In a historic show in Washington, D.C, F1ght Club Pro Wrestling crowned its inaugural Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Champion, Trish Adora. Adora defeated “The Revolutionary” Darius Lockhart and “The Hitman for Hire” Mr. Grim in a Triple Threat Match for the championship. The match for the championship was originally Adora vs Lockhart, but Mr. Grim, accompanied by his manager “Money” Mark Carlson, would use his Wild Card to add himself to the match. Wrestlers with Wild Cards were allowed to enter themselves into any part of the tournament. Wrestlers can also save their Wild Cards for a future title opportunity. Wild Cards are given to wrestlers by General Manager JA.
It wasn’t an easy road for D.C. native Adora, who defeated David Ali back in October. At the February 15 show, PUSH: A Champion is Crowned held at The Edgewood Arts Building, Adora defeated Eel O’Neal via pinfall. She moved on in the tournament to face O’Shay Edwards. During Adora’s match with Edwards, Mr. Grim would interfere in the match and cause Edwards to lose the match via DQ. In the end, Edwards would get his revenge on “The Hitman for Hire”, costing Mr. Grim his opportunity at the PAWDWC.
F1ght Club Pro Wrestling also introduced and crowned its first-ever Chocolate City Champion, Billy Dixon, at its PUSH: A Champion is Crowned show. Washington, D.C. is known as the Chocolate City because of its large Black populations. At the show, it was announced that the winner of the Billy Dixon vs Chris Andino match would become the inaugural champion. The two men faced off in a Falls Count Somewhere match. Similar to a Falls Count Anywhere match, wrestlers can wrestle in and out of the ring. However in a Falls Count Somewhere match, falls can only happen in a specific spot; fans must help the wrestlers find the specific spot by chanting hot (near spot) or cold (far from spot). With the sold-out crowd in full support, Dixon defeated Andino.
The PAWDWC tournament began in August 2019 and featured some of the hottest and exciting Black and POC independent wrestlers today. Including Barrington Hughes, Kristian Robinson, DK Meadows, DeAndre Jackson, Prince Kanu, Rey Xion, D Rogue, Jai Cole, Tyler Jones, Jezi King, Tony Macko, Kindred Kymari, Eel O”Neal, Chris Andino, Mr. Grim, O’Shay Edwards, Darius Lockhart, Billy Dixon, Trish Adora.
In a DDT Divas interview back in 2019, F1ght Club Pro Wrestling founder Jonny Xross described The Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship as “an attempt to break stigmas. I’ve [Jonny Xross] noticed that not just in the Black Community, but also in the Wrestling Community there are several negative attitudes towards Black wrestlers and Wrestlers of Color, in general.”
F1ght Club Pro Wrestling, who prides itself in “showcasing the best POC and LGBTQ+ talent in the country” is one of the first and few wrestling promotions in the United States to feature a Pan-African diaspora championship and spotlight Black wrestling and Black wrestlers. Alongside another D.C. wrestling company, Prime Time Pro Wrestling, the D.C. wrestling scene is growing into one of the most progressive, inclusive, and diverse wrestling scenes in the country.
Congratulations to both Trish Adora and Billy Dixon!
