"XPW is done..." -Supreme August 18th., 2011


XPW may be, but the spirit of Xtreme is not dead...

I remember the first time I came across XPW. Watching KJLA Saturday night, I stumbled upon a TV program that literally changed my life. Well, more than the tv show itself the company as a whole is what got me hooked. After witnessing "Scene of the Crime" live , I wanted in. I saw the way the massive dirty, crooked and torn black curtain hung down covering the backstage area and was already writing an email in my head of what someone in the office would hear from me come Monday.

At the time I had no idea where it would lead. But sitting in the XPW offices on Vanowen in North Hollywood and working in a billion directions, it was a great time. I made friends and had experiences that will follow me to my final days. I spent many a night falling a sleep at the wheel trying to get the production truck back to the office as the sun came up.

Working with Vic Grimes to create the monstrosity that was the scaffold for the now over 1 million YouTube views legendary "FreeFall" match was easily my single largest accomplishment. 40 feet up and 40 feet down. With every ounce of safety gear removed from the scaffolding we were flying literally without a net (nor insurance or a "plan B") in front of the largest crowd we had seen inside the Olympic Auditorium since making it our home.

Later my time with XPW would parlay into working as V.P. of Home Entertainment for Big Vision Entertainment where I helped put 3 seasons of XPW-TV, and numerous other XPW dvd titles on to store shelves and into the hands of our fans.

It was around that time that there seemed to be a desire from fans and wrestlers to at least all get together one more time.

Trying to create a place online where that desire could percolate, I purchased "thexpw.com" and a few of us (namely Kris Kloss) started mercilessly harassing XPW owners Houston Curtis (Big Vision) and Rick Mahr (XEG) about running a show that would become "Cold Day In Hell." A year later, it was time to do one last show - XPW X - the 10 Year Anniversary.

Since that time there have been a variety of rumors, attempts, and discussions about possibly bringing XPW "back." Some of those conversations I have been part of. Some just things I have heard from others. But nothing ever with enough steam to get the coals burning again.

And then Damian 666 laid out a challenge....he wanted 4 former XPW guys to come to Mexico City to face him, Halloween, X Fly (formerly Mosco De La Merced in XPW), and Damien's son, Bestia 666.

Over the past year and a half Damian had two matches with the guy who still holds claim to being XPW "King of the Deathmatch", Supreme. And both times, it took a gang of his Perros Del Mal buddies to pin the champ. But the first time the title was not on the line and then the 2nd. time Supreme had agreed to defend the title, but when Damian changed the match to a 5 way and stacked the cards against "The Human Horror Film", he told him he could "fuck off" on the title being on the line.

Smart move by Supreme, that's why he is who he is.

But the XPW "King of the Deathmatch" title has become this one thing Damian is obsessed with. He could care less that XPW as a company is dead and buried...he wants to beat Supreme for that title.

So the challenge was laid out and Supreme, Kaos, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, and Carnage headed to a junkyard in Mexico City on August 20th. 2011 to go to war. Supreme once again left Mexico with his belt.

But Damian had plans of his own. A few days later at a Perros Del Mal press conference, sporting shirts that said MEXPW, Damian, Halloween, X Fly, and Bestia, announced that the war was not over, that it was just beginning. And, they wanted it not only to take place on Mexican soil, but in the U.S. as well.

That's when I got the call.

You know how when people become ministers or nuns they often say it's because they got "the calling." It was kind of like that. Except it wasn't the good lord in my ear. It was someone who is closer to the devil...it was Damian 666.

Damian asked if I would be willing to work with him to bring MEXPW to the U.S. and act as the official U.S. promoter for the holy war he and his Perros Del Mal crew intended to wage on Supreme and the former XPW-ers.

I felt a bit unsure. Did I want my next call to be to Supreme to say, "Hey, so I agreed to help the guy who's obsessed with beating you and I'm going to promote a show here for you to face him on"?

So I called Supreme to ask him what he thought of the situation....

The call was one of those I couldn't make up. I asked him if I could come down and shoot him saying those things to a camera...he agreed, so I'm going to do that next week.

But, the gist of it was, "If Damian wants to bring the war here...if Damien wants to keep getting his ass kicked by me for 90% of a match only to have his bitches fuck me over in the end, that's fine. If he wants to spend the last moments of his career chasing down a dream he'll never fulfill of being XPW "King of the Deathmatch", that's fine. Tell him you'll fucking do it."

So here we are...

Thanks to everyone that supported us over the years, I hope you are ready for what's on the horizon...

Mike Hartsfield
Formerly of XPW... now of MEXPW