OSCW's "Kaos For The Coach" More Than A Wrestling Show

Joe Blumenfeld is up front when he tells me I have fifteen minutes to talk with him. It is 8:15 p.m. on a Monday night, and Blumenfeld's Chicago Bears are about to take on the Philadelphia Eagles for Monday Night Football. He tells me he is even wearing his Brian Urlacher jersey as we speak. I believe him. That's why I get right to the point.

Despite the truncated time, Blumenfeld is more than eager to talk about Old School Championship Wrestling's yearly finale before the promotion returns in 2012. The focus, though, of the scheduled November 20th show is more than just wrestling as suggested with the event title "Kaos For The Coach."

The benevolent cause driving the show is a benefit for longtime Charleston high school coach Phillip Morgan, who was stricken with a paralyzing stroke over a year ago. Morgan's influence and contribution over the years is not lost on Blumenfeld.

"We're talking about a guy that gave thirty five years of his life to his community. Thirty five years of helping others is pretty selfless, and it's something I admire and we all should admire," says Blumenfeld. "The effort we put into the show has to match the kind of effort that Coach Morgan put into affecting people's lives in our community. That's what we have to do as performers."

OSCW's inclusion in Morgan's benefit is a direct result of the growing buzz created by Blumenfeld's promotion since planting roots in Hanahan, South Carolina earlier this year. With the scope of this benefit reaching beyond OSCW's core audience and a higher anticipated turnout than usual, the show will be taking place at Goose Creek High School rather than the usual Hanahan Recreation Center where OSCW had frequented.

And with the event being promoted through many of the Lowcountry's high schools, Blumenfeld is excited about the possibility to showcase OSCW to a new audience not previously exposed to the promotion in the past.

"We have no idea what to expect, but based on Coach Morgan's presence in the community over the years, we could be looking at double the audience we're used to seeing. And hopefully it will want to bring them back to future OSCW shows."

In terms of ticket prices, ringside seats are available for $25 and bleacher seating is available for $10. ALL of the proceeds go toward Coach Morgan and his continued recovery effort.

The pressure of a potentially larger audience does not phase Blumenfeld, though, or the OSCW talent. "The guys were taught the philosophy it's a 100% effort whether its a hundred people in the audience or a thousand. We're going to give it all we have, regardless."

"Kaos For The Coach" will mark the 2011 finale show for OSCW, but in looking back on the year in review, Blumenfeld is proud of where his promotion is headed.

"What is really exciting is that we're getting a lot more feedback from the fans. And not just basic comments that the show was good or bad. We're getting specific criticisms about what worked with the fans and what they want to see more of."

Of course like previous shows, OSCW will be bringing in a couple of guest stars to headline the main event. One of which is former Raven's Flock member and WCW superstar Lodi, who just appeared in Columbia as part of a wrestling show about a month ago. He will be taking on legendary heel, The Barbarian, who frequented both the WWE and WCW stage throughout the 80's and 90's.

In looking forward to 2012, Blumenfeld does not cite possible gimmick shows he has in mind or grandiose ways to expand his promotion but rather a continued grass roots approach to broaden OSCW's horizons.

"I want my guys to continue to reach out and connect with the fans. That is what is most important to making this grow. Wrestling fans aren't stupid. They can recognize who is giving them an honest effort as a character and performer versus the ones that are not."

The "Kaos For The Coach" show will begin with a 6 p.m. bell time with the doors opening at 5 p.m. Goose Creek High School is located at 1137 Redbank Road. For further information about the show, visit www.oscwonline.com or call 843-743-4800. Once again, limited ringside seating is $25 and general bleacher seating is $10, and all proceeds go toward Coach Phillip Morgan.

Malus Puts Together Ultimate Wrestling Show In Columbia

The booming base in Jon Malus' voice is a telling reflection of the man that has stepped between the ropes of wrestling rings for ten years. He commands your attention, but his intention is nothing but pure honesty.

As a wrestler, he combines size, power and finesse in a manner resembling ECW legend Balls Mahoney with a look like a member of the band Disturbed. Make no mistake, Malus is intimidating. But beneath the surface lies, dare we say it, a promoting genius.

"I'm not a promoter," Malus insists multiple times in our conversation. But what he has done, if not as a promoter, is create a unique wrestling following that has not been prevalent in Columbia, South Carolina for many years.

Having worked many shows in South Carolina under the promotions of CWA and OSCW, Malus definitely had his name circulating around the southeast wrestling landscape, which led to a chance telephone call.

The Loose Cockaboose, a restaurant/bar in direct proximity to Williams Brice Stadium has been a frequent stop for the Gamecock faithful on football game days. What Malus found was that the establishment was looking for something a little different than what they used to getting with local bands and collegiate sporting events.

"They wanted to put together a wrestling show, but the thing was none of them had ever put together a wrestling show or had any experience in the wrestling business. I was given a budget of $800 and one month to put together a show. That was in the spring of 2010."

With the time and money constraints working against him, Malus envisioned a tight five match card to maximize the budget he was given with high quality talent. Again, Malus found his plans altered.

"The venue wanted a seven hour show; kind of an all-day wrestling event. I knew it was impossible to have a card that filled an entire seven hour slot. So I worked it out to have local bands play in between blocks of matches."

In the end, Malus had six intermissions between sets of two wrestling matches a piece. The crowd was mostly sparse throughout the show. It was a learning experience for Malus and for the Cockaboose.

If there is one thing Malus is adamant about (besides not being a promoter) it's about evaluating and recruiting good talent. He quotes Dustin Rhodes, whom he cites as one of his favorite wrestlers to work with and talk to. "Dustin told me simply, 'If you're good at something, never work for free.'"

Malus saw by having to fill a large time slot with only $800 that he had to recruit a lot of local wrestlers who were more than willing to work for free just to get on a card. Unfortunately, and it was no strike to their effort, a lot of the talent was not seasoned enough to put on a good show.

But Malus and the venue were committed to putting on a second show. A better show than the first.

That would take place in the fall, aptly named Fall Brawl 2010.

The second show from Malus and the Cockaboose featured a budget double the size of the first show and a lot more planning before hand, not to mention a lot more trust in Malus' ability to find high quality talent to feature on the card. "For the second show, we brought in twice the number fans as the first. The signature of the card was bringing in Gunner from TNA."

With a certain amount of success derived from Fall Brawl 2010, Malus stepped up his game in putting together the show this past spring. He scored a coup by booking Bill DeMott, who at the time was garnering huge ratings as one of the trainers of the rebooted Tough Enough for WWE.

Again, the turnout was greater than the previous two shows.

Now with the pressure of topping himself again, Malus has pulled out all of the stops in putting together Fall Brawl II, which is slated to take place Saturday, October 22. To change the format of the show, he is introducing a throwback to the classic days of WCW:  The Lethal Lottery.

Back in 1991, WCW introduced Battlebowl as a part of the Starrcade pay per view, which combined elements of the WWE's Survivor Series and Royal Rumble gimmick matches. The idea was to have randomly created tag team matches (of course pairing faces with heels at some point) and have the victors compete in a battle royal at the end of the night to declare one undisputed winner.

In creating his Lethal Lottery, Malus has assembled quite the collection of wrestlers, with over twenty competitors from nine states. The rules will be consistent with the classic Lethal Lottery rules, with the winner being declared the first TLC Lethal Lottery Champion.

Running alongside The Lethal Lottery will be three singles matches, including a mega showdown between Malus and the "Insane Lumberjack" Timber. It is a match Malus admits that has been a long time coming.

'Timber and I have been working the Carolinas for years, but we've never wrestled each other on the same card. That's something I'm really looking for ward to. That's why I love an event like this."

And Malus doesn't skimp on other perks to spending five dollars for his wrestling show. Along with having a burgeoning card of quality talent and matches, fans will also have the opportunity to attend a meet and greet with the wrestlers performing as well as receive autographs starting at 3pm with the actual bell time slated for 5pm.

When asked about what he envisions for his show next spring, considering the amount of size and effort put into Fall Brawl II, Malus merely laughs. "I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking about it. But it's going to be really hard to top this."

The Loose Cockaboose Sports Bar & Grill

936 South Stadium Road

Columbia, SC

$5 Admission

Superstar Meet & Greet: 3pm

Bell Time: 5pm

Former WWE Star Gallows Main Events Charleston Wrestling Show

After a summer that saw two appearances by Reid Flair along with the crowning of a new Lord of the Ring, OSCW heads into the fall of 2011 with an aura of excitement and uncertainty surrounding their October 16th show.

A lot of buzz was created with the breaking news that Luke Gallows, known primarily for his run as Festus in WWE as well as part of CM Punk's "Straight Edge Society," would be booked to face 'The Shooter" Vordell Walker in the main event slot.

Gallows since being released from WWE earlier this year has kept quite busy with numerous appearances both domestically and internationally. (The infamous Nigerian show is quite a story that can be heard in detail as part of Dave Lagana's pod cast heard here. A great listen.)

In other action, the OSCW Universal Championship will be up for grabs when Solitude defends against John Skyler.

Two men who have been on a collision course over the last two months will finally lock horns with the prize of the OSCW World Title on the line when the towering Asylum defends against mega fan favorite Josh Magnum.

Two other OSCW titles will be on the line with the team of Affirmative Action defending their belts as well as the OSCW Hardcore Title being defended in a Fatal Four Way match, which is rumored to include the South Carolina return of local journeyman, Tank Lewis.

Not to be left unmentioned, however, is the looming presence of Reginald Vanderhoff and his group of disgruntled OSCW superstarts, known collectively as L.E.G.I.T. Vanderhoff's promos over the last couple of weeks have continued to raise questions as to the role this group will play in not only the upcoming show but the future of OSCW as well.

Show Details
Sunday, October 16th
Hanahan Recreation Complex Gymnasium
3100 Mabeline Rd. Hanahan SC
BellTime 6pm (doors open @5pm)

Adult Admission (cash at door) $10
Kids 12 & under $5

Casket Match Highlights CWA's "Buried Alive" Show

 Most of the time, a steel cage match is brutal and hellish enough to settle any feud in professional wrestling. For Salem Sinner Sixx and John Skyler, the steel cage wasn't hell.. It was practice.

In fact, it was merely the setup to an epic follow-up crescendo, which will take the form of a casket match during CWA's "Buried Alive" show this Saturday in Orangeburg, SC.

Based primarily out of Orangeburg, CWA has become a sustaining force in the South Carolina independent wrestling scene by raising the bar in terms of talent and presentation. The set design for the arena alone is on par with the presentation put on by TNA; even so far as to creating ornate entrance videos when the wrestlers appear.

The multimedia aspect of CWA also bears mentioning because the videos on their website provide fitting previews to upcoming bouts. (The Jake Roberts promo alone is classic storytelling gold.)

With the look, intention, and feel of CWA, the promotion certainly upholds a consistency with the present day direction of professional wrestling. The "Buried Alive" show will originate from the Orangeburg National Armory and start at 7:30pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. Ticket prices for children ages 3 and up are $5, floor seats are $10, ringside seats in advance are $15 ($18 at the door). Visit CWA's website at http://championswithattitude.webs.com/ for more information or call 803-533-1111 or 803-707-4072.

OSCW Brings "Lord of the Ring" to Lowcountry Wrestling

Gimmick matches are always a great stimulus for independent wrestling shows. With most organizations only having the budget for one show a month, the eclectic selections of matches is often as a strong a draw for fans as is any guest wrestler appearing from one of the national promotions.

Old School Championship Wrestling, a promotion based out of the Charleston area, has never shied away from an assortment of gimmick matches, with “weapon’s matches,” “career-ending matches,” and the ever popular cage match being mainstays on their cards.

This Sunday, August 28, that trend continues with the Lord of the Ring battle royal taking place at the Hanahan Recreation Gym. Six OSCW champions and one wild card competitor will be vying for the bragging rights of being the “champion of champions” in the Lowcountry.  Competing wrestlers include Calie Casanova, John Malus, the German nationalist Hans, Nick Kismit, Deandre Jackson, Solitude, and Asylum. Within this group, a couple of revolving story lines hover above the action.

Solitude, the classic American hero archetype, will be continuing his feud with Hans while Casanova and Malus revive their hardcore feud which prevailed through their 2011 campaigns. The prize for the winner of this melee is the coveted Lord of the Ring, well, ring. A championship ring that signifies the achievement of the last man standing, and more importantly, an undisputed status of dominance in the OSCW ranks.

Battle royals have been a part of world culture dating back to ancient Rome when the when the battle would end with one victor among his deceased opponents. (I can only imagine the Jim Ross commentating for that.)  In the modern circuit of professional wrestling, the WWE’s Royal Rumble is probably the most famous battle royal, with now it’s 30 plus competitors vying for main even status at the upcoming Wrestlemania by attempting to throw each other over the top rope.

 Solitude, OSCW Universal Champion

WCW had two interesting battle royals to speak of. One being Battle Bowl (at least during it’s inaugural show) where twenty wrestlers would compete in two rings joined together. The object being eliminate the other wrestlers to the second ring, and then ultimately to the ringside floor. WCW went to another level with World War 3, it’s annual answer to the Royal Rumble. The unique concept of World War 3 would be to divide sixty wrestlers into three rings and conduct three simultaneous battle royals until a certain number of competitors would remain and then have them compete in one final battle royal to the finish.

The Lord of the Ring battle royal will be coinciding with the appearance of TNA superstar Gunner as he takes on Jesse Windham as part of OSCW’s main event. Bell time is six o’clock and tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for children twelve and under.