Memorial Day Mayhem – The E-Wrestling Archive

Memorial Day Mayhem is a professional wrestling supercard held at the end of May since 2008 and promoted by the American Wrestling Alliance.

Upon the launch of the AWA in March of 2008, the ownership group decided to promote major events in conjunction with major American holidays in an attempt to maximize their audience at both the arena live as well as on television. The first of these events promoted was Memorial Day Mayhem. The event has gone on to be an annual event for the AWA and is typically considered their second biggest event of the year only behind November’s SuperClash.

The first Memorial Day Mayhem was held on May 24th, 2008, and was held in the Ft. Worth Convention Center in Ft. Worth, Texas. The event was broadcast on the WKIK cable network as were most of the AWA’s early events and hosted a sell-out crowd of just over 10,000 fans.

Memorial Day Mayhem (2008)	May 24th, 2008	Ft. Worth Convention Center	Ft. Worth, Texas
Memorial Day Mayhem (2009)	May 25th, 2009	Arena Theatre	Houston, Texas
Memorial Day Mayhem (2010)	May 31st, 2010	Arena Theatre	Houston, Texas
Memorial Day Mayhem (2011)	May 30th, 2011	Reynolds Center	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Memorial Day Mayhem (2012)	May 28th, 2012	Harper Stadium	Fort Smith, Arkansas
Memorial Day Mayhem (2013)	May 27th, 2013	USS Lexington	Corpus Christi, Texas
Memorial Day Mayhem (2014)	May 26th, 2014	The O’Dome	Gainesville, Florida
Memorial Day Mayhem (2015)	May 25th, 2015	The Cajundome	Lafayette, Louisiana
Memorial Day Mayhem (2016)	May 30th, 2016	Key Arena	Seattle, Washington
Memorial Day Mayhem (2017)	May 29th, 2017	Allstate Arena	Chicago, Illinois

The first Memorial Day Mayhem featured an eight man tournament to determine the very first AWA titleholder – the AWA National Champion among other matches:

Werewolf Gregorson and Despair defeated The Russians (Kolya Sudakov and Vladimir Velikov) in 18:07 by disqualification when Velikov hit Despair with a Russian Chain
First Round National Title Tournament Match: Tumaffi defeated “Ragin’ Rebel” Ricky Royal in 8:47 by pinfall following his Polynesian Burial splash
First Round National Title Tournament Match: Mark Shaw bested Kenta Kitzukawa in 6:42 by pinball after a Backdrop Driver
First Round National Title Tournament Match: “Showtime” Rick Marley pinned City Jack at 12:15 after countering a suplex into a Rewrite DDT (with Calisto Dufresne holding Jack’s ankle on the outside)
First Round National Title Tournament Match: Marcus Broussard narrowly defeated Ron Houston with a crucifix pin at 14:59 of a fifteen minute time limit
In tag team action, Kentucky’s Pride (City Jack and Tin Can Rust) defeated Calisto Dufresne and “Stevie Scott” (an impostor pretending to be Scott) after hitting Dark And Bloody Ground
Semifinal National Title Tournament Match: Mark Shaw defeated Tumaffi by countout in 10:10
Marcus Broussard received a bye to the tournament Finals after Rick Marley suffered a throat injury during a post-match fracas after Kentucky Pride’s victory earlier
Kevin Slater and Luke Steele defeated The Masked Menace and Spyder LZ after a Real Steele Press at 9:54
In the National Title Tournament Finals, Marcus Broussard became the first AWA National Champion after defeating Mark Shaw in 28:06 with a rolling reverse cradle into an exposed turnbuckle

The second Memorial Day Mayhem was held on May 25th, 2009 and originated from the Arena Theatre in Houston, Texas where just under 3,000 fans jammed into the smaller venue for the sequel to the AWA’s kickoff to summer. The show would feature a 30 man Memorial Day Rumble – with the winner receiving a title shot on July 4th – along with several other matches:

The Bishop Boys and Rough N’ Ready (Dave Cooper and Eric Matthew Somers) battled to a no contest
AWA National Title Match: Kolya Sudakov [c] defeated The Cuban Assassin #6 in mere seconds with a Russian Sickle
Raphael Rhodes defeated Juan Vasquez via disqualification when Vasquez used a steel chair to shield himself from Rhodes’ diving headbutt
In the AWA’s second annual Rumble match, “Hotshot” Stevie Scott was the winner, using his Heatseeker superkick to knock Ron Houston (who had Adam Rogers on his shoulders) off the apron and to the floor for the final eliminations. With his victory, Scott became the #1 contender to Sudakov’s National Title and earned a title match on the 4th of July.

The third annual Memorial Day Mayhem returned to the Arena Theatre in Houston, Texas for another year at the historic venue. It was again a sold out crowd of just under 3,000 fans jammed into the building to witness yet another 30 man Rumble plus much, much more:

Calisto Dufresne defeated Soup Bone Samson with the Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma’am lifting DDT
In a tag team Elimination Match, the Ghost Dancers (Jason and Michael Keening) defeated Simon and Raphael Rhodes. Michael Keening was eliminated by a Raphael Rhodes German Suplex. Jason Keening pinned Simon Rhodes after a power slam and then forced Raphael Rhodes to submit to a STF to claim victory for he and his brother.
The scheduled match between the Rockstar Express and the Blonde Bombers never happened after the Bombers attacked the Rockstars in the aisle during their entrance
In a Falls Count Anywhere match, James Monosso defeated Eric Preston following a Giant Swing into the side of the wooden entrance stage
Kevin Slater and Shane Taylor defeated Bobby Taylor and Brent Maverick when Slater used the loaded Black Beauty glove on the Outlaw to get the pin
With fifty thousand dollars of the challenger’s money up against the AWA National Title, “Hotshot” Stevie Scott [c] bested former friend Sweet Daddy Williams by referee stoppage when Williams lost consciousness in Scott’s figure four leglock
Raphael Rhodes won the annual Memorial Day Rumble by countering a running knee attempt by Juan Vasquez into a Rhodes headbutt that sent Vasquez to the floor

The fourth edition of the kickoff to summer for the AWA moved out of the AWA’s “home base” of Texas to nearby Tulsa, Oklahoma – the first Memorial Day Mayhem “on the road.” It would again feature the annual Memorial Day Rumble in front of over 8,000 fans in this college basketball arena.

In a National Tag Team Titles Number One Contender’s Match, Violence Unlimited (Danny Morton and Jackson Haynes) defeated The First Family (Adam and Brother Cain) when Morton used a Death Valley Driver on Cain to score the pin
Longhorn Heritage Title Match: Nenshou [c] used his poison mist to blind and defeat challenger Sweet Daddy Williams
Supernova defeated Sultan Azam Sharif by disqualification following outside interference
National Tag Team Title Match: Rough N’ Ready [c] defeated the Rockstar Express after outside interference by manager Joe Petrow
In a match with special guest ring announcer Ken Graham, special guest timekeeper Cameron O’Connor, and special guest referee Max “Moldy” Meekly, Mark Langseth (with manager Joe Petrow) bested Alex Martinez after delivering his No Sweat neckbreaker on top of a steel chair
National Title Match: Juan Vasquez [c] used his dreaded Right Cross to knock down City Jack and get the pin in what was billed as Jack’s “retirement match,” retaining his championship
Supernova slingshot Sultan Azam Sharif over the ropes to the floor to win the Memorial Day Rumble and earn himself a future shot at the AWA National Title

2012 saw the fifth edition of Memorial Day Mayhem as the AWA again ventured outside of their home state to present the kickoff to summer in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Following the controversial events known as the Westwego Incident, the National Title has been exiled from the AWA and the quest to crown the first AWA World Champion is underway in a massive 64 man tournament starting on this night with over eight thousand fans on hand in this rodeo arena.

AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Bumble Bee bested his Hive partner Yellow Jacket with his moonsault double knee drop known as The Bee’s Knees
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: BC Da Mastah MC pinned Dustin Dreamer following his Turntable top rope splash
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Travis Lynch used the Discus Punch to floor and defeat Bruno Verhoeven
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Nenshou forced a submission out of MISTER Oliver Strickland with the Nenshou Lock to advance in the tournament
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match AND Longhorn Heritage Title Match: Glenn Hudson defeated Rex Summers [c] with his No Hard Feelings tornado DDT to advance in the tournament AND win the Longhorn Heritage Title
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match: Jackson Haynes defeated Duane Henry Bishop by disqualification after Cletus Lee Bishop interfered
The No Disqualifications Match between Juan Vasquez and Ebola Zaire was thrown out when Zaire badly bloodied the arm of Vasquez with his signature fork
National Tag Team Title Match: The Bishop Boys defeated Jack and James Lynch [c] with Doc Allan’s Miracle Headache Elixir to capture the tag team titles for the second time
AWA World Title Tournament First Round Match – I Quit Rules – Loser Leaves Town: “Hotshot” Stevie Scott defeated Marcus Broussard after delivering a piledriver. The San Jose Shark gave up to avoid Scott spiking him with a second.

The 2013 Memorial Day Mayhem returned to Texas but at a very unusual venue – the deck of the USS Lexington docked in Corpus Christi. A pro wrestling event staged on a floating World War II battle carrier is not your usual setup but the AWA brought their usual level of competition to this most unusual battleground.

The Ring Workers (Aaron Anderson and Lenny Strong) defeated The Hive with the aid of some timely interference from The Rave
Robert Donovan got himself disqualified by using a low blow on Travis Lynch to escape Travis’ version of the Iron Claw
Loser Leaves Town with the Steal The Spotlight contract at stake: Skywalker Jones pinned November after a top rope brainbuster to capture the STS contract and send November into exile
Six Man Tag Team Match: Juan Vasquez, Luke Kinsey, and “Hotshot” Stevie Scott bested the Unholy Alliance trio of Rick Marley, Johnny Dotson, and Nenshou when Scott pinned Nenshou with a rollup
Winner Takes All: Dave Cooper got himself intentionally disqualified by hitting Sultan Azam Sharif with his own boot. After the match, Cooper would reveal he threw the match so as not to bring Mark Langseth back to the AWA
Unified World Tag Team Title Match: The Blonde Bombers (Kenny Stanton and Brad Jacobs) defeated the Bishop Boys to unify the AWA World and National Tag Team Titles
Terry Shane III upended Stevie Scott and Eric Preston in the final elimination of this year’s Rumble match
World Title Match under Falls Count Anywhere Rules: Calisto Dufresne used a steel chair to smash the skull of James Monosso [c] to win the World Title

In 2014, the AWA ventured to the East Coast, landing in the O’Dome in Gainesville, Florida in front of over 12,000 fans for the seventh edition of Memorial Day Mayhem.

In the first ever Mayhem Match – a match with five on five rules, first fall wins, but going to the floor is the same as a tag – the team of TORA, Mark Hoefner, Chris Choisnet, Lenny Strong, and Hercules Hammonds battled Skywalker Jones, Cody Mertz, Brian James, Travis Lynch, and Florida’s own Scotty Mayhem. In the end, Brian James scored the victory just months off his debut to win a future World Television Title shot.
Tony Sunn defeated Ricky Lane with an impressive power bomb of the big man
Nenshou defeated Gibson Hayes with the Moonsault
Heaven And Hell Scaffold Match: Shadoe Rage survived this uber-dangerous battle, sending Donnie White falling 25 feet to the canvas and defeat
Hannibal Carver and William Craven defeated Johnny Detson and Rick Marley in tag team action
Open Challenge: Callum Mahoney submitted local competitor Gary Stephens with the Cross Armbreaker
Trios Match: In their debut, The Dogs of War defeated Bobby O’Connor, Eric Preston, and Ryan Martinez when Walker pinned O’Connor
Demetrius Lake pinned Jack Lynch with his top rope splash
No Disqualification with Steve Spector’s career at stake: Terry Shane III defeated Steve Spector by referee stoppage to send the former World Champion into retirement
Loser Leaves Town for six months: Juan Vasquez forced Dave Cooper to submit to the Assassin’s Spike
AWA World Title: Dave Bryant regained the World Title from Supreme Wright by submission in Sudden Death Overtime after the sixty minute time limit had expired. However, it would later be discovered that Wright never gave up and referee Marty Meekly was acting under direction from the Wise Men in an incident known as the Gainesville Gyp.

The eighth edition of Memorial Day Mayhem stuck to the AWA’s Southern roots at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. Some of the AWA’s biggest moments and matches ever have taken place down on the Bayou and this show was no exception.

Three Way Winner Takes All Ladder Match for the AWA World Tag Team Titles and Tiger Paw Pro Global Tag Crown Titles: The Lights Out Express defeated Air Strike and the War Pigs to become Double Champions
KING Oni bested Derrick Williams with an impactful splash
Two Out Of Three Falls: Hamilton Graham faced off with Dave Bryant in this one with Graham winning the first fall by rope-assisted pinfall, Bryant winning the second fall by submission to the Iron Crab, and the Doctor of Love winning the third and deciding fall after hitting his Call Me In The Morning superkick
This year’s MDM featured the return of the Mayhem Match under very different rules as this version is a ten man gauntlet match with no participants announced in advance with the winner receiving a mystery prize on the next Saturday Night Wrestling. The order of entry was Sweet Daddy Williams, Ultra Commando 3, Dirt Dog Unique Allah, El Caliente, Skywalker Jones, Casanova, Rene Rousseau, Juan Vasquez, Isaiah Carpenter, and Scotty Mayhem. Vasquez picked up the win, pinning Mayhem with a counter to a superplex.
First Round Stampede Cup Match: The Wilde Bunch defeated Dichotomy when Cousin Buddy pinned Mark Hoefner with a sit-down splash
World Television Title Match (with a special 15 minute time limit): Shadoe Rage [c] battled Supernova to a time limit draw
The Gladiator bested Frankie Farelli with a spear tackle
Exhibition Match: Kraken defeated Rufus Harris by disqualification after an illegal strike to the head
Steel Cage Match: Johnny Detson defeated Hannibal Carver after outside interference by “Maniac” Morgan Dane
National Title Match: Rob Driscoll [c] retained the title over Travis Lynch when referee Ricky Longfellow stopped the match due to excessive blood loss on the part of Lynch
First Round Stampede Cup Match: The TexMo Connection (Jack Lynch and Bobby O’Connor) went over Team Supreme (Supreme Wright and Cain Jackson) when Lynch pinned Wright following a lariat
Unsanctioned Non-Title Match: Ryan Martinez beat Caleb Temple with the brainbuster after one of the most violent and hardcore matches in AWA history

For the first time, the AWA heads North for Memorial Day Mayhem in 2016 – all the way up to the Pacific Northwest for The Biggest Stage Of The Summer.

For the Steal The Spotlight Contract: The Gladiator defeated Rex Summers and revealed he’d be cashing in the contract on World Champion Johnny Detson later in the evening
Melissa Cannon and Julie Somers bested The Serpentines when Somers pinned Copperhead after delivering her signature Moonsault
World Television Title: Supernova [c] pinned Shadoe Rage following an inverted DDT
Jordan Ohara went over Larry Wallace with Dave Bryant and Hamilton Graham in their respective corners after Ohara delivered the Phoenix Flame splash for the three count
In her AWA debut, Ayako Fujiwara defeated Charisma Knight with the Kanpekina
Russian Chain Match: Maxim Zharkov caused Kolya Sudakov to pass out in the Gorynch, forcing the official to stop the match
In a massive 42 man Open Invite Battle Royal, Supreme Wright eliminated Torin The Titan to claim victory winning a spot in the Battle of Boston tournament and the right to captain a team in Steal The Spotlight later in the year
World Title Match: Johnny Detson [c] pinned The Gladiator with the Wilde Driver after outside interference from Rex Summers
In his AWA debut, Mason defeated Nelson Cruz
Winner Takes All for both the AWA World Tag Team and AWA National Titles: The Lynch Brothers (Jack and Travis) win the gold from Wes Taylor and Tony Donovan after a botched interference by Shane Taylor
Unsanctioned Match: Juan Vasquez defeated Alex Martinez in a bloody and violent battle with the Right Cross

For the 10th edition of Memorial Day Mayhem, the AWA again brought the big event to a new area as AWA President Javier Castillo swerved the fans of Texas and brought the kickoff to summer to the Allstate Arena in Chicago in front of thousands of fans.

30 For 30 Challenge – the #30 spot in the Rumble vs Loser Leaves for 30 Days: Michael Aarons defeated former partner Cody Mertz after some timely interference by the Wallace twins and Aarons’ new move – the Shattershot
Ayako Fujiwara pinned Madame X with an inside cradle, pulling MX’s mask off in the process to reveal the debuting Laura Davis
Max Magnum defeated Calisto Dufresne with the Bombshell
Ring of Iron: Shadoe Rage defeated Jackson Haynes with a flying elbow off the roof of a bus
Victoria June and Julie Somers bested Cinder and Ricki Toughill when June pinned Toughill
Memorial Day Rumble: The Masked Outlaw used an Outlaw’s Curse suplex on Kerry Kendrick for the final elimination to win
Women’s World Title: Kurayami [c] defeated Medusa Rage with a body-crushing moonsault
World Tag Team Titles (countout or DQ for the champs will see a title change) with John Law as Special Guest Enforcer: Next Gen won the titles from System Shock when Somers pinned Williams after a double team slingshot splash
Tower of Doom: Team Korugun (King Kong Hogan, the Dogs of War, and “Supernova”) defeated Team AWA (Ryan Martinez, Hannibal Carver, Supreme Wright, Jeff Matthews, and Wes Taylor)
World Title Match: Johnny Detson [c] defeated Jack Lynch after interference from James Lynch