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Old
School Championship Wrestling’s 14th anniversary show a real family affair
- 15th February 2020
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School Championship Wrestling is presenting a special show to mark the promotion’s
14th year. Provided photo By
Mike Mooneyham Special to The Post and Courier It
will be a true family affair when Old School Championship Wrestling presents its
14th anniversary show on Feb. 23 at the Hanahan Rec Center. The
popular locally based promotion will pay homage to some of pro wrestling’s
most revered families while also celebrating 14 years of “family friendly”
wrestling in the Lowcountry. Promoter
Joe Blumenfeld has invited second- and third-generation performers as a special
part of the event, and he’s excited about the lineup, which includes Carlito
Colon, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Brian Pillman Jr., Lance Anoi’a, Sefa Fatu and
Timothy Zbyszko. “This
show definitely has a family theme,” says the 52-year-old Blumenfeld. “I
personally had the honor of working a show with Larry Zbyszko maybe 17 years ago,
and I still remember the experience fondly. Rikishi came to OSCW in April 2018,
and he had such a great energy and, of course, The Dynasty is all about family.
Now we’ll have two more Dynasty family members coming to OSCW. “When
Carlito made his first appearance here in July 2016, I’m surprised he didn’t
get tired of me going on and on about his dad. The Hart family has been such an
influence and not only to those that carry the Hart name, but countless others
including Brian Pillman and so many stars of today. It all connects, and to have
an opportunity to celebrate it here in Charleston in 2020 is exciting. We want
to pay homage to some of wrestling’s great families and also celebrate the
‘OSCW family’ that’s kept us going all these years. February 23rd
will be all about ‘Family.’” Fourteen
years is an impressive milestone for any independent promotion in today’s
wrestling landscape. It was 14 years ago when Blumenfeld launched his OSCW troupe
at an old bingo hall in North Charleston with a dozen fans in attendance. “I
can’t believe it’s been so many years,” Blumenfeld says of the
longest-running indie outfit in the area. “It’s gone by so fast. Just
the other day, while we were driving all over town passing out flyers for this
event, we passed by the location of our first-ever event. It was an old, closed-down
bingo hall at that time. Now that property on Rivers Avenue is an empty overgrown
lot. It reminded me just how long it’s really been. Celebrating this 14-year
anniversary means a lot simply because we’re still here, we’re still
growing, our loyal fans are still supporting us, and we’re still slowly making
new OSCW fans.” Shining
legacies Blumenfeld,
a native New Yorker, wanted to plan something “different” for his anniversary
event. He recalled being very impressed with appearances Davey Boy Smith Jr. (Harry
Smith), son of the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, made in recent
years, and it got him to thinking. “Since
2013, when we first had Davey Boy Smith Jr., I’d been thinking that one day
I would love to do a night featuring more second- and third-generation wrestlers
that are carrying on their legendary family names. Right now, there are so many
legacy talents carrying on those family names that I knew that the time was right
to bring some of them to the local OSCW fans. So I guess this show was seven years
in the making. I can’t wait for it, and I hope our fans are excited too.
I hope it will be well received. “What
I’m most looking forward to at this event is those fans that really get the
concept and realize the history there. Today we can’t see Flyin’ Brian
Pillman or The British Bulldog, for example, step into the ring, but we can see
their legacy shine through their incredibly talented sons, although their sons
are making a name for themselves in their own right.” Wrestling
royalty A
second-generation star and son of Puerto Rican legend and WWE Hall of Famer Carlos
Colon, Carlito Colon made history by winning the U.S. championship in his Smackdown
debut match Oct. 7, 2004, then did it again by winning the Intercontinental title
in his first match on Raw on June 20, 2005. Colon,
40, who is expected to bring his apple-spitting routine to OSCW, also has a brother,
Primo, and cousin, Epico, who have teamed in WWE as well as their native Puerto
Rico. Harry
Smith, a third-generation star and former WWE tag-team champion, is capably carrying
on the Hart family legacy. Son
of the late Davey Boy Smith and Diana Hart (the youngest daughter of late Stampede
Wrestling promoter Stu Hart), the 34-year-old Smith is one of the hottest free
agents on the market. The
26-year-old Brian Pillman Jr., son of the late great “Flying Brian”
Pillman, has been one of the most highly touted prospects in the business since
making his pro debut in late 2018. Pillman,
Smith’s Hart Foundation teammate, was honored earlier this month in Philadelphia
when Pro Wrestling Illustrated presented him with the prestigious 2019 Rookie
of the Year award. The
Anoa’i dynasty, which has produced multiple generations of superstars, including
The Rock, Roman Reigns, Yokozuna and The Usos, will be well represented at OSCW. For
more than 50 years, the Anoa’i family has collected more tag-team championships
than any other family in the sport. The late “High Chief” Peter Maivia
and his grandson Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are distant relatives, but
are considered honorary members of the famous family. Sefa
“The Problem” Fatu is the youngest son of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi
(Solofa Fatu Jr.), brother of WWE tag team The Usos (Joshua and Jonathan Fatu),
cousin of Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) and “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu. Lance
“The Future” Anoa’i, 28, is the son of WWE and WCW star Samu (Samula
Anoa’i), who was a member of The Headshrinkers and Samoan Swat Team with
cousin Rikishi. Lance was trained by his grandfather Afa Anoa’i, one half
of WWE Hall of Famers The Wild Samoans, before making his pro debut in 2010. Anoa’i
made his WWE debut last May in a losing effort on Raw to Shane McMahon, but only
as a result of a McMahon assist from Drew McIntyre. Timothy
Zbyszko, son of WWE Hall of Famer Larry Zbyszko, is a seven-year veteran who was
trained by his dad and Scott Hall. The
nephew of Greg Gagne and grandson of the late great AWA champion and promoter
Verne Gagne, Zbyszko also boasts a rich wrestling heritage. He was the recipient
of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Rookie of the Year award in 2013. Faithful
followers Blumenfeld
attributes the longevity of his promotion, which has drawn praise from those who
work for the group and from fans who faithfully follow it, to a number of things. “Firstly,
the dedication and talent of our roster is, of course, a main factor. We’re
fortunate to have a roster and team that come from all over and always give us
one hundred percent, especially those that have hung in there with us since the
early OSCW days. “Secondly,
the fans that have hung in there with us, too, are the fuel that keeps us going.
We strive to keep their support. We never want to disappoint them. Thirdly, we
simply just can’t stop. There have been so many ups and downs, but we still
love it and can’t imagine it ending.” Blumenfeld
adds that he is extremely proud of the family-oriented product the outfit provides.
It captures the soul of pro wrestling and reflects the heart and passion of the
game, he says. Despite
the occasional pitfalls along the way, Blumenfeld and the company have managed
to survive and even prosper. “Our
plans for the future are to grow bigger, stronger, to make our supporters proud,
and grow our fan base,” he says. The
anniversary show lineup includes: A four-corner match for the International title
with Caleb Konley defending against John Skyler, Austin Jordan and Eric Darkstorm;
The Ugly Ducklings vs. The End for the OSCW tag-team title; Francisco Ciatso (with
Stormie Lee) vs. Lodi; Brandon Paradise vs. Nick Kismet; Brady Pierce vs. Scotty
Matthews. Generation
matches feature Timothy Zbyszko vs. Brian Pillman Jr.; Lance Anoa’i vs. Davey
Boy Smith Jr.; and Carlito vs. Sefa Fatu. Bell
time is 5 p.m. Doors open at 4:30. Adult admission (cash at door) is $13; kids
(12 and under) $8. Advance tickets are available online. For
more information, call (843) 743-4800 or go to www.oscwonline.com. (The
Post and Courier) Social
Media Mike
Mooneyham Greg
Tingle It's
a nice gesture to support the independent arts scene, be it pro wrestling or other.
Everyone needs to start somewhere. I will never forget the lovely lady who gave
me my break in the television industry, Joy Hruby OAM. I started behind the camera,
then interviewing and progressed to running my own media company. I have always
enjoyed assisting new talent and other talent who is not all the way at the top
of the business, be it in financial terms or other. In their success we can find
our own success. As an ex girlfriend of mine says, "Anyone can do the easy
ones". Sometimes it can be more hard work and more hands on with the smaller
outfits. In the bigger firms, be it a CBS / Network 10, Turner, AEW or even WWE,
more elements are delegated. It can be the Indians and chiefs scenario. In Aussie
showbiz when someone wears many hats the lingo can be called "dogs body".
But the dog might also be a great performer, interviewer or actor also. Hey, even
Vince McMahon was a pretty good announcer and brawler type pro wrestler, even
if Hulk Hogan says he hit pretty hard. Stallone said the same of Hogan also. Everyone
has their own style, but of course there are supposed to be some consistencies.
Hard work is definitely one of them. I'm sure this OSCW outfit will have their
working boots on. A lot of eyes and ears are turned in, thanks in part to The
Post. Much respect to any wrestler who ever had a match. Being a fan or commentator
is relatively easy, at least compared to risking your neck and back on a weekly
basis in the business we love entitled professional wrestling. Another top read.
Thanks. | 
