It’s been years since I’ve tried to write one of my KUM On In columns. 11-12 years ago, they were a staple of prowrestling.com. Back then I was a whole lot angrier, it seemed. I almost got this rise out of making fun of my readers and talking down on them like they were sub-human. Let’s face it, though. Many of them were … and probably are to this day. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for the KUMback. And send in some questions … if you dare. I no longer have the time to write those columns I once loved so much, but I know somebody who does…
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Brady Hicks has been writing about wrestling for more than 15 years, for Web sites, newspapers, and magazines. He is a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and the host of his renowned wrestling radio program, IN THE ROOM.
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DJ is a longtime friend of Brady’s and a lifelong wrestling fan, in addition to serving as co-host for IN THE ROOM for nearly all of its existence.
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Special thanks also to those who conribute to IN THE ROOM on a regular basis. This includes (but is not limited to) Kevin McElvaney, Anthony Sarlo, Young John, Voice of Choice, Albert AC Smooth, Stone Cold, and Jeff Malinoski.
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Top Three Shows
1.ITR with AJ Styles (8/9/10)
2.ITR with Kurt Angle (10/8/10)
3.ITR with Sunny (3/21/11)
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Browsing Posts in Brady Hicks
Hey guys! THE Brady Hicks here, Pro Wrestling Illustrated contributing writer and the host of the IN THE ROOM podcast right here on http://www.thebradyhicks.com. I am so excited to be bringing you all DAILY COVERAGE from this weekend’s ITR Fan Conclave in Philadelphia.
Check back here frequently as I provide updates each night from the weekend festivities.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Took Big Ern and Vince Gillett into the city again, this time to run the steps of the Art Museum, like Rocky, and to eat lunch at the Oregon Diner where many from ECW once sat after shows. Later, the two sat in for a special edition of IN THE ROOM. continue reading…
Cover by Kappa Publishing Group
“Of course, I’m number one. I’m the Miz. I’m awesome. The other 499 never had a chance.”–30-year-old former WWE heavyweight champion, in a phone interview with PWI’s Al Castle.
I’ve wanted to tell you guys for months … but now it’s official and you can look for the issue starting August 16th. In MY mind, there was never any question that The Miz accomplished more this past year (June ’10-May ’11) to earn top billing in the PWI 500 than any other wrestler out there.
There was some skepticism when I presented my argument in the office (and in ensuing weeks after our May meeting when it seemed The Miz couldn’t buy a clean win). But I - and one or two of my peers - held our ground, and eventually won over the others. In my own mind, I never lost sight of all that The Miz has accomplished during the grading period. Call him a chicken. Call him a fluke. Whatever. The Miz proved this past year that he is for real. Who else in wrestling has accomplished all of the following?
- Six-month reign as WWE champion.
- Winning every title for which he was eligible (WWE, US, and Tag).
- Money In The Bank winner.
- Successful title defense in WrestleMania main event.
- Pinfall victories over John Cena, Randy Orton, R-Truth, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan, and Jerry Lawler.
Thoughts? You’re probably not going to change my mind … but I’m curious.
Photo by Brady Hicks
I’ve said it so many times that I’ve become predictable, but it bears re-mentioning: You always want to see the good guys succeed. Austin Aries is one of the good guys. Whether his actions in the ring make you want to proudly pat him on the back or try throw your chair through his skull (I’ve seen both), “A-Double” is one of the most genuine and honest guys you will ever meet, inside – or outside – the ring. That’s why I’m really hoping this new opportunity to wrestle on Impact heading into the Destination-X pay-per-view next month will be so much more than a one-time comeback or a final goodbye.
Photo by Wikipedia Commons
People come up to me all of the time and ask my opinion on WWE’s World title situation. All of the time. Like so many others, I don’t see how ONE company can trot out TWO major heavyweight championships, especially when the title often regarded as the more important of the two (Raw’s WWE title) actually implies something so much less prestigious than its counterpart (Smackdown’s World title).
But there are two brands within one company. I get that. They are two brands that WWE has – despite some small degree of inter-mingling – managed to keep as separate entities for almost a decade. With two touring brands and the breadth of the legacy WWE inherited when it acquired WCW, I understand why WWE feels itself entitled to continue carrying around the rich history of both its own heavyweight belt and the big gold one, which represents a 100+ year legacy that was the NWA (and later WCW).
I get it.
You never forget your first time. For me, my first time as a wrestling manager came with the thwack of a steel folding chair to the back of my leg, a blow that shot pain down the length of my leg but caused me no real damage. At the time, nobody could have convinced me that the chair-shot was innocent enough and was such a mild sting compared to what professional wrestlers go through every time they step in the ring. I guess that’s why I’m not cut out to be a wrestler. In any event, I didn’t have any time to think about it anyway, as my charge – and VH1 reality star – Matt Riviera tripped over my hunched-over frame and was pinned by legendary tag team Demolition.
My first time was with former WWE Diva Stacy “The Kat” Carter … the person on the other side of that steel folding chair.
Photo by Brady Hicks
Perhaps more than ever before, this year’s East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) Super 8 tournament is all about the trophy. Just ask the first entrant announced for this tournament, back in January on my IN THE ROOM podcast: Tommaso Ciampa.
A former WWE developmental wrestler, Ciampa has been collecting experience in independents around the world, including recent work for companies such as Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate, and EVOLVE. His Project Ciampa (powerbomb-into-lungblower) has made him one of the most feared men on the indie circuit today, and his success in the ring has garnered him a reputation as one of the most technically proficient un-signed wrestlers in the world today.
Photo by WWE
In the words of famed crooner Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) in Irv Berlin’s Christmas-time classic White Christmas, “What do you do with a General, when he stops being a General?” Sitting in the studio last night talking about Edge with my IN THE ROOM cohost (and fellow Pro Wrestling Illustrated contributing writer) Kevin McElvaney, I couldn’t help but wonder that very question out loud.
What DO you do with a wrestler when he stops being a wrestler?
Photo by Brady Hicks
As a wrestling fan, I wish that nobody had to get older. I would love nothing more than to see some of my favorite stars of the 1980′s and 1990′s hang onto their primes and compete with some of the top stars today. The problem is I know this is just a fantasy. So few are blessed with the sort of career longevity that lets them compete well into their 60′s, 70′s, or beyond. And even if they do, it’s just not realistic to expect a level of performance close to what they could once offer. In the real world, people get older. Every day, the bodies of ORDINARY men and women – people with lives no more grueling than our own – break down around us. It’s just what time does.
Photo by Lee Gray
Check out Sunny IN THE ROOM
Tammy Sytch: Are the Sunny Days Back Again?
special thanks to 1wrestling.com for the opportunity to have this column published on the site.
Get out that suntan lotion. We’re ALL in for some Sunny days these next few weeks as WWE prepares to make Tammy Sytch its youngest-ever inductee into the Hall of Fame at the age of just 38. Throughout the 1990′s, I was a huge fan of Sunny, much like any other red-blooded male who watched her on TV. Since the time I started chipping in at Pro Wrestling Illustrated as a Contributing Writer, though, I came to know her on a much more personal level. We were never close friends, but I did have many opportunities to talk to her on a number of different shows, appearances, and conventions over the years. Or, rather … I had always only had the chance to talk to TAMMY SYTCH.
It wasn’t until this past Sunday at a show in Voorhees, New Jersey that I FINALLY got to meet Sunny.
