Two of the top young wrestlers in the Midwest will travel to Japan to work for Pro Wrestling Noah this coming month.
Trevor Murdock can be seen tonight at Metro Pro Wrestling a week prior to his return to Japan. Murdock has worked for Pro Wrestling Noah in the past before becoming an household name with WWE. Trevor is a current WLW Champion and a challanger for the Metro Pro TV title.
Brian Breaker is one of the top young stars in the sport today. A graduate of Harley Race’s WLW, he has been both a WLW Tag Champion with Dinn T. Moore and defeating “Superstar” Steve Fender for the WLW Heavyweight Championship.
Breaker standing at an awesome 6’3 and 255 pounds he is able to overpower his opponents while using the mat skills that Harley Race taught him to end a match in a hurry.
We would like to congratulate and send our best wishes too two of the very best in the Midwest as they invade Japan.
Big news for wrestling fans all around the Midwest as the two greatest wrestlers of ALL-TIME will be in the same place at the same time on March 12th in Eldon Missouri.
Former World Champion Ric Flair comes to Harley Race’s World League Wrestling in a night that you will not want to forget.
The history of these two men in the Midwest includes the 1983 PWI Match of the Year in St Louis Missouri on June 10 when Harley Race defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World Title.
These two men had one of the true classic feuds in pro wrestling history, , which led to the first-ever NWA Starrcade event. Determined not to lose the title again, Race offered a $25,000 bounty to anyone who could eliminate Flair from the NWA. Bob Orton, Jr. and Dick Slater attacked Flair, inflicting what appeared to be a career-ending neck injury, and collecting the bounty from Race after Flair announced his retirement. Flair’s retirement was a ruse, however, and he eventually returned to action, much to Race’s surprise. NWA officials set up a championship rematch, to be titled “NWA Starrcade: A Flare for the Gold”.
The match was to be held in Flair’s backyard, Greensboro, North Carolina, which enraged Race. Race lost the title to Flair in the bloody and memorable Starrcade cage match (with Gene Kiniski as the special referee) in November, 1983. Race’s loss to Flair at Starrcade was largely seen as the torch-passing from Race to Flair. Flair would go on to an unparalleled 22 reigns as World Heavyweight Champion (10 of those reigns as NWA World champion) and largely credits Race for igniting his career.
Now MWR fans you can experience the biggest night of 2011 with the Midwest reunion of these two TRUE Hall of Famers join the best young stars of the Midwest to provide wrestling the way it was meant to be.
In action could be these WLW Stars
WLW Tag Team Champions Steve Fender and Mark Sterling Jason Jones Jack Gamble Ryan Drago Ethan Wright The Cancun Kid Jeff Strong Lucy Mendez Stacey O’Brien
This show will also benefit the Dogwood State school PTO
Eldon Missouri
The Community Center
Doors open 6:00 Show 7:00
Presale is only $15.00 $17.00 at the Door or General admission presale $10.00 or $12.00 at the door.
Due to the Community Center size the limit of fans will be just 500 people so we urge you to get tickets NOW rather than later.
Ticket outlets are at
Eldon Missouri World League Wrestling T Murdocks Bar and Grill Eldon Fitness
Just a few months ago, I was content with my role as a passive wrestling fan. I watched WWE programming once in a while with lukewarm interest, mostly to see how a few of my friends were doing and what storylines they were involved with.
An old friend said I was getting bitter towards the wrestling business. He couldn’t have been more wrong. I love wrestling, always have and always will, but I had already struck out with WWE as a writer didn’t see any future for myself in the business. I thought it would be best for me and for my family if I just stayed away from wrestling.
And I tried. I pushed wrestling to the back of my mind did what I could to leave it there. My wrestling DVD library started to collect dust. And as I finished the first draft of my latest book, The Somebody Obsession: A Nobody’s Desperate Journey to Stardom, I wrote about my relationship with wrestling as if (and believing) I’d found closure.
My passion for wrestling never died and I could still feel it inside, but I dismissed it as indigestion and moved on with my life.
It had been more than a year since I’d done an interview when some old friends invited me to appear as the guest on their Squared Circle Round Table wrestling talk show on JCTV in Jefferson City. I wasn’t nervous or excited when the interview started, but I surprisingly had a blast talking wrestling with them. We filmed a pair of one-hour episodes and I felt like could have sat there and talked wrestling all night.
At Christmastime, I was adding items to my Amazon wish list to make my wife’s gift-buying as painless as possible. I thought it might be fun to kick my son’s butt at some WWE Smackdown vs. Raw on the Xbox 360, so I added that game to the list. On Christmas Eve, we let Hunter open one present. In turn, he insisted that I open one as well and he picked out the wrestling game to be that early gift. Minutes into my first match against Hunter, I could see that he was going to get hooked on wrestling.
During the next month, I watched and worried as Hunter’s obsession with wrestling grew. He staged matches with his rapidly growing collection of action figures, wrestled with his giant stuffed Batman on the dining-room floor, watched my Wrestlemania anthology and other wrestling DVDs (ever seen a five-year-old choose to watch a Verne Gagne vs. Baron Von Raschke match?), and played that wrestling video game so much that I had to buy a kitchen timer to make sure he still made time for other activities. I even tried to distract him with a little Super Smash Flash 2 game but after a few tries he went back to his wrestling! Have to try again later…
I had always said I would support my son’s interests to the best of my ability, no matter what those interests were, and he was putting that promise to the test.
Wrestling was a big part of my past that I expected to stay in the past, but he pulled me back in. And despite my uncertainty as I felt it happening, deep down I was glad.
I started looking for ways to contribute to the business again.
I’ve been called both a hack and a genius when it comes to the wrestling business. While the truth probably lies somewhere in between, I’ve always felt like I had something special to offer.
Many people who leave the business miss the camaraderie among the boys most of all. I miss it, of course, but more than anything I miss the thrill of feeling my creative wheels constantly turning, of scribbling down ideas for gimmicks and storylines and match finishes as fast as I could before they were lost forever, and that sense of accomplishment when I watched one of my ideas played out in front of a live crowd. Those are feelings I’ve never experienced in a “real” job and I miss them.
While browsing Facebook, I came up with an idea to create a networking site similar to Facebook but exclusively for those working in the business. Instead of piling that idea on the growing heap of ideas I’ve had in the last couple years that never made it a step further, I created the site that night. After one week, Kayfabe Connect has almost 80 members. I hope to see that number grow to 250 members in the next three months.
I didn’t watch Raw on Monday night but I heard about the Rock’s return soon afterwards. I found it on YouTube and watched in awe, forgetting about all my successes and failures in the business, and got completely engrossed in the segment once again as a fan. For the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long, I can’t wait until next Monday night.
A few nights ago, I went into the Harley Race Wrestling Academy for the first time in more than a year. I spoke briefly with Harley, who I’d only seen once during that time, and stood beside my old friend Trevor Murdock as we watched our sons, who are two months apart in age and are best friends, wrestle around. Since then, Hunter can’t stop begging me to take him back there. It seems that wrestling is in his blood, just as it’s in mine. Maybe this is just a phase and he’ll lose interest, and it’s okay with me if that happens, but for now I’m having fun watching him get wrapped up in wrestling the same way I did when I was a kid.
I don’t know what the future holds for me in wrestling. I know only two things: 1.) I want to work in the business in some capacity again, and 2.) I don’t expect to make profit in wrestling, but I owe it to my family to make sure I don’t take a loss, either.
No matter what happens between me and the wrestling business in the future, it feels pretty damned good right now to feel that fire rekindled.
Harley Race is quoted as introducing Matt Murphy, to Vince McMahon, as “my first graduate and he has one hell of a mind for the business.”
There’s really not a better introduction to a review Matt Murphy’s book, The Somebody Obsession. It shows who Murphy knew, the opportunities he had, and the impression he had on one of pro wrestling’s greats, to the point where the former WCW Champion, WWE headliner and wrestling promoter/training school owner put his reputation on the line in saying that very line.
The wrestling industry has a thousand Matt Murphys, but each one of them has a slightly different story. Unfortunately, too many of them have ended up in an obituary. Matt Murphy’s story of leaving the business was, in many ways, a positive ending to his otherwise star-crossed career.
Murphy’s star streaked across two continents, several notable promotions in the Mid-west and Japan, and despite the constant suggestions for him to “hit the gym” he made impressions on decision makers who were never that easy to impress.
Harley Race being the first and foremost of them.
Yet Murphy’s star lasted merely a half-decade, and he was only 24 when he figuratively left his wrestling shoes in the ring. Injuries piled up, and while it was a car accident that really put him into retirement, the underlying struggle to work through various injuries wore him down up to that point.
Self-medicating on booze and sex were side effects of “The Somebody Obsession”, and the booze really did him in, yet the obsession to work, to struggle and to put up with the politics, lack of paydays and constant schedule cannot be ignored.
The only irony is that Murphy only really dedicated himself to the gym at the point where the accident made it a moot point.
Had he packed on some pounds and some muscle, would he have gotten a roster spot in Pro Wrestling Noah, or been regarded as a can’t-miss prospect from Harley Race’s WLW/Training School, or could it have gotten him into the WWE when he had a few excellent appearances to put over Kaeintai and Justin Credible?
It’s bittersweet to consider.
For the rest of Joe Babinsack review at Wrestling Observer/ Figure Four Online of “Somebody’s Obsession” by Matt Murphy click here
For the low low price of $12.95 you can pick up the must read book of 2011 by clicking here..
Then when you are done please take the time to leave a review of the Book at Amazon.
Many stars have shared their success stories in the crowded genre of professional wrestling autobiographies. But for every star there are a hundred also-rans, those of us who fell short of our dreams. We, too, have a story to tell. In my autobiography, THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY’S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM, I reveal how I overcame an impoverished, troubled childhood to live my lifelong dream of becoming a professional wrestler. I had to succeed; failure meant damnation back into the white-trash hell from which I came.
While self-medicating the scars of my tormented youth with sex, booze, and wrestling, I reached for the stars and could feel them at my fingertips before my amazing ride crashed to an abrupt end. My story is THE BULLPEN GOSPELS meets I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL. Funny and poignant, it is an inspirational and cautionary tale for anyone who dares to dream. It is about overcoming challenges and shows that the dreamer’s biggest obstacle is often the one that stares back at him in the mirror. – Matt Murphy
“A heck of a story about the less glamorous side of the wrestling business.” – Mike Mooneyham, author of SEX, LIES, AND HEADLOCKS
“This book is more addicting with each chapter. You don’t need to be a wrestling fan to enjoy it.” – Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
About the Author
Matt Murphy was the first graduate of the Harley Race Wrestling Academy and later became the lead instructor at the professional wrestling school. A respected former independent wrestler with experience in Pro-Wrestling NOAH and WWE rings, he also worked as the producer, play-by-play announcer, and editor of a weekly wrestling TV show. Murphy is the author of THE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS-ENTERTAINMENT (2008) and THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY’S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM (2011) and is a contributing writer for Missouri Wrestling Revival. He lives in Missouri with his wife and son and finds it awkward to write his own author’s bio in third-person.
History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty.
Pro Wrestling fans are passionate about their love of the drama and action inside the squared circle. In a sport where the desire for us, the fans to know more about our heroes and villains more than ever, we are very fortunate to have websites, shoot interviews, movies and documentaries to fall back on.
Growing up I dreamed of a Hall of Fame for the stars that I saw in publications such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Wrestling needed a Hall of Fame just as baseball has Cooperstown New York and the NFL Canton Ohio. Sure, many magazines had a Hall of Fame on paper but I wanted more. I wanted to see the championship belts, photos and posters from past shows.
To be honest, coming from a boom time for pro wrestling in the 80’s with “Rock and Wrestling”, I still lived in a small town in the Midwest where there were still many that did not understand my love for wrestling. I thought that if a Hall of Fame was to exist I would have to make my way to New York or California to see such a wonderful museum.
Thankfully, we have one of the leading authorities on wrestling history in Mike Chapman living right here in the Midwest. Mike took his passion for amateur and pro wrestling and parlayed his talent to provide wrestling fans around the world a chance to gather to celebrate the accomplishments of our heroes.
Mike and Bev pose for a photo in the ring in the Pro Wing of the Museum. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Chapman’s website)
Now fans young and old can come together to look back and remember the stars of yesterday at the The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo Iowa. Mike Chapman founded the museum in 1998. With several years of hard work he retired from the museum on October 31, 2009 to devote full time to his new magazine, Iowa History Journal, and to write books.
Mike has represented the Midwest and the wrestling world with class and honor by promoting the sport as a public speaker, an author of 21 books (14 about wrestling) and his work has appeared in dozens of national and regional magazines.
In his books wrestling fans are able to take a trip back into time to look back at the incredible careers of Frank Gotch in “Frank Gotch: His Life and Legacy” and one of my personal favorite wrestlers and human beings Dan Hodge in “Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story”.
Fans of today are well aware of the talents that the collegiate wrestling world has as many in wrestling such as Bill Miller, Jack Brisco, Bob Geigel Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Steve Williams, Bobby Lashley, LeRoy McGuirk and of course Kurt Angle . Each of these men have all become important wrestlers in the pro ring at one time or another.
If some of these names are people that you may not know, I urge you to check out the museum or look them up, each a champion in their own right.
Let’s look at just a small part of his resume.
Mike is the founder of W.I.N. Magazine, considered by many the nation’s top amateur wrestling publication; the WIN Memorabilia Show, which draws 8,000 fans each year to the NCAA Championships. Mike has been important in the jumpstarting the “Dan Hodge Trophy,” which goes each year to the top college wrestler in the United States. It has been called “the Heisman Trophy of wrestling.”
Mike has earned the respect of many in the sport by being named in six Hall of Fames the AAU National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2002 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC), an organization of boxers, wrestlers and movie actors. In 2007 he received the Order of Merit for lifetime achievement from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the President’s Award from the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.
As a reporter, he has attended 38 NCAA wrestling tournaments, two Olympics and two World Championships. He has won numerous awards for journalism and writing. He has been named National Wrestling Writer of the Year five times, by four different amateur wrestling organizations.
He has met and interviewed such people as Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert Redford, Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk from TV fame), Denny Miller (Tarzan actor and star of “Wagon Train”) and many other famous stars of movies and sports.
Mike has appeared on numerous TV shows –including the networks ESPN, A&E, Fox Sports, Iowa Public Television and Fox and Friends. He has been the guest on over 200 radio talk shows. He has produced three wrestling videos and has two screenplays in Hollywood, including “GOTCH: An American Hero.” The movie rights are owned by Empire Film Group and it is currently in pre-production.
As an athlete, he competed in wrestling, judo, sombo and bench press contests. He once bench pressed 440 pounds at a bodyweight of 205.
I first had the pleasure of meeting Mike Chapman in Newton Iowa, the original home of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum several years ago during an annual Hall of Fame. Several of my heroes from years past where in attendance in 2005 along with theInduction of Harley Race to the HOF.
Terry Funk, Verne Gagne and Larry Hennig were just a few that where there to sign autographs for the each and every one of the fans in attendance. Still one of the fondest memories that I had of that trip to Newton Iowa was how nice this guy that worked for the museum was towards Dubray and I. He spoke to us just like he had known us all of his life, telling stories of the displays and the posters on the wall.
We left that day in Newton with the perception that he just worked there and enjoyed what he done. I would later find out that that worker was none other than Mike Chapman, the founder of the museum, a man who had rubbed elbows former World Champions in Boxing and wrestling, Presidents of the United States, and some of the top Hollywood stars.
At Mike’s website this quote was stated
The mission of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (DGIWIM) is to preserve, maintain and promote the long and illustrious heritage of mankind’s oldest sport in a manner which will benefit the sport, educate and entertain the public, and to inspire youth to dream big and work hard.
Mission accomplished Mike, this Lifetime Achievement Award is a thank you from the fans of the Midwest and around the world.
Editors Note: Please come back to MWR in the future for updates on the progress Mike latest project as he has been working with a committee in Humboldt, Iowa – the hometown of Frank Gtoch – to build an eight-foot statue of the world heavyweight champion (1908-1915) in the center of town.
If all goes as plan we hope to cover this historic occasion at Missouri Wrestling Revival
Please take the time to check out more information of Mike Chapman at his website here.
Fans of wrestling should check out the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum website here and make plans to see it live in 2011.
On January 7th, 2011 in Des Moines Iowa at 3XW two of the greatest wrestlers today Mark Sterling and Jeremy Wyatt will go to war in a historic 60 Minute NO DQ Iron Man match. Both of these individuals have been Champions around the Midwest and are former MWR Wrestlers of the year.
The 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year Mark Sterling (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
In a world where respect is earned and not given, Wyatt and Sterling are the measuring sticks for those in the game today. From Kansas to Illinois to Missouri and all the way to Des Moines Iowa they are main event athletes that the fans want to know if they are on the card.
The time has come for Wyatt to finally put his money where his mouth is…. He’s been talking crap for years that he’s the best… Well I have news for him, there is one guy that is a bit better: ME. Wyatt doesn’t train in the gym 4 times a day like I do. He doesn’t dominate Crossfit competitions. “The Fittest Wrestler on Earth” isn’t just a gimmick for me, it’s the honest to God truth. Wyatt hasn’t spent the better part of 8 years training at Harley Race’s school like me. Wyatt didn’t train the 2009 Rookie of the Year Mike Sydal, I did… Nobody in this area works their fingers to the bone as much as I do. Nobody even comes close and that’s a shoot. As good as Wyatt is and everything he’s accomplished, he’s about to get hit with a dose of reality January 7th in 3xw. I have 60 minutes to prove to all the “experts” and “insiders” that I am not only the best on the Midwest, but on the fast track to being one of the best in the world!”- Mark Sterling
Mark Sterling is a man who is pure muscle with seemingly limitless intensity, who lives and breaths wrestling. A great build with a desire to become the best, Sterling has been under the watchful eye of Harley Race at World League Wrestling and recently took part in Ohio Valley Wrestling’s training camp that featured great wrestling minds such as Jim Cornette, Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore, Danny Davis and Rip Rogers.
Sterling’s path would take him to both singles and tag team glory in the past few years. At 3xw he has been a former 3XW Pure Champion and a former tag team Champion with former allies the Gentleman’s Club. Winning and being the best is everything for Sterling and his claim to the best in the Midwest was only strengthen when he defeated Michael Strider for the NWA Central States Championship last year.
The 2008 MWR Wrestler of the year "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Mark Sterling is bigger than me, stronger than me, has a better build than me, can do more sit ups and push ups than me, goes to the gym 27 times a day, can eat more tacos than me, has had better training than me… Hell, I basically paid a guy a grand and ending up training myself and tryin to figure it out as I went along. Why wouldn’t Sterling think he’s better? But therein lies the difference, Sterling thinks he’s better… I know i’m better, the best. The simple truth is this, for every advantage he has, I have one that trumps them all, I’m tougher… Mentally and physically. I punch harder, I kick harder and there’s no one who can absorb punishment like me, and that’s with having a body that’s falling apart. I have a severe sciatic nerve problem in my lower back, ligament damage in my left wrist, calcium deposits in my right elbow, dizzy spells from a concussion over a year ago but yet when it’s a “big match” no one, and I mean absolutely no one puts on a show like I do. January 7th, its gonna be time to put on a show” -“The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt
Wyatt’s nickname is the Rebel, a man who has done what he wanted to do in the ring with no remorse or regret. He could be the most hated man in all the Midwest. Yet the Rebel has shown a love for great competition and winning titles. Winning titles all around the Midwest is the reason why he earned another nickname The Belt Collector.
Wyatt would add the coveted 3XW Championship on August 21, 2009 against the then fan favorite Devin Carter. He would terrorize and dominate the promotion for close to a year till July 9,2010 when the talented Rory Fox would upset Wyatt to become one of the very few to make claim as a man to have a victory against the Rebel.
In the past these two men have teamed up but the question always remained, just who is the best in the Midwest?
Who has the advantage in this epic battle where the object is to get the most pinfalls and submissions in that 60 minute time limit?
Lets break it down.
Mark Sterling can use his strength to ground and pound even the biggest of men in the Midwest. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Power and size – Sterling clearly has the edge. Standing 6’2 and 221 barrel-chested like a Greek God, he has broken the will of half the wrestlers in the Midwest before the first bell rang. Wyatt gives up 2 inches and 20 pounds to Sterling, but no one uses execution on offense like the Rebel to withstand a bigger wrestler onslaught.
Jeremy Wyatt is a master of delivering pain. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Can Sterling impose his strength in the match early on to get the edge he needs ?
Power and Size Advantage – Mark Sterling– Is there any wrestler more obsessed with conditioning. In boxing the smaller guys are often said to best pound for pound fighter in the game. How scary is it that Sterling standing 6’2 221 could very well fit that bill in the Midwest. The man is a machine. Wyatt will have his hands full trying to slow down Sterling.
Stamina speed and air attack,-Wyatt has excelled beating men much bigger than he is, while he does pull out all stops with punching, kicking and scratching, I am here to say that it is just all smokes and mirrors to keep his opponent to realize just how versatile Wyatt is and the speed he possess. Sterling may be impressive with his stone cut body, but it’ his training regimen of CROSSFIT that allows him to have a style that can allow him to go all out for 60 minutes without a problem. Wyatt has shown a willingness to go to the air while Sterling prefers to ground and pound you.
Mark Sterling will look to use his speed to get an edge to prove who is the very best in the Midwest today. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Tyler Cook knows very well how lethal Wyatt can be. (Photo Credit Bill Smith)
Stamina, speed and air attack advantage- EVEN
Finishers-
When Sterling locks in the Markshooter, the rest is history. (Photo Credit Brian Kelley)
Sterling is the owner of the Markshooter a variation of Stings Scorpion Deathlock or Bret Harts Sharpshooter. I would be rich if I got a dollar every time that I was at ringside taking photographs during his match that he locked this move in on his opponents in the feared Markshooter. The end result is always the same. Tap out or leave in pieces, either way I have a who’s who in photographs of some of the best in the sport on the wrong side of this painful move. To tell you how effective the Markshooter is, he has so much confidence in it, he uses it in tag team action and has still been able to pick up the win.
Wyatt will also have to be on the lookout for an explosive spear that Sterling has been adding to his arsenal of weapons. Will Sterling look to get a win off of Wyatt with the Markshooter, and once the bell rings and before Wyatt can get strength back in his legs will Sterling drill him with the spear to pick up a two fall lead?
Wyatt is a wizard inside the ring. The biggest and the fastest of wrestlers have fallen in the past few years. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Wyatt brings to the battle the lightning spiral, a move that is viscous in appearance and even more so for the final result for the unlucky soul that gets hit with it. He has perfected the maneuver with such precision that it has been his trademark on route to title after title. Even more impressive is how quick he is able to deliver the move.
Wyatt is a master of leverage and it also shows with his other finisher the crossface. The move has been deadly for his opponents with Wyatt brutalizing them by pulling their head backwards while having their legs wrapped up with no place to go. Sterling is a big guy, but with Wyatt locking him in a position where his power is neaturalized, this is a move that Wyatt will be wanting to use to take him to victory.
Finishers Advantage – EVEN
Confidence and momentum –
What has set Wyatt a part from almost everyone in the Midwest is his ability to stay cool under pressure. In big matches with Tyler Black, Davey Richards and Al Snow, Wyatt wrestles like its another day at the park. We have seen Wyatt cause near riots in promotions, and you can see the frustration and defeat in his opponents eyes throughout the match.
Sterling is cocky, brash and rightfully so, he is as well trained as anyone in the game today. The problem is does he truly believe it? We have seen in many matches in the past where he lost his composure and tends to showboat. Sterling has been impressive in the past with pinfall victories over Chase Stevens, Colt Cabana and a huge win over the Monster Abyss in a brutal ladder match. On the flip side , Sterling has found defeat at the hands of Snow, Black and Jerry Lynn , all three men that the Rebel can boast he has had his hand raised.
With Wyatt already leading in the series, can Sterling overcome the doubts that the Wyatt has planted in his head?
The scary thing for the Rebel is that Sterling is and even BETTER wrestler than he was when the MWR Awards committee voted him as the 2009 MWR Wrestler of the Year. Sterling has been dominate in 2010 at WLW with Steve Fender as one half of the WLW Tag Champs, won the 2010 3XW King of Des Moines Championship, trained once again at the WLW/Noah camp and followed that up with a training camp at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Last but not least he was able to submidt arguably the greatest wrestler in the world today Davey Richards.
Confidence and momentum Advantage – Jeremy Wyatt – With a history of wins in big matches, it is easier to name the matches that he has lost due to the fact that it is so rare. With Wyatt already in Sterling’s head is this match already the Rebel’s ?
Final verdict-
This could very well be the most important match in the future of the Midwest. Both men are highly touted as men who could very well be the best in the country that have not had a run with Ring of Honor, TNA or WWE.
Both know each other very well before going to war to see who truly is the best wrestler in the Midwest today. The longest 60 minutes in each of these two lives will be on the stage for the world to see.
Will Sterling look to overpower Wyatt early and push his weight around? Can Wyatt break Sterling mentally?
My advice for Wyatt is, if Sterling locks in the Markshooter, if you are unable to get out right away, tap quickly. Sterling has the move to perfection and the damage is done in a blink of an eye.
My Advice for Sterling, do not get overconfident and let the Rebel suck you in to thinking you are safe. You are never safe. Wyatt for all of his antics is always thinking and looking to deliver the big blow.
MWR Prediction- Jeremy Wyatt wins 3 to Mark Sterling’s 2
Plus a Holiday treat straight from our friends at 3XW
The latest free Match of the Month is a special holiday gift to our fans – a 3XW Heavyweight championship match featuring “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt!
Two-time 3XW Feud of the Year winners Jeremy Wyatt and Tyler Cook clash one last time in an intense battle for the 3XW Heavyweight championship in this highly-emotional battle. For more info about this lengthy rivalry, visit http://www.3xwrestling.com/Midnight-June10.htmand read a column which provides tremendous background info on the match. This bout took place at 3XW’s “Downtown Destruction 2” event on June 4, 2010 at the Des Moines Social Club. Commentary provided by Midnight Guthrie and “The Founder of MMA” Chad Mylan. Footage courtesy of SEP Video.
This match certainly showcases Wyatt’s abilities heading into 3XW’s first-ever No DQ 60 minute Ironman match between Wyatt and Mark Sterling on Jan. 7.
If you didn’t see it last month, here’s a great match featuring Mark Sterling vs. Gage Octane from May.
When you say the name Larry Matysik to a wrestling fan in St Louis, you get the same warm feeling that St Louis Cardinal fans get when you mention former ST Louis Cardinal announcer Jack Buck. Admiration and great memories quickly come to mind.
Both men were the fans best friend when it came to providing them with the much desired information about what was transpiring in the sport that they were into.
Buck was the man to hear the play by play of Cardinal greats such as Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Bruce Sutter. Fans watched as Matysik called play by play in matches that saw “King Kong” Brody, Dick “the Bruiser, Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Pat O’Connor, Harley Race, Buddy Rogers and many more in action.
St Louis promoter Sam Muchnick was wise enough to know that for wrestling to succeed in St Louis, a sports town that he would have to bring the same respectability that the Cardinals brought to the city.
Wrestling at the Chase
A main piece to the puzzle would be the Voice of Wrestling at the Chase. The television program which broadcast from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel would be the face of wrestling in St Louis.
Larry interviewing David Von Erich after beating Harley Race
Matysik has been much more than a man calling the play by play of great matches in St Louis. At the young age of 16 in 1963, Muchnick hire Matysik and would be very supportive and helpful in the career that saw Matysik also man the publicist and office manager, as well as book the matches.
In 1984 he would begin working with Vince McMahon and then WWF (now WWE) till 1993.
Matysik has since gone on to write some of the must read books in the industry including
1) Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling
Wrestling at the Chase is a fond, informative, amusing, and even poignant look at the who’s who of professional wrestling and legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick.
St. Louis was the capital, and Muchnick the ruler of professional wrestling, before Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment took over. What happened in St. Louis paved the way for today’s multi-billion-dollar sports entertainment industry. The centerpiece of this magical operation was “Wrestling at the Chase,” a television program which broadcast from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel.
Larry Matysik was Muchnick’s protégé and longtime announcer for the television show. With an insider’s eye for detail and accuracy, he recalls funny and amazingly touching tales about the characters who created professional wrestling as we know it. Ric Flair, “King Kong” Brody, Dick “the Bruiser,” the Von Erichs, Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Pat O’Connor, Johnny Valentine, Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Buddy Rogers, Jack Brisco, and Andre the Giant are all prominently featured. So is Muchnick himself, the Damon Runyan of wrestling, a man who helped mould the bizarre business of circus and sport. The savage twists of the politics of wrestling are on display as well, particularly the changes that rocked the mat world during the early ’80s.
2) Drawing Heat the Hard Way
Thrilling but flawed, entertaining despite the swerves and double-crosses, captivating even when repugnant… professional wrestling has enjoyed the attention and loyalty of untold millions for nearly a century. How and why is precisely what Larry Matysik examines in his third book, Drawing Heat the Hard Way: How Wrestling Really Works.
Wrestlers have their own private language, and in the unique world of wrestling “drawing heat” is a very good thing: the successful generation of crowd reaction and fan excitement. The Hard Way? That’s both exactly what it sounds like and something no one in the industry plans for: a legitimate and unintentional wound suffered because something’s gone awry. In Drawing Heat the Hard Way, Matysik explains what it takes to win the hearts and minds of wrestling fans, and how, at times, mistakes, controversy and unexpected turns of events have damaged the reputation or forever changed the business he loves.
If anyone understands wrestling, the problem-child offspring of whatever “real” sport is, it’s Matysik. Drawing Heat the Hard Way takes on the way wrestling is booked or planned; analyzes the roles of wrestlers and announcers, and explores steroids as an industry and fan issue. It also considers wrestling’s power-brokers, from those who influence the business by reporting on it, like Dave Meltzer, to those who make the final decisions on what gets broadcast every week, like the omnipresent Vince McMahon, and even to those who influence the sport with their pocketbooks — the fans themselves.
At times humorous, occasionally heartbreaking, always insightful, Drawing Heat the Hard Way is ultimately an objective take on what it means to be a wrestling fan, from someone who knows the business inside and out.
3) Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel
The most unpredictable and charismatic grappler of all time? The brute that made brawling an art before the term “hardcore” was coined? The confrontational businessman who fought for every penny he felt he deserved?
“Bruiser” Brody had no peers when it came to blood and guts, controversy and independence. Most wrestling promoters portrayed their top talent as exactly that kind of free-spirited, take-no-guff personality. They didn’t mean it, though — which explains why so few would admit to respecting Brody even as they featured him time and again.
So why did they give him work? Simple. “Bruiser” Brody delivered the goods in the ring and at the box office.
In the 1970s and early 80s, Brody was one of the few performers, along with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, to be recognized as a national star. With his fiery personality, Brody also conquered the international market.
Nearly two decades after his murder in Puerto Rico, Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel delivers a complete portrait of Brody’s remarkable life. Co-authors Barbara Goodish, Brody’s widow, and Larry Matysik, a close friend, offer a first-time opportunity to truly understand one of the sport’s most complex and controversial human beings. Goodish’s account of her husband’s horrific murder and its aftermath is both heartbreaking and compelling, while Matysik’s insider knowledge of the business puts Brody’s place in wrestling history into perspective. With a foreword by WWE announcer Jim Ross, Brody offers readers the unvarnished truth about one of the greatest wrestling legends of all time.
4) An electronic book- From the Golden Era
This unique digital publication offers a complete record of every twist and turn, of every performer, of all the battles from television’s legendary Wrestling at the Chase, and every card presented at both the historic Kiel Auditorium and The Arena (Checkerdome) during the glory era of the St. Louis promotion.
Wrestling at the Chase announcer and St. Louis insider Larry Matysik adds background about the personalities, business, secrets, and politics to make this electronic book a revealing, in-depth account of three decades of wrestling’s golden era. Featuring everything from attendance figures, to booking strategies, to insights and NWA championship bouts, From the Golden Era: The St. Louis Wrestling Record Book is the once-in-a-lifetime document that every serious wrestling observer must have.
Matysik has also been instrumental in keeping the history of one of the highest rated wrestling television programs Wrestling at the Chase alive with Classic St Louis Wrestling, hosted by Matysik himself. In 2007. Matysik headed a team to bring to St Louis the St Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame.
He was joined in this effort by promoter Herb Simmons, webmaster Mitch Martsey, sports journalist Keith Schildroth, and longtime fan Nick Ridenour. The Hall of Fame was created to honor the role St. Louis played in helping to establish professional wrestling in North America. Today the hall can be seen at the historic South Broadway Athletic club.
In 2011 fans in St Louis will once again be able to hear the Voice himself call wrestling matches when he returns to TV on Sunday February 6, 2011 at 11:30 am and then rebroadcast on Sunday evening at 10:30pm on Charter Cable channel 8. The matches will be taped in East Carondelet Community Center on Saturday January 22nd.
Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat
We were thrilled and excited when Matysik agreed to accept the 2009 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier this month at MMWA-SICW, MWR’S Dubray Tallman had the honor to present the plaque to a true gentleman and ambassador of pro wrestling, Larry Matysik
Once again, thank you so much for your positive contribution to pro wrestling Larry Matysik.
Please join us at MWR on January 1st when we will announce the recipient for the 2010 MWR Lifetime Achievement Award.
By Brian Kelley – Missouri Wrestling Revival Owner and Editor All photos from Mike Van Hoogstraat
The world of wrestling is full of talented wrestlers that thrill fans each and every weekend around the country. With hopes and dreams to become household names, the chances are slim.
Today with reality TV and the sport being so open for anyone from models to actors to get in the ring , there are many people that go out to become a wrestler. Some of them have the dedication and talent to excel in the sport while others get a moment in the spotlight that others should well receive.
I am just one man but I feel very strongly that a wrestler that wants to make their dreams come true then they will have to stay active. The first order is to find proper training from the best like Harley Race’s Wrestling Academy in Eldon Missouri.
Then once you get “trained” a wrestler has to understand that WWE, TNA or ROH is not going to come find them, you have to make yourself known to them. Staying active, making sure you are at the gym, working on conditioning working shows, selling yourself at all times.
It could take years and there will is sure to be disappointments along the way. The truth of the matter is that your dream of making it “ big” may never happen.
If you are an aspiring wrestler, I highly recommend you stay positive and always learning. Finding ways to get your name out there in a positive light and always be in shape, always be ready to steal the show.
Recently my good friend and MWR photographer Mike Van Hoogstraat had the honored to be able cover Ohio Valleys’ tryout in Louisville Kentucky.
The camp was filled with influential and some of the great minds in the business including OVW’S Danny Davis, Rip Rogers, Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore and none other than Jim Cornette and former WWE wrestler Mike Mondo who has recently made appearances this month with Ring of Honor.
Some of the very best in the Midwest made their way from DES Moines , to Kansas City to ST Louis and in between took advantage of this two day camp.
In attendance were the reigning MWR Wrestler of the Year Mark Sterling. Sterling is currently a double champion holding the NWA Central States title as well as one half of the WLW Tag titles with “Superstar” Steve Fender.
Wrestling fans around the world know the name Evan Bourne who has electrified the WWE. His brother Mike Sydal has not just sat around waiting for a phone call just because he has a brother who is a star. No Sydal has wrestled around the country ,taking part in the annual WLW/NOAH camp while earning the 2009 PWI Rookie of the Year award. He has continued his momentum in 2010 be a part of the Chikara’s 2010 Young Lions Cup. Sydal would train at the ROH training facility
The hard work would pay off as fans around the world would be able to see him on ROH HDNET in matches with stars such as Tyler Black, Christopher Daniels and Kyle O’Reilly.
Sir Bradley Charles is a man that everyone at MWR is all a buzz about. A great look, mixed with a desire to be the best. SBC trained at the Lance Storm Wrestling Training Academy. Since then SBC has already wrestled in Canada and Australia. In Kansas City he has been earning a Kings welcome home at Metro Pro Wrestling.
MWR Fans in the Midwest are familiar with the “Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell. Rockwell has been a former 2 t-time 3XW Pure Champion as well as the current MECW Independent Champion.
Dave Vaughn is a name that many fans know in St Louis. The wrestling machine took the skills learned from taking part in the WLW/Noah camp in 2009 to parlay that into his first MMWA-SICW Championship. Vaughn was a dominate champion until being upset from “The Future” Donovan Ruddick with a little help from Brandon Espinosa and Travis Cook.
Zach Thompson has been a part of one of the most popular tag teams ever at 3XWrestling with Mike Sydal called the High Flyers. Thompson has also found success as a singles competitor at both 3XW being a Pure wrestling champion and a MECW Champion.
One of the most powerful men in the Midwest is “MEAN” Mason Beck. Beck stands a towering 6’5 and weighing 250 IBS. A powerful man with unlimited potential, he was last seen at PWE teaming up with “The Future” Donovan Ruddick with manager Mr. Late Nite to get a win against the PWE Champion The Mississippi Madman and former WWE’S Eugene.
The purpose of speaking on each of these men’s accomplishments is to highlight the fact that everyone of them are not just resting of them. They are doing all they can to be the best in the not only the Midwest but the world.
In this extended recap there are many students from around the country. At MWR, we do not each of the guys names that took part in the pictures but we hope they know that this post is a salute to them and their hard work.
In this feature you will see them work on the basics, moves and have some matches to show off their skills
Last but not least we would like to thank Mike Van Hoogstraat for sharing this with us and Ohio Valley Wrestling for the opportunity to show you how the professionals become the stars that we know them.
Years of experience was on hand to teach in this two day camp including Danny Davis, Jim Cornette and Nick “Eugene Dinsmore. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
“Mean” Mason Beck(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Dave Vaughn in the center of the ring. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Mike Sydal and Sir Bradley Charles work on their technique. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
The trainers were hands on throughout the two days giving their advice to do it the right way. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Lock up! (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Mike Mondo gives his advice to the class. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Sterling and Sydal know each other very well over the past few years.(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Rockwell and Thompson gets advice from Mike Mondo.(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
First match (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
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Thompson explodes. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
SBC getsn nailed by the big guy. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
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(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Cocky Dave Vaughn feels the power of a real womens slap. (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Miscommunication by Vaughn and his partner .(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
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(Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Miscommunication by Vaughn and his partner . (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
Many claim that he is the greatest wrestler of All-time!!
His name is Ric Flair! He has thrilled fans with matches between legends such as Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Sting and Shawn Michaels. He has wrestled around the world and is a 16 time World Champion.
We are thrilled that he took the time to show off the Missouri Wrestling Revival t-shirt with MWR’S Dubray Tallman.
Missouri Wrestling Revival 