FSM News Update: ROC OUT, JOSH IN; HERO vs AKUMA ADDED
Thursday, July 5th
CHANGE TO 8/3 TOURNAMENT: ROC OUT, ABERCROMBIE IN
It is always an unfortunate task to report bad news, but we must on this day. Billy Roc, one-half of Threat Level Midnight, has had to pull out of the August 3rd Fight Sports Midwest Championship Tournament in Midlothian, Illinois, where he would have had the task of a lifetime in facing former ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. We knew that, though he knew it was going to be the toughest challenge of his career, he was greatly looking forward to the opportunity of facing such excellent competition. We do not hold Billy responsible at all for this unfortunate decision and hope that he can make his return to Fight Sports Midwest in the future. The following is a message straight from the desk of Fight Sports Midwest owner/matchmaker Mike Blanton:
"Here are a few facts that I just want everyone to know. First and foremost, Billy Roc was forced to cancel off the show by Ian Rotten of IWA-MS. I was told by another guy working my show that Ian told everyone at the IWA Philly Show that if ANY of the guys on the IWA roster work my show, they will be off the IWA roster. It meant a lot to Billy to work TPI, so he was forced to cancel. I must restate the word FORCED. Apparently Ian wants guys to miss out on a payday for an unknown grudge to me. For the record, I would go to nearly every IWA show and I have spent literally thousands of dollars to support them in any way possible. I bought front row tickets, I purchased DVDs, and took part in nearly every raffle that they put on and this is my thank you. This is all about a building. I am running in Midlothian. I am sure everyone is thinking "Well, don't five other companies run there too?" The answer is yes. For some reason he is pissed off at me in particular. I don't want to be involved in "INDY WARZ~!" FSM is above that. We just want to run and try to entertain all of you people.
Billy Roc has no ill will coming to him from us. I know he was forced and we will be happy to have him back in the future. Hopefully sooner than later. We think he is absolutely awesome, and the match with Danielson will one day happen.
I hope you can all make it out to Midlothian and we have one hell of a show planned for you~!
I appreciate it!"
Mike
With that being said, the FSM Championship Committee knew they had to fill the slot in a quick and swift manner, while making sure that Danielson still had championship-level competition in his quarterfinal bout. After much deliberation in the past twenty-four hours, a suitable replacement has been determined, a man who will prove to be a worthy challenger to Danielson.
For the past year and a half, one man has dominated the Midwestern junior heavyweight scene like no other, with a combination of his amateur wrestling background, high-impact finishing manuever, and bizarre persona. When Fight Sports Midwest was born, the matchmakers knew that Josh Abercrombie had to be a part of the roster. Though he has a very seedy personality and is quite unlikable outside of the ring, there is no doubt that Abercrombie has unbelievable skills inside of the ropes. At Chapter One, Abercrombie faced a man who had began his career as a dominant Midwestern junior heavyweight and quickly became a national commodity in Austin Aries. After a hard-fought battle that many say stole the show, Abercrombie took advantage of a missed 450 splash, performing a cradle pinning combination that scored him the huge victory. At Chapter Two, Abercrombie was paired with the Human Tornado, a much-talked-about charismatic high-flyer who wrestles predominantly in the Southern California region of the country. Abercrombie put another nationally-known star with big credentials down, pinning Tornado after his Taliban Backpack finisher, cementing his spot as the most dominant wrestler in FSM's short history.
Now, on Friday, August 3rd, Abercrombie has the opportunity to put the biggest notch in his belt yet. Will Danielson use Abercrombie as a stepping stone on his way to winning yet another championship, or will "The Trendsetter" continue his trend of dominance by slaying the dragon? Josh Abercrombie will face Bryan Danielson on August 3rd in the FSM Championship Tournament!
FIRST MATCH IN BRACKET B ANNOUNCED: HERO TO MAKE FSM DEBUT
When bracketing this tournament, the Fight Sports Midwest Championship Committee scouted not just within FSM, but scoured the country to look for top competitors worthy of challenging for the belt, not discriminating if a top star had not made his FSM debut yet. One such is a man who has been lured into the FSM fold with the promise of an instant championship chance, as former ROH World Tag Team Champion and recent Pro Wrestling NOAH gaijin Chris Hero has signed up to enter the FSM Championship Tournament on Friday, August 3rd in Midlothian, Illinois!
When news of Hero's impending FSM debut broke, several FSM wrestlers immediately spoke up, telephoning the FSM office with their disapproval. As many of you know, Hero's attitude has soured in the past two years and he hasn't exactly made a lot of friends during his travels in other promotions. While they asked to be kept anonymous at this point, these men who have complained about Chris Hero being allowed in FSM are those who have had infamous run-ins with Hero in the past. FSM officials took these complaints into consideration, but chose to deny the competitors' requests due to Hero's world class wrestling ability and the amount of prestige that a wrestler the calibur of Chris Hero would bring into Fight Sports Midwest.
On the other side of the coin, while he has not communicated his point of view with anyone from Fight Sports Midwest, rumors are abound that Chris Hero seems to want to get a fresh start in the Chicagoland region with FSM, all starting with a potential attitude change. If the speculation is true, it will be interesting to see how these Hero detractors on the FSM roster will react if Hero turns a new leaf, beginning at Chapter Three!
With all of that out of the way, Hero's first round opponent in the FSM Championship Tournament has been selected. Though he suffered a loss to fellow CHIKARA Wrestle Factory student Jigsaw at Chapter Two, Akuma has proven himself both in that match and in previous outings throughout the independent wrestling scene to be a very dangerous competitor. With his scary combination of lethal kicks and lack of remorse, Akuma has conquered many opponents throughout professional wrestling since entering the sport. He has been most dominant in the tag team format, where he and partner Icarus ironically defeated Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli for the CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parajas last fall. In fact, Akuma and Hero are currently partners in the Kings of Wrestling super-faction that has been dominating CHIKARA in 2007. Will this partnership prove to be too strong of a bond to break, tainting this all-important bout, or will Hero's rumored change of heart come into effect, resulting in both men putting their all into advancing in the FSM Championship Tournament!
Right now, here is a look at the FSM Championship Tournament, as it stands, on Friday night, August 3rd in Midlothian, Illinois at the Don Preston Rec Center!
***ICWICWA TEXARKANA TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP/DOUBLE REFEREE/ROUND 1 - BRACKET A***
(Champion) "Sweet 'n' Sour" LARRY SWEENEY vs Figure Four Weekly Editor BRYAN ALVAREZ
***FIRST ROUND - BRACKET A***
"American Dragon" BRYAN DANIELSON vs "The Trendsetter" JOSH ABERCROMBIE
***FIRST ROUND - BRACKET B***
CHRIS HERO vs AKUMA
Fight Sports Midwest "CHAPTER THREE"
Friday, August 3rd - 8:00 Belltime
Don Preston Rec Center - Midlothian, IL - 14500 Kostner Avenue
CHANGE TO 8/3 TOURNAMENT: ROC OUT, ABERCROMBIE IN
It is always an unfortunate task to report bad news, but we must on this day. Billy Roc, one-half of Threat Level Midnight, has had to pull out of the August 3rd Fight Sports Midwest Championship Tournament in Midlothian, Illinois, where he would have had the task of a lifetime in facing former ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. We knew that, though he knew it was going to be the toughest challenge of his career, he was greatly looking forward to the opportunity of facing such excellent competition. We do not hold Billy responsible at all for this unfortunate decision and hope that he can make his return to Fight Sports Midwest in the future. The following is a message straight from the desk of Fight Sports Midwest owner/matchmaker Mike Blanton:
"Here are a few facts that I just want everyone to know. First and foremost, Billy Roc was forced to cancel off the show by Ian Rotten of IWA-MS. I was told by another guy working my show that Ian told everyone at the IWA Philly Show that if ANY of the guys on the IWA roster work my show, they will be off the IWA roster. It meant a lot to Billy to work TPI, so he was forced to cancel. I must restate the word FORCED. Apparently Ian wants guys to miss out on a payday for an unknown grudge to me. For the record, I would go to nearly every IWA show and I have spent literally thousands of dollars to support them in any way possible. I bought front row tickets, I purchased DVDs, and took part in nearly every raffle that they put on and this is my thank you. This is all about a building. I am running in Midlothian. I am sure everyone is thinking "Well, don't five other companies run there too?" The answer is yes. For some reason he is pissed off at me in particular. I don't want to be involved in "INDY WARZ~!" FSM is above that. We just want to run and try to entertain all of you people.
Billy Roc has no ill will coming to him from us. I know he was forced and we will be happy to have him back in the future. Hopefully sooner than later. We think he is absolutely awesome, and the match with Danielson will one day happen.
I hope you can all make it out to Midlothian and we have one hell of a show planned for you~!
I appreciate it!"
Mike
With that being said, the FSM Championship Committee knew they had to fill the slot in a quick and swift manner, while making sure that Danielson still had championship-level competition in his quarterfinal bout. After much deliberation in the past twenty-four hours, a suitable replacement has been determined, a man who will prove to be a worthy challenger to Danielson.
For the past year and a half, one man has dominated the Midwestern junior heavyweight scene like no other, with a combination of his amateur wrestling background, high-impact finishing manuever, and bizarre persona. When Fight Sports Midwest was born, the matchmakers knew that Josh Abercrombie had to be a part of the roster. Though he has a very seedy personality and is quite unlikable outside of the ring, there is no doubt that Abercrombie has unbelievable skills inside of the ropes. At Chapter One, Abercrombie faced a man who had began his career as a dominant Midwestern junior heavyweight and quickly became a national commodity in Austin Aries. After a hard-fought battle that many say stole the show, Abercrombie took advantage of a missed 450 splash, performing a cradle pinning combination that scored him the huge victory. At Chapter Two, Abercrombie was paired with the Human Tornado, a much-talked-about charismatic high-flyer who wrestles predominantly in the Southern California region of the country. Abercrombie put another nationally-known star with big credentials down, pinning Tornado after his Taliban Backpack finisher, cementing his spot as the most dominant wrestler in FSM's short history.
Now, on Friday, August 3rd, Abercrombie has the opportunity to put the biggest notch in his belt yet. Will Danielson use Abercrombie as a stepping stone on his way to winning yet another championship, or will "The Trendsetter" continue his trend of dominance by slaying the dragon? Josh Abercrombie will face Bryan Danielson on August 3rd in the FSM Championship Tournament!
FIRST MATCH IN BRACKET B ANNOUNCED: HERO TO MAKE FSM DEBUT
When bracketing this tournament, the Fight Sports Midwest Championship Committee scouted not just within FSM, but scoured the country to look for top competitors worthy of challenging for the belt, not discriminating if a top star had not made his FSM debut yet. One such is a man who has been lured into the FSM fold with the promise of an instant championship chance, as former ROH World Tag Team Champion and recent Pro Wrestling NOAH gaijin Chris Hero has signed up to enter the FSM Championship Tournament on Friday, August 3rd in Midlothian, Illinois!
When news of Hero's impending FSM debut broke, several FSM wrestlers immediately spoke up, telephoning the FSM office with their disapproval. As many of you know, Hero's attitude has soured in the past two years and he hasn't exactly made a lot of friends during his travels in other promotions. While they asked to be kept anonymous at this point, these men who have complained about Chris Hero being allowed in FSM are those who have had infamous run-ins with Hero in the past. FSM officials took these complaints into consideration, but chose to deny the competitors' requests due to Hero's world class wrestling ability and the amount of prestige that a wrestler the calibur of Chris Hero would bring into Fight Sports Midwest.
On the other side of the coin, while he has not communicated his point of view with anyone from Fight Sports Midwest, rumors are abound that Chris Hero seems to want to get a fresh start in the Chicagoland region with FSM, all starting with a potential attitude change. If the speculation is true, it will be interesting to see how these Hero detractors on the FSM roster will react if Hero turns a new leaf, beginning at Chapter Three!
With all of that out of the way, Hero's first round opponent in the FSM Championship Tournament has been selected. Though he suffered a loss to fellow CHIKARA Wrestle Factory student Jigsaw at Chapter Two, Akuma has proven himself both in that match and in previous outings throughout the independent wrestling scene to be a very dangerous competitor. With his scary combination of lethal kicks and lack of remorse, Akuma has conquered many opponents throughout professional wrestling since entering the sport. He has been most dominant in the tag team format, where he and partner Icarus ironically defeated Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli for the CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parajas last fall. In fact, Akuma and Hero are currently partners in the Kings of Wrestling super-faction that has been dominating CHIKARA in 2007. Will this partnership prove to be too strong of a bond to break, tainting this all-important bout, or will Hero's rumored change of heart come into effect, resulting in both men putting their all into advancing in the FSM Championship Tournament!
Right now, here is a look at the FSM Championship Tournament, as it stands, on Friday night, August 3rd in Midlothian, Illinois at the Don Preston Rec Center!
***ICWICWA TEXARKANA TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP/DOUBLE REFEREE/ROUND 1 - BRACKET A***
(Champion) "Sweet 'n' Sour" LARRY SWEENEY vs Figure Four Weekly Editor BRYAN ALVAREZ
***FIRST ROUND - BRACKET A***
"American Dragon" BRYAN DANIELSON vs "The Trendsetter" JOSH ABERCROMBIE
***FIRST ROUND - BRACKET B***
CHRIS HERO vs AKUMA
Fight Sports Midwest "CHAPTER THREE"
Friday, August 3rd - 8:00 Belltime
Don Preston Rec Center - Midlothian, IL - 14500 Kostner Avenue
Labels: "Chapter Three", Fight Sports Midwest, Live Events, Pro Wrestling News
posted by Art Shimko at 7/05/2007 08:01:00 PM
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