Now, as promised, a special comment about the Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling show on Saturday, May 19th at the Community Center in East Carondelet, Illinois.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
The Friday morning before this show, I went to Victory Men's Health to get my blood drawn for a test. That evening, I drove two hours each way to Carmi, Illinois for a comedy show where I did a twenty-minute set. I didn't see my weekend plans being affected and made my way to East Carondelet for the big Wrestling At The Chase anniversary show with Barbara Goodish and "Dr. D" David Schultz as special guests.
Your ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Jay King, Shaft, & Nick Ridenour.
Steve Davis of "Memories Of Elvis" sang the National Anthem for the evening, then promoter Herb Simmons was joined in the ring by Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance promoter Tony Casta and New Breed Wrestling promoter Scott Zei to speak on the evening and its significance. They announced that Tag Team Titles would be started that would be defended in both the MMWA and SICW as well as NBW and USA Championship Wrestling...interesting concept. It'll be good to get more tag titles in the Midwest mix. After that, Nick Ridenour announced that Whipper Billy Watson would be the next inductee to the St. Louis Wrestling Hall Of Fame.
"The Wrestler For The People" Rex Fults vs. "The Legacy" Leland Race(w/ Travis Cook): Cook's stable continues to expand as he now seems to be associated with five different wrestlers: King Christopher Hargas, Superstar Steve Fender, The Professionals(Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby), and now Race. It was both men's debuts in SICW to my knowledge (though Ben Simon said that Race may have worked there in the past as Jason Jones). Rex gained the advantage late in the bout, but Race turned the tide with a belly-to-back suplex into a modified rollup (didn't see if he had the tights from my vantage point) in 6:52.
"Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent, Keith Smith Jr., & Bobby D vs. The Big Texan & The Professionals(Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby): No Travis at ringside for this one as he only seems to recruit Santel & McDarby when he needs some extra muscle on his side. The Professionals & Texan probably had the edge in overall teamwork, which made the difference in the end...Texan pinned Bobby D after the double-underhook powerbomb in 6:08.
Billy McNeil(w/ D'Mon G) vs. "Volatile" Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre): Of note, D'Mon has gone back to his previous ring name after competing as Jayson Khaos in recent years. Billy attempted an early plancha but had a rough landing..."high risk" and all that. As is tradition, Wyldefyre got involved and the distraction was enough of an opening for Wylde to finish with the Wylde Ride(it alternates between a Flatliner and a Paydirt but it was a Flatliner this time) in 6:18. Promoter Herb Simmons noted that Savanna Stone was without an opponent for the night due to Miss Monica Passeri's absence, so he put Wyldefyre in the match with Savanna...all righty then.
Herb brought Barbara Goodish and Dr. D into the ring for an interview, talking about the history of Wrestling At The Chase among other things. For those newer fans who are unfamiliar with Schultz, he was once a part of the World Wrestling Federation and slapped the hell out of a reporter who asked if wrestling was "fake" (you can probably YouTube that).
"The Wrestling Machine" Dave Vaughn vs. "Superstar" Steve Fender(w/ Travis Cook): These two matched up well with each other and I'd like to see a rematch down the line that gets more time. I've joked recently that Vaughn should team up with Jack Gamble as Team "WRESTLING!" Fender's experience edge may have made the difference as he won with a small package reversal in 7:04.
Intermission~! Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm): Cheesebuger, Pepsi, bottle of water.
"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson & "Ironman" Ken Kasa vs. Kowalski & Jake Prater: The super heavyweight rulebreaking team could be a major force down the line once the new Tag Titles come into play. They faced a tough first test in the form of two former SICW Classic Wrestling Champions with a major experience advantage. It looked like sheer size and power might be the deciding factor as Prater delivered a big splash on Jackson, but Prater's pin attempt was reversed into a crucifix on the mat for the three-count in 9:29.
Savanna Stone vs. Wyldefyre(w/ Curtis Wylde): Wyldefire had only competed in official matches a couple of times in the past: Once several years ago in the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance against Jennifer Starr, then again about a year ago in SICW against Miss Monica. Given the short notice of the match, I imagine there wasn't much time for either woman to prepare...but they had a decent contest in the end. Wylde interfered behind the referee's back with a Russian legsweep, giving his "#1 Ginga" the advantage...but Savanna fought back to win with the Sliced Bread #2 in 5:31.
Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal: Participants were: Sean Vincent, D'Mon G, Steve Fender, Kowalski, Ken Kasa, Leland Race, Rex Fults, Dave Vaughn, Curtis Wylde, Gary Jackson, Big Texan, Billy McNeil, Shawn Santel, Mauler McDarby, Moondog Rover, Bobby D, Keith Smith Sr.(making his return to SICW as an active competitor), Keith Smith Jr., and Jake Prater. I had trouble catching the eliminations in person since the ring was so full and a bunch happened in rapid succession, but a YouTube video of the match allowed me to go back and fill in the blanks...MWAHAHAHA! Anywho: Santel went out first courtesy of Bobby D, followed by his partner McDarby via Moondog Rover. Kasa and Fender continued their feud and fought out to the apron, where Kowalski knocked them both to the floor. Kowalski continued his dominance by throwing out McNeil, then came out on top of a showdown with his tag partner Prater to send him to the floor(every man for himself!). Wylde eliminated D'Mon; Race and Vaughn grappled on the ropes until Vaughn sent them both over the top to the floor. Kowalski threw out Rover before the father-son Smith duo eliminated Rex. Old rivals Vincent and Wylde crossed paths again, with Wylde getting the better of it by throwing Vincent over the top. Bobby D lasted a surprisingly long time, but Kowalski sent him floorward. It took a team effort by powerhouses Texan and Kowalski to eliminate Keith Smith, then Keith Jr. rushed Texan with a clothesline that sent them both over the top. That left Jackson, Wylde, and Kowalski as the final three...Jackson tried to get Kowalski out single-handedly, but a low blow by Wylde led to he and Jackson forming an unlikely partnership to get the big man out of the match. Jackson had no time to bask in the afterblow as Wylde pounced on him with a flying roundhouse kick, finally throwing him out to win the battle royal in 7:42! Wylde's post-match celebration saw him disrespect Barbara Goodish, earning him a slap to the face...he nearly got into a confrontation with Dr. D as well.
Intermission numero dos~! It was around this time(during the end and aftermath of the battle royal) that I noticed the missed call and voicemail on my phone from the doctor's office...being the stubborn type that I am, I wanted to watch the rest of the show before going to the hospital to get my situation re-evaluated. Mental note: Get priorities straight.
"The King Of Chaos" Ricky Cruz vs. King Christopher Hargas(w/ Travis Cook), cage match: I was standing by the entrance door after talking with the doctor's office, so I was in prime position to see Ricky enter that way to jump Hargas as he and his manager made his way around the ring. (There is NO TRUTH to the rumor that I alerted Ricky when they were approaching the nearest corner of the ring...fake news! Sad!) The two brawled around the ring before they even made it into the cage for the official start of the match. Travis tried to throw in a chair and a chain was used as well...neither man is any stranger to questionable tactics as both used low blows at different points in the bout. In the end, Ricky knocked out Hargas with his own chain for the win in 10:03...but the war was far from over as Race and Fender hit the ring to assist in a gang attack on Cruz. Several of the fan favorites(particularly the Smiths) tried to assist but were held off by the Professionals...Ricky was left bloody by the time order was restored. This feud...MUST CONTINUE!
Axeman Marc Houston(w/ Big Daddy) vs. Flash Flanagan for the Classic Title: Flanagan had announced that he's retiring at the end of 2018, but the three-time champion was looking for number four here. Houston was the aggressor in the early going, leaving the challenger bloody after introducing him to the cage head-first. Flanagan turned the tide and attempted to escape through the door, but Big Daddy slammed the door in his face and Houston got a near-fall out of it. Promoter Herb Simmons admonished the manager for getting involved, then took the opportunity to slide Flanagan's kendo stick into the ring(hmm...). Flash went to town on Houston with his trademark weapon, ending with a shot to the head that gave him the victory in 14:51! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a NEWWWWW SICW Classic Wrestling Champion!
I said my goodbyes before heading straight to Memorial Hospital after the show...you pretty much know the rest. I'm feeling very lucky because I had no idea of the condition I was in. I was severely anemic and had lost a lot of blood due to a slow internal bleed that I had no idea was there. The doctor's office literally said that getting the blood test when I did saved my life. I missed Glory Pro Wrestling: Resurgence on Sunday for obvious reasons and finally made my way home on Tuesday evening...thanks to my cousin Jason and my dad for checking on the dog while I was away.
The rest of June looks like this:
-Friday 6/15: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in St. Louis, MO(FUBAR)
-Saturday 6/16: Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Alton, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet; IL; World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville, IL
-Sunday 6/17: Glory Pro Wrestling/Resurgence in Swansea, IL
-Sunday 6/24: Wrestling Over Everything in Centreville, IL
-Saturday 6/30: Proving Ground Pro in Athens, IL
That's my special comment for this, the twenty-ninth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2018. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
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