WLW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's World League Wrestling show at the Race Wrestling Arena in Troy, Missouri.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

I chose WLW instead of SICW on Saturday since it was closer to home:  About an hour to Troy as opposed to almost two hours to Cape Girardeau.  (NOTE:  The Cape show results have been added to the blog, a few posts down.)  However, my transportation plans became more complicated when my car's warning lights lit up like a pinball machine on Saturday afternoon.  I got my car to the repair place with the expectation that I would only need a rental for a day or so...as it turned out, the specific part for my specific car is somewhat of a bitch to find, so I'm still rolling with the rental at the moment.  The only vehicle available at the rental place was a minivan...so for all the people who joke that I look like I should be driving a van, I have been doing thusly for the past few days.  (Et tu, rental place?)

At any rate, I took Ben Simon up on his offer to carpool, which presented another fun time as I attempted to navigate the crowded Central West End in an unfamiliar vehicle.  After parking about a mile away from Ben's location and hiking the rest of the way, I rode with him to Troy MO for the evening's festivities.  The attendance turnout was a bit lower but still decent...they had a legit sellout in February when Ted DiBiase was the special guest and I expect the same in May when Ricky Steamboat is in the house.

Your ring announcer was Brian Thompson; your referee was Richard White.

Jayden Fenix vs. Mike Outlaw, Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal:  Fenix had bested "The Yoga Monster" Mike Sydal in the first round; Outlaw had used surprisingly underhanded tactics to get past former tag team partner Justin D'Air.  I saw these two in a match at Dynamo Pro Wrestling last year, though Outlaw was the fan favorite in that case with Fenix as the rulebreaker.  These two seem to work well together and this was no exception; with fewer matches on the show than the SICW event the previous night, the matches generally got more time.  The finish saw Fenix tie up Outlaw in a lucha-style pinning combination, ending with a crucifix on the mat in 10:39.  The tournament finals were announced as taking place on the May 14th show.

The Math Magician vs. Superstar Steve Fender:  I was far too proud of my shoutout to the masked man:  "You've got his number!"  *ducks thrown objects*  This was far, far more competitive than I was expecting...to the point that Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch ran in for the DQ in 8:40.  Didn't see THAT coming...Leland Race made the save and Commissioner Matt Murphy announced a tag match for later in the night.  The originally scheduled main event was Race teaming with Roy Lewis against Murdoch & Fender...then that was changed to Race being in a gauntlet match against Karim Brigante, Fender, and possibly more opponents to earn his rematch with Murdoch.  (I think Lewis and the rest of the Troy Athletic Club were at NWA Central States Championship Wrestling for the evening.)  In essence, they defaulted to their previously-scheduled main event with Math Magician in Lewis' spot.

Jon Webb vs. "Kickin'" Kyle Roberts, Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal:  Webb defeated "The Millenial" Danny Adams in the quarterfinals; "The" Ace Hawkins defeated Roberts by pulling the tights during a rollup attempt, but Harley Race overruled the decision after the fact and Roberts advanced to the semis by default.  (Presumably Hawkins was otherwise engaged, thus the match change.)  The outcome seemed to be a foregone conclusion, but it was a fine short match; Webb won after a flying knee strike to the back of the head in 6:38.  Jayden Fenix hit the ring for the mutual-respect-yadda-yadda setup for the finals...only to blast Webb with a cheapshot.  Fenix said he was tired of being in the shadow of the other Black Hand Warriors (Tag Champs Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean were absent on this night) and would make his own name at Webb's expense.

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Mountain Dew, Pepsi, and a bottle of water.

Stacey O'Brien vs. Miss Monica Passeri(w/ Karim Brigante):  This was billed as a top-contender's match for the next shot at Women's Champion "Miss Natural" Heather Patera.  I don't know much about Monica's wrestling background or how much experience she has, though she has a few matches on YouTube; this was my first time seeing one of her matches in person.  I had commented on the women's match at the previous WLW Troy show being on the short side; in contrast, this one went longer than expected.  (Not necessarily a bad thing...as I've learned from comedy, the only way to get used to working longer matches is to work longer matches.)  Karim didn't have a match for the night and took it out on Stacey on a few occasions.  That finally brought out Kyle Roberts to fight him off, and the distraction allowed Stacey to win after a Codebreaker in 11:35(!).

Leland Race & The Math Magician vs. Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch & Superstar Steve Fender:  Math Magician was prepared enough to have two sets of gear in case he had to wrestle twice.  Murdoch turned on Race last August and then cheated him out of the Heavyweight Title, so Race has been fighting his way back to a title rematch.  A lot of solid in-ring competitors in one match made for a really good main event; the masked man seemed slightly out of place but he held his own.  The finish saw Murdoch shove Race off the top rope, leading to Fender getting the surprise win over the former champion via brainbuster in 14:22.

Post-match:  Murdoch's comments were interesting as he seemingly complimented his tag team partner and talked condescendingly about him at the same time...he berated Race for being unable to even beat his tag team partner, let alone be worthy of another title opportunity.  Perhaps that would open the door for the possibility of Fender challenging Murdoch...we shall see.  Matt Murphy announced that Race vs. Fender would take place at the May 14th show...with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat as the special referee.  Sweet.  Will need to check my calendar on that one...tickets will probably sell VERY quickly.

Since the evening was young(the show ended right around the two-hour mark), Ben Simon and myself made our way to the Peacock Loop Diner in University City for some post-game dining.  I opted for the "Finals Breakfast Sandwich", which was essentially a classier version of a McGriddle...good stuff.  We also watched the first part of Saturday Night Live (sans audio).

In an update to my transportation situation, my car's troubles turned out to be far more expensive than expected...I'm already paying a ton for the work already completed and it would cost even more to fix everything.  Alas, it appears as though the 2009 Chevy Aveo has been on its final voyage...it carried me through many a wrestling and comedy excursion.  There's never been a right time to say goodbye, has there?  Shopping for the next edition of the Patmobile will progress in the next week or so...any recommendations are highly appreciated.  Thankfully I'm on vacation from work next week.

This coming weekend, the main wrestling shows in the Midwest are slightly out of my range.  Dynamo Pro Wrestling will be in Columbia, MO with Davey Richards & Angelina Love in the house, plus High Risk Wrestling returns to Warsaw, MO.  Wrestling Invades America returns to Swansea on Sunday and that's close enough to home for me to attend...woo.  The month of April wraps up with Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Granite City on Saturday the 30th...also Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling has a show in Millstadt, IL with the MIGHTY MIDGETS~! in the house.  Elsewhere in the area:  Gateway Elite Wrestling will be in Camdenton, MO that Saturday, New Breed Wrestling will be in Eldon, MO, and NWA Central States Championship Wrestling has a show in Lebanon, MO.

That's my special comment for this, the fifteenth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.