RCW Returns To Where It All Began

On Saturday July 1st, River City Wrestling held a show at the Hope of Glory Church aptly named "RCW Returns To Where It All Began." A little less than a year ago, RCW spearheaded the renewal of the local wrestling scene at the church, so it was fitting that Hope of Glory was honored by RCW and it fans in this way.

The six-match card started as usual when ring announcer Jeff Houston introduced RCW owner Brandon Oliver who led the count down to kick off the TV Taping. (RCW Rampage airs every week on KCWX UPN 2 Friday mornings at 12:30 AM) New TV Title Champion Andrew Dalton of the Hardbodies was the first wrestler out, followed shortly by referee Alex Marrozos. Dalton announced that before the first match, he would treat the crowd to a pose down with his opponent. When Fast Eddie Vegas and Mr. Yebisu came out to accept the challenge, Dalton seemed surprisingly optimistic about his prospects in the pose down. Imagine his surprise when the fans seemed to prefer Fast Eddie's physique to Andrew's "Hard Body." When the fight finally got underway, the two combatants treated the fans to an entertaining match and it seemed as though Dalton's reign as TV champion would be a short one. But a missed opportunity for Yebisu and Eddie backfired and Dalton was able to convince the referee that he had been the victim of an attack with the championship belt. Alex called for the bell, disqualifying Eddie and Andrew escaped with his belt.

After the first match, Jeff and Brandon returned. Introducing first Kat, the winner of the first ever RCW Diva Search. Kat had the honor of drawing the name of the RCW fans of the month - The 2 Crew. Congratulations T2C!

The second match featured the RCW debuts of two wrestlers. First out was Vega, who has appeared in matches for other local promotions. Vega's opponent Alcatraz came out next in shackles and the tell-tale orange clothing associated with prisoners. The two fought a hard hitting match, but when the action spilled out onto the floor, the violent nature of Alcatraz proved too much for Vega. When they rolled back into the ring, Alcatraz slapped on his "Lockdown" submission and Vega was forced to tap out.

In the third match, RCW's Bling King Quinten Allen was expecting to put on a "wrestling clinic" for the crowd, but when Ikaika came out, Allen expressed concern that Ikaika only knew power wrestling. In truth, Ikaika proved Quinten wrong, as the two were able to exchange quite a series of technical wrestling. Every move Quinten tried, Ikaika countered, and when the wrestling turned to power, Ikaika's advantage became apparent. It was fitting in this "wrestling Clinic" that Ikaika finished off Quinten Allen with a Samoan Drop followed by a variation of the Texas Cloverleaf submission. The Bling King had no choice but to tap.

Following an intermission, the crowd was treated to a match between Martin Styles and Masada. Both of these wrestlers impressed by demonstrating at first the ability to wrestle in a more traditional style than the Hard Core and High Risk styles for which the pair are each known. The crowd appreciated the expertise exhibited by the wrestlers, but when the action went to the floor, the crowd excitement rose through the roof. When Masada executed a piledriver on Styles atop 2 folded steel chairs and gained the pin, the crowd went wild for Masada. Then as Martin Styles was being helped to the back, a "thank you Styles" chant started from the crowd. Afterwards, this match was referred to as a "Match of the Year" candidate and many in the crowd whole-heartedly agreed.

The next match was for the RCW Tag Titles. Fans who had missed the recent broadcast of "RCW Rampage" were surprised to find out that the Texas Treats had won and lost the belts in one night eight days ago, beating the Nerdy Boys and losing the belts shortly there after when the Shadow Alliance of Joey Spector and Wally Darkmon surprised them by pinning them during a post match interview. The Texas Treats were determined to get their belts back against the new champions. With the support of the "Treats in Training" in the crowd, Don Juan and Chris Marval used every trick in their play book to seize an advantage over Darkmon and Spector, keeping Spector in the ring for most of the match as Darkmon struggled to control his emotions in repeated efforts to save his partner. The Champs staged a comeback but not for long. Just as The Treats seemed ready to execute their finisher, the familiar Texas Treats Theme music sounded. From out of the back appeared the Nerdy Boys dressed as "the Rice Krispie Treats." Distracted by this intrusion, the Treats found themselves on a sudden reversal of fortune and the Champions scored the pin. But the surprises were not to end here. When The Nerdy Boys turned on the champions, slamming them with chairs and knocking them out, the crowd was stunned.

In the main event, RCW Champion Hotstuff Hernandez faced the challenge of perhaps the most popular wrestler in RCW, One Man Mike Dell. Despite the crowd support, Dell faced an uphill battle against Hernandez, who had previously declared that the match was under "HCW Rules - Hotstuff Championship Wrestling" and was therefore not for the belt. Dell was not dissuaded and proceeded to offer the larger Hernandez everything the champ could handle. Hotstuff controlled much of the action and when referee Alex Marrozos was knocked out, both wrestlers had opportunities for the victory. As Hotstuff stretched his advantage over Dell, Ikaika ran in from the back and attacked Hernandez. Dell was able to grab the pin just as the referee regained his composure, counting the one-two-three. When Jeff Houston announced Dell "The Winner and New RCW Heavyweight Champion" the crowd exploded in excitement. Hernandez would have none of this though and called RCW President Brandon Oliver to the ring. This was not a championship match, Hernandez insisted and if Oliver did not give him back the belt, there would be hell to pay. Oliver did not agree though. The match was a championship match, but... since Ikaika had interfered on Dells behalf, Oliver had the authority as an official of RCW to overturn the decision, awarding the match and championship to Hernandez as a result of a disqualification. Everyone involved agreed that this situation was far from over.

The next two events for RCW have already been announced, with July 29th at the Hope of Glory Church and August 5 back at Tiffany Billiards for Breaking All Of The Rules II. BaoT2 will be a hardcore wrestling event and may not be suitable for all fans, especially the younger fans or those bothered by extreme action. Check out the RCW website for details www.rcw-wrestling.net

River City Wrestling
Hope of Glory Church
Saturday, July 1, 2006

Match # 1 - TV Title Match
Challenger Fast Eddie Vegas w/ Mr. Yebisu vs. Champion Hardbody Andrew Dalton (win by DQ and retains title)
Match # 2 - Vega vs. Alcatraz (win-submission)
Match # 3 - Quinten Allen vs. Ikaika (win-submission)
Match # 4 - Martin Styles vs. Masada (win)
Match # 5 - Tag Title Match
Challengers The Texas Treats - Don Juan & Chris Marval w/ Yebisu vs. Champions Joey Spector & Wally Darkmon (win & retain title)
Match # 6 - Heavyweight Championship
Challenger One Man Mike Dell vs. Champion Hotstuff Hernandez (win by DQ and retains title)