WFWF.COM: Poppy’s Perspective – 16th June 2022
Jun 16, 2022 12:37:22 GMT -5
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Post by Markw on Jun 16, 2022 12:37:22 GMT -5
WFWF.COM: Poppy’s Perspective – 16th June 2022
An awful lot has happened since I last shared my thoughts on all things WFWF with our fans. After a year of inactivity, Abadi Global Enterprises have completed their purchase of the most prestigious promotion in professional wrestling, and I am finally able to give my take on all things WFWF again.
And if the news of the takeover, the imminent return of WFWF wrestling, the returns of Kurt Burton & Alex Sean or the prospect of Josh Dean vs. EBR for the World Championship weren’t enough to get you excited, then I’m sure that, at the very least, Daehyun Moon’s voice will have gotten you excited.
There was a huge sense of expectation amongst the journalists in attendance and the most hotly anticipated press-conference in wrestling history certainly didn’t disappoint. I’m not sure any of us expected to see Alex Sean knock out Steely McBeam, or hear a live performance of Caribbean Queen from Billy Ocean, but we were very grateful for it.
Another huge announcement, on a night there were many, was the announcement of the company’s new touring schedule. A fantastic, forward thinking move which will hugely benefit the WFWF’s wrestlers and staff, giving them much needed time between tours to recuperate and spend time with their families. It may not have been the most glamorous announcement of the night, but behind the scenes it was definitely one of the most popular. The WFWF sent a clear message that it is an organisation primarily concerned with the mental and physical health of its athletes.
And towards the end of the night we found out that the very first tour, Ascension, will be leading up to the legendary Scars & Stripes. Once a centrepiece of the WFWF calendar, the famous event will be returning for the first time in 9 years, a move that has shown that while AGE want to bring a freshness to the WFWF, they aren’t going to neglect paying homage to the past.
Of course we’re all about opinions and this week I caught up with an ex-World Heavyweight Champion who has a decidedly different take on things. You can view the full video of my interview with Joe Bishop here or find a transcript below.
Poppy Yates: Joe, thanks for joining me.
Joe Bishop: My pleasure.
Poppy Yates: It’s been what, just over a year since we last saw you in a WFWF ring, what have you been up to?
Joe Bishop: It’s been a difficult year, but for the first time in a long time I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now. I inherited a wrestling school here in England that I’ve been running, and it’s great to be able to challenge the perception of professional wrestling that a lot of youngsters have.
Poppy Yates: What is that perception?
Joe Bishop: I… I guess I should have said perceptions. I think a lot of these kids have grown up in a world where the sport has been monopolised by the WFWF. So you get a lot of people who think wrestling is what they saw Philip Schneider do, the likes of Jake Slash and Devilkiller imitate, that it’s blood and glass and blades and essentially trying to end both your opponent’s, and your own, career every night until you eventually succeed with the latter. Then there’s another set who want to do what they’ve seen Drakz, Kyzer, Trace do, align themselves with better wrestlers and use them to get to the top. And then there’s a small few who just want to do what Yukio Blaze or Shawn Malakai did, they think it doesn’t really matter if they’re good or not as long as they send people home happy.
Poppy Yates: Whereas you…?
Joe Bishop: I teach them that it’s about finding ways to win within the confines of the standard rules of pro wrestling. And that success or failure at that endeavour is what should determine everything. There’s no right way to do it, but there’s an awful lot of wrong ways that have become far too popular.
Poppy Yates: I take it, then, that you weren’t too interested in coming back to the new look WFWF?
Joe Bishop: New look? Hah! No you’re right I wasn’t, I spoke to Bobby of course, but I wasn’t at all convinced that it’s something I should leave what I’m doing now for. And seeing EBR given a shot at the World Championship, having done nothing to earn it, was all the evidence I needed that I’ve made the right call. This is still the same old WFWF, putting popularity above ability, and profit above everything.
Poppy Yates: I guess that’s one way of looking at it. Another is that the WFWF fanbase have a match they’re incredibly excited for right out of the gate.
Joe Bishop: Sure. They, by and large, know no better.
Poppy Yates: Huh, I’m still a little unsure why they asked me to talk to you to be honest.
Joe Bishop: Nobody was more surprised than me.
Poppy Yates: I take it you caught the press conference, you would have seen your protégé Shu…
Joe Bishop: Protégé? No. Friend, sure, but I want to make it absolutely clear that I am in no way responsible for Shuggy.
Poppy Yates: Ok, apologies. You will have seen your friend make his return to the WFWF, are you excited to see him back?
Joe Bishop: Not really. I wish him all the best, but, well, it’s not the move he should have made.
Poppy Yates: You must have at least been pleased to see him touch a nerve in Trace Demon.
Joe Bishop: Not particularly. Everyone knows what I think of Trace Demon, I’m done talking about him to be honest. Shuggy would do well to steer clear.
Poppy Yates: Is there anything positive, in the mind of Joe Bishop, about the WFWF’s return?
Joe Bishop: Yeah, absolutely, I think it’s going to fail. Fans have spent a year looking elsewhere for their wrestling fix, and the majority have found wrestling that has a lot more going for it than the WFWF's ever has.
Poppy Yates: Well if you’d like to see Joe Bishop be proved wrong, tune into WFWF Ascension on the 1st of July. Thanks Joe.
Joe Bishop: Thanks. Looking forward to seeing how much gets cut.
And if the news of the takeover, the imminent return of WFWF wrestling, the returns of Kurt Burton & Alex Sean or the prospect of Josh Dean vs. EBR for the World Championship weren’t enough to get you excited, then I’m sure that, at the very least, Daehyun Moon’s voice will have gotten you excited.
There was a huge sense of expectation amongst the journalists in attendance and the most hotly anticipated press-conference in wrestling history certainly didn’t disappoint. I’m not sure any of us expected to see Alex Sean knock out Steely McBeam, or hear a live performance of Caribbean Queen from Billy Ocean, but we were very grateful for it.
Another huge announcement, on a night there were many, was the announcement of the company’s new touring schedule. A fantastic, forward thinking move which will hugely benefit the WFWF’s wrestlers and staff, giving them much needed time between tours to recuperate and spend time with their families. It may not have been the most glamorous announcement of the night, but behind the scenes it was definitely one of the most popular. The WFWF sent a clear message that it is an organisation primarily concerned with the mental and physical health of its athletes.
And towards the end of the night we found out that the very first tour, Ascension, will be leading up to the legendary Scars & Stripes. Once a centrepiece of the WFWF calendar, the famous event will be returning for the first time in 9 years, a move that has shown that while AGE want to bring a freshness to the WFWF, they aren’t going to neglect paying homage to the past.
Of course we’re all about opinions and this week I caught up with an ex-World Heavyweight Champion who has a decidedly different take on things. You can view the full video of my interview with Joe Bishop here or find a transcript below.
Poppy Yates: Joe, thanks for joining me.
Joe Bishop: My pleasure.
Poppy Yates: It’s been what, just over a year since we last saw you in a WFWF ring, what have you been up to?
Joe Bishop: It’s been a difficult year, but for the first time in a long time I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now. I inherited a wrestling school here in England that I’ve been running, and it’s great to be able to challenge the perception of professional wrestling that a lot of youngsters have.
Poppy Yates: What is that perception?
Joe Bishop: I… I guess I should have said perceptions. I think a lot of these kids have grown up in a world where the sport has been monopolised by the WFWF. So you get a lot of people who think wrestling is what they saw Philip Schneider do, the likes of Jake Slash and Devilkiller imitate, that it’s blood and glass and blades and essentially trying to end both your opponent’s, and your own, career every night until you eventually succeed with the latter. Then there’s another set who want to do what they’ve seen Drakz, Kyzer, Trace do, align themselves with better wrestlers and use them to get to the top. And then there’s a small few who just want to do what Yukio Blaze or Shawn Malakai did, they think it doesn’t really matter if they’re good or not as long as they send people home happy.
Poppy Yates: Whereas you…?
Joe Bishop: I teach them that it’s about finding ways to win within the confines of the standard rules of pro wrestling. And that success or failure at that endeavour is what should determine everything. There’s no right way to do it, but there’s an awful lot of wrong ways that have become far too popular.
Poppy Yates: I take it, then, that you weren’t too interested in coming back to the new look WFWF?
Joe Bishop: New look? Hah! No you’re right I wasn’t, I spoke to Bobby of course, but I wasn’t at all convinced that it’s something I should leave what I’m doing now for. And seeing EBR given a shot at the World Championship, having done nothing to earn it, was all the evidence I needed that I’ve made the right call. This is still the same old WFWF, putting popularity above ability, and profit above everything.
Poppy Yates: I guess that’s one way of looking at it. Another is that the WFWF fanbase have a match they’re incredibly excited for right out of the gate.
Joe Bishop: Sure. They, by and large, know no better.
Poppy Yates: Huh, I’m still a little unsure why they asked me to talk to you to be honest.
Joe Bishop: Nobody was more surprised than me.
Poppy Yates: I take it you caught the press conference, you would have seen your protégé Shu…
Joe Bishop: Protégé? No. Friend, sure, but I want to make it absolutely clear that I am in no way responsible for Shuggy.
Poppy Yates: Ok, apologies. You will have seen your friend make his return to the WFWF, are you excited to see him back?
Joe Bishop: Not really. I wish him all the best, but, well, it’s not the move he should have made.
Poppy Yates: You must have at least been pleased to see him touch a nerve in Trace Demon.
Joe Bishop: Not particularly. Everyone knows what I think of Trace Demon, I’m done talking about him to be honest. Shuggy would do well to steer clear.
Poppy Yates: Is there anything positive, in the mind of Joe Bishop, about the WFWF’s return?
Joe Bishop: Yeah, absolutely, I think it’s going to fail. Fans have spent a year looking elsewhere for their wrestling fix, and the majority have found wrestling that has a lot more going for it than the WFWF's ever has.
Poppy Yates: Well if you’d like to see Joe Bishop be proved wrong, tune into WFWF Ascension on the 1st of July. Thanks Joe.
Joe Bishop: Thanks. Looking forward to seeing how much gets cut.
