MWR Spotlight: Eric Allen The Peorian Pride Champion”?

 

By Brian “Flair” Kelley

 

Eric Allen “The Peorian Pride Champion”?  If you are a fan of wrestling and did not know that such a title existed then you are not alone. Just by chance I was in Wood River Illinois to check out MECW for MWR when this brash cocky Eric Allen was introduced to the crowd as the Peorian Pride Champion (much to my surprise) in his match with Brian Scrilla.  I consider myself knowledgeable of the independent scene in this area but this was the first that I had heard of such a title.

 

With the camera in hand I watched as Allen used every trick in the book to keep his coveted title belt. Scrilla was the victim of foul play when “Exxxplicit Content” member Ryan Slade’s valet Jenna Stark distracted the referee, to allow Slade to use the belt on Scrilla’s knee to preserve the victory and retain the title.

 

I was able to catch up with Allen after the match to ask him “Where did you win this belt?” His reply to me was that he had won the belt in Peoria Illinois. Allen stated “Peoria is famous for the fact that for something to succeed it must work in Peoria. If it works in Peoria then it will work anywhere. The Pro Wrestling legends organization got together and decided to bring all the top stars in Illinois and several superstars of the WWE, TNA and ROH. We competed in an underground tournament of 64 to determined Champion to finally get to the truth too who the best wrestler in the world really was” When I plainly asked who the superstars were that was in the tournament Allen was quick to say “I have no time for 20 questions, I have to get back to Peoria, they are having a parade to commemorate my victory tonight.”

 

 While I was on the three hour trip back from MECW and wrestling was hot on my mind. I could not wait to do the research and find out more about this Championship and more importantly why MWR was not invited? 

 

On Monday evening I decided to see how Allen’s parade went. I went on the trusty websites and did a search for parade in Peoria March 21….nothing. I thought maybe it was listed on March 22 beings that it was so late….nothing. Hmmm… I did a thorough search on the Peoria’s newspaper websites and still came up with zilch.  Who knows maybe it was “underground”!

 

I decided to contact some of the MWR Wrestling advisers. One correspondent that wished to remain anonymous enlightened me with some great information.

 

 I was told that Eric Allen “started out in Gateway Championship Wrestling in St Louis under the tutelage of Dingo for 5 months. During the later stages of the company Ego Express (KC Karrington and Steven Kennedy) , Shorty Biggs, Sean Vincent and Cameron Cage took over the training. Allen quickly felt that he had trained with the best, so that proved that he was superior to the rest of the locker room and he had yet to have a match.

 

The correspondent went on to tell me that “His (Eric Allen) ego escalated even further when his hand was raised in Overland Park when he defeated Trent Stone. In Eric’s mind he was a World Champion in the making.  Then by surprise GCW went under and he was left without a home promotion. When you saw Eric all he ever talked about was how he could have been the greatest Gateway Championship Champion of all time. Time went on and he never really seemed to be focused.”

 

Then he got the call from Lethal Wrestling Alliance to wrestle young Brandon Aarons  when the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) came to town. He told anyone that would listen, take notice because the MCMG may take him back with them to TNA after he schooled “This punk kid”.

 

Aarons was able to get the win and really seemed to get in the head of Allen. Later that same month Allen got another chance to show the LWA what he was made of defeating “Just” Rick Stone.  After the match was over Allen spent the rest of the night lobbing LWA Management for another chance at Brandon Aaron claiming that their first match was fluke.  Allen received his wish and when LWA returned to St Charles the next month the two went at it again it was a repeat of their first encounter.

 

Allen just disappeared for almost a year and hit rock bottom when he was defeated by Steven Miller. Eric Allen who envisioned himself as the next World Champion was furious and humiliated when an LWA fan started a thread asking “Who the F is Eric Allen?”  One fan thought is was a ref, another one replied he is good a drawing pictures, and one Superfan demanded that he got to see pictures of this Eric Allen still in disbelief that he existed.

 

High Voltage Wrestling certainly knows who Eric Allen is. They got to see first hand the talent first hand on March 14^th where he was very impressive in his domination of Max Archer. After the match was over he was seen lobbying HVW booker Frank Thurman for a HVW title shot with comments like “Let me put HVW on the wrestling map, HVW is young and fresh looking to strive to become the best in the Midwest and I can bring the promotion to the next level.

 

My correspondent went on to say “The last I caught up with Eric Allen he had told me how he had won this Peorian Pride Championship.” (I had not told my contact where and how Allen had told me he won it)  Allen said that he was headlined in a huge secret  fundraising wrestling event for the Republican Party at the Peoria Civic Center to determined the very first Peorian Pride Champion. He would not say who he fought but hinted that it was a former WWE Superstar who happens to be in the UFC right now. Any fool would know that he was wanting me to think that it was Brock Lesner but when I humored him and asked was it Lesner he replied “ I would love to tell you but you know the government, everything is a secret.”

 

 He ended it with “The man is talented, there is no doubt about it. The problem is his lack of friends due to his ego.” The man is shady and I wouldn’t turn my back on him if I was one of his friends.

 

 Word got back to Allen that I was inquiring information about his title and history and he contacted me via e-mail.  It was short and sweet, “Mr. Kelley make your way to Woodriver Illinois on April 25 at MECW to see the future of the sport and if you’re lucky I will give you the time to know more about the most dominate champion of the Midwest, Eric Allen “The Peorian Pride Champion”.  Tell my fans that I am blessing them with my appearance at High Voltage Wrestling in May when they return to Granite City, IL on May 9th.”

 

It looks as if I will have to wait a little longer to find out the truth of Eric Allen. Join MWR at Woodriver Illinois on April 25 as we try to get to the truth of the Peorian Pride Championship. Till then  for more information on this show please go to MECWrestling.com

 

 

To book Eric Allen please contact him via his myspace page by clicking here Peorian Pride Champion

Brandon Aarons beautifies B.A.B.E.WATCH

By Kari Williams

As “Irresistably Flawless” Brandon Aarons saunters to the ring, “Girls go crazy!” becomes his battlecry. With each flamboyant step, he anticipates cries of excitement from the girls in attendance. He foresees them fawning over his Greek god-like physique, hoping he does so much as cast a glance in their direction. The moment he steps through the ropes and flaunts his athletic prowess he lets his personality flourish. When Aarons secures victory, he delivers See You Next Tuesday, a fireman’s carry into a modified lung blower, and covers his opponent for the three count.

Brandon Aarons shows why he is 'irresistably flawless' prior to his match against Mark Sterling on Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Kari Williams

The Newport Beach, CA native began his career three years ago with Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW) and has since trained with Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) and Dynamo Training Gym, where he currently resides under the tutelage of Dingo. Noticing he needed something extra to stand out, Aarons established a serious training program in which he goes to the gym five days a week.

“[Other wrestlers] go to the gym all the time [and] get buff. Me? I was a little, skinny kid. Plus, I wanted to get the girls. So, I figure, I can go out somewhere, and I see all the girls looking at me, and I’m like, ‘Alright, this is cool.’ And then I see all the old guys looking at me, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I must be really good if the old dudes are checking me out too’,” Aarons said.

Once his desire to work at a more rigorous pace developed, Aarons had the opportunity to wrestle on the National Wrestling Alliance—Central States Wrestling (NWA-CSW, now Dynamo Pro) television taping in April 2008 against Adam Rich and Tony Brock in a three-way for the first Young Dynamo Cup. Boosting his credibility is the fact that he has worked on cards featuring stars such as Al Snow, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.

“I wrestled in front of almost 300 people up in NWA Dynamo in Kansas and then Espy [and I] wrestled as B.A.B.E.WATCH [with] IWA Productions…in January. [In the next year, I want to] wrestle in front of more people, get my name out there, get more publicity, do as much as I can to let people know that Brandon Aarons is the next breakout star in the midwest,” Aarons said.

Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa formed B.A.B.E.WATCH in May 2008 and currently have their sights set on gold.

Aarons joined forces with “Thee” Brandon Espinosa in May 2008 when their tag team, B.A.B.E.WATCH, debuted in LWA. The duo has wrestled for LWA, New Midwest Wrestling and High Voltage Wrestling (HVW), among other companies. The skill set they possess, and the attention they receive, allows them to stand out, despite Aarons keeping their key moves secret.

“[Espinosa has] his Mexican flying burrito skills, and I [have] my ridiculously good looking things that I do, which is everything. Plus, Espy and I get fan mail. Granted 99 percent of females that attend wrestling shows are complete trash, and I would never converse with them in my entire life—not even through a mutual friend…But B.A.B.E.WATCH…stands for ‘Girls, girls, girls want our bodies, but they cannot touch us so we wrestle ugly dudes and beat them unless they cheat. You know, like the Ego [Express] did on Jan. 24, the day after my birthday,” Aarons said.

Espinosa utitilizes the time spent together to develop their proficiency and skillfulness in the ring.

“As singles competitors, we are able to show one another what is great about each other, which helps us create our tag team aurora. Strategies are pretty much the same [though]. [We] use each other to the other ones advantage,” Espinosa said.

Having a love for the sport since he was 11 years old, Aarons understands his expectations and responsibilites as a wrestler but while balancing a full time college schedule knows he is limited.

Photo Courtesty of Brandon Aarons

Due to his hardwork and dedication, Aarons, along with others such as Mike Sydal, was named as one of the next wave of breakout stars on Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR) Owner Josh Ray’s, “2008 Year End Awards and Reflective Celebration” post. Aarons feels that he deserves the credit bestowed upon him.

“I don’t blame [MWR] at all [for selecting me] because if I’m going to train this hard, I better be getting something out of it. But guys like Mike [Sydal], he’s pretty talented. I mean, he’s probably almost just as good as me. Almost. You know, he’s got charisma; he’s got skill. Something I think that I possess as well because I’m irresistably flawless,” Aarons said.

Brandon has battled some of the best the Midwest has to offer, here he punishes Mark Sterling at LWA ( Photo Credit Brian “Flair” Kelley)

Wrestling for approximately two years, Sydal became an interim member of B.A.B.E.WATCH in Dec. 2008 and appreciates the recognition bestowed upon himself and Aarons.

“It was nice to read that, honestly, because it means people are noticing our hard work. I know both of us can live up to those expectations. We both work hard in and out of the ring, always training in the ring and in the gym,” Sydal said.

Aarons feels secure with his work ethic and plans to prove Ray correct in the coming months. The irresistably flawless one competed in a number one contender’s match for the Heavweight Title against “Future” Donovan Ruddick, J.C. Bravo and Dorian Victor on March 6 for LWA to attest to that fact. In the same month, he wrestled in HVW against Kahagas, who ranked at 373 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s PWI 500 for 2008.

At HVW on March 14, Brandon Aarons accompanies Brandon Espinosa to the ring for Espinosa's Livewire Championship match against Gary Jay. Photo by Kari Williams

“I can guarantee that I can get a reaction out of anybody no matter what I do, whether I’m shaking hands or pulling down my tights to expose my rock hard abs. I [have] skill, I [have] talent, I [have] charisma. My pecs are good. My triceps are good. My biceps are good. I’ve got rock solid thighs, I’ve got great hair. Those guys on that list, some of them might have some of it, some of them may have none of it, but I have all of it,” Aarons said.

The flamboyant Sydal has grown to know Aarons and thinks highly of his some-time partner.

“Brandon Aarons is a young, hungry, up-and-comer with a great body—a nice hard, tight, young body. He is a skilled wrestler with a chiseled and hard, tan look with a young face. [He has a] great boyish face with a toned physique that captivates you so you can’t look away,” Sydal said.

Aarons can back up such statements because he has girls “sending [him] e-mails [and] messaging [him] on MySpace.” Despite his claims, many fans harass Aarons with accusations of being homosexual, which he firmly denies.

B.A.B.E.WATCH plans to broaden their horizons within the next year. ‘We hope to wrestle as much as we can, capture as much gold–because it looks so good around our waists–and spread the word and looks of B.A.B.E.WATCH,’ Espinosa said. Photo by Brian “Flair” Kelley

“We look good. We wear professional-looking gear. I look professional. Espy looks professional. Mike definitely looks professional. His brother is Evan Bourne from WWE. You can’t get more professional than that…What’s gay about us? We don’t do anything gay. We wrestle. That’s what we do. We wrestle. We perform. We get out there. Take names. Kick ass …So, definitely not gay. Not gay at all,” Aarons said.

After working with Sydal semi-regularly for three months, Aarons has no problem with Sydal’s addition to B.A.B.E.WATCH.

“Us good looking guys, we have to stay together because in the wrestling business. It’s hard to find good looking guys, just as hard as it is to find good looking girls…The three of us together has been awesome. B.A.B.E.WATCH as a whole is obviously, Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa, but what do we want? We want babes. What does that ‘S’ stand for? Sydal. He’s the missing link, so if he wants in, he’s in,” Aarons said.

Regardless of the fans’ perception of the irresistably flawless one, he and Espinosa hope to excel as a team, with Espinosa stating that they are on a quest for gold. Before the dashing duet proves themselves in tag team title matches, Aarons must first contend with his opponent at LWA’s next show on April 4 in O’ Fallon, IL. For booking information, contact Aarons through brandonaarons@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/thegenerickid.

Your Trip to Space Mountain-Circus Maximus 2008

Your Trip to Space Mountain

by Brian “Flair” Kelley
Wise men say that there is always a calm before the storm. This was never so true as heading into the Lethal Wrestling Alliance’s Circus Maximus 2008. While driving to the Knights of Columbus building in O’Fallon, IL on July 12, 2008, there was a light rain and a coolness in the air before the show started. Throughout the year, LWA has been very active on the independent scene yet at times the quality of the shows have been questioned by not only the fans and the self proclaimed superfans, but also acknowledged by LWA management when they posted the “State of the LWA Address” to the LWA website on April 7, 2008. In the address, they asked for the fans to stick around and promised a wild ride along the way.

The ring was on the second floor of the building and as my girlfriend and I headed toward our seats, we saw our friends from SLAMZONE selling all our favorite wrestling merchandise and the Knights selling concessions to satisfy our hunger. As Dubray and I sat in the front row, she decided to drink a beer (which was only one dollar) and we got ready for a good time.

The show started with Paul Parker introducing Luke Roberts who spoke about the importance of why he should be the LWA President and said he was looking out for the fans and planned on watching some LWA Wrestling with the fans themselves and he sat in the front row near me as the first match was announced.

The first match pitted B.A.B.E.WATCH Brandon Aarons and Brandon Espinosa against Shamus O’Flannery & Mephisto. B.A.B.E.WATCH has been on quite a roll in the LWA and their teamwork seemed to be the difference between the two teams, as Espinosa was able to pin O’Flannery while Aarons made sure Mephisto was unable to help his partner.

Surprisingly, the next was a match that I thought should have been closer to the main event. The LWA Medallion holder Jeremy Wyatt defended the Medallion against LWA Favorite XXX Jordan Lacey. Lacey has been able to defeat the Monster and current Champ Donovan Ruddick so I knew that in match Wyatt would have his hands full and Wyatt must have known as well because he threw everything at Lacey. With Lacey out of the ring trying to catch a breath, Wyatt was in the ring when he decided to suicide dive onto Lacey, I told Dubray to “get ready here he comes” and stood up to catch a picture of the action. Wyatt slammed into Lacey and I hear a THUD coming from Wyatt’s head on the cement floor which stopped me from taking pictures, hoping that he was alright. I looked over to the right of me and there was my girlfriend on the floor with her legs in the air by the rail with an empty cup in her hand. She was getting help up. I was laughing, and asked her why she did not get out of the way when I warned her to move.

The LWA family was first class and offered to get Princess a band aid. I looked over and half the room was concerned for her health with this tiny little scratch on her leg. I joked with her that Wyatt had went head first in the pavement and here she is getting babied with her small little boo boo. Dubray apologized to the fans next to us for giving them a beer bath and Wyatt was able to defeat Lacey with the Crash Landing and we had started the night off with two very good matches.

[The Rebel Jeremy Wyatt had to hit XXX Jordan Lacey with all he had to retain the LWA medallion.]

The action was soon restarted as we had ourselves a four-way with four men who have made names for themselves around the Midwest. They went at it to prove to the LWA crew why they should be among the LWA elite. The four corners were filled with talent. In one corner you had the ladies’ choice Tyler Cook. In the second corner was the Livewire himself, Edmund McGuire. In the third corner was the unpredictable Payday Patterson. To finish off the four corner affair was the ultra talented Mark Sterling. Payday was able to disrupt the match with some crazy antics at the start and went back and forth with moves galore until Tyler was able to pin McGuire with a Perfectplex. This was a big win for one of the most underrated wrestlers in the Midwest as he hopes to catapult himself towards the top of the LWA.

[Edmund McGuire and Tyler Cook send Payday Patterson on a trip he would like to forget.]

Intermission was here and everyone that I spoke to was very pleased with the first half of wrestling. Dubray went to get another beer, and Chuck from SLAMZONE asked her if she was going to drink it or spill it. She thought it was funny because not only did she lose a beer with the fall from the Wyatt/Lacey match, but also during the four way when the guardrail was knocked back towards us during some wild action. Dubray’s beer count was 3 (bought) and 1 (drunk).

The first match in the second half was a contest between one of my favorites, MsChif, and her old rival, Billy McNeil. This next comment may upset some of my good friends in the business, but I don’t think too highly of women taking on men in a matchup unless it’s meant to be a joke such as a woman wrestler feuding with a manager. With that said, I am not qualified to comment on the match except to say that MsChif is one of my favorite wrestlers in the Independents and among the top ten wrestlers who I would pay to see on the local scene. Though I don’t really approve of the concept, I respectfully watched the match and applauded the wrestlers for their hard work.

[MsChif and Billy McNeil battle once more at Circus Maximus.]

Up next was the highly anticipated match between LWA favorites Adam Raw and Nick Tyson. Both had stated that this would be their final match. What a shame, though, as I have not been able to see LWA from their beginnings. I have seen Tyson many times, including the classic match in which he made TNA Superstar Alex Shelley tapout. If you missed it, LWA has it on the Cuts, Scars and Superstars DVD.

Adam Raw had some classic battles with Michael Strider that are still being talked about to this day. Unfortunately for the fans, these two wrestlers have stated they have lost their love for wrestling and this was to be their last match. With no disrespect to either man, this match never seemed to get momentum and before I knew it, the match was over and the crowd seemed stunned as Raw was able to get the pinfall victory with a brainbuster. Tyson left quickly and Raw stayed in the ring to thank the LWA fans for all their support throughout the years. One has to wonder if this will leave a bad taste in each ones mouth and we can only hope for a return.

[The Technical Messiah Nick Tyson brings the pain to Adam Raw.]

The second match of the triple main event was for the LWA title, as Donovan Ruddick defended the belt against the man he took the belt from, Shorty Biggs. Shorty fought with all his heart and every time Ruddick would knock him down, the Don Mega would get back up to hit Ruddick with all he got but Donovan proved to be too powerful as he hit Shorty Biggs with a spinebuster to retain the LWA Heavyweight Title.

[The Bearded Men From Space Station 11 and The Ego Express were united and ready for a fight.]

We were warned but, to be truly honest, no one had prepared for the aftermath, destruction, and betrayal that was to come when the The Submission Squad (Dingo, Pierre Abernathy, Davey Vega and Johnny Vinyl) took on Evan Gelistico, Gary the Barnowl, Steven Kennedy and KC Karrington in a Survivor Series Hardcore Streetfight. This war had started ugly when Vega and Vinyl had taken out Ego Manager and Karrington’s girlfriend Tiffany LaFane with one punch heard throughout the LWA in Granite City. Since then, Karrington had been out for revenge with Vega only to have Vega get the upper hand and attempt to set KC on fire in one of their encounters.

The eight men entered the ring and to the crowd it was like slow motion. Then all hell broke loose as wrestlers were everywhere. The Ego Express flew from the ring in unison onto Dingo and Pierre, who were on the floor. The next thing I knew, Evan Gelistico threw Pierre head first onto a table and before I knew it I was sandwiched at the bar trying to take pictures with Evan and Pierre battling on one side and Dingo trying to give Steven Kennedy a face lift with his hand on the other. The action was everywhere. I looked across the room and Gary and Johnny Vinyl were laying into each other. Then Evan and Pierre decided that Knights of Columbus Hall was not big enough for either men. They battled down the steps and into the parking lot with body slams and pinfalls on the pavement as well on top of the cars. These two were not giving an inch.

[Pierre Abernathy attempted a pin after body slamming Even Gelistico in the parking lot. Just one of the many brutal actions that brought the police to the Knights of Columbus to be a part of Circus Maximus.]

Curiosity was killing this cat, so I headed back to towards the ring to see what I was missing. It was total pandemonium in the building, with chairs everywhere.

[The Ego Express throws caution to the wind as they go airborne on top Dingo and Pierre Abernathy.]

The fans were loving it while trying not to become part of it, and at one time I found myself standing next to fellow MWR columnist Kari Williams. I asked her when she was going to train so that she could be part of the first all-girl street fight, but I was unable to get a reply as Karrington and Vinyl tore each other apart and were coming our way.

You will have to ask somebody else about who pinned whom to get out of the matches, as this was no place to be keeping a score card. I heard that it came down to a bloody K.C. Karrington and Davey Vega with ladders and chairs in the ring, with Karrington getting the upper hand by bringing out his secret weapon, lighter fluid. Just as he was to get his revenge, his girlfriend Tiffany appeared from the back to plead for Karrington to just let it be. Karrington was blind, with nothing but payback in mind for Vega. As he attempted to put lighter fluid on the ladder, Tiffany did the unspeakable by doublecrossing her lover with a punch below the belt. She assisted Vega to his feet and the two of them lit a glove with lighter fluid and with one throw ended the match and broke one man’s heart.

[Davey Vega, with the disgusting Betrayal of KC Karringtons girlfriend/valet Tiffany LaFane is the last man standing after burning KC’s face with a loaded glove.]

As the LWA team rushed to Karrington’s side, Tiffany LaFane pranced around the ring with a smile on her face, proud of her beautiful chaos. Circus Maximus had been everything and more for this writer, but I yearn for the day that Tiffany is put in her place. I plan on being there to see her get what is coming to her.

The LWA delivered a night to remember and many questions remain. Can anyone defeat Donovan Ruddick for the LWA title? Just how will Karrington recover from the betrayal of Tiffany? Who will be the LWA President? What surprises do LWA management have in store for us as we head toward the second half of the year? Time will tell, and I can’t wait.

The LWA returns to the Vetta Sports complex in ST. Peters MO on August 9th as the Ego Express takes on Vinyl and Vega in a grudge match that you should not miss. Check out http://www.lwawrestling.com/ for all of your LWA news.

MWR Spotlight: Shane Hollister

A Closer Look at Shane Hollister

by Andrew Scott

[Shane Hollister captured in a photo as he enters the cage. Photo by soon-to-be-profiled photographer, Wayne McCarty.]

Growing up in Davenport, Iowa, Shane Hollister always wanted to be a professional wrestler. He was five years old when he and his dad watched wrestling on TV, his favorite wrestler being Shawn Michaels. From then on he was hooked. Friends and family always knew that he wanted to be a wrestler, but it wasn’t until the age of thirteen that he personally realized it. These same friends and family hoped he would eventually grow out of the obsession to wrestle.

His chance finally came and his dream started becoming a reality when he was in his last year of high school. Shane was in the eleventh grade with Danny Daniels and had a few friends that were in a pro wrestling school in Chicago, Illinois. In his senior year, Shane finally started training to be a pro wrestler. He originally hadn;t planned on training until after he graduated, but since his trainer started traveling to Davenport it made it a lot easier to train and do schoolwork.

After lots of hard work and grueling training, Shane was finally able to live his dream and have the first match of his young wrestling career. I asked Shane to describe his first match and how it affected him.

He replied, “Wow, my first match was very bad. I had the worst set of butterflies I have ever had in my life, but I was in there with very good wrestlers who I learned alot from. They say in this business you continue to learn until you don’t want to learn anymore. I would say you learn something new everytime you step through those ropes.“

So far Shane has been pretty lucky on the injury side of wrestling and hasn’t had any major injuries. Getting his two front teeth shoved up to the roof of his mouth and a having his nose broken are his two battle scars.

“Getting hurt and just going to get it fixed up is all just part of the job,” he said.

I asked Shane if at anytime he felt like he ever wanted to quit wrestling and he told me with a very confident answer, “No, I haven’t ever felt like leaving this business for one second. I love it so much.“

Shane has been in many matches so far, but his most memorable match in his own eyes was a tag match with Bryce Benjamin against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, the Murder City Machine Guns (known in Total Nonstop Action as the Motor City Machine Guns). Speaking of Alex Shelley, Shane’s dream match is to have a singles match with him. If any promotions need a great main event then book this match. I know I would pay to see it.

Shane’s ultimate goal is the same as almost any pro wrestler, and that is to be on the biggest stage in pro wrestling, the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

Shane has won a few championship belts along the way. He is the Scott County Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and is also currently the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Iowa State Champion. He was also just crowned one half of the AAW Tag Team Champions. He has been a part of Scott County Wrestling, All American Wrestling, Ultimate Wrestling Alliance, 3XWrestling, F1rst Wrestling, Heartland Wrestling Association, and Luchacore, among numerous others.

While on the road traveling from promotion to promotion, wrestlers get pretty bored in cars. Shane told me that when he travels, he has to find fun things to do to keep entertained. One thing he does for fun on these roadtrips is making big signs to show to cars. He said it is fun to see what kind of reaction he can get from people.

“My favorite sign has to be ‘I like to cuddle’. I love women’s responses. They look at you like, ‘oh, how cute’ or ‘oh, how creepy’. I love it!“

If you ever see a bunch of guys throwing up signs in a car window, remember that it’s probably a group of traveling wrestlers. You just might get to “cuddle”.

Shane has not been contacted by WWE or TNA yet, but he said that he has been in dark matches for Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling recently. This is yet another step in his progression as a wrestler. I have no doubt that he will be wrestling on ROH DVD and Pay-Per-View soon.

Shane says that if you want to be a wrestler, “learn as much as you can and always ask for advice. Remember there is always someone who has been doing it longer and better than you.” Great advice for anybody, regardless of occupation.

The last part of this report is something new that I decided to try out. I asked a few wrestlers that have been around or worked with Shane in the ring to say a few words about him. This is what they said:

Tyler Black – “He is one of my best friends and has a very bright future in the business. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him making an impact in a major way before the decade is up.

Trik Davis – “Shane Hollister is easily one of the top up and comers in all of the Midwest. With his quick feet and lighting-fast right hands, he can go strike for strike with pretty much anyone. Even with only two years under his belt he has held his own with such wrestlers as Chris Hero, Jimmy Jacobs, Alex Shelley, Tyler Black, and Chris Sabin. This makes me believe that in another two years Shane should be one of the top Indy stars in the country.”

Mark Sterling – “Cool Hair. On ROH’s regular roster with in the next year.”

“Anarchist” Arik Cannon – “Shane Hollister is what many call an ‘up and comer’. The kid has loads of potential, and he’s slowly making his mark in the Midwest. In my opinion, he’s definitely somebody to watch. He’s an asset to any show he’s on, and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

That does it for me and this closer look at a great pro wrestler from right here in the Midwest. I want to personally thank Shane Hollister for putting up with all of my questions and allowing me to write this report about him. There were a few times that I told Shane that this will be the last question and before I knew it I was asking another one. Shane graciously answered it. I feel like I have a new friend in Shane after writing this report. Thank you again, Shane. You are an amazing wrestler and I can’t wait for that one day that we will all see you on TV. I have no doubt that it won’t be long!

MWR Spotlight: Johnny Vinyl

A look into hopes and dreams of “The Brand New Classic” Johnny Vinyl

By Kari Williams

“Ever since I found out you can make a living at wrestling outside of WWE, it’s what I’ve wanted to do.”

When Johnny Vinyl walks to the ring, he hears the echoes of jeering fans, but that has not stopped “The Brand New Classic” from pursuing his dream — in fact, “getting someone so mad that they take a swing at you is a great feeling.”

Vinyl’s initial attraction to wrestling was a casual glance on Saturday mornings, but soon grew into much more.

“I became a serious watcher the same time everyone else did, the Attitude Era. Some kids on my baseball team at around 2nd or 3rd grade were talking about it during our Monday afternoon practice. That night I went home and turned on Raw. I remember the first main event I ever saw was Austin/Undertaker vs. Mankind/Kane vs. Rock/D’Lo Brown vs. New Age Outlaws,” Vinyl said.

However, it was not until seeing the straightedge superstar C.M. Punk that Vinyl had an interest in pursuing wrestling as a career. He noticed that Punk did not have the biggest and best body (at the time) and that he was not 6’8”, but still had a presence that translated to fans.

“Throughout school I was always on speech and debate teams, and did a little bit of drama for half a year before I realized the girls weren’t as hot I was hoping. So I knew I could talk in front of people and if I could just get the athletic side of things down, I’d do alright,” he said.

Opportunity presented itself to “The Brand New Classic” in the form of the now-defunct Gateway Championship Wrestling (GCW) in the St. Louis, MO area. For approximately 18 months, Vinyl trained under Ring of Honor (ROH) star Dingo.

“Davey Vega and I went to [GCW] shows all the time in high school. One day they put up an ad on their website about guys interested in training. I was the only one to respond to it. Since I was 17 at the time, I had to drag my mom out there to Overland, which is where they were doing the training at the time, and she was pissed,” he said.

In addition to the GCW Dojo, Vinyl has “done seminars with Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Mike Quackenbush.”

For Vinyl, getting “Quackenbush to namedrop [him] and wear [his] t-shirt on the CHIKARA Podcast was pretty cool.”

However, he may not go so far as to call that a success because of the circumstances.

“I don’t know how much of an ‘accomplishment’ it was since it was a big rib, but I still enjoyed it,” he said.

Within the next two years, Vinyl aspires to be working for CHIKARA, however, his overall dream is to wrestle “in Europe and Japan and make a living through wrestling.”

Up to this point in his career, two specific matches have stuck out in his mind — one was working with MsChif and Daizee Haze, which he considers “a real cool honor,” and the other is being involved in the eight man elimination street fight main event at Lethal Wrestling Alliance’s [LWA] upcoming “Circus Maximus” on July 12, 2008.

“When Vega and I were put together, a whole lot of people only saw us a jobber team that would probably be dumped in a couple of months, so being in the main event of what could end being LWA’s biggest show to date is really a great feeling. When you look at that card and you see Ms.Chif on there, you see Billy McNeil’s comeback, you see Adam Raw and Nick Tyson wrestling each other for the last time, it’s going to be very diffilcult to main event that show, but we’re going to do our best to tear the house down,” he said.

Lastly, Vinyl has a shout-out of sorts to all of his female fans.

“I’m considering making a baby tee or spaghetti straps or something like that for my next [shirt]. If any girls would be interested in buying something like that or, even better, have some idea on what style to make and what to put on it, visit my Myspace at myspace.com/bncjohnnyvinyl and give me some feedback,” he said.

Johnny Vinyl Fast Facts:

Years Wrestling: I first walked into a wrestling school three and a half years ago, [and] I’ve been doing shows for almost two years now.

Companies Worked For: I wrestled a couple [of] matches under a mask for GCW, but as Johnny Vinyl I’ve worked for LWA, UWA [Ultimate Wrestling Alliance], LAW [Lethal Attitude Wrestling] in Arkansas, TLCW in Tennessee, one match for CSW, [and] maybe a couple others here and there.

Most Important Lesson From Wrestling: If I could sum up the wrestling business in one word, it would be ‘respect’. Wrestling taught me to respect people who deserve it, even if you don’t personally like them that much.

Favorite Match Thus Far: Fairview Heights with [Davey] Vega against K.C. Karrington and Steven Kennedy. Nobody thought we could pull off that match because all four of us weren’t exactly loved by the crowd. But we did some mic work at the beginnning and some little touches in the match that got the crowd behind the Ego’s. And the finish with Vega blasting Tiffany LaFane with a forearm was the loudest reaction I’ve been a part of yet.

Dream Match: Myself and Davey Vega versus Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. I think those two as an overall package are the best tag team going in North America. No offense to the Briscoes, Motor City Machine Guns, or Steen and Generico because they are all fantastic, too, but I enjoy The Age of the Falls’ gimmick, character, and chemistry together. I would love to have that match.

LWA Localizes Big Name Talent

LWA localizes big name talent

By Kari Williams
Fans file in to the sports complex, VFW Hall or any other venue where a Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA) show will take place, anxiously waiting for the 7:30 bell time. One LWA Superfan and wrestling enthusiast that can be found at the shows is Mike Marnin.

A fan since the age of 10, Marnin has been attending LWA shows for well over a year and has witnessed the presence of mulitple Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Non-stop Action wrestling (TNA) stars.

“I was at the super card with Alex Shelley, Mike Quackenbush and Davey Richards. I was also there when Austin Aries and Lacey were there. Delirious, MsChif and Daizee Haze. And the show with the Motor City Machine Guns,” Marnin said.

LWA wrestler Pierre Abernathy gives insight on how such stars are booked on an LWA card.

“We just deal with the stars. Through TNA we deal with a guy, but that’s it. All the Ring of Honor guys we’ve brought in, we just deal with them personally,” Abernathy said.

However, much more thought goes into the process of choosing that individual star. Abernathy looks to see who “would be a good fit for [the] product.”

“Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are really good tag team wrestlers and we had the Submission Squad here who are a really good tag team, so those guys would gel together in the ring. Then you’ve got a bruiser like Samoa Joe wrestling a young, rich guy like Dorian [Victor] who’s in there to beat him up. It’s just more like who is going to fit in really well,” Abernathy said.

The first star to be on an LWA card was Alex Shelley. He appeared on March 17 and waged war against Nick Tyson.

Having wrestled on shows with wrestlers from the ‘big time,’ K.C. Karrington understands the significance of their presence.

“You only get to see them on the internet, youtube [and] all that, or just TV, and actually getting to see them come and work with guys that work in your area…I think it’s great. I mean, it brings the two different worlds together almost,” Karrington said.

After having been in the business for five years, the 20-year-old Karrington feels that any knowledge he can gain from the TNA and ROH wrestlers is time well wasted.

“It gives us as workers a chance to pick their brains, get them to watch what we’re doing in the ring, and get any pointers, just the littlest thing you can get from a big name guy—a guy that’s actually been out on the road, been to the big time, just the smallest thing to a guy that’s working the indies, that’s more important than just about anything you can learn from anybody,” Karrington said.

Fellow LWA wrestler Gary the Barn Owl, who has been wrestling for almost four years, recognizes the importance of the TNA and ROH talent as well.

“Just about everybody we’ve brought in or that come in we learn something from. There’s always a different aspect that we don’t think of because we’re inside the box, and they’re more outside the box,” Gary said.

On the May 3 Mike Johnson Benefit show in House Springs, Mo., Abernathy had the opportunity to face ROH star Delirious.

“He was amazing to wrestle. He teaches you little things you don’t even think about, that he points out, and it makes sense. As far as the company, it just helps elevate the company. He’s just one more guy we’ve brought in who made an impact on a national level that has helped out our company,” Abernathy said.

Karrington has similar thoughts.

“Having actual big names coming in, it brings in the people that you wouldn’t normally see at a show. It introduces them to independent wrestling, and then we get more people supporting the Indies,” Karrington said.

Since attending Yuletide Terror 2006, where Gary defeated Adam Raw to claim his first LWA Championship, Marnin’s favorite big name match was naturally the triple threat, which pitted Evan Gelistico, Mike Quackenbush and Gary against each other, because Quackenbush is his “favorite wrestler of all time.”

Gary can testify to the quality of that match.

“I’d probably say Alex Shelley is probably the most known one. Davey Richards is a really solid worker. I worked Evan [Gelistico] and Mike Quackenbush in a three way, and I thought it was great. Overall, I think the fans accept it. They like it. They like seeing new people come in,” Gary said.

Personally, Marnin would like to see stars like “Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero. All of these guys are phenomenal wrestlers and would be great against some of the LWA talent.” However, his first choice would be A.J. Styles.

“He may be a heel but he is one of the best wrestlers in the world,” Marnin said.

Showing his love for the sport, and the LWA specifically, Marnin said, “If there is anyone out there who loves wrestling LWA is the place to be!”

MWR Spotlight: Luke Roberts (Part 2 of 3)

Luke Roberts (Part 2 of 3)

By Brian “Flair” Kelley

You have also been an accomplish referee, do you remember the first match that you were a part of in that role?

I honestly don’t remember the first match that I refereed, but I do remember the first show that I refereed on. It was about four years ago. Basically, Butch Fletcher had a referee no-show a Mid-America Extreme show in Cahokia, Illinois. The referee he had for the evening had only refereed one show prior to that one, so he was nervous that he could not handle the job. I knew that I had a pair of black dress pants and my wrestling boots in my bag, so I told him that I would be willing to referee if he wanted me to. He accepted and the rest is history.

A referee can make or break a match. What kind of advice would you give someone that aspired to try to make it in the business?

My advice is simple.

• Watch what the referees on television do on a regular basis.
• Don’t speak to anyone unless you are spoken to.
• Don’t think that, just because you are a referee, you deserve to get involved in the match. Referees are not wrestlers for a reason.
• Make it a point to associate with the more experienced referees and watch what they do in the ring.
• Referee on as many shows as you can. Experience is vital for a referee.

What are some of the common mistakes that a referee makes during a match?

The biggest mistakes referees make all relate to not paying attention to the match. I have seen referees make two counts instead of three counts, not disqualifying a wrestler for doing something that is obviously illegal, seeing a wrestler interfere in a match, or counting three when a wrestler’s shoulders are not even on the mat. In addition, referees sometimes think that they are the biggest part of the match and should be treated as such. In my opinion, if a referee gets out of line, big things can and will happen.

How much more difficult is it to be a part of a tag team match than a one on one contest?

In my opinion, tag team wrestling was actually easier than singles wrestling. In most cases, tag team wrestling gives the wrestlers an opportunity to draw on the emotions of the wrestling fan. It really allows the wrestlers to showcase the experience and teamwork that they have as professional wrestlers.

Throughout the years, what match would be your highlight as a referee?

As a referee, I would say that my biggest match was Nick Tyson vs. Alex Shelley in the LWA. The match was outstanding. I was completely focused on the match. Everything was in alignment in the universe that night. Another match that would rank up close to that match was a cage match between “Cowboy” Bob Orton and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine for CJTPAAW.

Just being respected enough by the promotion to referee a match between these two WWE Hall of Fame wrestlers was enough for me. They gave the fans a match that was worthy of their money. I felt honored a couple of years later to spend almost two hours with Greg Valentine, fellow wrestlers “The Punisher”, Rage, Dexter Poindexter, Rick Ruby, and referee Scott Murphy. Scott Murphy thought that Valentine would not remember me at all from that match. Not only did he remember the match, but he complimented me on the job I did that night. That match was definitely one to remember.

In this age of gimmick matches and special stipulations, is there one certain type that you dislike more than any other?

As a referee, I am up for almost any kind of match. Nothing really phases me. I am not really a big fan of the ultra hardcore matches. Those kind of matches really draw people away from professional wrestling. I don’t see any reason why anyone would want to attempt to grossly disfigure themselves for any amount of money.

One aspect of wrestling that is easily is forgotten is the chemistry between the heel manager, his guy and the referee. What manager do you feel was the easiest to work with?

I feel that the manager that was the easiest to work with was Harvard Cornell III. He knows exactly when to draw my attention away from his wrestler or wrestlers. He always gives 100% in the ring and believes that his wrestlers are the best thing ever in professional wrestling

Any stories where you were disgusted with a manager who just did not get it?

There is one manager, who I will not name, that consistently disgusted me. He always made it a point to get involved as many times as possible in the match. I actually asked a couple of friends of mine at the time to count the number of times that this manager interfered or got involved in the match. I believe that they counted over 20 times during the match where the manager got involved. When I got back to the locker room, I voiced my opinion to anyone who would listen. Needless to say, I have not been assigned one of his wrestler’s matches again.

Have you ever been in a situation where you or the wrestlers have forgotten the finish?
I
f I had to count how many times wrestlers forgot things in their matches, I would never finish. Just kidding. I can only think of a handful of times where that has happened.

What wrestler would you say was the easiest to referee?

I can’t really limit this to just one wrestler. I would say that Dingo, Pierre Abernathy, Donovan Ruddick, Steven Kennedy, K.C. Karrington, Gary the Barn Owl, Evan Gelistico, Jordan Lacey, Justin “the Iceman” Wade, Sean Vincent, “Volatile” Curtis Wylde, and Shorty Biggs are wrestlers who make my job as a referee very easy.

In what ways can a wrestler help, and on the flip side hurt, the performance of the referee?

A wrestler can help a referee during a match by their interactions with the referee. A wrestler can make a referee look like the symbol of authority in a match. A wrestler can also make a referee look like a complete moron. In the ring, the match tends to be that much better if the referee has a history with the wrestlers involved.

During the Wrestlemania classic featuring Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, there was a reported 22 false finishes. Do you feel as if there are too many false finishes in some matches today?

Honestly, I think that there are not enough false finishes in professional wrestling today. False finishes, as you call them, are what makes wrestling fans enjoy matches. It is what keeps the fans wanting to come back and see what it will take to finally defeat a particular wrestler, tag team, or champion. When anyone thinks that a match is going to end and it doesn’t, it shows the wrestling fan that a match can end at any time. It keeps the level of unpredictability of professional wrestling intact.

On a lighter note, when women wrestle against each other, often the ref is used in a comedic role. Is this something that you enjoy or do you find it hard to do?

When promoted and positioned correctly, comedy matches are fun for me. I tend to be very straight laced in the ring, but at times I can’t help myself in matches. Every time I refereed a match for Gary the Barn Owl in LWA, I would almost lose it whenever he would make me flap my arms like he does. In the days of the Arch Town Criminals, Shorty Biggs would make me chuckle when I would try to count to five. I really enjoy comedy matches. They make me remember why I love professional wrestling so much.

Editors Note: The final installment of this interesting and insightful edition of MWR Spotlight will be published in the next few days. I want to thank Luke Roberts for being kind enough to give us a little of his time, and encourage those who would like to be spotlighted, profiled, or interviewed by Missouri Wrestling Revival to contact me.