African Punishment Wrestling Association sent out the following:

APWA has another double-shot weekend of events lined up for this upcoming Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April. On Saturday at 4pm, fans in Middelburg can see us live – for free – at the Middelburg Fees! The day after, APWA presents The Return at Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre at 2pm, highlighted by the return of Ananzi, who announced his retirement a year ago due to a spinal injury and was recently given a green light by doctors to compete once again. Ananzi will be met by arch-nemesis and former APWA Heavyweight Champion Johnny “Iceman” Sabin. Also on the card, the reigning APWA Heavyweight Champion “The Masked Crusader” El Mascarado Mexicano defends in a rematch against the cocky Jay Austin. A few weeks ago at King of Africa Round 1, Mascarado and Austin fought tooth-and-nail in an incredible match that is being hailed as one of the best in APWA history and a possible match-of-the-year candidate. Austin has unfinished business with the champion. The dynamic Mascarado is ready for any challenge. Another competitor making a comeback is “The Johannesburg Beast”, the 6’3″ powerhouse Xterminator, and he will face off against “The Dark One” Crow, standing 6’5″, in a massive clash of titans. KO and “The Ultimate Soldier” Renegade have taken their rivalry to new extremes, as we recently learned that KO attacked Renegade outside of the ring using a spanner, an incident that landed Renegade in hospital. Renegade will have his opportunity to gain revenge, but KO is no slouch and is prepared to knock him out. The two rising stars come from entirely different backgrounds and can’t stand each other. KO VS Renegade will be a streetfight of note. APWA Tag Team Champions Vaatjie en Japie, consisting of Donovan Loudmouth and Blizzard, will defend the titles against a team to be announced. Come and see why APWA is the premiere wrestling company in Africa! More information on the shows below.

APWA The Return

Date: Sunday, 1 April 2012
Venue: Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre, Roodepoort
Entrance Fee: R20 each (under five-year-olds free)
Time: 14:00 (2pm)
More Info: Contact Kobus at 082 269 8325

Promo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG9Get1qaoo
Sabin VS Ananzi Promo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJq1vKre9r8
Xterminator VS Crow Promo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkJwGTlKrBQ

Confirmed so far:
– APWA Heavyweight Title: El Mascarado Mexicano (c) VS Jay Austin
– Ananzi Return Match: Ananzi VS Johnny “Iceman” Sabin
– APWA Tag Team Champions Vaatjie en Japie to defend
– Clash of Titans: “The Johannesburg Beast” Xterminator VS “The Dark One” Crow
– Grudge Match: KO VS Renegade
– More to be announced

APWA Live in Middelburg

Date: Saturday 31 March, 2012
Venue: Middelburg Fees
Entrance Fee: FREE!
Time: 16:00 (4pm)
More Info: Contact Kobus at 082 269 8325

– APWA Heavyweight Champion El Mascarado Mexicano recently expressed his frustration towards management for not announcing a challenger sooner for The Return: “I think I have had it. I am the current APWA Heavyweight Champion and the man that I beat is still trying to make headlines. If it isn’t a corny promo, it’s a lawsuit. Then we have the JHB Beast who hasn’t been in a ring for quite a while and he is going up against future hardcore legend The Crow. Yet, the APWA Champion doesn’t even know who he will be facing come April 1st. If management has forgotten about me, at least the fans didn’t. Oh and @ Johnny Sabin – I know a little ‘family’ secret I want to come out with. Something I have hidden for much too long”. Jay Austin, however, stepped up to the plate and demanded a rematch for the title, saying that if their last match was a match-of-the-year candidate, the next one will surely be a match-of-the-decade contender. At King of Africa Round 1 a few weeks ago, we witnessed pro wrestling heaven as Mascarado and Austin threw everything at each other in a bid to capture the Heavyweight Title. The dream temporarily ended for Austin when he continued to hold Mascarado in a submission grip despite Mascarado’s foot being on the ropes, leading to the referee disqualifying the self-obsessed challenger. With that sterling effort, Jay Austin showed that he is truly capable of defeating Mascarado and becoming the next APWA Heavyweight Champion, but his anger issues could be an obstacle he needs to overcome. What needs to be asked, though, is: Did Jay Austin purposely disqualify himself in that moment so that Mascarado would be damaged long-term? If this is so, Jay Austin is smarter than we think, and this cold, calculated measure displays his killer instinct. Is Mascarado ready for their next encounter? He has delivered successful title defences in great matches against Vic Scar and Jay Austin, but Austin has arguably been his most challenging opponent so far. Mascarado could still be suffering the effects from their last classic. However, as we’ve seen, Mascarado’s fighting spirit cannot be questioned, and for a good reason, observers are already calling “The Masked Crusader” the best APWA Heavyweight Champion ever. Management has confirmed that this match will take place at The Return on 1 April at Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre. Come and witness two of the best damn pro wrestling athletes in Africa tear it up once more – this is going to be a title classic!

– At The Return on 1 April, one of the greatest South African wrestlers in modern memory will be on the main stage once again. Ananzi was forced to retire in mid-2011 after sustaining a series of life-threatening spinal injuries which culminated in several operations. After being cleared to compete by doctors in February 2012, Ananzi announced he is coming back. Although Terri Middoux was originally scheduled as his opponent for 1 April, Middoux is now out with a shoulder injury. In his place – and with equal hate in his heart for Ananzi – will be arch-nemesis Johnny “Iceman” Sabin, who has had a ton to say about the former WWP All-Africa Champion, mocking “The Mythological Folk Hero” on his official Youtube channel at youtube.com/TheJohnnySabin for nearly a year, and, lately, threatening to kick Ananzi’s head in. Sabin quit APWA in December 2011 but has since been slapped with a lawsuit by management due to contractual obligations. “The Iceman” wants Ananzi to stay retired and will ensure that happens on 1 April. Will Ananzi make a victorious comeback, or will that comeback be iced out by former APWA Heavyweight Champion Johnny Sabin? Can the bitter rage expressed by both warriors be contained in that ring? Sabin left these words for Ananzi to ingest:

“You know what? It’s not just about winning on the 1st. I am going to take my time, really hurt and mangle Ananzi. I will outwrestle Ananzi. Then when I am done, I expect Danie Brits to acknowledge that I am the best wrestler he has ever seen…AND THAT I AM BETTER THAN HE EVER WAS.”

– Just added to The Return, “The Johannesburg Beast” Xterminator will be butting heads against the monstrous “The Dark One” Crow. The relentless bruiser Xterminator stands at 6’3″ and is one of the most powerful wrestlers on the African continent, while Crow is known for his involvement in the most death-defying hardcore matches ever seen in South Africa, standing at a lean, fearless 6’5″. This is not going to be for any championship, but fans have been waiting for this dream match for a while and APWA will provide it to them come 1 April. Xterminator VS Crow will be a clash of titans, a battle of beasts, a throwdown of epic proportions, and you can see this monster mash-up live at the Danie van Zyl Recreation this Sunday!

– Some news from PTW in Luton, United Kingdom: “The Club Sensation” Zizou Middoux successfully defended the Power Trip Wrestling World Heavyweight Title against Marcus Phayer on 23 March 2012, adding to his growing list of successful defences. After he failed to finish Phayer with an Ace Crusher, Zizou debuted a Phoenix Splash and cleanly defeated the returning Phayer. The full match can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2kp3fLV9II . Zizou Middoux will be moving on to the semi-finals bracket of the King of Africa Tournament. His quarter-final match against Crow can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU2UDl55j6s .

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