AS I SEE IT Bob Magee Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets PWBTS.com
This coming Saturday features a day of independent wrestling…termed “National
Pro Wrestling Day with a two show lineup, one show at 1:00 pm and the finale at
7:00 pm at Derby Ink Gardens, at 802 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA on
the northern edge of center city Philadelphia.
The shows have talent
from a number of independent prompotions throughout the New York/New
Jersey/Pennsylvania area and elsewhere on the east coast. ranging from CHIKARA
Pro Wrestling and various spinoff names they run shows under (Wrestling is Art,
Wrestling is Fun, Wrestling is Heart, Wrestling is Awesome), and from promotions
as far away as Cleveland’s Absolute Intense Wrestling, the Carolinas based CWF
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and Chicago’s Resistance Pro Wrestling. The matches
bring a lot of talent Philadelphia area fans haven’t seen before, as well as
some old favorites.
For the afternoon show:
MATCH 1: Wrestling
is Art presents Mike Quackenbush vs. Colt Cabana
MATCH 2: A Rey de
Voladores 4-Way Elimination match with Too Cold Scorpio vs. Jo Jo Bravo vs.
Oliver Grimsley vs. Shane Hollister
MATCH 3: The other Rey de Voladores
4-Way Elimination match with names to be announced
MATCH 4: Ring of
Honor Wrestling presents Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs vs. The Briscoe Brothers
MATCH 5: Wrestling is Fun! presents Juan Francisco de Coronado vs.
Saturyne
MATCH 6: Beyond Wrestling presents Team KOA (Pinkie Sanchez and
Aaron Epic) vs. Eric Corvis/Chris Dickinson
MATCH 7: CWF Mid-Atlantic
presents Arik Royal/Chiva Kid vs. Ric Converse/Trevor Lee
MATCH 8:
Wrestling is Respect presents Drew Gulak vs. Francis O’Rourke
MATCH 9:
Kaiju Big Battel presents Dr. Cube and Sekmet vs. Neo Teppen and American Beetle
MATCH 10: Absolute Intense Wrestling presents Ethan Page vs. Josh
Alexander
For the evening show:
MATCH 1: CHIKARA presents El
Hijo del Ice Cream/Ice Cream, Jr./Chuck Taylor/Icarus vs. Fire Ant/Green
Ant/Shane Matthews/Scott Parker
MATCH 2: EVOLVE presents AR Fox vs.
Shane Strickland
MATCH 3: Wrestling is Heart presents Mat Russo/Heidi
Lovelace vs. Reed Bentley/Tripp Cassidy
MATCH 4: New York Wrestling
Connection presents Apollyon/Tony Nese vs. Alex Reynolds/John Silver
MATCH 5: Women Superstars Uncensored presents Marti Belle vs. Ezavel for
the Spirit Title
MATCH 6: Wrestling is Awesome presents The Devastation
Corporation vs. Latvian Proud Oak/Estonian ThunderFrog
MATCH 7:
International Wrestling Cartel presents John McChesney defending his Heavyweight
title against Logan Shulo
MATCH 8: Fighting Spirit Wrestling presents
Wil Maximo/Joel Maximo vs. Angel Ortiz/Mike Draztik
MATCH 9: Resistance
Pro presents a match to be named
MATCH 10: The Rey de Voladores
mini-tournament final
Sounds great, right? The show even includes a
match with Kaiju Big Battel, which is far more performance art show simulating
wrestling that an actual wrestling promotion.
But do you notice any
Philadelphia-based independent promotion’s name missing from participation on
this Philadelphia show? One that actually ran shows for a longer period of time
at the ECW Arena than ECW itself?
Yup. Nowhere do you see Combat Zone
Wrestling.
Mind you, even though Drew Gulak, AR Fox, Shane Strickland
are regular CZW talent appearing on the show (as well as The Briscoe Brothers
who’ve appeared for CZW within the last year, and Colt Cabana who appeared
earlier this month for CZW and is scheduled to appear on CZW Wrestlemania
weekend shows in North Jersey)…there is no official match with CZW talent, and
no cooperation with CZW on the show. The ostensible reason is “not wanting
hardcore wrestling” on the show.
There has been a long-lasting freeze
between these two promotions and their promoters, which both once jointly
operated a wrestling school at the ECW Arena. Since then, both promotions have
been at odds, to the point that various comments have been made in CZW pressers
(including a not too thinly veiled “Wrestling fears CZW” comment that has been
running in all pressers over the last month).
I’m not suggesting not to
attend the show…I may well go to view one or the other show Saturday. But it
just seems sad that such an great idea…a day to promote independent wrestling
is marred by more of the usual childish bullshit that goes on between far too
many independent promoters in far too many places; in this particular case
betwen CHIKARA and Combat Zone Wrestling. Combat Zone Wrestling itself can trace
its beginning to a similar show at the ECW Arena sponsored by Al Isaacs of
ScoopsWrestling in May 1999 called “Break The Barrier.” The idea, much as it
seems the “National Pro Wrestling Day” shows was to create a show featuring
independent talent not usually seen. Since an outside party organizaed the show,
there was less of this nonsense.
Until next time….
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