Missouri Wrestling Revival

Site Has Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:30:00 +0000

MWR has moved, and can be located with brand new news and updates at www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com!

Wrestling Revival Cup Leaders - Female Wrestler Top 15!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Here are the overall female points leaders in the 2008 Wrestling Revival Cup. Remember, the top 10 will be voted on at the end of the year, with one point added to the individual wrestler's point totals. An All-MWR 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team will also be selected.

All accomplishments under the ranked wrestler or tag team is specific to the 2008 season. Women get points assigned to them based on matches and type of victory, to include title wins and title defenses. There are no points assigned to "quality of wins" as the points system for such would be too subjective.

The 2008 season runs from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 with point leaders moving on to a voting phase in January 2009.

Of 22 women rated throughout Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois, here are the top 15:

Female Wrestlers (Updated 9/22/2008) -

1. Stacey O'Brien
WLW Ladies Champ, MMWA-SICW Women's Champ, MWR May Woman of the Month, MWR Woman of the 2nd Quarter, MWR July Woman of the Month

2. Ms. Natural
WLW Ladies Champ, MWR February Woman of the Month, MWR March Woman of the Month, MWR 1st Quarter Woman

3. MsChif
MWR January Woman of the Month, MWR April Woman of the Month

4. Alexis Lightfoot
MMWA-SICW Women's Champ (2X), MWR August Woman of the Month

5. Diabla
RPW Women's Champ

6. December
PCW Women's Champ

7. Sulema
RPW Women's Champ

8. Sara Del Ray
MWR June Woman of the Month

9. Kimberly Kash

10. Cherry Malone
NGW Powderkeg Champ

11. Ann Brookstone

12. Lacey

13. Amy Hennig

14. Daizee Haze

15. Allison Wonderland

MWR's "Midwest Best Series" Match 1!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

3XW "BAM-O-Ween"
featuring MWR and the MWR Midwest Best Series
October 17, 2008
Des Moines, IA

www.3XWrestling.com
www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com

3XWrestling (3XW) and Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) have teamed up to bring pro wrestling fans in the Midwest something to be proud of. As part of 3XW's "BAM-O-Ween" on October 17, 2008 in Des Moines, IA at inPlay, MWR is sponsoring a match as part of the "MWR Midwest Best Series" for the 3XW Pure Championship between two of the best wrestlers that the MWR coverage area has to offer.

The MWR "Midwest Best" match alone offers a glimpse into the future of professional wrestling. 3XW Pure Champion Tyler Cook defends his newly acquired belt against Shane Hollister, one of the fastest rising stars in the Midwest! 3XW management contacted MWR with the possible match, and MWR Owner-Editor Josh Ray was so excited by it that he wanted to help make it happen!

As part of this sure-fire crowd pleasing card, 3XW Heavyweight Champion "Delicious" Devin Carter defends his title against a man who was once closer than a brother, Casanova, the former 3XW Cruiserweight Champ. Since Carter won heavyweight championship gold this summer, Casanova has turned his back on him. Two straight 3XW events have featured Carter on the receiving end of a Casanova attack. Now they settle their differences in the middle of a 3XW ring!

One-half of the Northstar Express, the Midwest's premiere tag team and longest reigning 3XW Tag Team Champions, faces one-half of the Gentlemen's Club, the current 3XW Tag Team Champions, when Ryan Cruz squares off against Mark Sterling! Sterling is no stranger to singles matches as a former 3XW Pure Champion, but he's in the opposing corner from a tag team specialist who impressed many at 3XW's "Clobberpalooza Classic" when he faired well in a two-on-one handicap match against the Gentlemen's Club. The Northstar Express undoubtedly have a claim as the number one contenders to the 3XW Tag Team Championships, but a Ryan Cruz victory could raise his stock as a solo wrestling star. Mark Sterling will be his typical ruthless and brutal self to stop Cruz dead in his tracks.

It's only 3XW's second female wrestling match of 2008, but it is one for all of Iowa to pay attention to as Malia Hosaka, a star in WWE, WCW, ECW, and now SHIMMER, takes on Ring of Honor's beautiful-but-dangerous Allison Wonderland. A match with these two is sure to please, but it is anyone's guess as to who will emerge victorious. This is a must-see match!

If you are still looking for reasons to go to 3XW's "BAM-O-Ween", look no further than this awsome list of wrestlers who are scheduled to be in action:

"The Anarchist" Arik Cannon
Maddog McDowell
Mike Sydal
3XW Cruiserweight Champion "The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell
"The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt
Arya Daivari
Ryan Slade
Zach Thompson
Aaron Masterson-Slade
Ricky Kwong
Krotch

Plus man more!

3XW "BAM-O-Ween"
featuring MWR and the MWR Midwest Best Series
October 17, 2008
Des Moines, IA

Tickets go on sale October 4, 2008 at:

inPlay
615 3rd St
Des Moines, IA

Jay's CD & Hobby
5921 SE 14th St
Des Moines, IA

Tickets are $12.00 for general admission and $6.00 for children ages 4 through 10. Children ages 3 and under get in FREE!

Don't miss out on pro wrestling history! 3X Wrestling and Missouri Wrestling Revival: Giving Back to Midwest Pro Wrestling!

www.3XWrestling.com
www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com

Wrestling Revival Cup Leaders - Tag Team Top 70!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Here are the overall tag team points leaders in the 2008 Wrestling Revival Cup. Remember, the top 10 will be voted on at the end of the year, with one point added to the individual wrestler's point totals. An All-MWR 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team will also be selected.

All accomplishments under the ranked wrestler or tag team is specific to the 2008 season. Teams get points assigned to them based on matches and type of victory, to include title wins and title defenses. There are no points assigned to "quality of wins" as the points system for such would be too subjective.

The 2008 season runs from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 with point leaders moving on to a voting phase in January 2009.

Of over 300 tag teams rated throughout Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois, here are the top 70:

Tag Teams (Updated 9/21/2008) -

1. Northstar Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz)
3XW Tag Champs, AAW Tag Champs (2X), MWR January Tag Team of the Month, MWR July Tag Team of the Month

2. Phoenix Twins (Tweek & Dash)
AAPW Tag Champs, MWR March Match of the Month, MWR March Tag Team of the Mont, MWR 1st Quarter Tag Team of the Month, MWR May Tag Team of the Month

3. Windy City Classic (Danny Daniels & Trik Davis)
MWR January Match of the Month, SCW Tag Champs

4. Marc Godeker & Steve Anthony
WLW Tag Champs

5. Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza)
MWR January Match of the Month, NMW Tag Champs, SCW Tag Champs

6. LONRs (Mark Sterling & Darrien Sanders)
PWP Tag Champs, MWR April Tag Team of the Month, MWR 2nd Quarter Tag Team

7. Abuse of Power (Josh Powers & Morton Von Prose)
NBWA Tag Champs, NGW Tag Champs

8. Danny Ice & Davey Boy Sloan
RPW Tag Champs

9. Dave Vaughn & Mr. Bibbs
MMWA-SICW Tag Champs

10. Feature Presentation (Blake Steel & Eric Ruffington)
MWR August Tag Team of the Month, NMW Tag Champs (2X)

11. Maximum Destruction (Sage Ramsey & Jason Wells)
NMW Tag Champs

12. Team W.A.R. (Acid & Synn)
EPW Tag Champs

13. Adrenalin Overdose (Bryce Benjamin & Shane Hollister)
AAW Tag Champs, MWR June Tag Team of the Month

14. Damian Blade & Searcher
FTW Tag Champs

15. Davey Vega & Johnny Vinyl

16. Petey & Jesse Clark
GAW Tag Champs

17. Body Count (Daniel Allure & Santanna Sparks)
PCW Tag Champs

18. Gentlemen's Club (Gage Octane & Mark Sterling)
3XW Tag Champs

19. JC Michaels & Kenny O'Brien
GAW Tag Champs

20. Jeremy Wyatt & Tyler Cook

21. Hybrids (Donovan Cain & Jason Lyte)

22. Bobby Houston & “Catalyst” Cory Carter
NGW Tag Champs

23. Cheapshot McGrot & Noon Moon
NBWA Tag Champs

24. Team Taliban (Jake O'Neill & Prince Mustafa Ali)

25. Evan Gelistico & Jordan Lacey

26. Wally Wilde & Whiplash
PCW Tag Champs

27. Absolute Answer (Caden Ames & Christian Able)
MWR March Match of the Month

28. “Da Bomb” Brian James & Brandon Espinosa
MWR February Tag Team of the Month

29. B.A.B.E.WATCH (Brandon Aarons & Brandon Espinosa)

30. Jay Jensen & Michael Elgin
EPW Tag Champs

31. Jester & Sage Ramsey
NGW Tag Champs

32. Darin Waid & Steve Fender
WLW Tag Champs

33. Ego Express (KC Karrington & Steven Kennedy

34. Full Throttle (Brandon Marino & Aaron Scott)

35. Lumberjacks (Abe & Gabe)
MMWA-SICW Tag Champs

36. Sex, Drugs & Wrestling (Ash & Kris Chambers)

37. Mixed Breed (Rik Rockett & Rion Skillz)

38. Aaron Masterson & Mad Dog McDowell
MECW Tag Champs

39. Gridiron Grapplers (Joe & Steve Heisman)

40. KC Jackson & Mississippi Madman

41. AJ Williams & Gary Jackson

42. Brian Ealey & Chris Hazard

43. Cecil Cerveza & Nicky Mankotti

44. Shane Hollister & Tyler Black
SCW Tag Champs

45. Brett Gakiya & Jason Hades

46. Chris Michaels & Shawn Schultz
AAPW Tag Champs

47. Eric Marx & Johnny Mac

48. Mike Sydal & Zach Thompson

49. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
AAW Tag Champs

50. Right Stuff (Jordan MacIntyre & Knight Walburg)

51. Cheapshot McGrot & Cyclone

52. Chuck Ray & Jeff Harris

53. Dixieland Destroyers

54. Egotistico Fantastico & Gilbert Lewis

55. Krotch & Mad Dog McDowell

56. Steve Fender & Wade Chism

57. Brian Parker & Tony Rican

58. Newer Era (Ryan Slade & Aaron Masterson)

59. Simply the Best (Hype Gotti & Tony Cortez)

60. Steven Bishop & Tricky Dick Moore

61. Adam Rich & Dorian Victor

62. Chris Hamilton & Matt Creed

63. Dangerous Derek & Dinn T Moore

64. Donnie Peppercricket & Joey Daniels

65. Gary Jay (Gary the Barn Owl) & Jordan Lacey

66. Guy Smith & Spencer Powers

67. Jerome Cody & Phil E. Blunt
MMWA-SICW Tag Champs

68. Justin MacIntyre & Nick Brubaker

69. Krotch & Zach Gowen

70. Marshall Law (Marshall Garrett & Steve Santel)
MECW Tag Champs

MWR Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

MWR Book Review:

Matt Murphy's
The Story of a Nobody and the Pursuit to Become a Somebody

Book Review by Josh Ray with contributions from Brian "Flair" Kelley.

This summer I attended a World League Wrestling event with my good wrestling buddy Brian. We got into a conversation about pro wrestling books and which book I personally felt was the best I had read. I was quick to point out Chris Jericho's book A Lion's Tale and Ric Flair's To Be the Man, as both books really stuck out in my mind as genuine and great reading material for the wrestling fan. Brian didn't hesitate when countering with another book.

"What about Matt Murphy's book," he said.

"Matt Murphy has a book?" I replied.

Evidently Matt Murphy, known to Missouri wrestling fans as "All That" Matt Murphy of World League Wrestling (WLW), had a book out. Murphy wrestled for Harley Race's WLW during my time away from Missouri in the military, but I was familiar with him as part of the WLW team and had recently purchased a few items from his online store. I had no clue that he had even entertained the thought of writing a book.

Luckily for me, Brian is around to clue me in to such things. I obtained a copy of the book, titled The Story of a Nobody and the Pursuit to Become a Somebody, and gave it a look. I was hooked from the very beginning:

"If your reading this, I appreciate the fact you didn't skip to the part where I begin wrestling. I think a reader must read the story, start-to-finish, to completely understand it, and to understand me. Someone please send this message from the author to those pricks that skipped over all this---- Thanks for buying the book. When you're finished be sure to go rent a movie and fast-forward through the first half hour of it, eh?"

Murphy has a no nonsense and easy-to-understand approach to writing that is refreshing. I enjoyed reading the book because it felt like one of my buddies was giving me these great stories while drinking a beer (or two... or ten). It was candid and yet very informative.

In the book, Murphy discusses his early childhood and it really connected with me and my family background. His love of wrestling started as a young boy and grew from a sort of fascination into something of an obsession and a crutch to prop him up from the realities in life that a boy should not be required to realize at a young age. He discusses it all without the "whoa is me" attitude that many people from similar backgrounds want to adopt.

The thing that hooked me as a reader also managed to upset me at points in the book. Matt had the ability to describe things as only a true friend can open up and say, but the fact that I do not know the man writing it well made it disturbing. Don't get me wrong. The book was great and a must read for any true wrestling fan, but it isn't for the easily offended (or faint of heart). He tackles reverse racism, drinking habits, and various sexual exploits among other topics.

Thankfully, the main theme is definitely pro wrestling and making it in the business. It just so happens that those topics are more often than not parts of it. With that said, I would not recommend this book for anybody under the age of sixteen.

I agree with Brian's original review of Matt Murphy's book. He is a wonderful, talented writer and opens up in a way that rarely occurs in autobiographies. He's not trying to make the reader like him or respect him. He is simply telling it like it happened and how he sees it. Brian said in his original review:

" ... at times I found myself liking the guy and wishing the best for him and then on the next page finding him to be arrogant and lazy."

While I didn't find him overly arrogant at any point in the book, I could see in places where people might find him lazy. Brian made my point a little later in the same paragraph of the review:

" ... you could tell the stories were not intended to kiss ass in order to stay in the sport, unlike most wrestling autobiographies these days."

If you like comeback stories, stories about the underdog, and inspirational tales, then this book is for you. If you want a uniquely insightful look at pro wrestling from the standpoint of a talented and heralded independent pro wrestler, again, this book is for you. Matt Murphy does what wrestlers with WWE book deals can not. He can be open and honest with no fear of business-related repercussions.

I'll close this review by saying that Matt Murphy's The Story of a Nobody and the Pursuit to Become a Somebody is the best wrestling book that you have never heard of. Now that you've heard of it, why don't you go out and pick up a copy?

Amazon is your ticket, so go to the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Nobody-Pursuit-Become-Somebody/dp/1413730493

This is my first book review for the site, as I typically do not enjoy critiquing somebody else's hard work. Internet critics generally upset me. I hope you have enjoyed my attempt at becoming what I hate, though!

MWR Sponsors First Ever "Midwest Best Series" Match

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:39:00 +0000

3XW "BAM-O-Ween"
featuring MWR and the MWR Midwest Best Series
October 17, 2008
Des Moines, IA

www.3XWrestling.com
www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com

www.3XWrestling.com
www.MissouriWrestlingRevival.com

MWR Statement - Revised

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

About MWR

Contacts:
Josh Ray (Owner-Editor): inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com
Brian Kelley (Contributing Writer): flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com
Kari Williams (Contributing Writer)
Peter Hahn (Contributing Writer)
Andrew Scott (Contributing Writer)

Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) is more than just a professional wrestling website that covers pro wrestling in Missouri. MWR is a group of people with the desire to make pro wrestling in the entire Midwest more successful as a way of giving back to those that go out there and entertain us on a weekly basis.

On January 3, 2008 when MWR official began operations, it was a way to focus all of the creative energy of owner/editor Josh Ray. Recently relocated after eight years in the Army and a huge pro wrestling fan, Josh desired to get involved in the local pro wrestling scene by using his writing ability and professional attitude. He spread himself thin on a variety of projects, and MWR was his way of channeling everything into one focal point.

Since then, a talented ensemble of pro wrestling enthusiasts from the surrounding area have joined the MWR team to make it the most positive and outgoing source of wrestling information in Missouri and the surrounding area. Kari Williams helps us cover MMWA-SICW in St. Louis with her recaps and also does spotlight features that profile some of the best wrestlers you might have never heard of. Brian "Flair" Kelley conducts interviews and gives you "Your Trip to Space Mountain" as he travels throughout Missouri and into Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. Peter Hahn operates behind the scenes, providing valuable information and ideas for future features and site layout. "Smart" Mark Anthony stays in the shadows while simultaneously standing up on his soapbox for a dose of the Internet Wrestling Community reality with his "Mark This Down" column. MWR is truly a group effort and a labor of love for those involved.

If there is something that isn't adaquetly covered by MWR, chances are that we are just not aware of it. We depend on the promoters, wrestlers and fans to help us get the word out. We can not be considered a success unless we make the Midwest pro wrestling community more successful. That is part of our philosophy: "Giving Back to Midwest Pro Wrestling!". It embodies how we operate.

There was a time when pro wrestling thrived as a form of entertainment in local venues across the Midwest, and Missouri Wrestling Revival aims to bring it back to the spotlight through publicity, cooperation and professionalism.

Keeping MWR on track to achieve this end is an ongoing process. We keep this process moving by the many projects:

The MWR awards system recognizes those organizations and people in our coverage area that are doing great things. The awards are broken down in monthly, quarterly, and year-end awards.

The MWR Wrestling Revival Cup is a January through December championship series that assigns point values to wins, losses, title defenses, title wins, and other predetermined factors. At the end of the year, fans vote on the best wrestler from a list of the top ten finishers of the Cup. Each vote counts as one point and adds to the wrestlers end of the year point total. After the MWR Wrestling Revival Cup winner is declared, an All-MWR 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team will be honored.

The MWR 100 is another achievement that brings recognition to the many wrestlers in the region. It's a list compiled by owner/editor Josh Ray of 100 wrestlers that could be considered the best that Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois have to offer. It's a tough and controversial list, but offers booking information and achievements of top talent to thousands of individuals each year. It's a great promotional tool.

We've also made ourselves available to help any wrestler or promotion in the Midwest in any capacity. Missouri Wrestling Revival is constantly evolving. We encourage those of you that love this unique form of entertainment to evolve with us. Get involved. Bring a friend or two to the shows. Spread the word!

Between The Turnbuckles

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Hahn) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:00:00 +0000

Between The Turnbuckles
By Peter Hahn

I am quite sure that most readers of Missouri Wrestling Revival already know the great news, but for those that haven't heard yet, Ring of Honor is going to debut in the St. Louis area on December 5, 2008! Seeing as the event was recently announced and is months away, we can only speculate on what Ring of Honor is going to give the fans of St. Louis. Hopefully, over the next several weeks, I will be able to give an idea of what we can expect at Ring of Honor's St. Louis debut and more.

Part 1 - New Markets in 2008
So far in 2008, Ring of Honor has expanded into three new markets. I say “expanded” and not “debuted” because Ring of Honor has already returned or has announced returns to each of these markets. It should also be noted that Ring of Honor has announced debuts in several other markets as well, and if the trend continues Ring of Honor will be returning to these markets once again after several months.

As it would be when testing a new market, one would want to present a really good card with recognizable names (to bring in the fans) and follow through with great wrestling (to bring back the fans). We all know that’s how most independent wrestling shows are when we determine whether we will go to a show or return for another. What’s great about Ring of Honor is that it is a great mix of both, with more emphasis on the quality of wrestling compared to their television counterparts. Ring of Honor will definitely want to put their best foot forward in St. Louis, just as they have with debuts in the past.

We all know, or at least should, that Full Impact Pro (Ring of Honor’s sister company) is based in Florida and has been running shows since 2003. Many wrestlers that have appeared in Full Impact Pro have also appeared in Ring of Honor. Ring of Honor made their debut in Orlando, Florida in late March with two huge shows: “Supercard of Ho nor III” and “Dragon Gate Challenge II.” Both of these cards were highlighted with top stars from Ring of Honor taking on popular stars of Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. The fans were already familiar with many of the wrestlers, both from Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate, as many had previously been appearing in Full Impact Pro regularly.

In early May Ring of Honor made their way to Manassas, Virginia for a show titled “Southern Navigation.” While Manassas, Virginia may not be in the South, it is in the general direction compared to where Ring of Honor holds most of their shows. Several months later Ring of Honor tested out Toronto, Ontario and ended up with one of the largest attendance turnouts in Ring of Honor history! This show was titled “Northern Navigation” as it was their first venture into Canada. Could the debut in the St. Louis area be titled “Western Navigation?” It’s a good guess based upon past expansions this year.

The shows in Manassas and Toronto were filled with Ring of Honor’s top stars including: Chris Hero, Delirious, Brian Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, Jay & Mark Briscoe, Tyler Black, Jimmy Jacobs, Necro Butcher, Ring of Honor World Champion Nigel McGuinness, and appearances by Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji and Go Shiozaki. Ring of Honor doesn’t let down when it comes to bringing together the best talent on the independent scene and from overseas. Based upon past shows, Ring of Honor’s debut in St. Louis is sure to be explosive!

Tune in next week as I speculate on what Ring of Honor will bring to the fans in St. Louis!

Kari Williams MMWA-SICW Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

MMWA-SICW September 6, 2008 Recap

by Kari Williams

MMWA-SICW’s return to South Broadway Athletic Club this month enticed fans with high profile matches, controversy and even the surprise return of a former champion.

Johnny Courageous battled Waco to top off a memorable night. Both competitors were as determined as ever to control the match up, as each had his moment of glory. Waco tried to control the match as best he could, all the while wearing Courageous out with numerous pinfall attempts. At one point, Waco had Courageous hanging upside down in the corner of the ring and delivered an imposing dropkick to the helpless American hero. In the closing moments of the match, Courageous was able to get in a bit of revenge against his foe, as The Big Texan—who Courageous has feuded with in the past—interjected himself in the bout, causing so much confusion that Courageous squeaked out a win with a quick roll-up on Waco.

The prior encounter was all in good fun as two fan favorites—Jeremy Lightfoot and Mr. Bibbs—gave the fans everything they had. Bibbs and Lightfoot went nearly 15 minutes, and each man once again proved why they are adored by the fans—they will do anything to please the crowd. Lightfoot controlled the first half of the bout, connecting with numerous aerial moves and, of course, his signature chops, that have caused some fans to call him “Sir-chops-a-lot.” The tide changed for Lightfoot when Bibbs was able to stop the Indian warrior instantaneously, almost as if Lightfoot had run directly into a freight train. Bibbs then looked as if he would secure a win, but it was not to be. Lightfoot smashed his boot square in Bibbs’s face and followed that up with a headscissors from the top rope. Victory soon followed, and the two men shook hands after the match, signifying their friendship.

One word can describe the previous match fairly easily—Chaos. A.J. Williams and “Night Train” Gary Jackson relentlessly fought The Connection’s Phil E. Blunt and Jerome Cody, who were accompanied by Travis Cook., in a tag team elimination match. The winner would then get a chance to take on the reigning champion, Kevin X. From the moment the bell rang, bodies were flying every which way, and one could hardly keep up with the action at hand. Less than a few minutes into the fight, Williams, with an assist from Jackson, launched over the top rope and crashed to the floor, making sure to take The Connection with him. For most of the brawl, Cody, Blunt and Cook did everything they could to put the odds in their favor, regardless of whether or not it was legal. Eventually those tactics caught up to the Junior Heavyweight Champion, and Williams was the first man eliminated. Jackson then had to face his adversaries at a disadvantage. Not one to give up, Jackson threw everything he had at Cody and Blunt, managing to come out on top—but not without controversy. The final two competitors—Jackson and Blunt—each claimed that they had the other’s shoulders pinned, however the referee ruled in favor of Jackson. That prompted Blunt to request a re-match with Jackson at some point in the future.

In a somewhat calmer match, the Battle Royal Championship was on the line because Commissioner Keith Smith forced Lumberjack Gabe to forfeit either the tag team title or battle royal championship. According to MMWA-SICW rules, a wrestler cannot hold more than one belt at a time. After much hesitation, Gabe refused to give up the tag team belts, proclaiming that, “The Lumberjacks will always be tag champions.”

The bout consisted of Jeremy Lightfoot, Mr. Bibbs, A.J. Williams, Shaft, The Big Texan, Waco, Blunt, Dave Vaughn, Cody, and Brandon Espinosa who made a surprise return earlier in the evening. Throughout the bout, Cody snuck out of the ring through the second and third ropes, giving himself an unfair advantage. However, he got what he deserved in the end, as The Big Texan eliminated Cody to become the new Battle Royal Champion.

Dave Vaughn took on Shaft before competing in the aforementioned match. Vaughn’s vicious persona shined bright, as he attacked Shaft before the bell had even rung. Once the match actually got underway, both men tried to outwrestle each other with technical skill, although Vaughn seemed to have the advantage in this area. Nonetheless, Shaft was able to catch Vaughn at a weakened moment and clasped on the ankle lock with relentless force. Unfortunately, both men let their egos get in the way, as they both shoved the referee out of the way and continuously struck each other, until the match was called as a double disqualification.

Two powerhouses wrestled in the second match of the night, as The Big Texan attempted to defeat one-half of the tag team champions in Lumberjack Abe. Neither man gained a clear advantage but both showed their will to win. There were a decent amount of pinfalls from either man, and both tried their best to outsmart the other. To the disappointment of fans in attendance, the bout ended in a time-limit draw.

Despite an action-packed night, the opening bout was more than likely the most surprising, as Brandon Espinosa, a former MMWA-SICW Junior Heavyweight Champion, appeared with the company for the first time since January of this year. He was welcomed back whole-heartedly and had the majority of fans behind him as he attempted to defeat Bobby D. Espinosa wrestled a techinically sound match against D, incorporating some of his signature moves that Broadway fans remember him for. D appeared at times to be disgruntled that fans cheered Espinosa, which may have caused him to use as many illegal tactics as he did. Despite Espinosa’s advantage, when he attempted a frogsplash and D moved out of the way, D capitalized by rolling up the former champion and cheating his way to victory by grabbing Espinosa’s tights for leverage. In spite of this, Espinosa walked away from the ring with fans cheering for his performance.

Bobby Lashley-From Wrestlemania to Sedalia.

noreply@blogger.com (flair) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Your Trip to Space Mountain

By Brian "Flair" Kelley
flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com

I woke up on Saturday morning and almost decided to not attend the WLW event that evening as I would be checking them out the next weekend in Moberly. I was also concerned that I would not be able to get tickets as it may be a “sell out”, But as the morning came to a close, I couldn’t resist. My girlfriend and I left for Sedalia, Mo for W.K. Chevrolet where former WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley was to sign autographs.

While waiting in line the Noon Day Optimist Club announced that they had tickets for sale, I picked up second row tickets and was all set for the evening. Before I knew it some kids in the line were excited and yelling "He is here, Bobby Lashley is here... and he is huge!"

When I first caught sight of Bobby, the child was right, he was huge, he was all smiles and, with kids jumping up and down around him, he gave them high fives and exclaimed he was glad that they were there. He headed to the table to sign Autographs and take pictures. We took our pictures and said hello to one of my heroes, Harley Race, and headed off to supper prior to the show.

The show started off with Akiyago taking on Brian Breaker in the opening contest. Akiyago is despised by the fans and he used mind games to keep Breaker from using his power to his advantage and was able to get the win. But before he left, he couldn't resist the urge to antagonize the fans, who were not happy that he had won.

Akiyago has Brian Breaker on the ropes.

Up next was fan favorite "The Vietnam Phenom" Bao Nguyen taking on the newcomer Dustin Lane in his wrestling debut. The match started off in a slow pace and before I know it the two wrestlers where hitting each other with exciting moves as the action went back and forth which led me to believe that this was not Lane's first match. I was later told that in fact, this was his debut in wrestling so I witnessed history as Lane was able to get the win when he rolled up Bao with a small package. Though Lane was able to get his first victory, I am sure that Bao Nguyen will look to even the score in their next encounter. I hope to see the rematch to see these young guns go at it.

Dustin Lane lets Bao know he is a quick learner.

WLW at this point had an intermission and Bobby Lashley came out and took pictures inside the ring and once again he was all smiles. I enjoyed watching him interact with the fans young and old. He picked up one young child with one hand and teased that he would throw him out the ring over the top rope only to bring him back in the ring and all the while the child was smiling from ear to ear. You know that kid will be telling the story to all his friends at school on Monday morning. He played with one female fan by getting on one knee and she could not believe her eyes as her face turned red. She too would have a story to tell. To say the intermission was worth watching would be an understatement.

Prior to the match Stacey O'Brien even gives the ref Martin T a hard time.

Up next was what I like to dub the future of women's pro wrestling: Amy Hennig taking on WLW Womens Champion Stacy O'Brien . I was fortunate to say that I was able to see Amy in her wrestling debut in Eldon and her first opponent was this same Irish troublemaker. The first match up Stacy really used Amy's inexperience against her and at times made her look foolish in her attempt to break into the WLW Womens Title hunt.

Amy Hennig proves to Stacey O' Brien that she may be a rookie but she will not be pushed around.

You could tell Amy had worked hard and learned from her mistakes in her first encounter and was giving Stacey fits throughout the match. Though Amy had improved immensely since the first time they met, Stacy was always one step ahead of the one who she sarcastically calls "Little Miss Perfect". Stacey seized the opportunity with the ref out of position; she put her feet on the ropes to get the pin on Amy. As Stacy would say " That is soooo Stacey O".

There is no doubt that Amy is WWE bound but I would be shocked if Stacy wasn't there to greet her. Amy will get another shot for the WLW Women's champion this weekend as she will face off once again in Moberly,MO on September 13, 2008. It is a match that I highly recommend you come and check out.

The next match up would feature two of the most charismatic wrestlers on the WLW roster Dinn T Moore and Michael Strider. Dinn T Moore has floundered in the WLW since his departure with Brandon Tatum and that may have attributed to him just barely missing the Missouri Wrestling Revival Top 100. Make no mistake about it, there are few in the Midwest that can get under the fans' and wrestlers' skin like the former WLW Tag Team Champion. He has the talent to win any match he is a part of.

On the other side of the ring you had one of the hardest hitting wrestlers in the Midwest. Strider has taken on some of the best in the business and really can work a crowd to his advantage. This would be a very interesting match as both men look to move up the ladder to the WLW Heavyweight Title currently held by "Dangerous" Derek McQuinn.

Dinn T Moore shows that the heavyweights in the Midwest can fly as well, as he goes up top to hit Michael Strider with a big move.

At first, Strider got the upper hand on Moore to start the match and as Moore regrouped outside the ring the fans chanted "chicken". Strider urged him to return to the ring for a beating and when Moore returned, he withstood some more punishment from Strider. With one mistake from Strider, though, Dinn T put the heat on Strider - knocking him down with one big move after another. Strider continued to get up and each man did not give an inch. The fans were cheering on Strider for the bad guys have won all the matches in these evening to the fans dismay and Strider was there last chance to celebrate, Dinn T Moore though had other plans and was able to get the win this evening with a roll up along with the tights pulled ,as he left the ring, Dinn T bragged to the fans know that he is among the WLW elite. The fans last hope for happiness would be Bobby Lashley.

In the end what promised to be a hard hitting match lived up to the expectations, with another future battle between these two foes a must see.

The Main event would be none other that a 3 way match with Bobby Lashley, NOAH'S Go Shiozaki and one half of the current WLW Tag Team Champions Marc Godeker.

The wild card in this match would be Godeker, Godeker and his tag team partner Steve Anthony have the skills that is reminiscent of a great tag team that went by the name of "The Steiner Brothers" in their prime, but unfortunately Steve Anthony has been healing from an injury due to a match earlier this year so Marc has had to go out solo for the time being. How would Marc be able to respond to working with two of the best in the business? We were about to find out.

Bobby Lashley enters the WLW ring for the very first time.

The crowd was like mini WWE with the crowd going nuts when Lashley hit the ring with the crowd giving no doubt to who their favorite was, Lashley's two opponents must have came up with a game plan prior to the match as they worked together to start the match, but Lashley was in World Championship form and was overpowering two wrestlers who are no lightweights themselves and then something happened... Lashley slammed Shiozaki hard onto the mat and when Shiozaki cried out in pain and reaching for his leg, help came from the WLW staff as they rushed to assist the Japanese Superstar. Lashley went to assist Shiozaki with Godeker outside the ring and, with Lashleys guard down, Shiozaki showed his true colors and attacked him as Godeker quickly entering the ring to assist him. The two wrestlers who each come from a different background had one thing in common and that was to get a win off the former ECW Champion but when it came to the time for each of them to get the pinfall on him, they broke up the count before the other one could get the win.

A perfect ambush from Go Shiozaki.

This was a very exciting match as the crowd was rallying Lashley to get back on the offensive. When Lashley would get the edge, Godeker and Shiozaki would stop the momentum and vice versa. It looked to be a shocking ending to Lashley's WLW debut but when the two new friends had a disagreement, Lashley struck and overwhelmed them with power and speed and in the blink of an eye Lashley and the crowd were as one when he was able to pin Godeker for the 1-2-3. Though they were unsuccessful, Go Shiozaki and Godeker shook Lashley's hands out of respect for such a great match.

During the main event Marc Godeker proved he was more than capable of hanging with some of the best in the business.

The question I had on whether or not Godeker would be able to hang with the two Superstars was answered with a resounding YES, as he more than held his own in one of the most exciting matches in WLW history. A match that will go on in history in WLW along with, Derek Stone's battles with the great One Man Gang, Kenta Kobashi taking on Wade Chism and when a young Trevor Rhodes defeated Rick Steiner and Wade Chism in a Three-way match to win the WLW Heavyweight Title.

Before the night was over Bobby asked for the microphone. With Lashley’s speech and his actions throughout the day, he made me a fan of his for life. He stated that he had a passion for the sport and he missed the fans, he said that he does what he loves, not for the money as he has plenty of that, He also said that he has a desire to be back on TV soon. He encouraged any fans that saw him on the street to not be shy and come up to him and shake his hand and introduce themselves. He said that he doesn't take very many independent bookings but when a WWE Hall of Farmer calls you and tells you to work a show, you listen. He thanked not only Harley, but his wife BJ for the opportunity to work with WLW and to be close to the fans once again.

Because I took the drive to Sedalia I was able to meet one of the most impressive wrestlers in person that I have ever seen, and quite frankly is one of the few that is better than advertised. Bobby Lashley has all the tools to be on top of the sport and I am amazed that TNA has not jumped on him as he could really be the one guy who they could sign that could make a difference in closing the gap between the two organizations.

I hope to see you at an independent show soon and, till next time, drive carefully, take care of yourself, and don’t forget to check out Missouri Wrestling Revival.

July and August Awards (DOUBLE POST!)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Missouri Wrestling Revival's July and August Awards!

The MWR 100 pushed the awards back for July and August, but don't think that we have forgotten. After much deliberation and even more effort, MWR releases the July and August award winners! Winners were selected by committee.

Here are the winners and runners up for July and August 2008, respectively:

MWR July Wrestler of the Month

KC Karrington [LWA]

Always a tremendous talent, KC arrived as a viable main event wrestler in the survivor series streetfight at LWA's Circus Maximus. He had the match won as the sole survivor before being ambushed by his girlfriend.

1st Runner Up - "Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell [3XW]
2nd Runner Up - Tyler Black [AAW]
3rd Runner Up - AJ Williams [MMWA-SICW]

Others receiving votes:
Brett Gakiya, Abu Colossus.

MWR August Wrestler of the Month

"Delicious" Devin Carter [3XW]

After winning the 3XW Heavyweight Title in June from gage Octane and defeating Mark Sterling for the 3XW Pure Title in July (retaining heavyweight gold in the process), Carter solidified his claim as the best in Iowa by defeating former champion Octane in a rematch.

1st Runner Up - The Searcher [FTW]
2nd Runner Up - "The Future" Donovan Ruddick [LWA/FTW]
3rd Runner Up - "Bloody" Harker Dirge [NBWA]

Others receiving votes:
CJ Eparza.

MWR July Tag Team of the Month

Northstar Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz) [3XW/AAW]

Corbin & Cruz successfully defended the 3XW Tag Team Titles in a four way match in July, defeating Mad Dog McDowell & Krotch, Midwest Ground & Air and Ricky Kwong & Jimmy Rockwell. On top of that, they defeated the top contenders The Phoenix Twins in AAW to get closer to a rematch for the AAW Tag Team Titles.

1st Runner Up - Maximum Destruction (Sage Ramsey & Jason Wells) [NMW]
2nd Runner Up - LONRs (Mark Sterling & Darrien Sanders)
3rd Runner Up - Ego Express (KC Karrington & Steven Kennedy)

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR August Tag Team of the Month

Feature Presentation (Eric Ruffington & Blake Steel) [NMW]

Ruffington & Steel defeated the seemingly unbeatable Sage Ramsey & Jason Wells for the NMW Tag Team Titles, capitalizing on the breakup of the champs in pure Feature Presentation fashion.

1st Runner Up - Windy City Classic (Danny Daniels & Trik Davis) [SCW/AAW]
2nd Runner Up - Phoenix Twins (Tweek & Dash) [AAW/SCW/AAPW]
3rd Runner Up - Danny Ice & Davey Boy Sloan [Renegade Pro Wrestling]

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR July Promotion of the Month

Lethal Wrestling Alliance

LWA finally scores the Promotion of the Month honors after producing the best overall show in the St. Louis area for the month of July in Circus Maximus. Fans have been on record as saying that the LWA has consistently improved since the beginning of the 2nd Quarter of the year!

1st Runner Up - Elite Pro Wrestling
2nd Runner Up - Pro Wrestling Phoenix
3rd Runner Up - New Breed Wrestling Alliance

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR August Promotion of the Month

3X Wrestling

After celebrating their third anniversary in July, 3XW followed it up with the first 3XW show in August in the entire history of the promotion!

1st Runner Up - Elite Pro Wrestling
2nd Runner Up - Scott County Wrestling
3rd Runner Up - AAW: Pro Wrestling Redefined

Others receiving votes:
Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

MWR July Woman of the Month

Stacy O'Brien [WLW/MMWA-SICW]

The WLW and MMWA-SICW Women's Champ defeated a very hungry Amy Hennig in Hennig's pro wrestling debut. The pressure of wrestling an opponent from a legendary family of wrestlers was nonexistent for O'Brien. That is the mark of a true champion.

1st Runner Up - MsChif
2nd Runner Up - Sara Del Ray

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR August Woman of the Month

Alexis Lightfoot [MMWA-SICW]

Lightfoot won the MMWA-SICW Women's Championship from Stacy O'Brien in the month of August, making a statement that she is the best in the St. Louis area and fans should take notice.
1st Runner Up - Stacy O'Brien

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR July Personality of the Month

Tiffany LaFane [LWA]

In a month where her former boyfriend wins the Wrestler award, it makes sense that she is selected as the Personality of the Month. One of the most talented and charismatic women in wrestling, LaFane shocked the LWA and her boyfriend KC Karrington by leaving him in violent fashion at LWA's Circus Maximus.

1st Runner Up - Bud Chaplin [National Wrestling Coalition]
2nd Runner Up - KL Snow [3XW/Magnum Pro/PWP]
3rd Runner Up - Crimefighter [St. Louis Wrestling Community]

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR August Personality of the Month

Shad Tally [NBWA]

Shad made news this past month by getting signed to a WWE developmental contract as a referee. Wrestlers get a lot of recognition for their work here in the Midwest, but it's nice to see a great talent like Shad Tally get recognized by "The E".

1st Runner Up - KL Snow [3XW/Magnum Pro/PWP]
2nd Runner Up - BJ Race [WLW]
3rd Runner Up - Crimefighter [St. Louis Wrestling Community]

Others receiving votes:
None.

MWR July Match of the Month

8-Man Survivor Series Streetfight:
Submission Squad vs Ego Express & Bearded Men from Space Station 11 (7/12/2008 in O'Fallon, IL) [LWA]

It all came down to a bloody KC Karrington and the bane of his existence, Davey Vega. KC's girlfriend came out and shocked the LWA crowd by kicking her boyfriend below the belt, ensuring a Submission Squad victory. This will go down as one of the craziest brawls in LWA's history. Want proof? The police were called!

1st Runner Up -

AAW Heavyweight Title Match:
Jerry Lynn (C) vs Tyler Black
(7/12/2008 in Berwyn, IL) [AAW]

2nd Runner Up -

EPW TV Title Match:
JD Hughes (C) vs Brandon Thomaselli
(7/25/2008 in Oak Lawn, IL) [EPW]

3rd Runner Up -

Hype Gotti vs Jaysin Strife
(7/5/2008 in Council Bluffs, IA) [PWP]

MWR August Match of the Month

Ladder Match for the NGW Heavyweight Title:
Brett Gakiya (C) vs Nick Brubaker
(8/16/2008 in Pekin, IL) [NGW]

An exciting match that saw Gakiya give Brubaker a Spanish Fly from the top rope through a table on the field!

1st Runner Up -

NWA Missouri Title Match:
Dingo (C) vs "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt
(8/1/2008 in Fenton, MO) [CSW]

2nd Runner Up -

3XW Heavyweight Title Match:
"Delicious" Devin Carter (C) vs Gage Octane
(8/15/2008 in Des Moines, IA) [3XW]

3rd Runner Up -

Streetfight:
Tyler Cook vs Zac James
(8/16/2008 in Council Bluffs, IA) [PWP]

Doubletake: Referee Wrestles Through the Indies

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Doubletake:

Referee Wrestles Through the Indies

By Kari Williams

[Styles refs for LWA in this photo taken by Kari Williams.]

As two large men collide in the center of the ring—or worse, outside of the ring—one vital person must be there to make the important calls. “Stylish” Kurt Styles is one of the men who dons the striped shirt and knows both sides of that scenario. He has even done double-duty on the same night.

“I remember my first show I wrestled on. I wrestled Sly in the opening match under a mask, and then had to go coast to coast (all matches on the card)… except one other match, but I got taken out of that one by my first chair shot. It got kind of rough doing it at times though,” he said.

The wrestling referee has been lacing up his boots since October 2003. He wrestled his first match in April 2004, but has been reffing since his days training with LWA.

Styles was also trained in the now-defunct MAX promotion by Luke Roberts for approximately four months.

“I actually went to school with some guys that were training, and they knew how much I liked professional wrestling and how I wanted to get into it, and the LWA was just starting up and they said, ‘You know, well, we need some more guys,’” he said.

His desire sprouted from a young age, as he watched “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels take on “The Hitman” Bret Hart in their classic 60-minute iron man match at Wrestlemania XII.

The Stylish One has traveled to Illinois and places as far as Michigan for his duties as a wrestler. Companies such as Heartland Championsip Wrestling (HCW) and Rampage Pro Wrestling (RPW) have had Styles as well, helping him to pursue his dream.

“I know there [are] so many guys in this business that don’t actually make it anywhere, and I don’t want to be lost in the shuffle,” he said.

Currently, Styles holds the HCW Light-Heavyweight Championship—which is the highlight of his career thus far.

“I’d say one of my favorite matches was down in Heartland Championship Wrestling, where I’m their Light-Heavyweight champion, and it was for the belt, and I was wrestling Kado McShannon, and it was just a lot of energy in the match, and the crowd was really hyped up into it. We did a lot of crazy stuff,” he said.

With switching between being a referee and wrestling, one could imagine that the transition would be difficult. However, according to Styles, “you’ve just got to have a different mindset, be more aware.”

Whether wrestling or being the mediator between two behemoths, Styles is available for bookings and can be reached through www.myspace.com/kurtstyles or through e-mail at sunshine_kurtstyles@hotmail.com.

The Wrestling Revival Cup!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:54:00 +0000

2008 MWR Wrestling Revival Cup

by Josh Ray

Wrestling Revival Cup

After the MWR 100 and the stir that the list caused in some circles, I have been racking my brain for ways to create a more accomplishment-based system for acknowledging Midwest wrestlers and promotions. We have the MWR 100, which is a purely speculative view of Midwest wrestlers as viewed by me and is meant to be a promotional tool for the individuals making the list. We have the monthly, quarterly and yearly awards that are voted on by a group of people. Now, we have the MWR Wrestling Revival Cup!

The MWR Wrestling Revival Cup leader board is being put together right now and will cover most wrestling promotions in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and, of course, Missouri. The end goal is the Wrestling Revival Cup, which will be awarded to the top man, woman and tag team, but there will also be an "all-promotion" 1st and 2nd team selected to honor those who had an exceptional year.

The 2008 MWR Wrestling Revival Cup season runs from January 1, 2008 until December 31, 2008. The top ten wrestlers at that time will be posted on the site for a vote. Those votes will be added to the wrestlers' point totals and a champion will be crowned. During the season, points are awarded in various degrees, with the highest points going to those that win a title and lowest points going to those that lose by count out or are on the losing end of a 6 man (or more) tag match.

MWR is trying to create a wrestling alliance out of this, so we welcome other promotions outside of the coverage area to apply for inclusion. MWR also welcomes those that are not immediately included in the alliance. There is no application fee involved, but there is a request for donations in order to keep the site and the site's projects running.

These donations can be sent via Paypal to joshberg65@hotmail.com or sent to:

Missouri Wrestling Revival
1112 Lake Drive
Lebanon, MO 65536

MWR Wrestling Revival Cup Promotion List (current):

3X Wrestling
All American Pro Wrestling
All American Wrestling
Central Empire Wrestling
Central States Wrestling (Missouri and Kansas)
Elite Pro Wrestling
Lethal Wrestling Alliance
Metro East Championship Wrestling
MMWA-SICW
New Breed Wrestling Alliance
New Midwest Wrestling
Next Generation Pro Wrestling
Pro Championship Wrestling
Pro Wrestling Phoenix
Scott County Wrestling
World League Wrestling

This is yet another way that Missouri Wrestling Revival is trying to bring together the Midwest wrestling community and "Give Back to Midwest Pro Wrestling"!

For more information, contact Josh Ray at inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com or go to MWR's Myspace at www.myspace.com/missouriwrestlingrevival .

Combat Tested, Mother Approved (featuring Mark Sterling)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Combat Tested, Mother Approved

by Josh Ray (MWR Owner-Editor)

In this edition of my "Combat Tested, Mother Approved" column, I bring back an old interview that I conducted before I started this site. It's an in-character interview for Central States Wrestling that I conducted of arguably the best wrestler in the Midwest, Mark Sterling. In it, he discusses his opinions of me, Michael Strider, Dingo, his wrestling skills and his self-proclaimed championship belt.

I loved this interview because it was a chance for me to really get involved in the wrestling scene upon my return to Missouri last year. I was still a relative unknown to the area and wanted to work for a promotion in some sort of writing capacity. As I've mentioned before, Ed Chuman of NWA Midwest and Martin T of Central States Wrestling really gave me a start, so CSW was a natural fit for my first work.

Here is the complete article:

One Hell of a Performer
The Mark Sterling Interview

By Joshua C. Ray

The name “Mark Sterling” elicits some very strong knee-jerk reactions from CSW fans. Some despise the man, almost to the point of full unadulterated hatred. Others have respect for him, as he has wrestled some of the best that the sport has to offer and, more often than not, emerged victorious. He’s the type of guy that people aren’t lukewarm about. They either like him or they don’t. There is no in between.

These days there are more and more people jumping over to the side of the fence where Mark Sterling isn’t appreciated or held in high esteem. He’s become obnoxious and borderlines on deranged. He revels in the fact that he is in shape and is quick to point out the people who aren’t in the crowd.

He’s basically the type of guy that many wrestling fans hated when they were in school… or at least that is what he told me when I finally got to sit down with him for an interview last week. I was given the assignment almost two months ago, but Sterling repeatedly told me that I was nobody of importance; a loser who didn’t deserve to be graced with his presence.

I get paid to tackle the hard subjects, though, so I finally wore the man down (by paying him half of my interview money) and got the interview. Enjoy it in its entirety:

Josh: Mr. Sterling, first of all let me tell you that it is a pleasure to finally be able to sit down and talk with you. You've made yourself scarce in recent months. Is this because of the loss of the Kansas State Title to Dingo?

Sterling: No, it's because I am out getting laid by hot bitches. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? You nerd mark ass mark!

Josh: I’ll go ahead and put that on the record that according to you I am a “nerd mark ass mark” and that you have been out “getting laid by hot b*****”. It’s all really interesting to know. Riveting.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way… what has been going on in your mind the past couple of months? You’ve seemed to gain an edge and have become more… um… deranged.

Sterling: What are you, my psychologist? If you were, I'd fire you for being stupid.

What's been going on in my mind, huh? Well, mostly sick ways to put a hurting on every single wrestler in the world. I belong at the top of the food chain, so I am focusing all my energy on how to stomp out everyone that gets in my way.

In my spare time when I am not training my ass off or pleasing some dumb slut, I am playing violent video games, watching horror movies, or writing down all my ideas on how to tear off someone's arm, leg, neck, or whatever.

If you weren't such a tool, you might notice that in every match I have I find a target and maliciously attack it. So basically, most of my thought process is about how to break bones in ways that I find amusing.

What you think is an "edge" or me being "deranged" is called being the BEST! You can only get as good as me by devoting all your energy to wrestling. Everything I do in my life has something to do with furthering my wrestling career. It’s making money at a day job to buy new gear or wrestling tapes. It's working out in the gym 5 days a week, and training in the ring twice a week plus going to matches on weekends. It's shoot fighting with your only close friends to improve your conditioning. It's studying tapes of the best wrestlers, like Finlay and Regal... not watching indy-riffic bullshit. It's called having an attitude, and maybe you might call it "deranged", but it's how I am... I don't care if people hate me, are scared of me, laugh at me... deep down they know that I am all business.

Josh: Well, I will say that the fans have a newfound respect of you and your in-ring ability in the aftermath of your loss to Dingo. The only problem with that thought process is that there are others that don’t need to act as maliciously as you do to get that job done. Don’t get me wrong, though… I have a lot of respect for you as a wrestler.

I’m getting off topic, though. What are your thoughts on Dingo’s title reign? I’ve heard that you called him out for a rematch.

Sterling: Hold up, hold up, hold up. Who is getting what job done?

There is no one, I mean NO ONE that can touch me when it comes to getting things done in CSW. Being aggressive and violent is the ONLY way to get things done. Just ask the best in the world: Triple H, Finlay, Regal... they wrestle with intensity and FIGHT for their wins.

My goal is to be at that level one day, so anyone in CSW that thinks they can get in my way is going to suffer and get tortured mercilessly.

Now back to your mark ass question....

So far Dingo's title "reign" has been pathetic. He defended the Kansas title last May and beat two retards in a three way match.

Tony Morales is in CSW randomly, he has been in what, 5 matches here? If he was committed to really wanting gold, he'd be here at every show. So beating him doesn't impress me. Jeremy Wyatt is garbage, so beating him is like beating up a trash can; it just makes you end up looking filthy and gross. Nuff said.

Who did I square off in my two year reign? Gee, I don't know... I beat everyone's favorite fat-ass Michael Strider twice, wrestled TNA's Abyss three times, and defeated Steve Fender and Wade Chism, both of which are veterans of NOAH in Japan. I also beat Ace Steel, who everyone knows is one of the best out there right now.

So in summary, Dingo's title reign is crap! He hasn't proved anything to me! I made him suffer for half an hour last October, I destroyed him a ladder match at DWTS 3, and just because he got a fluke win over me in March, I promise you he was miserable for weeks after that match, since I brutalized him so bad.

Next question?

Josh: I guess my next question would be why weren’t you granted an immediate rematch if Dingo just picked up a fluke win over you? Are you trying to say that the “powers that be” in CSW have purposely kept you away from Dingo to milk his title reign for all that its worth? That sounds a little far fetched. Dingo has a lot more talent than you are giving him credit for.

Sterling: Well, duh! It's obvious management holds me back. They can't stand me. They know I make everyone else look foolish. All the boys in the back hate me because they know I am light years beyond them when it comes to this biz, so they bitch at management to get me out of the main events.

Management threw everything in the book to get the Kansas Belt off of me. Then, I finally make one mistake and thumbtacks backfired on me against Dingo...

Our third anniversary show “X Marks the Spot 3” comes around and I am not in the main or semi main event?

Look at what I’ve done for this company since April 2005! I consistently put on the best matches, month in, month out. Hardcore matches and Ladder matches with Abyss, Street Fights with Tyler Cook, wrestling clinics with Ace Steel, Steve Fender, and Hype Gotti... all of my matches in CSW are great. Most of them are classics. I am the best wrestler in this area, hands down. There isn't a single person that can perform like me. I am the perfect blend of charisma, aggression, superior technical ability, hardcore/brawling, a sculpted physique, and athleticism. You name it, I got it. I have no holes in my game, unlike all these puds I have to share a locker room with each show. No one is in my league when it comes to delivering the goods.

Josh: That was one long winded method of saying that you are the best. I get it.

You think very highly of yourself, and in some respects you’ve got reasons to believe that. What I want to know is this: what’s next for you?

Sterling: NO! In ALL respects I have reason to believe that, not some. You better stop your snide little mark ass comments before I slap the nerd out of you.

(Sterling gets up at this time, ready to punch me square in the face.)

Josh: Okay, okay. No more smart comments from me. I swear. So much hostility coming from you… I’m glad I get paid to do this.

We’ve heard rumors that CSW’s August show is going to have a surprise. Are you going to be part of this surprise?

Sterling: You’re talking about the August 25th show? Why don't you buy a ticket and find out when you get there? When you get there you can give me some more money for putting on a superior match.

Now, back to your question earlier:

What's next for me?

Winning. A lot.

Showing the fans that I am better than them and f*cking up their so called heroes.

My goal is to be one of the best in the world, to maximize my potential, to achieve my destiny. I will not stop until I am satisfied. I have a hunger that is ferocious. But there are some issues that hold me back. All the bubble butt babes that want my c*ck are a prime example. What can I say? I like to get my rocks off....

Being in this god-forsaken Midwest is another one of them. Most of the wrestlers in this area are just "ham n eggers". I crave to test myself. I am going to work tirelessly to realize my ambitions.

Josh: Since you speak ill of the Midwest, I guess I should follow up with another question.

Do you ever envision yourself going after Michael Strider’s CSW Championship Belt? In my opinion there would be no better way to show up the fans and mess up their “so-called heroes” than by winning the CSW title while in the Strider Nation. You’ve beat him before, but the only way to really make the fans pay would be to take the title from him.

Sterling: Oh, trust me. Every time I watch his matches on the locker room monitor, I think of all of the evil things I would do to him.

Management won't book it though. For some reason, that goof Strider sells a lot of T-shirts, so they aren't going to put him in a match that they KNOW he will lose, and lose badly mind you.

(Sterling laughs. The laughter could be best described as maniacal.)

It would cost them money. As soon he loses that belt, their goes all of the money from those ridiculous, white trash Strider Nation shirts.

So yes, I would love the chance to beat that b*tch within an inch of his life in front of all of the fans of CSW that have put him on this pedestal. I have already dominated the Kansas Title scene and everyone knows that I would totally dominate the whole Central States title picture. It's only a matter of time before wrestlers the world over will fear and respect me. Maybe not tomorrow, next month, next year... but I won't stop until the world knows what the Midwest knows, and that is that Mark Sterling is one hell of a performer.

Josh: I couldn’t have come up with a better send off for this interview. Mr. Sterling, I appreciate your time. You’ve finally let this “nerd mark ass mark” interview you. You conducted yourself in a remarkably civil manner, too… that is, when you weren’t insulting me. Thank you very much.

Sterling: Thank God this is over. I could feel your nerd vibes and it was making my life a living hell.

Now go do something with your life. Don't be jealous that I'm a wrestler and you're not!

Information on Central States Wrestling and Mark Sterling can be found at www.cswwrestling.com. Join their message board community at http://cswwrestling.informe.com.

MWR Required Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Missouri Wrestling Revival has some of the best contributing writers in the area. Here are the most viewed features on the MWR site for you to catch up on some reading:

1. May 2008 Awards

Featuring Shane Hollister, Mark Sterling, The Phoenix Twins, New Midwest Wrestling, Alexis Lightfoot, Luke Roberts and MORE!

2. 1st Quarter 2008 Awards

Featuring Eric Ruffington, Lethal Wrestling Alliance, MsChif, Crimefighter, and MORE!

3. "Mark This Down"

"Smart" Mark Anthony covers what he feels are some positives for Midwest pro wrestling with an emphasis on the State of Missouri.

4. "Mark This Down"

"Smart" Mark Anthony's first installment of a controversial series.

5. MWR Tribute to "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

When Ric Flair retired from active wrestling after Wrestlemania 24, Josh Ray of Missouri Wrestling Revival took a look at his impact on the State of Missouri over the years.

6. MMWA-SICW Recap for January 12, 2008

Kari Williams gives her popular rundown of the South Broadway Athletic Club's wrestling events!

7. Personal Reflections: WLW in Lebanon, MO

Wrestling in the hometown of Missouri Wrestling Revival! You know there had to be a full recap!

8. MMWA-SICW Photo Essay for May 10, 2008

Kari Williams attempts to give new light to MMWA-SICW events with her photo essay!

9. MWR Spotlight: Wayne McCarty

Josh Ray gives Midwest wrestling fans more insight into the world of the ringside photographer by looking at one of the best.

10. The Show Must Go On

An MWR Special Report by Owner-Editor Josh Ray. The piece looks at a pro wrestling event in Chillicothe, MO that nearly didn't happen.

Amy Hennig's Debut (WLW in Eldon, MO on 7/26/2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:30:00 +0000

So Close to Doing the Impossible
Amy Hennig's Pro Wrestling Debut and WLW Results

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

You would think that a guy who lives an hour away from World League Wrestling in Eldon, MO would make it to a WLW show more often, but alas that hasn't been the case. After attending my first Eldon WLW show on July 26, 2008, that is definitely changing.

WLW presented a great show at the Eldon Community Center, right next to the old Harley Race Wrestling Academy, on July 26, 2008. The crowd was loud (more on that later) and the wrestlers gave it their all. You can't ask for anything more!

Earlier in the day I had the opportunity to sit with my good friend Brian "Flair" Kelley and his girlfriend at the Eager Beaver in Eldon as we waited for Eugene to arrive for an autograph signing. My wife accompanied me to Eldon that day, and the four of us had a great visit. I'll tell you right now, the burgers at the Eager Beaver were pretty good.

Another enjoyable part of the time at the Eager Beaver was getting to chat with Harley and BJ Race for fifteen or twenty minutes about wrestling. I first talked to the Race family in April in my hometown of Lebanon, MO and even though it was a great event and I had a good talk with BJ, I was worried that I might have made a bad impression on Harley. Before writing this, only my wife really knew about that fact. I was very impressed with Harley Race and his genuinely kind and humble personality. I was just concerned about I came off. Everyday is a learning experience and you should always strive to learn from your mistakes, but life is too short to learn exclusively from your own mistakes and I definitely didn't want April's interactions with him to be on that list of mistakes I was forced to learn from.

My concerns were put to rest when I chatted with both about WLW's upcoming training camp with Pro Wrestling NOAH September 15th through the 18th as well as wrestlers that I thought they should keep their eye on. My opinion is worth the same as sand is in Iraq (I'm still digging some of that sand out of crevices, but I digress), but I appreciated him listening and responding to what I had to say.

Eugene arrived, but Brian and I were more content to chat and watch Eugene interact with the young kids to harass him about an interview. One classic exchange between Eugene and a boy went like this:

Kid: You're my favorite wrestler, Eugene.

Eugene: Well why are you wearing a John Cena shirt, then?

That one got a loud reaction from everybody in the Eager Beaver. Of course Eugene still graciously gave the boy an autograph. I have no doubt that this young boy will remember that conversation for the rest of his life, and that is what pro wrestling is all about. This is why I love it so much.

My group left the Eager Beaver and had some extra time on our hands, so BJ was kind enough to let us tour their brand new facility. It is located right next to the restaurant. The highlight for me was Harley Race's office. He had the old Central States Championship and his old NWA Heavyweight Title on display. To me, those things are awe inspiring.

Now is the time for me to poke a little fun at my buddy Brian. He knows he messed up, plus even though he's my friend I really don't like him very much. While BJ Race was giving us a tour, Brian asked her how she felt when Harley won the NWA Heavyweight Title. Well, back when he won that belt, she didn't know he even existed! They were married years later. She still answered him, verifying this fact, but I still thought it was funny since I know he knew that already. That's Brian for you, though. He asks the hard questions... the really hard questions... as in the questions that are impossible to answer. It's okay, though... later in the evening during Eugene's first match, I yelled Eric instead of Eugene for some reason. Classic.

I still didn't corner Eugene for a quick interview. One of these days I'll learn to do my job. Hopefully I will have another opportunity. I was too busy taking in the new facility to think about such trivial things as doing what I'm supposed to. Next you'll be asking me to actually watch a wrestling match or something.

I was impressed with the Eldon Community Center when we arrived there for the show. It was large for the size of the town, and very clean. Michael Strider, Tyler Cook, and Domino Rivera arrived and said hello to Brian and me. I didn't know what the lineup was going to be for the night, but I was personally hoping for Domino Rivera to make it onto the show. I think the guy is talented and deserves more recognition than he currently receives. A match I watched recently between him and Derek Stone was good, and he's been working great matches for Central States Wrestling over the past year as well.

Once in the building, my main complaint was that the merchandise was hard to get access to. Over the course of the night I was able to chat with Tyler Cook and Bao Nguyen, both of which are becoming favorites of mine, but it was hard to squeeze up to the tables and it always felt as if I was in somebody's way.

The first match was "Vietnam Phenom" Bao Nguyen vs Akiyago. Akiyago received a lot of negative attention from the crowd and was hit with the first of too many "chicken" chants, led by the guy sitting right next to me. I love to hassle guys as much as the next person, but I try to come up with more to insult them than just "chicken". Akiyago defeated "Vietnam Phenom" Bao Nguyen by pinfall, using the ropes for leverage. Martin T was the ref, so of course I gave him a hard time. Martin is a great guy and has humored me on many occasions away from the ring, but he has a tendency to call the match in a way that makes my favorite wrestlers lose. Not cool.

I'm not sure, but I believe the next match was Tyler Cook vs Brian Breaker. I think that Breaker is a great wrestler and Tyler Cook is one of the brightest prospects out there, but it seemed in spots that they had a hard time against each other. Cook flirted with Brian's girlfriend and my wife entirely too much, making me feel guilty that I hadn't rubbed baby oil all over my body or tanned recently, but I feel I'm sexy enough without all of the added benefits. Cook managed to pin Breaker, so I guessed I'd better leave him alone. Lord knows that he received enough "tighty whitey chicken" chants to last a lifetime. Oh well, at least they added two words to the first matches "chicken" chants. Who am I to complain?

Next up was Michael Strider vs Marc Godeker. Godeker wrestled a good match and is really a talented guy. I need to make it a point to chat with him at the next show I make it to. Hopefully his tag team partner, Steve Anthony, will be recovered from his broken leg and I can see them in tag team action. Even thought Strider was blatantly cheating, I couldn't help but cheer him on. I think I was the only one... and since Martin T was the ref again for this match, he made sure that Strider lost. I'll bring some of my basic training birth control glasses for him next time around. Maybe then he can call the match the way I want it called. I'm a paying fan. I should get what I want.

I didn't know the next match would be taking place, but I didn't complain. It would see the pro wrestling debut of Amy Hennig. Her first match wasn't going to be easy, though, as she was given the unenviable task of facing the WLW Ladies Champion, Stacey O'Brien. Amy Hennig is one of the number one prospects for the Midwest, but after that match I want to be sure to tell you that it isn't simply because her father was "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig or her grandfather was Larry "The Axe" Hennig. That would be selling Amy short. She definitely has the tools to make a name for herself without the last name attached. In this particular match, however, she came up short. O'Brien is a talented veteran and one of the best in the Midwest right now. She used it all to her advantage and retained her title.

It is important to note that there was a chant throughout the crowd during this match that I felt was inappropriate. In my personal opinion, some individuals forget that we are not the close friends of a professional wrestler and should not act as such when in the crowd. A chant of "Do it for your Dad" started through the crowd and was very uncomfortable for me to hear. Ms. Hennig did an excellent job of acknowledging the chant and being gracious, but the fact of the matter was that it isn't really something that should have been chanted during a wrestling match. I can't speak for Amy as I do not know her personally, but talking with Brian after the evening concluded confirmed my feelings. Brian approached me and said that he felt embarrassed to be a wrestling fan with that chant going. Enough about that, though.

Things were about to liven up a bit, as a six man tag match was about to get under way. WLW Heavyweight Champion "Dangerous" Derek McQuinn, Dinn T Moore and Michael Strider knew that they were supposed to face former WWE star Eugene and the WLW Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately Marc Godeker's tag team partner, Steve Anthony, was on the injured list for what looked to be a broken leg. Godeker came out with a microphone and told the men standing in the ring that he had a new partner. This partner was a man whom Derek McQuinn hadn't beaten for the title... Keith Walker!

Walker was more than up for the challenge and the team of him, Eugene and Godeker frustrated their opponents for most of the match, but in the end fell victim to underhanded tactics. Derek, Strider and Moore picked up the win.

The end of the evening featured a battle royal. Ten men got in the ring to do battle and possibly earn the right for a Heavyweight Title shot in the near future. Brian Breaker, Tyler Cook, Bao Nguyen, Akiyavo and others entered the ring, but the last three were down to Michael Strider, Eugene and Dinn T Moore. The odds seemed stacked against the lovable Eugene. Amazingly enough he made it out as the victor!

It was a great night of action at the Eldon Community Center! I was happy to visit with Brian and see some terrific wrestling only an hour from my home.

Next up for World League Wrestling is a big Sedalia, MO show on September 6, 2008 featuring Wrestlemania 24's hero Bobby Lashley! One week later World League Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH join forces for a very promising training camp. Pro wrestling legend and current World Wrestling Entertainment agent Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat will be in attendance on behalf of the WWE. More information can be found by going to http://www.harleyrace.com/.

I hope that you have enjoyed my personal reflection on WLW's July 26, 2008 show in Eldon, MO. I encourage you to go to one in your area or support your local independent wrestling promotion. Everyone wants options over the current WWE product, but it is up to you to make those alternatives successful!

Commercial Break

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

This music & highlight video was put together by Prince Ali. Check it out!

MWR Spotlight: Abu Colossus

noreply@blogger.com (flair) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Abu Colossus

By Brian "Flair" Kelley
Photo Credits: Gary Giaffoglione for Pro Wrestling Phoenix

Abu Colossus is a mountain of a man. Standing at 6"5 and weighing 280 LBS, the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Champion not only brings power to the ring but uses his speed to electrify the crowd. As soon as his entrance music, Ludacris's "Move", hits the PA the fans go wild and his opponents know they will have their hands full.

Abu has dominated the PWP ring for over three years while waiting to claim what he has always felt was rightfully his: the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Championship. That goal was achieved on May 10, 2008 at PWP's 3rd Year Anniversary Spectacular when he was able to defeat Babyface" Tony Cortez, Jaysin Strife, & "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt in a 4-way Elimination Match for the title.

Tony Cortez will be the first to tell you that he was the longest reigning Champ with an amazing 20 months and that the belt will return around his waist yet PWP has claimed that we are in "The Era of Colossus". Cortez and his partner in crime, Hype Gotti will pull out all stops to make sure that the Era is more like a Moment. Cortez and Gotti, once bitter enemies, now collectively known as Simply the Best, are sure to be a thorn in the side of the current champ.

Abu grew up a wrestling fan and took special interests in the Bret the Hitman Hart along with Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat. He was trained by "Irish" Mick Tierney and has worked hard building his reputation as one of the most respected wrestlers in the area. He also utilizes former ECW Champion Tazz’s suplex to punish his opponents along with signature moves the Two Handed Choke Slam and the Colossal Slam.

[Abu hits a Two Handed Choke Slam.]

I had the chance to talk to Jeremy Wyatt and asked him how he approaches a wrestler with the talent that Abu possesses. He said, “Abu is a guy who can be classified as a true heavyweight, there's not many guys his size working the Indies. You might be able to wear him down if you can keep him from getting a hold of you but he's not a guy to try and trade shots with. Seems as if he has stepped up his game a bit in the last year or so. With his size and strength, I think he should look to branch out a little more and try to work more places.”

I was able to track down Independent wrestling's best kept secret, Abu Colossus, the night before he would defend his title at Raising the Bar against the winner of the 2008 Phoenix Challenge, "Number One" Brett Young on August 16th in Council Bluffs, IA .

When I asked him what his favorite matches were to this date, he was quick to say PWP's December 9, 2006 Candy Cane Chaos match with Michael Strider that ended up in a double DQ. It was a match that took the big man to his limits and led to a dog collar match at PWP'S Year of the Phoenix . A Match with Mark Sterling on November 18th at PWP'S In Your Church was a close second as he feels Sterling is among the elite in the business.

Michael Strider had this to say about the man whose nickname is the Big Hurt:

"Abu Colossus has a million dollar look and I knew every night that we wrestled that I had to bring my 'A' game. That guy is just starting to show his full potential".

[Michael Strider had his hands full during a Dog Collar match that you can purchase on the PWP DVD Year of the Phoenix 2.]

Abu takes great pride in representing Pro Wrestling Phoenix and working with the upstart wrestling promotion Magnum Pro Wrestling. He looks forward to showcasing his skills with the best to prove to the fans in the Midwest that he is the standard that all wrestlers should be compared to. The names that he would like to work with on the national scene were TNA wrestler Abyss, Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson. In the Midwest he would love to hook up with NWA/CSW Missouri Champion Dingo, Gage Octane, Brian Ash and Mitch Paradise.

When asked if there was anything that he would like to say to the fans he replied “We love what we do and we appreciate their support and we hope that they know that the Independent wrestlers will give a 100% to entertain. They are the reason we do what we do."

Final thoughts

As a fan of Independent Pro Wrestling I look forward to seeing some of the best take on each other and there is no doubt that Abu Colossus should be in the sights of all promoters and would add to the show instantly.

Love it or hate it, the truth of the matter is fans enjoy powerhouse wrestlers and they are few and far between in this area. Abu is something special and I would love to see how 3XW Commissioner Todd Countryman and his men, Mark Sterling and Gage Octane would deal with this monster of a man. Maybe Casanova will need some assistance with 3XW Champion Devin Carter after turning on him at 3XW'S "On a Stick" show this past month.

Central States Wrestling in Kansas has stated that they will be making a comeback soon and though the talent in the company is plentiful, Abu would be a force from the start, and the fan favorites could use a little help with the “In Crowd” or the Barrio Boys, two factions that have been terrorizing the fans and their favorites in the area.

Let’s not forget that Lethal Wrestling Alliance president Luke Roberts is looking for a man that can defeat the Future Donovan Ruddick. Why not bring in an outsider to do their dirty work. Yet who knows maybe the Future will contact Abu to help him in his dominance of LWA, a combination that could prove unstoppable.

Pro Wrestling Phoenix fans are fortunate to have one of the most exciting wrestlers in the Midwest as their champion and some big matches will be in Abu’s future with the very talented roster that PWP now boast to have in Number One" Brett Young, Jaysin Strife, Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt, Arya Daivari, The Anarchist" Arik Cannon, Mark Sterling, Tyler Cook and familiar foes Simply the Best gunning for the title.

You can check out Abu Colossus at Pro Wrestling Phoenix http://www. prowrestlingphoenix. com/ where you can purchase DVDs and find out who he will be up against at future shows. He can also be found at Magnum Pro Wrestling at http://www. myspace. com/magnumpw . Booking info for Abu Colossus http://www. myspace. com/abucolossus

MWR 100

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Missouri Wrestling Revival Presents:

The MWR 100
Plus Half-Year Awards

Missouri Wrestling Revival's answer to Pro Wrestling Illustrated's PWI 500 makes its debut! Here, MWR looks at success, talent, exposure to the Midwest indy scene, potential, and "it" factor to determine the top 100 professional wrestlers in the MWR coverage area.

As with any list, this list is open to debate. In fact, we welcome it. This is not meant to slight any individual that did not make the list. No business relationships or finances played a part in the rankings.

Agree? Disagree? Go to the MWR Message Board and discuss!

This month, there will be no monthly awards. Instead, July and August will be combined at the beginning of September. Let me know if you like this.

ALL INFORMATION IS ACCURATE AS OF JUNE 1, 2008!

Without any further ado, we'll start at #1 and make our way to #100!

1. Tyler Black

Booking: www.myspace.com/t_black
Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YJLdhwDfT6M

An original from the Midwest, hailing from Iowa... got his start in Scott County Wrestling, located in Davenport, IA, where he has been the Heavyweight Champion twice... recently lost his second SCW Heavyweight Title to Shane Hollister (April 2008)... quite possibly the most traveled Midwest wrestler not currently in TNA or WWE... has held championship gold in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, All American Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance and IWA Mid South... recently became the AAW Heavyweight Champion... athletically gifted and exceptionally charismatic.

2. Dingo

Booking: www.myspace.com/dingo138
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=308DoBTUL64

IWA-Mid-South, LWA, FIST, NWA-CSW, ROH
IWA-Mid South Champion; NWA-CSW Champion—just won a hard fought battle against Jeremy Wyatt in their first ever encouter to retain the title

3. MsChif

Booking: bookings@mschif.net

MsChif was trained by Johnny Greenpeace and Jack Adonis, Debuting on July 19 2001... her finishing maneuvers are the Desecrater (leg assisted DDT) and Obliteration (pile driver off the 2nd turnbuckle)... has competed in NWA Midwest, IWA Mid South, Ring Of Honor, World League Wrestling , Lethal Wrestling Alliance and SHIMMER... was recently profiled in a Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) article about how important it would be for either WWE or TNA to sign her first... defeated Sara Del Rey for the Shimmer title then regained the NWA World Women's title from Amazing Kong the very next night at a NWA Central States event in Cape Girardeau, MO... also owns the NWA Midwest Women's title... voted "Best Female Wrestler of St. Louis" in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007... voted Missouri Wrestling Revival "Female Wrestler of the Month" for January and April of this year... has wrestled in NEO (Japan), Real Quality Wrestling (England), All Pro Wrestling (California) and Anarchy Championship Wrestling (Texas).

4. Jerry Lynn

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XSyY2m9xug

Lynn participated in the East Coast Wrestling Association's 11th-annual Super 8 Tournament, which he won, defeating Sonjay Dutt in the finals on November 10, 2007 in Newark, Delaware... defeated Shawn Shultz on February 21, 2008 to become the UWA Heavyweight Champion in Seymour, TN... wrestled in Next Era Wrestling in Rochester, NY on March 29, 2008... defeated Jason Gory, Shiima Xion, and Davey Richards on April 24, 2008 to win the Super Indy VII Tournament that is held by International Wrestling Cartel... is the current longest running AAW Heavyweight Champion... has made an appearance for Ring of Honor, where he wrestled Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Title... McGuinness managed to defeat him to retain the belt... wrestled in ROH's sister promotion Full Impact Pro on two occasions, wrestling Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in a Three Way Dance, before taking on Austin Aries the next night in a singles match.

5. "Dangerous" Derek McQuinn

Booking: eldonfamilyfitness@yahoo.com

Holder of quite possibly the most prestigious title in the MWR Coverage area, the WLW Heavyweight Title... began his career in September 2001... was a member of the Gold Exchange until 2002... with "Superstar" Steve Fender, wrestled Hawk and Animal (The Road Warriors) in 2002... returned to wrestling in March 2007 after a 2 year layoff due to a shoulder injury... considers his greatest accomplishment to be defeating then WWE Superstar Trevor Murdoch for his first WLW World Title at the Hall of Fame show in Waterloo, IA in July 2007... lost belt to Keith Walker in October 2007, only to regain it in March 2007 from former WWE Superstar Chris Masters... has successfully defended the title in High Impact Wrestling (Louisiana and Mississippi)... wrestled on WWE TV twice, once against the Basham Brothers on WWE Velocity and on against Snitsky on WWE Heat... worked a match at a house show for TNA in 2007.

6. Shane Hollister

Booking: www.myspace.com/shugyhollister
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oyyGWtjSxQ

Hollister is really gaining steam in 2008, with victories over Tyler Black and Egotistico Fantastico, among others, plus appearances for wrestling organizations such as Ring of Honor... won the Scott County Wrestling heavyweight Championship from Tyler Black after a long and violent feud in April 2008... is the NWA Iowa Champion, as well as one-half of the AAW Tag Team Champions along with Bryce Benjamin.

7. "Superstar" Steve Fender

Booking: superstarsteve2000@yahoo.com
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUZadDFZEqc

Fender has a physical style that is impossible not to like... won the World League Wrestling Tag Team Titles with Darin Waid before losing them earlier in the year... will be touring Japan with Pro Wrestling NOAH in October... one half of Project Aggression with Michael Strider, and could possibly be reunited as a tag team in WLW... one of the most promising wrestlers in the Midwest... will only get better after another tour of Japan.

8. Mark Sterling

Booking: www.myspace.com/marksterling123 (or mptaz450@yahoo.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkYaF6xWgPw

The best pure wrestler in the MWR coverage area... won the Pro Wrestling Phoenix Tag Team Titles with Darrien Sanders in February 2008... held the 3XWrestling Pure Championship through 2008 until July, losing it to 3XW Heavyweight Champion "Delicious" Devin Carter... secured a pinfall victory over former Total Nonstop Action wrestler Chase Stevens in May... worked for 13 promotions in 8 states, wrestling every single weekend since January 1, 2008... one of the most active wrestlers, as well, wrestling 47 matches in the first 29 weeks of the year.

9. Michael Strider

Booking: www.myspace.com/michaelstrider (or michaelstrider@hotmail.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4UdiOfAV60

"Strider Nation" has been growing, as Michael Strider wrestles more in Missouri for World League Wrestling... appeared on WWE Raw, breaking up a brawl between Triple H and Umaga... held and defended the NWA Central States Title for over a year... involved in an early candidate for Match of the Year in February, defending his Central States Title against Jeremy Wyatt in a no rope barbed wire match.

10. Go Shiozaki

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVEwYOnxpM

Go has brought more prestige to his name in recent months, facing Ring of Honor's Heavyweight Champion and wrestling to a standing ovation at the Cauliflower Alley Club's convention show in June... learning American style wrestling under the tutelage of all-time great Harley Race in Eldon, MO... eager to learn and willing to teach... has a bright future, and hopefully will remain in the Midwest for years to come.

11. Ares

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2dddEJU2-Q

Ares is the tough-to-beat Pro Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion... wrestles in the Chicago, IL area... faces all challengers... has yet to find somebody who can take his title away from him.

12. "Serial Thriller" Shane Rich

Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8474575678172224751&ei=PQSfSPKcJYuS4wKMmPwb&q=%22Serial+Thriller%22%22Shane+Rich%22&hl=en

Shane Rich is one of the youngest rising stars in the Midwest... is a student of the game, very athletic and able to use his quickness and high flying to get the edge on his opponents... after 6 months of chasing the title, "Serial Thriller" forced"Homicidal" Steven Davis to tap out to a Texas Cloverleaf to win the All American Pro Wrestling Championship on February 9... lost the belt in May after Davis was able to hit a vicious spear in a match that was nominate for match of the month...

13. Abu Colossus

Booking: www.myspace.com/abucolossus

Abu Colossus gets his name from the enormous and metal-covered mutant from the X-Men comic books... has got the size and power to match his namesake... recently defeated three others to become Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight Champion... defeated former PWP Heavyweight Champion Tony Cortez to legitimize his reign as champ... should continue to expand his role in pro wrestling across the Midwest as the year nears 2009...

[Photo Credit: Gary Giaffoglione for Pro Wrestling Phoenix.]

14. "The Future" Donovan Ruddick

Booking: www.myspace.com/futureprevails, future_prevails@hotmail.com, (314) 603-9071, or
(314) 355-1891 [FAX].
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAP4G8ufwac

His moniker "The Future" says it all... still considered a green wrestler, Ruddick has been changing minds by dominating the Lethal Wrestling Alliance heavyweight title scene for months... defeated Shorty Biggs for the LWA Heavyweight Championship earlier this year, then followed it up with title defenses over Evan Gelistico, Gary the Barn Owl, Jordan Lacey and Shorty Biggs (rematch).

15. "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters

Booking: bookings@reselamarinova.com
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQSfL_dt_mc

At 6'5" and 270 pounds, this former amateur bodybuilder quickly caught the eye of WWE... nicknamed "The Masterpiece"... famous for his version of the full nelson, dubbed the "Master Lock"... "Master Lock Challenges" were presented often, as he offered $1,000 to any fan who could break it... eventually made the challenge for wrestlers instead of fans... defeated Keith Walker on February 9, 2008 in Fordland, MO to become the WLW Heavywight Champ... lost the belt in April to current WLW Champ "Dangerous" Derek McQuinn.

16. Kevin X

The MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Champion nearly wrestled for the NWA Missouri Title versus Dingo, but the match was called off... defeated Jerome Cody for the MMWA-SICW title earlier this year... held the GCW Heavyweight Title for seven months in 2001 and was always in contention for the belt during Gateway's existence... is now a two-time MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Champion with title wins over Gary Jackson and Jerome Cody.

17. Jerome Cody

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCKK5195Bks

Jerome Cody wrestles exclusively for MMWA-SICW. The former battle royal champion is one-third of The Connection with Phil E. Blunt and “The Main Attraction” Tommy Knight. He has held the tag team titles on occasion, as well as the MMWA-SICW Heavyweight Title. Cody lives by his mantra of “My southern ways keep me laid and paid,” as he uses his conniving wit to aid The Connection in their battles against authority.

18. "Homicidal" Steven Davis

Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8474575678172224751&hl=en

The reigning AAPW Heavyweight Champion, lost the title to Shane Rich in 2007 but won it back a few months ago... has wrestled primarily for NWC, AAPW and the newly formed USCW of late but has competed in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky.

19. Brandon Thomaselli

Booking: www.myspace.com/brandont484
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXjxOvlNxQM

Brandon Thomaselli is a cornerstone of Elite pro Wrestling in the Chicago area... currently the EPW TV Champ, defeating J.D. Hughes on July 25, 2008... was the first ever EPW TV Champion, holding the title for three months... is definitely "one to watch" for the rest of this year and on into 2009.

20. Egotistico Fantastico

Booking: www.myspace.com/ego12

Ego signed a WWE developmental contract in 2006 and wrestled for Deep South Wrestling through 2007... continues to wrestle throughout the Midwest, making a name for himself along the way... is the NWA Midwest X Division Champ... has wrestled in 3XW, ROH and AAW... is more than capable of taking it to the next level in any of the larger promotions out there.

21. Austin Aries

Booking: austin@austinaries.com

Aries is a veteran of both ROH and TNA... trained in 2000 by Eddie Sharkey and Terry Fox in Minneapolis, MN... brings an arsenal of moves with him to his matches, including the 450 splash... has wrestled the best in the business today... became Ring of Honor Champion at Final Battle 2004, defeating Samoa Joe before losing it to CM Punk... wrestled at TNA's Lockdown in St. Louis vs Senshi (Low Ki) with former WWE Champion Bob Backland as the special guest referee... came back to the St. Louis area for LWA and lost in a tough matchup to Adam Raw... throughout the year has wrestled with AAW and in February defeated Arik Cannon when he hit a brainbuster/submission combo that left Cannon unconscious... came back in March to AAW;s Final Four 2008 along with Jerry Lynn, Josh Abercrombie and Silas Young... currently resides in Minneapolis, MN where he and Fox run The Foundation Training Camp... has a website that is located at http://www.austinaries.com/.

22. Corporal Robinson

Booking: http://www.myspace.com/corporalrobinson
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kAbtDTQAo

The King of the Deathmatch... currently tearing it up on tour in Juggalo Championship Wrestling... is the Elite Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion...

23. Davey Richards

Booking: www.myspace.com/davey015
Video: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=19003630

Davey Richards has been working overtime in the Midwest as of late... along with Dingo is a head trainer of NWA-sanctioned Dynamo Pro Gym, a training facility for young pro wrestling prospects... had a big match with "Anarchist" Arik Cannon in 3XW recently... Has wrestled in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor among other organizations... the sky is the limit for this talented professional wrestler.

24. Gage Octane

Booking: www.myspace.com/gageoctane
Video:

The former 3XW Heavyweight Champion is ready to take back the title... defeated Arik Cannon in his last defense of the belt before losing it to "Delicious" Devin Carter... along with Todd Countryman and Mark Sterling, makes up "The Gentleman's Club"... competes in Central Empire Wrestling... trained by Harley Race.

25. "Hot Body" Shawn Davis
Booking: http://www.myspace.com/hotbodshawn

Davis has a lot going for him these days at only 24 years of age... holds the Pro Championship Wrestling Midwest Championship, with no signs of letting it go...

26. "Delicious" Devin Carter

Booking: www.myspace.com/deliciousdevincarter

Few are as talented and entertaining as the "Delicious" one... held the AWA Pro Wrestling RUSH YouTube Television title before losing it in November 2007... lost the 3XWrestling Heavyweight Title in November, but won it back from Gage Octane in June 2008... won 3XW's Pure Wrestling title in July by defeating Mark Sterling... later vacated the 3XW Pure Title due to defending the Heavyweight Championship.

27. Jeremy Wyatt

Booking: www.myspace.com/jeremy_wyatt (or therebeljrw@yahoo.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl0uNMgtpAw

Unlike James Dean, Jeremy Wyatt is a rebel with a cause. He is approaching his 7th year in the wrestling business and has competed for a multitude of promotions including 3XW, LWA, PWP, FIST and ICW. Wyatt’s travels have also taken him to Mexico where he has had matches for AAA and FMLL. Two years ago, Wyatt had the opportunity to wrestle his dream match against “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels and emerged victorious. One match that Wyatt considers a highlight is his vicious battle against Michael Strider back in February. “The Rebel” is the current holder of the LWA Medallion—which he defeated Tyler Cook for on May 24 in St. Peters—and the Iowa Championship Wrestling (ICW) Heavyweight Title, for which he defeated Jerry Lynn.

28. "Playboy" Damon Windsor

Booking: www.myspace.com/damonwindsor

Oklahoma's resident "Playboy" doesn't have as much to smile about these days, losing his Sooner World Class Wrestling Heavyweight Championship to 3rd Rail... could see his stock drop if he is unable to recapture the title or bounce back in another organization... is a top talent coming from Oklahoma, regardless, and one to watch for!

29. Eric Ruffington

Booking: www.myspace.com/ericruffington
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg3JxI5CM-c

Ruffington was all over Illinois in the beginning of 2008... held numerous singles and tag titles... losing the New Midwest Wrestling Tag Team Title could be what the doctor ordered for his singles career... was voted MWR 2008 Wrestler of the 1st Quarter... let's see what he can do with the 3rd and 4th Quarter of the year...

30. Mississippi Madman

Booking: http://www.myspace.com/53_madman (or [217] 679-2063)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3V96Bf0-nE

Madman made his pro debut in 2002... faced TNA monster Abyss in a popular Midwest matchup... defeated TNA Superstar Petey Williams... is a former Scott County Wrestling and Next Generation Wrestling Tag Team Champion... has been causing havoc in All American Pro Wrestling, New Midwest Wrestling and Next Generation Wrestling in recent months.

31. Eric Priest

Booking: RETIRED DUE TO KNEE INJURY (July 2008)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS9L4ccZ0rw

Known as the "Gold Standard", competed all over the upper Midwest and made a few appearances in WWE and TNA. Had his final match in AAW in Berwyn, IL.

32. Brett Young

Booking: www.myspace.com/no1brettyoung

Brett Young put together two very important wins earlier this year on the same night for Central States Wrestling, capping the evening off by defeating Mark Sterling for the vacant NWA Kansas Championship... both wins helped him earn MWR 2008 March Wrestler of the Month honors... now spending more time wrestling for Pro Wrestling Phoenix in Council Bluffs, IA... a showdown with the intimidating PWP Heavyweight Champion Abu Colossus could be just around the corner.

33. "The Spotlight" Spencer Powers

Booking: www.myspace.com/spencerpowers
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z-exkMt-2s

Although he doesn't currently hold the belt, Powers once possessed the New Midwest Wrestling Heavyweight Title... has also held the NMW Tag Team Title and Central Illinois Championship... has an entire event named after him when New Midwest Wrestling returns to action on August 23, 2008... could be holding heavyweight gold again very soon.

34. "Anarchist" Arik Cannon

Booking: www.myspace.com/arikcannon (or TheAnarchistAC@hotmail.com)
Video:

Arik Cannon is known around the world, but originated in the Midwest... stock rose tremendously when he won the CHIKARA Young Lions Cup... toured Japan with Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling... wrestled for VKF: Wrestle Naniwa in Osaka, Japan... made return to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla recently... returned to CHIKARA for 2008 King Of Trios.

35. Justin Sane

Justin Sane sealed his entrance into the first ever MWR 100 with a victory in Fusion Tradition Wrestling that made him the first ever Tradition Champion... the match was an extreme bunkhouse stampede match, further legitimizing Sane's claim as champion... should receive more bookings in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri to improve his standings in next year's MWR 100.

36. Silas Young

Booking: www.myspace.com/silasyoung123

Silas Young is as exciting and brash as a professional wrestler can possibly be... also backs up his brashness with unparalleled talent and ability inside the squared circle... wrestles for AAW in Berwyn, IL... has a WWE developmental contract this year but was released... there is no doubt that he'll eventually be in one of the national wrestling promotions some day very soon.

37. Stacey O'Brien

Booking: www.myspace.com/irishstacey0 (or Staceyobrien@hotmail.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_LKfa7rBuM

Stacey O’ Brien, the blonde brawler who professes that she is the best women’s wrestler today, has the resume to back up that statement. During her short time in the ring, O’ Brien has already captured the MMWA-SICW Women’s Title, as well as the WLW Women’s title. The luck of the Irish was on her side, as she defeated Ms. Natural to earn her first title in Lebanon, MO. At the WLW Legends show from Waterloo, Iowa, O’ Brien retained her WLW title against the current SHIMMER Champion and NWA Women’s Champion, MsChif. Throughout her time in MMWA-SICW, O’ Brien has had vicious battles with both “Dynamite” Jennifer Starr and Alexis Lightfoot.

38. Keith Walker

Keith Walker was a three-sport college athlete, competing in football, baseball, and wrestling before entering the world of professional wrestling... was trained by Eric Priest... had a wild feud in WLW with Wade Chism for the Heavyweight title, winning the title twice before heading off to a WWE developmental deal... has now returned and has wrestled with AAW and SCW... recently returned to WLW in a three way with Marc Godeker and former WWE Superstar Eugene to take on Michael Strider, Dangerous Derek McQuinn and Dinn T Moore in the co-main event at a show in Eldon, MO... is a true powerhouse and when focused could very well hold any belt he chooses.

39. Chuck Valentine

Booking: scott.kelly92@yahoo.com

Chuck Valentine is the heavyweight champion for the upstart Metro East Championship Wrestling in Wood River, IL... could easily be booked in more organizations, but seems happy defeating all comers in MECW.

40. "Babyface" Tony Cortez

Booking: www.myspace.com/babyfacestb
Video: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6324593

Cortez packs a lot of wrestling knowledge and skill into an inconspicuous package... was the longest reigning Pro Wrestling Phoenix Heavyweight Champ (20 months), defeating Sonjay Dutt, Jeremey Wyatt, and Michael Strider among others... was involved in the first no rope barbwire match in the Council Bluffs area versus Hype Gotti.

41. Josh Abercrombie

Booking: www.myspace.com/joshabercrombie
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYn-m8-uNRM

Abercrombie knows how to pack plenty of entertainment value in a small package... wrestled for the short lived Wrestling Society X... recently won a tournament in AAW that guaranteed him a shot at the AAW Heavyweight Title... could wrestle more in the MWR coverage area as his reputation continues to grow... was a runner up for MWR Wrestler of the Month honors... recently changed his name to Josh Raymond.

42. Kenny Campbell

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aan9YmEADY

Kenny Campbell is definitely a wrestler who should be booked more in the MWR coverage area... wrestles for Impact Zone Wrestling, and is currently the Impact Zone Wrestling Impact Division Champion... defeated Mitch Carter, Jermaine Johnson, Dustin Heritage and Seth Allen for the IZW Impact Division Title in Oklahoma City, OK on June 14, 2008...

43. J.D. Hughes

Hughes was defeated this past month by Brandon Thomaselli for the Elite Pro Wrestling TV Title, but is always impressive... a rematch with Thomaselli could easily go the other way.

44. Alex Shelley

Booking: AlexShelley83@hotmail.com

No introduction is needed for this TNA Tag Team Superstar... as one half of TNA's Motor City Machine Guns, Shelley thrills audiences with his high flying moves and lightning-like speed... wrestles in AAW with Chris Sabin as the Murder City Machine Guns, capturing the AAW Tag Team Titles... has also wrestled for Lethal Wrestling Alliance.

45. Jaysin Strife

Booking: www.myspace.com/jaysinstrife
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4UdiOfAV60

Strife is an ultra-talented and respected wrestler in the Midwest... runs Magnum Pro Wrestling... recently returned to Central States Wrestling to join forces with Tyler Cook and Payday Patterson as part of "The In Crowd"... wrestles for Pro Wrestling Phoenix, where he trains prospective wrestlers in various training seminars on the day of PWP wrestling events.

46. Curtis Payne

Video: http://www.megavideo.com/?v=4679NVE0

Known as the Shooter, Payne is the current Full Throttle Wrestling Heavyweight Champion... has wrestled as far away as Tennessee and Michigan... held a number of singles and tag titles.Full Throttle Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

47. Chris Sabin

No introduction is needed for this TNA Tag Team Superstar... as one half of TNA's Motor City Machine Guns, Sabin thrills audiences with his high flying moves and lightning-like speed... wrestles in AAW with Alex Shelley as the Murder City Machine Guns, capturing the AAW Tag Team Titles... has also wrestled for Lethal Wrestling Alliance.

48. Adam Raw

Booking: www.myspace.com/adamraw

Adam Raw is considered a cornerstone of Lethal Wrestling Alliance... trains in mixed martial arts... wrestled Nick Tyson in Tyson's retirement match in 2008... had greatly talked about matches with Michael Strider in 2007... was given the opportunity to wrestle Austin Aries this year, pulling off the victory and earning even more respect in the process... deserves a title shot in any promotion he wants to wrestle in...

49. Marek Brave

Booking: www.myspace.com/marekbrave
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nif8N9shx4

Brave has had many hard-fought battles in some of the most high profile wrestling promotions in the Midwest... currently the Scott County Wrestling (based out of Davenport, IA) Heavyweight Champion... frequently in the main events at AAW in Chicago, IL.

50. Tracy Smothers

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR_BGdq3MU0

There is nobody out there who can rile up a crowd the way this Southern Boy can... had a brutal but entertaining match with Michael Strider last year for Central States wrestling... wrestled in the main event of the FIST Combat show against "Serial Thriller" Shane Rich in what should be considered an early favorite for match of the month... usually wrestles further south, but should be booked more often here in the Midwest.

51. Tyler Cook

Booking: twc_@hotmail.com (or [913] 961-4642)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFEfaeY3noU

Cook is quite possibly the most promising wrestler to compete in the MWR coverage area... wrestles for Lethal Wrestling Alliance and Central States Wrestling (both Kansas and Missouri), but is also coming into his own in Harley Race's World League Wrestling... defeated Brian Breaker recently in WLW... was part of the security detail on the October 10, 2007 edition of WWE's Monday Night Raw, breaking up a brawl between Umaga and current World Heavyweight Champion Triple H.

52. "Wild" Wade Chism

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRT6bwjEQcU

Chism has plenty of confidence in his wrestling ability, as well he should... is a respected wrestler in World League Wrestling and Central States Wrestling...

53. Brett Gakiya

Booking: www.myspace.com/gakiya309
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1bfYFFKvHc%5C

This Next Generation Wrestling Heavyweight Champion has also made a name for himself as part of a tag team with CJ Esparza called "Zero Gravity"... currently feuding with his tag team partner in New midwest Wrestling due to the Central Illinois Title he holds around his waist.

54. Cecil Cerveza

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_-xLRGObyY

Cerveza has really come into his own this year... won the Great American Wrestling Central Illinois Championship by defeating Blake Steel and Eric Ruffington in February 2008... won the Peggy Cooper Invitational Tournament in GAW this year as well.

55. Casanova

Booking: www.myspace.com/sleeper_hold (or pinto4me@hotmail.com)

The sexiest cruiserweight in the MWR coverage area... held the 3XW Cruiserweight Title for the entire 12 months prior to the June cutoff for the MWR 100... was half of the first ever Central Empire Wrestling Tag Team Champions with Donnie Peppercricket... wrestled "Cowboy" Gator Magraw in his last match before retiring last summer... also wrestled for AWA Pro Wrestling Rush and F1RST Wrestling.

56. CJ Esparza

Booking: www.myspace.com/cjesparza
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_LKfa7rBuM

CJ Esparza is well-regarded as one-half of the tag team "Zero Gravity" with Brett Gakiya... use the Death Nail, Sudden Emergency and Shooting Star Press as finishing maneuvers... has held the NGW Tag Titles, NGW Triple Threat Championship, and the New Midwest Wrestling Central Illinois Championship... currently feuding with Gakiya in NGW.

57. Danny Daniels

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ake1WHJGNVI

Former ECW personality in the waning days of its prior incarnation... is a former IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion and trains a number of people in the Quad Cities and Chicago areas... wrestles primarily for AAW and Scott County Wrestling.

58. Hype Gotti

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I8-Z3aGhAw

59. Darin Waid

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B63eHz_lpp0

Wrestles for Harley Race's WLW.

60. Dysfunction

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYCvmgColNw

61. Jason Hades

Video: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/jason-hades-vs-chuck-taylor-2/578253585

The current IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Champion.

62. Jimmy Jacobs

Booking: www.myspace.com/jimmyjacobs
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak4UyM-d_5o

Jimmy Jacobs began his career nearly 10 years ago, at the age of 15. Jacobs has been in and out of tag teams, with one of them being DIFH (Doin’ It For Her) where he teamed up with Tyler Black for Wrestling Society X. For the past five years, Jacobs has been working for ROH, and in during his time with the company, he has already captured the ROH tag team titles on four separate occassions, with two partners in the form of BJ Whitmore (2) and Tyler Black (2). Other accomplishments consist of IWA-Mid South Junior Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, NWA-Indiana Heavyweight Championship, NWA-Iowa Heavyweight Championship and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship with Tyler Black.

63. Kraig Keesaman

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7JH_QFeCE

Keesaman continues to develop as a wrestler... once considered merely a "up and comer", but has slowly progressed into a respected and trustworthy veteran... competes for 3XW often, and has even earned a shot at the 3XW Heavyweight Championship in the past... works for World League Wrestling thesew days, too, and could be competing for the WLW Tag Team Titles soon.

64. Krotch

Booking: www.myspace.com/krrrotch

Krotch is the underdog in almost every aspect of professional wrestling, yet the little guy has managed to carve a name for himself across the Midwest... teams with Mad Dog McDowell in 3XW... currently the AAW Heritage Champion.

65. Mad Dog McDowell

Booking: www.myspace.com/bigmcd75 (or mmcdowell75@hotmail.com)

Large and in charge, Mad Dog is a force to be reckoned with, particularly in Iowa and Illinois... won the 3XW Newcomer of the Year award... was the 3XW Pure Wrestling Champion from July 2007 to January 2008... MECW Tag Team Champion along with "Creole Kid" Aaron Masterson as the Bayou Outlaws (July '08 to current)... also worked for NWA No Limits, Central Empire Wrestling and Magnum Pro Wrestling.

66. Ms. Natural

Booking: www.myspace.com/msnatural

Ms. Natural has 8 years of wrestling experience... trained by Ken Patera and Harley Race... has been the World League Wrestling Ladies Champion numerous times, but recently lost it to Stacey O’ Brien... is a tremendous female athlete... won MWR Woman of the Month twice thus far in 2008.

67. Pierre Abernathy

Booking: www.myspace.com/pierreabernathy (or euro-matt@hotmail.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOvMe9819Rk

Pierre Abernathy has been actively wrestling for going on four years. He has wrestled for over 30 companies, including Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA), IWA-Texas and all three Central States organizations. Abernathy’s journey has also led him to promotions in Indiana, Arkansas and Ohio. In May of this year, the man who is one-fourth of the Submission Squad—which also includes Dingo, Johnny Vinyl and Davey Vega—faced off against Ring of Honor (ROH) star Delirious. However, what Abernathy considers his greatest accomplishment thus far is the series of matches that Nick Tyson and himself had with Gary the Barn Owl and Dingo in Texas.

68. Jaxson Pride

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7uyItQP4I

Jaxson Pride is the current Great American Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

69. Nick Tyson

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnbmkj6CQ38

Retired in July 2008 from active wrestling.

70. Rasche Brown

Video: www.youtube.com/?v=HGe4qCMTm-o

Brown recently earned a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, but returned to AAW where he has always been a monster of a man... could easily hold any belt in the Midwest for heavyweights...

71. Sal Thomaselli

72. Benz

New Midwest Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

73. Shorty Biggs

Booking: www.myspace.com/shortybiggs314

Biggs was the Lethal Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Champion before he was defeated by "The Future" Donovan Ruddick... attempted to reclaim the title a short time later but was unsuccessful... competes regularly for Central States Wrestling where he has been very successful... had a highly competitive series of matches against Jeremy Wyatt... known as the "Don Mega".

74. Alexis Lightfoot

Lightfoot just completed her quest to reclaim the MMWA-SICW Women's Championship by finally defeating Stacey O'Brien for the title...

75. Brandon Espinosa

Booking: www.myspace.com/theespyv1, Bjen7d@umsl.edu, or (314) 619-9629
Video: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=25708925

Throughout his nearly three years wrestling, Brandon Espinosa has already worked for 23 promotions in the Midwest, including companies such as NWA-CSW, NMW, LWA, FIST Combat and SLW. Espinosa’s career began at the St. Louis based South Broadway Athletic Club (MMWA-SICW Promotion). His debut came after only two months of training when he faced off against Jeremy Lightfoot. Since that time, Espinosa has captured the MMWA-SICW Junior Heavyweight Title as well as the OSWA Light Heavyweight Championship. He recently aligned himself with Brandon Aarons to form a tag team known as B.A.B.E. WATCH.

76. Evan Gelistico

Booking: www.myspace.com/evangelistic (or jakeishavoc@hotmail.com )
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgyl_fnqLmk

“Where’s the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds?” The answer to the aforementioned question can be found in none other than Evan Gelistico. With just under five years wrestling to his name, Gelistico has the accolades of being a two-time LWA Medallion Holder, GCW Tag Team Champion with Pierre Abernathy and AWA-PPW Tag Team Champion with Gary the Barn Owl. The only member of the Bearded Men from Space Station Eleven to not have a beard has walked the streets in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and even Texas. Despite his travels, Gelistico calls LWA his home promotion.

77. Damian Blade

78. Edmund "Livewire" McGuire

Booking: www.myspace.com/livewire_mcguire
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMElXJMDHRA

79. KC Karrington

Booking: kckarrington@yahoo.com

Young and ultra-charismatic... utilizes his talents in the ring and on the mic to maximum effect... has really come into his own in the Lethal Wrestling Alliance, while branching out to the other indy promotions throughout the Midwest... has a bright future and seems to be growing as a wrestler by leaps and bounds.

80. Kyle Rich

Kyle Rich is well-regarded in the Midwest wrestling community and has had some extremely entertaining matches... is currently the Next Generation Wrestling People's Choice Champion.

81. Kyle King

Booking: tricks2nd@gmail.com
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFIeh2Z2yA

If you want a guy with an attitude that can incite a riot in the crowd, then Kyle King is your man... has wrestled for the ill-fated International Wrestling Conference, Whiplash Wrestling, and Full Throttle Wrestling among others... runs the "Road Often Traveled" Internet radio show which is a very thinly veiled attempt at self-promotion... could be the bad guy everybody is talking about in 2009, but don't tell him that as he believes everybody is talking about him today.

82. Gary the Barn Owl

Booking: www.myspace.com/owljay
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkDsHMg8JUM

Gary the Barn Owl flew the coop approximately four years ago to begin his long flight towards stardom. His voyage has made stops in LWA, NWA-CSW in both Kansas and Missouri, IWA-Texas, PWI-Texas, PPW-Indiana, EFW-Indiana and SLW-Illinois, among others. At Yuletide Terror in 2006, Gary won the LWA Championship—his first championship—from Adam Raw. Since that time, he has had many battles, but his most recent was that in which he and Evan Gelistico joined forces with the Ego Express (K.C. Karrington and “Spoiled” Steven Kennedy) to take on the Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy, Dingo, “Blackheart” Johnny Vinyl and “Spitfire” Davey Vega).

83. Jay Jensen

Booking: www.myspace.com/jayjensen78

Jensen is a talented wrestler and business owner from Chicago, IL... co-owns Elite Pro Wrestling... opened the Elite Pro Dojo in September 2006 (New Lenox, IL)... also wrestles in Elite Pro, where he has been successful... has built coopeartive efforts with a few wrestling promotions in the area, including CHIKARA and IWA Mid South.

84. Vito Thomaselli

85. Toga Steve

A former New midwest Wrestling Central Illinois Champion, Toga Steve has what it takes to capture championship gold... currently focusing his pro wrestling attention on New Midwest Wrestling, but should be given a shot outside the organization.

86. Benjamin Sailer

Booking: www.myspace.com/benjaminsailer

Sailer (spelled with an E-R at the end, folks!) is just beginning to break into the MWR coverage area's wrestling scene along with tag team partner Nate Bash... together, Bash and Sailer make up the tag team "Midwest Ground and Air"... is one of the most serious wrestlers in the nation when it comes to training and focus.

[Photo Credit: http://www.jessiesphotography.com/.]

87. Darin Corbin

Booking: www.myspace.com/darincorbin (or darincorbin@aim.com)

Corbin is most known for his work as one-half of Northstar Express with Ryan Cruz... wrestled Scotty 2 Hotty recently, raising his stock as a singles wrestler... was a competitor in CHIKARA's Young Lion's Cup 4 and King of Trios 2008 (as part of Team F1RST)... with Ryan Cruz, defeated the Murder City Machine Guns for the All American Wrestling Tag Team titles... has been a 3XWrestling Tag Champ with Ryan Cruz for the past 18 months.

88. Davey Vega

Booking: www.myspace.com/daveyvega (or DaveyVega@gmail.com)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Z_SANm55A

“Spitfire” Davey Vega debuted on the Midwest wrestling scene in December 2006. He trains under Dingo, as well as with CHIKARA Pro, based out of Philadelphia. Vega has worked for various promotions in the area including LWA, FIST, NGW and JCW. One of his most notable moments came on the April 5 LWA show in Granite City, IL when he slapped the Ego Express’s (K.C. Karrington and “Spoiled” Steven Kennedy) manager, Tiffany Lafane, which lit a fire under the Egos and fueled their fued, which took a drastic turn at Circus Maximus on July 12. At that event, Lafane turned on K.C. Karrington and aligned herself with Vega.

89. Lord Frost

Booking: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=98534619

There is something to be said for an interesting (some might say downright frightening) look... works for Fusion Tradition Wrestling, which is one of the best kept secrets of the independent scene... could delve deeper into the MWR coverage area if given the opportunity.

90. Hunter Matthews

Booking: www.myspace.com/huntermatthews

Hunter Matthews is the Metro East Championship Wrestling Independent Champion... wrestles in 3XW, SCW and AAW, making him one of the more high profile wrestlers overall in the MWR coverage area... scheduled to wrestle for the LWA on September 13, 2008... a star that is slowly rising... should place higher in next year's edition of the MWR 100.

91. Donnie Peppercricket

Peppercricket is a very strange soul... wrestles in Iowa and Nebraska, especially Central Empire Wrestling based around Muscatine, IA.

92. Iceman

Booking: www.myspace.com/theicemanforever

The ten year wrestling veteran was taking a break before the International Wrestling Conference came calling... Iceman answered, quickly establishing himself as a top talent and becoming the IWC No Limits Champion... was instrumental in the success of IWC/TNF's supershow in Chillicothe, MO, promoting the show in the surrounding area... worked with ODB from Total Nonstop Action (TNA) and competed in the main event of the July 12, 2008 show... worked for Central States Wrestling as part of Girthy Management Group... worked 2 shows for NWA Oklahoma.

93. Jeremy Travis

94. "Feature Presentation" Johnny Mac

95. Johnny Vinyl

Booking: www.myspace.com/bncjohnnyvinyl or bncjohnnyvinyl@yahoo.com

The man formerly known as “The Brand New Classic” has rechristened himself as “Blackheart” Johnny Vinyl. In addition to his training with Dingo at the now-defunct GCW Dojo, Vinyl honed his craft by participating in seminars hosted by Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Mike Quackenbush. His skills have allowed him work for LWA, UWA, LAW (Arkansas) and TLCW (Tennessee). One noteworthy accomplishment of sorts for Vinyl was when Mike Quackenbush name-dropped him on a CHIKARA podcast. The most significant matches of his career thus far have been the 8-man elimination street fight from Circus Maximus and when he teamed up with MsChif to take on Jordan Lacey and Daziee Haze, which is linked below. Within the next two years, “Blackheart” hopes to be wrestling for CHIKARA.

96. Mephisto

Booking: www.myspace.com/mephistowwa
Video: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=31760906

Mephisto is more than just a hardcore wrestler, and recently proved it during a booking for the LWA...

97. Mike Sydal

Booking: http://www.myspace.com/mjkd2f

The brother of WWE superstar "Evan Bourne" has a similar work ethic and a great upside... has been booked across the Midwest in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and more... had a big match at International Wrestling Conference's last show in June against Kyle King.

98. Nate Bash

Booking: www.myspace.com/450bash

The other half of Midwest Ground and Air is as highly regarded and hard working as his counterpart... should be booked in more matches across the area... based in Minniapolis, MN... has wrestled around Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota... has an unorthodox wrestling style, but it gets the job done in the ring.

99. Prince Ali

Booking: www.myspace.com/princealiwrestling
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9TdLt2hVwc

A muslim wrestler that loves God and pro wrestling... wrestles all over the place as a part of NWA Midwest and other wrestling organizations, but is from Bolingbrook, IL... should be much higher on the list in years to come, as his star is quickly gaining brightness...

100. Ryan Cruz

Booking: www.myspace.com/v2ryancruz

The other half of the Northstar Express is equally as important as Darin Corbin... being the intergalactic interplanetarysomethingorother (name is approximate) champions can't hurt, either.

Editor's Desk...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Editor's Desk...

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

I want to start off by giving each and every one of you a heartfelt "thank you" for checking the site on a regular basis and keeping me motivated to do what I do. I'm told by wrestlers at shows from time to time that they check Missouri Wrestling Revival on a regular basis, and that really encourages me. I check the site's statistics once a week and I am very pleased with what I see.

Each person involved with this site has an love for professional wrestling. I like to think that it shows in the overall direction of MWR. I, in turn, like to take all of that energy and enthusiasm and transfer it to the wrestlers and promotions out there that put forth an honest effort to reward the fans with an entertaining product. Hopefully I will be able to release great information in the coming weeks about ways I plan to bring more recognition to the Midwest talent we have right here in the MWR coverage area.

Writing Competition

After talking about the positives, it is my duty to inform all MWR readers of a bit of negative news. The MWR 2008 Writing Competition was cancelled effective July 31, 2008 due to lack of entries. All entry fees were refunded to the existing entrants. Although negative from a financial aspect for Missouri Wrestling Revival, I personally believe that the coverage the competition received on AM/FM radio, Internet radio, pro wrestling websites and word of mouth made a solid contribution to the Midwest wrestling community. There was more constructive dialogue about the topic "Improving the Midwest Wrestling Scene", which only stands to benefit the community as a whole.

My plan is to use the money invested in contest prizes to be focused toward the site, with a large portion of that money being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. More information will be made available as it develops.

MWR Online Storefront

You heard it right, folks! Missouri Wrestling Revival has put together an online storefront on Ebay to help bring pro wrestling merchandise to your door. While their will be a fair share of big company merchandise, I am in negotiations to offer a proportionately larger selection of merchandise from the independent wrestling scene.

My reputation on Ebay is great and I will have all items in stock when those items are listed in the store inventory. Purchase with confidence!

I am, of course, utilizing the information from the poll that was posted recently at the top of the site for guidance as I move forward. Feel free to contact me at anytime and let me know what you think!

The store can be browsed by going to:

http://stores.ebay.com/missouriwrestlingrevival

Vacation

Those who know me should know that I have been without a real vacation for more than six years. My last vacation was in April 2002 when I took three weeks off while in South Korea to tour the country on my own. The stories from that adventure are for another day, but needless to say it was a blast.

The military, commitments to family and other concerns have kept me from a vacation. That all changes on August 21, 2008 when I am on vacation for 11 days. I will be on a road trip with my wife and son for the first half, going on some sort of adventure after that (preferably involving roller coasters and go carts in some fashion), then topping it all of with a trip to the WWE Supershow in St. Louis on August 31, 2008. I will have decent tickets on the floor and will be in camera shots fairly often for both the Smackdown and Raw tapings. I'll try not to embarrass myself too badly... but I'm not making any promises.

I hear that Michael Strider, one of the Midwest's top talents, might be making an appearance at the WWE event. I can only hope to see many more of the guys I work hard to support!

While I'm gone, I plan to leave a few items on the site to keep everyone happy. I'm calling on Kari Williams, Brian "Flair" Kelley, Andrew Scott and any others who might be interested in doing something a little offbeat and different (short, in-depth... doesn't matter!) for me to schedule for the end of the month. If you can get it done and submit it to me by August 20, 2008, then I'll definitely give it a shot on the site!

Conclusion

Are you doing what you can to contribute to Midwest pro wrestling? Tell your WWE fan friends to check out my site and I'll do my best to point them in the right direction for some great Midwest wrestling action. I hope that everyone is happy with the overall direction of the site!

MWR Spotlight: Gary the Barn Owl

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:30:00 +0000

A Barn Owl Soars Toward Victory

By Kari Williams

Gary the Barn Owl soared into the hallowed ring of professional wrestling before he was even old enough to spread his wings and take flight.

Back in high school, Peter Townsley, Pierre Abernathy and Gary “used to always want to be wrestlers and we just jumped around in the backyard like a bunch of idiots.”

Townsley, who, at the time, worked at the Gravois Grill in Fenton, MO, ran into Jordan Lacey, his wife, Dawn, and Hellraiser.

“We got the flyer, called the number and ended up wrestling out in a field doing God-knows-what, basically we had no clue what we were doing, and then we eventually met Nick Tyson and Adam Raw and then it kind of snow-balled into the LWA, which snow-balled into us training,” Gary said.

His initial training began with Lacey and the XWA and was then followed up by Raw and Tyson. Under those two, Gary trained every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday for approximately a year and half, until he officially began his career.

However, his passion for the sport was born long before he ever set foot in a wrestling ring.

“I can just remember everybody used to like football, and then I just did not want to watch football because I just thought it was boring… I remember seeing Macho Man, his hat was pretty shiny; I liked it,” Gary said.

Flying around the Midwest for nearly four years, Gary notes one simple detail that intrigues him the most about stepping between the ropes.

“I like the physicality. For some odd reason, I’m a glutton for getting my ass kicked. I love it; it’s a good time, and I just like entertaining people,” Gary said.

Along with Evan Gelistico, Jordan Lacey and Billy McNeill, Gary helps to form The Bearded Men From Space Station Eleven—a group that Gary has associated himself with for as long as he can remember.

“When I was born I had a beard. I was the wierdest looking kid, I can show pictures but people will kind of laugh and gawk, so I just keep those at home. So, honestly, ever since I was born I’ve been a member [of the Bearded Men]. My mom has a beard, that’s really awkward, but she’s momma. Momma from Space Station Eleven,” Gary said.

The group formed because the Submission Squad was ganging up on Gary, and he needed help, so he joined forces with Gelistico, who was having his own problems within the Sexual Dynasty, of which he was a part. Lacey and McNeill—who is credited with naming the faction—enlisted as well, and the Bearded Men have been going strong for nearly two years.

Gary and Gelistico flew the coop, so to speak, and returned with AWA-PPW Tag Team Titles, which are from Indiana. On his own, Gary currently holds the U-30s belt, from IWA-Texas, based out of the San Antonia and Dallas area.

Despite the plethora of gold he currently holds, Gary’s greatest feat thus far was his LWA championshp reign.

“My biggest accomplishment is probably being the LWA champion…because I started off as just a trainee here, and they gave me the ‘Gary the Barn Owl’ gimmick, and at first I didn’t like it, and I started really warming up to it and getting in to it. Just basically, becoming from say your opening card guy and now I can main event, open a show, I can do anything because obviously I’m the greatest thing ever. Not really, but you know,” Gary said.

Locally, Gary can be seen wrestling for Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA). However, for one keen on travelling, he can be spotted in promotions such as NWA-CSW (Kansas and Missouri), IWA-Texas, PWI-Texas and PPW-Indiana, among others.

Gary the Barn Owl Fast Facts:

Most Important Lesson From Wrestling: Wrestling has taught me respect. That’s the biggest thing. A lot of people might say it, or not, but just respect, and how much you put in and how much you get out of it, you have to work really, really hard to make it to the point where you’re making it a living. So, those guys on TV, even if you don’t like them or you don’t like them because they’re not good or bad, those guys bust their ass, and I give them all the credit for it.

Favorite Match: (One of three favorites) I wrestled Mike Quackenbush and Evan Gelistico in February. That was a really fun match. Evan and me go way back. We met when the XWA/LWA started. We used to hate each other. But now we’re cool. We’re like brothers. He’s like a brother from a different mother—or alien, I really don’t know. We wrestled Quackenbush in a three way, and that’s just overall learning experience was fantastic. Mike Quackenbush is a great athlete, has a really good mind for wrestling and he brought a whole different style to what we were used to.

Dream Matches: I’d say A..J. Styles from TNA. Out of anybody in WWE, I’d wrestle Paul London because I really like Paul London. Either him or Brian Kendrick. It’d be really cool if it was Brian Kendrick and London verus me and Evan, that’d be a good match. Let’s see, anywhere on the indies, I’m a really big fan of El Generico, I don’t know why, I just really like El Generico’s work.

Who Has Taught Him the Most: I’ve learned the most from Nick Tyson, he’s the one that really got me focused because it’s hard to get me focused on certain things. But, he really drilled it in my head the respect thing, and just you can go out and have a good match, and he’d tear me apart. We’d watch it, and he’d tear it up, and about the small things that make things look even better, that I don’t notice it, but the fans notice or other people notice.

Kari Williams profiles Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:30:00 +0000

When a ‘Rock’ meets a hard place
Rocky Johnson’s appearance in MMWA-SICW

By Kari Williams

An uncertain buzz filled the tiny East Carondelet Community Center on July 19. Fans were packed into the building, anticipating the appearance of a bonafide legend—Rocky Johnson—who was on hand for his induction into the St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame. However, Johnson contributed more to the show than his namesake alone.

Johnson was involved in an altercation with The Connection’s Phil E. Blunt and Jerome Cody, along with their manager Travis Cook.

MMWA-SICW Wrestler of 12 years, “Wild Child” Billy Diamond, saw Johnson’s involvement as more than meets the eye.

“It was an honor to have Rocky Johnson there. There are always going to be times that you get star struck, but they remind you that they are just people dedicated to the same craft you are. Having anyone like that on our show is not only a benefit, but a very big honor,” Diamond said.

Despite his “cameo” of sorts with MMWA-SICW, Johnson relays the fact that the road he took to get to where he is today was not an easy one.

“It took 40 years for me to get here. It took a lot of struggling. It took a lot of hard work. It took a lot of striving. It took a lot of aches, pains, broken bones,” Johnson said.

During that time, the father of The Rock did not think about giving up—not once.

“I never ever thought of [giving up]. I [ran] into some rough times because in the 60s and 70s, and when I came to the south—not so much in Canada—I ran into some racial prejudice, I ran into a lot of that stuff. But it just [gave] me the incentive to go on,” Johnson said.

However, not every wrestler had the mindset that Johnson did. MMWA-SICW Wrestler Mr. Bibbs suffered a back injury in 2006 and questioned returning to the ring.

“It gave me quite a scare to think and wonder if I was ever going to be able to play with my children and live a normal life that I was used to,” Bibbs said.

Injuries can occur at any level of wrestling—Johnson suffered three broken ribs, a punctured lung and knee surgery—but he feels that it is that desire to succeed that holds back independent wrestlers.

“They don’t have that ‘eye of the tiger.’ If they have a job making $300 a week, and then they can they can get [into] independent wrestling and make $600 a week, they’re satisfied. They don’t have the eye of the tiger to make it in any sports,” Johnson said.

Bibbs, however, has a slightly different take on Johnson’s perception of the indy scene.

“Nothing against Mr.Johnson, I deeply respect the man, but I strongly disagree with him. I know a lot of guys in this business that, if given the chance, would out work some of the so called superstars,” Bibbs said.

Although on the same level as Bibbs, Diamond sees where Johnson is coming from. When Diamond first started in wrestling, he was told that there was not an abundance of money involved on the independent level.

“It is your responsibility to make an impact with the people. It's all on you to seek out going to another level. It can be done, but often because of families or other jobs or other commitments it's hard to chase it as much as you would like. It does happen though and that 'eye of the tiger' never say die attitude is what gets you there,” he said.

That attitude may be alive and well in some of the wrestlers that Johnson saw on his return to the St. Louis wrestling scene.

“Coming back here, I like to look at some of these youngsters and see—hope—some of them will get a chance. I’ve seen a few that probably could make it, but I think what they [have] to get today is that ‘eye of the tiger,’” Johnson said.

Editor's Desk...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Editor's Desk...

by Joshua Ray

Some important information to update MWR readers!

The summer is coming to a close and a more busy season is in store for indy wrestling as a whole. That means that Missouri Wrestling Revival will be busy as we attempt to bring you the best articles, interviews, and information from the Midwest pro wrestling scene. It's tough to get out and hit up all of the shows in the coverage area, especially when I made the effort to cover such a large area in the first place. This is all a part of the learning process as I move forward with MWR plans. I envision improving the scene by offering the promotions better chances at finanical success, while simultaneously giving the hard-working wrestlers in the Midwest more opportunities to hone their craft.

Rock the Vote

Many of you noticed the poll placed at the top of the site this past week. I plan to continue posting polls often (there may be a new poll at the time of this posting) in order to offer some direction to MWR. In the first poll, I asked MWR readers about the coverage area . While many of you wanted only Missouri to be covered and others wanted some of the southern states cut out of the coverage area, the prevailing option was to cover a smaller, four-state area.

This option edged out the current coverage area as the winner of the poll, which means that wrestlers and promoters from outside of the area may receive some time on the site in the interest of bettering the coverage area but typical coverage will be wrestling in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa.

Be sure to vote, as it will definitely have an impact on your experience here at the site and hopefullt Midwest wrestling as a whole!

Awards

You may have noticed that awards for the month of July have not been released. That's because the MWR Awards haven't been posted. Don't worry though! In the month of September a combined post will be made with award for the months July and August. This month, however, you can be on the lookout for the MWR 100.

What is the MWR 100? Well, the MWR 100 is my best attempt to compile a list of the 100 top wrestlers in the area and rank them accordingly. It's proven to be a tough list, and I've had to make some cuts from my original list of 250 wrestlers. I think that overall it'll be a great topic of discussion. I encourage everyone to debate the list respectfully, as there is absolutely no way possible to make the list impervious to disagreement.

Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities

Missouri Wrestling Revival receives nearly 3,000 hits each month from wrestling fans all over the U.S. The website even receives hits from United Kingdom, Japan and even South Korea! If you've got a product that can marketed to wrestling fans, then look no further than Missouri Wrestling Revival. We can also do product highlights (DVDS, Books, etc) in order to really bring out the best marketing for your merchandise or services.

For more information, contact me at inadvertent.nerd@gmail.com.

Conclusion

That is it for now, folks. Keep checking back at the site for more updates and the very best in pro wrestling in the Midwest.

Missouri Wrestling Revival: Giving Back to Midwest Pro Wrestling!

- JCR

MWR Arena Report: FIST Combat (7/26/2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Ray) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:06:00 +0000

FIST Combat Arena Report

By Kari Williams

As FIST Combat made its return like the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes on July 26, 139 fans crowded into the River’s Edge Complex in Granite City, Illinois for an explosive night of wrestling action.

Steven Kennedy vs. Brandon Espinosa

Kennedy and Espinosa kicked off the show with an awe-inspiring display of athleticism. They set the bar high, with both competitors working rabidly to gain the advantage. Despite Espinosa’s heart and determination, Kennedy, who was making his FIST debut, used his quick wit and caught Espinosa by surprise in the closing moments of the bout.

Steven Kennedy def. Brandon Espinosa with a roll-up

“The Main Attraction” Tommy Knight vs. “Future” Donovan Ruddick

Knight had an uphill battle to fight against Ruddick in the second match of the night. The imposing physique of Ruddick did not deter Knight, who relentlessly attempted to knock the larger man off his feet. However, Knight’s desire did not equal Ruddick’s dominance in this instance.

“Future” Donovan Ruddick def. “The Main Attraction” Tommy Knight with a big boot to the face

Abraham vs. Jeff Hawkins

These two behemoths barely had a chance to lay into one another because the ECW original, Sabu, made his presence felt in a way that only he could. Sabu hurled a chair at one man, and caught the other in a camel-clutch-like maneuver until the referees forced him out of the building.

No Contest

Conrad Kennedy III vs. C.J. Otis

Cockiness personified met pure athleticism as CK III and Otis squared off in a lengthy contest. The advantage went back and forth on multiple occasions, with the technical prowess of both men shining bright. Just as it appeared that Otis had CK III pinned, the bell rang, signifying that the match would end in a time-limit draw. This act prompted Otis to ask for five more minutes. However, CK III’s arrogance beckoned, as he berated the fans while declining the five-minute extension.

CK III’s actions prompted Dingo to venture ringside and challenge the self-proclaimed ‘Greenwich City Samurai’ to a match. Commotion ensued and resulted in the promoter of FIST, Mike Gordon, announcing that there will be a first-annual Sabu Invitational tournament. The three competitors announced who will compete in the tournament are none other than C.J. Otis, Conrad Kennedy III and Dingo.

Thirty-Minute Time-Limit Draw

Zero Gravity vs. The Soul Shooters

The high-flying team of Zero Gravity took on the Soul Shooters in a fast-paced, high-impact bout. Both teams provided stellar performances that were sure to please any crowd. In this ultimate showdown between brawlers and high-fliers, the brawlers won out.

The Soul Shooters def. Zero Gravity

Tracy Smothers vs. Shane Rich

Smothers practically embodied the Toby Keith song, “A Little Less Talk, and a lot more Action,” as he relentlessly forced the fans to endure his unpleasant antics. In an attempt to get the match started, Rich then got on the mic to usher the match along. Although Rich, a St. Louis native, had all the guts and fortitude to overcome the legend, it was not to be.

Tracy Smothers def. Shane Rich

Pro Wrestling, Family Life Fellowship and MACC Activity Center Team Up!

noreply@blogger.com (flair) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:35:00 +0000

An MWR Special Report
By Brian "Flair" Kelley

[Family Life Fellowship encourages you to join them for their weekly celebrations at the Destiny Dome on Highway 24 East (1/2 mile past Wal-Mart). Sundays - 8:30am & 10:30am, Wednesdays at 7:00PM.]

Pro Wrestling is often thought of as good vs evil. The wrestlers deliver such a believable performance that a fan can love one but despise another for the dastardly deeds he or she does inside the ring.

When the main event has ended and the lights go out of the arena, the wrestlers are living the fans wildest dreams as they travel around the world, participate in photo shoots and are sought out for their autographs and, just like you and me, they make good and bad decisions. The last thought that goes through the wrestling fan's mind is the wrestlers’ relationship with GOD.

While society has stereotyped pro wrestling and it's fans as bad seeds, the Family Life Fellowship Church in Moberly, MO has embraced the popular passage MARK 16:15 [And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.] and continues to work in order to promote the word of the Bible by inviting pro wrestling’s born again Christians to their church to speak about their trials and tribulations, as well as what happiness their relationship with God has brought to them. Two of the biggest stars in the industry's history, Sting and "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, have made their way to Moberly, MO in the past to share with their fans that they owe all they have to the Lord for being their tag team partner.

The Family Life Fellowship and the Moberly Area Community College Activity Center host The Hip Hop and Wrestler Tour at the MACC Activity Center, doors open at 5:00PM and the show starts at 6:00PM. People who attend the church in the month of August can get into the event for free. If you are unable to attend church services, ticket prices are $5.00 for students and $10.00 for everyone else. The community will be treated to music by J Remy and wrestling matches with Former WWE Superstar and born again Christian Jon Heidenreich, plus other wrestlers to be named later.

For more information, check out Family Life Fellowship's website at http://www.familylifefellowship.info/ or call the church at (660) 263-0488. This show is sure to please wrestling fans, and is a rare treat for the State of Missouri.

J-Remy, from Pearl River County, Mississippi can be sampled by going to his Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/Jremy. Here's a video of one of his recent tracks: