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NVD and Horrorshow Head to Orlando

There’s a lot of wrestling going on in Orlando, starting tomorrow night. A number of friends of mine are headed South and will be in the thick of the action. If you’re going to be in the area for Wrestlemania, you need to see the Ninja vs. the Demon.

The ninja in question is the “Hood Ninja” Hy Zaya, and IWA Mid-South original from Louisville, Kentucky. The demon is the “Iron Demon” Shane Mercer, Hy Zaya’s some time travel partner and tag partner. These two have torn the house down all over the Midwest, and ‘Mania wrestling fans who attend Fighting Evolution’s Wrassling Party on Friday the 31st.

Hy Zaya and Mercer will square off during the Florida Legends show Friday afternoon from 12-2, a show that also includes New Jack, B Brian Blair, Bugsy McGraw, Bill Alfonso, Abudadein, and Kevin Sullivan. Mercer will be defending the Strong Style Championship, the first time ever the belt has been on the line in Florida. He will also have a distinct advantage with the notorious Horrorshow manager Jason Saint in his corner.

Saint will also be managing Amazing Maria on the same show in her match against Alyssa Skyy. Canadian-born Amazing Maria has been a stand out for Girl Fight, OVW, and other promotions, and with the recent signings by the WWE, she’s poised to make her mark in women’s wrestling this year.

Jason Saint will also be making an appearance on April 1 at WrassleMaimYa in Samsula, FL, managing Amazing Maria against Mila Naniki. He will also manage Tripp Cassidy against Chris Silvio in a Samsula Street Fight with Ultraviolent Rules.

Fans in Louisville have been spoiled by the action brought by Hy Zaya, Shane Mercer, and Amazing Maria along with all of Jason Saint’s “clients.” If you’ve never had the chance, it’ll be worth your time to see all of them in action this weekend in Orlando.

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A Ninja Sighting on Raw

Last night I posted a comment from IWA Mid-South Champion Shane Mercer on the blog. Eagle-eyed WWE fans spotted the man himself at ringside during Raw last night:

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The same fans who recognized Shane also spotted one of his chief rivals (and real life travel partner) inside the ring.

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The man giving medical attention in this still from Raw is Hy Zaya, aka “The Hood Ninja.” He is a former IWA Mid-South and CCW World Heavyweight Champion with over a decade of experience in the ring. He’s a Louisville native and legitimately one of the toughest men in the wrestling business. By that I do not mean he is a shooter; I mean his idea of fun is to have someone drop him off at the edge of a forest and disappear for several days with only his knife by his side. In that regard he is probably the most dangerous man who was backstage at Raw last night!

Hy Zaya is a deep thinker and a deadly serious student of the world and professional wrestling. But he also has a huge heart. Ask him about his grandma, and he melts. She is his hero.

Hy Zaya’s story is one of many told in Eat Sleep Wrestle, and he’s one of the featured stars on the cover. He shared a number of very candid tales with me, of learning respect in the locker room, wrestling his hero Sabu, and yes… how his grandma influenced him to pray before every battle.

Click the book cover to get your copy of Eat Sleep Wrestle.

esw cover