10 Years That Changed Local Wrestling

Let me say before I even get started on this blog, some of what I'm saying is a shameless put over, and I don't even believe it myself. So I will read every single one of the blog comments that carve me up, and chuckle that you take this blog and yours truly, Mike Davidson even more seriously than I do at times. So fire away and hit me with your best shot.



10 Years in the Making



Jeff Wallace, aka "The Mecca" Shane Madison and I have decided to have a weekend celebration to commemorate the 10 year milestone of knowing each other. This weekend is scheduled from October 16th to the 19th, in Winnipeg, and will be a ceremony of drinking excessively, going to the bar and playing "spot that jobber", and recognizing ourselves for our contributions over the last 10 years and our influence over local wrestling.



The year was 1999, the month October and one of our favorite, if not the favorite promoter Wayne Stanton was promoting River City Wrestling with weekly events at Bumpers Bar on Ellice in Winnipeg, and bi-weekly events at the historic (by local wrestling terms) Chalmers Community Centre. That's right, 6 events per month. A rookie crew, that consisted of Overkill, Johnny Malibu, Big O, Moses Luke, Ronnie Attitude, Mistress Mona Lott, veteran leader Adam Knight, Chris Parys, Plumber Lou Dooley (later known as Carver Gleason), Silverstreak 2000, and a rotating door at booker than included Dave Levinsky, myself and whoever Wayne wanted to elevate to that job on any given week literally. Business was not taking off the way we hoped.



Enter the graduates of Cyrus The Virus



Wayne told me one weekend, that he had booked the two top graduates of Cyrus' training academy to debut at Bumpers this Monday. He referenced "Playboy" Will Damon and Donnie Dicaprio. He could have told me their names were Rod Shithead and Paul Fucknuts, because I wasn't familiar with them, and was told they would be getting a match against each other so that we could gauge if they were any good. Believing that we needed some new blood to the promotion, I was happy to hear that Rod and Paul were coming in.



So around roles Monday night, and the locker room full of locals (the only thing worse than a room full of locals is a room full of rookie locals), and Rod and Paul arrive for the match, and they bring two guys with them. Jeff Wallace, who would in 2000 become Shane Madison, came into the locker room, which was just a regular hotel room with about 15 people crammed in to get into their spandex wrestling gear (as Wallace will point out, those that actually wore wrestling gear), he introduced himself to me as the booker, seeming very polite, he told me he had just finished training in Windsor under Scotty Libido, Scott D'Amore, Professor Maxwell, and Sabu. I thought to myself with so many trainers that must have been a complete wrestling University, as most people in Winnipeg did 20 hours with Vance Nevada or Stan Saxon (not his choice to debut talent that fast) and were quickly debuting on local shows.



So back to the story, gauging Wallace to have a more impressive physique than the entire locker room, I took him and the other Cyrus trainee, JC Derksen, and said you two guys can wrestle each other as well. I walked over to Big O and Moses Luke, two guys with opposite physical appearances, yet equally unimpressive, and said that I was going to have to cancel a match, and that they would be used in other roles tonight. Like two complete stooges they went running and crying to promote Wayne Stanton, crying that they had been bumped off the card with all that entitlement that they felt. Let me be honest, it's not like I bumped Ric Flair for Lance Von Erich, I considered the move to be an upgrade with an infusion of new blood that might catch on (boy was I wrong that JC Derksen would ever catch on, 10 years later and he's still shitty even in a jobber role).



Following the local stooging, the hotel/locker room quickly had an angry bang at the door. Enter promoter Wayne Stanton, in a trademark burst of angry energy, "You don't bump our guys for Don's trainees. You got me? This is why I think you aren't ready to be a booker. Make sure Owen and Peter (Big O and Moses Luke) are booked." And I did, in a match I hoped would be a complete throw and complete demoralize them for being stooges.



Jeff Wallace had an impressive debut. If I remember it correctly, I let them decide a finish, and Wallace actually laid down for Derksen, probably because the victory meant a hell of lot more for Derksen's shallow existence and pride than Wallace's.



Now the moment of gratification. During the main-event of the night, which likely included Adam Knight vs. Overkill or something of that nature, I went to talk with Wayne. "Well (sucking back noise that Wayne makes which has become a trademark of all imitations of him), I guess you were right putting that Jeff Wallace in the ring, he clearly looked better than the entire crew." He continued, "I think you should probably work with him next week, the people are really behind you as a heel, and you can try and get him over as a babyface."



And that's what we did, working a program of about 4 or 5 matches, that resulted in an infamous "Brass Knuckles in a Box Match" which drew an impressive late night Monday crowd of 100+. Wallace and I became fast friends, and over the next 10 years Wallace would prove to have much influence in my career and the sculpting of Winnipeg Wrestling. Here are many of the ways:



-Wrestlers going to the gym, tanning and owning gear

-TRCW hiring me as booker, and business shifting up for the company and us over taking the long existing CWF as number one Locally.

-After being fired in TRCW, Wallace influenced John Nguyen into hiring me to start a wrestling company that Andrew Shallcross would name Pembina Championship Wrestling. I influenced Nguyen to hire Andrew, and many have threatened to kick me in the nuts for years for that over-sight.

-Wallace would later introduce me to Jeff Dyck, and AWE was born, and quickly became available on Pay Per View throughout Canada, and ran a season of TV on The Fight Network.

-Well still in TRCW, Wallace would work a very hot main-event program vs. TJ Bratt, drawing record setting business. In PCW he would main-event with Will Damon and then Mike Davidson, and then Chi Chi Cruz, to cement his legacy as the top drawing main-event wrestler on a local scale in history.

-A journalistic reputation that has drawn comparison's to Dave Meltzer in his ability to not sugar coat the local wrestling scene.

-An infinite wisdom and definite influence over the young stars of local wrestling today, Danny Duggan, AJ Sanchez, Don Douglas.

-A kind and genuine ambassador for local wrestling, which included interaction with youth (ask Jordan Garber), venues (Cary Paul at Coyotes), and media (especially Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer).

So 10 years has led to this. A party to celebrate 10 years of making the local wrestling business better. It will kick off on October 16, carrying through the entire weekend. Details will follow, but one thing is known, if you know Jeff or myself, it will be at least multiple nights of drinking and telling stories, and sharing some real good memories. That in itself is worthy of attendance. Consider this an open invitation, if you've worked with us, for us, against us, or haven't worked a single match well in your life, you are encouraged to attend.

Check out the Facebook Event page and ensure your attendance to this monumental occasion.