SoCal News & Notes 01/05/2018

In this week’s News & Notes we have an update on Candice LeRae and Bar Wrestling, RISE, OWA, VWE, PCW Ultra, and SoCal Pro. Click for today’s News & Notes.

As reported by Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Candice LeRae is in the process of signing with WWE. As of right now unless something changes, Bar Wrestling’s January 18, 2018 show in Baldwin Park, Happily Ever After, will be her last non-WWE appearance.

LeRae was trained at EWF’s School of Hard Knocks and made her debut in late 2002. She started her in-ring career wrestling as Sweet Candy, feuding with Sexy Starlitt (who was really the only other girl in EWF at the time). By 2004 in addition to EWF she would regularly appear on WPW’s weekly shows at the Anaheim Marketplace. Despite the lack of many women’s wrestlers in the area at the time, she worked for almost every promotion in Southern California in the mid-2000s. Her big break came thanks to her work in PWG, where she is the only women’s wrestler to have a sustained run in the promotion.

She won the first three AWS women’s tournaments, and was the first AWS women’s champion. LeRae also held the PWG Tag-Team title with Joey Ryan, winning the titles in what has to be one of the most well-known intergender wrestling matches in history due to the punishment she took from the Young Bucks. In 2013 she finished runner up for the Most Outstanding Wrestler in Southern California award. Already she has to be considered one of the top women’s wrestlers to come out of Southern California along with Melissa Anderson, Melina Perez, and Lisa Marie Varon.

RISE has announced further details on their next Southern California show on June 29, 2018 in South Gate. They are reducing the number of $10.00 general admission tickets and adding assigned seating to the third row for $20.00. First row tickets will be $40.00 and second row $30.00.

Additionally, Australia’s Shazza McKenzie will be making her Southern California debut on the show. McKenzie is the current Heart of Shimmer champion.

RISE is also looking into expanding in several new markets in 2018.

Oddity Wrestling Alliance has announced a few matches for their February 3, 2018 show in Imperial Beach.  Announced matches so far are Black Danger versus Blackboy; Los Luchas (Zokre and Phoenix Star) versus Los Compares (Vilento Jack and Aeroboy); an International Title match between Inframundo, Donnie Suarez, and Huracan; and the 2018 OWA Gladiator Cup Gauntlet match.  Rey Horus, Stigma, Dragox, and Hunter Freeman are all scheduled to appear as well.

Venue Wrestling Entertainment will be running on February 16, 2018 in Brawley. Kikutaro will be appearing at that event.

PCW Ultra announced Tessa Blanchard will be appearing at an upcoming show.

SoCal Pro has added a four-way tag-team championship match to their January 13, 2018 show in Oceanside. The champion Ballard Bros (Shannon and Shane Ballard) will be defending against True Grit (Jesse James and Hoss Hogg), SoCal Crazy and Lil’  Cholo, Usagi and Dirty Doug.

The Family and Community Engagement Department in collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego will be hosting Rey Mysterio Jr. on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at the Harold J. Ballard Parent Center in San Diego from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.  It is said to be a motivational conversation with Mysterio as he shares his struggles, triumphs, and the importance of education.  The presentation will be in Spanish with English translation available.

The webpolls for the 2017 Southern California Tag-Team of the Year, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Rookie of the Year, and Match of the Year part 3 are all still open. The Women’s Wrestler of the Year webpoll will open on January 8 and Men’s Wrestler of the Year on January 9.

This week’s shows:

1/5:

Millennium Pro Wrestling in Moorpark, CA

Vendetta Pro in Santa Maria, CA

Empire Wrestling Federation in Covina, CA

1/6:

Amped Up Wrestling in Los Angeles, CA

Empire Wrestling Federation in San Bernardino, CA

1/7:

LLA in Los Angeles, CA

 

About the Author

Steve Bryant
Fan of Godzilla.