Sometimes when people watch a movie, relive sports moments, and check out archived wrestling footage, people ask “what if?” What if Batman and Iron Man went Head-to-head? What if Gretzky played at the same time as Ovechkin? Or what if Sting and the Undertaker fought in their prime? Well, in terms of Alberta Wrestling we saw a sample of that this past Friday night, when worlds collide.
One of the greatest desires of talent and loyal wrestling fans in Alberta (most notably Edmonton) is the thought of a “supercard”. A night where all local promotions combine together for a showcase of the best the province has to offer. For a long time, this idea seemed completely out of reach. For more opinions on that, please check out Spencer Love’s column on WinColumnSports.ca and here.
However, this past weekend had the perfect opportunity to witness these moments. Wrestling had returned to my home town of Radway, a little Hamlet 1 hour Northeast of Edmonton. With no restrictions on talent outside of the major centres, many of these #IndyDream Matches have the stage to take place, and oh boy did we get one.
When Worlds Collide
In one corner, we had Michael Richard Blais. If that name sounds familiar, it may be because he recently appeared in a match against Hideo Itami on 205 Live. He has also appeared on Monday Night Raw as one of the cannon fodder for Braun Strowman, as well as a tag partner for the man known as Lars Sullivan in NXT against Team DIY. He has also appeared in Evolve and ASW in Florida, as well as competed in featured bouts against the likes of Cody Rhodes and Jay Lethal.
So to say that the protégé of TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd in WWE) has the credentials to be a top star is a bit of an understatement. In my opinion, Blais is the one wrestler in Alberta that is most ready for the major promotions and is more than capable of putting on tv quality matches every week. His current home base is in the Prairie Wrestling Alliance (PWA), and no matter where he is located on the card his match is always the most talked about. “God’s Gift to Wrestling” isn’t just a moniker, it’s a way of life to MRB.
MRB vs Pride
His opponent, Pride, is one of the fastest rising stars in Alberta Wrestling. Its clear that this is what will happen when worlds collide. Since turning heel mid-2017, Pride has found this level of comfort in his work, consistently producing the highest quality of matches. His major victories include Dylon Stone, whom he defeated for the CWC Alberta Title, and Danno Burns, whom he beat for the RCW Junior Heavyweight Championship. He currently fights out of the Canadian Wrestling Coalition (CWC) and is currently the most hated wrestler in Alberta. Pride is just not a name, but it is what he brings in every match and promo he fires our way. He is a #ChampChamp in many different respects.
The Buildup
In the buildup to this match, I have never seen this kind of back and forth on social media, where both guys were cutting each other up in promo video after promo video. These two were bringing their A-game. After Pride had his accompaniment Envy slap me to start out the show in front of a much larger house than either the building or the promotion was expecting, the match was set.
So we have a top star in PWA taking on a top star in CWC, in a RCW ring this is what it sounds like when worlds collide… and it was a mat classic. Officiated by one of the best officials in Alberta, Ben Oomen from Monster Pro Wrestling, this match had it all. A very intense technical phase, with both men seeing what the other had, to having Blais showing his experience early. Pride was getting frustrated, as he was being topped at every turn. A momentary distraction of Blais by Envy turned the tide for Pride, allowing him to establish control.
An All-Out Attack
This was followed by both men exchanging finishers, with Blais hitting his Brainbuster and 450 splash, and Pride hitting his “Swallowed Pride” codebreaker and the Smirking Revenge Elbow from the top rope. Blais almost had Pride tapped out from a Sharpshooter, only to be broken up by a picture-perfect Superkick from Envy. Even after a Brainbuster from the top rope by Pride, the “Pride of the Fallen” would not stay down. As Blais was going for a third Brainbuster, something I could never have imagine happened.
Charging out the front door of the building into the ring is none other than the Pure Power Wrestling Champion Chris Perish, wearing a Monster Pro Wrestling T-Shirt. Perish clocked Blais with the Title, followed by Pride. After beating down both competitors, Perish grabs the mic and declares that HE is the best that Alberta has to offer. So at this moment, the top stars from PPW, CWC and, PWA are in an RCW ring, all claiming to be the best!!! Add in the RCW into the mix, as there was an incident at the Lakeland Pro Wrestling Show the following night between Perish and the RCW Canadian Champion Christian Strife, where Pride got involved in their match, and we have a real controversy on our hands.
What happens going forward is truly unclear.
As host for RCW this past Friday, I was allowed to book a match between Pride and Perish. This was for RCW in Bruderheim. It is about 30 minutes east of Edmonton on February 23. As well, Perish, Pride and Blais are advertised for RCW’s return to Radway March 29. I’m not sure how this is going to be settled. But in 2019 I expect to see a ton of dream matches that I never expected to see before. And I am salivating over the thought of seeing when worlds collide, and recording them for Backbreaker Media. Check out this match, and the entire card, coming to Powerslam TV (search for Backbreaker Media) and backbreakervod.pivotshare.com .
GET READY FOR A WILD RIDE!!! #ALBERTAWRESTLING
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