Photos Courtesy of Scene Nick From Larry Goodman: Tanks for the Memories was the perfect conclusion to Tank’s career at Landmark...
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| Photos Courtesy of Scene Nick |
From Larry Goodman:
Tanks for the Memories was the perfect conclusion to Tank’s career at Landmark Arena, a bloody, violent, brutal night of professional wrestling. He would not have wanted it any other way.
Tank went out in a style, putting on a classic hardcore match with the current master of the genre, “The Bulldozer” Matt Tremont.
The big news was “The People’s Captain” Gunner Miller defeating Jacob Ashworth to become a two-time Anarchy Triple Crown Champion.
It was rough night at the Arena. Aside from the expected bloodshed in the main event, Ashworth suffered a concussion. Gladiator Jeremiah was badly lacerated during his match. Even one of the security people got busted open.
Dan Wilson’s Memphis-infused booking continues to resonate with the Anarchy fans. Crowd reactions were strong all night long.
Attendance was 150.The crowd and wrestler held up amazingly well given the stifling heat. Temperatures had soared into the mid 90s during the day and it was still that hot in the oven known as the Landmark Arena.
Wilson introduced White Trash as the special guest host for the evening. White Trash credited Tank with being the guy that took him to his only championship (the NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship as Project Mayhem) and said Tank had bled more blood at Landmark Arena than anyone.
They shot the opening for the DVD and Powerbomb.TV episode.
Anarchy tag champs The Approved (Adrian Hawkins & Bobby Moore) were pissed about not having a match. Moore said the problem was they had beaten everyone there was to beat and said they were taking over the show until they got one.
Wilson said Beautiful Bald Besties would be back to challenge them in two weeks and ordered them out of the ring. Moore blamed Wilson for their behavior and threatened to leave him in a bloody pile. Approved begrudgingly left the ring at the behest of Anarchy security.
(1)Jeremy Foster defeated Brad Cash in 6:47. The Anarchy crowd’s warm and fuzzy reaction to Cash shifted radically once his nasty attitude kicked into gear. Match was a see saw battle. Foster used kneebar and crossface submissions. Cash nailed Foster with some wicked strikes. Foster busted out the headbutt attack and tried for the flying knee. Cash stepped aside and hit a World’s Strongest Slam. Moments later, Foster surprised Cash with a flying crucifix to score the pinfall.
Cash attacked Foster after the match. Security tried to intervene. Cash pulled out a pizza cutter and sliced security guy Larry Lewallen’s head open. Lewallen bled like a pro. If the object was to position Cash as Anarchy’s new psycho killer, it worked.
Trash hosted the first of several classic video footage segments: Project Mayhem vs. Lance Dreamer & Mr. Delicious from Freedom Fight 2001.
(2) Kyle Matthews defeated Gladiator Jeremiah to retain Landmark Heritage Championship in 9:54. Match was everything you would expect from two of the best technical wrestlers around. They opened with grappling, then traded aerial moves building to simultaneous dropkicks for a big pop. Matthews went for tope that turned into more a flying tackle. In the process, Jeremiah headbutted the ring apron splitting his eyebrow wide open. Jeremiah had blood streaming down his face. Unphased, Jeremiah licked the blood and carried on. Matthews hit a release german suplex. Jeremiah came roaring back with Screwdriver on the Rocks and a sunset flip powerbomb for a near fall. Matthews evaded Jeremiah’s top rope splash and capitalized with a tornado DDT followed by a frogsplash but Jeremiah kicked out. Matthews got the Octopus hold. Jeremiah countered with a cobra clutch. Matthews made the ropes and reversed Jeremiah’s backslide attempt to pick up the win.
Team TAG (Billy Buck & Chris Spectra) attacked after the match but Matthews and Jeremiah were able to repel them. Matthews said that even with a busted head and busted mouth, they could still whip Team TAG. Wilson made the match for later in the evening.
A creepy promo from “The Natural Born Legend” Crystal Rose was shown on the video screen. It appeared to be shot in an attic. Rose said she bringing all of hell with her and taking her title back from Rock C. Rose said be prepared for a surprise because was letting her rat of its cage. We got a final glimpse of Rose hanging from the rafters. The crowd chanted “Crystal Meth”.
(3) Hate Junkies (Stryknyn & Dany Only) defeated Hooligans (Devin & Mason Cutter with Uncle Leo) in 3:32. Only’s big mouth precipated a wild brawl before the bell that was longer than the match. A rapid fire sequence of double chops by Hooligans looked terrific. Stryknyn did a senton off the apron on Devin and gave Mason a DDT on the ramp. It devolved into one hell of a slugfest. When the bell finally sounded, they set up four chairs in the ring and did a Tank tribute, going round and round blasting each other with right hands. Devin kissed Stryk. Mason superkicked Only out of his chair. Stryk speared Mason out of his chair. Finish was an F5/top rope elbow combo on Devin. A zany match that worked because it was so different. Finish was ehh because Only didn’t have enough room to do a proper elbow drop.
Classic video footage: Tank vs. Samoa Joe from IWA Mid-South 2005 King of Strong Style
(4) Gunner Miller (with Jeff G. Bailey) defeated Jacob Ashworth to regain the Anarchy Triple Crown Championship in 12:34. Miller had badass game face on and a new buzzcut for the occasion. Crowd was all Ashworth save a few Miller diehards. Ashworth was in control until Bailey grabbed Miller’s leg to foil Ashworth’s bulldog attempt. Miller almost lost his grip on an overhead suplex. He managered to power through but Ashworth appeared to take an awkward bump on his shoulder. Miller unleashed a wicked clothesline. He absolutely leveled Ashworth with it but only got a two count with the delayed cover. Ashworth fought up from the bottom, rallying back with clotheslines of his own. Team TAG tried to interfere. Ashworth cut them off but fell victim to Miller’s uranage. Ashworth kicked out and fended off a second uranage. Ashworth came back with a Vader bomb and had the crowd behind him strong when he took a bump where the back of his head snapped across the bottom rope or slammed into the mat. Whatever happened, Ashworth was out of it. Ashworth managed to hit his elevated full nelson face plant but Miller grabbed the ropes. Ashworth went for roll of the dice and Miller countered with a Jackhammer to win the title. No harm done to Ashworth's stature by losing this brutally physical match. Ashworth somehow gutted out the final minute despite his concussed condition. Miller’s Jackhammer looked devastating.
Anarchy personnel came out to tend to Ashworth. There was great concern for Ashworth’s condition due to the neck injury he suffered several years ago that almost ended his career. A concussion was bad enough.
(5) Se7en defeated Shad Satu in 5:39. Satu is a wide body Samoan with IWA Mid-South credentials. Crowd was not impressed, chanting “Se7en’s gonna kill you” and “wear a bra”. Se7en eventually came out on top in the bull of the woods contest. He used Mongolian chops to set up the choke slam. Satu escaped and got near falls with a Samoan drop and a running hip attack before coming up empty on a diving headbutt. Se7en put him away with the choke bomb. Match was OK. Satu was not the opponent to put Se7en the best light. Two guys this huge should avoid whip reversals spots.
Classic video footage: Tank vs. Necro Butcher from IWA Mid-South 2005 King of the Death Match Tournament.
(6) Team TAG (Billy Buck & Chris Spectra) defeated Kyle Matthews & Gladiator Jeremiah in 5:20. Team TAG back jumped Matthews and Gladiator as they entered the ring. Jeremiah took a stiff shot into the ringsteps and was helped to the back. Matthews was doing fine on his own until Spectra interfered. Buck and Matthews traded hellacious chops. Spectra with a cradle suplex and a fallaway slam for near falls. Matthews hit a backcracker on Spectra and both were down. Jeremiah returned to take the tag. Spectra tried and failed to nail Jeremiah with his shield. As referee Darryl Hall was removing the shield from the ring, Buck gave Jeremiah a low blow and rolled him up. Hot action and the finish was the perfect set up for next time.
Postmatch: Jeremiah said he wasn’t finished with Buck and next show his ass was dead.
Classic video footage: Project Mayhem defeating Blackout in a Four Corner of Pain match to win the NWA Wildside tag titles in 2001.
Ring announcer Jonathan Feltner issued an advisory that main event would be adult oriented violence as barbed wire boards were set up in the ring.
(7) Matt Tremont defeated Tank (with Jeff G. Bailey) in a hardcore match at 13:18. Huge Tank chant as he entered the ring for his final match at Landmark. Tank urged the crowd to applaud Tremont. Match opened with each guy trying and failing to shove the other guy’s head into a barbed wire board. Tank wacked Tremont with a pizza paddle and gouged his forehead with the edge. Tremont bled. They konked each other with baking pans until both were staggering like drunken sailors. Tremont took a pizza cutter to Tank’s head. Tank bled. Tank used a kendo stick. Tremont whipped Tank into board covered with gusset plates. Tremont fired a trash can lid at Tank’s head and covered for a two count. The action spilled outside the ring. They sat down in chairs and punched and headbutted each other.
The battle briefly moved into the parking lot. God only knows what they were doing to each other out there.
Back inside, Tank bloody as hell, whipped Tremont through a barbed wire board. Tremont was convulsing with the wire sticking to his back. Tank stuck a handful of skewers into Tremont’s head, the sight of which had some people shrieking in horror and others chanting “how awesome it was. Tank jabbed skewers into Tremont’s arm. They battled on the ropes. Tremont fought off a superplex, sending Tank on Nestea plunge through a barbed wire board laid across two chairs. Tremont hit a top rope splash as Tank was lying on the barbed wire board to end it.
The crowd erupted with a “Thank you, Tank” chant. A tribute video was shown on the video screen. The fans gave Tank a standing ovation and started chanting again as wrestlers came out from the dressing room to surround the ring.
Tank said in two weeks, he would wrestle his final match at the Scenic City Invitational, while Tremont would be wrestling the godfather of death match wrestling, Onita, in New Jersey. Tank put Tremont over as the best death match wrestler on the planet.
Tremont said when he grew up in New Jersey he would stay up to watch NWA Wildside on syndication at 2 am in the morning. He thanked Tank and everyone the bank. They toasted with a Miller Lite.
Tank’s parting words were true to form -- candid, funny and heartfelt – delivered with blood still covering his face. Tank said he first came to a Wildside show in 2000 with Wilson. After wrestling shit shows for five years, Wildside was a real wrestling company. He saw AJ Styles do a shooting star press to the floor and knew he had to wrestle in that ring. He got a tryout match thanks to Bill Behrens and Steve Martin during which he did an elbow drop off the apron. Martin said he would be their Cactus Jack. He did that move just one more time because it hurt too much. Tank said he had been all over but this building was always home. He had been through three owners, and the awesome arguments in the back involving Behrens, Wilson and Bailey. Behrens would tell him, “Warren, you’ve got to stop that shit.” He had fond memories of the road trips with Adam Jacobs and David Pierce. He looked at his wife, Kim, in the bleachers and broke into tears calling her his best friend. “She’s still supporting me and I had to have her here tonight.” Tank said he loved each and every one of the wrestlers, “even those assholes up there” (the heels wrestlers that were now standing on the ramp). Tank said Matthews and Buck were his two favorite independent wrestlers to watch.
“Take the damn torch and run with it. Thank you for spending the night with us. 21 years is a long time up and down the road. I get to go home and be daddy and Warren."
Tank got hugs from Bailey and Wilson. White Trash raised his hand. Tank circled the ring one last time saying his goodbyes to the Anarchy fans.
