Corino vs. Corino
I was going through “On This Day” on Facebook and saw this match. Mandel Cook filmed our PWF (www.PWFLive.com) event on November 5, 2016 in Morehead City, NC and it was always going to be voiced over and used on our Roku channel. It will one day, but watching it brought back a lot of memories, good and bad.
This was a match that I told, anyone that would listen, would never happen. I never wanted to do a feud with Colby, but this was actually not the first time we wrestled each other.
The first time was a tag team match in 2012 in PWX when he was still under the mask as American Tiger and I, allegedly of course, was Mr. Wrestling 3.
Then we wrestled in a great six-man tag team match in Wilmington, NC in July of 2016 with his Ugly Ducklings vs. me, CW Anderson, and John Skyler. It was then that I thought it would be fun to do something in the PWF together.
But what? Throughout wrestling history you always read of the Promoter and/or Booker that pushes himself. I’ve always had the hardest time booking myself when I am in charge. I could write for a Chris Rockwell, Dylan Night, and an interactive tournament that becomes the most fun show of the year all day long, but when it comes to me, thumbs down.
So when I was doing the card for a spot show in Morehead City, I asked Colby who he wanted to work with. He said “You”.
We set the stage perfectly, if just for ourselves. November 5 was the 16th anniversary of me winning the ECW World heavyweight championship. If you are a fan of that match, you will notice that I point to my wrist as I celebrated on the second rope. The first side said “Colby” and the other side said “CB4”, which meant “Corino Boys Forever”.
He was just four years old when I won that title. A year and change before, his mother and I went through a bitter divorce, but we always loved our son. ECW was my first real break to be a full time professional wrestler. Before I signed my ECW contract, I was a full time milkman and would be a “weekend warrior”, trying to make a name for myself.
ECW gave us the chance to be together 24 hours a day when I wasn’t on the road. It was just him and I. Girlfriends would come and go, but the bond between Colby and I was unbreakable.
The other reason we wanted to do the match was because he had just found out that he had been accepted to live at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling dojo. After the stops and starts in ROH, the promises that weren’t fulfilled, and a circumstance that pulled him off TV during the BJ Whitmer/Decade angle (we will discuss that in the eventual “Story Of The Feud That Would Never End”.) He was thrilled. And for Colby, who was always very laid back, for him to be excited was cool to see.
For me, the match is fun to watch, but then it makes me sad.
As some of you know, or have read on the Internet, Colby has had an awful year. He let his demons take over, let down people that love him, and became a person that everyone knows he is not. Addiction creates so many emotions for the people that love the addict: Fear, anger, frustration, and sadness. You wake up every day hoping that this will be the day that they get it together. You wake up every day hoping that they wake up. You just want them to be healthy and happy. You would do anything to take away whatever demon is inside them that makes them want to use.
Colby lost his New Japan deal. He has bounced around from area to area and is finally settling in with his mother in Pennsylvania. He has been clean for over 50 days now. I am proud of him.
From reading and talking with other addicts and families of addicts, I know that the addiction never ends. It’s a never ending battle, but I know that if he sticks with it and believes that he can overcome, he will be on the winning side of this battle.
It breaks my heart when I see the Justin Credible video, or the 30 For 30 with Ric Flair when he talks about Reid. Just breaks my heart.
I don’t care if Colby ever steps into the squared circle again. I believe he could have been one of the best. But, as long as he is clean, healthy, and happy, I don’t care what he does for a living. At 21, even with his issues, the world is his for the taking.
Enjoy this match and throw a positive thought or two into the universe for not just Colby, but everyone that is fighting addiction. They need our help.
And to Colby, your old man will always love you.
19December
2017
2017
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Category: Uncategorized
This match was amazing. What people do not know is Colby actually had a stomach bug and was pretty sick. When I went to pick him up he puked right before he got in the car several times. Then he gets in like nothing happened. We then drove 8 hours to get there. Luckily he only puked once on the way. He was so nice about it too. While throwing up he was still saying please and thank you. When we finally arrived he wanted to show me a place called Dank Burrito. Probably not the best idea to eat while sick. When we got to the building he was so white and ghostly looking, but the moment he geared up, he was ready to go. The whole match I just waited for him to throw up all over the ring, but he never did. He really wanted that match to happen and he made sure it did. I was so lucky to get to see it live!