Records?He's got them.
Title reigns?
He's had more than any other superstar in NAPW history.
And on May 27th, he has the opportunity to cement his legacy forever.
He is "LDK" Lloyd Rees, the most decorated NAPW wrestler and the current REBEL Pro World Heavyweight champion. His challenge? The powerhouse veteran, already secured of his own legacy in the world of professional wrestling, the reigning NAPW World Champion, "The Ego Buster" Dan Ryan. A victory over Ryan would not only give "LDK" Lloyd Rees a record-tying third NAPW World Title reign, but it would place him in history as the first man to hold the top titles in both REBEL and NAPW.
Yet Rees himself would probably tell you that of all his title matches, none is bigger then the one on May 27th. It has been nearly one year since Rees last held NAPW gold. With that, here is a look at all eight of Rees different title reigns here in NAPW.
*All dates listed below link to the title victory or loss.
The New Found Alliance
1st Provincial Title Reign
2/27/2006 - 4/17/2006"The Lemondrop Kid" Lloyd Rees took advantage of a huge opportunity, receiving a Provincial Title match in his NAPW debut. With a little assistance from Ol' Salty, Rees delivered his patented DDT From the Green for the first time, dethroning Moose. The crowd, at first, were favorable towards the Newfie...
Within a matter of days, however, the NAPW fans got to know what Lloyd Rees was all about. Rees went on an anti-Alberta tirade and formed the "New Found Alliance," a group of men with similar heritages. With Ol' Salty managing, he recruited fellow Newfie Bayman Jakey, Scot Al Thoes, and Irishman Bobby O'Brady. Rees renamed the Provincial title to the "Republic of Newfoundland" championship, while Jakey won the TV title and renamed it the "NTV title." The fans hated Rees, but he disposed of his competition with a little (or a lot) of help from his allies.
But there was a little matter of the man whom Moose defeated for the title in the first place. Evan Cartwright returned from the leg injury which cost him the Provincial Title. For all his trickery and talent, Rees proved to be unable to hold off "Perfection," submitting to Evan's patented Cartwheel maneuver!
The Rivalry, Part 1: Evan Cartwright
2nd Provincial Title Reign
5/01/2006 - 5/15/2006That would not be the end of the Rees/Cartwright rivalry. Not by a "longshot." Rees, allying himself with the Charitable Trust, came right back after Evan. This was a rivalry between two of NAPW's finest, and in fact Rees' pride caused him to leave the NFA behind him, insisting on wrestling his matches with Evan "by hi'self."
Rees took advantage of a unique situation. Cartwright's regaining of the Provincial Title made him a double-champion, as he was also one-half of the NAPW tag team champions with Billy Kryenik. This situation led to Cartwright FIRST defending the tag titles against Rees' allies, the Celtic Assassins... and then immediately defending the Provincial title against Lloyd in a ladder match! Despite the handicap, Cartwright brought his A-Game, but against the tenacious Lemondrop Kid, it was not enough. Lloyd scaled the ladder and took down both the Republic of Newfoundland and Provincial Title belts to start his 2nd reign.
Just two weeks later, however, in the rubber match of this tremendous rivalry, Cartwright regained the Provincial belt, defeating Rees two falls to one in a 2/3 falls match. Their three singles contests remain one of the greatest series in NAPW history.
Conspiracy Victim?
Television Title Reign
6/23/2006 - 7/07/2006With the title loss and the dissolution of both the NFA and Charitable Trust, Rees' incredible luck seemed to fade. Out of Provincial title shots, Rees found himself proving himself from the bottom. To his mind, Rees a victim of a conspiracy. NAPW management didn't want him near their main events, punishing him for his alliance with the Charitable Trust. Largely fabricated, but such was Rees' lust for gold and glory.
Whatever the case may be, Rees decimated every talent in his path. At "Epic" he handily defeated all the top contenders to the TV title in a four-corner survival match. Nothing was going to stop Rees from winning yet more gold to "win" against the forces that were "holding him down." As vicious as Rees had been during his Provincial Title reigns, he never seemed as unhinged as he became in his TV title match with Uzi. He repeatedly assaulted the Kosher Assassin's knee with a lead pipe, applied the figure-four, hit the DDT from the Green and then --- for kicks --- won with his feet on the ropes. This was the beginning of the end for Uzi's career, and The Lemondrop Kid held the gold up high as a sign that nobody could "hold him down."
From there, Rees became embroiled in a feud with the Provincial Champion Stein and his friends The Delivery Men. Rees was obsessed with regaining the Provincial title, and along with Ol' Salty, wreaked havoc on the strange Stein and his friends every event. This arrogance would prove to be Rees' downfall as TV champion after just a short time. In a match with the rookie Mark Cage, Rees appeared to have the match won... when the lights went out! When they came back on, Rees was shown to be the victim of wrestling's first KETCHUP BATH. Cage took advantage of the shocked, soaked Rees and rolled him up for the three-count and the title!
Legacy, Part 1: The East-Coast Sensation
3rd Provincial Title Reign
7/18/2006 - 10/17/2006
1st NAPW (World) Title Reign
10/11/2006 - 10/31/2006Two things about Rees' feud with Stein. One, where else will you blow-off a feud with the first-ever (and so far, only) in professional wrestling KETCHUP CASKET match? And two, who in the world has an irrational fear of Delivery Men?
Lloyd Rees, apparently. The issue between him and Stein & The Delivery Men culminated at NAPW's first outdoor event. Before all hell would break loose and Ravager caused a riot, Rees took on Stein in a KETCHUP CASKET MATCH. The object? Be the first man to throw your opponent inside a ketchup-filled casket, then slam the door for the win and Provincial Title. It was every bit as wild and unique as advertised, filled with interference from Longshot, Ol' Salty and The Delivery Men, but in the end Rees was able to conquer his fears, drown Stein in the casket, and slam the lid for his third Provincial Title reign, tying the record with his old rival Evan Cartwright.
This would be Rees' most dominant Provincial Title run to date, as he defended the title successfully several times. Nobody seemed able to stop Rees. And finally, his success led him to what he truly craved above all: a shot at the NAPW Championship, held by it's most famous and beloved champion, the mega-popular D!.
Rees and D! tore into each other, and their first match proved inconclusive; D! won by disqualification when a frustrated Provincial Champion introduced a steel chair into the match-up. D!'s pride was stung as fans whispered that he "got lucky," and was only able to retain because Rees got himself disqualified. There was only one way these two proud competitors could decide this rivalry... for all the marbles. A 30-minute Iron Man match.
Thirty minutes later, after copious cheating and despite a courageous final round comeback by One Letter, Said Real Loud... it was three falls to two for Lloyd Rees. The Provincial AND NAPW Champion!
Rees had made history yet again. He was already the longest reigning Provincial Champion; tied for the most Provincial Title reigns. Now he held the Triple Crown (at the time only Chris Casino and Static had managed that feat)... and held both of NAPW's top singles titles. With gold on either shoulder, Rees was on top of the world.
Unfortunately, the toll of his wars with D! would prove fatal to his beloved Provincial Title reign. Rees, high on his success and victories, would take too lightly his next Provincial challenger. There may be some truth to the idea that Rees' schedule as both Provincial Champion and NAPW champion contender had left him exhausted. But whatever the case may be, there is no room for excuses in the championship circle. Rees, perhaps underprepared, perhaps exhausted, perhaps overconfident, would follow up his NAPW Title win by losing his cherished Provincial title to the upstart Yellow Chicken, a competitor who had turned around the worst losing streak in NAPW history to the longest undefeated streak. Still, Rees had the world title.
At NAPW's first Anniversary show, Rees was forced to defend the world title against the top three contenders in a Four Corner Survival, a match Rees seemed to have mastered. Against "Outlaw" Patrick Kidd, old rival Evan Cartwright, and the death-defying Patrick Bickle, Rees had his work cut out for him. Still, at many times he appeared to have the match won. It was not to be! Cartwright held Kidd in the Cartwheel while Bickle ascended the turnbuckles to fly, delivering his match-ending FREEFALL maneuver onto Rees! As Kidd held on for dear life in Cartwright's hold, Rees could not kick-out of the three-count. To the surprise of many, the bizarre, skinny, self-sacrificing Bickle was NAPW Champion!
The Rivalry, Part 2: Patrick Bickle
2nd NAPW (World) Title Reign
11/21/2006 - 11/28/2006The loss of the NAPW title sent Rees down a dangerous path. He had always been obsessed with gold, but the NAPW title had changed him. Losing the belt to Bickle sent him completely unhinged. He did have a rematch clause, however. Rees begged for a submissions match stipulation, to which Bickle, ever fearless, acquiesced. Evan Cartwright, still in the hunt for the World Title, would be the special enforcer.
It was a brutal, methodical contest with each man attempting to discombulate the other. Rees growing dementia seemed set to cost him his rematch, until Rees was able to avoid a Bickle spear on the outside. Bickle crashed into the steel ring posts and the demented Rees went to work, destroying Bickle's shoulder and arm against every exposed surface he possibly could. Yet still, Bickle would not die. In an ironic turn of events, it would be the actions of Evan Cartwright that would seal Rees' title win. Cartwright entered the ring after the original referee was knocked out. Cartwright prevented Rees from using the title belt as a weapon. However, Bickle's OWN title dementia proved his downfall. Bickle made the mistake of angering Cartwright, leading to his receipt of a TOASTY uppercut. Rees was quick to slap on the Conception Bay Chinlock... and though it pained him to do it, Cartwright had no choice but to call the match in favor of Rees.
But in a manner eerily similar to Rees' earlier feud with Cartwright, it would be one week later where Rees would ultimately lose the feud. Inside the confines of a steel cage, Bickle screamed "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ME WRESTLE" and hit a terrifying FREEFALL from the top of the cage. Moments later, Bickle and Rees would together fall from near the top of the cage. Bickle landed on top. And it was enough for the three-count, and the end of Lloyd Rees' time as NAPW Champion.
"The Lemondrop Kid" Lloyd Rees had not even been in NAPW an entire year, and already he had the record six different title reigns. But despite it all, Rees did not have the legacy or respect he so craved. In 2007, Rees would attempt to cement his legacy.
Legacy, Part 2: Crimes Crimes Crimes
4th Provincial Title Reign
3/13/2007 - 6/19/2007
Tag Team Title Reign
4/24/2007 - 5/29/2007Four months.
The longest period of time Rees went without title gold since he debuted in NAPW.
On March 13th, one of the final Tuesday Night Fights events, Rees once again claimed NAPW gold. The match was something of a trend in Rees' career - a four-man match-up. This was not an ordinary four-way match, however. The TV Champion, "The Show" Chad Kurtis. The Provincial Champion, "The Devastator" Kurt Castle. The longest reigning TV Champion, Jeff James. And of course, Rees, the longest reigning Provincial Champion, now going by "LDK." These four men were placed into one match with the purpose of unifying the TV and Provincial titles. Castle was eliminated. James was eliminated. And then, the finall fall: A ladder match. But no matter how much the fans cheered on The Show, it seemed inevitable: it could only be Rees who unified the titles, starting his record fourth Provincial Title reign.
Just over one month later, Rees was still Provincial Champion, holding onto the belt despite stiff challenges. And then he did what only one man in NAPW had ever (or will ever) do: Lloyd Rees became the Grand Slam champion. With his partner "The Charismatic Colossus," David Banks, Rees became a tag team champion when he and Banks defeated the DOOMriders Tommy Deathrow and Billy Kryenik. With that, Rees was a Grand Slam champion, once again a double champion, and once again on top of the NAPW world.
Weeks later came The Crimes. Rex Caliber, owner of NAPW and REBEL Pro World Heavyweight Champion, was bent on ruling both worlds. Rees and Caliber, formerly mortal enemies, shocked the world by allying. It seemed that there was no weakness to The Crimes, no limit to their power. When Rees & Banks won the impossible Tagstravaganza II with copious Crimes interference to retain the belts, it seemed that nobody could stop them.
And that was when the Rees train came of the wheels.
The tag titles came first. In a controversial finish, Rees & Banks were dethroned in a ladder match against the Murder City Devils (Donovan Astros & Jake Phoenix) and Malicious Intent (Chris Casino & Sebastien Martyr). Astros and Casino EACH grabbed a tag title belt to fall to the ground. The ruling was, that though no one TEAM grabbed each belts, neither belt was grabbed by the defending champions. Rees, along with Static, blamed the loss on David Banks, viciously assaulting him and ejecting him from Crimes membership. In fact, that would be one of the last times David Banks appeared in either NAPW or REBEL.
Rees held onto his Provincial Title, narrowly retaining it by getting disqualified against Stone Zellor, one of the Crimes' main enemies. It would be that same Stone Zellor who would prevent Rees from retaining against young Jeff James in a similar fashion. Even with Stone preventing him from taking the easy way out, Rees seemed to have the match won when he locked on the Conception Bay Chinlock. But, in a similar fashion to how he defeated The Yellow Chicken to start his TV title reign months earlier, Jeff James was able to pin Rees' shoulders to the mat WHILE IN THE HOLD for the three-count and Provincial Title!
There and Back Again: A Newfie's Tale
"LDK" Lloyd Rees vs "The Falcon" Jacob Venar
9/27/2007So began Rees' descent into the valley of the shadow of death. His vicious feud with Chris Casino saw him on the losing end. He was part of losing Crimes team in Cage of Death. He lost, and lost, and lost some more. It seemed that Rees had lost all confidence in himself and his abilities. Even with outside interference or cheating, he could not come up with a victory if his life depended on it, going on one of the worst losing streaks in NAPW history. There seemed to be little light at the end of the tunnel. Fans and critics alike wondered aloud if this was the end of the road for Rees in NAPW. Even Rees himself seemed to have no answers, and his once-furious fire seemed dampened and extinguished. The competition in NAPW was tougher than ever, and perhaps Rees' time had come and gone.
In the midst of this period, Rees would sign to a match against an up-and-coming young rookie, the white-hot Jacob Venar AKA "The Falcon." Even with Rees' losing streak, few gave the plucky but inexperienced Venar a chance. Yet something was different even about Rees in this contest. He seemed content to go back to basics, attempting to technically wrestle Venar. No cheating. No shenanigans. Yet despite Rees' skill, Falcon's heart proved greater, and he won clean in the center of the ring. Instead of snapping... Rees shook Falcon's hand.
That's when things began to turn around. Rees' developed a grudging, but real, respect for Venar, even taking him under his wing (so to speak). Rees helped Venar gain experience and learn the little secrets that make a good wrestler GREAT. And Venar helped Rees rediscover his passion for wrestling. He helped him find his heart.
It started slowly, but Rees began to win matches again. He and Venar teamed up here and there to good success, even earning a tag title shot. Though they came up short, it was not for lack of effort. For Rees personally, it was time for him to prove to the wrestling world that he was what he said he was: "The Technical Terror." Despite his incredible resume, numerous NAPW records and multiple championship wins, Rees had often had help, taking short-cuts when he could have relied on his not-insignificant WRESTLING ability. Rees honed his submission holds, refined his in-ring game, and began doing something he had shown glimpses of in the past. He simply dissected his opposition and made them tap out. And in doing so, he showed the fans and his peers that he truly WAS as good as he had said for years. Without help, without assistance, Rees simply was THAT good.
And then, what had begun slowly avalanched. Rees wrestled a returning-for-one-night-only Chris Casino to a time-limit draw in the Greatest Match In NAPW History, Ever. And then, later that same night, he tossed Chris Casino over the top rope to win NAPW's yearly Sole Survivor event. In REBEL Pro Wrestling, Rees defeated Stylin' Kyle Roberts to earn a shot at the REBEL Pro World title. On May 13th inside a Steel Cage, Rees forced Jake Phoenix to submit, winning the REBEL Pro World Heavyweight title.
On May 27th, "LDK" Lloyd Rees has the opportunity to once again make history, when he steps into the ring against the NAPW World Champion, "The Ego Buster" Dan Ryan. With a win, Rees would not only add a third NAPW World title reign to his resume, he would become the first and only man to hold both the REBEL Pro and NAPW world titles at the same time (only Rex Caliber has held both promotion's top titles, but not at the same time).
It is without question that this title match is the single biggest of "LDK's" professional wrestling career. Yet, win or lose, Rees has finally done what eight different title reigns did not. He has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest NAPW or Canadian wrestlers of the new millenium. He has proven that he is truly "The Technical Terror." He has earned the respect of his wrestling peers and the the fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, this IS "LDK" Lloyd Rees.
See you at the shows.
Fracas on 4th Ave Card
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