IT'S TIME FOR WRESTLEMANIA!!!

That's right folks, Wrestlemania 26 is just three days away and what better way to celebrate than with a journey back to 2001 with the "Gimmick" Battle Royal from Wrestlmania 17!


(NOTE: I only posted the intros for the match. Why? Because that match itself only lasted a few minutes and really, if you've seen one battle royal, you've seen them all. And in case you were curious, the match was won by the Iron Sheik. Why did he win? Simple, because he was so old, he could no longer safely be thrown over the top rope in order to be eliminated!)

Many great wrestlers in this match. Some were wrestlecrap, like the Gobbledy Gooker and the Goon. Others were legitimate legends, like Michael "P.S." Hayes, Sgt. Slaughter and the late John "Earthquake" Tenta. Then you had guys like Hillbilly Jim and Doink the Clown who weren't necessarily legends, but weren't exactly wrestlecrap either. Doink the Clown is one of the most unique gimmicks ever. On paper, a wrestling circus clown should have had failure written all over it. But for one reason or another, Doink just really got over with the crowd. Part of it probably owes to the fact that guys who played Doink (there were at least four that I know of) really played the part over the top. Doink would come to ring popping kids' balloons with his cigar, throwing pies at unsuspecting spectators, and even used odd foreign objects on his opponents. In one match, he hit Crush with a car battery! In short, Doink was a bad ass, and people liked that.

On an interesting note, Tugboat, who looked for all the world like a giant peppermint in this match, was also Typhoon and the aforementioned Shockmaster. I've actually gotten some feedback about that post, mostly people wanting to know "Why put him in a mask that hindered his vision so badly?". The simple answer is that WCW was run by a bunch morons who didn't know what the hell they were doing. (If there was one constant with WCW, it was inept leadership!) While that may hold true, a simpler reason was that Big Van Vader was in the match, and he too wrestled in a mask. Vader would come to the ring wearing a metallic helmet that spewed smoke, removing it before entering the ring. It was an awesome sight that scared the crap out of many a child sitting in the front row (judging by Vader's reputation for being stiff in the ring, it probably scared his opponents as well). WCW's logic here was probably that the best way to combat one scary fat guy in a mask was with another scary fat guy in a mask. Needless to say, they should have put more thought into it.

This is a pretty long post, and I apologize for that, but I promised the story of the first time I worked RAW, so here goes. I was just starting out as a stagehand, and my brother, Dante, managed to get me on the load out for Monday Night RAW. It was May 2004, and I had just turned 20. So we get to the arena, waiting for our call to start, and who should come out but The ROCK! I was stunned. He came up and shook my hand and thanked all of us, even talking with my brother for a bit about offroading. The next surprise came when I was put on the ring crew. So I got to walk out of the entrance and down that legendary ramp. I had dreamed of this so many times as a teenager and now I was getting to do it for real. With the ring a mere 20ft. away, I stood up and said "To hell with it, when am I ever going to get this chance again?". In that instant, I bolted down the ramp and slid through the ropes and onto the mat, jumping up, pumping my fist. It was an awesome night, seeing all the wrestlers, walking around the set. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Well, that's all for this week. Time permitting, I'll be back next week with an Easter Greating and a new adventure staring Mike and Mindy. LATER!

HOLY CRAP! I"VE GOT A FOLLOWER!!!

Wow! I guess there are people that actually read my blog.

In truth, my follower is actually my good friend, Ricardo Medina. A lot of you may recognize him as "Max Sterling" from the popular youtube shows The Flunky/Max Sterling Show and Ghetto Gamers. Anybody who went to Comic-Con last year would know him as the guy who got Kevin Smith to write some unflattering comments about Twilight on the film's poster! It's a pretty funny story, but it will have to wait until Comic-Con rolls around. It'll be much funnier that way. (Actually, I have a lot great Comic-Con stories!) Anyhoo, Ric's a good friend and a damn funny guy. Thanks for following me!

Anyway, it's video week! And here's one I came across at the suggestion of my co-worker, Matt Marty. It's pretty freakin' hilarious, and I hope y'all enjoy it.



Damn! I always knew the Count was pimp!

This past week was quite a whirlwind for me. In a span of three days, I was working the Nuclear Cowboys tour, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and WWE Monday Night RAW. Each show was pretty cool to work on and a lot of fun. The WWE (I really miss the "F") road crew are some of the nicest dudes you will ever come across. And they got their act down to a science. That's the fastest I've ever done a TV show before. I didn't get to meet any wrestlers this time around, although I saw plenty of them (Triple H, Big Show, Christian Cage and John Cena, who I was surprisingly taller than!). Still, it was a cool experience, and one I look forward to every year.

Well, dear bloggers, I'm afraid that's all the time I got for right now. Since Wrestlemania is next week, I'll post one of my favorite 'mania matches from Wrestlemania 17. And I'll even through in the tale of my first experience working Monday Night RAW back in 2004, free of charge!

Take care, LATER!

COMICS WEEK! (BETTER LATE THAN NEVER)

Hey Folks, sorry about not updating last week. I'm sure all three of you who actually read this blog must have been pretty bummed. It was a busy week at work for me, setting up for the Opera, a banquet and some sort of robot competition. My time isn't always sparing , and in these tough times, I can't turn down work. Needless to say, I may not always update weekly.

I do have some new comics though, and I'm working Monday Night RAW next week, so I should have lots of cool stuff to talk about next time! Anyway, enjoy the comics.

*Special Note: The above comic was one of three rejected by MAD Magazine.

STONEHENGE

This Is Spinal Tap is a film that is very near and dear to me. When I was a kid, I found it funny because it was a bunch of grown men doing really silly and stupid stuff. As an adult, I have a much better appreciation for the film. Not just because I'm older and slightly more sophisticated (or as sophisticated as a 25 year old who still eats "Cookie Crisps" and watches cartoons everyday can be). I appreciate it more because I work as a stagehand. I've been one for six years now and just recently became a member of the union out here (I.A.T.S.E. Local 122, San Diego Chapter). I've done quite a few shows over the years, like KISS, Comic-Con, WWE Monday Night RAW and Wicked to name a few. I've been doing it long enough that I'm starting to realize that some of the things they parody in the film actually happen! It's a fun job, and one that I am thankful to have.

While I must admit, I've never seen anything of a "Stonehenge" magnitude happen before, I have seen some mishaps, like a few wardrobe malfunctions and even performers getting hurt during a show. Most recently, I ran spotlight for Disney On Ice and witnessed a few mistakes, like skaters falling down (the girl playing Tinkerbell actually hurt herself and couldn't perform for the rest of the week as a result), cars and props not being where they were supposed to be, and, funniest of all, the Pixie Queen's harness getting caught in the track that was supposed to make her fly over the audience. Her dialogue could be heard, but she was nowhere to be found. It was really funny listening to the backstage crew freak out over the head set. I can't imagine how the actress playing the Queen must have felt, being hung up a good 50 ft. above the ice!

That's it for today folks. Come back next time for comics week, featuring a new Mike and Mindy story and a random one-shot. See y'all next time!

ENTER THE SHOCKMASTER!!!

Welcome back folks! It's time for some bloggin'.



Like most kids who spent their teen years between 1996 and 2002 (ages 12-18 for me), I was a huge fan of pro wrestling, with the WWF and ECW being my favorite promotions. To put it simply, I lived for wrestling. These days, not as much, although I still watch RAW every week and usually buy the "best of" sets (the "STARRCADE" boxed set is a particular favorite). I guess with only one major promotion now, it's just not as much fun (Nobody takes TNA seriously and note to Eric Bischoff: redoing Nitro 1997 all over again ain't the way to go!). Still, wrestling will always hold a special place in my heart. Especially BAD wrestling.

The year was 1993 and WCW's ultimate face, Sting, was tangled up in a bitter fued with Big Van Vader, Sid Vicious and the Harlem Heat, Booker T and Stevie Ray (known as Kane and Kole in those days). With the big "War Games" match coming up, Sting was in dire need of some partners. His first recruits were Davey Boy Smith and U.S. Champ Dustin Rhodes, great picks to say the least. Sadly, that's pretty much were the good news ended, for you see, Ole Anderson was the head booker in those days, and he found a final partner for Sting that he was sure would "shock" everyone. Enter the SHOCKMASTER!

Fred Ottman was a veteran grappler who, as Typhoon, had been a world tag team champion in the WWF with his partner, Earthquake (the late John Tenta). With a shot at a main event run with Sting dangled before him, Ottman threw on masked, called himself the Shockmaster, and jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, he didn't look were he was going.

On the night of his big debut, the Shockmaster jumped threw a banner amid fireworks, and promptly fell down. His mask, a Star Wars storm trooper helmet painted silver, flew off. Ottman grabbed his mask and tried to continue, but the damage was already done. Fans and wrestlers alike were cracking up. Commentator Jesse Ventura could harldy contain himself, blurting out "What an entrance by the Shockmaster!" The pre-recorded, Ole Anderson-provided voice box interview didn't exactly help either. It was probably the most unintentionally funny moment in wrestling history.

Within a few months, the Shockmaster gimmick was eventually dropped and Ottman became Uncle Fred, a bumbling dumbass who always screwed up. He was released shortly thereafter, and briefly returned to the WWF before retiring. He came out of retirement in 2001 to participate in the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 17.

For more info on this and other bad wrestling, visit www.wrestlecrap.com (Note to parents: wrestlecrap.com isn't always kid friendly, so be wary).

NEW CARTOONS THIS WEEK!

I'm back and ready for another week of blogging. I must admit, I'm still having a tough time figuring out how all this stuff works, but I'll get better as time goes on, I promise. Anyway, it's comic week here at the stuff, so try to enjoy these gems and come back next time for video week, when we explore the wacky world of pro wrestling! You'll be SHOCKED!!!

*Special Note: This comic was one of three that got rejected by MAD Magazine. I guess it didn't have enough jokes about farting and vomiting to meet their unusually high standards.

WELCOME TO THE BLOG!!!

Howdy Folks! My name is Jon and I am a stagehand/writer/cartoonists who is just trying to venture out for the first time. There's so much to say and yet so little time, so I'll be brief. My goal is to update weekly with comics, video clips and random funny stories about some of the more interesting things that have happened to me over the years. Hopefully, y'all will enjoy the ride! You will learn much more about me in the coming weeks, but for now, let's check out some comics.

These were actually posted last month on the Kids Love Comics blog that Ray Friesen runs. We met at Comic-Con last year, and spent about forty minutes talking about Don Martin, twice no less! He's a good guy and a funny dude, so I highly recommend you check out his stuff (with titles like "Cupcake of Doom", how could you not want to check it out?). I also owe him lunch next time he's down my way (if you're reading this Ray, I haven't forgotten).

See y'all next week!