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The NWA Top Rope Third Anniversary show was an incredibly mixed bag. There were many entertaining aspects to it, some of them quite bizarre, and few things that were truly horrible. It was frustrating in the sense that with judicious editing, it could have been a first-rate show.
The show drew a crowd of 125 to the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tn. Top Rope, which has been running Lebanon on a monthly basis, is Mike Sircy’s project and uses much the same talent as Showtime Allstar Wrestling. Sircy hoped for a bigger house, but folks in the Nashville area aren’t accustomed to paying $20 ringside.
On the plus side, both main events, featuring title defenses by NWA World Champions Adam Pearce and MsChif, produced very good matches.
But it was also a show mired in too much talking and diluted by some abysmal postmatch segments.
Mike Sircy opened the show by introducing 88 year old Corsica Joe as one of the 2008 inductees into the NWA Hall of Fame.
(1) Chrisjen Hayme won a 10 man battle royal in 9:47 to earn a title match of his choosing. Ric Santel hid out under the ring. The order of elimination was “The Graduate†(and current NWA Main Event announcer) Jason James, the infamous Ernest T, former Nashville Fairgrounds ref Anthony “Freak†Ingram, Tatsu, Larry Cooter, Josh Crow, who took a wicked looking bump. It was down to Chris Cane and Chrisjen Hayme against Drew Haskins as the lone babyface. Haskins pulled the ropes down to eliminate “Colossal†Chris. In a carryover from their storyline in SAW, Santel came from under to again make it two-on-one against Haskins. Haskins caused Santel to take a bump off the top. Some botched up timing there. Haskins dumped Santel. Finish was well done. Haskins skinned the cat and tried to flip Hayme over the top with a headscissors. Hayme blocked it and dropkicked Haskins to the floor.
Cane attacked Haskins and gave him a snap suplex on the floor. Cane brings non-stop intensity. Like Todd Morton back in the day except even smaller. Ring announcer Brook Binkley told Cane she could step on him. She’s a big girl. Cane insisted that he deserved an NWA World title shot. “I’m going to give you something you don’t want,†said Sircy.
Pearce came out and made short work of Cane. He told small fry to hit the bricks. Pearce then disrespected the fans and their hero, “Boogie Woogie Boy†Gary Valiant. He turned the fans against him bigtime. Pearce told a lady that was crosseyed to get herself some Laser Vision surgery. Sircy had a message from Boogie – polish it up because I’m going to pin your ass. Pearce said he would retire if Boogie beat him.
(2) Arrick Andrews beat Kliff Hanger with unsolicited help from Hayme to retain the NWA Top Rope Junior Title in 12:35. Hanger (formerly Big Rig Bully) said he always got screwed in Top Rope. Andrews was over strong with the crowd. Hanger claimed Andrews was cheating and started shoving ref Bobby around. Bobby knocked Hanger down. Hanger offered a handshake with his fingers crossed behind his back. Hanger took over. He did the (Blackie) Fargo strut. His offense looked really good, but the nonchalant, arrogant stuff didn’t fit for a title match. If the challenger doesn’t care about the title, why should the fans? Andrews made the comeback with Hanger taking great bumps- feet flying out from underneath him like Jim Cornette. Hanger was in the midst of fighting off a sunset flip when Hayme showed up. Hayme clocked Hanger and Andrews pinned him.
Hayme wanted to cash in his money on the bank title shot on the spot. Hayme blew Hanger off bigtime and Kliff got in his face. Andrews said he wanted to beat respect into “the neon punk.†Sircy gave his OK.
(3) Chrisjen Hayme beat Arrick Andrews to win the NWA Top Rope Junior Title in 5:37. Hayme capitalized on Andrews’ fatigue to dominate the match. Andrews caught Hayme in a dragon sleeper. Hanger came to ringside to disrupt Andrews. Andrews hit a superplex and Hayme kicked out of his delayed cover. Andrews came up empty on the Dragon’s Curse. Hayme went for the Blue Thunder Bomb, but Andrews countered with a roll up. Hayme had Andrews beat with a roll up, but Hanger stooged it off to the ref. Hayme then reversed an inside cradle to pin Andrews clean. That had to be a screw up. Refs like Bobby make the NWA look low rent. Still, I liked the way Hayme was made as a major player in one night.
Sircy was out AGAIN. He said Hayme would have to defend his newly won title against both Andrews and Hanger on July 12.
Sircy said the midgets were no-shows and he was not happy about it. Somebody asked if Cane was still there and suggested ring announcer Brook vs. Cane. Brook said she was up for it. That’s actually a match I would like to see.
Homicidal Tendencies (Kory Williams & Vic the Bruiser) came out for their match wearing zany plastic fire chief helmets. I think the music was Jerry Lee Lewis but not “Great Balls of Fire.†Williams said Sircy had spontaneously combusted at the last show, so Tendencies went out and got 43 minutes of rigorous training to become certified firefighters. Hysterically funny stuff. Sircy vowed to get revenge for the fireball he took from Vic on the last show. Sircy invoked the Gilbert name. Kory said Tommy Gilbert was too old. “Mike, is this a black thing?†said Kory. The fans chanted “Oreo†at Tendencies and their bleached blonde valet.
(4) Tribal Nation (Lennox Lightfoot & Indian Outlaw) beat Homicidal Tendencies (Kory Williams & Vic the Bruiser with Jesse) via DQ in 16:42. It immediately broke down to an out of control brawl between two teams locked in a bitter feud. Williams and Lightfoot brawled out the front door, around the building and reentered from the back door. Once inside the ring, Nation dominated with double teams. The tide turned when Williams dumped Outlaw, and Vic worked him over with a 2 by 4. That was gold. Williams applied a camel clutch ala Iron Sheik. Vic used a Texas Cloverleaf. I guess Vic felt the heat was dragging on too long, as he ended up pushing Outlaw into the tag. Lightfoot gave Tendencies a double Four Winds Tomahawk Chop and the meeting of the minds. Tendencies channeled Bruiser and Crusher out of the 70s by trading forearm shots to the chest, then nailed Lightfoot out with a double STO. Tendencies laid both members of Tribal Nation out with catapult combo moves. Jesse sprinted to the dressing room and returned with plastic trash bags. Tendencies knocked the ref out and duct-taped the trash bags over the heads of Indian Nation. A second ref, Chris (refs apparently only have first names in Top Rope) DQed Tendencies.
The postmatch was ridiculous. There’s no way fans can suspend disbelief when the business is exposed as badly as it was here. Rather than getting help for his top babyface team, Sircy left them smothering in the ring and got into a debate with Tendencies. But Tendencies proved to be the master debators. While this was going on, a female fan started wailing on Jesse and got hauled out of the building by security. With Nation still laying there suffocating, Sircy promised a big surprise for Tendencies on July 12.
Intermission number two with Lexie Fyfe and MsChif out for autographs.
(5) MsChif pinned Lexi Fyfe to retain the NWA Women’s World Championship in 12:45. MsChif is an outstanding choice for world champion – she an excellent wrestler with lots of cool submissions and an awesome gimmick. She made the challenger look like a million dollars while also putting on the most technically sound wrestling performance of the show. Fyfe is no slouch herself. MsChif’s gave Fyfe’s eardrums a workout with her blood curdling shrieks. The first cool spot saw MsChif get an octopus that Fyfe countered with a side slam. Fyfe bounced MsChif’s head off the turnbuckle with the rocking horse. MsChif used a seated chickenwing stretch. MsChif got Fyfe with in a bodyscissors/camel clutch combo using the ropes. MsChif missed on a mad dash into the corner, and Fyfe rolled her up for two. MsChif floated over on a vertical suplex and pounded Fyfe from the mount, then hit a picture perfect standing moonsault for a near fall. MsChif applied a cutthroat hammerlock submission that looked like sheer torture. MsChif rolled through on a high crossbody, but Fyfe was in the ropes. Fyfe hit a back suplex and it was both women down. Fyfe reeled off a series of pinning combinations. Ref Chris got bumped. MsChif sprayed Fife with the green mist and pinned her with the Desecrator. I haven’t seen a women’s matches anything close to this level in Georgia.
(6) Adam Pearce beat “Boogie Woogie Boy†Gary Valiant (with Miss Boogie) to retain the World Heavyweight Title with the help of Paul Adams in 19:37. If the stuff that took place afterwards wasn’t such an abomination, this match would have been the perfect fit for the situation. Simple but effective. Boogie was in his element. The crowd was 100% behind him, and Pearce played the role of the touring heel champion to the hilt, so this match had great heat. When confronted by the local hero, Pearce bounced to the dressing room and got the “bald headed geek†chant. Boogie outsmarted Pearce early and took control. The fans chanted “Ten-uh-C.†Pearce threatened to leave if the fans didn’t quit the verbal abuse. Sircy (yep, on the mic again) said he would call the NWA BOD and have Pearce stripped if he did. Boogie told Pearce he was in for a Tennessee ass whipping. Pearce gave Boogie a beating in the corner. Boogie’s selling and bumping were spot on. The fans got behind Boogie. His rally fell short when Pearce stepped aside and Boogie’s shoulder hit the post. Pearce worked on Boogie’s arm and acted like he had the match in the bag. Pearce cut off a comeback with a single arm DDT. Pearce choked Boogie with his wrist tape. Referee Chris finally caught Pearce red handed. Pearce went up top. Boogie cut him off with haymakers, and Pearce crotched himself on the top. The punching in this match was textbook stuff. Boogie hit a superplex. Both men up at 7. Boogie made an agonized one-armed comeback. Boogie Blaster! Boogie threw an arm over Pearce. 1-2…the bell rang. Boogie thought he had won, but Adams had rung the bell. The ref pulled Boogie’s arm down. Pearce hit a piledriver for the pin. Adams announced Pearce as the winner.
If the show had ended right there, all would have been well. The finish was well-timed and left a number of ways to follow up. Instead, Homicidal Tendencies hit the ring and bloodied Boogie up with a chain. No Top Rope match would be complete without Sircy on the mic. Sircy had somebody special on the phone. Boogie had to lay in the ring forever and a day, while Sircy tried in vain to patch the call through on the PA. While this was going on, a male fans went nuts trying to get at Tendencies. Security had a hell of time subduing the guy. Adams got creative and hung the towel stained with Boogie’s blood over the ropes. Back at the announcer’s table, Reno Riggins was ringing the bell like crazy. I think that he was his subtle way of trying to move things along. Sircy finally gave up and announced Jimmy Valiant was coming in on July 12 to team with Boogie against Tendencies. Adams slid some chairs in the ring, but before Tendencies could use them, Andrews (Boogie’s partner in SAW) made the save.
NOTES: Michael St. John and Reno Riggins did live play-by-play for an upcoming DVD release of the show…Both Nashville wrestling shows, NWA Main Event and Showtime Allstar Wrestling, ran the same Adam Pearce promo on their shows Saturday. It’s a weird situation, because Sircy is a regular with SAW where he has a recurring TV role as a member of the Board of Directors, but he’s also an associate NWA member through Main Event’s Mike Porter...NWA Top Rope returns to Lebanon on July 12 with Jimmy Valiant & Gary Valiant vs. Homicidal Tendencies, and Andrews vs. Hanger vs. Hayme for the Junior Title.
