On Saturday, April 16, 2005, a lot was accomplished at the AOW Headquarters, and a lot was left out in the open.
Despite the posted deadline for would-be contestants at Ground Zero, some late additions were allowed at the meeting. Of course, as you have seen in the news section, the announcements of Wharf Rat, Hellbound Loser, Andrew Warhawk, Prodigy, Drako, and Gorebash (in no particular order) that they are definitely going to be at/part of the show made for some interesting dilemmas for the booking team. Without creating a four-hour marathon, how would everyone get their moment in the spotlight during this show?
Another interesting item is the fact that only one-half of the first ever tag champs has confirmed he will be in attendance. Bobby War, despite physical limitations placed on him due to a tragic car accident in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, just months ago, will be at the show with plenty of the Man in Black’s favorite: RAGE! However, just word-of-mouth rumors have put Diablo at the event, but attempts to contact him have been futile. Diablo might need to contact the Ground Zero HQ before long to ensure he will be included in the card.
The addition of HBL to the card and the earlier signing of Mr. Biggs will create an opportunity for everyone’s favorite pimp to seek some sort of revenge on the man that put him behind bars two and a half years ago. This match will definitely get ugly as, I am sure it is safe to say, neither one of these guys has any kind feelings for the other.
At the meeting on Saturday, there were also some administrative discussions as to how to proceed into and beyond Ground Zero. Several members of the AOW roster who are still in town have repeatedly expressed their desire to continue AOW after June 25. Several of those, who are high ranking in the booking staff of both Ground Zero and AOW, have even gone so far as to name this AOW presents Ground Zero. This has not sat well with some of the BPW and TWF folks who will be on the card. For the most part, though, the card consists of mostly wrestlers from AOW, and many of those were also part of TWF and BPW. It will most definitely be interesting to see whose side each individual wrestler takes if there is a line drawn in the sand, so to speak, and the three feds go after each other.
The most likely scenario is that there will be backyard wrestling in Bluefield after June 25. However, there are more administrative questions to ask and answer. First, and most pressing is the ring situation. Buy or rent? Build or rent? Buying has its risks financially to the individual with their name on the bottom line. Renting provides less financial risk in the short term, but the money spent is spent and there is still the problem of a ring for future shows. Building a ring would be very expensive and provide some designing snafus as the ring would have to be built strong enough to allow guys like Beast and Hugh to go at it without completely destroying the ring. Personally, I am all for purchasing the ring and guaranteeing that there will be a facility to house future shows, whether they will be performed under the AOW, BPW, TWF, or other brand. However, it is not my place to make that decision, but I will support in anyway I can.
Speaking of support for buying the ring, you can help by buying the AOW box-set. All 41 shows and a lifetime of memories on DVD is available for $100 if you act now. If you wait till after May 1, the price goes up to $120. If you cannot afford the entire set, you can order a DVD of your matches at a cost of $3 for the first match and $1.50 for each additional match. Lostsoul sold five spare tires to buy his set, now he is trying to buy a TV and DVD player. So, if he can buy one, why not you? This show is shaping up to be the greatest show in the history of all three federations. From top to bottom, all the matches and all the participants will perform at a level unseen in the past.
From the Honduran Death Match with Demon, who will be sporting a new look, Archangel, and Drako will get the crown on their feet to open the show. Biggs v. HBL will give the fans a taste of the legendary RAGE that AOW is known for. Wharfrat v. Moe Dix will give a good bit of entertainment and laughter, or at least a chance to find the restroom before the rest of the card. The Best of Feds Battle Royal will possibly be the most interesting match to see who can get their hands on who because there are a lot of open-ended stories left over from AOW’s last days. Prodigy and Gorebash will be a solid match-up. Can Gorebash get the super-kick high enough to level the 6-8 monster? The Hugh Jass v. Beast is the ultimate clash that AOW-ites have wanted to see for nearly 3 years. Then the Main Event triple-threat will be the truest test of which fed is the greatest.
We’ve got just over two months left, and this is going to be fun as we get closer to SHOWTIME!!
Until next time, this has been an Artis Feelgood production, made possible by the support of readers like you!
