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NOTE: I’m skipping episode 157, which was a “best of 2010†show. SAW airs on America One at 10pm Fridays with a replay at 3pm Sunday. It streams on the internet at wvvh.com.
Last Week on SAW…The startling change in Kid Kash continued, as he not only beat Daniel Wheeler (NWA Anarchy’s Steven Walters) fair and square but offered a handshake after the match…Rudy Charles showed up at the side of A-Team. Paul Adams explained that legal counsel Jesse Emerson had petitioned SAW to have Charles installed as the referee for all A-Team matches…David Young defeated Vordell Walker when Charles disqualified Walker for using a closed fist.
Michael Graham greeted us from ringside at the HWA Arena in Lavernge, Tn. He was joined by Walker, who said the stuff with Charles costing him the match last week was bogus. He challenged Young to a rematch.
1 – “King†SHANE WILLIAMS vs. RYAN MITCHELL
The King frustrated the SAW newcomer with his shenanigans to the point Mitchell punched him in the face. Back from commercial, Williams was in full control. Grahams said Charles was suspended with pay pending an investigation of his actions last week. We also learned that Young wasn’t there to answer Walker’s challenge. Graham announced SAW Champion Phil Shatter vs. Tommy Mercer as the main event for February 12 at the Stadium Inn. Williams went for the Lawler fist drop. It missed giving Mitchell an opening for a comeback. He got a near fall with a basement dropkick. As King Shane was fishing around in his tights, presumably for a foreign object, he was attacked by Arrick Andrews. Williams immediately hi-tailed it to the back.
WINNER: Williams via DQ in 5:30 when he was attacked by Arrick Andrews.
Next up was one of the funniest vignettes to ever air on a wrestling TV show. Adams was in the hallway of the SAW office suite talking on the phone with Young. Adams told Young to meet him there so they could go partying. Young offered to call Mary Kate and Ashley. “The Olsens?†Adams asked. Young said, “No, the Zimmerman twins. One of them has a club foot.†Adams asked if they were hot. Young said they were easy.
You know our motto, Dave. Beauty is only a light switch away.
Before hanging up, Young said “love ya, Paul,†and got his feeling hurt when Adams didn’t say it back. Adams said it was awkward because the camera was there for an interview about Charles. Young suggested that Paul wasn’t secure in his manhood. He said they went back a long way, and he wouldn’t feel right about hanging up unless Paul said it. Under extreme duress, Adams finally got the words out.
After taking a moment to regain his composure, Adams addressed the Charles situation.
He is a stickler for rules. From what I understand, he doesn’t run with scissors. From what I understand, he waits TWO hours after eating to go swimming.
Adams accused SAW of installing George Gulas as a puppet regime. His phone rang. “Dave, I said it already.†Adams forged ahead, stating that Reno Riggins and Commissioner Freddie Morton were pulling the strings on the suspension of Rudy Charles. Adams said they were proving Emerson’s case, and before it was all over the A-Team would own SAW. Adams said they were going to celebrate because for the first time in year, Young was a winner, mere weeks after Adams became his life coach.
Graham announced Williams vs. Andrews for the February 12 taping at the Stadium Inn.
2 – JESSE EMERSON (with Rick Santel & Roxy Rossi) vs. RYAN GENESIS
Graham pointed out this was another rematch of a previous A-Team DQ. Emerson attacked as Genesis slid into the ring and dished out a beating. Genesis answered with a trio of lariats, a coco butt, a lariat over the top and a pescado. Back inside, Emerson’s dropkick to the knee proved to be the game changer. Emerson was all over the knee, using a single leg crab, an ankle lock then slapped on the figure four. Santel helped with extra leverage. Genesis was a gimp on his comeback but managed to hit the spinebuster for a close near fall. Genesis kicked out of a major league uranage. Emerson tried for a superplex. Genesis knocked him off his perch and connected with a top rope elbow. Slow on the cover though, and Emerson rolled a shoulder in the nick of time. As Genesis had Emerson up for a Death Valley Driver, Roxy distracted ref Jesse Fields and Santel threw a cup of hot coffee in his face. 1-2-3.
WINNER: Emerson in 8:50.
Cut to footage of the legends at the Nick Gulas Memorial including Jackie Fargo, Don Fargo, Gypsy Joe and Bobby Eaton. Gulas said it was a standing room only crowd (true) and the line for the legends was two hours long (also true). Gulas was on location for the announcement that bigtime wrestling was returning to the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena on May 7 under the auspices of SAW and Gulas Old School Wrestling. He explained that the Nashvillle City Council had voted to keep the Fairgrounds open until 2013. The camera panned over to where the arena was being set up for the monthly flea market. What a buzz killer that was. Gulas said it was the first time since his father’s death that his name had been mentioned in conjunction with the Sports Arena (false – NWA Main Event did a Gulas Cup event in the building a couple of years back). Gulas also hyped a GOSW event at the HWA Arena featuring SAW talent.
Graham plugged Shatter/Mercer at the Stadium Inn and urged viewers to stay tuned for the SAW Tag Team Title match – Derrick King Enterprises vs. Picture Perfect
Jon Michael Worthington was in the ring without Christian Jacobs. Graham didn’t know what was up.
3 – SAW Tag Team Title Match: Champions DERRICK KING ENTERPRISES (Derrick King & Drew Haskins) vs. PICTURE PERFECT (Jon Michael Worthington & Christian Jacobs)
Still no Jacobs. Graham said DKE were notorious for doing whatever it took when the titles were on the line. Worthington was doing well on his own. Graham noted that Johnny Bandanna was not in DKE’s corner due to a plethora of past screw ups. Worthington cleared the ring on his own. Great drop down collision spot by DKE, then the dreaded 69 bump. King interfered to set up heat on Worthington. Jacobs appeared on the apron. Graham noted that DKE didn’t react one bit. Back from commercial, Haskins was doing a number on Worthington’s cervical vertebrae. DKE worked Worthington over for a while with a couple of nice hope spots in the mix. Worthington reversed a telegraphed backdrop with the Brentwood Breaker (Jackhammer) and Jacobs finally tagged in. Bandanna appeared at ringside. Haskins landed badly on backdrop over the top. It looked like he reinjured his knee, and couldn’t go. An audible may have been called here. Jacob hit the ever-popular uranage on King, who kicked out the illegal pin attempt. King superkicked Jacobs, and another illegal pin attempt ensued. Moments later, Jacobs did a suicide dive onto all three members of DKE. Worthington followed with a perilous twisting plancha onto the pile. King went for a superkick Worthington. He ducked and it nailed the timekeeper flush in the face. Picture Perfect trapped King inside the ring. They laid King out with a powerbomb combo, but Haskins made diving save at the last split second. Haskins got tossed. Bandanna jumped on the apron only to get cut off by Worthington. Bandanna blindly reached back to give him a hotshot and got King instead. Jacobs then speared King for the pin.
WINNER: Picture Perfect to become the new SAW Tag Team Champions in 12:30.
Picture Perfect celebrated with the tag team gold as the hour came to a close.
Afterthoughts: This episode is worth watching if for no other reason than to see the comedy gold involving Adams and Young - a terrific concept brilliantly executed. Leave it to them to go where others fear to tread. If they gave awards for acting in pro wrestling vignettes, Adams would deserve to win for this performance. My wife was laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, and her tolerance for anything related to pro wresting is mighty low these days…This show was hurt was the last switch in the taping location. The HWA Arena made for some shabby looking TV. SAW didn’t have the nice set they were using in Columbia. The ring canvas looked like crap. Crowd reactions were lukewarm, because the fans were drawn by the Gulas Memorial stuff and had already been there for four hours and nine matches before the SAW taping got underway. The tag title switch would have gotten a much bigger pop in Columbia, where the fans were into Picture Perfect and had some sense of the chase. The superkick on the timekeeper was bizarre. I have to cut them slack on the illegal pin attempts this time due to Haskins injury. I hated to see him taking bumps to the concrete floor on a torn ACL…Williams vs. Mitchell – the moves looked OK, but there was no chemistry to speak of. Mitchell has decent size and physique, but that hillbilly hippee haircut only works for former Tennessee Violence Authority member Matt Dillinger. Great worker, whatever became of him?...Emerson and Genesis are both athletic, hard workers and they were in synch. Consequently, that was the best match of the hour. With Charles suspended (after only one appearance!), it was back to the standard ref distraction finish for A-Team. On the plus side, Roxy had her timing down and coffee in the face looked great…One thing for sure, SAW is applying the full court press when it comes to using TV to promote their live events. The first time meeting between Mercer and Shatter (Crimson and Gunner on TNA) could be a hell of a match, one we won’t be seeing on SAW TV. Feedback welcomed – larry@georgiawrestlinghistory.com
