As the show opened up, the metal standards and black cables were already up over the ring, setting an ominous tone for the evening’s main event.

Announced Crowd: 2,453

Match Results:

Ethan Smith def. Catalyst via Phoenix Splash
Rob Powers def. Michael Stevens via submission
Jacob White and Barry Tulowitzki def. Erik Evans and Senshui via Super Destroyer
Papes def. Dusty Griffith….keep reading for this one….

Match Notes:

Ethan Smith continued his march towards a possible title matchup, defeating Catalyst with his Phoenix Splash. The win marked a bit of revenge for Smith, as Catalyst had defeated him during the Midwest Heritage Tournament.

Powers was impressive in his win, never really letting Stevens get any offense rolling. Powers eventually caught Stevens with a juji-gatame arm bar, and picked up a big win, probably garnering himself a title shot in the near future.

White and Witz were equally as impressive, singling Evans out and never letting Senshui into the matchup. They polished Evans off with the combination running high boot and rolling knee strike for another victory.

Now…let’s discuss the Main Event.

Prior to the Powers/Stevens match, the Central States Legacy champion came to the ring and gave a few words:

“Ji-yea, young money heard what bossman had t’ say. It ain’ nuttin’, Ryan Corey be worried ’bout tha legacy of his territory…. worried young hollywood not gon’ play by his rules. Listen up, we both know ju can’t wait t’ get dis title off me.”

“So it is, what it is. I’ll have Blake Samuels in my corner, but that’s it. Dis time, iz about me, and provin’ that I belong at the top.”

After that match, and before the tag match, Dusty responded:

“June 28th, 2009… The QBK9’s do what they’ve always done best… Gettin’ in my way and pissin’ my off to no end… Well boys, you’ve done another great job in both respects and now… Well, I get to do what I do best by makin’ you all pay for the errors of your very bad choices. See, I am, and always will be the exception to your rule because I ain’t never goin’ to not be here when you boys are up to no good.”

Tensions were already high as the challenger, the face of professional wrestling, Dusty Griffith came out first, cheered uproariously by the Kirksville crowd. Papes came out next, the Central States Legacy title belt worn around his neck, seconded by Blake Samuels as promised. The referee took the belt, handing it to a crew member, who got on a ladder and hung the belt at the wires’ intersection. The crewman cleared the ladder and himself from the ring, and the bell rang.

The match was surprisingly evenly fought, given Griffith’s utter disdain for all things QB:K9. Papes showed that should he choose, he could wage war admirably and athletically, absorbing Dusty’s onslaught of power moves. The champion was not to be out-done, however, as Young Money scaled one of the standards after planting Griffith with a hurricanrana, then swung out onto the cables and dropped a HUGE legdrop onto Griffith, bringing the Kirksville faithful to their feet.

Dusty turned the tide and began to batter the champ, slinging him from pillar to post. Griffith shot Papes into a corner, but Papes leaped up and onto the top rope. Dusty was quicker, however, and before the CSL champion could leap off, ran into him and shoved him headfirst into the steel standard behind the post! Dusty went for another standard, looking to climb up, but Samuels grabbed a leg, distracting Griffith from his goal. Dusty kicked him off, then dropped down to the apron, then the floor, and sent teeth flying with a monster right hand to Samuels’ mush.

This was the opportunity that Papes needed to roll back into the matchup. Papes rolled into the ring, and after watching his teammate get drilled, bounced off the ropes and slid under with a baseball slide, sending Griffith careening into the ringside barrier. Papes shoved Dusty into the ring, and then covered him….to no avail. The referee simply patted him on the shoulder, pointing skyward at the title belt hanging from the wires.

Papes slammed the mat in frustration, then went to the nearest standard and began to climb up. He reached the cables, and began to swing out towards the belt as Dusty began to stir. Papes neared the intersection, and reached out for the belt as Dusty stood. Griffith saw this, and rushed to Papes, grabbing his legs. Papes kept on reaching for the belt, knowing he was in a bad way, but Dusty tugged hard, and powerbombed him to the mat.

Griffith would next take his shot, climbing the standard and, with much effort, began to make his way towards the belt while Samuels began to pick himself up off the arena floor. Griffith slowly inched his way towards the title, but Papes cleared the cobwebs and as Dusty was a foot away from the belt, rushed to the outside of the ring, leaping up and springboarding himself towards Griffith like a human missile, catching him with a spear that wasn’t enough to KO the challenger, but was enough to make him lose his grip on the wire, and both men fell to the mat in a heap!

Both men rolled away from the fleshly train wreck towards opposite corners. The referee started a count, then stopped as Samuels got up on the apron. Meanwhile, both men clambered up to their feet, starting to slowly climb opposite standards. Griffith made it up first, and tentatively reached out for the cable. Papes quickly responded, leaping out from the top turnbuckle, spectacularly catching the cable about a third of the way in, and hung on until his momentum slowed.

Samuels saw his teammate on the cable, and hopped down off the apron. The referee turned….a fatal mistake. Samuels quickly scampered to the barrier, shoving a fan out of her chair and taking it onto the business side of the barrier. He closed it, then hopped onto the apron. The ref’s back still turned, watching Papes’ slide towards the belt, Blake CRACKED the chair over Dusty’s knees, causing him to fall face-first into the center of the ring!

Papes kept moving hand-over-hand to the title belt, reaching the intersection and pulling it down, then fell to the mat in exhaustion. The referee held up his hand, declaring him the winner.

The action, however, was not yet over.

From the back, Ryan Corey came racing to ringside. He stopped behind Samuels as he hopped down off the ring, wrapping him up and PLANTING him with his patented move Nightfall on the wooden arena floor. He then climbed into the ring, asking for a house mic. One was handed to him, and he got directly into Papes’ face.

“I told you that no more of this kind of tomfoolery would be tolerated.”

The fans roared, as they did not care much for Papes, despite the fine show of athleticism he had just displayed. Corey asked for quiet though, and quickly got it.

“But, Papes, you’re still a lucky man, because the ref never saw what your little buddy did to Dusty. That being said, make sure you wake him up before you leave, because I just knocked him into the middle of next week. Because the ref declared you the winner, you’re still the champion….for now.”

“In sixty days, at the end of September, assuming you still survive the champion, you’re going to face Dusty again. One more time. But this time, we’re putting up a cage, and we’re going to enclose it. There’ll be one door, and one door only, and I’m going to be ringside with the only key to the lock. Three men walk in…you, Dusty, and a referee. Only one will walk out as the champion. The next time you face Dusty Griffith, you’re going to win or lose ON YOUR OWN!”

With that, Corey dropped the mic in Papes’ chest and walked away as the show closed.

Barry Tulowitzki and Jacob White (iPRO)
Pine Street Posse (LARIAT)
The Firebirds (LARIAT)
David Anderson and Archie Kenny (PW:C)

Rumor has it that a potential teaming of BASH Yamada and Rob Powers, both graduates of one of the world’s finest training facilities in Jason Ramsey’s Tenchu-Do, may be taking part in this event as well. Ryan Corey was contacted by phone about potential plans for this:

“We’re thinking an eight-team tag league. Obviously, we have four confirmed participants, and would love to see Yamada and Powers take part. We’re on the scouting trails for at least three more teams, but we’re open to an even larger tournament too. We’ll be happy to have ten, twelve, or even more teams.”

“Tag team wrestling has suffered a huge setback in the overall picture of the wrestling landscape. A lot of the sport’s greatest stars have come from successful tag teams, and we want to help usher in a renewed emphasis of this important part of the wrestling sport.”

Asked if there was a set of titles created, or named:

“Not yet. Obviously, as with the Central States Legacy Championship, we want to honor the heritage and pedigree that comes with tag team wrestling, so we’re tossing about some names for the titles themselves. As for the tournament, it will be called the Tag Renaissance Grand Prix, or TRGP for short. The format’s gonna depend on how many teams we can bring in, but we are envisioning some sort of round-robin style action, because we really want to feature this new division to the fans of not only iPRO, but the wrestling world in general.”

iPRO’s website, innovaPRO.com, has been receiving a lot of hits lately, some of them tied into the MHT DVD. Corey spoke about this as well:

“iPRO.com has been getting hit a lot since the announcement of the DVD release. There are only about 14 signed copies of the discs available, but we’ll continue to take pre-orders right up until the release date.”

“Overall, we’re very pleased with the response to the site. In the near future, we’ll be starting some discussion groups on the site, so wrestling fans from around the world can weigh in with their thoughts on the action they will see in iPRO.”

There has been some speculation that iPRO has been in discussions with US Cable to air iPRO shows over the public channels. Corey discussed this as well:

“Nothing is concrete yet, but we’ve been talking to the folks from US Cable. There’s a lot…and I mean a LOT…of work to do as far as production, time slotting, and that sort of ilk that we’d have to hammer out with them before moving forward on this. But it is something we’re interested in, if it can help iPRO grow. If it’s just something that causes us headaches, then we won’t go forward with it.”

“It is, however, a very positive step in the growth of the promotion. It seems that we’ve really hit a nerve with the wrestling and fighting fans in mid-Missouri, and there are folks from all over the world hitting up innovaPRO.com, looking for any sort of videos they can get to watch our product. Hopefully, we’ll be able to appease them very soon.”

Asked about providing some video content online:

“It’s something we’ve definitely planned since we first put the site online. There are a few technical kinks we’re working out. For example, the lighting at some of the shows didn’t really allow us to put, say, a Papes vs. Catalyst match online in a quality format. We’ve contracted with a web production firm in Columbia, and they’re looking at everything we have so they can make suggestions and such as far as lighting, camera angles, and what not. Suffice it to say, the internet is not my particular area of expertise!”

With that, Corey ended the phone call, citing a need to train for his upcoming HRW title defense.

Now, iPRO travels up the road a half-hour to Kirksville, where one of the biggest matches in iPRO’s tenure will commence….Dusty Griffith vs. Papes for the Central States Legacy Championship.

And, just in case you needed a reminder….it’s a Crossed Wires match!

The undercard is still being formulated at this point, and will be released in the next few days. We can tell you that the show has been scheduled for July 31. Bell time is the usual 7 pm, with all talent available for pictures, signings, and flirting one hour before bell time.

Papes has gotten under the skin of Ryan Corey, who had this to say in regard to Papes’ less-than-honest tactics:

“I’ve told the kid more than once that this kind of crap would not be tolerated in iPRO, and I meant it! So, Papes….you’re on watch. Next time you pull a stunt like you did against Catalyst in Macon, I’ll strip you of the title. The bottom line here is that iPRO matches will be won on the strengths and weaknesses of the participants. If you choose not to compete in that setting, or you choose to defy me again….the consequences will be swift, and very, very severe.”

On a more positive chord, Corey also spoke about the pending tag team formulation:

“We’ve got some feelers out there, got some folks interested in coming to mid-Missouri. Angus Skaaland has committed to sending two teams from the Texas-based LARIAT promotion, and Pro Wrestling: Canada is interested in sending a team or two as well.”

“As we get more details and confirmations, we’ll get a solid plan together. Right now, everything is still a bit cloudy.”

Remember, kids….tickets are available in the usual locations. All mid-Missouri Break Times, as well as at Moberly’s Parks and Recreation office. Tickets will also be available at Truman State University’s athletic box office for this event.

Announced Crowd: 638

Match Results:

Ethan Smith def. Blue Thunder via Phoenix Splash
Jacob White and Barry Tulowitzki def. Michael Stevens and Morris Jackson via ‘White Witzing’
Rob Powers and BASH Yamada def. Senshui and Erik Evans via combination Powerbomb/Ace Cutter
Papes def. Catalyst via “rollup”

Match Notes:

Smith continued to rebuild what once was a stellar resume, gaining a win over the Mexican sensation Blue Thunder. With the win, Smith looks towards an potential shot at the Central States Legacy Championship.

White and Witz were impressive in their match, singling out Jackson and working some classic tag team wrestling, keeping the newcomer in their half of the ring. Stevens did get a hot tag, and did make some noise, but eventually, Jackson fell victim to the combination rolling knee block and running high boot they have dubbed ‘White Witzing’.

Yamada and Senshui were extremely impressive in this matchup, as was Powers. The weak link in the match was the tag to Evans, who quickly fell victim to Powers’ Ace Cutter combined with Yamada’s Powerbomb.

Papes scored yet another controversial win, using Catalyst’s tights during a rollup to secure the pinfall. Catalyst chased the Central States Legacy champion from the ring after the match, absolutely incensed at the way he lost the match.

Show Notes:

iPRO organizers were very happy with the first three matches, especially the very stiff work between BASH Yamada and Senshui. The Macon crowd ooh’ed and ahh’ed with every chop, kick, and forearm these two threw at each other. Also pleasing was Senshui’s refusal to back down from the larger Yamada.

Ethan Smith also, again, continued to impress. The former C2W multiple champion is slowly but surely regaining a championship-caliber pedigree, and may soon see an opportunity to meet Papes for the Central States Legacy Championship.

Papes….now that’s a different story. Ryan Corey was said to be absolutely crazygonuts at the way Papes won his non-title matchup with Catalyst, leaving the gym before Da Champ could get back to the locker rooms. Rumors from Camp Nightfall say that the current Hudson River Wrestling Prestige Championship has about had his fill of Papes’ underhanded tactics.

Speaking of the CSL Champion, Papes was the only athlete to receive a complete and utter round of boos and jeers. Some attribute that to his ethnicity, some to his methodology, but no one can deny that this QB:K9 certainly draws a reaction from the crowd every time he steps into an iPRO ring.

Matches announced for the show are as follows:

Blue Thunder vs. Ethan Smith
Jacob White and Barry Tulowitzki vs. Michael Stevens and Morris Jackson
Rob Powers and BASH Yamada vs. Senshui and Erik Evans
Papes vs. Catalyst (non-title match)

Only four matches, but a lot of talent on display. iPRO organizers are proud to announce the debut of Morris Jackson, a great-looking athlete fresh out of Camp Nightfall, as he teams with Stevens against the quickly-rising tag team of Witz and White.

Speaking of Barry and Jacob, they are on tap to travel to Canada to partake in a tag team tournament. When asked about it, the ebullient Tulowitzki said:

“Man, Jake and I are jacked up that NRC has given us this opportunity. We’re really starting to click as a team, and this tournament in Canada will give us a chance to prove ourselves, and to represent innovaPRO as well. Hopefully, we’ll take a few of the Witz-Fitz with us, maybe induct a few new folks into the fraternity, and bring home the tournament championship.”

Ryan Corey also addressed some rumors regarding a potential tag team championship:

“It’s something we are certainly looking at, but our numbers, talent-wise, just don’t support it yet. We have one confirmed, solid team in iPRO at the moment, and we feel like we’d need at least four, and probably six to eight, to make a tag division work properly. That being said, I’d like to put a call out to any tag teams in the world….iPRO wants to showcase you and your skills. If you have an interest in helping us start, grow, and flourish a tag team division from the ground up, we’d love to talk to you.”

The pre-Fire In the Sky event has been seen as a huge success, despite the loss of money. All wrestlers were paid for their work, even though no money, aside from the contract fees and a small percentage of the concessions, was taken in. iPRo definitely lost money on the venture, but Corey spoke about this:

“Yeah, we lost a lot of money on the show, but as you buld these promotions, sometimes you have to do what it takes to get your name out there. There were ten thousand plus in the stands and on the field that day. We gave a lot of folks an opportunity that almost never happens…a chance to actually step out on Faurot Field, where their beloved Missouri Tigers play. We made another big step into locking down central Missouri, adding a lot of fans to the biggest media market in the area.”

“This show, while financially a bust, produced so many more positives that it was an investment in our future that was well worth making.”

This show will lead to the huge rematch between Papes and Dusty Griffith for the Central States Legacy Championship. As announced at the MHT Finals, this match will be a Crossed Wires match, meaning that the title will be hung from the intersection of the two wires crossing the ring, and whoever pulls it down first will be the winner.

iPRO can also be followed from the WfWA Forums

Announced Crowd: 10,932

Match Results:

Erik Evans def. Michael Stevens via bridging German suplex
Ethan Smith def. Senshui via Phoenix Splash
Blue Thunder def. Catalyst via Rolling Hurricanrana
BASH Yamada def. Jacob White via Brainbuster Suplex
Papes def. Rob Powers and Barry Tulowitzki to retain the Central States Legacy Championship
FLAME Akihiro def. Rudiger Probst to retain the FWD Heavyweight Championship and the S-PRO Iron Crown Championship

Match Notes:

Evans and Stevens was a better-than-expected leadoff, both men showing a lot of fluidity before Evans planted Stevens for the win.

Senshui was completely off his game, making him easy pickings for Smith. Smith did not meet much resistance during the match. leading some to wonder about Senshui’s passion for the sport.

Blue Thunder looked awfully good in his debut, keeping Catalyst off-balance with lightning-quick strikes and a plethora of high-flying moves. Catalyst rallied like the champion he is, taking back control from the masked Mexican, but Thunder caught him in a hurricanrana, rolling through and holding Catalyst down for the three-count.

BASH Yamada and Jacob White may have been the hardest hitting match of the night. The S-PRO star and the up-and-comer hit each other with everything they could throw, and neither man yielded. Suplexes, powerbombs, powerslams….forearms, uppercuts, and stomps. Neither man gave no quarter nor expected any, but Yamada’s experience advantage, though somewhat slight, shined through, as he finally put a very game White away with the Brainbuster Suplex. After the match, Yamada help White to his feet and shook his hand in a show of respect.

The first main event was hot, hot, hot. Papes and Powers weren’t friends, exactly, and when you throw Witz and all his Witz-Fitz into the fray, it got hairy quick. Papes used his speed advantage to dubious effect, as he pinned Tulowitzki first….after Powers had plastered him with a running powerslam. Powers ran to the ropes, looking for another big running blow, but Papes dropped the top rope, sending Powers flying to Mizzou’s FieldTurf, then covering Barry for the first elimination. After rejoining the action, Powers was easily in control until a thumb-to-the-eyes by Papes. After a few quick hit-and-move shots, Powers ducked a flying clothesline. He went to scoop Papes up near the ropes, but Papes rolled him up and, using the ropes for leverage, got the dupe.

Powers was, understandably, incensed after the result, and chased Papes from the ring. The champ collected his belt from the bell-ringer, and retreated to the tunnel, smiling and posing along the way.

The double-title match was next. First, S-PRO President Saitoshi Saito entered the ring with Ryan Corey, reading the traditional match proclamation, impressively done in English. Then FWD Commisioner Vonn Albrecht joined them, declaring the match an FWD Heavyweight championship challenge as well.

Probst was introduced first, and came out to a sizeable ovation, a bit surprising given the tone and general mission of the day. Akihiro, as the champion, was introduced second, and Memorial Stadium sounded like a Mizzou football game, as the hugely popular Japanese sensation came to the ring, a belt draped on each shoulder.

Probst, Akihiro, Saito, and Albrecht all shook hands, along with Ryan Corey. The referee took one belt from Akihiro, and Corey the second, each holding a belt high and circling the ring, letting all in attendance know that both of Akihiro’s championships were at stake in this international matchup.

Ryan Corey took the second title, and exited the ring. Akihiro and Probst came to center-ring, shaking hands, and the referee called for the bell.

Probst went quickly on the offensive, keeping the Japanese Fire Plug grounded with arm and leg locks, looking to slow him down. Akihiro eventually regained his feet, and began to show everyone why he is one of the world’s best high-risk fighters, his lucharesu background and daredevil attitude helping him to pepper Probst with strikes, kicks, and chops. Akihiro caught Rudiger against the ropes, and a rolling leg block sent him to the FieldTurf. Not stopping, Akihiro bounded off the opposite ropes, jumping over the top rope and down onto Probst with a Senton Splash, bring the crowd to its feet.

FLAME rolled ‘Das Ripper’ back into the ring, taking a headlock. Probst quickly reversed, and began to try and ground Akihiro again. After some extremely stiff European uppercuts, Akihiro was staggered against the ropes, and sent tumbling over with a huge clothesline. Probst stepped out onto the apron, waited for FLAME to rise, and as he did, scored with a running, tumbling body attack, again bringing a huge ovation from Columbia.

Back and forth the match went for nearly forty minutes, a beautifully executed display of clashing styles. The match was ended on a good piece of aerial artistry, as Probst slung Akihiro across, and caught him in a back drop attempt. FLAME adjusted himself, using Probst as a springboard to flip himself over and land on his feet. Both men spun towards each other, and after Akihiro swung a big front kick into Probst midsection, gathered him up and drove him into the mat with the FLAMEthrower, rolling over Probst over and pinning him at the forty-four minute mark.

After the matchup, both men staggered to their feet, looking like they should look after this kind of a battle….exhausted. Probst walked forward first, offering his hand to the victor. Akihiro accepted, and the two men shared a quick embrace before Ryan Corey entered, returning the FWD Heavyweight Championship and the Iron Crown Championship to Akihiro. Corey stood between the two men as the iPRO locker room came out of the tunnel, clapping at the performances of both men, and raised their arms high as Faurot Field stood, raucously expressing their appreciation for the high quality of the matchup.

Show Notes:

iPRO could not have been happier with the turnout for the show. The day was overcast and chilly, with rain threatening, but that didn’t keep people away from the gates.

After two monster shows inside of seven days, iPRO will be taking a week off, and will return to action in the middle of July. Organizers have not said when or where the next card will happen, but have guaranteed that it will happen soon.

Some questioned about the whereabouts of Dusty Griffith for this huge show. Griffith was priorly committed to working with the LARIAT promotion in Texas prior to the booking of this card, and was in Texas competing. Rest assured, Griffith has not forgotten the way in which he feels he was screwed out of the Central States Legacy title, and will begin working soon on his upcoming title rematch at the end of July.