JD Michaels checks in on the way to Louisville, KY, with his latest column!

JD Michaels — Superstar Style

Louisville Bound!

Anyone who knows me personally knows the bullshit I’ve been dealing with regarding the US Government and my Green Card situation. The situation has been long, beyond frustrating and has restricted me from not only moving within the US but also going back to Canada to see my family. However, in late June I FINALLY received my residency and permission to travel/move. With my sister getting married in August, April and I decided to drive up to Canada and spend a nice 4 weeks doing a whole lot of nothing and catching up being so it had been about 15 months since I had seen my family. The drive was 3.5 days (42 hrs) to get to E-Town and once there, it was so relaxing, refreshing and fun, we ended up staying closer to 6 weeks.

I also was able to make a one off return to Power Zone Wrestling in Lethbridge on August 8th. PZW has a great crowd and is a lot of fun to work. PZW was also my last match in Canada last year before I moved and I lost a ‘Steel chair on a pole-Loser leaves town” match to ‘Indystructable’ Brady Roberts. We did a deal where I came back, wanted a shot to get back in the company and if I won, I’d get my job back plus a title shot… but if I lost, I could never do PZW again.

So Brady and I met again in another 20 min. classic which featured crisp wrestling, high flying, vicious interference from April and brawling all over–including the stage. In the end, the ref was taken out, so I low blowed Brady and hit him with the big elbow - SuperStarStyle and covered him for what should have been a 3 count. No ref. The commish ran in, but by then, Brady kicked out. April and I didn’t like how long it took the commish to get in there, so we kicked his ass and stomped him good. I grabbed the ring bell and went after Brady who ducked and knocked me out of the ring… only to turn around and get his teeth slapped by April.

Brady grabbed the bell and stalked April but was cut off from behind by the PZW Champ, Adrian Walls. I jumped back in the ring and the 3 of us delivered a solid beat down to Brady for his troubles. The PZW owner, Stormbringer, came running in like a maniac with a friggin shovel so we decided to exit stage right and live to fight another day. The show was a lot of fun, the crowd was crazy hot and they were into everything we did. I was pleased with the big response I got being so it had been 18 months since my last match for PZW. If scheduling permits it, don’t be surprised to see JD back in Lethbridge.  Great pics courtesy of Diamond Don.

While in Canada, April and I decided since I was now allowed to relocate that once we got back, we should. In addition to being told I should be in the Louisville area due to OVW, April has a few friends there and I also found out there is a TON of wrestling between KY, OH, TN, MI, IN. So we decided after the 4 day drive across Canada back to CT that we’d drive out to Louisville and find a place.

I saw that Raw was going to be in Nashville on the 17th — which coincidentally was my birthday (and Thank You to all who wrote and left me Birthday Wishes) and only 2.5 hrs. away from Louisville, so I decided I was going to head to Raw while April started the apartment hunting. We left Sunday morning for the 14 hr drive and got into our Extended Stay America room about 2am. The floor looked like shit, there were wet spots all over and here is the real kicker… once we got into bed, we both started itching like crazy. Lame! I got up to grab a glass of water and as I got into bed, KABOOM! I was on my knees in pain… there was some bar sticking out of the bed frame unlike anything I’ve ever seen before on a bed frame and I cracked my ankle bone on it. I turned the light on and it was already bruising and swollen… lovely. The itching didn’t go away so about 4:30 am we decided to find a new hotel.

The hotel tried to say ‘maybe too much bleach in the wash?”….

“Maybe bullshit, your beds are dirty.”  We found another hotel and were all settled around 5:30 am. I tried to go straight to sleep being so I would have to get up around 9am to head to Nashville. I barely slept and felt ‘dead’ when I awoke… which didn’t change much on my drive down.

I checked in about noon, filled out the legal papers and relaxed. A little while later, a few guys from Memphis Wrestling arrived along with a few developmental guys. We shot the shit for a while as the ring wasn’t up till after 2. Derrick King and I were sitting a few rows away from the ring talking Memphis when Jamie Knoble (who is also an agent) called us into the ring. We started wrestling for about 15 min. 2 other guys showed up and we started a tag for another 10-15 min. As soon as the tag ended and I grabbed my gatorade, I noticed my vision was messed and I was seeing double. Also, my hearing was weird… it sounded like I was under water. Now this worried me as I did not get hit in the head nor did I take a bad bump. So WTF? Then within seconds, I was dry heaving.

Knoble hopped in the ring and said “Everyone out, except for JD. JD I want you to work Johnny Jeter right now, let him be heel and let him call everything.  Are you ok??”

I said “Oh yeah, just grabbing a breath”.

He says “Ok, as long as your not blown up, because this isn’t the time to be blown up, this is your shot for a job.” FUCK ME. I would have rather been blown up… at least I could deal with that. But my hearing and vision were fucked and because I had no possible idea how or why, it was really worrying me. I still think that possibly my inner ear/equilibrium got knocked out of whack by just a regular bump…???

But I didn’t have time to think as Fit Finlay said “ding ding” from the floor. It was right out of a movie “hey kid, here’s your chance” and all I can think of is which of the 2 Jeter’s I see should I lock up with and how can I stop myself from puking all over him….

He called a pretty simple match, maybe 5-6 minutes. Very basic. When it was over, now I couldn’t breathe and felt like I was suffocating. Between Finlay, Arn, Malenko and Knoble, someone would have pointed out if I did shitty because well, that is what they do and I’m sure they enjoy it. But surprisingly, they didn’t. Although based off the way I felt, I totally thought I shit the bed.

One of the agents said “you don’t look ok, are you sure you’re alright?”

I down played it by saying “yeah I’m just fighting off the flu so I’m trying not to chuck in the ring.”  Jeter told me not to worry about it as everyone has sick days, but fuck me of all days for something to happen.  Vince wanted to rehearse his adoption skit so we were relieved from the ring. I made my way to the back to grab a bottle of water and noticed I was walking like a drunk –practically bouncing off the Raw ramp and the guard rail beside it. I poured a whole bottle of water on my head and tried to sip another as I was still extremely nauseous.

About an hour later they were still rehearsing stuff so I went to catering and tried to eat some prime rib and get something into my stomach. Along with a soda for some sugar, about 45 min. after that and I was feeling a bit better. The open matches were already booked for the OVW guys and Johnny Swinger got stuck with the squash so I got to just take it easy for the rest of the day. In addition to just feeling like crap, in my mind I felt like my life was temporarily ruined. But I was reminded that the 35 or 40 min. before I got messed up I put on a clinic and definitely showed what I have to offer as far as look and in ring work. Right before I got changed, Knoble came up and asked me for my age and all my contact info. I gave him a dvd/pix as well because last time they called me the next day asking for footage and pictures.

April and found a sweet apartment on the east side of Louisville the next day. It’s barely 2 years old and has literally everything we could want within a 10 min. drive. We capped off Tuesday by grabbing dinner with fellow canuck, Tracy Brooks at the ever so yummy PF Changs (who is going to score a lot of business from us once we move!). I’m pretty excited about the move. Louisville is quite nice, centrally located to several major cities and has great weather year ’round. I will also be much busier with wrestling. I’ve been in contact with many promotions in the 5 or 6 states I mentioned earlier and have already received several offers for bookings. I am also in talks with Memphis Wrestling to do their TV show (which airs on the Fight Network) so keep your eye out as I turn the corner to yet another chapter in my career.

Controversy never looked THIS good!!

-– JD Michaels
(5/15/07)
Posted with the permission of JD Michaels. Not to be re-posted without the permission of JD Michaels!