{"id":113833,"date":"2022-06-09T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=113833"},"modified":"2022-06-08T17:26:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T21:26:49","slug":"beginners-guide-to-warrior-wrestling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/06\/09\/beginners-guide-to-warrior-wrestling\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginners Guide to Warrior Wrestling &#8211; Detailed Starter Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Warrior Wrestling<\/strong> is an independent wrestling promotion based out of Chicago Heights Illinois. The promotion is headed by Steve Tortorello and Eric Hamilton whose vision for the promotion is as large as the heights reached by Warrior Wrestling. From running the first show in the gym of Marian Catholic High School to having the Warrior Wrestling Championship walked down the aisle of the Tokyo Dome by <strong>Will<\/strong> <strong>Ospreay<\/strong> at <em>Wrestle Kingdom 16<\/em>, this Beginners guide to Warrior Wrestling will get you up to speed with the fast-growing promotion.<\/p>\n<h2>Beginners Guide to Warrior Wrestling<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Warrior Wrestling 1 Highlights 5\/11\/18\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5UNKjNwhEKY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Beginnings<\/h3>\n<div>&#8220;This began as a way for our team to have a creative outlet working in a field that we loved while at the same time doing a small bit of good in the world by raising money for the original host, Marian Catholic High School. It has evolved into a full-fledged independent wrestling phenomenon, and we are so grateful for all of the twists and turns!&#8221; &#8211; Steve Tortorello.<\/div>\n<p>Steve attempted to get his foot in the door around various local promotions around the Chicago area prior to the start of Warrior Wrestling. When nothing came of that he decided to take his creative energy and put it into his own promotion. The idea for Warrior Wrestling was then pitched with the shows serving to raise funds for scholarships and extracurricular activities for Marian Catholic High School. With the permission of Steve&#8217;s boss, to host the shows at the gym and be affiliated with the school, Warrior Wrestling was off to the races. The first show took place on May 11th, 2018. The show was headlined by <strong>Jack<\/strong> <strong>Swagger<\/strong> (now known as <strong>Jake<\/strong> <strong>Hagger<\/strong>) taking on <strong>Alberto<\/strong> <strong>Del<\/strong> <strong>Rio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Warrior Wrestling returned for a second show during <em>All In<\/em> weekend in September of 2018. The first Warrior Wrestling champion was crowned in the first-ever War of Attrition match which included none other than <strong>Rey Mysterio<\/strong>. Warrior Wrestling would continue to run shows in the gym of Marian Catholic High School until February of 2020. <em>Warrior Wrestling 8<\/em> was the final show to take place inside the gym until October of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0 During the pandemic, Steve and Eric found a way to host wrestling shows in a safe environment that stayed in compliance with regulations. The tradition continues today and is gearing up for year three.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Joey Janela Jumps From The Goalpost at Warrior Wrestling!\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HCFU5bwqAaE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>The Stadium Series<\/h3>\n<p>When the COVID-19 pandemic hit wrestling promotions were forced to shut down overnight. Warrior Wrestling found a way to keep hosting shows even during the pandemic. \u201cThe idea of doing an outdoor show on the football field started in 2019 and was Eric\u2019s idea it didn\u2019t pan out in 2019 but then the pandemic hit,\u201d Steve told LWOS during the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/12\/07\/covid-19-changed-live-wrestling-experience\/\" target=\"_self\">Stadium Series interview from 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Holding the shows on the football field allowed everyone to be socially distanced. The idea was tested in August of 2020 when Warrior hosted <em>Friday Night Lights<\/em>. For many wrestling fans, it was a way to experience wrestling live and still be compliant with Illinois COVID regulations and guidelines. The event encouraged fans to bring their own chairs and coolers and enjoy an outdoor wrestling show under the lights. With the success of the Friday Night Lights show, the Stadium Series ran for the first time in September of 2020. Some notable moments included <strong>Joey<\/strong> <strong>Janela<\/strong> running <strong>WARHORSE<\/strong> from the ring at the 50-yard line to the north end zone of the field before dropping him. Janela would also jump off the goal post onto <strong>Robert<\/strong> <strong>Anthony<\/strong> and <strong>Frank<\/strong> <strong>the<\/strong> <strong>Clown<\/strong> as they lay on tables in the end zone during the final night of the series. The clip from the final night of the three-night event went viral and even landed on SportsCenter.<\/p>\n<p>The three-night run in September ended 2020 for Warrior Wrestling, but it was not the final Stadium Series. The series returned in 2021 and is planning to return in 2022.<\/p>\n<h3>Roster and Matches<\/h3>\n<h4>Regulars<\/h4>\n<div>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been so blessed to develop a roster of stars that our fans have grown to love (and hate!) in addition to all of the major name talents that have come through Warrior Wrestling. Stars like <strong>Sam<\/strong> <strong>Adonis<\/strong>, <strong>KC<\/strong> <strong>Navarro<\/strong>, <strong>Trey<\/strong> <strong>Miguel<\/strong>, <strong>Beast<\/strong> <strong>Man<\/strong>, and&#8230;yes&#8230; Frank the Clown feel like &#8216;our&#8217; people, and that&#8217;s really special. We&#8217;re so happy that they&#8217;ve shared their talents with us for so long.&#8221; &#8211; Steve Tortorello<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Warrior Wrestling has seen a variety of regular talent over its tenure. Early regulars included <strong>Brian<\/strong> <strong>Cage<\/strong>, <strong>Moose<\/strong>, <strong>Tessa<\/strong> <strong>Blanchard<\/strong>, <strong>Lance<\/strong> <strong>Archer<\/strong>, <strong>Gringo<\/strong> <strong>Loco, Brian Pillman Jr, <\/strong>and <strong>The<\/strong> <strong>Rascalz<\/strong> among others.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Warrior Wrestling has always been able to bring in star power as the likes of Will Ospreay,<strong> The Strong Hearts,<\/strong> <strong>The<\/strong> <strong>Amazing Red<\/strong>, <strong>Rocky<\/strong> <strong>Romero<\/strong>, <strong>Jay<\/strong> <strong>White<\/strong>, <strong>Minoru<\/strong> <strong>Suzuki<\/strong>, <strong>The<\/strong> <strong>Lucha<\/strong> <strong>Brothers<\/strong>, <strong>Thunder<\/strong> <strong>Rosa<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/02\/02\/athena-warrior-wrestling-debut\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Athena<\/strong><\/a>, and many others have competed in a Warrior Wrestling ring.<\/div>\n<h3>Beginners Guide to Warrior Wrestling &#8211; The Championships<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Warrior Wrestling Champion Will Ospreay has plans for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZSgUChtTOss?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Warrior Wrestling Championship<\/h4>\n<p>Warrior Wrestling currently has three active championships on the roster. The Warrior Wrestling Championship was introduced at <em>Warrior Wrestling 2<\/em>. Brian Cage outlasted <strong>Rey Fenix<\/strong>, <strong>Penta el 0M,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Sammy Guevara<\/strong>, Rey Mysterio, <strong>Austin Aries<\/strong>, <strong>Jeff<\/strong> <strong>Cobb<\/strong>, and <strong>Rich Swann\u00a0<\/strong>in the first-ever War of Attrition to become champion. The Warrior original match is a three-fall match. The wrestlers are split into two random teams of four. When team one is eliminated whoever scored the fall picks their tag team partner and the match becomes a tag team match. The winning team of fall number two competes one on one to win the match.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Cage held the championship until <em>Warrior Wrestling 8<\/em> when he had to vacate the championship due to injury.\u00a0 His reign saw victories over <strong>Bandido<\/strong>, all three Rascalz in a triple threat, Austin Aeries and <strong>Wardlow<\/strong> in a cage, <strong>Michael Elgin<\/strong>, and <strong>El Phantasmo<\/strong>. At Warrior Wrestling 8 Brian Pillman Jr outlasted <strong>Andrew<\/strong> <strong>Everett<\/strong>, Michael Elgin, Sam Adonis, <strong>Aramis<\/strong>, <strong>Black<\/strong> <strong>Taurus<\/strong>, Frank The Clown, and <strong>Lance<\/strong> <strong>Archer<\/strong> to become champion. He held the title until <em>Night 3 of the 2020 Stadium Series<\/em> and had wins over <strong>Robert Anthony<\/strong> and WARHORSE. In a triple threat match against Trey Miguel and Brian Cage, Miguel picked up the win and became champion.<\/p>\n<p>Trey defended the championship for the first time on <em>Night 1 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em> successfully against <strong>Lee<\/strong> <strong>Moriarty<\/strong>. He again retained on<em> Night 3 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em> against <strong>Jake<\/strong> <strong>Something<\/strong>. His final successful defense was against <strong>Jonathan<\/strong> <strong>Gresham<\/strong> which ended in a no contest at <em>Warrior Wrestling Sweet 16<\/em>. He entered <em>Warrior Wrestling 17<\/em> as champion and lost the title to Will Ospreay in a triple threat match that also involved Blake Christian.<\/p>\n<p>Ospreay&#8217;s first defense was against Brian Cage at <em>Warrior Wrestling 18<\/em> in South Bend Indiana. He returned to South Bend for<em> Warrior Wrestling 21<\/em> and retained the championship against Blake Christian in a singles match. His next defense is scheduled for <em>Warrior Wrestling 23<\/em> in Grand Rapids Michigan. He will defend in a War of Attrition match that will include <strong>Swerve<\/strong> <strong>Strickland<\/strong>, <strong>Jeff Cobb<\/strong>, Lance Archer, <strong>Matt<\/strong> <strong>Cardona<\/strong>, Brian Pillman Jr., <strong>Davey<\/strong> <strong>Richards<\/strong>, and Jake Something.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Women of Warrior Wrestling \u2013 Celebrating Women\u2019s History Month - Free Full Women\u2019s Wrestling Matches\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xL2RvhhKHs8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Women&#8217;s Championship<\/h4>\n<p>The second championship was introduced to Warrior Wrestling Women&#8217;s Championship. The title was introduced at <em>Warrior Wrestling 5<\/em> in a match that saw Tessa Blanchard square off with <strong>Jordynne<\/strong> <strong>Grace<\/strong> with special guest referee <strong>Molly<\/strong> <strong>Holly<\/strong>. Tessa Blanchard came out victorious and was crowned the inaugural champion. Her first defense of the title came at Warrior Wrestling 8 where she defeated <strong>Britt<\/strong> <strong>Baker<\/strong>, <strong>Madison<\/strong> <strong>Rayne<\/strong>, <strong>Taya<\/strong> <strong>Valkyrie<\/strong>, <strong>Big Swole<\/strong>, <strong>Kylie<\/strong> <strong>Rae<\/strong>, <strong>Ray Lyn<\/strong>, and <strong>Tasha<\/strong> <strong>Steelz<\/strong> in a War of Attrition match. At the first<em> Stadium Series<\/em> show of 2020, she was defeated by Kylie Rae who became the second champion.<\/p>\n<p>Kylie Rae made her first defense of the championship on <em>Night 3 of the 2020 Stadium Series<\/em> where she retained over Madison Rayne. She made her next successful defense against Holidead on <em>Night 1 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em>. Kylie Rae was defeated by Thunder Rosa on<em> Night 3 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em> making Rosa the third Warrior Wrestling Women&#8217;s Champion in history.<\/p>\n<p>Thunder Rosa made her first defense of the championship against <strong>Mercedes Martinez<\/strong> at<em> Warrior Wrestling 17<\/em>. Thunder Rosa also brought the title to <strong>Mission Pro Wrestling<\/strong> with her and had successful defenses over <strong>Madi<\/strong> <strong>Wrenkowski<\/strong> and <strong>La<\/strong> <strong>Rosa<\/strong> <strong>Negra<\/strong>. The next title defense that took place in a Warrior ring took place at <em>Warrior Wrestling 19<\/em>. \u00a0Thunder Rosa battled Athena who made her Warrior Wrestling debut to a 30-minute draw. She successfully defended the title against at<em> Warrior Wrestling 20<\/em> in a triple threat match against Athena and <strong>Skye Blue<\/strong>. Following <em>Warrior Wrestling 20<\/em> Thunder Rosa relinquished the title shortly after becoming the AEW Women&#8217;s World Champion.<\/p>\n<p>This opened the door for another triple threat match at <em>Warrior Wrestling 21<\/em>. Athena defeated Skye Blue and <strong>Shazza<\/strong> <strong>McKenzie<\/strong> who was being assisted by Frank the Clown to become champion. Athena made her first successful defense at <em>Warrior Wrestling 22<\/em> against <strong>Janai<\/strong> <strong>Kai<\/strong>. She will put the title on the line again at Warrior Wrestling 22 against <strong>AQA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lucha Champion Sam Adonis Addresses Psycho Clown  - Warrior Wrestling 20\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bpwal2rKNus?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Lucha Championship<\/h4>\n<p>The newest championship in Warrior Wrestling is the Lucha Championship. The first champion was crowned on <em>Night 1 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em>. Aramis defeated Arez, <strong>Dragon<\/strong> <strong>Bane<\/strong>, <strong>Laredo<\/strong> <strong>Kid<\/strong>, Black Taurus, <strong>El Hijo de Canis Lupus<\/strong>, <strong>Golden<\/strong> <strong>Dragon<\/strong>, and <strong>Gringo<\/strong> <strong>Loco<\/strong> in a War of Attrition match to win the title. He defended it at <em>Nights 2 and 3 of the 2021 Stadium Series<\/em> against <strong>Daga<\/strong> and <strong>Mr<\/strong>.<strong>Iguana<\/strong> respectively. At the<em> Sweet 16<\/em> show, he defended it against Gringo Loco and <strong>Rey Horus<\/strong> in a triple threat match. His final successful defense was against <strong>Demonic<\/strong> <strong>Flamita<\/strong> at <em>Warrior Wrestling 17<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>At Warrior Wrestling 18 Sam Adonis defeated Aramis, <strong>ASF<\/strong>, <strong>Drago<\/strong> <strong>Kid<\/strong>, and Gringo Loco to become the second Lucha Champion. He has made successful defenses against <strong>Lince Dorado<\/strong> via count-out, <strong>Psycho<\/strong> <strong>Clown<\/strong>, and Aramis at Warrior Wrestling 19, 20, and 21 respectively. His next defense will be against <strong>Rey<\/strong> <strong>Leon<\/strong> at <em>Warrior Wrestling 23<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3>Taking the Show on the Road<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Touring was the natural next step for us. We decided in late 2021 that we would use 2022 as an incubator year to throw a lot at the wall and see what sticks. So, we&#8217;ve set out on the road to see where else besides the Chicago market that Warrior might be viable. We&#8217;ve found a warm welcome everywhere we&#8217;ve gone!&#8221; &#8211; Steve Tortorello.<\/p>\n<p>Warrior Wrestling first left Marian Catholic High School for the first time for <em>Warrior Wrestling 17<\/em> which was held just up the road in Tinley Park Illinois. That event took place in December of 2021 and set the stage for taking the show on the road. The first out-of-state Warrior Wrestling show was <em>Warrior Wrestling 18<\/em> which took place in South Bend Indiana at the Bendix Arena. From there the promotion returned to the Chicago area with <em>Warrior Wrestling 19<\/em> in Cicero Illinois. The road trip continued with a stop in Indianapolis for <em>Warrior Wrestling 20<\/em> and then back to South Bend for <em>Warrior Wrestling 21<\/em>. <em>Warrior Wrestling 22<\/em> took place in Collinsville just miles from St.Louis. The road trip will conclude with a show in Grand Rapids Michigan on June 18th before returning home for a show at Malcolm X College on June 26th and the return of the Stadium Series this summer.<\/p>\n<h2>Beginners Guide to Warrior Wrestling &#8211; In Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"New Warrior Wrestling Champion Will Ospreay has plans for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZSgUChtTOss?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>We hope you found the beginners guide to Warrior Wrestling helpful. The promotion has made big waves and has shown no signs of slowing down. You can find ways to connect with them below.<\/p>\n<p><em>Put the Beginners Guide to Warrior Wrestling in action! For tickets to future Warrior Wrestling events click <a href=\"https:\/\/warriorwrestling.ticketleap.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u00a0<\/a>and to see all of their content check out their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fite.tv\/vl\/p\/warrior-wrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FITE<\/a>\u00a0page, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCP0YiBNLie3dPCVH90ZsEHw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a> channel. Follow them on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WarriorWrestlingChicagoHeights\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WarriorWrstlng\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/warriorwrstlng\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a>. Check out their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prowrestlingtees.com\/promotion-tshirts\/warriorwrestling.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Wrestling Tees store<\/a> for Warrior Wrestling merchendise!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for the latest Warrior Wrestling started guide content.\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warrior Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based out of Chicago Heights Illinois. The promotion is headed by Steve Tortorello and Eric Hamilton whose vision for the promotion is as large as the heights reached by Warrior Wrestling. From running the first show in the gym of Marian Catholic High School to having the Warrior [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3722,"featured_media":113834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7029,3345],"class_list":["post-113833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","tag-stadium-series","tag-warrior-wrestling"],"modified_by":"Dominic Padula","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}