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GCW has a good thing going in Pell City. Last night's show drew 250. GCW drew 400 with a legends fanfest in October. It’s a fun show – old school with a family atmosphere and a professional feel. The talent is a mix of youngsters, solid veterans and Alabama legends. Most of the matches got a good response, although none had off the charts heat. Ring announcer/GCW Commissioner Eddie Layne keeps things moving along at a brisk clip. They did eight matches with one intermission in 2:45.
(1) Will Owens beat Blake Christopher in 3:48. Layne provoked a “Crybaby†chant for Owens, who tweaked his knee early in the match and couldn’t do much. Rob Russo should stick to refereeing. It is absolutely his forte. I thought of the great Brian Hildebrand with the way Russo stepped up his presence when the situation called for it due to Owens’ injury. Owens cut off a lame comeback with a killer back elbow. Mowed the jibroni down and pinned him with his feet on the ropes. Green as Christopher was, this was a match best kept short. Fans were hot at Owens for cheating.
(2) Mr. Hughes & A.R. Fox & Super Shinobi (with Dave Wills) beat Thunderhorse & Nasty Critters (Scum & Scrub) in 7:26. Wills (aka “The Crying Wrestling Fanâ€) cut a promo putting Hughes over as the guy that stole Undertaker’s urn and got hired by Harley Race to bodyguard Lex Lugar. Hughes is in great shape for any age, but especially for 45. Hughes said somebody was going down to the sidewalk slam. The promos got heat. Bad match. Lots of weak spots. No heat. The presence of Shinobi was a problem. You had this tiny guy in with three big babyfaces. His offense looked ridiculous and suspension of disbelief went out the window. Fox has the physique and athleticism. He’s hit a nice frogsplash. He needs ring time. Thunderhorse took the heat. He’s thickly built and fairly clueless, and if he’s Native American, he sure doesn’t look it. Scrub made the tag and had Fox up for a big move when Hughes clocked him with chain. Highlight was Hughes getting into it with the crowd after the match.
(3) Orion (Bishop) beat Cameron Valentine in 9:18. Best match of the night and there was no close second. Spot on 80s style psychology. Orion's selling was stellar. I’ve seen Orion in numerous good matches. This was as good as any of them, and by far, the best of the few matches I’ve seen Valentine in. He was a credit to the grand tradition of Johnny and Greg. Valentine knew he was no match for Orion's size and strength, so he ran. Bishop followed him out. Valentine ran back into the ring and cut Orion off with a shot to the knee. Valentine got the figure four and Orion immediately got a ropes break. Valentine was all over Orion’s knee. No gratuitous playing to the crowd. He stayed on Orion like victory was all that mattered. How refreshing. Orion’s knee gave out on an Irish whip. Bishop hit a suplex off of one leg for a hope spot. Valentine hit a downward spiral and tried for the figure four again. Orion kicked him off with Valentine taking a face bump into the turnbuckle. Orion tried for the F5, but his knee couldn’t handle it, so he speared Valentine bigtime for the pin.
(4) Mike Jackson defeated “Mean†Mike Posey to retain the Alabama Junior Title in 9:34. Posey insisted on being introed as the “sexiest ref on the planetâ€. Jackson dumped Posey out and started laying in the blows. Posey dumped Jackson and clotheslined the post when Jackson moved. Jackson did a major number on Posey’s arm to set up “old school†– his signature knuckle lock ropes walk. It was more believable than usual because Jackson had methodically destroyed Posey’s arm. The match changer was a Posey superkick for a near fall. Posey ran through his usual moveset with one new addition, a double stomp back splash. Posey missed a guillotine leg drop. Jackson started into his comeback, but Posey pinned him using the ropes for extra leverage. Posey was announced as the new champion. As Posey posed with the belt, referee David Rice called for restart and Jackson rolled him up. Layne explained that Rice asked him if he saw what happened.
Jackson said he turned 60 on November 10 and it was a privilege to be there.
Intermission with fans cueing up for autographs and photos with special guest, “Roaddog†B.G. James.
(5) Su Yung pinned Veronica Fairchild in 7:45. This was Yung’s match to carry. She’s big league quality in the looks department. Amazing skin color owing to her mixed Asian-American heritiage. Great gear. Needs to get a little leaner. Yung would glare and verge on losing her temper, then change her tune with the Geisha Girl bowing and “so sorry†routine. She lulled Fairchild into dropping her guard and kicked her right in her pretty Southern face. Yung mostly kept it on the mat. I suspect that was for the best. Yung used a camel clutch. Yung pinned Fairchild with a sloppy roll up and a fistful of tights. Layne didn’t catch that one.
Yung got on the mic. She spoke in frantic broken English with a thick Japanese accent. Fairchild said she had no idea what Yung said, but she was acting like she saw Godzilla coming out of the lake. Fairchild said she wanted a rematch on January 23 and Layne OKed it. The mic work got over better than the match.
(6) Dennis Condrey beat Corey Hollis in 8:21. Condrey tried intimidation tactics – “Are you sure you want to do this?†Hollis answered with a pair of dropkicks to drive Condrey out of the ring. Hollis was in his element. He’s an Alabama boy, and his brand of babyface fire resonates with Alabama fans. Condrey psyched Hollis out by breaking clean and slapping hands. Condrey then threw Hollis down by the hair. Hollis got pissed. Condrey bailed. Hollis took him down on the floor. Back inside the ring, Condrey took over. Fans struck up a “Corey†chant. Condrey used a variety of karate thrusts and gave Hollis a general mauling, then brought a chair in. Hollis seated Condrey with an atomic drop. Looked like Condrey’s eyeballs were going to pop out of his head. Hollis made the big comeback, but Condrey cut him off with a lariat and got the pin with --- you guessed it – his feet on the ropes. Layne didn’t see that one either.
Hollis vowed there would be a next time with Condrey,
(7) Moneymakers (J.P. Magnum & Theodore Tutwiler with Howard C. Cross) beat “Bullet†Bob Armstong & Steve Armstrong to become the new GCW Tag Team Champions in 10:14. About what you would expect. Bullet is 70. Steve is 45 and doesn’t wrestle much any more, so there wasn’t going to be much of anything athletic going on. Cross is all comedy – cue ball head, sweat band, glasses and a puke yellow hoodie. He got “baldy†heat and covered up with the hoodie. Magnum formerly wrestled as Jayson Phoenix for NAWA in Rome among others. A fan held up a sign that read “Money Makers Suck’sâ€. The offensive highlight from Armstrongs was a dual arm ringer-karate chop combo. Moneymakers huddled up to strategize. Magnum tried to rough up Steve. That didn’t work, but eventually, Steve ate the buckles charging in and then a lariat from Magnum to start the heat. They did the distraction spot where Russo failed to see a legit tag. Off the hot tag, Moneymaker sold for Bullet’s chops. Armstrongs put Moneymakers in stereo sleepers. Cross clocked Bullet with his briefcase and he was pinned by Tutwiler.
Postmatch, Steve called Cross an inglorious bastard.
Layne announced GCW was bringing in Jerry Lawler for the next Pell City event on January 23. They played a video of Lawler on the big screen.
Sergeant Hammer and Cross came out for the main event, a Southern Street Fight. Sarge said Sawyer’s advertised partner, GCW Heavyweight Champion InHuman Fly wasn’t there because he had been in a car wreck. He told Sawyer to bring his mean, bloated behind out there and take it like a man. Sawyer came out and said he didn’t get a Red Rider for Christmas, but he bring somebody to put somebody’s eye out. He introduced Road Dogg, who did his “welcome to the dog house†rap and said he was going to get revenge for his daddy.
(8) “Roaddog†(B. G. James) & “Maddog†Dan Sawyer defeated Sergeant Hammer & Howard C. Cross in a Southern Street Fight (7:23). It started as a regular tag match. Roaddog busted out the Shake, Rattle & Roll on Cross. Then, all hell broke loose and the heels were taking a beating. Maddog hit Hammer with the world’s safest chair shot. Hammer bled after being sent head first into the post by Roaddog. Sawyer dragged Cross around by his hoodie and shot a fire extinguisher at him. Muddbone (think pint-sized Papa Shango) attacked Sawyer, but Roaddog ran him off. Hammer DDTed Roaddog and saved Cross from Mad Dog’s chain. Cross then tried to use the briefcase on Roaddog, who kicked it into his face to score the pin.
Road Dogg said he did it for his daddy. Sawyer said the fans hadn’t seen the last of them as a team. He announced a cage match for either February or March to see just how much blood Sarge had in his head. I must be missing something because I’m new to GCW, but what justifies a cage coming off a streetfight where the heels took a beating, Sarge bled and Cross was pinned?
NOTES: GCW returns to the Palmerdale Community Center on January 2 with midgets in action…Layne is the host of Beyond Ringside, Birmingham’’s Rock ‘n Wrestling Radio show, Sundays at 6PM Central time. The next broadcast is January 3…The event was taped by David Pierce.
