Gory Returns To Win Battle Bowl XVI, Goes After Kavod; Hunt Turns On Martin

After winning the final Battle Bowl, Jason Gory (l) goes to shake KSWA Champion Joshua Kavod's hand. Photo by Tim Steiner.

By Trapper Tom, Editor, KSWA Digest

The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance’s final campaign started on January 11 with Battle Bowl XVI. There were also a number of other issues to rectify, such as the fate of Joshua Kavod’s first title defense, as well as the other singles titles. But more importantly for Battle Bowl…who would participate, debut or return?

Five Star Championship: Man-Child (champion) with Mayor Mystery v. Yinza

Man-Child with Mayor Mystery vs. Yinza the Pittsburgh Luchador is the first match of the evening and new year. Yinza won this opportunity at FanFest in December. The Five Star Championship is on the line as referee Mark Charles III checks both men. Mayor Mystery wants every Krazy with a Steelers jersey to be ejected from the facility. KSWA Owner Bobby O puts a firm “NO” on that request.

Yinza arrives. Photo courtesy of Nels Cleath.

Mayor Mystery leads Man-Child to the ring. Photo courtesy of Nels Cleath.

The bell starts and Yinza has a temporary advantage before being caught and carried by the Five Star Champion. Yinza clotheslines Man-Child but only forces him into the corner. Yinza is able to post Man-Child’s head into the top turnbuckle of the four corner posts; however, the big man is non-plussed.

Mayor Mystery had asked that all fans wearing Steelers shirts to be tossed into the Sheraden night air. KSWA Owner Bobby O said no.

Yinza goes for a sunset flip, but Man-Child catches him. Man-Child sits down but Yinza gets out of the way.

Yinza tries to kick Man-Child down but he gets nowhere. There was a head butt, but Yinza goes down.

A “Let’s Go Yinza” chant goes down. Man-Child powerslams Yinza down and gets a two count. Yinza’s throat is placed over the middle rope and it’s all Mayor Mystery on the outside. Yinza gets a shoulder up on a pin attempt.

Yinza and Man-Child battle as referee Mark Charles III tries to understand what he's seeing. Photo by Tim Steiner.

Yinza is set in corner, and he receives a couple of big, big butt splashes in the corner. Yinza is pulled out in the center of the ring and Man-Child doesn’t go for the pin, instead pinches a shoulder.

Yinza gets his breath back and goes after Man-Child. There’s a drop kick on Man-Child.

Suddenly and without provocation, Shawn Blanchard comes out to distract Yinza. He is successful. Man-Child splashes Yinza and gets the pin. 6:42.

Blanchard continues to stare down Yinza as Mayor Mystery celebrates with the Five Star Champion. Mark Charles III keeps the veteran Megastars apart.

Six Man Tag Team: The Ram, Sin and Justin Sane vs.
Hunter Huffman, Matt McGraw and T-Rantula

The Krazies got crazy for the team of Huffman, McGraw and T-Rantula.

Before the match can begin, Justin Sane had taken off with the game-time gavel. The fans chant “T” as the Hall of Famer is in there first with Sin. He quickly tags in Justin Sane. Sane avoids the one-man monolith as long as he can. Justin tries for a Test-of-Strength before realizing that won’t work.

Sane bails to the outside and grabs a steel chair. He tosses that in, unfolds in and stands on it for a test of strength. T simply pushes him off in a loud heap. T uses the chair and wallops Sane, all while the ref’s back is turned. Huffman is tagged in, and he goes for the quick tag. That doesn’t work as Sane kicks up.

Huffman goes for the wrist lock but Sane bites him, breaking the hold. Huffman falls into his own corner for The Ram and Sin to uses boots and fists. Referee Jimmy James is distracted. Ram is in and keeps Huffman down.

How it ended for Justin Sane (l) and T-Rantula. Photo by Zac Weiss

How the "Test of Strength" began. Photo courtesy of Zac Weiss.

Ram head butts Huffman and draws the ire of McGraw. Sin is tagged in and it’s his turn to kick Huffman. There’s a shoulder block. Sin hip tosses Huffman and tags Sane. He hits and impressive Canadian Destroyer on Huffman. Huffman gets a shoulder up at 2 ½. Huffman kicks Sane and tags in a fresh McGraw. He comes in with a force, punching and slamming all three foes.

There’s a double overhand chop on Sin by McGraw before T is tagged in. He continues the offense with an overhand chop on Sin. He goes after Sane and knees him in the head.

T-Rantula boots Sane and here comes Huffman. He gets a two count before Sin breaks it up.

Sane pokes Huffman in the eyes. Sin is tagged in, and he knocks Huffman down with a firm right hand.

Sin hits a victory roll on Huffman but only gets a two count. A “USA, USA” chant rings out for Huffman. T-Rantula is tagged back in, and he chops Sin and throws him outside.

Hunter Huffman took an inadvertent trip to Nacho City. Photo by Tim Steiner.

T follows and goes for Nacho City. He shouts and swings away. Sin ducks and Huffman catches the plate of nachos and cheese full on.

Inside the ring, Sin and T go at it but T gets the upper hand and slams Sin down for the win. 10:15. All is right with Huffman and T after the win.

Your six-man winners: Hunter Huffman, T-Rantula and Matt McGraw with referee Jimmy James. Photo by Tim Steiner.

Harley T. Morris v. Tyler Grayson

The two Megastars start with Morris in the lead, but Grayson gets back into it. Grayson shoulder blocks Harley down and into a headlock.

Harley T. Morris. Photo by Nels Cleath.

Harley does get some momentum, but Grayson is quick to scoop him up and slam him down.

There’s a head scissors and into another down-on-the-mat situation. Harley recovers and clotheslines Grayson down. There’s a leg drop, elbow drop and knee drop. Morris goes for a pin, but Grayson kicks up.

A “Harley Sucks” chant is loud. He doubles down on the offense, keeping Grayson on the mat. Grayson starts to fight back up. The fans are behind him.

Harley T. Morris has Tyler Grayson in a leg scissors. Photo by Tim Steiner.

There’s a toe drop hold, and Morris goes head-first into the top turnbuckle.

Grayson chops and kicks Morris, he follows with a drop kick. There’s an elbow and series of them. Two count on Grayson.

Morris has Grayson in a leg scissors and he pulls the bottom rope for leverage. Mark Charles III is keen on the Count. Grayson blocks a punch and the two go at it in the center of the ring with fists and kicks.

Grayson gets Morris down and continues with a punch, chop and stunner. That doesn’t fall Morris, but a DDT does. Grayson splashes him in the corner. Grayson is ready to pounce.

Morris avoids in lands a slingshot into the ropes and a famouser for the win. 9:38.

Golden Triangle Championship: Champion Freek E. Doyle (w/Mayor Mystery)
vs. Shane Starr with Commander Don Scholz

The fans chant “Kinky Doyle” as the bell rings. It’s all Starr at the beginning as he tosses the Golden Triangle Champion around the ring. Starr drops legs on a fallen Doyle. There’s a suplex and a pin attempt that was covered one second too soon.

Starr easily drops Doyle again with a slam. Doyle avoids another and pokes Starr in the eye. Doyle gets Starr down and flops on him. Doyle tosses Starr to the outside. That’s where Mayor Mystery is. He attacks Starr but is quickly scared off by Scholz. Doyle chokes Starr but breaks the illegal maneuver at three.

Starr gets Doyle down and nearly gets him into a cross face, but Doyle gets to the ropes. He uses that advantage to keep Starr grounded. Starr drops Doyle and attempts the Sharpshooter, but it kicked off.

Scholz pounds the mat and leads a chant for “Shane.” Doyle ushers him across the ring and into the middle rope. That’s where Mayor Mystery pokes him with his cane.

Starr battles up but Doyle pulls him down by his hair. Doyle drops a knee on Starr. Doyle has Starr in the corner and clotheslines him there.

Referee Jimmy James checks on Freek E. Doyle as he is in Shane Starr's Sharpshooter. Photo by Tim Steiner.

Doyle has Starr down and goes for the pin. That ends at two. Starr schoolboys Doyle and nearly gets the win.

Doyle, out of nowhere, hits a sit-down power bomb and gets the two count.

Doyle gets Starr in the corner for a couple of splashes, but Starr muscles him over on the third attempt. From the corner, Starr hits a superplex and the Krazies explode in appreciation.

Both Megastars are down. Two count before Doyle gets a shoulder up. Starr drops Doyle and follows up with a super kick. Starr goes for the Sharpshooter and lands it. Mayor Mystery distracts him. Starr punches Mystery and Doyle wallops Starr with Mystery’s cane.

Freek E Doyle retains over Shane Starr. Photo by Tim Steiner.

The winner and still Golden Triangle Champion: Freek E. Doyle.

KSWA Heavyweight Championship: Lou Martin vs. Joshua Kavod

Referee Mark Charles III calls for the bell and we are off. The two Megastars share a friendly handshake before locking up. Both men of similar size and strength. Kavod forces Martin in the corner and there’s a clean break. They run around the ring and lock up again.

There’s another clean break. Martin misses a clothesline attempt and that allows Kavod to scoop slam the former champion and kick him about.

New KSWA Champion Joshua Kavod. Photo by Nels Cleath.

Charles baseball slides and gets a two count. Martin rolls Kavod up gets a two count and then a clothesline. That rattles the KSWA Champion.

Martin scoops Kavod and drops a leg. Two count. The two Megastars go back and forth. Martin pulls Kavod’s arms back and strikes from time to time. Kavod fights up and kicks Martin down. Two count.

Kavod punches Martin into a corner. There’s a running splash. And then another attempt in another corner. Martin gets Kavod and pounds his head into the top turnbuckle and follows with an overhand chop in all four corners.

There’s a bulldog and a two count before Kavod gets a shoulder up.

Martin says he’s “going up” to the corner for his patented dive, but Kavod gets up and European forearms him. Kavod follows but Martin kicks him off. Kavod lands a superplex from the top rope.

Both men are up at four and start swinging.

Lou Martin applies the Death Certificate to Joshua Kavod. Photo by Zac Weiss.

Kavod hits a springboard cutter but only gets two. Martin remains resilient. Kavod is up in the corner and goes for the curb stomp.

Martin latches on the Death Certificate and nearly gets the win. He goes for another. Kavod hits Go to Church for the win. 8:00

Kavod shakes Martin’s hand and leaves the Three Time, Former KSWA Champion in the ring. Martin asks for the microphone.

Martin says, “Great Job, Josh. I’m still ‘The Face of Pittsburgh,’ and the ‘Face of the Company.” He promises to have KSWA Heavyweight Gold again soon!

Surprisingly, the Rev Ron Hunt comes to celebrate with Martin. He says Martin is the “Face of Pittsburgh.”

After the match, Ron Hunt turns on Lou Martin. Photo by Tim Steiner.

Hunt seethes. Photo by Zac Weiss.

Hunt goes back for more on Martin. Photo by Zac Weiss.

The two share a moment; then out of nowhere, Hunt clothesline Martin down! “It’s MY time now!” Hunt exclaims! He walks away from the former KSWA Champion, but then goes back to attack him again before leaving.

Battle Bowl XVI

The rules of Battle Bowl are simple. Two Megastars start the match and wrestle for two minutes. After that initial two minutes, a Megastar is introduced every minute. The only way to be eliminated is to be thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the floor. The final three wrestlers in the ring are guaranteed a shot at a singles title for the rest of 2025. A raffle determines what opportunity the challenger receives.

The Leader of the Grayson Nation, Tyler Grayson and the Devil’s Favorite Disciple Sin start out. Sin is all over Grayson in the early seconds.

Sin buries a shoulder in Grayson, but the Leader of the Grayson Nation comes back. Grayson continues to beat on Sin.

Super Ginger is in next! He goes right after Sin! He and Grayson clothesline Sin.

Captain Curly John is next. He races in and joins in on the attack on Sin. Super Ginger stands on Grayson’s back and falls into Sin.

J-Ru returns. Photo by Zac Weiss.

T-Rantula beat up on "King" Del Douglas as Tyler Grayson recoils. Photo by Zac Weiss.

T-Rantula is choked by Shawn Blanchard. Photo by Zac Weiss.

Man-Child clubs La Lucha. Photo by Tim Steiner.

Sin misses an Irish Whip on Super Ginger. Super Ginger is the first to be eliminated.

Freek E. Doyle is next. He just sits on the outside as the others fight.

Captain Curly John has been eliminated.

The next man out is Hunter Huffman, who is one-half of the KSWA tag team champions. Doyle hurls Grayson at Huffman as soon as he hits the ring.

Daniel Exotic, who hails from a Tiger Sanctuary in Missouri, makes his KSWA debut. He goes after Doyle and others once he hits the ring.

Exotic and Sin go after one another. Huffman and Exotic double team and suplex Sin.

Grayson takes the risky move of climbing to the top rope and hitting Sin with a frog splash. However, that goes well for Grayson, and he is not dumped from the top rope.

The Hall of Famer, T-Rantula is out and ready for action. The Krazies are pumped to see the big man. T-Rantula boots Doyle and chops the bare-chested Exotic. Grayson and T take turns chopping Exotic as a way of welcoming the young man to the KSWA.

Jesse Lawhead, a young man who isn’t well known to the KSWA universe, is out next. He enters the ring and makes the mistake of turning around and being hit with a clothesline by T-Rantula. It was a clothesline that Lawhead’s ancestors would feel.

Sin is tossed out and eliminated. Lawhead didn’t fare well, either.

“The Drunken Luchador” Joey Quervo makes a Battle Bowl appearance. He enters the fray.

One minute later, Man-Child hits the ring. He and T-Rantula will have a stare down for the ages.

Daniel Exotic is eliminated.

T-Rantula holds out a hand to Man-Child but jukes him. The two biggest men in the KSWA are in the center of the ring.

Shawn Blanchard, apparently still dressed in street clothes, makes his way to the ring. Immediately, he pokes Grayson in the eye. Then he starts on Huffman. T-Rantula stops that small rampage with a chop to the chest.

Huffman is eliminated.

The legendary Hall of Famer, La Lucha, makes a Battle Bowl showing. The semi-retired former KSWA Champion and one-time KSWA Heavyweight Champion goes right after long-time foe Shawn Blanchard.

Out next is another veteran KSWA stalwart: “King” Del Douglas. With unrivaled royalty, “The King” walks right into T-Rantula. Douglas is wearing black slacks and a matching button up shirt. T-Rantula tears that shirt open and clobbers The King.

The fans erupt as Shane Starr is the next on the scene. He goes right after Freek and Man-Child.

In a dramatic turn of events, La Lucha eliminates Shawn Blanchard over the top rope and onto the floor below.

Kris Kash, the former KSWA Champion and “Lost Boy” along with Shane Starr, returns to the organization for Battle Bowl. Once inside the squared circle, he goes right after his long-time, former friend, Shane Starr.

T-Rantula is eliminated.

Kash eliminates La Lucha.

One half of the Mercenaries and a former tag team champion, Sniper, is out next.

Kash pokes Grayson in the eyes and nearly eliminates Starr.

Incredibly, the duo Sam and Stan Squatch make their annual return to Battle Bowl.

Sam Squatch made his annual Battle Bowl appearance. Photo by Zac Weiss.

As did Stan Squatch. 

Freek E. Doyle is eliminated.

Stan Squatch barely gets into the action before he is eliminated.

Kash, who made a bit of a statement, is eliminated.

Jason Gory makes his return to the KSWA. He gets involved in the action.

A minute later, “Big Country” Matt McGraw is out of the locker room and in the ring.

Sam Squatch is eliminated.

“Rev” Ron Hunt, already with a new attitude, is out next.

McGraw goes after Hunt as soon as he steps inside the ring.

Harley T. Morris enters and hits Grayson with a low blow.

Former heavyweight Champion, J-Ru, returns after a long time away. He and Hunt go after Grayson.

Grayson answers with a super kick to Hunt.

J-Ru uses his forehead to ram Grayson in the back of the head.

Gory is battling everyone in the ring, including Morris.

The Manager of Champions and Mayor of Parts Unknown, Mayor Mystery is out next. He oftentimes makes a Battle Bowl appearance. He takes his time getting in the ring.

And the final entrant is Yinza, the Pittsburgh Luchador!

Sane is eliminated.

Yinza tries to talk with Hunt, to no avail.

Grayson, who had been in since the beginning, was eliminated.

Each of the Megastars battle and are eliminated.

Starr is eliminated by Morris. Hunt is eliminated by Gory and J-Ru.

Morris, J-Ru and Gory are the final three.

Jason Gory is the winner of Battle Bowl XVI. Photo by Nels Cleath.

Jason Gory smiles. Photo by Zac Weiss.

In 39 minutes, Morris and J-Ru are eliminated and Jason Gory wins the Final Battle Bowl.

KSWA Champion Joshua Kavod, who knows Gory, comes to the ring and extends a hand. Gory takes it before spitting blood in Kavod’s face! He attacks Kavod and leaves him in the center of the ring, all the while celebrating his incredible win.