Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's Glory Pro/Dynamo Pro Wrestling exhibition at the Rizzuto Show Eat & Treat event at the Amphitheater in Chesterfield, Missouri.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
I began listening to 105.7 The Point's morning show on a regular basis several years ago...back then it was the Woody & Rizzuto Show, but it became the Rizzuto Show when Woody accepted a radio show on the west coast. One of the hosts of the show, Tony Patrico, is a big wrestling fan and uses some remixed wrestling themes as bumper music...I've had the opportunity to chat with him at a few remote broadcasts and also at some of the local wrestling shows he has attended. He's a big fan of Glory Pro and I've seen him at Ring Of Honor as well...I know that several of the deejays are wrestling fans, including Donny Fandango and Lux(who now does the morning show on 96.3 FM with local comedian Tim Convy). I thought I spotted Lux at the dunk tank but didn't get a chance to say hi.
Glory Pro was advertised as being a part of this event, which featured many local food trucks, trick-or-treating for the kids, and musical acts as well as the wrestling. I helped out at the wrestling tent for a little while, so yes, I was handing out candy to children for a short time. Have you ever gotten the feeling that your deity of choice is laughing at you from on high? As the event drew closer, it was pushed as a combination effort of Glory Pro and Dynamo Pro...I figured it would be the local crew working, so it made some sense. The wrestling got a lot of positive attention from the onlookers, many of whom were unfamiliar with the local independent scene...so score in that regard. I said hi to Donny Fandango at the Point booth as he was broadcasting live from the event...don't know how much of the show he saw, but I've always encouraged him to check out the local indie scene. (Most of the local groups are family-friendly, so you can bring the kiddos...) I got my picture taken with Fredbird...woo-hoo.
Your ring announcer was Ben Simon; your referee was Richard White. Tony Patrico introduced the wrestling festivities; the ring was set up in front of the stage where the musical performances took place.
The Pride("The Incredible Primal Prodigy" Matt Kenway(Look At Him After Dark) & Aaron Dzinic) vs. No New Friends(Kevin Lee Davidson & "The Millenial" Danny Adams): I think I'm overdue to retire the overblown nickname thing for Kenway...I'll do that eventually. This was a more casual crowd than the usual Glory Pro audience, so Kenway wasn't unmercifully booed as he normally is. K.L.D. and Adams showed some innovative teamwork at times, including a move where Adams monkeyflipped K.L.D. into his corner cannonball on Kenway. Dzinic got a hot tag and rallied, but the opposition was too much for The Pride...K.L.D. lifted him into wheelbarrow position and Adams added a flying knee strike before Davidson faceplanted him, getting the three-count in 10:34. No New Friends picked up some momentum heading into their United Glory Tag Team Title shot on Sunday...
Savanna Stone vs. Rahne Victoria: I suspect these two will battle each other for a long time. Rahne competed for Anarchy Wrestling in Cornelia, Georgia recently...it was also her first time as a de facto fan favorite against area rulebreaker Crystal Rose. (Seeing a show in the old NWA Wildside venue is on my personal bucket list as a wrestling fan.) Versatility is a good thing and I imagine we'll see Savanna as a rulebreaker at some point in her career...we may even see these two as a tag team down the line (as we saw Matt Sydal and Delirious eventually paired up). This was a short contest and Savanna was motivated to gain momentum heading into Sunday's show as well...she got the victory with Sliced Bread #2 in 3:38.
"Pretty Reckless" Everett Connors vs. "The Stiff Robo Ginger" Gary Jay: This was a battle of fan favorites and unfamiliar onlookers got an education on how hard Gary can hit...his chops left a red handprint on Connors' chest that was still visible at the following day's show! It seems like it wasn't that long ago that Connors was just starting out as a fresh-faced rookie at the South Broadway Athletic Club...he's taken his lumps and progressed to where he's proven he belongs with the top competitors in the Midwest. (He returns to CHIKARA in a few weeks!) Of course Gary Jay has proven himself many times over and is finally starting to turn some heads on the national scene. The match could have gone either way as both men had big matches in Alton: Gary would continue his recent feud with "The Warhorse" Jake Parnell while Connors would team with his mentor Michael Elgin to defend the United Glory Tag Team Titles against No New Friends and The Boys From Jollyville(T-Money & Nasty Russ Myers). After the two exchanged close near-falls, Connors edged out the win with a victory roll in 7:38...most tremendous.
"The Master Of Hairflips" Brandon Aarons vs. Brandon Espinosa vs. Roy Lewis for the DPW Heavyweight Title: Lewis was an interesting X-Factor in this bout between former Babewatch tag team partners. In this style of match, it's easy to steal a quick pin cover and one does not need to pin the champion to capture the belt...so it can be anybody's ballgame. Espinosa has been a Tag Team Champion in Dynamo but has yet to hold singles gold, a goal he's attained in just about every other promotion where he's competed. For a while it seemed like Espy's goal was to take Aarons out of the game and isolate Lewis to pin him, but Aarons managed to fight his way back into the match. Espinosa hit the brainbuster on Lewis but Aarons broke up the cover with a double-stomp off the top rope. Espy rolled out of the ring and Aarons capitalized on the situation, taking out Lewis with the close-range superkick and getting the pin in 6:44 to retain his title!
Ben Simon sought to wrap up the show, but K.L.D. and Adams made another appearance to talk up their United Glory Tag Title shot the following day...all righty then.
There was no intermission and no Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm)...aww. I touched base with a bunch of people at the event...I had to joke with Sarah Rose(taking photos at ringside) over her wearing a Joey Ryan "King Of Dong Style" T-shirt to a kid-oriented event. It's always cool to chat with Patrico, Moon Valjean(of Greek Fire/Story Of The Year fame), and Jeff Burton...I also got to officially meet Rizzuto, Mak(who does afternoons at The Point), and King Scott(Moon's cousin who has been a guest host at times). I caught up to Moon as he was finishing up at the dunk tank...heh. I wish I'd brought enough cash to partake in one of the food trucks, but I've been a bit under the weather in recent days so extra food may not have been a good idea. Anywho, I headed home and just relaxed at home for the evening...think I needed the rest as Sunday would be a long day.
Of course, Sunday was another story for another time, so tune in next time: Same Pat-Time, Same Pat-Channel.
That's my special comment for this, the fifty-first 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.
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