From Scott Hensley: The wife and I took a weekend trip through the Carolinas and just happened to be in Columbia, SC Saturday wher...
The wife and I took a weekend trip through the Carolinas and just happened to be in Columbia, SC Saturday where Palmetto Championship Wrestling featured a nice looking and reasonably priced($15/$10) event with some people I was familiar with(James Drake & Ethan Case) along with a lot of new faces I’d never seen. The venue was a nice rec center that was easy to find with plenty of parking and ample space and facilities inside. The sound system was clear, the guys worked hard, and the crowd reacted accordingly. Several matches were also built for their next event on 7/7/17 featuring Middle Tennessee’s own “Deadly Sin” Se7en. I'd guess attendance was somewhere around 100.
The event started on time with a singles match. THE referee looked a bit out of place, as he was bigger and had a better build than most of the wrestlers but it turns out he was a last minute replacement and he did well for someone who was thrown into the position last minute.
1) Kevin Ray d. Jacob Ryan by roll up with his feet on the ropes in 6:40
Ray got some cheers(probably just because he was the first guy to come out and people were excited) but Ryan got a big ovation. He’s abs away from some really good opportunities. These lightweights had a decent sprint and it looked like the momentum was swinging in Ryan’s favor but Ray rolled him up with feet on the ropes to get the win.
2) The Breakfast Club(Anthony Janazzo & Josh Powers) d. Travis Lee & Jeff Connelly by pinfall after a Full Nelson Powerbomb combo in 7:35
It’s an independent event so of course there has to be some reference to the Bullet Club. These guys were a lot of fun though. They’re beefy athletic guys that come out with donuts and made the fans go crazy. The giant Lee and Connelly were a nice surprise to see there, as I was familiar with them from NWA Smoky Mountain. The Club tried to give Connelly a donut and he immediately slapped it away, completely turning the crowd against him. They offered Lee a donut and he took it, only to have Connolly slap it out of his hand. The Club worked well together but eventually fell victim to the strength and size of Lee and wrestling ability of Connelly. The Club got it together and grabbed another box of donuts out from under the ring. “Grab the Donuts!!!!” They gave Lee one and he turned around in the corner so Connelly wouldn’t see him eating it. Connelly ran over to see what he was doing, he elbowed Connelly off and The Club finished Connelly off while Lee finished his donut. Silly but really entertaining.
Father Darkness, a Static X looking priest guy, came out with his offering plate and introduced Shane Dorr’s opponent: PCW US Champion “The Archangel” James Johnson for a non-title match. The crowd had “Father DORKNESS” signs and he got good heat against the fan favorite(and I believe promoter) Shane Dorr.
3) Shane Dorr d. “The Archangel” James Johnson w/ Father Darkness by roll up after botched interference in 9:04
I literally predicted this match’s finish and time to the second. It was pretty amazing. Darkness has apparently been a thorn in the side of Dorr for some time now and this was his second opportunity to get some revenge, with the first opportunity resulting in a win for Dorr as well. Johnson looked like if Xpac joined the Undertaker’s Ministry. Dorr controlled the majority of the match and outwrestled Johnson. Darkness attempted to get involved, which caused Dorr to chase him around the ring. The melee confused Johnson, who was then rolled up by Dorr.
4) Ethan Case d. “Classy” Mason Myles by pinfall after a pop up forearm/elbow smash in 17:53
The smaller Myles really impressed here. I’d never seen him but he can really go. Case works the “indy-tastic” style filled with fast-paced athleticism, creativity, and of course lots of nearfalls but it makes for a fun match when it’s not overdone on the card – and it wasn’t here. These guys told a good competitive story that saw Myles prove he was every bit an equal to Case, which is pretty impressive. Good stuff and it didn’t feel like 17:53 at all.
After the match, Case said Myles had a bad attitude but he could admit Myles was in fact a great wrestler. Case mentioned being previously attacked, as a man jumped the guardrail and prepared to once again attack him from behind. Case said they’d gotten him once but they wouldn’t get him again, as he turned around and superkicked the attacker. He said he and a partner would take on the attackers on July 7.
5) Jacoby Boykins d. Damon Riot by pinfall after a spinning side slam in 8:22
Boykins, whom I was familiar with from his days at NWA Anarchy, has really turned into a lovable powerhouse. He dominated the smaller Riot in this match with some fun power moves. Riot is half the size of Boykins with a “Crab Man” from My Name is Earl look going for him. He busted out some high flying and agile offense to try to combat the much bigger Boykins but fell short in his attempts.
Shane Dorr came back out to the ring and issued a challenge to Father Darkness. Darkness came out and said he’d face Dorr, no problem. He asked the fans if they wanted to see him face Dorr that night and they said yes! He said he doesn’t care what they think and that it wasn’t happening but on 7/7/17 he’d have “The Deadly Sin” Se7en with him to be Dorr’s opponent that night.
There was then this really awkward moment where a woman ran to the ring and was yelling at Shane about Darkness allegedly saying something to her teenage son. My wife said all Darkness said was “I’m not going to pick on you because your mom already told me not to!” She made a huge distracting scene and the teenage son ran to the entrance and grabbed the offering plate of Darkness and bent it. Dorr was later seen giving the family tickets and concessions. What a nightmare.
6) James Drake d. Will Demented from High Profile by referee stoppage in 15:10 to retain the PCW Heavyweight championship
Shea Shea McGrady from High Profile had been previously laid out by Drake at a prior event and here he was made the guest referee in this match. The team of High Profile isn’t much to look at but the crowd loves these guys and they have heart for sure. Will is a small guy with a belly whose pants don’t stay up on him but the crowd didn’t care and he put up a heck of a fight against the much bigger Drake. This was my first time seeing Drake in person and he’s darn impressive with his power, agility, and over the top confidence. Will got a couple of nearfalls, including from superkicks to starts the match and by hitting two Spiral Taps from the top rope. Drake was just too powerful and resilient though. He murdered Will with 2 double underhook spin out drivers, lifting Will’s shoulders off the mat each time. He told Will’s partner to stop the match and that he was going to make sure that his own partner cost him the one thing that meant the most to him. Drake set up the unresponsive Will for a reverse piledriver and Shea Shea called for the bell. Drake still hit it on him and left him laying in the ring. A fan held up a sign that said “NOT MY CHAMPION.”