It's (DR) Party time!

The DR Party
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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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. 

Bob Orton cost me a shot at tag team gold

Farmer's proposal to team up
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I hope no one took the title on this blog too serious, as I am kidding around. But I did want to take the chance to write more about the upcoming Stride Pro Wrestling benefit show this Saturday night. Money raised at this event goes to the YouthBuild program of Jefferson and Marion Counties. On the show, “Farmer” Billy Hills teams with WWE Hall of Famer Bob Orton against Stride Pro Wrestling tag team champions, Ax Allwardt and Scott Phoenix. The duo known as Maximum Overdrive had a successful defense this past Saturday night. And as I found out, their manager J. Wellington Beauregard is quite confident his team will beat “the Farmer and the retired wrestler.”

Farmer vs. Hargas
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

The reason I throw my name into the mix is that at the Brave the Storm show in April, Farmer beat Chris Hargas to earn the tag title match and pick the partner of their choice. As Farmer made his way back to the locker room, we met on the ramp. He took the mic and teased the crowd that he’d pick me to be his second in that all-important championship encounter. The proposal took me off guard and there were no real plans for that to happen, but it did get me thinking about stepping through the ropes again.

Chances are you know that I have had one match, nearly five-and-a-half years ago. You can watch it on YouTube and hear the story behind it on the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. I was hesitant to ever wrestle because I wasn’t a big fan of the Michael Cole-Jerry Lawler storyline in WWE prior to what we worked out in All American Pro Wrestling.

Winner, winner chicken dinner

But in the end, I think our fans enjoyed the story and the payoff. I know I had a blast, but at the same time respect every single man and woman who has ever wrestled. It’s no easy task and the fact that they put their bodies on the line on a regular basis is nothing short of inspiring.

The bottom line for this whole blog is to say that if the right opportunity comes along, then yes I would get in the ring again. I’m not going to lie, I liked the attention my match garnered in 2012. I also like the fact that I can say I’m still undefeated after all these years.

All hail King Neville

The King of the Cruiserweights
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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"The King of the Cruiserweights" Neville survived another match against Austin Aries. This time the two went at it in a submission match at Extreme Rule 2017. In my predictions blog, I expressed my hope that Neville would survive this match but thought in the end that A Double would finally get a taste of WWE gold. Much to my surprise Neville won the match and retained the championship he won back at the Royal Rumble, making him the longest reigning current champion in WWE.

Courtesy: WWE

That speaks volumes for Neville. I'm the first to admit, I'm a huge fan (some will say mark) of Neville's. If you've read this blog before you know the story, but in case you forgot, we met in 2012 at an indy show (AAPW) when I was doing commentary and wrestling. Neville was Pac then and was brought into battle El Generico that night. Much to my surprise at WrestleMania XXX Axxess he remembered me and again at a meet & greet for WrestleMania 32. 

Courtesy: WWE

But put my bias to the side, it's hard to deny Neville is quite an athlete. His aerial assault has lessened since turning heel, but his Red Arrow is one of the most impressive moves in the business today. A couple years ago, after debuting on the main roster, I thought Neville might become King of the Ring. Bad News Barrett ended up beating Neville in the finals. In hindsight, I'm glad that happened. It seems what Neville ultimately needed was a change of attitude. The mean streak he's displayed since returning to the ring in 2016 has worked.

Courtesy: WWE

He may not be the King of the Ring, but he is THE King of the Cruiserweights. Hopefully, he moves on now after beating Aries three times on pay per view to a new challenge. This will help develop new talent on that roster and showcase the skills of the Superstar once known as "The Man Gravity Forgot." I should also note, I believe the matches against Aries have helped elevate Neville as well. And who can forget the recent endorsement Neville received from Kurt Angle? I totally agree and hope one day he transitions into a contender for the Universal or WWE Heavyweight Championships. 

Stride Pro Wrestling 'Return' could be Flood's downfall

GM Hunter & Flood
Courtesy: Jamie Myers

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Stride Pro Wrestling returned to the Illinois Star Centre Mall with the appropriately titled show Return. In the opening moments of the show, Legacy Champion Tony Flood voiced his frustration with General Manager Sam Hunter and told him he's tired of wrestling former champ "T-Dog" Jerry Travelstead. In fact, he's so tired of it, Flood added a stipulation that could lead to his own demise in Stride Pro Wrestling.

Before facing T-Dog, Dexter Roswell and Joey O'Riley in a fatal four way for the Legacy Title, Flood promised Hunter that if he loses at the June 10 Stride show, he will retire from wrestling, no questions asked. Flood will defend his title against T-Dog in a one-on-one encounter that night.

RKO from the top by Tony Flood
Courtesy: Robert Young

This stipulation took many fans (myself included) by surprise. Flood survived the fatal four way by pinning T-Dog. He is confident he will be able to do the same thing at Summersville Grade School this Saturday night. I should note Alexxa Flood was ringside and once again played a factor in the match, slamming T-Dog to the hard, unprotected floor.

With the stakes this high, Saturday's matchup between Flood and T-Dog will be more intense. Jerry could not only recapture the Legacy Title but rid Stride of his biggest nemesis. If Flood wins, T-Dog is out of luck when it comes to getting another shot at the gold and he gets to stick around and torment GM Hunter and others on the Stride roster. Remember, bell time is 6:30 p.m. at Summersville Grade School in Mt. Vernon. Here's a map to get there.

Extreme Rules predictions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Extreme Rules is set for Sunday night. For the last month or so my viewing of Raw has been minimal. I told the story already about the bunny chewing the cord to our DirectTV box. Once the company sent a new one, I was ready to go. But a storm moved through on Memorial Day night, knocking out the signal to our satellite. I did get to see part of the show and I've of course kept up online with what's happening. So here are some quick thoughts...

Rich Swann and Sasha Banks will beat Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. I have no basis on this call, other than I don't usually bet against Sasha Banks. 

I want Neville to retain the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in a submission match. But my gut tells me they're going to put the title on A Double. I don't have a problem with that, as I'm sure this will be another outstanding match between these two.

Alexa Bliss will retain the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley. These two are battling it out in a kendo stick on a pole match. I'm all in for Alexa and switching the title again this quick is not a good thing.

The Hardy Boys will lose the tag team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus. I love both of these tag teams, with Cesaro and Sheamus really coming into their own. Their evolution has been impressive through the last several months. Many believe (myself included) if the Hardys lose in the cage match, this will set them off to begin singles careers. I haven't read up on the lawsuit over the Broken gimmick, so I don't know what will be next for the duo.

I'm split on the Intercontinental Championship match. Until Elias Samson got involved in the angle I figured the Miz would beat Dean Ambrose and regain the gold. Now I'm not so sure. Of course, I thought Baron Corbin was going to win the title at WrestleMania, so my ability to successfully call IC title matches has been limited.

When it comes to the five way to determine the number on contender to the Universal Championship, it's literally anyone's match to win. I've read that each of these men will eventually face Brock Lesnar for the championship up until WrestleMania, it just depends on what order they want to go and how dominant Lesnar will remain. To me, the WrestleMania matchup should be Samoa Joe and Lesnar. But WWE thinking will be a rematch between Lesnar and Roman Reigns. I like Finn Balor a lot, but I don't see him being the guy to beat Lesnar for the belt, so I'm going to go with him to win this match at Extreme Rules and be fed to the Beast at Great Balls of Fire.

What are your picks for Extreme Rules? Weigh in here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media pages. 

Foreign Object Friday: The DR Party's campaign signs

The DR Party
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since debuting in December, Dexter Roswell has vowed to "make Stride Pro Wrestling great again." He and his bodyguard/tag team partner Brian Richards have tried doing this by some unconventional means, including recruiting referee Nathan Brag to join the cause.

Nathan Brag
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

The threesome continues to campaign on the platform of bringing greatness to Stride. They have the political signs to prove it, toting them to ringside when a DR Party member is in the ring. Sometimes the sign has been used to give party members an advantage.

Destroying the sign
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

But that's not always the case. In a recent match against Heath Hatton and Chris Hargas, the party found out the hard way not to use their sign. Both good guys got a hold of it and ripped the sign to shreds. However, I wouldn't put it past the devious DR Party members to come up with something new for the Stride Pro Wrestling Return. Each man is scheduled for competition, as Richards faces Hargas, Brag takes on Farmer Billy Hills and Roswell gets a shot at the Legacy Championship in a fatal four-way match. 

So will the DR Party get a boost in their approval ratings or will Stride fans vote down the threesome? Join us at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night at the Illinois Star Centre Mall and find out. Look for updates on the Stride Pro Wrestling Facebook page.

Partners now, opponents later

Red Daniels & Roger Matheus
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Wrestling can make strange bedfellows. Last month, "Big" Roger Matheus defeated Heath Hatton for the Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. Both men put their bodies on the line in a TLC match. Both men also had their friends join in the battle, as Red Daniels and Jay Spade each rumbled too. In fact, it was Spade's miscalculated superkick that may have cost Hatton the match.

Spade kicks Hatton
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Now all four men return to the ring at Stride Pro Wrestling Return this Saturday night in tag team competition. Hatton and Spade on one side versus Matheus and Daniels on the other. Each man has held some kind of gold in Stride. And while this tag team match is an interesting concept, I'm curious how much Matheus, Hatton, Spade and Daniels will be focused on it. You see, one week later they're all involved in a fatal four way for the championship.

Daniels attacks Hatton, Spade makes the save
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

So they'll go from being partners to opponents in seven days time. I would imagine as the champ, Matheus has to be feeling the pressure as there will be three men capable of taking his newly won title. Daniels was all too eager to do Matheus' bidding and pummel then-champ Hatton. But will that loyalty remain on June 10 when Red could get his hands on gold? Spade falls into the same category, going from Hatton's ally to potentially the next Stride champion and his first taste of singles gold.

The tag team matchup happens this Saturday (June 3) at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. The fatal four way for the championship follows on June 10 at Summersville Grade School in Mt. Vernon. Get your tickets now on Stride's website and don't forget to check out the new YouTube channel.

Order a custom-made championship belt here.