Brandon Espinosa (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
If you have been to a local show in the Midwest the chances are good that you have had the pleasure of seeing Brandon Espinosa in action. One of the hardest working men in the sport today, Espinosa is also one of the most booked wrestlers in the sport.
Whether it is in singles action or as a tag team with former partners Mike Sydal and Brandon Aarons in B.A.B.EWatch Espinosa is capable of taking home the win and stealing the show.
That is why during last year’s MWR revival show Espinosa and Aarons was chosen to team against the 2008 MWR Tag team of the Year the Northstar Express’s Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz. Little did we know that the loss for B.A.B.EWatch in that match would be the catalyst that would cause the team to be no more.
Since then Espinosa has been on a mission to prove that he is the hottest star in wrestling today. Big wins at MMWA-SICW saw this former HVW Livewire Champion capture both the MMWA-SICW Light Heavyweight title as well as the MMWA-SICW Battle Royal Championship.
We are thrilled to have the talented Brandon Espinosa be a part of the MWR Trading card series.
#1 The Northstar Express Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz- 2008 MWR Tag team of the Year. #2 Mark Sterling– 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year. #3 The Hooligans Devin and Mason Cutter -2009 MWR Tag Team of the Year #4 MsChif– 2009 MWR Female of the Year #5 Mike Sydal – PWI Rookie of the Year #6 Jeremy Wyatt – 2008 MWR Wrestler of the Year. 2008 MWR Match of the Year Michael Strider, 2009 MWR Match of the Year Tyler Cook #7 Santana G – Seen on TNA #8 Kahagas – The Tokyo Monster #9 Mephisto– Hardcore favorite #10 Tyler Black –Ring of Honor Champion #11 Sir Bradley Charles– Rising star trained by Lance Storm
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.
Thank you for taking the time to join me with a new Dubi meets the fans, where today we are at Pro Wrestling Epic for the very first edition of Dubi meets the Fans at PWE.
This night promised to be special because one of MWR’S rising stars the PWE US Champion “Irresistible Brandon Aarrons was set to face the current Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black. Aarons has won the hearts of fans in St Louis but it would be interesting to see how this match up would go. In the near future Brian will have a photo recap of this historic match up as well as the rest of night of wrestling action from Mt Pulaski Illinois.
This was also the night were we debuted the Tyler Black MWR Trading Card, and we presented Tyler Black with a MWR Top Draw courtesy of MWR Artist Dartallian Allen.
To start the night Brian introduced me to the Nose Bleed Seats MOAV5706 and Chris Lee who had brought his son to the show and I caught up with the famous Crime Fighter. To find out more info on our friends at the NBS checked out their site here.
Danny, Richard, Greg, Mike , Jerry and Scott with Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black (Photo Credit Brian Kelley )
Meanwhile I was on the hunt to find some people for this edition of Dubi meets the fans. I was thrilled to meet an energetic group of fans from Lincoln Illinois with one stating that they try to go to all the local shows. We talked about wrestling and they said nationally they like John Cena but on this night they were excited to meet Tyler Black. After Tyler got done visiting with some fans he was kind enough to join us for a picture. Danny, Richard, Greg, Mike , Jerry and Scott all had the chance to get their picture taken with the hottest wrestler today Tyler Black.
The next group of fans that I met was uncertain who they wanted to chose for the night but stated that they would let me know at Intermission. Krotch had open the night in exciting fashion with a win against MR. Late Nite’s protégé Graves. Karma would come back to bite Graves as the week prior he, “The Perfect Weapon” Morbid and MR Late Nite turned on Cabal leaving him brutally laying in the ring after they lost to Mephisto and Justin Wade. This night Mr. Late Nite would show his true colors when he turned on Graves before the match ended. The ace in the whole for this weasel of a manager was he had just paid for the services of one of the Midwest most powerful man in the Midwest “The Future” Donovan Ruddick.
With the exciting win Krotch once again was chosen for the Dubi meets the fans picture, making him one of the most requested wrestlers in the Midwest for this feature, wheather it is at 3XW, MECW or PWE the fans can not get enough Krotch…. Wait Did I just say that? Melissa, Charles Mariah, Kristin and Tommy all posed with Krotch.
Melissa, Charles Mariah, Kristin and Tommy all posed with Krotch (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Ruddick would make an impact later in the night when he turned on his friend The Mississippi Madman. The Madman had a cast on his hand due to an injury and was not expecting the assault by Ruddick. The Madman promised to get revenge when he heals up.
Ruddick and his manager Mr. Late Nite would not be done when Ruddick challenged Jimmy Karryt for the HWC Championship. Brian is a big fan of this rising star and had asked if he would do the honors of wearing a MWR Shirt to the ring prior to his match. In a hysterical moment of the night Brian was attempting to take a picture of Karryt coming to the ring and was backing up where he nearly went head over heels on a bunch of chairs that got the laugh of the night from the crowd. That’s my boyfriend. Karryt threw the MWR Shirt to young Paula Merrell and though he lost the title and was bruised and battered he still took the time to pose with his fan.
Jimmy Karryt with Paula Merrell
Unfortunately Ruddick and Mr. Late Nite would not be denied as they would go home with the HWC Title in my personal opinion of the match of the night. I look forward to a rematch between these two in the near future no pun intended.
I had to decide on whom my pick for the Dubi meets the Fans photo and who would be better than the PWE US Champion Brandon Aarons prior to the biggest match in his career.
Dubray Tallman and PWE US Champion Brandon Aarons (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
I won’t lie the trip was long but we had a great time while having a lot of fun. The wrestling was very good and PWE announced that evening that they would be returning to Lincoln Illinois Balloon Festival on August 28th. We went last year and had a great time watching wrestling outside while the Balloon liftoff was going on. If you missed it check out Brian’s Photo Recap of that show here and mark your calendar for this date.
Springfield Illinois we will be coming to your town when MWR comes to New Midwest Wrestling for the very first time on July 10th. Look for Dubi meets the NMW fans!!
I look forward to seeing you there.
We are back with another edition of Dubi Meets the fans, last time we were in Des Moines Iowa for 3XW and for this one we had to travel through Missouri to Illinois to make our way to Dupo for Independent Hardcore Wrestling.
IHW has been red hot in 2010 with some large crowds that have been very energetic, in fact the size of the crowd have got so large that they are going to need to find a new building to hold all the fans. This night would be no different as IHW was filled with a great mix of talent including a non-title rematch between IHW Champion Brandon Aarons taking on the self proclaim greatest wrestler ever from Illinois, the current IHW Illinois Champion Eric Allen, the ultra talented Bailey Mannix met Tony Kozina while Mr. Late Nite caused chaos and Evan Money, Steven Kennedy, Billy McNeil and Sean Vincent went toe to toe to become the 2ND Annual IHW ST Louis Invitational Tournament Champion that Aarons had won last year. This year the hated Sean Vincent would take home the bragging rights.
Everywhere we go Brian and I have a ton of friends and with so many promotions in St Louis it is only magnified which makes going to the shows a ton of fun. Brian had spoken to our friends Jonathan Jones and his wife Lena on the way to the show to find out if they were going to make it to the show but one of their children was in the Hospital so he was unsure of what time they could make it.
Prior to the show started I ran into the people from Iconsofwrestling who have the wonderful Gods of Wrestling painting with so many old and new stars filling this must see painting. This was the first time that I had seen this and I have to say it was a sight to see. I went in to get Brian to let him know that the artist Icon, Ed Schultz and Dotty Mattis were there. While we sat outside talking fans where coming by to check out this masterpiece. Brian mentioned to them that they should contact both Metro Pro and Larry Barber about showing off the poster in Kansas. He also stated that this summer’s big Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremonies in Iowa was about to happen and would be a golden opportunity to share the art with many people that love Wrestling. They are really hard at work promoting this one of a kind piece and was on their way to do double duty that night as they were off to meet our good friend Herb Simmons at MMWA-SICW. If you would like to check out the Gods of Thunder click here.
Before I knew it the doors had open and the crowd filled the building waiting for some great wrestling action. Brian was busy proudly showing off the new MWR Trading card that Mephisto had done which went over well with everyone. The next day he was to announce that Tyler Black would be the 10th card but was keeping it a secret till he posted it on the site. I know if Brian won the lottery he would just make a card for everyone but though expense of making one is reasonable making several can become expensive , so for the time being he is unable to make as many as he would like. If you would are a wrestler, Manager/Valet or referee and would like to have an awesome collectable for you to sell or have I highly recommend that you contact Brian on the details. Already in the set are Santana G, Mark Sterling, MsChifKahagas, and Mike Sydal. Likewise if you are a business or wrestling school and would like to sponsor a wrestler with your business logo on the card feel free to ask how. Personally I don’t think that it will be complete until there is a Derek Stone and Dubi card.
It seems as if everyone was excited to be a part of Dubi meets the fans so it is getting easier to find people to want to be a part of it. This night wrestling Superfan Erica Jones was joined with her sister Michelle brought birthday boy Joshua Jackson who had just turned 7th and little man Ellies. A great way to celebrate your birthday is at a wrestling show. They were all big fans of Mephisto who happily took the time to take a picture.
Joshua and Ellies with Mephisto (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Young Braden Pulcher was at IHW for the first time so I let him watch the matches to decide which IHW Star he would take his picture with. Not surprisingly he chose the charismatic “The Kid” Evan Money to have his picture with. Money was successful in the first round Jordan McEntyre in an exciting match and during the intermission posed with his new fan.
Braden Pulcher and Evan Money (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Next up was one of the most hardcore wrestling fans in the area Andrew Adams otherwise known as the “Firefighter”. Andrew choose Brandon Aarons at first but when he saw that I took Mickie Knuckles as my picture he changed his mind and we were more than happy to have give him his wish with the hardcore beauty.
“The Firefighter” Andrew Adams and Mickie Knuckles (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Dupo is Mephisto territory and he would be picked once again. This time Kolby Stephens wanted his picture taken with him as well. Mephisto fans would were happy to see him team up with Justin Wade to defeat MR Late Nites men Brandon Graves and Cable. The loss would lead to MR Late Nite firing Cabal while Graves and The Perfect Weapon Morbid attacking their former partner.
Kolby Stephens and Mephisto (Photo Credit Brian Kelley )
Dennis Corderant the winner of the MWR T-shirt that was thrown by superstar Adam Rich, gets to pose with the rising star (Photo Credit Brian Kelley )
The Wrestler of the night who would throw a MWR Shirt to one lucky fan turned out to be young Adam Rich. Rich was returning to the ring after a short absence and would have his hands full with the hated Canadian in the first round of the STL Tournament. Young Dennis Corderant would be the lucky fan that caught the MWR Shirt. Later in the night Rich took the time to have his picture taken with the young fan.
As I mentioned before I always try to choose a picture with a star as well though sometimes I get so busy I do not get it done. I have always been impressed with Mickie Knuckles and she happily posed with me prior to her match with Mia Martinez. Mickie is one tough girl.
Dubray Tallman and Mickie Knuckles (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
As far as Jonathan, him and Lena would not make it till the main event match with Brandon Aarrons and Eric Allen match. They were so impressed that they purchased tickets for IHW’S return to Dupo on July 24th.
MWR Fans thank you for taking the time to read this article. In the near future look for Dubi meets the Fans at Pro Wrestling Epic from Mt Pulaski Illinois and if all goes as planned we will make our long waited debut at New Midwest Wrestling in Springfield Illinois for their show Boiling Point. Keep an eye out for my special interview with Blake Steel as he goes after the NMW Title currently held by Jonathan Magnus.
Till next time fans, support your local wrestling. I hope to see you at a show real soon.
1) PWE US Champion Brandon Aarons biggest match to date against the current Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black. Brandon Aarons is one of the top rising stars in the sport today. Be on hand to cheer this rising star against one of the very best today.
2) The first ever Pro Wrestling Epic Dubi Meets the Fans– The MWR feature Dubi meets the fans is one of the most click on articles on this site. A great way for the fans to meet their favorite Wrestlers!
Zero Gravity (CJ Esparza/Brett Gakiya)
3) PWE Tag team Title Match between Zero Gravity (CJ Esparza/Brett Gakiya) taking on challangers Dead Sexy (Aaron Matthews/Jeff Harris) for the very first time. Any match that has Zero Gravity in it promises to electrify. Can the team of Dead Sexy keep up with the tag team that defeated the Northstar Express to win the belts and then turn back the challenges of top tag teams of the Hooligans and Feature Presentation?
4) The debut of the #10 MWR Trading Card Tyler Black– Yes MWR fans this will be your first chance to get your hands on this fantastic card with photography from Scott Finkelstein. Come and get this from the World Champion himself!!
5) A chance to catch a free MWR T-shirt from a PWE Superstar. In the past wrestling stars Santana G, Evan Money, Sir Bradley Charles, Tyler Cook, Edmund Livewire McGuire, Adam Rich and Shorty Biggs have all help MWR give to the fans. Come to find out who will wear it this weekend and have a chance to get your hands on one of the Midwest most worn wrestling shirts.
We are just under a week away from Pro Wrestling Epic’s return to Mount Pulaski, IL on Saturday, June 26. Here is an in depth look at the main event match.
THE TALE OF THE TAPE…
TYLER BLACK:
Height: 6 ft 1in
Weight: 220 lbs.
Trained By: DANNY DANIELS
Years Pro: 5
-Current Ring of Honor Champion
: BRANDON AARONS:
Height: 6 ft
Weight: 170 lbs.
Trained By: DINGO
Years Pro: 4
– -Current Pro Wrestling Epic U.S. Champion
–IHW Heavyweight Champion
After capturing his first PWE championship title, back in April, with an impressive victory over then United States Champion Mark Sterling, Brandon Aarons looks to prove that he is not just the flavor of the month in Pro Wrestling Epic.
Aarons looks to gain respect as he prepares for arguably the toughest challenge of his young career, when he steps into the ring with current Ring Of Honor World Champion, Tyler Black.
To followers of the independent professional wrestling landscape, Tyler Black is a staple, not only because of his present status in ROH, but also because of his legitimate claim to being one of the top pro wrestlers on the planet, having been ranked at #17 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine’s “PWI 500” in 2009.
While Brandon Aarons is not yet a household name across the globe, he has spent the better part of the last year, establishing himself one victory at a time defeating some of the best talent that the midwest has to offer.
Key wins over current NWA Central States Champion Mark Sterling,as well as Mike Sydal, (brother of WWE superstar Evan Bourne), both of whom he defeated for their respective titles, have helped to raise the stock of Brandon Aarons in Pro Wrestling Epic.
In addition to those accomplishments, Aarons is also the current flagship of Independent Hardcore Wrestling, having held the Heavyweight title since February.
Can his momentum carry him to the next level of what can only be decribed as his breakout year? Find out on June 26 in Mt. Pulaski.
“The Apex” Blake Steel w/Melody & Bull Schmidt vs Cecil Cerveza
Eric Allen vs Mephisto
Krotch vs Graves w/ Mr. Late Nite
Matty Montcalm vs Knight Wagner and MUCH MORE!
Tyler Black retained his Ring of Honor World Championship this past weekend against Davey Richards at Death Before Dishonor IPPV in what many are calling could be a match of the year. Let’s take a look at this past weekends event.
NWA Supreme returns to action this Saturday on April 24th. There will be a SUPREME CHAMPIONSHIP match between DaCobra(Supreme Champion) and Micheal Shard The NWA Illinois State Champion Marcos Cordova will be facing Bloody Harker Dirge in a title match.
Special Super Heavyweight match between Bear St.Pierre against the debuting Guy Smith. Many new NWA stars are debuting this night.
We have been informed by Chad TallyDeAndre King will have an open challenge for any takers that night.
Also
Win a FREE pair of TNA Wrestling tickets at the April 24th NWA Supreme show in Mattoon,IL courtesy of centralillinoisprowrestling.com For may 13th show in Springfeild Il.
Burgess-Osborne Auditorium
1701 Wabash Ave. Mattoon, IL.
12 and up $10.00
6-11 $5.00
Under 5 Free Presales $8.00
MWR card number 5 is the unforgettable Mike Sydal. Pro Wrestling Illustrated 2009 Rookie of the Year has gained national respect by traveling the country taking on the top stars in the sport today.
The brother of WWE’S Evan Bourne, Sydal has made a name for himself by working different styles around the country. At 3XW he is one half of the popular exciting tag team the High Flyers with partner Zach Thompson. At High Voltage Wrestling he is one third of Midwest elite faction the KC Killers with Mark Sterling and “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt telling everyone within hearing distance that he “IS THE PWI ROOKIE OF THE YEAR”. Some may have seen him don the pink tights and is his flamboyant self, often teaming with fellow Midwest up and comer Brandon Aarons.
Fan favorite or cocky rule breaker you will want to get your hands on the very first trading card one of the hottest rising stars in the sport of wrestling today Mike Sydal.
Catch Mike Sydal at a Wrestling show near you.
To own your Mike Sydal card or any other MWR Trading Card send $1.50 for the first card and a $1.00 each for the additional cards send your money to Brian Kelley
305 West 3rd Salisbury Missouri 65281
#1 The Northstar Express Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz- 2008 MWR Tag team of the Year.
#2 Mark Sterling- 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year.
#3 The Hooligans Devin and Mason Cutter -2009 MWR Tag Team of the Year
#4 MsChif- 2009 MWR Female of the Year
#5 Mike Sydal
Editors note: This card is a must have but a bad choice of picture for the back will mean that the next order will have another picture in the next order. What does this mean? There will be only 250 of these cards printed. Yes only 250 so Mike Sydal fans do not wait to get your hands on this rising stars card!
I have also had a lot of request from fans that are interested in purchasing the MWR T-shirt. You have seen stars such as Santana G, #1 Brett Young, Shorty Biggs, Edmund Livewire McGuire and Evan Money wearing the trendy MWR wear in the past.
Now is your chance to purchase your very own t-shirt.
T-shirts are only $15.00 shipping and handling Free.
Missouri Wrestling Revival 