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The wrestling business doesn’t happen in highlight reels. It happens in the miles between towns, the pay envelopes that barely cover gas, and the quiet lessons you get from veterans when you’re still green and trying to prove you belong.

We’re back in my 1995 journal, bouncing from a Canadian debut in LaSalle, Ontario to Arkansas spot towns where my name shifts to Christian Devereaux and the payoff can be $40 if you’re lucky. I talk through what those loops really looked like: driving instead of flying, washing gear at home between runs, and learning how quickly a gimmick like Doink can open doors while also boxing you in if promoters only want one version of you.

The best part is the people. I tell stories about Bert Prentice and the moment he tested my loyalty, why Rip Rogers respected a kid who could name his exact match count, how Bull Payne taught me to look stiff without hurting anyone, and how Brickhouse Brown showed me the difference between knowing moves and knowing how to feel like a star. I also dig into something I think modern wrestling misses: repetition. Running an angle on TV and touring it through multiple towns made the work tighter, the psychology stronger, and the performers better.

If you love territory wrestling history, indie wrestling road stories, OVW and WWE era training wisdom, or just want real talk about what builds a career, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a wrestling fan, and leave a review telling me which road story hit closest to home.

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A promoter doesn’t pay the locker room, a legend tries to make it right, and suddenly you learn the hard way what “the business” actually means. That’s the energy we’re bringing today as I go from a bizarre sun poisoning tanning bed story to real road details for Rumble in the Dome 2 in Kenova, West Virginia. I’m stepping back in the ring with Onyx, and for the first time my buddy Ben Lester is coming out as Mr. Downtown to manage me, which is going to be a blast.

Then we get into something wrestling fans argue about nonstop: what makes a world title legitimate. I answer a listener question about why I once called the AWA title the only real world title at the time, and I lay it out plainly. For me, legitimacy isn’t a logo or a TV slot, it’s defending the belt anywhere, against anyone, with no geographic or company limits.

From there, I flip open my 30-plus-year match journal and keep making towns through late 1994 and early 1995. We hit the Doug Gibson pay fiasco, Road Warrior Hawk’s role in it, the infamous Waynesboro shoot angle I didn’t know was a shoot, early Southern States Wrestling paydays, and the grind of working tags, TV tapings, and long loops that jump from Knoxville to Mississippi to St. Louis. Along the way: WCW enhancement work, meeting Jerry Lawler, wrestling Abdullah the Butcher, and the unexpected business lesson of becoming Doink the Clown and actually making money on merchandise.

If you’re into independent wrestling stories, Smoky Mountain Wrestling-era road life, and how a career gets built one booking at a time, hit play. Subscribe, share it with a wrestling buddy, and leave a review. What’s your definition of a “real” world champion?

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I quit pro wrestling, went “normal,” and spent my days handling puppies while I tried to clear my head. Then my wife Ashley hit me with the truth: I still had the stories, I still had the itch, and maybe it was time to stop telling them only at home. So Making the Towns is back, and I’m back in motion at 51 with a fresh start and a lot of unfinished business.

I walk you through rebuilding the whole hub at IAmYourChampion.com, launching Logan Logic, and why I wanted one place where fans can find the podcast, photos, match footage, and everything tied to my career. Then we get into the part I missed most: the people and the towns. From Southern States to a Wildfire Championship Wrestling loop in the Kentucky hills, I ended up doing the thing I swore I wasn’t ready to do yet: wrestling the Rock and Roll Express after two years out of the ring. Night two gets even crazier with a six-man tag full of curveballs, no cell service, a late referee, and pure make-it-work energy.

After the comeback talk, we crack open my match journal and keep the timeline rolling through 1994: Smoky Mountain Wrestling loops, TV tapings, tiny paydays, big lessons, and why “paying dues” used to mean working your tail off while still getting paid. I also tell the Jim Crockett Promotions reboot story in Chattanooga, including a ring setup problem that had me biting my nails, plus road ribs and the kind of behind-the-scenes moments you only learn by living them.

If you like wrestling podcasts about territory life, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the NWA, old-school road stories, and the real numbers behind the miles and money, you’re in the right place. Subscribe, share this with a wrestling friend, and leave a review so more fans can find us.

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One loud moment can teach you more than a year of training, especially when it ends with “we no longer need your services.” We’re back in 1994 for a stretch of territory hopping that takes us from Smoky Mountain Wrestling TV to the USWA loop through Memphis, Louisville, Evansville, and Nashville, where every town has its own crowd, its own rules, and its own version of what “good wrestling” looks like.

We tell road stories with receipts: working multiple times in a night, getting $30 to $50 payoffs, and chasing reps wherever we can get them. You’ll hear how Kendo the Samurai becomes a main-event spot almost overnight, why the Memphis style rewards a simple brawling formula, and how a flashy sequence that would fit in one territory can die in another. Along the way we talk Jerry Lawler, Eddie Marlin, Jim Cornette, Tracy Smothers, Well Dunn, and the mystery finish from Spellbinder that still has us asking how the scarf turns into a cane right in front of your eyes.

We also get honest about the cost of old-school finishes: chair shots before concussion awareness, the wear that adds up, and the split-second choices wrestlers make when an injury happens and the next booking is already down the road. Plus, we share the kind of legend-only-happens-in-wrestling tale that has to be heard to be believed: a promoter’s dog, a phone booth, and a very creative way to finally get paid.

If you enjoy real pro wrestling history, wrestling travel loops, and behind-the-scenes territory life, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more fans can find it.

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The first time a crowd goes quiet can be the loudest sign that wrestling is about to change. We’re back in Smoky Mountain Wrestling territory for March and April 1994, when I step into a fresh masked tag gimmick as one of the Infernos and end up across the ring from a brand-new team with something the South hasn’t really seen yet: Chris Jericho and Lance Storm as the Thrill Seekers.

We talk about how that match comes together, why their Hart Dungeon training and international influence matters, and what happens when “high spots” land in front of fans who are used to a more familiar tag formula. From TV tapings to house show loops in towns like Paintsville, Johnson City, Knoxville, and beyond, we break down the practical side of the wrestling business: touring the product, repeating matches, getting heat, taking bumps, and learning that being the dependable worker can be the fastest way to become valuable.

Along the way, you’ll hear the locker room realities that shaped that era, including the wild “don’t go to the hamburger stand” concession stand brawl, the night I count a historic finish as a referee, and the moment my ring name “Brian Logan” is born from an X-Men hat. We also dig into why video packages helped get the Thrill Seekers over and how this short run quietly points toward the modern in-ring style fans now take for granted.

If you care about wrestling history, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Jim Cornette’s territory mindset, or the early stepping stones that lead to the Jericho we all know, this one connects the dots with road-level detail. Subscribe, share the show with a wrestling friend, and leave a review so more people can find Making The Towns.

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He worked the same opponents night after night, got twisted into holds he couldn’t escape, and still went home thrilled because someone handed him fifty bucks and another chance to learn. That’s the early reality of Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1994, and I’m opening my journals to show how “making the towns” really worked when you were young, green, and living on repetition.
We start with my first January matches against Bobby Blaze and why I’m still grateful for how seriously he took wrestling a newcomer. I explain the difference between TV tapings and house shows, how a veteran can “work tight” without it being a shoot, and why running the same match on the loop actually makes you better. From Freedom Hall in Johnson City to smaller stops like Red Jacket, you’ll hear how crowd size changes your energy, what battle royals taught me fast, and why ring setup money mattered almost as much as the booking.
Then the story swings into a wild TV moment: Jim Cornette tells me I’m going to be the Beat The Champ TV champion, and I end up winning, defending, and losing the title across one taping night that later becomes multiple weeks of television. I also share how working Anthony Michaels helped me learn heel work and calling matches, plus a thank-you to Dirty White Boy for influences that followed me for years. We close with a question for every wrestling fan: is “smart mark” an oxymoron, or does the term still fit today?
Subscribe, share this with a wrestling history friend, and leave a review if you want more territory stories and road-tested lessons. Where do you land on “smart mark”?

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He quits a wedding reception early to catch a wrestling show, walks down an armory stairwell, and accidentally runs into the person who opens the door to his entire career. That’s the moment I keep coming back to as I tell the real origin story of how I went from a diehard fan in Oak Hill, West Virginia to training and working for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. 

I rewind to the 1980s when professional wrestling on TV was appointment viewing and the territories felt endless, from Mid-Atlantic to WTBS to WWF and AWA. Then the path gets personal: meeting Tim Horner, signing a deal, and getting my first taste of “the boys” at the 1993 Legends of Wrestling convention in Philadelphia. I share what it meant to be treated with kindness by Kerry Von Erich, the weird sting of an Ultimate Warrior autograph gone wrong, and how a master like Terry Funk could work a kid with one quiet line. 

From there it’s the grind: moving to Tennessee on June 2, 1993, learning what “make a town” really means, and training the hard way with conditioning, bumps, and fundamentals before flash. That foundation leads to a moment that still doesn’t feel real: December 6, 1993, a borrowed yellow mask, a new name, and my first match on Smoky Mountain TV as The Hornet against the Rock and Roll Express, followed by a $50 check that felt like winning the lottery. 

I also explain why I’ve kept detailed wrestling journals for 32 years and how the next chapter starts with 1994 as we go match by match through the ride. If you enjoy wrestling history, wrestling territories, old-school training, and honest locker room memories, subscribe, share this with a fellow fan, and leave a review so more people can find the show.