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 hadn't been to a WLW show in almost a year; the driving distance usually put it low on my priority list.  A lot of things about the company were in limbo in that time as the Heavyweight and Tag Team Titles were up in the air; Trevor Murdoch hadn't appeared for the company and his title was finally declared vacant prior to this show.  On top of that, previous Tag Team Champions The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean) dropped off the map after their title win last spring; Magnuson left wrestling entirely while DeLorean has just been inactive for the most part.  On the other side of things, Jon Webb became the company's first Jr. Heavyweight Champion with a win over Jayden Fenix in August.  Since the last time I attended a WLW event, the Women's Title went from "Miss Natural" Heather Patera to Miss Monica Passeri to Stacey O'Brien to Lucy Mendez(now a three-time titleholder).

I carpooled with Ben Simon to the event as we plotted our inevitable coup to control all of St. Louis wrestling...MWAHAHAHA!  (Err...sorry, that shouldn't have been out loud...moving on...)  The show had a fine turnout, but the next big show is on March 11th with upcoming WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle in attendance; let the hype train leave the station.

Your ring announcer was Brian Thompson; your referees were Richard White and Martin Kattich.

"The Legacy" Leland Race kicked off the show and brought out WLW promoter Harley Race to address the fans.  Rumors have been swirling about Harley's health in recent weeks; while he is in a motorized wheelchair, he's still far tougher than your average customer.  After the feel-good moment of Harley and Leland addressing the appreciative fans in attendance, Jayden Fenix had to play spoilsport by attacking Leland from behind.  This kickstarted their opening bout...

"The Legacy" Leland Race(w/ Harley Race) vs. Jayden Fenix, Heavyweight Title Tournament:  These two crossed paths a few times in the second half of 2016 as Fenix attempted to separate himself from his past in The Black Hand Warriors.  (That might be a bit easier with the other former Warriors in wrestling limbo.)  Leland had to be seen as a favorite in the tournament as a four-time former titleholder, but Fenix had a lot to prove as a result.  In the end, Fenix's emotions got the better of him; he was disqualified in 3:59 for refusing to release a hanging armbar over the ropes after the referee's five-count.  He held the armbar right in front of Harley Race at ringside and it appeared that Harley personally broke up the hold(I was on the opposite side of the ring and didn't see it clearly)...as Fenix turned his attention to the Hall Of Famer, Jr. Heavyweight Champion Jon Webb came out to confront his old rival.  That sparked a brawl between the two and Webb sent Fenix into retreat mode...Leland had advanced in the tournament, but he wasn't in the best of shape.

Rex Fults vs. "The Roman Dynasty" Karim Brigante(w/ Miss Monica Passeri), Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Fults(who simply goes by "Rex") is a newcomer to the wrestling world and debuted for WLW in the second half of 2016...he's a big boy and Brigante had trouble dealing with the size difference.  Karim had an edge in experience, but it was Monica who was the deciding factor as she tripped up Rex at a key moment.  That allowed Brigante to deliver a cheapshot from behind, then finish with the roaring elbow in 7:46 to advance to the finals.

Brandon Espinosa vs. Superstar Steve Fender, Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Fender was the only other former Heavyweight Champion in the tournament, but he hadn't held the belt since 2009.  Espinosa has held championships in many area promotions, but WLW gold has eluded him; the closest he came was the Tag Team Title tournament in 2015 when he and Justin D'Air lost to Dave DeLorean and Jayden Fenix in the finals.  This battle of experienced competitors was one of my favorite bouts of the night; they worked very well together and I wouldn't mind seeing them cross paths again at some point.  Espy focused his attack on the arm in an attempt to set up the cross-armbreaker, but Fender was able to avoid the hold and launch a counterattack.  Superstar Steve had the experience edge and it paid off; he scored the win with a brainbuster in 11:30.

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Mountain Dew and a slice of sausage pizza courtesy of Little Caesar's...it was good, but it's no Pizza Hut.  *cheap plug for my current place of employment*

Stacey O'Brien vs. "Miss Natural" Heather Patera:  This was Part MCMXVIII in the eternal series between the two and was announced as being for a shot at current WLW Women's Champion Lucy Mendez(who had another engagement in Kansas City on this night).  The match played out strangely as Stacey was not in a slap-hands-with-the-fans state of mind...in fact, both women seemed to be in a heelish mood for the night.  That left the fan support divided as the two fought it out...but the battle spilled out of the ring and led to a double countout in 7:53.  Triple threat forthcoming?  We shall see...

"The Hybrid Ace" Jon Webb vs. "Kickin'" Kyle Roberts for the Jr. Heavyweight Title:  These two have fought on several occasions, including the semifinals of the original championship tournament.  While it was a battle of fan favorites, the fans were into the action-packed bout; both have improved a great deal in the past year or so.  Roberts lived up to his nickname with his educated feet, but Webb countered a flying roundhouse kick into a kneebar takedown for the submission in 7:08.  Nicely done...wouldn't mind seeing a longer match between these two.

Intermission numero dos~!  Not much more to add here...

"The Legacy" Leland Race vs. Superstar Steve Fender vs. "The Roman Dynasty" Karim Brigante(w/ Miss Monica Passeri), Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Race had some time to rest and perhaps put some ice on his arm, so he didn't appear to suffer any significant damage from Jayden Fenix's hanging armbar; however, he was obviously not 100% after his earlier bout.  All three men were pulling double duty; Race was the lone fan favorite against two rulebreaking competitors, which was a tough situation as triple threat matches are essentially no-countout and no-DQ by very nature.  Because of that, Monica wasn't shy about her involvement in the match; that stacked the deck even further against Leland Race.  While Fender and Brigante double-teamed Race at times, only one could win the match and they would turn their aggression toward each other.  Despite the combustible elements in the immediate ring area, it was an outside factor who made the difference:  Jayden Fenix.  Fenix ran out to break up a Crippler Crossface on Fender, leading to Race taking out both men with a plancha.  However, Brigante had the opportunity to recover and stunned Leland with a pop-up forearm smash for a CLOSE near-fall.  However, the tide had been turned and Brigante wasted no time in delivering the roaring elbow to pin Race in 14:10!  In what had to be considered an upset, Karim Brigante had become the new WLW Heavyweight Champion!

Ben and I didn't stick around for too long after the show...I picked up some Taco Bell on the way home because I seem to hate my digestive system.

Next up for me is the National Wrasslin' League in St. Louis tomorrow night; The Blood Brothers(Davey Gibson & Matthew Grundy) will face Cornell Douglas & Christian Adonis in the main event.  Also, three St. Louis Title tournament matches will take place:  Coco Rumble vs. Emmett DuBois, Javy Torres vs. Marcellus Gaines, and Maverick vs. Dominick Butler.  The show will also feature a crossover match from the Kansas City roster.

As for the rest of the weekend, I work on Saturday so I'll have to catch the YouTube videos from the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance show that night in St. Louis.  I am off work on Sunday, so I will probably drop by the Wrestling Over Everything show in Swansea, IL.

The rest of February looks like this:
-Saturday 2/18: Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL (start of the Classic Title tournament)
-Sunday 2/19: Glory Pro Wrestling in Alton, IL (Matt Riddle vs. Michael Elgin)
-Thursday 2/23: National Wrasslin' League in St. Louis, MO (Davey Gibson vs. Cornell Douglass, Dez Wellston vs. Adam Ryan, and Matthew Grundy vs. Cal Stark in the St. Louis Title tournament)
-Saturday 2/25: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Alton, IL (Outtkast vs. Michael Elgin)

That's my special comment for this, the fourth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2017.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.