Free Fall Wrestling: Reviving The South

[Rocksta]

[center][IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/FreeFallWrestling.png[/IMG][/center] This is my story, well this is less my story then it is the story of Free Fall Wrestling. To be honest, I don’t know where this story will go and I don’t know where this promotion will take my life. I have a future, I know that much and before this I didn’t like where it was going. Everybody has a passion and mine was and is wrestling, to do anything else just seems silly. I mean sure It’s not practical, and beyond that my parents aren’t too happy about it but it’s out of my hands now. I went to college yes, this is most likely going to be a waste yes but if I don’t do it then I know I will be left questioning myself, asking myself if I could have made it, if my company could have made it. With those thoughts in my mind I set out to make the dream become reality. [center]--- [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/CodyWalker.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/JesseChristian_alt2.jpg[/IMG] [I]The Following is a conversation between myself, Cody Walker, and Jesse Christian.[/I][/center] [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]Jesse I need you for this, this isn't just my dream and you know that. I can tell you want to do this. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Kid, I'm Done. I've been done. This business ain't never treated me right. You saw what happened with Southern Championship Class Wrestling. That was me, that was my heart and soul. It hurt me more then anybody else cept’ maybe Sneer. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]I know, I know. You loved that promotion but it was just a promotion. It was just a name for what you love, it wasn’t the initials that made you love it. It's the passion, it’s the workers and it's the men that have sacrificed their lives for this. They lost just as much as you. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]What are you trying to say Cody? [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]I'm saying you're being selfish. Everyone that was involved in there with you, almost all of them are sitting on the sidelines just like you. Difference is they don't want to be sitting out there on the sidelines. They want to wrestle Jesse, they love to wrestle. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Trust me I love wrestling too but- [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]But what? But you don't love it enough? What are you so afraid of? [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]You weren't there Cody, I lost my life when that promotion fell. I don't want to relive that. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]I'm not promoting failure here, this is the real deal. I'm offering to give you that life back. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]...The real deal Cody? [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]The real deal. You in or are you out Jesse? [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]I'm in but if this doesn't pan out... [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]It'll pan out Jesse. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]So I'm coming down there when? [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]As soon as possible. Tickets on me. The South is alive again Jesse and you know it better than anybody else. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]I know kid...I know. [center]--[/center] And that was that. Jesse was in. The first step was done, we had the name we needed and that one name had all the connections we needed. Jesse was coming down to Florida, and it would take a little bit of time but he'll be bringing company. There was still work to do, I could Ref, I had been there and I had done that before but there were still many needs to address. Still, I knew it would work out though, Free Fall Wrestling was truly ready to bloom and slowly but surely it would put the South back on the map.

[Rocksta]

[center][B]Southern Championship Class Wrestling[/B] [I]A History in Brief[/I] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/SCCW.jpg[/IMG][/center] July 1998 a date that will forever be remembered in the history of wrestling. It was the day that Southern Championship Class Wrestling ran its first show and the day that [B]Whistler[/B] became the first man to ever win SCCW gold at the end of the tournament. [B]Shane Sneer[/B] was the man behind the company, he booked it and he owned it. When it started there was by no means a lot of money or fame to be gained but that changed all too quickly and SCCW was eventually no more. It didn’t happen instantaneously however and the company had much success. Running shows down in Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and other states in the South, Southern Championship Class Wresting was the true definition of a regional promotion. They owned the South and the men that fought in that ring became legends in the South. It started with Whistler but it wasn’t just limited to him. [B]Blackjack Robbins[/B] was another influential figure down in the South. He was the first tag team champion, winning the tournament alongside his partner [B]Whisky Jack[/B]. He made the transition to singles competition as well, defeating the Whistler in December of 1999 to hold both belts at the same time. Blackjack became a huge star in the process, raising through the ranks rapidly. While he is now much older and much less agile he is remembered fondly as a true monster heel and one of the finest brawlers in the South. The belt was then slingshotted to permanent midcarder and Georgia born [B]Elijah Harris[/B] after Blackjack suffered an arm injury. While Whistler quickly won the title back again there were rumblings of big things elsewhere in the promotion. Tag Team wrestling. Many people say it is a lost art but SCCW certainly had a good grasp on it, and so did [B]The Assassins[/B]. They tore through the Tag Team division, claiming the titles after their second match together. [B]Assassin #1[/B] was played by [B]Coyote Dynamite[/B] and his partner [B]Ernie Turner[/B] played [B]Assassin #2[/B]. Together they became a force to be reckoned with the elder Coyote Dynamite helping Ernie Turner become one of the most feared wrestlers in the entire South. They dominated the tag team ranks while The Whistler dominated in singles competition. All of this would rapidly change with the debut of one giant man who would single handedly change the face of the South. [B]Jesse Christian[/B], six foot five and two hundred eighty pounds of raw muscle and two time SCCW champion. Christian is still remembered fondly as the most popular Babyface in the entire promotion. At just Twenty Seven years old Jesse Christian became a mega star in the South over night. The biggest most dominating figure in the promotion would go on to feud with the returning and extremely evil Blackjack Robbins. Jesse would hold the title for the majority of the year and the fans seemed to never get tired of him. After losing the title to [B]The Gambler[/B] he continued to fight the good fight in SCCW. The year 2000 ended with only one more revelation the debut of [B]Rick Sanders[/B] one of the most feared technicians in the South. He would go on to become a tag team champion with his less heralded partner and good friend [B]The Idaho Punisher[/B]. Those events set the tone of Southern Class Championship wrestling for the year of 2001. While there were several title changes and many feuds nothing was as big of a deal as the debut and demise of the South’s most depressing figure [B]Jack Griffith[/B]. The shining young prospect would go onto win the singles gold in 2002 and the tag gold as well with the help of partner Jesse Christian. He would continue his success, eventually betraying his long time partner Jesse Christian and brutally attacking him. While Christian would get his revenge on Griffith and re win the Gold that wouldn’t be the biggest story in the life of Jack Griffith. Drugs and Alcohol soon enveloped the young man as he became a shell of his self on the microphone. While his ring work was still excellent he was clearly on a dangerous downhill slope that would extend much longer then the life of SCCW. 2002 would then come to an end and 2003 was slated to be SCCW’s biggest year yet with the original champion and freshly turned heel The Whistler back on top with the gold on his shoulder. After huge shows in both January and February Shane Sneer confronted the world with some shocking information, Southern Class Championship Wrestling would be holding its last show in March. There would be no buy out, there would be no controversy. There was no more money; Sneer could no longer guide the ship with no money to his name. Sneer was bankrupt and the legacy of SCCW was finished. In the last match of the promotions memorable run The Whistler defeated Blackjack Robbins in a repeat of the very first SCCW main event. The show came to an end with the entire SCCW roster in the middle of the ring, saying farewell to fans and to each other. [center]-- [I]People You Should Know[/I] -- [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/ShaneSneer.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/Whistler.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/BlackjackRobbins_alt1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/WhiskyJack.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/ElijahHarris.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg[/IMG] [B]From Left to Right[/B]: Shane Sneer, The Whistler, Blackjack Robbins, Whisky Jack, Elijah Harris and The Idaho Punisher [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/JesseChristian.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/JackGriffith.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/GarethWayne.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/ErnieTurner.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/CoyoteDynamite.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/RickSanders.jpg[/IMG] [B]From Left to Right[/B]: Jesse Christian, Jack Griffith, The Gambler, Ernie Turner, Coyote Dynamite and Rick Sanders -- [I]Where Are They Now?[/I] --[/center] Many of SCCW’s top wrestlers have encountered success throughout the wrestling world however some have had their careers falter with the demise of Southern Class Championship Wrestling. [B]Shane Sneer[/B] has moved on to United States Pro Wrestling where he is the Head Booker, and occasional Colour Commentator. [B]Whistler[/B] has found success in New York City Wrestling where he has become a two time Empire Champion and a two time Tag Team Champion as well. [B]Blackjack Robbins[/B] and [B]Whisky Jack[/B] have both given up the business with the demise of SCCW they only appear once in a blue moon for an Outlaws reunion match. [B]Elijah Harris[/B] while not out of the business has struggled to find consistent work. While he has worked for many small promotions he has remained mostly unemployed. [B]The Idaho Punisher[/B] went on to become a big part of DAVE, when DAVE went under he jumped ship like many former DAVE workers to its spiritual successor Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling where he now enjoys moderate success. [B]Jesse Christian[/B] has become disillusioned with the industry, and has taken a hiatus from wrestling which he plans to break with a return to competition with Free Fall Wrestling. [B]Jack Griffith[/B] has seen his life go even further into the slum. He has become a shadow of the exciting prospect he once was and has disappeared into the world of drugs. One success story is [B]The Gambler[/B] after adopting many different personas on the indies he fulfilled a dream by working in Japan using his real name, Gareth Wayne. [B]Ernie Turner[/B] and [B]Coyote Dynamite[/B] went completely different directions after the downfall of SCCW. Coyote Dynamite dropped his role as Assassin #1 became a star in NYCW, a four time Tag Team Champion and he is now part of the booking team. Ernie is one of the more confusing cases. He remains fairly youthful and still talented yet he has failed to find a steady job. [B]Rick Sanders[/B] followed the same route as his partner, The Idaho Punisher, by going to DAVE where he ended up teaming with Johnny Martin. While Johnny Martin became a huge star Rick was left to suffer in the midcard until DAVE went out of business. He now works to NYCW where he is struggling to find success. [center]-- [I]Title Histories [/I] -- [B]Southern Class World Heavyweight Title[/B] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/SCCWtitle.jpg[/IMG] Whistler [4] - December 15, 2002 Jack Griffith [2] – September 19, 2002 Jesse Christian [2] - June 23, 2002 Jack Griffith – March 25, 2002 Whistler [3] – October 19, 2001 The Gambler [2] - June 28, 2001 Brady Prince – July 4, 2001 The Gambler – November 25, 2000 Jesse Christian - May 16, 2000 Whistler [2] – November 24, 1999 Elijah Harris - July 17, 1999 Blackjack Robbins – December 26, 1998 Whistler - July 4, 1998 [B]Southern Chamionship Class Tag Team Titles[/B] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/SCCWTag.jpg[/IMG] Brady Prince and Buck Graham [2] – October 28, 2002 Blackjack Robbins and Whisky Jack [3] – May 23, 2002 The Assassin #1 and The Assassin #2 [2] – November 16, 2001 Jack Griffith and Jesse Christian – June 28, 2001 The Idaho Punisher and Rick Sanders [2] – January 23, 2001 Brady Prince and Buck Graham – September 22, 2000 Blackjack Robbins and Whisky Jack – March 14, 2000 The Idaho Punisher and Rick Sanders – August 16, 1999 The Assassin #1 and The Assassin #2 - February 22, 1999 Blackjack Robbins and Whisky Jack – September 23, 1999 [/center]

[Rocksta]

[center] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/CodyWalker.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/JesseChristian_alt2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f238/Jsmonteii/Free%20Fall%20Wrestling/Workers/SCCW%20Alum/Whistler.jpg[/IMG] [B]Reuniting and Reviving[/B][/center] Jesse and Whistler arrived together in the same white sedan. As the two men stepped out of the car my dream was becoming more and more tangible, I could practically feel the mat at my feet. It had been nearly five years now since the demise of Southern Championship Class Wrestling yet both men seemed as fresh as the day they last stepped into a SCCW ring. While I knew Jesse was on the ship but when I heard Whistler was on board as well I was shocked. I was glad of course but I was still shocked. Whistler, or Henry Marshall, under either name the man is still a main event guy up in New York. Out of everyone besides maybe Sneer himself Whistler had done the best for himself, often headlining in New York City Wrestling, one of the many medium sized feds in the tri stat era. I knew he had strong ties to SCCW but where they strong enough to abandon what was going on up in New York, if he was here he would be playing a big part. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]I’ll be honest, Jesse I knew you were coming today but Henry…I didn’t think you really wanted back in. You have something up in New York, you know that’s gone if you’re here don’t you? We need you backstage helping out the younger guys as well as in the limelight. That’s a big commitment… [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Cody he’s in. We’ve talked about this for a long time. Me and Henry, we wanted this for a long time. This was where we were at home. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Henry:[/B] [/COLOR]He ain’t kiddin. This is where I got my real start. I was up in Philly before but I ain’t ever been a headliner like I was in here. I made pacts, and I made friends who are still with me. I swore to myself, to Sneer, to Jesse and to all the other guys that I wouldn’t be jumping no ship. Now that this ships risen again I’m getting on board, don’t matter if there’s a new paint job and some new initials slapped onto it. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]I can’t tell you how thankful for this Henry I- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Henry:[/B] [/COLOR]You’re the one helping all the others back up. This ain’t me. This is you, I mean this is our dream too but you’re the one bringing it to reality. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Couldn’t have said it better myself, it’s happening Cody. And with that Brief exchange we headed inside the house. After some drinks and more cheap talk we eventually had to get down to business. It quickly became apparent to me that Henry and Jesse weren’t pulling any punches. This was as important to them as it was to me, if not more important. Jesse for some reason felt responsible for the downfall of SCCW for some reason or another, despite knowing that it was Sneed’s bank account that ran dry he still couldn’t shake the feeling that it was him. Beyond that he was even more remorseful about the descent of his former good friend and now long lost acquaintance [B]Jack Griffith[/B]. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]I want him in this. If SCCW is getting another chance then Jack deserves one too. He was my buddy. I know he hit a hard patch but I know he can still do this. He is still a good guy, that hasn’t changed. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]…Jesse, Jack is something of an…enigma. Do you really want to risk the new name of this company to some of his antics? Nothing is guaranteed with him. Believe me, when he’s on his best behavior he’s a great guy but there isn’t nothing saying he’s gonna be on his best behavior. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]I want him in this Cody. I ain’t hearing any of that. Jack is a part of the South just as much as me, just as much as Henry and just as much as you. If I’m in this he’s in this. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]…Henry? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Henry:[/B] [/COLOR]He’s got a lot of good points here Cody. Jack can be a problem but he is still one of us. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]Call him then Jesse. He’s your friend. If you can get him here without having to pay the guy too much then we’ll do it. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Fair enough kid. With the one rough patch cleared over and Jack Griffith having earned his spot and Jesse having showcased his immediate pull we moved onto the rest of the promotion. We needed a roster, we needed the old guys back and we needed some fresh faces to bump for them and to become the new wave of stars in the South. SCCW had its share of strengths but it did have its weaknesses as well and foremost among them is the age factor. While we would get by using past stars we would need to build our own. Surprisingly enough Henry, at forty seven years old, was the first to mention the need for new stars. With that on the table we pooled out our knowledge, we made our calls and we searched for names that could add to Free Fall Wrestling and we came up with a very varied list, new stars, as well as old veterans made appearances and got their calls. At the end of the day we were left to feel quite proud of ourselves as we sat around the scattered pieces of paper with our first concrete roster and the date for our very first show. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]So we’re doing this the same way it began? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Henry:[/B] [/COLOR]Yes. The Tournament. This is about wrestling and this is about tradition, the two keystones of SCCW should carry over. [color="#8B0000"][B]Jesse: [/B][/color]Man is it good to hear that. I’m concerned though, we’re missing some key guys. Will it really feel like SCCW? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Henry:[/B] [/COLOR]Some guys are done. There isn’t anything we can do about that now. Blackjack says he can’t wrestle no more, Whisky Jack is the same way. Coyote has a good thing going up in New York City Wrestling, he’s a big deal there. We have a core though; this isn’t going to be no fake revival. [color="#DDA0DD"][B]Cody: [/B][/color]He’s right Jesse, we might not have everybody but the ideas behind the promotion are still here. We’re here to give an alternative, we’re to offer traditional wrestling, the monster heels and the babyfaces. We have that and we’ll never lose that, and those other guys who believed in that that were left with nothing, we’re here to not let them down again. As we nodded our agreement and said our goodbyes I felt for the first time in all my years, complete. It was almost here. We were just four weeks away from the spiritual successor of Southern Championship Class Wrestling and the biggest thing to hit the South since Whistler first hit Blackjack. Jack Griffith. The only question mark, the only stumbling block, could it be possible the one man could handicap a promotion? While his in ring skills were never doubted Jack carried with him and still carries with him all sorts of demon. The needle marks on his arm tell a story deeper and more important than any of his matches. He was damaged goods and he was no good for the environment we needed. We needed good guys; we needed people to guide the new crop of stars. When it came down to it I couldn’t say no. I needed Jesse and I respected Jesse and whether I liked it or not the fate of this promotion was just as dependent on Jesse as it was on me. He was in this now, it wasn’t just me, and suddenly I didn’t feel so happy. The headline flashed in my head [I]’Young Wrestler Overdoses, Company’s Policy in Question’[/I]. As I poured myself another drink the image continued to flash in my head. This wouldn’t be as easy as I thought it would be.