For almost a year, the question on the minds of IHW fans has been – when is Brandon coming back? Well, I have the answer to that. On Saturday, March 24, 2012, former two-time IHW champion Brandon Aarons returns to the ring to participate in the 4th Annual IHW Invitational tournament! He was the winner of the very first IHW Invitational back in 2009 and would later go on to capture his first IHW championship.

Brandon rode a wave of success in IHW that would last until April 23, 2011. Brandon had just won a tag team match with Billy McNeil against Cameron Cage and K.C. Karrington. Afterward, Cage and Late Nite assaulted Brandon, injuring his leg with a steel chair. Fighting back, he drove his attackers from the ring and challenged Cage to a match and put the title on the line. Brandon fought Cage with every ounce of courage he had, but his body gave out. Cage locked on a figure-four leglock, using his manager, Mr. Late Nite for leverage, and caused Brandon to tap out. The pain was too much. He had lost the championship to the evil pair of Cage and Late Nite. Later, doctors worked hard to repair the damage Cage had inflicted on the leg, but Brandon would suffer from other health problems afterward.

Cameron Cage works over the leg of Brandon Aarons.

 Since then, fans have come to IHW shows and wondered when (and if) Brandon was going to return. Several weeks ago, IHW General Manager, Luke Roberts, got a call from Brandon and his physicians who confirmed that he was medically cleared to wrestle. No one ever thought he would return to the ring again after his brutal attack last year. Brandon told Roberts he wanted the championship back, but he had to work his way back to the top. Roberts entered him in the 4th Annual IHW Invitational tournament against his old rival, Eric Allen in the first round. If Brandon can beat Allen, he goes on to wrestle in a four-way match to determine who carries home the trophy and gets an IHW championship match.

 Come out to Red Bud, IL on Saturday, March 24, 2012 and watch Brandon Aarons step foot in the same building where he was taken out of action last year as he attempts to climb his way back to the top of the mountain!

Fans, PWP had one of our best events of all time on Saturday February 18th at the Council Bluffs National Guard Armory! A near record breaking crowd was on hand to witness a night full of action and emotion. Here is what went down!

1.) Sir Bradley Charles defeated “The Passion” Zac James. Zac James came out and addressed the crowd. He explained that SBC was the holder of the Anytime Anywhere Contract, and that he was an idiot for not cashing it in yet. He explained how he had won the contract the previous year and used it to win the PWP Tag Team Championship, holding that title for over a year. SBC came out, and the match was underway. In the end, SBC was able to catch James on his shoulders and deliver the Long Kiss Good Knight to get the 1,2,3. Afterwards, SBC explained that no matter who won the PWP Heavyweight Championship Match later tonight, he would cash in his contract on March 24th.

2.) Mad Dog McDowell defeated “Unbreakable” Zach Thompson w/ “Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell. Thompson had his Heroes For Hire teammate Jimmy Rockwell with him at ringside, however, after the referee caught him trying to cheat, he ejected him from ringside! After that, McDowell was able to land a few different brutal body slam variations and get the win, much to the delight of the crowd.

3.) Paul Daniels defeated Joey Daniels via Count Out. These brothers have been feuding ever since Joey turned his back on Paul in November. Halfway through the match, Joey tried to win with his feet on the ropes, but Paul was able to kick out! Paul nailed a Side Effect maneuver but Joey rolled out of the ring, got up and walked away, letting the 10 count run out. Afterwards, Paul said this isn’t the way he wants to win, and next month, there would be a Lumberjack Match, with the ringside surrounded by wrestlers, so that no one could escape!

4.) Hype Gotti defeated David Clark. This was an absolute surprise to almost everyone in attendance, as it was a last minute addition to the event! Both of these men had not been seen in PWP for a long time, and it was a treat to get to see them fight! Both men fought hard and after the Gotti Driver, Hype was able to get the pinfall victory. Afterwards he cut a promo explaining how PWP is home to him and he loved being back, even if only for one night. He also said that David Clark is a great competitor. We can only hope that these two men return in the future.

5.) Gangrel defeated SM King. King came out to a chorus of boos, insulting everyone in the crowd, and saying he would say whatever he wanted, and that no one could do a d*mn thing about it. Then, Gangrel’s familiar music hit, and he made his way to the ring! SM King held his own against the Vampire Warrior, but late in the match, his arms got caught in the ropes, and Gangrel went to town with strikes and chops! King nailed Gangrel with a low blow, which the referee did not see, but it wasn’t enough, as Gangrel was able to use his patented Impaler DDT and get the win! A huge celebration was had afterwards as Gangrel took pictures with the fans at ringside.

6.) Sean Cruz defeated “Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell. Zach Thompson also made his way to the ring but the referee, smart to their antics from earlier, immediately sent Thompson to the back, much to the Hero’s dismay. What followed was a fantastic match between two great PWP competitors. Rockwell was full of smart aleck one liners anytime he gained the advantage during the match. Cruz, back from his sternum and collarbone injury, showed a renewed focus and instead of his typical flashy maneuvers, we saw a more grounded and methodical, hold for hold approach from him. This back and forth match came to a close when Cruz locked a painful looking Rings Of Saturn Crossface maneuver on Rockwell, and that was enough to make him tap out. We have definitely seen a new side of Sean Cruz and it will be interesting to see what actions he takes in the future.

7.) Matty Star retained the PWP Heavyweight Championship against “Simply Ravishing” Ryan Slade, who was accompanied by “Manager Supreme” Axel Greece. Fans, there are moments in PWP that are extremely hard to describe, because of the aura in the building and the moment you realize something extremely special is taking place. This match was one of those moments. This is definitely one of the best title matches in PWP history! Both of these men gave everything they had to see who would come out on top. Ryan Slade kept returning to a Crossface maneuver that many in the crowd thought would have Star tapping out for sure. At one point Matty Star nailed a disgusting German Suplex off the top rope, and at another point, Slade connected with a vicious Canadian Destroyer! Greece also got his hands dirty, grabbing at Matty’s ankles and distracting the referee. In the end though, Matty was able to connect with the Falcon Arrow off the Top Rope, which no man has kicked out of, and get the win to retain his coveted title. The crowd was on their feet cheering, but Matty had little time to celebrate as Branden Juarez made his way from the back and started beating down Matty Star! Juarez was telling anyone who would listen that he was coming for all the titles in PWP and Matty was next on the list. Sir Bradley Charles however made the save, knowing that next month the two would have a PWP Heavyweight Championship match. SBC and Juarez argued for a bit, then Juarez disappeared from whence he came. The events that followed are some of the most despicable events to ever happen inside a PWP ring, as SBC hit a disgusting low blow on Matty Star, nailed him with the Long Kiss Good Knight onto a chair, then pulled his contract out and said “CASH IT IN!”

8.) Sir Bradley Charles defeated Matty Star to become the new PWP Heavyweight Champion. SBC laid down, and 1,2,3 was all it took after that vicious maneuver, to become the new champ. He then addressed the crowd, saying that he did what any one of them would have done, and took advantage of the situation. He them picked Matty up and nailed him AGAIN with the Long Kiss Good Knight, and you could tell Star was out cold. Some members of the locker room attended to Matty, and SBC gloated with the crowd. You can be sure that we will have more word on this situation in the upcoming weeks.

SBC is red hot in 2012.

9.) “The Heartland Foundation” Vic Victory & Darren “Thunder” Russell defeated “Cheap & Dirty” Branden Juarez & Preston Maxwell in a STEEL CAGE MATCH to become the new PWP Tag Team Champions. You could feel the anxiousness in the room as the cage was being set up. The rules were simple: ESCAPE ONLY. The crowd exploded when The Heartland Foundation made their way to the ring! As soon as Cheap & Dirty got in the ring, the door was locked, and the match was underway! So many high risk maneuvers happened during this fight that it is hard to remember them all. At one point Darren Russell nailed a brutal Diamond Cutter off the top rope on Preston Maxwell. Another highlight of the match was Vic Victory doing a Moonsault OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE onto all three men! Victory & Russell took control and smashed Juarez’s face into the cage numerous times, resulting in a bloody mess! Zac James ran out and attacked the referee, got the key from him and unlocked the door. He gave handcuff’s and a chair to Preston, but was stopped short by Chris Havius who had seen enough and threw Zac into the ring frame, and then as Branden Juarez stuck his head out to yell at him, slammed the cage door on his head, and locked it back up! Preston’s cuffs idea backfired, as Victory & Russell were able to cuff HIM to the bottom rope! This left a bloody Branden Juarez, who took Darren Russell’s stunner combo, followed by Victory’s superkick, then a pair of Hart Attack double team maneuvers WITH a chair! He was not getting up! The Heartland Foundation climbed over the top of the cage, and as their feet touched the ground, they became the new PWP Tag Team Champions! The crowd exploded and spent a lot of time after the match celebrating with the duo, getting pictures etc. This was truly an emotional moment for everyone in attendance.

PWP would like to take this time to once again thank not only our loyal fans who always come out to see us and know that we always do our best, but to thank the large amount of new fans that came out to see us for the first time. To all our fans, we love you, and PWP would not be here without you. Thanks so much to everyone who came out!

Our next live event is March 24th at the Council Bluffs National Guard Armory. Details are coming soon!

http://www.ProWrestlingPhoenix.com
http://www.FaceBook.com/ProWrestlingPhoenix
http://www.Twitter.com/PWPwrestling

Former MMWA-SICW Champion Jennifer Starr and MWR friend  will be a special guest on www.Stlouisflo.com internet radio today talking with Rudy Haynes (Nellys uncle)  and Tim West!!  After 10am today.

Find out what the former Champion has been up to as of late.

Iowa-based Pro Wrestling Action to Be Seen Throughout the State

DES MOINES, Iowa – 3XWrestling (3XW) is very proud to announce the debut of the first television program in company history.

3XWrestling will air a weekly half-hour program filled with the top wrestling action in the Midwest beginning the first weekend in March.

3XWrestling TV debuts on Saturday, March 3 at 6 p.m. on KWKB (channel 20) in eastern Iowa and on Monday, March 5 (late Sunday night) at 1:30 a.m. on KCWI (channel 23) in central Iowa.

Matches and segments for the show are filmed at 3XW events across the state. 3XW holds a minimum of two events a month – a monthly supershow the last Friday of each month at the Baratta’s@Forte Coliseum in Des Moines, typically followed by a Saturday event in locations such as Grinnell and Ottumwa.

3XWrestling is currently in discussions to bring live events to many new cities throughout the state. Our next two events are March 30 in Des Moines (featuring a 60-minute No Disqualification Ironman 3XW Heavyweight title match between “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt & “The Ironman” Mark Sterling) and March 31 in Ottumwa (featuring a battle royal with the winner receiving a Heavyweight title shot match night.)

Along with full-length bouts and highlights of major events, footage from 3XW’s popular webshows “Outside the Ring”, “Welcome Back, Carter” and “Daryl Moon Learns About Wrestling” will also be seen on the television program.

3XW, a Des Moines-based family-friendly wrestling promotion, has grown from humble beginnings in July 2005 to being a leader in the Midwestern professional wrestling scene. 3XW has twice been recognized (2008, 2010) by Missouri Wrestling Revival (http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com) as the “Promotion of the Year” for the Midwest.

3XWrestling has performed in front of thousands of fans across Iowa and been featured on KCWI TV, KWKB TV, Des Moines Radio Group stations, Iowa Public Radio and in publications including the Des Moines Register, Juice, Cityview and Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 3XW events are held each month in Des Moines, as well as other venues throughout Iowa.

More Info About 3XWrestling

3XW Outside the Ring Episodes: http://www.3XWrestling.com/videos.htm

– 3XW’s official webshow, featuring highlights and interviews from 3XW events

3XW Free Match of the Month: http://www.3XWrestling.com/videos2.htm

– New matches uploaded every month. Watch classic 3XW matches for free!

Other 3XW Webshows: http://www.youtube.com/3XWrestlingcom

– Daryl Moon Learns About Wrestling

– Welcome Back, Carter

Follow 3XWrestling on Twitter @3XWrestling and like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/3XWrestling

3XWrestling Partners with Smart Mark Video – Premier Wrestling Video Retailer!

– 3XWrestling DVDs are now available at Smart Mark Video – http://www.smartmarkvideo.com/

For more information about 3XWrestling, including details on purchasing advance tickets to events, bringing 3XW to your town and to watch 3XW’s highly-acclaimed web videos, please visit http://www.3xwrestling.com/. Card subject to change.

The hottest wrestling audio show in the Midwest, RingSyders, hosts a very special Ring of Honor Pre-Game edition this Sunday, featuring ROH Insider Veda Scott.

ROH 10th Anniversary “Young Wolves Rising” will stream live on gfl.tv for only $10 at 4 P.M. CST. RingSyders brings you interviews with the wrestlers on this stellar card, live from New York City! Who knows who will join hosts Ben Simon and Mikey G in this early edition!

Listen to PartyAnimalRadio.com starting at 3 P.M. CST. This will be an episode to remember.

Last week, ROH Television Champion Jay Lethal joined us and discussed: TNA vs. ROH, Kevin Nash, Black Machismo and his philosophy on making it to WrestleMania. Past guests include: Jay Briscoe, Brandon Espinosa, Ace Hawkins, ACH, Dan Walsh, Mr. Late Nite and Lynn Mephisto. You never know who’s going to show up, so you better listen.

RingSyders airs every Sunday from (usually) 5-7 P.M. We are the show for wrestlers, referees, promoters, fans, marks, smarks and people named Mark.

You can order ROH live on iPPV right here for only $10! Come celebrate their 10th birthday with them in New York City and experience the best pro wrestling on the planet for yourself!!!

“ONLY $9.99 – HOTTEST TICKET AROUND!!!”

Main Event
ROH World Champion Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly vs. “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole

ROH World Tag Team Championship
Jay & Mark Briscoe defend against the Young Bucks

ROH World Television Championship
Jay Lethal defends against “The Dominant Male” Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy LTD.

NO DQ – Grudge Match
Jimmy Jacobs takes on “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen

Special Attraction Tag Team Match
The Amazing Red & “Technical Lightning” TJ Perkins vs The House of Truth (“Unbreakable” Michael Elgin & Roderick Strong) w/ Truth Martini

Glory By Honor X Tag Team Rematch
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) vs The All Night Xpress (Rhett Titus & Kenny King)

Special Attraction
“Notorious 187” Homicide vs “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett w/ Brutal Bob & Maria Kanellis

Also scheduled to appear
– Steve Corino

By Brian Kelley

Past Promotions of the Year
2011 Metro Pro Wrestling
2010 3XWrestling
2009 MMWA-SICW
2008 3XWrestling

With MWR having 16 promotions in our coverage area, it is HARD to tell 12 of these promoters who I care and respect and whom have put their hard earn money, free time into a sport that we all love( but makes no one hardly any money unless you are WWE) that their promotion is not among the top 4.

What makes a promotion the best? It is up for debate for real and I would love to know how you the fans, wrestlers and promoters feel about this. Well, I can’t speak for all of the  MWR awards committee  but here is what I am looking for in a promotion as we named the Promotion of the year.

1) Attendance– A great show with no fans = a boring time

2) Wrestlers– Are the wrestlers in the promotion among the very best that they can offer, so many organizations are out there are just willing to put anyone in the ring which only makes the men and women who work hard to put on a good product in a rough spot as fans don’t know the difference from a quality promotion and a yarder show that just popped up. I often have had people contact me to be added to the site but their wrestlers fit the description above so I have to find a way out of saying yes (That has not always been the case.) Add on the fact that MWR has grown at such a rapid rate that the 16 Promotions leaves us swamped. In the past I have advertised shows that were fundraisers from a non MWR promotion or because a quality person was involved with them and asked me to. Will we add other promotions in the future?

Yes if I feel that it could benefit MWR and that promotion, but if we stay at 16 that’s GREAT.

Great matches, feuds and storylines can also add to a promotion getting the nod to be among the top in the Midwest.

Editor Note: This year we added St Louis Anarchy- Why- A company filled with talent and a desire to be the best. Our fans asked for it, and quite personally I was happy to come to a working agreement with this promotion. I feel as if we will be able to support each other to get the name of MWR and SLA out to the wrestling community not only in the Midwest but around the country.

3) Activity – How many shows= Promotion of the Year ??? Is having 100 shows better than a promotion that has 12? How about 30 shows over 12? If you ask me 10 is the magic number to even be considered for this award. If a company does less there’s no shame in it though. Once again and this is my opinion, was there people there to see this, what was the quality of the show and wrestlers involved? I have been at all of the above 16 promotions shows, at each of them they have had GREAT matches, and each of them has had awful shows. I have been a co-booker for 2 shows and I know how draining, irritating and stressful it is to do a show. Afterwards you can be so drained working with wrestlers who show up, trying to maintain your cool with the “tools” that don’t show up, trying to answer questions from the sound guy, to the ref to the fans. It can be the best of times and the most definitely the worst of times.

4) Positive promotion of wrestling– An added bonus could be what good press that promotion received for their wrestlers and organization. Articles in the paper, stories on the TV news, fan fare’s days are all bonus points that will help a company.Promotions that have worked with the community for fundraiser, found sponsorships for their shows only gives the sport and the wrestlers that much more respect.

5) TV – This isn’t the deciding factor but let’s be honest it’s what separates many of the organizations.. This only adds to the prestige of the company. You don’t need TV it if you have great attendance, great wrestling, and meet other criteria’s that would make for a great year enough to be named the MWR Promotion of the Year. If not TV, how good is the DVD’S?  Do you have footage of the hard work you put in a show and to allow old and new fans to catch up with your storylines and wrestlers.

6) Web presence– How accessible are you to the fans of MWR? Is your website updated? Once again. This is not the most important part to claim the spot for the top 4 promotions as you are trying to reach the non-wrestling fans and have them fill your seats and many people feel that the hardcore fans will always be there. I see their point but what does it hurt to have a site of your promotion that the new fans and the hardcore fans can click on and enjoy, or at least find out when the next show you have.

7) This is the least important to me but could be a tiebreaker- What have you added extra to your show. Often this could be “Names”. Let me first point out that I have been to many shows where they did not include a “name” for the show. I care more about supporting each and every MWR promotion than hyping up ST LOUIS’S WWE Royal Rumble (That’s not to say we didn’t mention it). It’s not that I hate WWE but they have their own hype machine, MWR is there to support the above mentioned 16 promotions. I am not saying having a name would not influence what show I go to because if I can add a MWR interview or promo from a WWE Hall of Famer, current wrestler to mix in with the stars of the 16 promotions at MWR it only gives our fans a taste of the big time.. Would I like to work for WWE? Hell yes, but for now MWR Indy shows and the people involved are on our focus.

In 2012 it may be how close the shows are to us due to funds, but I am a firm believer in you need to make an appearance once or twice if you are to choose winners for an award.

Last year I almost done away with the award of promotion of the year due to the heat I received from a promoter. Yet I had one friend who stood up and convinced me that I had the right to decide on who wins the MWR awards. Is MWR the gospel of Pro Wrestling in the Midwest, no but he told me (a wrestler) that he wished he had a site like MWR to support him earlier in his career and that I should just stick with it. This year I have two wrestlers who have sent me letters cussing me on the match of the year. Both of these guys have been supporters of MWR and personal friends and still are but if you have a great match and 60 people saw it and it wasn’t videotaped, chances are it will not win match of the year.

Even though I continue to move on with the awards, I hate to disappoint others.

Sometimes the 3rd runner up could have a strong case of being number one.

Promoters I go by the theory of C.A.R. – Communication, Appreciation and Respect…If you want your info on your shows contact me and keep me informed, be polite( I try to do the same as well) Respect the fact that we make no money on this site, some weeks we have tons of time to post and will get your show the proper hype you need, Other times we fail to hype it due to our personal lives. Please don’t take it personal.

It always helps when the promoters send us recaps to the shows, and though I have been swamped latley I at least try to get a photo or two highlighting the title changes and big matches that were featured on your card.

In the future we may look at what makes a match “The” match of the year”? Plus a valid  question on the topic from a friend of mine involving a past winner of the award.

Send your thoughts, arguments and solutions to make MWR better to flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com.