By Patrick Brandmeyer

Brian & Lori Davis had recently lost everything in a house fire, including their seven-year-old son. Fortunately, they had friends who were ready to lend a helping hand.

Brian, Lori, and Brian’s sister Lindsay were in attendance for St. Louis Anarchy’s Benefit Bash in Alton, Illinois. Members of the Anarchy roster were friends of the family and set up the event to raise money for the Davises; all of the proceeds from ticket sales and merchandise raffles went directly to the family.

As usual, St. Louis Anarchy presented a loaded lineup; Ring Of Honor stars Michael Elgin, Kyle O’Reilly, and A.C.H. were on the card as well as west-coast standout B-Boy. Several competitors made their debuts for the promotion and others made their returns after long absences.

Some people on the show were more concerned about their own matters, one of those being ring announcer/manager Greg Jovi. He had returned as a ring announcer for Yuletide Terror, but he still harbored deep-seated resentment toward the Anarchy fans. He lashed out at the fans in attendance at the start of the show before being run off by the Hooligans.

The Hooligans fended off a strong effort by the Two-Star Heroes (Matt Knicks & Chris Castro) and vowed that they would give the same treatment to the Young Bucks on March 1st. The fans in attendance had less than flattering sentiments regarding Matt & Nick Jackson.

Brandon Espinosa was in the rare position of being a fan favorite against “The Money” Matt Cage. Cage offered Espinosa some cash to “go down”, but Espinosa misinterpreted Cage’s intentions at first. Espinosa took the payoff but attacked Cage anyway to kick-start the bout; Espy went on to win a tough battle.

Chaos was the order of the day in a six-way dance featuring newcomers to the Anarchy roster. “Showtime” Bradley Charles and Geek Singh formed a temporary alliance to eliminate the competition, but SBC double-crossed Singh by rolling him up for a surprise pin. That left Charles one-on-one with Alex Castle, but Castle would emerge victorious as he continues to gain fan support in SLA.

The fans recognized Jeff O’Shea as “Not Matt Cage”; O’Shea had filled in for Cage as Castle’s tag partner at a previous show. That brought Cage himself to the ring to shake hands with his counterpart. O’Shea and Mallaki Matthews took on the duo of Alex The Big Owl and Gorgeous Jordan Lacey; The Big Owl showed a more aggressive side in picking up the win.

B-Boy had once teamed up with Homicide and his resume includes experience with IWA Mid-South, Wrestling Society X, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and Jersey All-Pro Wrestling. However, this was his first appearance in the St. Louis area and he was facing a crowd favorite in A.C.H. A.C.H. has been making a name for himself in ROH as well as other national promotions…despite the difference in overall experience, A.C.H. was able to get the tapout win over “The New Age Punisher” and earn his respect!

Mike Sydal showed off his yoga-enhanced flexibility on a few occasions, but it wasn’t quite enough to take down the popular Bolt Brady; Bolt got the win after several innovative maneuvers.

Despite Michael Elgin‘s national reputation, the fans were solidly behind Jojo Bravo in his quest to topple the powerhouse. Jojo did his best to wear down the “Unbreakable” one with sleeperholds, but Elgin finally defeated him after a turnbuckle powerbomb followed by his signature spiral bomb. It appeared Bravo had impressed Elgin, but Elgin mowed him down with a clothesline after raising his beaten opponent’s hand.

With a title shot at Gerald James in his future, Kyle O’Reilly sought to pick up some momentum heading into the Gateway To Anarchy weekend. Evan Gelistico was far from a mere “stepping stone” in O’Reilly’s journey and matched the current Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion move for move. In the end, O’Reilly got the victory and now looks to capture the gold in St. Louis Anarchy!

Adam Raw returned to SLA to face Ricky Starks...with the recent trend of “old school” in wrestling, the two used several moves that you wouldn’t normally see in an Anarchy ring like the bearhug and iron claw. Raw got the win with a familiar-looking combination of moves: A big boot to the face followed by a legdrop off the ropes.

The main event was a wild brawl right out of the gate as Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett rushed the ring to battle with Anarchy Champion Gerald James and Jeremy Wyatt. Dorian Victor wasn’t above getting physically involved so it was a three-on-two situation at times. Despite the odds, Fitchett managed to plant James with a cradle piledriver to pick up the win over the champion!

The night wasn’t quite over as James, Wyatt, and Victor went on the attack once again. Greg Jovi ran into the ring to attack his former protege Fitchett and that brought out the Hooligans. Alex The Big Owl and Jordan Lacey weren’t far behind…but out of nowhere, Lacey turned on his tag team partner! At the end of the show, Lacey stood tall alongside James, Wyatt, Victor, and Jovi.

While the events of the wrestling show were memorable for the fans in attendance, it was special in a different way for the Davises…their friends at St. Louis Anarchy had put on a great show and given them some much-needed financial support in a tough time of their lives.