Author: DJ Jarka

Remembering Brodie Lee The day after Christmas, I finished snow blowing and shoveling around our house. I undressed from my winter clothes and sat on my couch. Was ready to treat myself after digging my family out from the latest snowstorm to hit our area by drinking some hot tea provided by my wife and watching some football for the rest of the night. I decided to check my phone as I saw some alerts popped up while I was outside. Seeing that I received two text messages from friends and a slew of Facebook messenger notifications. They all said…

Hello, everyone. And welcome to another step on The Jarkaster Journey! I apologize for not writing any blogs since May. On top of living in our current pandemic world, my son arrived in the world in early October. And my drive and time to sit down, write, and find old photographs was compromised. I aim to rectify that now that I am on parental leave from my full-time job. I think some additional time off can rejuvenate me and reignite my writing spirit again. Hopefully, this blog can provide at least a brief respite from these difficult times we presently…

As society continues to navigate life while dealing with the spread of COVID-19, so does the American independent wrestling scene. The Cleveland, Ohio-based Absolute Intense Wrestling was not immune to these struggles but found a way to bludgeon ahead and plans to put on its second show during the pandemic era. On Friday, October 9, Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) presents “Thunder in Indianapolis” as part of Game Changer Wrestling’s The Collective at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Ind. The show is part of a larger multi-day event in which several of the top United States indie wrestling promotions will…

A year after making its debut in the Greater Rochester, N.Y. area, Empire State Wrestling will come back to the region with an event headlined by one of the most buzz-worthy names in the pro wrestling industry. Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will return to Village Sports in Fairport, N.Y. on Saturday, February 22 with “Second Coming”. The show will feature current All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Orange Cassidy. Cassidy is set to face Rochester, N.Y. native “Your Captain” Nick Ando. The match was announced at ESW’s January event, which was named “Shipwrecked on Grando Island” after him, following Ando’s bout with…

After finishing off 2019 with one of its biggest events in years, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will look to keep the good times. It is rolling into the new decade. ESW presents “Shipwrecked on Grando Island” on Saturday, January 25. Shipwrecked on Grando Island will be ESW’s debut in Grand Island, N.Y. It takes place at the Radisson Hotel. The venue is popularly known throughout Western New York for allegedly being haunted by the spirit of a little girl. The event is a play off the name of “Your Captain” Nick Ando, one of ESW’s roster staples from Rochester, N.Y.…

Hello, everyone! I hope the Yuletide season went well for all of you. Mine started in a major way a few weeks ago when I refereed at TID the Season as I closed out my calendar year for bookings. For those of you unfamiliar with TID the Season, the event is a Christmas show put on by hardcore band Every Time I Die (ETID) in its hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. It started several years ago and since turned into an annual tradition that seemingly grew in scale year-after-year.  The first one I attended was in 2008 when I was still…

Over the years, Empire State Wrestling held some of its largest events in its promotional and Western New York independent wrestling history at the Kenan Center in Lockport, N.Y. Many legends, like Kevin Nash and Sgt. Slaughter, and future stars of professional wrestling, such as Johnny Gargano and Tony Nese, appeared on these events. These Kenan Center “super shows” drew as many as 1,000 fans. After a three year absence from the Kenan Center, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will rekindle this tradition when it presents “Wrestlebash X” on Saturday, November 23. “I’m very excited to bring ESW back to the…

On September 21, Brother Christianson entered the ring at Empire State Wrestling’s “Overdrive” event and grabbed the microphone from ring announcer Chris Gullo during the entrance of his client Atticus Cogar. He insisted to the audience that he would announce Cogar’s entrance in a more deserving manner. Was this Brother Christianson’s last testament? As Christianson was lauding Cogar to the crowd at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall, Cogar leveled his manager with a forearm shiver that sent Christianson to the mat and out of the ring to the joy of many fans. And with that shot, Brother Christianson’s 9-year run…

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking in on my wild ride as an independent wrestling referee. This latest entry is as eventful as any of my prior blogs. So let’s jump straight into this past Saturday’s Empire State Wrestling’s event titled Overdrive. Everything leading up to the start of the show was pretty routine for Empire State Wrestling’s Overdrive. Nothing out of the normal happened of note (although wearing by Buffalo Bills Rob Johnson alternate red jersey did pop a few people). This would be a true juxtaposition how my night would go. I reffed the opening match of the night…

As the fall season approaches, so does we preview Empire State Wrestling as they present Overdrive. It is the biggest event of the year. But before Western New York’s premier independent wrestling promotion can head full-steam toward the prestigious event, it must first launch itself into overdrive. This Saturday, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will host its next show, “Overdrive”, from the familiar confines of the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, N.Y. Overdrive will feature four qualifier matches for the Ilio DiPaolo Cup match that will be held at “WrestleBash” in November. The DiPaolo Cup match consists…