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Like the taping two week ago, match quality was good across the board. Two matches stood out as special.
The storylines make sense and give you a reason to care. People are screwing each other right and left. Consequently, the level of violence is escalating.
It's a good night at the wrestling matches when the show ends with a killer babyface turn like the one they pulled off with Iceberg last night.
They had three hours of television to fill - a necessary evil in months with five Saturdays (an added May 30 show did not come to fruition) so some matches were given more time than under normal circumstances.
Attendance at the NWA Arena was 130 compared for 190 on the same weekend in 2008.
The atmosphere reminded me of an NWA Wildside taping. The crowd was smaller and quieter but in no way apathetic. They saved the pops for the key spots. As the company approaches its four year anniversary, there’s a degree of sophistication in the fanbase similar to the Wildside days.
(1) Todd Sexton pinned Bo Newsome at 7:29. Early on, it was Bo working on Sexton’s arm with a look of determination on his face. Sexton took liberties on the break, but Bo stayed on the attack, dumping Sexton to the floor. Back inside, Sexton lit into Bo with a series of high impact moves for near falls. Newsome connected with a dropkick that sent Sexton down face first. Nice finishing sequence here. Sexton rolled through on a flying body press and tried for the Sharpshooter, then an ankle lock, but Bo escaped sending Sexton face first into the turnbuckle. Newsome got near falls with a rolling reverse and a falling reverse DDT for near falls before Sexton finished him with the running knee to the cranium. Good opener.
Sexton gave notice that the Young Lions were on the endangered species list. “I am The Excellence of Sexecution. I am Todd Sexton.â€
On the WrestleVision, we saw Seth Delay & Brodie Chase gloating about how they had done everything they said they were going to do. They were confronted by Talent & Money. Drew Pendleton III accused them of costing T&M the tag titles. “You’re either with us or against us, and without us, you ain’t beatin’ nobody,†said Delay. J.T. Talent socked Chase in the jaw, and boy, did that ever look awesome in the close up shot. They had a pull apart, which always come across really chaotic in the cramped quarters backstage at the NWA Arena.
(2) Skirra Corvus beat Frankie Valentine and El Veterano IV in 7:21 to earn a shot at the Young Lions’ Championship. Good match with little heat. Veterano had the full scale Lucha Libre mask this time. It’s about time Anarchy had a luchador. The heels beat on IV, who came back with a double Japanese armdrag and a flapjack on Corvus. The heels regained the advantage and immediately began fighting over the ring to pin IV. The rest of the match was round robin three way action. There was a cool spot where Valentine was trying to pin IV with an O’Connor roll and Corvus took him down with a running blockbuster. Corvus splatted on the hardwood floor. IV was flying around until Valentine rudely dumped him out into the rail. Corvus pinned Valentine with the Grayeyard Shift (curbstomp). Finisher didn’t look as devastating as usual. It appeared Valentine didn’t take it properly. I liked the aspect of Corvus winning without the Reverend at ringside.
(3) New Wave (Steven Walters & Derrick Driver) beat Technicians (Bobby Moore & Tyler Smith) to retain the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Championship in 6:24. Technicians got the jump on New Wave and hit the Hart Attack for a near fall just after the opening bell. Walters fought out of the heel corner to make the tag. New Wave doubled on Smith with spot on teamwork. They’re looking every bit the part of a classic babyface championship tag team these days. They went for the Unskinny Bop but Moore broke it up. Driver took the heat. Finish was terrific. New Wave smoked Moore with the double chest cracker and Walters pinned Smith after awesome version of the Spanish Fly called Double Vision. A good match overall and one of the Technicians best showings. Smith has gotten himself in much better shape.
(4) Azrael pinned Don Matthews with in 8:34 after distraction by Jeff Lewis. Way better than expected. No pretty wrestling moves. These guys beat the living **** out of each other and then some. In Matthews, Azrael had an opponent that would trade strikes with him on even terms, and did he ever, leaving Azrael’s chest an ugly mass of purple welts. Matthew blistered Azrael’s chest to where he drew blood. I hadn’t seen that live since Flair vs. Garvin. Matthews’ chest was not exposed. Lucky for him. Azrael went down first. Matthews punished him with power moves including a sick kick to the kidneys. The Reverend distracted to set up Azrael’s running knee strike. Azrael tasted the blood that was running down his chest. Azrael hit a single arm DDT and did sick stuff to Matthews’ elbow. Azrael did this sadistic spot where he fish-hooked Matthews while torqueing his elbow in a queer direction. Matthews blocked the Ted Bundy and beat on Azrael some more. Matthews ate a boot charging in. It was the one bad spot, as Matthews looked a bit blown up by this point. Matthews gave Azrael a fallaway slam. Enter Lewis. Azrael capitalized on the distraction with the frogsplash elbow drop. For pure physicality, easily the match of the night.
(5) Orion Bishop pinned Chris Mayne in 2:45. Fans still seem unsure just how to react to Bishop's intense but . A decent squash with Bishop hitting his trademark moves and spearing Mayne for the pin.
Postmatch: Shatter and Kimo (with Jeff G. Bailey) attacked Bishop. Kimo devastated Bishop with the million and one martial arts blows. Bailey said Bishop picked the wrong person to align with in Mikal Judas. Bailey challenged Judas to show himself, so Kimo could finish him. The lights went out and Judas’ music played. The lights came back on. No Judas and Bishop was gone.
(6) Talent & Money (JT Talent & Drew Pendleton III) beat Seth Delay & Brodie Chase after distraction by Slim J at 10:29. This was heel vs. heel but T & M were booked as the babyfaces. The two teams argued. Chase and Delay struck first and a brawl ensued. But Referee Ken Wallace asserted his authority to get the match started in an orderly fashion. Imagine that. Delay took a TO and tagged out. Chase and Pendleton did the first chain wrestling of the night. Talent & Money hit big moves forcing Chase and Delay to save each other. Pendleton took heat. Talent did the deal where he interfered and then dragged Pendleton back to his corner so he could tag in. They did a sequence of big moves that didn’t get much of a crowd reaction. Chase hit a Doctor Bomb on Talent and got distracted by the sight of Slim J chasing Delay. T & M surpised Chase with a double STO and he was pinned by Pendleton. Another good match without a lot of heat. Talent and Money have earned respect. I think a more hyped crowd would have gotten behind them.
The postmatch was hilarious. Some old woman in the front row started doing this suggestive dance for Chase. It looked like Brodie’s eyeballs were going to melt. But his look of disgust changed to lust when from the ramp, Brodie signaled to granny to call him.
(7) Mike Mosley & Andrew Alexander (with Jay Clinton) beat Wild Bunch (Billy Buck & Chris King) in 11:08. I got a call about all the craziness down in Phenix City with GCW during this match so I’m sketchy on the details. The heat started with King fighting off Mosley and Clinton before eating a hotshot from Alexander. The heels beat on King. A cool spot saw King try for a flying headscissors only to have it brutally shrugged off by Mosley. Buck took the hot tag and started tattooing Mosley. Mosley thwarted a superkick but got caught with Buck’s Samoan Drop. Alexander interfered and Mosley hit his inverted Ace crusher to pin Buck.
Lewis came out to congratulate the members of his Entourage. He called them world class athletes. He also referred to Mosley as “Kyle Mosleyâ€. Out came Rowdy Friends (Matthews and Jessco Blue). Lewis pointed out the odds – 4 against 2 and ½ (the half being Matthew’s belly). Matthews issued a challenge for a match against Lewis and a partner of his choosing. Lewis wanted to know what was in it for him. Matthews put up Jessco’s shoulder length hair. “I reckon that could be outstandinger than hell,†said Jessco. Lewis put Jay Clinton’ two tone Mohawk. Wild Bunch ran out and the faces dumped Entourage out of the ring.
Reverend and Bailey appeared on the WrestleVision. Reverend said it was the union of two of the greatest minds in the world, the two greatest factions in NWA history, and together they would destroy the challenge of Truitt Fields and Ace Rockwell. Bailey said Fields was humiliated at Hardcore Hell, and now he was in for hurt, punishment and regret.
(8) Malachi beat Skirra Corvus via DQ in 9:34 to retain the Young Lion’s Championship. Malachi got a great pop. He’s got some mighty thick soles on those boots. Shades of Silky Boom Boom. Corvus opened with chain wrestling. Malachi answered with an arm drag combo. Malachi busted out of his sweet moves – a headscissors from a tree of woe position with Corvus hanging upside down outside the ropes. Corvus tried for the Graveyard Shift but Malachi got to the ropes. Corvus worked on Malachi’s back. He used the standing variation of Cattle Mutilation. Malachi upended Corvus on double jump move to start a full-fledged comeback. Malachi went up top to finish with the frogsplash and got dumped by Azrael for the DQ.
Devil’s Rejects (Azrael, Tempers & Corvus) gave Malachi the beatdown. Reverend announced that Iceberg was back in the fold. Iceberg entered and rather gently threw Malachi out of the ring. Reverend berated Berg. Said he wasn’t the star he used to be and called him broken down war horse. Tempers blasted Iceberg with his title belt busting him open. Iceberg made a 1 on 3 comeback. He had the Reverend trapped in the corner, but Tempers came from behind to wrap a coathanger around his throat (a reprise of a famous Wildside angle where Iceberg did likewise to Hotstuff Hernandez). Tempers choked Iceberg out until the Reverend said enough. Iceberg was down for a long time, but got up under his own power with the fans urging him on. NWA Anarchy owner Jerry Palmer cautiously entered the ring with a towel. He tossed the towel towards Iceberg, like he was throwing food to a wild animal. Iceberg shunned the towel and headed for the back door with blood streaming down his face.
(9) Rob Adonis pinned Slim J with the claw hold in 6:05. With Shadow Jackson not present, J was clearly the most over babyface. Adonis was on his own due to Jeremy Vain’s suspension. J was on fire early. Adonis T-boned J and decimated his back with power moves. J countered a vertical suplex with a mounted rear naked choke. Sweet. Adonis went to his knees but would not go down. J hit the flying reverse DDT off the top. Delay came out to distract J. Adonis caught J in the claw hold and put him on his back for the three count. Solid David and Goliath type action.
(10) Truitt Fields & Ace Rockwell beat NWA National Champion Phil Shatter (with Jeff G. Bailey) & NWA Anarchy Television Champion Shaun Tempers (with the Reverend) in 21:24. Bailey went off on three different marks at ringside. He was ripping these dudes unmercifully and left them all with no comeback. He told one obese guy he should get his stomach stapled. No idea what got into him. It’s been a while since he’s gotten that extreme. It did heat up a rather blasé crowd. Early on, it was Rockwell outdueling former partner Tempers early then countering the power of Shatter. Fields tagged in and went nose-to-nose with Shatter, who blew him off. That left Tempers to take the beating. At 10 minutes in, Bailey interfered allowing Tempers to dump Fields. Reverend and Bailey both went after Fields. Shatter was more than happy to dish out punishment to an incapacitated Fields. Along the way, he used a spinebuster slam and a version of the Garvin Stomp. The hot tag led to an awesome sequence. Rockwell and Fields did skin-the-cats in stereo, pulled the ropes down on the heels, then punched Bailey and Reverend in the face with both managers taking bumps to the floor. Probably the biggest pop of the night. The finishing sequence was a beauty. Shatter went for the PTSD on Rockwell, didn’t get it, and got clotheslined out by Fields. Tempers dumped Fields and got rolled up by Rockwell for a false finish that had the crowd. Tempers went for the Tiger Driver, and Rockwell countered with the Aces High for the pin.
Rejects hit the ring to beat on the babyfaces. Iceberg approached with the coathanger, and the Rejects scattered. Fans started chanting his name. Palmer came out. Keeping his distance, he invited Iceberg to leave via the ramp (rather than the back door exit used by Rejects). The show closed with Iceberg walking up the ramp much to the delight of the Anarchy fans.
Great way to end the show.
NOTES: Former Anarchy star, Nemesis is slated to appear for Georgia Wrestling Promotions tonight in Canton. Nemesis was Anarchy’s most hated heel at one point, but despite being given numerous chances, he was unable to keep his act together and is no longer on the roster…Hayden Young, who formed the tag team Awesome Attraction with TNA’s Consequences Creed, is taking time off from wrestling to finish college…Shatter is booked for the 5/23 return of NWA Charlotte…A lot of the NWA Anarchy talent appeared on a show held at organized by NWA Anarchy referee D.L. Norris. The atmosphere provided by the inmate fans was off the hook. They were going nuts for Bailey’s Gucci shoes…Tempers and Alexander appear for PWA in Bremen on 5/23.
