WARNING: THIS IS A NEAR INCOHERENT RAMBLING. I only slept four hours. I have been up since 5 a.m. I woke up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym. Despite the fact that my neck... and my lower back... and my legs... and my head hurts... I rolled out of bed to go lift heavy ass weights. This isnt normal for me. For years, Ive told Gargano, Hey, Im getting up at 5 a.m. to lift. He would shake his head, knowing that I would be snoozing in my bed until 1 p.m. But I couldnt sleep. Lifting would give me a couple hours to reflect on the last six years. Six years EXACTLY. The first PRIME Wrestling/PWO show was on October 20th, 2007. On that show, I got to wrestle the guy who helped train me, my then-new roommate, and the guy that was quickly becoming my best friend, Johnny Gargano. I was just 21 years old, and, boy, was I different. I had a huge chip on my shoulder. I hated the world. Every single day felt like it was Greg Versus Planet Earth. I was bitter and angry at everything, and lived only to prove everybody who ever said I couldnt be the things I wanted to be... to anybody who laughed at me and said I would never succeed as a wrestler because I had a hooked hand... wrong. That was no way to live. Id like to think that I grew up a lot because of the people that I was surrounded by in PWO/PRIME Wrestling. People like Johnny, who put up with me daily, and helped me become a better wrestler and man. Josh Piscura taught me how not to get blackballed from pro wrestling... and taught me so much in the ring. Josh has ALWAYS been so underrated as a wrestler, and PRIME Wrestling wouldnt have made it past episode two had it not been for him editing the product in the first season. MDogg Matt Cross was the first indy wrestler I was encouraged by to pursue my goal of becoming a wrestler. I am lucky that I was able to go from being an incredibly large fan of his work, to a close friend. Matt Hannan, the guy who is secretly one of the smartest guys. Unfortunately, I may be the only one who knows this. I had my first out of state wrestling trips with Justice, and if it wasnt for us sticking together in the beginning, we would not have even gotten as far as PWO. Matt played an important role in graphics on the show, and setting up various live events over the years. Michael Moran was the man behind the show for the first episode. For a couple years, we had a guy who half assed the product when it came to editing. Mike is a perfectionist, and its been great to have him back the last two years. Bobby Beverly is sometimes fat, sometimes skinny, but he always made me laugh. Bobby doesnt understand how good he is. Nickie Valentino was never suppose to be on the roster. He was a sub at the second Wrestlelution, and he has been a pleasure to have on board. Bobby Shields got me addicted to niacin pills. But he also gave me some of my favorite battles, including the No DQ Tag Match with Beverly against myself and Hobo Joe at Wrestlelution 3. Hobo Joe was never athletic. But he didnt need to be. His comedic timing was incredible, and I had the most fun on tv playing off of Hobo as one half of the Homeless/Handicapped Connection. Ben Fruith, if youre out there, I miss you. You proved to me that you had a fantastic mind for wrestling, and you created some of the best logos and dvd artwork in company history. N8 Mattson was and IS an incredible teacher, and any guy who is fortunate enough to be on a show with him, and wants to learn fundamentals of professional wrestling, converse with N8. He taught me many things, and gave me one of my best singles matches, at the Autorama in 2011. Ben Boone... I would literally be dead without him. Best heart in the business. Tom Dunn, your genuine concern for my safety has always been memorable... particularly when I have milked it so bad that you have got super worried. Damn you for being so tall. Pedro... anyone that knows you knows that you are the hardest working guys around. The little things you did as a ring announcer brought realism to the product, particularly your work in the Johnny Gargano Kills Greg Wilsonory Iron angle. Bryan Castle is very huggable. He likes eating Doritos on the toilet. Krimson always brought the stiff shots. Thanks for the hard hitting matches. Kirst and Gory always brought it in our matches together. Louis Lyndon, Flip, and Façade, I knew you guys were a special stable. After all, you three got the only custom entrance theme in PRIME history, written by Joe Dombrowski and myself. Rickey Shane Page. Most agile big man around, and a good friend. Vic is a dick. Just kidding. Vic and I formed a bond at Autorama in 2010, and Im proud to say hes my bud. Marion Fontaine is overly talented. Plus, the guy just gets heat by being skinny. What a heel! Madrox had some of the most laugh out loud funny promos, solely because of facial expressions. I am happy that Gowen and I got the opportunity to work with you two this year. What can I say about Zach Gowen? Hes my hero. Wrestling you at Wrestlelution 5 was a dream come true. BatDan did so much behind the scenes with set up and music. I am proud you were able to live out a dream and wrestle in front of your family in Streetsboro with PRIME. Thank you to Joe Cole for busting his ass on camera. Kory. Thanks for being so passionate. Best of luck in Texas. Bane was and is an intimidating man. It sucked not having you around this season, but Im glad you found happiness in a beautiful woman. Where is Mike Tolar? How about EJ and Cory? SCREW YOU MISTAH BRINKS. AAron Maguire. Love that guy. He ended up becoming our version of Bobby Heenan, with Dombrowski playing the role of Gorilla Monsoon. Listening to the inside jokes on commentary was one of the things I looked forward to every week on tv. Thanks, Justin Labar. You gave PWO much needed exposure during an important growing period in our company. Thanks, Joe Dombrowski. You worked too hard. Thanks for believing in the Gregory Iron character. Im probably forgetting someone. Im tired. I love every single one of you. PRIME Wrestling gave me memories that I will always cherish. The thing that I will always regret about PRIME is that the tv never lived up to its full potential. Oh well. I had a helluva time anyway. Im not going to sit here and say it was the best wrestling promotion ever. But it was the best for me. I lived it, and was closer to the ups and downs then you will ever know... until you buy my book of course. Sorry for the rambling. This is, selfishly, a facebook post to relax my mind, and not to entertain. But maybe you will accidentally enjoy it. It was fitting closing the show, with Johnny hugging me mid-ring. It reminded me of the hug we shared at Wrestlelution 1, after our Last Man Standing Match in 2008. Johnny is a hard guy to get real emotion out of. Covered in blood, I embraced him, and told him just how much everything that he and his family did to help me succeed meant to me. When he pulled me in for that hug, it was very not Johnny. But I knew it was as close to an I love you as I was ever going to get from a guy I consider to be my brother. We know how hard its all been on his family. I think we were both relieved it was over. But is it ever REALLY over...? P.S. Thanks Ring Crew William... I love you, man. Off to bed.... P.P.S: Im not bitter anymore. I am very happy.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 03:44:03 +0000