Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's St. Louis Anarchy show at the Spaulding Hall Club in Alton, Illinois.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
The Midwest got a few inches of snow on Sunday morning, but the roads were clear by showtime...despite that, attendance was noticably down for the second part of the weekend doubleheader. I suspect fans may have been worn out from the lengthy Saturday event as well, but that's just my own theory. At least this time there were no worries about travel issues as Chris Hero was already in town.
Your event host was Jordan Lacey, your ring announcer was Sean Orleans, and your referees were Brandon Tolle, Austin Heiberg, and P.J. Drummond.
Lacey started the show by introducing new Heavyweight Champion Mat Fitchett. Fitchett was showing the battle scars from his title win the night before...and he told the fans that he wasn't cleared to wrestle due to a concussion. That brought out Christian Rose to claim a case of testicular deficiency on the titleholder's part...and THAT brought out Gerald James & Dorian Victor to confront Rose over his betrayal. Gerald was banged up as well, but Rose backed out of the ring...leaving Fitchett and Gerald to do the mutual-respect thing. Fitchett said he'd be more than happy to grant James a rematch once he was cleared to return to action.
Steve O. Reno vs. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins: Indie guys seem to change their theme music all the time, so recognition by music can be tough. Of course it's a bit easier when there's a double-shot like this one, so I was able to ID Bucky by the song "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls. Bwahahaha. This time around, Reno was the clear fan favorite...they had a standoff over their respective "sexy vests", leading to several cases of wardrobe abuse. THAT VEST HAS A FAMILY~! (...I'll keep saying it until someone laughs...*waits for awkward laughter*...okay then...) Bucky won and Reno lost on Saturday, so I guess this evened things out for them; Reno got the victory with a Buff Blockbuster in 9:59. The match featured such chants as "Vest! Vest! Vest!"(a la "Yes! Yes! Yes!") and "Vest In The World!"...outstanding.
Stephen Wolf vs. "Dirty" Andy Dalton: Wolf had a fine pair of outings in his Anarchy debut weekend while Dalton went 2-0...it wasn't pretty on his side of things, but you wouldn't expect that from a guy named "Dirty". Maybe he should feud with Jake Dirden over that. Anywho, Dalton won a solid match after a cheapshot while using the referee as a shield...he finished with a piledriver in 6:53 or so(I forgot to write down the exact time...oopsie).
Roscoe Eat Lisa("Zesty" Zakk Sawyers & "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan) vs. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful): Three matches in the show and we had clear face/heel structures...woo. Sawyers was isolated for a little while, but McFinnegan got the hot tag and things broke down from there. A few more tags were made and near-falls were exchanged...Mikey got the fall on Iggy after an over-the-shoulder powerslam/running neckbreaker drop with Zakk in 12:19.
Roy Lewis vs. "Absolute" Ricky Starks: Starks was still in "NXT superstar" mode and Lewis was enthused to be wrestling him...but the match didn't last too long. This was Lewis' first singles match in SLA (he teamed with Jay Howard at the PWCS joint show in December). Starks won after a chokeslam in 3:21, then proclaimed the win to be a "WrestleMania moment" before leaving his kneepads in the ring...ha ha. The next referee got major boos for picking up the pads to get them out of the way.
Davey Vega vs. Trik Davis: This was a battle of fan favorites, but there was a minor underlying story as Davis' mentor Chris Hero was upset by Vega last May. This was a really good matchup, though I expected the general style of SLA to be weird from my perspective after Daniel Bryan's retirement. It's something that makes you cringe a bit more at the harder strikes, unprotected headbutts, and head-and-neck-first landings. I'm just saying: Don't use up your physical mileage so quickly. (Yeah, I'm getting old.) Vega delivered a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles that practically stood Trik on his head...eep. He followed that up with the brainbuster onto the knee for the win in 13:57...nicely done.
Gerald James(w/ Dorain Victor) vs. Christian Rose: Gerald and Dorian hit the ring and called out Rose to kick-start this matchup...it had been a while since I'd seen these two lock horns (at an All-American Pro Wrestling show in Nashville IL!). Among the more distinctive theme songs of the weekend was Rose's as he entered to "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats...I hear it on 105.7 The Point A LOT. Gerald started the match off fast with a suicide dive as Rose was entering...it was more of a brawl than anything else. Normally you'd go with the larger competitor in a striking contest, but never underestimate Gary Jay in that department. However, the damage from the previous night was a big factor; Gerald was in rough shape after taking several cradle piledrivers from Fitchett. Gerald occupied the referee long enough for Victor to run in and spear Rose(getting some payback for the previous night's sneak attack)...however, Gerald's subsequent headlock driver only got a near-fall. Rose was able to lock on the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) in the middle of the ring, punctuating the hold with stomps to the head until the referee finally stopped the bout in 9:29. It was definitely a statement win for Rose over the former champion...and he cemented his position as the top contender to the title.
Intermission~! Official Ben Simon Concession Count: Three sodas(root beer, Pepsi, Mountain Dew) and a bag of honey-roasted peanuts. Mmm, peanuts.
"The Money" Matt Cage vs. Alex Castle, last-man-standing match: This whole feud started last year; Castle turned on Cage after The Kentucky Buffet lost to The Viking War Party in the Tag Team Title tournament. Since then, they've been at each other's throats and this would HOPEFULLY settle the issue. I wonder how Castle's previously-mentioned ex-fiancee will respond to being referenced in Cage's Saturday promo...hmm. At any rate, this was another brawl with a lot of weapons brought into play. Cage's ankle was still sore from Paco's anklelock on Saturday, so Castle focused on that body part. Despite the feud, the fans don't seem to react too much to Castle...but then the Sunday crowd was a bit mild at times anyway. Cage managed to survive two Pedigrees and finally blasted Castle in the head with a chair...that was enough to keep him down for the ten-count in 13:57.
Mike Outlaw vs. Paco Gonzalez: This was another battle of fan favorites; Paco won a previous counter between the two in Dynamo Pro, but that was a year and a half ago and a lot has changed with both guys. Thought they had a fine outing, but the crowd was kinda tough on this night so a face/face matchup was going to be a hard sell. Paco scored a slight upset after a hanging Codebreaker out of the corner in 8:37 (the matches were noticably shorter than on Saturday since they weren't Holding Out For A Hero(tm) this time around).
Chris Hero vs. Jojo Bravo: SLA has just been cursed in its effort to book a final blowoff for Jojo and Michael Elgin; Elgin was wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling this past weekend. (In that regard, pardon the namedropping: Shoutout to Matt Sydal for winning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles with Ricochet!) I'll leave the debate about Hero's physique to other people: It sounds like there have been other factors out of his control that may have played a role in that. The guy is still great in the ring and hopefully he'll be on a big stage again in the near future. One of my colleagues admitted his perspective about the huge-moves-for-near-falls aspect of the Ring Of Honor style in this promotion; it's understandable, especially when guys are surviving finishers left and right. In this bout, Bravo survived not one but TWO piledrivers from Hero...Memphis wrestling fans would have heart attacks if they saw that. Despite Jojo's strong showing, his losing streak continued as Hero won with the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) in 20:02. Afterwards, Hero said that he'd like to visit this area a bit more often(woo) and He Wants Da Belt...ooh. He even promised to give Jojo the first shot at the belt if/when he wins it.
The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) & The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) vs. The Cause(Tag Team Champion Evan Gelistico, Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn), elimination-tag street fight: Mr. Blackburn(discarding his neckbrace) was a last-minute replacement for Adam Caster; Mr. Caster was said to have been injured in the previous night's four-corner Tag Title match. Mr. Gelistico's mic work seemed to suggest that the belts were at stake in this bout, but that was never clarified (especially the minor detail of who would get the belts if The Cause lost). It didn't take long for this one to get out of hand as the eight guys brawled all over the building. Chairs flew early and often, as you might expect with the fan favorite side of the equation. However, it was a bit of subterfuge that led to the first elimination as Mr. Connors stunned Devin with a low blow and rolled up him for a cheap pin in 8:24. The good guys managed to get things back in their favor as the Vikings stacked up their prey: Parnell hit the Codebreaker on Mr. Blackburn, then Rudolph chokeslammed Mr. Connors onto Blackburn while Parnell held him across his knees. After THAT, Mason Cutter double-stomped the pile from the second rope! Rudolph mercifully pinned Blackburn after that carnage in 12:11.
Unfortunately for his side, The American Viking was the next to go as Mr. Gelistico knocked him out with the Rulebook and pinned him in 12:53. The Cause maintained the momentum as Mr. Adams took out Mason Cutter with a reverse Stunner onto a set-up chair in 15:40...leaving The Littlest Viking by himself against three opponents.
The Cause members toyed with their lone adversary, but wasted too much time and Parnell was able to battle back. Parnell eliminated Mr. Connors with a pumphandle powerbomb in 21:07. A miscue led to Mr. Gelistico wiping out Mr. Adams with the Rulebook and Parnell rolled up Gelistico in 23:41...so it came down to Jake Parnell and Danny Adams. Parnell survived a lot of punishment, but the referee was knocked down in the midst of the chaos. Parnell hit the pumphandle powerbomb and a referee ran in to count...but it was Austin Blackburn in the striped shirt and he stopped short of the three-count. The momentary distraction was enough for Adams to deliver the reverse Stunner and win the final fall in 29:17...whew.
The Cause members hit the ring to do more damage to The Littlest Viking, but Alexandre Rudolph and The Hooligans ran back out for the save. Mr. Gelistico and company bailed but Blackburn was caught in the ring...the hapless underling was subjected to an obscene amount of pain for his actions. The Hooligans delivered their wheelbarrow/second-rope flying DDT double-team to drop Blackburn on a chair, then Parnell followed up with the pumphandle powerbomb...a bloody Blackburn was left laying in the ring for a long time after his adversaries had left. It took some time before they finally assisted the unconscious official from the ring area.
Comedy takes precedence for me this coming weekend as I have a show in O'Fallon, Missouri on Saturday night...local wrestling fans have three choices for their evening entertainment. Dynamo Pro Wrestling returns to The Ready Room in St. Louis, MO. Pro Wrestling Championship Series starts their third season in Granite City, IL with the St. Louis Invitational Tournament. Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling has their monthly offering in East Carondelet, IL. You can't go wrong with any of those three options...go where your wrestling tastes lead you. On top of that, Wrestling Invades America has its anniversary show in Swansea on Sunday...so I'll be in the house for that event.
February wraps up with several shows on tap for the 27th. Dynamo is back in Wood River, IL and World League Wrestling has its first show of the year in Troy, MO. For the more adventurous types, High Risk Wrestling debuts in its new home of Warsaw, MO; also, World Powerhouse Wrestling has a show on Collinsville, IL.
That's my special comment for this, the sixth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
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WWE(www.wwe.com)
Main Event this week has:
-The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) vs. The Social Outcasts(Heath Slater, Curtis Axel, & Adam Rose)
-Adrian Neville & Zack Ryder vs. Tyler Breeze & Stardust
-Paige Knight vs. Summer Rae
NXT this Wednesday has:
-Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe
-Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Jason Jordan, & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Wesley Blake, & Buddy Murphy
-Alex Riley vs. Tye Dillinger
-Asuka Urai vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Superstars this week has:
-Jack Swagger vs. Johnny Fandango
-Natalya Neidhart vs. Alicia Fox
Smackdown on Thursday has:
-Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Dudley Boys(Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von)
-Dolph Ziggler & The Lucha Dragons(Kalisto & Sin Cara) vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, & Alexander Rusev
-Chris Jericho vs. Mike Mizanin
-Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya Neidhart
-Sasha Banks vs. Tamina Snuka
Fast Lane is on Sunday 2/22:
-Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar
-Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler - Intercontinental Title
-Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio - U.S. Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-Charlotte Flair vs. Brie Bella - Women's Title
-A.J. Styles vs. Chris Jericho
-Ryback, The Big Show, & Kane vs. Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan
-Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka
TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)
Impact on Tuesday(Lockdown) has:
-Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III - Heavyweight Title Cage Match
-Beer Money(Bobby Roode & James Storm) vs. Eric Young & Bram Cameron - Cage Match
-Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, & Velvet Sky vs. Mia "Jade" Yim, Marti Belle, & Rebel - Lethal Lockdown Match
-Trevor Lee vs. Tigre Uno - X-Division Title Cage Match
-Odarg The Great vs. Eli Drake - Cage Match
RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)
ROH TV this week has:
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. A.C.H. & Alex Shelley
-Roderick Strong vs. Jonathan Gresham - T.V. Title
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. Brutal Bob Evans & Tim Hughes
Next show is Friday 2/26 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly - Heavyweight Title
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Moose
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus) - Tag Team Titles - No-DQ Match
-Matt Sydal, A.C.H., & Yujiro Kushida vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)
-Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
ROH has a show on Saturday 2/27 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Kenny Omega vs. A.C.H.
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Adam Cole
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)
World Pro Wrestling this Friday has:
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe
LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.luchaunderground.com)
This week's episode has:
-Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr.
-Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco)
-Brian Cage vs. Joey Ryan
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ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 5/20 in Alton, IL:
-Mat Fitchett vs. Christian Rose - Heavyweight Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Team I.O.U.(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) - Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament
-The Viking War Party(Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa(Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan) - Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament
SLA has a show on Saturday 5/21 in Alton, IL:
-Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament Final
DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 2/20 in St. Louis, MO(Ready Room):
-Ricky Cruz vs. Brandon Espinosa - MWR Missouri Title
-Outtkast vs. Jayden Fenix - D-1 Title
-High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) vs. Justin D'Air & Keon Option - Tag Team Titles
-Brandon Aarons vs. Kevin Lee Davidson
DPW has a show on Saturday 2/27 in Wood River, IL.
SICW(www.sicw.org)
Next show is Saturday 2/20 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Ron Powers & Ken Kasa vs. Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll
-Gary Jackson vs. Curtis Wylde
-Sean Vincent vs. Dave Vaughn
-Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Ax Allwardt
MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)
Next show is Saturday 3/12 in St. Louis, MO.
PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 2/20 in Granite City, IL featuring the St. Louis Invitational Tournament:
-Makaze & Jojo Bravo(Blacklist) vs. Gary Jay & Pierre Abernathy(Submission Squad)
-Mat Fitchett vs. K.C. Karrington - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Davey Vega vs. Everett Connors - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Adam Caster - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Zakk Sawyers vs. Mark Sterling - Tournament Quarterfinal
HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)
Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Warsaw, MO:
-Ricky Cruz vs. Brandon Aarons - MWR Missouri Title
-Mike Outlaw & Justin D'Air vs. The Riegel Twins(Logan & Sterling) - Tag Team Titles
-Jack Gamble vs. Tyler Copeland - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Ryan Howe vs. Elvis Aliaga - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Billy McNeil vs. Tony Kozina - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Mike Sydal - Heavyweight Title Tournament
PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 4/9 in Kansas City, KS:
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Rhino - Heavyweight Title
3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 3/4 in Des Moines, IA:
-Nate Redwing vs. Jake Dirden - Heavyweight Title
-Kraig Keesaman vs. Marek Brave - Pure Wrestling Title
-Black Wrestlers Matter(Jon West & James Grizzle) vs. Mad Dog McDowell & Devin Carter - Tag Team Titles
-Ricky Cruz vs. Preston Maxwell
-Devin Thomas & Adrian Alexander vs. Jaysin Strife & J.C. Slater
-Brandon Espinosa vs. Stephen M. King
WLW(www.harleyrace.com)
Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Troy, MO:
-Appearing: Ted DiBiase
GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/outlawwrestling01)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)
Next show is Sunday 2/21 in Swansea, IL:
-Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Brandon Espinosa - Heavyweight Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-Brandon Aarons vs. Tyler Copeland - PWE Heavyweight Title
-LaMarcus Clinton & Chase King vs. Adam Caster & Tony Kozina - Tag Team Titles
-Derek Moss vs. Da'Marius Jones
CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)
Next show is Saturday 4/30 in Lebanon, MO.
WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home)
Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Collinsville, IL:
-Xavier Frost & Curtis Payne vs. Damian Blade & The Searcher
-Uriah Eleazar vs. Bronson - U.S. Title
NEW BREED WRESTING(www.facebook.com/NewBreedMO)
Next show is Saturday 3/26 in Eldon, MO
-The Math Magician vs. "Iceman" Howard Moritz - Mask vs. Dress Match
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EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)
Next show is Saturday 3/19 in Queens, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle - Heavyweight Title
EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 3/20 in Brooklyn, NY.
PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)
Next show is Friday 3/4 in Reseda, CA:
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal - Tag Team Titles
-Roderick Strong vs. Mark Andrews
-Trevor Lee vs. Chuck Taylor
-Chris Hero vs. Marty Scurll
-Drew Galloway vs. Trent Barreta
-Tommy End vs. Kyle O'Reilly
-Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
PWG has a show on Saturday 3/5 in Reseda, CA:
-Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Heavyweight Title
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) - Tag Team Titles
-Chuck Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
-Mark Andrews vs. Evil Uno
-Drew Galloway vs. Trevor Lee
-Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Heroes Eventually Die(Chris Hero & Tommy End)
-Adam Cole vs. Trent Barreta
CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)
Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Bronx, NY.
CHIKARA has a show on Sunday 2/28 in Philadelphia, PA.
WHY WE WRESTLE(www.anarchy-wrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Cornelia, GA.
HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)
Next show is Saturday 4/16 in Philadelphia, PA.
SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)
Next show is Saturday 4/2 in Dallas, TX featuring the Heart Of SHIMMER Title tournament.
SHIMMER has shows on Saturday 6/25 and Sunday 6/26 in Chicago, IL.
SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)
Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.
AAW(www.aawrestling.com)
Next show is Friday 2/19 in Merrionette Park, IL:
-Eddie Kingston vs. Sami Callihan - Heavyweight Title
-Abyss & Kongo Kong vs. Ryan Boz & Russ Jones - Monster's Ball Match
-A.R. Fox vs. Matt Cage - Heritage Title
-Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano vs. Chris Hero & Drew Gulak
-Zero Gravity(Brett Gakiya & C.J. Esparza) vs. Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett
ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)
Next show is Sunday 2/21 in Austin, TX:
-Jojo Bravo vs. Raymond Rowe - Heavyweight Title
-The Unholy Complex(Gregory James & Jason Silver) vs. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Bad Boyz(Li'l Tony & Seph Anunnaki) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa(Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan) - Tag Team Titles
-Scot Summers vs. Darin Childs vs. Jay Howard vs. Ricky Starks
-Steve O. Reno vs. Curt Stallion
-Angel Blue vs. Baby Dumplins - Joshi Title
-End Of Days(Killah Kash & Sky DeLacrimosa) vs. The Troy Athletic Club(J.A. Fair & Roy Lewis)
-Jeff Gant vs. Jack Jameson - T.V. Title
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
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
WWE Raw
-Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Kevin Owens won a five-way match with Dean Ambrose(C), Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, and Stardust to win the Intercontinental Title when he pinned Breeze after the pop-up powerbomb (9:02 aired).
-Tag Team Champion Big E Langston(w/ Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) d. Mark Henry after an over-the-shoulder drop to the mat(it seemed like Henry was injured after hitting the turnbuckles and couldn't take the full-fledged Big Ending) (joined in progress; 4:41 aired).
-A.J. Styles d. Mike Mizanin with the Calf Crusher (8:19 aired); Chris Jericho did commentary.
-Summer Rae d. Paige Knight by countering the scorpion crosslock setup with a modified victory roll pin (3:41).
-Heath Slater(w/ Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, & Adam Rose) d. Zack Ryder with the Smash Hit(elevated DDT) (2:08).
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, & Alexander Rusev(w/ King Wade "Bad News" Barrett) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara) & Adrian Neville; Del Rio pinned Sin Cara after a top-rope double-stomp while Sin Cara was hung up on the middle rope (5:53 aired).
-Becky Lynch d. Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) with the Dis-Arm-Her(armbar submission) (2:08). Naomi & Tamina attacked Becky until Sasha Banks arrived to run them off.
-The Big Show d. Braun Strowman(w/ Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan) by DQ when the other Wyatt Family members interfered (2:30). Ryback and Kane(ripping his way up through the ring) made the save.
-Kevin Owens won a five-way match with Dean Ambrose(C), Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, and Stardust to win the Intercontinental Title when he pinned Breeze after the pop-up powerbomb (9:02 aired).
-Tag Team Champion Big E Langston(w/ Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) d. Mark Henry after an over-the-shoulder drop to the mat(it seemed like Henry was injured after hitting the turnbuckles and couldn't take the full-fledged Big Ending) (joined in progress; 4:41 aired).
-A.J. Styles d. Mike Mizanin with the Calf Crusher (8:19 aired); Chris Jericho did commentary.
-Summer Rae d. Paige Knight by countering the scorpion crosslock setup with a modified victory roll pin (3:41).
-Heath Slater(w/ Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, & Adam Rose) d. Zack Ryder with the Smash Hit(elevated DDT) (2:08).
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, & Alexander Rusev(w/ King Wade "Bad News" Barrett) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara) & Adrian Neville; Del Rio pinned Sin Cara after a top-rope double-stomp while Sin Cara was hung up on the middle rope (5:53 aired).
-Becky Lynch d. Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) with the Dis-Arm-Her(armbar submission) (2:08). Naomi & Tamina attacked Becky until Sasha Banks arrived to run them off.
-The Big Show d. Braun Strowman(w/ Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan) by DQ when the other Wyatt Family members interfered (2:30). Ryback and Kane(ripping his way up through the ring) made the save.
SLA Special Comment (Part 1)
Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's St. Louis Anarchy show at the Spaulding Hall Club in Alton, Illinois.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
Anarchy went with a Saturday/Sunday doubleheader this past weekend as opposed to the usual Friday/Saturday double-shot; I don't know the reason, though I think the building had a fish fry on Friday. The lineup went through a few changes as they had originally booked Jojo Bravo vs. Michael Elgin, but Elgin was touring with New Japan Pro Wrestling so they brought in Chris Hero instead. This show had the better turnout of the two for a few different reasons and I'll get to those in the next commentary...
Your ring announcer was Kyle McNeil; your referees were Austin Heiberg(he has a name~!), Brandon Tolle, & P.J. Drummond.
Promoter Pierre Abernathy and Davey Vega started the show...Pierre told the fans that Hero's flight had been delayed, but they were adding a match or two to the card to give him time to get to the building. As a result, the show ran close to five hours...not quite GCW-reunion-show length, but more in the ballpark of alienate-Ben-Simon's-girlfriend length. (Sorry, inzide jokez.) I joked that the subtitle for Part 1 of Gateway To Anarchy could easily be "Holding Out For A Hero"...
Davey Vega acknowledged the passing of Darren Dean, who had competed for St. Louis Anarchy on a few occasions(usually teaming with Aaron Solo(w)). That segued into the ten-bell salute.
Justin D'Air & The K.C. Wolves(Luke Langley & Graham Bell) vs. Kevin Lee Davidson, Sean Orleans, & Kody Krash: I'd seen the Wolves listed in other show results(specifically Metro Pro Wrestling) but this was my first time seeing them in person. Hadn't seen Texas wrestler Krash before this show. This was K.L.D.'s debut and he made an immediate impression as D'Air and the Wolves did their best to prevent his entry into the match. However, the big man got a tag and it was downhill from there for the opposing trio. The finishing sequence saw multiple dives until only Orleans was left in the ring...however, Orleans loudly proclaimed that he wouldn't risk his neck with such a move. Bwahahaha. However, Bell got a hold of Orleans and Awesome-Bombed him over the top rope onto everyone else at ringside! K.L.D. finished Langley with his spinebuster finisher in 14:02, lifting Langley high enough that his head bumped a ceiling panel...the big man got over in a major way in his St. Louis Anarchy debut.
"The Money" Matt Cage vs. Paco Gonzalez: Cage wore a "Straight Outta My Closet" T-shirt in rainbow colors...heh. Paco finally got trunks and Cage acknowledged the wardrobe change by noting that he got his "big-boy pants". Paco went for the anklelock multiple times in the match, resulting in Cage limping in the late stages of the bout. That tactic led to his downfall as Cage countered the last anklelock attempt into a victory roll pin in 13:55. Alex Castle attemped another sneak attack, but Cage saw him coming and Castle backed off. That led to Cage speaking his mind about the implosion of the Kentucky Buffet tag team...he said that Castle let his other relationships get in the way of the team's success. They did a good job of building to the following night's last-man-standing match between the two.
Mike Outlaw vs. Christian Rose: Was looking forward to this one; felt like their styles would mesh really well. Oddly, it turned out to be the shortest match of the night as it was the only bout to go under ten minutes. Wouldn't mind seeing them tie up again in the future. Rose got the tapout win with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) in 8:36.
Stephen Wolf vs. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins: Hadn't seen Bucky in several years(think he worked for High Voltage Wrestling a few times); he's been managing The Hooligans in All-American Wrestling in recent months. Saw Wolf for the first time at Outlaw Wrestling a few months ago; this was the Anarchy debut for both men. I immediately fantasy-booked a tag team of Buck Nasty and Dirty Andy Dalton...bwahahaha. Bucky's an entertaining heel and the women in the audience were decidedly unimpressed by his mannerisms. Buck Nasty won a good match with a crucifix bomb in 12:58.
"Zesty" Zakk Sawyers vs. Steve O. Reno: Both guys were fan favorites in this one, though Reno seemed to be the subtle heel. It could have gone either way, though Zakk recently challenged Gerald James for the Heavyweight Title. I've been over it a few times before, but a lot of the SLA undercards seem thrown together for the sake of "hey, cool wrestling matches!" I would have had trouble telling you most of the matches on either of the shows this past weekend...ah well. Sawyers stepped off the turnbuckles and jumped backwards into a Diamond Cutter variant, getting the pinfall in 14:51.
The Cause(Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster)(w/ Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & referee Austin Blackburn) vs. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) vs. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) for the Tag Team Titles: This was the Anarchy debut for Iggy and Awful; they were in the rulebreaking role with two very popular teams as the other challengers. This was as chaotic as expected; I.O.U. would get a better chance to shine in their standard tag match on the Sunday show. Parnell attempted a tiger suplex on Caster that didn't do either guy any favors...I don't know if that was the reason for Caster's absence on Sunday, but it looked rough. The Vikings dished out a huge pileup of humanity as Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Awful, then Rudolph chokeslammed Iggy onto Awful as Parnell held Awful across his knees! Chaos broke loose at that point, allowing Mr. Gelistico to steal the fall on Iggy in 12:30.
Davey Vega vs. "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt(w/ Greg Jovi): This was another bout I was looking forward to seeing. They crossed paths in Dynamo Pro Wrestling several years ago, but both have raised their games since that time. I was a bit distracted during this bout, but it was really good and the longest match of the night. Jovi interfered a bit, which led to Vega sliding out of the ring and wiping out the manager with a pump kick...bwahahaha. Wyatt focused his attack on the leg to potentially set up for his hanging half-crab submission hold...he got Vega in a figure-four leglock at one point, but Vega got to the ropes to escape. Wyatt went for the hold again and Vega small-packaged him for the flash pin in 29:27(!). Surprisingly, Wyatt offered a post-match handshake and Vega accepted the gesture without incident...though Wyatt swiped a kid's pizza on the way to the backstage area. *snicker*
Intermission~! Given the length of the show, I indulged a bit and had a total of four sodas: Two Mountain Dews, a root beer, and a Pepsi. There's your Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm).
"The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan vs. "Absolute" Ricky Starks: Starks was on cloud nine after his recent appearance on NXT...of course, that lasted all of about ten seconds and most of his TV time was being chucked out of the ring by Colin Cassady. He felt like he was on his way to bigger and better things and took on a decidedly arrogant attitude as a result...he even had an "I'm A Hugger" T-shirt that he personally received from NXT Women's Champion Bayley Rose. McFinnegan tried on the shirt for size, much to Starks' dismay. They had a fine match, ending with Starks hitting the double-underhook faceplant in 11:58.
Jojo Bravo vs. "Dirty" Andy Dalton: Jojo's been in a bit of a slump recently, partially due to questionable calls by the officials. Of course Dalton will take any opportunity presented to him, so that was right up his alley. Bravo had the momentum, but a near-collision with the referee gave Dalton the opening to deliver an undetected punt to the Universal Weak Point(tm). Dalton rolled up Jojo for the win in 10:13, adding to Bravo's existing frustration.
Chris Hero & Trik Davis vs. Danny Adams & Everett Connors(w/ Tag Team Champions Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster & Austin Blackburn): Right around 11:00 PM, Hero was ready to go for this penultimate match of the evening. Hero and Trik go way back, dating back to their early days in IWA Mid-South. This was an unusual choice for one of Hero's matches for the weekend, in my opinion. If I was fantasy-booking, I would have liked to see him against Christian Rose...Rose's style was compared to Hero's for a little while. Perhaps that could happen down the line...hint hint. The match got a lot of time, though the fans didn't seem to see Mr. Adams and Mr. Connors as a legitimate threat to win. Hero hit the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) on Adams, then Davis followed up with a Diamond Cutter and Hero got the three-count in 24:23.
Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) vs. Mat Fitchett, best-of-three-falls for the Heavyweight Title: James had held the title for a mind-blowing 862 days (over two years and totalling 28 months). Fitchett battled James on several occasions, winning some non-title encounters but never being able to unseat the champion. That included one particularly humbling encounter when James beat him in two straight falls. Fitchett infiltrated the BOSS stable under the Dangerous Deveroux mask and nearly cost James the title to Davey Vega, but it was not to be...however, Fitchett earned one more title shot with his victory in the Anarchy Rumble in November. Notably, Victor went to the backstage area instead of staying at ringside for the main event.
They went right after each other from the opening bell, throwing huge bombs right out of the gate...knowing the people involved, that says a lot. Gerald won a quick first fall with the Michinoku Driver in a brisk 3:24. Fitchett lifted Gerald into a torture rack and dropped him into a reverse Go 2 Sleep(hitting the knee to the back of the head) for a near-fall, but hitting the move a second time was enough to even the score in 6:13. Things got really wild in the final fall as Fitchett lawndarted Gerald into the wall, then hit the cradle piledriver in the ring for a near-fall. Gerald managed to fight back, but Fitchett countered a piledriver attempt on the apron by backdropping him onto the edge of the ring! Fitchett set the champion up on the turnbuckles, but Gerald came back with a flying DDT onto the edge of the ring...eep. Fitchett was left bloody, but incredibly managed to keep fighting...he delivered a cradle pildriver on the floor(!), then one more in the ring to FINALLY capture the title in 11:28!
Davey Vega celebrated with the new champion, who had to be assisted from the ring...we found out the following night that Fitchett had suffered a concussion. Dorian Victor and Christian Rose went to the ring to help the former champion...but out of nowhere, Rose turned on both of them! Rose locked James in the No-Leaf Clover, yelling at him "YOU LOST!" before leaving the "father and son" laying in the ring. After all of that, James addressed the fans...he said that whether they loved or hated him, he had hopefully earned their respect after his long title reign. He wasn't sure how much longer he had to wrestle, but he'd keep fighting...woo.
The weekend was far from over, but that's another commentary for another time...stay tuned. Same Pat-Time, Same Pat-Channel.
That's my special comment for this, the fifth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
DISCLAIMER: I'm biased. Deal with it.
Anarchy went with a Saturday/Sunday doubleheader this past weekend as opposed to the usual Friday/Saturday double-shot; I don't know the reason, though I think the building had a fish fry on Friday. The lineup went through a few changes as they had originally booked Jojo Bravo vs. Michael Elgin, but Elgin was touring with New Japan Pro Wrestling so they brought in Chris Hero instead. This show had the better turnout of the two for a few different reasons and I'll get to those in the next commentary...
Your ring announcer was Kyle McNeil; your referees were Austin Heiberg(he has a name~!), Brandon Tolle, & P.J. Drummond.
Promoter Pierre Abernathy and Davey Vega started the show...Pierre told the fans that Hero's flight had been delayed, but they were adding a match or two to the card to give him time to get to the building. As a result, the show ran close to five hours...not quite GCW-reunion-show length, but more in the ballpark of alienate-Ben-Simon's-girlfriend length. (Sorry, inzide jokez.) I joked that the subtitle for Part 1 of Gateway To Anarchy could easily be "Holding Out For A Hero"...
Davey Vega acknowledged the passing of Darren Dean, who had competed for St. Louis Anarchy on a few occasions(usually teaming with Aaron Solo(w)). That segued into the ten-bell salute.
Justin D'Air & The K.C. Wolves(Luke Langley & Graham Bell) vs. Kevin Lee Davidson, Sean Orleans, & Kody Krash: I'd seen the Wolves listed in other show results(specifically Metro Pro Wrestling) but this was my first time seeing them in person. Hadn't seen Texas wrestler Krash before this show. This was K.L.D.'s debut and he made an immediate impression as D'Air and the Wolves did their best to prevent his entry into the match. However, the big man got a tag and it was downhill from there for the opposing trio. The finishing sequence saw multiple dives until only Orleans was left in the ring...however, Orleans loudly proclaimed that he wouldn't risk his neck with such a move. Bwahahaha. However, Bell got a hold of Orleans and Awesome-Bombed him over the top rope onto everyone else at ringside! K.L.D. finished Langley with his spinebuster finisher in 14:02, lifting Langley high enough that his head bumped a ceiling panel...the big man got over in a major way in his St. Louis Anarchy debut.
"The Money" Matt Cage vs. Paco Gonzalez: Cage wore a "Straight Outta My Closet" T-shirt in rainbow colors...heh. Paco finally got trunks and Cage acknowledged the wardrobe change by noting that he got his "big-boy pants". Paco went for the anklelock multiple times in the match, resulting in Cage limping in the late stages of the bout. That tactic led to his downfall as Cage countered the last anklelock attempt into a victory roll pin in 13:55. Alex Castle attemped another sneak attack, but Cage saw him coming and Castle backed off. That led to Cage speaking his mind about the implosion of the Kentucky Buffet tag team...he said that Castle let his other relationships get in the way of the team's success. They did a good job of building to the following night's last-man-standing match between the two.
Mike Outlaw vs. Christian Rose: Was looking forward to this one; felt like their styles would mesh really well. Oddly, it turned out to be the shortest match of the night as it was the only bout to go under ten minutes. Wouldn't mind seeing them tie up again in the future. Rose got the tapout win with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) in 8:36.
Stephen Wolf vs. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins: Hadn't seen Bucky in several years(think he worked for High Voltage Wrestling a few times); he's been managing The Hooligans in All-American Wrestling in recent months. Saw Wolf for the first time at Outlaw Wrestling a few months ago; this was the Anarchy debut for both men. I immediately fantasy-booked a tag team of Buck Nasty and Dirty Andy Dalton...bwahahaha. Bucky's an entertaining heel and the women in the audience were decidedly unimpressed by his mannerisms. Buck Nasty won a good match with a crucifix bomb in 12:58.
"Zesty" Zakk Sawyers vs. Steve O. Reno: Both guys were fan favorites in this one, though Reno seemed to be the subtle heel. It could have gone either way, though Zakk recently challenged Gerald James for the Heavyweight Title. I've been over it a few times before, but a lot of the SLA undercards seem thrown together for the sake of "hey, cool wrestling matches!" I would have had trouble telling you most of the matches on either of the shows this past weekend...ah well. Sawyers stepped off the turnbuckles and jumped backwards into a Diamond Cutter variant, getting the pinfall in 14:51.
The Cause(Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster)(w/ Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & referee Austin Blackburn) vs. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) vs. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) for the Tag Team Titles: This was the Anarchy debut for Iggy and Awful; they were in the rulebreaking role with two very popular teams as the other challengers. This was as chaotic as expected; I.O.U. would get a better chance to shine in their standard tag match on the Sunday show. Parnell attempted a tiger suplex on Caster that didn't do either guy any favors...I don't know if that was the reason for Caster's absence on Sunday, but it looked rough. The Vikings dished out a huge pileup of humanity as Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Awful, then Rudolph chokeslammed Iggy onto Awful as Parnell held Awful across his knees! Chaos broke loose at that point, allowing Mr. Gelistico to steal the fall on Iggy in 12:30.
Davey Vega vs. "The Rebel" Jeremy Wyatt(w/ Greg Jovi): This was another bout I was looking forward to seeing. They crossed paths in Dynamo Pro Wrestling several years ago, but both have raised their games since that time. I was a bit distracted during this bout, but it was really good and the longest match of the night. Jovi interfered a bit, which led to Vega sliding out of the ring and wiping out the manager with a pump kick...bwahahaha. Wyatt focused his attack on the leg to potentially set up for his hanging half-crab submission hold...he got Vega in a figure-four leglock at one point, but Vega got to the ropes to escape. Wyatt went for the hold again and Vega small-packaged him for the flash pin in 29:27(!). Surprisingly, Wyatt offered a post-match handshake and Vega accepted the gesture without incident...though Wyatt swiped a kid's pizza on the way to the backstage area. *snicker*
Intermission~! Given the length of the show, I indulged a bit and had a total of four sodas: Two Mountain Dews, a root beer, and a Pepsi. There's your Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm).
"The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan vs. "Absolute" Ricky Starks: Starks was on cloud nine after his recent appearance on NXT...of course, that lasted all of about ten seconds and most of his TV time was being chucked out of the ring by Colin Cassady. He felt like he was on his way to bigger and better things and took on a decidedly arrogant attitude as a result...he even had an "I'm A Hugger" T-shirt that he personally received from NXT Women's Champion Bayley Rose. McFinnegan tried on the shirt for size, much to Starks' dismay. They had a fine match, ending with Starks hitting the double-underhook faceplant in 11:58.
Jojo Bravo vs. "Dirty" Andy Dalton: Jojo's been in a bit of a slump recently, partially due to questionable calls by the officials. Of course Dalton will take any opportunity presented to him, so that was right up his alley. Bravo had the momentum, but a near-collision with the referee gave Dalton the opening to deliver an undetected punt to the Universal Weak Point(tm). Dalton rolled up Jojo for the win in 10:13, adding to Bravo's existing frustration.
Chris Hero & Trik Davis vs. Danny Adams & Everett Connors(w/ Tag Team Champions Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster & Austin Blackburn): Right around 11:00 PM, Hero was ready to go for this penultimate match of the evening. Hero and Trik go way back, dating back to their early days in IWA Mid-South. This was an unusual choice for one of Hero's matches for the weekend, in my opinion. If I was fantasy-booking, I would have liked to see him against Christian Rose...Rose's style was compared to Hero's for a little while. Perhaps that could happen down the line...hint hint. The match got a lot of time, though the fans didn't seem to see Mr. Adams and Mr. Connors as a legitimate threat to win. Hero hit the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) on Adams, then Davis followed up with a Diamond Cutter and Hero got the three-count in 24:23.
Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) vs. Mat Fitchett, best-of-three-falls for the Heavyweight Title: James had held the title for a mind-blowing 862 days (over two years and totalling 28 months). Fitchett battled James on several occasions, winning some non-title encounters but never being able to unseat the champion. That included one particularly humbling encounter when James beat him in two straight falls. Fitchett infiltrated the BOSS stable under the Dangerous Deveroux mask and nearly cost James the title to Davey Vega, but it was not to be...however, Fitchett earned one more title shot with his victory in the Anarchy Rumble in November. Notably, Victor went to the backstage area instead of staying at ringside for the main event.
They went right after each other from the opening bell, throwing huge bombs right out of the gate...knowing the people involved, that says a lot. Gerald won a quick first fall with the Michinoku Driver in a brisk 3:24. Fitchett lifted Gerald into a torture rack and dropped him into a reverse Go 2 Sleep(hitting the knee to the back of the head) for a near-fall, but hitting the move a second time was enough to even the score in 6:13. Things got really wild in the final fall as Fitchett lawndarted Gerald into the wall, then hit the cradle piledriver in the ring for a near-fall. Gerald managed to fight back, but Fitchett countered a piledriver attempt on the apron by backdropping him onto the edge of the ring! Fitchett set the champion up on the turnbuckles, but Gerald came back with a flying DDT onto the edge of the ring...eep. Fitchett was left bloody, but incredibly managed to keep fighting...he delivered a cradle pildriver on the floor(!), then one more in the ring to FINALLY capture the title in 11:28!
Davey Vega celebrated with the new champion, who had to be assisted from the ring...we found out the following night that Fitchett had suffered a concussion. Dorian Victor and Christian Rose went to the ring to help the former champion...but out of nowhere, Rose turned on both of them! Rose locked James in the No-Leaf Clover, yelling at him "YOU LOST!" before leaving the "father and son" laying in the ring. After all of that, James addressed the fans...he said that whether they loved or hated him, he had hopefully earned their respect after his long title reign. He wasn't sure how much longer he had to wrestle, but he'd keep fighting...woo.
The weekend was far from over, but that's another commentary for another time...stay tuned. Same Pat-Time, Same Pat-Channel.
That's my special comment for this, the fifth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016. Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.
-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991
P.S. We are all marks.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Sunday SLA Results From Alton, IL
-New Heavyweight Champion Mat Fitchett started the show by telling the fans that he wasn't cleared to wrestle due to a concussion suffered in his title win the night before. That brought out Christian Rose to complain that the new titleholder was running scared from him...and that brought out Gerald James and Dorian Victor to confront Rose over his betrayal. Rose backed off and Fitchett and James seemed to come to a mutual understanding...with the promise of a rematch once both were good to go.
-Steve O. Reno d. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins via Buff Blockbuster in a battle of "sexy vests" (9:59).
-"Dirty" Andy Dalton d. Stephen Wolf via piledriver after using the referee as a shield in the corner (6:53).
-Roscoe Eat Lisa("Zesty" Zakk Sawyers & "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan) d. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful); McFinnegan pinned Iggy after an over-the-shoulder powerslam/running neckbreaker drop combo with Sawyers (12:19).
-"Absolute" Ricky Starks d. Roy Lewis after a chokeslam (3:21). After the match, Starks said that he had given the fans a "WrestleMania moment" and left his kneepads in the ring.
-Davey Vega d. Trik Davis after the brainbuster onto the knee (13:57).
-Christian Rose d. Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) when the referee stopped the match (9:29).
-"The Money" Matt Cage d. Alex Castle in a last-man-standing match after hitting him in the head with a chair, leaving Castle unable to answer the ten-count (13:57).
-Paco Gonzalez d. Mike Outlaw after a hanging Codebreaker out of the corner (8:37).
-Chris Hero d. Jojo Bravo after the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) (20:02). After the match, Hero said he was looking for championship gold and wanted a shot at the St. Louis Anarchy Championship...and he would give Jojo the first title opportunity once he had it.
-The Cause(Tag Team Champion Evan Gelistico, Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn) d. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) & The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) in an elimination-tag street fight. Eliminations: Mr. Connors rolled up Devin Cutter after a low blow (8:24). Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Mr. Blackburn and held him across his knees while Rudolph chokeslammed Connors onto Blackburn, then Mason Cutter hit the pile with a double-stomp off the second rope; Rudolph pinned Blackburn after that (12:11). Mr. Gelistico pinned Rudolph after hitting him with the Rulebook (12:53). Mr. Adams pinned Mason Cutter after a reverse Stunner onto a set-up chair (15:40), leaving Parnell on his own against three opponents. Parnell separated the troops long enough to pin Mr. Connors with a pumphandle powerbomb (21:07). A double-team backfired and Parnell rolled up Mr. Gelistico for a three-count (23:46). The referee was knocked down and Parnell appeared to have Mr. Adams beaten after the pumphandle powerbomb...Blackburn ran back in with his referee's shirt to make the count, but stopped before three. The distraction allowed Adams to capitalize with the reverse Stunner for the final pinfall (29:17). Rudolph and The Hooligans saved Parnell from a post-match attack and Mr. Blackburn took the brunt of their assault; The Hooligans hit him with the wheelbarrow/second-rope flying DDT combo onto a chair, then Parnell dropped him with the pumphandle powerbomb. Mr. Blackburn was left bloody and unconscious in the ring.
-Steve O. Reno d. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins via Buff Blockbuster in a battle of "sexy vests" (9:59).
-"Dirty" Andy Dalton d. Stephen Wolf via piledriver after using the referee as a shield in the corner (6:53).
-Roscoe Eat Lisa("Zesty" Zakk Sawyers & "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan) d. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful); McFinnegan pinned Iggy after an over-the-shoulder powerslam/running neckbreaker drop combo with Sawyers (12:19).
-"Absolute" Ricky Starks d. Roy Lewis after a chokeslam (3:21). After the match, Starks said that he had given the fans a "WrestleMania moment" and left his kneepads in the ring.
-Davey Vega d. Trik Davis after the brainbuster onto the knee (13:57).
-Christian Rose d. Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) when the referee stopped the match (9:29).
-"The Money" Matt Cage d. Alex Castle in a last-man-standing match after hitting him in the head with a chair, leaving Castle unable to answer the ten-count (13:57).
-Paco Gonzalez d. Mike Outlaw after a hanging Codebreaker out of the corner (8:37).
-Chris Hero d. Jojo Bravo after the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) (20:02). After the match, Hero said he was looking for championship gold and wanted a shot at the St. Louis Anarchy Championship...and he would give Jojo the first title opportunity once he had it.
-The Cause(Tag Team Champion Evan Gelistico, Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn) d. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) & The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) in an elimination-tag street fight. Eliminations: Mr. Connors rolled up Devin Cutter after a low blow (8:24). Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Mr. Blackburn and held him across his knees while Rudolph chokeslammed Connors onto Blackburn, then Mason Cutter hit the pile with a double-stomp off the second rope; Rudolph pinned Blackburn after that (12:11). Mr. Gelistico pinned Rudolph after hitting him with the Rulebook (12:53). Mr. Adams pinned Mason Cutter after a reverse Stunner onto a set-up chair (15:40), leaving Parnell on his own against three opponents. Parnell separated the troops long enough to pin Mr. Connors with a pumphandle powerbomb (21:07). A double-team backfired and Parnell rolled up Mr. Gelistico for a three-count (23:46). The referee was knocked down and Parnell appeared to have Mr. Adams beaten after the pumphandle powerbomb...Blackburn ran back in with his referee's shirt to make the count, but stopped before three. The distraction allowed Adams to capitalize with the reverse Stunner for the final pinfall (29:17). Rudolph and The Hooligans saved Parnell from a post-match attack and Mr. Blackburn took the brunt of their assault; The Hooligans hit him with the wheelbarrow/second-rope flying DDT combo onto a chair, then Parnell dropped him with the pumphandle powerbomb. Mr. Blackburn was left bloody and unconscious in the ring.
Weekend wrestling
WWE Main Event
-Commentators: Rich Brennan & Jerry Lawler.
-Heath Slater(w/ Curtis Axel & Adam Rose) d. Zack Ryder after the Smash Hit(elevated DDT) (9:11 aired).
-Natalya Neidhart d. Alicia Fox via Sharpshooter (4:50).
-Mark Henry & Darren Young d. Johnny Fandango & Damien Sandow when Henry pinned Fandango after the World's Strongest Slam (4:57).
ROH TV
-Commentators: Kevin Kelly & Nigel McGuinness.
-Top Prospect Tournament: Lio Rush d. Jason Kincaid after the Rush Hour(running Spanish Fly) (5:02).
-Caprice Coleman & Will Ferrara d. Silas Young & "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester; The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) distracted Silas & Bruiser, leading to Coleman pinning Silas after the Skysplitter(top-rope leg lariat) (6:46).
-Steve Corino had a confrontation with B.J. Whitmer, as Corino had claimed that someone was out to get Whitmer...that person turned out to be Adam Page, who was tired of Whitmer holding him back. The two brawled until referees and security separate them.
-Mark Briscoe d. Tim Hughes after the Froggy Bow (3:53).
-"Rebourne" Matt Sydal & A.C.H. d. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)(non-title) when Sydal pinned Matt Jackson after the shooting star press (7:48 aired).
SICW Wrestling Explosion
-Commentator: Drew Abbenhaus.
-"O.T.T." Britton Tucker d. "The Enforcer" Jimmy D with an exploder suplex, pinning D with feet on the ropes for illegal leverage.
-"Dead Sexy" Daniel Gunner d. Waco via backslide.
-Red River Jack d. Bubba Troll by DQ when Britton Tucker interfered after Jack hit the Double-R-J(RKO)...Big Daddy had turned on his man and called Tucker to the ring to interfere (5:37). Dave Vaughn & Ax Allwardt joined Tucker but R.R.J. fought them off...then R.R.J. cornered Big Daddy and voluntarily removed his mask, revealing himself to be Cowboy Bob Orton.
-Drew interviewed Ron Powers & Ken Kasa about their main-event match on the 20th against Classic Champion Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll.
3XW All Stars Of The Midwest Episode 41
-Commentators: Jeremy Jacobs, Brady A. Dezire, & Jeremy Robb.
-Ricky Cruz d. Rory Fox; the referee stopped Fox from using a chain, allowing Cruz to kick Fox below the belt before finishing with the Cruz Control(swinging fisherman buster) (6:11).
-Tag Team Title Tournament: Guns & Beer(Duke Cornell & "Joedozer" Joey Anderson) d. "Dirdey" Jake Dirden & "Chainsaw" Stephen M. King(w/ Skylar Pierce) when Cornell pinned King after a double F-U (13:20). Black Wrestlers Matter(Jon West & James Grizzle) attacked Guns & Beer after the match.
-Commentators: Rich Brennan & Jerry Lawler.
-Heath Slater(w/ Curtis Axel & Adam Rose) d. Zack Ryder after the Smash Hit(elevated DDT) (9:11 aired).
-Natalya Neidhart d. Alicia Fox via Sharpshooter (4:50).
-Mark Henry & Darren Young d. Johnny Fandango & Damien Sandow when Henry pinned Fandango after the World's Strongest Slam (4:57).
ROH TV
-Commentators: Kevin Kelly & Nigel McGuinness.
-Top Prospect Tournament: Lio Rush d. Jason Kincaid after the Rush Hour(running Spanish Fly) (5:02).
-Caprice Coleman & Will Ferrara d. Silas Young & "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester; The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) distracted Silas & Bruiser, leading to Coleman pinning Silas after the Skysplitter(top-rope leg lariat) (6:46).
-Steve Corino had a confrontation with B.J. Whitmer, as Corino had claimed that someone was out to get Whitmer...that person turned out to be Adam Page, who was tired of Whitmer holding him back. The two brawled until referees and security separate them.
-Mark Briscoe d. Tim Hughes after the Froggy Bow (3:53).
-"Rebourne" Matt Sydal & A.C.H. d. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)(non-title) when Sydal pinned Matt Jackson after the shooting star press (7:48 aired).
SICW Wrestling Explosion
-Commentator: Drew Abbenhaus.
-"O.T.T." Britton Tucker d. "The Enforcer" Jimmy D with an exploder suplex, pinning D with feet on the ropes for illegal leverage.
-"Dead Sexy" Daniel Gunner d. Waco via backslide.
-Red River Jack d. Bubba Troll by DQ when Britton Tucker interfered after Jack hit the Double-R-J(RKO)...Big Daddy had turned on his man and called Tucker to the ring to interfere (5:37). Dave Vaughn & Ax Allwardt joined Tucker but R.R.J. fought them off...then R.R.J. cornered Big Daddy and voluntarily removed his mask, revealing himself to be Cowboy Bob Orton.
-Drew interviewed Ron Powers & Ken Kasa about their main-event match on the 20th against Classic Champion Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll.
3XW All Stars Of The Midwest Episode 41
-Commentators: Jeremy Jacobs, Brady A. Dezire, & Jeremy Robb.
-Ricky Cruz d. Rory Fox; the referee stopped Fox from using a chain, allowing Cruz to kick Fox below the belt before finishing with the Cruz Control(swinging fisherman buster) (6:11).
-Tag Team Title Tournament: Guns & Beer(Duke Cornell & "Joedozer" Joey Anderson) d. "Dirdey" Jake Dirden & "Chainsaw" Stephen M. King(w/ Skylar Pierce) when Cornell pinned King after a double F-U (13:20). Black Wrestlers Matter(Jon West & James Grizzle) attacked Guns & Beer after the match.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Saturday SLA Results From Alton, IL
-Promoter Pierre Abernathy told the audience at the start of the show that Chris Hero's flight had been delayed, so the show would have additional matches to give Hero as much time as possible to make it to the venue for his scheduled bout.
-Kevin Lee Davidson, Sean Orleans, & Kody Krash d. Justin D'Air & The K.C. Wolves(Luke Langley & Graham Bell) when K.L.D. pinned Langley after the spinebuster (14:02).
-"The Money" Matt Cage d. Paco Gonzalez by countering an anklelock attempt into a victory roll for the pin (13:55). Alex Castle tried for a sneak attack after the match, but Cage saw him coming and Castle backed off...leading to Cage vowing vengeance in their last-man-standing match at tomorrow night's show.
-Christian Rose d. Mike Outlaw with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) (8:36).
-"Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins d. Stephen Wolf with a crucifix bomb (12:58).
-"Zesty" Zakk Sawyers d. Steve O. Reno after a blind Diamond Cutter off the turnbuckles (14:51).
-The Cause(Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster)(w/ Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn) won a four-corner match with The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter), The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell), and Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) to retain the Tag Team Titles. Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Awful and Rudolph chokeslammed Iggy onto Awful as Parnell held Awful across his knees, but Gelistico stole the pin on Iggy for the win (12:30).
-Davey Vega d. Jeremy Wyatt(w/ Greg Jovi) by countering a figure-four leglock attempt with a small package pin (29:27).
-Ricky Starks d. "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan with the Angel's Wings (11:58).
-"Dirty" Andy Dalton d. Jojo Bravo via rollup after kicking Jojo in the groin (unseen by the referee due to a near-collision) (10:13).
-Chris Hero & Trik Davis d. Danny Adams & Everett Connors(w/ Tag Team Champions Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster & Austin Blackburn); Hero pinned Adams after he hit the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) followed by Trik hitting a Diamond Cutter (24:23).
-Mat Fitchett d. Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) in a best-of-three-falls match to win the Heavyweight title, ending James' 28-month(862-day) title reign. James scored a quick first fall with the Michinoku Driver (3:24). Fitchett rallied to even things up after two torture-rack reverse-Go-2-Sleeps (6:13). Things got crazy as Fitchett lawndarted James into the wall, then got a near-fall after a cradle piledriver. Fitchett countered an attempted piledriver onto the ring apron by backdropping Gerald on the edge of the ring, but Gerald came back with a flying DDT off the second rope that spiked Fitchett's head into the edge of the ring. A bloody Fitchett was able to fight back, delivering a cradle piledriver on the floor and then one more in the ring to finally capture the title (11:28)!
-After the match, Fitchett was assisted to the backstage area for medical attention...Dorian Victor and Christian Rose checked on the fallen ex-champion, but then Rose turned on James and Victor and laid them out. After recovering, James thanked the fans for their respect (whether they loved or hated him)...
-Kevin Lee Davidson, Sean Orleans, & Kody Krash d. Justin D'Air & The K.C. Wolves(Luke Langley & Graham Bell) when K.L.D. pinned Langley after the spinebuster (14:02).
-"The Money" Matt Cage d. Paco Gonzalez by countering an anklelock attempt into a victory roll for the pin (13:55). Alex Castle tried for a sneak attack after the match, but Cage saw him coming and Castle backed off...leading to Cage vowing vengeance in their last-man-standing match at tomorrow night's show.
-Christian Rose d. Mike Outlaw with the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) (8:36).
-"Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins d. Stephen Wolf with a crucifix bomb (12:58).
-"Zesty" Zakk Sawyers d. Steve O. Reno after a blind Diamond Cutter off the turnbuckles (14:51).
-The Cause(Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster)(w/ Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn) won a four-corner match with The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter), The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell), and Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful) to retain the Tag Team Titles. Parnell hit a Codebreaker on Awful and Rudolph chokeslammed Iggy onto Awful as Parnell held Awful across his knees, but Gelistico stole the pin on Iggy for the win (12:30).
-Davey Vega d. Jeremy Wyatt(w/ Greg Jovi) by countering a figure-four leglock attempt with a small package pin (29:27).
-Ricky Starks d. "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan with the Angel's Wings (11:58).
-"Dirty" Andy Dalton d. Jojo Bravo via rollup after kicking Jojo in the groin (unseen by the referee due to a near-collision) (10:13).
-Chris Hero & Trik Davis d. Danny Adams & Everett Connors(w/ Tag Team Champions Evan Gelistico & Adam Caster & Austin Blackburn); Hero pinned Adams after he hit the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) followed by Trik hitting a Diamond Cutter (24:23).
-Mat Fitchett d. Gerald James(w/ Dorian Victor) in a best-of-three-falls match to win the Heavyweight title, ending James' 28-month(862-day) title reign. James scored a quick first fall with the Michinoku Driver (3:24). Fitchett rallied to even things up after two torture-rack reverse-Go-2-Sleeps (6:13). Things got crazy as Fitchett lawndarted James into the wall, then got a near-fall after a cradle piledriver. Fitchett countered an attempted piledriver onto the ring apron by backdropping Gerald on the edge of the ring, but Gerald came back with a flying DDT off the second rope that spiked Fitchett's head into the edge of the ring. A bloody Fitchett was able to fight back, delivering a cradle piledriver on the floor and then one more in the ring to finally capture the title (11:28)!
-After the match, Fitchett was assisted to the backstage area for medical attention...Dorian Victor and Christian Rose checked on the fallen ex-champion, but then Rose turned on James and Victor and laid them out. After recovering, James thanked the fans for their respect (whether they loved or hated him)...
Show results
Friday PWG results from Reseda, CA:
-Chuck Taylor d. Dalton Castle.
-Chris Hero d. Trent Barreta.
-Jack Evans d. Sami Callihan.
-Adam Cole d. Andrew Everett.
-Zack Sabre Jr. d. Trevor Lee.
-Mike Bailey d. Evil Uno.
-Roderick Strong d. Drew Galloway to retain the Heavyweight Title.
Saturday MMWA results from St. Louis, MO (credit to Ben Simon):
-Brandon Aarons vs. "Infamous" Tyler Copeland ended in a no-contest when A.J. Williams & Da'Marius Jones attacked both men (0:52).
-A.J. Williams & Da'Marius Jones d. Brandon Aarons & "Infamous" Tyler Copeland; Jones pinned Aarons after lifting him into a superkick by Williams (7:36).
-Barackus d. C.J. Berry after the clawhold chokeslam (5:39).
-Moondog Rover d. T.V. Champion "Da Bomb" Brian James by countout (11:18).
-Prince Moses & Damion Cortess d. The Eternals(Brandon Espinosa & Ace Hawkins) to win the Tag Team Titles; Cortess pinned Hawkins after a powerbomb/top-rope double-kneedrive combo (15:48).
-"Dirdey" Jake Dirden d. Varik Morgan after a chokeslam (10:22).
-Andrew "The Wolf" Wilder d. "The Enforcer" Jimmy D via rollup (4:35).
-"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson d. Jr. Heavyweight Champion J-Mal Swagg with the Texas Cloverleaf to retain the Heavyweight Title (12:30).
Saturday Why We Wrestle results from Cornelia, GA:
-The Beardos(Wade Adams & Chris Spectra) d. James Drake & Rob Killjoy.
-Se7en d. Azrael.
-Gil Quest d. Stumpy.
-Ethan Case d. Timmy Lou Retton.
-Kevin Blue d. Scott Mayson.
-Stryknyn d. C.B. Suave.
-Billy Buck d. Anthony Henry to retain the Anarchy Triple Crown Title.
Other shows:
-Friday IWA-MS in Clarksville, IN
-Chuck Taylor d. Dalton Castle.
-Chris Hero d. Trent Barreta.
-Jack Evans d. Sami Callihan.
-Adam Cole d. Andrew Everett.
-Zack Sabre Jr. d. Trevor Lee.
-Mike Bailey d. Evil Uno.
-Roderick Strong d. Drew Galloway to retain the Heavyweight Title.
Saturday MMWA results from St. Louis, MO (credit to Ben Simon):
-Brandon Aarons vs. "Infamous" Tyler Copeland ended in a no-contest when A.J. Williams & Da'Marius Jones attacked both men (0:52).
-A.J. Williams & Da'Marius Jones d. Brandon Aarons & "Infamous" Tyler Copeland; Jones pinned Aarons after lifting him into a superkick by Williams (7:36).
-Barackus d. C.J. Berry after the clawhold chokeslam (5:39).
-Moondog Rover d. T.V. Champion "Da Bomb" Brian James by countout (11:18).
-Prince Moses & Damion Cortess d. The Eternals(Brandon Espinosa & Ace Hawkins) to win the Tag Team Titles; Cortess pinned Hawkins after a powerbomb/top-rope double-kneedrive combo (15:48).
-"Dirdey" Jake Dirden d. Varik Morgan after a chokeslam (10:22).
-Andrew "The Wolf" Wilder d. "The Enforcer" Jimmy D via rollup (4:35).
-"Night Train/Gorgeous/Great One" Gary Jackson d. Jr. Heavyweight Champion J-Mal Swagg with the Texas Cloverleaf to retain the Heavyweight Title (12:30).
Saturday Why We Wrestle results from Cornelia, GA:
-The Beardos(Wade Adams & Chris Spectra) d. James Drake & Rob Killjoy.
-Se7en d. Azrael.
-Gil Quest d. Stumpy.
-Ethan Case d. Timmy Lou Retton.
-Kevin Blue d. Scott Mayson.
-Stryknyn d. C.B. Suave.
-Billy Buck d. Anthony Henry to retain the Anarchy Triple Crown Title.
Other shows:
-Friday IWA-MS in Clarksville, IN
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