Boo: Bring on the Carnage

Carnage chokes out Curly
AAPW Collision
Photo courtesy: Adam Testa

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

The very first independent wrestling show I ever attended in southern Illinois was an IWA:Midsouth show called "April Blood Showers."  I was actually the ring announcer for the night, so I got to hang out backstage and meet all the wrestlers.  Among the talent on the card that night, a masked man by the name of Carnage.

He was a massive individual, very menacing and certainly living up to the name that his moniker implied.  He battled CJ Otis that night and even though Carnage didn't get his hand raised, Carnage displayed brutality and raw strength that I would come to see again and again on the southern Illinois indie scene.

Shortly after All American Pro Wrestling had its debut show, I attended an event a few weeks later (I was in Europe for the inaugural show).  Carnage was on the show and defeated Ax Stevens.  Again, Carnage impressed me, going toe to toe with Stevens (who is now Ax Allwardt).  This time the hooded menace won.

Inflicting pain on Jay Spade
AAPW Fan Fest 2011
Photo courtesy: Adam Testa

Little did I know that many years later I would be a part of the AAPW family and calling matches involving Carnage.  He ended up being one of the final participants in the first ever Saluki Maroon Melee during the second episode of AAPW Collision.  The much larger Mississippi Madman tossed Carnage to the floor before eliminating Allwardt for the win.  Carnage also showed up at last year's Fan Fest, defeating Jay Spade in a body slam challenge.  The much smaller Spade actually slammed Carnage from the top rope after a failed attempt to fly.  However, the referee was knocked down before the move, and didn't see the slam.  Being the diabolical player that he is, Carnage took advantage of that fact and easily slammed Spade and won the contest.

We haven't seen Carnage lately in AAPW, but through the years he's proven to me and the fans that he is a force to be reckon with.  He's likely lingering in parts unknown, perhaps plotting to destroy all that is good in the world.  He's one dude I would not like to run into in a dark alley.