“3G” Eric Wayne finally gets his shot at one of the best wrestlers in the world as he faces “Boom Boom” Colt Cabana at AAPW Main Event on Saturday January 14 from the Black Diamond Harley Davidson Warehouse in Marion, IL. For more details and tickets, visit aapwrestling.com!

Editor’s note: This week, we were just going to be announcing the MWR Awards but this match may change the course of wrestling in the world in 2012.

NEW 3XWrestling Champion Mark Sterling !!! Photo Credit Brian Kelley

Shocking news at 3XWrestling, moments after losing the 3XW title to the “IRON MAN” Mark Sterling, Jeremy Wyatt signed the contract to challenge the NWA World Champion Adam Pearce in what is  the biggest match in the career of “The Belt collector”!!

MWR fans may hate Jeremy Wyatt, the first ever MWR Wrestler of the Year but they know how good he is and have been begging for the NWA World Champion to give him a chance at the prestigious title.

So 2012 will start out with a dream match as there is no other place to be than 3XWrestling on January 27th, as “The Belt Collector” Jeremy Wyatt meets “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce one on one.

Thanks to footage from 3XWrestling, let’s see how this match came to be.

The Kentucky Buffet (Matt Cage and Alex Castle) - Photo Credit Brian Kelley

The Kentucky Buffet consist of Alex Castle and Matt Cage, both of whom were members of two other tag teams in the Midwest. Cage with Neil Diamond Cutter as one half of “Counter Culture”, while Castle teamed up with Christian Rose as “Project Mayhem”.

Counter Culture and Project Mayhem would have moderate success in the Midwest, but together they would become 3 time IWAU Tag Team Champions. Their rise included victories over top flight talent, classic matches.

In February they lost a classic 60 man Iron Man tag Team match to arch rival tag team the Top Guns (Danny Cannon and Christian Rose) as the Guns got the edge with four falls to the KYB’s three.

They would bounce later in the year by beating Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya and CJ Esparza) for the vacant IWAU Tag team titles. During the year they would be able to capture victories over such teams as Jimmy Jacobs & Zach Gowen, Arik Cannon & Darin Corbin, Akira Tozawa & Christian Rose, Christian Rose & Joey O’Riley, KC Karrington & Adam Rich as well as New Midwest Wrestling legends The Feature Presentation (Blake Steel and Eric Ruffington).

The Kentucky Buffett debuted at Dragon Gate USA against the tag team “The Scene” Caleb Konley and Scott Reed.

The KYB also hosts a weekly webshow entitled “All You Can Eat with The Kentucky Buffet“. Special guests have including Johnny Gargano, Colt Cabana, Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin, Akira Tozawa, El Generico and many other top stars in the wrestling business.

Recently, a friendly rivalry, has turned very bitter, very quickly and it will be interesting to see where the future of the 2011 MWR Tag Team of the Year leads them in 2012.

For now we would like to congratulate the Kentucky Buffet for being named the 2011 MWR Tag Team of the year.

1st Runner Up– Heroes for Hire- Zach Thompson and Jimmy Rockwell

2nd Runner Up– The Hooligans- Devin and Mason Cutter

3rd Runner Up – Attitude Inc- Guy Smith and Spencer Powers

Other teams receiving votes: American Ground and Air, The Lumberjacks, Tony Raze and the Big Texan, Generation Kill (formerly The Shadow Corp.), American Bulldogs, The Bumrush Brothers, Sinn Enterprises.

2010 Attitude Inc Guy Smith, Spencer Powers and Michael Shard

2009 The Hooligans Devin and Mason Cutter

2008 The Northstar Express Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz

I Came home from covering a great night of wrestling at 3XWrestling tonight to great news. It has been announced that young Midwest Superstar Ace Hawkins has been named the 2011 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year.

Fans can check out a preview of the issue that has yet to come out at PWI-ONLINE by clicking here and purchasing it for only $4.99. This marks the third time during the MWR Years that a Midwest star has been named has won this prestigious award.

Joe Hennig- Harley Race/ WLW Student 2008

Mike Sydal – 2009

Ace Hawkins –2011

We are thrilled for young Ace Hawkins for this ultimate achievement that has also been won by Ric Flair (1975) Ricky Steamboat (1977) Steve Austin (1990) Bill Goldberg (1998) Kurt Angle (2000) and Randy Orton (2001) .

Ace Hawkins has used his speed and never die attitude to gain fans around the Midwest. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)

Now you can add Ace Hawkins to this prestigious achievement for this young rising star. MWR Fans be sure to pick up the rookie trading card of Ace Hawkins, the MWR Trading Card number #55.

Hawkins high risk moves has paid off time and time again early on his wrestling career. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)

We would like to thank the MWR fans around the Midwest for sending in your support for Ace Hawkins who was very deserving of this award. His time in the ring around the Midwest has opened up doors for ROH, OVW as well as becoming the IHW Illinois Champion.

On November 7th. at MWR we asked for you to Please help support Ace Hawkins for the 2011 PWI Rookie of the year and for the second time in three years you did not disappoint. Thank you to the fans that made sure to send in your vote to make sure that his hard work was rewarded rightfully so.

Look for Ace Hawkins at a wrestling show near you in 2012.

It is that time of the year when we will celebrate the year of 2011; this year for MWR the year ended the last of November.  A great year for pro wrestling in the Midwest with former World Champions, Hall of Famers, and a awesome  group of young talented wrestlers that entertained fans all around the MWR Coverage area.

I would like to thank the fans for their support, the hospitality of the promoters, my fellow photographers  and contributors for the site as well as the wrestlers who assisted us in making MWR the place to be on the net for all your news in the Midwest.

Starting tomorrow we will name the first MWR Award recipient in the 2011 MWR Wrestler of the Year as voted on by the MWR committee. Then each day after we will name for Tag Team, Female, MWR Future Star, Match, Promotion and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The decisions on each category were discussed and even argued at times but in the end I know that I can sleep right knowing that the proper recipients won.

Throughout the year, we will be distributing the MWR Plaques to the winners along with a great collage of them by Jay Ray using photos many of the great photographers in the MWR family.

This marks our fourth year supporting Professional Wrestling in the Midwest.

Come back tomorrow to celebrate 2011, and please continue to join us in 2012 to make the fifth year the best one yet to date.

Last, but not least please check out the promotions and upcoming shows link for when you can support the hard working men and women in the sport we love while creating memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Sincerely

Brian Kelley

Missouri Wrestling Revival Owner –Editor

Ax Alwardt was reeling while Koko B Ware delivered an elbow. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)

Thanks to our friends at IWA Productions, MWR had a great time in Olney Illinois as they packed the house with former WWE Legends Koko B Ware, The Honky Tonk Man and Hacksaw Jim Duggan along with all your favorite IWAP Stars.

During that night we had a chance to speak to fan favorite Koko B Ware prior to his match with AX Alwardt. The Birdman is a great guy who took the time to send you this invitation for the year 2012.

The PWI Rookie of the Year in 1979 finished it up with a place in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Koko was inducted to the hall by the man who would wrestle Ruff Crossing, The Honky Tonk Man.