Paradigm Pro Wrestling and IndependentWrestling.TV have come to terms on an agreement for “Heavy Hitters 2” to air live on the IWTV streaming service on Friday, July 24th at 7:30PM Eastern.
The Heavy Hitters Tournament is a unique one-night, twenty man tournament designed to mix the athleticism of mixed martial arts with the violence and showmanship of hardcore professional wrestling. Bouts will be contested under both UWFi Rules and Hardcore Rules.
Competitors set for the event include:
- “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar
- “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
- Erick Stevens
- “The One Man Militia” Matthew Justice
- Dominic Garrini
- Calvin Tankman
- “Dirty Daddy” Chris Dickinson
- “The Truth” AJ Gray
The majority of the evening’s bouts will be contested under UWFi Rules while Stephan Bonnar versus Matthew Justice will be a main event street fight. The two previously faced each other last year in a UWFi Rules Super Fight that saw Bonnar earn a victory by knock-out in a closely contested bout. Following that contest, Bonnar said “Matthew Justice came out here, fought my rule set, and hey – I’ve got a lot of respect for him, so how about I make this fair… I come back here and we do it his rules – in a street fight kind of match.”
UWFi Rules, named for the defunct Japanese wrestling promotion the Union of Wrestling Forces International, is a hybrid of traditional professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Under UWFi rules, there are no pinfalls – matches may only be won via knock-out, TKO, submission, or via a complex point system. The UWFi style and ruleset is widely considered to be a precursor to the modern MMA style. Last November, PPW became the first promotion in the United States to use the full UWFi rule-set (including the point system) in more than 20 years at the “Fighting Spirit Heavyweight Grand Prix.” That event is now available for streaming at IndependentWrestling.TV.
Other UWFi Rules matches at “Heavy Hitters 2” include:
- Tom Lawlor vs Calvin Tankman
- Dominic Garrini vs Gary Jay
- Reed Bentley vs Erick Stevens
- Aaron Williams vs AJ Gray
- Paradigm Champion Cole Radrick vs Freddie Hudson
In addition, there will be one match contested under modified Brawl for All rules. Former King of the Death Matches John Wayne Murdoch will face former MMA fighter Flash Thompson over three, 90-second rounds. The winners of each of the first-round bouts will advance to a 10 man Aztec Warfare style match to crown the PPW Heavy Hitters Champion.
“We had originally planned to run three big MMA/wrestling crossover events during the calendar year, the Heavy Hitters Tournament, another UWFi Rules Grand Prix, and a new Brawl for All concept. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has shortened our schedule of events for the year, so we’ve decided to make the best of the situation, and combine all of the concepts into one giant super-show” said Paradigm Pro Wrestling co-owner Gary Wilson.
The event is being promoted in accordance with the State of Indiana’s Reopening Guidelines. Attendance will be capped at 150, masks will be distributed to fans and staff members, and enhanced sanitation measures will be in place.
Limited tickets are still available, and range from $20 to $30. The event will take place at the American Legion Post 204 at 412 N New Albany St in Sellersburg, IN, on Friday, July 24th. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.
The show will also be available for worldwide viewing via a live stream provided by IndependentWrestling.TV. (Video on-demand viewing will also be available following the event.) IndependentWrestling.TV offers the world’s largest streaming collection of Independent Wrestling events for just $10 per month. More information is available at ParadigmProWrestling.com
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