The Brass Ring of any Local Independent Professional Wrestling organization is a dedicated fan base willing to attend all shows, enjoy all wrestlers and embrace all storylines with enthusiasm and unquestioning loyalty. The Pensacola Wrestling Alliance achieved this around the turn of the century and so did Old School Wrestling, a couple of years ago in Milton. Culture Shock Wrestling out of Mossy Head, Florida and Ultimate Wrestling in Pensacola are riding that wave now, as is The Alabama Wrestling Federation in Mobile. It is this elite club that All Pro Wrestling aspires to join and truth be told, they just might do it.All Pro is the brainchild of Wayne Sellers, aka "Tiny Tiswell," of Pensacola, who has dreamed and breathed pro wrestling for as long as I have known him. A long time associate of Wild Samoans Sika and Afa, Tiny has long aspired to run his own successful professional wrestling organization.
As recently as last summer, he took up residence on the green at the Hadji Temple in Pensacola and promoted several outdoor shows to a modest degree of acceptance by fans who enjoyed not only the variety of wrestlers, but the pastoral setting as well.
Tiny went on to ramrod Dirty South Professional Wrestling out of Brewton, Alabama but despite bringing energy and dedication to the job parted company with that organization. It was thought at that time by wrestling watchers and skeptics, myself among them that this was the end of Tiny Tiswell. Turns out that the obituary was premature.
I know of at least eight people who are or have been actively scouting the Pensacola area for a permanent venue site in which to hold regular shows. UW, of course already has one, the Legion Hall on Barancus Ave, DSPW used the Knights of Columbus Hall on Palafox for a while, but could not sustain a fair but expensive rent. No one else, since the PWA and XW-2000's Bay City Blues night club have been able to pull off what Tiny Tiswell has done; he has established a fixed business address for a wrestling promotion and initialized weekly shows.
On Pensacola's Mobile Highway, in a small shopping mall and next to Rivera Fitness Center is an empty store front that once housed the controversial "Spinners" slot machine establishment, All Pro Wrestling now has set up shop there. The interior is dominated by the massive 18x18 foot ring that once belonged to PWA's Bobby Doll. According to several wrestlers "it's a good bumping ring."
Steel chairs for fans line three rows deep on 3 walls, a close but safe distance from ring's edge, a situation that Tiny assures fans is not dangerous because wrestlers are strictly ordered to "Keep it in the ring," meaning that "floor falls" are to be kept to a minimum. That edict doesn't always hold when a wrestler, in the heat of combat, sends his opponent flying over the ropes and crashing to the floor, as did DJ Pringle, on Sept 26th. DJ, possessed of excellent wrestling skills, protected himself and the audience with a short fall that inadvertently gave him a lump on the head. Sorry about that.
Much credit goes to the layout designer. With a full crowd such as there was on 9/26, I can maneuver my oversized wheelchair down the aisle past the snack bar and into a disability friendly rest room through an epicly oversized door that passes me though easily. Bar none, this is the most wheelchair friendly restroom on the panhandle. This is not to say that APW's new building is not tight. It is that and then some. But my particular wheelchair is the test by which others are compared.
The snack bar, the locker room / entrance are built-in and permanent. Above the ring is a ring-sized hollow space containing lights and is lined in a silvery wall board of some kind that bounces photo flash around and (at least with my camera) lights up the ring's occupants quite well. Perhaps to create a mood of mystery, strategic fluorescent wells are tinted blue so that when the lights are down during a show, people can still see if they wish to move around (most stay seated).
The place is intimate to say the least. Being right up on top of the action means that the action itself is under much closer fan scrutiny than it would be in larger quarters. That means a slap to the chest sounds like a gun shot and the audience can feel the wrestler's pain; but it also means that if a wrestler throws a drop kick and misses by a foot while the opponent still sells, the audience is acutely aware of the faux pas. Because of this, talent has to "work tight."
Tiny has chosen a weekly schedule to pursue. Every Saturday Night, All Pro Wrestling opens its doors to the public to attend their weekly show. This places a burden on talent and booking personnel to stay fresh and original. Heavyweight Champion, Gothic Warrior will face the difficult job of being the man on the top of the mountain that every hungry wrestler will be trying to topple. This will require strategy, tenacity and a certain amount of willingness to cheat to stay alive as the holder of the belt.
DJ Pringle will be a determined challenger and is no stranger to underhanded trickery. This rough and tumble youngest member of the "Pringle Dynasty" learned from the best when it comes to strategy and tactics. Uncle Marcel and Pops, Percy have a bag of tricks a magician would envy.
Gunny Kage, USMC (right) shouldn't be counted out either. In Tiny's wrestling world, size does not matter as much as heart. On 9/16, Gunny took on Evergreen McQueen, a giant of a wrestler from Alabama, and cleaned his clock. Tenacity can win over size and this diminutive Marine has the right stuff - ooRAH!
Drop Dead Gorgeous and Cowboy Johnny Wayne (left) had one of the better matches of the night. It was a back and forth slam-fest that saw both youthful wrestlers get a little beat up around the edges
The 610 Kid employs speed; rattlesnake like abilities to strike and dodge. That ability was snuffed by the cheating ways and ringside weapon wielding of Manager Eddie G., who shamelessly disgraced DJ Pringle by beating his opponent senseless outside the ring while Referee Adam was distracted. The same Eddie G. then assaulted the referee with knockout powder, a dastardly deed for which he was not reprimanded. It seems as though there are already 
factions of rule breakers forming in the once sportsmanlike APW. What looks (right) like humanitarian assistance on the part of Eddie G, is actually him rolling 610 over after a brutal assault, in preparation for setting him back in the ring.It looks like All Pro Wrestling is on its way. The promotion experienced its first "near capacity" crowd on 9/26; almost every chair had a fan in it. Conspicuously supporting indy wrestling, a group from Ultimate bought tickets and engaged in good-natured banter throughout the show.
Before the event began, Tiny Tiswell distributed candy to adults and kids alike, with Ultimate's Turbo Ted getting several pieces for himself as well as seeing to it that back row kids got a helping. Seeing Turbo just enjoying a show from the audience was interesting, as was observing Bobby Doll, Amish Assassian and Brutal Joe Gibson, sitting in the fan chairs and enjoying the action.
Periodically, during intermissions, Tiny gave away door prizes, one of which was a $100 tattoo from Kaos, and another was an exotic oriental vase provided by yours truly. T-shirts courtsey of Black Scorpion, flew through the air. Erick wore his Black Scorpion shirt to the show and displayed it proudly, so the wrestler is over, really over with the #1 fan at my house.
The snack bar was a treat. Hot dogs not only had chili and cheese available but also red onions; delicious to say the least. I had two and popcorn and also one of the coldest Diet Cokes I've drunk this summer. The "Hot Dog Combo" for $2 is a best buy since you get a dog a drink AND chips for what looks to be the cost of the former two alone.
With appearances scheduled ahead for The Road Dogg, Jesse James, and The Armstrong Family Reunion, plenty of seats available and great hot dogs, APW is well underway in its quest for the brass ring. How soon they achieve it will be a topic of much conversation in the future.
Now if they would just change their show day to 3:00 Sunday Afternoon, I would be able to go every single week. Well, here's hoping.
