NOW JUST WHERE THE HECK DID I PUT MY SMILE? CAN'T FIND THAT THING ANYWHERE

Yes, it's that time again. I'll be taking another leave of absence. It'll be one month until you see fresh ink (or whatever this stuff is made of) on this blog again (although, there is always that very slim chance that I'll chime in with something if I find the time (and the smile)).

As always, when I return I'll most likely do a Since I've Been Gone post, which I really should add to my Recurring Features section. They're fun to do, and hopefully to read too.

While I'm gone, here are some things to keep your wrestling libido strong and healthy:

FAIR TO FLAIR

First and foremost, be Fair To Flair. There will be tons of new stuff going up while I'm gone, including the Wrestlespective Radio podcast series that covers the final matches of every single WrestleMania, one episode a day. That's 26 podcasts in 26 days, with me featured on three of them (XIV, XX, XXV). So even though I'm gone, you can still hear my voice. You can also hear my voice if you place your ear up against a conch shell.

CHECK OUT: Fair To Flair, Wrestlespective, Kick-Out!! Wrestling, Footnotes of Wrestling

THE WRESTLING BLOG

You can always count on my BroBro Brazil (have we used that one yet? My brain is shrivelling up from thinking of so many) TH of The Wrestling Blog to have all of your pro wrestling needs taken care of. He is an animal when it comes to banging posts out, and he very well may be the most thorough wrestling blogger out there, covering everything from WWE and TNA all the way down to the most obscure indies. He's currently accepting ballots for the A1W 100, which you can read all about here.

CHECK OUT: The Wrestling Blog, Tom Holzerman on Twitter, A1W 100

BRANDON STROUD

Normally this is where I would point you to where I go to read hilarious wrestling recaps and blogs, which would be Brandon Stroud's posts on AOL FanHouse. However, he seems to be done there. Thankfully, I found him on Twitter, but it appears that he doesn't have a wrestling-related thing on the go. I feel like I'm following him around the Internet like a weird kind of stalker who isn't looking for sex, just laughter. I want my laughter.

CHECK OUT: Brandon Stroud on Twitter, his Vintage Promo series on FanHouse, his posts at Progressive Boink (some of which have to do with wrestling, most don't), and finally everything he's done at FanHouse

TAPE MACHINES ARE ROLLING

I recently found this blog, I think, thanks to Jason Mann. It's funny and honest, which I find to be a rare quality in wrestling blogs. Scott and Brent write about wrestling today, and review wrestling from the past. Just read the site description and try and tell me you don't want to go there right now:

Brent and Scott are young midwestern men in their late 20s and they love professional wrestling. Scott leans heavily toward 80s-early 90s Crockett/WCW, as well as World Class. Brent likes everything Bill Watts ever did. They both sided mostly with WCW during the legit years of The Monday Night Wars. They have a fondness for ECW if not a love. There's nothing stopping them from watching Japanese wrestling, but they probably won't. JOIN THEM IN LIFE!

CHECK OUT: Tape Machines Are Rolling, Scott on Twitter

FLAIR CHOP ILLUSTRATED - THE OLD SCHOOL WRESTLING PODCAST

I'm a little late getting on the Flair Chop choo-choo, but listening to the latest podcast (their review of The Main Event from Feb. 5th, 1988) had me hooked. I'd heard a few other episodes before, but the old 80's commercials (with Jason and Justine Bateman) had me busting a gut. Love stuff like that. Their review was also a lot of fun to listen to. I fear that I might get in shit with Jason considering I'm promoting another old-school wrestling podcast other than his (in fact, they're in a very serious podcast war at the moment), but I'll stick my neck out just this once. I'M NOT A GUTLESS INDIVIDUAL.

CHECK OUT: The Old School Wrestling Podcast, and Black Cat (of the podcast) on Twitter

And finally, some of my favourite Tumblr blogs that you should check out:

- We Watch Wrestling

- Drop Toehold

- Turnbuckle Zine

- Fuck Yeah Wrestling

- On Wrestling

- Where's Randy Savage?

- And really, anyone I reblog on my tumblr.

There's too many to mention, I know I've forgot some. That's the great thing about Tumblr though - there's no shortage of great wrestling blogs.

I think that's more than enough. I could say more (Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast, Dave Lagana's I Want Wrestling podcasts - Formerly Creative, 15 Minutes, Press The Press) but I am positive you already know about and listen to them. If you don't, I am very perplexed as to how you could find me but not them.

And I'll also be scheduling some tweets ahead of time, pointing you to some of my favourite older posts and what have you.

So yeah, that's uh... that's a lot of homework I just assigned.

Keep fit and have fun you guys.

Sincerely,

PIZZABODYSLAM

COLT CABANA - A CHAMPION OF THE PEOPLE

Mere hours ago, Colt Cabana became the 82nd NWA World Heavyweight Champion (30th man to hold the belt), ending Adam Pearce's 8-days-short of a full year reign. This was Pearce's third and longest reign with the title.

It is CRAZY to see how many people, many of which (probably close to all) weren't at the NWA Hollywood taping, are congratulating Colt on his win. Although, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Colt Cabana is a man, and now a champion, of the people.

When Colt was let go by the WWE, people were pissed. But I totally believe that if this whole Scotty Goldman hire/fire business took place after he started the Art of Wrestling, people would be DOUBLE PISSED. This podcast has done more for Colt than a billion WWE.com Jewish talk shows could do.

The Art of Wrestling podcast was the first of it's kind. It was a everything you loved about shoot interviews, but replace the lifeless voices that usually ask the questions and replace it with Colt Cabana. It's not a podcast done by fans that shout their opinions at you. It's not a podcast that's imitating talk radio (why someone would want to imitate that, I don't know). It's a conversation.

And it's this conversational, casual style that makes you relate to Colt in a way that you never could had he just continued on his way in WWE. He would've been hilarious, especially had he been able to employ some of the ideas he mentions in his shoot, but the realness of AOW is what gets you behind Colt.

He's just about to go live on Sunday Night Stu as the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. So I'm going to listen to that and wonder what Harley Race or Lou Thesz would be like hosting a podcast in a studio... apartment where they talk to Wahoo McDaniel about mutton chops or something.

Credit - Dave Lagana's I Want Wrestling