Friday, July 31, 2015

XPlosion + Superstars

TNA XPlosion

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & Jeremy Borash.
-Mike Knux & Rebel d. Jessie Godderz & Angelina Love when Knux pinned Godderz after the Sister Abigail (7:39 aired).

WWE Superstars

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, & Jimmy Uso.
-Bo Dallas d. "R-Truth" Ron Killings by blocking a re-entry sunset flip and holding the ropes (3:00).
-King Wade "Bad News" Barrett d. Jack Swagger with the Royal Bullhammer (9:07 aired).

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Midweek wrestling

Lucha Underground Episode 38 (Ultima Lucha Part 1)

-Commentators:  Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage:  Promoter Dario Cueto visited Black Lotus in her jail cell...he claimed that Matanza did not kill her parents, but El Dragon Azteca did.
-Brian Cage d. Willie Mack in a falls-count-anywhere match after a curbstomp onto a cinberblock (7:42).
-The Disciples Of Death(Barrio Negro, El Siniestro De La Muerte, & Trece)(w/ Catrina Perez) d. Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez in a tornado match to win the Trios Titles when Barrio Negro pinned Ivelisse after Catrina knocked her out with Mil Muertes' sacred stone (6:21).
-Drago d. Shawn Hernandez in a Believers' Backlash Match(fan/lumberjack strap match); Drago blinded Hernandez with green mist and beat him down with nunchucks, then set him up on a table on the floor to deliver a splash off the top rope.  Drago dragged Hernandez into the ring for another top-rope splash to score the win (8:47).
-El Dragon Azteca made his way to the temple and was met by an unknown hooded man.  Apparently it was Prince Puma who brought Black Lotus to Azteca originally...the hooded man warned Azteca about how he shouldn't enter the temple, but he said he had to rescue Lotus himself.

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero.
-Eric Young d. Sgt. Chris Melendez(w/ Kurt Angle) with the piledriver (3:10).
-Brooke Tessmacher d. Marti Belle(w/ Taryn Terrell & Mia "Jade" Yim) with the Butterface Maker(X-Factor) to retain the Women's Title (4:13).  Gail Kim's music distracted Taryn and Jade from interfering in the match.
-Brutus Magnus & Mickie James d. James Storm & Serena Deeb; Khoya Shera hit Storm with his walking stick by mistake and Mickie pinned Serena after the jumping DDT (8:29 aired).  Mickie dropped Storm with the jumping DDT as well.

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips, Jerry Lawler, & Jimmy Uso.
-Antonio Cesaro d. WWE Champion Seth Rollins by DQ(non-title) when Kevin Owens(who was doing commentary) interfered (4:51 aired).
-The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) & Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego)(w/ El Torito) d. Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor)(w/ Xavier Woods) when Kalisto victory-rolled Viktor (7:19 aired); Tag Team Champions The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young) did commentary.
-Alexander Rusev(w/ Summer Rae) d. Jack Swagger with the Accolade(camel clutch) (8:56 aired).
-Stardust d. "R-Truth" Ron Killings with the Crossrhodes (2:05).  "The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville saved R-Truth from a post-match attack.
-Antonio Cesaro & Dean Ambrose d. WWE Champion Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens when Cesaro cut off Owens' pop-up powerbomb on Ambrose and pinned Owens with an O'Connor Roll (joined in progress; 8:28 aired).

Comedy Part 584: Ode To Yakov

Location:  Valley Park Funny Bone
Emcee:  Tim Convy
After:  Eric Brown
Before:  Stephanie Keeline

Had some new jokes for the night and a pretty good audience in attendance...I had been in a funk for a few days and I needed to clear my head.  One topical joke regarding Hulk Hogan's recent, ahem, verbage got a good response.  The other joke was related to an oddball news story from a few weeks ago...I had done it a few times before, but maybe I just nailed the wording here since it got an applause break.  WOO~!  Practically everyone mentioned that joke when they talked to me afterwards and Josh Arnold mentioned me in his set, so that was pretty cool.  Sorry to have set a slightly high bar for the first-timer who went on after me, but Stephanie did a fine job with her debut performance.  They say comedy can be therapeutic and I think this evening really helped my state of mind...thanks to the other comics and the audience for making that happen.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, & Corey Graves.
-Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder d. Enzo Amore & "Big Cass" Colin Cassady(w/ Carmella Van Damme) when Wilder pinned Enzo after the Shatter Machine(Flapjack-into-Codebreaker) (6:35).
-Backstage last week:  Devin Taylor interviewed Jason Jordan & Chad Gable about their first win as a team.  Despite their win, Jordan was still reluctant to do Gable's catchphrase.
-Baron Corbin d. Jesse Sorensen with the End Of Days(mid-air Flatliner) (0:25).
-Backstage:  Tyler Breeze barged into General Manager S. William Regal's office to ask him about his match for Takeover: Brooklyn.  Breeze said he would fight anyone in the entire world...and Regal said he had someone special in mind.  "Be careful what you wish for, flower."
-Jason Jordan & Chad Gable & Elias Samson & Levis Valenzuela Jr. when Gable pinned Valenzuela with the Grand Amplitude(Jordan belly-to-back throw into Gable bridging back suplex) (4:25).
-Backstage:  Devin Taylor interviewed Emma Tayla & Dana Brooke about Dana's match with Charlotte tonight.
-Bull Dempsey is trying to get "Bull-Fit"...
-Charlotte Flair d. Dana Brooke with the Natural Selection(low-altitude somersault Cutter) (3:28).
-Earlier today:  Samoa Joe said he was looking for the NXT Title, but Rhyno stands in the way of what he wants.
-Backstage last week:  Kevin Owens apologized to Regal for hitting him in the heat of battle after the contract signing.
-Backstage:  Devin Taylor interviewed Eva Marie about her win on last week's show...her goal is the NXT Women's Title, so "The Boss" Sasha Banks had better watch out.
-Kevin Owens d. Martin Stone with the pop-up powerbomb (1:48).  After the match, Owens took out Stone with a powerbomb into the ring apron.
-Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy(w/ Alexa Bliss) d. The Vaudevillains("The Artiste" Aiden English & Simon Gotch) to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles when Alexa tripped English, leading to Murphy getting the rollup pin with a handful of tights (6:44 aired).  The Vaudevillains cleared the ring of the champions after the bell, leaving Bliss alone in the ring...but the fans chanted for chivalry and they held the ropes open for her.  Unfortunately, she couldn't leave well enough alone and trash-talked English & Gotch before slapping both of them.
-Next week:  Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

This week in wrestling

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event this week has:
-Adrian Neville vs. King Wade "Bad News" Barrett
-Zack Ryder vs. Bo Dallas
-Becky Lynch vs. Brie Bella

NXT this Wednesday has:
-Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy vs. The Vaudevillains(Aiden English & Simon Gotch) - NXT Tag Team Titles
-Charlotte Flair vs. Dana Brooke
-Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder
-Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Elias Samson & Manny Garcia
-In action:  Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin

Superstars this week has:
-Jack Swagger vs. King Wade "Bad News" Barrett
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Bo Dallas

Smackdown on Thursday has:
-Seth Rollins vs. Antonio Cesaro
-The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) & Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego) vs. The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston) & The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor)
-Jack Swagger vs. Alexander Rusev
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Stardust
-In action:  Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens

SummerSlam is on Sunday 8/23:
-The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact on Wednesday has:
-Brutus Mangus & Mickie James vs. James Storm & Serena Deeb

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)
-The Romantic Touch vs. Cedric Alexander
-In action:  A.J. Styles, The Addiction(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)

Next show is Friday 8/21 in Philadelphia, PA.

ROH has a show on Saturday 8/22 in Brooklyn, NY:
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. The Time Splitters(Alex Shelley & Yujiro Kushida)
-Jay Lethal & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish)
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Roderick Strong
-The Killer Elite Squad(Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe)

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

Next episode of World Pro Wrestling has:
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
-Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale
-A.J. Styles vs. Togi Makabe
-Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.elreynetwork.com/originals/lucha)

This week's show has:
-Drago vs. Shawn Hernandez - Believers' Backlash Match
-Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez vs. The Disciples Of Death(Barrio Negro, El Siniestro De La Muerte, & Trece) - Trios Titles
-Willie Mack vs. Brian Cage - Falls-Count-Anywhere Match

-----

ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 8/21 in Alton, IL:
-Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett, & Angelus Layne vs. Gerald James, Jeremy Wyatt, & Christian Rose
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Cause(Danny Adams & Everett Connors) - Tag Team Titles
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zakk Sawyers
-Matt Cage vs. Alex Castle
-The Viking War Party(Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell) vs. Adam Raw & Evan Gelistico
-Mike Outlaw vs. Sugar Dunkerton
-Jojo Bravo vs. Paco Gonzalez
-Steve O. Reno vs. Mikey McFinnegan
-Ricky Starks vs. Bolt Brady

SLA has a show on Saturday 8/22 in Alton, IL:
-Gerald James vs. Davey Vega - Heavyweight Title - No Time Limit
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Christian Rose
-Matt Cage vs. Zakk Sawyers
-Mat Fitchett vs. Little Guido
-Steve O. Reno vs. Sugar Dunkerton

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Eureka, MO.

DPW has a show on Saturday 8/8 in Fenton, MO.

SICW(www.sicw.org)

This week's episode of Wrestling Explosion has:
-Ron Powers & Gary Jackson vs. Flash Flanagan & Kahagas
-Bobby D vs. Curtis Wylde

Next show is Saturday 8/22 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Flash Flanagan vs. Kahagas - Classic Title
-Ricky Cruz & Gary Jackson vs. Attila Khan & Brandon Espinosa
-Sean Vincent vs. Curtis Wylde
-Heath Hatton vs. Chris Hargas

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in St. Louis, MO:
-Da'Marius Jones vs. A.J. Williams - For The Vacant Heavyweight Title
-Moondog Rover vs. Attila Khan - T.V. Title
-Barackus vs. Ace Hawkins
-Johnathan Zulu vs. Billy Diamond

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Granite City, IL:
-Jeremy Wyatt(Ego Busters) vs. K.C. Karrington(Chaos Nation)
-Steven Kennedy & Jake Dirden(Resurgence) vs. Makaze & Nate Redwing(Blacklist)
-Roscoe Eat Lisa(Mikey McFinnegan & Zakk Sawyers)(Ego Busters) vs. The Submission Squad(Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy)(Chaos Nation)
-Jojo Bravo(Blacklist) vs. Davey Vega(Resurgence)
-Mike Outlaw(Blacklist) vs. Mat Fitchett(Resurgence)
-Curt Stallion(Ego Busters) vs. Hype Gotti(Chaos Nation)
-A.C.H. vs. Danny Adams
-Jeff Gant & Tank Engine Tommy vs. Mark Sterling & Adam Rich

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Sunday 9/27 in Cahokia, IL.

PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Pontoon Beach, IL:
-Brandon Aarons vs. Danny Adams - Heavyweight Title
-Leland Race vs. Leone Mephisto
-Barackus vs. Tyler Copeland
-Billy McNeil vs. Steven Kennedy
-Stacey O'Brien vs. Selene Grey
-Baby Jesus vs. Skinny Timmy - Midget Match

METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/8 in Kansas City, KS:
-Metro Proyale
-Derek Stone vs. Bolt Brady - Heavyweight Title
-A.C.H. vs. Ace Steel - Central States Title
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Christian Rose
-Jake & Ryan King vs. Mat Fitchett & Pierre Abernathy
-Davey Vega & Evan Gelistico vs. The American Bulldogs(Mad Dog McDowell & Jon West)
-Mark Sterling vs. Devin Thomas

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Hartford, IA:
-Marek Brave vs. Devin Thomas - Pure Wrestling Title
-Jaysin Strife vs. Eli Machete
-Mad Dog McDowell vs. Conner Braxton
-Devin Carter vs. Adrian Alexander
-Sentai vs. Jon West
-Ray Stryker vs. Ryan Slade
-Daulton Lee Roth vs. Stephen M. King
-Purp Le vs. J.C. Slater

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/29 in Troy, MO:
-Stacey O'Brien vs. "Miss Natural" Heather Patera - Women's Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-Appearing:  Ric Flair

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Next show is Wednesday 8/12 in Lake Ozark, MO:
-High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) vs. The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean)
-Mike Outlaw vs. Elvis Aliaga
-Jake Dirden vs. Brandon Aarons

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/outlawwrestling01)

Next show is Sunday 8/16 in Centralia, IL:
-Bull Bronson vs. Mikey McFinnegan - Heavyweight Title
-Blake Belakis vs. Zakk Sawyers vs. Alexandre Rudolph
-The Goon Squad(Deadly Dale & Idol Bane) vs. The Viking War Party(Frank Wyatt & Jake Parnell) - Tag Team Titles
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Slade Sludge & Dustin Starr

WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)

Next show is Sunday 9/20 in Edwardsville, IL.

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

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DRAGON GATE USA/EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Queens, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - EVOLVE Title
-Johnny Gargano vs. Ethan Page - Anything-Goes Match
-Rich Swann vs. Drew Gulak
-Chris Hero vs. Mike Bailey
-Trent Baretta vs. Rey Horus
-Biff Busick vs. Tracy Williams

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 8/16 in Long Island, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick - No-Holds-Barred Match
-Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
-Drew Gulak & Tracy Williams vs. Mike Bailey & Rey Horus
-Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.anarchy-wrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/8 in Cornelia, GA.

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Philadelphia, PA.

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 10/10 in Cicero, IL.

SHIMMER has a show on Sunday 10/11 in Berwyn, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 9/4 in Ybor City, FL:
-Santana Garrett vs. Allysin Kay - SHINE Title

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/9 in Merrionette Park, IL:
-Eddie Kingston & Shane Hollister vs. Matt Cage & Tyson Dux - Street Fight
-Louis Lyndon vs. Christian Faith - Heritage Title
-Appearing:  Matt Sydal, Tommaso Ciampa

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com

HRW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's High Risk Wrestling show at the VFW Hall in Cahokia, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

Of the two shows last weekend, I would say that I had higher expectations for this one.  I would also say that I expected WPW to have the better attendance.  Simply put, I was accurate on both counts.

I wish I knew the answer to HRW's attendance woes, but if I knew how to draw people to a wrestling event, I'd probably be a promoter myself.  (No matter how messed-up my head is, I still haven't seriously thought about running a wrestling promotion.)  For what it's worth, the people who attend the HRW shows are enthusiastic about the action.

Your ring announcer was Frank Thurman; your referees were Jay King & Nick Ridenour.

"Eight-Pack" Jarrod Jaxx vs. Jayden Fenix vs. Thomas Walton III(TW3) vs. "Midwest Jackass" Dale Patricks vs. Justin D'Air vs. Brian Skyline:  There were several new faces in the opener; had to look them up when I got home from the show.  Jaxx and TW3 are both from Milwaukee.  Recognized Skyline's name from previous IWA Mid-South lineups.  This was originally scheduled as a triple threat match but Jaxx, TW3, and Skyline were added.  Patricks made his HRW debut a few months ago; he came out to "YMCA" which flabbergasted the other competitors.  Scorecard:  Bad guys were Jaxx, Fenix, and TW3; good guys were Patricks, D'Air, and Skyline.  This was a fun match, albeit too short to really get a read on the newer guys; it was my first time seeing three of them and only my second time seeing Patricks.  D'Air won with the Buff Blockbuster on Fenix in 3:52.  Magic Man scouted the match and talked to D'Air afterwards, perhaps looking to bolster the ranks of Magic Inc....

John E. Rock vs. Eli Machete:  Machete is a student of The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academy; I'll get to his trainer in a moment.  I've seen Rock a few times recently at World League Wrestling.  The HRW roster has a lot of turnover, to the point where it gets tough to keep track of all the newcomers...and perhaps the fans have trouble connecting to people that may or may not be around for long.  A solid bout ended with Rock's swinging-uranagi-into-a-DDT finisher(sort of a low-altitude F-5) in 5:32.

Marek Brave vs. Adrian Alexander:  Brave was a rising star on the independent circuit several years ago in both singles and tag team competition; however, injuries put him on the shelf and he didn't return to the ring until fairly recently.  His tag partner at the time was some guy named Tyler Black, who you might know nowadays as WWE Champion Seth Rollins.  Alexander is another student from The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academy; I saw him once or twice on 3XW's YouTube show.  Brave is also a regular at 3XW, recently capturing their Pure Wrestling Title from Kraig Keesaman.  This was a really good matchup with Alexander as the heel...Brave won with a superkick in 12:36 (after the time limit had been announced as ten minutes...oops *sheepish grin*).

Mike Outlaw(w/ Magic Man) vs. "The Last Real Man" Silas Young:  Silas continued to throw shade on the Wayne's World cap...aww.  Outlaw's had a tough run of opponents in HRW lately:  Takaaki Watanabe, Tony Kozina, and then Silas.  This was another strong matchup, ending with the veteran blocking a re-entry sunset flip and holding the ropes(HEEL~!) for the tainted victory in 10:49.  Given the lack of cheap heel moves in mainstream wrestling lately, it's actually refreshing when I do see them.

Intermission~!  Concessions:  Burger and can of Coke.  Mmm, burger.  Next show was announced as being on September 27th.

"Diamond Cut" Ace Perry vs. "Tornado" Tony Kozina:  Speaking of the youngster/veteran dynamic, here we go again.  One of my compatriots tried to start an "ACE PERR-EE" chant that left Ace slightly embarrassed...heh.  It's a tried-and-true match formula for the veteran heel to outwrestle the upstart fan favorite...right up until the overconfidence allows the young punk to make a comeback.  Kozina worked heelish though I don't recall him outright cheating.  Perry got a near-win after a Diamond Cutter, but Kozina got the win with a Sister Abigail in 13:09.  Respect?  Perhaps.

Sugar Dunkerton vs. "The Blue-Eyed Devil" Tripp Cassidy:  Cassidy made his St. Louis-area debut in the same match as Perry and Patricks; this was Dunkerton's first Midwest appearance other than one Beyond Wrestling taping.  I first saw Sugar as Kareem Abdul-Jamar in NWA Anarchy; he would move on to CHIKARA as part of the original Throwbacks with Dasher Hatfield.  He's scheduled for the next pair of St. Louis Anarchy shows, so I'll see him then as well; I look forward to seeing his bouts with Outlaw and Steve O. Reno.  Dunkerton has great charisma and these two worked well with each other; Dunkerton won with a brainbuster in 9:58.

Team I.O.U.("Limitless" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) vs. High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb):  This was my first time seeing Gamble since his trip to Japan; he and Webb weren't quite heels, but Iggy & Awful definitely had the popularity advantage.  Iggy & Awful(and even referee Jay King) kept interjecting themselves into HLE's entrance pose, so they redid their entrance(twice!) until they could pose uninterrupted.  Awful took the abuse for his side until Iggy could finally tag into the match; after several near-falls for each side, Iggy got the fall on Gamble after I.O.U.'s dropkicked Michinoku Driver double-team in 11:38.  Well done.  No word on the vacated Tag Team Titles as of yet.

"Bad Wolf" Blake Belakis vs. "The Supercharged Superstar" Bolt Brady(w/ Magic Man) for the Heavyweight Title:  Brady defeated Silas Young by disqualification to earn this shot.  Cool to see Belakis on a regular basis these days.  They had a really good main-event matchup and I wasn't sure who would win(always a plus).  The end came when Bolt delivered a Dominator and Silas Young showed up at ringside, grabbing Magic Man and threatening him.  That distraction allowed Belakis to capitalize with a PALM STRIKE~!...for a close near-fall.  Brady recovered to get his own near-fall with an O'Connor Roll, but Blake's kickout sent him right into a cheapshot by Silas with Magic Man's cane.  That was enough for Belakis to cover for the pin in 13:21 and retain his title...D-OH!

Belakis and Young sought to do some post-match damage, but Magic Man rallied the troops to run them off:  Outlaw, D'Air, Dunkerton, and Kerry Awful.  Who will be next to challenge Belakis?  Guess we'll have to wait until September to find out...

August looks like this:

-Saturday 8/1: Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Granite City, IL; Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Eureka, MO
-Saturday 8/8: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Fenton, MO
-Saturday 8/15: Pro Wrestling Epic in Pontoon Beach, IL(afternoon); Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO
-Sunday 8/16: Outlaw Wrestling in Centralia, IL
-Friday 8/21: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL
-Saturday 8/22: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Saturday 8/29: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Glen Carbon, IL; World League Wrestling in Troy, MO

Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

P.S. We are all marks.

Monday, July 27, 2015

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-The Big Show d. Dean Ambrose by countout after Show PUNCHed Ambrose in mid-suicide dive (8:33 aired); Mike Mizanin did commentary.  Show tried to spear Ambrose through the ringside barricade, but Dean sidestepped him and Show crashed through the barrier.
-"The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville d. Johnny Fandango with the Red Arrow(corkscrew shooting star press) (1:51).
-NXT Women's Champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks(w/ Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka) d. Paige Knight(w/ Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch)(non-title) with the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) (10:32 aired).
-The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) d. Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego)(w/ El Torito); Tag Team Champions The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young) did commentary.  The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) came out to argue with the champs and Kalisto beat Fernando with a nip-up rana pin (8:08).
-Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch(w/ Paige Knight) d. WWE Women's Champion Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox(w/ Brie Bella) when Becky made Alicia tap out to the Disarm-Her(modified armbar submission) (6:02).
-Randy Orton d. Kevin Owens by DQ when Sheamus O'Shaunessy(who was doing commentary) attacked Orton with the Brogue Kick (8:05 aired).  Antonio Cesaro ran in to help and took out Sheamus, but ran into a pop-up powerbomb from Owens.
-John Cena d. WWE Champion Seth Rollins with the STF to retain the U.S. Title (14:00 aired).

Anarchy Wrestling TV #494

-Commentators:  Brett Wolverton & John "The Body" Johnson.
-Representative Bill Behrens announced that the eight-man tag between Team Anarchy and Team Platinum on next week's episode would be a bunkhouse brawl in memory of Dusty Rhodes.  He was interrupted by members of Team Platinum:  Heavyweight Champion Jagged Edge, T.V. Champion Kevin Blue, Young Lions' Champion "The Violence Artist" Trever Aeon, and Miss Rachael.  Rachael vowed that Team Platinum would come out on top in that match and retain their titles as well.
-Wade Adams d. Kevin Park after countering a move off the second rope with a modified jawbreaker (joined in progress; 3:53 aired).
-Raphael King, Devyn Nicole, & Nina Monet d. "The Technician" Todd Sexton, Dementia D'Rose, & Aja Perrera; Devyn pinned D'Rose after King clotheslined D'Rose (8:59 aired).
-Before the scheduled Tag Team Title contenders' match, Miss Rachael had to talk to Geter about his recent issues with "The Modern Classic" B.J. Hancock...things were seemingly settled and Geter accepted Rachael's handshake.
-The Washington Bullets(Jon & Trey Williams) d. The Big F'n Deal("Wrestling's Most Dangerous Weapon" Geter & Brian Blaze) when Trey rolled up Blaze (joined in progress; 9:25 aired).
-"The Encore" Kevin Blue fought Jacob Ashworth to a time-limit draw in a fan-lumberjack strap match to retain the T.V. Title (10:00).
-Next week:  Team Anarchy vs. Team Platinum in a bunkhouse brawl, Trever Aeon vs. Jeremy Foster in a ladder match for the Young Lions' Title, and Slim J vs. Jeff Lewis.

WPW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's World Powerhouse Wrestling show at the VFW Hall in Collinsville, Illinois...wait, what?...

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

In the early 2000s, Midwest Powerhouse Wrestling(promoted by Chris Powell) was one of the better-known promotions in the St. Louis area.  Shortly after closing down in late 2005, Full Throttle Wrestling was formed with most of the same players.  That promotion lasted a few years before shutting down and a lot of those guys dropped off my radar; I'm told some of them worked for central/southern Illinois promotions like HCW.  In January, World Powerhouse Wrestling(promoted by Chuck Maddox) had their first show with a similar core roster along with some newer faces.

MPW had a working relationship with Gateway Championship Wrestling for a while, but things went south and the promotions threw a lot of verbals jabs at each other (mostly through the commentary on MPW's local-access TV show and GCW's home videos).  I never attended an MPW show but watched their TV; I went to a handful of FTW shows.  As for WPW, I watched videos on their YouTube channel but this was my first time attending one of their events.

Early this year, I reposted a WPW flyer on Facebook since one of my friends is a fan of one of the wrestlers featured(The Hollywood Stud).  The discussion on the flyer turned into a lot of mudslinging and I let it go for far too long, upsetting some people in the process.  I attempted to push the discussion in a constructive direction, but I was also guilty of tagging a few people who threw gasoline on the fire.  One of the WPW guys contacted me to ask that I take the picture and discussion down; I appreciate him being the cooler head in the situation.  I took down the photo, but not before I was labeled a "troublemaker" and indirectly warned that "words can get you hurt".

I was hesitant to attend a WPW show, mostly due to that particular bit of social media drama.  With the busy schedule of local wrestling, they fell a bit low on my list of priorities; however, the stars aligned on Saturday as the next-nearest show was halfway across Missouri.

I do my best to be fair and diplomatic in these commentaries...though it's to the point that some people say I'm too easy on things that deserve harsher criticism.  I don't go to shows to be a critic, honestly; I go to be a fan and have a good time.  It feels weird when some wrestlers actually ask for my feedback; while I have watched wrestling since 1991, I'm not a wrestler(something that's a big qualifier for some people).  Attempting basic bumps and rope-running in a ring on ONE occasion is the most I've done, and I'll freely admit that I did it "to say that I'd done it".  It gave me an appreciation for how much practice(and soreness) goes into the most basic things that wrestlers do.  No, I'm not athletically gifted enough to do it myself, and yes, I wish I was.

I knew one of the regular area fans in attendance and talked to him for most of the show...I also crossed paths with a high school classmate and her family as they knew one of the wrestlers on the show(Knyght Fyre).  They had a decent fan turnout; the energy level was all over the place.  My friend said it seemed like some fans were into the show more than others, if that makes sense.

Your ring announcer was Chuck Maddox; your referee was only identified as "The Whole Reffin' Show".

The Hellhounds("Hitman" Jake Capone & Juggernaut Jones) vs. The Purple Dragons:  Capone wrestles in central Illinois and also goes by "Justice"; I saw him a few times on Pro Wrestling Collision's YouTube show.  Had never seen the other three guys; the Dragons consisted of one non-masked guy and one guy in a purple Deadpool-looking mask (no idea about their individual names).  Don't know anything about Juggernaut Jones; a quick Google search brings up his name on a central Illinois show by Strictly Nsane Pro Wrestling.  This went surprisingly long for something that looked like a squash at first glance...Jones pinned the non-masked Dragon after a Blackhole Slam by Capone in 12:13(!).

This began the show on a decent note in the category of gear-wearing and wrestling-without-a-shirt.  It's something that people do notice and the knee-jerk first impression of someone who wrestles in regular clothing instead of tights/trunks tends to be "yarder" (regardless of what you can do in the ring).  There are other people saying these things that are more qualified than myself to say them, I suppose.

It was promo time, courtesy of the new incarnation of The Legion:  Damian Blade, Scar, & Uriah Eleazar.  The Legion was a faction in the MPW days that included these three and several others.  Blade(wearing a partial pig mask) did all of the talking for the group; it had been a few months since WPW's previous show in Collinsville, so they were essentially introducing the stable for the benefit of the newer fans.  This included some attempts to scare the younger fans, particularly in the case of the devil-masked Uriah.  Blade reminded everyone that he holds a Money In The Bank-style briefcase (earned in a Royal Rumble-style battle royal at a previous show).  Heavyweight Champion Xavier Frost came out to confront them, saying they could do the scheduled title match right then and there.  However, Chief Executive Officer Scotty Mac(never mentioned by name in the promo; I had to look him up online) came out to say that he'd been reinstated and the title match wouldn't happen until the main-event slot.  However, Scar's scheduled bout would take place right away.

Bio Shock(w/ Chipster) vs. Scar(w/ Damian Blade & Uriah Eleazar), no-DQ match:  This was pushed on the promotion's Facebook page as no-DQ but the stipulation wasn't formally announced, leaving people wondering why the Legion members were interfering in full view of the ref.  I didn't expect this battle of big men to be a technical classic; it was basically a schmozz with all the interference.  Scar won with the Rings Of Saturn as Uriah jabbed him in the head and neck with a chair, leading to the submission in 6:44.

Kyle King vs. Moondog Pongo(w/ Gavin Alexander):  I'm not too clear on whether the Moondog in question is "Pondo" or "Pongo" since I've seen him listed under both names at different times.  I don't think he has any connection to the original Moondogs; he teams with Moondog Bernard elsewhere in Illinois.  King is from the Kansas City area and I saw him at FTW shows; it was odd for him to be in the role of fan favorite here.  Saw Pongo once before at Wrestling Invades America.  This was decent; King got the win in 6:38 after Alexander accidentally hit Moondog with his own bone.

The Unidentified Foreign Objects(Ivan Strokgenovf & Victor Cortez)(w/ Scarlet Wyld) vs. "The Real Deal" Alexander Steele & Knyght Fyre for the Tag Team Titles:  Not sure of the proper spelling of Knyght's name as I've seen it spelled several different ways.  Ivan was the unfortunate source of an incident at a previous WPW show; he suffered an apparent concussion when he landed on his head while being suplexed.  That led to him rolling out to the floor and vomiting at ringside...eep.  Head injuries and especially concussions are a serious thing, as many can attest.  This has been the main feud for the tag belts; Ivan & Cortez defeated Steele & Knyght to become the first champions.  In one of those weird funny wrestling moments, I saw a YouTube video of a previous match where Ivan(billed from Russia) and Cortez(billed from Mexico) encouraged the fans to chant "USA" for support against the rulebreaking duo(both American).  Scarlet is a new valet and is presumably no relation to Curtis Wylde & Wyldefyre.  I'll simply say that my friend was fixated on her for a good portion of the show...heh.  I'm almost positive Cortez wrestled in the FTW days under a different name or names.

The Legion appeared at ringside and chased Scarlet into the ring...but then she turned on Ivan and whacked him with his own kendo stick.  On top of that, Cortez suddenly turned on his partner, dropping him with a superkick.  That led to Steele pinning Ivan for the win and newwwww Tag Team Champions...and The Legion gained two new members.  The fans didn't seem to know what to make of the whole angle.  Thought Steele looked solid from what I saw of him.

Intermission~!  I just had a soda on this night.  The wrestlers were out and about to mingle with the fans and Blade trolled me a bit...I felt a bit weird about interacting with him, given the aforementioned Facebook drama.  (He later assured me that his problem wasn't with me, for what it's worth.)

Sniper vs. Wapo Choncho & Paradox, handicap match:  Sniper is a tall biker-looking dude who was previously aligned with The Searcher; Searcher and Christian Haze were both said to be injured at the hands of The Legion and were not at the show.  This was a quick squash, as expected; a clotheline put Paradox down on the mat and a chokeslam dropped Wapo right next to his partner.  Sniper laid across both for the pin in 0:51, casually pulling a Gatorade bottle out of his pocket for a drink as the three-count was made.

Bronson vs. Gavin Alexander:  I don't know much about Bronson; I think he was billed as hailing from Chicago.  He seemed decent enough; my only other exposure to him was a match with Scar from WPW's YouTube channel.  I had previously seen Gavin at WIA events, though he's a fan favorite there and a rulebreaker here.  This one ended out of nowhere with a Bronson flying forearm in 7:04; the two shook hands afterwards.

"The Shooter" Curtis Payne vs. Uriah Eleazar(w/ Victor Cortez & Scarlet Wyld) for the U.S. Title:  Payne defeated Bio Shock for the title a few months ago.  These two have a ton of history as they started out as tag partners in MPW as the Men In Black-esque "Agency".  Uriah turned on Payne to join the original Legion, starting a lengthy feud.  They reformed their team in FTW as the "Agents Of Destruction", but now they're on opposite sides of the fence again.  I had the highest expectations for this one as the two know each other very well.  They had a solid match in progress and Payne delivered a Death Valley Driver in what seemed to be a tide-turning spot...but it turned out to be the finish as the referee counted three at the 8:10 mark despite Uriah seemingly getting his shoulder up.  I don't know if that was a botch on someone's part, but Payne didn't seem happy after the win; Uriah complained about the result on the house mic and demanded a rematch, but it was not to be on this night.

Hawk Elliot vs. Gauge Evans(w/ Chipster):  Chipster is a heel manager, but I guess he was the "lesser of two evils" in the Bio Shock vs. Scar feud.  This was set up as an open challenge by Evans that was answered by Elliot.  I think Evans was around in the FTW days as well(under a different name or names).  I honestly don't remember much about this one; Gauge won with a rollup and handful of tights in 5:21.

Xavier Frost(w/ Ivan Strokgenovf & Sniper) vs. Damian Blade(w/ Scar, Uriah Eleazar, Victor Cortez, & Scarlet Wyld) for the Heavyweight Title:  It was emphasized that this was Blade's "last title shot"...he does still have that briefcase, though.  With the 82nd Airborne at ringside, this promised to get chaotic right away as Frost brought out backup to counteract the presence of The Legion.  Sniper and Scar quickly brawled to the back, though the ringside area was still fairly crowded.  The referee actually asserted himself at one point by knocking the other Legion members off the apron...random.  Blade stalled a lot in the early minutes, causing Chuck Maddox to declare the match a no-countout affair.  Ivan finally got into it with former partner Cortez and THEY brawled away from ringside, but Uriah was still there to interfere.  There were a number of instances on this night of interference that the referee clearly saw and let slide...call it "allowing leeway" if you wish, but it makes the official look worse than usual.  At one point, Frost was complaining about a low blow and joked that he got hit in his "Patrick"...IIIII see what you did there, it's because I'm a...*drops mic, walks away*  Anywho, Frost delivered a Stone Cold Stunner(his recent finisher) and seemingly had the win, but Uriah pulled the referee out of the ring.  In a weird moment, the referee simply got back in the ring and made the three-count anyway...though, as in the earlier match, it looked like Blade may have gotten a shoulder up.  This time around, Chuck Maddox got on the mic and declared it a two-count, ordering the match to continue.  The restart was rendered moot as the real finish happened about a minute later with another Stunner, giving Frost the win in 17:35.

Chaos erupted after the match as Uriah attacked Frost, but Curtis Payne made the save and laid him out with a Diamond Cutter.  The fan favorite domination continued to the point of absurdity as Uriah took multiple Diamond Cutters, including a 3-D with Frost's assistance.  Scotty Mac announced a no-DQ rematch between Payne and Uriah for the next show(date and location to be announced) and emphasized the "Blade's last title shot" stipulation as well.  Blade groggily offered a handshake to the champion, but Frost simply dropped him with another Stunner and then whacked him with his own briefcase.  Hey, I'll give them points on the "send the fans home happy" front.

I know that my colleague, "The Mad Conversative Crimefighter", is a bit more blunt when it comes to show criticism and that rubs some people the wrong way.  Yes, there was some in-ring stuff on this show that wasn't so great.  In the Facebook Thread Of Doom, it was noted that there are several spots in the St. Louis area for people to train and learn.  The most respected people are the ones that continuously work on their craft.  I couldn't say what training or practice these guys do and I couldn't say where else they work, so maybe they have something else going on.  I certainly don't claim to know everything about what's going on, though I try to stay as informed as possible.  If I'm off base on something, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail or social media message.  I'm open to a civil discussion.

The weekend was a tale of two promotions, but that's a story for another commentary...Same Pat-Time, Same Pat-Channel.

Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

P.S. We are all marks.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday HRW Results From Cahokia, IL

-Justin D'Air won a six-way match with "Eight-Pack" Jarrod Jaxx, Thomas Walton III(TW3), "Midwest Jackass" Dale Patricks, Brian Skyline, and Jayden Fenix when he pinned Fenix after a Buff Blockbuster (3:52).  Magic Man watched the match from ringside and spoke with D'Air afterwards.
-John E. Rock d. Eli Machete with a swinging F-5 (5:32).
-Marek Brave d. Adrian Alexander via superkick (12:36).
-"The Last Real Man" Silas Young d. Mike Outlaw(w/ Magic Man) by blocking a re-entry sunset flip and holding the ropes (10:49).
-"Tornado" Tony Kozina d. "Diamond Cut" Ace Perry after a Sister Abigail (13:09).
-Sugar Dunkerton d. "The Blue-Eyed Devil" Tripp Cassidy with a brainbuster (9:58).
-Team I.O.U.("Limitless" Nick Iggy & "Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) d. High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) when Iggy pinned Gamble after the dropkicked Michinoku Driver double-team (11:38).
-"Bad Wolf" Blake Belakis d. "The Supercharged Superstar" Bolt Brady(w/ Magic Man) to retain the Heavyweight Title.  Brady was in control when Silas Young came out and threatened Magic Man, leading to a near-win for Belakis after a palm strike.  Bolt scored his own near-fall on Belakis with an O'Connor Roll, but the kickout sent him in Young's direction and the referee didn't see Young hit Bolt with Magic Man's cane.  That allowed Blake to score the cheap win (13:21).  Belakis and Young double-teamed Brady until Outlaw, D'Air, Awful, and Dunkerton hit the ring to run them off.
-Next show is Sunday 9/27.

Weekend wrestling

WWE Superstars

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, & Jimmy Uso.
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings d. Heath Slater with the Lie Detector(Paydirt) (2:14).
-"The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville d. Bo Dallas via Red Arrow(corkscrew shooting star press) (7:14 aired).

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, & Nigel McGuinness.
-The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven)(w/ Maria Kanellis-Bennett) d. Corey Hollis & Jonathan Gresham when Taven pinned Hollis after the Hail Mary(spike piledriver) (4:26).
-Moose(w/ Stokely Hathaway) won a six-way match with Caprice Coleman, Dalton Castle(w/ his boys), Cheeseburger, "The Last Real Man" Silas Young, and Brutal Bob Evans when he pinned Evans after the spear (10:35 aired); Prince Nana did commentary.
-Bobby Fish d. A.C.H. after a top-rope Falcon Arrow (10:06 aired).

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentators:  Drew Abbenhaus & Patrick Brandmeyer.
-Waco d. "Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent; Vincent had Waco set up for the Mapleleaf Leglock when Wyldefyre made an appearance to distract him. Curtis Wylde ran through the front door and dropped Vincent with the Wylde Ride(Flatliner) behind the referee's back...that allowed Waco to score the tainted victory.
-"The King Of Chaos" Ricky Cruz d. Attila Khan(w/ Travis Cook) by DQ; Ricky appeared to have it won after a superkick, but Travis pulled the referee out of the ring and decked him. The locker room emptied to separate the two, but Cook gloated that Ricky wouldn't get him in the ring since the stipulation specified that he neeed to win by pinfall or submission.
-Flashback to May 1981:  Dusty Rhodes d. Benny Romeo after the big elbowdrop.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Saturday WPW Results From Collinsville, IL

-The Hellhounds("The Hitman" Jake Capone & Juggernaut Jones) d. The Purple Dragons when Jones pinned the non-masked Dragon after a Blackhole Slam by Capone (12:13).
-The Legion(Damian Blade, Scar, & Uriah Eleazar) came out to speak to the fans...they were interrupted by Heavyweight Champion Xavier Frost who wanted to fight Blade right then, but Scotty Mac came out to announce that he had been reinstated as Chief Executive Officer and wouldn't let the main event take place until later.
-Scar(w/ Damian Blade & Uriah Eleazar) d. Bio Shock(w/ Chipster) in a no-DQ match with the Rings Of Saturn as Uriah repeatedly hit him with a chair (6:44).
-Kyle King d. Moondog Pongo(w/ Gavin Alexander) after Gavin accidentally hit Moondog with his own bone (6:38).
-"The Real Deal" Alexander Steele & Knyght Fyre d. The Unidentified Foreign Objects(Ivan Strokgenovf & Victor Cortez)(w/ Scarlet Wyld) to win the Tag Team Titles.  The Legion came out and chased Scarlet into the ring, but she turned on Ivan by hitting him with his own kendo stick.  Cortez turned on his partner as well, dropping him with a superkick and allowing Steele to get the pin for the belts (11:23).
-Sniper won a handicap match against Wapo Choncho & Paradox; Sniper clotheslined Paradox and chokeslammed Wapo before covering both for the pin (0:51).
-Bronson d. Gavin Alexander after a flying forearm (7:04).  The two shook hands after the match.
-"The Shooter" Curtis Payne d. Uriah Eleazar(w/ Victor Cortez & Scarlet Wyld) via Death Valley Driver to retain the U.S. Title (8:10).
-Gauge Evans(w/ Chipster) d. Hawk Elliot with a rollup and handful of tights (5:21).
-Xavier Frost(w/ Ivan Strokgenovf & Sniper) d. Damian Blade(w/ Scar, Uriah Eleazar, Victor Cortez, & Scarlet Wyld) to retain the Heavyweight Title.  When Blade spent most of the early portion of the match stalling, promoter and ring announcer Chuck Maddox announced that the match would continue as a no-countout affair.  Sniper brawled with Scar to take him out of the picture, then Ivan fought with former partner Cortez.  Frost got the win after a Stone Cold Stunner (17:35).  Uriah attacked Frost after the match, but Curtis Payne hit the ring and laid out Uriah with multiple Diamond Cutters...a no-DQ match was set up for the next show(date and location TBA).  Blade wanted a post-match handshake...Frost accepted only to drop Blade with another Stunner before hitting him with his own title-shot-contract briefcase.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Show results

Friday WLW results from Houston, MO:

-Ace Hawkins d. Raphael King.
-John E. Rock d. Brandon Espinosa.
-Women's Champion Stacey O'Brien d. Devyn Nicole in a non-title match.
-Leland Race d. Dustin Bozworth by DQ to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-Heavyweight Champion Leland Race & John E. Rock d. Tag Team Champion Dangerous Derek McQuinn & Dustin Bozworth.

Friday ROH results from Baltimore, MD:

-Donovan Dijak d. Takaaki Watanabe.
-Silas Young d. Will Ferrara.
-Cedric Alexander d. Moose.
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) d. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta).
-Adam Cole d. Dalton Castle.
-Adam Page d. A.C.H. in a no-DQ match.
-The Addiction(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) won a four-corner match with The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven), War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe), and reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-T.V. Champion Jay Lethal wrestled Roderick Strong to a sixty-minute time-limit draw to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Friday SHINE results from Ybor City, FL:

-Malia Hosaka d. La Rosa Negra.
-Amanda Rodriguez d. Renee Michelle.
-Tracy Taylor d. Su Yung by countout.
-Leva Bates d. Amber O'Neal-Gallows.
-Vanessa Kraven d. Jessicka Havok.
-Allysin Kay d. Mia Yim.
-The Kimber Bombs(Kimber Lee & Cherry Bomb) fought Valifornia(Marti Belle & Andréa) to a no-contest to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Santana Garrett d. Ivelisse Velez to retain the SHINE Title.

Friday PWG results from Reseda, CA:

-Team Tremendous(Dan Barry & Bill Carr) d. The World's Cutest Tag Team(Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae).
-Brian Cage d. Johnny Gargano.
-Andrew Everett d. Rich Swann.
-Trevor Lee d. Tommaso Ciampa.
-Mike Bailey d. Chris Hero.
-Ricochet d. Akira Tozawa.
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) d. Jack Evans & Angélico to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Saturday ROH results from Baltimore, MD:

-Mandy Leon d. Deonna Purrazzo.
-A.C.H. d. Takaaki Watanabe.
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) d. Donovan Dijak & J. Diesel.
-Adam Page d. ?.
-The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven) d. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish).
-Dalton Castle d. Silas Young.
-Moose d. Will Ferrara.
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) d. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta).
-Nuclear Casserole(? & ?) d. Chase Brown & Peter Kaasa.
-The Briscoes(Jay & Mark) d. The Bloodbound Warriors(Red Scorpion & Grey Wolf).
-Roderick Strong d. Donovan Dijak.
-The Addiction(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) d. Future Shock(Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Jay Briscoe d. Adam Page by DQ.
-Caprice Coleman d. Cedric Alexander.
-Cheeseburger d. Brutal Bob Evans by countout.
-Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal d. Todd Hanson to retain the T.V. Title.

Saturday CHIKARA results from South Windsor, CT:

-Amasis & Worker Ant II d. Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.).
-Lucas Calhoun d. Argus.
-The Batiri(Obariyon & Kodama) d. Ophidian & Eddie Kingston.
-Dasher Hatfield, "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti, Icarus, & Young Lions' Champion Heidi Lovelace d. Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak, Orange Cassidy, & Swamp Monster.
-Jaka d. Nokken.
-Juan Francisco De Coronado d. Silver Ant.
-The Devastation Corporation(Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive) d. Princess Kimber Lee & Jervis Cottonbelly in a best-of-three-falls match to retain the Campeonates De Parejas.
-Oleg The Usurper, Fire Ant, & Shynron d. The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova, Frightmare, & Missile Assault Ant.

Saturday Anarchy Wrestling results from Cornelia, GA:

-Heavyweight Champion Jagged Edge, B.J. Hancock, Lars Manderson, Brian Blaze, & The Washington Bullets(Jon & Trey Williams) d. Odinson, Chris Spectra, Ryan Vega, Kevin Park, Stitch Osiris, & Romeo Reynolds.
-Todd Sexton d. C.B. Suave.
-Jacob Ashworth d. T.V. Champion Kevin Blue (but the title didn't change hands since the fall took place after the ten-minute mark).
-Jeremy Foster d. Tommy Penirelli to retain the Young Lions' Title.
-C.B. Suave & "P-Dog" Mike Posey d. Slim J & Fred Yehi to win the Tag Team Titles.
-Billy Buck won a triple threat match with Shadow Jackson and Bobby Moore.

Saturday GWF results from Independence, MO:

-Brandon Aarons d. Cousin Gator.
-Justin D'Air d. Keith Smith Jr.
-Guns & Beer(Duke Cornell & Joey Anderson) d. The Kansas City Wolves(Graham Bell & Luke Langley) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Mike Outlaw d. Mr. Reality.
-Keon Option d. Ace Hawkins.
-Ricky Cruz d. Brandon Espinosa by DQ to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-Heayweight Champion Ricky Cruz, Mike Outlaw, & Keith Smith Jr. d. Brandon Espinosa, Justin D'Air, & Mr. Reality.

Saturday GEW results from Lake Ozark, MO:

-Jon Webb d. Jayden Fenix.
-Brian Breaker vs. Michael Magnuson ended in a no-contest.
-Elvis Aliaga d. Jack Gamble.
-Evan Morris d. Britton Tucker to retain the NWA Missouri Title.
-The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean) d. Jake Dirden & Brian Breaker.

Saturday WLW results from Richmond, MO:

-Brandon Espinosa d. Dustin Bozworth.
-Mark Sterling d. Ace Hawkins.
-Women's Champion Stacey O'Brien d. Devyn Nicole in a non-title match.
-John E. Rock d. Raphael King.
-Leland Race d. Tag Team Champion Superstar Steve Fender by countout to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-Tag Team Champions Elite Aggression(Superstar Steve Fender & Dangerous Derek McQuinn) d. Heavyweight Champion Leland Race & John E. Rock in a non-title match.

Sunday CHIKARA results from Providence, RI:

-Amasis d. Frightmare.
-Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant d. Icarus & Young Lions' Champion Heidi Lovelace.
-Nokken & Pinkie Sanchez won a four-way dance with The Batiri(Obariyon & Kodama), Oleg The Usurper & Jaka, and Juan Francisco De Coronado & The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova.
-Ophidian, Eddie Kingston, Shynron, & Argus d. Princess Kimber Lee, Jervis Cottonbelly, & Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.).
-Campeon De Parejas Blaster McMassive d. Silver Ant.
-Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak, & Swamp Monster d. Fire Ant, Worker Ant II, & Ashley Remington.
-Hallowicked d. Dasher Hatfield to retain the Grand Championship.

Sunday ACW results from Austin, TX:

-Sky DeLacrimosa won a six-way dance with Johnny D'Bol, Rey Ortiz, Don Giovanni, Curt Stallion, and J.A. Fair.
-Chucky & Mad Tigre won a four-way dance with The Bad Boyz(Li'l Tony & Tuco Chavez), The Taylors(D.G. & Zac), and Jay Howard & Ray Lewis.
-T.V. Champion Jojo Bravo, Ricky Romida, & Jessica James d. The Swarm(Wade Olsen, Dick Money, & V.G. Allin).
-Shawn Vexx & Killah Kash fought Cherry Ramons & Dominack Dallas Starr to a no-contest.
-Angel Blue d. Solo Darling.
-Barrett Brown d. Jack Jameson in a no-mat boards-only deathmatch.
-The Unholy Complex(Gregory James & Jason Silver) d. The Hole F'n Team(Johnny Axxle & Mr. B) in a ladder match to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Steve O. Reno d. A.C.H. to retain the U-30 Title.
-Jeff Gant d. Thomas The Tank Engine.
-Ricky Starks d. Raymond Rowe to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-Scot Summers won a three-way no-rope barbed-wire cinderblocks-and-glass-panes match with Masada and Darin Childs.

Other shows:
-Saturday IWA-MS in Charlestown, IN

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Midweek wrestling

Lucha Underground Episode 37

-Commentators:  Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage in promoter Dario Cueto's office:  Dario met with Big Rycklon Stephens...they haven't seen eye to eye, but they had dealings in the past and Cueto wants to make amends.  He hands the seventh Aztec Medallion to Ryck and asks what's more important to him:  Money or power?  Ryck:  "Why choose when I can have them both?"  Thus persuaded, Dario hands over a payoff as well.
-El Texano Jr. d. Johnny Mundo by DQ when The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco) interfered (5:56).  Alberto El Patrón made the save as Mundo ran away, leaving former rivals Alberto and Texano to momentarily join forces.
-Backstage in Cueto's office:  Dario met with Shawn Hernandez...he admires the damage Hernandez can do with a leather strap.  Ultima Lucha starts with next week's show and that's when Hernandez will face Drago...Cueto decides to make it a fan-lumberjack strap match called a "Believers' Backlash Match".
-Willie Mack d. Brian Cage with a modified sunset flip out of the corner (0:43).  Cage attacked Mack after the bell and the two brawled on the floor...referees and security had trouble restoring order.  Dario decided to book them in a falls-count-anywhere match for Ultima Lucha; it'll take place on next week's show.
-Cueto unveiled the "Gift Of The Gods" Title, a belt with places to hold all seven Aztec Medallions.  If a person holds all seven medals, they can cash in for a title shot...but they have to clear it with him first so he has time to promote the match.  Heh.  He said that once the Gift Of The Gods Title has been cashed in, the medals will be "redistributed"...if a wrestler waits too long to cash in, the belt must be defended.  The medals will be unified into the belt in a seven-way match at Ultima Lucha and Dario called the medal holders to the ring:  Fenix, Jack Evans, Aero Star, Bengala, King Cuerno, Sexy Star, and Big Ryck.  However, Fenix had been M.I.A. since being destroyed by Mil Muertes...and Cueto held his Medallion, putting it up for grabs in a wrestle-royal(battle royal with the final two fighting to a pin/submission).  Fenix made his return to the temple, but Dario said he was "late" and had to enter the battle royal to regain his medal.
-Fenix won a wrestle royal for Aztec Medallion #1.  Eliminations:  Ricky Mandel by Famous B, Argenis by Famous B, Killshot by DelAvar Daivari, Vinny Massaro by Daivari, Super Fly by Mascarita Sagrada with Sagrada falling to the floor as well, Famous B by Daivari and Marty "The Moth" Martinez, and Daivari by Fenix.  Fenix pinned Martinez for the win with a flying headscissors into a modified rana pin (7:12).
-Ultima Lucha:
Willie Mack vs. Brian Cage in a falls-count-anywhere match
Alberto El Patrón vs. Johnny Mundo
Fenix vs. Jack Evans vs. Aero Star vs. Bengala vs. King Cuerno vs. Sexy Star vs. Big Rycklon Stephens for the Gift Of The Gods Title
El Texano Jr. vs. Blue Demon Jr.
Son Of Havoc/Angélico/Ivelisse Velez vs. Disciples Of Death(Barrio Negro, El Siniestro De La Muerte, & Trece) for the Trios Titles
Drago vs. Hernandez in a Believers' Backlash Match
Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr.
Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes for the LU Title.
-LU Champion Prince Puma came out to address Konnan's abduction at the hands of Mil Muertes and the Disciples Of Death...but he was interrupted by Muertes and Catrina Perez before he could speak.  The Disciples Of Death attacked Puma, but he fought off all three of them before Muertes finally entered the ring to fight for himself.  Puma got the better of the exchange and delivered the 630 Splash as Catrina watched from the entrance stairs.

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero.
-Bram Cameron d. Brutus Magnus in a street fight after a low blow (joined in progress; 6:53 aired).  James Storm attacked Magnus after the match.
-Eli Drake and Drew Galloway had a confrontation stemming from Drake turning on Galloway on last week's show.
-Taryn Terrell and The Dollhouse(Mia "Jade" Yim & Marti Belle) called out Women's Champion Brooke Tessmacher, but Gail Kim made an appearance and beat up Jade & Marti while Brooke chased Taryn around the ring.
-Storm introduced Serena Deeb as the newest member of The Revolution.
-Eric Young d. Rockstar Spud in a chain match after a piledriver onto the chain (5:46).
-Matt Hardy d. Bobby Roode in a table match when he backdropped Roode over the top rope and through a table on the floor (6:55).

WWE Main Event

-Commentators:  Michael Cole & Rich Brennan.
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings d. Bo Dallas with an O'Connor Roll (8:37 aired).
-The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)(w/ Xavier Woods) d. The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) when Kofi pinned Sin Cara after he and Big E hit the Midnight Hour(Big Ending/second-rope flying DDT combo) (12:00 aired).

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, & Jimmy Uso.
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy d. Dean Ambrose; Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper appeared to distract Ambrose, allowing Sheamus to capitalize with two Brogue Kicks for the win (7:37 aired).
-"The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville d. Adam Rose with the Red Arrow(corkscrew shooting star press) (3:03).
-Alexander Rusev(w/ Summer Rae) d. Kevin Owens by countout when Owens walked away from the match (6:26 aired).
-The Bella Twins(Women's Champion Nikki & Brie)(w/ Alicia Fox) d. NXT Women's Champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks & Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) when Nikki pinned Naomi after the Rack Attack(torture-rack drop) (9:19 aired).
-WWE Champion Seth Rollins d. Antonio Cesaro(non-title) with the Pedigree (9:37 aired).  Kevin Owens attacked Cesaro after the match, laying him out with the pop-up powerbomb.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Comedy Part 583: Hey Guys, Comedy Is Art

Location:  Hey Guys Comedy
Emcee:  Gary Schultz
After:  Andrew Hagan
Before:  Joe "The Animal" Lancey

Good to see Art Vieluf pay a visit to the club this evening...had to do the Memorial Day joke since that's one of his favorites.  Had eight minutes to work with, so I got a lot of new material out on the table.  Had a bit of a dry spell in terms of performances; I hope to turn that around in the near future.  Next up for me will probably be the Funny Bone open-mics next week...

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, & Corey Graves.
-Greg Hamilton interviewed NXT Champion Finn Bálor to kick off the show...he has a rematch with Kevin Owens at the next Takeover special and the contract signing will be later tonight.
-Backstage:  Devin Taylor interviewed Eva Marie about her return to action...she feels like the fans have a "misconception" about her and she'll prove them wrong tonight.
-Eva Marie d. Cassie McIntosh after the Sliced Bread #2 (3:52).
-Backstage:  General Manager S. William Regal entered his office to find Tyler Breeze waiting for him.  Breeze wanted to do something special on the next Takeover show...and Regal said he was working on it.
-Baron Corbin d. John Yurnet with the End Of Days(mid-air Flatliner) (0:12).
-Samoa Joe d. Mike Wallace after the muscle buster (2:06).
-Backstage:  Devin Taylor interviewed Emma Tayla & Dana Brooke about Emma's grudge match with Bayley Rose.
-Bayley Rose d. Emma Tayla(w/ Dana Brooke) with the Belly-To-Bayley Hugplex (5:38).  After the match, Bayley vowed to finally win the NXT Women's Title and beat the best female competitors on her way to a championship match...so she issued a challenge to Charlotte Flair.
-Backstage:  Dasha Fuentes interviewed Charlotte...she accepted Bayley's challenge, but she wanted to take the NXT Women's Title to the main roster herself.  Dana Brooke interrupted the interview, saying Charlotte had her time and now she deserves an opportunity.  Charlotte said that she would face Bayley, but she would deal with Dana on next week's show.
-The Vaudevillains("The Artiste" Aiden English & Simon Gotch) d. Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton when Gotch pinned Dawkins after the Whirling Dervish(European uppercut to the back of the head by Gotch followed by swinging neckbreaker by English) (2:48).
-Backstage:  Devin Taylor interviewed NXT Tag Team Champions Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy(w/ Alexa Bliss) about next week's title match against the Vaudevillains.
-The show was capped off by the contract signing for the Finn Bálor-Kevin Owens NXT Title match at Takeover with Regal presiding.  Owens took credit for all the things Bálor mentioned about him earlier in the show(though he conveniently sidestepped the Hideo Itami thing...).  They signed the contract and, as is tradition, things went south from there...Owens attacked Bálor and even decked Regal when he tried to intervene.  Finn avoided an attempted pop-up powerbomb and fought off Owens to end the show...
-Next week:  Blake & Murphy vs. Vaudevillains for the NXT Tag Team Titles plus Charlotte vs. Dana.  In two weeks:  Joe vs. Rhyno.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

This week in wrestling

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event this week has:
-The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young) vs. The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor)
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Bo Dallas
-The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) vs. The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)

NXT this Wednesday has:
-The Vaudevillains(Aiden English & Simon Gotch) vs. Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton
-Bayley Rose vs. Emma Tayla
-Eva Marie vs. Cassie McIntosh
-In action:  Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin

Superstars this week has:
-Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Heath Slater

Smackdown on Thursday has:
-Seth Rollins vs. Antonio Cesaro
-Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy
-Alexander Rusev vs. Kevin Owens
-Adrian Neville vs. Adam Rose
-The Bella Twins(Nikki & Brie) vs. Sasha Banks & Naomi Night

SummerSlam is on Sunday 8/23:
-The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact on Wednesday has:
-Matt Hardy vs. Bobby Roode - Table Match
-Brutus Magnus vs. Bram Cameron - Street Fight
-Rockstar Spud vs. Eric Young - Chain Match

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-A.C.H. vs. Bobby Fish
-Moose vs. Dalton Castle vs. Caprice Coleman vs. Cheeseburger vs. Silas Young vs. Brutal Bob Evans
-In action:  The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven)

Next show is Friday 7/24 in Baltimore, MD:
-Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong - Heavyweight Title
-The Addiction(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven) - Tag Team Titles
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta)
-A.C.H. vs. Adam Page - No-DQ Match
-Moose vs. Cedric Alexander

ROH has a show on Saturday 7/25 in Baltimore, MD.

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

Next episode of World Pro Wrestling has:
-Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
-Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuyori Shibata

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.elreynetwork.com/originals/lucha)

This week's show has:
-El Texano Jr. vs. Johnny Mundo
-Willie Mack vs. Brian Cage
-Battle Royal

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ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 8/21 in Alton, IL:
-Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett, & Angelus Layne vs. Gerald James, Jeremy Wyatt, & Christian Rose
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Cause(Danny Adams & Everett Connors) - Tag Team Titles
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zakk Sawyers
-Matt Cage vs. Alex Castle
-The Viking War Party(Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell) vs. Adam Raw & Evan Gelistico
-Mike Outlaw vs. Sugar Dunkerton
-Jojo Bravo vs. Paco Gonzalez
-Steve O. Reno vs. Mikey McFinnegan
-Ricky Starks vs. Bolt Brady

SLA has a show on Saturday 8/22 in Alton, IL:
-Gerald James vs. Davey Vega - Heavyweight Title - No Time Limit
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Christian Rose
-Matt Cage vs. Zakk Sawyers
-Mat Fitchett vs. Little Guido
-Steve O. Reno vs. Sugar Dunkerton

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Eureka, MO.

DPW has a show on Saturday 8/8 in Fenton, MO.

SICW(www.sicw.org)

This week's episode of Wrestling Explosion has:
-Ricky Cruz vs. Attila Khan
-Sean Vincent vs. Waco

Next show is Saturday 8/22 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Flash Flanagan vs. Kahagas - Classic Title

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in St. Louis, MO.

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Granite City, IL:
-Jeremy Wyatt(Ego Busters) vs. K.C. Karrington(Chaos Nation)
-Steven Kennedy & Jake Dirden(Resurgence) vs. Makaze & Nate Redwing(Blacklist)
-Roscoe Eat Lisa(Mikey McFinnegan & Zakk Sawyers)(Ego Busters) vs. The Submission Squad(Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy)(Chaos Nation)
-Jojo Bravo(Blacklist) vs. Davey Vega(Resurgence)
-Mike Outlaw(Blacklist) vs. Mat Fitchett(Resurgence)
-Curt Stallion(Ego Busters) vs. Hype Gotti(Chaos Nation)
-A.C.H. vs. Danny Adams
-Jeff Gant & Tank Engine Tommy vs. Mark Sterling & Adam Rich

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Sunday 7/26 in Cahokia, IL:
-Blake Belakis vs. Bolt Brady - Heavyweight Title
-Mike Outlaw vs. Silas Young
-Team I.O.U.(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) vs. High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb)
-Marek Brave vs. Adrian Alexander
-Sugar Dunkerton vs. Tripp Cassidy
-Ace Perry vs. Tony Kozina
-Justin D'Air vs. Dale Patricks vs. Jayden Fenix
-John E. Rock vs. Eli Machete

PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Pontoon Beach, IL:
-Brandon Aarons vs. Danny Adams - Heavyweight Title
-Leland Race vs. Leone Mephisto
-Barackus vs. Tyler Copeland
-Billy McNeil vs. Steven Kennedy
-Stacey O'Brien vs. Selene Grey
-Baby Jesus vs. Skinny Timmy - Midget Match

METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/8 in Kansas City, KS:
-Metro Proyale
-Derek Stone vs. Bolt Brady - Heavyweight Title
-A.C.H. vs. Ace Steel - Central States Title
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Christian Rose
-Jake & Ryan King vs. Mat Fitchett & Pierre Abernathy
-Davey Vega & Evan Gelistico vs. The American Bulldogs(Mad Dog McDowell & Jon West)

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/1 in Hartford, IA:
-Marek Brave vs. Devin Thomas - Pure Wrestling Title
-Jaysin Strife vs. Eli Machete
-Mad Dog McDowell vs. Conner Braxton
-Devin Carter vs. Adrian Alexander
-Sentai vs. Jon West
-Ray Stryker vs. Ryan Slade
-Daulton Lee Roth vs. Stephen M. King
-Purp Le vs. J.C. Slater

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Thursday 7/23 in Houston, MO.

WLW has a show on Saturday 7/25 in Richmond, MO:
-Leland Race vs. Superstar Steve Fender - Heavyweight Title
-John E. Rock vs. Raphael King
-Stacey O'Brien vs. Devyn Nicole - Women's Title

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in Lake Ozark, MO:
-Jake Dirden & Brian Breaker vs. The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean)
-Evan Morris vs. Britton Tucker - NWA Missouri Title
-Jack Gamble vs. Elvis Aliaga
-Jon Webb vs. Jayden Fenix
-Paloma Starr vs. Lucy Mendez

GEW has a show on Wednesday 8/12 in Lake Ozark, MO:
-High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) vs. The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson & Dave DeLorean)
-Mike Outlaw vs. Elvis Aliaga
-Jake Dirden vs. Brandon Aarons

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/outlawwrestling01)

Next show is Sunday 8/16 in Centralia, IL:
-Bull Bronson vs. Mikey McFinnegan - Heavyweight Title
-Blake Belakis vs. Zakk Sawyers vs. Alexandre Rudolph
-The Goon Squad(Deadly Dale & Idol Bane) vs. The Viking War Party(Frank Wyatt & Jake Parnell) - Tag Team Titles
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Slade Sludge & Dustin Starr

WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)

Next show is Sunday 9/20 in Edwardsville, IL.

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in Collinsville, IL:
-Xavier Frost vs. Damian Blade - Heavyweight Title
-Curtis Payne vs. Uriah Eleazar - U.S. Title
-Bio Shock vs. Scar - No-DQ Match
-Ivan Strokgenovf & Victor Cortez vs. Alexander Steele & Knyght Fyre - Tag Team Titles
-Sniper vs. Wapo Choncho & Paradox
-Appearing:  Gauge Evans, Hawk Elliot, Bronson, Kyle King, Gavin Alexander, Jake Capone, Moondog Pondo, Juggernaut Jones

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DRAGON GATE USA/EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Queens, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - EVOLVE Title
-Johnny Gargano vs. Ethan Page - Anything-Goes Match

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 8/16 in Long Island, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick - EVOLVE Title
-Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.anarchy-wrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in Cornelia, GA:
-Billy Buck vs. Shadow Jackson vs. Bobby Moore
-Slim J & Fred Yehi vs. "P-Dog" Mike Posey & Raphael King - Tag Team Titles
-Todd Sexton vs. C.B. Suave

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 7/24 in Reseda, CA:
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Angélico & Jack Evans - Tag Team Titles
-Ricochet vs. Akira Tozawa
-The World's Cutest Tag Team(Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae) vs. Team Tremendous(Dan Barry & Bill Carr)
-Chris Hero vs. Mike Bailey

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in South Windsor, CT:
-The Devastation Corporation(Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive) vs. Princess Kimber Lee & Jervis Cottonbelly - Campeonatos De Parejas - Best-Of-3-Falls Match
-Silver Ant vs. Juan Francisco De Coronado
-Dasher Hatfield, "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti, Icarus, & Heidi Lovelace vs. Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak, Orange Cassidy, & Swamp Monster
-Ophidian & Eddie Kingston vs. The Batiri(Obariyon & Kodama)
-Jaka vs. Nokken
-Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.) vs. Amasis & Worker Ant II
-Argus vs. Lucas Calhoun

CHIKARA has a show on Sunday 7/26 in Providence, RI:
-Hallowicked vs. Dasher Hatfield - Grand Championship
-Fire Ant, Worker Ant II, & Ashley Remington vs. Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak, & Swamp Monster
-Ophidian, Eddie Kingston, Shynron, & Argus vs. Princess Kimber Lee, Jervis Cottonbelly, & Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.)
-Icarus & Heidi Lovelace vs. Jakob Hammermeier & Soldier Ant
-Silver Ant vs. Blaster McMassive
-The Batiri(Obariyon & Kodama) vs. Nokken & Pinkie Sanchez vs. Oleg The Usurper & Jaka vs. Juan Francisco De Coronado & The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova
-Amasis vs. Frightmare

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 10/10 in Cicero, IL.

SHIMMER has a show on Sunday 10/11 in Berwyn, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 7/24 in Ybor City, FL:
-Santana Garrett vs. Ivelisse Velez - SHINE Title
-The Kimber Bombs(Kimber Lee & Cherry Bomb) vs. Valifornia(Marti Belle & Andrea) - Tag Team Titles
-Allysin Kay vs. Mia Yim
-Su Yung vs. Tracy Taylor
-Jessicka Havok vs. Vanessa Kraven
-La Rosa Negra vs. Malia Hosaka
-Leva Bates vs. Amber Gallows
-Ms. Rachel vs. Renee Michell

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in Charlestown, IN:
-Mitch Page vs. Reed Bentley - Bed-Of-Nails Match
-Corporal Robinson vs. John Wayne Murdoch - No-Rope Flaming Barbed-Wire Rope Match
-J.C. Rotten vs. Zodiak - Thumbtack Coffin Match
-Bryant Woods vs. Randi West - Intergender Deathmatch
-Casey James vs. Pinky Shortcake - Intergender Midget Match

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/9 in Merrionette Park, IL:
-Eddie Kingston & Shane Hollister vs. Matt Cage & Tyson Dux
-Appearing:  Matt Sydal, Tommaso Ciampa

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 7/26 in Austin, TX:
-Ricky Starks vs. Raymond Rowe - Heavyweight Title
-Masada vs. Darin Childs vs. Scot Summers - No-Rope Barbed-Wire Cinderblocks-And-Glass Panes Deathmatch
-Jack Jameson vs. Barrett Brown - Bareboards Deathmatch
-The Unholy Complex(Gregory James & Jason Silver) vs. The Hole F'n Team(Johnny Axxle & Mr. B) - Tag Team Titles
-Steve O. Reno vs. Dick Money - U-30 Title
-A.C.H. vs. Jeff Gant
-The Business(Jojo Bravo, Ricky Romida, & Chris Trew) vs. The Swarm(Wade Olsen, V.G. Allin, & Chavez Tuco)
-Solo Darling vs. Angel Blue

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com

Monday, July 20, 2015

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-The Undertaker kicked off Raw...streaks are made to be broken, but he got a bit tired of Paul Heyman crowing about it for the past year and a half...
-Charlotte Flair(w/ Paige Knight & Becky Lynch) d. Brie Bella(w/ Women's Champion Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox) (5:29 aired); NXT Women's Champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks, Naomi Night, & Tamina Snuka did commentary.
-Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego)(w/ El Torito) d. Tag Team Champions The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young)(non-title); The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) came out to distract the champions and Fernando hit the backcracker on Titus for the upset win (4:04).
-The Big Show d. Mike Mizanin after an elbowdrop off the second rope (1:28).
-Paul Heyman called out Taker and got him, but Brock Lesnar wasn't far behind...security guards(some of whom I recognized :)) and the locker room had to separate them.
-Roman Reigns(w/ Dean Ambrose) d. Luke Harper(w/ Bray Wyatt) by DQ when Wyatt interfered (10:20 aired); the two pairings brawled after the bell until the Wyatt Family members retreated.
-WWE Champion Seth Rollins proclaimed himself to be the greatest champion around...leading to a confrontation with U.S. Champion John Cena.
-NXT Women's Champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks & Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) d. Paige Knight & Becky Lynch(w/ Charlotte Flair) when Sasha made Paige tap out to the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) (9:58 aired).  The Bella Twins(WWE Women's Champion Nikki & Brie) & Alicia Fox did commentary.
-U.S. Champion John Cena, Randy Orton, & Antonio Cesaro d. Kevin Owens, Sheamus O'Shaunessy, & Alexander Rusev(w/ Summer Rae, who now dresses like Lana Perry).  Miscommunications on the rulebreaker side led to Sheamus walking out on Owens and then Owens walking out on Rusev.  Lana came out to catfight with Summer(retaliating for an earlier backstage segment); Cena hit Rusev with the F-U, then Cesaro giant-swung Rusev and catapulted him into an RKO from Orton.  Randy got the pin on Rusev after that (11:21 aired).

Anarchy Wrestling TV #493 (10th Anniversary Show Highlights)

-Commentators:  Brett Wolverton & John "The Body" Johnson.
-"Wild" Billy Buck, Shadow Jackson, "Hit For Hire" Bobby Moore, "The Deadly Sin" Se7en, & "The No-Pain Train" Iceberg(w/ Jerry Palmer & Agent/Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) d. Heavyweight Champion Jagged Edge, "The Modern Classic" B.J. Hancock, Lars Manderson, & The Big F'n Deal("Wrestling's Most Dangerous Weapon" Geter & Brian Blaze)(w/ Miss Rachael) in an elimination tag match.  Eliminations:  Jagged Edge pinned Se7en after hitting him with the title belt (12:09 aired).  Shadow pinned Blaze after the Stone Cold Stunner (16:43 aired).  Manderson pinned Shadow after a Polish Hammer (17:09 aired).  Moore pinned Jagged Edge after a Death Valley Driver (22:42 aired).  Iceberg pinned Manderson after a barrel-roll into the corner (25:37 aired).  Hancock pinned Moore with a rollup after a distraction by Jagged Edge(during commercial break around the twenty-eight-minute mark of what we saw).  Geter pinned Iceberg with a big splash (32:00 aired).  Buck pinned Hancock after a Buckshot(superkick) out of nowhere (33:32 aired).  The referee was knocked down and Buck hit the Buckshot on Geter, but Hancock hit Bailey from behind and entered the ring with Palmer's axhandle.  B.J. swung at Buck but accidentally hit Geter with the weapon; Palmer dragged Hancock out of the ring and Buck crawled on top of Geter for the pin (36:29 aired).
-After the match, Miss Rachael missed a wild swing at Buck with the axhandle...she begged off, but Buck showed no mercy and dropped her with the Buckshot!  Bailey approached Rachael with Iceberg's potato peeler, but Stephen Platinum finally appeared and attacked Bailey from behind.  Platinum grabbed the peeler and sliced Bailey's forehead open with it...Jerry Palmer and other members of Team Anarchy finally ran back out to the ring, but the damage had been done.

SICW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling show at the Community Center in East Carondelet, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

Attendance was slightly down for this month's installment of SICW...it was a busy time in the area as there was a summer carnival in Dupo and a baseball game at GCS Stadium.  I don't know if the turnout has hinged on the presence of special guests, but there hasn't been a visiting legend for a few months (other than Cowboy Bob Orton who is now a consistent authority figure for the promotion).  It can also get hot inside a crowded building during the summer months...of course, all of this is mere speculation on my part.

Your ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Denny Thomas, Terry Riley, & Jay King.

The show started with Drew and promoter Herb Simmons hyping the event...manager Travis Cook interrupted the proceedings(in a warmup suit in case of potential in-ring action).  Travis said there was NO WAY Ricky Cruz would beat Attila Khan and get him in the ring...and he would just knock him out of if he somehow did.  He made some insulting comments about Director Of Affairs Cowboy Bob Orton, but was surprised when Orton came out and stood behind him.  Travis made a tactical retreat (or maybe he just ran away), leaving Herb to speak with Cowboy Bob.  Herb made note of the cast on Orton's left arm...Orton said that he had an accident while doing yard work and he wouldn't be doing any ladder matches in the near future.  Har har.  (I think it flew under the radar that Cowboy Bob's injury was very similar to the one Kahagas inflicted on Red River Jack with his kendo stick at the June event...)

Keith Smith Jr. & "Dead Sexy" Daniel Gunner vs. (Bubba) Troll & Purple Passion:  These were some unique tag team combinations...still getting used to Gunner as a fan favorite.  He may or may not have dropped the "Dead Sexy" nickname.  Hadn't seen Purple Passion in a while...Troll acted like he'd be fine if he never saw him again.  The only real storyline was Gunner and Troll's recent series of one-on-one matches (Troll won both of those encounters).  Keith Jr. pinned Passion after a discus lariat in 6:57; Troll decked his own partner in his post-match frustration.

Captain Shabam vs. "The Icon" Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook):  Apparently the masked Shabam is from the Kansas City area.  He didn't have much in the way of size, but he got good air when thrown.  Hargas toyed with his overmatched opponent and even pulled him up from a few pin attempts when he could have beaten him.  After three F-5s(which seemed excessive), Hargas got the easy three-count in 4:52...then added another F-5 after the bell as Travis pushed Hargas as the proverbial roadblock for Heath Hatton.  He specifically referred to Hargas as the "replacement" for "Ironman" Ken Kasa in his organization, saying that Hargas wouldn't tap out like Kasa did(when Hatton won the Classic Title).

"Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent vs. Waco:  This was a rematch from a previous encounter which Vincent won with the Mapleleaf Leglock.  It appeared to be the same story in this one as Vincent targeted the leg to set up his finishing hold...but Wyldefyre made an appearance to distract Vincent and the referee.  That led to Curtis Wylde entering the front door of the building and dropping Vincent with the Wylde Ride(Flatliner)...he got out of dodge and the referee turned around to see Waco making the pin cover.  As a result, the masked man got the tainted victory in 5:37...aww.

Intermission~!  Since I only had a salad(!) before leaving the house, I indulged a bit with a cheeseburger, two cans of soda(Mountain Dew & Pepsi), and a bottle of water.

Keon Option vs. Brandon Espinosa(w/ Travis Cook):  Yes, the Espinosa/Cook alliance from their previous days in the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance has been revived.  Travis was also a bit short on manpower with Bull Bronson absent for the evening.  Option was making his SICW debut in the midst of an impressive rookie year, primarily competing under the Dynamo Pro banner.  These two locked up at a Dynamo event in Wood River with Option scoring the upset, so Espy was looking to even the score.  (Hopefully I'll get a look at that event via DVD in the near future.)  They had a fine matchup here...Espinosa hit an offensive flurry consisting of a turnbuckle powerbomb and Blue Thunder Bomb, then hooked the cross-armbreaker for the tapout in 8:16.

Heath Hatton vs. Ax (Allwardt):  These two are no strangers to each other, having crossed paths in SICW as well as Pro Wrestling Collision.  Ax's stock is slowly rising as he got the better of a feud with Big Jim Hoffarth, then held Keith Smith Jr. to a time-limit draw in June.  With Hatton scoring a quick win in his return to action last month, I expected this matchup to be a foregone conclusion; however, it turned out to be far more competitive than that.  Heath got the flash pin with a rollup in 11:27 (longest match of the night). (EDIT:  Ax took a swing at Hatton with his chain and missed, leading to the finish.)

Bobby D vs. "Volatile" Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre):  Wylde had issued an open challenge leading up to this event; his limousine was parked outside the building as a reminder of his "high-roller" status.  Wylde seemed to be the favorite in this one, but after his interference against Vincent earlier in the night, you had to think some retribution was imminent.  Sure enough, Vincent made his way to ringside to argue with Wylde...and Bobby D capitalized with the dreaded DISTRACTION ROLLUP~! for the win in 9:10.  Things are far from settled between Vincent and Wylde...

Cue intermission numero dos...said hi to Malia Hosaka, who had a busy weekend as she wrestled at 3XW in Iowa the previous night against Stacey O'Brien.

Ron Powers & "Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson(w/ Big Daddy) vs. Classic Champion Flash Flanagan & "The Tokyo Monster" Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook):  This featured tag match had plenty of the proverbial combustible elements:  Powers & Jackson have a lot of water under the bridge between them, particularly in the MMWA where they feuded over the Heavyweight Title.  Meanwhile, Flanagan & Kahagas were brought together against common enemies, but Kahagas may or may not have an eye on the gold.  As it turned out, Ron & Gary were the more cohesive unit of the two...feuds can produce bad blood but also familiarity and mutual respect.  A series of miscues derailed the efforts of the opposing side...things finally broke down completely as Flash and Kahagas had a confrontation on the floor, leading to a countout in 10:24.  The two finally came to blows with the champion getting the better of the exchange, then getting out of dodge as Hargas and Espinosa hit the ring.

"The King Of Chaos" Ricky Cruz vs. Attila Khan(w/ Travis Cook):  If Cruz pinned Khan or forced him to submit, he would get five minutes in the ring with Travis Cook.  The emphasis on the pin-or-sub part of the stipulation should have clued me in as to the potential outcome, but I hadn't thought about it too much.  It was Travis Cook's dealings that led to the end of Cruz's Classic Title reign at the hands of Ken Kasa; after that, Travis did everything in his power to keep Ricky from getting more than one lone rematch for the belt.  When Ricky's attitude changed for the worse, he formed an alliance of convenience with the Cook Organization as he feuded with Red River Jack...but that seemed destined to fall apart in short order.

These two haven't had technical classics, but they've had plenty of intense brawls...Khan had yet to be pinned or made to submit, so Ricky was hoping to end that particular streak.   It looked like Cruz had the win after landing his signature superkick, but Travis blatantly pulled the referee out of the ring and punched him out...drawing a disqualification in 6:37.  The war continued and the locker room emptied to keep Cruz and KHAAAAAN~! separated...meanwhile, Travis gloated about the loophole he had exploited:  Ricky only got him in the ring if he won by pinfall or submission.  This feud...MUST CONTINUE~!

I scored a leftover soft pretzel and nachos on the way out the door...but a few minutes down the road, I had to hit the brakes when I saw a dog running around on the street.  I had to get out and pick up the dog to get him(?) out of the road...all while he was trying to jump in my car since he smelled food.  Heh.  The nachos went flying and I had liquid cheese to clean off my floormats when I got home...such are the perils of driving to and from independent wrestling.

Next weekend...Saturday has the debut show for Gateway Elite Wrestling in Lake Ozark, MO as well as World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville.  High Risk Wrestling has a show on Sunday in Cahokia.

A very busy August looks like this so far:

-Saturday 8/1:  Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Granite City, IL; Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Eureka, MO
-Saturday 8/8:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Fenton, MO
-Saturday 8/15:  Pro Wrestling Epic in Pontoon Beach, IL(afternoon); Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO
-Sunday 8/16:  Outlaw Wrestling in Centralia, IL
-Friday 8/21:  St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL
-Saturday 8/22:  St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Saturday 8/29:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Glen Carbon, IL; World League Wrestling in Troy, MO

Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

P.S. We are all marks.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

WWE Battleground (St. Louis)

-King Wade "Bad News" Barrett d. "R-Truth" Ron Killings with the Royal Bullhammer.
-Randy Orton d. Sheamus O'Shaunessy after the RKO.
-The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young) d. The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)(w/ Xavier Woods) to retain the Tag Team Titles when O'Neil pinned Big E with the Clash Of The Titus.
-Bray Wyatt d. Roman Reigns after Luke Harper interfered, leading to Bray winning with the Sister Abigail.
-Charlotte Flair(w/ Paige Knight & Becky Lynch) won a non-title triple threat match with NXT Women's Champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks(w/ Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka) and Brie Bella(w/ WWE Women's Champion Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox) when she made Brie tap out to the Figure-Eight Leglock(bridging figure-four).
-John Cena d. Kevin Owens with the STF to retain the U.S. Title.
-The Intercontinental Title triple threat match was postponed due to champion Ryback suffering a staph infection.  Mike Mizanin ran his mouth about the situation and got PUNCHed out by The Big Show.
-Brock Lesnar(w/ Paul Heyman) d. WWE Champion Seth Rollins by DQ; Lesnar hit the F-5, but LIGHTS OFF LIGHTS ON and The Undertaker appeared in the ring.  The two fought and Taker laid out Brock with a chokeslam and two Tombstones.