By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

Back in the glory days of Missouri wrestling, there were no trading cards of Harley Race, Bruiser Brody, or Dory Funk. Many of the stars of one of wrestling’s greatest territories were never captured on cardboard.

But today, one passionate wrestling fan is creating cards for the wrestlers of Missouri’s thriving independent scene.
Since the beginning of 2010, Brian Kelley has been designing and producing his own cards for the Missouri Wrestling Revival (MWR), a website dedicated to the area’s top independent promotions.

Each card features a full-color photo of a wrestler on the front and detailed biographical information on the back, along with a smaller photo. Each card is unique, with a design and color scheme that fits that wrestler’s personality.




The first MWR card was released January 6, 2010, and depicted Darin Corbin and Ryan Cruz, The Northstar Express.

“Corbin and Cruz was the perfect choice for the first card in the set,” Kelley said. “They are two of the most entertaining men in the sport today, and we were honored when we were able to team up with the NSE to get the card set on the right start.”

Since then, the cards have been released in groups at different times throughout the year. When new cards are available, a note is posted on the MWR website, http://missouriwrestlingrevival.wordpress.com.




Kelley works with the wrestlers and other personalities to produce each card. Some wrestlers provide their own biographical information, while others ask Kelley to write up the information. The person pictured on the card has final say before it is printed, and the photos are provided to Kelley to be used on the cards.

“Even though I wrote MsChif’s number 4 MWR trading card bio, she was very hands-on about making sure the card represented who she was,” Kelley said. “We changed the card a few times to get it correct. I very much appreciated and respected her for that.”

Kelley does not produce cards of wrestlers who have not agreed to participate.

“As much as I would like to have a Tammy Sytch or Arn Anderson MWR trading card, I would never try to make a card of them without their approval,” he said. “We are not some outfit that scans pictures to try to make a buck on their name.”




So far, 49 cards have been made. The cards have included many of the top independent wrestlers in Missouri, along with well-known wrestlers like Tyler Black, Davey Richards, MsChif, Eddie Edwards, and U-GENE, aka Nick Dinsmore and Eugene of WWE fame. Kelley was especially excited to have Black, who at that time was the Ring of Honor World Champion, agree to be a part of the set.

“Black was riding high in the wrestling world with looks from the top, and for him to support a website at that time that was mainly independent and really couldn’t help him politically showed me what a great guy he was,” Kelley said.




The next five cards will be released “any day now,” according to Kelley. Card number 50 in the set will be of legendary St. Louis at the Chase announcer Larry Matysik. The Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance-Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling show on July 16 has been dubbed “Larry Matysik Night,” and each fan that comes to the show with a paid admission will receive one of the cards. Matysik will be on hand to sign the cards.

The next four MWR cards will include Jimmy Jacobs, Jessie Belle Smothers (daughter of Tracey Smothers), Barry Ryte and the Strong Style Devils (Bailey Mannix, Eric Allen and Lovely Leon).

If someone like Black or Richards evolves into a major star, these cards could become very cool collectibles. Imagine, for example, if Stampede Wrestling had produced cards of Chris Benoit and Owen Hart in the late 1980s, or if World Class Championship Wrestling had made a Steve Austin card in 1990. Those cards would likely be very popular with wrestling fans today.

While the MWR cards may not have the star power of a card set from a national wrestling promotion, these cards are every bit as attractive as any WWE, TNA or WCW cards ever made. These aren’t cards that have been printed on a thick paper stock from someone’s home printer; they’re well made and have a glossy finish. The photographs are crisp and appealing, and the biographical information is more thorough and informative than anything you’ll find on a WWE or TNA card. If you attend independent shows with any of these wrestlers, these cards would be great items to have signed.

“I may be limited to my knowledge of the computer and my editing skills are amateur at best, but I do take great pride in being as professional as I can on the budget I have,” Kelley said. “I could make cheaper cards and produce many at one time, but I decided to make a card worthy of the hard work of the men and women in pro wrestling. I hope that the fans and wrestlers agree.”

The cards cost $1.50 each, and can be purchased directly Brian Kelley by contacting him at flairwhoooooo@yahoo.com.

Do you have a question about wrestling collectibles? Do you have an item or collection that you’d like to share with wrestling fans? Contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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