From Larry Goodman: As I sat down to write this story, the title of the Red Hot Chili Peppers record “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” rando...
From Larry Goodman:
As I sat down to write this story, the title of the Red Hot Chili Peppers record “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” randomly popped into my brain.
Perhaps not so random after all as this show combined those elements to produce the best go home show in recent memory.
PWA set up five matches for Thanksgiving Turmoil on November 26. Every one on them worked and it all felt so organic. The seeds had been sown. The pieces of the puzzle fell perfectly into place.
Thanksgiving Turmoil will be headlined by PWA Heritage Champion Tommy Too Much vs. AJ Steele in a Lights Out match. To win, one man has to completely knock the other man unconscious (PWA booked their way out of the loser leaves stipulation that appeared to banish T2M from the company at the October 1 show. In his final act before being arrested, Bill Behrens threw out the result of the match because referee Triston Michaels was knocked out at the time and reinstated T2M).
Booker Rick Michaels was quick to credit the talent. Peachstate is the crème de la crème of Georgia wrestling. Virtually everybody who is anybody in Georgia wrestling has passed through their doors. Michaels and owner Shane Noles continually rotates people in and out to keep it fresh. PWA pretty much has the best of everything except for those shitty ass microphones.
Attendance at the VFW Fairgrounds was 250 paid. On a personal note, seeing a great old school show at this venue is especially sweet for me, being that I have attended wrestling events at VFW Fairgrounds off and on for 32 years.
PWA Tag Team Champions Beautiful Bald Besties (Michael Stevens & Zac Edwards) came to the ring with a chair. Edwards said they weren’t at the last show because they were off being amazing elsewhere. Edwards rejected the challenge issued by #Trending Now because Besties were a far superior team (Tag Team of the Year, 3 time PWA Champions). Stevens told Edwards his words moved him. Violent Gentleman got lucky, but the titles came back to where they belonged. They were the best, so why not accept the challenge and prove it? Edwards agreed.
Wicked Nemesis led Violent Gentlemen (Ayden Andrews & Scott Morgan) to the ring. The Gentleman were wearing Nemesis masks and toting a table. Wicked said hell had indeed frozen over with the Cubs win and the Besties regaining the belts. Wicked said Besties get everything they want and the Gentleman still hadn’t gotten their rematch so how about November 26? “You have the chair. We have the table.”
Charles Zanders came out representing #Trending Now. Zanders said he and Ace Haven were bringing the ladders on November 26 and leaving with the titles. Wicked told Zanders his promo was terrible and he expected better from him. I have to agree with Wicked. Zanders said Haven wasn’t there because he had a disease but also said Haven was on his way to Lowes (presumably to buy ladders). The mic problems didn't help any. Be that as it may, this was still an effective segment.
(1) Jimmy Rave defeated Drew Adler via submission in 9:47. Adler took a page out of Rave’s playbook, frustrating the former Heritage Champion with his stalling tactics. Rave controlled Adler with a series of arm drags until Adler caught Rave with a high knee that crossed his running lights. Rave spilled over the top and Adler was all over him for several minutes. Rave’s comeback was set up by a backdrop over the top rope that sent Adler straight to the floor on a spectacular bump. Moments later, Rave hit the Dusk Until Dawn satellite crossface and Adler tapped. Nothing fancy, everything solid, good opener. Rave has been put on the back burner of late.
“P Dogg” Mike Posey called Shane Noles out to thank him for bringing the Pro Wrestling Illustrated to his CD release party at the last show where he was ranked at 471. However, P-Dogg was still pissed at Noles for desecrating his valuable CDs. P-Dogg told Noles he wanted the match with Noles at Thanksgiving As Noles was leaving the ring, P-Dogg clocked with the mic and jabbed something in his eye. Noles started bleeding from the eye socket. Wicked Nemesis and Violent Gentlemen rushed to the ring and covered Shane’s head with a towel. Noles was screaming in pain as he was led to the back.
(2) P-Dogg (with Akbar) defeated Chris Spectra in 7:11. P-Dogg attacked Spectra from behind as he was checking on Noles, then fled the ring after getting a dose of Spectra’s high impact offense. P Dogg used chicanery to get the upper hand and worked over Spectra’s shoulder. Spectra’s comeback had Posey in trouble until his tornado kick died a very ugly death. In the end, P-Dogg struck Spectra’s injured shoulder and picked up the win with the Alabama Jam. I was surprised how much offense Spectra got in.
(3) Gladiator (with Triston Michaels) defeated CB Suave to retain the No Limits Championship in 8:32. The No Limits Title has morphed into PWA’s version of a hardcore title as there no rules. The title matches have produced some terrific brawls of late and this was another one of those. No question Gladiator (the former Slim J) can brawl with the best of them but Suave has become a great brawler in his own right. Coming of the double turn at the October 1 show, the PWA fans are starting to take to Suave as a babyface. Suave went on a tear after breaking Gladiator’s iron grip on the knuckle lock. Gladiator dumped Suave out of the ring and it was on…over the rail and on to the merchandise tables. Suave loaded Gladiator onto a hand truck and ran him into the corrugated metal wall. They did a spot in the seating area that led to a fan getting knocked out of his chair. They guy had a chance to move and wanted to participate instead. Suave climbed onto the stage and tried to springboard off a chair onto Gladiator on the floor, but Gladiator fired a chair at him and nailed him in midair. Back inside the ring, more chair play ensued. Gladiator was wearing Suave out with punches and connected with one particularly wicked looking forearm. Suave hit a pumphandle suplex for two and went for the Ted Bundy, but Gladiator countered with the hangman’s neckbreaker.
An enraged Noles rushed onto the stage with a bloody bandage over his eye and challenged Posey to a blindfold match on November 26. Wicked Nemesis ran out to keep Noles from completely losing it.
(4) Kevin Blue defeated Sal Rinauro in 8:06. The simple story of the match was the crooked behavior of referee Triston Michaels, still wearing a neckbrace from the “injury” he suffered on October 1. Triston’s neck was hurting so badly he couldn’t count for Rinauro’s pin attempt. Blue capitalized on Rinauro’s predicament. Rinauro made a full-fledged comeback and used a rolling reverse cradle. Triston did count this time, albeit very slowly, and Blue kicked out. When Rinauro got knocked out of the ring, Triston tried to count him out as fast as he could but Sal managed to beat the count. Blue pounded on Sal and told him it was his own fault. Rinauro had the match won with a superkick but Triston stopped the count at two and grabbed his neck. Rinauro threatened to slug Triston. Blue rolled Rinauro up and Triston fast counted the pin. Triston’s schtick is right out of the WCW/Nick Patrick playbook. The crowd freaking hates the guy.
Rinauro said Triston cost him the Heritage Championship, the No Limits Championship and now this match. “Three strikes and you’re out. I want you one on one.” Rinauro offered to fight Triston with one hand tied behind his back. Rinauro said if Triston refused, he was going give him a beating at every show. The choice was his, one beating or a lifetime of beatings. Triston smiled and waved and walked with security protecting him. The PWA fans want to see this match in the worst way.
Bill Behrens came to the ring with the Kingsmen and said it was good to be back home. Private investigator Simon Sermon outed Behrens at the October 22 for masquerading as a representative of the Georgia Athletic Commission and had him arrested impersonating a government official. Behrens has no power in PWA but still has his Kingsmen.
Behrens thanked the anonymous fan that bailed him out of the slammer. It dawned on Behrens that the fans didn’t have enough money for a McDonald’s meal and a six pack so it had to be someone else. Behrens turned to Tommy Too Much and thanked him. “Let’s hug.” T2M passed and said he called about springing Behrens but he was already out. “Who is my mysterious benefactor?” Behrens wondered.
The lights went out. Enter a fire breathing Rick Michaels to a huge pop. Rick said he had been waiting a long time to stand face-to-face with Behrens with a live mic. Rick filled the fans in on their history with Wildside and Anarchy and how Behrens ran him out and ran those companies into the ground. Rick said PWA belonged to Pete and Shane Noles and the people. “It’s everybody’s company but yours. You came in to take over and run me out. Well bitch, I’m here.” Rick said he was fat and couldn’t wrestle. But he could still fight and on November 26, he was going to whip Behrens’ ass. The crowd erupted with a “Yes!” chant. Rick said he was going to have somebody as mean and vicious as he was in his corner. That somebody was Pandora. Rick said Pandora was more man that Behrens would ever be. Rick suggested Behrens call up that manly woman Merica Strong to be in his corner. Rick introduced the man Behrens fired, Terry Hudgins, as the referee for the match. The fans chanted for Hudgins. Rick to Triston – “You might learn something from him little girl”. To Behrens – “November 26, I’m coming for you old man.” This was an amazing promo. I’ve heard a lot of Rick Michaels promos during the last 17 years and he’s never cut one better than this. It was perfectly tailored for his audience with just enough inside baseball to get the angle over.
(5) The Exotic Ones (Simon Sermon & AJ Steele) defeated The Kingsmen (Heritage Champion Tommy Too Much & Kyle Matthews with Bill Behrens & Triston Michaels) via DQ in 13:30. Steele as an Exotic One was hilarious. Words cannot describe. Suffice to say he seemed very comfortable in the role. AJ must be very comfortable in his own skin. Either that or he swings both ways. Match was mostly gaga, very entertaining gaga. Steele showed Behrens no mercy. He kissed referee Terry Hudgins. He did a go behind on Matthews and tweaked his nipples. Steele also poured half a bag of Skittles into the ass of Matthews’ tights and munched on the rest. T2M no sold Steele’s chops so Steele chopped his back. Kingsmen got heat on Sermon with Behrens and Triston both getting involved. Tags made. Steele planted Matthews with the Steele City Bomb and handed him over to Sermon for the Manchester Driver. Out came Logan Creed to confront Sermon. Hudgins called for the bell when they started trading blows.
Gladiator joined in the beatdown on Sermon. Wrestlers started running out of the dressing room in waves until everyone was out there. It turned into a wild melee with wrestlers brawling all around ringside and the crowd going nuts.
Rick ended up collaring Behrens. Rinauro got a hold of Triston. Rick and Sal decided to let them off easy…then laid BB and Triston out with stereo superkicks for the pop of the night.
The Kingsmen carried Behrens to the back. Steele told T2M that he forgot something – namely his PWA Heritage Title. Steele told T2M the only way to get it back was to knock him out and challenged T2M to a Lights Out Match on November 26. “Tommy, we both know I’m about to knock your ass out.”
Steele dropped to his belly with the title on the mat in front of him and dared T2M to come get it. Tommy came to ringside to think it over. He lunged for the belt and Steele pulled it back. In era where pro wrestling titles are a dime a dozen, this simple piece of business made the PWA title seem vitally important.
Rick said Walmart had a special on Halloween candy and gave Steele three bags of his beloved gummy bears, which he tossed out to the crowd to end the show.
