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Nanaimo pro wrestler crowned King of the Ex

Scott Steel defeated his tag-team partner B.J. Laredo on Friday night at the Vancouver Island Exhibition to win the King of the Ex tourney.
Greg Sakaki
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Riea Von Slasher executes a rolling fireman's carry slam on Scott Steel during a triple-threat pro wrestling match Saturday at the Vancouver Island Exhibition.

Appropriately, the King of the Ex tournament came down to two Nanaimo wrestlers in the final.

Scott Steel defeated his tag-team partner B.J. Laredo on Friday night at the Vancouver Island Exhibition to win the tourney and a huge trophy.

Steel said the King of the Ex title is one of the most meaningful achievements so far in his career.

“I’ve never won a tournament in my life, so I came into this with something to prove,” he said. “Not just to me, to [Laredo], to everybody.”

Since Laredo is a former King of the Ex winner, Steel said bragging rights were on the line.

“If I didn’t win he would have held that over me for the rest of my life,” Steel said.

With two tag partners facing one another, it was a departure from usual ring psychology.

“It’s so hard when you’ve got somebody who knows every single move that you could possibly pull out of anywhere,” said Steel.

Laredo kicked out of three of Steel’s signature moves and Steel kicked out of Laredo’s piledriver. The Hardcore Cowboy tried the move again, and Steel reversed it into a roll-up for the pinfall.

The next day’s action featured a battle royal won by Lak Siddartha. In the semi-main event, Eddie Osborne defended both his Pure Wrestling Association and Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling championships in a triple-threat match against Steel and Riea Von Slasher. Steel hit his 450 splash on Von Slasher, but Osbourne chucked Steel out of the ring and made the pin himself.

“I’m not a heavyweight by any means…” Steel said. “But if I get a match for it, I’m going to give it everything I can and if I can get that close to a win in a triple-threat, just think what I can do in a singles match.”

On Sunday, Steel and Laredo defended their tag titles against Nathan Legacy and Christian Kingdon. Siddartha cashed in his title shot against Krofton and was successful in winning the PWA B.C. championship belt.

VIPW and PWA teamed up to put on the three shows at the VIEX.

Pro wrestling returns to Nanaimo on Oct. 1 at the Departure Bay Activity Centre, when Steel and Laredo face Cremator Von Slasher and Siddartha in a tables match for the VIPW tag-team titles.

sports@nanaimobulletin.com

About the Author: Greg Sakaki

I have been in the community newspaper business for two decades, all of those years with Black Press Media.
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