By Kari Williams and Patrick Brandmeyer
Photo credit: Mike Van Hoogstraat
Photo comments: Brian “Flair” Kelley

WWE Legendary referee Dave Hebner, Tony Costa and Bob Holly

MMWA-SICW welcomed former WWE Referee Dave Hebner and Former WWE Superstar Hardcore Holly to their April 11 show at the South Broadway Athletic Club, where they, and the fans, witnessed a night of shocking victories and surprise returns.

In the main event, A.J. Williams attempted to regain the Junior Heavyweight Championship from Dave Vaughn, who had Cook in his corner for the entire bout. Williams and Vaughn wrestled an impressive match, with both men having their moments of glory. Wiliams used his high-flying antics to build an offense against the more grounded Vaughn and connected with a superkick to the champ. Vaughn rolled out of the ring to regroup, and Williams tried to capitalize on the distractrion, but only came away with a two-count. With Cook’s assistance, Vaughn stole the win and retained his title.

Dave Vaughn is focused on defeating his arch enemy AJ Williams.

AJ strikes from up high.

Vaughn once again retains the Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Jeremy Lightfoot and Big Texan battled it out prior to the main event. Texan used his size and power to dominate Lightfoot early on, but after a cocky, one-handed pin attempt, Lightfoot began to fight back. Despite Texan overwhelming Lightfoot the majority of the bout, Lightfoot pulled out a Lightfoot Driver for the win at 10:24.

Shaft holds on for dear life.

The newest Connection member, Shaft, showed fans a more intense side of the once-fan-friendly wrestler against an MMWA newcomer in Purple Passion. Shaft’s newfound aggression allowed him to dominate Passion for nearly the entire bout. Although Passion put up a good fight, nothing could stop Shaft, especially with Cook on his side. At 7:11, Shaft defeated Passion after relentlessly attacking his knee.

Prior to “Night Train” Gary Jackson’s Heavyweight Title defense against Phil E. Blunt, Jackson called out Jerome Cody and asked, “Are you with them or are you with me?” referring to The Connection. Cody revealed that his alliance will lie with Jackson, and then the title match began.

Blunt started the match in his typical way, attacking Jackson from behind and then tossing him to the outside, where he relentlessly pummeled his opponent. The fans tried to will Jackson back from the near-defeat, but Blunt will not let Jackson dominate. When the men took the fight to the outside for the second time, Jackson appeared to be gaining some leverage, but as they made their way back in the squared circle, Blunt scored a near fall. Vaughn then ran in and gave the referee a distraction so that Cook could slip a belt to Blunt, who inadvertently hit Vaughn. This mishap and confusion allowed Jackson to walk away victorious
after a roll-up where he held the tights for extra emphasis.

Gary Jackson and Phil E Blunt fight it out on the floor.

Gary Jackson send Blunt on a trip.

Lumberjack Abe gets the 1-2-3 on Billy Diamond

The Lumberjacks made their presece felt for the second time this evening when Abe took on “Wild Child” Billy Diamond. Diamond tried to outsmart Abe with speed and then initiated a test of strength battle in which Abe got the upper hand. Abe’s early dominance forshadowed what was to come because every time Diamond began to take over Abe put a stop to it with Gabe’s help. The double-team attempts became too much for Diamond, who succumbed at 9:47.

Johnny Courageous slams Core

Johnny Courageous and Core put on a technically sound bout with the fans solely behind Courageous. Just when Core began to take the advantage from Courageous, the fans willed him back, and Courageous’ determination never weakened. Although Core was able to hit his opponenet with some high impact moves, Courageous pulled through, scoring an upset via pinfall.

Waco can fly for a big man....too bad the Lumberjack left town.

Waco chokes Lumberjack Gabe while the Big Texan gives his approval.

Members of warring tag teams squared off as Lumberjack Gabe with Abe faced Waco(w/ Big Texan). Waco went aerial in his attempt to take out one of the reigning Tag Team Champions, but Gabe was able to avoid the masked man’s moonsault. The outside parties got involved at key moments, leading to Waco scoring the win with a DDT in around seven minutes.

Jaysin Static makes quick work on El Lobo

Jaysin Static made his first in-ring appearance at South Broadway since his recent injury, squaring off against the masked man El Lobo. While the mask seemed to give Lobo some interesting advice, it was not enough to propel him to victory. Static finished off Lobo with a knockout kick to the back of the head, picking up the win in just over four minutes.

MMWA-SICW returns to South Broadway on May 9th with special guest Harley Race.  For more info please go to the MMWA-SICW MySpace page.

PRESS RELEASE

Join us for a free public screening of the documentary on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. inside Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

No tickets are necessary for the event.

Just come as you are and meet the likes of Bob Geigel, Harley Race, “Nature Boy” Roger Kirby, Billy Howard, Tom Andrews, Richard Brown, Mike George, Bill Grigsby, WWE referee John Cone and long-time announcer Bill Kersten.

The documentary will then premiere on Metro Sports on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, at 7:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
From the late 1800s to 1988, Kansas City was considered a hotbed of professional wrestling. The lineage of champions in multiple wrestling organizations can be traced to the City of Fountains, and the fan base was considered to be one of the most rampant. The wave of professional wrestling success in the city continued throughout the Twentieth Century until 1988, when Vince McMahon’s global World Wrestling Federation ultimately put an end to the independent wrestling territories that once filled up America.

K.C. ON THE MAT focuses specifically on Kansas City pro-wrestling from 1930 to the demise in 1988. It begins with the back story of the first National Wrestling Alliance Champion, Orville Brown, and his rise as a top promoter in Kansas City. Brown eventually sold his assets out, and the trio of “Texas” Bob Geigel, Harley Race and Pat O’Connor controlled the area until its fall in the late 1980s.

The feature-length documentary is 92 minutes.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Chris Gough is an Emmy Award-winning producer and anchor at Metro Sports in Kansas City, Missouri. Gough graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelors of Journalism degree in 1999, and he began his career as a creative writer in professional wrestling at World Wrestling Entertainment.

Since leaving WWE in 2003, Gough began working as an anchor and producer at Metro Sports, and in late 2007, he began putting together this passion project — gathering together the men who put Kansas City professional wrestling on the map.

ABOUT METRO SPORTS
Metro Sports, part of the Kansas City division of Time Warner Cable, is Kansas City’s 24-hour all-sports television network. Metro Sports is available on Time Warner Cable Channel 30 and Comcast Channel 258 in Kansas City. It can also be seen on Sunflower Cable Channel 37 in Lawrence, Kansas. Metro Sports features live and taped telecasts of sporting events, studio shows, original documentary-style programs, blocks of ESPNews, and other sports programming.

by Midnight Guthrie
(Syndicated by MWR)

A really great night of action, with very good wrestling throughout the night. Extra enhancements were made to the production-side of our events at the Des Moines Social Club, including even more entrance lights and an entrance ramp. It really is a truly phenomenal venue for wrestling.

Be sure to pick up “April Showers…of POWER” on DVD when it’s released so you can catch some excellent DVD-exclusive interviews with Mike Sydal, Zach Thompson and Kraig Keesaman.

Also be on the lookout for the next episode of Outside the Ring before our next event “May Day Mayhem” on May 1st…and yes, as of right now, Chad Mylan’s handful of fans can rejoice because he’s scheduled to be on the next episode!

Of course, 3XW also returns to the Des Moines Social Club on May 15 for “May Flowers…of POWER!” featuring 3XW’s annual tradition, the always-thrilling “Gauntlet for the Gold” time-interval battle royal with the winner earning a future 3XW Heayweight title shot!

Results of “April Showers…of POWER!”:

1. “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon defeated “The Price is Right’s Favorite Wrestler” Aaron Masterson in a suprisingly back-and-forth contest following a devastating brainbuster.

3XW President Skylar Pierce came out to the ring next with his guests for the night, Josh Ray and Brian Kelley of Missouri Wrestling Revival.com. Ray and Kelley presented Pierce with a beautiful plaque honoring 3XW as Missouri Wrestling Revival’s “2008 Promotion of the Year.”

The celebration was not over as the reps from MWR invited the Northstar Express to the ring, who returned to 3XW to a loud and supportive reaction from the crowd. Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz were each presented with a plaque honoring them as MWR’s “2008 Tag Team of the Year.”

On a sidenote, I encourage everyone to visit http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com as it’s an excellent resource on wrestling action happening anywhere in the Midwest. Everyone from 3XW wants to thank Josh and Brian again for honoring 3XW.

Corbin took the mic next and ran down a brief history of the Northstar Express in 3XW and the events that led to his knee injury last September and the Gentleman’s Club ending the NSE’s 20-month reign as tag team champions. Corbin demanded that they get a rematch with the Gentleman’s Club for the tag team titles when…

The Gentleman’s Club’s music hit the speakers and out came Gage Octane, Mark Sterling and 3XW Commissioner Todd Countryman to the ring. Countryman explain to Corbin and Cruz that since they’d hadn’t teamed since September, 3XW held a tag team gauntlet match to crown new No. 1 contender’s in March, which Sexy and Smooth won. Therefore, in order to earn a rematch for the titles, the Northstar Express would have to beat the team of Sexy and Smooth first, while the Gentleman’s Club would be defending the titles tonight against the team that placed last in the gauntlet, Ricky Kwong and Donnie Peppercricket. He ended by tell the NSE that they would be facing Sexy and Smooth…right now!

2. The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz) beat Sexy and Smooth (Ryan Slade and A.J. Smooth) following their patented Cruz Control double-team maneuver. This was an excellent and chaotic match that saw the Gentleman’s Club attempt to interfer by nailing one of the Northstar Express with a Tag Team title belt, only for them to kick out of the pin. Despite the loss, this was an extremely strong showing for Sexy and Smooth.

3. Maddog McDowell defeated “Torturous” Tony Sly following the Rabies Shot.

4. 3XW Cruiserweight Title match and part of Missouri Wrestling Revival’s “Midwest Best Series”: “The Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell successfully defended the title over Mike Sydal following a Senton Bomb from the top rope in one of the best Cruiserweight title matches in 3XW history. This contest featured both athlete’s pulling out everything in their arsenals, including a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor by Sydal, a flip off the ring apron onto Sydal and into the crowd by Rockwell, a numerous unique counters by both men throughout the match. One highlight of note was Sydal countering Rockwell’s attempt at a gourdbuster by spinning his body around while horizontal in the air and giving Rockwell a stunner. A really fun match to watch.

5. The Gentleman’s Club (Mark Sterling and Gage Octane with 3XW Commisioner Todd Countryman” successfully defended the 3XW Tag Team titles over Kwongercricket (Ricky Kwong and Donnie Peppercricket) in a very strong, gutsy showing by Kwongercricket, who came very close on a number of occasions of winning the titles. The final moments saw Peppercricket hit the Kryptonite Crunch on Sterling, followed by a Flying Elbow Drop from Kwong on Sterling. Countryman jumped on the apron to distract Referee Travis Peterson as Octane grabbed a tag title belt. The Northstar Express ran out and Cruz chased Countryman to the back as Corbin grabbed the belt from Octane and went to hit him with it, but Octane ducked and Corbin accidentally hit Kwong with the tag belt leading to the Gentlemen’s Club winning the match.

6. Kraig Keesaman defeated “The Unbreakable” Zach Thompson in convincing fashion with the devastating Nordic Spike. Following the match, Brady A. Dezire ran into the ring and assaulted Thompson while he was still down on the mat, lifting him to a standing position and crushing his face with a superkick. He took the microphone and said he was tired of being held down in 3XW when wrestlers like Zach Thompson were given chances on every event and said he would prove his point when he beats Thompson in Carlisle on May 1st.

7. Tyler Cook and “Delicious” Devin Carter defeated 3XW Heavyweight champion Casanova and 3XW Pure champion “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt after Cook pinned Wyatt with a rollup to regain the 3XW Pure title. Wyatt and Casanova assaulted Cook and Carter with the title belts as soon as the pin was counted, leaving both men grounded as the result of the match was announced and Cook’s theme music played out of the speakers.

Make sure to visit http://www.3xwrestling.com in the coming weeks for updates about both our May events and to watch the latest episode of 3XW “Outside the Ring.”

Hey wrestling fans!

The first episode of MNR Present Falls Count Anywhere is LIVE! In this episode, your hosts Dan Phelps and Michael Reiser discuss the draft, Wrestlemania, RoH madness, TNA Lockdown, the future of the WWE and some local Midwest wrestling. Sorry for the technical issues, as cats were running amuck.

You can find the show at http://mnrfallscountanywhere.podomatic.com/ or you can search Falls Count Anywhere on iTunes. Have a question for us? Send it to mnrfallscountanywhere@gmail.com or add us on myspace http://www.myspace.com/mnrfallscountanywhere.

Don’t forget to review us on iTunes and stay tuned for next weeks show!

By Kari Williams

Ring of Honor (ROH) returned to the Gateway Center in Collinsville, IL to a packed crowd waiting anxiously, not only for the matches, but for Ric Flair’s highly-anticipated appearance. Having attended both shows when ROH traveled to the Midwest, I can vouch for the fact that the second show greatly surpassed the first. With Flair in house, every wrestler seemed to step it up a notch to impress the legend.

Two pre-show matches took place, and the quality of those bouts set the stage for the rest of the night. Fans appeared most impressed by Travis Sawyer v. Alex Payne and the energy buzz created during that match lasted the entire night. With mere moments between Sawyer/Payne and the official matches beginning, eagerness buzzed around the building.

Suddenly, the lights went out. The room became pitch black and anticipation buzzed in the atmosphere. As if on cue, everyone, including myself, stood up and clapped to the heart-pounding beat that blared through the speakers. An “R-O-H” chant rumbled from the depths of the room to encompass its entirety as fans in the front row banged their fists against the metal barricade in front of them.

In the first match, Jay Brisco took on Roderick Strong and the fans showed their devotion with chants for both men echoing from wall to wall. Only minutes into the match up, someone off to the side started a “Man up!” chant, which sparked a fire in the men. Not long after the resurgence of energy, they began chopping each other, prompting the always-expected “Woooooo!” from the crowd, signifying Flair-appreciation. Brisco and Strong’s ability cannot be denied, and these men fought a fast-paced and exciting bout. On this exchange, Strong snuck away with the victory after a quick roll-up that caught Brisco off guard.

With the fans pumped and ready for more, SHIMMER Champion MsChif, accompanied by Jimmy Jacobs and Delirious, defended her belt against Daizee Haze. At one point, Haze appeared poised for victory, and when she ascended the turnbuckles, Jacobs pushed her off, giving MsChif a window of opportunity. Haze tried to keep the advantage, but after taking a devastating power bomb lost a great deal of momentum. She did have enough fire left to connect with a bulldog followed up by a missile drop kick for a two-count, but Jacobs’ constant interference got in Haze’s head. She climbed to the top rope and flew off with a crossbody that took out Delirious and Jacobs. This distraction is what did in Haze, causing MsChif to retain. Jacobs then delivered the message to Haze that if she got involved in his and Delirious’ upcoming tag match he would make her feel what he made Delirious feel.

After the AoTF went to the back, a four corner survival took place between Austin Aries, Kenny Omega Silas Young and Claudio Castagnoli. From the moment the bell rang, bodies flew everywhere. Aries started the match off very strong, and with the fans on his side, he refused to disappoint. Fast-paced and filled with quick pins, these four men put everything on the line. Move after move continued to impress, leaving fans in awe. In the end, Aries’ antics allowed him to pick up the win.

Next, Flair’s music hit, and the entire crowd stood up to cheer for, and bow to, the legend. Nothing gets wrestling fans more hyped than seeing the wheeling, dealing, kiss stealing, jet flying, limosuine riding, son of a gun, not twenty feet away from them. I happen to glance over at Brian Kelley when Flair walked by, and he stood erect, arms raised high above his head, bowing in unison with everyone else in his row, paying homage to the dirtiest player in the game.

After intermission, Davey Richards and the American Wolves took on El Generico, Kevin Steen and Bobby Dempsey in a grudge match. The six men fought with such intensity and hooked every fan before the bell even rang. Dempsey became the focus of the match and delivered a fierce amount of punishment to his opponents. Unfortunately, Generico, Steen and Dempsey could not overcome the odds with Richards and the Wolves having Larry Sweeney in their corner.

After intermission, Irish Airborne wrestled Rhet Titus and Kenny King. From the moment Titus and King came out, Titus was heckled with chants of “Stevie-Richards!” which may have contributed to their mindset going into the match. Despite Titus and King’s determination, they could not defeat the incredible tandem of Irish Airborne, who went on the offense with a number of impressive double-teams to secure victory.

In a night filled with remarkable match after remarkable match, the battle between “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Bison Smith ranked high on my list of favorites. Before the two even locked-up, a “Best in the World” chant broke out for Danielson, the clear-cut favorite. Danielson’s confidence frustated Smith, who could not seem to gain the upper hand early on. Soon, Smith turned his frustration into willpower, and he began to over power Danielson. The bout consisted of multiple nearfalls for both men, but Danielson wounded Smith enough for him to be unable to answer the 10 count, resulting in a count-out victory for the best in the world.

Jacobs and Delirious teamed up against Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn next in another collision that sent fans into a frenzy. Frequent tags mixed with spectacular athleticism gave Lynn and Black the early advantage. In an attempt to take over, Jacobs sent Delirious to do his dirty work, which looked as if it help for a while. However, after Haze’s interference, which costs AoTF the win, Delirious stood up for himself against Jacobs, who has tormented him unrelentlessly for months. Delirious and Haze embraced in the center of the ring and resounding cheers of happiness exploded as the two walk to the back, arm in arm.

Brent Albright challenged Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Title in the main event. With Flair sitting ringside, these two made put on, arguably, the match of the night. McGuinness and Albright wrestled a purely technical bout with a mixture of high-impact moves and meshed into a masterpiece. Flair looked on approvingly, especially when the competitors let out the patented Ric Flair chops. The most decisive part of the match came when Castagnoli ran into the match, causing a disqualification victory for Albright. Castagnoli and McGuinness double-teamed Albright, causing Flair to make the save and he raised Albright’s hand after they sent their opponents running to the back.

The next ROH show in Collinsville will take place on October 9. Tickets can be purchased through rohwrestling.com.