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Hardaway Doesn't Want To Wait In Line For OWA JH Title Shot

Posted: May 16th 2013 By: CMBurnham

When OWA promoter John Crow dipped his toe back in the wrestling scene of Oklahoma, he could not have expected to deal with an old adversary in the form of Dexter Hardaway.

For all appearances, Dexter was done wrestling in Oklahoma. His most recent appearances had been as a ring announcer and referee. But even though he no longer grappled in Oklahoma, he did still compete in surrounding areas, including Texas.

And that appears to be part of the problem, as he was busy competing in Texas when OWA held their Junior Heavyweight tournament. Therefore Dexter did not get to compete. But he firmly believes he should have been allowed to.

When Dexter made his OWA debut in April, he was very vocal to Crow about how he was overlooked and deserved a shot at the OWA Junior Heavyweight Title, which was won by Michael Wolf. Crow did not deny Hardaway's accolades, but said that no one could just walk in to OWA and demand a title shot. There was a line and Hardaway needed to prove himself to the championship committee. This made Hardaway irate as not only was he not getting a shot at Wolf, he wasn't even booked on the show. Crow took action to remedy one of those situations, saying that Maddox Jones was backstage and wanted to make a name for himself, so Hardaway would be his opponent. It wasn't what Hardaway wanted, but he knew he had to settle for it. And when the time for that match came, Hardaway took out his frustration on Jones from the opening bell. While Jones is certainly an up-and-coming star, he has only been in the business for about a year, while Hardaway has over 15 years experience. There was just no way that youth and enthusiasm was going to overcome experience and treachery this time and Hardaway put Jones away decisively. When the match was over, Hardaway took the microphone and declared that at the next OWA event, he would be facing Michael Wofl for the title.

While it's true that Hardaway was facing a champion last Saturday, it wasn't what he wanted. Again, Dexter interrupted the opening procedings, coming out again to confront John Crow. Dexter complained that once again, he was being denied the opportunity to face Michael Wolf. He didn't know what else he had to do to prove himself. Again, Crow reminded Hardaway that there was a line of contenders and Hardaway had to wait his turn. So again, Hardaway was denied what he wanted and instead faced ComPro Showtime Champion Steven Sterling. It was a strong contest of technical skills as both men are excellent mat technicians. And it seemed that Sterling did everything BUT win. He had Hardaway pinned for many 2-counts, but could never find that one move to 3. Ultimately, Hardaway put Sterling down with the Moneymaker, but it wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't Michael Wolf.

With OWA taking time off for the summer, Hardway will have time to build up even more frustration. But perhaps, with two solid victories under his belt, he will get his opportunity at the OWA Junior Heavyweight Title when shows resume in the Fall.