Now, as promised, a special comment about the Glory Pro Wrestling show on Sunday, May 6th at Wild Country in Collinsville, Illinois.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
I personally appreciated the new venue for Glory Pro as it was a lot closer to home than Alton or Edwardsville. They had a really good turnout and I'll be interested to see how wrestlers make use of the venue in the future. I'm sure SOMEONE will try to jump off that balcony...
Your ring announcer was Ben Simon; your referees were C-Lo Banks & Clark Feldman.
Prior to the show, Ben and Timothy Miller presented the Missouri Wrestling Revival Female Wrestler Of The Year Award to Savanna Stone. She's made a lot of waves in a short period of time and the sky's the limit for her!
Ben announced that Darby Allin and Priscilla Kelly were unable to appear (aww...). As a result, Savanna was added to the scheduled women's triple threat match to make it a four-corner bout. Hakim Zane's itinerary would be determined later in the night.
"The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan, Camaro Jackson, & Frank Wyatt vs. Edvin Kudic, Kody Lane, & Ethan Price: Price was the only person in the match whom I had never seen. I hadn't seen Wyatt in a while; he's dropped a noticable amount of weight, good for him. McFinnegan went for an early highlight with a springboard moonsault to the floor onto his opponents. Chaos broke loose and Wyatt finished off Price with a piledriver in 6:45.
D.J. Shiima Xion & Everett Connors vs. The Work Horsemen(Anthony Henry & James Drake) for the United Glory Tag Team Titles: I had seen some of Henry's early work in Anarchy Wrestling, though I wasn't too familiar with Drake; they've both made names for themselves in EVOLVE where they've held the Tag Team Titles. Drake's a big dude with surprising agility; he even pulled off a moonsault at one point. Every time I see D.J. Z in his illuminated entrance attire, I tend to joke "Your move, Justin D'Air"...bwahahaha. The Work Horsemen gave the champs a run for their money, but D.J. Z pinned Drake after the ZDT(forward-roll jumping DDT) in 12:54.
Air Wolf vs. "The Zombie Princess" Jimmy Jacobs: Air Wolf's Resurgence Title was conspicuous by its absence, so I guess it's only present and defended on shows labeled as Resurgence. Jacobs had a busy weekend as he had faced Penta El Cero Miedo in Iowa the previous night. The young masked man has made quite an impact early in his career...according to Jacobs, he's only 18 years of age(and just graduating from high school)! He gave the experienced veteran a good fight, but Jacobs put him away with ye olde Contra Code(sitout Sliced Bread #2) in 9:18. Jacobs talked up the youngster post-match...we'll be watching his career with great interest.
Savanna Stone vs. Kylie Rae vs. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Rahne Victoria: Shotzi won the first women's match in Glory Pro history, defeating Alexxia Nicole; it sounds like she's getting a tryout with Impact Wrestling in the near future. Kylie competed for Glory Pro late last year in a loss to Savanna Stone, set up as a qualifying match for the Making Towns Classic Tournament (just got the DVD in the mail!). I think it was the first four-corner bout for both Savanna and Rahne; I don't know the exact circumstances behind Priscilla's absence, but I don't imagine the women had much time to prepare for the altered matchup. At any rate, they had a fine matchup...I would not mind seeing Shotzi and Kylie in the St. Louis area more often in the future. The finish saw Kylie pin Rahne after her trademark superkick in 6:12.
Space Monkey vs. "The Mad Dragon" Hakim Zane: I am given to understand that Zane's mother calls him "son" because he shines like one. He complained about the absence of his scheduled opponent, "indie darling" Darby Allin, and issued an open challenge...a late addition to the card in the first place(he had initially been added to the Tyler Matrix vs. MJF match to make it a triple threat), Space Monkey stepped up to the plate. Monkey was gifted several bananas by ringside fans, much to Zane's chagrin. Zane had trouble dealing with his opponent's unorthodox style and demeanor, especially after he recharged himself by chowing down on one of his bananas...but Zane finally forced Space Monkey to tap out to his version of the Crippler Crossface in 11:30.
Moose vs. Jeff Cobb: This was a battle of fan favorite powerhouses...I hadn't seen Moose live and in person since he worked for High Risk Wrestling. I had seen(and briefly chatted with) Cobb at the All-American Wrestling show I attended a while back. While both men are known for their power games, both displayed exceptional agility for their size as well. Anyone who has watched Lucha Underground has seen Cobb's arsenal displayed in his role as Matanza Cueto. It was tough to call a winner in this one, though a few people expected the Impact Wrestling star to come out on top...despite that, Cobb picked up the win with his Tour Of The Islands rewind powerslam in 12:54!
Intermission~! Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm): Two Pepsis.
The Besties In The World("The Miracle Worker" Davey Vega & "The Dirty Rook" Mat Fitchett) vs. No New Friends(Kevin Lee Davidson & "The Millenial" Danny Adams): The inaugural United Glory Tag Team Champions faced a tough test in the form of one of Glory Pro's most formidable alliances. While Vega and Fitchett had the edge in team experience, their strategy to isolate Danny Adams only lasted so long before K.L.D. entered the fray...which understandably changed the whole complexion of the match. It took considerable effort to get the big guy down, but Vega and Fitchett's superior teamwork wore down the opposition...they finally isolated Adams and hit the Brain Damage(Brain Eater/brainbuster onto the knee by Vega combined with flying knee strike by Fitchett), but K.L.D. pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the count. K.L.D. argued with the referee that it was HIS ring so he could do what he wanted...while the referee was occupied, Mike Outlaw made a surprise appearance and pulled Fitchett out of the ring, then gave Vega a low blow! Adams took the opportunity to score the pin on Vega in 15:41...after the match, Davidson introduced Outlaw as an "old friend" who had his back while he was off being a (L gesture) "loser" in Kansas City. There's never enough backup as far as wrestling rulebreakers are concerned, one supposes...
Tyler Matrix vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman: The arrogant M.J.F. bragged about being the Combat Zone Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and talked down to his upstart opponent, saying he'd be lucky to even get a one-count on him...Matrix would prove him wrong in short order. M.J.F. had competed at Glory Pro this past summer but this was his first singles match in the area...he focused his attack on Matrix's arm while he was in control, presumably building toward his Fujiwara armbar finisher. Matrix made the underdog comeback, hoping to build his momentum in Glory Pro after winning a multi-way match in October and giving mystery opponent A.C.H. a tough challenge in February. A lot of fans probably expected Friedman to win, but Matrix shocked him with a flash rollup pin in 8:59!
"The Stiff Robo Ginger" Gary Jay vs. "The Warhorse" Jake Parnell, knockouts-only match: We got a mere taste of this feud at the February show where Parnell picked up the win, but it turned into a literal blood feud back in January when Gary ripped Parnell's mouth with a turnbuckle hook...Parnell somehow finished the match, but lost his Zero-One USA X-Division Title to Gary in the end. This match marked the first time I had ever heard a "Please Don't Die" chant AT THE OPENING BELL...given the hard-hitting styles of both men, it was definitely a point of concern. The latest chapter in the war was as brutal as expected; I'm glad my prediction came true of Parnell having a breakout year in 2017 and he continues to gain momentum. Parnell delivered his double-stomp off the middle rope to the back of the head but it didn't keep Gary down. Parnell followed up with a pumphandle Michinoku Driver and even THAT didn't do the trick...finally, a double-stomp off the top rope to the back of the head led to the referee calling the match at 15:56 when he declared that Gary could no longer continue! As a result, Parnell will be in a big match at the July show against former Crown Of Glory Champion Myron Reed...title contention could be on the horizon for The Warhorse!
Announced for the August 31st show(which has since been postponed, but it's been assured that the match WILL happen down the line): The No New Friends trio will take on a trio from the original New World Order: Sean Waltman, Scott "Flash" Norton, and Buff Bagwell! I think my exact reaction was ".........OKAY, SURE, WHY NOT?" in a good way. I've always wanted to meet Waltman as he was one of my early favorites in wrestling; I nearly made the trip to All-American Wrestling when he was booked there earlier this year. Looking forward to the match whenever it's scheduled in the future.
Crown Of Glory Champion Jake Something, "Hot Fire" Myron Reed, "The Leader Of The Pack" Stephen Wolf, & Paco Gonzalez vs. "The Lone Star" Curt Stallion, Barackus, & The Boys From Jollyville(T-Money & Nasty Russ Myers), elimination tag match/Wargames-style entries: A new wrinkle was added to the bout as one man from each team would start and new competitors would enter at indeterminate intervals. I can only assume there was a coin toss for the advantage, though the rulebreakers tend to win those on a regular basis. Notably the champion Something started for his side, while Stallion's crew opted to start with Russ Myers...that went badly for Myers until his tag team partner T-Money joined the bout. Myron Reed was the next one out, followed by Barackus who quickly mowed down a lot of the competition. Stephen Wolf was the next entrant, but he was dragged out of the entranceway by Curt Stallion after a presumed backstage attack. Stallion entered the match next and finally Paco Gonzalez made his way through the crowd as the opposing team was focused on the entranceway for his appearance. Barackus was a difference maker as he eliminated Wolf with the Baldo Bomb in 17:28, then took advantage of his team's numbers edge to also pin Reed after another Baldo Bomb in 19:41. It was Paco who would turn the tide for his side, countering a Doomsday Device attempt by the Boys From Jollyville by victory-rolling T-Money in 20:45...then he quickly caught Myers in the fireman's-carry Michinoku Driver to pin him in 20:54!
Stallion and Barackus brought a table into the action and set up Paco on the table, but Barackus' top-rope splash backfired as Paco got out of the way, leaving the big man to crash land! Paco took advantage of the situation and pinned the big man in 23:08, leaving Stallion on his own against both Paco and Something. Something was out of the action on the floor so Stallion was able to focus on Paco, delivering a low blow while the referee's attention was elsewhere. An Air Raid Crash onto the knee set up a low flying headbutt and Stallion pinned Paco in 25:40, bringing the match down to the captains of each side. Stallion tried to take out the leg of his larger opponent, but Something powered him up into the sitout Tombstone...for 2 1/2. A last-ditch knee clip gave Stallion the opening he needed to deliver another low flying headbutt, allowing him to score the pinfall on the Crown Of Glory Champion in 28:24! As a result of the win, Stallion earned himself a title shot at the July show...can lightning strike twice? We shall see...
Sorry about being so far behind on these commentaries, but I've had a lot on my plate recently from comedy shows to recent health concerns. This was one of the big ones to do, so hopefully I can get the rest done in the next few days. I am feeling a lot better than I was...still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that a blood test for something completely different ended up saving my life.
Upcoming shows:
-Saturday 6/9: Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO(South Broadway Athletic Club)
-Friday 6/15: Dynamo Pro Wrestling in St. Louis, MO(FUBAR)
-Saturday 6/16: Pro Wrestling Championship Series in Alton, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet; IL; World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville, IL
-Sunday 6/17: Glory Pro Wrestling/Resurgence in Swansea, IL
-Sunday 6/24: Wrestling Over Everything in Centreville, IL
-Saturday 6/30: Proving Ground Pro in Athens, IL
That's my special comment for this, the twenty-eighth 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment