MMWA-SICW October 4 Recap

By Kari Williams

On October 4 at South Broadway Athletic Club, MMWA-SICW, many exciting events occurred, but none more important or prestigious than the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame grand opening at the club.

Former MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Lightfoot took on Bobby D in the main event. In the back and forth contest, both men had their moments where it appeared that they would pick up the victory. Within the first couple minutes, D and Lightfoot made their way to the outside, where they exchanged chops. However, after numerous two-counts Lightfoot connected with his signature Lightfoot Driver for the win at 5:20.

During the bout, Jaysin Static reported that The Connection attacked him, preventing him from competing at the event. He had this message: “Connection, you took me out, watch your back, [and] you’ve got what’s coming to you.”

Tony Casta made the previous title match due to Junior Heavyweight Champion A.J. Williams’ request. Williams came to the ring fueled by anger and relentlessly attacked Tommy Knight. As Knight slowly regained focus, he locked Williams in a devastating submission hold, but Williams’s determination caused him to break the hold. After blasting Knight with a flying clothesline, Williams went for a splash in the corner, but missed. It seemed as though Knight would regain control, but Williams landed a superkick and a 360 splash to retain his title.

At the conclusion of the match, Knight announced that he will no longer wrestle with MMWA-SICW. This was his last match at the South Broadway Athletic Club and Oct. 11 was his final match with the company. The Connection also announced Dave Vaughn as Knight’s replacement.

The newest Connection member took on the fan favorite, Shaft, in an excellent display of athleticism on Vaughn’s part. Aligning with The Connection appeared to speed up Vaughn’s progress in the ring, as he dominated nearly the entire bout. However, Shaft did have a few key moments where his strengths shined through. When it appeared that Vaughn would nail Shaft with the spear and seal his fate, Shaft wisely sidestepped the maneuver. Using his opportune moment, Shaft hit Vaughn with the turnbuckle-walk bull dog and decisively defeated Vaughn.

Heavyweight Champion Kevin X took on his most formidable ally in “Night Train” Gary Jackson. Each competitor had his reasons for either retaining or earning the title, which the competitive nature embodied in their performances proved. At the five minute mark, X controlled the match up and delivered vicious blows to Jackson’s lower back. Nonetheless, Jackson regained his composure and used his quick wit to pull out a win while holding the tights. After the match, Jackson told X that he “wanted his belt back.” X offered his hand for a congratulatory handshake, then followed up with malicious kicks to the new champion.

Just before the title match, the fans in attendance witnessed the unveiling of the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame at the athletic club, which rested in the Pro Wrestling Shirt Shop for the past year or so. Many special guests appeared for the ceremony including former Wrestling at the Chase referee Lee Warren, former Wrestling at the Chase ring announcer Mickey Garagiola, and former MMWA-SICW manager Big Daddy. Warren spoke of his experiences as a referee and proclaimed that by coming to an MMWA-SICW show he saw true wrestling again. Garagiola echoed the same sentiments, saying, “This is wrestling here, not those stars you see on TV. This is where it is.” Big Daddy, who is now a hair dresser, complained about his picture not among those in the Hall of Fame. He even went so far as to proclaim that he was a better manager than even Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

Two Broadway attractions, Mr. Bibbs and Phil E. Blunt competed earlier in the evening. Bibbs dictated the pace of the match, controlling everything. Then a masked cowboy who has made inconspicuous appearance as of late ventured to ringside. Blunt spotted the man and appeared confused by his presence. Unfortunately, the confusion did not cost Blunt the victory, as Travis Cook handed him a chain, which Blunt used to knock out Bibbs and steal a victory.

The first title match of the evening consisted of Junior Heavyweight Champion A.J. Williams wrestling the number one conntender, Young Aladdin. In the most technically sound match, Williams and Aladdin gave fans a delectable treat. Blow for blow and punch for punch, each man demonstrated why he should earn the title. Both men had many nearfalls, which only added to the excitement of the match. At one point, Aladdin smashed into Williams with a frogsplash from the top rope and gained a two-count. Williams turned the tide after further beatings from Aladdin and planted Aladdin for a two-count. The current champ kept the ball in his court, so to speak, as he snuck in a quick roll-up and the three-count.

Waco battled Lumberjack Abe in what one can only describe as a brawl. The burly men traded blows throughout the entire stint, but Abe gained control within the final moments, securing victory at 8:26.

Lumberjack Gabe kicked off the evening against the Battle Royal Champion, The Big Texan. With their respective teammates, Abe and Waco, neither man had the upper hand in regards to outside interference. By the five-minute mark, Texan dominated his opponent, but Gabe regained his focus shortly thereafter. Despite multiple meddling by the extra presences at ringside, Texan picked up the win at 12:21.