Saint Louis Wrestling

By Ben Simon

Gary Jackson slapped the fourth turnbuckle in succession.  Lynn Mephisto had been defeated.  The chain match in December at the South Broadway Athletic Club was bloody and brutal.  However, it was the scene after the battle that may have been more significant.

Mephisto and Brandon Espinosa began a vengeful assault on Gary, tying him to the corner so “The Great One” was helpless to defend himself.  Thankfully, the brand-new MMWA Heavyweight Champion Brian James ran to the ring and saved Jackson.

It was only natural that outgoing Senior Official Jim Harris would make the match on his final night in the stripes: Brian James and Gary Jackson will tag against the savages Mephisto and Espinosa on January 11th.

It is not known to this writer how Harris had the authority to make the match, but SBAC President Tony Casta and incumbent Commissioner Tim Miller presumably liked it enough to go along with it.

Speaking of which, the new MMWA Commissioner will be revealed this Saturday at the SBAC.  Miller will stay on as the producer of TV’s Wild World of Wrestling.

Barackus, the huge athlete who demolished Dave Osborne recently (sneak attack, no match), will make his wrestling debut January 11.  The opponent hasn’t been confirmed, but I wouldn’t want to be him.

Also that night, Moondog Rover will try to take a bite out of “Morbid Messiah” Jackson Whitechapel.  The two have teamed before but Whitechapel doesn’t like the antics of Rover much.

Whitechapel is the protegé of commentator Sean Orleans, who saw potential in the struggling big man shortly after Whitechapel’s debut.  Orleans will be absent on Saturday due to a one-month suspension for an unspecified incident with management.  Can Jackson Whitechapel keep his head straight without Sean Orleans?

Tickets are $8 at the door, $4 for kids.

Ace Hawkins (left) pinned Andrew Wilder in November 2013. The two meet again this month for the Junior Title. Photo: Maurice Ramsey

By Ben Simon

December at the South Broadway Athletic Club is always a fun time.  A loaded card of matches is presented, Santa visits the kids at intermission, and Gary Jackson enters to Elvis’ “Santa Claus Is Back in Town.”

This year, Gary Jackson has had enough.  He can no longer challenge for Brandon Espinosa’s MMWA Heavyweight Championship, thanks to collusion from Mephisto in November.

Jackson called out Mephisto for a match where “anything goes.”  While Mephisto didn’t formally accept the challenge, he did post the following to Facebook:

Saturday I am Wrestling against Gary Jackson…… Saturday I rid St.Louis of a fool Tyrant who should have been disposed of years ago.

I guess that settles it; the match is on!

Big Dave Osborne will get a heavyweight title shot on Saturday.  Osborne was the champion for four months earlier this year.  This will be the first time that Espinosa and Osborne meet one-on-one for St. Louis’ most honored championship.

MMWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Andrew Wilder has gotten himself into trouble.  He was to defend his strap against the winner of a recent Ace Hawkins – Da’Marius Jones bout.  Wilder’s interference cost Hawkins that match, but Commissioner Tim Miller ordered Wilder to face both opponents this Saturday in a three-way.

This month, we say goodbye to the 25-year veterans, Lumberjacks Abe & Gabe.  The Lumberjacks will wrestle one last tag match on December 7 against opponents to be determined.

The Lumberjacks last held South Broadway’s tag team championship in June 2012.  That title and every other tag title the brothers have ever held are gone now.  There is nothing left for Abe and Gabe to accomplish.

A.J. Williams will defend his TV Championship against “The Enforcer” Jimmy D.  If clean, technical matches are your thing, this one won’t be for you.

Also notable, Senior Official Jim Harris will referee his last match at the SBAC on December 7th.  The corrections officer has been on ref duty for 27 years.  Harris is a fan favorite among referees (if there ever was one) and he will be missed.  Harris will retire later this month.

This article first appeared on Missouri Wrestling Revival

By Patrick Brandmeyer

If history is any indication, Brian James is on the road to the MMWA Heavyweight Championship. The Midwest veteran defeated three tough opponents in the same night to win the King of St. Louis Cable tournament, thus earning himself a title shot of his choice.

Of course, he wasn’t alone in his ambition; the tournament field was full of current and former titleholders. Many of the wrestlers in the competition had previous issues with current champion Brandon Espinosa or former champ Gary Jackson. Each contender had his own motivation, but only one could emerge victorious.

The tournament started under unique circumstances as Espinosa claimed he and Lynn Mephisto would “challenge” for the vacant Tag Team Title if Mephisto won the tournament, thus claiming the belts without a fight.  After that, the Battle Royal Champ tried to talk his way to an easy first-round win, but Wild World of Wrestling Television Champion A.J. Williams wasn’t hearing it.  Despite Mephisto’s “generous” (and extremely condescending) job offer, Williams answered with a fist to the face and the fight was on.

 

Former TV Champ Jimmy D affected the match outcome, distracting the referee as Mephisto knocked out Williams with brass knuckles.  After that, Mephisto got the cheap pin with feet on the ropes to reach the semifinals…but his night was just starting.

The next quarterfinal match was already heated as Junior Heavyweight Champion Andrew Wilder had cheated his way to victory over former titleholder Ace Hawkins in recent months. On top of that, Wilder cost Hawkins a contenders’ match to Da’Marius Jones, which led to a three-way match set for the December card.

Ace was intent on knocking the young titleholder down a peg…and he accomplished that feat by countering Wilder’s “Call of the Wild” inverted neckbreaker finisher into a rolling prawn pin.

In the next bout, 2012 tournament king Dave Osborne was matched against up-and-coming rookie Da’Marius Jones. Osborne was the only man in the field to have competed in all three King of Cable tournaments and was looking to repeat his past success.

Jones had a good showing but the size and experience edge was too much to overcome.  Osborne got the win after his devastating cobra clutch suplex.

The final first-round match featured opponents who were no strangers to each other; Brian James and Jimmy D had traded the TV Title earlier this year.  After Jimmy’s earlier actions, A.J. Williams saw fit to return the favor…and the distraction gave James the opening to finish off Jimmy with his sitout gourdbuster.

The semifinals began with Hawkins taking on Mephisto.  Mephisto had a slight advantage as Ace had been through a longer first-round bout and had less time to rest, but Hawkins kept him off-balance with his aerial arsenal.

Unfortunately for him, Hawkins fell prey to another cheapshot as Wilder ran out to deliver a low blow behind the referee’s back.  That allowed Mephisto to drop Ace with an Air Raid Crash to advance to the final.

James and Osborne had clashed in last year’s semifinals and the two met once again this year. It would prove to be one of the most competitive matches in the tournament; James had trouble using his power moves against the 300-pound Osborne so he improvised by taking to the air.

In the end, James was finally able to lift the big man up into his finisher for the victory, evening the score from the previous tournament!  Respectfully, the two shook hands after the bout.

The final was marked by some controversy.  Mephisto had gotten involved in Espinosa’s title defense against Gary Jackson earlier in the night. With the stipulation in place that Gary would get no more title shots as long as Espy was champion, Mephisto hit his own “ally” with the belt…thus getting Jackson disqualified and costing him his opportunity to reclaim the gold. With Espinosa lurking in the background, it seemed like a plan was in place to ensure Mephisto’s victory.

Both finalists came out swinging in the final, but Espinosa stuck his nose into the proceedings and hit Mephisto with his title belt… trying to get “Da Bomb” disqualified. However, Senior Official Jim Harris said that the same trick wouldn’t work twice and ordered the bout to continue. The plan had backfired.  With Mephisto dazed, James was able to capitalize with his sitout gourdbuster finisher for his third and final win of the evening!

His opposition consisted of a former Television Champion, a former Heavyweight Champ (and previous tournament winner), and the current Battle Royal Champion… but “Da Bomb” Brian James emerged victorious as the 2013 King of St. Louis Cable!

By Larry Matysik

Ron Powers gets the opportunity to become the Classic Wrestling Champion for the second time when he duels titleholder “Ironman” Ken Kasa on the SICW card at the East Carondelet Community Center Saturday, Nov. 16.

Also, Gary Jackson risks the end of his career when he tackles The Big Texan, who has agreed to put his mask in jeopardy as well.

Powers earned this chance by pinning Kasa to win a tag team decision for the unlikely combo of Powers and Ricky Cruz over Kasa and Flash Flanagan Oct. 19.  The decision by promoter Herb Simmons to give Powers the title match left both Flanagan and Cruz furious.  They felt they deserved the bout; Cruz is a former champion who was  upset by Kasa last June and Flash defeated Powers after a controversial finish in September.

But Powers feels that SICW is his home and his overall record was strong enough along with the pin of the champion to persuade Simmons to give Ron the Nov. 16 battle.

Cruz and Flanagan, who have their own hot rivalry, will be on opposite sides of a tag team affair Nov. 16.  Each has a strong young prospect as his partner — it’s Cruz and Daniel Eads against Flash and 410-pound Bull Bronson.

As for Texan and Jackson, both solid title contenders, they’ve been butting heads for a couple years.  In fact, a headbutt by Texan Oct. 19 (when the referee was distracted) gave Dave Vaughn a win over Jackson.

The angry Jackson demanded a bout with Big Texan where Texan unmasked if he lost by pin or submission.  The ensuing argument saw Texan agree — if Jackson agreed to end his own long, outstanding career should Gary lose.  Simmons saw a headline bout and got the deal done.  Career versus mask: Gary Jackson against The Big Texan.

A client of controversial manager Travis Cook, Dave Vaughn can stop the title drive by Jake Dirden.  Add Vaughn vs. Dirden to the Nov. 16 lineup.  Cook, feeling better after being smacked by the guitar of The Honky Tonk Man Oct. 12, will be back to “advise” both Vaughn and Kasa.

More matches will be added and tickets are available by calling (618) 286-4848.

By Patrick Brandmeyer

As a wrestling fan of twenty-two years, I’ve always been a big fan of the one-night tournament. It takes skill, endurance, and the occasional bit of luck to emerge victorious in that format. Careers have been boosted by wins in that situation, especially in WWE’s King of the Ring tournament.

We’re approaching the MMWA’s third annual King of St. Louis Cable Tournament with eight worthy competitors vying for a guaranteed shot at the Heavyweight Title. The winners of both previous tournaments (Brandon Espinosa and Dave Osborne) went on to capture the gold…so it’s a great opportunity for one of these wrestlers to catapult himself to the top of the mountain!

A.J. Williams: The current Wild World of Wrestling Television Champion has also been the Junior Heavyweight Champion, but he has not yet captured the top prize in the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance. His history with current titleholder Brandon Espinosa is well-documented as the two have had classic battles all over the Midwest…but since Espy regained the Heavyweight Championship, he hasn’t received a shot at the gold. The motivation is there and so is the athletic ability…will that be enough to propel him to victory?

Lynn Mephisto: The Battle Royal Champ entered the MMWA with the mindset that he had something to prove. In the past several months, he has proven that he’ll use any tactics necessary to come out on top…and that way of thinking may separate him from the rest of the pack. If he wins the tournament and recent rival Gary Jackson defeats Espinosa for the crown, it’ll make his eventual championship opportunity that much sweeter.

Andrew Wilder: The reigning Junior Heavyweight Champion seems like the dark horse in this year’s field of eight. Will he be focused on the tournament or his upcoming three-way title defense against Ace Hawkins and Da’Marius Jones in December? He has been underestimated in the past and went on to prove the doubters wrong with his Jr. Heavyweight Title win…never overlook “The Wolf”.

Ace Hawkins: The former Junior Heavyweight titleholder has his own history with Espinosa…their careers have been intertwined for the past several years as they’ve been both bitter rivals and tag team partners at different times. His focus has been on the Jr. Heavyweight Title in recent months, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind another shot at Espy.

Brian James: The veteran competitor had a brief run as Television Champion earlier this year but has always had his sights set on the big prize. His pinfall win over Espinosa in last month’s elimination tag match gave him a big boost of momentum. “Da Bomb” will be looking to repeat his recent success en route to a championship opportunity…and if Espinosa is still the champion, he’ll be targeting a man who he knows he can defeat.

Jimmy D: The bat-wielding brawler is another take-no-prisoners competitor…we’ve seen that in his two reigns as Television Champion. Will experience and underhanded tactics make the difference on this night? Don’t count him out…

Da’Marius Jones: On the other side of the experience coin is the rookie of the field. Jones shockingly upset Espinosa in a recent non-title bout so he knows he can beat the current titleholder. While some may overlook him as the “newbie” of the bunch, others will look to the record books and realize that Jones is capable of winning if taken lightly. It’s early in Jones’ career, but he already has a big opportunity to earn his way to the top of the rankings.

Dave Osborne: He’s the former Heavyweight Champ and former Battle Royal Champ…perhaps most importantly, he was last year’s tournament winner. He knows what it takes to come out on top in this competition. He’s the biggest wrestler in the mix…that may be a double-edged sword once you consider the endurance factor, but that didn’t stop him from winning the 2012 tourney. He wouldn’t mind getting his hands on either Espinosa (who ended his previous title reign) or Jackson (who he beat for the belt earlier this year).

A case could be made for just about anyone to come out on top as the 2013 King of St. Louis Cable…but we won’t know until the tournament takes place this Saturday night!

By Ben Simon

It was October 12 at 9:30 P.M. and the main event was about to begin.  Gary Jackson hadn’t arrived at the building yet.

Gary was set to team with Brian James and the Lumberjacks to take on Brandon Espinosa, Dave Osborne, Jimmy D, and Mephisto in an elimination tag match.  However, the members of the latter team made their way to the ring, smug looks on their faces.

Espinosa told the crowd that they would see a 4-on-3 handicap bout; Jackson was nowhere to be found.  Even if he was there, how would his neck hold up after that piledriver he took one month earlier?

Indeed, the match started at an unequal tilt.  Within three minutes, both Lumberjacks had been eliminated by pinfall.  Very quickly, Brian James was all alone.  Mephisto smiled at James devilishly from across the ring.  He and his teammates anticipated this 4-on-1 massacre.

Gary Jackson suddenly came running down to ringside to even the situation a bit.  He and Brian were able to cut it down to even before Gary was eliminated.

The match rode on the finale of Espinosa vs. James.  “Da Bomb” Brian James showed why he earned that nickname and detonated an attack on Espy.  Brian James picked up the pin with his signature inverted suplex slam.

Brian James is a good guy to have on your team.

The rivalry between Jackson and the Espinosa-Mephisto duo isn’t over yet.  In fact, on November 9th at South Broadway, Gary Jackson will challenge for Brandon’s MMWA Heavyweight Championship for the last time.

That is, if Gary doesn’t win the title, he can’t get another shot until Espy is no longer champion.