IN THE BEGINNING...
To the best of my knowledge the first actual backyard wrestling LEAGUE was the BWA, the Baden Wrestling Assosiation. Kids always will mimmick pro's in their backyards or basements but as far as starting an orginized fed with several wrestlers, and a camera the BWA was the first. The BWA was started by Cannibal Dan (then Anphibian Boy) and Powerbomb Baden. It was started when these two men were in 7th grade in 1995. The BWA was a very expierimental league which incorperated many questionable weapons in place of lack of wrestling ability on the wrestlers part. No barbwire or broken glass was used only duck-taped 2-liter soda bottles, stirofoam, cardboard boxes, plastic baseball bats and many other stupid "weapons" were used. One other thing that made the BWA different from most other feds was that music was always playing during the matches. This was a pretty good idea because even if the match sucked at least there was some cool music that you could listen too. The thing that made the BWA such a successful federation was that there was an established pecking order. Anhpibian Boy, and Powerbomb Baden were the top two wrestlers in the fed and the only ones that could hold the belt. That was sort of an unwritten law that everyone respected. Next on the pecking order was Orko and Ivan Jakeoff because they were good friends of Anphibian Boy and P.B.B. and because they were the most dedicated to the fed.. Everyone else below those two was a jobber. There were a ton of jobbers. The BWA wasn't too picky about who joined the fed because a first timer usually got the crap kicked out of him with plastic bats and semi-real pain inflicting moves. This is what made the BWA thrive was that there was never a lack of wrestlers so there was always a show almost every week. The BWA took place anywhere they could find to wrestle. Backyards, frontyards, woods, streets, parks, and eventually the Continential Ballroom, the Mecca of underground wrestling in Erie. The main storyline for a while was the BWA vs. WWO angle which was a bad attempt to copy the NWO angle. The Woody World Order which was lead by Woody and Stoops was constantly trying to destroy all BWA members. This angle didn't work very well because Woody hardly ever showed up to wrestle, so most of the time stoops and a few jobber would be the WWO for that day. The BWA ended when the Old Man would no longer let us use the Continential Ballroom. Only a few BWA wrestlers went on to wrestle in other feds like Anphibian Boy, Powerbomb Baden, Orko, Mighty Mark, The California Cock and The Bodyguard.
The BWA was almost resserected when the EWL was started. The Erie Wrestling League was formed when the main wrestlers from the BWA started recruting non-backyard wrestlers to start a fed. Flyers were posted all around Erie and passed out at WWF house shows to find interested people. Only one or two official EWL shows were ever held in the Continential Ballroom because the old man was a pain in the ass to work with. A meeting was held to meet all the new recruits who found flyers. One of those recruits was a wrestler from Silvercreek NY who calls himself Austin Allen...
Soon after the BWA came to a halt, a few kids from another side of town were starting a
new federation. It was called the DRW, Death Row Wrestling and only boasted two
wrestlers of any competition. This federation started in mid ‘97 with Str8 Jacket
practicing his maneuvers on little neighborhood kids but every now and then Mr. Bungal
would come down to get a piece of the action. Word spread and several soon to be
superstars got their first taste of action in the DRW. Only a few matches of DRW were
ever taped and word wasn’t quite out about this very rogue wrestling promotion. Only a
few newsletters were printed to hype the DRW but no one was really prepared to run a
successful wrestling federation. DRW only had a few notable cards, the first of which is
when former EWL wrestlers Powerbomb Baden, Dirge, The Punisher and even Lance
Perot showed up. The second of which was when “The Krook” Ed Lawyer and his band
of jobbers showed up. Cannibal Dan turned down his invitation to wrestle in the DRW
and this caused allot of out-of-ring problems between Mr. Bungal and Cannibal Dan. Even
though submissions were real, and matches were not predetermined, the DRW did lay the
foundation for the VWF...
Legend has it that the VWF was formed as a way for Str8 Jacket to keep control of his
wrestling league. Str8 Jacket bought a camera and so that pretty much made him the top
dog in the newly formed federation that was now taking place in an actual backyard. The
VWF started in the summer of ‘98 and word spread quickly about what was going on in
the Redman Arena. It wasn’t until the later months of 1998 that the VWF started getting
interesting. By November the VWF had quite the promising roster of wrestlers and
people were starting to talk. A few shows were held in ‘98 but it wasn’t until the winter
months where things totally blew up. Newsletters were being circulated about rumors and
other such things that were happening out side of the VWF snow-covered ring. One
article entitled “Mike Violence Gets Violent” was a very controversial piece that took
real-life things that Mike Violence was doing and made them look like he was trying to get
himself over in the VWF. Other such incidents were also looked upon in the same light
such as the time The Ghetto Supastar punked out a cardboard cutout of Ronald
McDonald. Several promos were cut during the winter months like when Mike Violence
destroyed Rancore and joined Damage Inc. The big show that was being planned was
Badd Spade which promised to be the VWF’s biggest show to date. What made the VWF
so great was that no one lost interest over the winter, it just kept getting bigger. The
VWF was the topic of conversation everywhere. Around this time the VWF website went
up. The site was visited daily by wrestlers and helped hype the upcoming spring time
cards. A wrestler could also tell where he stood in the VWF by how favorable the website
talked about him. Str8 Jacket was always the head of the VWF. He booked the matches,
and set the dates for the shows. Syn also played a big part in the VWF later on because it
was his yard the VWF was moved to when they left the Redman Arena. The Punisher got
the biggest push by far in the VWF as he was the longest reigning champion and his
finisher “Capitol Punishment” was over with the fans. The first show after the snow was
Wrestle War 1 on St. Patty’s day of ‘99. Most of the VWF roster was either in 11th or
12th grade. Several wrestlers made their VWF debut’s including Punisher, Erie Strangler,
Ghetto Supastar and Natural Born Killa. Wrestle War 1 was a build up show for Badd
Spade and so was “Suicidal Sunday” which was the day before Badd Spade and the day of
Wrestle Mania 15. Some of the main plans for the VWF at this time were for a Str8
Jacket / Mr. Bungal feud, a Mike Violence / Ghetto Supastar feud, a huge Punisher title
push, and the debuts of several other stars like Phill The Thrill (who was previously
Crackhead) Syn (who was previously Rancore) and even talks of Cannibal Dan joining.
At this time there was still a little bad blood between Cannibal Dan and a few VWF
members because he had turned down his invitation to wrestle in DRW. With each
passing day the VWF was getting more and more interesting. Badd Spade was a huge
success and the VWF was now established as a league that was going to last. Everyone
now wanted a piece of the action in the Vicious Wrestling Federation, so naturally the
roster started to expand. This may have been the turning point in the VWF. Everyone
was starting to voice their opinions on what they thought should be happening with the
fed and this sometimes angered Str8 Jacket and many of the other wrestlers, however it
also made things more and more interesting. The more drama that surrounded the VWF
the harder the wrestlers worked, and the more drama that surrounded the VWF the better
the shows were, and the more drama that surrounded the VWF the better the matches
were. Most wrestlers were improving with every match and so it seemed like there was
always a constant game of “can you top this” with every match. The next big show being
planned was “Slaughter House Showdown”. Cannibal Dan was pretty much given the
green light to join the VWF around this time and once he did all hell broke loose. With so
much going on in the VWF, Str8 Jacket knew he had to do something to keep his
federation under control. He threatened to fire Phill The Thrill and did many other things
that were very selfish and controlling. He rarely used anyone’s ideas besides his own and
Syn’s. Several wrestlers were upset with his decisions but Str8 Jacket remained very strict
in his booking and therefore pissed several wrestlers off. Str8 Jacket was trying to play
Vince McMahon in a backyard wrestling federation with way to many ego’s. Perhaps
what he (and almost everyone else) failed to notice was that backyard wrestling isn’t about
who’s in charge, or who gets the biggest push it’s about fun and having a great match.
Cannibal Dan debuted at the second PPV Slaughter House Showdown which was an
outstanding card to say the least. Several other wrestlers from another federation called
HCW also stared coming to VWF shows. Things had to change. Everyone was unhappy
with Str8 Jacket’s booking and his antics outside the squared circle. People started
realizing that this federation would be much better if things were ran differently, so a plan
was devised to kick Str8 Jacket out of the federation and name Cannibal Dan the new
president. This all came to a head at the now infamous card appropriately named
“Revenge”. A very strange feeling was in the air the day of Revenge. Nearly everyone
there, excluding Str8 Jacket, knew a screwjob was about to happen. It was really intense.
Every match was excellent. Several things happened that Str8 Jacket didn’t plan. In a
shocking turn of events, Punisher dropped the VWF title to Timmy who pinned the champ
with a big splash, Str8 Jacket received a Bret Hart type screwjob for the ending of his
match and for the grand finally, at the end of his match, Cannibal Dan removed his mask,
declared himself the new president / booker of the VWF and fired Str8 Jacket from his
own federation! After this, most of the wrestlers left the arena and Str8 Jacket was left to
wallo in his own self pity. Revenge was the last show the VWF did. Too much had
happened for the VWF ever to be the same again. In the spring of 1999 the Vicious
Wrestling Federation disbanded.
HCW was started in July of 1998 by local wrestlers Insane and G.O.D “The All Mighty”.
These two men were the life-blood of the HCW. They were the brains behind and also the
stars of Hard Core Wrestling. In the beginning a tournament was held and Insane was
crowned the first champion (big suprise). Now when you talk about HCW you usually
think of the Continental Ballroom, wet floor signs, and uncomfortable green stadium seats,
but HCW was originally an indoor house federation. Sometimes HCW was so hard core
they even wrestled outside the house which as we all know is extremely hard core. There
were some great moments in HCW’s backyard days like the time Gimp Da’ Pimp
(formally Mighty Mark in the BWA) hit Thunder D with a car to win the T.V. Title. They
also got a hardcore reputation for blood by the time Insane bled all over Thunder D’s
house and a rather infamous steel chair. At one time HCW was a rival federation to the
VWF. Differences were settled in the ring though as these two federations shared talent
through their tenures. Wrestlers such as G.O.D, Crazy Carl, and Thunder D popped up
in the VWF and a whole host of former VWF wrestlers jumped ship to the HCW after the
VWF fell apart. Actually a few former VWF wrestlers ended up taking control of HCW,
but I’ll get to that part later. HCW was getting a great reputation around the “backyard
wrestling scene” in Erie. Probably the coolest time in backyard wrestling was in the late
spring / early summer of 1999 when VWF was coming to a halt and HCW was picking up
steam. Both feds were trying to top each other and some great matches were happening.
It was also around this time that each wrestler was starting to get better do to wrestling
allot which made for better matches. HCW is known for one great indoor show called
Ballroom Blast ‘99 where Thunder D got thrown off the roof of his house and hit by a car
and where Insane bladed. The first show at the Continental Ballroom was what Put HCW
in a class by it’s self. Never before had a backyard federation put on a show the scale that
HCW did. The first of the shows was called Spring Invasion ‘99. There was between 350
and 400 people on hand to see Hard Core Wrestling’s indy debut. G.O.D was victorious
that night over Insane to claim the HCW championship. VWF wrestlers Cannibal Dan,
The Punisher, Lance Perot, and Ed Lawyer were on the card as well. Johnny Handsome
and Dicky Smalls called the action for a very memorable night of wrestling. Continental
Carnage was HCW’s second show at the Continental Ballroom. By this time there was a
very different dressing room than there was in the beginning. Several new wrestlers were
now regulars like Cannibal Dan, Mike Violence, Instability, and Trash Can Jimmy. At this time the guys getting the biggest push were
Insane, G.O.D, Thunder D, and the Punisher. Now you wanna talk about getting a big
push, the Punisher always got a big push in whatever federation he was in. I mean this
guy kicked ass and took names no matter where he wrestled. He pinned Anphibian Boy’s
shoulders in the BWA, he pinned Str8 Jacket in VWF and he was the HCW and VWF
champion. Anyway, HCW was going great up to this point. The same competitive spirit
of VWF was still there and every guy in the dressing room was working his ass off to try
to get to the top. When the summer of ‘99 came around the HCW crew of wrestlers tried
to get a regular practice schedule so they could put on a killer show. This is what may
have weeded out the people who were serious about the federation. Mike Violence and
Cannibal Dan stepped up as leaders when several wrestlers stopped showing as much
interest in the federation in a time when it needed leadership. HCW’s dressing room was
changing yet again. Continental Carnage was held in June of ‘99, there wouldn’t be
another show until October. The wrestlers getting the pushes now were The Punisher (big
suprise), Cannibal Dan, Phill The Thrill, and Al Glenwood. Hell On Earth ‘99 was the
first show under the “new” HCW roster. An 8 man tournament was held to decide a new
HCW world champion. Naturally the Punisher won the belt. Cannibal Dan spoiled Phill
The Thrill’s wedding to his blowup doll Mona, and later beat him in a match. and Insane
duked it out with Cross. The crowd’s were getting smaller but the wrestling was
definitely getting better. HCW was now not as hardcore as it once was. It had adapted a
good entertaining element, and also offered great chain wrestling as well. HCW’s theory
was now your push depended on how much you showed up to practice and how much
work you put in the federation. HCW’s next show, Aftershock, would be it’s last. HCW
went out with a bang. The last show had several great matches like Cannibal Dan vs.
Mike Violence in a mask vs. chesthair match! Mike Violence actually got his chest shaved
after the match in front of about 100 people. Other matches included Insane vs Al
Glenwood, Instability vs. Punisher, and Phill The Thrill vs. Mr. Bungal. After November’s
show the Continental Ballroom was too cold to hold shows in till next spring. This is the
state HCW was left in. The Punisher was still champ, several feuds still unresolved, and
feelings between wrestlers still sore in a few cases. The only wrestlers to stay in HCW the
whole time were Insane, Al Glenwood, Gimp Da' Pimp and Vanilla. A few wrestlers tried to start up
HCW in May 2000 but nothing came of it. I guess ideas like a “crowd reaction match of
doom” don’t catch on. HCW 6/98--11/99.
Around the same time that the VWF was really starting to pick up steam another backyard
federation was on the horizon. Rumor has it, Mr. Rochelle started RNW because he was
not allowed to join the VWF as a manager. Rochelle Neighborhood Wrestling began in
April of 1999 with a very questionable roster to say the very least. This federation was
founded on the bases of fun and friendship rather than wrestling. In the end this is what
bought the RNW to it’s knees. The first to join the RNW were Mr. Rochelle’s buddies
The Exterminator ( an untalented, half-retarded, brain-dead imbecile), The Ghetto
Superstar ( The only man who’s breath smells worse than his anus), and The Chosen One
(Menace). The Exterminator was crowned the first champion, and soon after was stripped
of the belt and the Ghetto Superstar became the champion. A couple of things that were
cool about the RNW were that it was the first backyard federation to construct it’s own
ring. The ring had 4 wooden ring posts connected but 3 sections of rope, and mattresses
to bump on. Also the RNW was the first fed to have female valets accompany their
wrestlers to ring side. The thing that made RNW fun to watch was the complete lack of
any rules of conventional wrestling; announcers swore regularly, and wrestlers cut several
off-the-wall promo’s. After VWF’s infamous Revenge show happened allot of wrestlers
became free agents and RNW signed several wrestlers to contracts like Str8 Jacket, Mike
Violence, Phill The Thrill, Syn, Cecil Rizzito (Mugakit Man), and Mr. Bungal. Other
RNW wrestlers included Too Fat Scotty the Body, K.C., and Instability. In May of 1999,
as soon as Str8 Jacket joined RNW, he was given a big push. He clamed to be the real
world’s champion because of what happened in VWF. Another good angle was when Mr.
Rizzito(A Mafia role played by Mr. Rochelle) purchased RNW and made it Rizzito
Neighborhood Wrestling. Like most other federations, backstage heat between wrestlers
and poor booking led to the RNW’s demise. Decisions like having The Exterminator over
Cannibal Dan don’t help a struggling federation. The RNW only lasted a few months but
left a small scar on the face of the Erie wrestling scene. Once HCW started getting big,
the RNW was left in shambles. The one match worth watching is The Ghetto Superstar /
Str8 Jacket world title match. Str8 Jacket wins the title after being busted open. This was
by far the Ghetto Superstar’s best match, and an Erie classic.
The Vicious Professional Wrestling Alliance was suppost to be the second installment of the VWF. Ressureected by Str8 Jacket and Syn, this new rogue promotion was just for fun. Matches were never really taken seirously by any wrestlers. The VPWA roster was very questionable. Alot of their wrestlers had very little if any wrestling expierence at all when they joined. The gimmicks were very lame and the match quality was even worse. I guess it was fun to the wrestlers and that's all that really matters. There are actually quite a few VPWA cards and some very long story lines and a long list of title changes, however nearly all the video footage is in the hands of another man.
By the winter of 1999 there was no wrestling going on anywhere. Rumors of a new HCW were floating around. This time the original leaders of HCW were going to start it back up however that seemed to fade away fast. The wrestling scene was split 3 ways. One faction was the Mike Violence / Phill The Thrill / Mr. Bungal / Cannibal Dan faction, 2nd faction was the Str8 jacket / Syn faction and the 3rd faction was the HCW crew which was Al Glenwood / Genocide / G.O.D. . There were many ideas for federations going around but no factions could combine ideas very well so nothing was accomoplished very quickly. When all was said and done the EWL was formed in Februrary of 2000. It took place in Mr. Bungal's backyard. The EWL was the first federation to have a ladder to jump off of which made things much more interesting. Looking back this was probalby the best backyard wrestling federation of all time for 1 reason. It had an established pecking order with several jobbers who would show up to the big shows. Mike Violence and Phill The Thrill were a tag-team duo who got the biggest push. Phill won the world title at the first PPV "Debauchary", and Mike Violence almost never jobbed. Mr. Bungal and Cannibal Dan were next under M.V. and Phill with the second biggest pushes. Mr. Bungal fought Phill in the finals of the tournament and Cannibal Dan pinned nearly everyone in the federation. The Erie Wrestling Federation was also host to alot of jobbers. Mugakit Man re-surfaced in the EWL as Big Pappa Ray Wilkins and had two great matches. Also, Powerbomb Baden had his first match in about 3 years vs. Cannibal Dan. This time he was called Father Baden. Moose, Tex Wrangler, Menece, and Str8 Jacket were all part of the EWL too. The Ghetto Supastar was one of the original members of the EWL but was fired because of his horrid hallatosis. The best EWL show was Debauchary which was held in April of 2000. It featured an 8 man tournament for the EWL world title. In the end Phill The Thrill, who cheated to win every one of his matches, beat Mr. Bungal when Mike Violence interfered clobbering Mr. Bungal with the world title in the head. The one thing that the EWL needed to make it even more successful would have been better turn out of wrestlers. Many times key wrestlers would not be able to wrestle (cannibal dan) and also it needed a better sence of leadership. The EWF had it all, hardcore matches, technical wresting, high risk, and also great promos and interviews. Phill The Thrill and Mike Violence were definatly main-event status and basically carried the EWL on their shoulders. The last nich effort to keep the EWL together was giving Phill The Thrill and Mr. Bungal complete control of the federation and starting all over, stripping everyone of their titles. This didn't work very well as the league disbanded shortly after. At the time the EWL was going on the wrestlers were definatly at the top of their game after several years of wrestling, each individual was developing their certian style and that made for several great EWL matches.
The EWL, sadly, was the last federation to operate in Erie. A few efforts were made to start a new fed, but none ever got off the ground. The summer of 2000 came and went and no wrestling was happening. This didn't sit well with me (Cannibal Dan). In July I started asking around and most everyone from the entire wrestling scene was ready to give it another go. This time though it was going to be a grand finally. Former HCW wrestler Insane was now doing Indy show's in Erie and Pittsburgh with a local promoter he knew, and Mike Violence, Phill The Thrill and I were also starting to break in to the Indy wrestling scene ourselves. And besides that, everyone was getting that itch to wrestle again. So I took matters into my own hands and tried to orginize one last backyard wrestling show. It was originally suppost to be "The BWA Reunion Show". Several former BWA wrestlers who haven't wrestled in years all seemed to be down to do a reunion show. Guys like George Bowser, Wildman James, Powerbomb Baden, Ivan Jakeoff and Dirge all seemed to be interested in doing a show but when the date August 1st 2000 came around the BWA reunion show was renamed the Al Glenwood Reunion Show as a tribute to The Sexy Sensation who joined the army. The only BWA member to show was Baden, and he showed up late. But however I did get a nice mix of wrestlers. Damage Inc. reunited for one night only as Mike Violence, Str8 Jacket and Syn teamed up to take on the threesome of Anphibian Boy, Mr. Bungal, and Moose. This was the six man tag match that I was almost put out of commission for good in. Mike powerbombed me so fucking hard that I went right through the matresses and hit the ground, and folded up like a accordion. I hit with such force that my toes, feet, and shins hit the mats behind me on either side of my head. I was suppost to wrestle Baden in the main event however I was in no shape to after that damn powerbomb. The next match was Syn vs. The Notorius C.M.B, who made his debut in the last show. He got split wide open after a balde job gone terribly wrong. This kid lost a ton of blood and stained my backyard red. The third match stole the show in my opnion. Another wrestling clinic was put on as Genocide took on Lil' Sexy in a spectaculat 2 out of 3 falls match. This match had the best commentary of all time as like 5 or 6 announcers at ring side kept the jokes comming. It ended in a draw after The Punisher interfered and boath men pinned each other when Pun cholked slammed boath men. Mike Violence took on his long time partner and co-hort Phill The Thrill in which may have been boath men's best match. See that is what I'm most pissed off about, everyone was working their ass off in this show and everyone was getting along great. This card showcases every seirous Erie wrestler at his best, the best they have ever been. Not one match was a "sleeper match", at this point in our backyard wrestling carrers, we were at the top of our game. Every match on that show kicked ass. There is not one person on that show that couldn't get it done in a ring on an Indy show. It's just a damn fuking shame that no one besides Me and Phill and Genocide have the desire to become pro's. AAAAAAAAany how, everyone knows how the rest of the show turns out and if you don't chek out the merchandise section.
Backyard wrestling was magic. When we were in the midst of putting on a show there was a certin magic in the air. It was the one of the funnest things I've done in my life and I'll never forget the whole expierence. It wasn't just a thing to do on the weekends, it was a family that was created, a whole "backyard scene" if you will. People brought together for a single reason in anyone's backyard that was available. Friends made and lost. Friendships made and broken sometimes more than once. A five year legacy that no one in the country, in my opnion, could ever top. Backyard wrestling was a national craze that my generation was a part of, a big part of. It was something that was done in the name of fun, but often times was taken much more seirously. It was started in 1996 by Me and Baden and ended by our hands in 2000. Our influence spread as far as silverceek N.Y. The biggest the backyard scene ever got was in the spring / summer of 1999. There were 3 federations operating at one time. HCW, VWF, and RNW were all in operation at one time and competition was never more intense. HCW was the biggest any federation ever got. 400 fans packed the Continential Ballroom. A standing room only crowd witnessed the debut show "Spring Invasion". That was unforgettable. The BWA lasted the longest starting in 1996 and ending in 1998 when the EWL was formed, this federation was basically the BWA on a more professional level. In October of 2000 I bought a real wrestling ring, from the former WWF wrestler The Executioner (wrestled Tito Santana in WM 1). In December of 2000 I began my professional wrestling training at Tommy Thunder's Pro Wrestling Center, which is located in Manahawkin N.J. and is taught by The Executioner's son Tommy Thunder. 3 times I took a Greyhound bus trip from Erie, Pa to Atlantic City N.J. where the Executioner would pick me up. I would stay at his house and he would teach me the business. Three times a week we would train at the school. I learned quite a bit from this man and I am now his protige. I am being tought the promotion end of the business and also the wresting aspect of the business as I know I will have to put on shows of my own to be successful. On Feb. 24th of 2001 I was on my first show in Lacey N.J. at Lacey High School. I wrestled a masked man named Xavier in what had to be my worst match ever. There were about 600 fans in attendance that night. The trip to and from the show are crazy memories. Brutus Beefcake and The Butchwackers were also on the show. In May of 2001 I set up my ring in McKean Pa, and began training several former backyard wrestlers. The most involved were Mike Violence, The Punisher, and Phill The Thrill. The rent was the biggest factor in keeping the place open. Orignally there were 10 wrestlers who were going to pay $40 per month of the $400 a month rent on the building. After Genocide dropped out of the school, so did his 5 friends and the only interested people left were Me, Mike, Phill, Punisher, Baden and Str8 Jacket. Baden and Str8 Jacket soon dropped out and only four of us remained. The rent was due and only 3 of us were paying $130+ for that months rent. Money was the major issue, like I said and things had to change if the school was to stay open. No fliers were put up for new students and we were more focused on our wrestling than our business. In a shocking turn of events, Mike Violence dropped out of the wrestling school. Shortly after the Punisher cut off all connections to us as well. Only Me and Phill are left. That's it. After 5 years of blood sweat and tears, myself and Phill are the only wrestlers left from the backyard scene in Erie. Genocide still works Indy show once in a while but not much has been heard from him. There is no turning back to backyard stuff anymore. There will probably never be another backyard show ever again and that is a damn shame but it's time to make the next step to the big time. It pisses me off that me and Phill are the only ones that choose to walk that path. Everyone one of those wrestler could have made it if they really tried, but only I have the desire and determination to make it in the business. I would die for the business, I would sell my soul for the business, and I will not stop till I reach the WWF. There is a fire burining inside of me and I cannot wait for my fellow Erie backyard wrestlers to catch up. You can either jump on the train now or go your own way in life. Which ever you choose is O.K. with me but never say I didn't offer. Working a backyard show now would be like taking a step back. Backyard wrestling is now officially non exsistant in Erie to my knowledge. I'll never forget those days and wish the best to everyone who was ever a part of the backyard scene and who helped me realize my dream. Thank you for the memories.
Okay, fast forward to the present, here is what is going on. Since I have moved to the East Coast from dreary Erie Pennsylvania, I have been on the right track. Going to wresting school alot more regularly, and doing shows as well. I am now wrestling under the name Don Boston. The last show I did was in Manahawkin, N.J. on the 27th of July. The star of the show was Nikoli Volkoff. Yours truely wrestled Mayhem, another student of the WWC wrestling school. I have to say it had to be the best proformance of my life. I had the match won when I nailed Mayhem with the brass kuncks I pulled out of my tights. I got the 1-2-3 but the ref reversed the decision when a priest found the knucks and showed the ref. As for everyone else from Erie, last I heard only Genocide is wrestling professionally once in a while in West Virginia. I wish him the best, and hope to mabey meet him in the ring one of these days.
Thats all for now --Don Boston
