July 2005...Big Bill, low ceilings, tv tapings, Kingsport

Short post today - things have been busy here at the home office!  

I've been off the road for a few weeks, but I'll be back at the Mitchell's Mess & More table for the following: 

June 5-7:  Sports Wax Collector's Jam in Concord, NC

June 20: Fourth & Goal Collector's Vault in Shelby, NC

July 22-26: The Gathering VII in Charlotte, NC

Just because I'm not in attendance shouldn't keep you from visiting the MMM table - they are on the road much more than me - click here for their upcoming events in Lumberton, Goldsboro, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and more!

I plan to attend Wrestling Evolution tonight in Shelby, NC at Weathers Arena/Cleveland Co. Fairgrounds for "Adrenaline Overload" - come on out, really enjoy their shows. 

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Today's photos come from July 2005. Other than a road trip to Kingsport, TN I only shot at APW in Spartanburg, SC and HVW in Hendersonville,NC. Below are a few highlights:

July 2, 2005 - "Big" Bill White. Bill and "Honest" Doug Hawkins held the APW tag titles at this time. Bill was a great locker room presence at APW. Smart, funny, generous with his knowledge and criticism. Bill passed away in 2021 and I knew he'd been a journeyman wrestler but I had no clue 
how well traveled he was. Read this. Read this too. 

The photo below (also July 2) has Bill talking with Eddie "The Great ER" Rich at the APW announce table - Eddie is in his "I don't want no trouble" position, hands up (which is this instance, I find very funny) and is joined by Danny Parris and Rowdy James. 

July 9 - Nick Fury. One of my all time favorite photos of Nick. The ceiling at the APW Arena was very low, so high flyers were limited in what they could do - it never stopped Nick. I wish him the best in his recovery from a recent injury, he has a strong will and I know he can do it. 

July 16 - "Hot Shot' Shane Austin and APW had gotten a spot on local television to showcase the show every week - so "TV tapings" were started at the Saturday night shows. This night we were visited by Ricky Morton (have you heard of him?) - he teamed with "Big Country" Billy Rucker later in the show. Below are two shots of them doing an interview segment with Bill Hazelwood. 

July 16 - Another shot of Nick Fury. This time versus Ostgard at APW. One of my favorite shots - Fury is in position, ready to lunge. 

July 29 - Road trip for myself, Ken Magnum, Adam Jaxon and Viper. This was for All Pro Wrestling in Kingsport, TN at the National Guard Armory. I recall it was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. It was also the first time I ever heard a crowd BOO Ricky Morton! He was smacking Brad Thomas around and the folks there didn't like that. You'll see below that Adam got to do a move that was impossible to do at APW (the aforementioned low ceiling). 

That's it! Thanks for reading and don't forget: Take the Picture.

June 2005 & it's Con Season!

In June 2005, I shot 8 shows - including my first APW hardcore event: "Blood, Guts & Hardcore" at Ground Zero in Spartanburg, SC; and a trip to the National Guard Armory in Sylva, NC. 

Click Here For the June 2005 Album!

In Mitchell's Mess & More news - it's warming up, which means it's convention/show season!  MMM has lots of shows - see them here!  

The gang will be getting together again this year at SC Comic Con in Greenville,SC and Mad Monster Expo in Charlotte,NC.  We've recently set up at a couple of 4th & Goal Promotions' Collector's Vault shows (see below) and are booked for upcoming shows in Shelby, Gastonia, and Salisbury.  Check out their website or Facebook - Brandon and his family run great shows that won't break your bank. I'm glad to support them and I am a big fan of their affordable show model. Many of the bigger cons have forgotten that if a family can't afford to bring all the members in, then none of them are coming in. 

We got to set up at Wrestling Evolution's "No Rest for the Wicked" show in Lincolnton, NC on March 14th - thanks to the W.E. Crew!

Thanks for reading and don't forget: Take the Picture. 

He's very heavy, he's my brother

 At 11:49, Tuesday February 17th, I was told the news that I still can't believe. I never thought this would be a post I would make. The next two days, I caught myself getting ready to send Brett a message and had to stop. 

I wanted to take a few days before posting anything and look for some photos (take the picture) of Brett from the past. 

At first I thought - did he and I have any photos together?  The answer is yes, not many, as I am slightly averse to having my picture taken. Franklin Dove, Brett and myself did get in a photo at The Gathering in Charlotte in 2025: 

I called him brother Brett, he called me brother Blake- and this wasn't the usual wrestling "brother" thing. 

In the mid-2000s, when we were both doing shows on the road, some folks got us confused. Easy to see the confusion, two fat guys with brown hair, glasses and both showing up for wrestling shows. When Brett was called Blake, he responded with "No, you're thinking of my brother Blake. He takes the photos. I do the announcing."  I would do the opposite. 

"Brothers are like fat thighs...they stick together."

I'm glad that in the last few months I got to spend more time with him., he loved his work. He loved wrestling, but he especially loved his friends and we loved him back. 

There is nothing I can write that will match Brett's obituary...among the best written pieces of a life that I have ever read...and it's an emotional gut-punch.

I share in the grief that we all are going through. The shows will go on, but a big star has burned out. I hope we can all act a little bit like Brett from here on out. Not just at wrestling shows but in our everyday dealings- see the funny side of life and be comfortable with poking fun at ourselves. 

I will miss his humor, his cookies, and his positivity. Goodbye brother Brett.

Below are just a few photos I found tonight. This is not all I have, but these are the earliest. As I continue to go through the years with my posts, I will be including any photos of Brett with them:

Possibly the first photo I took that Brett was in - this was July 21, 2006 at AWA Power Pro Wrestilng in Hendersonville, NC. Brett said his first announcing job in NC was July 22,2006 - which would have been High Velocity Wrestling (HVW) in this same building. I have photos from that night but none of Brett. 

 August 19, 2006 - HVW. My first photo of Brett announcing? 

 Sept. 2, 2006 - HVW. Brett was open to whatever entertained the crowd early on. 

 Sept. 22, 2006 - NWCW in Athens, GA. My first road trip with Brett. Ole was impressed with Brett's and my size. 

May 2005

What better time to make a new post than a completely snow covered day? So here we go. 

I started branching out in May 2005 - AWC (promoter: "Stray Cat" Brodie Ray Chase) in Easley, SC; Carolina Championship Wrestling in Gaffney,SC and UCW in Greenwood, SC.  Looking back on all the photos I took away from APW and HVW I can tell I was having to adjust how I shot matches to adapt to the variety of talent I saw while on the road. Seeing these different faces and venues sparked the desire to broaden my horizons with wrestling photography.  

This album includes photos from: 
May 7 - CCW, Gaffney SC Middle School 
May 8 - American Pro Wrestling, Spartanburg (Mother's Day show)
May 20 - UCW, Greenwood, SC. 

It also includes a photo of a young man that I had the pleasure of knowing for his whole life: Trevor Arrowood - he came down to the APW Mother's Day show and was interviewed by Jay Eagle. I encouraged Trevor's interest in 'rassling and he later joined me on the road to Charlotte,NC for a memorable show and Waffle House visit (he got to eat with Kevin Owens aka Kevin Steen). I have worked with his father for many years and Trevor followed his father into law enforcement, working at Rock Hill,SC Police Department. The Trevor's Gift Scholarship Program was established to honor Trevor's memory by providing students the means to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice at Western Carolina University. If you have a moment, check out their website. 

Click here for the May 2005 Album

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In Mitchell's Mess & More news -coming up in February, the bosses will be at the American Legion in Wilmington for the Carolina Sports Promotions card show on the 7th and then at the Segra Stadium for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Spring Fling on the 28th. 

This time of year means Mad Monster Party time in Charlotte, NC! This is the anniversary of my reconnection with the Smiths and has become an annual meet up for us all. 

April 2005

 Hi there reader - I hope you had a good [insert your winter holiday(s)/festival(s)] and happy new year!

Wanted to make a quick post - I realized today the last post was in November! Holidays get busy here at the home office. 

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Uploaded a few photos from April 2005 in this album. These are all from American Pro Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC and High Velocity Wrestling in Hendersonville, NC.

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For Mitchell's Mess & More, upcoming: 

Saturday, Jan. 17th - Greater Goldsboro Collectibles Show in Goldsboro, NC at the Maxwell Ag Center. 
Saturday, Feb. 7th - Carolina Sports Promotions in Wilmington, NC at the American Legion. 

MMM hit Gastonia,NC back in December for the Fourth & Goal Collector's Vault Show - check out the post below on the MMM facebook.  If you're not already, follow the page - upcoming shows, updated photos, and the great group shots of all our pretty faces!

January is quiet for myself - I am planning on visiting the Spartanburg Comic Con on January 24: 

Collector's Vault Shelby AND Wrestling Evolution: Love is Pain on January 31: 

That's it - thanks for reading!

March 2005

First off, I'll be heading to Greenville, SC tomorrow for the annual Retro-Toy Con! Looking forward to getting back together with the Mitchell's Mess & More gang -the toy con has become another great time for us just to hang out and have a good time...and stay up late for the room swaps! 

The year is winding down, but you have a couple more chances to see MMM in 2025. December 12-13th, we'll be at Fourth & Goal Promotions: Collector's Vault Showcase in Gastonia, NC. This will be the first of their shows we'll be set up at - I'm looking forward to it. 

Next up, on December 20-21st, MMM is once again at the Lumberton Toy & Comic Holiday Show in Lumberton, NC. 

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Photos for this post are from March 2005. This month saw me take my first road trip for a show in Kingsport, TN on the 11th with Ken Magnum and Viper. 

Ken got to meet some nice locals: 

And we got to meet the King of Kingsport: 

March 18, 2005 - the first High Velocity Wrestling "Redneck Champion" title belt: 

March 19,2005 - here's a mid-air shot of Dirty kicking Nick Fury - American Pro Wrestling, Spartanburg, SC. 

On the 25th, I was invited to shoot the last "Hardcore Hell" show under the NWA Wildside banner. "Hot Shot" Shane Austin invited me and I was welcomed by the talent and Bill Behrens, who ran the promotion. It closed a month later as Bill left to work at WWE's Deep South Wrestling. I would return to the building though as it reopened as NWA Anarchy. This night I shot one of the best pics I ever got in my opinion - look for the fireball in this gallery!

You can view the show here, and will occasionally see me at ringside. This was before I started wearing solid black, so you can't miss me, it looks like I was wearing an orange shirt (why? I don't know...I should have listened to that drag queen who told me I look like the Great Pumpkin in orange). 

Thanks to all for reading - and have a happy Thanksgiving. 

February 2005

I am pulling photos from February 5, 12, 18, 19 and 26 of 2005. All of these were at American Pro Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC. 

On 2/18, APW helped promote the Legends of Wrestling show that took place the next night at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium (See the booking sheet below). A strap match between Greg Valentine and Chief Jay Eagle was set up as a tribute to the Valentine / Wahoo McDaniel match from 1977 where Valentine won the Mid-Atlantic Title. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GALLERY

Further Reading:

https://midatlanticwrestling.net/resourcecenter/spartanburg_legends/spart_nol_index.htm

https://www.midatlanticwrestling.net/resourcecenter/spartanburg_legends/2005/spartanburg_2005_pl.htm

https://www.midatlanticwrestling.net/resourcecenter/spartanburg_legends/2005/spartanburg_2005.htm

Mitchell's Mess & More is taking the month of October off - but will return in November: Wrestling With Purpose on Nov. 1 at Scotland High School in Laurinburg, FWE on Nov. 15 at Sport HQ in Cary, and then I'll join up with the guys at this year's Retro-Toy Con in Greenville, SC from Nov. 21-23. 

Thanks for reading!