By Patrick Brandmeyer
The night started at the Stratford Inn in Fenton with Jeremy Wyatt taking on newcomer Andrew Wilder. “The Belt Collector” had his sights set on one of the few championships that he hasn’t held…and while Wilder put up a good fight, he was outmatched in this case. Wyatt forced the youngster to tap out to a unique half-crab variation.
Another favorite in the night’s battle royal was Alexandre Rudolph. Rudolph’s size and power were a major factor in that instance, but he showed his intelligence earlier in the night by reversing Geek Singh‘s armbar attempt into a pinning combination.
Executive Director Mark Bland hyped the night’s lineup but was interrupted by manager Travis Cook. With Ken Kasa and Dave Vaughn‘s Missouri licensing up in the air, Cook was seemingly left without representation on the show…but he had something else in mind for the evening.
Rivals Mike Sydal and “Showtime” Bradley Charles did battle…Sydal was the crowd favorite on this night and picked up the win after a moonsault while holding his yoga mat.
It was every man for himself in a four-corner bout featuring Jon Webb, “The Alternative” Brandon Gallagher, Ace Hawkins, and Evan “Money” Morris. Alliances formed and were quickly tossed aside as only one man could emerge victorious; that mentality worked in Gallagher’s favor as he took advantage of the chaos that ensued. After Webb hit Sliced Bread #2 on Hawkins, Gallagher threw Webb out of the ring and pinned Ace with feet on the ropes for illegal leverage.
Kevin X took on Mark Sterling in a battle of heavy hitters. Sterling’s crossfit background allowed him to hang in there with the veteran, but Kevin X took home the victory after his signature Pavement Drop. Bland announced that Kevin X would get the next title shot at Jake Dirden at the Off Broadway show…and that brought out the champion himself. Dirden complained that Bland was simply “handing out” title shots to whoever wanted them and that he should only be facing the most worthy challengers. By the end of the night, Dirden would have no shortage of opponents on his agenda.
The title was not on the line as Dirden faced WLW Heavyweight Champion Elvis Aliaga. Aliaga lose a close bout to Dirden in January with the Dynamo Championship at stake; however, Elvis claimed the referee had prematurely called for the bell when he lost consciousness in the Asiatic Spike hold. This time around, Aliaga was all business as he took the fight to his larger opponent…but things got out of control and the fight ended in a no-contest after both men shoved the official. All three referees and Mark Bland entered the ring to restore order, but Dirden laid out Aliaga with the title belt. Dirden took his leave, but not before literally shoving the belt in Bland’s face.
After the Black Hand Warriors scored a victory over Shorty Biggs and Evan “Money” Morris last month, Shorty and his Tag Team Championship partner Outtkast had to defend their belts against the WLW Tag Champs. Michael Magnuson and David DeLorean showed their tag team expertise as they took the champs to their limit, but the Bumrush Brothers turned the tide before Travis Cook made his presence known. The champs and the referee were both distracted and DeLorean took advantage with a low blow on Shorty…DeLorean put Magnuson on top of Shorty and the referee turned around to make the three-count. The Bumrush Brothers’ 22-month reign as champions had ended…and it looks like Travis Cook has a new tag team in his stable! As of this writing, there’s no word on what Kasa and Vaughn feel about the situation…
The Dynamo Rumble was a situation with no friends or allies…only one competitor could walk away as the winner with a guaranteed Heavyweight Title shot. Several favored competitors entered the fray along with some surprise entrants; Lucy Mendez was the second entrant and the lone female contender, lasting several minutes before being eliminated by Wyatt. Newcomer Andino Giovanni made his return after a long injury layoff, battling several more experienced opponents until being double-teamed by Wyatt and SBC. Rudolph was the powerhouse of the field, eliminating several entrants and lasting until the final four.
Several existing issues surfaced in the midst of the battle; Sydal and SBC locked horns once again, leading to Charles throwing Sydal out of the ring and getting some retribution for his earlier loss. Wilder crossed paths with Wyatt once again and was sent floorward. The Black Hand Warriors had to deal with not only the Bumrush Brothers but also Jack Gamble; Gamble and partner Jon Webb had been targetting the pair’s WLW Tag Titles in recent months. DeLorean eliminated Gamble, but the Black Hand Warriors’ night wasn’t quite over.
Outtkast eliminated DeLorean, then Magnuson entered only to be jumped in the aisleway by Shorty Biggs! Shorty didn’t want to wait for his official entrance to the matchup as he assaulted Magnuson at ringside, then brought him into the ring for a double-team beating and elimination. Undaunted, Magnuson pulled Shorty to the floor from outside the ring…that issue is nowhere close to being settled..
Dan Walsh hit the ring and immediately set his sights on Brandon Gallagher; Gallagher had cost Walsh a match to Kevin X in January and “Walking Reality” wanted to get some payback. Walsh sent his blue-haired rival sailing out of the ring…but Gallagher didn’t call it a night just yet.
Elvis Aliaga was a surprise entrant at #20…he had already tangled with Dirden earlier in the night, but he wanted another shot at the big man even if he had to win the battle royal to do it. The final four of the match were Wyatt, Rudolph, Walsh, and Aliaga…the remaining competitors focused their efforts on Rudolph, allowing Wyatt to finally get him out of the ring. Wyatt threw Walsh over the ropes…and Gallagher(who was still lurking at ringside) pulled him to the floor to cause his elimination!
That left the first and last entrants to battle it out, so Dirden made his way to ringside to observe the outcome. However, his presence was a distraction to the wrestlers in the ring, particularly Aliaga; that allowed Wyatt to knock Elvis off the top rope to the floor, scoring a huge win in the battle royal!
Dirden and Wyatt confronted each other after the match, but Kevin X made his way to ringside to remind Dirden that his title shot is in a few weeks. With Kevin X, Wyatt, and possibly Aliaga in his future, the Dynamo Heavyweight Champion has a lot on his plate in the upcoming months!
Missouri Wrestling Revival 