A look back at 2010
What a crazy year it’s been in Steeltown Pro Wrestling. Title changes, exits and debuts, international superstars, new TV series, new markets, changes in philosophy, red hot feuds…we’ve seen a bit of everything! Ron McLean, Robbie Robinson, and John Henry got together over some eggnog to talk about some of the things that happened in 2010 from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and everything in between.
Winners, Losers and Champions
Henry: In 2010 we saw two men claim the SPW Heavyweight Title, Chi Chi Cruz and Marius. In front of his trainer Ernie Rheault in Somerset, Manitoba where he trained to be a wrestler in the mid 1980’s Chi Chi Cruz defeated Marius to become the third SPW Heavyweight Champion. It was a great moment with the fans filling the ring, jumping up and down, dancing and celebrating with the Canadian Wrestling Legend.
But as we know Marius dominated the title scene in 2010 and was quick to win the championship back seven days after losing it. Aside from those seven days Marius has been the champion for the entire calendar year and then some. He defended the gold across Canada against top notch competitors and proved that he we do anything in his power to cement his legacy as champion.
McLean: On the flip side we’ve seen several different SPW Provincial Champions throughout 2010 including DOOM, Jay Lanza, SYKO, Bushwhacker Luke and Ike Idol. Lanza achieved his goal of winning a championship and was the SPW Training Academy graduate to do so. Bushwhacker Luke defeated SYKO is Arborg to the claim the title but his reign was short lived, losing the title within day to Ike Idol. With that Ike Idol became a 2x champion.
Despite all these title changes there still remains a long list of top contenders including Billy Blaze, Reggie Gallagher, Shadow Xtreme, Gibby Guerrero and Mr. Nasty. Anyone one of these men could take the title in 2011 and you can bet the SPW Provincial Title in on their Christmas Wish List!
Robinson: It was a long road but in April 2010 SPW crowned its first SPW Tag Team Champions. Fan favourites but considered underdog newcomer Alex Shaver and veteran Jerin Rose formed a great team that saw them capture the SPW Tag Team Titles and will be forever known as the inaugural champions. The more they teamed the better they got and they defeated a long list of challengers.
All things come to end, however, and at the October SPW SHOWDOWN TV taping Shaver and Rose, known as S ‘n R, lost the titles to perennial contenders Reggie Gallagher and Big Cliff Corleone, Bad to the Bone. Bad to the Bone struggled to dethrone the champions but were finally able to get the job done and have really started to build some momentum since being crowned champions.
Debuts and Returns
Robinson: We’ve already covered the debuts of Cody Deaner, Raven and Bushwhacker Luke but several others have been added to the roster in 2010. February saw the return of Zack Mercury after being on the injured list for more than a year. La Sombra made his return to the ring after knee surgery that put him on the shelf for 6 months. Referee Lenny Travis made his officiating debut in Beausejour and we saw the debut of James Beaver, Johnny Falcon and Scott Justice in the spring.
McLean: Like a flash in the pan TJ Bratt came and went…again! The Epic and Rick Matthews also came back for a show in Arborg and Tommy Lee Curtis made his SPW debut along with Spanky. We also saw Steven Styles and Vince Austin make their debuts while Andrew Hawk, Bobby Sharp and Big Jess made their returns. Other names to make their debuts included Paul Brewski, Ann Brookstone, Mystik Sexton, Moses Luke, Bobby Collins and SPW Training Academy student Mike Mission.
Henry: That’s a lot of names and it doesn’t include the returns of Danny Duggan, AJ Sanchez and Kevy Chevy as well as the debuts of retired wrestlers such as Ernie Rheault and Puppy Dog Peloquin! There are plenty of less than memorable debuts as well that aren’t worth mentioning…some talent just don’t stick! With a rotation of fresh talent and weekly episodes of SPW SHOWDOWN I wouldn’t be shocked to a see a major shake-up in the SPW rankings in 2011. Any number of the people mentioned could become a SPW champion.
International Superstars
McLean: In March, fresh off a year in TNA Wrestling, Cody Deaner made his debut in Beausejour and appeared on several episodes SPW iTV. He was great to work with and had some great matches with the likes of Reggie Gallagher and Zack Mercury.
Henry: One month later, in April, former ECW and NWA-TNA World Champion Raven debuted for SPW teaming with Chi Chi Cruz to take on Rob Stardom and Marius. It was a wild brawl that ended in double DDTS with Stardom and Marius staring up at the lights. Raven also appeared on several episodes of SPW iTV as well as scoring a victory over Mr. Nasty.
Robinson: In August, at the first two SPW SHOWDOWN TV tapings, Bushwhacker Luke made his SPW debut. No one expected him to accomplish as much as he did in such a short time scoring victories in a six man tag team match, winning and losing the SPW Provincial Title and going to war with “Beautiful” Bobby Jay who apparently hates Luke. Luke was a big part of SPW SHOWDOWN’s launch and offered an instantly recognizable face and superstar presence to the new series.
Closing One Chapter and Opening Another
McLean: As summer rolled around, SPW was in a state of flux. After a few trial run TV tapings, SPW President Dale Barnett cancelled the SPW iTV series after 8 seasons and more than 90 episodes. It was the end of a big chapter in SPW history and opened the door to a whole new era.
Henry: Not much was known through June and July and some were unsure about SPW’s future but here in the office we knew better. Barnett was hard at work finalizing the details on a new series that would replace SPW iTV. In August, SPW made it official and held 2 TV tapings for a new series. In September a third taping was held and the announcement of a series name and broadcast deal was made.
Robinson: It was during this time that I was hired on to do full time commentary on the series and was added to the office staff along with Dale, John, Ron and Jethro. On October 6th, 2010 SPW SHOWDOWN debuted on Go Fight Live and a new chapter in SPW’s history was born. It was a major change in the way SPW did business but it was we all embraced and looked forward to implementing. It’s been a heck of a ride since the October launch!
What to Expect in 2011?
Henry: Your guess is as good as mine!
Robinson: I think SPW SHOWDOWN will continue to grow and with it will be a fresh rotation of new talent. These last few months have only been the beginning…
McLean: I’ll agree with Robinson on that front. I also see some more international superstars making their debuts and perhaps the culmination to a BIG super show, possibly even at the 3rd Anniversary Show. 2011 is open season as far as I’m concerned and I expect another exciting year in the SPW office.