Author: DJ Jarka

Hello everyone. This latest blog entry is about my time at Empire State Wrestling’s Rochester event on February 22 called “Second Coming”. Let’s dive right into the happenings and some other tidbits on this show. My preparations for the day went a lot smoother than the previous month. I started getting everything prepared as soon as I woke up and it was a lot less stressful of a situation. My wife stayed home with our daughter for this one. I ended up driving there by myself. Earlier in my referee career, I made this drive to Rochester a lot. This…

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…

Hello, everyone and thank you again for checking in on the Jarkaster Journey! This entry will be about my time at Empire State Wrestling’s latest event “Shipwrecked on Grando Island” on Saturday, January 25 as my home promotion started out the new decade by debuting at a new location. I liked how my last entry worked out when I formatted it with bullet points, so I plan on doing that again here and moving forward. Shipwrecked on Grando Island was held at the Radisson Hotel in Grand Island, N.Y. Not only was this the first ESW event at this venue…

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…

Hello, everyone! On this life entry on my time as a referee, I will sum up my experiences at Empire State Wrestling’s (ESW) Wrestlebash X event held on Saturday, November 23rd. It was held at the Kenan Center in Lockport, N.Y. which is a very special place for me. This is – my Wrestlebash X experience. As some people may know from my very first post on here, I began my referee career in Ohio in September 2007. I did not ref my first event in my home state of New York until the following summer. That very first New…

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…