Independent wrestling promotions come and go much as the tide will ebb and flow and there are few promotions who draw fans consistently and fewer still who draw consistently, offer quality shows and have longevity in the business and WAR Wrestling is one promotion that defines the latter category.
WAR Wrestling began as something other than what it is today but perhaps the only thing to really change was the name. At one time the WWWA/GWA was the "it" promotion in Lima, Ohio and featured within was a man who would train many stars and go on to be one of the top people not only on the indies but who made his name in Smoky Mountain Wrestling and then refined himself in the WWE and later in TNA, Al Snow. Snow would be an important part of what WAR would become and he will be honored during the Hall of Fame ceremony along with his trainer "Big" Jim Lancaster who himself was a mid-west legend who saw action in the rings of the WWWF, WWA, Big Time Wrestling and the NWA. Crusher Cline, The Nightmares and "Sweet" Stevie Lee, who was the first WAR Wrestling Champion will also be inducted.
As WAR Wrestling continues to grow and evolve they will be offering a number of iPPVs during the year for fans who have yet to see what the company is all about. While the shows will not be available live fans can expect the production quality as well as the wrestling action to be top notch. WAR Wrestling has seen DVD sales increase as well as the fan base grow stronger since a "mini-war" has taken place in Lima with Bruiser Wrestling trying to usurp WARs place in the market.
The 10th Anniversary and Hall of Fame show will include a 10 man "WAR Games" match that will pit "Team Jock" (Jock Samson, Robby Starr, Chris Hall, Sherman Tank, Jimmy Shane) v. Team Dusty (Dusty Dillinger, Matt Mason, Cody Hawk, Appollo Starr and a Mystery Wrestler) in a two ring cage match. Tank, who cut his teeth and perfected his craft in WAR has long been on the radar of TNA and it is thought if creative can find the right program he could end up in the national spotlight.
Jeremy Madrox will defend his WAR Championship against Juice Jennings in a KO/Submission match while The Painkillers will defend the WAR Tag Team Championship against The Scarbonis and Alpha Breed in a Tables/Ladders/Chairs match. A new championship will be introduced called the Respect Title and there will be a five man scramble between Aaron McCormick, Eli McFly, Christian Vaughn, Mikey D, and Hakim Zane.
One of the biggest heels in the mid-west will be featured in a "Flag on a Pole" match when Kaden Assad takes on "Big Guns" Jeff Cannon and there will be a huge two ring Battle Royal featuring stars of WAR past and present.
In an interview featured on WrestleOhio conducted by Huskie Howard, promoter "Big" Tom Williams said about the importance of the show " (This is ) just 10 years of us trying to do things the right way. It’s our way of saying THANKS to the guys we are inducting into the HOF that help pave the way and thanking all the guys that help pave the way for the current talent we use. Plus, the fact that many of the talent we have used in the past are coming back to thank the fans. It’s turning into a huge reunion of sorts and it’s also our very first IPPV taping."
The show will be at the Lima UWA Hall in Lima, Ohio on Saturday, January 19, 2013 and the doors will open at 4:00p.m. with the Hall of Fame ceremony starting an hour later and the matches begin at 7:00p.m. You can get more information about the show by visiting WAR Wrestling here.
Congratulations to WAR Wrestling and all the workers who have made this possible and continue to provide fans some of the best indie wrestling in the country.
Follow me on Twitter @jlwiseman13
