Midwest Wrestling Reunion celebrates accomplishments
DA SOUL TOUCHAZ, BROTHERS OF FUNSTRUCTION AMONG HONOREES
By Mike Pankow
July 21, 2022
Over 100 wrestling workers, management, officials, promoters, their families and fans converged on BBQ’d Productions in Northwest suburban Lake Zurich on Sunday afternoon to pay homage to the men and women who represent Midwest independent wrestling at a high level.
In WWE, there are the Slammy Awards and the WWE Hall of Fame, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has their respected year-end awards, and there are organizations such as the Cauliflower Alley Club and other pro wrestling halls of fame, but the Midwest Wrestling Reunion focuses on the independent wrestling scene in the Midwest.
Acts such as Da Soul Touchaz and the Brothers of Funstruction have been entertaining fans for the last 15 to 20 years, often working normal jobs during the week before pursuing their passion on the weekends.
The five men comprising Da Soul Touchaz were bestowed with a Special Recognition Award for their years of service to the wrestling industry.
“All Day” Marshe Rockett, Acid Jazz, Willie “Da Bomb” Richardson and manager/wrestler C.Red represented Da Soul Touchaz while Trauma (aka Jay Washington) was unable to appear.
“(This is) a group that has been horrifically overlooked in this business as the trailblazers they are,” said Steve Ahrendt, one of the Chicago-area’s best showmen. “Big companies like to come down to the small companies to take ideas and run with them on the national scene. Try as they might, they were not able to get this one quite right. They tried on a shiny, new day, they tried it with a business that was hurt, but they just can’t get it right.
“A faction is not just three guys, four guys, five guys thrown together. A faction is a brotherhood that understands how to tell a story and work together to elicit a response.”
The African American clique became stars, and they worked for many promotions across the Chicago area and the Midwest and even in places such as Chikara and Dragon Gate USA.
Marshe Rockett of Da Soul Touchaz has wrestled for many Chicago-area and Midwestern promotions, plus IMPACT Wrestling and the NWA. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Rockett is a multiple-time champion and has worked for promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling and the NWA. “All Day” has been known to work multiple shows on the same night and has earned tremendous respect for his hustle and elite work in the ring.
“I can’t thank these gentlemen enough for, at the time, taking this young buck who knew very little under their wing and teaching me the tricks of the trade and treating me like a brother,” Rockett said. “They really made this feel like home. It’s not just a wrestling faction, it’s a family.”
Jaz is a colorful character that can work in many different roles. He has worked for promotions in recent years such as Chicago Style Wrestling, Berwyn Championship Wrestling, POWW Entertainment and Freelance Underground, just to new a few. C.Red said that Jaz is good at “keeping it real and never sugarcoating anything.”
After saying some thank yous, Jaz simply said in amazement, “(C.)Red, I don’t even know how you put all of this together.”
The burly veteran Richardson has seen it all over his years in pro wrestling. C.Red credited him with coming with ideas “to keep us moving forward.”
“Thank you for letting me stir the pot with you all,” said Richardson, who thanked Windy City Pro Wrestling promoter Sam DeCero for helping him get his start while also mentioning the likes of Steve Boz, Mike Anthony, Terry Allen, Hunter Paine among others.
C.Red, who co-hosts a wrestling webcast, The Power Hour, with Ahrendt, recalled some fabulous moments for the group.
C.Red recounted the early years ofd Da Soul Touchaz, which included a run for Chikara. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Da Soul Touchaz started their run in Elite Pro Wrestling in 2006 and within about a year, they received their big break.
Da Soul Touchaz (Rockett, Jaz and Richardson) wrestled in a six-man tag match for Elite Pro on Sept. 29, 2007, on a matinee show before IWA Mid-South’s Ted Petty Invitational that night in South suburban Midlothian. A special guest was there and taking mental notes on the match.
“We went out there and we just did what we do,” C.Red said. “Unbeknownst to us, Mike Quackenbush, owner of Chikara, had watched our match and came back and critiqued us. He asked me if we’d be interested in coming to tournament in Philadelphia.”
A few months later, Da Soul Touchaz competed in the 2008 edition of the King of Trios for Chikara in Philadelphia, and they made magic.
“In front of 5,000 people that knew us from nobody, we got a standing ovation and a ‘please come back’ chant,” C.Red said. “For me, even right now, it shakes to the bones that we went out there and represented the Midwest, represented Chicago, and we got some respect.”
The MWR was also a family affair as Mr. Ricolo was honored as the Announcer of the Year, and his sons, The Brothers of Funstruction (Ruffo and Yabo) were named the Tag Team of the Year.
Ricolo brings a sense of flair as a ring announcer no matter the promotion for which he takes the microphone. Always dressed to the nines, Ricolo starts off every show by blasting a confetti cannon and to warm up the crowd for that night’s in-ring action.
“I want to thank Jimmy Blaze, Dave Storm, Tony Scarpone, Ryan Kross, Rockin’ Randy, Brawn the Lumberjack, Mitch Blake, and everyone from Montezuma all the way to the Canadian border,” Ricolo said. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love.”
The 2022 Tag Team of the Year, The Brothers of Funstruction, Yabo (left) and Ruffo (right) pose with their father, Mr. Ricolo, the 2022 Announcer of the Year, after the awards ceremony. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Ricolo, who also acknowledged the late Bert Prentice, then introduced The Brothers of Funstruction as Richard and Robert, publicly acknowledging them as his children, a well-known fact among those immersed in the business, but not as much in the public eye.
Ruffo and Yabo accepted their award in their civilian clothes. Ruffo, known as Ruff Crossing for most of his career, has been a champion across multiple companies, including most recently, the POWW Entertainment Midwest Champion, in his cowboy/biker gimmick. He wrestled and defeated Al Snow to win the Pro Wrestling Blitz Championship in the main event of the largest independent show ever to run in Joliet, WrestleFest 5, which featured legends and Hall of Famers such as Kurt Angle, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Diamond Dallas Page, Rhino, Scotty 2 Hotty and Bushwhacker Luke.
“This is awesome,” Ruffo said. “I love professional wrestling and I love it even more now because I get to share it with my best friend (my brother).”
Yabo has long worked in the clown get-up as a singles competitor before starting to team with his brother in recent years. He has perfected his character, often juggling during his matches, and showing some amazing agility for man his size while wearing oversized clown shoes. Yabo works singles matches for Berwyn Championship Wrestling, Ego Pro Wrestling and GALLI Lucha Libre.
“I finally got my brother to put on some face paint and start clowning around,” Yabo said. “Better that than putting on a cowboy hat.”
The Brothers of Funstruction are the current Freelance Underground Tag Team Champions and have also recently worked as a tandem for promotions such as Berwyn Championship and Kenosha-based SSW.
The Referees of the Year award went to the King twins, Justin and Robert. Originally from Downstate Rantoul, the King brother took divergent paths in the wrestling business, but both have done some significant things.
“Robert and I started our journey in 2006,” Justin King said. “Most of you I’ve worked with in one way or another, whether me being a manager or a referee, beating up C.Red. Our careers have been amazing. We’ve done some things that people can only dream of.
“This award solidifies the fact that Robert and I killed ourselves for this business.”
Rob worked with Resistance Pro with Billy Corgan, IMPACT Wrestling, the NWA and now works in a high-level security role with AEW. Rob has also officiated many big matches locally with Warrior Wrestling.
Longtime referee Justin King has worked everywhere from WWE to promotions all over the world. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Justin started with New Breed Wrestling in Missouri and performed as a manager for Resistance Pro before joining WWE.
“I was able to live my best dream in going to WWE for five years,” Justin King said. “I got to travel all over the world with WWE. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to over 40 countries as a referee.”
King had a bit of down period after being released by WWE, but he credited people Ruffo, Yabo and Melanie Cruise, as well as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Great Khali for helping him rediscover his passion.
“I hated wrestling (after being released from WWE),” Justin King said. “Now I love every single minute of it.”
The Promotion of the Year went to Steel Domain Wrestling, based out of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Promoters Ed Hellier and Mark Koval accepted the award.
Hellier said when SDW started 25 years ago in St. Paul, Minn., “We built the promotion around what we call the Chicago boys. We had two carloads of guys that came up from Chicago – Ace Steel, Danny Dominion, CM Punk, Adam Pearce, Daryck St. Holmes. We got major heat because we weren’t using the Minnesota boys.”
Hellier said he met Koval at the Copernicus Center in the Jefferson Park neighborhood on the Northwest side of Chicago. Koval was managing former AWA and WWE star Adnan Al-Kaissie when Buddy Roberts came in and bloodied Koval hardway with a chair.
Koval, who joined Hellier to help run SDW eight years ago, accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the great Eddie Sharkey, the Minnesotan who helped discover and train talent such as the Road Warriors, “Ravishing” Rick Rude and Madusa.
“He trained me 35 years ago,” Koval said. “He trained the Road Warriors, Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman and the list goes on.”
Sharkey, 86, was not cleared to travel to the Chicago area for the MWR.
Male Wrestler of the Year Joe Alonzo recently worked for Freelance Underground in Joliet on Jul 2. (File photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Other honorees included Oak Lawn native Joe Alonzo, the Male Wrestler of the Year, who is the current Berwyn Championship Wrestling Champion after he recently defeated Chicagoland legend “The Ice Pick” Vic Capri. Alonzo also competes for Freelance Underground and Ego Pro Wrestling in the Chicago area.
Heather Reckless, the Female Wrestler of the Year, is the reigning Chicago Style Wrestling Women’s Champion. The Black and Brave graduate recently challenged for the AAW Pro Women’s Championship.
The Manager of the Year went to “The Mouth of the Midwest” JP, who was presented with his award during Saturday night’s Brew City Wrestling event in Waukesha, Wis.
Unfortunately, Alonzo, Reckless and JP were unable to appear at the event.
Upon conclusion of the awards ceremony, Chazz Moretti, the lone representative of the MWR’s Board of Directors in attendance, announced that event MC and ring announcer Joe Rossi and C.Red have been added to the board, joining Joe Mauriello and Carmine DeSpirito.
The 2023 event will be back at BBQ’d Productions on Sunday afternoon July 16 with a special wrestling show the night before at a site to be determined.
For a gallery of over 100 photos from the Midwest Wrestling Reunion, click here: https://bit.ly/3ofVWx8.
Listen to Ep. 128 of Windy City Slam Podcast, with special guest Frank the Clown, and an audio recap of the Midwest Wrestling Reunion with exclusive soundbites from Mr. Ricolo and Justin King: https://bit.ly/3zksxIF.
Catch Windy City Slam editor Mike Pankow talking local and national pro wrestling every week with Chicago-area wrestling guests on Windy City Slam Podcast, part of the Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network. Episodes drop early Tuesday morning wherever you download podcasts or at https://windycityslam.podbean.com/.
We are looking for guests to appear on future episodes of the Windy City Slam Podcast! Please contact Mike at mikepankow@windycityslam.com, message him on Facebook or DM him on Twitter.
