Best Matches of 2009

2009 is almost coming to a close so I thought I would reflect back and think about the best matches I had this year. I had an excellent opportunity to travel the world once again this year that I am very grateful for. I must say I had a really good year of quality matches but 5 really stick out as ones I am very proud of and will always remember. I really hope I have more to write about in 2010! Here are my favorite matches of 2009, in no particular order.

The Metal Master vs Alex Shelley part 1 in Omaha Nebraska
This match was at an outdoor Water park in Omaha, with probably about 500 in attendance. I hadn't wrestled Alex Shelly since 2003 when he first started and wow had he improved. This was the first match in years that my memory and conditioning was truly challenged. Alex has wrestled epic matches for TNA week after week for the past several years including matches in Japan at the Tokyo Dome and this one was no different. This night we went about 20 minutes with some classic technical British style wrestling at the beginning and some Japanese style nearfalls at the end. It had been years that I wrestled a more Japanese style match and I was quite proud of my performance and our result. Metal Master wins with the jackhammer!

The Metal Master vs Alex Shelley part 2 in Warrington, Iowa
This match was at Warrington High School and was a fundraiser for High School buses. Alex and I had a much different match tonight. The crowd was very hot and we had a very sound psychological match. More excellent mat wrestling at the beginning as you would expect out of me and Alex. What surprised me the most is how good I felt in these matches with Alex considering I hadn't been tested like this in a long time. This match was very psychologically sound with a slow build until a climactic finish and the fans were very appreciative and receptive for everything we did. We brought alot of emotion with back and forth chops, forearms, and kicks with many close nearfalls at the end but Alex won this one with the frog splash.

The Metal Master vs Bruiser Bradley (Aylesbury, England)
This match took place in Aylesbury, England and was the first time Bruiser and I had been in the ring since 1997 when he and Dean Malenko trained me in Tampa Florida. I hadn't even seen Bruiser since training let alone have a match together. We finally met up here and we picked up right where we left off. I felt totally comfortable in the ring with him and performed in a way in this match that I normally don't do in others due to trust issues. Crowd was "shit hot" for the entire match that included him whipping me with his bullrope, and me hitting a top rope moonsault onto him which I rarely do. No typical cheerleading in this match that you see in alot of British shows these days. Just good psychological hard fought back and forth pro wrestling. Finish saw Bradley hit me with the cowbell for the 1-2-3.

The Metal Master vs Mike Mondo (Louisville, KY, USA)
This match took place in the quarterfinals of the OVW TV title tournament. Mike and I had been looking forward to getting in the ring with each other for weeks and it really paid off. Danny Davis, the owner of OVW, told both of us after the match it was the best OVW match in the last 5 years. What a compliment considering all the great WWE talent that have been through the OVW territory!! We went 22 minutes in this match where I caught Mike in several Alloy Crossfaces but the final one made him tap out with only 30 seconds remaining in the TV match!!

The Metal Master vs Apoc (Frankfort, KY, USA)
It's too bad my matches with the talented Apoc were not in front of larger audiences because we really tore it up when we got in the ring together. Apoc is a very smart wrestler and is experienced in all forms of pro wrestling. This particular match took place at the Frankfort Civic Center in front of oh, about 65 people! We did alot of old school style wrestling at the beginning of the match that the fans in attendence really appreciated and probably hadn't seen in 20 years! I made a very hot comeback and pinned Apoc with the brainbuster.

Metal Master vs JT Starr

Here is a match between myself as Metal Master vs the talented JT Starr from this summer's HWA TV taping in Peoria, Illinois. The production quality of this match is outstanding and I have no idea if HWA is still doing TV. Enjoy the match and let me know what you think!

The Metal Master vs Mike Mondo

I had a great match a few weeks ago with Mike Mondo, formerly known as Mikey with the WWE's Spirit Squad. I was very proud of this match and I hope to report more Metal Master vs Mike Mondo matches in the future. You can check out the match in its entirety at the OVW Official Website or the edited version right here.

OVW TV Debut this Saturday!

Last Wednesday the Metal Master made his OVW TV debut at Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky against OVW TV Champion Jamon! This will also be the first time the Metal Master has appeared on American TV. Look forward to see the Metal Master every Saturday night on the following channels:
TV Stations carrying OVW:
Saturdays @ 9:00 PM on WOBZ-TV 9 in London, KY
Saturdays @ 11pm on the CW in Louisville, KY
Saturdays @ 11:00pm on WKYT-TV in Lexington, KY

The Metal Master also has a new look! The older gear was very delicate and easy to tear which restricted the Metal Master's movement in the ring. This newer gear makes it much easier to move around and perform more spectacular moves and holds.

The face cannot betray the years until the mind has given its consent. The mind is the sculptor.

We renew our bodies by renewing our thoughts; change our bodies, our habits, by changing our thoughts.

Dreamwave Wrestling

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to make a long 6 hour journey to La Salle, Illinois and back but it was well worth it!! This exciting new wrestling promotion is called Dreamwave and has some of the best wrestling fans I've ever been around. Unlike most "indy" feds these days, this promotion targets a family audience which is what pro wrestling has always been for anyways. There were no corny dueling chants or fans trying to "get themselves over." Nor was there any blood or swearing in the crowd or in the ring. I had a quick match against John E. Black which allowed me time to mingle with the fans and watch one of my childhood favorites, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in action.

I am happy to say that I will be on the next several Dreamwave shows. The next one is July 18 in La Salle, IL at the Knights of Columbus. If you are a wrestling fan and live in this area I do recommend you checking this fed out especially if you have children to bring.

The Metal Master vs Ringo Ryan

The Metal Master vs Ringo Ryan
Uploaded by themetalmaster. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.

Here is a match from last summer at the Blackpool Tower Circus in Blackpool, England vs Ringo Ryan.

Fatty

What is the matter with the majority of people who are contented to drift through life in a state of flabby weakness, more or less tired all the time? Is it pure ignorance? I cannot think that. Do you suppose for one minute that most people don't know that exercise will build strength? Why, every child knows that exercise builds muscle and energy and endurance. Surely the poor physical condition of our people is not because they don't know how t hey can gain strength. Then what is the matter with them? If you are among these people who are physically below standard, just why is it in your own case? Do you know? Have you ever stopped to think about it? You would feel humiliated if you thought you were mentally below standard. Your pride would be hurt too much if any one thought you feeble-minded. Then why are you satisfied to be feeble-bodied?

You can put a period of exercise in your daily routine just as you include shaving. You cannon escape shaving, and so you do it and do not mind it. But you can just as easily put 15 minutes or more of exercise in your morning routine, and you will not mind it. Indeed, you will like it because you feel so much better.

You don't need a gymnasium. You don't need apparatus. All you need is conviction, deep in your heart, that you want to be the man that you should be, the feeling that you must be at your best, and nothing less than that. It is not will-power that you want. Will-power is supposed to be something that helps you to do something against your inclinations. What you need is to change your inclinations, if necessary, so that you want to be fine, superb, specimen that you should be.

Why Grow Old?

It is an insult to your Creator that your brain should begin to ossify, that your mental powers should begin to decline when you have only reached the half-century milestone. You ought then to be in your youth. What has the appearance of old age to do with youth? What have gray hair, wrinkles, and other evidences of age to do with youth? Mental power should constantly increase. There should be no decline in years. Increasing wisdom and power should be the only signs that you have lived long, that you have been many years on this planet. Strength, beauty, magnificence, superiority, not weakness, uselessness, decrepitude, should characterize a man who has lived long.

As long as you hold the conviction that you are sixty, you will look it. Your thought will out-picture itself in your face, in your whole appearance. If you hold the old-age ideal, the old-age conviction, your expression must correspond. The body is the bulletin board of the mind.

On the other hand, if you think of yourself as perpetually young, vigorous, robust, and buoyant, because every cell in the body is constantly being renewed, decrepitude will not get hold of you.

New Metal Master DVD available for FREE!!

I have finally decided to update my official site with the news of a new Metal Master DVD. I am giving the DVD away for FREE with the purchase of a Metal Master mask! Also included in this package is a free autograph picture. Included in this DVD are all matches from my recent European tour. They are:

The Metal Master vs Doug Williams

The Metal Master vs Robbie Dynamite

The Metal Master and Christian Eckstein vs Doug Williams and Kawabata

I am also running a special on T-shirts for $10. I have a limited number left. Mostly Smalls and Mediums. I am getting these cleared out for a new shirt to be presented later this summer. You can find these products all in the Metal Master merchandise section on the menu above. I accept PAYPAL payment ONLY! Items are shipped either same day or next.

I will, however, have this same special at the wrestling shows I am booked on. I have also updated my schedule with dates for June. Hope to see you at the matches!

The Wrestler

The European tour I am currently on has been an absolutely blast so far. I arrived two weeks ago in England but immediately had to leave that evening to Italy for a weekend wrestling show for the ICW promotion. I had a super match with Charlie Kidd and also enjoyed conducting two wrestling seminars for the Italian wrestlers. I returned to England for two days before having to leave for Paris, France to wrestle for 4 days for the Catch Wrestling Stars promotion. The tour went really well as we performed in front of over 1,000 wrestling fans every night in major French arenas.
This Saturday I fly to Ireland for 8 days of wrestling shows for long-time wrestlng promoter Orig Williams. When I return to England it looks like I'll be starting in the middle of a very busy All Star Wrestling tour. This will go on until the end of April. I hope to report more European bookings while I am here in the UK.
Last night, myself and one of my trainers, Jeff Bradley had the opportunity to go see The Wrestler. I really enjoyed the movie because its what I experience every day being in the wrestling business. However, I thought the movie presented the very ugly side of professional wrestling. I can happily say I've never had any problems with drugs shown in the movie. It was great to see some of my friends like Nigel McGuinness in the movie though. Feel free to send any comments to me via this website on your opinions of the film.
Make sure you also check out my new Metal Master Facebook and Metal Master Dailymotionwebsites!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everybody. One of my many New Year vows is to update this site more often than I did in 2008. I’d like to update once a week with news updates, blogs, and YouTube videos from my most recent matches. That is the plan! I am really looking forward to this year especially after having an incredible 2008 all over Europe. I am back in the United States right now but looking forward to return to Italy and France this month for some pro wrestling events. I am also in negotiations with some other wrestling promotions abroad and hope to have news on those very soon.
There is new merchandise available here at the website including Metal Master masks, keychains and 8x10 pictures. I am also running a sale on the Metal Master 2007 shirts for $10. I am hoping to have some new Metal Master shirts in April 2009.
For those of you that have Facebook, there is a new Metal Master fan page. Please go to
Metal Master Facebook