UPWA: Undeniable
Wednesday, April 3
7:00 p.m.
Wayne PAL Building
Wayne, New Jersey
Each WrestleMania weekend fans and pundits alike discuss potential breakout candidates for the weekend. We wonder which wrestler will take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shine on the biggest yearly stage in pro wrestling. In prior years, names like Will Ospreay, WALTER and countless others have made WrestleMania weekends their showcase, their jumping off point and their coming out party.
For North Carolina-based United Pro Wrestling Association (UPWA), this year’s WrestleMania weekend presents an opportunity to make their presence known to the world. UPWA will present their brand of independent wrestling to the masses as they host UPWA: Undeniable at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 in Wayne, New Jersey.
UPWA has run semi-regularly since 2005 with shows primarily based in North Carolina, specifically Wilmington, NC. You may be asking what UPWA is doing in New Jersey (myself included) but they have actually frequented the state throughout their 14-year history running nine shows total in the Garden State. They last visited Wayne, NJ in April 2007 with a card featuring names like Tito Santana, Jim Powers and Spike Dudley.
Similarly, UPWA: Undeniable will heavily feature pro wrestling stars of the past like Billy Gunn, Buff Bagwell, Chris Masters and more. Blending with these stars will be UPWA’s local talent including UPWA Heavyweight Champion LA Tank who will face off with the recent NXT signee Robbie E, Ricky Reyes—a name familiar to old school Ring of Honor fans—will defend his UPWA Cruiserweight Champions against James Anthony while the UPWA Tag Team Championships will be on the line in a four-team match. The champions Team Espana (Jos A & Jos B)—get it?—will do battle with the American Pitbulls of Sean Cruise & Steven Idol, the Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Mike Patrick) and Stars & Stripes… yes, THAT Stars & Stripes. Buff Bagwell and The Patriot come together for the first time since the spring of 1995.
Elsewhere on the card, former WWE star Chris Masters’ has a Masterlock Open Challenge, the American Murder Society takes on Tough Guy Inc. (featuring one “Brutal” Bob Evans) and the UPWA Women’s Championship will be on the line as Corinne Mink defends against Mae Young Classic participant Mercedes Martinez and Nyla Rose, who recently made history when becoming the first trans wrestler to sign full-time with a major wrestling company.
Running WrestleMania is undoubtedly a risk for the North Carolina-based indie but the placement of their show is quite smart. The Wednesday night timeslot is fairly open and it could present a great opportunity for those arriving in New York earlier in the week to get their wrestling fix started early. The location (Wayne, NJ) could be an issue for UPWA though as Wayne is roughly 20 miles from Midtown Manhattan, which may as well be another country given New York’s legendarily awful traffic.
Despite the potential downfalls, WrestleMania weekend is all about taking risks and UPWA made a calculated one with UPWA: Undeniable. You can view the full card for UPWA: Undeniable below:
- UPWA Heavyweight Championship – LA Tank (c) vs. Robbie E
- UPWA Cruiserweight Championship – Ricky Reyes (c) vs. James Anthony
- Billy Gunn vs. Victor Andrews
- UPWA Tag Team Championship – Team Espana (Jos A & Jos B)(c) vs. American Pitbulls (Sean Cruise & Steven Idol) vs. Stars & Stripes (Buff Bagwell & The Patriot) vs. Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Mike Patrick)
- American Murder Society (Aaron Bradley & Steve Off) vs. Tough Guy Inc. (Brutal Bob Evans & Tim Hughes)
- Chris Masters’ Masterlock Open Challenge
- Big Deal Craig Steele vs. Mikal Mosley
- UPWA Women’s Championship: Corinne Mink (c) vs. Mercedes Martínez vs. Nyla Rose
- Kekoa & Sammi Pandora vs. Draven & Riley Krowe
- Kenny Bengal vs. Winner of 30-Man Battle Royal
- 30-Man Battle Royal
