Photo Courtesy of Peggy Staton Hall From Larry Goodman: We’re a team! It’s Valentine’s Day! -- Logan Chase to Cyrus Geor...
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| Photo Courtesy of Peggy Staton Hall |
We’re a team! It’s Valentine’s Day!
-- Logan Chase to Cyrus
Georgia Premier Wrestling presented a unique 8 team mixed tag tournament at the Old Buffington School Gym in Canton with mixed results.
GPW tried something different. It didn't work out as well as they hoped. No damage done.
GPW tried something different. It didn't work out as well as they hoped. No damage done.
“Together We Fight” was like a trick play that looked promising when they drew it up on the chalkboard but didn’t work out so well when it was time for the team to execute on the field.
The mixed tag format lacked the excitement of intergender rules. Wrestlers don’t get much experience with mixed tag rules these days and it showed. While there were many strong individual performances, the matches tended to lack flow or build momentum.
Business wise, the show did fine for promoters Woody Hullender and Darrell Morris. Attendance was around 160.
It was a learning experience for booker Scott Hensley. The stories with implications for GPW going forward (the implosion of Chase Enterprise and portraying The Society as formidable heels) were effective. The tournament story, however, was neither clear nor compelling.
Owen Knight came out solo and cut a hell of promo on the crowd, point being partner Kiera Hogan was busy winning the WSU Spirit Championship so he was taking the night off. Hensley said not so fast and introduced the masked Hindu as Knight’s partner.
(1) Jospeh A’gau & Kayla Lynn defeated Owen Knight & Hindu via DQ in 6:49. Hensley had the line of the night introducing Hindu as being “from parts unknown with parts unknown”. The stuff between A’gau and Knight was some of the best wrestling of the night. Kayla also looked good here, busting out a swank submission on Hindu. The finish saw Knight enter after making a blind tag. Kayla slapped him and Knight got DQed for planting her with a DDT. So I guess it was OK for the women to hit the men but not the other way around.
Afterward, Black and Kayla laid out the hapless little Hindu.
(2) GPW Southern States Champion Torque & GPW Cruiserweight Champion Jessica Leigh (with Logan Chase) defeated Brad Cash & Rock-C in 9:43. Cash was doing just fine and was none too keen on tagging Rock-C in. Cash leveled Torque with a big time clothesline but he got a foot on the ropes. Cash reluctantly made the tag. Leigh and Rock-C traded suplexes. Cash walked out on Rock-C’s tag and Leigh pinned her with an inside cradle. The action was OK. Cash had a much better outing than his last match in Cornelia. The problem was it wasn’t at all clear why Cash had a problem with Rock-C.
…obvious tensions between Chase and his team after the match.
(3) Chip Day & Priscilla Kelly defeated Johnny Rokk & Tiffany Roxx in 10:17. Day wanted to wrestle Roxx. He surely would have been better off because Rokk went into a full on Road Warrior Hawk no sell mode and handed him his ass. Roxx got a lot of not-so-hot looking offense on Kelly until she crashed and burned on a high crossbody. Kelly took over with underhanded help from Day. Roxx hit a slo-motion TKO. Tags made. Rokk on fire. Kelly had to break up the pin after a top rope clothesline. Rokk got distracted by his wife fighting with Kelly. Day capitalized, forcing Rokk to tap out to a kneebar.
(4) Joey Sparkz & Black Widow defeated Cyrus & Logan Chase via submission in 13:18. Chase was content to let his monster do all the work. Cyrus did the classic women’s move, standing on Sparkz’ dreadlocks and pulling on his arms. Sparkz turned the tide so Cyrus tagged Chase in. Chase acted scared but managed to get over on Widow.. Tags made. Cyrus got an ugly bloody nose from a knee to the face, and it was back and forth big moves from two big men. Cyrus hit a massive overhead belly to belly suplex off the ropes with the aid of Chase’s interference. In the process, Chase had the bright idea of making a blind tag. Widow was all over Chase so Cyrus grabbed her by the hair. Sparkz speared Cyrus to break it up. Widow submitted Chase with a hammerlock stretch. This was one of the more entertaining matches The strong heel/face dynamic helped. Cyrus and Sparkz worked well together.
Cyrus was ticked off at Chase for the blind tag.
(5) Ray Ray defeated Shaggy (with Mad Hatter) by DQ in 4:38. Shaggy hid out and jumped Ray on his way to the ring. It was all Shaggy until Ray countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana. Hatter immediately attacked Ray, laying laid him out with a double arm DDT.
The beat down continued until Cuzin Cletus made the save. Ray was helped to the back with blood coming from an unknown orifice.
(6) Torque & Jessica Leigh (with Logan Chase) defeated Joey Sparkz & Black Widow in 9:56. Sparkz and Widow are unlikely looking babyfaces but they had the crowd behind them. Torque was too chickenshit to mix it up with Sparkz. Leigh was getting hammered by Widow and tagged out at the first opportunity. Chase interfered. Solid action ensued, Torque with a tope and Sparkz with a Steen Breaker. Chase jumped up to protest as Widow had Leigh locked in a submission. Widow got in Chase’s grill and tagged out. S;arkz siuperkicked Torque but Leigh broke up the pin. As Leigh and Widow were fighting on the outside, Torque pinned Sparkz with a 450.
(7) Chip Day & Priscilla Kelly defeated Joseph A’gau & Kayla Lynn in 8:46. Some of women in the crowd were developing an intense dislike to Kelly. Lots of nice exchanges with all four getting a chance to shine. There was an unfortunate phantom spot where Kayla came off the ropes and nobody was there. Kayla went back to the planned spot – a sequence of three double sledges on Day. They did the Revival spot with Day and Kelly hanging on for dear life as they were caught in dual submission. Referee Jonathan Chastain got the men out because they weren’t legal but not before Kayla hit a codebreaker on Day. Kelly then pinned Kayla with a half nelson german suplex.
(8) Mad Hatter defeated Cuzin Cletus in a Wonderland Match at 9:07. There were top hats with weapons on each of the ringposts, and it was last man standing but with only a three count required to win. Hatter walloped Cletus with a bag of candy corn that he pulled out of hat number one. Hat number two contained a stuffed rabbit. Hatter slapped Cletus with the rabbit but he no sold it. Hatter got offense sparking a “Waffle House” chant for Cletus, who answered the call with a sleeper. Shaggy hit the ring and took a rockbottom from Cletus. Cletus pulled a chain out of the third hat, but Hatter got him with the powder before he could use it. Hatter took Cletus down the rabbit hole with a jumping flatliner for the win. I can’t say it was good but it was different in a wacky, surreal kind of way.
Postmatch -- Ray hit the ring and got punked out. The Society stood tall with Cletus and Ray both left laying. The booking did everything possible to make build up Society for their match with Rock ‘n Roll Express in Blue Ridge on February 25.
(9) Chip Day & Priscilla Kelly defeated Torque & Jessica Leigh in 3:32 to win the tournament. Chase said the contract was signed “Chase Enterprise” and told Torque and Leigh that he and Cyrus were taking their spot. Torque and Leigh said then they were quitting. The logic made my head hurt. If the contract said Chase, weren’t they quitting the tournament as well? Day and Kelly back jumped Torque and Leigh. The bell rang with all four in. They brawled around the ringside area. It should have been ruled a no contest but playing fast and loose with the rules was the order of the night. Back inside, Leigh slapped the living crap out of Day. With Torque dominating Day, Cyrus and Chase made their way back to ringside. Chase interfered so Leigh got in his face. Meanwhile, Cyrus slugged Torque behind the ref’s back and Day pinned Torque after hitting a flying knee strike. It had plenty of story, albeit a murky one. I was hoping for more of a contest in the finals.
Kelly and Day halted the postmatch beatdown by Chase Enterprise only to blast Leigh and Torque with their respective titles.
Day said Kelly was The Supreme Queen of Georgia, he was the Wrestler of the Year and everyone else paled in comparison. Cyrus and Chase left with the titles.
NOTES: Georgia wrestling notable in attendance included KT Hamill, Bill the Butcher, Shane Marx, Brian Blaze, Nina Monet and Matt Hankins…In addition to Rock ‘n Roll Express vs. The Society, the February 25 event in Blue Ridge has Cletus vs. Tank in a hardcore match…GPW returns to Canton on March 18.
