by
Bowie V. Ibarra
South and central Texas continues to be under the radar as a hotbed for some of the best wrestling in the nation, with some of the most enthusiastic fans in the country. One of the newest quality promotions to get a piece of the indy wrestling market is INSPIRE PRO WRESTLING. On January 5th, at Marchesa Theatre in Austin, Texas, they bring it again with a tremendous card.
Check this out.
PAIGE TURNER DEBUT
PUMP PATROL vs. LEGION
ALEX REIGNS vs. SCOTTY 'THAT GUY' SANTIAGO
BOLT BRAY/BARRETT BROWN vs. SAMMY GUEVARA/LOW RIDER
ANDY DALTON vs. RICKY STARKS
JAMES CLAXTON vs. GREAT DEPRESSION vs. ALEX RUDOLDPH
CARSON/MOONSHINE MANTELL vs. THE DAGGER BROTHERS
GREG JAMES vs. TAKAAKI WATANABE
RAY ROWE vs. CHRIS HERO
ELIMINATION MATCH
FRANCO DiANGELO vs. JOJO BRAVO vs. GARY JAY vs. (masked dude)
1st INSPIRE PRO CHAMPION
DAVEY VEGA vs. MIKE DELL vs. JORDAN JENSON
I'm not going to front here. I haven't been to one of these shows yet. But every card they have put on in their short history has been stellar.
Now, I might not know about everybody on the card, but let me tell you why I know fans are going to get a chance to see some of the best faces in south Texas.
PAIGE TURNER - I haven't had a chance to see this lady wrestle yet, but she has received the seal of approval from The Best and Worst of Raw's own Brandon Stroud. That alone gives her some street cred IMO.
AJ SUMMERS - One half of 'The Pump Patrol', he's the littlest heel you will love to hate. The guy's just a tad bigger than a fireplug, with bulging muscles to his small east coast frame. But he's also very skilled in the ring, even though he choses being a douchebag over his skills. Truth is, that style garnered him a company title reign in SATX's own River City Wrestling. So you know he's good.
ALEX REIGNS - Aligned outside of Inspire with rough shit-stomper James Claxton as the Sons of Texas, the dude is a master of spreading mayhem. He recently engaged in a battle with Ray Rowe in SATX's NWA-Branded Outlaw Wrestling that saw the roughneck beat Rowe with outside interference from the lascivious opportunist Samantha Ann.
BOLT BRADY - This guy has been making a name for himself on the south Texas scene for a few years now, and is finally breaking away as a name to watch on the national scene. The guy's got talent, speed, and skill, as well as a healthy dose of charisma. You've got to check him out.
SAMMY GUEVARA/LOW RIDER - Two dudes who are on two different sides of the social philosophy spectrum (Guevara claims to be 'straight edge', but Low Rider has enjoyed making pot smoking gestures), the two have put their philosophies aside to team up and get some action outside of SATX in ATX. Having competed against each other on several occasions, we'll see if they are able to put their past aside to carve out a name for themselves on the Austin scene.
ANDY DALTON - Dalton is guaranteed to be one of the sleaziest, grossest, most disgusting looking wrestlers you will ever see perform. He's fat, out of shape, greasy, and completely obnoxious.
With that said, he will also be one of the best and most underrated wrestlers you will ever see on the Texas scene, and he's been around for years. He is amazingly talented in the ring, and those talents are exceeded only by his knack for getting under the fan's skin. He is completely unlikeable in that regard, and that makes him a perfect heel that you will absolutely love to hate.
RICKY STARKS - This kid is new on the scene, but has an amazing look, skill in the ring, and an amazing amount of charisma. This guy is one to watch.
JAMES CLAXTON - A true Texas wrestler that's as rough as they come. A quality wrestler.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION - This masked wrestler is new on the scene, but has great skills and power.
CARSON - Another great name on the Texas scene, who has earned several titles in Texas, including an NWA title.
RAY ROWE vs. CHRIS HERO - Yet another marquee matchup that is worth the price of admission alone. Ohio import Rowe has made a name for himself in south Texas, garnering a River City Wrestling title reign, as well as several NWA title reigns. Chris Hero has been an indy wrestling darling for a while, and will bring his immense talent and skill to this heavy-hitting match.
GREG JAMES vs. TAKAAKI WATANABE - This matchup speaks for itself. Greg James has spent a year or two on the Texas scene building his skills, so this matchup with NJPW star Watanabe is going to be a real test. Look for James to be pushed hard by Watanabe's science. Smart money is on Watanabe, but big money could be made on James.
FRANCO DiANGELO vs. JOJO BRAVO vs. GARY JAY vs. (masked dude)
This match marks the return of the beastly Franco DiAngelo. The massive dude was on a course to trash folks on the Texas indy scene when a severe injury put him on the shelf for a while. Here's hoping his return is good for him and he remains healthy. For the fans, not his opponents.
JoJo Bravo is a fiery sparkplug with immense love for wrestling and huge skills. The kid is a true talent, holding several indy titles and making a name for himself across the state.
Gary Jay is one of the meanest beanpoles you will ever meet. The scruffy ginger looks more at home at a soup kitchen or dumpster diving behind a Dominos Pizza. But don't let his shitbag demeanor and homeless good looks fool you. The guy is an amazingly talented grappler, a cruel striker, a shit talker near Andy Dalton level, and has a tremendous pain threshold that has been put to the test against the likes of Texas indy monsters Scot Summers. He's a brawler at heart, and has no problem taking it to his opponents. And his is in no way intimidated by DiAngelo, which is a testament more to his heart than his intelligence.
MIKE DELL vs. DAVEY VEGA vs. JORDAN JENSEN
This is a true main event of south Texas stars.
Mike Dell is a good-looking, put together, and talented pro-wrestler. And he'll let you know it. The cocky bastard has had his way across Texas, out-wrestling many of the biggest names in Texas wrestling for many years now.
Davey Vega is a wrestler from the mid-west with amazing talent, a buttload of charisma, and a tremendous level of experience on the Austin scene.
Jordan Jensen is another tremendously talented wrestler with a skill for shit-talking. The guy has a chip on his shoulder that fires up his wrestling and his mouth. Stifled by an Austin promotion for backstage hijinks, its good to see this California native back in the ring.
All three of these dudes are worthy of the title. I'm a big fan of all three, but put your money on Mike Dell for the win here with his huge experience and power advantage.
It's going to be a great card with lots of action and fun. If you are in the Austin are on the first weekend of January, 2014, you need to check out this event and have some fun.
Here's a detailed review of the event with Ludwig Voden. Click on the link and hear more about the matchups.
VODEN REPORT
And if you enjoyed the preview here on this blog, lend some support to the blog by purchasing one of the combat sport books below in Kindle or paperback. 'Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire' and 'Pit Fighters: Double Cross' are combat sports-themed book that features fights from the early days of MMA, and plenty of underground money fights. You've got to check them out, and they're available on Kindle or paperback today.
BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuster. His latest story, 'Tejano Star and the Vengeance of Chaplain Skull' is a Tex-Mexploitation superhero story in the tradition of 'Machete' and 'Black Dynamite'. Get it in paperback or Kindle today.
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