Elevator Pitch with Zach Beverage #2

So what happens in the Lone Wolf Building when a superstar gets in the elevator for the ride to the top floor? 
 
The world's shortest interview is what happens courtesy of resident elevator attendant and social media aficionado Zach Beverage.

  



Photo courtesy of MML

 Today's surprise interview:  The Alberta Kid

ZB:  Oh wow.  You even wear the mask to the office, Mr. Wrestling #2.  I gotcha for 1-minute champ.  And the fans always wanna know.  So here we go:  Question 1) You demonstrate Japanese wrestling style, Mexican Luchador appearance and declare your heritage as Canadian.  Why wrestle in the USA and specificially for Lone Wolf?

AK: I have a very diverse background in professional wrestling. many influences have gone into my chemistry and I try to represent my extensive knowledge of the sport of kings, I am the consummate chess master of professional wrestling. Lone Wolf offers a cascade of opportunities where as other promotions do not have the same work ethic. Sure I could be the top of any other promotion in the business, after all I am the face here. Why would i want to wrestle any place else? You have lions like Starkiller, Mercury.  You have old school grapplers like Konik and Voss. You have an international base with Frito Armas and Tengu.  This is the hub of professional wrestling at this time.

ZB: So what's with the mask?  I mean you are Canadian and seemingly not a troll. 

AK: I grew up watching masked wrestlers like the great Armas Archuleta, Jushin Liger, Wrestling Gold and the list goes on. I decided to follow in their footsteps. Also it also affords me to be in the public eye without my mask and keep the shutter hounds and mobs of fans from coming up to me on a dinner date with a lovely miss asking for an autograph. It's rude and unsightly. I would be hounded for photographs and autographs if they knew who I was under the mask. Plus I am paid handsomely by some big names to keep my idenity secret. They do not want to be overshadowed by awesomeness, and rightly so, I am a rather ahndsome looking devil.

ZB: Riiiiiiiiight.  I hear ya.  I always say that I am in the elevator because anywhere else would steal from the hotness factor everywhere else in the company.  We could be brothers (you and me).  Just like those guys on that Property Bros show.  Next query: You are a member of a highly-regarded tag team with Johnny Canuck - The Maple Leaf Mafia.  But you seem focused on the Light Heavyweight Championship.  Do you worry that your singles-focused mind will harm your team or your partner?

AK: As you can see its not harmed anything. All you are trying to do is drive a wedge between the MLM. We have been racking up wins in singles and tag and that burns the competition and the authority's backside. They want to seperate us in hopes of keeping the Canadians from taking control of the company. The thing is we already have! There is nothing that can stop an avalanche and there is nothing that's going to stop the MLM...got it buster?

ZB: OK.  Almost to the top.  One last question for The Kid - McDonalds or Burger King? 

AK:  I do not partake of fast food.  It's garbage.  But if you want to discuss sushi....

Elevator Pitch with Zach Beverage #1

 So what happens in the Lone Wolf Building when a superstar gets in the elevator for the ride to the top floor? 

The world's shortest interview is what happens courtesy of resident elevator attendant and social media aficionado Zach Beverage.  

Today's surprise interview:  Happy Ralphie Bloodthirst

ZB:  I gotcha for 1-minute champ.  And the fans always wanna know.  So here we go:  Question 1) Who is your toughest opponent?

RB: There's a long list of great opponents I've faced since I joined the LWL; Most people would expect me to say Johnny Canuck or Starkiller, but I can't name people I do not respect.  Honestly, my toughest opponent is the man you see right now holding the LWL Imperial Title...myself.  I know that sounds cliche and there's a lot of other wrestlers around here who put on this persona that they're insane, but there's a real struggle I battle almost every minute of everyday.  Maybe it's more of an anger issue, but it's something that is very difficult to turn off.  I've had some really high highs and some really low lows.  Maybe the fact I know I'm nuts means that I'm really not.  Does that make any sense?

ZB: Nope. Not at all.  Next question - What is your greatest match? 

RB: Anybody who was witness to the Mount Bloodmore Match knows without a doubt, that was the greatest match of my career.  Sure, the fallout afterwards didn't take the path that I wanted, but Antler and I are on good terms again.  That night was the most painful and hardest to recoupperate from.  I've always been thin-skinned, bleeding-wise, but that match has made it virtually impossible for me to enter the ring and not leave some hemoglobin behind.  It's something I just deal with.  Winning the IWA World Title would be a very close second.

ZB: Halfway to your destination - Question 3) Who is really the best wrestler in Lone Wolf? 

RB: The best wrestler in the LWL is me, I'm the one holding the Imperial Title, correct?  Aside from me, there's a great new den of lions coming in and they're all starving for great success.  I'm always going to give a little more preference to the guys who've been around and done it longer.  My buddy, El Hijo del Armas Archuleta, would be on the short list of guys I think is the best.  That guy can go any style.  Might not quite be as hardcore as I am, but that's not a knock against him by any stretch.

ZB:  Last one.  What do you think of your list of contenders?  And who would you face if you were in control of booking? 

RB: Really, it seems the contenders list is kinda thin right now, namely because Westboro and Antler have had to hang it up.  There are the young guys around here, but none have stepped up and seperated from the pack.  The one guy I would like to face in concentrating on the tag scene right now.  Actually, both guys in that tag team - Questionable Motives.  There's been a lot of wars between QM and Bloodhunt.  Montgomery and Hannibal are the only adversaries I've ever had any real respect for.  Montgomery is the consummate professional.  Since he's straightened his life up at home, he's gotten even better in the ring.  Truly "Magnificent".  Hannibal is a guy I totally relate with.  He's nuttier than a seven-layer fruit cake, but that guy can get after you.  He's not the "Extreme Icon" by name alone.  It'd be an honor to defend against either of those two. 

ILH RANKINGS updated 10/20/14

ILH #1 Contender Francois Le'Chevalier

C. Tengu
1.  Francois le 'Chevalier
2.  Mercury
3.  El Hijo Del Armas Archleta 
4.  Konik
5.  Damien
6.  Honey Broadway
7.  Hotshot RL Bream
8.  The Alberta Kid
9.  Stevie Starlite
10. Hannibal
11. Adrian Deicide (inactive)

The Hunt for Gold October

When considering the history of Lone Wolf Wrestling, there have been numerous stars but none quite so beloved and mysterious as the company's original megastar - Wrestling Gold.  The masked man with his throwback style and in-ring technical prowess was unmatched in his successes and popularity during the company's infancy. 

Gold's accolades in Lone Wolf's first 16 months read like a career for most anyone else:

Lone Wolf Champion - 5

Television Champion - 1

World Tag Team Champion - 1

TV Tag Team Champion - 2

6-Man Champion - 1

TV 6-Man Champion - 8

The five territory championships were achieved in only three reigns.  Gold not once but twice outlasted contenders on subsequent tours.  Only El Hijo del Armas Archuleta has since repeated a single time. In an interesting twist of fate, the five titles is matched by Mr. Magnificent Jamie Montgomery, Gold's last rival.

Steven Paradise -1998

Wrestling Gold's identity went from never in question to being a source of contempt in the locker room with the contract signing of the previously retired Montgomery.  No one knew who the man behind the mask was but Montgomery insisted on his being IWA Hall of Famer and villain Sexy Boy Steven Paradise.  Despite the denial of Montgomery's claim by many, Gold never addressed the comments publicly.  The veteran grappler continued working his contracted matches, continued greeting his fans and delivering his message of hard work and enthusiasm across the world.

And then without warning, (poof) Gold disappeared.

Where did Lone Wolf's hero go?  Why did he leave? Who was the masked man really?  Would we ever know the answers?

When reviewing internal memos at Lone Wolf offices, it was quite clear that Gold's contract was nearing an end.  But it appeared that a new, lucrative contract was being negotiated.  When pressed for a statement on the missing legend and what if anything happened behind closed doors, an unsigned response came: 

"Wrestling Gold was a vital and valuable member of the Lone Wolf family during the rise of the promotion.  Unfortunately the persons most connected to the offices and negotiations at the time of his exit are no longer employed here.  What we can say (based upon our own review of materials) is that contract negotiations were vigorous and looked positive.  And then any and all discussion on the matter ceased abruptly.  Gold's contract expired and he opted not to renew his deal at that time.  Lone Wolf Wrestling is unaware of his current location but wishes him success in whatever and whereever he chooses to endeavor."   

In an attempt to locate Wrestling Gold, we received quotes about the man from both his friends and opponents: 

Starkiller - "Wrestling Gold was a dangerous man in his time (and he still is somewhere).  He was with Lone Wolf in the very beginning.  I wish that the company still had competitors like him."  

Arabian Dream Ali Atari - "What happened to Wrestling Gold?  Where did he go?  He managed to dodge The Arabian Dream Ali Atari for two years and just when it looked as if the long awaited showdown between the LWL's most popular and most hated stars was coming, rather than face the fury of the Foreign Legion, he fled!  BAH!  Not only did he deny me my chance to lock him in the Atari Thumb and take him out the way I did his pall Bob Caudle, he denied all of those fools who supported him a clash for the ages.  Know your shame Gold.  Know your shame!"  

Johnny Canuck - Wrestling Gold earned my respect on day 1 and I still rank him right up there with the best that I have ever stepped into the ring against.  Win, lose or draw - he always brought his 'A' game."  

Mr. Magnificent Jamie Montgomery - "My animosity toward Wrestling Gold was very real.  And it was never about the character loved by the Lone Wolf fans.  In fact I am very much a believer in what he demonstrated.  My sole issue was based upon my belief that the man under the mask was a far lesser man than the hero being worshiped.  His sudden exit left me unfulfilled in my original mission, but my return to the ring chasing that mask created what has become the greatest run of my career.  No matter who is under that mask (and I still contend that it is Steven Paradise) I owe gratitude to the Wrestling Gold character." 

Word of our ongoing search somehow reached the masked man.  We did not get to sit down with him, but Wrestling Gold did supply us with a statement about his time in Lone Wolf, his opponents, the state of the territory and his current status. 

Wrestling Gold - "Wrestling Gold was not about me, it was about an ideal. An Ideal that traced back to the roots of this great country. I was a symbol for the hard working people, the families and a beacon for the children and future of this Nation as much as I was a reminder of it's past. I enjoyed my time in the LWL territory and I am glad that it left such a mark in the annals of wrestling history that you have come back to me to speak about it. I wish you all well, especially my old partner in crime, Preston Pearson. When the world needs it most, Wrestling Gold is there to shine a light into the darkness and to forge the path for the next generation. Until then..." 

The mysterious man remains so.  But it would appear that he wants the good fans of Lone Wolf Wrestling to hold out hope for a possible return.  The ideal that is Wrestling Gold will forever permeate into the Lone Wolf legacy.