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Crowd was down this time – 500 as compared to 800 last month and 1000 for several months running before that – probably due to a combination of great weather and the Mother’s day weekend. It’s not like the people that came weren’t into the show. This group was as hot and loud as when they’ve have double the number of people in the building. Once you’re over in Cedartown, you’re over, and you have the luxury of very forgiving crowd.
The lower turn out wasn’t for lack of trying. The April show saw top babyface (and booker) Air Paris doing a stretcher job and being taken away in ambulance after a piledriver onto to a chair from Purks Heavyweight Champion Bobby Hayes and his goons. Abyss vs. Hayes was immediately announced for May.
The jury is still out as to whether the star-a-month formula is beginning to run its course. Promoter Byron Slaughter doesn’t expect Purks will draw as well in the summer. The promotion did not book a star for the June event.
At a Purks show, attention is always given to setting things up for the return date. They outdid themselves this time, setting up three key matches for June on the strength of their regular roster.
Things got underway with Air Paris coming out to honor Will Graysons, a fan who recently passed away, with a 10 bell. Paris was in a neckbrace from the incident last month.
(1) Hardcore Properties (John Arden & Adam Arden) beat Exotic Ones (Simon Sermon & Tommy Too Much with Jackie Rosedale) in 8 minutes. HCP came out to the old ECW theme music. An inspired choice. HCP engaged Exotics in a contest of crowd pops and jumped them as they were playing to the crowd. It’s fine for the heels to look like morons. HCP dominated early. This crowd absolutely eats up Sermon’s bumping and selling for big John’s offense. The tide turned when Adam crashed and burned on a diving headbutt. Sermon sent Adam flying through the ropes and he took a crazy ass bump to the floor. Exotics got huge heat as they worked Adam over. Sermon does a nice Saito suplex. Adam hit a DDT on Too Much, and it was house cleaning time for John. He freight-trained Sermon in the corner. Sermon chop blocked John’s knee and got one of Rosedale’s shoes. But John beat him to the punch with brass knucks. 1-2-3 with Sermon taking the pin shoe in hand. Fun opener.
(2) Slim J defeated Mike Posey in 11:30. J was making his Purks debut courtesy of the Bill Behrens influence. Posey, who previously appeared here as AJ Styles' imported ref from TNA, insisted on getting his “sexiest ref in the universe†etc. intro. Crowd was into J’s aggressiveness. They popped for a waistlock takedown. J capped off a nice chain exchange with a flying headscissors. J connected with a roundhouse to the chops for a near fall. Posey used a classic Eddie Gilbert hotshot to take over. Posey was trying to be an arrogant jerk, but fans weren't reacting much. Posey got them back into the match with a spectacular long distance miss on a guillotine legdrop. J made his comeback. He got near falls with a suplex combo and double stomp elbow drop, but missed with a moonsault. Posey missed an enzuigiri and J hit the flying reverse DDT for the pin. It got It will take a bit of education for a workrate match like this to get over in Cedartown. They went a little long and lost the crowd to some extent.
(3) Thunder & Lightning (Chris Ganz & Chris Lightning) accompanied by Little Big Guy beat Purks Tag Team Champions Alexander the Great & Terry Lawler (with Jackie Rosedale) in a non title match in 17:04. The pop for Thunder & Lightning was fairly amazing. They came out flying. Lawler and Ganz opened with this nice knuckle lock spot that led to a huracanrana by Ganz. Lightning followed with a flying headscissors on Alexander. Little Big Guy (Too Tall Shorts) hit a flying bodypress on Alexander for one of the best pops all night long. T & L did pescados in stereo, and Guy did a dive on Rosedale. Lawler gave Ganz a low blow when the ref wasn't looking. Alexander fish hooked him, so Ganz chomped on his fingers. Lawler did a ropes walk spot – very gingerly I might add. Lawler used the old Suicidal Tendencies foot tag. The heels switched once without tagging. Twice, Ganz made tags that referee Chris “Spanky†Emerson didn't see. The heat was something else. It generated a “Spanky sucks†chant. It turned out to be a very busy night for Emerson. Off the hot tag, Lightning hit Sliced Bread #2 on Lawler, but Alexander saved and gave Lightning a full nelson slam. Alexander flew off the top and got caught by a not quite midair dropkick from Lightning. Alexander got a foot on the ropes but the Little Big Guy knocked it off, and the building erupted when Emerson counted three.
Rosedale issued a challenge for a six man match on June 12 with the tag titles on the line versus the mask of Little Big Guy, and if Guy gets unmasked, he’s gone for good. Nobody couldn hear a word Rosedale was saying over the ruckus. Fortunately, the ring announcer was Dan Wilson. He made the stipulations crystal clear, and basically did a great job all night long.
Intermission, the only one, which allowed the show to finish by 10:30. The advertised bell time is 7:30 but they never start until 8.
(4) Shaun Banks beat Adam Jacobs by DQ in 8:44. No doubt the best match of the night. It had a seriousness that the previous matches lacked. I think the stiffness had a lot to do with that. Great heat as well. Both guys are in major league shape. Jacobs attacked Banks before he made it to the ring. Banks took an awesome flying bump into the post. Jacob was all over him, scoring near falls with a missile dropkick and a superkick. Banks finally rallied and hit a lariat that spilled both men over the top. Back inside, Jacobs begged for mercy. Banks was having none of that, so Jacobs tossed Emerson out of the ring for the DQ. They gave the fans no satisfaction, which was exactly the right thing.
Afterwards, Banks continued to do a number on Jacobs, who was begging off. It turned into a pull apart with wrestlers from both dressing rooms (separate sides for heels and faces in Cedartown) entering the fray. Sermon was hilarious; acting all prissy like he didn’t want to risk getting hurt. Long, loud chant of “let them go†before it was over. Good stuff.
Wilson announced Banks vs. Jacobs for June 12 in a no DQ- no count out Cedartown Streetfight.
(5) David Young pinned Chris Harris after interference by Bobby Hayes in around 13 minutes. Harris is in about the same shape as when he was last seen in WWE. He wore a singlet. He moved well but looked rusty in spots. A fair number of fans seemed to remember him. Young hasn't lost weight so much as he has turned what used to be fat into muscle. Match opened with a ton of stalling by Young. He pouted about not being treated like a star, and acted all hurt when the crowd got on him, which built heat all the more. It would have been too much in most places, but Purks isn’t most places. Harris opened up with lefty lariats. A reverse atomic drop sent Young to the outside. Harris brought him back in the hardway. When Harris went for the 10 punches, Young dropped him face first on the turnbuckle. The was a “Wildcat†chant as Young got heat on Harris. Young missed a moonsault. Comeback time. Harris got two with a bulldog. Harris hit his wind up uranage finisher and Hayes ran down to distract Emerson. Finish was messed by timing and positioning issues. Hayes appeared to enter the ring in plain sight of Emerson to clock Harris with his title belt. Decent match except for the finish.
(6) Abyss beat Purks Heavyweight Champion Bobby Hayes via DQ in 11:26. People were on their feet for Abyss. Hayes attacked before the bell. He made Abyss miss with his freight train corner squash. The brawled outside. Hayes sent Abyss’ shoulder into the post. Hayes grounded Abyss with a sleeper or something of that nature. Abyss goozled Hayes as he came off the top. Hayes blocked the choke slam but ate a high boot. Abyss scored with the el squasho in the corner and got a near fall with a sidewalk slam. Hayes again escaped from the chokeslam. Hayes moved and Emerson got squashed by Abyss. With the ref down, Hayes nailed Abyss with the belt. Crowd popped huge when Abyss kicked out. Hayes brought a chair in. Abyss punched the chair into Hayes’ head. Abyss wedged the chair between the turnbuckles and sent Hayes in head first. Abyss hit the choke slam for a near fall. Abyss spread tacks in the ring. Before he could do the deed, Abyss was attacked by Young, Lawler and Alexander.
Harris was a one man wrecking crew on the save. Lawler and Alexander each took a choke slam into the tacks from Abyss. Lawler got the worst of it.
Wilson announced that by the order of Commissioner Ron Simmons it would be Hayes vs. Young vs. Harris for the Purks title on June 12 and the commish would be in attendance.
NOTES: Lineup for June 12 thus far: Hayes vs. Young vs. Harris for the Purks Heavyweight Title with Commissioner Simmons in attendance, Tracy Brooks vs. Tracy Taylor, Banks vs. Jacobs in a Cedartown Streetfight and Thunder & Lightning & Little Big Guy vs. Alexander & Lawler & Rosedale with the tag titles and Little Big Guy’s mask on the line…Behrens was helping out in a a number of capacities…The show was taped by David Pierce at piercetapes@yahoo.com and broadcast live on WGAA 1340AM in Cedartown. Incidentally, Pierce’s tape of the 2/19/10 IWA Deep South event is available through Smart Mark Video under the title “Return of the Guys Nobody Gives a **** About.
