maestroken

39 year old living in the Chicago Suburbs, Don't really know exactly when I got into wrestling. I know I watched SNL with my mom at times and remember Hulk and Mr. T with Billy Crystal, but I might not have gotten more into it until I found out my uncle was decent fan and had bartended for a lot of the at the time WWF, and prior territory guys in Indianapolis (He loves telling Hennan stories). He took me to my first live event WWF at Market Square Arena. I know there was a scheduled Funks vs. JYD & Someone match that ended up not happening and Bulldogs vs. Studd/Bundy with Dynamite slamming Bundy. Was at Chi-Town Rumble, my holding my WWE LJN Ricky Steamboat figure made the broadcast or the highlights on TV one of the two. My internet fandom began on newz sites and various other places but I started actually posting instead of lurking first at CRZ's board and then InThisVeryRing, ChicagoProWrestling, DVDVR, etc. Bought my first tapes from prowrestlingtapes.com got I think 10 VHS for $100, Including of course the 1995 IWA-Japan KOTDM, some Scherer Mixtapes, etc. Then I read on DVDVR about the IWA-MS Tracy Smothers riot. That's when tape trading and my big time following of the indies started. Got really into getting all the '02 and '03 IWA-MS and ROH I could, and really never stopped. I at one time had such a backlog of US Indies to be watched I was known for jokingly scoffing 'Fuck Japan' at any one that wanted to offer me to watch any or trade any. I didn't really think that, I just knew with such a backlog I couldn't get hooked into any more stuff. Eventually in late 2003 IWA-MS began running Highland, IN and I went to all of their shows there (except sadly missing the Chris Hero-Samoa Joe show) including the best wrestling weekend I've ever attended TPI'04. Nowadays I'll occasionally go to bad indies around here to hang with friends and heckle, and I get to about every third AAW show. Have traveled the past couple of years for some bigger shows, but those are equally for the road trips with friends as for the actual wrestling. Have done Mania, CZW, and IWA-MS trips, going to try to get AIW, Beyond, and PWG under my belt sometime, and figure since WWE loves the Allstate Arena, we're bound to get an NXT show here soon.