Ladies and gentlemen, Tri-State Wrestling makes its long awaited return to the Blue Jeans Center in Monroe City, Indiana this weekend. And if you don’t know why this is significant, let us fill you in. This is one of the venues that TSW started with. There’s a lot of wrestling history in the hallowed halls of the one-time small town school turned community center.
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On June 11th, the company makes its grand return and the cherry on top is that all of the money raised will go toward preserving the Blue Jeans Center which is a hub of activity for the small town. It’s one of the most important resources for the community there and it’s vital that it gets the funding it needs to continue operating and make necessary repairs and upgrades.
This is also the last show before Night of Champions at the Vincennes Eagles on June 25th. Speaking of which – spread it around like wild fire that the doors will open at 5:30 for Night of Champions because 10 Count Blog is doing a live podcast before the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
We’ve been given the honor and privilege of revealing the card for this weekend’s event and it’s a good one. Remember, the card is subject to change because this is Indie Wrestling – but here’s what we’ve been given so far.
Match 1 – Single One Fall Exodus the Executioner vs. Rough Rider Roy.
This one will be interesting. Last month at TSW Proving Grounds at the Vincennes Eagles, Rough Rider Roy was scheduled to appear in a match with his usual partner – D.O.C – and Johnnie Watts against The Chaos Carnival and Dawn The Ref. As we all know, Dawn betrayed Johnnie after a disastrous match at the May 14th Proving Grounds in Princeton and then teamed up with Chaos Carnival – dealing Johnnie a low blow in the process – at Proving Grounds on May 28th.
Well, Rough Rider Roy simply didn’t show up for that match, leaving Johnnie and DOC to gut out a hard fought win in a handicapped tag match.
We still don’t know why that happened, but lets hope he’s prepared because he’s going to take on one of the baddest guys in the company in Exodus this weekend. Roy hasn’t been in action since Tag Team Warfare and I look for him to have to knock a little rust off. Meanwhile, Exodus has been putting in some overtime – and recently had a pretty good showing in a Proving Grounds match against Benny Bray and Yusev Bey Merrick. You can believe Roy’s going to give him a fight, but whether it’s enough or not will be the question.
Prediction: Exodus
Match 2 – Single One Fall Baron Darhk Vs. Will Bray
I don’t like to say that there’s no hope, but in this match, Baron Darhk will have a tall order. He takes on the number one contender for the TSW World Heavyweight Championship in Will Bray who’s coming off a loss at May 28th’s Proving Grounds. He’s going to be at the top of his game because at Night of Champions he takes on Zack Hogan in an I Quit match.
Baron is coming off a win in his last match against Private Michael Roberts, but it took some interference from Sweet Daddy B to make that happen. And with all due respect to Private Roberts – he’s green and not quite at the level Will Bray is at. It’s going to take all the dirty tactics in the book to get Baron Darhk over Will that night and even then its likely that it won’t be enough.
Prediction: Will Bray
Match 3 – Tag Team Elimination Match The Chaos Carnival (Blaine Black and Anderson Grimm) vs. The Devil Dogs (SSgt. Stanley Roberts and Private Michael Roberts)
This will be fun to watch. Blaine and Anderson have really gelled well as a team since the injury to Patrik Taylor. It’s almost as if he’s become another member of the Carnival altogether – you know, the guy that runs the games and swindles you out of your money or maybe the fire breather…. the point is, he and Blaine are clicking.
They take on one of the most popular tag teams in the company, the father/son duo of SSgt. Stanley Roberts and Private Michael Roberts. They’ve been working separately the last few shows since Tag Team Warfare, but the last time they were together, they took out the Axis and proved that they are the formidable force that they’re expected to be.
With this being an elimination style match, any number of scenarios can play out, but both teams will be looking for the early elimination to stack the odds in their favor. The most likely target will be Sarge. Get rid of the biggest threat early on and then conventional wisdom says a young Private Roberts vs. Anderson Grimm, Blaine Black and Sweet Daddy B in the corner doesn’t bode well for the Devil Dogs – although, i wouldn’t say its a “sure thing.”
Prediction: Devil Dogs (Sarge gets the pin)
Match 4 – Single One Fall Johnnie Watts Vs. Dawn The Ref.
This may be the saddest story in the company. Long time friends and tag partners Johnnie and Dawn, torn apart. At the May 11th show, as we mentioned earlier, Johnnie and Dawn lost a hard fought match to the Chaos Carnival and after the match, Dawn, shoved Johnnie and stormed off.
On May 28th, Dawn completed the betrayal by teaming up with the Chaos Carnival and fighting against Johnnie in what was supposed to be a 6-Man Tag Match.
And now, they collide 1-on-1. It seems Dawn has no remorse for her actions. And we all know that Johnnie is a good hearted human being who is reeling emotionally after the loss of a friend. I look for him to try and talk to Dawn rather than fight her – even if he is forced to wrestle his former friend – it’s a toss up as to where his head is.
Remember, Night of Champions will be a special evening for Johnnie because he’s honoring his fallen friend – Drake Graven/Jesse Meredith. He’s got a lot on his plate right now and this betrayal by Dawn may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Prediction: Dawn the Ref
Match 5 – AWA Memorial Title Match Benny Bray vs. Big T Thomas Moore.
This will be the first time we get to see Big T in action since his change of heart at Tag Team Warfare and he’s in a match that will test that new found attitude.
Benny Bray is a frustratingly brilliant opponent. He’s the king of self-preservation and slowing down his opponent’s momentum all in one fell swoop. He’ll get out of the ring right after a big move and then wait until your guard is down to rejoin the match. He’s crafty and cunning.
Big T will need to have razor sharp focus in this match and keep from becoming distracted by the wear down tactics of Bray. The minute he loses focus, Benny is going to make his move and once he’s overpowered you, it’s game over.
But don’t count out Big T just yet. He’s also one of the more seasoned wrestlers on the Indie scene in this area. Just because he’s a good guy now, doesn’t mean that he’s lost any steps. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, this guy is Stan Hansen incarnate and he’s a tough son-of-a-gun. He’s got one heluva top rope elbow.
Prediction: Benny Bray
Match 6 – Single One Fall Terance Vs. SSgt. Stanley Roberts
The Sarge is pulling double duty against two opponents that are going to try every dirty tactic in the book to beat him. I’m afraid to say that if the first one doesn’t get him, the second one just may.
Terance is coming off a match on May 28th against AJ Riley. Riley won the match, but it wasn’t by pinning the champ. Terance walked away and got himself counted out. While he retained his title, he pissed of AJ in the process. He and Riley will meet in a match at Night of Champions for the Southern Title and there’s a stipulation on it that will keep Terance from cheating: Falls Count Anywhere. That means no DQ, no count-outs, no funny business from Sweet Daddy that results in a cheap loss/win for either guy.
Unfortunately, Sarge is going to get the full effect. There are no special rules to speak of, no stipulations to keep Terrance from just walking away – but he may not anyway because it doesn’t matter if he loses this match (at least not to him) because the title’s not on the line.
Ultimately, I believe fatigue and dirty tactics will play a role in this match, but it’s never over til it’s over and you can’t count out a U.S. Marine.
Prediction: Sarge Via Countout
Main Event – Zach Hogan vs. a Surprise Opponent.
On June 25th At Night of Champions, Zach Hogan will defend his TSW World Heavyweight Championship against Will Bray in an I Quit match. He’s going to be looking for a tune up match before then. Is this where he gets it? Possibly. But I believe this match will go in a different direction.
You have the current world champion in the place where the first world champion was crowned. There’s an opportunity for something really special here. Maybe a past champion comes in for a match – like Bareback Jack or Sam Knight. Maybe for one night only one of the original TSW Stars returns for a final match in the place where it all began.
There are a lot of faces we could see. Zane Arkham answered the open challenge on May 11th in Princeton – maybe he makes an appearance. He’s been cleared by his cancer doctors to compete. Maybe it’s someone completely new to TSW who’s never wrestled a match for the company. That would be a hell of an opportunity for a young guy coming up.
Whoever the opponent is though, I look for Zach to give them the match of their life. He’s going to be at the top of his game in his preparations for Will and the I Quit match.
Prediction: Zach Hogan wins.
Bonus!
In addition to the awesome card of matches on June 11th, we’ll also be treated to a contract signing between Zach Hogan and Will Bray to make the Title Match official. There’s a lot of animosity between these two guys and watch out – it might get ugly.
Prediction: The contract gets signed, a scuffle breaks out and Will Bray Stands tall in the ring holding Zach’s title.
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