Missouri Wrestling Revival

By Patrick Brandmeyer

Circus Maximus is known as one of St. Louis Anarchy’s premiere annual events, but not many people know that its history dates back to the promotion’s days as the Lethal Wrestling Alliance…and even earlier than that!

The first event by the name took place in 2002 under the WCWF banner. Not many details are available about that show, but it featured an all-out brawl between rivals Adam Raw and Frankie Big Balls. The fight reportedly ended with the bloody competitors crashing down to earth after battling on a balcony!

The LWA brought the Circus Maximus event to their promotion in 2004. The main event saw inaugural LWA Champion “Nightmare” Nick Tyson retain his title in a hard-fought matchup against Adam Raw. Tyson incredibly survived a piledriver through a table en route to his win! That night also featured the start of a tournament for a “secret prize” which turned out to be the LWA Medallion. Several Midwest mainstays like Jordan Lacey, Gary The Barnowl(Gerald James), The Reverend Evan Gelist(Evan Gelistico), and Shamus O’Flannery(Neil Diamond Cutter) competed in that tourney.

The 2006 edition of Circus Maximus was marred by Missouri licensing issues on the part of several competitors. However, the show-stealer was the triple threat main event for the vacated Medallion…tables, ladders, and chairs were used to full effect by all three wrestlers. Despite the presence of established contenders Gary The Barnowl and Pierre Abernathy, it was relative newcomer Dorian Victor who emerged victorious!

In 2007, it seemed as though Pierre Abernathy had turned over a new leaf and formed an alliance with unlikely LWA Champion Gary The Barnowl. However, Abernathy cashed in his Medallion for a title shot and screwed Gary out of the belt, revealing that his allegiance was with the Submission Squad all along. The night also featured a hard-hitting battle between Michael Strider and Adam Raw with Strider emerging victorious!

Things really got wild at Circus Maximus 2008. The expanded Submission Squad(Abernathy, Dingo, Davey Vega, & Johnny Vinyl) clashed with their rivals Evan Gelistico(then a fan favorite), Gary The Barnowl, and the Ego Express(K.C. Karrington & Steven Kennedy) in a street fight. Karrington was left in a three-on-one situation in the elimination-style bout but managed to rollup up Abernathy, then pinned Vinyl after a sitout elevated DDT. That left longtime rivals Karrington and Vega against each other…but Karrington’s manager and girlfriend Tiffany Lafane shockingly turned on him with a low blow! Vega put on a glove and ignited it with lighter fluid before punching K.C. in the face with the flaming mitt! That ended the match in Vega’s favor, but it took the feud with Karrington to a whole new level…

Karrington had his moment in the sun at the 2009 edition of Circus Maximus as he defeated Jeremy Wyatt for the LWA Heavyweight Title in a 40-minute classic. K.C. had been chasing the title for a long time and finally won the gold at that event. The show also featured the establishment of three new LWA Medallions…if a wrestler won all three, he could challenge for the title at a time of his choosing. The first medal holders were Davey Vega(Medallion Of Torment, won only by submission), Jordan Lacey(Medallion Of Pain, won only by pinfall), and Steven Kennedy(Medallion Of Brutality, contested under hardcore rules).

The final Circus Maximus under the LWA banner(2010) saw the crowning of a new champion as Evan Gelistico defeated Davey Vega in a bloody street fight. Gelistico would be the final LWA titleholder and carried the belt over into St. Louis Anarchy…holding it for a total of seventeen months! The show also featured national star Mike Quackenbush teaming with The Hooligans to defeat Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin, and Gerald James(now embracing his family roots)…plus Shorty Biggs finally scored a win over “The Future” Donovan Ruddick in a bullrope match!

St. Louis Anarchy’s inaugural Circus Maximus took place in the summer of 2011 and the tradition of wild action continued. The highlights started early as Gerald James got help from his “loving father” Dorian Victor to defeat A.C.H in a brutal TLC Match, retaining the ACW U-30 Title in the process. Dingo defeated former protege Mat Fitchett in a last-man-standing match with help from then-ally Arik Cannon…and Evan Gelistico hung onto the SLA Title in a brutal submission match with Dan Walsh. The title bout had a controversial ending as the referee called for the bell when Walsh passed out in a chair-assisted Crippler Crossface…Walsh protested that he had never tapped out or verbally submitted, then snapped and attacked the referee out of frustration! The star-studded card also featured Arik Cannon vs. Chuck Taylor, Davey Vega vs. Johnny Gargano, and Athena vs. Rachel Summerlyn.
Last year’s summer event brought the show to Alton, Illinois for the first time. Gerald James sought to repeat his previous year’s success in the TLC environment, but he took an incredible amount of punishment in his match with SLA Champion Dan Walsh. Tables were destroyed, turnbuckles were used for fish-hooking, and blood flowed from both competitors before Walsh emerged victorious! In other featured bouts: A.C.H. defeated Dingo in a best-of-three-falls match for the ACW Title. Davey Richards won a hard-fought battle with T.J. Perkins. Davey Vega beat Kyle O’Reilly to hang onto the ACW T.V. Title, Darin Childs beat Evan Gelistico in a creative fans-bring-the-weapons match, and Arik Cannon defeated Johnny Gargano.

This year’s event is shaping up to be a wild one as well…Khris Wolfe will bring his hardcore style to St. Louis Anarchy against Gerald James in a 10,000 Thumbtack Match. A.C.H. and T.J. Perkins will have their rubber match in a best-of-three-falls encounter. Vega and Karrington will renew their rivalry in a non-sanctioned fight. ACW Champion Evan Gelistico will battle Mat Fitchett for Fitchett’s choice: Either the title or a chance to get his former manager Greg Jovi in the ring. The rest of the lineup is jam-packed as well…Midwest wrestling fans have come to expect a crazy night when it’s Circus Maximus and this year promises to be no different!

Saint Louis Anarchy presents: Circus Maximus 2013

Friday night June 28th, 2013
Knight of Columbus hall in Alton, Illinois (405 East 4th Street)
Doors at 6:30pm (6:15pm for Golden ticket holders and Reserved 2nd row)
Show will start at 7:00pm
Tickets:
Golden Circle (Front Row Reserved): $15
Reserved Second Row: $12
General Admission Reserve: $10
All tickets day of show $15

$1 Draft Beer and Full Bar. NO RECORDING THE LIVE SHOW ON CAMERA OR ON PHONES