Angry Young Man - Matt Dawg

Many people in wrestling claim to be a student of the game or aspiring wrestling professors. Myself included can fall into that list since I have been watching wrestling for about 19 years now and consider myself an encyclopedia on wrestling in the United States. As a 24 year old aspiring wrestler myself, I think I have a good sense for what is entertaining and exciting. My name is Matt Aponte or “Matt Dawgs the Angry Young Man”. What you are about to read is what is possibly the first of many “editorials” on the independent wrestling world.

On March 8, 2003, at the Madhouse of Extreme, the Elks Lodge in Queens New York, wrestling fans were treated to a match, which quite frankly was arguably a match of the year candidate. That match featured two of the youngest and brightest stars in wrestling today, The Amazing Red and Deranged. The only problem with the match is that several fans at the Elks Lodge and on “the net” decided that the match didn’t live up to the expectations that were placed on it. It’s unfortunate for Deranged and Red because these two young men worked a solid technical match with a few high spots thrown in. Early in their careers, Red and Deranged would pull off spot after spot without any psychology attached to it.

The reason for that they decided to work technical on the March 8th show is that they decided to try and prolong their careers and show that they now have an understanding on how to put together a great match without trying to break their necks in the process. Since that date, both Deranged and Red have been having outstanding matches with a number of different opponents who have different styles. Red’s ICW match against Trent Acid was another match that apparently didn’t live up to some fans expectations. Well it sure lived up to mine. Both men showed that they know their ring psychology and how to work a crowd and build on the fans emotions. Deranged has done the same recently in his last two USA Pro matches against Grimm Reefer, which have been the match of the night on both their respective shows.

The blame for this attitude is two fold. Firstly, you must blame the fans. More and more young wrestlers these days think that in order to get over with the fans, they have to risk their bodies, their futures and there careers in every match. The more outrageous the moonsault, the louder the pop they get. The more 450 splashes we see, the more “Holy sh*t!!! chants are received. Every single USA Pro Wrestling show, we see a new backyarder or a new ticket seller on the show debut. And in those matches, we see someone pull off a new type of flip or a new devastating pile driver type maneuver. However, half of those guys have little or no formal training and raise the bar that much more so that on the next show, someone else can try and top it. It is inevitable that someone is going to get hurt. Sooner or later a leg will break or a career will be ended before it even gets the chance to begin.

The other reason is due to one of the most influential wrestlers of our time, Mick “Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love” Foley. Foley unfortunately raised the bar himself during the infamous “Hell in the Cell” match with the Undertaker which took place approximately 5 years ago at King of the Ring. Foley, knowing that he had to surpass the expectations the preceeding Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, decided that he had to do something incredible, especially since Shawn and Taker had a terrific match in the cell. To this day, Foley said if he would have stepped on the top of the cage earlier in the day and saw how high it is, he wouldn’t have done it. He also states that he regrets doing that spot as it easily took a couple of years off of his career.

Many independent wrestlers are currently setting a new standard. A standard that these younger guys need to follow. Such workers like Deranged, Red, Homicide and Low-Ki show that they can have a match by working tight and crisp and not trying to kill themselves with front flips and back flips. Other workers such as the Christopher Street Connection, The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz and The Knight Life (Danny Drake, Mike Tobin, Billy Riel, Striker and Simon Diamond) have shown that excellent mic work and in ring actions can work a crowd just like a triple plancha to the outside through a table can. Even break through workers such as Devious and AMIL show that the littlest facial expression after a move can make a crowd “OHHH and AHHH”. The goals of most independent wrestlers out there are to eventually end up working for World Wrestling Entertainment. Well that can happen for some. But for others who risk their bodies night in and night out trying to “steal the show” with an incredible flip, think about this, how can you work for the WWE if your in a full body cast as a quadriplegic. Slow it down a bit like the above wrestlers mentioned and learn some psychology. A solid match doesn’t have to include a hundred back flips and somersaults. All you need to do is tell a compelling story.