Adam Ellis · Character Development Promo · Jan 3, 2025

Closure

Joe Bergman’s Barn Plattin, Missouri Friday January 3rd, 2024

A remembrance of life ceremony took place this afternoon in Plattin, Missouri inside Joe Bergman’s Barn to celebrate the lives of Joe Bergman, Joe’s wife Laura Bergman, Ray McAvay, his wife Stacee Perry-McAvay, Dawn McGill, Rah, up and coming wrestlers Adam Ellis and Drew Mitchell, and manager Sunny O’Callahan- all killed in a tragic car accident last Sunday night returning from Chicago after MVW’s Missouri Valley Wrestling’s end-of-the-year celebration.

MVW announcers Thunderbolt Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall served as the emcees for the event.

Friends, family, and leaders representing other pro wrestling companies packed the inside of the barn.

The following people spoke: Juliette LeBlanc (Ray McAvay’s daughter), Caroline Lewis (Joe Bergman’s sister/MVW wrestler), Victoria McGill (Dawn McGill’s daughter/MVW wrestler), Bill Dickinson (MVW wrestler), Brinsley Decker (Drew Mitchell’s ex-fiancee), Charlie Blackwell (Dawn’s cousin/former MVW wrestler/owner of Texas Championship Wrestling), Jill Berg (MVW manager/owner of Appalachian Mountain Championship Wrestling), Davey Keels (MVW senior referee), and R.G. Jenkins (MVW wrestler).

***

At the end, MVW ring announcer Heather Cooper calls for the 10-bell salute to the fallen. Family and friends then surround the ring.

*DING*

Caroline Lewis puts her arms around Joe and Laura’s 4-year-old daughter Libby while holding their 1-year-old son J.J. Also with Caroline, both Joe and Laura Bergman’s parents.

Caroline will be moving into Joe and Laura’s house in Plattin and continue Joe’s work with teaching and bringing along young wrestlers at Joe Bergman’s Barn.

*DING*

Victoria McGill (Dawn’s 26-year-old daughter) stands with her half-sister Eva (13), Dawn’s children with Ray McAvay-Gracie and R.K. (9) and Ray and Stacee’s daughter Lola (8).

Victoria will be escorting her mother to Killeen, Texas for the final time and then plans to take time off from wrestling.

*DING*

Standing next to Tori, Juliette LeBlanc (Ray’s 27 year old daughter).

Juliette will now be charged with the handling of winding down Missouri Valley Wrestling on the business side along with the dispersal of MVW’s assets. There is already a rumor that someone has already put an offer on the table.

Juliette will accompany her father and his wife Stacee on their final return to Fort Stockton, Texas.

*DING*

Standing together, Rah’s entourage- past and present (ten former Arizona State sorority sisters, Rah’s former minions Bob Nye- Foot Fetish Guy, former children’s show host Happy Mango, former pro wrestler Baron Von Munchke- master of the claw hold, Captain Obvious, and the twenty-woman BronzeBeach Suntan Bikini Team). They will all escort Rah back to Southern California.

*DING*

Former two-time MVW champion ‘Redneck’ Bill Dickinson with Charlie Blackwell, ‘The Phenomenon Known as’ Jill Berg, Dave and Gary Mitchell (Ray McAvay’s former co-workers at the driving range he used to work at) standing next to Generalissimo Tomas and Jackson C. Horne (Dawn McGill’s first and third husbands), and ‘Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ Tessa Martin (MVW staff).

*DING*

Sunny O’Callahan’s father- who flew in from Ireland- and Drew Mitchell’s mother- who flew in from England. Both will be escorting their children back across the Atlantic. Also with them, fledging up and coming pro golfer Brinsley Decker, Drew Mitchell’s ex-fiancee.

Drew… in town for the MVW end-of-the-year awards… had received a phone call from Brinsley earlier on Sunday asking to see him. So Drew postponed his trip back home and caught a ride with McAvay and Bergman in the van back to St. Louis.

Two weeks ago, Drew and Brinsley broke off their engagement when her parents told Brinsley that they would cut her off monetarily if she did not leave him.

Subsequently, Drew signed with a UK wrestling company even though it was heavily rumored that he was coming to PRIME. But he had come back to the States as a favor to Sunny O’Callahan for the MVW event in Chicago. And the rest is history.

*DING*

‘The New Age Cybertronic Criminally Insane Rogue Sentient Robot Wrestling Machine’ Ultratron-6.1 with The Kabal of Really Awful People (‘Defective’ Marty Pratt- the guy who tries to ‘erase’ people with the oversized eraser on his oversized pencil, Bill E. Zayne- Dressed in the fancy clothing circa 1912 of the heir to a Pittsburgh steel fortune- Caledon Hockley as he boarded the Titanic. Zayne exudes the same snobby, arrogant, and narcissistic traits of the Hockley character from the epic movie Titanic- Voyage of Doom, and David Litterman- Ordinary-looking dude with a total disregard of the environmental consequences his cavalier attitude towards trash disposal presents).

Today, the KRAP and Ultratron are all dressed appropriately and thankfully behaving themselves.

*DING*

Thunderbolt Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall (Wrestling Guys and MVW broadcasters), Heather Cooper (MVW ring announcer) and Kellie Burkowski (MVW backstage interviewer), standing with MVW staff and MVW wrestlers.

*DING*

And finally, Ginny Van Lear, Adam Ellis’s wife.

Standing side-by-side with Adam’s grieving parents along with Adam’s best friends from high school: Mike McWilliams, Charlie Kennedy, and A.J. Phelps, Adam’s former fiancee Kelly Oliver, and Kelly's older sister Jennie, Ginny had left Chicago to drive to Kentucky to pick up the rest of her belongings she’d taken with her when she left Adam in October. From there, she would then return to their apartment in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Adam would have accompanied Ginny on the trip… except he needed to catch a flight to Japan the next morning to participate in a Bang! Wrestling event on January 4th. Hence, the reason why Ginny took Adam’s VW Jetta to Kentucky while Adam went back with the others in the van at the time of the accident.

Ginny stares ahead… numb and in total disbelief. She holds their young daughter Abbigail Jane. On the final night, everything happened so fast. When Adam caught the last-minute ride back to St. Louis, she tried to talk to him about something important but only had enough time to give him a quick goodbye kiss and then watched as the van sped off into the night.

Ginny never got the chance to tell Adam and now she will always carry with her the knowledge that he will never know…

… she’s carrying their unborn child.

*DING*

The following video was then played as the service ended and people began to leave.

(VIDEO: Joe Bergman's Entrance last Saturday night at HOW’s ICONIC Show) The opening bars of Sammy Hagar and the Circle’s cover of David Bowie’s classic song ‘Heroes’ plays over the sound system. Vic Johnson’s chugging guitar, Michael Anthony’s always reliable bass holding down the fort, and Jason Bonham’s pounding drumbeat rocks the arena and amps the crowd so when Joe appears on stage, they’re ready to let loose.

“I. I will be king.”

The fans go berserk as a spotlight shines down on former LSD, ICON, and HOW World champion- Ray McAvay. McAvay wears a cowboy hat tonight while marching out from the back with West Texas Adult Entertainment Legends Dark (Ray’s wife Stacee Perry-McAvay and Stormy.(Paige Reynolds)

“And you. You will be queen.”

On the right is Dawn McGill… former HOW LSD champion.

“Though nothing will drive them away.”

Behind McAvay is Adam Ellis… former HOW Tag Team champion and Drew Mitchell… former LSD champion, both escorted by Sunny O’Callahan. She holds up a full bottle of Southern Comfort as she marches toward the ring.

“We can beat them…”

Also joining the parade, R.G. Jenkins and Mark Hendry- the reunited Alabama Gang (for one night)- HOTv Tag Team Champions and 2-time MVW Tag Team Champions.

“…just for one day.”

After Hagar finishes the first verse of the song, the crowd- already singing along with the Red Rocker- turns up the volume at the chorus.

“We can be heroes…”

And bringing up the rear? Joe Bergman, former two-time HOW World Champion… HOW Tag Team champion (as Joe Bergman)… HOTv champion (as Joe Bergman)… Halitosis… dressed in the black t-shirt with the huge letter ‘H’ in front. He’s wearing a boxer-type robe with the hood up over his head.

“…just for one day.”

The song continues and various photos cycle through on the video screen as the song cuts to the coda at the end.

“Oh yeah…”

Picture one: Ray McAvay standing in the ring as the new owner of Missouri Valley Wrestling..