CAC Benevolent Fund

St. Mary's, Ohio Part Two

Midwest Championship Wrestling had been a mainstay in Ohio and neighboring states for over a decade. It had brought the best talent that was in the business at that time to its ring. It gave the paying fan what they wanted ... wrestling.

Big Jim Lancaster held the MWC belt longer than anyone else, and rightfully so, as he was a pretty tough guy in the ring. At over 300 pounds and standing around 6 feet tall, he was a sight to behold in the ring. He did all the moves that a lightweight was capable of doing, and then he turned up the fire a little higher and brought some of his own arsenal of punishing maneuvers to the canvas with him.

Teaming with his brother Rick, they were a formidable force to be put into the ring with. They fought many great teams in the area and beat most of them with their superior size and strength. The Flying Tigers were probably the most fought team that they faced.

Coming back together at the recent matches in St. Mary's, Ohio, the Lancaster Brothers proved that they were the best loved team in that territory, as they received a standing ovation coming to the ring from the almost 500 fans in attendance. Quiet and very humble, they accepted their awards with the biggest smiles in the ring.

That day had started at 1 p.m. as we had a wonderful dinner and get-together at one of the largest Chinese restaurants in the city. There were about 40 people seated around that encompassed the better part of the people that were Midwest Championship Wrestling.

There were also visiting promoters from Motor City Wrestling, Legends Entertainment Group and a wrestling historian, along with families of the wrestlers. There were legends in the crowd from the old days, like Mickey Doyle, Sam Cody, Roger Ruffin and Greg Lake. It was an enjoyable three hours spent chatting about our number one subject. I spent the better part of the afternoon talking to Mickey Doyle, Greg Lake and Al Snow.

Arriving at the arena, I went to the dressing room, where I began to meet the young lions that would be wrestling on the card this evening. I must say that they impressed me very much with their knowledge of the business and the way that they were so respectful to the older guys that had come in for the awards.

The evening started out with a 10-bell salute to the members of our wrestling family that had passed away recently. Dave Drason gave special mention to Bobo Brazil, Mighty Igor and Sgt. Bobby Golden as they were honored posthumously by MCW.

Rob Bauer, Michigan Wrestling Historian, accepted the Hall of Fame award for Luis Martinez. Stacey Painter accepted for lady wrestler Lisa Crockett. I was asked to accept for Fred Curry and did so with a lot of pride.

The Kansas Outlaws, Psycho Sam Cody and Roughhouse Roger Ruffin, were next to be honored into the ring. Referee Rick Johnson came forward next to be inducted. The crowd was getting anxious to see more and more as names were called for the remaining legends in attendance. Irish Mickey Doyle, a 20-plus-year veteran, came next and had a huge smile on his face. The Flying Tigers came next to a thunderous ovation.

A standing ovation was in order for the next two combatants as Rick and Big Jim Lancaster made their way to the ring. Next came Al Snow ... the main event for the night. Fans actually left their seats to run towards him but were stopped by security. Al welcomed all of the winners of the night to the Hall of Fame and gave the crowd a reason to get rowdy by yelling into the mike ... "LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE AND HAVE SOME FUN!!!!!!!!!!!"

We left the ring and went to the autograph tables and all began to sign as droves of fans came forward to give their all to us. It is really amazing that so many fans knew of my background and a lot of the guys that I managed in my career.

The opening match had Christopher Michael Lotus facing The American Eagle. These two young, talented guys had fans in turmoil with their knowledge of the catch-as-catch-can style. Even though Lotus won, it was not a clear-cut decision as he used the ropes for his advantage.

The next event on the card had The Patriot against Sam Cody in a legends match. It was the beard vs. the mask rules governing the event. Sam Cody had his cellmate, Roger Ruffin, in his corner as his manager. I got into the match very much, as I also managed a man that wrestled as the Patriot in Amarillo in the mid-70's. It was like looking back at my past, seeing these two go at it.

At one point in the match, Sam took a wild punch at Patriot and missed and went right over the top rope to the hard oak floor of the arena, almost a 10-foot drop. It scared me half to pieces, as these two brawlers were not in the 20-30 year old range as the rest of the card. Sam eventually won the match with a three-count, and the Patriot had to unmask for the first time in the 25 years that he had been associated with MCW. It was revealed to the crowd that he was Greg Lake. Fans were not happy with the referee and the fact that a mask had been lost. A few cried for Greg as he made it towards the dressing room.

The ladies were next to wrestle, and Peaches and Sin-D, with her manager Austin Meddler, stoked the heat up in the building with yet another great match. Peaches is one lady wrestler that I wouldn't lock horns with. She is a beautiful lady but tougher than nails when it comes to the mat wars.

Following intermission, the semi-main event for the tag team championship took place next. Jay Donaldson & Ryan Stone faced Dead Sexy Matt Parks & Too Bad Chad Allegra. That match alone lasted nearly 30 minutes, as non-stop action was very evident in the ring. Matt Parks and Chad Allegra went home winners and new tag champs.

Bad Brian Beech was next to climb through the ropes to face the legendary Al Snow with head. I have never seen a crowd so fired up about wrestling as these two made the nearly 500 people in attendance. Moves like I had not seen in many years left the fans wanting more. Al Snow went home with the biggest part of the money, as he was the winner.

In closing, I want to take just a moment to thank the entire staff of Midwest Championship Wrestling for inviting me to be a part of this very successful card. I have to thank all the young wonderful wrestlers for being so polite and spreading out the welcome mat for me.

Most of all, I want to thank my friends Mark Bujan, Rob Bauer, Dave Drason and Scott D'Amore for making the long trip from central Michigan to be a part of this wonderful day.

Thanks to Mickey Doyle, Al and Jacob Snow, Greg Lake and all the legends that came to St. Mary's to make this a very special day. Thanks to Jim and Rick Lancaster for giving fans only the best in professional wrestling.

Special thanks to Dylan Everage, a new "little friend" that touched my heart.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers