My 30-year Love-Affair with Professional Wrestling (Part 1)

The 1980s are known for wild neon, MTV, muscle bound action heroes and larger than life characters. The decade is synonymous with decadence and personified by the flashy stars of the second golden era of professional wrestling.  The 80s brought us Rock N' Wrestling, the grand spectacle that is Wrestlemania, and arguably the flashiest, biggest star in wrestling history — Hulk Hogan.

I was just 10 years old and every boy at school was a fan — except me. Something about the theatrics, the characters, the hard-hitting fighting, just didn't grab me at first like it had everyone else. But then, on July 12, 2016 — thirty years ago — something changed. This is the story of my 30-year love-affair with half-naked men getting paid to play fight.

Like any other kid in the 80s I got up every Saturday to watch cartoons. While I waited for Transformers and GI Joe I'd sit with my grandfather, Papun, You post less about it, I post less "hate" about it. Win-win.

And while he watched Dusty Rhodes wild ring antics and started to get drawn in by the cliffhanger endings of Championship Wrestling with Gordon Solie (right in my own state of Florida!). My uncle was also a wrestling fan and followed a family from Texas called the Von Erichs and it's where I saw my uncle's favorite Von Erich, Kevin, fly from the top rope with bare feet and crash down on the canvas below. Years later I learned that my late great-grandfather was a fan of the squared circle. My dad and his brother were also ardent followers of the WWF (that's the WWE before lawsuits forced a name change).

Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips in a wrestler vs. boxer with Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III. (https://youtu.be/wvmImH6LhY4)

Wrestling was all around me, even in my blood, yet, I was still in love with all things 80s except for wrestling. For me it was still all about Rocky, Mr. T, and the A-Team. So, you can imagine my pure excitement at the release of ROCKY III on VHS. Rocky AND Mr. T, two of my favorite 80s characters, were going to fight. I loved every second of the movie, yet came out with my imagination captured by someone else in the film — Thunderlips (played by a then Terry "Hulk" Hogan). This seven-foot beast of a man squares off against Rocky in a promotional wrestling match that Thunderlips takes a little too far. Rocky is tossed around the ring like a rag doll, while at the same time Thunderclaps was talking smack and playing to the crowd like I'd never seen before.

Thunderlips' theatrics in ROCKY III had me wondering who he was, where did he come from, and how could it be that I was suddenly into wrestling? I started making a point to pay attention to my grandfather's wrestling show. I was becoming less interested in my cartoons and more in catching a glimpse of that goliath I saw beating up Rocky. Yet, there was no sign of Thunderlips. Instead, I got a big, fat Dusty Rhodes (a wrestler I would absolutely grow to love and appreciate after I stopped being a little punk kid). I loved wrestling in Rocky III, but still, watching the real thing did nothing for me. I moved on.

Hulk Hogan plays himself across from Mr. T on the A-Team.

A few years later while watching the A-Team, Thunderlips reappeared as 6-foot-8 "Incredible" Hulk Hogan. What could be more perfect for me? This gargantuan man who beat up Rocky and B.A. Barracks fighting injustice around the land of the free and the home of the brave. On the A-Team, Hogan would battle against fellow 80s wrestling stars Big John Studd and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in wrestling matches. I enjoyed every second while also wondering why wasn't Hogan on Papun's 'rasslin' show?

As a kid my mom would drag me to Kmart in search of "blue light special" sales. I hated shopping and still detest it to this very day. My wife traces my hostility towards thermal back to this time in my life. Kmart wasn't the worst place in the world, it was better than a hot, crowded flea market and I could enjoy the air conditioning while hiding under clothing racks. As much as I protested and hated shopping, one day I saw something … beautiful. It a was a VHS tape with Mr. T and none other than "Thunderlips" Hulk Hogan on the cover. Above them, in big, broadway style marquee lettering was one simple word: WrestleMania.

In an instant I went from annoyed kid in a store who never asked for anything, to excited young kid desperately wanting this one thing. "Mom! Mom! Can I please have this?" I begged.
I didn't ask for much because I was being raised by a disabled, single mom living off of disability checks. I also didn't need much, but this time, it wasn't about need, it was pure want, so I asked. Mom's answer dealt a crushing blow "I don't want you watching that garbage."

WrestleMania on Coliseum Home Video

From then on, every time I went to Kmart, I would see the WreslteMania tapes and want them even more. During each every new trip to Kmart I would pass by the entertainment area and look at that tape until one day, there was WrestleMania 2 and I begged again "Mom, can I PLEASE have this? There's a part two!"

No luck. My mom wouldn't budge and I went home empty handed. Soon after, in 1986, The Wrestling Album was released and I urged again "Mom! Please! Hulk Hogan makes music!" But it was still a futile attempt as my mom kept browsing and I didn't get that album.

At this point I was a wrestling fan, but Florida Championship Wrestling wasn't doing it for me. I wanted those matches I saw in the A-Team. Florida wrestling was gloomy and slow. But A-Team featured matches that were fast, furious, and full of polished showmanship which was the hallmark of the WWF. Bodyslams in Florida Wrestling were careful, but in WWF they were wild and rocked the ring. Unfortuntely, back in the 80s, there was no internet, there was no way to find WWF unless you knew what channel it was on, and even then, it just might not be shown in the area. So, I wondered where could I see the show I now wanted more than any other — even A-Team.

As a student I wasn't the best in school (please don't let that reflect badly on the majority of wrestling fans), so one year I was required to summer school. It was a blessing in disguise because Michael Salcido, a friend I'd had since the second grade, was in the same class. One day, he and a few other kids started making their own championship belts out of paper. I asked what they were doing and Michael said "This is the World Wrestling Federation Championship Belt, and I'm World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan!"

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Michael knew who Hulk Hogan was and, more importantly, he knew where I could find the Huckster on TV. That night I tuned into local channel four for a 7 PM fight. The excitement leading up that moment was building faster and faster the closer the time came. I was finally going to watch the Incredible Hulk Hogan in action!


Back then the show was called Superstars of Wrestling and with good reason. Most Florida Championship wrestlers were not what you'd called superstars but journeymen who enjoyed what they did, but didn't take it to a new level. WWF had SUPERSTARTS in body and attitude. Each wrestler was a large personality with a fierce repertoire of moves they'd summon in the ring. The main event that night was a tag-team match between Rex and Spot, the Moondogs, against Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff and his best friend on the planet, Hulk Hogan! Finally, I had the Hulkster on TV, and despite the heavy roll of my mom's eyes, I witnessed one super match! Hulkster and Mr. Wonderful made quick work of the Moondogs with spectacular and thunderous moves. At least, that's how I remember it. The important part was that I was hooked on wrestling and next week's matches could not come fast enough.

Current WWE top star, John Cena, sporting a paper championship belt.

Now I was the kid making paper title belts in class, and in WWF showmanship fashion, I made the best damn belts in school, brother! With a belt around my waist I sat down to watch the next episode of Superstars. My main man Hogan was not in the episode, but I quickly experienced some other (now) legends of the sport: Randy "Macho Man" Savage, The Junkyard Dog, The British Bulldogs, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and Hogan's pal, Mr. Wonderful. During the episode, Mr. Wonderful was confronted by an unsavory bunch of characters lead by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. at the Brain's side were a big, scary, hairless gorilla known as King Kong Bundy and an ever bigger, meaner dude known as Big John Studd. Like any good story, WWF's characters were intuitively good or bad and these guys I didn't like. I knew they were bad people. The Brain challenged Mr. Wonderful and Hulk Hogan to a tag team match the following week. A call from Mr. Wonderful to Hogan went underswered, but I know one thing for sure —the next week couldn't come fast enough!

At the start of next week's episode, Mr. Wonderful and Hogan were at odds about the phone call and my naive mind dismissed the scene, unaware of the ruse that was being planted for the episode. When the match started, Hogan was running wild on Bundy and Studd. It was pure awesome to watch my main man make fools of these two bad guys, but then in the blink of an eye the tables turned. The two giants were pounding on Hogan and keeping him from tagging Mr. Wonderful into the ring. I was desperate for my hero to break free, get his friend, and put these two opponents to rest.

Hulk Hogan and tag team partner Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff talking through a disagreement before their big match versus the Heenan Family.

The crowd started chanting "HOGAN! HOGAN!" and I was right there with them in my living room. The Hulkster's 6-foot-8 frame started trembling as if drawing power from the masses, the legions of fans known as Hulkamaniacs. Like the Incredible Hulk from comics getting larger with rage, Hogan was standing taller with strength and perseverance. Hogan pummeled Big John Studd until he had regained control of the match. Hogan ran to the ropes, preparing to bounce off and perform something spectacular when he crashed into Mr. Wonderful, sending his partner off of ringside and crashing down below to the hard concrete floor. In classic wrestling fashion, the bumbling referee became overwhelmed by the chaos which allowed Bundy and Studd to double-team Hogan. The referee called for the bell, trying to stop the match, he even disqualified the rule-breakers, but the big brutes, uncaring of the rules, continued to pummel on Hogan.

That's when Mr. Wonderful got up and it seemed like the heroes would be right again very soon.  But Mr. Wonderful didn't know the match was over and so he stood in the corner, waiting for Hogan to tag him into the match so as to not violate the rules. It's not for a while that Mr. Wonderful realizes he's got to break the rules to save his friend and he does so, running Bundy and Studd out of the ring. Hogan was in bad shape but able to get to his feet thanks to his trusted friend when suddenly, Mr. Wonderful sent Hogan back to the mat with a vicious clothesline.
"No, wait, what's happening!?" I thought and likely yelled out loud.

The Brain then began making a hand gesture to Mr. Wonderful as if instructing the good guy on his next move. That's when Mr. Wonderful picks up Hogan, puts the weakened heroes head between his legs, wrapped his arms around Hogan's waist and lift him up for a second before jumping and slamming Hogan's head into the mat for a powerful move — a piledriver.

It was at this point that I became fully enraged by confusion and betrayal. How could this happen? Why would Mr. Wonderful do this? Was he friends with the bad guys now? I didn't know, but I did know that the Hulkster would not rest until he got his revenge. And I was going to be there, week after week, sitting in front of the TV, waiting for that to happen.

Thirty years of piledrivers, dropkicks, bodyslams, and more. I've been stunned by the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, I've smelled what the Rock cooked, and John Cena's "hustle, loyalty, respect" is a mantra I think all people should live by. Wrestling's blend of action, story, character, and spectacle may not have gripped me immediately, but once it did, I was hooked for life. It's a thirty-year bromance that even after college, a career, a beautiful wife, and amazing children, is as strong as ever. The next episode will never come fast enough for me.

Part 2 next Tuesday during the live #Smackdown draft.
More Wrestling Posts: http://maloned.tumblr.com/tagged/Wrestling

How a Doctor Inspired Me to Lose Weight, and Keep it Off

Pre-weight gain

The first time I got overweight after high-school. I was careless and regained the weight.

CBS 4 Great Weight Off click here to watch

I experience the same anxiety every year at my annual physical. This is when I’m going to get the bad news, I would tell myself. Being obese for more than a decade, I knew what my weight could possibly do to me. High blood pressure. Diabetes. High cholesterol. Heart attack. Stroke. (Gulp!) Early death. My wife, mother, friends, family and co-workers had all told me I needed to lose significant weight, but it wasn’t until a July 2013 visit to my doctor that pushed me into action.

Dr. Humberto Jimenez walked into the examination room and I braced myself for my results. To my relief, the doctor said all my labs came back fine. I exhaled. That's when it happened. The physician noticed my sudden comfort and asked why. I explained how I always expected the worse, considering my weight. My doctor then slowly turned his face to me, paused and looked me straight in the eyes.

“Oh, you WILL get diabetes,” Dr. Jimenez told me. “You WILL get diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure unless you do something about it now, David. You are about to turn 40. If you don’t lose weight now, you never will. Don’t you want to be around to see your daughters grow up?”

That last question was what really shook me. With two daughters under the age of 7, the sheer thought of not being there for my kids’ birthday parties, graduations, weddings and first day of college really scared me. I was going to be there for my kids. I was going to be there for my wife, Lucia. I was going to be there for my family. I needed to make some serious changes. And do it now.

Dr. Jimenez didn’t know it at the time, but he helped set in motion a life-changing, weight loss transformation that not only transformed my body but lifted my confidence and inspired my family.

THE HARDEST CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE
I weighed 260 pounds when I walked into Dr. Jimenez’s office on July 22, 2013. I was around that weight for more than a decade. My wedding day on February 10, 2001 seemed so long ago. I weighed 185 pounds when I walked down the aisle with Lucia.  

Dr. Jimenez told me I needed to eat less and exercise.  He told me that it would take 2,500 daily calories to maintain my current weight.  So dropping to 2,000 calories a day would cause me to lose a pound a week. I needed to work my way to 1,500 calories, which is what a sedentary male my height should be eating. Dr. Jimenez told me I should subscribe to MyFitnessPal, a smartphone app to log all my food.

FEELING TERRIFIED
Food and I have such a great relationship. I love to eat. So it was going to be difficult --- scratch that, incredibly challenging! --- to cut back on all my favorite foods. Bistec empanizado. Platanitos maduros. Flan. Cheeseburgers. I love them all.

Nevertheless, I launched this adventure. I logged everything I put into my mouth. I avoided the office candy jar and the vending machine. I didn’t bring home sodas or chips. I measured and ate only half a cup of rice (I’m not giving up rice!) and cut all my portions in half. I wasn’t going to try to change what I ate exactly. I didn’t want to hate life completely. I was afraid if I tried too much at first, I would get discouraged and quit. So I started with portion control.  

I HATE EXERCISE
I also began exercising. Well, walking. There had only been one period in my life that I consistently exercised outside of playing sports at the park with my friends. I would listen to tales people would tell about the euphoria from exercising. I never believed it. In college, I weightlifted for six months with my buddies Ruben, Patrick and Berman. I never experienced any enjoyment from weightlifting. I hated it. It hurt. I got sore. Tired. I never got it. Why would people exercise?

Still, I had to do it. I walked my dog a mile and a half two or three times a week late at night after my kids would go to sleep and would bicycle four to five miles on Saturdays and Sundays.  It wasn’t much. But it helped.  To my surprise, I lost four pounds in one week.  I couldn't believe it.  I don’t know if that was just a fluctuation in weight or if it was all water.  But that’s all I needed.  Those results motivated me. I can do this.

It was difficult, but there was no turning back now.  There were nights when I almost broke down.  “I’m so hungry,” I would cry out to Lucia.  I was also battling a Coke addiction at the same time.  But I couldn’t quit.  Scott Wilson, our former campus pastor,  once told us that boredom and loneliness was an enemy to good decision making.  So I began to get busy whenever my cravings would come around.  I would do anything necessary to avoid acting on them.  I would do yard work, help my mother paint, clean out the pantry, go for a walk, whatever.  One time, I spent a whole day cleaning the tile grout with a toothbrush.  I would practice delayed satisfaction.  If I wanted to eat a certain food, I would make a future date with it.  I could only have it if I had enough remaining calories and I had been ‘good’ otherwise.  

The lengths I went to avoid my cravings sounded insane, but it worked for me and I wasn’t alone.  J.K. Rowling was a good companion for a series of months.  I’ve been tolerating my 2½ hour daily commute with the assistance of leadership podcasts, sport radio replays, news reports, religious lectures and interviews.  I migrated the podcasts into my walks and bike rides, but I craved something more. At the time I started reading the Harry Potter children's novels. But like exercising, making time for reading is difficult with two kids, homework and long commutes.  So I combined the two and got the Sorcerer's Stone audiobook.  For the next few months, Harry, Ron and Hermione accompanied me everywhere I’d go.  I would listen to the books when I was active and read a few pages before going to bed. I built a long lasting relationship with those seven long books. Thank you, J.K. Rowling!

KEEPING IT A SECRET
I didn’t tell anyone about my diet for a few months.  I wanted a before and after comparison.  But as the months passed, people started noticing.  I lost 10 pounds in two months.  My clothes started feeling loose and my co-workers started asking.  I would just give a smile and say thank you, but wouldn’t let anyone in.  I was afraid of failing.  I would hit a plateau and it would frustrate me.  Then I cut down my calorie intake from 2,000 to 1,800.  Then from 1,800 to 1,600.  I would have periods of success and periods of stagnation.  But I never quit.  By the holidays, everybody was on to my weight loss transformation.  I had lost 30 pounds by Thanksgiving 2014. I needed help and motivation to get through Christmas.  I couldn’t have done it without the motivation of Lucia, my co-workers and friends.  By New Year’s Day 2015, I had lost 38½ pounds.  I couldn’t believe it.  This was really happening.  

Slow transformation

Corporate Run 5K

Weight loss in 365 days

The next year's annual check-up with Dr. Humberto Jimenez

Before and After

My goal was clear. I wanted to get below 200 pounds and I wanted to keep it off.  But 2015 would bring on greater goals and new accomplishments.  I found myself plateauing more often.  I was already close to the 1,500 calorie mark.  So something else had to change.  Lucia would try to motivate me to exercise, but I would just put it off. She even bought me a heart rate monitor to calculate my burned calories more accurately. Then two things happened.  First, Jorge Llovet, a colleague, challenged me to run the Miami 5K Corporate Run. Steeve Joseph, a church leader, invited me to join the church’s basketball group.  There’s nothing like a challenge to get a person’s competitive nature going.  The fear of embarrassment also had a strong tug.  

TIME TO RUN
I started slow and steady with running.  I ran years ago, but stopped after suffering shin splints.  I was afraid I would get them again.

So I started doing interval walking and jogging.  But these intervals were really exaggerated.  Again, I didn’t want to get discouraged.  So I would walk three minutes and do a light jog for 30 seconds.  Sounds lazy, right?  It took a long time, but little-by-little those intervals got closer. A two-minute walk and a minute jog soon became a one-minute walk and a minute jog. Soon enough, I ran my first mile since college.  I couldn’t believe it! It went from a mile around the neighborhood lake to a mile and a half, then two miles and a week before the Corporate Run, I completed three miles! I had never run that far. I had walked a 5K before, but not this. I was going to run a 5K and I wasn’t ever going to stop or walk.  

RACE DAY: OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION
The Corporate Run 5K in Downtown Miami, held on April 24, 2015 was a rainy and muddy day.  But nothing was going to get in my way.  

The rain cleared up by the start of the race and we were off.  As I turned that first corner, I crossed paths with Katy. A former colleague at CBS, Katy Nadeau-Meagher and I had been paralleling the same life change as we motivated each other on social media.  I became overwhelmed by emotion.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was running a race!  

I wasn’t out of breath.  I wasn’t tired.  I was going to do it.  I couldn’t have fathomed this.  It started pouring rain again, but nothing was going to stop me.  Block after block, mile after mile, I was doing it.  As I turned the final corner onto Biscayne Blvd., the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. A setting sun welcomed me as I sprinted the last straight away across the finish line.  I did it!  Life would never be the same.  I was now a runner!

TRYING TO MEET MY GOAL: 200 POUNDS
I weighed 210 pounds by April 2015. I was in a mad dash to lose those last 10 pounds before my 40th birthday on May 23. So I joined Steeve’s basketball group.  That was a lot of fun.  I hadn’t played basketball consistently since high school and it showed.  But at least I was fit.  I couldn’t step back and hit the 3-pointer, but I could hustle.  

I would scramble for rebounds, sprint for loose balls and pass the ball around the perimeter. I wasn’t winded.  I thought I was going to crash during games. I only had endurance problems on that first Saturday. After a swig of Gatorade, I never looked back. Week after week, I started finding my shot again.  I still don’t have good ball control or court vision, but I was having a good time.  Lucia even bought me a basketball hoop for Christmas, so I can be ready for next season.

A NEW YEAR
I never made my weight goal in 2015. New Year’s Day hit and I was still above 200 pounds.  But it’s not a sad story, because I reached other milestones I never could have imagined.  I got down to 203 pounds and have stayed consistently around the same weight since.  Exercise and portion control is now part of my lifestyle.

I still walk, jog, cycle and shoot hoops on a weekly basis.  As a symbolic gesture I got rid of all my big clothes in July, encouraged by my co-worker Eurecka Brown, and treated myself to a new wardrobe on my one-year anniversary. Lucia has been exercising longer than I, so now we’ve got our girls seeing the importance of healthy living.  

I pray to never fall back.  I lost 32 pounds in 2003 for the “CBS 4 Great Weight Off” (click here to watch) with the Atkins Diet.  My motivation was winning a game and not being embarrassed on local TV.  The motivation was bad, so I quickly gained the weight back and more.  But this time is different.  I’m so grateful for the people around me.  Many of my friends have also changed their lives with better eating and exercise. Monika, Leo, Tiana, Eddie, Julio, Ruben, Patty, Robert, Anibal and Jennifer started losing weight before me and have reached greater accomplishments.  We now motivate each other. Jorge, Natalia, Steeve and others have been great guides and supporters in my journey.

A LIFE-CHANGING CONVERSATION
The thought of being afflicted with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol never motivated me. It was a physician who changed everything for me. I thank God for Dr. Jimenez. If it wasn't for his direct, stern warning and advice during my annual check up in 2013, it might have been too late to take action.

I can now play with my daughters without getting tired.  I can jump on the trampoline with them and run in the park. God is good. I am so grateful for Him and the people He put in my life that in all honesty saved it.  Thank you, everyone. There’s no looking back. I have 2016 goals. I’m introducing healthier foods into my diet, expanding my palate and hoping to compete in a triathlon.

Cheers to a New Year, New Goals and New Resolutions.

New Japan Pro Wrestling: The 2015 Awakening of a Sleeping Giant

There's been an awakening. There had been whispers of a great foreign federation from the far east for a quarter of a century.  For 15 years the WWE has stood atop of the big league mountain in the world of sports entertainment. TNA was a contender for a few years, but fell into the same trap of being WWE lite, like WCW a decade before. There have been no major alternative since then.  But now a foreign giant has been aroused.


I became vaguely familiar with New Japan Pro Wrestling when the Great Muta, an uber talented japanese wrestler, invaded the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling in 1989.  His unique and innovative style of work was nothing like I had ever seen in an American wrestling ring. WCW took us deeper down the rabbit hole 2 years later presenting an annual Tokyo dome show on pay per view, from what I mistakenly thought was a wrestling organization called IWGP, the International Wrestling Grand Prix.  It was a peak through the looking glass at the world that spawned Muta.  It was incredible action, amazing acrobatics and hard hitting style.  The SuperShows looked bigger than any Wrestlemania.  The Tokyo Dome show sported a heavy metal style stage, lighting rigs and pyrotechnic half a decade before WWE ever attempted an elaborate entrance.  It was a true spectacle.

WCW stopped producing the PPV after 1993.  American wrestling fans were treated to some talent exchanges by WCW, WWF and ECW from time-to-time. But quietly I had forgotten about japanese wrestling and history became legend, legend became myth. Every once and awhile, I would hear names mentioned, stories of legendary matches and of a familiar giant show.

In May of 2013, the New York Times introduced me to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, another mythical figure, who's name I had always seen attached to some of the most legendary stories in wrestling. I subscribed to his newsletter and website and began to hear more and more about that eastern superpower. He would talk about the legends and masters of All Japan and New Japan Pro Wrestling and the tales of 5 star matches never witnessed in the west.  He'd tell us about the renaissance of the mat blowing up in the land of the rising sun. It seemed so far, it seemed so unattainable.  Here in the United States, wrestling had become very stale. It's had a few flashes of greatness with the rise and fall of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. But the lack of competition has kept WWE in neutral for a very long time.  Wouldn't it be great if another big league promotion could penetrate the west and usher in another golden age of professional wrestling?

Soon there were rumblings of iPPVs, internet pay per views, for some of NJPW's major shows, including Wrestle Kingdom, their traditional January 4th Tokyo Dome show. They were shady live streams of the Japanese broadcasts. I really wanted to get into the product, but the language barrier and lack of accessibility were still big issues for me. But then, out of nowhere, from a very odd source, it was announced that the 2015 Wrestle Kingdom supercard would be broadcast live on traditional pay per view with English commentary by world famous wrestling broadcaster Jim Ross.  Jeff Jarrett, a Tennessee wrestling legend and former owner of Impact Wrestling, was starting up his new Global Force Wrestling promotion and had entered into a working agreement with NJPW, which included an English PPV broadcast of their biggest show of the year.

New Japan Pro Wrestling, the second biggest wrestling promotion in the world was invading the United States! It's Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 4, 2015.  I was already sold.  I took the day off of work to stay up and watch the show live, over night, considering the 14 hour time difference between the U.S. Eastern Time Zone and Tokyo.  But I wasn't familiar with any of the performers, any of the matches, the rivalries or storylines.  Enter in Matt Striker.  Striker was tasked to be Jim Ross' color commentator during the show.  Global Force Wrestling and Matt Striker produced a number of preview specials introducing western audiences to the superstars, or Aces of Puroresu (Japanese Pro Wrestling).   Between Striker and Meltzer's Wrestling Observer website, I started to become familiar with names like Tanahashi, Okada, Nakamura and the dishonorable, villainous gaijin Bullet Club.  One familiar face that remained from the past was Jushin Thunder Liger, who took part in the opening New Japan Rumble contest. Gone were the stars from the days when the Great Muta, Masahiro Chono, Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami would make special appearances in WCW.

I felt uninvested when the show started that Saturday night, early Sunday morning, but no angles were necessary for this event. The matches in themselves and the familiar voice of Good ol' JR were enough to have me invested.  It was a great show.  A hybrid of many different wrestling styles, all in one night.  There was a fast pace, high spotfest; four-way tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Later followed by a sudo-shoot wrestling match between Minoru Suzuki and the Gracie killer Kazushi Sakuraba. A stiff Togi Makabe and Tomohiro Ishii left me sore after that fight. The Shinsuke Nakamura's semi-main and main event between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada were wrestling clinics.  What an amazing night.. and this wasn't the end.

Right before Wrestle Kingdom, it was announced that AXStv, formerly HDnet, was going to start airing NJPW with English commentary.  Mauro Ranallo, the man who calls Floyd Mayweather's fights and Josh Barnett, a UFC World Champion, would be dubbing commentary over some of the best matches and events from 2013, 2014 and bring us up to date by the end of 2015.  Now I could watch Puroresu every Friday night.  Mauro and Josh's pure sport, hold-by-hold style was the perfect soundtrack to the amazing action AXStv was bringing us every week, in contrast to what sports entertainment commentary had become.  Their knowledge of the product educated me on the intricacies of strong style, the history of puroresu, the young boys, japanese dojos, the arch of the Bullet Club's invasion, the split and betrayal of the new Toukon Sanjushi, the Three Musketeers and the larger than life rivalry between Tanahashi and Okada.

NJPW in an attempt to compete worldwide with the WWE Network, launched NJPW World, an online streaming service.  Even though the commentary would be in Japanese, I took advantage to subscribe in time to watch the last 3 nights of the G1 Climax, their highly rated round-robin tournament to decide who would headline the next year's Wrestle Kingdom show and challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.  I discovered Eonizzle, a fan lead streaming channel that broadcast English audio commentary to sync with NJPW World.  Now I was set.  Tanahashi defeated AJ Styles and delivered a ****¾ match on night 17, Nakamura beating Kazuchika Okada followed them up on night 18 with a ****½ match and concluded with a Tanahashi, Nakamura 5-star classic.

NJPW had made inroads with Global Force Wrestling's partnership and the AXStv show.  But now they were going it at their own.  NJPW announced that their next major show, King of Pro Wrestling, was going to be broadcast in English on NJPW World.  This time lead at the helm by WWE veteran and current Ring of Honor broadcaster, Kevin Kelly, sidekicked by the returning former WWE commentator and current Lucha Underground analyst Matt Striker. Tanahashi defended his Tokyo Dome IWGP Championship challenge-right-certificate against Tetsuya Naito and Okada defend his IWGP Championship against  A.J. Styles.

The main event was set for tonight's 2016 Wrestle Kingdom Tokyo Dome show.  The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada would have one last opportunity to defeat the One-in-a-100-Year Talent, Hiroshi Tanahashi.  This rematch might conclude the long rivalry between the two top Aces of NJPW who were featured on that first episode of World Pro-Wrestling on AXStv and main evented last year's Wrestle Kingdom.

I'm now reading the book; Lion's Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I hope in this coming year I could watch the big shows that do not have English Commentary, now that I'm familiar with the wrestlers and their storys.

I'm hoping 2016 will be the year NJPW grows into the number two promotion in the United States, as they are in the world. I think they have failed to use the AXStv show as an avenue to promote NJPW World and their big shows.  They should consider running some ads during Monday Night RAW, Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor.  But it's never too late.  While some long time Jananese fans might think that the NJPW product is becoming repetitive and stale, New Japan Pro Wrestling is a breath of fresh air to American fans like me who are tired of the uninspired U.S. wrestling scene.

Sources:

• 2015 G1-Climax with English Commentary by Eonizzle: https://youtu.be/qinJdPnLEjU?list=PLGYyu3OJTd_bXUDbIbb9oHXcrPjWwOwJr
• New Japan Pro Wrestling Roster: http://puroresucentral.com/NewJapan.html
• Wrestling Oberser: http://www.wrestlingobserver.com
• In World of Wrestling, Trying to Keep It Real
  Dave Meltzer NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/sports/wrestling-reporter-dave-meltzer-tries-to-keep-it-real.html