Luke Roberts (Part 3 of 3)

by Brian “Flair” Kelley

As far as wrestlers and the St Louis scene are concerned, we will start with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton. Have you had any past interactions with “The Legend Killer“?

I have had some indirect contact with Randy through his father. However, as far as direct contact, I have not had the privilege of working with him. He came to South Broadway about a year after I left to wrestle on the St. Louis wrestling scene.

How do you feel of his work as a wrestler?

As a wrestler, Randy Orton is coming into his own as one of the best “bad guys” in the sport. He has developed an attitude that incites professional wrestling fans to hate him. Given the right opportunities, I feel that Randy will be at the top tier of the WWE for years to come.

Let’s stay with the Orton family and talk about his father “Cowboy” Bob Orton, who I met at an OSWA show a while back.

I have had several run-ins with “Cowboy” Bob Orton. Every time I work with him, I always have a great time. Even though he may not be in his prime, he still can provoke a crowd to hate him. From working with him, it is easy to see that many of the skills that Randy Orton has are genetic.

St Louis has been represented well here recently with Delirious, MsChif, and Daizee Haze wrestling in LWA for the Michael Johnson Benefit show on May 3rd. Matt Sydal and Dingo have also made a splash. Which one has surprised you the most with their success?

If I had to choose one, I would have to say MsChif. The successes of the men notwithstanding, to excel as a women’s wrestler is a much more difficult task. Right now, she holds two of the most recognized championships in the world. That, combined with her athletic skills and her attitude, is the reason why I would choose MsChif as the St. Louis wrestler who has surprised me the most.

Who would you say in the past 18 years was the most underrated wrestler in the St Louis area?

In my career, the most underrated wrestler was John Blackheart. This man was technically sound and knew what it took to get a reaction out of the fans. He could go out and fly with the light heavyweights, brawl with the brawlers, manipulate the rules in the world of tag team wrestling, and do things behind a referee’s back that were pure gold. John Blackheart could go out to the ring with anyone and have a good match. He was just that good.

Who do you feel is the best tag team ever in professional wrestling?

The best tag team in professional wrestling, in my opinion, would be Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. They thought and wrestled in almost perfect harmony with little to no communication necessary.

Who do you feel is the best tag team in St. Louis in the past 20 years?

That’s easy! Billy Bob and the Techno Kid! Just joking! Seriously, the answer to this question will stun a lot of people. From all of the tag teams that have wrestled in St. Louis on a regular basis, I would say that the Ego Express is the best tag team that I have seen in the past 20 years. They know what the other one is thinking at all times. They genuinely seem to like and trust each other. Their knowledge of the rules and how to break them is outstanding. Also, they have a manager/valet that fits their plans perfectly. The Ego Express, whether you like them or not, has all the tools to hang with any tag team in professional wrestling.

Is there anyone that comes to mind that never got the chance, but really deserved it?

I feel that “The Punisher” from the MVWA never really got his time in the spotlight. In his heyday, he could drive a crowd to almost riot status before he even entered the ring. If he would have had a company like an MMWA, GCW, or LWA to sign him and he could have stayed healthy, he could have been huge.

At the moment, you have the chance to become LWA President. You are running against Jacob Dangle, Steven Miller, Bavarian Boy. For those who have not been a part of LWA, tell us what that is about.

Since Yuletide Terror 2007, the LWA has been without a president. Management has decided that someone needs to take control of the LWA before chaos destroys the company. Seeing that I have refereed and ring announced for the LWA, a friend of mine tried to convince me to run for the LWA presidency and I brushed it off. Yet, as time went on, I heard that Steven Miller had found a loophole and weaseled his way into the election process. Once I heard that he was running, I knew that I had to give serious thought about running for LWA president.

Steven Miller thinks that, if Bavarian Boy or Jacob Dangle is elected president of the LWA, he can use his influence with Donovan Ruddick to intimidate them into doing what he wants. However, Mr. Miller knows that I am not, nor will never be, scared of anyone. I know that since I am running for LWA President against Steven Miller, if I lose, I will probably be out of a job.

The fans of the LWA need to make their opinions known. I recommend that everyone goes to www. lwawrestling. com and vote for who you think should be the new LWA president.

Let’s go to Word Association

South Broadway – lacking originality

MECW – professional

LWA – talented roster

UWA – rebuilding

CSW – tradition

AAPW – dedicated to its fans

WLW – Harley Race

SLAMZONE – hardworking

SHIMMER – true women’s wrestling

FTW – The Independent Icons

RCW – misunderstood

NWA – territorial professional wrestling

WWE – cheese

TNA – innovative

ECW – WWE light

ROH – True Professional Wrestling

St Louis Hall of Fame – tribute to St. Louis wrestling history

Best pro wrestling book – “Hooker” by Lou Thesz

Hulk Hogan – all about “the Benjamins”

Ric Flair – legend

Ultimate Warrior – joke

WrestleMania 24 – lackluster

HHH – heart of the WWE

Samoa Joe – class act

Kurt Angle – machine

Motor City Machine Guns – great people

Davey Richards – tough as nails

“The Future” Donavan Ruddick – monster

Michael Strider – crazy

Shorty Biggs – the “fifth”

Gary the Barn Owl – Bearded Men from Space Station 11

Brian James – “It’s All Good”

Scott Murphy – true friend

Stacey O’Brien – future of St. Louis women’s wrestling

Sean Vincent – Canadian superstar

Cameron Cage – funny, funny, funny

Cabal – Chewbacca

Edmund “Livewire” McGuire – outstanding

Adam Raw – intense

Pierre Abernathy – Submission Squad

Playboy HH – hides behind his stable

Austin Aries – quiet

Pete Madden – Trainer

“Atomic Dog” Ali Stevens – Powerhouse

Steven Miller – power hungry

Phoenix Twins – Tag Team Specialists

Brandon Aarons – Hollister

Mephisto – psychotic

Douglas O’Shea – hated everywhere he goes

Evan Gelistico – Zero Gravity

Jeremy Wyatt – The Rebel

Shaft – the heart of MMWA

Tyler Cook – underrated

Awesome Kong – brutality personified

Mark Sterling – intimidating

Trent Stone – impact player

Billy McNeil – death-defying

Lightfoot – Lightfoot Driver

Brandon Espinosa – No Fear

Johnny Greenpeace – Tree

Dingo – dedicated to professional wrestling

Ego Express – “old school” tag team wrestling

Johnny Vinyl and Davey Vega – arrogant

Eric Davis – versatile

Justin Wade – throwback

The Lumberjacks – tough

Dorian Victor – Must Be the Money

The Connection – Bullies

Editors Note: This has been the third and final installment of MWR’s Spotlight on Luke Roberts. Luke is a key piece of the pro wrestling puzzle in the St. Louis area, and I am proud that he chose to sit down and give us a little of his time. Hopefully we can chat again with him sometime soon.