Back at POWW with Jimmy Blaze

At the Milk Days in Harvard, Illinois, Tony and I enjoyed a fun night of POWW wrestling. We also finally got new pictures with POWW owner Psychotic Jimmy Blaze.

Don't get me wrong. Jim is very approachable. He is very appreciative of all fans. We have been going to POWW shows for 15+ years, catching several a year. We don't get to as many as we would like, but that's because we cover so many events. POWW remains one of our favorite wrestling companies.

We usually get a chance to briefly chat with Jim before the shows, but we know he is focused on the show and we don't lie to bother him for pictures. After the show, he is busy with paying the wrestlers and other business.

Prior to this show, Tony messaged Jim and asked him for a picture because he would be wearing a Jimmy Blaze short. True to his word, Jimmy did come out and take a picture with us. As you can see from the picture, Jimmy "strongly encouraged" me to come more often.

Jim Blaze and me in Harvard, IL-June 2026.

Jim Blaze of POWW Entertainment

Well, just look at Psychotic Jimmy Blaze and me all spiffed up. That's a rare picture.

I have known Jimmy for many years. His POWW Entertainment was the first independent wrestling I ever attended. While I never abandoned POWW, recently, I have been going to more POWW shows. 

Jimmy gives his all to his shows. Love them or not, the shows feature wrestlers busting their butts to make it fun for fans. Put me in the "Love it" camp, along with most people.

When mutual friend PL Myers renewed his weddin vows, he picked Jimmy and me as part of his groomsmen group. I was proud to be included and took the opportunity to grab as many selfies as I could. Like I started this post, when would Jimmy and I ever look like this again?

POWW's big annual event WrestleRage happens November 1. Find POWW Entertainment on Facebook to get all the details. I'll be in Mexico for my niece's wedding, but I will be back at POWW. I won't be wearing a shirt and tie, but neither will Jimmy.

 Jim Blaze and me in Franklin Park, IL-July 2025.

Wrestle Rage with Jim Blaze

Psychotic Jimmy Blaze is the owner of POWW Entertainment. The wrestling promotion is the longest running company in the Chicago area.

For more than two decades, Jimmy has wrestled, promoted and trained others for POWW. Many big names have come through POWW, including current WWE star Adam Pearce. Where other companies have opened with much sizzle, then closed with little notice, POWW has survived the years an storms. This is all a credit to Jimmy.

Because of scheduling, I don't to as many POWW shows as I would like, but I will be at WrestleRage on November 2. WrestleRage is POWW's big event. It is as much a showcase for the best feuds as it is a celebration of Jimmy's hard work all year. Fans will fill the venue for great matches.

Jimmy is too humble to take credit or any bows, but he deserves praise. Simply lasting this long is a major accomplishment. POWW hasn't just lasted though. POWW is succeeding where others fail. Congratulations to Jimmy and his POWW team. WrestleRage is your big night and I won't miss it!

For more info, go to POWWEntertainment.com. Check back here for my updates.

Jim Blaze and me in Rockford, IL-Summer 2022.

Thank You and Congratulations to Jimmy Blaze

Late last year, social media had a lot of pictures of folks with wrestler/promoter Jimmy Blaze. Jimmy had announced his in-ring retirement and people shared their many years of great memories. Although I missed his last match, I have a lot of fun memories with Jimmy.

Way back when I first started covering independent wrestling, Jimmy's POWW Entertainment was one of my first shows. Jimmy welcomed me and gave me a lot of freedom in taking pictures and getting interviews. His wrestlers even occasionally brought me into the act. I loved every minute of it.

Over the years, due to scheduling and being a prt of Resistance Pro Wrestling, I didn't get to see as many POWW shows as I would have liked. I always followed POWW and Jimmy on social media, though.

Wrestling companies come and go (RPro is long gone), but POWW remains. It is the longest-running wrestling company in the area and credit goes to Jimmy. While other companies rose quickly and got lots of publicity, POWW kept chugging along, outlasting all of them. Even now, there are a few companies getting a lot of buzz, but it remains to be seen how long they wil last. It will be hard for any company to match POWW's 25+ years.

In wrestling, are retirements ever permanent? If you watch wrestling, you know retirements are mostly temporary, even if the intention is there to stay retired. The pull is very strong to return.

Will Jimmy stay retired? My heart says he will return for a few one-time appearances and the fans will love to see that!

Either way, he will not disappear. POWW is his baby and he will be there, keeping it growing.

Jimmy is a class act in and out of the ring, whether he laces up the boots again or remains retired. Thank you for all you did for me and for the sport. 

Jimmy Blaze and me in Rockford, IL-Summer 2022.

Mascot Week: Friend Encounters: Jim Blaze and Southpaw of the Chicago White Sox

Mascot Week celebrates the furry creatures who provide so much entertainment. Today is a special Friend Encounters Mascot Week Edition featuring Jim Blaze, owner of POWW Entertainment.

Jim Blaze has been a mainstay on the Chicago wrestling scene for almost three decades. His POWW Entertainment company is the longest continually running wrestling company in the area.

Jim has endured the rollercoaster ride of wrestling, but he is still around and still producing great wrestling shows. When the pandemic hit and Chicago events were hampered, Jim moved POWW around. In a dark period of time, Jim continued to provide fun for wrestling fans (and himself, too). 

A few years ago, Jim met White Sox mascot Southpaw at a POWW event. The stories differ as to who asked for the photo, but Jim says Southpaw asked and I believe him. I know I have asked Jim for many pictures over the years.

Four years prior to meeting Jim, Southpaw debuted for the Sox. Southpaw is an unspecified creature, but he is far better than Ribbie and Rhubarb, the Sox mascots of the 80s. There was also Andy the Clown earlier, but he wasn't really a mascot. He was more of an entertainer.

I think wrestling companies should have mascots. They have enough people backstage to don a costume. Heck, I would even love to be a mascot for a day (like I almost was with the Chicago Bandits).

For more info on Jim and his wrestling, go to POWWEntertainment.com. Check back here for the rest of Mascot Week.

Jim Blaze and Southpaw in Chicago, IL-Summer 2018.

On the Beat With Jim Blaze of POWW Entertainment

On Saturday night, my bud Tony Feddeler and I took in a night of wrestling at POWW Entertainment. After the show, I interviewed Jim Blaze, owner, promoter and wrestler at POWW and a long time pal. That interview is at On the Beat With Jim Blaze.

Saturday night, my pal Tony Feddeler and I took in a night of wrestling action at POWW Entertainment at TWood in Wooddale. This was my first time at “Saturday Night Fights,” but it won't be my last.

“Saturday Night Fights” is a unique concept, allowing POWW's youth or newcomers a chance to get experience and be showcased. Besides seeing some future POWW superstars, it gives fans the opportunity to see unique matchups, while still continuing POWW storylines.

Tony and I arrived early and enjoyed an excellent meal at TWood. I opted for chicken quesadillas and a basket of fries. Both were delicious and much more food than I expected.

Once the doors opened, we found seats and started to mingle and catch up with old friends. First I saw legendary ring announcer Mr. Ricolo. Next was POWW photog Mike Bare and on and on it went until bell time. It was a mini-reunion.

It was a solid night of wrestling, featuring a nice blend of POWW veterans and youngsters. I was impressed by all, but especially Kyzyle, who I hadn't previously seen in action. He's got a good gimmick, skills and ability to engage fans.

Jim talked about his 32nd anniversary coming July 3. He brought up the possibility of his in-ring career ending, but I hope that isn't anytime soon. He also mentioned Wrestle Rage, POWW's biggest show fo the year. This year, POWW will celebrate Wrestle Rage 20 on November 5 at a location to be announced soon.

It was great to be back at POWW. Jim looks even more passionate than when I first met him more than a decade ago. The crowd was hot all night, too.

As much fun a the in-ring action was, I really enjoyed catching up with everyone and meeting some new folks, too. Some folks I only see at wrestling events. Other friends, like Tony, I only met because fo wrestling, but our friendship now goes beyond the squared circle.

POWW is special. Even during the pandemic, when other companies shut down, POWW stayed alive any way they could. They took shows out of the are to new locations. POWW is the longest-running Chicago area wrestling company. Credit goes to Jim and the culture he creates.

POWW returns to TWood July 16 for another “Saturday Night Fights” event. They will also be at the American Legion in Fox Lake August 6 and at Lakemoor Fest August 12.

Friendly Encounters: Southpaw and Jimmy Blaze

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I met Psychotic Jimmy Blaze several years back at a POWW event. Jim wrestled there and also ran the show.

Jim always welcomed us at his shows and we did some interviews of him and his talented wrestler roster. He's a hard-working promoter and wrestler and he's a good guy.

POWW usually rotates their shows at a handful of northwest suburban venues. Every summer POWW runs events on the southside of Chicago. That is where Jim met Southpaw, the beloved mascot of the Chicago White Sox.

Jim is a Sox fan and was happy to meet Southpaw. I don't know how big of a wrestling fan Southpaw is, but he seemed happy to meet Jim or maybe he was afraid of being clotheslined by him. Either way, it made for a good picture.

For more info on POWW, including matches and locations for their next events, check out the POWW Facebook page. A night at POWW is always a night of fun.

Jim Blaze and Southpaw in Chicago, IL-July 2018.

POWW Meets Resistance

The world of independent professional wrestling can be odd at times.  Sometimes it is a brotherhood of strong bonds.  Other times it is filled with high school drama.  Friends are competitors.  Competitors are friends.  Sometimes neither is true.

When I first started covering indy wrestling, I went to a lot of events.  I found a home in Resistance Pro and have stayed there for over five years.  While I have seen a few other shows over the years, RPro has been my main focus.

It's not a knock on the other companies.  Mostly, it is a matter of me loving RPro and not having much time for others.

Once in a while, the worlds collide.  Such was the case a few years back when POWW's Jimmy Blaze, Stonewall and GQ Greeko Suave attended an RPro show.

At first glance, it could like the the start of an invasion angle.  To the skeptic, it might have looked like one company scouting the other.  In fact, the truth was far less interesting, but pretty cool.

The trio just came to see friends in action and to have a relaxing night where they weren't working.  I always love the picture below, because it could have been taken at numerous POWW shows, but it was taken at an RPro show.

In the end, they're all just people.  Rivalries happen, but usually get worked out.  There is room for all to work and make fans happy.

Jimmy Blaze, John Giannis, Stonewall, Scott Beatty and me in Chicago, IL-November 2012.

Happy National Pro Wrestling Day

Today is National Pro Wrestling Day.  I kid you not.  It really is.

While there are a few people whom I would like to wrestle in honor of National Wrestling Day, I am not sure what the protocol is for celebrating this day.  Therefore, I am on my own.  In light of this, I will just present some of the sights of my last year of covering the Chicago area independent wrestling scene.

My wrestling coverage really started with Resistance Pro Wrestling.  Brothers Jacques and Gabe Baron and the entire R Pro crew have been totally awesome to me.  We have gotten unprecedented access and complete cooperation at all R Pro events.  I love the Baron families and the whole extended R Pro family.

My partner in crime on most of the wrestling coverage has been Scott Beatty.  Whether he is the heel of a host on an internet show or interview segment or whether he is just my bud Scott, he is always good for a laugh (or an argument).  It is always interesting around Scott.  At Premier Pro Wrestling, we got to have some fun in the ring after the show.

Pro Wrestling Blitz's owner Tony Scarpone is a great guy.  He loves the coverage we give Blitz.  Really he does.  He has often shown me how much he appreciates what we do.

POWW's Psychotic Jimmy Blaze has always been cooperative to us and has allowed us to roam the floor during events.  Some of his wrestlers have given me good-natured (I think) ribbing (yeah, KC, Trevor and Stonewall, that means you).  Even the fans at POWW recognize the JohngysBeat.com crew.

As I wrote, KC often gives me good-natured ribbing.  Hmm...maybe I need to rethink this.

Even up at Supreme Wrestling Entertainment in Wisconsin, Sexy K.C. ribbed me.  K.C. and Silk E. Fine did leave me $20 for gas money to get home.  I really need to rethink this K.C. situation.

AAW's Tony Rican invited us to cover AAW.  Tony is one of the nicest guys out there.  We only hit one AAW show in 2012, but I know we plan on increasing that number in 2013.

Matt and I even ventured north of the border to attend GLCW's Blizzard Brawl.  It was a great time hanging with Matt and meeting Rikishi, Brian Christopher and Scotty Too Hotty with him was just "Too Cool" to describe.

Last and not least, we made some great friends.  R Pro's Eric St. Vaughn is not a good guy in the ring, but he is always willing to give us an interview or pose with his ESV supporters.  

On the Beat at POWW Entertainment-1/20/13

We hit our first POWW (Purely Obsessed Wrestling World) show of the year and we brought some friends with us.  Louie brought Peter and Christopher (his sons) and Andrew (his nephew).  Andrew brought his son Steven.  This Greek contingent would play a big role in the night.
Aside from the excellent matches, we all had a lot of fun with the wrestlers.  Sexy K.C. was the first to make an impression on the kids, when he shoved me into a wall.  Stonewall didn't physically attack anyone, but he yelled at the kids.  K.C. came out again and had to shove me again.  I don't think he likes me very much.  On the good side, "the Lost Soul" Chris Cairo high-fived all of the kids.
The real highlight for the kids was when GQ came out and immediately saw their signs and Greek flags.  He gave them all high-fives and even sat next to them, as his opponent Sexy K.C. stalled outside of the ring.  GQ was pinned by K.C. (after some shenanigans), but still celebrated with the boys after his match.
After the show, the boys took pictures with several of the wrestlers, even the "bad" guys.  With no disrespect to the others, I think it is safe to say that GQ was their favorite.
The fun was not over for the JohngysBeat.com crew, resident heel Scott Beatty scored an interview with POWW Heavyweight champ Cairo.  "The Lost Soul" talked about what it mean to be champ, the good and bad of being champ and more.  For more info on him, check out Chris Cairo on Facebook.

I was pleased to get an interview with POWW owner Jimmy Blaze, despite being a bit exhausted from the night's action.  The Psychotic One talked about the new year in POWW, the challenges POWW he faces and more.  Check out the Jim Blaze Facebook page or go to POWWEntertainment.com to learn all about Blaze and POWW.

On the Beat at POWW Wrestling Entertainment

Matt and I spent Saturday evening covering POWW Entertainment's Wrestle Rage X.  This is POWW's big event of the year and it kicked butt.  Pretty much any match could have been main event material.

I wrote about this night for the Patch at Out"rage"ous Wrestling Fun and for Wrestling Figs at POWW 11/10 Report.  I have been telling people since then about how good the show was.  Now I am sharing it with my JohngysBeat.com audience.

There were four title matches and the title changed hands in two of them.  There was a "Chicago Street Fight" and an 8 man match.  Five wrestling legends, including Chavo Guerrero, Val Venis, Hardcore Bob Holly, Billy Gunn and Armando Estrada competed for the newly created POWW Superstar title.

After the matches, we chatted a bit with some of the POWW roster, including Threat Level Black (Mikey Wild and CJ Idol), Stonewall, Vinnie Riot, Warden Ortiz and Brawn the Lumberjack.  We even talked a bit to Sexy KC (but only to introduce him to Matt).  Every wrestler looked drained, but charged from putting on such a show in front of a huge crowd.

Applause goes to every performer, staffer and fan for making Wrestle Rage X one of the best shows I have seen all year.

After the night of matches, we got the first interview with Commissioner Bob Parrella.  The former ref talked about his career and his future plans for POWW.  We have been after Parrella for some time and to catch him on his big night was great!

We also had the pleasure of interviewing Louis Tufano, POWW's ring announcer.  Louis talked to us about his start at POWW, his action figure collection and more.  Louis is a class act and we wanted to talk longer, however the noise level due to the excited crowd forced us to keep it short.  We would love to revisit Louis and talk more about his career and his collection.

Finally, we would like to thank Jimmy Blaze, the main man at POWW.  Six months ago, I walked into POWW for the first time and Jimmy has been very accommodating ever since.  It has been a pleasure covering POWW and attending POWW events.  I encourage everyone to check them out at POWWEntertainment.com.  Despite the cash exchanging hands n the picture below, this is an unpaid endorsement.  Quite simply, we just love the product.

Jim Blaze and me at Wrestle Rage X in Melrose Park, IL-November 2012.

On the Beat with POWW Entertainment

A couple weeks ago, Scott Beatty and I attended another great POWW Wrestling show in Elk Grove (IL).  Before and after the night of wrestling, we got interviews with several members of the POWW roster.
Who better to be the first interview than Jimmy Blaze.  Blaze is a veteran wrestler who runs POWW.  Blaze has experienced success as a singles competitor and as part of Psychotic Rage with Mitch Blake.  After watching the interview, you can learn more about Blaze and get updates from the Jim Blaze Facebook page.

Blaze's partner in Psychotic Rage is Mitch Blake.  Blake is a ring veteran who has many stories to share.  We look forward to hearing some of those stories in the future.  For now, you can watch our introductory interview.  After that, head over to Mitch Blake's Facebook page to learn more about him and to get his updates.

I finally got to interview Nikki St. John one-on-one.  Nikki is the Queen of POWW and one of JohngysBeat.com's favorites.  In addition to her work in the ring, Nikki is a huge supporter of the Huntley Animal House, a no-kill shelter located in Huntley (IL).  After watching this interview, go to Nikki's Facebook page to follow her and also check out the Huntley Animal House.  The little animals deserve all the love they can get.

Stay tuned for more interviews from the POWW talent coming very soon.  The next POWW show is on July 21 at the Tinley Park (IL) Convention Center.  Special guests Hardcore Bob Holly will be wrestling Billy Gunn.  Johngy's Beat will be there to provide full coverage and get some new interviews, but you should check out the great action for yourself!

Psychotic Jimmy Blaze and Melancholic Johngy

About a month ago, Scott Beatty and I attended our first POWW (Purely Obsessed Wrestling World) show in Arlington Heights (IL).  I have to say I walked away much more impressed than I expected.
We had ringside seats, which in the small hall, meant we could almost touch the ring.  While these are great seats, sometimes being too close is not good, if the wrestling is a bit loose.  I don't want to see badly missed moves up close.
Fortunately, the wrestlers for POWW were very solid in the ring.  There weren't any badly missed spots, nor other things I wasn't supposed to see.  I was very happy with all of the action, top to bottom on the card.
My favorite match of the night though, had to be Melanie Cruise fighting Nikki St. John.  I had previously seen both ladies wrestle elsewhere, but never wrestle each other anywhere.  They worked very well together and really stole the show.
After the show, we met with Psychotic jimmy Blaze and discussed covering POWW in the future.  Well, the future is now and Johngy's Beat will be at the next POWW event this Saturday, June 9 in Arlington Heights (IL).  This promises to be an even better show.  Check back here for future coverage of POWW, including recaps, stories, pictures and interviews.

Jimmy Blaze and me in Arlington Heights, IL-May 2012.