Your Television Champion...

Ladies and Gentlemen, wrestling fans of all ages, I present to you the very first of edition of "From Parts Unknown..."

Here at "From Parts Unknown..." I, your humble host Mike D. Stroia, will be dissecting and discussing the current wrestling scene from Ring of Honor (ROH), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling. My main attraction will be the fantasy booking of a full year of WWE action beginning with WM24 and concluding with WM25. My purpose for doing this is quite simple--I am better at it than they are! I know that seems quite arrogant, but...well...yeah, it is quite arrogant! SO BE IT!!!

I get sick and damn tired of watching the mindless drivel that some companies are trying to feed me. I remember when wrestling was about grudges, titles, and who's the better man. Today, it is about merchandising, buyrates, and mainstream America. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with making money. Shit, that's the purpose for business. My qualms arise when the focus on moneymaking trumps the focus on the in-ring product.

I guess I should tell you a little about myself, and how I grew to have such a jaded view of the industry I've loved for years. I have been a loyal follower of the world of wrestling since 1983. Before any of you whippersnappers go calling me an old codger who can't catch up with the times, peep the math. I was born in 1981. Yeah, I started watching the great sport of professional wrestling as a tot. After my grandparents put me to bed as a yung'in, my wrestling crazed uncle would wake me to watch Mid-Atlantic wrestling which originated from WRAL studios in Raleigh, NC. Of course, I didn't begin to know what was going on til' I was a little older.

Growing up, I watched NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW, World Class Championship Wrestling, WWF, UWF, AWA, Memphis...you name it, I watched it. I was like a wrestling addict. When ESPN was carrying various promotions, I was watching wrestling 7 days a fucking week. Euphoria, Heaven, Cloud 9, Paradise!

I've watched the evolution of the sport from the days of the regional promotions through today where Vince McMahon has put himself on top of the wrestling landscape. Sure, there are the TNAs and the ROHs of the world, but WWE is the leader of the market.

Frankly, I think WWE is in the middle of the 3. I'm a huge, HUGE mark for ROH. I love everything about the little promotion that could. I even beam like a proud papa whenever I hear of another Match of the Year candidate coming from one of their shows. If you have never experienced the crack-like euphoria of ROH, http://www.rohwrestling.com/ is your new D-Boy!

TNA Sucks...nuff said. (It's quite sad, actually. Anyone who is up to a point-counterpoint challenge on the state of TNA, my email address is skoseze@gmail.com. Holla at me, and we can get the ball rolling.)

WWE is the king of the wrestling ring right now, which is a blessing and a curse. This is also the reason why I have taken them on as the first company for my fantasy booking experiment. They have an expansive roster with a big show every month and three TV shows a week. I will begin the booking with the projected WM24 line-up that was printed by http://www.411mania.com/ last month (the projections are slightly better than what we are getting to now, and that's when I began my fantasy season. Fuck starting over!! Who has that kind of time??) I will post my results for WM24 and give a brief overview of the next month of programming before we get to Backlash (where the real fun and details begin).

I guess I should mention that I am pretty long winded. I also will write run-ons from time to time, because most of what I do is stream of consciousness type stuff. So, if you are stickler for grammar...why the fuck are you watching wrestling or reading a wrestling blog. Find something better to do with your time. Go change the world. But if you correct on anything other than a fact...so help me God...someone...will...pay!!!

There will be other posts here as well. I will book dream cards from history, take strolls down memory lane, and keep you abreast (boob joke is just to easy here, so I will refrain) of the latest and greatest of our psuedosport.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Television Champion Mike D. Stroia welcomes you to Parts Unknown, where the streets are paved with gold (championship belts) and your next door neighbor's last name is Warrior.

You have been warned...