By Kari Williams

In Granite City, IL at the River’s Edge Complex, High Voltage Wrestling (HVW) put on nine matches for the 115 fans in attendance. From debuts to title defenses to a challenge from Absolute Wrestling Radio, this show was packed from top to bottom.

Alexander Rudloph made his impressive debut against Max Archer. Barely giving Archer a chance to breathe, Rudolph pummeled and absolutely punished his much smaller opponent. The brutality elicited from the newcomer surpassed that of Archer, who took a beating both inside and outside the ring. Rudolph easily pinned Archer for the victory.

Alexander Rudolph put on an impressive showing in his debut match against Max Archer. Photo by Kari Williams

TNT Keny G then came to ringside to introduce another new member of the HVW roster, his daughter, Santana. Before Keny could so much as state his daughter’s name, “Thee” Brandon Espinosa and “Irresistably Flawless” Brandon Aarons, B.A.B.E.WATCH, appeared to stir up some trouble. Aarons complimented Santana and made suggestive comments while advancing toward her as Keny attempted to block Aarons.

B.A.B.E.WATCH (Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa) interrupted TNT Keny G's introduction of his daughter, Santana, as the newest member of the HVW roster. Photo by Kari Williams

Espinosa then hit Keny from the side and the two began attacking Keny until Juice Robinson made the save. As B.A.B.E.WATCH returned to the locker room, Keny announced that Aarons and a female partner of his choosing would face Robinson and Santana on Aug. 15 at the next HVW show.

A guantlet match took place next, as Mark Smart announced that he saw Rick Fuller’s gauntlet at the previous show and believed he could dominate oncomers just the same.

Mark Smart issued a gauntlet challenge, to which Fish Farmer (pictured), Michael Sain, Shawn Allen and Cabal responded. Photo by Kari Williams

Michael Sain, Cabal, Shawn Allen and the Fish Farmer all answered the challenge—and they all walked away, leaving Smart writhing in pain. Smart tried his best to maintain an advantage, but his opponents had the wherewithall to attack Smart at opportune moments.

Eric Allen, Eric Fantabulous and Hunter Matthews wrestled an impressive triple threat match. Early on, Matthews seemed reluctant to insert himself in the bout and Allen and Fantabulous fought it out for a while. However, Allen and Matthews teamed up in an attempt to eliminate Fantabulous from the equation.

Hunter Matthews recooperates as Eric Fantabulous pummels Eric Allen. Photo by Kari Williams

The desire to win soon took over, and all three men fought for themselves. Filled with multiple near falls and impressive maneuvers, these three men put everything on the line. In the end, Allen pulled out a victory over Matthews with a quick roll up.

Evan Gelistico launches onto Michael Sain during their intense bout. Photo by Kari Williams

The Bandana Mafia’s “Notorious E.V.A.N.” Evan Gelistico took on Michael Sain in the following contest. Gelistico started strong, knocking Sain out of the ring and proceeding to fly over the top rope onto the dazed Sain. Gelistico then brought the match back in the ring and continued to control the match until Sain’s anger overcame him. Gelistico fought valiantly against the infuriated Sain, but Sain emerged victorious.

The Pro Wrestling Entertainment (PWE) Tag Team Champions Zero Gravity, CJ Esparza and Brett Gakiya, put their belts on the line against The Hooligans. Esparza and Gakiya started the bout off with highflying intensity, clearing the ring of their opponents.

CJ Esparza gives Brett Gakiya a lift as they double-team The Hooligans in their PWE tag team title defense. Photo by Kari Williams

The fast-paced risk-takers met the more grounded Hooligans in an impressive bout that could have gone either way. Using their blunt force and tag team skill, the Hooligans cut off the ring and blocked Esparza from tagging Gakiya for a large portion of the bout, almost causing them to win. However, the referee disqualified the Hooligans for using steel chairs on Zero Gravity, allowing Esparza and Gakiya to retain their recently won belts.

Following the successful title defense, Absolute Wrestling Radio Co-host Matt Kreuger addressed HVW fans and “Future” Donovan Ruddick, specifically. Kreuger explained that he called Keny while on the air, forcing him to put his champion’s belt on the line against Former Wrestler and Current Absolute Wrestling Radio Co-host Mark Bland.

"Future" Donovan Ruddick and Absolute Wrestling Radio Co-host Matt Kreuger have words moments before Ruddick sends Kreuger smashing into the mat. Photo by Kari Williams

Ruddick emerged at ringside with Magic Man by his side and proceeded to attack Kreuger and literally threw him out of the building. HVW Livewire Champion Kahagas then walked through the door through which Kreuger was thrown, causing Keny to announce that on Aug. 15, fans would witness a Falls Count Anywhere match for the HVW Heavyweight Title between Kahagas and Ruddick.

As "Notorious E.V.A.N." Evan Gelistico looks on, his tag team partner "Point Blank" Pierre Abernathy delivers a beating to Shawn Allen. Photo by Kari Williams

After intermission, Shawn Allen took on the Bandana Mafia’s “Point Blank” Pierre Abernathy. Allen’s brutal offense slowed Abernathy in the beginning, especially after Allen wrapped Abernathy’s knee around the ring post. The ever-valiant Abernathy slowly powered his way out of defeat with Gelistico’s ringside support, and soon, nobody could stop him. Point Blank’s determination overcame Allen’s strength, locking in a win for the Bandana Mafia.

Aarons and Espinosa wrestled The Hybrids, Jason Lyte and Curtis Gilly, in the following contest. From the moment B.A.B.E.WATCH made their way to the ring, the fans relentlessly harrassed them, setting up their mindset for the entire match. Despite pyschological distractions, Aarons and Espinosa put up a tremendous fight against their opponents.

"Irresistably Flawless" Brandon Aarons and "Thee" Brandon Espinosa look to Magic Man for guidance after taking a beating from The Hybrids.

Their unique offense and use of illegal tactics nearly propelled them to a win. However, The Hybrids focused in on a miscommunication between their opponents—Aarons inadvertantly superkicked Espinosa—and walked away victorious. After the match, the Hooligans appeared from the locker room and attacked the Hybrids.

Robinson, accompanied by Santana, wrestled Nick Brubaker in a fabulous bout. Before the two could even lock up, Aarons attacked Robinson. That distraction allowed Brubaker to start the match off in dramatic fashion, but Robinson quickly found his niche in the friendly competition.

Juice Robinson does his best to get out of the hold Nick Brubaker has trapped him in as Robinson's new-found manager/future tag team partner Santana observes. Photo by Kari Williams

The two put on a show for the fans, and with multiple nearfalls and close encounters, it was hard to tell who would come out victorious. Robinson ended up walking away with the one, two, three, after which, Brubaker attacked Robinson and turned on Zero Gravity and Robinson.

The always energetic and flamboyant Gary Jay challenged Kahagas for the HVW Livewire Championship. From the get-go, Kahagas had his hands full with Jay’s unpredictable offense. Once the champion grounded Jay, he controlled the match.

HVW Livewire Champion Kahagas puts the boots to Gary Jay in their title match. Photo by Kari Williams

However, Jay was not one to be discounted, as he gave his all, and nearly won the Livewire title on more than one occasion. Kahagas’ power became too much for Jay, and he succumbed. Although Jay did not leave Granite City with the championship, he left with the respect of the fans, and Kahagas as well. One could argue that another title shot lies in the near future for Jay.

Rebelucha prepares for his chance at HVW Heavyweight Champion "Future" Donovan Ruddick's Championship. Photo by Kari Williams

In the main event, Ruddick put his HVW Heavyweight Championship on the line against Rebelucha. As, arguably, the best match of the evening, Ruddick and Rebelucha held nothing back. The champion used his power and ferocity in an attempt to will Rebelucha away from victory.

Rebelucha attempts to lock Ruddick in a triangle choke. Photo by Kari Williams

Still, Rebelucha pressed on and had Ruddick teetering on the edge of defeat. The challenger’s distinctive skill set caught Ruddick off guard and nearly cost him the belt. In spite of this, when Rebelucha attempted to lock in a triangle choke, Ruddick’s power became too much to bear. Moments later, Ruddick put Rebelucha down for the count with his border toss finisher.

Stay tuned to Missouri Wrestling Revival and highvoltagewrestling.tk for more information on HVW’s Aug. 15 show.