Blackcraft Cult brand clothing has been a huge success among the metalheads and hardcore crowd via the Mayhem Tour and Warped Tour aficionados for quite some time now. Pittsburgh native Bobby Schubenski and his business partner Jim Somers started selling the black shirts revolving around the thematic, “that you don’t need God or any organized belief system in order to be a good person” in 2012. The Blackcraft brand has grown from clothing to furniture, coffee, makeup, and even whiskey (the Ghost Pepper whiskey is beyond phenomenal BTW). Many got to know Bobby a bit from his former relationship with WWE Diva Rosa Mendes and their appearances together on TV (Total Divas). PMM sat down with Bobby back in May when he first announced that Blackcraft would be venturing into wrestling (click here to view our interview). The concept began when WWE superstars began wearing the Blackcraft Cult brand, more specifically Baron Corbin and Paige. From there Bobby was introduced to Mendes and became involved in the wrestling world, very much admiring the pro wrestling work ethic.
Becoming inspired Bobby wanted to start a league and even called Chris Jericho and received the WWE’s blessing. Fast forward a bit and Bobby started working his networking magic with the concept of starting the first event in Pittsburgh called “Burning Bridges”. Recruiting the Hellraiser movie legend Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead, Doug became the character known as ‘The Preacher’, the commissioner of the league so to speak. From there, wrestlers from various leagues were cultivated and an August 24 date was set for the first iPPV and live event to be held in Pittsburgh. When the announcement that Falling in Reverse (Ronnie Radke being best buds with Bobby helped) would play at the event wildfire truly was ignited and it quickly sold out.
Honestly, it was difficult to know what to expect. The promoter of the event, Bill Molnar, is known for the Vicious Outcast Wrestling League and the wild spectacle that has come to be expected at their matches. From match one (see below) there was no disappointment. Not being a huge wrestling fan, but still being appreciative of the entertainment and athletic aspect of the “sport”, I was intrigued by the atmosphere, the crowd, and of course the wrestlers themselves. Blackcraft Wrestling has a varied and impressive roster (click here to see for yourself), but there were definitely some standout matches.
The craziest match of the night was definitely the 4-way ladder match with Demarcus Kane vs. G-Raver vs. Stockade vs. Matthew Justice. The match would in its finality see some serious blood, a possible broken leg, and the highest jump from a balcony into human beings that I have ever seen. G-Raver may be the most insane human being to enter the squared circle, that’s all I’m saying. Watch below:
Another super impressive matchup was Samantha Heights vs. Isla Dawn vs. Taya Valkyrie. Regardless of the outcome, Taya Valkyrie is the absolute real deal and a helluva wrestler. The women’s matches continued to be a lot of fun with Saraya Knight vs. Pittsburgh’s own Britt Baker as well as Ashley Vox & Willow Nightingale vs Harlow O’Hara & The Vipress (see below):
Of course, the Heavyweight title match was more than interesting with Jimmy Havoc vs. Johnny Blackcraft vs. Brody King getting down, Chris Dickinson and PCO challenging one another, Savage Gentleman and Lady Frost sure made a grand entrance, and The Butcher and The Blade were outrageous as well. We don’t want to give away too much of the action so you can still check out all that went down via https://blackcraftwrestling.com/.
The final event of Falling In Reverse playing was especially gratifying, not only due to the intimacy of the venue, but the high energy set by Radke and co. The last song was cut short due to a confrontation between The Savage Gentleman and Ronnie Radke, a continuation of a conflict from the Black Carpet event involving Savage’s woman, Lady Frost. Look for something more to come of this possibly at Reaper’s Revenge.
There is a lot more in store though, possibly coming to a town near you. Next up is Reaper’s Revenge in Anaheim, CA with A Trigger Within playing the event and the already sold out ‘Tid The Season in Buffalo with Snapcase, Bouncing Souls, The Menzingers, Knocked Loose, Turnstile, Angel Du$t, Vein, and Every Time I Die headlining the bill. This is a new age in full contact entertainment and Blackcraft is bringing it at full velocity.
All photos ©2018 Jason Nelson