BCWA:
A Long Road Forged; a Longer Road Ahead
In May of 2007, a
man named Michael Blackwell followed his dream. A former outlaw
wrestler now retired; Mike Blackwell had always longed to achieve
his ultimate goal: Run and operate his very own wrestling promotion
in his home state of Michigan. Ultimately convinced by those close
to him, “Mr.” Blackwell finally decided to lay it all on the line
and bought a ring.
Soon thereafter, it all began. Immediately
after his purchase, Mr. Blackwell gathered as many of his contacts
as he could and starting sending out “feelers” into the wrestling
world - and within two weeks, he already had a decent-sized roster.
Men such as “The Legacy” Mathew Priest - a crafty veteran of the
sport; “The Hollywood Sensation” Johnny Margera - a young Hollywood
actor turned wrestler; Robert Jamez, a former Hell’s Angels member;
and “The Flatliner” Scotty Fraytown - a young but incredibly gifted
wrestler attempting to put a huge impact into the wrestling world.
Mr. Blackwell brought in wrestlers of all sizes and styles - small,
tall, light, heavy, fast, powerful, flashy, insane; it didn’t
matter who or what they looked like, as long as they all had one
thing: passion.
Eventually, the ring had arrived. For several
months, hours upon days of training took place. Mr. Blackwell
wanted to make sure every wrestler was up to par by the debut of
BCWA’ first show in August 2007 - “Summer Stand-Off”. As weeks and
months passed by, the “Blue-Collar Wrestling Alliance” grew and
grew - picking up such talents as The Baddest, “Marvelous” Tony
Banks, “The Last Dragon” Zane Silver, Skye Bynes, Confetti, and
“Beautiful” Bill Martel, and Brian Delray. By August, the roster
had expanded to around 25 men and was ready to change the Michigan
wrestling scene… For good.
On the foggy morning of August 5th,
2007, there was a noticeable energy in the air. Everyone was on the
same page, despite their differences - they all wanted to give it
their all for this show. Mr. Blackwell even went to such lengths as
to bring in All-Star Karaoke & DJ, a reputable service willing
to bring their great production values to make BCWA an all-around
entertainment phenomenon. Nothing was going to stop Mr. Blackwell
and the BCWA roster from putting on the show of their lives - and
when all was said and done, they accomplished just that. By the end
of the day, the 150 crowd went home happy and many tears of
happiness were shed at the in-ring celebration after the show. Mr.
Blackwell was on top of the world, both literally and figuratively
- as the entire roster hoisted him up onto their shoulders, and
paraded around the ring to show their appreciation.
Following the
success of their first show, BCWA continued to expand and become
more successful. By early October, the roster had expanded to 35
wrestlers, wrestling legends such as Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake made memorable appearances, and
BCWA had started running weekly “Frontline” shows every Sunday. All
was going extremely well, but the best was yet to come.
In early
October, negotiations between Detroit’s Tri-City Trade Center and
BCWA to run weekly shows began. And within two weeks of the first
meeting, the Blue-Collar Wrestling Alliance had a new home. Able to
seat several hundred people, and given the ability to construct a
unique stage/entranceway, production booth, merchandise booth, and
backstage area - BCWA had taken a GIANT leap forward, and had
gotten one step closer to becoming the absolute best wrestling
entertainment Michigan has to offer. This small “arena” was all it
took to boost morale sky high, and cement the fact to everyone that
BCWA is here to stay.
By late December, BCWA had established a
consistent fan base of over 150 people weekly. BCWA’ November PPV
“Last Rites”, which featured the “revolutionary” Revolution 9 Match
and the Bill Martel/Scotty Fraytown “I Quit” match for the National
Championship, drew over 230 people in attendance - a feat rarely
achieved in the entire Michigan wrestling scene. But on December
30th, 2007, BCWA had geared up for its’ largest and most prominent
show of the year - “Cataclysm”. The build-up and hype for the show
was growing almost daily among the Detroit-area. Newspapers and
websites began advertising the event. BCWA even held a press
conference and an award ceremony on the weekend of the show. But
with a stacked card and immense hype, not even Mr. Blackwell
expected what would become one of the largest wrestling events in
Michigan history.
Featuring the finals of the tournament to crown
brand-new Tag-Team Champions and the Johnny Margera/Bill
Martel/Mathew Priest Triple-Threat match for the BCWA Heavyweight
Championship, BCWA’ “Cataclysm” becameone of the largest attended
wrestling shows in Michigan in several years - 340 people packed
the BCWA Arena full. No seats were left available by the beginning
of the show - leaving the rest of the show a standing-room only
event. And for four hours of solid entertainment and amazing
wrestling action, no one cared if they were standing or sitting -
they were drawn in by the energy of the show itself. And by the end
of the show, BCWA had proved to the critics and the naysayer’s that
it meant business and put a stamp on the Michigan wrestling scene
that it was going straight to the top.
Now featuring a roster of
45 wrestlers, the absolute best production in Michigan, a loving
and loyal fan base, top-notch merchandise, and a multitude of other
projects and ideas in the works - the Blue-Collar Wrestling
Alliance is already the most successful wrestling promotion in
Michigan to be operating for less than one year. But what separates
BCWA from other wrestling promotions is our heart. It’s a family.
It operates as a family. With every promotion come problems and
dysfunctions, trial and error, and critics - but the reason why
BCWA has gotten so successful so fast is because it’s simply a
family. Every wrestler works to make BCWA better as a whole and not
for them. No matter how good or bad a certain person is - everyone
will help out. BCWA’ also offers family entertainment - shows where
parents won’t be afraid to bring their children to enjoy quality
entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, the fans are what
made BCWA so successful - so the Blue-Collar Wrestling Alliance
pays them back whenever they can, and in the best possible ways.
And with extremely affordable ticket prices, a variety of unique
wrestling styles just as unique as the wrestlers themselves, and
amazing production efforts provided by All-Star Karaoke & DJ -
what’s not to love?
If you haven’t been to a BCWA event, do
yourself a favor and check one out. Chances are you’ll be hooked
for life.
[1212]
Wikis
Search
