The Wrestling Revolver returned to Dayton Oct. 2 with “Tales from the Ring IX,” an eight-match card at the Calumet Center featuring championship bouts, a coffin match and a scaffold main event. For many wrestlers and staff, the night also felt personal, with Ohio serving as a home base for several people on the show.
Revolver World Champion Damian Chambers retained his title against Mance Warner in a no-disqualification match. Born and raised in Columbus, Chambers called Ohio “my home,” as well as referring to the people as “my people, even though they don't always appreciate me as much.” He mentioned how working his way up in Revolver made becoming champion even more meaningful. When asked if he had any advice for fellow Ohioans, he simply said, “When you think you’re doing enough work, do more.”
Gringo Loco also left Dayton with gold, winning the Revolver 24/7 Scramble Championship. He praised Dayton’s passionate wrestling fans and said Revolver’s production, talent and wrestling make it feel like more than a typical independent promotion. “It is a professional wrestling company to the highest extent,” he said.
Ohio pride continued with Alpha Sigma Sigma’s KC Jacobs and Dick Meyers, with Jacobs saying how being born and raised in Ohio makes wrestling for the local crowd feel different, while Meyers compared the state’s wrestling passion to its devotion to Ohio’s sports teams. Their advice to students was simple: If you have a dream, start pursuing it.
Alex Colon defeated Krule in a coffin match and praised the Midwest crowd for appreciating multiple styles of wrestling. “This crowd doesn’t just appreciate one style; they appreciate all styles,” Colon said.
Juni Underwood teamed with Ace Austin in a losing effort against Lio Rush and Charles Crowley, but Underwood said simply getting to Revolver represented the work he had already put into wrestling. “You don’t get here just by being a wrestler,” Underwood said, “You've got to work really hard, and you’ve got to hone your craft.” He encouraged students to decide what they want and not allow fear or outside opinions to pull them away from it.
For Ace Austin, Ohio and Revolver are closely connected. Austin said he moved to the state in 2017 and local fans have watched him develop from the early stages of his career, while also saying how, despite having wrestled all over the world, “Ohio has a very special place in my heart,” and, “No matter how far I go in wrestling, I always try to come back home.”
Behind the scenes, Phil Stamper said the Dayton audience’s energy helps drive the show. He described Revolver as the culmination of years of work from people trying to create the type of wrestling they wanted to see, and something that “brings that energy and excitement that fans would really want to get into.”
The show marked another milestone for wrestling creator Connor Thornton. After 10 years of creating content, Thornton made his commentary debut and credited Revolver for being receptive to online creators and giving him the opportunity to live out a dream.
Crash described Ohio as a second home after growing up in Kentucky. After his college football career did not end the way he wanted, he began wrestling training and eventually moved to Ohio, calling it “the best decision of my entire life.” His advice was to commit fully, saying people cannot chase something important with “one foot in, one foot out.”
BDE also credited Revolver with giving him an opportunity when others may not have taken a wrestling YouTuber seriously. He thanked Sami Callihan and Austin for believing in his abilities inside the ring. “If I could do it, then you can do it,” BDE said, “I was not supposed to make it at all…the cards were not stacked up that way. But I believed in myself and my abilities, and I just made it happen.”
The night closed with OI4K retaining the Revolver World Tag Team Championships in a scaffold warfare match, with Dezmond Xavier making a surprise appearance to help his fellow Ohio brethren. Zachary Wentz, his tag team partner, called Revolver “home,” while Xavier said returning to perform in his Dayton backyard carries special meaning.
Their final message matched a theme heard throughout the locker room. Wentz told students that following a dream only works if they are willing to put in the work, while Xavier urged them to bet on themselves, as “nothing is guaranteed,” and “if you have the proper makeup for it, you'll be all right.” At “Tales from the Ring IX,” ambition mattered, but effort was what gave it a chance to become real.
