Shawn Blanchard was cool, cocky and collected. He had interrupted the conclusion of the Hall of Fame ceremony at the Joe Abby Memorial Tournament on March 25. He had won the very first Abby trophy in 2008 and had every intension on winning again. He was confident even though the owner of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) Bobby O had teased a surprise participant in the titular tournament.

Soon the announcement was made to more than 400 in attendance that Hall of Fame night. Blanchard thought he saw a ghost when the 6’4”, 245-pound “Double A” Anthony Alexander stepped through the curtain from the dressing room to Spirit Hall.

It was the KSWA Arena all over again and one of the most intense rivalries in Pittsburgh independent wrestling history was re-ignited once again.

The Prime-Time Player, still sporting sunglasses, a muscle shirt and impressive guns to match, faced his most frequent and most important foe. This time, Alexander was healed, hungry and ready for a fight.

Not many feuds in KSWA history have been so epic as that between Shawn Blanchard and Anthony Alexander. For a little over a year, the two were VIPs. Alexander’s shocking turn on the Krazies, to join the VIPs, reverberated through Pittsburgh for years. Somewhere along the way, Alexander injured his shoulder and tried to play through the pain. Ultimately, Alexander stepped away.

He was away for six years. In professional wrestling, six years is an eternity. When Alexander stepped through the curtain to face Blanchard in surprising fashion, many long-time fans had never seen Alexander land the Prime-Time Cancellation for a win. Many had not known that Alexander was Justin Sane’s tag team partner years before Lord Zoltan helped re-define that division. But for those who relish the history of the most significant organization since Studio Wrestling, they couldn’t believe that Alexander had returned. And he had dissolved any association with the VIPs, and was once again a favorite of the Krazies.

Alexander defeated Shawn Blanchard and Jay Flash later in the evening to win the 10th annual Joe Abby Memorial Tournament. This return shook the entire VIP stable to its core. In addition to Blanchard, Golden Triangle Champion Tommy Faime and “The Face of Pittsburgh” Lou Martin realized that Alexander meant business.

In May, Alexander defeated Big Mike Malachi in one-on-one competition. The match was a stellar contest between two long-time Megastars. In June, Alexander joined Jack Massacre and Ice Machine to defeat Faime, Harley T. Morris and newcomer Lucio Deveer in six-man competition.

On July 3 at the Independence Day celebration at Arsenal Park, Alexander nearly won the Golden Triangle Championship in a hard-fought contest against Faime. Each and every Krazy in Lawrenceville thought Alexander was going to walk away with the title he had previously held twice before. In fact, Alexander was the reigning Golden Triangle Champion in 2011 when injury forced him to vacate the title. This match would define the future of both Faime and Alexander’s in-ring pursuits for the next six months.

Alexander would next team with Kris Kash and Shane Starr at the Brawl Under the Bridge III in Homestead to take on Faime, Harley T. Morris and Morris’ frequent, regional tag team partner Zak Hunter. “Team Two Sweet” as they would call themselves, were victorious under the bridge and before the largest crowd in KSWA history.

In the Main Event at the debut event at MJ’s Saloon in July, Alexander, Kash and Starr defeated all three VIPs. The six-man “Team Two Sweet” defeated Morris, Del Douglas and Mike Malachi at Millvale Days in September. At the second Millvale Days event, Alexander defeated Faime by disqualification in a match for the Golden Triangle Championship. The belt did not change hands.

Alexander, Kash and Starr defeated the VIPs once again in September at the Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser.

Alexander’s most important match to date in 2017 occurred at the event outside of Spirit Hall in early October. In a contest full of stipulations, Double-A had to win in a Triple Threat match against Faime and Malachi just to get one more opportunity at Golden Triangle Gold. Through all adversity, Alexander won and earned one last shot at FanFest in December.

One-on-one for the second-most-sought after title in all of Pennsylvania—the Golden Triangle Championship—was on the line in front of a packed Spirit Hall house. In a hard-fought battle between two ring-worn veterans, Alexander was victorious. The unexpected, improbable dream was fulfilled. Anthony Alexander was once again the Golden Triangle Champion.