Hi everyone, and happy 2010!

First off, I wanna thank you all for voting “Squared Circle News” the 2009 “Blog of the year”. I appreciate it.
In this new blog, I want to talk about something that I disagree with and I will give my reasons why…..
Someone said recently that you could not be in the Wrestling Business and still be a Christian at the same time.

Well, I disagree with this statement! You can be in the Wrestling Business and be a Christian at the same time. I am a Ring Announcer for Wrestling All Star Promotions and I am also an Evangelist.

It is my job to help those who need help in both, the Wrestling Promotion where I’m at and outside of the Wrestling Business as well.
The Bible says that we are to be a light in a darkened world, to help those who are in need, and what better way to get the message that God loves you, he cares for you and he wants to help you to Wrestlers and everyone else that we come in contact with.
I do not regret the fact that I am in the Wrestling Business, nor am I ashamed of the fact that I am an Evangelist. Both are jobs that I take seriously and both are my calling.
God Bless you all!

Darrell “Patch” Johnson

Hello all,

It’s an honor to post that “Squared Circle News” has been nominated for the LL4L Network’s “Blog of the year” award.

My competition in this award, believe it or not, is Ken Watson, owner of the “In the Corner with Ken Watson” Blog.

Voting for the 2009 LL4L Network year end awards has begun and it will end on December 30th.

You can vote for either “Squared Circle News” or “In the Corner with Ken Watson” by clicking on the following link……

http://www.thell4lnetwork.com/?p=1359

I wish Ken the best of luck as he competes for this award against me and may the best Blogger win. LOL!

God Bless,

Darrell “Patch” Johnson

Dr. Thom Parks

Patch: Welcome to another edition of “Patch’s Place”. In this issue we meet former manager, Dr. Thom Parks. Hello Dr. Thom Parks. Welcome to Patch’s Place. It’s an honor to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.

Dr. Thom Parks: My pleasure, Patch. It’s always good to talk with someone who appreciates the art that is professional wrestling.

Patch: First of all, we like to get some basic info on the people we interview, such as height, weight, hometown, and hobbies away from the ring?

Dr. Thom Parks: Well, let’s see. I’m 5’10 and weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 290. I always joke and tell people that I went in to wrestling because, at my weight, it made more sense than basketball. I was always billed as being from Memphis, Tennessee or Richmond, Virginia. Actually, I grew up in a small town called Culpeper, Virginia. Away from wrestling, I like to write, read non-fiction books and I’m very active in politics.

Patch: When did your love of pro wrestling begin?

Dr. Thom Parks: I have loved wrestling since I was a little boy. I remember the first time I was flipping the channels and saw Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on TV. From that second on, I was hooked.

Patch: Where did your first match as a manager take place? And whom did you manage?

Dr. Thom Parks: Actually, my career started as a referee and promoter down south in the 1980s. I didn’t start working as a manager until I moved to Phoenix in 1990.

Patch: What were your thoughts just minutes before the start of that match?

Dr. Thom Parks: Usually, it is, “please don’t mess this up too badly.” Seriously, I usually just try to go out there and do the best job I can to make sure that everything comes out as well as possible.

Patch: As a manager, were you able to choose who you would manage or were you told whom to manage?

Dr. Thom Parks: Sometimes I would choose, but mainly the promoters would put me with whomever they thought needed the help the most. I was good at helping guys who had great ring talent, but hadn’t perfected their microphone skills yet.

Patch: Can you name a few of the titles you’ve led your men to?

Dr. Thom Parks: Well, let’s see. There would be the WSW Hardcore title, ACW TV championship, AWF tag team titles and TCWA Heavyweight Championship. I know I’m leaving some out, but those are the ones that come immediately to mind.

Patch: Have you ever managed any ladies?

Dr. Thom Parks: Just one. In 2000-2001, I managed a lady wrestler named Storm. Now she wrestles in the IZW promotion, among others, as Morgan. She’s a very talented young lady and was always a real pleasure to be around.

Patch: Did you manage as a heel or a face?

Dr. Thom Parks: I always thought of myself as a good guy, but the fans usually disagreed.

Patch: As a manager, where have your travels taken you?

Dr. Thom Parks: The wrestling business has allowed me to go from one side of this great nation to the other. As I said earlier, most of my career was as a referee before I started managing.

Patch: What are some of the promotions you’ve worked for?

Dr. Thom Parks: I’ve worked for NAWF, All Star Championship Wrestling, NAWA, Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling, AWF, TCWA, Western States Wrestling, Impact Zone Wrestling (as an official), Virginia Wrestling Association, and just about anyone else who would hire me.

Patch: What are your thoughts on wrestling today?

Dr. Thom Parks: To be honest, it’s not my cup of tea. The Lucha influence is too much. It doesn’t resemble a sport anymore. These days, too much action takes place in the back rooms with the soap opera stories. When the action is in the ring, it’s more like a gymnastics event. One guy back flips the other guy 20 times then they change places. I’m just not into it.

Patch: How would you best describe the man known as Dr. Thom Parks?

Dr. Thom Parks: Dr. Thom is the kind of guy who would drive the fans crazy while at ringside, yet sign autographs for them after the show. Even though I didn’t have a real “love affair” with the fans, I always appreciated their support.

Patch: What are your thoughts on some of the promoters who run shows today?

Dr. Thom Parks: Most of the promoters, running shows today, have no idea of what it takes to be a promoter. They run shows for the sake of running shows and not to make a profit. I don’t understand that mentality. Also, they expect the boys to work for free while the promoter pockets the gate. That’s just garbage. What’s even worse is that there are young guys willing to risk their lives for free because they think it’s part of some noble cause. That’s bunk. There’s nothing saintly about allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

Patch:Would you ever come back to managing?

Dr. Thom Parks: Not likely. First of all, I don’t really have time to do it anymore. Secondly, with my hip in the shape it’s in, I walk with a cane most of the time and wouldn’t be able to perform at the level I would require. Thirdly, I doubt that I could find a promoter who would (or could) pay what I would require. I don’t work for free. I got over the ego trip of being on a wrestling show a long time ago. When I was in the business, I was a “Professional” which means I got paid.

Patch: Did you ever think about stepping in to the ring as a wrestler?

Dr. Thom Parks: Over the years, I’ve done more than think about it. I’ve done it quite a bit. Usually, it was part of a feud or when the promoter needed a body because someone didn’t show up. I was an OK wrestler, but I was always a much better referee and manager. My last match was as a six man tag in Glendale, Arizona in 2001. I teamed with Monster Mayhem and Chainsaw to face “Native Blood” (Navajo Warrior & Ghostwalker – Now known as G.Q. Gallo) and C.C. Starr. Unfortunately we lost when I was pinned by C.C. Starr.

Patch: What are your thoughts on the fans?

Dr. Thom Parks: Like I said, I never had a love fest with the fans. If they liked me, great. If not, that was OK too. I did, however, always appreciate the fans. After all, it was their support that made my dream of being in the wrestling business come true.

Patch: Dr. Thom, do you have any road stories you can share with us?

Dr. Thom Parks: Oh goodness, do I ever. I have some stories that could get your website shut down and both of us run out of town. I’ve promoted shows where the fans showed up before the ring did, and where guys showed up so drunk that they couldn’t see the ring when they were 25 feet from it. Over the years, you get a lot of stories.

Patch: Did you have a favorite place to work in?

Dr. Thom Parks: I pretty much liked all of the places I was allowed to work.

Patch: Any final words for the fans?

Dr. Thom Parks: I may not have always been your favorite person on the card, but I do thank you for your support. You folks made my dream come true and I will forever be grateful.

Patch: Dr. Thom, again I say thanks for taking the time to talk with me. It’s been my pleasure.

Dr. Thom Parks: I’ve enjoyed it, Patch. Thank you for inviting me. God bless you, your wife and your readers.

Retired Pro Wrestler, Chuck Marbry

Patch: Welcome wrestling fans to another edition of Patch’s Place.  This time we talk to a former wrestler by the name of Chuck Marbry. Welcome to the Squared Circle News, Chuck.  We usually start off with a few basics, such as height, weight, hometown, and hobbies away from the ring.

Chuck Marbry:  6 ‘ 230lbs while I was wrestling, home town of Norwood, NC. Hobbies anything outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking, and I love to read.

Patch: How did your love of wrestling begin?

Chuck Marbry:  My love of professional wrestling was a gradual thing, in my high school at the time we did not have a wrestling program, so I played football, and threw the shot put on the track team. After high school, I got involved in boxing and Judo, and wrestling was an outgrowth from those two.

Patch: When did you know without a shadow of a doubt that wrestling was something you wanted to do?

Chuck Marbry:  I knew wrestling was something I wanted to do because unlike team sports, you had no one else to blame if you lost, and I kind of liked the individualism of it.

Patch: Who were you trained by?

Chuck Marbry:  I was trained by Johnny Powers, Bulldog Brower, and Ivan Koloff of the old IWA. We spent about six months training in the old Triad Arena in Greensboro. The Training School started out with about 80 or so , and after the first day that was cut in half, and soon there was just four of us left.

Patch: What was your first match and who won it?

Chuck Marbry:  My first match was with with my best friend , Gene Ligon, and we went to a twenty minute draw. It was one of the most memorable matches of my life, because we were both so raw and green, and we did twenty minutes of nothing but highspots, because we still didn’t know any better. Then we went back to the dressing rooms and literally collapsed, wondering what we were doing wrong, because we were young, strong and in shape, and we were dying out there !

Patch: How did you feel going into that match?

Chuck Marbry:  Going into that first match, I was as nervous as I have ever been in my life, wanting to make a good first impression.

Patch: Which did you prefer–singles matches or tag matches?

Chuck Marbry:  I guess I preferred tag matches, simply because early on that’s what I did more of and became accustomed to, and my creative juices seemed to flow better that way.

Patch: What promotions were you with?

Chuck Marbry:  Promotions I was with… I started out with the IWA, and when that folded here in the States, I worked with a lot of small Independent outfits, the only one I can recall right off hand now was the NAWA, and the WPW, and finally caught on with Jim Crockett in The NWA.

Patch: What were some of the titles you held?

Chuck Marbry:  In the NAWA, I won their Tag Team belts as Executioners, and also in the WPW won the North American Heavyweight Title as the Masked Maniac.

Patch: You wore a mask.  Why?

Chuck Marbry:  The reason behind the mask was simple. As a heel, or bad guy, I wanted to be able to go get in my car and not have 4 flat tires, or be able to go get something to eat after a match and not have people throw stuff at you !

Patch: Did you have any notable feuds?

Chuck Marbry:  With the independents back then, and them not really having TV, there were not any real classical “feuds” that I was involved in, although when I got to the NWA I used to hate having to wrestle Wahoo Mcdaniels ! He was a great worker, but his chops would leave you sore for days !

Patch: Did you wrestle hardcore or oldschool?

Chuck Marbry:  No “Hardcore” I was strictly “Oldschool”, my forefathers in the business would disown me or anyone else they brought in if they thought they were involved in what is called “hardcore” today, as well as a lot of other stuff that passes as professional wrestling today, for that matter !

Patch: Who was your toughest opponent?

Chuck Marbry:  I think my toughest opponent would have to be Karl Von Stroheim, and Old School German wrestler who kind of took me under his wing early on and taught me a lot about wrestling and about life. He used to live in Kernersville, NC, and I would go up and train with him, and once after working out, we decided we wanted to go get some KFC. I had a new Oldsmobile Cutlass with a white leather interior, and I didn’t allow anyone to smoke in my new car. Since I didn’t know Kernersville well Karl was going to ride along to show me where the KFC was. As soon as we got into my car, the first thing he did was light up a Camel ! Well I looked at him, he looked at me, and I reached over… and pulled out the ash tray !

Patch: Did you sustain any severe injuries while wrestling?

Chuck Marbry:  No, no severe injuries that kept me out of wrestling, although I must say I can feel the bumps now in the knees and elbows and back today maybe more than I did then !

Patch: What did you think of the fans?

Chuck Marbry: Back then the wrestling fan was great ! You could always count on them for heat and to rally and they were loyal, and made the business worth it !

Patch: Did you work as heel or face, and which did you prefer?

Chuck Marbry:  I worked as a heel and I preferred it, I just found it easier, although in real life I really am just a big Ol teddy bear! In the ring, Its easier to get people to dislike you  than to like you.

Patch: You are now in the ministry.  Can you tell me how that came about?

Chuck Marbry:  I have been in the full time ministry now for 19 years. Its a calling I have had , looking back, since childhood, but one that I didn’t answer until around the age of 30. Since going into the Ministry, I have completed College, Seminary, and begun work on a Doctorate of Theology.

Patch: Any final words for our readers?

Chuck Marbry:  I would just like to tell fans of “Old School” wrestling to support as many Independent wrestling groups as you can, because Pro Wrestling usually goes in cycles, and good old fashioned Pro “rasslin” will make a comeback if the fans support it!

Patch: Thank you for your time.  God bless!

Powerslam Productions' West Adams.

Patch: Welcome, everyone, to this edition of Patch’s Place.  Today we welcome a young, up-and-coming star by the name of Wes Adams.  This young man is going to be someone to keep an eye on. Welcome, Wes Adams. We usually begin our interviews with a little background information, such as height, weight, home town, hobbies away from the ring.

Wes Adams: I am 5-10, 5-11 with my boots on. 215 pounds legit not blown up haha. I am originally from McComb, MS but now reside in Hattiesburg, MS home of University of Southern MS, which is where I went to college. My hobbies are spending time with my wife Lacey, and collecting baseball cards. I don’t consider wrestling a hobby, its a passion.

Patch: When did your love of professional wrestling start?

Wes Adams: From the first match I saw, an AWA match between Jumbo Tsuruta and Rick Martel, back in 1984 or 1985. I saw it and immediately thought that was something I have to do.

Patch: How did you know wrestling was something you wanted to do?

Wes Adams: Can’t explain it. I just knew.

Patch: Who trained you and how long did it take?

Wes Adams: My initial training was in a small independent called NWF in Laurel, MS in January 2001. It was not very formal. After 5 years of learning and going on the indys I received my formal education on the wrestling industry from WWE, via the Deep South and Florida Developmentals, not to mention my time on the road. Training and learning is a non stop process. You never stop learning.

Patch: Who did you have your first match with? And what was the outcome?

Wes Adams: An indy turd called the Nightmare. The outcome was that the match sucked lol. There is no video evidence of it anywhere and of that, I am glad.

Patch: How did you feel going into that match?
Wes Adams: At the time, I was excited, but I was unprepared. That was due to my initial training, or lack thereof. The guys who “trained” me, were real nice guys but had no business trying to train anybody. I wasn’t ready to have a match.

Patch: Do you prefer singles or tag matches?

Wes Adams: I love both. If you have a good partner nothing beats a great tag team match. Singles you have to carry the load just you and whoever you are working.

Patch: What promotions are you currently with?

Wes Adams: Right now I am concentrated solely on my promotion, Powerslam Productions. We promote one show a month in Southern MS, and we are having really good success. I have some very hard working guys and we are coming together as a business very nicely. Check out our matches at http://youtube.com/powerslamproductions

Patch: Have you won any titles as of yet?

Wes Adams: A couple, but that’s not why I am in it.

Patch: Are you currently involved in any feuds? And if so, with whom?

Wes Adams: Well, I just started a feud with The Stereo-Typical Italians, Shane Champagne and Franco Palumbo, with my tag partner Jonathan King. My regular tag partner former WWE ref Mike Posey could not make it, so Jon took his place. We had a tremendous match. I encourage everyone to watch it on youtube and leave remarks haha.

Patch: Will you compete in any hardcore matches, or are you strictly old school?

Wes Adams: I have never been asked to compete in one, nor have I offered to do one. I would if it was a big blowoff to a major angle, or I was getting paid REALLY well to do it. I am pretty old school, but I do believe that matches like that when done right can draw money. I did a ladder match one time but that was it.

Patch: Who has your toughest opponent been so far?

Wes Adams: Its hard to say. Big Daddy V, Monty Brown, Jerry Lawler, Koko B. Ware are some of my favorites. I worked Doug Gilbert one time and it was a great learning experience. So was Bill Dundee. Tracey Smothers was awesome to work with too. As far as southern independent talent, some of the guys I work with in Powerslam like Alan Steele, Kool Jay, Shane Champagne and Joe Kane are great guys to work witth. I know people have not heard of these guys or probably even me but they deserve so much more recognition than what they get.

Patch: Have you had any severe injuries that have kept you out of wrestling?

Wes Adams: A few small pulls and nagging stuff from time to time, but remember, I have never wrestled full time. The closest I ever came was working 3 times a week in Memphis. I have a pretty conservative style, so I try to be very careful.

Patch: What are your thoughts on the fans?

Wes Adams: There’s a ton of different types of fans lol. Our Southern fans are great to work in front of because they appreciate the old style of wrestling. Mix some old Memphis style with a couple of TNA style highspots and some good solid wrestling and they are easy to please. I have never worked in front of a more mature crowd, such as FIP or ROH crowd, I might be afraid to haha. The crowds we work in front of do not check the dirtsheets, know the inner workings of the business, like more educated fans do. Its not a bad thing, I wish we had more fans like that because they are the ones who make you grow as a company. They buy your dvds, talk you up on the internet, make people aware of your product. Therefore, more people wind up hearing about it. I have nothing bad to say about any fans, because I was, and still am one.

Patch: Do you wrestle as face or heel, and which do you prefer?

Wes Adams: Again, I love doing both. In Powerslam I am a face, because we run events closer to my hometown. Hey thats where all my business connections are so why not do it? We hope to build up there and eventually start expanding to nearby towns, which we have already started doing.

Patch: What do you hope to accomplish in your career?

Wes Adams: At this point, I want to help Powerslam grow as big as possible, and I want to have a full time job in the wrestling industry again. I am only 29 and I know I have a lot to offer any company, whether as a talent or on the business side of things. I have a business degree and I utilize things I learned in school to run a business. Using that for TNA, WWE, ROH, or the NWA would be fantastic. I would be totally happy being in front of the camera or behind it.

Patch: Do you have any final thoughts or have any messages for the fans?
Wes Adams:  Just thanks for reading this and please check out www.youtube.com/powerslamproductions to check out some of our matches! Please subscribe. Thanks!

UK Pro Wrestler, John Stallard.

Patch: Welcome back to another edition of Patch’s Place.  This go-round we talk to a wrestler from the UK, John Stallard. John Stallard, welcome to Squared Circle News and Patch’s Place.  First off we like to get some background info, such as height, weight, hometown, and hobbies away from the ring.

John Stallard: Well I’m John Stallard I wrestle here in the UK as ‘Mr#1′ Jonny Rose I stand 6 feet tall weigh 265lbs and live in Kidderminster England now and away from the ring i enjoy spending well earned time with my wife and daughter

Patch: When did you first become a fan of wrestling?

John Stallard: I first got involved in wrestling in 1997 by selling programs, putting up rings etc and in 1998 i promoted a show in my home of Worcester at the time, just after that i trained for the ring myself

Patch: Who trained you to wrestle? And how long did it take?

John Stallard:I was trained by Olympic judo champion and long time UK wrestler John Brown, a older guy but a real tough nut, took about 6 months before i got a full match in ring.

Patch: When did you know without a doubt that wrestling was something you wanted to do?

John Stallard:I saw my first match live when i was 9 years old on april 11th 1987 in the sports hall in Worcester, The match was Danny ‘Boy’ Collins Vs Kid McCoy, after that i was hooked

Patch: Who was your first opponent, and what was the outcome of that match?

John Stallard:It was the worst 3 vs 2 tag bout ever, cant remember the other guys but they were as bad as me, we lost.

Patch: How did you feel going into that match?

John Stallard:I felt quite at ease really to be fair, even tho i was so very very bad

Patch: Have you held any titles as of yet?

John Stallard: I have held to many to mention, they are listed on my website thebody.2ya.com, My most famous title is the southern american heavyweight championship and the HCW world belt

Patch: Do you wrestle heel or face, and which do you prefer?

John Stallard:I have wrestled both but love the people so like face best

Patch: Are you involved in any feuds at this time? If so, with whom and what started it?

John Stallard:I am in a feud with ‘Tiger’ Nik Dutt in Live American Wrestling UK a bit of a England Vs India thing going on and in UCW i am tangled with Lewis Blain after he stole my valet Vicky Morton from me back in May

Patch: In your matches, do you work from the ground, air, or both?

John Stallard:I am 100% a ground man i dont do any of that flying stuff, i leave that for the lightweights

Patch: In the UK, do they still use the point or round system like they used to?

John Stallard:Because WWE is so big here we have to use the US rules as thats what the kids see on TV but i have worked many a match for old promoter Jack Taylor under the rounds system

Patch: What would you say your best match so far has been?

John Stallard:I have 3 i loved, Wrestling my idol Blondie Barrett 7 days in a row was a great learner, Wrestling and teaming with Tracy Smothers was an experiance and a match i had with long time friend Maddog Maxx in Richmond KY USA was by far our best bout yet back in 1996

Patch: Do you have a favorite place to wrestle?

John Stallard:Not really, i just wanna wrestle

Patch: Any final thoughts or comments?

John Stallard:  Thanks for reading this, if you ever see LAW Live American Wrestling or ‘Mr#1′ Jonny Rose advertised in your town why not come say hi