Down Goes Scarsdale

After his arrest in May 2022 on Possession of Child Pornography, Scott Weinbloom, more notoriously known as local independent wrestling promoter, Scott Scarsdale, plead guilty to those charges in February of this year. 

Up to 20 years in prison.

He is due to be sentenced on June 6th.

We will be there.

If anything could drag us out of retirement... it's karma being herself.

More to come.

W'fudgeTV LIVE - S4E3

Show begins at 7:30!

WrestlefudgeTV LIVE 4/11/15

WrestlefudgeTV LIVE goes (that's right!) LIVE at 8pm with Special Guest, CHUCK DEEP! "Where Are They Now?" UPDATES(?) and MORE nonsense!

State of the Upstate: Spring 2015

Awwwwww, snap. Is this thing on?

Hello again! Let's completely ignore this most recent (AND all the other instances while we are at it) period of dormancy. Everything's Fine! I am truly recommitting, minimally, to injecting a little bit of energy and a markedly bit more activity into this here webpage. The Wrestlefudge Project, such as it was, began as a simple blog simply covering the not so simple world of independent wrestling in the northeast... More specifically, independent wrestling in Upstate New York.

So... I'd like to take this opportunity to take a look at how the scene in Upstate New York stands - today - from my own quite personal, often lovable, completely uninformed opinion and viewpoint as a guy who has a true appreciation as a fan of the performance and associated culture of professional wrestling. Run on, sentence! Run on! That's how you know I'm excited, people!

Let's get to it!

WORLD OF HURT WRESTLING
The Train Keeps A Rollin'.

Best way to put it. These guys just have a formula that works, a model that draws. And drawing is important, people. Some might argue (and so, perhaps, might I) it's the MOST important. Whether it's the promotional machine behind the scenes, the marquee "legends" putting people in lines for signings (and of course staying for the matches), the imported New England indie darlings driven in off the Mass Pike, or the local heroes that have a following all their own - WOHW just plain gets it right. I'm interested to see where things go from here, talent wise, with them...

Rumor has it that both Adam Badger and brother, Kyle "Bam" Badger (FKA Shiloh Robinson), aren't likely to return. The word that I heard mentioned in regards to them is "done". We also know Commissioner Michael Anthony has left the promotion (and started his own wrestling school! More on that in a bit!) and that Swinger Sidusky isn't expected to wrestle again for some time following a serious leg injury. I would frame this as a period of rebuilding for World of Hurt from a talent standpoint. They've brought in standout New England talent like Donovan Dijack and Sean Carr... But how committed are these guys to trucking to Whitehall every other month?

With Danger seemingly retired from in ring action and the strap now comfortably on Jeff Starr... One can't help but wonder where events will take this promotion!

On April 10th, WOHW brings Mick Foley to Whitehall, NY! Damn! How cool is THAT?!? How do you miss that show? More details, including meet and greet info, over at their website! I predict more of the same from World of Hurt as we careen towards another HOT summer of wrestling!


THE DYNASTY
This upstart promotion is ambitious, action-driven, and spoiled to surprise! Their "Chapter 1" event a few months back featuring Tommy Dreamer was focused on in-ring action with a shock here and there.

The destruction of Pure Dynamite separates itself (certainly to me) as a standout moment from the show. I haven't had an opportunity to opine on this particular moment as of yet but I'll take it now:

That was some shocking stuff. It resonated with me. Because I have been invested in the friendship and camaraderie of Brad Wesley and Chuck Deep for years. Did EVERY fan in attendance feel the disturbance in the force that *I* felt when Bad Brad lived up to his name and swung that fateful chair? I don't think so. Talk about a missed opportunity.

Don't get me wrong. I am bought in. I'm on board. This is how it went down and I am going for the ride. But imagine if the fuse had been lit slowly and carefully, with care and attention. It's been implied to me that Bad Brad Wesley's appearance and subsequent backstabbing was just as much a shock to ME as it was for Chuck Deep, Kyle Brad, and a vast majority of the wrestlers in the building.

It was an emotional piece of work. But is The Dynasty hoping to work the boys in the back? Or the fans in attendance? And what REALLY draws? It's food for thought.

I could speak on whether or not I would have liked to have seen Wesley or Deep be the heel in this scenario but I am going to reserve my commentary for when more of their story has been told. Lord knows I'll be watching intently.

As for the rest of the promotion... Vik was walking around with the 787 Pro/UWE title talking like he was The Dynasty champ. Was he? When Rob Coleman beat him... Did he become The Dynasty Champion? Or is that some weird interpromotional pseudo title? I don't HATE Coleman surprising people with a title win (a few hours after told me he was retired, well played, sir!) but fear that in THAT venue, with THAT roster, and THAT guy at the top... THIS promotion won't feel like anything other than 787. And damnit, if I'm confused I can't be the only one.

Just saying.

Ultimate Wrestling Presents: THE DYNASTY: DRIVEN on April 4th at the Troy B and G in Troy, NY. Holy crap, Jake the fn Snake?!? Too great. Get more info on what is sure to be another fun event and future shows at their website! This one sounds fun, too!



IN YOUR FACE WRESTLING
I know what you're thinking. But hey... I can't rationally talk about wrestling in this area without talking about the sweaty elephant in the room. Right?

In Your Face Wrestling continues to put on, by all accounts, good to great shows Upstate. They moved primary event locales from Ballston Spa to Delanson and have either held part or grew some of their fanbase. Salût. This warms my heart. You gotta believe I love hearing about guys like Northern Fury getting their due or that Drake Evans finally regained the IYFW Championship. Holy crap, hasn't that particular journey been the underlying heartbeat of this promotion for the last three plus years? The answer is yes. It has. Which leads me to some really shocking info...

Seems Maxx Burton, my absolute favorite authority figure this side of Jack Tunney, has booked his last IYFW show. For now at least. For the first time in more than 7 years, someone else is going to be running the show. Say what you want about In Your Face - lord knows plenty of people have, myself included - but there has always seemingly been an emphasis on continuity and constantly evolving and shifting stories. I've often chided the World of Hurts of the world for all too often booking matches by basically throwing guys at eachother. While that was sometimes the case for IYFW, more often than not there was a seed, a build, an arc. Somewhere in there. And I always appreciated that about the promotion and about the efforts and passion of Maxx Burton. It seems he is leaving them more than amicably and happily, etc. A timing type of decision you can't help but respect, of course. But critically speaking... I'm curious to see how IYFW books going forward? I have spoken to more than one IYFW guy in the last 18 hours that has expressed concern with the creative leadership going forward. I doubt that will translate too deeply to what we see in the ring. I'm sure Maxx has taught his friends a thing or five over the years. Relax. Everything's Fine. You'll still have Joey LaRoque... Won't you?!?

It's poetic, in a way, that Evans would culminate his arduous journey back to the top just as Maxx would walk away. And of course it fucking is! Why wouldn't it be? Remember who we are talking about here!

I feel the scene, overall, will suffer with the loss of a mind like Maxx's in it. He wasn't everybody's kind of guy... but he made his impact and at the end of the day isn't that what it's all about? Thanks, Maxx.

ON DEMAND WRESTLING
As mentioned earlier, Former Italian Chef, Shakeweight Master, and Everyone's Favorite Commissioner, Michael Anthony, has opened his own wrestling school in Hudson Falls, NY. I had the chance to check out his spot and scope out his first batch of recruits last week and was really impressed.

First of all... He has perhaps THE cleanest, and most professional looking wrestling ring I have ever seen outside of a WWE live event. That's not bullshit. The passion and attention to detail he has paid and put into it is truly impressive and watching him in his element and instructing his trainees is especially insightful. The dude just has a brain for what matters in the ring and the innate ability to articulate it and teach it in context. He respects the money his students have entrusted to him for their training and takes it uber-serious, something two of the recruits (each had trained locally elsewhere, two different places, in the past) said dramatically stands in stark contrast from what they had been accustomed to. Hey... If this leads to another influx of new talent in our area, longterm, how cool is that?

For more information on what On Demand Wrestling has to offer and to be on the ground floor of what is coming, be sure to LIKE the Facebook page!


WHAT WILL SPRING/SUMMER HOLD?
I'm excited. Simplest way I can put it and it says it all. I'm excited about where things are positioned for the rest of this year because you've got World of Hurt testing the waters w/ folks from outside the immediate area and we NEED that! You have Dynasty figuring out who they are going to be, which is ALWAYS fun to watch! IYF going cold turkey, maxx-free! And a new player in the training game!

Oh! And this webpage is awake again! How exciting?!? Any comments? Reach out to Paul@Wrestlefudge.com

W'fudgeTV LIVE Season IV Premiere - 11/21/14

7:30 PM on Wrestlefudge.Com! The long awaited return of WrestlefudgeTV LIVE as we catch up with eachother after a long absence, preview and promote upcoming local events and basically make fools of ourselves along the way! Tonight's phone in guests:

- tonight's appearance will make him the shows Most Frequent Caller - former WOH Commish and local Indy Wrestling Luminary: MICHAEL ANTHONY @ 8pm!

- he is a former IYFW and SAW Heavyweight Champion and one of the scariest and most simultaneously amusing personalities in NY/VT wrestling ... He has also announced his retirement. Tonight, at 8:30, he grants us his first interview since -- it's PIERRE "The Beast" VACHON!

- at 9:15pm... coming off a recent appearance on WWE TV, it's WOHWrestling superstar and local hero, SHANE ALDEN!

- we never thought we would be excited to talk to our last guest of the evening! Continuing to grind his way up the ranks and making a statement every appearance - at 9:45 we shoot the shit with FOXX VINYER!

And a ton of other foolishness! Don't miss it!

We go LIVE on YouTube tonight! 7:30PM!

 ... it's WrestlefudgeTV LITE tonight - and you'll see why when you tune in! 3 fun call in guests! We recap WOHW's Rumble Royale! We also hold an all-too-public FUNERAL for a local promotion! Should be a fun night! TUNE IN! #liveonYouTube

What WOHW Needs...

World of Hurt Wrestling returned with an explosive show in May 2012 and almost two years later the hits have just kept coming. Whether they brought in "names" or just went out and put on entertaining matches standing on the merit of their mostly-homegrown talent, WOHW has filled their venues to the brim with excited and engaged wrestling fans.

On paper... Their formula needs no changing. But to me, the cynical, over analytical uber-fan, I see a promotion rife with potential to do something truly dramatic and powerful.

Let's first look at a few of the many things they do RIGHT every time:

-- exciting matches. This goes without saying. Those guys go out there and they LEAVE it out there. Is every match perfectly polished? No. But they are typically high octane and tell a story.

-- characters. Whether home brewed or honed elsewhere, World of Hurt is overflowing with outrageous, over the top and unique characters.

-- fan interaction. This, of course, is something most local promotions excel at; mingling with the fans (when it makes sense to do so) at intermission, autograph signings and posing for pictures. Independent wrestling should really be all about access. And one can't say they don't give it to you!

So all of those things are all well and good... But what are they missing? What can be improved?

-- storylines/feuds. I touched on this a few months back when I fantasy-booked their "Once in a Lifetime" event but other than a few exceptions (Starr/Danger vs Pure Dynamite, Heavyweight Title beefs, and Eric Alden vs Adam Badger) there really haven't been many feuds or consistent storylines for fans to invest in and/or follow. To me this is the greatest growth opportunity this promotion has before them. Obviously not EVERY worker on the roster needs to necessarily be embroiled in a heated rivalry or blood-fueled feud... But I think this can be improved upon. The heel turn of Danger at the last show is a fantastic start on the path to communicating to the fans that "something cool can happen" every show. They need to keep at that. It doesn't need to be world shattering stuff. It can be subtle... but it, overall, is certainly lacking on your average WOHW show. They bring in HUGE crowd every show... Give them something to latch on to... A storyline or four to care about... I love throwing two great workers at eachother and ringing the bell and saying "have at it"... But let's get a little heat behind it! A dominant heel stable would be an interesting, easy start in this direction, because so many feuds and stories can be built off of them. They sort of have the Frat Pack... But in name only, really. Commit to the group and see what happens.

-- new/different faces. Don't get me wrong. I love the old faces (and I know "everybody" wants to get booked at WOHW). However, one thing that made 787Pro/Ultimate Wrestling EAST exciting for their few months of existence was the inclusion of performers you "can't see" at an IYFW or WOHW show. That variety, I felt, was vital to wrestling in this area and WOHW has an opportunity to really jump on that idea and inject that variety in their shows. As noted on our Facebook page a day or two ago, rumors are swirling that a handful of 2CW performers might appear at the Rumble Royale event in a few weeks... And I heard just today that fans might expect a surprise appearance from an IYFW performer who doesn't typically appear in Whitehall... This kind of exciting variation in roster can really invigorate a locker room and, again, send a message to the fan that "you never know who you'll see" at a WOHW event.

I want to stress that I dig the WOHW product... But if they want to rise to a new level, I think these are a few easy things that could put them over the top.

Thanks for reading! Any feedback/suggestions, send to Paul@Wrestlefudge.com!