Ever since we got rid of cable, we have been streaming live television through Fubo TV. By channel surfing, I came across Major League Wrestling's Fusion program on the Fubo Sports Network. This is where I came across Richard Holliday, whose real name is Joe Zimbardi. Having trained under ex-WWF Tag-Team Champion Paul Roma, Holliday won the East Coast Wrestling Association's 2018 Super 8 Tournament. He became the Heavyweight Champion for Immortal Championship Wrestling by beating Brute VanSlyke. He also scored a win over Carlito. Holiday is a member of The Dynasty with Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Alexander Hammerstone in MLW. They feuded with the New Era Hart Foundation, who was comprised of Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jr., and Brian Pillman, Jr. He beat TJP in the 2020 Opera Cup Tournament, only to lose to Low Ki.
After beating Savio Vega in a match last year, Holliday stole Vega's IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Championship belt, claiming himself as the new Caribbean Champion. This self-proclaimed champion lobbied for the title to be recognized by MLW. Savio Vega was known for his alliance with Razor Ramon during his time on the WWF roster. Vega had a long-standing feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which included a win over Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match. Ted DiBiase, Austin's manager at the time, had to leave the WWF because of the stipulations of the match, which was held at an In Your House event. Vega also scored a win over Justin Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match at a later In Your House event. Vega is also remembered for celebrating his Puerto Rican heritage by forming the stable Los Boricuas.
Two weeks ago, Vega challenged Holliday to a Caribbean Strap Match to determine the real Caribbean Heavyweight Champion. Vega also claimed that the strap they were going to use was the exact same one used to fight Austin all those years ago. It looked like Vega was getting ready to reclaim his title when the referee, Tim Donaghy, blocked Vega from touching his final corner! This was bad enough to watch the first time, but for some reason they replayed the match this past week as well. Wait a minute! Where do we know the name Donaghy from? He was a former basketball referee for the NBA. After 13 seasons, he resigned in 2007 after being investigated by the FBI for allegations of betting on games that he was responsible for officiating. Occurring during his last two seasons, he was also under fire for making calls that affected the point spread. Admittedly having a gambling problem, Donaghy's problems escalated when he became involved with some mob associates. Donaghy ended up spending 11 months at a prison camp and 4 months in a halfway house. He also ended up seeing some extra time for violating the terms of his release. In what seems like a Vince McMahon move, MLW decided to blur fantasy with reality by bringing Donaghy into the fold as a crooked referee.
Holliday has proven that he is an accomplished wrestler. He didn't need Donaghy to assist him with obtaining any gold. However, it makes for great television! It does make me question how often does something like the NBA fiasco happen in other sports, especially when the word "entertainment" doesn't follow the word "sports"?
