| MCW Pro Wrestling | |
| Acronym: | MCW |
| Established: | 1998 |
| Style: | Professional wrestling |
| Location: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Founder: | Dan McDevitt Dennis Wipprecht |
| Owner: | Dan McDevitt (1998-2003) Dennis Wipprecht (1998-2003) |
| Parent: | MSDM, Inc. |
| Formerly: | Maryland Championship Wrestling |
| Website: | http://www.mcwprowrestling.com |
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.
Throughout the next year, the promotion featured veteran wrestlers such as Ricky Steamboat, Ricky Morton, Bobby Eaton, Tito Santana, The Iron Sheik, Sherri Martel, The Road Warriors, King Kong Bundy and Jerry "The King" Lawler, the latter two winning the promotion's heavyweight championship. Longtime mainstays such as Joey Matthews, Jimmy Cicero, Judas Young and Mickie James also began gaining popularity in the promotion.[4]
On March 27, 2002, Steve Wilkos of The Jerry Springer Show made a one night appearance teaming with Gillberg to defeat The Slackers (Chad Bowman and Dino Devine) in a tag team match in Glen Burnie, Maryland; the 1,267 in attendance setting a new record for its home arena Michael's Eighth Avenue ballroom.[5]
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 company's YouTube Channel is MCW Pro Wrestling[9]
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]
In April 2011, Rage TV taped shows at Duane "Gillberg" Gill's Professional Wrestling Academy in Severn, Maryland. The show was hosted by country music singer Mark Bray and Gill.[12]
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.
MCW held its 6th Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup on July 6, 2006.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Steve Anthony | Chris Sabin |
| Jerry Lynn | Petey Williams |
| Petey Williams | Chris Sabin |
| Chris Sabin | Derek Frazier |
| Derek Frazier | Ruckus |
| Ruckus | Winner |
MCW held its 7th Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup on July 8, 2007.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Delirious | Josh Daniels |
| Sonjay Dutt | Christopher Daniels |
| Human Tornado | Ruckus |
| Ruckus (p) | Christopher Daniels |
| Christopher Daniels | Josh Daniels |
| Josh Daniels | Winner |
MCW held its 8th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (branded as "Shamrock VIII") on July 18 and 19, 2008.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Rhett Titus | Derek Frazier |
| Devon Storm | Joey Matthews |
| Josh Daniels (p) | Derek Frazier |
| Claudio Castagnoli | Joey Matthews |
| Joey Matthews | Derek Frazier |
| Derek Frazier | Winner |
MCW held its 9th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (branded as "MCW Shamrock Cup 9") on July 11, 2009.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Aden Chambers | Ryan McBride |
| Kenny Dykstra | Adam Carelle |
| Adam Carelle | Qenaan Creed |
| Qenaan Creed | Kirby Mack |
| Kirby Mack | Ryan McBride |
| Ryan McBride | Winner |
MCW held its 10th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (branded as "MCW Shamrock Cup X") on July 31, 2010.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Sami Callihan | Rich Swann |
| Rich Swann | Tommaso Ciampa |
| Tommaso Ciampa | Christian York |
| Teddy Stigma | Ryan McBride |
| Ryan McBride (p) | Christian York |
| Christian York | Winner |
MCW held its 11th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (branded as "MCW Shamrock Cup XI") on July 30, 2011.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Vordell Walker | Sami Callihan |
| Alex Colon | Kirby Mack |
| Kirby Mack | Sami Callihan |
| Ricky Reyes | Josh Daniels |
| Josh Daniels | Sami Callihan |
| Sami Callihan | Winner |
MCW held its 12th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (branded as "MCW Shamrock Cup XII") on July 7, 2012.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Delirious | Josh Daniels |
| Ruckus | Josh Daniels |
| Josh Daniels | Ricky Reyes |
| Ricky Reyes | Adam Cole |
| Sami Callihan (p) | Adam Cole |
| Adam Cole | Winner |
The 13th MCW Shane Shamrock Cup was held on August 10, 2013.[14]
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Mike Mondo | Papadon |
| Papadon | Derek Frazier |
| Derek Frazier | Drolix |
| Drolix | Adam Cole |
| Adam Cole (p) | Luke Hawx |
| Luke Hawx | Winner |
The 14th Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup was held on July 19, 2014 in Joppa, Maryland.[15]
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Bo Nekoda | Bu Ku Dao |
| Bolt Brady | Papadon |
| Papadon | Shane Strickland |
| Shane Strickland | Bu Ku Dao |
| Bu Ku Dao | Drolix |
| Drolix | Winner |
The 15th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 18, 2015 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.[16]
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Eddie Edwards | Shane Strickland |
| Brandon Scott | Drolix |
| Matt Cross | Lio Rush |
| Drolix (p) | Shane Strickland |
| Shane Strickland | Lio Rush |
| Lio Rush | Winner |
The 16th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 16, 2016 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.[17]
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Joe Keys | Jason Kincaid |
| Sonjay Dutt | Travis Gordon |
| Jason Kincaid | Lio Rush |
| Travis Gordon | Tommaso Ciampa |
| Tommaso Ciampa | Lio Rush |
| Lio Rush (p) | Winner |
The 17th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 14 and 15, 2017 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Shaheem Ali | Joey Matthews |
| Brandon Scott | Lio Rush |
| Anthony Henry | Joey Janela |
| Joey Janela | Lio Rush |
| Lio Rush (p) | Joey Matthews |
| Joey Matthews | Winner |
The 18th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 13 and 14, 2018 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Anthony Henry | 2 Cold Scorpio |
| John Skyler | Brandon Scott |
| 2 Cold Scorpio | Joe Keys |
| Dante Caballero | Joe Keys |
| Brandon Scott | Joe Keys |
| Joe Keys | Winner |
The 19th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 13, 2019 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Anthony Gangone | Will Ferrara |
| Joe Keys (p) | VSK |
| VSK | Kekoa |
| Will Ferrara | Brandon Scott |
| Kekoa | Brandon Scott |
| Brandon Scott | Winner |
The 20th annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on November 12, 2021 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Brandon Scott (p) | Shannon Moore |
| KC Novarro | PJ Hawx |
| Shannon Moore | PJ Hawx |
| PJ Hawx | Ninja Mack |
| Ninja Mack | Action Andretti |
| Action Andretti | Winner |
The 21st annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 23, 2022 at the RJ Meyer Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Jack Evans | Joey Janela |
| Joey Janela | Action Andretti |
| Action Andretti (p) | Brandon Scott |
| Brandon Scott | Rich Swann |
| Rich Swann | Flip Gordon |
| Flip Gordon | Winner |
The 22nd annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup took place on July 22, 2023 at the RJ Meyer Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Jack Cartwheel | Kekoa |
| Marcus Mathers | Flip Gordon |
| Kekoa | Flip Gordon |
| Flip Gordon (p) | Mike Bailey |
| Mike Bailey | ’Miami’ Mike Walker |
| ’Miami’ Mike Walker | Winner |
† 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 23rd annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup will take place on July 13, 2024 at the RJ Meyer Arena in Joppa, Maryland.
| Competitor | Eliminated by |
|---|---|
| Chris Slade | Myles Hawkins |
| Myles Hawkins | Alex Divine |
| Alex Divine | LSG |
| ’Miami’ Mike Walker (p) | LSG |
| LSG | Ichiban |
| Ichiban | Winner |
As of,
| Championship | Champion(s) | Date won | Days | Location | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCW Heavyweight Championship | Demarcus Kane | December 30, 2023 | + | Joppa, Maryland | ||
| MCW Rage TV Championship | Alex Divine | August 10, 2024 | + | Joppa, Maryland | ||
| MCW Tag Team Championship | and | July 13, 2024 | + | Joppa, Maryland | ||
| MCW Women's Championship | Gia Scott | December 30, 2023 | + | Joppa, Maryland |
| Championship | Champion(s) | Previous champion(s) | Date won | Location | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCW Light Heavyweight Championship | Shane Shamrock | N/A | July 19, 1998[18] [19] | Dundalk, MD | 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. | |
| MCW Cruiserweight Championship | Ryan McBride | Adam Cole | December 26, 2009 | Dundalk, MD | After McBride won the Rage Championship, the Cruiserweight championship was combined with the Rage TV title since he held both titles. |
| Name | Date[20] | |
|---|---|---|
| Christian York | July 8, 1999 | |
| Qeenan Creed | July 9, 2000 | |
| Joey Matthews | July 18, 2001 | |
| Reckless Youth | July 17, 2002 [21] | |
| Christian York (2) | July 16, 2003 | |
| Ruckus | July 7, 2006 | |
| Josh Daniels | July 8, 2007 | |
| Derek Frazier | July 19, 2008 | |
| Ryan McBride | July 11, 2009 | |
| Christian York (3) | July 31, 2010 | |
| Sami Callihan | July 30, 2011 | |
| Adam Cole | July 7, 2012 | |
| Luke Hawx | August 10, 2013 | |
| Drolix | July 19, 2014 | |
| Lio Rush | July 18, 2015 | |
| Lio Rush (2) | July 16, 2016 | |
| Joey Matthews (2) | July 15, 2017 | |
| Joe Keys | July 14, 2018 | |
| Brandon Scott | July 13, 2019 | |
| Action Andretti | November 12, 2021 | |
| Flip Gordon | July 23, 2022 | |
| ’Miami’ Mike Walker | July 22, 2023 | |
| Ichiban | July 13, 2024 |
The MCW Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame. It was established in 2009.[22]
| Ring name | MCW debut | Year inducted | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axl Rotten | July 1998 | 2009 | ||
| Barry Hardy | November 2009 | 2009 | ||
| Dennis Wipprecht | N/A | 2009 | Co-owner of Maryland Championship Wrestling | |
| Duane Gill | December 1998 | 2009 | ||
| Nikolai Volkoff | 2009 | |||
| Tim "Lucifer" Burke | November 2009 | 2009 | ||
| Adam Flash | July 1998 | 2010 | (3 time) MCW Heavyweight Champion, (4 time) MCW Cruiserweight Champion and (1 time) MCW Tag Team Champion | |
| Dave Casanova | N/A | 2010 | ||
| Bob Starr | November 2009 | 2010 | ||
| Max Thrasher | November 2011 | 2010 | ||
| Morgus The Maniac | N/A | 2010 | ||
| Rip Sawyer | November 2009 | 2010 | ||
| Steve Corino | March 2000 | 2010 |