« WWE Great American Bash 2008 Preview | Home | Guerrilla Warfare: PWG vs The World »
200 Light Tubes: The Mike Levy Incident
By Zane Thornsberry | July 20, 2008
My thoughts on the Mike Levy Incident from IWA-MS Queen of the Death Match 2008.
The Incident itself:
On June 21, 2008 IWA-MS held its third annual Queen of the Death Match Tournament. On this night a relatively unknown wrestler named Mike Levy pleaded with IWA-MS promoter, owner, and booker Ian Rotten to put him in the King of the Death Match. Ian already had a fully-booked two night tournament and decided to put him in the Queen of the Death Match instead. Ian made the decision to put him in a second round match against his protege Mickie Knuckles in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match.
During the match Levy stiffed Mickie, leaving a giant knot on her forehead. He also refused to sell anything Mickie gave him. Mickie decided to return the favor by legitamately hitting Levy in the head with a baseball bat, beating him with a stick that a water cooler on the end, and breaking numerous light tubes across his back. The real action however came after the match. Once Mickie walked out of the ring, IWA-MS wrestlers Tank and Devon Moore ran out. Tank (a big round guy) held Levy over a ladder wrapped in barbed wire while Devon (a skinny white guy) climbed the turnbuckles and gave Levy a curb stomp on the ladder. Devon then held Levy’s arms while Tank climbed the turnbuckles and gave Levy a curb stomp of his own.
Devon got on the mic and started yelling at Levy about messing with the wrong woman. Devon began chastising Levy for no selling, and as Levy was getting up Devon legit kicked him in the mouth, telling him to stay down. Once Levy managed to roll to the outside, Ian came out, grabbed a crutch and beat Levy with it.
After driving the point home, Ian walked off to the opposite side of the ring. Inside the ring, Tank began cutting a shoot promo on Levy and what had just transpired. Meanwhile, John Calvin (Ian Rotten’s 12 year old son) was holding a Singapore cane and asked for permission to hit Levy with it. After his father gave him permission, JC unleashed some sick cane shots to Mike Levy. Levy continued to no sell what he was taking, which caused Devon Moore to hit him over the head with a steel chair.
Levy was trying to get back up when JC came from behind and kicked him in the back of the head before giving him the Stone Cold salute and walking off. Ian grabbed a microphone and told Levy that unlike him, Mickie has a career, and that unlike him Mickie has to go to National TV on Tuesday with a knot on her because he doesn’t know how to work. To add further damage, Rollin Hard (a wrestler currently fighting cancer) hit Levy with a whiffle bat cut in half and light tubes stuck in it. Rollin then took the bat and dug it into Levy’s back, opening of several cuts.
At this point, Ian kicked Levy in the head. Mad Man Pondo (a death match wrestler who has gained notoriety in both CZW and IWA-MS) set up a disabled toilet and suplexed Levy onto it and some broken glass. Ian then told Levy that if he messes with one of them (them being the IWA-MS locker room) then he messes with all of them.
My take on it:
Now, a lot of people have said a lot of things about this. Some have said they’re done with IWA for this incident. Some say that Ian was right, and then there are some (including me) who think that Levy should have gotten something worse. It’s wrestling 101 that if you go into another company, that you don’t take liberties with their talent and you don’t no sell their entire offense.
Levy was someone who had never competed in IWA-MS, he was just some backyarder who bombarded the staff of IWA-MS with MySpace messages until they booked him. Levy was told to stop stiffing Mickie during the match by Mickie herself. So it’s my opinion that he deserved everything he got and then some. After this incident happened people began saying a lot of things. They were saying that Levy had no idea where he was, that the cops should have been called and assault charges filed, that Ian Rotten is a bad parent (we’ll get to this in a minute), Levy is an untrained backyarder, Mickie went into the match with intent to hurt Levy, Levy was seriously injured, Levy was “set up” by Ian Rotten, and that Levy was mentally handicapped.
Levy did have full knowledge as to where he was. After the match there were three people behind the curtain. Those people were Ian Rotten, Toby Klein, and “Half Breed” Billy Gram. According to Gram, Toby told Levy not to go into the dressing room because there were people mad at him. Levy looked at him with a smile and asked “for what?” and began to laugh. If he was seriously injured, I honestly doubt that he would be laughing and joking after the “horrible beating” he took just three minutes prior.
As far as Ian being a bad parent, let me explain a few things. Mickie Knuckles is like a daughter to Ian Rotten and his wife, and a sister to young John Calvin. John was pissed that someone hurt his “big sister” and acted like any brother in rage would. As Billy Gram stated on the IWA-MS message boards and I quote “if a young man thought someone had assaulted his Big Sister, then why conversely would it be reprehensible for this same young man to want to defend/or retaliate on behalf of his family member,….and the fact that the young man displayed this loyalty would indicate “bad” parenting and values how?” I whole heartedly agree with this statement. The young man was displaying loyalty to his sister and was defending her.
Maybe we’re old fashioned, but where I come from if someone goes after your family to make a name for themselves you best show some type of loyalty to said family member. Was he out of line at all? Not in my mind. Maybe in the mind of others who are less family orientated. All I can say is that if I was in John Calvin’s shoes, then I myself would’ve done the exact same thing. This is a kid who has been around pro wrestling EVERY DAY of his life and he knows what not to do, and what to do.
Oh, and as far as Levy being brutally assaulted, here is something else. Right as Levy walked into the backstage area, Ian told him to sit down in a chair and not to go into the locker room until Ian could calm everyone down. If Ian didn’t care what happened to him, why wouldn’t he just have let the entire locker room go at him backstage where they could REALLY do some damage and it’d really be considered assault?
In conclusion, I am on Ian and IWA-MS’s side in this entire thing and agree with everything that went down. IF you disagree with ANYTHING that I’ve said, don’t be afraid to leave a comment on here. Until next time wrestling fans.
Topics: 200 Light Tubes |
July 20th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Reading the events of what happened is pretty shocking, and I’m sort of surprised this hasn’t been discussed more. I can’t disagree with you since I wasn’t there, but I can understand why you think the way you do. This incident sounds creepily like what happened with Mass Transit incident, although not exactly the same.
I think IWA-MS’ financial problems in combination with this latest incident set up a real troubling situation for the company regardless of your opinion. From an outsider’s perspective or the perspective of someone who wants to get into the product, this may do a great deal to hinder growth. And even current fans may see this as a final straw. Personally, I think IWA is a great place for young midwest wrestlers to grow and I;d hate to see the die out. As much as people credit ROH with making CM Punk, IWA did almost as good as good as a job “making” him since he had all those long matches with Hero amongst so many other things.
Overall, I thought you did a great job reporting what happened and then giving your opinion. Very good and interesting read.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
First off, let me just say that I almost completely agree with your take on this situation. Anybody who takes liberties with a fellow wrestler, especially a woman, deserves what Mike Levy got and more.
However, the one detail about this whole thing that I disagree with is Ian letting John Calvin hit Levy. Now, I completely understand where JC was coming from. Like you and him, if I saw some guy trying to beat up my big sister, I probably would’ve done worse to him. Also, I can only guess how Ian was feeling at that time and how that might have clouded his judgment in letting JC get involved with all this.
That said, there are two points that immediately struck me when I read this happened. First, if this guy is so unprofessional enough to try and stiff and no-sell Mickie, what’s to say he wouldn’t have tried to take a punch at the kid? Sure, he would’ve gotten a ten times worse beating than he got, especially backstage, it’s obvious this guy is an idiot anyway.
The second point is from a legal standpoint. Now I’m not a lawyer and nor am I pretending to be, but this could open up a can of worms legally letting a 12-year old kid get involved in a legit physical altercation with someone, especially with it being released on DVD. Sure, there was about a handful of wrestlers, along with the fans, there to have his back, but still, there might be some endangerment issues brought up if Levy or some random viewer say this.
Again, I’m not saying Mike Levy didn’t deserve it, because he absolutely did. Nor am I say that Ian Rotten should lose custody of his kids. Also, hindsight is 20/20 and I probably wouldn’t be thinking this clearly if I was in Ian’s position that day. I’m just saying it might not have been the best decision to let JC hit Levy with a cane and kick him in the head.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Everyone involved in this situation is a complete moron, but is there anything less to expect from a promotion where the wrestlers use a bowling alley back door as an entrance?