FROM THE VAULT: Mike Donovan & Ricky Richards vs Black Zemis & Ultimo Maya (ACE Rise 2 Power 10/3/15)
To me, there was no other tag team to watch in the 2010s of American Championship Entertainment other than Mike Donovan and Ricky Richards.
Sure, it was a thrown together tandem. Of course, it didn’t last that long. But for whatever reason, they just clicked as a team.
The earliest match on record Donovan & Richards had together was in July 2014, when they defeated “Flawless” Blake Morris & Ken Canada. Over the next few months, the pair teamed on various ACE Pro Wrestling events.
Their big moment came at Hero’s Celebration, a tribute show to the late, great Mike Morgan, Jr, on February 7, 2015, when the pair upset the fledgling Santana and Ortiz of EYFBO (later LAX and Proud & Powerful). It was a fantastic opening to the show and set the tempo for the remainder of the emotional night.
Donovan and Richards’ hard work ultimately culminated on June 13, 2015 at the newly rechristened Morgan Jr Arena in Wallington, NJ, when they defeated Chris Cayden & Raymond Rysk for the vacant ACE Tag Team Championships.
In all truth, Donovan and Ricky balanced each other out. For Donovan, the former Diamond Division and Tag Team Champion with Rob Vegas finally had some stability. As for Ricky, his slow ascent up the card, beginning with ACE’s one-time sister promotion Middle Village Wrestling and subsequent singles run, reached its next level. Plus, teaming with an ACE veteran such as Donovan gave him credibility with the ACE Nation.
Following a successful title defense against Hollywood Enterprise of Absolute Alvin and Mike Orlando, momentum was on the champions’ side. And then, a figurative roadblock entered the picture and completely shut down their cause.
ENTER ULTIMO MAYA AND BLACK ZEMIS.
“The Feline of Lucha Libre” Zemis had been a member of the ACE roster for close to a decade. A man who really appreciated and dedicated himself to the craft of Lucha Libre, Zemis never truly found his footing in ACE with any sustained success.
On the flip side, Ultimo Maya made his debut in 2014. His Aztec background, and passion for Lucha Libre, made him stand out to many of those in the ACE Nation. To no surprise, the pair became fast friends in the locker room and formed a tag team in 2015, upsetting the ACE legends Andrew “Tiny” Johnson and William Wyeth at Anarchy on August 8, 2015 and immediately placed themselves in front for a Tag Team Title shot.
Rise 2 Power on October 3, 2015 was the time. The Morgan Jr Arena was the place.
I’m here to bring you FROM THE VAULT - Mike Donovan & Ricky Richards defending the ACE Tag Team Titles against Ultimo Maya & Black Zemis!
The match was a clash of styles in every sense. The hard hitting of the champions combatted with the fast-paced stylings. Everything Donovan & Richards threw out, the challengers seemingly had a counter for everything. It was genuinely surprising.
Also, with a young Cheyenne Ortiz & Classic Mikey D on commentary, it really brought back that old school ACE feel. It added an extra bit of nostalgia to this, which surprised me as well while watching for the first time in nearly a decade.
The finish was just as surprising. The challengers found a way to avoid Donovan & Richards strikes, and then, after taking out Richards, Maya avoided Donovan’s South Side Knockout, Zemis nailed a vicious gutbuster, which led to a Maya Sling Blade.
Referee Frank Declet slapped the mat three times, and we had NEW ACE Tag Team Champions in Black Zemis & Ultimo Maya!
Honestly, in such a tight timeframe, the guys managed to put together a Hell of a match. The small but feisty ACE Nation enjoyed the encounter. The tag team scene in ACE was put on notice with the shocking changing of the guard.
Following a rematch a few weeks later at ACE/ICE Showdown, with Maya & Zemis winning in surprisingly quick and dominating fashion, Richards and Donovan split up, trading wins at Crossroads in November and Worlds Collide in December. Then, after a successful title defense against Alvin and Orlando at Crossroads, Maya and Zemis lost the gold at Worlds Collide to a retooled Hollywood Enterprise team of Alvin and Wyeth.
The quick world of ACE. Expect the unexpected…always.
Needless to say, I miss these days of ACE Pro Wrestling. Seeing Mike Donovan become a standard bearer of the tri-state indy scene nowadays, Ricky being a major focal point of Project: Diverge, and Maya & Zemis getting their flowers as champions make me smile. Honestly, when people tell me to enjoy the time in the present, as you will never know when they will be gone, this match is a perfect example.
It still makes me wonder, however, what if Donovan & Richards remained a full-fledged team back then and how far they could’ve taken it. For one year, they were absolutely fantastic.
Until then, The Vault will forever be open. It’s up to you to look back and see how much has evolved.
Bankie Bruce
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