The Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch


"We started as a Tag Team in the Spring of 1990,and that lasted till the Summer of 1993,together we held the GWA Tag Team Championship a total of 5 times,we lost them to the Nightmares,lost them to a couple of Teams that were in the area,but we were one of the best darn Tag teams"....

Machine Gun Mike Kelly

Click here to hear the Wild Bunch win the Tag Team Belts

More Photos of the Wild Bunch


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Photo#4

With Al's Son Jake

Al & I wrestled as the "Hell's Kitchen Riders" twice for Bobby Fulton, the name was bobby's idea. We had stick on tattoos that were rubbing off during the match because Bobby & his Brother Jackie insisted on having to wear baby oil to the ring which is what you use to take the temp tattoos off with

Al saw a power team called the Wild Bunch and liked the name, forgetting about the Marlin Brando movie.

It was fun while it lasted, we were the only babyface tag team around here, so we were top dudes in the tag team scene! I miss Al, but I'm so happy for him, and his success.

-Machine Gun Mike Kelly

The New Reformed Wild Bunch(1997-98 wrestling in NSWA) Mike Kelly and K.C. Thunder visit the WWF

An Interview with Machine Gun Mike Kelly 5/5/2001


HEADMaster:Where did you meet Al?

Mike:I met him on a show in Dearborn Heights, Mi in 1988. it was run by the late Al Costello. It was only my 2nd show that I had been on. Al was relly funny, always playing the pranks. Nothing mean, just good natured fun.

This particular show Al & Mickey Doyle were the Sensationals. they had the wild colored spandex tights, and the white hats that Al & I were wearing in one of the pics I sent you. (Al had charge of the hats I guess)

The guy I trained with and I had never been able to practice in a ring before, and this was only my 2nd time being in a ring. Al and some of the other guys from Lima invited us to come down to practice with them.They would set the ring up in Woody Lee's back yard, and we would practice there.

After a few practices some of the guys thought it would be a good idea if Al & I got paired up to have matches against each other.

Al was young, but had tons of experience, I had no experience, but looked good, and knew how to work a crowd. (natural born ham, I guess) This was the beginning of the frienship with Al.

HEADMaster:Who is Woody Lee?...and what was the federation in which you and Al had matches against each other?,and how many shows were there in which you and Al worked each other? You started wrestling as a tag team in 1990, how did that come about?"

Mike:Al & I had been having a lot of matches against each other, and I felt we were the 2 best guys in the area. (pre-Sabu) We were always stuck on the mid card level because of the local politics, so I thought that we should become a team, and then we wouldn't be relegated to mid-carders. It worked! We bagan to be recognized as a tag team, as the best team in the area, people liked the Wild Bunch thing, soon we were the most popular guys in  Mich/Ohio

HEADMaster:Was  there a heel turn with Al against you to start up the New Fabulous Kangaroos w/ Denny Kass?"

 (Entitled, "Tie me Kangaroo Down Sport")

Mike:Yes, that took place on Al's cable access show, we drove down to Dayton, Oh. to tape the show, they showed how we lost the tag team belts, and Al blamed it on me. He claimed that he received a back injury from carrying me for so long. (he he) In lima for the next show I got a partner to face Al & Denny, and my partner turned on me (suprise) and it kind of ended there.

Mike: I faced Al & Denny a couple of other times, Al was  always fun to work, but Denny had a neck injury , and was afraid to take  any bumps for fear that it would get worse. So most of the matches were Al trying to have a good match, and Denny would come in & suplex me like a rag doll, and tie me up in knots, and then let Al take all the bumps. (Boring) I got tired of being the Jeeazob boy for the Kangaroos, and went back to singles wrestling. Soon after that Denny & Al stopped doing the Kangaroo thing, I think after Costello moved to Florida.

HEADMaster:How did you get involved in becoming an extra in the movie "Rudy", and who besides you, Al, Dan Sevren, & Jack Reno were in the movie?

Mike:To answer the first part of your question, Al called me on a Wednesday or Thursday , and told me about that movie, and said get a couple of guys to come down to South Bend.

We ended up going down for 3 differnt weekends throughout Nov and Dec, all in all it was a fun experience. The funniest thing was OJ's buddy, yes, AC (Al Cowlings) was one of the coordinaters of the whole thing. (I don't know what he drove while he was there, but the rumor is it was a white Bronco LOL)

Mike:To answer the 2nd part of your question, 2 of my friends who are local wrestlers, neither of whom is relevent to the site.