“Not only is Jeremy Wyatt a great athlete, he also has one of the best minds for the business. He is SO underrated on a national level that’s its criminal!” – NWL Tag Team champion Michael Strider.
2017 will be known as one of the greatest years for in ring performances in professional
wrestling history. 4 star, 5 star and even 6 star matches are seen from every level of
wrestling this year and one wrestler who has consistently produced some of the best
matches in 2017 is Jeremy Wyatt.
Wyatt may not be a household name nationally, but Wyatt’s talent is on par with any
professional wrestler in any promotion.
Wyatt has carved out a career mostly on the Midwest independent scene but now
wrestles exclusively for the National Wrasslin League, based in Kansas City, Missouri.
Wyatt has been the champion of the 3XWrestling promotion in Iowa, the Central States Champion and Metro Pro Wrestling champion.
Wyatt, born June 26, 1978 in Kansas City, Missouri has lived in Kansas City his entire
life. Wyatt went to Raytown High School (suburb of Kansas City), excelled in football as
a wide receiver, making 2nd team all conference and all district his senior year and drew
some interest in football powerhouse Northwest Missouri State University, Central Missouri State and Mid American Nazarene. Wyatt claims baseball was his best sport,
but Wyatt was bored with the sport and never played for his high school team, instead
played for summer league teams.
Raised by his father who worked mostly nights, Wyatt played sports with his friends and
discovered professional wrestling when he was 5 or 6 years old. “My all time favorite
was Sting, followed by Macho Man Randy Savage. I was always drawn to those 2
because their gear was always so colorful and they had ridiculous amounts of charisma.
I met Sting once after a show at Memorial Hall and he talked to me for a good 5 minutes
or so. I was 11 at the time and he was already my favorite and that experience sealed
the deal” Wyatt reminisced.
When Wyatt was younger, he went to every show that came to town. “My friends and I
would sit in either the 1st or 2nd row, and we would always start chants. When you’re a
kid, and everyone joins in, you think you’re the coolest kids in the building.”
“There was a show at Municipal (Municipal Auditorium) and we were in the 2nd row. My
dad’s friend took us. He got a little liquored up and ended up dumping an entire beer on Rick Rude during a match with Roddy Piper. Security came over, but no one would point
him out since he was with ‘the kids starting all the chants’, everyone said it was ‘some
guy that went running back that way’.”
Wyatt started training in St. Joseph, Missouri in 2001 with a guy named Steve Estes.
Estes taught Wyatt how to bump and other basics, but Estes had a poor reputation in
the wrestling industry which hurt Wyatt when he tried to get bookings. “I was grateful for
the opportunity to get my foot in the door, but I should’ve done more thorough research
and went somewhere more reputable.”
“Steve had such a bad rep that I was guilty by association, and had a stigma placed on
me in the area. Once I was able to get on some shows that didn’t involve him, which
took a few years, people saw I was decent enough to get some opportunities,” Wyatt
remembered.
“Wyatt is this area’s best kept secret. I wish he had traveled more early on. He has a really good mind for wrestling. His work right now is top notch.” – NWL Tag Team champion Ace Steel.
Once the doors to the independent scene were opened, Wyatt started working matches
in NWA Central States. “Michael Strider (fellow Foundation member) was one of the
guys to vouch for me and push for someone to give me an opportunity. He had some
pull at NWA Central States,” Wyatt remembered fondly.
“When I met Jeremy Wyatt back in 2010, he was already a well-known wrestler in the
Midwest. Since then, he has become the best wrestler I’ve seen who has not signed a
deal with WWE or any other national/international company. When I ran Metro Pro
Wrestling for six years, he was the best champion I had, and he was the backbone of
the company. The years he was on top were the best years we ever had.” – former WWE writer and Metro Pro Wrestling owner Chris Gough.
“I had a stretch where I went down to Florida in 2010-2011 and had a chance to wrestle Tyler Black (Seth Rollins) to a 30 minute draw when he was ROH champion. I’ve also
had a couple of matches with Christopher Daniels that I’m really proud of. Daniels is the
guy who drew me to independent wrestling. He is the guy that really stood out to me, so
he ended up becoming my ‘dream match’ back then,” Wyatt remembers.
Wyatt blends his athleticism along with the ability to work his opponents strengths into
telling a story in his matches. It’s a old school approach that works perfectly in the NWL.
“The best thing I’ve ever done was go to a day long seminar with Nick Dinsmore in
summer of 2008. I was floundering a bit, not improving at the clip I wanted. The way he
explained things just seemed to click. Literally felt like a lightbulb coming on. From that
day on, I think my work, and the way I did things changed, very much for the better,”
Wyatt explains.
“In NWL, he’s a very respected ring general who isn’t the most vocal leader, but
definitely leads by example. He’s one of the reasons I continue to enjoy working in
wrestling. It’s the details that make him the best. Every move and decision he makes in
the ring has a purpose. Every sequence is part of a story. Wyatt can make you believe
he can take down a man twice his size because he understands psychology as well as
anyone.” – Chris Gough, NWL Executive.
When working against a giant brawler like Jack Foster, Wyatt incorporated Foster’s
ability to fight and punch into the match, leading to a spot where Foster hit his hand
against the steel ring post and “injured” his hand the rest of the match. Wyatt worked
spots against the injured hand into the match, reminiscent of the nostalgic Andersons
tag team who would injure a body part and work their entire match around the injured
body part.
“He is undoubtedly the pound-for-pound best professional wrestler I have worked with. That goes for any level – Midwest indie, national indie names, long-time WWE stars. I still consider him one of the top talents in the country today.”– Midnight Guthrie, announcer.
Wyatt showed his versatility in a feud with rookie Anthony “Sharkbait” Gutierrez.
Gutierrez is a former MMA fighter who is athletic but transitioning into professional
wrestling. Wyatt worked MMA spots into the match for Gutierrez to shine when he was
on offense and made the match believable and competitive.
“Jeremy is the hardest worker I’ve ever met. He’s continuously working on improving as a wrestler and is obsessed with having different matches for different scenarios. There’s no such thing as a “standard Wyatt match”. – Michael Strider
Everything Wyatt does is worth purpose. Two of Wyatt’s moniker’s is the “Monarch” and
the “King of Kansas City.” Engraved on his long trunks is the head of a lion; the
“Monarch” and “King of the Jungle.” What many fans may not realize is Wyatt is a huge
baseball fan and the Monarch name is also a tribute to the old Negro baseball league
team that was based in Kansas City, the Kansas City Monarchs.
“I do put a lot of thought into things, I’m going to work a match differently if it’s just a one
off against someone than I would if it’s the 1st match of a new feud. And the same goes
with the 1st match of a feud would be worked differently than the blow off. Just like with
matches, building and telling a story, I like doing the same (probably even more so) with
a long drawn out feud. I think I’ve developed a pretty good idea what works, what
doesn’t. I think I process things pretty well as far as how to feel out the crowd.
Sometimes you have an idea, if they’re not digging it, you have to be able to adjust. I
never go into a match thinking I have to do anything for sake of doing it. If it fits into the
story, cool. If not, I don’t need to force a square peg in a round hole,” Wyatt explained.
Despite being one of the best wrestlers in the Midwest, Wyatt has never really pursued
a chance to wrestle for a national promotion. “Wrestling, as much as I love it, has never
been the be all, end all for me. I am happy with my life, and I never felt the need to
make certain sacrifices that would be needed to ‘make it’ in wrestling.”
Today we are joined with Jeremy Wyatt. He is considered by many to be the best wrestler in the Midwest that has not been signed by ROH, TNA or WWE. Throughout his career he has earned the nickname “The Belt Collector”, as he has torn across the Midwest capturing singles and tag team titles while having exciting matches with an array of different opponents.
In 2015, he has shown no signs of slowing down as he is currently the enjoying his fifth reign as the 3XWrestling Championship and is also one half of the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag Team Champions with his teammate/rival, “The World’s Fittest Wrestler” Mark Sterling. Wyatt is the first ever MWR Wrestler of the Year and the only man to be included in every MWR Match of the Year before it was retired. So it is with great pleasure that we have in this edition of 10 Questions with Jeremy Wyatt.
MWR: Jeremy thanks you so much for taking the time to join us at Missouri Wrestling Revival.
Jeremy: No problem, thanks for having me.
MWR: Before we get into the serious world of pro wrestling, it is no secret to your fans that you are a hardcore fan of your hometown Kansas City Royals. Last year the boys in blue had an exciting year that saw them make it within one game of winning the Major League World Series. Were you able to make it to any of those postseason games, and if so what was that experience like? As the 2015 season is about to start, have the Royals improved themselves enough to make it back and why do you feel that way?
Jeremy: Yeah, I made it to Game 6 of the World Series. One of the funnest nights of my life. The whole season was a crazy ride. I’ve been going to 15-20 games a year since I graduated high school. I’ve watched a lot of bad baseball, as have a lot of Royals fans. To finally be repaid was so awesome. The whole city came together to support the team and the vibe of the city was amazing. I shed a tear or two when they clinched, won the wild card, then the ALDS, and ALCS. Definitely something I’d like to get used to.
As far as how they’ll do in 2015, it’s hard to say they’ll be better. The only way they’re better is if they win the World Series. I think they’re setup to compete for the Division and make some noise. Have a chance to get to postseason and see what happens. If they can get the lead through five or six innings, they’re gonna be tough to beat again.
MWR: Today, you are among the most respect wrestlers in the Midwest. Were you a wrestling fan growing up and how did you get your start?
Jeremy: Yeah, I’ve been a fan for as far back as I can remember. My dad occasionally will tell stories about how when I was three- or four-years-old, I’d try to wrestle everyone. Go bearhug their leg and try to pick them up, stuff like that. I started with a place called MEW, it wasn’t the best place but it got my foot in the door. Almost fourteen years later, here we are. That’s the much condensed version of the story.
MWR: Before you became known as “The Belt Collector”, you had the appropriate nickname “The Rebel” in Central States Wrestling. That promotion was known for their excellent matches that included appearances of wrestling stars AJ Styles , Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and the Monster Abyss mixed in with several of the top rising stars of the Midwest including Michael Strider, Derek Stone, Dingo, Brett Young, Tyler Cook, Steve Fender, Steven J Girthy, as well as yourself and Sterling. How did you come about “The Rebel” nickname and what were your most vivid memories of CSW.
Jeremy: The Rebel nickname came about because it’s my actual real middle name, and I wasn’t feeling very creative the day I was coming up with a “wrestling name”. Not much more to the story than that, haha. CSW was a really fun place. It was a place that all the guys in the area wanted to work at, much like Metro is now. CSW was the place that kind of started getting me noticed a little bit. I had a hard time getting bookings for quite a while my first couple of years due to some stigma of being associated with the place I started at. It sucked, I just wanted to wrestle and get better but most people wouldn’t give me the time of day because I was an “Estes” guy.
Central States Wrestling
Anyways, after trying for a while, CSW, Joe McDonald and Michael Strider threw me a bone, I took advantage. Other places started booking me after that and I started gaining confidence and my work started improving dramatically.
The first ever MWR Match of the Year was brutal, bloody and exciting as Michael Strider and Jeremy Wyatt went at in a Barb Wire Match… Next month, Strider hopes to end Wyatts Metro Pro Wrestling career.
MWR: CSW suddenly fades away even though the wrestling was top notch and Kansas City is pretty much a ghost town for pro wrestling. Unlike St. Louis, where there are several promotions within 30 minutes or so from each other, you had to drive hours to showcase your skills. You capture titles throughout the Midwest, including the Pro Wrestling Phoenix title in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the 3XW Championship in Des Moines, Iowa and the Lethal Wrestling Alliance in Missouri/Iowa (the current St. Louis Anarchy title) along the way. What stands out about either capturing the title or defending it during your triple reign that made you the only unanimous voted MWR Wrestler of the Year?
Jeremy: CSW going away definitely left a void, at the time. Guys in St Louis don’t realize how lucky they have it. There’s so many places to work in the area, plus you can drive four hours or so to Memphis or Chicago. The main thing about capturing those titles is simply this, multiple promotions believed in me and knew I’d deliver main event matches and angles. I believe the man makes the title, the title doesn’t make the man. Anybody can wear or carry a title around. It doesn’t really increase your value. But, with your work, you can definitely raise the value and prestige of a title. I don’t think any title I’ve won has been worse off or diminished while I had it. Over the years, it’s been a much bigger deal when I’ve lost titles than when I’ve won them–and a lot of my best matches have come in losses.
Jeremy Wyatt and Mark Sterling would put on a wrestling clinic in not one, but two IRON MAN matches !!
MWR: One man that has been a constant for the past several years in your career is Mark Sterling. The two of you have been the centerpiece of a group known as the Kansas City Killers with the likes of Mike Sydal and Showtime Bradley Charles.
This is a multipart question as your relationship is a huge part of many moments in wrestling for this generation. Your relationship as friends and enemies continues to this day, including a match that is set for April 3rd Super Spring Showdown against Sterling in Special Stipulation to be announced that evening for your 3XW Championship. First, how did you meet, and where did the Kansas City Killer name come from? One of my personal memories of the two of you teaming were a matchup against the Hooligans at High Voltage Wrestling where the ring fell apart. The four of you did not miss a beat and continued on to have an exciting matchup. What were you thinking at that moment and what advice do you have for a young wrestler if that should happen?
Jeremy: Sterling and I met when I started working at CSW. We knew of each other previously, but that’s the first time we were really ever around each other. I guess around 2007 or 2008, we started traveling together, and have been ever since. We are very similar, but very different. I’m more laidback and quiet, he’s much more hyper and high-strung. We’re a good Yin to the others’ Yang, but when it comes to wrestling we think very similarly. I take to the air a little more, and he’s more power-based but we have pretty similar styles. We believe in the same principles, share the same beliefs as far as psychology goes, etcetera. I’m definitely a better worker because of him, we push each other to be better. I could talk about Mark all day, honestly.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag Team Champions!!!
As far as the name, Kansas City Killers was given to us by Keny G. He’s another person who has become a really good personal friend. He and Mark were both in my wedding. When the middle rope broke in the match against the Hooligans, I didn’t really think much beyond “that sucks, but we’ll figure it out”. Stuff like that happens from time to time. Can’t panic. They know what they’re doing, we know what we’re doing, we knew we all would figure it out, and we did. You don’t want things like to happen, but it’s a nice challenge when they do to see if you can get through it.
Josh Ray and I worked hard with several of the top promotions to produce the MWR Best of the Midwest DVD. I must say that the talent on the dvd was awesome and we were thrilled to have Dynamo Pro Wrestling take part with the Wyatt and Davey Richards match. The cover has artwork done by none other than Dartallion Allen Jr.
MWR: You have fought against a lot of the top names in pro wrestling, including being featured in the MWR Best of the Midwest DVD at Dynamo Pro Wrestling against Davey Richards.
Wyatt looking to submit the former ROH World Champion, Michael Elgin!!
Recently you also defeated former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin this past year in Illinois at Dynamo Pro.
I had a friend/fan that asked me how the match was against you and Christopher Daniels at MPW, and I told them that it went an exciting 40 minutes plus as 500 fans were into the match from start to finish, where my friends replay was “I take it they didn’t mail it in?” My reply was “has he ever?” This was the second match with you and Daniels, with the first being several years prior. I know that you are your hardest critic, so I ask you what was your thoughts of the match compared to the first? Also, who were your favorite matches against name opponents and why.
40 minutes of wrestling excellence as Jeremy Wyatt met Christopher Daniels during the last Metro Pro Wrestling show at the Turner Rec Center.
Jeremy: This last match was almost 9 years after the first. I’ve obviously improved leaps and bounds since then. The first match was good but it was obvious that he carried me. I was blown up and just trying to keep up and get to the finish. This time around, while he’s much more accomplished, I felt like I was his equal. I felt like I belonged in the ring with one of the best workers in the world. My confidence is a thousand times more than what it was back then. This may make me sound cocky or arrogant but it is how I honestly feel. While I don’t have the list of accomplishments, or the “name value” of a lot of guys, there’s not a single one of them that I don’t think I can’t get in the ring with and have a good to great match with. My path in wrestling hasn’t taken me the way of being world renowned but I have full confidence I can go with anyone. Other matches against “names” that stand out are a 30-minute time limit draw vs Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) back in April 2010 for 3XW.
We’ve all seen what he’s went on to become, he may be the best all-around performer going today, and will likely be a multi-time future world champ.
Nose to nose Adam Pearce and Jeremy Wyatt would not back down from each other in a series of matches that had fans from Iowa to Kansas on their feet wanting more.
Just when it looked as if Wyatt had become the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion after defeating Pearce, the match was decided to restart only to have Mark Sterling interfere and stop the celebration.
Another guy is Adam Pearce; we had five or six matches, all of them were fun, intense, and good. We just seemed to mesh well together.
I’ve been lucky, I’ve gotten to work my fair share of guys who’ve accomplished some very good to great things in this wacky business. Stevie Richards, Colt Cabana, Jerry Lynn, Road Dogg, Samoa Joe, Ace Steel, Eric Young, a multitude of ROH guys. It’s a long list and the experience has been really positive with pretty much all of them.
MWR: One last question of the past: MWR was covering you at one of your title hunts in Illinois for All American Pro Wrestling. I am not going to lie, we have covered over 300 events during the MWR years and it was one of the very few where there was a riot almost started as there was true heat and it was directed at you Sterling. after a match . I remember at the end of the night saying my goodbye to the promoter and some of the fans and the next thing I knew, a small mob was forming to come get you. It is obvious that you hit a nerve at one point from their fans, who were you wrestling and how did it get so heated that the fans were after you?
The Mississippi Madman was in agony on the outside as Wyatt pulled out all the stops early on and throughout the match. With his tactics the AAPW fans were furious at the end of the night and was seeking revenge from the Kansas City Killers. Photo Credit Michael Van Hoogstraat
Jeremy: Heat machine, baby!! I used to always want to get people so pissed that it’d start a riot; I probably should’ve been born another twenty years earlier. I’ve turned it down some but I think people still pay money wanting to see me get my ass kicked. As far as that particular incident, I said something to a guy, he thought I said something else and got all worked up. So, once I knew he was heated, I just tried to get more and more people worked up. Don’t remember the exact details but Sterling may have been at ringside with me or he may have just interfered in the match later on. Pretty sure it was a match against Mississippi Madman.
The Lethal Wrestling Alliance fans had to scatter as the Rebel took it to fan favorite Jordan Lacey on the outside as the chairs flew and referees fell among the chaos. – Photo Michael Van Hoogstraat
MWR: I am of the belief that there you are one of only a handful of wrestlers that a promotion in the Midwest can build around to carry a company. We have seen that in Metro Pro Wrestling, 3XWrestling, Pro Wrestling Phoenix and before in LWA, as you are able to be the hated bad guy or the man that they have grown to love.
I know that this may be the hardest question that I throw at you, but what do you feel you have done to have made the fans become so invested in you, as either a good or bad guy in the ring?
Jeremy: I think it mostly comes down to being believable in the ring. Nothing I do is overly intricate, or choreographed looking. I don’t think I do anything that looks fake. While we may be doing wrestling moves, it looks like a fight. Anybody can get people to pop for moves, not everybody can get people emotionally invested. If I can get the same reaction from a chop or punch that someone gets from a dive, for example, I don’t need to dive. I’ll just punch you in the face but when I do dive, the reaction is going to be even bigger.
Wyatt locks in the crossface at Pro Wrestling Phoenix.
I also think people can see how hard I work to give them their money’s worth. The whole show could suck, hopefully it doesn’t, but if it does, I’m still going to do everything I can to make them feel like the $10 to $20 they spent was worth it. The main thing is if you can get people to believe in you and invest emotionally in you, the moves you do don’t really matter.
MWR: We had spoken about how Kansas City had become a ghost town for wrestling for quite some time. Thankfully, Chris Gough would spearhead Metro Pro Wrestling in 2010 and pro wrestling is alive and well in Kansas City.
Life is not easy at Metro Pro Wrestling as Wyatt is challenged by many of the best in the world including the likes of Ace Steel and ROH Star Kyle O’Reilly.
I like to call Chris Gough the Sam Muchnick of Kansas City as both men were/are of high integrity, and were/are respected in the mainstream sports world and brings that attribute to the squared circle. Like Muchnicks’ NWA, the best of the Midwest have pretty much made their way to the Turner Rec Center for MPW including a highly respected match in the Adam Pearce vs. Colt Cabana’s Seven Levels of Hate series, as well as wrestlers Stevie Richards, Kyle O’Reilly, Trevor Murdoch, Ace Steel and Christopher Daniels mixed in with the likes of Metro Pro Champion Derek Stone, ACH, Mike Sydal, SBC, The Commission, Pete Madden, The American Bulldogs, Miss Natural, Kobra Kai Dojo, Lucy Mendez,Dan Walsh, Ryan Drago (NXT’s Simon Gotch) and Tyler Cook just to name a few. What has surprised you the most of Chris Gough and what has been the recipe for success for MPW?
Jeremy: Chris is a good guy, first and foremost. He’s just a good person, in general. As a promoter, he takes care of people, you’ll never hear him say “sorry, the house was light”. With the booking, he has ideas, but if you have a better idea, or an idea to tweak his idea and improve on it, he’ll be more than willing to go that route. He gives people a lot of freedom, but he’s there to reel them in if need be. Some people, if it’s not their idea, they don’t want to do no matter how much more your way may make more sense. I think people perform better if they at least feel like they can contribute ideas to what they’re doing. They become more emotionally invested in the match or angle. He runs the show, the whole shebang, but he makes time for everyone and makes sure everyone is happy and excited to be involved in whatever they have going on that particular night, or for future shows. Chris gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Michael Strider and Jeremy Wyatt received their MWR Match of the Year at an LWA event in House Springs, MO as Wyatt shows off his scar from the battle in the barb wire match in 2009. Time has pass, but the war and bad feelings continues. Pictured left to right Michael Strider, MWR Columnist Kari Williams, MWR Owner Brian Kelley, Jeremy “The Belt Collector” Wyatt
MWR: Last but not least, you are heading into the middle of 2015, better than ever, but the stack is against you wherever you go. You continue to lock down title belts around the Midwest and look for more. This coming week, you will take a break from challenging Sterling for who is the best in the Midwest, as the two of you travel to Illinois to enter the Proving Ground Pro 8-man tag team tournament to add to the PWP Tag team belts to the KCK résumé (Editors note: This interview was unable to be put up on the site in time for this match to happen) , then on the 28th the two of you will be defending your PWP Tag Team Champions in Council Bluffs, Iowa. On April 3rd in Des Moines, Iowa it’s the start of the double shot weekend as you defend your title against your Sterling at 3XW.
The next night you make your way to Metro Pro Wrestling as Commissioner Strider has ordered a special tag match, as you and SBC will meet Sterling and Mike Sydal. If you or SBC is pinned, you are fired from Metro Pro Wrestling. I personally would love to see you challenge for the World League Wrestling Championship this year for your first opportunity to capture Harley Race’s title. All in all though, you will have logged thousands of miles for the love of wrestling. How much fun are you having, and what are your goals as you are expected to once again be in the running for the MWR Wrestler of the Year?
Jeremy: I’ve made it no secret that I’m a lot closer to the finish line than I am the beginning but I’m having a ton of fun. I only work at places that I enjoy, I’ve done it long enough that I can be more selective with my bookings. But I’m also managing to keep pretty busy. It’s funny, the shows you mentioned coming up, Mark and I are either teaming or fighting. Either way, it’s a good combo. I sometimes wonder how good of a team Mark and I could’ve been if we just focused on that. But we both enjoy beating each other up in singles matches too much to strictly be a team.
My goals are pretty simple, have as much fun as I possibly can, this isn’t going to last forever. I want to keep trying to get better. When my last match comes, I want to be the absolute best I’ve ever been. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. I also really want to help guys get better, while I’m still around. I’ve been trying to be more active in giving advice and feedback. It sounds corny, but I want to help make this area better than it was when I started. I’m at least trying to do my part. Those are the main things. There’s guys I’ve never faced, like AJ Styles, who I’d like to get in there with, and test myself against but that’s out of my control. So, if it happens, great. If not, no sweat, I’ve gotten to work a lot of other guys up to this point. And since I’ve been robbed of the MWR Wrestler of the Year award the last six years in a row, I’ll throw winning it in 2015 on the list.
3xwrestling All Stars Of The Midwest Episode 11 Rory Fox Vs Jeremy Waytt
Helloooo wrestling fans as the great Bill Kersten would say. I am thrilled that today we are celebrating our 1,000 post here at Missouri Wrestling Revival. Throughout the past two and half years you have been able to come to MWR site to check out upcoming shows, interviews and stories of the top stars of not only the Midwest but around the world.
MWR started out simple enough from one of my best friends Josh Ray who had the dream to bring attention to wrestling in the Midwest. He worked hard to get the site going and along with myself and Kari Williams the site was off and running.
Thankfully we had a good friend Peter Hahn whos sister Rachel, is a wonderful graphic artist that came up with the logo that has became the face of MWR.
I have been so busy getting ready for school, preparing for my sons school year and other projects that I have yet to unveil some great new logo’s from our good friends at Awesome bomb radio so no time is better than the start of a new thousand. Adult MWR fans take a chance to check out the Awesome Bomb Radio for some wild and crazy interviews with some of the top wrestlers in the game today.
Everyone at MWR has worked hard to be respectful and polite to each promotion, wrestler and fans that we have gone across.
I have a strong belief that to be successful that no one can do it alone. In the history of MWR there have been some wonderful supporters of the site that is vital to MWR’S place in wrestling today. I am going to attempt to thank everyone that has made MWR possible. At every promotion we have worked with there has been not only promoter, wrestlers but also referees, ring announcer, security, video crew and fans that I have nothing but love and respect for. Several have become close friends, while others I have not seen in a long time, though time has past by and we may have not seen each other this post is still for you.
1) The Fans: I hope that you have found MWR a place that you come to enjoy. You are the most important piece to the puzzle to making a show a success. At times we are very busy at a show but I want you to know that I thank you for clicking on the site and we are always excited to get to meet you. Your support for the hard working men and women of the sport keeps the hope alive for pro wrestlers to live their dream. If you have not checked out a local show near you I urge you to check out a promotion soon.
We have made many Friends thanks to the MWR site. Drew and Gary are two great guys that I met at local shows, they knew us from the work we do thanks to MWR. During the Wrestling Legends on tour the three of us got to pose with some of the top wrestling stars ever in the sport. These are just two of the many fans that we are proud to call our friends.
2) The Promoters: These guys are judged, hated and sometimes forgotten. It takes a special person to risk there money and spend their time to run a show. The cold hard fact is that it is a LOT of work to be one and at times luck to be successful in this profession. Without them doing the ground work a show never gets off the ground. They have opened their doors to us and I hope they know we have been honored to try our best to get the word out about the dates of their show.
3) The Wrestlers, managers and referees: Call it a sport or call it entertainment, one can not deny that it takes true talent to make a show a success..
During the years I have been all around the Midwest checking out shows in the big cities and the small towns and I can say that I have no doubt that there is no athletes that cares more for their fans that the wrestlers.
We have been at a few shows that have had less than 30 people, that did not stop the wrestlers from going out there and giving it their all, then took the time to come meet the fans.
I watched time and time where they have took that extra moment to talk, pose for pictures and sign autographs to the kids of all ages and thanking them for their hard earn money to watch them do what they love.
There have been many shows where the wrestlers have donated their time and skills with no pay to support a fundraiser for a local family or school.
No matter what state we are in, or the three letters of the promotions every wrestles have the same goal and that is to entertain you with the best of their abilities.
This past weekend I was in Lincoln Illinois for the Arts and Balloon Festival where the a huge crowd witness some exciting wrestling action. One of the many talented wrestlers in the Midwest today, Knight Wagner asked if he could do a promo commemorating the moment that so many fans had a chance to see what wrestling was like in our area.
I was honored by the kind words that he said in the promo for our website in hopes that you the fans will check us out to find out where you can see the next wrestling show in your area. I want to share with you the words of Knight Wagner.
To be honest there have been many such compliments given to the MWR family from many many wrestlers that understand that this site is built for the fans, the promoters and wrestlers themselves.
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It has been a pleasure to work each and every one of you. I have seen some of the craziest, weirdest and breathtaking matches ever in the past two plus years at MWR. The love that you have for wrestling is only equaled by the desire to give the fans their money’s worth. MWR could not be as successful or fun without your cooperation
4) Dubray Tallman: The old saying is behind every successful man is a good women. Thankfully I have Dubray to help support me while we drive the six hours roundtrip for many shows. There is no group of friends that live close enough that we can ride with to make the trip faster or cheaper. In less than a year and half we have made over eighty shows in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. At times the site takes away from what we can do elsewhere or together as it takes time to write and edit everything. Prior to the show Dubray works on one of the most popular articles that we have Dubi meets the fans. Often Dubi Meets the Fans is the among the top post for weeks on end . Dubray I love you.
5) Josh and Sara Ray: The founder of MWR is also one of my best friends. Josh has a great mind and love for the business. If only the two of us lived closer no telling how much more successful MWR would be. They don’t get much better than Josh and Sara
6) Kari Williams: MWR’S number one writer, you have read Kari’s articles from the inception of the site. Young and talented there is no doubt that you will find Kari’s work in a much bigger forum one day. Dubray and I always are thrilled to see Kari and her mother Joan.
7) Matt Murphy: Matt is one of the most underrated wrestling minds today. He has always been willing to give his advice and assistance for the site. In fact I didn’t take his advice early on and paid for it. Lesson learned, listen to Matt Murphy. Seriously Matt was kind enough to have his book showcased here at MWR in a weekly article that many MWR fans loved. If you missed it, there is a link at the top of the page that you can go to do catch up. MWR fans if you have read this article or book PLEASE take the time to review it on Amazon.com here.
8) Greg Anthony – Anthony brings to the site, a fan that is talented enough to excel in the sport today as a wrestler. I am never bored and often surprised to what he has to say in the MWR favorite the Golden Circle. As with Murphy if you have missed any of his articles I urge you take a look at the top of the page and enjoy.
9) Patrick Brandmeyer– As much as I love local professional wrestling, the truth is at times it can be nearly impossible to find out information on the past as well as the current history of the business. I often look to my good friend Patrick Brandmeyer for the what, how and why in the St Louis wrestling market and beyond. If a promotion wants a good source of advertisement then most defiantly contact Brandmeyer to make his way to your show.
10) ST Louis Wrestling Community and the Nose Bleed seats- Many people think that the man known as the Crimefighter and his website the ST Louis Wrestling Community are a competitor of the MWR website. The truth is that I have always enjoyed working with Crimfighter and his colleagues from the Nose Bleed SeatsChris Lee and MOAV5706. I often use the site and their advice for articles that you read here. They have had some great podcast and they are the number one source for all your wrestling in Central Illinois. Check them out here.
11) MWR T-shirts– Nothing brings a smile to my face than seeing a fan or wrestler wear a MWR Shirt. In the four states that we cover we have given away or sold 100’s of our shirts to wonderful people such as yourself. We started out with free drawings during intermission to a lucky fan.
Fans like this wonderful women has been thrilled to catch a MWR T-Shirt from a Midwest Superstar (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogsraat)
Then one day at PWP I was taken photos when Murder Militia’s #1 Brett Young came to the ring wearing an MWR shirt . That kicked a light bulb in my head, why don’t we have a wrestler wear to ring and unlike the greedy Young who kept his shirt, we have them throw it to a lucky fan. This promotion has been more than a success and I would like to thank all the wrestlers who have worn the shirt in the past in this promotion. The fans I feel have had a lot of fun in catching them . Most recently one fan told me that her daughter was so impressed with catching the t-shirt and having her picture taken with the wrestler(Jimmy Karryt) that she has that picture of her and him as the background picture on their computer. You can not purchase moments as special as that.
Words can not describe how important my friend Nick Ridenour has been this year in working with us to have quality and affordable t-shirts with the small budget we have.
12) MWR Top Draws – A very popular feature at MWR is the art work from MWR’S Dartallion Allen JR. Allen brings to life your favorite stars in a cartoon style. Mwr fans look in the very near future a chance to vote for who you think Allen Jr should draw in the MWR Classic Wrestler Top Draw. Till then take the time to click above to see one of Midwest brightest artist today.
13) MWR Trading Cards– This is my new passion and a set that I take great pride in. A worthy collectable for the fans of MWR, the set features the stars of the Midwest and around the world that we have all come to love or hate. We started off with the MWR award winners for 2008 and 2009, card number one was the 2008 MWR Tag team of the year the Northstar Express Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz with Pnut, the three who is awesome in promos looked just as good in a trading card.
“The Future” Donovan Ruddick takes the time to pose with young fans that had purchased his MWR Trading Card prior to him autographing the collectable that fans have been clamoring for the past few months.
Since then we have added a who’s who of stars in the Midwest including three people that I am forever grateful who brought worldwide recognition to the set, site and other wrestlers of the series and they are international stars MsChif, Davey Richards and Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black.
A big thank you goes out to Alyssa Major for her amazing talent on these cards.
As of press time we have announced Nineteen trading cards and each and every individual brings their own flair and worth to your collection. Look for many other superstars of the ring to grace their presence in the set. In fact I am so excited to name them that I need to stop writing about it.
For a look at these card check out our checklist at the number one site for wrestling trading cards Wrestlingtradingcards.comhere.
14) MWR Photographers– People that know me, know that I love photos of wrestling. Often I will go to a website and see results from a show but never know what that person looks like. At MWR you get a chance to put a name with a face in an exciting fashion
I am blessed to be able to have some of the great photographers in the Midwest at MWR that allow us to use their work and expensive equipment for the site. A very underrated aspect to the scene is a photographer, these hard working professionals are able to capture that moment when your favorite wrestler goes for that high risk move, or the final moment when a wrestler wins the championship. With pictures you capture history.
Mike Van Hoogstraat, Gary Giaffoglione, Bill Smith and Scott Fieldstein are regulars with MWR who donate the pictures for you the fans to enjoy. I love all of these guys for their contribution and friendship.
15) Absolute Wrestling Radio: Amazingly when I wrote this article for 1,000 post I had somehow forgotten to recognize the AWR family. It’s not that they were not worthy or I hadn’t thought of them its just that I thought I had them done. Make no mistake about it that AWR was very crucial to MWR inception to the wrestling world. Based out of St Louis AWR has been a place where fans can listen and call in to talk about the WWE, TNA , local wrestling and MMA.
Mark Bland Matt Kreuger and Andy Echle have been a lot of fun throughout the time that I have known them and have created some of the most memorable moments in MWR history. They have always done a wonderful job getting the word of MWR out to the masses. We look forward to all of your hard wok and friendship.
Promotions
In the past two and half years MWR has covered and worked with each of these promotions in one form or another. I don’t want to thank anyone in particular because of the fear of forgetting anyone. Once again there are many great people that are in each of these promotions who have made a positive impact for the MWR site.
3XWrestling
All American Pro Wrestling
All American Wrestling
Central States Wrestling
Great American Wrestling
High Voltage Wrestling
IWA-Mid-South
Independent Hardcore Wrestling
IWA Productions
Lethal Wrestling Alliance
New Midwest Wrestling
New Breed Wrestling Alliance
NWA Supreme Wrestling
NWA Dynamo Pro Wrestling
Metro East Championship Wrestling
Metro Pro Wrestling
MMWA-SICW
Pro Wrestling Epic
Pro Wrestling Next
Pro Wrestling Phoenix
Pro Wrestling Next
Rampage Championship Wrestling
World League Wrestling
I hope that you check out these promotions live in the very near future.
Thank you MWR Fans and we hope to celebrate 1,500 soon. Till then look for all the exciting developments and happenings in the world of Pro Wrestling in the near future at MWR.
Sincerely,
Brian Kelley
Owner/ Editor of Missouri Wrestling Revival
My good friend Josh Ray and I spoke recently about the celebration of the MWR 1,000 POST. He stated that he had an article he would like to share with you so we started MWR post 1 with Josh Ray so it is only fitting that we end 1,000 with my good friend Josh.
By Josh Ray
Even though I left Missouri Wrestling Revival in the talented hands of Brian Kelley and Kari Williams a year ago to pursue other pro wrestling opportunities, as founder of this website/community I am extremely attached to any of MWR‘s successes and failures. It doesn’t matter whether the ideas came from my own mind or the mind of a friend, because once it is implemented by the site, it becomes part of the family.
As family, career, and life in general have siphoned time from one of my passions, most of my Midwest pro wrestling knowledge comes in spurts from MWR. It is a great site that has helped in more ways than it will ever get credit for, and that is due to a combined effort from contributors to MWR, promoters, wrestlers, behind-the-scenes staff, and of course fans! When Brian and I chatted last week and he informed me that the 1000th post was fast approaching, I wanted to get involved.
A lot is said of a wrestler’s desire and love of the business. Sometimes paid in hot dogs and other time not paid at all, these men and women travel at great physical, emotional, and financial expense because they love to entertain and they strive to improve. Unfortunately, there are other pieces of this puzzle that often go overlooked. These overlooked pieces are evident in those train wrecks that inevitably occur. Great wrestlers can make a great match, but those that work in supporting roles (the overlooked pieces I am referring to) are what make an entire event a success. In fact, those working in these supporting roles can make or break everything from the attendance to the safety at the show.
Those in these supporting roles include the promoter himself/herself, the booker, the referee, ring announcer, managers/valets, sound man/woman, camera crew, photographer, security, bloggers/journalists, and other volunteers. These men and women are no less a part of the wrestling business than the wrestlers themselves, but they often do what they do with little or no fanfare. There is no World Wrestling Entertainment developmental program for most of these roles, and many serving in these capacities are expected to do the work for free to pay their dues and to be a part of the show.
Even WWE legend Shawn Michaels acknowledged many of the great supporting members of WWE during his retirement speech on the March 29, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW:
This is really gonna sound strange to you guys, but there’s a whole lot of people in those big ‘ol trucks out back, there are these guys here holding the camera, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and of course the greatest announcer of all time Jim Ross… but I want to thank all you guys. You guys always made me look better than I ever really was and I so appreciate that.
I want to follow in those great footsteps in this, the 1000th post on Missouri Wrestling Revival, by naming my own MWR “Supporting Roles” All-Star Team. This is by no means definitive and is solely based on my opinion with some input from trusted friends.
Supporting Roles All-Star 1st Team
Booker – Matt Murphy
I have talked with Matt numerous times and know his credentials. This would be the guy to go to in order to get the matches lined up… and the first guy I would talk to to straighten out any backstage issues.
Referees –
Brandon Schmidt
Eric Davis
Both men work hard and want to continue learning. You’d be hard pressed to find two more competent officials to ref a show.
Ring Announcer –
KL Snow
The man with the green socks has a great voice for ring announcing and is one of the nicest men you’ll meet in and out of the ring. He no longer operates in the area, but is worth the money to bring in.
Video –
Skylar Pierce
This guy shoots and edits wrestling video on a regular basis and continues to improve. Watch 3XW’s Outside the Ring on Youtube to see the progression of his video work.
Camera – Jenny Bessman 3XW’s video team under the guidance of Skylar Pierce is my logical choice, with Jenny getting the by name selection, but without excluding the video talents of Sean Wilkerson. These guys keep the 3XW machine moving in the right direction by continuing their line of DVDs and providing footage for the 3XW web show Outside the Ring.
Security –Brandon “Bubba” Wacholtz
When I put together the MWR show for November 2009, “Bubba” was my first choice for security. Very professional in a security capacity and anyone that says otherwise has probably deserved being removed from a show.
Backstage Photographer –
Michael R. Van Hoogstraat
Many of the great Midwest wrestler photos from backstage that you see on this site and across the Internet come from this man!
Ringside Photographer –
Gary Giaffoglione
You feel right there in the middle of the action when Gary is at the helm.
Mouthpiece –
Magic Man
I extended the offer to Magic Man a long time ago… whenever I have a video camera he is always welcome to jump in front of it.
Mouthpiece –
Chad Mylan
Quite honestly, I mark for very few things in this world… but I mark for Chad Mylan. I am a Mylanite.
Booster –
Chuck Maddox
A genuinely nice guy with a love for professional wrestling that many do not come close to matching. Chuck is the guy you’d want to work with on any marketing plan or budget.
Journalist/Blogger –
Kari Williams
The resident workhorse at MWR has a career beyond this site that is right around the corner. I am very proud to have met her and often go to her for writing advice.
That is all I have for this, the 1000th post on Missouri Wrestling Revival. Remember, if its worth supporting then support it. If not then run the other way and something better will eventually come along!
We are very close to the half year of 2010 and what a year it has been!
In the past few months both WWE and TNA have hosted PPV’S with WWE’S Elimination Chamber and TNA’S lockdown that was also headline with a fan interaction that allowed fans to meet stars such as Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Rob Vam Dam, Jeff Hardy and most of the rest of the TNA roster.
Old school fans can be happy that they have had a chance to meet the stars that brought memories that will last a lifetime when at TNA’S legends main event brought in the biggest stars of the 80’s and beyond with Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Sting.
The fun would keep coming when you were able meet other stars such as former WWE World Champion Bob Backland, Roddy Piper, Road Warrior Animal, Jimmy Snuka along with several other greats during Wrestling Legends on Tour.
On the Indy front I have to believe that everyone involved with their promotions needs to feel thrilled with the support and attendance from the fans as attendance and action has picked up for the most part at most shows.
Former WLW Wrestler Dennis T McHawes released an autobiography called “Blood Tables and Chairs that allows fans to get a glimpse of the Indy scene not to long ago.
Mike Sydal continues his rise to the National spotlight after winning the PWI Rookie of the Year he followed that up by wrestling during WRESTLEMANIA weekend with Ring of Honor in a six man tag team race and earned the pin fall for his team.
Will Metro Pro Wrestling jump over the competition in 2010 with their debut at Memorial Hall on June 4th?
Till then lets look at 2010 shortly and what to forward to.
Let’s start out alphabetical.
3XWrestling –The 2008 MWR Promotion ofthe year continues their standard of excellence with some great action. 3XW Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Wyatt and Ring of Honor a World Champion Tyler Black earned a standing ovation in April when the two went to a draw. Rory Fox who came close in 09 by taking out “The Belt Collector” won the May “Gauntlet for the Gold”. This could easily set up Wyatt vs. Fox feud part 2, one that would be great for the fans.
3XW Pure Wrestling Champion Kraig Kessaman has been rolling through the company using the deadly “Nordic Spike” maneuver and has not been pinned at 3XW in 23 months. While 3XW cruiserweight Champion Jimmy Rockwell came very close in defeating 3XW Champion Jeremy Wyatt at the Over the top show earlier this month
On a sad note the very popular tag team The High Flyers of Zach Thompson and Mike Sydal was forced by Todd Countryman to go against each other in a loser leaves town match that saw Thompson earned quite possibly the biggest win his short career by defeating the smoking red hot Sydal.
All American Pro Wrestling – Exciting feuds , shocking moments and near riots mixed in with former WWE and TNA Superstars brought AAPW among the top of the most talked about promotions in the area coverage.
The year started off with the very popular Edmund “Livewire” McGuire holding the AAPW Championship. During a title defense against the popular and powerful Mississippi Madman that would soon end. McGuire’s mountain to retain was huge but the backstabbing of McGuire’s best friend Shane Rich during the match would cost him the title and a feud is set to happen anytime. Rich was suspended for his actions. The fans and McGuire have been itching for a rematch BUT…
The Madman would find himself in the fire quickly as the 2008 MWR Wrestler of the Year Jeremy Wyatt came knocking for the belt. The Madman would retain but not before a near riot almost broke out. AAPW had no other option but to sign a rematch between the two at the very next show. Problems arose when Rich talked his way into the match making it a 3way and capitalizing by taking home the belt.
As of press time AAPW is set to bring to the Midwest WWE’S Jerry Lawler and Kevin Thorn and more AAPW matches at RENT ONE Park on May 22 in prior to a minor league baseball game. AAPW has also brought in TNA’S Andy Douglas and WWE/ECW’S Simon Dean…. We can all look forward to McGuire vs. Rich in the second half of the year.
High Voltage Wrestling – What High Voltage Wrestling lacked in amount of shows they made up for it in quality of matches and continuing their tradition of debuting some of the top stars in the St Louis area. During HVW’s first year they brought you “The Internaininal Superstar” Kahagas, TNA’S Santana G, The Hooligans, Matt Cage, Zero Gravity and Tony Kozina and in their second year they brought to you the very exciting Ryan Phoenix, Flash Flannigan, Dan the Manand Sir Bradley Charles.
Kahagas vs. Flash Flannigan was an instant hit and when the HVW Tag Champions the Hooligans went against the KC Killers the ropes would break but the action would not. Santana G would earn the respect of one of the greatest women wrestlers in the world MsChif and earn the respect of her and the two would team up once again.
Young Brandon Aarons would get a huge win for the fan favorites by defeating fellow young star Mike Sydal for the HVW Livewire Championship.
The HVW Champion has been defending the title around world and looks to face on all challenges in 2010.
Independent Hardcore Wrestling– IHW has been filled with packed shows with action throughout the building. Filled with stars who do not get as much hype like Billy McNeil, Steve Kennedy, Eric Allen, Mephisto and Brandon Aarons they have made themselves a legit promotion and giving the fans their money’s worth.
Former TNA Star Mickie Knuckles and the Great Cheyenne continue the improvement of the women wrestling Midwest while Eric Allen’s exciting Illinois state Championship shocked the Midwest. IHW Champion Brandon Aarons match with Kennedy was an instant classic. MR Late Nite looks to make his mark in the Midwest to finish off 2010.
IHW heats up the summer in 2010 with a stacked card on June 12th in Dupo Illinois when Mickie Knuckles returns to take on Mia Martinez, SLAM The Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Tony Kozina will take on exciting Bailey Mannix; Champions will collide when IHW Champion Aarons will meet IHW Illinois Champion Allen in a street fight.
IWA Productions – One of the biggest announcements of the first half had to do with IWA P bringing at their free Wednesdays show last week when non other than ICP came into bring fans to their feet. So much excitement that IWA P had to turn fans away do to a fire code. ALL for free.
In January they brought in former WWE Superstar the Honky Tonk Man and their students stepped up to provide a much talked about match between Christian Rose and Danny Cannon ladder match.
A mixture of free shows and paid shows that has also showcased Matt Cage taking on former WWE Champion Eugene, Ladies star Ann Brookstone along with “Homicidal” Steven Davis provide the fans with some top notch excitement.
Metro East Championship Wrestling– Wrestling in Woodriver provides the fans with an exciting night to hang with friends and family. The promotion had a set back when the MECW had to announce that champion Mannix was unable to defend due to an injury. Mannix though respect for his talent was hated for his actions meant that possibly one of the fan favorites such as Devin Carter or the “Kid” Evan Money could get their chance as MECW Gold.
Imagine the disappointment when bad guy Eric Allen was able to win the 8 man tournament and gain his second title in months. Who will be able to take the title back from EA? Will it be Carter in his rematch on the 22nd, or will Gabriel Brimstone, Brian Scrilla, or the returning Shawn Santel come back to glory.
MECW Tag team champions The Bayou Outlaws are one of the most underappreciated teams in the Midwest and loved by the fans.
On a National level MECW can hang their head up high Barry Ryte in his opportunity to appear at the 14th annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament later this summer on Sat. July 10, 2010 in Newark DE.
MMWA-SICW– The 2009 MWR Promotion of the Year has seen some exciting new faces and old friends join the veterans of the South Broadway Athletic Club. Impressive Dave Vaughn has taken on all challenges in his way including the powerful Donnovan Ruddick.
Speaking of Ruddick the Manager of Champions Travis Cook looks to take him to the top as he has signed him to his stable “The Connections.” With the skills of Ruddick and the mind of Cook these two could be unstoppable.
Brandon Espinosa has returned with a vengeance and is currently the MMWA-SICW JR Heavyweight Champion as well as the MMWA-SICW Battle Royal Champion. Will he set his sights on becoming a Triple Crown championship?
Life is not all good in the world of Travis Cook; he has agitated the returning MMWA-SICW Superstar Ron Powers and Danny Boy. In Cooks favor is the fact that Gary Jackson has also wanted a piece of his old rival Powers.
On a National scene the St Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame that is located at the SBAC presented Ric Flair, Bobby Hennan, Dory Funk JR and Baron Von Raschke with their HOF Plaques at the TNA Fan interaction.
What Midwest Superstars will make their debut at MMWA-SICW in the rest of 2010? I can not wait to find out.
New Midwest Wrestling – The newest promotion at MWR, New Midwest have been around for a long time entertaining fans in Sprinfield Illinois.
The NMW Roster brings together an exciting roster with Cory Carter, Guy Smith, Ryan Phoenix, Dan the Man and Blake Steel as well the New Midwest Wrestling Champion Jonathan Magnus.
New Midwest Wrestling returns this week with Capital Punishment 2010 as Magnus have his title threatened when Rip Mystic comes after him.
NWA Dynamo Pro Wrestling– NWA Dynamo has slowly been building steam heading into the second half of 2010. Home of the NWA Missouri Champion Davey Vega and NWA Central States Championship Mark Sterling they brought us the battle of Champions when the two took on each other during their May 1 show where Vega tapped out to the 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year.
NWA Missouri Champion Vega will look to get back on track when he takes on Dragon Gate star Kyle O’Reilly on May 22nd.
Like I said a quiet year so far for this top promotion but look for them to sprint to the top in 2010.
NWA Supreme – MWR was honored to be invited to check out this exciting promotion early this year and we were impressed. The giant Bear ST Pierre and the electrifying Da Cobra brings to the ring a fast paced wrestling show with a punch in the Face.
NWA Supreme Champion Da Cobra has been red hot and will look to add Danny Cannon on his list of men he sent home packing. Bear ST Pierre has survived the onslaught on Jeremy Wyatt and De Andre King and Guy Smith and on May 29 he will have the formidable foe of Christian Rose looking to take home the title.
. The Hooligans and the Hybrids tore each other apart in the cage and it looks to only getting hotter as the summer comes around.
Fan have to be excited as the NWA Supreme brings you the NWA Midwest Championship match between the Shiek with Joey Eastman and Silas Young as well on the 29th.
Pro Wrestling Epic – One of the youngest promotions in the MWR Coverage area has been working hard to get respect. Signing some of the top names in the sport they boast some of the top talents in the Midwest today.
One fallback to that statement is that the PWE Champion Keith Walker has been in Japan meaning that he is unable to defend the title as needed. Even with Walker out the states they have the new PWE US Champion Brandon Aarons and the PWE tag team Champions Zero Gravity on their roster.
At their only show of the year the night started of with Mark Sterling as the PWE US Champion. Sterling defeated Mike Sydal then announced to the crowd that he was not done. He would be more than happy to beat anyone else in the locker room. Aarons showed true heart by answering the call even though he was defeated by Wyatt earlier in the night. Amazingly Aarons would defeat Sterling and become the PWE US Champion.
PWE and Aarons returns with their biggest test to date when PWE US Champion Brandon Aarons takes on Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black go at it in a match that you will not want to miss.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix– The faction known as Murder Milita looked to have PWP on their knees and in total control at the start of the year. The Murder Militia (Jeremy Wyatt, #1 Brett Young, Mark Sterling, Joey Daniels & Jayden Draigo) would find that Team PWP (PWP Heavyweight Champion ”Babyface” Tony Cortez, Abu Colossus, Jaysin Strife, ChrisHavius & Donnie Peppercricket) was not going to back down for nothing.
The bomb is about to go off in the name of WAR Games this coming Saturday. Will the Militia continue to leave the PWP Wrestlers and fans in fear heading into 2010?
Young David Clark, Jimmy Rockwell and Zac James is set to battle in a ladder match for the chance to get a chance at any PWP Championship that night as well.
The PWP Champion Babyface Tony Cortez has defeated Jeremy Wyatt, Joey Daniels Jimmy Rockwell and Jaysin Strife since becoming the Champion last December.
World League Wrestling– Harley Race’s WLW took their time to get back in the game in 2010 but it was well worth the wait.
Starting off the year they had a tournament to crown new WLW Tag Champions and lo and behold Steve Fender and Mark Sterling walked away with the coveted tag team titles. Sterling and Fender are two of the most rounded wrestlers in singles, together they are scary good.
On the Singles from the WLW Title has been filled with action as the powerful Trent Stone held the title till in front of over 300 people in Richmond former WWE Superstar Trevor Murdoch pinned him in a leather strap match to regain the title.
It won’t be easy for Murdoch as Stone, Brian Breaker along with impressive young stars Jack Gamble, Ryan Drago, the Cancun Kid and Eathon Wright will all have their eyes to get to the top of the Mountain.
The WLW Ladies Champion Amy Hennig finds herself with competition all around as TNA’S Santana G earned a DQ victory from Hennig and the unknown Angelus Layne made her debut at WLW Keokuk IA. Some of the most exciting matches in women’s wrestler may well come from WLW.
That is a look at some of the promotions in the first half of the year. We are asking for the Promotions, Wrestlers and Fans to send in their thoughts on who was the best of the best in the first half year at MWR.
There will not be a winner announced for this but this will help the MWR Awards committee to not forget in the 2010 MWR Awards who is deserving. In each category there is some strong competition if the vote was to be voted on today I could not guess who would walk away the winners.
Wrestler of the Year first half
Tag team of the Year First Half
Promotion of the Year First Half
Women of the Year First Half
Match of the Year First Half
Please send in your nominations for the previous promotions to flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com
I am joined today with the men behind Metro Pro Wrestling, former Central States Wrestling promoter Joe McDonald and Chris Gough Last year Chris produced the wrestling documentary KC on the Mat. Chris is a Mizzou grad with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After college, he went to work as a television writer for World Wrestling Entertainment in Stamford, Connecticut. In 2004, Chris returned to his hometown to begin work as an anchor and reporter for Metro Sports in Kansas City.
Brian -Gentleman good to speak to the both on you today on the exciting news that Wrestling is about to come back to Kansas City. How did this adventure come to be?
Chris– I actually did a documentary last year called KC On the Mat, which looked at the historical look at Central States Wrestling. It aired here in the city and shortly after that I spoke with Joe about running shows here in Kansas City. I produce several shows on Metro Sports, an all sports channel in Kansas City, and eventually Joe and I spoke to the general manager of the station who gave us the green light to put together a wrestling show that will debut at Memorial Hall on June 5th. Two or three weeks after that we will air the Metro Pro Wrestling show on Metro Sports.
Joe –Chris had actually myspaced me prior to me leaving for California for my new job when I left CSW. I kinda blew him off because as a promoter you always get these guys who say “I am a former this or that” and you tend to go whatever. Thankfully in time we did get together.
Brian – Chris, please tell our readers your background in Pro Wrestling.
Chris – I was a lifelong wrestling fan who went to University of Missouri. In 1997 I got an internship with WWE, went back in 1998. After graduation I got full time job with WWE in 1999 where I started with WWE.com as a producer and did a show called Byte This and some other shows on the site. I then went on as a creative writer for WWE’S Monday Night RAW thorough 2003. After leaving the WWE I came home and took a job with Metro Sports as an Anchor/Producer.
Brian – Joe, At one time you were a wrestler tell us about that and how long did you run Central States Wrestling?
Joe – We ran for five years, prior to that I joined a school called the Monster factory based out of New Jersey. I begged my parents’ and they said “as long as your grades stay up”. I trained in 95, my junior year in high school and I didn’t really get a very good training, but I hit the road and did shows in ST Louis for next to no pay. There was also a promotion based out of Wichita Kansas that had weekly TV. That was a lot of fun as Derek Stone and Ace Steel where also there. That tells you how long I have known Stone (LAUGHS).
I was too young to wrestle in Missouri until July of 1996 because I wasn’t 18. To be honest I was not a very good wrestler. When I began promoting, I wrestled at times but I didn’t want to put myself over at the expense of the guys. It got to the point where I had to come to terms that I was not nearly as good as the guys I was booking so I stopped wrestling and focused on being a promoter.
Brian – Joe, What have you been up to since you parted ways with Central States Wrestling?
Joe– I went to California working with TV shows and films, like Last Comic Standing and Harry Potterand the Order of the Phoenix. At the time I left there were a lot of things going on in my life, including the mentioned once in a lifetime opportunities. Once I got back home, I tried to jump start CSW but I didn’t have it left in me to do so. After the last CSW show I decided it would be best to take some time off and refresh my batteries. I don’t like to say I quit the wrestling business as I have kept up with what has been going on in the wrestling world, I just took a breather. And over the 12 months, Chris and I have been planning on making Metro Sports a successful wrestling promotion.
Brian – Joe, what do you take from your days at CSW?
Joe – There are no instructions on how to run a pro wrestling show. You learn by being on the road, what to do and not to do with the boys, How to treat the boys, the wrestlers always got paid by me. I never canceled shows, I made mistakes all of the time because I just did not know what to do. I will say that I have learned from all of those mistakes and hopefully I do not make them again.
I take some of the credit of CSW but I cannot take it all. It was a collaborate effort by several hard working people. What I did was give them a place to work and we all relied on each other to get the job done.
Chris – The goal for 2010 is to have a TV taping once a month. If it increases then that is great, but first things first get that first show done so that we get enough footage to provide an exciting program. We are hoping to have a 1 hour show each week on Metro Sports, weather or not its four or six weeks of tapings for our show.
Joe– We really don’t want to put the cart before the horse, we know that it will take 3 months before the TV really will provide the full benefit of advertisement. We are currently advertising Metro Pro Wrestling via print, Television, Radio ect , when the second TV taping airs we will have had two weeks of shows on Metro Sports that will create a buzz and then by the third we will have ran 6 or so weeks of TV. By the fourth week we will hope to see a return on the exposure from TV.
Brian – Will all shows be at the Memorial Hall?
Chris – For the time being that will be where the shows will be ran. Memorial Hall provides us with a great venue with a historic feel for our debut. Excellent lighting and a superb sound system will give the fans at the show that special feel and those watching at home that professional look. But Brian it’s like all business it comes down to money. If the fans show that there is interest by coming, we would love our shows to be there all of the time but if financially it doesn’t make sense to run shows there we will pull back and find other venues that we have scoped out.
Joe – If we didn’t have TV we would be running an armory or high school gym, to be honest without TV I don’t know if I would have given this another try….well I can’t say that, but it surely wouldn’t be on such a grand scale. Without TV there is only so far that you can go in Indy wrestling.
When I started CSW I borrowed ten thousand dollars. Out of that, six of it went into buying a ring while the other four went towards running shows. I ran for several years on that and then took on a partner. We tapped out at CSW, we got to the point where we had a show with AJ Styles we had four hundred people and that was as big as it got in Lawrence Kansas. Now we are in Kansas City, it’s a lot bigger than Lawrence. We now have a bigger fan base to draw from, TV and two guys that have industry specific background to both wrestling and TV. We most defiantly are not doing this to fail, we feel as if we have all the tools in place to succeed.
Brian – Who should the fans expect to see at Metro Pro Wrestling local and nationally?
Chris – The first show fans will get to see ECW Original’s Tommy Dreamer and “the King of the Streets” Angel,
along with 3 time WWE Tag team Champion Trevor Murdoch. We want to bring in the establish star to bring in the casual fans that don’t follow the Indy’s. It’s always good to bring them in but we also will be showcasing some of the top talent in the Midwest. Joe knows the local talent as well as anyone.
Joe – Yes, I hate to go back to the past but what I set up to do with CSW was to bring up all the local talent from Kansas City, St Louis, Missouri, Iowa, or just so simply the best in Midwest under one roof, just as Ring Of Honor had done. We had a great run with Michael Strider and Mark Sterling.
2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year Mark Sterling (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
This isn’t going to be a CSW retread, certainly we will use some of the guys that I am comfortable with. Mark Sterling for instance is in my opinion one of the best wrestlers in country right now. The man lives and breathes pro Wrestling. Jeremy Wyatt I put him in that category as well.
I have known Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne) since day one and when his brother Mike Sydal told him he wanted to learn how to wrestle Matt told him to go see the guys (Strider and Sterling) in Kansas to learn.
The 2009 MWR Tag team of the Year the Hooligans will make their debut in Kansas City . ((Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
The Hooligans, who I have only seen on tape. Chris actually found them on your site and called me and said you need to check these guys out. I looked at a couple of matches of theirs on YouTube. They were awesome, they have that “it” factor. You can attest to that Brian, you have been around them a lot; I have only dealt with them via phone and e-mail. I called Sterling and Wyatt who I trust to get their thoughts on their work. They vouched that they were for real and that was good enough for me.
Angel and Domino Rivera were two guys I had teamed up at last few CSW shows I ran and had big plans for. Chris and I feel like they can make an impact.
The Mississippi Madman (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
The Mississippi Madman is someone that has a ton of charisma we believe that the fans will get behind.
The Ultra talented Jaysin Strife (Photo Credit Gary Giaffoglione)
Jaysin Strife, I have always been a big fan of as well. We are not a closed door company. If we see someone that we feel that the fans will enjoy and can help Metro Sports we will take a good look at them.
Nate Bash and Benjamin Sailer are a tag team that I am excited about being a part of the company. I feel as if we are really stacked in the tag division and have a heavy emphasize in tag teams.
Brian – Let me ask you Chris you have been with WWE who many feel have diminished tag teams in the past few years. Are you excited about tag teams as much as Joe?
Chris – Before we go any further let’s not forget we dragged Michael Strider out of retirement so fans will most defiantly have that to look forward to. That guy is willing to do anything. But he was done. When Joe first approached him about Metro Pro, Strider wasn’t going to do it. He was enjoying his life off the road. But we told him the game plan and it stoked that flame. As far as tag teams go your right it was a pretty dead deal down there. Granted there were some great teams during the Invasion with the Dudley’s, The Hardy’s Edge and Christina with some exciting matches with ladders. That seemed to be the last real run with teams other than just throwing two guys together. Anyone growing up in the 80’s remembers how big the tag teams were in the WWE and NWA. Myself I am a big fan of a team when they get together and hit their moves and work as a team, you just done see that in the Big two err one.
We didn’t set out to focus so strongly on tag teams but it just so happens that we are fortunate that we have talented guys who happen to team up. I believe that many fans on the Indy scene love tag team wrestling so I hope that it will be a big draw for us.
Brian – Chris, what kinda style should fans see at Metro Pro Wrestling? With the debut of Tommy Dreamer will be see old style ECW Wrestling or WWE/ECW? What style do you prefer?
Chris– My background is WWE and that’s the style I worked with, did I agree with everything no but no company is perfect. I know that WWE takes a lot of slack for what they do but a lot of that has to do with over saturation. With WWE TV storylines need to go so fast because of the amount of shows that need to be done. Sometimes it can take away from what you are doing.
Here at Metro will “Extreme” be the norm? No. Will there be guys that have that in their background and at times will that be sprinkled in sporadically. Yes. As a fan I was a big fan of ECW and still have fond memories of them. The problem is that the style trickled up towards the WWE and every match feature blood in the first match, people jumping off 40 foot ladders. Nothing could top it so it meant less.
What we hope to do with Metro Pro Wrestling on TV is character development. I am all for pure pro wrestling in the ring and we will have that but it’s not so much the storyline that matters as much as is it is for the fans to care for the wrestlers to make the storylines mean anything. I feel as if that is what is lacking in wrestling on TV. I am not going to say I know how to do it better than the next guy but I do know going into this that the wrestlers will have an opportunity to shine on TV. From the top to bottom they are going to be able get their name out to the casual fan.
Joe– Too put it in perspective I was once told by a very smart guy and I am sure he was told by another smart guy. Wrestling is like a three ring circus “You have to have your flyers, you have to have brawlers and you need have your freaks. You need to have something for everyone.” We have to do a little bit of everything for this to succeed. Our balance will be found with the traditional wrestling fan that just likes wrestling but our job is to make the show interesting.
You hear a lot of older fans say that back in my day it wasn’t such a soap opera. But the truth is, it really was. There have always been stories in wrestling. Storylines have just adapted over the years to fit the current world climate. The beautiful thing about early ECW was that you had 2 or 3 matches on their show and the rest was you had advertisements for their next one. During the show you may have had one hardcore match – Tommy Dreamer going hardcore with Raven all over the arena. Then Psychosis and Rey Mysterio flying all around the ring then you had Dean Melenko and Eddie Guerrero in a mat classic.
I would like to see Metro be a little bit like that. You have storylines mixed with wrestling and in the end you have entertainment because of that.
Brian– Any last words for the MWR Fans
Joe – I hope that people give us a shot, come on out and I feel as if their money will be well spent. Come support the guys as we have household names mixed in with some guys we feel will be able to get to the next level. I hope people come to what we hope will become a successful endeavor in the wrestling area. I would also like to thank Martin Thomas for letting us use the CSW Library. That was a really cool thing of him to do.
Be sure to catch Metro Pro Wrestling’s debut television taping on Saturday, June 5, 2010, inside Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Tickets available now at MetroWrestling.com, TicketMaster.com or by calling the Memorial Hall ticket office at (913) 549-4853.
This is the first in a series of features on championships in the MWR coverage area, where MWR looks at the history, importance, and the future of the wrestling belts that help shape the Midwest independent wrestling scene.
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) has been around since 1948, but the Missouri Heavyweight Championship has been around in some way, shape, or form since 1899. Records are spotty, but George Baptiste is in the books as the first Missouri Champion, winning in 1899. There are no details as to whom he defeated for the title or whom defeated him.
The next Missouri Champion doesn’t appear in the record books until 1921. Jake Reed defeated Lloyd Carter sometime that year, but again the records are so poor for that time period that no other information is known.
In 1933, some 12 years later, Fred Peterson entered the scene and began claiming that he was the Missouri Champion. He continued to make this claim until March of 1934, which happens to be around the same time that Billy Wolf is listed as champion. Records are unclear as to whom he defeated for the title, but Fred Peterson could be a good guess.
1937 brings more clarity to the title, as Lou Thesz defeated Warren Bockwinkel for the title on June 18th in Kansas City, MO. The clarity wouldn’t last long, however, as the title did a disappearing act until October 17, 1947 in St. Joseph, MO. Over ten years after Lou Thesz won the title, Ron Etchison defeated Sonny Myers for the title. There is no more information on how Thesz parted with the belt.
Less than a month later on November 7, 1947, Sonny Myers won a rematch with Etchison and became the Missouri State Champion. Before 1947 was over with, though, the title would be vacated and would remain that way until 1950.
As the National Wrestling Alliance began tying the smaller regional promotions together, the Missouri title was reestablished. Unfortunately, records are still in bad shape from 1950 to 1955. Tommy O’Toole defeated Sonny Myers in a tournament final on March 10, 1950, and from then until it was vacated in 1955 Bob Orton Sr. and Ron Etchison would win the title. Once again, there are no records as to whom either of them defeated.
The title stayed vacated from 1955 until 1972, when the title became a secondary singles championship for the NWA’s Central States Wrestling and St. Louis Wrestling Club. On September 16, 1972 in St. Louis, MO, the title gained legitimacy when Midwest wrestling legend Harley Race defeated Korean wrestling star Pak Song in a tournament final for the championship. In the years to come, Race would become the area’s most dominant champion and a true wrestling legend.
The title was held up after the ending of a Harley Race and Johnny Valentine match on December 16, 1972 in St. Louis, MO. A rematch was scheduled a month later, and on January 19, 1973, Valentine defeated Race for the title. The remainder of 1973 saw Terry Funk, Gene Kiniski, and Harley Race with the title.
St. Louis, MO continued to be the location for each and every Missouri Heavyweight Championship title change through February 1986 when Jim Crockett and Jim Crockett Promotions bought the St. Louis Wrestling Club. Later in the year Crockett also purchased Central States Wrestling as the NWA attempted to compete with Vince McMahon Jr. and his World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Fittingly, the last Missouri Heavyweight Champion of that era was Harley Race. He won the title by defeating Jerry Blackwell on August 2, 1985. From Harley Race’s 1973 reign (his second) to his final reign in 1985, he would hold the title four other times. This left him with a total of seven reigns as Missouri Champ and made him the wrestler with the most reigns as champion. Others that held the title in this time period include Dory Funk Jr., Jack Brisco, Dick Slater, Ted DiBiase Sr., Dick Murdoch, Dick the Bruiser, Kevin Von Erich, Ken Patera, Kerry Von Erich, David Von Erich, and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
The list of Missouri Heavyweight Champions reads like a who’s who of NWA wrestlers of the era, but a new era began in 2002. Gary Jackson entered the record books as the first Missouri Heavyweight Champ of the new era by defeating Steve Stone in St. Robert, MO on July 27, 2002. The title’s tumultuous nature returned, but unlike the early 20th Century, records were kept in good standing.
Jackson was stripped of the title on June 3, 2003 due to his inability to frequently defend it, and Shane Somers stepped into the forefront as perennial Missouri Heavyweight Champion. He would win the title a total of three times in less than a year, winning it twice in one night (June 17, 2003) after Missouri State Athletic Commissioner Karl Lauer stripped him of the belt for using an illegal chokehold. He won the belt again later that night by pinning John Epperson in a tag match.
The Missouri Heavyweight Championship has changed hands in a state other than Missouri twice in its entire history, once in 2003 and once in 2005. On October 10, 2003, Ricky Murdock defeated Shane Somers in Parkersburg, WV at the NWA 55th Anniversary Show. The title was vacated a year later and then on December 7, 2005 in Lawrence, KS, Abyss defeated Tyler Cook for it.
A year later, the title was vacated once again. After a less than respectable run, the Missouri Heavyweight Championship gained a savior who goes by the name “Dingo”. Dingo won the title on January 19, 2007 in St. Joseph, MO by defeating Kraig Keesaman, Mark Sterling, and Jeremy Wyatt in a four-way scramble. As of this writing Dingo is still the champion, having held the title for over a year and a half. He’s defeated some of the top wrestlers in the Midwest, including Jeremy Wyatt, Mark Sterling, and Michael Strider. Under the NWA CSW: Missouri banner, Dingo is doing his part to bring the title back to the Harley Race standard of the 70s and 80s.
Only time will tell what the future holds for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship. If the current champion and the promotion sanctioning the matches are any indication, the title will have a bright future. The title is only as strong as the promotion, champion, and his challengers, though, so here’s to a competitive future for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship!
For a complete listing of NWA Missouri Heavyweight Champions, go to the Wikipedia Page at:
No more disclaimers. No more excuses. It’s just me, “Smart” Mark Anthony with another edition of “Mark This Down”. Today, I’ll try to be a little less controversial. I won’t talk about anything that will get anybody severely riled up. I won’t entertain thoughts of talking backstage politics or the he said, she said stuff that can sometimes become a staple of the professional wrestling landscape. We all know that my people are going to call wrestlers underrated, overrated, or average. Wrestlers and promotions are going to call fans “marks” in a negative way and still beg them to buy merchandise and tickets to events. It’s all just a vicious cycle, but I digress.
This time around I’m taking another step to the foreground of Missouri Wrestling Revival. I’ll be going over the twenty guys that at this stage in the game I feel should be listed in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s PWI 500. That elite list of professional wrestlers from around the world has lost a little of it’s prestige in this day and age due to my people, the Internet Wrestling Community, but while some of my people will say that it’s obsolete, I hearby decree it to be THE list of professional wrestlers.
The PWI 500 dates back to the days when I was a wide eyed boy looking at professional wrestling as a legitimate sport. It was a great way for me to see how wrestlers I was more familiar with rated with others from around the world. Since the late 90s, the list has decreased in popularity due to the decline of pro wrestling magazines (in favor of… GASP! the Internet), but it still has a prominent place in a true wrestling fan’s heart.
I understand that I am getting a little on the ranty side, so let’s just look at my list.
20. Curtis Payne (Full Throttle Wrestling) – The new FTW champion won the belt in very dramatic fashion, proving that he belongs on this list.
19. Brett Young (Central States Wrestling) – Young is one of the best talents out there and while he doesn’t have the most impressive win-loss record, he has really turned it on in 2008 with valuable victories on the way to winning the NWA Kansas Title.
18. Shorty Biggs (Lethal Wrestling Alliance) – A crowd favorite, Shorty held the LWA Heavyweight Championship for months before losing it to “The Future” Donovan Ruddick in April.
17. Edmund “Livewire” McGuire (All American Pro Wrestling) – He’s currently at a point in his career where a lot of title shots for multiple titles could all come at once. A great guy with a very good win-loss record over the past year.
16. Gage Octane (3XWrestling) – The 3XW Champ is one of the best working in Iowa, hands down.
15. Mississippi Madman (Scott County Wrestling) – Come on, it’s the friggin Mississippi Madman!
14. Mark Sterling (3XWrestling) – 3XW’s Pure Wrestling Champion is also one half of the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag Team Champions. I don’t think there are too many in the Midwest that are better workers than this man.
13. Adam Raw (Lethal Wrestling Alliance) – Has it all, except for the LWA Heavyweight Title. Could a showdown with Donovan Ruddick catapult him to the top of this list next year? I say yes… and I know all.
12. Shane Hollister (Scott County Wrestling) – Few are having a better 2008 than Shane Hollister. He just recently beat Tyler Black for the SCW Heavyweight Championship.
11. “Serial Thriller” Shane Rich (All American Pro Wrestling) – AAPW’s Heavyweight Champ is always solid in the ring. He hasn’t had a bad match in 2008.
10. “The Future” Donovan Ruddick (Lethal Wrestling Alliance) – This is the guy everybody is talking about. He’s big, he has a huge upside, and he just grabbed the LWA Heavyweight Title away from Shorty Biggs.
9. Eric Ruffington (New Midwest Wrestling) – I’ve seen plenty about this guy through this site. The guy is entertaining and frequently has gold around his waist. He deserved to be in the PWI 500.
8. Jeremy Wyatt (Central States Wrestling) – One of the best in the Midwest, and he’s just as active in other places like LWA and PWP. The guy is tough and talented. That’s an excellent combination.
7. Keith Walker (AAW: Pro Wrestling Redefined) – The big guy had a lot of momentum but recently lost a lot of it when he left WLW. We’ll see what kind of impact he has in AAW and SCW.
6. Dangerous Derek (World League Wrestling) – The new World League Wrestling Heavyweight Champion had his stock rise significantly by defeating Chris Masters.
5. Dingo (Central States Wrestling: Missouri) – Can I get Dingo on TV? Like, seriously. This guy is that good, and NWA Missouri Champion to boot.
4. Jerry Lynn (AAW: Pro Wrestling Redefined) – He’ll be in the PWI 500 no matter what I say, but he still belongs on this list as the AAW Heavyweight Champ.
3. Michael Strider (Central States Wrestling) – I wish there was more Michael Strider to go around. I don’t think I’ve personally seen him wrestle for months now.
2. Tyler Black (Scott County Wrestling) – Ring of Honor has really helped raise the profile of this former SCW Heavyweight Champ.
1. Chris Masters (World League Wrestling) – Just recently losing the WLW Heavyweight Title doesn’t diminish his WWE experience for the majority of the year. I imagine he’ll rank highly, and should. He’s had some great matches in WLW.
That’s all I have for this edition of Mark This Down. Until next time, my people.
Missouri Wrestling Revival and this update are brought to you by:
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Missouri Wrestling Revival Spotlight:
Shorty Biggs
By “Your Trip to Space Mountain” writer Brian “Flair” Kelley
Nickname: The Don Mega
Height/weight: Height? C’mon man what’s my name? As for weight, about two bills and some change.
Entrance Music: “Ante Up” by M.O.P.
Experience: 6 years plus tax.
Promotions: Central States Wrestling (CSW) and Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) are primarily my promotions right now. There are other promotions I work for from time to time.
Biggest Match: They are all BIGG (pun intended) to me, but if you are looking for specifics, I’d say Human Tornado, Dingo, Michael Strider, and Kory Twist were big matches for me.
Signature Move: Short Stop, Short Kut, and the Def Jam.
It is nice to have Shorty Biggs, current LWA Heavyweight Champion with us today. It’s good to be here. Thanks for having me.
Who or what would you say inspired you to get into the wrestling business?
Like most pro wrestlers, I started out as a fan. My great grandmother was in her living room one day yelling at TV. I rushed in to see what was going on, and I saw the Four Horsemen trying to jump Sting. From there, it was on like Donkey Kong.
One day years and years later this kat I knew told me that he was a pro wrestler and that I should come and check out one of the local shows he was on. It took me about six months to do so, but I finally made it out to a show. By the end of the show I decided that this was something I wanted to get in on, so I went down to the training center. When I went down there, it wasn’t to learn how to wrestle. I was going down there to learn how manage. That’ right, Shorty was supposed to be a manager.
Well, I got in the ring with some jeans and a pair of Timberlands on and I ran some drills. The next time I went to the training center, a guy who was in charge of the talent told me that they didn’t want me to manage. I thought, “damn! I pissed somebody off already!” The guy told me that they wanted me to wrestle. I guess they liked the way I ran the drills. Three months later, I had my first match against a guy named Ricky Recuse.
Damn that was pretty long winded, my bad.
Where did you receive your training from?
If I started naming off every person who helped out in my training then this interview would have to be separated into chapters, so I’ll just say I have received training from every wrestler I have stepped in the squared circle with. I have learned something from them all, and as long as I keep wrestling I will keep learning. So BIGG ups to everyone who
has ever stepped in to the ring with me.
What other promotions have you worked for other than Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW), LWA and CSW?
I have worked for many promotions throughout the Midwest, and I look forward to working all over the US and maybe one day in another country. If I get into the names of all the promotions, it would be like spilling a bowl of alphabet soup on the floor.
On December 8, 2007 at Yuletide Terror on in House Springs you defeated Pierre Abernathy, a man some have said was hiding from you, for the LWA Heavyweight Championship. How would you describe the feeling you had when the refs hand fell the third time and you were champion.
It was a mixture of feelings. I was excited, happy, thrilled, tired, beat up, half blinded, and relieved. A lot of people didn’t think that I could pull it off, but when it was all said and done the Don’s hand was raised. It was like being at a concert and the artist you came to see played your favorite song. You just get amped, go crazy and lose your mind.
You later defended the belt at LWA’S Proving Ground. It was a flashback to 1985 and St. Louis versus Kansas City, as you took on Kansas City’s own Jeremy “The Rebel” Wyatt in a match. At times it looked like the belt would go to Kansas City, but you were able to get the win and fortunately make the LWA fans happy. Shortly thereafter, you wrestled “The Rebel” again in NWA Central States Wrestling Missouri and were on the short end of that match. What are your thoughts on Wyatt?
Let me tell you something about “The Rebel”. There ain’t no half-steppin’ in that dudes game. I have had great matches with him. It’s something about those Kansas City kats. They bring it, and I would have it no other way. Wyatt is a true talent and I can’t wait mix it up with “The Rebel” again. I don’t know about barbed wire matches or anything like that since I like my face too much, but anytime Wyatt wants to throw hands, I’m down.
You have been a fighting Champion. You have defended the belt against former St Louis Wrestler of the Year Dingo, who is lighting-quick, but once again you came out on top. Your success against Dingo gave you no breathing room, though, as now you have the “69 Monster” Donovan Ruddick targeting you. Many claim him to be the future of the St. Louis wrestling scene, so what will be your strategy as you prepare to face him?
I would be spittin’ fibs if I said I ain’t think twice about Ruddick. I mean, that’s a big dude. I have fought big men before and I ain’t no little dude myself. The thing that gets me is that he has jumped me like two or three times, but it’s always when my back is turned. Now I’m not trying to say the man is scared, but maybe the guy is thinking twice about me, too. To bottom line it: There are no such things as monsters, and Shorty Biggs it the illest and realest kat that you’re ever gonna meet. Ruddick, watch your step kid because I don’t care if you are 6’9″, 7’12″ or 8’14″, when we get in the ring face to face I’m giving out dirt naps, so get your PJs ready.
Out of everybody you have wrestled and all of the matches you have had, which would you say has been your toughest bout?
I’ve had some pretty tough ones. None of them have been easy. If I have to pick… well, there was a tables match with Strider that was no picnic. I’ve been kicked in the face by Kevin X. Also, it seems that every match I have with Dingo doesn’t go long, but I’m always beat up the most in them.
LWA has brought in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) stars like Alex Shelly, Samoa Joe and Chris Sabin, along with Ring of Honor star Davey Richards. Next up is AJ Styles on May 24th in St. Charles, MO. Who would you like to face if the powers to be were to bring in a current TNA or ROH star?
Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but every time LWA brings in aTNA or ROH star, Alex Shelly excluded, I seem to miss that show. I call it the curse of the Biggbino, and yes I will be missing the show that AJ Styles will be at. That, my dude, sucks. To be honest with you, it would be an honor to wrestle any of the names you mentioned.
One show that I am totally excited about is when CSW returns to Cape Girardeau, MO. It will be at the 2008 Comicon, which will be a good way for us comic geeks to get our fix of both wrestling and comics. Headlining the event will be NWA World Women’s Champion and TNA Women’s Champion Awesome Kong vs. NWA Midwest Women’s Champion MsChif. These ladies are two of the most talented women in the wrestling world today, and they will be on the CSW card along with ROH star Davey Richards, CSW stars Michael Strider, Tyler Cook, Dingo, and Jeremy Wyatt. Any idea at this point as to who you will be going up against?
Man, I am just excited about the whole event. I love going down to Cape Town. They show me a lot of love when I’m down there. I’m also thrilled to be a part of such an epic event for CSW. I think it’s cool that we get to have pro wrestling and the comicon under the same roof. I think wrestling fans and comic fans are both cut from the same thread. I mean, I like super heroes.
The main event alone is worth the price of admission. Kong, MsChif, Richards, Dingo, Strider and the rest of the CSW roster… what more could you ask for? It’s going to be a show that is talked about for sometime.
I don’t know who I’m going up against, but whoever it is had better be ready. This event is major, and I’m going to get my shine on.
Independent wrestler Johnny Vinyl once stated that you are “the most charismatic performer in St. Louis”, and one can easily make that argument. Truly, some of your talent and charisma comes naturally, but what would be your advice for someone coming into the business.
Did Vinyl put on some chap stick before he started kissing the junk in this trunk? (Shorty points to his backside and laughs)
I’m just playing. Thanks for the compliment JV. For real, when I’m out there in the ring I’m just being me. Just be yourself. You also have to know your limits. Not everybody is cut out for this business. Make sure your family and education come first, because when it’s all said and done that’s all you got. Your family was there before wrestling and you better make sure they will still be there after wrestling. Everybody knows that you should have some form of education, so there is no reason for me to even get into that. If any of you young ones out there don’t know about that, then hit me up on Myspace and we’ll talk about the reasons why.
Jeremy Wyatt was able to make his matches with you seem as if it was all about Kansas City versus St. Louis, but I know that you are popular with the Kansas crowd as well as St. Louis. Where else should we plan on seeing the Don wrestle this summer?
I would love to come back out to Kansas. There are true wrestling fans out there and ain’t nothing better than that. Just keep checking my Myspace page. I should have all the dates up there.
Last but not least do you have anything to say for all the Shorty fans out there?
I want to thank all the little shortys out there. Show some love for Shorty. There is nothing better than to go out and entertain you all. It’s the reason I’m in this business.
Thank you Bri Bri for taking the time to rap with the Don Mega and giving the peeps a chance to get know me.
I want give a shout to some of my peeps: G-ma, G-pa, BK, Diddy, Brubaker, Glenda Anne, The Click, Mr.Smith, EJ, CY, BBB, Detective Mesh, The CSW East and West, The Gateway Fam, The LWA Posse, The Fam Fam. You know who your are, and if you have to ask then don’t bother. Every single person in this business, whether you are in front of the crowd or behind the scenes. Anyone and everyone who has supported me.
If you have done anything to support the progress of this business that I love, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
You can check out Shorty at http://www.cswwrestling.com and http://www.lwawrestling.com.
On April 19, 2008, LWA will be in Fairview Heights, IL. Shorty Biggs defends his LWA Heavyweight Championship against “69 Monster” Donovan Ruddick. Check it out!
Missouri Wrestling Revival 