Origins: Team Greatness Arrives On The Scene

August 2, 2001 - A man by the name of Rob Yublind appears at a show in Wartburg, Tennessee, managing a masked wrestler named Menace. Menace, once known as Kid Lightning, had donned the mask at Yublind's request. Not wanting his man to pander to the fans, Yublind repackaged the babyfaced Kid Lightning into the masked Menace and gave him a whole new attitude. Yublind, Menace, and Stu (Yublind's personal cameraman) formed Team Greatness, and the trio made their presence felt throughout the Southeastern United States. These are the events that are chronicled in the "Menace: Phase One - The Birth of Greatness" video.


Late in 2001, Team Greatness would later add Robbie Race as a member. The group would often feud with Kidd Krazzy (Loco), the longtime rival of Menace/Kid Lightning, as well as crowd favorite Dave "The Science" Pillman.

The Hostile Takeover

On December 1, 2001, Rob Yublind showed up at a Southeastern Championship Wrestling (SCW) show in Pineknot, Kentucky and informed promoter Gene Goodman that he had seized control of 51% of the company. Yublind's stable, Team Greatness, cut down the banners of SCW and proclaimed that SCW was dead and the promotion would now be known as Premier Wrestling Federation Mid-South. Yublind had cut a deal with Rob Dimension and Steve Corino, owners of the Premier Wrestling Federation based out of Pennsylvania, to establish an affiliate in the South. Yublind fired most of SCW's roster and vacated all the belts. A tournament was held that night to crown a new champion heavyweight champion, and Yublind stacked the odds in the favor of Team Greatness. However, in the final match of the tournament, Dave "The Science" Pillman defeated Menace inside of a steel cage to win the title despite interference from Rob Yublind.

Building A Legacy

Over the next few months, the best wrestlers from local Tennessee towns like Maryville, Johnson City and Lake City were offered tryouts at becoming part of the Mid-South roster. PWF Mid-South expanded to Tennessee. On December 13, 2001, Menace defeated Kidd Krazzy in Pottstown, Pennsylvania to become the first ever PWF Mid-South Junior Heavyweight Champion. The Death Row Inmates defeated Ryan and Brian Phoenix in the finals of a tag team tournament held on January 19, 2002. On that same night, Menace & Stu would spilt from Rob Yublind, thus ending the original Team Greatness that founded PWF Mid-South. By the end of the month, PWF had established its core roster and found a home: the Tri County Roll Arena in Oliver Springs, TN.

Yublind cleaned up his act and set his sights on forming a wrestling promotion that featured the best regional talent around. The skating arena in Oliver Springs became the homebase for PWF Mid-South to entertain the fans each month and grow into a significant force in the wrestling industry.

Co-Promoting and A New Set of Rules

Although affiliated with the PWF, PWF Mid-South was owned and operated completely independent from the other PWF federations. Mid-South had their own champions but also recognized the champions from PWF Universal and PWF Northeast, the other two factions of the Premier Wrestling Federation. PWF Mid-South also had its own set of rules: there were none. No disqualifications, no countouts, no B.S. PWF Mid-South wanted to give the fans clean, decisive finishes while telling compelling stories inside the ring.

In addition to co-promoting with the other PWF organizations, PWF Mid-South also co-promoted shows with the Georgia-based NWA Wildside and Combat Zone Wrestling in Philadelphia. These working relationships provided greater exposure for the Mid-South brand and more opportunities for its young and dedicated roster. As Yublind said, "The attitude of every one of the guys in our locker room is terrific...we tolerate nothing less."

"No 15-Minute Headlocks"

The PWF Mid-South motto was "No 15-minute headlocks," stemming from a common aspect of far too many Southern-based wrestling matches of the time period. The belief of the Mid-South locker room was that nobody wanted to pay to see a bunch of fat, old guys rolling around the ring for 15minutes, slapping headlocks on each other while some no-neck promoter tried to put himself over. PWF Mid-South strived to be the antithesis of this with a locker room full of guys who wanted to go out each night and give the fans the best show possible. PWF Mid-South had something for everyone: chain wrestling, high-flying, hardcore, or as Steve Corino called it, "Xtreme F'n Old School."

Timeline of Signifcant Events in PWF Mid-South History

• August 2, 2001: Menace debuts with Rob Yublind as his manager, defeating Kidd Krazzy in Wartburg, Tennessee. The match is taped by a young man who would later be known as stuCAM.


• November 10, 2001: Menace debuts in CZW, defeating Chri$ Ca$h and giving Trent Acid the Decapitator. Menace was booked to wrestle for PWF Universal that same week, but rightfully cancels to avoid jobbing to the Rockin' Rebel.


• December 1, 2001: SCW officially changed to PWF Mid-South in Pineknot, Kentucky when Rob Yublind buys out SCW promoter Gene Goodman's half of the company from his son. Dave Pillman becomes first ever heavyweight champion, winning a one-night 8-man tournament. He pins Menace in the final match, held inside of a steel cage.


• December 13, 2001: Menace defeats Kidd Krazzy in Pottstown, PA to become the first ever PWF Mid-South Junior Heavyweight champion.


• December 15, 2001: Menace wrestles for CZW's Cage of Death III at the former-ECW Arena in Pennsylvania in a losing effort to Johnny Kashmere.


• December 29, 2001: "Evolving Tour" - The Junior Heavyweight title is vacated when the third fall in a best of three falls match between Menace and Kidd Krazzy ends in a double pin, with two different referees counting each wrestler's shoulders down.


• January 5, 2002: PWF Mid-South debuts on Knoxville public access television and is almost instantly cancelled due to "mature" content.


• January 19, 2002: "Evolving Tour" - A one-night tag team title tournament is held and won by the Death Row Inmates. Kidd Krazzy wins the vacant Junior title in a ladder match. After showing good sportsmanship toward Krazzy following their match, Menace tells Rob Yublind that he doesn't work for him anymore. Yublind assaults Menace, only to receive the Decapitator. On the same show, Gene Goodman made his final appearance with PWF Mid-South, ending what was left of the SCW era once and for all. Robbie Race and Dave Pillman wrestle in a 2 out of 3 falls match won by Pillman. Tracey Smothers and Michael Shane wrestle a lackluster match. Rich Kavana receives a concussion from a belly-to-belly suplex.


• February 7, 2002: Robbie Race defeats Dave Pillman to become the 2nd heavyweight champion after hitting him with a glass light tube at "Bloodlust." After the match, the PWF Mid-South fans riot by throwing their chairs into the ring.


• February 11, 2002: "Atomic Chronic" Scotty Hanson begins writing "The Chronicle" for the PWF Mid-South website. His archived columns can be read here.


• February 18, 2002: Ray Vandal begins writing "Ring Ramblings" for the PWF Mid-South website. His archived columns can be read here.


• March 10, 2002: NWA Wildside wrestlers invade PWF Mid-South for "Burning Fury." The Phoenix Foundation win the tag team titles in a 3-way dance against The Lost Boys and Death Row Inmates. Shane Williams wins a retirement match against Rich Kavana. Due to the match quality and crowd attendance, the show is considered to be the best PWF Mid-South show of all time.


• March 17, 2002: Kidd Krazzy changes his name to Loco.


• April 1, 2002: For undisclosed personal reasons, Rob Yublind decides to take a break from running shows to restructure the promotion. PWF Mid-South is put on hiatus; the scheduled April 5th "Road To Glory" show, which was to feature Menace vs. Kid Kash in the main event, is subsequently cancelled.


• April 27, 2002: Menace, Loco and Jason Extreme compete in a 3-way dance for CZW in Pennsylvania. Menace pins both men in this elimination match, which was billed as a qualifying match for CZW's "Best of the Best 2." However, in typical CZW fashion, Menace is not booked for the show.


• June 15, 2002: "Convergence" - all three PWF brands are booked on a show in Rhode Island. Robbie Race is to defend his heavyweight title against Menace, but Menace and Rob Yublind decide not pull a no-show, much to the dismay of the promoters and fans. Conversely, Robbie Race and Loco made the trip (along with referee Squeaky Herman and stuCAM), with Race successfully defending his title against "Toxic" Tommy Knoxville. Loco, on the other hand, loses the Junior Heavyweight title to Tim Kilgore in what is considered to be one of the worst matches ever.


• June 16, 2002: stuCAM, who had been storyline writer and webmaster for PWF Mid-South, quits both jobs after the Rhode Island debacle. He relunctantly agrees to continue producing the company's home videos. Following Stu's departure, the PWF Mid-South website is never updated again.


• July 10, 2002: Loco suffers a serious back injury in a match against Robbie Race on another independent show, knocking him out of a PWF Mid-South title match the very next night.


• July 11, 2002: PWF Mid-South returns with "Endurance" in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Every title changes hands as Jason Extreme defeats Tim Kilgore for the junior strap, the Death Row Inmates defeat The Phoenix Foundation in an "I Quit" match for the tag straps, and Menace wins a 50-minute four-way elimination match against Robbie Race, Dave Pillman and Jason Extreme (replacing the injured Loco) to win the heavyweight title. Tim Kilgore's nose is broken when the Death Row Inmates "shoot" on him during his match with Extreme. The Phoenix Foundation splits up following their match.


• August 4, 2002: Ryan and Brian Phoenix face off at "Overload," with Brian scoring the pinfall. Dave Pillman suffers a career-ending leg injury at the hands of the Death Row Inmates. Loco returns and attacks Robbie Race. Race goes crazy and gives promoter Rob Yublind the Dead End through glass light tubes. Jason Extreme no-shows his match with J.P. Blunt.


• September 8, 2002: An embarrassing night of wrestling for Mid-South, as every match and angle from the "Meltdown" show is a complete disaster. The fans don't understand the nonsensical booking and constantly heckle the wrestlers, who seemingly had lost their fire and passion to wrestle. Loco returns to active competition in a match with J.P. Blunt. Shawn Shultz wins the vacant Junior Heavyweight title in a mini-tournament (after Jason Extreme no-shows yet again, forfeitting the strap), and Robbie Race defeats both Death Row Inmates to become the tag team champions (along with Thorn). Menace and Thorn wrestle a long, lackluster match, capped off by a humiliating promo by Menace claiming that he will do a "Menace-rooni" at the next show. Robbie Race legitimately breaks Willie B. Badd's neck with a chair shot, forcing Badd into early retirement. The one bright spot from the show: the arm-wrestling comedy match between Squeaky Herman and The Spur.


• September 9, 2002: The "Meltdown" show proves to be so bad, that promoter Rob Yublind officially quits PWF Mid-South and closes up shop, cancelling the forthcoming October show "Hell Night."


• June 14, 2003: Rob Yublind starts the Premier Wrestling Alliance (PWA) featuring many of the same wrestlers from PWF Mid-South. In his opening speech to the crowd, Yublind publicly apologizes for "Meltdown."

Title History

Heavyweight Title

1. Dave "The Science" Pillman - December 1, 2001: Pineknot, KY (defeats Menace in tournament finale)
2. Robbie Race - February 7, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN
3. Menace - July 11, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN

Junior Heavyweight Title

1. Menace - December 13, 2001: Pottstown, PA (defeats Loco to become first champion)
2. TITLE VACATED - December 29, 2001: Clinton, TN (title held up after double-pin in Menace/Loco match)
3. Loco - January 19, 2002: Whitley City, KY (wins ladder match vs. Menace for vacant title)
4. Tim Kilgore - June 15, 2002: Smithfield, RI
5. Jason Extreme - July 11, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN
6. Shawn Shultz - September 8, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN (wins mini-tournament after Jason Extreme is stripped of title)

Tag Team Titles

1. Death Row Inmates - January 19, 2002: Whitley City, KY (defeat Phoenix Foundation in tournament)
2. Phoenix Foundation - March 10, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN
3. Death Row Inmates - July 11, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN
4. Robbie Race & Thorn - September 8, 2002: Oliver Springs, TN