A live professional Wrestling event by TCW

Jake and Ryan King, longtime veterans of the Kansas City wrestling scene, decided to hold the first ever Trailblazer Championship Wrestling show on Saturday, July 30th, 2022 – almost exactly one year ago today. While they have long since moved from the National Guard Armory on Old 56 Highway in Olathe, Kansas, they are still tearing it up on a monthly basis in Ottawa, Kansas at yet another National Guard Armory. Around these parts, instead of the now infamous Bingo Halls, armories tend to be the headquarters for professional wrestling!

Putting aside their monikers of “The Killer City Kings“, The brothers moved into the realm of offering an affordable family-friendly wrestling product that people of any age can enjoy. Most shows carry a $15 dollar price tag for adults and $10 dollars for kids, a value so good you would be hard-pressed to find many activities as cheap in the area.

There is nothing better than watching children fall in love with professional wrestling, especially since there are so many competing activities they could be doing, and taking my son to see TCW shows for the last four months has been awesome. He absolutely loves some of the competitors (especially “Corn Boi” Kevin Gutierrez, Curt Gannon, and Bobby Joe Black) and has a blast taking pictures, talking with wrestlers and cheering for all the good guys.

Wrestling has somewhat of a bad reputation for having toxic fans at times (honestly the internet has ruined a lot of fandoms), but you never get that vibe at a TCW show. People are shaking hands and hugging, helping each other out, and making sure everyone has an amazing time. TCW has a DIY community vibe that is honestly refreshing in this day and age. It’s the main reason that when the calendar gets crowded and I have to choose a wrestling show to attend, I usually go with them.

On July 22nd I attended Trailblazer Championship Wrestling – Emerald City Showdown in Ottawa, Kansas. As you can surmise by the name, this was a Wizard of Oz themed show complete with a yellow brick road, Emerald City photo op, and our own resident Dorothy as played by the host of the evening, Wendy. It seemed like Dekin Cane played the role of the Wicked Witch, so I guess that made Rocco and Mike James his army of flying Monkeys? I guess I should lay off trying to make more allusions to the original story! Without further ado, I’m going to give a general rundown of the show and talk about what I enjoyed.

For an idea of what feuds went into this show check out my preview HERE.

For More about Trailblazer Championship Wrestling, check out their Facebook Page HERE, their Twitter page HERE, or YouTube HERE. For a list of my TCW coverage, click HERE, and HERE for all of my wrestling coverage, local and national. I was also able to recently get them added to Cagematch, HERE. If you are a fan, make sure to drop likes, and reviews, or join their social media pages!

If you want other wrestling shows, I would recommend Fite.TV. You can get some FITE credits (10 dollars I believe) with the following code: “6m6lyyn”. I’m sure there are other ways to watch some of these, but FITE has a solid interface and has been worth it so far.

The Card:

• “Corn Boi” Kevin Gutierrez Defeated “Tha Whole Thang” Rahim De La Suede
• Rory Fox and Jared Thumb Defeated Dekin Cane and Rocco The Barbarian
• The Iceman Defeated Van “Bam” Winkle in a dance-off voted on by the fans
• Van “Bam” Winkle Defeated The Iceman
• Moses The Deliverer Defeated “The Hypothetical Specialist” Dr. Isin
• Bobby Joe Black (w/ Johnnie Jo Black) Defeated Salum Gust in a Lumberjack Match. Lumberjacks were [Rahim De La Suede, Moses, Dekin Cane, Dr. Isin, Corn Boi, Rory Fox, Jared Thumb, Van Bam Winkle, The Iceman, Myron De’Monne, and Johnnie Jo Black]
• “Astonishing” Austin Mulitalo Defeated “Madman” Max Sterling
• “The Phoenix Princess” Aminah Belmont (w/ SBC Defeated) “The Little Blue Dragon” Tootie Lynn
• “The Suplex Cyclone” Curt Gannon Defeated “Miracle” Mike James (w/ Dekin Cane)

These are the match cards:

DISCLAIMER:

I’ve come up with this little disclaimer since I have some new readers:

READ MY FULL DISCLAIMER HERE

I usually go through a show and pull a half dozen or so things that I thought were significant or that I liked and concentrate on them, usually ignoring stuff I did not. You might think some of my choices are dumb, and that’s OK! We can all like different things, that’s what makes something like wrestling so great.

My Thoughts:

(I’m trying something different with pictures, let me know what you think)

A Bushel of Pain:

You never know what to expect when “Corn Boi” Kevin Gutierrez has a match in TCW, and try as I might I would have never guessed he would attempt to wrestle a full match whilst wearing a novelty corn costume. As you can imagine, this was an instant hit with the crowd, and EVERYONE was having a blast until Rahim De La Suede ruined the moment. Mr. De La Suede craves being the center of attention, and you better believe he wasn’t going to let Corn Boi’s antics outshine his own.

I’ve mentioned before that Rahim De La Suede is his own worst enemy sometimes. He has all the potential in the world as has easily won championships in the past, but for some reason he simply can’t get too far away from trying to show off during his matches, and it always costs him. Despite having a perfect opportunity to end the match at a few points, Rahim showboated his way to having yet another “L” on his record. Gutierrez is on quite the winning streak so far, so here’s hoping he can keep the momentum up.

Despite the Saying, Cheaters Usually Win . . . Just not Tonight!

In a miracle of miracles, Dekin Cane did not try to weasel his way out of this match against Rory Fox and Jared Thumb somehow, and actually set foot into the ring to wrestle. He’s been “under doctor’s orders” after Curt Gannon suplexed him into the Stratosphere way back at TCW Tornado Alley, and you better believe he’s been milking the excuses ever since. I have a feeling his doctor’s note came from a less than reputable doctor, hell, maybe even Dr. Isin! That isn’t to say that Cane didn’t try his typical nonsense during the match, as the referee’s pat-down revealed an entire toolbox full of wrenches hidden strategically on his person. When all that got cleared up, it was time to see what Rory Fox and Jared Thumb do best, and that’s win matches.

Speaking of Fox, it was great to finally see him back in the ring after being shelved for close to a year. I was able to meet him at my very first CSW show back in 2022, and was bummed that he had to sit that entire year out basically. The dude is super nice, and generous with his time meeting fans. There were a number of times that I was worried Fox and Thumb might lose, considering how physically imposing Rocco the Barbarian is and how cunning Dekin Cane can be, but attempting to cheat was ultimately their undoing. At one point Rocco ended up with Dekin’s wrench, attempted to use it, and managed to mess everything up in the process. 1-2-3 and that’s all she wrote! Jared Thumb is still undefeated in singles and tag competition, which is a hell of a deal.

Lords of the Dance:

If there’s one man that should win a dance-off championship in all of wrestling, it sure isn’t Sammy Guevara on AEW Dynamite a few weeks ago. No, Kansas City wrestling fans need to look no further than our very own Ice Man, who has moves most professional dancers would envy. With skills like that, it’s pretty confusing as to why Van “Bam” Winkle picked this show of all nights to try and humble The Ice Man. Blasting Lady Gaga’s 2008 smash-hit Just Dance, Winkle did something that I wouldn’t personally call “dancing”, and I feel bad for Wendy having to be in “ground zero” of whatever it was. The Ice Man, of course, utterly destroyed him in every way, and the crowd excitedly cheered for him as the victor.

As you can imagine, this infuriated Van “Bam” Winkle, and he rolled into the actual match with a fiery rage that I have never seen him have. After resorting to a low-blow when the referee was distracted, Winkle secured his tainted win. The Ice Man has fallen victim to this a few times during his time in TCW, and I really hope his fortunes can turn around at some point. It would be one thing if he was losing due to his wrestling ability (and Ice Man doesn’t have to worry about that!), but being targeted for underhanded tactics is rough. Maybe we can get a rematch of this at some point and see a bit of retribution.

Moses Avoided a Malpractice Suit:

I’m sure that Moses The Deliverer and “The Hypothetical Specialist” Dr. Gregory Isin have crossed paths before, but this was my first time seeing them wrestle against eachother. Despite being an honorary graduate of multiple online universities including The University of Guadalajara Online, Isin lost his bedside manner real fast when he realized the crowd was firmly behind his opponent. Guided by the Big Man Upstairs, Moses was able to persevere through the near-surgical strikes Isin threw at him and secure the bag. This was a solid match that kept the crowd on their feet, and I was excited to see two wrestlers that I really enjoy duke it out.

Bobby Does it Again!

Perhaps my most anticipated match of the evening was a lumberjack match between Bobby Joe Black and “The Unnatural Disaster” Salum Gust. This battle has been waging for months now, and I have covered it extensively here on Arcadia Pod. I’m not being facetious when I say that this is one of my favorite feuds going right now, and this match was no exception. After a brutal parking lot attack after the last show, Bobby Joe Black issued a challenge to have this settled in a lumberjack match. For those “not in the know”, a lumberjack match is a stipulation match where the ring is surrounded by wrestlers that are tasked with making sure both competitors stay in the ring. Unfortunately, this also means that upwards of then extra dudes end up beating on anyone unfortunate enough to step onto the floor, intentional or not.

Longtime fans may have noticed a new face in the mix, as one of the lumberjacks was a competitor named Myron De’Monne. De’Monne has wrestled for New Breed Wrestling and a number of St. Louis-based companies in the past. I don’t really have the time to keep up with every company in Missouri or Kansas, so this was my first time seeing Myron, but I hope to see him back in TCW in the future. The rest of the lumberjacks were Rahim De La Suede, Moses, Dekin Cane, Dr. Isin, Corn Boi, Rory Fox, Jared Thumb, Van Bam Winkle, The Iceman, and Johnnie Jo Black.

One could clearly tell that battle lines were drawn amongst two factions, and you better believe that the Gust delegation tried to take some liberties with Bobby when they could. Unfortunately for them, Bobby Joe Black has iron-clad tenacity and never gave up. Bobby Joe Black was able to fold Salum Gust up and score yet another big upset! Conspicuously absent from Salum’s side was none other than “Madman” Max Sterling, who seemingly only hangs out with Salum if it fits his needs. Salum Gust is always there to be Sterling’s muscle, but I find it funny that you see no hide nor hair of him on the flipside. If Gust even got away from the sick mind of “The Madman”, I wonder what he could do?

After losing The Bunkhouse Brawl, a bodyslam match, and now this lumberjack match, one can only hope that Salum Gust will shift his sights to another target, but I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that this isn’t over. Salum Gust is well into the red because of this feud with Bobby Joe Black, and with his shattered and rage-filled mindset getting worse every show, I have one question. When will this end Salum? Will you stop when Bobby is hooked up to a hospital bed? What are you getting out of this? Either way Bobby Joe and Johnnie Jo Black are going to be there to make sure TCW doesn’t descend into complete chaos, and for that I’m sure the fans are very thankful.

Revenge is Best Served Cold:

WAYYYY back in March, “Astonishing” Austin Mulitalo had a very competitive match against “Madman” Max Sterling which closed out the Bunkhouse Brawl event. Unfortunately, the match ended with Max stealing the win by, you guessed it, cheating. Sterling had the, at the time, newly debuted Salum Gust by his side and the odds just weren’t with Mr. Mulitalo. “Astonishing” Austin Mulitalo came back to Ottawa, Kansas on July 22nd with one thing on his mind- reclaiming that glory that should have been his. Honestly, neither Sterling nor Salum Gust had their heads in the game here. They wasted time trying to intimidate a tired Bobby Joe Black that was resting by the entranceway and resorting to attempting to use weapons as usual. Austin, however, has been training for a long time for pretty much anything Sterling threw at him, and was able to decisively get that win once and for all.

Much like with the LumberJack Match, one has to worry about whether this is the end of Sterling’s reign of terror over Trailblazer Championship Wrestling? With two losing efforts and a fairly unified front with most of the roster stepping up against the cheap attacks and unnecessary beatdowns, here’s hoping they re-focus on something else. “Astonishing” Austin Mulitalo can now come back to a future TCW show and move up the ladder as he should have been before. Great match as always!

Here we go Again:

I mean we all expected SBC to screw Tootie over right? That’s what he does, he’s too smart for his own good and has helped Aminah Belmont run circles around everyone on the roster. Well, that is for sure what happened at Emerald City Showdown, as SBC used his Canadian flag hockey stick, the newest edition to his arsenal, to trip Tootie a few times. He also distracted the referee while Aminah Belmont used Tootie’s own pair of nunchucks on her. You honestly can’t get much more brazen than a combo like that.

Much like with Max Sterling, “The Phoenix Princess” Aminah Belmont has been absolutely terrorizing the TCW women’s division. First it was Shooter Shylynn and now Tootie Lynn in her crosshairs. Tootie is a trained martial artist that could likely take Aminah down easily if it was a fair fight, but I’d almost want to see everything equalized another way. I say have a nunchuck match and see who comes out on top!

I Can’t Wait to See Dekin Cane Get Suplexed Again!

Dekin Cane seems to have just poked the bear, and I have feeling he’s not going to like the repercussions. Still salty about getting suplexed by Curt Gannon at Tornado Alley, Dekin has apparently declared war on a man called “The Suplex Cyclone”, which seems like a bad call to me. I mentioned before that Dekin finally DID step into the ring after ducking his commitments for a while, only to basically have Rocco the Barbarian do most of the work in their match. When it came time for the main event, Dekin decided to make himself the center of attention to catch Gannon off-guard. During the ring announcements for the main event, right when the raffle was supposed to happen, Dekin goes into the ring, announces that he’s taking over nWo-style, and introduces “Miracle” Mike James as his evil flying monkey. I’m not sure I’d be thrilled with that if I was James. I wasn’t sure if Dekin would be managing Mike James for a second month, but it appears he is forming a squad rather than just focusing on Rocco.

This was a hell of a main event that highlighted two vastly different wrestling styles. On one hand, you have “The Suplex Cyclone” Curt Gannon, a trained martial artist and suplex specialist with a low center of gravity perfect for hurling men half-way across the arena. On the other, is “Miracle” Mike James, a high-flyer that does a fair bit of brawling as well as some “dirty fighting”. As far as I know, James was new to TCW last week, and you can’t ask for a bigger compliment than being put into the main event for the following show. He wrestled a hell of a match, but Gannon is an absolute beast in pretty much every way, and once he softens somebody up with a number of suplexes, you better bet they are going to tap out from one of his holds. After the match, James was led out of the ring to a standing ovation for how hard he went, better luck next time. Curt Gannon once again shows that he has only gotten stronger in his return, and everyone in TCW, no change that, the country better be on notice.

Conclusion:

Without a doubt, this was easily the best show that Trailblazer Championship Wrestling has put together since I’ve been attending. It was yet another busy summer night, with a literal carnival next door, but the TCW faithful chose the event that they knew would provide “the most band for their buck”. Eight solid matches lined the card, and there wasn’t a single “stinker” to be seen. While I’m not exactly sure when the next TCW show will be, I will make every attempt possible to attend, and I better see some of my readers there as well! Stay tuned for more wrestling content on Arcadia Pod, this weekend I will be returning to Central States Wrestling, which should be a blast!

For more of my professional wrestling content, click HERE