A live professional wrestling show in Kansas City, Kansas from KCXW
The second half of a big pro wrestling weekend for my son and me included KCXW Unleashed (The first was TSW in Jameson). This was held in Kansas City, Kansas, at Soccer Nation —a youth soccer field arena that I had never visited before. After the great first impression I received from their January show, I knew I had to return, especially with some of my “regular” companies slowing down a bit this year. I have a feeling KCXW will occupy more of my time in 2024 than before. The main event for this show featured none other than “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers facing off against “The Marksman” Gerard Jaworski, promising a thrilling matchup from the outset.
This was somewhat surreal for me in terms of this wild world of doing professional wrestling blogging that I have found myself in. Considering the fact that I started this on a whim after deciding to write down what happened at a CSW show back in 2022, I would have never thought that I would have my logo scrawled out across a screen at a show and printed on materials handed out. I decided to take the plunge and become a sponsor for this show and Trailblazer Championship Wrestling, something that still sounds wild to me! I even went as far as creating a t-shirt for myself to wear at shows in order to look more professional or something.
Having something to do with professional wrestling has been low-key a lifelong dream for me but it just never happened for a long time. Being one of the more visible professional wrestling bloggers that I know of in the area is crazy!
Without further ado, let’s see what happned at KCXW Uuleashed!
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The Card:
- The Mauler won a XWC Student battle royale – He won the chance to make his main roster debut in a match later in the show.
- SEGMENT – “The One Percenter” Richard Goldman came out to hype Tobias Storm for his match later in the show, only to be jumped by The Main Attractions.
- “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge Defeated Cam’ron Branae
- The Bigg Dogg Defeated CK Cosmic
- The Main Attractions (James Moore and Blaire Dior) Defeated the team of “All Slay” Angel Shay and Bert Candy
- El Diablo (w/ Michelle Nicole) Defeated “The Hypothetical Specialist” Dr. Isin to retain the Metro Championship
- Tobias Storm Defeated “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge to become the KCXW Season of Xcellence Tournament Champion
- Segment – Richard Goldman introduces his newest client, The Iron Pitbull, then tries to take Tobias’s belt away “to better their group” – Tobias attacks him and a brawl ensues.
- The Xtremists (David Cattin, Jude Vice, and Lady Pride) Defeated the team of Atlas Armstrong, “Big” Clay Huna, and Tyler. Xtreme Rules Match.
- Rad Rico Defeated The Mauler
- Hard Luck Hal Rogers Defeated “The Marksman” Gerard Jaworski to retain the Kansas City Championship.
- Segment – Hal won largely due to help from The Bigg Dogg who addresses the crowd about his actions.
DISCLAIMER:
I try to go through most, if not all, of the matches and report on what happened and if the match had any significance to any ongoing feuds. You might think some of my opinions are dumb, or the way I review things is dumb, and that’s OK! We can all like different things, that’s what makes something like wrestling so great! I honestly try to stay positive because there is too much negativity in the overall wrestling community (in my opinion) and we can all do better. That isn’t to say I won’t offer opinions or criticisms, but that will apply when warranted. Remember, cut the B.S. and as the old saying goes, “Just enjoy Wrestling!”
To kick off the show, The XWC (Xtreme Wrestling Center) organized a battle royale, offering the winner a spot later in the main card. This battle royale featured, I believe, eleven competitors mainly consisting of students currently undergoing training for KCXW. While I wasn’t in a good position to catch all the names over the microphone as people got eliminated, I did recognize some familiar faces among the competitors, including Trey, Tyler, The Iron Pitbull, Atlas Armstrong, and Sykawtic. Some of the other fighters seemed interesting including a very colorful luchador and the man that would eventually win it all, an intimidating masked man named The Mauler.
I’m a sucker for battle royales, and this one was particularly entertaining despite many of the wrestlers being relatively new to the game. As the match progressed, it seemed like the rainbow poncho-clad luchador was poised to win it all. However, to everyone’s surprise, The Mauler had been biding his time outside the ring, playing possum while staying legally in the match by going under the bottom rope. He seized the opportunity and snatched the victory for himself. Following his triumph, The Mauler moved on to face Rad Rico later in the show, concluding the action-packed opening bout.
This whole match started off as an unrelated segment featuring “The One Percenter” Richard Goldman, who came out to hype up Tobias Storm for his match later in the show. For months now, he had been chasing Storm to sign up for his management services, only to get the cold shoulder – but tonight it appeared that maybe things had changed. However, things took a chaotic turn when The Main Attractions – Blaire Dior, James Moore, and “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge – ambushed Goldman and Storm. Goldman, already wearing a neckbrace, was quick to leave the ring, so Tobias endured a brutal beatdown all alone until the skirmish was finally broken up. Suddenly, a familiar face from the Kansas City wrestling scene emerged to confront “The Realist” – none other than the returning Camron Branae!
For those who might not know, Camron Branae made waves in WWE’s NXT under the name Amari Miller before returning to Kansas City. She had a significant presence in the local wrestling scene in the past, delivering memorable performances at KXCW and NBW shows. One notable matchup I often rave about is her clash with Tootie Lynn, which I had the pleasure of witnessing live. Her return to the area has been eagerly anticipated, and seeing her test her skills across various promotions has been exciting.
In this instance, Camron squared off against her former “best friend,” “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge. Their strained relationship seemed evident as Calvin appeared less than thrilled about Camron’s return, seemingly holding onto past grievances. Interestingly, Calvin’s own mother was in attendance, siding with Camron and signaling her weariness of Calvin’s antics. It appears that, much like the KCXW fans in attendance, his own mother is tired of his nonsense. Despite the emotional stakes, Calvin ultimately triumphed over his former ally, claiming victory and smugly departing.
It left many pondering whether Calvin’s focus on settling a minor “beef” was wise, considering he had a championship match booked for later in the show. Only time would tell if this worked out or not, but a battered and Bruised Tobias is a dangerous man for sure. As Camron received a standing ovation while exiting, fans eagerly anticipated her next appearance in the ring.
This match was somewhat of a redemption match for both of the men involved. After losing to “All Slay” Angel Shay at KCXW Destiny in one of the first Season of Xcellence Tournament matches, CK Cosmic went on to the February 10th episode of KCXW Showcase only to lose once again to Blaire Dior. The commentary team reminded the fans that he was unfortunately racking up losses on a prolonged losing streak at this point. After shrugging off an offer for help from The Marksman, CK almost seemed on the verge of hanging up his boots for the last time before Bigg Dogg gave him a pep talk. Bigg Dogg took exception to how mopey he was being, and wanted to face the best version of CK Cosmic he could.
Keep in mind, The Bigg Dogg himself was also having trouble, considering the way he ultimately lost the KXCW Kansas City Championship at Destiny, and with no rematch on the card for Unleashed, one has to admit that a win here would go a long way to getting the big man back on track. The match was close to about 50/50 until Bigg Dogg started to gain the upper hand and he eventually became too much for CK. When it was all said and done, The Bigg Dogg stood tall and gave Cosmic the props he deserved for bring the promised heat to him in the match.
One interesting side-point was the involvement of another wrestler, The Marksman Gerard jaworski, who was planted firmly on CK’s side towards the end of the match. He was clutching a luchador mask that used to be donned by Cosmic himself. He belted out shouts of “Don’t forget who you are!” referencing CK’s tenure as none other than Old Glory, a former persona that dominated KCXW before I started going to shows. I’d say CK Cosmic definitely had a bit more life in his body than the last time we saw him, and hopefully that carries on into future shows despite the defeat. The crowd gave both men a standing ovation and that was that – now the question was – could Bigg Dogg secure that elusive rematch?
Unlike their stablemate, “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge (who inexplicably involved himself in two matches), the other 2/3 of The Main Attractions (Blaire Dior and James Moore) brought their A-games to Unleashed and managed to secure a significant win over two of KCXW’s most promising rising stars, “All Slay” Angel Shay and Bert Candy. James Moore was particularly impressive with his high-risk offense, including a wild dive to the outside fairly early on. It’s worth noting that Moore was not permitted to compete at the Independence, MO Destiny show back in January, so this was one of my first opportunities to see him compete in something more than a managerial role, and he was quite impressive.
Perhaps due to Bert Candy still nursing some injuries from his encounter with a table a few months ago at the hands of The Xtremists, Candy and Shay were unable to recover from the initial onslaught by Moore and Dior, leading to their eventual defeat. This isn’t to discredit their valiant effort; Angel managed to execute her devastating moonsault at one point, but it simply wasn’t enough against a group of competitors willing to do whatever it takes to emerge victorious.
I’ve seen these two men face off before, including one insane match back in Gladstone, Missouri last summer with Tri States Wrestling, and since then, I’ve come to the conclusion that any showdown between “The Hypothetical Specialist” Dr. Isin and “The Aztec Demon from the Year 3000” El Diablo is going to be hard to beat. Flanked by his new protégé (and perhaps more!) Michelle Nichole, El Diablo went into this match poised to hold onto that Metro Championship by any means necessary. Holding the belt has put a HUGE target on his back, making him the victim of numerous attacks, including one at the hands of the Main Attractions back in January. Now Dr. Isin, one of the more notorious characters in Kansas City Wrestling, has come back into the company with gold on his mind.
Dr. Isin has a way of bending the rules and taking advantage of certain variables in the ring, and one could see that he was keen to try to eliminate Michelle as one of those variables early on. In a truly shocking moment, he planted what appeared to be a kiss on her at one point, a gross act that ultimately became his undoing. This gave El Diablo time to prepare and take advantage of the shift in attention to secure that big win, retaining the belt for at least one more day. For all his troubles, he was also awarded a huge kiss from Miss Nichole as well. I’m not sure if they still kiss one thousand years from now, but I’m sure Mr. Diablo has some stories to tell his people now!
If you’re wondering why I’ve been somewhat critical of “The Realist” Calvin Aldridge in this review, here’s my reason: Despite knowing he had a VERY important match coming up that night—the finals of the Season of Xcellence Tournament—he involved himself in another match that he barely won, likely sapping his energy. Yes, he had some contingency plans—he sent his goons to attack his opponent Tobias Storm and was definitely more rested as he got a “bye week” during the tournament itself—but one could tell that he wasn’t taking the match seriously. Pound for pound, Tobias Storm is one of the strongest men in all of KCXW, if not Kansas City, and he’s not someone to take lightly.
Unlike Calvin, Tobias moved his way through the bracket, racking up win after win, decisively earning his spot in the finals. Through his blood, sweat, tears, and even bruised ribs, he earned every second of his victory and held that championship belt high as your new Season of Xcellence Tournament winner. Aldridge seemed confused that he had lost, likely proving that he went into this match assuming he wouldn’t have to work for the championship in any way.
No sooner had the bell rung than “The One Percenter” Richard Goldman, flanked by The Iron Pitbull, came out to greet Tobias after his win. Pretty soon, celebration turned into the exact nonsense we all assumed Goldman was up to—an attempt to “share” Tobias’s championship with a competitor twice his size, The Iron Pitbull. Tobias obviously wasn’t keen on any of this, and finally laid into Goldman, giving him a well-deserved beatdown fans have been craving for months. Thankfully, Bert and Angel were there to keep Tobias from being murdered and he once again lofted that belt high!
Next up on the card was another skirmish in the ongoing war between KCXW and the team of The Xtremists (David Cattin, Jude Vice, and Lady Pride). At Destiny, they targeted the “cute” side of the company, viciously attacking the likes of Bert Candy almost to the brink of incapacitation. At this show, their focus appeared to have shifted to some new trainees, perhaps implying that the newer members of the company were perceived as weaker than those in the past. Tyler, Atlas Armstrong, and “big” Clay Huna banded together to try to counter this assault, but they soon found themselves overwhelmed by the hardcore onslaught from The Xtremists. The strategy seemed to revolve around isolating Huna (the more experienced wrestler) from his partners while they set him up for the eventual pinfall. Tyler was eventually hurled through a table, and Atlas suffered a brutal assault with kendo sticks and trashcan lids via Lady Pride.
This was an exhilarating match that raised some significant questions, such as “when will this assault end?”, “What is the end game of The Xtremists?”, and “Who will put a stop to this?” I suppose only time will reveal the answers, but if I were anyone in that KCXW locker room, I would certainly be watching my back, because it seems like an attack could occur at any moment!
About a month ago, KCXW released a video teasing the introduction of a new wrestler named Rad Rico. Armed with an old school boom box and a style pulled directly out of the 80’s hip-hop community, Rico was living it up in what one can assume is one of his favorite haunts – an old school skating rink. Dubbed “Too Hip, Too Fresh….Too Rad Rico!”, Rad Rico seems poised to make a name for himself in KCXW, however his first encounter was going to be a tough one in a man simply known as The Mauler.
Earlier in the night, The Mauler won a huge over the top battle royale to be on this main portion of the card, and one can assume he wasn’t going to just let Rico walk over him. The unorthodox offense by Rico seemed to trip up The Mauler a bit, and eventually Rad Rico secured the bag making a big impression on his debut. I’m not sure a break-dancing leg drip is the most efficient way to do that move, but it definitely seemed to leave it’s mark accross The Mauler’s neck!
The main event for Unleashed featured a showdown between “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers defending his reign as KCXW Kansas City Champion against “The Marksman” Gerard Jaworski. Rogers famously ended The Bigg Dogg’s title run by attacking the referee during their match and taking advantage of the situation to secure the pin and the three count. The crowd was furious at Destiny, and I’m sure Rogers had trouble leaving the building unscathed. This time around, The Marksman seemed determined to keep Rogers’ tricks in check, countering many of his old tactics, only to witness everything unravel spectacularly.
The Bigg Dogg, presumably there to support Jaworski, emerged with one of Hal’s trademark pipe wrenches, initially signaling an attack on Rogers, but confusingly turned his aggression towards The Marksman instead. Hal, almost as bewildered as everyone else, capitalized on the situation and secured his first title defense with a pin.
So, why did The Bigg Dogg do this? It appears he was enraged at KCXW management for not granting him a rematch after losing the belt, particularly irritated that The Marksman managed to become the number one contender. He also vented his frustration about his position at the bottom of the card, especially having to face competitors like CK Cosmic, whom he secretly wanted to target to alleviate his frustrations. Unfortunately for The Bigg Dogg, his actions only fueled CK Cosmic’s determination, as he emerged to aid The Marksman, the one person truly supporting him, wearing his old-school Old Glory attire without the mask. Perhaps we’ll witness The Bigg Dogg facing consequences for his actions come July at Xtreme Liberty!
Conclusion:
This was another solid show from KCXW, featuring an interesting venue and an energetic crowd. If you’ve never attended a KCXW show, their audience is incredibly passionate about the product, and their focus on fan interactions throughout the event greatly contributes to this atmosphere. As I’ve mentioned before, my exposure to this company was somewhat limited prior to this year, so I can’t speak for past shows, but the post-Covid roster and their emphasis on nurturing new talent make it stand out in the area. With any luck, I’ll be able to attend their next two announced shows, Xtreme Liberty and a co-produced lucha event, and have even more to share about them here!
I was happy to be able to support the company as a sponsor, and here’s hoping I get a chance to do that again sometime!
What’s Next for KCXW?
[…] growth on the part of Aldridge, who seemed to be somewhat humbled by his big loss to Tobias at the last KCXW show for their Season of Xcellence Tournament finals. We shall see how long this […]