_______________________________________________________________________________
by
Steve Schultz
They have their own taste in clothing,
music, and a penchant for easy Southern living. They have
always been rule breakers who lived by their own code and
credence, never concerning themselves with pleasing the
DREAMWAVE audience. They certainly don't fit the corporate
image of "champions" or a "dynasty", but over the last two
years, quietly, the
Beck's have become one of the most successful stables in
DREAMWAVE and the Midwest wrestling scene.
For the sake of continuity, let's deal in absolutes and
numbers. The Becks have amassed quite
the collection of hardware on their mantle over the last three
years. If you count the exiled member of the group,
Waylon, the Becks have racked up two Tag Team Championships,
one Alternative Title, one Good as Gold briefcase, and a
representative of the family has main evented or been a part of
seven main events. That's more than the A-List, P.R.I.D.E,
or the Revolution.
It only takes one trip to Kickapoo Creek,
the home of the Beck Family, to begin to understand who they
are. Mostly a swampy, rundown pass-through for fishermen,
Kickapoo Creek, doubles as the host to many aging and run-down
homes of both the stationary and mobile variety. Down one
of it's many winding roads sits what many residents consider a
mansion, the Beck ranch. The double wide trailer that used
to occupy the property has been replaced by a large modern style
ranch home. It is a glimmering example of the wealth they have
encountered from their DREAMWAVE successes. You wouldn't
know of their instant wealth if you looked at their forms of
transportation in the driveway. There in fact, is not a
pick up truck made after 1991 on the property. Perhaps
that is how the Becks like it ....simple.
Cousin Bobby is the most underrated man on
the DREAMWAVE roster. There, I said it. Following the
Cousin Bobby/Cousin Dixie victory over Zero Gravity on 12/3,
Cousin Bobby is now a two time DREAMWAVE Tag Team Champion.
He now flirts with the status of "tag team specialist".
One has to wonder if Cousin Bobby could win the tag titles with
any combination of family members (Cousin Bobby and Waylon were
the second tag team champions in DREAMWAVE history).
That's not to say that Bobby's partner,
Cousin Dixie, is a slouch. Since debuting, Dixie has
stunned audiences with his agility and athleticism for a man of
his size. The "Kickapoo Destroyer" is a scary move that no
one has yet to, nor probably ever will kick out of. I've
heard DREAMWAVE fans compare Dixie to a young Vader.
Even the one who many consider the brains
behind the brawn, Cousin Nikki, has been successful in the
ring twice recently (at Survival of the Fittest and The Fight
Before Christmas) and been very impressive. Going back to
absolutes and numbers, Nikki is undefeated in two appearances in
the ring this year. Everyone knows that Nikki isn't a
wrestler by trade, however. DREAMWAVE fans have called her
many things over the years, cheater, manipulator,
liar, thief, and some things we just can't repeat in this
column. Call her what you want, but during her time in
DREAMWAVE Wrestling, she has been a winner. Nikki has
always held her team and her family together through the good
and the bad. You could liken her to the den mother of the
group who takes care of her boys at all costs, to assure they do
their job...wrestle. After all, that is what a "manager"
is supposed to do...take care of travel, gear, contracts, and
all the other intangibles so their wrestlers can worry about one
thing...wrestling. Perhaps no one is better at handling
their business than Nikki.
Did I forget to mention Mason Beck? The
monster has ran roughshod over DREAMWAVE for the last two years,
destroying everything in his path. Beck won the
Alternative Title, took Fit Finlay to the limit, cost Waylon the
World Championship, and himself rubbed elbows with the
World Championship all season long. Mason is one of those
guys who seems to be one big boot or one powerbomb away from
taking that next giant step. I have little doubt in my mind that
Mason will continue his breakout, and "cross that bridge" into
immortality in 2012.
As impressive as the Beck Family is
individually, they are much more impressive when you look at the
sum of their parts. Through all the diversity they
encountered in season three, they stood strong, stood on a
united front.
On my recent visit to their Kickapoo Creek
Ranch, the first thing I noticed was that there was no
landscaping, no decorations, nor are their hints of the upcoming
Christmas season. The only sign that can be construed as a
decoration, hangs from the front of their rusted metal gate on
the perimeter of the property, suspended by a singles piece of
old barb wire. The sign bears the motto that best sums up
this unit...it simply reads..."Family First".
Steve Schultz is a reporter for
dreamwavewrestling.com. He may be contacted at:
dreamwavereporter@gmail.com or via twitter at
www.twitter.com/dreamwavesteve or @dreamwavesteve .
