King of Maryland Raises the bar for ACW

by James Noland

If you missed the 2nd Annual King of Maryland Tournament last night, you missed ACW continuing to do what we do best and that is tear down the house. If you have visited adrenalinewrestling.com over the past several months, you have probably heard us speak of the many changes that have taken place over the last year. The biggest of all of those changes is that despite the heavy competition in the area and despite the increased schedule of shows over the past year, ACW has continued to raise the bar at every single event. On top of that, the talent continues to surprise us month after month. Take last night for example.

Prodigy dominated the King of Maryland Tournament. Everyone knew he had the talent to do so, but many thought his uncontrollable personality would cost him in the long run. Last night, a focused and determined Prodigy showed up and let everyone know who the most dominant athlete in ACW was. Although Skull took the man to his limit last night, Prodigy prevailed to take the crown and in a surprising display of sportsmanship, shook Skull's hand in a show of respect to end the show. It has been said over the past few months that if Prodigy stays focused, he could be ACW Champion by years end. If last night was any indication, that prediction may very well be true.

As dominant as Prodigy was, the most surprising participant in the King of Maryland Tournament had to be Louis G Rich. The charter member of Andy Vineberg's Winners not only defeated one of the biggest stars in the history of Maryland wrestling in Ruckus, but may very well have had the Match of the Night against Skull in the King of Maryland Semi-finals. Could Andy Vineberg's guidance lead this up and comer to championship? Before yesterday, I had my doubts. Those doubts are long gone.

Speaking of surprising performances, what about the miniBOSS Diaz? Before running into the brick wall that was Prodigy in the 2nd round, ACW's resident Lucha Libre specialist defeated not one, but TWO opponents in the first round. Technically, he defeated the same amount of opponents as the King of Maryland finalists defeated to reach the finals. This is more than likely a fact that ACW officials (Commissioner Ratick in particular) will be hearing about for the next two months to justify more opportunities for himself. As annoying as it will be, it will be justified this time.

Skull continued to do what he does best, surprise us with every aerial maneuver he executes and outperform everyone in the tournament. Had the man in across the ring from The Unholy Enigma in the finals been someone else other than Prodigy, we may have had a back to back tournament winner. Ive said it once and ill say it again, I would not be surprised at all if Skull won the ACW Championship in the near future.

Whats the biggest surprise you ask? The fact that the two biggest stars in the tournament (Christian York and Ruckus) did not advance past the first round. Two men with world-class resumes and have traveled the world over did not win a match last night. Think about that for a moment. The two competitors that have tested their abilities against the best in the world did not earn a victory in the tournament. What could that mean? It could mean that York and Ruckus may have had an off night. It can and does happen. It could mean that that the young up and comers involved in this tournament may have simply had a lucky night. After all, on any given night, anybody can beat anybody. Or maybe it means that the future of Maryland wrestling is right here in Adrenaline Championship Wrestling. With ACW ready to go "Big Time" with Chaos in Carroll County II coming up on May 17th, the future could not have arrived at a more perfect time.