Posted by flairwhoooooo on January 1, 2017
Clint Poe & Jimmy D def. Curt Gannon & Cousin Gator
Bobby D def. The Big Texan by DQ
Gary Jackson & Sean Vincent def. Curtis Wylde & Dave Vaughn
Wrestling legend Jimmy Hart and Santa visit the SICW fans during the intermission.
Johnny Blade def. Moondog Rover
Cowboy Marc Houston def. Chris Hargas
Kongo Kong def. Travis Titan
Steve Fender def. Ken Kasa by DQ
SICW Classic Champ Ron Powers def. Vic The Bruiser
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Big Daddy, Bobby D, Chris Hargas, Clint Poe, Cousin Gator, Cowboy Marc Houston, Curt Gannon, December 2016, Herb Simmons, Jimmy D, Jimmy Hart, Johnny Blade, Ken Kasa, Kongo Kong, Larry Matysik, Missouri Wrestling Revival, MMWA-SICW, MWR, Ron Powers, SICW, Steve Fender, The Big Texan, Travis Cook, Travis Titan, Vic the Bruiser, WWE, WyldeFyre | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on December 11, 2016
(KPLR) – On Sunday Sports Extra, veteran wrestling promoter Herb Simmons joined Rich Gould on Sunday Sports Extra to talk about vintage shows on “Wrestling at the Chase“. Herb is Executive Director of St. Clair’s 911 system and still has wrestling shows in the Metro St. Louis area SICW . He’s been a promoter 43 years.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Herb Simmons, KPLR, Rich Gould, Sunday Sports Extra, Wrestling at the Chase | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on December 8, 2016
Plus the Manager of Champions Travis Cook has a message for Jimmy Hart
SICW ALL-STAR WTESTLING
Only at SICW events will you see this quality of talent keeping the St.Louis Wrestling tradition alive. Larry Matysik, former right hand man to the late Sam Muchnick knows more about the history and tradition of St.Louis wrestling than anyone. Travis Cook and Big Daddy both have managed and been in the ring with legends and made some also. “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart has managed many of the greats. These four individuals will be at the meet and greet this coming Saturday December 10th at 5pm at the East Carondelet Illinois community center. Call 618-286-4848 to get information on the cost to attend both events.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Big Daddy, Herb Simmons, Jimmy Hart, Larry Matysik, Missouri Wrestling Revival, MWR, SICW, Travis Cook, WWE | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on November 23, 2016
When Ricky Cruz told me recently that he was calling it a career for some reason I just did not compute that it would actually happen. Maybe I was in denial. Time passed and to be honest I had forgotten all about it till I was having breakfast at Denny’s with my friends Ben Simon, Patrick Brandmeyer and Gary Weiss and it was one of the main topics this past Friday night.
To say that Ricky Cruz was influential in the Midwest since his debut in 2011 would be an understatement. One of the top stars in his country of Puerto Rico, fans quickly fell in love with not only the wrestling skills that Cruz possessed but the rare charisma that only a few are blessed with. In fact other than Brandon Espinosa and Jeremy Wyatt there most likely is no other wrestler that I photographed or wrote their name on our site more throughout his time in the Midwest, than “The King of Chaos”, Ricky Cruz.
There is no doubt that his feuds and matches with the likes of Ron Powers, Jeremy Wyatt, Adam Pearce, and Jake Dirden will be remembered for years to come. More than once I have seen a crowd that was dead for one reason or another come alive as Cruz was able to establish a connection with them and get them to their feet.
Cuz always took the time to help other young stars in the area along the way with advice in and out of the ring. Though I have mentioned it more than once already it can’t be stated enough the connection that Ricky Cruz had with his fans, young and old. As a photographer he made my job FUN and easy when it was time to get that awesome photo of a wrestler with his fans, before, during and after the matches. If I only had a dollar each time a fan asked for me to take their photo with him through the years I could take December off.
He would go on to star for almost every respectable company in the MWR Coverage area, winning titles and being named the 2014 MWR Wrestler of the Year. We were also honored to have him be a part of the first series of the MWR Trading card set at number #78.
When Ben Simon came up with the idea of having a MWR Missouri Title, Ricky Cruz became the first ever champion when he defeated Jake Dirden. I am forever grateful that he took pride in carrying the title that had the MWR name throughout the state of Missouri. We had so much fun through his reign working with several top promotions and wrestlers along the way.
On a personal level, the future Mrs. Brian Kelley, (Dubray) and I will always consider Ricky a dear friend.
This Saturday I hope that you join me as we say farewell to Ricky Cruz as he takes on his arch rival Jake Dirden one last time at Dynamo Pro Wrestling at the Ready Room on Saturday night.
I leave you with Ricky Cruz’s final goodbye through social media, but it will be so much sweeter for you to say goodbye to him in person.
By the way Ricky if you decide to renege on this announcement afterwards I am all for it.
Cruz can’t lose.
Brian Kelley – Missouri Wrestling Revival Owner and Editor
Thank you!!
Since May 2011 I’ve had the opportunity to be here in the mid-west doing what I love, WRESTLING. It’s been great to have the chance to entertain the fans and work with so many talented people.
I wanted to take a minute before this 2 last matches and thank the people that have help me and encourage me to continue doing what I love when I thought I would never set foot in a ring ever again. When I came to St. Louis I was injured and I was never to wrestle again or at least that’s what I was told by my Dr. but that wasn’t the case.
As I was getting better I had the chance to meet Keith Smith and Tony Costa, two gentleman that has been in wrestling forever. They gave me a place to train and later on my first opportunity to come back to the ring. For that I will forever be grateful.
Also thanks to Herb Simmons because he gave me a chance to do great things at SICW. Even when we don’t see eye to eye in a couple of things this days I still appreciate the opportunity and the faith he had in me and my work. I hope one day we can seat at Steak and Shake like we use to and talk wrestling.
I have to thank all the veterans that helped in any way, Keith, Chester, Gary, Pete, for all the advice and their comments. Thank you for helping me be better at this craft.
To Dynamo Pro
For giving me a home, a family, and a purpose. It has been an amazing journey with the group and I will definitely miss the shows. Jim Yount, don’t ever quit, don’t ever slow down, you have something really special in your hands.
Crystal Yount my big sis, thank you for always being the voice of reason, for always believing in me and always care about was going on with me. You are family to me!
To the Dynamo staff
From the announcers, photographer, merchandise tables, security, Door, everybody, I will miss hanging out all the time. thanks for the good times!
To my family
Thank you for always keeping me going, for the support and for showing up and surprising me at the shows, it always meant a lot to me
Amanda, what can I say, my corner stone, you being there at every show made it so much bigger. Thank you for not only supporting me but for living the wrestling life with me, the pains, the road trips, the endless nights, the merch table, the driving, the weeks away from each other, the sacrifices and the Iron Skillets hehehe
To the boys
Thank you for the training sessions, the road trips, the stories the laughs and the matches. It’s been amazing to spend all this time with you guys. I love you all! Except you Espy…… hehehe
To the guys like Espy, Dirden, Outlaw, Wyatt, Shorty, Dingo, Pearce, Noriega, Discovery, Barry HP, it was an honor and a privilege to be in the ring with you. Thank you for making me look better than I am hehehe!
To MWR
Thank you for covering my matches, for the pics, and for the awards. Thanks to you I always had pics to send my son. Thanks Brian!!
To all the companies in the area
MMWA,SICW, DYNAMO,CWA,3XW,METRO,NEW BREED,GWF,IWA MID,GATEWAY ELITE,GALLI
Thank you for the opportunity, the respect and the chance to perform in front of the crowds.
To the fans thank you for always supporting me, for buying my merch, for screaming and chanting and making it fun for me. I’m truly grateful for all of it.
Its been amazing!!
Last 2 matches, lets make them count!!!
11.26.16 Ready Room St. Louis – Ricky Cruz vs Jake Dirden
12.11.16 Galli Arena Chicago – Ricky Cruz vs El Mesias
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: 2014 MWR Wrestler of the Year, 3XW, Adam Pearce, Ben Simon, Brandon Espinosa, Crystal Yount, CWA, Dingo, DYNAMO, El Mesias, GALLI, Galli Arena Chicago, Gary Weiss, GATEWAY ELITE, GWF, Herb Simmons, IWA MID, Jake Dirden, jeremy wyatt, Jim Yount, Keith Smith, METRO, Mike Outlaw, Missouri Wrestling Revival, MMWA, MWR Missouri Champion, MWR Trading Card, NEW BREED, Patrick Brandmeyer, Ready Room, Ricky Cruz, ROH, Ron Powers, SICW, TNA, Tony Costa, WWE | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on November 15, 2016
By Patrick Brandmeyer
Our ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Denny Thomas, Jay King, and Nick Ridenour.
A local young lady sang the National Anthem to start the show…nicely done. Promoter Herb Simmons acknowledged the many sponsors and supporters of SICW as well as the Swansea Fire Department prior to the show’s opening matchup.
Moondog Rover vs. Waco(w/ Big Daddy): Moondog OVAH remains one of the most popular competitors in the area.
Big Daddy’s main charge Vic The Bruiser has been gaining momentum, picking up a recent win over Sean Vincent and being scheduled to face Gary Jackson at the next East Carondelet show.
This was your standard-issue Moondog match, but Waco got the cheap rollup pin with a handful of denim in 6:57.
Larry Matysik paid a visit to say a few words to the fans in attendance. I shook his hand as he was leaving…unfortunately, I’ve only had a handful of opportunities to converse with Larry. If I’d remembered the raffle for a steak dinner with Larry and Herb, I would have brought more cash than I did…
Big Jim Hoffarth vs. “The Suplex Cyclone” Curt Gannon: Gannon recently made his St. Louis-area debut with a time-limit draw against Superstar Steve Fender in East Carondelet; this was my first time seeing him in person. He was able to execute a couple of very impressive suplexes on the 300-plus-pounder, living up to his nickname.
At one point Hoffarth accidentally threw Gannon over the top rope and the referee didn’t call for a disqualification…whoops. At any rate, Hoffarth rallied but missed a big splash off the second rope…Gannon took advantage with a hold called the Arachnid Clutch(a trapped-arm headscissors on the mat).
Not sure if it was a tapout or unconscious “submission”, but that was the ballgame in 7:02…slight upset there.
Flaming Freddie Fury vs. Purple Passion: THE REMATCH TO END ALL REMATCHES~! Fury and Passion entered together, but Herb told them that they were facing each other.
They did do more actual wrestling this time around, as opposed to going full comedy as they did in their previous bout.
This match also had an actual finish, as Passion won with a Fameasser in 5:51.
“Dead Sexy” Daniel Gunner vs. “The” Ace Hawkins: Hawkins was particularly insistent about the ring announcement, especially the pronunciation of his nickname(“THEE”).
Gunner had a size and power advantage(as one heckling fan noted to Ace: “Why are you so tiny?”), but Ace used his speed and agility to gain an advantage. Gunner had a strong effort, but Ace rolled up him with feet on the ropes for the cheap win in 9:30.
“Your Canadian Hero” Sean Vincent vs. “Unstable” Dave Vaughn: These two have feuded for the past several months; Vaughn has been intent on turning Vincent into a “villain” again. The match was pretty good despite a few sloppy spots; Vincent just barely got Vaughn up and over for a backdrop in the early minutes of the match.
These two have worked together enough times that they’re familiar with each other(SCOUTING~!); Vincent picked up the victory after a Death Valley Driver in 11:01.
“Ironman” Ken Kasa vs. “Volatile” Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre), Lumberjack Match: The Swansea firefighters were the lumberjacks and made their entrance to “Proud To Be An American”. It took some time for them to get their cue…I had to make the wisecrack that, per Ben Simon, they were waiting for the beat to drop.
Wylde tried to walk away from the match, only to be blocked by the mascot Firepup and carried back to the ring by the firefighters. In terms of working for its intended purpose, I would consider this the best match of the night; Wyldefyre got another “Shiny Pants Has No Butt” chant, if I remember correctly.
Wyldefyre tried to interfere and a firefighter carried her away from ringside on his shoulders…hey, we just saw a fireman’s carry by an actual fireman! *ducks thrown objects* Firepup blinded Wylde with a fire extinguisher and Kasa capitalized with the John Wu Dropkick to win in 10:37…nicely done.
Classic Champion Ron Powers & “Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One” Gary Jackson vs. Attila Khan & Brandon Espinosa(w/ Travis Cook), best-of-three-falls cage match: This was a brawl from start to finish; Khan was left bloody, as has become tradition.
The match seemed rushed from my perspective, but the fans liked it and that’s what counted. Khan pinned Jackson after hitting him in the throat with his fork in 3:24. Jackson gave him a taste of his own medicine with a throat shot with the fork, pinning Khan to even the score in 5:10(total).
(Everyone’s favorite domestic terrorist Travis had the chutzpah to complain about Jackson’s use of the foreign object.) Espy scaled the cage to deliver a cross-bodyblock onto Powers & Jackson. (The cage wasn’t particularly tall compared to those in bigger promotions, but it was still a cool visual.) Travis threw a chair into the cage and decked the official on the arena floor, leading to Espinosa using it to clean house; however, he couldn’t score the deciding fall on either opponent. Khan picked up Jackson for a bodyslam, but fell over Powers in a schoolboy trip and Powers dropped an elbow on Khan for the final fall in 8:30(total); all right then. Powers defends against Espinosa at the East Carondelet show on the 19th…that should be a very interesting bout.
(EDIT 11/13: The TV show reminded me of more details from the bout; Travis actually entered the cage after striking referee Jay King in an attempt to interfere, then tried to get Espy out of the cage for the win only to find out that escaping the cage wasn’t an official way to win…heh.)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Ace Hawkins, Attila Kahn, Big Daddy, Brandon Espinosa, Curt Gannon, Curtis Wylde, Daniel Gunner, Dave Vaughn, Flaming Freddie Fury, Gary Jackson, Herb Simmons, Jay King, Jim Hoffarth, Ken Kasa, Larry Matysik, Moondog, Moondog Rover, Purple Passion, Ron Powers, Sean Vincent, SICW, Vic the Bruiser, Waco, WyldeFyre | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on October 30, 2016
Here is your chance to help support the firefighters of the Swansea fire Department by supporting their fundraiser on Saturday November 5th 8pm at their firehouse.
Plus get a chance to win a free Steak dinner at OutBack steak house with Larry Matysik and Promoter Herb Simmons and talk with them about the golden days of Wrestling at the Chase. They both have hours of stories and knowledge. Other will try to tell you they know about it, but they don’t have the facts like these two have.
That’s Saturday November 5th 8pm Swansea fire house 144 Huntwood rd.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Herb Simmons, Larry Matysik, SICW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on August 31, 2016
By Patrick Brandmeyer
Photos Brian Kelley
Note: Patrick Brandmeyer and Brian Kelley arrived late to this event.
Your ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Nick Ridenour, Jay King, & Denny Thomas.
Bobby D vs. “The Enforcer” Jimmy D: I somehow suspect this may not make it to television, so the particulars of the match may be lost to the ages. All I know is that Bobby won by pinfall in 5:11 (thanks Drew & Doug).
Karim Brigante vs. “The Freestyle Phenom” Jay Howard(w/ Roy Lewis & “The Natural” J.A. Fair): I feel like I’m doomed to eternally miss Fair’s official appearances on wrestling shows; I’ve crossed paths with him at shows in the past, but never when he’s actually booked. I look forward to seeing this one as it was probably a good one, judging by the participants…guess I’ll find out in due time. Reportedly Brigante scored the victory after a roaring elbow in 6:13 (again, thanks Drew & Doug).
“Your Canadian Hero” Sean Vincent & Johnny Blade vs. “Volatile” Curtis Wylde & “Unstable” Dave Vaughn(w/ Wyldefyre): Given the nicknames, that rulebreaker team seems like a surprisingly good fit. Vincent and Vaughn have the current feud, but the history between Vincent and Wylde is extensive and well-documented.
Blade ran afoul of Vaughn in July in more ways than one, as Vaughn scored a cheap win over him via low blow. Vincent & Wylde brawled out of the building…THAT would have been a fine time for me to walk in the door if I’d arrived a few minutes later.
Wyldefyre tripped up Blade and Vaughn capitalized with the double-underhook DDT for the win in 9:49.
Moondog Rover vs. Waco(w/ Big Daddy): Circumstances beyond his control have left Big Daddy reaching for proteges, it would seem. Ax Allwardt has been MIA; Bubba Troll is out with injury issues and Vaughn was cut loose from the stable a few months back.
Of course Moondog remains OVAH~!. but the impeccably-attired Big Daddy had to be sure his new charge made a strong impression.
Moondog nearly won with his version of the World’s Strongest Slam, but a distraction by the manager allowed Waco to get the rollup pin with a handful of denim in 5:47.
“Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One” Gary Jackson vs. Big Jim Hoffarth vs. “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook): This match would determine the next challenger to the Classic Title. I could have sworn a previous TV show had set up a Hoffarth vs. Wylde & Wyldefyre handicap match of some kind, but I guess I was mistaken. Kahagas had made a splash in his SICW debut with a surprising clean win over the veteran mainstay Jackson.
This one was surprisingly short; Kahagas had Jackson cornered, but sidestepped as Hoffarth charged with an avalanche. The big man hit Gary by mistake, leading to Kahagas disposing of Hoffarth with a roundhouse kick to the head before pinning Jackson in 5:55. Kahagas is the new number-one contender to the Classic Wrestling Championship and he appears to have the number of Gary Jackson.
“Ironman” Ken Kasa & “Dead Sexy” Daniel Gunner vs. Brandon Espinosa & “The Icon” Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook): Oddly, this was the only one of the three matches featuring Travis’ charges where he provided his own introductions. Espy and Hargas added their two cents; Hargas has shown a lot of improvement on his mic work in recent months.
Kasa has been feuding with Travis Cook’s Organization in general and Hargas in particular, culminating in last month’s 30-Minute Ironman Match victory over Hargas. Kasa got Cook in the ring for five minutes and humiliated him by pulling down his pants, revealing his trademark Spongebob Squarepants boxer shorts…bwahahaha. As a result, Travis promised a reward to either of his proteges if they did some damage to Kasa in this tag match.
The TCO were a slightly more cohesive unit in this one, having done a lot of damage in recent months with the spike piledriver…when they teased the double-team move on Gunner, the referee warned them against it only to be blatantly decked by Espy.
That drew a disqualification in 9:53 as Espy and Hargas delivered the spike piledriver…Gunner had to be stretchered out of the ring, leaving Kasa to vow revenge for his partner’s injury.
Miss Monica Passeri vs. Paloma Starr: Despite being a fan favorite in her previous SICW apperance(vs. Lucy Mendez), Paloma was a rulebreaker on this night.
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Notably, Brigante and Monica are fan favorites here…both have struck me as being extremely friendly and courteous in person. Monica had some clothing issues as her T-shirt was ripped, so she was covering herself for a good portion of the matchup. This actually led to a fan throwing her a jacket at one point!
Curtis Wylde & Wyldefyre made their way to ringside for a closer look at the bout; Monica overcame both opponent and wardrobe malfunction as she won with an X-Factor(sitout faceslam) in 8:07.
The Wyldes cornered Monica afterwards, as apparently Wyldefyre has exclusive rights to female presence in this promotion…that brought out Karim Brigante to back up his lady and set up a mixed tag match for September 17th.
Wylde threatened to send them back to Italy by getting their work visas revoked…and that somehow turned into an official stipulation for the matchup. However, the Wyldes will be booted from SICW if THEY lose…huh. Wyldefyre hasn’t been in a lot of official matches; her previous action took place at South Broadway almost ten years ago against Jennifer Starr, so it’ll be interesting to see how she does in next month’s mixed tag.
Ron Powers vs. Attila Khan(w/ Travis Cook), no-DQ match for the Classic Title:
These two traded falls in last month’s best-of-three-falls six-man tag, setting up this bout. The referee checked Khan for weapons and found his fork, only to Travis to remind him of the stipulation so it was all for naught. As you might expect from the personalities involved, they didn’t wait long before throwing fists and brawling out of the ring. This scared the bejeezus out of some kids in my section, who were left crying and wanting to go home!
I dare say that Chuck Taylor(err, DUSTIN) has nothing on these two. Chairs flew, Khan bled, and miraculously they made it back to the ring. Travis instructed Khan to wedge a metal garbage can between the turnbuckles, but the momentary loss of focus allowed Powers to avalanche him from behind.
Khan was sandwiched between his opponent and the trash can and turnbuckles, giving Powers the opening to finish with the RKO in a brisk 4:34!
Chaos erupted after the bell as Brandon Espinosa and Chris Hargas hit the ring to attack Powers along with Khan. Ken Kasa and Gary Jackson joined the fray, as did Kahagas…ending the show with a staredown between Powers and Kahagas, who will face each other for the title on September 17th.
So two matches are set up for the next East Carondelet show…
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: "The Manager of Champions" Travis Cook, "Volatile" Curtis Wylde, 2011 WWE’S Tough Enough, Big Daddy, Bobby D, Brandon Espinosa, Brian Danielson, Chris Hargas, Dave Vaughn, Davey Vega Gary Jay, FIT App, Herb Simmons, J.A. Fair, Jay Howard, Jim Hoffarth, Jimmy D, Johnny Blade, Kahagas, Karim Brigante, Ken Kasa, Miss Monica, Moondog, Paloma Starr, ROH, Ron Powers, Roy Lewis, Sean Vincent, SICW, Waco, WWE, WyldeFyre | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on July 7, 2016
By Patrick Brandmeyer
Photos Brian Kelley
Promoter Herb Simmons started the show by acknowledging the recent passings of Gypsy Joe and Muhammad Ali. Gypsy Joe was a bit before my time, but he had in-ring wars in his later years against such opponents as New Jack and Necro Butcher. Quite a few of the wilder rasslin stories in history involve the name of Gypsy Joe, to say the least. Herb also noted that it was the birthday of the late Bruiser Brody, segueing into the ten-bell salute.
“Your Canadian Hero” Sean Vincent vs. Britton Tucker: Tucker is not well-liked in East Carondelet; one female fan was particularly irate about Tucker’s mere presence and Tucker promised to take her out to Olive Garden after the show. Bwahahaha.
They had a solid opener and Vincent appeared to be on the verge of winning with his Mapleleaf Leglock, but “Unstable” Dave Vaughn entered the ring and blatantly attacked TUCKER…thus getting Vincent disqualified in 7:44. Har har. Afterwards, Vincent reaffirmed that Vaughn would not turn him back into a “villain” as he insisted he would.
“The Fury” Jason Vaughn vs. “The Incredible” Matt Kenway (Look At Him): We have two guys in SICW with the last name of Vaughn…cue the MARKET CONFUSION~! Kenway was substituting for Ax Allwardt(Vaughn’s scheduled opponent).
Vaughn’s two young children were in attendance and were VERY vocal in their support of their father. Kenway did a good job in the rulebreaking role and targeted Vaughn’s arm, but Vaughn made El Big Comeback and got the figure-four leglock out of nowhere for the submission in 6:08.
Bobby D vs. “Unstable” Dave Vaughn: Vaughn’s transition into Heath Ledger Joker continues with the similar hair and the eye makeup. Vaughn controlled most of the matchup, but had trouble putting D away and went for a chair.
That brought out Vincent to confiscate the weapon, leading to Bobby D getting the rollup pin on a distracted Vaughn in 5:14. Vaughn didn’t seem too upset about the loss, laughing about how Vincent’s interference proved that he truly was reverting to his old ways…more on this as it develops.
Flaming Freddie Fury vs. Purple Passion: WHEN EFFEMINATE MASKED WRESTLERS COLLIDE~! The fans in attendance had no idea what to make of this encounter, though I heard several people call out “This isn’t wrestling!”
The two ended up falling into 69 position on the ring apron and both were counted out in 5:43. The two literally left arm-in-arm.
“Dead Sexy” Daniel Gunner vs. Brandon Espinosa(w/ Travis Cook): . Travis started out by loudly complaining about the previous match, asking if Vince Russo had booked it. Espinosa followed suit, continuing his mindset that he’s above everyone else in the promotion by insulting several members of the locker room…that included his scheduled opponent for the evening.
This was a solid matchup with Gunner doing better than I would have expected. At any rate, Espy got the cross-armbreaker out of nowhere for the tapout in 7:18.
Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Bubba Troll(w/ Big Daddy): Hoffarth won last month’s Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal and Troll was the last man eliminated, so Troll obviously wanted some payback in this battle of super heavyweights. I jokingly throw around “#ClubbingForearms” at times like this, but it’s not like we’re gonna see a lucha-style match out of these guys. I’m often told that casual fans would rather see a “fight” than a “wrestling match”, at any rate.
In a slight surprise, Troll got the win after a splash off the second rope in 8:30…Drew tried to get a word with Hoffarth afterwards, but he wasn’t feeling up to an interview after BEING SPLASHED FROM THE SECOND ROPE BY A LARGE OPPONENT. Timing, Drew.
“Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One” Gary Jackson & “Ironman” Ken Kasa vs. “The Icon” Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook), “St. Louis Handicap Match”: Hargas & Espinosa defeated Kasa in this style of match in May, so Hargas wanted to prove that he could do what Kasa couldn’t. The match had a fifteen-minute limit and the tag team would win if the single wrestler couldn’t win a decision in that time frame. Kasa wanted to fight on his own and asked Gary to stay outside the ring…so the match was basically a singles bout with Gary doing his beset to thwart interference attempts by Travis Cook.
Travis was able to get involved enough that the referee was distracted after Kasa delivered the John Wu Dropkick…at that moment, Jackson chased Travis back to the dressing room area. Kasa locked on a version of the rear naked choke as the time limit ticked down, but Hargas didn’t tap out until RIGHT after the closing bell sounded at 15:00. Technically Jackson & Kasa won the match, but Kasa wanted a decisive victory…so the July show will feature a thirty-minute Ironman Match between Kasa and Hargas. Goodie.
Johnny Blade vs. “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook): Blade returned to the St. Louis area fairly recently after previously being a regular for both SICW and the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance. Kahagas won with a pumphandle Michinoku Driver in 5:54.
Ron Powers vs. Attila Khan for the Classic Title, Travis Cook Banned From Ringside: The past two months of Wrestling Explosion have attempted to compare this rivalry to Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher, as Powers is a protege of the late Brody and Khan has a similar style to the “Madman From The Sudan”. This wasn’t a technical classic and wasn’t expected to be…Khan played that popular Memphis game of “Where Oh Where Could The Foreign Object Be?” Hey, it ticks off the fans and that’s what counts for a rulebreaker. Ron had control when the rulebreakers’ locker room essentially emptied on Khan’s behalf to cause the DQ in 3:53. It started with Bubba Troll, then continued with Brandon Espinosa, Chris Hargas, and Kahagas with Big Daddy attempting to direct traffic.
It took a while for the fan favorites’ locker room to get the memo, but finally Ken Kasa and Gary Jackson hit the ring to help. Once they brought chairs into the fray, the rulebreakers backed off…that wrapped up the show.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Attila Khan, Big Daddy, Bobby D, Brandon Espinosa, Britton Tucker, Bruiser Brody, Chris Hargas, Daniel Gunner, Dave Vaughn, Flaming Freddie Fury, Gary Jackson, Gypsy Joe, Herb Simmons, Jason Vaughn, Jim Hoffarth, Johnny Blade, Kahagas, Ken Kasa, Matt Kenway, Purple Passion, ROH, Ron Powers, Sean Vincent, SICW, TNA, Travis Cook, Troll, WWE, WWF | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on May 14, 2016
By Patrick Brandmeyer
Photos By Brian Kelley
“Memories Of Elvis” star Steve Davis sang the National Anthem; after that, they had a ten-bell salute to Blackjack Mulligan and Balls Mahoney (R.I.P.).
Bobby D vs. Attila Khan(w/ Travis Cook): Travis gave a grand reintroduction to Khan, who hadn’t been seen in SICW since his cage match loss to Gary Jackson in December. Other than a brief flurry of offense by D (somersault plancha included), Khan dominated most of this opening bout. Khan pulled him up from a pin attempt after the inverted DDT, then hit the finisher a second time for the easy win in 3:02.
The dynamic duo of Terry Funk and Larry Matysik did a random draw to determine the first-round matches in the Funk Title Tournament; the winner would be guaranteed a shot at the Classic Wrestling Championship. The draw produced several interesting bouts.
Ron Powers vs. Big Jim Hoffarth, Terry Funk Title Tournament Quarterfinal: I didn’t expect a lot of technical wizardry in this one, but the two heavyweights did start the match with an exchange of holds. Of course, it quickly turned into a slugfest that culminated in two straight instances of simultaneous clotheslines. The power game was the deciding factor as Ron delivered a huge released German suplex for the win in 4:17; the two shook hands after the match. Given the tournament field, Powers seemed like the clear favorite to emerge victorious…but a few new wrinkles would surface in the big picture.
“Unstable” Dave Vaughn vs. Ax Allwardt(w/ Big Daddy), Terry Funk Title Tournament Quarterfinal: Big Daddy managed both men, so he entered on his own after both wrestlers made their way to the ring. Vaughn returned to wrestling as a member of Big Daddy’s new stable as the veteran manager returned to his rulebreaking ways; the group also includes Bubba Troll, who was absent on this night. Vaughn had said that Big Daddy got him out of an insane asylum; he had “SANE” written on his wrist tape, though his demeanor would indicate otherwise. Vaughn had only recently returned to action after a layoff of several years, so it may take some time for him to get back into prime ring shape. With a matchup of two rulebreakers, the fans weren’t too invested in the bout; Vaughn seemed to be the lesser of two evils in this case. Big Daddy loudly proclaimed that he didn’t care who won as he got the winner’s share of the purse money in either case; however, he distracted the referee after Vaughn hit his signature spear. That distraction enabled Ax to hit Vaughn with his chain behind the referee’s back, scoring the tainted win in 5:54. On the heels of Vaughn and Ax’s tag team loss in March and this outcome, Big Daddy fired Vaughn from his stable…but a YouTube video showed Vaughn attacking Sean Vincent later in the night, so that feud will continue. At any rate, Ax was set to face Ron Powers in the semifinals.
“The Fury” Jason Vaughn & “Dead Sexy” Daniel Gunner vs. Britton Tucker & Waco: In the tradition of Wrestling At The Chase, this tag match had two referees; Earl Hebner was the main referee and Jay King was on the floor. Vaughn and Tucker are newcomers to SICW; I first heard of Tucker from his days in World League Wrestling. Vaughn(market confusion~!) recently started with the promotion and I don’t know much about him. I would have expected the official’s roles to be reversed, but it was Hebner who was knocked down during the match’s closing moments. Vaughn small-packaged Tucker and Jay King entered the ring to count the fall in 8:40.
“Ironman” Ken Kasa vs. “The Icon” Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook), Terry Funk Title Tournament Quarterfinal: Kasa was booted from the Travis Cook Organization and it was his old friend Hargas who dished out the beating to accentuate that executive action. Kasa was looking for payback, but Hargas attacked him from behind as he was entering the ringside area. Hargas hit him across the back with a chair for the fun of it…and this happened before the opening bell, so it put Kasa at a several disadvantage. Kasa fought back and nearly won with a rear naked choke, but Travis reached through the ropes to rake Kasa’s eyes out of the referee’s line of sight. The fight repeatedly spilled out of the ring, finally resulting in a double countout in 7:12.
Promoter Herb Simmons interviewed the special guests for the evening: Terry Funk and Director Of Affairs Cowboy Bob Orton. Classic Champion Flash Flanagan entered the ring with some harsh words for the legends and said he had PLANNED to make a name for himself at their expense…but circumstances dictated otherwise as he has a torn rotator cuff. Flash admitted that he’s not cleared to compete and had to surrender the championship…he seemed to be in the process of a turn to fan favoritism in recent months, mostly through common enemies with the other “good guys” on the roster. Simmons, Funk, and Orton mutually agreed that the winner of the night’s tournament would earn the vacant championship…it seemed like the tourney winner would be next in line for the belt anyway.
“Your Canadian Hero” Sean Vincent vs. “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook), Terry Funk Title Tournament Quarterfinal: The winner of this match would get a bye to the finals due to the Kasa-Hargas double countout. Travis was on fire with his pre-match promo as Kahagas was his last horse in the race. While Vincent had a good run of momentum in the previous months, this seemed like a foregone conclusion as the former titleholder was driven to regain his gold. Kahagas got the win after a huge lariat in 6:22…and Vincent’s night got worse as he was attacked by Vaughn outside the building (as noted earlier).
Ron Powers vs. Ax Allwardt (w/ Big Daddy), Terry Funk Title Tournament Semifinal: Big Daddy’s distraction backfired this time as Powers gave Ax a taste of his own chain, notching the victory in 5:07 to go to the finals.
“Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One” Gary Jackson vs. “Volatile” Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre): This stemmed from Wylde wanting to rebound from his cage match loss to Sean Vincent in December, making a statement by attacking Jackson after his own cage match with Attila Khan. They caused each other’s eliminations in a six-man tag, then Wylde got suspended for attacking a referee during a singles bout between the two. Wylde bought a ticket to the March show and attacked Jackson AGAIN…Herb Simmons wanted to fire him outright, but Gary convinced him to let them settle things in the ring.
Wyldefyre put herself between Wylde and Jackson at the opening bell and was a constant nuisance for Gary…Wylde repeatedly used her as a human shield whenever Gary gave chase. The end came when Wyldefyre interjected herself AGAIN as Jackson was preparing to finish off her man. Gary avoided her slap attempt and picked her up to throw at Curtis Wylde, causing her to deliver an unintentional rana on Wylde! However, the referee made the unusual decision to call for the bell, disqualifying Jackson in 9:12 for using Wyldefyre as a weapon. The Wyldes celebrated their ill-begotten win while Gary confronted the referee over his thought process…that brought Herb Simmons into the situation.
Gary wanted one more shot at Wylde and Herb made it so for the May 21st show…with Wyldefyre locked in a cage to keep her out of things!
Ron Powers vs. “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook), Terry Funk Title Tournament Final: The tournament was originally to determine the next challenger to Flash Flanagan’s Classic Wrestling Championship, but Flanagan’s injury and forfeiture meant that the tournament winner would become the new titleholder.
It didn’t take long for this battle of heavy hitters to get out of hand…the two brawled out of the ring and all the way around the Community Center, whacking each other with chairs and other furniture. The referee allowed a lot of leeway with the stakes involved in the matchup, so they eventually made it back to the ring as the match continued. Seemingly out of nowhere, Powers hit the RKO for the win in 6:05 to become the NEWWWWW SICW Classic Wrestling Champion!
After the match, Flash Flanagan entered the ring…tension ensued, but he graciously handed the title belt over to Powers and then beat down Travis Cook with his kendo stick. That brought out the rest of Cook’s troops(Attila Khan and Chris Hargas), but Terry Funk and Cowboy Bob Orton hit the ring to help Powers fight them off! Once the dust settled, Herb proposed that Flash give the belt to the tournament’s namesake Funk; Funk then presented it properly to the new champion Ron Powers to close the show!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Attila Khan, AX, Balls Mahoney, Big Daddy, Big Jim Hoffarth, Blackjack Mulligan, Bobby D, Curtis Wylde, Dave Vaughn, Gary Jackson, Herb Simmons, Jason Vaughn, Larry Matysik, Ron Powers, Sean Vincent, SICW, Terry Funk, Travis Cook | Leave a Comment »
Posted by flairwhoooooo on June 14, 2015
All Photos by Brian Kelley
Stan Hansen, Ron Powers, Herb Simmons and Barbara Goodish
Tim and Jennifer meet Cowboy Bob Orton.
The fans love the 2014 MWR Wrestler of the Year Ricky Cruz ( top middle) and the Prince of SICW, Keith Smith Jr. (top left)
Cowboy Bob Orton was one of the top wrestlers of his day. Here he is seen watching one of his classic matches at the Wrestling at the Chase in between meeting the fans.
Fans were thrilled to pick up some rare wrestling memorabilia from AWA Ring announcer Mick Karch.
Brothers on Whatever host Nathan shows his love of Brody along with Big Daddy and Ron Powers.
These young girls were all smiles at SICW.
A great opportunity to meet the legends and get there autographs for the past few years has been SICW.
Stan Hansen loved to meet his fans young and old.
A great photo of a father and son along with Mick Karch… This young man wearing the the Andre shirt is so awesome.
The 2013 MWR Wrestler of the Year Jake Dirden made sure to get there early to pick the brain of the legend Stan Hansen for over twenty minutes.
Larry Matysik is one of the greatest wrestling minds today, unfortunately he was unable to be there, but behind every great man is a great women, for Larry it is his lovely wife Pat.
Justin Berry rocks the Rob Schamberger Brody shirt while meeting his lovely wife Barbara Goodish.
A standing-room-only audience packed the East Carondelet Community Center for Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling’s biggest show of the year. Fans flooded the building to honor the memories of both the anniversary of “Wrestling At The Chase” and the late King Kong “Bruiser” Brody.
The special guests were out in force. Along with Director Of Affairs Cowboy Bob Orton, the visitors in the house included Brody’s widow Barbara Goodish, Brody’s former tag partner Stan “The Lariat” Hansen, Larry Matysik’s wife Pat, and former AWA announcer Mick Karch. Promoter Herb Simmons acknowledged his guests at the top of the show before ring announcer Drew Abbenhaus kicked off the action.
In the opener, “Dirdey” Jake Dirden joined forces with Bobby D and “Dead Sexy” Daniel Gunner to take on the trio of Brandon Espinosa, “Volatile” Curtis Wylde, and Bubba Troll.
“Volatile” Curtis Wylde was in the house.
As always, Wylde was accompanied by his “Number-One Ginja” Wyldefyre.
It was a chaotic bout, as one would expect with so much humanity in one ring…as everyone brawled, Wyldefyre accidentally tripped her own man and that led to Bobby D finishing off Wylde with a Pedigree.
Two tough guys did battle as Big Jim Hoffarth locked horns with Ax. The two had crossed paths a few times in recent months without a decisive conclusion and were looking to settle the score on this meaningful night.
Big Jim with the body slam on Ax.
The battle spilled to the floor in the early minutes and Hoffarth went for a clothesline, but struck the ringpost when Ax moved out of the way. Ax pounced on the injury and targeted the bad limb with no mercy…Big Jim attempted to fight back, but had trouble defending himself and the referee finally stopped the bout out of concern for Hoffarth’s physical well-being. Ax was the winner…but Hoffarth still wanted a piece of his rival.
Chaz Wesson made quick work of Waco.
“The Old School Warrior” Chaz Wesson was out to make a statement and he did so at the expense of the masked man Waco.
Wesson unleashed a flurry of offense from the opening bell, pinning Waco in about a minute with a cross-bodyblock off the top rope…proving himself worthy of being in the thick of the Classic Wrestling Championship picture.
The Great One Gary Jackso.
“Night Train” Gary Jackson(w/ Big Daddy) had a literally huge task ahead of him in the form of the 300-plus-pound Barackus.
Jackson was attempting to rebound from his April loss of the Classic Title to Flash Flanagan, but he had trouble dealing with the size disadvantage. Barackus crushed the veteran with a huge Samoan Drop, but experience was the deciding factor as Barackus took his time on the pin attempt.
That allowed Gary to crucifix his shoulders to the mat for the pinfall, using the big man’s own size against him.
Herb Simmons interviewed Stan Hansen and Barbara Goodish about the night’s main event: The Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal. As noted, the bout held special significance for them due to their respective connections to its namesake…many contenders would be in the ring to earn that trophy, but only one could walk away with it.
Midwest newcomer Paloma Starr went one-on-one with “The Queen Of Chaos” Lucy Mendez…the two had a wild fight in a mixed tag the previous month, but this time there would be no tag team partners to hold them back.
Paloma Starr has the 2014 MWR Female Wrestler of the Year Lucy Mendez in deep trouble.
Starr had the power advantage, but Lucy’s experience would play a pivotal role in this one. She managed to outmaneuver Paloma and deliver a hanging DDT for the victory, continuing her run of success in the St. Louis area.
Two men at career crossroads faced each other as Keith Smith Jr. collided with “Ironman” Ken Kasa (accompanied by Travis Cook). Kasa was hoping to get back on track toward the Classic Wrestling Championship while the upstart Smith had his sights set on his first one-on-one victory.
Kasa established his early dominance with his signature shotgun dropkick right after the opening bell…he could have ended the match at that point, but chose to dish out more punishment. Chaz Wesson came out to root for his protege and that drew the ire of Travis Cook…however, the manager accidentally distracted his own charge and Keith Jr. was able to fire back with a football-style leg dive.
With Kasa down on the mat, Smith hooked his father’s signature figure-four leglock and Kasa was forced to tap out!
After the match, things broke down between Kasa and Cook…Kasa was able to leave the ring without his manager, but caught him in the act of attempting a cheapshot with a chain around his fist. Kasa cornered Cook and prepared to lower the boom, but his stablemate Chris Hargas clipped his injured knee from behind. Hargas and Cook dished out a two-on-one beatdown on the wounded competitor, essentially downsizing Ken Kasa from the Travis Cook Organization.
The end of an era as Travis Cook turns on the former SICW Champion Ken Kasa.
Travis Cook had a full evening as Hargas teamed with the Mongolian madman Attila Khan against the unlikely duo of Ricky Cruz and Ron Powers. The longtime rivals had common enemies and worked surprisingly well against Cook’s team, but underhanded tactics made the difference in this match.
The match was chaotic and wild as SICW ring announcer Abbenhaus runs for his life as the action was everywhere.
As the referee’s attention was diverted, Khan stunned Cruz with a low blow before jabbing him in the throat with a foreign object passed into the ring by Travis Cook. After that, Khan scored the tainted pinfall on the former Classic Wrestling Champion.
The Classic Wrestling Championship was at stake as two-time titleholder Flash Flanagan defended against “The Man Of Tomorrow” Daniel Eads. Eads had received MWR’s “Future Star Award” and hoped to carry that momentum into a big victory, but Flash’s years of experience were too much to overcome.
Daniel Eads is one of the 2014 MWR Future Stars of the Year, but Flanagan is one of the baddest men in the country. Eads put up a fight but the wily veteran once again was a step ahead to keep the title.
A missed move caused Eads to land painfully on the second turnbuckle and Flanagan followed up with a double-stomp from the top rope as Eads was hung up on the ropes; that allowed the champion to retain his title.
This young fan was rooting for Ricky Cruz or Ron Powers to win the battle Royal.
The ring filled with powerhouses at the end of the night, all competing for the honor of being the first holder of the Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal trophy.
In the midst of all the battles, Travis Cook pulled down the top rope and caused Ron Powers to tumble out of the ring. He seemed to be eliminated at that point, but Cowboy Bob Orton would allow him to re-enter the fray. The match came down to Hargas, Khan, Cruz, and Powers…Cruz eliminated Khan only to be pulled to the floor himself. Hargas charged at Powers, but Ron pulled down the top rope and Hargas fell out of the ring…leaving the former Brody protege as the winner of the battle royal!
After Barbara Goodish presented Powers with the trophy, Herb Simmons congratulated him on his win…but he had a bit of news regarding the June show. Travis Cook had been badgering him to settle the Red River Jack controversy and Herb finally had a solution: On June 20th, Ron Powers would face two members of the Travis Cook Organization…and Powers’ tag team partner would be Red River Jack. The news seemed to catch Powers off guard, but he promised that he and R.R.J. would come out on top.
On a night set up to celebrate Wrestling At The Chase and Bruiser Brody, the action in the ring told its own story and set the stage for a tumultuous summer in Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: "Volatile" Curtis Wylde, Ax Allwardt, Barackus, Barbara Goodish, Big Daddy, Big Jim Hoffarth, Bobby D, Brandon Espinosa, Bubba Troll, Chaz Wesson, Chris Hargas, Cowboy" Bob Orton, Daniel Eads, Daniel Gunner, Drew Abbenhaus, Flash Flanagan, Gary Jackson, Herb Simmons, Jake Dirden, Keith Smith Jr, Ken Kasa, KING KONG Bruiser Brody, Larry Matysik, Lucy Mendez, Mick Karch, Paloma Starr, Ron Powers, Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, The Brody Memorial Battle Royal, Travis Cook, Waco, WyldeFyre | Leave a Comment »
Missouri Wrestling Revival 