Missouri Wrestling Revival

In the wake of “Zero Hour,” the backstage area became deathly quiet. No one in the locker room knew what to say of the events that transpired during the main event. People were asking questions about the future of the company.

With Executive Producer Chris Hagstrom not at the venue, Marketing Director Adam Testa tried to get answers from owner Sean Chambers. Chambers would not address the situation. Chambers told Testa he didn’t have to answer to anyone else. These events were caught on camera and will be released soon.

Following the event, Testa contacted Hagstrom about the events of “Zero Hour” and how the company would handle situation. Hagstrom in turn submitted this statement for publication on this website.

“Since last year, I have done everything in my power to give the fans of All American Pro Wrestling what they’ve wanted to see. I’ve arranged for international superstars like PAC, El Generico, Matt Cross and Colt Cabana to come to Southern Illinois and provide entertainment for the fans.

It hasn’t always been easy, but I knew it wouldn’t be. Then the night of Sept. 22 came along. While in the ring for the contract signing for the Heavyweight Championship match at “Zero Hour,” Mike Masters pulled me into harm’s way, injuring me and taking me away from the company I love so much.

I wanted nothing more than to see Masters get what was coming to him at “Zero Hour,” but given everything that had happened, I couldn’t bring myself to be at the show. I feel as if I had a great night robbed from me. I’m thrilled that Edmund has regained the title and that this company once again has a champion we can be proud of.

But it was the events of that title match that have brought other questions to the forefront. When Adam told me of Sean’s involvement in the match, I wish I could say I was surprised. Sean did what he felt was best for Edmund’s safety at “Summer Chaos,” and, while skeptical, I bought into his reasoning.

Now, this, I have no explanation for. Sean isn’t responding to my messages. He won’t address the situation. All I’ve heard from him has been a text message saying “Fan Fest is canceled.” My heart hit the ground. Last year, I started Fan Fest as a way of saying thank you to the fans for their support through the year. It was the one night where we could all cut back and have fun.

Now we won’t have that opportunity. I personally apologize to all the fans; I know many of you have been vocal in the last 24 hours about your disappointment with the cancellation, but this situation is beyond my control. I promise to do everything in my power to make this up to you, the fans who helped us turn AAPW into a national player on the independent wrestling scene.

Season Three will be the biggest year for AAPW yet, and it will all begin on Saturday, Jan. 19, at SIU Student Center in Carbondale. We have a new venue, which we think will enable us to share the great wrestling you’re all used to with a new audience of SIU students. We appreciate everything Black Diamond Harley-Davidson has done for us through the past 18 months, but this change will only help us grow.

I offer my sincerest apologies for the cancellation of Fan Fest and I will continue to do everything in my power to find out what led to this unfortunate decision. I hope you will continue to support AAPW as we will be releasing new and unreleased content through the next two months.

Thank you again for all your support. I hope to see you in January.”

Chris Hagstrom
AAPW Executive Producer