Indy Wrestling in Middle America

[CodySave]

Speaking of Arik Cannon he'll be facing Shane Hollister in a Stairway to Hell match for AAW this Saturday. Alse Tyler Black is Main Eventing with Jay Daniels for the title, and Jimmy Jacobs is taking on Danny Daniels.

I'm debating going. On one side is General Admission of only 10 bucks AND $1 Beers. On the other side is my wife.

I would definitely check the show out if you have an opportunity. AAW is for sure one of the most solid wrestling promotions in the Midwest, which actually covers more ground than you would think. Illinois, Missouri and Iowa combined have at least 30-35 or more companies running, not to mention the random Minnesota indies. Wisconsin has a few as well, but I'm not sure if they have many promotions of note right now, besides the stacked Heavy On Wrestling cards three times a year.

 

Cannon and Hollister have really great chemistry with one another and I believe this is the first time they'll meet in a gimmick match. Jay Bradley is a former WWE developmental wrestler who spent time on Smackdown as Ryan Braddock. The House of Truth stable is full of solid hands. Danny Daniels has always been a pretty underrated wrestler in my opinion and it will be interesting to see how intense a feud-based match between him and Jimmy Jacobs will be. The Phienix Twins are a really good team that I'm shocked haven't been appearing in some of the more nationally known indies - I would almost chalk it up to simply geography or day jobs.

 

Plus, I believe the show starts at 5 p.m., so as not to force fans to choose between AAW and the epic UFC 100 card later that night. You could go to the show and still do something with your wife Saturday night.

[CodySave]

3XW 4th Anniversary Event Results - This show featured one of the craziest ladder matches I've ever seen due to one wrestler performing most of the match with legit injuries after a botched dive attempt and probably the most believable finish I've ever seen in a ladder match, as detailed below.

 

The biggest crowd ever for a 3XWrestling event at the Des Moines Social Club witnessed what has to be considered the greatest night of action in 3XW history. Over 200 fans packed into the Des Moines Social Club for the following:

 

1. Six Man Scramble Match for the 3XW Cruiserweight title - Elimination Rules

 

"The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell successfully defended the 3XW Cruiserweight title defeating (in order of elimination) "The Right Price" Aaron Masterson, "The Canadian Sex Icon" Ryan Slade, "The Unbreakable" Zach Thompson, "Torturous" Tony Sly and Arya Daivari

 

Different from the traditional Six Man Scramble match, this match featured two men in the ring at one time while the other four competitors stood at the corners of the ring apron waiting for a tag. The winner was declared after the other five wrestlers were eliminated.

 

Tony Sly took the mic before the match, upset that he, a heavyweight, was out in a Cruiserweight match. 3XW President Skylar Pierce explained that even though he's a heavyweight, Sly hasn't been beating the cruiserweights. Pierce told Sly that if could win this bout, he would earn a Heavyweight title shot in the near future.

 

Eliminations -

- Aaron Masterson was eliminated following a superkick by Tony Sly. Toward the start of the match, Masterson and Thompson briefly re-comprised their Welfare Check Connection tag team by doing a series of excellent double team moves, including the classic Food Stamp, on joint longtime rival Ryan Slade.

 

- Ryan Slade was eliminated by Arya Daivari with a schoolboy rollup. Before the elimination, Slade took the mic and claimed that like Daivari, the fans hate of him because they don't appreciate diversity. He appeared to make an agreement with Daivari to team together the rest of the match and have a nice, clean match when it came down to just the two of them. Immediate following Slade's announcment, Daivari quickly rolled Slade up for the pin.

 

- Zach Thompson was eliminated following Sly's patented double underhook-into-neckbreaker. Thompson displayed incredible aerial moves in his time in the ring and was cheered more than any other athlete in the contest.

 

- Tony Sly was eliminated by Rockwell following a sitout gourdbuster

 

- Arya Daivari was the final elimination following Rockwell's incredible senton bomb off the top turnbuckle. These two men battled back-and-forth, move-for-move for a number of minutes at the end of this great match.

 

2. Brian Ash defeated "The Anarchist" Arik Cannon following a screwplex in a great hard-hitting encounter. The match started as a friendly contest between two fan favorites, but after Cannon started to have a little too much fun at Ash's expense, it quickly turned in a very tough back-and-forth battle. Ash busted out his old top rival Gage Octane's patented screwplex to finish Cannon after surving a brutal t-bone suplex by Cannon.

 

3. In the most brutal match in 3XW history, Tyler Cook regained the 3XW Pure Wrestling title over Jeremy Wyatt in a ladder match.

 

Incredibly gutsy performance by both athletes. In the early moments of the match, Wyatt took an awful spill after catching his foot on the middle rope trying to five out of the ring between the middle and top rope. He quickly fell to the concrete floor, landing head first after also hitting the side of his head on the metal ring frame behind the apron. This opened up a large gash on the side of his head and possibly gave him a concussion, but he shockingly was back to his feet within minutes of the fall.

 

The rest of the bout featured an incredible series of innovative and reckless moves with the ladder, chairs and the ringside table and steps. The crowd was solidly behind both competitors and Wyatt certainly gained some fans as the match lasted due to his incredible toughness.

 

The final moments of the match saw Tyler Cook climb to the top of the ladder and grab the title while an exhausted, disoriented, and beaten Jeremy Wyatt began throwing up at the edge of the mat.

 

You can see more comments about this match from 3XW fans at this thread: http://3xwrestling.proboards.com/index.cgi...2168&page=1

 

4. The Gentleman's Club (Gage Octane and Mark Sterling w/ Todd Countryman) retained the 3XW Tag Team titles over the Northstar Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz), 2 falls to 1, in a 2 out of 3 falls in an unbelievably great match.

 

One of the best tag team matches in 3XW history featured awesome teamwork by both teams and unfortunately multiple moments of interference by Todd Countryman, who had a hand in both of the Gentleman's Club's winning falls. After getting tossed from ringside by 3XW president Skylar Pierce after helping his men win the first fall, Countryman returned much later in the match dressed as a masked fan, pulling Ryan Cruz's foot out of the referee's view to break up what was surely the winning pinfall. Further interference allowed Mark Sterling to nail the NSE's own patented groin kick on Corbin to win the match. The final five minutes of this battle were phenomenal to watch.

 

5. Kraig Keesaman defeated Maddog McDowell after faking that he seriously re-injured his recently sprained ankle and taking advantage of the sportsmanship displayed by McDowell, who was giving him some time and space to recover, by quickly popping up to his feet and nailing McDowell with a devastating Nordic Spike. Keesaman has now been undefeated for 11 months and hasn't directly been pinned or submitted since June 2008. With the win, Keesaman now gets a long-awaited title shot and will face new Pure Wrestling champion Tyler Cook at our August event on Aug. 21

 

6. "Delicious" Devin Carter became the first three-time 3XW Heavyweight champion defeating Casanova in an extraordinary Dog Collar match. A completely awesome brawl that had the crowd on their feet. Many very unique moves involving the chain were used, including Carter wrapping Casanova around the ring post with the chain and delivering a series of brutal chops. The final minutes of the bout saw Casanova use a sleeperhold with the chain, Carter come flying off the top of a ladder with an awesome legdrop and the finish - Carter wrapped Casanova with the chain around a table and came off the top rope with an incredible splash, sending Casanova crashing though the table to an electric reaction from the crowd.

 

If you've never seen 3XW before, THIS is the event to pick up on DVD when it's released by SEP Video.

 

Please visit www.3xwrestling.com to watch the next episode of "Outside the Ring" as well as to watch other videos. Also visit the 3XW store to browse all the DVDs available to own.

 

There's lots of exciting happenings in 3XW the next two months. Please join us at the Des Moines Social Club on Aug. 21 for our next event, featuring the first ever "King of Des Moines" tournament as well as defenses of the 3XW Heavyweight and Pure Wrestling titles.

 

Also - our September 18 event at the Des Moines Social Club will feature the 3XW debut of former WWE and ECW star Al Snow.

 

By the way, here's video of two past 3XW matches. First is a really fun tag team match between the Northstar Express and Ben Sailer & Nate Bash from June 2006, and the second is "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt dismantling Ricky Kwong and Johnny "The Revenue" Price in a triple threat match from June 2008.

 

- The Northstar Express in action

 

- Jeremy Wyatt in action

 

I'll try to post some more recent matches from our awesome new venue in Des Moines in the future.

[CodySave]

So I mentioned previously in this thread that as soon as I uploaded a recent Kraig Keesaman match online, I would post the link here. Well, here it is - the modern day viking warrior Kraig Keesaman, complete with awesome viking-themed offensive moves. His opponent is "The Right Price" Aaron Masterson, who is the only wrestler I've ever seen that uses a "Price is Right" contestant gimmick. If anything, just watch this to see Masterson's awesome entrance.

 

 

[CodySave]

Because the match featuring "The Right Price" Aaron Masterson vs. Kraig Keesaman received such a positive response in many places, here's another match from 3XW featuring then 3XW Tag Team champions The Gentlemen's Club (notable Midwest indy wrestler Mark Sterling and the vastly underrated Gage Octane) vs. Kwongercricket ("The Asian Sensation" Ricky Kwong and "The 80s Pop Icon" Donnie Peppercricket).

 

Sterling is becoming very well known around this part of the country as a really solid professional and an excellent heel. Octane is a really excellent wrestler and gets an awesome response anywhere he goes, but he is largely unknown because he only wrestles in Iowa due to factors outside of wrestling. To be completely honest, he is the best wrestler I've ever seen that the fewest people know about. Kwong is a fun, smaller indy version of Ricky Steamboat - a modern day Vic Steamboat if you will. Peppercricket is also a pretty solid babyface that lost a ton of weight in recent months. He's sadly most well-known for spending some time working deathmatches in IWA Mid South, despite being a much better comedy/basic tag formula wrestler.

 

Let me know your thoughts on the match or even the commentary. This is actually me doing the play-by-play and I think I have a long ways to go, but I've heard worse.

 

 

There's some really big shows coming up in Chicago in two weekends, so I'll post some more info when I get a chance.

[CodySave]

I'm going to make an effort to post much more information here while also staying as unbiased as possible in regardless to posting news about all Midwest promotions that are doing cool things.

 

I say that because I'm actually now part of the ownership group of 3XWrestling (3XW), the company here in Des Moines I've posted about before. At the same time, I absolutely don't want to turn this post into a shill for just my company because wrestling in the Midwest as a whole is pretty fantastic and I have friends that regularly work other promotions doing great things. Still, I'll post items about my own company because our whole production is very well done on a very limited budget in my opinion and I think many of you would like our approach - a modern take on certain 80s territories, where we use promos on our webshow to build to matches each month.

 

F1RST Wrestling - Minneapolis/St. Paul

 

This past weekend, F1RST Wrestling held a two-day "Sweet 16" tournament at the West St. Paul Armory (which I believe is a different St. Paul Armory than ROH ran two shows in 2004 and 2006), featuring quite a few CHIKARA/DG USA/ROH stars like Quack, Lince Dorado, The Osirian Portal, Claudio Castagnoli and STIGMA alongside many of the the regular F1RST crew like Arik Cannon, The Northstar Express (Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz), Ben Sailer, Nate Bash (who is pretty awesome and needs to be booked more places), "6% Body Fat" Rob James, Arya Daivari, among others.

 

 

 

Here's a great write-up on both nights of the tournament, with quick results below.

 

http://www.examiner.com/x-1734-Pro-Wrestli...e-Sweet-Sixteen

 

Night One:

- Throughout the night, The Yellow Dog chased his tournament opponent Lince Dorado (i.e. dog vs. cat (in this case a lynx)) around the arena prior to their bout.

First Round Tournament Matches:

1. Ryan Cruz (primarily works tags, but is a really great singles wrestler) beat Amasis

2. "Playboy" Pete Huge beat Venom (who is a huge, round dude) with his G-Spot facebuster and interference by Allison Wonderland

3. "6% Body Fat" Rob James beat STIGMA with a pump-handle package piledriver

4. "The Anarchist" Arik Cannon beat "The Popular" Nate Bash with a brainbuster

5. "The Professional" Ben Sailer beat Arya Daivari by submission with a Texas Cloverleaf

6. Claudio Castagnoli beat Darin Corbin with the Alpamare Waterslide - crowd gave them a standing ovation after the match

7. "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush beat Ophidian with either Quakendriver II or III - another standing ovation

8. Lince Dorado beat The Yellow Dog with a shooting star press

 

Night Two

Second Round

1. Arik Cannon beat Ryan Cruz with a brainbuster

2. Ben Sailer beat Pete Huge with the Chaos Theory rolling suplex

3. Lince Dorado beat Rob James with a Shooting Str Press - crowd loved this match and apparently James looked great

4. Non-Tournament match - The Yellow Dog beat Rob Justice with a top rope frog splash in a comedic match

5. Second Round Tournament Match - Claudio Casatagnoli beat Mike Quakenbush with a Ricola Bomb. Quack gets a standing ovation and "Please Come Back" chants

6. The Osirian Portal beat the unusual pairing of Darin Corbin and Nate Bash after pinning Bash following their top rope legdrop/splash combo in a fun match. During the match, all four men busted out a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It"

7. Horace the Psychopath beat STIGMA by submission with some type of chokehold

8. Sweet 16 Tournament Finals: Lince Dorado beat Ben Sailer, Arik Cannon and Claudio Castagnoli

- Eliminations:

-- Ben Sailer eliminated by Dorado following a SSP onto Sailer, who was holding Cannon in a German Suplex Hold and bridge.

-- Arik Cannon eliminated by Claudio Casatagnoli by a Ricola Bomb

-- Lince Dorado wins the tournament after pinning Claudio with a sunset flip out of a Ricola Bomb

 

All reports I've seen have said the tournament was a total success.

 

3XWrestling - Des Moines

 

 

Here locally, we just released the most recent episode of 3XW Outside the Ring. Production wise, I'm pretty proud of how much the show is improving on a very limited budget. I'd love it if any of you would give it a watch and I'd appreciate any criticism you might have, as it's a constantly improving process. By the way, that's me as Midnight Guthrie, the pro-babyface host of the show and poor man's Lance Russell/Gen Okerlund figure doing backstage interviews.

 

It's done very much in a hybrid "Use lots of promos to build to the next show" and "late 80s-early 90s WWF Event Center" format, with the majority of the show being promos and footage from matches with studio segments tying everything together. Very few indy companies here in the Midwest air any promos online, whereas we build to most of our matches through the use of promos shown on our online TV show. It took a couple years, but our crowd is finally to the point where the majority clearly follow our web show and watch it before coming to the events.

 

We compliment Outside the Ring with individual matches posted online featuring play-by-play by me and heel color commentary by Chad Mylan.

 

The November 2009 edition of Outside the Ring, featuring the end of an awesome Rory Fox vs. Jeremy Wyatt match:

 

This link is to an excellent six-man tag team match featuring three of the most solid hands in the Midwest - Jeremy Wyatt, Mark Sterling and Gage Octane. The first five minutes are definitely worth a watch just to get a feel for the great atmosphere at the Des Moines Social Club:

[CodySave]

Fun 3XWrestling tag team action here as evil and charismatic Canadian duo Sexy and Smooth ("The Canadian Sex Icon" Ryan Slade and A.J. Smooth) battle the team of the ever-popular "The Right Price" Aaron Masterson and tag team specialist "The Asian Sensation" Ricky Kwong. This bout was held on September 18, 2009 as part of 3XW's "Clobberpalooza Classic II" event at the Des Moines Social Club, 3XW's central Iowa home arena. This event also featured former WWE and ECW star Al Snow challenging "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt for the 3XW Heayweight title and TNA Wrestling star Sheik Abdul Bashir teaming with his brother Arya Daivari to challenge The High Flyers (Mike Sydal and "Unbreakable" Zach Thompson) for the 3XW Tag Team titles. You can purchase the full event DVD at http://www.3XWrestling.com . Commentary provided by Midnight Guthrie and Chad Mylan. Footage courtesy of SEP Video.

 

You can watch all previous 3XW Matches of the Month at http://www.3xwrestling.com/videos2.htm and http://www.youtube.com/3XWrestling

 

- Sexy and Smooth vs. Masterson and Kwong

[CodySave]

Here's the excellent 3XW November Knockout commercial. That's Mike Sydal - Evan Bourne's real-life brother and 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year nominee - doing the moonsault to the floor:

 

 

Feel free to post a link to this on any other wrestling websites/message boards you frequent.

[CodySave]

 

Des Moines-based 3XWrestling proudly congratulates always-exhilarating aerial specialist Mike Sydal on being selected the 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Rookie of the Year."

 

Sydal, who is currently one-half of the 3XW Tag Team champions The High Flyers (with "Unbreakable" Zach Thompson), won with 24% of the total vote, beating out TNA Wrestling rookie sensation Jesse Neal.

 

Widely known around the Midwest wrestling scene for his breathtaking high-flying maneuvers and unbelievable speed in the ring, Sydal is the brother of current WWE superstar Evan "Matt Sydal" Bourne. He's recently branched out to competing on the east coast in states such as Florida and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's famous ECW Arena.

 

Sydal joins an illustrious group of previous award winners that includes luminaries such as Larry Zbyszko, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Bob Backlund, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, Terry Taylor, Nord the Barbarian, "Total Package" Lex Luger, Owen Hart, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, "Das Wunderkind" Alex Wright, The Giant, Goldberg, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and fellow former 3XW competitor Zach Gowen.

 

Sydal's next wrestling appearance is on Feb. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa as part of 3XW's Reign of Terror event at the Des Moines Social Club. Sydal teams up with Thompson to defend the 3XW Tag Team titles against The Gentlemen's Club - Mark Sterling and Gage Octane with Todd Countryman. This is a rematch of the spectacular August battle between these teams at the King of Des Moines Tournament event.

 

For more information about Mike Sydal, 3XWrestling and the Reign of Terror card, please visit http://www.3XWrestling.com

 

Also available right now at http://www.3xwrestling.com/sydalvshollister.htm is a great match from June 2009 featuring Sydal battling fellow Midwest standout Shane Hollister. Be sure to watch the other "Matches of the Month" at the site to catch a glimpse of 3XW at The Des Moines Social Club, the most exciting venue for pro wrestling in the United States today!

 

Here's the match:

 

 

http://www.3xwrestling.com/sydalvshollister.htm

[vikingsfan73]

I think my son & I are going to come down from Ames for the 3XW show next weekend, Cody. Been meaning to check you guys out for awhile, but haven't had the chance yet.

[CodySave]

Awesome, glad to hear it, you definitely won't be disappointed! Here's the stacked card for the next show:

 

 

Full Announced and Updated Card:

 

Tag Team Grudge Match!

3XW Legend Brian Ash & Maddog McDowell

vs.

3XW Heavyweight champion "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt & Gage Octane w/Todd Countryman

 

3XW Tag Team Championship!

The Gentlemen's Club - "Delicious" Devin Carter & Casanova w/Todd Countryman

vs.

The High Flyers - 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Rookie of the Year" Mike Sydal & "Unbreakable" Zach Thompson ©

 

Women's Wrestling!

SHIMMER's Melanie Cruise vs. Mia Martinez

 

The Return of Shane Hollister to 3XW!

Shane Hollister vs. Sir Bradley Charles, a very impressive rookie trained by Lance Storm.

 

Grudge Rematch!

Rory Fox vs. "Torturous" Tony Sly

 

The Return of Krotch to 3XW!

Krotch vs. "The Laotian Sensation" Ricky Kwong w/ "The Laotian Liaison" Chad Mylan

 

3XW Cruiserweight Championship!

Brady A. Dezire vs. "The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell ©

 

3XW Pure Wrestling Championship!

"The Viking Warrior" Kraig Keesaman © - who has not been pinned or submitted in 19 months - has challenged any former 3XW competitor.

 

Also in action: "The American Fury" Jon West, Sexy & Smooth - Ryan Slade & A.J. Smooth & more!

 

Tickets:

 

$12 General Admission

$6 Kids 10 & Under

Kids 3 Years & Under FREE admission

 

Tickets go on sale February 13th at:

 

Jay's CD & Hobby

5921 SE 14th St

Des Moines, IA

 

Tickets also available and more information at http://www.3XWrestling.com

 

Commercial:

 

Here's the The Ash Has Risen TV commercial that is airing thisweek during WWE NXT and TNA Impact for those with Mediacom cable in Des Moines. It will also air throughout the week on Spike TV and Scy Fy.

 

 

3XW Outside the Ring:

 

Here it is - the March 2010 edition of 3XW Outside the Ring! Featuring the highlights and aftermath of The Gentlemen's Club vs. The High Flyers and Jeremy Wyatt vs. Maddog McDowell at Reign of Terror! Lots of new insight into Devin Carter joining the Gentlemen's Club.

 

[CodySave]

Here's the card for our next 3XW event in Des Moines:

 

Also - I don't think I've posted the link before to two really great Mike Sydal promos:

or this great tag team match between The High Flyers and Mark Sterling/Gage Octane:

 

 

3XWrestling - Spring Showdown

 

Friday - April 2nd, 2010

 

Des Moines Social Club

1408 Locust St

Des Moines, IA

 

Featuring:

 

3XW Heavyweight championship

Ring of Honor World champion Tyler Black vs. "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt ©

 

Six Man Tag Team Grudge match

Mark Sterling & The High Flyers - 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Rookie of the Year" Mike Sydal & "The Unbreakable" Zach Thompson

vs.

The Gentlemen's Club - Gage Octane, "Delicious" Devin Carter & Casanova

 

Trainer vs. Student Grudge match

Brian Ash vs. Maddog McDowell

 

Locust Street Brawl - No DQ Street Fight

Rory Fox vs. "Torturous" Tony Sly

 

Also in action: Also in action: 3XW Pure Wrestling Champion Kraig Keesaman, 3XW Cruiserweight champion "The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell, "The Laotian Sensation" Ricky Kwong with "The Laotian Liaison" Chad Mylan, Sexy & Smooth - "The Canadian Sex Icon" Ryan Slade & A.J. Smooth, Krotch, Brady A. Dezire, "The Right Price" Aaron Masterson, Buck Albright, Sir Bradley Charles and more!

 

- Card update: Due to Shane Hollister's unfortunate leg injury, Jimmy Rockwell will be defending the 3XW Cruiserweight championship against an opponent to be announced. Everyone at 3XW wishes Hollister a speedy and healthy recovery.

 

Tickets:

 

General Admission $12.00

Kids 10 & Under $6.00

Kids 3 & Under FREE Admission

 

Tickets go on sale March 19th at:

 

Jay's CD & Hobby

5921 SE 14th

Des Moines, IA

 

Tickets also available right now at http://www.3XWrestling.com

 

3XW April 2nd after show party will take place at our sponsor:

Z's Bar & Grill

1511 South Union St

Des Moines, IA

 

All fans are welcome to attend the after party to eat & drink with the 3XWrestling wrestlers & crew!

 

We strongly encourage everyone planning to attend 3XW Spring Showdown to purchase advance tickets. Our event last month had a packed standing room only crowd and we expect an even larger crowd this month!

 

 

Other shows of note around the Midwest:

 

- AAW's big 6 Year Annivesary show is in Berwyn, IL on March 26 featuring The Phoenix Twins vs. The House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Able) in a Loser Leaves Town No Rope Barbed Wire match.

 

- Harley Race's WLW is running two shows this weekend featuring Trevor Murdoch (who nows owns and operates a bar and grill in Eldon, Missouri) and ran two shows this past weekend in Missouri featuring Terry Funk. WLW also has four shows scheduled in April - three in Missouri and one in Keokuk, Iowa. Bao Nguyen, a Harley trainee, was just signed to a WWE developmental deal.

 

- Another indy that doesn't get much hype at all but is pretty successful is POWW, based out of Illinois. POWW runs at least 2-3 events a month and holds lots of shows in Illinois and also branches just across the border into far eastern Iowa and western Indiana on occasion. They run family-friendly wrestling shows, not your typical "smart" fan shows, but their roster wrestles each other so much that they're all pretty solid. You can check them out on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/qualityleap

[vikingsfan73]

My son & I have attended the last two 3XW shows in Des Moines, and we've had a great time! I would strongly suggest that anyone in Central Iowa should check out their next show on May 7. My son is 10, and he's really enjoyed seeing wrestling up close, as opposed to the RAW & SmackDown tapings I've taken him to before. I grew up attending AWA shows in high school gyms and hockey arenas, so this takes me back to those days.

 

I think the wrestling action is very solid, with only one match that I'd classify as really bad, and I won't name names. In the tag title change in March, after some brawling outside the ring, the wrestlers rolled back into the ring and the heel pinned the face after a simple kick to the groin. Nothing crazy, not a bunch of wild interference. Very fun time!

[CodySave]

Thanks for the positive feedback and I'm thrilled you both enjoy our events! And thanks for referring your friends who came to the last event!

 

What's interesting about the "kick to the groin" finish is it actually has over 3 years of history in 3XW. It was actually the primary finishing move of the Northstar Express during a record 20-month reign as heel tag team champions, before they eventually lost the titles to the Mark Sterling and Gage Octane incarnation of the Gentlemen's Club. Sterling and Octane actually beat them for the titles when Sterling used the NSE's own patented "kick to the groin" on Ryan Cruz to pin him in a 2-on-1 situation after Corbin legitimately injured his knee earlier in the night. They also used it to beat the NSE in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to retain the titles. And, most recently as you saw, Devin Carter and Casanova used it to beat our current top face team the High Flyers to become the first two-time 3XW tag team champions.

 

Our next event is May 7th - our May events are always some of our most fun of the year and the battle royal usually features lots of surprises and history:

 

 

Here's the brand new May 2010 edition of Outside the Ring, featuring highlights of the Jeremy Wyatt vs. Tyler Black 30-minute draw that earned a standing ovation from the crowd and a number of great interviews!

 

 

3XWrestling - Over the Top

 

Friday - May 7th, 2010

 

Des Moines Social Club

1408 Locust Street

Des Moines, IA

 

Featuring:

 

3XW Heavyweight championship

3XW Cruiserweight champion "The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell

vs.

"The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt ©

 

5th Annual "Gauntlet for the Gold" battle royal - winner receives a future 3XW Heavyweight title shot! A new wrestler enters the ring every 60 seconds!

Confirmed entrants:

Rory Fox

Brian Ash

Maddog McDowell

"Delicious" Devin Carter - 2009 Gauntlet for the Gold Winner

Gage Octane

Mark Sterling

"The Viking Warrior" Kraig Keesaman

"The Right Price" Aaron Masterson

"The Laotian Sensation" Ricky Kwong

Krotch

Sir Bradley Charles

"The Canadian Sex Icon" Ryan Slade

A.J. Smooth

Hunter Matthews

Brady A. Dezire

"The American Fury" Jon West

Mike Sydal or "The Unbreakable" Zach Thompson

 

More to be named soon! See comments from all announced competitors on the May 2010 episode of Outside the Ring!

 

Loser Leaves 3XWrestling

"The Unbreakable" Zach Thompson - 2009 3XW "Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" vs. his High Flyers tag team partner, Mike Sydal - 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Rookie of the Year"

 

Grudge match

Mark Sterling vs. Gage Octane

 

3XW Pure Wrestling championship

"The Right Price" Aaron Masterson vs. "The Viking Warrior" Kraig Keesaman

 

Women's wrestling

Claudia Del Solis vs. Malia Hosaka

 

Also featuring an appearance by the Mid-Iowa Rollers women's roller derby team!

 

Tickets on sale April 17th at:

 

Jay's CD & Hobby

5921 SE 14th

Des Moines, IA

 

Or at http://www.3xwrestling.com, on the events page!

 

**A special note about Over the Top ticket sales: Starting with the May 7th event we will be doing a advance ticket price of $12.00 per general admission ticket and a night of the show/walk up price of $15.00 per general admission ticket. Kids tickets remain $6.00.

 

We want to make sure everyone is aware of this ahead of time and encourage everyone to pre-purchase tickets to retain the $12.00 ticket price.

 

If you have an advance purchase ticket you will get in to the show to get your seat 10 minutes earlier!

 

Advance tickets purchased through http://www.3XWrestling.com will be available to pick up at the event.**

 

$12.00 General Admission advance purchase

$6.00 Kids

FREE 3 & under

 

General admission tickets will be $15.00 the night of the event.

----------------------

**After party at Z's Bar - 1511 South Union St - Just south of Principal Park!**

 

Food & drinks are available at Z's Bar.

 

Meet, greet & eat with your favorite 3XW wrestlers & staff.

[CodySave]

For anyone interested, here's an example of a typical non-headline match and DVD production from the indy I own/book/play poor man's Lance Russell for. If you want your indy wrestling to look something more akin to the territories of the 80s and not a bunch of flippy-floppy, this may be up your alley:

 

Here's the new Free Match of the Month, displaying the enhanced production features on recent 3XW DVDs -

 

 

3XW Pure Wrestling championship match: "The Viking Warrior" Kraig Keesaman vs. Krotch - Spring Showdown - April 2, 2010

 

Fun 3XW action from Des Moines here as "The Viking Warrior" Kraig Keesaman puts the 3XW Pure Wrestling title and his 20-month undefeated streak on the line against fan favorite Krotch. This bout took place April 2, 2010 as part of 3XW "Spring Showdown" at the Des Moines Social Club, the most exciting venue for pro wrestling in the United States! This event also features a phenomenal must-see 3XW Heavyweight title match between "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt and Ring of Honor World champion Tyler Black - you can't rate the top indy matches in the U.S. in 2010 without watching this battle! You can purchase the full event DVD, as well as find more information about the top wrestlers and one of top promotion's in the Midwest, at http://www.3XWrestling.com. Commentary provided by Midnight Guthrie and Chad Mylan. Footage courtesy of SEP Video.

[Hollinger.]

I just realized I probably haven't been to a 3XW show in a couple years now. I should rectify that.

[CodySave]

I've been so busy actually promoting a Midwest indy company that I've done a terrible job of keeping this thread up to date with indy wrestling info from the Midwest.

 

From a personal standpoint, we've had an amazing series of summer 3XW shows. In an ass backwards way of achieving a lifelong goal, I was involved in promoting (and ring announcing) wrestling matches at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines, which is the same arena I went to WWF and WCW shows from the age of 4 all through high school. Sure, it was as part of preshow and halftime entertainment of women's roller derby, but the crowd absolutely loved the wrestling action and it was really incredible being in such a large venue. We even filmed our monthly webshow from Vets that night:

 

 

That same month, we also held a free afternoon show as part of a town festival in the small town of Mingo, Iowa, which featured fans literally riding 4-wheelers up to the ring area to watch the show and babyfaces petting dogs in the crowd after being victorious in matches.

 

Today I had a first in that the lady who took my order in the drive-thru at Burger King today recognized my voice and had been to our event last Friday - I even had her come in the ring during intermission while the crowd sang Happy Birthday to her.

 

So, I got to thinking, I've had a number of strange "only in indy wrestling" moments the past year that I think people would get a kick out of reading about and I'm sure people can add to themselves. That being said, I'm going to turn this into a thread about "tremendously indy wrestling" observations with occasional tidbits of news and information.

 

Unbelievable things that are not surprising in the least in the world of Indy Wrestling:

 

- In a main event singles match, a chair (not even a steel chair mind you, but one of the office-style chairs also used at the facility) is thrown from a fan in the crowd and hits the back of one of the wrestler's stablemates at ringside. "Security" - a.k.a. the ring crew that are also training to be wrestlers that surely lack formal security training - actually do a nice job of grabbing the surprisingly older gentlemen and escorting him out of the building.

 

Unknown to anyone - the overly involved fan is the FATHER of the babyface getting beaten up in the match.

 

- a wrestler asks to use new theme music, which is not an unusual, if not far too frequent request. What is unusual is that when you put the CD in the computer to rip it, the label on the disc reads "Property of ***** Public Library." Yes, it's a CD borrowed from the local library.

 

- After renting out a ring to a trio of drunk midget wrestlers to use at a small town bar show, you find yourself walking side-by-side with the county sheriff following the waddling little guys toward their motel after they cut a two-hour show short by an hour. You're worried they're going to bail before you get paid for the rental, the bar owners pissed because he's lost his ass in holding the event and now he's also being screwed out of a full show, and the local ad exec for the big city newspaper came to see the show and get her money for the ads, which isn't looking promising.

 

Moments later, you and a 300 lbs. co-owner of the ring/wrestler are kneeling down on one knee to conduct business with the midget in charge of settling up (who also drank his own piss as part of the night's entertainment). He's frustrated because they have yet to get paid by the bar, but he makes things right with you by paying for his rental by giving you the merch cash they made for the night.

 

By the way - the sheriff, upon discovering you're not associated with the midgets beyond the ring rental and finding out you hold regular wrestling shows for less cost, gives you his personal email address in hopes of setting up events for a future county fair.

 

I'll add more later.

[CodySave]

Here's some recent video updates from my indy company. The webshow has lots of really good content starting at the 3:50 mark on (after my goofy self stops talking from the studio):

 

Video updates, including perhaps the best webshow in the Midwest, 3XW Outside the Ring. Lots of great promos!:

 

Here's the latest episode of 3XW Outside the Ring:

 

 

The October 2010 edition of 3XW Outside the Ring is broadcast from the 3XWrestling studios. This episode covers the upcoming Halloween Horror IV event and highlights the recent happenings at Clobberpalooza Classic III, including the despicable events that lead to Ricky Kwong winning the Pure Wrestling championship. The feature match of the broadcast is the first-ever "Luck of the Draw" tag team match, which is a real wild battle. Halloween Horror IV takes place Friday, Oct. 1 at the Des Moines Social Club. Complete ticket and card info available at http://www.3XWrestling.com

 

Here's the 3XW Halloween Horror IV TV commercial:

 

 

Also - we will be holding a Halloween Costume Contest at Halloween Horror IV, with prizes to be given away during intermission to the top costumes (as voted by a panel of 3XW officials and wrestlers). We'd love to see the fans in attendance dress up as their favorite 3XW wrestlers!

 

What does everyone think of this month's episode of Outside the Ring?

[vikingsfan73]

My son & I started attending shows back in March after reading some of Cody's posts. If you're in the area, check out a show, you won't regret it. Great action, family friendly atmosphere, and pretty solid booking. And all of you should go to the 3XWrestling website and order a copy of the 5th anniversary show from July. It was the best show I've ever seen live, and it beat the heck out of a lot of the PPVs you'll ever see. Simply a great show from start to finish, topped off by an amazing ladder match between Jeremy Wyatt and Rory Fox. We're looking forward to Friday night's show. Not sure if Connor will dress up, but we'll be there!

 

I think the strangest thing I've ever seen at an indy show was the chair throwing incident mentioned early. As we were leaving, I joked with my brother, "must have been so and so's relative." Who knew?

 

And Cody, if drunk midgets ever call you about renting the ring again, PLEASE let me know. I want to be there!

[CodySave]

I'll definitely let you know on the rare chance we get such an opportunity again!

 

If anyone happens to live in the Kansas City-area, you may not realize you have an alternative pro wrestling show on TV, in high definition no less - Metro Pro Wrestling, which airs on Metro Sports, a regional cable sports channel in that area of Missouri/Kansas.

 

Here's a couple commercials for it and their T.V. opening:

 

- First commercial

 

- Second commercial

 

- TV show opening

 

I went to the most recent taping and had a great time. They tape four shows in one night, but it flows really well for a live event. The talent roster is pretty impressive overall and they make what is your typical indy wrestling show in a school gym look much nicer on TV with a combination of lighting and extraordinarily nice cameras. The first four episodes probably look the best (haven't seen a full show on TV yet) because they were filmed at historic Memorial Hall, but they now tape at Turner Rec Center.

 

Plus, at the taping I went to, I got to see Harley Race verbally spar with Trevor Murdock and later punch a dude in the face, which was just totally great and I didn't think I'd ever see live and in person.

 

Unfortunately, the crowd is still way too light, even after 8 weeks of TV have aired and I hope it picks up for their sake. Thankfully, they sound loud due to the construction and acoustics of the gym.

[subatomic_elbow]

Are you a local? I live in North Kansas City but have yet to attend because my only wrestling friend works Saturday nights.

[CodySave]

Are you a local? I live in North Kansas City but have yet to attend because my only wrestling friend works Saturday nights.

No, I live in Des Moines, but a good portion of the Metro Pro roster also wrestles for my company 3XWrestling. Metro Pro is a really well run outfit, you should check it out. Have you seen the TV show?

[subatomic_elbow]

I've seen the show a few times and quite like it. The production values are pretty high for a local show.

[CodySave]

Metro Pro has put a couple matches from it's TV show online now:

 

- Tommy Dreamer vs. "Superstar" Steve Fender

 

- Derek Stone vs. Mark Sterling

 

The uploads aren't in the same HD quality as the TV broadcast, but you get a great idea of the overall production values. Mark Sterling is definitely someone to watch for breaking out at a higher level.

[subatomic_elbow]

I went into Sterling's first match with the company pretty dubious of his look, but he made me a believer.

[CodySave]

 

3XWrestling - November Knockout II

 

Friday - November 5th, 2010

 

Des Moines Social Club

1408 Locust St

Des Moines, IA

 

Doors open 6:45 pm for Advanced ticket holders

Doors open 7 pm for everyone else

Bell time 7:30 pm

 

Featuring:

 

8 Man Tag Team Elimination match

3XW Heavyweight champion Rory Fox, The Horn Dogs - Maddog McDowell & Krotch and Sir Bradley Charles

vs.

The Gentlemen's Club - Brian Ash, Gage Octane & 3XW Tag Team champions - "Delicious" Devin Carter & Casanova w/Todd Countryman

3XW Pure Wrestling championship

"The Rockstar" Jimmy Rockwell vs. "The Laotian Sensation" Ricky Kwong © w/Chad Mylan

 

Tag Team action

The High Flyers - Zach Thompson & Mike Sydal

vs.

American Ground & Air - Benjamin Sailer & Nate Bash

 

Two "Enemy Picks Opponent" Matches -

"The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt vs. mystery opponent

&

"2010 King of Des Moines" Mark Sterling vs. mystery opponent

- Wyatt and Sterling choose each other's opponents in singles matches.

 

Also in action: "The Canadian Sex Icon" Ryan Slade, "The American Fury" Jon West, Brady A. Dezire, the return of Shane Hollister & more!

 

Tickets will be available October 9th, 2010 at:

 

Jay's CD & Hobby - Tickets will be available at both Jay's stores 5921 SE 14th Street - Des Moines, IA & Merle Hay Mall - Des Moines, IA

 

also

 

Cup O' Kryptonite - Fleur Drive - Des Moines, IA

 

Or online at www.3xwrestling.com

 

Advanced General Admission $12.00

General Admission day of event $15.00

Kids 10 & Under $6.00

Kids 3 & Under FREE admission