Wrestling Wednesday (Patreon)

When I got to Killer Kowalski's, it was terrifying. EVERYONE came to do interviews...from ESPN to MSN and every wrestling magazine in between. The pressure was so great that I quit over the Christmas holiday after getting turf toe, a truly horrible and painful injury. I retreated to lick my wounds. Wrestling was the hardest thing I'd ever done. It was physically painful in a way I'd never experienced-as if I'd been in both a heavily whip lashed car accident and the worst boot camp session of my life AT THE SAME TIME. I was strained, sprained, pulled, limping...had broken my nose for the third time...(but the 4th was the worst.)

And it was mentally demeaning, too...not being able to quickly figure out things or fall naturally. LOOKING FIT was far easier than BEING this insanely athletic. There was an art to all of it - and it does not come naturally to most. Add to the fact that I was paying a fortune to be there at the height of the tech bubble in Boston, and I felt like I was bleeding money, bleeding all over.Some of the guys came to my overpriced Boston apartment and convinced me to return after I'd no-showed several classes. They were convincing and I'd moved across the country to do, this....I felt invested.

And on it went. I eventually picked it up. I signed up for tutoring after class. I taped my matches and drills and had them picked apart by veterans. I went to class even though I was working shows. I watched old tapes and as many different styles as I could.

I just kept going.

One of my old promoters I worked with said I was one of the best there ever was and I opened the doors for all the women out there today. That, until me, it was all fluff, pillow fights, and bra and panty matches. He said I changed the business into what it is now...that I could have relied on being fluff, but didn't.

I was the first ever female wrestler to WRESTLE in TNA. The first to hold male tag titles (multiple times). The first to have an official women's tag team in the USA. I created Team T&A with Talia/Velvet, which was the precursor to The Beautiful People. I was one of the only Western females working in Japan and consistently invited back. And I was still shooting pinup, action/horror films, working for comic book artists, and more at the same time.

I guess I didn't realize the impact I'd had, but if I think back to all of it, he's probably correct. It's nice to be recognized for the beatings and bruises. :)

To me, I was just moving forward and working...not realizing it was trailblazing.

Anything to avoid "a real job", ya know? ;) Xoxo. Thanks for watching.

I'll be on PPV this Friday for Matriarch Mayhem in Vegas. You can look it up regarding the "millions" channel it'll be available through. If you're in Las Vegas, doors open at 6.30!

BTW, I'll be sending out holiday cards this year, but they're limited, as my favorite artist, Peter Vinton Jr did them and I only have 50.

I'll have details on getting one if you want one shortly.

-a