Missouri Wrestling Revival

Going to a wrestling show as a wrestling fan?
WLW 3/21/2009 Recap and Commentary

by Josh Ray
MWR Owner-Editor
inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper told me that I had a wholesome family and to cherish every minute with them. I'm glad I took him up on his advice.

I have been in the United States for three weeks now and I’d be lying if I said things weren’t just a little hectic. My good friend Brian Kelley has been kind enough to help me run the site in my absence, and the transition back to taking day to day control of Missouri Wrestling Revival has left me playing catch up. I am almost to the point where I can stop and take a breath.

Of course, there are some growing pains as Kari, Brian, and I figure out how to best communicate and get the job done. We’re getting to where we need to be, though. We have ironed out most things and I for one am genuinely excited about 2009!

For the past few weeks, I’ve needed little reminders of why I do what I do. I’m sure that it happens to the best of us in pro wrestling. Promoters, wrestlers, fans… we all need those reminders of why pro wrestling is as important to us as it is. Coming back from a war zone, I figured that I’d be immune to some of the petty things that seem to eat at those in the Midwest wrestling scene, but three weeks of hardcore work in the area’s professional wrestling activities have taken their toll.

My remedy? Well, I decided to go to a pro wrestling show as a pro wrestling fan.

Ridiculous thought, right?

I took my wife and two year old son to World League Wrestling’s show in Eldon, MO, not as a representative of Missouri Wrestling Revival (although I’m always an ambassador for my business and website), but as a wrestling fan. I’ve wanted to take my son, Jalen, to a pro wrestling show to share my love of wrestling for some time. He watches it with me here and there when I have it on TV, but my wife has been a firm believer that it would be too much for our son to handle. Seeing as both of us value the well-being of our son and take his raising and our duties as parents very seriously, we made a decision to take Jalen to a show that was:

a) close to MWR headquarters in Lebanon, MO
b) family friendly

"Vietnam Phenom" Bao Nguyen inspires my son to give his old man an uppercut.

Our choice was pretty obvious. One hour away was a World League Wrestling event in Eldon, MO. On March 21, 2009 we set out for the show with one goal in mind: to enjoy it as a family.

Unable to get in the ring, we settle our differences in the crowd.

We took full advantage of the concessions and merchandise tables. We visited the wrestlers that were available. We cheered and booed when appropriate. In other words, we had a great time. My son loved every minute of it, even asking if we could get in the ring continuously throughout the night. He wanted a Harley Race action figure, which Mr. Race gladly signed. He talked to me about meeting “Roddy Piper” and “Superstar Steve” with matter-of-fact enthusiasm. Even my wife, who doesn’t enjoy much about pro wrestling, admitted that it was a great time and that we’d have to come back.

Harley Race makes an autograph out to my son, Jalen. Jalen said, "thank you, Mr. Race", which of course made me proud.

Today, I sit back and reflect while NWA’s new television show is on the TV and my son has a broken toy wrestling ring and some wrestling figures in the living room floor. Did I just get a jolt of renewed motivation? I’ve heard that seeing things through a child’s eyes can have benefits, but never did I give that idea a second thought until now.

Curious about the show’s results?

A very strange Tommaso Ciampa wrestled Darin Waid to a no contest when Ciampa’s partner (Marc Godeker) and Waid’s fellow tag champ (Dustin Lane) joined into the fray.

Brian Breaker finally crushed the fight in “Vietnam Phenom” Bao Nguyen, who was pinned in a little over 10 minutes after a valiant effort. Breaker did not, however, crush Bao’s warrior spirit.

Amy Hennig was able to dethrone the top female wrestler in the Midwest, capturing Stacey O’Brien’s WLW Ladies Championship in the process to the roaring approval of the crowd.

Darin Waid and Dustin Lane made a statement when they defeated the impressive tag team of Marc Godeker & Tommaso Ciampa to retain their WLW Tag Team Titles. Ciampa was enamored with his tag partner’s muscles, although my family was unable to determine whether that was the tag team’s downfall.

The match of the evening for me was a rematch of sorts between two guys that welcomed me back from Iraq a week ago for High Voltage Wrestling in Granite City, IL. “Superstar” Steve Fender avenged his loss in Granite City and went on to capture the WLW Heavyweight Title from “King of 450” Steve Anthony. Trevor Murdoch was the special guest referee, but had been taken out by Anthony’s corner man Johnny Gold. Gold was about to cost Fender the match without ref supervision, when Roddy Piper showed up and took him out. This freed Fender up to finish Anthony while Piper revived Murdoch so that he could make the three count.

"Superstar" Steve Fender is relentless in his attack...

Want to know what I remember most, though? Leaving the show with my wife and son as a wrestling fan.

"Superstar" Steve should consider my boy a good luck charm of sorts!

Special thanks to Dan Gier for putting me on the spot at the show. I’m not much for getting up in front of crowds, but Dan is a great guy and I know he was putting Missouri Wrestling Revival over for the wrestling fans. Since I was at the event with my family as a fan, I chose not to try and present Harley Race with his MWR 2008 Personality of the Year Award, but plan to schedule a private presentation at the Harley Race Wrestling Academy in the near future, with pictures posted at www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com shortly thereafter,

Thank you to all of the wrestlers for an entertaining evening and, through my son, motivating me to keep plugging away in my attempt to “Give back to Midwest pro wrestling”!

New WLW Heavyweight Champ, "Superstar" Steve Fender.