Author: DJ Jarka

For the first time in four years, a professional wrestling event will be held within Orleans County, N.Y. The end of this multi-year drought will occur this Saturday when Empire State Wrestling holds “Spring Smash” at Medina High School. Along with breaking this wrestling-less period, Spring Smash will serve as ESW’s debut in Medina, N.Y. Empire State Wrestling Presents Spring Smash. “We’re so excited to bring ESW back to Orleans County for another fundraiser for our fire company,” said event organizer Ryan McPherson. “ESW has been a pleasure to work with and they provide unmatched entertainment. Unfortunately, due to the…

Remixing Kevin Bennett. Around the Northeast United States and Canada, Kevin Bennett is well-known for his in-ring performances. From Quebec to Pennsylvania, from Maine to Ontario and many places in between, Bennett’s wrestling talent is continuously creating more fans throughout the independent scene. Here we are exploring the remixing of Kevin Bennett. However, there is more to Bennett than what one sees within the squared circle. Wrestling to many in the present-day is considered to be a form of art. Thus by this definition, it is only appropriate for Bennett to be a part of this industry and explains why he…

Hello, everybody! Welcome back to another edition of my referee blog. This entry is about my time at Empire State Wrestlings Tough Luck that took place on March 18 at Buffalo RiverWorks. This was an interesting show so let’s jump into the details. With this being ESW’s return to Buffalo RiverWorks for the first time since November of last year and the surplus of top-level indie talent booked on it, there was a lot of hype going into Tough Luck. This occurred even with running the night after St. Patrick’s Day, which was a good sign. Empire State Wrestlings Tough…

Empire State Wrestling presents Tough Luck. Three months into 2023, Empire State Wrestling can substantially claim that its upcoming event will be the biggest wrestling showcase in Western New York so far this year. ESW’s next event will be Tough Luck, appropriately named as it will occur the day after St. Patrick’s Day, at Buffalo RiverWorks. Tough Luck will feature the debut of IMPACT Wrestling’s “Speedball” Mike Bailey, plus several top indie wrestling stars alongside many of the best wrestling talent based in the Buffalo-Niagara region. “From top to bottom, this is one of the most loaded cards of prime…

Hello, everybody! Thanks again for coming to read about my life as a referee on the independent wrestling scene. This blog is regarding my time at Empire State Wrestling’s All I Do Is Win event in Niagara Falls, N.Y. last month. Outside of wrestling, my life was a big whirlwind over the last few weeks. I apologize for taking longer than normal to get this one posted. That being said, let’s jump into the happenings! This was ESW’s first event of the 2023. It was also our return to the Frontier Fire Hall after not running there since June of…

Empire State Wrestling Presents All I Do Is Win as they will kick off 2023 in a “big time” way at its first show of the new year. The main event match boasts a pair of longtime roster members in a match that is a “remix” of their previous encounters. In the marquee matchup of ESW’s All I Do is Win at the Frontier Fire Hall in Niagara Falls, N.Y. this Friday, ESW Heavyweight Champion and 2022 Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Cup winner “The Remix” Kevin Bennett will defend the championship against “Big Time” Bill Collier. Although these two are familiar…

Hello everybody! Welcome to another edition of my referee experience blog. In this entry, I review my time at Empire State Wrestling’s WrestleBash XII. This was ESW and my, final event for 2022. Let’s take a gander at how it went. WrestleBash XII went down on Black Friday at Buffalo RiverWorks. This was one of my first Friday wrestling shows in a long time. I cannot even guess on the last one. However, ESW previously ran on Black Friday in 2008 (then under the NEW Niagara umbrella) at the Kenan Center in Lockport, N.Y. Although it was out of the…

A new tradition was born nine years ago that honors Buffalo’s wrestling past and connects it to independent wrestling’s modern-day stars. This trophy match links its winner to one of the Queen City’s most recognized wrestling names. This is the history of The llio DiPaolo Memorial Cup. On November 20, 2013, the first Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Cup match took place at the Kenan Center in Lockport, N.Y. at Empire State Wrestling’s WrestleBash 2013. The match featured six combatants who quested for the trophy in the inaugural bout. Along with the DiPaolo Cup itself, the winner also received an ESW title…

Hello, everybody! Welcome back for another entry in my time as an independent wrestling referee! This blog is about my experiences at Empire State Wrestling’s Overdrive event on Saturday, October 8, at Buffalo RiverWorks with Empire State Wrestlings Overdrive 2022. Let’s jump into this exciting show! With roughly a two month gap in between bookings, I went to the Buffalo Wrestling Academy in the Eastern Hills Mall in Williamsville, N.Y. (a quick drive from my house for me) to keep some ring rust off and chat it up with some trainees. ESW recently began partnering with BWA to be its…

A match nearly a year in the making will finally occur this Saturday when Empire State Wrestling presents Overdrive 2022. After “The Aesthetic Crippler” Kevin Blackwood won the Empire State Wrestling Heavyweight Championship in November 2021, his former close friend “The Remix” Kevin Bennett demanded a match against him for the title. About 11 months since issuing that initial challenge, the two Kevins will square off for the promotion’s top title at Overdrive at Buffalo RiverWorks. Blackwood originally was set to put the Heavyweight title on the line against Bennett in March at Spring Breakdown. However, Bennett suffered an injury…