Got a few things that need to be addressed...
The tournament lineup was shuffled a bit...T.V. Champion Dave Vaughn had Missouri licensing issues and Heavyweight Champion Gary Jackson opted out of the tournament to defend his title. The Lumberjacks were added to the tourney lineup in their place. It was noted to me that the champion participating in a tournament for a title shot didn't make much sense(even with the "champ can hand-pick his next opponent" stipulation).
The outdoor show was scheduled to start at 7:00 but didn't begin until around 7:30...the lighting wasn't that great as it was basically the nearby lamppost and a couple of spotlights(one on the ringside table and one on the ring truck). On top of that, the parking lot wasn't level so the ring was slightly tilted...wonderful.
Unfortunately, problems with the ring ropes happened again...and this is the fourth time(at least) this has happened with this ring in recent months. The top turnbuckle snapped loose when Jake Dirden whipped Gary Jackson into the corner during their match. To the credit of the on-site ring crew, they were able to quickly fix things up(and Dirden grabbed a chinlock to stall for time). However, this is becoming a major issue for the safety of the wrestlers...Ricky Cruz could have been hurt badly when it happened in East Carondelet. Hopefully they'll do something to improve the ring condition...or even get a totally new ring if necessary.
Okay, the show itself...Ben Simon had some sprinting to do as the microphone and ring bell were a short distance from the ring area. He did the announcing from there, went down to the ring to watch each match, then dashed back up to the microphone table to announce the winners.
"All Summer Long" by Kid Rock ranks pretty high on the list of least fitting theme music when it's used by Ricky Cruz...just saying.
With the tournament brackets set up the way they were, the finals could have potentially been Lumberjack Abe vs. Lumberjack Gabe...yeah.
Haven't seen a match end with a sideslam in quite a while...R.I.P. Dino Bravo.
So Abe was a face against Osborne(though Gabe and Dave Hebner(!) still took cheapshots)...but then Gabe was a heel against Jimmy D...but the Lumberjacks still slapped hands with the fans...I have a headache.
The championship committee has been in an odd mood lately...at South Broadway, Jimmy D got a title shot despite not having the best win/loss record. On this night, the debuting Dirden got a title shot...go figure.
Cruz vs. Gabe featured one of the fastest three-counts in recent memory, to the point where practically everyone thought it was only two.
The tournament could have gone in a few different directions...Osborne's win was a slight surprise. I guess it qualifies as a vote of confidence that he's sticking around...he's still got the Battle Royal Title too. Honestly, I wouldn't shed too many tears if they just leave the Tag Team Titles on the shelf for a while.
Next week is St. Louis Anarchy...how does October look?
10/5: Dynamo
10/13: SLA(matinee), MMWA
10/20: SICW
Haven't heard anything from MECW since the cancellation of their September 1st show.
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