By early 2005, MECCA was off and running. Its flagship show, Go Time was airing on local stations throughout the Midwest and they successfully transitioned into RCW's PPV spot in February. In order to cut costs initially, it was decided that there would only be six live PPVs per year. In the off months, MECCA would hold special events that would be aired on the same local stations the Go Time aired on. The first of these was Melee, which was set for March. In 2010 as part of MECCA's PPV rebranding, the event's name was changed to Kick Start.
Background
Melee 2005 was the first bi-monthly special to be taped for airing on local stations throughout the Midwest. It took place at Grays Armory in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 12, 2005. It was also released on DVD several weeks later for fans to whom it was not available.
The previous month at Bloody Valentine, the Round Robin Title Challenge had kicked off between top contenders Nykk, Ronin Fox, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk. It continued over the next few weeks on Go Time, and three more matches in the tournament were scheduled for Melee. Nykk came into the event with a 1-1 record, having beaten Fox at Bloody Valentine but losing to Ki on Go Time. Fox came in with a 1-2 record, losing to Nykk at Bloody Valentine, winning against Punk on Go Time, and losing to Ki on a subsequent episode. Ki came in with a 2-1 record, having lost to Danielson at Bloody Valentine, but picking up wins against Nykk and Fox on episodes of Go Time. Danielson came in with a 1-1 record, having lost to Punk but winning against Ki, both bouts taking place at Bloody Valentine. Finally, Punk came in with a 1-1 record, having beaten Danielson at Bloody Valentine but losing to Fox on Go Time.
The International Invitational Tag Team Tournament to crown Tag Team Champions also continued at Melee. Having beaten The Ballard Brothers in the first round of the upper brackets, the Japanese team of Katsushi Takemura and Keiji Sakota advanced to the semi-finals and would face The UK Wrecking Crew, who had advanced over the Mexican contingent of Fugitivos Locos in the first round. Also, The Pyro Twins would represent the United States, having advanced against fellow Americans Reckless Abandon at Bloody Valentine. They would face off against the Japanese team of Kaientai Deluxe, who had beaten the US team of The Eccentrics in the first round.
Results
Background
Melee 2006 was the fourth live bi-monthly special produced by MECCA for their deal with FSN. It emanated from the Bingham Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 11, 2006.
In early 2006, MECCA was gearing up to present its marquee event, The MECCA Challenge II, live on pay-per-view. The EDJ had won title shots at the event, with Eddie Crowe challenging Kevin Stone for the MECCA Championship and The Pyro Twins finally earning the right to get The UK Wrecking Crew in the ring for the MECCA Tag Team Championship after being ducked for nearly a year. But Stone and the UKWC formed an alliance to take out their opponents before that event, and so a six-man tag team match was signed as the main event of Melee.
The feud between Nykk and Charlie Haas was also heating up heading toward the MECCA Challenge match at the April event. In order to keep them apart, MECCA authority Katie Piehl allowed them to choose one another's opponents for Melee. Haas chose the dangerous Cynric to face Nykk, while he chose the enigmatic Delirious to face Haas, counting on Haas to underestimate him.
The Toughman Tournament would also continue at Melee with the semi-final match taking place. Ronin Fox, Alan Mayse, Trent Acid, and Matt Sydal had made it to the semi-finals, and all four men would compete in a single double fall match at Melee. The loser of the first fall would be eliminated, while the winner took one of the spots in the finals at The MECCA Challenge II. Both men would then exit the match, allowing the remaining two men to compete for the other spot in the finals.
Results
Background
Melee 2007 was the tenth bi-monthly live event produced by MECCA and broadcast on FSN. It was also the final special event to air on the network, as MECCA decided to increase its PPV schedule to one per month starting in May. Melee took place at the Mattamy Athletic Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 17, 2007.
In early 2007, the pro wrestling loyalists of MECCA were at war with the sports entertainment-oriented group The David Caldwell Project for control of MECCA's future direction. One of the company's best wrestlers, Bryan Danielson had betrayed MECCA and sided with company co-owner David Caldwell. This raised the ire of Nykk, the former co-owner who had sold his shares to Caldwell the previous summer. Danielson had turned on Nykk back at Snowed In, bashing his head in with a chair. Nykk was out for revenge, and with the MECCA Championship being defended overseas on the night of the event, the two were booked for Melee's main event.
Caldwell had also acquired control of the MECCA Tag Team Championship, which were around the waists of The CDT. They would defend the belts against Delirious and The Human Tornado. Caldwell's pet starlet, Zoe Alexander would also be in action, taking on Kelly Schweickart for the MECCA Ladies' Championship. Finally, Caldwell would lead Huh to battle Kevin Stone in an Anything Goes Match.
The Women's World Cup would also continue at Melee. With Ireland's Rebecca Knox already the winner of the upper brackets, only the finals of the lower brackets were left to determine her opponent at The MECCA Challenge III. One of the finalists was Canada's Gail Kim, who had lost in the first round of the upper brackets only to battle all the way back to make it to the finals of the lower brackets. Her opponent would be Sara Del Rey, representing the United States.
Background
The annual Melee event was broadcast live on pay-per-view for the first time and emanated from the Gwinnett Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 22, 2008.
By March of 2008, The House of Lords had regained some of their power in MECCA, with Nykk leading the way as MECCA World Champion and one half of the Tag Team Champions. But he and Ronin Fox lost the MECCA Tag Team Championship to The Briscoes on the February 27 edition of Go Time when Jay pinned Nykk. Nykk successfully defended his World Title against Jay two weeks later, and after the match, Katie Piehl made her presence known. She drew a name out of a hat for Nykk's next challenger at Melee, only to reveal she was messing with him and every name in the hat was Eddie Crowe, who Nykk had screwed out of the title the previous May.
Looking to prove themselves even after winning the tag belts, the Briscoes wanted to defend them against all challengers. Former champions Delirious & Matt Sydal, who had warred with the Briscoes the previous fall but never lost the belts to them, stepped up. The match was booked for the main event, the first ever in MECCA a Tag Team Championship match would headline a PPV.
Tristan Lee was having his problems with The Consulate in early 2008. He had drawn the ire of Prince Nana when he had refused to sell out and join them. He enlisted the help of Jamie Chan to be his partner in fighting the Consulate, but at Bloody Valentine Chan turned on him, revealing that when Tristan had turned down Nana, Chan had stepped in and accepted his offer. Bent on revenge, Tristan wanted Chan in the ring, and the match was booked for Melee.
Background
The annual Melee event was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 21, 2009. The show emanated from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.
In early 2009, Anubis was coming up one year holding the MECCA World Heavyweight Championship. Meanwhile, Austin Lee and Tristan Lee seemed to be on the outs, with Tristan developing a huge chip on his shoulder where his brother was concerned. It escalated to the point where they were willing to compete against each other, and MECCA executor Katie Piehl booked them in a number one contender's match on Go Time. Looking to thin the herd a bit, Anubis attacked both men, causing the match to be thrown out. In response, Piehl booked them both against Anubis in a Triangle Match at Melee, with the title on the line.
Eddie Crowe and Bryan Danielson had been perennial rivals since 2006, but united in 2007 due to their hatred of The House of Lorda and even won the MECCA Tag Team Championship a year later. But after they lost the belts, Eddie and Danielson were booked in a match against each other at Melee. On the March 18 episode of Go Time, they were allowed to pick one another's opponents for the night. Eddie chose Delirious to face Danielson, but before the match could begin both men attacked Eddie. Huh, who was set to defend the MECCA Toughman Championship against Delirious at Melee, attempted to even the odds but got beaten down as well.
The Round Robin Faction War would continue at Melee with the final match to take place between Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon and The House of Lords. With The Consulate having finished all their matches and standing in first place with five points, EEE and the House of Lords were tied for second place at four points apiece. The winners would go on to one final match at The MECCA Challenge V against the Consulate with guaranteed title shots on the line, while the losers' faction would be forced to split up.
Background
In early 2010, MECCA decided to rebrand a few of its PPVs. As a result, Melee's name was changed to Kick Start. The first Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 20, 2010. The show emanated from the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.
In late 2009, Jamie Chan looked to break away from The Consulate when he learned his manager Prince Nana had been holding him back from going after the MECCA World Championship. Chan went on to win the title, but he was still under contract with Nana until February. When he turned down an offer to re-sign, Nana shifted his attention to his client and Chan's former partner Alan Mayse, who would go on to win 2010 the Six-Man Melee for the right to face the World Champion at The MECCA Challenge VI. On the February 24 episode of Go Time, the first one after Chan's contract with the Consulate expired, Mayse attacked Chan, helping out his stablemates The Wild Wolf and Are$. Chan's partner Eddie Crowe, who was having his own issues with the Consulate, and Davey Richards evened the odds. When the smoke cleared, Nana challenged all three men to a Boston Massacre Match at Kick Start, which Chan and friends quickly accepted.
Having met in their first singles contest at Six-Man Melee, former EEE co-founder Ryan Andrews beat co-founder Robbie Reno after some shenanigans. However, Andrews still could not let this feud go, as he cost Reno the Toughman Championship on the following Go Time, feeling he should have been in that match. Reno wanted another chance at Andrews, and the rematch was signed for Kick Start.
In the Six-Man Melee match the previous month, Austin Lee took it upon himself to take out Jay Crowe, even though they were not the legal men, leading to Jay's elimination. Dusty Schneble was the very next entrant, and avenged his partner by eliminating Lee in turn. However, Lee ambushed Dusty after the match, putting him through a table and leading to his elimination from the match. On the next episode of Go Time, The Pyro Twins attacked Lee and his partner Anubis after their match. Anubis and Lee set their sights on the Pyro Twins' MECCA World Tag Team Championship. They won their shot on the February 24 episode of Go Time, and a match between the two teams was signed for Kick Start.
Background
Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 12, 2011. The show emanated from the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
At the end of 2010, Nykk suddenly turned on his friend and protege The Wild Wolf, blaming him for the knee injury that ultimately ended his World Title reign. Nykk brutalized Wolf at End of the Line, putting him out of action for over a month. But Wolf made his return and received match with Nykk at Six-Man Melee, which Nykk won by taking a shortcut. Wolf attacked him backstage, which prompted Nykk to cause his elimination in the Six-Man Melee match, which caused Wolf to interfere later, causing Nykk to be eliminated. On the next Go Time, Nykk declared that he was done with the Wild Wolf and had nothing left to prove, but Wolf was adamant about getting a rematch and wanted it to be Anything Goes. Nykk refused to accept the challenge, but Wolf confronted him on the March 9 show and goaded him into accepting the challenge, but Nykk warned Wolf that he would be leaving in an ambulance this time.
In January, Jimmy Jacobs dropped a bombshell when he revealed that he would no longer defend the MECCA World Championship, saying that the title could not be vacated or replaced as per his contract. This woke the ire of many MECCA stars, and despite Jacobs and The Absence of Light trying to control the title situation by entering themselves into the Six-Man Melee match, Jamie Chan managed to win the match and earn the title shot in the main event of the MECCA Challenge. Jacobs, meanwhile, began holding farcical title defenses remotely against his own cronies to satisfy the "one defense per calendar month" title rule. Chan attacked Jacobs after he showed the video and made off with the title belt. When lawyers and the board of directors got involved, Chan was forced to return the title the next week and decided to do it in the ring, where he tried to convince Jacobs to do the right thing and defend the belt against him at the MECCA Challenge. Jacobs seemed like he was about to accept, but his hired gun Jimmy Rave ran in and attacked Chan. Jacobs refused, but told Chan he could face Rave at Kick Start and if he won he would get his shot at the World Title.
In February, Sassy Stephie was in the midst of a reign as the Ladies' World Champion. She was willing to do anything to keep challengers at bay, but her selfishness caught up with her when she threw her regular partner Nevaeh to the wolves one too many times. Nevaeh became frustrated with Stephie, and laid her out after a tag team loss. Nevaeh had a new focus in life, and that was beating her former partner for the MECCA Ladies' World Championship. She built up a few wins and was granted a shot at Stephie for Kick Start. Stephie was not happy about this, and got into Nevaeh's head by trying to cost her a match on the March 2 Go Time. But Nevaeh was adamant that nothing Stephie could do would keep her from winning the title.
Background
Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 17, 2012. The show emanated from the BankUnited Center in Miami, Florida.
At Ignition, Low Ki made his return to MECCA for the first time in five years. He quickly rose up the card, and earned a spot on the Contender Star on the February 29 episode of Go Time. The next week, Ki revealed that the board of directors had given him a shot at the MECCA World Championship at Kick Start, held by Eddie Crowe. When Austin Lee was attacked by Eddie and The Circle of Trust the next week, Ki made the save, though he and Lee had some miscommunication.
As for Austin Lee, he had won the Six-Man Melee Match the previous month, earning himself a shot at the World Title at The MECCA Challenge VIII. But in the meantime, he was still entrenched in his long standing issue with The Near Future. Austin and his estranged brother Tristan reunited to take on the four young upstarts, but in particular they were after Aaron Glover and Terrence Bolton, who had cost the Lees a chance at winning the MECCA World Tag Team Championship. They made the challenge to Glover and Bolton for a tag team match at Kick Start, and the match was booked for the event.
In November 2011, Jimmy Rave defeated Drake Younger for the MECCA Toughman Championship. Younger spent two months trying to earn another title shot, but once again fell to Rave at Ignition. He wanted one more shot at the title, but Rave refused. When Younger confronted him, Rave finally relented, saying that if he beat Younger clean in whatever match he picked he wouldn't get any further title shots against him. Younger responded with a match of his own crafting, one not in the ring but in a special structure with no ropes, but only mesh fencing. The only way to win would be by submission or climbing to the top of the structure. He called it the Pit Fighter's Paradise.
Background
Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 30, 2013. The show emanated from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
At the start of 2012, The Circle of Trust and The Near Future formed an alliance to combat the authority of Cynric. As part of their agreement, they would support one another in matches and not challenge for titles that members of the other faction held. They put together a number of victories and things went well until Six-Man Melee, where Marcus Kavian retained the MECCA World Championship and Eddie Crowe went on to win the Six-Man Melee Match. The Circle of Trust were unwilling to give up a shot at the World Title and revealed their falseness on the March 6 episode of Go Time, attacking Kavian after he retained the title again. Earlier in the night, Nykk had manipulated the rest of the Near Future into getting thrown out of the building, giving them free rein to injure their leader. The Near Future appeared in force to confront the Circle of Trust on March 13, but MECCA Authority Cynric intervened before things got out of hand. He put the two factions in the main event of Kick Start, booking an eight-man tag team match.
Brian Kendrick returned to MECCA in early 2013 to help out his old friend Low Ki, but their alliance quickly soured when Ki attacked Kendrick, not appreciating his oddball, carefree attitude and blaming him for his career setbacks. They met one on one at Six-Man Melee to no decision, and matters worsened when Kendrick eliminated Ki from the Six-Man Melee Match and Ki came back to cost Kendrick the win when he was one of the two finalists. Cynric decided to allow them to settle their issue in the MECCA Challenge Match at The MECCA Challenge IX. But first, he would allow them to pick one another's opponents for Kick Start. They revealed their choices in a dream partner tag match on March 13. Ki picked fellow martial artist Gran Akuma to face Kendrick, while Kendrick picked MECCA mainstay and former triple crown winner Ronin Fox to face Ki.
In early 2013, The Dark City Fight Club developed a rivalry with Danny Dreggs and Adam Brooks. The teams met several times, with Brooks and Dreggs usually coming out on the losing end. They finally snapped on the March 6 episode of Go Time, attacking the DCFC with chairs and leaving them laying. After the match, they declared this was a new beginning for them and they would be known as Damage Control, because from now on they would deal out the damage and control the chaos. Cynric was quick to give the DCFC their chance at payback, and booked them in a match with Damage Control for Kick Start, to be contested under relaxed rules.
Background
Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 22, 2014. The show emanated from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In March of 2014, Torea was a few months into his reign as the MECCA World Champion, and well on his way to defending the title at The MECCA Challenge X in the main event. But Fenris was determined to not let him make it there as champion. Fenris was in the midst of attempting to drive a wedge between Aaron Glover and Terrence Bolton in an attempt to destroy The Near Future and looked to be succeeding, but he was also on the Contender Star and began to set his sights on the MECCA World Championship. Fenris was given a shot at the title for Kick Start, but got into it with Torea during a tag team match on the March 12 episode of Go Time, taking out Torea in the backstage area. The next week, Torea wanted something more than just a regular title match with Fenris, so MECCA Authority Cynric declared that at Kick Start, they would meet in a Sin City Streetfight for the belt.
Marcus Kavian had won the Six-Man Melee Match, earning a World Title shot at the MECCA Challenge X, but the runner-up in that match was Low Ki, who felt that he was the one who truly deserved the title shot at the MECCA Challenge. He reasoned that if he could take Kavian out of action, Cynric would be forced to declare the runner-up the number one contender. He managed to get a one on one match with Kavian at Kick Start, and sent his running buddy Gran Akuma to scout Kavian, only for him to fall in defeat on March 12. But it would be Ki who Kavian would have to contend with one more time just ten days later at Kick Start.
The Young Bucks were one of the most exciting young teams to come along in MECCA for quite some time, but they also wanted to branch out into singles glory. Matt Jackson won a shot at the MECCA Legacy Championship, held by Jack Evans, at Six-Man Melee, but came up short. A couple of weeks later, Nick Jackson had earned a shot at the title as well, but also fell to Evans on the February 26 episode of Go Time. Both Jacksons were upset that Evans had to cheat in order to beat them, and Cynric booked them in a tag team petition match, stating that if they won, Evans would pick one of them to defend the title against at Kick Start. The Young Bucks won the match, but in his arrogance Evans refused to choose either of them, stating he already beat them both. Cynric said that meant he had to make the choice for him, so he made Evans against both Nick and Matt in a Triangle Match for Kick Start with the title on the line.
Background
Kick Start was broadcast live on pay-per-view on March 21, 2015. The show emanated from the Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.
After Six-Man Melee, Eddie Crowe was victorious in his feud with Gary Kopp, putting his past behind him. His next step was to regain the MECCA World Championship, held by Marcus Kavian. A title match was made for Kick Start. They would face off in tag team action just three days before the show, with Eddie scoring the pin over the World Champion. But Kavian vowed that he would retain the World Title and head into The MECCA Challenge as champion.
Ever since Jessicka Havok regained the MECCA Ladies' World Championship for The Midwest Militia, the ladies of MECCA were desperate to take it off of her and not let the Militia rule the ladies' division again. Former champion Melissa Flash faced Havok on Go Time: Championship Edition, but the match ended in a disqualification. Havok would go on to defend the title against Athena at Six-Man Melee, but Melissa's attempt to even the odds when the Militia got involved ended in Athena losing the match. This created tension between the two of them, and they both felt they were owed another shot at the Ladies' Title. MECCA Authority Cynric decided to give one to both of them, and booked them against Havok in a Triangle Match for Kick Start with the title on the line.
Ever since Torea had returned to action after being put out temporarily by World Champion Marcus Kavian, he had been avoiding giving Torea a title shot, remembering the result of their match back at The MECCA Challenge X. He went so far as to put a $10,000 bounty on Torea to prevent him from getting his shot at Go Time: Championship Edition, but Torea was still able to enter and win the Six-Man Melee match weeks later. Kavian increased his bounty to $30,000 for anyone who could put Torea out of action for good, and Torea spent weeks fighting off those trying to ambush him. Realizing he needed to get the bounty off his back before his title shot at The MECCA Challenge XI, Torea issued a challenge to meet the three men who had been most aggressive toward him in a Four Corners Match: Fenris, Gary Kopp, and The Wild Wolf. They eagerly accepted, salivating at the opportunity to have Torea right in the middle of the ring where he couldn't get away. The four men had their match scheduled for Kick Start on March 21.
