Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's St. Louis Anarchy show at the Spaulding Hall Club in Alton, Illinois.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
The doors didn't open until five minutes before 7:00 on Friday, but Saturday went a bit smoother as they let us in around 6:35. (It probably helped that everything was already set up.) I've learned from both independent wrestling and local comedy that shows rarely start on time, so that was no big deal...just a heads-up to those unfamiliar with either scene. *thumbs-up*
Card changes: Noted cancellations for the weekend were Angelus Layne and Sugar Dunkerton(personal reasons), Andy Dalton(injury), and Donovan Danhausen(unknown). Jeremy Wyatt wasn't on the Saturday show for unknown reasons. As a result, Cage faced Danny Adams and Trik faced Mike Outlaw.
Your ring announcer was Kyle McNeil; your referees were P.J. Drummond, Brandon Tolle, and the other guy from Friday who I didn't recognize.
Jordan Lacey came out for the preshow match, but said he was frustrated to be in that position and would rather hang up the tights than be reduced to that spot. That brought out Heavyweight Champion Gerald James & Dorian Victor to lay the badmouth on their fellow LWA original...Lacey got fed up and challenged Gerald with the mindset of having nothing to lose. Gerald and Dorian wanted it to be more interesting and Lacey said he would never challenge for the title again if he didn't win it. However, Dorian said that he was talking about retirement, so why not put his career on the line? That set up the night's championship match (A title match had been advertised but no opponent had been announced.)
Jojo Bravo vs. Christian Rose(w/ Greg Jovi): Rose used Wyatt's usual theme music and people were expecting Wyatt...TROLL~! Rose came out in a Chicago Cubs baseball cap...hey, it's still topical. Jojo apologized to referee P.J. Drummond for the shoving match that occurred on Friday, so he was in a better state of mind on this night. Unfortunately, the result of the match left him more frustrated than before; Bravo got Rose in his own No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab), but Jovi distracted the ref so he didn't see Rose's tapout. That allowed Rose to recover and turn the tide, hooking the No-Leaf Clover for the submission in 8:30.
"The Money" Matt Cage vs. Danny Adams(w/ The Cause): Before the match, The Cause members brought out referee Austin Blackburn in a wheelchair and neckbrace...they proclaimed him to be their newest recruit as he respected THE RULES~! the previous night. (If I'm not mistaken, he refereed The Cause's previous matches and several of those had finishes where he was "conveniently" distracted...) The numbers game was overwhelmingly against Cage, even with Blackburn "wheelchair-bound" for the night. Adams had several near-wins, but Cage survived long enough to block a sunset flip for the surprise win in 13:26. The Cause retreated...but then Alex Castle made his way through the audience from the front door and attacked Cage from behind. Castle finished the beatdown with a Pedigree...this feud MUST CONTINUE~!
Mike Outlaw vs. Trik Davis: This was a good solid matchup that came down to the experience gap between the two...they seemed to be evenly matched in most other categories. It can be a shock to the system to work for a different promotion than your "home base"; you're essentially starting from square one all over again. However, it's a necessary step to get out of one's comfort zone to work with different people in front of different audiences...it's one of the most effective ways to truly get better. Davis won with the Cattle Mutilation in 8:01...I feel like I've seen someone else use that hold before, but the person's name escapes me.
The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa("The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan & "Zesty" Zakk Sawyers): This was essentially a battle of fan-favorite teams, but it's tough to get cheers against The Hooligans in this neck of the woods. The Cutters used a chair with no disqualification called, so I guessed that the previous night's DQ was strictly an angle to put Blackburn with The Cause. The Hooligans won a comepetitive match when Devin(I think) pinned Sawyers after the wheelbarrow/flying second-rope DDT combo in 13:56...cue post-match mutual respect. Zakk doesn't have a whole lot of momentum going into his title shot at Gerald James in a few weeks...
D.J. Shiima Xion vs. Everett Connors(w/ The Cause): It was an interesting choice of a second opponent for D.J. Z., but the junior members of The Cause looked good in their respective singles bouts on this night. Like Cage before him, D.J. Z had to fend off interference from the other members of the stable...and like Cage, he was able to overcome the odds(though I didn't really expect him to lose twice in the same weekend anyway). The D.J. won with the "ZDT" in 10:12...somewhere Jake "The Snake" Roberts shed a tear as a DDT finished a match.
Intermission~! I briefly crossed paths with Mark Bland and immediately wondered if he would be in the Rumble. Anywho, on to Ben Simon's favorite part of my commentaries...concession tally~! I had two root beers and a Mountain Dew for the night, though two of those sodas were bought for me by other people...much appreciation to Timothy Miller(taking in his first St. Louis Anarchy show) and Dave McCutcheon.
Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) vs. Gorgeous Jordan Lacey for the Heavyweight Title, best-of-three-falls match: Lacey went old-school-ish with the robe, feather boa, and smaller tights...he even gave a few lucky(?) fans an impromptu lap dance. However, the heels went the subterfuge route in a hurry as Victor blindsided him with a chair before the bell...then Gerald ran in from the front door and quickly encouraged the referee to start the match. James delivered a "Shadows Over Hell-Bow"(top-rope elbowdrop on a bent-over opponent) to win the first fall in 15 seconds...a few fans didn't realize it was two-out-of-three and thought it was already over. Despite the early advantage, Lacey battled back and they brawled outside the ring, leading to the big man diving off the ledge by the building stairway! He took out Gerald, Dorian, and the ringside security guards...Hardcore Andy just CAN'T catch a break these days. The match went back into the ring and Lacey caught him in the Jenna Jameson(swinging uranagi) for a clean second fall in 7:20...DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!? Gerald fought back but couldn't keep the challenger down in the deciding fall, so he blatantly beat him down with a chair and got disqualified in 10:11. (Okay...so the rule-enforcement seems to be a bit more arbitrary than I thought.) Gerald escaped with the title and his 25-month title reign continues...
While Jordan Lacey technically won the match, he didn't win the title...and he acknowledged that it was his last match. Several wrestlers came out, primarily Lethal Wrestling Alliance originals like Adam Caster, Evan Gelistico, promoter Pierre Abernathy, and The Viking War Party. They noted that Lacey has made a lot of contributions behind the scenes in both the LWA and SLA, even dating back to when several of the local-based wrestlers got started. Lacey got a great ovation for his retirement...he flew under the radar compared to his contemporaries who traveled outside of the area, but he was a solid guy with an entertaining character(particularly in his "Gorgeous" days). All the best to Jordan Lacey and his family...thank you!
30-Man Anarchy Rumble: Rumble-style battle royals tend to vary wildly in their entrance intervals...often within the same match and usually settling somewhere in the realm of "whenever it's dramatically appropriate". I've seen a few on the indie scene(Dynamo did a 20-wrestler Rumble about a year and a half ago) but this was the first to be specifically advertised as a 30-man Rumble. People who didn't work twice on the show: Mike Outlaw, The Hooligans, Jordan Lacey(retired), Gerald James(since the Rumble was for a guaranteed future title shot). A blow-by-blow would be nearly impossible, but I'll do my best to hit the high points here...it had been hinted to me that a few surprise entrants would be in the match, but I wasn't sure who to expect...
#1 was Davey Vega, putting him in the position for an endurance mark. #2 was Tag Team Champion Evan Gelistico of The Cause, rekindling an old rivalry; Gelistico once defeated Vega for the LWA Heavyweight Title, leading to him being "grandfathered in" as the first St. Louis Anarchy Champion. #3 was Steve O. Reno and #4 was Mikey McFinnegan...#5 was Danny Adams, putting the numbers game in favor of The Cause. McFinnegan was the first one gone at the hands of Gelistico. #6 was the first surprise entrant: Billy McNeil, making his first SLA appearance in a long time. However, his night didn't go well as #7 was Everett Connors, putting three members of The Cause in the ring at once. Connors eliminated McNeil to the delight of a partisan section of the crowd...no idea what that was about. #8 was Matt Cage, who nearly went out quickly but landed in the lap of the wheelchair-bound Austin Blackburn, thus not touching the floor. HA! #9 was "The Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell...the scale tipped toward the fan-favorite side of the ledger, but The Cause had teamwork on their side as Gelistico & Connors threw out Reno and Parnell(respectively). #10 was Trik Davis, but he didn't last long as he was thrown out by Cage.
#11 was Alex Castle, reigniting the feud between the Kentucky Buffet members. #12 was...Sean Orleans? Sure, why not. #13 was "The Freestyle Phenom" Jay Howard who threw a few guys around with relative ease. #14 was another random entry: Greg Jovi. He immediately tangled with Orleans...who do you root for in THAT exchange? Orleans threw out Jovi, but The Cause members quickly ganged up on Orleans to dump him to the floor. #15 was Dash Rando, cheerful as ever...but his night was short-lived as Castle sent him floorward. Suddenly the ring went into clearance mode as bodies went flying: Gelistico tossed Howard, Cage got some payback as he eliminated Castle, and The Cause members threw out Cage. Just as quickly, The Cause's night went south as Vega eliminated Adams and Connors at the same time, then sent Gelistico to the floor! #16 was Austin Blackburn who MIRACULOUSLY~! rose from his wheelchair...and just as quickly left the ring courtesy of Vega, so he humbly returned to his seat.
#17 was "All About Me" Mallaki Matthews and Vega's momentum didn't appear to be taking any sudden turns...ditto for #18, Super Electro. #19 was Mat Fitchett, changing the complexion of the match in a hurry...Vega disposed of Mallaki in short order and Fitchett threw out Electro. #20 was Dorian Victor, making his first official in-ring appearance in several years...was it that long ago that he was main-eventing against Samoa Joe in the LWA?
Victor was in a bad spot against both Vega and Fitchett...#21 was Zakk Sawyers and that didn't help his cause. #22 was "The Alaskan Heatthrob" Jack Adonis...wait, WHAT? He was resplendent in his shiny new "Hateway Championship Wrestling" T-shirt, drawing a few "GCW" chants...ah, memories. It seemed like he had been eliminated quickly, but he only went through the ropes and retreated to the backstage area for some reason. Dorian eliminated Sawyers(putting another damper on Zakk's weekend), but Vega disposed of Dorian...that led to Dorian dragging Vega out of the ring and beating him down on the floor, putting him out of the action for a short time.
#23 was Paco Gonzalez and #24 was Christian Rose(adding some more rulebreaking flavor to the bout). #25 was Tag Team Champion Adam Caster of The Cause...despite his power advantage, he didn't make as much of an impact as I would have guessed. #26 was Mike Sharona(!), sporting the same HCW shirt as Adonis...Adonis accompanied him to ringside and the two bided their time on the floor as the action raged in the ring. That was because the third member of their group was on his way out...lucky #27 was Nikki Strychnine!
Strychnine had resurfaced on Twitter this weekend, but I had no idea he'd be a part of this show...I got a suspicion when Adonis and then Sharona showed up, but here he was with the barbed-wire "crown of thorns" and toxic waste can in tow. Adonis and Sharona finally entered the ring as Nikki bided his time...he seems to be obsessed with social media to spread his message of hatred these days. (Given recent events, probably a wise move.) #28 was Jojo Bravo and #29 was "The American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph...Rudolph quickly cleaned house, dishing out chokeslams for everyone. Fitchett eliminated Adonis(for real this time), then Rose went on a tear by throwing out Sharona, Rudolph, and finally Strychnine...Nikki was barely affected as he continued to tweet to his followers. Har har.
#30 was Ricky Starks(having earned his slot in his match on Friday), rounding out our field...the final seven were Vega, Fitchett, Paco, Rose, Caster, Jojo, and Starks. Vega eliminated Caster, putting The Cause out of the match for good. Bravo threw out Starks and Rose eliminated Paco. The referee were occupied on the other side of the ring and didn't see Jojo throw out Rose, so Rose got back into the ring and tossed Jojo(another case of bad officiating leading to Jojo's downfall!). Rose was left with Vega and Fitchett and the odds were against him, leading to Vega throwing him out for good.
That left friends and tag partners Vega and Fitchett as the final two...both of whom had previously challenged Gerald James for the title and come very close to unseating him. It went down to the wire as each men took the other over the top rope and they battled on the ring apron. I feared a potential draw finish as Vega landed a superkick, but Fitchett fired off a Pele Kick out of nowhere and it was Vega who fell to the floor, giving Fitchett the win in 48:35!
As it stands right now, Fitchett will await the winner of next month's Gerald James-Zakk Sawyers title match at Pro Wrestling Championship Series' season finale...notably, that event will take place at the Alton venue instead of Granite City as it's a joint effort from both SLA and PWCS. Questions abound as it relates to the Rumble entrants...will the HCW trio stick around? We shall see...
Post-show, I went to Denny's in north St. Louis County with Brian Kelley and Gary Weiss, meeting up with Drew Abbenhaus after his ring announcing gig at SICW's Swansea show. Placemats are very effective advertisements as I ordered a Bacon Lover's Steakburger with fries...only water to drink as I'm watching my weight. (Har har.)
The rest of the year looks like this:
-Saturday 11/21: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Wood River, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Saturday 11/28: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in St. Louis, MO(Ready Room); Wrestling Invades America in Swansea, IL; World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville, IL
-Saturday 12/5: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Fenton, MO; Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO
-Sunday 12/6: Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Alton, IL
-Saturday 12/12: Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
That's my special comment for this, the sixty-fourth show I've attended in the year 2015. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
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