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The Intensity of Mark Sterling: A look at the most relentless man in the Midwest

Posted: May 15th 2009 By: mikeiles

A few years back, I had the opportunity to do a sit down interview with Mark Sterling when I was just starting to establish myself on the Midwest pro wrestling scene. Looking back, it?s easy to see that the assignment was given to me as an initiation of sorts. Those in charge of Central States Wrestling at the time knew I was fresh into the business, but they also knew that Sterling was slowly beginning to descend into madness. It would be the perfect way to make sure I was serious about doing what I said I was going to do. Fast forward a few years into the future, and it?s easy to see that Sterling has channeled this ?madness? into a very violent form of professional wrestling? not hardcore, but every bit as dangerous. It?s a safe bet that in the ring he is as punishing as any man in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Total Nonstop Action (TNA), or Ring of Honor (ROH).

Not only is the man intense, but he is a notorious workhorse on the Midwest independent wrestling scene. Since the beginning of 2009 Sterling has wrestled in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, and Oklahoma, encompassing promotions such as Lethal Wrestling Alliance (LWA), High Voltage Wrestling (HVW), NWA Dynamo Pro, Scott County Wrestling (now known as Pro Wrestling Next [PWN]), Central Empire Wrestling (CEW), All American Pro Wrestling (AAPW), 3XWrestling (3XW), Pro Wrestling Phoenix (PWP), NWA Showcase , Wrestling Past Present & Future (WPPF), Maximum Wrestling Alliance (MWA), Pro Wrestling Entertainment (PWE), Metro East Championship Wrestling (MECW), and IWA Mid South (IWAMS).

Sterling takes professional wrestling very seriously. He trains hard and he wrestles even harder. Many promoters know Sterling as a go to guy who doesn?t mind putting in the driving time to inflict some punishment on whoever his scheduled opponent happens to be. Win or lose, Sterling is always welcomed back to do it all over again.

Always outspoken ?TNT? Keny G of High Voltage Wrestling agrees. ?No doubt about it. Sterling is the real deal. He brings a hard-hitting, grounded style to any show he is a part of. Champions should worry when a guy like me brings a guy like Mark Sterling in for a show. It?s a sign that the champ?s days could be numbered,? he said.

One of Sterling?s rivals, 3XW President Skylar Pierce, begrudgingly relented when asked to comment on Sterling?s worth. ?He?s good? and he gives the fans somebody to hate, which is always nice,? Pierce confessed.

Wrestlers might not fear him, but they certainly respect him. I was witness last year at a World League Wrestling/Pro Wrestling NOAH Camp show in September to a Dustin Lane beating at the hands of Mark Sterling the likes of which hasn?t been seen in some time. It?s not something I will soon forget, so I can imagine Lane has it engraved in his mind, too.

More so than singles competition, Sterling seems to enjoy tag team battles. When asked why he is involved in so many tag team matches in so many promotions, Sterling replied, ?Why do you think? One-on-one I only have one guy to beat up, but in tag teams there are at least two morons that I can destroy. Now why don?t you type that up on your little Internet site.? Sterling is a member of the Gentlemen?s Club with Gage Octane and manager Todd Countryman, the 3XW tag team champions. He has wrestled with ?#1" Brett Young and Rebelucha in AAPW in efforts to defend AAPW tag team gold, but won those belts by defeating the Phoenix Twins with his long time tag team partner, Darrien Sanders, as the tag team Leaders of the New Revolution (LONRs). The LONRs were front runners for MWR?s 2008 Tag Team of the Year and 2008 Match of the Year (versus the Northstar Express for PWP ), having been the PWP and AAPW Tag Team Champions. Sanders has since retired and Sterling has been forced to look elsewhere for a reliable, week in and week out tag team partner. In addition to the previously mentioned tag team partners, Sterling has teamed with a handful of others within the past year. John Saxon and Eric Fantabulous are on the short list, although there have been more.

If you want to see more of Mark Sterling, you probably do not have to go far. He wrestles throughout the Midwest and is truly one of the best. Fortunately, Sterling has another way for you to see what he is capable of. The Best of Mark Sterling Volume 1: ?Descent Into Madness? is available on DVD and features some of his best work from the early years of his pro wrestling career. You can buy it online by going to Mark Sterling?s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/marksterling123 or by visiting SEP Video?s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/sepvideo. I will be doing a full review of this DVD in the future, but what I?ve watched so far has made it one of the best compilation DVDs a wrestler in the Midwest has put together!

Mark Sterling can be contacted via his previously mentioned MySpace page for booking information. In June he is returning to Denver, Colorado for a Fusion Pro Wrestling (FPW) event, and plans to invade the Southern U.S. later in the year. Sterling is booked completely through September 2009, and from october to the end of the year only has a few dates open. Book him now!

Sterling has a big match on the horizon that wrestling fans will not want to miss. May 23, 2009 in Ottawa, KS will be highlighted by a NWA Dynamo Pro professional wrestling event in which Sterling goes one on one with Ring of Honor Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lynn. Lynn has been around the world and back again, and on May 23, 2009 he will get a true test from Sterling, one of the most intense men in the Midwest! This intense man will also be a part of the Gauntlet for the Gold at 3XW?s ?May Flowers? of POWER? on May 15, 2009 in Des Moines, IA. If he wins that match, he will have a shot at the 3XW Heavyweight Championship!

Also on tap for Sterling in the upcoming weeks and months as of press time:

May 9, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Central Empire Wrestling @ Oskaloosa, IA
May 16, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Pro Wrestling Phoenix @ Council Bluffs, IA
May 30, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Lethal Wrestling Alliance @ House Springs, MO
June 5, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Pro Wrestling Next @ Davenport, IA
June 6, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Central Empire Wrestling @ TBA, Iowa
June 13, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Fusion Pro Wrestling @ Denver, CO
June 19, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Pro Wrestling Next @ Moline, IL
June 20 2009 (early) ? Pro Wrestling Entertainment in Springfield, IL
June 20, 2009 (later) ? Lethal Wrestling Alliance @ O?Fallon, IL
June 26, 2009 (7:00PM) ? 3X Wrestling @ Des Moines, IA
June 27, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Pro Wrestling Phoenix @ Council Bluffs, IA
July 4, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Central Empire Wrestling @ TBA, Iowa
July 10, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Pro Wrestling Next @ Davenport, IA
July 11, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Lethal Wrestling Alliance @ St. Charles, MO
July 17, 2009 (7:00PM) ? 3XW Wrestling @ Des Moines, IA
July 25, 2009 (7:00PM) ? Lethal Wrestling Alliance @ House Springs, MO
August 1, 2009 (5:00PM) ? All American Pro Wrestling @ Marion, IL

Don?t miss your chance to see the intense Mark Sterling in action!

Two more videos for your enjoyment:

Mark Sterling vs Mike Sydal (MECW)
Mark Sterling vs Jeremy Wyatt (PWE)