.

NOT BEGGING, JUST ASKING AND DEMANDING

Please come wrestle for APW.

We aren't asking you to be nice to the fans, we really feel you can go places in APW but it won't come at the expense of alienating APW wrestlers that were graduates and have paid their dues. Guys like MPT and Scooty Aboot and Oliver John have fit in nicely and are part of our family. I'll even give you that match you talked about in your e-mail against Oliver John.

If you choose not to return to APW, good luck with all your future pro wrestling endeavors but RETURN THE FRICKING BELT or you too may see sing sing just like Marlon!