Sometimes in life you just must look back and truly appreciate what you have and realize that you have been truly spoiled with the riches one has. We present in a Blais of glory.
With the Prairie Wrestling Alliance celebrating their 18th Anniversary this past Saturday in Edmonton, I was sitting back in my seat before the show thinking about all the great matches the promotion has put out. It all takes me back to my first big show I attended for the promotion, Night of Champions 2013.
Night of Champions 2013
Time to take you back to Night of Champions. the card was full of great talent on the undercard. However, the main events are what most people were there for. A steel cage double main event… something rarely seen in Alberta. The ominous structure took almost 45 minutes to install, and frankly scared the heebie-jeebies up close. The fact that two men were going to be trapped inside this structure made me shiver.
While the main event was veterans Andy Anderson and Dylan Knight fighting for the PWA Heavyweight Championship, the match I was most intrigued for was an I Quit Match between two very different characters. On one side, Azrael, a giant powerhouse that looked like he could lift a bus on a whim or squeeze his opponents’ skulls into golf balls. On the other side, was this skinny, loudmouth punk, who screwed over his former protégé the month earlier. That man is the newly christened Michael Richard Blais. The former Chucky Blaze had let a few assisted victories get to his head, and proceeded to screw over his former partner, all over a Guaranteed Contract Suitcase. It all leads to this match.
In A Blais of Glory
The match was one of those big men vs. little man matches. With the smaller Blais trying to get his shots in on the bigger and slower Azrael. But eventually, Azrael is able to get his hands on Blais as he was trying to get away over the cage. Goozled by the throat, Blais shouted out “I Quit” to forfeit the match. But Azrael was not done, as he sent Blais through two stacked tabled with a thunderous chokeslam. It is legitimately the first time I thought a wrestler was dead in the ring. My Goodness, what a performance.
Now Blais put in a hell of an effort. The athleticism shown at this point of his career was just a mere sliver of what was to come. But the cheer from the crowd following the match, in a sign of respect, proved without a shadow of a doubt that a star was born that night.
Five and a half years later and Blais is one of the top talents in Alberta… hell in Canada… hell in the world… not signed to a major promotion. The Man now affectionately known as “Gods Gift to Wrestling” has made appearances in Evolve, NXT, and WWE (don’t say the word “Braun” to Blais. He gets a little uneasy.) MRB was one of the final opponents for Samoa Joe before signing with NXT, and over the past 3 years Blais has had three matches with All Elite Wrestling COO Cody, all three match classics. Please check them out on pwawrestlingca.pivotshare.com.
Tables, Ladders and Chair Four-Way
Fast forward to Saturday night, Blais was involved in a Tables Ladders and Chairs Four-Way Match for the PWA Heavyweight Championship. With special tights for the evening, Blais was ready to wow and amaze once again. (For those in attendance, Blais’ tights read “Better than the Best”. Not only a fact, but also an homage to the tag team of his mentor. He was former WWE Tag Team Champion TJ Wilson aka Tyson Kidd of the Hart Dynasty. As well, the logo on MRB’s tights was of Workhouse Fitness, the Business of Wilson. This is the only time any symbol outside of Blais’ has adorned his tights.)
This match was a 30+ minute spectacle, highlighted by a Spanish Fly from Blais to The PWA Original Marky through two tables!!! Seems a little ironic that MRB and tables seem to highlight whenever they get together. While MRB didn’t come out victorious, he did steal the match!!! I understand that my job here is to put into words how a match went… I am truly speechless. Trust me folks, this match is worth the price of any download.
Now coming up this Friday, March 29, Michael Richard Blais expands out to Real Canadian Wrestling. In the small village of Radway, about an hour drive north of Edmonton, he is taking on two other men that lay claim to be the best, in the Pure Power Wrestling Champion Chris Perish, and the Real Canadian Wrestling Alberta Champion Pride. Who will come out on top?
In A Blais of Glory
And on April 26, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Blais will be take on a man that gives the same big-fight aura as Blais every time he steps in the ring, PWA Commonwealth Champion and High Impact Wrestling Canadian Grand Champion “The Mat Messiah” Shaun Moore, at HIW Spring Meltdown.
Will MRB be able to live up to the challenge? Based on his track record, he will rise up, in a Blais of Glory!!!
Michael Richard Blais matches can be found on Powerslam TV (Search for Backbreaker Media), Backbreaker Media Video on Demand, and Prairie Wrestling Alliance Video on Demand.
