3XW Des Moines, IA 1/27/2012

This past Friday night 3XW held their “Divide & Conquer” card at All Play – Baratta’s Forte Ballroom in downtown Des Moines. It’s been a year since I last made my way down highway 35 to 3XW. I really like the new set up that they have at this place. Next to the entrance ramp there is a ‘jumbo-tron’ where entrance videos and promos are shown.
The opening match was a rematch from the finals of  the 2011 King of Des Moines which took place back in August 2011. The King of Des Moines Ryan Slade pinned Zach Thompson.
Gage Octane & Casanova with Todd Countryman defeated Barry Ryte & Ray Stryker. The rookies Ryte & Stryker were no match for the members of Genesis. At least I think Ryte & Stryker are rookies because I’ve never seen them before.
Miss Natural pinned Stacy O’Brian. This was the first match for these two at 3XW. Last time I saw Miss Natural was back in 2004 at First Ave when she team with Angel Williams (aka Angelina Love) to take on O.D.B. & Josie.
Ricky Kwong with Chad Mylan pinned Sir Bradley Charles. SBC was distracted when some anarchist appeared on the ‘jumbotron’ and Kwong rolled him up for the three count.
3XW Heavy weight champion Mark Sterling defeated Maddog McDowell with Skylar Pierce to retain the title. After the match Sterling put the boots to McDowell. Jon West came out to save his American Bulldog tag partner but ended up getting beat up by Sterling.
3XW tag team champions “The Professional” Benjamin Sailer & “Everyones Favorite” Nate Bash (American Ground & Air) VS “Rock N Roll” Mike Sydal & “The Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell went to a time limit draw. Rockwell had Sailer in a Boston crab when the 15 minute time limit expired. This was a non title match.
Jaysin Strife pinned “The American Fury” Jon West with Skylar Pierce. West was holding his sore neck from when he got beat up by Sterling earlier.
“Torturous” Tony Sly defeated “Delicious” Devin Carter with Todd Countryman.
The main event was an NWA World heavy weight championship match between champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pierce and challenger “The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt. The fans in Des Moines thought they saw the NWA title change hands on this night. The first ref was knocked out of the ring. Wyatt make Pierce tap out but no ref was in the ring. Mark Sterling came out to help Pierce but Wyatt tossed him out. A new ref came out and Wyatt got the pin on Pierce. But no, the first ref got up and and said that he saw Sterling hit Pierce with a spear so Wyatt was DQed. So the title was given back to Pierce.

SDW Lakeville, MN 5/1/2010

This past Saturday night at the Lakeville South high school Steel Domain Wrestling returned to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for the first time in over 5 years. Promoter Ed Hellier put on this "One Night Only" event for the Lakeville, MN high schools to raise funds for the grade 9 sports.
The first match of the night was a tag team match between coaches from Lakeville North and Lakeville South. The team from Lakeville North won the match and a trophy.

After the tag team match Mick Karch and Ed Hellier did a TV taping opening. Karch then introduced George Schire who then introduced The High Flyers, Greg Gagne & "Jumping" Jim Brunzell. As Gagne and Brunzell were reliving their past as AWA tag team champions they were interrupted by Mitch Paradise & Adrian Lynch.

In the official first match of the night Brain Ash defeated Gage Octane. The last time I saw these two wrestle was October 2007 in a looser leaves 3XW match. Ash lost that match and left the ring for over 2 years.

Mitch Paradise & Adrian Lynch defeated Horace the Psychopath & Red Lighting. Ann Brookstone was the referee for this match.

After the match Lynch got on the mic and called out Greg Gagne. Lynch said Greg was old and a coward. Gagne came to the ring showing now fear and he was attacked by Paradise while Lynch distracted him. Gagne got the upper hand by giving Lynch a back body drop and a drop kick to Paradise's face. Growing up I was a big fan of the High Flyers and really liked their drop kicks. It was quit a thrill to be at ring side photographing a Gagne drop kick. If you've ever seen the movie The Wrestler staring Vern Gagne you know that no one gets up after a Gagne drop kick.

Two former ROH champions faced each other in the next match. Jerry Lynn got the 3 count on Austin Aries after a cradle piledriver.

Former SDW wrestler Primetime defeated "The Law" Mark Barker in his first SDW match.

Two more wrestlers making their SDW debuts competed in the next match. Chadwick Wentworth the 3rd defeated Cpl. Julio Julio.

In the semi main event WWE's Bam Neeley (Magnus Maximus in SDW) took on current NWA heavy weight champion "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce for the vacated SDW championship. Neeley got Pearce to put the NWA belt on the line for this match. During the match Neeley tossed Pearce over the top rope and according to NWA rules that is a DQ so the NWA title stayed with Pearce.

Bam Neeley got the 3 count on Adam Pearce after this move pictured above.

Senior SDW referee Jay Soltis raising new SDW champion Bam Neeley's hand after the match.

The main event for the night was a lumber jack/hair cut match. Representing Lakeville North was "Playboy" Pete Huge with Austin Aries leading the North football players/lumber jacks out side the ring. Lakeville South was represented by Brody Hoofer in the ring and Jerry Lynn on the outside. The coach of the loosing side would have to have his head shaved after the match. Hoofer got the win for Lakeville South but in heel fashion the coach from Lakeville North made one of his football players get his hair cut instead.

3XW Adel, IA 10/27/2007

3XW held Halloween Horror II on Saturday October 27th, 2007 in Adel, Iowa at the Dallas county fair grounds community center.
Ryan Slade & the Welfare Check Connection defeated Jimmy Rockwell, Ricky Kwong & Brady A. Dezire. I was surprised to see the cow pants that Dezire wears in the locker room as it's been about 3 years since I've seen him up in Minnesota with MPW.

3XW cruiser weight champion Casanova beat Shane Hollister to retain the belt.

3XW Pure Wrestling champion Maddog McDowell defeated Krotch to retain the title.
Bryce Benjamin beat Dan Lawrence to win the new 3XW Alternative title in a hard core match. Benjamin didn't actually wrestle in this match as he had an injured shoulder. Ryan Slade, Aaron Masterson and Zach Thompson did all the wrestling for Bryce and that was ok as this this was a hard core match and there are no DQ's in a hard core match.

The Northstar Express retained the 3XW tag team title in a ladder match against Nate Bash & Benjamin Sailer.
Jaysin Strife beat Stephen Saint.

3XW heavy weight champion Devin Carter defended his belt twice in one night as he first defeated Knight Wagner then Mark Sterling.

Gage Octane beat Brain Ash in a looser leaves 3XW match.

AWA RUSH Mankato, MN 10/12/2007

AWA RUSH held their one year anniversary card this last Friday but unfortunatly it was their last card as well. RUSH owner/promoter Mike "Gator Magraw" Kinney retired from wrestling this summer and he now decided to retire from wrestling all together and close his promotion. Although during some of the times he got on the mic he did make it sound like RUSH might return next year.

Arya Daivari pinned Casanova after a magic carpet ride.

Cory O'Neill pinned Gage Octane after a standing spanish fly.

Arik Cannon pinned Brody Hoofer after the glimmering warlock.

Devin Carter pinned Aaron Corbin with help from the ropes to retain the AWA RUSH YouTube title.

Professionaly Dangerous (Jaysin Strife & Benjamin Sailer) beat the Junk Squad (Peter Huge & Kleck Michaels) to win the AWA RUSH tag team titles.
AWA light heavy weight champion "Krazy K" Kirby Mack retained his title against Matty Star as they were both counted out of the ring. Every promotion that is a member of the AWA must have an AWA title defense in their promotion at least once a year. Because of that RUSH brought in Mack to defend his title against the winner of the Grapple Cup tournament that was held last month. Promoter Gator Magarw announced that this was the first time an AWA title was defended in Minnesota since 1991 when the old AWA shut down.
The Black Stallion retained his AWA RUSH heavyweight championship against Shimdog.

3XW Waukee, IA 1/27/2007

From the Waukee, Iowa middle school 3XW presented 'A New Beginning'. Two of the matches on this card were part of the tournament to crown the new 3XW heavyweight champion.

Hunter Matthews won a 6 man scramble that also involved Jeremy Wyatt, Kraig Keesaman, Shane Hollister, Tyler Cook and Aaron Masterson.
3XW WO-mens champion Bryce Benjamin beat Krotch in a non title match. Benjamin then went on to lose to Allison Wunderland in a non title match.
Danny Daniels pinned Trik Davis in a 3 way dance that also included Arik Cannon. This was Triks debut in 3XW.
Devin Carter beat Gage Octane to advance to the finals for the 3XW heavyweight title.
The Northstar Express beat Benjamin Sailer & Nate Bash to become the 3XW tag team champions.
Dan Lawrence, Jimmy Rockwell & Ricky Kwong beat Casanova, Ryan Slade & Zach Thompson. After the match Slade & Thompson beat down Casanova until Devin Carter made the save.
Brian Ash beat Tony Scarpone to advance in the tourney for the heavyweight title.

3XW Waukee, IA 12/2/2006

From the Waukee middle school in Waukee, Iowa 3XW presented Holiday Havoc. The event was off to a late start as the truck hauling the ring broke down so the ring crew had to rush to get the ring up. 4 of the matches on this card were first round matches in an 8 man tourney to crown a new 3XW heavy weight champion as the former champion Egotistical Fantastico is on his way to the WWE's Deep South promotion.
The 3XW ring crew putting the ring together.
Hunter Matthews beat Zack Thompson. This was Matthews debut match.
In the first tournament match of the night Devin Carter beat Tyler Cook. This was my first time seeing Cook and he kind of reminded me of Larry Sweeney but less flamboyant.
Krotch (yep his name is Krotch) pinned Bryce Benjamin with a small package. Krotch is another wrestler on the card tonight that I had not seen before but he looked pretty familiar as he reminded me of MN wrestler Kid Krazy.
Machine beat Tristan Hayze. Here were two more wrestlers I had not seen or heard of before.
In the second tournament match of the night Gage Octane beat tag team champion Nate Bash. He did have a little help from his fellow Blue Chippers Brain Ash and Austin Bayless.
3XW womans champion Ann Brookstone beat Allison Wunderland. This was my first time seeing Wunderland in the ring.
Ann Brookstone complained that the very Green Wunderland was not enough competition so out came Bryce Benjamin to challenge Brookstone for her belt. Benjamin renamed the tittle the Wo Man championship as in Whoa Man.
In the third tournament match of the night former 3XW heavyweight champion Brain Ash defeated 3XW cruiser weight champion/3XW tag team champion Benjamin Sailer.
Team Northstar Express (Ryan Cruz, Darin Corbin, Casanova & Ryan Slade) beat Team Future (Dan Lawrence, Arya Daivari, Aaron Masterson & Ricky Kwong) in a survivor tag match. Three more wrestlers I photographed for the first time.
In the final match of the first round to crown the new 3XW heavyweight champion Tony Scarpone beat Jeremy Wyatt.