The Fall of CPW

I've been putting this off for quite a long time now. I've not really wanted to write this part of the CPW story simply because its the part I hate the most. This was something I loved doing and for it to simply be gone was very hard for me. I was going through the worst period in my life and when all this happened it just made things so much worse. But even for my own mental health I'll get this shit off my chest. So here we go.

To really understand everything about the story I'll go back to Oct 17th 2008. I had started a new job in Vodafone in Northside shopping centre and things were ok. I was getting back on track with money and bills and generally things were going somewhat good. A month previous my uncle Benny had passed away in his sleep and it had been a big shock to the family. The day of the funeral my dad had said to me "it was an end to and era". My uncle had been the first in the family to die. It was a very sobering thought. And one i'll never forget.

It was about 11am. I received a missed call from a friend of my family, Sadie, and tried to ring her back. No answer. I thought nothing of it. A few minutes later I got a text from a long time wrestling friend of mine, Danny Deans, saying "Shit man there's an ambulance, fire brigade, Police van and car down the cottages. I think someone killed themselves". He was refering to Shamrock cottages, where my father lived. I looked at the message then the missed call. I thought no its only a coincidence. I'll called my dad. No answer. My hands started to shake. My stomach felt sick. I rang Sadie back 5 times until she answered. That single phone call ripped out my very being when she uttered the words that I never, ever thought possible and ones that I will never, ever, forget. "I'm so sorry to hear about your dad Gerard".

I stood in the middle of the shopping centre and I just couldn't speak. Sadie was still on the phone. I could hear her saying "are you ok?" "are you ok?". And then she realised her mistake. "I'm sorry Gerard I thought you knew". I almost fell over. I hung up. One look from my boss, Niall, and I think he just simply knew. I did something very stupid at that point. I didn't call anyone. I went out to my car and drove in the direction of North Strand at literally 100mph. I went threw red lights, stop signs, drove on the wrong side of the road and drove like a maniac. I could have killed myself but more importantly i could have hurt or killed others. I truly am sorry for being an idiot but under the circumstances I think I'll be forgiven. I got to the road in about 5 mins. Got out of the car. Turned the corner. And fell to my knees. The Gardai and family members standing outside my dads house confirmed it. He was dead.

Its nearly 5 years since that day and not a day goes by that I still don't feel the numbness that I felt when
I turned that corner. For a few days I barely talked or ate. It was crushing. The day of his funeral I asked to be alone with him. For anyone who's lost someone you know that this single moment is probably the worst of all. Because you know its the last time you'll ever see them. I held his hand and all I could say to him was that I was sorry. That I should have been there when he needed me and that I loved him. In the days after his funeral I found out that the cause of death was a fall down the stairs coupled with most of his internal organs shutting down. His name was Patrick O'Brien. He was 53. And he was the single greatest man I have ever known.

I know your now wondering why I'm writing about my father's death in a blog about CPW. Well it was just over a week after he died that CPW were doing a free show in Ballyfermot College of further education. The promotor and owner of CPW, Brian, had contacted me and said I didnt need to be there. My dad had just died and everything would be fine without me there. But I told him no. I said I would be there. My dad knew that my one real passion in life was wrestling and he would have wanted me to be there. So I went. Everyone was very supportive and I thank them so much for that. Without that support I probably wouldnt have been able to do the show. We pulled off a great show and I cant find fault with any part of it. The main even Ladder match with John Jennings and Insano was spectacular. I remember watching and thinking my dad would have loved this. It was this night that I would be properly introduced to C.J. Summers.

I had met CJ before while I was working in IwW. He "seemed" like a ok guy. Brian had asked me about CJ. I told him I didn't really know much about him. Brian told me CJ was interested in working with us and expanding the promotion. I said I'd talk with him and see what he had on offer. I drove CJ home that night and during the drive he fed me so much bullshit i was the size of Fat Bastard from Austin Powers by the end of it. But I fell for it. I fell for the big promotion talk. "Oh we'll have offices Gerry. We'll have staff and offices and be making thousands. Stick with me Gerry. We'll be huge". A few days later i couldn't wait to tell brian that we were going to be millionaires. I was an idiot. Brian was very skeptical but i convinced him that CJ would be great for CPW. Oh how very wrong i was. So in the grand scheme of things it was ultimately my fault for everything that would happen over the following year.

In the months that followed I tried my very best to get over my dads death. I immersed myself in coming up with new ideas for the promotion. New characters. New storylines. New teams. New titles. Anything to get my mind off things. I loved every aspect of wrestling. It had been my father and grandfather who had got me into wrestling. Everything about it fascinated me and to be able to book shows was a dream for me. We had a meeting with CJ in my house. CJ laid out plans to have him create a new, secondary promotion, that he would lead against CPW and create a giant fued that would encompass not just shows but areas. It was to be CPW -Vs- Northside. His grand plan was for him to enter CPW, take our top babyfaces and feud with my group, D4, and the remaining heels. It was at this point that a number of concerns started to crop up. CJ made it clear that he wanted the top guys on the roster. Insano, lenny hanna, Thunder and Lightning and john jennings. He was basically taking our top home grown guys. Myself and brian were against the idea from the beginning. But CJ would feed us more crap and we would relent.

It was also at this time that the cracks started to show with the roster but because i was trying to get my mind off other matters i never saw it. The roster who had been with CPW from the start weren't happy that they weren't getting paid. Brian had agreed to pay outside talent. We would use some guys and girls from NWA/FFPW and PWU and they would be paid €20. The CPW roster got €0. From the beginning I never agreed with this but I was never in a position to make a real case of it. I didnt invest any money in CPW and therefore had no say in where the money went. I did fight in there corner but it was always a no. But something most people don't know is I didnt get paid either. A lot of people over the years have asked and ive been honest. I never got paid a single penny from CPW. Did i deserve to be paid rather than the roster. Hell no. They put there bodies on the line to entertain people and they should have been paid. But I didnt do enough to convince Brian. The most outspoken for the roster were Terence and Lee, aka Thunder and Lightning.

These were arguably our biggest draw for our shows. With out them we wouldnt have drawn very many people. They brought a good following in the area we ran our shows, Good Council in Inchicore. But Brian wouldn't listen. I'll be honest. I fought for the lads but not very hard. I mentioned it a few times to brian but in my mind I had other things to worry about. So I left it at that. It was at this time I made a huge mistake that should have never happened. I had introduced a new title to CPW, the Irish heavyweight championship. I had a meeting with the whole roster and explained that this title was for all the hard work everyone had put in and getting this title meant you were doing a good job and we wanted everyone to keep it up. I had 2 guys in mind for the title. Lenny Hanna and one of the guys off my team, Andy Phoenix. I was leaning very much so on the side of Lenny. If you know Lenny you know he has a great look and works out a lot. He simply looked like a wrestler. Andy to the same extent did as well but I had wanted Lenny as the champ and for Andy to chase him for it. We had a meeting with CJ and he pretty much demanded that Lenny be made champion. I said I was still thinking about it and would let everyone know at the next show. CJ said well I now own 50% of CPW so I'm telling you to put it on Lenny. That in itself was a shock. After the meeting Brian told me he had signed over 50% of CPW to CJ. I couldnt believe it. This american prick had come in and had just been handed 50% of something i was helping build. Now after all these years i finally realise that 50% of nothing is nothing. Because thats what it was, nothing. It was a piece of paper worth NOTHING. CPW was a name and a ring. Nothing else.

So on the day of the show I made my decision. I made Andy champion. And  did it for one reason only. To show CJ the middle finger. I had really wanted Lenny as champion but i went with Andy simply because CJ wanted Lenny. I know now I should have put the belt on Lenny. He was my first choice and would have been a great champion. But because i had started to really dislike CJ any of his ideas i automatically hated. I know it was the wrong thing to do because Lenny didnt come to many shows after that to my knowledge. I don't know if CJ promised him the belt or not but in my mind he was my first choice and I always regretted it. Things started to get worse after this. Brian and terence had started to really have a dislike for each other. There would be snide remarks between them and it even started to piss me off. And I was still oblivious to how bad things really were.

On the second to last show we did i started to get really paranoid. I knew the 2 lads weren't very happy and for some reason I knew something would happen. All communication had broken down between me and CJ. I hated the bastard. He had completely taken over the small gym we had and it was so bad i wasn't even allowed in. He had said to the lads that I was doing things to suit myself and didn't give a shit about them. He convinced them that we were only in it for the money and that they were the ones who should be winning every match and have every belt and paid more than anyone. I had asked brian again to consider paying the lads and again he said no. Brian is not and has never been a bad person. He helped me out a lot when my dad died and i will forever be endebted to him for that. But in his own mind he just flat out refused to pay the lads. I don't now if he felt that they didnt deserve it or that they simply shouldnt be paid but either way he refused. The show went off without incident and i started to let my guard down.

The following month was the 3rd annual Celtic Rumble. The show was going great. The matches were good and the crowd was loving it. Early that day i had taken it upon myself to go to a wholesalers. I bought lots of food and drink and set up a tuck shop. I told everyone that i was doing it simply to pay EVERYONE. I took it upon myself to pay everyone from my own pocket. Sure if i made enough id actually make some money but the main reason was to pay the guys. I remember looking at lee. When i had told everyone about being paid his head drop in between his knees. I knew something was wrong. I walked out to the ring and found him in the same position. I asked what was wrong. He simply said " nothing Gerry. There's nothing wrong." I know now I should have forced the issue but I just left him alone. When it came time for Lee and Terences, the current tag team champions, tag match I had originally told them that they were dropping the titles. But on the day i changed my mind. I had thought that maybe this little gesture would keep them happy. But it didnt.
5 mins into there match i was sitting backstage talking to some of the boys about the rumble when i heard someone talking on the mic.I instantly knew what they there doing and rushed out to the ring but it was too late. They had walked out mid match to a waiting car and drove away.

I knew that it was the end. I walked backstage and sat down. Brian was livid but composed himself and continued with the show. I simply couldn't. I just sat there. Silent. I knew my dream was over. That night marked the end of CPW and the world is a smaller place because of it. I loved it and it was gone. I instantly blamed CJ. But ultimately it was my fault. Not brian. Not CJ. Not Terence or Lee. It was my fault. It had been less than a year since my dad had died and I still wasnt over his death. I had ignored the signs and cracks and i had let it happen. I had let CJ come in and warp the boys minds. I had let him scheme and manipulate. He scammed every member of the roster and i was blind to it. I understand why the lads did it. Was i happy? No. But there was nothing i could do. CPW was gone and was never coming back.

I have since learned that CJ had planted the idea in the lads minds but ultimately it had been there decision. Which in itself makes me feel even worse. I know i could have done something but i just sat on my hands and did nothing. They have since grown and matured and have seen the error in what they did but for me wrestling will just never be the same. I had dedicated myself to CPW. I had gone and done a show not even a week after my dad died. I had put everything i had mentally into it and with one decision it was all gone. I have since gone on to apologise for my mistakes and have a great relationship with the boys once again. And thankfully Karma visited CJ and he's back where he belongs,as far away as fucking possibly from me. I know this has been a long blog but i have left out huge amounts of it. Simply because i have been asked to. Somethings a better left unsaid as the saying goes.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog. If you've any questions feel free to ask and I will try and give you an answer.

TTFN

Gerry

The RISE of CPW Part 1

I suppose that if I'm gonna write a blog with wrestling references I may as well start with the place I loved the most. CPW. There are many people who remember the venue, location, date and even time of there very first wrestling experience. Now I can tell you venues and locations but the dates are extremely fuzzy. Even the years are fuzzy to me. So you'll hear a lot about venues but probably no dates so I hope it doesn't get confusing.

The story of CPW for me begins many moons ago. I had been reffing for IWW for about a year and was very happy doing it. Then suddenly I was gone. The very first gym wars had been announced and as always I was excited. I called the IwW ring announcer Dave Walsh to see what time I was to be out at the show. He said very casually "oh your not reffing anymore". I was confused. To the best of my knowledge I was there only ref. Dave continued "there's another guy reffing". I asked what I was doing. I wasn't a wrestler I was a ref. He simply said there wasn't anything for me. Now as everyone in wrestling knows there's millions of things to be done the day of the show. So to say there was nothing for me to do was simply a lie. I didn't know what to do. I had been replaced and that was that.

A few days later I was contacted by 2 formers IwW guys Mark Burns and Cannibal. Cannibal had e mailed me and mark had visited me in my job. Both said the same thing. I should join the new promotion, Celtic pro wrestling. It was a miracle. My dream wasn't dead. I jumped at the chance. They told me to contact Blake Norton. Myself and Blake knew each other as he had been my first trainer and foot in the door into wrestling. I contacted Blake and without hesitation he welcomed me to CPW.

My road to CPW was, let's say, rocky. I had met with Blake, discussed coming in as a ref and would do the inaugural show. Two weeks before the show I went on holiday to Crete. I had met up with my girlfriend (now wife) and our friends and proceeded to enjoy my time away. But after 2 days there tragedy struck. One of the girls had been in a near fatal crash and was in serious condition in hospital. It shook us all up badly. I had gone the second week of what had already been a strange holiday for the others. Stories of girls in other hotels being rapped, the lads on holiday with us being arrested for nothing and now this. It was, to say the least, a disaster. I came home with a feeling of dread. I contacted Blake and said I couldn't do the show. He understood but I could sense that he wasn't too pleased. It took me a little while but I eventually pulled the proverbial finger out and contacted Blake again. This time though I'd changed my mind. I no longer wanted to ref. I wanted to manage. We discussed exactly how I'd come in and he'd asked me what my name was. To this day I'll never know where the name came from or how it just popped in my head. But from that moment Gerry Soul was born.

I have to credit Blake for 90% of my character. He came up with the catchphrase, "the man to know", and my whole persona. I was to be a rich, successful manager looking for the next big thing in Irish wrestling. I will never forget the first time I walked through the curtain as Gerry soul. It was terrifying. And to make matters worse when I got the mic it broke. So I had to improvise. I literally screamed my head off at the crowd. To this day I've no idea if they understood but It got the desired effect. They hated me. My very first appearance as Gerry soul had been a success. Blake decided that rather than me managing a single wrestler I'd have a stable. He introduced me to the 3 lads I'd be managing. Delicious Darren, Studley Steve and Awesome Andy. God knows why but we all actually got along. Blake informed us that we would be known as D4. Right from the get go I loved it. I was a heel manager with my own stable. I couldn't have asked for more.

A few months after my debut with D4 Blake informed everyone he was leaving and selling the ring and everything else to the then referee, Brian. It was, for me, a sad occasion. Blake had gotten me into wrestling in IWW a few years previous and left and now he was leaving again. He had been a mentor to me and it was sad to see him go. To be honest I was worried. I didn't know Brian very well and it worried me to think he might change everything. It really surprised me that at the show after Blake left Brian approached me and asked if I wanted to help book the shows. I was shocked. Here was a guy who barely knew me and wanted to trust little old me to book his shows. He didn't need to ask twice. When Blake was booking shows I would throw ideas I had his was. Some he'd use. Some he wouldn't. But he always listened. And now I was the one booking things. I loved it.

It was at this time that D4 had just finished a feud with the team of Danny Demento, Napalm Hamilton and there manager, Max Martello. Cosa Nostra, as they were known, had handed our asses to us so it was decided we needed some heavy back up. Enter Danny THE PAIN. Danny was an old friend who'd originally trained in the NWA gym in bray. Danny is a big man and was the perfect fit as enforcer for D4. At the time danny was very green in the ring. He'd not had a huge amount of matches but as he still is today was very eager to learn. I was the mouthpiece and he was the muscle. With Danny as back up we went on to win the CPW tag team titles. D4 was riding high and with some new up and coming talent we had an endless supply of feuds. This would eventually lead up to probably the best feud I ever participated in. The feud between my tag team champions and the young home town heroes, Thunder and Lightning

I had watched these 2 lads make there debuts and when they became a tag team the plan was always going to end up with a T and L -vs- D4 feud. It started with a series of single matches involving T and L and Steve and Andy, who were the champs. Each month both teams notched up wins and losses. Ultimately it all came down to one match. A match for the tag team championship. I will always remember that day for many reasons. We had probably our biggest crowd ever. Nearly 250. I could see everyone in the match was nervous. But I could see they were determined to get this right. I was nervous as hell. Anyone who knows me through wrestling knows my pre performance ritual. The 4 pisses. That day I'd say I needed 20. It was time. The crowd was red hot for the main event. It was T and L's home town. Everyone knew what they had to do. D4s music played. We walked out. And it simply went perfect. It was made even more perfect when I was to throw a chair in the ring only to have lightnings mother grab it off me. The finish came. The ref counted to 3 and the crowd went crazy. There were new tag team champions. It was without a doubt my happiest moment in wrestling. The 4 lads had done an amazing job. They'd just put on one hell of a main event without a single mistake or glitch. I've never told them this put I was very proud of them that day.

That of course is only some of my CPW experience. My next blog will cover the FALL of CPW. I hope you've enjoyed my first blog. Any and all feedback is very welcome.

TTFN

Gerry

The very first

Well I don't really know where to start. I've wanted to write a blog for a long time now but if I'm honest I never really had any inspiration to do it. Until this past week. I was casually looking through my timeline on Facebook and came across the blog of Bam Katraz. His very first blog has given me the inspiration I needed. I just hope I can write a blog even half as good as his. I've a lot I'd like to write about and hopefully you, the reader, enjoy it. More to come people.

Gerry