Missouri Wrestling Revival

I’m a big believer that to know where you’re going then you have to know where you’ve been. Thats why I’ve spent so much time studying the history of our business. One of my biggest pet peeves is guys not knowing their own history. If you’re going to be a cowboy then you should know a guy like Stan Hansen. If you insist to use the mist as part of your gimmick then you should know each color does different things. So when I decided that I was going to be “The Golden Boy” then I imediatley researched Golden Boy’s of the past.

 
Arnold Skaaland is a WWE Hall of Famer. He was a cornerstone of the then WWWF(World Wide Wrestling Federation) during their most formative years. Holding the the tag titles with Spiros Arion. He later retired from competition and began managing. Arnie maganged two world champions in Bruno Sammertino and Bob Backlund. He was also the one whom threw in the towel in the infamous Iron Sheik-Backlund confrontation that cost Backlund his title. It also became Backlund’s catalyst for his heel run as champion in the mid 90s that resulted in Backlund attacking him. Mr. Skaaland was a loyal member of the WWE family his whole career until he passed away in 2007. I never had the pleasure of meeting him but his impact on me is evident.  

Some familiar names have also been a Golden Boy. Before he was a Skyscrapper, Dan Spivey was a Golden Boy. Spivey was brought in to WWF to team with Mike Rotundo but when that team was dismantled he was repackaged as “Golden Boy” Dan Spivey even competing in Wrestlemania 2. 

Jeff Jarrett was one early in his career. Before he was King of the Mountain, a member of The 4 Horseman or even J-e-double f, J-a-double r-e-double t.. “Double J” Jeff Jarrett.

 
Because of my proximity alot of people bring up the name of “Golden Boy” Chick Donovan. A journeyman that laid his bed mostly in the southeast. He was apart of Jimmy Hart‘s First Family and even had a run as the Southern Heavyweight Champion. I just saw a match on youtube featuring Chick and he is still in tremendous shape. I would love to get together a maybe have a battle of The Golden Boys or even a tag match.
 
I hope that these past golden boys approve of my current use of the name. I’ve always strived to be respectful to those who paved the way in our business. Over the years I’ve used different aspects of each of these guys interpitation of the gimmick while creating my own. When I was very young in the business these men gave me a templete to create what the golden boy is today. So I say thank you to them all because they are truely is as good as gold.

From the 3XW Website

We want to thanks the fans for coming out – last night was the biggest crowd ever for a 3XW show at the DMSC – it was packed! We literally were down to our last two available chairs!

– 3XW Commissioner and leader of the Gentlemen’s Club Todd Countryman opened the night announcing that thanks to Gage Octane’s efforts in helping eliminate former president Skylar Pierce from 3XW, Octane received the night off with double pay and a paid vacation to Florida. He also announced that at Reign of Terror on February 5th, The High Flyers will defend the 3XW Tag Team titles against Octane and Mark Sterling in a rematch from the title change in August.

1. Non-title: 3XW Tag Team champions The High Flyers (Zach Thompson and Mike Sydal) beat Brady A. Dezire and Tony Sly.

2. Ricky Kwong (with his advisor Chad Mylan) defeated Aaron Masterson.

3. Maddog McDowell beat debuting Domino Rivera

4. Jimmy Rockwell beat Casanova (with Todd Countryman) to win the 3XW Cruiserweight title. Immediately after the match, Countryman announced Rockwell will have to defend against Casanova – the master of the Sleeperhold – in February in a Submission Only match.

5. Sexy and Smooth beat Sparrow and Jon West in his 3XW debut.

6. Devin Carter beat Mark Sterling (with Todd Countryman) after Casanova tried to throw Sterling brass knuckles, overthrew them, and Carter caught them and punched Sterling out.

7. 3XW Heavyweight champ Jeremy Wyatt beat Rory Fox, 2 falls to 1, in a 2 out of 3 falls bout. The final fall saw Fox have Wyatt on the verge of submitting in the center of the ring with the referee down, only for Tony Sly to shockingly enter the ring, nail Fox in the back with the title, and Wyatt to finish Fox with a Kansas Tumbleweed for the win.

Following the match, Sly was about to hit Fox with a chair, only for Maddog McDowell to run in for the save. Maddog, however, pushed Wyatt out of his way on the way to the ring, so Wyatt ran back in to attack Maddog. This lead to the entire locker room joining in and causing a chaotic brawl to end the show.

What did you fans think about last night’s event?

Also – you can go to the Reign of Terror thread right now and see four matches already announced.

Quick Results:
1. High Flyers def. Tony Sly & Brady A Dezire
2. Ricky Kwong def. Aaron Masterson
3. Maddog McDowell def. Domino Rivera
4. Jimmy Rockwell def. Casanova. Rockwell new 3XW Cruiserweight Champion.
5. Sexy & Smooth def. Sparrow & Jon West
6. Devin Carter def Mark Sterling
7. Jeremy Wyatt def. Rory Fox. Retains 3XW Heavyweight Championship.

For more info check out their website here.

By Brian “Flair” Kelley

Missouri Wrestling Revival is proud to announce that in 2010 we are going to be producing our very own MWR Collector Wrestling cards.

This series promises to bring excitement throughout the Midwest showcasing many of the top wrestlers in the game today. The Future Stars of Pro Wrestling is in the Midwest today and you can own a piece of history because you never know who will be the next breakout Superstar.

Throughout the year look for opportunities to get your hands on these must have collectables as each card will have its own separate release date. Missouri Wrestling Revival t-shirts have been the most desired wear throughout the past two years. Just recently we have released the MWR Best of the Midwest Series One DVD that gave a example of the fine talent that is in our coverage area

In 2010 look forward to MWR wrestling cards, a brand new MWR T-shirt and we will be working diligently to bring you a great lineup for the MWR Series Two DVD. This and much more is planned in the future.

At press time these are the wrestlers who have agreed to be a part of this wonderful collection. If your favorite wrestler is not on the list do not fear as we hope to continue this feature. Due to the high expense of such a project it will be a slow process and due to the teamwork of the promotions other wrestlers may be added along the way.

1)  “Superstar” Steve Fender
2) The Hooligans
3) Arik Cannon
4) Jeremy Wyatt
5) “Bloody” Harker Dirge
6) Mark Sterling
7) Mike Sydal
8) Dave Vaughn
9) Bailey Mannix
10) Eric Allen
11) Davey Vega
12) The Ego Express
13) Devin Carter

More in discussion

The first card in the series will be none other than the 2008 MWR Tag team of the Year, Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz, The Northstar Express.

One of the most talented teams in the sport today the Northstar Express have thrilled fans wherever they have gone. The NSE wrestling card with photography from MWR photographer Michael R Van Hoogstraat will also feature the Midwest hottest diva Nikki “pNut” Mayday. We are proud to team up with one of the Midwest finest wrestlers o immortalize them with these collector cards.

The ideal is to start a MWR Baseball card that I am hoping to have at select shows as a give away to the fans and later on will sell as sets on the MWR Site or staff for only $1.00 a card.

These cards will be shipped to us in less than two weeks. . Look for promotions that are smart enough to book the NSE for your chance to purchase the MWR The Northstar Express wrestling card to attain an autograph card.

Wrestlers and sponsors that would like to be a part of the MWR Wrestling card series, please contact me at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com

On December 19th in Council Bluffs, Iowa Missouri Wrestling Revival was invited to our exciting wrestling at Pro Wrestling Phoenix. This is the photo recap along with promos from all of your favorite PWP Stars. We start out with our effort to get an interview with wrestling superstar #1 Brett Young.

Enjoy and remember that PWP returns this Saturday!

The night began with the entire roster surrounding the ring to hear how exactly the new PWP Champion would be determined. We learned that there would be a series of qualifying matches, with the winners advancing to a battle royal later in the evening – when the battle royal came down to 2 men, it would become a one fall match to a finish to determine the NEW Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight Champion.

Up first, Darin Corbin of the Northstar Express said that his partner Ryan Cruz would be unable to compete – but that he had chosen a new partner – “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. The team of Corbin & Cannon would challenge Chris Havius & Donnie Peppercricket for the PWP Tag Team Titles. This was a hard fought, back and forth contest, but in the end – Havius & Peppercricket retained, and would advance to the battle royal later on.

 

 

Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag team Champions Chris Havius and Donnie Pepperctricket defeated Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin.

Tournament (If you won you were in the main event battle royal for the PWP Title)

The Passion” Zac James defeated David Clark, but not without using the ropes for leverage – regardless, Zac then advanced to the battle royal.

“Babyface” Tony Cotez defeated Stephen Saint

]

Matty Star defeated Joey Daniels

Abu Colossus defeated #1 Brett Young to advance to the battle royal, after yet another miscommunication between Young & Daniels.

The Anarchist” Arik Cannon was not out of luck yet, as he still had his scheduled match with Jaysin Strife to try and get to the battle royal. This was an incredible matchup, hard hitting and exciting from start to finish. Just as it looked like Cannon had the match won, Strife surprised him with a quick roll up, scoring the victory, and advancing.

Battle royal with the last 2 men going into a one on one match for the PWP Heavywieght title

Matty Star
Tony Cortez
Zac James
Chris Havius
Donnie Peppercricket
Abu Colossus
Jaysin Strife

Babyface” Tony Cortez defeated Jaysin Strife to become the NEW Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight Champion! This makes Cortez the first man to ever hold the PWP Title for a second time. Tony’s first reign lasted nearly 2 whole years, so he certainly knows what it takes to stay on top.

Pro Wrestling Phoenix returns to action on Saturday Night January 9th with – YEAR OF THE PHOENIX V!

Since the earliest days of PWP, Year of the Phoenix has always been one of our biggest annual events – rest assured, 2010’s offering will be no different! Last month, “Babyface“ Tony Cortez rose through the ranks once again to become the new Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight Champion – thus becoming the only man in company history to hold the title twice. But what will 2010 have in store for the new champ? A whole roster of capable talent will be gunning to take over his spot at the top of the PWP mountain! On January 9th:

*** The new PWP Champion will make his first title defense!!!

*** PWP Tag Team Champions, Chris Havius and Donnie Peppercricket will defend their titles as well!!!

*** Also in Action: “The Anarchist“ Arik Cannon, Jaysin Strife, The Northstar Express, #1 Brett Young, Joey Daniels, Stephen Saint, David Clark, Matty Star, Ryan Slade, “The Passion” Zac James, and more!!!

ALSO – in a very exciting piece of news, starting at YEAR OF THE PHOENIX V – all tickets will be JUST $10!!!!!!

Saturday January 9, 2010

National Guard Armory
2415 E. Kanesville Blvd.
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

Doors: 6:30
Bell Time: 7:00

All Seats: Just $10

http://www.ProWrestlingPhoenix.com
http://www.MySpace.com/ProWrestlingPhoenix
http://www.Twitter.com/PWPwrestling

Chapter 17: Chain Wrestling

Before I get started in this short chapter, understand this: you probably won’t see a hammerlock used twice on WWE television this year. I don’t know how important it will be to know holds and reversals in five years — or how important they are Present Day, for that matter — but I’m going to talk about them anyway.

Odds are, when I use the term “chain wrestling,” the average person who’s connected to the wrestling business simply sees a sequence of holds and reversals: that’s incorrect. Most wrestlers treat chain wrestling like a demonstration of all the holds and reversals they can imagine; really, chain wrestling is simply what you use to link Point A to Point B. It’s what you do to get from the headlock to the hammerlock.

Omit wasted motion when using chain wrestling. A few weeks ago, I watched an otherwise excellent wrestler grab a headlock, then reverse into a hammerlock before going directly back into the headlock. You have to trim the fat: what he did was nothing more than fat. He made several motions that took him from Point A back to Point A, exhibiting his knowledge of what he believed to be chain wrestling ineffectively. Had he been in control with a headlock and sought to improve position, such as transitioning from the headlock (Point A) to a headscissors (Point B), then he could have used a bit of chain wrestling to get from A to B.

A good chain wrestler is able to go from Point A to Point B several different ways. If he uses a top-wristlock to counter a headlock and gain control of the left arm, then he will be able to use another method to attempt to take control of his opponent’s arm the next time around.

It drives me nuts to see a wrestler switch to working an opponent’s body part that’s not related to the body part he’s been working for several minutes prior. I know some smart people with good wrestling minds who disagree with this logic, but I think if a wrestler has been exerting his own energy to wear down his opponent’s neck for five minutes, then he probably shouldn’t waste energy working an armbar for 20 seconds. If he ends up in control of an armbar, it’s best for him to find a way to transition into a hold where he is working the neck again.

Many people use the term “rest hold”, which I’m not crazy about. When you are working a hold, it is okay to catch your breath; however, it’s called “working” a hold, meaning you should still work. When you stop making the crowd believe that the hold hurts and the person caught in it is trying to fight out, the crowd stops caring and it becomes a waste of time and motion.

Holds and reversals can be pretty and don’t have to be boring if you learn to use them effectively and without wasted motion. Take the time to execute them properly; smooth looks faster than it really is.

At the wrestling school, I often asked another wrestler to grab a snug hold on me before I tried to reverse it. That showed me which reversals were feasible. Don’t be afraid to do this. It’ll help prevent you from not knowing how to sell, use, or properly reverse a hold.

As with everything, safety is the most important part of executing a hold. Be snug enough to make it look legit, but don’t tear off a guy’s arm.

Daylight exposes a hold as being worked. When a fan can see daylight in between a wrestler’s arm and his opponent’s chin on a reverse chinlock, he can see that the hold is either a choke, an illegal hold which should be broken by the referee, or it is not being applied with any force.

I personally hope there is a place for holds and reversals in wrestling’s future. Done right, they can be as exciting for some of us to watch as high spots.

Chapter 18: Working the Crowd

Working the crowd is manipulating them to react in the manner you intend; it’s being a puppeteer. When you watch Raw on Monday nights, you don’t usually see wrestlers acknowledging the crowd a lot during their matches. It sucks, but it’s the evolution of the televised product. Two wrestlers given six minutes for a singles match have that amount of time to enter the ring, get over, and give the production crew the outshot needed to go on to the next segment. They’re working for the TV viewers, not the live audience.

WWE house shows are different and about ten times as fun to watch live. Fans get the rare opportunity to feel up-close and personal with the WWE Superstars, who interact with the crowd much more without the cameras rolling. Independent shows give fans an even better chance to interact with the wrestlers.

Before I get too far into working the crowd, let me explain the difference between heat and cheap heat. Heat causes fans to buy tickets. Cheap heat doesn’t. Heat is caused more by storyline and action, while cheap heat usually involves making fun of a local sports team or the bald guy in Row Three. There is a time and place for cheap heat — I used it myself when the situation was right — but it garners an emotion that passes quickly.

Back in the day, wrestlers really knew how to get legit heat. Many were stabbed, their cars set ablaze, and put in other dangerous situations because they were so damn good at it. And they filled arenas with fans who paid to see them get their asses kicked. That kind of heat is rare today, but true heat can still be achieved, hopefully on a safer but equally profitable level.

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but listening is the most important part of communication. The real master of working the crowd is the wrestler who listens to the audience and caters to the needs of the fans based upon what he hears.

Ring of Honor fans are somewhat similar to the old ECW fans. They are more informed and more passionate than just about any other type of wrestling fan in the world. In exchange, they have certain expectations from the promotion and they have drawn lines within which they expect ROH to color. I would try to use their passion for the ROH product to my advantage if I was the booker. I think one of the greatest things ROH could do to build some serious heat is to put their World Title on Chris Masters. As insane as it sounds, hear me out. Masters is a jacked-up monster who represents everything that ROH fans hate: he’s everything that Bryan Danielson isn’t. I think those fans would be so disgusted by Masters coming in, unannounced, and winning their World Title that they would pay to see Danielson take the title from him. In winning the title, Danielson would not only take their title off somebody they truly hate, but he would also get a measure of revenge for them against a wrestling world that largely turned its back on them as the business evolved into sports-entertainment. I believe this would be real heat that would result in strong ticket sales, though I could be wrong. It might be the kind of heat you never want, the “stop consuming” heat. That’s the kind of heat that leaves fans feeling so disgusted, offended, or cheated that they decide to stop watching or attending. It’s the kind of heat the infamous Katie Vick storyline created with many now-former WWE fans.

Cheap heat gets you by and might even make fans hate you, but it doesn’t sell tickets. Sure, there might be a fan here and there who will buy a ticket just to heckle their least-favorite wrestler, but those fans don’t attend in masses.

When working the crowd, it is important not to break character. If you’re a satanic beast, you probably shouldn’t be making fun of the bucktoothed guy in the first row.
You have to believe what you’re saying, or at least appear to. It pisses me off to no end when Wrestler A shoots Wrestler B into the corner and says, “I’ve got him now” before his opponent dodges the attack. People see through that crap. I also can’t stand seeing people with bad physiques posing like Lex Luger because the fans know that the wrestler is just pretending, playing “bad-guy wrestler”.

I’m not much of a fan of the walk-and-talk style. While interacting with the crowd is important, it should not be the focal point of the match. People pay to see wrestling, and if they wanted to listen to somebody insult them for two hours, they’d be in the boss’s office at work or they’d go to a Don Rickles show in Vegas.

I once worked a match with a Southern wrestler who I respect a lot. He spent so much time stalling and jawing with the fans that they didn’t care about him or his impressive credentials as an international star by the time we got to the action.

Now let’s do a 180 and look at those who do the extreme opposite, who don’t even acknowledge the crowd at all. There should be no more than one of them in a promotion, but there is a place for them. The Undertaker would be less impressive if he was slapping hands on the way to the ring. I see too many wrestlers taking that approach these days, like they are mixed-martial arts guys coming to the ring for a fight. If fans want to see MMA then they will watch MMA. It should come as no surprise that those MMA-type wrestlers receive little interest from WWE. Working the crowd helps to generate the maximum response for the holds and moves executed inside the ring. Those who learn how to work the crowd get the most mileage out of their work and their careers have the longest lifespan because they don’t need to do a springboard 450 splash through flaming tables to get over.

NEXT WEEK: Chapter 19: Wrestling on TV

Ever since we posted 10 questions with AAPW Champ Shawn Shultz here at MWR, fans have been contacting us to get more info on the Modern Day Viking.

We aim to please and I could not be any happier to announce that MWR in the near future Shawn Shultz will be presenting .the Shawn Shultz video Shoot.

Keep an eye out for this as you won’t want to miss what one of the top wrestlers in the country has to say and do .

Artwork by Dartallion Allen
Commentary by Brian Kelley

In this edition of  MWR Top Draws with Dartallion Allen he takes a look at Tag Teams. With TNA getting ready to explode onto Monday nights to take on WWE Raw this Monday, Allen treats us with his artistic skills showcasing Chris Sabin and Allex Shelley, The Motor City Machine Guns. Plus two of the top tag teams in the Midwest The Northstar Experss and the Ego Express.

Special thanks to Kari Williams for assisting with the information on the Ego Express.

Sit back and enjoy the work of my favorite artist Dartallion Allen”

Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley “The Motor City Machine Guns”

When X-division stars Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley teamed up to form the The Motor City Machine Guns they electrified the ring with their innovated moves and charismatic behavior. The two is able to hit you with multiple moves as if they are one. Finishers are plenty such as the ASCS Rush (Spinning sole kick by Sabin followed by a superkick from Shelley and then finished with a simultaneous jumping enzuigiri by Sabin / superkick by Shelley combination) and the Made in Detroit (Sitout powerbomb (Sabin) / Sliced Bread #2 (Shelley) combination are just a couple of moves that can be the end of the match. Just when you there opponent believes that they have the match in hand Sabin and Shelley can turn it around in just a moment and claim victory for The Motor City Machine Guns. .

It is MWR’S belief that if TNA is going to be able to compete with the WWE then one key to their success is they are going to have to bring Tag Team Wrestling to respectability once again.

Lucky for them they have Sabin and Shelley on their side heading into the Monday Night Wars 2.

Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz “The Northstar Express”

If you love the entertainment side of wrestling then you will be a big fan of the Northstar Express. The duo of Corbin and Cruz brings to the Midwest a blend of WWE Charisma with wrestling skills to match it. This duo has been the 3 time 3XW Tag team of the year, won several tag team belts in several promotions and have matched their skills with some of the best in the game today.

Matches with The Phoenix Twins, Benjamin Sailer and Nate Bash of “Midwest Ground and Air” and most recently Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa of BABEWATCH at the MWR Showcase show in November have been talked about throughout the Midwest.

In 2008 the Northstar Express won the Missouri Wrestling Revival tag team of the year and in 2009 the ultra talented Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz will be showcased in the first ever MWR Trading card series as card #1.

KC Karrington and Steven Kennedy “The Ego Express”

Some say that the tag team of Kennedy and Karrington are the best in St Louis tag team in years. At the start the young duo took shortcuts and taunted the fans. Success seem to come easy and the boos followed.

In this relatively short amount of time, the duo has won the Gateway Championship Wrestling Tag Team Titles twice, as well as being crowned the first ever Lethal Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Champions. One of the Egos’s most noteworthy matches occurred when Kennedy and Karrington won the LWA tag belts as they faced off against “Spitfire” Davey Vega and Dingo. With quick tags and fundamentally sound wrestling the Ego’s took home a huge win against the Northstar Express in their home turf in 2009.

MWR’s wish list in 2010 is to see the Egos to take to the road to show the Midwest that they are indeed a tag team to be reckoned with.

MMWA-SICW results from East Carondelet, IL on 12/12 —

*Brandon Espinosa d. Jaysin Static

*Johnny Courageous d. Venom

*Big Texan d. Lumberjack Abe

*Gary Jackson fought MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Champ Phil E. Blunt to a time limit draw

*David Vaughn d. Sean Vincent by DQ

*Billy Diamond d. Issac Manson

*Lumberjack Gabe d. Moondog Dog Rover