Author: Clint Dye
“Welcome to the Mount Rushmore of Central Empire Wrestling” With those words, last Saturday, March 4, former CEW Champion Storm Thomas passed the torch to current CEW Champion JT Energy. The two had just engaged in a physically taxing, nearly 25-minute classic, bringing an end to CEW’s first show of 2023. As Iconic Moment Begins, the Road to Bridge City Slam V. On a night CEW welcomed back legends from their past, their newest legend and longest reigning champion of all time, JT Energy, achieved one of his grandest accomplishments within the promotion. He defeated what some consider the greatest…
Alright, RetroView fans, it’s time for our next trip down WCW Sunday Night RetroView memory lane. With it being Super Bowl Sunday, what better time than to go back and revisit WCW SuperBrawl IV. Today’s edition, SuperBrawl IV. To start the show, we get a vintage 90’s style promo video. The video lets us know three world championships will be on the line during this show. First, Lord Steven Regal defends his WCW Television Championship against Arn Anderson. Next, the Nasty Boys put their WCW Tag Team Titles on the line against the team of Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne. …
Next up on the journey towards the creation of the nWo is WCW Great American Bash 1996. Yes, I know I am skipping Slamboree 1996, but in honesty I am not a fan of the Lethal Lottery concept. So instead we are traveling back to the show before the formation of the industry changing group. Starting off the show is a video package preparing us for the action to come. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan begins the video saying his team of Ric Flair and Arn Anderson is ready for Macho Man Randy Savage’s team of NFL star Kevin Greene and former Chicago…
Cage Match Night. When Impact Pro Wrestling fans last saw Miss Frankie Jay, she was walking out of the Platform Night Club in Des Moines as IPW Women’s Champion. She had just emerged victorious in a no disqualification triple threat match with the Hale twins, Briar, and Sage. These three women have defined the IPW women’s division for the past three years and they are ready to write the next chapter in their ongoing saga over the Women’s Championship. This Saturday night, at the Countryside Wedding and Events Center in Knoxville, Iowa, they meet again. Only this time it will…
RetroView fans, our journey to the formation of the nWo continues as today I’m watching WCW Uncensored 1996. At SuperBrawl, Ric Flair walked out with the WCW Championship around his waist after defeating Macho Man Randy Savage inside a steel cage. Also, that night, Hulk Hogan defeated the Giant inside a steel cage as well, then all hell broke loose. The war between Hogan and Savage against the alliance of the Dungeon of Doom and the Four Horsemen is the big angle heading into this one. Starting the show is an intense video package with Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, and Kevin…
Top 20 Independent Matches of 2022 – 5-1 is finally here. In 2022 we were lucky enough to be ringside with my camera for 236 matches across five different promotions in the state of Iowa. Iowa is a treasure trove of exciting independent wrestling. Each promotion in the state brings a unique identity to the pro wrestling scene. For the past three weeks, we’ve been counting down the 20 best matches from 2022. Today, we finish the countdown with the top five. The best thing about these five matches is the story each one told inside and outside the squared…
SCWPro Prestige Rumble 2023. When a venue and a wrestling promotion click, a strong bond is formed. It becomes the place they call home. A place where so many memorable and iconic moments have happened. A place the promotion’s fans love returning to each and every time they have a show there. For SCWPro, that venue has been the Walcott Coliseum in Walcott, Iowa. The fans of SCWPro have been coming to the Walcott Coliseum for over a decade, catching all the action the SCWPro stars bring to the ring. Walcott Coliseum has become part of the mythos within the company. “The Coliseum…
Happy new year to everyone who gives this a read. My first RetroView of 2023 continues the journey down the WCW pre-nWo with WCW SuperBrawl VI. Coming out of Starrcade, WCW is gaining more steam as a challenger to WWE. The stars that left WWE are doing big things in WCW and it’s only months away until Scott Hall changed everything. SuperBrawl VI begins a hype video. It gives a breakdown of the action to come and I have to tell you, this is a stacked card. Macho Man Randy Savage versus Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the WCW…
With 2022 officially in our rearview mirror, it’s time to continue my countdown of the best matches of the past year. All five of the promotions we had the privilege to photograph in 2022—Central Empire Wrestling, Impact Pro Wrestling, SCWPro, Madhouse Wrestling, and Absolute Pro Wrestling—have been well represented. You can read part one, featuring matches 20-16, here, and Part two, featuring matches 15-11, here. Today, we’re looking back at matches 10-6, but first, a few honorable mentions. During the very first Madhouse Wrestling show a six-man scramble match was held featuring Clay Cooper, Jimmy Wylde, Saint, Ricky Bronson, Dustan…
It’s the end of the year, and that means it’s time to reminisce about the best and my favorite matches I was able to be ringside for. In 2022 we were able to shoot 236 matches across five promotions – Central Empire Wrestling, Impact Pro Wrestling, SCWPro, Madhouse Wrestling, and Absolute Pro Wrestling – here in the state of Iowa as we review the top 20 independent matches of 2022 – 15-11. Last week, we reviewed the 20 best, focusing on 20-16. You can read about those matches here. Today, the spotlight focuses on matches 15-11. Much like their first…