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The 2014 Mid-Year Report

Posted: Jul 15th 2014 By: CMBurnham

2014 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 2013 (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 ado, let's get to it:

1. Double D. D climbed two mountains in the first half of 2014. He won the IZW Title for a 2nd time in the 10-man Impact Chamber match at "Coronation". He also captured the Oklahoma Title from Kevin Morgan after Morgan appeared to have driven him from MSWA. As IZW Champion, he defended the title on a weekly basis, not suffering any losses until Sudden Impact. But the reappearance of Johnny Z and Convict changed the rules completely. D was put out of wrestling for at least 6 months due to injuries sustained at the hands of Impact, Inc. He was also one of the talents not to renew their contract with MSWA and he did so while Oklahoma Champion. His current ranking is reflective of the first half of the year, but it appears his time atop the Oklahoma mountain is over.
Current ranking: 12

2. Damon Windsor: Time after time, Windsor has been presented with the opportunity to capture the IZW Title. And time after time, he has come up short. He did, however, use is experience in IZW to defeat Johnny Z for the MSWA Mid-South Title. But like Double D, Windsor chose not to renew his contract with MSWA and left while still champion. Windsor is now essentially an IZW-exclusive talent, although he did make an appearance at the SWCW Crow show and will be making his debut for WFC on July 20.
Current ranking: 10

3. Canadian Red Devil: It looks impressive on paper: ComPro Title, OWA Title, BPPW Junior Heavyweight Title. But by the end of the first half of 2014, all those were no longer in his possession. He made a brief return to MSWA, but after losing a couple of matches to Kenny, decided to take the summer off (and, while away from wrestling, become a United States Citizen). Hopefully the second half of 2014 will be better for him.
Current ranking: 17

4. Bobby Starr: His partnership with The Bronze Bull has paid dividends as they are now 3-time IZW Tag Team Champions. But at this point last year, Bobby was a major player in the singles field. Like D and Windsor, Bobby chose not to renew his contract with MSWA, taking himself out of the opportunity to regain the Oklahoma Title there. He has made no serious effort to come back to ComPro and regain the Showtime Title. It appears he will be staying in IZW for the future as well as making appearances for WFC.
Current ranking: unrated

5. Kevin Morgan: Morgan began 2014 as the most devoted follower of Johnny Z, so it was no surprise that when Impact, Inc. left MSWA, Morgan followed. And when Johnny Z disappeared from IZW after "Coronation", Moran devoted all his energy to trying to get Z to return. But Morgan should know that you need to be careful what you wish for, because you may get it. And Morgan did see the return of Johnny Z before being unceremoniously fired by Z at Sudden Impact. At this point, Morgan is not an official competitor in any federation in Oklahoma, although he has been making Z's life miserable at IZW.
Current ranking: 34

6. Johnny Z: He held the MSWA Mid-South Title for over a year, the second time he has done so. He held the IZW Title for almost one calendar year. But after losing both titles, Z went into a self-imposed exile. He never returned to MSWA, choosing not to renew his contract with the company. He did return to IZW, firing Kevin Morgan, brutally putting Double D out of the company and making commissioner Shawn McHale's life hell. I feel certain that he will not be happy with his current ranking (based on a total of 10 matches he has had this year, only one of which he was victorious in), but I suppose that if he does not like it, I don't care.
Current ranking: unrated.

7. Drake Gallows: Drake was all over the place in 2013 and the first half of 2014. He focused on making himself synonymous with the Impact Division in IZW. He became a strong contender for the Oklahoma Title in MSWA. And he even cashed in the Sure Shot Contract to become SWCW Champion. Like many others, he chose not to renew his contract with MSWA and appears to have severed ties with SWCW after the last Crow Show. So IZW is his home, at least for the time being.
Currrent ranking: 15

8. Jon Cross: The man voted by fans as the best wrestler in Oklahoma has continued to impress. But he has not accomplished a great deal. He lost the UWE Title to Tim Rockwell, thanks to the betrayal of The K. C. Wolves and now has to worry about his wife Brittany Foxx being put in peril by them. He also remains a member of The Caballero Cartel in WFC, but does not appear to be focused on the WFC Hometown Heroes Title held by Striker. As mentioned before, Cross is someone who appears content in his comfort zone. But if he would ever break out of it, he could accomplish so much.
Current ranking: 16

9. Robert Lee: Lee used every tactic he could to hold on to that WFC Hometown Heroes Title, but eventually the odds catch up with everyone and he found himself on the losing side to Striker. He also suffered some big losses in UWE, including one to Fuel. Even a debut in BPPW brought him a loss to BPPW Champion Brandon Groom. In general, it has been a down year for Mr. Nasty, who has only competed in 9 matches and only won 3 of those.
Current ranking: unrated

10. Tim Rockwell: Rockwell became the first person to hold the UWE United States and UWE Heavyweight Title simultaneously and now sits perched atop the UWE mountain. He also maintains is strong presence at WFC, where he has only suffered on loss this year, thanks to some shenanigans by Stevie Caballero. Once upon a time, Rockwell was the #1 wrestler in the state. At the rate he is going, he may have a shot at becoming that again.
Current ranking: 8

11. Jake O'Brien: Currently the ComPro and OWA Champions, O'Brien as developed a strong rivalry with The Canadian Red Devil. In the past month, he also made his debut with IZW. It appeared that he and Michael Kensington McIntryre III, esq. were on the way to becoming top contenders to the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles, but O'Brien is yet another talent who has chosen not to renew their contract with MSWA. Closing himself off to opportunities to compete will not help in the overall ranking for him.
Current ranking: 23

12. Shawn Sanders: As has been the case for quite a while, Shawn and his brother Scott have been major players in the tag team scene for MSWA and SWCW. But this year also brought them to BPPW. An association with Bobby Starr in MSWA converted them from being The Syndicate to The Gods, but they are now back to their old ways and under the leadership of The Roc-N-Roll Cowboy. Tag Team gold is always on the mind of Shawn Sanders, but could this be the year that he picks up some singles gold in Oklahoma?
Current ranking: 47

13. The Bronze Bull: As mentioned earlier with Bobby Starr, Team Bull is in control of the tag team division of IZW. And that appears to be where The Bronze Bull is comfortable. Rumour has it that he may be in negotiations to appear in WFC, but aside from that, IZW is is home and his alliance with Impact, Inc. is where he is happy at the moment:
Current ranking: 49

14. Scott Sanders: The bigger Sanders twin appeared to have been the victim of some brotherly jealousy earlier in the year when he was attacked by Shawn. Fans who had long wondered who the better Sanders twin was seemed on the verge of being able to find out, only to discover it was all a ruse and The Gods were formed. Tag Team gold is still the most important thing to the Sanders twins, but maybe this is the year that Scott becomes a break-out singles star.
Current ranking: 7

15. Michael Wolf/Michael Kensington McIntyre III, esq.: Probably the preeminent Junior Heavyweight to come out of the Northeast Oklahoma area in recent months, Wolf was atop that division in both ComPro and OWA. He has also made a recent venture into MSWA and formed the American Aristocrats, first with Jake O'Brien and then with Kenneth K. Kenneth. Wolf brings a great amount of knowledge for such a short time in the business, but there is still quite a bit that he can learn. And traveling will certainly help in that area. His inability to recapture the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title may be indicative of Wolf becoming complacent in his skills.
Current ranking: unrated

16. Striker. No one has a better comeback story than Striker. And capturing the WFC Hometown Heroes title was the perfect cherry on top of that cake. Now Striker proudly presents himself as the face of WFC. He also formed a devastating duo with O'Malley in IZW, but they could never quite become contenders to the IZW Tag Team Titles, instead being diverted into a feud with Damon Windsor and Copycat. By his own admission, Striker's career is winding down, but he seems determined to go out on top.
Current ranking: 14

17. Jonah Turk/C. M. Chunk: Turk left Oklahoma wrestling after being betrayed by Jake O'Brien in their match against ComPro Tag Team Champions The Brotherhood of Mayhem. He has not competed here since.
Current ranking: unrated

18. Anarchy 2nd: The older brother of Fuel was embroiled in a family feud in WFC for most of the beginning of the year, determined to prove who the better brother was. It was a feud that Anarchy was victorious in. In UWE, Anarchy continued his alliance with Zakk Sinizter and is now engaged in a battle with American Made. Anarchy was the very first UWE Champion and could certainly be considered a top contender for that title at any time.
Current ranking: 38

19. Cody Burns: He held the SRPW United States Title for exactly one year before losing it to Matt Majestic. He captured the SRPW Title from Sam Stackhouse just a few weeks later. But for someone who has accomplished that much in SRPW, he does not appear to be doing too much else in the state. He made a couple of spotty appearances in UWE and WFC, but appears to be happy to be a big fish in a small pond. That is all fine and well, assuming you can remain that big fish. Travel and other experiences can only improve younger competitors and Cody could benefit from that.
Current ranking: unrated

20. Sam Stackhouse: The only 3-time SRPW Champion in the history of the company. A 400-pound competitor who can pull off moves many luchadores can only aspire to. A dual champion in the first half of 2014, holding the SRPW Title and the ComPro Showtime Title. Sam has really improved over the past year and at this point, there is no better competitor in the state than this individual. It will astonish many, but Sam could easily step in the ring with anyone and have a competitive match with them. Congratulations, Sam. I know you have told me you wanted #2, but I just cant give that to you at this point.
Current ranking: 1