Free NWL #FightSTL shirts, stickers, and more for the first fans through the door at St. Louis Anarchy’s awesome show.
-The show started with promoter Pierre Abernathy addressing the fans and acknowledging the fact that it was the final show for St. Louis Anarchy. He brought out National Wrestling League promoter Major Baisden; he got a mixed reaction, but he spoke to the fans about his vision for the NWL and seemed to have them on board.
–The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter)(w/ Uncle Leo) d. The Viking War Party(“American Viking” Alexandre Rudolph & “Littlest Viking” Jake Parnell); the match broke down into a bar fight with the four sitting in chairs and punching each other. It finally came down to Devin simply pummeling Parnell to the mat and pinning him (15:53).
–“Dad Bod” Sean Orleans won a four-corner match with Cody Krash, Ken Lee, & Chris Crunk when he pinned Crunk after hitting a double Stone Cold Stunner on Crunk & Lee (6:03).
-Donovan Danhausen d. Slade Sludge with a sitout powerbomb (6:24).
–“Absolute” Ricky Starks d. Kiyoshi Shizuka(w/ Greg Jovi) after the Angel’s Wings(sitout Pedigree) (8:43). Before the match, Starks declared that Vince McMahon did not own him and he tore up the contract in his hand, saying that he would be a member of St. Louis Anarchy for life. (Err…)
–Kevin Lee Davidson d. Mike Outlaw after a Regal Roll off the second rope followed by the spinebuster (10:01).
-Cause members Evan Gelistico & Danny Adams brought out Everett Connors, who seemed to have amicably split from the group…however, tempers flared and Connors chased them from the ring.
-“The Savior Of Pro Wrestling” Jimmy Rave d. Everett Connors after the Ghanarhea(snap cradle Olympic Slam) (15:46).
–Angelus Layne & Austin Blackburn d. Evan Gelistico & Danny Adams when Blackburn pinned Gelistico with a Code Red (13:10). The building had a power outage during the match and the fans lit the ring with their cellphones so the match could continue!
–Aaron Solow won a triple threat match with Paco Gonzalez and Jason Roberts when he pinned Roberts after a cradle DDT (9:53); the power remained out for the duration of this match, but was finally restored before the next bout.
-Roscoe East Lisa(“Zesty” Zakk Sawyers & “The Big Mustache On Campus” Mikey McFinnegan) d. Team I.O.U.(“The Down-South Dandy” Nick Iggy & “The Music City Mutt” Kerry Awful) to retain the Tag Team Titles; Sawyers pinned Awful after he and McFinnegan delivered a spiked Air Raid Crash (16:38).
-“Gorgeous” Jordan Laceyd. “The Incredible Primal Prodigy” Matt Kenway (Look At Him) after the Jenna Jameson(swinging uranagi) (2:02). Gelistico & Adams attacked Lacey after the match, but the returning Adam Caster and Frankie Big Balls made the save! Caster addressed the fact that he had bought into Gelistico’s “bull$#!+”, but he had to retire from wrestling due to concussions and had cleared his head.
He introduced Frankie Big Balls as well as several personalities from SLA’s predecessor, the Lethal Wrestling Alliance: Jordan Taylor(former LWA President), Tim Pickerill(who did a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the LWA), and Mad Dog Daffronian(LWA ring announcer).
-“The Ace Of Anarchy” Davey Vega won a triple threat match with Gary Jay(w/ Dorian Victor & Mrs. Victor) and Mat Fitchett(C) to win the Heavyweight Title. Vega delivered his brainbuster onto the knee on Gary Jay, then hit the move on Fitchett as well and pinned the champion for the win (17:02)! Vega barely had time to celebrate his win as several competitors from the Kansas City side of the NWL attacked all three competitors; I saw Logan & Sterling Riegel), Jake & Ryan King, Kiyoshi Shizuka, and even Michael Strider!
The locker room emptied to run them off, ending with K.L.D. Awesome-Bombing one of the Riegels over the top rope onto the other K.C. interlopers! Major Baisden and Lucy Mendez stood with the St. Louis crew in the ring as Baisden admonished the Kansas City crew for interfering with the show.
The three competitors and Pierre Abernathy said their final words before the show officially wrapped up, closing the book on an era in St. Louis wrestling.
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
[NJPW News] The teams and matches were announced for the upcoming “World Tag League 2016”. 16 teams will compete, in split blocks, in this years league which will take place from November 18 until December 10.
Announced Teams
A BLOCK
・ Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson
・ Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
・ Manabu Nakanishi & Henare
・ Raymond Rowe & Hanson (ROH)
・ BRIAN BREAKER & LELAND RACE (WLW)
・ Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (BC – Reigning IWGP Tag Champs)
・ Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page (BC)
・ Tetsuya Naito & X (L.I.J.)
Two teams were announced previously announced with ROH’s Raymond Rowe and Hanson, War Machine, and WLW’s Brian Breaker and Leland Race. They have both found themselves placed in the A BLOCK. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Juice Robinson will be a team due to Michael Elgin being out with an injury. Which this gives Robinson a strong chance to show himself. Tenzan and Kojima will be overlooking to once more get into the IWGP Tag title picture. Then the young lion Henare will be teaming with the veteran Nakanishi. The reigning IWGP Tag Champions Tonga and Loa will be in the A BLOCK as they look to continue showcasing themselves as one of the strongest teams right now. Yujiro and Page will continue on as a team. Which then this leads us to Naito and a new member of L.I.J. will be debuting on the 11/18 show at Korakuen. Naito has not released any details on who it may be, just all will be revealed on the opening day.
NJPW Event Cards for November & December 2016
New Japan Pro Wrestling “WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2016”, 11/18/2016 [Fri] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
(1) Teruaki Kanemitsu vs. Hirai Kawato
(2) Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay vs. Yoshitatsu, Billy Gunn, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi
(3) Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask IV vs. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
(4) Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & BONE SOLDIER
(5) WTL – A BLOCK Match: Manabu Nakanishi & Henare vs. Raymond Rowe & Hanson
(6) WTL – A BLOCK Match: Brian Breaker & Leland Race vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page
(7) WTL – A BLOCK Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
(8) WTL – A BLOCK Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito & X
New Japan Pro Wrestling “WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2016”, 11/19/2016 [Sat] 18:30 @ Fujisawa Oji Chichibu Memorial Gymnasium in Kanagawa
(1) Teruaki Kanemitsu vs. Hirai Kawato
(2) Raymond Rowe, Hanson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. Brian Breaker, Leland Race, Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay
(3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi & Henare vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page
(4) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA vs. Tetsuya Naito, X & BUSHI
BBQ, music and laughter is what you would have walked up to even if you had planned to be one of the first people in line at Metro Pro’Wrestling‘s 6th anniversary show on June 4th. If you failed to drink a strong cup of coffee that morning you might have thought you were outside of Arrowhead Stadium with a bunch of wild fans. Come to find out Metro Pro fans aren’t too different from Chiefs fans in that they are loyal, loud and a little over the top. To no one’s surprise, it was the guys and gals of the Wrestle Talk Podcast and the WWE Universe Worldwide Chapter fantasy wrestling group. I expect that this isn’t the last time we will see or hear about this group. Especially since every Metro Pro show keeps getting better and better and this show was without a doubt better than the last and we are sure the next will be better than this one. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves because we have a lot of ground to cover as we breakdown this show. Just know this writer’s only goal is to make you wish you would have made this show and to get you fired up and exited for the next show coming up in July. So let’s get going!
The show inside the building kicked off with a match between the Math Magician and The Iceman (1/2 of Team Vintage).
This was a fun match where the fans especially the kids enjoyed themselves. Few things are as fun as counting along with the Math Magician when his music hits or even as he attempts to rally for a comeback. As fun as it is to count along with one guy it is just as fun to boo and heckle The Iceman. Who since has gone to “the dark side” has been on a slide. Sadly, (for him and Team Vintage) tonight was no different.
The Mathmagician was able to get the crowd behind him and pull off the big win in a match that lasted 6 minutes and 31 seconds. That was not the last time we would see the The Iceman this night.
Following the opening match the crowned was treated (I use that term loosely) to an appearance by President Michael Strider and his stunning partner in crime, Lucy Mendez. As you can imagine, they were met with a tremendous fan disapproval. Not more than 10 seconds in the ring Strider started bragging about how thanks to him Metro Pro fans would no longer have to see, hear or even have to worry about Jeremy Wyatt, all thanks to him and of course a little help with former ECW champion “The Man Beast,” Rhyno. All those who are familiar with the situation know what for over 2yrs Striders only goal has to rid Metro Pro wrestling of Wyatt, the undisputed fan favorite. It was also pointed out that Strider had a piece of what seemed like toilet paper on his shoe which he had Lucy remove for him in all of his arrogance.
In an attempt to get back to business Strider reminded that crowd that this wasn’t just any show but Metro Pro’s 6th anniversary show and that night we would have the pleasure of seeing him accept the MWR wrestler of the year award on the behalf of the recently fired Jeremy Wyatt. Also that we would get to see some great matches in round 1 of the tournament to crown a new Metro Pro Wrestling champion. And of course that the legendary tag team Demolition would be teaming with fan favorite ‘The Commission’ in the main even match of the night, and a whole lot more. The best part of this segment of the show according to most fans is when it was over.
We then moved on to some more in ring action. First up we had Jon Webb vs Kiyoshi Shizuka.
Where even though Davey Vega was ring side and in Shisuka’s corner, Jon Webb was able to pull off the win in just under 13 minutes. This advances Webb to round two of the Metro Pro Wrestling tournament to crown the new Metro Pro champion and left both Shisuka and Vega with a bad taste in their mouths.
Next we moved into some hard hitting tag team action where we had a team the we will affectionately call “The Beards” Redwing and Jay Howard vs long time bad guys and well known trouble makers the KC Kings. This match as good as should be expected but just as Redwing and Howie had things well in hand the man known as Ace Steele felt like he needed to come out and make his presence felt by hitting Howard over the head with his central states championship. Surprisingly though, that would not be enough as Redwing was able to get the 1,2,3 even though his partner was outside the ring and out for the count at that moment.
New comer Rory Fox caught almost everyone off guard with this energy and skill as he faced Metro Pro’s resident bad guy “The World’s Fittest Wrestler,” Mark Sterling. As you would expect the KC King Brothers were there and they played their usual role of heel-aids by helping Sterling secure the win after several attacks on Rory with referee Michael Case’s back turned. Though he gave a valiant effort this almost 3 on 1 affair, it ended with Mark Sterling getting the win in a little under 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
The match between Kraig Keesaman and Jake Dirden started days before they actually faced off in the ring. A few days earlier there was some back and forth on Twitter on who exactly would come out on top in this match and move on to round two of the Metro Pro’s Championship Tournament. The fans seemed to be split right down the middle and Dirden and Keesaman both confidently asserted that they indeed would be winning this match. To no ones’ surprise by the time the match started we quickly found out that even after all the trash talking Keesaman did on Twitter he still felt to bring his insurance policy The Iceman to the ring with him.
In the end it didn’t matter, Dirden was too much for both Keesaman and The Iceman and put Keesaman away with a in a little over 10 minutes.
After 4 incredible matches since their last appearance President Michael Strider and Lucy Mendez made their way back into the ring this time to except the MWR wrestler of the year award that Brian Kelley himself would be presenting. Just as Brian would reluctantly begin to hand the trophy over to Strider who at this point is nearly foaming at the mouth at the idea of being handed this award, Jeremy Wyatt’s music hits and the crowed in the Turner Rec Center. Wyatt made his way in the ring and did something surprising and turned his attention to Brian Kelley and expressed what most people in attendance that are familiar with MWR and that work that whole crew does already knew. That the work they do is amazing and has been a cornerstone in helping to elevate wrestling in the Midwest to a whole new level. Brian and his wife in particular have spent years traveling all over to show support and uplift that sport that we all love dearly. The crowd was 100% in agreement and Brian was given a well-deserved standing ovation which lasted well over 2 minutes. This really seemed to catch Brian off guard and the look on his face was priceless. Truly a highlight moment of the night and one to be remembered.
Wyatt then turned his attention to Strider and the two locked eyes as they have so many times before. You could cut the tension with a knife at this point.
Wyatt proceeded to inform Strider that he would be accepting the MWR award himself and that he had some new regarding a letter he had in his possession via the Board Of Directors. According to Wyatt this letter guarantees a match No holds barred match at the July 30th show. Not only that, if Strider refused to sign he would lose his job as President and Wyatt would take over that position. After throwing what would be comparable only to the fit of 5 year old spoiled brat, Strider was forced to sign it.
Only to be told a few seconds later by Wyatt that he lied about him losing his job and it was all made up to get him to sign it. This indeed may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back because only a few seconds later Strider removed his shirt and challenged Wyatt to jump back into the ring. Which almost seemed to be exactly what Wyatt was waiting for.
Fists and kicks lashed out and it got so out of hand that the whole locker room was forced to come out and break them up. Flashes of Undertaker vs Brock Lesner went through the minds many as this was all going on inside and outside the ring for what seemed like an eternity.
Once the ring was finally cleared we go the in ring action back underway and there was no time for anyone to catch their breath because the following match included the fabulous Riegal Twins vs the always game KC Wolves. The match was high energy and high flying, first we were treated to a front flip by Sterling Riegal over one of the ring posts right on top of both KC Wolfs then we got an amazing cross body where Logan Riegal, was by the estimation of many over 10 feet in the air!
Once the action got back into the ring the KC Wolfs did the unexpected and resorted to the low blow behind the refs back and the Wolves ended up getting the win.
We also had to other great matches before the main event the delivered the goods. We had a unification match between Steve Fender and Ace Steele.
This match was bring the belts ( Kansas State Championship,) (Central States Championship) together to crown one true champion.
After a lot of hot dogging and fooling with the ref the action got underway and Ace Steele was able to pull off the win with a little help from Redwing to retain the Central States title and to unify it with the Kansas State title.
Next, we had hot up-and-comer and recent graduate from the KC Pro Wrestling Training Center, Bobby Blackshire face off against former Metro Pro champion Derek Stone in a hard fought match where to Savvy Ol’ Vet ended up getting the win.
For the main event of the night we had the legendary Demolition team up with fan favorites “The Commission” to face a team full of stars to include Mike Sydal, Mark Sterling, Davey Vega and Kiyoshi Shizuka
This was a dream come true for many wrestling fans in the crowd. So many remember the legacy that Demolition left in there time in WWF and their title reign which is still the longest tag team championship reign of all time. The match did not disappoint and at one point there opponents couldn’t even decide who should go in the ring because they were so out matched by Demolition and the Commission. Near the end, something incredible happened, Axe and Smash decided to pass the torch to the next generation by helping Pierre and Gelistico set up the DEMOLITION DECAPITATION!
That as it always has been was enough to get the win and close out the show with a bang!
So at the end of the night, as awesome as it was there is still a lot of unfinished business. Lots of questions to be answered. Will this no holds barred match truly be the end of the rivalry between Wyatt and Strider? What other wrestlers will move on to round two of the tournament? Will Cobra Kai be back to defend their tag team titles, and if so, against who? One thing that is without a question is that some of the names that have already been released as scheduled to appear are the who’s who of pro wrestling to include Stevie Richards, Hype Gotti, Kevin Lee Davidson, and Sonjay Dutt. And that’s just what has been announced up to this point. Definitely a great time to be a fan in the Midwest because the local guys keep getting better and the stars that are being brought in are all class acts like Axe and Smash. That’s something that can’t be taken for granted. Nor is your chance to catch the next Metro Pro Wrestling show on July 30th at Turner Rec Center in Kansas City Kansas. See you there!
Rene Martinez, host of the Wrestle Talk Podcast with Joe and Rene
Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat: @WrestleTalkCast
Photo Credit – Brian Kelley Missouri Wrestling Revival
Melanie Cruise vs Donovan Dijak added to THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Those of you that follow Proving Ground Pro on twitter @pgpwrestling already know, those of you that don’t need to get on that twitter machine..Regardless… We told you that June 18th is going to be special, and here’s some rock solid proof, The First Lady of PGP, Melanie Cruise is back from terrorizing Japan and on her way to the Proving Ground for a first time meeting with Ring Of Honor athlete Donovan Dijak. Melanie is a proven PGP star with off the charts skill and charisma accentuating an international resume of winning big time matches. Donovan is the total package of size, speed, strength and savvy skills, expect huge things in Dijak’s future. Cruise versus Dijak is an absolute special attraction first time match up that deserves the spotlight it gets at the Lawford Theater (225 W Main, Havana, IL), trust us here, you NEED TO SEE this happen. This is just another prime example of the amazing talent that’s waiting for you at PGP, Melanie Cruise versus Donovan Dijak is big time real deal and blowing up the social media scene. Make your plans to be there right freakin’ now!!!
Just how good is THE USUAL SUSPECTS? Really damn good ….Can it get better? It sure can because we still have one more match to announce…Check out what this super jacked colossus has to offer so far…Franchise champ “Dirdey” Jake Dirden and Cutting Edge champ Devin Thomas combine forces to settle the score with the dangerous pairing of Justice Jones and Johnny Wisdom…Fire Lord Draconis defends the Underground Independent title vs PGP’s original villain Mario Andrew Crivello in a much anticipated championship match…”Fashionista” Marek Brave and “RoboGinger” Gary Jay clash in a battle of classic independent stars…”Americas Favorite Son” Ruff Crossing and “The King” Nick Brubaker go to war in a pure heavy hitter…Drama and controversy swirl around Perry Winkle vs “Dice Man” Zicky Dice.…Blue chip special with rising stars Stephen Wolf taking on Jason Roberts….Tag Team action with the spectacular Alpha Class (Danny Adams and Paco Gonzalez) taking on the exciting pair of Austin Blackburn and Everett Connors.…Now we add Melanie Cruise vs Donovan Dijak…Good gawd almighty, this card is sick… And you still need to keep your eye on Proving Ground Pro for another super cool announcement set to drop….SERIOUSLY, after you pinch yourself to be sure you’re not dreaming, get to THE USUAL SUSPECTS!!!
THE USUAL SUSPECTS happens June 18th (Saturday) at the Lawford Theater (225 W Main, Havana, IL) with doors open at 6:30pm and 7pm first bell. Independent wrestlings best value is still how we roll, only $12 adult and $7 kids for every single red hot match. Super value advance $10 adult and $5 kids tickets are available until day of show in Havana (at Grandpa’s Diner or Lawford Theater) and Petersburg (at Huebner Tire or Styles & More). Can’t get out to an advance ticket location? Message us at Proving Ground Pro on Facebook and we’ll get you hooked up. This couldn’t possibly be easier or cheaper for a show the caliber of THE USUAL SUSPECTS, we’ll see you on June 18th!!!
In Central Illinois there’s only one way to find a show so cool it can handle all this heat….ENTER THE PROVING GROUND!!!
Jojo Bravo vs. Sammy Guevara: Young Texas standout Guevara was making his SLA debut here. Jojo had been frustrated in his recent outings as officiating miscues had led to several losses. While the traditional face-vs.-heel structure often falls by the wayside in Anarchy(more on that in a bit), Sammy was decidedly the arrogant punk as opposed to the longtime favorite Jojo.
After a fine opener, Jojo won with a modified backslide in 9:33 and proclaimed “I still got it!” Good for him.
Angelus Layne made her first SLA appearance in quite some time. I’m a fan…she’s a cool person with a unique look compared to a lot of female wrestlers. Would like to see more women’s wrestling in the area in general, but I seem to mention that approximately once a commentary. At any rate, she said that her goal was to win the St. Louis Anarchy Title as she only had one prior title shot(when Gerald James was champion). That prompted an interrupted by The Cause(minus Adam Caster) and words were exchanged over who truly deserved a title shot(Angelus or Mr. Gelistico), setting up Angelus vs. Mr. (Everett) Connors for the following night’s show. Gelistico officially took up Heavyweight Champion Mat Fitchett on his open challenge for the evening.
“The Outlaw” Ken Phoenix vs. Kevin Lee Davidson: Phoenix has made a handful of appearances on Ring Of Honor television and this was his St. Louis-area debut. He had a rough time of it as he was attempting to be the fan favorite against K.L.D., who was decidedly the heel of the match but gets a lot of fan support in this area.
The match was good otherwise, but it had to suck for Phoenix as he did his best to play to the fans only to get a lot of boos from the K.L.D. supporters. Davidson won with his signature spinebuster in 6:25; that move tends to disrupt ceiling tiles in low-clearance buildings such as the Alton venue.
Heavyweight Champion Mat Fitchett came out to set the ground rules for his title reign. (Previous Gerald James had set it up that his defenses would be best-of-three-falls.) Fitchett’s rules were simple: No countouts, DQs, or time limits so a decisive winner would be established. Okay then…SLA has relaxed rule enforcement anyway, though they do have time limits(as established in the Gerald James-Davey Vega sixty-minute draw).
Paco Gonzalez, Mike Outlaw, Nick Cutler, & Jason Roberts vs. The Cause(Tag Team Champion Mr. (Evan) Gelistico, Mr. (Danny) Adams, Mr. (Everett) Connors, & Mr. (Austin) Blackburn): I don’t think co-Tag Champ Adam Caster was specifically advertised for the SLA weekend, but Blackburn probably saw more in-ring duty than anticipated. This was advertised as Paco recruiting a team of “upstarts” to fight The Cause; Outlaw was the only other known quantity on that side. I think I had heard Cutler’s name in the past(central Illinois guy?) but hadn’t seen much of him; apparently he and Roberts are both trainees of Michael Elgin.
The match was more competitive than I would have guessed and Blackburn tagged into the match out of a desire to prove himself…but that backfired as Paco pinned him after a Death Valley Driver in 10:40. Paco’s teammates left ringside as Paco confronted Gelistico, saying HE deserved a title shot(having given Gerald James a good fight recently)…that prompted a gang attack by The Cause until Jojo Bravo made the save.
Jojo and Paco challenged The Cause to a tag match for the following night’s show.
Roscoe Eat Lisa(“Zesty” Zakk Sawyers & “The Big Mustache On Campus” Mikey Mcfinnegan) vs. The Viking War Party(“American Viking” Alexandre Rudolph & “Littlest Viking” Jake Parnell), Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament:
This was part of a mini-tournament to determine the next challengers for The Cause with four fan-favorite duos competing for that right. While Sawyers has done week in recent months for both SLA and PWCS, he and McFinnegan were probably the underdogs in this matchup against the Vikings. The Vikings were their usual rambunctious selves, throwing chairs into the ring before the bell…Parnell headbutted the top turnbuckle until the pad fell off, then he threw the pad into the crowd and they played keep-away with it…heh.
Parnell tried to hide the pad in his tights…um, no. When he pulled the pad out of his tights, his driver’s license fell out…har har. (Do Vikings drive?) The Vikings tried to bum a smoke from Zakk before things officially got underway, to no avail. I’ve only recently seen more of the Sawyers/McFinnegan tag team, though they’ve been working together for quite a while now. They had a lot of false finishes between them, ending with McFinnegan getting the surprise pin on Parnell after an assisted Air Raid Crash in 12:40.
“The Leader Of The Pack” Stephen Wolf vs. “The Lone Star” Curt Stallion: Wolf was scheduled to face Trik Davis who was M.I.A. for the whole weekend as far as SLA was concerned. (This wasn’t directly addressed until the following night’s show.) All things considered, this show was pretty good about having face/heel matches as Stallion was in rulebreaker mode. This was a solid bout, though fans weren’t too familiar with either guy; Wolf won with a Blue Thunder Bomb in 12:40.
Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) vs. Jonathan Gresham: This was a battle of fan favorites as James has effectively turned face in SLA. Gresham has been getting a lot of attention in the Midwest in the past few years and also made a few appearances on Ring Of Honor television, upsetting Cedric Alexander and wrestling Roderick Strong for the T.V. Title. This shaped up to be a good battle between two smaller strikers, with Gresham having a slight edge in the technical aspect of the game as he focused his attack on James’ arm.
After the standard fighting-spirit exchanges and near-falls, Gerald got the win after a kick to the knee followed by a sliding forearm smash in 12:18. That seemed oddly short, all things considered. Cue mutual respect and all that.
Ricky Starks vs. Alex Castle: Starks made a lone appearance on NXT several months ago(as an unnamed-on-TV enhancement talent), so he’s gotten the big head and believes he’s inevitably WWE-bound. However, he competes on the indies FOR THE FANS~!…he’s clearly disingenuous, but he’s entertaining enough that the fans like him anyway.
That set him up as the fan favorite against the more traditional heel Castle. Starks blatantly copped a few familiar-looking moves and sequences, even saying “I’m sorry, I love you” before a superkick attempt(which missed). Starks won clean with a ropewalk DDT in 9:26, but the highlight was the post-match promo: Starks told Paul, err, TRIPLE H that his return to NXT would have to wait because he wanted to wrestle FOR THE FANS OF ST. LOUIS ANARCHY! He wants to continue to compete for the fans…wait for it…then, now, and forever. Forever…forever…forever…forever…forever…etc. Tremendous.
The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Team I.O.U.(“The Down-South Dandy” Nick Iggy & “The Music City Mutt” Kerry Awful), Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament: These teams have gone around the proverbial horn with each other on the Midwest independent scene, but this was my first time seeing one of their battles in person. This was the all-out brawl that you would expect, complete with one of the Hooligans’ favorite sequences:
They sit in chairs in a circle with the opponents and they just punch each other in the face as hard as possible. I know some people look down on the fighting-spirit sort of exchanges(“I’m going to let you hit me!”), so your mileage may vary on stuff like that. The exchange took place on the floor, leaving poor Brandon Tolle in a quandary about whether to count them out.
I.O.U. have worked as rulebreakers in St. Louis Anarchy despite being fan favorites in other promotions(which was how they competed in High Risk Wrestling last year), but then the Hooligans are likely to get cheered either way. I always joke that I lose track of which Hooligan is which, so I have to rely on the Bella System to figure it out: Wait for one to yell out the other’s name. (This was before the Bellas became distinctly different-looking.) This eventually got back into the ring and they traded the standard high-impact offense, ending out of nowhere as Devin pinned Awful with a sunset flip off the second rope in 11:31. The Hooligans were set to face Roscoe Eat Lisa on the following night’s show for the next shot at The Cause.
Mat Fitchett vs. Mr. (Evan) Gelistico for the Heavyweight Title: Gelistico seemed to play it straight for a while, despite being the obvious rulebreaker in the match, but SHENANIGANS~! were afoot in the big picture. Fitchett appeared to be on the verge of victory after a piledriver but Mr. Adams and Mr. Connors distracted the ref. Brandon Tolle ejected them from ringside, to the point that he physically chased them out the front door! In the meantime, Fitchett tilt-a-whirled into a DDT and went for a pin; that prompted Mr. Blackburn to make his entrance in a referee’s shirt to count two before stopping short. Gelistico decked the champion with the Rulebook and Blackburn nearly made the three-count, but Angelus Layne pulled him out of the ring and dealt with him in short order. Evan brought in a chair, but Fitchett turned the tables and hit a cradle piledriver on the chair…OW. Tolle returned to the ring just in time to make the three-count in 15:42…woo. Fitchett would go on to face the winner of the night’s main event…and he crossed paths with his longtime friend and tag partner Davey Vega in the aisleway.
Davey Vega vs. T.J. Perkins: TJP’s career has taken some interesting paths in recent years…he competed for Anarchy a handful of times, but TNA commitments took precedence as he held their X-Division Title as Manik(formerly Suicide). Since departing from that company, he has competed for EVOLVE and recently qualified for WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic…cool for him. Vega currently holds the All-American Pro and Metro Pro Tag Titles with Fitchett and recently made his Ring Of Honor debut in a dark match. However, the SLA Title has eluded him…he hasn’t held singles gold in quite a while(he’s been Lethal Wrestling Alliance Champion and NWA Missouri Champion in Dynamo Pro). Vega’s recent track record against national stars has been pretty good as he holds wins over such names as Chris Hero, Roderick Strong, and El Generico(whatever happened to THAT guy?).
It was a really good competitive battle between fan favorites and the audience wasn’t as invested in the match as I would have thought…hmm. In what came as a surprise to some in attendance, TJP got the tapout win with a modified heel hook in 16:14 and earned the title shot at Fitchett the following night…leaving Vega frustrated once again.
“The Yoga Monster” Mike Sydal has earned many accolades in his short career including the 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year, and the 2010 MWR Wrestler of the Year to go along with several titles including the reigning High Risk Wrestling Championship. Now you can add the first ever wrestler to have 3 trading cards in the MWR Trading Card set.
Time spent in the Ring of Honor dojo and tours of Japan has this young star poised to make an even bigger impact in 2016 and beyond. While with Dragon Gate in Japan, Sydal has mastered Yoga, thus earning the nickname the Yoga Monster.
Sydal has always been known for his exciting moves during his matches and recently has added the Yogasault and the painful Buddha Lock that leaves his opponents on the defense in the air and on the ground.
Fans around the country can now add Mike Sydal’s number 22 of the MWR Trading Series two to their collection of the top stars in the country. Get yours from Mike Sydal or MWR before they sell out as he will tour Japan once again in the summer of 2016.
Mike Sydal will be in action at these exciting events in the upcoming months
The next Metro Pro Wrestling event is Saturday, June 4, at 7 p.m. inside Turner Rec Center in Kansas City, KS! Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
– Legendary tag team Demolition (Ax & Smash) will be in the house helping celebrate our Sixth Anniversary!
– A 16-Man Tournament for the Metro Pro Championship begins!
– President Michael Strider will accept the 2015 MWR Wrestler of the Year Award for the terminated Jeremy Wyatt
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
– Front Row: SOLD OUT
– General Admission: $15
– Kids 5-12: $10
1) Catch the star at a show to have them autograph the cards personally
2) Contact them via facebook or myspace
3) Send $2.00 in money order or check for each card at *
Brian Kelley
305 West 3rd Salisbury Missouri 65281
or Paypal at flairmwr@yahoo.com
*Checks will take longer to clear than money orders so expect time for that to happen. Make sure you list exactly what card you are wanting to have.
Please note that when purchasing MWR Trading cards from the wrestlers, that they decide the prices for their cards. We highly recommend that you get them from the stars themselves and let them know that you enjoy MWR.
These cards are limited and are not mass produced making them highly collectable.
History was set to be made at the Stratford Inn in Fenton, Missouri as Dynamo Pro Wrestling introduced a new championship…but history was made in other ways as well.
The show began with a presentation by Missouri Wrestling Revival as co-promoters “Evil” Jim Yount & Crystal Yount received the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2015. Ben Simon represented MWR as Brian Kelley took pictures at ringside; on top of that, Brian Stull was a special guest at the show as he had known Jim & Crystal since their days with Midwest Renegade Wrestling and Gateway Championship Wrestling. “Stully” had been a big proponent of independent wrestling in the Midwest through “The Stranglehold” radio show; he was there to join in the presentation of the award and also to ring-announce for the crowning of the first Dynamo Pro Wrestling D-1 Champion.
Jim & Crystal have been a part of the local wrestling scene for close to two decades and have played a big part in influencing many of the wrestlers that have competed in this area. They thanked the wrestlers and fans for their support, as well as former associate Sadie Blaze who was in attendance for the event.
High Level Enterprise had been on a roll as Tag Team Champions, but Jack Gamble & Jon Webb faced a tough test in the form of Alpha Class.Danny Adams & Paco Gonzalez had trained together under former Ring Of Honor Heavyweight Champion Michael Elgin and had formed an effective tag team combination, presenting a stiff challenge to the titleholders.
After a hard-fought battle, Gamble got the pin on Paco after Webb delivered a Spanish Fly off the top turnbuckle!
Billy McNeil has been resistant to the influence of his new manager C.J. McManus (as well as C.J.’s newest recruit Jayson Khaos), but he has indirectly benefited from their involvement in his matches. This was a big factor in his battle with Brandon Aarons, leaving the fans seriously conflicted about their support of the long-time St. Louis favorite. In particular, C.J. criticized McNeil’s continued wearing of his unicorn mask. Aarons delivered an impressive electric chair German suplex but McManus distracted the referee so his man wouldn’t be counted down.
McNeil confronted his manager, leading to Khaos delivering an unseen cheapshot on Aarons…Billy was seemingly unaware of the involvement, but small-packaged Aarons for the quick pin. After the match, McNeil found out about what happened and apologized to Aarons, leading to a handshake between the two competitors.
(P.S. I am contractually obligated to note that Aarons’ hair was on point as usual.)
“The Alternative” Ozzie Gallagher was intent on making a statement, not only to the fans but to his former associate Sadie Blaze. He had his opportunity in a match with Rocket Mapache, bringing an aggressive attitude that didn’t sit well with Sadie. Gallagher wasn’t focused on winning the match but on unmasking his adversary…while Rocket fought him off for a time, Gallagher finally removed the hood and mercilessly assaulted his foe.
Rocket abandoned self-defense to keep his face covered, forcing the referee to stop the match and award the bout to Gallagher. Gallagher flaunted his “trophy” after the bell, particularly rubbing it in the face of Sadie Blaze as he walked past his seat.
“Young & Dangerous” Evan Morris had defeated Jayson Khaos to qualify for the D-1 Title tournament, so Khaos was on the hunt for payback with manager C.J. McManus and stablemate Billy McNeil in his corner. However, McNeil was still at odds with his allies due to their actions earlier in the evening…he refused to take any cheapshots at Morris despite plenty of encouragement and opportunity to do so.
Morris escaped an Unprettier attempt and delivered a TKO onto the knee, scoring his second win in a row over Khaos; McManus attempted to jump in the ring to break up the pin attempt, but Billy pulled him back to the floor.
“The Don Mega” Shorty Biggs had defeated Lucy Mendez‘s newest protege Kiyoshi Shizuka at a recent event, but the masked man was looking to even the score due to Shorty’s continued interest in Lucy.
The former Tag Team Champion was on the verge of a victory, but Lucy threw herself between the combatants to shield her man from the finishing shot. That allowed Shizuka to poke Shorty in the eye and DDT him for the cheap win…to add insult to injury, Shizuka held a dazed Shorty for a slap to the face from Lucy.
Dynamo crowned its first D-1 Champion as Outtkast, “The Filipino Warrior” Elvis Aliaga(w/ Lucy Mendez), and Jayden Fenix of the Black Hand Warriors locked up in a triple threat matchup. Brian Stull did the ring announcing for the occasion as all three men were looking for their first singles gold in Dynamo Pro Wrestling. Outtkast and Fenix had been Dynamo Tag Champs, but Aliaga had never held a championship in Dynamo despite holding gold elsewhere. Outtkast was looking for his first singles title since his reign as GCW Light Heavyweight Champion in 2002.
Aliaga and Fenix formed a temporary alliance to wear down Outtkast, but that broke down as only one man could walk away with the belt. All three men had some close calls, but Aliaga was taken out of the picture long enough for Outtkast to finish off Fenix with the Case Study. Outtkast was presented the D-1 Title belt by Brian Stull and his tag team partner Shorty Biggs congratulated him on his milestone victory!
In a true David-vs.-Goliath battle, “The Yoga Monster” Mike Sydal took on the powerhouse newcomer Kevin Lee Davidson.
K.L.D. has been making waves in the Midwest and across the country as he has been training with Michael Elgin as well.
However, agility and experience won the day as Sydal turned the tide with some well-placed kicks. In the end, the Yogasault sealed the deal as Sydal picked up the three-count.
“Miss Natural” Heather Patera hadn’t been seen in Dynamo Pro in a while, but she was in the unusual position of being the fan favorite in a match against Lucy Mendez.
The two are no strangers to each other as they’ve battled all over the Midwest. In this case, Kiyoshi Shizuka made the difference as he pushed Miss Natural off the top rope behind the referee’s back; that allowed Lucy to capitalize with a jumping DDT to get the duke.
Shorty Biggs ran off the masked man afterwards, but the damage had been done.
The Heavyweight Title situation was in a state of turmoil. Defending champion Ricky Cruz and former champion Jake Dirden had been embroiled in a war in recent months, but Brandon Espinosa had earned the number-one contender’s spot in January. Espy had defeated former titleholder Mike Outlaw to ascend to that ranking, but Outlaw scored a pinfall over Dirden in an impromptu tag match later in the evening…setting the stage for a four-corner match for the championship.
Dirden loudly voiced his dissatisfaction with the match stipulation, saying that the title should be decided in one-on-one matchups and refusing to participate in the contest.
He stormed out the side door of the venue, leaving the remaining three competitors to battle it out. Espinosa was on the defensive against two fan favorites, but managed to catch the champion in his cross-armbreaker finisher.
Outlaw broke up the hold with the High Noon elbowdrop off the top rope, leaving all three men down. The King Of Chaos attempted to go to the top turnbuckle himself, but Espy took advantage of the no-DQ environment by knocking Cruz to the floor with a chair.
Espinosa delivered a frog splash on Outlaw, but Dirden chose that moment to re-enter the fray and break up Espy’s pin attempt!
Dirden threw Espy to the floor and attempted to pin Outlaw, but Outlaw kicked out at two. That only seemed to infuriate the “Intelligent Monster” as he pulled Outlaw to his feet, then dropped him back to the mat with a monstrous chokeslam! That was finally enough to put Outlaw down for the count…making Jake Dirden the three-time Dynamo Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion with Michael Magnuson and Jayden Fenix celebrating by his side!
Dynamo Pro Wrestling is proud to announce an all ages, live, professional wrestling event on Saturday, February 27th, 2016. This professional wrestling event, sponsored by AlignLife Chiropractic, AllState Insurance – The John Standefer Agency, Slackers – Music, Movies, Games, Toys & Comics, and Computer Specialists, will be held at the Douglas Club, located at 102 Whitelaw Avenue in Wood River, Illinois. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. with a bell time of 7:00 P.M. Tickets are $10 for adults. Tickets for children from five to twelve years old are $5. Tickets for children under five years old are free.
This action-packed night of professional wrestling will feature some of the fastest rising stars in Dynamo Pro Wrestling. Please come out and experience the best in professional wrestling as Dynamo Pro Wrestling makes its return to Wood River, Illinois. To purchase advance tickets, log on to http://www.dynamoprowrestling.com or contact the Douglas Club at (618) 254-2211.
Since 2007, Dynamo Pro Wrestling has strived to bring professional wrestling fans of all ages with hard hitting, fast paced, edge of your seat professional wrestling action. Please join Dynamo Pro Wrestling as it brings the best professional wrestling to the St. Louis metropolitan area. For additional information on Dynamo Pro Wrestling, you can check out our website at http://www.dynamoprowrestling.com, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/dynamopro, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DynamoPro. For Douglas Club venue information, you can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/564364883727641/
For additional information regarding this event, please contact:
Jim Yount, Promoter
Dynamo Pro Wrestling
(314) 452-8868
Rob Mangrum, Media Relations Director
Dynamo Pro Wrestling
(618) 420-0049
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
One of the coolest moments of my career, Yogasaulting for Dragon Gate at Korakuen Hall! I love yoga and wrestling!!! – Mike Sydal
Mike Sydal has entertained fans around the world for the past few years and shows no signs of slowing down. He captured the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year award in 2009 by paying his dues through his many hours of travels in cars to wrestle in front of small and big crowds alike throughout the United States. Sydal could of easily of lived off of that accomplishments of the PWI honor and being the brother of former WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, yet he has continued to strive to improve his skills to become the very best that he can be. Hours in the gym has given him the ability to wrestle at an exciting pace while he has sought out the best to combine the psychology and ring generalship from the likes of the Harley Race Wrestling camp that has featured WWE, NOAH as well camps with the hottest company in the United States, not named WWE, Ring of Honor.
Sydal first toured in Japan with Dragon Gate from September to December in 2013. So impressed with his work ethic and matches, the door was open for Sydal to have return to Dragon Gate this summer as the company is currently on their road to their biggest event of the year, Kobe World.
Sydal has been on tour with Dragon Gate wrestling against several of the most amazing wrestlers in the world today, while having the honor of wrestling in one of the truly historic wrestling grounds of all –time the famed Korakuen Hall.
Look for Sydal to be in action at Kobe World in a must see 6-man match before returning in August to thrill fans around in the States.
Missouri Wrestling Revival 