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.
It had been some time since I had been to the East Carondelet venue; I was last there in August(when I went from Dynamo Pro straight to SICW to catch the second half of the event) and my last full show at the building was in June. I suppose it's fallen on my priority list for the simple reason that I can catch up on the events and matches via Wrestling Explosion. At any rate, it's always a good time and a very old-school crowd. There was an old guy in a striped referee's shirt in the audience and I was never totally sure if he might decide to jump in the ring in the event of a ref bump...heh.
One thing I did not miss was the possibility of being stopped by a train on the way to the show...that actually stopped me from attending a show on one occasion. (The train came to a complete stop and I sat there for forty-five minutes before turning around and opting for a comedy show that evening...I wasn't aware of the route to go around a stopped train.) On this occasion, the train only halted my expedition for about five minutes and I arrived with time to spare. The show had a fine turnout as usual...SICW has a dedicated loyal audience and they tend to draw a couple hundred to the building for a standard evening of wrestling.
Your ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Shaft, Nick Ridenour, Jay King, and Terry Riley.
The television commentary is now being done live as the action happens, so Drew has his hands full as both ring announcer and T.V. commentator. He had good company on this night as Wrestling At The Chase announcer Larry Matysik returned to call the action for the first few matches. Over the course of the night, Drew was joined by Larry, former Classic Wrestling Champion Danny Boy Hawkins, Big Daddy, and Travis Cook. I have done commentary with Travis in the past and my job description could best be described as "spectator".
The National Anthem was sung by the young lady known as Morgan, as she's become a semi-regular in that position. Promoter Herb Simmons said a few words to the audience to update the goings-on; SICW returns to Millstadt on April 29th and I may make it to that event.
Drew segued into a ten-bell salute for not only Outlaw Ron Bass(who was a bit before my time, but was best known in the World Wrestling Federation for his feud with Brutus Beefcake), but also music legend Chuck Berry.
Since I'm a bit behind on things, a few quick notes: The long-awaited title bout between Ron Powers and Brandon Espinosa ended in a quick disqualification finish, continuing Powers' feud with the Travis Cook Organization. However, the promotion was caught off guard by Powers' sudden retirement in January; he had been winding down his career and the death of his father convinced him to hang up the boots. (Your mileage may vary on how the National Wrasslin' League factored into the situation.) At any rate, that left SICW without a titleholder and a sixteen-man tournament was set up to crown a new champion.
Ax Allwardt vs. Cowboy Marc Houston, Classic Title Tournament Quarterfinal: Houston started out as a fan favorite in SICW as he traded wins with Chris Hargas, but he took on a more aggressive attitude in his February tournament bout with fan favorite Bobby D. On the other side of the coin, Ax rejected his manager Big Daddy's attempts to interfere in his first-round match with Jayson Khaos; that led to Ax firing Big Daddy after winning the bout on his own. Despite Ax's experience, he had an uphill battle against the big cowboy...he did manage to target Houston's leg after a missed kneedrop. However, Houston was just too big and strong to overcome as he picked up the win with a lariat in 4:57. Drew interviewed Houston after the match and he vowed to do whatever it took to become the champion, culminating in throwing the microphone down to the mat. THOSE COST MONEY, DAMMIT~!
Flash Flanagan vs. "Volatile" Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre), Classic Title Tournament Quarterfinal: Flanagan returned to SICW fairly recently and won his first-round bout with Johnny Blade in short order; meanwhile, the Wyldes have been dealing with an infatuated Moondog Rover (despite Curtis defeating the fan favorite to advance in the tourney). Flanagan has become more of a fan favorite in recent times after graciously surrending his title last year due to his injury. Wylde was quickly frustrated by the veteran and threw a chair into the ring, so Flash took what was offered and pulled out a Sabu-style triple-jump plancha onto Wylde! (For you youngsters, that's a running jump from the mat to the set-up chair to the top rope before diving onto the opponent; particularly impressive with the low clearance of the ceiling in that venue!) Unfortunately, that was about it for the match as Marc Houston ran out to attack BOTH men for the no-contest in 1:31; he beat down both with the chair for good measure. In the confusion, Moondog Rover came out and carried Wyldefyre to the backstage area...she was not seen again that evening, though Moondog had a match later in the show. Drew interviewed Houston again, who said that he was ensuring himself a bye in the semifinals. Hmm...the originally-posted brackets had Flanagan-Wylde and Houston on opposite sides, so I guess tournament brackets are subject to change like wrestling cards.
J. Savage vs. Bubba Troll: This was Troll's first match in several months as he had taken a hiatus due to nagging injuries. J. Savage is a newcomer from the Kansas City area and has primarily competed for Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling (also the home of "The Suplex Cyclone" Curt Gannon). Unfortunately for him, he was at a severe disadvantage in terms of size and power...this was a pretty one-sided affair. Troll got a fairly positive response for his return, but his trash-talking turned the fans against him in a hurry. He repeatedly pulled Savage up from pin attempts, finally putting him out of his misery after two Vader Bombs in 3:22.
Moondog Rover vs. Purple Passion: Passion borrowed the theme music of his compatriot "Flaming" Freddie Fury for the evening; he even brought Fury's mask to the ring with him and put it on the ringpost. Some people even thought it WAS Fury at first, but they have different hoods. (WHY DO I KNOW THIS?) Moondog OVAH~! remains one of the most popular veterans in the St. Louis scene; he even has a new T-shirt nowadays, but I was a bit short on cash. (Too many eBay Transformers, I suppose.) Rover finished with the World's Strongest Slam in 5:46.
Intermission~! Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm): Pepsi, cheeseburger, bottle of water, Hershey's bar with almonds, and Mountain Dew. Yeah, I indulged...need to eat a bigger dinner before these events. (All the best to Ben; he was absent from wrestling for the evening after a death in his family.)
During the intermission, Drew interviewed Sean Vincent; he had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness which forced him to miss the February show. Drew asked him about the tournament favorites and Vincent talked up Flanagan and Wylde...despite the fact that they had already competed that night and presumably been eliminated. Whoops.
Bobby D(w/ "The Enforcer" Jimmy D) vs. Jayson Khaos: Khaos made his SICW debut in February as a last-minute replacement; he and Ax Allwardt filled in for Vincent and Cousin Gator. There were a bunch of kids in the audience who were EXTREMELY vocal in their support for both Bobby and Jimmy D, repeatedly chanting their names for the duration of their matches! (I wish I still had that kind of energy and enthusiasm...) Bobby D delivered a Pedigree but Khaos kicked out at two...all hail? Khaos recovered to deliver a Death Valley Driver onto the knee followed by a sliding lariat for his own near-fall. Khaos followed up with a DDT, but the time limit expired in 10:00...perhaps they'll meet again sometime.
"The Enforcer" Jimmy D vs. Johnny Blade(w/ Big Daddy): Big Daddy's stable appears to have downsized as Ax cut ties with him in February and Troll is flying solo; he's occasionally managed Waco but the masked man has moved on to other things (more on that later). Blade had to rebound after his humiliating sixteen-second loss to Flanagan in the tournament...he focused his attack on the leg after clipping D's knee. He got the tapout win with a figure-four leglock in 5:50...all righty then.
Drew interviewed promoter Herb Simmons about the tournament controversy...would Marc Houston get a bye? Herb said that Flanagan and Wylde didn't technically lose and Houston shouldn't be rewarded for his action, so he was considering a triple threat semifinal of Flanagan vs. Wylde vs. Houston. More on that as it develops.
Intermission numero dos~! I should save my money for when the concessions are discounted at the end of the night...the hot dogs went FAST after that point.
"Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent & "Big Country" Clint Poe vs. Guerrilla Warfare(The Big Texan & Waco): Reunited and it feels so good... Poe is another new "hoss" import for SICW; he was defeated by Dave Vaughn in the title tournament. Texan lost to Chris Hargas in the first round while Waco fell to Gary Jackson. Texan & Waco are former Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance Tag Team Champions but hadn't joined forces since Texan's unmasking and the team's subsequent split. They obviously had the advantage in tag team experience and isolated Vincent for several minutes, even ripping off his T-shirt. (THOSE COST MONEY, DAMMIT~!) They even put a mysterious international object to good use, presumably borrowed from the M.I.A. Attila Khan. However, they went to the well once too often and Waco accidentally hit Texan with the weapon. Poe had been unable to lift Texan for power moves up to that point, but he finally got him up for a huge powerslam to get the duke in 13:50.
"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson vs. "The Icon" Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook), Classic Title Tournament Quarterfinal: This match was portrayed as a battle between teacher and student with Travis vowing that Hargas would finally surpass Jackson. These two had crossed paths in the past but it had been a few years since that time. They had a really solid bout; I thought it was one of the better matches of the night. Jackson appeared to have the match won with the Texas Cloverleaf, but Cook distracted the referee at a key moment (during which Hargas may or may not have been tapping out). The temporary loss of focus was costly as Hargas was able to recover, taking Jackson down to the mat with a crucifix for the flash pin in 9:59! Hargas advanced to the semifinals and was set to face the winner of the night's main event at the April show...
"Ironman" Ken Kasa vs. "The Unstable" Dave Vaughn, Classic Title Tournament Quarterfinal: These two know each other very well as former tag team partners as well as rivals; both men were once members of the Travis Cook Organization but have taken different paths. Travis joined Drew at the broadcast table for scouting purposes. It didn't take long for tempers to flare as the match broke down into fisticuffs on several occasions. Kasa had bandaged ribs from an attack by Vaughn at the February show; Vaughn had speared Kasa as he was standing on the ring apron, causing him to land hard on the edge of the ring frame. Kasa threw fists after an early Thesz Press, but his second attempt at the move was met by a mid-air spear by Vaughn. Vaughn focused his attack on Kasa's ribs after that point, but Kasa returned fire with a spear of his own. Vaughn turned the tide but Kasa nicely countered Vaughn's second spear attempt with a guillotine hold. Vaughn was able to reach the ropes and the fight spilled out of the ring, where Vaughn attempted to replicate his spear on the apron from the previous month. However, Kasa stopped the attempt with a kick to the head and teased a suplex to the floor (which would have seriously disrupted the broadcast table). Vaughn fought out of that and attempted to spear Kasa off the apron (which would have sent both men flying through the table), but Kasa countered that as well. Kasa went to the second rope to deliver his signature John Wu Dropkick but was too injured to capitalize...he finally made a cover and Vaughn barely got a shoulder up at 2 1/2. It came down to one last counter as Vaughn went for a sunset flip and Kasa blocked the move by kneeling down and hooking both legs...that allowed Kasa to edge out the win in 12:22!
With the semifinal set as another battle of former compatriots, Travis ran his mouth about Kasa's chances against Hargas in April. Kasa confronted Cook at ringside and Hargas rushed out with a blindside attack on Kasa! The two brawled at ringside, but the key moment came when Kasa took a wild swing at Hargas and accidentally hit the ringpost. Hargas and Cook gloated over the fact that Kasa may have potentially broken his hand...that may put him at a disadvantage in the semis...
I touched base with a few people after the show, but there was no post-show restaurant trip on this night for whatever reason. (Brian Kelley was at the National Wrasslin' League show in Kansas City and I can only assume that Drew didn't feel up to it.) The NWL Kansas City Title tournament has come down to "The Man Without Fear" Blaine Meeks and "The Mile-High Magnum" Dak(ota) Draper in the finals...that one has been building for quite some time.
In other Saturday news, two of Dynamo Pro's newest trainees made their in-ring debuts at Midwest Impact Pro in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois as Savannah Stone defeated Rahne Victoria. It will be cool to see some new female talent in the Midwest. At Proving Ground Pro in Taylorville, Illinois, Stephen Wolf won the Ryan Buckley Memorial Cup Tournament to become the new Heavyweight Champion; also, Jason Roberts won the Cutting Edge Title from Johnny Wisdom. I had to work on Sunday evening so I didn't make it to Wrestling Over Everything in Swansea, IL; I am catching up via YouTube video as I type this and will add more detail to the results which are a few posts down from this one. Da'Marius Jones defeated Jake Parnell for the WOE Interstate Title and Leone Mephisto retained the Heavyweight Title against Brian Valor.
This coming weekend will be a full one as Pro Wrestling Championship Wrestling returns to Alton, Illinois on Saturday, plus the National Wrasslin' League returns to St. Louis for their first Sunday show. The Gateway Heritage Title will be defended at PWCS with Paco Gonzalez challenging Davey Vega for the championship. The NWL St. Louis Title tournament will continue into its semifinal matches with Mathew Grundy taking on Todd Letterman and Maverick facing Cornell Douglass, plus Kyle O'Reilly faces Davey Gibson.
As it stands right now, April looks like this:
-Saturday 4/1: World League Wrestling in Troy, MO; Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in Lemay, MO
-Saturday 4/8: Pro Wrestling Resurgence in Swansea, IL; Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO; World Powerhouse Wrestling in Jerseyville, IL
-Sunday 4/9: National Wrasslin' League in St. Louis, MO
-Saturday 4/15: Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Friday 4/21: Cape Championship Wrestling in Cape Girardeau, MO
-Sunday 4/23: National Wrasslin' League in St. Louis, MO
-Saturday 4/29: Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in Millstadt, IL
That's my special comment for this, the eleventh wrestling show I've attended in the year 2017. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
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