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Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) will return to the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie, New York for its Reckoning event on Saturday night in what is expected to be a star-studded event.
Recognizable names in professional wrestling such as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Andrade, historic NWA World Middleweight Champion Flip Gordon, ACW Women’s Champion Steph De Lander, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) star Indi Hartwell, Major League Wrestling (MLW) Lady Frost, as well as notable names from the independent scene such as Richard Holliday and Ben Bishop will appear on the card.
ACW Tag Team Champions will also be among those competing at the event. Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins, the duo known as The Now, will defend the titles in a steel cage match against Sent 2 Slaughter, the team of Danny Maff and Shawn Donovan.
Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins come down the ramp for an Awesome Championship Wrestling match. (Photography by Jay Adam)
Dalishus and Collins hope to end their feud with Sent 2 Slaughter.
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“We’ve had to deal with guys over the last year and a half and our feud spilled over outside of ACW,” Dalishus said. “We have fought in several different promotions throughout the Northeast.”
Dalishus added that Maff and Donovan ruined their wedding, raising the temperature of the feud.
“And everyone’s bitter because we stole from them, well, we won their tag titles at WrestlePro,” Collins said, adding that their tag team opponents even crashed their Hall of Fame ceremony at Johnny Rodz’s wrestling school.
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“It’s a very personal rivalry. In fact, they ruined my wedding,” Dalishus continued. “They showed up unannounced. They made it very personal and we responded accordingly. The first time we were in a steel cage with them, they had our manager (Josh Shernoff) in their back pocket.
“It actually turned against us… What this steel cage is really about is redemption to right the wrong that happened to us the last time we were in a cage. We’ve said this was going to be the final chapter: whoever wins, wins, and whoever loses, that’s it.”
Hale Collins, left, and Vik Dalishus walk with the Awesome Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship. (Smoothlenz Photography)
Dalishus and Collins are the promoters behind ACW, which has received high praise from wrestlers who competed in its events. They highlighted why having a venue like the MJN Center is a critical component to the success of the promotion.
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Dalishus recalled attending WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” tapings in the 1990s and seeing Sensational Sherry and Luna Vachon face off, as well as Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore starting in the building.
“That building and our careers and our lives have really intertwined in the craziest way and we are very fortunate that Awesome Championship Wrestling has been something that has caught on in this area and really has been the next wave of professional wrestling. The WWF and the WWE came here in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and then ECW and then there was a local independent wrestling that was running the building trying to do a good job of providing big stars in the area, but there was a really big gap in recent years with professional wrestling and the incorporation of television stars into this area.
Hale Collins, left, and Vik Dalishus pose for a photo. (Lifelumens – Edward-Daniel Simons Jr.)
“NXT had run the building, TNA had run the building a few times and the crowds were a little disappointing and we knew when we were going to start Awesome Championship Wrestling we wanted to do something a little different but also cater to all the wrestling fans – offer something for everyone.”
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As ACW is credited with being just above a regular independent promotion with its lighting, camera work, and backstage professionalism, Collins and Dalishus highlighted the impressive growth they have achieved since their first show in January 2025.
“On the first show, we almost lost our butts, and then we had a great walk,” Collins told Pak Gazette Digital. “It was almost like the movie ‘Field of Dreams’: ‘if you build it, it will come’. Suddenly, 2, 3, 400 people came up and it was incredible. Since then we have been going day by day, but we have goals in mind.”
Dalishus said they have been “really smart” in taking steps to bring more attention to their shows, including a YouTube show that shows their past matches and highlights upcoming events.
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Now brings the pain in Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Smoothlenz Photography)
“Who knows how far it can really go? The idea for us is to ride this roller coaster as long as we can and see what happens,” Dalishus said. “Does it become a brand that starts touring around the country? We hope so. We hope that’s something we can do and that we can take ACW to different markets. Right now, what we’ve been able to take advantage of is that the building here, the MJN Center, is partnered with us and that we’ve been able to really grow with a partner that wants to see us succeed as much as they want to see success. So, starting to travel becomes a big risk. outside of this local area because of the things we’ve been able to take advantage of with our friends and our business connections and our partnerships that we have.
“We’ve spent a lot of time in the last year surrounding ourselves with some of the people that we’ve met throughout our time in wrestling that we trust, that are really great minds for professional wrestling, and that are guys that bring something to the table that will help us grow at a great rate. Being able to take this on the road would be something I would really like for us to do.”
Collins added that going on tour was “definitely a goal.”
“Everything we do, even if it’s something simple like putting the brand on the apron, that’s the goal. The brand is pretty good right now, so let’s move on to the next goal. Now, we can take the show, put it in another building, but it will still look like ACW. We’re thinking about every aspect and being careful in doing it. As of now, I think we’re onto something really cool and everything we take, we’ll put back into the company.”
The reckoning will take place Saturday night and will include the inductions of “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Mike Bell into the MJN Center Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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The final card looks like this:
Brian Cage vs. Hammerstone vs. Flip Gordon vs. Mance Warner vs. a mystery former world champion opponent in a five-way survival match to become the number one contender for the ACW National Championship.
Zack Clayton (c) vs. Dante “The Jaguar” Casanova for the AEW National Championship.
“Big Deal” Ben Bishop vs. “Fireworks” Foxx Vinyer.
Leo Sparrow (c) vs. The Phoenix GKM vs. Liamo in a triple threat match for the AEW Cruiserweight Championship.
Steph De Lander and Indi Hartwell vs. Vicious Vicki and Lady Frost.
Vincent and Dutch (The Righteous) against Yoscifer (with Shir’rak) and Wrecking Ball Legursky.
Andrade vs. Richard Holliday.
