Missouri Wrestling Revival

Giving Back to Midwest Pro Wrestling!

  • Post With Us

  • Follow Us

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • 2015 MWR Yearbook on Sale

  • Pro Wrestling Tees

  • CAC

  • Rob Schamberger Art

  • Rings and Cages

  • Windy Wine Company

  • Wrestle Talk Podcast

  • Galaxy Wrestling All Stars Comics

  • Piekutowski Sausage

Posts Tagged ‘Lethal Wrestling Alliance’

Brandon Aarons beautifies B.A.B.E.WATCH

Posted by reimaginejournalism on March 30, 2009

By Kari Williams

As “Irresistably Flawless” Brandon Aarons saunters to the ring, “Girls go crazy!” becomes his battlecry. With each flamboyant step, he anticipates cries of excitement from the girls in attendance. He foresees them fawning over his Greek god-like physique, hoping he does so much as cast a glance in their direction. The moment he steps through the ropes and flaunts his athletic prowess he lets his personality flourish. When Aarons secures victory, he delivers See You Next Tuesday, a fireman’s carry into a modified lung blower, and covers his opponent for the three count.

Brandon Aarons shows why he is irresistably flawless prior to his match against Mark Sterling on Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Kari Williams

Brandon Aarons shows why he is 'irresistably flawless' prior to his match against Mark Sterling on Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Kari Williams

The Newport Beach, CA native began his career three years ago with Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW) and has since trained with Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) and Dynamo Training Gym, where he currently resides under the tutelage of Dingo. Noticing he needed something extra to stand out, Aarons established a serious training program in which he goes to the gym five days a week.

“[Other wrestlers] go to the gym all the time [and] get buff. Me? I was a little, skinny kid. Plus, I wanted to get the girls. So, I figure, I can go out somewhere, and I see all the girls looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Alright, this is cool.’ And then I see all the old guys looking at me, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I must be really good if the old dudes are checking me out too’,” Aarons said.

Once his desire to work at a more rigorous pace developed, Aarons had the opportunity to wrestle on the National Wrestling Alliance—Central States Wrestling (NWA-CSW, now Dynamo Pro) television taping in April 2008 against Adam Rich and Tony Brock in a three-way for the first Young Dynamo Cup. Boosting his credibility is the fact that he has worked on cards featuring stars such as Al Snow, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.

“I wrestled in front of almost 300 people up in NWA Dynamo in Kansas and then Espy [and I] wrestled as B.A.B.E.WATCH [with] IWA Productions…in January. [In the next year, I want to] wrestle in front of more people, get my name out there, get more publicity, do as much as I can to let people know that Brandon Aarons is the next breakout star in the midwest,” Aarons said.

Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa formed B.A.B.E.WATCH in May 2008 and currently have their sights set on gold. Photo by Kari Williams

Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa formed B.A.B.E.WATCH in May 2008 and currently have their sights set on gold.

Aarons joined forces with “Thee” Brandon Espinosa in May 2008 when their tag team, B.A.B.E.WATCH, debuted in LWA. The duo has wrestled for LWA, New Midwest Wrestling and High Voltage Wrestling (HVW), among other companies. The skill set they possess, and the attention they receive, allows them to stand out, despite Aarons keeping their key moves secret.

“[Espinosa has] his Mexican flying burrito skills, and I [have] my ridiculously good looking things that I do, which is everything. Plus, Espy and I get fan mail. Granted 99 percent of females that attend wrestling shows are complete trash, and I would never converse with them in my entire life—not even through a mutual friend…But B.A.B.E.WATCH…stands for ‘Girls, girls, girls want our bodies, but they cannot touch us so we wrestle ugly dudes and beat them unless they cheat. You know, like the Ego [Express] did on Jan. 24, the day after my birthday,” Aarons said.

Espinosa utitilizes the time spent together to develop their proficiency and skillfulness in the ring.

“As singles competitors, we are able to show one another what is great about each other, which helps us create our tag team aurora. Strategies are pretty much the same [though]. [We] use each other to the other ones advantage,” Espinosa said.

Having a love for the sport since he was 11 years old, Aarons understands his expectations and responsibilites as a wrestler but while balancing a full time college schedule knows he is limited.

Photo Courtesty of Brandon Aarons

Photo Courtesty of Brandon Aarons

Due to his hardwork and dedication, Aarons, along with others such as Mike Sydal, was named as one of the next wave of breakout stars on Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) Owner Josh Ray’s, “2008 Year End Awards and Reflective Celebration” post. Aarons feels that he deserves the credit bestowed upon him.

“I don’t blame [MWR] at all [for selecting me] because if I’m going to train this hard, I better be getting something out of it. But guys like Mike [Sydal], he’s pretty talented. I mean, he’s probably almost just as good as me. Almost. You know, he’s got charisma; he’s got skill. Something I think that I possess as well because I’m irresistably flawless,” Aarons said.

Brandon has battled some of the best the Midwest has to offer, here he punishes Mark Sterling at LWA ( Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)

Brandon has battled some of the best the Midwest has to offer, here he punishes Mark Sterling at LWA ( Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)

Wrestling for approximately two years, Sydal became an interim member of B.A.B.E.WATCH in Dec. 2008 and appreciates the recognition bestowed upon himself and Aarons.

“It was nice to read that, honestly, because it means people are noticing our hard work. I know both of us can live up to those expectations. We both work hard in and out of the ring, always training in the ring and in the gym,” Sydal said.

Aarons feels secure with his work ethic and plans to prove Ray correct in the coming months. The irresistably flawless one competed in a number one contender’s match for the Heavweight Title against “Future” Donovan Ruddick, J.C. Bravo and Dorian Victor on March 6 for LWA to attest to that fact. In the same month, he wrestled in HVW against Kahagas, who ranked at 373 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s PWI 500 for 2008.

At HVW on March 14, Brandon Aarons accompanies Brandon Espinosa to the ring for Espinosas Livewire Championship match against Gary Jay. Photo by Kari Williams

At HVW on March 14, Brandon Aarons accompanies Brandon Espinosa to the ring for Espinosa's Livewire Championship match against Gary Jay. Photo by Kari Williams

“I can guarantee that I can get a reaction out of anybody no matter what I do, whether I’m shaking hands or pulling down my tights to expose my rock hard abs. I [have] skill, I [have] talent, I [have] charisma. My pecs are good. My triceps are good. My biceps are good. I’ve got rock solid thighs, I’ve got great hair. Those guys on that list, some of them might have some of it, some of them may have none of it, but I have all of it,” Aarons said.

The flamboyant Sydal has grown to know Aarons and thinks highly of his some-time partner.

“Brandon Aarons is a young, hungry, up-and-comer with a great body—a nice hard, tight, young body. He is a skilled wrestler with a chiseled and hard, tan look with a young face. [He has a] great boyish face with a toned physique that captivates you so you can’t look away,” Sydal said.

Aarons can back up such statements because he has girls “sending [him] e-mails [and] messaging [him] on MySpace.” Despite his claims, many fans harass Aarons with accusations of being homosexual, which he firmly denies.

B.A.B.E.WATCH plans to broaden their horizons within the next year. ‘We hope to wrestle as much as we can, capture as much gold–because it looks so good around our waists–and spread the word and looks of B.A.B.E.WATCH,’ Espinosa said. Photo by Brian “Flair” Kelley

B.A.B.E.WATCH plans to broaden their horizons within the next year. ‘We hope to wrestle as much as we can, capture as much gold–because it looks so good around our waists–and spread the word and looks of B.A.B.E.WATCH,’ Espinosa said. Photo by Brian “Flair” Kelley

“We look good. We wear professional-looking gear. I look professional. Espy looks professional. Mike definitely looks professional. His brother is Evan Bourne from WWE. You can’t get more professional than that…What’s gay about us? We don’t do anything gay. We wrestle. That’s what we do. We wrestle. We perform. We get out there. Take names. Kick ass …So, definitely not gay. Not gay at all,” Aarons said.

After working with Sydal semi-regularly for three months, Aarons has no problem with Sydal’s addition to B.A.B.E.WATCH.

“Us good looking guys, we have to stay together because in the wrestling business. It’s hard to find good looking guys, just as hard as it is to find good looking girls…The three of us together has been awesome. B.A.B.E.WATCH as a whole is obviously, Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa, but what do we want? We want babes. What does that ‘S’ stand for? Sydal. He’s the missing link, so if he wants in, he’s in,” Aarons said.

Regardless of the fans’ perception of the irresistably flawless one, he and Espinosa hope to excel as a team, with Espinosa stating that they are on a quest for gold. Before the dashing duet proves themselves in tag team title matches, Aarons must first contend with his opponent at LWA’s next show on April 4 in O’ Fallon, IL. For booking information, contact Aarons through brandonaarons@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/thegenerickid.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

MWR February 2009 Awards

Posted by flairwhoooooo on March 16, 2009

MWR February 2009 Awards

Wrestler of the Month

Jeremy Wyatt
(LWA,PWP,3XW,NWA Dynamo Pro)
jeremy-wyatt-champ

Jeremy Wyatt continues to dominate the Midwest. He retained the LWA title against former LWA Champion “The Future” Donovan Ruddick on February 22 in a brutal match. Wyatt became one of the few men to have defeated Ruddick, though he had some help from Mark Sterling, Jewels and Dorian Victor the Rebel remains the LWA Champion. Wyatt ended the month by retaining the PWP title against Hype Gotti and recently released Sonja Dutt in a three way dance. Wyatt was part of two of the most important matches in the Midwest in February and was able to come up on top both times.

1st Runner Up- Mark Sterling ( 3XW, PWP,LWA, NWA DYNAMO, AAPW,SCW).
2nd Runner Up – (TIE) “Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell (3XW, MECW).Issan Hadeev, (NBWA)

Others receiving votes: Dingo, Dave Vaughn
Bloody” Harker Dirge<

February Tag Team of the month

Phoenix Twins
(SCW)
phoenix

The Phoenix Twins successfully defended their titles against their arch enemies The Northstar Express at SCW. A BIG WIN

1st Runner Up- The Hybrids (SCW,NMWA,SLW,HWA)
2nd Runner Up – Andy Roberts & Danny McKay ((NGW) (GAW)
3rd runner up- Pierre Abernathy, Davey Vega and Evan Gelistico (LWA)

Others receiving votes- Jaysin Strife and Vic Victory (PWP)

February Woman Wrestler of the Month

Stacey O’Brien
(MMWA-SICW, WLW)

Michael R Van Hoogstraat

Photo Credit: Michael R Van Hoogstraat

Stacey was so close to reclaiming the MMWA-SICW title Alexis Lightfoot until Destiny Diamond interfered. Stacey continues to hold onto the WLW title. With a feud with upstart Destiny Diamond, Stacey O’Brien will be tested in the upcoming months.

1st Runner Up- Rain (IWAMS)
2nd Runner Up – “Serenity” Brandi Harris (NBWA, HVW)
3rd Runner Up – Mia Martinez (3XW)
Others receiving votes: Destiny Diamond (MMWA-SICW), Mickey Knuckles (IWAMS) (GWA)

February Promotion of the Month

3XW
logo1

The 3XW show on February 28th was to benefit a 11 year old Christian Arnold & his family. Christian was diagnosed with cancer in his foot and had to have his leg amputated below the knee this week. His family has insurance, but because they took him to Mayo Clinic which is outside their network, much of his bills will not be covered. This is an addition to the costs a family has just having a very sick kid. This was not just a benefit show, ALL the proceeds from this event went to the family.

All wrestlers, referees, ring announcers, etc have volunteered their time and travel expenses so that the absolute most money can be raised for this family. The only money that did not go to the family is the money that the state of Iowa requires for sales tax & a percentage of ticket sales that is required to be paid to the Iowa state athletic commission.

The result? One of the biggest crowds in 3XW history packed the McCarroll Gym and helped raise over $4,000 for the family of Christian Arnold while witnessing one of the most exciting events 3XW has ever held. Wrestling aside, one of the true highlights of the evening was the auction for a steel chair signed by all the wrestlers who took part in the show. The winning bid was a whopping $500 and the winner gave the chair directly back to the Arnold family to keep.

We at MWR never get tired of hearing about a promotion and wrestlers supporting the fans. We salute 3XW with the Promotion of the month for February.

1st Runner Up – Rampage Championship Wrestling
2nd Runner Up –Lethal Wrestling Alliance
3rd Runner Up – MMWA-SICW

Others receiving votes – Scott County Wrestling

February Personality of the month

Chris Lee
(The Nosebleed Seats)
chrislee

As an avid fan of the sport, Chris originally began as a ring announcer and commentator, he has announced for several Central Illinois wrestling companies including GAW, NMW, ASCW, SLW and the wrestling event held by the Springfield Stallions. In July 2007, the first episode of the Nose Bleed Seats was produced in Champaign, IL with Chris interviewing the Phoenix Twins-Tweek @ Dash. Originally a web cast program, it began airing on the Springfield public access a year later. In recognizing the best talent to come out of central Illinois, he conceived the NBS Awards, which was held on February 20th. Although owning his own restaurant, the Main Hanger has cut down his ability to make as many shows as he used to, he continues to contribute to the area wrestling scene. MWR is proud to announce Chris Lee as the February personality of the Month.

1st Runner Up- Jewells (LWA)
2nd Runner Up (tie) – Travis Cook (MMWA-SICW), Kari Williams

Others receiving votes- Adam Raw (LWA)

February Match of the month
scw

The Phoenix Twins vs. The Northstar Express
Davenport, IA
February 6, 2009
(Scott County Wrestling)

The Phoenix Twins (Tweek and Dash) and The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz) had a feud that tore up the Midwest in 2008. Guess what they are still going strong. In the main event, the SCW/PWN Tag Team Champions, The Phoenix Twins defeated The Northstar Express in an incredible tag team battle between two rivals that is reminiscent of the Hart Foundation and The British Bulldogs

1st Runner Up-
Jeremy Wyatt vs “The Future” Donovan Ruddick
(House Springs, Missouri)
February 21, 2009
(Lethal Wrestling Alliance)

2nd Runner Up
Dave Vaughn vs. AJ Williams
(St Louis Missouri)
February 14,2009
(MMWA-SICW)

3rd Runner Up
The Feature Presentation vs. The Hybrids vs. Ryan Phoenix &
Axis

Springfield, Illinois
New Midwest Wrestling
Others receiving votes- Zero Gravity vs. Arik Cannon & Marek Brave (SCW), Hype Gotti vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Jeremy Wyatt (PWP)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Chikara star and NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Champ Mike Quackenbush

Posted by flairwhoooooo on February 2, 2009

The NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Champ Mike Quackenbush started the year off in 2009 in the Midwest at Lethal Wrestling Alliance taking on Nick Tyson and Evan Gelistico in their first double shot. Mike has a love for the sport and took time to train inspiring wrestlers during the weekend as well.

A star in Chikara, Mike Quackenbush took the time to reach out to the Missouri Wrestling Revival fans with this message.

To add them as your friend on myspace go to Chikar-Myspace.

Plus take the time to check out their website and find out why Chikara is one of the most loved promotions in the world.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Thank you to LWA.

Posted by flairwhoooooo on January 9, 2009

We would like to thank Lethal Wrestling Alliance, Jeremy Wyatt and Tyler Black their part in the Midwest dream match last Saturday night in O’Fallon IL. A great night of wrestling with a fun filled crowd proves that the wrestling in the Midwest is moving in the right direction in 2009.

For the LWA Champion Jeremy Wyatt 2009 started out the same as the year ended, as a friend of mine would say “the second verse was the same as the first”. Wyatt was triumphed over the Ring of Honor superstar Tyler Black in a match that showed why each man is considered two of the top rising stars in the sport. The match more than lived up to the expectations and I would not be surprised if this was the first of many encounters between Black and Wyatt.

To celebrate the first LWA double shot weekend, Missouri Wrestling Revival gave away two MWR T-shirts that was drawn out during intermission by LWA’S Paul Parker. Congratulations to Big Al and Mieisha Bell for being the lucky winners of the exclusive MWR T-Shirts.

Mieisha Bell, Brian "Flair" Kelley, "Big Al" Alan Jansen

Mieisha Bell, Brian "Flair" Kelley, "Big Al" Alan Jansen

Once again thank you to everyone at LWA for their hospitality, patience and friendship on January 3rd. We look to continue to support LWA and Pro Wrestling in the Midwest in the future.

Your next chance to win a MWR T-shirt is this weekend at High Voltage Wrestling in Granite City. We hope to see you there.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

LWA Host MWR Best of the Midwest Match –Tyler Black vs. Jeremy Wyatt

Posted by flairwhoooooo on December 7, 2008

 

 

Ring of Honor Superstar Tyler Black

Ring of Honor Superstar Tyler Black

Missouri Wrestling Revival is thrilled to team up with Lethal Wrestling Alliance to sponsor the third match in the exclusive MWR Best of the Midwest series.

 

 

When: January 3rd

Where: O’Fallon, IL

 

The number one wrestler in the MWR top 100 Tyler Black will take on the current number one ranked wrestler in the Midwest Jeremy “The Rebel” Wyatt. This match will headline the weekend when LWA invites the fans out for back to back nights of wrestling to start the New Year with a bang!!

 

 

 

Tyler Black is the hottest rising star today, a native of the Midwest . In just three years in the sport he was ranked number 88 worldwide from the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated top 500 this year. A top star in the red hot promotion Ring of Honor that jump started the careers of CM Punk and Samoa Joe.  You can get first eye view of a guy who could very well be the next big star in the world.

Black thrills the fans with his electrifying and daring moves. Black has many moves that he assaults his opponents with and these are just a few of them, the 180 Corkscrew Enziguri Kick,  Snap Flatliner, Phoenix Spalsh are all that could lead to what Wyatt does not want to see the devastating finisher, God’s last gift (a vicious cradle DDT )

 

 

 

 

 

 

nwa-11-29-2008-021

Jeremy Wyatt torments Ring of Honor’s Davey Richards in the corner of the ring.

 

One could make the claim that 2008 has been the year of the Rebel. With no regard for the fans he took a stranglehold of the LWA belt on October 24th after cashing his LWA medallion. He already has one victory of a ROH star when he defeated Davey Richards in November. Wyatt is ready to prove to the world that one of the best wrestlers is in the LWA. Look for him to punish Black with powerful strikes and a DDT of his own called the cropduster or the vicious Lighting spiral (snap cradle Olympic slam). 

 

 

This is the Super bowl of the Midwest with number one taking on number one. Wrestling fans you do not want to miss Wyatt vs. Black.

 

Matches Signed for night one: Granite City IL at the Rivers Edge complex.

 

 

 

 

IWA-Texas U-30 title on the line: Champion Nick Tyson vs. Mike Quackenbush

Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico) vs. Gary the Barn Owl and Billy McNeil

Dingo vs. All American Adam Rich

Brandon Espinosa vs. Steven Kennedy

 

Also signed: LWA Champion Jeremy Wyatt, Donovan Ruddick, Shorty Biggs, Mark Sterling, KC Karrington and more.

 

Matches Signed for Night Two: KOC hall in O’Fallon IL

 

LWA Championship Match: Champion Jeremy Wyatt vs. Tyler Black

IWA-TX U-30 Title on the line: Winner of Quack and Tyson vs. Gary the Barn Owl

Evan Gelistico vs. Loser of Quack/Tyson

Dingo vs. Shane Hollister

6 man scrample: Mike Sydal vs. Shorty Biggs vs. Mark Sterling vs. Pierre Abernathy vs. Hunter Matthews vs. KC Karrington

 

Also Signed for Night Two:  Adam Raw, Donovan Ruddick, President Luke Roberts, Steven Kennedy and more.

 

Tickets for these events will be: $10 in advance or $15 at the door.  However you can reserve tickets for both nights for $15.  However you will have to purchase both tickets on the first night when you get to the show.

 

 

 

 

For more information go to LWA Wrestling

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

MWR to Arya Daivari “Get well soon”

Posted by flairwhoooooo on December 4, 2008

Missouri Wrestling Revival would like to wish Arya Daivari a speedy recovery from a recent injury when he chipped a bone in his elbow in a 4 way tables match.

 

 One of the young stars in the Midwest that is sure to make a splash in 2009. MWR fans have had the chance to see the in action at 3XW, Lethal Wrestling Alliance and Pro Wrestling Phoenix in recent months. We will have to wait for Daivari to terrorize our fan favorites, but till then I leave you with this message from Arya to you.

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

LWA Arena Report October 24

Posted by reimaginejournalism on November 3, 2008

LWA arena report Oct. 24

By Kari Williams 

     In arguably the best LWA show this year, the 87 fans in attendance witnessed controvery, betrayal and comedic relief at the Knights of Columbus Hall in O’ Fallon, Illinois.

     Just as the evening kicked off, LWA President Luke Roberts brought Jordan Lacey, Pierre Abernathy and Evan Gelistico to the ring, claiming that they had disrespected him too many times. Abernathy took hold of the mic and said that he came to realize that there is room for pure wrestling and entertainment within the LWA, offering his hand to Gelistico in a symbolic end to the ongoing feud between the Bearded Men from Space Station Eleven and the Submission Squad. Although hesitant at first, Gelistico accepted the handshake.

     Roberts then turned his attention to Lacey, saying that an eight-man tournament to crown the new Heavyweight Champion would begin that night. Upon this announcement, LWA Medallion Holder Jeremy Wyatt proceeded to the ring wanting to cash in his title shot (as per the medallion) just before Lacey relinquished the title. Wyatt and Lacey did not wage battle, but Roberts did proclaim Wyatt the new Heavyweight Champion, enraging the fans in attendance. The former champ, “Future” Donovan Ruddick, rushed to the ring and threatened both Wyatt and Roberts for their actions.

     With all of the political controversy (apparently) taken care of, Ring Announcer Paul Parker noted that he would co-host the show with none other than Shorty Biggs.

     The first bout of the evening saw Shamus O’ Flannery take on “Adam Raw,” who looked conspicuously similar to one Evan Gelistico. Throughout the contest, Flannery tried to one-up “Raw” but to no avail. Raw strength mixed with Gelistico’s signature moves sealed Flannery’s fate as he fell victim to the Real Fake Adam Raw.

     Looking to take out his aggressions of losing the Championship last month, Future dominated Mephisto. Although Mephisto snuck in some formidable offense, the fury and pent-up rage the Future held in for so long overpowered brought him quickly to a victory.

     LWA fans were treated to a video clip of Dorian Victor (formerly the richest man in LWA until Bavarian Boy lost the LWA presidential election) and Bavarian Boy (who was not wearing a shirt) begging for money on the streets. They resorted to mugging a man who had just gotten money from an ATM.

     Arya Davari made his LWA debut against the resident patriot, Adam Rich. Davari antagonized the fans prior to the match, but Rich gave him what was coming to him. Rich even imitated the most American of professional wrestlers, Hulk Hogan, but failed to secure a victory after the big-boot, leg drop combination. Nonetheless, he still persevered in his attempt to send Davari packing.

     Despite Pierre Abernathy’s apparent truce earlier in the evening, Abernathy still took on Gary the Barnowl. The two men delivered a wonderful performance, giving the fans their money’s worth and then some. Near the end of the bout, Abernathy grabbed a steel chair and tried to cheat his way to victory, but Billy McNeil came to the rescue and stole the chair from the dastardly Abernathy. Thanks to the Captain of Space Station Eleven, Gary flew away with a win.

     The next bout was perhaps the most talked about match—before it even occurred. The North Star Express, Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz, gave the fans a treat when they wrestled “Blackheart” Johnny Vinyl and “Spitfire” Davey Vega. This match gave fans everything they could hope for—excellent wrestling, entertaining and energetic athletes, humor and even a catfight between Vinyl and Vega’s Tiffani LaFane and the North Star Express’s pNut. Both teams proved that they deserve the utmost recognition, but Vega and Vinyl emerged triumphant on this occasion.

     The following bout set Mark Sterling against one-half of B.A.B.E. Watch, “Thee” Brandon Espinosa. Each man had his moment to shine through hold reversals and one-upping the other. When Espinosa went for the frogsplash from the top rope, that may have been the turning point for Sterling. Locking Espinosa in the sharpshooter, Sterling secured his position and forced Espinosa to tap out in the center of the ring.

     “Spoiled” Steven Kennedy and Billy McNeil provided an episode of comedic relief as only they can do. At one point, after Kennedy and McNeil had gone through a flurry of holds and reversals, they looked at each other from opposite side of the ring, and proceeded to tell each other to slow down. For a while afterwards, everything they did was in slow-motion from punches to the reactions to those punches. Adding another bit of humor, when Kennedy fell to the outside and McNeil planned to leap over the top rope onto him, Kennedy popped up from ringside donning a Halloween mask and making McNeil scream. Despite the scare McNeil suffered, he did prevail.

     After the bell rang, Abernathy made his way to the ring and attacked McNeil. Super Electro, who had accompanied McNeil to ringside thwarted Abernathy’s plan, but then he turned on McNeil and revealed himself as none other than Evan Gelistico (Gasp!).

     In the main event, K.C. Karrington and Arik Cannon attempted to acquire Jeremy Wyatt’s newfound gold Every man fought for himself, despite the occasional pairing of Cannon and Wyatt. Hellbent and determined to retain the belt he worked so hard to finally obtain, Wyatt did whatever he could to ensure that neither Cannon nor Karrington obtained a three-count. His plan worked effectively, because by the end of the night, Wyatt held on to the gold he claimed only hours earlier.

     The LWA put on one of its best shows to date, giving the fans what they deserve—good, quality wrestling; spectacular performances; and a locker room full of devoted individuals who give it their all every time they step into the ring.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

A New Number One?

Posted by Admin on October 25, 2008

A New Number One?
The tag team scene heats up.

by Josh Ray
Owner-Editor
inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com

After what seemed like an eternity at the number one spot, the Northstar Express fell one spot to number two.  Taking their place at number one is the ultra-talented team known as The Phoenix Twins (Tweek & Dash).

The Phoenix Twins have received their fair share of accolades this year.  In the MWR coverage area for 2008, they have held the AAPW tag titles and wrestled in the MWR Match of the Month for March.  They’ve also been MWR Tag Team of the Month in March and May, as well as the Tag Team of the 1st Quarter.  While nipping at the heels of the Northstar Express since the beginning of the 2008 Wrestling Revival Cup, Tweek and Dash overtook them after capturing the Scott County Wrestling Tag Team Titles this month.

That’s not to say that Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz are out of the hunt.  A very popular tag team, the Northstar Express suffered a setback when Darin Corbin injured his knee at a 3XWrestling show in Des Moines, IA in September.  He’s since recovered moderately from the injury and they’ve got a busy second half of October, but those matches are tough and could slow them down even further.

Another team that has slipped slightly in the tag team rankings is the team of Danny Daniels & Trik Davis, collectively known as Windy City Classic.  Windy City Classic had a tight grip on the Scott County Wrestling Tag Team Titles for a large portion of the year, but the talent and teamwork of teams such as Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) and Phoenix Twins caused them to wear down over time.  Both teams have tasted SCW Tag Title glory in the past two months.

The team to look out for is the LONRs (Darrien Sanders and Mark Sterling).  These guys have been on a steady climb as of late, and the month of October could prove to be their best yet.  The LONRs defeated the former number one team twice this year (Northstar Express) in successful defenses of the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag Team Titles, and last week defeated the new number one tag team (Phoenix Twins) to capture the All American Pro Wrestling Tag Titles.

The dark horse in the hunt for the MWR 2008 Wrestling Revival Cup for tag teams would have to be Lethal Wrestling Alliance’s top tag team, Davey Vega & Johnny Vinyl.  These two have competed solely in the LWA this year, a promotion without tag team titles to measure success.  Currently ranked 11th, these two have crawled within striking distance of the top ten and at press time were staring down the Northstar Express in a big match for bragging rights and a possibly push to the top of the rankings.

The 2008 Wrestling Revival Cup is coming to a close in the very near future and the fight for the championship is intensifying.  Who will take home the

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

MWR 3rd Quarter 2008 Awards!

Posted by Admin on October 12, 2008

MWR 3rd Quarter 2008 Awards

With Halloween just weeks away, MWR and Midwest wrestling fans move into the fourth and final quarter of 2008.  The third quarter is over and done with, so let’s reflect on the biggest winners of July, August and September as voted on by the MWR Awards Committee:

Wrestler of the Quarter

“Delicious” Devin Carter
[3XWrestling]

3XW Heavyweight Champion Delicious Devin Carter

3XW Heavyweight Champion "Delicious" Devin Carter

1st Runner Up – Hunter Matthews
2nd Runner Up – Tyler Black
3rd Runner Up – “The Future” Donovan Ruddick

Others receiving votes: KC Karrington.

Tag Team of the Quarter

Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza)
[Scott County Wrestling]

1st Runner Up – Northstar Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz)
2nd Runner Up – Feature Presentation (Blake Steel & Eric Ruffington)
3rd Runner Up – Gentlemen’s Club (Gage Octane & Mark Sterling)

Others receiving votes: LONRs (Darrien Sanders & Mark Sterling).


Woman of the Quarter

Stacey O’Brien
[World League Wrestling]

WLW Ladies Champion Stacey OBrien

WLW Ladies Champion Stacey O'Brien

1st Runner Up – Alexis Lightfoot 
2nd Runner Up – Amy Hennig
3rd Runner Up – MsChif


Promotion of the Quarter

3XWrestling

1st Runner Up – Lethal Wrestling Alliance
2nd Runner Up – World League Wrestling
3rd Runner Up – Pro Wrestling Phoenix


Personality of the Quarter

Gary Giaffoglione
[Pro Wrestling Phoenix]

1st Runner Up – KL Snow
2nd Runner Up – The Mad Conservative Crimefighter
3rd Runner Up – Tiffany LaFane

Others receiving votes: Todd Countryman.


Match of the Quarter

8-Man Survivor Series Streetfight:
Submission Squad vs Ego Express & Bearded Men from Space Station 11
[Lethal Wrestling Alliance]
(July 12, 2008 in O’Fallon, IL)

 
1st Runner Up –

AAW Heavyweight Title Match:
Jerry Lynn vs Tyler Black
[All American Wrestling]
(July 12, 2008 in Berwyn, IL)

2nd Runner Up –

Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Keith Walker & Oliver John
[World League Wrestling]
(September 19, 2008 in Eldon, MO)

3rd Runner Up –

Cage Match for the SCW Heavyweight Title:
Shane Hollister vs Marek Brave
[Scott County Wrestling]
(September 12, 2008 in Davenport, IA)

Others receiving votes:

Nosebleed Seats Undisputed Heavyweight Title Match:
Mississippi Madman vs Bobby Houston

[Mid Pro Wrestling]
(September 27, 2008 in Decatur, IL)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Stranglehold on Tag Team Wrestling in the Midwest

Posted by Admin on October 8, 2008

Stranglehold on Tag Team Wrestling in the Midwest
My sit down with the Northstar Express

by Josh Ray
Owner-Editor
inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com

Ranked at the top of all tag teams in the MWR coverage area, the team of Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz, collectively known as The Northstar Express, has dominated nearly all competition that the area has to offer. They are multiple-time tag champions for All American Wrestling where some of the best tag teams in the Midwest make their home, including the Motor City Machine Guns. They also hold the distinction of being the longest reigning 3XWrestling Tag Team Champions at 20 months. Make no mistake about it, The Northstar Express are for real.

There are few tag teams in the world, much less in the Midwest, that operate as a unit the way that Corbin and Cruz do.  Both could be contenders in singles competition for any promotion in the area, but somehow they’ve managed to take their skills individually and multiply them by forming such a successful tag team.  With a match versus the LONRs for Pro Wrestling Phoenix, an immenent showdown with the tag team that Pearl Harbor’d them out of the 3XW tag belts (Gentlemen’s Club) and a highly anticipated match against Johnny Vinyl & Davey Vega for Lethal Wrestling Alliance on the the horizon, not to mention the AAW Tag Team Titles to defendin one of the toughest tag divisions around, The Northstar Express has an unprecedented opportunity to show they are the best of the best.

On October 1, 2008, both members of The Northstar Express made their way down to MWR Headquarters in Lebanon, MO to talk with me about some of the pressing issues facing them for the remainder of the year and beyond.  It was explained to me before the interview that Cruz was preparing for his grudge match against Mark Sterling at 3XW’s “BAM-O-Ween” on October 17, 2008.  He wanted to focus on his mindset leading into the match, so his partner Darin Corbin did all of the talking.

First of all, I want to thank you both for talking with me today. There is a growing buzz surrounding The Northstar Express in the MWR coverage area, but people want to know what brought you two together as a team. What brought Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz to the tag team party?

Darin Corbin: Well, we’ve actually known each other since we were in 1st grade, so it’s only fitting that we would end up as a team. I mean, we used to wreak havoc from when we were 7-years old all the way up through school, so why not do it in the ring? I guess you could say it was just fate.

I’ve heard you both make a bold claim to a tag team title from some promotion I’ve never heard of. The interplanetary something or other. What’s the name again?

Darin Corbin: We are the Intergalactic, Presidential, Transcontinental, Atlantic to Pacific, Extreme Tag Team Champions of the Universe. And there is a reason you’ve never heard of it, its not a promotion. It was an honor bestowed upon us by the United Galaxy of Wrestling when we became the first team to win tag titles on another planet. Let’s see any other team boast that. Plus, we have the belts to prove it.

Ah, yes. Anyways, how did you come about winning these belts?

Darin Corbin: Simple, we beat the best that the Universe had to offer. How else would you win tag belts? Huh?

What are your thoughts about pro wrestling in the MWR coverage area (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois), particularly the tag team scene?

Darin Corbin: Well, I must say that having publicity is always a great thing for pro wrestling. It’s good to see that people’s efforts are acknowledged. And I do believe that we are number one tag team in the rankings, so that can’t hurt right? Anything with the Northstar Express on it turns heads. That’s what we do. But in all honesty, the more the merrier. MWR is definitely covering wrestling positively and you recognize talent when you see it. Keep it up.

Thank you.  Recently at a 3XW event in Des Moines, IA, your 3XW Tag Team Title reign was ended by the Gentlemen’s Club (Mark Sterling & Gage Octane) in dastardly fashion after over a year as champs. Care to give your thoughts?

Darin Corbin: A 20 month reign, to be exact.

Well, anybody can come out and win a match when it’s 1-on-2, and they (the opponents) have already had to wrestle another match prior to that and one of them is injured and can’t walk. Pretty stacked deck if you ask me. However, do I just sit here and think about how terrible it was, and say, “that’s not fair guys, give us the belts back”?  No. We win them back. That’s what we do.

Imagine this, Northstar Express versus Gentlemen’s Club: no previous matches; both teams at one hundred percent… Come on!  There is no way that those too buffoons will keep those belts.

At the same show, you were injured with a possible ACL tear. Care to give the fans an update?

Darin Corbin: Well, the good news is that there was no ACL tear. I thought I was going to be out for eight months to a year originally. Since then I’ve been out of action, and I’ve been to five doctor appointments… nobody has told me what EXACTLY happened. So here’s what I’ve been doing: just waiting. Do you know how hard that is when all you want to do is wrestle?

I’ve got goals to accomplish when I come back. So until then, I’m just waiting patiently getting back to 100%.

What does this injury do for the Northstar Express’ future plans?

Darin Corbin: Well, its not like Ryan Cruz can’t handle himself.

(Corbin points at Cruz, who just simply nods his head once.)

Obviously I’m there for moral support, but you haven’t seen the last of me or the last of the NSE… not even close. Just wait, when we get back together it will be like I never left and we never hit this little snag.

You’re slated to make your debut for St. Louis’ Lethal Wrestling Alliance on October 24, 2008 against a tag team that has gained a reputation for being ruthless in their pursuit of victory, Johnny Vinyl & Davey Vega. First, will you be able to compete as a tag team for that show? Secondly, what are your thoughts on Vinyl and Vega?

Darin Corbin: Hmm… good question. Will I be ready? Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be at one hundred percent, but I want to be there. It wouldn’t be a show without The Northstar Express now, would it?

So you describe Vinyl & Vega as ruthless? You know what…I’m pretty ruthless myself. I injured my knee and took myself out of action! If I would do that to myself, imagine what I’d do to others. 

(Corbin laughs.)

 Now that my friends…is ruthless.

Here’s a question for you. Is this Vega from Street Fighter II? Because that would be sweet.

No, I don’t think he is.

Darin Corbin: Bummer.

Yeah.

Darin Corbin: Seriously.

Now that we have that out of the way, who do each of you feel is the toughest tag team in the Midwest, other than yourselves?

Darin Corbin: I would have to honestly say the Phoenix Twins. You know what the hard part is about identical twins… they look alike. It’s confusing.

Past or present, what tag team do you feel you’d need to beat to be known as the all-time greatest?

Darin Corbin: Well, I think the best thing we could do is establish ourselves by beating an undefeated team that headlined a major PPV during the wrestling boom.. and once we beat DDP & Jay Leno, I don’t think that anybody can argue with us being the top team in the industry. And then we could get our own late night show.

Final question, guys. Ryan Cruz vs Darin Corbin. Who wins?

Darin Corbin: Unfortunately this match would never take place because the universe would collapse in on itself. Actually, talking about it puts us at risk… let’s end this interview.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »