Author: DJ Jarka

For several years, Brawlfest served as Empire State Wrestling’s hallmark event of the spring. This year’s version continues in that vein. Headlining Brawlfest 2023 will be one of the hottest names currently on the independent wrestling circuit: “The Indy God” Matt Cardona. The former World Wrestling Entertainment star exploded across the indie wrestling scene since his release from the company, winning several championship belts along in numerous promotions. Empire State Wrestling presents Brawlfest 2023 Cardona will look to add another title to his collection this Saturday at Buffalo RiverWorks when he challenges ESW Heavyweight Champion “The Remix” Kevin Bennett for…

Empire State Wrestlings Spring Smash Hello, everybody! This blog post is about my time at Empire State Wrestlings debut in Medina, NY called “Spring Smash”. This event is a bit different than the last several ESW shows but still delivered and was fun. Let’s jump into my experiences on it! Spring Smash was a fundraiser for the East Shelby Vol. Fire Dept. In prior years, this fundraiser event was held across at the Orleans County Fairgrounds in Albion, N.Y. This one was held at Medina High School, which provided better amenities all around for the fans, wrestlers, and staff alike.…

Confident, focused, and determined are just some of the ways to describe ‘Red Death’ Daniel Garcia. The native of Buffalo, N.Y., has made a mark for himself over the last few years. He has been on the independent scene in the Northeast United States and Canada and looks to continue to build on this momentum in the near future. These qualities that kick-started his wrestling career were rooted in him before he even began to wrestle. Raised in the South Buffalo section of the “City of Good Neighbors”, Garcia grew up a fan of professional wrestling, often attending World Wrestling…

It was early on Sunday morning of January 6, 2019, when the lives of Kevin Blackwood and his fellow “Buffalo Brothers” changed dramatically. The group of four wrestlers based out of Buffalo, NY was driving back from a show in Montreal, PQ. When their vehicle hit a patch of black ice and crashed into a highway guardrail near Batavia, N.Y. This is Kevin Blackwood – Defining UNKILLABLE. All four Buffalo Brothers needed medical attention. Kevin Bennett and Puf were treated and released that day. However, Blackwood and Daniel Garcia’s injuries were more serious. Blackwood and Garcia required inpatient hospital stays…

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…