Another good crowd at MECW, even if they were a bit rowdy at times...
Interesting story of the night was the absence of owner(and Tag Team Champion) Sarin Sinn. Bailey Mannix was named acting commissioner with the explanation that he's still under contract despite being "retired" from active competition. You'd think Sinn would have realized that Bailey might have some ulterior motives for his new position of power...but it provides an interesting foil for the traditional evil boss character.
Most of the members of Sinn Enterprises were absent, including Independent Champion Count Kharfu, Mizfitt Manners, and Myranda. It was just Heavyweight Champion Justin Reno and Tag Champ Mike Anthony...and they're teasing a face turn for Anthony. Anthony has always been in tweener territory, though it's more of a Jekyll/Hyde situation as he's a sportsman most of the time but can lose his temper and wreck stuff in the process.
Was also surprised that Great Plains Champion Mauler McDarby didn't wrestle(though he was cornerman for a few people).
Chase King made his MECW debut and worked heel for the first time that I had seen...it was an uphill battle against the big masked man known only as "Joey". Joey is fairly one-dimensional...but in wrestling, big guys don't really need to be THAT diverse.
I knew Gamertag Fury816 was a heel because he had a POISON mushroom on his ring attire. Decent enough match...hadn't seen him before so I couldn't tell you anything about his background or experience. Aiden Young has been solid in his own right...they seem to be setting up a heel turn in the near future.
Yay tag team wrestling~! Didn't quite catch the team names...think it was Minor Threat for Espinosa/Hawkins and M.O.B. for Shorty/Logan. Double countout meant, gosh darn it to heck, these guys are gonna have to wrestle AGAIN. For reference, Brandon Espinosa's cobra clutch/Stroke move is called the "Combover"(don't think he used it at this show; just happened to read that somewhere). Becoming a big fan of Chris Logan, the guy can move for someone his size.
Interesting contendership setups on this show...the aforementioned tag match was hyped as a top-contenders match for the Tag Team Titles, but then a debuting team got a tag title shot later in the show.
Title defense rules don't hold up well on the independent scene...they're usually extended to 90 days instead of the usual 30 days for mainstream promotions' titles. Some groups simply don't run every month...but it's up to each group how they handle their championships. Ace Hawkins didn't defend the IHW Illinois Title last weekend, for instance. Count Kharfu wasn't there and got a pass...Mauler McDarby just didn't wrestle. However, Anthony had to defend the Tag Titles with a surrogate partner(though I'm pretty sure he and Sinn defended the belts at the previous show).
The triple threat Heavyweight Title contenders' match was made into an elimination-style three-way dance...though it would have eliminated the need for the cheap DQ elimination of Dave Osborne to just make it a one-fall matchup. They do seem to be building up a storyline of frustration on the part of people like Aiden Young and Osborne over getting cheated in their matches, so it would fit into that line of thinking.
Once again, not a lot of complaints about the in-ring quality as I liked most of the matches...independent wrestling can be a bit rough around the edges by definition, but I guess I consider that part of its charm. I realize I'm deviating from the norm of a so-called "smart mark" just wanting to complain, but I'm making that effort to focus on the positives...
Don't know anything about the Black Dragon Assassins...and I still don't as they lost a fairly one-sided matchup. While Anthony & Sinn are officially the Tag Champs, I imagine we'll now get an issue over whether Santel has a claim to the titles. I could see Anthony & Sinn facing Santel & McDarby in the near future(though McDarby already has a singles belt to defend)...then there's the Shorty/Logan vs. Espy/Hawkins issue to settle. Hey, a tag team division!
The main event was dominated by Bailey Mannix's presence as special guest referee...I was initially concerned that Mannix might go heel since he was "paid by Sinn Enterprises" to be the acting commissioner. Despite Bailey's biased officiating, Justin Reno nearly won before Bailey delivered a low blow to break up his finisher. I fear a Dusty Finish with Sinn overturning the decision at the next show...guess we'll have to wait and see.
Don't know if anyone local is running next Saturday...Dynamo has a show on Friday with a full lineup that includes NWA World Champ Adam Pearce vs. new National Heavyweight Champion Kahagas(he recently beat Chance Prophet for the belt).
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