The names of Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett are well-known to Midwest wrestling fans, but the national wrestling scene has only recently begun to discover the talents of these skilled competitors.
Both men started their careers with Dynamo Pro Wrestling before branching out to the Lethal Wrestling Alliance, which would later become St. Louis Anarchy. Vega was first known as a tag team competitor and teamed with Johnny Vinyl to feud with The Ego Express(Steven Kennedy & K.C. Karrington), leading to Kennedy & Karrington becoming the first LWA Tag Team Champions when they defeated Vega and substitute partner Dingo. After that, Vega focused on singles competition…after holding the NWA Missouri Title in Dynamo Pro, he went on to capture the LWA Heavyweight Title from Gary Jay in December of 2009. Vega held the title for most of 2010 before dropping it to Evan Gelistico; this occured shortly before the transition to St. Louis Anarchy and Vega spent most of that promotion’s existence chasing the title.
Davey Vega explodes with a clothesline on ROH Star Jonathan Gresham.
In that time, Vega competed against some of the best wrestlers in the world and scored victories over many of them. That list included such names as Davey Richards, Kyle O’Reilly, Johnny Gargano, Arik Cannon, A.C.H., Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Jonathan Gresham, D.J. Z, T.J. Perkins, Chip Day, and Martin Stone. In his final opportunity at the gold at St. Louis Anarchy’s last show, Vega finally capitalized by winning a triple threat match with champion Fitchett and Gary Jay for the title! Vega will continue to carry the championship in Pro Wrestling Championship Series as the “Gateway Heritage Title“.
As for Fitchett, his career took a similar path and he squared off with many of the same competitors as his often-time tag partner Vega. In fact, Fitchett and Vega were Tag Team Champions in both the Chicago-based All-American Wrestling and the Kansas City-based Metro Pro Wrestling!
TJ Perkins found WWE gold in 2016, but before that he and Fitchett put on a wrestling clinic at St. Louis Anarchy.
The “Dirty Rook” took his lumps in his early LWA and SLA career, enduring hard-hitting battles with the likes of Arik Cannon, Akira Tozawa, Alex Shelley, and his trainer Dingo. Fitchett was frustrated after several near-misses in title matches against Darin Corbin and Gary Jay, leading to him taking a sabbatical from SLA competition; however, it turned out that he was hiding under the mask of “Dangerous Deveroux” as he competed for SLA and PWCS. Fitchett had an uphill battle against Gary Jay as the champion rode a wave of momentum, holding the title for over two years with title defenses against some of the toughest competition in the country. Winning a thirty-man Anarchy Rumble in late 2015 finally propelled him back into title contention…and in February of 2016, Fitchett finally ended Gary’s monumental title reign to reach the top of the mountain!
Fitchett didn’t shy away from challenges as he defended his title against Evan Gelistico, T.J. Perkins, Jake Dirden, and Paco Gonzalez…but on STL Anarchy’s final night, he lost the title to Vega.
It took several years for both men to gain attention in the national independent wrestling scene, but their exposure in AAW and Beyond Wrestling has turned the heads of many onlookers. Now forming the “Blood Brothers” tag team in the National Wrasslin’ League under the names Davey Gibson and Matthew Grundy, the two look to add more tag team gold to their already impressive resumes! These two men have been considered the Midwest’s best-kept secrets, but that secret is finally getting out!
Look for an exclusive MWR Future Star artwork honoring Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett for their achievement from acclaimed artist Dartallion Allen Jr. in the future.
If you would like to sponsor the MWR Future Star Plaques for Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett then please contact MWR at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com. The cost is 50.00 each or $100.00 for both (two plaques) and you will receive a past MWR Yearbook, a Tyler Black (Seth Rollins rookie card) and a mention on the MWR Website.
2016 MWR Award
Future Star: Kevin Lee Davidson / Todd Letterman
2015 MWR Award
Future Star: Redwing
2014 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Daniel Eads
Future Star: Elvis Aliaga
2013 MWR Year Awards
Future Star: Raphael King
Future Star Alexander Rudolph
Missouri Wrestling Revival is excited to have a photo from the MWR Vault featured in the brand new, hot off the presses 2013 Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 magazine.
Be sure to pick up the PWI November 2013 edition with a great photo of John Cena on the cover by photographer Duane Long. In the issue be sure to check out the NEVER BEFORE SEEN photo of the entertaining Sugar Dunkerton as he delivers an explosive knee on PS Express member Scott Keyes at New Midwest Wrestling in Springfield, Illinois from MWR Owner Brian Kelley.
Also featured in the magazine is the complete list of the top 500 wrestlers as named by the hard working men and women at PWI. Yet, that is not all, be sure to check out the Independent Roundup by Mike Bessler, The International Report by Dan Murphy, the PWI Official Ratings and much much more!!
Congrats to each of the wrestlers that MWR and their fans have enjoyed in the past year in the ring here in the Midwest. A brief list of these stars include former MWR Wrestlers of the Year Brandon Espinosa, Jeremy Wyatt and the reigning MWR Wrestler of the Year Adam Pearce. The list also features stars such as Michael Elgin, , Davey Richards, Johnny Gargano, Sami Callihan, Kyle O’Reilly, Colt Cabana, Jimmy Jacobs, Wes Brisco, ACH, Ricochet, TJ Perkins, Chuck Taylor, Kahagas, Stevie Richards, Tadarius Thomas, Darin Corbin, Flash Flanagan, Ace Hawkins, Matt Riviera, Tony Koziuna, Oliver Cain, Greg Anthony, Michael Barry, Aaron Epic, Ruff Crossing, Dave Osborne, Raphael (Matt ) King are just a few of the excellent talents in this years’ PWI 500 now on sale at all quality newsstands or purchase the digital version for onl $4.99 by clicking here
10. Adam Raw vs. Frankie Big Balls– The last match in the history of the WCWF Circus Maximus event.
9.Nick Tyson vs. Adam Raw- Two men who started the LWA in the last one on battle they ever had.
8.Davey Vega vs. Johnny Gargano– Two wrestlers at the time who were both on the verge on being the top wrestlers in there respected home companies. Both have grown into those roles in a great way.
7. TJ Perkins vs. Davey Richards – Two men in the world of pro wrestling that are capable of having great matches in just about any style. A wrestling classic on paper and it lived up to the expectations.
6.ACH vs. Dingo 2 outta 3 falls: The present of Saint Louis wrestling vs. the man who helped put STL wrestling on the map.
5.Evan Gelistico vs. Davey Vega: The last ever LWA title match at Circus Maximus and a night that started a 17 month title run by Evan Gelistico.
4.Gerald James vs. ACH– This was part of in my opinion the best feud in the history of Anarchy TX and STL. The two went all over the USA and both men grew as wrestlers and performers during this feud.
3.Jeremy Wyatt vs. KC Karrington– The longest title match in the history of LWA and SLA. This match ended the most underrated champion in our lineages history’s title run.
2. Dan Walsh vs. Gerald James: The bloodiest match in the history of the event.
1. The Submission Squad vs. The Bearded Men from Space Station 11 Street Fight: This match capped off the biggest feud in the history of the LWA and was the wildest match in the company’s history that would need to be seen to believe. The cops were called; a hand was set on fire and used as a weapon. At this year’s Circus Maximus two of those men that were in that match Davey Vega and KC Karrington will finally settle issues steaming from that very personal feud all those years ago.
Team FIST(Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor) need to be prepared for the double teams that the Submission Squad can deliver. Here Pierre Abernathy waits as their opponent is decimated from Evan Gelistico kicks to deliver more punishment at Magnum Pro Wrestling. – Photo Credit Brian Kelley
The offices of Saint Louis Anarchy and Anarchy Championship Wrestling received an email from Johnny Gargano stating that himself and his Team FIST cohort Chuck Taylor would like to send an open challenge to any team in the land of Anarchy for a tag match on May 5th in Granite City, IL.
The reason being that he feels that him and Chuck Taylor need to stay on their winning ways after picking up 3 points toward the Chikara’s Campeonatos de parejas(Tag Team Championships). The best way to do that is to beat teams from all over the USA and their first stop is Saint Louis Anarchy on May 5th.
Their challenge didn’t go unanswered for long, as Evan Gelistico and Pierre Abernathy caught wind of this and immediately signed on for the match. Neither of those men would give us a answer via e-mail but have informed us that they will be giving a statement via video in the coming days.
This is sure to be a great tag match as you will have one of the best teams in the USA taking on who many say is the best tag team in the history of Anarchy. Do not miss #VICTORY May 5th!!!
Saint Louis Anarchy Presents: #VICTORY
Saturday night May 5th from The Mill Skate Park (1735 Grand Avenue) in Granite City Illinois
Tickets are $10 in advance by calling 314-616-7981 $12 at the door, Front Row is $15
Valid College Ids get you general admission for only $5
Doors Open at 6:30pm and the Net Exclusive taping starts at 6:45pm Show at 7:00pm
Editor’s note: ST Louis Anarchy can be hard hitting and very violent at times. Their shows are not for the weak of heart and the language can be extreme at times at the shows and in their videos so don’t watch if you are easily offended. With that said, for the fans that have asked us to include this red hot promotion to our site. You now get your wish.
By Brian Kelley
Missouri Wrestling Revival is excited to announce that St Louis Anarchy will be covered on this very site starting 2012 as they will be our 15th promotion in our family.
I had the chance to sit down with the head of the STL Anarchy office to discuss where Anarchy has been and what MWR fans should expect when they come to one of their shows or purchase one of their DVD’S through SmartMarkvideo.com.
First off let me say thank you for joining MWR today as we try to catch up with the exciting wrestling history of ST Louis Anarchy Pro Wrestling.
SLA- We are happy to be a part of your growing website. Thanks for having us.
MWR– The fans at MWR will recognize many of the stars of Anarchy such as The Hooligans, the Submission Squad, Shorty Biggs and Evan Gelistico but your promotion is filled with a stacked roster from Anarchy Championship Wrestling of Austin, Texas, as well as many of the top stars of ROH including the current Ring of Honor World Champion Davey Richards. The Anarchy wrestling brand is stationed out of Missouri, Illinois, and Texas through our affiliate company, Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW). Please let the fans know more about the history of SLA and what we have missed as we hope to catch up with rivalries in the past of your company and the key players that have made an impact at SLA.
SLA– Well when we were the Lethal Wrestling Alliance a group of our guys would travel down to Austin for ACW and every now and then a group of them would come and wrestle for us. The passion of both the offices was the same it was to take wrestling from being looked at as “boring” or “lame” and let more people see what we provide which is extremely fun and well worth the price of the ticket. We offer our fans way more than $10 worth of action in Saint Louis as well as Texas. We are about passion and not leaving fans feeling cheated out of their money. Speaking for Saint Louis I feel our stories and in ring action is really second to none. This past year we saw Evan Gelistico and Dan Walsh in a very passionate and bloody battle for the SLA title that saw Walsh become a main event star when he ended Gelisticos 17 month reign dating back to when he was LWA champion. Dingo returned to Saint Louis to battle his student match Fitchett a feud that started as a friendly rivalry and turned very personal leading the bloodiest match I can remember at Yuletide Terror. Davey Vega went from ½ of a tag team to a legit guy on the Indy’s have five star matches with Davey Richards, Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’ Reilly. Gerlard James and ACH have been at each other’s throats for the whole year and that feud will come to a head on January 15th in Austin Texas. Those are the main things going on there’s so much more but I would be talking all day.
MWR– St Louis Wrestling Anarchy returns to action on February 25th in in Granite City Illinois with “Gateway to DANarchy” at the Rivers Edge Complex. New Saint Louis Anarchy champion Dan Walsh will defend the title against Darin Corbin, formerly one half of the 2008 MWR Tag Team of the Year, the Northstar Express. Corbin teamed up with Robert Evans to upset (Team Ambition) Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly in tag action.
Rookie sensation Mat Fitchett and Davey Vega look to defeat Davey Richards and Kyle O’Riley to continue Richards and O’Riley’s losing streak at Anarchy. Even with the talent of Fitchett and Vega, that should be easier said than done as Richards and O’Riley hate to lose.
Both of these two matches should be hard hitting, for sure and are easily worth the price of admission. How do you see Corbin’ strategy as he chases his biggest singles title in his career since he last won the IWA MID-SOUTH title during their glory days on January 21, 2006 against mentor Arik Cannon?
SLA– Darin Corbin is a guy who gets tight casted as a comedy act or a sidekick when really he is a great in ring competitor. All of 2011 Corbin has stepped up to show SLA fans that he is the real deal and I am very proud of what he’s done this past year. Walsh went through hell to win that belt and he isnt going to let it go because Corbin had a great 2011. Corbin has the road miles and experience on Dan but I dont think he can out brawl him. I think its going to come down to who can throw who off there game plan.
MWR – We mentioned the stars that are fans at MWR are familiar with but for a moment let’s take the time to shed light on the stars from Anarchy in Texas and beyond that have not been featured at MWR in the past.
First off the ACW Champion, ACH and what is the history of the ACW title and who did ACH defeat for the title?
SLA- The ACW title has a very rich history. Some of the very best pro wrestlers in the world have held that title. From Jerry Lynn to Jimmy Jacobs to Showtime Scott Summers. ACH won the title by winning the 2011 Lone Star Classic. He won the finals by pinning JT Lamotta. However Gerald James attacked him and took the title and trophy from him which is why they will meet at ACWs flagship event Guily by Assocation 6.
MWR– Rachel Summerlyn.
SLA– Rachel is one of the best wrestlers on our roster. See how I said wrestlers and not “female” wrestler. Yes Rachel is a female but inside the ring she will knock you out rather you are a man or a woman. We dont put labels on people when you are in Anarchy you are a wrestler plain and simple.
MWR– Khris Wolfe.
SLA- Wolfe is a student of the Necro Butcher and really came into his own in 2011. He has some killer strikes and a variety of suplexes. He also is not afraid of the “death match” game winning several of them is his career. One of the most under rated guys in Anarchy.
MWR– TJ Perkins.
SLA – Feb. 25th will be his first time that Perkins is coming to the world of Anarchy. Perkins is one of the best well rounded wrestlers in the world and I am excited to see him in Anarchy.
MWR– Robert Evans
SLA– The King of Monarchy. Evans is one of the most entertaining guys I have ever seen preform. He is a former ACW heavyweight and U-30 Champion. Evans ring entrance is worth the $10 ticket alone. If you dont believe me just ask his legion of fans in Austin Texas.
MWR Darin Childs
SLA– Darin outside the ring is the main reason that there is a Saint Louis Anarchy. His passion and drive for ACW is a lot of the reason we asked about doing this in Saint Louis. As far is in the ring this is a guy who dropped over 100lbs and is a former ACW Champion. He competed with Davey Vega in a no rope barb wire match that was just awsome.
MWR– ACH
SLA– ACH is flat out amazing. He can do things in the ring that no one else can do and it made him one of the most popular wrestlers in Saint Louis. This is a guy who is going to take the world by storm sooner than later.
MWR Scot Summers
SLA– Summers is a icon in Texas. He has won every title and tournament there is to win. His matches with Jerry Lynn were classics and he is a corner stone to Anarchy.
MWR– How many shows doe SLA look to run in 2011 and what venues and areas will MWR fans be able to catch all the stars in action?
SLA– Right now we are looking at doing 6 shows a year. We hope to keep Granite City our home for 2012. We had great success in 2011 and if there becomes a demand for more shows we will do more. Fans if you want to see more shows you let us know..
MWR– Now let’s play a game where I say a name and you answer with one word that best describes them at SLA.
MWR Evan Gelistico
SLA– MVP
MWR- Gary Jay
SLA – Underated
MWR- JT Lamotta
SLA- Smart
MWR– Lillie Mae
SLA– Heart
MWR- Athena
SLA- Awesome
Jordan Lacey – DANCE DANCE DANCE
MWR– Jordan Lacey
SLA– Great Dancer
Dingo works over Mat Fitchett.
MWR-Dingo
SLA– Legend
MWR– Davey Vega
SLA– Ace
MWR-The Hooligans
SLA– Hard Hitting (2 words I know)
MWR– Mat Fitchett
SLA– Star
MWR– Fans can purchase past shows on DVD at Smartmarkvideo.com, if a fan was to purchase one St Louis Anarchy DVD, which one would you recommend them to choose from?
MWR– We would like to thank you for joining us today and we are thrilled to add SLA to our coverage area in 2012. MWR fans can purchase tickets now for you’r must see show on February 25th as Darin Corbin challenges new Saint Louis Anarchy champion Dan Walsh and much more.
Saint Louis Anarchy Presents: Gateway to DANarachy
Saturday Night February 25th
Rivers Edge Complex in Granite City IL
Doors Open at 6:30pm, Net Tapings are at 6:45pm
Tickets are: $10 advance and $15 front row by calling 314-616-7981
ONLY 200 SEATS AVALIABLE
College guys and girls with valid ID are $5 and event is BYOB
Missouri Wrestling Revival 