Hey, I don’t know about you, but I feel like previewing LPW 22. With the massive success that was the Oil Rumble at Roger’s Place behind us, it’s time to Shake it Off and look forward to LPW 22. A new year at the Rec Room filled with new champions, new debuts and new attitudes. Let’s not waste any more time and get right into this sick beat of a card.

Eli Surge vs Reid Matthews

It’s very cool to see Eli Surge back in an LPW ring. Surge is without a doubt a fan favorite. He looks to get back on track and remind people that just because he believes birds aren’t real doesn’t mean you should think his in-ring skills aren’t real. If I’m Reid Matthews I wouldn’t take Surge lightly, especially if Bigfoot makes a return as well. 

I constantly sing the praises of Reid Matthews and will continue to do so. The Thickness is coming off an impressive showing at the Oil Rumble and will continue to look to build off that here at LPW 22. It’s only a matter of time before we are crowning Matthews as a champion in LPW and a big victory here could make it harder and harder to keep him out of a future title shot. 

LPW Tag Team Championship

Ride or Die (c) vs Jared Rogers & Gabriel Fuerza

The blank space next to Rogers’ partner in the match has been filled. And his name is Fuerza. Just announced this past Wednesday, Fuerza is a fantastic choice for the open spot. He’s been tearing up the Canadian wrestling scene with recent big matches against Gringo Loco and Ortiz under his belt. He now looks to make a big splash in his LPW debut. 

Not that Taryn From Accounting or Steven Crowd need any more motivation, but one has to imagine there’s a bit of Bad Blood towards LPW Management for announcing their opponents on such short notice. 

Can the brand new duo shock the LPW world and beat the well-oiled machine that is Ride or Die? That’s a tall task even for the most experienced tag teams. While this match should be a hard-fought battle, the Clandestine Society just changed the landscape to their Version and I can’t see it changing back anytime soon. 

LPW Scramble Championship

Jack Pride (c) vs Jody Threat vs Michael Allen Ricard Clark vs TY Jackson vs Marz The Specialist vs Sheik Shabaz

Jack Pride knows the Scramble match all too well. He holds wins over more oppents than country singer Tim McGraw has hits. Can he do it again? This is easily the stiffest competition the Man of Two Minds has faced in the Scramble match format. So let’s get into just what Pride is up against:

TNA star Jody Threat aka the Wild Child is back in LPW. Threat last appeared at LPW 10, so you know they are hungry for win and to become the second ever Scramble Champion.

Michael Allen Ricard Clark is coming off a loss at the Oil Rumble to Grand Champion Michael Richard Blais. You know the push-up king would love to get back in the win column in a big way. 

TY Jackson, LPWs People’s Champion, has had himself a rough stretch after how 2023 ended and 2024 beginning with a loss at the Oil Rumble. You know TY and Pride have a long history of Bad Blood. Can The People get one over on Pride and Se7en to become the Scramble champion? It’s the only belt left that a member of the RADz hasn’t held. 

Has Pride told Marz “You Belong With Me” enough that The Specialist knows his place and will help Pride retain his coveted Championship? Or will Marz finally starting thinking about “Me!”? 

Karma is a funny thing. Sheik Shabaz spent all of his Tag Title reign with Berat Goroni doing anything and everything to skirt the line to keep that gold. Well, they ran into a Ride or Die team that just beat them at their own game twice. Shabaz will need to shake it off to get back to the winning ways of Para Lira. 

Until I see Pride lose with my own two eyes, I can’t pick against Pride in a Scramble match as he knows this format All Too Well. 

Contender Gauntlet Match

El Aesino vs Dean Rictor vs Larry Woods vs Rich King vs Berat Gorani.

The key to this match is all about placement. We saw at LPW 21 Michael Ricard Allen Clark got the final spot and won after Steven Crowe did most of the heavy lifting.

A lot of intrigue and interesting combinations are possible here. Will we see Larry Woods and Rich King have to square off? What if Rich King is the Final Roadblock to Woods getting back to MRB? Does Rich King believe it’s his time to take a shot at the top spot? A lot more questions than answers for the RADz.

Dean Rictor and El Asesino have been working together as of late in LPW. Can they coexist, or is there an understanding of every man for himself here? 

Berat Gorani finds himself the odd man out, as he has no alliances here. I actually think that plays in his favor as he can just do what he does best – put a sick beatdown on whoever gets in his way. Of course, he’ll do it while shouting “look what you made me do” because it’s always their fault.

So here you go Berat – I’m taking you to get the job done. The pressure is on because you know the story of us and I haven’t picked you yet. Don’t let me regret it. 

LPW Challenge Championship

Zoe Sager(c) vs VertVixen

Call it What You Want but let’s just call this an early contender for Match of The Year. That was before Zoe Sager took down Travis Williams at the Oil Rumble to become the Challenge championship. Gold in LPW has a way to bring out the absolute best in people. If you don’t believe me, just look at Zoe’s entire 2023. She’s got gold back in her grasp and as we have seen nothing is off limits for her when it comes to efforts to keep it.

VertVixen enters as the Defy Women’s Champion and that has to put extra pressure on her. No one wants to come into another promotion as champion elsewhere and not get the job done. Without a doubt Zoe will have her work cut out for her. VertVixen isn’t afraid of the spotlight and will look to shine in her debut at LPW.

I think this is Sager’s match to lose. She always has Reid in her back pocket and has shown the ability to hang with anyone and everyone. We are currently watching Zoe’s Version and this era looks to be a long one in 2024. 

LPW Grand Championship

Michael Richard Blais (c) vs Vaughn Vertigo

Did we need salvation? Well that all depends on who you ask. MRB would say yes, we all needed to be saved and see his version of LPW. MRB had grown tired of the LPW he saw for 2023 and decided it was time for salvation. In some circles, they will tell, this has always been MRB and the other guy we have seen was just playing the game in an attempt to be the nice guy. Those days are behind us, and MRB has hit the ground running as Grand Champion. Friday night will be his 3rd title defense of the week. Has this fighting champion bitten off more than he can chew, or does the Clandestine Society working together offset potential fatigue?

Vaughan Vertigo has got to be hoping for some fatigue to set in for MRB. Sure, in a perfect scenario, Vertigo would love the chance to beat MRB while he’s at his absolute best. That said, just overcoming the potential odds of the Society mixed with an MRB who has found a place in this world and will beat you by Death of a Thousand Cuts if he has to. Vaughn would be happy to get his first win at LPW since he bested Jack Pride at LPW 4.

I think it’s just too much right now for Vaughn to deal. Unless he’s got some friends to offset the potential distractions, Vaughn will be in for a long night at the Rec Room! 

Well, there it is folks. Pluggo’s Version is in the books for another LPW Preview. It looks like 2024 is shaping up to be a massive year for Love Pro Wrestling, and this card is a great one to set the table for just that. Make sure you tune in at 9 p.m. Eastern time live on IWTV to catch all the action. See you all next month for LPW 23!

It feels so good to be back! With 2023 in our rearview mirror, we look to build off an incredible campaign at Love Pro Wrestling. What better way to do that than run the biggest show at the biggest venue we have ever run? That place is none other than Rogers Place in Edmonton, home of the Oil Kings.  Love Pro Wrestling will be the first independent wrestling show to run Rogers Place, ever. Let that sink in for a second – the rich history of Canadian professional wrestling and we are the first ones to run the venue outside of WWE and AEW.  What a way to kick off 2024! 

This evening is going to be unlike anything I’ve ever seen before as LPW will be running during an Oil Kings hockey game. “Hey, Pluggo, how do they plan on doing that?” you may be asking. Well, good thing I’m here to explain it and break down this stacked five-match card!

At 3 p.m. when the doors open, we will be treated to a Triple Threat showdown as TY Jackson, Jared Rodgers and Reid Matthews square off.

Talk about a fun triple-threat match. This will feature LPW guys who all look to make a huge splash to kick off the new year. TY, aka the People’s Champion, had an up and down ‘23 when he pinned the LPW Grand Champion at the time, Zoe Sager, only to see the call reversed. Then he clawed his way back into a title match, only to have his brother in the RADz, Larry Woods, sign the contract and take the spot, ultimately becoming the 3rd ever LPW Grand Champion. Throughout all his setbacks, Jackson has remained a team player and supportive of his team’s decisions. So you know TY, hungrier than ever, is looking to get off on the right foot with a big win.

What can I say about the Wily Veteran that hasn’t already been said before many. Jared Roger’s has easily cemented himself as the future of LPW. He’s a crowd favorite every time he steps foot in a ring. The question for the rookie Rogers is will Rogers Place become his house or will the over 7,000 in attendance be too much of a distraction for him. I got to think the ladder. Roger’s was built for this and people will leave realizing why his one of the most popular talents in LPW.

The Thickness, Reid Matthews spent most of the year as Zoe Sager’s muscle and helping her keep the LPW Grand Championship for most of 2023. That all said, you have to think Reid is ready to set his sights on his own gold, and if you don’t believe me, check out his LPW Show interview with JPJ. While he maintains helping Zoe is priority one, don’t mistake his loyalty for weakness. He knows where his bread is buttered, and he is always, and I mean always, a threat in any match he’s part of.

My prediction for this opening match is TY Jackson. I think the heart of TY and the need to start strong to get back to the Grand Championship will be the difference-maker here. 

Also during the doors after the Triple Threat, we have a Tag Team Contest as The RADz, Rich King and Larry Woods take on Se7en’s Jack Pride and Marz The Specialist.

This longstanding rivalry adds another chapter to its story. If you thought Se7en effectively getting the RADz manager, Ben Ooman, kicked out of LPW would be the end of it, you thought wrong. I know the RADz haven’t forgotten what happened and honestly, neither has Se7en: they will remind you every time you talk to them. The pieces are seemingly in place for Jack Pride and Marz to continue the rise of Se7en in LPW. For Rich and Larry, they have had a couple of months to recover and refocus their efforts. If you ask them, the RADz are ready to get back to what they do best, which is touching tips, shaking hips, and winning championships. A win here could help them get back to the Tag Titles, but will Larry’s obsession with Michael Ricard Blais and the Clandestine Society become too much of a distraction? Will Se7en continue to prevail over their most hated rivals? 

My prediction: I think the RADz sneak out a win here and get started on the right foot. That said, it won’t be easy or pretty, but a win is a win. 

At 3:45 p.m., ahead of the puck dropping for some Oil Kings hockey, we have a Tag Team Championship Match featuring Ride or Die(c) vs Para Lira.

If you ask Para Lira, they will tell you Ride Or Die is simply holding the tag titles, as they will not recognize them as actual champions. If you ask Ride or Die, LPW hasn’t done anything with the Tag Titles since they debuted them. There is a lot of animosity in this highly anticipated rematch. 

There’s a new attitude for Taryn From Accounting & Steven Crowe after interjecting themselves into the Tag Title Match at LPW 21 and MRB winning the Grand Championship over Larry Woods and vowing to bring much-needed salvation back to LPW. Will this new vision of dominance pay off?

Para Lira isn’t the most liked tag team in LPW, and for good reason, as they did whatever it took to keep those title belts around their waists, as Berat Gorani explained on For Exposure. What makes them different from Ride or Die is at least they have the decency to say what they plan to do to your face rather than back-door and scheme their way to the top. 

So now I’m tasked with picking between two of the absolute best Tag Teams LPW has to offer in this grudge match. Sorry, Berat, you know you’re my guy, but I always Ride or Die. 

During the 1st Intermission, it’s Travis Williams(c) vs Zoe Sager for the LPW Challenge Championship.

The Professional, Travis Williams, has been on an absolute tear across the independent wrestling world over the last few months and looks to continue his winning ways against an old foe in Sager. 

Zoë Sager had a banner year in 2023, which included over a 200-day reign as LPW Grand Champion. She looks to regain some gold after her loss at LPW 20 to Larry Woods. 

If anyone has the advantage heading into this tilt, it’s Sager. She is incredibly talented and always seems to find a way to win, especially with Reid Matthews in her corner. She beat the Professional at LPW 18 during her Grand Championship run. Is that victory enough to help her gain her first Challenge Championship, or is the Professional going to continue this incredible run and leave Rogers Place still champion?

This pick might be my toughest yet. It’s hard for me to pick against Travis Williams, as he has been on another level since gaining the gold. That all said, if anyone can pull it off, it’s Sager and her ability to win at all costs and always find a way. I’m calling it now – the Intangible Zoë Sager sends shock waves throughout Rogers Place and we will have ourselves a new Challenge Champion! 

That brings us to your Main Event, which will take place during the 2nd Intermission. It’s Michael Richard Blais(c) vs Michael Allen Ricard Clark for the LPW Grand Championship.

Talk about the luck, or shall I say lack of luck, of the draw for the Longest Name in Wrestling, Michael Allen Richard Clark. Don’t get me wrong, MARC is easily one of the most talented wrestlers in LPW history, but he’s going up against a force we have never seen before in LPW. 

Some would say Michael Ricard Blais skirted the line when he had TFA attack Larry Woods with that Book of Salvation loaded with a chain. Others would say – and by others, I mean the Clandestine Society – they did what was necessary to restore order in LPW. In their eyes, a lot of people have forgotten just how formidable the trio is and it was time to open up everyone’s eyes and save them. 

New hair, new motivations, and a new mean streak have MRB as one of the toughest champions in LPW and he hasn’t even defended the title yet. This will be quite the main event, and if the stakes weren’t high enough, the winner of this contest will face a returning Vaughn Vertigo at LPW 22 Jan. 26. As for Vertigo, he is in a prime spot as these two look to wear one another out as they fight for the biggest prize in LPW on the biggest stage. 

Strap in, folks: The Oil Rumble has all the makings of the event of the year……and it’s only January. The future is bright for LPW, and I for one can’t wait to see what happens on Jan. 21st at Rogers Place.