ALTON - The St. Louis area has a very proud and historic tradition when it comes to professional wrestling. And on March 7 at the Franklin Lodge in Alton, one of the most historic matches in St. Louis - and in Midwest - wrestling history will be taking place.
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That's when the queen of St. Louis wrestling and the top athlete in the area, The Little Blue Dragon Seishin, will go up against former World Wrestling Entertainment women's champion and two-time competitor in the organization's signature card, WrestleMania, Jazz, in the first-ever main event between two African-American women wrestlers on a St. Louis area wrestling show when Pro Wrestling Epic presents its program that night.
And according to promoter and wrestler Leone Mephisto, it'll also mark another first, as it's also the first main event of its kind in a midwest wrestling show. Mephisto's aim is to give fans something special, and the booking of Jazz is a major coup for him. He's expecting the match to be a groundbreaker for all of professional wrestling.
"When I booked Jazz, I wanted to get a big name out there," Mephisto said. "While it may have happened by circumstance, I wanted to raise the bar and change the perception of wrestling in this area. We're breaking ground, shattering glass ceilings and tearing down walls."
Jazz was the champion both times that she competed in WrestleMania, and was an original wrestler in Extreme Championship Wrestling, an east-coast promotion that competed with both the WWE, then known as the World Wrestling Federation, and the National Wrestling Alliance as a major nationwide promotion. In fact, it was ECW that inspired Mephisto to become involved in pro wrestling.
"ECW was my inspiration to get involved in the business," Mephisto said. "I wanted to be in ECW when I was a kid, and that's when it all started for me."
Mephisto discovered ECW from being a fan of Mick Foley, one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time, and was a favorite of Mephisto's along with the late Owen Hart. PWE has been in existence since 2009, and has grown into one of the most well-known independent organizations in the area and all of southern and central Illinois. PWE has held cards in Granite City, Pontoon Beach, East St. Louis, and Springfield, among other cities.
In addition to the historic main event, the PWE heavyweight title will be on the line when champion Alex Herzog defends his belt against Neil Diamond Cutter, Brandon Aarons takes on Chicago's Favorite Son, Paco, and Karim Brigante, an Italian wrestler, meets Orion Creed in the other feature matches of the nine-match show.
Tickets are $12 for adults, and $6 for children 12-and-under, and will be available at the door. For further information, please call (618) 806-4656, or fans can go to the PWE page of Facebook, or follow PWE on Twitter on its handle, @PWEPIC.
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