Written by Mark Guilherme for UWA Hardcore’s Official Site
Time to Payback the Bitch: The Saga of Derek Wylde & Jennifer Blake 

Throughout the course of every man’s life, there comes a point when he must deal with the most dreadful dilemma of all – girl problems.

Sometimes you forgot her birthday, other times you cause her to be viciously gored into a steel ladder. For Dangerboy Derek Wylde, the mistakes which proved to be the undoing of his relationship with Jennifer Blake have been plaguing him since October of last year.

The seeds of mistrust were planted at Return of the Dragon, where Wylde narrowly avoided the running knees of Joker by pulling Blake into harms way instead. After Blake was viciously mauled while helping her beau during night one of the 2006 Grand Prix, the blonde vixen displayed an obvious change of heart the next night during Wylde’s four corners match. Ever the opportunist, Phil Atlas turned his attention away from the action and charmed his way into the rebounding Blake’s heart/pants and walked out of the match with Blake on his arm, much to the chagrin of Wylde.

Since that point, life has been nothing but hell for Dangerboy in the UWA. With her short-shorts and vixen-like charms, Blake has been able to send a steady stream of opponents towards Wylde, including the monster Asylum who destroyed Wylde at Infinite Glory and helped humiliate him by allowing his former girlfriend pin him.

With the former Canadian Champion MDogg20 doing her bidding, Blake became unstoppable. But unfortunately for her, the unpredictable behavior of MDogg20 led to the blowup of their union and Blake was now left alone to face the man she had been irritating for months in a street fight, granted to Wylde by the management of the UWA.

The barricades protecting Blake from the wrath of Wylde have all been torn down, and while Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Derek Wylde might just have the fury of the devil raging inside of him.

This Friday, June 22nd, UWA Hardcore presents another great show featuring some the top indy talent from across North America. For more info and the event card, check out their official website in the links to the right.

Written by Mark Guilherme for UWA Marking Out’s PSP Magazine
The Journey of the Jabroni: From Blue to Black and Back Again

A Chance Encounter
Although it may have been overshadowed by more unfortunate events, the actions of the Jabroni on September 30th 2005 signified an end to a chapter of the ongoing tale of UWA’s resident masked menace.

It’s a little known fact that the Blue Jabroni is the only member of UWA’s original roster still active today. Years before the concept came to fruition, Osiris began laying the groundwork for what would be his take on the hardcore aspect of the wrestling world. It was then that a mere 15-year-old Osiris met the younger brother of one of his close friends. Astounded by his impressive aerial skills, Osiris knew there would be a place for his friend’s skinny kid brother in his wrestling promotion. He gave the young athlete a mask he had received from another competitor, and dubbed the young man the Blue Jabroni.

Jump forward to the summer of 2003. UWA Hardcore has debuted and is making a name for itself on the Ontario independent wrestling scene. Long before the UWA would begin to scout talent from across North America, all of the competitors were from the local area. Standing tall among them [not literally, but you know what I mean] was the Blue Jabroni. The showcase of UWA’s inaugural show, First Encounter, was a match pitting Blue Jabroni against Tyler Sylus, the fed’s current champion and top heel. Jabroni failed to capture the title that night, but he continued to hover at the top of the rankings for a lengthy period of time. Refocusing himself on UWA’s upcoming Grand Prix 2003, he culminated his year by taking home the tournament’s trophy, and in the process, defeated the man who had given him the opportunity to do it all, Osiris. Then, with his newly won trophy in hand, he disappeared without a trace from the bright lights of UWA.

The Astonishing Return
It’s the summer of 2004. June, to be exact. Osiris is taking a pounding at the hands of the Amazing Darkstone. Things are looking grim for UWA’s founding father, when unexpectedly the building lights are shut off. The lights come back on to reveal a familiar face who has emerged from the darkness to help out a friend in his time of need. These were the conditions in which the Blue Jabroni made his unforeseen return to the UWA. He had come through for the man who had given him his shot at glory. Instead of returning to action however, the Jabroni laid low, observing the new faces which had risen in his absence. At UWA’s Grand Prix 2004, the Jabroni once again stepped into the ring, but not to defend his title which he had won a year prior. He had come to the tournament as a special guest, passing forth the trophy which he had held to that year’s winner, Brandon Rage. Fans might have viewed it as a symbolic passing of the torch, but they couldn’t have been more wrong as Jabroni was about to embark on his greatest run yet.

At UWA Rise of the Underground, in what was UWA Hardcore’s greatest show up to that point, the Blue Jabroni returned to in-ring action when he faced off against Nick Watts. Watts was also a new face in the UWA, one with very little history behind him and certainly nothing in common with his competitor, the Blue Jabroni. But what the opponents lacked in knowledge of each other they made up for with pure aggression, battling all over St. John’s Hall. Although the two men were fairly evenly matched throughout the bout, the turning point came when Jabroni landed a springboard leg drop to the outside through a table. One Arabian face buster later, and Watts was on his back staring up at the lights.

Enter the Alliance
Perhaps it was the intensity and ruthlessness that each man showed against the other that led to some form of respect between the two, but at UWA Hardcore’s next show in January of 2005, the two men seemed to be on the same page. In a four-way match pitting Osiris, The Blue Jabroni, Hazuki and Nick Watts against each other, fans witnessed many a moment where Watts and Jabroni performed some impressive double team manoeuvres. Despite his best efforts, however, Jabroni could not escape the wrath of Osiris who repeatedly drove a spike into the cranium of the the Jabroni, not only ripping apart his mask, but also ripping apart his skin, gouging the spike into the fleshy pulp that was the Jabroni ‘s forehead.

The victory was taken by Watts, but it proved to be one of the far less memorable moments of the night. Making his debut that night was Josh Prohibition, North American independent superstar and tag team partner of MDogg20, who went on to capture the UWA Hardcore Canadian Championship later that night. In the post match celebration, Josh turned on his Burning River Brigade partner and formed the Prohibition Wrestling Alliance with Lionel Knight, Vivian Sheer and (in a somewhat surprising move) Nick Watts and The Blue Jabroni. Correction, the BLACK Jabroni.

Every last shred of the man known as the Blue Jabroni was torn apart as that familiar blue mask was torn from his bloody skull. That same mask which for years had defined who he was. The mask which was given to him by Osiris, the same man who tore it apart and turned it deep red with the blood of that scrawny kid who wandered into his backyard years ago. Jabroni had turned his back on Osiris and pledged his allegiance to the faction which was bent on destroying the UWA. Blue was dead. Long live the black.

Written by Mark Guilherme
That Ontario Fed: How Canada’s Top Fed Stepped into the Spotlight

At St. John’s Hall in Mississauga, there comes a Friday in every month when the sounds of the building turn from church hymns to body slams.

Close to 500 wrestling fanatics cram the Lithuanian Martyr’s church to witness Ontario’s hottest wrestling action.

UWA Hardcore was first established in 1998 in the Caledon, Ontario backyard of brothers Joe E. Slick and Osiris.
Joe never expected their labor of love to garner this much attention, but Osiris on the other hand, looked forward to the day that the UWA would bring in this many fans.

“The first show I ever promoted I handed out 10,000 flyers personally. I went insane; I thought there were going to be 2000 people there. And then we had 250 and I was depressed. [Joe]’s the realist and I’m optimistic,” laughed Osiris.

It’s the action packed shows which UWA Hardcore produces that keeps the fans coming back.

“I went to one show and now I’m hooked,” said UWA fan Joanne DiCarlantonio. “Every show gets better and better. You can really tell that they’re out there to entertain the fans and send them home happy”

Most of the wrestlers are young guys either catching their first break into the business, or working their way up the ladder, gaining attention locally before getting a shot at going international.

“The style that most of the wrestlers work is a style that is considered to be reckless by most, but it’s still a surprise how many of them aren’t injured. You have wrestlers such as Christopher Bishop and Blade going out there and really doing some death-defying spots in their matches,” said Allan Cajilig, a fan who’s been to every UWA show since its inception.

Joe takes pride in the fact that many of the wrestlers he has given a shot have attracted followings and gained popularity among the fans of UWA Hardcore.

“I just love in general seeing guys that we’ve taken; who couldn’t get their start in the Ontario indy scene. We got to take them and elevate them. I love bringing in guys from the U.S., and with the MDogg20 vs. Josh Prohibition match, it’s always been a dream of mine to see those guys wrestle and to see them do it in my promotion has been amazing,” said Joe E. Slick.

MDogg20 and Josh Prohibition are just two of the top American independent talents that the UWA has brought in to perform in front of local fans who would otherwise not get a chance to see them live.
Another wrestler who was brought in recently by the brothers is Austin Aries, champion of the Pennsylvania based Ring of Honor promotion. Aries, a very popular independent wrestler from across the border, enjoyed his time in Ontario and hopes to be back soon.

“I had a lot of fun, it was very professionally run, and there are a lot of good fans with a lot of energy. They’re respectful and appreciative of all the effort that everyone comes out and puts forth,” said Aries.

One of the more important aspects of UWA Hardcore that fans may not see is the contributions that the brothers have made to various charitable causes.

“Every year we do a big Christmas party where we invite the fans, and we have bands playing, and in the end we donate the money to charity,” said Osiris. ‘Last year we raised about $700. We just try to give back.”

“We finally got to fulfill one of our dreams,” adds Joe. “A little kid who had surgery actually wanted us to visit him in the hospital, which was amazing; just the fact that it made him happy. I don’t think of myself as someone at that level, but if it made a kid happy, that’s amazing,” emphasizes Joe.

“Well, if we follow my dream of merchandising,” said Osiris, “hopefully fans will love us enough to want to buy Osiris’ cane or have an auction and give the money to charity, or buy a broken garbage can from the show. We can start merchandising like that on eBay and just donate to charity and try to use our names to benefit someone else.”

As for where the promotion is headed, Osiris and his brother have an optimistic outlook on where they want this dream of theirs to go.

“I’d like to keep working on it and maybe one day turn it into a living,” said Osiris. “Be able to pay these guys so they can make a living and go on the road and become maybe a smaller version of WWE or maybe become the next ECW. That’s my dream to be able to wrestle as a job and continue to do what I love.”

“My dream has already been fulfilled,” comments Joe. “People are coming out and enjoying something that not just my brother and myself, but all of the guys, all of our friends, and family, have created. Just people coming out and spending their hard earned money is a dream come true for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.”

Written by Mark Guilherme for UWA Hardcore’s Official Site
The Hussman Cometh: A Look at Jimmy Jacobs

If the present tells anything of Jimmy Jacobs’ future, its to expect great things. He’s currently the Heavyweight Champion in IWA Mid South, as well as one half of the current Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions, holding major titles belonging to two of North America’s largest independent wrestling companies, and all at the age of 21.

Before Jacobs hit the ring to take on Nick Watts at the last UWA Hardcore show, I had a chance to sit down with the ‘Hussman’ and delve into a bit of his background with him.

Jacobs began his training at the Lakeshore Wrestling Organization under the tutelage of Joe Ortega, who was trained himself by legendary trainer Jose Lothario.

“I was like 14 when my brother started training,” said Jacobs. “I was just doing whatever I could to be around the business, hanging around him, hanging around the guys, setting up the ring, setting up chairs, played music, taped the shows and did commentary for the shows, did websites, whatever I could. Then when I was like 15, I got the chance to train, so I took it. I started refereeing while I was training which was around March of 1999.”

On May 1st, 1999, the Lakeshore Wrestling Organization was presenting a show in Holland, Michigan when one of the scheduled wrestlers was unable to make it to the venue. Jacobs, who was refereeing a battle royal later that night, was asked to fill the spot on the card, and debuted later that night, fulfilling his dream of becoming a pro wrestler.

A child of the 1980’s, Jimmy grew up watching the Hulk Hogan era of the WWE, idolizing Bret Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, his three favourite wrestlers who he would often imitate in play fights with his brother.

“One time in first grade I was wearing Bret Hart glasses that I ordered from WWF magazine and I was wearing them on the playground, telling kids that Bret Hart gave them to me at a WWF show,” Jacobs recalls.

Although he has yet to land a full-time position with the WWE, Jacobs’ was lucky enough to work two recent stints with the company. On May 12, 2005 Jimmy was invited by current WWE wrestler Paul London to work out in the ring before a Smackdown! show taking place in Reading, Pennsylvania. Jacobs took him up on the offer, and while at the arena, he was asked by Seargent Slaughter, Ted DiBiase and Dean Malenko, three WWE road agents, to appear on that nights show as an opponent for Eddie Guerrero in a match that furthered an angle between Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. Jimmy went on to win the match by disqualification, and achieved his biggest accomplishment yet by appearing on the same national stage which his childhood heroes battled upon. Months later on August 11, 2005, he returned to face the WWE Cruiserweight Champion Nunzio on WWE’s Saturday night show Velocity.

“It validates all the time you’ve spent in the business, to be able to call up your parents and tell them you’re going to be on WWE and that they should watch it. It went as well as it could,” Jacobs said, maintaining his goal of one day working for the WWE. “It’s the ultimate goal; it’s where people make money.”

However, should Jimmy make it to the WWE full-time, the cruiserweight division wouldn’t be his ideal destination. Standing in at 5’7, Jacobs would seemingly fit perfectly within the cruiserweight ranks, but it’s not where he desires to be. Instead, he’d rather follow in the footsteps of a certain grappler who also stands in at under the 6’ mark.

“I’m not a cruiserweight. I’m Ricky Morton. Morton wasn’t a cruiserweight; he worked with Ric Flair, that’s who I aspire to be,” Jacobs insists. “I don’t want to be the X-Division guy or in the four-way matches that last like five minutes or something. I’ll take it, but that’s not where I want to be. I’m like Morton or Steamboat, the underdog.”

It’s not often that you’ll see Jaocbs doing those types of matches in either IWA Mid South or Ring of Honor, but instead mixing it up with any challenger who happens to come his way. In IWA Mid South where he’s taken on everyone from ultra-violent legend Ian Rotten to former ROH Champion CM Punk, and defeated them all to retain his heavyweight title. Even in his debut appearance here in UWA Hardcore, Jacobs neglected to face one of the promotions high-flying stars and instead opted to face a larger opponent in Nick Watts.

It also helps that his tag partner in ROH is BJ Whitmer, one of the more dominating members of the roster. The team came together after Whitmer’s former partner left ROH and Jacobs stepped in to fill the void, winning the vacant titles with Whitmer in their first pairing together. That’s not to say that everything is perfect between the pair, as Whitmer often gets aggravated over Jacobs overt goofiness in and out of the ring. Although UWA Hardcore doesn’t have a tag division yet, should one start up, Jacobs would be more than willing to bring along Whitmer and perhaps dominate the UWA tag ranks as well.

“BJ’s a lot of fun, and he brings out a more serious side of me and I bring out a little goofier side of him, so we kind of balance things out. Before when I was all ‘ha ha’ and comedy, it was kind of getting old, and BJ was all ‘Bobby Badass’, that was getting old. We’re starting to find our niche together, as far as feeding off each other well and what we do in the ring, so yeah it would be cool.”

However, it’s not always the goofy side of Jacobs that comes through in his character. Although he came to UWA Hardcore in Barbaric Berzerker form, it’s IWA Mid South where Jimmy struts to the ring in fine suits and generally being an asshole to fans in attendance.

“Sometimes I like being the asshole in the suit because these fans can be pricks and assholes themselves, but when they’re appreciative, I like being a goofy guy in furry boots. Sometimes I hate all these people out there, but other times, they’re cool,” Jacobs said.

Whether he’s on good terms with the fans or bad terms, Jacobs can only move up in the wrestling world, and he’s got a Contra Code for anyone who may get in the way of that happening.