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RAMPAGE PRO WRESTLING IN WARNER ROBBINS, GEORGIA LIVE REPORT

Rampage Pro Wrestling rocks.

Fun times at Johnny G’s Fun Center in Warner Robins abound, as they again drew over 200 fans to their weekly television taping. This show has a really nice energy about it, in part due to the presence of some classic marks in the crowd. Every match had heat. In Georgia, 200 is a nice indie crowd under any circumstances, but what’s more impressive is RPW is growth, when across the region, the more established indie promotions are experiencing shrinking attendance.

They’ve only been running for two months, but RPW appears to be the right wrestling product, in the right place, at the right time. Their emergence has breathed life into the wrestling scene in around Macon, which has been mostly dormant. The creative forces at RPW have been able to meld talent from around the state into something unique and highly marketable. They have the financial backing of Dr. Johnny Gayton, a widely known ophthalmologist, who also happens to a hold powerlifting records.

The ring is set up in the one corner of the Fun Center, a giant-sized kids recreation complex, which is owned by Gayton. It’s amazing the matches have as much heat as they do because the place is built to deaden sound. One of the smart things they do is take a short break after every two matches to keep the crowd fresh.

RPW is the first locally produced wrestling show to air on Macon television since the Fred Ward days in the early 1980s. It's a three camera shoot with commentary done live. The TV show has a ways to go, but it’s getting better.

The October 26 event was the first annual Nickolas Jason Massengale Memorial, a benefit for the Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Hospital. Nick, the late son of Jason Cross, was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and died last October 30 at the age of 2 months and 5 days. Half of the proceeds went to the charities selected by Jason and his wife, Tara. The wrestlers also took up a collection from the fans prior to the show.

(1) Lance Christian & Kyle Matthews beat Frankie Valentine & Kodiak (with Ace Diamond) in 6:58. Christian and Matthews got a good pop for opening match guys. It's a good sign when your babyfaces are all as over as they are here. Christian did a sit spin on the ropes (619) into a leg drop. That move is a keeper. The faces produced a bit of dissension in the Diamond Mine by propelling Valentine into collisions with Kodiak. Matthews took the heat. Kodiak hit a sidewalk slam and applied a bear hug. The crowd chanted for Matthews. He hit a stellar dropkick on Valentine to set up the hot tag. Valentine got bounced around like a pinball, but not so for Kodiak. Christian avoided Kodiak’s bull rush into the corner and rolled him up for a close near fall. Kodiak countered Christian’s huracanrana attempt with a sitout powerbomb for the pin.

(2) Jason Cross beat Cru Jones in 10:03. Like butter. A memorable match on multiple levels, this is easily one of my favorite matches of 2008. Cross hit all his trademark spots beautifully. Jones jumped Cross before the bell. There was a funny spot early where Jones got tangled in the ropes trying to pull off a skin the cat. Cross sent him to the floor with a baseball slide dropkick and hit a flip dive. Jones took over after Cross did a major flying miss into the turnbuckles. Jones did too much showboating and missed with a dancing leg drop. Jones cut Cross off with a hot shot and hit a floatover Russian legsweep for a near fall. Jones got a “fruit cake” chant. Cross came back with the Roll of the Dice, but Jones got his knees up on Cross’ split legged moonsault. Cross took a corkscrew bump on a lariat. Jones went to a camel clutch but ended up impaling his groin on Cross’ knees. Jones used Cross’ momentum to send him headfirst into the turnbuckles. Jones called for a nerve hold. Fans chanted “Jason rocks.” Cross hit his reverse enzuigiri. Both men down. Cross connected with a spinkick for a two count. Jones countered the famed Cross brainbuster with a fishermanbuster. Cross kicked out. BEST DAMN BRAINBUSTER IN NORTH AMERICA for the three count. Cross had clearly dedicated this match to the memory of his son and got pretty emotional afterwards.

Postmatch: Gayton ran into the ring and dropped an elbow on Jones.

(3) Rob Adonis beat “Bad Element” Matt Black in 8:50. Adonis is number four on the babyface side behind Cross, Steele and J-Rod. Black is a slimy, low life type and got heat for it. Stuff like “You’re a woman, you hippie.” Black started pulling hair and claimed it was a slip. It built to the spot where Adonis pulled Black’s long locks. Black went to the eyes and made liberal use of the five count. The crowd behind Adonis. He connected with an enzuirgiri for the double down. So far so good, but it finished flat. Element was slow to feed for Adonis’ comeback, and it looked like his boots were glued to the mat for Adonis’ spinebuster and his suplex finisher.

(4) The lumberjack match between Dr. Johnny Gayton and Attorney Destro Xavier ended as a double DQ at 5:13. Any time you put two non-wrestlers in a wrestling match, about the best thing you can hope for is something perversely entertaining. This was certainly that. Gayton was introduced as the 2007 World Deadlift Champion (age group winner in his weight class). He’s way over with the people. Xavier jumped Gayton from behind. Xavier’s clients, Hot Like Lava (Jones & Shaun Banks) tried to smother Gayton with the ring apron. Gayton hulked up. Gayton kept throwing Xavier out, and the babyface lumberjacks kept tossing him back in. Gayton applied a leglock. Xavier was screaming like a girl and ended up wearing his headband like a crown. The heel lumberjacks beat up Gayton a bit. Gayton applied a figure four. Banks broke it up with an elbow drop, and the match degenerated into a huge melee with all the lumberjacks getting involved. The fans were chanting “Johnny rocks,” as Gayton glared at Hot Like Lava.

(5) Shaun Banks defeated J-Rod to retain the RPW Cruiserweight Title via DQ (4 minutes or so). Just when it was really starting to get rolling, Gayton ran out and attacked Banks. The dressing room emptied to pull them apart. While that was going on, Rinauro jumped into the ring and clocked J-Rod with his spray bottle.

Banks told “Methuselah” to turn up his hearing aid and announced that Gayton would have to go through the other members of Hot Like Lava, Cru Jones and Micah Taylor, to get to him. Gayton challenged HLL to a six man tag. “As sure as everybody in Warner Robins is ugly, we accept,” said Jones. Gayton said his partners would be “The Black Superman” A.J. Steele and Ron Simmons (on November 9). Gayton and Banks got in another pull apart. Just when it looked like it was over, Gayton dove off the apron onto Banks, who had his back turned. That was pretty nuts. They got pulled apart again, and then Banks threw a drink right in Gayton’s face, and took him down hard. Banks looked pissed. If tempers weren’t flaring for real, it was a hell of good work, because there was feeling of legit tension in the air.

(6) Orion Bishop beat A.J. Steele to become the first RPW Heavyweight Champion in 17:30. A brand new gold belt displayed prior the match. Two true heavyweights here. Bishop is a beast. There aren’t many guys coming into wrestling with that kind of size, strength and agility. It clash of the behemoths early with neither man giving ground. Steele took Bishop down and bent his arm at a nasty angle. Ace Diamond came out. They traded power moves, then brutalized each other on the outside, teasing a double count out. Bishop pulled the tights to send Steele into the turnbuckle. Bishop caught Steele in midair and shifted him into position to hit a fallaway slam. Just an awesome strength spot as Steele has to go 275. Bishop guillotined Steele’s throat off the top rope. The crowd got kind of quiet with Bishop in full control. Steele came back with a swinging side slam and hit a flying body press off the top for a great false finish. They had the crowd the rest of the way. Bishop hit a DDT and made a one-armed cover, but Steele lifted a shoulder. Bishop hit the Vader Bomb for another close near fall. Bishop went to a bodyscissors. The crowd started heating up for Steele. Bishop tried for the Texas Cloverleaf, but never fully locked it in, and Steele made the ropes. Bishop took an awkward looking bump on a missed ropes move for one of the few bad looking spots in the match. Steele backdropped Bishop to escape from a powerbomb. Big shoulder block by Steele for a near fall. Steele pulled up to avoid crashing into ref Dustin Robinson, but then Robinson got speared by Bishop when Steele moved. Steele hit the Steele City Bomb. No pin attempt for the babyface visual fall, as Steele immediately went to check on the ref. Diamond clocked Steele with the belt. Bishop then speared Steele and second ref Koonce ran out to make the three count. Good stuff. A match befitting the inauguration of a heavyweight title.

Diamond introduced “the crown jewel of the Diamond Mine” as the first RPW Heavyweight Champion.

NOTES: Gayton vs. Xavier in a Texas Death match headlines the 11/2 show…Iceberg is also coming in for 11/2…Their first big show is 11/9 with Simmons...RPW’s 60 minute TV show airs in Macon twice every Saturday: 4am on FOX 24 and at noon on Cox Cable channel 11…Cross did an interview with FOX 24 for their local Sunday night news show…It was a three person booth with Rob Russo, Katie Mayo and Rinauro all providing commentary.