The Tale of Two Wolves... Minnesota Pro Wrestling (Cverse)

[TCP1]

This is a Cornellverse dynasty, inspired by the original dynasty by BriFidelity all those years ago and by the irrepressible InfinityWPI’s Welcome to the Zone series. Seems wrong not to mention them both. And also, having read Historian’s incredible Diary No Ordinary Men, I think I may have subconsciously taken a lot of inspiration from it too. Check it out if you haven’t already. Finally massive thanks to Mammoth and Fleisch for their logo and event logo work. And obviously all the guys on the re-render thread, whose work keeps us all coming back for more.

 

“Those who fail to learn about history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.”

 

We’d been here before, hadn’t we? On the precipice of change. Staring into the void, and instead of having it stare back he just closed our eyes and stepped into it. That’s when I’d awoken. The insides of the motel room were covered in empty bottles of booze, gas store wrappers and endless copies of ancient Pro Wrestling Watcher magazines; their delightfully old school, pages browning through age, but populated with the names of yesteryear.

 

Did anyone even know who Micky Starr or Jackson Andrews were? Some names had survived through the generations. The DeColts, the Chords and the Strongs were still household names years later, but who could say they really remembered the traditional era.

 

God I felt old.

 

With my head swimming from the night before, I leafed through an issue from December 1972. Their Christmas Top 100 workers list. A who’s who of wrestling royalty. It was so cutting edge and exciting to read about the likes of El Patron and Mephisto. Their masks were so new, and fresh. Nowadays you could just go online and watch those matches. But growing up all you had was your imagination.

 

I’d told this story yesterday, or the day before. At a meeting, for a job. Was it head booker for New York City Wrestling? That felt about right, didn’t it? Or did it?

 

In a single second, visions of a multitude of possible futures exploded through my mind. Somewhere out there I’d got the job for NYCW, taken on the challenge and succeeded. In others I’d failed. In some I’d moved to Texas, or Vermont. All these moments were lost, in time, like… Like what? Like something, in the something… Why couldn’t I remember?

 

Where in the Hell was I? God I’d drunk too much. Dragging myself to my feet, I stepped lazily over the debris on the floor. A newer magazine stuck to my bare foot and I flicked it across the room, where it sailed perfectly into the waste paper basket; the face of Brutus Milano sneering up from the front cover.

 

I opened the curtains and was blinded by a blanket of pure white snow punctured by a comically oversized statue of a poorly painted Native American Warrior holding a sign which read ‘Bemidji, Minnesota.’

 

Oh.

 

It all came flooding back. I’d got the job. Stuck to the bottom right-hand corner of the window with gum was a note, which read “3rd and Main, 10.00am.” I checked my watch; 9.56am.

 

Crap.

 

***

 

You know that feeling, when you’re out of breath, panicking, sweating and hungover? All at once? That’s where I was seven minutes later as I charged in the doors of the Beaver Bottoms Saloon. The small number of early morning locals looked up from the bottom of their glasses to stare at me. In the corner booth, sat next to a young blond lad was the stocky, thick frame of wrestling royalty. A memory of feeling crashed over me. Like a school kid meeting their hero.

 

“You like eggs?” Chief Two Eagles called across the bar.

 

Even that simple phrase had eased the concerns of the locals. Chief Two Eagles, the man who helped shape the sport of professional wrestling had a way with words. He knew exactly how to deliver a message without actively saying it out loud. I wondered how many people in the bar knew that they were in the company of a legend.

 

I knew.

 

“Not really,” I blurted out.

 

“Course you do, everyone likes eggs. Curt, get us two lots of eggs on toast. Over easy.”

 

The blond lad smiled, stood up and wandered over to the bar as I sat down.

 

“He’s a good kid, and he’ll be a great personal assistant. How are you feeling today?”

 

“I’ve been better,” I replied.

 

The Chief laughed a booming, guttural laugh which filled the space around him and the bar too. It was the sort of laugh which told you that he liked you and let everyone know that they should like you too.

 

“I knew I saw something in you. There’s a spark of life. You are someone who has accepted that they have two wolves inside them. The Wild Wolf of selfishness, ego and warfare. And the peaceful wolf of togetherness, kindness, understanding and generosity. And you little wolf have learnt to feed them both enough not to be consumed by either one.”

 

“Errr, thank you?”

 

“You are welcome. But having indulged the Wild Wolf, it is time to focus your feeding upon the Peaceful wolf. The one for compassion, hard-work and understanding. We’ve got lots to do,” he said and slammed a series of folders on the table in the corner of the saloon. “These are my thoughts.”

 

You couldn’t say the Chief wasn’t well prepared. His notes were as comprehensive as his explanations. Growth was the key. He wanted to provide an alternative to the big boys, especially his former employer. His goal wasn’t about competing and/or putting anyone out of business. To him, everyone had a right to offer something different in the world of professional wrestling. As I listened, I wondered how many of his peers took such a unifying approach to life.

 

He’d already made some calls to Sam Keith about joining the Confederation of the Territories and they had a verbal agreement that we could join once we’d made a name for ourselves. He also was acutely aware of the fine work being done by CZCW and OLLIE and therefore we wouldn’t be looking to steal their audience at all. So no Luchadors or technical flyers. He also had strong opinions about young athletes damaging their bodies for money, so there’d be no hardcore workers either.

 

Everything he said was like music to my ears. I’d never liked DAVE or the unfortunate legacy it had left. Even PSW was a bit too close to that sort of wrestling for my liking, but they at least had some true talent on their roster.

 

For hours and hours we talked and at the end he handed me a contract, on professional letterhead paper. This was happening. It was really happening.

 

“Remember,” he said as he stood to leave. “I want to bring back proper wrestling. And you, my little wolf, are the blunt instrument of delivering it. Together we’re going to make the world of professional wrestling a better place. I want people to feel welcome with us, like the warm hug of an old friend.”

 

In my head, I muttered to myself, Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling…

 

[TCP1]

Reserved.

[TCP1]

Minnesota Pro Wrestling presents… the beginning…

 

The first month of preparation began in earnest. I’d been sent all the documentation to do with establishing a new company and with Boss Man’s help, we officially opened Minnesota Pro Wrestling.

 

Curt, good to the Chief’s word stuck to me like glue, always holding his little notepad and making comments whenever I was about to say something stupid. He was naturally quiet, but my God was he good at his job. I wondered aloud how we’d stack up against other companies and he had the information, to hand, in an instance.

 

Minnesota Pro Wrestling (Insignificant - ouch)

0% Prestige

0% Momentum

36th Ranked in World (Curt - “That means we’re dead last.”)

 

Of course we were dead last. We didn’t even have any wrestlers yet. To which Curt replied that we actually had one. Him. He explained that he’d been working the independents for months already. Curt ‘The Hurt’ Meritt was his name. I looked at his small frame and lack of discernible features and just nodded along. Still, we had to start somewhere.

 

Curt was a smart kid though, he knew the company wasn’t about to be built around him. Next he provided me with a folder containing available workers we could contact and a list of local venues to hold our first show. As per the Chief’s instructions, it would take place on a Friday and would be called Friday Night’s Main Event.

 

In the large folder was a hand-written note in Curt’s handwriting which said “The Chief loves Tag Team Wrestling, of all kinds!!!” I took note of the note and got to work.

 

With contracts sent out, phone calls made and deals done, we had a starting roster to be proud of. Growth was the goal, and we’d get started as quickly as possible.

 

The Lakota Warriors

Roger Monteiro & the Lakota Braves (Ace Youngblood and Billy Chase)

The first names to sign up. Chief Two Feathers knows Native American workers and he hand-selected these three. As part of our greater goal to unite the various people of the world, it made sense to focus on the historical heritage of both Minnesota and professional wrestling as a whole. Billy Chase goes by Wild Red Stallion elsewhere, but we are a firm believer in names in MPW (where possible).

 

The Ring Generals

Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler

The veterans, the stalwarts, the NAMES. Dean Waldorf and Marv Statler are NYCW royalty and the best journeyman tag team in American professional wrestling. The Ring Generals live up to their name with solid, well-crafted matches. They don’t need crazy flips and jumps to sell themselves. They’re tough guys and as such, the perfect team to start an old school promotion with.

 

Monsters of Mayhem

James Diaz & Logan Diaz (Wolfsbaine)

The son and nephew of ‘The Monster’ Raymond Diaz, James and Logan (formerly Wolfsbaine) join MPW as the big-man tag team Monsters of Mayhem. Despite their imposing, bruising style, both men are capable in-ring talents with potential to spare and I can’t help but see a bright future for them both either as a team or in singles competition.

 

The LA Stars

LA Star #1 & LA Star #2

Trained in California, the masked LA Stars have started their careers on the opposite coast of America with NYCW. Both are talented in-ring performers with potential to go far, and their relative anonymity means that the big boys are unlikely to come calling anytime soon.

 

Minnesota Awesome

Perry Longstaff & Clark Smallbone

How could we start a promotion in Minnesota and not hire the fantastically named Minnesota Awesome. They were a standard ‘young tag team’ who would help make up the working midcard of our roster. More than anything, they (along with Billy, Ace, Roger and Prime Time) were homegrown, which was enough for me.

 

Ernest Youngman

‘The Second City Saint’ Ernest Youngman is a thick-bodied, charismatic tough guy from Chicago. He’s as natural fit in Minnesota as anyone and we’re hoping that some of his success in Pittsburgh and New York translates well here too. We were aware of his valet (and girlfriend) Venus Angeletti, but opted not to distract the crowd with her for fear it would draw the eye aware from the matches he’d be putting on.

 

Masked Stranger

Workhorse midcarder is the best way to describe Masked Stranger. He turns up, does his job well and goes home. Quite where his home is, or quite what his name is are a mystery. But this level of talent on that budget, I wasn’t about to start asking questions. He seemed interested in becoming an integral part of the roster though, which was something we’d happily accept.

 

The Masked Mauler

The seventh incarnation of the infamous journeyman pro wrestler character. This one had sprung up the moment the sixth Mauler retired and actually looks to be his predecessor’s equal in-ring already. Thickly-built, consistent and with an old school flair made Mauler one of the most obvious early signings.

 

Prime Time Jack Pryde

Minnesota’s own; Prime Time Jack Pryde is a rarity in wrestling. A worker with an outrageous name which he lives up to. Charismatic, talented and with a likable personality, the sky is the limit for this man. He was someone we’d have to use intelligently though. Too much of a push too soon and he’d be snapped up by a bigger promotion in no time.

 

William Jetterson (Cobra)

As with The Masked Mauler, Cobra is something of a throwback brawler from the golden era of the 1970s. His gimmick involves him bringing a live snake to the ring, which sold tickets in and of itself. On top of that, his brawling was realistic and his attitude was positive and welcoming. Every company needs a stepping stone midcard heel and the former Cobra was perfect for the role.

 

Pepper Pelton

Another young worker, with more potential than you can shake a stick at. Perhaps not as talented as others, but certainly a solid B+ player. I’d look to find some chemistry with another worker as quickly as possible and see how far we could get as part of a team.

 

The New York Doll

A punk well past him prime. A skinny, tattoed oddball. A consummate professional with lots of experience. We had no plans to push Doll, but my word would he be an unsung hero of our early days. Someone you can trust in the ring with anyone of any popularity and get a decent match. On top of that, he was cheap.

 

Zippy Deverell

Ability on the microphone, while not a prerequisite, is not something we could afford to overlook. And thus Zip the Lip was an easy yes to sign. He’s young, cocky and has a bright future. But we’d have to bed him in for a year or two first. Paying dues is still very much a thing in pro wrestling.

 

Alistair Shufflebottom

Much like NY Doll, Shufflebottom was consistent, professional and safe. The ultimate jobber in modern wrestler. As such, he’d always find work while I had a job, and while he could do one for me.

 

Ben Williams

A man affectionately known as The Bump Machine, who lacks the charisma or mic skills to ever make it as a star. But what he does have, is an incredible ability to sell conistantly and safely. As such he’s managed to make a killing as a jobber to the stars. He’s almost become more famous for his ability to lose convincingly than some borderline stars do for winning.

 

Curt Meritt

MPW’s secret MVP. Curt Meritt is many things. A wrestler, a manager, a colour commentator, a coffee bringer and a ‘yes’ man. Being such a small promotion, we made it our business to hire such a Jack-of-all-trades and tasked him with absolutely everything we didn’t have a particular employee for. As such he is fast becoming the heart and soul of the promotion, despite limited in-ring plans.

 

On top of these wrestlers, we needed other staff and therefore brought in the following:

 

The Officials

Dale Kenny (Head Referee) & David Poker (Referee)

These guys have loads of experience, have high character and are cheap. It’s tough to tell what was more important to us at this stage, but they were welcome additions to the locker room at the very least.

 

Whistler (Colour Commentator)

Gerard Lee is your standard Patriotic type wrestler. Constantly waving the star spangled banner and espousing the virtues of truth, justice and the American Way. Beyond that, he’s a classic grizzled veteran of the wrestling world. Smart, charismatic and interesting, someone who would sit next to me at the announce table and would fill-in as backup road agent too. I suspected he had his eye on spring-boarding to a bigger company using us for exposure. This was fine, because if we could find someone better, we’d move on too. That’s business.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling... The inaugural show...

[TCP1]

Minnesota Pro Wrestling presents... Friday Night's Main Event...

 

Before the show, I took in all the talent we’d assembled and allowed myself some pride. I fed the Wild Wolf for a moment, just enough to satiate my ego. It was time for the first ever show in MPW history. MPW Friday Night’s Main Event. I looked out through the curtain and the barely filled Paul Bunyan Theater, Bemidji’s ‘finest’ location. There they were; 47 human beings were about to witness history. Chief Two Eagles entered the locker room and delivered an incredible speech about unity and working together. The mood was buoyant. When the Chief had finished I simply told the boys it was time to go.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, January, 2020

Live from Paul Bunyan Theater [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 47

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde & Pepper Pelton

In a bout that had sub-par wrestling and non-existent crowd heat, Prime Time Jack Pryde & Pepper Pelton defeated The LA Stars in 12:09 when Pepper Pelton pinned LA Star #2, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 17

Well. That is absolutely not the barn-stormer we were hoping for. All four men looked somewhat lost by the pure silence of the crowd. But they powered through and delivered a decent match even if only 8 people actually made any sounds when referee David Poker counted the 1-2-3. On the plus side, our brief search for a partner for Pepper ends at the first stop. He and Prime Time have excellent chemistry, which opens a world of opportunities for both men.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Ben Williams vs. William Jetterson

In a bout which had decent wrestling but no heat, William Jetterson defeated Ben Williams in 9:43; when Jetterson used a small package on his opponent.

Rating:24

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Minnesota Awesome vs. Curt Meritt & Zippy Deverell

In a bout that had sub-par wrestling and little heat, Minnesota Awesome defeated Zippy Deverell, and Curt Meritt in 10:18 when Longstaff pinned Deverell following a spiked powerbomb.

Rating: 19

Oof. Yet another poor match, although this one at least engaged an extra fan than the last. But hey, we gave Curt a match, which was nice to see and hopefully this would be the last time we see anything resembling this low-quality for the rest of our company’s history.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Masked Mauler

In a bout that had decent wrestling but little heat, Masked Stranger defeated The Masked Mauler in 12:26 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 26

Two masked men. The opposites of one another. Ying to Yang. Face to Heel. There was a chance I was thinking too highbrow for my audience and something was being lost in translation. It was at least better than the first two matches and it was clear that these two had great chemistry together. So we were moving forward.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Monsters of Mayhem

In a bout that had decent wrestling but little heat, Monsters of Mayhem defeated Lakota Braves in 12:19 when Logan Diaz submitted Ace Youngblood with a Boston Crab.

Rating: 26

The Monsters of Mayhem live up to their billing as a dominant tag team looking to ride roughshod through MPW. The Lakota Warriors would bounce back and long-term we had big plans of them. But for now we’d use their local notoriety to push our other stars. Billy Chase looked very good here it should be noted.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Ring Generals vs. New York Doll & Alistair Shufflebottom

In a decent match, The Ring Generals defeated Alistair Shufflebottom and The New York Doll in 21:39 when Dean Waldorf pinned Alistair Shufflebottom with a Wheelbarrow Bomb. The Ring Generals win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 35

Well then. The Ring Generals actually deliver our first decent match. The fact it was for our first titles too, highlights how important tag team wrestling is going to be for MPW moving forward. There really was little choice on whom I would bestow the belts, and immediately they have some gravitas about them.

 

ANGLE: Through the curtain struts Ernest Youngman, microphone in hand. His movements appear to be in time with music, but no music plays (we’d need to work on that). He’s here to introduce himself. He dubs himself ‘The Second City Saint’ and tells all the fans in attendance (down to 42 now) that they’re about to see history. Not just the first MPW Championship Title win, but literal history because he’s going to make short work of the Red Indian he’s facing, just like the pilgrims did (Oh Good GOD! No! That’s it, no more off-script comments for Ernest).

Rating: 31

Huh, despite the overtones, the crowd didn’t hate it. I mean, they didn’t like it, but the raging apathy of the rest of the show was at least gone.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. Ernest Youngman

In a decent match, Ernest Youngman defeated Roger Monteiro in 24:01 by pinfall with The Hit. Ernest Youngman wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 32

Following the comments Ernest made, I did consider switching the result, but the fact is having an alpha heel with the title gives us the opportunity to run a series of chase storylines with basically everyone else gunning for him.

 

OVERALL RATING: 31

 

Following the show we all gathered in the backstage area. Curt had bought a case of beers for us to enjoy and the mood was buoyant. I congratulated Prime Time, Pepper and the LA Stars for their work, which they really seemed to appreciate.

 

While we were listening to road stories from Dean Waldorf the Chief entered the room. Hush fell immediately.

 

“I’m proud of every single one of you. That is exactly the sort of show that makes professional wrestling one of the most engaging sports on the planet. But, and I do not say this lightly, this is just the beginning. We have a long road ahead of us. One that we must travel together. Because without togetherness we are doomed to failure. A lone wolf is never as proud as a pack of wolves. And what we have here is the best pack of wolves. One which was hand-selected for what they bring as professional wrestlers and as people. I know some of you were unsure about the future, but be safe in the knowledge that while the road is long and difficult, we will all benefit from our success.”

 

Immediately the backstage atmosphere reached some sort of euphoria. The boys began excitedly chattering with one another as Curt dished out more beer and pizza. He even dusted off an old karaoke machine. As the impromptu party swelled, the Chief pulled me to one side.

 

“I meant what I said. The next few months are going to be a grind. It’s clear we need momentum, more prestige and as many shows as we can fit in all over the state and the region. Buckle up little wolf, things are about to get busy.”

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… 2 months later…

[Herrbear]

Great start. I'm in.

[eayragt]

Good show, and if we can't get inspired by Bri or Infinity, who can inspire us?

[TCP1]

Minnesota Pro Wrestling presents… 2 months later…

 

I hadn’t drunk for two months. Two long months or travelling, booking, managing and learning. You could tell the difference at this stage between the veterans of the road and rookies, like me. I felt like my brain was becoming a honed instrument of creative output.

 

We’d travelled from Bemidji to St, Paul, from St. Paul to Lincoln, Nebraska. From there to somewhere else I couldn’t remember. Every week a new stop on the whistle-stop tour of the Midwest. Our little roster of wolves had grown and shrunk as more noticeable names had called Chief Two Eagles looking for stopgap work. He had agreed, even if ther weren’t long term plans for them. As he said “we must look after the history of wrestling, if you are to write it’s future.”

 

Names like Chris Caulfield, Clark Alexander, Texas Pete, Akima Brave, Java and Doug Peak had joined for a month and left. Veteran tag teams like The Nation of Filth had appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. We had two tag team title changes in that time as The McWade Brothers defeated The Ring Generals before dropping the titles back the following week. We honoured the names of past, gave them a much-needed pay check and gained popularity and momentum off of them. In fact we have the honour of providing Cauflield (a loss to Ernest Youngman), the McWade Brothers (a loss to the LA Stars) and Java (a loss to Roger Monteiro) their final matches before retirement.

 

Ernest Youngman was on an undefeated streak almost in the double-digits. So dominant was he as our champion that we had decided to add a secondary title. As such, on the eve of our next show we’d been delivered the Midwest Heavyweight Title belt. It was silver and old school in design and I loved it. We’d also decided that the first champion would be the winner of The Masked Mauler and Masked Stranger.

 

In the time that had passed our attendances had grown despite a downswing in wrestling’s popularity and I had grown close to a number of talents like Prime Time and Pepper Pelton. After the discovery of their undeniable chemistry, they'd been out to declare themselves the Cross River Connection, to celebrate their love of Wisconsin. It was a cheap ploy for heat, but their charisma helped carry it. This combined with their extended feud with The LA Stars was paying huge dividends to us.

 

Elsewhere in the wrestling world IPW and GSW had gone to war, the Latino Kings had disbanded and The Architect had won the Rip Chord Invitational tournament XV. There was even rumours of Joffy Laine having walked out on FCW. Therein lies the problem with troublesome backstage areas. Not something we had to worry about.

 

Despite the legends who’d come and gone we’d made a couple of new signings heading into our next big show. Most notably was Tennessee William who’d joined us from NYCW and immediately inserted himself into a feud with Ernest Youngman. At the tail end of a show in Wisconsin, the self-proclaimed ‘King of the South’ had slipped in at the end of a title match and blasted Youngman in the head with his guitar. Tonight would be the first time the two faced one another in the ring. And they did so as part of an invention of The Chief. A Tribal Warfare match. It’s basically a one-fall-to-a-finish, three-man tag match. The premise was inspired by watching small factions forming in the silver age of pro wrestling.

 

I was excited.

 

The Chief, who had travelled everywhere with us maintained his cool, calm approach to life. To say he was irrepressible would be the biggest understatement. As he delivered his patented speech before the show began, when news spread around the locker room that USPW had made a major signing. Jay Chord, son of the legendary Rip Chord had followed the money.

 

MPW Tribal Warfare 2020

Sunday Week 4, March, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Theater [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 94

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors vs. New York Doll & The McWade Brothers

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Lakota Warriors (Roger Monteiro, Billy Chase and Ace Youngblood) defeated The New York Doll and The McWade Brothers in 11:36 when Ace Youngblood pinned The New York Doll with a Flying Tomahawk Chop.

Rating: 38

In our first ever Tribal Warfare match, our Native American faction get the win over a soon-to-retire McWade Brothers and perennial undercard worker New York Doll.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: Charlie Corner & The LA Stars vs. William Jetterson & Cross River Connection

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Charlie Corner and The LA Stars defeated William Jetterson and Cross River Connection in 12:30 when Charlie Corner pinned William Jetterson with a handful of tights.

Rating: 41

The slow-burn feud between the Stars and the newly named Cross River Connection continues with their respective bonus partners William ‘Cobra’ Jetterson and newcomer Charlie Corner. This was a decent match between some of our youngest stars.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out with his guitar Cheryl and he has a sad blues song about Ernest, who he says is going to lose his one true love very soon. The MPW Championship is becoming one of the most prestigious in the US and soon it will be with this company’s true champion, the King of the South… Tennessee William.

Rating: 63

Tennessee is an amazing speaker and a fantastic addition to the roster. Ever since he arrived with a smashed guitar, he’s been winning over the MPW faithful, such as they are. He and I have been hitting it off on a personal level too, which was in keeping with our entire locker room really.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: Tennessee William & The Ring Generals vs. Ernest Youngman & Monsters of Mayhem

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman and Monsters of Mayhem defeated Tennessee William and The Ring Generals in 20:10 when Ernest Youngman pinned Tennessee William with The Hit following interference from two people from the crowd.

Rating: 53

Intertwining of two big stories here with the MPW Championship feud and the tag titles too. But who are the two mysterious attackers?

 

ANGLE: The two men from the crowd remove their hats and face coverings to reveal themselves as Nelson Callum and Bradley Blaze. They then proceed to beat down Tennessee William and The Ring Generals while Ernest laughs from the corner.

Rating: 50

That’s right, we have a new faction formed and two new top-level stars to add to the mix. Bradley Blaze AKA The Dallas Cowboy is a stalwart for MAW and a hell of a worker, while Nelson Callum was recommended to us by Ernest himself as the two have been fighting for months over in Pittsburgh.

 

MPW MIDWEST HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. The Masked Mauler

In an exceptional match, Masked Stranger defeated The Masked Mauler in 22:03 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger wins the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 48

Clearly should have put the previous match as the main event. But the Chief was adamant that new titles get the main event to boost their prestige. Mauler and Stranger are developing one Hell of a feud though and this is the next step in that evolution.

 

OVERALL RATING: 48

 

Comfortably our best ever event, and one we’d build off of going forward. With news spreading of our growth as a company, we would take the next logical step. First we’d run two Friday Night Main Event’s a month seeing as we still had money to burn. Secondly it was time to stick to the Bemidji area as all the travelling was costing us dearly. And finally, under the guidance of the Chief, I put in a call to the legendary Sam Keith.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Alliances make the heart grow fonder…

[TCP1]

Minnesota Pro Wrestling presents… a Confederation of Territories…

 

Following the brief phone call with Sam Keith’s personal assistant, I found myself heading to Newark, Delaware. The Chief and Curt came along with me for support and as the train pulled into the station, I wondered if it had been a joke. We were on the expanded campus of the University of Delaware.

 

Students milled around in the sun, studying under trees and filling every available green space. Across the main park was the hotel we were told to meet the legendary former wrestler. After a brief chat at reception, we were guided to the convention room and as we pushed the door open, were met with a large table, surrounded by around a dozen people.

 

At its’ head was the man himself, who stood up and smiled.

 

“Chief, it’s been too long,” he said.

 

“Good morning Samuel,” the Chief replied. “You’ve gotten old.”

 

Sam Keith laughed, while the others around the table remained silent.

 

“Come, sit down, sit down,” he said. “Sally pull up an extra chair for The Chief’s guests.”

 

“No need Samuel,” interrupted Chief. “We’ll sign the documentation and ten we’ll be leaving.”

 

“Never one for chit-chat were you Chief?”

 

“We’re all busy people, and I can’t imagine we’ll have much say in proceedings for the time being. I notice a lot of faces I recognise around this table too. More than I understood to be in this alliance.”

 

“Quite right too,” smiled Sam proudly. “You’re part of a new influx of promotions who are hoping to join the Confederation. We’re having a large interview process right now.”

 

“Well I’m sure my accomplishments speak for themselves,” replied the Chief firmly. “So either pass us the documents to sign, or don’t.”

 

The air in the conference room was suddenly thick and tense. Sam’s eyes kept flitting between the Chief’s gaze and those of the people at the end of the table. Finally he waved his hand to his assistant, who took a piece of paper out of a briefcase and slid it along the table to the Chief. He pulled a pen from his jacket and signed.

 

“Excellent, it’s a pleasure to be part of such an esteemed group. Let me know when the next official meeting is and I will of course attend.”

 

“Wait, we’re losing our champion.”

 

Chief actually stopped and turned back, “Pablo?”

 

“Yes,” said Keith. “He’s retiring.”

 

The Chief looked around for a moment before saying “I’m sure you’ll find someone from the big four to replace him. Give him my regards on his retirement. HE’s earnt it.”

 

“Aren’t you at least going to introduce us to your friends?” said Mr. Keith. His eyes glinted with a sort of barely hidden malice as he spoke. “Or perhaps it would be quicker to ask, which one is your Little Wolf? I presume one of them is. I have to say, it’s very brave of you to have another Little Wolf. Especially after the last time.”

 

I looked from Keith to the Chief, but his face was impassive.

 

“You always were a smart kid Samuel,” the Chief replied. “Too smart sometimes. Have a nice day.”

 

And with that, we left.

 

I tried to find out what Keith had been talking about, but the Chief deflected all my questions. When I asked why we’d joined, he simply replied that ‘A wolf works better with a pack than alone.”

 

***

 

In preparation for our new, Bemidji-based shows I asked Curt to scour the inter-web-net thing to see what was happening. He informed me that we were getting good ‘engagement’ with our posts. When I asked what posts he was talking about, he showed me a series of short videos with highlight clips, interviews and moments which progressed the stories we had running. I then pressed him on whether Chief knew about the work he’d been doing and he sheepishly ignored me. I decided it was best not to mention it either, and to give him a raise, this work he was doing was incredible. He then showed me a highlight video of William Hayes, who it seemed was retiring shortly. The video ended with a red still reading “presented by Wrestleword.”

 

I asked Curt what it was and he explained it was a small-time competitor to Reverie (the game-changing streaming service which had effectively won the war for USPW). Sounding like exactly the sort of thing we should get involved with, he pointed out that he’d already contacted them, but we lacked the relevant production standards and popularity. Interesting.

 

Our roster was slightly bigger than it needed to be, but Chief would not want us to cut anyone, especially as we’d formed an amazing little group. We were close to becoming family rather than colleagues. But with limited time, we’d run a ten-man battle royal before the cameras started rolling. This made sure everyone got a paycheque, but we didn’t have dozens of matches for the sake of it.

 

I made a mental note to find out where the master tapes of the recordings were going and how I could access them.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, April, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 93

 

DOUBLE TAG TEAM MATCH: Ring Generals & LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection & Monsters of Mayhem

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The Ring Generals and The LA Stars drew with Cross River Connection and Monsters of Mayhem in 21:27 following a double disqualification.

Rating: 42

Our tag team division might just be one of the strongest on the independent market. You could make a case for every one of these teams being a title bearer, not to mention the Lakota braves and any two members of the Triple Aces. The Chief’s dream was coming true.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Masked Stranger ©

In an exceptional match, Masked Stranger defeated The Masked Mauler in 21:53 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger makes defence number one of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 35

These two, with their preternatural chemistry had something of an issue here. While lining up a suplex, Masked Stranger turned his ankle. Mauler, ever the consummate heel, immediately started to kick it, but the flow hurt the overall match.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Triple Aces (Callum & Blaze)

In an exceptional match, Lakota Braves defeated Nelson Callum and Bradley Blaze in 21:24 when Bradley Blaze was counted out while fighting Billy Chase.

Rating: 55

Speaking of great chemistry, our new top-level heels Callum and Blaze have it too. What a wonderful discovery. He gave the win to the Lakota Braves, who really should be involved with the tag titles sooner rather than later, but the goal was to remove Blaze and Callum from interfering in the main event, which worked beautifully. Now Youngman would have to beat Tennessee all on his own.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Ernest Youngman in 23:43 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Tennessee William wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 59

And here, we, go! Ernest had run with the title for the early portion of the promotion’s history, but we needed fans to know he was beatable and Tennessee is riding a streak of white hot momentum, which made him an obvious next champion. Ernest would remain a big part of the main event scene, but I didn’t want us booked into a hole in case he decided to sign with one of the big boys at some point.

 

OVERALL RATING: 58

 

What a fantastic start to our new-look schedule. We’d come a long way since that first show and the future looked bright. The Chief thanked everyone backstage afterwards too and I’m not afraid to admit, we had a party.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Tennessee vs. the Triple Aces…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where Tennessee fights Texas…

 

After realising Curt’s potential, I asked him to keep me up-to-date with wrestling news in a daily briefing package. The first one highlighted that Riley McManus had won the King of New York title in NYCW, but the bigger story was Animal Harker who had suffered a semi-severed spinal column. The report said he’d be out for at least a year, although I wondered if he’d ever walk again. Terrible news. Signed off by the Chief, I’d send him a gift basket by way of commiserations.

 

In Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling, our main man Ernest Youngman won the PSW Championship from none-other than Nelson Callum. The match itself was apparently amazing, which was something I’d note for later on. And finally IPW on the West Coast were switching from an ‘anti-establishment hardcore’ product to ‘Grindhouse Lucha Libre.’ There was so much about that sentence which made no sense, but it didn’t need to. They weren’t really a consideration in our plans at all.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, April, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 97

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE FOURWAY: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection vs. Monsters of Mayhem vs. The Ring Generals ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated The Ring Generals, The LA Stars and Cross River Connection in 21:35; when Logan Diaz pinned Pepper Pelton. Monsters of Mayhem win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 43

Bit of a cheap way to switch the titles, but I really wanted The Ring Generals to remain strong, while mixing up our title race. Plus this gave us an opportunity to run a match between the new and old champs, which would hopefully be money. Logan was far and away the better worker of the two Diaz’s, but James had a better gimmick. As a team they were great.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Zippy Deverell vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Zippy Deverell in 22:17 by submission with a Cobra Clutch after botched interference by The Masked Mauler. Masked Stranger makes defence number two of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 39

Despite their friendship and their chemistry, I decided to keep Masked Stranger and Masked Mauler away from each other for a bit. They’d developed some tension after the injury incident, plus it gave us a chance to showcase some of our other young talent. Deverell is one for the future for sure. He’s decent in the ring, but his promo work is one of the best we had and seeing as Curt was showing the world their work on our website, it made sense to give him a shot. A shot, not a win of course.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Triple Aces (Youngman & Callum)

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman and Nelson Callum defeated Lakota Braves in 22:07 when Ernest Youngman pinned Ace Youngblood while using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 51

Another amazing match for the Lakota Braves, although I needed to give Ernest the win to remind people that he’s still one of our untouchables. Plus it means he’s now around to interfere in the main event. Although, being the upstanding citizen he is, I’m sure he’d never dream of doing such a thing.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Bradley Blaze in 23:44 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage after failed interference by Ernest Youngman. Tennessee William makes defence number one of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 48

Turns out Ernest can’t be trusted. Can’t be trusted not to interfere, AND can’t be trusted not to mess it up. Annoyingly these two don’t click, which puts something of a spanner in the works for some future plans, but with us still in the early stages of the feud, I could move things around to compensate.

 

OVERALL RATING: 48

 

A somewhat disappointing end to the month as our main event really stunk up the whole show. Still, it’s a good result for such an upstart company and I’m sure in the future I’d be desperate for ratings like that. So I won’t complain. As the month ended we’d lost $17,323, which was far better than previous months, but with the lowest possible production costs, this was a problem. We’d have to walk a fine line balancing between costs and production in the future. Then one day, in the distant future we might turn a profit.

 

As I was preparing for the next show, The Ring Generals asked for a meeting. The two veterans entered my makeshift office in Paul Bunyan Hall. I invited them to sit before realising there were no seats. Mildly concerned this might be a meeting for them to hand in their notice, they instead spoke to me about Minnesota Awesome. Apparently they are a great future tag team and The Ring Generals are willing to put them over, clean. I stood dumbstruck for a moment. Minnesota Awesome? Our 7th best tag team? The Generals said yes without a hint of irony. I told them they were awesome and thanked them for their advice, and that I’d take it under advisement. The day Minnesota Awesome goes over The Ring Generals is the day they hand in their notice and not a moment earlier.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, May, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 113

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Lakota Braves in 21:15 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Billy Chase with a handful of tights.

Rating: 37

Somewhat underwhelming match between these two. I figured with their combined talents and momentum, this would’ve been a barn-storming start. Hmmm. Still, Cross River Connection (who are building something of a cult following online for their weekly videos entitled Call-in with the Connection) got the win through nefarious means, because they’re heels. And heels cheat.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Ring Generals vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a superb match, The Ring Generals defeated Monsters of Mayhem in 21:02 when Dean Waldorf pinned James Diaz after using a foreign object. The Ring Generals win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 49

So overwhelmed by their generosity was I, that I decided to hot shot the titles back to The Ring Generals. These two have engaged in all-out war with one another and might just be the hottest acts in the entire company right now. Plus I felt it was right to make The Generals our first ever three-time champions. Now we’d build to a rubber match.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Zippy Deverell vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Zippy Deverell in 20:49 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger makes defence number three of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 40

Another solid performance by Zippy, but he was nowhere near pulling off the upset. Masked Stranger continued his incredible streak and I wondered who I’d move into the challengers spot next. I really needed Mauler and Stranger to remember that they’re friends so I could build around them again.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Triple Aces (Youngman & Blaze)

In a superb match, Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze defeated The LA Stars in 21:14 when Ernest Youngman pinned LA Star #1 after using a foreign object.

Rating: 52

This week it’s up to The LA Stars to try and stop the Triple Aces from getting to the main event. Sadly they aren’t quite up to it after Ernest grabbed Bradley’s empty bottle of beer and smashed it over LAS Star #1 head for the win. But the question is, will his interferences pay off this time?

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Nelson Callum in 25:16 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage after botched interference by Ernest Youngman. Tennessee William makes defence number two of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 58

Nope, it won’t pay off. Ernest once again costs his stablemate the chance at glory. While it looks like this might cause dissention in the ranks, the Triple Aces beat down the champion together to end the show. Turns out these two have great chemistry, which in the world of wrestling is a bit like finding free money. Fantastic match.

 

OVERALL RATING: 57

 

During the post-show locker room chat, Chief Two Eagles stood up to make an announcement.

 

“As you all know, we’re building something very special here. A promotion which promotes inclusivity, and understanding with our fellow man. Well, we’re ready to take the next step in that journey. At the end of June, I have secured us a spot on day two of the legendary Basilica Block Party. We’ll going on just before the headline rock band, so this is an opportunity for us to make names for ourselves in St. Paul. Little Wolf and Curt are working on a plan for the card, but I implore you not to be working elsewhere that day. And between us, I'd book off the next day too, I understand the party goes on into the early hours of the morning.”

 

Well…

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… The build to Basilica Block Party 2020 begins…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where love is in the air…

 

Despite the Chief’s overwhelmingly positive attitude towards everything, I noticed a few of our boys were distracted and it concerned me. They were distant and often glued to their phones when we were having our weekly meetings. So I did what I always do in situations like this and spoke to Curt. It turned out that Spike (The New York Doll) had started a serious relationship with someone called Cheerleader Nicki over in NYCW. The two were polar opposites on the face of it, but I was suddenly less concerned with the distractions. Who doesn’t love… love? It wasn’t only Spike though; the Dallas Cowboy himself, Bradley Blaze has started dating none other than Lisa Bowen, daughter of the legendary Runaway Train. Nothing like creating a family of super-wrestlers. I congratulated them both and they responded with odd looks.

 

Curt’s Pack had details about USPW signing up Eric Tyler, while the main event of Welcome to the Coastal Zone this year had Al Coleman defeating Frankie Perez for their top title, which was nice.

 

That aside, we had the Basilica Block Party to prepare for. It was an opportunity to reach a whole new set of eyes, so we’d have to make it a show to remember and hopefully make it an annual set.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, May, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 114

 

NO.1 CONTENDES TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. The LA Stars vs. Monsters of Mayhem vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated Lakota Braves, The LA Stars and Cross River Connection in 10:18; the order of elimination was Lakota Braves first, then The LA Stars, and finally Cross River Connection.

Rating: 43

We wanted an elimination tag team match to highlight who the ‘big dogs’ were of the division. Unsurprisingly it’s the Monsters of Mayhem, who are only ever held back by their own love of beating each other up. But they were no.1 contenders again and they’d get their shot at the Block Party.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: William Jetterson vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, William Jetterson drew with Masked Stranger in 21:40 following a double disqualification.

Rating: 51

Deverell steps down and Jetterson steps up. I didn’t want Stranger to dominate a mini-feud again, so we kick off with a draw and the match is excellent. This one ended when Jetterson realised he was on the back-foot and threw his snake into the ring, causing referee Poker to throw out the match. That’s some old school character work right there.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Triple Aces (Youngman & Blaze) vs. The Ring Generals ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The Ring Generals defeated Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze in 22:24 when Marv Statler pinned Bradley Blaze with a Wheelbarrow Bomb following interference from Tennessee William. The Ring Generals make defence number one of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 55

Another great match as the Triple Aces go for the tag gold. Unfortunately for them the champ had other plans. Nothing like a little bit of revenge in their feud. Plus it gives The Ring Generals a big (if tainted) win themselves. So they’re as heated up as much as possible for Block Party against the Monsters of Mayhem.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Nelson Callum in 21:43 by pinfall after smashing his guitar over Callum’s head. Tennessee William makes defence number three of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 59

Switching to Tennessee from Youngman has resulted in no downward shift in match quality, which when combined with Tennessee’s character work and a levelling of the main event means we’re on exactly the course I want to be on.

 

OVERALL RATING: 57

 

As a team bonding session, I arranged for the whole roster to stick around and match TCW’s Total Mayhem XXIV. It was incredible to see what a slickly-produced show looked like. Best two matches saw Sammy Bach defeat Aaron Andrews for the TCW World Heavyweight Title, and Wolf Hawkins defeat Freddy Huggins in a steel cage. It was absolutely incredible how far we’d come, but watching the show with the others made me realise how far there was to go.

 

Ernest Youngman thanked me for arranging and I casually told him he’d be there one day himself. His reply of “I know” with a wink made me realise it might be sooner than I thought.

 

***

 

As May ended we’d lost another $17,432. By our calculations we could keep going at our current rate until the end of the year, at which point we’d need to make some serious decisions. At least the figures were consistent, although we really needed the Block Party event to go well. Other than raising our profile, we stood a chance of making some decent money at the event itself. If nothing else that would keep us going for a few more months beyond the end of the year.

 

We cancelled our second Friday Night’s Main Event for the sake of avoiding burnout with our regulars. And as such, the next show would be our final build towards the big show. I just hoped we could nail it. Once again before the show, The Ring Generals asked for a meeting, which I granted. Fearing again that they’d signed elsewhere, I was relieved to hear that they were just tired from their touring in Japan and working in the States and asked if I could somehow reduce their schedules. I, of course, agreed and then almost immediately forgot about it. They were the tag team champions of MPW after all.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, June, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 121

 

SINGLES MATCH: Alistair Shufflebottom vs. Zippy Deverell

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Zippy Deverell defeated Alistair Shufflebottom in 10:23 by pinfall with a Spinning Bulldog.

Rating: 30

Sometimes you just want to give the lower card guys a proper outing, outside of a battle royal. Match was a little disappointing, but Deverell needed a boost after his losses to Stranger, so here it was.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Curt Meritt

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Curt Meritt in 9:53 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter.

Rating: 32

Charlie Corner was an odd case. He had all the tools to be great, plus he was young and hard-working, but I simply had no room on the card for him as things stood. Curt agreed to put him over clean though, hoping it might kick-start the creative juices to help me think of a way to use him.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Ben Williams & New York Doll

In a decent match, The LA Stars defeated Ben Williams and The New York Doll in 9:35 when LA Star #2 pinned The New York Doll by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 41

The LA Stars can really have a good match with anyone. New York Doll, like Corner, felt wasted at the moment. There was definitely some mileage in his gimmick alone. I just needed to harness it somehow. The LA Stars are absolutely superb and I have no doubt there’s big things in their future.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated The Masked Mauler in 9:41 by disqualification.

Rating: 46

Return of the Mauler; as he dominates the Lakota Warrior so much that he gets himself disqualified. Roger was a fantastic upper midcard face for us, but we definitely had eyes on building up to a Mauler vs. Stranger rematch at some point. Mauler had served his time and we appreciated it.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Minnesota Awesome vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Minnesota Awesome in 11:38 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Perry Longstaff, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 29

Oof! Really disappointing match between these two. Young Pretty Boys vs. Cocky Douchebags is a tag team formula as old as time. The match though, dragged in middle, which caused the problems. Shorter matches for teams like Minnesota Awesome was clearly the answer.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: William Jetterson vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated William Jetterson in 21:41 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger makes defence number five of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 45

In their rematch, Stranger double-knots the bag holding Jetterson’s snake (Sir Hiss) and then locks in the deadly submission finish. Stranger was the consummate professional, and we rewarded that professionalism. His inaugural reign with the Midwest Heavyweight Title made it one of the more prestige secondary titles on the independent circuit.

 

10-MAN TAG MATCH: Tennessee, Ring Generals & Lakota Braves vs. Triple Aces & Monsters of Mayhem

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William, Lakota Braves and The Ring Generals drew with Ernest Youngman, Triple Aces and Monsters of Mayhem in 27:31 following a double disqualification.

Rating: 57

With this being the last show before the big one, we wanted a massive schmozz with no clear winner and just a series of awesome wrestling segments. Our boys produced in spades.

 

OVERALL RATING: 55

 

And with that we were set. Curt arranged a coach for us, while Chief distributed lanyards to get us into the block party at the end of the month. All we had to do was put on a show to remember.

 

MPW Basilica Block Party 2020

MPW Championship Title: Ernest Youngman vs. Tennessee William ©

MPW Tag Team Titles: Monsters of Mayhem vs. The Ring Generals ©

MPW Midwest Title: Bradley blaze vs. Masked Stranger ©

Singles: Roger Monteiro vs. Nelson Callum

Singles: Charlie Corner vs. The Masked Mauler

Tag Team: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Let’s party…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where we’re off to party in St. Paul…

 

The coach pulled up to St. Paul and we were ushered through with the rest of the ‘talent.’ It was still early, so there were a limited number of people on the streets already. After a brief meet-and-greet with some bands (Spike loved meeting them and talked himself up to their bemusement) we were shown the area where we’d be set up.

 

MPW Basilica Block Party 2020

Sunday Week 4, June, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [streets of Basilica, St. Paul, Minnesota]

Attendance: 119

 

SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Masked Mauler defeated Charlie Corner in 18:51 by submission with an Iron Claw.

Rating: 42

‘Cali Cool’ Charlie Corner gets the opening bout, but takes the loss to Masked Mauler. This is the sort of old school wrestling matchup that new fans would love. Two clearly defined characters, one good, one bad, fighting to a finish. Match was good too, showing that my lack of long-term use of Charlie was a crime. Mauler remains a stalwart of our midcard.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The LA Stars in 20:32 when Pepper Pelton pinned LA Star #2 after using a rolled up necklace of beads thrown to him by a woman in the audience.

Rating: 41

These two teams always bring the goods against one another and made the perfect compliment to the type of show we were running. The fact that the Connection got the crowd involved, sort of made them face’s during the match. Although they quickly turned back to douchebag heels after they threw the woman’s beads to someone else in the crowd. That’s how you generate heat. I’d need to get both of these teams involved for the titles sooner rather than later.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. Nelson Callum

In a superb match, Nelson Callum defeated Roger Monteiro in 19:56 by submission with a Honey Trap after blatantly cheating.

Rating: 56

Wow! These two really took the Chief’s pre-event chat to heart and let it all hang out for the St. Paul audience. Nelson Callum might just be one of our best all-round stars and is someone I certainly need to push into the title mix properly.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLES: Monsters of Mayhem vs. The Ring Generals ©

In a superb match, Monsters of Mayhem defeated The Ring Generals in 19:34 when Logan Diaz submitted Marv Statler with a Boston Crab. Monsters of Mayhem win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 55

And the titles change hands again. The extended feud between the monstrous tag team and the consummate professionals had elevated the titles to almost equal to our top championship. But with the Monsters now in control, I’d look to move The Ring Generals into broader matches with other talent and let the big boys run with them for a while.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Bradley Blaze drew with Masked Stranger in 22:05 following a double count out.

Rating: 55

When you don’t want to change the title, but you can’t afford to have one of your top stars lose, you have them both fight into the crowd and get counted out. Bradley helped push Stranger further up the card in the eyes of the crowd, while the title itself continues to grow in prestige. Great match from two of our top in-ring talents too. Beautiful.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Ernest Youngman vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated Tennessee William in 21:57 by pinfall with The Hit following interference from Bradley Blaze. Ernest Youngman wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 60

Boom! We finally switch the title back to Ernest. He’s far and away our top star and this was a perfect opportunity to give him his win back. Tennessee had been fantastic on the top, but his lack of chemistry with Blaze had hampered him slightly. Now we could run back to ‘the chase’ for the title as the top storyline.

 

OVERALL RATING: 59

 

As the show ended and the Block Party started raging, I paid the boys and couldn’t help but smile as Prime Time, Pepper, Charlie, Curt and Spike just threw on some jeans and danced into the crowd. Some of the more professional boys thanked Chief for putting on a unique show, and left. As I was saying farewell to Tennessee, I noticed The Ring Generals having a private chat with the Chief. I wandered over as the former champs shook his hand and walked away. I asked him what that was about, and he wistfully looked into the crowd.

 

“You did good tonight Little Wolf, very good.”

 

***

 

In the week that followed, buoyed by our success, I went into the office with Curt every day and we cut together highlights of the show and various promos by the boys ready for the next batch of shows. As I watched hours and hours of footage, it became apparent that Tennessee, Callum, Youngman and Blaze were all dynamite on the mic. A promo of Youngman particularly impressed as he informed Tennessee William that if he wanted another shot at the gold, he’d have fight his way through the whole roster, one at a time.

 

Before our next show, I approached the locker room to find Tennessee telling us road stories about Brutus Milano. Apparently he’s one of the slowest workers he’s ever worked with, but because Larry Vessey loves his look, he’s pushed him to the moon. Tennessee apparently likes the guy personally, but always laughs when he sees him running through his three move repertoire. I made a note never to hire Brutus Milano. With this going on, I heard a cheer as the chief banged a plastic hammer on a table and Spike pretended to be upset at a ruling during the latest backstage wrestler’s court.

 

I gathered them all around and ran through the plans for the show ahead, but was interrupted by Chief, who highlighted how fantastic everyone is doing, but especially the tag teams.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, July, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 119

 

SINGLES MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Prime Time Jack Pryde in 22:25 by pinfall with a handful of tights.

Rating: 49

The crowd knew why Tennessee was kicking off the show, so that shows at least some engagement with our website. The match itself was fantastic as Prime Time is developing into a tasty worker. It really helped that Tennessee used his superior talents to make him look great too. The chase begins in earnest.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors vs. Callum, Blaze & Mauler

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The Lakota Warriors (Roger Monteiro, Ace Youngblood and Billy Chase) defeated The Masked Mauler and Triple Aces in 20:46 when Roger Monteiro pinned Bradley Blaze, after Masked Mauler accidentally hit Blaze with a piledriver.

Rating: 49

Bless the Masked Mauler. He can’t tell friend from foe and it cost the Triple Aces a victory. Once again the Lakota Warriors deliver and I feel somewhat sad that I don’t have an out-and-out story for them. They’re more like guardians of the midcard, but it’s a job they do amazingly in fairness.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Curt Meritt vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Curt Meritt in 20:30 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger makes defence number seven of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 44

God job Curt. While he is the hero of MPW backstage, Curt’s in-ring career is middling to say the least. But I wanted to thank him for his work at BBP and he brought the goods, with more than a helping hand from Masked Stranger. As for the champ; he feels ready to step up into the main event proper. But for now, he was a fantastic first Midwest champion.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Ring Generals vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated The Ring Generals in 21:01 when James Diaz pinned Marv Statler with a Monster Spike. Monsters of Mayhem make defence number one of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 57

And the tag division knock it out of the park once again. This is the final blow-off to this long-running feud, and I’d now look to move both teams onto new things. Generals would be taking on the Connection, while the Monsters of Mayhem would have a date with the Braves or the Stars.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Ernest Youngman defeated Charlie Corner in 21:12 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Ernest Youngman makes defence number one of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 56

Gave Charlie a main event slot, as I felt bad for under-using him. Normally I’d be raving about what a great match he had, and he did. But after that tag team match, it looks a little limp. Still, good to know we could run a main event with the tag belts if needed. That’s the sort of flexibility which helps small promotions like ours.

 

OVERALL RATING: 55

 

I thanked Prime Time, Charlie and Curt for their performances and they responded by giving me a huge joint hug. If that isn’t loyalty, I don’t know what is. The Chief smiled and then threw down the latest copy of Pro Wrestling Watcher. The headline read…

 

Cornell joins USPW…

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Tennessee’s chase continues…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… the home of new moves and sad goodbyes…

 

As July came to a close, we all got together at Roger Monteiro’s house in the Minneapolis suburbs to watch SWF’s The Supreme Challenge 40. Remo defeated Des David to retain the world title in the main event. But all the others were talking about was Tommy Cornell leaving 21CW to join Allen Packer at USPW. The general feeling was that in a year of two USPW would have signed all of the top talent in the world. They started to talk about who in that very room might join. Unanimous decision was that Ernest or Logan would be the most likely, although there were a lot of votes for the Ring Generals too. Marv and Dean shifted uncomfortably and waved away the votes.

 

“Ok boys,” I said to shift focus. “Next show, don’t forget to do your promos for Curt. We’ve got to keep producing them so that people know who you are, and why you’re kicking the teeth out of each other. The Generals are in Japan this week, so good luck out there fellas. Zippy – you’re facing Tennessee in the opener, and… Ace, you get to main event against Ernest. Everyone not on the main card will be fighting in a pre-show battle royal as is tradition. But remember that’s where stars are birthed. As always bring the absolute best you’ve got, who knows, Allen Packer might be watching…”

 

The room cheered sarcastically.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, July, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 119

 

SINGLES MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Zippy Deverell

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Zippy Deverell in 21:21 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad.

Rating: 44

I am loving the fact that Tennessee has dropped from the top of the card to the bottom and is still doing everything he can to put over the younger stars and keep the promotion, as a whole, strong. Zippy was the recipient this week and boy did these two put on a show. Fantastic work.

 

NO.1 CONTENDERS TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Cross River Connection in 20:42 when Prime Time Jack Pryde was counted out while fighting LA Star #1.

Rating: 40

In the on-going battle between our two young teams, it’s the LA Stars who get a title shot at the Monsters of Mayhem for our next big show… which we hadn’t announced yet. But we would, I had to remember to speak to the Chief to see if he had any big plans or whether I could cut loose a bit. Good match as always between the two teams who kicked off our first ever show.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Masked Stranger ©

In an exceptional match, Masked Stranger defeated Nelson Callum in 21:05 by submission with a Cobra Clutch after Bradley Blaze tried to interfere, but accidentally hit Callum. Masked Stranger makes defence number eight of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 55

Callum brings the goods as he always does, but is undone by his Triple Aces brother. Masked Stranger showing here that not only can he beat a main event talent, but that he’s every bit the star that Callum is.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors (Chase & Monteiro) vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated Billy Chase and Roger Monteiro in 20:43 when James Diaz pinned Billy Chase while using the ropes for leverage. Monsters of Mayhem make defence number two of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 48

With Ace fighting in the main event, Monteiro joins Chase in trying to get the tag titles. Unfortunately, their teamwork is not as good as the Braves and they fall short after some pretty dastardly cheating from the big fellas.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Ace Youngblood vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Ernest Youngman defeated Ace Youngblood in 20:59 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Ernest Youngman makes defence number two of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 49

Somewhat disappointing match as these two definitely don’t click as a pairing. They were all over the shop with their timing, but the crowd broadly enjoyed it regardless. What made it truly memorable though was the finish, where Ace setup Ernest for what looked like a piledriver and instead flipped 360 degrees forward, smashing Ernest’s head into the canvas. The crowd popped massively for it and it made his psychology better overall. The new move, for what it’s worth, is called the Flying Eagle Drop. And you better believe we’ll be having Ace do that in every match from now on.

 

OVERALL RATING: 49

 

Slightly disappointing post-BBP show, but plenty of good stuff to come out of it. According to Curt’s pack, CZCW had signed a shock jock from Seattle called DJ Stardog as their colour commentator. While the unlikely pairing of Copperhead & Miller Fforde won Sam Keith Classic X. I loved tournaments. They were so cool. Steaming into August with purpose our accountant told me that we’d lost $13,089, which was better and before the first show of the month I received news which would bring that loss down further.

 

The Ring Generals; Marv Statler and Dean Waldorf, our first three-time tag team champions had signed a contract with BHOTWG. It was a written and exclusive contract, which meant that this was their last show for us. In keeping with their wishes and as a thank you for everything they had done for us, we’d put them in the main event.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, August, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 124

 

SINGLES MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Pepper Pelton

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Pepper Pelton in 21:16 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 47

Tennessee continues his streak of raising the profile of other talent, while beating them in one-on-one matchups continues. As a cherry on top these two very clearly have great chemistry too, which lifted the quality further. Great start.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Prime Time Jack Pryde vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Prime Time Jack Pryde in 20:31 by submission with a Cobra Clutch. Masked Stranger makes defence number nine of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 46

The other half of the connection tries his hand at going for a title, but falls short to the white hot Masked Stranger. I was seriously considering giving Prime Time the fluke win here, but common sense won out. While it is time to move the belt elsewhere, I was formulating other plans for the youngster. And I couldn’t bury Pepper either.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated The LA Stars in 21:06 when James Diaz pinned LA Star #2, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Monsters of Mayhem make defence number three of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 50

Another cheating win for our formerly dominant tag team champions. This highlights to the crowd the depth of talent in the roster and pushes LA Stars into proper contender status. These two would definitely meet again after this match-up and we’d make a bigger deal out of it next time.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors vs. Triple Aces

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, The Lakota Warriors (Roger Monteiro, Ace Youngblood and Billy Chase) drew with Triple Aces (Ernest Youngman, Nelson Callum and Bradley Blaze) in 21:02 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 55

Great matchup between some of our hottest stars. The fact things broke down at the end of the match when Tennessee invaded the ring just added to the story. Ace even delivered another Flying Eagle Drop on Ernest, although was quickly speared out the ring by Blaze and Callum.

 

LOSER LEAVES TOWN TAG TEAM MATCH: The Ring Generals vs. Minnesota Awesome

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Minnesota Awesome defeated The Ring Generals in 21:22 when Minnesota Awesome pinned both members of The Ring Generals with a Double Flying Elbows.

Rating: 39

Hugely disappointing match here as I hadn’t properly built up Minnesota Awesome in time. But, as good as their word, The Ring Generals took the clean loss to the team they thought were stars in the making. I wasn’t entirely convinced, but this was their show. They stayed in the ring and were met with a standing ovation as the rest of the locker filled the outside to send them to Japan with all the best wishes we had.

 

OVERALL RATING: 40

 

Not a great show, but it didn’t matter. The after party was immense, with Marv and Dean getting all the plaudits they deserved for helping put our tag division on the map. I found myself late on, talking with The Chief, who seemed genuinely tearful that the Ring Generals were leaving. He then asked if I had any ideas on who could replace them? I hadn’t given it any thought to be honest, but he and I retired to my office to look through Curt’s ‘Talent Folder’ and see what we could find.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Out with the old, in with the young…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Giving experience to best young talent in the business…

 

With Cornell officially joining USPW, word from the Confederation of the Territories was bleak. They were genuinely concerned that even with Wrestleworld helping them out, they’d struggle to gain viewers from USPW. Especially with the wrestling industry in a downturn of popularity. Things were made worse as they couldn’t find anyone who Pablo Rodriguez would lose to and move the COTT World Title on. As such, he retired as champion and the belt became vacant. This was not the sort of professional approach which would fly in the big leagues and The Chief was furious after he’d been refused access to Pablo to talk him around. Still we had our own problems. The loss of The Ring Generals had left two slots open on our roster. We’d move two from the pre-show into the main show, but we needed to replace them in turn.

 

Our first signing was a young kid from just down the road. Danny Cassidy is a former Golden Gopher quarterback who had a career-ending injury before he could be drafted. He opted to follow in the footsteps of his estranged father, one Jack Griffith (Danny’s birth name is actually Jack Griffith Jr.) and become a professional wrestler. With a big frame, great look and a history with the sport he was one for the future to be sure, plus he’s a local. Our second signing was another second generation worker, with a big frame. The son of the legendary Dread had joined us. Running with the name Dreadnought, he looked absolutely massive in comparison to most other workers and screamed major star. The chief specifically requested his signing and immediately took the young giant under his wing to train him, as he was green as grass.

 

Heading into our next show, the COTT finally got their act together and at NYCW Heat of the Night 2020 they pulled the trigger on a new champion. In fact NYCW changed all their titles that night. Devastating Don won the Tri-State, Riley McManus won the Empire, Brooklyn’s Finet won the tag belts. As we were sitting around playing a poker game arranged by Nelson Callum, Tennessee William walked in a bit later than usual and placed the COTT World Title on the table. Everyone began touching it and trying it on. I asked Tennessee if he fancied putting it on the line on one of our shows? We grinned.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, August, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 126

 

TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Triple Aces vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Triple Aces defeated Cross River Connection and The LA Stars in 21:01; the order of elimination was Cross River Connection first, and then The LA Stars.

Rating: 44

We wanted to give the Triple Aces a bit more momentum as they had, broadly, lost of drawn a lot of matches with us. So we stuck them in the opener with two of our best teams. The match was going fantastically with solid, methodical wrestling on display. At the conclusion of the match, with just the Aces and the Stars remaining, Nelson Callum climbed to the top rope and delivered an axe-handle to LA Star #1, before immediately crumpling to the floor. David Poker raised the ‘x’ symbol and Blaze quickly rolled up LA Star #2 for the win. Nelson Callum had just broken his ankle. Damn it.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The Masked Mauler drew with Masked Stranger in 20:42 following a double disqualification after both men were attacked by William Jetterson and a huge masked man.

Rating: 48

When in doubt, change the card around. Nelson’s injury necessitated a quick change in plans and as such we moved Mauler into a match with his old adversary for the Midwest Heavyweight title. But as good as the match was, and it was good, it was the ending which mattered. ‘Cobra’ William Jetterson hit the ring with a behemoth of a man in a mask…

 

ANGLE: Stranger and Mauler are laying in the ring. William Jetterson grabs a mic and would like to introduce the world to his new body man… Dreadnought. He’s the most unstoppable force in the world of professional wrestling. And soon everyone is going to know about The Beast and the Cobra King.The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves both Mauler and Stranger completely destroyed.

Rating: 37

Jetterson needed a fresh gimmick and this was the perfect way to introduce the untested monster. Simply looming at ringside so that people could get used to him, with him occasionally destroying people to raise his momentum and popularity.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Lakota Braves defeated Monsters of Mayhem in 20:54 when Logan Diaz was disqualified while fighting James Diaz.

Rating: 52

Great tag match as always, but the big, burly fighting cousins couldn’t contain their rage and started kicking lumps out of each other. With little else to do, the referee called the match for the Braves.

 

ANGLE: Ernest Youngman is out for his match, but first he wants to express his disappointment that Tennessee William isn’t here this evening. But this is what happens you find success in a lesser promotion in the East. But the fans aren’t to worry, they’ve got a real champion to see.

Rating: 64

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Ernest Youngman defeated Roger Monteiro in 21:55 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Ernest Youngman makes defence number three of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 55

Again a great match, but this is really about the story between Ernest and Tennessee.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William makes a surprise appearance and comes out to disappoint Ernest specifically. He admits that New York is his second home, but his first home is here. And he doesn’t feel the need to work to get a shot at that championship when he’s a World Champion. So if anyone, other than the Triple Aces, wants a title match. Come on, he’ll make you famous.

Rating: 67

 

COTT WORLD TITLE MATCH: Zippy Deverell vs. Tennessee William ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Zippy Deverell in 21:12 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad. Tennessee William makes defence number two of the COTT World Heavyweight title.

Rating: 45

This was originally going to be Callum’s spot. Deverell did a good job here, but not as good as it could’ve been. Show was slightly disappointing overall, but really all we cared about was Nelson.

 

OVERALL RATING: 46

 

Bradley Blaze called us from the hospital straight after the show. Callum’s ankle was bad and he was out for a few months because of it. The mood in the locker room was somber for the first time and I left The Chief to talk to everyone as I needed to tear up all my plans for the future. As I sat alone and flicked through Curt’s pack, I noticed USPW had signed Paul Huntingdon, while former MPW tag team champion Dallas McWade had opened an academy. I’d have to remember to speak to him and see if he had anyone worth taking a punt on. There was a knock at the door and Tennessee came in with the COTT World Title in one hand and his mobile phone on speaker in the other. He told me he had Callum on the phone and they’ve been talking. I asked him to continue, a sense of dread filling me at what they’ve been discussing. I was then truly shocked, when they both told me that they thought Danny Cassidy had the makings of a superstar.

 

***

 

We lost $13,470 in the month of August, but were still in the black at the bank, so I ignored the fact we were leaking money every day. With the mood still down after Callum’s injury, I decided to focus on the next show. I was starting to feel a bit directionless. It hadn’t helped that our chase for the gold had been undone by Tennessee becoming a World Champion. But we’d find a way, we always did.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, September, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 131

 

SINGLES MATCH: Danny Cassidy vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Prime Time Jack Pryde defeated Danny Cassidy in 10:08 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 28

We decided following Tennessee and Callum’s comments to give Cassidy his first singles match on the main show. As it turns out, he and Prime Time had great chemistry and the match was decent. Not amazing, but very solid. I made sure Prime Time made the kid look dominant, but wasn’t about to give him a big win at this stage. The small contingent of fans seemed to respond well to his all-American gimmick though.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Meritt & Doll

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Curt Meritt and The New York Doll in 11:50 when LA Star #1 pinned Curt Meritt with a Star Destroyer.

Rating: 37

Another disappointing match as I couldn’t bear not to have The LA Stars on the main show. Curt and Spike were both clearly elsewhere mentally and this dragged down the whole match.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated The Masked Mauler in 12:09 by disqualification.

Rating: 40

Ooo, that’s better. Mauler always delivers something and ‘Cali Cool’ himself stepped up. I gave him the win too as I needed him to start building some momentum for my future plans, while Mauler gets to look like an unhinged maniac. Win-win.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Monsters of Mayhem defeated Lakota Braves in 20:54 when James Diaz pinned Billy Chase after an Asiatic Spike. Monsters of Mayhem make defence number five of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 51

The Lakota Braves appear to have taken a step forward in their tag team performances and are now clearly what we’d call specialists. The Monsters meanwhile appear to finally be back on the same page and are therefore as dangerous as ever. Great match as always.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: William Jetterson vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, William Jetterson defeated Masked Stranger in 20:54 by submission with a Viper Vice after interference from Dreadnought. William Jetterson wins the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 45

And finally, after nine successful defences, we pull the trigger on a title change for the Midwest Heavyweight Title. Masked Stranger has belonged in the main event for months, while Jetterson’s new hot gimmick and the appearance of Dreadnought made this the perfect opportunity to make the switch. Match was a little underwhelming, but Jetterson had some time to grow into his new role and I had new batch of contenders to through into the mix.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William has an interview in which he taunts Ernest Youngman and tells him to grab a partner, because he and Monteiro are about to lay a whupping on them.

Rating: 65

I’m going to slowly start introducing some angles into the live show as it helps to tell compelling stories without the fear of anyone snapping their ankles. Not that I’m scared of that happening. Again.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tennessee William & Roger Monteiro vs. Triple Aces (Youngman & Blaze)

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William and Roger Monteiro drew with Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze in 20:48 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 60

Boom! Monteiro doesn’t miss with the opportunity presented to him and we have one of the best matches in our history as a result. Our faithful crowd are really starting to respond to our long-running stories and even the loss of Callum in the short term cannot stop the excitement building.

 

OVERALL RATING: 58

 

After praising Monteiro, Tennessee and Ernest, I noticed our champion was a little glum. Turns out his long-term girlfriend Venus Angeletti had split up with him, and even worse, had started dating Jackpot Jordan. I commiserated with him, which he seemed happy about.

 

As I was reading the latest results from around the independent scene, I noticed that Cali Slick had won the King of California trophy in GSW. And like a spark, inspiration flooded over me. I called in The Chief to tell him my plan.

 

“We should run a King of Minneapolis tournament,” I said excitedly. “ Sixteen of our best in a single elimination tournament. Winner gets a shot at the champ at our big Christmas show. I presume we’re running a big Christmas show?”

 

“Of course we are Little Wolf. I’ve been toying with the idea of calling it Twin City Showdown.”

 

“I love it. So what about a tournament?”

 

“It is, a good idea. But I don’t like calling it King of Minneapolis, it’s too small. A bit like the King of New York.”

 

“Ok, how about the King of Minnesota?”

 

“Hmmm,” The Chief replied, rubbing his chin. “Still too small, that reminds me of the King of California.”

 

“How about…” I thought hard. “The King of Midwest?”

 

The Chief smiled.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… A kingdom is nothing without a King…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where we search or our very own royalty…

 

There was no time to lose as we’d normally like to run a big show every few months, but had probably left it too late for September. Therefore we’d aim for the end of October for the tournament and then Twin City Showdown in December. We therefore had two shows to go before the tournament finals and needed to get to work. Curt, myself and the Chief sat in my makeshift office with a big whiteboard and started to run through every permutation of wins and losses. As the show was about to start, we had our final plans in place and gave the running order to the boys.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, September, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 128

 

ANGLE: Chief Two Eagles makes his first on-camera appearance and he’s holding a trophy. “This ladies and gentlemen, is the King of the Midwest trophy. This trophy, and it’s eventual winner, embodies the virtues which we hold dear around these parts. Honesty, integrity, toughness… Whoever can best the fifteen other men in this upcoming tournament will truly be one of the finest wrestlers, and men, this company has ever seen. We’re proud to present the tournament, but prouder that the winner will go on to face the MPW Champion, whoever that will be, at our big Christmas extravaganza, the Twin City Showdown I. With that said, let’s see who has got what it takes, to be crowned the King.”

Rating: 42

He maybe old, but the Chief has still got the goods.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Danny Cassidy vs. William Jetterson

In a decent match, William Jetterson defeated Danny Cassidy in 10:13 by submission with a Viper Vice after interference from Dreadnought.

Rating: 28

Once again the kid looks dominant, but Jetterson, ever the cowardly heel, uses his big body man advantage to win and book his place in the quarter finals. Decent opening, if not spectacular.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Prime Time Jack Pryde vs. Billy Chase

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Prime Time Jack Pryde defeated Billy Chase in 20:37 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 27

Hugely disappointing match between two of our young, tag team starlets. Billy Chase lacks the psychology and Prime Time lacks the pacing. I’d have to be careful with them both in singles competition going forward.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: LA Star #2 vs. Pepper Pelton

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, LA Star #2 defeated Pepper Pelton in 9:49 by pinfall after using a foreign object.

Rating: 44

That’s more like it. Pepper is elevated by Star #2, but once up can hold his own. The right man progresses however. You don’t want two douchebag a-holes progressing in consecutive matches.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: LA Star #1 vs. James Diaz

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, LA Star #1 defeated James Diaz in 10:06 by pinfall with a Double Stomp following botched interference by Logan Diaz.

Rating: 48

Oh dear, the continued troubles of the Monsters of Mayhem cost James Diaz dear. It was a fantastic match between the two, but someone had to lose and apparently Logan was the one who ended up deciding.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Logan Diaz vs. Ace Youngblood

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Logan Diaz defeated Ace Youngblood in 10:02 when Ace Youngblood was disqualified when James Diaz ran in and attacked Logan Diaz.

Rating: 59

WOAH! That is a huge match. What a performance by these two. The fact that the Monsters of Mayhem are still fighting is very in-keeping with their characters. Even more in-keeping is the fact that James, the younger cousin, thought he was costing Logan the match, but actually gave him the win. I’m now wondering if the right man won though.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Zippy Deverell

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Zippy Deverell in 10:14 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 47

Masked Stranger is obviously physically angry with losing his title and took it out on poor Zippy. Absolutely dominating the man and pulling up from guaranteed pins because he wasn’t done inflicting pain. In the end he finishes him off with a submission on an already unconscious opponent. That, is how you herald your departure for the main event scene. Masked Stranger is DANGEROUS.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Bradley Blaze vs. Roger Monteiro

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Bradley Blaze defeated Roger Monteiro in 21:11 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 53

In another matchup between the Triple Aces and the Lakota Warriors, the Dallas Cowboy gets the nod. Monteiro is great, but Bradley has a lot of potential, which I plan to unleash as and when I can.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William has an interview in which he taunts Ernest Youngman and tells him he’s going to win the tournament, get another shot and steal Ernest’s prize and joy.

Rating: 68

Simple and effective promo from one of our best talkers. Can’t knock that.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Tennessee William vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William defeated The Masked Mauler in 20:48 by disqualification.

Rating: 50

A solid main event where Tennessee progresses, as he should, but Mauler looks like a lunatic who can’t control his rage. It’s really the perfect result to an important match.

 

OVERALL RATING: 50

 

After congratulating Tennessee, Ace and Logan I enjoy the backstage banter. Everyone seems to be more upbeat than before. Perhaps direction is as important as anything. While discussing the shocking news that Spencer Spade had broken his neck on the latest SWF show with Billy Chase, he mentioned that it could’ve been avoided if he’d bridged a different way. In fact, Billy explains, it’s a standard MMA counter. I asked the kid how he knew that and he dropped the bomb that he’s started to learn about MMA fighting for a potential future career. I ask him if he’s not happy with wrestling, but he is. But hopes to split his time eventually between the two sports. It’s a way off yet, but we felt it was right to give me the headsup. Just before leaving he mentions that in his opinion Dreadnought is a star in the making. No kidding, kid.

 

September closes and due to the loss of The Ring Generals and short-term loss of Callum we only lost $10,909, which is… a win? I’m not sure, but we’d take it for now. I tried to put it to the back of my mind to be honest. We had one more show to go before the next big one and we had a tournament to finalise.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, October, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 138

 

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Ace Youngblood vs. James Diaz vs. Pepper Pelton

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Ace Youngblood drew with James Diaz and Pepper Pelton in 10:00 when the referee was forced to rule a no contest when all hell broke loose.

Rating: 46

All of the previous round losers deserved a spot. So I let them cut loose and, with the help of the super-hot Ace Youngblood, it turned into a fantastic exhibition between the three. I obviously had a lot of talent wrapped up in my tag teams and that would be something I’d have to address at some point.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: LA Star #1 vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Prime Time Jack Pryde defeated LA Star #1 in 12:08 by pinfall with a handful of tights.

Rating: 38

A disappointing match considering the participants. Once again there was a problem with Prime Time, as he seemed distracted. But now being in the semi-finals he’d have to shake out of the funk quickly.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: LA Star #2 vs. Logan Diaz

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Logan Diaz defeated LA Star #2 in 20:38 by submission with a Boston Crab after blatantly cheating.

Rating: 50

Logan is your absolute monster heel. But he’s also one who is happy to cheat when the time calls for it. Which a match against one of his opponents at King of the Midwest proved. While it was fantastic that he’d made the semi-finals, he now faced the prospect of potentially wrestling three times. Twice in the tournament and once in his tag title defense with a cousin with whom he has not been seeing eye-to-eye with recently.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Tennessee William vs. William Jetterson

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William defeated William Jetterson in 20:56 by count out.

Rating: 55

Dreadnought tried to interfere, but Tennessee had him well scouted and blasted his guitar over the giant’s head. Dreadnought barely moved, but Jetterson had to go out to calm him down and ended up getting counted out. Hey! I never said they were smart. But at the end of the day, the right man won.

 

KING OF MIDWEST MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Bradley Blaze

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Bradley Blaze in 21:01 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 53

Another clean-as-a-whistle win for the ascending Masked Stranger. Could he go all the way in the tournament? Possibly. In fact his semi-final match against Prime Time looked like a gimme, considering the other side had Tennessee and Logan Diaz. Decent match between these two ring generals.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated Roger Monteiro in 21:28 by pinfall with The Hit. Ernest Youngman makes defence number five of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 62

Sometimes you just got to have the champion beat someone clean. Maintaining dominance, I believe it’s called. But what a match! Monteiro once again shows he’s got the goods and I wonder why I haven’t properly elevated him back to the main event since our early shows? His time would no doubt come eventually.

 

OVERALL RATING: 60

 

Post-event Ernest asks me for a payrise from $60 to $100 and I cannot think of a single reason to say no. While Roger Monteiro, buzzing from his main event, took time out to tell me that he can see a bright future for Danny Cassidy. You and everyone else apparently. Blimey.

 

Anyway, we were days away from the big show and the card was set…

 

MPW King of the Midwest 2020

MPW Championship: Talent Trade from COTT vs. Ernest Youngman

King Semi 1: Tennessee William vs. Logan Diaz

King Semi 2: Masked Stranger vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

King Final: 1 vs. 2

MPW Tag Team Title Match: The LA Stars vs. Monsters of Mayhem

Tribal Warfare Match: The Lakota Warriors vs. Blaze, Jetterson & Dreadnought

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… A King is Crowned…

[DinoKea]

MPW King of the Midwest 2020 Predictions

MPW Championship: Ernest Youngman def. Talent Trade from COTT

King Semi 1: Tennessee William def. Logan Diaz

King Semi 2: Prime Time Jack Pryde def. Masked Stranger

King Final: Tennessee Williams def. Prime Time Jack Pryde

MPW Tag Team Title Match: The LA Stars def. Monsters of Mayhem

Tribal Warfare Match: Blaze, Jetterson & Dreadnought def. The Lakota Warriors

[eayragt]

PW King of the Midwest 2020

MPW Championship: Talent Trade from COTT vs. Ernest Youngman

King Semi 1: Tennessee William vs. Logan Diaz

King Semi 2: Masked Stranger vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

King Final: Masked Syranger

MPW Tag Team Title Match: The LA Stars vs. Monsters of Mayhem

Tribal Warfare Match: The Lakota Warriors vs. Blaze, Jetterson & Dreadnought

 

I could totally see Logan Diaz winning too. William doesn't seem to need the victory here.

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… A King Rises…

 

No point messing around, let’s get to it.

 

MPW King of the Midwest

Sunday Week 4, July, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 140

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE INVITATIONAL: Axxis the Third vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In a decent match, Ernest Youngman defeated Axxis The Third in 20:46 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. Ernest Youngman makes defence number six of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 45

We’d heard a lot from OLLIE owner Phoenix I about the third iteration of the Axxis character, so we thought we’d trying him out. Considering he has zero notoriety or popularity in this area of a foreign country, he did spectacularly well here. Definitely a mega-star for the future.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors vs. Blaze, Jetterson & Dreadnought

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Bradley Blaze, William Jetterson and Dreadnought defeated The Lakota Warriors (Roger Monteiro, Billy Chase and Ace Youngblood) in 20:37 when Bradley Blaze pinned Billy Chase with a Dallas Drop.

Rating: 41

A little bit of a ‘get em on the card’ match here with Dreadnought continuing his ridiculous under-the-radar winning streak. Plus we wanted to give the deuce to Bradley Blaze who through no fault of his own has found himself as a bit-part player in the main event.

 

KING OF MIDWEST SEMI FINAL MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Prime Time Jack Pryde

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Prime Time Jack Pryde in 20:49 by disqualification.

Rating: 46

I was so close to switching to Prime Time, but I have to give Masked Stranger a chance in the main event scene and this is the quickest route to that goal. Match was decent, but a touch of a disappointment and worse than that I didn’t know who to blame but myself.

 

KING OF MIDWEST SEMI FINAL MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Logan Diaz

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Logan Diaz in 21:13 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad following botched interference by James Diaz.

Rating: 62

Woof! Now that makes up for the previous match and then some. Logan Diaz is an unsung hero of this promotion and constantly brings the goods in-ring. Probably should’ve made this the final and left it up to the wrestling God’s who should be the winner. As it is, we have a face vs. face final for the trophy and the title shot.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Monsters of Mayhem ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Monsters of Mayhem in 22:24 when LA Star #1 pinned James Diaz with a Star Destroyer after Logan Diaz accidentally struck James Diaz. The LA Stars win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 47

Oh dear, oh dear. Despite James’ warnings to his cousin about over-extending himself, Logan finds himself with a second loss for the night. And unlike the first, this is all his fault as he accidentally speared James while aiming for LA Star #2.

 

ANGLE: Following the match and despite his best efforts, James Logan is set upon by his cousin Logan. Delivering blow after blow, the older cousin locks in his deadly Boston Crab and holds on until James Diaz passes out.

Rating: 47

That’s the problem with the arrogance of wrestlers like Logan. They can’t accept their own flaws, so have to externalise their failure. In this case his own cousin finds himself in the way of the rage. But what does this mean for the Monsters of Mayhem? Tune in next week to find out.

 

KING OF THE MIDWEST FINAL: Tennessee William vs. Masked Stranger

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Masked Stranger in 30:44 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad. Tennessee William wins the MPW King of the Midwest.

Rating: 50

Solid, if unspectacular main event there. I know Tennessee can bring it in the big events, so the problem must be Stranger. I might need to tweak his gimmick a little to see if that helps. And get some wins under his belt, because momentum hides many sins.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William and Masked Stranger’s shake hands after their hard fought battle. Stranger grabs the trophy and insists on handing it to Tennessee himself, when Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze slip into the ring and begin a vicious assault on the two finalists. Then, out of the crowd, comes NELSON CALLUM to attack his former friends and defend the finalists. Two Honey Traps later and he’s cleared the ring of everyone.

Rating: 50

HEEEEEE’SSSS BACK!!!!!

 

OVERALL RATING: 50

 

The results of our fan write-in competition to predict the results and win tickets to the next show were as follows:

DinoKea - 5/6

Eayragt - 3/6

 

With October ending and our big event taking shape, I glanced at the inevitable monthly loss ($10,297) before flicking through Curt’s Pack ™ which frankly felt like a marketing leaflet for USPW as they had signed, in the space of three days: Danny Fonzarelli, Big Smack Scott, Russell Dan and Lead Belly. Now sure, these guys are unlikely to set the world on fire, but still. We’d signed roughly two people in six months. They’d sign four in six days. It was obscene. But, I thought to myself, as long as they leave us alone, they can sing every other wrestler in the world for all I care.

 

So, this far we had Tennessee vs. Youngman booked for Twin City Showdown, now we had to fill out the rest of the card.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, November, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 142

 

NO. 1 CONTENDERS TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Lakota Braves in 19:41 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Ace Youngblood, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 47

Heating up the tag division again with a solid, it tainted win, for the Cross River Connection. I had accidentally put them in a position to have white hot momentum without noticing, and with the tag titles currently on their perennial enemies The LA Stars, an obvious match formed before my eyes.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. The New York Doll

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated The New York Doll in 10:07 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 44

Masked Stranger continues to show an extra element of viciousness since losing the Midwest Title. It’s a nice tweak to his character an hopefully one we can ride into a fun experiment.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Roger Monteiro drew with The Masked Mauler in 21:04 following a double count out.

Rating: 48

This was one of those matches where I really didn’t know who should win and in the end I settled for a draw. It’s getting to the point where our tag team division, midcard and starters are almost interchangeable with one another in terms of momentum and match quality. It’s a fantastic problem to have to be honest. I’d grown attached to the whole roster for this very reason.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Monsters of Mayhem vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Monsters of Mayhem in 21:27 when LA Star #1 pinned James Diaz with a Star Destroyer after James Diaz and Logan Diaz miscommunicated. The LA Stars make defence number one of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 53

Great tag team match which ended with a wild brawl between the Monsters of Mayhem. They’ve had a lot of success in the tag division, but it was time to stretch each of their respective legs in singles. And I felt the best start would be for them to fight each other at Twin City Showdown. Lovely.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. William Jetterson ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, William Jetterson defeated Charlie Corner in 22:20 by submission with a Viper Vice after interference from Dreadnought. William Jetterson makes defence number three of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 48

The combo of Jetterson and Dreadnought was fantastic to begin with, but now I’m wondering if that was because it was fresh? As he defends the title against all-comers with help from the Man Monster, I wondered if me, and the crowd, liked the big guy more?

 

ANGLE: Nelson Callum has an interview. He wants all of MPW to know that he’s back, and he’s not going to play second fiddle to anyone. First, he’s going to destroy everyone he blames for his injury, whether that’s Youngman, Blaze or even Tennessee. No one is safe until he’s at his rightful place.

Rating: 57

Great fire shown by the man here. It’s so nice to have him back.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tennessee William & Nelson Callum vs. Ernest Youngman & Bradley Blaze

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William and Nelson Callum defeated Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze in 25:03 when Nelson Callum submitted Ernest Youngman with a Honey Trap.

Rating: 57

Yes! Ok, first things first; Tennessee and Callum looked like they’d been teaming for years. Incredible chemistry shown there. Secondly, Nelson Callum scoring a clean victory over the champion is a big deal. It means the man in the main event of our biggest show is fallible. Thirdly; I’m loving the new Nelson Callum and secretly want him in the main event of Twin City Showdown.

 

OVERALL RATING: 56

 

After the show I noticed Chief Two Eagles talking to Danny Cassidy. Billy Chase told me that he’d taken him under his wing in a mentor-protégé relationship. I then noticed Nelson and Ernest laughing. When I spoke to them, they told me it’s the second time in a week that one has beaten the other as Callum won the PSW Title off him too (his 4th reign apparently). We were two shows from the Showdown and now had a couple of matches, but really needed to flesh out the rest of card. As I planned with the whiteboard in my office, Curt entered with coffees for me and the Chief (forgetting about Whistler, who’d joined for this planning) and told us that USPW had been busy again, signing Rogue to their already embarrassing array of riches.

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… USPW make a big change, we continue chugging along…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where we’re close to arriving where we’ve been heading for a year…

 

During my now weekly catch-up meeting with Chief, Curt and Whistler, we discussed the rumours swirling around USPW. Apparently they were planning a switch from Family Friendly Entertainment to an episodic entertainment show. What this meant is wrestling stepping further away from it’s history. What they were planning wasn’t even a joke to the history, it was a switch to an actual television show. Like an almost meta commentary on wrestling, rather than wrestling itself. Needless to say Chief and Whistler hated the idea. They waxed lyrical about the good old days; when men were men. Curt had a far more pragmatic view. To him they had all the talent in the world and if they wanted to run a carny show, or a deathmatch promotion they could. People bought the name value and the stars. Nothing else mattered. His comments were so insightful it left even the chatty Chief silent.

 

“They can do whatever they want,” he said finally. “We’ll provide the real wrestling for real fans.”

 

With those words ringing in my ears, we got onto the two shows we had left before Twin City Showdown I.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, November, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 148

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tennessee William & Nelson Callum vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Tennessee William and Nelson Callum in 20:44 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Tennessee William with a Prime Time Perfection after Nelson Callum wiped out Tennessee William by accident.

Rating: 51

Massive win for the Connection heading into their, now-announced, tag title shot at the big show. Tennessee and Callum were white hot anyway and the fact that they couldn’t get on the same page made perfect sense. One of our best, ever openers.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: The Lakota Warriors vs. Deverell & Monsters of Mayhem

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, The Lakota Warriors (Roger Monteiro, Billy Chase and Ace Youngblood) defeated Zippy Deverell and Monsters of Mayhem in 20:41 when Roger Monteiro pinned Zippy Deverell with an Eagle Chop after a bad miscommunication between James and Logan Diaz.

Rating: 40

Slightly disappointing, although that could be done to Deverell’s inclusion. After the match, the Diaz cousins got into a brawl which spilled into the crowd and out of sight. If there was any doubt; the two would face each other at Showdown to settle their differences.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. William Jetterson ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, William Jetterson defeated Charlie Corner in 20:35 by submission with a Viper Vice. William Jetterson makes defence number four of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 47

Clean win for our champion. The lack of need of Dreadnought reinforced that this was more than a flash-in-the-pan title reign. Jetterson himself had become so comfortable in the role that I couldn’t help but be impressed. He didn’t really have the star power to compete for the main title, so this was absolutely the right spot for him for now.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Blaze & Masked Mauler vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Bradley Blaze and The Masked Mauler in 21:06 when LA Star #2 pinned Bradley Blaze by using underhanded tactics. The LA Stars make defence number two of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 51

The LA Stars show they’ve been learning from the dastardly ways of the Cross River Connection to deliver a loss to a main eventer and a tough guy. Mauler and Bradley had little to do at this stage, so could afford the loss.

 

ANGLE: Ernest Youngman has an interview in which he taunts Tennessee William and his inability to deal with the pressure of being a real champion. In fact; Fat Elvis should absolutely put the COTT World Title on the line at the big show. Unless he’s chicken?

Rating: 64

Simple and effective.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated Masked Stranger in 22:14 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Ernest Youngman makes defence number seven of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 49

So obviously the result is disappointing, but in Stranger’s defense, he suffered a strained bicep during the match. So the jury is out on his main event stint for now. Obviously I was never having him beat the 2nd City Saint at this stage, but we’d monitor his growth closely.

 

OVERALL RATING: 50

 

We suffered a $10,267 loss at the end of November, but at least our backstage area was sheer perfection. At the last show alone we had New York Doll telling stories, Charlie Corner arranging a video game tournament and Chief Two Eagles imparting psychology to his students. Never in my life have I enjoyed such an atmosphere and it was breeding friendships, loyalty and a will to succeed. Whether it was luck or management, we were absolutely crushing things as the year slowly drew to a close.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, December, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 161

 

SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Dreadnought

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Dreadnought defeated Charlie Corner in 9:33 by pinfall with a Dread Bomb.

Rating: 30

Charlie has little to do right now, so taking a loss to the Monster Man was a no-brainer decision. I would absolutely have to find something for Cali Cool to do though. He was being completely wasted right now. It required more thought.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Minnesota Awesome vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Minnesota Awesome in 10:01 when Pepper Pelton pinned Perry Longstaff with a Prime Time Perfection.

Rating: 44

Simple, by-the-numbers win for the Connection. They are as hot as they’ve ever been. Momentum only matched by the tag team champs themselves. Whoever comes out with the win at Showdown will elevate the whole division once again.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. William Jetterson ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, William Jetterson defeated Masked Stranger in 20:32 by submission with a Viper Vice after interference from Dreadnought. William Jetterson makes defence number five of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 47

Hey, I know Stranger has disappointed a bit in the main event thus far, but I’m not permanently bumping him down to the midcard. He did show some wonderful fire in this match hitting a lot of violent and aggressive moves. In his showdown with the inferring Dreadnought he held his own too. But the distraction allowed Jetterson to pick up a valuable win.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Meritt & the Mauler vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, The LA Stars defeated Curt Meritt and The Masked Mauler in 20:31 when LA Star #2 pinned Curt Meritt with a Star Destroyer. The LA Stars make defence number three of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 47

Like the Connection, the Stars needed one last win heading into Showdown. Meritt & Mauler were the perfect, safe opposition. No chance of injury of unexpected problems. Job done.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William has an interview in which accepts the challenge laid down by the MPW Champion and agrees to put up the COTT World Title too. At Showdown, it’s winner-takes-all!

Rating: 61

Here, we, go.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: Tennessee, Callum & James Diaz vs. Youngman, Blaze & Logan Diaz

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William, Nelson Callum and James Diaz drew with Ernest Youngman, Bradley Blaze and Logan Diaz in 26:09 following a double disqualification.

Rating: 64

Superb match between six of our best to end the show with a massive brawl. If that didn’t sell tickets to the show, nothing will.

 

OVERALL RATING: 62

 

And there it is. We deliver one of, if not our best show in the lead-up to the most important show we’ve ever attempted.

 

MPW Twin City Showdown I

COTT World & MPW Title: Tennessee William © vs. Ernest Youngman ©

MPW Tag Team Titles: Cross River Connection vs. The LA Stars ©

MPW Midwest Title: Roger Monteiro vs. William Jetterson ©

Grudge Match: James Diaz vs. Logan Diaz

Singles: Nelson Callum vs. Bradley Blaze

Singles: Masked Stranger vs. The Masked Mauler

Singles: Charlie Corner vs. Danny Cassidy

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… The big Christmas show…

[DinoKea]

Twin City Showdown I Predictions

COTT World & MPW Title: Ernest Youngman © def. Tennessee William ©

MPW Tag Team Titles: The LA Stars © def. Cross River Connection

MPW Midwest Title: Roger Monteiro def. William Jetterson ©

Grudge Match: Logan Diaz def. James Diaz

Singles: Nelson Callum def. Bradley Blaze

Singles: Masked Stranger def. The Masked Mauler

Singles: Charlie Corner def. Danny Cassidy

[Herrbear]

MPW Twin City Showdown I

 

COTT World & MPW Title: Tennessee William © vs. Ernest Youngman ©

MPW Tag Team Titles: Cross River Connection vs. The LA Stars ©

MPW Midwest Title: Roger Monteiro vs. William Jetterson ©

Grudge Match: James Diaz vs. Logan Diaz

Singles: Nelson Callum vs. Bradley Blaze

Singles: Masked Stranger vs. The Masked Mauler

Singles: Charlie Corner vs. Danny Cassidy

[eayragt]

MPW Twin City Showdown I

COTT World & MPW Title: Tennessee William © vs. Ernest Youngman ©

MPW Tag Team Titles: Cross River Connection vs. The LA Stars ©

MPW Midwest Title: Roger Monteiro vs. William Jetterson ©

Grudge Match: James Diaz vs. Logan Diaz

Singles: Nelson Callum vs. Bradley Blaze

Singles: Masked Stranger vs. The Masked Mauler

Singles: Charlie Corner vs. Danny Cassidy

 

I went the wrong way last show, but I'm still going to plump for Logan here as he's a futurer Main Eventer. As for the main event, I hope it's a clean finish, but I would understand if neither title changed hands.

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Home of the Showdown…

 

MPW Twin City Showdown I

Wednesday Week 4, December, 2020

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 169

 

TAG TEAM SCRAMBLE: Minnesota Awesome vs. Lakota Braves vs. Meritt & Deverell vs. Doll & Williams

In a decent match, Lakota Braves defeated Minnesota Awesome, Curt Meritt and Zippy Deverell and The New York Doll and Ben Williams in 10:08; the order of elimination was The New York Doll and Ben Williams first, then Minnesota Awesome, and finally Curt Meritt and Zippy Deverell.

Rating: 34

This is the big show of the year and thus, everybody gets a match and a moment in the spotlight. The Lakota Braves are one of our top teams, but have missed out on a main story heading into the show. The least I could do was have them go over clean against our developmental and job squad workers.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Alistair Shufflebottom vs. Dreadnought

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Dreadnought defeated Alistair Shufflebottom in 5:58 by pinfall with a Dread Bomb.

Rating: 20

The Monster Man destroys all comers and of course, no one takes a power bomb like Shufflebottom. Utter domination.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Danny Cassidy vs. Charlie Corner

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Danny Cassidy defeated Charlie Corner in 9:36 by pinfall with the Southern Justice Lariat.

Rating: 26

Somewhat disappointing match, BUT I couldn’t really complain as Danny was sort of a fringe no-name worker for us and Charlie had been spinning his wheels for months. The match at least was short so not to expose the young kid and an upset win means next time at least some people will know who he is.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated The Masked Mauler in 9:53 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 52

One of our go-to matches because of their chemistry. Fairly straight-forward victory for the former MPW Midwest Heavyweight Champion, once again showing all the fire and passion he has been in recent months.

 

ANGLE: Cross River Connection are out before their match and they’ve got microphones. For a whole year they’ve been winning and proving their worth to whole of the Midwest, but there is no more disrespected team in MPW than them. Who many tag title shots have they had? One, two maybe. Well it’s not good enough for Prime Time and The Perfect One. But that’s fine, they’re used to being overlooked and held back. But you only have to open the door a slit and they’ll kick their way in; through the faces of The LA Stars if necessary.

Rating: 46

Lovely stuff.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Cross River Connection vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The LA Stars in 20:52 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned LA Star #1 with a Prime Time Perfection. Cross River Connection win the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 52

That’s right, I pulled the trigger on the Connection. Probably a bit of an upset considering LA Stars only just got their hands on the titles, but I wanted to see what Pepper and Jack could do in the limelight. Plus the LA Stars were so talented I could use them all across the show like we do with the Lakota Warriors. Great match on the big stage too.

 

GRUDGE MATCH: James Diaz vs. Logan Diaz

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, James Diaz defeated Logan Diaz in 9:36 by pinfall with an Asian Thumb Spike.

Rating: 52

Speaking of great matches, here’s another. Both Diaz cousins leave it all hanging out in a wild brawl to end all wild brawls. James gets the win, despite Logan’s dominance throughout the match. This allows me to highlight the viciousness of the Asian Thumb Spike as a finisher, while making people think James is every bit the worker Logan is, which is not necessarily true at this moment in time.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Roger Monteiro vs. William Jetterson ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated William Jetterson in 10:07 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop following botched interference by Dreadnought. Roger Monteiro wins the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 43

Another potential upset, and title change. I had been thoroughly impressed with Jetterson, but it was time to give one of the Warriors some love. Monteiro had been delivering high-quality matches for the whole year, dipping into the main event, the tag title feud and everything in-between. Plus, this was the big show. You’ve got to have the good guys overcoming adversity a bit.

 

ANGLE: Nelson Callum has an interview backstage. Tonight he faces his former Triple Aces brother for a chance at the winner of the main event. He’s going to destroy Blaze, but it’s not personal, he just happened to be loosely affiliated with Youngman and so he’s got to take care of business.

Rating: 64

 

SINGLES MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Bradley Blaze

In an exceptional match, Nelson Callum defeated Bradley Blaze in 20:22 by submission with a Honey Trap after blatantly cheating.

Rating: 56

These two have great chemistry, not only as a tag team, but as opponents. That was VERY interesting news. Callum is riding a crazy streak at the moment since returning from injury and is playing the role of wild man between a face and a heel perfectly. Blaze is spinning his wheels, but the fact these two can absolutely go in the ring is fantastic news for the young Dallas Cowboy’s future.

 

ANGLE: Ernest Youngman and Tennessee William are out for their main event showdown. They square up and hold their respective titles in the face of the opposition. It’s time!

Rating: 69

 

COTT WORLD & MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William © vs. Ernest Youngman ©

From the moment the bell rings, the two top stars in MPW go hell for leather to hurt, maim and finish their oppositions. The slick counter wrestling of Ernest versus the crowd-cheering-inspired Tennessee. The perfect encapsulation of a year’s worth of what Minnesota Pro Wrestling has to offer. A misstep by Tennessee allows Ernest to setup The Hit and, just as he’s about to deliver it, Tennessee quickly reverses into a Devil’s Crossroad. Rather than pinning Youngman, Tennessee picks him up and delivers a second one and hooks the legs on the pin

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Ernest Youngman in 24:49 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad. Tennessee William makes defence number eleven of the COTT World Heavyweight title. Tennessee William wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 69

So very close to breaking the 70-mark. But we wouldn’t pick hairs about the greatest match in our company’s history. These two prove once again why they’re the top dogs around here and Tennessee joins his arch-foe as a two-time MPW Title Champion.

 

OVERALL RATING: 66

 

Best. Show. Ever.

 

DinoKea – 3/7

Herrbear – 2/7

Eayragt - 2/7

 

Before the end of year party, I agreed to pay rises for Logan Diaz from $30 to $80 and

Nelson Callum from $60 to $120. The truth is, I’d pay twice that for both. But it was a nice hike just before the Christmas season. Leaving the locker room to absolutely cut loose with beers and shots, I retired late in the evening after wishing everyone a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. And I’d see them in 2021, the most important year in our collective lives.

 

***

End of Year Round-up

Minnesota Pro Wrestling

36% prestige

32% momentum

 

MPW Championship – 38 prestige

MPW Midwest Heavyweight – 35 Prestige

MPW Tag Team – 37 Prestige

 

Best Show Ever: MPW Twin City Showdown I (66)

Best Match Ever: Tennessee William defeated Ernest Youngman © at MPW Twin City Showdown I (69)

 

Backstage Information:

LA Star #1 strong friendship LA Star #2

Prime Time Jack Pryde Strong Friendship with Charlie Corner

Prime Time Jack Pryde Strong Friendship with Curt Meritt

Prime Time Jack Pryde Best Friends with Pepper Pelton

The Diaz cousins are related

 

Loyal to me:

Bradley Blaze, Charlie Corner, Chief Two Eagles, Curt Meritt, Danny Cassidy, LA Star #1, Nelson Callum, Pepper Pelton, Prime Time Jack Pryde, Roger Monteiro and Tennessee William

 

Chief Two Eagles Proteges:

Dreadnought, Danny Cassidy & Billy Chase

 

 

Elsewhere in the Wrestling World:

The Ring Generals in BHOTG have a record as a team of 3-18.

Wrestler of the Year: Rocky Golden

Company of the Year: TCW

Manager of the Year: DJ Stardog

 

Power 500 (MPW Alumni)

Dean Waldorf – 302

Marv Statler – 303

Ernest Youngman – 401

Nelson Callum – 443

Tennessee William – 458

Logan Diaz – 497

 

We lost $9,213 as December ended and then, in the biggest news since the last time, USPW opened their chequebook and signed Cameron Vessey from North of the border. My God, their roster.

 

The Chief, looking older than normal came to my office at Paul Bunyan Hall and handed me a letter. A letter, I thought, in 2021, how quaint. It must be from the Confederation of Territories.

 

“They want to talk,” the Chief said. “Apparently it’s urgent and we have a limited window of opportunity.”

 

“Opportunity for what?”

 

“You’ll see.”

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… We will see!...

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where we avoid pre-amble, because the main story this month is too big…

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, January, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 167

 

ANGLE: Ernest Youngman is out to complain about his title loss to that Fat Elvis Wannabe. He thinks his treatment throughout has been disgusting, and tonight he plans to flip the script. Tonight he’s offering an open challenge to anyone, because he needs to win his way back to the top. For the first time in MPW history, actual familiar music begins to play – Real American Made Man.

Rating: 74

 

SINGLES MATCH: PJ Strong vs. Ernest Youngman

In an exceptional match, PJ Strong defeated Ernest Youngman in 5:53 by pinfall with a Patriot Slam.

Rating: 56

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the son of the legendary Sam Strong is here in MPW and he’s made a huge first impact. Turns out the COTT wanted us to hire him as they see him a future figurehead for the whole alliance. Something about wanting to use him to lead the fight against the big players in the industry. The Chief was adamant that he was too young, too green and was relying purely on his name and some charisma, which didn’t fit our style at all. But Sam Keith talked him around, offering extra funding if we built up the future star of the alliance. I will say this about the kid, probably the most popular star we’ve ever had.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The LA Stars in 20:38 when Pepper Pelton pinned LA Star #1 while using the ropes for leverage. Cross River Connection make defence number one of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 51

Got to finish the feud properly and solidify our new champs. The LA Stars would bounce back from this eventually, but for now we were onto new things for both teams.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated The Masked Mauler in 21:12 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. Roger Monteiro makes defence number one of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 45

Roger Monteiro not quite delivering the quality of match I was hoping for to be honest. This was decent of course, but judging by his previous matches he’s been better. I mean I could blame Mauler for it, but I’d be worried that he’d apply the IRON CLAW!?! to me. Still, it’s important that the crowd know the champion will do whatever it takes to keep the title.

 

TRIBAL WARFARE MATCH: James Diaz, Masked Stranger & Charlie Corner vs. Logan Diaz, Bradley Blaze & William Jetterson

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, James Diaz, Masked Stranger and Charlie Corner defeated Logan Diaz, Bradley Blaze and William Jetterson in 22:11 when James Diaz pinned William Jetterson with a Asia Thumb Spike.

Rating: 56

The cousins pick their own teams and go to war again as this feud continues into the New Year. Logan would need to start building momentum eventually, but for now it’s James who is proving his worth and doing so really, really well.

 

ANGLE: Nelson Callum has an interview in which he taunts Tennessee William. He’s dealt with the fake cowboy Blaze, and Ernest is struggling with a pudgy, teenage no-one (ouch, did all the boys feel like that about PJ?) so he’s coming for Fat Elvis and the GOLD!

Rating: 69

Callum might just be the best all-round worker we have, which is a testament to my ability to miss the bleeding obvious in favour of some magical story in my head.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated Nelson Callum in 24:11 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage after having blasted Callum with his guitar. Tennessee William makes defence number one of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 56

Good match between these two as always, but I wasn’t going to hotshot the title to Callum just yet.

 

OVERALL RATING: 55

 

I made sure to pay attention to the backstage mood this week, mainly to see how PJ was settling in. He actually looked nervous, which he definitely didn’t in the ring. Various workers went up to him to introduce themselves and make him feel welcome, which was nice. If he was going to be here for the long haul, it was important he fit in. I decided to talk to him myself, so that everyone knew he was one of us. As I walked over Logan stepped between us and put his hand on my chest.

“I’ve got something to say about the new guy,” he said.

 

“What’s up Logan?”

 

“He’s sloppy and dangerous and if I were you I’d cut him before someone got injured.”

 

I though back to matchup and was suddenly confused.

 

“PJ looked fine, a little green perhaps, but certainly safe.”

 

“Not him!” Logan spat. “That Cassidy kid. He’s crap, ditch him.”

 

Well there we go. Turns out no matter how many people think you’re the next big thing, there’s always someone who hates you. I allowed myself a chuckle.

 

***

 

Before our second show in January, I overheard the Chief shouting on the phone. It might’ve been the first time I’d ever heard him raise his voice to anyone and I did not like it one bit. I grabbed Curt and asked who he was talking to. Apparently it was Sam Keith, who had just heard the news that El Leon had signed with USPW. So they had the top stars from UK, Canada and now Mexico. CZCW had apparently lost Frankie Perez to TCW too. I knew why Chief was shouting too. He wanted Keith to change his mind, but I also knew he wouldn’t. From a logical point of view, the move made sense. Didn’t mean it was the correct one, but if we were going to be part of the Confederation, there’d have to be times we did what was best for the whole group. And in many ways, it was a big deal. I’m not sure how the boys would feel about it though.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, January, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 166

 

SINGLES MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. Masked Stranger

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Charlie Corner defeated Masked Stranger in 21:05 by pinfall with a Corner Cutter.

Rating: 45

Our somewhat struggling Masked Stranger made Corner look amazing in this one. We felt it was time to get Corner more involved in the week-to-week stories and matches. There was too much talent to at least try it.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. William Jetterson

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Nelson Callum defeated William Jetterson in 20:36 by pinfall with a Honey Trap.

Rating: 51

Clean as a whistle as we’d siphon off some of the heat remaining form the Cobra King’s title reign. Nelson was bursting at the seams with momentum in fairness, but he also had unfinished business with our two top stars.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Cross River Connection ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Lakota Braves in 19:35 when Pepper Pelton pinned Ace Youngblood, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Cross River Connection make defence number two of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 48

Bringing the Braves back into title contention made sense for now, especially as they’re great foils for our new tag champs. But again, far too soon to think about switching the titles. We needed to make sure the crowd knew that the Connection were the real deal.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated The Masked Mauler in 21:20 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop. Roger Monteiro makes defence number two of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 43

We wanted to give these two another chance to step-up and grab the bull by the horns. But if anything, this was slightly worse than their first match. It was still good and absolutely the right level for the Midwest Heavyweight title, but I’d be lying if I’d said I wasn’t a little disappointed.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. Logan Diaz

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Logan Diaz defeated James Diaz in 19:40 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 53

These two however are making the most of their feud and knocking it out the park. Logan gets a cheeky win here to show that it’s not all James, all the time. We’d have to build to a rubber match between them and maybe a Tribal Warfare match at the next big event. I felt like Team James vs. Team Logan was a great idea.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Youngman & Blaze

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman and Bradley Blaze defeated The LA Stars in 19:46 when Ernest Youngman pinned LA Star #1 after using a foreign object.

Rating: 61

Wowza! The combination of this many ring generals and wrestling talent produced on the top end of our scale. The LA Stars are free-falling at the moment, which was fine as they were out of title contention for a bit. But the good news was, they’d be back and with their talent it would be easy to heat them back up. Ernest meanwhile, desperately needed a win. And he got one.

 

ANGLE: PJ Strong is out. Tonight, he gets the opportunity to emulate (big word) his father’s legacy, starting with the top two titles in MPW. He’s a proud American who hopes to serve this promotion and the whole country proud. He then waves the American flag.

Rating: 68

The crowd, amazingly, lap it all up. Never underestimate people’s obsession with identity based around their country of birth I guess. The good news is, there’s no way we’d put all the gold on some young kid just because his surname is Strong. Right?

 

COTT WORLD & MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: PJ Strong vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, PJ Strong defeated Tennessee William in 9:46 by pinfall with a Patriot slam. PJ Strong wins the COTT World Heavyweight title. PJ Strong wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 49

Turns out we would.

 

OVERALL RATING: 45

 

Well that was a bad main event for us, but what the Confederation and Sam Keith want, they get. The normal post-event celebrations were more muted than normal. Hardly anyone knew the kid and yet he was now being asked to carry our entire promotion. In the other corner of the locker room Bradley Blaze was showing off a big trophy. Turns out he’d recently won the Rip Chord Invitational XVI, which was truly awesome for him. Whiel Ernest was telling us that Greg Gauge had just won the TCW World Heavyweight Title for the first time.

 

PJ, alone in the locker room, pulled me aside and asked for a meeting with me and The Chief. We retired to my office and we both congratulated him on the win. We also told him that we were looking forward to seeing what he could do fort he COTT and independent wrestling as a whole. I then asked him why he looked so cautious.

 

“Thing is, and my dad told me to always deal with your own business in-person, I’ve been offered a contract with SWF.”

 

The silence in the room seemed to last for an eternity. My ears were full of a high-pitched whistling. After what felt like years, I replied “And have you taken them up on the offer?”

 

I mean, of course he had. You don’t turn around and say no to a contract from one of the big three in the US. Especially not when you’re a rising star and even more so not when you’re a Strong. The silence returned momentarily.

 

“When did you find out?” the Chief asked.

 

“This morning,” Strong replied, a little defiantely.

 

Chief stretched his knuckles out and they cracked. Surely he wasn’t about to fight a kid fifty years his junior?

 

“Leave the titles on the desk,” the Chief said. “We’ve got some planning to do. Thank you for telling us. And good luck.”

 

PJ, who had stood to his full height nodded, placed the titles on the desk and left.

 

F***!!!!!!!!!!

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Time to bury a young star…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Where we hold no grudges, but will absolutely bury you if you leave…

 

Of all the strange events I’d ever seen in Bemidji, Minnesota, the sight of a private helicopter landing in a field next to the Paul Bunyan Hall had to be right up there. Sam Keith, always immaculately dressed, strode off like it was second nature and beckoned us both into our own office.

 

“So this is the MPW head-quarters is it?” he said with barely concealed disdain.

 

“What do you want Keith?” Chief replied.

 

“I’m here for the COTT World Title.”

 

“But our performer is the current holder,” I interjected.

 

Keith laughed a mirthless laugh. “He most certainly is not. He was stripped of the title at the exact moment I landed. You can check the website for the press release. This whole thing has been a mess and it’s time to sort it out.”

 

“A mess of your making,” Chief replied.

 

“Didn’t happen in MAW did it?” Keith said. “Look, I know you’re new to owning a business Chief, but if it happens at your place, it’s your fault.”

 

The Chief cracked his knuckles again.

 

“Don’t try that carny bullsh*t with me old man. If you want to fight, we can fight, but I’m twenty years younger and I know how to hold my own. Now listen, we can’t have Strong’s kid pulling the rug out from under our feet. If we didn’t strip him of the title, he’d have appeared on SWF TV with it and then it’s worthless.”

 

“It’s vacant again,” the Chief said. “It’s hardly got an amazing lineage anymore.”

 

“That as may be, but please don’t forget that you are the smallest promotion in the COTT and without us, you’d be in trouble. So maybe don’t bite the hand that feeds you. I’m taking this back with me and you’ll receive an official notice to tell you who the new champion will be.”

 

And with that, he left.

 

His approach to PJ was absolutely not one we’d follow. As far as I was concerned we still had the kid for two more shows and that, despite it’s disappointing nature, did present an opportunity. One which we’d have to move quickly to grab.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 1, February, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 163

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Ernest Youngman vs. PJ Strong ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated PJ Strong in 6:30 by pinfall with The Hit. Ernest Youngman wins the MPW Championship.

Rating: 54

Step one. Get the title off the kid. We did think about putting it back on Tennessee, but Ernest, as a heel, is best positioned to face the best we still had in the main event.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Jetterson & Dreadnought

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, William Jetterson and Dreadnought defeated Lakota Braves in 9:58 when Dreadnought pinned Ace Youngblood with a Dread Bomb.

Rating: 36

I wasn’t ready for Dreadnought to lose and I didn’t need the Lakota Braves to win here. Whereas Jetterson was at risk of becoming an afterthought.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, James Diaz defeated The Masked Mauler in 9:37 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 49

It was time to move the Diaz’s into singles combat proper, and while Logan has a title shot later, James needed to keep his run going. Mauler is the perfect midcard heel for such things.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Cross River Connection ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The LA Stars in 22:11 when Pepper Pelton pinned LA Star #2 with a handful of tights. Cross River Connection make defence number three of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 51

Another big win for our tag champions against their long-time foe. We were top-loading the card to make up for the title match being the opener.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE: Logan Diaz vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated Logan Diaz in 22:22 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop following interference from James Diaz. Roger Monteiro makes defence number three of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 55

Fantastic match right here as Logan brings the goods in his first singles title match. I wanted to keep the feud with his cousin bubbling away, and what better way than having him cost the other the title.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out. We’ve already seen a shocking title change tonight. But before he regains his title from Ernest, I wants a ‘pick your poison’ tag match against Bradley Blaze. The Dallas Cowboy is out and says he chooses Callum as his partner. So you better saddle-up Elvis and get someone who can hold their own.

Rating: 68

Fantastic promo segment.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tennessee William & Masked Stranger vs. Bradley Blaze & Nelson Callum

In an exceptional match, Bradley Blaze and Nelson Callum defeated Tennessee William and Masked Stranger in 23:37 when Nelson Callum submitted Tennessee William with a Honey Trap after Masked Stranger turned on William and beat him unconscious.

Rating: 52

 

ANGLE: After the final bell goes, Tennessee William is groggily getting to his feet when Masked Stranger attacks again. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves William completely destroyed.

Rating: 46

That’s right. It’s time to switch up Masked Stranger’s approach. He’s been more and more violent and aggressive for weeks and he now, at last, embraces his inner villain. Hopefully this means a step-up in main event performances, because he was again noticeably below the quality of the others.

 

OVERALL RATING: 52

 

We had PJ Strong available for one more week, so we rearranged things to get him another match and strode straight along.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, February, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 168

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Minnesota Awesome vs. Cross River Connection ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Minnesota Awesome in 10:02 when Pepper Pelton pinned Perry Longstaff with a Prime Time Perfection. Cross River Connection make defence number four of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 46

Good opener as I question whether Minnesota Awesome may be worth more as an active and occasionally successful tag team. Good win for the Connection and quality match.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. PJ Strong

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Nelson Callum defeated PJ Strong in 10:26 by submission with a Honey Trap.

Rating: 38

Oof, PJ Strong was furious about this one. But frankly, we had enough people around to stop him doing something silly. If you’re going to screw us over, expect to get battered on camera for the privilege.

 

ANGLE: PJ Strong grabs a microphone and starts screaming at the crowd. He’s the son of Sam Strong and he deserves some respect. Last week he was champion and now, what is he? He’s nothing… Who is coming out now?

Rating: 55

Who indeed?

 

SINGLES MATCH: Dreadnought vs. PJ Strong

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Dreadnought defeated PJ Strong in 1:49 by pinfall with a Dread Bomb.

Rating: 33

Now THAT is a burial. Thanks for coming and ruining our plans PJ, now pack your bags and get out of town before the show ends. For your own safety.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Danny Cassidy vs. Logan Diaz

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Logan Diaz defeated Danny Cassidy in 10:16 by pinfall with a Belly To Belly Suplex.

Rating: 51

As with last week, James has a title shot, so Logan gets to beat up someone beneath him. I thought there was an irony in choosing Danny too. Hopefully he was safe and consistent and who knows. Maybe these two could one day become friends.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: James Diaz vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated James Diaz in 21:04 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop following interference from Logan Diaz. Roger Monteiro makes defence number four of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 42

Less impressive than last week, but with a very similar result. James doesn’t have the same juice as The Glorious One. But he held his own a bit here. Could’ve done with Monteiro stepping up a bit more. Never mind.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Masked Stranger & Bradley Blaze

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Masked Stranger and Bradley Blaze defeated The LA Stars in 20:32 when Masked Stranger submitted LA Star #1 with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 57

First things first; Blaze and Mauler obviously don’t click as a tag team. Secondly, The LA Stars are so good as a team that it didn’t matter. This was such a surprisingly good match that everyone backstage was glued to the screen to watch it. It was so good I felt I needed to do something in response to it. But what?

 

ANGLE: Ernest Youngman has an interview in which he taunts Tennessee William.

Rating: 67

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated Tennessee William in 24:18 by pinfall with The Hit. Ernest Youngman makes defence number one of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 59

Tennessee was clearly off his game, no doubt still disappointed that he wasn’t the one to beat PJ. In many ways his career trajectory had been changed forever because of a bad decision by COTT and a necessary decision by us. Great match between these two as always however.

 

OVERALL RATING: 57

 

With no PJ, the atmosphere was back to its best after the show. We could also give the boys an extended break this month due to the changing around we did. Chief was giving a rousing speech when Curt handed him a note. Chief cleared his breath.

 

“It seems we have a new COTT World Champion – Hijo Del Mephisto from OLLIE. I’m sure some of you know him, so feel free to offer congratulations and good luck. He’s going to need it I think.” A few people s******ed. “In other news one half of the COTT World Tag Team title holders; Phoenix II has broken his neck. Sad news for sure. Again, if anyone knows him, please take the time to get in touch and help however you can. And one last thing from me. An old friend of mine; Honest Frank, who I’m sure many of you who work in New York will know… well he’s… well he’s being very Frank and has setup a new company in California. In direct competition to the Coastal Zone. He’s got big money backers and will be sending out contracts to people shortly. I have no doubt some of you will be contacted, and I wanted you to know that I’m in favour of you guys working as much as you can.”

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… A late build to Tribal Warfare 2021…

[TCP1]

Welcome to Minnesota Pro Wrestling… We’ve got work to do…

 

Curt’s Pack had an update on the relationship of Eric Eisen and Emma Chase; they’ve split up. Meanwhile USPW have signed Jason Azaria. Finally we lost $10,385 for the month, which considering we had the horribly over-paid PJ Strong on the books is actually a better result than it looks.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 2, March, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 172

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Mauler & Jetterson

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The LA Stars defeated The Masked Mauler and William Jetterson in 20:48 when LA Star #1 pinned William Jetterson with a Star Destroyer following botched interference by Dreadnought.

Rating: 49

I think it’s time to start phasing back Jetterson from success. He’s had a good enough run now for us to know where he fits in the pecking order. But the bigger issue now is Dreadnought, who feels a little wasted as his body man. Perhaps it was time to separate them and give the big guy a proper push. I’m sure Chief would approve.

 

MPW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Lakota Braves vs. Cross River Connection ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Lakota Braves in 21:43 when Pepper Pelton pinned Ace Youngblood with a handful of tights. Cross River Connection make defence number five of the MPW Tag Team.

Rating: 42

The tag champs continue to run roughshod through the tag division. I’m at the stage where I’m losing proper competitors for them to fight against, which was something I’d have to look into. With focus on repairing the damage done to the MPW Championship our priority, the tag belts could slip back into the midcard again for the time being.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. Bradley Blaze

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, James Diaz drew with Bradley Blaze in 22:20 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 54

That’s better from James. I’d have to try and keep him paired with workers who can cover his slight inexperience for the time being. The future was very bright for him, but for now fighting the likes of Blaze would be a great step for him.

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: Logan Diaz vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In an exceptional match, Roger Monteiro defeated Logan Diaz in 21:58 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop following interference from James Diaz. Roger Monteiro makes defence number five of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 54

When in doubt, keep the story fresh in people’s minds. Eventually I’d have to stop teasing a title change and actually do it. But Logan had the skills to be a main event star, so the Midwest might already be above his station within the company. It wouldn’t work with Ernest as champion though.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tennessee William & Nelson Callum vs. Ernest Youngman & Masked Stranger

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William and Nelson Callum defeated Ernest Youngman and Masked Stranger in 22:30 when Nelson Callum submitted Ernest Youngman with a Honey Trap after blatantly cheating.

Rating: 58

Good match here as Nleson continues his ascent up the ranks to face Ernest one-on-one. Their story has been building since Callum got injured last year, so was without doubt the hottest story we had. Annoyingly Masked Stranger was once again the visible weak link in the match.

 

OVERALL RATING: 58

 

USPW continued to sign more people. Not content with Cameron Vessey, they also grabbed Sean McFly from CWA. Chief meanwhile had found a couple of rookies for us to take on, because God knows we didn’t have enough. I did trust Chief’s eye for talent though, so signed them cheap and would stick them straight into the pre-show matches until I thought they were ready. One show to go before Tribal Warfare, so let’s get things all sorted.

 

MPW Friday Night’s Main Event

Friday Week 4, March, 2021

Live from The Paul Bunyan Hall [bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota]

Attendance: 168

 

MPW MIDWEST TITLE MATCH: The New York Doll vs. Roger Monteiro ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Roger Monteiro defeated The New York Doll in 19:54 by pinfall with an Eagle Chop. Roger Monteiro makes defence number six of the MPW Midwest Heavyweight.

Rating: 39

Ouch. These two so obviously don’t click and were completely lost at sea. Still, Monteiro continues his streak of defences.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Tennessee William vs. The Masked Mauler

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William defeated The Masked Mauler in 20:52 by pinfall after smashing his guitar over the head of the Mauler.

Rating: 50

Great match-up as Tennessee wanted to take out his frustrations with another of our masked workers. Mauler proved quite tough to beat though, so Tennessee ended up using his trusty guitar Cheryl to finish the job. Good fire shown here by the King of the South.

 

8-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars & Lakota Braves vs. Cross River Connection, Blaze & Stranger

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, The LA Stars and Lakota Braves drew with Bradley Blaze, Masked Stranger and Cross River Connection in 23:10 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 47

A big brawl with all of our tag teams and workers who had nothing else to do and the results were good. Stranger was off his game, which didn’t help are dwindling opinion of him. But keeping this a draw due to chaos was the right result.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Nelson Callum vs. Logan Diaz

In an exceptional match, Nelson Callum defeated Logan Diaz in 21:32 by submission with a Honey Trap after interference from James Diaz.

Rating: 61

Well, well, well. These guys can so obviously go in the ring. I love it. Huge win for Callum who now has booked a title shot against his Youngman at Tribal Warfare. Logan could afford the loss, especially with interference from James.

 

MPW CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: James Diaz vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated James Diaz in 22:22 by pinfall with The Hit following interference from Logan Diaz. Ernest Youngman makes defence number two of the MPW Championship.

Rating: 63

What’s good for the Logan, is good for the James. James best singles match by the way and a solid win for Ernest whose taken to being our champion, like a duck to water.

 

OVERALL RATING: 61

 

Next time on Minnesota Pro Wrestling… Tribal Warfare 2021…