Rickey Shane Page's road to TOD

Combat Zone Wrestling has been one of the top independent promotions in the United States for over a decade and this Saturday, the company will present the fourteenth annual Tournament Of Death, which is one of its most anticipated events. As with any company, CZW has seen its share of ups and downs over its sixteen year history with infamous injuries, office problems, and other disputes, but since the organization was purchased by DJ Hyde in 2009, the promotion has shook much of the ultra violent stigma that it held previously. The additions of competitors such as Biff Busick, Mike Bailey, and others have made the CZW roster the most well rounded in the history of the organization. The Tournament Of Death is an opportunity for performers to blend wrestling skills with some insane death match elements to present some very entertaining hybrid style matches. Some of the ultra violent main stays in this year's tournament include Nick Gage, Matt Tremont, Danny Havoc, and others, but there's a new comer to the field that is looking to have a career defining performance in the ultra violent underground.

Rickey Shane Page is a nearly fourteen year veteran of the independent circuit and despite his heavyweight frame, he brings an athletic style to the squared circle and he's an extremely agile competitor. When I read that Rickey was signed for TOD, I knew it was a great opportunity because he's one of the most underrated talents on the independent scene today and the main stage of TOD provides him some well deserved exposure. When Page was booked to work on a local card in Pittsburgh where I was doing commentary for the show, he had an incredible match with stand out star, Heidi Lovelace and I asked him about working on this article, and more specifically, what road led him to one of the most dangerous tournaments in wrestling?

As a youth growing up in Ohio, Rickey was a die hard wrestling fan and after watching Mick Foley get tossed from the top of the cell at the King of the Ring in 1998, he decided to pursue a career in the ring. Before he stepped into the pro ranks, Page and friends would performer backyard matches, which actual garnered attention among local spectators. When he was finally old enough to begin training, Rickey enlisted the help of Chris Kole and within a year, he began his start at various small shows around Ohio in 2001. During his time as a rookie, Page met one of his best friends, Vincent Nothing and the duo would form the Faith In Nothing tag team. Now under a mask as Christian Faith, Rickey would team with Vincent for several years and the team became one of the top draws for several leagues around the Cleveland area, including Cleveland All Pro Wrestling and Absolute Intense Wrestling. A combination of the fast paced independent style and risky matches led to the eventual retirement of Vincent Nothing, but Page was at a crossroad in his own career in 2010.

 The following year, Christian Faith shed the mask to become Rickey Shane Page, who as mentioned, is an extremely agile bruiser that brings elements of the Japanese strong style to the table. As the years progressed, Page began to establish his own fan following and his performances in AIW in recent years have brought more opportunities his way. More specifically, as a regular for Alpha-1 in Canada, where he's the current Zero Gravity champion, Rickey has a tremendous fan base. He also expanded his horizons in the United States for AAW in Chicago and he's the Heritage champion under the Christian Faith persona. While he acknowledges the hardships of the road, Rickey knows it's a valuable experience and appreciates his international fan base, "Canada is my second home. I love the fans. the wrestlers are some of the best I've ever seen I love everything about it. Alpha 1 is a great promotion I think all fans should check out." he said. However, it was some of his hardcore battles in AIW, which is becoming one of the top independent companies in its own right, that earned Page a spot in the tournament of death.

No stranger to matches involving tables, light tubes, or barbed wire, Page recognizes the risk of a death match tournament, but is ready to embrace the opportunity to take his career to the next level. When asked about potential injuries, he said, "Being apart of TOD is a bucket list thing for me. I've always been a fan of CZW. Some of the first indy wrestling I ever saw was CZW. Guys like Nick Gage, Wife Beater, and Sick Nick Mondo were all amazing and I watched all their stuff. I can't wait to compete at TOD. There is always a concern for injury when wrestling, weather it's a death match or not, but we're all professionals and know why we're doing. I'm ready!"

Just after 2 PM in Delaware this Saturday afternoon, Rickey Shane Page enters TOD after fourteen years of hard work and traveling hundreds of miles to a variety of shows to make a name for himself. Rickey starts the event in a light tube match up against death match veteran, Danny Havoc and if he advances, Page could wrestle two more times during the event to claim the trophy. Regardless of the result, many fans will get to see the skills of Rickey Shane Page and he looks to continue the momentum in his career and said, "The goal is to wrestle all over the country and world. The UK and Japan are at the top of my list. Also going to California would be cool. I want to wrestle at places I'm a fan of like Attack Pro Wrestling, New Japan, BJW, PWG.  WXW." Rickey also shares his knowledge with the next generation, as he opened, The Roaring Elbow Academy in 2014 and for more information on Rickey Shane Page or the training center, go to rickeyshanepage.com

For ticket information on the CZW Tournament Of Death event or the IPPV of the show, you can go to czwrestling.com