WHAT'S GOING ON WITH CHRISTA?

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Or Ambrollins, as we wrestling shippers like to call them.

Are you curious as to what I've been working on lately? Well let me share with you! As mentioned, I'm working on a starting a series. It will be set in the world of professional wrestling, which is why I've been posting my Hot Wrestlers of the Week. I figured a little bit of eye candy along with some bits of wrestling knowledge will help readers get into the series. And as I've mentioned before, wrestling is so deliciously homoerotic, how could I not write about it?


As this is my first attempt at outlining an entire series, I knew I'd need to go about it very carefully. I created a series bible to keep track of all the story outlines and characters.

I'd hate to give a guy brown eyes in book 1 and then compare his eyes to a summer's sky in book 4.


But speaking of my characters, I've got a great cast of people. They're different ethnicities and have varied backgrounds. That's the type of crew I like to read and write about. And yes, in the crew I have men and women, gay and straight. However, after asking for advice in the always fabulous M/M Book Rec group, I decided to keep the gay stories separate from the hetero. Not because of any negative reasons. Simply to make it easier for consumers to know what they're are buying. So the part of the series that I am working on now is gay romance. I even have a series name! My lovely bestie Amanda came up with Champions of Desire. I love it! All of the stories in Champions of Desire will be interconnected, but you will be able to read them as stand alones. And as for the as yet unnamed m/f books, you will not need to read them in order to follow along with what's happening on the m/m side. They will be completely separate, so no one on either side will feel as though they are missing out. I think this is
the best plan.



Anyhoo, I'm working on the first book now. It's tough because I've got guys from other books clamoring in my head for my attention. Especially the guys from books 3 and 4. Pipe down boys! I can only write one book at a time. In book 1 you'll meet Chance aka The Chancellor and Devin. Chance is a vet with Frontier Professional Wrestling. He's smart, doesn't take any shit, and is very much in the closet. Devin is a young signee with FPW. He's got a slight case of hero worship for The Chancellor. And he wouldn't mind doing a little private mat wrestling with Chance, if you know what I mean. *insert douchey wink*

Chance aka The Chancellor

Devin

So when will you get to meet these yummy fellas? I'm shooting for the end of June / early July. You'll keep your fingers crossed for me that I stay on track, right? Thank you kindly. Alright I must go. I left Devin walking around their hotel room in tiny little shorts, tempting the hell out of Chance. Better get back to them, I don't want Devin's legs to get cold. 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Christa

I love my book baby.

HOT WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: Randy Orton

Hello there! I had to take a short break, but I'm back with the next hottie in my Hot Wrestler of the Week series. This week's guy is a personal favorite of mine. He is amazing in the ring and has the body of a chiseled Greek god. We're both from St. Louis and were in high school at the same time, although in neighboring districts. I like to pretend this means we could have been friends. Ladies and gents I give you Randy Orton.

STATS
From: St. Louis, Missouri
Age: 34
Promotion: WWE
Height: 6'5
Weight: 245

Although Randy is young, he's a veteran of the WWE. He's been with the company going on thirteen years, and he's been a top star for nearly that entire time. On TV he's been an (sort of kayfabe) entitled third-generation wrestler, handpicked for championship shots. 

He's been a (kayfabe) legend killer where he took out the stars of yesterday in brutal fashion. 

 

And he's been a sadistic, crazy bad ass, ruled by the voices in his head that tell him to drop any and everybody with his finisher - the RKO. (Jury is still out on whether or not this part is kayfabe)

What's the RKO you ask? It's a cutter where the victim has his gead gripped and driven into the mat. It's hard to put into words so here's some gifs.

 

I'd like to take an RKO, just once to see what it's like. I'd survive, right?

 On second thought, I'd rather not fall off a ladder and have my face smashed into a wrestling ring, so I'm gonna skip it.







It's a cool move and it often happens *cough* out of nowhere. There was even a hysterical series of RKO Vines that went around last year. Some of these look painful, so if you're squeamish, skip it.

Randy's quick movements in the ring along with his writhing, I mean errr... slithering have earned him the nickname The Viper. Randy often finds someway to get in trouble outside of the ring and has a mouth on him that causes him to get bleeped! on camera a lot of times (naughty bad boy!) but I think his mannerisms and move set are one of the best. The fact that he looks like this is just icing on the cake. Cake that I'm sure he never eats with abs like that.

 

Did you notice the sheen to his glorious abs? Here's another look in case you missed it.

They shine because he really likes to oil up before matches. The man glistens under the lights. I mean seriously, I don't know how he keeps from throwing himself belly down on the ramp and going down it like a slip and slide. I like it, but I can't help but tease. Sir Oilyness inspired me to make this sign for a live event I went to a couple years back. Sadly, he didn't select me for the job.







Sigh. I guess I'll have to continue to admire him from afar. Like in his match this Sunday at Wrestlemania, where he takes on a growing favorite of mine, Seth Rollins. Can't wait until this Sunday to see more of Mr. Orton? Then feast your eyes on the pics, gifs and video below.

Maybe he has an ouchie there that I could help him with? I have Band-Aids

Who gave this poor man a wedgie?

Randy in a shirt AND pants is a rare occurrence. This is from the WWE film he starred in, Twelve Rounds: Reloaded

 

Thanks for reading!

*With the exception of the baby oil pic, none of the images or videos are mine. I borrowed them because they're pretty, but they remain the property of their owners.

WHO DESERVED BETTER? My Thoughts on Chris Kanyon's Autobiography

Professional wrestling can be awesome. It's fun to watch and most of the guys who work in the business absolutely love it. But at the same time, like any performance industry, or hell - life in general, it has it dark sides. It's no secret that many wrestlers have died young. Accidents, drugs, health problems and other causes have taken many wrestlers away from the ring before their time. Suicide has also claimed the lives of several wrestlers, including Chris Kanyon.

Who was Chris Kanyon? He was a professional wrestler from Queens, NY. He trained in small promotions throughout the East coast, eventually ending up in the now defunct WCW. He had mid-level success there and when the WCW closed its doors he had a short run in the WWE. But in 2010, Chris Kanyon died of a drug over dose. His depression lead him to take that final step. And that depression was exacerbated by living life as a closeted gay wrestler.

I didn't know this until last year. When Kanyon was actively wrestling, it was mostly on WCW. I've always been a WWE mark, so other than the big names, I didn't pay too much attention to what was going on in WCW. I knew who he was of course. I remember his pretty dark hair and his catch phrase, "Who better than Kanyon? Nobody!" But that was pretty much it. So when I came across his name in an article listing deceased wrestlers I was surprised. One, because I didn't know that he was dead. Two, because other than Pat Patterson and Darren Young (who came out in 2013), I'd never heard of any openly gay wrestlers. I did a little Googling and discovered that he'd co-written an autobiography, Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon, Wrestling's Gay Superstar. I ordered it, not sure what to expect.

What I quickly realized, was that Kanyon was an awesome story teller. Yes, the book is co-authored by Ryan Clark who did an amazing job. But I couldn't tear myself away from Kanyon's stories. I know that it can be incredibly painful to be a gay youth in America. I see examples all the time and have some small personal experience with it because of a beloved family member. I don't pretend to understand that struggle. But reading Kanyon's experiences as a confused gay teen touched my heart. His recounting of confiding in a member of his church made my face hot with anger. And the story of his first kiss with a boy and the events that came after made me sad, both for him and the boy he scared away.

I did laugh a lot as I read Wrestling Reality. It was interesting to read his journey from kid who idolized wrestlers to becoming one himself. And I groaned at some of the backstage wrestling idiocy he revealed. But overall I was just ... sad. This man lived his entire life in the closet just so that he would be accepted and able to pursue the career he loved. He was so terrified of people finding out his secret that he went years without being in a relationship. That loneliness must have been awful. I couldn't imagine having to make a decision like that: be who you are in your personal life or have the career you want. He couldn't have both, so he sacrificed who he was in order to perform.

Were there other gay wrestlers in the industry at the time? Oh, I'm sure there were, percentages alone tell you that there have to have been. Were any of those wrestlers partially out - where their wrestling buddies but not the general public knew? More than likely. But Kanyon felt he wasn't able to come out, and when he tried to do so, it seems as though he were punished for it. After that, he hit a low patch in his wrestling career, his depression worsened and finally, he committed suicide.

After I finished Kanyon's book I felt so bad for him. So I decided to do a small thing in his name. The first book in my M/M professional wrestling erotic romance will be dedicated to the memory of Chris Kanyon. And a portion of the proceeds from the series will be donated to Out Athletes, a nonprofit organization that helps build inclusive sports organizations. It may be silly and perhaps some might not approve of involving his name with the type of books I write, but it makes my heart feel better.

Chris Kanyon's book, WRESTLING REALITY is available on Amazon. I invite you to check it out. If you do, be sure to tell me what you think.

Love,
Christa

HOT WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: Kota Ibushi

Continuing on with our Hot Wrestler of the Week posts! This week I'm venturing into territory that is still new to me, New Japan Pro Wrestling. As I've mentioned, I've been a wrestling fan since I was a kid. But I never really paid attention to what was going on in Japan, first because I was clueless. Then because I was a typical lazy American and didn't want to put forth the effort to discover Japanese wrestling and listen to Japanese commentary. But NJPW is gaining popularity in the American wrestling audience so I gave it a go. And I love it! The athleticism and story telling in their matches are amazing. Their wrestlers are so talented that I don't even care that I can't understand the commentary. One of my favorites is Kota Ibushi. He's pretty. And he's super talented. And he's pretty.

STATS
From: Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Age: 32
Promotion: NJPW & DDT
Height: 5'11
Weight: 190

Since I'm still learning about NJPW and Ibushi, this post will be mostly pictures.  But you don't mind, right?

I do know that Ibushi has been a Junior Heavyweight Champion on multiple occasions, both as a tag team and a singles competitor.

How is it possible to be this adorable after wrestling a match?

Kota Ibushhi has some moves that make my heart jump into my throat when I'm watching him wrestle.

Standing Shooting Star Press into a Moonsault

Corkscrew 450 Splash

This guy has NO fear.

But he's also strong and has moved up into the Heavyweight division.

The first match I ever saw of his was versus Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Ibushi lost, but it was by far my favorite match of the program. 

 I bet there are more championships in his future. In the meantime, he can go on being amazing and looking gorgeous while doing it.

Move over Old Spice Guy, Kota Ibushi is on a white horse.

Hmmm... which Ibushi do I like better? Beach Ibushi?

Or Bubbles Ibushi?

Kidding, Bare Bum Ibushi is my fave.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to figure out what's happening in these two matches. 

Professional Wrestling, ladies and gentlemen. 

Visit New Japan Pro Wrestling for more on Kota Ibushi and others. Thank you to creators of pictures and gifs. None of the images used are my own.

HOT WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: Bobby Roode

Continuing on with our Hot Wrestlers of the Week! This week I'm jumping over to a different promotion, TNA. What's a promotion, you ask? A promotion is a wrestling company. It can also be referred to as a federation.  The different promotions range in size, talent and wrestling styles. Smaller indie promotions can be found across the globe. They often put on shows in places ranging from VFW halls to small arenas. Two of the largest wrestling promotions are World Wrestling Entertainment and New Japan Pro Wrestling. There are also two mid-sized companies, Ring of Honor and TNA. One of the most popular (and good lookin') guys in TNA is Bobby Roode.

STATS
From: Ontario, Canada
Age: 37
Promotion: TNA
Height: 6'0
Weight: 240

If you like the burly, manly, Canadian type, Bobby Roode is for you. When Roode first debuted in TNA he was the enforcer for his group, Team Canada. An enforcer is the guy who you don't want to mess with. He comes in and solves problems by knocking heads, enforcing the superiority of his stable. And with a physique like this, it's obvious why Roode held that role.












Roode has been a key player of TNA Impact Wrestling for going on eleven years. That's the type of longevity that shows a wrestler has a passion for the business. His skill and and passion have paid off with multiple championship titles. He's been one half of several TNA championship tag teams.

Bobby Roode as the "money" in Beer Money Inc.

Tag Team Champ with Austin Aries

He's also reached the highest levels as a singles competitor. Roode has earned the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on several different occasions, including one reign that lasted for 256 days.

 

Whether he's sporting a classic diamond encrusted robe or slowly unbuttoning a white dress shirt, Roode has the look of a man who means business.

He says he's got the It Factor, and I definitely agree. Take a peek at a few more of his pics and tell me what you think of Mr. Bobby Roode. Enjoy!

Thanks to creators of pics, gifs, and videos. None of the images used are my own