Mouse’s Wrestling Adventures: Fright Night
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: The Arena, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Commentators: Nick Miller, Chad Green

Assuming it is the same one, Mouse is someone who I have seen around on another show but don’t know much about him. Either way, this seems to be his (or someone named Mouse) show, which could go all over the place. I have no idea what is coming on this thing and that makes for a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind I have never seen this promotion before so I apologize if I miss any plot or character bits.

We open with a Halloween theme, including clips from Hocus Pocus and Ernest Scared Stupid. Oh yeah I’m in the right place.

Logan Stunt vs. Cole Radrick

Logan is Marko’s brother and Cole is a pretty basic looking guy who can do good things in the ring. Radrick takes him to the mat to start as commentary (I have absolutely no idea if those names are right but it’s the closest I could get to what they were saying is in need of an early fix as it is BADLY distorted). A suplex sends Stunt into the corner but he’s back with a jumping knee to knock Radrick to the floor. The big suicide dive knocks Radrick into the fans, as there are no barricades here.

Back in and Radrick’s bridging butterfly suplex gets two but he misses a middle rope moonsault (commentary: “Little flippy doo action.”). A running knee gives Stunt two and it’s time for the slugout. Radrick knocks him into the ropes for a big running boot but Stunt manages to knock him outside. Back in and Radrick grabs a backpack Stunner into a running knee to the back of the head (BOOM!) for a rather near fall. A butterfly powerbomb finally puts Stunt away at 7:15.

Rating: C. They certainly started fast here and the fans are VERY hot for this show. Stunt is similar enough to his brother that he can get the sympathy while also being a bit bigger to keep things from being entirely ridiculous. Throw in a lack of floss dancing and this was an instant upgrade over most Marko matches.

The house band plays, because we have a house band.

Tom Hanks Memorial Battle Scramble

This is a Royal Rumble with thirty second intervals, but once we get down to five, a special entrant comes in to turn it into a six way scramble with pinfalls for eliminations. Also there might have been something about fans being allowed to throw people back in but it wasn’t easy to understand. Ace Perry is in at #1 and the Arena Phantom is in at #2 with the rather small Phantom sending him outside (not out) and backflipping into a pose back inside.

Back in and a big boot and suplex rock the Phantom as Levi Everett (he looks Amish) is in at #3. He takes his sweet time going around the ring to shake every hand he can though, leaving Perry to hit a low superkick on the Phantom. The claw has the Phantom down again but…some unnamed wrestler comes in to take Perry down. Reilly MaGuire is in at #4 and gets German suplexed by Perry.

The Phantom manages to skin the cat to stay alive and it’s Hoodfoot (Maybe) (that’s what the graphic says) in at #5, even as Levi is still on the floor shaking hands. Reilly tornado DDTs the unnamed guy and Trigga Travis is in at #6. Levi and another unnamed wrestler get in at the same time, but here is Adam Slade in at #8 (I guess?). Levi, the second unnamed guy and Slade seem to be part of the Lost Boys and it’s Levi snapping Reilly’s arm.

Step Stool Sarah, who might be a backstage worker, is in at #9 and hits a Stunner (because she’s in a Steve Austin jersey) before trying to eliminate herself….but she gets stuck on the top. Chris Copeland is in at #10 and the brawling continues until Jack Andrews is in at #11. The Phantom is eliminated off camera and it’s Loki Havok (Commentary: “He’s an odd bird.”) in at #12 to clean house.

Patrick Heeter is in at #13 as commentary has no idea who is in or how many are left. Nolan Edward is in at #14 and with nothing happening, Righteous Jesse is in at #15. Heeter knocks him straight down and puts him in the Tree of Woe for….us to cut to another wrestler who doesn’t get a graphic on his entrance. Whoever he is he’s in at #16 as there might be another entrant drinking in the crowd. Someone carrying a bag walks back through the entrance and it’s Danhausen in at #17.

We haven’t had commentary for a few minutes now and the handheld camera work isn’t helping. Lord Crewe is in at #18 and eliminates two unnamed guys in similar tights. Havok goes Joey Ryan by no selling a testicular claw, only to be tossed a second later. Another unnamed guy is tossed and a clothesline puts the original unnamed guy out, all at the hands of Crewe. There goes Heeter as well as the ring is rapidly clearing out. A toss powerbomb sends someone else onto the pile but Danhausen rallies the troops to go after Crewe.

Danhausen pours teeth into Crewe’s mouth and boots him out, leaving us with five. That means the special entrant can come in and it’s….the Wilson volleyball from Cast Away. This freaks Crewe out and has him in tears of apology, but Wilson starts talking to him. Wilson is thrown inside, where he chokeslams Everett. Then Wilson breaks up a superplex attempt and hits a super hurricanrana, followed by what I think is a Canadian Destroyer on Reilly.

Danhausen sizes him up, inserts a tooth, and stomps away. Now it’s time for the piano mat from Big, allowing Danhausen to dance and hit people in the head with Wilson. That’s enough piano and Wilson is chucked over the top and onto some of the wrestlers at ringside. Slade hits a springboard dive to take everyone down on the floor again, followed by Reilly moonsaulting off the top to take them all down again. Back in and a superplex sends Slade into the pile again, leaving a fan to ask “what the f*** is happening”.

Danhausen hits a slingshot German suplex and a running knee for two on Perry but Reilly kicks Wilson into him. Slade gives Reilly a running Canadian Destroyer but Perry hits him with a running Death Valley Driver into the corner for another two. Then Wilson Stuns Danhausen, leaving Levi to hit a top rope headbutt for two on Wilson, as this really needs to wrap up already. Another top rope headbutt is enough to finish Wilson and give Levi the pin at 32:00.

Rating: D+. There were a lot of fun moments, but this was WAY too long and it hurt things a lot. There were also far too many people, with a lot of them only there so Crewe could toss them out. I’ve seen matches like this one several times before and they almost all wind up having the same issues. I didn’t hate it, but I was ready for it to end about ten minutes early. Throw in commentary being gone for over half of the match and I was more lost than anything else.

Lee Moriarty vs. Shawn Kemp

Kemp is a rather good sized guy with a bunch of dog nicknames. Commentary is back as Moriarty hits a big springboard armdrag into a dropkick to put Kemp on the floor. Back in and Kemp runs him over with a crossbody, setting up the chinlock. Moriarty gets a boot up in the corner though and a top rope stomp to the arm lets him strike away. A suplex doesn’t work on Kemp, who hits a Judas Effect into a Psycho Driver for two.

Another shot to the arm slow Kemp down and a quick suplex gives Moriarty two more. A clothesline sets up a Fujiwara armbar (with finger twisting) but Kemp is in the ropes. With the holds not working, Moriarty takes him up top but a swinging fisherman’s buster brings him right back down. Back up and Kemp hits an enziguri into…something that doesn’t work as the arm gives out. What looked to be an F5 gives Moriarty the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but eventually they settled down into Moriarty picking him apart with the focus on the arm. I can always go for someone being that solid technically and Moriarty was on it here. Kemp is another big yet athletic guy, though he is going to need a bit more tho make him stand out.

Brett Ison vs. Calvin Tankman vs. Dominic Garrini

Hoss battle so it’s a chop circle to start. We’ll make that a punch circle as things get a little more intense early on. Ison gets double teamed down but Tankman Pounces Garrini to send him outside. A backbreaker into a clothesline drops Ison again but he dives back in to make a save.

Tankman BLASTS Garrini with a chop, only to have Garrini triangle choke him down. Ison is back up so Garrini gives him a German suplex, which doesn’t have much effect. Ison mixes things up with a Styles Clash, drawing Tankman back in for the save. Back up and Ison elbows the heck out of Tankman for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They didn’t try to do anything out of the ordinary here, as you had three big monsters hitting each other until one of them couldn’t kick out. That’s all it was supposed to be and I had fun watching them beat on each other. Those chops were great and I liked it ending with a shot to the face instead of something more complicated, as it kind of fits the theme.

Baka Gaijin vs. Naturally Gifted

That would be Madman Pondo/2 Tuff Tony (from Juggalo Championship Wrestling) vs. Bradley Prescott IV/Chase Holliday. Naturally Gifted seems to be part of the Lost Boys, and come out to the theme Rich Swann uses when he isn’t in Impact. Prescott has quite a bit of beer on his way to the ring and we get in-ring entrances, with Pondo and Tony insisting that they go first. It’s a brawl to start with Prescott and Holliday being beaten down on the floor as this is rather one sided early on.

Back in and a barbed wire bat to the back has Holliday screaming but Prescott is back up with a beer. That’s fine with Tony, who comes up with a bottle of vodka. There’s a pumpkin rolling around on the floor as Tony and Prescott try each others’ drinks (that’s just not sanitary). They trade sides and it’s Holiday avoiding a stop sign shot. An STO and basement dropkick get two on Pondo, followed by Prescott adding a jumping Stunner.

A Van Daminator (with a case of beer instead of a chair) gets two on Tony, who is back up with Pondo for a double elbow. Holliday is hung over the top for a flipping legdrop, drawing Prescott over for a save this time. The stop sign shot rocks Prescott and Tony hits (mostly) a Lionsault to make it worse. Pondo brings in a cinder block and a sledgehammer (commentary: “Somebody gonna die.”). The block is put between Holliday’s legs and crushed by the sledgehammer, setting up a fireball to finish Prescott at 9:50.

Rating: D-. I can’t stand this kind of stuff and it was little more than a squash for Pondo and Tony. They’re big guys who can’t move very well but they’re TOUGH, meaning they can do a bunch of stuff and not sell anything. The match wasn’t funny and was a way for the two of them to look great at the others’ expense, which isn’t so much interesting as much as it is annoying. Really not a fan of these guys and this didn’t make that any better.

Billie Starkz vs. Hawlee Cromwell

Cromwell jumps her during her entrance but Starks gets in a few kicks to take over. A clothesline gives Starkz two but Cromwell sends her into the corner for a running kick to the head. They slug it out on the apron with Cromwell getting the better of things, setting up a dropkick to the side of the head for two. Some forearms rock Cromwell in the corner and she charges into a boot to the face to make it worse.

I think they try a suplex to the floor but land on the ropes, resulting in a nasty looking fall to the floor. Back in and Cromwell grabs a swinging facebuster for two, followed by something like a Death Valley Driver/Air Raid Crash for the same. Starkz grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and a sunset driver (with Cromwell’s head not even approaching the mat) for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one again as they weren’t exactly the most polished out there. Starkz is someone I’ve seen a few times before and she can have a good enough match but that wasn’t the case here. The execution didn’t quite work here and it was one of those matches that lost me pretty quickly, which is never a good sign.

The Carnies vs. The Night Ryderz

That would be Kerry Awful/Nick Iggy/Tripp Cassidy vs. Aaron Williams/Alex Colon/Dustin Rayz. The brawl is on before the bell with the Carnies beating them down both in and outside. We settle down to Colon getting crotched on the post and the choking in the corner drawing in the rest of the Ryderz for a failed save attempt. Everything breaks down with Colon getting kneed and suplexed for two.

The brawl heads to the floor as commentary hasn’t bothered to tell us who these people are, so we’re stuck with wild brawling and general insanity. The Carnies choke Colon in the corner and kick Williams (thanks commentary) in the head. Colon and Williams are back with double kicks and stereo suicide dives, leaving Rayz to clean house inside.

A DDT plants Iggy for two with Cassidy shoving the referee for the save. Awful is back in with a chokebomb to Colon, who pops up with a piledriver and a crucifix for two on Iggy. Colon and Iggy chop it out until Awful plants Williams for two, with Colon making the save. A hanging DDT/top rope double stomp drops Iggy on his head for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C. This was the kind of brawl that you knew was coming on a show like this and that may or may not be a good thing. The lack of knowing who was who didn’t really matter in the end but it’s nice to at least know their names as they’re brawling. Either way, it was a good enough brawl, even if there have been a lot of wild fights on the show so far tonight.

Before the main event, Marko and Logan Stunt get in the ring to goof around a bit.

Grindhouse Pro Title: Freddie Hudson vs. Tyler Matrix vs. The Kenway

Hudson is defending. Matrix jumps both of them to start fast, including a belt shot to Hudson. They head outside where Hudson loses his shirt but Kenway is back in with a fisherman’s….something, which is countered into a small package for two. Hudson and Kenway slug it out until Matrix comes back in to run them over. Matrix superkicks Kenway to the floor and tells the fans to move, setting up the suicide dive.

Another dive drops Matrix and Kenway, leaving everyone down on the floor. Back in and Matrix hits a Canadian Destroyer on Hudson, followed by Kenway hitting one on Matrix. Not to be outdone, Hudson is up with a middle rope Canadian Destroyer to Kenway to leave everyone down. Back up and we get the circle slugout with Hudson being knocked down first.

Back up and Hudson slugs it out with Matrix, setting up a standing Sliced Bread for two. Kenway is back in with a rolling German suplex on Hudson, setting up a pumphandle suplex for two more. Matrix grabs a reverse fireman’s carry backbreaker on Kenway, with Hudson having to make a save. Matrix shrugs off Hudson’s poisonrana so Hudson does it again. Kenway is back in with a powerbomb to Hudson, who pops up with a Shining Wizard to retain at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They had me until the ending, when it became a bunch of no selling that always drives me crazy. Matrix has been around the circuit for a bit, including a long time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and he has had some nice stuff before. Hudson and Kenway were both fine enough, though not exactly standing out from the larger pack.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. There were some good parts here but the bad ones had me losing any reason to care. That battle royal and that Pongo/Tony tag match were death for the show and at least the battle royal overshadowed a lot of the good things going on. The atmosphere was fun though and I had a nice enough time in parts to keep it from being a disaster, but not a very good show for the most part. Also, where was Mouse?

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

Nice Night For A Neck Injury
Date: December 21, 2019
Location: The Basement East, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Dylan Hales, Steve McCash

This is from Southern Underground Pro, which I have seen in a co-promoted show over Wrestlemania 37 weekend and it went fairly well. I’m not sure what to expect here but there are some names that I recognize on the card. Granted I don’t know what they are going to do, but at least I won’t have to look everyone up. Let’s get to it.

As mentioned, I don’t follow this promotion so please bear with me on storylines and characters.

A rather sweary ring announcer welcomes us to the show and tells the fans to get as close to the ring as they can. Well just not in these spots so commentary and the cameras can see.

The commentator (who is already getting on my nerves) brings out Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku), who have a trophy (seems to be the Tag Team Titles) and issue an open challenge.

Violence Is Forever vs. Bazooka Horses

Non-title and that would be Graham Bell (who has a bazooka which shoots fireballs) and Warhorse. To make it better, the referee is wearing a Santa hat. Garrini and Bell go to a test of strength to start before taking turns on each others’ limbs. Bell gets the better of things by cranking on the wrist before they trade chops. Garrini gets knocked back by one but goes to the leg to cut him off.

That doesn’t work for Bell, who is right back with a series of forearms to take over. Ku (in a Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animals sweater) comes in to face Warhorse, who seems rather intense. A wrestle off goes to Ku, who pats Warhorse on his head for some mind games. Warhorse even gets down in referee’s position for some Greco Roman wrestling so Ku kicks him in the leg in a smart move.

Back up and Warhorse slides on his knees (like Kevin does in the Home Alone video games) before ripping off Ku’s sweater for some chops of his own. A powerslam plants Ku again so it’s back to Bell, who seems to be kicked low. Garrini comes back in and it’s a German suplex/running elbow combination to drop Bell hard. A spinebuster gets two on Bell and a hard curb stomp knocks him silly for the same.

It’s back to Garrini for a knee to the ribs and Warhorse is drawn in so Violence Is Forever can bring in some crowbars, ala the Wet Bandits. They get caught ripping at Bell’s face and somehow that isn’t a DQ, apparently because of the season. With nothing else working, Bell grabs Garrini’s bare toe and twists it around but gets German suplexed for his efforts….right into the corner for the tag off to Warhorse.

That means house can be cleaned but Garrini saves Ku from a powerbomb. Some Kawada kicks rock Garrini again and Bell hits an F5. Bell is fine enough to, with an assist from Ku, climb the ropes for a moonsault out to the floor onto both of them. Back in and Bell fires off some YES Kicks but Garrini says bring it, setting up a slap fight. A tiger suplex gets two on Garrini but he’s right back with a heel hook.

Garrini makes the mistake of mocking Warhorse though, meaning it’s a top rope double stomp to break it up. Now it’s Warhorse vs. Ku in another slugout until a snapdragon suplex drops Warhorse hard. Warhorse snaps off his own hard suplex on Ku (who had a previously broken neck).

Ku and Warhorse slug it out again with Warhorse getting the better of things, setting up some rotating running shots in the corner from both Horses. Something like Total Elimination puts Warhorse on the floor and a Gotch style piledriver plants Bell for two. Since this is modern wrestling, Bell pops up and strikes away until a shot to the head cuts him off. A package piledriver into a doctor bomb finishes Bell at 17:27.

Rating: B-. This was a hard hitting fight that got some time and the champs wound up winning, even though it was a non-title match. I liked what we got here and they started well, as the opener was entertaining. Warhorse is a bit over the top, but he kept it in enough check here to not be a distraction. Solid match here and I’m interested in what else they have, so well done.

Here is Dr. Daniel C. Rockingham, who speaks on a headset and has a rather glittery coat, to say his scheduled debate opponent isn’t here tonight, so he wants the biggest disappointment available in the locker room.

Dr. Daniel C. Rockingham vs. Bradley Prescott IV

Prescott has a beer in both hands and dances to the ring. Hold on as Rockingham offers Prescott a brochure with hints about how to make his life better. Prescott does stop to read it, even managing to avoid a charging Rockingham at the same time. Rockingham runs again but Prescott drops to the mat, while still reading the brochure. Back up and Rockingham rips it up, blames Prescott for it, and gets hiptossed for his efforts (complete with screaming into the headset).

We settle down to the two of them missing a bunch of chops in the corner, leaving both of them gasping for air. With breathing restored, Rockingham gets sent over the top to the apron and then knocked down onto a beer can. Back in and Prescott misses a dropkick and gets his neck snapped across the top rope. A kick to the back puts Prescott down as Rockingham yells about going to Yale. Prescott hits a running corner clothesline but he gets run over to give Rockingham two.

They slow down a bit and exchange some stomps until Prescott….gets caught on the ropes while trying a sunset flip. Rockingham takes him down again and gives Prescott a paper cut with the brochure, then spits beer into the cut to make it worse (that’s painful). Prescott fights back and slugs away, with commentary thinking he has been watching Rock movies to throw punches like that.

A whip into the corner crotches Rockingham against the post and a step up backsplash gives Prescott two. Rockingham is back with an over the back backbreaker slammed down like a reverse Samoan drop. The ensuing rollup gives Rockingham two but Prescott grabs a bridging German suplex for two of his own. Back up and one heck of a tilt-a-whirl powerbomb gives Rockingham the pin (with commentary sounding shocked) at 9:15.

Rating: C. This was more a battle of the gimmicks than anything else and it worked out well enough. The smarter than you heel will always work and Prescott….well he was kind of a frat boy style guy and that might not have the longest shelf life. Not exactly a great match, but at least the fans seemed into everything.

Post match Rockingham says this is his first win in THREE YEARS. I’d be surprised too.

Alan Angels vs. Ryder Reid

You probably know Angels from the Dark Order in AEW and Reid is a skateboarder. They slap it out to start until Angels gets the better of a slugout. A running hurricanrana takes Reid down and he grabs an armdrag into an armbar. Despite having the hold on, Angels has the referee give him some beer for a nice boost. They roll out to the floor though and Reid gets posted to keep him in trouble. Angels chops the post though and it’s time for Reid to go after his fingers. Back in and Angels manages to kick Reid’s leg in the ropes and it’s a slingshot faceplant onto the apron to plant Reid again.

A moonsault gives Angels two but Reid is back with a wheelbarrow faceplant. Reid puts Angels on his shoulder and spins him over into a DDT for a big crash and another near fall. Back up and Angels kicks him in the head, setting up a suplex into the corner. The Wing Snapper (a Backstabber with feet instead of knees) finishes Reid at 5:39.

Rating: C. This was a rather indy match with both guys doing their moves until one of them got a pin. Angels banging up his hand was the only way to give Reid a chance but it was all downhill from there. The rest of the match wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t exactly build to anything and they were in and out before it made much of an impression.

Zack Cooper vs. Brett Ison

The fans certainly seem to like the rather large (and seemingly violent/angry) Ison. They trade shoulders and chops to start and an exchange of suplexes have both of them bouncing up. The threat of Ison’s spinning shot to the head sends Cooper bailing into the corner and things slow down a bit. Ison hits a heck of a Saito suplex for two, followed by the running boot to the face in the corner for the same.

Street Justice (whatever that is) is broken up and Cooper hits a running dropkick out to the floor. For some reason Cooper tries a handspring on the apron and gets forearmed down for his efforts. Back in and a Shining Wizard gives Ison two but Cooper is back with a Roode Bomb for the same. Cooper goes up and, after shrugging off some headbutts, he knocks Ison off the top and into the corner. Coast To Coast connects for a very delayed two but Ison is back up with a spinning forearm. A hard knee to the face sets up Street Justice (Jay Driller) for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. Ison is every “I’m big and angry and snarling” heel that you’ve ever seen and that wasn’t exactly inspiring. At the same time, this match suffered from a bad case of indy style, as they made it clear that it wasn’t going to end until someone hit their finisher, which made the near falls a lot weaker. Commentary hyped up Street Justice so much that it was the only way Ison was winning and since he is big and angry and snarling, it was hart to imagine him losing. The action was pretty good, but it wasn’t the best presentation.

Post match, respect is shown.

Aaron Williams vs. Shawn Dean vs. Lee Johnson vs. Nolan Edwards vs. Patrick Heeter vs. Silas Mason

Here’s your required Scramble match. You can tell Heeter is a heel because he’s bald and flips the crowd off a lot. Mason is the Thrillbilly, which just makes me want to watch a Mickie James match. Heeter gets in the middle of the ring and yells about how he is taller than everyone else (he isn’t). With that out of the way, Heeter bails out to the floor (where he points to his head) as commentary puts over how important scramble matches can be around here.

Mason, by far the biggest guy here, cleans house and grabs Edwards low. Williams superkicks Mason down to accidentally save Edwards but it’s Dean getting up to clean house. Johnson gets back up for the battle of AEW jobbers and blocks Dean’s DDT, setting up Swerve Strickland’s running kick to the back of the head. Heeter is back up but Edwards takes everyone down, only to get kicked down by Williams.

Edwards strikes away to stagger Williams, including a pair of kicks to the head. Heeter blocks Edwards’ dive so Williams dives onto him with a….I’m not sure what that was. Dean is right there with a big flip dive to take a bunch of people down so Johnson tries one of his own, only to land on the apron (EGADS). Thankfully he’s fine and everyone but Heeter gets back inside.

With everyone else in a corner, Johnson hits a bunch of running shots until Mason switches places with him and does the same thing. Heeter plants Johnson with a sitout F5 but Dean is back in with a Project Ciampa to Edwards. That leaves Dean and Williams to have a rather awkward exchange, capped off by Edwards hitting a neckbreaker.

Johnson hits a standing corkscrew moonsault on Edwards but Mason makes a save with a legdrop. Mason gives Williams a VERY swinging Boss Man Slam but stops to pose instead of covering. Heeter plants Mason, only to have Johnson come in off the top with Spiral Tap to steal the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. I have made no secret about the fact that I do not like this kind of match. There are WAY too many people doing WAY too many things and they don’t allow anyone to really shine. I was worried that they were going with the Heeter win, but thankfully they went with anyone else here. The match was all action, but it was such a mess that it was hard to get much out of it.

Adam Priest vs. Gnarls Garvin

Garvin, billed as Big Beef, is from a trailer park in Louisville, Kentucky and Priest is a guy who got some buzz over at least one Wrestlemania weekend. Priest jumps him before the bell and knocks him to the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. They get inside for the opening bell, with Beef hitting a backdrop to take over. Some chops in the corner don’t do much good for Priest, who gets launched into the corner to cut him off.

Beef gets his jacket off and makes me think I’m watching a Husky Harris match. Priest catches him with a German suplex and a dropkick staggers Beef again, setting up a middle rope moonsault for two. With that not working for him, Beef hits a heck of a powerbomb and a running crossbody against the ropes. A rather big top rope splash finishes Priest at 3:17.

Rating: C-. They kept this quick and that is not a bad thing. Beef is a bigger guy who can move around, but I’m not sure how long he would be able to keep that pace up. At the same time, I was surprised by the ending as Priest seemed to be a bigger deal than Beef coming in. The splash looked good too and it would have been a bit much to have Priest kick out.

Jaden Newman vs. Big Twan Tucker

Twan is indeed big and seems rather proud about staying woke. Apparently Newman has new gear (it’s a onesie) and is wearing an unidentified title. Jaden is an extra evil villain by stomping on the referee’s Santa hat, making me want to see him massacred. Twan powers him down without much effort to start and then does it again for a bonus. With the on the ground stuff working, Jaden goes up top and gets pulled down onto his face.

The onesie is ripped open so Twan can fire off some chops, including a double hand version that leaves Jaden in shock. They head outside where Twan chops him the rest of the way out of the onesie and then smacks him upside the head. Jaden finally wraps the leg in the rope to take Twan down and a running knee cuts him down inside. A bit too much trash talk lets Twan Pounce him for two but Jaden goes old school evil with the eye rake. Jaden ties up both arms and fishhooks the jaw but has to let go because it seems to be illegal. I’m not sure if that is the case, though I didn’t read the updated rule book.

A kick to the head sets up a hard slap but another just wakes Twan up. More strikes rock Jaden and a swinging Boss Man Slam gets two. Jaden’s shot to the face, including a top rope punch, only get one but a running flip neckbreaker drops Twan. That’s good enough for a victory lap (McCash: “Is your goal to win the match you dumb f***???”) which takes way too long, allowing Twan to spear him out of the air back inside. The chokeslam is countered though and Jaden hits a pair of running forearms to the back of the head for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C. Tucker looked good for a big guy and Jaden was a decent enough heel. There might have been a few too many big spot kickouts but you kind of have to expect that. The other interesting thing is that they kept this clean, even with the villain winning in the end. Not a great match, but sometimes a completely watchable match is all you need.

Bonestorm Title: AC Mack vs. Mr. Brickster

Mack is defending and insists that the referee hold up both of his titles (because he has another one too) so he can handle his own entrance. On the other hand, Brickster has a small saxophone and seems to be a bit of a party guy. Mack tries a chop block (as he did before, putting Brickster on the shelf for six months) but Brickster is ready for him.

The bell rings and Mack misses a charge in the corner, allowing Brickster to start chopping away. A big boot gives Brickster two but he telegraphs the heck out of a missed clothesline in the corner. Mack goes smart by going after the bad leg and the cockiness goes up rather quickly. The fans get behind Brickster but are quieted down when the knee is slammed into the mat.

We pause for Mack to glare at the fans, allowing Brickster to hit a powerslam (from his knees) to send Mack into the corner. Hold on again though as someone throws Brickster a bag containing….a stuffed set of male genitalia with Mack’s face on it. The crowd has various chants as Brickster takes Mack outside so fans can hit Mack in the face with it.

Commentary gets in various jabs of their own and Brickster hits an ax handle to the back for two. Brickster hits a standing Iconoclasm for two (with commentary SCREAMING at the near fall) but here is Shawn Dean for a distraction. Alan Angels crotches Brickster on top and a hanging Pedigree (or something close to it) retains the title at 8:34.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen Mack before and I like almost everything that I’ve seen from him so far. He feels like a seasoned veteran and someone I could see wrestling on a bigger stage. Brickster had a bit of a Brutus Beefcake vibe to him and that is not a bad thing, as he had charisma and the fans got into what he was doing. Nice main event, with Mack feeling like a star.

Post match commentary screams that all of these guys are from Atlanta (including the other title Mack had). Mack yells about how if you invade them, they’ll invade you. Brett Ison and Violence Is Forever run in for the save. Brickster talks about being glad to be back and how we can do great things when we come together. He tells us to never stop believing and Don’t Stop Believing plays, with the fans singing along. Commentary shouts a lot to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show, as it had talented wrestlers and a very modern feel, but it also felt like it belonged in the early 2000s. For every good thing, there was a lot of the IN YOUR FACE feeling with the swearing (I lost count of the number of wrestlers who was introduced as FIRST NAME F****** LAST NAME) and over the top nature. The positive is that mainly stayed between the matches, which did have high energy and felt fun without any of them being close to bad. Overall, it’s clearly a promotion that has been established, but turning it down a notch would be a nice idea.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.