Author: DJ Jarka

Referee and publicist for Empire State Wrestling. Producer of "Inside the Empire" podcast. If interested in booking, DM me on any of my various posted social media accounts.

When the music of Frankie Feathers hit at Empire State Wrestling’s 20 event, he approached the ring as the promotion’s longest-running ESW Interstate Champion during Frankie’s Interstate Flight. As the remix of Tom Jones’s “It’s Not Unusual” reverbed throughout Buffalo RiverWorks, Feathers anticipated extending his multi-year title reign. However, Alec Price prevented that from occurring. Price, one of the hottest wrestlers on the U.S. independent wrestling scene, captured the prize of the Interstate title and, with that, ended Feathers’s stretch with the belt. Although that match is a blemish on Feathers’ record, it marks a prestigious milestone in his career.…

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Empire State Wrestling’s 20 Hello, everybody. Thank you again for coming to read my blog about my times as a referee. This entry is about my latest show that occurred on Saturday, August 13: Empire State Wrestling’s 20 at Buffalo RiverWorks. The show was aptly named 20 as it was ESW’s 20th-anniversary celebration. Let’s jump into the details: With a roughly two-month break in between bookings for me, I went to ESW’s new wrestling school in Niagara Falls, N.Y. called the ESW Training Academy. I refereed a practice match to help keep the ring rust off, met some of ESW’s…

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Empire State Wrestling presents 20. When examining the course of independent wrestling over any two-decade span, many changes are abundant in various aspects. Promotions start and fold. Wrestlers’ careers rise and fall. Venues open their doors and then close down. Anything that can stay consistent within independent wrestling for that long is worth memorializing. That is why Empire State Wrestling’s event on Saturday is being considered not just another show in its ongoing history, but a celebration of its past and present successes over the last 20 years. Empire State Wrestling presents 20 Empire State Wrestling (ESW) aptly named this…

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Hello, everybody! Thanks again for reading my blog on my times as a referee. This edition is about Empire State Wrestling’s “Black & Blue” their latest event in Niagara Falls, N.Y. This show felt different than the last several ESW events but it remained a good, fun time. Lets jump into the details! Unlike last month, none of my children helped with ring crew. Setup was on Saturday morning which I could not attend because my daughter’s dance recital studio rehearsal was that day. I prepped her like a normal Saturday morning dance day plus some additional things before we…

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Hello, everyone; here is my blog on my time at Empire State Wrestling’s Brawlfest 2022 on Saturday, May 21, at Buffalo RiverWorks. I am proud of how well this show went off and with how many people I shared the euphoric atmosphere with.  Brawlfest was a bright spot in a span of tragedy that gripped our nation, and with one of these terrible events striking close to home. The mass shooting in Buffalo the week before the event broke my heart, and before the healing process began, the school shooting in Texas just confounded these awful feelings. Yet, wrestling is…

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Empire State Wrestling presents Brawlfest 2022. When the opening bell rings for Empire State Wrestling’s second event of the year, it will do so after a significant reconfiguration of its top-billed bout. After a major change to its originally announced main event for Saturday’s Brawlfest at Buffalo RiverWorks, the already potent lineup Empire State Wrestling (ESW) planned on showcasing may end up being even stronger than first conceived while also remaining the most impressive independent wrestling card in Western New York so far this year. “We are very excited to be back at RiverWorks,” said ESW promoter Brett Mednik. “The…

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Hello, everybody. Here is the lowdown on my latest stop in my referee journey in Erie, Penn. for the return to Revenge Pro Wrestling. This was a solid card, top-to-bottom and a lot less physical time for me compared to my last booking at Revenge. But before we dive in, I must state that this blog was written with a heavy heart. Since the mass shooting on the East Side of Buffalo on Saturday, my thoughts have been with the victims and everyone else affected by this act of hate. It disgusts me that someone is capable of committing such…

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Spring Breakdown presented by ESW. Hello, everybody! Thanks for returning for the latest update on my journey as an independent pro wrestling referee. This entry is about my time at Empire Empire State Wrestling’s (ESW) latest event as they present “Spring Breakdown” on March 5 at the Frontier Fire Hall in Niagara Falls, N.Y. But, first, let’s jump into the details of this awesome show. This is the second consecutive Empire State Wrestling (ESW) event at Frontier. The continuity of running events here is nice, as well as staying in ESW’s traditional geographical footprint of the northern suburbs of Buffalo.…

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As the days of winter wane and the snowbanks and ice sheets subsided across Western New York, the local wrestling scene will heat up alongside the weather when ESW presents Spring Breakdown. Spring Breakdown will be Empire State Wrestling’s (ESW) first event of 2022 when it takes place at Frontier Fire Hall in Niagara Falls, N.Y. this Saturday. The event will be loaded with prime independent wrestling talent supplemented with wrestlers from throughout the Upstate New York region. The headlining match will be ESW Heavyweight Champion “The Aesthetic Crippler” Kevin Blackwood against “The Remix” Kevin Bennett. The match was set…

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The Battle of Lake Erie 2022 Hello, everybody! This blog entry is on my latest referee booking for Revenge Pro Wrestling’s The Battle of Lake Erie 2022, which took place on Saturday, February 5. Normally, I push out event blogs within a week of the show, but my workload at my full-time job increased recently, and outside of work, my family life schedule is busier than before.  Regardless, I am glad to write about this event that was a real physical experience for me. Let’s jump in! This show was in Erie, Penn. If you are unfamiliar with the city,…

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