Category Archives: Pop Culture Ponderings

Captain America is off to a Fortune-ate start this Monster Jam season

Following a brief stint in the National Football League and the World League of American Football, Chad Fortune spent a fleeting few years in the World Wrestling Federation as one half of Tekno Team 2000 before an equally brief couple of years in World Championship Wrestling. Though his wrestling career was somewhat short-lived, it did give him an opportunity to parlay his athletic talents into a new field, first as the spokesperson for the NWO truck in 1999, then as the driver of the WCW Nitro Machine in 2000. But it wasn’t until 2005 that Fortune found his calling as the very Clark Kent-looking driver got behind the wheel of the Superman truck, where he remained until 2011. Having switched to the Captain America truck last year, Fortune is off to a successful 2013 thus far. He talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about continuing that success in the most heroic manner possible.

You’ve been a monster truck driver for 13 years now, which is much longer than your pro wrestling career was. What was the transition from the ring to the monster truck world like?

You know, it’s amazing where life takes you. I grew up playing football and basketball, went to college and played football, then went on to play a couple of years pro and in Europe. Then I went off into pro wrestling and here I am driving monster trucks. Monster trucks are the best of both worlds of what I was into. With the physical challenge and the one-on-one competition of the racing part of monster trucks, you’re out there trying to prove that you’re the best. Then there’s the freestyle, which is entertainment. You might think you’re just out there driving the truck and going over jumps and stuff, but everybody’s gotten so good at what we do that we have to do it better and more exciting than anybody else, which is what pro wrestling is about. It’s the entertainment side and putting that combination together, you have the highs and lows and wow factors that when you’re about to crash and you make the save, it’s like kicking out of a three count. Then you come back and get bigger air in the end and, for me, you finish your finale on the biggest pile of junk. Then I get out as Captain America with the shield and I pose. It really is the biggest expression of entertainment you can have.

When you first got into driving monster trucks, you had a truck that was made especially for your larger frame. Appropriately enough, it was the WCW Nitro Machine.

Yeah. I’m 6’6″ and about 250 pounds. A lot of the guys seem to be smaller and more compact and fit into the average truck chassis. They’re built small for safety reasons and the roll cages are tight. Being so tall, I don’t fit in any random truck. So they built me a truck specifically with the gauges tucked down underneath the roll cage to give me the maximum space, and the roll cage is spread out a little farther. It’s still very small in there for me, but nevertheless, it’s made for me. It was a WCW truck in the beginning, then it was the Karl Malone truck, the Power Forward. That was the same chassis I had up until last year, when we built a brand new truck. So that truck was about 12 years old when I retired it and it was way out of date.

Last year was your first year driving Captain America. Last year also ended up not being your best year. Do you attribute that to switching trucks at all?

I had a great start last year, but I got rocked pretty good at a show in Houston where I had a pretty bad rollover. That wrenched my neck a little bit and I had some shock issues we were trying to work out. So I started out doing well and around the middle of the season it tapered off to being average. Because it was a new truck, it was landing a bit rough and we had to work out some issues. But we’re good this year. Everything’s been going really well.

Being that you look so much like Superman, especially in that Superman jumpsuit, you seemed like a perfect fit to drive that truck. Why did you decide to switch to the Captain America truck?

I had been with Superman for about eight years and I started getting comfortable with the character and relying just on the entertainment. When it was announced that Marvel was coming out with a new truck, I thought it might be something fresh. It was a brand new truck, so I would get a new chassis, a new motor and everything. I had some input into the designs of the truck, so it’s a little bit different truck body. It’s more of a futuristic concept body with LED lights and it’s a really good-looking truck. I saw it as a challenge. Having been Superman for so long, the young fans knew me as Superman. But I’ve retained some fans as Captain America and now I come out with a shield and I wear a star on my chest rather than the S. It’s actually been working out really well. People were a little disappointed at first because I had done Superman for so long, but after they saw the new truck and the stuff I was doing with it, a lot of my fans are excited about what’s going on.

Either way, the superhero theme seems quite fitting considering your background as a wrestler, which is probably the closest thing to a real-life superhero as you’re going to get.

I take it that way. I really want to live up to everything. My training as a wrestler and a football player hasn’t changed. I take it very seriously. The way it feels being in this truck with 1,500 horsepower, it is as close as you can get to being a superhero. You have super strength, you’re crushing cars, you’re flying and you can get these things moving pretty quick. It’s like being a real superhero and it’s a lot of fun.

What have been some of your biggest accomplishments so far this season and what are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

Our first show was in Tacoma, Washington, where I was a race champion and scored pretty well in freestyle. I’ve been in the top three or four in freestyle at every show since then. There’s a new Ukraine tire out this year with real deep grooves. I’m still running on the older style tire, which is smoother, and it just doesn’t seem like it’s getting the same traction as these other ones and I’m getting beaten in that way. I’m not trying to make excuses, I’ll just have to focus a little harder on the turns and make sure I have the grip. I’m getting ready to go to California for the second show in Anaheim at Angel Stadium. They do things a little bit differently on the West Coast where there’s a figure-eight track. The dirt seems to be a little bit more loose out there, so with the tires I have I do a little bit more skating. I think I’m figuring it out, which is going to be good for this weekend. The following weekend I’m in St. Louis, then the weekend after that I’m in Atlanta. St. Louis is the same style track as Atlanta and it will be a great opportunity to get back in the groove and prepare for Atlanta.

www.monsterjam.com

Wild Bill’s stays in the fight despite Georgia MMA controversy

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On Dec. 15, Wild Bill’s hosted not only its final Fight Night of 2012, but what appeared to be the final mixed martial arts event in Georgia for the foreseeable future. Following the departure of former Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission Executive Director Andy Foster, the GAEC has been at a standstill with the office of Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Foster, a former fighter who helped establish Georgia as one of the country’s top MMA states after being appointed in 2008, recently resigned to accept the same job in California. Though the GAEC offered a few suggestions for Foster’s replacement, Kemp’s decision to appoint Kelly Farr as the interim director has dealt quite a blow to the local fight scene. Promoters complain that Farr has no knowledge of or interest in MMA. And the GAEC was refusing to allow any fights to take place in 2013 until a more suitable replacement could be made by the Secretary of State’s office.

During a Dec. 11 GAEC meeting, however, Wild Bill’s Fight Night promoter David Oblas of Undisputed Productions was given approval to put together a Jan. 19 MMA card. With a decade of fight promoting experience, and having recently celebrated his sixth anniversary of Wild Bill’s Fight Nights (the biggest and most frequent MMA events in the state), Oblas has a lot to lose if professional fighting comes to an end in Georgia.

“I pay people to punch each other in the face,” says Oblas. “That’s what I do for a living. This could be a huge financial stress for a lot of fighters, gyms, promoters, managers, venues and bartenders. If Evander Holyfield should want to fight here in his home state of Georgia, that simply cannot happen until this is changed. But this ruling allows me to continue to do such legally in 2013 with the first show in Georgia set for Saturday, Jan. 19 at Wild Bill’s.”

This small victory does not mean the GAEC will continue to sanction MMA and boxing events as 2013 progresses, which means this Saturday’s event could still be the final fighting event in Georgia. But while the GAEC and fight promoters claim that Farr doesn’t even show up to most of their meetings, the Secretary of State’s office is confident in his ability to serve as Executive Director until a permanent replacement for Foster is appointed.

“He has been the permanent secretary before, prior to Foster,” says Press Secretary Jared Thomas. “He has had more than 300 fights that have all gone on safely under his watch when he was the director previously. He has also overseen the hiring of the most recent executive director who just left. As far as the office of the Secretary of State is concerned, we have absolutely full faith in Kelly Farr’s abilities to function in the capacity because he has done the job successfully before.”

While this bout seems to be far from over, for now fight fans can at least count on this Saturday’s fights to to get 2013 off to a pummeling start.

TNA gets TENacious with anniversary trading card set

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From celebrating its tenth anniversary to transitioning into a live Impact Wrestling format, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has had one of its most impactful years in 2012. To help commemorate the company’s accomplishments over the past decade, TNA has released the TENacious trading card set through Tristar.

The set includes grapplers from throughout TNA’s history, including James Storm, Hulk Hogan, Jeff Hardy, Sting, AJ Styles, Bobby Roode and Abyss. It also features non-wrestling talent such as Mike Tenay, Taz and Socal Val, as well as special subsets such as the Top 10 moments in a wrestler’s TNA career, Looking Back At… TNA’s Early Years and From the Desk of Dixie Carter, featuring the TNA president’s recollections on important TNA moments. But aside form the base cards, the TENacious set features several limited-edition cards including autographed cards from past and present stars (some with multiple autographs on each card), Celebrity Signature Cards featuring autographs from the likes of Chris Rock, Dennis Rodman, Tom Arnold and others who have appeared in TNA, Jeff Hardy art cards, and cards featuring pieces of ring-worn clothing from Mickie James, Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair and others.

These TENacious cards are not only a collectible way to remember one of TNA’s best years to date, but also to reflect upon the company’s first decade and its accomplishments during that time. Who knows? These things might actually become valuable again someday.

www.impactwrestlingcards.com

Pine Street Market carves new carnivorous creations for the New Year

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Abdullah ain't got nothing on this butcher. Photo courtesy Pine Street Market.

Located just a few blocks away from Academy Theatre, where Platinum Championship Wrestling competitors used to send each other to proverbial slaughter every Friday night, Pine Street Market is an old-fashioned butcher shop that prides itself on offering only the highest-quality artisan meats. And the butcher behind the bacon, bratwurst and beechwood-smoked speck is Rusty Bowers, a meat-cleaving madman who takes locally-farmed meat from Gum Creek Farms and turns it into the most delicious sausages, cider-brined pork chops and smoked pepper bacon you’re likely to ever taste. Having sponsored and supported events at the Plaza Theatre, Academy Theatre and Dad’s Garage Theatre‘s BaconFest, as well as entities such as the Atlanta Rollergirls and the Libertine, and artists like H.C. Warner and Dirk Hays, Pine Street Market definitely doesn’t mind feeding its fellow artistic types. Bowers, who has been known to take on a Leatherface-like persona from time to time, even donated a $100 box of meat to be raffled off at last month’s Monstrosity Championship Wrestling event, which ended up being a big hit with all the ghouls and creatures in attendance. As he prepares for the New Year, Bowers meets (or should I say “meats”) with Wrestling with Pop Culture to ham it up about meat, monsters and other merriment.

How did you end up opening your own butcher shop and why did you choose Avondale Estates as the locale?

I had been a chef for about 15 years working in Jacksonville, Fla., Maui, Austria and Upstate New York. I was always the butcher and picked up different tips along the way working in different restaurants. So this was always my passion. Then I met up with Farmer Tom at Gum Creek Farms out near Carrollton, Ga. with humanely-raised pigs that live outside and forage for food. I’d been friends with Bart Webb and Layne [Whitehead-Lee] at Sweet N’ Sinful bakery and always liked Avondale, so that’s how I wound up here with a big art community and lots of local support.

One thing that has been popular for Pine Street Market is the Meat of the Month Club, which is a great introduction even for people who don’t live nearby. Tell me a little more about that.

An assortment of artisan meats at Pine Street Market. Photo by Prime8Photo.

The Meat of the Month Club is an online meat CSA (community-supported agriculture). You can sign up for three, six or twelve months, with price breaks at six and twelve, and it ships out to you the middle of each month. It’s whatever exciting new stuff we’re working on. The most recent one was a five-pound holiday ham. You’ll always get a pound of bacon, it will feature lamb merguez sausage, smoked andouille, black truffle salamis, a recipe card with descriptions and all different new and exciting things each season. It’s $40 a month, including shipping, and it ships nationally.

Don’t you also offer something similar for local Pine Street shoppers?

We just launched our in-town meat CSA, which is the Meat of the Month Club times many, many more. You can come in the store and pick it up instead of having it delivered to your house, so it’s for the local Atlanta, Decatur and Avondale residents to come in. It’s $75 a month and includes all these wonderful fresh cuts like whiskey-brined ham steaks, pork shoulder roasts, different cuts of lamb like lamb porterhouses, a couple pounds of bacon, beef ribs and all sorts of fresh cuts that aren’t always in the deli case. I like to call it the “deeper cut” because it’s the stuff you can’t always find in the butcher shop. If you’re a Pine Street regular, you can get this package at the beginning of the month and put some in your freezer so you have a bunch of stuff to look forward to rather than just wander into the shop every week to see what we have.

For those who want to chop their own meat, you also offer Butcher Boot Camps and other classes. What can you tell me about those?

A closer look inside Pine Street Market. Photo by Prime8Photo.

In the Whole Hog Class you actually break down a whole hog. You season your own bacon, I cure it for you and you come back and pick it up two weeks later. There’s also a Sausage-Making Class where you decide your own flavorings for sausage and make a couple pounds of sausage that you then come pick up later. New for 2013 is the Butcher Boot Camp. If one class isn’t sufficient for your curiosity, it’s a series of three classes, three Saturdays in a row. The first one’s in January, the second one is at the end of February and into March. It’s a more in-depth class than the Whole Hog Class because you get to break down a pig and you also get to break down a lamb and you end up with more than $100 worth of meat to take home from the three classes. And you learn a lot more about the butchering process.

At last month’s MCW event, your box of meat was a huge success in the raffle. What will you be including in the box of meat to be raffled off at the next MCW event on Jan. 4?

The next one will definitely contain the bacon, some tasso ham, which is good for red beans and rice, some smoked andouille, a couple of fresh links, definitely some ground beef from Gum Creek Farms (they grind the entire cow, they don’t pull out the steaks) and an “I ♥ Bacon” Pine Street Market T-shirt.

www.pinestreetmarket.com

Thanks to Mick Foley, Christmas is far from “Mizerable” for illustrator Josh Adams

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From his comic book illustrations for DC Comics‘ House of Mystery and IDW Publishing‘s Doctor Who to his design work for Syfy and WWE, Josh Adams is no stranger to to the fantastical realms of superheroes, time traveling and pro wrestling. This Christmas, Adams received an early present when he was asked to illustrate Mick Foley‘s latest children’s book, A Most Mizerable Christmas. Having previously drawn the likes of Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger and Christopher Daniels, you might think that illustrating a book featuring The Miz, CM Punk, Wade Barrett, Sheamus and other WWE superstars and divas would be a simple task. But this book offered a unique challenge in that Adams was creating these wrestlers as children, not in their current incarnations. Being a WWE fan, Adams was definitely up for the challenge and has helped create a new Christmas tale for wrestling fans of all ages. Here, Adams takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the challenges A Most Mizerable Christmas presented and how he was able to effectively execute his artistic finishing maneuvers.

Though you are no stranger to the wrestling world, A Most Mizerable Christmas is your first collaboration with Mick Foley. How did this collaboration come about and how did the process of illustrating Foley’s story work?

This is, indeed, our first collaboration. I wasn’t actually the first artist on the book. It wasn’t until July that I was brought onto the project after difficulty finding the right artist for a project. Jill Thompson recommended me. It was a weird encounter. Jill and I were both guests at Comic-Con International and our tables were down the aisle from each other. Jill came up to my table with a cell phone and asked me what my schedule was like. At first I thought she meant my schedule at the con, but then I realized she meant for an actual gig. I had just finished doing an issue of Doctor Who so I was free. Jill handed me her cell phone and on the other line was Mick Foley. Mick told me he had a lot of work and not a lot of time and wanted to know if I could handle the work. I had to scour the convention floor to find a watercolor set to do samples. It was a MacGyver moment if I ever had one, but that night I was able to finish some samples, email them to Mick, and just three weeks later I was turning in the final pages of A Most Mizerable Christmas. By the time I was brought on to the project there really were only three weeks till the deadline and a lot of art to do, so for my sake everything was already scripted, along with descriptions of what images should correspond with the text. There wasn’t a lot of time for Mick and I to go back and forth with different ideas, but thankfully after I finished a few pages of art, everyone felt we were in step with each other’s expectations.

Drawing WWE wrestlers is nothing new for, you but I believe A Most Mizerable Christmas is the first time you’ve drawn child versions of them. How did that compare to the previous wrestler illustrations you’ve done? How does drawing wrestlers compare to the superhero and fantasy stuff you do?

WWE Champion CM Punk is apparently a fan of "A Most Mizerable Christmas" artist Josh Adams. Photo by Saori Tsujimoto.

This is certainly the first time I have drawn child versions of professional wrestlers. Outside of children’s book illustration, there aren’t many opportunities that call for that kind of thing. The difficulty with doing the kid versions is that it’s not like drawing real kids. They’re cartoons, all with bubble heads and wearing kid clothes. One of the toughest was CM Punk. Here’s a guy who has piercings, facial hair and tattoos and I can’t illustrate any of them in this book. Drawing the wrestlers as you see them in reality is much easier for me and I’ve had a lot of experience with that. The real fun thing for me is that these men and women are like comic book characters and as a professional and as a fan I can appreciate the relationship that exists between the two. I’ve also found that many wrestlers are comic book fans, as well. My first wrestling-related job was illustrating a comic book for Rob Van Dam and it only grew from there, doing illustrations for Christopher Daniels, Stevie Richards, Daffney, storyboarding those artsy commercials that aired on Syfy for ECW and designing the print ads for SmackDown. My career has become quite inadvertently associated with wrestling, mainly because of my love for wrestling. There was actually one week last year where I was interviewed for Impact Wrestling one day and then the next day bagged by Cody Rhodes on WWE.com.

In much the same way that WWE allows us to escape to a comic book-like reality, Christmas is a magical time of year for most people. What attracted you to doing a Christmas book featuring WWE stars?

Much like a professional wrestler evolves his character over time to keep the product from getting stale, I always like to try different things and change directions when the opportunity presents itself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. When this opportunity presented itself, I had never done anything remotely like it and the style of work I was doing at the time was as photorealistic as you could get. So the transition was drastic. It was even the first time I did a job using watercolor! But I am comfortable when there is a lot of pressure to make the deadline under crazy circumstances. I’ve been to a few signings with Mick and we usually make our way through 300-plus books. The truly amazing and humbling thing is that people are buying this book as a Christmas gift for a child or a loved one. In the end, regardless of the content, how famous the author is, the experience doing the work, nothing affected me more than the fact that people happily paid money without the bat of an eyelash to buy the book as a holiday gift for someone. A friend of mine who is a school teacher bought copies for all the teachers he works with to read to their class. That means a lot to me.

This book is a morality tale that uses WWE personas to illustrate a positive message. But as is often the case with WWE, many of these characters (The Miz and CM Punk in particular) have had some changes in attitude since this book came out. Do you think The Miz may have learned a lesson from being the antagonist in this book? Do you think CM Punk should maybe take a second look at the book to remember the example his character set?

I’d have loved to have seen CM Punk resemble the character in our book on television, but business is business and as much as we fans love to grumble at the TV when we think we could do it better, those guys and girls in the WWE put together an amazing product that is unmatchable these days. Having been backstage at their shows and up to their offices in Stamford, I have seen such a well-oiled machine that makes it really shine at producing live entertainment every week that is both exciting and family friendly. It was cool to see Miz start to resemble the change that we put in the book, though.

In the acknowledgements section of the book, you thank Jerry Lawler, who is an incredible artist in addition to being a wrestler, and Jill Thompson, who has worked with Foley previously. How much would you say these two artists inspired you and how did their art influence the illustrations you did for this book?

"A Most Mizerable Christmas" artist Josh Adams also illustrates the "Doctor Who" comic book. Photo by Patrick Robert.

I’ve known Jerry Lawler for a number of years and he is one of the most amazing people you could have the chance to meet. He’s got such a quick mind. Listening to him on commentary is evidence of that, but then you see his illustrations. I’m a guy who has devoted his life to illustration, and he is a professional wrestler and commentator with a very busy schedule who somehow manages to find time to create beautiful work. It’s like if I decided to hop in the ring one day and work a 40-minute main event-style match on pay-per-view. Jerry just has that creative and ambitious edge that makes him a threat in anything he tries. All the while he is one of the sweetest and most humble guys you could ever meet. Jill Thompson is one of the coolest artists I know. She has a versatility about her work that allows her to traverse genre and tone with ease, and her skills with watercolor are to die for. She very much mentored me through the early stages of this book and helped me find the style for the characters. It couldn’t have been done without her guidance and obviously I never would have had the opportunity if she hadn’t believed I was able to handle it.

Now that this book is out, what other projects do you have out or coming out in the near future?

I have been working on a few issues of Doctor Who for IDW Publishing, which will be out in January and February. Doctor Who is a great series for families. I’ve got a graphic novel that I’m working on and a webcomic series in the works as well, which are both for older audiences. But I have been excited about any opportunity to do more wrestling-related work, as well as more children’s book work.

www.whatwouldjoshdo.com

Really Big Santa brings a larger-than-life holiday spectacular to the Plaza Theatre

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Santa and his helpers are everywhere this time of year. But if those department store bell ringers and shopping mall offshoots just don’t live up to the holiday hype, there’s one Santa that will have you believing in a big way. A really big way. Continuing the tradition he started last year, Really Big Santa returns to the Plaza Theatre on Dec. 8 for Santa’s Super Saturday Show. As his name implies, Really Big Santa is a very large version of the big guy from the North Pole. But don’t let his towering frame intimidate you. Really Big Santa is a jolly fellow who will sing and dance with you, offer up his homemade hot cider, take pictures with you and host a screening of Jim Henson‘s 1977 TV movie Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. As he prepares for this big event, he takes a moment to have this fireside chat with Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Santa’s Saturday Super Show features singing, dancing, cider and other holiday fun. For those who weren’t there last year, what else can people expect?

Photo by Evan Bartelston.

We’ll have prizes, Santa’s own special hot cider, a floor show with the folks from Blast-Off Burlesque and wrap it all up with a sing-along and Santa’s dance party! We also will start pictures with Santa at 11 a.m. and at 8 p.m. for the night show. For $15 you get a digital copy emailed to you and a print mailed to your home!

Who else will be joining you at this event?

My helper Max, who is a real elf. We’ll have classical Christmas guitar music provided by “Evil” Jim Wright from the band Bigfoot. Blast-Off Burlesque will be performing with me and our pictures will be taken by Knotty Pictures this year. We are excited! The night show will have a very special surprise crew showing up!

How does the matinee show differ from the night-time show?

The matinee show is not as loud, has longer sitting times for pictures with Santa and has fewer German Christmas characters in the show.

Speaking of German Christmas characters, rumor has it another lesser known (at least to most Americans) Christmas creature will be making an appearance at the night show. What do you know about the Krampus and the bar crawl he has planned in conjunction with your event?

We will be staging the annual Little Five Points Krampus Krawl in conjunction with 7 Stages Theatre, Java Lords and the Euclid Ave. Yacht Club right after the movies wrap. We’ll be hitting The Righteous Room, Manuel’s Tavern, the Five Spot, the Little 5 Corner Tavern, the EAYC, Elmyr and some others over the course of the night. The Euclid Ave. Yacht Club will have Bavarian food specials all night, too!

You don’t claim to be the real Santa, but you’re just as jolly as the big guy at the North Pole. Is there some sort of criteria Saint Nick looks for when choosing his helpers? Was any sort of training involved?

Photo by Evan Bartelston.

I am an official Santa Claus which is different than the Santa Claus. I have a 24/365 hotline to the big guy, and I have a territory I cover as his ambassador. I handle requests, manufacturing, livestock and distribution for my territory as if I were the old man. He picks us personally, trains us rigorously and trusts us implicitly. I am proud to be one of the few.

Kids are often afraid of Santa even when he’s not Really Big. Do you find that you’re more intimidating than the average Santa? If so, what do you do to appease frightened girls and boys?

No. I actually seem to have an easier time with them as I’m willing to work with them if they are scared. It’s not my size, it’s my demeanor. That and the parents that bring their kids to Really Big Santa aren’t pushing their kids to do something they don’t want. I rarely have a kid that doesn’t end up getting a picture of some sort out of the visit.

I’m sure you’re very busy this time of year. Where else might we see Really Big Santa this holiday season?

The best place to keep up with me this year is www.facebook.com/reallybigsanta. I also will be appearing on Public Broadcasting Atlanta in my new TV special, Christmas Around Atlanta. It will be airing all month on Atlanta’s PBA30.

www.reallybigsanta.com

Monstrosity Championship Wrestling goes to the Asylum!

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Wrestling with Pop Culture and the Silver Scream SpookShow are proud to announce that Monstrosity Championship Wrestling is being sent to the Asylum! After surviving the end of the world, MCW commits itself Jan. 4, the first Friday of 2013. Having found a new home, Professor Morte is ready to crown the first MCW Champion, which means some of wrestling’s top living and undead talents will arise for a championship tournament.

This tournament will feature first-time match-ups such as Universal Independent Wrestling Internet Champion “Bona Fide” Fred Yehi taking on Anarchy Wrestling Young Lions Champion “The Lethal Dose” Stryknyn in his MCW debut. You’ll also see NWA Atlanta Georgia Heavyweight Champion Cru Jones of Hot Like Lava make his MCW debut against “The Zombie King” Papa Marko. “The Phantom” Casey Kincaid takes on “Do or Die” Chip Day and “The Undead Luchador” Supernatural battles “The Demigod” Mason in other tournament turmoil.

Which wrestling legend will Papa Marko bring back from the dead this time? What surprises might Johnny Danger have as he makes his MCW return? And what will come of this odd situation between the Invisible Man and the Wolfmen? There’s only one way to find out!

The wild and wooly band known as Bigfoot will be rocking. Who knows? Maybe the real Bigfoot will actually show up! The Cayrum Honeys will definitely be there handing out creepy concoctions such as To Hell You Ride. And we’ll have raffle prizes from Reckognize, Pine Street Market and more!