WWE Hall of Famer heading to IWA-Productions

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

One of the greatest tag teams of all time is without a doubt the Road Warriors. I remember at an early age seeing Hawk and Animal in action in the AWA. The duo was like no other at the time. Face paint, crazy haircuts, spikes and lots of muscle. The Legion of Doom rolled through everyone they faced eventually winning the gold in the AWA, NWA and WWF. 

Courtesy: WWE 

Sadly, half of the team, Hawk, died in 2003. Animal has continued on and had a brief run in WWE in 2006. I saw him at the Bacon, Bagels and Biceps Brunch at WrestleMania 22. Then in 2011, I was in the crowd as the Warriors and their longtime manager "Precious" Paul Ellering were inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame.

Now the Legend is headed to southern Illinois. Animal will be at IWA Productions this Saturday night (Nov. 17) at the Mt. Vernon Elks Lodge. Tickets for the evening, just ten bucks and proceeds go to the Team Cuff Youth Wrestling program. Many of you read my blogs about Stride Pro Wrestling and you'll see many members from that roster Saturday including Ax Allwardt, Dexter Roswell, Heath Hatton, El Magnifico, Jay Spade, Farmer Billy Hills and Hollywood Redneck.

I'm looking forward to this show as it'll be my first opportunity to meet Animal. It's also been more than a month since I've announced an entire show. Last weekend I did the Impact Wrestling tryout but it's not quite the same as announcing in front of a live crowd of fans. Be sure to join us. Bell time is 7 p.m.

Buy the Centmas Vacation shirt here

Four moving on in Stride Cup Tournament

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Last month, the opening round of the Stride Cup Tournament started. Eight competitors took part in the inaugural event. Ace Hawkins, Jose Magnifico, JD Wilk and a mystery man have all advanced. This evening (Feb. 3) they'll compete in two different matches. Hawkins will clash with the masked man who appeared out of the darkness in January, while Magnifico battles Wilk. 

Ace Hawkins vs. Anoyomous
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

It's really hard to predict a winner in this situation. Three of these four men have been a big part of Stride in recent months and have shown they're among the best on the roster. The masked competitor (I've been given no information on his identity or even his name) was impressive in his debut, beating Shane Lauder in just over three seconds and carrying his foe back to the locker room. 

I don't think he'll have as easy of a night against Hawkins, who beat former Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion (and Legacy Champ) Heath Hatton to advance. Yes, I know Hatton had been attacked by the DR Party, but a victory is a victory. Hawkins is well-seasoned on the indy scene, holding the MWR Championship right now and competing for companies around the country and even parts of Europe. 

Wilk vs. Magnifico
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Speaking of international experience, Magnifico is a product of Mexico... Missouri. He's the finest luchador from the Midwest, that's for sure. But he'll be in there with a hungry and more aggressive JD Wilk. I'm not sure what's up with JD's attitude lately, but something has changed in this young man's life. I'm not saying I dislike it, I think the new attitude has resulted in more prospects for the Poplar Bluff native. 

Find out who advances to the finals of the Stride Cup Tournament. Bell time is 6:30 p.m. at the Multipurpose Gym on the campus of John A. Logan College in Carterville. 

Stride's cup runneth over

The Stride Cup (date will change)
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Stride Pro Wrestling's talent pool is deep. From established veterans (and by no mean do I mean old guys) like Heath Hatton, Ax Allwardt, Ace Hawkins and El Magnifico to upcoming talent like JD Wilk, Brian Richards and Shane Lauder the roster is stacked. All seven of these men have a common goal in 2018. They're competing to be the first ever Stride Cup tournament winner. 

General manager Sam Hunter announced this concept a few months ago. This single elimination eight-man tournament kicks off this Saturday night at the Illinois Star Centre Mall. Notice I said eight men are involved but only listed seven competitors. That's because the remaining contestant has not been revealed yet. But we do know the opening round will be exciting and the honor of winning the cup could go to anyone involved.

The scheduled matches include Allwardt facing off against Wilk. It's a classic old school vs. new school matchup. WWE pay per view alumni Hatton and Hawkins square off. El Magnifico goes at it again against Richards. And Lauder drew the short straw facing an opponent no one is certain of. 

I know it hasn't even been a month yet and we had two shows in December, but I've missed my friends in Stride. I can't wait to be a part of the show and all the upcoming events planned in 2018. It's going to be an exciting year for Stride Pro Wrestling. Thanks for being a part and if you haven't checked it out yet, what are you waiting for?

Promo code: MY123CENTS

Foreign Object Friday: Jose Magnifico's pinata

Jose Magnifico
Courtesy: Steve Belcher 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

There's something infectious about Jose Magnifico and his ring entrance at Stride Pro Wrestling. When his music hits the fans immediately cheer. This Lucha star from Mexico, Missouri comes in his traditional mask, sombrero and sarape. He also has a pinata filled with candy in hand.

Those pinatas are the focus of today's post. You wouldn't expect the party favor to be used as a foreign object, but by definition, that's exactly what these items are. Typically speaking, the pinata stays intact and El Magnifico returns to the locker room with it. However, I've seen some wrestlers get hit over the head with the candy-filled objects.

Ole
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Jose himself has been victimized by his own pinata. The only benefit to someone busting one open is the candy that spills in the ring and onto the arena floor. Kids ringside scoop up handfuls of the treats to enjoy.

El Magnifico returns this Saturday night. This time he'll have Chris Hargas on his side as this new tag team faces off against DR Party members Nathan Brag and Brian Richards. Perhaps the pinata can counteract the ruthless party members from using their campaign sign for Dexter Roswell. Join us Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion.

It's (DR) Party time!

The DR Party
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The DR Party is at it again. Lead by Dexter Roswell, the group claims they're trying to make Stride Pro Wrestling great again. Brian Richards and Nathan Brag, along with their leader failed to do that at the most recent Stride show, Return. Roswell came up short in his quest for the Legacy Championship. To be fair, he did not get pinned in the fatal four-way matchup. But his cohorts each came up short in their matches against Cash Borden and Farmer Billy Hills respectively.

Dexter Roswell helps Eugene Drip freshen up
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Now the trio will come together in six man tag team competition at Saturday night's Summer Showdown event. They'll face Borden along with Eugene Drip and Jose Magnifico at Summersville Grade School in Mt. Vernon. Drip and Magnifico came together to face Stride tag team champions Maximum Overdrive recently. The duo didn't win the gold but put up a valiant fight against Ax Allwardt and Scott Phoenix. 

Cash Borden
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Borden has always been a solid performer and will likely take the lead role in this trio. I would suspect he is the exact opposite of what the DR Party considers to be "great." Roswell has no doubt been boosting the morale of his teammates this week and will pick apart the weaknesses of their opponents. Despite his smug attitude, Roswell is an intelligent performer. Will the brains of the DR Party overcome the determination and spirit of Borden, Magnifico and Eugene? Join us Saturday night and find out. Bell time is 6:30 p.m. but come at 5 o'clock for a meet and greet with WWE Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton. 

The Fabulous Tony Flood

The Fabulous Tony Flood 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Fans, wrestlers and management of Stride Pro Wrestling have been fooled for the last few months. At the show in January, general manager Sam Hunter fired Tony Flood for attacking and injuring Legacy champion Jerry Travelstead prior to a title defense. Flood was physically removed from the building by security but somehow ended up backstage later in the night, dressed as a luchador named Alejandro Fabuloso. 

El Magnifico & El Fabuloso
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

El Fabuloso debuted that night as the tag team partner for El Magnifico. I'd never given it much thought as both luchadors showed up to Stride shows already with their masks on. They spoke broken English and I haven't really used my Spanish minor from 20+ years ago much so I never had much interaction with either man. 

Ref bump

At the No Love Lost show in February, Fabuloso won a fatal four-way to become the number one contender to the Legacy Championship. Then at the One Year Anniversary Show in March, Fabuloso got his shot. Late in the match, referee Lane Austin got knocked down and that's when Alexxa Flood emerged with a chair. She hit the champ a couple times with it. Fabuloso stopped that attack, only to blast T-Dawg several more times, rendering the champ unconscious and pinning him for the belt. 

Attacked!

GM Hunter was understandably upset with the actions and demanded Fabuloso unmask immediately. He did and Tony Flood then explained his actions and how he'd even fooled Hunter. When Alejandro Fabuloso signed the contract he actually did it as Anthony Flood, making the deal to return ironclad. But Hunter has promised Flood isn't going to catch a break. So the next few months should be interesting, to say the least.

The happy couple

Congratulations to Flood for fooling all of us and finally capturing gold in Stride. However, I don't envy you at all as your actions (along with Alexxa's) may end up costing you in the long run. Good luck.