It was the best of times but few people knew it. In 1999 I got deeply involved in a Backyard Wrestling federation that became known as the EBA. The Extreme Backyard Association performed bi-weekly matches at the home of Jason Sanders in Port Charlotte, Florida. As many as 27 wrestlers from ages 15 to 29 practiced Pro wrestling moves, designed their own costumes and put on full length shows for a live crowd and the video cameras. It was an amazing year except for the naysayers, authorities and critics. They came down on us like a hardcore jobber through a table. One newspaper reporter made fun of our "makeshift ring" while calling our performances a "mockery". A film producer out of Orlando said that we, "Deserved the Darwin prize for stupidity." My boss at the time said he thought our show was, "An Atrocity." I was promptly fired for my involvement. The criticism continued when I wrote a novel about our experiences titled Backyard Empire . Whil...