Resistance Pro ready to ‘Rise’ on Jan. 13

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Updated: February 14, 2012 8:09AM

After debuting in November at Excalibur in Chicago with a 21-and-older event, Resistance Pro is back with an all-ages show.

The promotion has garnered both buzz and criticism because Billy Corgan, of the Smashing Pumpkins, is creative director.

Corgan himself will be in the house for Rise on Jan. 13 to crown Resistance Pro’s inaugural heavyweight champion and meet fans after the show.

“At Black Friday, there was a discrepancy with the way the Kevin Steen-Harry Smith match ended,” said Gabriel Baron, who is co-owner and co-promoter of R-Pro with his brother, Jacques, of Lockport.

“A lot of fans felt that Harry won the match since Steen couldn’t continue, while others shared Sheik and Rinaldo Piven’s point of view that since there was no winner, Sheik should get the title by default

“We decided that the best thing to do was to eliminate the margin of error by making the three-way dance a no-DQ, no-count-out, no-time-limit contest where one man will walk out the undisputed Resistance Pro heavyweight champion.”

Southland fans may be happy to hear that the card also will feature Da Soul Touchaz, which includes Park Forest resident Marshe Rockett.

“We had Da Soul Touchaz in mind when we first started Resistance Pro. Unfortunately, there was a scheduling conflict that prohibited them from participating at Black Friday,” Baron said of the promotion’s inaugural event.

“We feel that they are one of the most unique and entertaining groups in all of professional wrestling and look forward to having them on the Resistance Pro roster.

“What they bring to the table is a charisma that is unparalleled anywhere in professional wrestling today, and we look forward to sharing that with the fans at Rise.”

WANT MORE?

♦ Check out the Elaborating on Entertainment article titled "Pro Wrestling Extra: A conversation w/ RESISTANCE Pro," which features more with R-Pro's Gabriel Baron including comments about women’s champion Melanie Cruise and Billy Corgan’s commitment to the promotion.

♦ Information about meet-and-greets, signings and other events can be found in the Upcoming Shows forum at ChicagoProWrestling.com.