Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment--April 17, 2016--Atlanta, GA

Former NXT Star Sami Callihan

Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment drew their highest crowd of 150 to the Campbellton Rd Community Center in Atlanta on April 17, 2016. Part of their success was due to their rabid fanbase of kool-aid drinkers proselytizing to their friends and other wrestling fans, but was likely due to bringing in bigger independent names, Tommaso Ciampa, DJ Hyde, and Sami Callihan.

AWE has made several claims that they are an adult alternative to the family-friendly independent wrestling shows offered in small towns and suburban areas. They have a full service bar, and the majority of their crowd are adults looking to have a good time. A few people, myself included, brought children. Nothing in the show, including DJ Hyde's ultraviolent match, was too "adult" for my eight year old. The audience and the wrestlers do use a lot of bad language, and the promoter apologized a few times to those who brought children. My response is simple. Don't apologize if your show has bad language or adult content. Instead own it. If your company's identity is to be that edgy company, make certain that people who are looking to bring their children know ahead of time what they're stepping into. That being said, I think my son had a really great time, but he's a smark trapped in an 8 year old's body.

The biggest drawback to the venue is that they put out so few chairs, and much of the audience wants to be right next to the ring, almost too close to the action. During the first match, a front row audience member was hit in the head by a wrestler who landed on him during a dive. There are no barricades, no spot-free zones if you will, and really no security to protect fans and wrestlers from each other. Most of the shows I've attended have barricades. If the action spills into the crowd, there are security guards who follow the action to protect both the wrestlers and the crowd from accidents. I understand wanting to be next to the action, but the fan who got hit posted on his Facebook  that the incident ruined the show for him and he left soon after.

The wrestling at the show has a lot more in common with ROH than it does with typical southern indies. They have faster paced, spot heavy matches. In one of the opening contests, I counted eight crowd dives. I subscribe to the less is more school of wrestling these days, and I prefer story and characterization over spot fests. The show had 14 matches in all, and ran almost five hours.  The crowd seemed to eat up every minute of it.

AWE has loosely defined faces and heels, and the crowd cheers and boos for who they want. The Hierarchy, comprised of Murder One, Chip Day, Jimmy Rave, and Chikara champion Kimber Lee, is the dominant heel faction, and they are the crowd favorites. They reigned supreme for the entire event, all winning their matches and maintaining their dominance over AWE.

Chip Day celebrates his victory over former NXT star Sami Callihan with his Hierachy cohort Murder One


While all of the matches were excellent, the one that stood out to me was The Beautiful Bald Besties vs. The Sound and The Fury. The reason it stood out is because it best captured AWE's point of view, its brand vision. The match was billed as Family Friendly Entertainment, represented by The Besties, vs. Southern Strong Style, represented by The Sound and The Fury. Zac Edwards and Michael Stevens of the Besties challenged Joe Black and William Huckaby of Sound and Fury to a "dance-off" to Shania Twain's "Man, I feel like a Woman" which would be a comedic crowd-pleaser at many shows I attend, but Huckaby and Black were having no part of that, and they beat down Stevens and Edwards. Huckaby and Black won the match, therefore cementing AWE's point of view that Southern Strong Style should beat Family Friendly Wrasslin', and that really set the tone of the show.

AWE is the show that I wish existed when I was in college or in my early 20's. The rowdy audience, the venue with a full bar, and the party atmosphere are all great things, but they're no longer for me. I feel more at home at the family friendly shows they want to disassociate from. They're trying hard to be the next ECW or CZW, but they'd be better off honing their voice and becoming the best version of themselves. Homegrown was a triumph, but the real test lies ahead. Can they maintain the positive momentum going forward on May 1st when they return to Famous Pub? Only time will tell.




Sunday, April 10, 2016

Wrestlemerica--April 9, 2016--Barnesville, GA









Wrestlemerica drew about 200 people to their Spring Slam event in Barnesville, GA. About a third of these were what I'd dub "The Tween-age army", a vocal group of five to twelve year olds who line up near where the wrestlers enter to high five the faces and yell insults at the heels. The promotion encourages this by having a designated area for these kids to stand. It makes for a fun family-oriented atmosphere.They also keep things interesting by having one "special guest" per show. This month's guest was former WWE superstar Carlito.
The Tweenage Army
Match 1) Scotty Beach vs. Johnny Nixx

Scotty Beach enters to Kokomo, by The Beach Boys. He introduced his lifeguard, Billy Ocean, who accompanied him to ringside.  Nixx is a good-looking popular babyface, and Beach is an over the top comical heel. Nixx did a sunset flip for 2. Beach hit a good looking suplex for 2. Nixx sells well. Beach set up a boogie board in the corner, and was going to whip Nixx into it. The lifeguard pulled it away when Nixx gained the advantage and Beach was about to hit it.  Beach hit a DDT for 2. Nixx dropkicked him and both were down. The crowd was already at fever pitch screaming for Nixx. When it looked like Nixx was going to win, the lifeguard struck Nixx with the boogie board for a disqualification, and the heels made a hasty retreat. It was a nice touch when Ocean feigned like he was going to strike a couple of militant children on his way out. 

The President of Wrestlemerica came out demanding that everyone rise in his presence.  He introduced his associates, Owen Knight, David Tita, and Zane Stevens. The crowd drowned out a lot of what he had to say, but it was set that Tita would face guest star, Carlito and Stevens would face champion Tyson Dean. 

Match 2) Rage and CJ Awesome vs. Southside Trash vs. Faces of Death (w/Merica Strong)

Southside Trash is the crowd favorite of the match. This was a slower paced match, but the crowd was lively. Southside Trash are loveable cheaters, and the crowd ate up their antics. They seemed to be teaming up with Faces of Death to vanquish Awesome and Rage. Southside Trash won it after one of them hit Rage with a sign while the referee was turned. 

David "Razor" Parrish took the mic after the match to honor his partner of 22 years "Rowdy" Randy Harris who announced his retirement.  They gave Harris a certificate honoring his years of dedication and hard work. Harris told everyone to honor God, follow Jesus, and everything would fall into place. 

Match 3) Scotty Bullwinkle vs. Iceberg

Bullwinkle attacked Berg during his entrance. Berg hit Bullwinkle's head into the table, and he fell comically like a cartoon character.  Berg hit a backdrop for 2. Bullwinkle pulled the referee in front of Berg, then he took advantage of the situation and pinned Berg with his feet on the ropes.  The crowd immediately voiced their displeasure calling for a street fight. A street fight between Bullwinkle and Berg was announced for the May 14th show. 

Match 4) Owen Knight vs. Mr Wrestlemerica (Fry Daddy)

I believe during the president's rant he mentioned they'd gotten rid of Fry Daddy. Owen Knight's masked opponent had both his tattoos and his moveset. The masked man did a couple of really deep armdrags that caused Knight to leave the ring. He sat outside the ring right where the Tweenage Army gathered giving them the perfect opportunity to hurl their insults his way.  Knight chopped his opponent in the corner.  The masked man got him in an armbar, then stomped the elbow. He followed this with a dropkick.  Knight hit a gutbuster for 2, then continued working the abdominal area with a giant knee to the gut, and then wrapping the masked man in a waistlock.  The masked man hit The Slade for the win. The crowd went insane.  

Match 5) NWA women's world champion Amber Gallows vs. Kiera Hogan
NWA Women's World Champion
Amber Gallows

Gallows put over Hogan saying she'd given her the best title defense of her career and that she was "a hell of a competitor" Gallows began with great offense.  Hogan left the ring for a breather.  She came back in twice to restart the count.  She attacked Gallows from behind while Knight provided a distraction.  Hogan distracted the referee while Knight choked Gallows in the ropes. Knight is a heat magnet.  The crowd despised Hogan by extension.  Gallows nearly kicked Hogan's head off.  She hit a facebuster for a 2 count. She finally got fed up with Knight and kicked him off the apron. Gallows pinned Hogan with a backslide retaining her title. 

Semi-Main Event) David Tita vs. Carlito

Carlito entered eating a piece of fruit. Tita grabbed it from him and threw it out of the ring. Carlito spit the remaining bits that were in his mouth in Tita's face.  Tita, as always, had crisp kicks and punches. Carlito chopped Tita's chest like he meant it. He held a standing suplex for about twenty seconds.  Carlito hit the corner crotch first as Tita evaded. Tita had him in a headlock, but he fought out.  Tita hit a legdrop for a 2 count. Carlito hit Tita with a spinebuster, and both were down momentarily.  Carlito hit a pendulum neckbreaker for 2. Tita missed a kick, and Carlito capitalized with his backstabber for the win.
Carlito enters and greets the Tweenage Army

Main Event) Zane Stevens vs. Tyson Dean

The president accompanied Stevens and yelled "We need complete silence to wrestle." He also yelled at one point during the match "You adults paid 10 dollars to get into this show to stare at your phones while there's a wrestling match going on." Both men are very athletic, and it's obvious the crowd adores Tyson Dean.  Stevens climbed up to the top turnbuckle, Dean followed him, trying to knock him down with headbutts. Dean hit a superplex. he followed with a spinebuster for a two count. Stevens hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Dean hit the Ego Trip, but the president put Stevens' foot on the rope. The president and Stevens were conferencing in the corner, it looked like the president was loading Stevens wrist tape with some sort of weapon. Amber Gallows came out to ringside, and it appeared she was trying to warn the referee about the President and Stevens' wicked ways. Gallows hit Dean with the title belt, and Stevens pinned him. Zane Stevens was crowned the new Wrestlemerica Champion and Amber Gallows turned heel aligning herself with the President and his cronies.






This was a fun show with a family friendly atmosphere. They advertised two upcoming shows, May 1 is a lucha show in Liberty Hill. Tickets are $20 for adults, kids 12 and under get in free.  Their next show in Barnesville is May 14. ECW Superstar Stevie Richards is slated to be the special guest star for that event.  If you're in the area and you're looking for a fun night out with the kids,  check out Wrestlemerica. 




Sunday, April 3, 2016

Platinum Championship Wrestling--April 2, 2016--Porterdale, GA




Match 1) Brian Kane vs. The Crash Test Dummy

Kane hilariously skipped around the ring as he tried to break the arm of CTD. The match spilled outside the ring, and Kane suplexed CTD onto the wooden floor. CTD missed his offense, and he ended up tangled in the ropes. Kane clocked him.  Kane body slammed him, and went for his signature moonsault, but missed. CTD dropkicked Kane, then pulled him up to the top turnbuckle. Kane knocked CTD off, then landed the moonsault for the win. This was a solid opener that really warmed up the crowd.

Quasi Mandisco addressed the crowd. "This is the best place to wrestle. This is the best place with the best fans." Uncle Money joined Mandisco. He and Mandisco danced and the crowd loved every minute of it. "The Cornerstone tried to take your joy, but we're here to bring you joy" They followed up with cheap puns on the Cornerstone's names calling Platinum, "Aluminum" and Carpenter, "Crapenter".

Bill the Butcher, David Tita, Eli Thompson, and Thompson's manager, Steve Dave came out to attack Uncle Money. The Young Bloodz (Octavius Black and Spoony Mac) came out to assist Uncle Money.

Match 2) Bill The Butcher, David Tita, and Eli Thompson(w/Steve Dave) vs. Uncle Money and the Young Bloodz.

Bill the Butcher was thrown into the front row almost immediately. Then the face team worked on Tita, and they threw him out.  Eli Thompson distracted the referee so Bill the Butcher could choke Uncle Money on the ropes.  Manger Steve Dave got in his share of interference throughout the match. Octavius Black tagged in, and he delivered a wicked backbreaker to David Tita. Spoony Mac nearly pinned Eli Thompson, but Butcher broke up the count.  The match broke down into a fight. The Young Bloodz double teamed Eli Thompson, and Tavius pinned him to win.

As the faces celebrated in the ring, a creepy video from Carpenter showed on the monitor. The audio wasn't great, so I didn't catch all of it, but the gist was that The Carpenter is going to teach Uncle Money a lesson. The match between Carpenter and Uncle Money is set to take place on April 16th.

Haikken came out wearing a t-shirt that read "Kevin Park, Professional Wrestler". He said he originally chose the name Haikken since he debuted as Stephen Platinum's evil cousin from Japan, but he no longer wants anything to do with Stephen Platinum. He's changed his name to Kevin Park. It is interested to note that he's wrestled at other promotions under that name, and the shorts he usually wrestles in have the name Park on the back.

Jeff G. Bailey introduced his newest protege, Gunner Miller. He hyped it as if it were an important life event like a wedding or the birth of a child. He crowed that thousands were going to later claim they were there to witness greatness. He asked Miller to pose for the ladies and that elicited even more boos, though Jeff said that we couldn't hide our lying eyes. I think I side with Jeff on this one. The guy's built, good looking, and I think he's got a bright future.

Match 3) Gunner Miller vs. "Go Time" Eric Jones.

Miller hit Jones with a giant spinebuster, then threw him at the referee.  Miller then hit Jones with a CTE to the floor. Jones was counted out. Bailey called for another victim. Chase Jordan came out. Chase Jordan is small and looks like he's still in high school. He went for a dropkick from the top and Miller caught him. Miller hit him with a spinebuster, then followed that with the CTE for the pin. Bailey crowed that next time they need to find Miller some real competition or else he'd beat up the entire locker room just to prove a point.

The Danger City Demons came out carrying their reclaimed Tag Team Season Trophy. Since the Danger City Demons won their St. Patrick's Day Street Fight, they got to name a humilation stipulation match against a member of The Cornerstone.
"I've always called you boss or sir, but now I'm calling you a punk ass bitch." Danger said to Platinum. He then challenged Platinum to a hair vs. hair match.

Main Event) Kevin Park vs. The Cornerstone (Gauntlet Match)

J.J Williams began for The Cornerstone. Williams was a formidable opponent with a wicked looking backbreaker. Park bested him with a submission and moved on. His next opponent was David Tita. Tita was brutal, kicking Park in the back of the neck. Park was already beginning to show signs of being worn down, but countered Tita's full Nelson to get a pin. Drew Game faced Park next. he came out attacking. Drew Game twisted Park up into a submission, but Park fought out. he kicked Game out of the ring, and dived onto him. He pinned Game by rolling him up.  Tita, Williams and Game came back out to destroy Park. The Danger City Demons came out to chase off his attackers with a barbed wire bat and a kendo stick. KT Hamill was Park's final opponent. He assaulted Park with kicks and a giant body slam. Park hit him with a gorgeous crossbody, and both men were down. Hamill applied a sleeper, and Park fought out. Hamill hit him with a spinebuster. park hit Hamill with a fisherman suplex. Park tied Hamill up in his submission, but Hamill got his foot to the rope. Hamill hit Park with a low blow, then a spinebuster and pinned him. The crowd was livid.

PCW returns to Porterdale on April 16th.