DPW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's Dynamo Pro Wrestling show at the Concordia Turners Gymnasium in St. Louis, Missouri.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

The weather and temperature greatly improved this past weekend (though it seems to be cooling back down) and there was a great turnout for Dynamo's first show of the year.  It was comparable to NWL's attendance the previous night and maybe even a few more...always cool to see the local wrestling groups draw good crowds.  Attendance was said to be around two hundred...woo.

Your ring announcer was Chris Roedel, your referee was Martin Kattich, and your video commentators were Luke Roberts and Patrick Brandmeyer.

"The Gypsy Warrior" Orion Creed vs. Roy "The Strangler" Lewis:  I have to note that I appreciate Lewis' use of "Three Little Pigs" by Green Jelly for his theme music.  This was a rematch from December when Creed made his DPW debut with a win over Lewis, so The Strangler was looking for payback.  This time around Lewis was able to counter Creed's inverted neckbreaker/corkscrew Stunner finisher into his cobra clutch, but Creed kicked off the turnbuckles into a pinning combination for the win in 10:42.  Lewis snapped after the bell, delivering a cobra clutch Russian legsweep before taking Creed down with the hold...this feud MUST CONTINUE~!

"The Hybrid Ace" Jon Webb vs. The Snitch:  The masked man provided the commentary team with a statement which included the names of several of his signature moves...we did our best to include them in our play-by-play.  He also had an extended soliloquy for Chris Roedel to read, but thankfully Webb's theme music played before Chris could get too far into the five-page manifesto.  Snitch made a point to ground Webb, but the Hybrid Ace made the comeback and delivered a knee strike that left his opponent seeing stars.  Snitch acted like his jaw had been broken and he was checked on by the referee as well as Roedel and co-promoter Crystal Yount...but he was playing possum and took the opportunity to deliver a cheapshot on Webb.  Snitch locked on a dragon sleeper(which he called the Silent But Deadly), forcing Webb into unconsciousness and causing the referee to call for the bell in 13:05!  Snitch walked away with a huge upset win to start his year off right...

"The Caramel Bear" C.J. Shine vs. Brandon Espinosa, D-1 Title Tournament:  Previous champion "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin had forfeited the title...he had not appeared for Dynamo since beating Outtkast for the belt last February, only defending it once at a Pro Wrestling Resurgence show.  Six qualifying matches would be held to determine who would move on to a six-way ladder match to determine the new champion.  These two have crossed paths in the past, but Shine has been traveling and gaining experience...despite Espy's experience advantage, it was a very competitive contest.  Espinosa delivered a brainbuster out of nowhere to get the duke in 9:42...his previous experience in ladder matches should prove useful in the upcoming D-1 Title bout.

Savanna Stone & Tootie Lynn Ramsey vs. Rahne Victoria & Bra'Nae:  Bra'Nae was making her St. Louis-area debut; she has competed for New Breed Wrestling in Missouri as well as Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling.  (KCXW is a group I'm not very familiar with, but perhaps I need to change that).  Tootie made her pro debut last month against Savanna, but Rahne interjected herself and it became a triple threat match which Rahne won.  With Savanna and Tootie decidedly on the same side, Rahne went outside the greater St. Louis region to find an ally and even the sides.  One wouldn't have known that it was only Savanna and Rahne's second non-mixed tag match ever and Tootie's first.  The rulebreaking duo went on the attack before the match even began and the match was full throttle from there.  Both sides showed excellent teamwork, but Rahne & Bra'Nae worked together at a key moment near the end...as Tootie went for a tag, Bra'Nae pulled Savanna off the apron.  Rahne capitalized with a Rock Bottom on Tootie and got the pin with feet on the ropes(HEEL~!) in 9:34!

Mike Outlaw vs. Hollis Giroux, D-1 Title Tournament:  The debuting Giroux faced a man making his return to Dynamo Pro after a year away...Outlaw got a great response from the fans.  Giroux had appeared for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance a few times in the past year but this was his first time in a Dynamo ring...he took Outlaw to the limit, but the hometown crowd inspired Outlaw to keep on fighting.  Outlaw countered several attempts at the, ahem, "Giroux-Home Driver"(double-underhook faceplant, a la Angel's Wings) and hit the High Noon top-rope elbowdrop for the win in 12:48!

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm):  Just water.  Oh, and Brandon Aarons had some cookies to celebrate his upcoming birthday...sweet.

The Agents Of Chaos(Viktor Von Stein & Xavier Shadowz) vs. Edvin Kudic & Ricky Rodriguez for the Tag Team Titles:  The Agents had been antagonizing Rodriguez on social media and graciously offered him a title shot with a partner of his choice, thinking it'd be an easy night...but Kudic has been an inspired competitor in recent weeks and has plenty of prior tag team experience with Matt Kenway.  The challengers utilized sound strategy:  Stay the HELL away from the 300-pound Von Stein and isolate Shadowz.  Even when Von Stein got into the action, the challengers used a lot of quick tags and showed great teamwork for a first-time duo.  Once the champions got their act together, they were able to utilize their own quick tags to turn the tide in their favor.  Things broke down near the end and the upstart challengers nearly pulled off the upset, but Shadowz speared Kudic out of nowhere for the win in 13:40.  Rodriguez wasn't off the hook either, as Shadowz dropped him to the mat with the elevated neckbreaker and Von Stein added the Legdrop O' Doom.

"The Master Of Hairflips" Brandon Aarons vs. "Lights Out" Adrian Surge, D-1 Title Tournament:  These two crossed paths several times in 2017; they split a pair of matches at last year's Cinco De Mayo show(with Surge winning the first by DQ and Aarons scoring the victory in the no-DQ rematch).  Surge defeated then-Heavyweight Champion Aarons in the finals of the Riot On The River Tournament.  The two were tag team partners in December and beat new titleholder Makaze and "The Heartthrob" Jaden Roller...but now the two fan favorites would have to face each other with only one advancing to the D-1 Title ladder match.  The two knew each other very well and were able to counter each other's signature moves...when Surge hit the spinebuster, Aarons had enough presence of mind to roll to the ropes to avoid defeat.  Aaron rallied and hit the double-stomp off the top rope, but only got a near-fall.  Aarons' close-range superkick and Hairflip Suplex(half-nelson suplex) only got two-count as well, so he had to pull out something new:  A double-underhook piledriver!  That was finally enough to put Surge down for the count in 11:44, sending Aarons to the D-1 finals!  He will join Brandon Espinosa and Mike Outlaw as well as three contenders to be determined at a future event...

"The Wind Of Destruction" Makaze vs. "The Valedictorian" Keon Option for the Heavyweight Title:  Option had a big entrance for his first main-event singles bout...meanwhile, Makaze seemed more focused on antagonizing Chris Roedel.  He "apologized" for his harsh words on social media and offered a gift as restitution...which turned out to be an (empty) gasoline can.  In response, Roedel showed off his fire extinguisher (given Makaze's recent compulsion for arson).  A chair came into play as the referee struggled to keep the match within the rules...Option set up Makaze on the chair, but a flying elbowdrop only hit metal as the champion moved out of the way.  Makaze targeted the arm after that(PSYCHOLOGY~! EXPERIENCE~! LOUD NOISES~!).  Option rallied, but Makaze turned the tide as the fight spilled out of the ring...the masked man grabbed a chair only to see the referee take it away from him.  However, it turned out to be a misdirection ploy as Makaze grabbed the nearby fire extinguisher and knocked out Option with it!  That was enough for Makaze to score the tainted pin in a brisk 7:07.

I hung out for a bit after the show and officially met Bra'Nae, as well as chatting with a few other people...Dynamo had a strong start to the year and the stage is set for coming attractions, especially the upcoming ladder match to determine a new D-1 Champion!

There's nothing immediately local this weekend...but there are Saturday shows if you're willing to make a longer drive.  There's Cape Championship Wrestling in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with an all-cage-match event, plus Jerry Lynn working as a special guest referee for one of the featured bouts.  There's Zero-One USA in Mattoon, Illinois with a last-man-standing match between X-Division Champion Jake Parnell and Gary Jay, plus Madison Rayne defending their Women's Title against former champion Randi West.  Finally there's Gateway Elite Wrestling in Crocker, Missouri with Jack Gamble vs. Brandon Aarons in a hair-vs.-hair match...WAIT WHAT.

February looks like this:
-Saturday 2/3:  World League Wrestling in Troy, Missouri
-Saturday 2/10:  World Powerhouse Wrestling in O'Fallon, IL
-Saturday 2/17:  Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL
-Sunday 2/18:  Glory Pro Wrestling in Edwardsville, IL
-Saturday 2/24:  Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Alton, IL

That's my special comment for this, the fifth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2018.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.