(The views/opinions expressed here are those of Gene Jackson and do NOT reflect the opinions of Jimmy Blaylock, the staff of Wrestling News Center.com, the WWE, the 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Impersonator, TNA, IPW, TFW, EPW, CWA, NEW, MCW, WCW, XOW, the NAACP, or whatever this month's newest Memphis promotion may be called. If you have an issue with anything you read here please feel free to email genejackson95@gmail.com or keep it to yourself)
So....here we are almost 10 years later and I've come full circle (writing wise at least) and I'm back here where I started at hollywoodjimmy.com. (Well, WrestlingNewsCenter.com...but same difference). A lot has gone on since I was one of the original writers for Jimmy's site so I figure a brief introduction/explanation would be in order for all the new readers that WNC has acquired over the years that might not be familiar with me. For several years I wrestled throughout the area as 'the War Machine' and later as 'Gene Jackson' before quitting the business and moving to Alabama after getting married (the first time). After leaving the ring I decided I couldn't completely shut myself off from the business so I began writing a column entitled 'Cheap Heat' for hollywoodjimmy.com. I did that for a couple of years until a dispute about how often I updated my column caused me to leave the website. Eventually I hooked up with Coach B.T.'s RROnews.com and wrote there off and on, while also doing a podcast called 'Cheap Heat Radio' up until Brian shut down the website earlier this year to pursue other interests. On a whim, I had brought back Cheap Heat Radio and was doing it weekly....so when RRO shut down on another whim, I decided I would start up a Cheap Heat Radio.com website to take RRO's place somewhat and I went out and found a staff of writers to write for the site. (I might add, I'm now married for the second and final time to the most awesome woman in the world, who is very supportive of all my hobbies which I guess has made it easier to try to pursue so many at once.....I was used to having to fight for any outside interests in the past)
Keeping up my own website, while trying to do the podcasts, write columns, post news, book guests for the show, and trying to start back getting in the ring and wrestling, while working a full time job, and also wanting to start back doing stand up comedy (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in the initial paragraph, another interest of mine is Comedy) proved to be too much and on ANOTHER whim....I announced on Facebook....that I was killing off Cheap Heat Radio for good, shutting down the website, and abruptly ending my "comeback" in the ring after injuring my back in a match with Chris Adams (the black one, not the deceased Englishman). I felt bad for pulling the rug out from under the writers I had recruited for the website because they were doing a good job, I just didn't have the time to constantly update the site or spend the time it required to book guests for C.H.R. and do the shows. Not to mention my interest in wrestling was kind of waning at the moment. The main thing was I REALLY needed to focus on my health which isn't doing so great these days and I wanted more time to try to write material to do on stage at the comedy clubs.
Having announced that I was putting Cheap Heat Radio down for good, I was approached by my friend Dustin Burcham about the show and the possibility of him coming on board. I basically told him I was done with the show and that if he wanted it, he could have it because I thought he could do a good job with it. Dustin is good at that sort of thing and he's already making more out of the show than I did by getting sponsors and such for it. As I said during my interview with him, I may do the show with him from time to time but the show is his to do with as he pleases from here on out.
A funny thing happened though.....On yet another whim, My wife and I went to Atlanta to the NWA Legends Fanfest and it was an amazing experience. For the first time since I started training to wrestle in 1997, I went to something wrestling related strictly as a "fan".......not as a wannabe wrestler....not as a writer looking for a story......not as a podcast host hoping to find guests for my show or to network.....simply as a fan....and we had the best time that I've had at a wrestling event in YEARS! It reminded me of everything I loved about the wrestling business....getting to meet heroes of my youth and just enjoy being there rather than feeling pressured to feel like I needed to be "working" in some shape or form. The event was really awesome and I'm sure some of my friends are sick of hearing or reading about it but you'll probably see some random stories and pics posted in these columns off and on in the future. If you're a fan or ever were a fan of the wrestling business I would suggest making your way to Charlotte next August and checking out the 2012 Fanfest, you won't be disappointed.
Ok, so ALL of that brings us to this....why I'm now a part of Wrestling Newscenter. When I got back from Atlanta, I really wanted to write about my experience there in a forum where a lot of people would see it and I realized I no longer had one. I haven't had one since RRO shut down because CHR.com wasn't getting near as many hits, which was another factor in me shutting it down. A couple of weeks later WNC asked me if they could post some of my pics from Atlanta on the Wrestling Newscenter and I said "of course", and then not really sure what the response would be, I asked about coming back and doing an occasional column. They said they'd like that so....HERE I AM! Now, I'm not gonna promise you that I'll post columns every week....but these days very few people do so I don't see that as being a problem. I will post columns and news stories I come across that may get missed by others that I think may be of interest. I'll post reviews when I go see wrestling shows be it big shows, or crappy flea market shows. I may also post book reviews and DVD reviews as well.
I also guess I need to explain the new title of my column. I'd used 'Cheap Heat' for over 10 years and it had sort of become my "brand" so to speak.....but as one of my many "whims" lately I gave it away...but I think that's good....time for a fresh start. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to name my new series of columns here at WNC, and the other night I was watching one of my new favorite tv shows...Californication.....and it's lead character Hank Moody is a writer who is most well known for his book, "God Hates Us All".... So, I thought as a take off on that, since Vince McMahon is given sort of a "God-like" status in the wrestling business past and present and everyone seems to always be down on everything in wrestling these days...I thought it would be a humorous parody of sorts to name the columns 'Vince Hates Us All'.....so there ya go, that's the explanation of the new column title.
However, it's just a general title....the columns will cover ALL wrestling past and present, big and small, if it's in a ring....it's fair game. Sorry, for making this first one so long but I figured this would serve as an explanation of who I am.....and why I'm here. I've got a lot of stuff floating around in my head I wanna cover soon....such as the big CWA show coming up in Ripley, another new Memphis Show???, The Tupelo Turf Wars, etc.,
As well as....this fun topic.....
As well as....this fun topic.....
Who else would you like to see impersonated on a Kenny Valiant wrestling show besides Steve Austin?? I think I could pull off Big Bossman (R.I.P.), Leslie Jones as the Honky Tonk Man??, Devon Raynes as Dusty Rhodes??, Bleach Blonde Brody Hawk as "Outlaw" Don Bass??, Derrick King as Shelton Benjamin??, Bad Boy Burns as "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey??....Here's an idea for him....just get a mannequin head, a sock, a parrot, and a snake and put them on the poster as "WWE SUPERSTARS: Head, Mr. Socko, Frankie, and Damian" then in TINY letters at the bottom of the poster put Al Snow, Mick Foley, Koko B. Ware, and Jake Roberts will not be appearing.
So I'd like some reader participation on this one....what other rip offs....um, I mean impersonators would you like to see on local shows? Or what other b.s. carny ways could promoters take people for more money like my example above?? Get your picture with WWE Legend Moppy perhaps??
If you have some ideas you'd like to share, email them to me or post them on the message board and we'll post them in the next Volume of "Vince Hates Us All".
Gene Jackson is a writer, pro wrestler, comedian, and all around swell guy. Formally the host of Cheap Heat Radio, the show can still be heard with it's new host Dustin Burcham at www.cheapheatradio.com, Gene's past episodes of the show are available there as well. For more on Gene Jackson, feel free to add him on Facebook or email him at genejackson95@gmail.com.
So I'd like some reader participation on this one....what other rip offs....um, I mean impersonators would you like to see on local shows? Or what other b.s. carny ways could promoters take people for more money like my example above?? Get your picture with WWE Legend Moppy perhaps??
If you have some ideas you'd like to share, email them to me or post them on the message board and we'll post them in the next Volume of "Vince Hates Us All".
Gene Jackson is a writer, pro wrestler, comedian, and all around swell guy. Formally the host of Cheap Heat Radio, the show can still be heard with it's new host Dustin Burcham at www.cheapheatradio.com, Gene's past episodes of the show are available there as well. For more on Gene Jackson, feel free to add him on Facebook or email him at genejackson95@gmail.com.
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