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
The end of an era will happen this coming Saturday in Alton, Illinois as St. Louis Anarchy will have their last event this coming Friday In Alton, Illinois . The National Wrasslin’ League (NWL, LLC) has acquired them with exciting events scheduled in 2017 (more details here).
If you have not been with MWR for the past 8 plus years you may have not known that the SLA foundation was built through a promotion called the Lethal Wrestling Alliance.The LWA featured a group of men and women that had the passion and work ethic to provide the fans with an exciting and fresh style of wrestling. This grass roots promotion offered an opportunity for many of the rising stars in the area to excell against several stars around the country, several of them that would go onto star in the main event of Wrestlemania.
Throughout the years the LWA would feature hardcore matches, comedy, wrestling classics and memories that shaped the sport in St. Louis for this generation and years to come. The transition from the LWA to the promotion now known as St. Louis Anarchy would find huge success in their home of Alton, Illinois with double shots on Friday and Saturday in front of some of the best fans in the country.
SLA will forever hold a place in my heart due to the wonderful fans that came to the events for all those years in an unforgettable atmosphere. The above photo is one of my personal favorites, an early LWA event in House Springs as we tailgated prior to a show where we enjoyed delicious food, beer and great friends. I have always loved to see the Lacey and Jackson family as well and supporting the hard working men and women that gave their blood sweat and tears for the fans and the sport that we love.
I would like to encourage all of my friends that we have met in the past to make their way to Alton, Illinois this Friday for one last memory of St. Louis Anarchy and if you have never experienced SLA then please come out to be a part of history as I expect this to be a night to never forget.
Congrats from MWR to everyone at SLA for their success as they look to make the NWL a huge success in 2017.
Don’t miss live NWL STL wrestling events every other Thursday at the Casa Loma Ballroom, located at 3354 Iowa Ave in St. Louis, beginning with our first show on January 12.
Sign up to receive ticket info as it becomes available at fightstl.com.
Saint Louis Anarchy presents : Straight Outta Anarchy (Our final event)
Friday Nov. 18th live from the Spaulding Hall Club
Jordan Lacey came out for the preshow match, but said he was frustrated to be in that position and would rather hang up the tights than be reduced to that spot. That brought out St. Louis Anarchy Heavyweight Champion Gerald James & Dorian Victor to lay the badmouth on their fellow LWA original…Lacey got fed up and challenged Gerald with the mindset of having nothing to lose. Gerald and Dorian wanted it to be more interesting and Lacey said he would never challenge for the title again if he didn’t win it. However, Dorian said that he was talking about retirement, so why not put his career on the line? That set up the night’s championship match (A title match had been advertised but no opponent had been announced.)
Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) vs. Gorgeous Jordan Lacey for the Heavyweight Title, best-of-three-falls match:
Lacey went old-school-ish with the robe, feather boa, and smaller tights…he even gave a few lucky(?) fans an impromptu lap dance. However, the heels went the subterfuge route in a hurry as Victor blindsided him with a chair before the bell…then Gerald ran in from the front door and quickly encouraged the referee to start the match.
James delivered a “Shadows Over Hell-Bow”(top-rope elbowdrop on a bent-over opponent) to win the first fall in 15 seconds…a few fans didn’t realize it was two-out-of-three and thought it was already over. Despite the early advantage, Lacey battled back and they brawled outside the ring, leading to the big man diving off the ledge by the building stairway!
Gary Jay was able to move just enough in time to not get killed.
He took out Gerald, Dorian, and the ringside security guards…Hardcore Andy just CAN’T catch a break these days. The match went back into the ring and Lacey caught him in the Jenna Jameson(swinging uranagi) for a clean second fall in 7:20…DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!? Gerald fought back but couldn’t keep the challenger down in the deciding fall, so he blatantly beat him down with a chair and got disqualified in 10:11. (Okay…so the rule-enforcement seems to be a bit more arbitrary than I thought.) Gerald escaped with the title and his 25-month title reign continues…
While Jordan Lacey technically won the match, he didn’t win the title…and he acknowledged that it was his last match. Several wrestlers came out, primarily Lethal Wrestling Alliance originals like Adam Caster, Evan Gelistico, promoter Pierre Abernathy, and The Viking War Party. They noted that Lacey has made a lot of contributions behind the scenes in both the LWA and SLA, even dating back to when several of the local-based wrestlers got started. Lacey got a great ovation for his retirement…he flew under the radar compared to his contemporaries who traveled outside of the area, but he was a solid guy with an entertaining character(particularly in his “Gorgeous” days). All the best to Jordan Lacey and his family…thank you!
It is a pleasure to have with us today pro wrestler and owner of St. Louis Anarchy Matt Jackson, better known to wrestling fans as Pierre Abernathy. Since his debut in 2003, Pierre has made an impact in the wrestling scene in many aspects of the wrestling business. Pierre, thank you for taking the time to speaking with us at Missouri Wrestling Revival
Pierre: No problem, thanks for having me.
MWR: What was your first memories of pro wrestling and who did you look up to growing up?
Pierre: The first pro wrestling event I can remember watching live was WrestleMania VI with Hogan vs. Warrior.
I was a huge Hogan fan so when he lost that sucked for me. I can remember going to the STL arena watching all the WWF live shows and I was at the only show WWF did at the old Busch Stadium, so that was cool.
MWR: The first opportunity that I got to see you in action was in Lawrence, Kansas for NWA Central States Wrestling as you and Gary Jay lost a three way to Nick Tyson on September 30, 2006. At that point you had been wrestling a little over than three years. How did you get your start in pro wrestling and who were the most helpful in your success?
Pierre: I first got my start when I met Jordan Lacey, he bought a ring and we were going to train in it. The issue was that he didn’t have the training to train us and to his credit he knew that. Most guys would NEVER admit that they had no business training people but he did. We later met Adam Raw and Nick Tyson and they did our training.
Adam Raw- Photo Michael Van Hoogstratt
From there they started the LWA and we worked there and branched into Gateway Championship Wrestling. Unlike most guys, our trainers did not travel, so we didn’t have a lot of help getting out of town shots. It was Matt Sydal and Delirious who taught us in a 12-hour seminar that we needed to get in a car and get out of STL and make résumés and start sending them out and do seminars all over and that is what we did.
MWR: What early match that you had gave you the confidence to succeed as a pro wrestler?
Pierre: Honestly I can’t think of one match. I always had confidence in my promo work more than my wrestling at the start. I think if I had to pick a break out match, I had a three-way match with Gary and Dorian Victor kind of early on that I liked. Plus, working Gary every weekend in a new state we could feel ourselves growing as wrestlers every week.
MWR: You would be part of the group that would spearhead The Lethal Wrestling Alliance. Who else were involved and what is the legacy of that promotion?
Pierre: Honestly I didn’t have anything to do with the start of LWA. LWA was started by Adam Raw and Jordan Taylor. When Jordan went into the Navy it went into the committee of five guys: Adam Raw, Nick Tyson, Frank Cashion, Mike D and Tim P ( I don’t want to butcher the spelling of their last names).
Jordan Lacey has been a part of the most brutal matches in the modern era of STL wrestling. Here he wars it out against the former MWR Future Star winner Alex Rudolph.
So Tyson was supposed to write the shows and book the talent but he wasn’t doing it, so I would in the background write the shows and send them with him to meetings and no one would know about it and he would get the credit. Fast forward a few years, he was going to quit, so Raw was kind of freaking out thinking he would have to write the shows all himself. I had to tell him I was really doing it all this time, which shocked him and so then I started writing and booking talent from there. Years later when the others quit, it became myself, Raw and Jordan Lacey. In the end of LWA, it was just me and Jordan Lacey.
Many of the top rising stars int the sport has made their way to SLA.
MWR: Fans at LWA were blessed to enjoy some great matches featuring local talent against many of the top stars in the world. Not too long ago, Austin Aries was the TNA World Champion, Davey Richards was a Ring of Honor World Champion and most recently one half of the TNA Tag Team Champions with Eddie Edwards, and Samoa Joe is quite possibly the most talked about free agent in the world today, but they all entered the squared circle at LWA.
These matches along with other stars including Delirious, Mike Quackenbush and The Motor Machine Guns against LWA homegrown talents are featured on the DVD US vs. Them (click here to purchase). What memories stand out about this historic matches at LWA?
Pierre: There are tons of thoughts I have about that. The two big ones being the first “name talent” we ever used was Alex Shelley and our fans hated him with a passion because he was facing their guy in Nick Tyson and when Tyson tapped him out the legit emotion that came after is what this business is about to me: real emotion. The Second was Samoa Joe: A lot of people were saying behind my back (but I hear everything) that I was making a big mistake putting Dorian in that match and not Adam Raw, and to be honest at that time Raw was a better wrestler than Dorian—hell, Dorian was only a few years in, I think. However, Dorian grew from that match and it taught him how to step up… That’s my job: I have to force you to go outside of your comfort zone and step up to the plate, because if you can’t I need to know that before you fall on your face in maybe a way bigger situation. That night Dorian stepped up and grew from it.
MWR: You are a member of the famed Submission Squad with. Time has shown that you guys are among the most entertaining tag teams in the country, but early on in your career you teamed up with Evan Gelistico against Davey Vega and Gary the Barn Owl to showcase LWA for Chikara’s King of Trios 2009. In a weekend filled with top Indy wrestling stars like Bryan Danielson (Future WWE Champion Daniel Bryan), Austin Aries, and El Generico (WWE’SSami Zayn) , the match would receive chants of “DON’T COME BACK!” Many men after that night may have given up, but it only shows how much heart that the four of you had, during that time. Many people snickered and counted you out, but you guys have had the last laugh by becoming among the most traveled talents in the country. Looking back what went wrong, what could you have done different and what advice would you have for a young wrestler that would experience such a situation?
Pierre: I would say that you cannot let what people say bother you. When that happened to be honest it didn’t bother me, it did more the other guys for different reasons. Vega because he lacked confidence anyway so that almost killed him, Gary because the ECW arena was his dream and we just got booed out of it and Evan because he loved the idea of working Chikara. I am telling the God’s honest truth that it didn’t bother me because I was expecting it the whole time. Here you have the biggest weekend of the Chikara calendar with legit stars from all over the world and then you have four dudes from a company in Missouri that none of them knew.. How were they supposed to treat us? Plus, we did ourselves zero favors because of the way we worked the match. We are known for our personalities and we showed zero of it and that is what sucked. However we made a lot of money after that match because people wanted to see if either A) we really sucked or B) they knew we didn’t and wanted to bring us out. So I would do it all again, plus we went back there in 2014 and killed it, so it came full circle for us.
MWR: As I mentioned you have traveled around the country, including Canada. What has been your personal favorite places to wrestle and why?
Pierre: I love most every trip but I’ll pick one place and say ACW in Texas. Texas was like my second home for many years and I love the fans and friends I made there. Some of my favorite memories came from hangouts I had in Texas.
MWR: For seven years the LWA was known for an alternative style of wrestling that combined strong style, hardcore, comedy and good times for the fans, but a new day came that saw you announce the merging with the Texas based promotion known as Anarchy Championship Wrestling (ACW). That decision has allowed the fans to see many of the top stars of the Texas area make their way to the Midwest, while giving the young stars in this area to grow by challenging themselves against other top talents that may not have a chance to work with. In your eyes, who have taken advantage of working in the land of Anarchy and who are some of the top young stars that fans should have their eyes on for the future?
Pierre: Since we started Anarchy, we have seen ACH become a top star in the USA and I won’t do what a lot of others do and try and take credit for that man’s success. His success has helped us grow, so thank you to him.
Gary Jay and Davey Vega are in my opinion the two top guys in the area and they prove that every time they work in a ring. The fact neither of them are under a contract is a shame. The Hooligans are guys you have seen grow in Anarchy. Christian Rose has been tearing it up other places for a while but our fans are finally seeing how good he is. Two guys who I think could be the next 2 big stars are Jo Jo Bravo and Mat Fitchett. Jo Jo has gotten really good really fast and it’s up to Fitchett how far he wants to go. He has been ready for a long time now. One guy to watch I think is Everett Connor; I call him my new project because he is a good kid with potential.
The only guy who I think may be worse now than he was when we started SLA is Evan Gelistico… [sarcasm]
MWR: The Submission Squad was ranked number 12 in 2011 in the MWR’S top 30 tag teams during the MWR years. Four years later, the SS is still running strong, even capturing the Metro Pro Wrestling Tag Team titles recently as the Commission.
Because LWA and later SLA did not have tag belts along with the outside travel, it may have hurt your rankings in the poll. That year a team that you guys know very well the Hooligans were ranked number one, and are currently the St. Louis Anarchy tag team Champions. What has made the Hooligans and the Submission Squad such a great rivalry?
Pierre: We just have good chemistry and we strive to do the same thing and that’s have a great match. We clicked since the first match we had at an IHW show in Dupo IL.
At one time we worked with the Hooligans at least once a weekend for like five months in a row, I think… Plus those guys love tag team wrestling as much as we do so it’s easy, The Hooligans are amazing talents.
MWR: SLA has recently been the home of double shot weekends in Alton, Illinois. You have promoted events for years, what are the advantages and disadvantages of having back to back events?
Pierre: Well it doubles the stress. I mean we have only done two, so I really do not know yet. I’ll say the advantage is for the fans as they will get 2 events a weekend instead of 1. As we keep going with this I am sure more advantages and disadvantages will come clear.
MWR: St. Louis Anarchy events have always been a can’t-miss show as talents around the world have been in action during each of your events. Men like Kyle O’Reilly, Michael Elgin, Chris Hero, the Young Bucks, Davey Richards, Akira Tozawa, and TJ Perkins have all appeared in the past. Who would you like to see that has not appeared yet?
Pierre: We used him in LWA but I really want to bring our fans Alex Shelley as he was supposed to work a show but got hurt. I am hoping to bring some more guys from overseas in. To be honest we will always use that name talent that people have come to think about when thinking of SLA but I am wanting to use more guys who are great but not maybe as well known…. Like there are Gary Jays and Davey Vegas all over the USA who are great but just can’t get breaks and I want to give them their breaks because you never know who could be the next ACH that you just are overlooking.
MWR: On August the 21st and 22nd, Circus Maximus 2015, an event what many fans say is THE event of the year for SLA? Circus Maximus has always delivered with a great mix of national talent as well as the top rising stars around the country. I am going to do a rundown of this years’ SLA talent pool for the double shot weekend and I would like for you to give your thoughts on them. We will start off with the current SLA Champion Gary Jay.
Pierre: Hardest working man in Anarchy, he tears down the house every time and then is the first person to lead people in tearing down the ring. He gives his all to the company and should be getting more chances outside it.
MWR: Tommaso Ciampa
Pierre: I’m looking forward to seeing him in SLA. He’s a tough dude so guys will have their hands full with him.
MWR: Davey Vega
Pierre: The “Ace of Anarchy” isn’t just a nickname, it is who Vega has become. He went from a guy who would legit vomit before a match to a guy who I know will always have one of the best matches on the show. He’s the man.
MWR: Mat Fitchett
Pierre: The Dirty Rook could be a star if he is able to really hit the road and do it. Sometimes though real life things are more important but he’s an awesome talent.
MWR: Jonathan Gresham
Pierre: He won’t be at Circus Maximus, but he’s an amazing hold for hold wrestler who stole the weekend at Gateway to Anarchy.
MWR: Jo Jo Bravo
Pierre: One of the top up and comers in Anarchy. He has held his own with some of the best in the world.
MWR: Christian Rose
Pierre: Great talker and wrestler and our fans are getting to finally see that. Plus, behind the curtain I love talking good and–even better–shitty wrestling with Rose more than maybe anybody.
MWR: Matt Cage
Pierre: He’s a lot like Rose in that he has been tearing it up other places and our fans will finally get to see more of that in Anarchy.
MWR: Angelus Lane
Pierre: The 1st lady of Anarchy. I am very proud of Layne. She has grown by leaps and bounds as a wrestler and she improves every event we have.
MWR: Viking War Party
Pierre: Going to have to buy me chairs if they keep breaking them. Both guys are awesome. Alex I have known since before he started, I am happy every time I see them work and get better and better.
MWR: Ricky Starks
Pierre: Big deal in Texas and I think he can do the same here so keep your eyes on him as I think he is going to do well.
MWR: The Cause: Mr. Gelistico, Mr. Raw, Mr. Adams, Mr. Everett
Pierre: We will have to see.
MWR: Zakk Sawyers
Pierre: The 2014 Anarchy Rookie of the year. He’s not a rookie but was in Anarchy and he stepped up huge. A hard worker in and out of the ring and really appreciates his spot on the roster and he earns it.
MWR: Mikey McFinnigan
Pierre: Kinda just starting to see what he can do. He will do well in Anarchy, he’s very entertaining.
MWR: Jeremy Wyatt
Pierre: The best LWA champion of all time. Jeremy is one of my favorite wrestlers and is a pure class act to deal with outside the ring. Jeremy makes no bones about his wrestling days coming to an end and I’ll be sad to see him go, but he’s a guy who will leave better than he came in and how many guys can honestly say that. He’s always done anything I asked him to do and I don’t think Jeremy knows how much I respect him and appreciate his run with the LWA title.
MWR: Steve O Reno
Pierre: Honestly, I worked him in ACW and I knew he was good. Other than that I have only seen his two matches in SLA and that is it. I think he is very entertaining and he can wrestle, too, so I think big things are on the horizon for him.
MWR: Bolt Brady
Pierre: I think his change in attitude will be good for him in SLA. I like making people do stuff they may not be used to doing. Bolt is a pro and will do great. He’s getting a lot of miles under him too which is awesome. I like Bolt a lot.
MWR: PACO
Pierre: In SLA, he became a star in one weekend. Taking Trik Davis to the limit and taking a hellish beating from Gary Jay. I think Paco is a hungry kid who will do big things.
MWR: Pierre, Thank you so much for joining us today, it is always a treat to get to speak with you. How can fans follow you and the world of St. Louis Anarchy?
Pierre: I am on Facebook under Pierre Abernathy and Twitter is @PierreAbernathy. You can like SLA on Facebook at Saint Louis Anarchy and on Twitter @stlanarchy. Thanks for the time!
Saint Louis Anarchy presents Circus Maximus 2015
Stage One: Friday August 21st Stage Two: Saturday August 22nd
Live from Spaulding Hall Club in Alton IL (402 E 4th Street)
Doors Open at 6:30pm, Shows Start at 7:00pm
Tickets (PER NIGHT):
Front row: $15, Second Row. $12. General Admission. $10 in advance all tickets are $15 at the door
$1 BEER, FULL BAR AND FOOD. Please do not record show or stand on chairs
Also special guest musicians Mental Fixation (Stage 2 only)
STAGE ONE MATCHES SIGNED:
Main Event Trios Action: Team Anarchy: Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett, Angleus Layne vs. Team BOSS w/Dorian Victor and Greg Jovi: Gary Jay, Christian Rose, Jeremy Wyatt
Tag Team Titles on the Line: The Hooligans (c) vs. The Cause (Mr. Adams, Mr. Everett)
Zakk Sawyers vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Grudge Match: Alex Castle vs. Matt Cage
Jo Jo Bravo vs. PACO
Steve O Reno vs. Mikey Mcfinnigan
BOSS vs. Anarchy: Bolt Brady w/Greg Jovi vs. Ricky Starks
STAGE TWO MATCHES SIGNED:
Saint Louis Anarchy Championship Match (NO TIME LIMIT) Gary Jay (c)w/Dorian Victor vs. “Ace of Anarchy” Davey Vega
Mat Fitchett vs. Former ECW/WWE Star LITTLE GUDIO
Christian Rose vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Matt Cage vs. Zakk Sawyers
Sugar Dunkerton vs. Steve O Reno
TALENT SIGNED FOR CM WEEKEND:
Saint Louis Anarchy Champion: Gary Jay
Saint Louis Anarchy Tag Champions: The Hooligans
Davey Vega
Mat Fitchett
Tommaso Ciampa
Jo Jo Bravo
Christian Rose
Matt Cage
Angelus Layne
Viking War Party
Sugar Dunkerton
Ricky Starks
The Cause: Mr. Gelistico, Mr. Raw, Mr. Adams, Mr. Everett
Zakk Sawyers
Mikey Mcfinnigan
Jeremy Wyatt
Steve O Reno
Bolt Brady (stage one)
PACO (stage one)
Donovan Danhausen
Helloooo wrestling fans as the great Bill Kersten would say. I am thrilled that today we are celebrating our 1,000 post here at Missouri Wrestling Revival. Throughout the past two and half years you have been able to come to MWR site to check out upcoming shows, interviews and stories of the top stars of not only the Midwest but around the world.
MWR started out simple enough from one of my best friends Josh Ray who had the dream to bring attention to wrestling in the Midwest. He worked hard to get the site going and along with myself and Kari Williams the site was off and running.
Thankfully we had a good friend Peter Hahn whos sister Rachel, is a wonderful graphic artist that came up with the logo that has became the face of MWR.
I have been so busy getting ready for school, preparing for my sons school year and other projects that I have yet to unveil some great new logo’s from our good friends at Awesome bomb radio so no time is better than the start of a new thousand. Adult MWR fans take a chance to check out the Awesome Bomb Radio for some wild and crazy interviews with some of the top wrestlers in the game today.
Everyone at MWR has worked hard to be respectful and polite to each promotion, wrestler and fans that we have gone across.
I have a strong belief that to be successful that no one can do it alone. In the history of MWR there have been some wonderful supporters of the site that is vital to MWR’S place in wrestling today. I am going to attempt to thank everyone that has made MWR possible. At every promotion we have worked with there has been not only promoter, wrestlers but also referees, ring announcer, security, video crew and fans that I have nothing but love and respect for. Several have become close friends, while others I have not seen in a long time, though time has past by and we may have not seen each other this post is still for you.
1) The Fans: I hope that you have found MWR a place that you come to enjoy. You are the most important piece to the puzzle to making a show a success. At times we are very busy at a show but I want you to know that I thank you for clicking on the site and we are always excited to get to meet you. Your support for the hard working men and women of the sport keeps the hope alive for pro wrestlers to live their dream. If you have not checked out a local show near you I urge you to check out a promotion soon.
We have made many Friends thanks to the MWR site. Drew and Gary are two great guys that I met at local shows, they knew us from the work we do thanks to MWR. During the Wrestling Legends on tour the three of us got to pose with some of the top wrestling stars ever in the sport. These are just two of the many fans that we are proud to call our friends.
2) The Promoters: These guys are judged, hated and sometimes forgotten. It takes a special person to risk there money and spend their time to run a show. The cold hard fact is that it is a LOT of work to be one and at times luck to be successful in this profession. Without them doing the ground work a show never gets off the ground. They have opened their doors to us and I hope they know we have been honored to try our best to get the word out about the dates of their show.
3) The Wrestlers, managers and referees: Call it a sport or call it entertainment, one can not deny that it takes true talent to make a show a success..
During the years I have been all around the Midwest checking out shows in the big cities and the small towns and I can say that I have no doubt that there is no athletes that cares more for their fans that the wrestlers.
We have been at a few shows that have had less than 30 people, that did not stop the wrestlers from going out there and giving it their all, then took the time to come meet the fans.
I watched time and time where they have took that extra moment to talk, pose for pictures and sign autographs to the kids of all ages and thanking them for their hard earn money to watch them do what they love.
There have been many shows where the wrestlers have donated their time and skills with no pay to support a fundraiser for a local family or school.
No matter what state we are in, or the three letters of the promotions every wrestles have the same goal and that is to entertain you with the best of their abilities.
This past weekend I was in Lincoln Illinois for the Arts and Balloon Festival where the a huge crowd witness some exciting wrestling action. One of the many talented wrestlers in the Midwest today, Knight Wagner asked if he could do a promo commemorating the moment that so many fans had a chance to see what wrestling was like in our area.
I was honored by the kind words that he said in the promo for our website in hopes that you the fans will check us out to find out where you can see the next wrestling show in your area. I want to share with you the words of Knight Wagner.
To be honest there have been many such compliments given to the MWR family from many many wrestlers that understand that this site is built for the fans, the promoters and wrestlers themselves.
.
It has been a pleasure to work each and every one of you. I have seen some of the craziest, weirdest and breathtaking matches ever in the past two plus years at MWR. The love that you have for wrestling is only equaled by the desire to give the fans their money’s worth. MWR could not be as successful or fun without your cooperation
4) Dubray Tallman: The old saying is behind every successful man is a good women. Thankfully I have Dubray to help support me while we drive the six hours roundtrip for many shows. There is no group of friends that live close enough that we can ride with to make the trip faster or cheaper. In less than a year and half we have made over eighty shows in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. At times the site takes away from what we can do elsewhere or together as it takes time to write and edit everything. Prior to the show Dubray works on one of the most popular articles that we have Dubi meets the fans. Often Dubi Meets the Fans is the among the top post for weeks on end . Dubray I love you.
5) Josh and Sara Ray: The founder of MWR is also one of my best friends. Josh has a great mind and love for the business. If only the two of us lived closer no telling how much more successful MWR would be. They don’t get much better than Josh and Sara
6) Kari Williams: MWR’S number one writer, you have read Kari’s articles from the inception of the site. Young and talented there is no doubt that you will find Kari’s work in a much bigger forum one day. Dubray and I always are thrilled to see Kari and her mother Joan.
7) Matt Murphy: Matt is one of the most underrated wrestling minds today. He has always been willing to give his advice and assistance for the site. In fact I didn’t take his advice early on and paid for it. Lesson learned, listen to Matt Murphy. Seriously Matt was kind enough to have his book showcased here at MWR in a weekly article that many MWR fans loved. If you missed it, there is a link at the top of the page that you can go to do catch up. MWR fans if you have read this article or book PLEASE take the time to review it on Amazon.com here.
8) Greg Anthony – Anthony brings to the site, a fan that is talented enough to excel in the sport today as a wrestler. I am never bored and often surprised to what he has to say in the MWR favorite the Golden Circle. As with Murphy if you have missed any of his articles I urge you take a look at the top of the page and enjoy.
9) Patrick Brandmeyer– As much as I love local professional wrestling, the truth is at times it can be nearly impossible to find out information on the past as well as the current history of the business. I often look to my good friend Patrick Brandmeyer for the what, how and why in the St Louis wrestling market and beyond. If a promotion wants a good source of advertisement then most defiantly contact Brandmeyer to make his way to your show.
10) ST Louis Wrestling Community and the Nose Bleed seats- Many people think that the man known as the Crimefighter and his website the ST Louis Wrestling Community are a competitor of the MWR website. The truth is that I have always enjoyed working with Crimfighter and his colleagues from the Nose Bleed SeatsChris Lee and MOAV5706. I often use the site and their advice for articles that you read here. They have had some great podcast and they are the number one source for all your wrestling in Central Illinois. Check them out here.
11) MWR T-shirts– Nothing brings a smile to my face than seeing a fan or wrestler wear a MWR Shirt. In the four states that we cover we have given away or sold 100’s of our shirts to wonderful people such as yourself. We started out with free drawings during intermission to a lucky fan.
Fans like this wonderful women has been thrilled to catch a MWR T-Shirt from a Midwest Superstar (Photo Credit Mike Van Hoogsraat)
Then one day at PWP I was taken photos when Murder Militia’s #1 Brett Young came to the ring wearing an MWR shirt . That kicked a light bulb in my head, why don’t we have a wrestler wear to ring and unlike the greedy Young who kept his shirt, we have them throw it to a lucky fan. This promotion has been more than a success and I would like to thank all the wrestlers who have worn the shirt in the past in this promotion. The fans I feel have had a lot of fun in catching them . Most recently one fan told me that her daughter was so impressed with catching the t-shirt and having her picture taken with the wrestler(Jimmy Karryt) that she has that picture of her and him as the background picture on their computer. You can not purchase moments as special as that.
Words can not describe how important my friend Nick Ridenour has been this year in working with us to have quality and affordable t-shirts with the small budget we have.
12) MWR Top Draws – A very popular feature at MWR is the art work from MWR’S Dartallion Allen JR. Allen brings to life your favorite stars in a cartoon style. Mwr fans look in the very near future a chance to vote for who you think Allen Jr should draw in the MWR Classic Wrestler Top Draw. Till then take the time to click above to see one of Midwest brightest artist today.
13) MWR Trading Cards– This is my new passion and a set that I take great pride in. A worthy collectable for the fans of MWR, the set features the stars of the Midwest and around the world that we have all come to love or hate. We started off with the MWR award winners for 2008 and 2009, card number one was the 2008 MWR Tag team of the year the Northstar Express Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz with Pnut, the three who is awesome in promos looked just as good in a trading card.
“The Future” Donovan Ruddick takes the time to pose with young fans that had purchased his MWR Trading Card prior to him autographing the collectable that fans have been clamoring for the past few months.
Since then we have added a who’s who of stars in the Midwest including three people that I am forever grateful who brought worldwide recognition to the set, site and other wrestlers of the series and they are international stars MsChif, Davey Richards and Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black.
A big thank you goes out to Alyssa Major for her amazing talent on these cards.
As of press time we have announced Nineteen trading cards and each and every individual brings their own flair and worth to your collection. Look for many other superstars of the ring to grace their presence in the set. In fact I am so excited to name them that I need to stop writing about it.
For a look at these card check out our checklist at the number one site for wrestling trading cards Wrestlingtradingcards.comhere.
14) MWR Photographers– People that know me, know that I love photos of wrestling. Often I will go to a website and see results from a show but never know what that person looks like. At MWR you get a chance to put a name with a face in an exciting fashion
I am blessed to be able to have some of the great photographers in the Midwest at MWR that allow us to use their work and expensive equipment for the site. A very underrated aspect to the scene is a photographer, these hard working professionals are able to capture that moment when your favorite wrestler goes for that high risk move, or the final moment when a wrestler wins the championship. With pictures you capture history.
Mike Van Hoogstraat, Gary Giaffoglione, Bill Smith and Scott Fieldstein are regulars with MWR who donate the pictures for you the fans to enjoy. I love all of these guys for their contribution and friendship.
15) Absolute Wrestling Radio: Amazingly when I wrote this article for 1,000 post I had somehow forgotten to recognize the AWR family. It’s not that they were not worthy or I hadn’t thought of them its just that I thought I had them done. Make no mistake about it that AWR was very crucial to MWR inception to the wrestling world. Based out of St Louis AWR has been a place where fans can listen and call in to talk about the WWE, TNA , local wrestling and MMA.
Mark Bland Matt Kreuger and Andy Echle have been a lot of fun throughout the time that I have known them and have created some of the most memorable moments in MWR history. They have always done a wonderful job getting the word of MWR out to the masses. We look forward to all of your hard wok and friendship.
Promotions
In the past two and half years MWR has covered and worked with each of these promotions in one form or another. I don’t want to thank anyone in particular because of the fear of forgetting anyone. Once again there are many great people that are in each of these promotions who have made a positive impact for the MWR site.
3XWrestling
All American Pro Wrestling
All American Wrestling
Central States Wrestling
Great American Wrestling
High Voltage Wrestling
IWA-Mid-South
Independent Hardcore Wrestling
IWA Productions
Lethal Wrestling Alliance
New Midwest Wrestling
New Breed Wrestling Alliance
NWA Supreme Wrestling
NWA Dynamo Pro Wrestling
Metro East Championship Wrestling
Metro Pro Wrestling
MMWA-SICW
Pro Wrestling Epic
Pro Wrestling Next
Pro Wrestling Phoenix
Pro Wrestling Next
Rampage Championship Wrestling
World League Wrestling
I hope that you check out these promotions live in the very near future.
Thank you MWR Fans and we hope to celebrate 1,500 soon. Till then look for all the exciting developments and happenings in the world of Pro Wrestling in the near future at MWR.
Sincerely,
Brian Kelley
Owner/ Editor of Missouri Wrestling Revival
My good friend Josh Ray and I spoke recently about the celebration of the MWR 1,000 POST. He stated that he had an article he would like to share with you so we started MWR post 1 with Josh Ray so it is only fitting that we end 1,000 with my good friend Josh.
By Josh Ray
Even though I left Missouri Wrestling Revival in the talented hands of Brian Kelley and Kari Williams a year ago to pursue other pro wrestling opportunities, as founder of this website/community I am extremely attached to any of MWR‘s successes and failures. It doesn’t matter whether the ideas came from my own mind or the mind of a friend, because once it is implemented by the site, it becomes part of the family.
As family, career, and life in general have siphoned time from one of my passions, most of my Midwest pro wrestling knowledge comes in spurts from MWR. It is a great site that has helped in more ways than it will ever get credit for, and that is due to a combined effort from contributors to MWR, promoters, wrestlers, behind-the-scenes staff, and of course fans! When Brian and I chatted last week and he informed me that the 1000th post was fast approaching, I wanted to get involved.
A lot is said of a wrestler’s desire and love of the business. Sometimes paid in hot dogs and other time not paid at all, these men and women travel at great physical, emotional, and financial expense because they love to entertain and they strive to improve. Unfortunately, there are other pieces of this puzzle that often go overlooked. These overlooked pieces are evident in those train wrecks that inevitably occur. Great wrestlers can make a great match, but those that work in supporting roles (the overlooked pieces I am referring to) are what make an entire event a success. In fact, those working in these supporting roles can make or break everything from the attendance to the safety at the show.
Those in these supporting roles include the promoter himself/herself, the booker, the referee, ring announcer, managers/valets, sound man/woman, camera crew, photographer, security, bloggers/journalists, and other volunteers. These men and women are no less a part of the wrestling business than the wrestlers themselves, but they often do what they do with little or no fanfare. There is no World Wrestling Entertainment developmental program for most of these roles, and many serving in these capacities are expected to do the work for free to pay their dues and to be a part of the show.
Even WWE legend Shawn Michaels acknowledged many of the great supporting members of WWE during his retirement speech on the March 29, 2010 edition of Monday Night RAW:
This is really gonna sound strange to you guys, but there’s a whole lot of people in those big ‘ol trucks out back, there are these guys here holding the camera, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and of course the greatest announcer of all time Jim Ross… but I want to thank all you guys. You guys always made me look better than I ever really was and I so appreciate that.
I want to follow in those great footsteps in this, the 1000th post on Missouri Wrestling Revival, by naming my own MWR “Supporting Roles” All-Star Team. This is by no means definitive and is solely based on my opinion with some input from trusted friends.
Supporting Roles All-Star 1st Team
Booker – Matt Murphy
I have talked with Matt numerous times and know his credentials. This would be the guy to go to in order to get the matches lined up… and the first guy I would talk to to straighten out any backstage issues.
Referees –
Brandon Schmidt
Eric Davis
Both men work hard and want to continue learning. You’d be hard pressed to find two more competent officials to ref a show.
Ring Announcer –
KL Snow
The man with the green socks has a great voice for ring announcing and is one of the nicest men you’ll meet in and out of the ring. He no longer operates in the area, but is worth the money to bring in.
Video –
Skylar Pierce
This guy shoots and edits wrestling video on a regular basis and continues to improve. Watch 3XW’s Outside the Ring on Youtube to see the progression of his video work.
Camera – Jenny Bessman 3XW’s video team under the guidance of Skylar Pierce is my logical choice, with Jenny getting the by name selection, but without excluding the video talents of Sean Wilkerson. These guys keep the 3XW machine moving in the right direction by continuing their line of DVDs and providing footage for the 3XW web show Outside the Ring.
Security –Brandon “Bubba” Wacholtz
When I put together the MWR show for November 2009, “Bubba” was my first choice for security. Very professional in a security capacity and anyone that says otherwise has probably deserved being removed from a show.
Backstage Photographer –
Michael R. Van Hoogstraat
Many of the great Midwest wrestler photos from backstage that you see on this site and across the Internet come from this man!
Ringside Photographer –
Gary Giaffoglione
You feel right there in the middle of the action when Gary is at the helm.
Mouthpiece –
Magic Man
I extended the offer to Magic Man a long time ago… whenever I have a video camera he is always welcome to jump in front of it.
Mouthpiece –
Chad Mylan
Quite honestly, I mark for very few things in this world… but I mark for Chad Mylan. I am a Mylanite.
Booster –
Chuck Maddox
A genuinely nice guy with a love for professional wrestling that many do not come close to matching. Chuck is the guy you’d want to work with on any marketing plan or budget.
Journalist/Blogger –
Kari Williams
The resident workhorse at MWR has a career beyond this site that is right around the corner. I am very proud to have met her and often go to her for writing advice.
That is all I have for this, the 1000th post on Missouri Wrestling Revival. Remember, if its worth supporting then support it. If not then run the other way and something better will eventually come along!
When the Hooligans (Devin and Mason Cutter) contacted MWR to send out a message, little did we know that we what we got ourselves involved in. The Hooligans (Devin and Mason Cutter) and the Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico) have battled each other throughout the Midwest at Independent Hardcore Wrestling, Lethal Wrestling Alliance, Great American Wrestling and High Voltage Wrestling. The Submission Squad had the early advantage by defeating the Hooligans at IHW on June 13th then again at their home turf LWA.
Things got ugly at Pro Wrestling Next when The Hooligans shocked the Submission Squad by not only by beating them but taking home the LWA Tag team titles. Since then, the two have been split in non title defenses, once at GAW in the first round for their Tag team titles, then again at IHW.
What team, if any, will take the Hooligans up on their offer to win the Hooligans’ money by taking out the Submission Squad? While we were video taping, little did we realize that the misfit of the family Neil Diamond Cutter was making his presence known in the background.
This feud is quickly turning into a 2009 feud of the year candidate. You will not want to miss the next installment in this battle for tag team supremacy. On Oct. 10, The Hooligans return home to High Voltage Wrestling in Granite City, IL to face their rivals, Abernathy and Gelistico, to determine the first ever HVW Tag team Champions.
I am torn on the announcement that I am about to make. After many nights contemplating the future of the MWR monthly Awards we have decided that for the time being that we are going to discontinue that feature from our site. It’s not that I don’t feel as if the awards are a fun part of the site, it’s just that:
1) Many of the awards committee have become so busy with their everyday lives that they have respectfully asked to be taken off of the committee as they cannot honestly vote on the awards and knowingly give an honest vote. Add on the fact that there are so few individuals that keep up with the MWR coverage area (KS, IA, IL, and MO) that could honestly vote on the awards in an unbiased manner.
2) The time that it takes to get nominations, send out the final vote, tally up the votes then look up a picture to make the winner look like a million bucks is considerable. With that said, in the month of August at Lethal Wrestling Alliance, Kari Williams and I were able to deliver two of the 2008 MWR Awards to Jeremy Wyatt and Michael Strider.
The year 2008 will always be remembered as the year of the Rebel. Main events for the man they would call “The Belt Collector” was the norm. Whether he faced “The Future” Donovan Ruddick, Abu Colossus, Davey Richards, Shorty Biggs, Tyler Cook or the man many claim is the best in the Midwest, Dingo the matches stole the show. Wyatt was the talk of 2008 as he tore through 3XW, LWA, HVW, PWP and NWA Dynamo.
Wyatt is one of the most feared and respected athletes in the sport with a bright future ahead of him. MWR was proud to present the 2008 MWR Wrestler of the Year award to Jeremy Wyatt.
2008 MWR Wrestler of the Year Jeremy Wyatt with MWR’S Kari Williams .
On February 2, 2008 in Lawrence, KS Central States Wrestling was on life support, but that did not stop the wrestlers from going out there and delivering a great night of wrestling. The main event was going to be brutal and promised to deliver as, arguably, the top Midwest Talent NWA Central States Champion Michael Strider went against Jeremy Wyatt in a No-Ropes Barbed-Wire Match.
The outcome? A huge win for a bloodied Strider. Wyatt went on to lose a nipple, thanks to getting caught in the dangerous barb wire. The fans were shocked and impressed as these two warriors gave the match of a lifetime—One that they would never forget.
Unbeknownst to many, this match would change the course of Midwest Wrestling. Strider would slowly fade away from the sport as his heart was no longer in it. Jeremy Wyatt would go on to main event wherever he was booked. He become a six-time MWR Wrestler of the month and part of five MWR Matches of the month in the process.
A true passing of the torch match.
A reunion between two warriors of the sport as Michael Strider and Jeremy Wyatt receive their 2008 MWR Match of the Year plaques. Pictured left to right Michael Strider, MWR Columnist Kari Williams, MWR Owner Brian Kelley, Jeremy “The Belt Collector” Wyatt.
In January the MWR Awards will return as we will honor the 2009 MWR Wrestler, Tag Team, Promotion, Female, Personality and Match of the Year. Details will be given around that time.
Thank you for your support and your understanding.
Brian “Flair” Kelley
Missouri Wrestling Revival Owner
Proud member of the Cauliflower Club
What started as a competition between two up and coming tag teams has turned into a war that is sweeping across the mid-west and has made an impact on a lot of area promotions.
The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico) made there name in the Saint Louis based LWA but have been branching out over the last two years. The Squad has made stops in Chikara Pro as well as IWA-Mid South have held tag titles in 4 states and have worked in two countries. Making there home in LWA as well as IWA-TX the Submission Squad is on the right path of breaking out on a national scene.
The Hooligans (Mason and Devin Cutter) made there names in the Georgia area training under former WWF superstar Mr. Hughes. The Cutters then made there home base in East Saint Louis where they looked to make an impact on the tag team scene. The Hooligans shined in the first ever IWA- Mid South tryout show earning full time jobs and tons of exposure. Since then the brothers have worked all across the mid-west and fought top teams in the IWA. This team is also on the path of breaking onto the national scene.
On June 13th in Dupo Illinois these two paths crossed for the first time as the Submission Squad took on the Hooligans for the first time on the IHW debut show. This back and forth match saw the Submission Squad come out on top. What we thought would be a one time match up has turned into much more.
The Hooligans have Evan Gelistico where they want him. (Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)
We fast forward to August 8th as the Hooligans jumped at the chance to face the Submission Squad in there home base of the LWA. The Cutters got there second chance at LWA gold in New Athens Illinois/ However for the second time the brothers fell short as the Squad pinned the Hooligans.
The Submission Squad had felt that there rivalry with the Hooligans was over as they had beat them two times in a row but a open door would be what turned this rivalry personal. The Submission Squad was asked to put there LWA tag team titles on the line against the Hooligans on the PWN event and the Squad did not want to turn down the chance to debut in a new area so they accepted and you had The Submission Squad vs. The Hooligans 3 for the LWA tag team titles.
The Submission Squad improved there dominance of the Cutters on Aug 15 when they defeated the Hooligans Lil Brother Neil Diamond Cutter and his tag team partner The Blackheart in the semi final match for the HVW Tag team Titles. (Photo credit Mike Van Hoogstraat)
On August 21st the Squad would meet The Hooligans in the match that would change everything. In a back and forth match the mid-west wrestling scene was shocked as The Hooligans won the LWA tag team titles. This was unprecedented as the LWA tag titles changed hands outside the LWA to a team who is not in the LWA. Not only that but the Cutters used outside help from the Epic War (based in California) tag team champions Tim Donst and Jaysin Strife to capture the titles.
Current LWA Champions The Hooligans(Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)
The Hooligans were ready to take on Project Mayhem in the GAW tag team tournament. However on August 30th in Lincoln IL one half of the Project Mayhem team was hurt so they could not compete in the tournament. They did sign there own replacement and it was the Submission Squad. The Squad stormed the ring and fought the Hooligans in non-title (LWA) action. The Squad on this night beat the Hooligans thus ending there chance at the GAW tag team titles. However these two tag teams would brawl out of the building that night.
At GAW the feud continued but the LWA Championship was not on the line. Pierre would get the pinfall for bragging rights in this highly contested feud. (Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)
We now go back to where this all began in the town of Dupo Illinois for the IHW promotion as it was set to be trios action featuring The Submission Squad along with stable mate Gary Jay taking on The Hooligans with there little brother Neil Diamond Cutter. This was not for the LWA tag team titles but was as intense as any title match you could see. The Cutter brothers on this night pinned the Submission Squad but the fight did stop there as these men had to be pulled apart after the match by security and referees.
During the intermission of this show The Hooligans attacked The Submission Squad and these teams tore apart the building and thus have all been suspended from IHW indefinitely.
As of this writing the next scheduled match between these two teams is October 10th in Granite City Illinois for the HVW promotion. They will face in the finals of the HVW tag team tournament. What started as a rivalry between two teams trying to break onto the national scene has turned into a war which may cause one of these teams not to make it
This column is the property of Christopher M. Zack and published here as agreed upon by Pro Wrestling Next. No duplication of this column is permitted without the exclusive written consent of the author and/or PWN officials.
General Disclaimer: I can be incredibly long winded. I have a degree in English and love to write, so I tend to write quite a bit. When I’m passionate about something, it comes out even more. I have a lot of passion about the wrestling business, so these columns will definitely be wordy, but it’s all to get discussions going.
That’s right, it’s the return of Angles W/Camera Guy Chris. First things first, personal business. I again would like to apologize for my sporadic posting over the summer months. It’s been hard to sit and focus on (no pun intended) putting together an article between my work schedule and spending time with my daughter during the summer months. Now that school has started again, it’ll be a lot easier to post this for you great fans who visit the boards and read my work.
I also want to announce two things about Angles. Firstly, I will not be posting on a weekly basis. At the moment, I simply don’t have the energy or time to get a new topic together and post every week. It would burn me out very quickly. Angles will be a monthly post at the very least. There may be 2 posts a month depending on time and topics. That leads into my other announcement. My work is going to look more exclusively on Independent wrestling. There are so many great Indy feds and Indy talent out there, that to look at the WWE and TNA would just be foolish on my part. Pro Wrestling NEXT is a great Independent Wrestling Organization showcasing the best young wrestlers out there, and that’s where my attention will be from now on.
I can’t think of a better place to begin this new focus than with some of the events that transpired this past Friday, August 21st, 2009. There are many excellent independent wrestling groups around the world and right here in America. Organizations like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Full Impact Pro, CHIKARA, and Combat Zone Wrestling come to mind as some of the top Independents that come to mind here in the States. (I left out Ring of Honor, because, honestly, they have a national TV deal and are on PPV, I can’t consider them independent anymore) Friday night’s event at the Bier Stube saw the World Heavyweight Champion of one of these top feds defend his title live for us in the Quad Cities, CZW Champion Drake Younger.
Younger, trained by the likes of Ian Rotten and Chris Hero among others, is a brutal, vicious competitor who has held the Combat Zone World Heavyweight Championship since July 12, 2008, when he defeated Nick Gage for the title. Holding any title for more than a year is a great feat, but it’s definitely a mark of a true champion. Drake is best known for his deathmatch wrestling, a main stable for CZW, but he is also a brilliant technical wrestler and mat technician.
Younger brought this combined style to PWN on the 21st, looking to take down Hunter Matthews. Hunter, former PWN Quad Cities Champion and self-proclaimed “King of Des Moines,” felt he was cheated out of a title and deserved a title match at Bier Stube Bash 2, The Sequel. So, Drake Younger stepped in to give him that opportunity. How often to you get to see a World Title from another organization defended? That is the main point of this article. It’s a treat when another group, especially one as big as CZW allows their title to be defended outside of one of their own shows.
Younger brought is reputation and his World Title to Moline and gave the fans one kick ass ride. I’ve already talked about this match to some extent in my response to the results thread, but I’m going to go a bit more in depth now.
Hunter came out first, and of course took the microphone, much to the dismay of the fans. Matthews has definitely not been a favorite of the QC crowd. He talked about how the Quad Cities Championship had been taken, and his need of holding a title. Younger came out to put a stop to the talking and start the action, bringing and emptying a beer battle as he walked to the ring. He was on Matthews right from the start. Hunter didn’t even have a chance to get out of his jacket before Drake took the fight to him. Eventually, he was able to duck out of the ring and get a moment to pull his jacket off and gear up for the fight, but a moment was all he got.
The CZW Champion quickly followed him out of the ring to continue the beating. Out amongst the fans, we saw many various weapons used and advantages taken by both parties. And under CZW rules, this was all legal. No count outs, no disqualifications. Matthews was hit by a water bottle and a beer can before fighting back and getting Younger prone on top of a hard plastic picnic table. Hunter attempted a piledriver on top of this table but Drake was able to counter. Younger looked like he wanted to slam the “King” down to the cement below, but Matthews was able to block that attempt and the two of them made their way off the table.
The World Champion would empty a garbage can and take that to Hunter Matthews’ skull, leaving an indentation of the King’s “crown” on both sides of the metal can. Younger would then take his empty beer bottle, smash it across the ring post and attempt to lacerate Matthews with it. Hunter was able to dodge that and fought Drake, leading him to the fountain in the Bier Stube’s court yard. He tried to force the Champ’s head under water, and Younger struggled to prevent this, but, Matthews was able to over power him and dunk him for several seconds.
The two men battled back and forth around the outside of the ring until Hunter was able to whip Drake over a couple more plastic picnic tables towards a set of stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking the garden. They fought up to the balcony, both men teetering and trying to push the other over the edge. Thankfully, neither was successful. That would have caused serious injury. After battling back down the stairs they made their way out to the parking lot and onto the metal bed that had carried the ring to the venue. Hunter would get scooped up and slammed on his back on the metal!
At that point, things were pretty well over. Matthews was able to stay on his feet as they fought their way back in the ring. In the ring, Younger hit a sick ass vertibreaker for the win and rolled out of the ring to celebrate with the QC crowd. The fans really seemed to enjoy this. Drake grabbed the microphone, told the fans that he’d heard about Matthews and how he liked to run his mouth a lot. He was glad to have given the fans what they’ve wanted, silence, and he hoped to see them all in the bar to share a beer! At one point, I remember him looking me right in the eye…er…lens…and saying “That’s what you get when you call out Drake Younger” while pointing to Hunter, prone in the ring.
This is the great action you see in Pro Wrestling Next. Not only are we bringing in great new talent, we’re showcasing HUGE matches with World Titles from some of the top feds across the country. This is only the beginning, too. On September 12th, PWN welcomes back Davey Richards, current holder of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship (a title he’s had once before) and current holder of the Full Impact Pro World Heavyweight Championship, a title he Will Defend in Davenport on September 12th at PWN’S Severed Ties!!!! FIP’s World Title is one of the top 3 wrestling championships in the country, and seeing it defended here in the Quad Cities is going to be excellent.
Back to the Bier Stube Bash, now. The CZW World Title match was awesome, but not the biggest moment of the night by far, in my opinion. The biggest moment happened before that match when The Hooligans defeated the Submission Squad to take the Lethal Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Championships. As unique as it is to see titles defended from other organizations, it is extremely rare to see a title change hands outside of the confines of the group the title is from. What makes this title change even more exciting and controversial is the fact that The Hooligans are not a part of LWA.
First, I have some background info. I need to thanks Brian “Flair” Kelley, Pierre Abernathy, and Kari Williams for tracking down or providing this information for me. The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico) originally consisted of Pierre Abernathy, Dingo, and Nick Tyson, but the team has also included Evan Gelistico and “Blackheart” Johnny Vinyl. Before joining Abernathy, Gelistico was a member of the Bearded Men from Space Station Eleven (Gary the Barnowl—who was eventually corrupted by the likes of Gelistico, Abernathy, Tiffany LaFane, and Davey Vega—Billy McNeal, XXX Jordan Lacey, and Evan Gelistico) for approximately two years. Abernathy and Gelistico won the LWA Tag Titles on April 4th in O’Fallon, Illinois’s Night’s of Columbus building from the Ego Express (“Spoiled” Steven Kennedy & K.C. Karrington). The Ego Express were the first team to hold the LWA Tag Team Titles, beating Dingo and Davey Vega on 12/18/2008 at Yuletide Terror ’08.
During their title reign, the Submission Squad squared off against the Hooligans, the Northstar Express, and the Ego Express. One of their biggest feuds (before claiming the LWA gold) came against the Bearded Men over a span of two years. This feud saw Gelistico turn on the Space Station, claiming to be Gary’s father. Their other noticeable feud happened when original members, Dingo and Nick Tyson began to distance themselves from Abernathy and Gelistico. This culminated in a match between the new and the old Submission Squad on May 30 at the Vetta Sports Complex. Abernathy & Gelistico emerged victorious.
The Hooligans are Devin and Mason Cutter. The Cutters were raised in the outside districts of East St. Louis IL. They come from a working class family. They are just a couple of thugs or hooligans that enjoy a beer as much as they enjoy a good fight. You can catch them at any local pub after a hard days work drinking with there mates and at the end of the night you sure to see them in a fight. They are best known for their work in IWA-Mid South, where they have competed against some of the best IWA-MS has to offer, including (sometimes with Rain as their partner) Ian & Axl Rotten (sometimes with Mickie Knuckles)—better known as Bad Breed—on several occasions in many different types of hard-hitting, violent matches. The Cutters, in my opinion, are very no nonsense. They’re heavy hitters and consider themselves Working Class Heroes, though the fans from Friday didn’t consider them very heroic when they won the LWA Championships.
In Moline on August 21st, the crowd was already fired up, and it only escalated to see the first of two title matches. The QCA fans were definitely against the Hooligans throughout the match, especially after the match. Security had to restrain both the Hooligans and the crowd following their victory for the LWA Titles.
The match itself saw both teams getting in some early offense, until Devin and Mason cut Evan Gelistico off from his partner. The Cutters used classic heel tactics to divide and concur, isolating Gelistico and using moments when the ref’s back was turned to both double team Gelistico and trade places with blind tags.
During the match, Tim Donst and Jasin Strife came out to watch the proceedings. Donst had lost a match to Tony Kozina earlier in the night due to disqualification after Strife came down and joined Tim in assaulting Kozina. The Submission Squad had come to the aide of Kozina, causing Donst and Strife to flee the ring before Abernathy and Gelistico could lay a hand on them. I didn’t see Donst and Strife come out, since my attention was focused on the action in the ring, and rightly so, I am Camera Guy Chris, after all.
Back in the ring, Gelistico manages to catch a break, tagging in his very fresh, very eager partner, Pierre Abernathy, who proceeded to take down both the Cutters as they took turns charging at him. In the corner, Gelistico was down and prone to Donst and Strife, who chose that moment to strike, taking out Evan’s knee and leaving him crying out in pain on the cement below the ring. Then it was only a matter of time before the numbers game caught up with Abernathy. With no partner waiting on the apron, and the vicious Hooligans having 2-1 odds, it didn’t take long for the match to end, crowing Devin and Mason Cutter the NEW LWA Tag Team Champions.
A title change is always a sight to see, since they can be rare, especially in the independent feds. Seeing a title from another company even defended at an outside event is something big. PWN featured two outside title defenses at the Bier Stube Bash 2. What makes this particular match even more unique is seeing the titles change hands at an outside event. And if that were the only major deal about this match, then, while worth mentioning, it might not get all the attention it is getting. What makes this particular outside title defense and changing of the guard so incredibly special is that the new LWA Tag Team Champions are not a part of the Lethal Wrestling Alliance!
This situation has potential to get very bad very quickly. I know I’ll be following the situation as closely as I can and update the fans on how things turn out. I’d also like to welcome any and all LWA fans visiting the PWN boards and reading this article. I invite you to join in the discussion of both the situation with the Tag Team Titles and the uniqueness of seeing outside titles defended.
I would like to once again thank everyone for the information provided for this article. It’s very much appreciated. I’d also like thank Brian “Flair” Kelley, once again, as well as Missouri Wrestling Revival for giving me the opportunity to reach a new audience with my articles. I hope you all enjoy. For those viewing this on MWR, and would like to join the discussion, the main article can be viewed here at the Pro Wrestling Next board.
–
This is Dubray Tallman out and about mingling with the fans of the wrestling community. We all know as I had said before it is the fans that bring as much action as the wrestlers to the shows.
This past Saturday I was in Wood River, IL enjoying our friends at MECW. Prior to the show I had made my way through the crowd to find four fans with opinions of whom their favorites were and how long they have followed MECW.
I did my best to get their favorite wrestler to pose with them during intermission. Unfortunately some fans like the bad guys of the wrestling world and I was unable to get MECW management to get those guys come out for a picture with the fans. Why can’t we all just get along??
The theme of the night was that many of the fans first favorite was Dewey “Booger” Dawson who had retired at the last show so I asked them to take a moment to think of who they liked currently at MECW.
The first fan I spoke to was Kenny Busby from Wood River Illinois who had been coming to MECW since their start in. Kenny stated that his favorite was Brian Scrilla. Scrilla is one of the tough guys with a big heart and I had no problem getting that special picture with the two of them.
Up next I asked my wrestling buddy and fellow Fuzzy Hat Club member/president Terry Joe Wray (Panther) from Cottage Hills, Illinois who has been following MECW since 2007. Panthers favorite was one of mine as well Krotch, but when I went to get MECW to ask for him to come out for the picture they stated that he was in “No mood after his lost to Gabriel Brimstone” Confused I asked my friend if I could take his picture anyway.
Fuzzy Hat Club member/president Terry Joe Wray (Panther) (Photo Credit Brian “Flair “ Kelley)
I was then able to catch up with Joe VanDuran who had traveled from Chicago, Illinois to MECW for the second time to see his favorite Bailey Mannix wrestled. I knew the answer was going to be a no because Mannix is a “JERK!!” So guess what? I was right so Joe said that he would be happy to take a picture with me for the site. Thank you Joe!!
Joe VanDuran and Dubray Tallman (Photo Credit Brian “Flair “ Kelley)
The fourth fan I found was Annie Smith from East Alton, Illinois who had followed MECW for at least two years. Annie told me that Krotch was her favorite as well, so I explained to her that he was “In no mood” arrhhh… I offered her to choose another wrestler and she quickly picked The Bayou OutlawsMaddog McDowell and Aaron Masterson. They were gracious enough to take a picture with her and during the excitement I forgot to ask the two tough wrestlers for a picture with me as well.
Maddog McDowell Annie Smith and Aaron Masterson. (Photo Credit Brian “Flair “ Kelley)
A great night of wrestling until Krotch ruined it by hitting Gabrille Brimstone with a chair. I thought that they were friends. Krotch, I want you to know that your no longer one of my favorite wrestlers.
I want to thank MECW for allowing me to meet with the fans and will always look forward to coming back to Wood River.
This weekend I will be at Lethal Wrestling Alliance in House Springs Missouri hoping to meet more wrestling fans. If any of the LWA fans would like to be a part of “Dubi Meets the Fans” let me know. I am hoping to do four at each show. If you are not one of the first four I know that my boyfriend Brian “Flair” Kelley and I will be back to support pro wrestling in the Midwest.
Missouri Wrestling Revival 