Journeyman Journal: Benefits, blowoffs, and bids farewell

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeremiah Plunkett writes a weekly column SlamWrestling.net, where he offers up stories of his travels in “Journeyman Journals with Jeremiah.”

Journal Entry 12/24/2024

Welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of Journeyman Journals! Season’s greetings to you all! I hope this week’s entry finds you celebrating with friends, family, and a little holiday cheer.

This week’s journey kept us close to home but was no less meaningful. On Friday, I made my way to the Gladeville Community Center for a special Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA) event: the Heath Hensley Benefit Show. This event was promoted by Heath’s brother and sister-in-law, Honcho Hensley and Brittany Garcia, both graduates of the Tried-N-True Academy.

A crowd shot of the Heath Hensley Benefit Show. Photo by Honcho Hensley

Heath, a lifelong wrestling fan, was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this past August. He’s currently undergoing chemotherapy, which has made working and supporting himself financially impossible. Honcho and Brittany organized this event to help cover Heath’s medical and personal expenses. So when Honcho reached out to ask if I’d be a part of it, I didn’t think twice—I was all in.

What was set to be a night of wrestling for a good cause turned into a night full of laughs and fellowship. The locker room was packed with familiar faces like Crazzy Steve, Chris Norte, Chris Michaels, Honcho, Jacob Escobar, and others, cutting up and cracking jokes all night.

The evolution of Grease Monkey Red.

For this event, I had the night off from defending the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship. Instead, I was booked in tag team action, teaming with “The Indiana Werewolf” Dustin Wolf to take on “The Kentucky Blueblood” Justin Savage and Grease Monkey Red.

Dustin Wolf and Grease Monkey Red are both products of the Tried-N-True Academy. Red joined us fresh out of high school, following a successful amateur wrestling career. He was always a hard worker, but like many young wrestlers, it took some time for him to find his identity. I think he may have found it with the Grease Monkey persona, and I’m curious to see where the wrench and shop rag take him.

The evolution of the Indiana Werewolf Dustin Wolf.

Dustin’s story is particularly special. As someone on the autism spectrum, he presented a new challenge for us coaches. We were very open and honest with Dustin and his family about the realities of his journey in wrestling. But through Dustin’s incredible work ethic and dedication, he has far exceeded expectations. On Friday night, Dustin proudly told me this was his 80th match and his 11th promotion. Dustin is truly a success story, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

The Heath Hensley Benefit Show was a resounding success. Every available chair was filled, and a significant amount of money was raised to support Heath. I want to wish Heath strength in his fight against cancer, and I hope our efforts eased his burdens, even just a little. If you’d like to help, I’ve linked Heath’s GoFundMe below—every donation counts.

A crowd shot from the crow’s nest of Morrison Mayhem VI. Photo by Kevin Martin

On Saturday, I made my way to the Tri-Star Sportatorium in Morrison, for Tennessee All-Pro Wrestling’s (TAPW) Morrison Mayhem VI. TAPW has been building toward this event for months, and the card had something for everyone:

A Barbed Wire Mayhem Triple Threat for the Southern Heavyweight Championship
A Ladder Match for the Heritage Championship
A Six-Man Scramble to crown the inaugural Fighting Spirit Championship
A Double Dog Collar Match for the Tag Team Championships
A Three Stages of Hell Match
A Last Man Standing Match

Amidst the chaos, I defended the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship in a traditional singles match against “The New Era” TéVon Jordyn.

“The New Era” TéVon Jordyn. Photo by Anna Long

TéVon is a promising young wrestler I first met during my time coaching at the FXE Academy in Hendersonville, Tennessee. When TéVon branched out, he found himself under the wing of one of my mentors, Shane Morton. Readers of last week’s entry will know how highly I regard Shane and his family. Shane’s stamp of approval led me to keep an eye on TéVon, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Athletic, humble, coachable, and grounded, TéVon is a great human being and a natural babyface—just a good dude whose goodness radiates to the audience. Of course, that makes my job all the more enjoyable when I’m in control, dishing out punishment. TéVon put up a valiant fight and gave the Morrison crowd a show to remember. While he should hold his head high, sometimes it only takes one good punch to turn out the lights. And when the lights go out, Miss Teeny comes home with me.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to acknowledge another happening from Saturday night. I’d like to congratulate Larry Cartwright—known to us as “The Sharp Dressed Man” Lawrence—on an incredible 35-year career in professional wrestling. Hanging up the boots (and the tie) after three and a half decades is no small feat, and Lawrence is doing it on his own terms, the way we all hope to.

Lawrence played an instrumental role in my journey. He was my first real dance partner in the Columbia Wrestling Alliance, and believe me, he led the way. When the booker changed, Lawrence vouched for a young, green kid who barely knew what he was doing and convinced Hot Rod Biggs to give me a shot. That opportunity changed everything, and it put me on the path to learning from some of the best veterans in the business.

Years later, Lawrence was the booker during some of the wildest, most fun times I ever had in All Star Wrestling. He had an endless supply of ideas and an unmatched understanding of what the people of Lewisburg wanted to see. And he always delivered. We picked up our rivalry in ASW, and we had an absolute blast doing it. No matter how much he joked about taking it easy, Lawrence never took a night off in the ring. He gave 100% every time, and working with him was always an adventure.

To this day, Lawrence remains the only man I’ve ever had a deathmatch with—and probably ever will. It’s a memory I’ll carry with me forever, like so many others we shared.

Now, while I’m beyond happy to see him go out on his own terms, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t selfishly wish we could’ve locked up one more time. Lawrence’s retirement isn’t just the end of a chapter—it’s a huge loss for the Tennessee independent wrestling scene.

Larry, congratulations on 35 years of passion, dedication, and excellence in this sport. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, for what you’ve given to wrestling, and most of all, for your friendship. I hope to still see you around, because even out of the ring, your presence in a locker room makes every show better.

Here’s to you, Larry. Your years of being “Strictly Business” may be behind you, but ahead of you are plenty of well-earned Casual Fridays.

Jeremiah Plunkett's cat Duke does not want him to leave the house.

Duke not wanting me to leave the house.

While my night in Morrison was my last event before Christmas, it won’t be the last before the end of the year. These next few days will be filled with family, friends, food, and frivolity, but before 2024 comes to an end, I’ll be heading to Louisiana for Bayou Independent Wrestling (BIW).

Until then, as one Christmas classic famously says: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!”

RELATED LINKS