The Missouri Heavyweight Championship is on the line as Brandon Espinosa sees singles action at “MMWA Rush Hour” at the South Broadway Athletic Club on August 13.
Espinosa makes his fifth defense against J’Mal Swagg. The flashy Swagg isn’t expected to have much of a chance (he has won only one singles bout in the State since November), but J’Mal is in a no-lose situation.
The main event that evening will pit Kevin Lee Davidson against MMWA Heavyweight Champion A.J. Williams & Da’Marius Jones in a handicap tag match.
If KLD wins, he’ll get a title match next month. If Davidson loses, he won’t get another shot as long as Williams is the kingpin.
Outtkast prepares to slam Jesus Bryce at the Gateway Center, July 22. Photo: Brent Feeney
Now, as promised, a special comment about Friday’s Dynamo Pro Wrestling event at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Illinois as part of NatsuCon.
DISCLAIMER: I’m biased. Deal with it.
Ring of Honor events in the venue had given me a brush with the anime conventions that took place at the same time…Dynamo took advantage of the crossover appeal by holding their own event as a direct part of NatsuCon. I’ve watched enough anime and read enough manga to recognize some but not all of the cosplays…never knew an Ewok could look that attractive. Ahem. The event drew a good amount of casual onlookers, so hopefully that’ll bump up attendance at Dynamo’s other events.
I briefly joined the Wrestle Talk podcast for a live segment prior to the event, doing my best to push the St. Louis independent wrestling scene as well as my own comedy exploits (such as they are). The guys traditionally broadcast out of the Kansas City area and frequent Metro Pro Wrestling…if I can bum a ride from someone, it’d be cool to check out next Saturday’s event. (Hint hint.)
Your ring announcer was Luke Roberts; your referees were Scott Ramsey and Jay King.
The Bite Club (Rocket Mapache & Jackal) vs. The Midnight Society (Jayson Khaos & Billy McNeil) (w/ C.J. McManus): Billy was dressed in all black and stalled and complained to the referee a lot. This match felt like a throwback to Gateway Championship Wrestling as the participants (including manager C.J.) were all a part of that promotion back in the day. With the Midnight Society finally on the same page (and using the old Midnight Express theme music), it seemed like they were due for a win here. It should be noted that the referee for this opener was the same one who felt the wrath of the Midnight Society in Glen Carbon last week (Scott Ramsey). Chaos broke loose at the end and C.J. distracted the ref, allowing Khaos to mule-kick Rocket in the little acorns. Khaos followed up with a Death Valley Driver onto the knee and Billy added a sliding lariat, allowing Khaos to pin Rocket for the win in 12:32.
Davey Richards & Angelina Love had been scheduled for the card (with Miss Monica set to face Angelina), but travel problems forced them to cancel. As I’ve noted in the past, it’s unfortunate that fans see Davey as someone who “no-shows” a lot…it seems like it’s out of his control for the most part. Since Angelina lives in this neck of the woods nowadays, it would be cool to see her in the ring with some of the female wrestlers of the Midwest like Lucy Mendez and Stacey O’Brien.
Makaze vs. Karim Brigante (w/ Miss Monica Passeri): The GCW alumni trend continued with Makaze’s presence here. Brigante had the advantage in size and power, but Makaze’s experience was the deciding factor as he won with the Blizzard Suplex (Northern Lights/fisherman suplex) in 6:05.
“The Cowboy” Ric Maverick vs. “The Alternative” Ozzie Gallagher: Maverick was the representative of NatsuCon who set up the wrestling portion of the event. Gallagher had been on a winning streak in recent months and Maverick picked up his first victory last week in Glen Carbon against The Incredible “Primal Prodigy” Matt Kenway (Look At Him). Maverick won a solid bout with the cobra clutch in 5:48.
Mason Conrad vs. Brandon Espinosa: Since the event was in Illinois, Espinosa’s MWR Missouri Title was not on the line. I had only seen Conrad on a handful of occasions; I believe he’s from the Chicago area and he probably traveled with the other out-of-town guests. It seems like Espy’s little controversy from a few weeks ago has already blown over…such is the ADD-afflicted age of social media. At any rate, this was a fine competitive matchup…Espy scored the win after the brainbuster in 8:30.
“The King of Chaos” Ricky Cruz vs. “The Voodoo King” Mojo McQueen: McQueen is another Chicago guy who came out in a mask with various voodoo-related items, including a smoke-spewing box which may have caused headaches if it had set off any fire alarms. I can honestly say this was the first time I had ever seen a voodoo doll involved in a match. Despite the occult shenanigans, Cruz made the comeback only to be cut off by the big man. McQueen had to walk all the way to the backstage area to get a metal chair (which happened to be the one personalized by Outtkast)…he shoved the referee when he tried to interfere and then bashed Ricky with the weapon. That drew a disqualification in 7:30, but such is life…McQueen attempted to do more damage, but Ricky delivered a spinning heel kick to knock the chair back into his own face. The voodoo man retreated, but I suspect this issue is far from over.
Intermission~! Given my previous experience with the Gateway Center’s refreshment costs, I stuck with the public water fountains…so no Official Ben Simon Concession Count™ on this evening. Aww.
Outtkast vs. “The Lightbringer” Jesus Bryce for the D-1 Title: I had heard of Bryce Benjamin, but this was my first time seeing him with this name (I think he had been scheduled for one of Frank Thurman’s cards in the past). I really like him; hope to see more of him in the near future. Outtkast retained his title with the Case Study in 8:44; he hasn’t had a real feud over the D-1 Championship since he won it.
High Level Enterprise (Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) vs. “The Valedictorian” Keon Option & Big Jay Knight (w/ Justin D’Air) for the Tag Team Title: Option & D’Air had earned this opportunity, but D’Air was on crutches due to a recent knee injury. Gamble & Webb copped an attitude and even tried to swat away the crutches. D’Air and Option brought out Knight (another Chicago guy) as the replacement…he’s a big dude and HLE had trouble dealing with the size difference. The referee was knocked down in the closing moments of the match, allowing Gamble to swipe one of D’Air’s crutches and whack Knight with it. Webb followed up with a moonsault off the second rope to pin Knight in 10:18…SHENANIGANS~!
Delirious vs. Mike Outlaw: This was a proving ground for the up-and-coming Outlaw against the veteran Delirious, who got his start in the St. Louis area in 2001. I remember that Hillsboro county fair, the monster truck, and also the debut of some gal named MsChif…good times. (I tweeted to Delirious about that debut event and he tweeted back a picture of the event program…bwahahaha.) Outlaw is working his way back up the ladder to a rematch with Heavyweight Champion “Dirdey” Jake Dirden (who was wrestling in Iowa this past weekend). Delirious made his usual manic entrance…he was happy to see me in my new Delirious T-shirt that I picked up recently at Ring of Honor. As is tradition, the Wayne’s World cap went flying…it nearly ended up in the ceiling!
Anywho…wrestling match, yay~! They started with a feeling-out process before turning up the tempo and aggression…lots of Fighting Spirit™ in this one. Each man survived the other’s best shots, but in the end Outlaw delivered his middle-rope springboard European uppercut and then followed up with the High Noon (top-rope elbowdrop)…that was enough for Outlaw to score a huge win in 15:27! Afterwards, Delirious shook Outlaw’s hand and raised his arm in victory…nicely done.
I hung around the venue for a little while afterwards, particularly catching up with longtime GCW fan Richard Dix…sometimes life takes people in different directions after they’ve been a consistent presence for a while. Delirious did some podcast interviews with his head wrapped in a towel or something…I think he said his mask got wet. The man is dedicated, I will say that much…and he’s also as eloquent a speaker as ever.
It sounded like Pro Wrestling Resurgence had a successful debut at The Ready Room last Saturday night. My decision for that evening was a tough one, but I hadn’t seen comedian Gabriel Rutledge in a few years (not since the Comedy Etc. days); the last time he was in town, I was in the hospital with bronchitis. I didn’t want to miss seeing him this time around, but I would have to skip wrestling with events on both Friday and Saturday. Resurgence has a few more events lined up for August with some big names scheduled to appear…Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Moose and Michael Elgin vs. Brandon Espinosa are just two of the big matches set to take place in PWR.
While there’s nothing local next weekend, August will be VERY busy…here’s what’s on tap for Greater STL:
-Sunday 8/7: Wrestling Invades America in Swansea, IL
-Saturday 8/13: Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO
-Saturday 8/20: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Wood River, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL; Pro Wrestling Resurgence in Sauget, IL (Pop’s)
-Friday 8/26: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL
-Saturday 8/27: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL; World League Wrestling in St. Peters, MO
-Sunday 8/28: Pro Wrestling Resurgence in Swansea, IL
That’s my special comment for this, the thirty-first wrestling event I’ve attended in the year 2016. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
Dynamo Pro Wrestling brings some of its biggest stars to St. Louis’s premiere Japanese culture convention at Collinsville’s Gateway Center on Friday, July 22.
Mike Outlaw vs. Delirious
Brandon Espinosa vs. Mason Conrad
Ricky Cruz vs. Mojo McQueen
Outtkast vs. Jesus Bryce
Bell at 7. Tickets are $12. NatsuCon attendees are allowed in at no charge. For more information on the convention, visit NatsuCon.org.
A colossal six-man tag match is the main event on July 16 at the East Carondelet Community Center. The match is billed as “Legends vs. Monsters” and it couldn’t be more appropriate.
Also on the card, Chris Hargas and Ken Kasa’s rivalry has elevated to an Iron Man match, where the man who scores the most falls within the time limit wins.
Ron Powers and Gary Jackson recently shared their thoughts on teaming with Bob Orton on Saturday. See the clip from Wrestling Explosion below.
Two out of three falls match
Ron Powers, Cowboy Bob Orton, & Gary Jackson vs. Kahagas, Attila Khan, & Bubba Troll
Iron Man match (30 minutes)
Ken Kasa vs. Chris Hargas
Brandon Espinosa has a challenge on his hands at the South Broadway Athletic Club on July 9. Espy is set to defend his Missouri Heavyweight Championship against top-ranked Mike Outlaw.
The bout is Espinosa’s third defense of the MWR MO belt, as well as Outlaw’s first opportunity to win it. Outlaw was actually a substitute referee for the very first MWR Missouri Title match last October.
Also that night, the vacant MMWA Heavyweight Title will be decided as the four top contenders at South Broadway meet in an deliciously unusual way: the Championship Scramble.
All four participants are legal from the start. Within the mandatory half-hour time limit, falls count anywhere. There is no tally kept on falls; the only way to win is to score the last fall. There can be no disqualifications or countouts.
Missouri Heavyweight Championship CBrandon Espinosa vs. #8Mike Outlaw
MMWA Heavyweight Championship (vacant) – Championship Scramble (30 Minutes) #4Gary Jackson vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. A.J. Williams vs. Da’Marius Jones
MMWA Junior Heavyweight Championship – Luchas de Apuestas: Title vs. Hair
Brandon Aarons (c) vs. Tyler Copeland
Happy Birthday, America! On July 1, the Gateway Grizzlies celebrate with a weekend of fireworks, hot dogs, and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.
The 1996 Gold Medalist became an instant American Hero winning the medal with a broken neck. Angle took his amateur background and charismatic personality pro in 1998 when he joined WWE and quickly became a four-time world champion. Battling with fellow legends like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kurt Angle established himself as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time using a variety of submission holds and suplexes to beat his combatants.
The Grizzlies are set to suplex the River City Rascals. First pitch will be 6:35 P.M. and gates open at 5:25.
Special VIP all-inclusive suite tickets with a meet-and-greet opportunity are available for $75. In addition to the meet-and-greet, the VIP ticket includes a 30 minute Q&A session, a commemorative photo opportunity, a guaranteed autograph (one per ticket), an all-you-can-eat buffet, and unlimited beverages until the end of the seventh inning.
There will be fireworks after the game.
Click here to purchase tickets or call the box office at (618) 337-3000 to reserve your seat.
Ron Powers gets another chance to beat Attila Khan up June 18 at the East Carondelet Community Center.
Does the highest honor in SICW, the Classic Championship, mean anything to either man? Probably not, as both competitors continually bring the weapons with minimal effort to hide the objects from the referee.
Last month, Ron Powers lost via disqualification after he shoved the referee aside and hit the Mongolian Khan with a trash can.
Classic Wrestling Championship – Travis Cook Banned From Ringside
Ron Powers (c) vs. Attila Khan
Handicap Match (Team gets time limit odds)
Ken Kasa & ? vs. Chris Hargas
Jim Hoffarth vs. Bubba Troll
Jason Vaughn vs. Ax Allwardt
Espy has been making opponents quit left-and-right with his cross armbar and is the heavy favorite in this second MO belt defense. Adams is a perennial jr. heavyweight contender at the SBAC, but he hasn’t had notable recent victories.
Still, anything can happen; if Danny Adams pins Brandon or makes him submit, “The Millennial” will win the Missouri crown.
In the main event, a three-way bout for the MMWA Heavyweight Championship has Gary Jackson defending against the dangerous alliance of A.J. Williams and Da’Marius Jones.
Dynamo Pro Wrestling brings the action to The Ready Room in The Grove district in swinging Forest Park Southeast on May 28.
Dynamo Pro Tag Team Championship
Jon Webb & Jack Gamble (c) vs. CBrandon Espinosa & Elvis Aliaga
#5Evan Morris vs. Brandon Aarons vs. Kevin Lee Davidson
The Bite Club (Rocket Mapache & Jackal) vs. Keon Option & Justin D’Air vs. Alpha Class (Danny Adams & Paco Gonzalez) vs. The Midnight Society (Billy McNeil & Jayson Khaos)
Saint Louis Wrestling 