Midweek wrestling

WWE Main Event

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & Mike Mizanin.
-Curtis Axel(w/ Ryback) d. Dolph Ziggler after the corkscrew snapmare driver.
-Natalya Neidhart d. Alicia Fox with the Sharpshooter.
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings & Xavier Woods d. Tons Of Funk(Brodus Clay & Lord Tensai)(w/ Funkadactyls).  Brodus hit Woods with an exploder suplex, but R-Truth had made a blind tag and caught Brodus in a jackknife cradle for the flash pin.  Brodus beat down R-Truth after the match until his own partner Tensai stepped between them to stop it.

TNA XPlosion

-Commentators:  Mike Tenay & Jeremy Borash.
-Shawn Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero Jr. d. Bad Influence(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) when Chavo pinned Daniels with a cross-bodyblock off the top rope as Daniels was held on Hernandez's shoulders.

This week in wrestling

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event on Wednesday 12/11 has:
-Dolph Ziggler vs. Curtis Axel
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings & Xavier Woods) vs. Tons Of Funk(Brodus Clay & Lord Tensai)
-Natalya Neidhart vs. Alicia Fox

NXT this week has:
-Sami Zayn vs. Leo Kruger
-The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) vs. Hunico & Donny Camacho - Tag Team Titles
-Kassius Ohno vs. Alexander Rusev
-Natalya Neidhart & Bayley Rose vs. Summer Rae & Sasha Banks
-Mojo Rawley vs. Scott Dawson

Superstars this week has:
-Los Matadores vs. Two Of The 3-Man Band
-Kaitlyn Bonin vs. Aksana Raudoniene

Smackdown on Friday 12/13 has:
-Daniel Bryan vs. Erick Rowan
-The Rhodes Brothers(Cody & Goldust) vs. The Real Americans(Antonio Cesaro & Jack Swagger)
-Mark Henry vs. Damien Sandow
-Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. Two Members Of The Shield
-The Big Show vs. Ryback
-Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio
-The Bella Twins(Brie & Nikki) vs. A.J. Lee & Tamina Snuka

Tables Ladders & Chairs is on Sunday 12/15:
-Randy Orton vs. John Cena - WWE Title vs. World Title TLC Match
-C.M. Punk vs. The Shield(Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, & Seth Rollins)
-Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family(Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan)
-Big E Langston vs. Damien Sandow - Intercontinental Title
-The Rhodes Brothers(Cody & Goldust) vs. The Real Americans(Antonio Cesaro & Jack Swagger) vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. The Big Show & Rey Misterio Jr. - Tag Team Titles
-A.J. Lee vs. Natalya Neidhart - Women's Title
-Dolph Ziggler vs. Johnny Fandango

WWE has a house show on Friday 1/17 in St. Louis, MO.

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Upcoming episodes of XPlosion have:
-Shawn Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Bad Influence(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
-Velvet Sky vs. Brooke Tessmacher
-Eric Young vs. Shiima Xion
-Curry Man vs. Ultimate Tiger
-Samoa Joe vs. Frankie Kazarian
-Ultimate Tiger vs. Shiima Xion

Impact on Thursday 12/12 has:
-Feast Or Fired Match
-Chris Sabin vs. Austin Aries - X-Division Title
-Eric Young & Joseph Park vs. Bad Influence(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. The C&C Wrestle Factory(Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander) - Tag Team Titles.

Next show is Saturday 12/14 in Manhattan, NY:
-Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Jay Briscoe - Heavyweight Title
-Matt Taven vs. Tommaso Ciampa - T.V. Title
-reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Outlaw Inc.(Eddie Kingston & Homicide) - Tag Team Titles
-Kevin Steen vs. Michael Bennett - Stretcher Match
-Mark Briscoe vs. Silas Young - Strap Match
-The Young Bucks vs. Adrenaline Rush(A.C.H. & Tadarius Thomas)
-Jay Lethal & Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards & ?
-Adam Page vs. Matt Hardy

ROH returns to Collinsville, IL on Saturday 6/7.

-----

ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 1/10 in Alton, IL:
-Appearing:  Michael Elgin, Davey Richards, B-Boy

SLA has a show on Friday 2/28 in Alton, IL:
-Appearing:  The Young Bucks

SLA has a show on Saturday 3/1 in Alton, IL:
-Gerald James vs. Kyle O'Reilly - Heavyweight Title - Best-Of-3-Falls Match
-The Young Bucks vs. The Hooligans

DPW(dynamopro.weebly.com)

Next show is Saturday 1/4 in Fenton, MO(Stratford Inn).

MMWA-SICW(saintlouiswrestling.com)

SICW has a show on Saturday 12/14 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Ron Powers vs. Flash Flanagan
-Ken Kasa vs. Jake Dirden - Classic Title
-Ricky Cruz vs. Bull Bronson - No-DQ Match
-Gary Jackson vs. Waco
-Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Tony Raze
-Daniel Eads vs. Dave Vaughn
-Chaz Wesson, Heath Hatton, & Bobby D vs. Alexandre Rudolph, Ax Allwardt, & Joker
-Appearing:  Hillbilly Jim

MMWA has a show on Saturday 1/11 in St. Louis, MO:
-Brian James & Gary Jackson vs. Brandon Espinosa & Mephisto

METRO EAST CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/pages/MECW/147167285333132)

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

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 1/31 in Des Moines, IA:
-Gage Octane vs. Tony Sly - Heavyweight Title
-Jimmy Rockwell vs. J.J. Garrett - Pure Wrestling Title
-Jeremy Wyatt & Mark Sterling vs. A.J. Smooth & ? - Tag Team Titles
-Devin Carter, Aaron Masterson, & Derek Cornell vs. S.M. King, Nate Redwing, & Devin Thomas
-Mike Sydal vs. Bradley Charles

WLW(www.harleyrace.com/WorldLeagueWrestling.htm)

Looking for results from Saturday 12/7 in Richmond, MO.

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

CSCW(www.nwa-ccw.com)

Next show is Saturday 1/11 in St. Robert, MO:
-Shane Somers vs. Alexandre Rudolph - NWA Central States Title
-Evan "Money" Morris vs. Mitch Johnson - For The NWA Missouri Title
-Deven Spade vs. Marcello Spade - NWA Affliction Title
-Shane Fury vs. Chris Logan

WRESTLING INVADES ALTON(no website)

Next show is Friday 1/17 in Alton, IL.

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DRAGON GATE USA/EVOLVE(www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Friday 1/10 in Ybor City, FL.

EVOLVE has a show on Saturday 1/11 in Orlando, FL.

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 1/12 in Jacksonville, FL.

ANARCHY WRESTLING(www.anarchy-wrestling.net)

Next show is Saturday 12/14 in Cornelia, GA:
-Mikael Judas vs. Se7en - Heavyweight Title
-Billy Buck vs. Bobby Moore - Match 2 Of 5 For Held-Up T.V. Title - Bullrope Match
-Seth Delay & Salvatore Rinauro vs. Alabama Attitude(Mike Posey & Corey Hollis)
-Ace Rockwell & Todd Sexton vs. B.J. Hancock & Joey Rhymer
-Kevin Blue vs. C.B. Suave - Young Lions' Title

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 12/20 in Reseda, CA:
-Adam Cole vs. Chris Hero - Heavyweight Title
-Kevin Steen & The Young Bucks vs. A.R. Fox, Ricochet, & Rich Swann
-Davey Richards vs. Johnny Gargano
-Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong vs. Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor
-Michael Elgin vs. A.C.H.
-Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae vs. The RockNES Monsters(Johnny Yuma & Johnny Goodtime)
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Drake Younger
-Anthony Nese vs. Brian Cage

PWG has a show on Saturday 12/21 in Reseda, CA:
-Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano - Heavyweight Title
-Kevin Steen & The Young Bucks vs. Drake Younger, Joey Ryan, & Candice LeRae
-Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong vs. A.R. Fox & Rich Swann
-Chris Hero vs. A.C.H.
-Michael Elgin & Brian Cage vs. Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor
-Davey Richards vs. Ricochet
-Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas vs. B-Boy & Willie Mack vs. The RockNES Monsters(Johnny Yuma & Johnny Goodtime)
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Anthony Nese

WRESTLING IS RESPECT(www.prowrestlingrespect.com)

Next show is Sunday 1/19 in Boonton, NJ.

WRESTLING IS FUN(www.wrestlingisfun.org)

Next show is Saturday 1/18 in Easton, PA.

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

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

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

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

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 12/13 in Ybor City, FL:
-Rain vs. Amazing Kong - SHINE Title
-Jessicka Havok vs. Allysin Kay
-Santana Garrett & Amber O'Neal vs. Sassy Stephie & Jessie Belle Smothers
-Mia Yim vs. Ivelisse Velez
-Leva Bates vs. Nevaeh
-Angelina Love vs. Taylor Made
-Mercedes Martinez vs. Heidi Lovelace
-Sojourner Bolt vs. La Rosa Negra
-Su Yung vs. Solo Darling

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouth.proboards.com)

Next show is Saturday 1/11 in Clarksville, IN:
-Eddie Kingston vs. Drake Younger
-B-Boy vs. Christian Rose
-Corporal Robinson & Ox Harley vs. Team IOU(Kerry Awful & Nick Iggy) - Double Dog Collar Match
-Hy-Zaya vs. Shane Mercer
-Necro Butcher vs. Gary Jay

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 12/28 in Berwyn, IL:
-Kevin Steen vs. Shane Hollister - Heavyweight Title
-Eddie Kingston vs. Silas Young
-Davey Richards vs. Jimmy Jacobs
-Tony Rican & MsChif vs. Knight Wagner & "Miss Natural" Heather Patera - Fans Bring The Weapons

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 12/15 in Austin, TX:
-Darin Childs, Ricky Starks, Jason Silver, & Jessica James vs. Evan Gelistico, Davey Vega, Gary Jay, & Pierre Abernathy
-Su Yung vs. Rhia O'Reilly - Joshi Title
-Bolt Brady vs. Scot Summers
-Shawn Vexx vs. Jojo Bravo
-Barrett Brown vs. Jeff Gant
-Jack Jameson, J.C. Bravo, & Stan Summers vs. Ricky Romida, Angel Blue, & Chris Trew
-The Hole F'n Team(Johnny Axxle & Mr. B) vs. The Bad Boyz(Li'l Tony & Chavez Tuco)
-Scotty Santiago & Steve Lion vs. Dylan Dunbar & Donnie Brookes

ACW has a show on Sunday 1/19 in Austin, TX:
-Matthew Palmer vs. Darin Childs - Hardcore Title
-Masada vs. Scot Summers

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

E-mail any corrections to:  patrickab7@yahoo.com

MMWA Special Comment

Onward!

Another good crowd at the beautiful and/or historic South Broadway Athletic Club for MMWA. The winter weather wasn't THAT bad in my area, all things considered...we've seen far worse than this.

MMWA has done a better job of setting things up ahead of time...in the recent past, you'd be lucky to know any of the card prior to the show. This time around, we knew four big matches ahead of time as well as the Lumberjacks' retirement bout.

Senior referee Jim Harris is also hanging up the striped shirt...I think he's appearing at SICW next weekend in East Carondelet but I don't know if he's reffing any matches there. The referee's job is a tougher one than an outside party might think; you don't always appreciate the ref's role in a match until you see an official who's not quite as polished. We're lucky to have quite a few good referees in this area who don't always get the respect they deserve. Other names that come to mind are Jay King, Eric Davis, and Luke Roberts(when he's not in another role in the show)...if there are other names that are slipping my mind, feel free to drop them in the comment section.

The show also featured appearances by TNA officials Earl and Brian Hebner as they officiated some of the bouts. Earl's history in the wrestling business is well documented...something happened in Montreal, I think.

Battle Royal: The opening event was preceded by some verbage from Heavyweight Champion Brandon Espinosa(alongside Battle Royal Champion Lynn Mephisto). Lately Espy has been pushing the "old vs. new" line of thinking, encouraging the newer competitors to rise up against the "old-timers" like Gary Jackson, The Lumberjacks, and Moondog Rover. That may have impacted some of the participants as several of them ganged up on Rover to eliminate him first. Former Battle Royal Champ Osborne was out fairly early, to my surprise. Gary Jackson made a ringside appearance, distracting Mephisto long enough to cause his elimination. It came down to an unlikely winner; Webmaster Stevie K managed to eliminate Jackson Whitechapel to earn his first title in MMWA.

Brian James vs. Brandon Gallagher: This was my first time seeing Gallagher at South Broadway; he worked the SICW show in Hillsdale and I THINK he may have been at a previous South Broadway show that I didn't attent. James is OVAH. Fine bout; James won in 4:55 with the sitout gourdbuster.

Moondog Rover vs. J-Mal Swagg: I guess this was face/face. Whitechapel showed up to continue his feud with Moondog...I jokingly lamented the lack of a higher power at this point. :) Swagg won by DQ at 3:32 when Rover beat him down with the bone Whitechapel threw into the ring.

A.J. Williams vs. Jimmy D for the T.V. Title: D defeated Williams earlier this year for the vacant championship(after previous champion Dave Vaughn left MMWA in favor of SICW). D lost the title to Brian James but regained it a few months later. A.J. would eventually win the title from D, resulting in A.J. vacating the Junior Heavyweight Title he already held. The two cost each other matches in last month's King Of St. Louis Cable Tournament, so we had this bout. The match itself was solid; it seems like A.J.'s best matches are with a "grounded" opponent who can work as a foil for his aerial arsenal. Brian Hebner was the referee for this one and had a rough night; he was bumped aside at one point, allowing Jimmy D to hit A.J. in the midsection with his baseball bat. One Flatliner later, Jimmy D had become a three-time Television Champion in 9:13...like his now-beloved Red Sox, he won the championship where the St. Louisan had come up short. Well played...HEEL~!

Intermission saw the annual visit from Santa Claus, prompting a lot of kids to get in line to deliver their gift wishes...of course, intermission wasn't quite as "brief" as it is often advertised. :)

Andrew Wilder vs. Da'Marius Jones vs. Ace Hawkins for the Junior Heavyweight Title: After A.J. forfeited the belt, Wilder defeated J-Mal Swagg for the vacant championship. He cheated to retain against Hawkins a few months ago, then interfered against Ace in a contenders' match with Da'Marius Jones so that Jones would win. Hawkins pinned Wilder cleanly in the King Of St. Louis Cable Tournament last month, only for Wilder to cost Ace his semifinal bout with Mephisto. Wilder was the obvious heel with two face challengers...but only one man could walk away with the gold.

So, we had this triple threat matchup...it got a lot of time(14:36). Most of the match was Wilder vs. Hawkins as Jones was knocked out of the ring...at some point, wrestling just universally agreed that these matches were no-countout-no-DQ. If one person got counted out or disqualified, then which of the two remaining wrestlers would "win"? I was a bit worried about Earl Hebner officiating the bout as I wondered if he could keep up with the young punks...heh. Good matchup...Wilder won via opportunism as he pushed Ace off the top rope to the floor. As Earl was checking on Ace, Wilder hit Jones with a low blow and rolled him up for the win.

The Lumberjacks(Abe & Gabe) vs. Jackson Whitechapel & Flaming Freddie Fury: Commentator Sean Orleans managed Whitechapel at a previous show but was at his usual spot at the broadcast table here. I wondered if they couldn't have gotten some old foes of the Lumberjacks for their final match. This one was a bit shorter than the night's other matches; Whitechapel walked out on Fury and Abe pinned Fury after the double suplex at 7:50. The roster members came out to applaud Abe & Gabe's lengthy careers...they'd been around for a long time and that deserved some level of respect.

Brandon Espinosa vs. Dave Osborne for the Heavyweight Title: Gary Jackson lost to Espinosa by DQ last month, meaning he couldn't get any more title shots while Espinosa was champion. Osborne hadn't received a one-on-one rematch for the title since losing it in a triple threat match several months ago(Gary was the third participant). This would normally be heel/heel but Osborne played the face through process of elimination. This was set to be Jim Harris' last officiated match at MMWA...and it ended in controversy as a HUGE new wrestler hit the ring to attack Espinosa. That got Osborne DQed at 15:57...no idea who the new guy is or whether he was secretly aligned with Espinosa to ensure his title retention. Espy's night wasn't quite over, though...Brian James had his contract from the King Of St. Louis Cable Tournament win and he decided to cash it in!

Brandon Espinosa vs. Brian James for the Heavyweight Title: This was the first time the King Of St. Louis Cable title shot had been redeemed in this fashion...and it worked out well as I didn't see this development coming. Earl Hebner refereed the bout, such as it was...KICK WHAM SITOUT GOURDBUSTER and James won the title in a match time of fifteen seconds! Crowd went nuts for the title change...three out of the four active championships changed hands on this night!

Gary Jackson vs. Mephisto, chain match: The extra stipulation was added on the night of the show...something Mephisto complained about prior to the bout. He alluded to his checkered past in the building and felt he was being screwed over again...it was a wild brawl as expected and Mephisto was busted open fairly quickly. Espinosa's interference backfired, allowing Gary to tag all four turnbuckles for the win at 10:03...but Espy and Mephisto double-teamed Jackson after the match. They teased another spike piledriver but Brian James ran in for the save, setting up a tag match for the January show(not sure of the exact date...guessing the 11th but don't hold me to that).

Whew, that was a lot to talk about for the weekend. I thought about asking to sit in on the Beyond Wrestling taping at the Dynamo training center, but it had been a long few days and I'm still recovering from being sick recently. That's an interesting topic in itself: A wrestling shows with no wrestling fans?

WLW had a show on Saturday in Richmond, MO. Don't have full results yet, but Jack Gamble returned to the ring after the horrific car accident from a few months ago(saw him and his family at MMWA that night). Also, Dark Shadows was reportedly unmasked as David DeLorean...very interesting.

Anywho, 2013 wraps up with SICW in East Carondelet next Saturday. January's already looking busy with Dynamo in Fenton at the Stratford Inn, St. Louis Anarchy's benefit show, and the usual MMWA and SICW monthly events.

As always: #yaywrestling

SLA Special Comment

Wrestling opinions are my own and no one else's. I'm not the target audience and my tastes don't always align with What's Best For Business(tm). Also, I've never been in the ring. My view is that if the audience likes the show, then that's what counts at the end of the day. It's a business, after all. I go to the shows to watch and enjoy the product while I'm there...I try to leave the "analysis" for later, though I don't always succeed at that.

We'll start with St. Louis Anarchy on Friday. They tend to put on a lot of Ring Of Honor-style matches. They encourage fans to cheer or boo people as they see fit (though some people are obviously more heelish than others). Also, the entire promotion is essentially no-disqualification so there's no real penalty for "cheating"(such as it is). It's funny to realize that some matches are billed as "hardcore" or "anything-goes" when technically any match falls into that format. :) As such, Anarchy draws a different audience than other groups in the area...definitely a younger subset of wrestling fans. They've been consistently drawing good crowds...it may help that they don't run every month.

Your ring announcer was Greg Jovi...please forget that he was a heel manager a few months ago. He briefly acknowledged that he never thought he'd be back, but he played it straight for the whole night(even as it pertained to former enemy Mat Fitchett).

Dingo(w/ Hardcore Andy) vs. Jojo Bravo: Bravo was heelish a few months ago when he confronted Dingo, but he's fairly popular with the Anarchy fanbase so this played out as face/face matchup. Andy never seem to stay with one wrestler for too long and sadly his winning streak ended at one on this night. Each guy survived the other's finisher(Dingo Driver II, Samurai Driver) before Jojo pulled off the upset(in my book) with a victory roll.

Evan Gelistico vs. Alex Castle for the ACW Heavyweight Title(?): The only card change was due to Adam Raw's recent injury; Castle answered Gelistico's open challenge, thus changing the previously-scheduled four-way dance into a three-way. It can be tough to hear the promos at these shows, so I wasn't too clear if the ACW Heavyweight Title was on the line. Castle was the face by default, which was odd as I'm used to seeing him in the heel role. As hesitant as I am to agree with The Mad Conservative Crimefighter(tm), this match DID have some rough spots and I've seen better out of both men. Hey, sometimes two people just don't click or it was an off-night for one or the other. I didn't get the joke of the vampire character losing to a CRUCIFIX pin until I read Castle's tweet about the finish...well played.

Arik Cannon vs. Darren Dean: This was essentially face vs. face, though Dean and his regular partner Aaron Solo have worked heel in the past. It seems weird to consider Arik Cannon as just another regular roster member but there you have it. Lot of rollup finishes on this show as Cannon won with a forward-roll cradle.

Hey, Young Bucks, sweet. My personal preference was to see them against a more local tag team and they will be facing the Hooligans at the March 1st show.

Darin Corbin vs. Brandon Espinosa(w/ Angelus Layne): For a change of pace, this was heel vs. heel...though each guy has his share of fans in the Anarchy crowd. I would lean toward Corbin as the crowd favorite. I had a feeling this clash of personalities would produce an entertaining bout...Espinosa turns the effeminate schtick up to eleven at Anarchy. Corbin was aghast at Espinosa's immorality...as he's CLEARLY hooking up with Layne out of wedlock, see. Where should I begin? Espinosa slapped Corbin on the butt and Corbin thought Layne did it. Espy kissed Darin, leading to Angelus kissing the referee. Later, Angelus kissed a female fan at ringside...got all that? The absurdity reached its peak when a near-collision resulted in Corbin accidentally groping Layne's chest; he left his hands there for...a...really...long...time before Espinosa broke things up. In the end, Corbin speared Layne off the apron by mistake and Espy delved into his Latino heritage with El Cheapo De Rollup(complete with a pull of the tights). Hey, another upset in my mind(since Corbin was the champion at the previous show).

Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O'Reilly: They are finally acknowledging O'Reilly's Medallion win(from September of 2012) as he's getting his title shot at the March 1st show. This was essentially face/face though O'Reilly was slightly heelish at times. With the context of Kyle's upcoming title shot, it made sense for him to win here...in the bigger picture, who would be the favorite: The Dragon Gate USA Open The Freedom Gate Champion or one-half of the current ROH Tag Team Champions? I'd give a slight edge to Gargano in that regard though ROH is a bit more visible to the average fan. Kyle won with a version of the Hell's Gate submission hold.

Davey Richards vs. Jeremy Wyatt: Davey's a polarizing figure to say the least. His ROH stint ended in controversy and he's competing on NXT in the near future alongside regular tag partner Eddie Edwards. He is scheduled for Anarchy's January show, at any rate. He's on the list of people who I wouldn't have expected to get a look from WWE...but it seems like more of those people are getting shots these days, so good for him. Wyatt's a definite heel but this played out as your standard workrate-y bout...I wasn't sure if these two had faced each other before, but a quick Internet search showed that they had(albeit several years ago). The grapevine anklelock finish seemed to come out of nowhere.

Dan Walsh's promo was interesting...he felt like he was overlooked by the promotion after being champion for a year, saying he was usually the first to be cut from the shows due to lineup changes. He also said that he tried to be a unique personality instead of the standard bang-bang workrate-y type, whether that meant the people loved him or hated him. I don't know if this will turn into a storyline where he'll return down the line, but he'll be missed around Anarchy.

A.C.H. vs. Davey Vega: This series was put together as a result of T.J. Perkins(Manik) signing with TNA, thus pre-empting the plans for A.C.H. to battle Perkins in a best-of-three-falls match. Both are faces(and they even teamed up earlier in the year) but tension developed between the two over the course of the series. A.C.H. won the first match, though it's worth noting that Vega had competed against K.C. Karrington earlier in that evening. Vega won match two, resulting in an uncharacteristic display of frustration on A.C.H.'s part. Despite past events, this played out as a sportsmanlike contest...A.C.H.'s birthday was the following day and the fans acknowledged that. Fine bout; Vega won with the Sharpshooter and they made nice afterwards.

Bolt Brady vs. Ricky Starks vs. Arya Daivari: Almost forgot about this one. We had Brady as the face, Daivari as the heel, and Starks...somewhere in the middle. All multi-way matches in Anarchy seem to be elimination-style unless otherwise stated, for reference. We did get an attempt at the Flying Carpet Ride from Daivari but Brady got his knees up. Bolt eliminated Daivari with the backcracker but Starks took out Brady for the win after Angel's Wings.

The Hooligans vs. Alex The Big Owl & Jordan Lacey(w/ Jacob Dangle): This was a rematch from the previous show where the two had a really strong matchup. I'm always surprised at some of the moves the Hooligans pulls out...Mason did a one-man Spanish Fly on the Big Owl at one point! Later, Alex pulled off a top-rope Frankensteiner...guess it's an owl thing? The finish of their previous bout(Hooligans powerbombed Lacey off the turnbuckles on Alex) didn't end it this time; it took a flying second-rope Stunner from Mason followed by a LARIATOOOOO from Devin to finish off Alex. As a side note, Jordan Lacey has lost a LOT of weight in recent years...good for him.

Gerald James vs. Mat Fitchett, best-of-three-falls for the Heavyweight Title: The main event was set up as James granting a title opportunity to an up-and-coming talent...the same sort of opportunity that Adam Raw once gave to him at a previous Yuletide Terror event. In the historical piece on the event that I wrote for Missouri Wrestling Revival, I noted that the title has almost always changed hands at the December show. On top of that, it was set up that all St. Lous Anarchy Heavyweight Title matches would be best-of-three-falls...this stemmed from Gerald losing to Davey Richards earlier in the year after a knockout kick. Gerald didn't want the title to change hands on a "fluke pin", we were told.

In a nice nod to the stipulation setup, Fitchett got a flash pin off a victory roll mere minutes into the match. Things heated up from there though it remained face-vs.-face...Gerald evened things up with his Michinoku Driver finisher. Fitchett hit the off-the-apron-through-a-table piledriver that beat Evan Gelistico at a previous show, but he didn't get Gerald back in the ring fast enough and Gerald barely escaped the pin attempt. Several roster members(including Gerald's "father" Dorian Victor) came out to cheer on the participants...but that's when things broke down in Alton. I saw Wyatt grab Fitchett's foot, but I didn't see how Gerald got the chair(initially suspecting that Dorian had passed it in). After the two had battled without shenanigans up to that point, Gerald proved that he was a bad guy all along when he resorted to bashing Fitchett for the chair to retain his title.

A lot has already been set up for 2014. The benefit show on January 10th has Davey, Michael Elgin, and west-coast standout B-Boy on the lineup. The February 28th/March 1st double-shot has the Young Bucks on both shows as well as the Gerald James-Kyle O'Reilly title match on night two.

At any rate, that was just part one of this weekend...more in the next commentary.

As always: #yaywrestling

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole & John Bradshaw Layfield.  Slammy Hosts:  Jerry Lawler & Booker T.
-Daniel Bryan d. Johnny Fandango(w/ Summer Rae) after the flying knee strike.  Bray Wyatt(w/ Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) spoke to Bryan from the Titantron after the match.
-Presenting the Slammy for the LOL Moment Of The Year:  The New Age Outlaws(Road Dog & Billy Gunn).  Winner:  The Rock Concert(Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, who was insulted in said performance, accepted the award in The Rock's absence).
-Damien Sandow d. Santino Marella with the You're Welcome(full nelson slam); Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston did commentary.
-Presenting the Slammy for Doublecross Of The Year:  The Shield(U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, & Seth Rollins).  Winner:  Shawn Michaels superkicking Daniel Bryan at Hell In A Cell.
-Mike Mizanin d. Kofi Kingston via rollup w/ tights.  Kofi nailed him with Trouble In Paradise afterwards.
-Presenting the Slammy for Diva Of The Year:  Eve Torres.  Winners:  The Bella Twins(Brie & Nikki).
-The Big Show, Rey Misterio Jr., & Tag Team Champions The Rhodes Brothers(Cody & Goldust) d. Ryback, Curtis Axel, & The Real Americans(Antonio Cesaro & Jack Swagger)(w/ Zeb Colter) when Rey pinned Axel after the 619 and top-rope splash.
-Presenting the Slammy for Superstar Of The Year:  Shawn Michaels.  Winner:  Daniel Bryan.
-Sin Cara d. Alberto Del Rio after the swanton bomb.
-Presenting the Slammy for Fan Participation Of The Year:  The Prime Time Players(Titus O'Neil & Darren Young).  Winner:  Daniel Bryan(YES~!).
-Brodus Clay(w/ Lord Tensai & Funkadactyls) d. Xavier Woods(w/ "R-Truth" Ron Killings) after a splash off the second rope.  Brodus continued assaulting Woods after the match until Tensai and R-Truth pulled him away.
-Presenting for Insult Of The Year:  Mike Mizanin.  Winner:  Stephanie McMahon insulting The Big Show.
-C.M. Punk d. U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose(w/ Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins)(non-title) after the Go 2 Sleep.  Reigns speared Punk after the match.
-Presenting the Slammy for Extreme Moment Of The Year:  Mick Foley.  Winner:  C.M. Punk's destruction of Paul Heyman at Hell In A Cell.
-The Wyatt Family(Luke Harper & Erick Rowan)(w/ Bray Wyatt) d. Jimmy & Jey Uso when Harper pinned Jimmy after the discus lariat.
-Presenting the Slammy for Match Of The Year:  Bret Hart.  Winner:  John Cena vs. The Rock at WrestleMania.
-Natalya Neidhart d. Tamina Snuka(w/ Women's Champion A.J. Lee) with the Sharpshooter.
-The final segment had a bunch of former WWE and World Champions in the ring as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon presided over the final verbal showdown between WWE Champ Randy Orton and World Champ John Cena.  The fans in Seattle, Washington(not far from Aberdeen) kept on chanting for Bryan until Cena acknowledged it by bringing Bryan into the discussion.  He also brought up Punk and Dolph Ziggler, saying no one else wanted to give them an opportunity but him.  The confrontation finally led to Orton nailing Cena and the assembled champions trying to separate them.  In the chaos, HHH shoved Punk and Punk responded by decking the Chief Operating Officeer...then Shawn superkicked Punk...then Bryan took out Shawn with the flying knee strike!  Orton tried to RKO Bryan but Bryan pushed him away...right into Stephanie.  HHH checked on his fallen wife, then blew his top and Pedigreed Orton.  Cena helped Steph to her feet...and when Orton recovered, he saw Cena standing with HHH, Stephanie, and Kane.

Weekend wrestling

WWE Superstars

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips & Alex Riley.
-Kaitlyn Bonin d. Aksana Raudoniene after the spear.
-Jimmy & Jey Uso d. Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal when Jimmy pinned Drew after the splash off the top rope.

TNA World Cup Of Wrestling

-Brutus Magnus(UK) d. Ken Anderson(Aces & Eights) with the Mag Daddy Driver.
-Kenny King(USA) d. Sonjay Dutt(International) after a running double-kneesmash in the corner.
-Lei'D Tapa(International) d. Hannah Blossom(UK) with the TKO.
-Doc Gallows & Mike Knux(Aces & Eights) d. Petey Williams & Sho Funaki(International) when Knux pinned Funaki after hitting him with a hammer.
-Wes Brisco(Aces & Eights) d. Rockstar Spud(UK) via powerslam.
-Bad Influence(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)(USA) d. Douglas Williams & Rob Terry(UK) when Daniels pinned Williams after a lariat/clip combo.
-Ivelisse Velez(Aces & Eights) d. Mickie James(USA) when Anderson and Wes distracted Mickie, allowing Ivelisse to get the rollup pin.
-James Storm(USA) d. Judas Mesias(International) after the Last Call superkick.
-Team USA(James Storm, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Kenny King, & Mickie James d. Team Aces & Eights(Ken Anderson, Doc Gallows, Mike Knux, Wes Brisco, & Ivelisse Velez) in an elimination tag match.  Eliminations:  Wes rolled up King with an assist from Ivelisse.  Mickie pinned Ivelisse with a top-rope Thesz Press, but Wes immediately rolled up Mickie to pin her.  Storm pinned Wes after the Last Call.  Daniels pinned Knux after the Best Moonsault Ever.  Storm accidentally hit Daniels, leading to Daniels and Kazarian walking out and getting counted out.  Storm rolled up Anderson for a flash pin, then finished with the Last Call on Doc.  Survivor:  James Storm.  Winning team:  Team USA.

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Kevin Kelly & Steve Corino.
-Outlaw Inc.(Eddie Kingston & Homicide) d. The American Wolves(Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) when Homicide pinned Richards after the Steiner Bulldog.  Tag Team Champions reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) briefly went out to ringside during the bout and stole Kingston & Homicide's clown masks.
-Michael Elgin won a non-title four-corner match with T.V. Champion Matt Taven(w/ Truth Martini & Hoopla Hotties), Jay Lethal, and Roderick Strong when he pinned Strong with the spiral bomb.
-Next week:  reDRagon vs. The C&C Wrestle Factory(Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander) for the Tag Team Titles.

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentator:  Larry Matysik.
-Jake Dirden d. Dave Vaughn(w/ Travis Cook) via chokeslam in a hard-fought matchup.
-Larry interviewed Classic Champion Ken Kasa and manager Travis Cook about Kasa's title defense against Dirden at the December show.

Anarchy Wrestling #410(Fright Night Highlights)

-Commentators:  Bret Wolverton & Andrew Pendleton III.
-Kevin Blue d. C.B. Suave in a ladder match to win the Young Lions' Title.  Blue had it won after a turnbuckle powerbomb into a ladder followed by an Air Raid Crash, but Tommy Penirelli interfered and tried to get the belt for his partner.  Blue's partner Brandon Parker stopped him by jumping off another ladder to DDT Penirelli off the big ladder!  After that, Blue and Suave fought on the ladders until Suave was sent flying over the top rope, crashing through a ladder that bridged the ring apron and guardrail!  With C.B. out of the ring, Blue retrieved the belt for the win.
-The Urban Assault Squad(Shadow Jackson & Nemesis) won a triple threat street fight with Shaun Tempers & Se7en(C)(w/ Jeff G. Bailey) and Jeremy Vain & Brodie Ray Chase to win the Tag Team Titles.  Se7en hit Vain with a running powerslam and chokeslammed Nemesis, but the referee only saw Shadow make the cover on Vain and counted that pin(as Se7en appeared to have Nemesis pinned at the same time).  Se7en flipped out and chokeslammed Shadow, Vain, and Brodie afterwards.
-Mikael Judas d. Geter in a cage match to win the Heavyweight Title; Iceberg was the special guest referee.  Judas survived Geter's big splash and Geter kicked out after Judas' chokeslam.  Geter set up a superplex, but Judas fought him off and delivered a top-rope chokeslam(!) to finally get the win.

Saturday MMWA Results From St. Louis, MO

-Webmaster Stevie K won a battle royal to win the Battle Royal Title.  Eliminations:  Moondog Rover, Da'Marius Jones, Dave Osborne, Ace Hawkins, Mephisto(C)(thanks in part to a ringside distraction by Gary Jackson), J-Mal Swagg, and Jackson Whitechapel.
-Brian James d. Brandon Gallagher with the sitout gourdbuster.
-J-Mal Swagg d. Moondog Rover by DQ; Jackson Whitechapel came to ringside and threw Moondog's bone into the ring, leading to Moondog hitting Swagg with it and getting disqualified.
-Jimmy D d. A.J. Williams to win the T.V. Title.  Referee Brian Hebner was briefly knocked aside, giving D the opening to hit Williams in the midsection with his baseball bat.  After that, D got the win with a Flatliner.
-Andrew Wilder won a triple threat match with Ace Hawkins and Da'Marius Jones to retain the Jr. Heavyweight Title.  Wilder pushed Hawkins off the top rope to the arena floor, then delivered a low blow on Jones as referee Earl Hebner was checking on Ace.  Wilder rolled up Da'Marius for the pin after that.
-The Lumberjacks(Abe & Gabe) d. Jackson Whitechapel & Flaming Freddie Fury in their retirement match; Abe pinned Fury after the Lumberjacks hit a double suplex.  The roster came out to applaud the Lumberjacks' 20+-year career and they spoke to the fans after their win.
-Brandon Espinosa d. Dave Osborne by DQ to retain the Heavyweight Title; an unidentified(and VERY large) wrestler entered the ring without provocation and blatantly attacked Espinosa, causing a surprised Osborne to be disqualified for interference.  This was senior referee Jim Harris' last official match with MMWA as he is retiring at the end of the year.  However, Espinosa's night wasn't quite over as Brian James chose that moment to cash in his King Of St. Louis Cable title shot!
-Brian James d. Brandon Espinosa with the sitout gourdbuster to win the Heavyweight Title.
-Gary Jackson d. Mephisto in a chain match; Gary fought off interference by Brandon Espinosa and tagged all four turnbuckles to get the win over his bloodied opponent.  Espinosa & Mephisto assaulted Gary after the bell but new Heavyweight Champion Brian James made the save...setting up a tag match for the January show!