Not a lot of people braved the rain to come out to Dojo Wars this week, but it was a run time anyway. We got all four matches from the quarter finals of the Tournament of Valor, a 4 man elimination main event, and a bonus 8 man tag featuring Dick Justice. I say again. There was a match involving a guy named Dick Justice.

This week was round two of the Tournament of Valor, so we had 4 best two out of three falls matches, an 8 man elimination tag match, an old man yelling, and I almost got someone killed. All around it was a fun time.

Last night was the start of the 10 week, 16 person Tournament of Valor, with each match being scheduled for 2 falls. The 2 falls format means no squash matches (hooray for no more Claxton/Pikard matches for a while!). There were a lot of new faces this week who put on a good show. The tournament hasn’t really been settled down into brackets yet, so we’ll just have to play by ear week to week to see which winners advance against who. I’m gonna try a bit of a different formula this week, because of the tournament for one, and secondly, I finally realized my camera has a sports setting, so more pictures that aren’t rest holds and less yakking.

This week’s event was pretty sparsely attended, only about 15 people, which I assume is because it’s no longer summer and school is back in session, so a bunch of regulars and families couldn’t make it. But just because there were only a few of us there, doesn’t mean they didn’t put on one hell of a show. In fact, they went above and beyond, putting on some of the most entertaining matches yet. There were two qualifying matches with the winners meeting in a match at weekend’s “Down with the Sickness” event, a fun six man tag, an epic main event, and some news about the future of Dojo Wars.

This week was the. . . oddest. . . week yet at Dojo Wars. The timing seemed way off, with the first two matches combined being only 8 minutes, and an extended 20 minute intermission. That meant the next two matches drug out far longer than they should have, but the main event was still pretty exciting.

Death is unavoidable. But this past week a totally unexpected tragedy occurred with the untimely passing of Robin Williams. I don’t think there was a person alive who had anything but good things to say about him. Robin Williams was just the latest, but will not be the last. This last year also saw the departure of some other heavy hitters. Jim “Ultimate Warrior” Helwig giving what was ultimately his own eulogy on Monday Night Raw was extremely emotional. We will never get an true Ghostbusters 3 without Harold Ramis.

Being 33, I’m of the age that many of the people I looked up to as a child will soon be shuffling off the mortal coil. It’s inevitable. While, as Dr. McCoy says we all have to “turn death into a fighting chance for life”, that still won’t stop me from being devastated when we finally lose those celebrities below.

Another good week of wrestling at this week’s Dojo Wars, which was probably the most aggressive show yet. And for once it didn’t start with a Conor Claxton vs. Frankie Pickard match! Plus a rematch for the CZW Wired TV Championship. Can Joe Gacy retain?

So all this month, CZW is holding open tryouts to join their wrestling school. In all honesty, I would love nothing more than to do that, but there are several issues with that. First, my regular gig is just too stable to walk away from. But more importantly, I am a fat old man. I’m 33 and I get winded carrying my groceries in from my car. Sure, Bret Hart became champ at 35, but he’d been wrestling his whole life. The last time I did sports was a 2 month period my junior year of high school where I trained for crew, but we never actually went out on the water. If I lost my job tomorrow, and could spend six months laser focused and pull a Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy, I’d have a chance. But as it is, I’m slightly more coordinated than The Shockmaster.