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Maximum News & Notes: Heavyweight Title changes hands

Posted: Jul 18th 2009 By: mikeiles

Hello MWA fans, this is "The Voice of MWA" Mike Iles and I have been asked by the MWA Board of Directors to write a column about all the happenings in and around the MWA. While my "colleague" C. M. Burnham seems to his slant on things, hopefully I will be able to balance things out and tell you how it truly happened. Maybe he is biased. Maybe it is the Coke bottle glasses he wears. Maybe the mullet gets in his eyes. But enough about him, here we go...

In this column, I will be discussing the July 10th show in Spavinaw. I apologize that I was not in attendance in Pryor on July 11th as I had a prior commitment.

Match #1: Handsome Jack Legacy (w/ Darling Dustin Heritage) vs. The Canadian Red Devil

This has been a feud in MWA that although not garnering a lot of publicity, has been heated none the less. Legacy came to the ring with a title belt around his waist that I was unfamiliar with. I found out from my broadcast partner Ray Martinez it was the Coastal Commonwealth National Wrestling Heritage Title. I guess The Handsome One wanted to show off some singles gold. The match was hotly contested as both wrestlers know each other so well. But after a low blow and feet on the ropes, Legacy put the Devil away.

Winner: Handsome Jack Legacy

After the match, I got the "privilege" to interview both Jet Setters. Handsome Jack called out MWA's Director of Operations, whom he referred to as "Raymon I like to keep all good talent Down-ey". He and Darling Dustin ranted and raved how they are the top tag team in the region and yet they are constantly put into singles matches. After Downey reminded them that they lost the Southern Tag Team Titles last month to The Old School Express in Harrison, Arkansas, he did give them a tag team match against El Matadors the next night in Pryor and if they win they would receive a Tag Team Title Match in the future.

Match #2: "The Immaculate" Lars Manderson vs. "The Broken Arrow Bad Boy" Justin Lee

This is yet another feud that doesn't get much press. Manderson and Lee had faced each other two times prior to this match and both times the veteran Lee has picked up victories despite Manderson having the size advantage. This time around, Manderson did not fall victim to some of the same moves he had in the past. The action spilled to the floor and the match ended in a Double Countout.

Winner: Draw - Double Countout

Match #3: "The Eliminator" Jim Fallon vs. Darling Dustin Heritage (w/ Handsome Jack Legacy)

This match was a very good match from the beginning. Both Fallon and Heritage are similar in size. They are also familiar with each other as their paths have crossed a few times in MWA's affiliate fed Mid-States Wrestling in Harrison, Arkansas. They wrestled each other in singles matches in the past as well as team together to face the El Matadors. So this should have been a evenly matched bout. But with Handsome Jack at ringside, Fallon was facing an uphill battle. Fallon picked up the win, but basically lost the war as both Jet Setters hit Fallon with their patented Nose Dive which is Handsome Jack sets up the opponent with a wheelbarrow while Darling Dustin drops the foe with a Code Breaker. You may not agree with their tactics, but The Jet Setters are a team to be reckoned with.

Winner: "The Eliminator" Jim Fallon

Match #3: MWA Tag Team Champions Texas, Inc. ("The Texas Veteran" Bernard Funk & "Terrific" Tim Rockwell) & El Famoso (w/ Big Stevie Caballero) vs. "Mr. Endurance" Sugar Shane Morbid & Southern Tag Team Champions The Old School Express ("The Space Cowboy" Jason Jones & "Big Country" Jake Boulder)

This is one of the matches that the fans were clamoring for. The Old School Express have been chasing Texas Inc. for months trying to win the tag team titles, but they had been outsmarted or outnumbered every time. Shane Morbid had taken up the cause of being a patriot, trying to fend off the attacks from Big Stevie Caballero's Foreign Legion. First it was El Famoso, then it was Boris Saarikoski, who actually buried Morbid under a Russian flag two months back. Last month, Morbid came to the rescue of OSE and sprayed red mist into the eyes of Saarikoski. Caballero announced a week before the Spavinaw show that Saarikoski was back in "mother Russia" seeing a top Kremlin opthalmologist due to an eye infection cause by Morbid's red mist. Believe him if you want, but DOO Raymon Downey suspended Saarikoski for July's shows. When I tried to ask Caballero about the story discrepancy, I got no response. The match was hard hitting and all 6 men were out for blood. Texas Inc. and OSE could have been excused had they "phoned it in" because 24 hours later they would been facing each other in a Steel Cage. But neither team had anything on their mind other than this match. The bad blood between Morbid and Famoso was no different either. All 6 men brawled all over the ring and into the floor. But the fan favorites won the match. After the match was over, OSE danced with the tag straps.

Winners: "Mr. Endurance" Sugar Shane Morbid & The Old School Express

Match #4: MWA Max-Division Champion El Super Colibri vs. Damien Morte

In June we got to see 5 wrestlers fight each other from post to post and pillar to pillar in a Ladder Match to become the first ever MWA Max Division Champion. We saw moved we have never seen before and the action was non-stop as Ray Martinez and I could barely catch our breath as the match continued. This month we saw our new champion El Super Colibri defend the title against one of the other participants Damien Morte. Although Colibri won the Ladder Match in June, Morte put his body on the line on several occassions and to be honest, I was surprised he was able to walk after the match. But this time it would be a straight wrestling match with no chairs and such. Or would it? Morte was out to prove that Colibri was a fluke and wanted to take home the gold. Both men flew above the ring and crashed hard. But Colibri remained champion.

Winner and still MWA Max-Division Champion: El Super Colibri

MWA Heavyweight Champion Blake Albright vs. "Mr. Saturday Night" Michael Barry (w/ "The Immaculate" Lars Manderson)

Michael Barry had been the #1 contender to the MWA Heavyweight Title for quite some time. He has had his chances. Blake Albright defeated him on February 6th, March 6th by DQ, and May 1st. In June it was supposed to be the last title match Barry would receive, but Albright injured his ankle. Barry complained that Albright was ducking him and took out his aggression on Jim Fallon. I won't pull any punches here. I have known Michael Barry for going on 5 years now. You may be able to outsmart a couple of times, but given enough time to prepare, he is almost unstoppable. Barry came to the ring with his...ahem..."assistant" Lars Manderson and wearing a black glove similar to the one Ted DiBiase wore in his pre-Million Dollar Man days. Albright had the fans on his side but with Manderson there he would basically be wrestling a handicap match...until the referee banned Manderson from ringside. Now with the numbers even, it would man against man. As I mentioned Barry and Albright have wrestled each other 3 times for the title, plus they faced each other in the MWA Heavyweight Title Tournament back in September 2008, with Albright winning that match as well. So they know each other extensively. They were able to counter each other's big moves. At one point, Barry had Albright up for a suplex. As Barry held Albright up to get all the blood to rush to his head, Albright began using knee strikes to Barry's head to get his to release the suplex, something Ray Martinez and I had never seen. The match was neck and neck until a mysterious masked man appeared on the ramp distracting Albright. Barry pulled a pair of brass knuckles out of tights and nailed Albright. Barry threw the knucks to the floor, picked up the win, and became the new Heavyweight Champion.

Winner and NEW Heavyweight Champion: "Mr. Saturday Night" Michael Barry

I spoke with DOO Raymon Downey after the show and he said that the video of the match will be reviewed and a ruling regarding the title match in Spavinaw will be announced at our August 7th show. I also have information regarding the title match, but I am not revealing my poker hand just yet.

As I mentioned, I was unable to attend the Pryor show the next night. I do know that The Jet Setters did defeat El Matadors to earn a title shot. I know that Michael Barry successfully defended the Heavyweight Title against Blake Albright. And Texas Inc. successfully defended the Tag Team Titles against The Old School Express in a Steel Cage and according to a pre-match stipulation, OSE will not receive a Tag team Title Match for 90 days.

Our next show in August 7th in Spavinaw. That's 2 days before my birthday so everyone make a sign to wish me a happy birthday. LOL

See you at ringside!!!

Tags: MWA, Mike Iles, CM Burnham, Jack Legacy, Dustin Heritage, Canadian Red Devil, Ray Martinez, Jet Setters, Raymon Downey, Old School Express, El Matadors, Lars manderson, Justin Lee, Jim Fallon, Texas, Inc., El Famoso, Stevie Caballero, Shane Morbid, Jason