My son Emmett and I before a Central Empire Wrestling show earlier this year.
All my life I have been a fan of professional wrestling.
As a kid, the world of pro wrestling captured my imagination during the height of Hulkamania. I remember seeing Hulk Hogan wrestle the Big Boss Man at Kemper Arena in Kansas City with my dad and instantly being hooked
In the mid 1990's, during my teenage age years, the Monday night ratings war between the WWF and WCW fascinated my teenage mind as I lived and breathed pro wrestling.
Now that I am a full fledged adult, my pro wrestling fandom has come full circle. My eight year old son Emmett has recently been bitten by the pro wrestling bug and has become a super fan himself.
He loves all things WWE, especially their yellow and black brand of entertainment, NXT.
In December of 2018 my family and I moved to Iowa from Missouri , three months later I came across a poster for Central Empire Wrestling’s 10-Year Anniversary show in Oskaloosa. Naturally, I purchased Emmett and myself front row tickets and this simple act opened the door for a life long dream to come true.
Central Empire Wrestling
Being new to the area I wasn’t sure where to pick up our tickets, so I reached out to CEW promoter Austin Bayliss and he personally brought the tickets to our house. This was the beginning of what has developed into a strong friendship.
For those that don't know, In my spare time I serve as a sports reporter, mainly covering high school athletics. One of the newspapers I freelance for assigned me a story on a CEW wrestler with local connections. That wrestler was Tony Eveland, better known to wrestling fans as The Storm, and he was my first pro wrestling interview.
Not only did I interview Tony at the CEW 10-Year Anniversary show, but I also took pictures at the event, fulfilling one of my dreams as a sports photographer.
The night of the show Emmett and I witnessed fantastic pro wrestling, that was not only exciting, but family friendly as well.
We got to see two championship matches - one for the Ladies Championship between Champion Savanna Stone and Valentina Loca - the other a CEW Heavyweight Championship match featuring The Storm trying to win back the CEW Title from Shawn Nautilus.
Central Empire Wrestling Photos
It’s safe to say Emmett and I were hooked and since then we have only missed two Central Empire Wrestling shows.
Emmett has gotten to know the wrestlers, being introduced to such personalities like the "Snake Pit" Duke Cornell and Seto Kobara, “6-Star Booty” JT Energy, “Buns of Steel” J Fowler, “Tenacious” Tim Rhodes, “Rapid Delivery” Rory Fox, "Pop Icon" Donnie Peppercricket among others.
I’ve had the opportunity to interview a handful of wrestlers and continued photographing at each CEW event, including their massive show in September, Mancountrymania. That night former WWE superstars Tatanka, The Powers of Pain, Road Warrior Animal, Tugboat and Lanny Poffo all made appearances.
In the main event of Mancountrymania "Buns of Steel" J Fowler and one of the hottest stars in the independent wrestling scene, Joey Ryan, answered the age old question “what is better buns or dongs” in their first ever match against each other.
Photos from CEW Mancountrymania
Central Empire Wrestling wasn’t the only promotion I had the opportunity to take pictures at this year. Pro Wrestling Revolver held their "Tales From the Ring" show in July and Emmett and I once again found ourselves sitting front row.
That night Emmett got his first taste of what a hardcore wrestling show looked like. He was absolutely enthralled during the tables match between Caleb Konley and Andy Dalton. The Wrestling Revolver Heavyweight Championship match between Ace Romero and Larry D is still the match he considers his favorite.
I never had the opportunity to see the original ECW live and in person, but knowing as much as I do about the extreme company, I feel the spirit of the original ECW lives within Pro Wrestling Revolver.
During the meet and greet before the show Emmett met ECW legends Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno along with current Revolver stars like OVE, Jessicka Havok and Ace Austin.
Pro Wrestling Revolver Photos
But, the guy that stuck out the most to Emmett and myself as a huge deal was, Killer Kross.
Having seen some of his matches and promos on youtube I was aware of how talented Kross is, but seeing him in person took it to a whole other level. He has a charisma to him that feels like a once in a generation talent.
Don’t be surprised if 2020 is the year of Killer Kross.
Killer Kross is on the cusp of what could be a huge 2020
While I have been living my dream here in Iowa, a good friend of mine Roland Ruran has been doing the same in Texas. He serves as the photographer for Heavy Metal Wrestling based out of San Antonio.
Following them online, I’ve been able to see their shows and Roland does a fantastic job capturing their heavy metal atmosphere.
I hope to one day collaborate with Roland at either a Heavy Metal or Central Empire Wrestling show, heck why not both.
Roland Duran Heavy Metal Wrestling shots
The final independent pro wrestling show my assistant Emmett and I got to attend and take pictures at this year was for Impact Pro Wrestling out of Des Moines.
Guys like Curt Stallion, Malice, James Jeffries, Sparrow, and heavyweight champion The Big Picture put on one heck of a show to end the year and I hope to continue shooting for IPW in the future.
Impact Pro Wrestling Photos
With 2019 coming to a close I look forward to 2020 and what opportunities may come for me when it comes to photographing and writing about the sport of professional wrestling and more importantly continuing this bonding opportunity with my son.
First show up in 2020 is Central Empire Wrestling's Bridge City Slam 2. That night WWE Hall of Fame member and current Monday Night Raw announcer Jerry "The King" Lawler takes on "6-Star Booty" JT Energy.
Emmett and I cannot wait!
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