FIGHTS: Preview - Inspire Pro 'Ecstasy of Gold' event!

NEW PRO WRESTLING ORGANIZATION CONTINUES TO DELIVER
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.

FIGHTS: Notes from 'NWA Branded Outlaw Wrestling Invasion' 2013

LEGENDARY WRESTLERS FROM JAPAN COMPETE IN THE ALAMO CITY
By
Bowie V. Ibarra

NWA-Branded Outlaw Wrestling out of San Antonio, Texas put on one of the best wrestling shows I've been to in a while.  Well, truth is, that's what they always seem to do with a roster stacked to the gills with the best in Texas talent right now.  I'm glad I finally made time to show up.

 

But the big news was that not only were the Texas stars going to compete, but members of New Japan Pro-Wrestling were scheduled to compete as well, including the legendary Hiroshi Tenzan and Jushin Liger.  It was Mongolian Chops and Koppo Kicks for everyone this past Saturday night in San Antonio.

 

Here's some notes on some things that went down.

MY LITTLE GIRL'S FIRST SHOW - My little girl has been to a WWE wrestling show before, but we were sitting in the rafters.  This time around, I got us front row tickets to the fun.

 

Well, those who know me know that I enjoy myself and understand the athletic magic show that is pro-wrestling.  But the brutal illusion was a little hard for her to take after the first match featuring RUDY RUSSO, WEEZY WOO, national talent CHASE OWENS, among others.  The intensity was too much for her and she started shedding tears for the good guys, so we stepped to the back for a bit and watched the following matches from the back.  She eventually got acclimated to the action and the fun and we moved back to the front.  It was an unexpected, but wonderful experience.

 

She really liked NWA-BOW heavyweight JAX DANE after he came out to help the new competitor, MR. MICAH, after his match with MIKE DELL when JEREMY SAGE'S friends came out to beat up Micah.  The way my little girl saw it, Jax Dane stood up for the new kid who has no friends yet in NWA-BOW.  My girl appreciated Jax coming out to help Micah and make friends with him.

 

She also enjoyed SCOT SUMMERS match against GEDO and wanted to give Scot a hug after losing to him and Gedo jumped him.  She eventually did, though.

 

By the end of the night, she was totally into the show and had a good time.  She's not quite ready for front row just yet, but I don't have any problem with that.

 

And the greatest thing that happened?  She got a picture with Jushin 'Thunder' Liger.

 

And for me, she got to see an honest to God National Wrestling Alliance show.

 

I GOT TO GET SOME MARK PHOTOS WITH NWA MOVERS AND SHAKERS

 

It was a great time for some photo ops with names I read about online, as well as watch them in action.  Here's some snaps.

 

Below is a pic with one of the architects of the current NWA product, TONY BROOKLYN.

 

Here's a pic with the newly crowned NWA Lightweight Champ, CHASE OWENS.

 

Here's a pic of south Texas pro-wrestling superfan, Tommy, getting an earful from CHARLIE HAAS.

 

 

Here's a pic with JASON KINCAID, one of the names from the east coast.  He was pretty good.

 

Snaps of Jushin 'Thunder' Liger!  He teamed up with HIROYOSHI TENZAN to take on BYRON WILCOTT and MICHAEL TARVER.

 

I got a chance to meet some of the NWA heavy-hitters from the east coast and Canada, DAMIEN WAYNE and 'THE CANADIAN LION' LANCE ERIKSON.  They've formed a tag-team called 'The Lords of Chaos' and looked alright during their four-corners tag match.  Erickson was a great power man, but he looked like he was struggling with his cardio as the match went into the deep water.  I still enjoyed finally watching them and wish them the best.

 

Truth is, I want to see a Kingz of the Underground vs. Lords of Chaos match.  That is, after Erikson gets that cardio up.

 

I had the privilege to meet the legacy to The British Bulldogs.  DH Smith, son of late 'The British Bulldog' Davey Boy Smith was in attendance.  Talk about a legacy to be proud of.  Smith looked outstanding in the ring, and Davey Boy would be proud.

 

Love him or hate him, learn to like him because BRUCE THARPE is doing what it takes to reconstruct the NWA.  After a year, I think he's doing a great job, and wish continued growth and success to him and the organization.

 

I also had a chance to meet two of the best pro-wrestling bloggers out there, BRANDON STROUD and DANIELLE MATHESON of 'Best and Worst of WWE' and 'Best and Worst of TNA' fame, respectively.

 

If you're not checking out their weekly blogs linked above, the time to start doing that is now.

 

All in all, it was a true dream come true.  I thank NWA-BOW for bringing this talent in.  Truth is, they have been putting together great cards since their inception with the best in Texas talent and athletes from across the nation.  Keep it up, NWA.  You've got a fan here that wants to see you succeed and bring the NWA Title back to the prominence it deserves.

 

And if you like pro-wrestling action, you're going to love the 'Pit Fighter' series from ZombieBloodFights.com.  'Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire' and 'Pit Fighters: Double Cross' are combat sports-themed books 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.

Bowie earned a BFA in Acting and MA in Theatre History from Texas State University.  Network with Bowie for updates and news at his official website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

 

And before you go, here's some more random snaps from the event.  Enjoy!

 

FIGHTS: Samantha Ann turns back on Meal Ticket Ray Rowe at NWA-BOW

LASCIVIOUS VIXEN JUMPS ROWE, SABOTAGES ALEX REIGNS VICTORY
by
BOWIE V. IBARRA



End of an era:  Samantha Ann with then partner, Ray Rowe.

I'm not going to lie to you.  I was drawn in by the seductive allure of Samantha Ann. 

The chick's a knockout, there's no denying that.  I even offered to take her out to coffee once.  A futile gesture, I know.  I don't have enough tattoos or muscles.  But if you're going to step to the plate, you take a swing at the ball, right?

Once aligned with one of Texas' most dominant indy wrestling competitors, Ray Rowe, this past Saturday at the NWA-Branded Outlaw Wrestling card, Samantha Ann turned her back on her former ally and love interest, Ray Rowe.  The card featured the best of the best on the Texas Indy scene and was filled with tremendous matchups, including the main event:  Ray Rowe vs. Alex Reigns.

Creepers like myself might have noted bizarre Facebook updates about a 'stalker' at the shows, culminating in the man jumping Rowe and confronting her in the ring.  It was revealed to be Reigns, and Rowe was ready to stomp the newly-revealed stalker's ass.

But her public, but cordial, breakup with Rowe seemed to signal something was not right.  It was as if there was still no resolution.

So when the Rowe/Reigns matchup occurred, Samantha Ann was still aligned with Rowe.  But Rowe told her to stay in the back as the two men mixed it up for the winner's purse in a hardcore match.

It was a wild time in the ring until Rowe's music blasted and the tiny devil appeared, clad in Rowe's signature gear, wielding a sledgehammer.  It was clearly Samantha Ann, and the fans were stunned.  But I knew something was up.

Sure enough, she cracked Rowe in the ribs with the sledgehammer for her new man.  But it wasn't enough, and the match continued until Samantha Ann had another opportunity to slip the weapon to Reigns, but was cut off by Rowe.  Rowe ended up taking the victory, no thanks to Samantha Ann.  And even in defeat, she reveled in her newfound bad-girl switch by updating her Facebook status with #heel.

For me, the end of the match was a foreshadowing of Alex Reign's future if he chooses to bring Samantha Ann to ringside.  As a manager, she was never much of a factor for Ray Rowe's victory and probably had clauses in their contract for guaranteed money in her pocket.  Rowe's made a name for himself here in Texas, and with that comes big paydays.

But now that Samantha Ann seems to have broken her managerial contract with Rowe, will Reigns provide the same meal ticket?  Considering she was THE reason Reigns lost Saturday night by throwing in the sledgehammer at the wrong time, Reigns seems to be on the verge of getting the 'loser' payout at the pay window for the foreseeable future.

It's clear money is not what Samantha Ann wanted all this time.  It's the man.

I hope Reigns enjoys the affection from the salacious tramp when he's making her car payment.

Shoney's is hiring fry cooks.  Chacho's needs bus boys.

Just saying.

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If you're a fan of wrestling and aren't making it out to the NWA-Branded Outlaw Shows in San Antonio, Texas, then you're missing some of the best competitors on the Texas Indy scene.  Names like Scot Summers, Ryan Genesis, Lance Hoyt, Mike Dell, and so many others bring all they got for the fans.  Check them out here today!  Come out next time and help me jeer Reigns and the tramp!

===============

BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the noted zombie horror series, 'Down the Road', from Permuted Press and Simon and Shuster.  His latest novel, 'Pit Fighters: Double Cross' is a combat sports themed book about the adventures of a MMA stable in south Texas, featuring a Mexican luchador who crosses over into MMA.  Like Samantha Ann, it features a jilted lover named Elena who is out to get El Aire's mask and end his career forever.

'Pit Fighters: Double Cross' is available in paperback and Kindle for as low as .99 cents.

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You can network with Bowie and read about his Tex-Mexploitation stories and check out his book trailers at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

FIGHTS: New NWA World Tag Team Champs crowned in SATX

by Bowie Ibarra

Photo credit Scot Summers official Facebook  page

ZombieBloodFights.com salutes the newly crowned National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Champions, Scot Summers and Ryan Genesis: The Kingz of the Underground.

The National Wrestling Alliance has been wallowing in the mire of mismanagement and neglect for over a decade now, and in spite of the history and tradition the organization represents and the wrestlers who tried to keep the spirit and respect alive (including Adam Pierce, Colt Cabana, and Blue Demon, Jr.), no one was willing to resurrect the group.

But the controversial Bruce Tharp and a management team including the motivated NWA Vice-President/CFOTony Brooklyn (of NWA-Houston) are hoping to return the name to glory.

Being a Texas indy wrestling fan, giving the KotU a shot at the NWA world tag-titles was a step in the right direction.  The Dark City Fight Club has held the titles for a very long time now.  Whether that was a matter of not having quality competition or lack of actual contests is debatable.  Considering the way NWA was run prior to this year, there's lots of reasons people could speak up against the legitimacy of the Dark City Fight Club's title reign.

The fact remains that they earned the titles and defended them during that long time period, so whoever wanted them could fight them for it.

With Branded Outlaw Wrestling taking on the NWA mantle, the KotU were ready to make a run at the titles.  Jon Davis, one half of the champs, was absent in the defense and replaced by a more-than-capable replacement Lance Hoyt, one half of the IWGP World Tag Champs in Japan, who teamed with Kory Chavis.

In the end, the more prepared tag team took the titles.  And its this blogger's opinion that the KotU will represent those titles with respect and honor to the tradition it holds.

On that note, Lance Hoyt offered a challenge to the new world champs.  His claim was to be able to call themselves 'real' world champs, they should battle it out with the IWGP World Tag Champs, The Killer Elite Squad of Hoyt and DH Smith.

If that matchup is to ever go down, it will be a huge step in returning the glory and respect the NWA titles hold.  And there's no better tag team in Texas, and perhaps the nation, to defend that honor than Scot Summers and Ryan Genesis: The Kingz of the Underground.

=============

NWA Branded Outlaw Wrestling Notes

-- New Branded Outlaw Heavyweight Champ Jax Dane was crowned Sunday as well, defeating his ally Ray Rowe.  Rowe was game, but could just not handle the power advantage Dane had, which makes me wonder who can beat the 'Vanilla Godzilla'.  The NWA championship committee needs to consider Jax Dane a top contender for TokyoMonster Kahagas' title.

-- Houston Carson defended his NWA North American Title against Mike Dell and Jaykus Plyskin.

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BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuester.  His combat sports themed book, PIT FIGHTERS: BAPTISM BY FIRE , features a boxer from Scotland who transitions to mixed martial arts competition.

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