9 Mile Garden Gets Epic
Pro Wrestling Epic lived up to their moniker on October 10th when they presented ‘Gateway To The Chase’ at 9 Mile Garden (9445 Gravois Rd.) in Affton as the lead-off for their huge upcoming ‘Wrestling at The Chase’ event in March.
It was an evening of beginnings for both the family-friendly promotion and the location, as the Illinois-based PWE made their standalone Missouri debut with a television-quality production that was also the food truck garden’s first foray into pro wrestling. Though it was a new experience in front of the curtain, it had familiar faces behind the scenes.
“PWE has run 2 shows at Pop’s (Night Club in Sauget, Illinois) now,” says promoter, owner, wrestler, and all-around driving force Lenny Mephisto, “and the guys who run Pop’s also run 9 Mile Garden.” That familiarity brought on new ideas, so “we went and took a tour of the building, we liked it, then we made a deal to have shows there, too.”
Judging by the attending crowd’s response, it was a good deal for all involved. Broadcast live on IWTV and hosted by local musical impresario Googz from Pancake Productions along with perennial MCM favorite Ben Simon, the five-match card was headlined by a steel cage match for the PWE Heavyweight Championship and a 15-Man Gateway Rumble for a championship opportunity at the Chase Park Plaza. Respective winners, Benjamin ‘The Jet’ Trust and Lenny Mephisto, are now set to face off at what the company is billing as the biggest show in their history.
“When I started running wrestling shows, my goal was always to change the scene in my area,” declares Mephisto. “We intend to do that, so we are running the Chase Park Plaza on March 6th, 2027. If you’re from St. Louis, you know what ‘Wrestling at The Chase’ is.”
From 1959 to 1983, for over 1100 episodes, the St. Louis Wrestling Club, promoted by NWA President Sam Muchnick, recorded ‘Wrestling at The Chase’ from the Chase Park Plaza to be broadcast on KPLR 11. During its run, only the news and the St. Louis Cardinals were more popular on TV, and the tapings were a hot ticket every Saturday night. Mephisto hopes to recreate that magic for one more Saturday in March.
“It’s the first time ever that a wrestling company from the St. Louis/Southern Illinois area has run a wrestling show at the Chase that the public can purchase tickets to since ‘Wrestling at The Chase’ ended,” asserts Mephisto. “We’re doing it. This is professional wrestling the way it’s supposed to be.”
Find out for yourself about Mephisto’s big plans and get tickets for ‘Wrestling at The Chase’ while you can at https://pw-epic.com . Follow them on all social media platforms and YouTube by searching @PWEPIC.
Action photos courtesy of Mike Schoen Photography. See more of his excellent work @mschoen67 on Instagram or https://michaelschoenphotography.smugmug.com/. Thanks Mike, we appreciate you!
Building and ringside photos by author https://www.instagram.com/sonicgallerystl
