Love Wrestling

Alexia Nicole on Taylor Wilde’s Return, Potential Future Matchup

by Spencer Love June 26, 2021

written by Spencer Love

In 2011, Alexia Nicole began her wrestling career at Ontario’s Squared Circle Wrestling Academy under the tutelage of Rob Fuego and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling legend Taylor Wilde. Wilde, of course, recently made her return to the ring after a decade-long absence, and I had to ask the Bubblegum Princess about her former trainer’s return as part of our upcoming chat on Love Wrestling. Following some words about Josh Alexander, I asked her about her long-time compatriot.

“Someone else on the IMPACT end that I was really excited to ask you about: how cool is it to see Taylor Wilde back in the ring?”

Nicole beamed.

“Oh my god it’s so cool,” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy for her. It makes me happy to see her again, because the last time I saw her, she was training me when I was starting out. It’s really good to see, and she hasn’t missed a beat.

That’s awesome. It’s just good to see her having fun, still killing it.

It’s cool to see your trainer do things! Really cool.”

“How much do you guys keep in contact?” I asked Nicole of her former trainer. “Maybe graduation isn’t the right way to put wrestling school most wrestlers will continue to go to wrestling school, but how often do you guys keep in touch? How often do you pick her brain on your professional wrestling or otherwise?”

“We’re not talking constantly, but I’d say every few months we’ll just kind of check-in on each other [and] see what’s going on,” she explained. “Again, she’s my wrestling mother, essentially. She’ll give me advice, she’ll tell me what to do, if I have a question I can ask her, so that’s always great.”

“Have you guys ever had an official match?” I asked the Bubblegum Princess. “I’m certain you guys have locked up when you’re training and that sort of stuff, but ever had a one-on-one?

“

Nicole laughed before giving her answer. “We have not and I’ve asked people to do it but no one’s gotten around to it yet!”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes and transcriptions.

June 26, 2021 0 comments

Sam Leterna on Lance Storm, Clara Mortensen, the Origins of ‘Leterna’

by Spencer Love June 26, 2021

written by Spencer Love

Over the past year-and-a-half, Sam Leterna has become one of the most notable names in wrestling broadcasting. Whether it be her work with Camp Leapfrog, hosting her own series of interviews on Wrestle Tea, or her countless hours of work as a commentator and backstage interviewer for IWTV, the former wrestler’s transition to behind the microphone has been seamless.

Whether it be her career inside or outside of the ring, Leterna has always been quick to credit her dedication to learning the history of wrestling as fundamental to her success. Given Calgary’s rich history in professional wrestling, I assumed that her moving here to train at the Storm Wrestling Academy wasn’t just an attempt to learn under the guidance of one of the world’s best trainers, but to expand her own historical knowledge of the business itself. I asked her about that as part of our upcoming interview on Love Wrestling.

“[In] any interview you’ve ever done, you’ve talked about how fundamental that’s not only been for you but should be for anybody trying to get into professional wrestling, right? I’d have to assume, but correct me if I’m wrong, that might be one of the biggest reasons you’d want to go and train with Lance Storm after you trained with Johnny Rodz, right?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Leterna agreed. “I think that the person you train with is very important, because especially now, there are good schools and bad schools with good coaches and bad coaches. Lance was one of the good ones, and I’m not even just saying good wrestling-wise and what he brings to training, he’s a good person.”

“To make that sacrifice, because it was a big sacrifice for me, I saved for four to six months about eight to ten thousand just to go to Canada for three months, so I could live the lifestyle of training and doing yoga every day and working out five days a week, and training five hours a day, five days a week with Lance and my peers, I think you have to invest in yourself, whether you’re a broadcaster, or someone looking to get into wrestling. Particularly with wrestlers, it’s pretty sink-or-swim. You should definitely do Lance’s virtual sessions! But yeah, just go with someone who fits who you are, and move if you have to, don’t be afraid to move I’d say, too.”

Clara Mortensen

After sharing some memories of her time in the home of Stampede Wrestling, I asked Leterna about a story I’d heard relating to her last name.

“You also picked something else up in Calgary, but I’ll let you tell the story. What does the name Clara Mortensen mean to you?”

“Ah, okay, okay. You did your research!” Leterna laughed. “Okay. I had been in transition with a wrestling name at that time. Lance was kind of telling us about different reasons to pick different names from different perspectives, like a business perspective, what honors you and who you are, but also allows that to be marketed and I am Hispanic, so I wanted a name that kind of mimicked that.

“

“I also had been reading – I forget exactly what it’s called, because I have a horrible memory, but it’s that book about the history of female wrestling with Sasha Banks and Natty on the cover, and Clara Mortensen came up. She called herself The Eternal One. I thought that was just so cool. The goal in that was to be “The Eternal One” Sam Leterna, a wrestler at that time. Now, it doesn’t really matter that much because as a broadcaster, we have our role, and I totally understand that, but the name has stuck and I love it.

I think it gives me a little bit of sauce, a little bit of that Hispanic flair that I like to showcase when I can. So yeah, Sam L’eterna, or Leterna.

”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes

June 26, 2021 1 comment

Gabe’s Top 5 WWE/WWF Games

by Gabe Foster June 25, 2021

written by Gabe Foster

Systems: Multiple

This time around we are going to change things up a bit. Instead of discussing just one title for a discussion, we are going to look at my personal Top 5 WWE/WWF games across all systems!

It is no secret that the WWE has had a throttle on the video game scene, constantly having games released at a rapid pace. We have not gone a single year without some sort of WWE game coming out. So, today I want to look at and briefly discuss some of my favorite WWE games over the years!

The one exclusion on this list will be the WWE Mobile titles, while I have only played one or two, you won’t see any here.

This will be solely based on home console released games. And remember this is MY personal list, so if you don’t see your favorite game on this list, let me know with some comments below or on Twitter @CFGstreams! Let’s dive in!

#5: WWE Survivor Series (Gameboy Advance)

Starting off with a title not a lot of people know of or remember, WWE Survivor Series for the best handheld system until the Switch! This game took the top stars of the WWE in the year 2004 and gave us a cool 2D, almost 3D wrestling game! You could do many matches such as:

One on One
Submission
Royal Rumble
3 and 4 Way Matches
3 on 3
Cage
Lumberjack
Hardcore
Custom(Where you can customize the match)
Tournament
Iron Man

This game is basically the same as Road to WrestleMania X8 for the Gameboy, but I love the roster and 16 bit theme songs that accompany them in this game. It is very easy to pick up and play even though the roster has a limited moveset. They still are able to capture trademark moves and finishers. Definitely pick up this game and Road to WrestleMania X8 if you have a chance!

#4: WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth (Playstation 2)

Moving on to number 4, it’s a classic that people all know about, but one that I think is better than it’s successor(I know, controversial). WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth came out and it was a HUGE upgrade from SmackDown Just Bring It! The roster in this game encapsulates a fun time as a child where the Brand Split just began and some top stars from WCW were finally showing up on TV! The story mode provided a ton of fun walking around and talking to the many different superstars hanging around backstage.

From having snow fights, to battling with foam fingers, to diving off of the SmackDown fist, this game brought some great joy. It holds a place in my heart that games like Here Comes the Pain (while great) personally can’t hold a candle to in my heart.

#3: WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2006 (Playstation 2)

You don’t hear a lot of negativity about this game, and rightfully so. SmackDown vs RAW 2006 is a game that can be picked up in the year 2021 and can still be enjoyed for hours on end. I own this game on both the Playstation 2 and PSP. They surprisingly are very different from one another.

Looking at the Playstation 2 version, it comes packed with everything you could want from a wrestling game. The peak of the Ruthless Aggression era roster with match types and game modes that have not been touched on or improved since this game. 3 Way Tag Team ladder matches was a great mode that wasn’t touched until recent 2K games. And the almighty General Manager mode. This is the most fun and engaging game mode when you really catch your stride. It has a period where it’s a constant loss for your show, but once you learn the algorithm, it really is a lot of fun to play and create new stars on your show. No limitations!

The PSP version was also phenomenal because it was able to provide everything the PS2 version brought to the table, but with some extra game modes. So yes, story mode, GM Mode, all the match types, and now a special Eugene Flight mode where you guide him from the stage to around the ring where you have to dodge obstacles. As well as Texas Hold Em! I never knew how to play this as a child but I loved just seeing these wrestlers sitting at a poker table in their ring gear, hilarious.

#2: WWF SmackDown! 2 (Playstation)

WWF SmackDown on the Playstation, the game that defined an entire franchise. Sold millions of copies and even went platinum for how many units they pushed. They took what worked in that game and really tweaked it to be a stellar wrestling game when WWF SmackDown! 2 released on the Playstation. This game includes tons of title matches, an endless storyline with tons of unlockables, and the inclusion of HELL IN A CELL (kind of).

The base game does not stop there, the modding community online has taken this game and created some really special editions. For example, our good friend Yumboy11 once made a mod that showcased the talent of Total Nonstop Action that was a lot of fun. As well as some great 90s and current-day mods that can be found HERE.

Overall this game gets my #2 spot because I still play this game to this day with friends online and get more enjoyment out of it than a lot of modern wrestling and non-wrestling games!

#1: WWE Day of Reckoning (Gamecube)

Here it is, my #1 spot. Were you expecting WWF No Mercy of Here Comes the Pain? NOPE! WWE Day of Reckoning came out on the Gamecube and oh boy did this game change my life as a kid and into my adulthood! Day of Reckoning looked to perfect on the No Mercy gameplay and improve on the mechanics used in previous Gamecube titles. Following WrestleMania 19, Day of Reckoning highlighted the 2004 WWE Roster including names like Rhino, Mark Jindrak, John Cena, The Bashams and many other top obvious names of that era. It had quick gameplay with an emphasis on collision.

For example, if you did a superkick to Kane as Lance Storm, Kane would go flying back. BUT if Edge was behind Kane, Edge would be taken out by Kane selling the superkick. Or you could powerbomb Rey Mysterio into Eddie Guerrero, knocking him out. It was a ton of fun. The story mode was very in-depth and provided an intriguing storyline that follows you from WWE tryouts and independent matches, to getting signed to Heat and making your way to the Main Event of Wrestlemania.

Creating a wrestler left A LOT of opportunity to make WHOEVER you wanted. The soundtrack shaped the music I listen to the same way Tony Hawk did and eventually I want to do a more in-depth review on this game. Eventually I will in the future because I love it so much!

And that is my personal Top 5 WWE/WWF video game list! I hope you enjoyed this article and I have many more that I’m planning to dive into!

What’s on your Top 5 list?

Let me know on Twitter: @CFGstreams

Or watch me play all of these wrestling games over on Twitch: twitch.tv/CFGstreams

June 25, 2021 0 comments

Turnbuckle Rewind: Episode Twenty Five | Honor Rumble, G1 Supercard (2019)

by Staff June 23, 2021

written by Staff

2019 saw Madison Square Garden host the first non-WWE show in nearly 50 years, and for such a landmark event, the Turnbuckle Rewind crew needed a major guest! Joe and Karl are joined by Dr. Jargo to recap the Honor Rumble from the G1 Supercard hosted by ROH and NJPW!