Local wrestling shows have been drawing a lot of fans in recent months. SICW drew over 300 people to the small venue in East Carondelet and MMWA had a big crowd at last month's show as well. That still didn't prepare me for this past weekend as there was a line out the door when I arrived at 7:30. A friend of mine attributed it to "cabin fever" and people wanting to get out of the house...if that's the case, SICW may need a building expansion next Saturday. They had to turn people away at some point and the announced attendance was 625! Drew Abbenhaus and Gary Weiss arrived slightly before showtime...we spent most of the show trying to stay out of the way. (Sorry Drew...take a drink.)
Your ring announcer was Ben Simon, your referees were Nick Ridenour and Jay King. Your broadcast team was Tim Miller, Jake Dempsey, and (when he wasn't otherwise busy)Sean Orleans.
It had to be pointed out to me on Twitter that Saturday was 2/8/14...see, Earth's region of space in the Green Lantern universe is Sector 2814. Brandon Espinosa wore a Green Lantern T-shirt for the opening promo and had Lantern-themed ring attire...bwahahaha.
"Dirdey" Jake Dirden vs. Lynn Mephisto: I had read online earlier in the day that Dirden would be working this show, but I didn't put two and two together until he came out as Mephisto's surprise opponent. I was expecting some kind of DQ finish, but hey, Dirden won clean. Espinosa ran in for the post-match double-team but Dirden ran them off...this would be important later. (Match time 9:30)
Da'Marius Jones vs. "The Morbid Messiah" Jackson Whitechapel(w/ Sean Orleans): After taking a passing interest in Whitechapel's career at previous shows, Orleans took on a more vocal role as his manager. He hit the standard-issue "my town rules, your town sucks" heel promo...and it's standard-issue because it works. This match was really good and was probably overlooked in the middle of everything else that happened. Jones got the win but Whitechapel got some post-match retribution. (Match time 4:50)
"The Enforcer" Jimmy D vs. Big Dave Osborne for the T.V. Title: A.J. Williams was in the building, but no explanation was given for why he didn't get the title shot he earned last month by beating Osborne. Solid bout for what it was; Osborne has now held the Battle Royal, Heavyweight, and T.V. Titles. (Match time 4:43)
Andrew "The Wolf" Wilder vs. Ace Hawkins, Jr. Heavyweight Title vs. Missouri Wrestling Revival Sexiest Wrestler Trophy: Lots of backstory in this one. Wilder brought out a hockey stick which fit his Blues-themed ring attire. Wilder's only a year or so into his wrestling career but is already showing a lot of potential. As much as it pains me to say it, adding some size will do him some good down the line(he's small even by indy wrestling standards). The double turn was a surprise; Hawkins and Wilder were really good in their respective roles and now that's been flip-flopped. Looking forward to seeing where this goes...with Ace's past association to Espinosa, will he align with him again? (Match time 9:28)
Webmaster Stevie K vs. J-Mal Swagg vs. Sean Orleans for the Battle Royal Title: This was an oddity as the Battle Royal Championship was at stake in, well, a non-battle royal. Moreover, it was Orleans' in-ring debut and he was eliminated right away...he played his part well, all things considered, and spent the rest of the match seething at the broadcast table. That left a face/face matchup and Swagg had a vocal cheering section in attendance...they were left a bit cold when Stevie K got the clean win. (Total match time 7:15)
"Night Train/Gorgeous/The Great One" Gary Jackson vs. "The Alernative" Brandon Gallagher: Pretty sure these two have locked horns in SICW but this was their first encounter at South Broadway. It was announced beforehand that Gary had retired from the military earlier in the day; Drew and Gary had run into him on the way into the building in his uniform. The fans DEMANDED to hear Gary's RULES~! before the match so he delivered. Gallagher pulled off a rana late in the bout, but Gary countered a second attempt and got him in the Cloverleaf for the win.
The post-match sportsmanship led to a cheapshot from Gallagher, then Mephisto ran in for more damage as THIS FEUD...MUST CONTINUE~! Commissioner Jim Harris suspended both Mephisto and Gallagher for a month, so it's nice to see heel actions having consequences. Seriously, it seems like people cheat and run interference all the time with no repercussions...and that happens in MOST wrestling promotions nowadays. (Match time 7:16)
"Da Bomb" Brian James vs. Brandon Espinosa for the Heavyweight Title: This would be Espinosa's only title rematch against James. With both Barackus and Mephisto suspended, it seemed like Espy had no backup on this night. Espy's been pushing the "new vs. old" mindset in recent months and asking people to pick a side...as it turned out, Jim Harris' surprise opponent fell under the "new" umbrella and Espy could have very well gotten in his ear between the opener and the main event. Gotta wonder how Mephisto feels about Espinosa's newest ally... (Match time 14:48)
Not much else to say...it's great to see the indy shows around here drawing so well and the year's just getting started!
Upcoming shows:
Saturday 2/15: SICW in East Carondelet, IL.
Tuesday 2/18: Dynamo Pro at Off Broadway in St. Louis, MO.
Friday 2/28: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL with Roderick Strong and the Young Bucks.
Saturday 3/1: St. Louis Anarchy in Alton, IL with Strong and the Bucks, plus Dynamo Pro at the Stratford Inn in Fenton...tough choice between two good promotions.
Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
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