Mentallo Defeated "Priceless" Chad Tatum
Won: July 6th, 2006 - The LID Nightclub - Winnipeg, Mb
Lost: March 8th, 2007
How: Lost to Mike Angels
Length: 245 days (9th Longest)
Cumulative Length: 428 days (3 reigns)
Six days that changed the world.
Hyperbole perhaps but not to "Priceless" Chad Tatum who cemented his legacy in the annals of professional wrestling and proved that size & stigma were not barriers to success if you had the talent and desire to overcome.
Long considered one of the best tag team wrestlers ever, Tatum had held multiple tag titles with his Assisted Suicide partner Rawskillz, capturing the fold in Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW)) and the Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF). The duo split up fairly early in their PCW careers, when Skillz won a tournament to become the first ever PCW Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Tatum defeated Rawskillz to capture that title in his home town of Brandon, Manitoba on July 24th 2002, losing it one day later at PCW's Boiling Point in front of 1200+ fans at CanWest Global Park. That short victory etched his name in the record books, but as his former partner went on to be a three-time junior champion and even capture the PCW Heavyweight Championship, Tatum began to be dismissed as a great tag team wrestler that would never be a top singles performer.
Even his own best friend Mike Angels held that view, imploring Tatum to concede their Premier Cup: Fighting Spirit first round match to him because he had "a better chance of winning". Tatum refused to concede and did lose, but the defeat stayed with him and he stewed over it for two weeks until he received another opportunity to prove his value to his former partner.
On June 22nd, he did just that, pinning Angels to earn a title shot against Mentallo. Everything came together on Canada Day in Brandon in front of a huge crowd at the famed Keystone Centre as Tatum defeated Mentallo to become PCW Heavyweight Champion.
Six days later, his time on top was over. But it was six days that defined Chad Tatum as the ultimate underdog, possessing measurable traits like talent, athleticism and skill, but also carrying perhaps the largest heart in the company.
Mentallo had long been considered one of the best wrestlers in the territory, a talent that only got better week after week. But his growth was never more clear than when he regained the PCW Championship from Chad Tatum.
The Canada Day loss in front of a hostile crowd in Brandon made Mentallo better. It made him sharper. It made him far less likely to over look or under-respect an opponent ever again.
On July 6th 2006, at the LID Nightclub, the fans gave Tatum a heroes welcome as he was introduced to the regular audience as PCW Heavyweight Champion. But the celebration would be short-lived as Mentallo was as close to perfect in his execution as he had ever been.
No nonsense. No shortcuts. No distractions.
The match was a tremendous example of athletic brilliance by both men. But when the smoke had cleared, it was Mentallo standing tall, making history as the first ever three-time PCW Heavyweight Champion.
Mentallo would go on to put together one of the most impressive reigns of all time, his 245 days as champion being the 2nd longest at that time, defending against all-comers and even adding a regional heavyweight title to his collection.
But just as his second reign had ended at the hands of an M-Assignment ally, so to would his third as Mike Angels began hearing the support and respect of fans, forcing him to suddenly re-think his own place in wrestling history.
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