Approximately 240 wrestling fans, and those curious as to what it was, showed up to watch 10 wrestlers battle it out. A large portion of the crowd were children, who brought their parents and other family members. They cheered and booed while waving signs in the faces of the combatants.
The evening consisted of five bouts, with the final one being a tag-team match. Dr. Marty Goldstein, CWE’s Live Event Host and Producer, served as ring announcer and kept the evening moving smoothly, despite some hiccups with the sound system.
The first match featured “Rebel” Bobby Collins facing the young upstart Josh “Cheeks”Holliday. The crowd was definitely in Holliday’s corner. It was a back-and-forth contest, with each wrestler seeming to have the upper hand at times. The bout came to a surprising end when Collins executed a flying leap, only to end up on his back under a three-count pin by Holliday.
Next on the card came a confrontation between the local guy, Kevin Cannon (‘The Mastermind’) and ‘Pitbull’ Robby Royce, who entered the ring flailing a chain which seemed to intimidate his opponent. Cannon was hesitant about stepping into the ring, choosing to stay outside the ropes for a while. Finally, the chain was confiscated and the bout began. Surprisingly, Cannon was the villain in the eyes of the crowd. The match came to a quick end when a third wrestler – J L Spiker – entered the ring in an effort to prevent Cannon from being pinned. This caused The Monster Brax to rush into the ring to prevent double teaming and clear the ring. As a result, Cannon was disqualified, handing the victory to Royce.
When Cannon exited the ring, he was challenged by Royce to a tag-team bout. Cannon accepted, declared that if his team won, wrestling would never be seen in Melita again.
That tag-team event turned out to be the closing match of the evening, keeping the fans in deep suspense.
Before that took place, there were two more matches to take place. The third featured a battle between “Hotshot” Danny Duggan (who, incidentally is the founder of CWE) and “Sweet” Bobby Schink. Duggan instantly became the villain by entering in American garb. As the bout progressed, he seemed to be in control throughout. Time and time again, Schink escaped the three-count issued by referee Cam Ross. At one point, he was knocked out of the ring onto the arena floor. Thankfully, several fans helped him up and were able to get him back into the ring. He rewarded their efforts by turning the tables on Duggan and pinning him. As he was leaving, he gave many of his fans a swig of his “Uncle Bobby’s Maple Syrup”.
After a short intermission, that gave the crowd an opportunity to buy merchandise and refreshments, the event resumed.
Fourth on the card was the battle between Ronnie Attitude and “Sensational” Scott Ripley. Before the contest began, Ripley was hamming it up with the crowd. ‘Attitude’ surprised him by sneaking up from behind and starting the match early. Ripley recovered early and seemed to be getting the upper hand, but when Attitude was sent out of the ring, he called for a time-out. When he re-entered the ring, he was a different wrestler. Believe it or not, Ripley quickly found himself on his back, pinned for the loss. As Attitude stood up, he showed his contempt for Ripley by sneezing several times on him.
That brought the evening to the grand finale, the main event. It was a tag-team match featured the local boy and his partner, J L Spiker versus “Pitbull” Robby Royce and “The Monster Brax”. Again, the event was a seesaw battle and saw the rivals stepping in and out of the ring as they were tagged. Spiker and Brax, the youngest of the four, were also the heavyweights, tipping the scales at more than 300 lbs. A wrestling rarity took place to bring the battle to an end. With all four in the ring at the same time, Cannon and Spiker were pinned to the mat at the same moment.
The evening ended with the fans having a chance to meet all the wrestlers. They lined up to get autographs and photos.
They all went home happy. Not only had their favourite villain, the local boy, Cannon, been beaten twice, but his second loss ensured that wrestling would return to Melita in the future.
by PAUL KIMBALL