What's up everyone and welcome to a super quick look at Johnny Rodz' WUW promotion. For those who don't know, WUW is the promotion founded by ex-WWE wrestler, Johnny Rodz. WUW is a promotion which showcases Rodz's students, who train at Gleasons Gym in Brooklyn. Once a month, similiar to NYWC and other student promotions, WUW holds live events, mostly for the friends & families of the wrestlers.

WUW is not a promotion looking to shake up the indy scene, as it is only a promotion to give the students experience in front of a live crowd. As a result, these shows are more like boxing exhibitions, which is fitting, as WUW shows are held in the famous Gleason's Gym, which has produced some famous boxers. I wouldn't even call WUW a true indy promotion as WUW is designed only to better their students, unlike other student promotions which try to be competitive in the indy market.

Accordingly, since these are student shows that are designed to give wrestlers experience, these shows aren't held like your normal indy events. There were no promos on this show at all, as the students are forced to do all the talking in the ring & tell a story with their facial expressions. Also, to truly understand every facet of the business, the wrestlers rotate as referee, which means one minute you're watching a guy pound or get pounded, and the next, he's wearing the zebra shirt. That was the only thing that threw me off, but I understand why it was done. However, it also shows that there is a referee spot open in WUW, and there are not alot of up-and-comers who are applying to be referees. Refereeing is a thankless job, but it's also a job that can turn into a career, as good referees, especially on the indy scene, are hard to come by.

Lastly, with so many students under Rodz's program, there were alot of matches. The show didn't necessarily flow so well, as there were alot of multi-tag matches and too many DQ finishes (It's just the indies, who cares who gets pinned?) but at least every one of the students got a shot to showcase what they've learned. However, like Little League, everyone gets a chance to play, and I knew that going in. Pretty much, if you're looking to see some raw, untapped talent, these shows are entertaining. For indy promoters, Gleasons also has several guys who are under the radar. Better yet, unlike some other student shows nearby, the guys actually look like wrestlers & have credibility in the ring.

With that said, here is the quick report/results:

The Voice d. Jimmy Hustler & Bad Billy Walker in a Triple Threat Match
Despite Hustler & Walker having the experience factor going for them in this match, they were upended here. Hustler & Walker tried working together, but in the end The Voice was able to get the pinfall on Walker for the win.

The Spanish Fly d. Joe So Delicious
Joe is a guy who I can see in the WWE. He has a great attitude, has a TV look and can have a good match. He also can good promos, which I think is rare for many big men on the indy scene today. He reminds me alot of Kevin Matthews, except for the whole urinating on indy titles thing, which is a compliment. While he lost here, both guys had a decent showing. I understand these are student shows, so stuff you see here you wouldn't see normally, but it was hard buying the smaller Spanish Fly being able to throw Joe around so easily.

Anthony Star d. Prince Atiba

The Sunset Saint/Dagger/Juan Miles d. Mack Daddy Flexx/Juan Jeremy/Dream Caster
This match was long, but did get good heat from the crowd. I know Flexx assists with the booking in WUW, and it's always good to see the guy wearing two hats as a wrestler/booker place himself low on the card & put people over in the process. It's a very hard thing to do that, especially when you're more talented than some of your peers, but it's a great skill to have. That's just another part of the WUW machine, as WUW trains their wrestlers in all aspects of the game. The Sunset Saint had a huge following in this match, as his team took the win here.

Gori Hadezu d. The Musketeer Yes, this is the same Musketeer from ECW fame. These guys put on an enjoyable match, with Gori taking the win.

The TNT Kidz d. Mr Fashion/Taylor Armstrong/Big Ray M.

Big Norris/Pete Farr/Brookyln Jeff/Jake Slick Gomez vs Chris Romano/Marvelous Marcelo/Staten Island Chris/El Dante went to a double DQ
This was pretty much what you'd expect from an 8-man student match.

"Mr. Hollywood" MG Gallagher d. Sal Valentino
I thought Sal had a very good look and these two had a decent match.

Inferno/Pistol Pete d. The Wifebeaters
The Wifebeaters were a team that wore...wifebeaters. They didn't go for the Italian stereotypes though. Inferno/Pete win via DQ.

Pastor/Cross d. Red Young/Wreckingball
This was another match that ended via DQ.

Danny Demanto/El Shoes d. Don Tito/Brian Anthony w/Liz Savage & another girl whose name I can't remember
This match also ended via DQ. This was the most hardest hitting match on the show. I like Tito's character and think he has a good aura around him. This was my first time seeing Shoes in the ring rather than talking about what's going on in the ring. He didn't get a chance to do much, as the guy he was in the ring with, Brian Anthony, looked like he was worming out of certain situations. Danny & Tito played well off of each other as I expected going into the match.

For the WUW Heavyweight Title
Jorge Santi (C) d. Minyon
This was a solid main event to close the show. Santi uses the "Firebird" nickname. He had a solid look, and to get to the next level, he should flash his tights up a bit, as he just wore plain yellow tights. Minyon looked like a jacked up mini- Kane, with the red & black mask to boot. These guys put on an entertaining match with several near falls which the crowd ate up. Despite the show being long, the crowd was wide awake for this match and it looked like this match was being built up for weeks judging on how excited the crowd was during it. Santi wins this match, but afterwards, Minyon attacked Santi from behind, setting up a potential rematch.

Final McWord
This was a fun student event. There are guys who could branch off to other indy promotions, in my opinion. I thought Santi, Minyon, Sal, Flexx, Joe Delicious & Tito stood out. My only real advice to some of the guys on the show, as someone who's seen alot of indy wrestling is to get real wrestling gear, as some of the wrestlers were of the T-Shirt/adidas pants variety. Other than that, WUW has a good little thing in their corner of the indy wrestling world.

Of note, CCW promoter Joe LaChance was in the crowd. Expect to see his name in the indy-news in 2007.

Overall
A fun night out. If you're looking for ROH this isn't for you, but if you're looking for a grass roots type of thing that you can take your kids to and have fun, this is up your alley.

Note: This was my first time seeing some guys, so I might've got some names wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm 100% accurate. There was one girl who had a managing spot on the show whose name escapes me. She seemed to be a decent heel too. Also of note, Robert "Stiff-Shots" Payes did photography for the event.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com