PWInsiderXTRA - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

SHOWTIME ALL STAR WRESTLING TV REPORT

Showtime All-Star Wrestling – Episode 100
Airing August 8, 2009
Taped at the SAW Mill in Millersville, Tn

LAST WEEK…Shane “The Brain” Smalls cost Chrisjen Hayme his match against Sean Casey…Chase Stevens gave Andy Douglas a haircut…Derrick King Enterprises laid out the SAW Tag Team Champions, LT Falk and Drew Haskins.

Cut to Paul Adams and David Young outside the front door of the SAW Mill. Young was scouring the area for weapons. Adams was on the phone trying to talk Douglas into providing “moral support” during Young’s streetfight against Hammerjack, and telling him his hair didn’t look that bad. “Look, if you get it cut real tight, you’ll look just like me - cool.” Young said the bald look made him a chick magnet. He told Douglas a bald head was like a solar panel for a love machine. They ran Hammerjack into the ground. Adams went off on a tangent about his problem with large women.

There are certain classes of people in this world, just like there are certain classes of women at the SAW Mill. There are large women. There are large ugly women. And there are very, very, large, ugly, and I’m talking the kind their belt size is equator like that one right over there. There are different classes of people and some don’t belong associating with others, and you’re one of those, Hammerjack. You never belonged associating with us.

The fans (mostly kids) outside the building started chanting for Hammerjack. “Hero of the stupid, Hammerjack, this man is going to hit you with anything that’s not nailed down…he may pick up one of these large women and drop them right on top of you.” Young got the last word.

Hammerjack, tonight you’re not going to be able to get drunk and go ugly early to beat the rush. You’re going down.

Michael Graham previewed the upcoming action – “It’s Showtime and SAW starts now!”

1 – SHANE “The Brain” SMALLS vs. AIDEN SCOTT

Reno Riggins joined Graham on commentary. They talked about the physical beatings DKE had meted out on Falk and Haskins. Riggins put Scott over for having a great attitude. Scott was flipping and flying in stellar fashion, until Smalls hit a half nelson backbreaker – the match changer as Grahams calls it. Smalls did a number on Scott’s back, using a twisting suplex and a powerslam for a near falls. Smalls shifted his attack to the gut with a Thesz Press and a springboard splash. Smalls went up top for a swanton, but somersaulted to safety when he saw Scott move. Scott rocked Smalls with forearms shots and tried to go aerial. Smalls countered with the Poetry in Motion for the pinfall.

WINNER: Smalls in 5:54. Fast-paced cruiserweight action. Smalls’ far ranging moveset brings something different to SAW, but he would be better served by doing a little less and making sure everything looks crisp.

Jon Michael Worthington came out for interview time wearing street clothes. Graham called Worthington’s actions downright despicable. Worthington said Jesse Emerson showed footage that was never to see the light of day (the infamous lackey for day video with TJ Harley), a nightmarish experience for a blue blood like Worthington - “cutting grass with a synthesizer…getting hit with goat rocks.” Worthington said it wasn’t his fault Emerson was hypersensitive. Graham bolted. Emerson surprised Worthington with a sock in the jaw. Worthington took a high backdrop and headed for the hills. The refs held Emerson back. It ended with fans chanting “let them fight”.

Top 10 list: SAW International Champion–Kid Kash 1-Stevens 2-Arrick Andrews 3–Emerson 4-Hammerjack 5-Andy Douglas 6–Rick Santel 7-Young 8–Casey 9-Hayme 10–Smalls.

2 – PGWA Title Match: Champion TRACY TAYLOR vs. SU YUNG

Yung, an attractive Asian American girl (billed from Osaka), came out dancing and smiling. Reno brought up SAW being broadcast in Samoa, and said the Samoans were proud of Taylor (a Hawaiian) being an international champion. As Taylor maintained control of Yung, Graham brought up the mysteries of SAW. Who was in the photo that Worthington pulled out of Emerson’s bag and tore up? Who tripped up Vordell Walker to set up him up for the hit by DKE? Riggins said Walker came out it with broken ribs, a bruised sternum and possible kidney damage. We came back from a commercial break to find Yung stalking Taylor, who was suffering from impaired vision. Yung spanked her heinie and gave her a horsey ride. That got a rise out of Tracy. She lit into Yung with a stiff series of kicks and forearms. Yung tossed Taylor out of the ring. Taylor pulled Yung out. Yung whipped Taylor into the ringpost. Senior Official Kurt Herron counted them out.

WINNER: Both women counted out at 5:22. Not much to it and most of it was not good. The announced team used it as background music for discussion of storylines. Highlight was the kickass series of strikes by Taylor.

Yung joined Graham at ringside. In broken English with a heavy Japanese accent, Yung said she was the winner. Graham called it a double DQ (he later corrected himself). Yung blamed Taylor for the DQ and demanded a rematch. “You issue now!” said Yung, and smacked Graham with her Oriental fan.

Graham introduced a highlight package to set up the streetfight. Nice job of hitting all the high points. It closed with a Hammerjack promo talking about how he was from the streets, so this match right up his alley.

3 – Street Fight: DAVID YOUNG (with Paul Adams) vs. HAMMERJACK

Hammerjack hit the ring with a sledgehammer to the gut, then Hammerjack choked Young with a garotte like piece of rope. Young was flailing his arms with his tongue hanging out. “Hammer” chant from the thinned out bleachers. Graham explained that for safety’s sake, the kids were watching the big screen in the lounge (what lounge?) for safety’s sake. At ringside, Hammer slammed Young’s head into the “decorative” chain link fence. Young left Hammer writhing in the concrete floor with a kick to the groin. Young jabbed away at Hammer’s prone body with a chair. Young ran Hammer headfirst into the wall –a shot that looked violent as hell. Hammerjack got the advantage and started for Adams. They cut to a shot of Young crawling away on all fours. (Commercial break) Hammerjack was after Adams with his belt. Young cut Hammer off with a stainless steel kitchen sink. Young whipped Hammerjack - “like an animal” with his own belt. Herron tried to intervene and got chased out. The announce team said the ref was only there to count. Hammer slapped Young into what Graham called an MMA rear naked choke. Young sold it rasslin style doing the arm drop thing. Hammer had it on a full 90 seconds before Young raked the eyes. Young dug down deep sending Hammer to the floor with a baseball slide dropkick. Matching chairs inside the ring. Young struck the first blow. Reno compared Young’s chair swinging to that of his former partner, “Chairman of the Board” Steven Dunn. Young played a conchairto on Hammer’s back. He sold like he was crippled. A big Hammer DDT left Young’s foot clearly resting on the bottom rope. Herron forged ahead with the count. Graham said it was the official’s ruling that the shoulders on the mat were the only thing that mattered. Young hit a spinebuster. Both down with the crowd chanting. At seven, Young draped an arm with Hammer rolling a shoulder at 2 and ¾. Hammer gave Young a forearm up the ying yang. Now THAT was a receipt. Hammer pounded Young’s head. Young jabbed Hammer in the thigh with the chair edge. Young went for the head shot and missed. Hammer tried for a piledriver. Didn’t happen the first time, but second time was a freaking charm. Spiked him good and Young went limp. Hammer covered with this head on the chest, and Young’s foot under the ropes.

WINNER: Hammerjack in 12:15. Tons better then their previous matches. This was a great streetfight with one glaring exception (see below). Intentional or not, the ref changing the rules on the fly (ropes don’t matter on pin attempts) added an element of interest to the story. If Herron counted the pin with Young’s foot on the ropes by mistake, that was one hell of audible by Graham.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: I’ve griped plenty about SAW doing great build ups and then being let down when the match doesn’t live up to the hype. That wasn’t the case this week. The streetfight produced (and it’s definitely not true of the next episode, which features what might be the best match in SAW history). It was the right type match for this pair. When Young and Hammerjack get together, it should be a fight, not a wrestling match. Streetfights are far from my favorite type of match, but in this case, the violence had context. This was sweet revenge. A-Team had manipulated, verbally abused and physically incapacitated the wrestler most closely identified with the SAW Mill fans. Treated him like the lowest form of life. Besides, you’ve got to love a match where they use everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink. The one thing I hated was the so called “rear naked choke” – if it’s an MMA spot, Young passes out or he escapes. The one thing he doesn’t do is come back to life like a traditional wrestling sleeper hold…The crowd was hot for the streetfight, but there’s something wrong when there are fewer fans in the building for the big main event, than there were for the opener…As the handling of Herron’s rule change demonstrated; SAW has done a 180 when it comes to portraying refs as authority figures…The best thing about the woman’s match was the way Graham selling the whacks from Yung’s fan. That, and there being two attractive women involved. From a wrestling standpoint, the PWGA matches on SAW have been weak. Tracy Taylor is a good wrestler, but most of her opponents have not been…The spontaneity they captured in the opening made a fun segment. It was the most entertaining interaction between Adams and Young to date…It should be noted that neither Gary Valiant or Marc Anthony are listed in the top 10, nor have either been mentioned since their program ended over two months ago. That was to be expected with Valiant. I’m surprised about Anthony, though…The Worthington/Emerson deal got the desired fan reaction…All indications are I was wrong about the Hayme/Smalls program being over, and I’m glad of it.