From Larry Goodman: Anarchy Wrestling put their best foot forward with "Fright Night 2013", destined to be one of the best s...
From Larry Goodman:
Anarchy Wrestling put their best foot forward with "Fright Night 2013", destined to be one of the best show to grace the state of Georgia this year. The key stories had been built to peaks, the talent lineup was on the their strongest in recent memory, and everyone on the roster brought max effort, in a few cases to the detriment of the performer's health and well-being.
When the smoke cleared, all four titles had changed hands with the babyfaces walking away with three of them.
It was a long night (3 and 1/2 hours) of kick ass wrestling. In this case the crowd was richly rewarded for their endurance as the best stuff was right where it should be -- at the top of the card.
In the main event, Mikael Judas defeated Geter inside the steel cage to win the Heavyweight Title. The match had an epic build and it fully lived up to expectations. The semi-main - a 3 way Texas Tornado for the tag titles brought the blood and guts violence befitting of the Fright Night tradition. The best of the rest was Bobby Moore vs. Wildside (Billy Buck). No surprise there.
Fright Night compared favorably with Georgia's other big indy show this month, PCW's Sacred Ground IV. They were both great shows. Both had great stories. I have to give Fright Night the nod because of Anarchy's overall edge in talent and match quality.
Attendance at the NWA Arena in Cornelia, GA was 150 with really strong heat except for a mid show lull. For comparison with Anarchy's major shows over the past 12 months: Hardcore Hell 2013 (War Games and blow off of the Palmer angle) drew 200; Season's Beatings 2012 (Team Elite vs. Team Anarchy with Gunner) drew 160. I missed Fright Night 2012. Jimmy Olsen (ha ha) reported 175 as the attendance for that show.
(1) Todd Sexton defeated John Pierre Royere via submission with a single leg crab at 4:12. Pierre stinks. Not a problem because it was just a set up for the real match. At one point, Sexton kicked him Pierre square in the mouth. At Anarchy, dues must be paid in full.
Steven Walters reminded Sexton that they wrestled to a draw at Fright Night last year and the rematch was a also a draw. Walters challenged Sexton to match where there must be a winner. Sexton said he just wrestled his first match in 6 months and needed a bottle of water. Water bottle tossing shenanigans ensued and eventually lead to...
(2) Todd Sexton vs. Steven Walters was ruled a draw at 8:40. This was nice little add on to the advertised card featuring stiff strikes and solid grappling. Sexton got the Lance Storm roll through into single leg crab but Walters reversed it with leg lace crossface. Sexton scored a nice reversal with a top rope rana. The finish saw Walters get the O'Connor roll but referee Ray Boring correctly ruled that both men's shoulders were on the mat.
(3) Mike Posey defeated Slim J in 8:15. Posey threatened to rap. J spared us that torture by cranking up his "In It To Win It" rap. J stretched Posey with a variety of submission early. J encountered problems with his knee and Posey was all over it. J rallied with his trademark double stomp/elbow drop combo for two and tried to go up top, but Posey cut him off with a shot to the knee. Posey donned the backwards ballcap and prepared to rap. J slugged Posey in the face and handed the hat to the ref. When the ref turned his back, Posey clocked J with a roll of quarters and covered with quarters strewn all over the ring.
Color commentator Andrew Pendleton III complained about the ring crew flunky pocketing the quarters. Who can blame the guy? It was probably better than his usual Anarchy pay day.
(4) Wildside defeated Bobby Moore in 10:52 to win the Anarchy TV Title. This was a spirited see-saw brawl. What timing. God these guys are good together. Moore and Buck...er Wildside have both dropped weight, making them more mobile and hostile than ever. Wildside pulled the ropes on Moore, who went flying over the top and appeared to smack his spine on the edge of the ring. Hw carried on like it was no big deal. With Wildside set up for the superkick, Moore used the ref as a shield then poked Wildside in the eyes. Moore tried for the mask and couldn't get it. Moore used the downward spiral into the buckles. Wildside hit a pair of release germans. Moore countered a third, blasting Wildside with a back elbow for a near fall. Moore escaped a Samoan drop and hit the STO from hell. Buck brought Moore off the top with a Samoan drop. Moore kicked out. A superkick on the apron sent Moore to the floor. Back inside, Wildside was ready to finish the job with second superkick, but Moore collapsed face first. Wildside set up again and Moore met him with a perfectly-timed sick kick for a killer false finish. Moore loaded the elbow pad. Wildside ducked. Moore pulled Wildside's mask off, revealing Billy Buck and nailed him spot on with the superkick for the 1-2-3. This might have been their best match yet.
Moore went berserk saying he didn't lose because he got the mask first. He's got a point. It could be argued that there's some splaining to do. Wildside's identity was exposed as the guy barred from Anarchy per stipulation of his last duel with Moore. Anarchy owner Franklin Dove wasn't about to bother with a whiny heel and his picky little details.
(5) BJ Hancock & Anthony Henry (with Miss Rachael) defeated Joey Rhymer & Stryknyn in 12:40. Huge pop for the returning Rhymer, who was put on the shelf by a devastating piledriver courtesy of former partner Hancock. Rhymer, who is small and slight of build, took an epic beating. Rhymer used Stryk's back as a springboard for a flip dive to the outside and landed badly after overshooting the move. It looked like Rhymer broken his ankle at first, but he was able to put weight on it and gutted it out the rest of the way. Stryk and Rhymer broke out the old Hate Junkies boot party. Shortly thereafter, Rhymer took a nasty powerbomb on the ring frame. The heels worked on Joey's back. The crowd responded with a "We want Stryk" chant. It became a battle of submissions -- Stryk's Tourniquet (Anaconda Vise) vs. Henry's Texas Cloverleaf. Stryk got his finisher applied but Hancock broke it up. Rhymer went up top, but Rachael interfered allowing Hancock to bring him down with a diamond cutter across the ropes. Stryk dispatched with Hancock, but Henry came from behind with a roll up using the tights. Well done AND it set up two match for November 9.
(6) John Skyler defeated Jeremy Foster in 8:11. There was zero story behind this one. The only intermission was to set up the cage, so this match was a breather of sorts and fine for that purpose. I'm a mark for Skyler's heel act. The resident style expert in the South section said Foster's boy band haircut needs to go. Skyler dominated, using the Gargano slingshot spear and the Regal Roll for a near falls. Foster took a stellar Bret Hart chest bump into the buckles. Skyler came off the ropes with a crotch first landing on Foster's knees and it was comeback time. Foster tried for a running high knee. Skyler stepped aside and sent him his knee into the buckles -- another first rate bump by Foster. Skyler ended it with his version of Slice Bread #2.
Foster got a "you did good" chant after the match.
(7) Kevin Blue defeated CB Suave in a ladder match to retain the Young Lion's Title in 23:38. At 12 minutes, this would have been a fine ladder match because the finish rocked. 15 minutes would have been OK. At 23 and 1/2 it was a crowd killer. They started strong, going right to the ladders with intense, well-executed spots. There were ladders aplenty - 4 six footers and 2 ten footers involved before all was said and done. But they badly lost momentum midway though. They were going all out, but the match became a collection spots with no direction. They also faced a tough task in the suspension of disbelief department. I'm not a big fan of ladder matches in this building, because the ceiling is low enough that the belt can be reached by climbing a six foot ladder. Blue smoked Suave with the Air Raid Crash and had the belt within his grasp when Suave's partner, Tommy Penirelli cut him off. Penirelli climbed and got taken down by Blue's partner, Brandon Parker, who hit a downward spiral off a six foot ladder -- one of the best spots of the match. Blue climbed the tall ladder. Suave went up a small ladder right next to him. Blue toppled the small ladder and Suave flew over the top rope landing on a bridged ladder for a spectacular finish.
(8) Gunner defeated Corey Hollis 14:43. This was to Fright Night what Fred Yehi vs. Walters was to Sacred Ground IV. I liked this better as a match, although the crowd response wasn't much. They were still getting their second wind after the ladder match and didn't believe Hollis could win. Gunner made his name at Anarchy as Phil Shatter and he was busting ass as usual. One of the beautiful things about their work was how they were able to make a major size difference into a non-issue and pull off a believable, competitive match. Hollis got Gunner in an airplane spin followed by crossface chickenwing. Hollis escaped from Gunner's PTSD (powerbomb) and countered his torture rack. Gunner tried come off the ropes, but Hollis met him at the top with an overhead suplex and freaked when Gunner kicked out. The finish came out of nowhere. Gunner squelched Hollis' attempt at a wheelbarrow victory roll.
Gunner accepted a postmatch handshake from Hollis and paid tribute to a fan, Ethan Painter, a Marine that just graduated from Parris Island and served in the same battalion as Gunner did when he was in the Marines.
(9) Urban Assault Squad (Nemesis & Shadow Jackson) defeated Champions The Elite (Se7en & Shaun Tempers with Jeff G. Bailey) and Jeremy Vain & Brodie Chase in a Triple Threat Texas Tornado Match to win the Anarchy Tag Titles at 10:15. A 10 minute whirlwind of extreme brutality with most of it taking place outside the ring. Nemesis took the worst abuse. Chairs, soda cans, and who knows what else came into play. UAS bled. Se7en chokeslammed Vain into the announcer's booth. Nemesis took a sick cannonball bump into the rail of a whip by Elite. Vain did a senton dive off the announcer's booth. Tempers got his mouth busted open the hardway by Vain's VKO. In the end, Se7en was wreaking havoc and had Nemesis pinned, but Jackson had Vain pinned at the same time and that's the one referee Dee Byers saw.
The carnage continued in the postmatch. Se7en went on rampage, leaving all four opponents laying with chokeslams. Bailey had to play peacemaker to prevent Tempers from getting the same treatment.
(10) Mikael Judas defeated Geter to win the Anarchy Heavyweight Championship in a Steel Cage Match at 15 minutes. Iceberg was brought in as the special referee and really added something to the match. Geter attacked Judas as he entered and opened up on him with a head shots into the cage. Judas regrouped and drilled Geter into the turnbuckles with massive shoulder blocks. Geter was sucking wind. Judas went to town on him. Geter was reeling. A high boot to the mush put Geter down for the first time in the match. The tide turned when Judas fell crotch first onto the top rope. Geter gave Judas a running splash against the cage. One of the ties holding the cage together popped. Geter used a second splash, then a third. Another tie went flying. Ringside fans were bailing out of their seats for fear the cage would give way. After a fourth splash, Iceberg stepped in Geter's path. Geter called Iceberg a dinosaur and spit in his face. Berg went to punch Geter but Judas grabbed his arm and said this was his battle. Geter splashed Judas into Berg and hit a belly to belly suplex. Berg was in no shape to count. Geter hit a jumping splash and Judas barely kicked out before the three. Judas goozled Geter for the chokelsam. Geter blocked it. A corner splash dropped Judas like a bad habit. Geter sat Judas on the top turnbuckle and climbed to the top -a scary spectacle that wasn't going to end well for somebody. That somebody was Geter, as Judas brought him off the top with a chokeslam to win the title. WOW. That was some load of beef coming off that top rope.
.png)
