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 heinous and vile things to their fellow humans. I hope all the good vibes everyone sends out can turn into real, tangible change for the better, no matter how fleeting it may feel, considering how many times America previously experienced similar tragedies over the last 25 years.
Return to Revenge Pro Wrestling
With that being said, let’s take a dive into the details of Revenge’s latest event. Writing this blog provided a brief, therapeutic respite from the current troubles we are living through in Western New York and I hope it can at least be a positive experience for you:
- I could not figure out a ride situation for this drive down to Erie so I ventured alone. The solo trip does stink but it provides more flexibility for me in terms of coming and going from the show. I also play around more with the radio stations than normal so that is a bonus, too.
- Revenge set another pre-sale ticket sales record and drew over 500 people at the Avalon Hotel – another impressive draw.
- I shared the referee duties with George Ross and the C.J. Sensation who returned from a shoulder injury. C.J. is a staple of Revenge’s roster and it was good to see him don the stripes again.
- In between this show and my last, my FitBit hit the dust so I returned to using my reliable digital watch. I can no longer track how many steps I take or the calories I burn from refereeing, but my watch gets the job done.
- I was assigned three matches. My first was “Omega” Aaron Draven and Zoey Skye versus The Production (Derek Dillinger and Ziggy Haim). This was my first time working with The Production. I refereed Skye twice before and Draven several times (including both wrestlers in the first promotion I worked for in 2007). This was a good opening match that energized the crowd and set the tempo for the night.
- My second match was between Colby Redd versus Zander Gabriel. Vance Desmond was originally booked to face Redd but was unable to compete due to injury. This was a fun match that involved Gabriel doing several comedy spots where he worked as a cowardly heel. Eventually, Redd nailed his power moves and the crowd popped accordingly.
- Once in a while, referees also need to be custodians. The hardcore match between Puf and Krimson was right before intermission and the finish involved breaking a big screen television. There was no sweeping tool readily available to sweep up the broken screen parts so I searched in an storage room for something to use and found a push broom. I ran out to the ring with it and with one swipe, a whole bunch of dust appeared on the mat – very counterproductive toward our cleaning efforts. I immediately took that broom back and someone on the security team ended up using a towel by hand to clear the ring of the debris.
- My final match assignment was a four-way women’s match consisting of Megan Meyers, Joseline Navarro, Katie Arquette and Skye. This was my first time refereeing a match with Meyers while I worked matches with the other three before. If you are a fan of Stephen King’s “It” then you will like Meyers’s gimmick. She is a female version of Pennywise – which frightened everyone in the ring (including me). She even utilized the infamous red balloon in a spot harkening back to the scene in which Pennywise takes Georgie down into the sewer in It, but this time with Skye.
- In a contrast from my last time at Revenge, I did not take any bumps. I cannot say the same for my fellow zebras, unfortunately. Sensation took a bump during the “Big League” John McChesney versus J-Rocc match, and so did Ross during the main event between “Big Time” Bill Collier and Pretty Boy Smooth. I helped both of them to the back after these matches.
- The drive home involved picking up some Sheetz for me and my wife, who waited at home. I also discovered a real good rock radio station in Erie: 104.9 FM – Rocket 105. It will be my knew “go-to” whenever I travel toward Pennsylvania for now on.
The next Revenge show will be on August 20 once again at the Avalon Hotel. I am not sure if I will be booked on it yet. However, my next event will be for Empire State Wrestling on Saturday for Brawlfest at Buffalo RiverWorks.
As always, thank you for reading.
Please be well to yourself and to others.
