From Scott Hensley: Empire Wrestling in Rossville, GA hosted a special Friday edition of their typical bi-weekly events that usuall...
Empire Wrestling in Rossville, GA hosted a special Friday edition of their typical bi-weekly events that usually occur the first and third Saturdays of every month. They had a special “Student Night” in which students from pre-K to college could get in for free. This was the “go home” show before Empire's mega event Chasing The Grail, which features
(C) Shaun Tempers w/ Steve Dave vs Joey Lynch
The Wyld Stallyns defending against the winner of a multi-team pre-show tag match
Tank vs Bobby Hayes
Kyle Matthews vs Lamar Phillips
(C) Johnny Viper vs Gunner Miller
Matt Fortune vs Banks
Rush vs Logan Alvey
Multi Team Pre-Show Tag Match for the opportunity to earn a title shot.
I've soaked in over 15 hours of wrestling events this weekend(Empire in Rossville, GA, Superstars of Wrestling in Rome, GA, and Southeastern Championship Wrestling in Knoxville, TN) so some of this may be a little out of order.
The event began and the always obnoxious Chris Crunk made his way to ringside, taking a microphone with him. He looked into the crowd and singled out individuals and groups, telling them they had no future. He explained that booker Andrew Alexander was afraid of what he could do at Empire so he was being challenged with what he's calling the “No Future” challenge.
His challenge was answered by fan favorite Banks(the former Shawn Banks from popular Georgia tag team Hot Like Lava)
1) Chris Crunk d. Banks – a competitive match between two athletic competitors. The crowd was fully behind Banks. Current Cabal members Matt Fortune and Steve Dave came out and interfered, which caused Banks to chase Fortune and Dave to the back.
A camera cut to the lockerroom where Banks was looking for Fortune and Dave. Dave stepped back in and didn't see Banks, who was hidden when the door opened. Banks slammed him up against the door and gave the dweeby Steve Dave a big wedgie, saying it was only fitting because it was student's night.
2) Tank d. Clint Steen – Steen looks an awful lot like former NWA Anarchy competitor Jay Clinton... Tank brought his hardcore brawling style of offense full force on Steen, including smashing some popcorn over the head of Steen and forcing some down his throat. A man without the reputation of Tank would surely be booed for some of his questionable tactics but the Empire crowd knows that Tank plays by his own rules and enjoys his style of violence. Tank said it was only a taste of what he had in store for Bobby Hayes at Chasing the Grail.
Empire announcer Gabe Walters introduced the tag team of “The Chunky Dragon” Keith Hamill and KT Hamill, collectively known as The Double Dragons. KT was sporting a kendo stick on his back. Walters covered the fact that the Dragons had struggled and been somewhat lost in the mix of tag team opportunities at Empire. The Dragons said they were training harder than ever and were going to show everyone just how focused they were. KT took out the kendo stick and I thought ol' Gabe Walters was a goner. KT shocked the fans in attendance as he swung full force over and over into his brother, who didn't even flinch. Chunky Dragon returned the beating to the chest of KT with knife edge chops, as KT also stood still, poised, and strong. This was bizarre but there's no questioning their toughness.
3) Gunner Miller d. Lamar Phillips by DQ – The battle of a crafty veteran and powerful newcomer here. Both got their fair share of offense in but just as Gunner was about to finish off Phillips, Johnny Viper hit the ring and attacked Miller. Phillips bailed out and wanted no part of either. Viper speared Miller multiple times and was proud of his work, as he left the bigger Miller laying in the ring.
The Reverend hosted a live Midnight Black Mass interview with longtime Empire competitor Rush. Rush insulted The Reverend's questions and Reverend tried to ask about Rush's personal interests and training routine. Rush exploded on the mic at how Alvey had met defeat at his hands time after time and how Chasing the Grail would be no different.
4) The Wyld Stallyns(Chris Ganz & Corey Coxx) d. Team IOU(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) – These two fan favorite teams started out with back and forth action until Team IOU's demeanor drastically changed and they began to resort to very questionable tactics to gain advantages. The fans, who were previously divided, got 100% behind their hometown heroes – The Wyld Stallyns. This was a hard fought and exciting contest to watch. The Stallyns were able to pick up a win by pinfall, which not only gained them a great deal of a respect with the fans but also gained the respect of Team IOU. Iggy and Awful held up the hands of the champions after the match and the fans appreciated the efforts and attitudes of both teams.
Empire booker Andrew Alexander came out and ran down the card for Chasing the Grail, encouraging everyone to come out and support their favorites.
5) Shaun Tempers w/ Steve Dave d. Bane Lynch – Bane is the brother of #1 contender Joey Lynch and Cabal member Matt Fortune. This match was almost all Tempers, as he showed why he is the undefeated and undisputed Empire Heavyweight Champion. Tempers put Bane away with relative ease and gloated about his win after the match. He said he was feeling so good that he wished Joey Lynch was there so he could defend his title right then and there.
Joey Lynch hit the ring and Tempers bailed, not backing up his smack talk – just backing up.
