And now...

The future?  One can but hope...

So why did the Golden Age die?  Well, basically, the competition went bust, Edge and Christian were split up (although they were still the highlight whilst they were against each other), Mick Foley was gone, Vince McMahon resurrected his "evil owner" character for the millionth time, Triple H refused to let anybody either win, get a chance or get given a good story line, crap wrestlers were forced down our throats until they were popular (Brock Lesnar) and so on.  In fact the only really worthwhile addition since the Golden Age is a female wrestler called Victoria.  This is the one area that has always annoyed me - the use of female talent as Tits and Ass and blatant exhibitionism.  There is absolutely no need for it. But Victoria is, well, to re-use the phrase, something else.  OK, she's pretty good looking but for once the WWE have found a female wrestler who can actually wrestle.  In all honesty, Victoria is one of my favourite wrestlers of all time.  She's up there with Mick, Shawn, Christian, Jesse, Kurt, Curt, all of them.  She really can wrestle.  Actually put on a good performance, with good pace and good psychology.  Its just a shame that she wasn't about during the Golden Age. I'm still going to stick with the wrestling though, it won't be long before somebody comes along and shakes it all up again and gets me clamouring to watch every PPV.  Can I tell you what its going to be?  Where it comes from?  No, I can't.  But I guaran-damn-tee that whatever it is, it'll totally reek of awesomeness. I've gotta go now, I have surfing lessons...

Victoria about to go for her unique Whirl Sidewalk Slam.

As sad as it may be one of my regular daydreams is to be a wrestler.  This idea has always been there but has been fuelled by the sophistication of the Create-A-Wrestler function on WWE Video Games. I generally spend more time creating wrestlers than actually playing the game and of course, I always make myself.  The John Yard Dog.  I spend hours tinkering with JYD, tweaking a move here, a taunt there, experimenting with different finishing moves and designing my costume. I don't know why I find it so much fun, usually I can't wait to play video games and don't muck about with all the other features (look at my created skaters on THUG) I just get straight in.  With these wrestling games though, I feel a need to regularly alter JYD until I achieve perfection - that perfect balance of moves and appearance, a well rounded, accurate wrestler so well created that if I ever do decide to enter the Squared Circle then I will know which moves I need to learn to perform, and those I can ignore.  At the moment on the latest, JYD is as close to this perfection as I have ever come.  I have finally decided on my permanent finishing move, as well as those less devastating but equally important signature moves.  I have the costume almost as I want it and even though this is not a choice on the game I have picked the music that I would have as my Entrance Music.  Gone are the dalliances with Hey Stoopid, High Speed Dirt, Mundian To Bach Ke or Cecila Ann.  I am close to my goal.  Maybe one day, even if its only in a small independent organisation (I don't ever expect to get to FWA or Hammerlock) "The Showboat" John Yard Dog will walk down that aisle and show the crowd the Best of Blackburn.  Just a pipe dream?  Yeah, but a nice one.

Where does this leave us?  Well, I think I've explained myself pretty well here and maybe, just maybe, got rid of some of that scepticism that people hold for wrestling.  I don't mind if people don't like it, but us wrestling fans seem to have to take a lot of people telling us that they don't like it, and how crap/fake/violent/ it is.  It seems like the world is never happy.  Ten years ago everybody was complaining about how fake wrestling and now they complain that it is far too violent and a bad influence on children.  Apparently its sexist, racist and homophobic.  I'm sure  Chyna, The Rock, Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo will have plenty to say about that. Its not perfect, and there may be a lot wrong with it, but its ours.  Leave it alone.

"The Showboat" John Yard Dog Entrance Music - The Number Of The Beast Hometown - Blackburn, England Finishing Move - The-Amazing-Mr-Kick-To-                                  The-Face Signature Moves - Sitdown Crucifix Powerbomb                              Diving Headbutt                              Raven Effect Signature Pose - Double handed sign of the devil,                           tongue stuck out. Submission Move - The Sharpshooter Favourite Foreign Object - The Steel Chair Face or Heel? - Heel (baddie) Attire - Denim Shorts, Black Knee Pads, Black                  Boots, Sleeveless T-Shirt: Faded Skull                   Picture (front) 666 (front)  Arte Et Labore             (Back), Taped fingers and wrists. Most Like - ECW era Raven meets WCW era                          Chris Jericho Strength - Innovative offense Weakness - Showboating Match Specialisation - Tag-Team match,                                                First Blood Match AKA - JYD, Yard Dog Catchphrase - "Allow me to introduce you to                               The-Amazing-Mr-Kick-To-                                  The-Face"  The-Amazing-Mr-Kick-To-The-Face is a standard super kick.??????