In today’s rundown of the latest Southern California pro-wrestling news, we have the latest on Level Up, PWG, PCW Ultra, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, Bar Wrestling, and more. Click for today’s news update.
—
Rey Mysterio Jr., Rey Fenix, and Konnan have made a couple of appearances at Level Up Pro Wrestling School in La Mesa recently. Rey Fenix has been working out with head trainer B-Boy to do some training in American style wrestling and Rey Mysterio was helping to train his son Dominic Gutierrez for pro-wrestling. B-Boy had previously worked with Dominic Gutierrez when he was the head trainer at FCW’s Battle U.
Level Up Pro Wrestling School, which opened in September, has also begun monthly student showcase events, having held the first two in November and December. The third student showcase will be on January 20 at the school.
For more information on the wrestling school, you can e-mail levelupschool.sd@gmail.com.
—
Flamita will not be at January 18’s PWG Hand of Doom in Los Angeles. He will be replaced by Laredo Kid. The match will now be Laredo Kid and Rey Horus versus LAX (Ortiz and Santana). This will be Laredo Kid’s debut in PWG and his first Southern California appearance since making an appearance for KnokX Pro on March 12, 2017, in Perris.
—
The main event at PCW Ultra’s anniversary show, 2K19, in Wilmington on January 18 is being changed due to Matt Sydal being injured. Brian Cage will now be challenging Shane Strickland for the PCW Ultra Championship. This will be Brian Cage’s first appearance in PCW Ultra since January 19, 2018. Cage last challenged for the PCW Ultra Championship on October 6, 2017, when he was defeated by John Hennigan.
—
As reported yesterday in our article on Championship Wrestling from Hollywood’s 2019 schedule, the promotion’s television program is moving to Saturday night’s at 1:00 a.m. (Sunday morning) on KDOC in Los Angeles and Orange County starting on January 26. The January 26 episode will be the promotion’s 400th episode as well.
While the move to 1:00 a.m. from 4:00 p.m. might seem like a worse time, and means there is likely to be kids watching, the program will likely get more viewers due to a much stronger lead-in with the midnight broadcast of Eyewitness News.
When asked about the move, CWFH owner and executive producer David Marquez said “In television it’s all about the lead-in and I couldn’t ask for a better lead in than what I consider is the best TV/Media brand in SoCal, ‘Eyewitness News’. Championship Wrestling from Hollywood has been a leader in televised pro wrestling for the better part of a decade. We’ve been instrumental in developing some of the most recognized talents in the business worldwide and it is my hope that this move provides the current crop of talent viewership in the second largest media market in the country like we’ve never enjoyed before.”
—
Bar Wrestling will be running on January 31 in Baldwin Park.
—
Danny Limelight will be making his East Coast debut on January 19 for XWA in Warwick, RI. He will be facing Ace Austin.
—
Lisa Marie Varon, who began her pro-wrestling career at Southern California’s UPW, announced that 2019 will be her last year wrestling. Varon wrestled in WWF/WWE as Victoria and Impact as Tara, won the WWE Women’s Championship twice, the Impact Knockouts Championship five times, and was the 2004 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Women’s Wrestler of the Year.
—
Two matches from NXT’s first show in Los Angeles on October 30, 2016, have been added to the WWE Network’s Hidden Gems section. The two matches are Kota Ibushi versus Bobby Roode (which was our SoCal Match of the Month for October 2016 and nominated for SoCal Match of the Year) and Shinsuke Nakamura defending the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe and Eric Young in a triple threat match.
—
This week’s Southern California pro-wrestling events:
1/11:
Pro Wrestling Uncensored in Los Angeles, CA
1/12:
OCCW presents Cagematch 3 in Los Alamitos, CA
EWF in Hemet, CA (Benefit Show)
1/13:
Lucha Libre presented by Luis Mora in Los Angeles, CA
Lucha Wrestling Puroresu in Hintington Park, CA
1/16:
Bar Wrestling 28: The Best City I’ve Ever Been To! in Los Angeles, CA
Theres absolutely no way a midnight lead in will increase viewership from a 4 pm slot. Especially considering the next day most people will have to get up and go to school or work. Can you say “spin city”? Cause that’s where Marquez must be residing…..
You are probably right about everything. Except people getting up for school or work. Lots of people go out Saturday night and have no problem getting up Monday morning.