All the previous installments of this series have focused on active competitors on the independent scene. However, I want to educate fans on wrestlers that are no longer active, as well. One of the most entertaining independent wrestlers that I ever had the opportunity to see live was a wrestler known as Jimmy ‘Jam’ Olsen.
Olsen started wrestling in 2001, and became a major focus for NWA Upstate based out of Rochester. From 2004 to 2008, Olsen was part of a fixture of wrestlers consisting of Colin Delaney, Cheech, Cloudy and the late Brodie Lee. By late 2008, NWA Upstate started a promotion war with 2CW, similar to what ROH and CZW did in 2006. Shortly into the promotional war, the core of NWA Upstate routinely showed up at 2CW and would compete there until the end of the promotion in 2015.
That is where I first witnessed Jimmy ‘Jam’ Olsen. It was June 7th, 2008 at my very first independent wrestling show, 2CW Shakedown. On that show, Jimmy Olsen teamed with Brodie Lee in a street fight losing to JD Love and Loca Vida. Olsen is only 5’7’’, but I’m not the kind of fan where I don’t believe in a wrestler because of their size. Olsen quickly came across as an arrogant asshole, and easy to hate. Jimmy reminded me a lot of Eddie Gilbert, a wrestler that I greatly enjoyed in Memphis.
Olsen connected with the 2CW audience, and became the top heel having a series of matches with 2CW Heavyweight Champion Slyck Wagner Brown to end 2008. Jimmy won the 2CW Heavyweight Championship on March 14th, 2009 in a steel cage match involving Slyck and Jason Axe. Olsen lost the title in a crazy eight man tag anything goes match on June 5th, 2009.
At the start of 2010, Olsen found himself competing against legends Jim Duggan and Jerry Lawler. Jimmy’s match with Lawler happened at their biggest show of the year, Living on the Edge V in Watertown, NY. That’s a match where I drew the comparison to Eddie Gilbert. Jimmy had an aura about him to drew heat towards him and he carried himself incredibly well as a heel.
After failing to win the 2CW Heavyweight Championship in the summer, Jimmy formed a team with Colin Delaney, known as the Olsen Twins. They’d come out to a theme song that started off with the Full House sitcom theme, which was great. The team won the 2CW Tag Team Championships from the American Wolves on August 22nd, and defeated the teams of Incoherence, Super Smash Brothers, Kings of Wrestling and Brian Kendrick & Paul London during their reign. They remained tag team champions for over a year before losing to Jason Axe & Portia Perez on December 16th, 2011.
Jimmy’s 2CW career came to an end in April 2012 following Living on the Edge VII weekend. On that weekend, the Olsen Twins lost to the Briscoe Brothers. The next night the Olsen Twins squared off in a singles match where Colin defeated Jimmy.
Now, while I was very much aware of Jimmy Olsen’s 2CW career he had success elsewhere, I didn’t watch much of Jimmy’s career outside of 2CW. From 2006 to 2011, Jimmy was a fixture in CHIKARA where he performed as himself teaming with Colin Delaney as the Olsen Twins, but also working as masked wrestler Equinox. While working for CHIKARA, Olsen won the CHIKARA Young Lions Cup Championship in 2009. Olsen’s run in CHIKARA is available on IWTV.
Towards the end of his career, Jimmy teamed with Colin in Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) in 2010-2011. They won the tag titles in December 2010 and held them until June 2011. Similar to his 2CW run, Jimmy had a singles match with Colin in December 2011 to end his run with the company.
Jimmy stopped wrestling on a regular basis in 2012, but did make a brief return for an AIW battle royal in 2014. At 2CW’s 2Sets in December, Jimmy made a surprise return competing against Spike Dudley and Jason Axe in a hardcore three way dance. Jimmy’s appearance at 2CW 2Sets was a fantastic way to conclude a unbelievable show and was the perfect way to end 2CW’s original run.
Back when the Olsen Twins were teaming up, as noted before, they would have the opening to Full House theme play for a moment and then it would switch into Ke$ha’s song called TiK ToK. Delaney kept that theme for a little while after the duo stopped teaming. When Jimmy wrestled as a top heel in 2CW, his song of choice was Womanizer by Britney Spears, which perfectly fit his persona. I can still picture Jimmy entering the Pastime Athletic Club in Syracuse with a smug look wearing an oversized jacket coming out to Womanizer and the place expressing extreme disliking towards Jimmy. It’s the kind of atmosphere in independent wrestling where you never forget it. 300 people in a crowded, hot gym booing one of the best acts in the company. It’s unforgettable.
Lately in this series, I have been reviewing a handful of matches of wrestlers that I have never seen compete before. However, with Jimmy, I am aware of some of his great matches. They are not currently on YouTube, but the 2CW archive has recently been made via Patreon and the shows are gradually being put on the service. It’s only $5 a month, which is a great value. The Patreon can be found HERE.
So, here are some matches worth checking out and I have reviewed on Wrestling Recaps already.
2CW Heavyweight Champion Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Jimmy Olsen vs. Jason Axe — 2CW Adrenaline 2009
2CW Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Olsen & John Walters vs. Slyck Wagner Brown & John Walters — 2CW Living On The Edge IV Night One 2009
2CW Heavyweight Campion Jimmy Olsen vs. Jason Axe vs. Slyck Wagner Brown vs. John Walters — ladder match — 2CW Living On The Edge IV Night Two 2009
2CW Tag Team Champions American Wolves vs. The Olsen Twins — 2CW Live Or Let Die 2010
Thank you for reading.