All The World's a Stage

-I jammed my neck last weekend in a match with Irish Airborne. I don't think it's anything too serious--as it's already begun to feel better--but it definitely scared me and wasn't necessarily the most comfortable thing I've ever felt. I plan on making 2010 a relatively injury-free year, so suck it Mr. Neck; I own you.

-I was working for AAW when the neck jam happened. Currently, I am teaming there with my long-time friend and part-time partner Jimmy Jacobs. Our match with IA was pretty darn good too..actually the whole show was good...and come to think of it, ya know what? So are most of AAW's shows. I think they kinda fly under the radar as far as indy feds go, but don't sleep on em. Ever since Danny Daniels took over about 5 years ago, they have consistently been putting on solid monthly cards. If you get an opportunity I suggest you YouTube them, or hop onto www.smartmarkvideo.com and pick up some of their recent DVDs. I had a match with Shane Hollister there in February (I think) that was my favorite match of mine so far this year.

-Speaking of Shane (pictured with mohawk), he broke his leg about a month ago and will be out of action until late in the summer. He is one of the best young talents in wrestling. YouTube him too...and send him well wishes on his Facebook.

-Coming up this Friday night I am defending my Ring of Honor World Title against the "Pretty Boy Pitbull" Kenny King. Kenny and I have had a few matches in ROH already, and say what you will about him and his methodology, but he's an incredible athlete. Over the past year or so, Kenny has really come into his own under the tutelage of "A Double" Austin Aries...damn, am I the only one in wrestling without a moniker of some sort?...And my previous contests with Kenny have really been building to this Friday, I feel. I am at the top of my game, and Kenny is the best he's ever been. We're both healthy and in great shape. We match up really well stylistically and I think the people in Dayton are in for a real treat.

-Rolling into Chicago, I'm really looking forward to defending my belt against Chris Hero (not overlooking KK at all, but I intend to leave Dayton with the belt in tow). "That Young Knockout Kid" and I have had many encounters over the course of my 5 year career, but again, I really feel like this one is gonna be epic. Hero is riding high off of he and Claudio's dethroning of the Briscoes. He has his sights set and I'm ready to meet him head on. Plus, Chicago has been like a second home to me throughout my career. Luckily, I've had his number lately and I don't feel like Saturday is gonna be any different. It's MY championship march and it's only just begun.

-About 2 or 3 months ago I decided that I needed to expand my video gaming horizons. See, typically I stick to playing 2 games: Madden and Rock Band/Guitar Hero. I guess that's 3 games, but you get the idea. Lately I've found myself getting bored with the linear nature of those types of games and so I invested in Assassin's Creed. Holy balls, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the free roaming nature in which Altair could run, jump, and climb around the awesome, sprawling Middle-Eastern environments. I loved killing fools. And most importantly, I dug the story. Upon completing the first game, it became evident to me that I needed to continue the series with the second installment. Aaaaand...thanks to Best Buy doing a week long sale of Assassin's Creed 2, I was able to spend hundreds more hours inside the Animus ;). Sequels usually fail for one of two reasons: either A) they can't live up to the original, or B) they are exactly like the original. AC2 is neither of those. It both surpasses and expands the game play and story of the first game. I loved playing it so much that I am now salivating for Assassin's Creed 3...which, to my dismay, probably won't drop until 2011. I need new games! Help me! (P.S. I hate first person shooters, so don't bother recommending any COD or Battlefield games)

-I just revisited Haste The Day's second album "When Everything Falls." It's one of my favorite hardcore albums ever. HTD is actually a Christian hardcore band, but the doses of Jesus are kept to undertones and they in no way interfere with the badassness of the breakdowns or the ultra-catchy, sing-a-long choruses.

-Songs I am liking right now: "Kids in Love" by Mayday Parade, "Soul Sister" by Train, "Live Like You're Dying" by Kris Allen, "Starting Over" by Killswitch Engage, and as much as it pains me to say this because I thoroughly hate her guts "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. I hate myself.

Back in the Saddle

I am pretty sure that the wear and tear wrestling has put on my head over the past 5 years has caused my brain function to deteriorate. In an effort to derail this regression, I have decided to pick up the pen (or in this case, the keyboard) again and start trying to write again on a semi-regular basis. Hopefully some people read this blog, start to enjoy it, tell others about it, and then we can all have an extra distraction in our lives, and I can retrieve some of my lost mental capacity.

-Starting with the arts, my girlfriend and I see new movies nearly every Tuesday of the year. Thanks to a theater near my home continuing "bargain" Tuesdays at only $6 a movie all day long, this has reflected minimally in my pocketbook. Last week I saw Date Night, starring two of my favorites: Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The movie was hampered by a PG-13 rating, but overall it was a good way to spend 90 minutes and I would recommend it to any couple, especially those who live together or have been together for a long enough time to know the ins and outs of the Mars vs. Venus debate. On a side note, paying for movie snacks is outrageous. I sneak diet soda and beef jerky into that shit every single time. Bargain Tuesdays are the only time I think oversized purses are useful.

-Other movies I've seen lately, complete with quick ratings (out of 4 stars): Precious- 3 1/2 stars, Zombieland- 2 1/2 stars, Hot Tub Time Machine- 2 1/2 stars, Alice in Wonderland- 1 star, Avatar (in IMAX 3D) 4 stars, She's Out of My League- 2 stars, Crazy Heart- 4 stars. That about covers the last month of my movie viewing.

-I have been blasting Four Year Strong's (pictured below) new album "Enemy of the World" for about a month straight now. I saw them in concert about 3 weeks ago at a small show headlined by Everytime I Die. One thing I noticed while at this show was that I am getting old. I'm 23, nearly 24, and I feel like I'm too old for my own music! I remember the days when I was but a mere 16 and moshing and dancing and crowd surfing like there was no tomorrow. Now, I'm just that old dude who goes to shows by himself and bobs his head while looking menacing with his arms crossed. The girls are all too young and instead of watching their sweaty bodies writhe, I find myself wondering if they are even old enough to be in the establishment to begin with. F me.

-I know it's a little late, but here are some albums from 2009 you NEED to listen to:
1)"Homesick" by A Day to Remember
2)"This Will Be the Death of Us" by Set Your Goals
3)"Retribution" by Shadows Fall
4)"The Blueprint 3" by Jay Z
5)"A Shipwreck in the Sand" by Silverstein

-ROH has some new belts and I think they are pretty cool. I posted a picture of my new World Title on my Twitter this week and it got a mixed response. Let me clarify a few things. A) The new belt is much larger than the old one. The faceplate nearly covers my nipples. B) The belt is actually gold, which is great because now I can refer to it as such in promos without looking like a dummy. And C) I will always be partial to the old belt because that's the one Samoa Joe made famous and it's the only ROH title I've ever known. I was super honored to have had the opportunity to wear it for a couple of months, but I am even more taken aback by being the man lucky enough to usher in a new piece of ROH history.

-Recently in some interviews I've done the question has come up, "Tyler, you've accomplished a lot in your career thus far, but what is your ultimate goal? Is it with ROH, or TNA, or WWE, or what?" I found it difficult to answer at first, but once I got into the process of mulling it over I discovered that my goal in this industry really hasn't changed that much; not nearly as much as my perception of said industry has changed anyway. And to answer the question, my ultimate goal really is just to reach as many people as I can with wrestling as my channel. I want kids to brush their teeth with my cute little catch phrases in their heads. I want to give massive crowds of people goosebumps with climactic moments in my career. I want to tell stories and create honest portraits that keep kids out of bad situations and inspire people to follow their dreams. I want to retire and have a future set up for my own children. I want to provide for myself and for a family I plan to have in the future. Whether or not I can accomplish these goals is to be determined, as is where and how I go about completing them. Currently, ROH is my home and I love it there. I hope that the company can grow with me leading the charge, and if it's to be that I move on to something else...well, only time will tell. It would be preemptive and a tad asinine of me to assume what lies ahead. All I can promise is that I'll never stop working hard. The journey to the end is not to be overlooked, and looking back is just as vital as looking ahead.

Alright, I've ranted enough. Gotta save something for next time. I ain't no hollaback girl.

TB