Are you ready for the summer? The kids from Camp Leapfrog are and following the Camp’s best outing yet, December’s Christmas Trios special. They’re going back in time to 1985 for another live special, airing this Sunday on IndependentWrestling.tv (IWTV)’s Facebook page at 7 PM EST. And best of all, it’s totally free! Tubular! The live special, airing from High Tension Wrestling‘s Camp Leapfrog in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, looks to be a fun throwback with all kinds of 80’s nostalgia, jam-packed with pro wrestling the way it should be – fun! Only three matches have been announced so far, but Camp Leapfrog has been big on surprises and with a full camp of young and hungry wrestlers looking to make big impressions in their young wrestling careers.
Coal Miner’s Glove Match: ABBS vs. The Spoiler
Andrew’s Better Body System (ABBS) has become a regular troublemaker at the Camp and is the current reigning Participation Award Winner! On Sunday night, he’s putting his trophy on the line in a “Coal Miner’s Glove Match” against the nefarious Spoiler (not to be confused with the original Spoiler, Don Jardine, who wrestled in the NWA from the 1950s into the 1980s). The new Spoiler has had enough of ABBS and will be determined to “spoil” ABBS participation at the camp.
“Reckless” Rex Lawless $50 Bodyslam Challenge
In a camp full of youngsters, Rex Lawless is a veteran looking to shake things up. The 10-year veteran of the New York indie scene where he’s dominated in New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), where he’s the reigning 2x NYWC Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former 4x NYWC Tag Team Champion and NYWC Fusion Champion. He’s also competed for the likes of Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Beyond Wrestling, and more, and he’s no stranger to many of the Camp kids.
Like many of them, he’s a former alumnus of CHIKARA where, as Rick Roland, he was part of the CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas (Tag Team) Champion tandem The Closers with Sloan Caprice (fellow New York vet Mike Verna, who has been seen on AEW DARK of late). They terrorized CHIKARA with a 294-day reign as tag champs. On Sunday night, he’s putting his money where his mouth is and one lucky tadpole at Camp Leapfrog will be taking home $50 if they can successfully bodyslam the Reckless One.
Texas Deathmatch: Brad Rush vs. Darius Carter
Last month at Christmas Trios, Darius Carter made his in-ring debut at Camp Leapfrog, but he lost to BLANK. He’ll be looking to show just how capable he is in the ring on Sunday, by taking it out on High Tension Wrestling co-owner and Camp Leapfrog director Brad Rush in a Texas Deathmatch. Carter has been one of the US indie scene’s most underrated talents for close to a decade, with Beyond Wrestling in the early 2010s, through his work with New York’s Warriors of Wrestling (WOW). The reigning 2x WOW Heavyweight Champion is looking to kickstart 2021 with a decisive message (after closing the year with a banger against Camp Leapfrog’s Erica Leigh in Pro Wrestling Magic).
Also Appearing…
Lots of other Campers will be looking to make a statement and there’s sure to me other matches revealed on the show. Here’s a quick rundown of the other names already announced for Sunday.
- Abby Jane: A student of Travis Huckabee, Abby made her in-ring debut with Camp Leapfrog in December at Christmas Trios as one of the partners of A Very Good Professional Wrestler. The youngster showed real passion and will be looking to make an even bigger name for herself on Sunday.
- “Big Game” Leroy Brown: “Big Game” Leroy Green has been a big part of the New York City indie scene since 2016, where he’s been a regular with House of Glory (HOG) and a former HOG Crown Jewel Champion. In 2018, he was briefly a member of Private Party in HOG alongside Marq Quen, when he filled in for Isiah Kassidy. He’s also a regular competitor with CZW and has also fought in EVOLVE Wrestling as well as appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on AEW DARK in May of 2020, where he teamed with Bonez (as EJ Lewis) against Inner Circle‘s Santana & Ortiz.
- Bonez: Another long time veteran of HOG since his debut in 2014, where he’s a member of the villainous stable, House of Gangone. The dark and demented Bonez was also featured in the Young Bucks’ Being the Elite web series in a storyline with Private Party and, in early 2020, appeared on AEW DARK in tag action alongside Big Game Leroy.
- The Crusher: The Crusher (not to be confused with the 3x AWA World Heavyweight Champion who terrorized the Midwest from the 1940s to the 1980s) is an original camper, appearing in the first event’s Swimming Pool Battle Royale. Combining the tenacity of Crash Holly with the ferocity of the Moondogs, The Crusher is full a firecracker ready to explode.
- Devantes: Devantes is a devastating blend of raw power and athleticism, and a future superstar with untapped potential. He was part of The Crucible in CHIKARA, the stable of young trainees led by Ophidian, but at Camp Leapfrog has emerged as a top-level threat.
- Greywolf: New Jersey’s Greywolf is a 15-year veteran and a product of the infamous Monster Factory. Skilled in multiple combat styles, he made his Camp debut last October at Things That Go Bump In The Ring.
- Hermit Crab: One of CHIKARA’s mightiest crustaceans, Hermit Crab is going “Hollywood” on Sunday night, bring his pincers and crustiness to the Camp once again.
- Mane Event: The tag team duo of J. Lyon and Midas Black are one of the rising young duos of the US indies, working primarily out of Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling (PPW), where they’re the reigning PPW Tag Team Champions. They’ve also worked for CZW, NYWC, and HOG, and in November of 2019, competed on the IMPACT Wrestling special Wrestling Overdrive in association with PPW.
- Matt Makowski: A former MMA fighter, “Weapon X” Matt Makowski has seamlessly transitioned into a great pro wrestler in the past two years. In CHIKARA, he was part of Ophidian’s Crucible stable and has since gone on to star with the likes of Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Beyond Wrestling, and more. He is also part of the tag team Salt of the Earth with Travis Huckabee.
- Phil Stamper: Phil Stamper is a near 20-year veteran of the Pennsylvania indie scene who had initially retired back in 2016. But he returned to the ring at Camp Leapfrog’s inaugural event and is poised to return once again, with the young blood of the camp energizing this veteran once again.
- Saber Dorado: Saber Dorado is a relative newcomer in the ring, but when he’s not donning his lucha mask, he’s also an in-ring official, as he’s a referee for ICW No Holds Barred. With such knowledge of the rules of the sport (and every loophole to break them), he’ll be looking to make a big impression on Christmas Eve.
- Travis Huckabee: Travis Huckabee is a veteran of CHIKARA and a two-time Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team) Champion – once with Solo Darling in The Rumblebees, and then again with Tony Deppen in FIST – and the 2018 winner of the Johnny Kidd Invitational Tournament (CHIKARA’s technical wrestling tournament). In late 2019, he formed a new tag team with former MMA fighter (and CHIKARA star) Matt Makowski called Salt of the Earth, and the duo has since competed for AIW, Flying V Fights, and at Camp Leapfrog.
- Warwulf Kreed: Warwulf Kreed is back at the Camp, after debuting in the battle royal at Things That Go Bump In The Night. Since then, he’s teamed up with Greywolf in the tag team Tyrant, bringing a nasty side to the Camp.
- The Whisper: The Whisper is a former CHIKARA Young Lions Cup Champion and former CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team) Champion (alongside IMPACT‘s Kimber Lee) and is a hugely underrated wrestler. He made his debut at Christmas Trios in a loss to Ring of Honor’s Cheeseburger, so he’ll be hungry for his first win at the Camp.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch Camp Leapfrog on IndependentWrestling.tv (IWTV).
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