This week’s North American Wrestling Connection podcast has a little something for everyone. Nikki Heyman and her panel will have the latest on Fandango’s injury, RoH going “hipster”, and new information on the CHIKARA situation. Plus, the crew will make their pick ‘em predictions for Sunday’s “Payback” pay-per-view.
To listen to the latest NAWC podcast, click HERE.
06/08/2013 from J.D. Meisler Middle School in Metairie, LA
Last night was Wildkat’s “School’s Out” from J.D. Meisler Middle School in Metairie, Louisiana. Personally, I am always excited when Wildkat hosts a show, because I know I won’t be disappointed.
We start the show with Brett Landry and Big Ramp, as always, getting the crowd more pumped than were when they walked in. You can’t have good wrestling without good commentating and ring announcing.
Wildkats General Manager, Al Lyons comes out and starts by announcing tonight’s main event. When we learn that “The Southern Stomper” Luke Hawx will be battling “One Man” Mike Dell, Steve Anthony interrupts. Anthony insists that he is more deserving of a rematch than any other Wildkat Superstar. That brings us to Mike Dell, who comes out to give his two cents. The two men argue in the middle of the ring when Luke Hawx appears making a beeline to the ring. Luke reminds the two men that he is the true Wildkat Heavyweight Champion and he’ll fight both of them to prove it.
Al Lyons tells Anthony he lost his opportunity when he decided to wrestle a different promotion, thus disqualifying him from a title shot. Lyons turns his attention to Mike Dell stating that if he lost tonight, he would be suspended from the next two Wildkat matches. Dell attempts to change Lyons mind but fails miserably.
Below is a recap of “Schools Out” presented by Wildkat Wrestling:
Tonight was a night of introductions, as I brought a group of friends to the Wildkat show. Being wrestling fans and their first time to Wildkat, I thought I’d share their experience with all of you. We have Grant, Brittany, Todd, and Ben. I asked each of them who their favorite wrestlers were and match was from the event, ending with what they thought of Wildkat.
I’m Jeremy Plauche, thanks for reading. You can follow me on twitter @plauchej and be sure to follow @WrestleChatNet.
Wildkat returns to the Mel Ott Center in Gretna Louisiana on August 24th, 2013. Tickets are on sale NOW! You can follow Wildkat on Twitter @Wildkatsports, Facebook, and Youtube. Be sure to visit their website www.wildkatsports.com
New Wildkat fans with Wrestlechat’s Jeremy Plauche (L-R) Grant, Brittany, and Todd (Ben not pictured)
via Wildkat Sports official Facebook page:
MAJOR UPDATE:
Matt Hardy challenges Luke Hawx in “his own backyard”; One half of the Hardy Boyz is coming to WILDKAT to face the Southern Stomper on August 24th! Will this violent grudge finally come to an end?
More details soon to follow…
In a unexpected twist, it seems that CHIKARA has officially put on their last show. As first reported by PWInsider in their Elite section, Chikara will be canceling all future booking immediately and converting select live events into special “Wrestling Is…” satellite shows. CHIKARA, the promotion however, is likely done for good.
PWInsider goes on to mention that, while possible this is simply a part of some extensive, intricate storyline, it’s highly doubtful as many of the CHIKARA roster have started to reach out to other independent companies to find work for the canceled events. If CHIKARA were simply changing brands and putting on different shows, this wouldn’t be the case.
All members of the CHIKARA roster have signed non-disclosure agreements prior to last night’s show in order to prohibit any of the staff from talking to the media about the end of the promotion.
We’ll post more on this as we receive it.
Extreme Rising issued the following statement today. Among the bullet points are the success of previous shows, a change in “management” (which is rumored to be Shane Douglas being gone from the company, thought we can’t confirm that as of yet), and that the company is not folding & will resume shows shortly. The statement:
Thank you for reading. At this time, Extreme Rising would like to make a statement with regards to the future of the company. We would like to start with the internet. Word to the wise is don’t believe everything you read (or hear) online whether it be from a news site, a wrestler, someone in the “industry”, or even fans. Check with the authority of whatever the subject matter before subscribing to idle chatter –whatever the claim may be. People write and say things without thinking sometimes, and act rather hastily when their emotions get the best of them, especially when they don’t get their way. Cooler heads definitely prevail. With that being said, there have been things posted and said since the cancellation of the April 2013 Wrestlemania weekend events. It was a blow to the company as we picked up momentum every event leading into December’s show. Canceling events hurt the fans, hurt the wrestlers, and yes hurt all the partners too. As much as it pained us to cancel th e events we were all looking forward to, it would have been more devastating to run said events that would’ve damaged things beyond repair. A very tough decision was made and we are still reorganizing from it. Most people would’ve have taken the easy way out after such a decision was made by quitting and shutting down. We’ve all seen that time and time again in life -not just pro wrestling. We have picked ourselves up in the past and are in the process of doing the same again. We are resilient and persistent. We’ve been doubted in the past (and will be again), but it does not stop this burning desire to move this company forward in 2013, despite any setbacks. With that being said, EXTREME RISING has always been alive and is moving forward.
It’s easy for anyone to sit there and quarterback what Extreme Rising or any other wrestling company should do. Actually, doing is much harder than you may think. If it wasn’t hard, there would be more wrestling companies started and running events. If we were to listen to anyone but ourselves, we would’ve never started Extreme Reunion and kept going with Extreme Rising with the various levels of outside negativity. We took the shot… calculated risks… chances… Some panned out, some didn’t, but we are still here working at it -and for whatever reason you are here reading this, we thank you. The one thing we know is that we put ourselves out there and continue to try. That is more than most will ever do unfortunately. People are afraid of failing so they never try. Dreaming and wishing for something is one thing -”doing” is something completely different. Most will never know the feeling of even trying, and that is real shame.
There will never be a perfectly run wrestling organization because every fan, every wrestler, every critic wants or thinks something differently. That being said people will come, and people will go. Extreme Rising strives to be a true alternative for wrestling fans, as we bring you the men who became extreme legends, with the future stars that will follow on their own path to greatness –the level of their success all depends on their dedication to the business. We aim to deliver a product that no one else is presently offering, one where fans interact with the action and where anything can happen at any moment. What started as Extreme Reunion in 2012 shook the foundation of the wrestling world as the event received an overwhelming response. Issues arose from that event, and a reunion turned to an Extreme Rising immediately as problem areas were taken to task, and resolved. With the fans support, Extreme Rising hosted four more live events averaging 1,000 plus fans per show. Extreme Rising made headlines on wrestling websites covering the successes of each event. Think about what all of us together from the staff, to the fans created and help grow. As easy as it would be to walk away, we didn’t. We didn’t quit on you, so please don’t quit on us. Be apart of something special as Extreme Rising forges forward.
To say the last few months have not been challenging is an understatement. We have taken time to work on correcting things that needed attention, and are still working on some areas as of this writing. We have made changes in management and reformed the overall general philosophy of Extreme Rising moving forward. We are still working on getting back on track, but we are also planning for the future of 2013 which is exciting and look forward to sharing with you in the future. We hope you understand that we put our hearts and souls into Extreme Rising. We really are trying to make this work. We make mistakes. We are human, just like you reading this. We are taking one day at a time to make ourselves better to operate more efficiently. We are regrouping. We are reorganizing. We are redirecting our energies positively hereby removing the negativity (whatever and whoever that may be) and are looking forward to our next announcements.
It doesn’t matter what we announce our next moves will be…
Actions will speak louder…
And when our actions are executed and play out in front of the eyes of the world, we hope you will back us for the next chapter of Extreme Rising.
Brett Clendaniel & Jim Williams return to the airwaves with WrestleChat Radio along side special guests Eric Gargiulo from CamelClutchBlog.com and Pro Wrestling Radio and John Philipavage, the producer of the new ECW documentary Barbed Wire City. You can listen live HERE. To call in with your questions & comments, dial (347) 237-5373 or click the Skype button on the show page.
PWInsider.com has confirmed that WWE has signed California-based independent wrestler Shaun Ricker to a developmental contract. He had been appearing as a featured heel for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, where he was at one point managed by the late Percy Pringle (a/k/a Paul Bearer).
Ricker is thirty-years-old, 6′ 1″, 225 pounds and originally hails from Hagerstown, Maryland. It was announced last month that he would be appearing as a contestant on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s action reality series on TNT, The Hero, which brings “ten ordinary people together in an unexpected and dramatic setting, then assign them various missions that will test their brains, their brawn and even their morality.” On the show, Ricker is billed as a “a struggling pro wrestler who has all the makings of a hero… honesty, strength, charisma. But does he have the compassion?”
The acquisition had been expected as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported last week that Ricker as well as fellow independent wrestlers Sami Callihan, Samuray del Sol and Mike Bennett had undergone medical testing required to be signed to WWE.
PWInsider.com also reports that when WWE shifts its developmental station to Winter Park, Florida in the beginning of July—officially billed as the “WWE Performance Center”—there may be as many as twenty to twenty-two more developmental acquisitions as well as changes to the developmental staff.
Independent wrestling stars who are said to be in the process of doing medical tests for WWE include Mike Bennett, Samurai del Sol, Shaun Ricker and Sami Callihan.
They join Smith “Big Game” James as attendees of the recent WWE tryouts who are believed to be going throw the WWE new-hire process.
The official poster for “Schools Out”, June 8th at Meisler Middle School. Tix on sale now by e-mailing WildkatSports@gmail.com
Tommy Dreamer with Terry Funk vs. Lance Storm, The Young Bucks vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick plus John Morrison vs. 2 Cold Scorpio has been announced for the June 22nd House of Hardcore event from Philadelphia.
Smith James, who is a Northeast independent wrestler and a protege of Taz, revealed on Twitter that he was offered a WWE developmental contract. James tried out at the big WWE training weekend a few months ago. ROH’s Mike Bennett & Wildkat star Luke Hawx also attended the tryouts.
“The next 2 months will be my last indy shows for the foreseeable future (hopefully longer) as I was offered a WWE developmental contract”
James credited Taz’s training with making it possible for him to get signed as James went to Taz’s finishing school in Long Island.
Taz congratulated Smith, writing on Twitter, “official congrats to a future player in WWE, @BigGameJames12 pleasure training u & pleasure being friends with u! Kick ass bro!”
The following review was written by long-time WrestleChat.net contributor, Jeremy Plauche. You can follow Jeremy on Twitter @plauchej and on Facebook here.
Last night I spent another action packed night with Wildkat Sports and Entertainment for the International Invasion from the Mel Ott Center in Gretna, Louisiana. The house was packed and everyone was ready for some Wildkat action!
We start the night with Brett Landry and Big Ramp opening the show and getting the crowd pumped. It was guaranteed to be a great show! Brett made a heartfelt speech about the late Percy Pringle. Everyone in the room honored the life and career of Percy with a ten bell salute. I personally had tears in my eyes from the emotion in the room.
Al Lyons was introduced as the new interim GM for Wildkat Sports, being a long time veteran in the wrestling community. Lyons made his debut by announcing the match for the first-ever Wildkat Revolution Championship match with a four way elimination match with Rudy Russo vs. “Hot Shot” Blake Wilder vs. “Outlaw” Matt Lancie vs. Carson. Before Lyons could finish, he was interrupted by “One Man” Mike Dell who thought the Revolution Championship was nothing compared to the Wildkat Heavyweight Championship. Dell demanded that Lyons made a match with the current champion, the “Southern Stomper” Luke Hawx. Hawx would then join the two in ring stating that Dell didn’t deserve a title shot. It would be determined that Hawx and Dell would compete tonight and if Dell won, he would have a title shot against Luke Hawx.
Here are the results from tonight’s show
Every match was dynamic and full of action; I congratulate everyone for a well deserved job well done!
I had the opportunity to talk to Bolt Brady who tells me he has wrestled with Wildkat since 2012 and has wrestled all together for six years. The 27 year old Texas native trained at Champions of Texas Power Wrestling and also trained with Luke Hawx. Brady told me he’s always been a wrestling fan, looking up to X-Pac and Chris Jericho.
Rudy Russo has also been wrestling for Wildkat since 2012 and tonight is his 5th show. Russo has been wrestling collectively for 10 years. Russo tells me that he has always looked up the Guerrero family and worked with Chavo Sr. early in his career. Russo currently trains with former WWE Superstar Funaki.
Carlos Socorro has wrestled with Wildkat since 2011 and has involved in wrestling for 14 years. Socorro told me he looked up to the Radicals (Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn). Socorro is also a big fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. After his match with John Saxon, he stated that he had a great match. It was good competition facing Saxon.
I asked Bestia 666 his thoughts about what he thought about Wildkat, “A good group of young, talented guys. I look forward to wrestling here again. Maybe I can team up with my dad.” Bestia 666 also praised Luke Hawx on his promotion was happy to wrestle tonight.
After the night was over, I had the honor of sitting down with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters. Masters, a former WWE Superstar, told me he had so much fun wrestling with Wildkat tonight. He gave Bu Ku Dao praise over their match, saying Bu Ku Dao was a great competitor. Masters stated he’s always loved the southern crowds when wrestling, like the way tonight’s crowd reacted to the show.
Masters said it was the Ultimate Warrior that first got him into wrestling. Although the warrior was the first person to influence him, Masters Idol was Shawn Michaels. Masters said Shawn was a huge motivator becoming a wrestler; he also looked up to Mr. Perfect and Bret Hart.
Wrestling with the WWE was a fun experience, Masters stated. The money was great but the best part was being able to work with Shawn Michael and Ric Flair.
Lastly, I know what you are thinking, and yes; Chris’ Mom is doing just fine! Chris says she is doing great and is currently living with him while her house is being rebuilt!
Want to check out Wildkat Sports and Entertainment? Watch the weekly episodes at www.wildkatsports.com, Like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @WildKatSports
Wildkat Sports and Entertainment returns June 8th, 2013 to the JD Meisler Middle School for “Schools Out!”. You can purchase tickets by emailing wildkatsports@gmail.com
Here are some pics taken at the show:
As noted, independent wrestler Sami Callihan was recently undergoing some medical tests for WWE. These are the tests done right before signing a deal so he may be officially with the company here soon.
WWE picked up several wrestlers from the recent tryouts and one of those may be Mike Bennett from Ring of Honor.
