We are now one year on from hitting 30 and
making one life changing decision on a beach in the Caribbean. Turning 31 was
fairly uneventful in comparison, but my Birthday weekend did see me have my
favourite match yet since returning to the ring against Dylan Roberts at GPW.
Happy Birthday me!
Mad
Thunder
You may recall I was having issues with my
character direction and in particular my contempt for the happy clappy good guy
routine I was doing. Cringe worthy and not a role I was comfortable with at
all. My last match at GPW saw me do a much more intense and unhinged character against
the ‘Welsh Bad Man’ Dylan Roberts.
The match itself was just a simple ten
minute match. There were still bits that need work from me, but the overall
feel and reaction from the crowd was a lot better and definitely the direction
I want to head in. Credit must go to Dylan too, who is incredibly talented and
I was pleased our first encounter went well. I will put the match on here as
soon as I have a copy.
What’s next for
Mad Thunder at GPW? You’ll have to pay a visit to the Monaco Ballroom in Wigan
to find out….
Grapple
The last 6 months has seen me find a new
home at Grapple Wrestling in Leeds. Quite frankly I would have been lost
without them and I am incredibly grateful for them accepting me into their
family. I continue to do their shows and assist with the training. Since my
last blog I have faced the ‘Big Dog’ Ric Cross and performed in a Grapple
‘Commoners Rumble’.
Ric Cross is an inspirational figure who a
few years ago was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and was confined to walking
on crutches. Rather than let his condition dictate his life he worked hard and
now not only has he lost the crutches, but quite remarkably is staring back at
me across the ring as a Professional Wrestler. Ric more than held his own in this match and should be extremely proud
of what he has accomplished.
The Rumble saw me tangle with a number of
Grapple’s wrestlers and ended with me being ‘fluke’ eliminated by the much
smaller Joey Maverick, whom I had been bullying the entire match. In my fury I
re-entered the Rumble as Maverick was celebrating only to be cut off by his
much larger friend Fatdango*! Life lesson learnt- don’t be a bully kids! You
just might end up getting beaten up by a 20 stone ballroom dancer!
The
TG Cup
The TG Cup saw 8 of the UK’s finest
wrestlers compete in a one night tournament in TGW’s second outing. As I wore
my promoter hat again I am pleased to say the show has received excellent
reviews, one of which describing it as the best British show this year!
Whilst we are still a new company and we
need time to build up a following I am proud to say that our show quality is
superb and exhibits British wrestling in a professional and extremely positive
light. The way it should be! Thank you to everyone involved both in and out of
the ring. True Grit number 3 is going to be awesome!
A
New Thunder a New Wardrobe
In wrestling (and in life!) I have never
been known for my sense of fashion. I once wore a jacket and hat to the ring,
which at some point I must have thought looked really cool. It didn’t! I looked
Willy Wonka and it was very confusing for anyone watching.
However, my wrestling attire is old. With
a fresh update to the JC Thunder persona I also need a fresh look. Luckily I
had the assistance of the awesome designer Dave Lewis to help make sure I
didn’t end up looking like another Roald Dayl character. Check out the pictures
of my new tights below. And yes before you ask, they do have a picture of me on them! Come on I have
my own blog, you already knew how self indulgent I am…
Final
Thoughts
So still a bit slow on the wrestling front
as I have spent a lot of time working behind the scenes with TGW and with my
involvement with Grapple. However, things are about to pick up! Not for JC
Thunder, but for our old Russian friend. For the next six weeks, Radik Anenco
will be on tour with All Star Wrestling, wrestling a minimum of 5 times a week.
Holiday camps of Great Britain! Be afraid!
The Russian Nightmare has landed…
Thanks for reading!
JCT
*Fatdango – a not so subtle parady
of WWE’s dancing man Fandango.
