#FBF PWA 5/22/2004

Promotion: Pro Wrestling America
Time/Date: 6pm Saturday May 22, 2004
City, State: New Prague (I think), MN
Venue: Middle of Main street.

Sheriff Johnny Emerald & V2 (Ryan Cruz) defeated Aaron Corbin & Darin Corbin.


Big Daddy Hoofer VS DOS.

Mason Quinn VS Matt Burns. I don't know how this match ended but it involved Mitch Paradise and JB Trask. That set up the main event tag team match.

Rain pinned Lacey.

"Playboy" Pete Huge defeated Black Stallion. "Slim Shady" Rob Page was the referee.

Mitch Paradise & Matt Burns defeated JB Trask & Mason Quinn.

#FBF MPW Maple Grove, MN 1/17/2004

Promotion: Midwest Pro Wrestling
Time/Date: Saturday 7:300pm January 17, 2004
City, State: Maple Grove, MN
Venue: MPW training camp

With these flashbacks I can't always tell you who won the match as I was not taking notes at the time. I try to take a photo of the ref raising the hand of the winning wrestler but that doesn't always happen.  That's one reason why I really like to do this blog as it's a record of all the matches that I've photographed. There used to be message boards where fans would post results/reviews of the matches. Too bad those message boards are no longer around. Message boards are a thing of the past.

This event was one of MPW's big Saturday shows. They had events every Sunday but once a month they had a bigger Sunday event. This one was a big deal as they brought in AJ Style and Christopher Daniels. Both of those guys were at an event in Wisconsin the night before.

MPW cruiser weight champ Kid Krazy defeated Casanova, El Viejo and Kaos (Cody O'Neill) in a 4 man elimination match to retain the title.

The Schoolboy VS Sheriff Johnny Emerald.

Cowboy Gator Magraw VS Aaron Corbin.

"The Fallen Angle" Christopher Daniels pinned Arik Cannon.

AJ Styles pinned Shifty. I think that Shifty only wrestled in one more match after this one. Styles came back to MPW to win the Universal championship.

While going through these photos I saw this one of a fan holding up a sign. That fan can now be seen wrestling on NXT on the WWE network. Oh yeah, there is a young fat Venom in that photo as well.

Costumes from Halloween past

Today is Halloween so I decieded to look back into my archives for some photos from MIW and MPW where the wrestlers dressed up for the holiday.

First up is an MIW card that took place in Big Lake, MN on Halloween night 2003. Josie, MIW womans champ at the time, came to the ring dressed as a girl scout.

The main event for the MIW Halloween card was a battle royal. Ken Anderson wore some kind of mask, Undertaker maybe. Johnny Parks was dressed as an '80's rocker.

On November 2, 2003 MPW held it's annual Halloween show at their weekly Sunday event in Rogers, MN. These weekly shows were held at the MPW arena/training center. One of the funnist costomes that year was worn by The Punisher (Rob James). He was a fat stripper and his opponent here is El Viejo as Pretty Boooy Delgado. Or is it Pretty Boooy Delgado as El Viejo?
CJ Talon looked very good as Mick Foley for his match against Joessiah. Talon even used Mr Socko on ref Brian Wallenberg after the match.Lucha Libra is know for high flying, fast paced action, but it's also know for some crazy costumes. At the first ever lucha libra show I atteneded back on April 11, 2004 Frankenstein was envoled in a 6 man match.
The 2004 MPW Halloween show took place on Halloween night at the MPW arena in Rogers, MN. For most of the matches the wrestlers switched ring gear with their opponents. In the photo here V2(Ryan Cruz) & Lisa came to the ring dressed as Animal Sam and Valkrie. During the match both V2 and Sam went under the ring and switched into their regular ring gear.
Chris Jordan, Joey Envy and Pete Huge did and in ring promo dressed as Triple H, X-Pac and HBK. Jordan didn't have a fanny pack so he borrowed mine.

Darin Corbin and Sheriff Johnny Emerald did the gear switch and Emerald even went so far as to color his hair red.
Ref Rob Page got into the fun as he dressed like his favorite wrestler "Playboy" Pete Huge.
This photo didn't take place around Halloween but I just had to enclude it. Any guess's as to who this is and who they are dressed up as? You can guess by clicking on "comments" below.

8 Stupid Questions with Arik Cannon

Name: Arik Cannon

height: 5'8"

Weight: 215 lbs

Years pro: 9+

Home town: Wyoming, MN

1. Why did you want to become a pro wrestler? When I was just a little Arik Cannon, wrestling took priority over Saturday morning cartoons. I watched it as much as I could, rented all the VHS tapes from the local video store whenever Mama Cannon would let me. This was a trend that continued, and just never quit. As I grew older, I continued to collect wrestling videos from all over the world. It was just something I always wanted to do.The Characters, the physicality, the good vs. evil, all of it...I just couldn't get enough of it. (Cannon vs Skayde 9/20/03 MPW)

2. You were on a short lived MTV promotion Wrestling Society X. I thought the show would have lasted for more then one season if MTV would have promoted it by putting some of the wrestlers on other MTV shows. Which show would you pick to be on had you been given the choice? Room Raiders, Pimp My Ride or Next? I agree. There was little to no promotion done by MTV, and I definitely think that played a big part in WSX only lasting one season.That, and 'The Hills'. I blame 'The Hills'. Have you seen the chicks on that show? That said, had you listed 'The Hills' as I'd have totally picked that. But, you didn't. So I'll go with...Next! (Cannon vs Christy Hemme 8/01/09 HOW)

3. Do you like cops? Total coin flip. Some cops are pretty cool. While others... They just aren't. Sheriff's though, now that is another story! (Cannon with sheriff Johnny Emerald 1/23/05 MPW)

4. What is the best pro wrestling video game ever? Great question. I'm having trouble deciding between Fire Pro Wrestling D for the Dreamcast and Virtual Pro Wrestling for the N64. Both are top shelf goodness. Each game is so different, yet so awesome. Ca we say it's a tie? (Cannon vs Darin Corbin 1/14/06 3XW)

5. On May 28th, 2010 F1rst Wrestling co-promoted an event with Wrestlicious. If there were a male version of Wrestlicoious which stereo type character would you be? (There are no Anarchist in Wrestlicious.) Ummm... I guess I'd have to go with the male version of Felony. The jailbird. It's the closest thing to an Anarchist, right? (Cannon vs Danny Daniels 9/29/07 AAW)

6. Are you a good dancer? I've been told I am, butt...I'm not so sure that's the case. I can do the worm. (Cannon vs Rob James 6/9/07 NIW)
7. Where is the weirdest/oddest place you've ever wrestled at? Weirdest... Oddest... As in the Men's Room at the First Avenue Nightclub? (Cannon vs Horace the Psychopath 6/20/08 F1rst Wrestling)

8. Do you like beer? I like beer. Mich. Golden Light, Coors light, Miller lite, ect. -Pint Glass, and I kindly ask the bartender to toss a couple olives into it. (Cannon vs Rob James 2/3/06 NIW)

One year ago today, the end of MPW

The first photo here is from June 25th, 2005. The last match had ended from the 'monthy' Saturday show at the MPW arena when Terry Klinger AKA Sheriff Johnny Emerald, MPW owner, called all the wrestlers down to the ring and most of the 25 fans were still in the building. As wrestlers were leaving the locker room they were wondering what Sheriff was calling them out for. One of the wrestlers thought that maybe he was going to thank them for putting on a great show even though there were so few fans there. Once all the wrestlers were out of the locker room and around ther ring Sheriff told everyone there that MPW was closing the doors for good after the show tomorrow night. This was the first that any of the workers had heard of it and it had nothing to do with the low attendance that night as it was something that Sheriff had planned for a while. He said that he was done with promoting shows but he was still going to have a training center that would be opening up in 2 months. Upon hearing that the next show would be the last Arik Cannon, then the booker for MPW, started making the matches for the next night which would be a free fan appriciation show.
Once again we see Sheriff in the ring but this time with a much bigger audiance as the fans of indy pro wrestling in the Minneapolis area came to this free show to say good bye to MPW. The stands were actually fuller the what is seen here as this was at the end of a very long show. There were 12 matches in all as they tried to get everyone on the current roster in a match. Two trainees even had their first match on this show. A dvd of this event can be purchased from Arik Cannon at his web site.