Titles Change Hands at Ides of March

The champion, "Mean" Mark Mest brandishes a foreign object as he looms over Don Montoya during the No Disqualification title bout.

When “The Chicago Hot Shot” Joey Greco was savagely betrayed by his stable mates, Vinny the Fixxer and Ryan Vox, he put aside his hatred and joined forces with his longtime foe, Pat Shamrock to form the Irish-Italian Americans (IIA). Looking to put Fixxer and Vox, now calling themselves the X-Crew, in their place, the IIA entered into the Tag Team Championship tournament at MAWApalooza IV in the hopes of dashing the X-Crew’s change of becoming the first ever MAWA Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, in the tournament finals, Vinny the Fixxer’s Clothesline from Camden put Greco down for the 1, 2, 3, bestowing the X Crew with the titles. The IIA may have been down, but they were certainly not out because at Autumn Anarchy Redux, the duo was named the #1 contenders for the X-Crew’s tag team belts. Set to clash at Stepping Stone III, the X-Crew managed to weasel their way into a non-title contest, retaining the championships despite the IIA coming out victorious that night. At The Ides of March, however, there was no more running. There was no more hiding. The chicanery came to an end as the challengers, the IIA, took on the champions, the X-Crew for the MAWA Tag Team titles. Of course, that didn’t mean the X-Crew wasn’t going to try and employ chicanery during their match to retain the championship gold. As Greco hoisted up Vox to hit his signature modified neck breaker, known as Fuggedaboudit, referee Rico Suave Jr. caught an errant boot right in the face, knocking him cataleptic. In the ensuing pandemonium, the X-Crew took advantage of the situation, teaming up on their former stable-mate, Joey Greco. Vox brought his title belt into the ring as the Fixxer detained the Chicago Hot Shot. In the nick of time, Greco escaped with Vox clobbering the Fixxer with 10 pounds of gold instead. With Vinny the Fixxer incapacitated, Pat Shamrock rushed in and delivered a ferocious pile driver to Vox. Greco went for the pin just as Referee Suave came to. One. Two. Three. With that, the Irish Italian Americans became the new Mid Atlantic Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Champions!

The Malevolent Mammoth known as "Mean" Mark Mest became the new MAWA Heavyweight Champion after defeating Pat Shamrock at Winter Warfare in a brutalizing Two Out of Three Falls contest. Of course, that was all thanks, in no small part, to "The Architect" David Gumaer and his cronies, Troy Mest, Jason Havok and Ed House, collectively known as the Master Plan. Although Pat Shamrock could not withstand the onslaught, a new challenger soon emerged in hopes of foiling the Architect’s carefully crafted schemes.

After debuting two years ago at the original Stepping Stone fundraiser event, independent professional wrestling legend, THE Dirty Don Montoya has impressively racked up win after win, ascending the ranks of the Mid Atlantic Wrestling Alliance to finally become the Number One Contender for the Heavyweight Championship, especially after a huge win over Ed House at Winter Warfare. Unfortunately for Montoya, he discovered at Autumn Anarchy Redux that in order to beat “Mean” Mark Mest, he would need to beat all of Gumaer’s Master Plan as well. With the numbers game too big to overcome, Montoya fell victim to a steel chair across the back of his skull and the man they call Triple M walked out of Berlin, NJ with the title still firmly gripped in his massive clutches. Thankfully Commissioner Drew Templar intervened, granting Montoya a rematch at Stepping Stone III, this time with “The Architect” David Gumaer banned from ringside! Unfortunately, it was not enough as Mest, pretending to be clobbered by a steel chair, framed Montoya, ultimately resulting in Montoya’s disqualification. Once again, underhanded tactics ensured Mest remained the champion and once again, Commissioner Templar stepped in to rectify this miscarriage of justice. As such, these two men were contracted to meet for a third and final time, with the title on the line at The Ides of March. Before the match could begin, “The Instigator” Troy Mest, Ed House and the reigning champion, “Mean” Mark Mest, made their way out to the ring to complain about Don Montoya’s alleged use of a chair at Stepping Stone III. The trio insisted that if Montoya was going to flagrantly use weapons in a match, then Mark Mest should be able to use weapons as well. Triple M demanded that Commissioner Templar make his title defense a No Disqualification match. When the Commissioner argued against it, citing M.A.W.A.’s family friendly reputation, the champion threatened to walk out on the show, ruining the main event and denying Montoya his shot at the championship. Just as the Malevolent Mammoth was about to take his proverbial ball and go home, Don Montoya entered the ring and accepted the heavyweight champion’s stipulations, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. Acknowledging everyone’s desire, the Commissioner sanctioned the match and the contest was immediately underway. Right from the opening bell, it was clearly evident that Mest’s ultimatum for a No DQ bout was nothing more than a ploy to allow for a three-on-one drubbing of the challenger. Amazingly, at points during the match, Montoya was able to shift the momentum in his favor despite the odds stacked against him. Unfortunately, the numbers game was just too much for Montoya to withstand on his own as the Master Plan introduced a plethora of weapons into the fight. Troy Mest soon entered the ring and choked out the challenger with a steel chair as referee Scott Volk looked on helplessly.

Just when it looked as though “Mean” Mark Mest would pull out yet another underhanded victory, the new M.A.W.A. tag team champions hit the ring! Joey Greco laid into Ed House with a series of vicious punches as Pat Shamrock threw Troy Mest from the ring. As the IIA chased the rest of the Master Plan from ring side, Montoya, out of nowhere, executed a pugnacious DDT to Triple M on the steel chair left behind by the Instigator. A quick three count later and a new M.A.W.A. Heavyweight Champion was crowned. After more than a year of being held captive in their clutches, the title was finally liberated from the Master Plan. Although the M.A.W.A. faithful are ecstatic over the title changes at The Ides of March and wishing long reigns for the new champions, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long they’ll be able to retain the belts. With the Mid Atlantic Wrestling Alliance’s signature event, MAWApalooza V, looming on the horizon, there is no doubt that the IIA and Dirty Don Montoya will be put to the test. The champions promise that no matter what challenges are thrown their way, they will be more than ready to rise to the occasion.

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