Andrade, TNA star Indi Hartwell headline ACW Reckoning in New York

Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) will return to the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie, New York for Saturday night’s Reckoning event, which is expected to be a star-studded affair.

Well-known names of professional wrestling such as IWGP global heavyweight champion Andrade, NWA world historic 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 the best names of the independent scene such as Richard Holliday and Ben Bishop will also be on the card.

ACW tag team champions will also be among those competing at the event. The duo of Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins, known as The Now, will defend their championships against Sent 2 Slaughter, consisting of Danny Maff and Shawn Donovan, in a steel cage match.

Dalishus and Collins hope to end their feud with Sent 2 Slaughter.

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“Our feud with the guys we’ve had to deal with for the last year and a half has actually spilled outside of ACW,” Dalishus said. “We competed in many different promotions all over the Northeast.”

Dalishus added that he crashed Maff and Donovan’s wedding, which escalated the feud.

“And they’re all mad because we stole, you know, won their tag titles at WrestlePro,” Collins said, adding that their tag team rivals even crashed Johnny Rodz’s Hall of Fame ceremony at his wrestling school.

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“This is a very personal rivalry. They actually ruined my wedding,” Dalishus continued. “They came in unannounced. They made it very personal and we responded accordingly. The first time we were in the steel cage with them, they had our manager (Josh Shernoff) in their back pocket.

“In fact, he turned against us… The purpose of this steel cage is atonement, to right the wrong that happened to us the last time we entered the cage. We said this would be the final chapter; no matter who wins and whoever loses, that’s it.”

Hale Collins (left) and Vik Dalishus march with the Awesome Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship. (Smoothed photography)

Dalishus and Collins are the promoters behind ACW, which has received high praise from the wrestlers who compete in their events. They emphasized why having a venue like the MJN Center was a critical component of the promotion’s success.

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Dalishus recalled going to WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” tapings in the 1990s and watching Sensational Sherry and Luna Vachon take on each other and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hard enter the building.

“This building, our careers and our lives have really intertwined in the craziest way, and we’re so lucky to have Awesome Championship Wrestling being the next wave of pro wrestling, which is hugely popular in this area. WWF and WWE were coming here in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and then ECW and then some of the local independent wrestling that ran the building were trying to do a good job of bringing big stars to the area, but there was a really big gap in the last few years in terms of bringing pro wrestling and TV stars into this area.”

Hale Collins (left) and Vik Dalishus pose for a photo. (Lifelumens – Edward-Daniel Simons Jr.)

“NXT had run the house, TNA had run the house a few times and the crowds were a little overwhelming and we knew when we were going to start Championship Wrestling Great, we knew we wanted to do something a little different but also appeal to all wrestling fans, provide something for everyone.”

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Collins and Dalishus highlighted the impressive growth they’ve seen since their first show in January 2025, as ACW stands a cut above run-of-the-mill indie promotions with its lighting, camera work and behind-the-scenes professionalism.

“We almost lost it the first show, then we had a great walk,” Collins told Fox News Digital. “It was almost like the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ – ‘if you build it, it will come.’ All of a sudden 2, 3, 400 people stood up and it was amazing. “Since then we’ve been progressing day by day, but we have goals in mind.”

Dalishus said they were “really smart” by taking steps to get more exposure for their shows, including a YouTube show showcasing their past matches and highlighting upcoming events.

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Now bring the pain in Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Smoothed photography)

“Who knows where it could actually go? The idea for us is to ride this roller-coaster for as long as possible and see what happens,” Dalishus said. he said. “Will it become a brand that starts touring around the country? We hope so. We hope that it’s something we can do and that we can take ACW to different markets. Right now, we’ve been able to take advantage of the fact that the building here, the MJN Center, is in partnership with us and we’ve been able to really grow with a partner that wants us to be successful as much as they want to see success. So it becomes a big risk to start traveling outside of that home area because of what we’re able to leverage with our friends, business contacts, and partnerships that we have.”

“We spent a lot of time last year surrounding ourselves with some of the guys that we’ve known throughout our time in wrestling, who we trust, who are really great minds for professional wrestling and who bring something to the table that will help us grow in a big way. Being able to get this thing on the road would be something I’d really like to see us do.”

Collins added that getting on the road was “definitely a goal.”

“Everything we do, even if it’s something as simple as branding the apron, that’s our goal. The branding is pretty good right now, so let’s move on to the next goal. Now we can take the show and put it in another building, but it’s still going to look like ACW. We’re thinking about every aspect and being careful when we do it. As of right now, I think we’re onto something really great, and whatever we get, we’re putting it back into the company.”

The showdown will take place on Saturday night and will feature “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Mike Bell’s induction into the MJN Center’s Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

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The last card looks like this:

The former world champion faces Brian Cage, Hammerstone, Flip Gordon, Mance Warner and a mystery opponent in a five-way survival match to become the #1 contender for the ACW National Championship.

Zack Clayton (c) vs. Dante “El Jaguar” Casanova for the AEW National Championship.

“Big Trouble” Ben Bishop vs. “Firework” Foxx Vinyer.

Leo Sparrow (c) vs. 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.