2019 year in review

MANTELL DOMINATES WITH THE BRAND

Backed by his cohorts in The Brand, MOONSHINE MANTELL came into 2019 fresh off capturing the Lions Pride Sports Championship at the final show of 2018. It was a reign that would last 259 days, the single longest in Pride history. It was driven by Mantell’s superior power and grappling, but fueled in part by the games played by fellow Brand members at ringside, led by Creative Producer CHASE PARADISE.

A who’s who of the promotion would try and fail to take the title. LANCE HOYT, NOBE BRYANT, NATE JOLLY and MIKE DELL — each Lions Pride Sports originals — came up short. Mantell’s power offense struck fear into fans and proved tough for even the best wrestlers in Texas and beyond to handle. With Paradise and company almost always interfering, there seemed to be no end in sight to Moonshine’s run.

Come late summer, that would change.

“THE REAL DEAL” BECOMES THE CHAMP

From the very first Lions Pride Sports event, Bryant showed he was “The Real Deal,” and the fans rallied behind him. But 2019 was the year Nobe went from incredibly popular tag team competitor to singles title contender.

In February in Killeen, Bryant had a Lions Pride Sports Championship match. It happened again in July in Bryan. In both cases, Mantell got help from The Brand to edge Bryant and retain his gold. Owner HOUSTON CARSON had seen enough interference, and decided to ensure a more level playing field. A lumberjack match was made for September in Navasota.

However, it looked like that match wouldn’t happen when Mantell suffered an eye injury at another promotion’s event shortly before his scheduled defense in The Pride. All indications were that the damage was serious enough that he would have to relinquish the title. But as the handover was taking place in the ring, Mantell attacked Bryant, and the title match was started. Despite the early advantage for Moonshine, it was Nobe who powered through additional Brand interference and captured the gold.

Just the fourth man to hold the promotion’s top prize, Bryant successfully defended it through the end of the year. Not only that, he would add another title win to his resume.

“ONE MAN,” ONE UNPREDICTABLE YEAR

Perhaps the biggest shock of the year came from Dell, whose roller coaster 2019 started in recovery from ACL surgery.

It didn’t prevent “One Man” from surprising The Brand in March in San Antonio. Paradise had become General Manager thanks to a street fight win over AARON PRESLEY the month before in Killeen (more on that in a bit). But Mantell was booked to battle BRENT MCKENZIE, and if “Super Tex” won, it would strip Chase of the GM role and restore Presley to power. Dell, knee brace and all, would shock the crowd by taking a chair to Mantell, allowing McKenzie to score the win and deny Paradise control in the front office.

Dell’s return to in-ring action came in May in Dripping Springs. The first Lions Pride Sports Champion and the only two-time holder of that title would look to make it three in a three-way match with Mantell and Jolly, but it was Moonshine who held on to the gold. A rematch happened in June in College Station. Once again, Mantell scored the win. Thanks to interference from The Brand’s WILL ALLDAY, then the 360 Champion, Dell was unable to keep Moonshine from victory.

Dell looked to exact revenge against Allday, and what better way than by taking Will’s title. First, “One Man” would become the first winner of an Aggieland Rumble match, held in July in Bryan. That win earned him a title match against Allday later that night, and despite competing in the grueling 30-wrestler contest earlier, Dell outlasted Allday and Brand interference. He once again made history, becoming the first person to have won both titles in The Pride.

On paper, things looked great for Dell, but Allday’s high-flying offense and swagger had started gaining him respect and adoration from fans in The Pride. The reactions for Dell weren’t as positive. The two would fight again for the 360 gold at the September show in Navasota.

After an incredible contest, Dell would retain his title. It spelled the end of Allday’s time in The Brand. Paradise had grown frustrated with Allday’s losses. Will had grown tired of The Brand, and with fans behind him, the split was seemingly inevitable. What was shocking was that Dell’s frustrations would lead him into the arms of the group he had worked so hard to defeat since the earliest days of The Pride. Mike’s decision to join The Brand sent shock waves through the promotion.

After retaining against Jolly in Brenham in October, Dell was given another chance to make history. Both Bryant’s Lions Pride Sports Championship and Dell’s 360 Title would be at stake when the two men went one-on-one at November’s second anniversary show in College Station.

As one might expect, The Brand would interfere, but an errant kick from JORDAN LENNOX knocked out Dell instead of Bryant, leading Nobe to nail his scissor kick. “The Real Deal” made the history, becoming the first man to hold both titles at the same time.

PARADISE WON, THEN LOST

A brief, but necessary note about the aforementioned changes in the general manager’s office, because the feud was certainly heated.

The tensions between Lions Pride Sports management and Paradise had been building since Day One, and became so intense that Presley was willing to put his GM position on the line. It had been ordered that The Brand couldn’t interfere, but since when does The Brand follow rules? Their interference cost Presley the match and his leadership.

Paradise would put Presley to work at the creative producer’s offices in more of a janitorial role in the lead up to the March show in San Antonio. But because of The Brand’s interference, Houston Carson ruled that a rematch of sorts should take place. Chase and Aaron each chose a representative, and so Mantell vs. McKenzie was eventually made. As mentioned before, “Super Tex’s” win put Presley back in charge.

A CARSON RISES, A CARSON RETURNS

The title chases and leadership squabbles weren’t the only battles that defined 2019. If anything, a family feud may be the most remembered aspect of the year.

The stock of CADE CARSON shot off the chart in 2019. Debuting in January out of The Lions Den Training Facility, the cousin of Houston Carson was part of every show during the year. It started with a series of matches against The Brand’s MAX CASTELLANOS, who pushed the rookie to his limits, including in a violent street fight.

The Castellanos contests, along with one against Allday, battle-tested the rookie from the start of his career. Instead of breaking Cade, it strengthened his will.

In the heart of the summer, Carson would enter a rivalry with another up-and-coming student of The Lions Den, THOMAS “MATHAYUS” CARTER. The two tangled in the Aggieland Rumble match in July, which Carson asked to enter at the first spot. Cade eliminated Thomas on route to lasting until the final minutes of the match. A singles bout between the two was made for September in Navasota.

Cade had started showing an air of cockiness, along with some frustration with his trainer and cousin Houston, who also trained Thomas. Carter would end up with a submission win, and tensions would boil over, as Cade shoved Houston down after the match, declaring he was tired of living in the perceived shadow of his family member whose ten-year career was cut short early by medical issues.

Cade took to social media, mocking Houston with the thought that he couldn’t compete again. The owner would book a two-out-of-three falls match in Brenham between Cade and Thomas. Carter won thanks in part to a distraction from a fed-up Houston.

In a shocker, Houston would announce he had received clearance from his doctors to compete in one last match two-and-a-half years since his career was cut short. The contest was made, as the cousins would battle at the second anniversary show in College Station in November.

Fans traveled from across the state to witness “The Texas Lion’s” return to action for a final time, and to Cade’s credit, he rose to the occasion by using all the tools his trainer had provided him. What was not expected was that Cade had brought in an insurance policy.

DRAKE DURDEN had become a regular presence in the comments section of Lions Pride Sports’ social media, but when the man emerged from the shadows of internet anonymity, fans found out it was a monster seven-footer who had been tapping the keys. Durden assaulted Houston, his interference eventually landing Cade the win, along with ridiculous momentum heading into his second full year in pro wrestling.

CROWNING A KING

Another Lions Pride Sports original made his mark in the promotion and the state during the summer. BARRETT BROWN was one of ten men who entered the first King of Texas Tournament, held in Caldwell in July.

Having defeated Cade Carson a month earlier, Brown was tested again by the rookie, but advanced to the five-way final. Also earning the chance to be crowned were Hoyt, Mantell, Bryant and Jolly.

In a star-studded elimination match which included over-the-top-rope rules, Mantell dominated early, sending Hoyt to the floor and pinning Bryant and Jolly thanks to help from The Brand. But after taking a beating from Mantell and the nefarious group, Brown summoned the will to win, pinning Moonshine and officially capturing a moniker he had long self-proclaimed.

DARKNESS FALLS

Lions Den students like Carson and Carter certainly made their mark in 2019 and will continue to do so in 2020 and beyond, but another new entity emerged and cast an ominous darkness on the promotion.

STEWY THE CANNIBAL CLOWN would be the first to enter the ring at the year’s start, seconded by THE RINGMASTER. Collectively known as The Dark Circus, they made KEMONTE ROSS their first target. Contests with veterans like McKenzie and TERRALE TEMPO may not have ended in wins, but gave the menacing group experience and drive. And a third member would eventually be added, as a 500-pound behemoth known as THE MOUNTAIN only made them more frightening.

The Dark Circus would return their attention to Ross, his tag partner AZRAEL and fellow Lions Den student KOOL DADDI DENZELL during the summer. The scary trio’s actions would get scarier by the show, with a tipping point coming in October in Brenham. They tortured Azrael in the ring, placed the luchador in a body bag, removed his mask and carried him out of the arena.

Azrael wanted a piece of The Ringmaster, and was willing to put his mask on the line permanently. The Ringmaster’s hair was also at stake in College Station at November’s second anniversary show. Dark Circus interference cost Azrael the match and revealed his identity.

Carter and his associate MR. OSO would hit the ring to save Azrael from further humiliation, but the unmasked competitor’s emotions were so stirred by the months of trauma that he attacked Carter and Oso. The newly-named CHAVY CHULO has been fueled by his pain and suffering, and is hellbent on inflicting some of his own on others.

MUST-SEE, MOST-WATCHED

Texas boasts some of the top women’s wrestlers in the country, many of whom were showcased in the Pride in 2019.

In fact, the most viewed match of the year on the promotion’s YouTube and Facebook pages was a contest between Texas A&M graduate ALEX GRACIA and then-17-year-old ROK-C from our July show in Bryan. ANGEL BLUE of The Brand would make her presence felt in the contest, exacting revenge against Gracia, with whom she had an in-ring rivalry prior to a Blue injury.

EVERYBODY — AND HENDRIX — DIES

In New Japan Pro Wrestling, Lance Hoyt had proven himself to be a top tag team expert, but 2019 was the year he broke out as a singles star. The Hearne native would earn big wins in the G1 Climax 29 tournament, including a victory over WILL OSPREAY. Then, Hoyt captured the vacant IWGP United States Championship at the King of Pro-Wrestling event in a match against JUICE ROBINSON.

When he’s not annihilating opponents in one of the world’s biggest promotions, Hoyt is bashing competitors in The Pride. The second-ever Lions Pride Sports Champion made his presence felt in an epic beat down in Navasota in September.

GUNNAR HENDRIX was berating the fans and trying to put on a concert when he encountered technical difficulties. As it turns out, “The American Psycho” was the cause, and he commenced a remarkable crushing of Hendrix and his assistant in front of a fired up crowd.