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Sitting inside my car in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it hits me that in three nights a scrawny kid from small town Warrensburg, Missouri- located a few miles outside Kansas City near the Whiteman Air Force Base- would be wrestling in this very building in the Maurako Cup tournament at High Octane Wrestling’s Refueled 85 show.
There’s just a smattering of cars in the parking lot but on Sunday night, you can bet the lot will be full and the place will be rocking. I walk out onto the stage for the first time on Refueled as a full-fledged member of High Octane Wrestling- the next stop on a long journey which began many years ago.
My father was an avid pro wrestling fan and I grew up on wrestling companies such as the FWO, SVO, and the ACW, wrestlers such as Lindsay Troy, Dan Ryan, Valora Salinas, Alias, and High Flyer among others. I remember Michael Lee Best wrestling in places like Dream Wrestling, Hostility. Ten years ago I remember Max Kael winning War Games, Shane Reynolds’s six month LSD title run, and Jace Parker Davidson’s six month World title run. In 2013, I vividly remember watching John Sektor defeat Michael Lee Best for his first World Title. My dad got me hooked on pro wrestling so much that I went out and joined the high school wrestling team, learned mat wrestling, took my lumps, and got my ass kicked on many an occasion.
But momma didn’t raise no dummy. I had to learn and learn fast and by my senior year, I’d become a pretty good wrestler. I finished second in our conference high school tournament and made it a few rounds into the state tournament. Then I graduated from high school and into the great wide open I looked out at.
What to do.
What to do.
Eighteen years old. Fresh out of high school. My classmates flew away from their nests and went their four ways scattering to far flung locales all over the country. Some went to college. Some went to work at their first actual paying job. Others just wanted to get the hell out of town. I ended up taking a different tack and decided to embark on a different education- training to become a professional wrestler.
As luck with have it, two weeks after graduation Missouri Valley Wrestling held a tryout at their headquarters in St. Louis. On a whim, a wing, and a prayer, I resolved that I would go and try out. So I drove across Missouri to St. Louis, rolled the dice, and took my shot. Ray McAvay was there. So was Joe Bergman who as Halitosis had just shocked the wrestling world by winning the HOW World Title tournament. Joe was in St. Louis gearing up for his first title defense against Max Kael. MVW CEO Jill Berg oversaw the tryouts but usually deferred to Ray or Joe. I was nervous as hell but I gave it everything I had. They liked what they saw so they offered me a developmental deal and soon after I made plans to move to St. Louis.
I started training in earnest at the end of summer and through the fall. On November 1st, 2019, Adam Ellis debuted in Missouri Valley Wrestling. First pro wrestling match ever. My tag team partner? You know him now as ‘Defective’ Marty Pratt but back in 2019 he was known as ‘The Worst Heel in Pro Wrestling History’ Marty Laslo. Our opponents. A tag team with a ton of experience- Ken Worth-American Trucker and Brad Company aka… Trucking Average Company.
Suffice to say, it was a quick match.
Basically, we spent two and half minutes being thrown all over the ring before Brad Company nearly took my head off with a move he called The Company Line. Lying flat on my back and rolled up with my shoulders flat on the mat, I heard the ‘one’, ‘two’, and ‘three’ and that was that. My first ever professional match. It even aired on MVW’s syndicated show a couple weeks later but the important thing was I got through a match, I didn’t mess up anything, and I didn’t get hurt.
Two weeks later. Match number two versus Rah. Rah nearly broke me in half with the ‘Eye of RAHHHH’ and the match barely made it past the one-minute mark.
Hello Adam Ellis. Welcome to pro wrestling.
For the next year I slowly honed my craft, day after day at the MVW gym in St. Louis or at Joe Bergman’s Barn outside of town. I would wrestle several matches and learned everything I could every step of the way. By that point, Ray McAvay had taken control of MVW and he took things very slowly with me which allowed me the time and ring experience to figure things out.
My father always told me that patience and persistence as well as a strong backbone were the keys to being successful so I patiently bided my time and waited for the opportunity to present itself. In June of 2021, that opportunity appeared. June 12th, 2021. Missouri Valley Wrestling ran the Joseph Gentile Arena in Chicago on a Saturday night and the show would be televised live on HOTv. I wrestled in a three-way match against ‘Rock Star’ Robbie Marrs and Jack Fraiser.
Before the match, Ray McAvay pulled me into a room and told me it was time to show the world just what Adam Ellis was all about. Ray told me I had the experience and he had confidence in me and just wanted me to throw off the chains holding me back and go out there and go for it. So that’s what I did. I went out there and threw caution to the win and had a great match against Marrs and Fraiser. Still ate the pin at the end but I felt for the first time that I could actually do this.
Little did I know there was someone else in the audience who watched my three-way match who also thought I could do this.
John Sektor.
With the blessing of Ray McAvay and, most importantly, Joe Bergman- the one who did much of the ground work in building me up into a viable wrestler- it was agreed that John would take me under his wing and mentor me as I took the next step in my career. Three weeks later I made my unofficial HOW debut at HOFC 1 fighting Jatt Starr’s protegee- the one and only, the incomparable Wabid Wabbit, and get the win on my first appearance on the big stage.
Now standing in front of the flags in front of the Wells Fargo Center, Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine a scenario that Adam Ellis would ever share a bill with John Sektor. Here I stood, twenty-one years old and three years invested in my wrestling career… High Octane Wrestling outside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this Sunday night in a tag Team match teaming with John Sektor.
But here I am.
Right after he won the HOW Tag Team title with Andy Murray, Joe Bergman sat on a ladder inside his barn and told us if we show up every day, work our ass, we could make good things happen. But the most important thing was just showing up. Being patient. Do the work and build your career step by step. Get the basics down. Learn your craft and build your skill set one piece at a time. Work hard- learn from your mistakes.
From 2019 to 2021, I learned by fire, trial, and error, and I worked- oh boy did I work. I didn’t win very many matches early on but in every defeat there was a nugget, a slice of knowledge that I could tuck away in the back of my head and incorporate into the next match I wrestled… and then the next… and the next.
Then there was the whole thing with Bill Dickinson. Trial. Error. Pain. Suffering. The concussion. For all the stuff Dickinson did to me, the three Southern Fried Powerbombs in a row, the beatdowns, the stuff with John Sektor, he was absolutely right- I did come to the ring with the deer in the headlights look. Bill Dickinson was clearly living rent-free inside my head.
I had a come to Jesus moment with John Sektor. Basically, he told me in no certain terms that either I stood up to Bill and dished out the same stuff he was dishing out to me or else I needed to find a new occupation. So that’s what I did. I didn’t back down. I dished right back at Bill. Even though I would go on to lose the cage match, Bill wore the crimson mask that night. The nod of respect he gave me after the match signaled to me I’d graduated from talent enhancement status and it was time to take the next step forward in my career.
The opportunity to team up with John Sektor in the Maurako Cup was offered and I quickly accepted.
Of course, we all know Bill Dickinson also got he wanted out of this- his one shot at the big time at ICONIC, challenging John for the LSD title. He deserves all the credit in the world for the performance he put on that night against John Sektor but here’s the difference between Bill and me.
Bill Dickinson came to High Octane Wrestling because he wanted his moment.
Adam Ellis is going to High Octane Wrestling because this is my time.
* * *
Heroes Restaurant & Pub – Warrensburg, Missouri- Sunday January 23rd
With Sektor away and taking care of some personal stuff, Adam took the opportunity and went back home for the weekend.
Looking up at the light blue colored light spelling out “HEROES” on the brick building just above an old-fashioned canopy overhang, The restaurant looked the same as it did the last time he was there two years ago. On one large window to the left of the glass entrance door, there was the logo of the University of Central Missouri hanging- “UCM MULE NATION” with the head of a mule peeking over the top lettering. On the right-side window, “WARRENSBURG TIGERS PRIDE.” There was also a block ‘W’ between Warrensburg and pride with Tigers written in cursive over it.
Walking inside, the row of wooden tables along the window were full as were most of the others insides the restaurant. The waitresses were racing from table to table trying to keep up.
“How many tonight-“ One of the waitresses began to say but stopped in midsentence. “Oh my god. Adam?”
Smiling and nodding, Adam reached out and gave her a hug. “Jennie Oliver. How the hell are you?”
“Adam Ellis. Wow,” Jennie gushed back. “It’s been…”
“Christmas-time in 2020.”
“Wow. It’s been that long. What brings you home?” she asked.
“I decided to come home and visit Mom and Dad before I hit the road again,” Adam said.
Adam and Jennie played catch up for a couple minutes before she had to move on and see to her customers while he walked around and looked for his party.
“ELLIS!”
Adam whirled around and saw three men, the same age as him, motioning to him.
“Charlie Kennedy, A.J. Phelps, and Mike McWilliams,” he mumbled to himself.
Teammates on Adam’s high school wrestling team.
“Get your ass over here!” Charlie calls out.
Adam noticed the table had several baskets of wings slathered on top the checkered paper inside the baskets.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
He sat down and for the next half hour the four regaled each other with tale of their exploits since college. Charlie stayed in town and went to work at a local electronic shop on the east side of town. A.J. was a junior at Missouri-Kansas City studying business. Mike attended a local two-year school and worked in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Soon, it was Adam’s turn.
“Missouri Valley Wrestling since 2019,” he said. “And I just signed on with High Octane Wrestling.”
The others were impressed.
“So Mr. Big Shot Pro Wrestler,” Charlie said. “I saw that match you had with Bill Dickinson. Just how did it feel to be locked in a cage with him?”
Wry smile from Adam. “Imagine trying to avoid a raging bull while locked inside a steel cage.”
“Oooh. That bad.”
Nodding, Adam said, “That bad.”
“I thought you had him a couple times,” Mike said in between sips from his glass of beer.
“I did too. But Bill’s everything he appears to be,” Adam explained. “Rough. Tough. Mean. And he gives zero fucks.”
“How does it feel to be in the big leagues?” asked A.J.
“Well,” Adam paused to take a bite from a wing and placed it down on a plate while the others leaned in closer to listen. “I’ll have to let you know. My first match isn’t til next week and I’m not sure who we are wrestling yet.”
“You don’t know who you’re wrestling yet?” chimed in A.J. “What is that all about?”
Adam shrugged and took a drink from his glass of beer. “We’re competing in what’s called the Maurako Cup. Sixteen team tag team World Cup-like tournament. Four teams in four groups. Winner of the groups meet in the semi-finals and the winners meet for the Maurako Cup at HOW’s next pay per view show March to Glory. Some of the teams come in from other companies. Our group has: Steve Solex and Clay Byrd- HOW wrestlers, Scott Stevens and Black Mamba- HOW wrestlers and then a HOTv team to be named later.”
Mike piped up. “You got a chance in the tournament?”
“Um.” Adam fidgeted while trying to formulate an answer. “Well. I do have a HOW Hall of Famer as my tag team partner and the man who’s held HOW’s LSD title for over six months now as a tag team partner. That’s a plus. Unfortunately, he has to carry some young punk making the jump up from the lower levels of the wrestling totem pole.” Smiling, he took another drink of beer.
“You nervous?” Charlie asked.
“Hell yes,” Adam responded. “This is everything I’ve worked for since high school.” He paused for another sip of beer. “Plus, John’s done a lot for my wrestling career and I don’t want to let him down.
‘Dude,” A.J. said, with both hands on Adam’s shoulders, shaking him back and forth, “Do you remember what Coach Linfield always preached to us whenever we were in a big match?”
Rocking his head back and forth and taking a breath, Adam recited what his coach told him on many occasions: “Take your chances when you get the opportunity.”
“Damn right.” A.J. punctuated his response by slapping Adam forcefully on the back. “You got this.”
“All right you bums.” Charlie raised his glass of beer up. “To Adam.”
A.J. and Mike did the same.
Finally, so did Adam.
“To Adam!” Charlie, A.J. and Mike said in unison.
“To friends,” Adam added.
‘To friends!” All four clinked their glass together and finished off their beers.
Unbeknownst to Adam, a young lady had just walked into the restaurant. Jennie Oliver met her and after a brief conversation, pointed her towards Adam’s table. Adam just happened to look over in her direction, saw her, and his jaw dropped.
The greeter out front, Jennie Oliver, also happened to be the older sister of Kelly Oliver aka… Adam’s high school classmate aka…
“Hi Adam,” she said hesitantly.
…Adam’s high school sweetheart.
Adam and Kelly dated the last two years of high school had stayed together through the early part of Adam’s wrestling career. In late 2020, Adam proposed at a Missouri Valley Wrestling house show in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Around the time that John Sektor became involved in Adam’s career, Adam came to the conclusion that he needed to focus his attention completely on his pro wrestling career. Feeling that it wasn’t fair to Kelly, he made the heart-wrenching decision to break off their engagement.
This was the first time Adam and Kelly had seen each other since the breakup.
“Hi Kelly.”
* * *
Three days.
John Sektor and Adam Ellis versus Ivy English and GenoSyde. The PWA World Champion who specializes in ending title reigns and the guy who specializes in ending careers.
You know, James Cornfield reminds me a lot of a legendary manager we had in Missouri Valley Wrestling named Jackson C. Horne. Stridently old school to the core. No patience for ‘outlaw mudshow bullshit.’ Old school wrestling to the core. These two would probably hit it off just great.
We also have a few things in common with our opponents. Not only are we here to wrestle but we’re also here to win the tournament and become the new HOW Tag Team champions too. We don’t do cardboard cut-outs or bad comedy and we definitely don’t do this gig halfway.
Jimmy, you’ve brought in two guys spouting tales of flying like an eagle and striking like a viper while the other guy is not only a… shhhhhh… secret weapon but he’s also a nuclear weapon. Three hundred and one pounds of raw power. English GenoSyde you call them. No danger on planet earth like them. If you don’t learn from history, you’re doomed to repeat it.
Trust me. I know my history.
Coincidentally, I just went through a protracted war with a guy called the Three Hundred and Thirty Pound Southern Brawler named ‘Redneck’ Bill Dickinson. This is a guy I just faced over a month ago and beat the living hell out of each other inside a steel cage who once powerbombed me not just once, not twice, but THREE times and knocked me silly.
So after that, I’m supposed to be worried about your guys? Well, we’ll have to see.
Ray McAvay once told me this- there’s experience… and then there’s HOW experience. Ask Michael Lee Best- the best wrestler ever to grace a HOW ring. Mike came to HOW a long time ago after running roughshod all over Hostility Wrestling and Dream Wrestling like a wrecking ball. Then he came to HOW and got slapped in the face with the cold hand of harsh reality when he stepped into the ring for the first time with one Max Kael.
Or in other words, what you’ve accomplished elsewhere doesn’t mean a damn in HOW.
Let me tell you a parable Ray once told me.
Judd ‘The Stud’ Crenshaw.
Judd came to HOW with plenty of bombast and noise added with delusions of grandeur. He talked a whole lot of shit. He destroyed his first opponents and everyone was sure he was the next big thing.
Then he ran into Ray. Despite the substantial weight and strength disadvantage, McAvay out-smarted him, out-hearted him, and out-wrestled him. Ray defeated The Stud not once but twice. After the second loss, Crenshaw washed out and never was heard from again.
Judd Crenshaw was the big, bad wolf of pro wrestling. He huffed and puffed and destroyed a couple of other HOW newcomers. But when he ran up against the brick wall of an experienced HOW wrestler, he found himself sliding down the chimney into a hot pot of boiling water.
The point?
Jimmy, there’s a HOW graveyard littered with the rusted-out hulks of ‘The Next Big Things.’ Wrestlers who arrived at High Octane Wrestling with grandiose dreams, big promises, and talking big who then found out HOW is a pretty hard place to win week in and week out.
My advice to your boys. Don’t be Judd Crenshaws.
Let’s just have a wrestling match. Ivy English will fly like an eagle and strike like a viper. He may even score with a couple chicks after the match because he’s easy on the eyes as a fella can get. GenoSyde will bring the shhhh… secret weapons, the nuclear weapons, conceive things in dark corners of… well, whatever, and try to take his pound of flesh back to Hell………… Michigan.
We’ll see just how your guys fare when the bright lights fall on them on the big stage of HOW.
Will English GenoSyde thrive this Sunday under the bright lights of the Wells Fargo Arena just like Bill Dickinson did when he came up from MVW?
Or will John Sektor and Adam Ellis send Jimmy’s tag team on the Midnight Express back to Atlanta.
We’ll find out the answer on Sunday night.