The SICW schedule of 2019 begins January 19th in East Carondelet Illinois, and then January 26th in Cahokia Illinois at the Holy family Gymnasium for a HUGH fundraiser with WWE Legend “Cowboy” Bob Orton.
Then as we move towards May 25th, we will be celebrating the 60th year anniversary of “Wresting at the Chase”, along with the “Bruiser Brody and Larry Matysik Memorial“. Already signed to join The widow of Bruiser Brody, Barbara Goodish, is “The Hands of Stone Ronnie Garvin. Former NWA champion Ronnie Garvin will be on hand to talk about his career and traveling with Brody. There will be more about the extravaganza event on the weeks to come. Make you plans now to join SICW throughout 2019 as they continue to show way they were voted the number 1 promotion by the Hart Beat Radio Listeners.
World League Wrestling has been in business for 19 years and will continue strong into 20 years with 2019 just around the corner. Night of Champions has been a staple for the past few years for our company and our fans, and we are continuing on that tradition. What better form of tradition exemplified that to have the National Wrestling Alliance World’s Heavyweight Champion not only appear, but defend, the #tenpoundsofgold at Harley Race‘s creation.
Hear from “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis himself.
Tickets for this event will be on sale in the very near future.
Check into http://www.harleyrace.com for all information containing #WLW #NightofChampions and much more!
‘Cause I’m TNT! I’m dynamite TNT! and I’ll win the fight TNT! I’m a power load TNT! watch me explode
I am taking this time to honor former wrestler, promoter and my good friend TNT Keny Garrett. I am still reeling from his loss at age 51 on December 10th. Though there is sadness in my heart that we will no longer be able to talk to each other, I would like to focus on our wild and crazy friendship.
I remember meeting TNT Keny G for the very first time in Granite City, Illinois at a High Voltage Wrestling event (his company). He had reached out on the St. Louis Wrestling message board, and asked Missouri Wrestling Revival to cover his show. He realized that if you were to have a show that it would only make sense to have as much attention on his product as possible. We walked in the building and noticed right away that it looked like the place to be.
His family and friends helped with the concession stand and were all decked out with branded tees, and the night’s action delivered shocking surprises with stars from around the Midwest and his home state of Florida. His special guest was former Wrestling at the Chase announcer Larry Matysik. Keny respected and loved wrestling so much that he knew that having Matysik in the house brought legitimacy to HVW. Keny himself was dressed to the nines, and thanked everyone for coming. I was impressed, to say the least.
One of my personal favorite photos of all time.
Wrestling started our friendship, but we eventually became like brothers. He invited my girlfriend Dubray and me over to talk wrestling, and so much more. His quick wit and sharp tongue made him a true character.
We didn’t always get along. There were times that I bothered the hell out of him and vice versa. Yet, I can swear on the Bible that Dubray and I loved Keny as much as anyone that we met at wrestling. There were so many good times with him. It saddens me more as I try to think of them all.
In fact, there is no way that I could remember them all but I would like to share a few of them on here:
Here’s 2 a better day even if only slightly better ill take it as progress here’s a snapshot from the story of my life old road dog of mine —- Keny posted these words for this photo on his Facebook
If you ever get a chance ask the former NWA World Champion Kahagas what he thought of this promo!
How Keny got the nickname “TNT,” I can’t honestly tell you, but if I was to have a gallon of gas for every time I heard it I would be driving for free to shows for life. Every time I hear it, I always think of him and I remember being on the road with Kahagas in Illinois and his ringtone on his phone played that AC/DC song. If someone told me on that three-day weekend that we heard it a thousand times, I would believe them. I can still hear Kahagas telling him to change his damn ringtone.
My friend Kari Williams (the best pro wrestling writer in this generation) stated in her post about Keny giving her advice of the who, what, where, and when over and over. Keny had these words of advice that he made his own, even though they had been around forever. He delivered them in a memorable way, just like his hero Dusty Rhodes.
He was creative and tried to give everyone a chance. He took a chance on my friend (and MWR founder) Josh Ray and me behind the scenes of HVW, making us “co-bookers.” I use that term loosely because I had no business being a booker of any wrestling company. Still, I have no regrets even though there were crazy arguments about what should be done but talk about some good times.
One argument was that I wanted to bring in the Mississippi Madman for an event. He knew I loved the Madman and thought that he was over like a million bucks and said that he didn’t want him on the show. I truly believed that he liked him as well from the get-go, but because I was such a huge fan of him, he razzed me about him not being worth a spot. I told him that if he would not book Madman, then I would pay his booking fee and show him that he would be one of the most over wrestlers on the card.
Keny quickly said that if I paid for Madman that he would let the Madman carry him to the ring like a baby. Why? I do not know why he thought that was funny. Maybe it was just to get me to pay Madman, but I held him to his promise when I did. The moment was priceless.
One of Keny’s closest friends was “Tokyo Monster” Kahagas. They ran up and down the roads long before I knew Keny. Kahagas was the premier talent of High Voltage Wrestling. There was no doubt that Kahagas was and is one of the best wrestlers in the country, but I believed that Jeremy Wyatt was the best. We would have these huge arguments about who was better night after night early on in our relationship. He would harp that I should “get my Jeremy Wyatt pajamas” on when I stayed at his house before we called it a night. It did not take TNT Keny G very long to come around to Wyatt and then I was kidding Keny G on his own pajamas.
Years later TNT Keny G became a proud owner of the Jeremy Wyatt pajamas.
Keny would be quick to tell me and anyone who would listen that it was he who made me a “wrestling journalist.” He told this story a million times about how we drove many miles to Illinois for a big wrestling show with plenty of legends. I wanted an interview with the Honky Tonk Man and Jake Roberts but I ran out of time. I was happy to get a promo from “Bloody” Harker Dirge (an underrated talker and wrestler in the Midwest).
Keny called me out that day (and years after) for giving up on Honky Tonk and Roberts, and and took me to the back.
He said, “You deserve to be back here. You work as hard as anyone to make these guys look good. You get this done.”
I conducted interviews with all the stars on this huge card.
Keny often said he was responsible for some of my success, and it’s true. He vouched for me, called me out when I did wrong, and gave advice when it was needed.
Every time Dubray and I came to St. Louis for a wrestling event, we stayed at his house. Dubray loves pugs, and Keny had a pug named Gracie. Gracie always slept with Dubray. One evening when we were to return back home for the two hour drive, Dubray told me that Keny had given her Gracie as a gift.
I thought that Dubi had begged to have the dog, and I said “No way.” That was Keny’s dog and we were not taking it from their home. Gracie had to stay there.
But then Keny explained that he was tired of the dog wanting food from the table and he was done with her. I just think he knew Dubi loved that dog and wanted to make her happy. Gracie ended up as a part of our family until she passed away on our anniversary: December 10th, 2015.
On the mic and in the spur of the moment, Keny was at his best. We did a wrestling feud with a big build with Donovan Ruddick and Mark Bland that, I swear if it had money behind it, would had packed huge houses. Bland had a popular UFC and pro wrestling radio show, Absolute Wrestling Radio, on the Fox Sports radio affiliate in St. Louis, Team 1380 AM. Josh Ray and I spoke to Keny about putting together an angle for a diabetes charity show. A little known secret is both Keny and Bland were both diagnosed with diabetes and the pair had always been active in fundraising.
The feud started when Bland, a former wrestler, bragged that he could take on any local wrestler week after week on the show. Who would answer the call? Wrestling promoter TNT Keny G and the 6’9″ Donovan Ruddick, a big star in Saint Louis.
Mark Bland has a conversation with Kenny G of HVW regarding his recent infiltration of Absolute Wrestling Radio. Contains EXPLICIT WORDS!
We went on a publicity tour to hype the match at Mark Bland’s radio station and the show even broadcasted live from Six Flags St. Louis. We taped a video at the Pro Wrestling Shirt Shop that featured an attack from Bland on Keny, forever one of my favorites. We did our best to bring attention to the wrestling scene in the area through Absolute Wrestling Radio, and had fun doing it.
It was common to dine with legends at the Garrett dinner table. I remember Larry Zbyszko and Mike Sydal sharing stories in Keny’s living room after a HVW event. I wish I would have gotten our photo with each other! Still, I experienced it, thanks to TNT Keny G.
After one visit at TNT Keny G’s Dubray made the mistake of leaving her sweatpants that had the words Flirt printed on the back of them. This would not be a big deal at most homes, but Keny saw this as a way to rib Dubray in a way only he could. One day I received a call from Dubray telling me that Keny was in Florida visiting his family and had tagged some photos to her. Awesome, he wanted to share with us what a good time he was having.
Nope, they were photos of Keny holding up her Flirt pants in different States. He was entertaining himself with joking with her, and it did not stop there. He somehow talked WWE Legend Larry Zbyszko to hold them up in a photo. He got his daughter Santana G and another female wrestler to pose with them for a photo. Keny was proud to say that he went on tour with those flirt pants.
This year I have lost a lot of love for pro wrestling. That does not mean that I will ever quit but I have slowed down making trips. This summer, I took a job as an assistant manager at a convenience store that had me working a ton of hours.
Keny told me that if I came to St. Louis and took him to the premiere of the movie “350 Days,” he would pay for it. I was not interested in the movie, but because Keny wanted to go, I said yes. I am glad, not because I enjoyed the movie, but because in the past few years it was hard to get him out of the house. On that night we did, just like old times.
Keny could be so funny. A natural storyteller that often would have you wonder if you were being told the truth. He could be overbearing and political incorrect even during the days of that not even being a thing. His friends referred that to “Keny just being Keny”.
Photo taken for the Stroke Aint No Joke Fundraiser with Fox 2 News TV.
TNT Keny G proudly teamed up with Dynamo Pro for a MS Fundraising effort.
Though in the crazy world of pro wrestling were everyone is a taker, Keny was a giver. Even after I covered his promotions High Voltage Wrestling, and sent him photos he was always there for us. We were so different in so many ways. I remember going to a St. Louis Cardinal game and he loved to leave shows early, the Cards game being no different. He knew that if I went somewhere then we were staying to the end. He razzed me about leaving but we did stay to the last pitch.
Dubray and I were never without a place to stay when we came to town or a bite to eat with Keny living in South County. He was a big part of our relationship and would have been one of my best mans if we would of gotten married in Vega during the CAC reunion this year. He often bragged about keeping us together (even though he stirred the pot sometimes lol) so in what seems like a rib (A practical joke played by or on a wrestler) Keny, like the pug (Gracie) that he gave us passed away on our anniversary. I would like to think that it was his way of making sure that we would never forget him. Like there was ever a chance that that could happen.
Thanks to Keny, I have made countless friendships and experiences over the past decade. I could write a book about them.
TNT Keny G loved his family.
Photo Thomas Rude
Most MWR fans know of his daughter, Santana G. She has become one of the top women wrestlers in the world. I was blessed to see her first match and watch her debut at Harley Race’s World League Wrestling. Her dad supported her at all times and was so proud to see her in Japan and on the WWE Network.
He was just as proud of his other children too, and I was able to see his boys Dusty, Sam, and lil’ Keny grow up. He loved them with all his heart, and as he grew sick they were there for him. Keny had a daughter Savannah and a granddaughter in Florida that he thought of often as well. He loved his wife Luanne who was just as quick-witted as he was.
TNT Keny G, we love you and we will always remember you.
-”K.B. Violence” Karim Brigante d. Jack Gamble with the pop-up forearm smash to win the Italian Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title and MWR Missouri Title (8:20).
-”The Heartthrob” Jaden Roller d. Tag Team Champion Kyle Roberts via rollup with a handful of tights (13:26).
-Tag Team Champion “The Wrestler For The People” Rex Fults d. “The Attraction” Austin Cravens with a sunset flip (11:15). Jaden Roller attacked Rec afterwards until Kyle Roberts hit the ring to assist his partner, but Roller & Cravens got the upper hand. “Superstar” Steve Fender came out and teased joining in the attack, but instead walked away…that interaction gave Roberts & Rex time to recover and they fought off the two rulebreakers.
-Tag Team Contender Tournament: Alpha Omega(Camaro Jackson & Kenny Alfonso) d. High Level Enterprise(Heavyweight Champion “The Hybrid Ace” Jon Webb & Jack Gamble) when Alfonso countered Gamble’s tilt-a-whirl slam attempt into a pinning cradle (18:40). Gamble snapped and attacked his long-time partner after the match with a Blue Thunder Bomb, even hitting the referee when he tried to intervene.
-”The Legacy” Leland Race & Miss Monica Passeri d. Jr. Heavyweight Champion Jayden Dominic Rose & Women’s Champion Stacey O’Brien; Race hit Rose with the Go 2 Sleep and then boosted Monica into a splash onto Rose for the pin (14:33).
-Announced for Night Of Champions on March 9th:
Nick Aldis vs. Leland Race for the NWA World Title!
It’s with heavy heart this morning that I come to each of you and give you the news that my good friend Larry Matysik has lost the battle. As many know his health has been declining over the past several year. I ask that you keep his wife Pat and Daughter Kelly in your thoughts and prayers as the next few days will be hard for them. I will continue to update you on the arrangements when they are available.
It is so hard to find the words to express my gratitude and respect for the man known as Larry Matysik. I will not lie, I did not have the privilege to grow up listening to Matysik call the Wrestling at the Chase matches as the part in Missouri I grew up I never got any of the Chase programing, I remember the first time that I met him like it was yesterday, he was a special guest of TNT Keny G’s High Risk Wrestling in Granite City. He was only there to meet the fans and during that evening he smiled, shook hands, signed autographs and took pictures with every fan and wrestler that asked. I would be around him for over 100 times in the past 10 years and let me tell you, I never once seen him be disrespectful to anybody.
There is no doubt that Larry Matysik is highly underrated in the wrestling world as one of the All –Time Greats . He worked with NWA President and Wrestling at the Chase Promoter Sam Muchnick as well as WWE Promoter Vince McMahon. He is the author of four books every wrestling fan should own, Wrestling at the Chase: The inside Story of Sam Muchnick, 50 Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All-time, Drawing Heat the Hard Way and Brody The Triumph and Tragedy with his widow, Barbara Goodish. The past several years he has been very instrumental in Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling (SICW) , one of the most successful independent promotions in the country.
I could go on and on but I would like to hammer home the type of person he was. Thanks to my friendship with Promoter Herb Simmons I would become personal friends with the man I will now refer as Larry. My fiancée Dubray Tallman always looked forward to getting a hug, a kiss and photo with him when she attended an event. He was always supportive of Missouri Wrestling Revival, offering up his advice on writing and sharing his views and history on wrestling. When I asked him to please write in my yearbook, he did not hesitate to do so. Back in the day he would send me booking sheets for SICW to help us keep up with the shows and often gave reasons of why the matches were happening. The conversations were so educational each and every time. I remember receiving a call from Larry when my father died with him sending his condolences as well as him asking several times afterwards how I was doing.
We presented Larry with the 2010 Missouri Wrestling Revival Lifetime Award, an obvious choice.
We were so thankful to have Larry in our first series of the MWR Trading card set and with Herb’s blessing we had Larry Matysik day at SICW on July 16th in 2013. Personally, I only have a few regrets in my short time working in wrestling but I wished I would have done commentary with Larry on a match, an honor one of my best friends and the voice of SICW wrestling Drew Abbenhaus enjoyed many times. It was a relief to be around a legend that was not bitter towards the sport of wrestling or the fans. Was he a fan of today’s wrestling? I can’t say that, but I can say that he always appreciated every wrestling fan young and old. He took time to work with aspiring wrestlers looking to become better. He gave to all that he came in contact with.
Today the wrestling world lost one of the good guys. He was a legendary Announcer, a great writer and so much more.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Larry’s family and friends.
Thank you Larry for the memories, we loved you.
I will leave you on a positive note of a short video we did at SICW years ago with Larry, my fiancée Dubray and Herb Simmons wishing the fans a Merry Christmas.
This past weekend saw one of the biggest matches of the year as it was “Title vs. Title in Green Ridge, Missouri at Harley Race’s World League Wrestling. Italian Wrestling Association (IWA) Champion Jack Gamble took on the MWR Missouri Champion Karim Brigante on a frigid November evening in a match that lived up to expectations.
On one side, you had the MWR Missouri Champion Brigante. He has wrestled around the world with a desire to be the best in the sport. That respect for the sport brought him to the United States to train with the eight-time World Champion Harley Race. During his time with Race he has made multiple trips to the United States to work with WLW and promotions around the country. In 2017, he reached the mountaintop at WLW by defeating Leland Race and “Superstar” Steve Fender for the title. He has also participated in four of the annual camps that have involved WWE, NOAH, ROH and others. Brigante’s pop-up elbow-smash to the face of his opponent is beautiful. In March, at WLW Night of Champions 3, Brigante captured the MWR Title by defeating the former PWI Rookie of the Year and two-time MWR MO Champion Ace Hawkins.
The other side of the ring was Jack Gamble. Midwest fans know him better as one half of the tag team High Level Enterprise with partner Jon Webb. They are former three-time WLW Tag Team and two-time Dynamo Pro Tag Team Champions that were honored with the MWR Tag Team of the Year in 2015. The hometown fan favorite also wisely graduated under the watchful eye of Race while participating in the WLW/NOAH/ROH camps during his early career. His talent earned him an invite to train at the Pro Wrestling NOAH Dojo in Japan two different years.
Gamble showed his heart and dedication when he was able to return from a horrific car accident that threaten his career in 2013. Though it is true that he has found huge success in tag team action in 2018 Gamble has set his sights on singles gold. In the past calendar year prior to this weekend he had challenged for the MWR MO belt on two different occasions, the first against Hawkins at WLW and the last time at Dynamo Pro against Brigante, just coming up short each time. In September, Gamble defeated former 2-time MWR MO Champion Brandon Espinosa in a match that proved that he was much more than a tag team specialist then picked up a DQ win against the WLW and IWA Champion Webb in October. His biggest single win to date came on November 3rd when he captured the IWA belt from Webb in a three-way that also included Brigante who was also wanting to recapture the IWA title a belt he held earlier this year before losing it to Webb. Gamble’s superkick into a spin-out powerbomb is a deadly combination that is delivered with quick speed and precision.
Brigante with a victory already against Gamble in singles competition and 8 title defenses of the MWR title entered the bout with what many would believe may have had the edge. Gamble’s confidence though seemed to have been at an all-time high as the two had a classic battle with the fans clearly on Gambles side throughout the match. In the final moments of the match it looked as if Brigante was going to lock a submission leg lock but Gamble quickly pushed Brigante away and like lighting hit his patented superkick into the spin-out powerbomb to retain his IWA Championship and become the sixth man to hold the MWR Missouri Championship.
Jack Gamble celebrated via Twitter at @JackGambleHLE
The KING of Italy! The King of Missouri! I am now the @IWAItaly1 heavyweight champion and the MWR Missouri Heavyweight champion!!!
CCW Anniversary 2 Tickets & Meet & Greets With Both Flip Gordon And Nick Aldis On Sale Today At Capewrestling.com
Due To Recent Website Upgrades, Make Sure To Go To Capewrestling.com To Purchase Tickets. The Store Direct Link Has Been Updated. The Old Direct Link Does Not Work. We Look Forward To Seeing Everyone At CCW Anniversary 2!!!
When I heard that my friend and the Voice of the Wrestling at the ChaseLarry Matsyik was going to be featured as a special guest at Hey Guys Comedy Club I knew I had to be there. The Midwest is very fortunate to have Matysik accessible to fans to still hear stories firsthand of legendary matches and the top stars to ever enter the ring from the days of the territories.
The event was hosted by wrestling historian and comedian Patrick Brandmeyer, whom just so happens to be a longtime supporter of pro wrestling in the Midwest. An added bonus for fans was the fact that WWE Hall of Famer, Cowboy Bob Orton was to be on hand to see his son Nathan Orton open up with hilarious stand-up comedy. I was pleas able to meet the son of Sam Muchnick, Dr. Richard Muchnick, who came to enjoy the show with wrestling referee Jay King. I was surprised to learn that he was a Doctor and had spent time stitching up the cuts of the stars of the Chase and the Kiel Auditorium.
Matysik has teamed up with his friend Herb Simmons to promote and announce for Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, Illinois while also providing his knowledge and advice to aspiring wrestling for the past four decades. So it was only fitting that Simmons was on stage with Matysik to interview him as the two friends went down memory lane on topics such as Sam Muchnick, Vince McMahon , Mickey Garagiola, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, Bruiser Brody, Harley Race, Pat O’Connor, the difference between pro wrestling from the past and today.
Larry was also surprised on the night thanks to special guest St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern who proclaimed the day as Larry Matysik Day along with a plaque.
At the end of the night Larry was more than happy to take photos, sign autographs and thank his fans and friends for coming on out. I hope that in the future that there will be another night for the fans and myself to enjoy a night with Larry Matysik.
Hey Guys Comedy Club
Nothing Compares to the Energy of a Live Comedy Performance!
Forget what you think you know about comedy clubs, because Hey Guys Comedy Club, the only dedicated live comedy venue in MetroEast St. Louis, is like no other you’ve ever seen! A first class venue with no obstructed views of the stage, hilarious comedians week in and week out, full bar service with a great selection of beers and specialty cocktails, a variety of delicious food options prepared by our food service partners, FlamentCo’s The Place, and friendly attentive service, all at reasonable prices make Hey Guys Comedy the perfect spot for date night or an evening with friends! And, if you’ve never been to a live comedy show, you will find there is nothing on cable TV or the internet to compare with the energy of a live performance!
Located in Fairview Heights, IL, just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis and minutes from Belleville, O’Fallon, Columbia, Collinsville, and Scott AFB, Hey Guys Comedy features nationally touring comics headlining our Friday and Saturday shows, plus a variety of local comedy showcases, open mic nights and other events during the week. Go to our calendar page for a complete schedule of show dates, times and comics! Hey Guys Comedy’s Open Mic nights on selected Thursdays offer local comedians an opportunity to hone their craft, and comedy fans the chance to enjoy perhaps the next future comic star! Hey Guys Comedy also makes the club available for charity, group and corporate events, and offers sponsorship opportunities for local businesses.
Hey Guys Comedy is easily accessible off Illinois Route 159, just one mile south of St. Clair Square shopping center, with plenty of parking right out front. Guests are seated on a first-come, first-serve basis from the front of the club to the back, which enhances everyone’s enjoyment of the show. Every seat in the house is a great one!
In partnership with FlamentCo’s The Place, Hey Guys Comedy offers a great menu of hot and cold food items including chicken wings, sliders, nachos, salads and more! And best of all…there is NO DRINK MINIMUM at Hey Guys Comedy! In accordance with Illinois law, Hey Guys Comedy is a non-smoking venue.
Tickets are available online (or by calling 1800-514-etix) up to one hour before each show time, or at the door up until show time, based on availability. The box office opens 1 hour before show time. Doors and bar open one hour before the first show of the night, and generally 15-30 minutes before the second show.
For more info, check out our FAQs!
Hey Guys Comedy at 5225 N. Illinois St. (Rte. 159) in Fairview Heights, IL…Metro East’s home for laughs and great times!
I posted this picture while in Vegas. I stated Kevin Sullivan was trying to convince me to bring him in to SICW. You may say he convinced me, Saturday July 21st not only will he be at the SICW card, that afternoon he will be conducting a wrestling seminar. If you are just breaking into the business, or thinking about getting into it, make sure you sign up for this wrestling seminar.
Not only will you get a lesson from Kevin Sullivan,
“The Taskmaster” but his traveling partner, “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas will be with him. Two for the price of one. Those interested need to message me to sign up.
Kahagas punishes Eric Allen in the first match at High Voltage Wrestling’s “Encore”. (Photo credit Michael R Van Hoogstraat)
The cost is $25.00
East Carondelet, Illinois
Call 616-286-4848 to reserve your spot or contact Herb Simmons on Facebook.
