Tag: independent

Posted on by

Heels are saving the world!

myraIt has happened again.

A while back I wrote about how the notorious Khloe Belle Smothers helped a shooting victim in front of her home. Last Friday, another pair of heels were involved with a real life shooting, and once again, the heels proved to be heroes.

The incident involved two thirds of the Miami Mafia – The Puerto Rican Princess Myra and her husband “Real Sexxxy” Chet Robbins. The two were at a Louisville car dealership with their son Greg on Friday, October 16. Myra shared the details on her Facebook page later that day:

“A barrage of gun fire erupted to the right of us, and my son and I witnessed a man falling into the arms of a lady who turned out to be his girlfriend. Greg and I ran to the victim’s aid. Greg took his belt and used it as a tourniquet on one leg. Another person ran over with towels and I tied them chettogether to make another one and applied it to the other leg. Greg’s former military medic training and my former NYPD training kicked in… The victim didn’t have any injuries to any major organs. He’s gonna be ok. Not looking for any pats on the back but just wanted to recognize my son who will always be my HERO! I’m proud of you son.”

 

Myra may not be the most loved woman inside the squared circle, but I’ve always found it’s the heels who turn out to be the nicest folks in real life. Myra is no exception. She’s a lovely person and a devoted Mom. She and her son Greg deserve credit for racing to the aid of a man in need.

The world gets crazier every day, but not all craziness is bad. Strange as it sounds, the heels are turning hero, saving the world one life at a time.

Posted on by

When all else fails, turn heel

11084298_987499174613951_5908395771776962211_n

The fair is no easy place to work a wrestling show. You might draw a handful of devoted fans, but you’re also going to draw a number of passersby – including people who are only stopping to laugh and heckle you.

Such was the case a few weeks back in my hometown when UWA put on an outdoor show at the fair. The first couple of wrestlers out to the ring did their best to pump up the crowd but received little to no response. Add in the drunks sitting near me on the bleachers, and it was a really tough crowd.

Enter Dick Devlin.

Devlin is a UWA original, and until that night, he had been working as a babyface. But when the fair crowd cheered his opponent – also babyface – and gave him little response on his entrance, he decided to take what he was given and play the heel.

“It was a really weird night,” he said, “We had both been working as babyfaces, but the crowd didn’t know who either one of us was. They seemed to want me to play the heel, so I did.”

In playing the heel, Devlin did something no one on the card had managed to do before him. He got the handful of drunken hecklers to not only engage with the show, but cheer for him.

“I threw my opponent into the fence. They said, ‘Do it again!’ So I did.”

Devlin has since turned heel for UWA, a rising promotion based in Southern Indiana that tapes television once a month at The Production House in New Albany. Devlin fell into the role quite naturally, having played a heel most of his career, and he is enjoying life on the other side once again.

Devlin grew up a fan during the attitude era and decided to give pro wrestling a try after attending a few Destination One Wrestling shows in Indiana. It’s a part-time job for him, as he’s also a full-time student majoring in criminal justice, and while he isn’t sure wrestling will become a full-time vocation, he’s enjoying every second of it.

Devlin is also very proud to be a charter member of UWA, a group he describes as being like family. “The promoters are a father and son, and they really cultivated a family atmosphere. I’ve been in locker room where there’s fighting and drama, but we don’t have any of that. These guys are my brothers, and I love it.”

Devlin can be seen on UWA TV, both on Youtube and the free Indie Wrestling Channel on Roku. Click play on the video below and skip to minute 38 to see Devlin and friends in his favorite match to date: a TLC match filmed at The Arena in Jeffersonville.

Posted on by

The Greatest Little PPV on Earth!

12019126_1247212388638324_50884786_oWomen have been a side show in professional wrestling for many years. There have always been exceptions, and in certain eras women were main event draws who could pack the house, but for the most part they were treated as eye candy, forced into demeaning hair-pulling matches and worse.

Everyone laughed – and headed for the concession stand.

Last Wednesday the Internet Wrestling Community was set on fire when William Regal announced the Ironwoman match for the next NXT Takeover special featuring Bayley and Sasha Banks. The hard work put in by the Four Horsewomen of NXT has earned them the respect they deserve.

No one is laughing now.

This week an independent wrestling federation is hoping to make a big step forward for another marginalized form of wrestling. You can call them micro-athletes. You can call them midgets. (Yes, in the world of professional wrestling world, the non-PC term is still accepted and preferred.) They are also legitimate professional wrestlers, and on Wednesday they will be taping the first ever all midget pay-per-view event.

Now in its eighth year, Micro Championship Wrestling has been entertaining fans all over the world. The men and women of MCW truly embrace the term “sports entertainment,” and when they hit the ring, they promise and deliver a good show and a good time.

You may not have heard of heard of MCW, or even be aware there are multiple all-midget promotions now in business, but MCW has been featured on Hulk Hogan’s Micro Championship Wrestling, Full Throttle Saloon, and other reality programs. They wrestle all over the country and in eight years have a 100% re-booking rate. In other words, when Micro Championship Wrestling comes to a town, they always get asked back!

The MCW wrestlers also do an incredible amount of charity work, partnering with organizations like Kym’s Kids and Wounded Warrior to raise money for worthy causes.

The men and women of MCW know that what they do is a joke to many. They’re also keenly aware that it’s not politically correct in the eyes of some. But the men and women of MCW got into this business because for the same reason every man and woman in the WWE did: they love wrestling, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. MCW is carrying on a proud legacy, following a trail blazed by oft-forgotten legends like Little Beaver, the Haiti Kid, Sky Low Low, and Lord Littlebrook. MCW goes for the laughs, but they also know how to create real drama and tears. They are professional wrestlers, and they are proud ambassadors of a truly American sport that continues to entertain millions.

Tickets are still available for the live taping at Independence Bar in Orlando, Florida Wednesday night. You can also catch the show on www.ippv.com.

For booking information and a press pack, visit www.mcwnation.com.

Posted on by

No Excuses

esw coverLast week I turned off Raw twenty minutes in. I know. I missed the brawl between Brock and the Undertaker. I watch the 90 minute replay on Hulu (because I don’t have cable), and the way WWE chose to edit the program last week, the portion I saw was all promos and no wrestling. Just after Steph and HHH’s speech to the backstage troops, I turned it off. I went to my YouTube app on Roku and I watched wrestling.

Time was if you didn’t like what WWE had to offer, you didn’t have a choice. There’s no excuse today. If you have cable, TNA and Ring of Honor are on Destination America (for now), and even if they go away, the far superior Lucha Underground is on the El Rey Network.

Don’t have those stations? Or cable? You have YouTube. You can watch classic matches, if that’s your preference, but I strongly recommend giving one of the new indies a try. IWA Mid-South’s channel is packed with recent classics featuring CM Punk, Chris Hero, and Colt Cabana. It’s also a great place to meet their newer stars like Reed Bentley, Hy Zaya, Shane Mercer, John Wayne Murdoch, and rising star Kongo Kong.

Rockstar Pro in Dayton, Ohio is another option on YouTube with their weekly program Amped. (Yes, they had the name before Jeff Jarrett decided to make use of it!) In fact that’s the show I turned on after turning off Raw. RPW’s locker room is packed with rising stars like Ron Mathis, Aaron Williams, Jake and Dave Crist, and Kyle Maverick to name a few.

And let’s not forget the second longest running weekly wrestling program, Ohio Valley Wrestling. The former WWE developmental territory is still going strong and releases new episodes weekly on the OVW website.

If you have Roku, you need to add the Indy Wrestling Channel. This app includes dozens of promotions from across the country, and they’re all free.

No more settling when the big E doesn’t give you more than a few minutes of wrestling on Monday nights. There’s great wrestling to be had online – not to mention in your own neighborhood.

No more excuses.

Posted on by

Return of the Baddest Man Alive

I took a friend of mine to his first indy show back in December. After the intermission, the song “Baddest Man Alive” began to play. My friend snorted, “Baddest Man Alive! Is this guy really the baddest man alive?”

Considering what he’s been through the last year, yeah, he just might be.

Aaron Williams is one of the most athletic and exciting wrestlers in the Midwest. The Cincinnati native was one of the featured wrestlers on the cover of Eat Sleep Wrestle. He is a regular at Rockstar Pro in Dayton and recently participated in CZW’s Best of the Best 14, one of the premiere tournaments for rising indy stars. But from October, 2014 until April of this year, he was working injured.

“I was attempting to execute a moonsault off the top rope,” recalls Williams. “My target moved, but not quite far enough. I ended up hyper extending my knee. I couldn’t hear it due to the noise from the crowd. But I was later told it sounded like a gun went off when it happened.”

Despite the seriousness of the injury, Williams continued to work another seven months before having surgery. Wrestling isn’t a second job for Williams; he’s one of the few proudly doing it full time, which made taking time off very difficult.

“Surprisingly I experienced a lot of emotional ups and downs during my down time. Didn’t expect it but it was a rough time that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

Williams took advantage of the time as best as he could. “I learned more then I can say really. Months of sitting and watching match after match, promo after promo you kinda can’t help but learn something.”

So can fans expect any changes from Williams when he returns? “I think it’s safe to say that I have changed. I think people will see a new me to some extent. Some of it may surprise people but at the end of the day I still be the Baddest Man Alive.”

Williams’ return will be a welcome one for the fans, if not his opponents. He’s rested, restless, and ready to resume his career. “My biggest goal is to do everything I can to get past this set back. I feel like I was on the rise before I couldn’t put off the surgery anymore. Now I have to get the road under me and back to moving forward again.”

Welcome back, brother.

Posted on by

What’s Old Is New: PCW seeking wrestlers in LA

11149331_1590190417911060_4793560956734334411_nPacific Coast Wrestling is looking to bring old school professional wrestling back to the beach. I invited them to take over the blog for a day to plug their promotion and share their call for wrestling talent. Very excited to see what these guys are putting together and happy to pass it along!

Pacific Coast Wrestling (PCW) is the brainchild of former 3PW co-owner Mikey Hawes and marketing guru, Mike Scharnagl. Hawes, who has an extensive wrestling promoter background in England and in Philadelphia, met Scharnagl while they were both talking to a mutual friend about Japanese wrestling. After attending several indy wrestling events together in Southern California, the two instantly realized that there was a need for more wrestling in the Los Angeles area, particularly close to the beach communities. The two quickly formed Pacific Coast Wrestling, and are now in the process of acquiring a venue for their first event, which is projected to take place in early Fall 2015. The promotion’s Facebook page indicates that they intend to bring WRESTLING back to the Southern California area with a blend of Japanese Strong Style, Old School (think 1970s and 80s NWA), and a little bit of Hardcore (no weapons or gimmicks, but stiff action).

“Mikey (Hawes) has been in the business and knows what works and what doesn’t. He has extensive connections in the business which has certainly allowed us to hit the ground running. He also has connections with the Monster Factory, Santino Bros., and Wildkat Sports which should allow us to expose fans to some newer talent,” said Scharnagl. “I’m more of a student and a longtime fan of the business. I’m a huge fan of Pro Wrestling NOAH and New Japan because for the most part, the focus is on the wrestling. It’s reminiscent of old school US wrestling. Sure, wrestlers can have gimmicks and personalities – it gives fans something to like or hate, but the focus is primarily on what happens in the ring, not on a promo. I think that’s really what we are shooting for.”

To make sure their vision is translated in the locker room and the ring, the two enlisted former NWA Champion, The Almighty Sheik, as their talent booker, and the group is currently looking for wrestling talent within the California, Nevada and Arizona areas. Interested wrestlers should email [email protected].