Missouri Wrestling Revival

Going to a wrestling show as a wrestling fan?
WLW 3/21/2009 Recap and Commentary

by Josh Ray
MWR Owner-Editor
inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper told me that I had a wholesome family and to cherish every minute with them. I'm glad I took him up on his advice.

I have been in the United States for three weeks now and I’d be lying if I said things weren’t just a little hectic. My good friend Brian Kelley has been kind enough to help me run the site in my absence, and the transition back to taking day to day control of Missouri Wrestling Revival has left me playing catch up. I am almost to the point where I can stop and take a breath.

Of course, there are some growing pains as Kari, Brian, and I figure out how to best communicate and get the job done. We’re getting to where we need to be, though. We have ironed out most things and I for one am genuinely excited about 2009!

For the past few weeks, I’ve needed little reminders of why I do what I do. I’m sure that it happens to the best of us in pro wrestling. Promoters, wrestlers, fans… we all need those reminders of why pro wrestling is as important to us as it is. Coming back from a war zone, I figured that I’d be immune to some of the petty things that seem to eat at those in the Midwest wrestling scene, but three weeks of hardcore work in the area’s professional wrestling activities have taken their toll.

My remedy? Well, I decided to go to a pro wrestling show as a pro wrestling fan.

Ridiculous thought, right?

I took my wife and two year old son to World League Wrestling’s show in Eldon, MO, not as a representative of Missouri Wrestling Revival (although I’m always an ambassador for my business and website), but as a wrestling fan. I’ve wanted to take my son, Jalen, to a pro wrestling show to share my love of wrestling for some time. He watches it with me here and there when I have it on TV, but my wife has been a firm believer that it would be too much for our son to handle. Seeing as both of us value the well-being of our son and take his raising and our duties as parents very seriously, we made a decision to take Jalen to a show that was:

a) close to MWR headquarters in Lebanon, MO
b) family friendly

"Vietnam Phenom" Bao Nguyen inspires my son to give his old man an uppercut.

Our choice was pretty obvious. One hour away was a World League Wrestling event in Eldon, MO. On March 21, 2009 we set out for the show with one goal in mind: to enjoy it as a family.

Unable to get in the ring, we settle our differences in the crowd.

We took full advantage of the concessions and merchandise tables. We visited the wrestlers that were available. We cheered and booed when appropriate. In other words, we had a great time. My son loved every minute of it, even asking if we could get in the ring continuously throughout the night. He wanted a Harley Race action figure, which Mr. Race gladly signed. He talked to me about meeting “Roddy Piper” and “Superstar Steve” with matter-of-fact enthusiasm. Even my wife, who doesn’t enjoy much about pro wrestling, admitted that it was a great time and that we’d have to come back.

Harley Race makes an autograph out to my son, Jalen. Jalen said, "thank you, Mr. Race", which of course made me proud.

Today, I sit back and reflect while NWA’s new television show is on the TV and my son has a broken toy wrestling ring and some wrestling figures in the living room floor. Did I just get a jolt of renewed motivation? I’ve heard that seeing things through a child’s eyes can have benefits, but never did I give that idea a second thought until now.

Curious about the show’s results?

A very strange Tommaso Ciampa wrestled Darin Waid to a no contest when Ciampa’s partner (Marc Godeker) and Waid’s fellow tag champ (Dustin Lane) joined into the fray.

Brian Breaker finally crushed the fight in “Vietnam Phenom” Bao Nguyen, who was pinned in a little over 10 minutes after a valiant effort. Breaker did not, however, crush Bao’s warrior spirit.

Amy Hennig was able to dethrone the top female wrestler in the Midwest, capturing Stacey O’Brien’s WLW Ladies Championship in the process to the roaring approval of the crowd.

Darin Waid and Dustin Lane made a statement when they defeated the impressive tag team of Marc Godeker & Tommaso Ciampa to retain their WLW Tag Team Titles. Ciampa was enamored with his tag partner’s muscles, although my family was unable to determine whether that was the tag team’s downfall.

The match of the evening for me was a rematch of sorts between two guys that welcomed me back from Iraq a week ago for High Voltage Wrestling in Granite City, IL. “Superstar” Steve Fender avenged his loss in Granite City and went on to capture the WLW Heavyweight Title from “King of 450” Steve Anthony. Trevor Murdoch was the special guest referee, but had been taken out by Anthony’s corner man Johnny Gold. Gold was about to cost Fender the match without ref supervision, when Roddy Piper showed up and took him out. This freed Fender up to finish Anthony while Piper revived Murdoch so that he could make the three count.

"Superstar" Steve Fender is relentless in his attack...

Want to know what I remember most, though? Leaving the show with my wife and son as a wrestling fan.

"Superstar" Steve should consider my boy a good luck charm of sorts!

Special thanks to Dan Gier for putting me on the spot at the show. I’m not much for getting up in front of crowds, but Dan is a great guy and I know he was putting Missouri Wrestling Revival over for the wrestling fans. Since I was at the event with my family as a fan, I chose not to try and present Harley Race with his MWR 2008 Personality of the Year Award, but plan to schedule a private presentation at the Harley Race Wrestling Academy in the near future, with pictures posted at www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com shortly thereafter,

Thank you to all of the wrestlers for an entertaining evening and, through my son, motivating me to keep plugging away in my attempt to “Give back to Midwest pro wrestling”!

New WLW Heavyweight Champ, "Superstar" Steve Fender.

The Hooligans vs The Hybrids in Mattoon, IL!
Supreme League of Wrestling
March 28, 2009

BE THERE!

FREE Wrestlemania 25 Party in South County @

The Upper Deck (above All-American)
11133 Linberg Business Ct.
St. Louis Mo 63123

Full bar, full kitchen, NO COVER!!!

The Fan Shop will be on hand to sell all your WrestleMania 25 gear and more!!!

Sunday April 5th.
Doors open at 5pm
PPV starts at 6pm

Over 15 high definition big screen tvs, 3 projectors, plenty of space. first come, first sat!!!

We will hold all future WWE and TNA PPV events here as well!!!!!

The battle between Pro Wrestling NEXT and Scott County Wrestling began in October 2007 when Marek Brave and Mason Beck kidnapped Mark Storm’s wife Julie and tormented Storm for months, eventually forcing him to sign his resignation before getting her back. Then at Prestige ’08, it was revealed that SCW Senior Executive Jake Ryder was the man behind the curtain calling for the kidnapping of Julie Storm and essentially pulling the strings of Marek Brave.

Over months, Ryder went on a tirade as the sole owner, firing anyone and everyone that stood in his way. One-by-one, Krotch, Tank Roberts, Dan Lawrence, Nicky and Shane Hollister were all disposed of by Ryder until in July ’08 when all of them came storming back and did the unthinkable by stealing Marek Brave’s SCW title belt and setting it on fire! The war was on. At EPIC 5 in September ’08, it was SCW vs. PWN in a Best of 3 series. If SCW won, PWN was done forever. If PWN won, they become a permanent entity within Scott County Wrestling.

It was tied 1-1 when Marek Brave and Shane Hollister met for the first time in a Steel Cage Match that electrified the crowd to no end. Shane Hollister was victorious and Pro Wrestling NEXT was officially born into the world of professional wrestling. Since that night, SCW and PWN have been battling back and forth, but on April 10, 2009 it all comes to an end.

The lines have been drawn and the battle is set. It’s Scott County Wrestling vs. Pro Wrestling NEXT in the first ever 30 man team Rumble match. The last man standing will decide who survives and who falls. Will Pro Wrestling NEXT survive to become the new force in the midwest or will Scott County Wrestling prevail and continue to dominate? There’s only one way to find out.

Scott County Wrestling vs. Pro Wrestling NEXT
The Prestige Rumble 2009
Friday, April 10th
Beyond The Baseline – Davenport, IA
1540 W. 12th St.

Team SCW vs. Team PWN
30 Man Prestige Rumble Match

Scheduled to represent Team SCW in the Prestige Rumble: Mark Sterling, Danny Daniels, Knight Wagner, Nick Brubaker, The Hybrids, Ryan Slade, Juice Robinson, Hunter Matthews, Full Throttle, Tony Kozina, Arik Cannon, The Northstar Express and more to be announced!

Scheduled to represent Team PWN in the Prestige Rumble: Shane Hollister, Krotch, Dewey Dawson, Tyler Cook, Mike Sydal, The Phoenix Twins, Zero Gravity, Jordan McEntire and more to be announced!

PWN Championship HAIR vs. TITLE Match
The Mississippi Madman(c) vs. Marek Brave
If Brave loses, he will have his head shaved!

Arik Cannon & The Northstar Express vs. Shane Hollister & The Phoenix Twins

Doors open at 6:30
Bell Time is 7pm

Advance Tickets for $10 are available at:
Co-op Records in Davenport, IA
Have Fun Collectibles in Moline, IL
Video Games Etc. in Davenport, IA and Moline, IL

$12 seats are available at the door, $15 for front row and kids 12 and
under are just $5 general admission and $7 for front row. Kids under 5 are free!

www.scottcountywrestling.com
www.myspace.com/scottcountywrestling

”]On March 21, 2009 in Eldon, MO –
With the odds stacked against him and the door closing on what could have been his final chance at “King of 450” Steve Anthony’s WLW Heavyweight Championship, “Superstar” Steve Fender was saved by none other than “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and went on to capture one of the most prestigious championship belts in the entire country.  More on the nights events in the near future…

By Kari Williams

With Shorty Biggs stepping in as ring announcer for Paul Parker and 75 fans in attendance, LWA put on, arguably, their best show in Granite City, IL at the River’s Edge Complex. Every match kept the fans anxious and ready for the next, with everyone going crazy during the Fans Bring the Weapons Match.

Before the opening bout pitting Dorian Victor, J.C. Bravo, “Irresistably Flawless” Brandon Aarons and “Future” Donovan Ruddick against each other in a fatal four way, Luke Roberts announced that if any competitor pinned Victor they would get a title shot against Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Wyatt. Bodies were flying everywhere from the moment the bell rang. Early on, Aarons jumped off of the top turnbuckle onto Victor who was walking by on the outside.

Brandon Aarons tries to take out Dorian Victor early on in his hopes of earning a title shot against Jeremy Wyatt.

Each competitor had his time to shine in the match up, but Ruddick clearly dominated. At one point, Ruddick easily set Aarons then Bravo on the top turnbuckle, then picked up both men and slammed them to the mat. Ruddick’s supremacy easily put him over the top, and he decisively pinned Victor. Only moments after the ending bell rang, Darin Childs attacked Ruddick with a steel chair.

Darin Childs attacked "Future" Donovan Ruddick only moments after his victory.

Roberts returned to ringside and handed Ruddick the official papers for his upcoming title match and said MsChif will make her LWA return against Rachel Summerlynn, which segued into Summerlynn’s match against LWA debuting Alektra Blue.

Alektra Blue and Rachel Summerlynn both made their LWA debuts at the first night of the double shot.

The fans seemed solely behind Blue, but both women possessed the athletic skill that could have secured them victory. After some heckling from the audience (the superfans specifically), Summerlynn and Blue put one of the better women’s matches seen in this area. Summerlynn defeated Blue with a piledriver despite Blue’s determination.

Summerlynn soundly defeated Blue with a piledriver.

“Thee” Brandon Espinosa took on his Texas Mexican counterpart in Chingo, one of a number of IWA-Texas stars featured at the double shot. Espinosa was slow to start the match-up, perhaps because Aarons did not accompany him to ringside. However, once the two locked up, they had a fairly competitive match-up.

Chingo seemed to have the advantage over Espinosa, but the referee being in the wrong place at the wrong time cost Chingo the win.

Espinosa took more of a technical approach in his offense, although, the missed frog-splash became his downfall. Chingo gained momentum off of Espinosa’s error, but the referee’s placement when Chingo went for the win ruined any chance of the Texan earning a victory. With the referee knocked down, Espinosa hit Chingo with a low blow followed with a flying roundhouse kick from the second rope to cheat his way to victory.

In the number one contenders match for the LWA Tag Team Titles, LWA’s Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico with Tiffani LaFane took on the North Star Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz), accompanied by pNut, in arguably the most entertaining bout of the night. From bell to bell, it was impossible to look away without missing a stellar move or an impressive double team.

Ryan Cruz took to the air in their classic match against Evan Gelistico and Pierre Abernathy.

The Submission Squad and NSE had styles that clashed perfectly to deliver a great fight, complete with a cat fight between LaFane and pNut, who both interfered at one point or another. Despite a valiant effort on Gelistico and Abernathy’s behalf, Corbin and Cruz walked away with the title shot in O’ Fallon, IL the following night.

After the scuffle between pNut and Tiffani LaFane both teams tried to quickly gain the advantage.

The second Texas star of the night, J.T. Lamotta had his hands full against “Spitfire” Davey Vega, who had LaFane by his side. Wrestling for Lamotta’s ACW Heavyweight Title, Vega pulled all of his tricks out of the bag, so to speak, in his attempt to walk away with the belt.

JT Lamotta uses his fast paced style to gain the upper hand against Vega.

Move for move, these two men showed that they both have what it takes to be a champion. Vega showed the fighting spirit that the LWA faithful have seen before in matches such as the eight-man elimination at Circus Maximus and the Tables, Ladders and Chair at Yuletide Terror. However, Lamotta refused to leave Illinois without his property, and he inched out a win with the cradlebuster to retain. Gelistico came to aid LaFane in carrying his fallen comrade to the back.

During intermission, Corbin and Cruz sold NSE merchandise and took pictures with fans, along with the IWA-Texas stars.

As the action got back underway, a confused Gary the Barnowl wrestled Arik Cannon, but LaFane refused to let Gary be himself and did not let him “fly” around the ring. LaFane attempted to interfere on a number of occasions, and was almost hit, inadvertently, by Gary.

Tiffani LaFane tries to help Gary the Barnowl score a tainted victory over the IWA-Texas star Arik Cannon.

In this intense bout, Cannon and Gary both seemed to have the match won, but their willpower matched evenly, and neither wanted to give in. LaFane’s influence on Gary may not be the best thing for him, because Cannon took the win.

Gary flies onto Cannon in an attempt to derail Cannon from the win.

The match everyone had been waiting for would finally happen next—Fans bring the weapons. Complete with a Bible, a bag of thumb tacks and the Bucket of Doom, which consisted of hockey sticks and antlers, Jordan Lacey and Wyatt had anything and everything at their disposal for the brawl that would develop.

In the Fans Bring the Weapons match, Lacey and Wyatt held nothing back, as Lacey launched from the top rope with an elbow drop.

Wyatt reads the Bible brought by a fan only moments before he slammed it onto Lacey's skull.

They only stayed in the ring for a short while, until rapidly moving from ringside straight through the audience. As fans scattered from one side of the building to the other, Wyatt got Lacey injured enough so that the champ could climb to the top of the entry way and launch onto a wounded Lacey.

Wyatt climbed to the top of the entryway and flew with caution to the wind onto Lacey.

The insanely impressive jump elicited an “L-W-A!!” chant that solidified Wyatt’s value to the company, whether or not one agrees with his tactics. At the end, when it appeared that Lacey might come away victorious, Victor ran out to cause just enough of a distraction for Wyatt to pocket yet another spoiled victory.

To find out how the second night of the double shot developed, keep checking lwawrestling.com and Missouri Wrestling Revival for Brian Kelley’s upcoming review.