Author: Clint Dye

With WWE recently announcing that War Games will officially be returning at this year’s Survivor Series. I figured what better event to cover for my two WCW RetroViews during the month of November. So today, we’re starting off with WCW Fall Brawl 1998.  WCW 1998, you could sum up perfectly by calling it a hot mess with a pinch of greatness still in it. The nWo had long worn out its welcome, but they were still holding out hope it would once again reignite their numbers. Their attempt to capitalize on the good old fashion nostalgia came in the form of…

Saturday night in Waterloo, Iowa, history will be made as Absolute Pro Wrestling presents Gold Rush. That night, two men – Ethan Everheart and Matty Star – will climb a ladder to reach the ultimate prize. The prize is the Absolute Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, and with it comes the historical significance of being the first-ever APW Champion. An honor both men are driven to capture for opposite reasons. “Leaving with the championship around my waist would mean all the hard work has paid off and that I’m on top of the Absolute Pro Wrestling food chain.” – Everheart “I’ve…

It’s the spookiest time of the year, so, with that in mind, today’s WCW RetroView looks back at WCW Halloween Havoc 1990. This was the second-ever Halloween Havoc and is held under the National Wrestling Alliance.  The following year marked the first Halloween Havoc under the WCW banner. Beginning the show is a masterful, 80’s special effects-driven preview video before the camera cuts to inside the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.  Welcoming us to the show is the voice of a young Jim Ross, who is joined by Paul E Dangerously. Complete with an old-school Dracula costume. We quickly cut to the back…

Madhouse Wrestling Presents Little Show of Horrors. At Madhouse Wrestling’s debut show in March, AJ Smooth defeated James Jeffries and One Called Manders on the same night. His victories earned him the honor of being the very first Madhouse Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. That same night, Clay Cooper damn near stole the show with a highlight reel performance in a six-man scramble match. Cooper’s victory in the scramble earned him a future championship opportunity. That opportunity came at Madhouse Wrestling: Outlaw State of Mind. That night, Cooper and Smooth went to hell and back, fighting across the Countryside Wedding and Event…

This Saturday in Waterloo, Iowa, the race to crown the first ever Absolute Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion begins. Coming from the minds of Jason Prentice, Grant Hatton, and Brandon Eubanks, APW held its debut show in May. Read about the creation of Absolute Pro Wrestling here It was an exciting night that established a high bar for the quality of pro wrestling that will take place at future APW shows. After their first show, promoter Jason Prentice felt it vitally important to keep delivering that high standard of wrestling and set the course to crowning their inaugural champion. “It’s crucial…

RetroView fans, it’s time for war. This week returns to one of my favorite annual WCW events, I’m talking about WCW Fall Brawl 1994 featuring War Games. For this RetroView, were going back nearly thirty years. Dustin Rhodes rivalry with the Stud Club takes center focus in the show’s main event. It’s War Games, where Dustin teams with his dad Dusty Rhodes and the Nasty Boys to take on Terry Funk, Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck, and Col. Parker. Also on the card are three championship matches, and a number one contenders match between Sting, the Guardian Angel, and Vader.  We…

Earlier this year, during Madhouse Wrestling’s debut show, Clay Cooper’s death-defying leap from the balcony was an iconic moment for the debuting promotion. This past Saturday, during Madhouse Wrestling Outlaw State of Mind review, Cooper once again found himself descending from the same balcony. Only this time, it was not by choice. Cooper’s opponent, AJ Smooth, sent his championship challenger crashing through a door, resting on two chairs in the middle of the ring. A stunned audience looked on as Madhouse officials rushed to the ring to make sure Cooper was ok. With his opponent worse for wear, Smooth returned…

Madhouse Wrestling Outlaw State of Mind. The very first Madhouse Wrestling event earlier this year was a night full of great technical wrestling, wild brawls, and a chaotic main event. However, that night two men shined brightest; those two men were AJ Smooth and Clay Cooper.  Smooth opened the show by defeating longtime rival James Jeffries in the semifinals of the Madhouse Wrestling Heavyweight Championship Tournament. Later in the evening, during the main event, Smooth became the very first Madhouse Wrestling Champion.  His donnybrook with 1 Called Manders is a “Match of the Year” contender. Chairs, tables, staple guns, and all…

Earlier this year, during SCWPro’s biggest event of the year, EPIC Night 2, Deonn Rusman won the Heavyweight Championship. It was a feel-good moment as Rusman triumphantly returned from a devastating knee injury to reach the pinnacle of SCWPro. However, a second knee injury shortly after forced Rusman to relinquish the championship. With no champion, SCWPro began an 8-man tournament to determine who would sit at the head of the table. At “Red, White, and Bruised,” the opening round began. That night, the Shug defeated Dustan Moseley, and JT Energy advanced after defeating Conan Lycan. During SCWPro’s “Hot, Hot, Hot,”…

The Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Show – Lou Thesz/George Tragos Hall of Fame weekend is the biggest of event of the year for IPW. It’s a time to honor the greats of wrestling’s past with an induction into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. This year stars like Trish Stratus, Jim Ross, and Mike Rotunda received their induction. While the three-day event honors the past, the IPW Hall of Fame show that took place last  Friday night in Waterloo gave fans a glimpse into IPW’s future. A future that shined bright as five of IPW’s youngest stars were…