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New Update for 10/16:
OVW ran their first "PPV" on 10/13 before a good crowd sized crowd in Louisville. Obviously, the show was not a national pay-per-view, but rather just a "supercard" for the promotion (they plan on holding these "PPV's" once every couple months apparently). The main event featured The Big Show and Leviathan (who stands 6'8" himself) in a grudge match, with Leviathan going over via pinfall (although it was a screwy finish). Wow, how the Big Show has fallen in the past year. Also on the card, "Iron Man" Rob Conway kept the OVW Heavyweight title, Bad Attitude (Rick Michaels and David Young) defeated Sean Casey and Chris Michaels to retain the NWA Tag Team titles, Flash and BJ Payne retained the OVW Southern Tag Team belts against Disciples of Synn (Damien and Slash), and Brock Lesnar (who some are already calling the next Kurt Angle) defeated the Collector (who himself battled Kurt Angle in a "Shoot Fight" at the Rockin' Rumble back in June, and battled Angle in the NCAA championships in 1992) via DQ in a shoot fight. OVW will be running another "PPV" on 12/13, and they plan to bring in various WWF stars for the show.
HWA crowned a new Cruiserweight champion on 10/7 when Rory Foxx upset Shark Boy for the belt in Blanchester, OH. Foxx recently turned heel in the promotion, and has aligned himself with Chip Fairway, who himself turned heel earlier in the year by attacking Shark Boy. Also on the show, the A Squad (Pepper Parks and Chet "The Jet" Jablonski) won the HWA tag team title from Bobby Casanova in a three "team" handicap match, which also featured "Surfer" Cody Hawk and "Taxi Driver" Mad Anthony McMurphy. Casanova's championship partner, "Beautiful" Brian Fury, has been AWOL (no not the WCW wrestler) for the past month or so, and thus Casanova was ordered to defend the belts by himself in the handicap match. A Squad is managed by Brock Guffman, who many fans in Ohio might remember as "Slick" Willie F. Also on the HWA front, they ran on 10/14 in Washington Township, OH. Main event was Race Steele retaining the HWA title over G.Q. Masters III. Foxx retained the cruiser belt in a three way against former champ Shark Boy and "All American" Chad Collyer, and the A Squad lost to Hawk and McMurphy by DQ.
Ian Rotten's IWA Mid South promotion debuted in Marion, IN, on 10/14 at the Marion Coliseum. Paid crowd was a dismal 23 people. Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch were booked for the show (as well as the 10/13 show in Charlestown, IN) but no showed both (imagine that!). There was a note at the ticket booth letting the fans know that Candido and Sytch no showed, which is always a class act by a promotion, so people don't pay expecting to see someone who obviously won't be there. All in all everyone was said to work hard despite the small house. Marion is already being run on a semi-regular basis by at least three other promotions so one has to question if the city of only 30,000 can sustain another Indy promotion running in the area. The EWF, by the way, was running up against IWA on 10/14, and had Mr. Hughes on the show (he put over Jack Hammer in the main event).
The 10/13 IWA show in Charlestown was said to be another good one, celebrating the promotions 4th anniversary. One of the featured matches had Chris Hero going over Jayden Draigo and the debuting Todd Morton in a three way dance. On another IWA Mid South note, they have the "King of the Death Matches" tournament coming up this weekend (Friday 10/20 and Saturday 10/21) in Charlestown, IN.
The NWA 52nd anniversary show took place on 10/14 in Nashville, TN. Main event had Colorado Kid (Mike Rapada) going over Chris Harris to retain the NWA World Title. Only other match of true local interest had The Damaja and Nick Dinsmore going over Flash and Rob Conway. Rapada will be defending the NWA title against Stone Mountain on 10/20 in Hopkinsville, KY.
IWI returns to the Intense Arena on 10/14 in Cincinnati for a show. Double main event has Pinkdust defending the IWI title against El Morro in a title vs. mask match, and the semifinals of the promotions tag team title tournament, which also happens to be an inter-gender match pitting Justin Sane and Tammy Starr against Ike Jones and Lady Victoria. Super Hentai and Orion from NWA East are also booked on the show.
Other newsbits:
-The NWF title has been held up, after Jason Cross defeated Prince Justice on 9/26 in Erlanger, KY for the belt and NWF Commissioner Mr. Hayes stripped Cross (due to Chris Harris interfering in the match) and ordered the belt to be vacated.
-IPW (International Pro Wrestling) is running a show in Muncie, IN, on 10/21 called "Haunted Havoc." Main event is IPW Champion Shadow defending against Prince Justice. Also on the show, Roger Ruffen will meet Pastor Pain, IPW Cruiserweight Champion Dr. Love battles Psycho Cop in a falls count anywhere match, and KC Thunder meets a mystery opponent.
-Someone asked on the message board about the AWA in Indiana. I wish I knew what the hell was up with the company, but I honestly don't have a clue. If you've been to their website recently, you'll see that it has absolutely nothing to do with wrestling, and seems to be the incoherent ravings of some deranged lunatic.
That's all for now. Support your local Indies!
Thanks to Larry Goodman, David James, Aaron Wilson, and the official websites of the promotions listed.
News Update for 9/1:
After more than a month off, let's get to some news.
Les Thatcher's "Wednesday Night Main Event" radio show on 1360AM in Cincinnati was dropped when the station changed formats from ESPN radio to FOX Sports radio this past week. Many shows on the station were dropped or rearranged, so it's not a specific attack on Thatcher or wrestling in general. It's a shame the show was dropped, but I can't say I am totally shocked by the announcement.
Speaking of the HWA, they are bringing in Gang Green... errr, the Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo, Sean Stasiak, Mark Jindrak, and Sean O'Haire) for some shots. On 9/1, the promotion is running at the Grand Victoria Casino in Rising Sun, IN, with Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire taking on Perfect Event (Palumbo & Stasiak). I assume that match is by order of WCW, because it makes no sense storyline wise based on what's happened on Nitro for the past few weeks. The same match will happen on the double shot card in Ft Laramie, OH, on 9/2 and 9/3 for an event called "Classic Fest."
IWA Mid-South is running what could be the biggest strictly Indy show in the Midwest this year on September 8-9. The two day event, dubbed "The Sweet Science 16" will feature a single elimination tournament and 16 of the top technical wrestlers from around the region. Already signed to compete in the tournament include: Adam Pearce, Dino Bambino, C.M. Punk, Colt Cabana, Breyer Wellington, Super Hentai, Orion, Shark Boy, Chip Fairway, Suicide Kid, Chris Hero, Harry Palmer, Ace Steel, Paul E. Smooth, American Kickboxer, and Hy-Zaya. In addition to the tournament, there will be other matches on the cards featuring IWA Mid South regulars Ian Rotten, Blaze, and others. Speaking of IWA, check out our message board for some awesome pics from the 8/16 IWA show, which are exclusive to this site.
Unfortunately, the site is going to be updated a bit less frequently (if that's possible) over the next few months. I'm attempting to pull the always difficult "work 40 hours, go to school, and have a life" gimmick. Finding time to update is going to be difficult, but then again, with a more rigid schedule I might actually try to budget my time better. Nah, that ain't happening. :)
See ya soon, and support your local Indies!
News Update for 7/25:
Ohio Valley Wrestling booker Jim Cornette was involved in a wild public brawl on Friday evening, July 21, in Knoxville, TN. Cornette, who was in town for Ron Fuller's "K-Town Smackdown" card, crossed paths with rival promoter Terry Landel, and all hell broke loose.
A bit of a back story on the situation, now. Fuller announced earlier in the year he would be running a series of "K-Town Smackdown" shows throughout the summer in Knoxville, every Friday night. Fuller uses an assortment of veteran local workers (Bob Armstrong, the Rock 'n Roll Express, etc.) as well as many of OVW's stars (Robbie D, Damaja, and Cornette to name a few). In any event, during one of the early shows, Landell, who has promoted in the area for a long time under the Tennessee Mountain Wrestling banner, did an angle where he was in the crowd trying to start trouble for Fuller's promotion. This occurred on the June 23 show, since the OVW boys (and Cornette) were in Louisville for the Rockin' Rumble card. They continued the angle the next week, but somewhere along the way there was a falling out with the two parties. Nobody seems to know the specific reason for the dispute, but it lead to Landel running shows on the same night as Fuller virtually across the street from the K-Town Smackdown venue. This of course caused quite a bit of heat between Fuller and Landel, and subsequently Cornette and Landel, who never got along to begin with. Friday night, things got ugly.
Cornette, along with Synn (who manages the Disciples of Synn in OVW), arrived at a Tennessee Mountain Wrestling show Landel was running on Friday evening. Cornette and Landel got into an argument (over who knows what), and things eventually got physical. The two men traded blows, and one of them (which one is unclear at the moment) pulled out a mace bottle. Cornette ended up getting a face full of mace for his trouble. Synn, meanwhile, retreated to the car and returned with a baseball bat, before she too got maced by Landel. It was at this point that Landel, and according to reports, other members of TMW took the bat and began to smash Cornette's car. Eventually Cornette got back in the car along with Synn, and they were able to drive off. However, as they were leaving (in an obvious rush) Cornette apparently clipped a bystander with the vehicle. Landel would later tell people that a warrant (or warrants) is out for Cornette now. The incident made the local news in Knoxville. No word on any official charges pressed by either side, but you can imagine things will get interesting next Friday when Cornette is back in Knoxville for another Fuller show.
That's all for now. Until next time, support your local Indies!
News Update for 7/13:
Back with more news after quite a long absence. Here's a look at what's going on around the Midwest in independent wrestling.
For those who were curious, "Wildcat" Chris Harris (#36 in the Midwest Top 50 ) was the man behind the Sting mask at Bash at the Beach. Harris has recently been working with WCW doing Worldwide and filling in as a member of R&B security.
Speaking of the Bash, my take on the Hogan/Russo situation? Complete work.
IWA Mid South has debuted several new wrestlers over the past few weeks. Chris Hero (#7 in the Midwest Top 50) debuted for the company two weeks ago. On the same show, Adam Gooch debuted as well. Both men were impressive and will continue to work for the company.
The SWF is running a huge show on Friday night (7/14) in Lucasville, OH. Featured match has Tower of Doom and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka taking on Prince Justice and a mystery partner. Also look for Suicide Kid of IWA fame (#3 in the Midwest Top 50) and Jayden Draigo, from Shawn Michael's wrestling school, to be at the show. I'd love to attend myself (anyone wanna give me a ride from Cincy? :)).
Jason Cross almost won the NWF title from champion Prince Justice on 7/7 in Dayton, KY, in a ladder match. The did a finish where the referee was knocked out as Cross climbed the ladder and grabbed the belt. Showboat then hit the ring and attacked Cross, and put the belt on top of Justice. When the ref recovered, he saw the belt on Justice and awarded the match to him. A steel cage match between Justice and Cross was then signed for the return show in August.
HWA, VCW, and UCW are running a joint show on Saturday night in Dayton, OH. Shark Boy, Chad Collyer, Chip Fairway, and Logan Caine (all in the Midwest top 50) will be some of the HWA stars on the show. Fredrick of Hollywood, Big Jim, and Billy Niles (of UCW and VCW) will also be on the card. The show is being billed as an "independent showcase" sponsored by the Wrestling Guys radio show (also based out of Dayton).
In OVW news, Flash (who is ranked # 4 in the Midwest Top 50, and now is being officially billed as just Flash, no longer Flash Flanagan) defeated "Mr. Wrestling" Nick Dinsmore for the OVW title in a match that aired on OVW TV on 7/8. Both men are outstanding talents; for those who haven't heard, Dinsmore and Al Snow put on a ****+ star match at the Rockin' Rumble event. Dinsmore was rewarded with a WWF developmental contract just a few weeks later. Congratulations to Nick on that accomplishment. I remember first seeing him pop up in the USWA a few years ago (he caught my attention because ironically enough I had a teacher named Miss Dinsmore in grade school), and was immediately impressed with his look and ability. He's a very fundamentally sound wrestler (and he's ranked #20 in the current Midwest top 50) with a bright future in the business.
IWI has a show this Saturday in Cincinnati at the Intense Arena. Main event features IWI Champion Justin Sane (#35 in the Top 50) defending against Johnny Rayz (#50 in the top 50). Also on the show there will be a "Lethal Lottery" tag team match in the IWI tag title tournament, plus four other bouts. The show is also a TV taping, which should air on 7/20 and 7/27.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling has a big show, "July Jam," on Saturday, July 22. The show is at the Columbus Bowling Center, 3010 State Street, in Columbus, Indiana. Belltime is 7:00, tickets $8 advance, $9 day of show. Top match has Ronnie Vegas vs. Brett Gunn (who is the "brother" of WWF star Billy Gunn). HPW is bringing in Tommy Rich for two shows on 8/11 and 8/12. On 8/11, Rich will face Ronnie Vegas in Gnaw Bone, IN. On 8/12 Rich takes on Sabu in Columbus, IN.
NCW crowned several new champions in Ironton, OH, at the "Tigertown Showdown" show on 7/1. The Batten Twins, who had been the tag team champions, teamed up with Scotty Ace to face off with Something Else and Shane Steele. Stipulation was that the tag titles could change hands on a DQ, which of course is what happened, making Something Else the new title holders. Also on the show the NCW title switched from German Killer Kurt to Kenny Hendrix. No need to explain who played face and who played heel there. "Name of week" awards go to NCW manager Buster Hymen, who seconded Something Else and Shane Steele.
International Pro Wrestling is running a big show on 7/29 at the Fairgrounds in Muncie, IN. They are bringing in Vincent (Virgil/Shane/Curly Bill/Mike Jones), "Crippler" Brian Costello, and Bobo Brazil, Jr., in addition to the regular crew or workers.
EWF is running a show on 7/29 at the EWF Arena in Marion, IN, featuring King Kong Bundy as the draw.
That's all for now. Hey, if you are in the area (or even if you aren't) be sure to stop by and yell at me during the IWI show on Saturday in Cincy. Until next time, support your local independents!
