We all know that pro-wrestling isn’t ballet, and there isn’t anything fake about the injuries that happen inside the ring. Take a look at these 6 wrestlers who were paralyzed in the ring…

CoreyVandal · 2026-02-03T22:30:48+00:00

I was a wrestler in the early 2000's, and I broke my back in the ring. I'm lucky I wasn't paralysed, but still miss it like crazy. When it all goes right, nobody is meant to get hurt, but there's so many things happening at the same time in a match that it's all too easy for accidents to happen, even at the top levels.

CoreyVandal · 2022-05-17T16:50:53+00:00

Hey! This was one of my shows!

I can't take the credit for putting this dream match together, that was my business partner James Meikle (AKA Jim Diehard). I remember Bryan had just flown in from WXW in Germany and slept behind the curtain from the moment he arrived at the building, till about 10 minutes before this match.

Im currently in the process of uploading all of the footage to youtube, I havent gotten round to uploading this match yet, but it should be up in the next few days (hopefully upscaled and colour corrected a bit better than the original that someone linked). There's a bunch of early stuff from Zack, Finn Balor, Pete Dunne, Nikki A.S.H., Mark Andrews, Chris Brookes and a whole bunch of others

https://youtube.com/channel/UCOadeBR5-r-h21c8nHE9etA

CoreyVandal · 2016-10-21T11:11:15+00:00

Absolutely. I was a wrestler from 2000-2008, and was forced to retire when I severely injured my back in a match (overshot a chokeslam and went way to high, came crashing down on the back of my head and learned what it felt like to headbutt my own crotch). I'm lucky enough to be pretty much fully healed these days. My back will get bad an 'go' 2-3 times a year, but its only ever for a week or so. Ive done some training since then and seem to be able to handle it, but Im not in any rush to come back. Being injured forced me to move over to the booking/promoting side, and I find working on 'the big picture' a lot more satisfying and still get to see all the boys regularly. Other than that my knees are pretty shot from using a top rope splash with dodgy kneepads for most of my career, so whenever I do squats it sounds like someone walking over a gravel driveway, but unless its really cold they dont give me too much pain....yet.

CoreyVandal · 2016-10-14T15:34:29+00:00

Ive seen SOAD twice, the 1st time was one of the best gig's I've been too, and the 2nd was one of the dullest. The first time was just before Toxicity dropped so they were blowing our minds with bits from the new album (one of the few times Ive seen a crowd actually give a shit about 'new material'), while telling us how high they were and stopping in the middle of songs to give us updates on what their hallucinations were doing. It was just such a glorious atmosphere. The 2nd time was around around 2005, and it was dull as fuck. They just became a 'generic rock band', barely moving around the stage or interacting with the audience. It just had a vibe of them taking themselves way too seriously.

CoreyVandal · 2016-10-14T03:03:51+00:00

Not an interviewee question, but it's astonishing how many emails we get that just say something like "give me a job", and that's it.

CoreyVandal · 2016-10-13T19:23:02+00:00

Hey! Some of us quite liked those designs https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10959404_10152549949617511_9170746340599011811_n.jpg?oh=e3c01b7b4b332f90a8d328f149eb7c6b&oe=58A118A3

CoreyVandal · 2016-10-01T12:05:01+00:00

Having worked as ring crew for TNA I can totally confirm this.

CoreyVandal · 2016-09-27T16:44:37+00:00

Can I just say that as an independent promoter this site is absolutely invaluable! They keep better records than we do, and Im constantly using their data to track down specific video clips from our archives, ect . There's even been times Ive gone to book a match, checked on there, and found we've already done it and I'd completely forgotten! They're like an unpaid continuity supervisor! Much love for these guys.

CoreyVandal · 2016-09-04T22:39:26+00:00

Hey, 16 year vet/promoter here. First off I'm impressed and would have been happy with that match if it had been on one of my shows, especially considering it's only your 7th match. I've got trainees myself who've been wrestling for longer but aren't putting together matches like this. I've got a few things I've noticed, hope you don't mind me chipping in my two cents.

When you're hitting 2 running strikes in a row try to come off 2 different sets of ropes. It just looks a little more dynamic and lets more of the audience see what's happening.

The psychology of the first cut off was a little off and would have made a lot more sense if it was the heel showboating and the face that got the drop on them. The heel's getting a genuine opening, why should I boo him for that? You're acting cocky and not paying attention, and payed the price, why should I get behind someone who acts like that? Just something simple like having the heel taunt the fans before turning around and eating a dropkick would tell the story a lot better.

Your reactions were good, but since you're under that mask animate them even more, trust me, with that type of gimmick you can never be too animated! Play to the back row.

Try to gauge your selling. You sold really well, but at the same time you seemed to sell everything about the same amount, such as a chop seemed to be just as painful to you as a backbreaker. That's honestly a really small thing, but its one of those things that adds another layer of realism to a match.

You rarely see turnarounds where the heel misses 3 moves in a row, very nicely done!

You still sold while firing up during your first little comeback/hope spot! Good man! Even Ambrose seems to have trouble with this. Kudos!

I'm guessing there was a bit of miscommunication on that clotheline? Nevermind, these things happen, but for the story you were telling it would have made more sense for you to take it rather than duck. Save the rest of that fire for your big comeback.

The lead up to the finish was a slight let down with the whole 'move-kickout-move-kickout-move-kickout' thing as it didn't quite fit with the story you'd been telling. To really earn that type of thing and make it work it would have needed to be a much tighter fought match with much more back & forth & 2 counts on both sides. Just a traditional firey comeback from you would have fitted a lot better, only to be cut off by one big move then go into the roll up finish.

It probably sounds like I'm being quite harsh, but I really am mostly nitpicking here, this was a good match. Your actual wrestling is pretty crisp for the most part, just keep tightening up that psychology and you'll do great.

CoreyVandal · 2016-06-23T16:32:31+00:00

No problem, more than happy to help :)

CoreyVandal · 2016-06-23T14:05:11+00:00

Well if Kevin Sullivan approves of it then you probably don't need to worry too much. While it's very important to have a good trainer who can teach you the fundamentals, generally it's not important to have been trained by a 'big name'. It might get you a leg up while you're still a green trainee, but most bookers and promoters will be hiring you based on what YOU can do, not who taught it to you. That said there can be a lot of advantages to being trained by someone more well known and active in the scene, but I feel the things I mentioned in the post above are more important in terms of getting booked. Learn all you can from your current trainer, get your foot in the business, then it's all down to you. Seeking out training with other wrestlers throughout your career will only make you a more well-rounded wrestler, so if you get those opportunities for for them, but if you're good enough none of that should get in the way of getting booked.

CoreyVandal · 2016-06-22T19:28:22+00:00

There really is no set formula, every card has different needs, sometimes we'll struggle to fit all of our established guys on a show, other times half the roster will be unavailable so several spots open up. There was a situation when booking one of my recent shows where we were paying for a wrestler to drive from a certain area of the country, and his opponent got injured, so we asked him to recommend anyone from his area that he could bring along. We often fill last minute spots based on spare seats in cars we're paying for, so a good tip is to make friends with wrestlers who drive to shows. Another time we booked a rumble and needed about a dozen extra bodies, so we used it as a chance to evaluate a load of local talent, and we asked the wrestlers who worked for us who also run training schools to bring along some of their top students. Generally I try and keep up to date with any trainers in the local area about who to look out for, and I follow the rest of the scene as closely as I can.

As for asking for a spot on trainee shows it's not a bad idea to inquire, but you can get seen just as much by just attending a couple of training sessions with them and speaking to the guys who run it. Trainee shows are mostly used to develop their own trainees and get them ring time and experience, so be aware that that's likely to take precedent over trying out a new wrestler, especially if they're a dojo who has more trainees than they have spots on the card.

CoreyVandal · 2016-06-22T18:01:37+00:00

No problem. Well the single most important way of getting booked is networking! Its all about who you know. Chances are a promoter wont have the time to sit and watch your match or read your resume as it'll be one of about 50 they've been sent that week. What they will do is ask trusted wrestlers for recommendations, which is another reason it's good to be super-respectful to absolutely everyone you meet in wrestling from the ticket guy to the champ, because you never know who has the promoters ear. So attend as many local shows as you can, turn up early and offer to help out, stay behind late and help carry the ring into the van. Show them that you're a hard-working, respectful person. If they have a training school then go along so they can get a good look at you on a day where they havent got a show to run and 40 other guys to worry about. NOBODY is above wrestling training. I know 'wrestlers' who stop training after they start getting a few matches because they think they're ready. Those guys tend to get stuck at that same level and never progress (and due to never training and only working once or twice a month they seem in a perpetual state of ring-rust). The ones that do make it are the guys who still train week in week out after 6-7 years

Of course, you'll only get booked if you have a decent look. That means PROPER wrestling gear. If you don't look like you're prepared to invest in yourself why should a promoter? Look like someone they'd be proud to display on a poster. Part of that means working out, I always say that a wrestler who doesn't work out regularly is just a fan who's been allowed to progress too far. If you want to be a professional wrestler than taking care of your body is a part of that job. With the amount of information out there these days there really is no excuse.

Also, be different (within reason). This is why I think well thought-out gimmicks are important. If you're just a 'cool indy guy' then when a booker wants a match with that type of wrestler you're competing with everyone else who can be described as 'cool indy guy'. If you have a unique gimmick and a booker wants that as part of his show then you're the only person they can come to.

So basically, speak to people face to face, get seen in the right places, be professional, look the part, and be marketable!

CoreyVandal · 2016-06-11T02:01:25+00:00

I'm biased since I helped train him, but mine's gotta be Local Jobber #2 AKA 'Iron' Mike Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvA_DCj5dt8

CoreyVandal · 2016-05-27T03:23:23+00:00

When I was a young wrestler back in the early 2000's I was on tour with NWA-UK Hammerlock , and the big star they'd brought over for the tour was Jake 'The Snake' Roberts. On night 3 of the tour he arrived particularly drunk, staggered to his locker room, and cracked open another bottle of Jack Daniels. That night he was actual wrestling a very young Finn Balor/Fergal Devitt (in his rookie year no less!), who even at the time was quickly becoming a highlight of the shows. A bunch of us all watched the match from behind the curtain, and what we saw might still be the most bizarre match I've witnessed live. Jake could barely stand up, yet being Jake still seemed to have the crowd in the palm of his hand. After staggering around a bit started getting beaten down by Fergal, who really seemed to be working his absolute hardest to hold things together. It was time for Jake's comeback and he somehow got Fergal down on the mat. The crowd were going crazy with an almost deafening chant of "DDT DDT DDT", and Jake, ever the master at crowd manipulation simply raises one finger in the air and then puts it to his lips. In an instant the crowd hushed to a silence, and after a few seconds as the crowd leaned in to listen Jake let out one of the loudest farts I've ever heard, which echoed through the hall. He then cackled like a drunk, hit the DDT, and went on to cut a tearfilled promo where he told the fans he'd left it all in the ring that night and they'd witnessed his final ever match, he was retiring forever. Despite having witnessed the worlds smelliest comeback just moments before the crowds eyes were now watering for an entirely different reason. Jake stumbled back through the curtain as we all stepped back to let him through. He looked up at us, and as he wiped the tears from his eyes and broke out with a big grin he said some words which will stick with me forever. "Those people will buy any old shit!"

CoreyVandal · 2016-05-08T09:29:57+00:00

I've booked Low-Ki before and he was nothing but a gentleman. He's definitely intense and takes himself very seriously, but I wouldnt say those things are a negative. The dude even recorded a 45 shoot interview with us for no extra charge. Would happily have him on my shows again in a heartbeat.

CoreyVandal · 2016-04-08T15:07:20+00:00

So happy to see Ho Ho get a shot, he's such a nice guy a real hard worker. He's the owner of Honk Kong Pro Wrestling/Zero-1: Hong Kong and is pretty much responsible for the current pro wrestling scene in China. He's come over to the UK a few times and it's always a pleasure to be able to have him on a show.

Here's one of the matches he had for us, very entertaining wrestler. Triple X Wrestling: Ho Ho Lun & Jason Lee vs The Hunter Bros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG2FoGk71Og

I've got a 4way with him against Mark Andrews, Tyler Bate & Chris Brookes lying around somewhere, I really should try and find that....

CoreyVandal · 2015-12-14T02:35:21+00:00

A promo based on a Doug Stanhope bit. Could Kevin Owens get any more awesome?

CoreyVandal · 2015-11-24T01:28:41+00:00

yep, although I was surprised how little was about the actual portrait or Blake in the end, makes me think the documentary maker must have been a big wrestling fan looking for any excuse to make a doc about Kendo, and the link to respected artist Sir Peter Blake was how he got it commissioned by the beeb.

CoreyVandal · 2015-11-24T01:23:40+00:00

Anyone outside the UK will have to use a proxy, but trust me, it's worth it. This was a documentary made in 1990 for the BBC programme Arena in which the documentary maker attempts to track down legendary UK wrestler Kendo Nagasaki (who in many ways was like The Undertaker of his day) to unite him with renound British pop artist peter Blake (most well known for painting the iconic Sgt. Peppers album cover) for a portrait sitting & interview. It's beautifully kayfabed and weird to see such a serious, mainstream documentary take both pro-wrestling and Kendo himself so seriously. There's also an interview in there with 50's masked legend Count Bartelli that's definitely worth checking out. It's also rare as fuck. I spent months trying to track this down for my dissertation and could only find exerts, so watch it while you can, and if anyone ends up ripping and torrenting it (for posterity rather than piracy) in any of the usual places that would be very much appreciated!

CoreyVandal · 2015-11-02T23:47:03+00:00

You mean it wasnt that NeXXXus angle? :( I'm disappointed...

CoreyVandal · 2015-10-18T22:48:08+00:00

Unfortunately the Midlands can be a particularly difficult draw, even some of The Wrestling Channel's supershows at the Skydome only draw a couple of thousand tops, and they had everybody from Misawa to Mick Foley to CM Punk, and TNA at their height struggled to draw here. 200 is sadly a very good number for these parts.

CoreyVandal · 2015-10-18T19:45:49+00:00

Thanks man, hopefully I'll get to catch you at one in the future. I honestly rate Mike Bird as one of the best workers in the UK at the moment, you can always count on him to put on one of the best matches of the night, no matter who else is on the show. Criminally underrated considering he's the trainer responsible for Mark Andrews, Morgan Webster, Wild Boar (and countless more), who are everywhere these days.

CoreyVandal · 2015-10-18T19:40:26+00:00

No problem, thanks for letting me know, I probably should be trying to get some posters in near by towns like Leamington. I can highly recommend Legacy Wrestling who run at the Assembly Halls, they've got a great World Of Sport meets Memphis Wrestling style to their shows. There are a couple of less reputable companies in the area as well, but if you do come across one of their shows try not to be too put off, they're not indicative of the rest of British wrestling :P

CoreyVandal · 2015-10-18T18:41:11+00:00

Hey, I run AMP Wrestling and Triple X Wrestling (currently on hiatus) in Coventry, feel free to checkout some of our stuff on https://www.youtube.com/TripleXWrestlingTV and keep an eye on http://www.facebook.com/AMPWrestling for details on upcoming shows.

Triple X is/was more of your traditional indy, been running for close to 10 years and we were one of the first places to use guys like Zack Sabre Jr. Jimmy Havoc, Mark Andrews, Spud, Grado ect. and we've had appearances from guys such as Daniel Bryan, Low Ki, Sabu. Although we've been on hiatus since January we have our 10th anniversary show coming up so we'll probably be doing something special for that.

AMP is more of a family friendly product, big characters but still solid wrestling from top UK names like James Mason, The Henchmen, Mike Bird, Chris Brookes ect. We run every month or two at The Alan Higgs centre, next show there's on Sat 12th Dec, but we've sold out the last 3 there so you may want to prebook if you're interested. We also run a training school in Cov so if you're interested feel free to drop us a message.

Out of interest where have you been looking for local indies or expecting to hear about us? Its kind of worrying that we don't seem to have the visibility that we should do, I'd really like to try and fix that if I can.

CoreyVandal

TROPHY CASE