Missouri Wrestling Revival

By Kari Williams
Photos by Michael R Van Hoogstraat

At South Broadway Athletic Club, MMWA-SICW fans witnessed multile title changes, a debut and a rebellion that shook the foundation of The Connection. With wrestlers coming out of retirement and others breaking through and making their mark in the company, one has to wonder how the events of the night will impact the future of MMWA-SICW.

According to the St. Louis Wrestling Community Message Board, Jaysin Static and Core wrestled to a time limit draw and Johnny Blade defeated Waco.

Jaysin Static hits Core with a powerful clothesline

Core stretches Static in the middle of the ring.

Waco punishes Johnny Blade in the corner but was able to pull out the big victory in the end.

In the third match of the night, Junior Heavyweight Champion Dave Vaughn, with Travis Cook, took on A.J. Williams in a title defense. The contest was fairly even, as these two men have faced each other on a number of occassions.

Arch rivals Dave Vaughn and AJ Williams in what may be a feud of the year go at it for the Junior Heavyweight Title.

Vaughn’s wrestling ability shines in big matches.

While Travis Cook was urging Vaughn to get dirty, Vaughn had a moment of doubt as he hesitated with a punch.

Both seemed to be one-step ahead of the other, making it hard to determine the outcome. Ten minutes in, Vaughn gained control and looked poised for victory, as he foiled all of Williams’ attempts to gain the advantage. Vaughn and Williams took their battle to the outside, with Vaughn overpowering his opponent But when they returned to the ring, Vaughn became distracted and Wiliams connected with a superkick. With Cook by his side, Vaughn had an out for Williams’ pin attempt, as Cook distracted the ref just long enough for Vaughn to recover and kick out. The champ then went for the spear, but Williams side-stepped and Vaughn nearly knocked Cook off the ring apron. This minor distraction gave Williams the perfect opportunity to pin the unsuspecting Vaughn and reclaim the Junior Heavyweight Title.

After the match, Vaughn, clearly upset about the loss, extended his hand to Williams as a sign of respect. Hesitant at first, Williams accepted and Vaughn raised Williams’ hand as well.

Williams reclaims the belt and wins the respect of Vaugn?

The fans loved this. Cook hated it. Cook then claimed that he should have held the belt since he made Vaughn a champion; he went on to say “Don’t make me fire you!” to which Vaughn responded, “I quit!”

Shaft continued his battles with authority this month, as he faced the Commissioner Keith Smith, who overpowered Shaft from the opening bell.

Keith Smith gets a kiss by one of his many fans.

The two appeared to be playing a game of cat and mouse, with neither man willing to give an inch. Shaft had to resort to illegally choking Smith to gain the upper hand. After five minutes of mind games, Smith countered with an eye rake and attempted to take over.

Smith shows signs of what made him a Superstar for so long early in his match with Shaft.

The fans were behind Smith 100 percent, but Shaft’s persistence kept the commissioner at bay. Near the closing moments, Shaft looked poised for victory, but Phil E. Blunt ran out to interfere, causing the disqualification victory for Smith. Then, Gary Jackson and the Lumberjacks ran out to aid Smith.

The Connection comes in to run rough shot on Smith.

Moondog Rover took on Purple Passion after intermission. Neither Passion nor Rover could control the match for an extended length of time. However, both men got in some offense, Passion with punches and chops in the corner and Rover with his typical, punishing dog-like attacks. In just over 10 minutes, Rover got the pin, but he uncharacteristically attacked Passion after the match with the bone he carries to the ring.

Moondog body slams Purple Passion.

MMWA-SICW’s American Hero, Johnny Courageous, took on newcomer Ziggy Bones. Courageous controlled most of the match with his technical skill, but Bones turned the match into a bit of a brawl when he took it out of the ring.

Ziggy Bones gets a rude welcome from Johnny Courageous in his wrestling debut.

The fan support for Courageous far outweighed that of Bones, giving Courageous more willpower and desire tocome out on top. This proved beneficial for the American Hero as he soundly defeated Bones to cheers and echoing chants of “U-S-A!!”

1-2-3 victory for Courageous.

Heavyweight Champion “Gorgeous” Gary Jackson put his title on the line against Blunt prior to the main event. Blunt had his work cut out for him against the champ, but he put Jackson to the test. Blunt had the advantage before the match even began because of Cook’s presence at ringside.

When Blunt could not take control in the ring, he connected with unyielding punches and subsequently tossed Jackson out of the ring. Blunt easily returned to the squared circle, as Jackson struggled. Cook hindered Jackson even more, as he hit Jackson to slow him down, then ran to the opposite side of the ring to suggest his innocence. Though, the champion would not give up easily.

Blunt gets nasty as he chokes the Champ in the middle of ring.

When Blunt attempted a high knee in the corner, Jackson moved out of the way and, with Blunt writhing in pain on the mat, dropped the elbow. He just about retained the belt when he went to put Blunt in what may have been the Texas cloverleaf, but Blunt countered and won the match and the Heavyweight Championship. Blunt got on the microphone and proclaimed, “The age of 4:20 is on and smoking.” Jackson thanked the fans for the support and made no excuses for his loss. He then added that he will regain the belt because it belongs to both himself and the fans.

Cook celebrates Phil E Blunts historic night as he dethrones Gary Jackson for the MMWA-SICW title

Lumberjack Abe, with Lumberjack Gabe, wrestled Bobby D in the main event of the evening. Abe had the advantage early on, but the match soon spilled out of the ring, and neither of the men had the upper hand—they just pounded on each other. But once back in the ring, Abe took over once again and continued to wear down his opponent. D barely had a chance to get in any offense, and seemed winded before the bell even rang. Abe jumped on that observation as he choked D on the ropes and pinned him shortly thereafter.

Two powerhouse battled in the main event when Lumberjack Abe met Bobby D

To witness more MMWA-SICW action as it unfolds, make it a point to go to East Carondelet, IL this Saturday, Aug, 22 at the East Carondelet Community Center.