Author: DJ Jarka

Hello, everyone! I am back with another update on my life as a pro wrestling referee! This entry will be on my time reffing at Empire State Wrestling’s October 2018’s show “Overdrive”. We produce the latest edition of The Jarkaster Journey | Overdrive. Before I dive into the event, I considered this show to be my anniversary of sorts. I made my referee debut on September 8, 2007, so this would be my latest show since my 11-year referee “birthday”. It feels weird saying it was over 10 years ago since I reffed my first match in a roller skating…

DJ recounts his experience at the recent Sky Is The Limit event and what took place.

Hello, everybody. It’s been almost a full year since I sat down and wrote a blog on my times as a pro wrestling referee. 2025 was a hectic year for me, filled with ups and downs both inside and outside the ring. I will do my best to recap it here. My last blog left off looking ahead to March 2025 with two Empire State Wrestling events that were coming up. One was an ESW Keystone event called Crisis in Erie, Penn. and the other was an ESW’s Tough Luck ‘25 in Niagara Falls, N.Y.  Crisis was the last ESW…

In 2018, in my first blog post, I will outline my expectations for this blog and provide some background information about myself, as well as share a referees tale. This is a referee’s tale. I started off as a pro wrestling referee in September 2007. I was reffing my first match for New Era Pro Wrestling (NEPW) in Painesville, Ohio after completing my training at the Buffalo Pro Wrestling Gym the prior summer. From there, I reffed for various promotions mostly across New York state. My home promotion is Empire State Wrestling (ESW), which runs primarily in the Buffalo, N.Y.…

As Empire State Wrestling nears the end of its event schedule for the year, it looks to close out 2025 in a major way. ESW will conclude the year at WrestleBash XV at Buffalo RiverWorks on Friday night with a slew of highly recognizable names to many wrestling fans. Empire State Wrestling presents WrestleBash XV World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Teddy Long will be in attendance. A meet and greet will be held for fans to interact with Long. But the marquee names do not end there. Former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling World Champion Mike Santana will make his…

With Empire State Wrestling’s “4th and Gold” now in the books, my focus turned as I was labouring through  September. Due to outside circumstances, September was an off month from refereeing for me. Friends from out of the area came in for Labor Day weekend and I also hosted my fantasy football draft (now in its 19th season) so I could not make the last Southern Tier Wrestling show in Jamestown, N.Y. I cannot make the next Empire State Wrestling show in Salamanca, N.Y., due to my day job as I am laboring through September. Laboring through September But wrestling-oriented…

In 2018, I explore my experiences over the latest independent wrestling show I worked on. Empire State Wrestling’s “4th and Gold” event in at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall North Tonawanda, N.Y. (a suburb of Buffalo). This event was different from previous events held at St. Johnsburg as before the show there was a superfan tailgate party. The party featured games, food, beer, and other activities the fans could partake in alongside ESW wrestlers and staff. There was one activity I was a part of that left me a bit drenched: a dunk tank. As the party kicked off, I…

When Empire State Wrestling returns to its traditional stomping grounds in Niagara Falls this Friday, it will do so in a groundbreaking fashion with 1 FALL!. A first-time-ever dream match is scheduled for its next event 1 FALL! This match will feature Miracle Generation versus former Game Changer Wrestling Tag Team Champions Bustah & The Brain – the team of “The Prize” Alec Price and “The East Coast Ace” Jordan Oliver. “Bringing in the best talent to the Buffalo area is one of my biggest priorities,” said ESW promoter Brett Stymus. “And I think we hit the nail on the…

Empire State Wrestling will continue to honor the legacy of one of its most cherished roster members when it returns to Buffalo RiverWorks on Saturday, July 26, with Everything to Gaine 2025. Everything To Gaine 2025 will once again celebrate the life of the late “None of a Kind” Anthony Gaines. The highlight of the event will be the second annual Everything To Gaine Rumble, with the winner receiving an ESW Heavyweight Championship title shot. Everything To Gaine 2025 Last year’s winner was one of Gaines’s best friends, “Invincible” Vince Valor, who used his opportunity to defeat “Big Time” Bill…

Empire State Wrestling will hold its first Buffalo RiverWorks event of the year this Friday with Brawlfest 2025. The event will feature several notable names making their ESW debuts including one of the biggest champions currently on the indie wrestling scene. “I am fully committed to bringing in the best talent available to ESW in an effort to provide the most exciting matchups to all our dedicated fans,” said ESW promoter Brett Stymus. Brawlfest 2025 presented by Empire State Wrestling Reigning Game Changer Wrestling World Champion Effy will make his ESW debut. According to Stymus, Effy is one of the…