Bruiser Brody is considered by many to be one of pro wrestling’s most charismatic men ever in the sport. Brody’s mystique continues to live to this day. Known as a very Independent and intelligent man who were blessed with skills and power that many only dreamed of.
Wrestling fans were able to catch an inside look at Brody through Larry Matysik’s ECW Press book named author of Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel. A great read for any wrestling fan on the career and battles that Brody had in and out of the ring with promoters and fellow wrestlers.
The book surprisingly was blessed with a true love story. In between the chapters Frank “BRODY” Goodish’s wife would tell the chain of events that would change her life forever. In the book a clear image of a man that fell in love with a girl while on tour overseas and though in the ring he was as vicious as could be. Yet, outside the ring he was a loving husband and a caring father.
We had the pleasure of working with Barbara as she gave us her blessings to have Brody be a part of the MWR Trading card set, which photo was drawn from the red hot artist Rob Schamberger. She was invited from SICW to celebrate the holidays in the Midwest with friends that Brody and her had made during his time in the ring at Wrestling at the Chase.
As we came to East Carondelet, Illinois for the night’s action we were welcomed from Promoter Herb Simmons’s wife Margaret who offered a seat next to her so we could pass out the Santa Hats for our MWR Holiday tour to the first seventy five fans that came through the door.
She had told us that she and Herb had a tiring but rewarding day as they were in East St Louis passing out toys to the children whose families were enduring tough times. I had found that to be very touching and inspirational because earlier this year the Simmons family had lost their house to a fire and instead of being bitter and non-caring to others they still found it in their hearts to continue giving.
In the back Barbara was being prepared to be interviewed by Larry Matysik and though I would have loved to have sat in and listened to their conversation we made our rounds to pass out Santa hats and to welcome the fans for a great night of wrestling.
Throughout the night Barbara was wonderful and kind to each fan and wrestler that came up for either an autograph or photo while many took the opportunity to get both. During one of the intermission ring announcer Ben Simon welcomed Barbara along with a few of the St Louis Wrestling Stars that had spent time with Brody to comment on what her husband had meant to them from a wrestling standpoint and personal level.
In the ring was several of the greats including a man that my friend Daryl Valle stated was an inspiration to him as a young fan, the manager Big Daddy, the former Classic Wrestling Champions Ron Powers and Danny Boy Hawkins who on this night had seemed to agree on a truce, Butcher Salviccio and the “Great One” Gary Jackson joined Barbara for a touching moment.
Herb took the time to introduce a fan who was such a big fan of Brody that he had a tattoo in honor of the man himself on his back.
Afterwards Barbara once again took time to meet with the fans and was genuinely excited about having her photo taken with Santa Clause, who had come in from the North Pole to meet the fans of SICW.
During a conversation with Barbara, she spoke about how much fun she had on her trip back to St. Louis. Awesome to hear because she deserved nothing less as the fans raved about her friendliness.
Though it seems like yesterday that we lost Brody to the world, the years have indeed passed by, but it is truly refreshing to see that the friends that she made in the wrestling world still care about her to this day. The Holidays is about loving and caring for each other and on this night the SICW fans, wrestlers, promoters and the Goodish family kept that dream alive as smiles were from the front of the room to the back. I can only imagine a massive man by the name of Frank “Brody” Goodish looking down proud that the sport is truly filled with genuine caring people.
The field has been set for the first-ever Collision Cup tournament, featuring eight of the Midwest’s best and brightest rising stars.
The one-night, single-elimination tournament will be the cornerstone of Pro Wrestling Collision‘s debut event on Jan. 19 at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center Ballroom D.
Pro Wrestling Collision was launched in December 2012 by Chris Hagstrom, former executive producer for All American Pro Wrestling. The company recognizes Edmund “Livewire” McGuire as its inaugural Heavyweight Champion, Ace Hawkins and Brandon Espinosa as its Tag Team Champions and Joey O’Riley as its No Limits Champion.
The winner of the Collision Cup will be named the number-one contender to McGuire’s Heavyweight Championship.
First round matches for the tournament include:
Christian Rose vs. Kyle Sykes: Rose has been strengthening his reputation as he continues to travel the Midwest. The hard-hitting striker has caught the attention of many, especially with his recent victory over Matt Hardy. Sykes is a relative rookie looking for the opportunity to break out of the pack and make a name for himself. Last summer, he teamed with independent superstar “M-Dogg 20” Matt Cross and earned the veteran’s respect.
Matt Cage vs. Joey O’Riley: These two long-time foes have done battle more than 50 times across the Midwest, stunning audiences with their performances everywhere they go. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say the technician Cage and high-flyer O’Riley have become the Midwest independent scene’s equivalent of Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles. Both men admit they bring out the best in each other, and the fans will surely see that when they lock horns once again.
Brandon Espinosa vs. Heath Hatton: This match pits two fan favorites, who are also good friends, against each other. Espinosa is one-half of the Pro Wrestling Collision tag team champions, while Hatton is coming off a banner year in 2012, when he competed on WWE pay-per-view and challenged then-NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce. In the first round, though, only one of them will be able to advance, and he’ll have to beat a friend to do.
Alex Castle vs. Ace Hawkins: Castle has demanded management give him an opportunity, so they did just that, pairing Castle against the other half of the Tag Team Champions. While Hawkins may be outsized in this contest, don’t count him out. The young star has earned a number of accolades, including Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 2011, and proven himself. Castle is looking to send a message to management, while Hawkins is out to prove his size and reputation as a tag team competitor won’t hold him back in singles competition.
In addition to those four first-round matches, the event will also feature two semi-final contests, as well as the tournament finals.
Three non-tournament matches have also been scheduled for the evening. They include:
Zakk Sawyer vs. “Farmer” Billy Hillsvs. Justice: Sawyer, the protege of Cage and Rose, looks to prove himself in this match against two much larger opponents. Hills and Justice are both strong fan favorites, which may also play against Sawyer. This triple threat match will be contested under one-fall-to-the-finish rules.
Angelus Layne vs. Twinke Starr: Women’s wrestling makes its debut on the premiere event, as well. Layne, though, has made her displeasure with this match known. She wanted to compete in the Collision Cup and feels management has made a mockery of her by matching her against Starr. Starr, meanwhile, is looking to use her fan support to rally the crowd to victory and put Layne back in her place.
Bull Bronson Open Challenge: Bronson is a destructive man, and he has taken out competitors across the Midwest and the South. Without an opponent named for the event, Bronson issued an open challenge. His challenge has been accepted, and more details will be revealed soon.
Pro Wrestling Collision debuts Jan. 19 in Carbondale, Ill. Tickets are $5 and are available at prowrestlingcollision.com. The show begins at 7 p.m.
For more information about Pro Wrestling Collision, visit prowrestlingcollision.com, facebook.com/prowrestlingcollision or twitter.com/pwcollision.
If you would like to sponsor an add for the 8-times NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has sent us the attached information . Check out the sales sheet that provides details regarding the Enshrinement from Craig Winegar.
On the front side of the sheet, you will find the date, times and locations of the various events associated with the Enshrinement. Also listed are the various levels of sponsorships that are available, advertising opportunities and ticket pricing. On the back of the sheet, all of the members of the Class of 2013 are listed. As you will see, this is a very impressive class! I have also attached a second sheet that contains the ad specs for the calendar and the program. Our ad deadline for our printed program is Friday, January 11. We will also have at least one 20 page insert and that ad deadline will be on Friday, January 18.
In our program, each inductee and/or team will receive a full page devoted to describing their accomplishments during their playing/coaching careers along with several photos of the inductee during their playing days. Last year, our program was 122 pages and we also had a 16 page insert. Each inductee also receives one month in our 18 month calendar. On their page, they will have a short biography and one photo. There is an ad space of ¼ page for your company to have their logo and a brief description. Your logo will also appear at the bottom of each month of the calendar, for additional exposure. Each inductee will also have a trading card produced. On the front of the card will be an action photo of the inductee, another photo will appear on the back along with a brief description of their career highlights. On the lower front of each card, there is a space for your company logo to appear. I would very much like for you to consider placing a congratulatory ad in our program and if your schedule will allow, I would like for you to consider attending this wonderful event. Each ticket holder not only will attend the dinner and ceremony, but they are also invited to attend our afternoon reception at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
This reception is from 11 until 1 and is presented by Meek’s The Builders Choice. It is a come and go affair and a prime opportunity to mingle with all of the inductees while enjoying heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages and exploring the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and its 32,000 square foot museum.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization. We receive no state funding and rely on acquiring corporate partners and private donations, from events such as our Enshrinement, to keep our museum doors open. Our January Enshrinement is our largest event of the year, both financially and in terms of attendance. We have averaged 1,500 people over the last 5 years at this event. Each individual ticket holder will receive a copy of the printed program and insert, a calendar and a set of trading cards. Therefore, your ad will be seen by over 1,500 people from across the state of Missouri.
If you should have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you in advance for your time and your consideration to participate in our January Enshrinement. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
We are thrilled to have one of the hottest stars in the wrestling world. Matt Riviera to join the first ever MWR Trading card set. You have seen him on your TV screen as a reality star including the new season of “The Millionaire Matchmaker” on Bravo network that will begin airing this Thursday. Riviera will be honored later this year from the Cauliflower Alley Club as the 2013 Men’s Active Wrestling Honoree.
Lets get the facts from his very own website.
Matt Riviera is someone who could easily be called a renaissance man. On one hand, he is a top notch professional wrestling star who is adored by fans all over the United States. On the other hand, he is a Reality TV Star having been featured on the VH1 show, Megan Wants a Millionaire. And on the other hand…I need more hands.
Movie Star, Celebrity TV Star, Professional Wrestler…where to start?
Matt Riviera started out as a wrestling fan. When he watched WCW on TV, he had aspirations of one day entering the squared circle as a wrestler himself. But that was to be years away. He could not train in the ring legally until he was 16 and he had the wrestling bug in him. So he did the next best thing. He asked local promoters what he could do until he was old enough to start training.
The first thing promoters told him was that shows don’t happen without sponsors. And if he could help find sponsors, that would go a long way to helping him get in the business. They also told him that he could help put posters up around town to promote the next show. In exchange for that, he would get free tickets to the show. The best part of that is that he started meeting a lot of the wrestlers that would one day be his contemporaries. From town to town in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, Matt would be driven around by a father who made sure his compassion for wrestling would not diminish. And the wrestlers and promoters remembered that kid who embraced the business at a young age.
When he reached age 16, he began training in Paris, Arkansas with two gentlemen who would loom large in his life in later years. Pine Bluff’s Tim Storm and Fort Smith’s Jeff Jett would help train Matt in the beginning. He decided the best way to find wrestling dates was to open his own promotion and Global Pro Wrestling was born.
Matt would bring stars in from around the country and promote shows that most folks today would be jealous of. From “Hacksaw” Butch Reed to “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, Global Pro Wrestling set the standard for professional wrestling shows in Arkansas. And this even before Matt got his college degree. He took some time off from promoting to attend Harding University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism, a perfect lead-in to where he was to go next.
Although Hollywood was calling because of his dashing good looks and charm, Matt still had the wrestling bug in him. He had continued his training and done some spot appearances for other promoters throughout the Midwest while in college. The urge to promote, though, was stronger than ever. But time was a premium for Matt. How to train and run a promotion at the same time was tough. So he took on a partner/trainer and opened The Wrestling School in Russ Vegas, Arkansas. That partner would help him train up and coming wrestlers while Matt gained the valuable gym time on his own.
Global set up a separate promotion that could be run while he devoted his time to another calling, acting. Matt was featured in a movie shot in Arkansas, “Blood Forest – Legend of the Cave Tribe”. With this, he could film during the week and still wrestle on selected weekends. Matt moved from that film to another Arkansas-based film, “Happy Hour”. It was during the shooting of this movie that Matt’s third calling came.
A production company for VH1 had seen some of Matt’s work (and his wrestling work as well) and invited him to audition for a new Reality Show, “Megan Wants a Millionaire”, featuring Megan Hauserman. Although the series was cancelled prematurely due to legal issues with one of the bachelors, Matt was in all episodes that aired before the cancellation.
When Matt returned to Arkansas, he felt he needed to take the wrestling business one step farther. With the creation of Traditional Championship Wrestling, Matt finally had a promotion that was destined to succeed big time! The TCW crew was assembled and featured not only local wrestling stars, but also stars who had made their name in other national promotions. Television started slow and was seen only on the promotion’s web site. But in July of 2011, TCW premiered in the Fort Smith, Arkansas and Little Rock Arkansas markets on broadcast television. The half hour show was seen by over a million viewers each week. In January 2012, TCW was picked up by MeTV Arkansas which would triple the potential viewers each week. In June 2012, TCW Television is projected to move from 30 minutes to one hour per week.
So you decide… Movie Star, Celebreality TV Star, or Professional Wrestler. Where will you see Matt Riviera next?
We know now, it is with the MWR Trading card set as number 98 in a card that is worth its weight in gold.
For a complete list of Missouri Wrestling Revival trading cards as well as WWE , TNA and Japan sets check out the website Wrestling trading cards.com here.
To purchase MWR Trading cards:
1) Catch the star at a show to have them autograph the cards personally
2) Contact them via facebook or myspace
3) Send $1.50 in money order or check for each card at *
Brian Kelley
305 West 3rd Salisbury Missouri 65281
or Paypal at flairmwr@yahoo.com
*Checks will take longer to clear than money orders so expect time for that to happen. Make sure you list exactly what card you are wanting to have.
Please note that when purchasing MWR Trading cards from the wrestlers, that they decide the prices for their cards. We highly recommend that you get them from the stars themselves and let them know that you enjoy MWR.
These cards are limited and are not mass produced making them highly collectable.
Hello my friends, I hope that 2013 has started off well for you as we have a whole year of excitement on tap for you in the near future.
We have just announced the 2012 MWR Yearly awards for Wrestler (Adam Pearce) Female (Miss Natural) Tag Teams (The American Bulldogs – Mark McDowell and Jon West) Future Star (ACH) and Lifetime Achievement Award (Herb Simmons)
Now we find out from the rest if we still have any friends from the ones that did not win. All jokes aside, I hope that the awards and more importantly the site has brought some publicity to the promotions and their wrestlers to a broader audience. For the fans, I hope the site has kept you up to date on when shows are happening and entertained you each day with updates from promotions that we cover.
I would like to thank
1) The MWR promoters that have become like a family to us. Without the hard work that you do to put on shows then there would be nothing to talk about. I feel as if each of the promoters that are in our coverage area have their heart in the right place to present quality, respectful entertainment for their fans at each show they promote.
2) The Wrestlers– MWR has spent the last five years supporting wrestling in the Midwest and we are so thankful for those who have done the same for us. I won’t even try to name names due to the fact that I would forget someone. Still please know your support of providing photos, wearing MWR wear and just saying kind words to others about us have been much appreciated.
3) The Fans – No matter the promotion, no matter the state that we come to, we have some great fans that become friends. We have had many of you that have been with us for the past five plus years while others we have met just recently. Regardless we are happy that you have joined us in our support of pro wrestling in the Midwest.
Check out Amazon.com for a preview of the inside of this book.
In 2012, I was recovering from the loss of my father Steven Paul Kelley and though I feel the loss each and every day thanks to my family, friends and you ,MWR was able to have such a banner year. On a personal level , thanks mainly to my friend Matt Murphy, we were able to produce a phenomenal 2012 MWR Yearbook that was worthy of the men and women who promote and wrestling in the Midwest and a tribute to my dad. (to purchase it from Amazon.com
I was thrilled to be interviewed from some of the top wrestling radio shows in the country to advertise the 2012 MWR Yearbook and was able to accomplish a dream of mine to have a photo published in Pro Wrestling Illustrated when my photo of the Great Cheyenne was chosen in the biggest issue of the year, The PWI year in awards issue (now on sale at all quality newsstands near you).
So 2013 is here and we hope that you continue to support MWR and wrestling around the Midwest. A few quick highlights I am wanting to share with you that are in the works for MWR.
1) We will be celebrating out 3,000 post of supporting pro wrestling with WORDPRESS.COM. to be perfectly honest MWR started out with another blog site so truthfully we have done more than that already, but I am excited to share with you a great number in the amount of support for Pro Wrestling in the Midwest with 3,000 with WORDPRESS.COM.
2)The 2012 MWR Yearbook- Yes , it is in the works and we are thrilled to have Matt Murphy return help with the set up for design and layout for the book. I am currently in my second semester in college (Yeah I guess they can still teach and old dog new tricks) and Matt has started a new job after moving his family out of state so I wont be able to give you a deadline on when the book will be publish but I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait. The MWR Yearbook will also feature the return of cover artist Raven Johnson (Check out his site here ) who has offered to do the front and back of this years book. I look to have the last few stories in Matts e-mail by Monday. The book will be in honor of my mother Diane Alberson Nowacki and to great mothers everywhere.
3) The countdown to the final cards in the MWR Trading card set will be done before the end of this month. We will finish with a 100 in the first set with 3 more great cards to be announced. The final card will feature one of our best friends, Rob Schamberger’s artwork for the card (check out his site here ). Look for MWR Trading card series number two coming soon thereafter. Thank you to all the great talent that has graced our cards and for those who have supported the cards. We have been blessed to have great wrestlers, the best photographers in the business , great writers do bios as well as some of the top artist (Rob Schamberger, ICON ART (check out his site here) , Raven Johnson, Dennis Wyatt and Dart Allen ) in the country do artwork for our cards. The teamwork of all involved has made the first ever MWR Trading card series to be a must have for any true wrestling fans. Heck, it’s been awesome to see some of the wrestlers themselves collect the cards.
4) We will also be honoring a second MWR Lifetime Achievement Award in the near future. Time with the family, working, preparing for school and the yearbook has me running behind and other than just throwing out the recipient’s name without having a worthy write up for him I have decided on announcing it at another date.
5) We will be presenting the 2012 Award plaques to the winners in the near future. We are happy to be teaming up with Derek Sharp Designs for the graphic art work for the plaques. Please take the time to like his page (by clicking here) and be sure to get ahold of him if by chance you need quality work done for photos, posters and such and tell him MWR sent him. The plaques and MWR T-shirts are from our good friends at Nick’s Embroidery(click here to add him)
MWR Fan relations Dubray Tallman with one of the very best in the world today MsChif- Photo Credit Brian Kelley
6) MWR’S very own Dubray Tallman will be working hard to present to you the 3rd annual MWR Sexiest Wrestler award. Each year this contest rotates from male to female to male again. The first year it was the guys turn and you the fans voted in Bailey Mannix, then it was the girls turn and MsChif took home the trophy.
Now we are back with the men. Can Bailey Mannix take home a second MWR Sexiest Wrestler award or will someone else have the bragging rights? Be sure to be with us during the month of love to vote on your favorite.
7) We will be having a contest to see who can come up with the best two color MWR logo/design that may be used for t-shirts, and other MWR memorabilia. So graphic artist and those with such talents this could be a great way to have your work out there.
This and much more will be on the horizon at MWR. We are always looking for fun and respectful ways to bring positive attention to pro wrestling in the Midwest so if you have any ideals that you feel would be a great way to spread the word of the promotions, the wrestlers and MWR to the masses please send an e-mail to flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com and subject “To better MWR”.
If you have helped us in the past five years then please know from the bottom of my heart that we appreciate it Thank you for your time, support and friendship.
Brian Kelley-Owner/Editor of Missouri Wrestling Revival
Current Promotions that are in the MWR coverage area for 2013.
When little Herbie Simmons was just a kid running around the Roosevelt Homes housing project in East St. Louis, the only thing he slowed down for was to watch the famous “Wrestling at the Chase” on KPLR-TV.
Who would have expected that almost five decades later, Herb Simmons would be named the winner of one of the biggest Missouri Wrestling Revival awards?
In the interim, along with a highly-respected career in public safety and politics, Herb got hooked on professional wrestling. His efforts as an independent promoter took him through the full gamut of good and bad, from the sellout crowds to the poor turnouts that had him reaching into his pocket to pay the boys. Simmons has seen it all and done it all, to the everlasting benefit of wrestling in Missouri, Illinois and throughout the Midwest.
Therefore, Herb Simmons is the recipient of the 2012 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award.
He actually got involved with the business of wrestling after becoming friends with Tony Casta in 1979, who wrestled and trained new talent at the South Broadway Athletic Club. Dating back well into the 1950s, South Broadway had presented independent shows. Herb began doing the tv commentary for a cable show from South Broadway in 1980. Simmons soon thereafter began running shows, with the help of Casta, under the Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling banner.
A change-over in who was running wrestling at South Broadway culminated with Casta in charge, and he used the name Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance. Simmons had licenses to promote in both Missouri and Illinois. He popped several big cards at the fairgrounds in Belleville.
During 1984, Herb developed a friendship with Larry Matysik, the protégé of the famous Sam Muchnick. After Sam’s retirement, Larry had run on his own at The Checkerdome and Kiel Auditorium before being swept up in the World Wrestling Federation expansion. Even though Matysik was working for Vince McMahon and the WWF, he also joined Simmons in several independent cards. Actually, the WWF made a deal with Simmons and used Herb’s license a few times due to Illinois athletic commission rules in the early parts of the big wrestling war.
And he also put Herb together with King Kong Brody. That trio – Simmons, Matysik and Brody – ran numerous cards in the two state area. Topping the bills with major league stars like Brody, Crusher Blackwell, Terry Funk, Spike Huber, Abdullah the Butcher and others, they filled the undercard with young guys getting started. Among them by 1988 were Gary Jackson and Ron Powers. Of course, Simmons also regularly had his dear friend Mickey Garagiola on hand and Mickey was always a big favorite for the audience.
The group ran in some unique locations. A couple cards were at the Fairmount Race Track. Biggest of all – the one and likely only wrestling program to be presented at the famous Fox Theater in St. Louis in 1988.
In the period that followed, after Brody’s tragic death, Herb kept plugging away. Some cards were on his own, a few were with Matysik, some with Casta. In 1993, he began running SICW shows in his adopted hometown of East Carondelet, Illinois. Added together, Simmons ran cards everywhere from Watseka, Illinois to Carmi, Illinois, to Rolla, Missouri.
Herb was a key component in getting Matysik to produce the Classic St. Louis Wrestling series of DVDs once he discovered the 60-hours of “Wrestling at the Chase” Larry had taped for his own use. Simmons also encouraged Larry to begin writing and soon Matysik’s first book was in print in 2005.
Over the years, Simmons’ shows gave countless young local wrestlers a chance to perform and develop. His desire to keep the tradition of St. Louis wrestling alive was just as important as he brought in the likes of Dory Funk, Jr., Von Raschke, Harley Race, Rocky Johnson, Gerry Brisco, Ted DiBiase, Lanny Poffo, The Honky Tonk Man and so many others to the area.
Most recently, Simmons has joined Matysik once again to produce the popular television show “SICW Wrestling Explosion” for Charter Cable in Illinois. They thought it would last two months, and now it’s been two years! All the action and all the opportunity for local talent is still there as Simmons regularly promotes cards in the St. Louis area. He meets and greets every fan with a smile and an open ear.
As Ron Powers said about Simmons: “Herb’s heart is with it. His heart is in the right place.” Indeed, Simmons has made a huge impact in the sport over some 30 years. His contributions have been meaningful and unquestioned. All that from little Herbie, slowing down only to watch “Wrestling at the Chase.”
It is obvious why MWR has chosen Herb Simmons to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012.
ACH never fails to entertain the fans. During his short time in wrestling , he is one of the most talked about and loved wrestlers in the country. He is so good that no matter what fan you ask you may get a different nickname, some call him The Last Dragon. The Live Action Video Game and some just call him amazing.
Throughout the year ACH has traveled around the country competing in the top promotions such as Anarchy Championship Wrestling ,CHIKARA, DragonGate and AAW.
The Midwest has been thrilled to see ACH make his home with the exciting promotion of ST. Louis Anarchy wrestling then traveling to many of the top MWR promotions including Magnum Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Epic. On June 2nd at the Turner Rec Center he became the Metro Pro Wrestling Central States Champion by defeating Dan Walsh and Neil Diamond Cutter in a triple threat match. Since that time he has defended the title successfully against Matt Murphy, Jeremy Wyatt and Adam Pearce.
No matter the type of wrestler that he competes against and there has been a ton of great matches with the likes of Chris Hero, Colt Cabana, Akira Tozawa, Jeremy Wyat, Gary Jay Darin Childs Davey Richards, and T.J Perkins, ACH has been making a reputation for himself.
Words just can not describe just how good he truly is and we have no doubt that the future is looking bright for the charismatic superstar ACH. He is the first wrestler to ever be a runner up for MWR Wrestler of the Year and being named the MWR Future Star of the Year award.
ACH was just announced as a competitor in the 2012 Ring of Honor 2013 Top Prospect Tournament featuring some of the top young talent in the world today.
It is a great honor to name ACH as the 2012 MWR Future Star of the year.
The fans love the American Bulldogs-Jon West and Mark McDowell- Photo Credit Brian Kelley
For the past five years Maddog Mark McDowell has found success throughout the Midwest winning tag team gold with various partners such as Krotch. Aaron Masterson, and Brian Scrilla but with the addition of a young protégé in Jon West he has found a partner that could very well lead the tag teams into the future of MWR.
McDowell and West in 2011 took it to some of the best in the Midwest but found themselves on the losing side of the of win loss column at the end of the day. Still, you could see the chemistry and confidence improve with each and every match.
2012 would see the American Bulldogs in a war with two of the very best teams today as they tangled with the Metro Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions Devin and Mason Cutter, and trying to survive on their home ground of 3XWrestling against Genesis led by Todd Countryman.
The American Bulldogs would come up just short in their goal of dethroning the Hooligans from the title. Yet, along with manager Skylar Pierce were not only able to rid the Genesis from power but was also able to capture the 3XW Tag Team Championship Wrestling titles from American Ground and Air (Ben Sailer & Nate Bash at Spring Showdown 3 on April 27th. ).
During their current eight month title reign the Bulldogs ducked no team and proved they were for real by defeating the 2011 MWR Tag Team of the Year, the Kentucky Buffett, the Beautiful Bodies, the Mylan Management Agency, Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin, The Submission Squad and many more with a total of 8 title defenses .
Meanwhile the duo would find success at both Magnum PRO Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Phoenix throughout the year with big wins against “Cheap & Dirty” Preston Maxwell & “The Passion” Zac James, The Heroes For Hire (Zach Thompson and Jimmy Rockwell), and the tag team of Joe-Dozer” Joey Anderson & Jeremy Jacobs.
The American Bulldogs have been up and down the roads in the Midwest gaining fans and getting big wins in their short career. Now they can add the 2012 MWR Tag Team of the Year to their resume.
Where we would like to see the American Bulldogs in 2013?
The American Bulldogs just barely edged out the Hooligans for this years MWR Tag Team of the Year. Still the defense for their case was well defended as they took on all challengers including retaining the 3XW title a total of 18 times against the best that stood up to take them on .
We would love to see the American Bulldogs and the Hooligans battle it out in 2013 for not only the 3XW,Metro Pro, ST Louis Anarchy tag titles but for the enjoyment of fans in the Midwest.
The Hooligans- Photo Credit Brian Kelley
1ST Runner up – The Hooligans Devin and Mason Cutter
The Hooligans Devin and Mason Cutter continue to be among the most exciting wrestlers in the country today. 2012 was once again another great year for them as they captured the Metro Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Epic tag Team titles. They made their debut at New Midwest Wrestling and continued to have the St. Louis Anarchy fans up on their feet during their matches.
Brandon Espinosa and Ace Hawkins wins the AAPW Tag Team titles. – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
2nd Runner Up- Minor Threat- Brandon Espinosa and Ace Hawkins
The current AAPW Tag team champions won the belts in an exciting ladder match at AAPW Zero Hour. Outside the area, Espinosa and Hawkins continues to be two of the top single stars in the area when they are not thrilling the fans with tag team excellence .
the Commission -Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico/ (far right) have enforced the rules along with Miss Natural and Steven J Girthy on the way to the top at Metro Pro Wrestling. – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
3rd Runner up- The Submission Squad/The Commission – Evan Gelistico/ Pierre Abernathy–
The veterans of tag team wrestling only continues to get better with time. Team looked to make a comeback at CHIKARA that just fell short. Still they were able to end the year winning the MPW Tag titles from arch rivals the Hooligans and just came up short for the 3XW tag team titles at 3XW to end the year
Others receiving nominations The Bumrush Brothers Shorty Biggs and Outkast , Team Lariat (“1981’s Finest” Marcus Holiday & “JoeDozer” Joey Anderson) , Christian Rose and Matt Cage, Attitude Inc
PAST WINNERS
2011 The Kentucky Buffett – Alex Castle and Matt Cage
2010 Attitude Inc- Guy Smith, Spencer Powers, Michael Shard
2009- The Hooligans –Devin and Mason Cutter
2008 – The Northstar Express- Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz
One of pro wrestling’s greatest secrets in the world of women’s wrestling has caught the eyes of some of the top promoters not only in the Midwest but around the country. Miss Natural came back in 2011 from a short hiatus and it did not take her long to soar to the top.
While there are a ton of pretty girls in the sport today, there are very few that can match her combination of skills, her training and pure beauty of the women that winning just comes “NATURAL” to.
Miss Natural has trained under the watchful eye of wrestling great Ken Patera in 2000 and shortly afterwards traveled to train with the 8-time NWA World Champion Harley Race.
Though Miss Natural is known for her hard hitting, bruising and methodical wrestling style in 2012 we were able to see both sides of one her as she wrestled around the country.
A key member of the Metro Pro Wrestling roster, she was the running mate for wrestling manager supreme Steven J Girthy as he ran for commissioner against Pete Madden that he successfully won at the end of 2012.
She would start the year off earning the respect of the 3XW fans with her match against Stacey O’Brien in January. When the match came to an end many of the fans wrote into say that it was the best women’s match in the history of that great company.
She would continue her path to the top with an exciting and bittersweet feud with archrival MsChif. The battles between the two promised to thrill fans from St. Louis to Kansas City at Dynamo Pro Wrestling until an injury derailed a hardcore match at Metro Pro, Natural would be able to capture a huge win in their last match up. (Though we hope to see these two fine athletes go at it more in 2013)
Miss Natural would seek to dominate World League Wrestling, where she is a five time WLW Women’s Champion and is currently the number one contender for the two time MWR Female Wrestler of the year Stacey O’Brien’s title.
Shimmer would see the return of Miss Natural to the roster in 2012, and if anyone had their doubts on how good she is, then the 3-1 record with wins against KC Spinelli, the 2012 PWI Rookie of the year Veda Scott and Su Yung.
Throughout the year Miss Natural would return to 3XWrestling, as well as a big match at Traditional Championship Wrestling with special referee former WWE Sunny. Other top promotions she worked for were Steel Domain Wrestling as she met the likes of Crazy Mary Dobsin Josie,and Jazz.
Miss Natural is truly one of the hardest working and respected women in the ring today and it is a great honor to announce that she is our 2012 MWR Female of the Year.
Where we would like to see Miss Natural in 2013?
We would love to see Miss Natural land up in the land of Anarchy to challenge the Rachel Summerlyn. How would the old school background and professionalism of Miss Natural deal with the all- out madness of the Anarchy lifestyle and fan base mixed with the bruising style of Summerlyn?
Miss Natural and Rachel Summerlyn could very well heat up the Midwest in 2013
Photo credit Brian Kelley
1ST runner up– Angelus Layne
Layne has worked hard to become one of the top women in the sport. “The First Lady Of MAGNUM” she defeated Kiandra at Magnum PRO Wrestling in Council Bluffs,Iowa while at IWA Unlimited in Olney, Illinois she was able to pick up a victory against Scarlett Bordeaux, Serenity, Lylah Lodge and Twink E. Star. She would continue her winning ways by defeating Lucy Mendez at 3XWrestling in Des Moines, Iowa.
Back at Magnum she showed her toughness as she met Derek Cornell in a losing effort that showed true heart. A huge win against MsChif proved anyone that had any doubts on her skills including a wins at New Midwest Wrestling, Zero 1 and 3XW against rival Kiandra. At St Louis Anarchy she would challenge Angelus Layne for the ACW Heavyweight Champ held by Rachel Summerlyn. Layne would go on to cause tons of trouble at AAPW alongside partner in crime Alex Castle.
There is no doubt that the best is yet to come for young Angelus Layne.
Photo credit Brian Kelley
2ND Runner up- The Great Cheyenne –
What an amazing year for the Hellfire Symphony member ,The Great Cheyenne. Fearsome and all powerful, she was able to start the year off debuting at AAPW against Stacey O’Brien in Marion, Illinois . She would come up just short but the tension between the two girls would escalate as the Great Cheyenne went after O’Brien’s WLW ladies title throughout Kansas and Missouri.
In a chain events no one could have predicted The Great Cheyenne would become one of the most popular wrestlers at AAPW while picking up a huge against Serenity before standing up against the duo on Angelus Layne and Alex Castle as they double teamed Kyle Sawyer. The Great Cheyenne would also spend time working with the youth in the community proving that in one of the most viscous women in the sport does indeed have a heart.
3rd Runner Up- Stacey O’Brien
The two time MWR Female Wrestler of the Year Stacey O’Brien once again had a very good year but the lack of title defenses (or lack of wrestlers stepping up to challenge her) for the WLW stood out to the voters. Still one cannot deny that she had an impressive year defending the WLW title against the likes of Miss Natural, The Great Cheyenne and Rebecca Raze. During the year she would wrestle for 3XWrestling and Show Me Wrestling against arch rivals Miss Natural and Lucy Mendez. O’Brien also hosted the Stacey O show (ala Pipers Pit) with guest Lex Luger and Cowboy Bob Orton.
Others receiving nominations – Rachel Summerlyn and Lucy Mendez
One of the most gifted wrestlers in the World today, Adam Pearce would give the fans a roller coaster full of emotion with each and every opponent he met. Photo Credit Wikkd Heir Photography.
When 2012 started Adam Pearce entered the year during his fourth reign as the NWA champ. As a fighting champion Pearce had returned the tradition of defending the World title back in Kansas City against Michael Strider for the first time in over years.
In a classic battle, Strider had thought he had reached a lifelong dream of becoming the NWA World Champion after pinning the champ. Yet, his dream was turned into reality as the match was restarted following Matt Murphy saying Strider’s pin over Pearce was void because Pearce’s foot was under the bottom rope during the pinfall.
Pearce would defend his title in the first NWA World’s Heavyweight title match in Des Moines since 1986 at 3XWrestling on January 27, 201 to meet “The Belt Collector” Jeremy Wyatt. Wyatt considered by many to be the greatest wrestler during the MWR Years had earned the respect from fans around the Midwest. The city of Des Moines, Iowa shook as the 3XW fans and Wyatt jumped to their feet after Wyatt had pinned Pearce.
Pure happiness would turn to anger as they saw Referee Jeromy Robb have the second ref (that had come in after being inadvertently crushed by both men in the corner) Steve Biley notified the ring announcer that he saw Mark Sterling hit Pearce with the Spear and that Wyatt had in fact been disqualified! As a result, Pearce retained the title.
This match would catch the eyes of the wrestling world for Jeremy Wyatt as PWI would rank him in their official NWA rankings at number seven in the world.
The students at Magnum Pro Wrestling had a golden opportunity to learn from the NWA Worlds Champion at the beginning of the 2012- Photo Credit Brian Kelley
The next day Pearce would offer his advice and knowledge to the wrestlers around the Midwest for a training seminar at Magnum PRO Wrestling in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Pearce and Magnum PRO gave MWR the honor of sitting in on the day as Pearce was respectful to all and worked with each student in the ring to improve their skills in the ring.
That evening Peace would defend his NWA World title at Magnum PRO against the tough as nails, popular Omaha, Nebraskan “Babyface” Tony Cortez. Cortez fought with the heart and fire that he is loved for but Pearce once again walked out as a four time NWA World Champion.
News would break within days of the Pearce- Cortez match via a video that Pearce would be returning to the St. Louis area, home of Lou Thesz, Harley Race and Sam Muchnick for the first time in years . In the video he offered the chance for anyone to sign the open contract for the NWA World title for Dynamo Pro Wrestling on April 6th.
Wrestling news media around the world got to see the former NWA World Champion Steve Corino urge his friend “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas to sign on the dotted line to meet Pearce one on one.
Just a few days before the match there would be even more significance as Kahagas would win the NWA National title on March 29 in Miami, Florida from Chance Prophet at the NWA Ring Warriors Battle of the belts.
It was a battle of Champion vs. Champion at NWA Dynamo as Adam Pearce and the Tokyo Monster Kahagas went at it with a vengeance. – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
On Friday night at Dynamo Pro Wrestling fans would see Pearce and Kahagas fight each other with a vengeance, but would retain the NWA World title via disqualification. Pearce’s tactics during and after the match brought out Kahagas’s good friend Ricky Cruz to get order maintained at Dynamo Pro.
The very next night, April 7th Pearce would return to Kansas City at Metro Pro to take on Matt Murphy. Murphy had been Harley Race first graduate student, and had the opportunity to wrestle in both WWE and Japan’s Pro Wrestling Noah in his career. Pearce would be in top form withstanding a hard fighting Murphy in convincing fashion.
After the match Strider announced that he was wrestling his very last match and he wanted one more shot at the 10 pounds of Gold on June 2nd at Metro Pro Wrestling. When it looked like Strider had pinned Pearce during November 21, 2011, the NWA website had made the mistake as announcing Strider as the World Champion before finding out that the match had to restart. Thus fans had already known that Strider was more than capable of riding home in the sunset as the NWA World Champion.
Life has a way of throwing you curve balls, as Striders rematch at the NWA World title would go up in flames. Less than 24 hours of the announcement of their match Pearce would loss the title to arch rival Colt Cabana in Glendale, California on April 8th.
This would set the stage for the Seven levels of Hate series between the new NWA World Champion Colt Cabana and Pearce in a best of seven different matches around country for the winner laying claim as the best in the world.
Pearce would be looking for positive momentum for their matches as he met competition in between theSeven Levels of Hate.
The ref struggles to keep the master of mind games Adam Pearce under control against the red hot Ricky Cruz – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
On June 1st he was signed to wrestle against red hot Ricky Cruz at Dynamo Pro Wrestling. Any doubts that Cruz was not for real was washed away when he nailed Pearce with the devastating Cruz Control to pin the former champ.
On June 2nd, Magic will be in the air for Metro Pro Wrestling at the Turner Rec Center for Michael Striders retirement match. Family, friends, fans and even enemies came up in droves to see one of the top stars in Kansas for the past twenty years seek revenge on Pearce.
For the special occasion Kansas City wrestling artist Rob Schamberger presented Michael Strider with a portrait of the man himself. As they were celebrating, “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce destroyed the painting over Strider’s head thus infuriating the crowd. At the end of the night it would be Strider who would have the last laugh when after many thrilling moments, Strider would have the biggest and best match of his career.
On July 21st, the wrestling world eyes would be back on Midwest once again as Pearce and Cabana was set to wrestle match 4 in the Seven Levels of Hatematch number four. Pearce had his back against the wall as Cabana was down 3-0 in the series and with one more loss the Seven Levels of Hate would be Cabana’s brightest moment. Add on the fact that he was suffering with flu like symptoms that day and the match was set to be two out of three falls, it would that a test of true heart and grit for him to even wrestle,
For the first time in Kansas City since September 17, 1981 when Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes the NWA title would change hands when Pearce defeated Cabana.
Less than a day later All American Pro Wrestling announced that the hottest young star in Southern Illinois, Heath Hatton was set to meet Adam Pearce on September 22nd in Marion Illinois for the NWA World title. This would mark the first time in many years that the NWA World title was defended in Southern Illinois.
Hatton would be tested in the biggest match of his career and though he would come up just up short, the experience and confidence that he earned during that match against Pearce will help him for years to come.
On the National scene Pearce would go on to lose the Seven Levels of Hates series and was no longer the NWA World Champion. It looked as if Pearce’s contribution in the Midwest had come to a close in 2012.
It was a battle of Champion vs. Champion at NWA Dynamo as Adam Pearce and the Tokyo Monster Kahagas went at it with a vengeance. – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
Yet, the year was not done as Pearce would have his old ally; Metro Pro Wrestling Commissioner Steven J Girthy set “Santa” aka himself up in a match for ACH’s Central States title on December 8th.
“Santa” would enlist the help of Elf Natural “Miss Natural” in his quest to capture the title during the final show at Metro Pro Wrestling.
ACH finds himself getting the gift he always wanted as a kid, plus a rare victory over Adam Pearce to end 2012 at Metro Pro Wrestling- Photo Credit Brian Kelley
Pearce would end the night and year in the Midwest with a loss, but for the Metro Pro Wrestling fans it was a win as the match featured one of the best in the world today with one of the hottest young wrestlers in the world today, ACH.
During 2012, Adam Pearce would wrestle in five MWR promotions, 3XWrestling, Magnum PRO Wrestling, Metro Pro Wrestling, Dynamo Pro Wrestling and All American Pro Wrestling. During his trips to those promotions he would give wrestlers and artist in the Midwest a great wrestling highlight including Jeremy Wyatt, “Babyface” Tony Cortez, Michael Strider, Rob Schamberger, Kahagas, Ricky Cruz, Heath Hatton, Steven J Girthy, Mark Sterling, ACH and Miss Natural.
Pearce has shown leadership, ring excellence and Professionalism that any NWA Champion of yesterday would have been proud of. Each and every time Pearce made an appearance in the Midwest, it was big news in wrestling.
That is why it is with great respect and admiration we name Adam Pearce as the 2012 MWR Wrestler of the Year.
Where we would like to see Adam Pearce in 2013?
With Harley Race’s World League Wrestling set to start up TV it would be great too see two of the greatest NWA World Champions of all time in the same building. No one can talk the fans into their seats faster in 2013 than Pearce so WLW would welcome to have a great promo man like Pearce on the roster.
We would love to see if these two great minds could co-exist in one promotion.
Ricky Cruz added a big boost to the Midwest in 2012. After knocking Ron Powers off of his throne at SICW to become the Classic Wrestling Champion, he entertained fans at Metro Pro Wrestling, Dynamo Pro and ended the year being the number one contedor for Jeremy Wyatts 3XW Championship. Add on the fact that he met with kids in the community and universally loved Cruz was chosen 1ST runner up in 2012 – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
1ST Runner Up- Ricky Cruz
Minnesota Vikings Running Back Adrian Peterson has nothing on Jeremy Wyatt for coming back from an injury . The Belt Collector was racking up titles and match of the year candidates one after another at the start of 2012. Wyatt nearly defeated Pearce for the NWA World title from Pearce, revenged his IRON MAN loss to Mark Sterling to win the 3XW Championship and making Midwest powerhouse Bull Schmitt tap out for the Metro Pro Wrestling title. As Wyatt was going for the AAPW Championship from Edmund McGuire, tragedy struck and Wyatt when down with an injury. Both MPW and 3XW stripped him of his two belts but it would take less than 4 months till he was back and before the year was up Wyatt had regained both titles back. Amazing – Photo credit Brian Kelley
2nd Runner Up – Jeremy Wyatt
AHC had a phenomenal year in 2012, winning the Metro pro Wrestling Central States titles, while having a breakout year around the country. His matches with Jeremy Wyatt and TJ Perkins are among the best of the year. Exciting and charismatic fans are forced to keep their eyes on the ring or dare to miss out on the excitement. If not for such a great year from Pearce, Cruz and Wyatt in the MWR coverage area, ACH would have laid claim for the 2012 MWR Wrestler of the year.- Photo courtesy of Metro Pro Wrestling
3rd Runner Up- ACH
Others receiving votes: Heath Hatton, Darin Corbin, Mark Sterling, Brandon Espinosa, Jason Jones, Tyler Priegel, Dan Walsh, Edmund McGuire
Missouri Wrestling Revival 