Missouri Wrestling Revival

By David McCutcheon

St. Louis Anarchy’s biggest event ever—the two-night Gateway to Anarchy 2014 extravaganza—continued on March 1, 2014 in Alton, Illinois with a main event that has been a long time coming. After winning the Medallion Tournament back in September 2012, Kyle O’Reilly cashed in his opportunity for the main prize on his birthday. A match-up nearly two years in the making, O’Reilly made the trek through the bad weather—along with the Anarchy loyalists—to receive the biggest trial of his Anarchy career.

Also on the card were the newest arrivals to St. Louis Anarchy in Roderick Strong and Nick Jackson, both coming off of victorious matches against their opponents from the first night of festivities. This was a solid first impression, but could they keep the ball rolling on Night 2 against Davey Vega and the Hooligans, respectively?

Zakk Sawyers d. Evan Gelistico via pinfall

Quickly the fan favorite (especially when in the ring with the likes of Evan Gelistico), Zakk Sawyers comes in fresh off of his loss to the injured Danny Cannon from the previous night. The boorish Gelistico had the upper-hand throughout the fight, grounded Sawyers with a series of submission locks to knock the wind out of his sails. Things quickly turned on the upswing for Sawyers, who kicked on the boosters to send Gelistico on a losing streak with a Blue Thunder Bomb.

Jeremy Wyatt (with Greg Jovi and Jacob Dangle) d. Mat Fitchett via pinfall

Jeremy Wyatt is no slouch when it comes to antagonizing the crowd, as proven by his ring entrances alone. Birthday boy Mat Fitchett sprang out with Mardi Gras beads to dispense amongst the Anarchy faithful prior to the start, where Wyatt quickly grounded the high-flying party animal with a series of knee strikes. Eliminating the legs of a wrestler like Fitchett certainly makes it an uphill battle, and the contest showed exactly that. Fitchett got back on his feet for a portion of the bout, but his leg-based offense hurt himself as much as it hurt Wyatt. Right as Fitchett finally had the advantage, Gerald James caused a distraction leading to a Lightning Spiral by Wyatt for the pinfall victory.

Alexander Rudolph—formerly known as Alex the Big Owl—came out to a hot reaction from the crowd and let everyone know that the deception from Jordan Lacey and Jacob Dangle—his former tag team partner and manager, respectively—have led to the death of the Big Owl. In its wake is the Viking, who likes getting violent and a little weird. Dan Walsh and Lacey hit the ring to a chorus of boos as they laid into Rudolph, but Adam Raw quickly made the save. A brawl around the venue ensued, including Raw getting busted open by a chair shot to the head. Ever the wily veteran, the sight of his own blood only made Raw more aggressive as he and Rudolph—now voluntarily covered in Raw’s blood—cleared house

while basking in their crimson masks. Things certainly got violent and a little weird, and the bad guys retreated to safety.

Davey Vega d. Roderick Strong via pinfall

Both competitors were well received by the fans in attendance, as many expected a fierce wrestling contest. The duo did not disappoint, with many chops delivered, various suplexes landed, and some spectacular near-falls. Roderick Strong kept Davey Vega grounded with his patented submission holds, even cinching in the Stronghold at one point before an instinctive rope break. In one of the most shocking upset victories in recent Anarchy history, Vega got the win with an Air Crash Raid to the recently-recovered neck of Strong. With Vega pinning the world class wrestler who cleanly defeated the champion Gary Jay a night prior, one has to think that Vega just moved up the food chain in St. Louis Anarchy.

Brandon Espinosa d. Blake Steel via pinfall

The rough-and-tumble Blake Steel came out with a bad attitude, and it was about to get much worse as Brandon Espinosa antagonized the bearded bruiser with his usual playful antics. Butt slaps and lip smacks were in full effect as the witty Espy used his arsenal—Bronco Buster included—to best the burly brawler Steel before polishing him off with a frog splash. Espinosa is another wrestler on the Anarchy roster who can’t seem to do wrong as of late, picking up steam and climbing the totem role. It’s only a matter of time before Espy gets his just dues in the land of Anarchy.

The Hooligans (Mason and Devin Cutter) d. Nick Jackson & ACH via pinfall

Fresh off of his victory with tag team partner Johnny Gargano the night before, Nick Jackson looked to take flight with possibly the most beloved singles wrestler in the Anarchy territory, ACH. The Hooligans are arguably the premiere tag team in the Midwest, and looked to open the eyes of one half of the Young Bucks. The match superkicked off with a superkick party cut abruptly short, as miscommunication quickly set in between Jackson and ACH. The Hooligans roughed up ACH while Jackson waited in the corner. Once the tag was made, the tides turned with greater force than the Hooligans’ flips. Devin begged his brother to make the tag from the apron as Jackson and ACH began clicking on all cylinders, making frequent tags and utilizing their similar styles to double team Mason in their territory. Chaos ensued on the hot tag, with ACH’s Show Me Your Moves cutter connecting on Devin Cutter, but it was the Hooligans who took control of the match with the Young Buck on the sidelines. With the Hooligans’ devastating wheelbarrow/spike DDT maneuver to ACH’s dome, the excellent match was over. Jackson wasn’t pleased with the outcome, but showed sportsmanship to all involved. Could the Young Bucks seek revenge of the Hooligans?