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Posts Tagged ‘Chris Sabin’

Rebel Devil Events/ Ring of Honor after party 7-23-10

Posted by flairwhoooooo on July 28, 2010

Missouri Wrestling Revival was on hand to check out Ring of Honor this past weekend in Collinsville Illinois.

Some of the top talent in the sport today thrilled the fans with fact paced and breath taking matches.

The Midwest was strongly represented as the 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year Mark Sterling, Mike Sydal, Ace Hawkins, Brandon Espinosa  and Jordan McEntyre was in action along with Midwest ROH Superstars the ROH Champion Tyler Black, Delirious, Daizee Haze and Davey Richards.

During the intermission Michael Gordon invited all the fans to join him and Rebel Devil Events to the ROH after party (the same one that you had seen advertised on this very site) that would be happing at the bar Hurricanes right down the road.

For a measly five dollars fans not only got to hang with their favorite stars but the party was hosted by Delirious with Comedy set by “Classic” Colt Cabana!

The first person we saw was Rebel Devil’s J. Guy who let us know that we were in for a great night. Boy was he not lying. MWR’S Dubray Tallman started the night off drinking shots with the former women’s World Champion Amazing Kong and that would just be one small example of memories that will last a lifetime for the fans at Hurricanes on that evening.

MWR would like to thank Michael Gordon, J.Guy, the Rebel Devil Events crew and Ring of Honor for having us be a part of this exciting evening. Big props to all the ROH wrestlers who had worked hard during the show and then take time to get to the know the fans that support them.

I hope you enjoy the photo recap of Rebel Devil Events/Ring of Honor’s after party.

St Louis’s MsChif, Keith Smith, Daizee Haze, Delirious and Keith Smith JR

Louie and Colt Cabana have some fun with each other prior to the after party

Bottoms up!! Amazing Kong and Dubray Tallman

Lisa Chapman with Roderick Strong

Roger from Warrington Missouri took the drive to enjoy Ring of Honor and hangs with Christian Able..

Lisa Chapman and Raschee Brown

Keith Smith was one of many who jumped at the chance to get his pic taken with Amazing Kong

wrestling expert Chuck Maddox with Dubray Tallman

Louie and Rodrick Strong

Lisa Chapman was all smiles with ROH Superstar Austin Aries.

Mike Herold and Amazing Kong

ROH TV Champ Eddie Edwards and Dubray Tallman

Lisa Chapman looks to take out the Necro Butcher but watch out Lisa !!

Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Dre and ROH TV Champ Eddie Edwards.

Has MWR ‘S Dubray Talman join Erick Stevens in the Embassy?

One of the hardest wrestlers to get your picture with in the Midwest is Mark Sterling (if you don’t believe me ask chuck) Chuck Maddox jumped to get his picture taken with the MWR Wrestler of the Year. Sterling who is normally all business was in good sprits after debuting in Ring of Honor just hours before.

Rodrick Strong and Jonathan Jones

Sorry Keith but i thought it looked good, Yes ST Louis fans that is the one and only Keith Smith

Grizzly Redwood

Why is Barbie all smiles after spending time with Christian Able and Truth Martini , Has she learned something from the House of Truth?

Louie called Aries out for copying my hair style, so he sat down and cut a 10 minute promo on me. It was hilarious and tragic

Daizee Haze, Jonathan Jones and Delirious

Necro Butcher leads the ROH bands version of Devil went down to Georgia

Dubi and Daizee Haze,

NWA Central States Champion Mark Sterling, Jonathan Jones and NWA World Champion Adam Pearce. Could talks of a match between these two Champions be in the works? Jonathan why didn’t you ask ?

Always the bad guy, 2 –time ROH Champ Austin Aries and Dubray Tallman with a MWR Top Draw from Dartallion Allen JR

ROH proved once again that in today’s economy the best bang for your dollar is fan friendly pro wrestling. Check out a wrestling show near you and do not forget to add the Ring of Honor Website to your favorites.

If you missed the Rebel Devil Events  TNA’S  Lockdown after party with TNA Stars Ken Anderson, James Storm, Brian Kendrick  and Chris Sabin click here.

Keep checking Missouri Wrestling Revival for updates on future After parties for WWE, TNA and ROH

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MWR Spotlight: Eric Allen The Peorian Pride Champion”?

Posted by flairwhoooooo on April 20, 2009

eric-allen

 

By Brian “Flair” Kelley

 

Eric Allen “The Peorian Pride Champion”?  If you are a fan of wrestling and did not know that such a title existed then you are not alone. Just by chance I was in Wood River Illinois to check out MECW for MWR when this brash cocky Eric Allen was introduced to the crowd as the Peorian Pride Champion (much to my surprise) in his match with Brian Scrilla.  I consider myself knowledgeable of the independent scene in this area but this was the first that I had heard of such a title.

 

With the camera in hand I watched as Allen used every trick in the book to keep his coveted title belt. Scrilla was the victim of foul play when “Exxxplicit Content” member Ryan Slade’s valet Jenna Stark distracted the referee, to allow Slade to use the belt on Scrilla’s knee to preserve the victory and retain the title.

 

I was able to catch up with Allen after the match to ask him “Where did you win this belt?” His reply to me was that he had won the belt in Peoria Illinois. Allen stated “Peoria is famous for the fact that for something to succeed it must work in Peoria. If it works in Peoria then it will work anywhere. The Pro Wrestling legends organization got together and decided to bring all the top stars in Illinois and several superstars of the WWE, TNA and ROH. We competed in an underground tournament of 64 to determined Champion to finally get to the truth too who the best wrestler in the world really was” When I plainly asked who the superstars were that was in the tournament Allen was quick to say “I have no time for 20 questions, I have to get back to Peoria, they are having a parade to commemorate my victory tonight.”

 

 While I was on the three hour trip back from MECW and wrestling was hot on my mind. I could not wait to do the research and find out more about this Championship and more importantly why MWR was not invited? 

 

On Monday evening I decided to see how Allen’s parade went. I went on the trusty websites and did a search for parade in Peoria March 21….nothing. I thought maybe it was listed on March 22 beings that it was so late….nothing. Hmmm… I did a thorough search on the Peoria’s newspaper websites and still came up with zilch.  Who knows maybe it was “underground”!

 

I decided to contact some of the MWR Wrestling advisers. One correspondent that wished to remain anonymous enlightened me with some great information.

 

 I was told that Eric Allen “started out in Gateway Championship Wrestling in St Louis under the tutelage of Dingo for 5 months. During the later stages of the company Ego Express (KC Karrington and Steven Kennedy) , Shorty Biggs, Sean Vincent and Cameron Cage took over the training. Allen quickly felt that he had trained with the best, so that proved that he was superior to the rest of the locker room and he had yet to have a match.

 

The correspondent went on to tell me that “His (Eric Allen) ego escalated even further when his hand was raised in Overland Park when he defeated Trent Stone. In Eric’s mind he was a World Champion in the making.  Then by surprise GCW went under and he was left without a home promotion. When you saw Eric all he ever talked about was how he could have been the greatest Gateway Championship Champion of all time. Time went on and he never really seemed to be focused.”

 

Then he got the call from Lethal Wrestling Alliance to wrestle young Brandon Aarons  when the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) came to town. He told anyone that would listen, take notice because the MCMG may take him back with them to TNA after he schooled “This punk kid”.

 

Aarons was able to get the win and really seemed to get in the head of Allen. Later that same month Allen got another chance to show the LWA what he was made of defeating “Just” Rick Stone.  After the match was over Allen spent the rest of the night lobbing LWA Management for another chance at Brandon Aaron claiming that their first match was fluke.  Allen received his wish and when LWA returned to St Charles the next month the two went at it again it was a repeat of their first encounter.

 

Allen just disappeared for almost a year and hit rock bottom when he was defeated by Steven Miller. Eric Allen who envisioned himself as the next World Champion was furious and humiliated when an LWA fan started a thread asking “Who the F is Eric Allen?”  One fan thought is was a ref, another one replied he is good a drawing pictures, and one Superfan demanded that he got to see pictures of this Eric Allen still in disbelief that he existed.

 

High Voltage Wrestling certainly knows who Eric Allen is. They got to see first hand the talent first hand on March 14th where he was very impressive in his domination of Max Archer. After the match was over he was seen lobbying HVW booker Frank Thurman for a HVW title shot with comments like “Let me put HVW on the wrestling map, HVW is young and fresh looking to strive to become the best in the Midwest and I can bring the promotion to the next level.

 

My correspondent went on to say “The last I caught up with Eric Allen he had told me how he had won this Peorian Pride Championship.” (I had not told my contact where and how Allen had told me he won it)  Allen said that he was headlined in a huge secret  fundraising wrestling event for the Republican Party at the Peoria Civic Center to determined the very first Peorian Pride Champion. He would not say who he fought but hinted that it was a former WWE Superstar who happens to be in the UFC right now. Any fool would know that he was wanting me to think that it was Brock Lesner but when I humored him and asked was it Lesner he replied “ I would love to tell you but you know the government, everything is a secret.”

 

 He ended it with “The man is talented, there is no doubt about it. The problem is his lack of friends due to his ego.” The man is shady and I wouldn’t turn my back on him if I was one of his friends.

 

 Word got back to Allen that I was inquiring information about his title and history and he contacted me via e-mail.  It was short and sweet, “Mr. Kelley make your way to Woodriver Illinois on April 25 at MECW to see the future of the sport and if you’re lucky I will give you the time to know more about the most dominate champion of the Midwest, Eric Allen “The Peorian Pride Champion”.  Tell my fans that I am blessing them with my appearance at High Voltage Wrestling in May when they return to Granite City, IL on May 9th.”

 

It looks as if I will have to wait a little longer to find out the truth of Eric Allen. Join MWR at Woodriver Illinois on April 25 as we try to get to the truth of the Peorian Pride Championship. Till then  for more information on this show please go to MECWrestling.com

 

 

To book Eric Allen please contact him via his myspace page by clicking here Peorian Pride Champion

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Brandon Aarons beautifies B.A.B.E.WATCH

Posted by reimaginejournalism on March 30, 2009

By Kari Williams

As “Irresistably Flawless” Brandon Aarons saunters to the ring, “Girls go crazy!” becomes his battlecry. With each flamboyant step, he anticipates cries of excitement from the girls in attendance. He foresees them fawning over his Greek god-like physique, hoping he does so much as cast a glance in their direction. The moment he steps through the ropes and flaunts his athletic prowess he lets his personality flourish. When Aarons secures victory, he delivers See You Next Tuesday, a fireman’s carry into a modified lung blower, and covers his opponent for the three count.

Brandon Aarons shows why he is irresistably flawless prior to his match against Mark Sterling on Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Kari Williams

Brandon Aarons shows why he is 'irresistably flawless' prior to his match against Mark Sterling on Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Kari Williams

The Newport Beach, CA native began his career three years ago with Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW) and has since trained with Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) and Dynamo Training Gym, where he currently resides under the tutelage of Dingo. Noticing he needed something extra to stand out, Aarons established a serious training program in which he goes to the gym five days a week.

“[Other wrestlers] go to the gym all the time [and] get buff. Me? I was a little, skinny kid. Plus, I wanted to get the girls. So, I figure, I can go out somewhere, and I see all the girls looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Alright, this is cool.’ And then I see all the old guys looking at me, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I must be really good if the old dudes are checking me out too’,” Aarons said.

Once his desire to work at a more rigorous pace developed, Aarons had the opportunity to wrestle on the National Wrestling Alliance—Central States Wrestling (NWA-CSW, now Dynamo Pro) television taping in April 2008 against Adam Rich and Tony Brock in a three-way for the first Young Dynamo Cup. Boosting his credibility is the fact that he has worked on cards featuring stars such as Al Snow, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.

“I wrestled in front of almost 300 people up in NWA Dynamo in Kansas and then Espy [and I] wrestled as B.A.B.E.WATCH [with] IWA Productions…in January. [In the next year, I want to] wrestle in front of more people, get my name out there, get more publicity, do as much as I can to let people know that Brandon Aarons is the next breakout star in the midwest,” Aarons said.

Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa formed B.A.B.E.WATCH in May 2008 and currently have their sights set on gold. Photo by Kari Williams

Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa formed B.A.B.E.WATCH in May 2008 and currently have their sights set on gold.

Aarons joined forces with “Thee” Brandon Espinosa in May 2008 when their tag team, B.A.B.E.WATCH, debuted in LWA. The duo has wrestled for LWA, New Midwest Wrestling and High Voltage Wrestling (HVW), among other companies. The skill set they possess, and the attention they receive, allows them to stand out, despite Aarons keeping their key moves secret.

“[Espinosa has] his Mexican flying burrito skills, and I [have] my ridiculously good looking things that I do, which is everything. Plus, Espy and I get fan mail. Granted 99 percent of females that attend wrestling shows are complete trash, and I would never converse with them in my entire life—not even through a mutual friend…But B.A.B.E.WATCH…stands for ‘Girls, girls, girls want our bodies, but they cannot touch us so we wrestle ugly dudes and beat them unless they cheat. You know, like the Ego [Express] did on Jan. 24, the day after my birthday,” Aarons said.

Espinosa utitilizes the time spent together to develop their proficiency and skillfulness in the ring.

“As singles competitors, we are able to show one another what is great about each other, which helps us create our tag team aurora. Strategies are pretty much the same [though]. [We] use each other to the other ones advantage,” Espinosa said.

Having a love for the sport since he was 11 years old, Aarons understands his expectations and responsibilites as a wrestler but while balancing a full time college schedule knows he is limited.

Photo Courtesty of Brandon Aarons

Photo Courtesty of Brandon Aarons

Due to his hardwork and dedication, Aarons, along with others such as Mike Sydal, was named as one of the next wave of breakout stars on Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) Owner Josh Ray’s, “2008 Year End Awards and Reflective Celebration” post. Aarons feels that he deserves the credit bestowed upon him.

“I don’t blame [MWR] at all [for selecting me] because if I’m going to train this hard, I better be getting something out of it. But guys like Mike [Sydal], he’s pretty talented. I mean, he’s probably almost just as good as me. Almost. You know, he’s got charisma; he’s got skill. Something I think that I possess as well because I’m irresistably flawless,” Aarons said.

Brandon has battled some of the best the Midwest has to offer, here he punishes Mark Sterling at LWA ( Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)

Brandon has battled some of the best the Midwest has to offer, here he punishes Mark Sterling at LWA ( Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)

Wrestling for approximately two years, Sydal became an interim member of B.A.B.E.WATCH in Dec. 2008 and appreciates the recognition bestowed upon himself and Aarons.

“It was nice to read that, honestly, because it means people are noticing our hard work. I know both of us can live up to those expectations. We both work hard in and out of the ring, always training in the ring and in the gym,” Sydal said.

Aarons feels secure with his work ethic and plans to prove Ray correct in the coming months. The irresistably flawless one competed in a number one contender’s match for the Heavweight Title against “Future” Donovan Ruddick, J.C. Bravo and Dorian Victor on March 6 for LWA to attest to that fact. In the same month, he wrestled in HVW against Kahagas, who ranked at 373 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s PWI 500 for 2008.

At HVW on March 14, Brandon Aarons accompanies Brandon Espinosa to the ring for Espinosas Livewire Championship match against Gary Jay. Photo by Kari Williams

At HVW on March 14, Brandon Aarons accompanies Brandon Espinosa to the ring for Espinosa's Livewire Championship match against Gary Jay. Photo by Kari Williams

“I can guarantee that I can get a reaction out of anybody no matter what I do, whether I’m shaking hands or pulling down my tights to expose my rock hard abs. I [have] skill, I [have] talent, I [have] charisma. My pecs are good. My triceps are good. My biceps are good. I’ve got rock solid thighs, I’ve got great hair. Those guys on that list, some of them might have some of it, some of them may have none of it, but I have all of it,” Aarons said.

The flamboyant Sydal has grown to know Aarons and thinks highly of his some-time partner.

“Brandon Aarons is a young, hungry, up-and-comer with a great body—a nice hard, tight, young body. He is a skilled wrestler with a chiseled and hard, tan look with a young face. [He has a] great boyish face with a toned physique that captivates you so you can’t look away,” Sydal said.

Aarons can back up such statements because he has girls “sending [him] e-mails [and] messaging [him] on MySpace.” Despite his claims, many fans harass Aarons with accusations of being homosexual, which he firmly denies.

B.A.B.E.WATCH plans to broaden their horizons within the next year. ‘We hope to wrestle as much as we can, capture as much gold–because it looks so good around our waists–and spread the word and looks of B.A.B.E.WATCH,’ Espinosa said. Photo by Brian “Flair” Kelley

B.A.B.E.WATCH plans to broaden their horizons within the next year. ‘We hope to wrestle as much as we can, capture as much gold–because it looks so good around our waists–and spread the word and looks of B.A.B.E.WATCH,’ Espinosa said. Photo by Brian “Flair” Kelley

“We look good. We wear professional-looking gear. I look professional. Espy looks professional. Mike definitely looks professional. His brother is Evan Bourne from WWE. You can’t get more professional than that…What’s gay about us? We don’t do anything gay. We wrestle. That’s what we do. We wrestle. We perform. We get out there. Take names. Kick ass …So, definitely not gay. Not gay at all,” Aarons said.

After working with Sydal semi-regularly for three months, Aarons has no problem with Sydal’s addition to B.A.B.E.WATCH.

“Us good looking guys, we have to stay together because in the wrestling business. It’s hard to find good looking guys, just as hard as it is to find good looking girls…The three of us together has been awesome. B.A.B.E.WATCH as a whole is obviously, Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa, but what do we want? We want babes. What does that ‘S’ stand for? Sydal. He’s the missing link, so if he wants in, he’s in,” Aarons said.

Regardless of the fans’ perception of the irresistably flawless one, he and Espinosa hope to excel as a team, with Espinosa stating that they are on a quest for gold. Before the dashing duet proves themselves in tag team title matches, Aarons must first contend with his opponent at LWA’s next show on April 4 in O’ Fallon, IL. For booking information, contact Aarons through brandonaarons@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/thegenerickid.

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MWR Spotlight: Shane Hollister

Posted by Admin on July 11, 2008

A Closer Look at Shane Hollister

by Andrew Scott

[Shane Hollister captured in a photo as he enters the cage. Photo by soon-to-be-profiled photographer, Wayne McCarty.]

Growing up in Davenport, Iowa, Shane Hollister always wanted to be a professional wrestler. He was five years old when he and his dad watched wrestling on TV, his favorite wrestler being Shawn Michaels. From then on he was hooked. Friends and family always knew that he wanted to be a wrestler, but it wasn’t until the age of thirteen that he personally realized it. These same friends and family hoped he would eventually grow out of the obsession to wrestle.

His chance finally came and his dream started becoming a reality when he was in his last year of high school. Shane was in the eleventh grade with Danny Daniels and had a few friends that were in a pro wrestling school in Chicago, Illinois. In his senior year, Shane finally started training to be a pro wrestler. He originally hadn;t planned on training until after he graduated, but since his trainer started traveling to Davenport it made it a lot easier to train and do schoolwork.

After lots of hard work and grueling training, Shane was finally able to live his dream and have the first match of his young wrestling career. I asked Shane to describe his first match and how it affected him.

He replied, “Wow, my first match was very bad. I had the worst set of butterflies I have ever had in my life, but I was in there with very good wrestlers who I learned alot from. They say in this business you continue to learn until you don’t want to learn anymore. I would say you learn something new everytime you step through those ropes.“

So far Shane has been pretty lucky on the injury side of wrestling and hasn’t had any major injuries. Getting his two front teeth shoved up to the roof of his mouth and a having his nose broken are his two battle scars.

“Getting hurt and just going to get it fixed up is all just part of the job,” he said.

I asked Shane if at anytime he felt like he ever wanted to quit wrestling and he told me with a very confident answer, “No, I haven’t ever felt like leaving this business for one second. I love it so much.”

Shane has been in many matches so far, but his most memorable match in his own eyes was a tag match with Bryce Benjamin against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, the Murder City Machine Guns (known in Total Nonstop Action as the Motor City Machine Guns). Speaking of Alex Shelley, Shane’s dream match is to have a singles match with him. If any promotions need a great main event then book this match. I know I would pay to see it.

Shane’s ultimate goal is the same as almost any pro wrestler, and that is to be on the biggest stage in pro wrestling, the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

Shane has won a few championship belts along the way. He is the Scott County Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and is also currently the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Iowa State Champion. He was also just crowned one half of the AAW Tag Team Champions. He has been a part of Scott County Wrestling, All American Wrestling, Ultimate Wrestling Alliance, 3XWrestling, F1rst Wrestling, Heartland Wrestling Association, and Luchacore, among numerous others.

While on the road traveling from promotion to promotion, wrestlers get pretty bored in cars. Shane told me that when he travels, he has to find fun things to do to keep entertained. One thing he does for fun on these roadtrips is making big signs to show to cars. He said it is fun to see what kind of reaction he can get from people.

“My favorite sign has to be ‘I like to cuddle’. I love women’s responses. They look at you like, ‘oh, how cute’ or ‘oh, how creepy’. I love it!“

If you ever see a bunch of guys throwing up signs in a car window, remember that it’s probably a group of traveling wrestlers. You just might get to “cuddle”.

Shane has not been contacted by WWE or TNA yet, but he said that he has been in dark matches for Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling recently. This is yet another step in his progression as a wrestler. I have no doubt that he will be wrestling on ROH DVD and Pay-Per-View soon.

Shane says that if you want to be a wrestler, “learn as much as you can and always ask for advice. Remember there is always someone who has been doing it longer and better than you.” Great advice for anybody, regardless of occupation.

The last part of this report is something new that I decided to try out. I asked a few wrestlers that have been around or worked with Shane in the ring to say a few words about him. This is what they said:

Tyler Black – “He is one of my best friends and has a very bright future in the business. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him making an impact in a major way before the decade is up.

Trik Davis – “Shane Hollister is easily one of the top up and comers in all of the Midwest. With his quick feet and lighting-fast right hands, he can go strike for strike with pretty much anyone. Even with only two years under his belt he has held his own with such wrestlers as Chris Hero, Jimmy Jacobs, Alex Shelley, Tyler Black, and Chris Sabin. This makes me believe that in another two years Shane should be one of the top Indy stars in the country.”

Mark Sterling – “Cool Hair. On ROH’s regular roster with in the next year.”

“Anarchist” Arik Cannon – “Shane Hollister is what many call an ‘up and comer’. The kid has loads of potential, and he’s slowly making his mark in the Midwest. In my opinion, he’s definitely somebody to watch. He’s an asset to any show he’s on, and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

That does it for me and this closer look at a great pro wrestler from right here in the Midwest. I want to personally thank Shane Hollister for putting up with all of my questions and allowing me to write this report about him. There were a few times that I told Shane that this will be the last question and before I knew it I was asking another one. Shane graciously answered it. I feel like I have a new friend in Shane after writing this report. Thank you again, Shane. You are an amazing wrestler and I can’t wait for that one day that we will all see you on TV. I have no doubt that it won’t be long!

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MWR Spotlight: Johnny Vinyl

Posted by Admin on June 15, 2008

A look into hopes and dreams of “The Brand New Classic” Johnny Vinyl

By Kari Williams


“Ever since I found out you can make a living at wrestling outside of WWE, it’s what I’ve wanted to do.”

When Johnny Vinyl walks to the ring, he hears the echoes of jeering fans, but that has not stopped “The Brand New Classic” from pursuing his dream — in fact, “getting someone so mad that they take a swing at you is a great feeling.”

Vinyl’s initial attraction to wrestling was a casual glance on Saturday mornings, but soon grew into much more.

“I became a serious watcher the same time everyone else did, the Attitude Era. Some kids on my baseball team at around 2nd or 3rd grade were talking about it during our Monday afternoon practice. That night I went home and turned on Raw. I remember the first main event I ever saw was Austin/Undertaker vs. Mankind/Kane vs. Rock/D’Lo Brown vs. New Age Outlaws,” Vinyl said.

However, it was not until seeing the straightedge superstar C.M. Punk that Vinyl had an interest in pursuing wrestling as a career. He noticed that Punk did not have the biggest and best body (at the time) and that he was not 6’8”, but still had a presence that translated to fans.

“Throughout school I was always on speech and debate teams, and did a little bit of drama for half a year before I realized the girls weren’t as hot I was hoping. So I knew I could talk in front of people and if I could just get the athletic side of things down, I’d do alright,” he said.

Opportunity presented itself to “The Brand New Classic” in the form of the now-defunct Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW) in the St. Louis, MO area. For approximately 18 months, Vinyl trained under Ring of Honor (ROH) star Dingo.

“Davey Vega and I went to [GCW] shows all the time in high school. One day they put up an ad on their website about guys interested in training. I was the only one to respond to it. Since I was 17 at the time, I had to drag my mom out there to Overland, which is where they were doing the training at the time, and she was pissed,” he said.

In addition to the GCW Dojo, Vinyl has “done seminars with Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Mike Quackenbush.”

For Vinyl, getting “Quackenbush to namedrop [him] and wear [his] t-shirt on the CHIKARA Podcast was pretty cool.”

However, he may not go so far as to call that a success because of the circumstances.

“I don’t know how much of an ‘accomplishment’ it was since it was a big rib, but I still enjoyed it,” he said.

Within the next two years, Vinyl aspires to be working for CHIKARA, however, his overall dream is to wrestle “in Europe and Japan and make a living through wrestling.”

Up to this point in his career, two specific matches have stuck out in his mind — one was working with MsChif and Daizee Haze, which he considers “a real cool honor,” and the other is being involved in the eight man elimination street fight main event at Lethal Wrestling Alliance’s [LWA] upcoming “Circus Maximus” on July 12, 2008.

“When Vega and I were put together, a whole lot of people only saw us a jobber team that would probably be dumped in a couple of months, so being in the main event of what could end being LWA’s biggest show to date is really a great feeling. When you look at that card and you see Ms.Chif on there, you see Billy McNeil’s comeback, you see Adam Raw and Nick Tyson wrestling each other for the last time, it’s going to be very diffilcult to main event that show, but we’re going to do our best to tear the house down,” he said.

Lastly, Vinyl has a shout-out of sorts to all of his female fans.

“I’m considering making a baby tee or spaghetti straps or something like that for my next [shirt]. If any girls would be interested in buying something like that or, even better, have some idea on what style to make and what to put on it, visit my Myspace at myspace.com/bncjohnnyvinyl and give me some feedback,” he said.

Johnny Vinyl Fast Facts:

Years Wrestling: I first walked into a wrestling school three and a half years ago, [and] I’ve been doing shows for almost two years now.

Companies Worked For: I wrestled a couple [of] matches under a mask for GCW, but as Johnny Vinyl I’ve worked for LWA, UWA [Ultimate Wrestling Alliance], LAW [Lethal Attitude Wrestling] in Arkansas, TLCW in Tennessee, one match for CSW, [and] maybe a couple others here and there.

Most Important Lesson From Wrestling: If I could sum up the wrestling business in one word, it would be ‘respect’. Wrestling taught me to respect people who deserve it, even if you don’t personally like them that much.

Favorite Match Thus Far: Fairview Heights with [Davey] Vega against K.C. Karrington and Steven Kennedy. Nobody thought we could pull off that match because all four of us weren’t exactly loved by the crowd. But we did some mic work at the beginnning and some little touches in the match that got the crowd behind the Ego’s. And the finish with Vega blasting Tiffany LaFane with a forearm was the loudest reaction I’ve been a part of yet.

Dream Match: Myself and Davey Vega versus Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. I think those two as an overall package are the best tag team going in North America. No offense to the Briscoes, Motor City Machine Guns, or Steen and Generico because they are all fantastic, too, but I enjoy The Age of the Falls’ gimmick, character, and chemistry together. I would love to have that match.

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LWA Localizes Big Name Talent

Posted by Admin on June 9, 2008

LWA localizes big name talent

By Kari Williams
Fans file in to the sports complex, VFW Hall or any other venue where a Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) show will take place, anxiously waiting for the 7:30 bell time. One LWA Superfan and wrestling enthusiast that can be found at the shows is Mike Marnin.

A fan since the age of 10, Marnin has been attending LWA shows for well over a year and has witnessed the presence of mulitple Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Non-stop Action wrestling (TNA) stars.

“I was at the super card with Alex Shelley, Mike Quackenbush and Davey Richards. I was also there when Austin Aries and Lacey were there. Delirious, MsChif and Daizee Haze. And the show with the Motor City Machine Guns,” Marnin said.

LWA wrestler Pierre Abernathy gives insight on how such stars are booked on an LWA card.

“We just deal with the stars. Through TNA we deal with a guy, but that’s it. All the Ring of Honor guys we’ve brought in, we just deal with them personally,” Abernathy said.

However, much more thought goes into the process of choosing that individual star. Abernathy looks to see who “would be a good fit for [the] product.”

“Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are really good tag team wrestlers and we had the Submission Squad here who are a really good tag team, so those guys would gel together in the ring. Then you’ve got a bruiser like Samoa Joe wrestling a young, rich guy like Dorian [Victor] who’s in there to beat him up. It’s just more like who is going to fit in really well,” Abernathy said.

The first star to be on an LWA card was Alex Shelley. He appeared on March 17 and waged war against Nick Tyson.

Having wrestled on shows with wrestlers from the ‘big time,’ K.C. Karrington understands the significance of their presence.

“You only get to see them on the internet, youtube [and] all that, or just TV, and actually getting to see them come and work with guys that work in your area…I think it’s great. I mean, it brings the two different worlds together almost,” Karrington said.

After having been in the business for five years, the 20-year-old Karrington feels that any knowledge he can gain from the TNA and ROH wrestlers is time well wasted.

“It gives us as workers a chance to pick their brains, get them to watch what we’re doing in the ring, and get any pointers, just the littlest thing you can get from a big name guy—a guy that’s actually been out on the road, been to the big time, just the smallest thing to a guy that’s working the indies, that’s more important than just about anything you can learn from anybody,” Karrington said.

Fellow LWA wrestler Gary the Barn Owl, who has been wrestling for almost four years, recognizes the importance of the TNA and ROH talent as well.

“Just about everybody we’ve brought in or that come in we learn something from. There’s always a different aspect that we don’t think of because we’re inside the box, and they’re more outside the box,” Gary said.

On the May 3 Mike Johnson Benefit show in House Springs, Mo., Abernathy had the opportunity to face ROH star Delirious.

“He was amazing to wrestle. He teaches you little things you don’t even think about, that he points out, and it makes sense. As far as the company, it just helps elevate the company. He’s just one more guy we’ve brought in who made an impact on a national level that has helped out our company,” Abernathy said.

Karrington has similar thoughts.

“Having actual big names coming in, it brings in the people that you wouldn’t normally see at a show. It introduces them to independent wrestling, and then we get more people supporting the Indies,” Karrington said.

Since attending Yuletide Terror 2006, where Gary defeated Adam Raw to claim his first LWA Championship, Marnin’s favorite big name match was naturally the triple threat, which pitted Evan Gelistico, Mike Quackenbush and Gary against each other, because Quackenbush is his “favorite wrestler of all time.”

Gary can testify to the quality of that match.

“I’d probably say Alex Shelley is probably the most known one. Davey Richards is a really solid worker. I worked Evan [Gelistico] and Mike Quackenbush in a three way, and I thought it was great. Overall, I think the fans accept it. They like it. They like seeing new people come in,” Gary said.

Personally, Marnin would like to see stars like “Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero. All of these guys are phenomenal wrestlers and would be great against some of the LWA talent.” However, his first choice would be A.J. Styles.

“He may be a heel but he is one of the best wrestlers in the world,” Marnin said.

Showing his love for the sport, and the LWA specifically, Marnin said, “If there is anyone out there who loves wrestling LWA is the place to be!”

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MWR Spotlight: Shorty Biggs

Posted by Admin on April 8, 2008

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!

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