Last week, I received a message from long-time Pulse Wrestling reader KevinTrude, and the interview that took place over the next seven days was so inspiring that I am simply going to let those words as they were originally written speak for themselves……….<\/p>\n
=============================<\/p>\n
Hi CB.<\/p>\n My name is Kevin and I’m a long time reader and intermittently post comments on the site too under the moniker KevinTrude.<\/p>\n I have to start this email by telling you how much I’ve enjoyed your series with people picking up on the many diverse and detailed reasons of why wrestling matters to each person.<\/p>\n As a fan hailing from Northern Ireland my access to the WWE & TNA product is controlled mostly by what SKY & Challenge tv (or whatever crappy channel TNA end up on next) decide to offer but I have been a fan for about 15 years now and thanks to the pulse site,magazines such as power slam and fighting spirit and a fervent determination to stream as much ROH as I can my love of the product continues to grow.<\/p>\n As with most people who are wrestling fans I’m currently not too impressed by what the big two are doing at the minute but will stress that despite many failings there are also a lot of things both companies do right.<\/p>\n In conclusion I’d enjoy it if my wrestling pulse was taken.<\/p>\n Many thanks<\/p>\n Kevin<\/p>\n p.s. I want to be Blair when I grow up (I’m 27 now so only a few years left)<\/em><\/p>\n Hey Kevin: Thanks so much for the kind words. It means a whole lot to me personally that a long time reader like yourself has enjoyed this particular series of interviews, and I’m glad you’d like to participate.<\/p>\n In your message to me, you mentioned being a fan in Northern Ireland for the past 15 years. What I’d like to know is how you first caught the pro wrestling bug, and, well, why does WRESTLING MATTER to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ok firstly I will have to explain how I got into wrestling and I expect its not a reason many will share with me.<\/p>\n As I mentioned before I reside in the little tiny province of Northern Ireland. At the age of 10\/11 in the mid 90’s there wasn’t a large amount of wrestling on tv or readily accessible to me on the Internet – I think we had dial-up,not sure. But what got me started instead was the first Smackdown game on the Playstation 1. I can’t remember how I came to own it but I loved it,a few months later I discovered sky one showed a wrestling highlights show on sat mornings – I think this was called WWE experience – then started showing RAW the Friday after it was broadcast in the U.S. A few shows later and I was hooked. <\/p>\n Subscriptions to power slam,world of wrestling and anything else that would get me information on pro wrestling soon followed. So to follow on from how it all started…..<\/p>\n Wrestling matters to me now because of the escapism,the athleticism,the drama,the story lines and the downright ridiculousness of it all. There isn’t anything else in the world that can cause me to love and despise the same thing for so many different reasons and I love that about it.<\/p>\n It matters to me because it mirrors my attitude to life. It’s serious yet silly and there are moments that suck and moments that are awesome but in the end it’s an entertaining & unpredictable roller-coaster of emotions from the curtain jerker to the main eventer.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n Very interesting background Kevin, and I like the unorthodox way you were introduced to the product.<\/p>\n So tell me, what about wrestling today do you love, what do you despise, and what do you think is just blatantly ridiculous?<\/strong><\/p>\n I love structured matches that tell a story – very rare in WWE & TNA but when they do them I get sucked in and will watch a Daniel Bryan vs anyone match at least twice. (big show & mark henry are exceptions to this rule). Or Daniels vs AJ again and again and again.<\/p>\n I love the concept of Money in the Bank though think it should be tweaked soon to be a defined date i.e. The briefcase holder can pick any ppv except Mania to cash in his shot.<\/p>\n I also love most things CM Punk,I’ve been a Punk mark since I first saw him in ROH back in 2005 and think his brilliance in the last two Rumbles will not be surpassed for a long time.<\/p>\n I agree with most that the Summer of Punk II was wasted by WWE but I do believe (and desperately hope) that Punk will overcome bad booking because of his love for what he does. I want to see Punk-Austin at Mania28 and if WWE can’t make that happen then Punk vs Jericho or Taker will suffice – nothing less.<\/p>\n Moving on to the hates – I hate the ‘Divas’. Not the girls themselves though a few of them do grind my gears incessantly but the concept that WWE has created and forced down our throats. Nobody cares about the Divas of Doom because of the last 3-4 years of Diva booking. I used to enjoy some of the matches involving Trish,Lita,Mickie and Gail Kim but now all womens matches receive the fast forward treatment on my Sky Plus.<\/p>\n To make sure I don’t focus too much on WWE I must point out that I hate Vince Russo, Jeff & Karen Jarrett, Eric Bischoff, Sting and Hulk Hogan. Specifically everything they have done to turn Total Nonstop Action into Tedious Nonstop Aaaaahhhhh!!! I used to love TNA but now just read spoilers & tune in for usually the first 2-3 matches on a PPV before my tv begs me to stop.<\/p>\n Ridiculousness – well TNA booking for the last few years but I’ve covered that. Hornswoggle and everything connected to him. Rings collapsing. Contradictory & non-related commentary on Raw & PPV’s specifically. Finally the most ridiculous thing about wrestling today is WWE in a PG environment. It just doesn’t make sense to me and I’m not craving a return to the days of bad sex jokes,births of a hand or even saying ass because u can. I just don’t think wrestling suits that environment and if I have to hear one more promo about how someone is the suckiest suck that ever sucked I may scream….or maybe I suck too because I don’t like them.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n The suckiest suck that ever sucked <--- I think you just came up with the line of the year!\n\nSo tell me Kevin, how do you see this year's Royal Rumble, Road to WrestleMania, and WrestleMania shaping up so far?\n\nAlso, do you care about The Rock vs. John Cena at all? Why or why not?<\/strong><\/p>\n Why thank you – it’s a line that definitely deserves a t-shirt!<\/p>\n Now it gets difficult – predicting wwe’s booking. For the Rumble I hope they do the 40 entrants again,I enjoyed that last year and it gives them the extra spots to have a few surprise entrants without taking away a current roster members spot.<\/p>\n A few of my friends and I have been discussing fantasy booking to Mania so I’m going to answer in two parts….what I want to happen and what I think will happen.<\/p>\n I want someone new to win the Rumble,someone who hasn’t before and someone that isn’t Randy Orton. My choice up until recently has been Punk (of course) but I think now he’ll b WWE champ by that point – I’m answering this 5 days before S.Series. So instead I want it to be Wade Barrett or Sheamus but instead of going after the World title or WWE title I’d like them to ask to cash the shot in against the streak instead of for a title. This leaves Daniel Bryan free to cash in at Mania as he has stated and Raw can decide their challenger at the chamber. I would like this to be Miz winning the No.1 contender spot to take on Punk but I doubt they will go that way.<\/p>\n I know this contradicts my desire for Punk vs Austin at Mania28 but I want that to remain a pipe dream cos then if it happens I can mark out like the little wrestling fan boy I really am.<\/p>\n Now what I think will happen is Bryan will try to cash in early and lose freeing up the spot at Mania for Randy to win the Rumble and go to Mania to beat Mark Henry. On Raw I expect John Cena to win the belt back at Elimination Chamber to make his match against Rock for the belt – unnecessary yes but I don’t think WWE have fully decided yet if they can allow anyone but John Cena be in the WWE title match at Mania.<\/p>\n And finally…….finally……the Rock question! I want to care so much and I did at the start but then his video segments made me lose faith in him and I was honestly thinking that Rock has lost it. Possibly been away too long and not kept up to date with the sweeping changes that have happened over the last 7 long years. But having seen the Raw before Survivor Series I think he may have got a little bit of his old self back…..I don’t want to get too excited yet but I do hope he comes back for at least two to three shows before Mania. And just so I don’t slight his opponent by failing to mention him – I hate John Cena. Not for his kiddie friendly character or his pandering to the crowd. I hate him because I remember his debut and his first 12-18 months. I remember him wrestling properly,having interesting matches and actually wanting him to beat Brock Lesner in a title match they had on Smackdown years ago! Now he can’t even manage to make an STF look convincing and at times I feel sorry for Scotty Too Hotty because in my opinion Cena is a trumped up version of him just with the benefit of the full weight of the corporate machine behind him.<\/p>\n In conclusion I want Rock and Cena to have a great match at Mania and maybe they will but right now I only care a little bit.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n The funny part about Rock and Cena is I really don’t care AT ALL.<\/p>\n Also, it’s interesting that you mention you want someone knew to win the Rumble. So let’s flash back to last January, how did you feel about Alberto Del Rio winning the Rumble, and how do you feel about him now that 10 months has passed?<\/p>\n Lastly, any thoughts on Kevin Nash?<\/strong><\/p>\n I’m not surprised by the overall lack of enthusiasm for Rock-Cena. It can’t possibly reach the same level of Hogan vs Rock which I assume is what they are aiming for but maybe it’ll help them realise that Cena is not even a little respected by real wrestling fans. And was it just me or did Cena (the face) manage to get booed in Boston,practically his home town? Turn him heel and make his 45minutes of airtime a week watchable.<\/p>\n I loved it when Alberto won the Rumble. I felt he’d earned it and it would catapult him to superstardom but then he was badly impacted by Edge’s retirement meaning after all the build-up he didn’t win the big one at Mania. I feel like this really hurt Del Rio’s character and then becoming a) the extremely cowardly heel once he won the belt and b) the 3rd wheel in the Cena-Punk feud hasn’t helped him either.<\/p>\n I hope he gets a chance to recover but I fear on Raw he may get lost in the shuffle especially once Cena gets himself back in the title picture.<\/p>\n On a sidenote, I love Ricardo. His comic timing is brilliant & he is the perfect foil for Del Rio’s straight man.<\/p>\n Kevin Nash – what happened to him man, he used to be cool! I think there’s space for Nash on WWE’s roster but not in the ring. I definitely don’t give a damn about seeing him fight HHH or anyone else for that matter. I’d rather he manage someone or even just work as a road agent. Just anything to keep his beautiful natural flowing black locks (ahem) out of a wrestling ring.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n Okay Kevin, it’s time for me to throw a few specific wrestling items your way so you can share with us your expanded thoughts:<\/p>\n –Cody Rhodes’ protective mask vs. Kane’s old school mask, what do you like better?<\/p>\n –Better seller of a finishing move, Ricardo Rodriguez or Shane McMahon?<\/p>\n –DDP’s Diamond Cutter vs. Randy Orton’s RKO, which prevails?<\/p>\n –Robert Roode face vs. Robert Roode heel, who do you like more?<\/p>\n –Michael Cole vs. CM Punk, why is Cole so horrible on commentary yet Punk was simply brilliant when he was at the announce table?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ok here goes.<\/p>\n Cody’s mask vs Kane’s<\/strong> – I have to say Kane’s as it became his character and made him both mysterious and more vicious in my eyes. I think Kane lost a lot of his monster aura when he lost the mask and it took him a few years to recover from it. Cody’s I liked for the purposes of his character at the time but I think he wore it too long. So long that it became irrelevant. I noticed he didn’t have it for the first time in months on the latest Raw and I hope that he drops it for good now cos I think it served it’s purpose in building him as a heel. Now he just needs to push on and fulfil the potential he has.<\/p>\n Ricardo vs Shane<\/strong> – has to be Ricardo. I always felt Shane McMahon oversold a move in the first instance before popping up too quickly and then being awesome because his surname allowed him that benefit. I love when Ricardo takes a finisher and as I said earlier he’s perfect for Alberto. He may struggle when that alliance breaks down but for now he’s one if my favourite parts of the show.<\/p>\n DDP vs Orton <\/strong>– the diamond cutter every time. Not just because I think Orton is as over-saturated as Cena (which he is) but despite the commentators claims I can see Orton’s RKO coming 9 times outta 10 whereas with DDP he did sometimes just pull out the diamond cutter from nothing. I may also get flamed for this statement but DDP’s stalking of Sara was one of my favourite storylines of that era. There I said it – I await the backlash.<\/p>\n Robert Roode<\/strong> – I’d have to say face at the minute but that could change. I haven’t watched any TNA since he won the belt so can’t judge his recent performances. I’m glad to see him as champion but a bit miffed about why James storm won it first for a few weeks……oh yes it’s because it’s TNA. enough said.<\/p>\n I am so glad you asked me about Michael Cole.<\/strong> I am definitely a card carrying member of the Cole hate club,have been since he started. I have never rated him as a commentator because he doesn’t even know names of moves. I remember a constant complaint I shared with my friends from the early days was that he was unable to tell a scoop slam from a powerbomb. Now he’s been given licence to release his heel character it’s got worse. I find I tune out of commentary a lot now as it holds no relevance to what’s going on. Bickering between commentators is ok when kept to a minimum or if the bickering is about some storyline occurrence that’s just happened but when it takes over the action its just an anchor around the show. It baffles me that WWE’s strategy since Cole turned heel is to admit he’s not a good commentator and make people hate listening to him. I’m not a businessman so maybe I’m in the wrong here but isn’t it detrimental to the product to publicly advertise that your main play by play guy is an asshole? In comparison CM Punk is great on commentary and I look forward with hope that when he gracefully retires he takes up his rightful place as colour commentator. Hopefully beside someone different as WWE finally find someone good enough to replace JR. Punk is fantastic on commentary because he loves wrestling. It’s easy for any fan to see that Punk exudes passion for wrestling whereas Michael Cole doesn’t care about it and is too busy trying to make himself relevant to actually do his real job.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n All good points… and now it’s time for the lightning round!<\/p>\n –Favorite foreign object of all-time<\/p>\n –Favorite ring entrance, both today and all-time<\/p>\n –Favorite theme song \/ entrance music, both today and all-time<\/p>\n –WWF Hardcore Championship: Your brief thoughts on the whole 24\/7 title defense era and do you miss it?<\/p>\n –Favorite submission move of all-time<\/p>\n –Favorite finishing move, both today and all-time<\/strong><\/p>\n Foreign object<\/strong> – I always loved Raven’s shopping cart of goodies. My overall favourite would be the stop sign. The irony tickles me.<\/p>\n Entrance<\/strong> – undertaker for all time. It’s a classic and I clearly remember seeing it live in Belfast for the first time. Haunting. Today is harder to pick as they are either generic (walk slowly to ring looking deep in thought) or awful (air boom & awesome truth specifically) but I’ll go for Alberto’s because I am a fan of nice cars.<\/p>\n Music\/theme song<\/strong> – I have liked the song Cult of personality for a long time so when Punk first came out to it I think I squealed a little bit. All time I’ll go for the nWo music. Great mix & suited them well.<\/p>\n Hardcore 24\/7<\/strong> – good idea but badly executed. Crash Holly (RIP) was great at this point but after that it got silly for a long time. I have no desire to see the Hardcore belt return, it had it’s moment but wouldn’t work again.<\/p>\n Submission move<\/strong> – Kurt’s ankle lock without a doubt. The intensity he put into it made it look like he was actually shattering someone’s ankle. I do miss the old Kurt Angle – he also used to be cool.<\/p>\n Finishing move<\/strong> – the styles clash is my favourite current finisher. I recall seeing AJ do it on Daniels at a show in Coventry and it’s more awesome live. Of all time I’m torn between two – I love Stone Cold’s stunner but it comes a very close second to the Pepsi Plunge. How I’d love Punk to do it on HHH, Cena or even Vince McMahon himself.<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n Kevin, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you and I really appreciate your openness as well as your intelligent outlook on pro wrestling.<\/p>\n And with that, I’d like to thank you for letting me Take YOUR Wrestling Pulse.<\/p>\n Any final thoughts?<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank you CB. this has been extremely enjoyable and I appreciate you taking my wrestling pulse. <\/p>\n For final thoughts all I’d like to say is that I’d urge every jaded & cynical wrestling fan to try to reduce their level of criticism of the product and just enjoy it. There are many things both WWE & TNA do wrong but I personally don’t let the annoyances bug me too much so I can enjoy the good stuff. There’s plenty of it too. <\/p>\n The end. <\/p>\n Kevin<\/em><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n CB’s Take: As stated above, I think KevinTrude really just laid everything out on the table for us to read, and the end result is one of my favorite interviews to date. Kevin is open, honest and one hell of a pro wrestling fan, and I definitely appreciate his unique overseas perspective. And, well, you should, too!<\/strong><\/p>\n =============================<\/p>\n If you are interested in being interviewed for this special feature series, drop a line to takeyourpulse@4sternstaging.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, for previous installments of Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse<\/strong>, check out these links below and let us know what you think: ==============================<\/p>\n That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all from me \u00e2\u20ac” CB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week, I received a message from long-time Pulse Wrestling reader KevinTrude, and the interview that took place over the next seven days was so inspiring that I am simply going to let those words as they were originally written speak for themselves………. ============================= Hi CB. My name is Kevin and I’m a long time … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2977,2199,23],"tags":[114204,115231,108322,109887,111510,110060,109910,109795,108953,109859,109839,109314,100020,109909,110839,110112,100021,110631,116222,109806,100023,112909,109825,100141,107940,100019],"zone":[121870],"series":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/insidepulse.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/insidepulse.com\/feed\/podcast\/inside-pulse","embedCode":"
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\nsidehowbob<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nCB’s World: Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse, Featuring KevinTrude<\/a><\/blockquote>