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LIVE REPORT: SOUTHERN ALL-STAR WRESTLING TV TAPING IN MILLERSVILLE, TN

Arrick Andrews became the new Southern All Star Wrestling Television Champion at their bimonthly television taping in Millersville, Tennessee Friday night.  

If you’re a fan of Memphis style TV studio wrestling, SAW is right up your alley. I haven’t seen the Memphis show in forever, but I have this sneaking suspicion that SAW has better talent.

SAW runs every week in Millersville and tape two hours of TV every other week. It’s a three camera shoot. Good lighting. They had a 115 in a building that holds maybe 150. It’s a fun throwback to the way things used to be, and great place for young talent to learn about doing TV.

This show was all about setting up the top matches for SAW’s debut in Columbia on Christmas night.

SAW owner Reno Riggins ensured an endless supply of random screaming throughout the show by offering up four free free tickets (not nosebleeds!) to Sunday’s Tennessee Titans game to the loudest screamers.

The first hour opened with the announce team of Jack Johnson and Hot Rod Biggs seated at the desk. They call the matches from the desk ala Memphis. Johnson was wearing a Santa hat. Biggs also had a hat that made him look like a hardcore court jester. He’s got the best forehead scar tissue of any color man in the biz, hands down.

(1) Mason Raige beat Kliff Hanger via submission in 6:55. Raige has a decent look and plenty of size, but he’s gangly looking, like his legs are too long for his body. Hanger reminded me a bit of Derrick King. This was a showcase for Raige’s power game. Hanger went for a high crossbody that Raige converted into a gorilla press slam. He rushed it and didn’t Hanger up all the way. Raige used an impressive Torture Rack for the finish. One of the real positives on this show was that across the board, the finishes were well executed.

Raige cut a promo. He has issues with Nore Havoc, who beat him in the semis of the TV Title tournament.

The SAW Tag Team Champions, Homicidal Tendencies did a promo segment with Johnson. This was Memphis at it best. Surreal comedy. Tendencies made Johnson look like Dopey by playing with the fuzzy ball on his Santa hat. Williams said they were the last men standing after ridding SAW of Maddox Brothers and the Naturals.

(2) Lennox Lightfoot beat Kory Williams (with Vic the Bruiser) in 6:18. Lightfoot is one darked skinned Indian. Williams made him look like a million bucks. Williams ate a dropkick and bailed, so Bruiser got in there and ate one as well. Lightfoot lit Williams up with chops. Williams took a gingerly walk around the ring, and did a couple of Hindu squats to prepare himself for battle. Referee Kurt Herron got distracted forever by Bruiser. No matter. Lightfoot pinned Williams with a flying crucifix.

Postmatch, Tendencies double teamed Lightfoot. Bruiser chopped the Indian down. Then they painted his face ripped the feathers out of his head dress. Outlaw made the save. He’s got potential with that physique. Williams and Bruiser did a disgustingly obnoxious victory celebration.  

Outlaw did a promo. Blah, blah, blah. Way too long. Outlaw said he and Lennox were from different tribes. I’ll say. He’s the most Jewish looking Indian I’ve ever seen.

(3) AM Vision beat T. J. Harley in 5:45. Much faster paced than the first two matches. Vision carried the action. Harley isn’t in the best of shape for a babyface. Harley took it to Vision early. Harley ate a wicked double stomp on an inside outside slingshot move by Vision. Vision hit a top rope elbow and a frogsplash. Harley kicked out of both of them. Crowd got behind Harley. Backbreaker by Harley and both men down. Harley with a powerbomb. They started trading pin attempts and Vision got the three count. Nicely done. It was nice to a see a finish in that spot instead of clichéd back and forth stuff.

Hammerjack and Charming Charles cut a promo for Christmas Night in Columbia against “Boogie Woogie Boy” Gary Valiant. Great work by Charles. That old dude made me believe. Charles referenced Charles Dickens, as he brandished the chain that symbolized Jacob Marley’s torture, and presumably the Boogie Woogie Boy’s fate. 

“Jingle, Boogie, Jingle.”

(4) Arrick Andrews beat Nore Havoc (with Paul Adams) to win the SAW Television Title Tournament in 10:55. They did the tournament after then champion Sean Schultz left to work for Bert Prentice. Andrews is right for the role of the top young babyface. This was sweet revenge for him. Havoc and Adams shaved his head bald four months ago. Andrews was subsequently suspended for striking Commissioner Freddie Morton with a stick. Andrews flustrated Havoc something fierce. Adams pulled the ropes down to dump Andrews and referee Kurt Herron for a ridiculous amount of time, while Havoc was beating up Andrews at ringside. Back inside the ring, Andrews kicked out and Adams blamed Herron for being out of position. Havoc opened up on offense. Andrews looked too much like he was protecting himself here. Andrews hit his around-the-world bulldog. Havoc kicked out of a reverse roll and Andrews used the momentum to blast Adams, who was up on the apron. Havoc rolled Andrews up from behind for a good false finish. Finish saw Andrews grab Adams. Havoc inadvertently clobbered Adams, and Andrews connected with a tornado kick for the pin.

Hour number two opened with the announce team at ringside flanked by the new TV Champion, Andrews and the suits, Commissioner Morton and BOD member Mike Sircy. Morton said James Storm was booked for the Christmas show in Columbia. Adams and Havoc came out. Adams claimed the first title shot for Havoc. Sircy said that wasn’t happening because he was drawing it out of a hat. Adams was feeling lucky, Sircy drew AM Vision. Adams said it was rigged.

(5) Arrick Andrews beat AM Vision to retain the SAW TV Title in a 4:40. Just a tease for what promises to be a great match at the Christmas show. Andrews opened with a flurry of offense for which Vision had no answers. At the 3 minute mark, Vision rolled out from under Andrews’ top rope leg drop. Vision tied Andrews up in the ropes and abused him. Out of nowhere, Andrews pinned Vision with a backslide.  

Promo at the desk with Andrews. He was going to be a fighting champion.

AM Vision promo followed. Vision said that was twice Andrews had beaten him by the skin of his teeth. Vision challenged Andrews to a two out of three falls match on Christmas night in Columbia.

(6) Damien Adams beat Kliff Hanger in 4:08. Damien is a solid babyface. Strong cardio and work rate. Adams smashed Hanger’s head into the turnbuckle 10 times and Hanger added two more on his own. Hanger dropped an elbow to the base of neck and said his strut was better than Jackie Fargo’s. Hanger went for his big Lightning Kick. Damien ducked. Backslide for two. Rolling reverse cradle for two. Enzuigiri for the pin. Nice finish.  

(7) Homicidal Tendencies (Kory Williams & Vic the Bruiser) vs. Tribal Nation (Outlaw & Lennox Lightfoot) ended in a double pin (10:40). Tendencies retained the SAW Tag Team Titles. Tendencies have their work cut out for them getting good matches out of Nation. They have promising futures but Outlaw in particular is still very green. Tendencies had souvenir feathers from Lightfoot’s head dress tucked into their dorags. The Indians cleared the ring. Tendencies wanted out but they were confronted by Morton. It got physical. Morton picked up a chair to chase Tendencies back to the ring. Tendencies begged off. Tribal Nation did a number on their arms. The wily veterans used chicanery and tomfoolery to get heat on Lightfoot. Williams jabbed the quill of his feather into Lightfoot’s eye and used the Indian deathlock on him. The hot tag broke down to four way action. Bell got bumped out of the ring. Herron ran down to ringside. Outlaw laid Bruiser out with a chokeslam, while Williams nailed Lightfoot with a neckbreaker. Bell and Herron made simultaneous three counts. Both teams had their hands raised. Morton came out. Tendencies left with the belts.

Morton said it would be Homicidal Tendencies vs. Tribal Nations at the Christmas show. Winner takes all.

(8) Shane Eden pinned “The Graduate” Jason James in 5 even. James was in the cap and gown. It’s reassuring to know he made it through high school. I hadn’t seen James since Bert Prentice ran Chattanooga a few years back. I wouldn’t exactly call him a star of the future, but he’s way better than he was. Eden was over. He’s added some muscle since his early days in Music City Wrestling. Eden pulled James’ tie to maintain the side headlock. James raked the eyes and worked over Eden’s back. James pointed at his brain. Finish saw Eden taking a flying face bump into the turnbuckle. James rolled him up and thought he got the three count. Herron didn’t see it that way. Eden surprised James with a roll up for the three count.

(9) Ric Santel beat Hammerjack (with Charming Charles) via DQ in 7:04. Santel was handing Hammerjack his ass in the early going. Hammerjack took over, Hammerjack snuffed out one comeback with a driving side slam. He also got a near fall with a sitout slam. The crowd wasn’t all that into Santel, who comes across as a rather bland babyface. Santel was mounting the big comeback when Charles hooked his leg with the cane to distract. Hammerjack gave Santel a piledriver and Ricky Bell DQed him like this was Mexico City. 

Charles and Hammerjack did a promo challenging Valiant to a chain match at the Christmas show. Biggs took exception to Hammerjack’s use of the piledriver. Hammerjack slapped him across the face and slammed his head into the desk. Biggs was busted wide open. Hammerjack dragged Biggs bloody carcass into the ring for the dreaded piledriver, but Valiant made the save. Andrews came out as well.

Valiant said the crap stops now and signed the contract for the chain match on Christmas. He didn’t care what the stinking rules were, he wanted Hammerjack. Krull came out and made a non-sanctioned match for next Friday night. Morton told Valiant he owed SAW his pay if the match rendered him unable to perform on Christmas.

Biggs looked like he was ready to die has he was being helped to the back. SAW is pulling out all the stops in this heavy violence feud. They brought Jimmy Valiant in four weeks ago to give Boogie Woogie Boy the rub. The evilness of Hammerjack and Charles work for me, but I’ve never been moved by Valiant’s act, and this segment didn’t do anything to change that.

Riggins finally parted with those Titans tickets.

NOTES: Mike Porter’s NWA Main Event pulled out of Columbia after SAW announced plans to run there on Christmas…SAW airs on two Nashville area cable systems, Saturdays at 10am on Comcast 74 and Charter at 9:45 Saturdays and 10pm Tuesdays…Some notes on Havoc. He started out in Memphis in 1992 and came back to wrestling about 5 years ago. Havoc said he was the only wrestler that the Jarrett’s trained for free. Havoc said he gained valuable experience working with people like Buddy Wayne and Danny Davis. Havoc sees himself in a teacher role with SAW.