http://mwr.podomatic.com/entry/2009-07-05T21_42_06-07_00

New rankings have been posted:

https://missouriwrestlingrevival.wordpress.com/rankings/

Go check it out!

Mark Bland’s Credentials:
Is he ready to face “The Future”?

by Josh Ray

Note:  Come to High Voltage last show before their big anniversary show to see if Mark Bland makes his presence known.  The show is August 15, 2009 in Granite City, IL at the Rivers Edge Reception Center (1635 W. 1st Street).

An old picture of Mark Bland in his South Broadway wrestling days.

There is a feud on the horizon that seems more like a “Road to Wrestlemania” story than a Midwest independent pro wrestling attraction.  It was a simple but brash challenge laid out by a St. Louis area radio show host that opens this story, but it is sure to end with a bang when Mark Bland and “The Future” Donovan Ruddick meet one on one in a High Voltage Wrestling ring, possibly as soon as the end of summer.

A recent Mark Bland promotional picture.

Many St. Louis wrestling fans on the Internet have proclaimed this to be nothing more than a publicity stunt, but after some research I’ve found that there is more to the story than meets the eye.  It all started in 2008 when Absolute Wrestling Radio became a reality on St. Louis radio when it was added to 1380 AM’s lineup.  Mark Bland had been away from pro wrestling for all intents and purposes for years, but part of his show would focus on the local indy wrestling scene. 

He looked at the talent and, in his mind, saw something lacking.  Sure, he kept up with Missouri Wrestling Revival and used it as a tool to stay informed, but he believed that the current crop of wrestlers, outside of Dingo (whom he interviewed on his show) had no future.  There were no Randy Ortons.  No Evan Bournes.  He didn’t feel like there was much to talk about in the area that was indy wrestling related.  He’d already interviewed the top guy in the past, Gary Jackson, who is actually the current reigning MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Champion.  He’d also interviewed the man he considered the future, Dingo.  He had pushed local pro wrestling about as far as it could be pushed.

I remember sitting down with Bland in the summer of last year…  almost one year ago to the day.

“Mark, what about Jeremy Wyatt, KC Karrington, Mark Sterling, Donovan Ruddick, Brandon Espinosa, Shane Rich, Steven Davis, Devin Carter, Steve Anthony, and Steve Fender?” I asked.

“I don’t see any of them making any real effort to get to that next level, Josh,” he replied.

Absolute Wrestling Radio’s show “taken over” by HVW promoter “TNT” Keny G.

While he and I will agree to disagree, the fact still remains that the MWR coverage area and the greater Midwest has more than its fair share of talent…  many of which could be on national television in the near future.  Mark must have sensed it, too.  Over the course of the next few months every conversation we had about local pro wrestling centered on two men:  “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt and “The Future” Donovan Ruddick.  Bland quickly became fixated on Ruddick, however, when I mentioned his dominance over his opponents.  Call it nervousness or jealousy if you want, but I believe Bland’s interest in Ruddick was competitive in nature.  It lit a fire in him and focused him like nothing else.

Recently, Bland began calling out champions within a two hundred mile radius of St. Louis, but there is no doubt in my mind who he wanted in the ring.  My suspicions were confirmed when he actually called High Voltage Wrestling owner “TNT” Keny G live on the Absolute Wrestling Radio show and called out Ruddick, who is the HVW Heavyweight Champion.  Keny G accepted, and now the questions are coming in by the truckload…  all of them asking the same questions:

1)  What are Mark Bland’s credentials?
2)  Does he really feel he can beat Ruddick?
3)  Is this just a publicity stunt?

Most wrestling fans in the area know Ruddick hovers around two hundred eighty pounds and stands nearly six feet, nine inches, but might not know that his challenger Mark Bland is every bit as large as he is!   He is, in fact, a former pro wrestler for South Broadway, and while he constantly claims Randy Orton in his hype machine, in truth Orton trained in MMWA-SICW (South Broadway) briefly while also training with his father.  Orton wrestled in MMWA-SICW for one month before moving to Ohio Valley Wrestling where he received the majority of his training for work in the WWE.  It seems that his credentials as a pro wrestler are legitimate, but that he has hyped the training of Randy Orton in an effort to make himself seem larger and more important.  The truth is that Bland doesn’t need Randy Orton in the equation…  he’s legitimately tough and can wrestle!

Bland's good friend and Absolute Wrestling Radio cohost Matt Krueger learns of Ruddick's strength the hard way.

He is also intelligent.  Bland has been promoting music through concerts and a record label for years, not to mention his growing success with Absolute Wrestling Radio.  Men with business sense should never be underestimated.  These men pick up victories in ways that their opponents never expect.  Bland possesses size, smarts, and definitely enough confidence…  he truly believes that he has Ruddick’s number.  He started wrestling 12 years ago, and has a distinct experience advantage over “The Future”, working with Ron Powers, Gary Jackson, and Keith Smith over his career.

Mark Bland exacts some measure of revenge on “TNT” Keny G for invading Absolute Wrestling Radio the week before.

While Bland is no pushover in the ring, it is important to note that Donovan Ruddick is known as “The Future” for a reason.  This man is arguably the most dominant big man in the St. Louis area and has been that way for some time.  Regardless of the outcome of this upcoming match, one thing is for sure:

St. Louis wrestling fans are in for a brawl!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2009

3XWrestling Celebrates Four Years Of Action With Biggest Show In History
Iowa’s Top Wrestling Company Proudly Presents Its 50th Event!

DES MOINES, Iowa – In independent professional wrestling, success is measured simply by being a company that can afford to hold an event each month. Manage it for a year and its considered a solid company. Do it for two years and the company is seen as above average – succeeding beyond the level of most promotions nationwide. If the promotion makes it three years, it cements its status as one of the best in the region.

If it makes it four years, with plans to be in business for the foreseeable future, the promotion is ranked among the top wrestling companies in the United States.

On July 17, Des Moines-owned and operated 3XWrestling (3XW) proudly presents its 4 Year Anniversary Show – the 50th event in company history!

To celebrate four years of playing to packed crowds in central Iowa, 3XW is giving back to new and longtime fans alike by presenting the strongest card in company history.

The best professional wrestlers in the Midwest return to the Des Moines Social Club to compete in the following action-packed matches – including a triple main event and four title defenses!:

– Main Event No. 1 – First Ever 3XW Dog Collar match for the 3XW Heavyweight title: Casanova defends the title against former two-time Heavyweight champion “Delicious” Devin Carter – Casanova’s former partner and best friend. If Carter defeats Casanova, he becomes the first three-time 3XW Heavyweight champion. Dog Collar matches are synonymous in professional wrestling with putting the exclamation point on emotionally violent feuds and fans should expect nothing less from this contest.

– Main Event No. 2 – Ladder match for the 3XW Pure Wrestling championship: “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt, the 2008 Missouri Wrestling Revival “Wrestler of the Year”, defends his title against longtime rival Tyler Cook in professional wrestling’s most exhilarating match. Cook is the only wrestler in 3XW to hold a pinfall victory over Jeremy Wyatt dating back to January 2007 – can the mega-popular risk taker climb to the top of the ladder and claim victory over Wyatt once again?

– Main Event No. 3 – Two-out-of-Three Falls attraction for the 3XW Tag Team championship: The Gentleman’s Club (Mark Sterling and Gage Octane with 3XW Commissioner Todd Countryman) defend against former champions The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz), the 2008 Missouri Wrestling Revival “Tag Team of the Year”, in the most important tag team battle in 3XW history. The Northstar Express held the titles for a record 20 months until Octane and Sterling took advantage of Corbin’s freak knee injury last September and won the gold. Now, with Corbin fully healed and after months of back-and-forth verbal attacks, these teams face each other for the first time since that dramatic night in a classic best-of-three falls format.

– 3XW Dream Match: Local legend Brian Ash, the first 3XW Heavyweight champion, returns to action to battle international wrestling star “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon for the first time in what could be a show-stealing encounter.

– Cruiserweight Six-Man Scramble: 3XW Cruiserweight champion “The Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell faces his toughest challenge yet as he defends the gold against five challengers in a special elimination scramble match. With all six athletes fighting at once, this is bound to be visual chaos. July is the 12th month Rockwell has held the title – will he hold on to beat Casanova’s record 15-month Cruiserweight title reign?

– Heavyweight Contenders Match: The spectacular Kraig Keesaman puts his 11-month winning streak on the line against former collegiate football player Maddog McDowell, 3XW’s biggest athlete.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start time. The Des Moines Social Club is located at 1408 Locust St. in Des Moines.

Founded in 2005, 3XWrestling, a Des Moines-based organization, has performed in front of thousands of fans across Iowa and been featured on Iowa Public Radio and in publications including Juice and Cityview. 3XW events are held monthly in Des Moines.

3XW and its performers are also heavily involved with charity work – a recent 3XW benefit event in Ottumwa, Iowa featuring one-legged wrestling star Zach Gowen raised over $10,000 to help the family of a young man whose leg was amputated due to his battle with cancer. All proceeds from the event we’re given to the family to offset medical costs, with every wrestler performing on a volunteer basis.

For more information about 3XWrestling, including details on purchasing advance tickets, please visit http://www.3XWrestling.com. Card subject to change.

Dynamo Pro relased three big videos recently concerning their training facilities and the feud over the NWA Kansas Championship.  Take a look!

Jerry Lynn talks about Dynamo Pro Wrestling’s Training Center after a match with Dynamo Pro wrestler, Mark Sterling:

Tyler Cook makes a statement concerning his regaining of NWA Kansas Championship #1 contendership:

Brett Young’s reply to Tyler Cook following his loss on 5/23/2009:

*** Pre-show match – David Clark defeated Rebelucha with a crucifix pin.

*** The main show started with Joey Daniels, PWP Tag Team Champions – Mark Sterling & #1 Brett Young, and PWP Heavyweight Champion “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt – who have dubbed themselves The Murder Militia – coming to the ring. They claimed they were in control, and they were going to destroy the company that they built – this brought out Chris Havius, who took exception to their claims of “building the company”. Havius went on to say that PWP was built by the guys who on the day of the show, get up at the crack of dawn, load the ring into the U-Haul truck, drive to the armory, set up the ring, set up the chairs, and do whatever else is necessary to get the show ready. He then challenged Wyatt to a match for the PWP Title, right then and there. Wyatt sent the other members of the Murder Militia to the back, and accepted – a wild brawl ensued between Wyatt and Havius that went all over the building – in the end, Havius had the match and the title won, when Sterling & Joey pulled referee Mason Patrick out of the ring, allowing Brett Young to slide a chair into the ring – Wyatt set the chair up, and delivered the Lightning Spiral to Havius right onto the chair, and picked up the 1-2-3.

*** “The Asian Sensation” Ricky Kwong defeated the returning Matty Starr in a very excited high flying match up.

*** Mike Sydal defeated Stephen Saint via DQ, when Saint used a steel chair, giving Mike a DDT onto it.

*** “The Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell defeated “The Passion” Zac James.

*** In a battle of PWP originals, Abu Colossus defeated “Babyface” Tony Cortez.

*** In the main event of the evening, Jaysin Strife, Vic Victory, and Donnie Peppercricket defeated the Murder Militia’s Joey Daniels, and the PWP Tag Team Champions – Mark Sterling & #1 Brett Young in a 6 Man Tag, when Strife pinned Daniels. After the victors had gone to the back, the Murder Militia attacked and bloodied PWP Official, BJ – Chris Havius ran out to make the save, but the numbers were too great, Strife, Victory, and Peppercricket ran back out to even the odds, but ultimately, the Murder Militia regained the upper hand, laying all 4 men out with a brutal assault.

What will this merciless group do next? Where does PWP go from here? We’ll all just have to wait and see.