Photo courtesy of Alan Schoen From Larry Goodman: 18 straight years through six different owners, the Georgia wrestling event tha...
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| Photo courtesy of Alan Schoen |
18 straight years through six different owners, the Georgia wrestling event that matters on the last Saturday in March has been Hardcore Hell.
They took it to the extreme for the first Hardcore Hell under the Why We Wrestle banner. The event was extremely violent, extremely long, messy and uneven, and most importantly, extremely compelling.
If Why We Wrestle accomplishes nothing else during its existence, they gifted their fans with a singular unforgettable night of wrestling.
Not the first time Hardcore Hell has fallen on the night before Easter. Definitely the first time they were still wrestling on Easter morning.
You would have to go back to early 2000s NWA Wildside for bloodletting and graphic violence the likes of which took place last night at the Church of Southern Wrestling. No wonder. It was the Wildside era talent that put this show over the top.
Attendance at the famed Church was 135 -- the best Why We Wrestle has done since taking ownership last fall. At over 2K, gate and concessions blew past the previous high. Church audiences aren’t known for holding up particularly well for long shows. This WWW crowd is a different animal.
Stryknyn became the first WWW Heavyweight Champion, defeating Kevin Blue to win the 32 man tournament, and unify the WWW title with the Anarchy Triple Crown. Blue had defeated Billy Buck to win the Triple Crown earlier in the evening.
In the special attraction that was the be all-end all of special attractions, Masada brought “Ultraviolence” to Cornelia. It was Masada’s first match in Cornelia since 2005. They never never saw him like this.
Anthony Henry vs. David Young – Last Man Standing had epic storytelling. They had to follow Ultraviolence, and follow it they did with an amazing match.
One of Anarchy’s top babyfaces was crucified to put even more heat on the worst person in the world of WWW.
The burning question is what will the carryover effect be? Some things were hinted at for April 9. No matches were announced.
I fear WWW gave the fans so much on this show that they may not feel I need to come back until their next major event...or the next round of Ultraviolence.
I fear WWW gave the fans so much on this show that they may not feel I need to come back until their next major event...or the next round of Ultraviolence.
Jonathan Feltner introduced former Anarchy announcer Bret Wolverton as his broadcast partner for the evening. Wolverton picked Kevin Blue to win the title tournament. I bet his NCAA brackets were a disaster.
(1) WWW Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Kevin Blue defeated Billy Buck via submission to win the Anarchy Triple Crown in 11:46. This crowd is hot. Dueling chants with the adults for Blue and the kids for Buck. Blue had Buck’s pet figure four leg lock scouted. Buck ended a nice sequence of counters with a spinebuster for a near fall. Blue picked up one of Buck’s title belts but dropped it when referee Chris Wiggins threatened a DQ. As Wiggins was getting the belt out of the ring, Blue went to hit Buck with a second belt but Wiggins grabbed that one away, and Buck superkicked Blue for a close near fall. Blue dodged a second superkick and hit the Air Raid Crash for a close near fall of his own. Buck tried for a figure four around the ringpost. Wiggins got knocked down in the process. With the ref down, Blue wrapped Buck’s knee around the ringpost and whacked it with a chair. They would have been better off doing that spot on the side away from the bleachers so the fans couldn’t see that Blue was whacking the post. Blue applied the STF and Buck tapped. Great way to kick off the show. The false finishes worked, and if Buck was going to lose, it had to be due to serious cheating.
Postmatch – Wiggins and Dany Only helped a hobbled Buck to the back.
(2) WWW Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Stryknyn defeated Geter in 7:38. Crowd still on fire. Strykyn came out with his back taped from the beating Geter gave him at the last show. Geter picked up right where he left off. Stryk was selling the agony for all he was worth. It was total domination by Geter until he missed a splash. The fans got behind Stryk. He speared Geter and both were down. A second spear did the trick. Tough to make a spear a believable finisher against a monster like Geter but they pulled it off. Stryk’s selling was tremendous.
Geter attacked Stryknyn after the match. The lights went out. Well, at least they dimmed. Lights on and Judas was in the ring, begging Geter to get back in with him. Geter pointed at his brain and said not today. Judas exited through the front door. As Stryk was heading to the back, Blue came out on the ramp and laid him out again. The deck was being seriously stacked against Stryk.
(3) Timmy Lou Retton defeated Slim J in 7:25. Retton debuted as a babyface last month. This time, pro wrestling’s only male gymnast was an arrogant egotist. Slim was matching Retton’s aerial skills until Retton let loose with a high-pitched screech. J stopped J in his tracks and Retton capitalized. Gymnastic hijinks ensued. J capped off his comeback with a top rope rana for a near fall. Retton back with a buckle bomb and an overhead belly to belly suplex. Retton said it was over - the kiss of death for a heel as Retton missed a moonsault. Slim had the momentum going his way when Retton ended it out of nowhere with a corkscrew neckbreaker. These guys matched up very well. I surely hope that Slim taking a clean loss means Retton figures in future plans.
(4) Get Along Gang (P Dog & CB Suave & Marko Polo & Gil Quest) defeated Sound & Fury (William Huckaby & Joe Black) and The Ambassadors (Jacoby Boykins & Chris Mayne) in 11:12. Crowd lost some steam during this match. The things that stood out were the power moves of Boykins and Huckaby. GAG got heat on Mayne. Boykins was cleaning house when he accidentally elbowed one of the S & F guys and Quest (maybe 150 pounds) pinned Boykins (at 340). The finish pretty much sucked and was lost on the crowd.
Postmatch – The Ambassadors/Sound & Fury partnership went to hell in a handbasket. Only came out and told them to quit fighting or their employment would be terminated. Only reminded both teams that they were in the tag team tournament so mark it to be continued.
(5) James Drake defeated Rob Killjoy in 8:28. Drake has clearly gotten himself in better shape. These guys were killing each other with strikes and going a mile a minute. The problem was that fans had no clue about the sources fierce animosity they were witnessing unless they happened to attend the February 13 show, and I’m guessing most of them did not. What they did looked really good, but it was overkill for this spot on the show. Killjoy hit Drake with a top rope double stomp on the ramp, then another one in the ring, and Drake kicked out. Killjoy went for a chair. Buck hobbled out and took the chair away. Killjoy continued to dish it out bigtime. Drake absorbed everything Killjoy could throw at him and won it with an elevated double underhook flipped into a sitout slam. This match should have been held off and given more of a build. On this show, it was lost in the shuffle.
(6) Shane Hexxon defeated Iceberg in 10:29. Iceberg was greeted with a standing ovation and a “welcome back” chant. Hexxon looks like a biker that has gone off the deep end. They cautiously sized each other up in the opening minutes. Berg rocked Hexxon’s world with a clothesline. Hexxon started taking shortcuts. Hexxon slipped off the top rope on a move that was supposed to miss and landed on Berg...a recipe for injury but both men appeared to be OK. Berg’s comeback came up short, as Hexxon reeled off a top rope clothesline, a Yakuza kick and a sick kick to earn the victory. This was another in a series of very generous performances by Iceberg. As with Retton, I assume that creative has something in mind for Hexxon. He has better matches in him than this.
Postmatch – Berg and Hexxon shook hands. Only came out to pay tribute to Berg and lead the crowd in another “Iceberg” chant.
Former NWA Wildside Tag Team Champion White Trash was introduced as the special ring announcer for “Ultraviolence”.
(7) Ultraviolence: Masada defeated “Deathwish” Brad Cash with Reverend Dan Wilson) in 25:57. If you thought, as I did, that Cash was a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered, think again. The guy showed no fear, no hesitation and not an ounce of quit. He’s a big dude. Masada was giving away 30 pounds. Cash clotheslined Masada out of the ring and used a coping saw on Masada’s arm and forehead. Masada bled heavily from wounds in both places. Masada stapled Cash’s forehead a few times. Cash knocked Masada out of the ring and tried to pick the staples out of his forehead. Cash took a cheese grater to Masada’s forehead for more blood. Masada gave Cash a snap suplex on the hardwood floor. Back inside the ring, Masada applied an STF. Masada whipped Cash into a barbed wire board for a near fall. Masada took the barbed wire to Cash’s forehead to get the crimson flowing. Cash gave Masada a back suplex onto a barbed wire board and carved on his head with the jagged edge of a light tube. Cash hit Masada with a flaming kendo stick. Masada hit Cash right in the face with the kendo stick, leaving a huge purple welt near his eye. Masada broke out the barbed skewers. He poked the skewers into Cash’s forehead. Cash’s face was a crimson mask. This sight of this unleashed the animal spirits in the crowd. The energy was nuts. Masada gave Cash a tornado DDT with the skewers sticking out of his forehead. Cash kicked out. The crowd chanted “this is awesome”. Cash gave Masada an electric chair drop onto the barbed wire board. Referee Dee Byers tried to stop the match. White Trash blasted Byers with a stop sign. Byers was carried out. Trash said, “We finish these matches. That’s what this building is about." They fought their way out the front door and into the parking lot. Nothing too horrific happened out there. Back inside the ring, Cash got his knees up on Masada’s moonsault. With Cash laid out at ringside, Masada did a flip dive onto a bridged barbed wire board, driving the barbs into Cash’s body. Sick beyond belief. Cash kicked out at two and gave Masada a middle finger salute. Masada gave Cash a DVD onto a barbed wire board to end it. I’ve been to death match tournaments and never seen anything like this because few of those guys had the wrestling skills of Masada. This was a gory, grueling death match done with quality wrestling moves mixed in. Freaking incredible.
(7) Ultraviolence: Masada defeated “Deathwish” Brad Cash with Reverend Dan Wilson) in 25:57. If you thought, as I did, that Cash was a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered, think again. The guy showed no fear, no hesitation and not an ounce of quit. He’s a big dude. Masada was giving away 30 pounds. Cash clotheslined Masada out of the ring and used a coping saw on Masada’s arm and forehead. Masada bled heavily from wounds in both places. Masada stapled Cash’s forehead a few times. Cash knocked Masada out of the ring and tried to pick the staples out of his forehead. Cash took a cheese grater to Masada’s forehead for more blood. Masada gave Cash a snap suplex on the hardwood floor. Back inside the ring, Masada applied an STF. Masada whipped Cash into a barbed wire board for a near fall. Masada took the barbed wire to Cash’s forehead to get the crimson flowing. Cash gave Masada a back suplex onto a barbed wire board and carved on his head with the jagged edge of a light tube. Cash hit Masada with a flaming kendo stick. Masada hit Cash right in the face with the kendo stick, leaving a huge purple welt near his eye. Masada broke out the barbed skewers. He poked the skewers into Cash’s forehead. Cash’s face was a crimson mask. This sight of this unleashed the animal spirits in the crowd. The energy was nuts. Masada gave Cash a tornado DDT with the skewers sticking out of his forehead. Cash kicked out. The crowd chanted “this is awesome”. Cash gave Masada an electric chair drop onto the barbed wire board. Referee Dee Byers tried to stop the match. White Trash blasted Byers with a stop sign. Byers was carried out. Trash said, “We finish these matches. That’s what this building is about." They fought their way out the front door and into the parking lot. Nothing too horrific happened out there. Back inside the ring, Cash got his knees up on Masada’s moonsault. With Cash laid out at ringside, Masada did a flip dive onto a bridged barbed wire board, driving the barbs into Cash’s body. Sick beyond belief. Cash kicked out at two and gave Masada a middle finger salute. Masada gave Cash a DVD onto a barbed wire board to end it. I’ve been to death match tournaments and never seen anything like this because few of those guys had the wrestling skills of Masada. This was a gory, grueling death match done with quality wrestling moves mixed in. Freaking incredible.
Masada did a beer toast with Todd Sexton and Only, then hoisted a celebratory brew with Cash.
Only said David Young was going to beat Henry’s ass for dissing his daughter Amber. Henry said he tried to like David because of Amber. But he realized who David really was. He was playing like daddy of the year now, but where was David all those other years? Sleeping with ring rats. Henry said he was a compassionate man and because he loved Amber, he was going to give David an opportunity to get out of the beating by coming out and apologizing to Amber. No David. Henry told Amber she didn’t need to see this and sent her to the back.
We heard David on the mic but didn’t see him. He said there wasn’t one dad in the building that wouldn’t put Henry’s ass on the floor.
(8) Anthony Henry defeated David Young in a Last Man Standing Match in 21:48. David dropped Henry on his arm with a spiral move. Henry fled the ring to regroup. David pursued. Henry posted David and the blood flowed. David was a bloody mess. David took a back flip bump over the rail into the chairs. Henry cleared the barricade with a dive off the top and put David down again. Henry stood on a chair while the ref counted. David was up at 8. Henry sat David in a chair a delivered a running kick to the face. Back inside, Henry applied a guillotine choke. He broke the hold to let the ref count and David got up at 9. Young dug deep and suplexed Henry into the buckles. David ran wild on Henry. David busted out a beautiful dropkick. Henry was up at 4. Henry with a brainbuster and a kick to face. Young was in dire straits. Henry brought a fire extinguisher into the ring. Amber got into the ring and told him not to use it. They argued. David hit the spinebuster. Henry barely beat the 10 count. David went to use the extinguisher but Amber took it away. Henry went up top. David crotched him and hit a superplex. Amber got in between them and told them to stop. Henry shoved Amber into her dad, and tried for a huracanrana. David reversed it with a powerbomb. David was about to split Henry’s wig with a chair when Amber gave him a low blow. Henry put the chair on top of David’s crumpled body, did a top rope double stomp onto the chair, then a frogsplash onto the chair. The smile on Amber’s face as Henry pinned her father was pure evil. After not taking a bump for two years, I did not know David had this kind of match in him. It had story, it had action and it had some of the best selling by Young that you would ever want to see. Henry has taken his game to a new level as a heel.
Postmatch – Henry and Amber were getting massive heat and milking it for all they were worth.
Only, Masada, Scotty Beach, Taco Delgado and Iceberg all came out to help Young. The fans popped huge and chanted “you still got it”. Young was on his knees with blood and tears streaming down his face.
Only summoned wrestlers to the ring to form a wall to keep Nemesis and Jacob Ashworth separated while he got them to sign waivers for the unsanctioned fight that was about to take place.
(9) Unsanctioned Fight: Nemesis defeated Jacob Ashworth in around 10 minutes. I didn’t get the need for a referee for an unsanctioned fight but Nathaniel Spivey was in there doing his best. The crowd was nuts for Ashworth. The action quickly spilled out of the ring. Nemesis DDTed Ashworth on the ramp and choked him with a cord. Nemesis brought a chair into play. Ashworth returned fire with a chairshot and ordered the fans to toss chairs into the ring ala ECW. Ashworth stacked up a dozen of them, but Nemesis backdropped him onto the chairs, then gave him a DDT onto the chairs. Ashworth was bleeding profusely. Nemesis pounded Ashworth with chairshots until he was unconscious. Nemesis said if he didn’t get a WWW contract he would murder Ashworth, Nemesis was dropping F bombs all over the place. Only came out and agreed to give Nemesis a contract if he would leave Ashworth alone.
Nemesis headed towards the front the door and ordered security to “spread the sea for me” by separating the barricades.
As a contingent of babyfaces helped a bloody, battered Ashworth to the back, Only asked the fans to forgive him for what he had done. The booking left me scratching my head. The babyface was beaten to a pulp in a fair fight that he demanded. What is the basis for a rematch? How can this possibly advance Ashworth’s stature as a top babyface?
Feltner wished the fans a Happy Easter. It was now past midnight and the show was fast approaching four hours long.
