Contrary to popular belief, I don't often venture into Sauget(Centreville's closer, har har). I've been to Pop's a few times in the past...I went for the two Fozzy shows with Chris Jericho and also the Underground Wrestling show a few years ago. I had an interview at the Penthouse Club once but oddly didn't get the doorman job...go figure.
The story behind this show: Sabu was going to be in town for PPV parties as Extreme Rules was in St. Louis on Sunday. Thus, Sabu was looking around for wrestling shows to work but nothing was available. As a result, Mike Gordon(who previously ran shows under the banner of FIST Combat) put together a show at the last minute with cooperation from Dynamo Pro Wrestling. The format was a tournament of sorts with Sabu participating...Tracey Smothers was a last-minute addition as he was announced on the day of the show.
Ben Simon ring-announces for just about everybody these days...he looked woefully out of place in his suit and tie while everyone else was in casual attire.
I don't know anything about the backgrounds of the guys in the opener...a quick search tells me that "Darkchild" Eric O'Shea's pro debut was in 1998 and he competes for UPW in Michigan(as does Sabu). Presumably he's not related to Douglas(RCW/UWA) or Jeff(3XW/PWC). The UPW page doesn't have anything on The Executioner...he's billed as a seven-footer and is presumably not related to Terry Gordy(or Jesse Dalton for that matter). Enough obscure references...the match wasn't very good. Maybe it was inexperience on the part of the masked man...he does have size on his side and could grow into a better performer down the line. I note that Sabu also made an appearance at CSCW on Saturday and that show had Executioner-O'Shea as well; I'm guessing they traveled together from Michigan.
The Dynamo four-corner match felt out of place in this environment as a more standard-issue bout. I doubt the onlookers cared about any backstory, but: Walsh won the Heavyweight Title from Karrington, Kevin X is a former GCW Champ and Gallagher is managed by Tiffany LaFane who used to be Karrington's valet. It was mostly a chaotic brawl with all four men in the ring at once...good action as expected from these guys. K.C. fought with Kevin X as Walsh hit his finisher(that really needs a proper name) on Gallagher for the win...X hit the Pavement Drop on Karrington afterwards to end the Demigod's terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day. At any rate, Tiffany was at her antagonistic best in making fun of the ringside fans...heh.
The random draw for the tournament took place as Mikey G called for my hat specifically...heh. One of the Facebook event pages spoiled the fact that we'd see Sabu vs. Captain Perverto(formerly Rat Boy)...oops. That one was total destruction on Sabu's part...notable that a lot of fans still know Perverto by his old name as I heard a lot of people cheering for Rat Boy.
Tracey Smothers(decked out in Confederate regalia) came out to New Jack's Natural Born Killaz theme...odd choice there. :) This was a total contrast to the previous match as he and Ken Kasa went really old-school...and it worked, to their credit. Smothers was portrayed as a fan of the Insane Clown Posse and the Juggalos(he's worked JCW shows in the past) and was accompanied by Poodoo The Cow & Dash Rando...more on that later. As you might expect, Travis Cook wasted no time in endearing himself to the Sauget faithful...err...
The next bout was a total power battle...this show definitely had a wide variety of talent. To put the match in perspective: Alexandre Rudolph was an "LWA Superfan" when the Lethal Wrestling Alliance was in its formative years and Adam Raw was one of the founding members of that group. Since that time, Rudolph has made quite a name for himself in the ring...Raw just recently returned to regular competition. Raw showed some impressive agility, including a somersault dive off the apron onto Rudolph that just barely cleared the guardrail. Raw's win was a slight surprise but the top-rope fallaway slam looked killer.
Similar to the four-corner bout earlier in the night, McNeil-Vaughn was a more traditional matchup. I thought Vaughn would win to put two faces and two heels in the finale, but Vaughn accidentally hit his manager and Billy got the flash pin to advance.
During intermission, Without MF'N Order(Perverto's band) performed along with the ICP-inspired Local Kingz. After their set, the Kingz griped about not being on the wrestling portion of the show and said they might just make their own spot. I can only assume they took issue with Poodoo & Rando(also ICP fans, going by their association with Smothers) being on the card while they were excluded...IT'Z A SHOOT, BAY-BEE~!
Speaking of people out of their element, WLW wrestlers Jack Gamble & Jon Webb answered the open challenge of the Bumrush Brothers. It turned out to be a non-title bout, sparking a hilarious response after the match from one or the other("THEN WHY ARE WE EVEN HERE?!"). Good matchup though the double-team finisher was a bit off.
Apparently another band was set to perform later in the night, so the main event was rushed so they could get the ring broken down in time...it even turned into a one-fall bout after being initially announced as an elimination match. Who would have thought that we'd ever see Rat Boy work with Sabu? Who would have thought we'd see Ian Storm work with Sabu AND Tracey Smothers? I feared for the table as it wasn't in good shape and nearly fell apart on its own...but things worked out in the end.
Briefly met both Smothers and Sabu afterwards...Tracey was totally cool and just hung out at the bar for a bit after the show. Smothers had his time in bigger feds: He was WCW U.S. Tag Champ with Steve Armstrong(The Southern Boys/Young Pistols), worked in the WWF as Freddie Joy Floyd(and once beat Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw, aka JBL!), and was a Full Blooded Italian in the original ECW. That last role prompted a great Joey Styles quote: "He couldn't find Italy on a map...he couldn't find Italy on a map OF ITALY!"
Also, I got my picture taken with Sabu(thanks to Mikey G and Drew Abbenhaus for making that happen)...he was a big part of the original ECW at a time when I was starting to discover the bigger picture of the wrestling world. I still remember the match he had with John Cena on WWE Saturday Night's Main Event when I thought he'd be a breakout star all over again...things didn't quite go that way but it's amazing to think that he was a part of WWE for a short time.
At any rate, that was part one of the weekend...
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WWE(www.wwe.com)
Main Event on Wednesday 5/22 has:
-Alberto Del Rio vs. Big E Langston
-Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
NXT this week has:
-Corey Graves vs. Bray Wyatt
-Yoshi Tatsu vs. Antonio Cesaro
-Sami Zayn vs. Curt Hawkins
-Mason Ryan vs. Enzo Amore
Superstars this week has:
-Tons Of Funk & The Funkadactyls vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso & The Bella Twins
-Alex Riley vs. Damien Sandow
Smackdown on Friday 5/24 has:
-Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show
-Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston - U.S. Title
-Wade Barrett vs. Mike Mizanin - Intercontinental Title
-Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger
-Sin Cara vs. Curtis Axel
-In action: Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins
Payback is on Sunday 6/16:
-John Cena vs. Ryback - WWE Title Ambulance Match
TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)
Impact on Thursday 5/23 has:
-Kurt Angle vs. Ken Anderson
-Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James - Women's Title
-Sam Shaw vs. Alex Silva - Bound For Glory Series Qualifying Tournament
Slammiversary is on Sunday 6/9:
-Bully Ray vs. Sting - Heavyweight Title
-Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles
-Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin vs. Suicide - X-Division Title - Ultimate X Match
-Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Shawn Hernandez vs. Bobby Roode & Austin Aries vs. Bad Influence(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. James Storm & ? - Tag Team Titles
-Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim
RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)
ROH TV this week has:
-Taiji Ishimori vs. Roderick Strong
-Mark Briscoe vs. Colin Delaney
-MsChif vs. Cherry Bomb
Next show is Saturday 6/1 in San Antonio, TX:
-Jay Briscoe vs. Davey Richards - Heavyweight Title
-Michael Elgin & B.J. Whitmer vs. 2 Members Of SCUM - Tornado Tag Match
-Jay Lethal vs. A.C.H.
-Adam Cole vs. Roderick Strong
-Appearing: reDRagon, Matt Taven, Eddie Edwards, Mark Briscoe, Athena
ROH has a show on Saturday 6/8 in Columbus, OH:
-Jay Briscoe vs. Eddie Edwards - Heavyweight Title
-Kevin Steen vs. Rhino
-Mark Briscoe vs. Matt Hardy
-reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. A.C.H. & Tadarius Thomas
-Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, & B.J. Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Rhett Titus, & Cliff Compton
-Davey Richards vs. Cedric Alexander
-Adam Cole vs. Caprice Coleman
ROH has a show on Saturday 6/22 in Baltimore, MD:
-Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe - Heavyweight Title
ROH has a show on Sunday 6/23 in Baltimore, MD:
-Jay Briscoe vs. Matt Hardy - Heavyweight Title
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ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 6/28 in Alton, IL:
-Darin Corbin vs. Arik Cannon - Heavyweight Title
-A.C.H. vs. T.J. Perkins - Best-Of-3-Falls Match
-Khris Wolfe vs. Gerald James - 10,000 Thumbtacks Match
-Davey Vega vs. K.C. Karrington - Non-Sanctioned Fight
-Evan Gelistico vs. Mat Fitchett - ACW Heavyweight Title
-The Hooligans vs. Davey Richards & Kyle O'Reilly
-Tadarius Thomas vs. Jojo Bravo
-Bolt Brady vs. Brandon Espinosa - ACW U-30 Title
-Adam Raw vs. Jordan Lacey
-Billy McNeil vs. Darin Childs vs. Alex The Big Owl vs. Darren Dean vs. Thomas Shire vs. Aaron Solo
DPW(dynamopro.weebly.com)
Next show is Friday 6/14 in Glen Carbon, IL:
-Dan Walsh vs. Randomly-Drawn Opponent - Heavyweight Title
-Michael Elgin vs. Trent Stone
-Ricky Cruz vs. Jeremy Wyatt - Dog Collar Match
-MsChif vs. Miss Natural - Falls-Count-Anywhere Match
MMWA-SICW(saintlouiswrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 6/8 in St. Louis, MO.
SICW has a show on Saturday 6/15 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Ricky Cruz vs. Ron Powers - Classic Title - Referee Danny Boy Hawkins
METRO EAST CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/pages/MECW/147167285333132)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
PRO WRESTLING COLLISION(www.prowrestlingcollision.com)
Next show is Saturday 5/25 in Carbondale, IL:
-Heath Hatton vs. Shane Rich vs. Bull Bronson - Heavyweight Title
-Brandon Espinosa & Ace Hawkins vs. Alex Castle & Reed Bentley - Tag Team Titles
-Kyle Sykes vs. Chase King
-Mikey McFinnegan vs. Justice
-Billy Hills vs. Matt King vs. J.J. Garrett vs. Mallaki Mathews vs. Jay Spade
-In action: Matt Cage, Alex Castle, Zakk Sawyer
3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 6/7 in Grimes, IA.
METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 6/1 in Kansas City, KS:
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Stevie Richards - Heavyweight Title
-Dan Walsh vs. Derek Stone - Central States Title
-The Heroes For Hire(Jimmy Rockwell & Zach Thompson) vs. Jake & Ryan King
-Mat Fitchett vs. Evan Gelistico
-Davey Vega vs. Pierre Abernathy
WLW(www.harleyrace.com/WorldLeagueWrestling.htm)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
CSCW(www.nwa-ccw.com)
Next show is Saturday 6/22 in Swansea, IL:
-Evan Money vs. Andy Dalton - NWA Central States Title
-Shane Somers vs. Shane Fury - NWA Illinois Title
CSCW has a show on Saturday 7/27 in Swansea, IL:
-Evan Money vs. Deven Spade - NWA Central States Title
RCW(no website)
RCW has a reunion show on Saturday 8/31 in Bethalto, IL.
UNAFFILIATED SHOWS
Saturday 6/15 in Jerseyville, IL:
-The Hooligans vs. Manimal & Chuey Martinez
-Ruben Steel vs. Jimmy Feltcher
-Appearing: Mickie Knuckles
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DRAGON GATE USA/EVOLVE(www.dgusa.tv)
Next show is Thursday 5/30 in Orlando, FL:
-A.R. Fox vs. Nick Jackson - EVOLVE Title
-Johnny Gargano vs. Matt Jackson
-EITA vs. Tomahawk T.T.
-Samuray Del Sol vs. Anthony Nese
-Chuck Taylor vs. Brian Cage
-The Bravado Brothers vs. Sugar Dunkerton & Maxwell Chicago
-Fray Match: Andrew Everett, Caleb Konley, Jon Davis, Lince Dorado, Shane Strickland, Tommy Taylor
EVOLVE has a show on Saturday 6/1 in Jacksonville, FL:
-A.R. Fox vs. EITA
-Johnny Gargano vs. Tomahawk T.T.
-Shane Strickland vs. Samuray Del Sol
-Caleb Konley vs. Tommy Taylor
-The Young Bucks vs. Anthony Nese & Brian Cage
-Jon Davis vs. Chuck Taylor
-Lince Dorado vs. Jonny Vandal
-The Bravado Brothers vs. Andrew Everett & Derek Ryze
EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 6/2 in Ybor City, FL:
-Johnny Gargano vs. Samuray Del Sol - Open The Freedom Gate Title
-The Young Bucks vs. EITA & Tomahawk T.T. - Open The United Gate Titles
-Jon Davis vs. Brian Cage
-A.R. Fox vs. Lince Dorado
-The Bravado Brothers & Andrew Everett vs. Dos Ben Dejos & Shane Strickland
-Chuck Taylor vs. Caleb Konley
-Anthony Nese vs. Tommy Taylor
HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)
Next show is Saturday 6/22 in Philadelphia, PA:
-Tommy Dreamer vs. Lance Storm
-2 Cold Scorpio vs. John Morrison
-The Young Bucks vs. Brian Kendrick & Paul London
-Appearing: Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Steiner Brothers, Carlito Colon, Maria Kanellis, Montel Vontavious Porter, Thea Trinidad, Mike Bennett, Tony Nese, Alex Reynolds
ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.anarchy-wrestling.net)
Next show is Saturday 5/25 in Cornelia, GA:
-The Movement(Najasism & The Vandal) vs. The Washington Bullets(Jon & Trey Williams) - Tag Team Titles - Best-Of-3-Falls Match
-Jeremy Vain vs. Kevin Blue - Heavyweight Title
-Seth Delay vs. Anthony Henry
-Steven Walters vs. John Skyler
-Geter & The Urban Assault Squad(Shadow Jackson & Nemesis) vs. Shaun Tempers, Se7en, & Jagged Edge
-Azrael, Slim J, & Billy Buck vs. Bobby Moore & Hot Commodity(C.B. Suave & Tommy Penirelli)
CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)
Next show is Sunday 6/2 in Philadelphia, PA:
-Eddie Kingston vs. Icarus - Grand Championship
-Amasis vs. Ophidian - Sarcophagus Match
-Mark Angelosetti vs. Saturyne - Young Lions' Cup
-Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked, & Frightmare vs. The Colony Xtreme Force
-Gavin Loudspeaker vs. Tim Donst
WRESTLING IS RESPECT(www.prowrestlingrespect.com)
Next show is Sunday 6/30 in Boonton, NJ.
SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)
Next shows are Saturday 10/19 & Sunday 10/20 in Berwyn, IL.
SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 5/24 in Ybor City, FL:
-Jessicka Havok vs. Portia Perez - SHINE Title Tournament Spot On The Line
-Rain vs. Angelina Love
-Mercedes Martinez vs. Mia Yim - SHINE Title Tournament
-Leva Bates vs. Taylor Made - SHINE Title Tournament
-Nikki Roxx vs. Allysin Kay - SHINE Title Tournament
-Santana Garrett vs. Kimberly - SHINE Title Tournament
AAW(www.aawrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 6/28 in Berwyn, IL:
-Michael Elgin vs. Shane Hollister - Heavyweight Title
ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)
Next show is Sunday 6/23 in Austin, TX featuring the American Joshi Queen Of Queens Tournament.
STL Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/
MO Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
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