On Saturday, October 12, I will be returning to the ring in England to wrestle against “English Bulldog” Matt Jarrett at the GL1 Leisure Center in Gloucester at an event entitled Wrestling Rampage. This show will also feature the retirement match of UK ring legend Danny Collins, who bids his fellow Englishmen adieu in terms of in-ring competition. I met Danny earlier this year on a card in Hannover, Germany, and we got on very well, so I am sad to see him leave the business. However, I wish him all the best with whatever he endeavors after this…
But speaking of my match against local Gloucester hero Matt Jarrett, this will mark the first time in 13-years that I will have been on English soil to compete in a professional wrestling ring. I last wrestled in the British Isles in 2000, for a very shady promoter, who ended up shafting me out of part of my money. The less said about that incident and person, the better. Now, on October 12, it’s a brand new opportunity and under different circumstances. That said, Matt Jarrett won’t get out of this match without a fight, and I sure as hell don’t plan on leaving England after Wrestling Rampage with my head bowed.
Other big names appearing on this mega-show will be Cannonball Grizzly, Drew McDonald, Keith Myatt, Marty Jones, ROH star Luke Hawx, Skull Murphy, Frankie Sloan, and many more! Don’t miss this show if you are in the UK on October 12! A documentary film about British pro wrestling will be shot the same night at this event, which only adds prestige to an already loaded card.
The shit has hit the proverbial fan. I was diagnosed today with a herniated disc between my C6-C7 vertebrae by top sports physician Tuomo Karila in Helsinki at Dextra Sports Clinic.
Preparing for my MRI scan at Helsinki’s Dextra Sports Clinic today
The injury itself happened as a freak occurrence on August 3rd, as I was training upcoming Finnish pro wrestling hopefuls at FCF Wrestling’s training center in Kellokoski, Finland. I suffered whiplash in one of the training exercises, and I felt a sharp pain in my upper trapezius and neck after my sparring partner sent me chest-first into the ring corner buckles. I continued the training exercise, disregarding what had just happened. The next day, I continued coaching my class, and the pain intensified in my injured region. I thought that adequate rest would suffice to heal whatever momentary strain had been incurred, but I could not have been more wrong. I went on a short vacation with my wife Diana in western Finland near the city of Pori, and during last week, the pain spread to my left arm and ached so bad that it kept me awake at night. Last Thursday, as we were driving back to Helsinki through Turku, I had to make an emergency stop at Turku’s main hospital, as the agony was unbearable. On Friday last week, I made plans to see Dr. Karila, as I could no longer cope with my physical condition. However, I had a match in Rovaniemi, Finland at the 2013 edition of the Simerock Festival last Saturday, where I wrestled in a tag team main event alongside “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä against Stark Adder and FCF champion King Kong Karhula. My injury was further aggrevated during that outing, although I tried my best to play it safe.
This news puts a real damper on my upcoming BWA (British Wrestling Alliance) Catchweight title defense against the USA’s 190kg monster Cannonball Grizzly in Kotka, Finland on August 24 at FCF Wrestling’s Rock & Wrestling Rampage at Route 66. Dr. Karila told me that I would be risking paralysis if I stepped into the ring to grapple with my neck in this current condition. Of course, I got scared good and proper, and there is no way that I would be willing to put my health at unnecessary risk. I am not willing to look at ending up like one of my old wrestling idols, Tom Billington aka The Dynamite Kid, who has already spent the last 20-years in a wheelchair following the end of his wrestling career.
The fact is that right now, I am looking at a herniated disc between my C6 and C7 vertebrae. I have been unable to sleep for almost two weeks, due to the 24/7 pain that courses through my left arm, numbing my index and middle fingers. My left shoulder blade and upper trapezius feels like a smoldering fire has set into it, and I really do not wish this anguish on even my worst enemy. All I can say is, that I hope the Good Lord above has mercy on my predicament.
The MRI scan shows the damage to my neck
Dr. Karila himself is a former wrestler (albeit not a pro wrestler like myself) and he has acted as the official doctor of the Finnish Olympic wrestling team in the past, so you can guess that he knows his stuff. When the doctor told me to just sit out for six to ten weeks, I took it pretty hard. After all, I am an athlete, and a top athlete at that in my chosen sport. It is not easy for me to turn away bookings and walk away from active competition. At heart, I am a warrior, and my blood calls me to fight. That said, right now, my battle is with my physical well-being.
The following video documentation of my injury and MRI was filmed by director Oskari Pastila, who has been filming a documentary entitled Spandex Sapiens, about my wrestling career and persona, over the past four years (the film will be out in early 2014):
I am chagrined to forfeit my title match in Kotka on August 24 with Cannonball Grizzly. FCF Wrestling will find a suitable replacement main event for Rock & Wrestling Rampage at Route 66, and you can bet that Cannonball Grizzly will have the fight of his life on his hands once FCF officials have deemed his opponent for the event. Down the road, once I am healthy, I look forward to getting another chance to face the American behemoth Grizzly, whether it is for the title or just for personal honor.
Cannonball Grizzly stands 188cm and weighs 190kg
Thank you for your support in this trying time. Your prayers are appreciated.
We have a whole slew of shows across Finland this August slated with FCF Wrestling, and I am stoked about this! The fact that FCF runs more events on an annual basis than 3/4 of our contemporaries out there in Europe puts us at the top of the food chain in the pro wrestling field on our continent.
On August 10 in Rovaniemi, Finland, FCF Wrestling presents Saturday Night Rock Fight at the 2013 installment of the Simerock Festival. This is a special occasion, as the wrestling will be in the main slot of Saturday’s Simerock line-up, starting at 22:45 with five big matches on the menu. Saturday Night Rock Fight will be headlined by Yours Truly tagging with “Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä against Stark Adder and FCF champion King Kong Karhula.
Between August 16-18, FCF Wrestling will present Ragnarök 2013 at this year’s Häme Medeival Fair in Hämeenlinna, Finland. This theme weekend, featuring reenactments and relics of the Medeival era in Nordic culture, is an annual attraction in the city of Hämeenlinna. 2013 marks the third year that FCF Wrestling has been a part of the festivities and program. All throughout the three days, Friday to Sunday, wrestling matches will be held in a central tent on the fair grounds, three times a day. The gimmick is that all the wrestlers must dress up in Medeival costumes and garb for their matches, adding to the flair and flavor of the whole kit and caboodle. For more infos, go to the Medeival Fair website.
On August 24, FCF Wrestling comes to Kotka, Finland for an event entitled Rock & Wrestling Rampage at Route 66. The catch here is, that the show is restricted to anyone under the age of 18, with alcohol and strippers on hand also. This big event will feature five kickass wrestling matches, headlined by 185kg/188cm Cannonball Grizzly from the USA challenging me for my BWA (British Wrestling Alliance) Catchweight championship title. This is going to be undoubtedly my toughest challenge to date, as Grizzly is a 25-year veteran of the ring wars, and the current reigning EWP (European Wrestling Promotion) heavyweight champion in Germany. Grizzly has wrestled in 40 countries worldwide over his extensive career, and on August 24 he adds Finland to that list. I just have to hope that I find a way by hook or by crook to retain my BWA championship at Rock & Wrestling Rampage, because I have never wrestled against anyone the size of Cannonball Grizzly before, and my active in-ring career dates all the way back to 1994! In addition, my hard rock band Overnight Sensation will be playing live in Kotka at the same event, offering up originals and known cover songs by acclaimed artists such as The Cult, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Motörhead and Thin Lizzy.
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