Missouri Wrestling Revival

By Kari Williams

Throughout his nearly four-year career, Pierre Abernathy has been involved in a number of feuds as he travled across the country, but none more impactful than the Submission Squad versus the Bearded Men from Space Station Eleven in his home promotion, Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA).

The feud has had many matches regarded as favorites by the fans, including the eight-man elimination street fight at Circus Maximus ’08 and the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match from Yuletide Terror ’08.

“I thought [the street fight] got really crazy, and I was happy with that. This was a feud built off hatred and it should [have] gotten out of hand, and it did. A lot of people in the crowd were scared, and the cops were called, so, in [an] odd way, it is exactly what we wanted.

“The TLC was great. Those guys risked it all for the first ever LWA tag team titles, and although I was not happy with the outcome, you have to respect all the guys in that one. I am not a fan of the Egos, but my beef is more with the Bearded Men. Davey Vega, however, has a score to settle with K.C. Karrington. Although I dont like K.C., that guy will be a star one day,” Abernathy said.

This feud has gone on for years, and comes down to one simple point that Abernathy will never forget.

“What started this feud was that we feel there is a way wrestling should be done and the [Bearded Men] feel there is a way wrestling should be done, and we do not agree at all. Wrestling is not built off funny and flipping and a 130lb guy thinking he is a wrestler because he can go to Highspots and buy tights. Those guys are a joke and should not be in wrestling at all. I will not sleep until they are gone,” Abernathy said.

After LWA’s Jan. 24 show in House Springs, MO, Abernathy was sure to get a good night’s rest because he pinned The Bearded Men from Space Station Eleven’s Billy McNeil. As per stipulation, the losing team was forced to break up forever in the LWA and the captain of the losing team would never be seen in a LWA again.

The Submission Squad formed becaue of Violent Jay Caster, who is no longer in the wrestling business. According to Abernathy, the name stayed and Nick Tyson and Dingo joined the group, and it took off from there. Since its inception, only good has come from the Squad and stars have been made from the feud.

In spite of the Squad working well as a coheisive unit and having the same technical wrestling techniques, Abernathy feels that the group cannot show their full potential.

“With what the Submission Squad is supposed to be, a lot of guys who are really entertaining don’t get to bring that out as much because the Submission Squad is about pure wrestling, so that’s what they do, and they’re in the Submission Squad, but just because the guys can wrestle doesn’t mean they’re not also entertaining,” Abernathy said.

Abernathy believes that Tyson taught him the most throughout his time in wrestling.

“[Nick Tyson] taught us how to wrestle, and we pretty much picked up everything else on the road. You learn from everybody and what he taught us that I don’t think gets taught a lot anyway—a lot of people do it, but most don’t at least in this area (Missouri/Midwest)—is respect. How to respect the people that came before you and how to respect the people you’re working with,” Abernathy said.

Abernathy’s Submission Squad cohorts followed him to High Voltage Wrestling (HVW) in a slightly different form as the Bandana Mafia to wreak more havoc on the wrestling world thanks to Evan Gelistico.

“The Mafia was 100 percent Evan Gelistico’s idea. It was formed as a joke to make fun of the serious bad ass wrestling gimmick that I think you see way too much of in indy wrestling. We had no idea that us just being funny would get over so much,” Abernathy said.

“I came up with the Bandana Mafia, when I was told that instead of teaming wih Pierre I would be teaming up with Davey Vega. So I called him and said that we would be doing an unnecessary gangsta gimmick and that [we] would call ourselves the Bandana Mafia because we both wore bandanas,” said Gelistico.

According to Abernathy, “nothing is more dumb than a 150lb white kid acting like a bad ass gansta so we make fun of that all teh time and well Evan decided to take HVW as a chance to put it in the ring.”

As a member of both groups, “Spitfire” Davey Vega feels confident with Abernathy and Gelistico on his side.

“The best thing about being apart of both groups is that I get to be in a group of people I know and can trust inside and outside of the LWA. I dont have to worry about teaming with someone who I don’t know and possibly dont have both our interests at heart. They got my back and I got theirs,” Vega said.

Gelistico feels that the Submission Squad has had more success since they have “won 2 sets of Tag Titles…and gone all over the states.” However, in HVW the Bandana Mafia recently won the six-man cup from Aaron Matthews, Cecil Cerveza and Jeff Harris.

Through all of the trials and tribulations of the Squad and the Mafia, Abernathy still believes that the most important lesson he has learned through wrestling is quite simple.

“Respect. How to respect people, how to respect the people that came before me. I think it’s a lot of stuff that people are not doing and need to learn, but respect and how to be humble,” Abernathy said.