My thoughts on Mick Foley as a comedian

This might be a strange blog for my wrestling fans. So far I have talked about all things gay wrestling. Well today I am going to take a break from that an talk about something way out there. You also will be introduced to a new side of the flawless one in this blog. Let's get into it shall we!

Today I want to talk about my thoughts on Mick Foley's transition into stand up comedy. A lot of you may be scratching your head on this one but I assure you I can back this one up. I don't think I have to introduce any of you to the legend that is Mick Foley. This is a man who has put his body on the line countless times because of his love of the wrestling business. All those years of body abuse took a heavy toll on Mick. His one hip is in such bad shape that he can't even put a sock on his foot without assistance.It's a miracle that the man is still walking and not some sort of wrestling statistic at this point. It is easy to see why one would want to retire after all of that abuse. He hung up the boots and decided to enter the complex world of stand up comedy. He's been on the scene for a little over 2 years and he seems to have found a new calling.

At first I didn't know what to think of this. A lot of wrestlers think that because they can put on an amazing promo that will translate into something else. I mean look at The Rock! The Rock was perhaps one of the best mic workers of all time and has had quite a successful acting career. I personally think The Rock is a shitty actor and has no mainstream appeal. Aside from The Rock there aren't really many other wrestlers who successfully made the leap to Hollywood. Stacy Keibler, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Mickie James, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus and countless others have flopped outside the wrestling world. The point is just because you have promo skill doesn't mean it's going to translate into acting or performance skill. That's where a lot of wrestlers make the mistake. They don't realize that wrestling fans and movie, music, or comedy fans are a whole another animal. It's an animal they aren't often ready for and it eats them alive. Why didn't this happen to Mick Foley?

Is Mick Foley funny? How did he not fail as a comedian?
The question of if Mick Foley is funny is debatable. How he got successful is mostly because he has a fanbase already built in. A lot of his stand up is based on his wrestling career and road stories. He isn't really a traditional comedian and he hits his niche.  That is really how he managed to dominate the comedy world. His wrestling fans have joined him for his new journey and everything he says is gold. He knows what his niche is and he isn't going outside of that niche. He knows he can appeal to the wrestling fans and knowing how passionate wrestling fans are helps him out a lot! It's not just him after any comedian gets successful they tend to stick to a particular niche. For example a lot of female comics rely on feminist jokes. I do think that he still would have been able to find success without the WWE history. The one thing he has that is different than every other performer from WWE is passion. This is a man that puts his 100% into everything. He is also likeable and actually has amazing comedic timing. He can read an audience and get them on his side and make them laugh. I think he would have easily found success but his journey might have been a lot harder. Like I said he heavily relies on his main wrestling fanbase niche. A lot of non wrestling fans might be easily turned off or not get some of his references. I think any truly good comedian can manipulate an audience to get them on their side even if it's out of their niche. I am surprised he has lasted this long as the stand up world isn't pretty behind the scenes.  I'll get more into that in a second.

My experience in the stand up world

As I mentioned earlier I can back this blog up. Before I became a gay wrestling superstar I was making my own impact on the comedy scene. A lot of my act is very diverse and usually vulgar. My niche is what it's like to be gay and presenting that to a mostly straight audience. I do just the right amount and add some variety of content so that my audience can usually relate. Otherwise I'm just telling vulgar gay jokes to an audience that doesn't care. I don't perform as often as I used to. I actually was getting quite well known in my area and in order to be successful you have to dominate your local market and move on. The problem with that is once you go into some bigger markets the comedy market is flooded. You can have 10 comedians in a smaller town competing for a handful of spots and everyone gets a chance. Once you go to the bigger markets you'll have 100 people competing for that handful of spots. It is a lot to deal with and the pressure is really on. Then you have to deal with all the bullshit that goes on behind the scenes. A lot of times club owners bring you in and then they come up with some sort of excuse as to why they can't pay you. There are a lot of times you have to fight for the money you earned. You were agreed to get X amount of money but a club owner might say some bullshit like "We didn't sell enough drinks and you didn't bring in enough of an audience." That line is really cute when you are an opener and not a headliner. Aside from shady club owners you have other comedians in some areas that might be trying to sabotage your success.  I had this one guy that hated me because I was gaining popularity and he was more or less washed up. I was working my ass off and he saw me as a threat. He started bad mouthing me to other comedians and to club bookers. Luckily I had the fan support and people requesting me at the club and was known for my professionalism.We were booked on a show together and he had a temper tantrum quit the show and I was headliner. Worked out quite well for me. Overall I just got sick of the whole scene and limited how often I was doing it. It was something fun to do from time to time but as a full time type of thing it was just brutal. I think Mick Foley is more than capable of handling himself when those situations come up and I am sure they will and they have. Maybe the transition worked so well because both the comedy world and wrestling world are fucked up behind the scenes!

Flawless Flashback - Damien vs Black Dragon

              Damien vs Black Dragon 2013 - A review from Damien's perspective!


Damien Vs Black Dragon? - UCW Match 273 by damienflawless

Where do I start with this match? I arrived to UCW that day expecting to wrestle Pvt Jack. I was very excited about this opportunity for a number of reasons. He's one of the hottest wrestlers in UCW and I could have used that to my advantage for many reasons. There would be people who would just be buying the match for his looks and they'd be impressed with my flawless skill! It was a win win situation. I don't much recall who was there that day but most of the other wrestlers were either forming alliances with one another, working out, or were taking part in the matches that were being filmed. I really don't get involved with the other wrestlers and what they do. I tend not to trust people too easily and keep to myself. Plus I had my own shit to do. This was my second match and I really wanted to leave an impression with the fans. This could have easily been the match to make or break me. One thing was clear I wanted to break Pvt Jack. There was just something I didn't like about him from the moment I saw his picture. Having never met the guy and only seeing him in video promos I just didn't like him. I was going to dish out some punishment and really not give a shit. I was going to give it my all and make sure he didn't take me too lightly. So while others were doing their own thing I was doing my research on Pvt Jack. I wanted to go into this match with some strategy. He was what 5'2" so I figured I could maybe kick him and he would go flying! No seriously you don't wanna mess with those short guys. They can headbutt you in the balls! Seriously though I just didn't like him or his attitude and wanted to give him an adjustment. To me he is one of those people that has a pretty face and just talks out their ass. He is so smug and just filled with arrogance that you just wanna slap him. That is just my personal opinion. That in no way represents what kind of person he is.  He could be friendly and super nice but this is my opinion here not anyone else's. I spent my before match time forming strategy and planning out how I'd work this match. I wasn't planning on losing this one or letting him have his moment.

So How did I end up facing Black Dragon?
I have no idea how this ended up happening? From the moment I arrived to UCW that day till I got
dressed for my match I thought I was facing Pvt Jack, I had everything planned out in my head even what I was going to say and it was comedy gold. I had experience in comedy and fans could see a new side of me. I had a curve ball thrown my way when what appeared to be Black Dragon showed up to my match. Something looked very different about Black Dragon? I was only slightly familiar with his stuff but he looked way too tall to be Black Dragon. I thought maybe Jack is trying to throw me off and he is the one acting as Black Dragon. Only there was one problem with that. He was about three feet too tall! Since Jack is about three feet tall I figured something was up. This wasn't Jack and I don't know who the hell it was but it sure in hell wasn't Black Dragon either! I later found out that Jack had some sort of travel issue. Poor excuse for saying he was scared to face me! In any event I had to face this Black Dragon character and he was goofy. Now that I was facing someone else I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know his wrestling style or what I was going to do. Thankfully I managed to survive the match and I must say that it was quite a decent match. I was able to take back my deep dislike of Pvt Jack and play off of Dragon's taunts. Even using some of his own against him.

What did I learn from all of this?
This was a great experience for me all the way through. Even though I was not prepared for this match I got to learn from it. I learned to expect the unexpected in UCW because in short notice things can and will change. This being my second match in UCW I also got better as a wrestler. There was a noticeable improvement in my wrestling ability in such a short amont of time. Most importantly I learned more about my potential and what I was truly capable of.

So who was in the Black Dragon costume?
No spoilers here! You are going to have to buy the match to see the outcome and the "twist ending"
Luckily you can buy the match at http://www.ucw-wrestling.com 

Final Thoughts!
I did eventually get my hands on Pvt Jack thanks to a custom match. However what happens in a custom match STAYS IN A CUSTOM MATCH! I can't share the details with you even if I wanted to. Speaking of custom matches I am available for custom matches. The full details can be found on the UCW website. Thanks for reading another one of my blogs. STAY FLAWLESS!

Previews will now be posted on DailyMotion

I have removed my non ucw previews off of youtube. They can now be found on DailyMotion. It seems that the dailymotion audience isn't quite as uptight. I took the remaining ones down and posted them on DailyMotion. Whomever reported my videos should report every other wrestling video that has ever been made. Every professional or amateur organization in the world shouldn't be able to have videos up by that logic! Wrestling is a very homo erotic sport regardless of if you view it that way or not. The logic of reporting a wrestling video for "sexual content" is just a very flawed and stupid one. Sumo wrestling and someone getting dropped on thumbtacks can turn someone on for god sakes. Those types of videos might as well be reported as well! I know this rant and blog post sounds silly but that is exactly my point. All it takes is one person to be offended by something to ruin it for everybody else. Anyway my wrestling previews have a new home which you can see by going to http://www.dailymotion.com/damienflawless

Making my presence known in the gay wrestling world.

     As usual with me this blog is going to cover so many diverse topics. I can probably break it down into multiple blogs but I'll just present it all into one jumbled mess. The main topic behind this blog post is about making my presence known in the gay wrestling world and my future in it. As I said I will cover a wide range of topics. I'll talk about my current UCW status, some of the other opportunities I had, and why I'm also doing my own thing on the side. So let's get this thing started.

What is my current status with UCW?
A lot of people have been confused lately on what is going on with my career in UCW. Let me be the first to tell you that I am on great terms with the company. I live in a region where this winter has been one of the worst in 20 years. Any opportunity that has arisen this winter for me to take part in anything hasn't worked out cause of the damn weather. I assure you I will be back and in matches at some point. I did take a little break because of college and my pro training. I have a fanbase that wants to see me, so I'll be back.  I wanted to improve my skills and be the best wrestler I could be. You guys are going to notice a bit of a change! I have quite a few goals that I want to accomplish and of course one of them is being ucw champion at some point down the line. Or perhaps tag team champions if and when they decide to make a tag team championship. Some of the tag team matches they have had have been awesome!  Tag team championship is way overdue! Let's hope it happens!

What other opportunities came up?
Shortly after appearing in a few UCW videos there were other offers that came in for me. While Damien is exclusive to UCW. I felt that if I took advantage of some of the other opportunities I could widen my fanbase and gain more exposure. Many wrestlers appear on multiple sites so it was an exciting chance to get more known. For one reason or another it wasn't meant to be! I won't mention the other sites by name as I don't wanna spread negativity but at the end of the day I felt it wasn't in my best interest. I felt one of the sites seemed to be insulting it's "gay audience" while marketing to them at the same time. That is a big chunk of my fanbase and I wouldn't feel right wrestling for that site. Then there was this whole drama with this guy down south who wanted me to basically be his business partner and end up doing all the work. He sent me numerous copies of his business liscenses and said he had wrestlers but it was all sketchy. The kicker was he wouldn't pay for my flight or gas down there. He ended up dissapearing and apparently he passed away but I could never find an obituary in any of his local papers just a prior arrest record. The whole thing was strange! Then of course Bg never worked out for me but as far as I know that door could still be open. There are a few things it would depend on and a few of my fans have dream match ups for me and some bg wrestlers.

So why am I doing my own thing as well?

Boyfriend Wrestling 2 - Grayden D Flawless vs... by damienflawless

Boyfriend Wrestling 1 - Grayden D Flawless vs... by damienflawless

Now we get to the part of the discussion of why I chose to start doing some of my own videos. Long story short I just love wrestling! It is giving me another opportunity to make my self known in the gay wrestling world. At the same time I get to introduce my wonderful fiance to the wrestling world. I get to work with him and teach him some moves and shape him into an awesome performer. It's really just a fun thing to do. There was no other motive behind it. I think it caused some confusion for people who thought I was done with UCW and was on my own.  I love working for UCW and will continue to support them as long as I am relevant and fit their criteria. Doing my own videos in addition just gives me some more opportunities to gain a following and get more of a fanbase. It also gives my boyfriend a chance to start getting known. Perhaps we can be the next power couple of gay wrestling. I don't know of any other couples in gay wrestling right now. I know Skip Vance and his partner were high on the hierarchy. I won't speak anymore on what happened with them because I really don't know and it's really not any of my concern. So now there is a void there. Might make me sound like an asshole but there is a void.  Although my fiance he may not have a lot of wrestling knowledge yet he is motivated and willing to learn.  If it does come to my fiance joining ucw at sometime he would already have a fan base and that would help with his and mine sales with UCW. So there is a positive on both ends.  Partnering with Xtube also gives me some more creative control. I could do a match where the loser screws the winner or whatever other fetish there may be. I always wanted to do something in the adult industry at one point but being with a porn studio wasn't for me. That was another thing that came up in the past. Even had an offer which I turned down. This way doing it on my own I get to work in the adult industry like I wanted, but get to do it with someone I love. To share that level of passion and share it on video is just amazing. Someday I may choose to branch away from Xtube but for now they are the best financial option.

If you'd like to see our stuff on Xtube look up GraydenAndDevin in the gay section  Here are some screenshots from our matches so far.

                                           Devin is about to whip my ass (above)

                                           About to deliver some gut punches (above)

                                             The bastard using my signature low bow on me (above)

                                              Chilling with a head scissors

Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to read this blog. Hope you guys have enjoyed
Love
Grayden Damien

Behind The Scenes of My First Match with AXEL and my UCW DEBUT!

                                                     MY DEBUT UCW MATCH 
                                                                     FEB 2013

      It seems like only yesterday I was in my first match in UCW! I can't believe it has already been a year almost. This is a match that I rarely talk about. I mean Axel by all means is an incredible performer. A possible induction into the Gay Wrestling Hall of Fame (which i hope to create.. more on that later) but I really have pushed this match aside. I feel I have brushed it off because it was my debut match. I hate being a newbie at anything and this was no exception. I was so nervous the entire day that I found out I would be having my debut match. Let's sort of rewind about how I got to UCW at this point.

     I was sitting in a very dingy gay bar that shall remain nameless. I had actually left because the owner tried to fuck me in the bathroom. He followed me in and was trying to put moves on me and luckily I was able to push him off of me and make an exit. (I can get more into some other time) before I left I grabbed a philadelphia gay news magazine. I was going through the magazine and saw this ad for a wrestling promotion. They were seeking fresh talent and mentioned something about training in the ad. I was instantly drawn to the guy in the ad. That would be none other than my future rival, Michael Hannigan. I thought Michael was really cute, but not a super sexy guy. He didn't have a lot of muscle but he was appealing. I thought to myself, self maybe this is something I could do. My experience in wrestling up until this point was a bit of pro training, which i dropped because of money issues, wrestling with my friends, and high school. Although I wasn't able to even compete in high school because I was kind of a trouble maker and got suspended. Wasn't able to compete for the team so what little i learned was wasted.  I was also feeling very down at this point because I was had a BG East audition a month prior and was told I was too slim. I had the look he liked but he wanted me to put on more muscle. I never saw that as a rejection, more of if it is meant to happen it will happen. So I made contact with UCW and BodySlam Mike was very interested in me.

A little bit after answering that ad I was rushed down for some training. I was already a natural performer and just needed to be shown a few moves basically. Went for a few training sessions and after that was told I'm being put in a match against AXEL. The golden boy of UCW. I was both thrilled and terrified. I always appear confident but I tell you that sometimes is a front.I don't let it show because what I learned from the indy world of wrestling is fans will eat you alive if they see you lack confidence. At this point I didn't have a name or a character. I started talking about being FLAWLESS and having this high ego basically. That was the birth of my character and I didn't even know I was doing it. I was set to be the in between type of character. It wasn't till after my debut that people started to tell me that I looked like Axel.  I heard and to this day still hear people ask me if we are related. I think there was an opportunity for an incredible angle there with me playing his younger brother. It could have opened up many doors but I thought I'd sort of be in the shadows and never really on Axel's level. So I am thrilled that never came to fruition. 

    It comes time for my first match. I am also facing a fear of now having to do a 35 minute match where the moves aren't called. Any other time before this I'd be used to working with my friends or my pro training calling out moves. You can't do that when there is a camera so close to you because then you ruin the fantasy of it all. This was something else for me to adapt to. A new style. Having to feed off of body movements and signs of what moves would come next. I tell you it was a learning experience and one I was very thankful to have. My fears were easily rested as Axel is an incredible performer and worked a great deal with me. He carried me through the match and honestly he can make a potato make it look like it has wrestling ability. He really is that good. He has been doing this shit for years and knows what he is doing. I was also very comfortable with him so our chemistry was spot on. There was one point in the match that I thought as a rookie I was in control for too long. I didn't think it would be believable if I was in control too long.  I started to do some taunts and really wind him up. I wanted to be in control longer but I also kind of wanted to keep fans in suspense.  He without hesitation took control and again carried me through. After it was all said and done I think I had a great deal of respect for him. The match ended up going over well and it got me off to a good start in UCW.

              SO WHAT DO I REALLY REALLY THINK OF AXEL OFF SCREEEN?
     I told you guys that I was going to be brutally honest and not hold back. So here goes! I don't really know a lot about Axel behind the scenes. We've shared a few laughs and had some conversation, but aside from that I really don't know much about him. He's sort of hard to get a reading on. I think he's fairly guarded, you never really know what he's thinking. I mean aside from that he is smart and motivated. I think he knows what he wants in life and goes after it. He knows what is best for business in a lot ways too. So he is an ideal person to have in a control position at UCW. He also has some crazy ass fans.

      Thanks for sharing this look back with me. I'll leave you with some screenshots that I came across from this match. If you'd like to purchase this match go UCW MATCH 258

Hello to my fans!

Hello to my fans. You either know me as Grayden or Damien! You know me as Grayden if you have followed me on cam, or my custom videos with my fiance Devin. You know me as Damien if you follow me on UCW-WRESTLING. I'll be posting all sorts of things here over the next few weeks.

I am not quite sure what I want to accomplish with this blog. There will be quite a lot of things that I will discuss from time to time. I am going to offer some in depth moments from some of my matches. The types of things that were going on in my head and I'm gonna get honest. I'll also fill you in on some other offers I have received. I'll also discuss the current UCW product from time to time. I'm sure just for fun I will probably start giving some feedback on the current WWE product as well. Maybe I'll even start following some of the gay indy wrestlers and offer some insight on them.

Keep checking back as I will be working on this over the next few days to get it looking FLAWLESS!

Lots of Love
Grayden Damien