Turner vs Davino: 7 Years In The Making

"I hate his guts. Always have, always will."
-Joey Davino


"(I'm)less concerned with entertaining people....more concerned with finally knocking that chip off of his shoulder."
-Matt Turner







On September 29, current VWA Heavyweight Champion Matt Turner and VCW Heavyweight champion Joey Davino clash in a bout to decide the first ever Unified Heavyweight Champion. For these two individuals, however, it is the major chapter in their 7 year long rivalry, and one more opportunity to prove who their generation's best really is.

"It doesn't go much deeper than I just can't stand him. Plain and simple. He never did anything that I can think of that would be, like, a specific reason I can't stand him. I just can't. (Turner) just pisses me off. Even when we were kids, he irritated me." Davino said recently in a telephone interview.

Davino and Turner, who both debuted in the spring of 1999, have had a tumultous co-existance since the two were children living in the same town. Since the time they were old enough to interact, they have had problems.

Matt Turner even remembers the day it started.

"Once, when we were kids....maybe 8 or 9....Joe was giving a friend of mine a hard time. So I went up to him and asked him to stop. Without another word, he hit me in the mouth...busting my lip, you know? I went home and got cleaned up, and that day I made the decision that I was going to even it up with him."


"So the next day, I go into school and I see (Davino) standing there by the entrance to our classroom. So I ran full speed at him, tackled him to the ground. Next thing I know, every teacher in the school is breaking us up, and my first fight with Joe was over." Turner chuckles "....he's been running scared ever since."


Joey remembers it differently.

"Turner's the type that whatever you're doing, he has to do it. And regardless of how good he is, he has to constantly run his mouth about how he's the best at everything. Nothing about him is remarkable...no part of him overly skilled. He's been running his lips for about 18 years now with me, and I think friday night is a golden opportunity to just send him packing for good. For all his bulls*it, he still hasn't ever beaten me in any way, shape or form."

That statement, however, is arguable. In June of 2004, Matt Turner defeated Joey Davino to become the VWA champion, a championship he has held and defended for the past 2+ years. His victory over Davino, however, is viewed with some controversy.

"He never gave up, and he was never pinned..." remarks Bruno DeMaio, longtime partner of Davino. "The whole finish is disputed."

The VWA tournament final saw Valley referee Scott Majeski call the match when Davino, trapped in Turner's "Fugiwara Armbar" submission, refused to yeild the victory to Turner. And while it IS known that Davino lost consiousness while trapped in the hold, it is not known why. And the possibility of a choke out (which Joey Davino claims is the case) or the possibility of a clean rendering (which Turner claims is the case) has left the finish of that match the subject of controversy for the past two years.

Davino, in his own right, has established himself as a viable champion. Since winning the VCW Heavyweight Championship in the fall of 2004, Davino has boasted an unblemished record....something not even Matt Turner himself can boast. And while many have claimed that Joey holds a "Dead Title", the list of challengers willing to step up and challenge for this "Dead Title" is staggering.

Now reinstated as an active championship, Davino brings his storied VCW Championship to Wright Township Fire on September 29 to write the next chapter with Turner.

"I don't think I have a very good reason." Davino says in closing about his issue with Turner. "I just....I hate his guts. Always have, always will."