Corino Chronicles 38-43
June 24, 2011
So after not writing for over four months now, I am back. Back in a new format and hopefully updating quite regularly.
Writing is one of my favorite things to do but sometimes when your laptop dies and life makes you have less time, it gets sent to the side of the room for a while. Believe it or not I have over 10,000 words of stuff written, in outline form, on three pages. The next few weeks will be fun.
You can read the Chronicles on either www.IHateSteveCorino.Blogspot.com (subscribe) or at www.IHateSteveCorino.com.
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"Coming Home"
In March, I finally embarked on my 75th tour of Japan. Wow, 75 tours. It also marked the 10th anniversary of Pro-Wrestling ZERO1 (and before as Pro-Wrestling ZERO-ONE and ZERO1-MAX).
Ten years. The memories of this past decade in ZERO1 has been some of the best and the worst. I hope you enjoy as I go back and re-live.
A lot of people were surprised that I wasn't announced until the day before the show. I wish there could be a cool answer but the truth is that the office had a hard time renewing my Visa for the tour. There was a mix up in paper work and we didn't know until the day before if it was going to get back to me in time to attend. Luckily it did and I was on my way.
Things have changed so much in Japan.
If you would have told me in 2001 that I would be celebrating ten years with the same company, I would have told you that you are crazy.
The first time I got booked for ZERO-ONE was when they first started out. At the time Shinya Hashimoto had left New Japan Pro-Wrestling and took general manager Yoshiyuki Nakamura, Tatsuhito Takiawa, and Shinjiro Otani with him. There were always be speculation on the real story of how Pro-Wrestling ZERO (the actual original name of ZERO-ONE) really began, but that is one of the things I love about Japanese pro-wrestling: the mystery. ZERO-ONE was given permission by New Japan to use the NWA name.
At the time I was already in line to be the next NWA World's champion. Now I could do a whole Chronicle on being NWA champion, but lets leave that for another time. It had always been my dream to wrestle in Japan. I grew up a fan of All-Japan Pro-Wrestling and even sent the late, great "Dr. Death" Steve Williams videos and resumes to try in get into All-Japan while I was ECW World champion. Believe it or not I was told that the ECW style was not popular in All-Japan. Until I got there did I realize that it was true.
I almost had a deal with the IWA through Tiger Jeet Singh in 2001 when I got booked through the NWA to Pro-Wrestling ZERO-ONE. To be totally honest, not going to IWA was the best career move I could make. I didn't want to do the hardcore stuff and IWA ended up being a small indy company in Japan.
My first tour was tough. By this time I was the NWA World's heavyweight champion but the problem was I weighed about 195 pounds. I couldn't put on weight to save my life. If you hear then-NWA President Howard Broady tell the story, the ZERO-ONE office didn't want me because I didn't look like a heavyweight. The real truth is that they wanted a guy that looked like a heavyweight, but more then that Shinya Hashimoto wanted to be NWA World's champion. Within hours of meeting Hashimoto and Nakamura, I knew that these guys were going to be friends of mine. Just great people. Loved pro-wrestling.
In my first ZERO-ONE match, I teamed with former NWA champion Mike Rapada against Shinjiro Otani and Yuki Ishikawa. Rapada, who was a nice guy, was the guy that Broady wanted to be the big gaijin star of ZERO-ONE. But the problem is that Mike is a total Southern style wrestler. He is great with the Memphis stuff, but he couldn't adjust his style to Japan. If you have ever seen the match, it is not good. I was using American style stomps, punches, and being too light in the ring. Mr. Nakamura met with both of us the next day and told us that Otani said that we need to learn the Japanese style or we wouldn't be brought back. The only issue they had with Mike is that they wanted him to use the Claw because they thought he looked like a Von Erich. Their issues with me were all ring based. I went in the ring for hours and re-learned how to throw an elbow, kick, and even a lock up.
Later that night, Rapada and I wrestled Ikuto Hidaka and Katsumi Usada. I got a great reaction when I undid my jacket to reveal the NWA World's title belt. Although it is looked upon sometimes unfairly and sometimes fairly by fans and promoters in the US, the NWA title is famous because of the great NWA champions of the past that toured Japan. Such as Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, and Ric Flair. Then it got even more popular when Giant Baba held the title on three occasions. In the re-birth of the NWA in the 90's, Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto held the title. As one of the "Three Musketeers" Hashimoto wanted his name in the NWA title history too. The match between the four of us was better then the night before and the office was happy with my performance. After the show, Hashimoto, Otani, and Nakamura sat with me and told me that they liked me BUT if I wanted to be a wrestler in Japan that I would have to gain 30 to 40 pounds (15-20 kgs). Hashimoto said "Corino-san, please gain 15 kilo. Fat or muscle. No problem."
For someone that had a hard time putting on weight, this was hard news. I was not going to be a steroid user so what I did was workout harder and eat, eat, eat. I'd get up in the morning, work out, cardio and then go home and eat. I'd eat ten minutes before I went to bed, I'd wake up in the middle of the night and eat. I'd eat 300 grams of protein a day. Tons of carbs. If I wanted to be a star in Japan I needed to weigh at least 230 pounds. It took four months but I did it. I won a job. For fans that like to shit on me about being heavy, they really don't realize that I feel good at 230-235. Getting heavy was the best thing I ever did. Well that and dying my hair blonde in 1999.
74 tours later I find myself on the plane again. Oh how Japan has changed.
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Every time that I go to Japan I worry that it will be my last. Its not a secret that ZERO1 is not the power it was when Shinya Hashimoto was alive. I have so much respect for Nakamura-san, Otani, and Masato Tanaka. There are many times that they could have given up and closed the doors. Nakamura could have gone back to the New Japan office, Tanaka already works for New Japan regularly, and Otani is a "junior legend", a great #2 guy (like Tatsumi Fujinami) that could headline on any indy show. But they have stuck it out.
ZERO1 does have a saving grace. Maybe the only person that can not only save Z1 but Japanese pro-wrestling. And he probably doesn't even realize it. His name is Daichi Hashimoto, Shinya Hashimoto's 18 year old son. On March 6th he made his wrestling debut in one of the most emotional nights in my career.
The last time the company ran Ryoguku Sumo Hall was in 2004. It was the last anniversary show to feature Shinya Hashimoto. On July 11, 2005 my boss and friend died.
Seven years later, no one thought that we could fill up Sumo Hall including me. Never did I think that we would get it to half-full, let alone full. I was wrong. Sometimes I love being wrong.
The atmosphere was amazing. People booed me like they did in the hey day of ZERO-ONE. Being in the ring with Kamikaze and Kohei Sato was perfect. I have been with them since day one pretty much.
But it was Masahiro Chono vs. Daichi Hashimoto that sealed the deal for me.
Being in the blue (heel) corner/side, I got to watch Chono walk the aisle like he has done so many times. Even at 47 years old, Chono just oozes big star. People were all ready for the debut of the "Destruction Prince"
I didn't ask what music Daichi was using. I was hoping that he would use his father's but like my son, Colby, Daichi wants to make his own name. But when the "Hashimoto Intro" hit and the lights dimmed, it was 2002 again. When the crowd started chanting "Hashi-moto, Hashi-moto, Hashi-moto" I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I cried.
Tears came down my face like I was a kid. Emotions that I put away for almost six years came out. For that two minutes, Shinya Hashimoto was alive again.
When the lights came back on it was Daichi Hashimoto. All 170 pounds of him. Looking more like a pop star then fighter. A kid that I watched grow up. When the bell rang he proved what HE already knew. He IS a fighter. In his debut he took Chono to the limit for ten minutes. He used kicks like his father, but Daichi showed that he has his own style too. I was so proud of him.
Daichi, I know your dad was proud of you too.
I was home again. Whoever said you couldn't go home again was wrong.
No matter what happens in Pro-Wrestling ZERO1, Japan is my home.
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Corino Chronicles 39: Recharging The Battery In Oz
uly 10, 2011
Its a early, but sunny, Sunday morning at the Corino Compound in suburban Philadelphia. Got myself a pot of coffee and my dogs are relaxing near me. No excuse not to catch up on my writing. I mean, I make excuses all the time but today is my day to catch up.
This edition of the Corino Chronicles will be focused around my latest trip to one of my favorite countries, Australia, in March.
Over the last eight years, I have done seven tours of this country and every one of them have been fun. There is just something about Australia that when I get home I feel so energized. This tour was no different.
To take this tour I'd have to cancel off the ROH "WrestleMania" weekend shows. I was hesitant to ask for the weekend off but I was fortunate that the ROH officials gave me their blessing.
Two years ago, after my WWC run in Puerto Rico, I was very down on myself. Although I did well in WWC professionally, I was a mess personally. My marriage had fallen apart, my weight was out of control, and I just felt like I was not in the place I wanted to be. After a weekend in Australia, I was all recharged and ready to take on the world again.
This time, I was looking for the same motivation. And I found it.
The first weekend I was in Australia was with the promotion I have come to for years now, High Risk Pro Wrestling. Always a fun time with these guys.
First show happened to be an 8-man tournament for the vacant HRPW title. I held the title back in '07 for a short time and you know that I love to win titles! But a tournament at my age gets tougher and tougher. Especially when all the guys are in their early 20's!
I lost in the finals to Blake Mitchell but got him back later when I pooped in his toilet and didn't flush!
After the show it was time to go out on the town in Adelaide. Now, I'm not much of a drinker. Usually once or twice a year (usually Milwaukee), but when I do go out I make it worth it. And it was worth it! Had a few Australian brews and hung out with the boys. Had a great time. Tried to ride a mechanical bull for the first time. Lasted about one second.
The next day was a double-show at a festival. Now festivals can be weird. Nine out of ten times, pro-wrestling is just a part of the festival and the people who are watching could give two craps. They just want to see some action before they go on the pony rides. For me, I love festival shows because I can walk around and see how much free stuff I can get!
So if you are doing the math, I had to do five matches in 18 hours. Luckily I wasn't hungover or I might have puked in the ring. Lets try and see the ponies barf and do their job!
I also took a picture with me and the jabroni Buzz Lightyear. I love Toy Story but you can tell that this kid modified the costume just enough.
He never knew what hit him. "To Infinity and....what the hell is that....OUCHHHHHHH"
Don't forget to get your Thumb In The Bum t-shirt at www.IHateSteveCorino.com!
I spent a few extra days in Adelaide relaxing. Blake, my host, was sick most of the time. I poisoned him since he beat me in the finals of the tournament. He thought he had the flu ;) hehe. OK, that's not true. He did have an awesome library of wrestling DVDs. I watched the Eddie Guerrero, Ultimate Warrior, Monday Night Battle, and countless others. The WWE really does a helluva job with those DVDs.
After Adelaide it was time to take off to the other side of the country. I have only ever been to Perth once before and thought it was a great city. This time I really got a chance to hang out and enjoy Perth. It may be my favorite city of all time.
When I arrived at the hotel, which was a really nice hotel, I noticed that it wasn't busy at all. I thought that maybe it would get busier later. I was wrong. Here I was in this nice hotel and I was the only person staying there!
I was originally scheduled to come to the AAW promotion a few years ago but it was all screwed up due to the WSL promotion. But here I am, a few years later and so glad I finally got here.
Mr. Carter, who is the father of the promoter and company ace, Andrew Carter, took great care of me. Usually I am on my own when I get to a town. My routine is generally the same: Walk around the town, find where to get food, and catch up on MLB The Show on my PS2. But this time, Mr. Carter made sure I wouldn't be sitting in a room bored (I never get bored though). He took me on a boat, showed me some of the multi-million dollar homes on the water, and we spent almost two hours looking for dolphins. I was just happy to be out on the water but this was super cool. Finally on our way back in we saw a few dolphins near our boat. Just wow. One of the best days of my life. I wish Colby would have been there to see it.
I almost didn't want to go to work! I felt like I really was on holiday for the first time in years. I mean years. I get to go to a lot of cool and unique places, but they always involve work.
AAW was running back to back shows in the same building. The first night I was in a 4 way match for the AAW Australian championship and I was lucky enough to win my 63rd career title, outlasting then-champion James Grace with the running knee strike.
Running knee strike? Yes. For the last few weeks I had been working on another finisher to compliment my Eternal Dream (Sliding lariat) finish. I am a big fan of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Shinsuke Nakamura and loved the way he does his Bomb Ye finisher. So after weeks of practice I developed a version of the Bomb Ye. Looking for a name though. If you have a good name for it, email it to Steve@CorinoWrestling.com.
The second show featured a Steel Cage Match with me and Andrew Carter for my newly won Australian championship. I hate Steel Cage matches. I do. They are hard to do because you have limited room and the fans have limited viability. But somehow, this one was different. The crowd was electric for it and it just seemed to flow. And believe it or not, after 17 years this was the first cage match that I wrestled in with escape rules.
My Australian title reign only lasted 24 hours but it was worth it.
Eleven days in Australia was a great opportunity for me to get my head together, find some inner peace, and recharge the battery. Thank you to everyone that made my trip so good. A special thank you to Graham Carter for his hospitality. Best time ever. I hope to return soon!
Next time in the Corino Chronicles I will talk about the benefit show for my friend Susan Meeks and my return to the WWC in Puerto Rico.
Thanks for reading!
Corino Chronicles 40: Friends For A Real Friend.
In these days where whenever I read about a pro-wrestling event being a "benefit show" or a "tribute show", my first thought is: BULLSHIT.
Sounds awful, but its true. How many bullshit tribute shows, memorial shows, and benefit shows do you read about every week? And of those, how many come report how much money the charity or family got? Not many right? If you do read a number, the chance is that was a legit show.
I was not Trent Acid's friend and I'm sure I wasn't the only one that went "oh no" when I heard there was going to be a tribute/fundraiser for him. But when I heard about how much money they raised, it put a smile to my face. Trent would have liked that. There are actually promoters and friends that put on real fundraiser/benefit/tribute shows with the intention of making money. But for every Trent Acid Memorials there seems to be ten "Macho Man Randy Savage (or insert dead wrestler here) Tribute" shows.
I can't tell you how many emails I get every week from someone I don't know, who has never run a show before, and/or has some fake charity they are doing a show for. Its a shame to read and makes me ashamed to be a pro-wrestler.
So, its a story like the one I am about to tell, that makes me PROUD to be a pro-wrestler. This is the story of Susan Meeks.
I met Susan ten years ago in Georgia. It was my first night in for Dusty Rhodes' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. I was excited because I was going to wrestle one of my biggest heroes, Barry Windham later in the night. One of the first people I met though is Dusty's secretary and right arm, Susan Meeks. I had spoken with Susan over the phone when she gave me my flight information but it wasn't until I met her in person that I realized that sometimes there are good people involved in wrestling.
Susan was not only the office lady, but she was a big fan of wrestling. She just loved being a part of the crew. She loved Dusty Rhodes. You could tell that she loved her job. She handled the payroll, flights, merchandise sales, and just made you feel good about yourself. It was well known that if you needed anything in TCW just call Susan and she'd take care of it.
It didn't matter if you were the opening match and most people had never heard of you or the guy in the ring with some of his heroes (this guy), she always was happy and encouraging. More then once, Dusty would tell Scotty Riggs and I "Make sure you get some heat out there or Susan is going to get mad." Or in the way Dusty would say it.
If there were any problems with say a flight or payroll, Susan was there with an apology and the truth. I was so used to the lies being told to us by the ECW office lady, that at first I didn't know if I'd ever believe anyone again. Susan was different.
I wish TCW would have lasted longer. We had a great crew. Dream, Dustin, Barry,Glacier, Lodi, CW Anderson, Luther, Scotty Riggs, Erik Watts, Big Ron Reis, Sean Evans, TJ Grey, and Jorge Estrada. A great mix of legends, current names, and young guys. And a fun crew too.
TCW pretty much closed in 2002 but I kept in touch with Susan over the years. She knew I was a big Phillies fan and she would raze me about them, her being a Braves fan. Poor girl.
But it was earlier in this year when I heard that Susan had gotten sick. No one knew at first. This woman, once again, continued to put everyone else before her. But that is the type of person Susan is. I was hoping that there was something I could do. But what?
A few days go by and a guy named Mark Danger (no relation to my sister, Allison Danger) contacted me on Facebook and asked if I would be interested in being a part of a fundraising show for Susan. He told me he understood if it was too far to go on my own dime (the show was in Atlanta and I live on the moon) but it would mean a lot to Susan. Even Susan didn't think I would do it. That made me mad! LOL. If you are reading this Susan, I was mad that you thought that I wouldn't want to come down and help! Heck yeah, I was coming.
Mark and longtime promoter (real promoter...real. Attention to you that pretend you promote by putting up Facebook invites. Hehe. If you are offended by that, it is probably you.) Ben Masters (I refuse to say his real name!) worked out all the details and it was a go. They were also going to use Gabs (www.RoxieCotton.com) so I had someone to drive with.
Over the course of a few weeks Mark and Susan had arranged tickets for a Braves-Phillies game in Atlanta (ENEMY territory) and tickets for the Coca-Cola plant. More on that later...
We took off on a Friday afternoon for the 15 hour drive to Atlanta. It is usually 14 for the normal driver, but I drive the speed limit. Like my wrestling style, I like to stay on the side of caution and go at a nice pace :). If it was Claudio Castagnoli driving, we would have been there in 9 hours.
I love driving. I absolutely HATE flying. So the 15 hour trip was good. We checked in the hotel but knew we had to get up for the Coca-Cola plant. Once again, more on that later....
We arrived at the show around 5pm. There were a lot of wrestlers already there. Some I haven't seen in years, some I have never met at all. Like Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker but I'll get to him in a moment.
The line to see Susan reminded me of the line in the first Godfather movie. Everyone wanted to see the Don. I gave Susan a big hug and FINALLY gave her the gift I promised her for the last 10 years: A Philadelphia Phillies hat!
As for the show, it was a blast. My partner for the night was the always Above Average Mike Sanders against Glacier and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. I was excited because I have always liked Mike. He and I were on that fateful tour of Finland when I met the woman that would eventually be my wife (and now ex-wife). Wait a second, it was Mike that picked that restaurant. I knew I should have went to McDonalds!
Glacier is one of the nicest people you would ever meet. Always has a smile on his face and he has that deep laugh that makes you like him right away. In all of the time we had in TCW we had only wrestled each other once before. A tag match for the Josh Lewis Foundation in Jekyll Island, GA that featured us, the Dream, and a guy that ended up being a pretty good football player: Brian Urlacher. Fun times.
And then there is Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. If you have ever watched WCW or know anything about the Power Plant, you have seen "Sarge" in full sarge mode. He's the real deal. He's no nonesense. He just looks rough. And he is also CW Anderson's teacher. That means one thing: I gotta fk with this guy.
I didn't care how the match went. All I wanted was to get in there and roll around with Sarge. Nothing called, nothing planned, just man on man. Not man on man like Rob Dimension (follow and insult him on Twitter @robdimension), likes, but I mean on the mat wrestling. All the chops CW gave me, the help he needed burying a dead girl (date gone wrong I guess, but nevermind), and the fact that he was more over then me at Korakeun Hall (CW plays the part of the 5th Beatle in Tokyo), it was my turn to take it out on his trainer. I sound tough don't I?
I circle around and then I tell Sarge to wait a moment as I blast out 10 quick squats. CW had to do 500. He wasn't amused. So I tried to go right to the mat with him. Those of you who know Sarge know he has a bad back. So shhh, I am acting like a bad ass here. Once again Sarge was not amused. We then spend the next three or four minutes rolling around. But then I said something that I shouldn't have. I said "this is for CW" but as I was saying that, Sarge reversed whatever dumb move I was attempting and nailed me with a forearm shot to the chest that hurt Colby 800 miles away! He leans in and says "THAT is for CW". Haha. Sarge was awesome and so was the night. So if you ever want to know why CW hits so hard, just look at one Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker.
The event raised over $4000 for Susan. It might have been closer to $5000 but it was something to be a part of. Everyone from Glacier, Sarge, Mike, Joel Deaton (I marked out), Gabs, Big Ron, David Wills, Mark, Jen Holbrook, Lisa Rhodes, ref Spanky, Raven, Luke Gallows, Southside Trash, Terry Lawler, TJ Grey, some weird dude that had a WCW US title belt (talked like he had wrestled Flair 1000 times and kept confusing me for Chris Candido), Peggy Lee, Bambi, Joyce, and ALL the boys in the locker room helped out so much for such a nice woman. I even got to see my friend Erik Watts for the first time in years. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.
I did get to meet a celebrity too. Yep, the Crying Wrestling Fan David Wills from Tosh.O. Now, I couldn't give two shits if he cried at a wrestling convention. Hell, I cry myself to sleep every Monday night after watching RAW (not really...I usually watch Family Guy). But anyone that could be on Tosh.O was a guy I had to meet.
And to Susan: Don't give up. Never give up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E
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Before the show, Gab-a-Doodle and I went to the Coca-Cola Plant in Atlanta. Gabs is the biggest Coke fan I know. She is a true Coke head, but in the good way. Everything is Coke to her. Furniture, underwear, plates, toilet paper (maybe), and just about anything that can have a logo on it in her world has a Coke logo. Oh, she's a big fan. She makes my Wawa fixation look like minor flirting. The Coca-Cola Plant is her Mecca.
Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself. But if you have ever been there, it is the sugar-high equivalent of Disney World. In other words, a cult! It does have a cult like atmosphere. There were pictures, movies, tours, and a room where you could test over 100 Coca-Cola products. It was cool. By the way, there are some shitty sodas that they are developing but luckily they aren't going to be sold in the US so I don't care...and then there was the Coca-Cola gift store. This is where Gabby pretty much lost her freaking mind. Whatever she didn't have in Coca-Cola swag, they had here. I even think they had Coke condoms. (and if it is true that they have them, do you think they had Diet Coke for smaller members?). We spent TWO hours in the store. TWO. 2. Dos. Nee. Two freaking hours. Guess what she bought? Not a damn thing!!!
Women....
So Sunday afternoon comes and its my turn to become the fan! Braves vs. Phillies at Turner Field. I hate the Braves. Hate that Ted Turner pushed them down my young throat in the 80's when the only reason I turned on his channel was to watch Gordon Solie and Georgia Championship Wrestling. Hate that they deemed themselves "Americas Team". Hate them for winning 14 division titles in a row but could only man up once to win the World Series. Hate wife-beating Bobby Cox. Loved Dale Murphy. Hate Skip Carey (or whatever worthless Carey is bore-assing me in the booth). And most of all, I HATE CHIPPER JONES. So in other words, I'm a real Philadelphia fan!
We got to the stadium early for a 1pm game. The first thing that surprised me was that the parking lot attendant, who saw we were wearing Phillies' shirts, was super nice to us. He must be from Philly. Or so I thought. Then walking around to the gate we are greeted by the ushers. Once again, super nice. They throw their fun, but not nasty in any way, jabs about us being Phillies fans. Shit. We get in the park area and every single person is nice. And these people work for the Braves??? They aren't supposed to be nice. They are supposed to be awful people...Like Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones. Especially Chipper. He can eat some shit.
I get to the seat and once again, all of the Braves fans are nice. No one is saying dumb stuff to us, no one is trying to spit on us, and no one booed the Phillies. It was so weird. I felt out of place! LOL.
The Phillies got the win on the great pitching of Cole Hamels (who will win 20 games this year) but even leaving, Braves fans were saying "Good game" and "Come back soon.". It was like they were screwing with my mind!
Bottom line, is that Braves fans are some of the classiest fans I have ever seen. It was cool to see...I still hate the Braves though. Hey, I'm a Philly Phanatic....and Chipper, can sniff a turd. Hope you blow out your ACL again.
So I end this long blog on a fun note! LOL.
Everyone, take care, venture over to IHateSteveCorino.com and buy a shirt.
Steve
Corino Chronicles 41: "The Story Of My Life: Casting The Steve Corino Movie"
The story of my life isn't simple. In 38 years I've lived quite a life. Not quite rock star or millionaire (well, not even close to either). I have an interesting story but the problem would be what genre would my life story fall under?
Would it be a comedy? What about a drama? Definitely horror at times. Who would be in it? Could I leave enough for a sequel?
The plot is simple: Small town kid, born in Canada but raised in mean streets (aka very safe suburbs) of Philadelphia. Tall and skinny as a rookie he grew to be tall and Dick Murdoch-ish as a 17 year veteran of the squared circle. Along the way he has met a whole cast of characters that have effected his life. A true journeyman of the mat wars, Steve Corino is the definition of a guy that almost made it. So close but yet so far. A career minor leaguer. The Crash Davis of Pro-Wrestling. Coming soon to a VHS distribution center or dollar store near you its "The Story Of My Life: The Steve Corino Movie"
Starring:
Zac Efron as Colby Corino
Kristen Davis of Melrose Place as Allison Danger
John Locke from Lost as Ares
John C.Reilly of Talladega Nights as CW Anderson
Jason Alexander of Seinfeld as Chuck Guillotine LeGrande
Bruce Willis of Cop Out as "El Sucio" Mr. Mac
Adam Sandler as Colt Boom Boom Cabana
Jonah Hill as Jim Cornette
Tiger Mask as Hunter Johnston
Ellen Page as Roxie Cotton
Harry Gorilla as Bobby Cruise
Brad Pitt as Adam Cole
Alan Ruck as Mike Kehner
Harry Potter as WORLD-1 Owner Ryan Kavangh
Dave Chappelle as Alex Anthony
Raul Ibanez from the Philadelphia Phillies as Christopher Daniels
The Devil Himself as Kevin Steen
and co-starring
Chris Burke of Life Goes On as Rob Dimension!
But who plays Steve Corino? Email your ideas to Steve@CorinoWrestling.com or Tweet them to @SteveCorino.
It was tough to come up with pics that looked close to the character they are playing. I know it seems like a cheap shot with Chris Burke as Rob Dimension and it was. I apologize. I apologize to Chris Burke for him having to lower himself to play Dimension.
Big thanks to Gabby Gilbert for her help putting the pics together.
If you know any other people in my life that would be good for the sequel send em over.
Corino Chronicles 42: Never Forget
O'Hare Airport, Chicago, IL. September 11, 2011. 8:47 CST
This is one of those blogs that I didn't plan on writing. By now, the coverage of this day has been non-stop. I tried not to watch. Tried to think that the media would just glorify one of the worst days in American history. Tried to put it out of my head. But you can't.
In my 38 years on Earth, I have seen a lot. I was in 7th grade Social Studies (History) with Mrs. Zanan when then Challenger exploded live on TV. I have been to Hiroshima. I have been to Dallas where President Kennedy was killed. But it was 10 years ago today, that everything changed, in not just the United States, but the world.
Most people probably remember where they were. I know I do. Colby was only five at the time and most weekdays I had the same routine: Wake up, wake him up, make him breakfast, me coffee, put on Blues Clues for him, and Sportscenter for me. Call it a single father routine but it worked for us.
But that day as I was getting my coffee prepared I got a call from my mother in North Carolina. She told me to turn on the local news because a plane had just hit the World Trade Center in New York. As a constant traveler, I am sure my parents always had a concern in their hearts whenever my sister or I get on a plane.
As we were talking about it, we didn't know at the time if it was just a plane that crashed until we both were in shock as the second plane hit the Towers on live TV. It is an image that I will never or millions of other people in this world will forget.
For the next three days I couldn't take my eyes off the TV. Helpless was the only way to describe it. Right in front of you people were dying. Firefighters, Police Officers, and normal citizens became heroes in a second without thinking about it. Unselfishly helping anyone and everyone they could. But in the end over 3000 lives were lost and millions of people were affected.
We can talk all day long about the government, what they could have done to prevent it, the “war on terror”, and the economy that went into the toilet after the attacks. We can put blame on government, religion, and people. But honestly, the only thing we should be thinking about today was the people that died for no reason on this day, ten years ago.
September 11, 2011 is a much different world then it was on September 11, 2001. The economy is the worst that has been in decades, people are nervous all the time about airline travel, and the lack of trust to our fellow man is at an all-time low.
We can't blame Islam. There are hundreds of millions of Muslims in this world, but only a few terrorists. We can't blame any religion. If anything, today is a day where we should learn more about other cultures and people different from yourself. I, personally, am not a religious person but I accept everyone's religion. Do I believe in what they believe in? Do I believe that you should kill in your “God's” name? No. But I am tolerant of other people’s beliefs. As Americans and world citizens, we should learn to do the same.
Today is a day to remember the fallen. And remember the people they left behind.
Remember the brave men and women of the New York Police Department and the heroes of the New York Fire Department.
Be grateful for the military that protects us.
As I write this, in front of my gate on route to Japan, I am sitting next to a young man in a US Army uniform. I leaned over and shook his hand, to thank him for putting his life on the line for his country. He was a bit down. He said that today he got looks from people but no one wanted to say anything to him. He doesn't believe that he should be getting praise but people are so somber today that he almost feels embarrassed to be here. Pvt. Lane is only 20 years old. That would have made him 10 when the attacks happened. When I was 10 (or close to it), the US had a short conflict with Grenada. A big difference huh? Well, to Pvt. Lane, the men and women of the United States military, and especially Pvt. (I hope that is right) Josh Taylor, THANK YOU.
This isn't a perfect world. It never will be. But lets all just try to be a little nicer to each other.
Thank you.
Corino Chronicles 43: Random Goodness
September 17, 2011
8:54am Japan time
Its about six and half hours before heading off to the last show of the tour, Korakeun Hall, and what better way to get ready then by watching some good, old school, Mid-South Wrestling DVDs.
26 years later, Eddie Gilbert (perhaps my favorite wrestler of all time) suckering Cowboy Bill Watts and The Russians attacking is still amazing. The crowd reaction is just gold. I got the Mid-South DVDs (with the Eddie Gilbert and New Japan set) from the Death Valley Driver message board guys and its literally hours and hours of entertainment.
Ted DiBiase was just awesome as a rulebreaker or fan favorite. Eddie Gilbert was so evil (I wish he was still alive. Could you just imagine???), and Jim Ross was at his best. It was pure pro-wrestling. Tough, bloody, and made sense. It had emotion. And yes, The Ultimate Warrior (wrestling as one of the Bladerunners) was bloddy awful.
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My hotel on this tour is kind of unique. There is no housecleaning staff. Yep, you have to clean your room yourself! And as I am writing this I can see a vacuum under the bed. Are they trying to say something? "Oh here (In Japanese of course), clean up after yourself slob."
This tour has been real quiet. Call me old (Please don't) but I spent the last two off days in my room, reading, updating this site (The Blogspot one), and just catching up on some long lost sleep.
I set a goal for myself to be 99kg (218 lbs) for this tour but ended up right at 100 (220 lbs). Not too bad considering I was almost 113 kg (247) when I was here in July. Lots of hard work, but a ton more hard work ahead of me. My goal is to eventually get back to 105kg (230) but not the way I was before. For a pizza lover like me, its tough but I have to do it for my own health.
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Fans on Twitter (@SteveCorino) have asked me about Kevin Steen's message on the ROH forum. I can say Steen on here because this is my site, my Chronicles. I get it. Kevin hates ROH. He blames them, he blames me, and blames everyone that he is not a part of the ROH roster anymore. I get it. I felt for him. I tried to help him. But there is no helping a man that can't help himself. By the time many fans read this there is a good chance that he is going to cause trouble at Death Before Dishonor.
What I don't understand is that the fans feel that it is my fault that I am in Japan. Pro-Wrestling ZERO1 has been my home for 10 years. I had this tour booked before Steen even turned on me in June. Will I wrestle Steen? NO. I'm sorry if ROH fans think that I am scared but its not true. I can only stay in ROH if I stay on the path that I am on. Jim Cornette made that clear to me in January of 2011. Do I have evil tendencies? Hell yeah. Why do you think I come back to Japan and beat up on Shinjiro Otani so much? But I can't do it in ROH. I need ROH. Plus for too long fans have dismissed my career because of the short takes I have taken. I understand.
There will be NO Steve Corino vs. Kevin Steen. Not today, not next week, not in a different company. I'm here when Kevin wants to come to his senses. Until then, I don't know him.
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Is it bad that I love Family Guy but hate American Dad?
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Well its off to do some running, then on to Korakeun Hall. If you are watching ROH on iPPV tonight, I hope you enjoy one helluva a show. If you are in Tokyo, then come down to K-Hall for some great ZERO1 action.
