WWE NXT Takeover: Unstoppable

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, & Corey Graves.
-Earlier today:  Hideo Itami was injured in the parking lot by an unknown attacker, turning the scheduled triple threat contenders' match into a singles bout.
-Finn Bálor d. Tyler Breeze with the Coup De Grace(top-rope double-stomp) (11:04).
-Charlotte Flair & Bayley Rose d. Emma Tayla & Dana Brooke when Charlotte pinned Emma after the Natural Selection(low-flying somersault cutter) (6:51).
-Baron Corbin d. Rhyno with the End Of Days(short-arm Blackhole Slam into mid-air Flatliner) (7:13).
-Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy d. Enzo Amore & "Big Cass" Colin Cassady(w/ Carmella Van Damme) to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles; Alexa Bliss attacked Carmella and then crotched Enzo on the top rope, allowing Blake to score the pin (8:53).
-"The Boss" Sasha Banks d. Becky Lynch with the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) to retain the NXT Women's Title (15:28).
-Kevin Owens d. Sami Zayn to retain the NXT Title when he delivered a pop-up powerbomb into the edge of the ring apron and the referee stopped the match (no closing bell; about 10:00).  Owens continued his assault as referees and trainers attempted to check on Zayn's condition.  General Manager S. William Regal tried to stop him personally but Owens headbutted him out of the ring.  Owens brought in a chair to finish the job...but he was interrupted by SAMOA JOE~!  Owens and Joe had a mid-ring staredown until Owens backed down...

Comedy Part 568: Mind If I Park?

Location:  Valley Park Funny Bone
Emcee:  Maffit McDonald
After:  Aaron Sawyer
Before:  Greg Buchek

It was a night where everyone made the list, so I got to perform...woo.  I went up fairly early and tried to focus on new material for the most part.  Most of my productivity on this night was actually on the writing side; I worked on a few new ideas and figured out ways to connect jokes to each other.  I had a decent set, all things considered...some things went over better than others, but it's all a work in progress.  Can I BE any more vague?  Well, you should come to the shows and hear the jokes for yourselves...bwahahaha.  I am performing at the Time Out Bar & Grill in Troy, Illinois on Saturday at 9:00 along with Josh Funneman and Amber Klear...no cover charge, so I hope to see you there!

This week in wrestling

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event this week has:
-Big E Langston & Xavier Woods vs. The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young)
-Jack Swagger vs. Bo Dallas
-Johnny Fandango & Zack Ryder vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
-Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae

NXT Takeover on Wednesday has:
-Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - NXT Title
-Hideo Itami vs. Finn Bálor vs. Tyler Breeze
-Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady - NXT Tag Team Titles
-Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch - NXT Women's Title
-Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin
-Charlotte Flair & Bayley Rose vs. Emma Tayla & Dana Brooke

Superstars this week has:
-The Meta Powers(Damien Sandow & Curtis Axel) vs. Adam Rose & Heath Slater
-Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae

Smackdown on Thursday has:
-Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
-Dolph Ziggler vs. King Wade "Bad News" Barrett
-Antonio Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) vs. The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) vs. Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego)
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Stardust
-The Meta Powers(Damien Sandow & Curtis Axel) vs. Adam Rose & Heath Slater

Elimination Chamber is on Sunday 5/31:
-Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose - WWE Title
-Dolph Ziggler vs. Ryback vs. "R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. King Wade "Bad News" Barrett vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy vs. Alexander Rusev - Elimination Chamber Match For The Vacant Intercontinental Title
-The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston) vs. Antonio Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto) vs. The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) vs. The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young) vs. Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego) - Tag Team Titles - Elimination Chamber Match
-John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

Money In The Bank is on Sunday 6/14.

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact on Friday has:
-Kurt Angle vs. Eric Young - Heavyweight Title "I Quit" Match
-The American Wolves(Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. The Dirty Heels(Bobby Roode & Austin Aries) - Match 2 Of Best-Of-5 Series
-Ken Anderson vs. Ethan Carter III
-Rockstar Spud vs. Mark Andrews vs. Argos vs. Tigre Uno vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Manik
-Brutus Magnus vs. Khoya Shera
-D.J. Shiima Xion vs. Jessie Godderz

Slammiversary is on Sunday 6/28.

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-Jay Lethal vs. Kyle O'Reilly - T.V. Title

Next show is Friday 5/29 in Amarillo, TX:
-Roderick Strong vs. Adam Cole
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. The Kingdom(Michael Bennett & Matt Taven)
-A.C.H. vs. Michael Elgin
-Dalton Castle vs. The Romantic Touch

ROH has a show on Saturday 5/30 in Oklahoma City, OK.

ROH returns to the St. Louis area on Friday 6/5 in Collinsville, IL.

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

Next episode of World Pro Wrestling has:
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Taichi Ishikari
-Ricochet vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
-Best Of The Super Junior Tournament Final

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.elreynetwork.com/originals/lucha)

This week's show has:
-Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez vs. The Crew(Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco, & Bael) - Trios Title Ladder Match
-Prince Puma vs. Marty "The Moth" Martinez
-El Texano Jr. vs. DelAvar Daivari

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ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 8/21 in Alton, IL:
-Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett, & Angelus Layne vs. Gerald James, Jeremy Wyatt, & Christian Rose
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Cause(Danny Adams & Everett Connors) - Tag Team Titles
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zakk Sawyers
-Matt Cage vs. Alex Castle

SLA has a show on Saturday 8/22 in Alton, IL:
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Christian Rose
-Matt Cage vs. Zakk Sawyers

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 6/13 in Fenton, MO.

DPW has a show on Friday 6/19 in Glen Carbon, IL.

SICW(www.sicw.org)

Next show is Saturday 6/20 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Ron Powers & Red River Jack vs. The Travis Cook Organization

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 6/13 in St. Louis, MO:
-A.J. Williams vs. Gary Jackson - Heavyweight Title
-Everett Connors vs. Denzel Vance - Jr. Heavyweight Title
-Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Brian James vs. Tommy Dallas - Survivor Title
-The St. Louis Connection(Andrew Wilder & Johnathan Zulu) vs. Brandon Espinosa & ? - Tag Team Titles

PWCS(www.facebook.com/pwcswrestling)

Next show is Saturday 7/25 in Granite City, IL.

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(herecomesthepain.bpt.me)

Next show is Sunday 5/24 in Cahokia, IL:
-? vs. Louis Lyndon - For The Vacant Heavyweight Title
-Takaaki Watanabe vs. Blake Edward Belakis - Winner Faces Louis Lyndon For Vacant Title
-Davey Richards vs. Tony Kozina
-Bolt Brady vs. Ace Perry vs. Josh Crane
-Team I.O.U.(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) vs. John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley
-Tripp Cassidy vs. Dale Patricks vs. Jack Verville
-Mike Outlaw & ? vs. The Forbidden City Warriors(Jun Hado & Akuma Okoye)
-Justin D'Air vs. Keon Option

PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)

Next show is Saturday 8/15 in Pontoon Beach, IL:
-Brandon Aarons vs. Danny Adams - Heavyweight Title

METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 6/6 in Kansas City, KS:
-Tommy Dreamer vs. Mark Sterling
-Derek Stone vs. Bolt Brady - Heavyweight Title
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Ricky Cruz
-The Kobra Kai Dojo(Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) & The Commission(Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy) vs. Jake & Ryan King & The American Bulldogs(Mad Dog McDowell & Jon West)
-D'Arcy Dixon vs. Lucy Mendez

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 6/5 in Des Moines, IA:
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Marek Brave - Heavyweight Title
-Kraig Keesaman vs. Mark Sterling - Pure Wrestling Title
-Ray Stryker vs. Jon West
-Devin Thomas vs. Zach Thompson
-Nate Redwing vs. J.D. Riggs
-Brandon Bennett vs. J.C. Slater
-Devin Carter vs. Rory Fox
-Griz vs. Jaysin Strife
-Eli Machete vs. Gary Gram

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 5/30 in Troy, MO:
-Leland Race & Trevor Murdoch vs. Superstar Steve Fender & Dangerous Derek McQuinn - No-DQ Match
-Air Raid vs. Michael Magnuson
-Brandon Espinosa vs. Dave DeLorean
-Evan Morris vs. Dustin Bozworth

WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)

Next show is Sunday 5/31 in Swansea, IL:
-Gavin Alexander & Jayson Virtue vs. Jonathan Napier & Jason Allen
-Brandon Aarons vs. Leone Mephisto vs. LaMarcus Clinton - PWE Heavyweight Title
-Darkside vs. Jimmy D - Interstate Title
-Barackus vs. Taylor Champion vs. Clownman Jacko vs. Joey Grunge vs. Symon Phoenix
-Chase King vs. Tyler Copeland - I Quit Match
-Da'Marius Jones vs. Kevin Lee Davidson

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)

Next show is Saturday 6/6 in Rolla, MO:
-"Mad Hatter" Damon Buchanan vs. Mitch Johnson - NWA Central States Title
-Elvis Aliaga vs. Jeremy Hadley - NWA Missouri Title
-Guns & Beer(Bo Gott, Duke Cornell, & Joey Anderson) vs. The Black Hand Warriors(Michael Magnuson, Dave DeLorean, & Jayden Fenix)

CSCW has a show on Saturday 6/13 in Newburg, MO:
-"Mad Hatter" Damon Buchanan vs. Shane Somers - NWA Central States Title
-Mitch Johnson vs. Evan Morris - NWA Illinois Title

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/worldpowerhousewrestling)

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

-----

DRAGON GATE USA/EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 5/30 in Queens, NY:
-Drew Galloway vs. Biff Busick - DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title
-Davey Richards vs. Caleb Konley
-Johnny Gargano & Rich Swann vs. Drew Gulak & ? - Open The United Gate Titles
-T.J. Perkins vs. Mike Bailey
-Chris Hero vs. Trevor Lee
-Anthony Nese vs. Rey Horus

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 5/31 in Long Island, NY:
-Drew Galloway vs. Roderick Strong - EVOLVE Title
-Davey Richards vs. Drew Gulak
-T.J. Perkins vs. Anthony Nese
-Rich Swann vs. Trevor Lee
-Biff Busick vs. Mike Bailey

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.anarchy-wrestling.net)

Next show is Saturday 5/23 in Cornelia, GA:
-Jagged Edge vs. Billy Buck - Heavyweight Title
-Stryknyn vs. The Silent Kill Syndicate(Azrael & Supernatural)
-Mikael Judas vs. Lars Manderson - Ironman Challenge
-Bobby Moore vs. B.J. Hancock
-Slim J & Fred Yehi vs. C.B. Suave & Raphael King - Tag Team Titles

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 5/22 in Reseda, CA featuring the DDT4 Tournament:
-Roderick Strong vs. Brian Cage vs. Chris Hero - Heavyweight Title
-Tournament Participants:  Team Tremendous(Dan Barry & Bill Carr), Forth Gunn(Drew Gulak & Biff Busick), The Beaver Boys(John Silver & Alex Reynolds), The World's Cutest Tag Team(Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae), The Inner City Machine Guns(Ricochet & Rich Swann), The Monster Mafia(Ethan Page & Josh Alexander), Love Gun(Matt Sydal & Chris Sabin), Trevor Lee & Andrew Everett
-Johnny Gargano vs. Mike Bailey

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 5/23 in Philadelphia, PA:
-Princess Kimber Lee vs. Juan Francisco De Coronado
-"Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti vs. Kevin Condron
-Fire Ant & Worker Ant II vs. Ophidian & Argus
-Amasis vs. Missile Assault Ant
-Dasher Hatfield vs. Blaster McMassive

CHIKARA has a show on Sunday 5/24 in Easton, PA:
-Hallowicked vs. Ashley Remington - Grand Championship
-Eddie Kingston, Ophidian, Shynron, & Argus vs. The Devastation Corporation(Max Smashmaster, Blaster McMassive, & Flex Rumblecrunch) & Jaka
-Icarus, Dasher Hatfield, "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti, & Heidi Lovelace vs. Juan
Francisco De Coronado, The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova, Mr. Azerbaijan, & Prakash Sabar
-Ultramantis Black & The Batiri(Obariyon & Kodama) vs. Jakob Hammermeier, Nokken, & Pinkie Sanchez
-Oleg The Usurper vs. Missile Assault Ant
-Jervis Cottonbelly & Princess Kimber Lee vs. Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy
-Silver Ant & Frightmare vs. N_R_G(Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell) vs. Fire Ant & Worker Ant II vs. ?

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Next show is Saturday 7/18 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

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

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 7/24 in Ybor City, FL:
-Santana Garrett vs. Ivelisse Velez - SHINE Title
-The Kimber Bombs(Kimber Lee & Cherry Bomb) vs. Better Than You(Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson) - Tag Team Titles
-Leah Von Dutch vs. Brandi Wine

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Next show is Sunday 5/31 in New Albany, IN:
-Kongo Kong vs. Shane Mercer - Heavyweight Title
-American Trash(Derek Direction & Kriss Stark) vs. The Tryout Show Rejects(Reed Bentley & John Wayne Murdoch)
-Mikey McFinnegan vs. Hy-Zaya vs. Alexandre Rudolph vs. Sugar Dunkerton vs. J.C. Rotten vs. Corporal Robinson
-Mitch Page vs. Joseph Schwartz
-Kathy "The Butcher" Owens vs. Adam Bueller


IWA-MS has shows on Friday 6/26 and Saturday 6/27 in Clarksville, IN featuring the King Of The Deathmatches Tournament.

IWA-MS has a show on Saturday 6/27(afternoon) in Clarksville, IN featuring the Queen Of The Deathmatches Tournament.

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 6/19 in Merrionette Park, IL.

AAW Vanguard has a show on Saturday 6/20 in Berwyn, IL.

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 5/24 in Austin, TX
-Ricky Starks vs. Jeff Gant - Heavyweight Title
-Darin Childs vs. Scot Summers
-Masada vs. Sky DeLacrimosa
-Killah Kash vs. Cherry Ramons
-Jojo Bravo vs. Angel Blue - T.V. Title Tuxedo-vs.-Evening-Gown Match
-Steve O. Reno vs. Erik Shadows - U-30 Title
-Curt Stallion vs. Ricky Romida vs. Dick Money vs. Kyle Hawk
-Jack Jameson vs. Barrett Brown

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

SICW Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling show at the Community Center in East Carondelet, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

First off, best wishes to Dan Walsh as he has decided to retire from the ring due to concussion issues.  I met Dan in the GCW days and he was always an entertaning guy in and out of the ring.  I got started on the comedy thing after going to a few of his open-mic night performances at the Westport Funny Bone...so yeah, that whole thing is his fault.  I also got an interesting story out of the time he randomly chopped me at a bar show at Lloyd & Harry's.  Long story short, it knocked the wind out of me but it was still kinda cool.  #mark

This would be classified as SICW's "big show of the year" as May is the anniversary of the premiere of Wrestling At The Chase.  Several special guests were scheduled to appear, but Mike McGuirk was not in attendance with no explanation given.  Unfortunately Larry Matysik was unable to attend the show, but his wife Pat was in the house.  Understandably, it was a packed house for the big event.

Your ring announcer was Drew Abbenhaus; your referees were Jay King & Denny Thomas.

Promoter Herb Simmons started the show by acknowledging Barbara Goodish(wife of the late King Kong/Bruiser Brody) and Pat Matysik at ringside, as well as former AWA announcer Mick Karch.

"Dirdey" Jake Dirden, Bobby D, & "Dead Sexy" Daniel Gunner vs. "The Elitist" Brandon Espinosa, "Volatile" Curtis Wylde, & Bubba Troll(w/ Wyldefyre):  Hello, match-to-get-as-many-people-as-possible-on-the-show.  It was tough to follow the action on this night with so many people in the building...will probably notice a few more details when I do the commentary for the TV show.  Chaos erupted at the end with everyone fighting, then Wyldefyre tripped her own man by mistake after Bobby D reversed an Irish whip into the ropes.  Bobby D finished off Wylde with a Pedigree in 8:59.

Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Ax Allwardt:  Ax was disqualified against Big Jim in March for using his chain as a weapon, then these two were on opposite sides of last month's mixed tag match that ended in a double DQ.  At some point in the match, Hoffarth's arm or shoulder was injured; I didn't see if Ax did something to the arm or if it was just a freak thing.  Either way, Ax took over from there and the referee actually stopped the match due to the injury in 7:19.  The finish was a bit confusing as people wondered if Hoffarth had been disqualified for pushing the referee(he was trying to convince him to let the fight continue).  Ax wasn't done as he assaulted Hoffarth with his chain after the bell...but once Ax had left the ring area, Hoffarth vowed to get revenge on him.  (EDIT:  Hoffarth went for a clothesline on the floor and accidentally hit the ringpost when Ax moved, causing the initial injury.)

"The Old School Warrior" Chaz Wesson vs. Waco:  Well, something had to be a short segment on this loaded show.  Dropkick, powerslam, and cross-bodyblock off the top rope ended Waco's night in short order in 1:03.  Thanks for coming.

"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson(w/ Big Daddy) vs. Barackus:  This was Barackus' SICW debut but he was up against a familiar opponent.  Big Daddy was notably absent for the April shows but was back for this event; he was in Gary's corner, but he wasn't at ringside for Daniel Eads' match.  Take that for whatever it's worth.  The big man dominated the veteran, but Gary made the comeback until being cut off by a huge Samoan Drop.  Barackus took too much time going for the pin and made an arrogant cover when he did; that allowed Gary to crucifix him for the pinfall in 5:18.

Intermission numero uno~!  I'm getting to the point in my life where soda should be avoided, so I went with bottled water for the night.  Also picked up a cheeseburger...tremendous.

Herb did a brief interview segment with Stan "The Lariat" Hansen(one of Brody's old tag partners) and Barbara Goodish regarding the night's main event:  The Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal.  Briefly chatted with Hansen after the show...he was a nice guy.  I'll admit to not being as familiar with Hansen's work as I would like to be, but the LARIATOOOOO~! was his trademark for a reason.

Paloma Starr vs. "Queen Of Chaos" Lucy Mendez:  These two crossed paths in the aforementioned mixed tag match in April, resulting in a catfight and double DQ; this time around, there were no male tag partners to hold them back.  There was a rough spot or two, but it was a solid matchup for the most part; they've faced each other a few times in the past month or so.  Lucy tends to get a mixed reaction as a heel since guys don't want to boo the good-looking gal...yeah, I know, five hundred feet means five hundred feet.  Anywho, Lucy got the clean win with a hanging DDT in 8:42.

Keith Smith Jr. vs. "Ironman" Ken Kasa(w/ Travis Cook):  This match had a couple of intersecting stories.  On one side, Keith Jr. was working toward his first one-on-one victory.  On the other side, Kasa seemed to be falling out of favor with Cook's Organization since losing the Classic Title; Travis' focus seemed to have shifted to his other charges, particularly Chris Hargas.  Kasa pinned Keith Jr. in last month's tag match, as seen on this week's episode of SICW Wrestling Explosion (expertly called by Drew Abbenhaus and yours truly *cheap plug*).  In a nice touch, Kasa nailed the John Wu Dropkick right out of the gate(that's how he won last month, Maggle!)...but he didn't go to the pin, opting to make the young punk suffer a bit longer.  It was the classic blueprint of the veteran trying to humiliate the rookie, but getting too cocky and making mistakes that allowed the young guy to fight back.  Chaz Wesson came out to root for his tag team partner and Travis got up on the ring apron to protest something or other.  However, that inadvertently distracted his own man who was wondering what the hell he was doing...that gave Keith Jr. the opening for a football-style leg dive.  In a nod to his father's favored finishing maneuver, Keith Jr. locked on the figure-four in the middle of the ring...and with nowhere to go, Kasa finally had to tap out in 10:45!

Things got really interesting after the bell as the Kasa/Cook interaction escalated to a full-blown argument.  Travis berated his charge for losing and it got to the point where Kasa shoved him away.  Cook brought out a chain and went for a cheapshot, but Kasa saw it coming and backed him into the corner.  However, before he could lower the boom, Hargas attacked his now-former friend from behind with a knee clip...ladies and gentlemen, we have a face turn.  The two beat down Kasa with Travis putting the chain to good use...the Travis Cook Organization was thus downsized as Hargas locked Kasa in an STF as Travis put the badmouth on him.

"The King Of Chaos" Ricky Cruz & Ron Powers vs. Attila Khan & "The Icon" Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook):  Hargas was subbing for Bull Bronson.  Not sure if the "King Of Chaos" nickname is still in effect since Ricky's a fan favorite again.  Haven't been sure whether to acknowledge Ricky's connection to Lucy on commentary, especially since she uses the "QUEEN Of Chaos" nickname...however, that alliance never existed on Earth-SICW so I've opted against it.  (How did no one make the "I Love Lucy" reference with regards to Ricky & Lucy?  Oh yeah, I'm old.)  The history between Cruz & Powers is well-documented(some dork did a whole column on Missouri Wrestling Revival about it), but they were on the same page on this night.  Bonzo gonzo at the end and the referee's attention was elsewhere, so KHAAAAAN~! got out his patented whatever-the-heck-his-international-object-of-choice-is and jabbed Ricky in the midsection, then in the throat.  That was enough for him to get the tainted pinfall in 8:11.

Intermission numero dos...tough to get to the restrooms when the building is that crowded.  There was also quite a gathering outside the door during intermissions as people got fresh air or took smoke breaks.

Flash Flanagan vs. "The Man Of Tomorrow" Daniel Eads for the Classic Title:  Flanagan beat down Eads last fall to set up his series with then-champion Heath Hatton, resulting in Flash cheating Hatton out of the belt.  With Heath still out of action due to injuries, Eads worked his way up the ladder for a shot at the champ, resulting in this matchup.  It's odd how the title has been overshadowed by other things in the past year or so, plus it's changed hands a lot more frequently in that time.  Eads gave the titleholder a run for his money, but Flanagan put him away with a double-stomp from the top rope with Eads hung upside-down in the corner...the champ retained in 12:52.

Bruiser Brody Memorial Battle Royal:  The main event featured everyone on the card except Flanagan and Eads, Kasa(injured from the earlier attack), Bobby D(because...reasons...), and the ladies.  It was tough to keep track of everything in the crowded ring, so I didn't always catch who did the eliminating.  Gunner was out first, followed by Barackus(think it was Dirden that got him out) and Wylde.  Powers was surprisingly eliminated, but I wouldn't find out until later that it happened due to Travis Cook low-bridging him by pulling down the top rope.  Dirden took himself and Troll out of the match with a Cactus Clothesline.  Keith Jr. was gone next, then longtime rivals Jackson & Espinosa eliminated each other.  Waco was the next one gone...but at this point, Director Of Affairs Cowboy Bob Orton announced that Powers had been illegally eliminated by Travis Cook and could re-enter the match.  Wesson went out, then Cruz eliminated Khan only to be pulled to the floor by the Mongolian.  It came down to Powers and Hargas, but Powers low-bridged Hargas out of the ring(IRONY~!) and the Brody protege won the battle royal in 8:00!

(EDIT:  Eliminations were:  Gunner by Troll, Barackus by Dirden, Wylde by Cruz, Powers illegally by Travis Cook, Dirden/Troll eliminated each other, Keith Jr. by Hargas, Jackson/Espinosa eliminated each other, Waco by Chaz, Ax by Chaz, Chaz pulled out by Ax, Khan by Cruz, Cruz pulled out by Khan, Hargas by Powers.)

Stan Hansen and Barbara Goodish presented Powers with the trophy, but Herb had some good news/bad news for him:  He had made a decision to settle the Red River Jack situation once and for all.  (I had wondered if R.R.J. would be a late entry into the battle royal after Powers was eliminated, actually...)  At the June show, it would be Ron Powers teaming up with Red River Jack against two members of the Travis Cook Organization.  The plot thickens...Powers seemed to be caught off-guard by that announcement, but said he and the masked man would come out on top at that show.

At any rate, that was my fifth independent wrestling show of the month with three more to go...here's how the next few weeks look:

-Sunday 5/24:  High Risk Wrestling in Cahokia, IL (NOTE: A.C.H. is wrestling in Mexico, so the Heavyweight Title has been vacated; Louis Lyndon will wrestle the winner of the Takaaki Watanabe vs. Blake Belakis match to crown a new champion.)
-Saturday 5/30:  World League Wrestling in Troy, MO
-Sunday 5/31:  Wrestling Invades America in Swansea, IL
-Friday 6/5:  Ring Of Honor in Collinsville, IL

Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

P.S. We are all marks.

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Booker T, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy d. Ryback with the Brogue Kick (6:28 aired).
-King Wade "Bad News" Barrett d. "The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville with the Royal Bullhammer (4:05 aired); Bo Dallas did commentary(after having interrupted a Neville interview) and attacked Neville after the bell.
-Bray Wyatt d. Dean Ambrose via Sister Abigail after Jamie Knoble & Joey Mercury interfered (10:25 aired); WWE Champion Seth Rollins laughed about Ambrose's loss with his security team.
-Antonio Cesaro & Tyson Kidd(w/ Natalya Neidhart) d. Tag Team Champions The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston) by DQ when Big E & Kofi wouldn't stop kicking Kidd in the corner after the five-count (1:12 + 1:58 aired); Xavier Woods was barred from ringside.  Woods ran in to help his teammates after the match; the post-match brawl included The Lucha Dragons(Sin Cara & Kalisto), Los Matadores(Fernando & Diego), The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor), and The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young).
-John Cena's U.S. Title open challenge was answered by...NXT Champion Kevin Owens!  After harsh words were exchanged(mostly to push the NXT live special), Owens hit Cena with a cheapshot and laid him out with the pop-up powerbomb.  Owens stepped on the U.S. Title belt as he posed over Cena's fallen form with the NXT Title belt.
-Dolph Ziggler d. Stardust with the Zigzag (1:27).  Lana Perry(who officially parted ways with Alexander Rusev earlier in the night) interrupted Ziggler's post-match interview and kissed him...okay.  That brought out an angry Rusev to attack Ziggler...Rusev confronted Lana and she slapped him, setting him up for a Zigzag from Dolph.
-Luke Harper & Erick Rowan d. Johnny Fandango & Zack Ryder when Rowan pinned Ryder after Harper superkicked Ryder into Rowan's full-nelson slam (3:28).
-Nikki Bella d. Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) by DQ to retain the Women's Title when Tamina broke up the Rack Attack(torture-rack drop) with a superkick (3:12 aired); Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley had told Brie Bella to stay in the backstage area.  Paige Knight returned for the save and cleared Naomi and Tamina out of the ring...but then dropped Nikki with the Ram-Paige(cradle DDT).

Anarchy + 3XW

Anarchy Wrestling TV #484

-Commentators:  Brett Wolverton & John "The Body" Johnson.
-C.B. Suave, "P-Dog" Mike Posey, & Raphael King(w/ Devyn Nicole & Nina Money) d. Shadow Jackson, Jacob Ashworth, & Antrone "D.A." Brewer when King pinned Brewer after a Rock Bottom (10:23 aired).
-T.V. Champion "The Encore" Kevin Blue & Young Lions' Champion "The Violence Artist" Trever Aeon(w/ Miss Rachael) d. Wade Adams & Chris Spectra when Blue pinned Spectra after the Blue Cross(Air Raid Crash) (4:57).
-"The Lethal Dose" Stryknyn d. "The Angel Of Death" Azrael(w/ "The Undead Luchador" Supernatural) by DQ when Supernatural interfered (3:29).  Afterwards, the Silent Kill Syndicate delivered a spiked version of Azrael's Green Manalishi With The Two-Pronged Crown(sitout Tombstone).
-The main event was scheduled to be "The Priest Of Punishment" Mikael Judas & Bobby Moore vs. Jagged Edge & B.J. Hancock, but Judas was not there...Moore decided to go down swinging, kick-starting the matchup as a handicap bout.  Midway through the match, Moore got an unlikely assist from a familiar face...
-"Hit For Hire" Bobby Moore & "The Technician" Todd Sexton fought Heavyweight Champion Jagged Edge & "The Modern Classic" B.J. Hancock(w/ Miss Rachael) to a double DQ when the referee was shoved by members of both teams (7:44 aired).  The entire Platinum Family stormed the ring to attack Moore & Sexton..."Wrestling's Most Dangerous Weapon" Geter took out Jerry Palmer and several fan favorites tried to help but were beaten down.  Palmer tried to take matters into his own hands but Jagged Edge hit him with his own axhandle.  Tag Team Champion "The Real" Slim J took a beating as well...when his partner Fred Yehi entered the ring, Stephen Platinum ordered his stable to retreat.  The Anarchy crew stood tall to close the show, but there was obvious distrust about Yehi's alligiences.  Everyone left the ring but Yehi, but Palmer shook Yehi's hand in a show of trust.

3XW All Stars Of The Midwest Episode 18

-Commentators:  Jeremy Jacobs, Brady A. Dezire, Todd Countryman, & Skylar Pierce.
-Ray Stryker d. "Chainsaw" S.M. King via rollup (7:29).
-Rory Fox d. Adrian Alexander by rolling through a cross-bodyblock off the top rope and holding the tights (10:46).

WWE Payback

-"R-Truth" Ron Killings d. Stardust with the Lie Detector(Paydirt).
-The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) d. The Meta Powers("Macho Mandow" Damien Sandow & "Axelmania" Curtis Axel) when Konnor pinned Sandow after the Fall Of Man(legsweep/flying European uppercut combo).
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy d. Dolph Ziggler with the Brogue Kick.
-The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)(w/ Xavier Woods) d. Antonio Cesaro & Tyson Kidd(w/ Natalya Neidhart) in a best-of-three-falls match to retain the Tag Team Titles.  Cesaro & Kidd won the first fall when Kidd pinned Kofi after the giant swing/basement dropkick combo.  The New Day won the second fall when Kofi pinned Kidd after the Midnight Hour(Big Ending/second-rope flying DDT combo).  Woods switched places with Kofi while the referee was distracted and small-packaged Cesaro for the final pin.
-Bray Wyatt d. Ryback; a finisher-blocking sequence led to a turnbuckle pad being pulled off, then Wyatt rammed Ryback into the exposed metal before winning with Sister Abigail.
-John Cena d. Alexander Rusev(w/ Lana Perry) in an I Quit Match to retain the U.S. Title.  Rusev unscrewed the top rope, but Cena took him down into the STF using the top rope for extra leverage.  Rusev yelled out in Bulgarian and Lana told the referee that he had quit.
-Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka d. The Bella Twins(Women's Champion Nikki & Brie) when Naomi pinned Nikki after slamming her off the top rope.
-"The Man That Gravity Forgot" Adrian Neville d. King Wade "Bad News" Barrett by countout when Barrett stopped short of re-entering the ring after Neville hit a twisting plancha.  Barrett leveled Neville with the Royal Bullhammer after the match...but Neville German-suplexed him right out of his royal crown, breaking his scepter.  Neville hit the Red Arrow(corkscrew shooting star press) after that.
-Seth Rollins(w/ Jamie Knoble, Joey Mercury, & Kane) won a four-corner match with Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Randy Orton to retain the WWE Title when he pinned Orton after the Pedigree(!).