All Star Wrestling slams its way into Cumberland at the CRI (Cumberland Recreation Institute) on Friday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. as part of the Cumberland Motorcycle Roundup. Proceeds will go to raise money for Pediatric Cancer Research.
King of the Island Battle Royale
The competitors on the card show how tough they truly are when they enter the main event, an Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royale to determine the King of the Island. Some of the competitors have history winning battle royales here in the Comox Valley.
Back in 2005, “Gorgeous” Michelle Starr won the Vancouver Island Championship Battle Royale in Courtenay while Barry Goode has won the first and second Slams for Sebastian Battle Royales in Comox. That winning experience may not matter, though, against the formidable size and power of guys like Cremator Von Slasher, Eddie Osbourne, Lak Sidarttha, BJ Laredo and Bruiser Joe, the sneaky smarts of Disco Fury and Great Kasaki – or maybe the-never-say-die attitude of Krofton will win him the King of the Island title and send the fans home happy.
Grudge Match
Cremator Von Slasher vs. “Gorgeous” Michelle Starr
This much anticipated match may be the biggest match contested in the Comox Valley in many years. The seven-foot, monstrously popular Cremator will battle a man he’s wanted to get his hands on for over a decade, the Canadian Hall of Famer Michelle Starr.
The flamboyant legend is widely thought of as “The Man” in the Pacific Northwest and most who are currently plying their trade inside the squared circle in the area directly or indirectly owe a debt of gratitude to the longtime wrestler, promoter and trainer.
For a wrestler who started their career in this area, garnering the respect of Starr is something most strive for and Cremator is no different. But despite busting his butt doing anything he was asked to do from early on in his career, watching and listening to those that paved the way for him, including Michelle Starr, the masked monster could never get the respect he yearned for.
Von Slasher internalized the frustration and anger and as he gained experience, he started letting it out on his poor overmatched opponents. Cremator already had size, his talent and skill was growing with every battle he waged and fuelled by his internal hatred for the Gorgeous One, he piled up win after win, victim after victim.
Once he felt he was ready to face the man he both respected and reviled, he issued challenges to Michelle Starr. But they fell on deaf ears, again and again. While Von Slasher continued to rise and become one of the most dominant and feared competitors in Western Canada, Gorgeous Michelle Starr continued to build and cement his legacy as a true Canadian wrestling legend while also aware the time was nearing when he would hang up his boots.
Last year, the Gorgeous One decided that 2014 was the year he would wrestle anyone worthy that he hadn’t wrestled yet in his career and in a poll posted on allstar-wrestling.com, the opponent the fans most wanted him to face was Cremator Von Slasher.
The two warriors finally battled in a match for the ages earlier this year and it lived up to its lofty expectations. Cremator wanted to beat Starr’s respect out of him while the cagey veteran Starr wanted to show Cremator that the old dog still ruled the yard. Although many thought the match would mellow out the intensity of their disdain for each other and the two might ” get it out of their systems,” it seems that it’s done the opposite.
They got a taste of beating on each other and they want more! Aug. 8 in Cumberland, the local wrestling fans are the lucky ones who get to witness this intense and epic clash between a man who has fought in rings around the world, including the WWF/WWE, and a monster who has overcome many obstacles put in front of him by competitors frightened and intimidated by his power: his talent and his passion has left a wake of destruction on his path to becoming the future of Canadian wrestling.
Tag Team Action
“Thrillbillies” Eddie Osbourne & Barry Goode
vs.
Disco Fury & The Great Kasaki
At Slams for Sebastian 2 earlier this year, the Thrillbillies made their debut as a team and defeated a formidable team which included a former Canadian heavyweight champion who is regarded as one of “the best from the west” and a superbly talented high flyer.
They also battled their way into the hearts of the local wrestling fans as the hometown heroes. Hailing from Courtenay and Campbell River, respectively, Barry Goode and Eddie Osbourne meshed quickly and realized right away that the Thrillbillies had a chemistry that can’t be taught. They are a incredible mix of power, skill and toughness that is hard to beat in the squared circle.
However, there is a team that is coming to Cumberland Aug. 8 that thinks they can beat Barry and Eddie, and looking at them, one wonders if they aren’t onto something. Disco Fury has wrestled all over the world and has won international championships along the way.
Local fans may remember his battles over the years with Comox Valley’s Sgt Kaos. Last year, Barry joined the Sarge in his battle with Fury, who ironically trained and brought Goode into pro wrestling. Even though Disco and his partner Michelle Starr fought dirty, and Goode’s partner Kaos was injured, Barry almost pulled out the win.
But the odds were against him and Disco ended up pinning him. Later that evening, the hometown hero eliminated Fury to become the first t Slams for Sebastian Champion. Going 1-and-1 that night isn’t enough for these two wrestlers. They want each other in the ring in the worst way.
Osbourne plans to help Barry get what he wants. Osbourne is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet but beaten opponents across Canada and the U.S. will attest that once that bell rings, if Eddie is across the ring from you, you’re in for a hurting as Eddie uses his talented toughness to prove that nice guys do finish first.
To counter Barry Goode’s strong and talented partner, the dastardly disco dancer is bringing some international talent to Cumberland with him – Japanese wrestler the Great Kasaki. Although on paper the two may seem an odd pairing, they have tagged together on many occasions and had great success.
Possessing great skill, Kasaki also has an unique weapon in his arsenal, he sprays mist into the eyes of his opponent, usually without the referee seeing and more often than not, it leads to a victory. On Aug. 8 in Cumberland, will the power, tenacity and support of the hometown crowd take the Thrillbillies to a tag team win? Or will the devious skill of Disco Fury and Great Kasaki prove too much for the local heroes?
Ladies Match
Riea Von Slasher vs. Bambi Hall
Local wrestling fans are in for a pro wrestling treat! These ladies have battled each other countless times and its a matchup that never lacks excitement, intensity and hard-hitting action. These two wrestlers don’t twirl their hair and strike poses – they kick the crap out of each other.
Both are superbly talented, amazingly tough and they bring it like no other. This wrestling card is stacked with talent and great matches but don’t be surprised if Von Slasher vs. Hall is the match of the night. They are that good, they can’t stand each other and they’ve battled one another so many times that they are constantly trying to dig deep and bring something to the fight the other hasn’t dealt with before.
Riea Von Slasher is, of course, part of the Von Slasher family and the warrior blood that defines that family flows freely through her veins. Nothing scares her, nothing intimidates her and as she steps into the ring, she has only one focus: Destruction.
On Aug. 8 in Cumberland, the destruction will be directed at Bambi Hall. As a secon-generation wrestler, the blood flowing through Bambi’s veins is also of warrior stock, passed on by her mother, Raven Lake. When she was old enough, Bambi wasted no time getting trained and putting on the wrestling boots. She proved to be a natural and in her first year, was runner-up as Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, which is read and respected around the world.
Each time Bambi Hall steps into the ring against Riea Von Slasher, it’s not just a wrestling match it’s a battle between two woman warriors who will do whatever it takes to win.
Krofton vs. Bruiser Joe
Bruiser Joe is one of those men whose idea of a good night is step into the ring, kick some poor guy’s teeth in, pick up his paycheque and go to the seediest bar in town in hopes to find a couple extracurricular fights.
He is the epitome of an old school “Man’s Man” and it wouldn’t be difficult to envision him saying, “It’s Clobberin Time!” on his way to the ring. Big, powerful and built like a tank, he shares another trait with the military vehicle, he goes over and through anything or anyone in his way.
In Cumberland on Aug. 8, local wrestling fans wont see Bruiser dance around his opponent or put him in complicated wrestling holds. Bruiser Joe just wants to overpower his “victim” and beat him senseless, probably loosening a few teeth on his way.
Although his opponent that night, Krofton, is loved by Comox Valley wrestling fans, he is stepping into the ring with a “hurtin machine” and is going to have to use his speed and agility to “hit and move” the big guy and get him off kilter.
Krofton has the skill to be an exciting wrestler, wowing the crowd with his high flying moves, but that’s only part of why he is so beloved. The fans love his tenacity and his never-give-up attitude. Krofton usually gives up a size, power and experience advantage to his competitors, and Bruiser Joe will be more of the same.
But no one that opposes Krofton has more heart than the happy-go-lucky fan favourite, and combining that heart with his speed and agility gives him a chance for the upset every time. If you ever wanted to see the proverbial power vs. skill fight , Aug. 8 in Cumberland, will be that matchup.
BJ Laredo vs. Lak Sidarrtha
If you’ve ever seen one of those wildlife documentaries that show footage of two alpha mountain rams battling for supremacy by violently butting heads, pure aggression vs. pure aggression, then you have an idea of what this match will be like.
BJ and Lak are the two previous Vancouver Island champions and have had many bone-crushing battles both for the belt and to simply prove who is the alpha male on Vancouver Island. Although they both possess great skill, they are also extremely powerful and that combination has racked up victories for both of them.
Laredo looks like a hard-hitting brawler and he is, but in the midst of a beatdown, he’ll throw a moonsault or some other high-flying maneuver at his opponent that not many men his size can pull off. How can a normal man prepare for a match against a fighter as diverse as BJ Laredo? Luckily for Lak Sidarrtha, he’s not a normal man. In fact, when talking about the Prince of Power, the term man-beast comes up a lot.
Lak is freakishly strong with an inhuman ability to absorb punishment. He also doesn’t care about what he does to his opponents on his way to beating them. He has a mean streak so big and so vicious that he’s not only a danger to his opponents win/loss record but is a very real danger to his health. BJ Laredo vs Lak Sidarttha. Aug. 8 in Cumberland. One will walk out as the alpha. The other may not walk out.
Tickets ($15 ringside and $12 general admission) are available at Cameron Salon & Barber, Cumberland Hotel, Weaver’s Leather, Fineline Embroidery and I-Hos Gallery.
For more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/620161081406768/,
http://allstar-wrestling.com/,
https://www.facebook.com/CumberlandMotorcycleRoundup.
– All Star Wrestling
