Atlanta Underground Wrestling in Atlanta on September 25

From Larry Goodman: What were they thinking? Atlanta Underground Wrestling ran a hastily put together debut show in North Alt...

From Larry Goodman:

What were they thinking?

Atlanta Underground Wrestling ran a hastily put together debut show in North Altanta on a Sunday afternoon. The event had no discernible advertising beyond a Facebook event page and papering the parking lot at the ROH show the night before. 

It did have an Underground vibe. The venue is the bottom floor suite of an office building adjoining Mercer University set up for with around 50 seats. I doubt the DeKalb County Fire Marshall gave it his seal of approval.

The room reminds me a bit of the Academy Theater space where PCW ran – walls on two sides of the ring and only four feet of clearance above the ring so top rope moves are dangerous undertakings. The lighting and sound are fine. It wouldn't be a bad venue for small shows if the ceiling wasn’t so low.

Workers (8) outnumbered paying customers (7).

The event was advertised as an adult show. The adult content consisted of “fuck” being the go to verb in for much of the talent roster. What was supposed to pass for edgy came across as a depressing lack of imagination.

(1) Gas Mask defeated Party Man 5000 in 5:06. Gas Mask clocked Party Man with his gas mask and pinned him with a gas mask suplex (overhead suplex out of a Gallows Pole). Not much I can say these guys as wrestlers. I never got past their backyard characters and stupefying use of foul language.

(2) Chad Osiris defeated Mike Cobb in 20:01. These guys worked their asses off while enduring merciless verbal abuse from Corey Nachamkin. Osiris needs no introduction. Cobb is a talented wrestler out of the Nashville area.  This could have been a really good match under less adverse conditions. Osiris picked up the win with a Sliced Bread #2 modified by the low ceiling.

(3) Angry Shooter pinned Carpenter in 4:56 with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Shooter was the same guy as Party Man. Carpenter’s promo never had a chance in this environment and died an ugly death. I felt my mind sickening as I watched this match.

(4) Mexican #1 (with Mexican #2) defeated Gil Quest in 12:35. Mexican #1 was the Gas Mask guy/promoter. Mexican #2 was the aforementioned Party Man working his third match out of four. This match was the lowest of the many low points on the show. Mexican #1 was the Gas Mask guy/promoter. Mexican #2 was Party Man working his third match out of four. I think the idea was the Mexicans getting heat for being obvious fakes and disrespecting a true Mexican. Perverse comedy abounds given Quest is a Puerto Rican with a New Jersey accent. The Mexicans switched unbeknownst to referee Darryl “Grandpa Booker T” Hall, who acted like he couldn’t tell the difference despite a six inch variance in height. It only got more bizarre. Mexican Numero Uno gave Corey a loaf of bread. This distracted referee Hall who admonished Corey for bringing food in. Mexican #1 tried to hit Quest with a chain and hit his partner. Hall got bumped. Served him right being such a douche. The Mexicans then put Quest away with a variation on Blackout’s Violator 420.

Postmatch, Corey threw the loaf of bread in Quest’s direction. Quest got really hot about it to the point he allegedly wanted to fight Corey after the show.

(5) WWA4 Champion Austin Theory defeated AC Mack in 9:04. These are two talented newcomers. Mack is strong on the mic. Theory has a bodybuilder physique. Both show potential with their ringwork. The match made me want to see more from both of them. They did a cool spot where Mack countered Theory’s Falcon Arrow with a stunner just prior to impact. Theory pinned Mack with a fireman’s carry cutter.