UPW Partners

By Todd Keneley

Former WCW Tag Champs to reunite at “Homecoming Havoc”!

Former WCW World Tag Team Champions Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire will once again join forces on February 23 as UPW presents “Homecoming Havoc” from The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. The imposing duo claimed the gold on January 14, 2001 by toppling an all-star team consisting of Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page. (Fittingly enough, these two legendary performers have also made recent appearances in UPW!)

Once WCW crumbled, O’Haire and Palumbo invaded WWE where they continued to put their WCW Titles on the line until ultimately relinquishing them to the “Brothers of Destruction” Kane and The Undertaker right here in Southern California, The Staples Center to be exact on August 7, 2001. You would be hard pressed to find many more decorated combinations than Sean and Chuck when it comes to tag team wrestling. O’Haire is a 3-time former WCW Tag Team Champion having also won the titles on two occasions with Mark Jindrak. Not to be outdone, Palumbo shares the distinction of being a 3-time WCW Tag Champ himself having won the gold along with Shawn Stasiak twice before his reign with O’Haire. In addition, Palumbo would go on to find great success in the WWE tag team ranks as well. He captured the WWE World Tag Team Titles twice with his “partner” at the time, Billy Gunn before the two went on to be happily married…well, almost! All kidding aside, one man is no stranger to their collective accolades. That man is Pete Doyle.

The reunion of O’Haire and Palumbo is the brainchild of Doyle. Despite losing a battle for control of UPW to Rick Bassman at “Overload” before his unforgettable firing at the hands of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, Doyle continues his quest to destroy Bassman and his company. No longer the Commissioner, this serpent has now taken the form of manager to wage his personal vendetta. Back in July, he unveiled O’Haire as the crown jewel of his faction which he has coined “The Federation”. If you ask me, someone forgot to tell Doyle to “Get the F Out!” Anyway, Pete and his new protégé made quite an impact nearly defeating Tom Howard for the UPW Heavyweight Title. O’Haire secured another shot at the belt after winning a number one contender battle royal in Primm Nevada as part of “Destruction In The Desert”. Doyle and O’Haire are biding their time and waiting for the right moment to strike and take advantage of this opportunity. They look at “Homecoming Havoc” as a way to soften up the champ so that he is ripe for the picking in the near future. With Palumbo in the mix, they could kill three birds with one stone in the form of Howard, first ever UPW Heavyweight Champion Predator, and Rick Bassman himself who will be in the corner of UPW’s sworn defenders.

Although Doyle seems to have an excellent strategy with the reunion of O’Haire and Palumbo, conquest won’t come easy! Howard has warded off invasions to UPW in the past including Roland Alexander’s troops from APW, Japan’s Ohtani and Tanaka, and none other than “The Outsiders” Scott Hall and Kevin Nash! His partner Predator is one of few who can actually match power with Doyle’s cronies. Much like O’Haire and Palumbo, Predator also has astonishing agility for a man of his size. Things could get real physical if O’Haire and Predator wind up facing off as both have recently expanded their resumes by entering the world of mixed martial arts through UPW’s sister company Valor Fighting and Management. Predator is fresh from his second first round knockout victory in K-1.

The battle lines have been drawn. There may not be any titles on the line, but a lot of leverage and bragging rights will be. Make sure you are on hand to see who is left standing victorious after these two decorated and destructive duos do battle! (Say that five times fast!)

Fatal 4-way Tag Team Match signed!

Speaking of no titles being on the line, the scheduled UPW Tag Team Title defense is off due to scheduling conflicts. The reigning champs (Shannon and Shane Ballard) will be taking part in a tour of military bases along with Native Blood, and others. This is a great opportunity for everyone involved, and we wish them a safe and successful trip.

As they say, “The show must go on”. Our fans will certainly not be disappointed when it comes to championship caliber tag team action. Somebody better call air traffic control! That is because UPW has signed four of Southern California’s most gifted and highflying teams to take part in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match.

The participants include Tommy and Johnny who were in line for a shot at the titles before The Ballards had to back out. They will have a chance to prove worthy of that shot as they face three tough teams. Havana Pitbull Rocky Romero and Puma will join the fray. These two have found great success not only in UPW, but also across the U.S. and the World! They have to be among the favorites to win this one. The Aerial Express (AXP) Scorpio Sky and Quicksilver will also look to live up to their name with their brand of high risk and high impact maneuvers. These two have taken Southern California by storm! From the looks of things over at SoCalUncensored.com, they are well on their way to being named the 2004 SoCal Tag Team Of The Year. Can they keep the positive momentum going in UPW? Rounding out the field is a talented team of Ultimate University graduates Antonio Mestre and Shawn Riddik. These two looked very impressive and made a great showing as part of a 6-man tag while facing legendary luchadors Konnan, Psicosis, and Juventud Guerrera at “Destruction In The Desert”. Will this experience along with Mestre’s unorthodox Capoeira skills and Riddik’s technical expertise be enough to pick up the win and some big time “respecto”?

With four dynamic teams, the ability to tag in anyone, and elimination rules, this one should be wild and unpredictable. It should also be damned entertaining!

The Wire will return next week with a look at WWE Tough Enough finalist and MTV’s The Real World’s Mike Mizanin’s upcoming battle with former UPW Heavyweight Champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce as well as TNA’s Kazarian’s return to UPW action to defend his UPW Lightweight Championship.