Cage Matches PCW 12/15/12

Match 1: Najasism vs. Von Reaper
I've finally found an opponent that I love more than Najasism, so there is no heel bias tonight. The match starts with Naja stealing Reaper's jacket and prancing around while wearing it. He's finally done something worthy of my disdain. The action outside the ring was great. Najasism debuted a lionsault in this match, which was executed brilliantly. These two make an excellent matchup in my opinion because they are of simliar height and build. At one point during the match, Von Reaper pulled an "Undertaker" and sat straight up out of nowhere and did a chokeslam. Najasism also made a nod at Undertaker by doing a tombstone piledriver. He followed that with a cannonball splash to attain victory. Afterward, an old lady felt the need to chase Naja down. She acted like she was going to swing at him, and when he reacted her granddaughter got up in his face. The refs had to calm her down. From what I understand, the old lady never touched Najasism and had no intention of doing so, as she understands the rules. I watched her explain to her granddaughter after that she couldn't do that again. Either way I've heard various wrestlers explain that they aren't above hitting a fan if they are hit. I guess the best thing to say here is say anything you want, but keep the hands to yourself.

Match 2: Brian Blaze vs. Lobo.
 Lobo made his debut in PCW this evening. I saw him wrestle in Rutledge during the summer, and I enjoy watching him. I like the way he tries to pump up the crowd and I like his fringe pants. The crowd really seemed to like him and I hope we see more from him in the future. Brian Blaze made pretty quick work of him though. The finish of the match was Brian Blaze catching Lobo in mid air to slam him to pick up the pin. I must say I'm impressed with the fact that two matches have gone by this night where bad guys picked up clean wins.

Match 3: Quasi Mandisco, Marko Polo, and Nina Monet vs. Johnny Danger, Pandora and Morgan Davis III

The beginning of this match showed how devious Nina Monet could be. She pretended to be in first to lure Pandora, however as soon as Pandora enters the ring she tags in Marko Polo. Pandora creams Polo with a headscissors and a roll up. Quasi gets in after the good guys beat up Polo for a while. They manage to isolate Danger for a while. Danger crawls to make a tag, but it isn't enough. He finally spears Polo, but it still isn't enough to make the tag. They isolate him longer. Pandora breaks up a count, and there is chaos for a minute. The referee has to restore order and the match continues. Danger finally tags in Davis. He dropkicks Quasi off the ring apron to the floor. Ultimately the match is won by Pandora hitting Nina Monet with Pandemonium, and she gets the pin. Dementia De Rose comes out and attacks Pandora out of nowhere. They fight for a minute, but Pandora scares her off. This is a great set up to continue the feud these two have had for a while as Dementia De Rose is merely a split personality of the former Aisha Sunshine.

Match 4: Worst Case Scenario vs. Washington Bullets.

After last week where all my support went to Full Throttle up at UIW, I knew I had to make up for it and cheer for our hometown boys the Bullets. By this point in the show, my cold meds had kicked in, and I had a fever, so my notes are sketchy on the details of the match.  Worst case scenario started using chokes and other "heel" tactics to try to force a submission on Trey. There are a lot of power moves including a nasty DDT. Jon gets the "hot tag" and makes Worst Case Scenario stunner and DDT themselves. There were smooth transitions into this sequence.The match ends with Jon pinning Eli Evans to get the victory. My son said to Worst Case Scenario as they left the ring. Next time you should not come and just go to McDonald's." He tries very hard to come up with witty things to say to the bad guys even if no one gets them but him.

There was a long intermission while the ring crew built the cage. That gave us time to mingle with our favorites and get pictures. It also gave me a little time to sit in the cool air and try and get rid of my headache. At the end of intermission, Marco Polo, Dynomite Soul, Johnny Danger, and Pandora come out and all give reasons why they should be given a title shot. A Platinum Royal was set up for January 5th.

Cage Match 1: Corey Hollis vs. Chip Day.

I am a bad fan. I know I'm not supposed to cheer for heels and I do it anyway. I cheered for Corey Hollis during this entire match. I'm keeping this simple. The match contained brutal hits that had the crowd wincing. They both do unique submission moves, and they are two of the best technical wrestlers in GA. The match was great, and it seemed like the crowd was into it. Chip Day won by knocking Hollis out. They realized this as he was in a submission. The referee came up and checked to see if he'd tap and his arm was limp.

Cage Match 2: Marx and Assassino vs. Supernatural and De La Vega.
Where's Rachel? That's my first question about this match. Did someone actually ban her from ringside? Was she in fact locked in another cage somewhere? The match opened with a cheer/jeer off, as the audience cheered and booed the various teams as they posed in the corners. I think it's funny that they managed to get the crowd to chant "Puerto Rico". Marx and Assassino won this one. Vega jumped on Assassino from the top of the cage after the match. Supernatural will be given a title shot at the next event on January 5th.

Hometown Heroes UIW December 8th, 2012.

To start the show, The So Fine Mafia enters to chants of Epic Failure. Epic Grant says things like "You people disgust me. Ya'll are losers just like the Georgia Bulldogs." He also says that two idiots stole the Tag Team Champion belts and took them back to the trailer park. "We want our belts back or we're walking," he says. The crowd begins singing "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye." Commissioner Tony Calhoun comes out with the tag team belts. He informs The So Fine Mafia they can have their belts back because the Rock and Roll Express weren't under contract when they won at the last event. However, he's since signed them to a contract and they will have a rematch for the tag team belts as soon as the paperwork goes through. So Fine Mafia asks for an apology from the ring announcer and he says "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that the Rock and Roll express aren't our champions." The So Fine Mafia had to defend the belts against Murder One and Bull Buchanan in the main event.

Match 1-Casey Kincaid vs. Fred Yehi for the Internet Championship. Winner: Fred Yehi

Casey Kincaid made his UIW debut battling Fred Yehi for the Internet Championship. Casey Kincaid both have a lot of technical wrestling ability so this was a fun match for me. The match starts with a lot of good matwork from both competitors. Yehi then dropkicks Casey out of the ring. When Casey returns they grapple again for a while. Casey wraps Fred's legs around the rope, but has to break at the 5 count. Fred leaves the ring. Casey has Fred down and he kicks his knees. Fred manages to get Casey, slams him, and gets a near fall. Fred does a pendulum neckbreaker soon after for another near fall. He pins Casey repeatedly, but Casey continues to kick out. They exchange punches, and Fred knees Casey in the face. Casey then starts kneeing Fred. The sequence repeats before Casey picks up Fred and slams him for a near fall. Fred gets up, and he elbows Casey in the face. He powerbombs Casey, but Casey kicks out at 2 for that one as well. Fred finally is able to pin Casey at the end to retain his title.  The match featured a lot of great wrestling, and the competitors shook hands at the end.

Match 2--Dixie Dynamite Billy Knight accompanied by Peanut vs. Awesome T.C accompanied by Awesome Brandon McClure. Winner: Dynamite Billy Knight

Billy Knight elbows T.C. and goes for an armbreaker. T.C. gets up but Billy is still in control. Billy kicks T.C. in the back and he's got him in another submission. T.C. headbutts Billy at the 5 minute mark to gain momentum. Peanut hits the referee, and Billy gains control of the match again. T.C. manages to pick Billy up and slam him. Billy kicks T.C. in the corner, and quits right before the 5 count. I think T.C. has a couple of good power slams. Billy pins T.C. to get the win, however, the referee didn't notice that he was holding T.C.'s feet down. The crowd chants "Fire the Ref", and Awesome Brandon McClure chases Billy Knight and Peanut back to the curtain. T.C. says he wants to face them again. He said that he doesn't care what kind of match, and that he'll even take them both on at the same time, and he'll kick their butts.

After this Pandora comes out, and the crowd hates her. I was talking to fans before the show started, and one fan relayed a story of a previous event where Pandora had offered a little girl a lollipop, and when the girl accepted she snatched it away from her and broke it. This was the point where the crowd at UIW decided they hated Pandora. She yells at girls in the crowd during her entrance, "This is what you want to be when you grow up." The fact that she is accompanied by Dewitt Dawson cements her joining the evil Empire. Unfortunately the crowd's "What?" chants drowned out most of Dawson's rant, but I caught the line "She's the toughest woman in Pro Wrestling." Nina Monet comes out, and Pandora slaps her. Nina slaps Pandora back and it turns into an all-out brawl. Shane Marx, Fred Yehi and Chip Day come out to pull them apart. Tony Calhoun comes out carrying a belt, and he says that at the next event they are going to have a triple threat elimination match for the UIW title, and it will be Nina Monet, Pandora, and a special mystery opponent that will be announced before the match. I have one prediction for who it might be, but this is only because she has a lot of history fighting Pandora and Nina Monet. I believe it is probably Dementia D'Rose, formerly known as Aisha Sunshine. This is only my guess, and it hasn't been confirmed. No matter who their opponent is, the fact that UIW has a women's title means they are committed to bringing in more talent female wrestlers, and this is a good thing in my book.

Match 3--Full Throttle (Josh Storm and Frankie Valentine) vs. The Washington Bullets (Jon and Trey Williams) Winners: Full Throttle.

Josh Storm and Frankie Valentine come out and announce that they are changing their name from "Family First" to a name that shows it's time to bust their butts and prove how good they are, and that name is "Full Throttle". The Bullets come out and they all shake hands. The Washington Bullets are PCW Porterdale's hometown heroes, and they are here at UIW facing Buchanan's hometown heroes in a number one contender match for the tag team championship. I can't say enough good things about the Bullets. They are a solid team. I'm really starting to appreciate their abilities as I watch them for the first time outside of PCW. (Yes I know that they were at monster wrestling, however, that was still mostly a PCW event.) There is a pretty good chain of reversing submissions from both teams for about 5 minutes. They are showing a good variety of techniques. Jon gets a hot tag and cleans house. There is a quick tag by the bullets that led to some brutal hits. This crowd is solidly behind Full Throttle. It is hard for me to know who I want to cheer for because I like both teams. This leads to another submission hold, a reversal and a double clothesline with both Frankie and Jon down. The Bullets do the Marion Berry for a near fall. All tied up Josh Storm comes off the rope and gets Jon with a sunset flip. Overall this is a good match, and I was a little disappointed with the ending, but only because I saw so many great moves throughout. All of them hug at the end, and it was a good clean fight between two great teams.

Match 4: Chip Day vs. Shane Marx. Winner: Shane Marx.

When the crowd starts chanting "Go Chip Go", Empire manager Dewitt Dawson yells "No Chip No". Marx spends a lot of time evading Day outside the ring. Chip manages to get Marx into a submission but he counters. Chip does a nice kick to Marx's midsection. Marx chops Chip's throat on the rope. Shane has Chip in a hold and then he slams him. Marx then does a backbreaker. At one point Chip Day is almost counted out, but he manages to make it back in just in time. Marx then punches Chip in the face at the 10 minute mark. Chip manages to pick up momentum, and dropkicks Marx. He does it again in the corner. He pins Marx for a near fall. Chip tries to kick Marx again, but misses. Marx slams him into a pin for a near fall. Marx kicks Chip for another near fall. Chip kicks Marx in the head twice, and they exchange blows. Chip kicks Marx, then pins him but Marx kicks out. Shane Marx goes up top and does an elbow drop, but Chip kicks out at 2 there as well. Chip puts Marx into a submission but Marx counters with a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Chip tries to kick Marx but misses and runs into the referee. Marx wins the match by pinning Chip, however, his win is suspect because Dewitt Dawson was holding his shoe after the match.

Main Event Murder One and Bull Buchanan vs. The So Fine Mafia.

Bull Buchanan is this crowd's hometown hero. He represents old school values and good american hard work. He's partnered with another veteran wrestler, Murder One. So Fine Mafia enters to another round of "Epic Failure" chants. Epic shows off at one point doing jumping jacks. The pacing on this match felt very slow to me. In my opinion So Fine Mafia spends too much time showing off and not enough time wrestling. At one point I believe the referee was spending too much time concentrating on what went on outside the ring than on what was going on inside. Bull manages to kick Epic right before he hits him with the belt. Murder One and Bull Buchanan win the tag team belts and the crowd goes crazy. Buchanan makes a speech after his win. He says that he and Murder One aren't friends and they don't trust each other but as long as they're hitting the same people they're good.
UIW isn't scheduled to have another event until January, and it looks like they've got a lot of great matches already scheduled for the next event.

Platinum Championship Wrestling in Porterdale 12/1/12

Match 1: Johnny Danger vs. Quasi Mandisco

At the start of the show Quasi comes out to "Sexy and I know it." He talks about how Johnny Danger will be put in a world of hurt. We witnessed the return of Ricky Nugent who came out to help Quasi. Johnny Danger came out in his awesome new ring gear, which I found out later was made by Rick Michaels. Sexy badass Pandora comes out to join him in his corner. Quasi takes his time taking out his earrings. He backs away from all of Johnny's advances. They finally lock up. Johnny throws Quasi and Quasi is out of the ring again whining that Johnny Danger pulled his hair. What hair, Quasi? Johnny chases Quasi around the ring for a while. Quasi did manage to overpower Danger for a minute, but Johnny quickly regained control. Ricky Nugent helped Quasi cheat for a bit, however, Pandora broke it up. When Quasi chopped Johnny, it looked like he barely touched him. Johnny tickled him at one point. Danger went up top, but he missed as Quasi rolled out of the way. Danger pushed Quasi into Nugent as he attempted to interfere. Danger wins the match by pinning Quasi. All the priority males came out for a massive beatdown of Danger and Pandora. Chip Day and Sylar Cross came out to their defense. In two weeks, Pandora and Danger have a rematch with the Priority Males with a partner of their choice.

Match 2: Worst Case Scenario vs. Morgan Davis and Matt Von Reaper

Eli Evans dominated the first part of this match. Morgan Davis gained momentum from him and was able to roll him up. In my opinion, Von Reaper has a wicked clothesline. At one point he is dominating Ethan Case, but Eli Evans makes the tag and turns it around. Rachel interferes like she always does. Reaper goes for a move, gets caught and Eli Evans pins him, but he kicks out at 2. Worst Case Scenario isolates Von Reaper for a good portion of the match. Ethan Case does an amazing suplex. When Morgan finally makes the tag, he starts cleaning house, however they manage to double team him. Eli Evans and Ethan Case win. They work really well together as a team, and I think my bias towards heels is starting to show a little here. I really love watching those two wrestle, and I think they possess a lot of talent. I can't wait to see them take on the Washington Bullets again sometime in the future.

Match 3: Raymond King vs. Patton Jones

Two newcomers debuted in the PCW ring last night. Raymond King came out wearing a crown and shiny gold trunks. Patton Jones wore camouflage, and he was as simple as King was flashy. We called Raymond King "Burger King." It takes King some time to get started. I think Patton Jones has a good dropkick. Raymond King does a lot of flashy stuff between moves. Jones picks up the win, and the crowd yells "haha, there's a new king in town." the king's crown was upside down after his loss. It was a good debut match from both wrestlers and I really want to see more.

Match 4: Brian Blaze and Marko Polo vs. MC Warhorse and Sylar Cross.

Ricky Nugent comes out and tells us how lucky we are to have Marko Polo and Brian Blaze in the house. When MC Warhorse came out, I was immediately inclined to believe the Priority Males had the advantage, even though Cross is an amazing wrestler. The warhorses aren't known for their wrestling prowess, however, they are hilarious.  Let's go Sylar chants radiated from the audience. MC Warhorse dances and Polo easily dominates him. MC Warhorse dances while he attempts to put Marko in holds. Cross does a great elbow drop and a great leg drop. There were too many of the Priority Males outside the ring for my liking, as their faction is inclined to foul play. Warhorse tags himself in for a near fall. Blaze knocks him out of the ring. MC Warhorse dances as Brian Blaze hits him. Sylar breaks up a submission. Polo and Blaze attempt to isolate Warhorse as they tease that they will let him make a tag. Sylar comes out and kicks butt, but he only gets a two count. Warhorse gets the tag, but Polo dominates him and gets the pin. The males win it. Quasi enters the ring, and Sylar slams him for his second beatdown of the night.

The show took a 10 minute intermission. Johnny Danger and Supernatural were selling their t-shirts this week. Pandora has a selection of new photos available as well.

Match 5: Corey Hollis vs. Chip Day

This match is a wrestling fan's dream because both Hollis and Day are technically gifted. Even though Hollis is a heel, I really want to cheer for him because he belongs on television and I feel Porterdale fans are extremely lucky to see such a talent.  Chip nails Hollis with a kick, but Hollis is able to kick out of the pin attempt quickly. Hollis throws Chip out of the ring, and the action spills in the audience. Hollis chops Chip and Chip chops back. Chip kicked him on a bench into the wall, and then he smacked him against the ring post. Corey does a dropkick but only manages to get a two count. By this point, I've given up all pretenses of cheering for Chip Day. Corey gives Chip a cheap shot to the throat. Chip does clotheslines after kicking Corey from the corner. He does a dropkick to Corey's face, but Corey kicks out. Hollis falls out of the ring after receiving a series of kicks to his chest. Chip does a dropkick from the top. Corey Hollis does his version of a "Styles Clash" and also only manages to get a two count after such an amazing move. Chip then gets a two count. Chip finally gets Hollis into an ankle lock, but time runs out before Hollis taps. There was no submission, there was no pin. It was a time limit draw. Chip asks Corey to shake his hand, but Corey spits on him. I admit I yelled "Don't shake his hand, spit on him" right before he did it much to the dismay of the fans around me. I was really happy he did it, and I'm kind of ashamed to admit that. I really love Chip Day. I think he's a great wrestler. I just like Corey Hollis more at the moment even though he's a bad guy. This was easily the match of the night in my opinion. Corey and Chip are supposed to have their rematch on December 15th. I am looking forward to this contest.

Main Event: Triple Threat Match for the Unified PCW/Empire title. Shane Marx vs. Supernatural vs. De La Vega.

This match is difficult for the fans to decide who they love more. Both Supernatural and De La Vega are fan favorites. Both wrestlers enter to cheers. Now it is time for the most hated duo in all of Porterdale, the illustrious Shane Marx and his scheming sidekick Miss Rachel to enter. I started a "Ya'll are evil" chant, and he smiles knowingly at this. He poses for pictures because he believes he is "Best in the World". We are all chanting "Worst in the World" in response to this. My heel bias is not present in this match. I despise Shane Marx the way I should. He excellently elicits my wrath. Supernatural and De La Vega are working together at the beginning of the match. Worst Case Scenario attempts to interfere, but the referee ejects them. De La Vega is showing a new aggressive side in this match, and he really looks good. There are many pin attempts in this match. Supernatural and De La Vega work together again in the match doubleteaming Marx. Vega does a lot of great moves, including a neckbreaker and a spear. Supernatural tries to overpower Shane Marx. He manages to do so, and he nearly gets the falls, however, Assesino comes out and cause a disqualification by hitting Supernatural. De La Vega and Supernatural continue to double team Marx. Shane Marx retains the title because the match was called no contest due to Assesino 's interference. A tag team match has been scheduled for December 15th's show. Shane Marx and Assesino will take on Supernatural and De La Vega inside a steel cage.

 

Global Championship Wrestling in Canton 11/24/12

Global Championship Wrestling has a large following in Alabama, however, they are still building one in Georgia. While standing in line waiting for the doors to open, we talked three college age guys about their wrestling preferences. They said they like Chikara because of its superhero comic style and its ability to be family friendly without being too childlike. This sounds to me like a lot of fun, and I will definitely check out their website to see if I can order any of the DVD's. We talked of other independent wrestling shows we attend, and our preferences in WWE and TNA.  It was very cold last night, so most of the crowd waited in their cars until the doors opened.

The show took place in a church gymnasium. I'd venture to say the audience numbered at 40 people. I expected a larger crowd, however, I know at least two other promotions had shows that evening. It is also a holiday weekend, and many people are traveling.

Aiden Solo came out and gave a speech about how he was screwed out of the tag team championships, and that he was now a "solo" act. He said that he'd take on whatever backwoods redneck we had, and he asked the crowd to stand and say "In Solo We Trust" with the same reverence we'd given the national anthem. Jake Coal comes out and answers Solo's challenge. The little girl on the front row yelled at Coal to make Solo "cry like a baby". Someone yelled at Solo "You're no Mr. Perfect" to which his response was "I don't need to be Mr Perfect. Mr. Perfect's dead buddy." Cole wins this match with a body slam. The girl in front yells "You're a crybaby, Solo."

The next match was a tag team match. Zac Edwards and Abba Shongo against Drew Adler and Grisham.   (If i've misspelled names, I apologize sincerely because sometimes it is hard to hear what is going on over cheering crowds.) I like Shongo because I found his character visually interesting, and he moved like a jungle cat rather than a person. Zac Edwards engaged with the crowd well. A lady calls out "You sir are an egghead" and he says "Of all the names in the entire world, you just called me an egghead." Egghead chants went on for the rest of the match. A little girl calls out to Zac Edwards "you stink" and then she says I'd say that to the guy in black but I'm too scared of him.Another audience member pointed out that Shongo's hairy bracelets and anklets looked like they were made of doll hair. She said "Some poor girl is crying because all her baby dolls are bald." That one in particular made me laugh.  Edwards and Shongo win, however they cheated. Edwards was holding the ankles of their opponent while Shongo got the pin.

The next match featured Spiral from the Underground. His opponent was crowd favorite Steven Stiles. The action in this match spilled outside the ring a lot. We were sitting in the front row and we had wrestlers falling at our feet. The crowd is going crazy for Stiles, however their cheers are in vain. Spiral wins the match.

The fourth match of the evening was a tag team elimination match. The winner of the first match would face the current tag team champions, The Unlucky Charms. Their legitimacy as Tag Team Champions is questionable, and actually Full Throttle are the official "recognized" Tag Team Champions. The first team to enter is probably the silliest, most amusing team I've seen in a long time. They are called The BFF's and they hail from Gullah Gullah Island, which if I recall is a bright and colorful kids show that aired on Nickelodeon in the early 90's. They wear hot pink, and they prance around. They face the technically sound Full Throttle in the first match. One of the guys from the BFF's is running the ropes during the match, and he runs until he is dizzy. He falls to the mat, and it is clear he is out. His partner calls for water. While the referee is tending to the fallen wrestler, his partner throws water at the opposing team. The water ended up on the floor right outside the ring. Full Throttle wins this bout in a double pin situation.

Full Throttle goes on to face The Unlucky Charms, Damon Kristopher and Chris Knox. They are accompanied by their manager, The Wicked Nemesis.  Wicked Nemesis really knows how to make the crowd hate him. He growls at small children. He yells shut up at the crowd as they cheer on Full Throttle. Someone yells "You're fixing to lose it." and he yells back "I'm going to lose it on you.". Full Throttle get in a few good hits, but finally the Unlucky Charms win by disqualification as Knox hits Joey from Full Throttle with the belt to break up a pin. Damon Kristopher continues beating up the guys from Full Throttle even after the bell rings. The Charms yell at the audience that they are the tag team champions before exiting the ring area. Full Throttle are still officially recognized as Tag Team Champions even though The Unlucky Charms have the belts.

During intermission fans could get the autographs of their favorite GCW Stars. Many of the wrestlers were selling pictures and other memorabilia. Ian, my five year old son got the autographs of Drew Adler and Jake Coal. Former WCW star Buff Bagwell was also signing autographs and talking with fans. Probably my favorite bit of intermission entertainment was the referee that walked by and danced for the crowd.

After intermission we were entertained by holiday karaoke from the BFF's. They sang their own rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Theirs was entitled "We've got all the Muscles in Town."  Rob Adonis came out after their song and talked trash to them. He tells them not to lie in church because it is a lie that either of them has any muscle at all. He challenges them to a two on one match. He would call it a handicapped match, however he considers that an insult to the handicapped. Therefore, it should be instead called a handi-capable match. The match opens with Adonis in a headlock, Adonis counters off the ropes with shoulder blocks. The BFF's really sell the comedy spots in this match. Adonis wins this match with a big spinebuster. One of the BFF's does CPR to try and revive his fallen comrade. 

Johnny Swinger accompanies Micah Taylor, the leader of the Underground, to the ring for the next match. Micah Taylor is one of those bad guys that's also easy to hate. He'll act like he's going to high five little kids and then jerk his hand away. The crowd made fun of his hair calling him a skunk. His opponent was a familiar looking masked wrestler who never made it to the ring. Micah and Johnny beat him up with chairs before the match even started. Then Micah goes on a rant. He says "Your parents lie to you your whole life. They tell you you can be anything you want to be. You can't because you'll never be Johnny Swinger or Micah Taylor." At this Buff Bagwell comes out to help the fallen masked wrestler. He proposes a tag match. He and his partner, the latino sensation Antonio Garza will take on Swinger and Taylor and this match will be the main event of the evening. The whole crowd starts chanting "Buff, Buff".

The next match was for the GCW Heavyweight Championship. Xander Stone from the Underground took on Mr. O'Hagan. I like Xander Stone's face paint. The crowd is clearly rooting for O'Hagan.  O'Hagan has some good kicks. He won the match with a neckbreaker to retain the belt. O'Hagan high fives the audience after his victory. Xander Stone crawls away from the ring area, defeated.

The main event of the evening was a tag team match. Swingtime Johnny Swinger and Micah Taylor took on Buff Bagwell and Antonio Garza. Buff spends a good deal of time posing and showing off before the match starts. The bad guys bicker over who's going to start in the match as both of them believe they are top dog of their team. I am particularly impressed with the high flying style of Garza during this match. Buff Bagwell picks up the win for his team. After the match Micah Taylor grabs a mic, he calls one of the commentators into the ring. He tells him he has to dance the popular Korean viral video dance craze Gangnam Style. The whole crowd starts chanting Gangnam Style, so he dances. The crowd laughs and everyone has a good time with that. GCW is supposed to be back in Canton in December. More information about that show and other upcoming shows is available on their website.

Platinum Championship Wrestling 11/17/12

The crowd has really picked up tonight. That is great to see. There were rather sparse crowds at the previous two shows, however tonight the house seems packed.

At the beginning of the show, Quasi comes out and brings Assessino to challenge yet another opponent of Johnny Danger's choosing. Danger brings out Matt Von Reaper for his PCW debut. He receives a great welcome from the crowd. Assessino has great moves and a wicked dropkick. He nearly lost his mask at one point and had to take time out of the ring to recover. Reaper chokeslams Assesino, and I am super impressed by this. Assesino wins by hitting Von Reaper with brass knuckles, however, the referee discovers them in time and reverses his decision. Reaper wins and after he lays out Quasi. Chuck Porterfield has to come help the injured Quasi from the ring. Johnny Danger says he's tired of all the games, challenges, and being slapped by Nina Monet. They plan to settle this once and for all. Johnny Danger vs. Quasi Mandisco is set for the next Porterdale event on December 1st.

Miss Rachel comes out and says that her team of Shane Marx and Dynomite Soul are too good to have to wait until the main event to wrestle, and she plans on giving them the night off early. Their match is coming up next. Their opponents are Mason and Sylar Cross. Mason and Sylar work together well during the match. Mason is resilient as the thwarts the attacks of Dynomite Soul and Shane Marx. He takes a beating as he's isolated for most of the match. He's like that old Timex commercial. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Once Mason makes the tag, Sylar Cross is able to pin Dynomite Soul. Mason and Cross win, and the crowd goes crazy. Mason gets a hug from the lady in the front row who is wearing a John Cena shirt. She apparently loves wrestling.

The third match was between Najasism and Morgan Davis III. Morgan Davis III comes out and does two laps around the ring high fiving the crowd. Najasism prances and shows off for us a lot at the beginning. The old lady on the front row and he exchange words, and she goes after him, but he backs away. The action outside the ring during this match was as good as the action inside. Najasism does a figure four to Morgan Davis on the ring post, and he gets Morgan Davis into a scorpion death lock, however, Morgan escapes. Najasism ends up winning the match by pinning Morgan Davis, however his feet were on the rope. But if the ref didn't see it, it didn't happen.

The next match is a Brother vs. Brother match between Supernatural and De La Vega. De La Vega has pretty new pants. As Supernatural enters, he sees a fan wearing a Ryback shirt and does his impression of Ryback's pose. It was very cute. This match contains two fan favorites so loyalites are divided. The two don't really want to fight at first and they thumb wrestled, then arm wrestled. Miss Rachel came out and said that the winner of this match would be the #1 contender to the unified belt, then they got serious. Worst Case scenario came out and beat them both up. The main event was created. It would be a tag team match pitting Supernatural and De La Vega against Worst Case Scenario.

After intermission we get another tag team match, Geter and Brian Blaze, our 2012 tag team champions, against The Washington Bullets. It's obvious that Porterdale is crazy for the Washington Bullets. They might be Porterdale's most popular wrestlers. Their teamwork is phenomenal. Unfortunately, they made a mistake during the match that cost them. Trey accidentally kicked Jon allowing Geter to capitalize. Geter and Blaze won.

Our main event begins with De La Vega entering wearing Ethan Case's shirt. He'd stolen it from backstage. Supernatural is really kicking butt at the beginning of this match. Ethan Case mocks Vega and Super by going up to the top rope then just jumping down and stomping his opponent. The referee is distracted by Miss Rachel at one point which comes as no surprise. Supernatural wins the match for his team and a triple threat match for the title is announced for December 1st. It will be Supernatural, De La Vega, and Shane Marx for the title.

Tonight's show really impressed me because of the amount of good tag team wrestling that took place. It is rare to see three tag matches in one show, and every one was as good as the last. Everyone needs to plan to be in Porterdale, GA on December 1st for the next PCW show. 

Monstrosity Championship Wrestling 11/16/12

Monstrosity Championship Wrestling had a show at Club Famous on Friday night. The idea, for those unfamiliar, is that monsters such as werewolves and vampires wrestle each other. The audience was made up of wrestling fans, monster fans, and people who are into horror/goth rock. Not only did we get a wrestling show, we also got to see a performance by a band called Casket Creatures.  It isn't just a novelty show. I can honestly say that I saw some of the best wrestling there from The Phantom and The Curry Kid in particular.

The first match of the evening started out like a normal wrestling show. It was a tag team match between Worst Case Scenario and the Washington Bullets. Like every PCW show I've attended, the bullets get a lot of love from the audience. I can say that they have the best in ring chemistry of any tag team I've seen work together. This match was interrupted by a a zombie invasion, and was declared no contest.

The second match was between The monster killer Assesino and Von Reaper. This was the first time I'd seen Von Reaper wrestler,and I was pretty impressed with him. I love his mask. The place was packed by this time, and it was hard to see from the chair I'd staked out by the bar earlier in the evening, so details for the match are sketchy.

My favorite moment of the night had to be the promo that a wrestler named Markie Dreamer came out and cut. Apparently his "hollywood" agent had booked him to be in the show, and he was ticked because he never wrestles for fewer than 500 people. He also went on about how Monstrosity Championship wrestling was a joke, and how the people running it were ruining the industry. He called the show a disgrace, and said that it was disrespectful. I'm not sure, but I believe his comments reflected the beliefs of a certain other wrestler also named Dreamer who'd said similar things on Facebook this past summer.

The women's match between Pandora and Nina Monet was also very good. Pandora's body paint was amazing. Nina won the match, and I'm not certain but I think that might have been the first time I'd seen Nina Monet beat Pandora with a clean finish. Pandora was turned into a zombie after that.

The Alabama Wolfman and the fabulous vampire Dragula settled some of their long standing rivalry as the Wolfman's racist homophobic cousin, the Kentucky Wolfman came out to fight Dragula. These two were funny. Dragula had a lot of fun flirting with the referee. In the end, Dragula wins because the Kentucky werewolf got himself too drunk to fight by chugging his moonshine. Dragula picks up the pin.

The match between rock, paper, and scissors was the match the piqued my curiosity the most before the show. I was most amused by how they were going to handle the costuming for that one. Paper comes out and he's wearing a white paper suit, white mask, and he's carrying a cardboard belt that says "paper champion". Rock wore foam rocks around his head and arms and his face was painted. Scissors came out with a pair of big scissors and wearing a mask with scissors on it. Scissors ends up winning the match by defeating paper. This is a rivalry, however, that I doubt we've seen the last of.

The final match is the elimination tag team match to save humanity from the evil Papa Marco and his zombies. There is great teamwork on both sides of this match. Mason and The Phantom pulled off a particularly good double team move. Fred Yehi does beautiful clotheslines. The Curry Kidd not only does a good move called the "curricanrana" but he also put someone in a crossface. Curry Kidd was the first eliminated, and Supernatural was the second. Mason is stuck in the opposing team's corner for a while getting the crap kicked out of him. He has fortitude and perseverance. He won't give up even though he's being beaten. Eli Ellis from worst case scenario is the next eliminated. Yehi is elminated next by Ethan Case. Phantom eliminates Ethan Case next after doing a very cool aerial move. Mason is eliminated by Marco after a chokeslam. It is now down to just Papa Marco and the Phantom. The Phantom wins with a brainbuster. Humanity is saved from the evil zombies.

El Phantasmas, author/creator of the blog Needless Things, was a fun addition as ring announcer. He managed to get a lot of pop for a box of meat that was the grand door prize for the raffle. He made a lot of great jokes throughout the show.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show and I look forward to the next time it happens. 

Alternate Universe---UIW November 10, 2012

Last night my family and I went up to Buchanan, GA to Universal Independent's show. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Haralson County Rec. Complex is a good venue for a show, and I appreciate the fact they open the doors well before bell time so I had time to get snacks, browse around the merchandise booths, and get an autographed picture of one of my favorite stars from my childhood, Robert Gibson of The Rock and Roll Express. When I was 6 years old, my family and I went to see NWA live at the Omni. My favorite tag team at the time was Rock and Roll Express, and I remember seeing them in action that night. It was great to get to talk to one of my childhood heroes. Rock and Roll Express is supposed to be in Tag Team Action at UIW's show on November 17th in Villa Rica.

The show began with all of the wrestlers coming out to the ring for a moment of silence and a 10 bell salute to Brad Armstrong who recently passed away. After this, Josh Storm comes out and cuts a promo. He talks about the concept of "Family First", which it turns out is the name of the team he's a part of.  Josh Storm is set to team up with former WCW star Glacier against The So Fine Mafia and Stupid. Frankie Valentine, who is coming off an injury, comes out to the ring and says he plans to join Josh in the tag team match to even the odds.  The crowd is going crazy to see Josh and Frankie reunited. A 6 man tag team match is set up as the main event.

Match 1: Marko Polo vs. Supernatural
The first match has a 10 minute time limit. Marko Polo struts out with his usual sexiness. I love his swagger and I love his fur coat. The announcer points out that he had a role in Magic Mike. I'm going to go back and watch this film again to find out if this is true. Anyway, he is far too cocky for the crowd here in Buchanan, GA. Tim Mcgraw's "I like it, I love it" hits, and I'm thinking oh their hero is a cowboy...well, out comes a familiar face, or mask rather. Supernatural enters wearing a cowboy hat and dancing to country music. This went over great with the audience. My husband could not stop laughing. I heard a group of kids yell 619 at Supernatural, and I can only assume that they believed he was Rey Mysterio. Marko manages to dominate the first part of this match, however, Supernatural picks up the win by pinning Marko. Supernatural had his foot on the ropes during the pin, but the referee didn't catch it. The audience chanted crybaby at Marko after his loss. Next week at Villa Rica these two are set to face each other again.

Match 2: Common Knowledge Damon Kristopher vs. The Demigod Mason
The next match was certainly my favorite of the night, and it wasn't because of the match itself. I've found a new heel to hate/love, and he is The Wicked Nemesis. He came out with his wrestler, Common Knowledge, Damon Kristopher. For those unfamiliar with the Wicked Nemesis, he has a mohawk and he wears a yellow and black mask. His mask is similar to that worn by Pandora. He yelled in the faces of the crowd, and he called us all sheeple. He told an old lady to "go have a heart attack", and she nearly hit him. As he walked away from her, he said "Someone please sit the mummy down." The lady followed him around the ring and tried to hit him again. Security came down and he pushed the two security guards into her. At this point he says, " If you get in my face, I'll slap you. I don't care how many psalms you wrote." Everything that happened with Wicked Nemesis eclipsed the match for me. Mason won by pinning Damon Kristopher, and Nemesis threw a chair after his man lost.

During the first intermission my son and I went around and collected signatures on our shirts. We wore our PCW shirts to the UIW event in hopes of dragging some of their crowd further south to Porterdale, and because a lot of the wrestlers that were on the card wrestle at PCW.

Match 3: Shane Marx vs UIW Internet Champion Fred Yehi.

Shane Marx enters with his manager Dewitt Dawson and Jay Fury who appears to be videotaping the match for Shane. Yehi gets control of the match at about 8 minutes in. The audience is 100% behind Yehi. What I've noticed most about this match is that Yehi and Marx have very good chemistry. There are lots of nearfalls as both participants go back and forth for dominance. It ends, however, in disqualification. Marx was trapped in Yehi's Koji clutch, when Dawson interfered. It erupted into a big brawl with Jay Fury and Dawson helping Marx beat up Yehi. Mason comes to the ring to intervene on the behalf of Fred Yehi. Two matches have been set up for next week's event in Villa Rica. Jay Fury is set to take on Murder One, and Shane Marx is set to face UIW heavyweight Champion Bull Buchanan.

Match 4: Nina Monet vs. Pandora

I have to remember that each promotion has its own universe, its own set of rules. No! Pandora is a bad guy, I can't cheer for her, my heart is crushed. People here know nothing of the fan favorite Pandora in Porterdale. I'm so used to cheering Pandora and booing Nina that I had a hard time falling in line. Pandora keeps kicking at the photographer when he comes too close to her. When the timekeeper announces that there are only 5 minutes left in the match, the referee is distracted. Pandora manages to get Nina's attention long enough to throw white powder in her face. Pandora pins Nina after cheating. She celebrates her victory.

During the second intermission my son found a group of kids to stage mock wrestling matches with. There is a lot of open space at this facility for kids to run around and have fun together. Also at the second intermission, they mark concessions down to $1 for everything and popcorn for 50 cents. This was good because we generally make multiple concession stand trips at events.

Match 5: Jimmy Rave vs. Bull Buchanan.

Jimmy Rave spent too much time walking around the ring. This match took too long to get started, in my opinion. Bull Buchanan is obviously the crowd's favorite because he is an "everyman" country hero. Jimmy Rave seemed to be a cocky bad guy. Shane Marx and Jay Fury interfered attacking Bull Buchanan. Jimmy Rave picks up a chair and decided to defend Buchanan. Jimmy Rave is a good guy? I'm honestly not certain. The match between Bull Buchanan and Shane Marx is mentioned again. Bull Buchanan cuts a promo. "I don't talk much since everyone else talks too much." He goes on to say there's too much talking and not enough fighting, and that the people who jumped him from behind can jump him to his face. He tells the crowd that if they aren't happy at the end of next week's show he'll personally refund their money. He promised to send Marx away with a special goodbye.

Main Event: So Fine Mafia with Stupid vs. "Family First" (Josh Storm and Frankie Valentine" with Glacier.

The So Fine Mafia are hated by this crowd, but their insults are pretty amusing. They included "I'm holding a title, you're holding a chili dog.", and my personal favorite "Rock and Roll Express better strap on their depends because I'm going to kick the metamucil out of them." The guy also went for cheap heat by telling the very conservative crowd "Yes I voted for Obama." I don't even know why a crowd would consider that an egregious act of heeldom, however, it worked and got him more boos than ever. One of their guys also bills himself as "from anywhere but Buchanan, GA" which I found amusing. Their opponents, the team of Family First, Josh Storm and Frankie Valentine are loved by all. At the merchandise stands they sell little necklaces and hairbows with Josh Storm's picture on them. They also purses with Josh Storm's name painted on them. He is very popular with the young ladies apparently. Josh Storm does have a pretty good dropkick. Former WCW star Glacier still has it. He manages to support the team without stealing the spotlight too badly. He does get the "hot tag", however, and starts laying waste to So Fine Mafia. Stupid sprayed him in the face with something and got disqualified. After that chaos erupts and there is a free for all beatdown. Next week there is going to be a weapons match, and the event is going to be something called "fans bring a weapon" night. That should be extremely exciting. Everyone who is near Villa Rica should go see this show, and I plan to try and make it out to their next Buchanan date.

PCW 11/3/12

The crowd for last night's PCW show in Porterdale was good. The regulars were out in full force.  Outside in line before the show people were discussing the matches on the card, and they were speculating about the main event. Would Sylar Cross be victorious over the "evil" Shane Marx, or would Marx's minions interfere on his behalf? The anticipation surrounding this main event was high.

I personally am very glad that Johnny Danger has temporarily joined the commentary team until he is medically cleared to wrestle. I think he provides a different perspective.

The show started with a tribute to wrestling legend Brad Armstrong who recently passed away. Chip Day made a short speech, and then there was a 10 bell salute.

Mason comes out after this and cuts a great promo. He's not wrestling tonight, however he feels like he's let us down because he won the empire title and lost it so quickly. He's losing his desire, and he doesn't think we appreciate the sacrifices that it takes to be a wrestler. He points to the spot on the floor where he bled during Sacred Ground. The Porterdale crowd loves Mason, and I know they appreciate the lengths he went to to win the title from Shane Marx, billed laughably as "the most hated man in Porterdale". Mason goes on talking for a few minutes and he is interrupted by none other than Miss Rachel. She gives her usual spiel about Shane Marx is best in the world and how he's going to keep the title forever. All I can think is that Empire's dead and they need to pack it up.

The first match was Lance Alonte making his Porterdale debut against Morgan Davis III.  This was a great match. Morgan Davis has changed his theme music to Pour Some Sugar on Me which is one of my favorite songs. Alonte has a lot of really great moves including an awesome superkick. I definitely want to see more from Alonte. Yes I know he's a bad guy, but he was a lot of fun to watch in the ring. Davis picked up the win in the match.

Match 2 was between Dynomite Soul and De La Vega. This crowd loves De La Vega as much as they hate Dynomite Soul. I kept wondering where Dynomite Soul's Kendo stick was. De La Vega gets control of the match early on, and it's obvious the crowd is behind him. Vega has a great leg drop and a springboard double kick. His missile drop kick is extremely awesome. Dynomite soul's coolest move in my opinion is the inverted neckbreaker of which he did two. again, i take a moment to stress I'm not a play by play commentator. Dynomite soul wins the match with a Go To Sleep. I'm notcertain if Dynomite Soul calls his finisher something different from what CM Punk calls it. If anyone does know his specific name for it please let me know. I love it when the heels win matches legitimately and don't cheat. This happens so rarely.

Sexy and I know it hits and out comes Quasi Mandisco in his white pants. He's got a challenge for Johnny Danger because he doesn't understand why Johnny Danger gave up the Priority Male lifestyle of women and cars. Johnny Danger is supposed to pick a man to fight against Najasism. I can't tell you how torn I am here. I want to cheer Najasism badly. I love him, his glitter cloak, his face paint, his posing. He has the charisma and the in ring ability that I love in professional wrestlers. He makes people want to look at him and watch him in a wrestling ring, even if you hate him. Danger chooses Fred Yehi to face Najasism. They shake hands in the ring before the match, and Najasism doesn't even resort to heel tactics of trying to draw Yehi in to a trap. Yehi and Najasism are both athletic. Najasism is acrobatic, and at one point he even did a cartwheel. This match was physical and very high impact. Yehi does a beautiful bridge supplex that I went nuts over. I thought at first that he'd put Najasism in Austin Aries's signature submission Last Chancery, and was quickly corrected by my husband. It is still amazing when someone is flexible and strong enough to be able to do a full bridge like that to pin someone. At one point Quasi tries to tries to interfere by pulling Yehi out of the ring by his ankle, but that was just a mere distraction. Najasism taps to Yehi's koji clutch and Yehi picks up the win. Najasism beats up Quasi after his loss, and I'm reminded of things he's said on twitter of not being affiliated with the Empire even though he agrees with some of their principles. This match was the match of the night in my opinion.

Next came a tag team match where "the loser leaves town". Already I'm kind of not in love with this idea because both teams are really fun to watch. They are both very talented wrestling teams, and the idea of either team no longer being involved with PCW is kind of sad to me. Sean Adams was wearing a shirt that said Gut Check certified. Does this mean he's moving up to TNA or OVW sometime in the near future? I feel the need to do further research on this. The Washington Bullets are Porterdale's favorite wrestlers. They're great in the ring, and they display good teamwork. I really want to love them, and this is a personal preference issue, but I have a hard time getting behind good guys sometimes. The pace of this match was good, and both teams work well together. I kind of expected the Washington Bullets would win because they are Porterdale's heroes, and I'm a little sad to see God's Gift to Wrestling leave PCW. I think they are a very talented team.

During intermission flyers for Monstrosity Championship Wrestling were distributed. I will be attending this event mainly because they are advertising a fight between rock, paper and scissors. This above all other matches on the card piques my interest. The show takes place Friday November 16th at Club Famous in Atlanta.

After intermission we got Brian Blaze vs. Chip Day. The big thing I noted about this match is that Blaze's pal Geter wasn't here to interfere. This gave Chip a decided advantage. Chip Day came out to the squeals of the crowd. Chip Day wins this one and the crowd goes crazy.

Our main event pitted Sylar Cross vs. Shane Marx for the "unified" title. Miss Rachel comes out holding both belts to the booing and hissing of the crowd. Sylar cross enters and he is loved by everyone. Marx enters and he knows he's hated. He plays it to the hilt soaking up every bit of hatred and loving every minute of it. The crowd was chanting Let's go Sylar, We hate Marx. The ending of the match was disqualification as the referee is distracted. Rachel throws the belt to Shane Marx.  Shane Marx hands the belt to Sylar and then falls to the ground as if he'd been hit, when the referee turns back it appears to him that Sylar hit Marx with the belt. Marx retains and Mason comes out and challenges Marx to a rematch. The main event for the next show will be a tag team match Mason and Sylar Cross vs. Shane Marx and Dynomite Soul. Even though the title isn't at stake, this will be a heated contest.

Are the priority males going after Najasism for beating up their man, Quasi? What revenge does Sylar Cross have planned since Marx and Rachel cheated yet again to maintain their title? Is the evil Empire back to its old ways even though it was supposedly defeated at Sacred Ground? We'll find out November 17th, 6pm, in Porterdale GA. You can bet that I'll be there. 

Santo in "The Mummy's Revenge"

Popular luchador Santo who wrestled in Mexico from the 1930's to the early 80's also had a prolific film career. For Halloween, I've decided to review 1970's The Mummy's Revenge.

We begin at a wrestling match. The match differed from many that I've seen because there were rounds. Each round was won by pinfall or submission, and it appeared that to win the match you had to score two out of three falls. I don't know if this is standard in Lucha Libre because I've not watched enough. Santo and his partner win, and this establishes that he is tough and that he is our hero. 

The basic plot of this film is that Santo is asked by professors to join an expedition to excavate Prince Nonoc's tomb. The team is supposed to bring back artifacts to put them in the museum to preserve them for posterity. We've heard this plot before. It's the basic plot of every horror movie that involves a mummy. 

The group hires an old man from a nearby village to guide them. This is where they learn the legend of the curse on Nonoc's tomb. The old man is reluctant to help them, however, he is persuaded when the group promises they will pay for his grandson's education after his death. He and his grandson join their expedition. Other characters include a beautiful female photographer, a secretary, a handsome intelligent professor, a crazy absent minded professor who has no clue where he is but who knows a lot about tombs and mummies, and a chef. 

My favorite part of their journey to the tomb was when they encountered a black panther in the jungle. One man pulls out his gun and aims at the beast. Santo decides to attempt to wrestle with the panther. This shows the audience how brave, strong, and heroic he is. 

When they begin searching the tomb, they come across a scroll that tells the story of Nonoc's death. He fell in love with a girl who was promised as a virginal sacrifice. He kidnapped her and they attempted to flee the area so they could be together. They were caught, she was killed, and he was buried alive.  His last words swore revenge on the descendants of the high priest who sentenced him. 

The old man is a direct descendant of the high priest. He warns the scientists not to disturb the tomb.When a scientist says they plan to put the items in the museum for all of civilization, the old man scoffs and says "You mean the white man's civilization." Not certain if that was just related to native mexican/spanish relations or if that was allusion to Mexico's relationship with the United States. 

The old man is the first person to die that night, as the mummy does attack. This part struck me because he is the only living relative of the little boy, Agapito. The boy runs and screams for help after witnessing his grandfather's neck broken by a mummy. Everyone is trying to figure out what happened, however, no one offers sympathy or condolence for the child. In a later scene, he and Santo are talking about it and Santo tells him he can cry now, but after this he must cry no more because to do so would not be manly. He then tells Agapito that he is not alone in the world, but that he will now take care of him.

Like all good movies with a hero, there is also a love interest. The love interest in the film is the photographer Susanna. There is no build up of a relationship over the course of the film, but one night after someone had been killed they are sitting outside at their camp, and Santo tells Susanna his feelings for her. She responds in the silliest way I've ever heard. She says "You are such a manly man that a girl would be honored even to receive just a little of your love." He's a masked man. You've never seen his face. Sure he's protecting you from a mummy and maybe you've seen a few of his wrestling matches. But this makes you wonder, does he wear the mask even during intimate relations. I speak of course of the character Santo, not the man behind the mask. At least this girl means it when she says she prefers someone's inner character to their looks.

The rest of the party is killed in various stages, except for Santo, Susanna, and Agapito. It's pretty predictable. At the end as they are fleeing the village, there is a final confrontation between Santo and the mummy. Santo makes quick work of the mummy and kills it. He unmasks it, and we find out there was no mummy at all. There was just a member of their party who wanted to kill everyone so he could have the treasure for himself.

We end at another wrestling match where we find out that Santo is still keeping his promises to both Susanna and Agapito.

Overall I enjoyed the film for its silliness. The two wrestling matches were the best part. I will likely watch more of his films just for fun. 

Wrestling fanfiction: harmless fantasy, violation of privacy, or something else?

I admit it. I read and write wrestling fanfiction. The things I write are tame compared to the things I've read. I write mostly sweet romances, very sappy with non-explicit sex. I've read things where Kevin Nash wants to "screw" the guy who played the fake Diesel into a mattress simply because he is narcissistic enough to wish he could do that to himself. There is every sort of story both sweet and sex driven that you can think of out there involving wrestlers. Fanfiction.net has around 40,000.

In discussions with my friends about this, I've said that I believe that the collective sexual fantasy of women between the ages of 12 and 60 could be found on Fanfiction.net. I don't know what percentage of wrestling fans fall into this demographic. A good portion of the women who write these stories write something called "the mary sue" which, for those unfamiliar with fanfiction, is an original character the author creates to represent herself. Her wonderful character falls in love with whatever wrestler the author is crushing on at the time, and they generally have a lovely relationship. Some of these involve abusive ex-boyfriends or the guy's ex-girlfriend trying to ruin their lives. But generally Mary Sue wins the day and the heart of her wrestling hero.

A lot of other women write "slash" fiction which links their two favorite male wrestlers together in a romantic relationship. I don't typically read this type of story, but they are very popular. The ones I really don't get are the ones that have real life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy involved with each other. Undertaker and Kane I can accept a little more readily because they aren't actually related in real life. I do wonder what the men involved in these stories would think of what female fans want to do to them. I wonder if they'd be flattered or creeped out. My guess is that it depends on the individual story.

If I have any issue with the genre, it is that even though these men often wrestle under fake names, they are living people. They exist in the real world with lives we know nothing about. Do we have the right to speculate about their personal life? Do we have the right to try to insert ourselves into that? If our favorite wrestler is married, does that make writing fanfictions about him doubly wrong. Most fanfiction writers in the wrestling genre write somewhere in between Kayfabe and real life. They often use the wrestler's real name, and they talk about life on the road to some extent. If an author links Mark Callaway, The Undertaker, to her original character and she speculates on his real life, she might use details about his actual family that she's found on the internet. It's up to her I guess to decide if her character is going to help him cheat on his wife, or if she's going to conveniently write about Michelle and Undertaker getting divorced.

Or better yet, what if the object of your desire's personal life goes tragically horribly wrong? I'll use the example of Chris Benoit only because I fixated on him pretty badly in college. I had a large collage of pictures of him that I printed off the internet on my dorm room wall, and if I'd written fanfiction back it would have been about him. There is a good chance that if my fantasies had come true, I'd be dead right now. I wanted nothing more at that time to be his girlfriend/wife and to have the happy domestic life. We all know how that played out in real life for him. This is not a criticism of Benoit. It is a criticism of myself for romanticizing him and trying to make him into a character for my whimsical amusement.

I guess since I'm meeting more wrestlers through local promotions I'm starting to feel even weirder about speculating about the details of more famous wrestler's personal lives. I've met a lot of great people who are really passionate about the business. Most of them are happily married. Perhaps it is because I've met them in real life I don't feel the need to speculate about them. But I feel I should give more famous men and women the same courtesy. At the same time I'm not sure what to do with all the rampant thoughts about Daniel Bryan or Austin Aries that go through my head. Anyway as always thanks for reading. Post any feedback or opinions. 

OCT 20th PCW Porterdale Thoughts.

Saturday October 20th was the first PCW show where we thought the EMPIRE was a distant memory. Iboo and I decided since it was the show right before Halloween we would dress in costume. Ian went as "The Icon" Sting. I was "The Charasmatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy. A couple other fans showed up in face paint, but there appeared to be no other costumes in our audience. Oh well. We still had a good time.

The crowd for tonight's show was made up of what I call the hardcore regulars. We were small, but we were enthusiastic. The first match was a triple threat match between Morgan Davis III, Dynomite Soul, and Chip Day. I love Chip Day. He is both technically gifted and he knows how to play to the crowd. I've said in previous entries, I am not a play by play commentator. I spend as much of my time during the matches observing crowd reactions to the events in the ring as I do watching the ring itself. The crowd was really into the match as they also really love Chip.

There was a number one contender's match for the new unified title as well. It was Sylar Cross vs. PYB. PYB hesitated to start the match and showed what a coward he can be. Sylar Cross won, and the crowd went crazy.  Cross is another of our favorites.

Johnny Danger sat ringside tonight doing "color commentary". He explained to Quasi why he turned on the Males at Sacred Ground. He said he was trying to be his own man. He said that he'd not abandoned them. That, however, changed during Pandora's match with Nina Monet. As PYB beat up Pandora after the match, Danger came out with his signature chain. While it looked as if he was about to help them beatdown Pandora, he instead turned his attention to PYB cementing his exit from the Priority Males/Crown Jewel Records organization. The entire crowd chanted his name in support of his new found "goodness."

I remember very little about Yehi's match tonight. During his entrance he went to slap either my hand or my son's and knocked my soda to the floor. I spent the next few minutes trying to mop up. I was so busy cheering and singing along with his theme music I didn't notice him, so down went the soda. He was very apologetic after the show. It wasn't a big deal. It's a story to tell people.

The main event pitted our champion, The Demigod Mason against The fifth Column. The fifth column appeared to be twice as large as he was during the Platinum Royal at Sacred Ground. However it had to be him since he was wearing a freaky black faceless bodysuit. After Mason's amazing victory over Marx, it was weird to see him being dominated by this unknown force. The "Column" was victorious and our suspicions about his change in size and mannerisms were confirmed. It was none other than Shane Marx in the Column suit. What did he do with the real fifth column? Did he lock him in a closet? Will he come back for revenge? Was he or one of his minions the fifth column all along? Anyway you look at it, our new number one contender Sylar Cross had better watch his back.

Sacred Ground Chapter III part 2

This post has taken so long because I've been sick most of the week.

I admire PCW's commitment to good women's wrestling. I've lost all hope that WWE will revitalize their "Divas" division. Hearing that Sara del Rey was signed into a developmental deal did not make me think that she would save the divas division. It makes me think that the WWE will ruin her. All 4 women in the women's 4 way last woman standing match could snap kelly kelly in half. Aisha makes the best crazy face I've ever seen. Nina Monet has a great presence and plays her character well. I've not seen enough of Christi Whiplash to comment upon her, but she sells well. I heard a lot of good things about her from others, and I hope to see her in upcoming shows. PCW could use more female talent. I can't say enough good things about Pandora. She is charasmatic. She is a badass in every sense of the word. If Leatherface were chasing her and he dropped the chainsaw, she would pick it up and destroy him with it. She would not run away like Jessica Biel's character did in the remake film. Hell, she'd probably figure out how to get it away from him before he dropped it.

The casket match was very entertaining. Ian and I were kind of cheering for Devlin Valek. We like the hissing and the faces he makes. Vampires are one of my favorite supernatural creatures, and they have been since I was 5. Supernatural is always entertaining to watch. I'm not sure how I feel about the monster killer Asesino. We were in Avondale the night Marty Freeman dubbed that guy the "monster killer" and said they vowed to get rid of all the vampires, monsters and freaks in PCW. After that my rally cry became "Vampires not Empire" which was the slogan on my shirt that night. I like weird gimmicky characters like vampires and undead luchadors as much as I like pure wrestling. I think there is room for both in wrestling shows, and having both expands your audience because each appeals to a different part of your crowd.

I can't think of the right words to describe the main event. Cathartic comes to mind because at the end of the match when Mason won, I cried like one of those squealy girls at a concert when Justin Beiber sings their favorite love song. I know that sometimes "blood" is planned in matches, and that this wasn't one of those times. For a brief second during the match, I noticed a change in the expression of Miss Rachel. It went from her usual cocky sneer to a look of genuine concern for her co-worker. The match went on as if nothing had happened, and it was amazing watching Mason defy the odds to beat Shane Marx, unifying the belts, and winning back our show for the side of right, PCW. I saw the pictures posted the day after the match of the 17 stitches Mason received and the large knot on top of his head. I hope for his safe recovery and his swift return to the ring as our champion.

The entire event was a spectacle. I think there was a match and a character for every type of wrestling fan. I am really happy I was able to attend. I cannot wait for the October 20th show, and the beginning of a new chapter of PCW storylines. I cannot wait to see what happens to the splintered remnants of Empire now that they no longer control the company. I cannot wait to find out how this whole year of wrestling leads up to Sacred Ground 4.

Sacred Ground Chapter III

This is not a play by play analysis of every match. Every other blog or wrestling website will provide that.

Three hundred people in Porterdale, GA on a Saturday night to watch wrestling. It was loud, and you could feel the excitement in the air. While we were lined up outside waiting to get in, I peeked in the windows and watched the wrestlers standing around talking, running the ropes, and practicing spots. I could see the tension and excitement in all their faces. It was evident to both talent and fans that this was the biggest moment in PCW history.

The greatest "twist" of the night came when Johnny Danger came out to his "Heatseeker" theme, Hunk of Burning Love. He'd been playing a heel in Porterdale as part of the Priority Males stable for so long, that I figured now that the Avondale shows were ending he'd simply remain a bad guy. After getting to know him better, I think his personality is more suited to playing a face, and it makes me very happy that he's chosen this path since he's my son's favorite wrestler in the company. I worry that the face turn was too subtle for a lot of Porterdale fans to pick up on because they are so used to seeing him play the bad guy. The reason I say this is because I had to explain it to one of the kids in our group who booed him as he came out.

Rick Michaels and Simon Sermon put on a great show. Simon Sermon, as always, looks flashy and fabulous in his glitter lipgloss and hot pink attire. The crowd really got behind Simon this time, and I wonder if more effort was made to establish that he was supposed to be the good guy in this match. After all, who really wants to cheer for "duct tape man"? The people of Porterdale really do not like "duct tape man". Michaels act like he wants to accept Simon's friendship at the end, however, he cements his role as antagonist by attacking Simon instead. Good stuff.

My personal favorite match was the 3 way match between Jay Fury, Casey Kincaid, and Fred Yehi. I don't understand why more people don't rally behind Yehi. The man is pure wrestling talent. He is so fun to watch. I hope one of the major companies realizes what talent he has and snatches him up. I'm not certain that the entire crowd was behind this match. It went on for a while because of its unique stipulation, you had to pin one of your opponents, however they could rejoin the match if you weren't able to pin the other in two minutes time. One group of people started chanting "This is awesome." Another group of people in response chanted, "This is Boring!" My response to "This is Boring!" was "No, it's not!"

I'll talk about De La Vega and Najasism next. De La Vega is a happy fun loving face. I like his attitude. I really loved the fact that his family showed up to support him in their purple and gold attire. He's a great showman. Najasism is so charasmatic that it bugs me not be able to cheer for him. I love his face paint, I love his wrestling. I hate his current character because I'm supposed to. He turned on his best friend, and for that he is the worst kind of villainy and scum. But I miss Najasism as a good guy because he really is that cool. I was sad to see De La Vega lose his hair because it was his trademark. I think he is capable of rocking a bald head for a while though.

Something tells me this only part one of this review as it seems to be running pretty long. I will post the rest tomorrow. See you all later peeps.

Open letter to Avondale PCW fans and talent

To PCW/Empire Avondale

I am very sorry your show is ending, and I understand the sadness you feel because you've poured so much love, time, and energy into it for the past three years. I really wish I'd found out about PCW/Empire sooner, so I could have witnessed more of the magic that you all have talked about so much in the last few weeks. I know I would lament if our shows in Porterdale were ending, even though they've only been going on a short time.

El Phantasmas, Jonathan Williams, Team All You Can Eat, and anyone else that is in the core group of PCW Avondale fans and supporters, without your unwavering devotion to the company, our shows in Porterdale may not exist at all.

PCW/Empire Porterdale does have a great group of devoted fans that make the show a priority. We are still in the process of becoming a community, but with time I think we can be a close knit "family" of fans who all gather in support of  a good time and good wrestling. I feel there is a place for all of the hardcore Avondale fans in this community, and I hope in time you can come to see Porterdale as your home for wrestling.

I realize that our crowd is very different from yours. I realize we are largely made up of families with children. I realize that our crowd is probably more comfortable with traditional wrestling and that your show is more experimental. Both types of fans are necessary to make the organization better, and we have a lot to learn from each other. 

I trust that our shows will continue to be good because I do not believe that anyone with Stephen Platinum's talent and ability would leave his company in the hands of someone who didn't understand his vision. Our shows draw a reasonable size crowd and can continue to grow, but we really need the support of Platinum's hardcore fans right now.

Allie and fans from PCW/Empire Porterdale

Sacred Ground Chapter 3 is coming up next Saturday, and one match on the card has me thinking. That is the bout between Rick Michaels and Simon Sermon.

 Rick Michaels is not popular in Porterdale. The audience boos him every chance they get, and they make fun of his ring attire calling him "duct tape pants".

He has a long standing feud with the openly gay and openly flashy Simon Sermon. Simon Sermon is known to wear a pink velvet cloak to the ring, and he also wears glittery lipgloss. I found out from talking to various people that he normally wrestles as a bad guy, but in our show he is supposed to be a good guy. In Avondale, women love him and he kisses men on the cheek as he enters. The audience can't get enough of his antics.

A few weeks ago in Porterdale,the audience refused to get behind him. They instead chose to cheer Michaels who previously they couldn't stand. I'm sitting in the audience. I'm trying to drum up support for him. My husband, my son and I are the lone voices in the crowd cheering for Simon Sermon. Why did the crowd all of a sudden get behind Rick Michaels? My opinion is that they didn't want to cheer for the "gay" guy.

I've only seen Sermon wrestle in Porterdale three times. I enjoy watching him. I find his ring attire and mannerisms to be a mockery of the over the top stereotypes attributed to homosexual men. I think he's embraced these in order to prove the point that he doesn't care if he's loved or hated, he's simply going to be who he is. I love him for this.

I know not everyone is narrow minded when it comes to issues of equality of race, gender, and sexual orientation. But it made me sad to live in a community where even though he wrestled that way, a gay man could not be seen as a hero.

I don't know if they will change the roles in the match at Sacred Ground Chapter 3 to have Sermon as a bad guy and Michaels as a good guy based on the perception of the crowd during their last match in Porterdale, but it is a shame if they have to.

Why I love Independent Wrestling

Sept 19 2012

 

Why I love independent wrestling.

 

                On May 19, 2012 I attended my very first independent wrestling show in Porterdale, GA. My mother knew that my husband, son and I were all huge WWE fans, and she thought this was something we’d enjoy. That night I fell in love with the Atlanta based promotion Platinum Championship Wrestling. I decided that I would stop spending the $50 monthly fee for WWE PPV’s and instead spend it on tickets to PCW shows on the first and third Saturday of every month.

                A friend of mine recently said that he’d prefer to watch WWE on television for free than spend $10 in order to attempt to get into something he wasn’t certain he’d like.  I love WWE and TNA. I still watch them weekly. I occasionally scream at my tv. Ian, Justin, and I have definite favorites in both. I don’t know that if I attended a WWE or TNA live show that I’d feel like I was part of their community. I’m certain I would enjoy myself, but it wouldn’t be the same. I’d be in a cheap balcony seat watching the action on a screen with no hope of meeting my favorite superstars.

I like going to PCW shows because I like being right there in the mix, in the action. I like it when the heels come up and say stuff right in your face. I like the high fiving faces and the photo sessions, autographing, and semi-organized merch booths they try and put together. It makes me feel like I'm really part of it rather than just being a passive observer. If it weren’t important for wrestling fans to feel involved in the action, then WWE wouldn’t be pushing their social media so heavily, and they wouldn’t be calling fans the “WWE universe”.

I like knowing who will be first in line as we line up outside our “arena”. I use “arena” loosely as the Porterdale performance space was once a restaurant that now has a small area for a ring and wooden benches lining the walls. I like listening to the middle school kids right in front of us prepare their best smack talk for the heels. My four year old son and the other kids stage pretend matches as they wait for the doors to open. It is getting to a point where the crowd mostly knows each other and everyone engages in conversation outside about who their favorites are and what they expect from tonight’s card.

I’ve attended every Porterdale show since May 19^th including the giant July 4^th spectacular. I’ve only attended 2 of PCW’s shows in Avondale Estates, and though those are ending soon, I feel the same sense of community there as I do in Porterdale.

Probably every independent wrestling show in the country has the same sense of community among its regular patrons. I attended a show by Anarchy Wrestling  in Cornelia GA in July, and the crowd felt much the same as Porterdale. Whole families came out for an evening’s worth of entertainment, and as I listened to a grandmother talk about her favorite wrestlers to her grandkids in the parking lot. Their studio appears to be an old church building which they call “the church of Southern Wrestling.”  

Old Time Wrestling Federation did a show in August at Cowboys in Rutledge. The show took place on the patio of the restaurant/nightclub. The wrestling itself was not as good as PCW or Anarchy, however, I enjoyed the crowd. I sat next to two middle school aged girls and their brother who’d never  attended a live wrestling show.  It was fun watching them get into it and try and smack talk at the heels. I am not great at smack talk, but I enjoyed getting into the spirit of it as a good “smark” would. One young fan was celebrating his 11^th birthday, and they gave him a steel chair they’d used in a match with all of their signatures on it.

I’m not certain that my experiences are true of all independent wrestling fans or if there is a sense of community at all events held by all promotions. If wrestling fans want to be part of something, they should go check out a local independent show. It truly is the best entertainment value I’ve encountered.