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Tim Rockwell: Can He Make It On His Own?

Tim Rockwell: Can He Make It On His Own?

Posted: Mar 29th 2008 By: CMBurnham

He helped set a record by winning 3 tag team titles in 3 federations and holding them all at the same time. In total, he's held 5 tag team championships during his 4 years in the business. But when it comes to singles titles, Tim Rockwell has always seemed to have the rug pulled out from under him before he could prove himself.

An old wrestling adage goes that "to be a great tag team wrestler, you must first be a great singles wrestler", so logic would dictate that Rockwell has all the tools needed to have a good singles run. But it seems like every time Rockwell has tried to show his worth as a singles wrestler, something happens.

Rockwell's tag team success is well documented. As part of the 918 Boyz, he and Cade Sydal were SRPW Tag Team Champions for 2 1/2 months in 2005. He also partnered with Big Dogg in Kansas for the GWF Tag Team TItle. His greatest success in tag team competition, though, was his partnership with his uncle Bernard Funk as Texas, Inc. With or without manager Stevie Caballero, they dominated tag team competition wherever they went in 2007. In FACT, his ranking as the #1 wrestler in the state of Oklahoma in the Oklafan Top 50 was based primarily on his success in tag teams, something that drew some criticism from several other knowledgable veterans of the sport. And it is true that he spent most of the year winning and defending tag team titles in ComPro, SWCW & NWA-U. But he also pursued the AACW Light Heavyweight Title (even though he pushed the upper limits of the weight class there).

It's not as if Rockwell hasn't had title success as a singles star. It's just that the success didn't last long. His longest singles title reign was 1 week as SRPW Hardcore Champion, a belt he won from Shane Morbid, then lost to Beau Dalton. And while he defeated Paul Linam and Cast-Iron Cothern in a Triple Threat Last Man Standing Match to become the 1st ever CXW X-Core Champion, that federation never ran a second card and Rockwell never got to defend that belt.

So it was understandable that, prior to his match at the intial TAP show, he wanted to get some things off his chest. Rockwell came to the ring and said that he felt disrespected. He was the #1 wrestler in the state, but he had no gold to prove it and hadn't been getting any title shots despite that ranking. He promised to make the best of his chance to become the 1st ever TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion. At this point, UWF06 Texhoma Champion Les Mayne, his challenger for that belt, arrived and said that there was no way that the heritage of Oklahoma would be going to Texas. Instead, it would be headed back with someone who proudly considers OU his current address. After a brief staredown, Rockwell retreated as intermission began.

After intermission, it was time for the title match. Rockwell held the experience edge, while Les had the advantage in power and endurance, plus the intangible of the fans behind him. Not wanting to see a Longhorn holding an Oklahoma belt, the chants of "Texas Sucks!" rang through Youth Central as these two men put on a mat classic. Every time it seemed that Les was down, he found a way to battle back. And every time it seemed like it was over for Tim, he found a way to escape and battle on. But then, at a critical moment, Les went for a corner splash and Rockwell, out of desperation, pulled referee Mike Two in the way, causing a collission which temporarily knocked him senseless. And then family came to the rescue as Bernard Funk ran to the ring, hit Mayne over the head with a cowbell, put his nephew on top and alerted the referee that a count needed to be made. 3 seconds later, the first TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion was crowned and Texas, Inc. stood proud of their deeds in the ring together.

After the left and Les had a moment to collect himself, he promised to get that belt from Rockwell. And presumably, a first step in redeeming himself would have occurred at the ComPro show later that night in Tulsa. But Mayne never made it to the show, due to transportation problems. So Rockwell got a chance to prove himself again in a singles situation as he faced off against ComPro Champion Anthony Jackson in a non-title match. Many times, it appeared that Rockwell would upset the loud-mouth champion, but after a 2nd grueling match, Rockwell's endurance was worn down and he was hit by the spear for the 3-count.

Rockwell hasn't completely given up on tag team wrestling, as he is pursuing the ComPro Tag Team Titles with El Super Colibri as Team Super Teriffic, again under the management of Stevie Caballero. But with his first singles title in a year and a half, Rockwell may now finally be on the way to carving out a name for himself on his own. And a great tag team wrestler may finally end up being recognised as a great singles wrestler.

 

Tags: Tim Rockwell, 918 Boyz, SRPW, Bernard Funk, Texas, Inc., Stevie Caballero, ComPro, SWCW, NWA-U, AACW, Shane Morbid, Beau Dalton, Paul Linam, Cast-Iron Cothern, CXW, TAP, UWF06, Les Mayne, Mike Two, Anthony Jackson, El Super Colibri, Team Super Teriffic

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Week of Sun 05-26 to Sat: 06-01

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  • 05-29 1972 Blackjack Mulligan def. Blackjack Lanza for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 05-29 1978 Paul Orndorff def. Ernie Ladd for the TSW North American Champion
  • 05-29 2010 Josh Evans & Buddha def. Born Again Sunday (Kam & Koz) for the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-29 2010 Bobby Starr def. David Kyzer for the BYEW Entertainment Champion
  • 05-29 2010 Shane Sanchez became the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 05-29 2010 Rick Russo def. Shane Sanchez for the BYEW Caution Champion
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  • 05-29 2022 Striker def. Maddox Jones for the EPW Heavyweight Champion
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