Doubleheader weekend, better get started...
The Sports Academy is a venue with a lot of wide-open space so the crowd noise doesn't always translate too well. There can be other factors in play, but I've noticed that the audience seems to sound better for wrestling shows in smaller venues(i.e. Wood River and East Carondelet).
Gentleman Jake Parnell has added a top hat and white gloves to his entrance attire...well played. Can be interesting to see a wrestler play different roles in the same weekend; he was an underdog face in Dynamo and then an arrogant heel in SICW. It seemed like the match with Rudolph was just getting started when the finish happened...odd. Parnell's looked good in the handful of matches he's had so far...good to see.
Andino Giovanni had previously competed in an SICW battle royal in Fairmont City, but he suffered a training injury so his Dynamo in-ring debut was postponed. He was in Parnell's corner last Friday...it takes dedication to get into your ring attire when your arm's in a sling.
Tiffany LaFane and Magic Man were both absent on Friday. That didn't bode well for Brandon Gallagher as Tiffany was instrumental in his previous win over Jackal...Jackal evened the score with a level playing field.
Two tag team feuds were combined into a four-corner match at Dynamo. It seemed like a lot of action was compressed into a short amount of time as things broke down into a free-for-all within a few minutes. The Gateway mainstays' issue with the Church Of Karrington took center stage as Adam Raw joined the former Ego Express in an attack on Adonis & Sharona...but then Nikki Strychnine made his grand return to even the sides. Strychnine, Adonis, & Sharona are no strangers to playing dirty and one could argue that they've forgotten more tricks than Karrington's crew currently know...bwahahaha...
Speaking of the First United Church of Karrington, Adam Rich and Dice seem to be MIA with no explanation. They were essentially down to Karrington, Kennedy, and manager Greg Jovi before Raw joined the fold last Friday. Wonder what happened there...
Miss Natural seems to change her hair color every few months...I'm sure there's an underlying joke about "The Natural" Butch Reed to be made. When I first saw her from a distance, I mistook her for Amy Hennig! I expected MsChif to even the score since Miss Natural won their previous Dynamo encounter, but Miss Natural took advantage of the environment to win.
Trent Stone was another competitor who was injured in training...so Elgin faced Billy McNeil while Kennedy(Billy's scheduled opponent) participated in the four-way tag match. Great matchup between Elgin and McNeil...it was basically face-vs.-face so the fans weren't that loud for it. I figured an upset was possible, but it was still a slight surprise to see Billy pull off the victory...good for him. I'd always wondered how far Elgin could go in the wrestling business since he's not the tallest competitor...but Big E Langston's about the same height and he's doing okay for himself.
Ricky Cruz and Jeremy Wyatt have battled all over the Midwest...not just in Dynamo but also in Metro Pro and 3XW. They cost each other matches at the previous Dynamo show and that led to the dog collar match this past weekend. Ricky had a rough weekend(more on that later) as he was busted open on the ringpost but fought back to win. Had to look up the name of his leglock finisher: The Cruzeta Azteca.
The random drew gave us Dan Walsh vs. Kevin X for the championship main event. It was another match where the fans weren't too sure who to support(though Kevin came off as the heel). Solid outing...some ill-timed chairplay led to the finish but it looks like this feud MUST CONTINUE~! Walsh will have to contend with Kevin X and also the top-ranked contender Trent Stone...
So, feud scorecard: Walsh-Kevin X-Trent Stone, Strychnine/Adonis/Sharona(that's most of the Fourth Reich...just need Pete Madden or Dingo in the mix) vs. Karrington/Kennedy/Raw, Bumrush Brothers vs. Travis Cook Organization...presumably MsChif-Miss Natural, Jackal-Gallagher(maybe continuing), Parnell and Giovanni vs. Rudolph and...Jake Dirden maybe? Guess we'll see...
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Onward to SICW in East Carondelet...they're gonna need a bigger building at this rate as it was standing-room-only on Saturday.
There's a lot on the horizon for these guys...legends' weekend in August at the Grizzlies' ballpark, Hacksaw Jim Duggan in October, and MIDGET MADNESS~! at next month's show.
Texan's alignment is a bit murky...the fans seem to like him in most cases, but he still appears with Travis Cook and his crew on occasion. He also played a large part in the post-match beatdown which led directly to the night's conclusion. Brent Myers has his share of fans in East Carondelet but Texan was a bit too much for him. The post-match chokeslam looked a bit rough...ouch.
Perhaps it was an omen that Ken Kasa & Travis Cook didn't have the Classic Wrestling Beer Pitcher with them. I'm sure it was safely locked away in a secure undisclosed location...or something. Gotta love precise wording...Travis demanded that Kasa get the next title shot after Powers and that apparently included impromptu challenges.
Pierre Abernathy joked that he never thought he'd see Adam Raw work "South Broadway"...MMWA and SICW are separate entities these days, but it was still a bit surreal. It looks like Raw's branching out in the area these days...he's looked really good since his official return to action.
Yes, we got the battle of the Old School Warriors...Chaz Wesson and Ax Allwardt both use that nickname in their respective home regions. This was another bout that ended rather suddenly...odd, but maybe their styles just didn't mesh too well.
Wasn't quite sure how Hargas-Flanagan would end. Both men are near the top of the proverbial rankings and Flanagan was still pushing himself as "undefeated"; he lost to Cruz by decision reversal at the Argosy show, but he has yet to be pinned or made to submit. The trend continued as Hargas won by countout...winning the battle but not as decisively as he may have liked.
On to the main event...in an era where titles change hands like crazy, it's amazing to think that ALL of the Classic Title holders were in the ring at the same time: Ricky Cruz, Ron Powers, and referee Danny Boy Hawkins. There are some SICW regulars who have their own favorites and it resulted in a divided crowd for the title match. Cruz's cut from the previous night was reopened in this one...Powers nearly won via shenanigans but Danny Boy made the right call in the end.
As it turned out, the night wasn't QUITE over...Travis Cook demanded that Ken Kasa get his title shot right then and there. With Cruz already ticked off at Cook's organization for their recent words and actions, it didn't take much goading for him to accept the challenge. Unfortunately, he was already bloody and hurting from Powers' low blow and piledriver...but he still dished out a beating on Travis Cook. Cruz even took a cue from a previous Cook promo by bringing out a hubcap and breaking it over Travis' head!
Unfortunately, Cruz's lack of focus proved to be the end of his thirteen-month title reign; Kasa nailed him with the John Wu Dropkick, then locked him in a modified cravate hold until he had no choice but to tap out. Hard to believe that the former Trainee #1/Ian Storm(TOOL~!) is now one of the top singles champions in the St. Louis area!
Kasa has a full plate already: I'm sure Ricky will want a rematch, plus recent rival Hargas(coming off his win over Flanagan) will probably be in line for a title shot. Also, I wonder how Flanagan and Powers feel about Kasa proverbially jumping ahead of them in line? How does Dave Vaughn feel about his partner getting the glory? We shall see...
The rest of June: CSCW on Saturday the 22nd, St. Louis Anarchy on Friday the 28th. WLW is in Dixon, MO on Saturday the 29th but that's probably a bit out of my range...they're starting a tournament for the vacant Heavyweight Title. Jason Jones forfeited the belt, fueling rumors that he was leaving the promotion...but instead he changed his name to Leland Race and will be in the tourney. The participants were announced: Race, Jack Gamble, Michael Magnuson, Dark Shadows, Kris Wallace, Britton Tucker, Garrett Rockhold, and Elvis Aliaga.
As always: #yaywrestling
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