MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling)[1][2] is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s.[3]
Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) was originally established by wrestlers Dan McDevitt and Mark Shrader as an extension of the wrestling school Bone Breakers Training Center. MCW held its first card at Baltimore's Patapsco Arena on July 19, 1998, featuring Jerry Lynn, Devon Storm, Little Guido, Balls Mahoney, manager Jim Cornette and The Headbangers. During that event, MCW held a six-man match to crown the first ever Light Heavyweight Champion. The winner of the match was Shane Shamrock and due to his shooting death by police the following month, MCW named him as the lifetime Light Heavyweight Champion and replaced it with the Cruiserweight Championship.
After holding its final card, The Last Dance: Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup, on July 16, 2003, MCW announced its intentions to merge with its longtime rival the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. McDevitt and Shrader had originally left Mid-Eastern due to a business dispute with half its roster subsequently leaving for the newly established MCW.[6] Although operations officially ceased in 2003, McDevitt continued holding occasional cards exclusively at Fort Meade[7] under the "Fort Meade Wrestling" banner during the next several years before returning booking regular MCW events again.
MCW made Baltimore headlines in October 2006, with the booking of WIYY morning show personalities Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko as part of an eight-man tag match. Participating would have been a breach of their contract with their radio station, however, in the ensuing controversy, the longtime DJs left WIYY for rival WHFS.[8]
On April 22, 2016, it was announced that the promotion was changing its name from Maryland Championship Wrestling to MCW Pro Wrestling.[2]
The promotion also has a syndicated television show, Rage TV, which is also broadcast via the internet.[10] Episodes of Rage TV have also been released on DVD.
In December 2000, local television producer Natasha Small filed a complaint to city officials in Bowie, Maryland in which she claimed she and her daughter had been subject to harassment stemming from a verbal confrontation with Rage TV host Jeff Jones during a television taping at the Bowie Community Television station on October 1, 2002. Although a written response by the city manager's office condemned both parties, no criminal or civil charges were filed against Jones or Maryland Championship Wrestling. Small's claims were supported by former studio director Milly Hall who had previously filed a complaint accusing Jones of using the studio to produce tapes for sale over the internet and what she described as "pornographic-like images" appearing on the show's official website. Maryland Championship Wrestling denied these charges however and, while city officials admitted the possibility of the promotion using the show to "assist a commercial venture", the city notified producers of new policy updates to guard against such assistance.[11]
The Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup is an annual tournament held since 1999. The format of the tournament sees twelve wrestlers competing in six one-on-one matches, with the six winners advancing to an elimination match finale. The tournament is named in honor of Shane Shamrock, the inaugural MCW Light Heavyweight Champion who was shot and killed during an altercation with police officers in 1998.[13]
When MCW closed its doors in 2003, an arrangement was made with Ring of Honor (ROH) that when ROH made its debut in the Baltimore area, it would carry on the tradition of the Shane Shamrock Cup. At ROH's The Last Stand, it was announced ROH would continue the Shane Shamrock Cup on June 24, 2004. In March, however, Rob Feinstein was forced to step down as owner of ROH. Less than a week before the tournament, Feinstein sold his share of ROH to Cary Silkin, causing Maryland promoter Dick Caricofe to pull out of the show. ROH was forced to move the show to Philadelphia and renamed the show Survival of the Fittest.
When MCW reopened in February 2006, it was announced that they were bringing back the Shane Shamrock Cup.
Adam Flash defeated Julio Dinero (c) and Jason Static and Scott Fowler (c), and Danny Jaxx, Genesis, and The Bruiser Adam Flash pinned Dinero to win the MCW Heavyweight Championship
The Holy Rollers (Earl The Pearl and Rich Myers) defeated Team MackTion (Kirby Mack and T.J. Mack) (c), CA Elliott and Nui Tofiga and The Hit Squad (Drolix and Kindred)
Fed Up (C-Fed and G-Fed) (c) defeated Hoss Hagood and Mustafa Aziz Daniels, Black Wallstreet (Chuck Lennox and Prolix), The Ghetto Mafia (2-Dope and Qenaan Creed), Buck Chyld and Napalm Bomb, and The Holy Rollers (Earl The Pearl and Ramblin' Rich)
Buck Chyld and G-Fed defeated The New Age Scumbags (Adam Flash and Ronnie Zukko) (c), Mitch Miller and Paul White, 2-Dope and Napalm Bomb, The Hell Cats (Jimmy Starz and Sexy Steve), Hoss Hagood, and Chuck Lennox and Solo
The Ecktourage (Dirty Money and Eric Chapel) defeated The Hell Cats (Jimmy Starz and Sexy Steve) (c), Black Wall Street (Napalm Bomb and Solo), and Fed Up (C-Fed and G-Fed)
Ecktourge (Dirty Money and Eric Chapel) defeated Punk Rock All-Stars (c) (Shaun Cannon and Drake Carter), Black Wallstreet (Napalm Bomb and Solo), The Bruiser and Rayo, Cousin Clay and Bo Nekoda and Guns 4 Hire (Paul Jordane and Bill Collier)
Anthony Henry defeated Chuck Lennox, Elia, Hoss Hagood, Josh Woods, Kai Katana, Leon St. Giovanni, Lor Diaz, Punk Rock All-Stars (Shaun Cannon and Drake Carter) and Shaun Moore
Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup 2016 Last Chance Battle royal
(p) – refers to the previous winner heading into the match
† Lio Rush suffered an injury which forced him to withdraw. Therefore in the Triple Threat match, whomever was NOT pinned would also advance to the finals.
The Bruiser Strong Rumble is an annual match held since 2019. The match is named in honor of RJ "The Bruiser" Meyer, who passed away from leukemia in 2020. The format started out similar to the Royal Rumble, with the exception that each entrant could be a singles star, a tag team, or a faction, with eliminations occurring when a competitor is tossed over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. However, in 2022 the format was adjusted to feature 11 stars (one for each heavyweight title reign of The Bruiser), with eliminations occurring as before, however once the 11th entrant (reserved for the heavyweight champion at the time) enters the match, eliminations would then only occur by pinfalls or submissions. In 2019, the prize for winning was a chance to challenge for the MCW Heavyweight Championship at the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup that year, where since then the prize was the MCW Heavyweight Championship; the title was vacant for the 2021 match, with the defending champion entering the match as the final entrant in the years that followed.
Shamrock was the only champion. Shamrock was named lifetime Light Heavyweight Championship after his death due to being shot. The Light Heavyweight Championship was replaced with the Cruiserweight Championship.
"Wrestling, all pumped up The violent, adult themes of today's pro wrestling are a far cry from the cartoonish characters of the 1980s. Should parents let their kids watch?". York Daily Record. 23 July 2001
