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USA Pro Wrestling
Mayhem in Mineola
Sunday, November 5, 2000
By: Jon Minners
Wrestling is a virtual hot bed in the world of sports, politics and social scenes. Heading up that charge to the tip of everyone's mouths are the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). These two super powered giants in the world of sports entertainment have tag-teamed to take wrestling to the forefront of mainstream culture. But the smaller 
groups, the ones not heard of, contain the stars of tomorrow, the stars of the past and the future of this sport. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) has shown that these independent leagues can rise above their own status and into the big time. Right now, New York may be bearing witness to another organization, slowly building a fan base that may one-day rival those known as the "big three." USA Pro Wrestling is the place where tradition and hardcore collide, and the big federations may get caught in the backlash.
USA Pro Wrestling was established in December 1996. Since that time the organization has organized over 500 shows in New York and New Jersey. Based in Atlantic Beach, NY, USA, Pro has had successful shows with wrestling legends that have made the sport what it is today. USA Pro Wrestling is also a breeding ground for the stars of tomorrow. Legends of the sport like Sgt. Slaughter, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Mr. Italy, Brutus Beefcake, Tommy Cairo, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and King Kong Bundy have made their presence felt in this vastly growing, independent promotion. Stars of the future include Xavier, Loki, the Natural Born Killers, The Boogie Knights (a team with their own fan club), and The Mat Squad. Even current stars like Justin Credible, Big Vito and Big Dick Dudley are currently gracing the USA mat. But what makes this federation so popular are its fans, the kind that made ECW huge. They show up to many of the shows, get to know the wrestlers and take a personal interest in what goes on in the match. From being there, it is as if the fans have adopted these stars as their own. Titles aren't important, the wrestlers just showing up, makes them champions.
But there are titles in this federation. The first USA heavyweight champion was decided in 1996 when Tito Santana defeated Cowboy Bob Orton. Sgt. Slaughter has held the title and so has Big Dick Dudley. Currently, Tommy Cairo, an ECW legend, is the champion. The day he won the title, he retired his North American belt, a title that has at this time not been reinstated. The same goes for their Hardcore Title, last held by Pit Bull Dick Snyder. In a wonderful tag-team war, the Natural Born Killers, the first tag-team champions and the Boogie Knights, the current tag-team champs, have exchanged the belts several times. The future of tag-team wrestling is right here. Recently, Chris Michaels beat the Masked Maniac to win the US Title. And the recently turned bad guy; Jimmy Snuka, beat Ken Sweeney for the New York championship. These titles are defended in front of capacity packed crowds in high school gyms, halls and other small locations.
USA Pro Wrestling put on a show at the Knights of Columbus, in Mineola, New York, on Sunday, November 5. The Long Island show was titled, Mayhem in Mineola, and contained 12 exciting matches that left fans happy, mimicking moves as they left the show. What follows is a re-cap of the events that transpired that day, including one match that ripped the ceiling down, causing a light fixture to crash toward the mat!
Comments about this article can be sent to Jon Minners at JMinners@ybfree.com
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