From Larry Goodman: Anarchy took major strides towards Hostile Environment with this show and it was no easy task. Matchmaker ...
From Larry Goodman:
Anarchy took major strides towards Hostile Environment with this show and it was no easy task.
Matchmaker Dan Wilson was dealing with a depleted locker room resulting from eight talent cancellations on the day of show, including one of his main event stars in Geter. Such formidable obstacles did not deter Wilson and company from advancing the stories.
It was all hands on deck, and fortunately Wilson had experienced hands to help. Bill Behrens, Todd Sexton and Rick Michaels were there and all were intimately familiar with booking on the fly.
The result was a show that came off virtually without a hitch as far as audience was concerned. Three key matches are in place for Anarchy’s major show for the summer season, which will be headlined by War Games. The date is July 28.
It would appear Anarchy has laid all their big cards on the table for Hostile Environment. There won’t be a heavyweight title match as champion Logan Creed will be in the War Games. Given the current lack of roster depth, I’m not sure what other tricks Anarchy could have up their sleeve, but the War Games alone should draw a house.
Back to last night, to a man (or woman), the Anarchy roster came through in the clutch. Billy Buck and Ike Cross had a match that left me wanting more. Geter’s replacement against Logan Creed in the Last Man Standing match was much more than a capable fill in.
Attendance at Landmark Arena was 120. The bar has been raised on the excitement level at Anarchy and this was not among their hottest crowds.
Will Kaution said he was exceptional and not being taken seriously. He had a point as the fans chanted “you’re a jobber”. Kaution said could beat anyone in the back in 5 minutes. Out came Xander Ramon to a huge pop per usual.
(1) Xander Ramon defeated Will Kaution in 4:45. Ramon got off to a fast start. Kaution countered the third amigo and went to work. Kaution hooked the ropes to block Ramon’s first shot at his finisher. Kaution’s dropkick was spot on. Ramon powered out at two. Kaution clotheslined Ramon and said it was over, the kiss of death. Ramon hit a uranage to pick up the win with a mere 15 seconds to spare. Both men helped their causes here.
Seth Delay came out to face Team TAG without Sal Rinauro. Delay said he didn’t need a partner when all the fans had his back….Enter Marcus Kross (with Griff Garrison).
(2) Seth Delay & Marcus Kross (with Griff Garrison) defeated Anarchy Tag Team Champions Team TAG (Kevin Blue & Chris Spectra) in a non-title match at 9:55. Delay and Kross used the paisan elbow in the early going. Spectra caused them to collide and TAG got heat on Kross. Spectra’s array of suplexes looked impressive. The “just a sidekick” chant no longer applies. Kross leapfrogged off the ropes to tag Delay. It was clothesline city for TAG. Delay hit a rabbit missile dropkick on Blue for a near fall. Spectra interfered to set up the old Todd Sexton Gamebreaker by Blue. Delay hit the flying squirrel splash and Spectra saved Blue’s bacon again. Kross spoiled Team TAG’s signature finisher, made a blind tag and pinned Blue with a slingshot sunset flip. Solid match all the way. Delay and Kross meshed well as a team. Not much heat during but the surprise win got a big reaction.
Blue made excuses. Kross wasn't supposed to be in the match. Their opponents got lucky. Blue said that wouldn’t happen a second time with the titles on the line at Hostile Environment on July 28.
(3) Billy Buck defeated Ike Cross via DQ to retain the Landmark Heritage Championship in 10:33. Team TAG jumped Cross as he made his way to the ring. The shots into the guardrail looked wicked. Referee David Weakley ejected Blue and Spectra and got the green light from the intrepid Cross before calling for the bell. Buck was at his dastardly best, showing Cross no mercy. Cross got zero offense for the first six minutes. The crowd was hating on Buck. Cross finally got untracked big time. He hit a springboard top rope elbow that looked tremendous, then a draping DDT and the Snuka splash for a near fall. Cross went for the spear. Buck evaded and referee Weakley took it full force. Buck had Cross pinned with a spinebuster but no ref to make the count. Buck called for the Buckshot, then decided to hit Cross with the title instead. Second ref Dee Byers hit the ring and got in a tug of war with Buck. Cross speared Buck for the 1-2-3. Cross was announced as the new champion. The crowd was ecstatic until Weakey rained on their parade by overruling Byers and disqualifying Cross.
Matchmaker Dan Wilson told Buck not to ride off into the sunset just yet. The referee’s decision for tonight was final, but the issue was far from settled. Wilson had seen all the help Buck had received to become a three-time Heritage Champion. Cross was one of the most promising up and comers he had ever seen and he had seen them all. Wilson said Buck and Cross had won two matches apiece, so at Hostile Environment, it will be a two out of three falls match and there will be no doubt who is the better man.
This was my favorite match of the night. Made me want to see more. Buck doesn’t know how to have anything except good to great matches. Ike’s offense always looks spectacular and his selling is coming along.
Ring announcer Jason Boyd welcomed Delay and Ramon to the ring for a meet and greet during the intermission.
Wilson opened the second half hyping Hostile Environment. He also added a no DQ stipulation to Buck vs. Cross.
Jacob Ashworth was the guest for the “Al Getz Gets Wrestling” segment that inevitably turn into an angle. Getz was in an American flag suit apropos for the 4th of July. Ashworth earned the right to a match of his choosing by winning a Puerto Rican Pole match at the last show, and he chose the most dangerous match (War Games) against the most dangerous stable instead of a title match. Was he feeling OK?
Ashworth said it had been a year since the perverted, psycho mastermind Brad Cash set out to ruin his life. What better way to take a sick dog out than in War Games? Ashworth felt responsible for letting Cash back into Anarchy and the creation of the Cult. Ashworth said Logan Creed was the second member of his War Games team and introduced Bobby Moore as the third. The crowd popped for Moore and chanted his name. Moore said his return two weeks ago raised questions because Team Approved lost a loser leaves. Moore said he wasn’t here that night. He wasn’t beaten so he wasn’t going anywhere and it would be a pleasure to kick ass with Ashworth. Moore departed. Getz wanted to know who Ashworth had as a 4th member. Ashworth said that would remain a secret until July 28.
Cash and Crystal Rose came to ringside. Cash said Ashworth acted like he had a 4th member, but he didn’t even have a 3rd because they had just taken Moore out. Ashworth didn’t have friends. “You are reaping what you sowed. My Cult grows stronger every week…I feed off your pain and sorrow…I love knocking you back down.”
Ashworth said The Cult hadn’t met all his friends. In so doing, Ashworth turned away from Cash and Rose. They rushed back into the ring and beat him down.
(4) Jacob Ashworth defeated Brad Cash & Crystal Rose in a handicap match via DQ in 6:17. It was basically two against one all the way. Cash let Rose start and interfered at will. Ashworth did not want to strike Rose but was more than willing to hit his finisher on her. Cash interfered and tagged himself in. The two on one tactics accelerated. Cash choked Ashworth with an Ace bandage. Surprisingly little heat for this. Ashworth was on the comeback trail when Nina Monet hit the ring and blew voodoo dust in Ashworth’s eyes for the DQ.
Postmatch - Monet choked Ashworth out with a deer antler. Moore stumbled into the ring with a baseball bat. He gutted Cash with the bat and the women bailed as the crowd chanted “Bobby”.
Ashworth said Cash had games but he also had games. No coin flips in Cornelia. The man advantage for War Games would be decided by a captain’s match on July 14 – Ashworth vs. Cash inside a steel cage.
This was only segment of the show adversely affected by the missing talent (Only and Legacy) The Cult wasn’t fearsome enough without the numbers. Ashworth turning his back on them made no sense and there weren’t enough Cult members to surround him. Why did it turn into a match? Less is more where physical confrontations between Kash and Ashworth are concerned. I assume that wasn’t the plan here and the match did nothing to make me want to see them in a steel cage prior to War Games. That said, I loved the idea of a second female Cult member and Monet was the perfect choice.
Team TAG returned to the ring with all their titles in tow. Blue was the bearer of bad news. Elite leader Geter was flying to Atlanta to become champion but there was technical issue, the landing gear broke or something, so they hired a bounty hunter. Enter Cyrus the Destroyer.
(5) Logan Creed defeated Cyrus the Destroyer in a Last Man Standing match to retain the Anarchy Heavyweight Championship in 9:38. Creed over like crazy with the crowd. Bull of the woods shoulder block led to dueling goozles. Logan got the choke slam. Cyrus answered with a sick kick. They brawled on the outside. Logan brought Cyrus back with a brainbuster suplex. Dropped him right on his head. Cyrus was up at the count of eight. Cyrus hit the avalanche overhead belly to belly suplex. What an impact. Both men down for an eight count. Cyrus hit the Vader Bomb. When the count reached six, Cyrus went for a second Vader Bomb to make sure Creed stayed down. Creed cut Cyrus off with a powerbomb. Both men flat on their backs for an eight count. A high boot knocked from Creed knocked Cyrus to the floor. Creed hit a tope suicida for a well-deserved “holy shit” chant and Cyrus didn’t get up. These guys click. I think I liked their Peachstate match a bit more but this was really good. I can guarantee the fans didn’t feel shortchanged.
Cash and his females came to aid Cyrus, who became Cash’s latest recruit.
