Author: DJ Jarka

Fresh off its debut in the Rochester, N.Y. area, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) returns to its stomping grounds in North Tonawanda, N.Y. for its next event “Sky is The Limit.” The event is aptly named as it will feature a pair of high-flying Mexican wrestling stars. “Sky is The Limit” will be held on Saturday, March 30 at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall. All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) signees The Lucha Bros will be in action, as well as fellow signee and Major League Wrestling’s (MLW) Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The Lucha Bros, consisting of Pentagon and Rey Fenix, will be facing To…

 is Hello again, everybody! It’s been a while since my last post dedicated to the comings and goings of my referee life. Before diving into Empire State Wrestling’s Rochester, NY area debut “Empire State of Mind,” there are a few things that need to be addressed. As my life was a bit tumultuous since last November. After Empire State Wrestling’s “WrestleBash”, I was uncertain when the next time I would referee on a wrestling show. In December, there were two possibilities but both fell through. Then in January, I dealt with a medical issue that I hinted at in my…

From the territory days when regional wrestling promotions fostered deals with television stations in individual markets. From the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s when professional wrestling dominated the cable network ratings.  Wrestling is a part of a longstanding tradition of being a staple among TV airways. Empire State Wrestling Lands TV Deal. Empire State Wrestling (ESW) looks to continue in these footsteps as it will be broadcasting its professional wrestling content on the Western New York-based WBXZ television station. As the premier independent wrestling promotion in the Buffalo, NY area, ESW action will be aired on WBXZ’s digital sub-channel…

Over its 16 year history, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) carried the torch for independent wrestling across the Niagara Frontier of New York. But with its next event, ESW will take aim at a new market just to the east of its normal stomping grounds. As ESW Presents Empire State of Mind. “I am beyond excited to bring ESW to Rochester,” said ESW promoter Brett Mednik. “We have been bringing action-packed family-friendly events to the Buffalo area for a long time and we hope to make this expansion into Rochester long term and just as successful.” Empire State of Mind will…

Ending 2018 in front of a capacity crowd at its biggest event of the year is only fitting for Empire State Wrestling (ESW). Western New York’s premier independent wrestling promotion concluded what is considered to be it’s most successful to date in strong fashion. Here is a preview of A Night at the Johnsburg. ESW aspires to build off this success in 2019 as it holds its first event of the year, “A Night at the St. Johnsburg” in North Tonawanda, N.Y. on Saturday, January 19. The event will also be broadcast over live streaming service Twitch, with select matches…

After being pulled into the ring post and smashed in the leg with a chair by new Empire State Wrestling commissioner The Caesar, a severely deteriorated Kevin Blackwood was left in a precarious situation. This was done by his former manager. Here is what took place at the Ilio DiPaolo Cup Finals. “Red Death” Daniel Garcia seized this opportunity to apply his variation of the sharpshooter to Blackwood in which he leans back and applies additional pressure onto this opponent, making a one of the most effective submission holds in professional wrestling even more grueling. Due to this series of…

Hello everybody! Thanks for taking some time to read up on my comings and goings on my tales as a referee on the independent wrestling scene. This blog entry will be dedicated to my time at Empire State Wrestling’s latest show “WrestleBash”. As well as the before and after happenings surrounding the event. Here is my Wrestlebash review. This WrestleBash review is part of ESW’s biggest event of the year. Instead of running at the usual stomping grounds at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, NY. The show is held at the Frontier Fire Hall in Niagara Falls,…

Hello, everyone! Here are my latest happenings over the last few weeks. In terms of, wrestling activity, my busiest day by far was on Saturday, October 27, when myself and the rest of the “Inside the Empire” podcast crew held a live broadcast at the Buffalo Sports Pod-A-Thon in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and then I drove down to Erie, Penn. to debut for Revenge Pro Wrestling (RPW). Here is what happened at A Nightmare on State Street and more. The Buffalo Sports Pod-A-Thon was a lineup of several Buffalo-area sports media members, from TV reporters, radio hosts, other podcasters and print…

Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will present “Wrestlebash” at the Frontier Fire Hall, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Saturday, November 24. As ESW’s biggest event of the year, it will feature former World Wrestling Entertainment talents Papa Shango, The Godfather, The Spirit Squad and Collin Delaney plus Impact Wrestling’s Kongo Kong among numerous other top national and local wrestlers. We present our preview of Wrestlebash. Booking “Wrestlebash” at the Frontier Fire Hall is now an annual tradition for ESW. Frontier Fire Hall is relatively close to ESW’s regular host venue at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, N.Y. but…

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 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 rink…