KSWA Heavyweight Championship Has Been A Long Time Coming For Russo

By Thomas Leturgey

When Jason “J-Ru” Russo defeated Anthony Alexander for the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) at the 7th annual Brawl Under the Bridge in Homestead, PA, it was a historic event.
In front of nearly 800 fans of professional wrestling, J-Ru had entered the ring as the Number One Contender for the Commonwealth’s richest prize. Alexander was a fighting champion, dispatching of one challenger after another since winning the KSWA Heavyweight Championship before COVID-19 clamped down on the civilized world.
At 952 days, Alexander had the longest reign in the 22 year history of the KSWA. Even if one were to erase some 447 days in which the KSWA—Western Pennsylvania’s longest-continually-running wrestling promotion—was idle, Alexander’s time at the top of the Independent Wrestling mountaintop was 505 days. That’s the fifth-longest time anyone has held the title (including Alexander’s first run at 588 days).
J-Ru had won a match earlier this year, earning him the spot as the Number One Contender. He had scored a number of important wins as momentum gained. He also helped distract Alexander from time-to-time in his own title defenses. But ultimately the match was set for Brawl Under the Bridge 7, the summertime highlight of Pittsburgh’s professional wrestling calendar.
The Charleroi, Pennsylvania native has been a wrestler for more than 22 years. He was in the very first match for the KSWA at Peabody High School in Pittsburgh on February 18, 2000. He was on the losing end of the match against Eric “The Electric” Love.
Over the years, J-Ru would leave and then re-enter the KSWA in both individual and tag team matches and would find success in both divisions.
What has been even more remarkable is that he has re-invented himself every step of the way. From a serious grappler to one who rages when “someone” incorporated a jaunty version of “I’m a little teapot” as his intro music. He’s been the prissy “Artiste’” and a mop-topped technician who fans mock as “Bob Ross.”
He was a tag team champion with KSWA Hall of Famer Bobby Badfingers, and when J-Ru was the Five-Star Champion, he ceremoniously unveiled the championship belt from a metal briefcase.
J-Ru was the mastermind behind a Charleroi-based federation called MVP that scheduled free shows on Sunday afternoons just for new workers to get experience in the ring and for older athletes to scrape off rust and entertain with dance-offs.
It’s all been a hard-fought journey for the respectful and reliable Russo, and he’s up for the challenge of representing the only Independent Wrestling federation anywhere featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, on Good Morning America, in all of the major Pittsburgh-area newspapers, as well as acknowledged by the United States Senate, Pennsylvania Governor, Pennsylvania State House, Allegheny County Council, Pittsburgh City Council and the Pittsburgh Mayor’s office. It’s a duty even the rule-breaking J-Ru understands and upholds.
The Keystone State Wrestling is the most active professional wrestling promotion not on weekly television. In more than 22 years, the organization has hosted more than 300 events. Some 24 card have been scheduled for 2022 throughout Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania and even into Armstrong and Westmoreland Counties. Many of the events are fundraisers for the Light of Life Mission, the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, the American Legion, as well as Volunteer Fire Departments throughout the region. The KSWA’s preeminent event, FanFest/Toy Drive benefits the Allegheny County Holiday Project by donating thousands of toys to needy children, and the KSWA Hall of Fame has honored the wrestling past with the KSWA Hall of Fame.
The KSWA returns to action this weekend with a Light of Life Mission fundraiser with “Rumble at The River” in Franklin Park. There will be food vendors and live music for this family-friendly event. Bell time is 6 p.m.