Friday, June 30, 2017

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Jeremy Borash & Josh Mathews.
-X-Division Champion Sonjay Dutt & "Rebourne" Matt Sydal d. Low-Ki & Trevor Lee when Sydal pinned Lee after the shooting star press (9:07 aired).
-Eli Drake & Chris Adonis d. The Mumbai Cats(Puma & Leopard) when Drake pinned Leopard(?) after the Air Raid Crash (3:01).
-Horn Swoggle d. Rockstar Spud in a street fight after a Celtic Cross off the apron through a table on the floor (6:00 aired); Indian midget Sonu Kumar was the referee.
-Braxton Sutter, Women's Champion Rosemary Rush, & Allie Dennis d. Kevin Matthews, GFW Women's Champion Sienna Kay, & Laurel Van Ness; Rosemary pinned Van Ness after the Red Wedding(F-5) (3:59).
-GFW Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patrón, Eddie Edwards, Cowboy James Storm, & Mahabali Shera d. Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley, "The Lone Wolf" Davey Richards, Ethan Carter III, & Kongo Kong; Alberto pinned Kong after the Tree Of Woe double-stomp (14:36 aired).

PWR Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's Pro Wrestling Resurgence show at the Improvement Hall in Swansea, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

It's rare when I spend a Saturday evening at home, but that was my decision for the weekend.  Cape Championship Wrestling would have been a long drive and Ben Simon ring-announced for the National Wrasslin' League in Kansas City, so carpooling was out.  The only option in the immediate area was World Powerhouse Wrestling in Madison, IL and I took a pass on that...cue righteous indignation or something.

On a Sunday evening with an early start time(5 PM), PWR's attendance had to be considered disappointing.  As several wrestling promotions have discovered in recent times, Sunday isn't the best day to run a wrestling show.  Add that to the current oversaturation of wrestling in the St. Louis area and the results don't always turn out well for individual shows.  As such, the announcement made at the midpoint of the show will probably be a good decision in the long run (more on that later).

Your ring announcer was Sarah Rose; your referee was Sean Orleans.

"The Warhorse" Jake Parnell vs. "The Incredible Primal Prodigy" Matt Kenway (Look At Him After Dark)(w/ Aaron Dzinic) for the Zero-One USA Jr. Heavyweight Title:  Parnell retained against Dzinic at the previous Resurgence show, so Kenway stepped up to make his own challenge.  Dzinic came out with Kenway but didn't stay at ringside, presumably to prepare for his own match later in the evening.  Kenway put up a good fight but Parnell won with a LARIATOOOOO in 5:26...greater challenges will be forthcoming, I'm sure.

Paco Gonzalez vs. Justin D'Air(w/ valet) vs. Barackus vs. Jason Roberts:  Barackus' presence changed the tone for this match in a hurry.  It had been scheduled to be a singles bout between Paco and Roberts, but D'Air and Barackus were added to make it a four-corner match.  The lights on D'Air's ring attire are getting out of control.  Barackus was confident in his chances, but the other three pooled their resources to take him out of the game for short periods of time.  D'Air pulled off a springboard move despite the low ceiling, making him one-for-two in that regard at this particular venue.  The big man was out of play long enough for Paco to pin D'Air with his fireman's-carry Michinoku Driver in 8:39...Barackus blamed Jason Roberts' theme music and Roberts attacked him.  YOU DON'T DISS PINK FLOYD.

Brandon Aarons vs. Aaron Dzinic:  Cue MARKET CONFUSION~!  They shook hands before the match, but Aarons accused Dzinic of checking out his hair and IT WAS ON.  (To be fair, one can't blame him:  Aarons' hair remains glorious.)  Aarons was coming off a Dynamo Pro Heavyweight Title defense in Columbia, MO on Friday against Elvis Aliaga.  The more experienced Aarons may have underestimated his youthful opponent and they had a surprisingly even contest.  Dzinic was coming off a recent win in PWCS and had some momentum in his own right...he managed to deliver a Detonation Kick and follow it up with a Penalty Kick to score the huge upset in 7:39!  There was some post-match tension, but Aarons did congratulate Dzinic on his victory.

"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Lee Davidson:  It was a surprise for this match to take place so early on the card; I honestly expected it to be the main event.  The fans got a "hoss fight" chant started at the beginning...good call.  Elgin taunted K.L.D. for his recent exploits in other promotions("LETTERMAN!")...this was his return to independent wrestling in the area after switching to a part-time deal with the NWL.  I worried about the ring on a few occasions, especially when Elgin teased a superplex (which didn't come to pass).  This was two powerhouses slugging it out and I don't think anyone expected any different...it went emphatically longer than their bout on Ring Of Honor TV (though I'm told that match was clipped).  K.L.D. teased an Endzone Spike(pumphandle Michinoku Driver) at one point but Elgin fought out of it...however, he did hit a major spinebuster for a near-fall.  K.L.D. climbed the turnbuckles and was cut off by Elgin, who proceeded to lift him out of the corner into a sitout powerbomb for the win in 15:00!  Nicely done.

Elgin complimented K.L.D. on his effort for the night, saying he made a good decision to "bet on himself".  After that, K.L.D. dropped the teased major announcement for the night:  Resurgence would be merging with Glory Pro Wrestling and the next Resurgence event on Sunday 7/23 would be a joint show with Glory Pro.  It would essentially be the final Resurgence event as the Resurgence Title would be unified with the Crown Of Glory Title...as it stood at that point, the match would be "Hot Fire" Myron Reed vs. Everett Connors.  Davidson also announced other bouts for 7/23:  Himself vs. "All Ego" Ethan Page and The Bestiest In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) defending the United Glory Tag Team Titles against The Pride(Kenway & Dzinic).

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Root beer, nachos, Mountain Dew.  Ben can confirm since he was in attendance...he had a long weekend with NWL KC the previous night as well as this show.

Cornelius Wyverstone vs. "The Millenial" Danny Adams vs. "Lights Out" Adrian Surge:  Wyverstone and Surge had a falling-out as tag team partners at the previous show, then tangled in the battle royal later in the night.  I initially thought this was a singles match before Adams was introduced...I was getting a frosty beverage and missed part of the ring introductions.  I warned Adams about his anger management problems and he told me to shut up...that was rude.  Wyverstone and Surge were focused on each other and Adams took advantage...with Surge out of the way, he dropped Wyverstone with the fisherman driver for the win in 6:51.  After the match, Surge got on the microphone and said that he would prove at the July show that the "circus freak" Wyverstone didn't belong in the company...

Sarge vs. Evan Gelistico:  Gelistico was in a foul mood.  He came out to an oddly-familiar theme song("Hold Ya Head" by Notorious B.I.G. & Bob Marley); Ben Simon and myself looked at each other as if to say "I don't think there's a work release program for that..."  (That was the theme music used by "The Future" Donovan Ruddick, for those of you who came in late.)  It turned out to be Gelistico wearing a makeshift crown, complaining about the quality of his opposition for the evening.  He told Sarge to just lay down for him...he got the response of "Sir no sir!" and laughed it off.  I'd only seen Sarge in the battle royal at the previous Resurgence event; he doesn't have much experience and it showed.  Gelistico won with a hold that I would describe as half-Gory Special, half-chicken wing as he held Sarge in the air back-to-back in the hold.  That got the submission in 5:25 but Evan wasn't satisfied, commenting that he wouldn't get to use his guaranteed title shot from the previous show's battle royal since the promotion was ending.  He declared the night to be the low point of his career and stormed out of the ring...okay then.

Everett Connors vs. Brandon Espinosa for the PWR Title:  This was the result of an open challenge issued by Connors...Connors didn't seem enthusiatic about facing Espinosa, commenting that his initial training under Espy was a "mistake" on his part.  The fan support aspect was confusing as both were "heels" in their own ways...Connors attempted to back out of the challenge, but Espy wasn't exactly the virtuous fan favorite either.  They had faced each other several times before this, including bouts with the MWR Missouri Title at stake (since this match took place in Illinois, Espy's belt was not at stake).  In a nod to Glory Pro, Espinosa warned referee Orleans to call it down the middle, which he did...but I don't know if that will matter at the next Glory Pro show on July 9th.  It was a really strong competitive matchup, especially since they knew each other so well...one of Connors' highlight moves was an inside-out slingshot DDT to drive Espinosa's head into the ring apron(#hardestpartofthering).  After a few attempts at the move, Connors finally hit the Bieber Driver(hanging piledriver) to retain the title in 10:16...woo.

It was a fine show despite the attendance...with the oversaturation of the area, it's probably for the best that they're being merged with Glory Pro.  We'll see how things shape up as the summer continues...

Speaking of which:  There's nothing in the immediate area this weekend due to the Independence Day holiday; NWA Central States Championship Wrestling is in Waynesville, MO tonight(Friday).  Won't mind taking it easy...

July looks like this:
-Friday 7/7:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Grafton, IL
-Saturday 7/8:  Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO(South Broadway Athletic Club); Proving Ground Pro in Taylor Springs, IL
-Sunday 7/9:  Glory Pro Wrestling in Belleville, IL
-Friday 7/14:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Richwoods, MO
-Saturday 7/15:  National Wrasslin' League in St. Peters, MO; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Saturday 7/22:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in St. Louis, MO(Concordia Turners Gymnasium)
-Sunday 7/23:  Pro Wrestling Resurgence in Swansea, IL
-Saturday 7/29:  Cape Championship Wrestling in Cape Girardeau, MO

That's my special comment for this, the thirtieth 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.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

NXT + LU + XPlosion

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, & "Showtime" Percy Watson.
-"The Velveteen Dream" Patrick Clark d. Ho Ho Lun with the Raining Down(top-rope elbowdrop) (1:55).
-Earlier today:  NXT Women's Champion Asuka Urai didn't seem particularly concerned about Nikki Cross...but then Nikki jumped on the hood of her car and security had to be called to restrain her.
-Backstage in General Manager S. William Regal's office:  The Authors Of Pain(Akam Dhinsa & Rezar Selmani)(w/ Paul Ellering) and Heavy Machinery(Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight) argued over the NXT Tag Team Title situation...Regal announced that the championship match would take place in two weeks.
-Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan ended in a no-contest; the referee stopped the match after Itami's nose was bloodied by Lorcan's flying European uppercut (1:20). After a break, Itami returned to the ring and demanded a restart to the bout.
-Hideo Itami d. Oney Lorcan with the Go 2 Sleep (3:32 aired).  After the match, Itami called Kassius Ohno to the ring...but before they could discuss their issues, Nikki Cross appeared to distract them.  That led to an attack by Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe of Sanity; Wolfe and Dain declared that they would destroy the false friendships and lies in NXT.
-Asuka Urai d. Nikki Cross in a last-woman-standing match to retain the NXT Women's Title after a suplex off a ladder and through the broadcast table (18:48 aired).
-Next week: "The Glorious" Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong for the NXT Title, plus Itami & Ohno vs Dain & Wolfe.

Lucha Underground Season 3 Episode 24

-Commentators:  Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage:  Catrina Perez prepared Mil Muertes for his tournament matchup...Mil declared his allegiance to "his love", but Catrina simply ordered him to bring her the Cueto Cup.  Meanwhile, Jeremiah Crane was eavesdropping on their conversation...
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Mil Muertes(w/ Catrina Perez) d. Veneno with the Flatliner (1:09).
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Paul London d. Trios Champion Vibora(w/ Kobra Moon) by countout when Mala Suerte & Saltador held Vibora's feet from under the ring (3:55).
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Taya Valkyrie d. Joey Ryan after a Northern Lights suplex followed by a double-stomp (3:35).
-Backstage:  Mil Muertes, having changed into more formal attire, is attacked by Jeremiah Crane and beaten down with a chair.  Crane's message of warning:  "She's mine!"  He set up a chair over Mil's throat and smashed it down with another chair.
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Jeremiah Crane d. Killshot after a distraction by Dante Fox(speaking from the rafters) led to Crane winning with the Cranial Contusion(double-underhook piledriver) (13:04).  After the match, Catrina appeared at the top of the entrance stairs and stared down Crane.
-Backstage in promoter Dario Cueto's office:  Dario nearly had the first round set...he just had one match to go.  Son Of Havoc would face a newcomer called...Son Of Madness.  The newcomer bore a striking resemblance to Havoc, only much larger...
-Next week in the tournament: Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Dante Fox, Sexy Star vs. P.J. Black, Prince Puma vs. Ricky Mandel, and Son Of Havoc vs. Son Of Madness.

TNA XPlosion

-Commentators:  Jeremy Borash & Josh Mathews.
-"Mr. M80" Marshe Rockett d. Chris Silvio after a jumping leg lariat (4:48 aired).

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

G1 Climax Schedule

7/17:  Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
7/20:  Satoshi Kojima vs. Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin vs. Tama Tonga, Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano, Seiya Sanada vs. Takaaki "Evil" Watanabe, Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Suzuki
7/21:  Tanahashi vs. Fale, Makabe vs. Ishii, Nagata vs. Goto, Ibushi vs. Sabre, Yoshi-Hashi vs. Naito
7/22:  Kojima vs. Yano, Juice vs. Evil, Okada vs. Elgin, Omega vs. Tonga, Sanada vs. Suzuki
7/23:  Yoshi-Hashi vs. Sabre, Naito vs. Fale, Tanahashi vs. Nagata, Ibushi vs. Ishii, Makabe vs. Goto
7/25:  Evil vs. Tonga, Juice vs. Suzuki, Elgin vs. Kojima, Yano vs. Omega, Okada vs. Sanada
7/26:  Fale vs. Sabre, Ishii vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Nagata vs. Naito, Ibushi vs. Makabe, Tanahashi vs. Goto
7/27:  Juice vs. Tonga, Yano vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Kojima, Evil vs. Suzuki, Elgin vs. Omega
7/29:  Goto vs. Sabre, Ibushi vs. Fale, Nagata vs. Makabe, Tanahashi vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Ishii vs. Naito
7/30:  Tonga vs. Suzuki, Yano vs. Evil, Elgin vs. Sanada, Kojima vs. Omega, Okada vs. Juice
8/1:  Yoshi-Hashi vs. Fale, Makabe vs. Sabre, Goto vs. Naito, Nagata vs. Ishii, Tanahashi vs. Ibushi
8/2:  Elgin vs. Yano, Juice vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Tonga, Kojima vs. Suzuki, Omega vs. Evil
8/4:  Ishii vs. Fale, Goto vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Nagata vs. Ibushi, Naito vs. Sabre, Tanahashi vs. Makabe
8/5:  Yano vs. Tonga, Juice vs. Omega, Elgin vs. Suzuki, Kojima vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Evil
8/6:  Goto vs. Fale, Ibushi vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Nagata vs. Sabre, Makabe vs. Naito, Tanahashi vs. Ishii
8/8:  Juice vs. Yano, Kojima vs. Tonga, Elgin vs. Evil, Omega vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Suzuki
8/11:  Nagata vs. Fale, Makabe vs. Yoshi-Hashi, Ishii vs. Sabre, Ibushi vs. Goto, Tanahashi vs. Naito
8/12:  Sanada vs. Tonga, Elgin vs. Juice, Kojima vs. Evil, Yano vs. Suzuki, Okada vs. Omega
8/13:  Finals

Smackdown/205/This Week In Wrestling

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Smackdown Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso d. The Hype Bros(Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley)(non-title) when Jimmy pinned Ryder after the top-rope splash (5:40).
-Naomi Night d. Lana Perry-Rusev with the split-legged monosault to retain the Smackdown Women's Title (0:41).
-Baron Corbin d. Sami Zayn with the End Of Days(mid-air Flatliner) (8:09).
-Carmella Van Damme won a ladder match with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya Neidhart, and Tamina Snuka to retain her Money In The Bank briefcase; James Ellsworth was banned from the building but jumped the barricade to interfere.  Carmella won by retrieving the briefcase from above the ring (16:52 aired).

WWE 205 Live

-Commentators:  Vic Joseph & Corey Graves.
-"The Extraordinary Gentleman" Jack Gallagher d. "The" Brian Kendrick by DQ when Kendrick hit Gallagher with his own umbrella (3:04).
-Mustafa Ali d. Drew Gulak via crucifix after Gulak missed a top-rope splash (6:54).
-Ariya Daivari d. Cedric Alexander with the hammerlock lariat after distraction by "The Scottish Supernova" Noam Dar (5:01).
-----

WWE(www.wwe.com)

NXT this week has:
-Asuka Urai vs. Nikki Cross - NXT Women's Title - Last-Woman-Standing Match

Main Event this week has:
-The Revival(Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs. The Bullet Club(Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
-Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick

Great Balls Of Fire is on Sunday 7/9:
-Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe - Universal Title
-Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman - Ambulance Match
-Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt
-Adrian Neville vs. Akira Tozawa - Cruiserweight Title

Battleground is on Sunday 7/23:
-Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton - WWE Title Punjabi Prison Match
-Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston) - Smackdown Tag Team Titles

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact this Thursday has:
-Alberto El Patrón, Eddie Edwards, James Storm, & Mahabali Shera vs. Bobby Lashley, Davey Richards, Ethan Carter III, & Kongo Kong
-Sonjay Dutt & Matt Sydal vs. Low-Ki & Trevor Lee
-Rockstar Spud vs. Horn Swoggle - Street Fight
-Braxton Sutter, Rosemary Rush, & Allie Dennis vs. Kevin Matthews, Sienna Kay, & Laurel Van Ness
-In action:  Eli Drake, Chris Adonis

Slammiversary on Sunday 7/2 has:
-Bobby Lashley vs. Alberto El Patrón - TNA Heavyweight Title vs. GFW Heavyweight Title
-Sonjay Dutt vs. Low-Ki - X-Division Title
-Rosemary Rush vs. Sienna Kay - TNA Women's Title vs. GFW Women's Title
-James Storm vs. Ethan Carter III - Strap Match
-Moose & DeAngelo Williams vs. Eli Drake & Chris Adonis
-Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards vs. Davey Richards & Angelina Love-Richards - Full Metal
Mayhem Match
-The Latin-American XChange(Angel Ortiz & Santana Draztik) vs. Drago & El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. ? vs. ? - Tag Team Titles
-Joseph Park & Jeremy Borash vs. Scott Steiner & Josh Mathews

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-

Next show is Saturday 7/29 in Concord, NC.

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

NJPW On AXS this Friday has:
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

G1 Special Night 1 is on Saturday 7/1 in Long Beach, CA:
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Cody Rhodes - IWGP Heavyweight Title
-Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega - IWGP U.S. Title Turnament
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-The Guerrillas Of Destiny(Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) - IWGP Tag Team Titles
-Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yujiro Kushida, Jay White, & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka, & Yohei Komatsu
-Jay Lethal vs. "Hangman" Adam Page - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-Dragon Lee, Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., & Titan vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Takaaki "Evil" Watanabe, Seiya Sanada, & Bushi
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark), Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta) vs. Marty Scurll, The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson), Bad Luck Fale, & Yujiro Takahashi

G1 Special Night 2 is on Sunday 7/2 in Long Beach, CA:
-Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Billy Gunn - IWGP Intercontinental Title
-IWGP U.S. Title Tournament Final & Semifinals
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta) - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles

The G1 Climax takes place from Monday 7/17 to Sunday 8/13:
-Participants:  Bad Luck Fale, Takaaki "Evil" Watanabe, Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, Minoru Suzuki, Seiya Sanada, Satoshi Kojima, Tama Tonga, Tetsuya Naito, Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Yoshi-Hashi, Yuji Nagata, Zack Sabre Jr.

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.luchaunderground.com)

This Wednesday's episode has:
-Killshot vs. Jeremiah Crane
-Joey Ryan vs. Taya Valkyrie
-Paul London vs. Vibora
-Veneno vs. Mil Muertes

-----

GLORY PRO WRESTLING(www.gloryprowrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 7/9 in Belleville, IL:
-Myron Reed vs. A.R. Fox - Crown Of Glory Title
-Michael Elgin vs. Cody Rhodes
-The Besties In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) vs. The Boys From Jollyville(T-Money & Russ Myers) - United Glory Tag Team Titles
-Naomichi Marufuji vs. Donovan Dijak
-Martin Stone vs. Curt Stallion
-D.J. Shiima Xion vs. Everett Connors
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Danny Adams
-Sean Orleans vs. Brandon Espinosa
-Gary Jay vs. Jake Something
-Jake Parnell vs. Hakim Zane vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Louis Lyndon vs. El Gringo Loco vs. Alex Daniels
-Joey O'Riley & Isaias Velazquez vs. The Pride(Matt Kenway & Aaron Dzinic)

Glory Pro has a show on Sunday 8/20 in Alton, IL:
-Myron Reed vs. Alex Daniels - Crown Of Glory Title
-Space Monkey vs. Ethan Page
-Hakim Zane vs. Zachary Wentz
-Curt Stallion vs. Dezmond Xavier
-Jeff Cobb vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Jake Something
-Ohio Is 4 Killers(Jake & Dave Crist) & Trey Miguel vs. The Pride(Matt Kenway & Aaron Dzinic) & Tyler Matrix
-Maxwell Jacob Feinstein vs. Gary Jay vs. Sean Orleans vs. Joey O'Riley

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 7/7 in Grafton, IL:
-Brandon Aarons vs. Jon Webb - Riot On The River Tournament Semifinal
-Adrian Surge vs. ? - Riot On The River Tournament Semifinal
-Savanna Stone vs. Rahne Victoria

DPW has a show on Friday 7/14 in Richwoods, MO:
-Brandon Aarons vs. Karim Brigante - Heavyweight Title
-Justin D'Air vs. Adrian Surge
-Appearing:  Savanna Stone, Rahne Victoria

DPW has a show on Saturday 7/22 in St. Louis, MO(Concordia Turners Gym):
-Brandon Aarons vs. Dingo - Heavyweight Title
-Brandon Espinosa vs. Ace Hawkins - MWR Missouri Title

DPW has a show on Friday 8/4 in Grafton, IL:
-Riot On The River Tournament Final

SICW(www.sicw.org)

Next show is Saturday 7/15 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Chris Hargas vs. Heath Hatton - Classic Title
-Moondog Rover vs. Curtis Wylde - Referee Wyldefyre
-Ken Kasa vs. Bubba Troll

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in St. Louis, MO:
-Moondog Rover vs. Ace Hawkins - Heavyweight Title Tournament Final

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/27 in Alton, IL:
-Davey Vega(Ego Busters) vs. Gary Jay(Submission Squad) - Gateway Heritage Title
-Mat Fitchett(Resurgence) vs. Alexandre Rudolph(Blacklist)
-Everett Connors(Submission Squad) vs. Danny Adams(Ego Busters)
-Appearing:  Dingo, Dominic Garrini, Stephen Wolf, Evan Gelistico, Matt Kenway, Jake Parnell, Paco Gonzalez, Angelus Layne, Pat Monix, "Eye Candy" Elliot Paul

PRO WRESTLING RESURGENCE(www.facebook.com/ProWrestlingResurgence)

Next show is Sunday 7/23 in Swansea, IL:
-Myron Reed vs. Everett Connors - Glory Pro Wrestling Crown Of Glory Title vs. PWR Heavyweight Title
-Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Ethan Page
-The Besties In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) vs. The Pride(Matt Kenway & Aaron Dzinic) - Glory Pro Wrestling United Glory Tag Team Titles
-Donovan Dijak vs. Shane Sabre
-Paco Gonzalez & Sean Orleans vs. Brandon Espinosa & Danny Adams
-Cornelius Wyverstone vs. Adrian Surge

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Saturday 8/12 in Warsaw, MO.

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/5 in Troy, MO:
-Leland Race vs. Jon Webb

WLW has a show on Saturday 8/12 in Richmond, MO.

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

STRIDE PRO WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/Cmaprowrestling/)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

WRESTLING OVER EVERYTHING(woe-wrestling.webnode.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/6 in Centreville, IL:
-Leone Mephisto vs. Tyler Copeland - Heavyweight Title

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(nwaccw.x10.bz)

Next show is Friday 6/30 in Waynesville, MO.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

NEW BREED WRESTING(www.facebook.com/NewBreedMO)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

CCW(www.capewrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/29 in Cape Girardeau, MO:
-Billy Gunn & Brandon Barbwire vs. Roger Matheus & D'Mone

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/OutlawWrestling01)

Next show is Friday 9/15 in Alton, IL.

NATIONAL WRASSLIN' LEAGUE(www.nwleague.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in Kansas City, MO.

NWL has a show on Saturday 7/15 in St. Peters, MO(Matteson Square Garden):
-Maverick vs. Gary Jay - St. Louis Title

-----

EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in Charlotte, NC.

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 7/9 in Atlanta, GA.
PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 7/7 in Reseda, CA:
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chuck Taylor - Heavyweight Title
-The Unbreakable F'n Machines(Michael Elgin & Brian Cage) vs. The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)
-Ricochet vs. Trevor Lee
-Sami Callihan & Ohio Is 4 Killers(Jake & Dave Crist) vs. Shane Strickland, Jason Cade, & Dezmond Xavier
-Rey Fenix vs. Keith Lee
-Lio Rush vs. Trent Barreta
-Appearing:  Rey Horus, Sammy Guevara

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in Gibsonville, VA(afternoon):
-Juan Francisco De Coronado vs. Missile Assault Man - Grand Championship

CHIKARA has a show on Saturday 7/8 in Gibsonville, VA(evening):
-Cornelius Crummels & Sonny Defarge vs. The Rumblebees(Travis Huckabee & Solo Darling) - Campeones De Parejas - Best-Of-3-Falls Match
-Hermit Crab vs. Cajun Crawdad - Young Lions' Cup

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/ThisIsWhyWeWrestle)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in Cornelia, GA.

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Next show is Friday 8/11 in Freehold, NJ.

HOH has a show on Saturday 8/12 in Philadelphia, PA.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next shows are Saturday 7/8 and Sunday 7/9 in Berwyn, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 7/14 in Ybor City, FL featuring the Nova Title Tournament.

SHINE has a show on Sunday 7/16 in Ybor City, FL featuring the Nova Title Tournament.

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Next show is Thursday 6/29 in Jeffersonville, IN:
-Jeff Cobb vs. Aaron Williams
-Shotzi Blackheart vs. Desi Derata
-John Wayne Murdoch vs. Jake Crist - I Quit Match
-James Drake vs. Rob Killjoy
-White Mike vs. Kongo Kong
-Scarlet & Graves(Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) vs. Shane Mercer & Larry D

IWA-MS has a show on Saturday 7/1 in Memphis, IN:

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/15 in Merrionette Park, IL.

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 7/23 in Austin, TX.

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook at: @patrickab7

Monday, June 26, 2017

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Booker T, & Corey Graves.
-Finn Bálor & The Hardy Boys(Matt & Jeff) d. Raw Tag Team Champions Antonio Cesaro & Sheamus O'Shaunessy & "The Drifter" Elias Samson when Bálor pinned Cesaro after the Coup De Grace(top-rope double-stomp) (10:32 aired).
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Goldust(w/ personal cameraman) never officially started as Goldust attacked R-Truth before the bell.
-Intercontinental Champion "The Miz" Mike Mizanin, Curtis Axel, & Bo Dallas(w/ Maryse Ouellet-Mizanin) d. Dean Ambrose, Rhyno, & Heath Slater when an Axel cheapshot led to Bo rolling up Rhyno for the pin (9:18 aired).
-Seth Rollins d. Curt Hawkins with the Kingslayer(windup short-arm rising knee strike) (2:59).
-Cruiserweight Champion "The King Of The Cruiserweights" Adrian Neville d. Lince Dorado(non-title) with the Rings Of Saturn (3:00 aired); Akira Tozawa watched the match from ringside.  Titus O'Neil came out to announce that Tozawa would be getting his title shot at Great Balls Of Fire.
-Gauntlet Match:  Nia Jax d. Bayley Rose after the Samoan Drop (3:36).  Nia d. Mickie James after a running bodyblock (6:46 aired).  Nia d. Dana Brooke via Legdrop O' Doom (7:46 aired).  Nia d. Emma Tayla with the Samoan Drop (9:09 aired).  "The Boss" Sasha Banks d. Nia Jax with the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) (20:59 aired).  General Manager Kurt Angle congratulated Sasha on her win...and Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss made her way to the ring for the show-ending confrontation.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Sunday PWR Results From Swansea, IL

-"The Warhorse" Jake Parnell d. "The Incredible Primal Prodigy" Matt Kenway(Look At Him After Dark)(w/ Aaron Dzinic) after a lariat to retain the Zero-One USA Jr. Heavyweight Title (5:26).
-Paco Gonzalez won a four-corner match with Barackus, Jason Roberts, and "The Neon Icon" Justin D'Air when he pinned D'Air with a fireman's-carry Michinoku Driver (8:39).
-Aaron Dzinic d. Brandon Aarons after a Detonation Kick followed by a Penalty Kick (7:39).
-"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin d. Kevin Lee Davidson after a sitout powerbomb out of the corner (15:00).
-After the match, K.L.D. announced that Resurgence's first anniversary show on Sunday 7/23 would be the final Resurgence show as they're being consolidated into Glory Pro Wrestling.  The July show will feature a title unification match between the Crown Of Glory Champion(currently "Hot Fire" Myron Reed) and the PWR Champion(currently Everett Connors), as well as K.L.D. vs. "All Ego" Ethan Page and The Besties In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) defending the United Glory Tag Team Titles against The Pride(Matt Kenway & Aaron Dzinic).
-"The Millenial" Danny Adams won a triple threat match with "Lights Out" Adrian Surge and Cornelius Wyverstone when he pinned Adams after a fisherman driver (6:51).  After the match, Surge beat down Wyverstone and said he would end his PWR career for good in July.
-Evan Gelistico d. Sarge with a combination Gory Special/chicken wing hold (5:25).  Gelistico was openly disdainful toward his rookie opponent as well as his place on the card, complaining about how he wouldn't even get to use his guaranteed title shot since the promotion was wrapping up.
-Everett Connors d. Brandon Espinosa with the Bieber Driver(hanging piledriver) to retain the PWR Title (10:16).

Weekend wrestling

WWE Main Event

-Commentators:  Vic Joseph & Corey Graves.
-Kalisto d. Rhyno with the Salida Del Sol(sitout Asai DDT) (5:40).
-"The Premier Athlete" Tony Nese d. Gran Metalik with the running knee in the corner (3:19 aired).

NJPW On AXS

-Commentators:  Jim Ross & Josh Barnett.
Episode 1:
-Hiromu Takahashi d. Ricochet with the Time Bomb(fireman's-carry powerslam) to retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title.
-Tetsuya Naito d. Juice Robinson after the Destino(sitout Asai DDT) to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title.
Episode 2:
-"The Cleaner" Kenny Omega d. Tomohiro Ishii with the One-Winged Angel(electric chair Michinoku Driver).
-"The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada d. Bad Luck Fale via Rainmaker(windup short-arm lariat) to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title.

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Ian Riccaboni & Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana.
-"The Octopus" Jonathan Gresham d. Flip Gordon with the octopus hold (7:48 aired); Alex Shelley did commentary.
-"The Last Real Man" Silas Young d. "The Infamous" Bobby Fish after the Misery(TKO) (11:23 aired).
-Jay White d. "The Punishment" Damian Martinez via forward-roll cradle (10:10 aired).  The two fought after the bell, ending with Martinez powerbombing White through the timekeeper's table.
-Next week:  Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Sabin vs. Kenny King vs. "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester for a shot at the T.V. Title.

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentators:  Larry Matysik & Herb Simmons.  Guest commentators:  Rob Karlet & Chuck Woods.
-"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson & Bobby D d. Ax Allwardt & Johnny Blade(w/ Big Daddy) by DQ; Ax & Blade initially won when Bobby D tapped out to Blade's figure-four leglock, but Blade refused to release the hold and the referee overturned his initial decision.
-Heath Hatton d. The Big Texan via rollup after Texan hit the turnbuckles.  After the match, ring announcer Drew Abbenhaus interviewed Hatton about his future goals; he said that he was back to challenge for the Classic Title that he once held.
-Flashback to December 1982:  Ric Flair d. Curtis Dean with the figure-four leglock.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Show results

Friday ROH results from Lowell, MA:

-Kris Wolf & Sumie Sakai d. Mandy Leon & Deonna Purrazzo.
-Ultimo Guerrero & El Terrible d. Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia.
-Frankie Kazarian d. "Hangman" Adam Page in a strap match.
-Jay White, The Motor City Machineguns(Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley), & Jonatham Gresham d. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus), Caprice Coleman, & Shane Taylor.
-Jay Lethal d. Silas Young.
-Dalton Castle & The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) d. The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) & Bully Ray to win the Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
-Yujiro Kushida d. Marty Scurll to retain the T.V. Title.
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) won a triple threat tornado match with War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) and The Best Friends(Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Cody Rhodes d. Christopher Daniels to win the Heavyweight Title.

Saturday NWL results from Kansas City, MO(credit to Ben Simon):

-Devlin d. Shane(of the NWL Staff) after a low DDT, getting the pin with feet on the ropes (6:09).
-Marti Belle d. Amber Lynn after hitting the Protect Ya Neck(Pedigree) onto the ring apron (7:03).
-Belvedere d. Lakota Red Cloud by DQ when Red Cloud hit Belvedere with his tomahawk (6:11).  Red Cloud must serve as the butler for "The Connoisseur" Niles Plonk for a month; if he had won, he would have gotten a rematch against Plonk.
-"The Mile-High Magnum" Dak(ota) Draker d. Thor Theriot with the Mile-High Doctor Bomb to retain the Kansas City Title; Draper hit Theriot with the title belt while the referee was down to set up the finish (13:04).
-St. Louis Champion "The Raging Bull" Maverick d. Mike Outlaw(non-title) with the Sure Shot(Gory Bomb) (12:50).
-"The Austrian Horse" Hans Ruger d. "High On Life" Ken Dharma in a posedown via audience reaction.
-Anthony "Sharkbait" Gutierrez d. Michael Strider after the Dead In The Water(standing spinkick to the back of the head) (9:31).
-I-70 Series:  The Besties In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett)(w/ St. Louis General Manager Matt Jackson & Mike Outlaw) d. "Captain K.C." Blaine Meeks & Jet Royal when Jackson distracted the referee, allowing Outlaw to knock out Meeks with handcuffs and Vega to score the pin (22:12).  (Kansas City 13, St. Louis 12)

Saturday CCW results from Cape Girardeau, MO:

-Austin Lane d. Marko Stunt.
-Marni Gras d. Nikki Lane to become the first Women's Champion.
-Ace Hawkins d. Dexter Roswell.
-Justin Smart d. Syn.
-Brandon Barbwire fought Roger Matheus to a no-contest.
-Dell Tucker d. "Tatt2" Darius Lee.
-Blaster & Kevin Lee Davidson(subbing for Jeff Cobb)(w/ Crazzy Steve) d. Farmer Billy Hills & D'Mone to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Hollis Giroux d. MWR Missouri Champion Brandon Espinosa by countout in a title-vs.-title match to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Saturday ROH results from Lowell, MA:

-Dalton Castle & The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) d. Coast 2 Coast(Leon St. Giovanni & Shaheem Ali) & Flip Gordon to retain the Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
-Matt Taven d. Ultimo Guerrero.
-The Motor City Machineguns(Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) d. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe).
-Kris Wolf d. Sumie Sakai.
-"The Punishment" Damian Martinez d. Jonathan Gresham.
-Cheeseburger & Joey "Diesel" Daddiego d. The Tempura Boyz(Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu).
-Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) & "Hangman" Adam Page d. The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) & Bully Ray.
-Jenny Rose d. Mandy Leon.
-Marty Scurll won a six-way match with Vinny Marseglia, Josh Woods, Will Ferrara, El Terrible, and Frankie Kazarian.
-"Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester d. Brian Milonas.
-Yujiro Kushida d. Jay White to retain the T.V. Title.
-Karen Q won a triple threat match with Kelly Klein and Deonna Purrazzo.
-Cody Rhodes d. Christopher Daniels in a best-of-three-falls match to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Saturday EVOLVE results from Melrose, MA:

-Timothy Thatcher d. Austin Theory.
-A.C.H. d. Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson.
-Thomas Sharp(formerly Blaster McMassive) d. Nick Comardo.
-Fred Yehi d. Tag Team Champion Jaka.
-Tracy Williams d. Jason Kincaid.
-Keith Lee d. Ethan Page.
-EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. d. WWN Champion Matt Riddle in a non-title match.

Saturday HOH results from Adelaide, Australia:

-Carlito Colon d. Matt Basso.
-Bull James, Nick Armstrong, & Chris Basso d. Davey Green, Kurt Baron, & Jonah Rock.
-Colt Cabana d. Mohamad Ali Vaez.
-Jake Hager d. Billy Gunn.
-Matt Cross d. Andy Phoenix.
-Horn Swoggle d. Ryan Nemeth.
-Montel Vontavious Porter & Tommy Dreamer d. The Spirit Squad(Kenny Doane & Mikey Mondo).

Saturday Wrestle Circus results from Austin, TX:

-Scorpio Sky d. Brody King.
-Rachael Ellering d. Mia Yim to retain the Lady Of The Ring Title.
-Adam Cole & Britt Baker d. Sami Callihan & Jessicka Havok.
-Laura James d. Joey Ryan to win the DDT Pro Ironman Heavyweight Title.
-Tessa Blanchard d. Joey Ryan to win the Sideshow Title.
-Jordan Len-X d. Joey Ryan to win the PW Revolver Open Scramble Title.
-Shane Strickland won a "Carnival Cash-In" ladder match with Lio Rush, Dezmond Xavier, and "Mr. 450" John Yurnet.
-John Morrison d. Luchasaurus.
-Matt Sydal d. Zachary Wentz.
-Myron Reed d. Michael Elgin to retain the Glory Pro Wrestling Crown Of Glory Title.
-The Lucha Brothers(Rey Fenix & Penta El Cero Miedo) d. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish).
-Shane Strickland(cashing in his briefcase) won an impromptu triple threat match with Sammy Guevara and Brian Cage(C) to win the Ringmaster Title.

Saturday Anarchy Wrestling results from Cornelia, GA:

-Jeremy Foster d. Chase Jordan.
-A.J. Gray d. Ryan Vega.
-"The Nightmare" Kyle Matthews d. Anthony Henry to retain the Heritage Title.
-The Approved(Bobby Moore & Adryan Hawkins) d. The Lynch Mob(Matt & Joey Lynch) in a taped-fist match to win the Tag Team Titles.
-Tank d. Brad Cash in a Taipei Death Match.
-Rock 'N' Roll Rock C d. Jessica Leigh to retain the Women's Title.
-Jacob Ashworth d. Stryknyn to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-Gunner Miller, Kevin Blue, Billy Buck, & Chris Spectra d. Gladiator Jeremiah, Se7en, Azrael, & Cyrus The Destroyer) in a Wargames cage match.

Saturday WPW results from Madison, IL:

-All singles titles were vacated due to an injury to Heavyweight Champion Gauge Evans and a public altercation between U.S. Champ Marcellus Knyght and No Limit Champ Alex Steele.
-Victor Cortez won a battle royal for the vacant No Limit Title.
-Hayley Shadows d. Scarlet Wyld.
-Xavier Frost & Sniper d. A-Aron & El Champion.
-Chico Es Loco d. Ivan Strokgenovf to win the vacant U.S. Title.
-Johnny Rocco d. Wicked.
-Damian Blade & Scar d. Kaos & Riot to retain the Tag Team Titles, but they were stripped of the belts due to a post-match brawl.
-Bronson d. Hawk Elliot by countout.
-Curtis Payne fought The Searcher to a no-contest in a match which would have determined the new Heavyweight Champion.

Sunday EVOLVE results from Queens, NY:

-Tracy Williams d. A.C.H.
-Timothy Thatcher d. Jason Kincaid.
-Fred Yehi d. Tag Team Champion Chris Dickinson.
-Zack Sabre Jr. d. Tag Team Champion Jaka to retain the EVOLVE Title.
-Ethan Page d. Thomas Sharpe.
-Trent Barreta d. Austin Theory.
-Matt Riddle d. Keith Lee to retain the WWN Title.

WLW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's World League Wrestling show at the Race Wrestling Arena in Troy, Missouri.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

I waffled on my decision for last Saturday's wrestling show between WLW and Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling; I finally chose World League Wrestling and carpooled with Ben Simon to the event.  Big Van Vader was in the house for autographs and pictures, but one person who was not in attendance was the promotion's founder Harley Race.  Harley suffered several injuries earlier in the week and still hadn't recovered; all the best to the Hall Of Famer!  It was a packed house and they had to start turning people away at the door who didn't have advance tickets...glad I ordered mine ahead of time.

The show began with the roster assembling at ringside for a salute to Harley Race...he's still tougher than your average ham-and-egger, I would imagine.

Your ring announcer was Brian Thompson; your referees were Martin Kattich & Richard White.

Kyle Roberts vs. Jayden Fenix:  Both men have been in contention for the Jr. Heavyweight Title; that belt has been held by inaugural champion Jon Webb for almost a year.  In the meantime, Roberts has had other issues with Superstar Steve Fender...because of that, Fender came out to ringside and attacked Roberts while the referee's attention was on Fenix.  Fenix capitalized on the situation, delivering two wind-up short-arm roundhouse kicks to the head before scoring the pin in 7:02.

Warwick Stephans vs. Superstar Steve Fender:  I didn't recognize Stephans at first, but I had seen him in the past; he once had a big mohawk and competed as Mizfitt Manners for Metro East Championship Wrestling.  Fender had the experience advantage and seemed to have the match in control, but Kyle Roberts re-entered the scene in search of payback.  The distraction allowed Stephans to regain his composure and he delivered a fisherman suplex for the upset win in 11:46!

Jack Gamble vs. Brandon Espinosa vs. "The Roman Dynasty" Karim Brigante(w/ Miss Monica Passeri):  Espy is the only one of the three who hasn't held a championship in WLW; Brigante was Heavyweight Champion until recently losing the title to Leland Race.  Gamble and Jon Webb were Tag Team Champions but are now focusing on singles competition.  The MWR Missouri Title is only on the line in one-on-one competition, so Espinosa's belt was not at stake here; he was the "tweener" in the middle of this bout between clear fan favorite Gamble and clear rulebreaker Brigante.  Everyone had something to prove, but Brigante may have had extra motivation from his recent title loss; he was able to take out Espinosa with a pop-up forearm smash and score the pin in 8:59.

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Pepsi, Mountain Dew, bag of Lays potato chips, and bottle of water (to balance out the soda, or something).

"The Hybrid Ace" Jon Webb vs. "The" Ace Hawkins for the Jr. Heavyweight Title:  Notably, Hawkins was in the original title tournament but was never "officially" eliminated; he defeated Kyle Roberts in the first round via underhanded means and the decision was reversed after the fact.  (As a result, Roberts suffered the indignity of being eliminated twice from the same tournament!)  Ace hadn't competed for WLW in a little while but he wasted no time in targeting the championship gold.  Webb has been impressive in his recent outings and I'm surprised he isn't booked more often in the St. Louis area; he primarily works for either WLW or Dynamo Pro Wrestling.  Webb caught Hawkins on the top rope and, despite a bit of shakiness, managed to hit his solo Spanish Fly finisher to retain his title in 15:17!

Rex Fults vs. Orion Creed:  Creed is a newcomer to the ring wars and recently battled Rex to a time-limit draw, but tension surfaced between the young lions when Creed turned down the post-match handshake.  That led to this bout for the sake of respect...but the bout was briefly interrupted by the ringside arrival of Stacey O'Brien and manager "Can-Do" Curtis Dearling.  Curtis seemed to be scouting both men as future prospects for his stable, but didn't show his hand until late in the match.  The referee was accidentally knocked down, so there was no one to count after Creed hit a leapfrog Fameasser.  Rex came back with a Bossman Slam out of nowhere but the official was still down.  Curtis entered the ring and made his sales pitch to Rex, but Rex turned him down...finally clotheslining him when he refused to take no for an answer.  However, Orion took the opportunity to hit Rex from behind with Curtis' briefcase...the ref finally recovered to count three in 14:41(!).  It looks like Can-Do Curtis has acquired the services of the newcomer Orion Creed...but the post-match attack was stopped when Big Van Vader made his way to the ring!  Vader had donned his signature mask and entered the ring to clothesline Creed, then left him laying with a massive chokeslam before declaring that it was VADER TIME!

"The Legacy" Leland Race vs. "The King Of Crossfit" Mark Sterling for the Heavyweight Title:  This was a big opportunity for Sterling in a featured singles bout; he hasn't been featured heavily in the National Wrasslin' League as Max Edwards of the Swoll Patrol tag team.  As previously noted, Leland recently regained the Heavyweight Title from Karim Brigante and wasn't about to rest on his laurels.  Sterling focused his attack on the arm after Race hit the ringpost shoulder-first...and at some point in the bout, Race suffered a jaw injury of some kind.  Despite Sterling getting a few close calls, Leland finished him with the Go 2 Sleep in 20:17!

After the match, Race stayed down on the mat and favored his jaw; the referee and Jon Webb checked on him and brought him some ice.  Webb said the match inspired him...so he wanted to make a friendly challenge to Race for a champion-vs.-champion match at the next Troy show on May 5th.  While Race understandably had trouble speaking, he let Webb know that his challenge had been accepted...all righty then.

Post-show, myself and Ben Simon joined Brian Kelley and Timothy Miller at Denny's just up the road; I went with the Grand Slamwich and water to drink.  As we prepared to leave, rain started pouring down and it made for a harrowing drive back to Ben's place to return me to my vehicle...eep.

My main rasslin-related plan for this weekend is Pro Wrestling Resurgence on Sunday in Swansea.  As for Saturday...I haven't decided yet.  Cape Championship Wrestling is a long drive away.  Ben Simon is going to NWL in Kansas City so we wouldn't be carpooling.  The only Saturday option in the immediate area is World Powerhouse Wrestling in Madison, IL.  I'll figure out July when I get past this weekend...

That's my special comment for this, the twenty-ninth 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.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

LU + TNA

Lucha Underground Season 3 Episode 23

-Commentators: Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage:  Ring announcer Melissa Santos greeted Fenix as he arrived at the arena...Fenix vowed to win the Cueto Cup Tournament as sparks flew between the two.  Meanwhile, Marty "The Moth" Martinez seethed from a nearby window...
-Cueto Cup Tournament: "They Call Him The Machine" Brian Cage d. Vinnie Massaro with the Drill Claw(vertical suplex dropped into sitout Tombstone) (3:31).  After the match, Cage put on his gauntlet and beat Massaro bloody with it, then chokeslammed him of the apron to the floor.
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Marty "The Moth" Martinez d. Saltador after a double-underhook Codebreaker (7:26).
-Backstage:  Paul London & Mala Suerte mourned the defeat of Saltador and bowed in worship to Mascarita Sagrada, thinking he was their "rabbit king"...but Sagrada simply walked away from them.
-Backstage:  Marty visited his stalker shrine to Melissa Santos...but then Mariposa arrived, asking if he'd forgotten what "father" had taught them.  Mariposa said that after she defeated Fenix in the tournament, the siblings would face each other in round two.  Things got creepy(well, creepier) before Mariposa slapped Marty.
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Trios Champion Pindar(w/ Kobra Moon) d. Mascarita Sagrada with a package flip-up X-Factor (5:57).
-Cueto Cup Tournament: Fenix d. Mariposa with the Fire Thunder Driver(sitout Tombstone) (5:51). Marty The Moth attacked Fenix after the match, but Fenix fought off Marty and Mariposa.

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Jeremy Borash & Josh Mathews.
-Matt Sydal won a six-way dance with Trevor Lee, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Suicide, and Braxton Sutter.  Eliminations:  Lee pinned Sutter with a rollup and handful of tights (2:38 aired).  Lee pinned Suicide after a flying dropkick/double-stomp (5:34 aired).  Richards was disqualified for blocking Edwards' suicide dive by throwing a chair at his head (6:30 aired).  Edwards was disqualified for dropping Richards on a chair with a fisherman buster (7:33 aired).  Sydal pinned Lee after the shooting star press (10:27 aired).
-GFW Women's Champion Sienna Kay & Laurel Van Ness d. TNA Women's Champion Rosemary Rush & Allie Dennis; Sienna pinned Rosemary after Van Ness' advanced curbstomp (1:48).  Kevin Matthews attempted to interfere but was stopped by Braxton Sutter.
-Mahabali Shera d. Kevin Matthews via Skyhigh (1:37).  Kongo Kong attacked Shera after the match and beat him down with K.M.'s help.
-GFW Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patrón & Cowboy James Storm d. TNA Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley & Ethan Carter III by DQ when EC3 whipped the referee with a strap (13:33 aired).
-Next week:  Rockstar Spud vs. Horn Swoggle in a street fight.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

NXT + XPlosion

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness, & "Showtime" Percy Watson.
-Ember Moon d. Peyton Royce(w/ Billie Kay) with the Eclipse(flying Stone Cold Stunner off the top rope) (6:19 aired).
-Backstage:  Kassius Ohno talked with Hideo Itami backstage; Itami apologized for his recent actions.  Ohno said that they have to get back on track in the right way...and he'll start with his bout against Aleister Black.
-Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe d. The Ealy Brothers(Gabriel & Uriel); Young pinned Uriel after he and Wolfe hit a back suplex/flying neckbreaker combo (3:22).
-Sonya Deville d. Rachel Evers(Ellering) via kimura (2:41).
-Earlier today:  NXT Champion Bobby Roode was doing a backstage interview and paused to throw a few verbal jabs at Roderick Strong and his wife Marina...the shots at his family were too much as Strong snapped, attacking Roode until wrestlers and referees separated the two.
-Aleister Black d. Kassius Ohno with the Black Mass(spinning kick) (13:25 aired).
-Next week:  Asuka Urai vs. Nikki Cross in a last-woman-standing match for the NXT Women's Title.
-In two weeks:  Roode vs. Strong for the NXT Title.

TNA XPlosion

-Commentator:  Josh Mathews.
-Mahabali Shera d. Q.T. Marshall with the Skyhigh (3:34 aired).  Kevin Matthews attacked Shera after the match.
-Commentators:  "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero & Josh Mathews.
-Mahabali Shera & Braxton Sutter(w/ Allie Dennis) d. Kongo Kong & Kevin Matthews(w/ Sienna Kay & Laurel Van Ness) when Shera pinned K.M. after the Skyhigh (5:23 aired).

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Comedy Part 754: Eleven Years!

Location:  Westport Funny Bone
Emcee:  Scott James
After:  Travis Thornton
Before:  Greg Warren

I made my first appearance on a comedy stage on June 20th of 2006; Chad Huff was the emcee and I went on after Clayton Champagne.  Since that time, I've performed in several different comedy clubs, a bunch of bars, a dining establishment or two, and one person's living room.  It's been a wild roller coaster ride and I don't plan on quitting any time soon.  I went up in the middle of the show and mixed a couple of newer jokes with some of my stronger established material...with a great crowd in the house, I had one of my best open-mic sets in recent memory.  WOO~!  Next up for me...well, not sure yet.  Stay tuned to social media and I'll keep you posted.

Smackdown/205 Live/This Week In Wrestling

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Big E Langston(w/ Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) d. Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso(w/ Jey Uso) after the Big Ending (6:05).
-Shinsuke Nakamura d. Dolph Ziggler via Kinshasa(flying knee strike) (13:42 aired).
-Kevin Owens d. Chad Gable with the pop-up powerbomb to retain the U.S. Title (5:58).
-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal(w/ Samir & Sunil Singh) d. Luke Harper(non-title) with the Khallas(cobra clutch slam) (6:37 aired).  Baron Corbin came out with the Money In The Bank briefcase, but left after teasing a cash-in.  Randy Orton attacked Mahal and company afterwards; Mahal escaped through the audience as Orton hit RKOs on both Singh brothers.
-Next week: Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin, Naomi Night vs. Lana Perry-Rusev for the Smackdown Women's Title, and a rematch of the Women's Money In The Bank Ladder Match with Carmella Van Damme being forced to put the briefcase on the line.

WWE 205 Live

-Commentators: Vic Joseph & Corey Graves.
-"The Premier Athlete" Tony Nese d. "The Extraordinary Gentleman" Jack Gallagher after the running knee in the corner (5:01).
-Mustafa Ali d. Drew Gulak by countering a Boston crab attempt into a victory roll pin (4:43).
-Cruiserweight Champion "The King Of The Cruiserweights" Adrian Neville d. "The Outlandish" Rich Swann(non-title) with the Rings Of Saturn (10:41); Akira Tozawa watched the match from ringside.

-----

WWE(www.wwe.com)

NXT this week has:
-Kassius Ohno vs. Aleister Black
-Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce
-Rachel Evers vs. Sonya Deville
-In action:  Sanity(Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe)

Main Event this week has:
-Gran Metalik vs. Tony Nese
-Rhyno vs. Kalisto

Great Balls Of Fire is on Sunday 7/9:
-Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe - Universal Title
-Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman - Ambulance Match

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact this Thursday has:
-Alberto El Patrón & James Storm vs. Bobby Lashley & Ethan Carter III
-Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Matt Sydal vs. Trevor Lee vs. Suicide vs. Braxton Sutter
-Rosemary Rush & Allie Dennis vs. Sienna Kay & Laurel Van Ness
-Mahabali Shera vs. Kevin Matthews

Slammiversary on Sunday 7/2 has:
-Bobby Lashley vs. Alberto El Patrón - TNA Heavyweight Title vs. GFW Heavyweight Title
-Sonjay Dutt vs. Low-Ki - X-Division Title
-Rosemary Rush vs. Sienna Kay - TNA Women's Title vs. GFW Women's Title
-James Storm vs. Ethan Carter III - Strap Match
-Moose & DeAngelo Williams vs. Eli Drake & Chris Adonis
-Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards vs. Davey Richards & Angelina Love-Richards - Full Metal Mayhem Match
-Joseph Park & Jeremy Borash vs. Scott Steiner & Josh Mathews

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-Jay White vs. "The Punishment" Damian Martinez

Next show is Friday 6/23 in Lowell, MA:
-Christopher Daniels vs. Cody Rhodes - Heavyweight Title
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) - Tag Team Titles
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Marty Scurll - T.V. Title
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) & Bully Ray vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) - Six-Man Tag Team Titles
-Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young
-Frankie Kazarian vs. "Hangman" Adam Page - Strap Match
-Ultimo Guerrero & El Terrible vs. The Kingdom(Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia)
-The Motor City Machineguns(Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley), Jay White, & Jonathan Gresham vs. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus), Caprice Coleman, & Shane Taylor - Losing Stable Disbands

ROH has a show on Saturday 6/24 in Lowell, MA:
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Jay White - T.V. Title
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) & Bully Ray vs. The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) & "Hangman" Adam Page - Six-Man Tag Team Titles
-The Motor City Machineguns(Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe)
-Ultimo Guerrero vs. Matt Taven
-Mandy Leon vs. Jenny Rose
-Karen Q vs. Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

NJPW On AXS this Friday has:
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
-Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
-Hiromu Takahashi vs. Ricochet
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega

G1 Special Night 1 is on Saturday 7/1 in Long Beach, CA:
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Cody Rhodes - IWGP Heavyweight Title
-Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega - IWGP U.S. Title Turnament
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-The Guerrillas Of Destiny(Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) - IWGP Tag Team Titles
-Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yujiro Kushida, Jay White, & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka, & Yohei Komatsu
-Jay Lethal vs. "Hangman" Adam Page - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - IWGP U.S. Title Tournament
-Dragon Lee, Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., & Titan vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Takaaki "Evil" Watanabe, Seiya Sanada, & Bushi
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark), Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta) vs. Marty Scurll, The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson), Bad Luck Fale, & Yujiro Takahashi

G1 Special Night 2 is on Sunday 7/2 in Long Beach, CA:
-Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Billy Gunn - IWGP Intercontinental Title
-IWGP U.S. Title Tournament Final & Semifinals
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta) - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.luchaunderground.com)

This Wednesday's episode has:
-Fenix vs. Mariposa
-Saltador vs. Marty "The Moth" Martinez
-Brian Cage vs. Vinnie Massaro
-Mascarita Sagrada vs. Pindar
-----

GLORY PRO WRESTLING(www.gloryprowrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 7/9 in Belleville, IL:
-Myron Reed vs. A.R. Fox - Crown Of Glory Title
-Michael Elgin vs. Cody Rhodes
-The Besties In The World(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) vs. The Boys From Jollyville(T-Money & Russ Myers) - United Glory Tag Team Titles
-Naomichi Marufuji vs. Donovan Dijak
-Martin Stone vs. Curt Stallion
-D.J. Shiima Xion vs. Everett Connors
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Danny Adams
-Sean Orleans vs. Brandon Espinosa
-Gary Jay vs. Jake Something
-Jake Parnell vs. Hakim Zane vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Louis Lyndon vs. El Gringo Loco vs. Alex Daniels

Glory Pro has a show on Sunday 8/20 in Alton, IL:
-Myron Reed vs. Alex Daniels - Crown Of Glory Title
-Space Monkey vs. Ethan Page
-Hakim Zane vs. Zachary Wentz
-Curt Stallion vs. Dezmond Xavier
-Jeff Cobb vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Jake Something
-Appearing: Ohio Is 4 Killers(Jake & Dave Crist)

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 7/7 in Grafton, IL:
-Riot On The River Tournament Semifinals: Adrian Surge, Makaze, Brandon Aarons, Jon Webb

DPW has a show on Friday 7/14 in Richwoods, MO.

DPW has a show on Saturday 7/22 in St. Louis, MO.

DPW has a show on Friday 8/4 in Grafton, IL:
-Riot On The River Tournament Final

SICW(www.sicw.org)

Next show is Saturday 7/15 in East Carondelet, IL.

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in St. Louis, MO:
-Moondog Rover vs. Ace Hawkins - Heavyweight Title Tournament Final

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/27 in Alton, IL:
-Davey Vega(Ego Busters) vs. Gary Jay(Submission Squad) - Gateway Heritage Title
-Appearing:  Dingo

PRO WRESTLING RESURGENCE(www.facebook.com/ProWrestlingResurgence)

Next show is Sunday 6/25 in Swansea, IL:
-Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Lee Davidson
-Jake Parnell vs. Matt Kenway - Zero-One USA Jr. Heavyweight Title
-Brandon Aarons vs. Aaron Dzinic
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Jason Roberts

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Saturday 8/12 in Warsaw, MO.

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 8/5 in Troy, MO.

WLW has a show on Saturday 8/12 in Richmond, MO.

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

STRIDE PRO WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/Cmaprowrestling/)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

WRESTLING OVER EVERYTHING(woe-wrestling.webnode.com)

Next show is Sunday 8/6 in Centreville, IL.

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(nwaccw.x10.bz)

Next show is Friday 6/30 in Waynesville, MO.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home

Next show is Saturday 6/24 in Madison, IL:
-Gauge Evans vs. Victor Cortez - Heavyweight Title
-Haley Shadows vs. Scarlet Wyld

NEW BREED WRESTING(www.facebook.com/NewBreedMO)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

CCW(www.capewrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 6/24 in Cape Girardeau, MO:
-Hollis Giroux vs. Brandon Espinosa - Heavyweight Title vs. MWR Missouri Title
-Kevin Lee Davidson & Blaster vs. Billy Hills & D'Mone - Tag Team Titles
-Nikki Lane vs. Marni Gras - AWF Women's Title
-"Tatt2" Darius Lee vs. Dell Ducker
-Ace Hawkins vs. Cody Wilson
-Brandon Barbwire vs. Roger Matheus
-Austin Lane vs. Marko Stunt
-Appearing: Crazzy Steve

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted as it becomes available.

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/OutlawWrestling01)

Next show is Friday 9/15 in Alton, IL.

NATIONAL WRASSLIN' LEAGUE(www.nwleague.com)

Next show is Saturday 6/24 in Kansas City, MO:
-Dak Draper vs. Thor Theriot - Kansas City Title
-Anthony "Sharkbait" Gutierrez vs. Michael Strider

-----

EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 6/24 in Melrose, MA:
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Matt Riddle
-Keith Lee vs. Ethan Page
-A.C.H. vs. Chris Dickinson
-Jaka vs. Fred Yehi
-Tracy Williams vs. Jason Kincaid
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Austin Theory

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 6/25 in Queens, NY:
-Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee - WWN Title
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jaka - EVOLVE Title
-Trent Barreta vs. Austin Theory
-Chris Dickinson vs. Fred Yehi

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 7/7 in Reseda, CA:
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chuck Taylor - Heavyweight Title
-The Unbreakable F'n Machines(Michael Elgin & Brian Cage) vs. The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)
-Ricochet vs. Trevor Lee
-Sami Callihan & Ohio Is 4 Killers(Jake & Dave Crist) vs. Shane Strickland, Jason Cade, & Dezmond Xavier
-Rey Fenix vs. Keith Lee
-Lio Rush vs. Trent Barreta
-Appearing:  Rey Horus, Sammy Guevara

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/8 in Gibsonville, VA(afternoon):
-Juan Francisco De Coronado vs. Missile Assault Man - Grand Championship

CHIKARA has a show on Saturday 7/8 in Gibsonville, VA(evening):
-Sylverhawk vs. Cajun Crawdad

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/ThisIsWhyWeWrestle)

Next show is Saturday 6/24 in Cornelia, GA.

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Next show is Friday 6/23 in Melbourne, Australia.

HOH has a show on Saturday 6/24 in Adelaide, Australia.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next shows are Saturday 7/8 and Sunday 7/9 in Berwyn, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next shows are Thursday 7/13 and Friday 7/14 in Ybor City, FL featuring the Nova Title Tournament.

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Next show is Thursday 6/22 in Jeffersonville, IN:
-Jake Crist vs. Aaron Williams
-Hy-Zaya vs. Shane Mercer - Last-Man-Standing Match
-John Wayne Murdoch vs. Mance Warner
-Larry D vs. Ian Rotten
-Zachary Wentz vs. Trey Miguel

IWA-MS has a show on Saturday 6/24 in Memphis, IN:
-The 4Gotten(Aidan Blackhart & Justin Storm) vs. Reed Bentley & Ian Rotten - Tag Team Titles - Fans-Bring-The-Weapons Match
-Aero Boy vs. Dingo vs. John Wayne Murdoch

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 7/15 in Merrionette Park, IL.

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 7/23 in Austin, TX.

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook at: @patrickab7

Monday, June 19, 2017

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Booker T, & Corey Graves.
-The Hardy Boys(Matt & Jeff) d. The Bullet Club(Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) when Jeff pinned Gallows after the swanton bomb (7:00 aired).
-Finn Bálor d. Bo Dallas with the Coup De Grace(top-rope double-stomp) (3:33).
-Akira Tozawa(w/ Titus O'Neil) d. T.J. Perkins with the top-rope senton bomb (7:32 aired); Cruiserweight Champion "The King Of The Cruiserweights" Adrian Neville watched the match from the entrance stage.
-Samoa Joe d. Roman Reigns with the Coquina Clutch when Roman was distracted by Braun Strowman's arrival via ambulance (15:05 aired).
-Raw Tag Team Champions Antonio Cesaro & Sheamus O'Shaunessy d. Apollo Crews & Titus O'Neil(non-title); Cesaro pinned Crews after he and Sheamus hit a spiked White Noise (4:13).
-Nia Jax d. "The Boss" Sasha Banks by DQ; Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss was on commentary but was confronted by Emma Tayla for walking out on their team the previous week.  Emma chased Alexa into the ring and Emma tried to kick Alexa, but hit Nia by mistake (joined in progress; 1:10 aired).  The situation turned into a division-wide brawl as Mickie James, Dana Brooke, and finally Bayley Rose joined the fight until the fan favorites stood tall.
-The closing segment of the show revealed that "Big Cass" Colin Cassady was behind the recent backstage attacks on Enzo Amore; he said that he was tired of putting up with Enzo.  He punctuated his statements with IT'S THE BIG FOOT to drop Enzo.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

WOE Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's Wrestling Over Everything show at the River's Edge Community Center in Centreville, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

I caught up on WOE's previous show via YouTube; "Infamous" Tyler Copeland won a battle royal for a future title shot at Heavyweight Champion Leone Mephisto, but Copeland was not in attendance for this show; Mephisto was scheduled to defend against Jake Parnell.  Da'Marius Jones retained his Interstate Title against LaMarcus Clinton last month, so the rematch would be a best-of-three-falls affair.  The turnout was a decent one, all things considered.

Your ring announcer was T.J. Adams; your referee was Jason Pemberton (who had a long weekend as the only ref at both PWCS and WOE).

Benjamin Ulysses Trust vs. Deacon Cash:  Trust worked as Tyler Day on the previous WOE show.  This was a fairly quick match; Trust put up a decent fight while he lasted, but Cash quickly disposed of him with a massive lariat in 2:42.

Heavyweight Champion Leone Mephisto came out to enlighten the masses...he commented that he didn't even know why he was out there.  He ranted about how much he hated Jake Parnell and even got into a lengthy verbal spar with The Landlord for putting obstacles in his way; that actually promoted a brief "Landlord" chant.  Mephisto antagonized a ringsider with a Bruiser Brody T-shirt, enlightening the fan on the circumstances surrounding Brody's demise...oof.

Taylor Champion & Trystan Brady Shadeux vs. The Sabotage Squad(Krispy 2 Pop & John Boi), no-countout match:  Okay, Champion and Shadeux started out as allies in Wrestling Invades America.  They drifted apart in storyline with Champion becoming a fan favorite and Champion defeated Shadeux at last month's show.  In the show-ending battle royal, they randomly decided to join forces and now they're back on the same page as a fan favorite tag team.  (There WILL be a quiz later.)  WOE's Tag Team Titles have been on the shelf for several months; the previous champions Bodily Harm(Jimmy D & Bobby D) left the promotion after a dispute with Jimmy D over ring rental(causing the cancellation of a WOE show).  I have no idea how the stipulation came about, but the teams brawled outside the ring before the opening bell.  The more experienced team got the win in 9:45; John Boi pinned Shadeux after he picked him up for Krispy's top-rope leg lariat.

An impromptu intermission took place for ring maintenance; the ropes appeared to be very loose and that threw off the timing of the guys in the tag match.

"The Unholy Father" Richard Faith vs. Johnny Blade:  As this was a battle of rulebreakers, the fans weren't too invested in it.  Blade focused his attack on the leg as he's been finishing with the figure-four leglock as of late...he finally got Faith in the hold and, after several painful moments of trying to withstand the pain, Faith finally surrendered in about eight minutes.  (Will see if the YouTube video of the match will be posted so I can get the precise match length.)

Leone Mephisto vs. "The Warhorse" Jake Parnell for the Heavyweight Title:  Parnell had previously beaten Billy McNeil for the Interstate Title, but he lost it to Da'Marius Jones and was now seeking the top prize in the promotion.  Mephisto had taken on all comers since becoming the titleholder in Wrestling Invades America, a title reign which carried over to WOE when he defeated tournament winner LaMarcus Clinton to become the undisputed champion.  In the process, he's never cared about pleasing the fans.  Manager Ace Roberts seems to have been downsized because Mephisto only carries the WOE Title belt nowadays.  Parnell hit a pair of double-stomps off the second rope to Mephisto's back, but he got to the ropes to escape defeat.  Mephisto grabbed a steel chair and a title belt and brought them into the ring...the ref confiscated the chair and Mephisto tried to use the belt, but Parnell got it away from him and decked him with it.  Unfortunately, the official turned around just in time to see Parnell hit the champion with the belt...that caused a disqualification in 11:09.  D-OH!

(Scheduled) Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Pepsi, cheese fries, and bottle of water.

B.T. Daramola vs. "The Main Attraction" K.C. Jackson(w/ The Landlord):  B.T. and Prince Moses formed a tag team called "For The Motherland" at the previous event and defeated The Diamond Dogs(Luke Langley & Graham Bell).  I hadn't seen K.C. Jackson in a long time; he primarily competes in central Illinois and was one-half of the Money-Makin' Jam Boyz with The Mississippi Madman.  Landlord interfered early and often, of course.  Jackson had the experience advantage and rolled through a cross-bodyblock, getting the cheap pin with feet on the ropes in 9:24.

#PROSTATUS(Shane The Pain Train & David X) vs. All Eyes On Us(Micah Pope & Nelson Six):  The Sabotage Squad and Taylor Champion & (Trystan) Brady Shadeux made their way to ringside to observe the bout.  Unfortunately, that led to the expected all-out brawl between the four teams and a no-contest in 6:54.  The chaos led to one man being superplex by another into the others at ringside!  Landlord came out to steal the thunder of the combatants, saying that he would let them settle their differences in an eight-man tag at the next show.

Da'Marius Jones vs. LaMarcus Clinton for the Interstate Title:  Jones may or may not have misplaced his title belt, but we'll never know as L.M.C. attacked him from behind as he made his entrance.  K.C. Jackson and Landlord made their way to ringside as L.M.C. is another one of Landlord's charges.  The fight traveled to one of the merchandise tables and L.M.C. raised the ire of Jake Parnell by messing with his gear bag...you don't mess with a man's merch.  Jones won the first fall after a Flatliner in 6:10.  Jones quickly hit his standard Paydirt finisher but K.C. pulled out the ref and Landlord decked him...which should be a DQ but oh well.  The bad guys ganged up on Jones and gave him a Conchairto with cookie sheets, then L.M.C. finished with a 450 Splash as Landlord counted the pin in 8:25.  Chutzpah got the better of Landlord's crew as they took too much time in their double-teaming...L.M.C. wiped out both Jackson and Landlord himself with a cookie sheet.  The original ref recovered and got into a shoving match with L.M.C., causing him to stumble over Jones in a schoolboy trip.  Jones got the rollup pin out of that in 10:52 to retain his title...woo.  To send the fans home happy(?), Landlord cut a promo and said that Jones was suspended for the next show...okay?

Quick public service announcement to both parents of kids at shows and also wrestling promotions:  Please discourage kids from climbing in the ring and playing around (usually after the show).  It kills the illusion, plus if someone gets hurt, the liability is on the promotion.  Be responsible.

Anywho...I went to World League Wrestling last night and had a good time.  Will get to that in due time.  Next weekend:  I may tag along with Ben Simon to Cape Championship Wrestling on Saturday; the only option in the immediate area is World Powerhouse Wrestling in Madison, IL.  On Sunday, Pro Wrestling Resurgence returns to Swansea, IL with Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Lee Davidson...woo.

July looks like this:
-Friday 7/7:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Grafton, IL
-Saturday 7/8:  Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO(South Broadway Athletic Club)
-Sunday 7/9:  Glory Pro Wrestling in Belleville, IL
-Friday 7/14:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Richwoods, MO
-Saturday 7/15:  Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Saturday 7/22:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in St. Louis, MO(Concordia Turners Gymnasium)

That's my special comment for this, the twenty-eighth 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.

Money In The Bank + No Surrender

WWE Money In The Bank (in St. Louis, MO)

-The Hype Bros(Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley) d. Primo & Epico Colon when Ryder pinned Primo after he and Mojo hit the Hype Ryder(Mojo pickup/Ryder second-rope Rough Ryder).
-Carmella Van Damme(w/ James Ellsworth) won a Money In The Bank Ladder Match with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya Neidhart, and Tamina Snuka; Ellsworth took down the briefcase and dropped it to Carmella to give her the win.
-The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)(w/ Xavier Woods) d. Smackdown Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso by countout when the Usos walked away from the match.
-Naomi Night d. Lana Rusev-Perry with the headscissors crucifix submission hold to retain the Smackdown Women's Title.  Carmella Van Damme(w/ James Ellsworth) came to ringside to flaunt her MITB briefcase.
-Maria Kanellis returned to WWE along with her husband, who identified himself as "Mike Kanellis".
-"The Maharaja" Jinder Mahal(w/ Samir & Sunil Singh) d. Randy Orton with the Khallas(cobra clutch slam) to retain the WWE Title.
-The Fashion Police(Tyler Breeze & Johnny Fandango) d. The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) when Fandango small-packaged Viktor.
-Baron Corbin won the Money In The Bank Ladder Match with "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, U.S. Champion Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler.

TNA No Surrender

-Garza Jr. & Laredo Kid d. Idris Abraham & Hakim Zane when Garza Jr. pinned Abraham after a Lionsault.
-Mahabali Shera d. Fallah Bahh with the Skyhigh.
-Trevor Lee(w/ Gregory Shane Helms) d. Suicide via rollup.
-Braxton Sutter(w/ Allie Dennis) d. Kevin Matthews(w/ Sienna Kay) with the swinging fisherman buster.
-Dezmond Xavier d. Mario Bokara after a Spiral Tap.
-Rosemary Rush d. Laurel Van Ness with the Red Wedding(F-5) after Allie Dennis and Sienna Kay both got involved.
-Cowboy James Storm d. Eli Drake(w/ Chris Adonis) via Last Call superkick.  Drake initially won after hitting Storm with a chain, but a second referee restarted the match.
-Bobby Lashley d. Eddie Edwards with the spear to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Weekend wrestling

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Ian Riccaboni, Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana, & Kevin Kelly(for the main event).
-"The Last Real Man" Silas Young & "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester d. Jay Lethal & "The Infamous" Bobby Fish when Silas pinned Lethal after the Misery(TKO) (7:22 aired).
-Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia(w/ T.K. O'Ryan) d. The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate)(w/ Dalton Castle); Taven hit one of the Boys with an inverted superplex and Vinny got the pin after a swanton bomb (1:35).
-"The Punishment" Damian Martinez d. Joey "Diesel" Daddiego after the South Of Heaven(sitout chokeslam) (1:54).
-The Addiction(Heavyweight Champion "The Almighty" Christopher Daniels & "Heavy Metal Rebel" Frankie Kazarian) & Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Hirooki Goto, "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay, & Gedo; Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow(frog splash) on Gedo and Daniels pinned him after the Best Moonsault Ever (8:16 aired).  "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes did commentary and attacked Daniels after the match.

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentators:  Larry Matysik, Herb Simmons, & Scott Zei.
-"Ironman" Ken Kasa, Heath Hatton, & "Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent d. Superstar Steve Fender, Ax Allwardt, & Bubba Troll(w/ Travis Cook) when Hatton pinned Ax with a crucifix.
-"Big Country" Clint Poe fought The Big Texan to a double DQ when both men shoved the referee (1:25); the two big men brawled to the backstage area.
-Flashback to March 1962: Johnny Valentine d. Bill Frazier after a series of bionic elbowsmashes.
-Flashback to 1982(?):  Greg Valentine d. Gil Guerrero with the figure-four leglock.

TNA XPlosion

-Commentators:  Jeremy Borash & Josh Mathews.
-Angelina Love-Richards(w/ Davey Richards) d. Diamante Zuniga when Davey distracted Diamante, allowing Angelina to win after a running forearm smash (6:56 aired).

Saturday WLW Results From Troy, MO + Other Area Show Results

-Jayden Fenix d. Kyle Roberts after Superstar Steve Fender distracted Roberts, allowing Fenix to capitalize with two windup short-arm roundhouse kicks for the victory (7:02).
-Warwick Stephans(formerly Mizfitt Manners in MECW) d. Superstar Steve Fender; Kyle Roberts came out to confront Fender about his earlier interference and Stephans had a chance to recover, winning with a Perfectplex (11:46).
-"The Roman Dynasty" Karim Brigante(w/ Miss Monica Passeri) won a triple threat match with Jack Gamble and Brandon Espinosa when he pinned Espinosa after a pop-up forearm smash (8:59).
-"The Hybrid Ace" Jon Webb d. "The" Ace Hawkins with the Spanish Fly to retain the Jr. Heavyweight Title (15:17).
-Orion Creed d. Rex Fults; "Can-Do" Curtis Dearling & Stacey O'Brien made their way to ringside to observe the bout.  The referee was knocked down and Creed hit a leapfrog Fameasser, but there was no one to make the count.  Rex fought back with a Bossman Slam, but Curtis entered the ring in an attempt to recruit Rex to his stable.  Rex refused and clotheslined Curtis to the mat, but Creed brought Curtis' briefcase into the ring and hit Rex across the back with it.  Creed got rid of the evidence as the official recovered to count the pinfall (14:41).  As Creed and Curtis sought to do some post-match damage, Big Van Vader made his way to the ring for the save!  Creed was clotheslined and chokeslammed by the former WCW World Champion, leaving him laying in the ring!
-"The Legacy" Leland Race d. "The King Of Crossfit" Mark Sterling with the Go 2 Sleep to retain the Heavyweight Title (20:17).  Race suffered a jaw injury during the match and Jon Webb entered the ring to check on him...but then said that he wanted to make a "friendly challenge" for the two of them to face each other at the next show in Troy(8/5).  Race accepted the challenge and the match has been set!

-----

Saturday SICW results from East Carondelet, IL:

-"The Unstable" Dave Vaughn d. Keith Smith Jr. with the spear (6:48).
-"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson & Bobby D d. Ax Allwardt & Johnny Blade(w/ Big Daddy) by DQ; Ax & Blade initially won when Bobby D tapped out to Blade's figure-four leglock, but Blade refused to release the hold and the referee overturned his initial decision (8:23).
-Heath Hatton d. The Big Texan via rollup after Texan hit the turnbuckles (4:42).  After the match, ring announcer Drew Abbenhaus interviewed Hatton about his future goals; he said that he was back to challenge for the Classic Title that he once held.
-Moondog Rover fought "Volatile" Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre) to a no-contest when two referees were knocked down during their brawl (6:50). Wyldefyre was conflicted about who to support and slapped both men in the heat of the moment; promoter Herb Simmons ordered a rematch for July 15th with Wyldefyre as referee.
-Flash Flanagan d. Cowboy Marc Houston(w/ Big Daddy & Johnny Blade) by DQ when Blade attacked Flanagan (6:07). Flanagan cleaned house with his kendo stick after the match.
-Bubba Troll d. "Big Country" Clint Poe after a Vader Bomb (4:34).  "Ironman" Ken Kasa saved Poe from a second Vader Bomb after the bell and the two brawled...Kasa got the better of that fight, but "Superstar" Steve Fender attacked Kasa.
-"The Icon" Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook) d. "Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent after the second F-5 of the match to retain the Classic Title (about 12:30).

Saturday, June 17, 2017

PWCS Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about last Saturday's Pro Wrestling Championship Series show at the Spaulding Hall Club in Alton, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

It was an eventful week in St. Louis wrestling, but I'll focus on the immediate area's events; Saturday had the choice of PWCS or the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance's monthly offering at the South Broadway Athletic Club.  MMWA was finally scheduled to crown a new Heavyweight Champion after months of vacancy, but plans changed as the tournament final was postponed until the July show.  I made my way to the familiar venue in Alton for Stage Two of PWCS' fourth season...that building has seen a lot of memorable events.

Starting scoreboard:  Ego Busters 3-0, Blacklist 2-1, Submission Squad 1-2, Resurgence 0-3.  That's not very resurgent...meanwhile, the defending champions were riding an undefeated streak out of Stage One.

Your ring announcer was Tito McGee; your referee was Jason Pemberton.

"The Warhorse" Jake Parnell(Resurgence) vs. Brandon Espinosa(Submission Squad):  Everett Connors said that he was in charge of the Squad with Evan Gelistico and Gary Jay "on vacation"; he said that he dismissed Austin Blackburn from the group and brought in Espy to replace him.  This was a rematch from the recent Dynamo Pro event at the Cinco De Mayo Festival; as this match did not take place in Missouri, Espy's MWR Missouri Title was not a factor.  It was not a good night for finishers as Parnell survived Espinosa's brainbuster.  Parnell's was a bit more effective as he hit the double-stomp off the second rope to the back, scoring the pinfall in 7:30...that put Resurgence on the board and left them tied with the Squad at 1-3.

"The Wind Of Destruction" Makaze(Blacklist) vs. "Lights Out" Adrian Surge(w/ Greg Jovi)(Ego Busters):  These two are on opposite paths in Dynamo Pro with Surge trending toward fan favoritism and Makaze going in the rulebreaking direction; despite that, they were in their more traditional roles here.  Jovi did all he could to antagonize long-time enemy Makaze, distracting him from the task at hand; that allowed Surge to deliver a spinebuster for a close near-fall.  Makaze came back with a legdrop off the second rope and Jovi distracted the ref, but the interference backfired and Makaze hit an inverted DDT for his own close two-count.  Makaze attempted to press his advantage, but Surge lured him into the corner and double-legged him into a rollup pin with feet on the ropes in 11:19.  They kept it fairly basic and it was still a very good matchup with the fans invested in the outcome.  Blacklist dropped to 2-2 and the Ego Busters widened their lead to 4-0.

"The Dirty Rook" Mat Fitchett(Resurgence) vs. Darin Corbin(Submission Squad):  Always cool to see Corbin in this neck of the woods.  His banter game was on point as he noted that Fitchett is hardly a "rook" any more.  When a fan attempted a "you can't wrestle" chant, Corbin started taking requests and executed a vertical suplex...however, he denied the fan who wanted a Tombstone.  Near-falls were exchanged after a Fitchett crucifix bomb and a Corbin spear, but Fitchett got the duke in 11:51 after a top-rope Frankensteiner followed by the flying knee strike.  Resurgence improved to 2-3 and the Submission Squad dropped to 1-4.

After the match, Sarah Rose presented Fitchett with the Missouri Wrestling Revival Future Star award...Fitchett said he could talk about a LOT of things that have happened lately...but he'll stick to his issues with Gateway Heritage Champion Davey Vega.  He pondered whether he and Vega would still be friends(perhaps even besties or blood brothers holding tag team championships) in another universe...har har.  However, he wanted a piece of him in PWCS and called Vega out of the ring...instead, he got manager Greg Jovi.  Jovi claimed that Vega still valued their friendship, but he knew that he needed to side with Jovi in order to get his hands on the championship trophy again.  Jovi said that Fitchett would NEVER touch that trophy again...but he got a little too close to the ring and Fitchett rushed him in time to grab it out of his hands!  As it turned out, Fitchett left the ring with TWO awards on this night...

Paco Gonzalez(Resurgence) vs. Everett Connors(Submission Squad):  Speaking of alternate universes, I feel like these two could be great "buddies" in another life.  *ducks thrown objects*  Connors was in Bieber mode, leaving Paco as the fan favorite of the two.  Despite that, the two had a fairly sportsmanlike bout...this match went longer than any of the other matches for the evening.  Both guys have elevated their game to become significant players in this wrestling scene; I'm sure more people will be hearing about them in due time.  Paco incredibly survived the Bieber Driver(hanging piledriver) and Connors survived Paco's frog splash...yup, bad night for finishers.  Connors finally pulled out the win in 18:29(!) with his new torture rack Diamond Cutter finisher...that pulled the Squad out of their funk for the evening, boosting them to 2-4.  The Resurgence dropped to 2-4 and a tie with the Squad.  The two shook hands and embraced after the match(BUDDIES~!)...but Danny Adams of the Ego Busters attacked both men!  Adams laid out Paco with a steel chair and then took out Connors with a fisherman driver...given events in another universe(where Adams is more of an "underground" competitor), things seem to be aligning in an odd manner.  (I think the Anti-Monitor's anti-matter wave may have consumed that universe, but perhaps another will appear in its place.)

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Root beer and a bottle of water.

"The Dad Bod" Sean Orleans vs. "The Incredible Primal Prodigy" Matt Kenway (Look At Him After Dark)(Submission Squad):  Kenway's spot in the Submission Squad was at stake in this matchup against Orleans' entire PWCS career; Orleans' recent run in the St. Louis area has been a roller coaster ride of near-misses, but his fan support has been steadily growing.  Orleans nearly won with a Stone Cold Stunner but Kenway survived; then it looked like Kenway had it wrapped up with a Tombstone but Orleans miraculously kicked out.  Adrian Surge ran out to distract the ref, leaving a chair on the ring apron...Kenway attempted to use it, but Orleans avoided it and the chair rebounded off the top rope to hit Kenway in the face!  Orleans capitalized with a tilt-a-whirl into an Emerald Flowsion(!) to finally pick up a win in 9:07!  Orleans is now a member of the Submission Squad team...Surge was upset as Orleans air-guitared on the chair to the beat of his theme music.  Bwahahaha.

"The Anarchist" Arik Cannon(Blacklist) vs. "The Millenial" Danny Adams(w/ Greg Jovi)(Ego Busters):  It had been a while since Cannon last competed in the St. Louis area (almost a year).  Since then, he's been very active on the independent circuit and even made a WWE appearance on 205 Live as "(A) Bryan Kendrick".  As one of Greg Jovi's prime contenders in the Ego Busters, Adams was full of confidence and determined to make a name for himself as he did in the St. Louis Invitational Tournament against Colt Cabana.  Adams focused on Cannon's arm after The Anarchist hit the ringpost shoulder-first...he got the most heel heat of the night when he told A.J. Awesome "Your show sucks!"  Cannon rallied, but Adams nicely countered a rollup into an armbar submission and Cannon had to get to the ropes.  Jovi's interference backfired AGAIN on this night as Adams knocked his manager off the apron, allowing Cannon to deliver a close-range superkick for a near-fall.  Adrian Surge ran out to check on his manager and the referee was occupied with his presence, leading to Gateway Heritage Champion Davey Vega hitting the ring to deliver a low blow on Cannon!  After that bit of subterfuge, Adams got the cheap win in 14:31...The Ego Busters remained undefeated at 5-0 while The Blacklist dropped to 2-3.

"The Iron Demon" Shane Mercer vs. Aaron Dzinic vs. "The Unholy Father" Richard Faith vs. Chris Mac:  Faith and Mac were the two surprise entrants in this matchup; Mercer has made a name for himself in IWA Mid-South but this was his debut in the St. Louis area.  Faith has been active in other promotions; I hadn't seen Mac since the last Outlaw Wrestling show in this area.  Mac is shockingly agile for a 400-pound man; he even hit his standing moonsault in this matchup.  Mercer's intensity was impressive and I hope to see him back in this area again.  His highlight move was a moonsault fallaway slam off the second rope (similiar to Billy McNeil's "Super Karate Monkey Death Car" move).  Dzinic seemed like the odd man out among heavyweights, but he scored the surprise win in 6:38 with a Penalty Kick on Faith!

"The Miracle Worker" Davey Vega(w/ Greg Jovi)(Ego Busters) vs. "The Wildman From The Ozarks" Alexandre Rudolph(w/ chainsaw)(Blacklist) for the Gateway Heritage Title:  Rudolph challenged Vega to a "bar fight" before the bell; the two sat in chairs and duked it out (despite Jovi's protests).  The fight continued on the floor until Vega delivered a tornado DDT on the floor; THEN Jovi wanted the opening bell to be rung for a potential countout.  Rudolph beat the count, but Vega turned his attention to a leg attack in order to keep the big man down on the mat.  Vega's best chance may have been after a Death Valley Driver onto the ring apron, but Rudolph somehow escaped defeat on that occasion.  Rudolph brought the onslaught in a late offensive flurry, scoring near-falls after a chokeslam and then a chokebreaker.  A Goozleplex(half-throttle released German suplex) scored him another close two-count.  Rudolph set up for a moonsault for some reason, but Vega cut him off and left him hanging from the ropes in the Tree Of Woe.  Vega delivered a running double-stomp with Rudolph in that position, then finished with the buzzsaw kick in 11:23 to retain his title.  The Ego Busters had established a commanding lead with a 6-0 record, dropping Blacklist to 2-4...the other teams were in a dubious three-way tie for second/last in that regard.

The show was over, but the ring announcer had one more announcement:  Vega's next title defense at the August show(specific date not announced yet) would be against The Submission Squad's Gary Jay!  That should be a burner of the barns, so to speak...

Since I'm posting this on Saturday afternoon, I should probably note the weekend shows right now.  I'll be carpooling with Ben Simon to World League Wrestling in Troy, MO with Big Van Vader in the house; the main event will feature "The Legacy" Leland Race defending his recently-regained Heavyweight Title against "The Fittest Wrestler On Earth" Mark Sterling.  Also tonight, Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling returns to East Carondelet, IL with "The Icon" Chris Hargas defending his newly-won Classic Wrestling Title against "Your Canadian Hero" Sean Vincent.

My weekend wasn't quite over, but that's another story for another time...tune in next time.  Same Pat-Time, Same Pat-Channel.

That's my special comment for this, the twenty-seventh 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.