Author: DJ Jarka

Hello, everybody and thanks again for checking out another entry on my journey as a referee on the independent wrestling scene this time with ESW and Madmar Entertainment. In this blog, I review my first ever double shot booking (reffing on two wrestling shows in one day) of ESW and Madmar Entertainment. My first booking of the day was for this double shot of ESW and Madmar Entertainment began at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville, Penn for “A Fair Amount of Insanity 18”. With having to go from our meeting spot at the Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga, N.Y. (a…

The drama was tense and the emotions were high at Empire State Wrestling’s previous event at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, N.Y with Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Those in attendance saw “Red Death” Daniel Garcia make his long-awaited return and capture the Empire State Wrestling Heavyweight Championship from Brandon Thurston. On Saturday, August 17, the wrestlers of Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will look to rekindle those competitive fires when Western New York’s top independent wrestling promotion returns to the St. Johnsburg for “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”. “This is our last show…

In June 2018, “None of a Kind” Anthony Gaines defended the Empire State Wrestling Interstate Championship against Ace Romero at the promotion’s “Summer of Sleaze” event in North Tonawanda, N.Y. The match was highly anticipated among those in attendance. However, no one predicted that the fight would generate one of those most viral moments of the year. We discuss with Anthony Gaines A Year After “The Pounce”. During the match-up, Gaines bounced off the ropes and was hit with a pounce from Romero. The collision sent Gaines flying into the air, clearing the top rope and landing all the way…

In this newest look into my journey as an independent professional wrestling referee, I chronicle my time at Empire State Wrestling’s latest event “Temperature Rising”. My good friend, Jeff, came up from Virginia for the next few weeks and gave me a ride to the show for ESW’s Temperature Rising. My wife was driving up to a bar that was a short walk away from the after-party spot for a benefit that night thus I would drive us back home with her car later. Therefore, this arrangement worked out perfectly. I arrived at the show a little bit earlier than…

Last night at the St. Johnsburg Fire in North Tonawanda, N.Y., “Red Death” Daniel Garcia made his long-awaited return to in-ring action at ( ESW ) Empire State Wrestling. The 20-year-old upstart from Buffalo, N.Y. managed to make his comeback in the most dramatic way possible: by winning the Empire State Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. In the main event of Empire State Wrestling’s (ESW) “Temperature Rising”, Garcia defeated reigning champion “The Patron Saint of Professional Wrestling” Brandon Thurston to capture the title via submission. The match was originally supposed to take place at ESW’s “Night at the St. Johnsburg” in January…

Star-studded lineups featuring nationally renowned talent amassed the Empire State Wrestling events throughout 2019 and this upcoming show unquestionably continues this trend with Temperature Rising. However, the most anticipated match of this event may be between two locally-based wrestlers. As ESW Presents Temperature Rising On Saturday, June 29, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will present “Temperature Rising” from the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, N.Y. The event includes the return of Impact Wrestling star Josh Alexander and the debuts of All-Elite Wrestling signee Brian Pillman Jr. and global independent star Zachary Wentz. But the most anticipated fight on the…

Hello, everyone! My latest adventure in pro wrestling takes me all the way to Cuba. No, not the island nation, but a small town nestled in a remote part of Western New York. This is Collision in Cuba. For this Empire State Wrestling event, I played a small role in its planning. My friend Kip Doyle is an avid pro wrestling fan and also puts on an annual benefit show in Cuba – his hometown – in memory of his good friend that died from cancer a few years ago. In previous installments of “Deschfest”, Kip booked bands to perform…

With aspirations to continue extending its footprint throughout Western New York, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will debut in a new town this weekend in a legendary way with Collision in Cuba as ESW presents Deschfest III. ESW will hold it’s first-ever show in Cuba, N.Y. at The Old Grey Hound on Saturday, June 15for “Deschfest III: Collision in Cuba” – a charity event.  World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Bushwacker Luke will headline the show alongside many of the regular stars of ESW. Deschfest III: Collision in Cuba is held in memory of Cuba native Zach Deschler, who passed away…

After making its debut in the Greater Rochester area in February, Empire State Wrestling ( ESW ) returns to the Village Sports in Fairport, N.Y. this Saturday with its event “The Next Chapter”. The Next Chapter follows ESW as their biggest event of the spring – “Brawlfest” which was held in North Tonawanda, N.Y. ESW hopes to build off its prior show that included international wrestling legend Ultimo Dragon as the summer approaches. ESW Heavyweight Champion Brandon Thurston successfully defended his title against Major League Wrestling star Fred Yehi at Brawlfest. He will put the belt on the…

Hello, everybody! In my next installment of my comings-and-goings as a referee in the independent wrestling scene, I will go into detail on my experiences at Empire State Wrestling’s “ Brawlfest ” in North Tonawanda, N.Y. My story starts the day before Empire State Wrestling’s (ESW) biggest event of the spring. That Friday, I received a PET scan to evaluate my ongoing medical condition (thankfully everything turned out fine). Due to the substances required to administer the scan, I was considered to be radioactive afterward and was restricted from being around infants, small children, and pregnant women for 24 hours.…