FROM THE VAULT: Magnificent Marranca & Killa S vs BS Express - ACE Anarchy Pre-Show 8/8/09
- Mar 24
- 5 min read
I think you know by now that I can talk about the old school days of American Championship Entertainment like nobody’s business.
To me, as a fan, there was nothing like the promotion that ran out of 725 Sip Street in Union City, NJ. There was always just a vibe about it. It was local wrestling at its very best. Talent from all across the tri-state area went into that building to ply their trade. It might’ve been the last venue in the modern times that ate, breathed, and slept professional wrestling.
Modern independent wrestling fans might not remember it as the years go on, but to those that ever went there, it was great.
Throughout Mike Morgan’s tenure in the building, there were THREE installments of the ACE Arena. The first was up on the third floor. It was incredibly tight, to the point where the talent would have to change on the fire escape and make that their locker room. However, it was a group of young, incredibly talented individuals that not only made it work, but bonded with each other over it.
The second version was on the second floor. Once you climbed the staircase, you’d make a left and enter. A lot more space, with an actual locker room, bleachers, and a thriving concession stand. It was so spacious compared to the third floor that there was room for an entranceway and Tron. I absolutely loved it. The fans were up close and personal, and allowed the wrestlers to give even stronger performances in the arena on Show Day.
However, by the time ACE upgraded to the right side of the second floor in the Summer of 2009, it truly became a cult venue for wrestling. “A fight club vibe”, quoted by “the American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, the third version of the ACE Arena really felt like home.
The venue officially opened on August 8, 2009 with ACE Anarchy. Here was the official results of that night, courtesy of Cagematch:
Lince Dorado defeats Mike Donovan
Killa S defeats Benny Martinez and Black Zemis and Envy and Frightmare and Sam Sational
ACE Diamond Title Match: Shawn Walker (c) defeats Bandido Jr.
Eddie Kingston defeats Bruno Marciano
Two Out Of Three Falls Match: Mo Sexton defeats Azrieal
ACE Tag Team Title Match: Johnson 2 Johnson (Andrew Johnson & Brian Johnson) (c) defeat The Saints Of Brutality (Brolly & Stockade)
WSU World Title Match: Mercedes Martinez (c) vs. Nikki Roxx - Time Limit Draw
ACE Heavyweight Title Match: Dan Maff (c) defeats Colt Cabana
However, there is one result missing from Cagematch that has never been discussed, especially with ACE fans. Lince Dorado and Mike Donovan did not open up the third ACE Arena as the first match. There was one more, a pre-show match, that went on before the show began to get filmed for DVD…or so I thought.
Looking for old ACE matches on YouTube to get inspired, I came across a fan-cam match from 8/8/09 that showed me the proof.
Sixteen years later, thanks to the long-forgotten BergCity316 channel, here it is…FROM THE VAULT:
“The Magnificent” Giovanni Marranca & Killa S vs Ed & Tom Scanlon: The BS EXPRESS
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To me, the ACE Wrestling School in 2009 housed some of the best diamonds in the rough in the New Jersey independent scene.
While Mike literally kept ACE afloat by doing all the thankless behind-the-scenes grunt work, as well as upkeep of the entire building, the students were mainly handled by the great Jay Lethal.
So many young talents were trained in that facility from 2005-2009. Thomas “the Gate” Rodriguez, the aforementioned Marranca, Too Hot Steve Scott, Ed and Tom, Too Hot Steve Scott, Dan Murdoch, Killa S, Junior Soba, and the masked Vic Hellion, just to name a few. Multiple times a week, those guys, combined with Jay, Azrieal, Donovan, Rob Vegas, and various other independent standouts, would come out and work with the students.
Talking with these guys over the years, the lessons they learned inside the squared circle with those great minds were invaluable. Not only that, but they pushed each other to be better and, in turn, became great friends.
By 2009, things had begun to change a tad. Jay went on to live his dream and become a crucial member in TNA. A few of the guys moved on from wrestling, but the core students remained.
As the third ACE Arena was beginning its preparations to open, some of the guys became more inspired to be a part of the inaugural event. A few even helped move things and set up some of the crucial parts to create an incredible atmosphere.
Although Killa S was already part of a six-way match on the main card, ACE management decided to give the young Union City native some more ring time, and put ACE’s hot young tag team, Ed & Tom, on the pre-show to face him, alongside the final ACE Light Heavyweight Champion Marranca.
“The Gate”, Gio’s tag team partner, had to take some time off from wrestling, but due to the chemistry Killa and Gio had during training, the choice was made for them to team.
The match itself was simple, but it really demonstrated everyone’s strengths. Killa S and Marranca’s speed carried them through at the start, but the Express came through with their power and double team maneuvers.
Near the end of the match, Ed & Tom had Killa S prepared for their finisher, the Varsity Blues, but “the Magnificent” broke it up. A few moments later, Marranca found himself in a Tom twirl-to-whirl into an Ed wheelbarrow. One spin later, Tom caught Gio with a cutter, and it was all she wrote. The BS Express picked up the duke.
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Everything about this match personifies how important the ACE Arena was to so many. For the students, it was a place where they spent their formative years developing how to become a pro wrestler. For the scene, it was a place where the top level independents from across the tri-state area to wrestle in and make their opportunity. For the fans, it was just an independent wrestling mecca to see a plethora of top level promotions come to put on epic events.
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of modern fans or wrestlers might not have ever had the experience of going to the ACE Arena for a show. As honestly as I can say it, it’s their loss. It really might’ve been the last place to go for neighborhood-style pro wrestling. It’s the same feeling I can imagine fans from Brooklyn felt in 1957 when the Dodgers left their Ebbets Field haunts and went to Los Angeles. Their neighborhood team was gone.
Too strong? I don’t care.
However, you can always remember this. There could only be one match to open a venue. And thanks to the greatness of YouTube, it was this one. Happy to see four of ACE’s best students have that honor.
Bankie Bruce
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