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.