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The 2012 Oklafan Mid-Year Report

Posted: Jul 6th 2012 By: CMBurnham

2012 is almost halfway done and we at Oklafan.com are pleased to release The Mid-Year Report. In this report, we'll look at the top 20 wrestlers of 2011 (as listed in the Oklafan Top 50) and see where they stand today, what they've accomplished and where they might be going. With a little less than 6 months left before the end of the year, some performers might need that extra motivation to kick things into gear. So, without further adieu, let's get to it:

1. Double D: D has remained a mainstay of the IZW promotion and is certainly a top contender to the IZW Title. Last year he seemingly achieved that pinnacle only to have his victory over Jermaine Johnson overturned by Jeff Wolfenbarger. He concluded 2011 by capturing the IZW Impact Division Title, another title he would love to see around his waist. And he has also made inroads into BYEW, setting his eyes on the BYEW Entertainment Title held by Bobby Star. He's in pursuit of gold, but needs to capture some before the end of the year to be seriously considered for his #1 status once again
Current ranking: #4

2. Brandon Walker: Possibly the most accomplished wrestler of 2012. Walker began the year by cashing in his Anytime/Anywhere Contract to capture the ComPro Title from Tim Rockwell. He did so while reigning as ComPro Showtime Champion and UWE United States Champion, making him the first Triple Crown Champion since Shane Morbid accomplished that feat last year. Although he holds none of those belts now, he did recently defeat win the Sonner Stampede to claim the UWE Title for the second time. The only thing keeping Walker from that top spot is his sparse wrestling schedule. Both ComPro and UWE only run once a month and are fairly close to each other (Tahlequah & Tulsa). If Walker were to venture into at least one more federation and be as successful there as he has been in these two, that #1 spot might be his.
Current ranking: #2.

3. Se7en: "The NorCal Shooter" called it a career in May, teaming with Angel Williams and defeated Striker & Maddox Jones in his final match. But he made into the record books as the longest reigning champion of any kind documented in the state with his ComPro Oklahoma X Division Championship reign of 1 year, 9 months & 5 days. For that accomplishment alone, it's fitting that he be given a slot at this point, even though he will be unlikely to keep it at the end of the year.
Current ranking: #50

4. Tim Rockwell: The current ComPro Champion hasn't had the best year, despite holding that gold for the 2nd time. His ongoing issues with Brandon Walker and the Canadian Red Devil have crossed federation lines as Rockwell made his way into UWE. His actions cost Walker the UWE United States Title, which might be considered revenge for Walker costing Rockwell opportunities at the ComPro Title. He finally regained that belt in June, but looking at his win-loss record, 2012 just doesn't seem to be his year. Rockwell will need to put together some impressive victories and defend that belt with honour in order to get back into the top 10 by the end of the year.
Current ranking: #22

5. Max McGuirk: McGuirk's last match in Oklahoma was in November. He has competed only once since then on a card in Sherman, TX. He is currently coaching football and wrestling in Bartlesville.
Current ranking: unranked

6. Michael Barry: "Mr. Saturday Night" is gaining lots of exposure working for Traditional Championship Wrestling, based out of Arkansas and viewable in the extreme Northeast portions of Oklahoma. He has not made a regular return to Oklahoma to compete, though. Although he did appear on the MStW card that was held in February and was victorious there both in singles action and a Battle Royal. Perhaps Barry has moved on now to bigger and better things.
Current ranking: unranked

7. Canadian Red Devil: Still one of the most traveled wrestlers in the state, CRD continues to entertain fans in ComPro, BYEW (where he held the BYEW Caution Title earlier this year for a couple of months) and MSWA. He also had made a couple of ventures into UWE. And he won the Independent Wrestling International Title at the MStW show in Miami in February. He was also a regular for UWF06 in Ardmore before they stopped promoting shows. The Devil spent most of the first half of this year embroiled in a feud with Tim Rockwell and Brandon Walker in ComPro, which led to his appearances in UWE. He teamed with El Maximo to come very close to winning the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team titles, losing in the finals of the tournament to Nemesis. Everywhere he goes, the Devil inspires cheers. Perhaps this year will finally be the one where he gets to that coveted #1 spot.
Current ranking: #3

8. Fuel: The year started well for Fuel as he was the UWE Champion. But that title was wrangled out of him by UWE owner Princess Brittani. Although he has been unable to win that belt back, he did reform his tag team with Jon Cross, known as the Ring Intruders, in UWE and is presumably preparing for the upcoming tag team tournament in August. Although highly talented, Fuel seems once again to only be competing in one area. A shame, as his excursions last year into SRPW brought him a wider fanbase and more recognition in the state. Perhaps he should look into competing in another territory again.
Current ranking: #14

9. Aaron Neil: He's held the IZW Title more than anyone else in history. He's been a top competitor for years and has an amazing mind for the business. But the latest reign as champion may be the most embarassing yet, as the newly dubbed "Bronze Bull" is taking the coward's way out of things. His title defences have been against lower-tier competitors like The Midnite Rider and Soto Miyagi. He's joined Brandon Bishop's Impact, Inc. and is using them to hide behind when confronted by real contenders like Double D and Jermaine Johnson. And then there's the Bobby Starr/Venus situation, which was just too confusing to put into words. Based on talent alone, Aaron should always be a top 10 guy. But based on the way he USES that talent, I don't think Aaron will be in the Top 10 much longer.
Current ranking: #8

10. Jermaine Johnson: Johnson has once again embraced the fans, but in doing so, he lost the IZW Title that he once held over a year. He's right up there in trying to regain it, but hasn't been able to clench that deal. And perhaps part of the problem has been that he has been having to challenge for that title against his friend Double D. The old Jermaine Johnson would have ruthlessly kicked D aside and gone for the gold himself. This newer Johnson isn't as aggressive in that way. Again, the talent is certainly there, but it seems like that killer instinct has been lessened. We'll just have to see how the second half of the year works out.
Current ranking: #7

11. Jake O'Brien: The SRPW Champion has had a very successful year, defending that title against all comers. And just this past Saturday, he also added the SRPW Tag Team Titles to his resume, winning them with Kid Krazy. O'Brien's versatility has been notable in his title defences as he puts that belt up against all comers, no matter their style or attitude. He's made some inroads to SWCW and BYEW as well. We'll have to see how those pan out for him.
Current ranking: #11

12. Kevin Morgan: Interesting situation. Morgan retired from active competition in MSWA and was the IZW Champion a couple of years ago. Today, he's one-half of the Tag Team Champions and the commissioner of MSWA...as well as the top contender to that title. Morgan formed the impressive Big Business with Damon Windsor and once again rose to the top of the tag team division. But in singles competition, he just seems a little lost. His feud with Bryan Cruize didn't turn out well for him. And his attempts to wrest the MSWA Mid-South Title from Rage Logan hasn't been successful yet either. Morgan seems to be at his best when he's fighting the good fight in the ring, so being a crony of Brandon Bishop is a little odd to witness. Is it working out for him? I don't think we can draw that conclusion until after July 21st.
Current ranking: #17

13: Eric Rose: When MSWA shut down, Rose was the MSWA Oklahoma Champion. He has not been back since they reopened. He did compete in UWF06 regularly, where he was arguably the most popular competitor they had. And for the first 3 months of 2012, he was active in IZW. But all that has gone by the wayside and Rose hasn't been in competition since April.
Current ranking: unranked

14: Drake Gallows: Dual Champion, holding both the SWCW Hardcore & BYEW Caution Titles. Both these belts come with a 24/7 clause on them, so Gallows must be on the watch at all times. Has he made himself a niche as a "hardcore" wrestler? Hopefully not, as there's way more to Gallows than that. He defeated Kareem Sadat to win the first SWCW Crisstopher Crow Memorial Cup Tournament and continues to try and honour his brother's legacy while forging one of his own.
Current ranking: #12

15. Montego Seeka: Still 1/3 of the UWF06 Tag Team Titles, but that company hasn't run a show since April and will soon be put on the inactive list. He's competed a grand total of 3 times in Oklahoma this year, twice in UWF06 and one time in May where he lost to IZW Champion Aaron Neil.
Current ranking: unranked

16. Angel Williams: Like Se7en, Williams hung up his boots this May, winning a tag team match with the Norcal Shooter against Maddox Jones & Striker. That marked his only Oklahoma wrestling appearance this year.
Current ranking: unranked

17. Dustin Heritage: Like Michael Barry, Heritage has become a mainstay in TCW and is also quite active in MStW, putting him in Arkansas quite a bit. He did make one appearance in Oklahoma this year, losing the Independent Wrestling International Title to The Canadian Red Devil and losing a Battle Royal to Barry.
Current ranking: unranked

18. Kenny Campbell: Kenny has not competed in Oklahoma since November in 2011.
Current ranking: unranked

19. Kevin James Sanchez: Kevin started the year strong, but was diagnosed with a groin injury in March which caused him to miss approximately 3 months of action. Those first 3 months weren't exactly a picnic either as he lost the SWCW Tag Team Titles to The Franchise Players when his X-Rated tag team partner David Kyzer turned on him. He did, however, reveal himself to be the owner of SWCW and formed a strong partnership with Kareem Sadat, Maniac Mike and SWCW Commissioner Chris Kuhn, allowing him to keep a hand in the company even while on the medically-inactive list. Sanchez faces the biggest challenge of his career on July 14th when he puts that career on the line against SWCW All-American Champion John E. Stone in a Stairway To Hell Match where the ropes will be wrapped in barbed wire.
Current ranking: unranked

20. Damon Windsor. It's long been said that to be a great tag team wrestler, you have to be a great singles wrestler. Perhaps no one epitiomises that better than Damon Windsor. He currently holds both the IZW & MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles with two different partners. He's had a successful tag team title run with Rage Logan in the past. He also formed a strong partnership with John O'Malley for a time. Windsor showed in BYEW that he could be physically dominent over his opponents, driving them through the mat with his powerful chokeslam. And while he's more commonly known as "The Big Picture", one of the other nicknames for him is the "Mastermind of the Mat" as he has one of the craftiest brains in the business. This could be the breakout year for Windsor as he seems to be a step above everyone else today. And it will be hard to knock him down from his perch.
Current ranking: #1