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Caballero Vaults Straight to the Tippy-Top of BPW

Posted: Aug 6th 2020 By: C.M. Burnham

For almost 15 years, Stevie Caballero has been a managerial presence around Oklahoma. From Sapulpa to Tulsa to Tahlequah to Oklahoma City, if there was a place for him to find someone to guide to championship gold, Caballero was there. Talented veterans like Texas, Inc. to (then) newcomers like Brawler Morrison or Goldeneye, Caballero has had a hand in guiding them all. But as the years went on and the talents become more aware of the shadiness of Caballero’s financial handlings, it became more and more difficult for him to find clients. And the ability for him for him to enter a place and take people unaware, as he likes to do, became slimmer and slimmer.

But not completely zero. As witnessed by his recent intrusion into BPW.

Caballero arrived two weeks before “Sparta”, addressing the fans and making vague generalized indications. He was there to find talent. He had his eyes on someone. Some names were batted around: Ethan Cole. Spyder. People he had had an affiliation with before. But it all seemed uncertain and when he left, fans were mostly just as puzzled as they had been when he arrived. This was what Caballero counted on. Let them wonder. Let the pieces fall into place slowly.

Two weeks later, at Sparta, the show opened with BPW Oklahoma Champion Alex Royal defending against Derek James. Royal was a client of Caballero’s in WFC and many thought this was the plan. Caballero would serve as Royal’s insurance policy to retain that title. But Caballero did not make himself known and James would go on to regain the Oklahoma Title from Royal. After that, Royal made a surprise attack on James, but was quickly sent packing by BPW Lion Heart and WFC Tag Team Champion Tommy Dean. Dean had established a friendly rivalry with James and a level of respect had arisen between the two. Dean made it clear that he planned to handle Cole later on in the main event and James appeared happy to accept the assistance.

As had happened two weeks before, Caballero came out and addressed the crowd after intermission. This time, his words were more vile, his intent more direct. But still, no names named. No clear intentions revealed. Everyone was put on notice, though, that Caballero had a plan and the plan would come to fruition soon. No one realized just how soon that was going to be, though.

Main event time. Tommy Dean defends the Lion Heart Title against Ethan Cole in a # Stages of Hell Match. Cole beat Dean in the first fall, a traditional wrestling match. Dean came back to even things up in a submission match. This led to the 3rd and deciding fall: No DQ/Falls Count Anywhere. And the weapons came out. And the combatants went all over the arena. Battling back into the seating. Fighting out in the entrance way. Even exiting the arena at one point. The action was absolutely brutal as both men put their bodies on the line for this championship.

And then, the key moment. Tommy Dean laid Ethan Cole out on a table and prepared to climb on to the top turnbuckle. What was his plan? An elbow drop? A diving splash? We will never know because Stevie Caballero chose that moment to make his presence known again. And it seemed very obvious. Caballero was coming out because Ethan Cole, a former client of his, was once again under his influence. Caballero had secretly arranged a deal and chosen to keep himself hidden until such time as it was necessary to reveal and seeing Cole in the precarious position he was in, now was the time.

But that was not actually the plan. Not that anyone knew that. Dean locked eyes with Caballero and Derek James, who had been sitting at his merchandise table, jumped up and scrambled over to Dean, to return the favour of defense that came earlier that night. Side by side, the two champions faced down Caballero...

...until James blindsided Dean with the Oklahoma title belt!!

The crowd was stunned and immediately a hush fell over the fans, followed slowly by questions of why. Why did James do it? Why turn his back on them? Those questions would have to wait to be answered as Cole, recovered from earlier, jumped up in the ring, hoisted the stunned Dean across his shoulders and drove him from the ring apron through the table. 3 seconds later, Cole was awarded the Lion Heart Title.

At that point, Brandon Groom jumped into the ring and demanded that Derek James do some explaining. Groom had trained James. James had gone to high school with Groom’s daughter. He obviously considered James to be special, perhaps something like the son he never had. But James made it clear that everything the fans thought they knew about him was wrong. He didn’t have to pretend to like them anymore. He had his title. He had Caballero. And that was all that mattered to him. Groom was not willing to let that be the last word, as, after receiving a slap to the face from James, he turned and delivered a massive bicycle kick to the champion, propelling him outside. And Groom has suggested that while he may not be currently licensed to compete in Oklahoma, that situation could change sooner rather than later, especially if he can arrange an opportunity to step into the ring with James.

But if Groom is going to do that, he needs to be very careful and remember that Stevie Caballero is there. Groom and Caballero have not crossed paths very often. But Caballero knows Groom. He knows Groom’s history. He knows Groom’s strengths. And he knows how to get inside the mind of anyone his clients are facing. Caballero always makes it his goal to go to (in his words) the “Tippy-tippy-top” of any federation he is in. By bringing the Oklahoma Champion under his wing, Caballero has propelled himself straight to that goal. And he has no intention of being knocked off if for a long long time.