16.
After the show in Guntersville I had a few days off. I still needed to work out and start getting some better technique. I usually work out at home with the weight set I got when I was 12. But for this kind of training I'm going to need a ring. I decide I need to hit the Power House. The wrestling school I trained at when I was 17. Pro Wrestling is a hard sport to break into, regardless of your talent or size. It is difficult to even find a school. I tried for over a year to get trained. I would go to indy shows but the guys always pretended like they were not trained.
One day I was reading an issue of Wrestling Stars magazine and saw this tiny ad underneath an ad for apartment wrestling tapes. Watched one of those tapes with Bantam once. They seemed like nice girls but they had terrible technique. Anyway this ad read
"Fame, Fortune, the thrill of competition, the satisfaction of sportsmanship!!! Join the Power House and learn the art of pro wrestling from two former stars."
Well I called right away and heard there was a 1,000 dollar fee. I had to sale all my copies of New Mutants #87 and X-Force number #1. That got me twenty five bucks so I had to sell my copy of Uncanny X-Men #14. First appearance of the Juggernaut. Broke my heart to sell it but between that and my savings bond from Grammy Richards I was going to wrestling school.
My teachers were
Paul "Power" Plant: He was a strong man who wrestled in the 1960s. 6ft2 300 pounds of muscle. He once wrestled in MSG against Leonardo Bernardi. He has all sorts of clippings up around the gym. He put a real sense of fair play in me. Even if I could not put a lot of his technique to use.
Tom "Tiny" Woods: He was a midget wrestler. Hope I'm not insensitive that was the term back then. Anyway he was former Rhode Island Midget champion. His most famous match was wrestling Chief Little Giant in the semi main event at the only World Series of midget wrestling. He tried to teach the virtues of occasionally fighting dirty. Though the stuff he taught me was not much use to either.
The gym looks about the same as I remember from the outside. When I go inside, I can't believe my eyes. There are posters of me/the Overdog everywhere. Posters and promo pics that I thought were never released. Each one with signs saying "Honored alumni." I'm in shock when a group of young guys in gym uniforms run over to me.
"Oh wow its the Overdog!!!"
"See Curtis I told you the Overdog would visit!!!"
"Is it true you're the third Overdog and the original is ftozen and the second is cremated??!!??"
"Are you stupid that's an internet rumor. Now he is gonna think we're dumb."
"Don't call me dumb fatass!!!"
"Don't call me fatass you pirate!!!"
"What do you mean pirate????"
"Well you do have a sunken chest!!!"
"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP ALLA YOUSE!!!!!"
Well I know that voice. Its Mr.Woods himself. I don't see him til he slowly walks around the ring pushing a tiny walker.
"Mr.Woods its me Greg."
"Oh I know you Greg. Our greatest accomplishment. How onederful to see yuu. Yuu really gave it to that creep Violata. I was so proud of you."
"Well I wasn't coughcough..."
I see Paul "Power" Plant leaving his office. He does not look like the poster on the wall. Actually doesn't look like I remember him from two years ago. He's dragging a tank of oxygen.
"Mr.Plant I'm sorry. But...."
"Oh don't coughcoughcough... Apologize son. You got a good heart. Just the King Beantaco. He is a bad cough cough cough... Influence.
Tiny Woods stands up for me.
"Whats he suppose to do Paul. Let that fatso sit all on him. You gotta fight dirty to get by!!!! He can'na just do five forearms and pose!!!"
"Oh and I suppose he could just bite him on the keister and he'll go away."
"Again with that. Its as psychilogical as it is painful. You know that."
"Yeah i got the teeth marks to prove it hahahacoughcoughhahaspit!!!"
They get along as well as I remember. Never seen a pair of friends who were closer. I speak up
"Um sirs, I have a title match coming up at Royal Flush."
Tiny speaks
"We know we're proud of you kid,"
"Well I'm scared and maybe you could teach me some new techniques like a a four fifty splash or a shooting star press or maybe a Texas Cloverleaf?"
Paul jumps in
"What do you need junk like thata for? I taught you the clubbing forearm, the bearhug coughcoughcough and the a overheada backbreaker."
Tiny says
"Yeah i taught ys the row boat, the airplane spin and biting on the keister when he hides in the ropes. What else do ya need?"
"Well that's okay I guess. Could I possibly use your ring to run some drills. the floor in my apartment is killing me."
Tiny speaks
"Sure sure sure kid. Use our students. all they ever ask about is how to meet the Overdog."
I ask
"Say how did you know I was the Overdog. I haven't told anybody."
Paul speaks
"Look in this business you're our baby. A momma always gonna coughcoughcough gonna know their bambino."
I stayed at the gym for a few hours practicing with the students. They seem nice enough, maybe I was like that when I started. I bought a few different books. One on tae kwon do, one on Jujitsu and one on judo. They have these diagrams but I don't think I'm doing it right. Though I did make this one heavyset kid cry when I put him in a cross arm breaker and broke the sunken chest kid's nose with an attempted thrust kick. Then accidentally dislocated another kid's shoulder on a judo throw. I'm gonna keep practicing but for now I'm leaving the advanced stuff to Combo Clay.
Mr.Plant and Mr.Woods made them do 2,000 hindu squats. They said I didn't have to but I insisted. If anything it proved I was in better condition than I thought. After that I did suplex drills. I suplexed each kid once. Those two heavy set kids were hard to get over. But good practice for suplexing Violator.
There was this big guy in the back. Great build, tall and fairly fast. Apparently he is a discovery of Mr.Plant. He did not seem impressed with me and challenged me to a match. Not that I'm impressive or anything. Mr.Woods and Mr.Plant chewed him out but I accepted. If I can't beat some scrub how can I ever win the West Coast belt.
Match was not much. I took him down a couple of times. Not being trained he had no idea how to defend against me. He attempted this sloppy clothesline, but I ducked and hit the Overkiller for three. The kids were really impressed. Guess he had been bullying them.
I signed autographs and took pictures before leaving. I'm about to get on the bus when this odd looking bald guy approached me.
1 comment:
the good thing about waiting until the last minute to read these posts is not having to wait like forever (like a few hours to a day) to read the next post...OTHERWISE....i would be on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the "odd-looking bald guy" was...and was he odd-looking bc he was bald or did he have a odd expression on his face or did he have an oddly-shaped head void of hair? things like that.
good use of descriptors as always..drawing reader in and making them stay put (or tying them down, whatever floats your boat)
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