Paradigm Pro Wrestling is putting on a one-night sixteen man tournament called Heavy Hitters 2. Competitors can choose to compete in either hardcore rules, UWFi Rules, or Brawl for All rules. Competitors on the card include UFC Hall of Famer “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar, former Ring of Honor star Erick Stevens, former WWE developmental star “The One Man Militia” Matthew Justice, Beyond Wrestling’s flagship star “Dirty Daddy” Chris Dickinson, and former Paradigm Pro Champion “The Truth” AJ Gray.
Here’s how the promotion describes UWFi rules:
UWFi Rules, named for the defunct Japanese wrestling promotion the Union of Wrestling Forces International, is a hybrid of traditional professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Under UWFi rules, there are no pinfalls – matches may only be won via knock-out, TKO, submission, or via a complex point system. The UWFi style and ruleset is widely considered to be a precursor to the modern MMA style.
“We had originally planned to run three big MMA/wrestling crossover events during the calendar year, the Heavy Hitters Tournament, another UWFi Rules Grand Prix, and a new Brawl for All concept,” said Paradigm Pro Wrestling co-owner Gary Wilson. “Unfortunately, the coronavirus has shortened our schedule of events for the year, so we’ve decided to make the best of the situation, and combine all of the concepts into one giant super-show.”
Here’s more on the card:
In the main event, Stephan Bonnar will face Matthew Justice under hardcore rules. The two previously faced last year in a UWFi Rules Super Fight that saw Bonnar earn a victory by knock-out in a closely contested bout. Following that contest, Bonnar said “Matthew Justice came out here, fought my rule set, and hey – I’ve got a lot of respect for him, so how about I make this fair… I come back here and we do it his rules – in a street fight kind of match.”
In addition, former King of the Death Matches John Wayne Murdoch will face former MMA fighter Flash Thompson under Brawl for All Rules, and Erick Stevens will face former GCW Tag Team Champion Reed Bentley under UWFi Rules. Stevens is replacing his Team Filthy stable-mate Tom Lawlor in the match against Bentley, as Lawlor is unable to compete at the rescheduled “Heavy Hitters 2” event due to his impending return to MMA.
