CYNTHIANA, Ky. — When Legendary Larry D hosted his retirement show in November 2023 at the City Hall Gym in Cynthiana, Kentucky, one of his special guests brought the crowd to their feet in a fiery promo. Shane Douglas, the ECW legend, delivered one of his signature rants against all things sports entertainment before proclaiming that what happened in that gym, on that night, was the definition of professional wrestling.
Over the last year, I’ve become friends with Larry D. I’ve watched him train new students, rebuild a life for his family in the wake of a house fire, mourn the death of his mother, and – surprise surprise! – quietly un-retire from professional wrestling. But it took until Friday night, February 7, for me to finally make my way back to Cynthiana for another helping of Generation Next Pro Wrestling.
Boy, have I been missing out.
The Generational Invitational Tournament, held on that rainy night, featured eight wrestlers, including Larry D himself. Some competitors are students of Legends Pro Wrestling Academy, presided over by Larry D and Maxx Sledd. Some are long time veterans. If you walked into this show cold, you’d be hard pressed to determine who is who.
The night began with four quarterfinal matches. Jake Omen, the world traveler from Indianapolis, kicked things off with TNA’s Caleb Konley. What would be a main event on some cards set the tone for a night of old fashioned rasslin’ with hard knocks, true blue babyfaces, and vicious heels. Owens played the villain here and riled up the crowd with his victory.
Gaston LaRue took the heel mantle next and did so with great aplomb. You won’t find many young wrestlers today with the guts to call a female fan a fat cow, but LaRue had no trouble with the assignment. After losing to fan favorite Kellin Craven in a terrific match, LaRue gamely took his comeuppance from the wronged party, walking her way so she could fire the parting insult.
It seems like only yesterday that that Corey Calhoun was a sixteen year old, natural babyface earning his spot at The Arena in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Now he’s a world traveler and an old fashioned heel the fans love to hate. Casey King offered a stark contrast to Calhoun, hugging the fans and a very surprised ring announcer Aaron Rose.
King is from Ashland, Kentucky, a former pupil of the legendary Bobby Blaze. “You can see Bobby Blaze in his arm drag,” said commentator Nick Maniwa. Alas this was not King’s night, and Calhoun taunted the haters after the win.
The first round ended with a hoss battle between Cincinnati’s Lord Crewe and Larry D, another match that would be a main event on any other card. A sit down powerbomb from Larry to Crewe shook the ring violently, and Crewe put up a hell of a fight. Larry D came out the winner, but this time, the gladiators shook hands after the bell.
A spirited contest between Gen Next Women’s Champion Stevie Ash and Paige Jones followed the first intermission. Ash got the better of Paige, who also happens to be Larry D’s wife, but you have to think her championship moment is coming. Technically speaking, Paige is one of the “kids” from Legends, still in the early stages of her career, and the fans adore her.
The tournament resumed with Jake Omen facing Kellin Craven in the semi-finals. Craven is a Legends product and hugely popular with the Cynthiana fans. After suffering a leg injury in his first contest, he continued selling the same injury, leading Omen to strike where he was weakest. Craven escaped with a surprise roll up, shocking Omen and delighting the fans.
Larry D took on Corey Calhoun in the other semi-final . A lesser promoter, and there are many, would think nothing of putting himself over in his own tournament. But this is Larry D. He doesn’t need to go over, and as the name implies, the whole purpose of Gen Next is to put over the next generation. The fans hated it, but a sneaky Calhoun punched his ticket to the finals.
If Kellin Craven is the Yin of Legends alumni, Jackie Thad is the Yang. The long haired, bearded kid snarled at the fans as he took the ring to face his opponent: Gen Next Champion and former TNA X Division Champ Suicide. Like Craven, Thad is a serious student of the game, always listening and always willing to share what he has learned with fellow students.
He also has that special quality you want in a heel: he’s not interested in being cool. He just wants to be hated. He got help Friday night from his lackeys, who did just enough to help him steal a win, and the Gen Next Championship, from Suicide.
The main event, and final match of the TGI tournament, saw a hobbled Kellin Craven face the arrogant Corey Calhoun. Larry D had entered his semi-final with Calhoun limping as well, and Calhoun’s ability to work the wounded leg foreshadowed his strategy for the final.
Calhoun didn’t wait for the bell, attacking Craven from behind just as he did Larry D. He took the fight out of the ring and suplexed Craven on the hardwood floor. Craven took every opening Calhoun gave him, relying on surprise and quickness to get in some offense, but Calhoun remained in control through most of the match.
Craven sold the pain with an agonizing yell. Any time he seized offensive, the fans came alive. Then the leg would give out, and Calhoun would regain the momentum.
A wicked curb stomp off the top rope seemed to seal the deal for Calhoun, but Craven kicked out. Calhoun put Craven on the corner turnbuckle, setting up for a suplex and taunting the fans. “This is my town!” Craven struck back, delivering a Canadian destroyer off the top rope and securing a victory.
Craven celebrated. The fans chanted, “You deserve it!” Jackie Thad came out to try and steal the spotlight, lifting his ill-gotten championship belt overhead, but he quickly powdered when Craven took a swing with a kendo stick.
The young rivals will face off another day. Tonight belongs to Kellin Craven.
Ring announcer Lisa Hanson tells me Legends Pro Wrestling Academy has grown in recent months with half a dozen new students. It’s easy to see why. Larry D and Maxx Sledd train kids to be pro wrestlers who can go toe to toe with the most charismatic, hard hitting storytellers in the business. They see how far Kellin Craven and Jackie Thad have come in a few years. They see the upperclassmen in the ring with the likes of Jake Omen, Suicide, Jake Crist, Aaron Williams, and coming next month, Shane Mercer.
They know this is a place that can give them the skills to become legends.
The fans in central Kentucky know Gen Next is the place to see the smash mouth wrestling style they’ve always loved. Gen Next runs monthly, and their show fliers are always posted on social media. It’s worth the drive, and a bargain at $10 for general admission. The TGI show was electric, and it certainly won’t be my last visit.
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