One of the stars coming to Jeffersonville for PWF on Friday night is the masked man called Menace. It was my privilege to interview Menace a while back for the book Eat Sleep Wrestle, and fans who come out to the Arena Saturday are in for a real treat.
Menace grew up watching Mid-Atlantic, NWA, WWF, and Georgia Championship Wrestling. From an early age he dreamed of becoming a wrestler himself, and during career day in high school, he listed his top two choices as “wrestler” and “Kindergarten teacher.” One could argue the skill set for either of those careers are somewhat interchangeable, but no one really took him seriously about the wrestling career.
Menace proved everyone wrong. he began training with Rick Connors in Knoxville, Tennessee after a friend of his girlfriend connected him. Connors didn’t have a ring, so Menace got his early education on the lawn in Connors’s backyard.
Menace has come a long way since those early days working for CZW, HWA, NWA Wildside, NWA Smoky Mountain, NWA Rocky Top, Ego Pro Wrestling, Coliseum Championship Wrestling, and more. He’s been in the ring with Jimmy Valiant, Dr. Tom Pritchard, Tracy Smothers, Vick the Bruiser, Jimmy Golden, Kid Cash, Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels, Rob Conway, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, and Ricky Morton.
Menace is a high flier. He has a background in Kempo Ju-Jitsu and a great love for Japanese wrestling. Fans who have never seen him are in for a real treat.
Mary Elizabeth Monroe was the new face that night. She burst through the curtain to a Katy Perry song, waving and smiling like a homecoming queen. The crowd made her feel welcome, cheering as she climbed each corner to wave to the Premier Destination Wrestling regulars.
And then, Crazy Mary Dobson entered.
Mary Elizabeth Monroe didn’t do anything to warrant the boos or the “Mary’s gonna kill you!” chants. She hadn’t done anything remotely heelish from the moment she set foot in the arena. Crazy Mary was the local hero, and Monroe… well, she was just another victim brought in to face their hero. But when Monroe saw the crowd was against her, she turned on them – and her opponent. She snapped, letting her violent side out, playing dirty when the ref let her have a little leeway. She played to the crowd, but the friendliness was gone. They hated her, and she now hated them.
Monroe was the surprise winner that night, and yes, there was cheating involved. She also made sure no one in the arena would forget her name.
Ten years ago Mary Elizabeth Monroe was pursuing her dream. She was the lead singer in a band in her home town of Cincinnati. Monroe invited some friends to come watch her perform at an upcoming gig, one of her friends offered her a deal: “I’ll come to your concert if you come see me wrestle.”
Monroe’s friend was working at Heartland Wrestling, a former WWE developmental territory that had already churned out an impressive number of wrestlers. She never watched wrestling growing up because it wasn’t allowed in the house, but sitting beside her guitar player and best friend at her first wrestling show, Monroe suddenly realized this was what she wanted to do. “My friends thought it was funny. They didn’t realize how serious I was.”
Monroe began her training at HWA and will tell you her training has never truly stopped. She’s a student of the game and counts the legendary Les Thatcher as one of her chief teachers and mentors. Her work with Thatcher is evident in the ring. Not only does she know the moves, she knows when to use them and why to use them in that particular moment.
Monroe’s stock has spiked in recent days. After winning the 2015 Queen of the Ring tournament at Vicious Outcast Wrestling, she went from unranked to number one in this week’s Indy Power Rankings. Monroe is constantly in demand and can be seen all across the Midwest including AIW in Cleveland, Legends and Heroes in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, and of course… Girl Fight in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
In addition to wrestling, Mary is a model for Headlock Gear and a representative for Gerweck.Net. Although she has no home promotion at the moment, Monroe is part of a core group working with Les Thatcher at The Warehouse in Hamilton, Ohio to launch Christian Wrestling Association International, a new, family friendly promotion this summer.
“That’s very important to me,” says Monroe. “When I invite someone to bring their kids to a show, I like knowing that they’re not going to come and see something awful. They’re going to have fun and be entertained. We’ve got partnerships with the Autism Society of Cincinnati and other charities. It’s going to be great.”
Women’s wrestling in general looks poised for a major surge in the coming years. Between her ring skills, and her ability to work a crowd, and her relentless pursuit of excellence, Mary Elizabeth Monroe may very well end up at the vanguard of that revolution.
One of the stars coming to Jeffersonville for PWF on Friday night is the masked man called Menace. It was my privilege to interview Menace a while back for the book Eat Sleep Wrestle, and fans who come out to the Arena Saturday are in for a real treat.
