Author: ignitewrestling
Those Klassic Tag Team Champions
What can we say but we have always loved That Klassic Tag Team! They bring so much energy to the show and excitement. Not to mention Kiko Harris delivering the best damn dropkick in the sport, they are crowd-pleasers. So it came as a huge surprise when they swept the competition in a massively chaotic four-way tag battle to take the titles.
In a twist that has never happened at IGNITE Wrestling in our history, the tag champions lost their titles without actually being pinned or submitting. The match pitted TECH vs That Klassic Tag Team vs Task Force vs Mosh and Mayhem. In the midst of a pinning combination, Kiko Harris rolled up Marquis Carter who was attempting to pin Mike Monroe (TECH) to take the win in a surprise ending that no one ever saw coming. The crowd went nuts when the dust cleared and the Klassics were the winners.
IGNITE Wrestling Debuts IGNITE Rewind For Roku Viewers
IGNITE Wrestling has called the Roku platform home now for five years and had undergone a facelift on the platform. The relaunch of IGNITE Wrestling will bring incredible, premium entertainment that has breadth, depth, and diversity to the streamers who regularly visit our channel and to many new viewers who may not even have experienced pro wrestling as well as our other offerings – and it’s all available for free,” said Kim Artlip, Owner of IGNITE Wrestling. “We’ve created a fantastic user experience to deliver exclusive, original content that’s accessible everywhere your Roku device is streamed.” New series such as IGNITE Rewind have now joined the series offerings from the indy wrestling company.
IGNITE looks to debut other new weekly series on the platform in coming months including the launch of our Top 10 Series as well as behind the scenes documentary series that is currently filming. Viewers can look forward to continued free content as we continue to provide quality entertainment to our 12,000 plus viewers.
IGNITE Wresting’s channel is available on Roku devices, Web, iOS, and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, and select Samsung TVs and can be accessed internationally in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. You can quickly add it to your lineup by voice search with your remote or on your computer at https://my.roku.com/account/add/weareignite.
Chelsea Durden and Kelsey Raegan Become IGNITE Wrestling’s First Women’s Tag Team Champions
After years of waiting, finally, IGNITE Wrestling has crowned their first-ever women’s tag team champions. Four teams accepted the challenge and battled for the newly designed women’s titles.
Dark horse contenders, Chelsea Durden and Kelsey Raegan took on the IGNITE fan favorites, Aspyn Rose and Hawlee Cromwell (Waifus & Witchcraft) to secure the title match slot. The duo of Durden & Raegan brought an aggressive assault both aerial and power to secure the win.
They then faced the winners Renee Michelle and Sahara Seven (Hell On Hells) who defeated Savannah Thorne and Eliza Haze. The two world travelers had a punishing win over Thorne and Haze who were no match for the more experienced duo.
The final match pitched the strength and aerial attack of Durden & Raegan against two ring veterans with Hell On Hells bring their world traveled experience to the ring. Neither team had ever worked as a tag team before so the level of teamwork that both teams displayed as they broke new ground working in a tag team situation made this match even more unique.
After punishing moves, Raegan was able to tag in her partner and Durden used her power, speed and strength to take advantage of those three precious seconds that it took to make history at IGNITE Wrestling and forever go into the record books as the first-ever women’s tag team champions and first to ever hoist those iconic new belts in the ring.
IGNITE Wrestling Presents Fierce
IGNITE Wrestling returns to action May 15, 2021, at noon at Walking Tree Brewery in Vero Beach but with a twist that fans have been anticipating since prior to the pre-Covid shutdown. After careful planning and consideration, the women’s tag team division will be making its long-anticipated debut but with an interesting twist. New belts. All championship belts have undergone a major upgrade and transformation as IGNITE has expanded its roster and visibility worldwide.
Current IGNITE Undisputed Champion Leon Ravage, Tag Champion TECH (Trevor Read (seen on AEW) and Mike Monroe) lead the pack of wrestlers already announced which include former WWE Mae Young Classic contestant Renee Michelle (seen on AEW) Storm Thomas (seen on AEW), Dale Springs, Victor Andrews (seen on WWE), Savannah Thorne (seen on AEW), Task Force (seen on WWE), Kelsey Raegan, Aspyn Rose, Hawlee Cromwell, Sahara Seven, Chelsea Durden, Princess Deathwish, Beastly, Ozzy Killmeister, That Klassic Tag Team, and many more.
The show itself will be a television taping event for future distribution on Twitch, Youtube, Highspots Network, Powered4TV, Universal Fight Network, Roku, FireTV, Title Match Network and several other video outlets to be announced. Shows can also be accessed through various other networks such as CZW Studios, and collaborations with more than 20 video streaming channels around the world.
Tickets are on sale NOW at ignitewrestling.com/tickets or you may buy tickets at the door the day of the event while they last. This is a family-friendly show and all youth under 12 must be accompanied by a paid adult attendee.
IGNITE Wrestling Joins Mulletfest for St. Baldrick’s Awareness
The new Undisputed IGNITE Wrestling Champion title was on hand for fans and newcomers alike to check out at the Inaugural Mulletfest held at Walking Tree Brewery. The event held on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at Walking Tree Brewery in Vero Beach included mullet cuts, a temporary tattoo station, field games, and IGNITE Wrestling booth, a drag queen performance, live music, craft beer, and a mullet contest, which helped raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and childhood cancer research.
New Undisputed Championship Belt Debuts
IGNITE Wrestling is proud to unveil our newly updated Undisputed Champion belt as a major kickoff for the upcoming year of events. Naturally with a monsterous champion Leon Ravage, we needed a belt that was as large and intimidating as he is.
The custom belt features the iconic IGNITE Wrestling logo on this raised main plate and corresponding side plates. Deep etching as well as belt details complement this belt as well as it’s customized tip sporting the logo as well. The belt will be officially debuted on May 15, 2021 at IGNITE Wrestling Presents Fierce but look for it on display at events leading up to our next live show.
IGNITE Rewind
IGNITE Wrestling revamps their retro videos with bold new IGNITE Rewind series airing now every Tuesday and Thursday as they open the IGNITE Wrestling video vault for a rewind of the matches that have made an impact on the independent wrestling scene.Each episode will feature a throwback match from IGNITE Wrestling history along with a more current match.
The series will also test how well IGNITE fans really know the promotion’s history as a multiple-choice video will challenge fans for little-known facts and trivia from everything from wrestlers to venues to match moments. The series kicks off with the most-watched video in IGNITE Wrestling history as it goes back in the vault to 2016 with Lio Rush vs Dezmond Xavier (now known as Wes Lee) as well as Kilynn King (AEW) vs Kaci Lennox.
Victor Andrews Returns To IGNITE Wrestling
After a five year absence, Mr. Everything himself, Victor Andrews is set to make his return to IGNITE Wrestling in what will be the first major defense of our new Undisputed Champion, Leon Scott. Andrews, who tagged with fan favorite James Anthony during his last appearance in 2016, has been making a name for himself both in and out of the ring.
A bit of a renaissance man, Andrews has been racking up movie roles, appearances on WWE, modeling gigs and establishing himself as a voiceover artist as well as his in-ring accomplishments. He’s been holding titles in promotions such as UPWA and PWF (singles and tag titles). Will he have what it takes to take on the Wanderer Of The Wasteland and come out with the win? We shall see but it looks to be one amazing match up of speed and skill.
IGNITE Wrestling Owner Kim Artlip Nominated For Women Who Rock Award
History is full of unsung female heroes. So, at weVENTURE WBC, we believe it is important to elevate women who are breaking barriers and inspiring others through their work and leadership. We believe in celebrating Women Who Rock today to inspire the female leaders of tomorrow.
This annual awards prgram honors hard-working, deserving women and local businesses who prioritize diversity in their leadership ranks. This annual celebration in honor of Women’s History Month is part of our mission to be the leading voice and resource for professional women on the Space and Treasure coasts.
The categories are:
- Excellence in Mentorship
- Female Small Business Owner of the Year
- Women in the Workplace Champion
- Dr. Mary Helen McCay STEM Award
- Zonta Yellow Rose Award of Excellence in Community Service
The response to our call for nominations was absolutely unbelievable. 65 women were nominated – our most EVER! weVENTURE WBC will recognize all the nominees on social media leading up to the March 23rd virtual event. Theme inspired by the Oscars, the program will highlight the nominees for each category before the winner is revealed live!
This year’s nominees are:
Excellence in Mentorship Award
Pamela Bress, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ready for Life Brevard; Grenita Brooks, Founder, International Mentoring Society; Natasha Cartagena Spencer, Senior Vice President and Branch Manager, Shelter Mortgage Company; Jennifer East, Co-Founder, bUneke; Marta “Tiki” Fiol, Founder and President, Teaching Interventions Keeping Individuality, Inc.; Heide Gabriella, CEO, Avian Engineering and Florida Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses; Beth Gitlin, Ph.D., BJG Global Consulting and Florida Tech Adjunct Professor; Dana Gresky, Ph.D., Vice President, Value-Based Care at Health First; Rochelle Hood, President, PINK Consulting; Cami Leech Florio, Chief Strategic Officer for St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care; Ann Luke, Sr. Vice President, Truist Bank; Joy Ruffen, Founder, Style with Joy and Leading Ladies Leaving Legacies Podcast; Ginger Snead, DPT, Owner, Fyzical Therapy and Balance Center; Leslie Tibbetts, VP of Commercial Services, Community Credit Union; Linda Webster Dubea, Regional Manager, External Affairs, Florida Power & Light.
Female Small Business Owner of the Year Award
Kim Artlip, Owner/Promoter, IGNITE Wrestling; Wendy Barnes, Founder, Wendy Barnes Design; Mary Brotherton, Editor, bUneke Magazine; Wilma Connell, Founder, Vero Beach eMarketing; Latice Daniels, Owner, Hope House United; Maria Dockery, Owner, Femme Fatale ARMS and Training; Amy Donaldson, Captain and Co-Owner, Sea Tow Sebastian; Melissa Engasser, Founder, The Bedrock Clinic and Research Center, Inc.; Megan Hall, Owner, True Home Inspections; and Kelley Higney, Founder and CEO of Bug Bite Thing; Kallee Jackson, Founder, Kallee Classy Fashions; Quinisha Jenkins, Owner, Q’s Crackin’ Crab and Seafood Kitchen; Delatron Johnson, Owner, Café Krewe 22; Kristina Latraverse, Studio Owner, Seagrass Pottery; Leigh McDowell, Founder, The Elderberry Fairy; Emily McHugh, Founder, Casauri and Regional Director for Treasure Coast WBEC; Shari Pierce, Owner and Chef, A Kitchen of Her Own; Michelle Shoultz , President, Frazier Engineering; Ginger Snead, DPT, Owner, Fyzical Therapy and Balance Center; Julie Song, President, Florida Business & Manufacturing Solutions, Inc.; Rebecca Sparks, Owner, Apollo Realty; Tracy Stroderd, CEO, EverythingBrevard.com; April Symonds, Founder, Fields Family Baskets and Gifts; Zechra Williams, Owner, Evolution Beauty Lounge.
Women in the Workplace Champion
- Business Champions:
bUneke; Jennifer East, Founder; Call One, Inc., Dawn Mays, Chief Strategy Officer; Florida Power & Light, Bart Gaetjens, External Affairs Manager; H.A.L.O No-Kill Rescue, Jan Howington; Lockheed Martin, Sarah Hiza, Ph.D., VP Fleet Ballistic Missile Program
- Individual Champions:
Leonardo DRS, Joslyn Barroso, Director, Human Resources; Shelter Mortgage, Natasha Cartagena Spencer, Senior VP/Branch Manager; U.S. Department of Defense, Shalarie Highsmith, Deputy, Chief of Education and Training; Italian Terrazzo and Tile, Rhonda Huckabee, Director of Operations; Florida Today, Suzy Leonard, Food and Dining Writer; NatEv Life LLC, Kimberly Modesitt, Landscaper and Owner; Roundtable of St. Lucie County, Teresa Bishop, Executive Director
Dr. Mary Helen McCay STEM Award
Sarah Angrisani, Founder, Coastal Community School; Kelly Billon, Orbital Launch Site Deputy Program Manager, Blue Origin; Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D., Florida Tech Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences, Director of the mobile science lab, the Science Bus; Rachel Weeks, Systems Test Engineer, United Launch Alliance and Chief Marketing Officer, Reinvented Magazine
Zonta Yellow Rose for Excellence in Community Service
Barbara Schlitt Ford, Executive Director, Environmental Learning Center and In-House Counsel, Founder/Facilitator, Indian River CARES; Dana Blickley, Property Appraiser, Brevard County Property Appraiser; Mary Brotherton, Editor-in-Chief, bUneke Magazine; Jennifer Cleveland, Consultant, Inner Sight Living, Board Member, Center for the Visually Impaired; Jennifer East and Lynn Kinnison, Co-Founders, bUneke; Meredith Egan, COO, United Way of Indian River; Marta “Tiki” Fiol; Founder and President, Teaching Interventions Keeping Individuality, Inc (TIKI Inc); Chris Kern, Board Member, LEAD Brevard; Ellena Little, Executive Director, Club Esteem; Tara Pagliarini, Executive Director, Family Promise of Brevard; Stacey Patel, Brevard Democrats and Founder of Coronavirus Mutual Aid Network; Jonnie Mae Perry, President, American Association of University Women; Claudia Prado, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Univision; Visalakshi Srinivasan, M.D., Aging Services Clinic, Pamela Carithers, Executive Director, Lincoln Park Mainstreet.
About the 2021 Program
weVENTURE invites you to help celebrate all of the 2021 nominees during a live-virtual event on March 23rd at 11:30am. Join us to learn a little bit about each of the nominees before we announce the winner for each category. This fun event is inspired by the Oscars, and will honor these women for the superstars they all are! Red Carpet fashion is optional, but encouraged!
Tickets and Sponsorship Information
The Women Who Rock virtual event will be held via Zoom on March 23rd from 11:30am until 1pm.
Registration is a $15 donation to weVENTURE WBC, to support our mission of being the leading voice and resource for professional women.
The Woman On Fire: Getting The Look
When I first started watching professional wrestling the gear was pretty generic. That was back when all a man needed in order to get in the ring and wrestle was a pair of boots and some black trunks. Now, a wrestler’s attire and ring gear is as important to their identity as a finishing maneuver or a catchphrase. Every match now has the ability to be viral and be seen in living color around the world so why wouldn’t you want to look the part?
But we still see cringe worthy gear pop up and one that always gets stuck in my mind was Justin Credible when the WWF used him as Aldo Montoya, the “Portuguese Man O War”. Every single bad gear list has his headgear/mask described as a jock strap and it really did look it. What a way to be remembered. Ugh.
And let’s not forget El Gigante from WCW when he made his WWE debut in 1993 as Giant Gonzalez managed by Harvey Wippleman. He grew a beard and wore a full body suit that featured airbrushed muscles with bushy hair attached (that included the crotch). Cringe.
Obviously it’s worth the effort to look like a superstar. Think about it from the promoter’s stand point. You are investing thousands into a show with venue, insurance, advertising, wrestler’s rates and more. When people show up they are coming to be entertained and transported to another world. Are your wrestlers doing that? Or do they look like someone who just rolled in off the street in some cowboy boots and dirty jeans? Do they look credible or cheap?
Trust me, I get it that wrestlers all have different body types and gimmicks but it is plain and simple lazy when a female comes to the ring in a tee-shirt over a couple of sports bras and some ratty shorts. You can play a gimmick and not look like the pride of the trailer park doing it. Have some pride and get gear that fits. You could be doing a phenomenal match and what do people remember? That your boobs were out of control or your pants were falling down.
Everyone reading just thought of someone that fit that description.
I’m not saying you need fancy gear and entrance robes. It has to make sense but gear that compliments your body and gimmick is a must. I read an article that really inspired this column and it stated:
“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art,” Oscar Wilde once wrote. But wrestlers have to do both — looking like works of art and wearing works of art — to earn their living. If the costume doesn’t fit the gimmick and the gimmick doesn’t work with that wrestler’s body, the wrestler can expect to have a short career.
So what does your gear say? Does it say amateur wrestling with your singlet? Do your plain trunks with initials or your name call back to the old Southern Wrestling style? Are you embracing your lucha heritage with your mask and gear? Or do you look like you hit Party City and are playing dress up?
Seriously, these are the questions you need to ask yourself. Too often we see guys in gear that has nothing to do with their character in ring. If you are a heel that be in colors that reflect that. Reds, black and darker colors. Hard to be hardass when you are neon and and pretty patterns. It’s a definite disconnect when you debut before fans who may have never heard of you.
You have got to be able to look and wrestle the part. Hopefully your skills talk for you but does your gear say champion or show stealer? Or does it say cheapest cost and look? Think of the big picture? Do you look legit? Or do you look like a random fan in high school gym clothes and sneakers? It’s all part of the image and mystique of wrestling.
It is a lot to consider and I hope that you talk to vets, look at what is out there and talk to gear makers. So many guys are learning to make their own gear and some of it is amazing. They even have a hashtag as they learn to sew #broswhosew so start thinking of who, what, and where you can get that new gear from. Until next time, ignite your fire, and follow your dream.
(This column first appeared on the Gorilla Position on August 14, 2019)
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