Author: Ben Simon

UPDATE (7/11/12): Brandon Espinosa has sent word he will not compete on Saturday.  No decision has been made regarding the match yet.  Below is the story as it was originally posted.

The most-anticipated match of the year happens Saturday, July 14.  The MO/IL Heavyweight Championship is on the line as longtime favorite Gary Jackson defends against the brash Brandon Espinosa and unstable TV Champ Dave Vaughn in a three-way dance.

Gary Jackson, at age 51, showed Espinosa that the Gorgeous One’s time was not over when he forced Espy to tap two months ago.  Fans had high expectations for Brandon’s title run and many were surprised it ended so abruptly.  Someone had better get Gary Jackson a grill with his name on it.  After all, his longevity in the sport has made him the “George Foreman” of independent wrestling.

The lights have been shining brighter and brighter on Brandon Espinosa recently.  The Ohio Valley Wrestling standout has been making waves in TNA’s developmental league, winning his last three with the Kentucky-based group.  Considering this, can the impressive rebel keep his focus set on the richest prize in this territory?

“The Wrestling Machine” Dave Vaughn is the only Grand Slam Champion in the 27-year history of the MMWA-SICW coalition.  Perhaps most remarkable about this feat is that Vaughn is just 24 years old.  David is once again under the management of the Travis Cook Organization.  Fortunately, Cook has yet to reappear at the South Broadway AC.

Dave Vaughn has inserted himself into this feud by virtue of appearing at ringside the last couple times Jackson and Espinosa have gone to war.  After interference in June, “Gorgeous” Gary Jackson had had enough.  He proposed the three-way, a match he initially introduced to South Broadway.

This is also the annual “Christmas in July” card.  There will be gifts, drawings, and maybe even Santa himself.

The ring lights never asked to be destroyed.  Neither did the ceiling tile at a small venue in Illinois.  LaMarcus Clinton can’t be contained.  When he leaps off that top rope, the promoter had better double-check that the ceiling is high enough.

LMC has recently set his sights on the MO/IL Junior Heavyweight Title, currently held by the unsuspecting Max Archer.  Last month, the two met in a thriller that ended with Archer slamming LMC with a heavy Michinoku Driver.

When Clinton debuted in January 2011, his family was there, cheering the unknown competitor.  That support grew and something funny happened.  In one year, LaMarcus Clinton established what many veterans can’t in many years: a strong fan base.

Clinton isn’t done with Archer.  The mission toward the Junior Heavyweight crown continues tonight.

You can see LMC tonight at South Broadway.  The action starts at 8.

When wrestling returns to South Broadway this Saturday, a new MO/IL Junior Heavyweight Champion will wear the belt.  Courageous?  Vaughn?  Espinosa?  A young Keith Smith?  Absolutely not.  Unbelievably, Max Archer is the man.

Archer has said he doesn’t care who he wrestles tomorrow night.  No matter, they will know why he’s the top dog of all competitors in the area at or under 220 pounds.

On April 14, Archer challenged reigning champ Ace Hawkins in a match that was only made that same day.  Archer dumped Hawkins on his head with a running Michinoku driver for the pin.

One could make excuses for Ace: his pending WWE tryout, his past unblemished record against Max, or a number of different items.  The bottom line is, on this night, Max Archer just wanted it more.

Archer sent a note to SaintLouisWrestling.com after his upset title win.

My win over Ace Hawkins was to prove a point that I am, without a doubt, the most amazing wrestler in St. Louis or anywhere.  I told everyone ‘Max Archer is gonna be champ.’  You can take this to the bank; Max Archer one day be the next world heavyweight champion.

Archer is deserving of his first title win for sure, but he’s also dancing with delusion.

Ace Hawkins surprised St. Louis fans last night when he wrestled a match at Extreme Rules IV in Rosemont, Illinois.  He teamed with Heath Hatton to take on the massive “Ryback” Skip Sheffield.

The PWI Rookie of the Year, Ace took the microphone before his match to convince the crowd that the duo was the real deal.

“For the last several weeks on SmackDown, many men have tried to make a name for themselves in their first-ever WWE matches and they’ve all fallen flat on their faces!  But no one superstar stands a chance against two at the same time, especially us two.”

The math still wasn’t in their favor.  Ryback was dominant.

Any time a local competitor makes it to a national or worldwide stage, we salute them.  Congratulations, Ace.

Join us at South Broadway Athletic Club tonight for MMWA action.  The bell is at 8 P.M.

St. Louis native Chase King knew he was wrestling Max Archer February 11th when he walked into the locker room at South Broadway.  What he didn’t know was that he would be leaving later on with the TV Championship.

Brandon Espinosa held the MO/IL Heavyweight and TV Titles, which was one too many for Commissioner Keith Smith.

“Here in the MMWA & the SICW, you can’t hold more than one belt at a time.  I decided that King vs. Archer would be for the vacant TV belt,” Smith explained.

While that rule has been waived in the past, it worked in King’s favor last month, after he put the Georgian down with a jumping flatliner.

Will Chase be able to run with this opportunity and campaign for a more prominent status in the region?  We may just see at the “Tim Miller Birthday Bash” this Saturday at SBAC.

Note that no matches have been made official as of this post.

Dave Vaughn is aggressive as of late.  No one ever condemned a pro wrestler for being aggressive, but it appears that “The Wrestling Machine” has gone too far.

Dave Vaughn choked Ricky Cruz unconscious following their match on January 21st.  Today at South Broadway, Cruz seeks his revenge in a no disqualification match.  Ricky Cruz is undefeated in singles matches, but he’s dealing with his most dangerous adversary yet.

Once a fan favorite, Dave Vaughn was heralded as an all-around good guy, as well as a technical master.  Slowly, “The Wrestling Machine” as we knew him, fell apart.

In November 2010, Vaughn lost the MO/IL Heavyweight Title to Donovan Ruddick after an intense match.  He never received his deserved rematch.

In March 2011, Vaughn defeated Gary Jackson, then the heavyweight champ.  Vaughn was awarded the TV Title and a shot at the big one looked promising.  It never came.

“I won every title here.  Ever since Brandon Espinosa won his (MO/IL Heavyweight) Title, I’ve been pushed aside and I don’t like it.  I’ve been the “nice guy” for quite a long time… what has it gotten me?  I never got my rematch for that belt!”

If one inspects the psyche of Vaughn, he will find a jealous and angry man, now willing to do whatever it takes to not just rise above his competition, but to take them out of the competition.

In a no disqualification match, this is the scariest thing for Ricky Cruz.

Brandon Espinosa is the MO/IL Heavyweight Champion.

It happened last night at South Broadway in a lumberjack match.  After an argument between Ricky Cruz and Dave Vaughn broke into the ring and the match, Vaughn speared the daylights out of Jackson.

Espinosa landed a thunderous frog splash onto Gary Jackson.  Referee Keith Smith Jr. counted three as “The Great One” lay motionless, unaware of what hit him.

A riot nearly broke out as fans and wrestlers alike were outraged.  However, most of what Espinosa refers to as the “under 30” crowd were on their feet, wildly cheering on their man.

There was no time to celebrate, though.  Espinosa quickly retreated to the locker room to avoid the volatile atmosphere.  Before he walked out of the main room of the SBAC, he made sure to hoist his two belts above his head.

In the battle royal that followed, Big Dave Osborne clinched the Battle Royal Championship.  Osborne and MO/IL Junior Heavyweight Champ Ace Hawkins were both Espinosa’s training students.  In the back, Brandon made a revelation.

“The change is here.  We (Hawkins, Osborne and myself) hold all of the singles titles now.”

Saturday night, the South Broadway Athletic Club locker room will be empty because every wrestler will be ringside for the main event.  It’s a lumberjack match.

Gary Jackson will defend his MO/IL Heavyweight Championship for the third time against Brandon Espinosa.  If either Jackson or Espinosa finds themselves outside the ring, the collective roster will throw them back in the ring.

Hopefully, this time we will get to see a conclusion to one of the hottest feuds in MMWA history.  The Big Texan (dressed as Santa Claus!) interrupted the last title match December 3rd and attacked the champion.

The Lumberjacks (Abe & Gabe Hall) stormed the ring to aid Gary and clear Texan and Espinosa from the squared circle.  Inspired by the flanneled tag team, Commissioner Keith Smith declared a third title encounter for January 21st.

So far, Jackson has garnered two disqualification wins against Espy in this series (although the first one should have been a no contest).

Understandably, Brandon was livid when Phil E. Blunt cost him his first title shot.  But even though The Big Texan spoiled Espy’s second shot last month, Espinosa joined the masked man in stomping a grounded Jackson.

It begs the question: Is Brandon Espinosa worried he can’t beat “Gorgeous” Gary Jackson?

(UPDATE: Due to a family issue, Lumberjacks Abe & Gabe will not be appearing.)

Ace Hawkins is the 2011 Rookie of the Year.  The news broke today when Pro Wrestling Illustrated released next month’s magazine in its digital format.   The 21 year old had his first full year of wrestling in 2011.

Let’s put this award in perspective.  Prominent winners in the past include: Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Goldberg, The Giant, Steve Austin, Lex Luger, Tommy Rich, Ricky Steamboat, Bob Backlund, Ric Flair and Larry Zbyszko.

Hawkins clinched this honor without WWE, TNA or ROH television exposure.  However, the high flyer is known on the indy scene all over the Midwest.

Earlier this month, he captured the MO/IL Junior Heavyweight Title by defeating Johnny Courageous with a running Ace Crusher (Ace also holds two other titles in Illinois).  Check this and other highlights out in the video above.

The PWI Awards are decided by fan voting.  Hawkins garnered 16% of the votes in a crowded field of nominees.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated is the flagship of wrestling magazines since 1979.  The 2011 PWI Awards issue will be available at newsstands on January 30.  You can purchase the digital version now.