King of Sports Championship Wrestling returned to the legendary Paris, Texas this past Saturday night. Paris has quickly become the home hub of the KOS regional promotion. Boasting a territory that covers “Dallas to Shreveport and Beaumont to Little Rock,” Paris it situated in the middle of largely ignored region for professional wrestling.
With a match card that featured several KOS regulars and several new up and coming talents, the event drew over three hundred and fifty to the rural Chisum High School gym. The production and presentation at KOS events are unique and one of the defining qualities of the promotion. Each venue truly transforms into the King of Sports Arena for that evening. Lighting, spot lighting, video packages, sound, every feature is meticulously detailed. As a result of this, the event becomes increasingly immersive. Teenagers forget their phones, children yell and scream and stand on their chairs, adults forget that they are adults, the KOS experience is the closest thing to a hot 80’s crowd that you can find in 2022.
As the first match was announced, it was noted by ring announcer, Khyber O’Sullivan, that KOS President Joe Briscoe was absent for the event. Replacing him for the evening was none other than legendary Texas wrestler “The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez! In an exclusive sit down with Mr. Fernandez, he expressed “it is great to see wrestling done the way it used to be.” Coming from Mr. Fernandez, that is a high compliment.
The contest opened with a bang as X-Mann (an Austin area rapper) took the mic to live perform the entrance music for a debuting Devion. Devion, originally from Paris, is a product of The Rhodes Academy, the wrestling school of Dustin Rhodes. Layton Anders drew the short straw on this evening and was tasked with competing as the underdog against a much more popular Devion. Anders grabbed the momentum early, surprisingly, by using his strength to his advantage. He assaulted the legs and knees of the lighting quick Devion. After a sustained grounding, the crowd launched into the first sustained pop of the night as Devion countered a back body drop by landing on his feet. The crowd rose in awe as Devion landed a surprise frog splash, followed an even more surprising kick-out by Landers. Yet the resiliency was short lived as Devion smoothly nailed his finisher and the pin fall was counted. It was a stunning debut for Devion and a strong showing of determination by a petulant Landers. As Landers sulked his way to the locker room, Devion stood tall in the corner and soaked in the hometown cheers.
The second match was delayed by the appearance of Hart International. Hart International is the premier gathering of wrestling talent in Texas. As J.J. Hart, Mike Gunner, and Kristopher Haiden took the mic, they explained that Hart International had a plan to capture every title in KOS! Mike Gunner, a twenty-one-year veteran, was laser focused on the Heavyweight Title. “12 Gauge” Kristopher Haiden explained that he had zeroed in on the Strong Style Title, a title loosely based on the history Brass Knuckles Championship in World Class. While alternating between pointed bards at the Paris crowd and his next opponent, it was revealed that Hart International had a new member, Big Sed! As Big Sed made his way to the ring, it was announced that he would be Hart International’s representative in the newly christened Super Heavyweight Division and he desired nothing but gold!
As Gunner and Big Sed were exiting the ringside area, another Paris native, and one of the toughest men you will ever find anywhere, was announced. Making his way through the crowd, Ryker James was confronted by Big Sed. After a clear shoulder check by Sed, James attempted to turned his attention back to the cheering crowd, but that was short lived. As ringside security hustled the fans back to their seats, fans are encouraged to seek autographs in the corners of the ring before matches, Haiden and James came eye to eye in the ring. Big Sed and J. J. Hart continued to stalk the outside of the ring. Haiden jumpstarted the match with a hard-right hand to James’ temple before the bell rang, and then the true melee ensued. Hart involved himself frequently, even after being warned by the referee. Big Sed used his 400 pounds of mass to choke, cheap shot, and intimate James. Through all of it, Ryker James kept fighting, that is what he does! Eventually, it was too much even for James as the three on one on the outside of the ring forced a disqualification. Yet the assault did not stop! Hart International was ruthless. That was until Damon McCullough made a surprise save! Damon and Ryker have a history from their time as childhood rivals, yet on this day they united to turn the tables on Hart International. With that, and the handshake that followed, it was evidenced that a new alliance had formed in KOS. One that could rival anyone.
Next up was crowd favorite, Jamie Holley, with all of his old school turn of the twentieth century strong man style versus the monstrous brute, Apex. It was a clash of horror show and carnival, handlebars and bloodbaths. The two beat each other furiously in the opening minutes, back and forth the impact moves landed. Yet slowly the style of the match shifted. As they matched strength for strength, the odds began to shift in Holley’s favor. Holley, who is a nationally ranked strongman for grip strength and lifts, took advantage of his tools. Using his hands to divert and parry attacks, Holley did just enough to stay in control. It was sudden and unexpected when Holley unleashed a Texas tradition on Apex, the Iron Claw! In a unique twist, Holley began with his right hand, staggering the much taller Apex. As he sunk to a knee, Holley deployed both hands. This was strategic in that it makes the hold much harder to break during a time that the arms are exposed to the opponent. Unable to free himself, Apex slowly faded as Holley switched to his stronger left hand. Also in a unique twist, Holley then moved to a mount position, pinning Apex’s arms down, the three-count pin fall was counted! In a huge win for Holley, he positioned himself for a shot at the Texas Strong Style Championship.
The volume was turned way up for the next match, a tag team match featuring four of the hottest young talents in the Lone Star State. Max “Volume” Beckett partnered with Marce Lewis to face off against Manny Domingo and Kari Wright. Domingo had been on a losing streak in KOS and had recently begun swapping out tag partners to attempt to score a win. Kari Wright, obnoxiously arrogant, fit in well with Domingo. Beckett and Lewis began the match showing lots of promise as their superior speed and agility were on display throughout. Domingo and Wright were forced to repeatedly resort to backhanded double teams and attacks behind the officials back. Beckett found himself isolated often as Lewis was frequently the recipient of cheap shots, thus left to recover on the floor. Eventually, it all became too much for Beckett and Lewis, as Wright hit a quick finish and Domingo leapt on top, as the legal man, to score a quick pin. Manny Domingo won a match is KOS! Domingo and Wright, if they can continue to trust each other, both have promising futures in the KOS tag division.
Then it was time for the semi-main event, Mike Gunner, “The Bad Man of Hart International,” faced off with Tyson Maddux, of Georgia. Maddux, one of the most athletic and powerful men to set foot in a KOS ring, was specifically brought in by Joe Briscoe to keep Gunner from meeting Nobe Bryant for the Heavyweight Championship. Maddux has everything Briscoe wants in a wrestler, size, strength, agility, toughness, and a willingness to beat someone up. Gunner, who has claimed to “the thoroughbred” of KOS, was tested on every level. The two athletes squared off early in testing each other’s strength. Gunner, who rarely is out muscled, found himself on the losing end of a test of strength early. This resulted in a series of high dropkicks that connected flush to his cheek. Then a series of vertical suplexes that shook the rafters and brought the crowd to their feet. As Gunner fled the ring on multiple occasions to slow down the match, a veteran move, the crowd rose to taunt and mock him. The turning point came when Maddux was dumped to the outside, as Gunner distracted the official, J. J. Hart viciously assaulted Maddux. Children at ringside stood in their chairs yelling, screaming, and throwing candy at Hart as he relentlessly attacked Maddux’s midsection. As chants of “Ty-son” rang out through the halls, Maddux began to collect himself and slowly mount a comeback. Taking the very best of Gunner’s impact moves, he refused to stay down. As Gunner began to stagger from the irresistible force of Maddux, Hart again made his presence known on the ringside apron. As Maddux turned his attention for just a moment, Gunner quickly scored a backslide. As the referee dropped to count, Hart grabbed Maddux leg, preventing a strong enough kickout, thus securing the win for Mike Gunner! This was easily one of the best matches in KOS history, one of the best in Texas this year, and should be viewed as a potential match of the year candidate across the U.S.
Following the match, Gunner called out Nobe Bryant for the April 26th KOS event in Leonard, Texas. In a promo that could only be said to be inspired by Manny Fernandez, Gunner is ready for Nobe.
In the main event, the inaugural match of the new Super Heavyweight Division in KOS featured “The Best Big Man in the Business” Vince Steele versus Scott Murdock. Steele, flying in from New York to main event the event, was more than prepared. Weighting in on match day at 502 pounds, Steele made the 400 plus pound Murdock look small by comparison! The match started with the two men sizing each other up, testing to see how easily each would move. Murdock was knocked from the ring by the mass of Steele after attempting to absorb a shoulder block! In a twist, Murdock was able to use his quickness to build momentum against Steele, landing a huge and high elbow drop that shook everyone to their core! These repeated impact blows slowed the big man from New York but also infuriated him. He eventually dropped the straps and began to get nasty on Murdock. He repeatedly hit devastating high impact moves, one of which he stopped his entire weight onto the back and neck of a seated Murdock. Murdock was beaten brutally for the next several minutes until finally, Steele made a mistake and missed a huge splash. Rolling over, Murdock jumped for a quick pin. In a shock, or maybe a fast count, Steele was just a moment late thrusting his shoulder into the air. Thus, Murdock scored a huge victory! Steele, however, was incensed! He challenged the referees call, then Murdock, then everyone as he attacked Murdock after the bell! The locker room emptied to attempt to hold the two behemoths back. This was accomplished momentarily, until Steele broke free and continued his assault. Next it was Murdock’s turn to challenge Steele. In the carnage, Manny Domingo was launched by Vince Steele over eight feet into the air and crashed with one of the most devastating choke slams ever witnessed!
As the lights were raised, fans stood in shock of what they had just witnessed. Lines had formed to wait on the appearance of Jamie Holley and Tyson Maddux while children ran from Vince Steele. One six year old girl from the crowd was thrilled that Manny Domingo was choke slammed, “I liked that part. I really hate that man!” There are few finer evenings of entertainment that a night of old school wrestling. King of Sports next event is April 26th in Leonard, Texas. Mike Gunner will face Nobe Bryant for the honor of becoming the very first KOS Heavyweight Champion.
