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Teddy Hart Tells It Like It Is

I am not even sure what to say about this “shoot” video featuring Teddy Hart (record date unknown but given the content discussed it appears to be fairly new). It’s one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever witnessed in my life.

Actually, in all seriousness, it’s kind of sad. Teddy Hart is a wonderful talent when he wants to be. Unfortunately, a lot of other issues keep halting him from truly realizing that talent. In a nutshell, this video highlights some of these issues.

A few years ago, I worked on a wrestling story for HBO Sports’ Real Sports with Bryant Gumble (made famous due to this altercation between Vince McMahon and reporter Armen Keteyian). That piece also featured an interview with a young Canadian wrestler named Teddy Hart.

Hart wasn’t featured all that much in the story except for one quote where he basically said that he would do whatever it took to make it to the top (WWE) and that included taking performance-enhancing drugs. Yup, he said that.

I don’t have a copy of the story so I can’t quote him exactly but, trust me, that’s what he said. None of the producers working on the story really knew who Teddy Hart (other than the fact that he had a famous wrestling last name) but everyone definitely thought it was strange to hear a person in his position, with his family history, say something like that.

Anyhow, from the looks of this video, it appears as though that was just Teddy being Teddy.

Posted in Teddy Hart, Wrestling | No Comments »

All Aboard The Dragon Gate Bandwagon

by Alan Counihan, JarryPark.com contributor

On May 5th, the Dragon Gate promotion in Japan ran one of their biggest shows of the year in Aichi. The promotion drew a crowd of 8,000 which is extremely impressive considering Dragon Gate is not one of the “major” Japanese wrestling organizations.

Now, even though most fans don’t consider them a top tier promotion, I would beg to differ. They’re certainly one of the most successful and profitable, that’s for sure. One week prior to the 5/5 event, New Japan ran a show headlined by IWGP champion Shinsuke Nakamura against puroresu legend Keiji Muto. Guess what? They drew 2,000 less than the Dragon Gate show.

Perhaps more glaring a fact is that All Japan, a company with years of tradition and big names, ran an event last week too, in the same building as Dragon Gate no less, and only drew 3,200 spectators (less than half the Dragon Gate attendance).

Admittedly, All Japan is not the company it once was but this was definitely a big show for them. That said, Dragon Gate out-performing them so drastically is startling to say the least.

For the last couple of years, Dragon Gate’s attendance has been impressive, both at the big show level (their Kobe World Hall show has approached 10,000 consistently) and the small touring show level. They have a good TV deal on Gaora and they make an absolute killing on merchandise. Most Japanese promotions have difficulty generating good business outside of Tokyo, Dragon Gate, on the other hand, excels when it spreads it wings outside of Tokyo.

A lot of fans may not realize that Dragon Gate runs more shows than any other company in Japan, approaching the 200-date range each year. That is only slightly less than WWE and their shows are split across two touring brands. Therefore, the average Dragon Gate wrestler actually work a lot more dates than the average WWE wrestler.

So what are the reasons behind the success? I think the main reason is that they provide an alternative. A Dragon Gate show is unlike any other wrestling show. They have a different in-ring style which has evolved from the training of Ultimo Dragon and the Toryumon and T2P promotions. They also present a unique (based on Japanese standards) style of booking. Their presentation, from the TV production values to the setups at the arenas, is top notch, as well. All of these factors have led to the promotion creating a very loyal fanbase who seem to be exclusively Dragon Gate fans, a unique phenomenon in today’s current wrestling climate. It’s no secret that they have a huge following in the female and gay community and there’s no doubt that they cater to this sector of society on occasion, a tactic that certainly pays off in terms of making money.

A lesson other wrestling/MMA promotions can learn from Dragon Gate is that if you want to challenge the big boys you have to deliver something different out there. You can’t settle by becoming WWE-light or a second rate UFC. Sure, it’s important to have a similar foundation, but you need your own flavor to set you apart from not only the big companies but also the hoards of companies that are attempting to copy them.

I hope everyone will soon realize that Dragon Gate is not just “that small promotion in Japan that has guys come to ROH every year.” No, they’re actually an extremely successful promotion with a large and loyal following to whom wrestlers like CIMA, BxB Hulk, Shingo Takagi and Dragon Kid are big-time stars. If you get a chance to check out Dragon Gate, I cannot recommend doing so enough. This is actually a great time to start watching them as they just re-shuffled a lot of their main factions and there are a ton of new storylines starting up. Bottom line, though, is that their in-ring product will blow you away the first time you see it.

Posted in Dragon Gate, Wrestling | No Comments »

MMARated Radio: Gerald Harris Wishes He Could Go Back

It’s been a fairly unpredictable season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” thus far, but no result was more unexpected (in my mind at least) than Amir Sadollah’s victory over Gerald Harris on last night’s episode of the show.

Sadollah seemed to be lacking confidence going into the bout while Harris, well, he appeared to be feeling quite good about the whole situation. Oh, how we were wrong…

Of course, as is the case in many MMA fights, things can change in a flash and that’s kind of what happened when Sadollah nailed the former IFL fighter with a nice knee to the head.

Following the loss, Harris showed a ton of emotion and, really, who can blame him? He lost to a guy with an 0-0 record (1-0 if you consider the qualifying match to get on the show).

On a side note, how weird would it be if Sadollah makes it all the way to the finals with a 0-0 record? That would certainly be a first.

Anyways, we caught up with Harris to talk about last night’s fight and some other stuff:

* What was it like watching the fight with all his family and friends knowing that he was about to lose (also chronicled on Cagepotato.com quite well).

* Their reaction after the loss

* His feelings after the loss

* In hindsight, should he have done anything differently in the fight?

* Did he underestimate Amir?

* How hard was it to look at Amir at the house?

* His time in the IFL All that and much more from Harris…

LISTEN TO THE HARRIS INTERVIEW HERE 

Posted in Gerald Harris, Interview, MMA, The Ultimate Fighter | No Comments »

MMARated Radio: Good Times With Nicole Craner

There’s just something about those ring girls. Everyone loves them and we here at mmarated.com are no different. So, with that in mind, I present a most enlightening interview with one of Strikeforce’s exquisite ring girls, the lovely Nicole Craner.

Nicole is actually one of the friendlier ring girls I’ve come across lately . Heck, she’s even an mmarated.com member! So, it was no surprise when she answered all my stupid questions in an honest, sincere and fun manner.

Some of the topics we discussed included:

* How she got involved with Strikeforce

* Her MMA knowledge (quite impressive I must say)

* Sitting cageside for Le vs. Shamrock

* Her desire to someday work for the UFC

* Does she like any fighter out there like, you know, more than a friend

* Have any fighters ever hit on her?

Oh, and we also played a quick little round of my favorite dinner party game: F, Marry, Kill. Some of the candidates involved were Scott Coker, Rachelle Leah, Gilbert Melendez, Dana White and Urijah Faber. Good times indeed.

LISTEN TO THE NICOLE CRANER INTERVIEW HERE

Posted in Interview, MMA, Nicole Craner, Strikeforce | 1 Comment »

Get Your Candids Of Huerta Training With GSP Here!

Over at my home away from home, MMARated.com, I’ve got some quasi-interesting shots of Roger Huerta training with GSP in preparation for his fight against Kenny Florian in August.

What a great pairing these two are: Down-to-earth, humble, good-looking and, most importantly, great ambassadors for the sport. Oh, and they are also two of the best fighters in the UFC.

I don’t really think anyone is subscribing to the whole ‘Roger Huerta ain’t for real’ notion anymore but, if they are, training with the likes of St. Pierre will help shut all the critics up soon enough.

Anyhow, enough from me, check out the pics here.

Posted in Georges St. Pierre, MMA, Roger Huerta | No Comments »

JarryPark, I Would Like You To Meet FoxSports.com

I started this little blog a few months back as just a fun hobby. I love conducting interviews and figured ‘why not interview fighters and post them on a site.’

For whatever reason, it has quickly led to some pretty cool opportunities. Getting to work with the people at MMARated.com has been a great one while the newest is working with FOXSports.com.

Here’s the lowdown: Each week, one of my interviews will be appearing over at FoxSports.com. The first one is a little tete-a-tete with Tito Ortiz.

Also, I will be providing them with some video content so be on the look out for that.

In the meantime, check out the Ortiz interview and thanks for the continued love.

Posted in FOXSports.com, MMA | No Comments »

Damn Static…

As I mentioned earlier, I had the distinct honor of being a guest on Fight Network Radio (aka Ranallo on the Radio) today.

We talked a whole bunch of WWE and primarily last night’s episode of RAW and the current direction of the product leading up to Judgment Day this Sunday.

More annoying than last night’s episode was the static that kept popping up every time I spoke. I really hate Vonage.

Anywho, still some good nuggets in there including a quasi-bet I made with Ranallo that if William Regal headlines Summerslam in a match against HHH, I would kiss his Canadian behind.

JarryPark on Fight Network Radio

Posted in The Fight Network, Wrestling, WWE | No Comments »

MMARated Radio: Remember The Name Matt Makowski

You may not have heard of Matt Makowski (2-0) yet, but all that may change soon enough. The 21-year-old fighter will face Nike Serra on the undercard of the May 31st Elite XC on CBS card.

There’s always pressure going into any bout but you would have to think that all the guys fighting on the undercard of this particular show will be looking to make a splash to get their fight on the broadcast. With quick workers like Kimbo Slice, James Thompson, Robbie Lawler and Phil Baroni headlining, one has to think that there will be plenty of room for an extra bout or two…or three.

MMARated Radio caught up with Makowski just a couple of weeks before the biggest fight of his young career:

* His thoughts on potentially fighting on CBS

* How did he land on the card?

* Will he look to press the issue to land on the televised portion of the card?

* His thoughts on Nick Serra

* Would he prefer to fight a BJJ practitioner or a striker?

* His rise up the amateur fighting ranks

* Is he surprised at how quickly his career has progressed?

LISTEN TO THE MAKOWSKI INTERVIEW AT MMARATED.COM

Posted in Elite XC, Interview, Matt Makowski, MMA | No Comments »

Random Muesli: FNR, RAW, Stamford…

* Yo, yo, yo…I’ll be a guest on Fight Network Radio today at 3 p.m. EST. Check ‘er out.

* RAW has definitely been must-miss-TV for me lately. I had a feeling this would happen once HHH became champion. Plus, the Regal power-hungry GM gimmick is so played out there is nothing new out there that has yet to be done.

* I took a trip to Stamford, CT, recently. Know of any good wrestling companies based out of there? One of these days, I will tell the tale of my journey to McMahon-land.

* I will be in Las Vegas for UFC 84 so expect some more videos in the very near future. And, yeah, I will try to squeeze in some time for this too.

* Oh, and have you heard of this site called MMARated.com?

Posted in Muesli | No Comments »

The Weekend Report Card

Quite the weekend in the world of mixed martial arts. If you were sad and lonely at home but just so happened to have an interest in the sport then this was the perfect weekend for you.

But the (obvious) big question is: who scored the highest on our weekend report card. Let’s have a look-see…

D: Fighting and Entertainment Group:
I know I should be thankful that I am getting to see DREAM for free via HDNET, but, seriously now, those broadcasts are just way too long. I like my MMA telecasts just as much as the next guy but I am not down with spending five hours watching an event especially when a collective two hours are spent looking at a wide shot of the Saitama Super Arena while Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice talk about lord knows what. Let me be clear in stating that I know this isn’t HDNet’s fault but more so FEG’s since they are the ones booking all these ridiculously long shows. And, for the record, I was not left as enamored with the show as others were. Sure, there were some great fights but I think the fact that it dragged so much killed it for me.

Honorable mention: Ian Freeman’s new-found physique

C: Jason “Mayhem” Miller:
I have always enjoyed Mayhem’s antics in-and-out of the ring/cage. I love fighters who don’t take themselves too seriously and no one does it better than Mayhem. However, for some reason, his shtick got under my skin yesterday. Basically, he made Frank Shamrock look like the most sportsmanlike competitor around. His behavior probably had something to do with the fact that this was his first time fighting in Japan and, surely, he wanted to make a good first impression. The entrance was cute, the wink during the stare down was funny but all the other stuff was completely unnecessary and quite disrespectful to Shibata. Was that the warrior spirit he likes to talk about? I should probably give the man props for a dominating and convincing victory too.

Honorable Mention: Ross Pointon – Welcome back to the win column!

READ THE REST OF THE REPORT CARD HERE 

Posted in MMA, Weekend | 1 Comment »