Why I'm Doing This
I want to take some time today to discuss my motivation and my reasons for starting DMV Wrestling. I currently work in information technology for a large corporation after previously working in public affairs and digital marketing for political organizations in Washington, DC. Before that I had a history in politics, radio, and web design. I’ve always enjoyed writing and I’ve been a news junkie for a long time.
Growing up in the Upstate of South Carolina, I would watch Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling with my grandfather on Saturday on Channel 4 out of Greenville. Then at some point we also watched World Wide Wrestling on Channel 13 out of Asheville after church on Sundays.
One really big match I remember was in 1985 when Magnum T.A. defeated Wahoo McDaniel in a steel cage for the United States Championship. There are too many names to mention that I remember but I the Four Horsemen, Dusty Rhodes, Baby Doll, The Midnight Express with Jim Cornette, The Rock N Roll Express, and the Koloffs come to mind first from the Crockett territory. I remember having my parents find out from my grandfather who won a big match involving the Rock N Roll Express so they could tell m about it at a midweek family night at Camp Old Indian, the Boy Scout camp I went to. I regularly watched TBS for NWA World Championship Wrestling on the weekends.
I was aware of the WWF and followed it sometimes via USA Network programming and Saturday Night’s Main Event. I even had the Wrestling Album on casette tape. I watched AWA and even World Class when it made its way to ESPN. I bought Pro Wrestling Illustrated and sometimes other magazines. I think I even watched an episode or two of the original GLOW (Glorious Ladies of Wrestling).
I got busy with life as I moved into high school and didn’t watch it quite as much but I still didn’t totally stop watching pro wrestling. I watched it more and more towards the mid-1990s and watched WCW Monday Nitro every week when it started. The NWO angle was must-watch television for me when it started up and when I was away at Army basic training in February 1997, we even had a drill sergeant who was a wrestling fan who would give us Nitro updates on Tuesday mornings.
I was away at AIT in Arizona later that year watching Nitro on TV live from Columbia, SC and heard later about my friends and acquaintances involved in SC GOP politics who went to a big after party in Five Points with plenty of wrestlers in attendance, including Ric Flair.
I generally just watched Raw as WCW was in its death throes and got bought out by WWF. After I got married, my wife and I usually watched WWE Raw together and actually bought pay per views (something I had never done before) - usually just Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. I signed up for the WWE Network a few months after its launch and I had Peacock already after they sold to them. The WWE product got so bad that I could hardly watch it anymore plus I work when Raw is on most weeks and I really don’t watch Smackdown.
I tried to watch syndicated Ring of Honor shows when I could but it wasn’t appointment viewing for me like past wrestling shows had been. In 2018, I went to a meet and greet with the Four Horsemen at MCW Arena in Joppa, MD. I didn’t stay for the show, largely because it was snowing, but I could hear the crowd in the arena while I was outside in line for the photo op.
Then in late 2019, I discovered NWA Powerrr when it was on YouTube every Tuesday night and I’ve still watched it consistently since then and even got an unlimited membership on Fite for it and watched a few pay per views. The style of the wrestling in 2019 on there is what got me interested along with Jim Cornette’s color commentary before they fired him. Nick Aldis was the biggest draw for me to NWA. He was the heel champion who dressed to the nines, just like Ric Flair did back in the day, and he can talk. He has some of the best promos of anyone in the business today, in my opinion.
I have a daughter who is now ten and she got into watching WWE for a while and had her favorites, especially New Day when they were doing the pancakes. She doesn’t seem as interested in wrestling on television now, although she would deny that. However, I took her to MCW Seasons Beatings last December and she had a great time. We went back two weeks later for what was supposed to be their last show at what is now called R.J. Meyer Arena and we have been back for every show in that venue since then. We usually get autographs and pictures with the MCW talent as well as visiting talent that we want to meet. She has a great time every time and enjoys making signs and heckling the heels, especially when they respond, and she has her favorites who include Moses, Action Andretti, Kekoa, and Ken Dixon.
I will emphasize again that I really like to write and be involved in creative enterprises. I had worked in DC for a few years doing exactly that as my profession, and I was getting burned out on the commute to DC plus the long hours doing that. I have worked in information technology for the past few years. I missed writing, so I tried a substack for covering QAnon and other conspiracy theories, but I didn’t sustain it very well, and I think the burnout I had from politics was a factor.
So, I decided in late September that I would start a substack (newsletter) for indy and regional wrestling in the DMV area and beyond. I am also launching a podcast very soon on the same subject. I want to cover events beyond the ring for indy promotions like signings and meet & greets as well as when the big promotions are in town, especially when local talent gets a shot with them. As I previously noted, I also took inspiration from my friend Mike Mooneyham.
I am not expecting to make a lot of money on this venture, especially not right now, but I would like to be able to get to the point it covers my expenses and maybe a little more.
I think I’ve been doing a decent enough job so far and some of the people in the business agree.
Here’s what Shawn Hardy, co-owner and promoter of 1CW Pro Wrestling said about DMV Wrestling:
I think what you are doing is awesome for our region… I love that you share the signings, events, and stories from the past… Great work!
I appreciate the kind words from Mr. Hardy and what some of the other people in the business I have talked to said as well. I want to continue to make this venture the best it can be. At this point, this is where you can help.
You can become a founding patron for DMV Wrestling with a donation of any amount. Additionally, you will be listed as producer in the podcast credits if you donate $100 or more. Please chip in with what you can. Thanks for your continuing support.